Hello dear friends! I just wanted to update you on all that was going on in my little corner of the world. Hope all is well with yours!
Since we last "spoke" my two adorable grandsons have been born. First Felix in October.
And then Ezekiel in November. They are at the the giggling stage, and it's really fun to watch them grow.
We have also weathered Hurricane Sandy and quite a few snowstorms. And in between times Ran has built me new kitchen cabinets. The next thing we are working on is redoing some diamond paned leaded glass windows to use in enclosing our porch. So you see, life is busy even for two old retired folks! Hope everyone has a nice week ahead and a joyous Easter!
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Congrats on those two sweet grandsons. I know you are going to enjoy them and they you. I'm sure you've knit them up some nice things.
ReplyDeleteOh my Sandy was up your way, glad that tree fell the way it did, and don't you look cold bundled up in your winter gear. That kitchen cupboard is beautiful! Ran does fantastic work.
Thank you so much for dropping a little note to your followers.
Love and hugs ~ FlowerLady
Hello Sweet Rainey! I think of you daily and please know you are in my prayers. I knitted the babes matching sweaters that looked like Paddington's coat.
DeleteYep. Sandy hit us, but I must say I wasn't all that impressed. We've had much stronger and longer winds before! But I guess it is fun to say you experienced a hurricane in MI.
Ran is a lot like your dear late husband. He can do anything. I showed him a screen capture from an old movie and he made the cupboards exactly like it.
A bunny hug (in honor of Easter) to you dear Rainey!
Congratulations on your grandsons, how cute! Babies are such a joy. :) It is so nice reading an update, your new kitchen cabinet is very beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI hope you and your family have a wonderful Easter and a beautiful spring!
Thanks April! Yes they are a joy. Hope you are enjoying the Easter season also. Pretty soon it will be time for you to start your garden. What do you think of that?!
DeleteDearest Jane!
ReplyDeleteHow fortunate to hear from you! I wondered how you and Ran were honeymooning! It looks wonderful!
Kiss those babies all you can! Soon, they will be able to wiggle away! And, before we can turn around, they will be driving and voting!
How is Georgie??
So good to see a note from you!
Hi Matty! Ha! We look like two old coots rather than honeymooners in the above picture! But we are having a grand time. Except for not having any money (who needs that?), retirement is jolly good fun.
DeleteGeorgie got yelled at the vet for being too fat, so he's been dieting and exercising. He's positively svelte now!
Aren't they beautiful! I am (somewhat) patiently waiting for our first. :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear that things are going well. Looks like y'all are enjoying life and that is what counts.
Love your new cabinets!
They are little sweetie dumplings that's for sure, Shara! You just wait until you see your little grandchild for the first time. It really like falling in love with your own newborn. And the best thing is there's no worries with them! Can't wait to say congratulations to you!
DeleteHi! Thanks! And congrats! So cute...isn't it amazing how they were just born in October and November and already look so intelligent and interactive!! Babies are just such a special idea of God's!
ReplyDeleteI remember my grandparents retiring and working on their homes...and I've seen all my neighbors doing the same. I can't wait!!
Hi Andrea! I thought I would post something so you wouldn't have to scroll down through our previous conversations.
DeleteThey are already trying to talk and are laughing. They both can sit up on their own and are getting up on their knees and starting to rock, getting ready to crawl. I don't remember my babies doing this at such a young age and I thought they were pretty bright babies. Jamie could talk in complete sentences when he was 1. I remember being in a store and a lady remarking, "That baby said he wants a tuna fish sandwich!" (we really didn't feed tuna fish sandwiches but would give him a taste)
I now you'll love being retired. There's so much more to life than a job!
P.S. You look so pretty and bundled up!
ReplyDeleteHa! You are so, so kind, Andrea. I was wearing this goofy hat and Ran smushed it down on my head and put up my hood. My eyes were all scrunched up. He sent that awful picture out to all our friends for Christmas! Oh well! We know how to get bundled up around here. I think I had about seven layers of clothes on that day. Every spring people ask me if I have lost a lot of weight!
Deleteha..that was so nice and caring of your husband to bundle you up.
Deletenot only do you look pretty, but you look too young to retire.
My girls seems smarter than my boys when babies...but my boys are smarter academically after that.
I especially like how one of my boys was so petite when he was 4, and he was writing something in church...and the lady behind us thought he was a genius...because she assumed he was a toddler..ha...my husband and I just smiled and took the compliment.
Love the grandbabies and the kitchen cabinet, especially love the picture of YOU! So glad to see a post from you and to know that all is well. Thanks so much for dropping in on me and leaving comments! I miss seeing reading your posts!
ReplyDeleteThanks Charlene! I'm toying with the idea of writing a once-a-month post. just to let everyone know I'm still alive and kicking. Hope you are mending from your fall!
DeleteI think that's a great idea. That's the good thing about blogging, you can post as much or as little as you like, on whatever takes your fancy!
DeleteWhen I first read your opening title I said AWE~ Darn!
ReplyDeleteThen when I saw your sweet grandbabies, I said "AAAAAAW!
Congrats! And I am glad to see all is well with you!
~God bless~
Lisa
Thanks Lisa! They're my little doll babies along with Ezekiel's big sister Tatianna. Getting old certainly has its rewards!
DeleteHi Jane - how lovely to hear from you. Your little grandsons are beautiful. You must be so filled with joy to have them. Did your husband build that pretty kitchen cabinet from scratch? It is exactly in the style I love and hope to have in our new home when we move. With love, Lily. xxx
ReplyDeleteHi Lily! Nothing like babies to remind you of all that is good in life. My husband made the cabinet and new doors for the other cupboards. They are a copy from a setting in an old Lillian Gish movie called His Double Life. All the old 1940-ish hinges and handles came from a garage sale. I'll have to take a picture of it with my old Friendly Village china in them to show everyone.
DeleteWhat a beautiful babies. Beautiful gifts from God. Really nice to read your blog again. And view the photos! Brrr ... that wa a terrible hurricane. Here crocuses are in the grass: yellow, purple, white. Very nice. I smell spring! Kisses.
ReplyDeleteHello dear Aritha! I've been having trouble with reading your blog because the Goggle translate hasn't been working on your blog. I'm going to ask my husband to find a solution for it, if I can corner him long enough. Ah spring! For some reason this year I long for it so! Still has crept out of the sub freezing range here. I think I'll have to buy a bouquet of daffodils and nudge spring along! Love to you, my dear Dutch friend!
DeleteThanks for all your comments on my blog. Super.
DeleteSounds wonderful in all directions.
ReplyDeleteThanks Gail!
DeleteCongratulations Jane on the grandsons - they are both very adorable! I'm glad Hurricane Sandy spared you -- how scary!! I hope you are enjoying your time together :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Jane! Actually we had a great time watching Sandy. Many times we have had worse, combined with snow. Ran has me on a exercise regime. We walked ten miles today. Maybe it's time to send him back to Wisconsin? Ha!
DeleteOne thing about pierogies...after you eat them, you can feel them sitting in your stomach! These simple old-time recipes seem to make alot of mess in the kitchen. So if you can buy them, I say that is best!
ReplyDeleteMy oldest daughter roasts veggies. She is a vegetarian (one that still eats fish, eggs, cheese, etc). She eats very healthy. It is hard to imagine she came from my upbringing/cooking..ha..
You have alot of comments...everyone loves your blog. But if you do a monthly post, I think that is a good idea, one I should adopt eventually, if I can be disciplined enough!
I think she just uses olive oil. but i have a son who puts hot sauce on almost everything. Well, the good side is that you are thin from your eating habits...something I should do. Perhaps if I didn't "feel" full I'd have a chance at losing weight before my cholesterol checkup in a month!
ReplyDeleteSo good to see your lovely face!!!!! Congratulations on your grand babies - God is so good! :) Have a wonderful week Jane! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chai seeds tip! I usually watch what I eat two months in advance so I am late this year!! You will enjoy your cupcake when the time comes....I know I will have to go before Easter chocolates get in my system!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jane! I've been checking my old blog name that I gave up a year ago...must be from today as it just popped up available. Silly me to just delete things completely!
ReplyDeleteHi Jane! Congratulations on the births of your grandsons! Wow what a joyous time for you and Ran. I loved seeing your picture also! It suddenly dawned on me that with all our correspondence I never knew what you looked like. You look just like I pictured you except I imagined that you had light hair. :) Thank you too for continuing to pop by my blog and say hello. It is always so nice to hear from you. I'm sorry you had such bad tree damage during Sandy. Thank goodness the house was spared major damage. Many of our relatives had lots of trees down too and one in New Jersey had some flooding. Thanks for the update and I hope you are having a lovely day! I can just see you now baking something thrifty and delicious in your gracious little kitchen, knitting away on a pair of gloves, and pouring over seed catalogs and preparing your new garden step by step in your dreams. Beautiful kitchen cabinets too, Ran did a wonderful job! With Love, Delisa :)
ReplyDeleteHi Delisa! I'm really glad that we had a huge maple that was close to the house cut down last year or that one might have ended up on our heads! At least this tree fell right between the two neighbors' houses and didn't do much damage. Poor Ada was in Hawaii when it happened.
DeleteI hate to have my picture taken. Would really rather have a root canal. So this will probably be the last picture you'll ever see of me! Thank goodness! Not the best quality, as it is very pinkish and I would have liked to have had my hair combed and maybe some lipstick on. Daughter-in-law Erin snapped it at the end of a very long day. Normally my hair is in a very neat French Twist.
No baking, as Ran and I are on a very strict health regime at the moment. I really do miss baking something. I'm knitting a sweater at the moment and will be starting the seeds soon.
Hope you are feeling better!
Dear Jane,
ReplyDeleteNice to get a peek at what you've been up to! Two boys so close in age; they'll be best friends forever!
The cupboard is beautiful, too. I hope that spring finds you there soon.
Love,
Marqueta
I hope so too, Marqueta! My sons waited so long to have a family and one to expand his family, then they both ended up so close together, it really is a miracle!
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ReplyDelete°º✿ FELIZ DIA INTERNACIONAL DA MULHER!
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OH! Tem que rolou dia de novo? Bem, feliz dia das mulheres internacional para você também, Inez!
DeleteYou knew I was going to yell, "YOU'RE BACK!!!!" I love that even though you aren't posting you still pop in to say hi now and again. Felix and Ezekiel are perfect. Babies are so wonderful, especially when you get to claim them as your own. Congratulations grandma!
ReplyDeleteYou're beautiful home is becoming more beautiful.. sigh. Mined seems to be falling apart around me. I need to get busy. :) Take care. No more hurricanes 'kay?
Blessings, Debbie
I Jane! My husband says your arbor looks like the wood is thicker than ours. He tested ours in the ground with just the spikes that came with it (and I was envisioning a wind blowing it over) before he decided he would have to buy some cement to mix and put it in the ground with. He normally cements everything around here...getting old I guess..ha. When it gets warmer I will paint it (unless my husband decides to..but then..older....).
ReplyDelete(He used to never trust me with something like painting...I'm disappointed).
I bought seeds at Home Depot today that is for partial sun...as we don't get much sun there, which greatly limits what I can plant. (such as your pretty rose bush!) Although seeds usually fail for me...so if/when they do, I'll look at plants. I still will try to grow a morning glory up it though.
One more warmer day here, and then back to 40's with a chance of snow showers later in the week. Doesn't look like we will have warmer weather again at least for 3 weeks. So, back to enjoying homemaking inside!
Hi. My backyard is so dirty...I don't know where my grass went! I blame it on my 2 pine trees that have grown so large. My husband dug my holes for my three new trees and made me fill them in and put the tree in! Soon I am going to have to rebel...that dirt was heavy! :( I guess since my kids aren't little anymore he IS expecting me to do more! Yes, early spring isn't pretty on the whole..you just have to concentrate on looking at one spring flower or one bird, etc..ha!
ReplyDeleteMaybe meticulously picking out onions and such in food is more of a boy thing! ha. My kids used to pile them so neatly on edge of the plate.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad God is giving me this chance to rein in my budget as I have been too wasteful and will have to start being more responsible, so I can prove to my husband he can retire early!
Kidney beans sound good...it's all in the flavoring of what you add, not the meat!
Hi Jane,how lovely to hear from you.Your little grandsons are beautiful.I think you are the best grandma of the world.Sure have you somethings knitted for the babies.Your new kitchen cabinet is a dream.Your husband is very talented.I hope you and your family have a wonderful easter!!!
ReplyDeletewish you a nice time,
love and hugs regina
hi! I remember you saying that before ($17/week...very impressive) when I wrote a similar post. I'm glad you mentioned your grocery shopping 101 because I found it and read it, and bookmarked it to read again! Very good advice. Back in 1979, our apt. rent was 275/mo. We were just out of college, and cleared 1000/mo but we banked half and lived off of the $500 like you did. Luckily we had one car that was my husband's before we married and thus no car payment. My husband tells me to enjoy my car now because that is it for the next 30 years..! My 90 year old neighbor's car was just 17 years old...not sure if I can stretch mine to 30! (she just got a new car). Maybe when needed, my kids can sell me their old cars when mine goes..ha!
ReplyDeleteYou are correct about not being able to work on cars now due to the computerization of them! My neighbor's husband used to take apart his car to fix it..one day his wife ran out with blank price tags and labeled all the parts for him as he took them out and sat them on the ground. I had a book once written by a large family and one thing they suggested was buying old cars and learning how to fix them.
ReplyDeleteI think that is why I quit helping out at a local church's food pantry...I felt they didn't have a clue of what the poorer people want/can use. I appreciate growing up with less so I can think back and peel away the layers of the waste I've acquired. And it would fun to buy organic foods, in the same way as if I would ever buy Mary Kay cosmetics or something...(not that I wear makeup!) but as long as there are third world countries, I can accept modern farming that makes goods available to more for cheaper and eat as a common person.
Ha...my husband would be the turtle and yours the hare I guess! When driving, though, I swear it seems the turtle always wins! (I get impatient with turtles!...but I slow down and think maybe they could be an older person, or maybe a young novice driver!)
ReplyDeleteI keep forgetting to tell you, thanks for telling me about chia...and,
ReplyDeletemy Costco now carries a big bag of it!
I used to have TLC ...but I've only ever just had basic cable which doesn't carry it...but after living here 33 years they finally updated my cable at the pole outside and it is blocked now! ha. (I've called them about 4 times over these years and told them I was getting channels I didn't pay for...I wanted to be honest and also not to be billed for it!) So true about all the holidays! I am sad over that German family in the news that our gov't is wanting to send back over homeschooling. If they win, this will be bad for the families in our country...bad precedent.
ReplyDeleteSo true, Jane. Just the fact alone that we are picked on should be proof!
ReplyDeleteHi...some foods in life I just can't master...like those salads...not to mention bread and I've tried that for three decades! I didn't inherit a good cooking gene! My hyacinths opened up so much in just a couple hours...I had to put them out on my porch to enjoy the cold, and last until Easter!! ha.
ReplyDeleteWe had snow flurries this morning! Luckily they didn't stick to the ground.
ReplyDeleteWhen the days warm up a bit, I put my dog out back and she keeps the squirrels at bay...just by her presence...she doesn't care to chase them anymore.
congrats on your blood tests! That is really great! I don't expect my cholesterol to be good. But everything else usually is. I went for my test yesterday because I figured it is best to go before Easter. I'll see my dr. next month. I always run in for my prescription for the test from his office, so when I go in to see him, I know my scores! ha.
ReplyDeleteYour little grandsons are delicious. We have 4, two girls 5 and 4, and two boys, 8 months and 4 months. A new one is due on March 27th. They are so much fun.
ReplyDelete✿✿彡 °•.
ReplyDeleteSimplesmente amei seus lindos netinhos!!!!
Que Deus sempre os proteja e que vocês todos sejam muito felizes.
Bom domingo de ramos!
Boa semana!
Beijinhos do Brasil.✿✿彡 °•.
✿✿彡
God bless you and keep you!
ReplyDeleteYou make me smile! A tear of joy this morning.
www.rsrue.blogspot.com
hi! And a blessed Easter to you too! Ha...sorry I confused you with the picture...I was going down memory lane, as my yard it too ugly to photograph right now!! And I can hardly believe that in a month, it might be green and hopeful! Yesterday we got 3 inches of snow...and today it all melted and was in the 50's...my cholesterol tested high as usual (nothing new...actually 5 points lower then last year...178...) but my thyroid meds need adjusted so that affects it too...my dr. appt is in 3 weeks. So I'm a bit cowardly and nervous right now! I'm going to have to fess up and not complain about little inconveniences in life (such as more blood tests).
ReplyDeletethanks..I didn't know fiber could affect the thyroid meds. Ha...it would be funny if my banana craze was doing something adverse! I just wish I could hide from my dr!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jane! Food can get so complicated. Right now I'm eating a hermit bar...but do you know what my mind is thinking of...?...ha..ginger creams...I almost mixed up icing for the hermit bars, but then I stopped myself and thought, no I'll save that for just the ginger creams!
ReplyDelete¸.•°♡
ReplyDelete♡ "Que este nosso pequeno mundo virtual, nesta Páscoa, seja cada vez mais humano!"
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♡ Feliz Páscoa!!!
Hi! Ha...yes I like making something so basic, as soap! Bathrooms are a peculiar room in home decorating! I agree...that is one room I can't see spending money on...it is more of a practical room.
ReplyDeleteBlessed Easter!
ReplyDeleteHi! My sunshiny kitchen just turned cloudy and we had a few drops of rain...not predicted by weather.com..! That special sounds like it was good that you watched.
ReplyDeleteI am washing my daughters bedding right now because she let her geriatric rabbit on the bed and it did you-know-what! ha.
Happy Easter to you too! The mother rabbit is out by my garden tonight..just standing around! I never had a hot cross bun really either, nor did I grow up with them. We fast on bread on Fridays so really it is kind of cheating of me to make it sweet!
ReplyDeletedear jane,
ReplyDeletehappy easter to you!!!
love and hugs,
regina
Thanks Jane! I just finished cleaning my house and it is sunny now on this Monday...and 60 degrees. Still, I feel too lazy to think of gardening yet.
ReplyDeleteYour yard work will give you a head start! I know local Dupont museums/mansions here prune during this time. Your dad's b'day reminded me of my dad....he used to enjoy April fool's day...and since I didn't pay attention to it..he used to somehow always trick me!
ReplyDeleteOh that is great, Jane! You should be hitting warmer weather for sure!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter and I were just discussing how much better local, picked strawberries are...these store ones are like rubber, even though they look good. My son loves amazon prime...and one daughter....always trying to get me to get it! I normally hate to go see a movie at the high cost....I'm all for waiting until it comes out on dvd!
Welcome home Jane! That was a good time to get-away, before things begin growing in your yard! We just had a 90 degree day, and a little rain, and the grass and plants are miraculously popping through..like night/day...winter/spring!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jane. You are so level-headed. You bring up points that I sometimes forget... When I am older, I am not going to want to drive everywhere. I could plant more on my yard if it were sunnier. That is the problem. It is a shame my county doesn't allow chickens unless you have an acre. Time will tell what I do. Ha..yes..one more year and I won't have to worry until closer to next April.
ReplyDeleteActually I live across from a large hospital...that would be enough for most people to retire to an area for...ha..
ReplyDeleteHi Jane; I was so pleased that you stopped by my blog. I hope you'll find time for a post even once or twice a month. I've missed you. Renovating is such a chore--not sure if we're quite through with it here or not. Three years into retirement we are still getting used to it--less money, getting under each other's feet, very little pressure to be anywhere on time. It takes some adjusting!
ReplyDeleteObrigada pela visita.
ReplyDelete♪♫ Boa semana!
ღ° Beijinhos do Brasil ღ
¸.•°♡♡⊱彡
Hi Jane! I think you should get some sort of award for the most comments..ha.. If you like orange and chocolate together, a lindt dark chocolate candy bar and orange jellies....taking one bite of each, are delicious!
ReplyDeleteDon't you think it's time for an update? :0)
ReplyDeleteI agree about being a grandmother with the children living real close. I loved being able to walk over to mine when I was young. I guess the best I can do is having and hour to two driving distance in this day.
ReplyDeleteSnow...I guess I will stop complaining about 60 degrees :)
Patience.....that is what this spring is teaching us!
me again...:)
ReplyDeleteI updated my blog post because anita thought it was raw milk...so here is what I added:
Regarding MILK....This milk is not raw milk. It is homogenized and pasteurized. I personally would be afraid to drink raw milk, although I hear if the farmer keeps the cows cleaned well, it can be done safely. This website is a campaign for raw milk, which I am in no way a proponent of. I appreciate modern technology for pasteurization. But it is an interesting website to read, and more importantly, it has a good record of state updates and state laws. There have been cases in Delaware where stores were under scrutiny for selling raw milk, and ordered to stop. (As they got milk from Pennsylvania, where it is allowed).
This brings back childhood memories. My mom would have a difficult time feeding her seven children milk on a budget. (And back in those days, it was milk with breakfast, lunch, and dinner). She would try mixing store milk with powdered milk (half and half, to try to keep it still tasting good, as powdered milk wasn't so good, and yet it was cheap, although not these days), and sometimes she would stop at a nearby farm (with our own milk container) to buy raw milk. She was always nervous about this, and worried about germs. So she only did it when in great need to save money. So maybe this affects my opinion, but I feel safest with pasteurized.
Ha...I just read your milk comment....we are like twins :)
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