Christmas and New Years Blessings

FROM OUR HOUSE TO YOURS ♥♥☺

We had a good Christmas. My best present was a curio cabinet to hold my flo gold collection. As I was taking photos to put on my blog. I reflected as to the true meaning of the season. Not about the gifts, as with everyone we cut back, but about the savior and love. I missed my children for the holidays and it is difficult for my Pikespickles to fly to New York from California, but my wish is a some point we can all be together (all our children and grandchildren) here and share the love. That would be my gold and greatest present I could ever receive and that goes for Tom too!

So, I have included a photo of my cabinet and am sharing a photo I took on Christmas Eve. The title is "The Night Before Christmas" and if you recite the poem you come up with "not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse". Simon and Schooster posed for this without knowing they were being photographed. When we unwrapped our presents Christmas morn even, the cats had stockings and received a new toy. Pictured are them with a short, very short inspection and play, but alas not the highlight of the day! They had more fun burrowing through the wrapping paper and climbing in the empty boxes. Just like our children did.

I am ready to take down the tree and honestly can't wait. Not that the "boys" are terrorizing the tree but, what's under it. Tom sets up the train set which has been under a tree for 50 years now. The "boys" are big monsters to all the miniature people and Schooster tries to chew off their heads. It reminds me of a horror movie..and big foot or the attack of the Giant Gila Monster. The only rest our miniature people get is when the train runs! They back off and just watch. Too bad it couldn't run all the time the tree is up on it's own.

So, we had a nice quiet Christmas and enjoyed the company of our good friend and neighbors on Christmas eve and Christmas day.

Now I wish all a Happy New Year...I think we all need it.... including our country.

Baptisms

"Hi All!!"

Grandpa gave Liam a new train for the tree. Set up and running.

The baptism party after was fun, especially sneeking a little frosting off the cake. Who's the guilty one for that, grandpa?

The two are baptised.

Father, Godfather, Grandfather and baby Kate

"I know I'm the life of the party!"

Hi all, long time no post! Well on the 14th of December we went to Ct. for baptisms of 2 of our grandchildren. It was beautiful and Liam was like a little gentleman and Kate just an angel. We also celebrated Christmas while there and had a really great time. It seems like little Kate is going to have red hair like her brother. So, here's a few photos.

What Kind of Pie Are you?

Okay so Pikepickles gave me the idea and I went there. OMG I think I shoulda not! I am not especially pleased by my pie but, then maybe it's tonight's mood. I'll try again later and I will also save this site.

You Are Cherry Pie

You're the perfect combo of innocent and sexy. At times, you seem a bit naive, simple, and innocent. But at second glance, you are sensual, seductive, and even a little naughty. You have people fooled - at least you'd like to think so. Those who like you enjoy a contradiction. Either that, or they can't really make up their minds about what they want. And you can usually give people what they want... as long as you're in the mood. You've been known to be quite tempestuous, and pleasing others is not high on your list of priorities.

http://www.blogthings.com/whatkindofpieareyouquiz/">What Kind of Pie Are You?

Thanksgiving Blessings

Thanksgiving is coming...and since it is, I reflect on all things I am thankful for. That I can say my belief in God and Jesus as my savior. My wonderful husband and friend Tom. My children and grandchildren. My family and friends. My health and happiness. My country the United States. My home and the security from the cold, wind and rain it provides. My life in general. AND turkey on thanksgiving day with all the fixin's. So there you have it. Remember now all the things you are thankful for, not just on Thanksgiving but, everyday. A Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Scared stiff at the Gray's

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Make a Smilebox slideshow

Halloween at our house is a must, as you can see from the past in the last post. My husband takes it very seriously or should I say very Halloweenie!! He goes all out and I am all out by the time it is over and then the packing up begins. Today I am just plain tired. So, 50 plus kids hit the door between 6:30 and 8:30. One little boy who reminds me of the LDS commercial-the one who talks so fast about going for pancakes-came by himself and was not to awfully brave in doing so. He did get in the door with the strobe lights, devil flying up as the door opened, and the fog filling up the kitchen and said those 3 little words,,Trick or Treat in a shaky little voice. Then he started talking wildly fast and I didn't understand a word he said. As he left the door to the porch, I let out my witches cackle and I heard him exclaim as he hit the porch door "Don't do that, it freaks me out!" I understood that.

By quarter of 9, Tom and I turned out the lights and..then..and...well, get your mind back to Halloween......we went trick or treating!! For the first time since we have been married!! It's always been staying here to take care of those trick or treaters and in the past we have had an "after the candy handing out" an adult buffet dinner party. So, last night was our first. We only went to 3 houses, but what can I say..3 more than last year!! Please enjoy our smilebox video and forgive me if I give you the finger..a bloody one. I told a group of older teenagers this story; Setting the scene: In my witchie cackling voice I told them that I had a gift for them.

I had one of them lift the lid of the little box I was holding. As he did I said "I was cutting up my pumpkin for Halloween I cut my finger clean off." When he got a good look at the finger, I wiggled it! I told them then that when I got my Jack-o-lantern finally carved, it took one look at my bloody stump and it puked all over. As they left the front door..in my witches voice.."Be good children and don't let just anybody give you the finger, like I just did!!" They laughed and laughed all the way off the porch. Until, Tom pulled up Charlie the Pumpkin Head's hand from inside and spoke through the outside speaker and said "Happy Halloween" in a spooky voice. Shrieks were heard from two teenage girls as they ran to the road. Tom had the last laugh. You can see the pukin pumpkin in the video and I spelled it wrong.

PS. We bought the pumpkins. We didn't raise them. They were a cross between a gourd and pumpkin and as hard as they were, we were lucky neither of us didn't cut something off!!

Halloween at the Gray Estate--------BOOO!!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Here we are, in all our Halloween attire including the house. Have a Happy Halloween.

Announcing a New Baby Girl

Liam meets his new sister
Kate and Great Grandma and Grandpa

We have a new granddaughter!! Kate Campbell Lochridge was born October 14th. Mommy and Kate are doing fine. We are staying here a few days to help out. There will be more photos to follow but, this is my birth announcement post. Can you tell grandpa is real proud of his precious new grandaughter?

Baby Kate or Katelin is Coming Early!!

Baby Kate was due October 17th but, the doctor advised that perhaps she should come on the 14th. The parents live an hour away from the hospital and with traffic it could take longer. So, the doctor will induce labor. We will be on our way to Connecticut on Tuesday and stay for a few days to help momma and daddy out. Brother Liam will love to have Pop Pop there to play neat games and grandma will help too!! So, Hurray a baby is on the way!!

Clean Energy

Tom is standing in front of a blade!!
Me in front of the wind mill.

With all the talk of renewable energy and the green house effect, I thought I would share our experience of 2 years ago. We went to Maple Ridge Wind Farm on Tug Hill in northern NY to visit the wind mills. It was awesome and you know, people are worried about the noise, but all we heard was a "whooose, whooose" as the paddles turned around. It was really a peaceful sound. But, then I am lulled to sleep when hearing a fan or air conditioner. ( Didn't do well in afternoon business meetings in the summer!!) Go to the following for more info: http://www.allbusiness.com/services/business-services/3950456-1.html. You can click on the photos and bring them up larger. To me this makes more sense and cents. The noise pollution is minimal when you compare to the other forms of energy pollution. I would rather have one of these next door than a radioactive silo!!

We're Expecting!!

Grandpa's trains
The Lochridge Family-unseen baby Kate
The Pike Family-kids are much older now & Gabriella's missing
Gabriella Grace-alittle over 1 wk old at Christmas

Yep, number 7 is due any day. We will be heading for Connecticut perhaps this week end. Baby Kate was not supposed to come until October 17th but, she will decide and she's getting mighty ready from the last report. So, Liam's baby sister will be a welcomed joy as is Liam. Gosh, I just wish we could all get together for Christmas here one year. We did a summer vacation year before last and had such a good time. But, I long for the kids to come back home for the holidays. My dream will come true, maybe in a few years and grandpa's Lionel will toot it's way under the tree for over 50 years and we will celebrate together the birth of our savior. Wouldn't it be loverly?

Just cruisin"

One of the things Tom and I like to do is go on a cruise. We have been to the eastern Caribbean, western, central America and some points in between at least 5, if I count right. We have a ritual on Captains night, when we are in full formal attire, to get our photograph taken. Now, this isn't just any photograph, the background has to be the Titanic staircase!! You see when I met Tom, I was a grieving widow. Part of my getting out of the house was belonging to a group of ladies that called themselves "The Old Hags Club". The movie "Titanic" was in full force then and we made a pledge that we would not date anyone that had not seen the movie. After my date with Tom, (he invited me to his house for dinner) I called the gals. This is what I told them. "We had a great dinner and in the background the theme music from "Titanic" was playing. I asked him if he had seen the movie and did he cry and the answer was yes!!". Needless to say, he made a big score with the girls and it wasn't long before I decided to ditch the widows weeds as he was definitely a keeper!! Hey, we also dress up for Halloween too!!

Sometimes you feel like a blog...sometimes you don't.

Well, readers I am back on the mend and trying to think of interesting things to blog about. Of course, right now I only have two fans, at least that comment, so I do not feel so compelled to keep blogging everyday. It has been interesting during my healing process with company coming. We have had several visitors from distances away looking for genealogy information. I have been in pain sometimes but managed to be congenial. Pain Pills!! OOOO,so good but, now I am weened.

Fall is in the air. We have not have frost yet, but I have done three quart bags of pears for the freezer with Tom's help. The tree is still loaded and we will share some with neighbors and friends so they do not go to waste. We ate most of the tomatoes so I did not do any up for the winter, this year.

So, here's a photo of my blue hibiscus, until I feel a blog posting coming on.

Sometimes You Feel Old- Just Older

Just before the funeral services, the undertaker came up to the very elderly widow and asked, 'How old was your husband?' '98,' she replied. 'Two years older than me' 'So you're 96,' the undertaker commented. She responded, 'Hardly worth going home, is it?

Reporters interviewing a 104-year-old woman: 'And what do you think is the best thing about being 104?' the reporter asked. She simply replied, 'No peer pressure.'

The nice thing about being senile is you can hide your own Easter eggs.

I've sure gotten old! I've had two bypass surgeries, a hip replacement, new knees, fought prostate cancer and diabetes I'm half blind, can't hear anything quieter than a jet engine, take 40 different medications that make me dizzy, winded, and subject to blackouts. Have bouts with dementia. Have poor circulation; hardly feel my hands and feet anymore. Can't remember if I'm 85 or 92. Have lost all my friends. But, thank God, I still have my driver's license.

I feel like my body has gotten totally out of shape, so I got my doctor's permission to join a fitness club and start exercising I decided to take an aerobics class for seniors. I bent, twisted, gyrated, jumped up and down, and perspired for an hour. But, by the time I got my leotards on, the class was over.

An elderly woman decided to prepare her will and told her preacher she had two final requests. First, she wanted to be cremated, and second, she wanted her ashes scattered over Wal-Mart. 'Wal-Mart?' the preacher exclaimed. 'Why Wal-Mart?' 'Then I'll be sure my daughters visit me twice a week.

My memory's not as sharp as it used to be. Also, my memory's not as sharp as it used to be.

**Know how to prevent sagging? Just eat till the wrinkles fill out.**

It's scary when you start making the same noises as your coffee maker.

These days about half the stuff in my shopping cart says, 'For fast relief.'
THE SENILITY PRAYER : Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference.

Always Remember This: You don't stop laughing because you grow old, You grow old because you stop laughing.

Healing on the inside

Sometimes healing comes from the outside in. For the past two mornings as I pulled the shade on the front, it was if I had opened a stage curtain. The view was very special to me and gave me a boost for the day. I haven't been able to do much yet, walk some, sit some (doctors orders-not more than a half hour at a time) and lay down. As I lay down I could still see out the front window and for hours the morning glories lived up to their name. I pondered and the verse came to mind from the Bible about "consider the lilies". So, I consider the Glories!! Thus, I am healing from the outside in as well as inside out. So, I share with you my view, from the inside out and outside in! Outside my window and inside me.

Aaron goes back to San Diego

I just learned how to import a photo show into my blog. I am so excited but "ya all" might say;"Oh, no here she goes again!" So, even though Aaron left back in July I felt pikepickles showed him leaving home, I could run a sequel showing him leaving here. By the way, his friends name is also Liam, not to be confused with the Little Red Head grandson. Aaron's friend Liam shares the same birthday with Aaron and they are the same age, born the same year! Liam comes to visit his grandmother at their summer place each year and they met last year. So, they kept in contact and with a little help from parents and grandparents they arranged to be here again this year at the same time. Fun, Fun. They had a great time and Grandpa Tom was sure to get into some of the acts. I'll post that photo show next time.

Aaron goes back home

Last minute items

It seems this time of year waits for no man or woman. The black berries are ready and the pear tree is loaded..I'm pondering what in the world am I going to do? I think I have the black berries all done (3 gallon bags full) and the pears..darn will be ripening in the next few weeks. I hope my hubby can help with the paring and then bringing them to a boil in sugar water to freeze. Yep, better than canning as they are still firm after freezing.

Anyhow, if I do not update soon, I will be thinking about what I am to post next and giving directions to Mr. G on how to manage the house, cats, cat box and the phone. I don't think I will have him manage the blog, just yet. So, here's a few photos of the berries I froze on trays and then put in the plastic zip lock freezer bags and the LOADED pear tree.

I also included a photo of Simon and Schooster looking out the window at me, our garden angel, and our wedding glads. Believe it or not, they are perennials. You do not have to take up in the fall. We gave each guest at our wedding a pair with a cute little poem. We had some left over and every year they remind us of the day we said I do!!