Bosom Buddies

This is our last day visiting out west with our oldest son and his family, so I'll keep this brief.

Yesterday, our almost-two-year-old twin granddaughters were so hilarious.  They have begun to really PLAY together, chasing one another around the house and making each other laugh like crazy.  For the longest time, they seemed to do what I believe the childhood experts call "parallel playing"--that is, sitting right next to one another, each doing her own thing without paying all that much attention to her sister.  Well, they're paying attention now!  It's delightful watching them become bosom buddies.

Yesterday, they just couldn't seem to go two minutes without touching.  They were wallowing all over each other while sitting on the couch, their limbs intertwined pretzel-style. It was a day of bear hugs, high fives, giggles, and many of those moments parents know well, when it looked like a fun game was going to turn into a tussle followed by tears.  But they just kept laughing.  There was a lot of extreme togetherness going on--and watching them climb all over each other, giving each other love pats that bordered on slaps, nuzzling their heads together (they just couldn't seem to stay separated), I couldn't help but picture the two of them in the womb, sharing that small space and always being in close contact with each other.

The twins were dressed exactly alike yesterday, too, which isn't often the case.  They were wearing matching outfits that I purchased at a clearance sale way back when they were still wearing newborn clothes: denim skirts (from JC Penney, $17.99 marked down to $1.97) and plaid cotton blouses (also from JCP, also $17.99 marked down to $1.97).*  It's usually pretty easy to tell them apart, even though they're identical; but yesterday, we kept mixing them up.  And it didn't help that they were smooshed together for most of the day!

They're awake now, and I hear their cute little mousy voices upstairs, so I'm going to run.  I don't want to waste any of the precious time we have left sitting at my laptop!  I'll just leave you with these pictures snapped during the love fest yesterday.

 *Yes, I'm a bargain shopper; and yes, I love to brag about the deals I find!  

"7 Quick Takes Friday," Volume 14

I'm normally a daily blogger, or an almost-daily blogger, but I've been neglecting my "String of Pearls" duties lately.  ("Did she just call blogging her duty?  Wow, she has an inflated idea of how important her silly little blog is."  I can hear you thinking that.  I can.)  This probably has to do with the fact that my husband and I are staying with our oldest son, our daughter-in-law, and their three little girls (that's three little girls under the age of two!), and I don't seem to have the energy or desire to write every day. I usually don't like to take afternoon naps, but I've been finding that when the twins go down for theirs, taking a nap sounds a lot more enticing to this old grammy than blogging.  And then when the house quiets down after bedtime, I've been finding that turning in early sounds a whole lot more enticing to this old grammy than blogging.  And when I wake up in the morning before the twins get up (which happens occasionally, since my body still appears to be on East Coast time and keeps thinking it's two hours later than it really is), I've been finding that lazing in bed for awhile and doing a bit of reading sounds a lot more enticing to this old grammy than blogging.

I've been reading a lot of children's books aloud lately, and after re-reading the previous paragraph, I think perhaps their heavy reliance on repetition is starting to affect my writing style.  Which gives me a great segue into Take #1 (for the 7QTF link-up with Jen and the rest over at Conversion Diary): 

--- 1 ---

Yesteryear's classic Little Golden Books are simply the best.  And when I say "classic," I mean just that; not the newer ones, the main characters of which are taken from the latest Disney/Pixar flicks, but the tried-and-true staples of childhood such as The Saggy Baggy Elephant, The Pokey Little Puppy, and The Little Red Caboose.   You know, the vintage ones.  We had a lot of Little Golden Books in our house when our boys were young, and now whenever I see a new edition of a classic title that I know my granddaughters don't have yet, I just have to buy it for them.  Here are the two latest additions to the girls' library c/o Papa and Grammy.

Nothing against popular children's book author Sandra Boynton or anything.  I mean, her adorable little board books fill up half the bookshelves in my granddaughters' house, and they love every last one of them; but nothing really compares to those old-school Little Golden Books--at least in my book.  (Har-dee-har-har.  Did you see what I did there?)

--- 2 ---

Melissa & Doug make the greatest children's puzzles (sometimes also known as "puthh-oths," depending on whom you ask).

Where in the world were Melissa & Doug when my boys were itty bitty sprats?   They would have loved these!  My granddaughters have a pretty extensive M & D puzzle collection (thanks in part to some hand-me-downs from their cousins), and they can't get enough of them.

--- 3 ---

There just isn't anything cuter than watching a wee lass puttering around her play kitchen.  (Especially when she's sporting a pink Easter bonnet.)  Here's a shot of my little Bonny Babe, rustling up some grub with her plastic fruits and vegetables and miniature pots, pans, and dishes.

I'm pretty sure I need say no more about that.  The picture says it all.

--- 4 ---

There are a lot of glitzy, high-tech toys these days, but a big rubber ball will never go out of style.  The bigger and bouncier the better!  Give a small child a big ball, and his fun meter will be pegged in no time.  Here's Cutie Pie playing with a "just because" gift we brought home from a shopping trip the other day.

Target.  $2.99.  BAM!  Score one for Papa and Grammy.  (And give us extra props, because we really wanted to buy two of them, so the twins wouldn't fight over this one, but we held back.  And they are learning to share it.)

--- 5 ---

Please keep praying for my fourth son, who is on deployment in Afghanistan.  Some of you have already said you're praying, and I want to let you know that your prayers are deeply appreciated.  So far, so good; and he's already been gone over a month, so he has less than five to go.  Because of the nature of his job and the crazy hours he works, my boy doesn't have much time to do anything else.  After work, he works out, eats, Skypes with his girlfriend, sleeps, and then it's time for work again.  It's like Groundhog Day over there (you know, the Bill Murray movie?), he says.  He works 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. There are no "days off" on deployment.  He's counting the days until it's over and he's back home again.

But keep those prayers coming.  And here's a recent photo of him (which was given a cool color treatment by his girlfriend).  I thought you might like to see whom you're praying for.

My son's "blue steel" beats Ben Stiller's by a country mile, don't you agree?

--- 6 ---

Six hours in the ER is not a fun way to spend the night when you're visiting with your beloved grandchildren.  Luckily, though, the patient was not one of my three little girls; it was me.

I was taking an antibiotic because I have a tooth that needs some root canal work, but I'd pushed back the date of my oral surgery so that I would be able to spend this week with my oldest son's family while my husband had some time off from work.  I was in some pain, and the doctor wanted me to take an antibiotic in case the tooth got really infected while I was out of town.  I took the medication religiously for seven days (four pills a day), and I was thrilled because I've already had allergic reactions to three commonly prescribed antibiotics, and it seemed like I didn't have a problem with this one.

Wrong!

No sooner had I taken the last dose two days ago, and within hours I had an itchy rash on my abdomen.  I took some Benadryl and hoped that would be it.  Then through the night, the rash grew and grew and spread and spread and itched and itched (children's book-style, again).  Yesterday, no amount of Benadryl would control the continuous spreading or the unbearable itching, and finally at dinnertime my husband took me to the hospital.

Long story short:
1. I'm allergic to yet another antibiotic.  (I hope I don't run out of options.)
2. Epinephrine and I don't mix. It made my blood pressure skyrocket and brought on the scariest headache I've ever had--besides the one I got during labor with my firstborn son, and that was diagnosed as preeclampsia.  (I don't know which is worse: having hives all over your body, or feeling like your head is going to explode.)
3. Thank God for ER doctors.  I don't know how they do it!  The ER was jam-packed when we arrived last night, and we waited for three hours just to be seen.  How do those guys keep their cool and get it all done. when they're dealing with multiple emergencies all at once?

--- 7 ---

I'm so glad I discovered blog link-ups!  (Like this one, for instance.)   I am continually amazed by all the wonderful people I've "met" because I've linked; I feel like some have truly become friends.  (I'm rich in eFriends!)  There are so many sharp, funny, insightful, faith-filled, thoughtful women out there--and they're good writers, too!  One day I'd like to meet some of them face-to-face, like my friend Erica over at Boys, Books, and Balls.  Erica and I "talk" a lot.  And recently she was kind enough to give my novel a plug on a "Five Favorites" post at Hallie's Moxie Wife, as well as a couple of mentions on "Yarn Along" (another link-up I would enjoy, if only I knew the first thing about knitting).

Well, it's nap time now, and I think after last night's ordeal, I better try to get some shut-eye.  But you can head on over to see all the other bloggers who've linked up with Jen today.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Theme Thursday: Animals

Linking up with Cari over at Clan Donaldson for another installment of "Theme Thursday."

A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I were down in VA to attend a surprise party that our third son's newly-minted fiancee threw to celebrate his 27th birthday (which didn't turn out to be a surprise, exactly, but was a whole lot of fun--and dinosaur-themed to boot!). While we were there, the soon-to-be-betrothed couple took us to see the venue they've chosen for their December 2013 wedding.

Their reception will be held at a well-known vineyard in Northern VA, an establishment that is surrounded on all sides by breathtakingly beautiful mountain vistas.  This vineyard sometimes hosts polo matches, and back behind the events center there's a barn that houses some beautiful horseys (sorry--horses, that is; I've been hanging around with a pair of almost-two-year-old twin granddaughters as of late, and that's what they call them; and while we're at it, horseys say, "Beigh, beigh.").  I couldn't resist taking some pictures of those gorgeous animals.

I LOVE horses, but only at a distance. Or when they're safely tucked away in their stalls, looking at you with those big brown eyes, hoping you've got a sugar cube or a carrot you'd like to share.  I love to look at them and feed them, and maybe give them a gentle rub on their snouts.  (Is that the right word?  Snouts?  I'm not much of an equestrian, as you've probably surmised.)  But the idea of hopping up in the saddle and riding one of those huge, muscular beasts fills me with fear.  One of these days, I'd like to get up the nerve to go horseback riding.

I never used to think I had a bucket list, because my life has been almost fairy tale perfect, and I don't feel the need to say "Oh, I must accomplish this [or that] before I die!"  I've already checked off every important item on my list.

Marry my high school sweetheart: check.
Become a mother: check.
Become a grandmother: check.

And then there's that item I never thought I'd be able to check off, because it seemed like a pipe dream (and it certainly wasn't necessary as far as making me feel fulfilled).

Write a novel: check.

But riding a horse might just be on my list now.  In the meantime, I'll enjoy the twins when they ride their little wooden one.

"Yee-haw," as my little granddaughters would say.  Now head on over to Clan Donaldson for more animal pictures!

What I Wore [Mother's Day] Sunday, Volume 11

It's Sunday once again, so I'm linking up with Kendra and brand new bride Emily for another exciting episode of

I've been privileged to spend this Mother's Day with my oldest son, his lovely wife, and their three adorable little girls (and my main man, of course, too).  The day brought flowers, cards, chocolates, e-mails, text messages, phone calls, etc. from my five grown sons and my wonderful husband.  But I don't believe I got any better gifts than the hugs and kisses showered upon this lucky grammy by her almost-two-year-old twin granddaughters.  These little misses don't just give quick hugs; they wrap their chubby pink arms tightly around you and rest their heads on your shoulder.  They plant themselves in your lap and burrow in. They cling.  They give open-mouthed, loud, wet kisses.  They have become masters of an activity that their papa and I have termed "shnuggle-buggling."  They are the best shnuggle-bugglers ever.

And their cuddly, laid-back little sister, not even three months old yet and already smiling and cooing to beat the band, is no slouch either.

To put it simply: I've been in Heaven.

We all went to 9:00 Mass together this morning, and the wee ones were perfect angels throughout. The twins sat with us in the pew and behaved impeccably.  Their baby sister needed a quick trip to the cry room for a feeding, but she too was perfectly angelic.  I hate to brag (okay, let's be honest--no I don't), but I think I just might have the most amazing grandchildren that have ever graced the planet.  Just sayin'.

Almost everything I wore to church today has appeared in previous WIWS posts.  (When I buy something, I plan to wear it over and over and OVER...that's how I roll!)   The only new piece is a blouse that I purchased on a girls'-day-out shopping trip with my daughter-in-law and the baby yesterday.  But sometimes all it takes is one new clothing item that mixes and matches with other things in your closet to give your wardrobe the lift it needs.

Breakdown of the outfit:
~Black knit jacket with ruffles: Dress Barn (seen before on Easter Sunday)
~Black skirt: T.J. Maxx (seen before paired with a purple sweater)
~Black patent ballet flats with embellishments: Payless (seen before with one of my favorite dresses)
~Sleeveless blouse with jewel-embellished collar: NEW!  From Sears; $34 marked down to $12.99! 

I love the blouse.  It's so light and flowy, and it's cut longer in the back (which makes it great for camouflaging certain areas that have no business being exposed).  I'm not sure, though, if I made a fashion faux pas by wearing a blouse that hangs way down below the jacket.  What say you, WIWSers?

I just have to give you a close-up look at this fabulous blouse.  I think it might be my favorite blouse of all time (not that I'm prone to using hyperbole or anything).

Don't you love it?  I rarely buy clothes at Sears, but after finding this little gem it may become one of my new favorite places to shop!  After Mass, I tried the new blouse out with my new pair of black cropped pants (a la Laura Petrie from "The Dick Van Dyke Show"--if anyone reading this remembers back that far!).  They are also from Sears, and also $34 marked down to $12.99.  Happy Mother's Day to me, right?  (Really, you've got to check Sears out!)

I didn't photograph my granddaughters in their Mass attire today, although they looked mighty sweet and feminine: the twins in their tea-length cotton frocks and white cardigan sweaters and Little Gal in a dress and sweater combo that was a gift from Papa and me. But I did happen to snap this shot of Cutie Pie in the play room yesterday, sporting her Easter bonnet and perusing her daddy's copy of The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is part of his daily reading.

It is so moving to see how much my son and his wife have devoted their lives to Mary--they have in fact consecrated themselves to Her.  And I get a lump in my throat when I help my son put the twins down for their naps or at bedtime, because the last thing he does (after stories, songs, and prayers) is to rub their backs and quietly remind them that Mommy and Daddy are in the next room, and if they get scared they can talk to their guardian angels or to Mary.  He talks to them every day about the greatest Mother of all, the Mother given to us by Our Lord while He was nailed to His Cross.  My son and his wife are doing their best to instill a deep love for the Blessed Virgin Mary in their girls at such a tender age; and because of that, I am sure they'll grow up secure in the knowledge that no matter what happens, they will never be alone.  They can always turn to Mary, the Queen of Heaven, the model for all mothers, and She will always be listening.

God bless all the mothers on earth, on this Mother's Day and always!  And Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee!

Now head on over to FLAP for more Mother's Day fashions!

W.I.W.F.

Oh, are you wondering why that title isn't "T.G.I.F."?  Well, this is my first installment of "What I Wore Friday," silly. (First and probably last.)  I'm thanking God that it IS Friday, though, because this Friday I'm en route to a whole week of happiness.

I'm heading out west with my husband, two-legging it by airplane, to spend some quality time with our oldest son, his wife, and their three little girls.  I usually try to dress up a bit when I fly; it's a holdover from when my husband was first hired by his airline a quarter of a century ago and there was a strictly enforced dress code for employees and their families when they were flying non-revenue standby.  I had to wear a dress, a skirt, or a nice pantsuit, along with hose and dress shoes.  No sandals, no sneakers, and no clothing items made of denim (not even a denim skirt).  My husband had to wear a suit coat and tie, and our boys had to wear button-down shirts, dress pants, and ties.  No sneakers for them, either. Over time, the rules were relaxed a bit, and my husband and sons could wear khakis and polo shirts.  I could wear denim.  Then all the restrictions were lifted completely, and like everyone else, we could travel in shorts and flip-flops if we so chose.  But I have sort of held onto the idea that flying is a special privilege and I should dress accordingly.

Not today, however.  I've finally decided that maybe it would be okay to dress like any paying passenger would dress.  I feel like a total rebel.  Today it's capri jeans and sneakers for me.  Oh yeah, and this fashion accessory, which I will add to my ensemble with the help of my in-flight fashion stylist.

Have a great weekend, wherever your travels may take you!

Theme Thursday: Mom

I know, I just did a "Theme Thursday" post two days ago; but I was really LATE for that one, and I'm right on time today!  So I'm linking up with Cari and the gang over at Clan Donaldson for this week's picture sharing party.  The theme?  MOM!  How perfect, with Mother's Day just around the corner.

I absolutely love vintage photographs--black and white head shots from the 40's and 50's especially.  They have a glamour about them that seems to be missing from our modern color photographs.  Whenever I look at pictures of my parents and my mother- and father-in-law from that time period, I think, "Did everyone look like a movie star back then?"

As a for instance, here is a gorgeous picture of my mother when she was no more than 20.

Of course, she was a beautiful woman to begin with, so it wasn't just the professional magic of a 50's portrait studio that made her look so movie star-esque (I mean, check out those cheekbones!).  But isn't she something?

Most of the pictures of my mother from her youth are in black and white, but here's a rare color snapshot.  She was a fresh-faced twenty-something here, a busy young mom without a speck of make-up on her extraordinary face.  This is my father's favorite picture of her.

My mother got married at 20 and had five children by the age of 27.  Here she is, looking like a Hollywood starlet, surrounded by her brood.

We must have been a handful, but she was still smiling, still looking as glamorous as ever.

With her high, sculpted cheekbones, sparkling brown eyes, and mega-watt smile, I think my mother could have been a movie star--or a model.  But she wanted to be a mom, and I'm so glad she did.

For more photography celebrating moms, head on over to Cari's.

Five Favorites, Volume 3

I'm linking up today with Grace, who's filling in for Hallie and hosting this week's feel-good blogging party called "Five Favorites."

What could be more fun than just telling people five things that you like--without even worrying if there is any cohesiveness to your list?  (I hope cohesiveness isn't important, because my five faves today are very randomly chosen, although perhaps sort of tied together because they're inspired in part by my recent travels and visits with family).

To begin with, here's a newly acquired favorite activity:

1

Tagging along with my pilot husband on his trips to exotic locales.

My husband has been a pilot for a major airline for about 25 years, and has been flying international trips for about 15.  I never used to travel with him because: a) back in the day (before my recent conversion to jet-setter), I'd rather have a root canal without Novocaine than fly; b) we were raising our five sons, who were tied down at home by school, sports, and work schedules, and I couldn't bear the thought of leaving them behind to go off gallivanting with my main man; and c) even though the airline tickets themselves were free, we always faced the possibility of being bumped from flights and having to split up, and exhorbitant food and lodging costs for a family of seven made European jaunts something we just didn't feel we could swing during the years we were dealing with multiple Catholic school tuition fees as well as college expenses.

But our youngest son left for Notre Dame in the fall of 2011, and that December I accompanied my husband  for the very first time on a working trip--to Nice.  Since then, I have been to Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, and most recently, San Juan.  And while I was in San Juan, I realized I have a brand new favorite (although before that trip, I never knew such a thing existed).  I just love--

2

Swim-up bars at upscale, beachy resort hotels.

On my husband's layover day in San Juan (where we stayed at the Caribe Hilton, right on the beach...ah, paradise), we spent a lot of time sunning and swimming, while the palm trees swayed in the ocean breeze; and then shortly before we went up to our room to get ready for dinner, we treated ourselves to a drink at an outdoor bar where the stools are actually in the pool!  I suppose I'm a back-woods country hick, but I'd never been to one of these before.  And although we may have to take out a new mortgage on our house, which as of just a month or so ago we actually OWN (how DO they sleep at night, charging $12 for one drink!), I really enjoyed my frozen Margarita.  My husband's mango Daquiri was a bit of a let-down, however.  (Or maybe he was just having trouble enjoying it thoroughly because it was so ridiculously expensive.)  Okay then, swim-up bars: highly recommended.

There's a similar picture of me sitting on one of these bar stools, too; but I'd much rather share this one
of my favorite plane captain.  However, the photo I'm not showing you illustrates what I'll call favorite # 2a:
bathing suits with ruching.  Ruching is a magical thing that adds faux volume where you don't have
enough (ahem),and helps to hide it where you have too much!

After we returned from San Juan, my husband and I flew down to VA for the weekend to attend a surprise birthday party for our #3 son, and shortly thereafter I drove to Upstate NY to visit with my folks.  (When I leave here, I'll have less than a day at home before my husband and I board a flight out to CO to visit with our oldest son, his wife, and our three little granddaughters.  So...that house I mentioned above?  The one in New England--the one we now own?  We're rarely ever in it these days!)  

My parents have a sweet little house in the country (not the home I grew up in), and I've been enjoying my stay here.  My mom has some lovely things, which leads me to my next favorite--

3

Images of Our Blessed Mother.

My mother inherited this absolutely beautiful porcelain Hummel figurine of the Virgin Mary and Her Beloved Son from her own mother.  My grandmother was deeply religious and had special devotions to both the Blessed Mother and St. Therese of Lisieux.

I could look at this all day long, it's so lovely!

The touching story behind this statue is that when my grandmother died, my mother noticed that there were some rolled-up sheets of paper in my grandmother's handwriting that had been shoved up inside of it through a hole in the bottom.  Grandma had written about certain aspects of her life that caused her pain and despair, wherein she pointed out which things could be changed and which ones she had to learn to accept.  She bemoaned the fact that her soul needed work; but that when it came to that, there was always something that could be done, she wrote: she could PRAY.  It's obvious that she looked to the Blessed Mother for help in dealing with the difficulties she faced in life.

Some people think that Catholics "worship" statues and pictures of Mary and the saints; but of course, that is far from the truth.  Images like this one of the Blessed Mother are merely beautiful reminders of our love for and trust in Her.  They remind us of Her very important role as Mediatrix, and how She can intercede for us with Her Son.

There are many other interesting things in my parents' home.  Such as--

4

People who really, REALLY like to wear t-shirts with funny sayings on them.

My father (whose nickname is "Bigfoot") recently had to have the front of his right foot amputated (after two previous surgeries to remove two of his toes, he now has none left). Here he is wearing a t-shirt that was a gift to him a few Christmases ago from his sister's equally silly husband.  Considering all that he's been going through lately, the saying on the front of it is pretty apropos, don't you agree?

A couple of my sons have inherited this love of wearing silly t-shirts.  My youngest son has one with this on it:

A sense of humor is absolutely essential in life, isn't it?  My dad's doctor called his procedure an "extreme pedicure," the kind of joke that's right up good old Bigfoot's alley. And my husband told him that now that he's lost the front of his right foot, he should become an NFL kicker.  Apparently back in 1970, Tom Dempsey of the New Orleans Saints set the NFL field goal record (63 yards), a record which has been tied in recent years. Dempsey was born without any toes on his right foot (his kicking foot), and yet he achieved this impressive milestone wearing a specially made square-toed shoe.

Which makes me think of this favorite:

5

Sports!

It seems that for every problem in life, there is a great sports story to provide inspiration. College and professional athletes are usually born with natural God-given talent; but those who rise to the top have to go that extra mile and do what few are willing to do.  They teach us about drive and hard work and discipline.  They show us how it is possible to overcome even debilitating physical challenges if we're determined enough.

For instance, I give you kicker Tom Dempsey's famous foot. 

When reporters asked Dempsey if he thought he had an unfair advantage because of the shape of his kicking foot, he shot back, "Unfair eh?  How 'bout you try kickin' a 63 yard field goal to win it with 2 seconds left an' yer wearin' a square shoe, oh, yeah and no toes either." I love this guy.  I love the way sports can bring out the fighting spirit and produce successful athletes like him.  He never let his limitations get in the way.  He was a kicker without toes, and yet he became a household name in the world of professional football. Hopefully, as my dad goes through the process of healing and then learning how to get about with a third of his foot missing, he'll draw inspiration from Tom Dempsey's story.

Okay, that's it for me.  I meant to get on board with all the other Five Favorites linker-uppers hours and hours ago...but Bigfoots who are adjusting to little foots need lots of TLC and attention.  If you've got the time, head on over there now and join the party!