tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79324486251161240692024-03-19T06:19:22.985-04:00String o' PearlsLaura Pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16108081477711821273noreply@blogger.comBlogger1606125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932448625116124069.post-59397833490708359252024-03-18T20:22:00.007-04:002024-03-18T20:30:11.913-04:00St. Patty’s Day 2024<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; display: inline; text-align: left;"><b> THE WEARIN’ O’ THE GREEN!</b></div></b></div></b></div></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We had our family party yesterday afternoon, in honor of St. Patrick, and I believe a good time was had by all. Nine adults plus 14 kids (ranging in age from 9 months to 9 years) equals lots of chaos—but lots of fun, too (it’s math!).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The kids spent most of their time playing outside, many of them even eating their meals picnic-style on our front stoop. The weather was glorious—sunny and in the low 70’s—and the food was yummy and plentiful. I have to say, it could not have been a better afternoon. As his family was leaving, our 8-year-old grandson Junior thanked us for a “wonderful time.” (He actually used the word “wonderful,” isn’t that the best?) At the end of the day, I was a very happy—tired, but happy—Grammy!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We got some great pictures, so the rest of this post will be a St. Patty’s photo dump. ☘️☘️☘️</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-GosAr003PpObt8fidaTkyYiU69Bo-J2kIXtMKZbPZ0KF1FHXHswPjL-SEcwfziwOiPGTjOAQ_Oawm3wNcAdEohDVqy0uIXv-6iavstQh37KkD50wADlhFp9iijrab0vqEnAtSPwKknltqLk7D1NQoiFTBjgP8qVlLQdHImVMUO5T_p7qZd-1Rpi0wyU/s4032/IMG_1703.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-GosAr003PpObt8fidaTkyYiU69Bo-J2kIXtMKZbPZ0KF1FHXHswPjL-SEcwfziwOiPGTjOAQ_Oawm3wNcAdEohDVqy0uIXv-6iavstQh37KkD50wADlhFp9iijrab0vqEnAtSPwKknltqLk7D1NQoiFTBjgP8qVlLQdHImVMUO5T_p7qZd-1Rpi0wyU/w480-h640/IMG_1703.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj16ZEREjiHkioeBnHLhENOLgZSuEiY4ZURc8L8Y0nNloJ_FeZaxbrNv2lkMjtGKibPcCEyubwXES4_YO64ecNaVvQKPqT2by3J0B1SzBOYFbdv5cZUjNva1iXcusbqdBnb0VJdTNdGeS9BG_40169ILPvEVVuk_KpnUlVPGg1Vtu8r-XBlCEKoOp5mdYA/s4032/IMG_1660.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj16ZEREjiHkioeBnHLhENOLgZSuEiY4ZURc8L8Y0nNloJ_FeZaxbrNv2lkMjtGKibPcCEyubwXES4_YO64ecNaVvQKPqT2by3J0B1SzBOYFbdv5cZUjNva1iXcusbqdBnb0VJdTNdGeS9BG_40169ILPvEVVuk_KpnUlVPGg1Vtu8r-XBlCEKoOp5mdYA/w480-h640/IMG_1660.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm-J-c5q-L5M8KFrJmNETmSR4IBpdEcplT4N3vSE6muz8yXd_4HBveItYGB_9AYtLUXssVRRgHN3zGwU9mA89K1kxZ4x1xAgz2s9X3icZgRQJpc4akqos6ijY72ikiUC-qPw6pYKwzVktn2xun5V6741u6dwJZ2I3YarPXnOmYycA4m5psf4yv-k-uVwM/s4032/IMG_1700.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm-J-c5q-L5M8KFrJmNETmSR4IBpdEcplT4N3vSE6muz8yXd_4HBveItYGB_9AYtLUXssVRRgHN3zGwU9mA89K1kxZ4x1xAgz2s9X3icZgRQJpc4akqos6ijY72ikiUC-qPw6pYKwzVktn2xun5V6741u6dwJZ2I3YarPXnOmYycA4m5psf4yv-k-uVwM/w480-h640/IMG_1700.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwmJrANFLICiXQ7vm7ws36-0TLCEZQ8buiZJ7iBlCtAxWvU6ZdYf_Jizz8hkGoKBIe7_0eXhF-3M3_5mWLFcLbpUPUJ9hm28zMK2SMjoecDnsOi_LqDYQ5FP0qglV48HySDoyXmyTqwlJlrFUSrcLVMD5H1R5xx-SgSjxU9z1alwOOgwEicsttoQRUgsw/s4032/IMG_1701.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwmJrANFLICiXQ7vm7ws36-0TLCEZQ8buiZJ7iBlCtAxWvU6ZdYf_Jizz8hkGoKBIe7_0eXhF-3M3_5mWLFcLbpUPUJ9hm28zMK2SMjoecDnsOi_LqDYQ5FP0qglV48HySDoyXmyTqwlJlrFUSrcLVMD5H1R5xx-SgSjxU9z1alwOOgwEicsttoQRUgsw/w480-h640/IMG_1701.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYoXGfWUXPur-xTuEdicVc0r737EBg1Zla-MyLNofmG9n9Z2L5um4-waYEl-N9epFKmDZ7_Y6NzHAflgcVrDmYO16Ya6RfQhMYPZD5zxgUIEuNZaDkT3JwhRJq6UBKqaj4wx0CyuHfh0LTa4pGdR5Rkg6Ue1jhhcrEK3ZMkc2YWa4HP2ULhl58FO4j0Uw/s4032/IMG_1694.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYoXGfWUXPur-xTuEdicVc0r737EBg1Zla-MyLNofmG9n9Z2L5um4-waYEl-N9epFKmDZ7_Y6NzHAflgcVrDmYO16Ya6RfQhMYPZD5zxgUIEuNZaDkT3JwhRJq6UBKqaj4wx0CyuHfh0LTa4pGdR5Rkg6Ue1jhhcrEK3ZMkc2YWa4HP2ULhl58FO4j0Uw/w480-h640/IMG_1694.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-YOSEPlG4Wv8TC2htARg8_dunnu8NFmbXngEm0zZIthHPRQM_lW3o_WI6MUrpjjAtEHYiSmdjy7t8KccHAOnerU4cYo0Tr8cw4Y6RcHZj8Zzo3jkXRuIAW2mOn-BvISmR3bNTmo7bpHqM7R3FRudyaFVyM-EtVnTKyknDWlVab0L8PATce5o3CsyZGmc/s4032/IMG_0426.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-YOSEPlG4Wv8TC2htARg8_dunnu8NFmbXngEm0zZIthHPRQM_lW3o_WI6MUrpjjAtEHYiSmdjy7t8KccHAOnerU4cYo0Tr8cw4Y6RcHZj8Zzo3jkXRuIAW2mOn-BvISmR3bNTmo7bpHqM7R3FRudyaFVyM-EtVnTKyknDWlVab0L8PATce5o3CsyZGmc/w480-h640/IMG_0426.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKy83Oqwd0VWHp833x_uJ-x1g0RX1Pe0Rf_4ErW5FAjA_gnfUB0gkI2acYKgMSclftSbD2CMjQOHVH9JwyhB_J7kO75a0EVZfN3roXDidUFBHpYj-JyEQGSmeaOi79bGxRXtLHebANDSZYq8IvyFwCSQ1Oerz9yDjC1qbDs1855h8BzU2YY1cCFHZf8yw/s4032/IMG_1690.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKy83Oqwd0VWHp833x_uJ-x1g0RX1Pe0Rf_4ErW5FAjA_gnfUB0gkI2acYKgMSclftSbD2CMjQOHVH9JwyhB_J7kO75a0EVZfN3roXDidUFBHpYj-JyEQGSmeaOi79bGxRXtLHebANDSZYq8IvyFwCSQ1Oerz9yDjC1qbDs1855h8BzU2YY1cCFHZf8yw/w480-h640/IMG_1690.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL2jbC1BckIWbCI0JAo4mhkIlYACTmXdKglPnzlY760h82cEHW6ssLkAPraF0-Wc9DFn1H3TcVt2kuTSw5E4KeTtsa2GZQWkg68Mpb99ubcI3iHcM8I9d0UrXIku0R09iCnlRwjPWWg46tUI25khMSlAXs2IJVdiTNuqPbVGNivEUAvnuPNqsc6EeJtkQ/s4032/IMG_1691.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL2jbC1BckIWbCI0JAo4mhkIlYACTmXdKglPnzlY760h82cEHW6ssLkAPraF0-Wc9DFn1H3TcVt2kuTSw5E4KeTtsa2GZQWkg68Mpb99ubcI3iHcM8I9d0UrXIku0R09iCnlRwjPWWg46tUI25khMSlAXs2IJVdiTNuqPbVGNivEUAvnuPNqsc6EeJtkQ/w480-h640/IMG_1691.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4tLEZ6orPI1ztWRY6k-5yvdZG2Qmj7ZoK_8M60bLTYPYME6CD34Bz1CVHA_dWGlImbiqG7BRjG8Ox6_SOrMkS7DX7bX8xH0TV_9jG4pjhMkn4jUysVVHH1SSORSC4LMT6AamSEusrswXUm-3EZU8WVLjPaOE6H4PxdEKSP89xZTFxxv4YxtKsqlomimo/s4032/IMG_1686.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4tLEZ6orPI1ztWRY6k-5yvdZG2Qmj7ZoK_8M60bLTYPYME6CD34Bz1CVHA_dWGlImbiqG7BRjG8Ox6_SOrMkS7DX7bX8xH0TV_9jG4pjhMkn4jUysVVHH1SSORSC4LMT6AamSEusrswXUm-3EZU8WVLjPaOE6H4PxdEKSP89xZTFxxv4YxtKsqlomimo/w480-h640/IMG_1686.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIaP88oQlC6JqDIKbATX09Pwny8wimzKeHI5eMk-QChyphenhyphengxdsw2bvL3nanGgiE91zoUQQUiOadlAMnkfYCw9tc1TSzUougxnBQFyOPF6Vwy4YxS4hqVdcb7_0R7Sd-Ewduv2uy5-OHQCyz12c6lsfZY6ruiQvvF3iK-nesXYRKvTn2SnQURat5tW5mcn3k/s4032/IMG_1668.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIaP88oQlC6JqDIKbATX09Pwny8wimzKeHI5eMk-QChyphenhyphengxdsw2bvL3nanGgiE91zoUQQUiOadlAMnkfYCw9tc1TSzUougxnBQFyOPF6Vwy4YxS4hqVdcb7_0R7Sd-Ewduv2uy5-OHQCyz12c6lsfZY6ruiQvvF3iK-nesXYRKvTn2SnQURat5tW5mcn3k/w480-h640/IMG_1668.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZpmY2TT_Z67thV9sb6lba6l6YiVFZ9zqbmfkxzL42sNAIIbmfQr_1OBTPyb8L-baankxsqCZ7q2a1YCaxUNLywLNNJnCIWHiE7sEA4IBJp7ivGiPOqM4tiqsK4kmsTnI1yc6gwPyoTs0KH2poGpdNrCnveut1iei5HvS-OwhDKK2h6k0n3EKJqSBPUmA/s4032/IMG_1671.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZpmY2TT_Z67thV9sb6lba6l6YiVFZ9zqbmfkxzL42sNAIIbmfQr_1OBTPyb8L-baankxsqCZ7q2a1YCaxUNLywLNNJnCIWHiE7sEA4IBJp7ivGiPOqM4tiqsK4kmsTnI1yc6gwPyoTs0KH2poGpdNrCnveut1iei5HvS-OwhDKK2h6k0n3EKJqSBPUmA/w480-h640/IMG_1671.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi12bA31XEQOeRi-xutjgkiBulGXDLvYzdIw5reFbSLux8W1Jm0O1njgiR0HZwAlCM4GdCt4TzK_IjzZA8eesdp_g4TO76X38s1BLkJ4qCHoS7EWkT_rCaVag2HgIWBPq464MmqWk4cz8OzsAwRQs6q-HyiMyi9z2c3-QK6EcsoL9fRQQ8XFGm6Q8NQWno/s4032/IMG_5315.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi12bA31XEQOeRi-xutjgkiBulGXDLvYzdIw5reFbSLux8W1Jm0O1njgiR0HZwAlCM4GdCt4TzK_IjzZA8eesdp_g4TO76X38s1BLkJ4qCHoS7EWkT_rCaVag2HgIWBPq464MmqWk4cz8OzsAwRQs6q-HyiMyi9z2c3-QK6EcsoL9fRQQ8XFGm6Q8NQWno/w480-h640/IMG_5315.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6nz-OhvDJnyLrMd628qm03wkePLQH6CJQC77IlawEY-c2EdCIzHdcPqFz4mT4DTK4b_i_KofFCLzqhzetsrLsh4M2r7TUzlnamhfoc6QwnRv8abeG4rL-ZD5ESAGFtTp0ldjTIj_WjfVuQd308xbgK4TXqCWd2Twf35BZQWqpsEdAZyS59pZz0AOFYu4/s1280/IMG_1742.jpeg" style="font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1280" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6nz-OhvDJnyLrMd628qm03wkePLQH6CJQC77IlawEY-c2EdCIzHdcPqFz4mT4DTK4b_i_KofFCLzqhzetsrLsh4M2r7TUzlnamhfoc6QwnRv8abeG4rL-ZD5ESAGFtTp0ldjTIj_WjfVuQd308xbgK4TXqCWd2Twf35BZQWqpsEdAZyS59pZz0AOFYu4/w400-h400/IMG_1742.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Just as I was about to push the "publish" button on this post earlier, our daughter-in-law Ginger texted to tell us she'd seen a neat idea on Twitter (or X or whatever it's called!): when making the corned beef dinner, one mom said she put aside some cabbage leaves for her family to wear as "hats" on St. Patty's Day. Ginger loved the idea. So this happened over at their house tonight...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju_YOygfD7FOp9dZVZg1Mr3XjZ3lc0d6i_Vai-U3Wm5vedUrwdj_X9DfA8-AHZAzONav_kCjodY8WsMNqfOcG59SHAR-tgsyMOIRtmGfrNnX0-7fFp6q1gkserz4Ep5DWVbKys60B9lTdLHwUEjZe8NlUD_KMOfRB0gY2geFQyWxfdmSZtho7q50DQ_Bc/s4032/EB1C2452-3908-4EE4-AF29-ECD750704CEE.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju_YOygfD7FOp9dZVZg1Mr3XjZ3lc0d6i_Vai-U3Wm5vedUrwdj_X9DfA8-AHZAzONav_kCjodY8WsMNqfOcG59SHAR-tgsyMOIRtmGfrNnX0-7fFp6q1gkserz4Ep5DWVbKys60B9lTdLHwUEjZe8NlUD_KMOfRB0gY2geFQyWxfdmSZtho7q50DQ_Bc/w640-h480/EB1C2452-3908-4EE4-AF29-ECD750704CEE.heic" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now that's a clever (and very cute) way to wear green! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p>Laura Pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16108081477711821273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932448625116124069.post-87319853261594645702024-03-16T21:51:00.005-04:002024-03-17T07:00:44.250-04:00St. Patty’s Party Prep<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Tomorrow afternoon, our VA gang (sons #2, 3, and 4, their wives, and their combined 14 kids, plus a good friend of two of our daughters-in-law) are coming to our house for a St. Patty's Day celebration. We have lots of Irish-themed decor that stays up all year; but I've added a few touches.</div></div></div></div></div><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0DQaf8virUOx1995B8JZe23jy4_IJZWerm1chFFEaPvy8CEdAhksdEvqPv9-t0pegAZNoUjOfIfRgo_Bv__53-zFRDnqzl91hxi7xxp5F_eoPoj0mVNl3gX_CDvTEsEtbyA6MK81Rcqza6Idjv3YzFTXo8L06Askt6B78tFRDoUFAp89EPfNS_wjkdFM/s4032/IMG_1520.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0DQaf8virUOx1995B8JZe23jy4_IJZWerm1chFFEaPvy8CEdAhksdEvqPv9-t0pegAZNoUjOfIfRgo_Bv__53-zFRDnqzl91hxi7xxp5F_eoPoj0mVNl3gX_CDvTEsEtbyA6MK81Rcqza6Idjv3YzFTXo8L06Askt6B78tFRDoUFAp89EPfNS_wjkdFM/w480-h640/IMG_1520.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bottom right: pictures of our youngest son at the Cliffs of Moher.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiov7ou1tI8uJLwhzLc34AKmGMWAbdNN85KpM338CF0jb6Lx__fk0TOkA0uDusMJaFh-dMZNLYY_nhvLad6NX4Da2c4NuXf0VhVnAlZA1t5UQF2h1oMIL7mX2HWK3yt-IPEPVsYG3lQ95jaRf2Utd_eNP3nRufLS7Xd_wQeE6U62Ykq1B04oVj9SWENPXI/s4032/IMG_1519.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiov7ou1tI8uJLwhzLc34AKmGMWAbdNN85KpM338CF0jb6Lx__fk0TOkA0uDusMJaFh-dMZNLYY_nhvLad6NX4Da2c4NuXf0VhVnAlZA1t5UQF2h1oMIL7mX2HWK3yt-IPEPVsYG3lQ95jaRf2Utd_eNP3nRufLS7Xd_wQeE6U62Ykq1B04oVj9SWENPXI/w480-h640/IMG_1519.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb2JgvnbxH4Pg26nUD_-r2ry0VaX4K-PDmkI3p2xaxCPCN1LUEBn3E804PF-_nQaxbfEx4PxENAK2EdG4NhTTui4dOtKY0ibpesTB2NaLAKsg-b-uqvUtWLBNBqWXdMi1-oCOFdvhK35GGAj8JuZL7kSNJSWl8QPJnl9W3ZqovtFaYNPPelhHTX9u0AS0/s4032/IMG_1514.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb2JgvnbxH4Pg26nUD_-r2ry0VaX4K-PDmkI3p2xaxCPCN1LUEBn3E804PF-_nQaxbfEx4PxENAK2EdG4NhTTui4dOtKY0ibpesTB2NaLAKsg-b-uqvUtWLBNBqWXdMi1-oCOFdvhK35GGAj8JuZL7kSNJSWl8QPJnl9W3ZqovtFaYNPPelhHTX9u0AS0/w480-h640/IMG_1514.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two small trees stay up in our family room all year and get decorated<br />according to the season/holiday.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZhqmm0u0nGQVQUtuvDecViebtEA-J6rxlpVk1P8mqrbwvf4V_QS6v1TGjOCHaujVeKpx44rqUf_4rxf8cQkjHRf1senyFx1uXEAS8SI0ft6LUOcm0OIoHCfz6mnZEmWfDdkTCF7yUJVPmDvwcWrNJ_zwO2_pbCTD5EO97fzuH078IeIUmoJBZkeikcq0/s4032/IMG_1513.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZhqmm0u0nGQVQUtuvDecViebtEA-J6rxlpVk1P8mqrbwvf4V_QS6v1TGjOCHaujVeKpx44rqUf_4rxf8cQkjHRf1senyFx1uXEAS8SI0ft6LUOcm0OIoHCfz6mnZEmWfDdkTCF7yUJVPmDvwcWrNJ_zwO2_pbCTD5EO97fzuH078IeIUmoJBZkeikcq0/w480-h640/IMG_1513.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Irish gnome was an impulse buy, but I don't regret it!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGS3WDW2TcDLMiJq4aZllgGCHD9XWqMnnoUfmZtbjxVFJ5KQ7qwh-zVPDmfzg_TIhP2grJ35l1YoMmsKFZrMJx7EQY7X5WhEiR-P-LiPbhiJZS0MLMmftDkSNdJ3aaCFOHFY4g8ygWgy2foQQfy0qJ9csTQyL56AH-2WoJKIwCASTy9yEEoaFXIUoFm6Y/s4032/IMG_1512.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGS3WDW2TcDLMiJq4aZllgGCHD9XWqMnnoUfmZtbjxVFJ5KQ7qwh-zVPDmfzg_TIhP2grJ35l1YoMmsKFZrMJx7EQY7X5WhEiR-P-LiPbhiJZS0MLMmftDkSNdJ3aaCFOHFY4g8ygWgy2foQQfy0qJ9csTQyL56AH-2WoJKIwCASTy9yEEoaFXIUoFm6Y/w480-h640/IMG_1512.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRui0xfvs5f8DIRjAA6Jecx5yp1GvpHafU7HXlvl21W320rtgHq1r5GHQ9bhDS35VOUrz5fplGmZL08Ozhzg3fuue2j8jG0_Vl6ZvaRw7aepo2Ke99gDprhyphenhyphenLUH6LJ_pmFEoZD2DgF0YE3j7xWyB0L8G5_wV4bHi1sZLN5WhgWBvXXWh4miVF352d2wtI/s4032/F171A360-5F3A-4CCE-976D-0EBDADEC6EF7.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRui0xfvs5f8DIRjAA6Jecx5yp1GvpHafU7HXlvl21W320rtgHq1r5GHQ9bhDS35VOUrz5fplGmZL08Ozhzg3fuue2j8jG0_Vl6ZvaRw7aepo2Ke99gDprhyphenhyphenLUH6LJ_pmFEoZD2DgF0YE3j7xWyB0L8G5_wV4bHi1sZLN5WhgWBvXXWh4miVF352d2wtI/w480-h640/F171A360-5F3A-4CCE-976D-0EBDADEC6EF7.heic" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our youngest son as St. Patrick (All Saints Day parade, 2nd grade). </td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>We’re going to have green punch (that can be spiked or kid-friendly) and other fun beverages, corned beef and cabbage, pork chops and gravy, mashed potatoes, and an assortment of chips and dips and fruits and veggies. For the kids, there will be Domino’s pizzas, because they may or may not be interested in the Irish fare. I’ve made shamrock-shaped sugar cookies and caramel brownies with green sprinkles for dessert, and also Catholic writer Emily Stimpson Chapman’s Bailey’s Irish cream cake. (Yum!) I’ve got party hats and beads and other favors ready to pass out. I think I’m ready!<div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSHcxNJOZrdUBplp3RIlaEqtIbsjsWKKko_ZRxsJfqXYMw0f98hee5qCJlqMlfli-snBzA1cFZmnfuyjy4EJLAZBsyJTFT7CFSATrCgNFFGZjPuyktxerg9W8LgzP1_fCoZ_6DuYF5u4tupMkJgaZ32wq2TCJQ0IJ_mTTcU2omjMXuFvUByTvD6hKYD-A/s4032/IMG_1649.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSHcxNJOZrdUBplp3RIlaEqtIbsjsWKKko_ZRxsJfqXYMw0f98hee5qCJlqMlfli-snBzA1cFZmnfuyjy4EJLAZBsyJTFT7CFSATrCgNFFGZjPuyktxerg9W8LgzP1_fCoZ_6DuYF5u4tupMkJgaZ32wq2TCJQ0IJ_mTTcU2omjMXuFvUByTvD6hKYD-A/w480-h640/IMG_1649.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That accent wall in our kitchen was painted this colon by the former owners, <br />and I love it! (The shade is literally called “Emerald Isle.”)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg30L948_fa0Do4tCPJR5DUwDxDagPUxn_Gk2PNT4GAeiFnn1Hl-b0DmNdlgaJQOJuPm1pnXE9jj2RxQkoTYMzjJT3T8UzxqI0PVdByd7PA8IxY8nRy6u4oHUhovTs1wjE4tdeJ2mPkun3wahVBG8ecmNY0LBN6wbbj258GkNF8dQ5Cz6F6ef1zOmBi3k/s4032/IMG_1651.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg30L948_fa0Do4tCPJR5DUwDxDagPUxn_Gk2PNT4GAeiFnn1Hl-b0DmNdlgaJQOJuPm1pnXE9jj2RxQkoTYMzjJT3T8UzxqI0PVdByd7PA8IxY8nRy6u4oHUhovTs1wjE4tdeJ2mPkun3wahVBG8ecmNY0LBN6wbbj258GkNF8dQ5Cz6F6ef1zOmBi3k/w480-h640/IMG_1651.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Aldi's has these every March, and they are magically delicious.</td></tr></tbody></table><div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiecOYJ5GnDfS5RLjieD0Wa1cbab2sGfEDMZtzOJ033gbSys4kmdbEmEz-umyOkI44sNw5Ru09RlgPD1Y7AoFxiaUGxmyR68-9HpCoyK7CW-T3hoWKL4P0eEMwjN9qttvVZzVaLZomoYlKR00lR6oRff_3qCA_MutevjjoYfASflzxMMQ3F7nKPt8uTEf0/s4032/IMG_1652.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiecOYJ5GnDfS5RLjieD0Wa1cbab2sGfEDMZtzOJ033gbSys4kmdbEmEz-umyOkI44sNw5Ru09RlgPD1Y7AoFxiaUGxmyR68-9HpCoyK7CW-T3hoWKL4P0eEMwjN9qttvVZzVaLZomoYlKR00lR6oRff_3qCA_MutevjjoYfASflzxMMQ3F7nKPt8uTEf0/w480-h640/IMG_1652.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg79PMD59K-I_Woe15i1ZUDrwNpZ4-I-s-W4j-CJeiHAzGs4lgTYxDk7Z3H05be5y1WKBi5yM401MsQKbNsbwD6XNX3RnJ05OfdzEI9nh-k0FmzK5wp4e-njKjF70zyxNHAsLbPj3M3LW2wBPhgmflNINeWJT7YsSl5Qak14ovOhW4qp52MMCtACexE8b4/s4032/IMG_1653.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg79PMD59K-I_Woe15i1ZUDrwNpZ4-I-s-W4j-CJeiHAzGs4lgTYxDk7Z3H05be5y1WKBi5yM401MsQKbNsbwD6XNX3RnJ05OfdzEI9nh-k0FmzK5wp4e-njKjF70zyxNHAsLbPj3M3LW2wBPhgmflNINeWJT7YsSl5Qak14ovOhW4qp52MMCtACexE8b4/w480-h640/IMG_1653.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div>If we can get the kids to dress up in the silly headgear and beads and shamrock glasses and stick-on green mustaches and “tattoos,” I’m hoping I’ll be able to post some cute pictures of them next week.</div><div><br /></div><div>Until next time--</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><b>May God in His wisdom and infinite love,</b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><b>Look down on you always from Heaven above.</b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><b>May He send you good fortune, contentment and peace,</b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><b>And may all your blessings forever increase.</b></span></i></div><div><br /></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Slainte</i>, dear readers!</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbjTbVoZPWL7yT2YB4ri74CFuJBU2n-uVTW2dPTskvw_Smy8cTdDhqc-5Vwdz-NcFWniIEL_2phDASRsswqyar7HHO5eO_QF78yVUtd8UWakrabJA_8qDFu5nlfAPcBH_JTjgknMIr7AwhBqhTSZpEAkddTNfT4j0qhqkGGgFTQePXBB0YX7L1UgXzDpA/s3088/IMG_1654.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbjTbVoZPWL7yT2YB4ri74CFuJBU2n-uVTW2dPTskvw_Smy8cTdDhqc-5Vwdz-NcFWniIEL_2phDASRsswqyar7HHO5eO_QF78yVUtd8UWakrabJA_8qDFu5nlfAPcBH_JTjgknMIr7AwhBqhTSZpEAkddTNfT4j0qhqkGGgFTQePXBB0YX7L1UgXzDpA/w300-h400/IMG_1654.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><p></p></div></div></div>Laura Pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16108081477711821273noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932448625116124069.post-48839447791431384132024-03-06T11:41:00.003-05:002024-03-07T06:38:26.423-05:00Life is Short, Use the Silver<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I was inspired recently by one of my daughters-in-law, Ginger (wife of son #2), who texted me a photo of my boy dutifully polishing up a huge silver urn that she'd found at a thrift store. (He's a good sport, that boy!) I have silver serving dishes that had been packed away in boxes for ages, some that were gifts at our wedding 43 years ago; and after getting that text, I decided that it was time to break them out and polish them up. Yes, it was time to start enjoying them on a regular basis, even when it's not a holiday! Life is short, use the silver--that's my new motto. :)<p></p><p>Before I continue, I'll tell you a little bit about this particular daughter-in-law: she is the queen of finding incredibly beautiful and ridiculously inexpensive treasures at the thrift store, and she has begun to embrace what they call the "Grandmillennial" decorating style, which is also sometimes referred to as "Granny chic." This style incorporates many classic, traditional (read: old-fashioned) elements that were beloved by gals of my generation and our mothers--dark wood furniture (often antique); overstuffed couches and chairs upholstered in toile or floral chintz, with ruffles; wallpaper; blue and white china; silver and crystal, etc.--and uses them in fresh ways alongside modern pieces. This warm, cozy, and eclectic decorating style is nothing new, but for a time it was considered stuffy, outdated, and cluttered-looking; therefore, you can find lots of items that fit the bill at the thrift store, because so many young people have not been interested in holding onto their grandparents' heirlooms! However, in recent years there has been an increasing appreciation for traditional home decor among some millennials, who for a time embraced a more pared-down, minimalistic decorating style (or Joanna Gaines's trademark all-white, wood, and metal aesthetic), but have begun to incorporate the furnishings and home accessories of past generations into their 21st century homes. Ginger is one such millennial.</p><p>So, taking a cue from my sweet grandmillennial D-I-L, I went through some boxes in our basement storage room and got out my wedding pewter and silver, which I hadn't even set eyes upon in the seven years we've lived in this VA house.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUZ6ObhWvDezgc2vbo-F-Mxgf-Vsn1WcMhxEivX4Xp3fAe7Ns4KKN5m61xdyYVCAP5FPDIqzByQp6gDNd_-vrRE8b5AtzpYbWk3GEHxVH8XvNuBdIck0qs5MHmIiiWyq9mHUVADqJrocGVXENpVqT8cHu4wFuUHjnYEx5OHX_HrIp3vdXRRfRMLPRh-MY/s4032/316359A0-BDE0-4266-A1C2-1949A43096E4.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUZ6ObhWvDezgc2vbo-F-Mxgf-Vsn1WcMhxEivX4Xp3fAe7Ns4KKN5m61xdyYVCAP5FPDIqzByQp6gDNd_-vrRE8b5AtzpYbWk3GEHxVH8XvNuBdIck0qs5MHmIiiWyq9mHUVADqJrocGVXENpVqT8cHu4wFuUHjnYEx5OHX_HrIp3vdXRRfRMLPRh-MY/w480-h640/316359A0-BDE0-4266-A1C2-1949A43096E4.heic" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pewter doesn't tarnish as much as silver, but these still needed a little TLC.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwnrxkdDsdVcR_8npeylsZg2bBegROycwkj4SzkGkI45tdX7h3WXwJbGuA7z0Z4jJfeCmrUNCCDG5JX-2BeMmr_xQc4Bxx1giXRZzjdiEYui_tKfDCX0-EdYsYlUWbaEq1n0e_1caKCSduTkxHpp6V6bRLgf7wT96TM6-HEBgpg0DLS7aCeBm5RVlsFmU/s2961/4F7C4EE1-AEFE-4B08-B450-7EBE58937ED5_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2961" data-original-width="2533" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwnrxkdDsdVcR_8npeylsZg2bBegROycwkj4SzkGkI45tdX7h3WXwJbGuA7z0Z4jJfeCmrUNCCDG5JX-2BeMmr_xQc4Bxx1giXRZzjdiEYui_tKfDCX0-EdYsYlUWbaEq1n0e_1caKCSduTkxHpp6V6bRLgf7wT96TM6-HEBgpg0DLS7aCeBm5RVlsFmU/w548-h640/4F7C4EE1-AEFE-4B08-B450-7EBE58937ED5_1_201_a.heic" width="548" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I got out the silver polish and shined up these beauties!</td></tr></tbody></table><br />One of the most beautiful pieces I own was actually a 25th anniversary gift from my mom and dad. It's an antique chafing dish; I'm not quite sure of its origin, but I'm going to ask my mom about it the next time we talk. Wherever it came from, it's just spectacular. I can't believe it's been languishing in storage since we moved in here!<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0w968zYhXQrc3t153oXLDpwTSmIWX55ZcOeUM9vSB4097XA99-r8gEp29HJE5EUR6S6dW949o8v2Wq_xYzzu3S70EG3o9jjUO-uBbYDztIuISynylwTaYVDLacVxV9ppjvZSQzMOKQkRFXIlwBAHvuCvvbTn0o1ZJ5CnQxDOR5k_krh0TRfODI-P4D2A/s4032/9C7C9AD8-71B5-4855-B13D-F2CEDE2FF7FC_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0w968zYhXQrc3t153oXLDpwTSmIWX55ZcOeUM9vSB4097XA99-r8gEp29HJE5EUR6S6dW949o8v2Wq_xYzzu3S70EG3o9jjUO-uBbYDztIuISynylwTaYVDLacVxV9ppjvZSQzMOKQkRFXIlwBAHvuCvvbTn0o1ZJ5CnQxDOR5k_krh0TRfODI-P4D2A/w480-h640/9C7C9AD8-71B5-4855-B13D-F2CEDE2FF7FC_1_201_a.heic" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What is pictured here would have to be considered Granny chic decor.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3teozPtlLzD5Sl1yzJQaE5_PNLtcPiPEnpeDNo1mk7rS5CpdA2kJf0cx5xnAffMeeVb6nEln3PHJn19fJLrTMheRNgk8fUQg7Odz8CMzfHsgAQSkKesUZ42AijgTlOJbr5sP9cB1dxOsSHnERXvxinvQDsdIKgimXNZwzcMifZNLpMIfZfOTGC913ntw/s4032/B152A4E0-5CDB-42BB-9133-473E841C6432.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3teozPtlLzD5Sl1yzJQaE5_PNLtcPiPEnpeDNo1mk7rS5CpdA2kJf0cx5xnAffMeeVb6nEln3PHJn19fJLrTMheRNgk8fUQg7Odz8CMzfHsgAQSkKesUZ42AijgTlOJbr5sP9cB1dxOsSHnERXvxinvQDsdIKgimXNZwzcMifZNLpMIfZfOTGC913ntw/w480-h640/B152A4E0-5CDB-42BB-9133-473E841C6432.heic" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at that beauty!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>The other thing I decided to do was to put some of my wedding cutlery into regular use. As a bride-to-be, I registered for some high quality Oneida stainless flatware (my mother's generation would register for silver or silverplated flatware, but few gals of my generation did so), and we received service for 20, along with a number of matching serving utensils. The pattern is so pretty. </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSsvcVsTV-V9MFVLz9ZTAG_OFj5Qp53H0xXsBoJHZWwMH-Giik_uYCI6HIRxX2XzL4XYap30xffDDZhLM1a0zuOtVv3DdWGC38pldFZz3D6uRPG86Jq_IsENPF_TRww_eOyAy3SqJcTGOZVA8pEr0N-kEdoXRy53tJ3Du4LZN4NymyzyeOnTltdjEyysc/s4032/339DE2AE-ABBB-4C0D-B9AB-1025056D4A63.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSsvcVsTV-V9MFVLz9ZTAG_OFj5Qp53H0xXsBoJHZWwMH-Giik_uYCI6HIRxX2XzL4XYap30xffDDZhLM1a0zuOtVv3DdWGC38pldFZz3D6uRPG86Jq_IsENPF_TRww_eOyAy3SqJcTGOZVA8pEr0N-kEdoXRy53tJ3Du4LZN4NymyzyeOnTltdjEyysc/w480-h640/339DE2AE-ABBB-4C0D-B9AB-1025056D4A63.heic" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Each place setting is 5 pieces.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I had 8 place settings of lower-quality Oneida stainless that was our "everyday" silverware, so I saved those 20 settings of the good stuff to use on Thanksgiving and Christmas, planning for the far-off day when I would have a family big enough to have to use them all at once for a special occasion. (Goal achieved--ha ha!)<p></p><p>Anyway, while I was polishing up my wedding silver, one thing led to another. And I got to thinking that our everyday flatware was getting kind of sorry-looking. We still had 8 matching knives and dessert forks, and 7 soup spoons; but we had gotten down to one dinner fork and one teaspoon from the original set, so over the years I had gotten random pieces to fill in, either at Walmart or at the Oneida outlet, and the silverware drawer in the kitchen was filled with a mismatched mash-mash. And most of our teaspoons were a tad nicked-up, after run-ins with the garbage disposal. (Oops.)</p><p>So I decided to empty out the drawer and fill it with 8 lovely matching place settings of my wedding flatware (and to be vigilant about always checking to make sure that the garbage disposal has only food scraps in it before turning it on!). The older I get, the more I realize that life is short, and we should use the pretty stuff now. Because if not now, then when? And besides, even with 8 place settings in daily use, we are still left with 12 more stored away in the dining room, to break out for holiday dinners or whatever.</p><p>I definitely need to take good care of this beautiful flatware, however. When I looked up my pattern online, I realized how expensive it would be to replace lost or garbage disposal-chewed pieces!<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDv8zvpegg0sWrp5xojieYM9bvQB-D_TQxJMKOzaJ5eFGDiPF3AwJfD3Z22I_A8KEWgYmOz6QFhqZIVMnfJNf6WeT7bCbCBF-MstJMroz8bA9WvS-DSnDlosY34r0imU22dFVay-E47t3u21IrHGW3yGsHsg3SRbDQmBIE7CdoXmibiWbzrLSecngbTiU/s1792/5E25B1C5-74D8-4EC3-9EE5-3038B42ADD57.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1792" data-original-width="828" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDv8zvpegg0sWrp5xojieYM9bvQB-D_TQxJMKOzaJ5eFGDiPF3AwJfD3Z22I_A8KEWgYmOz6QFhqZIVMnfJNf6WeT7bCbCBF-MstJMroz8bA9WvS-DSnDlosY34r0imU22dFVay-E47t3u21IrHGW3yGsHsg3SRbDQmBIE7CdoXmibiWbzrLSecngbTiU/w296-h640/5E25B1C5-74D8-4EC3-9EE5-3038B42ADD57.png" width="296" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>So that's my advice for today: don't wait for a special occasion to use all those lovely things you got as wedding gifts. Every day is special. Life is short, so use the silver. And the pretty china. And your "good" flatware. And, well, you get the idea.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhRr_O2rgzMxkDdkpM0gsVbVhY6rOLXCDTUe-Fdkpzw_YJvrE8hyAxQh6nxJeWmzwpkVR03DJPRtu6Y5BFTyvjF2fNflUsGgzFZrlXMUAwrSvDYK9u_LHFPnzrzuh1TVTv4YITBligeoOgId4p6XJPxSe0inHSnzwfqQQQEfv6dpnxNx4fRFmnhgR0x0Y/s640/IMG_0194.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhRr_O2rgzMxkDdkpM0gsVbVhY6rOLXCDTUe-Fdkpzw_YJvrE8hyAxQh6nxJeWmzwpkVR03DJPRtu6Y5BFTyvjF2fNflUsGgzFZrlXMUAwrSvDYK9u_LHFPnzrzuh1TVTv4YITBligeoOgId4p6XJPxSe0inHSnzwfqQQQEfv6dpnxNx4fRFmnhgR0x0Y/w480-h640/IMG_0194.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN6R1WkDOhTVe-MBfk1vYI3sA-Ntlm12R_MrvP-NLTsUqw4Qs-aDZo2mOeEhHELOJ6HQTCsTq5xhheuOUnPMPzT9zm4Jl_yOoq3wF_yGoFF5ocOauCYGgegwX9QDxvOtxs19kTaNV5JAXvgdRjE2e3GsnDOo1-QYC-eLbsjqSFUEcJdeWQ-ykfH0C9XGI/s4032/62796946632__04806DB8-FB0C-4723-89FA-6F462687B415.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN6R1WkDOhTVe-MBfk1vYI3sA-Ntlm12R_MrvP-NLTsUqw4Qs-aDZo2mOeEhHELOJ6HQTCsTq5xhheuOUnPMPzT9zm4Jl_yOoq3wF_yGoFF5ocOauCYGgegwX9QDxvOtxs19kTaNV5JAXvgdRjE2e3GsnDOo1-QYC-eLbsjqSFUEcJdeWQ-ykfH0C9XGI/s4032/62796946632__04806DB8-FB0C-4723-89FA-6F462687B415.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7YnK0DV9hlZ8kNDKSdTh6TGWp4QGllYXMpffJSR0OCtGpEXms3-FLzXqpF_kLS9o17QqJvzM0acrSLfs296R3cPjC86M8yw3eUJLnyG0NE4ZnaE8JupB6-DYhVRj0vfFyT9k-ncoHvXWi7Y9yauGF1cJwXHnCC1y01CmU3N1inv53x5Vof0uv7LPESI0/w480-h640/IMG_0950.JPG" width="480" /></a></span></div></div><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl3Fs9nPnTI3X98NsMi92Lazo71H9YImKpROzrG3IG09yi5Z3DVrYJh8bE5oyfYuZl4p3bNmH6g1IRMEVuFbUrWc_czjcvjyWtv7m6Xdx_jl0ks8G-Cy02kDYYIHDSIOIhpMWfFCYjvaxZ6MdLzHiCVywHobbsnauJRmlydxyRPPOb5cY5izSsKMT-QsQ/s4032/IMG_6109.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl3Fs9nPnTI3X98NsMi92Lazo71H9YImKpROzrG3IG09yi5Z3DVrYJh8bE5oyfYuZl4p3bNmH6g1IRMEVuFbUrWc_czjcvjyWtv7m6Xdx_jl0ks8G-Cy02kDYYIHDSIOIhpMWfFCYjvaxZ6MdLzHiCVywHobbsnauJRmlydxyRPPOb5cY5izSsKMT-QsQ/w640-h480/IMG_6109.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We often use paper products with these little peeps (son #4's gang);<br />but they know it's a special meal when we eat on the good dishes!</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Laura Pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16108081477711821273noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932448625116124069.post-82301578365423761242024-02-29T14:12:00.009-05:002024-03-01T09:39:21.846-05:00Letting Go (and Dinner for Two)<p>It's been two months since I posted anything here. 2011 me doesn't even recognize 2024 me! When this blog was in its infancy, I used to get up pretty much every morning raring to sit down at my laptop and write. </p><p>In March of 2011, when I first decided to dip my toes into the unfamiliar waters of the blogosphere, my life was about to change drastically: my youngest son was getting ready to graduate from high school that June and head off to college after the summer; and my oldest son was three months away from becoming a first-time father to twin girls, making me a first-time Grammy. I was not technically an empty-nester yet, but I was getting close. And suddenly, I had more free time than I'd ever had before--so for several years, I blogged almost daily. But then as, one by one, new daughters were added to our family, and traveling to visit our ever-expanding brood took up so much of our energy, my blog output started to decrease quite a bit. I loved writing about my family and my life, but I became too busy living it to blog about it as often as I used to do.</p><p>In 2017, my husband and I moved away from our "forever home" in New Hampshire, where we had raised our boys, to Virginia, where three of them had settled with their growing families. So much has changed in the intervening years. Today, I have five married sons and 22 grandchildren. Two of our boys live too far away, one in Wisconsin and one in Tennessee; but we feel pretty blessed to have three of them living less than an hour's drive from us. Life is gloriously busy down here. We live in a smaller house, with a smaller yard, but I have grown to love our new VA home every bit as much as the NH one we tearfully left behind seven years ago.</p><p>As difficult as it was at the time, that move was good for me. I'd already started having to learn to accept change, to practice detachment, because by then all five of our boys were grown and gone and living their adult lives. Even our baby was an Army officer stationed in Germany when we made our big move south. For a person who gets very attached to the things--and the people--she loves, leaving that well-loved house, with all its happy memories, was one of the toughest things I've ever done. But ultimately, it made my life <i>better</i>! The blessings we have reaped by living close to so many of our kids and grandkids are countless. Our 2017 move was one of the best decisions we ever made. </p><p>Just yesterday, I was reading <a href="http://elizabeth-foss.squarespace.com/journal/what-to-give-up">a January 2024 blog post by Elizabeth Foss</a>, and as usual, her writing spoke to me. Loudly. She included a quote by Corrie ten Boom (a WWII concentration camp survivor, who'd risked her own life to hide Jews), and when I read it, I knew that God meant for me to see it. <b>"Hold loosely to the things of this life so that if God requires them of you, it will be easy to let them go."</b> And when ten Boom said, "things," she wasn't only talking about<i> material</i> things; she elaborated,<b> "Even your dear family. Why? Because the Father may wish to take one of them back to himself, and when he does, it will hurt you if he must pry your fingers loose."</b></p><p>Whoah. Did I ever need to read those words, to be reminded of the fleeting nature of this life on earth and the need to let go of things, and even of people when the time comes. It's so easy to say, "Of course! Yes! I'm a devout Catholic and I know that this life is short and filled with suffering, and it's the next one, the eternal one with God in Heaven, that matters." And yet, things here matter to the human heart. And people; oh, how they matter! It seems that mothers' hearts break on a daily basis. Just having a child grow up, leave home, and start his adult life somewhere far from you can do it--even though that's the goal: giving your children wings and then watching them fly away.</p><p>I loved it when all of our boys were little, living under our roof. I loved it when they were gathered around our table for every meal. I think I'm in need of a short trip down Memory Lane, so bear with me while I share some pictures of those good old days. (And also, if you're a young mom, remind yourself how lucky you are to have the awesome digital photography of the 21st century always at your fingertips, instead of the grainy, poorly lighted snapshots moms my age have of our kids--ones we had to wait a couple of weeks to see, not even knowing how they'd turned out!)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhmY7rPBic1P9s5nbA5SARsv2kcCpUo1ANDEd0bdzv0-gYdTAc5OgUW3PwDQBF1ed3b_HtjjmYsuug3VwRW-Y8bhv0gb4U4Y40hm1msnxGeFHaXGH30kqDd3SJUbi9JSvelAtkD6rQ1135GzERhQbkRDrczHZ4TI1nf_j7fPzpfFIC4KwibHsGUXrvqL0/s3450/0C3314EC-BCE8-445E-A263-BBB6C9869100_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2425" data-original-width="3450" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhmY7rPBic1P9s5nbA5SARsv2kcCpUo1ANDEd0bdzv0-gYdTAc5OgUW3PwDQBF1ed3b_HtjjmYsuug3VwRW-Y8bhv0gb4U4Y40hm1msnxGeFHaXGH30kqDd3SJUbi9JSvelAtkD6rQ1135GzERhQbkRDrczHZ4TI1nf_j7fPzpfFIC4KwibHsGUXrvqL0/w640-h450/0C3314EC-BCE8-445E-A263-BBB6C9869100_1_201_a.heic" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLHK0ed5bxAkSkGhbWYaPTtUbTa_ckgAUSsGZ_tyToICOrPbJBG8VEO9NI0r4E8Q49ofAF56DLZvFH_L3i_MMuDapJ4eA2200-soOlBa1rYK6KA_IGOUo1m30c5r1tsbbYhpQs9p0vjKW_UB4jjdVabbaJ0fv2Qz-LFd72GZiszSLiy2Y0OT8xUIFRE5Y/s3681/7F6B62DF-C24E-4D39-AD29-29CE06CC44AC_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2579" data-original-width="3681" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLHK0ed5bxAkSkGhbWYaPTtUbTa_ckgAUSsGZ_tyToICOrPbJBG8VEO9NI0r4E8Q49ofAF56DLZvFH_L3i_MMuDapJ4eA2200-soOlBa1rYK6KA_IGOUo1m30c5r1tsbbYhpQs9p0vjKW_UB4jjdVabbaJ0fv2Qz-LFd72GZiszSLiy2Y0OT8xUIFRE5Y/w640-h448/7F6B62DF-C24E-4D39-AD29-29CE06CC44AC_1_201_a.heic" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRJ8BrQsFYr3qa8XY3peuymLIjlLGc1SmtXOW5Z-92Yu9GeZUsbrhBntwLO98AZf1hcuNIQt1_ZX8aS8afwY-d3p3he7wXgmPpRqh0Ug-lRReLXLcqWvMptko0sXJxq9luJAHJ8CqeVQT4YfduYR_cdBRT9BinOQAq27m_wOHSQeb3sSfoqDsE3e7NVzU/s2672/9E0E276F-BA52-498D-AFF2-E75D4D387AEF_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1912" data-original-width="2672" height="458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRJ8BrQsFYr3qa8XY3peuymLIjlLGc1SmtXOW5Z-92Yu9GeZUsbrhBntwLO98AZf1hcuNIQt1_ZX8aS8afwY-d3p3he7wXgmPpRqh0Ug-lRReLXLcqWvMptko0sXJxq9luJAHJ8CqeVQT4YfduYR_cdBRT9BinOQAq27m_wOHSQeb3sSfoqDsE3e7NVzU/w640-h458/9E0E276F-BA52-498D-AFF2-E75D4D387AEF_1_201_a.heic" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCj2Np7-5Ulqge7Y_gFXbjzEDyI6JvAmzXoV-FH9bj8_pfEXFN0CEGBXJkX45ac4qWefY9Mki8aqJ9hJECUhMa2xpduYgRfNLbNv_ibo3IDVIEToVBoh9YhjH_XHGTida5O3b6V3XAO15OHMgkT7yWjIX6BWK3ovieLWkuWtoCkzAS6w-aNH4frtX-Cq8/s3626/0384A21E-63A0-4C08-911B-5C007E23603A_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2586" data-original-width="3626" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCj2Np7-5Ulqge7Y_gFXbjzEDyI6JvAmzXoV-FH9bj8_pfEXFN0CEGBXJkX45ac4qWefY9Mki8aqJ9hJECUhMa2xpduYgRfNLbNv_ibo3IDVIEToVBoh9YhjH_XHGTida5O3b6V3XAO15OHMgkT7yWjIX6BWK3ovieLWkuWtoCkzAS6w-aNH4frtX-Cq8/w640-h456/0384A21E-63A0-4C08-911B-5C007E23603A_1_201_a.heic" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUuOVfZuK21Nek_iLiqdXH2ZqmHN624pYpgPAUgoKLrBK4yAHtuvr0OTUXTc2awa5sNol185lngFHdqF4EAi9XL6SaxIeHJ6RSkbaLebXxyH148wP-zH6XSV6k1NGOw1XDLGNrv2sRAGJkFnr7rq52CTGt4bXsA54tOjlDWblVtuhJUXV_rGh8ERyvdyM/s2863/4703974A-BFEC-4FCD-9C5A-1161B636C658_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2080" data-original-width="2863" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUuOVfZuK21Nek_iLiqdXH2ZqmHN624pYpgPAUgoKLrBK4yAHtuvr0OTUXTc2awa5sNol185lngFHdqF4EAi9XL6SaxIeHJ6RSkbaLebXxyH148wP-zH6XSV6k1NGOw1XDLGNrv2sRAGJkFnr7rq52CTGt4bXsA54tOjlDWblVtuhJUXV_rGh8ERyvdyM/w640-h464/4703974A-BFEC-4FCD-9C5A-1161B636C658_1_201_a.heic" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzAfkx2RHzzYDvEvTjl8rEhjP8Ko8BAhJ9deQEFgfiXab0gjFKTB1cSgtZUMzXXbitQR1mMln9ikiDC6f8mXM0WNl5w14ApCpFG0GhKmv_mJmgqZvvllQAh-pg2XueGdYM2TJhp3XZG1_dO7geOUJUpUligkcGQOkxjwH3CdmsylDsOkMo65hDSpLzWZY/s2653/A8C1A120-E612-466A-BC81-A637CD2818CA_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1927" data-original-width="2653" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzAfkx2RHzzYDvEvTjl8rEhjP8Ko8BAhJ9deQEFgfiXab0gjFKTB1cSgtZUMzXXbitQR1mMln9ikiDC6f8mXM0WNl5w14ApCpFG0GhKmv_mJmgqZvvllQAh-pg2XueGdYM2TJhp3XZG1_dO7geOUJUpUligkcGQOkxjwH3CdmsylDsOkMo65hDSpLzWZY/w640-h464/A8C1A120-E612-466A-BC81-A637CD2818CA_1_201_a.heic" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhagSbHQBQeBPk3XCUS2nMqh7VV_yUXleNpEJC57yVHD1QoCsOi4T-5V3z7G85C6KLUHLBJtiF24_6e-OWdLZgMB5CjzvvUGwvfIeDZB6XWS9x-Xf9oN0xs7vvKoOXUVGNEHuFe2dLeFb1YrKP0cBicwWD_qNyR5wiEmhF8v5g2pKt3dEFjKDlICpdXKdE/s3034/B7B22270-CFE2-47E1-8319-962FE583B720_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2215" data-original-width="3034" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhagSbHQBQeBPk3XCUS2nMqh7VV_yUXleNpEJC57yVHD1QoCsOi4T-5V3z7G85C6KLUHLBJtiF24_6e-OWdLZgMB5CjzvvUGwvfIeDZB6XWS9x-Xf9oN0xs7vvKoOXUVGNEHuFe2dLeFb1YrKP0cBicwWD_qNyR5wiEmhF8v5g2pKt3dEFjKDlICpdXKdE/w640-h468/B7B22270-CFE2-47E1-8319-962FE583B720_1_201_a.heic" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBM_gxl1M0yANpKCmrTy3WtQsVPICtXJUNYBGESk38XxV5Fvi3ZproD6fZLG8mABYIh7LagTQJZZHcXqmoBVK-TbJhSkhCvymGWuRO3lGeaf7ZvZFBnHNLQt0EjBC3h4EGdcaW7JYesTIfuqv4p5ILPMtgiMnjabPGVKmurS4k8PR92piHuQqgHkJC52E/s2576/CCE06F61-E622-4A33-9AA1-B1BEB75BCD77_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1891" data-original-width="2576" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBM_gxl1M0yANpKCmrTy3WtQsVPICtXJUNYBGESk38XxV5Fvi3ZproD6fZLG8mABYIh7LagTQJZZHcXqmoBVK-TbJhSkhCvymGWuRO3lGeaf7ZvZFBnHNLQt0EjBC3h4EGdcaW7JYesTIfuqv4p5ILPMtgiMnjabPGVKmurS4k8PR92piHuQqgHkJC52E/w640-h470/CCE06F61-E622-4A33-9AA1-B1BEB75BCD77_1_201_a.heic" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEgf9mCmmYoy6Dqc9CghoY5ucLNEiOCEGEbRQBai_b0fDmD0IXbrXTzmgLNFH79gvdLGZ6V36_9J7hyphenhyphenO3GqcGuTXGFOO_N_7TR9psoaDbqxynTvWWVjwbdL9EYy0KqmA3wmctUcRXVBHNRLtmNTM2O6PGTV7NZf1I6t05i9CZgoh2utcEbZwB6WHmQoN8/s3349/D4831031-1CB3-4BA5-A462-63EDCE561FF0_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2543" data-original-width="3349" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEgf9mCmmYoy6Dqc9CghoY5ucLNEiOCEGEbRQBai_b0fDmD0IXbrXTzmgLNFH79gvdLGZ6V36_9J7hyphenhyphenO3GqcGuTXGFOO_N_7TR9psoaDbqxynTvWWVjwbdL9EYy0KqmA3wmctUcRXVBHNRLtmNTM2O6PGTV7NZf1I6t05i9CZgoh2utcEbZwB6WHmQoN8/w640-h486/D4831031-1CB3-4BA5-A462-63EDCE561FF0_1_201_a.heic" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitP0_JtYdMUCX9GpIdiUs-kEGrWwW1le9Jw31KysnEVLB7u-lm4aPt5yYiy6qqNL7s2tqwK4avF8xnUMHhN5Dxl0QL8Uyv1C63DoH-0J_LCEaG0ZUYb4lL3Y7UvmOhYTSUCfcBly9ghk4viIkRwcnjPEkBDNT5wn1SiHWqPo1jZyGkEM4ElNB6or_h5e0/s3346/F6F09836-5E49-4413-B0B9-2312CCF3E9B7_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2353" data-original-width="3346" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitP0_JtYdMUCX9GpIdiUs-kEGrWwW1le9Jw31KysnEVLB7u-lm4aPt5yYiy6qqNL7s2tqwK4avF8xnUMHhN5Dxl0QL8Uyv1C63DoH-0J_LCEaG0ZUYb4lL3Y7UvmOhYTSUCfcBly9ghk4viIkRwcnjPEkBDNT5wn1SiHWqPo1jZyGkEM4ElNB6or_h5e0/w640-h450/F6F09836-5E49-4413-B0B9-2312CCF3E9B7_1_201_a.heic" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxjsealzHcyLimqVKt0rgnRGEqL0ATf_hxkYKAoXadHH4E3fc52xtLcSc71tywRZY0rzecDJslSx4J9ZK4X2FCTZJaG682fs3EyvryLX6ICYRtcHhM81WWbz-6wqjfuRy71qz4_XmiQmgz2S9Hvpnm0q-PQVRqIYKnAleCPy2LbH0jU21IEDnrwqssUzM/s3191/FECC0785-1A15-4820-B86C-08345C1E6241_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2332" data-original-width="3191" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxjsealzHcyLimqVKt0rgnRGEqL0ATf_hxkYKAoXadHH4E3fc52xtLcSc71tywRZY0rzecDJslSx4J9ZK4X2FCTZJaG682fs3EyvryLX6ICYRtcHhM81WWbz-6wqjfuRy71qz4_XmiQmgz2S9Hvpnm0q-PQVRqIYKnAleCPy2LbH0jU21IEDnrwqssUzM/w640-h468/FECC0785-1A15-4820-B86C-08345C1E6241_1_201_a.heic" width="640" /></a></div><p>Those boys: they are my life! Hang on a minute...I need a tissue.</p><p>Okay, I'm back. </p><p>Listen, the last thing I want to do is sound all maudlin and "woe is me." I'm just feeling nostalgic is all. And the years seem to be going by too quickly for me these days, the changes coming at me rapid-fire. At 65, I know that the road of life behind me is much longer than the one ahead, and it makes me think about all the things I love in this world. </p><p>But I would be lying if I said that feeding a passel of little boys was always a complete joy. We had two in particular who were mighty picky eaters. When they used to ask, "What's for dinner?", I would put them off with, "I don't know..." or "I don't want to talk about it right now..." If we ever got through a healthy home-cooked dinner with clean plates and no complaining, I used to feel like I was on a high. They all loved my baking, so dessert was usually successful; but the main dish was hit-or-miss with some of them. I wasn't the greatest cook, to be honest (it's hard to get excited to cook when you're not sure people will eat what you make). I could whip up basic "comfort foods," like beef stew, lasagna, shepherd's pie. But I wasn't very adventurous with my cooking.</p><p>That's one nice part about being an old lady like me: you miss your kids being gathered around your table (picky eaters notwithstanding); but if you made the right choice in a husband, and he's your favorite person to hang out with, dinner for two can really be a joy. And it's fun to try new delicious dishes together.</p><p>This past week, my husband and I had two meals in a row that I thought were so yummy, simple but elegant--and I would never have made them to serve our boys when they were little. We ate these meals on trays in the family room while we watched Matt Walsh's show together, pushing pause every now and then to chat. I thought my plate looked so appetizing both nights that I snapped pictures. And now I'm going to share them--lucky you!</p><p>On Monday, we had baked potatoes and roasted prosciutto-wrapped asparagus (with parmesan cheese and bits of French fried onions on top). It was so good!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgskmzYdEkuzKZvdump99HI2dcWn0BXyhYjQ4xiY5ldCllC5xc7OdEbBeF9xdgcois5QjVP-O1Hpc07VsLLsU_K96qekZ_4dpYz2giDJjvdHIwOMLTBCPhmCJMRHPDj8Wg-UIkqqXu66V6YKtz5hgYdBwI5C1O7NC8SWmwkgEOpidN-6rtGtWR2CdMSWF4/s4032/C8E288E9-3772-41E7-9B2B-70CC523561B5.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgskmzYdEkuzKZvdump99HI2dcWn0BXyhYjQ4xiY5ldCllC5xc7OdEbBeF9xdgcois5QjVP-O1Hpc07VsLLsU_K96qekZ_4dpYz2giDJjvdHIwOMLTBCPhmCJMRHPDj8Wg-UIkqqXu66V6YKtz5hgYdBwI5C1O7NC8SWmwkgEOpidN-6rtGtWR2CdMSWF4/w300-h400/C8E288E9-3772-41E7-9B2B-70CC523561B5.heic" width="300" /></a></div><p>On Tuesday, we had filet mignon, cooked by my husband on the grill and topped with sautéed mushrooms, and green salads (his was a bit more elaborate than mine). I also had some plain yogurt with fruit and granola, in lieu of dessert. Because it's Lent. (I know some of you probably think I cheated because that sounds like a dessert; but in my book, if it doesn't include chocolate or caramel or icing, and it isn't a cookie or a brownie or a cake, it is most definitely not a dessert.)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl_i4lfvIHRWCtU_agifENsh3KF0f_ORlJb_1cEFA4eBZdckXT2y0akA5fDwnAqG0l_SRKKmNHGQkgFswH3n46Dn1MfZaM4BhLxQpjf3qxDGLhXNWw3UwnPo5d5DXzqRXaiGE0_6l82mZxsWPH5DwrmojpC-R2xyZJeS0xjUuGphwTv3tinRdcZqKb3QE/s4032/BDBB3A3D-811E-422B-88BE-7AE0859456E8.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl_i4lfvIHRWCtU_agifENsh3KF0f_ORlJb_1cEFA4eBZdckXT2y0akA5fDwnAqG0l_SRKKmNHGQkgFswH3n46Dn1MfZaM4BhLxQpjf3qxDGLhXNWw3UwnPo5d5DXzqRXaiGE0_6l82mZxsWPH5DwrmojpC-R2xyZJeS0xjUuGphwTv3tinRdcZqKb3QE/w300-h400/BDBB3A3D-811E-422B-88BE-7AE0859456E8.heic" width="300" /></a></div><p>There is so much to let go of as you get older. But there is also much to look forward to. Every night that my husband and I are at home eating our dinner together, it feels like a date. That's not too bad a way to live, is it? Sure, sometimes we miss those bygone years when we always had our boys with us, when we saw them every single day; but they are all thriving at the moment, praise God. And we are so, SO happy to have each other.</p><p>Full disclosure: I took those Corrie ten Boom quotes to heart, and I want to live my life holding onto things loosely; but when it comes to my husband, my grip is probably a bit too tight. I'll be working on that, but I can't promise I'll get good at it! In the meantime, I hope there are lots of dinner dates in our future.</p>Laura Pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16108081477711821273noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932448625116124069.post-4817009755786517812023-12-25T20:03:00.007-05:002024-03-02T18:48:28.247-05:0043 Years<p>On this date in 1980, I made the best decision of my life and married the man who’d become my forever boyfriend when we were both only 15. We were 22 on our wedding day, which seems incredibly young to me now that all of our children are 30 and older.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlt1qGJvjH6Eq2GpBGcwj89Y5Ytk2enod9HgvCjaGpnHjQV8hyphenhyphenqcxSZsEUCFTH0nUreD6Yi2yzlMiqKV8qQxX6zbHvTVhRX5Y2JalzNFM36U79W0AsJTW39L3wlwk9osd7IPW3ND6QL283GxB6UKQ5sSW7S-jtiVmxwW_9pvUCPt8HpqW7PnZJGpdxsq8/s402/IMG_8401.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="402" data-original-width="320" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlt1qGJvjH6Eq2GpBGcwj89Y5Ytk2enod9HgvCjaGpnHjQV8hyphenhyphenqcxSZsEUCFTH0nUreD6Yi2yzlMiqKV8qQxX6zbHvTVhRX5Y2JalzNFM36U79W0AsJTW39L3wlwk9osd7IPW3ND6QL283GxB6UKQ5sSW7S-jtiVmxwW_9pvUCPt8HpqW7PnZJGpdxsq8/w319-h400/IMG_8401.jpeg" width="319" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>In the months preceding our big day, someone told me that having a Christmas wedding was unfair to our families and guests, that it would add stress to and take away joy from their holiday season. </div><div><br /></div><div>I hope that wasn’t true (and why would anyone say that to a bride-to-be?! 😳). But as far as I’m concerned, I can’t think of a more beautiful time of year to get married.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5EseIvC8gEaGXLt0murYTGKyNiNaBj0pDHF8TWP3LnQXzQM26qT2Naahoi2tgEQP_ZKwTr0BCnpqyS4ucTm_8-ayi7OOQjSvK1-CSmzesZuCkJ6djJ8BAFYkSHry0emV4BfR4h17BJGDlyqQG5mwzWQmeDMqMmWjvq-FFzjUU2Fk46AAdZ1OrNqkU9YQ/s2000/IMG_1196.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5EseIvC8gEaGXLt0murYTGKyNiNaBj0pDHF8TWP3LnQXzQM26qT2Naahoi2tgEQP_ZKwTr0BCnpqyS4ucTm_8-ayi7OOQjSvK1-CSmzesZuCkJ6djJ8BAFYkSHry0emV4BfR4h17BJGDlyqQG5mwzWQmeDMqMmWjvq-FFzjUU2Fk46AAdZ1OrNqkU9YQ/w480-h640/IMG_1196.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><p>Happy Anniversary, [insert private term of endearment here]. I love you more today than I did in 1980…and that’s saying a lot!</p>Laura Pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16108081477711821273noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932448625116124069.post-27841389671513742182023-12-25T07:58:00.003-05:002023-12-25T08:58:15.883-05:00Merry Christmas 2023<p>I woke up early this morning and was sitting in the living room, which was still dark except for the tree lights, drinking my coffee and thinking about how very blessed I am and how I wouldn't trade my life for anyone's in all the world. I have five sons whom I adore, they have five wives who feel like daughters (and who love my boys, which is the only important trait a mom looks for in a daughter-in-law, right?), and I am a Grammy to 22 of the most extraordinary little people on God's green earth.</p><p>Joy to the world, indeed.</p><p>My house is quiet. Much has changed since I was raising those five boys who are now husbands and fathers, living in their own homes, with their own lives, and raising children of their own. They are establishing holiday traditions for their own growing families, so our family celebrations don't look anything like they used to. As someone who by nature has always resisted change, this has been difficult to accept at times. But ever since our move from NH, where we raised our five sons, down to VA, where we live close to three of them (and 14 of our 22 grandchildren), we know that we will spend at least part of every Christmas with a good portion of our family gathered together. What a gift that is!</p><p>On the 23rd, we were able to get all of our VA gang over to our house for an early Christmas celebration. (By some miracle, no one was sick--I think we all still have PTSD from last year's epic stomach bug fiasco!) The grandkids had a wonderful time running around the house, and it looked a bit like a bomb had gone off in here after they all left. But it was just the best, and I hope my husband and I can stay healthy enough to give them this one crazy party every Christmas season moving forward. I'm never happier than when my home is full of my people. And my husband and I truly <i>live </i>to hear the sound of our sons' laughter in the house. That is the best gift of all. We don't want their presents; we want their <i>presence</i>. (I just made that up! But I'm probably about the millionth person to say it, so I suppose I can't take credit!)</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibv7CNJZ5KRf0Dn-CL34-o0U1LqmxhVrJaO-Fb2ZSKNaYRxNWYm-QYTkNwt7Kg_o88v1-PX_P6BIha_l0TFqEusHCva7OqS9u8Y6T56_tHXBy2n1ePDVOALkjKa7lo4rskxhv4ZdVuRjDDkxMo6XoZhL_PbpJfjRaTsPa03NFyuKoFBH0NpnSm0XT5su0/s4032/A016A17A-55EF-4206-8C52-863565FB7DF7.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibv7CNJZ5KRf0Dn-CL34-o0U1LqmxhVrJaO-Fb2ZSKNaYRxNWYm-QYTkNwt7Kg_o88v1-PX_P6BIha_l0TFqEusHCva7OqS9u8Y6T56_tHXBy2n1ePDVOALkjKa7lo4rskxhv4ZdVuRjDDkxMo6XoZhL_PbpJfjRaTsPa03NFyuKoFBH0NpnSm0XT5su0/w480-h640/A016A17A-55EF-4206-8C52-863565FB7DF7.heic" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw2TySxCey5tYnuFGIGB7DhERmmg230-5pEhSKD30-_WqsclKyWNbO7KCTQ-QShKnXdI_wU6gkE4azPRwM9Q9XTahTEn9fgDZMR37-FODveSsm4BBTy824i6m2piHShvXmopol7pN6hEm6zq7rU07vmJ4nBPv1dZAkqe3v4dWt5EfrRcm_CZyHTXUBi9I/s4032/BA25B6E6-FB43-4870-88E6-502229E591D3_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw2TySxCey5tYnuFGIGB7DhERmmg230-5pEhSKD30-_WqsclKyWNbO7KCTQ-QShKnXdI_wU6gkE4azPRwM9Q9XTahTEn9fgDZMR37-FODveSsm4BBTy824i6m2piHShvXmopol7pN6hEm6zq7rU07vmJ4nBPv1dZAkqe3v4dWt5EfrRcm_CZyHTXUBi9I/w480-h640/BA25B6E6-FB43-4870-88E6-502229E591D3_1_201_a.heic" width="480" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYLPMqsHHrVMFuxvAXQ7g2GIIlM1-ByF_walgdVb6EmJPO617KHTwXAt1d-0ToiyUNfy_xm8QWKUpWDrGU7ma8pa9JLqkZ78VHIIdC9AJM9J3Hlcl_ZFXcBF9tuoIsb_CpHOB9JLTSzOBalhY9S9Qy9UzPlUDCljhyah5-2IgqISjY_XbbtEOc-SdRjuE/s4032/BA84FF19-6835-4FBA-A426-C70949D7E8C3_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYLPMqsHHrVMFuxvAXQ7g2GIIlM1-ByF_walgdVb6EmJPO617KHTwXAt1d-0ToiyUNfy_xm8QWKUpWDrGU7ma8pa9JLqkZ78VHIIdC9AJM9J3Hlcl_ZFXcBF9tuoIsb_CpHOB9JLTSzOBalhY9S9Qy9UzPlUDCljhyah5-2IgqISjY_XbbtEOc-SdRjuE/w480-h640/BA84FF19-6835-4FBA-A426-C70949D7E8C3_1_201_a.heic" width="480" /></a></div></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKqHn_y2S4XF0IF1lC_2rbJfBHbLt3_UoSxBB4uH_MomblaUKEQgQoIclenkVDF1nNDBPU8tNMgVtiVw2yoWqhOgKGiFKZYjFIJlxnOD1CeFjFeUTVtnnaKsH5TulF4YJqWmFj9xMqZ_8Oy51nHzBNoUu6aSk7TVqIyMoksbVgIl2gpZm5SN86cAZfEd4/s4032/3EE8562F-978F-4835-A893-E89E5546A7C9.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKqHn_y2S4XF0IF1lC_2rbJfBHbLt3_UoSxBB4uH_MomblaUKEQgQoIclenkVDF1nNDBPU8tNMgVtiVw2yoWqhOgKGiFKZYjFIJlxnOD1CeFjFeUTVtnnaKsH5TulF4YJqWmFj9xMqZ_8Oy51nHzBNoUu6aSk7TVqIyMoksbVgIl2gpZm5SN86cAZfEd4/w640-h480/3EE8562F-978F-4835-A893-E89E5546A7C9.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>There are no little people opening their stockings in this house on the 25th. It's quiet here. But it's peaceful and I've got the best husband in the world and I am feeling <i>very happy</i>. </p><p>I hope you are having the merriest of Christmases, dear readers! </p>Laura Pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16108081477711821273noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932448625116124069.post-25707011139543610692023-12-20T14:06:00.005-05:002023-12-20T14:27:58.580-05:00It's a Wonderful Life (Truly It Is!)<div class="separator">What a beautiful time of year this is! I love it so much.</div><p>Last week, we went to some of our grandkids' Christmas concerts; one night, it was our 3rd grade grandson G-Man's show at his Catholic school; the next night, we got to watch five of our grandchildren performing together: two of G-Man's younger sisters, who are in 2nd grade and kindergarten, and our triplet grandchildren (also in kindergarten, two siblings in one class together and the other with his cousin); and finally, the next day, we watched two of our granddaughters, younger siblings of the aforementioned kids (4-year-old cousins who are BFF's and classmates), perform in their pre-K concert at their Christian preschool. It was a busy week! It is so special that these cousins are schoolmates/classmates. It is a joy to their Papa and me to see them experiencing all of this together.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC5hil7RkTeYcyOfSUE7Rgs7clflApvILO6nj2sj8ILfcING7mckHI4vdr5pP0X5YI1bwaWUS0wAg1QAVPQs-DLBNV4g_0JorAt4a1J9pT25Z9bjWsRvbY_YFgbIRRdbvDCKtz_gVp13TkTa0_8vtcgfizqsWCfvEO75C39phngWIU9i2Y56T6nK4y1h4/s4032/IMG_8002.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC5hil7RkTeYcyOfSUE7Rgs7clflApvILO6nj2sj8ILfcING7mckHI4vdr5pP0X5YI1bwaWUS0wAg1QAVPQs-DLBNV4g_0JorAt4a1J9pT25Z9bjWsRvbY_YFgbIRRdbvDCKtz_gVp13TkTa0_8vtcgfizqsWCfvEO75C39phngWIU9i2Y56T6nK4y1h4/w640-h480/IMG_8002.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7m7MgGUd5UwcNskX0R9Twn0XCMWOxIs6hlkZMGyp5gLus9zT3-y2C9c3Y8I0n8hnOBxfs5IDMI6xLlcX6NlxK97fB5Pq6hEDLOOhSiiadZqtBjkToIcSiksXEJC8CML4SBjV76UrwLrshOlo24HgSX1hET7FkzOWHA-3uth8JgRplpAq8knQ96RZPiV0/s4032/08C45F07-621B-4534-BAF9-0108110CAAF6.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7m7MgGUd5UwcNskX0R9Twn0XCMWOxIs6hlkZMGyp5gLus9zT3-y2C9c3Y8I0n8hnOBxfs5IDMI6xLlcX6NlxK97fB5Pq6hEDLOOhSiiadZqtBjkToIcSiksXEJC8CML4SBjV76UrwLrshOlo24HgSX1hET7FkzOWHA-3uth8JgRplpAq8knQ96RZPiV0/w480-h640/08C45F07-621B-4534-BAF9-0108110CAAF6.heic" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div>My husband and I also squeezed in a movie date over the weekend and went to see <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt19406606/">The Shift,</a> a new film out by Angel Studios (they also did <i>The Sound of Freedom</i>). It is just SO GOOD, we highly recommend it! The theater that was showing the movie was in danger of closing not too long ago (thanks to all that Covid business, ugh!); but they didn't. I'm so grateful, because every now and then, it's a huge treat to go out and watch a movie on the big screen. And they have a giant, glorious Christmas tree outside this multiplex, so we snapped a date night selfie in front of it.</div><div> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbVmaXYmef7RjBEG10RejAacLeIyjNUBmkmRjKfLyGZIzQPOnPwPgWi91puY1PXE9ZGkNS1iEULiGq2QIj8alMnFtwxMeEyw7kfvlTl36ZMGp6M6hKL10VRqcCL4xDG4SDwP51Gu01EFt3CYWfuBizJM5hHN9JjAyfsPw6ZEEOeCkexPGvpb6AfBd79rs/s3088/53371E63-AD1A-45F9-94FB-88B2956A1B94.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbVmaXYmef7RjBEG10RejAacLeIyjNUBmkmRjKfLyGZIzQPOnPwPgWi91puY1PXE9ZGkNS1iEULiGq2QIj8alMnFtwxMeEyw7kfvlTl36ZMGp6M6hKL10VRqcCL4xDG4SDwP51Gu01EFt3CYWfuBizJM5hHN9JjAyfsPw6ZEEOeCkexPGvpb6AfBd79rs/w480-h640/53371E63-AD1A-45F9-94FB-88B2956A1B94.heic" width="480" /></a></div> <div>On Sunday, son #4 and his kids (the triplets plus one, who calls herself an "honorary triplet") came over for brunch after Mass. And the 6-year-old girl triplet couldn't stop looking at the "quilted" ornaments on our tree. For some reason, she was fascinated by them, especially when her Papa told her that I had made them. I learned this simple and rewarding craft more than 40 years ago, when I was a young Navy wife who wasn't even a mom yet. I used mostly traditional red and green Christmas fabric scraps from other projects for the first ones I made. Since then, I have used materials that have special meaning to "quilt" the balls.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRBgIO50CWAPgkB_WToZT8COmiehlBD3xHUW4D6HaM1lLPmkW2rPv2IxSArVh25uPqP32gkukRsoHrYJ-EZ3SuFi_EeKr-ADSCB5xku62kw046IYJNtUCCkxU-HV3cFijQjvgH3Q1K5ZD0os_4z-zGhhZBhIsNcvRj1M8yF9j_G4bYd3jB7ZsswKBWwQw/s4032/BE879950-AC81-4054-A897-7D3DBC0AB526.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRBgIO50CWAPgkB_WToZT8COmiehlBD3xHUW4D6HaM1lLPmkW2rPv2IxSArVh25uPqP32gkukRsoHrYJ-EZ3SuFi_EeKr-ADSCB5xku62kw046IYJNtUCCkxU-HV3cFijQjvgH3Q1K5ZD0os_4z-zGhhZBhIsNcvRj1M8yF9j_G4bYd3jB7ZsswKBWwQw/w480-h640/BE879950-AC81-4054-A897-7D3DBC0AB526.heic" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I made NY State Lottery ornaments for my mom, my siblings, and myself<br />after my dad died, using scraps from his old T-shirts.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU-Cdb1drV0QHtHuHogytbu5d6Ja9zAk_bpjuonF24wOaIqovYZ4Wi6H6rgJhBvSbpbHbkfXBO5i8aj_rN0eVKwp16U3Skn6LJeP3Vc9HKmT-2Gw2A3RfVVqOYPsISwuwMNC_SukJWB-jaAFcYaLp8yNE7mizRidJGoG0ywv5gakiXR_6l3HqBtmStuQA/s3189/3A5D528E-1BE9-47C5-858E-7D910CCAAA46_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3189" data-original-width="2596" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU-Cdb1drV0QHtHuHogytbu5d6Ja9zAk_bpjuonF24wOaIqovYZ4Wi6H6rgJhBvSbpbHbkfXBO5i8aj_rN0eVKwp16U3Skn6LJeP3Vc9HKmT-2Gw2A3RfVVqOYPsISwuwMNC_SukJWB-jaAFcYaLp8yNE7mizRidJGoG0ywv5gakiXR_6l3HqBtmStuQA/w520-h640/3A5D528E-1BE9-47C5-858E-7D910CCAAA46_1_201_a.heic" width="520" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I used some old baby garments that my boys wore to make the blue and yellow<br />one. (The smaller one on the bottom right is one of the originals from 1981.)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9lUdRWXyVojYpTqZR84yi0kLMhA0LqlA8jx3w8RrUeHbQeI6iixAXj5lHbi97Jr9nlkqvJ3TIfCWvko3eozgCyjTabGETqmywQ0osIzw-Eg4tR-z19CgjpCdReIjwNsr9fCHCibIn4Q1glzWDIC5gwBLeMjUT80ubQ-yz_cmx0Dj9tSGQJxYTYOt0Lh0/s4032/A3FBD786-2811-4D0B-A7E5-60C2E78B8EFE.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9lUdRWXyVojYpTqZR84yi0kLMhA0LqlA8jx3w8RrUeHbQeI6iixAXj5lHbi97Jr9nlkqvJ3TIfCWvko3eozgCyjTabGETqmywQ0osIzw-Eg4tR-z19CgjpCdReIjwNsr9fCHCibIn4Q1glzWDIC5gwBLeMjUT80ubQ-yz_cmx0Dj9tSGQJxYTYOt0Lh0/w480-h640/A3FBD786-2811-4D0B-A7E5-60C2E78B8EFE.heic" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The maroon, grey, and white one was made out of bits and pieces of <br />my boys' old Catholic grade school uniforms.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs1x5n41N7yquhR8znMmp7f_DmFV6yCjMnFyumP6gPVKNFihSOcAbrSR2q5SK61-hY1Tel2tjunu261pDwT2eeZo9eM-RARHkkN5hWWGO1hSEJwRqTHQoCqANwPN-F6uGHTb-BPFQmhjWSvY2YGTgrCAXJ6-3S-itFCxqclZdGOa4_PQrHRNk0l8sf6Mw/s4032/A0BB0D51-0FA8-4622-8C53-9A410790D63F.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs1x5n41N7yquhR8znMmp7f_DmFV6yCjMnFyumP6gPVKNFihSOcAbrSR2q5SK61-hY1Tel2tjunu261pDwT2eeZo9eM-RARHkkN5hWWGO1hSEJwRqTHQoCqANwPN-F6uGHTb-BPFQmhjWSvY2YGTgrCAXJ6-3S-itFCxqclZdGOa4_PQrHRNk0l8sf6Mw/w480-h640/A0BB0D51-0FA8-4622-8C53-9A410790D63F.heic" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yesterday, I made this one for the granddaughter who was so intrigued <br />by them, and I plan to give it to her tomorrow for her family's tree.</td></tr></tbody></table><div></div><div><br /></div><div>(I shared the <a href="https://mumsie2five.blogspot.com/2015/12/a-how-to-post-as-promised-quilted-ball.html">step-by-step process of making these ornaments</a> here at the blog a while back, if you're interested.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Not much else is new. We're just trying to get all of our must-watch Christmas movies in before the 25th, if possible. Last night we watched my favorite, <i>It's a Wonderful Life</i>. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpBLTjS57bNgMirPM_m7QXctsL2uQdlmD8iq4ZpnLQ-iho7YwfiDeq4TXUXW4YEAE_azLChPQ0H-2_pIHd4hqcuTz3PuwhVYykxllX-_wZ5o0rH5IUBlmKHCHv-v8g_1d9_6UeFCsNYqbWRi1o8O182kQXadIby0dFGxJhWN9Xnl0BQNcveb0NM_xx01g/s4032/73BB6FD6-013B-44F0-8087-C1310DEE8FD3.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpBLTjS57bNgMirPM_m7QXctsL2uQdlmD8iq4ZpnLQ-iho7YwfiDeq4TXUXW4YEAE_azLChPQ0H-2_pIHd4hqcuTz3PuwhVYykxllX-_wZ5o0rH5IUBlmKHCHv-v8g_1d9_6UeFCsNYqbWRi1o8O182kQXadIby0dFGxJhWN9Xnl0BQNcveb0NM_xx01g/w480-h640/73BB6FD6-013B-44F0-8087-C1310DEE8FD3.heic" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div>This morning before daily Mass, I sat in my living room, reading a new book by a lovely Catholic author with whom I became online friends back when I was writing <i>Finding Grace </i>and <i>Erin's Ring</i>. (Her latest novel, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Charter-Class-Anne-Faye/dp/B0CQ4J8H5W">The Charter Class</a>,</i> just came out. It's a work of historical fiction about the very first class of students at the College of Our Lady of the Elms, an all-girls school in Massachusetts that opened in 1928.) I was enjoying the book's uplifting story; the tree lights were sparkling; and for the first time ever, I was drinking my coffee out of one of the Santa mugs my husband gave me for Christmas last year. It all felt a little too good to be true.</div><div><br /></div><div>And I thought to myself, <b>"Yes, it truly is a wonderful life."</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM4aqpTWziMofmF7-gvvGNNGN-d6Mgp9JACfDbz8FuTRoDhXGbpv-IyiPIRcvmGk38fftmDGcNESTbUB1NVc1DjSXidF7XbAmPZD-R5ccTi2gFc9kEHol9RdB9vMB_nYpho58Nk6Rt04YT6tBUjqKwN_Tf4cngbVMf9_uDrzkiaIiG0hQlvXXpR_3Vtak/s4032/9BB60522-8D48-498C-BE53-CC28CD8F9986.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM4aqpTWziMofmF7-gvvGNNGN-d6Mgp9JACfDbz8FuTRoDhXGbpv-IyiPIRcvmGk38fftmDGcNESTbUB1NVc1DjSXidF7XbAmPZD-R5ccTi2gFc9kEHol9RdB9vMB_nYpho58Nk6Rt04YT6tBUjqKwN_Tf4cngbVMf9_uDrzkiaIiG0hQlvXXpR_3Vtak/w480-h640/9BB60522-8D48-498C-BE53-CC28CD8F9986.heic" width="480" /></a></div><br /></div><div>God bless you, dear readers, at Christmas and always!<br /><div><br /></div></div>Laura Pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16108081477711821273noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932448625116124069.post-40363071798915953472023-12-11T06:40:00.004-05:002023-12-11T13:02:23.590-05:00A Lovely Second Sunday of Advent<p>Yesterday, we were supposed to go to a Christmas gingerbread house-making party at our second-oldest son's new home. All the VA gang--sons #2, #3, and #4, and the 14 children they have between them--were going to be there. Our boy spent hours the night before, dutifully carving up graham crackers to glue together, so that the houses would be ready for the kids to decorate with icing and candy the next day. (He made 20 houses!)</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEglbWtD4xNNvftelnsu7Qml_kT4vFdjhq050hvM2DwqmH4fiQhyklSB6FX7mIQ4R9mab2N28gJkdsKDSnz9ipwibajgF9EkXB_eH_j9Ue7HN1nckKnskQbkAzfHNplU1yAMhmB6VSdL3-ZlofkB_uflzGT3vNlS8izXPp0MKxbK1ALDCNeZ6kF4W8SyYoY" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEglbWtD4xNNvftelnsu7Qml_kT4vFdjhq050hvM2DwqmH4fiQhyklSB6FX7mIQ4R9mab2N28gJkdsKDSnz9ipwibajgF9EkXB_eH_j9Ue7HN1nckKnskQbkAzfHNplU1yAMhmB6VSdL3-ZlofkB_uflzGT3vNlS8izXPp0MKxbK1ALDCNeZ6kF4W8SyYoY=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br />Our daughter-in-law, who is such a great cook and truly the hostess with the mostest, was going to make a nice meal for us, and I had put together a double batch of caramel brownies and two pans of hash brown casserole to contribute to the spread. <p></p><p>But as usual, if you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans!</p><p>Yesterday morning as my husband and I were leaving morning Mass, we got a text from son #2's wife saying that one of their boys was throwing up and another had a fever, and they were going to have to cancel the party.</p><p>Before we even got home, we got another text from son #4, who wondered if they could swing by our place after Mass. Their four young kids had been so excited about having a party with their cousins and were all bummed out, and he thought coming to see us might take the sting out of their disappointment. (Note to parents of littles: never tell them something good is going to happen until it's happening! LOL)</p><p>Papa and Grammy were up for visitors, of course. Plus, I had some hash brown casserole on hand already, and a bottle of watermelon mimosa from Aldi's (the greatest place to shop; if you haven't checked it out yet, you should!). So I just fried up some bacon and sausage, scrambled some eggs, and took some cake balls that I'd been saving for Christmas out of the freezer. <i> Et voila!</i> Brunch is served.</p><p>They stayed for three or four hours. The kids played like angels in our basement playroom while we chatted down there (it was one of those "don't say anything, don't look at them, we don't want to break the spell" situations!).</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi21XSJzV3EsVu_fbjdjYGTOGR5VCdqekYzdgJaicg_H82wHMwlknWLvBH73jnq-byYL-tOUnlj0Qdq8htc-6blVP09SgHUV9bEMWNxG6GpR1NQTFwb3RhY92yrQ8c3cyk78D9RhTg5VnXfy5NzeY5-n0WFfsBNObFUcqVt_t-69ZEIPf-bIVkVL0Mk2L8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi21XSJzV3EsVu_fbjdjYGTOGR5VCdqekYzdgJaicg_H82wHMwlknWLvBH73jnq-byYL-tOUnlj0Qdq8htc-6blVP09SgHUV9bEMWNxG6GpR1NQTFwb3RhY92yrQ8c3cyk78D9RhTg5VnXfy5NzeY5-n0WFfsBNObFUcqVt_t-69ZEIPf-bIVkVL0Mk2L8=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br />Then on a whim, we decided to watch one of our boys' childhood Christmas favorites, <i>Jingle All the Way </i>(which is so bad--so, SO bad!--that it's good! Very funny!).<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiDxOwfhL6hyfFEqqRYoLDuNxgW7bnLu6twnwGL2bpJpJ8ucu8vID0uIIHdcxETy33itawdVQ1VFRgrXTDbWvDzYFbkWVo3-lMFNkqjjtxrbsPSq4H2mS804AdKGHk0FG6n6JFEYzm4rr3J5aIM96NRGCpIrW58doyw0w2uQeJuupJ9nybiYN1n5otzx3Q" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="721" data-original-width="474" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiDxOwfhL6hyfFEqqRYoLDuNxgW7bnLu6twnwGL2bpJpJ8ucu8vID0uIIHdcxETy33itawdVQ1VFRgrXTDbWvDzYFbkWVo3-lMFNkqjjtxrbsPSq4H2mS804AdKGHk0FG6n6JFEYzm4rr3J5aIM96NRGCpIrW58doyw0w2uQeJuupJ9nybiYN1n5otzx3Q=w263-h400" width="263" /></a></div></div><p></p><p>So even though we didn't get to go to the party we'd all been looking forward to, we had a lovely second Sunday of Advent here. How about you?</p>Laura Pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16108081477711821273noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932448625116124069.post-27883923442427735892023-12-10T06:56:00.005-05:002023-12-10T07:01:37.231-05:00Baby’s First Christmas Dress<p>Our youngest son's first child, a daughter who turns one in March (I must give her a blog name one of these days!), is going to be celebrating her first Christmas this year. She was with us for Thanksgiving, but will be at her maternal grandparents' house in the Midwest for Christmas.</p><p>While she and her parents were with us in November, I finished making a Christmas dress for her. I hadn't sewn anything for her yet and thought it was about time.</p><p>I have the coolest pattern book (pictured) that enables you to make dresses from infant sizes up to a girls' size 10. There's a basic pattern (shown on the cover) and then inside, it shows lots of ways to make adjustments that essentially turn you into a dress designer. I just love it. Although I must admit, that simple retro-looking dress on the cover, with the Peter Pan collar, is my absolute favorite style for little girls, and it's the one I've made the most often since getting this pattern book.</p><p>This little granddaughter's mom likes to cook and bake, so I thought the material I found at JoAnn's was perfect for her. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJnLsnzzMQKDNrr-2J-MBqxVoAzmCQqzp-E4RJmfGi6_XT-NFY4yLZcNiyPxfSKPt8jqF4Wt6t7MWwZPgJu9VfJt4afmxLAX_614z8GZC4Ss8bgEBnXauDn3jq3WFU1Rt-rd71BMIH_mv8QYJJWzZkn0nbI2x6nHA-iwuFHdaaZokfe4MHOiOFpGvsPxU/s4032/IMG_0801.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJnLsnzzMQKDNrr-2J-MBqxVoAzmCQqzp-E4RJmfGi6_XT-NFY4yLZcNiyPxfSKPt8jqF4Wt6t7MWwZPgJu9VfJt4afmxLAX_614z8GZC4Ss8bgEBnXauDn3jq3WFU1Rt-rd71BMIH_mv8QYJJWzZkn0nbI2x6nHA-iwuFHdaaZokfe4MHOiOFpGvsPxU/w480-h640/IMG_0801.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeotwO1-87ttIOCx7cgok7HY-CDa46ge6l4lyqNd4fvT3DZYXEtu8_NXFQPNKPIYsT-Tp09Kh6KQeiTDWwysT0xMhsCbkab-5J6wmvU-VNSkLe0L7HmIExL1e1yjojgupHDds3ejJkbhcVHJB4IN0o6CxW0vUBipdH4-ZyZ7OxCwpe7Zdb7cHtIWGd6_w/s4032/IMG_0803.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeotwO1-87ttIOCx7cgok7HY-CDa46ge6l4lyqNd4fvT3DZYXEtu8_NXFQPNKPIYsT-Tp09Kh6KQeiTDWwysT0xMhsCbkab-5J6wmvU-VNSkLe0L7HmIExL1e1yjojgupHDds3ejJkbhcVHJB4IN0o6CxW0vUBipdH4-ZyZ7OxCwpe7Zdb7cHtIWGd6_w/w480-h640/IMG_0803.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div>After I was finished, my daughter-in-law asked if I could make a matching headband/bow. I didn't quite trust myself with that task, so I found an inexpensive pre-made set at TJ Maxx and added a button to one of them, using the same material as the collar of the dress.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVwjbELRBTLlIYowX8YS4tM4bhyphenhyphenBWeoJCfYGiupxL3yiR-UZidfFp7bgmn7A6kcyGr8F2x5OAtyUjJ7Ga4M4t9HMJToDJ7Dz0zSgXDoGlXNKJkeBmNL3q7ZqXo_hbT4hoT_Icc6gFSSORbKfWNCauMNTXr2xqyTHh6me4CwkRhfxDW64NKRpQsVevzfp4/s4032/3C95CEA7-4FE3-42AB-9A85-FACD7667CB89.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVwjbELRBTLlIYowX8YS4tM4bhyphenhyphenBWeoJCfYGiupxL3yiR-UZidfFp7bgmn7A6kcyGr8F2x5OAtyUjJ7Ga4M4t9HMJToDJ7Dz0zSgXDoGlXNKJkeBmNL3q7ZqXo_hbT4hoT_Icc6gFSSORbKfWNCauMNTXr2xqyTHh6me4CwkRhfxDW64NKRpQsVevzfp4/w480-h640/3C95CEA7-4FE3-42AB-9A85-FACD7667CB89.heic" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div>While our little sweetie was here, we had her open a gift from us--one of those "Baby's First Doll" deals. My late mother-in-law used to say, "A little girl should always get a doll for Christmas." I like that way of thinking. </div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhilexUtFuMHWjRpyUPa2iucejYMmQ7QcKaoAnXCOd1atv2V67___2b0WfKoXa8NzejwDbubsqs8a8EEjfdNkR29MzauFKpR2xbq9lvX8aMzlfID214zJTw9QBzc6DjHTyCp-T-KD3xKCrVzaNxzHeKjH4VvVIYxQ3a-a_vFQmVRiMfqdi9eB1hLepkyDg/s4032/IMG_0813.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhilexUtFuMHWjRpyUPa2iucejYMmQ7QcKaoAnXCOd1atv2V67___2b0WfKoXa8NzejwDbubsqs8a8EEjfdNkR29MzauFKpR2xbq9lvX8aMzlfID214zJTw9QBzc6DjHTyCp-T-KD3xKCrVzaNxzHeKjH4VvVIYxQ3a-a_vFQmVRiMfqdi9eB1hLepkyDg/w480-h640/IMG_0813.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0CTw3e8Y-ljKB7qGvr4BSEFMEsgmGBa_16xLKwo1LdKqNd03t7b-wjNvawxHWHY97CgTfl8hnx1MIpmiBjDjoyhDi8021lZhoc51iEHQwd8WRXVLVl7DEfNKpoYtCwIkdI9Brtk_QkwMIqACKJVDqi0EY4kNUz_XdrLys-BJfXG39G2Nd3I7A7R29-8o/s4032/IMG_0815.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0CTw3e8Y-ljKB7qGvr4BSEFMEsgmGBa_16xLKwo1LdKqNd03t7b-wjNvawxHWHY97CgTfl8hnx1MIpmiBjDjoyhDi8021lZhoc51iEHQwd8WRXVLVl7DEfNKpoYtCwIkdI9Brtk_QkwMIqACKJVDqi0EY4kNUz_XdrLys-BJfXG39G2Nd3I7A7R29-8o/w480-h640/IMG_0815.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrqjrIuUaDTkII4JinEVD1Ss7LfpupRV4aQfLRZdSboSHzy99IUGMbWlamvGBufAT1zwmwdWZ4IqC28C3esjS0ye6g-rSjgJ-Br8jfy1GS3SlGcWsEhCfKi4ne1l06XxQ1VQyBg7RRWWN7exF95x89cbGcYw1wll8I90E2PdB-EB_WhocaVd9rn18FMMc/s4032/IMG_0822.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrqjrIuUaDTkII4JinEVD1Ss7LfpupRV4aQfLRZdSboSHzy99IUGMbWlamvGBufAT1zwmwdWZ4IqC28C3esjS0ye6g-rSjgJ-Br8jfy1GS3SlGcWsEhCfKi4ne1l06XxQ1VQyBg7RRWWN7exF95x89cbGcYw1wll8I90E2PdB-EB_WhocaVd9rn18FMMc/w480-h640/IMG_0822.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div>She thought it was delicious. </div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_N7OOh1BwhEbyVYE3yTCrX8ENh3hZvsbgmZsMn514TGSkmUxdob0Vt_qh9horez2sXrs8X8txe_CWlpgwXpnjlrPgSNh9JbPMe3yg-c24LJ4DXR4L_ecNeVvwyb0B8_K_pWUru-Znd_cdU0Z8j3_cSbHGa-QuT6n-S48DwzhUHrDD03L0CjMCXgtlbI/s4032/IMG_0817.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_N7OOh1BwhEbyVYE3yTCrX8ENh3hZvsbgmZsMn514TGSkmUxdob0Vt_qh9horez2sXrs8X8txe_CWlpgwXpnjlrPgSNh9JbPMe3yg-c24LJ4DXR4L_ecNeVvwyb0B8_K_pWUru-Znd_cdU0Z8j3_cSbHGa-QuT6n-S48DwzhUHrDD03L0CjMCXgtlbI/w480-h640/IMG_0817.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">She is a little doll herself. And I just love her!</div><p></p></div>Laura Pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16108081477711821273noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932448625116124069.post-76210295871937457222023-12-04T08:01:00.000-05:002023-12-04T08:01:31.346-05:00Christmas Cheer (An Instagram Post...but on My Blog!)<p>I'm not on Instagram anymore. My husband and I deleted our accounts a few years ago, and I haven't missed it.<br /></p><p>Oops...I've just begun this post, and I've already told two lies. <i>Mea culpa</i>. </p><p>Truth be told, I'm back on Instagram (as is my hubby), as of just recently. But only because our youngest son is working on a short film project for his Master's program, and he's posting about it on there, and we don't want to miss any of those pictures and videos. So that takes care of lie #1.</p><p>Even though I’m back “on,” I'm not really planning to post on IG, or to collect followers (L to the OL!); I'm just planning to stalk. But not too much. Over-stalking was one of the main problems I had that led me to give up all my social media accounts in the first place.</p><p>Okay then, what's lie #2, you ask? I said I haven’t missed Instagram...but that's not true, because sometimes I do.</p><p>I miss some of my favorite Catholic "influencers" (hello, <span style="color: red;">@elizabethfoss</span>!). I miss the awesome recipes and the gorgeous home decor ideas, and even the pop-up ads, believe it or not. (I am amazed by how Instagram seems to know exactly what kind of clothes I like to buy and wear. It couldn't be that social media sites are tracking my every move...could it?) But I <i>am </i>saving money, now that I don't see all those ads for things I never knew I wanted or needed.</p><p>Anyhoo--here are some pictures I might have posted on IG, back when I was a prolific IG poster (but certainly not an influencer!). I just like how my house looks when it's decorated for Christmas, so I thought I'd share. If I knew how to make a blog link-up, I would make one and have you show me pictures of your Christmas decorations. (But in this new, rapidly changing world where even Instagram will probably soon be obsolete, does anyone even remember blog link-up parties?)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0uLizsew0mktkfe6cK8kVA4nBNS1-uYpauDqq_Ku1nVK5j0SX8nmveLykpOEkyamDf0QSpdNciY3irj5OEoiNnS0gDgZMMoXkF63ZqRXUXSVqP0skn3GDYfzFkj5hPaWT2g6vpcb8EchwJodFxowqTe40KElg7aFun1Z_JfISovJB_Cre1UBQXloyuQc" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0uLizsew0mktkfe6cK8kVA4nBNS1-uYpauDqq_Ku1nVK5j0SX8nmveLykpOEkyamDf0QSpdNciY3irj5OEoiNnS0gDgZMMoXkF63ZqRXUXSVqP0skn3GDYfzFkj5hPaWT2g6vpcb8EchwJodFxowqTe40KElg7aFun1Z_JfISovJB_Cre1UBQXloyuQc=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEilTxxJcPRDpcIIT2DF05qKZLhmAqs9-EQJPmlfEA8HfHJEFbNczGYh79GTaR3lLyf5gmCE2noCaVFEh9i9VzjKOtJ4Ul7FMBLOyqP2GdtqmiiZNqbLUcboBDWhgKDRle3MHOAyhYwAAuWPWLsw0pNQgXKTSNFT6XQeSePVs2uDxp-738u5XYpoym9iucw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEilTxxJcPRDpcIIT2DF05qKZLhmAqs9-EQJPmlfEA8HfHJEFbNczGYh79GTaR3lLyf5gmCE2noCaVFEh9i9VzjKOtJ4Ul7FMBLOyqP2GdtqmiiZNqbLUcboBDWhgKDRle3MHOAyhYwAAuWPWLsw0pNQgXKTSNFT6XQeSePVs2uDxp-738u5XYpoym9iucw=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgf7gJOhhPDVODP5fBL_6XwbM_EVr4p7gnlITM9goXji-wCnPMBjM_x1re6gkIvt4WqtPL-pIdrm0HuBZQOuoCEkY7LMahip5rl83wBvaC32AUggAWb_gJE58BwkMRuq9AsUNT6rbhNEnA5L48xNhZGYKjCH2kV0e6FJrJQUxeQWp35712K99SRQumEBfw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgf7gJOhhPDVODP5fBL_6XwbM_EVr4p7gnlITM9goXji-wCnPMBjM_x1re6gkIvt4WqtPL-pIdrm0HuBZQOuoCEkY7LMahip5rl83wBvaC32AUggAWb_gJE58BwkMRuq9AsUNT6rbhNEnA5L48xNhZGYKjCH2kV0e6FJrJQUxeQWp35712K99SRQumEBfw=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhns4_NE76K6juxVpJ4mOnOhOqLI9AJ0VaIVYeFxXi1cxillVmK4p-EF2Gzn6eRU8hYzCFJYtmKjjg_1vGO7tuVvqi3swVvx_e-CWGHd0AKHoWvUphUMNkqdIRX1j6_BKsWLPbJC0aEDRh1x-aVb9WrSjZ9GKtavd4saGSga_H8mgLjcOM1uNTOQs9OTYI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhns4_NE76K6juxVpJ4mOnOhOqLI9AJ0VaIVYeFxXi1cxillVmK4p-EF2Gzn6eRU8hYzCFJYtmKjjg_1vGO7tuVvqi3swVvx_e-CWGHd0AKHoWvUphUMNkqdIRX1j6_BKsWLPbJC0aEDRh1x-aVb9WrSjZ9GKtavd4saGSga_H8mgLjcOM1uNTOQs9OTYI=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgLk4YSFZTSiXnEjUXS2VkxNZhmp-ARHJ_RZ5Ys3Jw3eZKQYPSF8h0UJH76P0Ti_G-WpZqy34X3I94p6Bazvjl3sM3s__s1gYwXjs7LYcoGL1tXPCDP15pWUlBRqWKnBJoz8xCjhR3uUV__cX07VV6H-TrD7QT4l3Qtw8cN2d4EqQmohvowx2klZUM2vlE" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgLk4YSFZTSiXnEjUXS2VkxNZhmp-ARHJ_RZ5Ys3Jw3eZKQYPSF8h0UJH76P0Ti_G-WpZqy34X3I94p6Bazvjl3sM3s__s1gYwXjs7LYcoGL1tXPCDP15pWUlBRqWKnBJoz8xCjhR3uUV__cX07VV6H-TrD7QT4l3Qtw8cN2d4EqQmohvowx2klZUM2vlE=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfHu30bvdlL_mKwhOsKnmpXHfStPZXiGr8T2kPp-7hYqUxor9GSk6Gaaa3ARB9oFdMI5xKECBEv2ziLtragaDdEQuz18k5nMHwLUVlwJF_XDS-DO6T5OjyEss4eR1MP1aOpL3WcHWjXR77Kf0d7BOZY7AINdutz2y6Jzp6Od-RkmSNQ3nWt375o9O5hTc/s4032/IMG_0687.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfHu30bvdlL_mKwhOsKnmpXHfStPZXiGr8T2kPp-7hYqUxor9GSk6Gaaa3ARB9oFdMI5xKECBEv2ziLtragaDdEQuz18k5nMHwLUVlwJF_XDS-DO6T5OjyEss4eR1MP1aOpL3WcHWjXR77Kf0d7BOZY7AINdutz2y6Jzp6Od-RkmSNQ3nWt375o9O5hTc/w480-h640/IMG_0687.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg7GVVl3_Pb-xJbCNmC8djBfQlCONI9cQd_Lae-b81CMbNtuKMJIYLTObJg2lTE0l2l_rJ1Bh-91xNpZWnzypfKrRolP57eqqoJRlRmPpNkyNC-XAuVpWx1Y_N4ElKLnWcBkBPpOsmwdix1deYp14NCcbJ3VpswvZZGs6uRctoDElGYq_10KTw-_ilGoNg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg7GVVl3_Pb-xJbCNmC8djBfQlCONI9cQd_Lae-b81CMbNtuKMJIYLTObJg2lTE0l2l_rJ1Bh-91xNpZWnzypfKrRolP57eqqoJRlRmPpNkyNC-XAuVpWx1Y_N4ElKLnWcBkBPpOsmwdix1deYp14NCcbJ3VpswvZZGs6uRctoDElGYq_10KTw-_ilGoNg=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhlu6KYMlCwPD6BPEr5R-vQOMaA3zQwOUu0TePqYiPMDKhisoRo5JSAT_E4j8UCp3GGlP5lblzn7eLoid2R-bV0Hm2HW33wKICrG1g8NwpBR94B4o-X5u6H8JyPS11iwZziTTg8WsVx-hwbQQS5Z_aFxW4dwRabXSizV7KoF_wATOaXqBKCswRQ040K8lQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhlu6KYMlCwPD6BPEr5R-vQOMaA3zQwOUu0TePqYiPMDKhisoRo5JSAT_E4j8UCp3GGlP5lblzn7eLoid2R-bV0Hm2HW33wKICrG1g8NwpBR94B4o-X5u6H8JyPS11iwZziTTg8WsVx-hwbQQS5Z_aFxW4dwRabXSizV7KoF_wATOaXqBKCswRQ040K8lQ=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgeAqNVooYIgdxNlkLhT6f6vd1Ur5GuwEGviVfyxyfCQ6Q5GqYKwCdKXpP_UB_T0206P0bbR5Pw3LhRS1MsaoPb4JGJkm9jVAWb9mEnPlH7FGTeYJFMZDR3Ab7pCK8SNqyVA7a_be-D1XH_nbUR0iBM0U8-o7paCdY_u5QrjcCQa2FXGj_J0ZsxHhJENrI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgeAqNVooYIgdxNlkLhT6f6vd1Ur5GuwEGviVfyxyfCQ6Q5GqYKwCdKXpP_UB_T0206P0bbR5Pw3LhRS1MsaoPb4JGJkm9jVAWb9mEnPlH7FGTeYJFMZDR3Ab7pCK8SNqyVA7a_be-D1XH_nbUR0iBM0U8-o7paCdY_u5QrjcCQa2FXGj_J0ZsxHhJENrI=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEoFtJ1nb-HESY09DEyiRjEQETixqliNiCtC5HjeLhXOguX3ZwUDVcblQj-Zly2vYZjXKhyx5skmBCWdmiBSFIAgWLRDmHs35B4nIXF_hWumuhVVGtijyr0BzefMKbTLR9EQQy1lbJmTdprHoPeKR7GQUXnP2Qj3s9X5ggbxarfL_boHipIH8lRYDqIzs/s3941/IMG_0852.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2956" data-original-width="3941" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEoFtJ1nb-HESY09DEyiRjEQETixqliNiCtC5HjeLhXOguX3ZwUDVcblQj-Zly2vYZjXKhyx5skmBCWdmiBSFIAgWLRDmHs35B4nIXF_hWumuhVVGtijyr0BzefMKbTLR9EQQy1lbJmTdprHoPeKR7GQUXnP2Qj3s9X5ggbxarfL_boHipIH8lRYDqIzs/w640-h480/IMG_0852.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb6tKwus2WJyVlmge5oSoLCGkjAkrUtoSnqGnyLxPm7dh_LnQb2523lzXZBHTsFzCznQDPZ9fCgMBMK2bDmmXEjqSO98oBWkq6_8eHKnp_slCggcv2YKrv3vtVZ9diQtLjY83UZmud0wCRznvTnbYEIZyRffeW5ARR4-2Hai5qWaQSf7tsARCc1G7d9dE/s4032/IMG_0767.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb6tKwus2WJyVlmge5oSoLCGkjAkrUtoSnqGnyLxPm7dh_LnQb2523lzXZBHTsFzCznQDPZ9fCgMBMK2bDmmXEjqSO98oBWkq6_8eHKnp_slCggcv2YKrv3vtVZ9diQtLjY83UZmud0wCRznvTnbYEIZyRffeW5ARR4-2Hai5qWaQSf7tsARCc1G7d9dE/w480-h640/IMG_0767.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>May you enjoy your social media accounts without over-stalking (you’re probably better than I am, dear readers). And may your Christmas season be merry and bright!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji5oEfEZmjCJYi8FkxircMcoiN-PLUZ2RkesUDxdEUp-E5AoAOUIdjrmkFM7MwB2cicwKM7mln2vFYFzjf172D-xVi78Orf9I1wz40DCJAZvkZ8Txcx5M9a03PoX1c3YJN0zG4rWHjrVt0vXVsV3b3nWS2yazElVb6VJxTQaYGtoY58eHWvxqYuDCe_58/s4032/IMG_0874.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji5oEfEZmjCJYi8FkxircMcoiN-PLUZ2RkesUDxdEUp-E5AoAOUIdjrmkFM7MwB2cicwKM7mln2vFYFzjf172D-xVi78Orf9I1wz40DCJAZvkZ8Txcx5M9a03PoX1c3YJN0zG4rWHjrVt0vXVsV3b3nWS2yazElVb6VJxTQaYGtoY58eHWvxqYuDCe_58/w480-h640/IMG_0874.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br />Laura Pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16108081477711821273noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932448625116124069.post-61135820730031835042023-11-28T11:13:00.000-05:002023-11-28T11:13:28.250-05:00Thanksgiving Recap (2023)<p>It would be abnormal if I was writing this post the day after Thanksgiving, wouldn't it? You know, before everyone has moved on from that holiday and has started prepping for Christmas. But I think getting this on the blog less than a week after is pretty good for me these days!</p><p>For Thanksgiving dinner this year we had the three youngest of our five boys and their families with us, which was wonderful. Three of our sons (#'s 2, 3, and 4) are practically neighbors here in VA, but our baby made the trip all the way from the Nashville area with his wife and absolutely adorable almost 9-month-old little girl. I am not exaggerating when I say that she just might be the sweetest baby alive. She's all breathy baby talk, smiles, and giggles, and she rarely cries. She's an angel and a complete joy, and that's not just a biased Grammy talking. This sweet little family came and stayed with us for a week-long visit, and it was much too short.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj9Qj9wFnwpWp4fjc_l3LDBHLaqOCNH3-LBlLbvzn5b7i9BJDYOM6OjnNOQrv0I-o4OuYFYxw5bBC9A2tX42UxwiToXd5goCAL6cEafysP5Okuqumdb2tFmXjn7I_Aqex72V1yoz6vmxbnVYXuWPxK-y1z-VWLWfT4q004iuxLR2Wl-ZVuSmJ6CZ3iKfa0" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="4346" data-original-width="5931" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj9Qj9wFnwpWp4fjc_l3LDBHLaqOCNH3-LBlLbvzn5b7i9BJDYOM6OjnNOQrv0I-o4OuYFYxw5bBC9A2tX42UxwiToXd5goCAL6cEafysP5Okuqumdb2tFmXjn7I_Aqex72V1yoz6vmxbnVYXuWPxK-y1z-VWLWfT4q004iuxLR2Wl-ZVuSmJ6CZ3iKfa0=w640-h469" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgWDZR1LSOIFAq92uGTqjFs7mvPYf4vgHZGsMnHO32KvzEhEhVippZ0cy2Pr8c_duOkk_epsRf42OLSi9BmWs69ZR7fXX6_Ca-RemSgPJemsncRcweYEgG4707oikBiN6OUYhE2llMrC1O1nWaiIdg76GXbZ0sJI9phgIV-ndGwx5eLjEDDX0beVvgNNn8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgWDZR1LSOIFAq92uGTqjFs7mvPYf4vgHZGsMnHO32KvzEhEhVippZ0cy2Pr8c_duOkk_epsRf42OLSi9BmWs69ZR7fXX6_Ca-RemSgPJemsncRcweYEgG4707oikBiN6OUYhE2llMrC1O1nWaiIdg76GXbZ0sJI9phgIV-ndGwx5eLjEDDX0beVvgNNn8=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Our firstborn could not be with us. He and his wife are out in Wisconsin with their six kids, awaiting the birth of baby #7--which should be any day now. They spent Thanksgiving with her folks, who live just over an hour away from them now. And our second-born (who lives less than an hour from us) was celebrating with his wife's family, who has a giant (60-plus people!!!) extended family Thanksgiving extravaganza every year. (We usually have a "second Thanksgiving" get-together with them a day or two later.)<p></p><p>I LOVE getting things all ready for any big family celebration. I enjoy cleaning and decorating the house (I decorated for Christmas before Thanksgiving, minus the tree, because our baby will not be with us this year at Christmastime and he loves him some decked halls), setting the table, menu planning, cooking whatever I can ahead of time. Prepping for family parties might just be one of my favorite activities. We almost didn't host this year, because son #3's wife was going to...but with five active young kids and about a million things going on in their life right now, she and our son decided that maybe they'd do it next year, if we didn't mind hosting again.</p><p>We didn't mind at all.</p><p>This was our seventh Thanksgiving since our big move to VA, and all seven times, three or four of our boys and their ever-growing families have come to our house to celebrate it. (During the four years son #1 lived nearby, his gang always joined us.) It's overwhelming--that is, it's overwhelming how blessed we are to be here, and how much fun it is to be able to make our home a meeting place for our loved ones. This year, we had ten adults (including one daughter-in-law's parents, who are local) and ten children. I decided to use paper products and disposable plastic utensils but I may go back to using real china and silverware next year. I think the joy I get from using pretty dishes outweighs the hassle of extra clean-up afterward. Some things are just worth it.</p><p>Anyway, we used paper and plastic. And we set up the food buffet-style. Most of it had been made ahead of time. A few days beforehand, I made a pumpkin pie and a chocolate peanut butter pie, and on Wednesday I got the Oreos crushed up and the creamy part mixed for our family favorite "Heavenly Dirt" trifle. On Wednesday I also cooked two stuffed turkeys, setting aside the drippings to make gravy on Thursday, and our youngest son's wife made a berry crumble pie (it was so yummy!). That meant that on Thanksgiving day, the only things left to do were to make mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and gravy, and to put together the trifle layers. I am a huge fan of doing as much ahead of time as you can. We always cook our turkeys the day before now, let them rest, then carve them and store them in the fridge soaked in chicken broth. And our turkey is always so moist!!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjec5sjMX4LpvaVkGxW7nCAHk7ap5Jg1-z0f7VX0dDcA7Y-urNCRXFRike2PEKgv7xpB6s8LQb5h65QYcXWvcYSFh60aiCZTe8UVSVz_n2quObMCEFusLxpd1JYME8OX6-ZTWIALuSVTU1OAV37-BxK2L24yeseQOzqzIo2pIEEaV-YcwB6ZvlYPc3yDHE" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjec5sjMX4LpvaVkGxW7nCAHk7ap5Jg1-z0f7VX0dDcA7Y-urNCRXFRike2PEKgv7xpB6s8LQb5h65QYcXWvcYSFh60aiCZTe8UVSVz_n2quObMCEFusLxpd1JYME8OX6-ZTWIALuSVTU1OAV37-BxK2L24yeseQOzqzIo2pIEEaV-YcwB6ZvlYPc3yDHE=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p>I call this picture of me and my set table "The Calm Before the Storm." </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_RVZpjuBhHp7xvgVnVpnquTjjmjmb-6Ee1lsUdCtm6w-znbuY5ElwKQv5hNCFLySumNmgt0ZRzj0o4WDgH6BKeGj-3vXo3ZOrMiV7O35Po_GwhNZceIM0KfzRQD6p5WrkQq1qw4VyqXz9Ehj7wQBcTZrEz9nGNV3aZKEi5A3LdtGzjnnBDyqbFVK4bXI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_RVZpjuBhHp7xvgVnVpnquTjjmjmb-6Ee1lsUdCtm6w-znbuY5ElwKQv5hNCFLySumNmgt0ZRzj0o4WDgH6BKeGj-3vXo3ZOrMiV7O35Po_GwhNZceIM0KfzRQD6p5WrkQq1qw4VyqXz9Ehj7wQBcTZrEz9nGNV3aZKEi5A3LdtGzjnnBDyqbFVK4bXI=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I don't know what I'd do without chafing dishes!<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiwex8mODLqpuYKvV0bPHfPULaFryhMxC6xZEIBZhXCiLKn7CuRMYFwo-M8wefqC1zLFgY4d_nRiq19ngM4XsqiYSEOn6lTELNpEfI2rih2d-IXebH0oTp7My0WfLJsGM3srCw8rzviaNPIayIwvF4Dk5j3SSdVWWmsGEWnwz2L4XJPavGVj75_q2JHcYA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiwex8mODLqpuYKvV0bPHfPULaFryhMxC6xZEIBZhXCiLKn7CuRMYFwo-M8wefqC1zLFgY4d_nRiq19ngM4XsqiYSEOn6lTELNpEfI2rih2d-IXebH0oTp7My0WfLJsGM3srCw8rzviaNPIayIwvF4Dk5j3SSdVWWmsGEWnwz2L4XJPavGVj75_q2JHcYA=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In our family, gravy is LIFE.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiKz4Q30-jltVj__p4-qKUPKD5j757TWEUZcGfaPGbkxakGscJR4JaUG3dmzIKIXkmm7XTXI_TS41RsyXewgoQjiXVk2ko8wc34tXRgtD6v4CY86YCScBj7FnNjefHkfoaUAqcpk9iu9HSF-3REeNWfdthqjqr5uZkaYCO1cr9C9BR4QSY8Vl-jEQrrN6k" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiKz4Q30-jltVj__p4-qKUPKD5j757TWEUZcGfaPGbkxakGscJR4JaUG3dmzIKIXkmm7XTXI_TS41RsyXewgoQjiXVk2ko8wc34tXRgtD6v4CY86YCScBj7FnNjefHkfoaUAqcpk9iu9HSF-3REeNWfdthqjqr5uZkaYCO1cr9C9BR4QSY8Vl-jEQrrN6k=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Even on paper plates, the meal looked and tasted pretty good!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgEdpiZQwWZ429ec-_yO77Uj2zZWBsVAZK2HpSirjBBj4khv9DhQqsrXmHZGGQcfavs3EtS5S_pHE4DAYf7VZ96BSRftqwQ0qbFW6zHx1E0tqJx0VmrlUamkcxdZ5tO1SX2dFjKnLIzhrSMfs19uC2e0zNmf1V-akgqqu24ifWUtWWRcPCtU-gxucaiXuE" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgEdpiZQwWZ429ec-_yO77Uj2zZWBsVAZK2HpSirjBBj4khv9DhQqsrXmHZGGQcfavs3EtS5S_pHE4DAYf7VZ96BSRftqwQ0qbFW6zHx1E0tqJx0VmrlUamkcxdZ5tO1SX2dFjKnLIzhrSMfs19uC2e0zNmf1V-akgqqu24ifWUtWWRcPCtU-gxucaiXuE=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Actually, I may have misspoken earlier. Maybe DESSERT is life.<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjpMNiBE3t0TvopwHLZBfKHKDEVQIvKOG2dM-SmriYqZ6qS_9_eoswscp5hioNrrt7FeQrqlFhovWAIDeDfeElwJAUSBQuwQGGmIdRd3YNkpDRtTXpafo1Okx1kBymU-HMvOsRlAnpv0kFF9ht2Ah8FKoNUqYZ-qFaKj2Hu_GXI8VyyIulg1fMTPqFVYTE" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjpMNiBE3t0TvopwHLZBfKHKDEVQIvKOG2dM-SmriYqZ6qS_9_eoswscp5hioNrrt7FeQrqlFhovWAIDeDfeElwJAUSBQuwQGGmIdRd3YNkpDRtTXpafo1Okx1kBymU-HMvOsRlAnpv0kFF9ht2Ah8FKoNUqYZ-qFaKj2Hu_GXI8VyyIulg1fMTPqFVYTE=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br />We had three tables set up: adults in the dining room, kids at the kitchen table, and then a miniature table-for-two, for our 4-year-old granddaughters (two weeks apart, these two attend the same pre-K and are BFF's).<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjLBKBHHS0aRmAh1zY7BYiYnv2kf9cxfSgMk_KzbVvg6oSyN0CKNX9aQ5rjR9ehR_WRNbZ7NaxuV5zTZxDAfsTp4Bey3Ve46lVmcEIcOT25futKW6ddaKDK10HffbrVZ41hs8E8Qer0tte1MOdzUisXxQD2WBlm1i4btFnlWBJEUaI2gDz6G5awaUYDcg0" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjLBKBHHS0aRmAh1zY7BYiYnv2kf9cxfSgMk_KzbVvg6oSyN0CKNX9aQ5rjR9ehR_WRNbZ7NaxuV5zTZxDAfsTp4Bey3Ve46lVmcEIcOT25futKW6ddaKDK10HffbrVZ41hs8E8Qer0tte1MOdzUisXxQD2WBlm1i4btFnlWBJEUaI2gDz6G5awaUYDcg0=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjM6PkCGEIiciEgNDkDPk0OSMHrW3kgRWqMGBXO51gVhOUcFMFBIbYNMOafnE3Den91H7x7yjqb-N4qtQIWbxZO6f9AkfynhWnmp8qY1XLWJbotIeK1ncLTsoKKYDmqjf-GIPwcJSDclmtLh36Lt88SsRLccEkR6weN9zoNOx8bg7faJeJYkPVd0eU9wok" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjM6PkCGEIiciEgNDkDPk0OSMHrW3kgRWqMGBXO51gVhOUcFMFBIbYNMOafnE3Den91H7x7yjqb-N4qtQIWbxZO6f9AkfynhWnmp8qY1XLWJbotIeK1ncLTsoKKYDmqjf-GIPwcJSDclmtLh36Lt88SsRLccEkR6weN9zoNOx8bg7faJeJYkPVd0eU9wok=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br />The tables looked infinitely better filled with people!<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhxzoYyyrvJ84xczOVzBvRfFtSsmNlYxC8hQXiib-XfgX1OjG8MqjbNx8vw-k0M9uGvwP_FI_6fNZJ_finHjA6Jq0hE07DU4cCx5Kc6S9oOaf8Q3_K90q76t_TrIuFE6Zs_RyiEkAjjG6-y9uqeW7brHeezApy0I2ZedHTxWYH4KpleypXfiuJtmedThA4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhxzoYyyrvJ84xczOVzBvRfFtSsmNlYxC8hQXiib-XfgX1OjG8MqjbNx8vw-k0M9uGvwP_FI_6fNZJ_finHjA6Jq0hE07DU4cCx5Kc6S9oOaf8Q3_K90q76t_TrIuFE6Zs_RyiEkAjjG6-y9uqeW7brHeezApy0I2ZedHTxWYH4KpleypXfiuJtmedThA4=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqkE4qEe0fM5zfdRYeGmMVcFAwfvhOLIEKtY54IcpCJkSlfY-v4i9lz68_ol0Qtzd5mIWSQElWDroYHKxD4fLimLNc0bn2mfB57Sgm48ihA881EjsUBMpIjWqQ4stTz6dqI7aJ1lr4qTYZLG9VljNEpPltTmT5GIJ967fY1PNz9jJvuMH4J34B4JMgCsM" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqkE4qEe0fM5zfdRYeGmMVcFAwfvhOLIEKtY54IcpCJkSlfY-v4i9lz68_ol0Qtzd5mIWSQElWDroYHKxD4fLimLNc0bn2mfB57Sgm48ihA881EjsUBMpIjWqQ4stTz6dqI7aJ1lr4qTYZLG9VljNEpPltTmT5GIJ967fY1PNz9jJvuMH4J34B4JMgCsM=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><br />We got sparkling grape juice and plastic champagne glasses, so the kiddos could do a toast. It was moderately successful. (The way Grammy imagines such scenarios playing out and how they actually play out are two very different things! Did you know that sparkling grape juice is too <i>spicy</i>? And that milk actually tastes better in a champagne glass than it does?) But it was cute anyway.<p></p><p>Speaking of cute...</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZcFhZb5HeXibEVvxsDq0Sm3gFNw_lEvjpjzVn8DanH5Fys_GidIOnYKsnyhJuLLLFGXt1TqfBTAcN3-kgQ2eiUK63-b6u3FS63sIR6Foztd0dLpHenpWd8s62V-enYX_yskGApW94rhJnTvXRaQmjuFHl_EAWq9SR3vjAt9x-tSx6itEC_o7Lj5KhsU8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZcFhZb5HeXibEVvxsDq0Sm3gFNw_lEvjpjzVn8DanH5Fys_GidIOnYKsnyhJuLLLFGXt1TqfBTAcN3-kgQ2eiUK63-b6u3FS63sIR6Foztd0dLpHenpWd8s62V-enYX_yskGApW94rhJnTvXRaQmjuFHl_EAWq9SR3vjAt9x-tSx6itEC_o7Lj5KhsU8=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p>Here are a couple of my favorite pictures of our day, taken by our youngest son (the filmmaker!) using his awesome camera. (Nothing against iPhone cameras, which are pretty amazing, but I think his pictures are so much better than mine.)</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgjk2THunxg8Co_cJlOP8wu47ACzNr1-MmTr1y0EuW-Sc62rE5BQrciuaZXg85Z_XxSdI23efH7jBuqyjcXAaVhEummv-IxvkmrLogryeUNCHMY6AJdxuev8EBL56xhEGI_KzWQjgT9cl0A0hrjdPzH_IvE-FMzORMR2V1Vh4PTJW7g-ajSeP9_v9WfkwI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgjk2THunxg8Co_cJlOP8wu47ACzNr1-MmTr1y0EuW-Sc62rE5BQrciuaZXg85Z_XxSdI23efH7jBuqyjcXAaVhEummv-IxvkmrLogryeUNCHMY6AJdxuev8EBL56xhEGI_KzWQjgT9cl0A0hrjdPzH_IvE-FMzORMR2V1Vh4PTJW7g-ajSeP9_v9WfkwI=w640-h480" width="640" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgjk2THunxg8Co_cJlOP8wu47ACzNr1-MmTr1y0EuW-Sc62rE5BQrciuaZXg85Z_XxSdI23efH7jBuqyjcXAaVhEummv-IxvkmrLogryeUNCHMY6AJdxuev8EBL56xhEGI_KzWQjgT9cl0A0hrjdPzH_IvE-FMzORMR2V1Vh4PTJW7g-ajSeP9_v9WfkwI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhphGBlbFKT6YmK-kfbFAlSEfF4tPmtmGc3fb_4oioA7j7FCM3T23WWTykkKK3f0ohGRrinmBtaFK5JIjcaYUuG68BatPcNnDSI_4XGUKpfFJUv59aBJIksjCWGiqvTFlrDVVi2LPdTOga0gPun5ob3En6MN0D07guUS6t3VV-ENjcPkxxavt6-dHNHxms" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhphGBlbFKT6YmK-kfbFAlSEfF4tPmtmGc3fb_4oioA7j7FCM3T23WWTykkKK3f0ohGRrinmBtaFK5JIjcaYUuG68BatPcNnDSI_4XGUKpfFJUv59aBJIksjCWGiqvTFlrDVVi2LPdTOga0gPun5ob3En6MN0D07guUS6t3VV-ENjcPkxxavt6-dHNHxms=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><p>Cheers!</p><p>So that's our Thanksgiving. I hope yours was a happy one, dear readers. God bless you and yours!</p><p>Now on to Christmas!</p><p></p></div></div>Laura Pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16108081477711821273noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932448625116124069.post-30574775480457070532023-11-18T09:51:00.007-05:002023-11-18T10:55:35.493-05:00Preparing for Family Fun<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It has been BUSY, BUSY, BUSY in the Pearl family. And I've done nothing but bake birthday cakes--not that I'm complaining, because I love both baking and eating cakes; but I must admit that I'm a bit caked-out.</div><p></p><p>October and November are big birthday months for us. In October, our oldest son turned 40 (which I blogged about). But in October, we had four grandchildren with birthdays as well: one grandson turned 9, another 5, and another 3; one granddaughter turned 4. (And three of those grandchildren's birthdays happened <i>three days in a row!) </i>Then in November, we've had one grandson turn 8, a granddaughter turn 4, and tomorrow another granddaughter turns 6. Phew! I was going to blog about all those birthdays, but alas, I never got around to it. And I think I just need to move on now and stop worrying about catching up with every bit of news, or I'll never come back to this blog.</p><p>On Monday, our youngest son, his wife and their 8-and-1/2-month old little girl will be coming to spend Thanksgiving with us. (They will be out in Michigan with her clan this Christmas.)</p><p>Look at this angel! I can't wait to see her again!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnDgfqjT8bNhyphenhyphen8QHeNwruUEcCyxxu2QzPTp6-jkHzFA4dlNsoYFR2tyY6NKq5m1BthpawdpQfcAV8poVZelMooltt2xPafewABBe4Q8_Ol73T9Efgu4cQGrP7FyupuSje8VVkK6IN2sH7uUpP-sV8_uEDZiCdZrzb_c4tCrwFH2QnzisM1vJJyn_59vpw/s4032/IMG_5756.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnDgfqjT8bNhyphenhyphen8QHeNwruUEcCyxxu2QzPTp6-jkHzFA4dlNsoYFR2tyY6NKq5m1BthpawdpQfcAV8poVZelMooltt2xPafewABBe4Q8_Ol73T9Efgu4cQGrP7FyupuSje8VVkK6IN2sH7uUpP-sV8_uEDZiCdZrzb_c4tCrwFH2QnzisM1vJJyn_59vpw/w480-h640/IMG_5756.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><p>I asked our baby and his wife whether or not I should decorate for Christmas early, so they can enjoy the decked halls while they're here. The answer was a resounding yes. So in the coming days, I will be putting up wreaths and garlands, setting up lighted villages and Nativities, finding the perfect spots for my giant wooden St. Nicks, etc. (I think I'll wait to put up and decorate the tree until after Turkey Day, but I'm going to try to get the rest done.)</p><p>I've got the basement guest room all set. The baby isn't really sleeping in a crib yet, and will be on the big bed with her mama. (Our son, at almost 6'3", has trouble sharing this queen-sized bed with both his wife and daughter, so he will most likely be crashing in an upstairs bedroom!)</p><p>But here's the ladies' bedroom, all set up for them.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmKMq1CpAYrODn8tomE4xSYwKkKvZcp2Cbm2cbE1K-oeBm0SztP0Oi0FRsQv3oI4J16wj_LbtuHzOx2ZIy8ifrrdHV08KgYq5EQJksRsc27ZhVMErFZF60oDD8CXfxki8hwZdpvTiIzbOTue_sv080VvEYbiJt3lUF9mwEVSv_LirrMqMmxQUB4aJsFII/s4032/IMG_0652.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmKMq1CpAYrODn8tomE4xSYwKkKvZcp2Cbm2cbE1K-oeBm0SztP0Oi0FRsQv3oI4J16wj_LbtuHzOx2ZIy8ifrrdHV08KgYq5EQJksRsc27ZhVMErFZF60oDD8CXfxki8hwZdpvTiIzbOTue_sv080VvEYbiJt3lUF9mwEVSv_LirrMqMmxQUB4aJsFII/w480-h640/IMG_0652.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><p>The bed is normally in the center of the wall, with a little table and lamp on either side. But I pushed it up against the side wall for safety's sake.</p><p>Our daughter-in-law's favorite chocolates are on the nightstand.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxcTYUM40lCjQUumC2VjZPCSu7opgOc_st6YIGvuqnS8UGaKCM-Mx1Sb9YIXFR6Y7f1N2tLHhGOtQM1QJ1YpJG2OnUFBLo9qg4BCEgXeMe162kffjEXdhys9mvtBKcLlkPZltrLgaHJBUuMHf8AZdL_PnhXFyITWva8tYoSqs8GXE-ZVFxjLfnRRy9ZVo/s4032/IMG_0654.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxcTYUM40lCjQUumC2VjZPCSu7opgOc_st6YIGvuqnS8UGaKCM-Mx1Sb9YIXFR6Y7f1N2tLHhGOtQM1QJ1YpJG2OnUFBLo9qg4BCEgXeMe162kffjEXdhys9mvtBKcLlkPZltrLgaHJBUuMHf8AZdL_PnhXFyITWva8tYoSqs8GXE-ZVFxjLfnRRy9ZVo/w480-h640/IMG_0654.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><p>A new Christmas outfit awaits our granddaughter (in the makeshift "closet" of the bedroom).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuuapnbVeryVQA7tU6vH83XTrZ5_2pwxT638cRzpaAAG7xNiMbMvIYI0Akc4EdTpVrC2AKyX9RrR1wKAYn4ekJlb-M0aCBiv7i8NHHRFguT5xiM-ddlz-zhY66vNvYzb2pUuffvG1q1Jb8ytZLXAy8GZYayRellT6CxUP0I1hzzdwOhkNCY7yepotJ0yU/s4032/IMG_0656.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuuapnbVeryVQA7tU6vH83XTrZ5_2pwxT638cRzpaAAG7xNiMbMvIYI0Akc4EdTpVrC2AKyX9RrR1wKAYn4ekJlb-M0aCBiv7i8NHHRFguT5xiM-ddlz-zhY66vNvYzb2pUuffvG1q1Jb8ytZLXAy8GZYayRellT6CxUP0I1hzzdwOhkNCY7yepotJ0yU/w480-h640/IMG_0656.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><p>Their Christmas gifts are all wrapped, in a gift bag that's ready to take with them when they go.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOnhkdV0Ythkrca8MOjPWCJkktSD5IVW_AFMjiNfY6z6ZnbiMRvS-A9as78CQ9LoVM90OOsYBGUEGnqB2LPEjETfyVG0O7Ku-sBJYIgc967g-a14qfrwtU6dC88GUIq0rMRVa4TMBccvmTyeMAuCXwK5gNL3ZETGAn2SRwyBubVdhQYv7Od5gy9KowXEw/s4032/IMG_0653.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOnhkdV0Ythkrca8MOjPWCJkktSD5IVW_AFMjiNfY6z6ZnbiMRvS-A9as78CQ9LoVM90OOsYBGUEGnqB2LPEjETfyVG0O7Ku-sBJYIgc967g-a14qfrwtU6dC88GUIq0rMRVa4TMBccvmTyeMAuCXwK5gNL3ZETGAn2SRwyBubVdhQYv7Od5gy9KowXEw/w480-h640/IMG_0653.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLsjaWBHZj3xuHhfSmOFd74dy4iczA8ZrFRMEnblhykrtlEQQwEgB74SOtju5r7wxttft1r9Vy8S-67GPaa3U2mWFNEsIfVio40jKjobGIVL6TfuGByZvYMTF_liDTxbS0mi_NWeq8f7wYqKy9UX6uECF-xKEse_QKVYYyr4J_7KztcRoyFAKGiuCy4wQ/s4032/IMG_0659.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLsjaWBHZj3xuHhfSmOFd74dy4iczA8ZrFRMEnblhykrtlEQQwEgB74SOtju5r7wxttft1r9Vy8S-67GPaa3U2mWFNEsIfVio40jKjobGIVL6TfuGByZvYMTF_liDTxbS0mi_NWeq8f7wYqKy9UX6uECF-xKEse_QKVYYyr4J_7KztcRoyFAKGiuCy4wQ/w480-h640/IMG_0659.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This guest bedroom is just off the playroom, as you can see.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMuN3Yi4Ja70RFWmx3-XqlY225aGEfbTptBgdLMbtkkwkjuRZT_Q1tUND26JYO-hQCcF3_CVdTiaSUjo__I3OlIROwyRPIlulEv9YOUq3tqI7UNQ7nYfzAckgAs5oDaGDoalhOzkiTXaLyKcxY6DE0nU-T3YbNyq2VdrTiltWxShAcrTwIkrBo_bb3A5I/s4032/IMG_0655.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMuN3Yi4Ja70RFWmx3-XqlY225aGEfbTptBgdLMbtkkwkjuRZT_Q1tUND26JYO-hQCcF3_CVdTiaSUjo__I3OlIROwyRPIlulEv9YOUq3tqI7UNQ7nYfzAckgAs5oDaGDoalhOzkiTXaLyKcxY6DE0nU-T3YbNyq2VdrTiltWxShAcrTwIkrBo_bb3A5I/w480-h640/IMG_0655.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /></div><p>I'm so excited that we're going to have them with us!</p><p>I always get excited to have my kids and their kids over, anytime, for any reason. Today, in fact, all the VA gang are coming for an impromptu party, to watch the Notre Dame football game together. There will be 7 or 8 adults and 13 or 14 children (not sure if the littlest guy and his mom, who live about 50 minutes away, will be coming along or not). I started puttering around this morning, getting things ready. It's going to be very simple fare: grapes, cheese and crackers, potato chips and dip, tortilla chips and salsa, nuts and other snack mixes, beer, soda, and pizzas delivered from Domino's. (I also baked up some chocolate chip cookies, which was a nice little change of pace from cake-baking!)</p><p>I had to clean up the play area of the basement in preparation, of course. It was still a bit of a mess from the last grandchildren visit about a week ago. I like to start out with a clean, orderly playroom, because I think the kids do better when it's that way at the outset. (I have a post on this subject languishing in my drafts; perhaps one of these days I'll publish that!)</p><p>By the way, I never thought we'd have so many dolls in our playroom, having raised only sons. But look at our collection! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2BQEKyHVlkmw5I3-mpevZ_CGtikdWoFxqslUu0B9EOWuc2Yk95Gdo2xi1hcKKPriqxyLs4LxkdwlFEGiumutq1oELMXfvQMOiCH75IysPzp42Njtb7Iq2Rxl5KUNCCh1fQ22O-7xxhIHKHJbWTQhWBHsxzNujFHWjVz5AvypRVrRPsCo6YE8njA-eZj4/s4032/IMG_0649.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2BQEKyHVlkmw5I3-mpevZ_CGtikdWoFxqslUu0B9EOWuc2Yk95Gdo2xi1hcKKPriqxyLs4LxkdwlFEGiumutq1oELMXfvQMOiCH75IysPzp42Njtb7Iq2Rxl5KUNCCh1fQ22O-7xxhIHKHJbWTQhWBHsxzNujFHWjVz5AvypRVrRPsCo6YE8njA-eZj4/w480-h640/IMG_0649.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><p>Anyway, more about dolls and toys and such later, when I finally post that draft. In the meantime, Happy Saturday to you. </p><p>And GO IRISH!</p>Laura Pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16108081477711821273noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932448625116124069.post-55440061496880289342023-11-07T21:11:00.006-05:002023-11-08T11:56:02.047-05:00Six Little Sailors (and My Five Babies)<p>The second-born of our five sons now has five sons of his own. His youngest (our 21st grandchild) was born this past June.</p><p>He and his wife Ginger also have a little girl in Heaven. At 16 weeks gestation, Saint Monica Mary Pearl went home to God on August 27, 2019.</p><p>But here on earth, they have five boys, just like we do.</p><p>Our boys didn't have extensive wardrobes, and there weren't a lot of clothing items worth hanging onto after they grew out of babyhood; but I did keep a little blue sailor suit (circa 1985, size 3-6 months) and a bigger white sailor suit (circa 1983/84, size 2T). All five of our boys had professional pictures taken in the white one between one and two years of age. But only two of them (#2 and #3) had photos taken in the little blue one. I know I didn't have it yet when it would have fit my firstborn, and son #2 was the first one to wear it. I'm not sure, though, why I never got photos of #4 and #5 wearing it. (They were my biggest, both over 10 pounds at birth, so I wonder if they just grew out of it before I thought to put them in it?)</p><p>I'm sentimental about those vintage sailor suits. And so is my daughter-in-law Ginger. She has had all five of their boys photographed in the blue sailor suit that their daddy once wore, and four out of the five in the white one (I'm sure the little guy will have his picture taken in it, too, when he gets old enough!). Yesterday, she texted us this collage with our boy (top row, middle) and his five boys all wearing the same little sailor suit.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizxV-vudd9mgHH-Rkex_xthlJ5puxiF0hZDeLJSlLxlKTZCxF6QDAXsTac6ANNAmgqtHdf-XwOYhzvGTs-fqOrYAPVQBcy1A0v964-a9sbGeNFzYyto736HJItmetFOZkTvXWv0kTtLlzDoVUCrY7frURPVhtCxSSIUrdJzICZlJkUhLkeTEGkmpP-FOw/s1632/SquareEdit.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1632" data-original-width="1632" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizxV-vudd9mgHH-Rkex_xthlJ5puxiF0hZDeLJSlLxlKTZCxF6QDAXsTac6ANNAmgqtHdf-XwOYhzvGTs-fqOrYAPVQBcy1A0v964-a9sbGeNFzYyto736HJItmetFOZkTvXWv0kTtLlzDoVUCrY7frURPVhtCxSSIUrdJzICZlJkUhLkeTEGkmpP-FOw/w640-h640/SquareEdit.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is why I hold onto things!! Isn't that collage just priceless?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Looking at it makes me nostalgic for the days when I was the mom of sweet baby boys.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Oh yeah, that's right: I still am. They'll always be my babies. They are still sweet, they are still just the cutest, and I love them so much. They're all my favorites. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On that note, I'm going to show you another collage--one that I made about seven years ago. It illustrates my point, about the cuteness.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjva3bAcUFNTGakjYMumizlP6jSwBaLG-rKVuTerVihiCdorc8_qhL0j0qEdKR3_rN3zk9Ujj-5a7SCjtmUlA_JDxVgcqrJc0-Nc0EC5RHiwxsB68sshGv_BSnsqLYKBX3W7bofw0lzbdXnQOvL0lZEvpiyGF18A-dL4qrEDk5rGiqj4iOKXk6vjkWHaco/s1024/WKBE4749.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjva3bAcUFNTGakjYMumizlP6jSwBaLG-rKVuTerVihiCdorc8_qhL0j0qEdKR3_rN3zk9Ujj-5a7SCjtmUlA_JDxVgcqrJc0-Nc0EC5RHiwxsB68sshGv_BSnsqLYKBX3W7bofw0lzbdXnQOvL0lZEvpiyGF18A-dL4qrEDk5rGiqj4iOKXk6vjkWHaco/w640-h640/WKBE4749.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Son #2 has joked that maybe they'll "beat" us and end up with 6 boys. I say go for it! I had an enlargement made of that collage of sailor suit babies, and it's already hanging up on the wall; but I will be more than happy to update it, if the need arises!</div></div></div></div></div></div><p></p>Laura Pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16108081477711821273noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932448625116124069.post-72166158711032204582023-10-26T12:48:00.005-04:002023-10-26T16:20:07.293-04:00So Much to Write About...I Can't Keep Up!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hey there, 'member me? LOL!</div></div><p></p><p>(No really, do y'all remember me?)</p><p>I used to post here pretty regularly, and now I drop in about once a month or so and dust off the old blog, all the while wondering, "Why am I still doing this again?" </p><p>I know the answer to that question, actually: I want to archive as many family memories as I can, before my 65-year-old brain starts failing me and I don't remember what I had for breakfast today. (Actually, that's easy, because I don't eat breakfast. Or lunch either. My husband and I really only have one meal a day, sometime in the afternoon--unless we're guests of friends or relatives. But more about that some other time.) So I want to keep this blog going, if possible...but yikes, if you think you're going to have more time for hobbies when your kids all grow up and leave you to start families of their own, I'm here to tell you that's not always the case. It certainly isn't the case for me, anyway.</p><p>But I'll take a busy life, one so filled to the brim and overflowing with gobs of precious grandchildren that every other interest (except my husband, of course!) has to take a back seat. I'm one lucky woman, and I remind myself of that fact every single day. </p><p>So much catching up to do...but where to begin? The last time I was here, summer wasn't even over yet. Since then, so much has happened. Maybe the easiest way to tackle this is to start from our most recent family goings-on and work backwards through the month(s). On that note:</p><p>My husband and I returned from a kind of epic road trip a couple of days ago. If you come here often, you know that three of our five boys had settled down here in the same area of VA, and because of our decision to move south in 2017, we get to see them and their wives, and the 14 children they have between them, on a regular basis. Our oldest lives out in WI now (most likely for good) and our youngest is located outside of Nashville (at least for the foreseeable future). So we decided to visit both of those faraway boys and their families in one fell swoop, before winter weather sets in and makes travel difficult. We first headed west to TN for a week, then north to WI for another week. From WI, we drove back home to VA, with a stop in South Bend, IN on the way, to break up the trip and check on a rental house my husband and his siblings own out there. We were gone about two-and-a-half weeks. (We could have been gone for months, I believe; thank you, God, for children who actually like to spend time with their dear old Mom and Dad and are sad when we pull out of their driveways!)</p><p>Our week with our youngest son and his wife was delightful. My husband was able to do a couple of minor projects for them (the last time we visited them, shortly after they bought their first house, he did a few major ones), but mostly the two of us just doted on our little granddaughter (grandchild #20), who is about as sweet and adorable as they come. At a little over 7 months old, she is all pink-and-white skin, silky tufts of blond hair, big blue eyes, chubbiness with creases, breathy baby talk, heart-melting smiles, and giggles. We are besotted with that little one.</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXb-6mvP9m6u6OPOGa8ZKOULxppZUtVfMc8xnXA0iUWEUU0Aujv0V7tFtOHgWTZVRY1saJ0QiGNi1uqIOR-83pg7scRNkKWXieZ_Eu6akOchCdfCPgYw5a24IWQJ8H4cehs-4gs81DcnnqSGgXzqLYouxSIxAT_NDetNGVoPP1TzOHzLasm9dwZr8MRQ/s4032/IMG_0264.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXb-6mvP9m6u6OPOGa8ZKOULxppZUtVfMc8xnXA0iUWEUU0Aujv0V7tFtOHgWTZVRY1saJ0QiGNi1uqIOR-83pg7scRNkKWXieZ_Eu6akOchCdfCPgYw5a24IWQJ8H4cehs-4gs81DcnnqSGgXzqLYouxSIxAT_NDetNGVoPP1TzOHzLasm9dwZr8MRQ/w480-h640/IMG_0264.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBLIAxyX6qhEYOpOLpYSgfE65JF6yAdOjfF874V2T9ylacHxfdBrbiAXIHVL-gP7eZWwZnlI6Y7sMhfm34mwBEql_uUjA7CGepm97UqaEZW5IVwuleIdLIGoMiIhlJI5-9zFNhPwaog41gLQn86in4z2shzYEKXrLkpyFE7CIBNr1TBedtZGEF9VEOshs/s4032/IMG_0251.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBLIAxyX6qhEYOpOLpYSgfE65JF6yAdOjfF874V2T9ylacHxfdBrbiAXIHVL-gP7eZWwZnlI6Y7sMhfm34mwBEql_uUjA7CGepm97UqaEZW5IVwuleIdLIGoMiIhlJI5-9zFNhPwaog41gLQn86in4z2shzYEKXrLkpyFE7CIBNr1TBedtZGEF9VEOshs/w640-h480/IMG_0251.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our son's boss calls him "The Tall One." He makes us look short, that's for sure.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh4X4qvSAYGY27lzqq8RffCKPYU1fe9HYUrL32rXMFm89QutVlzc2_2AJB1I7FoRZ0_7Ft8hvPk9B0yUSNFG1BMZ3KV0fNaoNDJt7unjVrfn7qvSv-Mf4EO95yGiZ07kfy__vCbpiJDwL9xNEHgm2Z8sHQ2lC8tLyz_2lt2GIAR_TZgOapWJqcmG8NsNc/s2048/IMG_0291.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh4X4qvSAYGY27lzqq8RffCKPYU1fe9HYUrL32rXMFm89QutVlzc2_2AJB1I7FoRZ0_7Ft8hvPk9B0yUSNFG1BMZ3KV0fNaoNDJt7unjVrfn7qvSv-Mf4EO95yGiZ07kfy__vCbpiJDwL9xNEHgm2Z8sHQ2lC8tLyz_2lt2GIAR_TZgOapWJqcmG8NsNc/w640-h480/IMG_0291.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My husband plays a game called "Stinky Toes" with all the grandbabies, and they love it.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu8R0VF3sZ5koDQ_eFakiCCXKrljGKUV5VsbYeNvKJd8wNsJUaHvZFSr2Zj0aha139Jrz4b7Z9m11_UvzizJl_LMMyvErp7ipoqhJqrfba0WF5Tshp5L2BPiIhuubT4t6So9lwhCcZRJnbj_HHvk_mchijtWrpxJfDTddCBjm8lSnaCFYpkLJ2j9uyefs/s4032/IMG_0205.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu8R0VF3sZ5koDQ_eFakiCCXKrljGKUV5VsbYeNvKJd8wNsJUaHvZFSr2Zj0aha139Jrz4b7Z9m11_UvzizJl_LMMyvErp7ipoqhJqrfba0WF5Tshp5L2BPiIhuubT4t6So9lwhCcZRJnbj_HHvk_mchijtWrpxJfDTddCBjm8lSnaCFYpkLJ2j9uyefs/w480-h640/IMG_0205.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daddy's girl.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>When we left TN, we drove north, stopping for the night at a hotel to break up the trip. Once we got to our firstborn's WI home and had spent a few days catching up, we were able to do some painting and plumbing projects for him and his wife, who have bought a house out there that sits on 20 acres of land. But mostly, we just enjoyed lots of time with their six children, whom we miss terribly now that they're so far away. We had wonderful, hearty, home-cooked family dinners every night, sitting around the long pine farmhouse table our son made with his own two hands years ago. And we were able to be there to celebrate his 40th birthday with him, which was very special.</p><p>It was fun watching our boy guide his four oldest girls, teaching them his secret methods for drawing amazing images using colored icings. He has always been the birthday cake decorator in their house (the apple doesn't fall far from the tree--but in his case, the student has become the master! The pictures on his cakes are more professional-looking than his mom's ever were). Now he's passing on this skill to the next generation.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGlfyznMl18hZ9cZdJx2dyLMr2wvHw9JRiPAdYNPSU0Dxapmek3D1bCY2ySo5yNbLHX7L6ITRJ_9igjpxhS2eF5o58IFzYDy5waToSWfBEP8eibk5R6yYieL6o3_uGhEOtK-m4DRXNciZNL9CzLPoB5Yp4jbyM8RSVyQAvuivcyZ5lbn8CVQzNgT6cHqc/s4032/IMG_0369.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGlfyznMl18hZ9cZdJx2dyLMr2wvHw9JRiPAdYNPSU0Dxapmek3D1bCY2ySo5yNbLHX7L6ITRJ_9igjpxhS2eF5o58IFzYDy5waToSWfBEP8eibk5R6yYieL6o3_uGhEOtK-m4DRXNciZNL9CzLPoB5Yp4jbyM8RSVyQAvuivcyZ5lbn8CVQzNgT6cHqc/w480-h640/IMG_0369.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmiWA9KlDwnrDuSlSHwbxMJoWXWUgnxXBfF8aGM20u2f_xzBo2349teDHpJtTJBZ15USBYOEJ5BOSY0uwPlU-HSmmSM98x-coxaJPqOMbe2MCLJN_GiZ5D3sAhyKxuwIRtqmm-6Zz2SagTpJ3_o_EbAcvfHGKLVAo0PT9tFCivf6a4CcnRDejPf03uBzY/s4032/IMG_0383.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmiWA9KlDwnrDuSlSHwbxMJoWXWUgnxXBfF8aGM20u2f_xzBo2349teDHpJtTJBZ15USBYOEJ5BOSY0uwPlU-HSmmSM98x-coxaJPqOMbe2MCLJN_GiZ5D3sAhyKxuwIRtqmm-6Zz2SagTpJ3_o_EbAcvfHGKLVAo0PT9tFCivf6a4CcnRDejPf03uBzY/w496-h640/IMG_0383.jpeg" width="496" /></a></div><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTMLklUN3D1CLPjCK35FtV1UmMM6DNLaymBAj4U6HG8a6UI0WIY0Ffgx5N70txytrjP7fnCVcqWpfLsBDCHGDlfYf1-SwIf_RfContAVo6x4rqewhVo0-GzgZzptPHZbkeJxFrYkjHZqEuFPF3tFf9_mW8_4bNXmTgrADSSU04xs5_ec_Q58fECVGXdO0/s4032/IMG_0387.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTMLklUN3D1CLPjCK35FtV1UmMM6DNLaymBAj4U6HG8a6UI0WIY0Ffgx5N70txytrjP7fnCVcqWpfLsBDCHGDlfYf1-SwIf_RfContAVo6x4rqewhVo0-GzgZzptPHZbkeJxFrYkjHZqEuFPF3tFf9_mW8_4bNXmTgrADSSU04xs5_ec_Q58fECVGXdO0/w480-h640/IMG_0387.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tell me you know who Homestar Runner is. (We wouldn't, if not for our<br />oldest son, who discovered him his Freshman year at Notre Dame.)</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><br /></p><p>[Gulp!] I have a 40-year-old son. Yes indeed, I do! It seems like yesterday that I was pregnant with him, eagerly awaiting his birth and sewing things for his nursery. I still have this little mobile that I made to hang over his crib. It's hanging in one of our guest rooms here at our house in VA. I know it's not the best-looking mobile you'll ever see, but I am far too sentimental to get rid of it!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6GkOlWhBggK_nDE31lMDg0RDQA3wPeNDcMIPJy-FbjYhgznsx0mTyB44pebBJvBBQmN45rKliiboRzcqH36JTqrNe3t4dT1cQjvJ7JnSYedI4BB2a9tP4iTnfTXsvculxEZmgD5jmf6QH88sUP2SfvU8uAha8oIADxJtYIwX0yQmgNr-qgVoITmWX664/s4032/IMG_0424.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6GkOlWhBggK_nDE31lMDg0RDQA3wPeNDcMIPJy-FbjYhgznsx0mTyB44pebBJvBBQmN45rKliiboRzcqH36JTqrNe3t4dT1cQjvJ7JnSYedI4BB2a9tP4iTnfTXsvculxEZmgD5jmf6QH88sUP2SfvU8uAha8oIADxJtYIwX0yQmgNr-qgVoITmWX664/w480-h640/IMG_0424.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p>BTW, Our oldest son's wife is expecting baby #7 (grandchild #22) in about a month, so please keep them in your prayers, dear readers!</p><p>You know, I never had a problem with turning 40 myself. But for some reason, our son turning that age kind of gave me a bit of a gut-punch. While my husband and I were driving back home, praying a Rosary together out loud in the car, my mind wandered and I found myself doing math. Our triplet grandchildren recently turned 6. And I thought, "How old will my boy be when those triplets turn 40?" The answer, shockingly, was 74. The answer was that he would be an old man. My son, the sweet baby boy for whom I'd made that mobile not too long ago...someday, God willing, he would be even older than I am now. Well, just thinking about that, my eyes welled up with tears and I was too choked up to say a few of my Rosary responses.</p><p>It's all good, though! The circle of life and all! As my father always used to say, when it came to getting older: it's better than the alternative.</p><p></p><p>Okay then, I'm going to stop here before I become too maudlin (am I too late for that?). But I'll be back as soon as I can. I need to chronicle the triplets' birthday celebration, for one thing! Until then, God bless you!</p>Laura Pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16108081477711821273noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932448625116124069.post-35208177763707416152023-09-22T11:07:00.001-04:002023-09-22T11:42:53.957-04:00Fiction Imitates Life<p>I have been AWOL from the blog for quite some time now (what else is new?!). There have been so many family goings-on since I was here last, and I definitely want to get my online scrapbook of memories up to date. But there's a reason I haven't been blogging as often as I should...because I've been busy working on a different sort of writing project, another novel that I hope to publish myself as a gift to my grandchildren. I have been working on this book, an historical fiction novel that is a sequel to <i>Erin's Ring</i> (but a "stand alone" book, I believe) for a little more than a year now. I've blogged about this several times <a href="https://laura-thewritestuff.blogspot.com/2022/07/hoo-boyi-think-im-writing-another-book.html">over at my<i> secret blog</i></a>, where I sometimes write posts dedicated solely to the subject of writing.</p><p>I love writing fiction. I love creating characters who start out inspired in part by real people I know, but then totally take on lives of their own once the writing gets underway. This happened with both of the books I've had published so far, but especially with <i>Finding Grace</i>. And I'm finding that with this new story titled <i>Marguerite's Diary</i>, there is one character who, though she isn't just like me or meant to represent me, shares many of my thoughts, feelings and passions. She's a 19th-century Belgian immigrant named Camille--a wife, mother, and homemaker, a pioneer woman with five children and another baby on the way.</p><p>This passage (still a WIP) is about Camille, but I could have almost written it about myself, if I'd lived when and where she did:</p><p><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 18.4px; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Sabon Next LT"; line-height: 21.466665px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Home was Camille’s happy place, to be sure; and she felt that making a warm, safe, beautiful dwelling where her family could grow and flourish was a noble endeavor, a true vocation. She was a wife first and a mother second, and then homemaker was her third-highest calling.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 18.4px; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Sabon Next LT"; line-height: 21.466665px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Making a home: it took so much more than wooden planks and shingles held together by nails! It was no use having a well-built roof that would shield them from the weather if what was found underneath that roof wasn’t cared for properly. Camille believed that it was a wife and mother’s job to create for her family a domestic Church, an earthly reflection of what they could expect to find in the next life, in Paradise. That’s how seriously she took her housekeeping duties. A home needed someone to tend to it lovingly, to keep it clean and orderly, to give it the decorative touches that might not even be consciously noticed (by that trio of little ruffians she’d birthed, especially, and their doting father) but were unconsciously appreciated, nonetheless. She had made this home her life’s work, and she loved it so. Indeed, she loved the safe haven she and Henri had created for their family out here in the Wisconsin wilderness so much that she sometimes wondered if she’d made an idol of it. Did she love it <i>too much</i>?<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 18.4px; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Sabon Next LT"; line-height: 21.466665px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Camille had to remind herself daily that this home was not her <i>real </i>home, and that her only purpose on this earth was finding her way to that one. To becoming a saint in Heaven. She prayed fervently for detachment from worldly comforts and desires, but she knew that her great weakness, her attachment to the things of this world, was something she would always struggle to overcome. Every time she thought of her good fortune—of her happy marriage and healthy children, of Henri’s financial success that had afforded them the lovely nest she’d feathered with such care—she was also assailed with a fear of losing everything. <i> “God, help me to yearn only for You!” </i>she would silently cry, whenever she became too enamored of the things of this world.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 18.4px; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Sabon Next LT"; line-height: 21.466665px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>But the joy Camille felt when she looked around the large, sturdy wood cabin Henri had built for his family was achingly deep, almost painful in its intensity. All about her, the history of her most cherished loved ones was on display. Everything she saw, no matter which way she turned, filled her with satisfaction and gratitude, and her heart was full to overflowing. Even the sight of dirty overalls tossed haphazardly on the floor by one of her careless boys was merely a reminder of how lucky she and Henri were to have so many surviving children, whose clothes bore the telltale signs of a busy life filled with farm chores and tree climbing and all kinds of outdoor activity. <o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 18.4px; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Sabon Next LT"; line-height: 21.466665px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>She stooped down to pick up the overalls, adding them to the laundry basket in the corner. It was full to overflowing and would keep her busy at the washbasin in the coming days. But how lucky she was to have so many dirty clothes to wash! It was a sign that there were many bodies to care for in this house.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 18.4px; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Sabon Next LT"; line-height: 21.466665px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Camille’s eyes, watery now, lit on her grandmother’s dishes, which were lovingly arranged on a shelf of the oak sideboard in the dining area. She moved closer, so that she could better see the delicate hand-painted flowers that graced the rims of the porcelain plates. She licked her thumb and used it to wipe away a bit of dust she’d spied on the edge of one piece. Next, she removed the gilded lid of the sugar bowl and checked to make sure that it was full; it was, so she gently replaced the lid.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 18.4px; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Sabon Next LT"; line-height: 21.466665px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">From the sideboard, the happy homemaker made her way to the pie safe in the kitchen. She opened the door to check on the two fresh ones stored there. She leaned in, breathed deeply, and smiled; they smelled delectable, and Henri would be so pleased! Her husband worked so hard to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table; making him dishes that he </span></b><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>loved was her favorite way to show him how grateful she was and how much she loved him.</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 18.4px; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Sabon Next LT"; line-height: 21.466665px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 18.4px; margin: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Sabon Next LT"; line-height: 21.466665px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVIR6I6t8archDm2PpRcCGeiHy_QuLC-CDtFEyj1IZHRjEFLEUWbmS7zmLI0t-mXxoqCgq_OQR_jHeFx-1QQe8yjehI6FfqMAGYufXxZZKLoQJs7jZgAlazjS60faUMoq7Qh47cdINMgt4OXb7GblXTmNc3_UJHP2v-3pyhnKODEuSh27WC-r9iZvVotc/s4032/8D082BE4-6249-426F-8234-427CD3D5AE4D_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVIR6I6t8archDm2PpRcCGeiHy_QuLC-CDtFEyj1IZHRjEFLEUWbmS7zmLI0t-mXxoqCgq_OQR_jHeFx-1QQe8yjehI6FfqMAGYufXxZZKLoQJs7jZgAlazjS60faUMoq7Qh47cdINMgt4OXb7GblXTmNc3_UJHP2v-3pyhnKODEuSh27WC-r9iZvVotc/w480-h640/8D082BE4-6249-426F-8234-427CD3D5AE4D_1_201_a.heic" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUUSO-Y6f7BoSXPvQ5J4-0PV6o3ienpzKy8OfK1blSvo6Zm6LV6j-KT1MSJ86-LCFB_o0GBHyywhj2itZbZ-bQfmd_bpOLA5SuXt6NjwsjTZ3cyJoUCwsZqWWCGjqx9d61G82QgZ6ORQZK49kS7sAGt6FoU1xBiuUlIIUh13O4LPdHZgzJd4rrWBpw_yM/s4032/AE94E74D-4EB4-4756-A071-0300CADD8A85.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUUSO-Y6f7BoSXPvQ5J4-0PV6o3ienpzKy8OfK1blSvo6Zm6LV6j-KT1MSJ86-LCFB_o0GBHyywhj2itZbZ-bQfmd_bpOLA5SuXt6NjwsjTZ3cyJoUCwsZqWWCGjqx9d61G82QgZ6ORQZK49kS7sAGt6FoU1xBiuUlIIUh13O4LPdHZgzJd4rrWBpw_yM/w480-h640/AE94E74D-4EB4-4756-A071-0300CADD8A85.heic" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>So now you know how weak I am, how much in need of grace I am...but also how much I love being a wife and mother and making a home for my family!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 18.4px; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Sabon Next LT"; line-height: 21.466665px;"></span></p><p>I am 126 pages into a book that will probably be about 200 pages long by the time all's said and done. It's a big BIG story, involving an amazing and awe-inspiring historical event about which few people really know (I never did!). I have gotten to the point in the narrative where things really start to heat up--and it's at times like this that I usually get a case of writer's block, because I'm afraid I won't be able to do the story I'm working on justice. Wish me luck, dear readers! I could use it (as well as prayers, of course!).</p><p><i>*I used the phrase "full to overflowing" twice in the above passage; I kind of did it on purpose, to show how many things in Camille's life could be described that way. But do you think it's too repetitive? (Come on, play editor! Leave me a comment, I promise I won't be offended!)</i></p><p><br /></p>Laura Pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16108081477711821273noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932448625116124069.post-76225651340240835692023-08-10T15:45:00.004-04:002023-08-10T18:52:30.912-04:00We're Still Havin' Fun, and He's Still the One<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Well, it's been almost a month. So I figured it was time to update this poor old neglected blog of mine!</div><p></p><p>I can hardly believe the summer is almost over! The<a href="https://mumsie2five.blogspot.com/2023/07/four-generations-fourth-of-july.html"> last time I was here</a>, I was telling you all about our family vacation week at our Oyster Haven Vrbo house in early July. Since then, my husband and I have been staying at his childhood home a few miles away from our place, going to daily Mass, visiting with relatives from both of our families who are still in the area, and working hard at Oyster Haven on Saturday turnover days (making up the beds, hauling dirty linens to the laundromat, etc.). We try to spend as much time out on the boat as we can through the week--which hasn't been as much as we'd like, however, because it's been an unusually cold and rainy summer up here. But we grab our opportunities when we can.</p><p>My husband and I both turned 65 this summer and got signed up for Medicare. So there's that. And he's now officially completely retired. He took an early retirement from his airline back in 2020, when most flights were being cancelled due to you-know-what; but now, there will be no more paychecks and frugal living has begun in earnest!</p><p>But there IS a bonus to getting old: if your Medicare plan has Silver Sneakers, that gets you into most gyms for free! (My husband is at the gym right now, enjoying his free membership, but I'm sitting here blogging. What is wrong with this picture?!)</p><p>My husband and I also celebrated our 50th anniversary a few days ago. Not our wedding anniversary. The anniversary of the day he asked me to go steady with him back in 1973, when we were just a pair of bright-eyed 15-year-old kids. Little did he know just how steady we were going to go! (I wrote <a href="https://mumsie2five.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-39th-anniversary-of-will-you-go.html">a post about this </a>more than 10 years ago, if you're interested.)</p><p>I just ordered this sign to put up outside our rental property. It's from an Etsy shop, and I tell you, Etsy is just the best. You can find anything your little heart desires on there!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3C77UN9nkM9qdQ46LRN5Femxvsqcr6uZFLcs-rHp7tu57BdEHcGUMEHATgOeDVmCjzQr4ClAmiMXjEGgw44TtwhWfO99CaNzwHQG8lkK1jVHsl2RZE0D0in12fX_pyaOyHhonuDHXlvrR8GNgti3wgTur7jU3NzN-Z4L2u1eQ5sz9jMFYbiMJvpuAU_s/s4032/00D97775-35FA-4495-9189-ACF6EF824DD7_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3C77UN9nkM9qdQ46LRN5Femxvsqcr6uZFLcs-rHp7tu57BdEHcGUMEHATgOeDVmCjzQr4ClAmiMXjEGgw44TtwhWfO99CaNzwHQG8lkK1jVHsl2RZE0D0in12fX_pyaOyHhonuDHXlvrR8GNgti3wgTur7jU3NzN-Z4L2u1eQ5sz9jMFYbiMJvpuAU_s/w640-h480/00D97775-35FA-4495-9189-ACF6EF824DD7_1_201_a.heic" width="640" /></a></div><p>On Sunday, we will be heading to VA for a week. Our triplet grandchildren are turning six soon, and we don't want to miss their big birthday celebration. Plus, we've been away for a long time, and I need to reconnect with everyone there and spend a little time in my own house, with<b> my own things about me</b>. (Mary Kate Danaher, anyone? Do you recognize that line from <i>The Quite Man</i>, the best John Wayne movie ever?)</p><p>Hey...What just happened?!?!?</p><p>Ha ha--I've been gone for about 45 minutes now, because thinking about <i>The Quiet Man </i>and how much I absolutely love it got me going down all kinds of rabbit holes, watching YouTube interviews with Maureen O'Hara and John Wayne and clips from the movie...but I'm back.</p><p>Now where was I?</p><p>Well, I think perhaps the rest of this post will be a bit of a photo dump, with some shots I've taken that show what the lake life up here is like. Not too shabby, readers. Not too shabby at all.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilhC31QEM93BJad57lnFEjSfWm9Oh6Yok5zoNXVeVpAXPZl_yr5K-tU54l6Zn90hcm8fWcE6IKTbfokqvqgLHUGYsOCcY94zCqJfuKJkt-vyh4J7-6MXXqJq-qLZX8tnz5OulcwhPaUg8YY_Zf8cRNXuq7A6DWZf3AsYCoACEGdCakgVy_v1GX0xpZITk/s4032/DEFBFCA1-BB41-4BAB-9A47-EBF85EEC01FC.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilhC31QEM93BJad57lnFEjSfWm9Oh6Yok5zoNXVeVpAXPZl_yr5K-tU54l6Zn90hcm8fWcE6IKTbfokqvqgLHUGYsOCcY94zCqJfuKJkt-vyh4J7-6MXXqJq-qLZX8tnz5OulcwhPaUg8YY_Zf8cRNXuq7A6DWZf3AsYCoACEGdCakgVy_v1GX0xpZITk/w480-h640/DEFBFCA1-BB41-4BAB-9A47-EBF85EEC01FC.heic" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkdaIejPpEmPuPNbvQsq2MueUEU4EjnzGHIfdQCX7M3XY-u3DRJkbeh2zrbN3HfLJ0SsRBR5XS_aZStC1S5PG7xI4H8G09gyJIKwlaXppfL-DPjOmRkRxkzMX5R97NMEdpA2iyfa8yglht731S10ZD-M0Z-h3PF8H2iCGcmpuCd2TDnGAeywND-ILmR_Y/s4032/4CAF8E3D-7FC9-4D86-9B8D-4F47791D5974.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkdaIejPpEmPuPNbvQsq2MueUEU4EjnzGHIfdQCX7M3XY-u3DRJkbeh2zrbN3HfLJ0SsRBR5XS_aZStC1S5PG7xI4H8G09gyJIKwlaXppfL-DPjOmRkRxkzMX5R97NMEdpA2iyfa8yglht731S10ZD-M0Z-h3PF8H2iCGcmpuCd2TDnGAeywND-ILmR_Y/w480-h640/4CAF8E3D-7FC9-4D86-9B8D-4F47791D5974.heic" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPCB1GriXF9oOO_oYbtLUw52SUlIQxbT6fVwbTI3nITxbivp3AtaiOtOzdSey3Qx1mah2cxZAdsakjlvzH0-l5Q2LFEgSUYg4R5_FlI2zEaqqcXou6OvQpdfk6EBaVkycuRmHKZ9mKFBrvvh5mMvc0wx4h_96i84HyCeGeyDbULiJdM6tJjuy78_lW29Y/s4032/DE7CF427-F5E2-4D39-B438-F6AC83706BF3.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPCB1GriXF9oOO_oYbtLUw52SUlIQxbT6fVwbTI3nITxbivp3AtaiOtOzdSey3Qx1mah2cxZAdsakjlvzH0-l5Q2LFEgSUYg4R5_FlI2zEaqqcXou6OvQpdfk6EBaVkycuRmHKZ9mKFBrvvh5mMvc0wx4h_96i84HyCeGeyDbULiJdM6tJjuy78_lW29Y/w480-h640/DE7CF427-F5E2-4D39-B438-F6AC83706BF3.heic" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWpp6DKBw8R3lqYUqSC2VeiJHJpRFuGt2hq3UufXuarILM9u4dgd8TXIhjsmL6Gnrc0Xt2Ni3LtUi7HNQNHx3aSDJvpF_biqtWVz8rhdDo0z6H-Bh02o5xEX98cAFeQ4H1X9j3QLT-a9BP3Bj-BYtyzzLXiGYzfS5v80w3XAaRpgn9rvnuZu5UJnJBa8/s4032/726EDF7A-D6F8-4B33-BC49-D0903CD8B3E3.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWpp6DKBw8R3lqYUqSC2VeiJHJpRFuGt2hq3UufXuarILM9u4dgd8TXIhjsmL6Gnrc0Xt2Ni3LtUi7HNQNHx3aSDJvpF_biqtWVz8rhdDo0z6H-Bh02o5xEX98cAFeQ4H1X9j3QLT-a9BP3Bj-BYtyzzLXiGYzfS5v80w3XAaRpgn9rvnuZu5UJnJBa8/w480-h640/726EDF7A-D6F8-4B33-BC49-D0903CD8B3E3.heic" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0GChGBWsPKz3GPkGhYqVLSPYKVPg0W9sEdoPcrkSgGQ-lgNDlPkr_SS_HYsRVrQmfqYbEenbB7qd5md6N8Q_eK3Mtae241iCVP3BFxjrMvYeVQC9BrH4muvVpPaQ4J5G-jd_q-BOIZiNkzdAp6aEBwJoA_WOILpnKJXUdlRfFRWVlFumFngA9uDsS8qo/s3088/6EA2560B-B27A-46F0-B0CB-553B3166E99C.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0GChGBWsPKz3GPkGhYqVLSPYKVPg0W9sEdoPcrkSgGQ-lgNDlPkr_SS_HYsRVrQmfqYbEenbB7qd5md6N8Q_eK3Mtae241iCVP3BFxjrMvYeVQC9BrH4muvVpPaQ4J5G-jd_q-BOIZiNkzdAp6aEBwJoA_WOILpnKJXUdlRfFRWVlFumFngA9uDsS8qo/w480-h640/6EA2560B-B27A-46F0-B0CB-553B3166E99C.heic" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvzQSIZhrjlSEsyilYyNhngqp0vHOjr7hupx9WI8S5sScVvnpEVyn3erFlRAAvDtteB2iYh-WDUQrr6PEAtFyKMJjzoi8TrBmcEhAAp-Lxv2MvriB9guoKsgHge8XXJzvlqj8jUSagjdrIpweoqB4Es_yKSKK_xy9iS94FMskZgnJRDYnCfD4BoD-SWg/s4032/BB5802B5-5B48-4036-83C7-2ECA6F904E22.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvzQSIZhrjlSEsyilYyNhngqp0vHOjr7hupx9WI8S5sScVvnpEVyn3erFlRAAvDtteB2iYh-WDUQrr6PEAtFyKMJjzoi8TrBmcEhAAp-Lxv2MvriB9guoKsgHge8XXJzvlqj8jUSagjdrIpweoqB4Es_yKSKK_xy9iS94FMskZgnJRDYnCfD4BoD-SWg/w480-h640/BB5802B5-5B48-4036-83C7-2ECA6F904E22.heic" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE17oCmLr8OCD2Yuj1QZVSLbE-Fdm1C7QuX1ITxkzAgP0DYmiJwun7W6s_5WF28rer9CObSWS1BBa_DUF7_JwtZ2nASqvqwc4rtCTh1ttWjcbOR1sn400lM6caSZrO20bngCEkDf-D67sZ1OmuKszlxNTEgiLI9nSGTJBHU1Jx5ODtNhzds4wWRk0rJ1s/s4032/CDF73595-CDD3-46DE-A843-6C1001CA1017.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE17oCmLr8OCD2Yuj1QZVSLbE-Fdm1C7QuX1ITxkzAgP0DYmiJwun7W6s_5WF28rer9CObSWS1BBa_DUF7_JwtZ2nASqvqwc4rtCTh1ttWjcbOR1sn400lM6caSZrO20bngCEkDf-D67sZ1OmuKszlxNTEgiLI9nSGTJBHU1Jx5ODtNhzds4wWRk0rJ1s/w480-h640/CDF73595-CDD3-46DE-A843-6C1001CA1017.heic" width="480" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>50 years later, and there's still no one I'd rather go steady with. As the song goes, we're still having' fun, and he's still the one.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWDV_GVRD_BKL9VSgJWFe2hDvq3n7-OYpX8WopPJBQPDBIDzsQfDHfgZE0CsRHgytPm00aSYnGytkuATcIs06X4_OLLQxdOw0myQfNNPooSwnkNNAUU_YOdt2k_tvPHT-WXQajoVg32Lw8ZbMlYeaMDOLzfIHhQA0XXhq4bzOgFFQlaqCCwFFGNYcIccU/s1026/7B61F5A8-4A1B-4DD3-90DE-F9937AFF7D16_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="996" data-original-width="1026" height="622" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWDV_GVRD_BKL9VSgJWFe2hDvq3n7-OYpX8WopPJBQPDBIDzsQfDHfgZE0CsRHgytPm00aSYnGytkuATcIs06X4_OLLQxdOw0myQfNNPooSwnkNNAUU_YOdt2k_tvPHT-WXQajoVg32Lw8ZbMlYeaMDOLzfIHhQA0XXhq4bzOgFFQlaqCCwFFGNYcIccU/w640-h622/7B61F5A8-4A1B-4DD3-90DE-F9937AFF7D16_1_201_a.heic" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think my husband's cousin, who took this picture, used some sort of filter on it, <br />because we look kind of dewy-skinned. But I'll take it.</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>Okay, well, hopefully I'll be back before too long. Until then, I hope you are having a blessed summer!</p>Laura Pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16108081477711821273noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932448625116124069.post-69340987293480949462023-07-13T16:53:00.001-04:002023-07-13T16:53:17.884-04:00Four Generations, Fourth of July Fashions, and FireworksI have the hardest time keeping up with this blog! I can't believe it's already been almost a week since our kids left, after our glorious family vacation week together at Oyster Haven! And I never even blogged about our Fourth of July festivities, which were pretty sensational this year.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My mom--known as Mimi to her grandkids and great-grandkids--came over to join the chaos one day, and we were able to get this photo of four generations: Mimi, me, my youngest son, and his baby girl. My mom will be 88 years young in September; doesn't she look amazing?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJnUIbPS30AIYxcHWdGwhPDNqhAJfI5TLRLqCaOu8zqg1nriKySKiMd_SCwK3cwIzkNOrknhVr3SZ8fQu1KSlJ3GcB6bMqQqlyaOTYqfPveXRtVtf-S9zf8qf_kYc4hZoRz1YJuWSxSuXtUw7SpQswY6l6dpMxUXMfmJmdermzAbWtm-OQcKMQDZxfr3Y/s4032/A03D109B-68CA-4B50-809A-8B1FE18BCA16.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJnUIbPS30AIYxcHWdGwhPDNqhAJfI5TLRLqCaOu8zqg1nriKySKiMd_SCwK3cwIzkNOrknhVr3SZ8fQu1KSlJ3GcB6bMqQqlyaOTYqfPveXRtVtf-S9zf8qf_kYc4hZoRz1YJuWSxSuXtUw7SpQswY6l6dpMxUXMfmJmdermzAbWtm-OQcKMQDZxfr3Y/w480-h640/A03D109B-68CA-4B50-809A-8B1FE18BCA16.heic" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On Independence Day, our whole gang went over to the neighborhood where my husband grew up and where his family still has a house on the lake (it's just a little over three miles down the road from Oyster Haven), to participate in the annual Fourth of July parade. Many of my husband's siblings and their families were there, too, forming quite a lengthy string of Pearls. Everyone was dressed as patriotically as can be. Here are two of our little granddaughters all gussied up to march in the parade. They are practically neighbors in VA, two weeks apart in age and besties--and also very much a pair of miniature fashionistas.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfelK2odQqoDdK4Bf7sK-avQTgBwpcIgjUxFpzM6x0Q-8I8hcvc0BUSsv2VsfaVQ71ly_VK9Ut_XIKieeysPtNoSy34zhOKY6xkFZj22qwAvzwVfc7Mjc4r5ihvSc0_6u2t1h2AczQi7lRYPJcXYHWdG0ekV9zLjMMCtHbpjMLMJUKxyjgPS49K3oIJg/s4032/52559D81-D39D-4D11-A3BC-634A568FF618.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfelK2odQqoDdK4Bf7sK-avQTgBwpcIgjUxFpzM6x0Q-8I8hcvc0BUSsv2VsfaVQ71ly_VK9Ut_XIKieeysPtNoSy34zhOKY6xkFZj22qwAvzwVfc7Mjc4r5ihvSc0_6u2t1h2AczQi7lRYPJcXYHWdG0ekV9zLjMMCtHbpjMLMJUKxyjgPS49K3oIJg/w480-h640/52559D81-D39D-4D11-A3BC-634A568FF618.heic" width="480" /></a></div><p>My boys are always good for humorous attire on the Fourth--or anytime, actually. Here are the two youngest, #'s 4 and 5. I heart them big time.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiv8cs9J0oWyE3125sivVj4jFW96coCrfrhpLa4f6c0xsJkqxi0jAQyCDWzmxXzwt_Ecnx0d5b2Dbw1NwmO1CZft5VgJYJCKJS4P2pVSS3njSWIDd6J_NPEAvpoDkOUDsP4fcWilICpvIKqHl4rAPlVuvd1seP4ONuG4uUWlgYYT_VwppcC5AkSQT6Fpg/s4032/925F179C-6910-45C2-8692-3C2FF2D05C63.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiv8cs9J0oWyE3125sivVj4jFW96coCrfrhpLa4f6c0xsJkqxi0jAQyCDWzmxXzwt_Ecnx0d5b2Dbw1NwmO1CZft5VgJYJCKJS4P2pVSS3njSWIDd6J_NPEAvpoDkOUDsP4fcWilICpvIKqHl4rAPlVuvd1seP4ONuG4uUWlgYYT_VwppcC5AkSQT6Fpg/w480-h640/925F179C-6910-45C2-8692-3C2FF2D05C63.heic" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One of our wee grandsons, all decked out in Stars and Stripes, was pretty worn out from all the excitement before the parade even started.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwRz7LCrYNc2PuDsspZpw8IUlIHjbPNpLsJ4hopoL5kN62oQJ_pGJtg7cVUqiLuobx-l0JSD6QFvfN1u7GUynq7FshzXtBZFGQbuVYJ8qI4b9tFChiXmGg_O52zfspYD9srGlC7WqLJME_NRLPbg1aLNfltivQ1pF5GlNSxarXv98jpTKDvm1e-9v6_dU/s4032/ECDEA2E3-DE41-46BC-9D69-D41061847986.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwRz7LCrYNc2PuDsspZpw8IUlIHjbPNpLsJ4hopoL5kN62oQJ_pGJtg7cVUqiLuobx-l0JSD6QFvfN1u7GUynq7FshzXtBZFGQbuVYJ8qI4b9tFChiXmGg_O52zfspYD9srGlC7WqLJME_NRLPbg1aLNfltivQ1pF5GlNSxarXv98jpTKDvm1e-9v6_dU/w480-h640/ECDEA2E3-DE41-46BC-9D69-D41061847986.heic" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Our newest star-spangled granddaughter has the same nickname as this great-aunt who's holding her. This lovely lady is one of my husband's four sisters, who happens to also be the godmother of this sweet baby's daddy.<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgszAm9fB87K345cOJalbI-0ddKZYPwmOjJU8guWwEJRGD4hVkyYvdibgsMknQ0obuIfNy85Dbb056wSD7X31P5PTI1M-5ZY0f5fkc8IFx5RRIPg9HWmh9CHHvKS3k9UFUuR7OOm_Tzg_3bxVKixZAQEiTeKQp4CEeV1R12Vce5na3G8MIdzZ0rHJskjKI/s4032/397C0B22-4B35-4670-BC3B-B9577CC65AE4.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgszAm9fB87K345cOJalbI-0ddKZYPwmOjJU8guWwEJRGD4hVkyYvdibgsMknQ0obuIfNy85Dbb056wSD7X31P5PTI1M-5ZY0f5fkc8IFx5RRIPg9HWmh9CHHvKS3k9UFUuR7OOm_Tzg_3bxVKixZAQEiTeKQp4CEeV1R12Vce5na3G8MIdzZ0rHJskjKI/w480-h640/397C0B22-4B35-4670-BC3B-B9577CC65AE4.heic" width="480" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>After the parade, we headed back to Oyster Haven for a hamburger-and-hot dog cookout and more beach time. And then as the sun set, we got ready to watch the spectacular fireworks show that our neighbors put on every year. How wonderful that we only have to go to the edge of our yard to see it!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnUGx5GfmOljNuFz0EGSEmNiwGHArKcTn8lobc6tLvTJUbi7nlSW3maM1bXp_FNT5oXVzfJzxkD3bWzKVfTaglz-INxXRfzoED6rPHJ-u9ROyQxlmzlHEvEcGWJ0bBPTNXw9ZOc7qTZzNd1CcNFvcOW4HAJWZo3Vs14VTLxj4p26iP6frHq-PrmHI3Jls/s4032/E8E2569B-893F-4C0A-95B3-EB6F2A4EAC71.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnUGx5GfmOljNuFz0EGSEmNiwGHArKcTn8lobc6tLvTJUbi7nlSW3maM1bXp_FNT5oXVzfJzxkD3bWzKVfTaglz-INxXRfzoED6rPHJ-u9ROyQxlmzlHEvEcGWJ0bBPTNXw9ZOc7qTZzNd1CcNFvcOW4HAJWZo3Vs14VTLxj4p26iP6frHq-PrmHI3Jls/w480-h640/E8E2569B-893F-4C0A-95B3-EB6F2A4EAC71.heic" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSsAUV8bEeLdyrNladvIuMBSYTRUQvrTezf3XIfPL_HdRbBcbIUool0jn0_coELsRKbVzSMGD5GzRoA65Kjp-JKtxEeTy9lHO9I7exq97znpf185dM5cm3EYzjyi3qsv67NqO-c6lVkeyTe8nCO-vj01Q2C8PzUblnHvpbaK9OZQb1MuAdYhQv3hRiRDk/s800/1BBCF7AC-7544-48F4-95A9-57A001A642FA.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSsAUV8bEeLdyrNladvIuMBSYTRUQvrTezf3XIfPL_HdRbBcbIUool0jn0_coELsRKbVzSMGD5GzRoA65Kjp-JKtxEeTy9lHO9I7exq97znpf185dM5cm3EYzjyi3qsv67NqO-c6lVkeyTe8nCO-vj01Q2C8PzUblnHvpbaK9OZQb1MuAdYhQv3hRiRDk/w640-h426/1BBCF7AC-7544-48F4-95A9-57A001A642FA.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9mb0F8A5-zf1RZh1lgP8OfnXDcG7dpxi5o44CTPeQYIWWSCBAdNg6B5J3fmPKY-U5mx_8s2VddCWysKA3DNiWbqD90kRlVNTu3DhyGWTWGSOEihsAxEUmsLqhOgdjO039aSn_Bwe_xfmRfTkOAHWXo-LP7Cmr-rk-e0iMMM009buE42goOu_bTQlMbGY/s1024/6AB3B4BC-C2BE-401D-9F1F-9280753DD034.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9mb0F8A5-zf1RZh1lgP8OfnXDcG7dpxi5o44CTPeQYIWWSCBAdNg6B5J3fmPKY-U5mx_8s2VddCWysKA3DNiWbqD90kRlVNTu3DhyGWTWGSOEihsAxEUmsLqhOgdjO039aSn_Bwe_xfmRfTkOAHWXo-LP7Cmr-rk-e0iMMM009buE42goOu_bTQlMbGY/w640-h426/6AB3B4BC-C2BE-401D-9F1F-9280753DD034.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS2DFLdT4vI8K1nEgpTAzbQNgYb5Vg65ycnV3sQTz5ADBoIvl3GevYVL1ksxsN3MT55J_iYnfy8wrdRpyMyA8H6awv9qVi1N1dh0HMkKrTiaJFoX0R6chP-1yHNChmw3ZVbEiKa-JPkVI--2cnnDq9aXc3cmCBwAw9FmGGJMVWzKnnnt2CO35pLgQcgsI/s800/10E77E30-A6A8-424B-9C64-93790FDABEE9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS2DFLdT4vI8K1nEgpTAzbQNgYb5Vg65ycnV3sQTz5ADBoIvl3GevYVL1ksxsN3MT55J_iYnfy8wrdRpyMyA8H6awv9qVi1N1dh0HMkKrTiaJFoX0R6chP-1yHNChmw3ZVbEiKa-JPkVI--2cnnDq9aXc3cmCBwAw9FmGGJMVWzKnnnt2CO35pLgQcgsI/w640-h426/10E77E30-A6A8-424B-9C64-93790FDABEE9.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjymbA_uT90_aNFTl-JGNEOEZcw7-wTN_LgMp0-M8aMi7Keomr174xA5FO7b9tsrBh09AJesZdQDgduAhst2sXN-LJTVzpN-p7FomSp0Txnuuo7jatsmw27ZBrVU3w4vOkJ7rrE7ZUFq0B8M3SJ8EuBoPB_QcKOad5UVWXaX8YwNFSzujfG6u_YnNsO65I/s1280/93870B0C-FBCD-4C6F-AEEE-E0822D286504.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjymbA_uT90_aNFTl-JGNEOEZcw7-wTN_LgMp0-M8aMi7Keomr174xA5FO7b9tsrBh09AJesZdQDgduAhst2sXN-LJTVzpN-p7FomSp0Txnuuo7jatsmw27ZBrVU3w4vOkJ7rrE7ZUFq0B8M3SJ8EuBoPB_QcKOad5UVWXaX8YwNFSzujfG6u_YnNsO65I/w640-h426/93870B0C-FBCD-4C6F-AEEE-E0822D286504.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>I have been incredibly overtired since our week ended. I've been taking naps every day--which is so unlike me. I know part of it is that it was an extremely tiring week. I mean, we had 26 people staying in a house that sleeps 13 comfortably (13 is the maximum number of guests we allow for our Vrbo renters). And only 10 of those 26 people were adults. So there was a lot going on: a lot of noise; a lot of meal preparation, serving, and cleanup; a lot of playing lifeguard down at the water's edge (or in the water!); a lot of getting up early with little peeps. </div><div><br /></div><div>So yes, I'm tired. But I also think I'm just feeling a little low, now that my people are all gone. I love having them gathered all together so, so much--in spite of the craziness of it. We look forward to that week at Oyster Haven all year, and it comes and goes so quickly. I'm sure I'll get over this<i> blah </i>feeling soon, though, once I've really caught up on my rest.</div><div><br /></div><div>Luckily, my husband and I like each other. I mean, we <i>really</i> like each other. And so we'll enjoy the rest of the summer here together, attending daily Mass, saying our Rosaries out on the boat, visiting with my mom and other relatives who are still in the area, enjoying the lake. And making up the beds on weekend turnover days at Oyster Haven (as well as keeping an eye on the quality of our cleaners' work! We might be a tad OCD about our beloved lake house...).</div><div><br /></div><div>Our 3-and-a-half-year old granddaughter who lives near us in VA (the one in the red dress, floppy hat, and sunglasses in the above photo) was sitting with me one day at Oyster Haven, bemoaning the fact that we are going to be at the lake for the rest of the summer. "When will you go back to your real house, where you belong?" she asked. Oh my heart! Isn't it wonderful to be loved and missed like that?</div><div><br /></div><div>So yes, we do belong in VA. Most of the time. But right now, it feels right to be here with just my guy, living the lake life that's in his blood. We'll be back to our "real house" soon enough.</div>Laura Pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16108081477711821273noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932448625116124069.post-41527227985884375662023-07-03T21:44:00.002-04:002023-07-03T22:15:02.259-04:00Lakeside Pearls 2023: It Doesn’t Get Much Better Than This<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">No time to blog. So here’s a photo dump. One picture is worth 1,000 words, after all. 😊</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipgKJAbj1CeUZviysYV8_5Nr9PthT3186142YkppN6KxazVsSC_91OOH3jvbWc6ALqbBFgMtWpZ-TbPUO2jMlNLw63AzzGxS0bK2dA4BIAjZ_D7YQoRCfU8A2c_wff0vKSVwO5B8f0T9krEpS4Hj_sqrdMQ6yuBWsJ4bA5pmQRNe6Km7pHcNYcdFVWL-c/s4032/IMG_8982.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipgKJAbj1CeUZviysYV8_5Nr9PthT3186142YkppN6KxazVsSC_91OOH3jvbWc6ALqbBFgMtWpZ-TbPUO2jMlNLw63AzzGxS0bK2dA4BIAjZ_D7YQoRCfU8A2c_wff0vKSVwO5B8f0T9krEpS4Hj_sqrdMQ6yuBWsJ4bA5pmQRNe6Km7pHcNYcdFVWL-c/w480-h640/IMG_8982.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_YJvYs1RUQmCOhNbNPdTm5GwlTwGZ2tCHZvmwS9MQ_MGNGj7EA1MT04zAvC-PQYs0UTa9Xc0Qr902sb_X2E_cKhe6DGlM6mWRTJRGRw6XMv7NKHMmM1vOMnu2-sC3LOmCe0kQBs7eSEd5MpKH4EdaxsWNF1RSiqjUlPO89KSLiy5LdqUr2a3hhJMCO8Y/s4032/IMG_8985.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_YJvYs1RUQmCOhNbNPdTm5GwlTwGZ2tCHZvmwS9MQ_MGNGj7EA1MT04zAvC-PQYs0UTa9Xc0Qr902sb_X2E_cKhe6DGlM6mWRTJRGRw6XMv7NKHMmM1vOMnu2-sC3LOmCe0kQBs7eSEd5MpKH4EdaxsWNF1RSiqjUlPO89KSLiy5LdqUr2a3hhJMCO8Y/w640-h480/IMG_8985.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzEC0OrABgSUrOSoK-aqB8mQlPgj44Za4PccXpV6sxjiCDWslePwScUCer2XUclfU9jWR8ZhKCfSLRuUqtfAjY113lw7D_hMSQXllpPjiCj-30t2KvRRxqBVvF1ZCWKmHuXQmIuMk0NYPkaKR988Rk-OISxB1r9mhnTjNuGZzHSjBMSRXHzZ1guhCFyOg/s4032/IMG_8883.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzEC0OrABgSUrOSoK-aqB8mQlPgj44Za4PccXpV6sxjiCDWslePwScUCer2XUclfU9jWR8ZhKCfSLRuUqtfAjY113lw7D_hMSQXllpPjiCj-30t2KvRRxqBVvF1ZCWKmHuXQmIuMk0NYPkaKR988Rk-OISxB1r9mhnTjNuGZzHSjBMSRXHzZ1guhCFyOg/w480-h640/IMG_8883.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTTsDQmqySQACFJGQ3iUcf21hPsQCyoo70WT2R9Cxs31m83ca1KxCBKNOZ0hG7oiTatmS4E3CuFMayqTvuVqE28v_gdB5jl6G0RctrpgT9kumDJ_HQdeg8XaQxWlC5_XRR8Q7pOAF47qqKg5DwkaZ5dWEXFrkbi0hGRdN9UXirRXGdfizdXQOes_3EO_U/s4032/IMG_8888.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTTsDQmqySQACFJGQ3iUcf21hPsQCyoo70WT2R9Cxs31m83ca1KxCBKNOZ0hG7oiTatmS4E3CuFMayqTvuVqE28v_gdB5jl6G0RctrpgT9kumDJ_HQdeg8XaQxWlC5_XRR8Q7pOAF47qqKg5DwkaZ5dWEXFrkbi0hGRdN9UXirRXGdfizdXQOes_3EO_U/w480-h640/IMG_8888.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWRcH9aJDUm8oaozsR09cXYVaNiTN02w_k8-Kw2zvoim-lNZflQlov63K1ZRxd9kakGltke5FNyo1VrxOAhPetbbCtJq4S7oFb8nfumRrS1RFXt8ZtbIW9Lu8_g-3xnaMDbGHAPodhzlQYQAJs5RMDSaXsPECAp4KsPZ2YaLiICL4tm9XozQzrKIAXALg/s4032/IMG_8891.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWRcH9aJDUm8oaozsR09cXYVaNiTN02w_k8-Kw2zvoim-lNZflQlov63K1ZRxd9kakGltke5FNyo1VrxOAhPetbbCtJq4S7oFb8nfumRrS1RFXt8ZtbIW9Lu8_g-3xnaMDbGHAPodhzlQYQAJs5RMDSaXsPECAp4KsPZ2YaLiICL4tm9XozQzrKIAXALg/w480-h640/IMG_8891.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKmuzaGNCV5rKL5xTKwUA5j0Y91Vsve5_I5t3jFYplHB7Qc9kc7boZNHwH6vAw0DPjFuF1B5oABV9rUUJy1-S8U1mvtbw_QPbLXOY3mJALpoDo-JJvnMiNZAUO66xN_jjLlLVo6sF84-jdOA8g7iTuvr2S_2aHnwEkpKEiOUYdaIZn7ODSwF-xHcT0f0Y/s4032/IMG_8896.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKmuzaGNCV5rKL5xTKwUA5j0Y91Vsve5_I5t3jFYplHB7Qc9kc7boZNHwH6vAw0DPjFuF1B5oABV9rUUJy1-S8U1mvtbw_QPbLXOY3mJALpoDo-JJvnMiNZAUO66xN_jjLlLVo6sF84-jdOA8g7iTuvr2S_2aHnwEkpKEiOUYdaIZn7ODSwF-xHcT0f0Y/w480-h640/IMG_8896.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisGq6KR1l_kkX13PDTF2pT8AsR9yZEWqRhcweamFy1dERQeQwjUJMqkYG3tjjbdNb_uVyF1OO0wqnPkgANXIbz9Vamcjn1IBICZ8A-iCLIoGPRGgaLsGk7m_RWTTqgVrodeKsPQAwZbzt9CDj2AUrFBMJh13-BYKt8FEOKy3iL9P9BcxYj2EXfJcGRw-A/s4032/IMG_8863.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisGq6KR1l_kkX13PDTF2pT8AsR9yZEWqRhcweamFy1dERQeQwjUJMqkYG3tjjbdNb_uVyF1OO0wqnPkgANXIbz9Vamcjn1IBICZ8A-iCLIoGPRGgaLsGk7m_RWTTqgVrodeKsPQAwZbzt9CDj2AUrFBMJh13-BYKt8FEOKy3iL9P9BcxYj2EXfJcGRw-A/w480-h640/IMG_8863.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZyL-8WTV-U7cHJ0QjmdFUzwtIllhqxLTXVA-vS30SWC1Z7S_s-8PFyVTRmCQDWcOREtU4OZrcSTX3LQQ7k-z_YVqwVrKee6X-VHUvr5klws4c6OD37LvtoUlHbvNI6weZ1gwlujLW5uo3w3DsEU6q8BADVFZgR1OKxGVzXwr3t2l9OunW47pmVvIlN98/s4032/IMG_8874.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZyL-8WTV-U7cHJ0QjmdFUzwtIllhqxLTXVA-vS30SWC1Z7S_s-8PFyVTRmCQDWcOREtU4OZrcSTX3LQQ7k-z_YVqwVrKee6X-VHUvr5klws4c6OD37LvtoUlHbvNI6weZ1gwlujLW5uo3w3DsEU6q8BADVFZgR1OKxGVzXwr3t2l9OunW47pmVvIlN98/w480-h640/IMG_8874.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1HJR42tHuwbGzfZpWMBZLtq3chQ3iFw3ww0m7vsJh2EUfvTfCtXoRjpno6EGMMfGWRKnmOMlKndSu-XLlz44rg4o4vwUPQlQavF-WcpCiyKfSkYiNqgCh0SXK7JS7dZO0cud0NvDp2larpDk4_ZoIhZr5AC-YxztcXasifm6OKtDSRqMXweBYG4ztRp8/s4032/IMG_8898.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1HJR42tHuwbGzfZpWMBZLtq3chQ3iFw3ww0m7vsJh2EUfvTfCtXoRjpno6EGMMfGWRKnmOMlKndSu-XLlz44rg4o4vwUPQlQavF-WcpCiyKfSkYiNqgCh0SXK7JS7dZO0cud0NvDp2larpDk4_ZoIhZr5AC-YxztcXasifm6OKtDSRqMXweBYG4ztRp8/w480-h640/IMG_8898.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGi8tb4D9LMnuTpkdlbbXtl65jnv5T0U2puqe1H5OoTIayJDuIKEp27qVVPd_ulyTA7GIrXDcg4lWhJwtbmJyX5MpfOV46q1hEn0xZDZvQAJwEIBQet-5tbmRTTKJBPuSZoUZg1qkNTkWjz0-HFrX5tJeph6cZlsr4I9BormG6NnmZlA_cyNau7Te5WQE/s4032/IMG_8945.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGi8tb4D9LMnuTpkdlbbXtl65jnv5T0U2puqe1H5OoTIayJDuIKEp27qVVPd_ulyTA7GIrXDcg4lWhJwtbmJyX5MpfOV46q1hEn0xZDZvQAJwEIBQet-5tbmRTTKJBPuSZoUZg1qkNTkWjz0-HFrX5tJeph6cZlsr4I9BormG6NnmZlA_cyNau7Te5WQE/w640-h480/IMG_8945.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynZ9a21vqqBMlBLk7mllkm4fs6t9XAZ9hEWmvLEB8BjK0DA37E0-jWGCvHV_U2H4vLdlLXMQltVnZNO6ubqck8VHr2WGi4exE1iRlpKzmRVCaELFfyySy3sp8PzPtlzm_bdBLoIlRinpNHLp6N3j1XDphuAB7SXu99-D7DVo0_cvOIic-SLtRO_iSOc0/s4032/IMG_8949.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynZ9a21vqqBMlBLk7mllkm4fs6t9XAZ9hEWmvLEB8BjK0DA37E0-jWGCvHV_U2H4vLdlLXMQltVnZNO6ubqck8VHr2WGi4exE1iRlpKzmRVCaELFfyySy3sp8PzPtlzm_bdBLoIlRinpNHLp6N3j1XDphuAB7SXu99-D7DVo0_cvOIic-SLtRO_iSOc0/w640-h480/IMG_8949.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWTauCgAkQJDt8HloqOn6xJMmTIPKW5V72xkskWohqI6_aEPG_hoZFCMIKcBTXgQJcLr5SEt13s9RuHSODutEOr9xo_Jz38tsYQ6GqCrcDiUVtQKATy-q886Rd2T1i88UJIIOc1w0lr65d71BIrS3zRqX4kIQhVL368KaI6otRZH81D2Px2MI6IbGXQn4/s4032/IMG_8950.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWTauCgAkQJDt8HloqOn6xJMmTIPKW5V72xkskWohqI6_aEPG_hoZFCMIKcBTXgQJcLr5SEt13s9RuHSODutEOr9xo_Jz38tsYQ6GqCrcDiUVtQKATy-q886Rd2T1i88UJIIOc1w0lr65d71BIrS3zRqX4kIQhVL368KaI6otRZH81D2Px2MI6IbGXQn4/w480-h640/IMG_8950.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB6WEdsUyTFu2n_9PuSDs65zyt5LyMHirCrDKgxTNy_3sxcV6A7Bjel61ozwwA6eWy5Pj5NFf6Ikx-xL8o2EOHIOy5UuxY1_Gi-PF7LeI6SwOFuvbm5673uilaX7iowu80Zld_ymnQH-vzsFd2dbprVPD0Gcdq0xbUDP_LqRNCHHedoexy4ekh4v2nAV4/s4032/IMG_8962.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB6WEdsUyTFu2n_9PuSDs65zyt5LyMHirCrDKgxTNy_3sxcV6A7Bjel61ozwwA6eWy5Pj5NFf6Ikx-xL8o2EOHIOy5UuxY1_Gi-PF7LeI6SwOFuvbm5673uilaX7iowu80Zld_ymnQH-vzsFd2dbprVPD0Gcdq0xbUDP_LqRNCHHedoexy4ekh4v2nAV4/w480-h640/IMG_8962.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlFJJd-Y57KCZcFb_KX1Yp6HxFT-OVDiShoA7u7aNOkqIeSU22ZUvGeQzg-ZIpqWQrku-nVzPhbCSiWVBrjSFKENV_HgcgfJWKQLjzjytpBCsqUOiVE3Deaw8vCsff-A0MdoLL8sDRFB0bDusE-JX4_zhjzEYJSHa5M3k_gKYMY3dBqAcqAOdqq1hInHg/s4032/IMG_8976.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlFJJd-Y57KCZcFb_KX1Yp6HxFT-OVDiShoA7u7aNOkqIeSU22ZUvGeQzg-ZIpqWQrku-nVzPhbCSiWVBrjSFKENV_HgcgfJWKQLjzjytpBCsqUOiVE3Deaw8vCsff-A0MdoLL8sDRFB0bDusE-JX4_zhjzEYJSHa5M3k_gKYMY3dBqAcqAOdqq1hInHg/w640-h480/IMG_8976.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3r_5i1_zjeyhwo0SUVemrGUpM5qW4tqjFD7jUBc3CVQbnik240LP80vUIfHOdWnhPtRC9SFtX_cCRoiQYdAx6VUkO0oTcIG9mvHpjS9YKKo7bZwtjVLoJtC35tBJrPAqhWt19FB7TEcgmYCCQhMvUWZ7p7D9DP3qbjo3fvQXfEH8zvOc2Js95ZXNR7uk/s4032/IMG_8983.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3r_5i1_zjeyhwo0SUVemrGUpM5qW4tqjFD7jUBc3CVQbnik240LP80vUIfHOdWnhPtRC9SFtX_cCRoiQYdAx6VUkO0oTcIG9mvHpjS9YKKo7bZwtjVLoJtC35tBJrPAqhWt19FB7TEcgmYCCQhMvUWZ7p7D9DP3qbjo3fvQXfEH8zvOc2Js95ZXNR7uk/w480-h640/IMG_8983.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW4xnBigIRTnSlmceU3jN1ZQBlArlz-7cgcQPa1TpUZrO_TornmA9Ayuad_qIGQBG4c0d0bdXJii1D4V0M9nc8A7ED700TM8ME9kUFcw6bLbCB-VIYpJD2bP__eknrZ4cqRkAG3BpKNUfgnf0Lk7LfUhMRaKLJ_5A2ncBWu4ydmRrIqBTph1UqMBHmRRM/s4032/IMG_8989.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW4xnBigIRTnSlmceU3jN1ZQBlArlz-7cgcQPa1TpUZrO_TornmA9Ayuad_qIGQBG4c0d0bdXJii1D4V0M9nc8A7ED700TM8ME9kUFcw6bLbCB-VIYpJD2bP__eknrZ4cqRkAG3BpKNUfgnf0Lk7LfUhMRaKLJ_5A2ncBWu4ydmRrIqBTph1UqMBHmRRM/w480-h640/IMG_8989.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9sWiKvInjrBDeaIz0VeOautYyEPCpPpHmjGYlaLtqj5etfIflJhaR1qMzy4CsnLmBNAkJqCVIjinDAFN_GvqLUwQokszjrPHCv9zV8fZHUsbTLuv6_A5RXCGEio-8lLYsYIeuYXcGKbOVgkbvgCzzQnkU3HpBv7opwY1Q4AO9OKpbtg-fxQje40XVIl0/s4032/IMG_8993.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9sWiKvInjrBDeaIz0VeOautYyEPCpPpHmjGYlaLtqj5etfIflJhaR1qMzy4CsnLmBNAkJqCVIjinDAFN_GvqLUwQokszjrPHCv9zV8fZHUsbTLuv6_A5RXCGEio-8lLYsYIeuYXcGKbOVgkbvgCzzQnkU3HpBv7opwY1Q4AO9OKpbtg-fxQje40XVIl0/w480-h640/IMG_8993.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisVQct2DfRMwvNfMPurhB6vul2dwFXpVuDcX2wB9--mx40exmJ8fmgYdAQ-oxpQXePFihXp_m5m3BKbY4YPKooWTaP1r5ejWn6W2gQvuvOn5lM4rFbQvO77beJ6hWrDseRNRj-Q0bCVcraVY_gJjGTIn3eMs9Ji5cRuG6Ghk29SsXTbqqByy8yzlXn3nk/s4032/IMG_8885.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisVQct2DfRMwvNfMPurhB6vul2dwFXpVuDcX2wB9--mx40exmJ8fmgYdAQ-oxpQXePFihXp_m5m3BKbY4YPKooWTaP1r5ejWn6W2gQvuvOn5lM4rFbQvO77beJ6hWrDseRNRj-Q0bCVcraVY_gJjGTIn3eMs9Ji5cRuG6Ghk29SsXTbqqByy8yzlXn3nk/w480-h640/IMG_8885.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtjVVv5Ho4f05YEUdv7JKJhas71gAetBIsIvaG6AfgsSF2UXCl3RGVX18YuAf-aHY4V852fb5ciUjOk2wIf5V7eFOqKDIGe2bqA6M_7-E-33MIffbIlajo6k657dwHu8kEi74y8-lM-kAuDPmulgWsyma55w1iOpPAYga6S1c3n-S3bXkSIqEQzDyShWs/s4032/IMG_9004.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtjVVv5Ho4f05YEUdv7JKJhas71gAetBIsIvaG6AfgsSF2UXCl3RGVX18YuAf-aHY4V852fb5ciUjOk2wIf5V7eFOqKDIGe2bqA6M_7-E-33MIffbIlajo6k657dwHu8kEi74y8-lM-kAuDPmulgWsyma55w1iOpPAYga6S1c3n-S3bXkSIqEQzDyShWs/w480-h640/IMG_9004.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyifwhac-RF_wEbZdqajOaYIAi5UfuHSINTaZgg_LDO9kUGB7TZ4GqypatLeoc5Fjew4o5UASjvojFOfwg3Dk1n60-e9G4vYVdBXygER2E1wEK6AbZ9KlC_W-pI2hpXHnFwe2QfnqPTTygsvfF34ShgBHaWijfC8EhHSD5eATvmKYA0YrS1Exyf0aVf6s/s4032/IMG_9075.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyifwhac-RF_wEbZdqajOaYIAi5UfuHSINTaZgg_LDO9kUGB7TZ4GqypatLeoc5Fjew4o5UASjvojFOfwg3Dk1n60-e9G4vYVdBXygER2E1wEK6AbZ9KlC_W-pI2hpXHnFwe2QfnqPTTygsvfF34ShgBHaWijfC8EhHSD5eATvmKYA0YrS1Exyf0aVf6s/w480-h640/IMG_9075.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSwFOyhLXZZfsRt-7WqgBLsZDLmUg5pdhrQtENT8dTpEcmWLqZqGg4qgAUbma6mbDsS2G1Il89p9AauZH0LtHYAhxO-rYtfOA5U6H59kQquOuxy3kw_A8pnhS-zgel5_pPUhoi6f3NBJIk8qhOvvSToWYHnO4NZN-Od6AnUuDm0DnKbi_JYOdKaihmtoY/s4032/IMG_9080.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSwFOyhLXZZfsRt-7WqgBLsZDLmUg5pdhrQtENT8dTpEcmWLqZqGg4qgAUbma6mbDsS2G1Il89p9AauZH0LtHYAhxO-rYtfOA5U6H59kQquOuxy3kw_A8pnhS-zgel5_pPUhoi6f3NBJIk8qhOvvSToWYHnO4NZN-Od6AnUuDm0DnKbi_JYOdKaihmtoY/w480-h640/IMG_9080.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>Laura Pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16108081477711821273noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932448625116124069.post-35063881891680645382023-07-01T18:30:00.007-04:002023-07-01T20:51:46.822-04:00Ready, set, go!<p>Being here at Oyster Haven for almost two weeks before the kids were due to arrive has been such a HUGE blessing! We’ve never had the luxury of doing so since we bought the house in the fall of 2015 and opened it up as a vacation rental the summer of 2016. We get our one week each year that we block off for our own family. But that’s it…until this summer. Between some burst pipes in the winter that needed repairs and a last-minute late June cancellation, we had the house blocked off the whole month of June, so we were able to move right in as soon as we came north. It has just been wonderful staying here!</p><p>We were able to get a number of overdue projects done inside and out, set up all the rooms for everyone, and shop for groceries and other supplies. I was even able to bake coffee cakes and several batches of family-favorite cookies, which I stashed in the freezer—because otherwise, would there even be any goodies left by the time the kids arrived?!</p><p>We will have four out of five boys and their families this year. Son # 2 and his wife just welcomed a fifth son on June 16, so they will not be joining us. It’s hard to ever get 100 percent of the clan together for this week, with all the various commitments they have. (Adulting is hard!) But we are thrilled to have as many as we can get spending the week under our lake house roof.</p><p>As far as sleeping arrangements: it’s cozy…yeah that’s it, cozy. It reminds me of summer trips to my husband’s parents’ house (the one just down the road, where we stay when we’re not at Oyster Haven), when our boys were growing up. Very crowded communal living for a week! That’s how they bonded with their many Pearl cousins, even though they were spread out all over the country. </p><p>Many of our boys’ kids are lucky enough to live close to each other year-round; sons #2, 3, and 4 live within striking distance of each other in VA. But with son #1 about to settle in a new house in WI and son #5 currently living in TN, we have to try to get everyone together as often as we can, </p><p>Are you interested in room arrangements? Let me show you how we’re fitting 10 adults and 16 children in a house where we only allow 13 guests total when we have renters. (I won’t show you the master, where my husband and I are sleeping, because it’s a mess!)</p><p>Son #4 and his family are getting the Aviation room. It has a queen and a twin. We added a queen-sized air mattress, and they’re also bringing a pack ‘n play. He and his wife have four little ones.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7O5wJO1iRHRYY5pju4qlfSMakghZIBpjUcZcbs5ip-AGCctpK2uPaP6v_6Ioyc7pdxzypAcKhXYeK7R0Bv1NxOHWtHf-G2yrV7BELS-HahKbIF37lGhEGaPsebObRA94GFmrjKW3zgMjMOqQsCwaSkDDkHU3d6W2EGohy-b7JjjAvVyk-ex3GxCD-N4k/s4032/IMG_8819.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7O5wJO1iRHRYY5pju4qlfSMakghZIBpjUcZcbs5ip-AGCctpK2uPaP6v_6Ioyc7pdxzypAcKhXYeK7R0Bv1NxOHWtHf-G2yrV7BELS-HahKbIF37lGhEGaPsebObRA94GFmrjKW3zgMjMOqQsCwaSkDDkHU3d6W2EGohy-b7JjjAvVyk-ex3GxCD-N4k/w640-h480/IMG_8819.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Our youngest son and his wife have one baby girl, four months old, who is currently co-sleeping with Mom and Dad. This little family gets the Little Cherubs Room. It has a full and a twin, and we’ve pushed the beds together. <div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB8XPx3PK9FUxpTUj1AwxherkCoo4MkJl0uSD5tOKHYgqACl4NOKFNbJEqvphNNIep4YTyoPlPepG84Wpx9hovgA-n-5EZi8fmoMkPb2twTaCXxYJWjlodrgmqOFzuGeWFM_3vq9hTkp0pXSM4lKzN6XevoUEG9CHlgmo-4idcIhV7rUX8rdWOqlMyzs8/s4032/IMG_8821.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB8XPx3PK9FUxpTUj1AwxherkCoo4MkJl0uSD5tOKHYgqACl4NOKFNbJEqvphNNIep4YTyoPlPepG84Wpx9hovgA-n-5EZi8fmoMkPb2twTaCXxYJWjlodrgmqOFzuGeWFM_3vq9hTkp0pXSM4lKzN6XevoUEG9CHlgmo-4idcIhV7rUX8rdWOqlMyzs8/w480-h640/IMG_8821.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Our oldest son has six kids with #7 on the way. We converted the basement ping pong room into a bedroom for his family. We dragged a queen-sized bed from the other makeshift basement bedroom into this one (it might have been hard for our pregnant daughter-in-law to be comfortable on an air mattress!). Then we added two air mattresses, a king-sized and a queen-sized, and also a pack ‘n play for their youngest. (After the picture was taken, we added a twin mattress on the floor for their young son.)</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4wbIaPUH0AT8khiqnsCSOiZF0YeMjMfO4Y6nFpYUj0CROqauDp_H4NWArn5HDv-fQPw1sqstnYmN7HeO0zG1_WYr71EUo8qszsOFf3insOrlR7QbLgN8Wh2UzBf-heah1IZISFGMxvXGnUZtdz83-vxdlofz3PWzKeDs3a7o50JaqHO_oVRh_UIazE5E/s4032/926801AF-3AC9-4178-9335-91EF578132DE.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4wbIaPUH0AT8khiqnsCSOiZF0YeMjMfO4Y6nFpYUj0CROqauDp_H4NWArn5HDv-fQPw1sqstnYmN7HeO0zG1_WYr71EUo8qszsOFf3insOrlR7QbLgN8Wh2UzBf-heah1IZISFGMxvXGnUZtdz83-vxdlofz3PWzKeDs3a7o50JaqHO_oVRh_UIazE5E/w640-h480/926801AF-3AC9-4178-9335-91EF578132DE.heic" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><div><br /></div>Finally, son #3’s family gets the Norman Rockwell Room. It’s a huge room, which has a queen and two twins already (the second twin is not shown in this picture). We added two twin air mattresses. Their four oldest kids will sleep with them in this room.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGT2ck8mbtsLUVKZLq-5BdLCYssT4bSTGQwq1uij-x1yA18Pms0SZSQ1I2Nx3SRmyZikYzkVk2tyY2Ac-g4lKA0PBKo2c6cWJfpGgD01SxdjXNW2ELQU-1orIn5qa-pqZg4sCbmzzK8hWgj6i6FuVeLZbJxX4SQYkiJksloGhI3AxUlWkJJjQhqpO5IHk/s4032/IMG_8817.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGT2ck8mbtsLUVKZLq-5BdLCYssT4bSTGQwq1uij-x1yA18Pms0SZSQ1I2Nx3SRmyZikYzkVk2tyY2Ac-g4lKA0PBKo2c6cWJfpGgD01SxdjXNW2ELQU-1orIn5qa-pqZg4sCbmzzK8hWgj6i6FuVeLZbJxX4SQYkiJksloGhI3AxUlWkJJjQhqpO5IHk/w480-h640/IMG_8817.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Their youngest will be sleeping in the walk-in closet in Papa and Grammy’s room.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5a2Zj7fFbFsp0-3ngn8tY1T1-5yVKjOXy_vUdE7mUdhXFTS4oSGGff9UEpG8jObIYAzdej7zNMCJsK-p9BsydPtHHM8QVDwrweE5L36AYws1O8t2E05Z27NmvNOdFwjAYljYRecCjEp4cDmXGPbpNlzC-zGXTUQkWRnfQW1P1mZyodlZs8kaGwJnL5OI/s4032/IMG_8818.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5a2Zj7fFbFsp0-3ngn8tY1T1-5yVKjOXy_vUdE7mUdhXFTS4oSGGff9UEpG8jObIYAzdej7zNMCJsK-p9BsydPtHHM8QVDwrweE5L36AYws1O8t2E05Z27NmvNOdFwjAYljYRecCjEp4cDmXGPbpNlzC-zGXTUQkWRnfQW1P1mZyodlZs8kaGwJnL5OI/w480-h640/IMG_8818.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Oh, and then there’s this, which my husband saw on a Sam’s grocery run and thought we ought to have for the grandkids.</div><div><span style="text-align: center;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-IBeYbwUvtGsowpXWBXSufAX_8ufnLdKzSnaaSyG60E5eJx2hBCWcuHQ-dxgwVYBKrHd49Vj_zsiV6_MQCAW6XgPWYqA0Bn02CLlpX8c0FlZ6XkCqlsdbeCUC0ClLwn9CIDZ84CRh-0L5hHa4kAQTgilmccFoAafh-or93tMHDaubhUZhc6KBHColLBc/s4032/70975382309__7E870C31-2C78-488A-B614-98DDA06E29F3.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-IBeYbwUvtGsowpXWBXSufAX_8ufnLdKzSnaaSyG60E5eJx2hBCWcuHQ-dxgwVYBKrHd49Vj_zsiV6_MQCAW6XgPWYqA0Bn02CLlpX8c0FlZ6XkCqlsdbeCUC0ClLwn9CIDZ84CRh-0L5hHa4kAQTgilmccFoAafh-or93tMHDaubhUZhc6KBHColLBc/w480-h640/70975382309__7E870C31-2C78-488A-B614-98DDA06E29F3.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Well, before I had a chance to post this, the kids started arriving! Let the fun begin—we’re ready!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNgYaLFzd9WgKiXHaL4GM3L1v7KkTKquP6TUnFgOfnlN1PnvL1i379Ieuu9JyfDpOuezONXmzdGYq48Rq9FL5lKeq6ONVYAAreaw7LWH8Zmld7yY53VWe6hQO9xFG5fb7bDqzPackATH7ZKDBG2zJHG6dxrbioA6Gr4MqSA-mDIPw8ybNppTPm4Y-P7u4/s4032/IMG_8834.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNgYaLFzd9WgKiXHaL4GM3L1v7KkTKquP6TUnFgOfnlN1PnvL1i379Ieuu9JyfDpOuezONXmzdGYq48Rq9FL5lKeq6ONVYAAreaw7LWH8Zmld7yY53VWe6hQO9xFG5fb7bDqzPackATH7ZKDBG2zJHG6dxrbioA6Gr4MqSA-mDIPw8ybNppTPm4Y-P7u4/w480-h640/IMG_8834.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPsuJklaB6fm2pDEdEqez28VEkt6WrE2yguFjHbJz8BsMtMRTDaNSKbys-qOaxxfBsO1gDmGDvU75Rpts_bXcFy1VUn6P77A7kKMlDbER9aTaj7DeK8hqTSByju4zNnpNmmJueMfJQP6bqP5gUlybMKOhKTFQLd0BRKSCxV36aIWcMdJU953bCz30gvgE/s4032/IMG_8836.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPsuJklaB6fm2pDEdEqez28VEkt6WrE2yguFjHbJz8BsMtMRTDaNSKbys-qOaxxfBsO1gDmGDvU75Rpts_bXcFy1VUn6P77A7kKMlDbER9aTaj7DeK8hqTSByju4zNnpNmmJueMfJQP6bqP5gUlybMKOhKTFQLd0BRKSCxV36aIWcMdJU953bCz30gvgE/w640-h480/IMG_8836.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMTImWjVunu3kh_8YbAIG6c7q24X7u9YsdtC_rMURES2v47DUgWV6Omnbr32_GcoTQo85sr9m_EWuCLHN_p5uPPH6-ig03AYlFshk-1dGgiH1QxzUAqaGTVOgs1pKRzPvG-Pr1Zo71CRqoUHE86PPMRe8zXvrGHZ_yb3fK5A-OPnwsZKOdbLkmVallBI0/s4032/IMG_8872.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMTImWjVunu3kh_8YbAIG6c7q24X7u9YsdtC_rMURES2v47DUgWV6Omnbr32_GcoTQo85sr9m_EWuCLHN_p5uPPH6-ig03AYlFshk-1dGgiH1QxzUAqaGTVOgs1pKRzPvG-Pr1Zo71CRqoUHE86PPMRe8zXvrGHZ_yb3fK5A-OPnwsZKOdbLkmVallBI0/w640-h480/IMG_8872.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Laura Pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16108081477711821273noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932448625116124069.post-51198348442435486602023-06-20T12:12:00.010-04:002023-06-20T14:19:27.497-04:00Lakeside Pearls 2023: Let Summer Begin!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We are at our Oyster Haven Vrbo rental! We got in yesterday afternoon, after the long drive north from VA, and we've already started the exhausting work of spring cleaning the place inside and out, so that it will be ready for the season. We blocked off the whole month of June, because we needed some work done. There were some pipes that burst during the winter, which fortunately didn't cause any flooding. But plumbing repairs were needed, and all the ancient baseboard heat covers throughout the first floor had to be replaced</div><p>The work got done and everything looks new and improved. And the bonus is that for the first time ever, we were able to move into the house early and get it ready for when our own gang comes on July 1 for our week-long Pearl vacation. That's right, our kids and grandkids are our first "guests" this summer, how awesome is that?! The only ones who will be missing this year are son #2 and his gang (because his wife JUST had a new baby, and the little guy is not quite ready for long-distance travel yet). But the other four boys, their wives, and the 16 kids they have between them will be here. Our oldest son's family hasn't been able to join us for the Oyster Haven week since the summer of 2016, so this will be very special for them. I'm getting so excited! </p><p>I've dreamed of being able to spend more time here than just our one family vacation week (I get a little jealous of our lucky renters). We stay at my husband's childhood home about 3 miles down the road while we manage our place from mid-June through Labor Day, and it's not too shabby there either. But I love this property so much. With its endless back yard and expansive private beach, it is the perfect idyllic retreat. I can hardly wait for everyone to get here.</p><p>But in the meantime, my hubby and I are enjoying being here together, just the two of us. This morning we went to an early Mass and when we got home, we sat by the lake in Adirondack chairs and prayed the Divine Office.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdm_nN7Qr9nt74GaHL6bAWuPef6BEZTXpONwcrgIpsvZjvPOUJePLrf1er8vfQ7qDrKA9PTBafV4jLlkJTe9fWuclKJOhOl71ejtzGTe0gAZ82dnFJC9g8wNSg6ESDPBzUaNEksdTztJPiba7zRASXcGstTHucbi7YjWzK9XViyb_0bEhbMRA65TFYETQ/s4032/IMG_8731.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdm_nN7Qr9nt74GaHL6bAWuPef6BEZTXpONwcrgIpsvZjvPOUJePLrf1er8vfQ7qDrKA9PTBafV4jLlkJTe9fWuclKJOhOl71ejtzGTe0gAZ82dnFJC9g8wNSg6ESDPBzUaNEksdTztJPiba7zRASXcGstTHucbi7YjWzK9XViyb_0bEhbMRA65TFYETQ/w640-h480/IMG_8731.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIfIO76R1d-dOFT2b5u1v_CqYZLPTrBdYZA0i1-jb9yxqoh54P-vv5shpl3ct73KQzxuNbSYv9XU6KuSwU_2zsR6NJJUFsen29_hZbP0UbRY4EJ39LOYU4OXiSsvq6g7TBqCmFEk7MlajmicRoIBo7TLGqd3yxjeaB6kwP1z0B6YGSZyVo0DEzcyqXvfE/s4032/IMG_8732.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIfIO76R1d-dOFT2b5u1v_CqYZLPTrBdYZA0i1-jb9yxqoh54P-vv5shpl3ct73KQzxuNbSYv9XU6KuSwU_2zsR6NJJUFsen29_hZbP0UbRY4EJ39LOYU4OXiSsvq6g7TBqCmFEk7MlajmicRoIBo7TLGqd3yxjeaB6kwP1z0B6YGSZyVo0DEzcyqXvfE/w640-h480/IMG_8732.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4jHjMXYrHIEi4msiJl_wCJX3GJJa2AEBovkE9zGresnhIIm9pahofS6pGRpwt4wuU5AopAImbU3J8OgsZRxMmTfNBgjmgrqnyGv61CExeKU-dswlVP0YUQqYcffoVT5IVj_z8UZn8ru9MJwUlCVfAjxZoPL7TA2vbmEbtJsmiHwpfAq3fjBPO6z-ouog/s4032/IMG_8734.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4jHjMXYrHIEi4msiJl_wCJX3GJJa2AEBovkE9zGresnhIIm9pahofS6pGRpwt4wuU5AopAImbU3J8OgsZRxMmTfNBgjmgrqnyGv61CExeKU-dswlVP0YUQqYcffoVT5IVj_z8UZn8ru9MJwUlCVfAjxZoPL7TA2vbmEbtJsmiHwpfAq3fjBPO6z-ouog/w480-h640/IMG_8734.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><p>Not a bad way to start the day…and the summer.</p><p><br /></p>Laura Pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16108081477711821273noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932448625116124069.post-16243222990159530532023-06-17T09:10:00.003-04:002023-06-20T11:09:41.919-04:00Introducing—<p>A new grandson!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRRYQIiZZsAZiiUV0kaxJfHhDJ0ABKuAsfxpWHkLGN7UhVnU-edueGvJcNOOCAUcdYniK1FHk2nw0DKW39M3cNC52-7GyagbYYCgdHvABZECtZzA_vusNvaWFiRSBUcy-oezyCZqUlwxS5mw95x2OZdNKvkuo1MO9E4R4WUUbTCOr-rHf6e6NfpW5X/s2048/IMG_3722.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRRYQIiZZsAZiiUV0kaxJfHhDJ0ABKuAsfxpWHkLGN7UhVnU-edueGvJcNOOCAUcdYniK1FHk2nw0DKW39M3cNC52-7GyagbYYCgdHvABZECtZzA_vusNvaWFiRSBUcy-oezyCZqUlwxS5mw95x2OZdNKvkuo1MO9E4R4WUUbTCOr-rHf6e6NfpW5X/w300-h400/IMG_3722.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><p>This sweet little fella was born yesterday afternoon, on the Feast of the Sacred Heart, and he has stolen his Grammy’s heart already. Mom and baby are both doing very well.</p><p>Papa and I have been staying at his house with his four older brothers, waiting anxiously to meet him. He and his parents should be home from the hospital by dinnertime.</p><p>This precious little boy is his parents’ 5th son, our 10th grandson, and Pearl grandchild #21 (he has so many cousins to play with!). What a blessing he is to our family!</p>Laura Pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16108081477711821273noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932448625116124069.post-69092929706242301852023-06-15T17:18:00.005-04:002023-06-17T22:38:48.236-04:00Our Walls Do Talk<p>My husband and I are about to leave our VA home for the summer and head to upstate NY, to the town where we grew up and met. To the place where our story started 50 years ago. </p><p>I’m excited to escape the extreme VA heat and humidity and spend the summer months on the refreshing lake, boating and swimming (when it finally gets warm enough for this old lady to dip her toes in there!), seeing my mom and lots of siblings on both sides, hosting our kids and grandkids for a vacation week in July at our Oyster Haven rental property. </p><p>But I will miss the kids and grandkids who are our “neighbors” down here (not exactly next-door neighbors, but close enough)—three of our married boys and the 13-soon-to-be-14 children they have between them. I love having so much of my family within striking distance. (I want them ALL that close, but I’ll take what I can get!!)</p><p>I’ll even miss our sweet little house here, though it doesn’t have a lake view out the back windows—and in fact, it doesn’t even have much of a yard at all around it. We make do, as you can see from these photos taken the other day at a playdate with son #4’s wife and four kiddos.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPf2_uX3owV3dRgkkiKLxDpP5vdZ_KoA4hobSOAzWGBWhpXhlp0ylDbR6bBSPlJz8HIYFKrv0xV-lzsFoQkj401mjnTjErTW8vLV-Dmf7xy19e-wYOuz3oAe_84nG3Wqk0Iy31uNmzqMKyKZA9s5TfDm9NObazMnh9ENPSrPdSaCqdEe-s_c6IlY9g/s4032/IMG_8586.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPf2_uX3owV3dRgkkiKLxDpP5vdZ_KoA4hobSOAzWGBWhpXhlp0ylDbR6bBSPlJz8HIYFKrv0xV-lzsFoQkj401mjnTjErTW8vLV-Dmf7xy19e-wYOuz3oAe_84nG3Wqk0Iy31uNmzqMKyKZA9s5TfDm9NObazMnh9ENPSrPdSaCqdEe-s_c6IlY9g/w640-h480/IMG_8586.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-gqikE_gPJDX30y7Paihhm6XBkD91PBAQYlUN77jZbRW899NNvc7LUm7gAUVLjD8XqHurO2jYxKr8YBKPBioQ7i5mfPt4CYZVSywrbBaSA_7aDBcMw62vAfcPVX--ORLvxO9CaTQinQqMX-VCqdotPtJsjVxcWKonr8OTz86yKoiPjquhEYks4GlS/s4032/IMG_8591.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-gqikE_gPJDX30y7Paihhm6XBkD91PBAQYlUN77jZbRW899NNvc7LUm7gAUVLjD8XqHurO2jYxKr8YBKPBioQ7i5mfPt4CYZVSywrbBaSA_7aDBcMw62vAfcPVX--ORLvxO9CaTQinQqMX-VCqdotPtJsjVxcWKonr8OTz86yKoiPjquhEYks4GlS/w640-h480/IMG_8591.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Most of the walls in my house are gallery walls, eclectic groupings of artwork and memorabilia that “command attention and showcase our fondest family memories” (that’s what the Internet says these sorts of walls are supposed to do, and that description seems to fit!). My walls look randomly designed (and they are constantly evolving and changing); but they are tied together by the fact that everything I hang up on them has special meaning. Every piece has a story behind it, and all together, our crowded walls tell the story of our life.</p><p>This little section of wall in my kitchen is one of my favorites.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzq4JX27KGK1PZRNoemNB8Grl7SCodZt4eua-kEzMW6JnImO-BufKCiiISFhgwGVxwKagaUBFlzZCgx7TGKlGYzlhdYTzyEhyamo8x_BcfKtL6xxcFlEzKGtQoJ_quAU_bUZ9TnEKAyYYHe0ejGBlcUndQFYStgahDv2G1olQy8QyPq0ibO5P--nM2/s2100/IMG_8594.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1576" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzq4JX27KGK1PZRNoemNB8Grl7SCodZt4eua-kEzMW6JnImO-BufKCiiISFhgwGVxwKagaUBFlzZCgx7TGKlGYzlhdYTzyEhyamo8x_BcfKtL6xxcFlEzKGtQoJ_quAU_bUZ9TnEKAyYYHe0ejGBlcUndQFYStgahDv2G1olQy8QyPq0ibO5P--nM2/w480-h640/IMG_8594.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><p>This wall includes canvas photo copies of the pigs I'd painted onto the kitchen walls of our NH house over 30 years ago. I had to roll a nice neutral gray-colored paint over my precious pigs to make things fresh for the new owners when we moved away in 2017, but I made sure to take pictures before I started that sad task. And those canvases were among the first items I hung up when we got to our new house. Notice also the two cartoon drawings son #4 (a very talented artist) did for us as gifts, one of our five boys and the other of my husband and me. There's the Bigfoot sign I painted for my dad years ago as a Christmas gift ("Bigfoot" was the name his grandkids all called him, per his request!). That little sign came back to me when he died in 2016. There's a clock I had made with an image of the cover of <i>Finding Grace</i> (you can do just about anything with photos these days, can't you?). The tiny embroidery piece was handcrafted by one of my twin granddaughters, who is 12 now, as a gift for me a few years ago. (The little wooden frame? It originally held a tiny oil painting that I made for my <i>own </i>grandmother many decades ago, a gift that came back to me when she died. Talk about history repeating itself!) See that small framed print of an old brick building? That's the high school where my husband and I met as freshmen, way back in 1972. It's since been torn down and I'm so glad to have this image of it! The small wooden cross with the beautiful scroll work on it was given as a favor at a wedding we attended about a year ago at our parish here in VA. (We have friends! We're making connections, when I never thought we would do that after our big move to a new town--and a new state-- at a relatively late stage of life!). And finally, the cutting board is a gift from our youngest son. It is engraved with our last name and these words: "Together is our favorite place to be." Truer words were never spoken. (And my boys are the sweetest, most thoughtful gift-givers.)</p><p>Can you see why I love that gallery wall so much? Since it's in the room where I spend the bulk of my time each day, I look at it often. It always makes me happy.</p><p>I have a passion for collecting transferware and vintage souvenir plates, so many of my walls have plates hanging on them. But they can't just be pretty; they have to be meaningful to me as well, as these two in the family room most definitely are. The top one is a souvenir from a Bavarian town where our youngest son lived for three years when he was in the Army. While he was stationed there, I was able to stay for a prolonged visit with him at his apartment, located right in the center of town, and I fell in love with that area of Germany. The other plate shows a map of another place near and dear to my heart, of course: the state of NH, where we lived for more than a quarter of a century and did most of the raising of our sons.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja6VxEgyeWRw4zPXRHMw0AsZYGeuSMETewNGgudbPHh6eBgHPsGCjll4Bhscps0wsCtqTedhk4rRR0bl6LtuejS9hG1yJUFB-O7_8szD-tnV84DdEY3S3TeflQMsDWXSCdLJWLDi3gDgADpy_shKELrJ_WpfdjK_GTvF62aLa8A2kgeKkuRVRxwn35/s4032/IMG_8592.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja6VxEgyeWRw4zPXRHMw0AsZYGeuSMETewNGgudbPHh6eBgHPsGCjll4Bhscps0wsCtqTedhk4rRR0bl6LtuejS9hG1yJUFB-O7_8szD-tnV84DdEY3S3TeflQMsDWXSCdLJWLDi3gDgADpy_shKELrJ_WpfdjK_GTvF62aLa8A2kgeKkuRVRxwn35/w480-h640/IMG_8592.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the table: a picture from our trip to Rome in March of 2019, standing <br />in front of the Spanish Steps.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>The other neat thing on that wall is the framed map of Lake Champlain. We grew up near that lake and we spend our summers there, so my husband and I love having this reminder hanging on a wall of our VA home. And of course, there's the requisite nod to Irish culture, the Claddagh wall hanging.</div><div><br /></div><div>The man of the house has a recliner chair on one side of the room, and this is what the wall next to that chair looks like. I don't really have to tell you why I love it so much, do I? I mean, is there anything better than family photos? This wall also has the sweet sign our middle son's wife made for us one Christmas--it might have been the first Christmas we celebrated in VA. It says, "Papa & Grammy's House, WHERE COUSINS BECOME FRIENDS." That pretty much sums up why we moved here in the first place and what we hope this house will accomplish! (Please note the clock, too, a gift I gave my husband: it's an Irish pub clock that says, "DANCING, SINGING, CARRYING ON--CLOSED DURNG MASS." That was a must-have because we love all things Irish, and that includes Notre Dame football.) </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMasgw4e1_TeIBAyIjG_7KuphSABhp9sStA_jR3j5VWKw0mi7tK3ftsnh4kcShkVpUME7xQLBale2vJlxe2PYupaUB-uYDsc78UOwxeTCg3fFhC2LgcNtqjOd8kosyTVIVRMizSmDi1lC0c9-jYdx3Jr59DqmLIFhgUSiWfqXKcNjmZa2QX7m6QcZy/s3784/IMG_8596.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3784" data-original-width="2844" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMasgw4e1_TeIBAyIjG_7KuphSABhp9sStA_jR3j5VWKw0mi7tK3ftsnh4kcShkVpUME7xQLBale2vJlxe2PYupaUB-uYDsc78UOwxeTCg3fFhC2LgcNtqjOd8kosyTVIVRMizSmDi1lC0c9-jYdx3Jr59DqmLIFhgUSiWfqXKcNjmZa2QX7m6QcZy/w482-h640/IMG_8596.jpeg" width="482" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Over on the other side of the room, where I have a big overstuffed chair and ottoman, this is what my wall looks like. Pictures of our boys, pictures of them with their wives on their wedding days...it doesn't get much better than that.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyBHZUIWHLA0gfmbZP806FDK6EKCDlB_7r96m5vLAHPxi3WkAWJCfzxivFDIUMDXcUkxyUXPSwNSbH2wA_cuWUvQmjaLDYp2T7weQVxdwnlwR4J4MVjsOeQCmCoJHTIbO5SXvkGNV80wVNWuFE2cwhCHmynaaJ-DJ3xROfjXNVGEcqutCnFmUlALYm/s3560/IMG_8597.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3020" data-original-width="3560" height="542" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyBHZUIWHLA0gfmbZP806FDK6EKCDlB_7r96m5vLAHPxi3WkAWJCfzxivFDIUMDXcUkxyUXPSwNSbH2wA_cuWUvQmjaLDYp2T7weQVxdwnlwR4J4MVjsOeQCmCoJHTIbO5SXvkGNV80wVNWuFE2cwhCHmynaaJ-DJ3xROfjXNVGEcqutCnFmUlALYm/w640-h542/IMG_8597.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The best wall of all is in our living room, though: that is where we showcase the ever-expanding gallery of canvas portraits of our beloved grandchildren. Each little person's adorable mug is added when he or she turns one (a favorite age of ours), so only 19 of the 20 (almost 21!) are up there so far.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOtx2md48qMFIX-t_m_9UcdsV4CNcBD8WDk7vaB62TF7Jps8zCuFAPCkNSuKJJJAX3P4MBGb5sUmV_s-DuLhP64Iw8FDjrTEb5SlodjD0KtVN9gmprLp-m3nx_6--fl-NDYiwjfGR2yBIeqF2YXxkotxrLp9qOpsQA6Bq55vtFcmiyutLEYMZcFbeM/s4032/IMG_8613.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOtx2md48qMFIX-t_m_9UcdsV4CNcBD8WDk7vaB62TF7Jps8zCuFAPCkNSuKJJJAX3P4MBGb5sUmV_s-DuLhP64Iw8FDjrTEb5SlodjD0KtVN9gmprLp-m3nx_6--fl-NDYiwjfGR2yBIeqF2YXxkotxrLp9qOpsQA6Bq55vtFcmiyutLEYMZcFbeM/w640-h480/IMG_8613.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>We do have some lovely religious artwork in our house as well (a subject for a future post, perhaps?), and a few other pieces of art that speak to me in a special way. But family photos and memorabilia take up most of the wall space.</div><div><br /></div>I'll be missing these busy but comforting walls, and the tales they tell about our life together, when we're away for the next few months. But I'm also looking forward to spending most of the summer (when we're not at our Oyster Haven house) surrounded by the walls of my husband's beloved childhood home, where we spent so much of our time when we were young and just starting out. Those walls do a lot of talking, too, and they've got some great stories to tell. <div><br /></div><div>We should be packed up and on the road to NY by Sunday or Monday. But first, some babysitting! We are going over to the house of son #2 tonight for a sleepover, to be there for their four boys when Mom and Dad leave tomorrow morning to have their new baby. Our daughter-in-law is scheduled to be induced rather early. Any prayers you could offer up would be appreciated! And I'll let you know how it all went, and whether we've got a new granddaughter or a new grandson!</div>Laura Pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16108081477711821273noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932448625116124069.post-91742337933310065062023-06-12T12:43:00.005-04:002023-06-13T05:57:59.131-04:00Grandparents' Day, a Confirmation, Cousins, and a Cake<p>Well, it hasn't been QUITE a month yet since I last blogged (almost, but not quite!). I left off with<a href="https://mumsie2five.blogspot.com/2023/05/a-beautiful-mothers-day-and-beautiful.html"> this post</a>, from May 19, which chronicled a grandson's First Holy Communion and a Mother's Day celebration. Lots has happened since then...lots that I haven't written about but I'd like to get down "on paper" here before too much more time has passed.</p><p>I actually forgot to mention another special event that occurred in May in that last post: Grandparents' Day at son #3's kids' Catholic school, which took place on May 12. Their school is only about a 45-minute drive from where we live (I've said it before and I'll say it again, this move to VA in 2017 was the best decision we could have made), so we were able to arrive early and snag the best seats up front in the gym/auditorium. (That way, when the kids looked out to see if we were there, we were easy to find!) It was wonderful, but a bit crazy: when you have three students (grades JK, 1, and 2) and only two grandparents, it's hard to do all the things you want to do with each one, as each grade level has a different schedule of events. But we did the best we could and our grandchildren seemed<i> extremely </i>happy that we came. (Especially our JK cutie, who was literally jumping and dancing with joy.)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXSF1ewVee0egMHJfmhJlFEqPkqfB46gfzVsAPMeioJ0YWtk2pqOpIZUq0cdX7LxIn7OI3GeJUaRO4jYtcnsi9s3goB5dQJBT9KD23RcHpvVzj2Wj7a7B_245qMj0dcJkl3934SuFuQe2O1f4vFUefZpUVpijpxd7r_S9pcsfZ4JY-zIMbTn38ZhHe/s4032/1A8B9CA7-5ED7-470B-B26F-9B23F1A4A2B3.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXSF1ewVee0egMHJfmhJlFEqPkqfB46gfzVsAPMeioJ0YWtk2pqOpIZUq0cdX7LxIn7OI3GeJUaRO4jYtcnsi9s3goB5dQJBT9KD23RcHpvVzj2Wj7a7B_245qMj0dcJkl3934SuFuQe2O1f4vFUefZpUVpijpxd7r_S9pcsfZ4JY-zIMbTn38ZhHe/w480-h640/1A8B9CA7-5ED7-470B-B26F-9B23F1A4A2B3.heic" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Nl_0KBJ63uF_y8Hf1BcvUAMV9cRCV-E0NFGKCnajhg8_wwwKko-UI7TmXzkMonKYmCpeBtjNuVOv0JULQUVXn3FJOUiB4M_NsvRBN9Tpfp0CUq9xsnDTXAjD14VG7BPy5mHxEleCA72twBmWLZBwSug8uuuXGqxckiEuVpWCAtLWm3O5sgV3UTqJ/s4032/95D95AB4-D7C6-4C2D-A8C4-485E8BEC49EF_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Nl_0KBJ63uF_y8Hf1BcvUAMV9cRCV-E0NFGKCnajhg8_wwwKko-UI7TmXzkMonKYmCpeBtjNuVOv0JULQUVXn3FJOUiB4M_NsvRBN9Tpfp0CUq9xsnDTXAjD14VG7BPy5mHxEleCA72twBmWLZBwSug8uuuXGqxckiEuVpWCAtLWm3O5sgV3UTqJ/w480-h640/95D95AB4-D7C6-4C2D-A8C4-485E8BEC49EF_1_201_a.heic" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzzY56Ec1OILdaKQSyo9uJ9bgr3wbeG0_TIwB_9fwwjnfSdB09YSZ_pcgblzjTl0yDl2KtNKamIuWqhoMG38ikQ7DYGp6gnQe08cpeGqxs3lDnBOYUtKFznWOF0Zxe0xaSsow4yew6XgsoJM9BurxI7FF5r38SulJRLp8WUivCqkfRLTZxkqJkHYuB/s2804/15F3D42C-498C-4993-A357-767BDEC83D9F_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2804" data-original-width="2666" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzzY56Ec1OILdaKQSyo9uJ9bgr3wbeG0_TIwB_9fwwjnfSdB09YSZ_pcgblzjTl0yDl2KtNKamIuWqhoMG38ikQ7DYGp6gnQe08cpeGqxs3lDnBOYUtKFznWOF0Zxe0xaSsow4yew6XgsoJM9BurxI7FF5r38SulJRLp8WUivCqkfRLTZxkqJkHYuB/w608-h640/15F3D42C-498C-4993-A357-767BDEC83D9F_1_201_a.heic" width="608" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMouqpMZRmzabwGJi8dauN8QBPK_8w_9IpNdrMke2olzyMBgGp7KBIfKnNMWisVTRKfJWpDvrXS8aaU7USPfZ7fTLqRPpzLX5qHPTgUiot_N8AHlBJnJiLyKlNQbDGVHDnvHzH5P2vV8zuC5qNVpCX2xy_QhYF_m14bsP7dHyW_TFgcTV9L4t5V6Q5/s4032/A573F041-7E34-49D5-A37A-6E693D69478E.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMouqpMZRmzabwGJi8dauN8QBPK_8w_9IpNdrMke2olzyMBgGp7KBIfKnNMWisVTRKfJWpDvrXS8aaU7USPfZ7fTLqRPpzLX5qHPTgUiot_N8AHlBJnJiLyKlNQbDGVHDnvHzH5P2vV8zuC5qNVpCX2xy_QhYF_m14bsP7dHyW_TFgcTV9L4t5V6Q5/w480-h640/A573F041-7E34-49D5-A37A-6E693D69478E.heic" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzvXHw7UU2XJqfAPDbaD1LxOHqHwVpAGhTZ5BNLXtX4-KCC1GS5THfcLm-TZ89J5t7Gt6JZbGpRAW0hA2iGPV61O3aqdXfP_KLG-wE_0uYhaoojMNIyzXFX10iBH9dXqgFJ1wfZFrqYN2GBV8k7t6VkX3YwGUVkp904q8HFQqkDz3ROWvLD_CMbBFT/s3088/A6F48A83-0990-4728-9F81-4D50DAE4E2D8.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzvXHw7UU2XJqfAPDbaD1LxOHqHwVpAGhTZ5BNLXtX4-KCC1GS5THfcLm-TZ89J5t7Gt6JZbGpRAW0hA2iGPV61O3aqdXfP_KLG-wE_0uYhaoojMNIyzXFX10iBH9dXqgFJ1wfZFrqYN2GBV8k7t6VkX3YwGUVkp904q8HFQqkDz3ROWvLD_CMbBFT/w480-h640/A6F48A83-0990-4728-9F81-4D50DAE4E2D8.heic" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfnOrzjpJxIzF3Sy1BMynWQ3Y5cSOGpvL4ZxiGi6Hgouuaz7HuVeMCNBsy7Y7dvsxeXqmarVXvJmATEb4qL_cBtADC7hmI5SPY5ViFw71lusOsYyCykrAMS_tsccluENyJAI2DffPH79GcqdyxUPAXULYt7GLuRYIRxYfo2-dU3CDbD6dUaB61-31h/s2892/CE81854C-989B-4C07-9C67-4CCD47EBFADD_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2219" data-original-width="2892" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfnOrzjpJxIzF3Sy1BMynWQ3Y5cSOGpvL4ZxiGi6Hgouuaz7HuVeMCNBsy7Y7dvsxeXqmarVXvJmATEb4qL_cBtADC7hmI5SPY5ViFw71lusOsYyCykrAMS_tsccluENyJAI2DffPH79GcqdyxUPAXULYt7GLuRYIRxYfo2-dU3CDbD6dUaB61-31h/w640-h492/CE81854C-989B-4C07-9C67-4CCD47EBFADD_1_201_a.heic" width="640" /></a></div> <div><br /><div>You may recall that in my <a href="https://mumsie2five.blogspot.com/2023/05/falling-behind-and-playing-catch-up-as.html">next-to-last post</a>, I blogged about a trip out to Iowa for a granddaughter's First Holy Communion in early May. Well, that same granddaughter (8) and her sister (10), two of our oldest son's six children, were scheduled to be confirmed on May 21--in the same ceremony, at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in LaCrosse, WI, by Cardinal Burke. So we went on another road trip! We drove out to Iowa first, to spend a couple of days with our son's family. On Sunday, we went to a traditional Latin Mass at their parish in the morning, and then we car-caravanned over to WI with them afterward for the Confirmation. Our 8-year-old granddaughter, City Girl, had asked me to be her sponsor. Her sister, Little Gal, had asked her other grandmother. What a special honor that was for Grammy and Nonna!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxYBLTRrP4iwG2L_G_Ii9xeddgvP_9_UhJctb0dzjs68JiVnOoo3fo-6mM2frXu-4EwObBLfu4W2EbYhip_L8IJaY2ni-hW8j3xieqPmTdsb-NEZtbXqUGQQ7FCnG4Tv9VbgCz_5Xkz1CNMcJ7I1ALNtfSePxc4deibxsx_y5DIrhS0Se7WjPZiLYt/s4032/10AA8540-9AB3-40E4-9BFC-DC7E8476B7B7_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxYBLTRrP4iwG2L_G_Ii9xeddgvP_9_UhJctb0dzjs68JiVnOoo3fo-6mM2frXu-4EwObBLfu4W2EbYhip_L8IJaY2ni-hW8j3xieqPmTdsb-NEZtbXqUGQQ7FCnG4Tv9VbgCz_5Xkz1CNMcJ7I1ALNtfSePxc4deibxsx_y5DIrhS0Se7WjPZiLYt/w640-h480/10AA8540-9AB3-40E4-9BFC-DC7E8476B7B7_1_201_a.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The two newly confirmed girls are in front, one on either side of the cardinal, with their sponsors<br /> behind them. (St. Joan of Arc, pray for us! St. Catherine Laboure, pray for us!)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>One more interesting little fact: our granddaughters' mom Regina was also confirmed by Burke many years ago, back when he was a bishop. </div><div><br /></div><div>That will probably be our last trip to Iowa to see this beloved family, since son #1 has taken a job with a new company and a move to WI is imminent. It's funny how you can get attached to a place so quickly. They've only lived there a year-and-a-half, but I'm a bit sad that my husband and I will never visit them at their sweet little Iowa homestead again. They've sold most of their animals (the cows, chickens, and ducks; but they still have the goats) and put their house on the market, and they're looking for a place to buy in WI. We pray that the sale of the old house and the move to a new one will happen quickly and smoothly.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKy50xvQzzYxlQbLKB5X_Ud9cv7h2FglX--NkeCkfWfT6vBU1XFCEnrkZ2p99kdOnwQzx6yHxN2Vdvr44v36Fa33qTy-GoA69Il1TSBzp5Bi_LF0wSWFTE1kGm-_mNkucPhNi7B8YNLliQrz3Kvctvd13fYM4vEy2jxBsdzT8Lrt7Xun3bEGMwu14l/s4032/BBADF972-292F-4B3C-93E5-464CE5A5BB06.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKy50xvQzzYxlQbLKB5X_Ud9cv7h2FglX--NkeCkfWfT6vBU1XFCEnrkZ2p99kdOnwQzx6yHxN2Vdvr44v36Fa33qTy-GoA69Il1TSBzp5Bi_LF0wSWFTE1kGm-_mNkucPhNi7B8YNLliQrz3Kvctvd13fYM4vEy2jxBsdzT8Lrt7Xun3bEGMwu14l/w640-h480/BBADF972-292F-4B3C-93E5-464CE5A5BB06.heic" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doesn't this look idyllic, like something out of an old painting? It's a dreamy piece <br />of real estate. (Hopefully some buyer will agree with that sentiment, sooner rather than later!) </td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><br /><div>Let's see, what else has happened since I've been away? Oh yes, over Memorial Day son #3, his wife, and their five kids made a trip to TN. They met up with son #5, his wife, and their infant daughter (who live outside of Nashville), and they all stayed together in an airbnb cabin. While my husband and I weren't part of that fun family vacation (which included visiting Dollywood), we enjoyed it vicariously through pictures. We were so thrilled to know that two of our boys had met up with their families and were enjoying precious time together, and that cousins who'd never met before were forming new bonds. (Although our youngest granddaughter may have to see these guys a few more times before she starts to remember them!) That's <i>everything</i> to my husband and me, really. Aside from wanting them to one day all become saints in Heaven (<i>of course!</i>), our one wish for our boys and their families is that they remain close to each other, long after we're gone.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicwcwMabosqYFADQbeduiR15WxU_o9dTBCMRvqNkFwergFMOx7VRwxmf5qCs9wBsVZdrYOXq28V1plQJfX73zSVxnqhyFGGp5-9mBza86x25g53bnTMqS7w7fZhoZ24wmgq7l8eHC3_WAQ-2oQ4DWsA1z7t0rk8IVmXXWXrF8rxHINLpzTIig-Q5MD/s1600/DCCA59CB-EB81-4233-A412-08C8B5682A93.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicwcwMabosqYFADQbeduiR15WxU_o9dTBCMRvqNkFwergFMOx7VRwxmf5qCs9wBsVZdrYOXq28V1plQJfX73zSVxnqhyFGGp5-9mBza86x25g53bnTMqS7w7fZhoZ24wmgq7l8eHC3_WAQ-2oQ4DWsA1z7t0rk8IVmXXWXrF8rxHINLpzTIig-Q5MD/w640-h426/DCCA59CB-EB81-4233-A412-08C8B5682A93.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxslbjXTkkGrOokoPKq6VQCIbtZVTVyiX1PSyHX7ILmfB5sdy2xaf8tE6cPM3uVY-y7sWJa19jHG5S5iP_U61TuKafgYDLvYxLh3HsIv29EIkMbaC4oCY7K9ELNTjr17r0KMXloQu3b596Y_FI6mxQMSC6rK4dvdJ3JkNvnckiqfr9y3F_nepX2bNj/s2048/08CA7A41-D212-4E9E-B388-7CD9AB39BACD.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxslbjXTkkGrOokoPKq6VQCIbtZVTVyiX1PSyHX7ILmfB5sdy2xaf8tE6cPM3uVY-y7sWJa19jHG5S5iP_U61TuKafgYDLvYxLh3HsIv29EIkMbaC4oCY7K9ELNTjr17r0KMXloQu3b596Y_FI6mxQMSC6rK4dvdJ3JkNvnckiqfr9y3F_nepX2bNj/w480-h640/08CA7A41-D212-4E9E-B388-7CD9AB39BACD.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8_OXKqh-9VRvLVR6uMS0s2woH9eGVUu897LSW5aTS7RM2M-5zCpQbbuSTcCziZxr4ilt-oyQh70U67uM9DWI4x4m-XubHfF-5htxPnSxtHTbWXreqQCoyRzYRA7F52wrx0fh164S9sLsaMqBjPRZIF_vlotHopfGz0U00xP8bJkfHdfztxfQkykkf/s1600/F9AE877A-05F7-48A3-8B2F-F9EA240FBB6A.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8_OXKqh-9VRvLVR6uMS0s2woH9eGVUu897LSW5aTS7RM2M-5zCpQbbuSTcCziZxr4ilt-oyQh70U67uM9DWI4x4m-XubHfF-5htxPnSxtHTbWXreqQCoyRzYRA7F52wrx0fh164S9sLsaMqBjPRZIF_vlotHopfGz0U00xP8bJkfHdfztxfQkykkf/w640-h480/F9AE877A-05F7-48A3-8B2F-F9EA240FBB6A.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><br /><div>It has become a tradition that sometime in mid-June, son #2 and his wife host a huge family blow-out party at their house, to celebrate the birthdays of their second-oldest son Jedi and my hubby. After that backyard extravaganza, we head up to NY for the summer to manage our Vrbo house and enjoy the lake life. This year, because our daughter-in-law Ginger is due to have baby #5 in mid-June, they were going to have the party at the beginning of the month. But they ultimately decided to cancel, which to tell you the truth was a relief to us. It's hard enough to be within a couple of weeks of giving birth, but add in a party for dozens of people (which always includes an amazing spread and a giant water slide/bouncy house for the kids), and that's just too much. </div><div><br /></div><div>So instead of that, Papa and I brought a little party over to Jedi last night, and we celebrated his 6th birthday a few days early. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBHUgEGpSrpr0JTiZeE4ZN8VcinGzyh4ZjVybQN7IoaJF5hqPklURofaoH8UzzodSpvdZYU-9357tkz6Ux6spx0EiH8ECq4yYD7ETiFjlRnr3my79FcnWrlUC3o89xhe24pgCqIaENLSe8S2W34_XN_X_R4gSit8JAX4dbbcIvvpsEVRZHIgopcCHp/s4032/4483C7D0-54F4-4D17-AA4C-5A3D68093796_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBHUgEGpSrpr0JTiZeE4ZN8VcinGzyh4ZjVybQN7IoaJF5hqPklURofaoH8UzzodSpvdZYU-9357tkz6Ux6spx0EiH8ECq4yYD7ETiFjlRnr3my79FcnWrlUC3o89xhe24pgCqIaENLSe8S2W34_XN_X_R4gSit8JAX4dbbcIvvpsEVRZHIgopcCHp/w480-h640/4483C7D0-54F4-4D17-AA4C-5A3D68093796_1_201_a.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It has also become a tradition for Grammy to make cakes for all the <br />little ones. Guess what Jedi is into these days?</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Unless the baby decides to come earlier, Ginger is due to be induced on June 16, the Feast of the Sacred Heart. She and son #2 chose not to find out the sex, and we can hardly wait to meet our new grandson or granddaughter! We will be staying overnight at their house to watch their four boys while they're in the hospital. Please keep our daughter-in-law and her baby in your prayers, if you could.</div><div><br /></div><div>I used to dream that this blog would have all sorts of inspirational content, that it would be more about writing than just telling you what I've been doing and posting photos. When I read <a href="http://mamaneedscoffee.com">Jenny Uebbing's blog posts</a>, which don't come out that often and are always eagerly devoured, I'm just blown away by her WORDS. (I love words! I love to read them and to write them! Speaking them is harder for me, so I'd rather write them. But I digress...) Uebbing rarely even includes pictures in her blog posts, but she doesn't have to. Every essay is gold. </div><div><br /></div><div>This blog, on the other hand, has has become more of a scrapbook of my life than anything else. But I'm okay with that! As my 65th birthday approaches, I'm reminded more and more of how fleeting it all is, and I want to commit to memory every single precious moment with the people I love. </div><div><br /></div><div>And thanks be to God, there are many such moments.</div><div><br /></div></div>Laura Pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16108081477711821273noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932448625116124069.post-69482443399878444752023-05-19T10:39:00.009-04:002023-05-23T17:55:16.940-04:00A Beautiful Mother's Day and a Beautiful Life!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgjLSMCdXfWtca11gJPE8HbCCOqOVJycKeR2avFbZfjsP8DDhs5rKJxXB_KhB3-CKTtomSjEQUgv_mdQ8BAavH7LzFOtOmAYCC-Y-GIAUtmgyhU8vAWlwtRCcZCzc6Ea2MuOYkWwiDVK0RxhJg7DcX8EkmR9Z6FqEH4MJ0JsmVm52G3Hh8fLAocbEb/s3769/F863A9E4-8A9C-48B8-A5FE-F0DFDA4D07D7.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3769" data-original-width="2750" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgjLSMCdXfWtca11gJPE8HbCCOqOVJycKeR2avFbZfjsP8DDhs5rKJxXB_KhB3-CKTtomSjEQUgv_mdQ8BAavH7LzFOtOmAYCC-Y-GIAUtmgyhU8vAWlwtRCcZCzc6Ea2MuOYkWwiDVK0RxhJg7DcX8EkmR9Z6FqEH4MJ0JsmVm52G3Hh8fLAocbEb/w466-h640/F863A9E4-8A9C-48B8-A5FE-F0DFDA4D07D7.jpeg" width="466" /></a></div><br />I am late with my Mother's Day post, but that's about par for the course for me these days!<p></p><p>We had such a special celebration last Sunday, because our oldest grandson, G-Man (who is the oldest of son #3's five offspring), made his First Holy Communion that day. What could be better than spending Mother's Day seeing one of your precious children's children receive the Holy Eucharist for the first time ever? It was beautiful.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3qI5gSs-M_FUxKJIGp81bSNroD8xb7TRmXpMXhS0AwZDVwDH_SPdwy7oRYb6o4bhfWwmJxVqDFdOoaz68C37z6vIkgf3bCQpj5Vrqa0RVDRENmfLcer3Qmeve3PAcTdqN_lkMu_Dl39IFU-m2LCrnj9n97bYzY_eQRRAGarzOm70SEHrJula9_Ymv/s4032/8D5A2BE9-87F4-4CEB-BE06-E4E88E164B92.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3qI5gSs-M_FUxKJIGp81bSNroD8xb7TRmXpMXhS0AwZDVwDH_SPdwy7oRYb6o4bhfWwmJxVqDFdOoaz68C37z6vIkgf3bCQpj5Vrqa0RVDRENmfLcer3Qmeve3PAcTdqN_lkMu_Dl39IFU-m2LCrnj9n97bYzY_eQRRAGarzOm70SEHrJula9_Ymv/w480-h640/8D5A2BE9-87F4-4CEB-BE06-E4E88E164B92.heic" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1kpe5tgJiyHAc-ZwJTMKqD9GUN4t2bZA8BOfJclQlRgRGcBtOP95F_U2c_eFqsxkh_Yhlf6cwkq3pzxdHvIafJZjzmoUcavPRzk8msbmc2e_UV96K8456IoL76T9y9KnJSnZvrehMm_rW4AhclTXCY7jUKMVHxR3fc0y4fM_7-0F0BAoXL-9HK3bS/s4032/CC1465A3-BEE9-42EE-82EA-2DF4E268E0B9.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1kpe5tgJiyHAc-ZwJTMKqD9GUN4t2bZA8BOfJclQlRgRGcBtOP95F_U2c_eFqsxkh_Yhlf6cwkq3pzxdHvIafJZjzmoUcavPRzk8msbmc2e_UV96K8456IoL76T9y9KnJSnZvrehMm_rW4AhclTXCY7jUKMVHxR3fc0y4fM_7-0F0BAoXL-9HK3bS/w480-h640/CC1465A3-BEE9-42EE-82EA-2DF4E268E0B9.heic" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg90bguX5yzqH9wsUHfcIw5NTRY4d50H6E4Ym3kE3J1-gbSybOlSGDSM4ebs2JqxIJ8-72ChFQwHdyHUE2AVh0S5OnVEvjsaYMfOFdKTh7tUvscEC-uppSrKOiyCoxMWECuIZQ_Hd42QCOzFSBX0eMiUyV_ZaXHqRgw_zVqG12QyrSh49c6i4PmXre/s4032/DB19CEDE-6FBF-42DD-8163-6E29AEC50889.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg90bguX5yzqH9wsUHfcIw5NTRY4d50H6E4Ym3kE3J1-gbSybOlSGDSM4ebs2JqxIJ8-72ChFQwHdyHUE2AVh0S5OnVEvjsaYMfOFdKTh7tUvscEC-uppSrKOiyCoxMWECuIZQ_Hd42QCOzFSBX0eMiUyV_ZaXHqRgw_zVqG12QyrSh49c6i4PmXre/w480-h640/DB19CEDE-6FBF-42DD-8163-6E29AEC50889.heic" width="480" /></a></div><p>This grandson of ours will always occupy a special place in my heart because of the four-and-a-half months we lived with him and his parents when he was a baby. We were still living in NH at the time, and my husband was still working as an airline pilot. So he commuted to work while I played the part of full-time nanny, so that our son and his wife didn't have to put the little guy into day care. Our daughter-in-law had completed her three-month maternity leave from her job at UVA, and there was about a four-month stretch until the end of the school year. She had decided that when that semester ended, she was going to quit her job and stay at home with the little guy. We filled in that gap and it was a very special time for us--and of course, G-Man was often the star of my blog posts in those days, <a href="https://mumsie2five.blogspot.com/2015/05/hair-and-make-up-with-g-man.html">as you can see here</a>. </p><p>Oh my, reading over that old post has made me misty-eyed. And also amazed at how surprising life can be, and how beautiful. Two years after that post was written, we had moved away from NH and become Virginians--which we never would have imagined doing at that point. (Best move ever: with three sons living close-by, we are no longer constantly in travel mode.) G-Man has a little brother now who's just a bit older than he was in those old photos. And he's often riding on my left hip and staring at my face, just like his big brother was in those photos from 2015. Oh my goodness, it's like <i>deja vu</i> (all over again. Ha ha!).</p><p>After Mass, we went over to G-Man's house for a brunch with lots of beloved people: G-Man, his parents, his four siblings, and his maternal grandmother; son #4, his wife, and their four kids; and one of our boys' cousins (named after yours truly!), who lives in the area and has two delightful daughters.</p><p>We got a picture of G-Man with his grandfather (my guy, whom he calls Papa), his godfather (his uncle, our son #4), and his father. All of his earthly fathers looking out for him, body and soul.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxqJXLiIzmteGVy-wQ4vWJf_2aquef8KKShRnqrEEYM2FmdwFpDlIESIaLBpxXlCjmj8xLVYCCJLzFpp471VbITRhNvm7PynhKQ4fjiPjC9BFlMosW8fvJhcFIklrKqcDrydtcpYO9lzIzIjzZ_Vgsk1wtd_azRwFPyfFgFp46uAi8DRj9UUMTBKBR/s4032/D4CD442B-4D50-44E3-859F-1963C0BC1163.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxqJXLiIzmteGVy-wQ4vWJf_2aquef8KKShRnqrEEYM2FmdwFpDlIESIaLBpxXlCjmj8xLVYCCJLzFpp471VbITRhNvm7PynhKQ4fjiPjC9BFlMosW8fvJhcFIklrKqcDrydtcpYO9lzIzIjzZ_Vgsk1wtd_azRwFPyfFgFp46uAi8DRj9UUMTBKBR/w480-h640/D4CD442B-4D50-44E3-859F-1963C0BC1163.heic" width="480" /></a></div><p>So that was Mother's Day, one for the ages. </p><p>If you come here often you know that ever since we moved down to VA, the boys who live nearby come over to have a special Mother's Day dinner with my husband and me, without spouses or kids--so that we can relive the old days when they were just mama's boys. (The gift o<i>f time spent together,</i> which is my #1 love language.) It's usually not on actual Mother's Day, because we want them to spend that with their deserving wives. I've written about this tradition before. Here's <a href="https://mumsie2five.blogspot.com/2022/05/a-belated-happy-mothers-day.html">last year's post</a>, which included a big surprise for me. </p><p>Oh no, not again. An old blog post, making me misty-eyed! </p><p>Anyway, I usually only get three or four of my five boys at once, but I'll take whatever I can get! I am so grateful for this tradition. I didn't think it was going to happen this year, because everyone is so very busy with their kids' school and after-school activities, work, and other commitments. I had said that we should skip it this year, and that our wonderful celebration for G-Man's First Communion was enough of a Mother's Day treat for me. </p><p>But those boys...the Tuesday after Mother's Day, our VA sons (all three of whom live between 40 and 50 minutes from our front door) came anyway. And we had steaks and baked potatoes, with cheesecake for dessert. And we talked about the two brothers who were missing, so that it was almost as if they were there, too. And we laughed. And it was wonderful.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4MUjyNrxujXrJd03Kcrfwx7YW-hk27IMxGQGA4Io8NdVIu-lWR97p3SW8bg-PLZxG6O5eg4G64mk35zUDo3eh8-MejlDaumTAmWyGkzgXBL_f5teERIHfagk6fZrgBLJBAhc2ooFv5XIZb2lUWK2CYGJSIb_kbQqbEnYO_jttXAipqnkYv1T794e3/s4032/E08A6821-77F1-4BE7-9A35-4D6BF8EB777A.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4MUjyNrxujXrJd03Kcrfwx7YW-hk27IMxGQGA4Io8NdVIu-lWR97p3SW8bg-PLZxG6O5eg4G64mk35zUDo3eh8-MejlDaumTAmWyGkzgXBL_f5teERIHfagk6fZrgBLJBAhc2ooFv5XIZb2lUWK2CYGJSIb_kbQqbEnYO_jttXAipqnkYv1T794e3/w480-h640/E08A6821-77F1-4BE7-9A35-4D6BF8EB777A.heic" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLalawFfh0VL3H_IHXWGtS2q2668F1G_WU3PMY8XaouGpic7d_pO_iIs47zWfKcqOb2_AJsLVCKbuypYzRjNJwQ_o-Z0Ee6WsKPu6iOr1mj3gcqAyWcDkEw0-OcC9Klbhsc3P007Bz5kPG8R73eJa8wS6aDKsUzSAstPXf5G0a8nK6SeZYLO450GF5/s2456/FB10C940-4651-4E93-AFD4-2F6321E0311C_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2021" data-original-width="2456" height="526" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLalawFfh0VL3H_IHXWGtS2q2668F1G_WU3PMY8XaouGpic7d_pO_iIs47zWfKcqOb2_AJsLVCKbuypYzRjNJwQ_o-Z0Ee6WsKPu6iOr1mj3gcqAyWcDkEw0-OcC9Klbhsc3P007Bz5kPG8R73eJa8wS6aDKsUzSAstPXf5G0a8nK6SeZYLO450GF5/w640-h526/FB10C940-4651-4E93-AFD4-2F6321E0311C_1_201_a.heic" width="640" /></a></div><p>I have the best sons. Just sayin'.</p><p>I tell you what, I'll always be glad that I have this blog. It's keeping memories alive for me. As the years pass, things tend to get blurry. But all I have to do to remember exactly what I was doing and thinking and feeling during some moment in my life is to click on an old post buried in my archives, and I'm transported back in time. It's a gift, this blogging thing. I don't do it as much as I used to, but I don't think I can ever give it up completely. I'll be 65 this summer; my memories are only going to get fuzzier with age. I'm going to need to read the story of my life, and luckily, I'll know where to find it.</p><p>Deep thoughts about blogging. Yikes, that's enough of that for today. </p><p>A belated Happy Mother's Day, dear readers. God bless you!</p><p><br /></p>Laura Pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16108081477711821273noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932448625116124069.post-30661723160754082602023-05-03T12:30:00.014-04:002023-05-04T07:12:54.918-04:00Falling Behind and Playing Catch-Up, as Usual!<p>When it comes to keeping this blog up to date with what's been going on in the Pearl family, I'm currently falling way behind--which is par for the course these days (months, years, what-have-you). Some people are just so good at writing regularly, and so fun to follow (<a href="https://martinfamilymoments.blogspot.com/?m=1">Colleen</a> and <a href="https://adashofsnark.blogspot.com/?m=1">Madeline</a>, you two blogging champs come immediately to mind!), but others of us seem to suffer from a constant state of blogger's block. In my case, it happens because there's too much happening, too quickly, and so much I want to write about that I don't know where to start. Kind of like when you have an extremely messy house and can't figure out which room needs cleaning the most.</p><p>I have too much that I want to say. And so I choose to say nothing a lot of the time.</p><p>Excuses, excuses--right?</p><p>I never even got around to blogging about our road trip to Iowa a week after Easter, to visit with our much-missed oldest son and his family (who lived nearby here in VA for four-and-a-half years, then moved away a little over a year ago--and boy, do we ever miss them!!). We hadn't seen them since November 2022, so too much time had passed! We were able to be there for the First Holy Communion of our firstborn's #4 daughter, City Girl. It was so beautiful, taking place during a traditional Latin High Mass at their parish. She wore one of the two dresses I made back in 2019 for her oldest (identical twin) sisters. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSSFLxPXoYn33wwa2SO9Xl4tL95Pg6AkfpKpRqASvMOy_e_9n1-u-r8mcI8KMOjEKOsFoDgynwr0h8X0woqshaMrtR_6KlzMfsVF3wdUHeaK4nv0pUM8r04MGrapVRv-k3JRfU4ycQrO812_6FJ7i5Z5agRH6TeyRPNZEvua2DlhDigROoYTvg9aQH/s3780/BF13861F-EF3A-413B-A09B-707EE2809AF9.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3780" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSSFLxPXoYn33wwa2SO9Xl4tL95Pg6AkfpKpRqASvMOy_e_9n1-u-r8mcI8KMOjEKOsFoDgynwr0h8X0woqshaMrtR_6KlzMfsVF3wdUHeaK4nv0pUM8r04MGrapVRv-k3JRfU4ycQrO812_6FJ7i5Z5agRH6TeyRPNZEvua2DlhDigROoYTvg9aQH/w512-h640/BF13861F-EF3A-413B-A09B-707EE2809AF9.jpeg" width="512" /></a></div><p>These dresses have now become part of this family's tradition. I made one with a lace Peter Pan collar and the other with a plain neck and an extra band of lace embellishment at the waist; I wanted them to be slightly different so the twins could choose the individual style they liked best. Sister Little Gal wore the one with the collar for her First Holy Communion in 2021. And City Girl picked the one without the collar. So each dress has now been worn twice. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYt-HfUD9raerknrw3b0YeP779co5tv0KNK2rlytZYRXSU1nCkY1mEOrHJCq8eT7gh3dXZ-PQmpeym3MeVvhtzhZvBz8ylGlYWk9kbaOQwkMZyLhPoPDz071sNDyvLyaxlb6hkRCuf5GGDSEEQKd_TZ6unxtV5BUXyalGoAqN42z0RxVLnA24gxl2R/s4032/86F0B395-9406-4DC9-94A1-CD7E000791AA_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYt-HfUD9raerknrw3b0YeP779co5tv0KNK2rlytZYRXSU1nCkY1mEOrHJCq8eT7gh3dXZ-PQmpeym3MeVvhtzhZvBz8ylGlYWk9kbaOQwkMZyLhPoPDz071sNDyvLyaxlb6hkRCuf5GGDSEEQKd_TZ6unxtV5BUXyalGoAqN42z0RxVLnA24gxl2R/w480-h640/86F0B395-9406-4DC9-94A1-CD7E000791AA_1_201_a.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-RRgeT-ltqg5nleHtsO2fbzjrvTWNbpKhauI7UT-ABhAsAHBjWg0tI2RgEhhW9H2V__EXOBtJ5olfpTskOX8JeMoq3HzOL5YqAk89bvIIVuesRGzCMT9c3KLqv4sNGTAr6FYUJAQaj1CUkWjNetsv3D2bKPTy6wubW9NpIgH0s1is1SipoOW8D-ng/s4032/206F3E4C-661C-436A-BDA7-133D6976E81F_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-RRgeT-ltqg5nleHtsO2fbzjrvTWNbpKhauI7UT-ABhAsAHBjWg0tI2RgEhhW9H2V__EXOBtJ5olfpTskOX8JeMoq3HzOL5YqAk89bvIIVuesRGzCMT9c3KLqv4sNGTAr6FYUJAQaj1CUkWjNetsv3D2bKPTy6wubW9NpIgH0s1is1SipoOW8D-ng/w480-h640/206F3E4C-661C-436A-BDA7-133D6976E81F_1_201_a.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I dream of these dresses, made with lots more love than skill, being worn years from now by great-granddaughters whom I may never meet (although I hope to!). I dream that they become my favorite sort of thing: family heirlooms.<div><br /></div><div>Anyway--</div><div><br /></div><div>Aside from celebrating this beautiful sacrament, we were able to become friends with our one-year-old granddaughter, who really doesn't know us very well, now that we only get to visit with her family a couple of times a year. (Did I give her a blog name yet? I can't remember. If not, I think I shall call her Little Lady.) She has big blue eyes ("lollipop eyes," as one of her aunts described them) and is just about the most adorable little person imaginable. But she spent most of the week we were there studying her Papa and me with suspicion from a safe distance, head down, raising her eyes to peer at us. She warmed up to Grammy first, allowing me to hold her as long as one of "her people" was close-by. Papa finally became her best buddy when we had to babysit for her and her four-year-old brother towards the end of our stay, because the rest of the family was going to her twin sisters' play. The two oldest girls had parts in the chorus of the musical "State Fair," which was put on by their homeschooling group. My husband and I went to see the opening night show on Friday, then we stayed back to watch the two youngest siblings while everyone else went to the Saturday matinee--and that bonding time with those little ones was truly a gift.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC5x1UlxoY8Ed1AgGTS4bzLRmdvesmZ_hw1WAzV6_ZSSCsg_xuhlMuMmYXFwn0pRx6ztj5cPsk4ksgUscOIcvBs1nihIsxn1w-lm9fG75JPKK7wYWL2Fkldff9k_C7YNjpbQ1NnCinPkwp2WQjp_RCfy-h9vrydFj7i09MnszR7DiRAncF3DVUFdMj/s2978/B1554506-52B7-466A-813D-84076E6ADBB3_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2947" data-original-width="2978" height="634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC5x1UlxoY8Ed1AgGTS4bzLRmdvesmZ_hw1WAzV6_ZSSCsg_xuhlMuMmYXFwn0pRx6ztj5cPsk4ksgUscOIcvBs1nihIsxn1w-lm9fG75JPKK7wYWL2Fkldff9k_C7YNjpbQ1NnCinPkwp2WQjp_RCfy-h9vrydFj7i09MnszR7DiRAncF3DVUFdMj/w640-h634/B1554506-52B7-466A-813D-84076E6ADBB3_1_201_a.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These girls, at not quite 12, kind of tower over me now, so they must be slouching <br />in this picture. (I've been slowing shrinking while they've been quickly growing!)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>"State Fair" is just wonderful, with songs by Rogers & Hammerstein. And it is especially fun because the story is set in Iowa.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was hard to say goodbye when we left; but we were fortunate to have the opportunity to drive our son to the airport about five hours from his house, as it was on our route back home anyway; this saved him a commute to work by plane and gave us that precious extra time in the car to chat with him. (We did solve all of the world's problems on that drive, and even had some good laughs as well.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Aside from the goings-on out in the Midwest, there's also been a recent Baptism, of Pearl grandchild #20; but unfortunately we were unable to travel to Nashville to attend it. Our daughter-in-law's parents were able to be there, however, which is special because this is their first grandchild. I've yet to see pictures of that sweet little girl, the youngest of our grandchildren (for now, anyway!), receiving her first sacrament. But I've been assured that they're coming! </div><div><br /></div><div>Let's see, what else? How about some recent VA news? </div><div><br /></div><div>Last Sunday we had son #4 and his family over for an after-Mass brunch. He and his wife are the parents of triplets, identical twin boys and a girl, aged 5, and a 3-year-old girl. Those kiddos love to come and play in our basement playroom (I've got a post in my drafts folder with my deep musings about playrooms, actually; maybe it's time to edit it and get it posted! I bet you're thinking, "That sounds fascinating!”). That same night, we had Sunday dinner over at son #2's house. He and his wife Ginger have four boys, aged 2 to 7, and another baby on the way, due in mid-June. Ginger is a great cook, so we enjoyed a delicious meal of Pioneer Woman steak bites, rice, salad, and homemade brownies with ice cream. We stayed way too late talking, which we have a tendency to do when it comes to our kids. (Isn't life grand when you not only love, but sincerely <i>like</i>, your kids?!)</div><div><br /></div><div>Yesterday, son #3 had a birthday, and we were able to celebrate it with him by bringing over one of his favorite meals and his favorite cinnamon coffee cake for dessert. I'm a broken record, so I'll add that we stayed way too late talking with him and his Preciosa after the kids were in bed. It's so worth it, though, even though it means we don't get home and in bed until midnight or after. We'll sleep when we're dead!</div><div><br /></div><div>I don't know what's gotten into me today. I'm feeling a little silly.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, I'd have to say that 37 is looking pretty good on this middle son of ours. He is surrounded by lots of noise and activity with his energetic brood, and surrounded even more by lots of <i>love</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5e3SS6qb5kSFOvD553y3fRElKoMHrYiitq5BU4Y5KI5fRKEi7orzgFiamMayIY4tvQJ3OMvL8LQCA8ihQ5AF7-7a6Rf4OSnqOCNspNodFsDqR6XabkIh94JrPa2tmpKQeFiUvrsAaKw0Z8L5YjbL2y49E7qifcWKrlzcXjXQfxgQQ4ivduziFUhYt/s2048/D48C74FC-FB91-41D4-9E27-6E609C1A94D3.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5e3SS6qb5kSFOvD553y3fRElKoMHrYiitq5BU4Y5KI5fRKEi7orzgFiamMayIY4tvQJ3OMvL8LQCA8ihQ5AF7-7a6Rf4OSnqOCNspNodFsDqR6XabkIh94JrPa2tmpKQeFiUvrsAaKw0Z8L5YjbL2y49E7qifcWKrlzcXjXQfxgQQ4ivduziFUhYt/w640-h480/D48C74FC-FB91-41D4-9E27-6E609C1A94D3.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>God is so good. Life is so full, I can't even imagine having time to get bored. And VA is so ridiculously mild and lovely in the spring. Everything is blooming and I am in Heaven, as much as one can be in this earthly life. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJGmcuWpqofCACMVa0_aR4mfWomMHBr_aCEyppFp3ZIOByy0K6KnI_nq6qBBoMcJHka48ThfbiRzDNpVPaSrp95Xc0KI8sHR8AGbJ58r1suAY5nB2MoXC66rY6wrYl1sk7ihUiuAvKvDZqlQEy0mISdCd4nPYymbV0wuY4AFXYTebr7ToHExxrSVq3/s4032/309EC487-51EA-4F84-9B74-08F27CDEF9AC.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJGmcuWpqofCACMVa0_aR4mfWomMHBr_aCEyppFp3ZIOByy0K6KnI_nq6qBBoMcJHka48ThfbiRzDNpVPaSrp95Xc0KI8sHR8AGbJ58r1suAY5nB2MoXC66rY6wrYl1sk7ihUiuAvKvDZqlQEy0mISdCd4nPYymbV0wuY4AFXYTebr7ToHExxrSVq3/w480-h640/309EC487-51EA-4F84-9B74-08F27CDEF9AC.heic" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Father Mike always says, at the end of each episode of his Catechism in a Year podcast, "I'm praying for you. Please pray for me!" Ditto that, dear readers.</div><div><br /></div><div>Okay then, until next time...which will hopefully be pretty soon! </div>Laura Pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16108081477711821273noreply@blogger.com4