What a wonderful Birthday!

I can hardly believe that 9 years ago, I flew into Idaho as a nervous wreck ...to help Amy with her delivery with Angie ( our first grand child ). I remember people saying ... that when you become a Grandmother, it will change your heart and life forever! Man, were they ever right. I love Miss Angie, she and all of the rest of the grand kids...have truly changed my life for the BETTER!

I love the photos that Amy did for her first 9 years of life!. She is soooo fun to have in our family!

I think I told you ever since she was little, she has always liked stuffed animals instead of dolls. I kept trying to sneak a doll in but...she and Jenny wouldn't have it! Then this past year, she decided that she would like to have an American Doll that looks like her. Since they are soooo expensive, her Mom and Dad told her and Jenny... that if they wanted to get a doll, they would have to earn half the money. So as of this past Saturday...Angie got all of her money earned! She is so excited and she and Jenny have worked hard to get their dolls. Jenny won't get her's until her birthday in August, she hasn't earned all her money yet either, so she borrowed the doll I had here. They were so cute when we went to the American Doll Store today at 4:00.

In the car Angie kept saying " I can't believe that I am really going to get my doll, that is all I have thought about all day!" "I think my face is going to burst I am just soooo excited, I can hardly stand it!"

She didn't need any help in picking out which doll she wanted, she decided that a long time ago, she was picking the one that looked the most like her and she is naming her Josie Jaeger!

She was pretty proud of all the money she had earned.

 

Jenny was watching and waiting for her turn to come, this was just too much fun today, so glad that I didn't miss this! Amy and I both wished we would have had a doll like this when we were little! We were so excited, Angie said " how come you and Nana are so bussed up about this? "

I can't say that John had felt the same excitement! He was a trooper though, look at him with all his girls! Sweet! He is a great Dad!

After she purchased Josie, then the lady spent some special time, teaching Angie just how to take the best care of your American Doll...look at Jenny and Audrey watching everything too!

Good news is that Jenny's doll Ellie and Audrey's doll Katie, got to take a free short ride... in a Slug Bug (that's what we used to call VW Bugs when we were kids )while they were in the store!

Next we met their other Grandmother and we all went to Red Robin's for Angie's Birthday Dinner. You can tell she was more excited about Josie!

I sewed a big part of the day with Jenny ( she had her 4 day sleep over, that is a record for her ). We made a robe and PJ bottoms for Josie and a blanket and pillow to go with the chair / hide-a-bed that we bought Angie. ( $12.00 from Walmart verses....? who knows how much from the American Doll store!  :) I am not knocking the store, what a great idea and what a magical experience they give them there. Wished I would have thought of that!

Angie and Josie heading to bed in their Robes and PJ Bottoms! This was so fun, Angie is so excited. I can't wait to start making more doll clothes. Hopefully Jenny will stay excited for it, then Audrey who has always loved dolls might want one and then we have little Miss Oakley coming! Oh I really have fun making anything and everything for my Grandkids. Childhood is suppose to be a happy and magical time, not that all of us had that...but we are sure trying to make sure that the next generations do!

Good night dear friend!

Honesty is ALWAYS the best policy!

Heard this story on the news the other day...I couldn't believe it. Can you just imagine this happening to your college students; or happening to yourself while you were in college? All I kept thinking during that news report was of two things! One how grateful that woman and her family must have been, and two ...how proud their parents must be of them. That is an amazing story and so the old saying is true. "Honesty is always the best policy!"
Good night dear friends!
PS Ok the 3rd thing that I was thinking about after reading this story and seeing their couch was (as a Mom ) I hope they took some of the gratitude money and got a cleaner couch! :)

New York Roomies Return $41,000 Found In Thrift-Store Couch

(CNN) Many of us find money in our couch. A few quarters here and a few dimes there. If we're lucky, maybe enough to buy a drink.

Imagine finding enough to buy a small coffee stand.

Three New York roommates, investigating the cause of their thrift-store couch's lumpiness, discovered $41,000 hidden in envelopes tucked in the old sofa.

Lara Russo said she and roommate Reese Werkhoven were sitting on the couch, watching a Harry Potter movie, when he unzipped one of the cushions to see what was making it uncomfortable and found a small package.

"It was just in a bubble-wrap container," Werkhoven told "Erin Burnett OutFront." "We were like, 'Oh, my God. This might be drugs, it might be money; we're getting scared about it."

It was money, a stack of $100 bills an inch and a half high. The two started "freaking out" and went into a bedroom to show Cally Guasti. Her first impulse was to lock the doors in case it was drug money and the owner wanted it back.

The roommates found more envelopes in the couch, which they had bought at the Salvation Army for $20. One of the envelopes had a name on it.

Like many a wise man, Werkhoven turned to his mother for advice. She investigated the name and texted her son a phone number to call.

He said he hung up the first time when an older woman answered.

He called back, according to CNN affiliate WCBS, and told the woman he had "found something that I think is yours."

What is it? she asked.

A couch.

"Oh my God, I left a lot of money in that couch," the woman told Werkhoven.

The woman told the roommates that family members had mistakenly donated the couch, where she had been stashing the loot.

"This was her life savings, and she actually said something really beautiful like, 'This is my husband looking down on me, and this was supposed to happen,'" Guasti told WCBS.

Russo said at first they played around with the idea of what to do with the money, but the thought of buying new stuff gave way to doing the right thing.

"I think all of us were under the understanding that even if we spent it, we wouldn't feel good about it," she told CNN. "We would have felt we took something that was not ours. It didn't make sense -- it was her money, she deserved it."

According to WCBS, the woman, who wants to remain anonymous, gave the roommates a reward of $1,000.

They didn't rush out and get a new couch. After all, this one might smell, but it is pretty lucky.

By Steve Almasy

Found the story HERE:

Found their photo Here:

Kindness of a stranger

Well, I kept thinking what I accomplished today to tell you about...nothing much. My coughing kept me up most of the night, and so I really didn't feel like doing much. After talking to the doctor's office this morning,  I did take a shower... just in case they needed me to come in.  I guess that was an accomplishment, still not very exciting or motivational. But, I do have an article that I found that was. So I hope you enjoy it, and remember even though the news doesn't publish it very often...that there are many wonderful people out there in the world, doing wonderful things! Now that's motivational! Good night dear friends!

ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) - Three waitresses at an Illinois restaurant say they could only stare in disbelief when a woman over the weekend handed them each a $5,000 check.
The owner of the Boone County Family Restaurant in Caledonia, Matt Nebiu, said business was slow Saturday when the customer handed checks to 25-year-old Amy Sabani, 23-year-old Sarah Seckinger and 28-year-old Amber Kariolich.
Sabansi told the Rockford Register Star that she first thought her check was for $500. But on closer inspection she saw its actual value and refused to take it.
Sabani said the woman told the waitresses to use the money for school and "everything else in life."
Seckinger says a last semester to earn her associate degree in criminal justice was too expensive, but she will now return to school.
(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Read more at http://www.ksl.com/?nid=711&sid=28596017#vwvrX4uD0CtVbAIc.99
Found the story here:

Enjoying life!

Enjoy your life at every moment

I really liked this story. Enjoy!
Good night dear friends!

Once a fisherman was sitting near seashore, under the shadow of a tree smoking. Suddenly a rich businessman passing by approached him and enquired as to why he was sitting under a tree smoking and not working. To this the poor fisherman replied that he had caught enough fishes for the day.
Hearing this the rich man got angry and said: Why don’t you catch more fishes instead of sitting in shadow wasting your time?
Fisherman asked: What would I do by catching more fishes?
Businessman: You could catch more fishes, sell them and earn more money, and buy a bigger boat.
Fisherman: What would I do then?
Businessman: You could go fishing in deep waters and catch even more fishes and earn even more money.
Fisherman: What would I do then?
Businessman: You could buy many boats and employ many people to work for you and earn even more money.
Fisherman: What would I do then?
Businessman: You could become a rich businessman like me.
Fisherman: What would I do then?
Businessman: You could then enjoy your life peacefully.
Fisherman: What do you think I’m doing right now?


MORAL – You don’t need to wait for tomorrow to be happy and enjoy your life. You don’t even need to be more rich, more powerful to enjoy life. LIFE is at this moment, enjoy it fully.
As some great men have said “My riches consist not in extent of my possessions but in the fewness of my wants”.
Found this story here:

 "Live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find eternity in each moment".  ~ Thoreau

Helping Others

Perfect story to prove that the old saying “ what goes around, comes around “ is true!

Good night dear friends!

 

 
  Helping Others

When my son was a young teenager, he and his friend set out in a bus across town to purchase skateboard axles. They each had $20. When they arrived downtown, they discovered they needed more money to cover bus fare and sales tax. They were short $3.75.

A branch of our bank was nearby, so they decided to go in and take out a loan. The teller told them that was not possible, but that they could get a cash advance on their parents' credit card. So they called home, but got no answer. They tried the teller again to see if anything more could be done. She referred them to the desk of the vice president. When he asked why the bank should give them a loan, they answered, "Because we're Boy Scouts and good students, and very trustworthy." He said that since they had no collateral, they would have to write out and sign an IOU. They did, and he in turn gave them the money they needed to complete their mission.

We found out later that this wonderful man lent the boys his own money. (My husband called him the next day asking for the same terms on a home loan!) In talking with the man, we learned that he had made many such loans, including a large one to a Navy wife whose allotment was delayed. He said he's been repaid almost 100 percent of the time, and that the opportunity to help others in this way was one of the most rewarding parts of his job.

My son and his friend hopped on the bus the very next morning.  They paid off their loan and received their IOU signed by the vice president. It was banking at its best.

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”  ~Anne Frank

”Act as if what you do makes a difference.  It does.”  ~William James

“We can do no great things, only small things with great love.’  ~Mother Teresa

Honesty is the best policy!

I loved this story, honesty is always the best policy. What a great reminder that through making right choices, we can actually change our destiny!

Good night dear friends!

Homeless man's decision to return $3,300 changed his life!

By Douglas Stanglin, USA TODAY

 

 

By David Wallace/The Republic

About a year ago, a homeless man in Arizona found a bag full of cash and made a fateful decision: He returned it.

The Arizona Republic published a feel-good story today that actually feels good about the future of 49-year-old Dave Tally of Tempe.

Tally was in debt, unemployed and had lost his driver's license for DUI violations. Homeless, he was sleeping on a mat in a church-based homeless shelter when he found $3,300 in a backpack at a local light-rail station.

That could have gotten Tally out of his hole, but he decided that was the wrong thing to do. Instead, he tracked down the owner of the cash, a college kid named Bryan Berlanger who had planned to use the money to buy a car to replace one he'd lost in an accident.

"Meeting Belanger and hearing the student thank and praise him for his honesty and kindness made Tally feel good about himself, he says," writes Republic reporter Dianna M. Nanez. "He hadn't had that feeling in awhile."

When word got out that Tally had turned in the cash instead of keeping it, the national media came looking for him.

Donations poured in, and Tally suddenly found himself with $10,000. But he was determined not to fritter it away.

He began paying off his bills, clearing up his driving record, and taking the long road back.

He even moved into a no-frills apartment across from the shelter as "a reminder of where I've been and where I'm not going back again."

One year later, Tally has landed his "dream job," managing a community garden.

Recently, The Republic reports, Tally started overseeing an internship program that allows people who are homeless to volunteer in the garden.

But he doesn't preach to anyone. "I let them know that when they're ready to make changes, it's possible," he says.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2011/11/life-turns-around-for-homeless-man-who-returned-lost-3300/1

“Integrity is doing the right thing, even if nobody is watching.”

“It's not what we eat but what we digest that makes us strong; not what we gain but what we save that makes us rich; not what we read but what we remember that makes us learned; and not what we profess but what we practice that gives us integrity.”  ~ Francis Bacon, Sr

Only a $10.00 depression!

When I was pregnant with Amy, the Dr told me that he thought she was so big, that maybe we got the dates wrong. He said you might be seeing this baby in April and so being a first time Mom to be, I believed him. Well, it is hard to just wait for a baby to come, you try to keep busy and not think of it, but those last weeks are unbelievable to say the least.

April came and left, and May came and each week when I went for my check up the Doctor would tell me things like, well she isn't dropping, she isn't showing any signs of getting ready and so on and so forth. I was  devastated. What about this April baby I was suppose to have? After each Doctor appointment I would be so discourage that I would stop by the fabric or craft store to buy some supplies, to make something else for the baby's room which just was a project to keep my mind and hands busy. When I would call Jeff and tell him the bad news about having to wait longer, he would always say "How much did  your depression cost us today?" "Was it a $5.00 depression or a $10.00 depression?" * Just a side note here, I am not making light of real depression, I have been there and it isn't funny at all, this is just the word we used in this situation *

I sorta felt like calling Jeff today and saying well I had a $17.00 depression after going to the Doctor. Actually I really liked my new Doctor and she had great insight and wisdom. She seemed to think the thing that I was worried about... isn't going to be a problem, but took tests and we will have the results back in a few days. Whew, at least I cleared that hurdle today, now I have to clear and handle the root canal re-do tomorrow. This Doctor also told me that I need to get my colonoscopy and have my thyroid checked by a specialist, just to be safe and so I guess I have a few more hurdles to clear in the future. Well, I am just grateful to  have another day to even have hurdles to clear. Life seems to be all about the journey and things that happen to us. Some of our greatest lessons, are also some of the hardest.

"Thank you for your faith and prayers, I need to head to bed and get some sleep. Good night dear friends!"

"Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood."
- Helen Keller

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
- Franklin D. Roosevelt

Children...you gotta love the way they think!

I got to spend the whole day yesterday with my granddaughter. Since her sister has been so sick, she needed to just get out of the house and give her Mommy a break too. I just love how she sees the world as a almost 5 year old. It truly is refreshing, and makes you stop and realize some of the small and yet important things we miss as adults.

We first had a picnic in the front yard. She kept saying "Nana, I love the sunshine", "I love this day", "isn't this the greatest day ever?", "let's go find sticks" don't you just love being outside in the sunshine?" Picnics are so much fun, aren't they?" "I love strawberries" "we should do a picnic more often Nana"

It just made me think about all those wonderful, small and yet important things that maybe I don't get as excited about any more. She was so excited and grateful for everything. I think it is important not to lose that kind of appreciation and excitement and we grow up and get busy. Maybe that is one reason God gives us grandchildren...to help us remember that? Well...it worked!

Smart Thinking
My dad gave me one dollar bill
'Cause I'm his smartest son,
And I swapped it for two shiny quarters
'Cause two is more then one!
And then I took the quarters
And traded them to Lou
For three dimes-- I guess he didn't know
That three is more than two!
Just then, along came old blind Bates
And just 'cause he can't see
He gave me four nickels for my three dimes,
And four is more than three!
And I took the nickels to Hiram Coombs
Down at the seed-feed store,
And the fool gave me five pennies for them,
And five is more than four!
And I went and showed my dad,
And he got red in the cheeks
And closed his eyes and shook his head--
Too proud of me to speak! ~ Shel Silverstein

 

The world is as many times new as there are children in our lives."  ~Robert Brault

"Children are unpredictable.  You never know what inconsistency they're going to catch you in next."  ~Franklin P. Jones

"While we try to teach our children all about life,
Our children teach us what life is all about."
~Angela Schwindt

Mandy the Third!

Now I know this may sound a bit weird... but try to listen. It is important during stressful times, to try to find some humor if you can. So after my mastectomy, I realized that in order to feel or look partially normal I had to get a prosthetic. Since I didn't want to have to say Prosthetic all the time, I named it Sally. Now Sally wasn't the best fit for me, and so I had to return her and go to another store that sold prosthetics and knew more about how to fit... them so that is exactly what I did. My new prosthetic is named Mandy, I actually liked that name better for some reason. After a year of use, Mandy had some problems and so I had to return her  (and since she was under warranty) I received Mandy the Second.

These new prosthetics are actually amazing. They don't need a specialty bra with a pocket sewn in them, if you don't want to. You can use them with any bra or bathing suit. They stick to you and so they are much more convenient when you have to get up and dressed in a hurry. But of course like everything else lately, the prices have raised. They cost $500.00 can you believe that? Insurance will pay $350.00 of that, and the rest is out of pocket. How funny that something like this would cost so much, and all for a prosthetic you can use out of pocket, is going to cost quite a bit out of pocket! :)  I thought about calling all the kids, and see if they want to donate for the purchasing of Mandy the Third with me ( just kidding ) but thought I'd better not, sometimes my kids don't quite understand my humor...can you imagine that?

Truth is, I am grateful to be in remission for the past two years, I am grateful for technology that has invented a prosthetic that looks pretty normal and I am grateful that I can have a sense of humor about it all, for the first few months...I didn't even think I would smile again or go out in public. I am a far cry from that and I am so glad.

So life is hard but things could always be worse. Try to look on the bright side of your trials and learn from them...it really does help!

 

"Determination, patience and courage are the only things needed to improve any situation."  ~Unknown

"Every trial endured and weathered in the right spirit makes a soul nobler and stronger than it was before."
~James Buckham

"If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it."
~Mary Engelbreit

One of our favorite Christmas tradition!

Now one of our favorite Christmas traditions came from this book. I loved it from the moment that I read it. I got to meet the author and thank him personally for the profound effect he had on so many, through writing this  book. I hope as you read this summary, that you will want to go out and get this book before Christmas. And I hope that it leads you to wanting to begin your own family Christmas Jar and tradition. It is a great way to think of someone less fortunate than you, every single day!

Today I dropped Lauren at work(which is at a Book Store), and I saw this book again and thought...that is the Christmas story I should share tonight!  If I were rich and it were possible... I would buy one for each of you, that's how much I think of this book.  Hope you are taking time, to enjoy the holidays and the magic that it holds!

We live in a day when our civilization seems to be on the brink of disaster and pessimism is rampant. Out of this negative environment Mr. Jason F. Wright has managed to capture a classic moment of hope and optimism. In his new book Christmas Jars, Mr. Wright captures several moments of humanity at its highest and shows us how to combat some of our social ills in our society. Through his main character, the writer show us a character representative of many modern day individuals who grow up isolated and without a past. Throughout her life the main character, Hope, struggles and faces many trials and tribulations which she has surmounts. Through the kind deeds of others and integrity of different people who cross her path she manages to thrive and grow to be an intelligent and productive person in society. One person who has been of great influence is her adoptive mother and another is a complete stranger who does her a kind deed. At this critical time in her life when she faces one of her biggest crises this kind deed leads her to search out the individual or individuals that have given her a jar full of money. Living in a world when nothing is ever given for nothing she latches on to this story and through every means possible attempts to seek out the giver. Through her search she finds something she does not expect and she must weigh out her priorities. What is important? What should she do with this information? In this instance her values are put to the test. Throughout her life she has waited for her big story, but as she confronts these different issues she realizes that some things are more important than her big break. The seeds that were planted in her heart by the kind deeds of strangers saves her and creates hope for the future. As the main character's name expresses, Mr. Wright extends to the reader the possibility of hope in a world full of emotionally and socially bankrupt individuals. There is always hope sometimes it may be hidden, but nevertheless a spark can be ignited and grow not only in the person given hope, but others as well. Goodness does exist we just might have to search it out and it is contiguous. As fragile as it may be it can be strengthened even in the face of adversity. Greed and evil can be overcome and just about everyone deserves a break. It's not always those who are economically poor that need a break, but those who will not extend a kind hand also. This book is definitely a good read. In it's simplicity it puts across a powerful and significant message.
http://www.shvoong.com/books/475523-christmas-jars/

"I wish we could put up some of the Christmas spirit in jars and open a jar of it every month."  ~ Harlan Miller

  "For somehow, not only at Christmas, but all the long year through, The joy that you give to others is the joy that comes back to you."  ~ John Greenleaf Whittier

Money can't buy happiness!

I thought this was a perfect topic since we just experienced Christmas and I am betting, you realized like I did ...that the best part of Christmas had nothing to do with money!

A friend of mine received a book from Hallmark for Christmas called ...SECRETS HAPPY PEOPLE KNOW. I was impressed with one of the quotes that was in there. It was called...

MONEY CAN'T BUY HAPPINESS (really it can't) the cans and cannots of MONEY

$ Money can buy  you a bed, but not sleep.

$ Money can buy you books, but not brains.

$ Money can buy you food, but not an appetite.

$ Money can buy you fitness equipment, but not fitness itself.

$ Money can buy surface beauty, but not inner beauty.

$ Money can buy you a house, but not a home.

$ Money can buy you medicine, but not health.

$ Money can buy you amusement, but not happiness.

$ Money can buy you watches and clocks, but not time.

"He is richest who is content with the least."  ~ Socrates

I hope after reading this, you will remember the importance of things that money can't buy like...Peace, Happiness, Health, Love and on and on.

I pray each of you had a wonderful Christmas, thanks for being part of our blessings which make us truly RICH!