all ready for Jillian...

Yesterday evening HOBL and I spent the day with

Baby boy and Kd, watched the superbowl at

kd's parents house but the thing that really excited me

was the fact that all is ready for Jillian's coming.

Of course, we all want her to stay where she is until

she is healthy enough to be born without complications

but the anticipation of her coming is beginning

to be felt by all of us, especially KD.

I mean, can we say too much time on her hands when

she can bling baby wipe holders and pacifiers....

The bed sits all ready for the Jilly-bean to come home.

her shoes are all lined up in a row...

Poor little girl will not have time to even try on

all this 0 to 6 month clothing unless

her momma changes her every time she feeds her...

Are we sure she is a girl... she better be! lol

This is HOBL, aka gramps talking to Jilly bean...

How peaceful is this little space for our girl to

grow up in...

She has her CD player all lines up with Rock lullabyes

yes, rock lullabyes, there is Journey, Tool...

so soothing and beautiful.

The necessities of her cleanliness sits here

all ready for diaper changing business...

There are times in my day when I forget that I am

about to be a Mumsie and then I remember

and I get all giddy inside, like when you think

of an upcoming vacation.

I do believe this vacation will last a long, long time.

5 more weeks...

Your parents are ready, Jilly-bean

there is nothing you shall want.

the attraction to auntie Lil's house

I am not sure what drives these kids to love

coming to their auntie Lil's house.

It isn't like we have anything fun to do,

it isn't like I have the newest games

and they are not allowed, while visiting to play

on computers at auntie Lil's

because that takes away from my time with them.

So last week when three of the Plaisance kids

came to stay a few hours with Auntie Lil

I decided to capture the visit.

What was the fun, was it the brownies I made them?

Nope, I was critiqued about the nuts I put in them.

Was it the Pizza, nope it wasn't the kind they liked,

except for Lucy she is a trooper...

oh and Ellie likes the crust so that was all good.

We worked on pyramids:

and posed for the final product.

We watched some Sponge Bob...

Well all of them actually that were on Demand

because this little pixie loves her sponge bob...

We played "lead the blind" with my snuggie...

yes, she led him right into the grandfather clock.

We demanded more sponge bob and ate lots of Pizza Crust.

We practiced Lady GaGa and Lu had my attention

as she showed me all her cheering moves...

We practiced our winking as Lu practiced taking pictures...

We posed like models...

.... and their favorite game ever at Auntie Lil's house,

we played "don't move" many, many times.

The game my own father played with his own children

and grandchildren. It consists of lightly touching their

faces with my fingers while saying "don't move, don't move"

over and over until my fingers find their way into

their ears.....

If they move they loose...

They loooovvvveeee this game and are

so competitive that they make me keep scores.

As their parents pack them up to head back to

Golden Meadow I already miss them

and realize maybe what they love the most

about Auntie Lil's house is that no matter

what they do, they have my full attention

a viewing audience that loves them tremendously.

I hope whatever home I ever live in

they have fond memories of days gone by

spent doing nothing important and everything fun.

PINK DOVE

(myself and Reggie, cousin at 4)

Last night as I prepared for the "bath"

I opened a new box of pink Dove soap.

I took a big wift of the wonderful aroma

and immediately was brought back to a place

that was my safe place while going through cancer.

My aunt Ga-Gald and Uncle Red's home was

that safe place. When I was there, awaiting

the doctors appointments and hospital stays

that were going to cause havoc on my body,

I felt safe. It is where I encountered my first

bar of Pink Dove.

I believed as a child that my aunt and uncle were rich.

At my home that was always filled with many

mouths to feed we only had the soap that happened

to be on sale that week. Usually Dial was the cheapest.

Yet in Chalmette, they used only Pink Dove.

I awaited the evening that would take me into

their elegant bathroom for the smell and lather

of the Pink soap.

I stayed in the tub for long periods of time,

wishing that at my house we could have Dove.

I never asked for it, it wasn't something you

shared with your parents.

I know if I had I would have had it.

Yet I didn't want it at my house.

Yes I was as deep as I am now as a little child.

I wanted my Griffin house to be where

the soap was used because it brought me

comfort at a time when I had no control over

what happened to me.

As I sat in the hospital of Touro, awaiting

to be taken from my parents into a surgical suite

where they would poke and prod me,

catheterize and x-ray me,

I could smell the aroma of Pink Dove soap

on my skin and I felt comforted.

It is probably no surprise to all of you followers

that I now, and have since I am an adult, only

buy and use Dove soap.

It is not always the pink type.

The new green and orange are some of my favorites

but it is only in the scent of the Pink bar

that brings me back to the safe place of my childhood.

What a lucky little girl I was!

pictures sometimes say it all!

I mean, really, have you ever seen a woman carry a baby

so radiantly?

All know how much I love my

daughter-in-law and I didn't think

she could do anything that would make me love her more

then she decided to become the Mother to my

grandchildren and I am in awe of her.

Kd with her and BB's grandmothers.

The new grandmothers

Kd practicing with her own godchild, Carter and

"Jewsie" as Jillian will call BG,

and the blessings that hosted this wonderful baby shower

given to KD.

Blessings abound BB and Kd.

SA 2/1

We, today begin month 2 of a 12 month journey.

I cannot lie, although I read Simple Abundance

every day, I sometimes wish I would not have

started the challenge and blogging on the topic.

Just last night I was discussing with BFOB and Beck

that I feel sometimes with the blog I have said all

I have to say.

Then Hughbee, who never really reads the blog says

to me, "you have to write it, It's cool for me to tell

people my aunt writes a blog"

Well, of course that get me going again.

I realized last night that part of the reason I write

the blog is to leave a part of my legacy behind.

Then today I read SA and feel an urge to blog.

THE GIFT OF TIME

I have to begin to see my time alone,

that I have always loved, by the way

has maybe not been used to its full potential.

On a day like today when my body feels

the cold front coming in I awaken just a little

sad for the fact that today will once again be

spent in the house. It is not what I had planned to do.

My plans were to go to BB's house and hang out

with him and KD to just look and admire

all the baby things and talk of baby days coming soon.

I was then going to go and sit with the Taunt Mone

and just make the "vey-yay" with her.

Yet today the lead comes from the body and the body

says, "HOME"

This frustrates me before I sit to read SA

because I feel like I do not always have control of

where my life is taking me.

Peace comes on the SA path.

I see today, that I will have to come to terms with

the quietness of a day alone.

There were days that when raising babies

I longed for hours of time alone.

Now I am faced with long period of days sometimes.

I have always enjoyed the company of myself

and never had a problem with shopping, eating out

or movies alone, yet this home stuff

is not what I am wanting right now.

SA reminds me that I will have to work on this.

I will have to come to allow myself days

of doing nothing but exploring who I am in

the quiet of myself.

Today I will pick up an old hobby of cross-stitching

I will allow myself to watch a movie at home

without feeling guilty for all the chores

that could be done over here.

Maybe this will allow me to

develop a new relationship with my authentic self.