Crisis in the Middle East

As I sit here in the safe and comfort of my home,

drinking my coffee,

I hear on the news about the 

crisis in the Middle East.

It has me unbelieving that these types of things

happen in the world.

A two minute warning to get out your home 

because it will be bombed,

all the political officials are in hiding as they

and their families are being picked off one by one.

This is surreal to me, living in the good old

US of A.

We all have our ways of complaining about the politics,

the government, who will win an election

and we do this with the freedom we have because of

where we live.

We are lucky to live in a country that no matter

how you live, how you believe,

you will never have to worry when you put your

head down at night whether you will 

get that two minute warning to save your life

and your family's life.

We live in a country that thankfully,

the majority of us are sane individuals

and don't have to worry about death for believing

differently.

Once again, I am glad to live in the place.

Thanksgiving and then there is Christmas...

It had been some time since I felt like decorating on Lee Drive.

The move here to Plaquemine, to this beautiful home,

I, once again, have the urge to decorate.

HOBL thinks its a waste of money 

but I think it makes me happy so I will do it.

I have found something that used to make me so happy

that once again is doing that.

My favorite things I have decorated with for Halloween

and Thanksgiving have been things I have found at second hand

stores for dirt cheap. Others are things I have made.

Now comes Christmas and I find myself excited to pack

up the fall things and remember those things that I have

in my attic from Christmas' past, things I have not taken out 

and used in the last 4 years since gypsy baby graduated.

To all you men out there who just don't get it,

we women, we love it.

We love to make our homes pretty for the holidays.

A warmness comes from a visit to a home that is full

of the Holiday.

Thanks to Pinterest, I have many ideas for home made 

ideas and gifts. I have decided this Christmas will

be full of handmade.

Enjoy the holidays, enjoy decorating,

enjoy the cool weather.

Visit your friends often, say kind words to those you love.

Try and put past hurts aside to make this Christmas holiday

the best it can be.

Muah to all

Playdate

 Yesterday I kept bean so we could go to a playdate

by Ethan's house. E's mom, Jessica was so sweet not

only to invite us but to have snacks and lunch ready.

We were also able to play with my friend, Lori and her

daughter, Cecelia who is visiting from Houston and

her little girl Genevieve.

 You can tell a little boy child lives at E's house.

Their coffee table is in fact a train station.

Yes, a whole table set up for a wooden train.

Bean loved that as she doesn't have many boy toys.

 She and Ethan are the same age with a few weeks between their

birthdays. They were so cute to watch.

Bean has learned the art of sharing at daycare,

she taught Ethan a few of the things she has learned.

 Genevieve, known as GG to her family is much younger than them,

not into interactive play yet but was such a good girl,

playing with every toy she could get her hands on.

 She is such a little sweetie and all three children

were fun to watch and oh, so good.

 I believe Ethan and Bean once again became

good friends, taking turns pushing each other 

on wagons.

 When we got back from our playdate, Bean was tired,

said,

"Musie, book? night night?"

Love how she knows and can ask for what she wants.

Bean took a three hour nap while I read and dozed off a few times.

Just like every day together, it passed so fast.

When her Mommy came to get her, she was ready for HOME,

ready to be with her Mommy.

It was the first night with her Daddy offshore so that 

night is always a little hard for her

so I imagine she and her Mommy cuddled and watched 

the Goofy Movie which she loves.

Once again, I am amazed at all she is learning and doing so fast.

Her speech is better every day and sentences are becoming

longer and longer.

I always sing her the song, 

Sing a Song by the Carpenters.

Ever since she is little but lately she tells me

"No" very sternly when I begin to sing any song
she is not wanting to hear.

Except this week she began singing to her Daddy,
"Sing, sing a song"

She did it for me too, walking around singing,

"Sing sing a song"

then adding, "Musie, sing"

I sing, she dances her swagger.

I could go on and on....

How this child has become so important to me,

puts a smile on my face even on the hardest days.

Reading is not laziness

Winter is on it's way.

Even if the calendar didn't say it, 

my body would announce the news.

I thank myself so much for the love of reading.

I began reading at a very early age,

self taught by the many days and weeks I stayed in 

the hospital. Without the gift of reading I am not sure 

how I would ever have gotten past all those

days holed up in hospitals away from my siblings 

and peers. HOBL, he is not a reader so he does

not understand how I cans stay in a bed or on a sofa,

how I can lay on my Pappasan for hours with my nose in 

a book or my IPAD.

I can read, nonstop for hours without a break if the

book is a good one.

I also am kind of OCD when it comes to starting a book,

I have to finish it no matter how terrible it is.

Sometimes I feel guilty because HOBL is moving all around

me cleaning or doing some little project and I am

there laying and reading.

HE will ask,

"You don't get tired of laying there reading all the time?"

Answer, Nope.

Not ever, not even a little bit.

I feel for those people in the world who either can't read

or do not enjoy reading. I don't know what I would do without

this hobby, I can go anywhere, be anything when reading a book.

I can get away from the realities of life.

People ask me what I like to read and my answer is now,

anything. When I was younger I only would read what

I liked like love stories, horror.

Now I see myself wanting to learn more about the world around me.

I want to become knowledgeable about history

and geography, the possibilities are endless.

I love a good book......

shoot, I love any book.

The Last thing I need.

There are lots of "last things I need" on my list.

I have so many collections besides loving again to decorate 

for the holidays.

I am finally getting used to the new home and all it has to offer.

I once again am enjoying decorating the new home

and even cleaning it.

I had not felt like decorating for the holidays like this 

since the kids grew up.

I understand that we are blessed to have such a beautiful home

and it's not "keeping up with the Jones'"

that has me wanting to decorate.

It is being proud of the abode.

It has taken me a while to get used to the home and new town.

Partly because HOBL being injured has worried us some.

He is on the mend and I am thankful for that also.

Back to the last thing I need,

a new collection.

GEES, do I have collections,

I have a miniature collection, a book collection, a journal collection,

a scrapbook collection and lets not forget my collection

of the deals I make a garage sale collections.

It makes me sound like a hoarder when put in words but

anyone who knows me and has been in my home knows

I am not a hoarder, just like pretty things.

So, you ask (or maybe you didn't) what is this all about?

I have a new love for One of a Kind hand made

miniature dolls. When searching ebay or etsy,

you will see OOAK.

For a while I thought this was the artist who made all these things,

then I realized that OOAK stands for

One Of A KInd.

I think maybe my new fad is because Bean and I both love little things.

When she holds one of my miniatures  I see her little eyes and face light up.

I explain to her what gentle means, remind her don't drop it and

she holds it softly with two hands, gently and she will softly 

kiss whatever the item is.

Oh I love her little face when she plants that kiss on the mini.

I love that she loves these things.

Another thing she loves is  babies, I mean adores all babies,

wants to feed them, put pacifiers in their mouth, rock them.

She treasures her baby dolls and if you go down the toy aisle

at a store she will say "Toy?" first then she will say, "Bee-bee"

which is how she says baby.

So now I search for miniature babies, OOAK ones to collect.

I want to have them to put in Beans little hands and see her little face

light up, see her soft little kisses on my finds.

Gosh, I love that little girl....