Chubbilicious Snugglicious!

My last Wednesday off with my granddaughter. Her momma sleeping and I get hours of snuggle time and kisses.

Sofia was sleeping when I met up with them this morning, just waking up still sleepy, she saw me and her eyebrows shot straight up and she broke into a huge grin.

Her emotions reflect on her face like her momma and me and those eyebrows will shoot up in a heartbeat.

Two months old, she is so chubbilicious snugglicious!

I am so grateful for time this summer. Time with Mariah pregnant, time for Sophia's arrival and time bonding and establishing a close relationship with her.

It all matters. 

Sofia + Grandmomma

My Youngest Phone Conversation

My youngest phone conversation ever! 

I wasn't sure if it would work, but I Facetime'd Sofia.

There I am talking, smiling, being playful trying to get her attention to see if she recognizes me over phone video and for the first several seconds she just looked. Then, it happened ...

Sofia began to smile, started kicking her arms and legs and I had her coo'ing and sticking her tongue out! SUCCESS!

We had a fun conversation and now I can talk to my sweet grand baby from any distance.

Look Who's Almost 2 Months!

That hair, hysterical!

 That sweet chubby body, snugly and squeezable.

My granddaughter is completely kissable.

She is truly a dark-haired, brown-eyed beauty!

At two months, she is a happy baby and knows what she wants, already. She likes to be held. Even when she sleeps, she opens her left eye slightly to ensure she is being snuggled and hasn't been left to lay by herself. As an added security, when she sleeps in my arms she will reach her little arm up and keep her hand on my face to make sure I am there.

Command attention my beautiful granddaughter. It is in your DNA.

Homecoming

Homecomings change through the years. The first year is a lot of pressure of the unexpected, so you over prepare.

Homecoming is the first dance in a high school season and for a girl, her first real opportunity to buy a semi-formal or formal dress; although, I've always been and my girls are Homecoming is semi-formal.

Dress shopping, shoe shopping, accessories shopping, hair style, nails and make-up. Cha-ching!

Add years and experience and after four years, Homecoming transitions into an evening out.

Last night was Brooke's last Homecoming as a Senior. Several dresses to choose from from her sisters and her own collection, it was a matter of which dress does she want to wear.

Shoes? We already have plenty.

Hair? So many girls go get their hair done professionally which is nice, but the reality is ... they end up with styles their moms like, not necessarily the boys. If they don't like it, your outta luck, there is no turning back once the hair is pinned and sprayed in place and a hefty price is paid.

Brooke and I chose an easy route. We looked at photos of hairstyles she liked and we practiced for 10 minutes the day before. Once we got the look she liked, it was an easy plan before the dance.

She does her make-up best, I did her hair and she slipped into a fun little dress.

She is beautiful! 

Brooke and Alex have been dating 3-1/2 years and through their immature relationship, they've learned to grow up together. I believe these two are going to make it, they genuinely love each other.

Brooke knows how to stretch a day. Alex asked her where she'd like to go for dinner and she said she'd prefer breakfast. Truth is, she has been talking about wanting a Taco Bell breakfast, which are her favorite, but will turn your stomach and clog your arteries.

Up and ready, she got her breakfast, most of the day, and she got dinner with him.  

A couple hours at the dance was enough and they were home by 9:30 p.m. 

She was seen, they danced, and they are comfortable enough together that that was enough for the evening. Come home, get in comfy clothes and Netflix.

They have found their groove. 

A Last Halloween Costume

In one month ...

Brooke turns 18

Brooke loves dressing up and Halloween is a favorite holiday to her next to Christmas. We went out to purchase her Halloween costume and I told her she has to buy this one, because I bought her a costume in the spring for a school project she had. She argued that was last year (last school year), I argued it was still in 2017.

She picked out a super cute costume that cost only $20, when she usually runs me over $50 every Halloween. I said I'd gladly pay the $20 for the last-Halloween-costume-I-ever-have-to-buy.

The milestones continue to get checked off the list!

Seven months until graduation.

A Grain, Seed or Nut?

Quinoa is a super food that quite honestly confuses me. You cook quinoa like a grain, botanically speaking it is a seed, but tastes like a nut.

I am in a very grainy-texture season in life.

I'm addicted to the taste and texture of steel cut oats with ground walnuts added and quinoa. It's the texture and health benefits of quinoa that has inspired new favorite recipes:

 - Vanilla yogurt, quinoa mixed with cinnamon, banana slices and peanut butter melted and drizzled on top. Sometimes I add honey.

  - Every morning I look forward to my chocolate protein shake in the blender with ice. Ahhhh, add a 1/4 cup of cooked quinoa and now my chocolate protein shake has a nutty flavor with texture and 6 additional grams of protein.

Did I mention Aldi's has their autumn season Maple Leaf Cream cookies and their Spiced Apple Cider packets available? I love autumn.

I happen to know where the BEST maple ice cream in town is located, too!

Yes, it's lunchtime and today I have a three hour split during lunch. The sun is shining, the weather warm and I have accomplished a ton.

Be careful with those yummy Maple Leaf Cream cookies though, they are 110 calories each!

Only God

It's been a rough year that has transitioned from broken pieces to pieces of a puzzle.

E v e r y t h i n g was broken for most of 2017 and I believe you learn the most about yourself when you go through a storm far more than when life is blessed. Your true character and integrity is ultimately revealed. 

How do you respond when life falls apart? It matters. 

Looking back, I can see how all of the broken pieces are pieces to a puzzle. How each one of them had to happen and how they have me where I am today. 

There are absolutely blessings in storms. 

A most perfect storm that was intended to be catastrophic, wasn't. There are many things that I was ready to do that quite honestly, God did not let happen. It's a take you to the end of yourself and God says, "No, you may not destroy her." 

Everything intact.

Needed rest. 

Time off work, then a four day work week that I've always wanted to have. Time. 

Time to heal.

    Time refresh.

        Time for outdoors.

            Time for summer. 

                Time to learn new things.

                    Time for my daughters.

     

                         Time for my granddaughter.

I can see from this side, the broken pieces that had to happen for me to be where I am today.

I'm not sure if I heard something or read something, but it was, "What if God called you away, would you go?" 

Talk about life interruption. We know the story of Jonah, living a good life and God called him to go to Nineveh. Good grief, what if God called you to go to North Korea? Jonah ran and we are all like, you cannot run from God! Duh

But, what if ... God called you away to something different? Would you go? 

I answered an honest in my mind, "Yes." 

Don't you know, it wasn't two days later I got a call.

Really?!

God, out of A L L my prayers, that's the one You heard?

Broken pieces turned to pieces of a puzzle and an unexpected life shift. 

Broken pieces to blessings. 

Only God.