Today would have been my beautiful Momma’s 94th birthday.

She was just a simple, Kentucky born girl, who only wanted one thing in her life, to be a mother and grandmother.

Her greatest joys came from her family, her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

So proud of all of us!

Never judging!

How she loved being with all of us, cooking for us, loving us!

No one could have had a better friend or sister, she was ready to help, support, and love when needed, without hesitation.

Mom was an amazing quilter.  She was always sewing, and quilting, until the last days of her life.

I keep her sewing box in my bedroom and there are many days, like today, I will open it and see her threads, needles, small pieces of fabric, and her thimbles.  Momma always used a thimble to sew.

I am like her in some ways, I make my bed everyday, I love to care for my home, I iron everything before I wear it, and I love simple homemade things.

I am not the good cook she was, I cannot sew or quilt, and I lack her unselfish ways.

Love this photo of her smiling at me!

I pray she is smiling down on me today, knowing just how much I miss her and love her.

Happy Birthday my sweet Momma!

Simple, quiet, thankful.

No special, fancy Thanksgiving Day planned today, just my family, me, my husband, and our beautiful gift from God, our son.  A wonderful, kind, caring, loving human being, created by God, and given to us.

So thankful for him.

So thankful for the, “I love you Mom”, he quietly speaks to me every single day.

So thankful for my home, warm, clean, lovely in so many ways, perfectly imperfect, as I love to say.

Thoughts come to me often of those folks, those families, without a place to call home, living wherever they can for the night.  Heartbreaking stories.

So thankful for having a brother and sister, we are close, now more than ever.  That the ups and downs of life over the years have taught us that we will always have each other.  Always.

So thankful for the fact that I now realize God has always been in my life, with me, loving me, getting me through horrible times, to this place I am right now.  He was with me when I did not know Him.

So thankful that I have folks to love, how terribly sad it would be not to have someone to love in your life.  I will reach out to those today, to let them know I love them, that they are thankful gifts in my life.

So thankful for this day, serving our turkey and dressing, at our kitchen table, together, praying, giving thanks with grateful hearts.

I try to always start each day when waking, thanking God for another day, not just on Thanksgiving Day.

Hope all of you take a few moments to be thankful.

Overwhelming love to all of you today!

I believe Sundays, for the most part, should be restful, thoughtful, grateful days, enjoying and spending time with family.

That is what I did yesterday.

Over the years I have kept so many wonderful photos of my family, old and new, stored away in a box on a shelf, in my closet.

Yesterday, I pulled out my photo box, and the many frames I have accumulated over the years.

My afternoon journey began.

Choosing special photos for framing was so difficult, my favorites, my loved ones, those with me now, and those beautiful ones in heaven, how do I choose?

Such an emotional afternoon, laughs, smiles, tears, regrets!

I framed several older ones of my Mom and Dad, and favorites of me and my sister, shown above.

During the holidays I love displaying photos taken during that bright, magical time of the year.

Sweet Easter ones of my brother and sister, just really cute!

As the afternoon passed, many were framed and found places around my home.

Especially love this old one of my Grandma holding my sister in her arms.  This photo was taken in front of our family’s grocery, years and years ago.  I loved looking at all the old products, and product signs, 7up, Pepsi, Kraft, and Wonder Bread.

My desk was the perfect spot for these mini frames holding the cutest photo of me with my son at Kings Island Amusement Park, and this dear one of me and my Mom.  Love these so!

I worked for hours sorting, choosing, and framing.

So many left to do!

Those of my dear son, at all ages of his life, our sweet pets, who have given us such joy over the years, and just so many others.

As I grow older, it is important, a longing, to have my family around me.

The days in our lives bring so many laughs, smiles, good times, tears. As time passes these become memories we cherish.

Love to all.

I love color, anything colorful makes me happy, makes me smile!

All of my life I have loved crayons.  As a child, drawing and coloring would always brighten a lonely day.

I keep a large jar of crayons in my craft area, not only as a fun, colorful, display piece, but for the memory it brings to mind every time I see it!

My father was from New Jersey, so for many years we would take our family vacations there, we loved the ocean and the boardwalk. Fun times for us!

One year we went to visit one of my father’s cousins, she had a daughter my age.

Her room had everything a little girl could ever want.  The most beautiful dolls everywhere, but the something that I focused on, was a very large box of crayons, larger than a shoe box, every color, and just so many of them!

She noticed my interest in the box, grabbed it from my hands, and threw the box aside spilling and breaking many.

Did she have so much of everything, that they meant nothing?  I think so!

Have you ever noticed that the sweetest, nicest, most grateful folks, are those whose lives aren’t filled with everything they could possibly want.  The folks that need to work hard to get extra things.  Giving them a gift brings the giver joy knowing that they are truly thankful.

I try to remember this, “something for nothing, means nothing”.

Have a bright, colorful, thankful weekend.