Birthday Party in Detroit Lakes

Terry and I and his grade school friend Steve and his wife Helen traveled today to Detroit Lakes. We met up with another grade school friend Joe and his wife Karen. We had a lovely dinner out and celebrated Terry's birthday and then returned to Joe and Karen's home to a homemade carrot cake birthday cake! Tomorrow the guys will enjoy another day of golf while the women shop. So grateful for another year alongside this man! Happy Birthday Terry. I love you more!!

LMNOP (Learning on Mondays with Nana with options for Preschool and beyond) Curious George Day!

I have had an awesome opportunity of teaching 

my grandchildren this summer on Mondays! 

Can I just retire and do this? :-)

It has been so much fun to plan each Monday with a different theme. The week of June 15 our guest at our home was ... 

Curious George 

We were able to have group time with him, a story about him, a monkey snack and a lot of 

monkey business! 

Here are a few pictures that will tell the story!

Counting on the last day of June 2015 #1121-1125

1121. Grateful to have spent 3 weeks taking care of my older brother, Tom

          Before he choose to shave his beard off

1122. grateful he decided to shave off his beard, he looks so handsome

                                 After he shaved!

1123. grateful for the safety the Lord has provided in the midst of several falls, bruises, bumps and cuts for Terry, Tom and I these past few weeks

1124. grateful that He has intentionally choose me as His friend
"I am a Friend of God."

1125. grateful for a bed, soft, warm that I can retreat to tonight

gratitude = grand parenting times 4

Easter Break was spent in Dallas Tx this year loving on my three granddaughters and new grandson Jacob Michael Jr. tagged now on instagram as #threesistersandamister. It was the best trip ever to visit Jacob, Carrie and the kids.

You can see by these pictures that these 3 big sisters are loving this new brother. There were so many highlights of this trip I am not sure where to begin however I will say that a 3 hour late night time hearing my daughter Carrie's heart and my early morning time reading and listening to the Word during Holy Week with Eden were a couple of my favorite times .... Thank you Father for the gift of children their spouses and grandchildren. 

I am so Blessed.

gratitude = grand parenting # 1113-1120

1113. 27.5 degrees outside in Minnesota

1114. extended time to read and write

1115. 23 days until I arrive in Texas

1116. the gift of hearing the train in the background

1117. an opportunity to pray

1118. family and Friday night pizza

1119. clean clothes fresh out of the laundry

1120. a new grandson Holden Arthur Pederson

Journal # 16 Wednesday 2.10.89

Carrie, 18 years old today .... this is hard to believe. I thank You Lord for her. She has grown into quite the young lady! 

My prayer for her ...

Divine Protection

The Holy Spirit to guide her heart and mind

Wisdom

Show her your will for her life

Help her to know and love you

February 10, 2015

It's fun to look back on the prayers that were prayed for my children years ago and see how the Lord has heard and answered ... thank you Lord for hearing and answering prayer.

My prayer today is for a very Happy Birthday and a blessed year ahead. Continue to give Carrie wisdom as a wife and a mother ... help her to know and love you deeper each day!

Happy Birthday Carrie

I Love you more, mom 

Tradition, Tree, and Truth

Glad my intention more than 4 months ago was a loose intention to blog on Mondays. Since my kids set me up on instagram I have been using this more than blogging however it is still important for me to write and post pictures. Blogging presents itself an opportunity to write more than the brief things written on instagram.

Christmas Tree Cutting 2014

So .... as I was looking back at pictures I found the below picture and compared it to the above picture!

Christmas Tree Cutting 2013

It's how we start the beginning of our Christmas Season. Tree Cutting. It's often about family, traditions ... things we love to do and things that bring us together as family! 

The tree cutting then leads to advent, which leads to Luke, Chapter 2 and Unwrapping the Greatest Gift ever, Jesus! It's how I was raised (me above on my dad's lap) and how we raised our children and how our grandchildren are being raised. 

So grateful for the lineage of my family and the 

lineage of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Unwrapping the Greatest Gift Ever, Jesus!