Thursday, December 29, 2011

So Much For A Quiet Day ALONE

Remember yesterday
when I was waxing eloquently
about how nice it was to
have a moment of peace
and quiet after
the hectic Holiday?

Yeah?
Remember that?

Soon after that posted,
the phone rang.
I picked it up with trembling
fingers because we are waiting
on a call from the
car dealership.

Hello?
Hi Nannnny--
(always exaggerated and drawn out
from Nana to Nannnny when
SOMEONE wants SOMETHING)
Hi, SweetCheeks!
Whut arhe yohu doing?
Hmmm..

I'm just ready to break into
song and dance and
go visit
Santa Claus.

Seerhiously, Nana!
Whut ARHE yohu doing?
Hmmmm..

Why?
Well, Ih wuz thinkhing.
Uh-oh...

Ih wuz thinkhing Ih couhld
come ovah and spehnd the night
cuz my sistah's are all doing sumthing
and Ih dohn't haff enything to do.

Really?
Really, Nana!
So cahn Ih?  Cahn Ih come ovah?
Hmmmm..

Okay-here's my choice..
A visit from SweetCheeks
or a poke in the eye with a stick.

I'll be there in a little while,
SweetCheeks.

When?  When will yohu be hehre?
(She must be taking courses in
HOW TO CLOSE THE DEAL
in SALES)

Soon...pretty soon.

Less than an hour later,
we have haunted
Starbucks,
arrived at my house,
and found that good old
SANTA
left a little something in
the stockings here
at Nana's house!
Hmmm...
So much for a peaceful,
quiet day.
Lord knows what's best for me.
I think He thinks laughter
is the best medicine.
And I needed a
BIG DOSE!

Oh- wait...look...
It's MY favorite show, too!
And..she brought her own
pajamas this time.
See any connections going on here?
And, Lord love a duck..
her favorite bedtime treat?
Keebler ELF cookies!
She says she likes a little
Elhf in her stummic to keehp her comphany!
Alrighty then!

I hope your day is as blessed
as mine is...cuz this really IS
a blessing....a child that loves
to spend time with you and thinks
you are just about the most
wonderful person alive.
What more could anyone ask for?
Well....
maybe a MOMENT of peace and quiet.
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Tuesday, December 27, 2011

WHAT? WHO Stayed Over?

A full day has passed.
Christmas 2011
 is becoming a
Sweet Memory.

After opening gifts
we spent part of the
afternoon  eating
AND playing games.
We played
Bunco.
My son was the scorekeeper.
He cheats-although he
claims he doesn't.

Then we played
Life with the kids.
My son was banker.
He cheats-although he claims he
doesn't.

At the end of the dsy
everyone went home.
This monkey headed for home.
He took the new little
Chunky Monkey Charlie
with him.
The girls are home
playing with their new toys.
Lulu with her keyboard
and headphones.
Julia with her Cinderealla doll.
Sweet little Ria  with
her sore little mouth.
Her favorite gift was her
Spy Kids kit.
All is quiet now.
My Hero and I
 came home to a
tree with no presents under it.
A sign that the
Gifts of Love
have all been presented.

I grab my cup of coffee
and sit down to watch the news.
MyHero is off to work.

It is quiet here-no one chattering,
or crying,
or whining.

Suddenly I hear it..

OOH-OOH- AAH-AAH!
Huh?
What?
Well.....
I see ONE of the grandkids
got left behind.
Well, at least I can stick
THIS ONE in a box....
and enjoy my coffee in peace!

How about you?
Any monkeys left at
YOUR house?
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Monday, December 26, 2011

Poke Me! Okay- DON'T

Yes...yes....I know...
I'm a little late getting
here this morning.
I'd show you a picture
of how tired I look but
I don't want you to think you
are looking at
Halloween pictures!

So, mask in place,
I truthfully admit
that
 it was SUCH a busy
day yesterday that I didn't
get hardly any pictures.
WHAT????
What kind of blogger am I?

Well....I'm the blogger
that forgets she's blogging
and plays games with
the kids and bakes a cake.

Okay- I DID make the cake
the day befoe.
It's a POKE CAKE..and
I saw it out here in Blogland
and remembered how many of
these I had made for my own kids.

I thought it would be fun to
make one for the grands this year.

It's simple..
1 white cake mix
1 small box red Jello (any flavor)
1  snall box green Jello (if you say you find
anything except lime I'll think you're lying)
Pretend whipped cream
(called Cool Whip by some)

Bake the cakes in round pans.
Poke some holes in them with
the handle of a wooden spoon.
Pour Jello into holes
(it will disappear)
Frost with Cool Whip
Make sumthin' purty on top.
(or not)
Refrigerate for up to two days.
Cut and enjoy.
Too late for Christmas, you say?
Quit your whining....
Bake one for
New Year's Day
using
Blueberry Jello.
It'll make your mouth do this....
Looks like a Viagra ad, doesn't it?
Just sayin' ~

And, if you're lucky like me
while everyone else is eating
cake you can be
studying the newest member of
the family, Baby Charles.
Please ignore the PINK blanket
you know how it is in a houseful
of girl cousins.
He was so good we hardly heard
a peep out of him all day.
He smiled in his sleep several times,
making us all smile in return.
AND
My husband is smiling this morning
because he got something
extra special from the kids.
Something that you won't understand
if you don't live in
Green Bay...something that
will make NO SENSE
unless you understand how
important the
Green Bay Packers
are to this family.
It's a limited edition portrait, folks,
of Vince Lombardi,
done by a local artist-
a friend of my daughter and son-in-law.
20 x 24 unframed.
hmmmm...
Wow- Where to put this in amongst
the family wall of pictures?
He's NOT related.
Doesn't matter...
it's all relative.
(get it-relative? related?-never mind)
Happy Monday!
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Sunday, December 25, 2011

SweetCheeks Sings The First Noel


As most of you know
SweetCheeks is
ALWAYS singing..

Here is
HER RENDITION
of
The First Noel.
Notice how nicely
she says
Merry Christmas
at the end.

Okay- gather round~
Buck up-
30 seconds and you're
out of here.
I promise~
I hope you are all having
a wonderful day
with your families.
I hope that there is joy and light
in your day and that any
sadness you feel will be
wiped away by the
deep joy that comes
from loving the
Lord and rejoicing
in the birth of
Jesus.

Christmas blessings to
all of you-
from
SweetCheeks and Company
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Saturday, December 24, 2011

Merry Christmas Eve-My Poem To You

 I hope your home is warm and bright,
I hope your life is full of light,
I pray that evening finds you near
to everything that you hold dear.

God Bless You All
This Christmas Eve..
And keep you safe.
for I believe..
that we have met here for a reason,
More than just the Christmas season.

Perhaps to share some stolen smiles,
Perhaps to connect us o'er the miles,
Whatever the reason,
I'm glad to see..
There's someone else
a lot like me.
So, here we are,
a fine old blend,
of Moms and Artists
and One Old Hen (me);>)

Merry, Merry Christmas
to all my wonderful
friends~

© Nana Diana 2011
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Friday, December 23, 2011

Our Family Tradition- 3 Wise Men,Jesus & Santa

My daughter started a wonderful
tradition with her children.
I thought I would share it
with some of you that
might want to adopt
the idea while
your kids are
still small.

There is always the urge
for SANTA to
overspend at Christmas,
isn't there?
When is enough enough?
How many presents should
each child get?

Well, at my daughter's house,
Santa brings each child
THREE GIFTS....
just like
JESUS
got three gifts from the wise men.
On Christmas morning the girls
come down the stairs.
The are wearing their brand new
(hopefully matching)
CHRISTMAS pjs that
Papa and Nana deliver
on Christmas Eve.
It is the one  small gift
 they open that night.

As they settle down,
Mama reaches for her
special
CHRISTMAS MORNING BOOK.
It is the story of the nativity
and she reads it to them.
When she gets
to the part where the
THREE WISE MEN
bring their gifts to
JESUS
the girls all scramble over
to the tree and find the
three gifts that
SANTA has left
for each one of them.
It will always be something
they want...and could be
as simple as
 a coloring book with crayons
or a bigger gift like
a snowboard.

Whatever it is~
Each child feels as special
as can be that SANTA
has gifted them with
something special
just like
JESUS
got three gifts from the
THREE WISE MEN

Once they find their presents
they snuggle back up to Mama
who finishes the story
of Bethlehem.
And then they open their
Santa gifts.


Now, they also get a
Mom and Dad gift and
Nana and Papa gifts
and Auntie and Uncle gifts,
so there is no lack of presents-
but it does put a limit on
dear old Dad
SANTA.

We have come to love
this special tradition
and how it kind of ties
everything together
for our family.

And THIS YEAR
there will be two
more special little
ones that will listen to
their Auntie TPot
read the Christmas story.
And at least ONE of these
monkeys will be
scrambling to find his
three gifts too!
I. JUST. CAN'T. WAIT!
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Wednesday, December 21, 2011

A Little Prayer For Our Ria Please

This is my daughter along with her hubby
and the TRIO.
This was taken a couple of weeks ago
when they went to get their tree.
Lulu is on the far left,
SweetCheeks is front and center,
and our sweet
Little Ria is on the right.

There was a little accident on
the school playground today.
Ria fell and her front teeth
went through her chin
just below her lip and
she needed eight stitches to
close the gap.
Bad enough~ but she
also broke her two front teeth
on a diagonal.
They are her permanet teeth, too. 
They thought at first she had
injured her jaw and might need
to have her jaw wired shut
but, after a full assessment,
it appears that her jaw is okay.

I know there are many big
tragedies going on around the world.
I realize that there are people that
need prayer for very serious
illnesses so I kind of
hate to ask....but...
if you have a moment please
send up a prayer for our
Little Ria.
She is just the sweetest,
most loving little girl you will
ever meet....and it is almost
Christmas and she will be in pain
for a few days.

The dentist has promised her
some caps when her mouth
has healed a bit.
I've been looking online and
I think I found the perfect
set.
Whaddaya think, Ria?
How do you like those?
I know some of you are thinking..
What kind of Nana would be posting
something like THIS concerning
something serious?
Well.....
Only THIS Nana would
be trying to get a laugh
out of her to cheer her up.
She's used to me and my
off-beat humor.
I am the best
"teaser" in the world.

I love you , Little Ria,
and I am so sorry this happened
to you~I'll see you in a couple
of days!

Thanks to all of you that take
the time to offer up a little prayer
for our little girl.
your photo name

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Gifts Galore- Wins And Suprises

I cannot tell you how
delighted I am with
what has been going
on here.
SOOO many wonderful
gifts
have found their way to me.

The first, amd most precious,
gift was a healthy
new grandson.
Our darling little
Charles-In-Charge.
Upon arriving at my own home
with new Mama, new baby,
and BigBoyE
I found things waiting
to be opened.

I won a wonderful
from
Lynne over at
If you don't know her,
please pop by her blog.
She is a delightfully,
sweet, talented girl.

I chose the one called
Hide & Seek
because it already
looks like it is glowing.
This is one of the most
beautiful pieces of
glasswork I have ever
held in my hands.
With a votive burning
inside it is spectacular.
It sits behind my kitchen sink
in the window for the
Holiday season...
and it may stay there year round.
Isn't she a beauty?



I also received a beautiful
necklace and tag
handmade by
Cindy Adkins
 The "dangler" is a domino
and when you turn it over it
has this sweet graphic on it.
Did you notice that it is held in
place by a mini-clip that attaches
to the chain?
I am sorry to say that the picture
of the tag is so blurry I can't use it...
but, trust me, it is beautiful!
If you haven't met Cindy yet
pop by her blog-
she is uber talented
and you will be blessed to
get to know her.

And then...
Laurie over at
blessed me with this beauty.

I wear a lot of black so this
is perfect for the Holidays.
Stop by and visit her
very
ShabbyChic,Romantic,
Cottage Style,
Jeanne deArc blog.
So...as if that wasn't enough...
As if I wasn't blessed enough already,
I get an email from
She has another wonderful blog.
If you aren't a follower already
you will be soon.
She is REAL, folks!
She even says a naughty word
now and then
(or so I heard).
Anyway.....
I won one of her wonderful
aprons.  And I DO MEAN
wonderful.
Here's the apron I won-
I was thrilled to get the one
on the right.
When she told me I won
I was expecting an apron-
this is a close up of the front.
but there was so much more
in that package.
2 potholders, candy cane sticks,
an ornament,
and some "babies" for
MY BABIES.
Little treasures for the
"hidey holes" under the steps.
And what package that looks like this...
Is really complete without
Pearl The Amazing
Balancing Pig?
Well, I hope I didn't forget
anything.  If I did y'all will
forgive me, won't you?
Cuz...remember...I am old..
and tired....
and-what's that?
Oh, yeah...I am forgetful...!;>)

Thank you to everyone!
Fellow bloggers are some
of the best people
I have never met!

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