And the Tables Have Turned!

Spades last night!
Love these two!

 Guess who won this time! LOL

The Weekend

We had a really nice weekend.  First off, Mr. Felix came over for a visit and I had Felix time all weekend! He is 6 years old and such a smart little guy.  But most importantly he is a loving and kind little guy.
Erika was able to have him help her with a project for college. She just happened to have need a child his age to record reading.

Erika and Donato came over and we had a wonderful time playing spades!  Guess who won?

They are such characters! :)

Albina spent the weekend doing this!!!!

And Sarah was a busy bee too!  We had some good talks together. :)

Life is full and busy! I So love my family! :)

He turned SIXTY!

My Sweet Mike! 

Is 60!

  I love My Mike!  He is the sweetest, kindest man.  And I love doing life together with him.
Happy Birthday!

"Tea With Each Other and Time With The Lord"

In October of 2018, my friend and I wanted to start a "Ladie's Tea and Prayer".  We said it was tea with each other and time with the Lord.  We started meeting on Wednesday nights at my house, and it has since been moved to the church where the youth meet at the same time.
It has been a huge blessing to pray and read scripture, sing out a song and lift each other in prayer.
We have prayed around the world and prayed for those close by.  We have seen many answers to our prayers and it has brought us closer together.
I'm so thankful for our Tea and Prayer Time!

"Sweet Hour of Prayer"

1. Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
   
   That calls me from a world of care,
   
   And bids me at my Father’s throne
   
   Make all my wants and wishes known.
   
   In seasons of distress and grief,
   
   My soul has often found relief,
   
   And oft escaped the tempter’s snare,
   
   By thy return, sweet hour of prayer!
   
   
2. Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
   
   The joys I feel, the bliss I share,
   
   Of those whose anxious spirits burn
   
   With strong desires for thy return!
   
   With such I hasten to the place
   
   Where God my Savior shows His face,
   
   And gladly take my station there,
   
   And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!
   
   
3. Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
   
   Thy wings shall my petition bear
   
   To Him whose truth and faithfulness
   
   Engage the waiting soul to bless.
   
   And since He bids me seek His face,
   
   Believe His Word and trust His grace,
   
   I’ll cast on Him my every care,
   
   And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!
   
   
4. Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
   
   May I thy consolation share,
   
   Till, from Mount Pisgah’s lofty height,
   
   I view my home and take my flight.
   
   This robe of flesh I’ll drop, and rise
   
   To seize the everlasting prize,
   
   And shout, while passing through the air,
   
   “Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer!”

Embracing Adulthood!

Erika is so fun!  AND.... she is truly embracing adult life!
 

It has been such a pleasure to be her mama all these years!  But the time went by so very fast!  That is what happens when your baby comes home at almost 8.  

She is now a bank teller, as well as keeping up with her photography and school.  And she has been able to carve out some precious time with this fellow!  And we are so glad she has. He is a sweet, sweet fellow. :)

It has been such a joy taking photos of all of the girls growing up in this house.... and now taking photos of them as they are much older and embarking on new adventures in life. :)

She still volunteers at the hospital and has time to stop by on the weekends and stay at home in her old room.  She has been a huge help to me in learning newer computer skills.... and SHE and HE are quite the pranksters.
This little fellow has been our ongoing FRIEND since just before Christmas.  He came as a gift. :)

This little friend has been placed all over the house to make me SCREAM!  But this time, I successfully placed him in her book bag where the  pencils are so she could reach down and pull him out...... SUCCESS!
He is now at HER apartment! LOL

Things that they enjoy are evenings with TEA.... lots of green tea in tiny little cups. :)
They enjoy playing pool, cooking, riddles, and long drives.

I love the conversations we all share.  I LOVE IT that she is enjoying life with a dear, dear friend. :)

And I love it that she loves US.........and is sharing her life and her special friends with us. :)

Guess Who Turned 20!

Albina did!  20 on 02-02-2020!  What a special birthday!  She spent it Dirt Biking! :)

Albina and Sebastian.

Somebody's about to turn 2!

Happy Birthday Mayhem!

Our Anna (Symphony)  moved almost 4 years ago to live near her birth family in Nevada.  She has kept us up with photos of our grandson Mayhem.  And he is about to turn TWO!  He is an adorable little boy and I just love his curly hair! 
She describes him as "My Whole World".  We miss seeing her, and hope to see Mayhem someday. :)

Happy Birthday Baby Boy!

 Playing with his Teddy Bear.

 This looks like great fun!

 I think he loves his Pudding!

Such a big boy!

Taking on January

 Well, real life after the Holidays has begun.  This morning Erika left to go back to college.
We will miss her being here with us every day, but she is doing what she is supposed to do!

But before she left, we did this!
This was a wonderful fish restaurant in our area!
It is always lovely to spend time with my sweet heart Erika.
I spent some special time with Truman this weekend also, and we had a wonderful time together. :)

 This is Truman sitting in an 85,000 dollar Tesla!

He was my shopping buddy.  Who would have thought there was a Tesla store in the mall??

Sarah is still home, but will be super busy with college and work.  I'm back to work in the office and it is just the beginning of the year and I'm already behind. UGH

We went through our closets and got out old clothing and shoes that we don't use and donated them.
I have more things to go through for donation. 

Anybody wanna guess what this is?


This nice big chunk of ginger is going to be used to fight arthritis!

Also, Erika and I are starting our exercise program.  I start swimming today.  I'll try to do 4 days a week and see if I can beat the old lady arthritis that is plaguing my body! 
TAKE THAT!

I saw a meme recently that cracked me up.....and I can relate to.....
So, let's take on January! :)  We can do this!

UKRAINIAN CHRISTMAS

The girls wanted to have their friends over for a final Christmas Celebration for Eastern Orthodox Christmas.   Ukraine celebrates Christmas, on January 6, instead of December 25th.  So we have been celebrating and continuing to celebrate!

The girls had several guests and made a beautiful meal for them.  It was a lot of fun watching them interact and enjoy each others' company as well as taste new foods.

They made Borscht and served Pelmeni.  Then they had Halva, Poppyseed bread, Ukrainian Bread,
some old orphanage comfort foods and Pomogranite or orange juice.

They played games and had a great time conversing with each other, and Mike and I sat back and enjoyed watching and talking with them.  I just love this group of young people. :)

Beginning the New Decade!

WE started our new decade with a beautiful visit from Donato's mama. :)  She is a true treasure.
We have met a few times now. Have you ever met somebody who is just a blessed treasure to you?
Somebody that you can identify with and connect in a spiritual way?  We have really enjoyed getting to know each other...

 This was at the pie party!

 Erika loves folks to braid her hair!  Photos we didn't get was when all us girls went out to lunch and to see "Little Women".....

 These two precious people!

 Duck lips.....

 I THINK I can do that too.   Maybe not. LOL

 Fun....

 More fun....

 Cooking fun!

 We spent last night playing Dominos and then Spades.. 

 A beautiful sunset!

I cleaned my room!  Yay!