Welcome to my World

My Grandma Gingerich passed away on March 7th and the next two weeks were a flurry of activity as we arranged for a funeral here and in IN. We drove up there and had a reunion of sorts with the family, and then we took our time traveling home; stopping at Brendan's brothers' houses (Ft Wayne and SC) on the way home. We also stopped in Chattanooga to visit the Tennessee Aquarium. So, we had a good time as a result of a sad event! I am going to miss my Grandma very much! She was an amazing lady! Below: Joanna and Second Cousins Helen and Suzanna Joanna and First Cousin Moriah At Tennessee Aquarium

I have been putting off my sewing projects for lack of motivation... But I had the urge yesterday and these creations were the result: Another bag to add to my collection! I bought some of these groovy girls dolls at goodwill and some were missing clothes, so...I thought I would take the plunge! Here is what happened... a dress! I thought it was rather darling!

Christmas is Long Gone and I am not going to post any pictures of it...I have all those on Facebook. If you want to see those, join Facebook, it's free! And it's an awesome tool to connect with long lost friends and relatives. I know I'm a nerd, but I love it! Brendan has been out of work for about three weeks and just this week started working again. It was RATHER stressful, but a good time to learn to TRUST God! It was also a good time to spend quality time together as a family. We recently spent the day at Myakka River State Park. It was a beautiful day and we rode bikes, picnicked and climbed a 76 foot tower! Loved spending time together and loved that it only cost us $6! We were all more than ready for a LONG nap!

My most recent bargain is these blue striped comforters I got at Target for $10 each! Gotta love it! My boys sure do! They are nice and cozy (we don't like to use the word Cramped) in their little bedroom. I love the above picture of Jeremiah because you can see his little sign he put up. It says"Sparky, whale and teddy, and Jeremiah Nolt and tiger sleep here!" Along with an arrow so you know exactly where they sleep! Love it! Sam cannot be parted from his "blankie" Ben looks like he's fallen into a mass of blue blanket and can't get out! Lotsa blue stripes! Sam had a birthday yesterday and was pretty excited about his cake! It was nothing special but he didn't care! It was especially for HIM! I love his little smile! We also celebrated with my family last week because my brother Rod and Sam have the same birthday! We got to choose what day to have Sam's birth so we chose Rod's birthday because Rod always complains how we don't ...

Ready for the family get-togethers, ready for the Christmas programs, ready for the glowing Christmas tree and the prettily wrapped presents. Ready for the Christmas cards from across the miles, ready for holiday baking and the Christmas carols! All to celebrate our SAVIOR"S BIRTH! Hope all of you have a joyous Christmas season!

Each summer I try to take a nice picture of the kids, but this year I kept putting it off. I was feeling more and more pressure to get these pictures taken. One day I went to my mother-in-law's house and saw that she had pictures of everyone's kids but mine! I needed to get on the ball! But really! How much of this pressure is really necessary? Will it be the end of the world if my kids don't get a formal picture this summer? I have PLENTY of other shots of them. I like to blame my pressure on all the folks who take gorgeous pictures of their kids all year round, but truthfully I am responsible for putting the pressure on myself. I have come to realize that I am the only one who can keep me from feeling pressure to do anything! And there you have it: My confession of the day...Enjoy the Pictures anyway!

Joanna is 2!