The further adventures of Life with Sully

We had such a wonderful Christmas holiday and hope that you did too.

The greatest joy on this earth is in the form of a little roly-poly 9 month old Santa baby named Sullivan.

He seems to ooze joy wherever he goes! So instead of going on and on, trying to come up with adjectives to describe the love I have in my heart for this little man, I will share some pictures and let you "feel the love" yourself.

One thing that really makes me happy is knowing this time next year, he will be walking and talking! ... can't wait!

TDIPT Swaps just take the cake!

It's time for our annual Christmas swap and true to form,

the TDIPT ladies have outdone themselves.

As is the habit, we take and share photos of all our goods and I've been oooh'ing and aaaaah'ing everyone elses things, patiently waiting for my box to arrive. Well, tonight was the night! After a long and very cold day - I walked into the house to find the biggest box sitting on the counter, just waiting for me to tear into it.

As it beckoned to me, I felt it was my civic duty to oblige ♥

Inside, to the delight of my heart ... my sweet friend Pea of Whimsical Endeavors packed so many awesome things that were stiched with love and purchased especially for me!

To name a few, there was a gorgeous Blue snowflake keyring, delicious Kona blend coffee, candies of dipped pretzels & marshmellows on a stick, the sweetest Gingerbread photo frame (that will hold a picture of my SullyBear very soon and even cat treats for Nip and Tuck. Pea didnt forget anyone in my house!

But the best was this beautiful wool Santa pillow that she stitched with love - for me! I found the perfect spot for it on an antique rocking chair. This chair was a wedding gift to Darrell and me over 30 years ago - it was built in the mid 1800's and I cherish it so, thinking of how many babies have been rocked to sleep in it. My Briar Rabbit snowman keeps company with my gorgeous Whimsical Endeavor's stitched pillow.

Not only was Tuck sweetly surprised to find kitty treats from Pea and her family, but he also claimed a new stowaway box to hide out in!

And when hubs found the container of Mocha Bars, he put the death grip on them and headed for his favorite recliner with a cup of freshly brewed Vanilla Macadamia Nut Kona blend!

Thank you Sweet Pea... you have made us all one very happy family tonight with your generous and loving heart!

A visit with friends

Last Friday, we planned a reunion of sorts with some high school friends that reconnected on Facebook. We gathered together everyone that could take an extended lunch and met at a great cajun restaurant in St. Joseph Mo. called Boudreaux's. And what a fun time it was - getting reaquainted after 38 years! Some of these folks I hadn't seen since we graduated in 1972.

We hope the next lunch is even bigger and better - we're planning a Saturday to accomodate those that cannot make a weekday event!

Ronnie Nelson waited with me for one of my oldest and dearest friends to get off work. Great hooking up with Kathy Brown - who works as a nurse for the city jail. Oh, the trouble we got into growing up!! Mercy :)

After our lunch date, I drove a few blocks up the street to spend some quality time with my favorite great nephew. Sully turned 9 months old on Friday so we had to do the birthday dance and celebrate ♥

He's getting so big!

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Sully time is always the best time!

My great nephew Sullivan Dorrell Lynch came visiting on Thanksgiving day and decided to spend the night at my house.

You will never hear me complain when someone suggests that I spend more time with Sully-bear. He is the sweetest baby boy and never fusses or complains.

He was born on March 10th and weighs about 23 lbs. He has 4 teeth now and is working on more - and even during the days of cutting teeth, his fussing is at a minimum.

I got this high chair at a garage sale for $10 and holy smokes, he LOVED spending time in it. He would sit for hours as everyone oooh'd and aaaah'd over him on Thanksgiving day. Next morning, the story was the same - I think he really liked being eye level with everyone else and being able to see all that was going on! Best 10 bucks I've spent in a very long time :)

Looks like someone had some stories to tell Aunt Cookie!

Bathing was so much fun on Friday morning ... he sure does love his bath time !!

Sully is getting so strong - he would pull himself up in the tub and actually stood without hanging onto the sides for several seconds. It wont be long now till he is moving and groovin all over the house!

Hanging onto Uncle Marty ♥

I love this sweet little boy so much and can't wait for the next time he comes to Aunt Cookie's house ♥

Hurry Down the Chimney Tonight!

I've been busy in the dungeon getting my Father Christmas and olde fashioned reindeer ready for the December TDIPT Mercantile!

I do hope you will stop by Tuesday evening to see all of the wonderful offerings!

Christmas is a wonderful, magical time of year -

anything can happen when you believe ♥

Happy Thanksgiving

Every year, a custom carries on that was started by my dear Mother-in-Law years ago: we wake on Thanksgiving morning and flip on CBS to watch the Macy's Day parade as we busy ourselves in the kitchen, preparing a family feast.

Several years ago, I was half watching The Morning Show with Harry Smith, who narrated a segment with Anne Graham.

Anne read a prayer from her father, the Reverend Billy Graham.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing on television... it moved me to the very core of everything I believe, and I wanted to share it here with you again this year.
Each year, I come back to this post and each year, it's as poignant and real for me as ever it was.... it goes like this:

“Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance.

We know Your Word says, ‘Woe to those who call evil good,’ but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.

We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.

We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.

We have killed our unborn and called it choice.

We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.

We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem.

We have abused power and called it politics.

We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ambition.

We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.

We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us, oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free.

Amen.”

As families gather for the holiday, please remember there is no reason to have a holiday called Thanksgiving unless there is Someone to thank.

Thanks to God and Jesus Christ His Son for all the blessings on our fair land.

Take CHRIST out of Christmas?

Not if I can help it.... this is such a clever idea!
Want to have some fun this CHRISTMAS?

Send the ACLU a CHRISTMAS CARD this year.

As they are working so very hard to get rid of the CHRISTMAS part of this holiday, we should all send them a nice card to brighten up their dark sad little world. Make sure it says "Merry Christmas" on it.

For those of you who aren't aware of them, the ACLU,

(the American Civil Liberties Union)

is the one suing the U.S. Government to take God, Christmas or anything religious away from us. They represent the atheists and others in this war.

Help put Christ back in Christmas!

Here's the address, just don't be rude or crude:


ACLU
125 Broad Street , 18th Floor
New York , NY 10004


Two tons of Christmas cards would freeze their operations because they wouldn't know if any were regular mail containing contributions. So spend 44 cents and tell the ACLU to leave Christmas alone. Also tell them that there is no such thing as a "Holiday Tree". It's always been called a CHRISTMAS TREE!

We really want to communicate with the ACLU!

They really DESERVE us!!

For those of you who aren't aware of them, the ACLU (the American Civil Liberties Union) is the one suing the U.S. Government to take God, Christmas or anything religious away from us. They represent the atheists and others in this war. Help put Christ back in Christmas!

As a footnote, huge kudos to Dick's Sporting Goods!!

Dick's Sporting Goods has told American Family Association that "Christmas" will become a huge part of their advertising beginning November 28.

Vice-Chairman Bill Columbo told the AFA that "We have made significant changes from past years, when 'holiday' was the dominant theme of our advertising."
~ Beginning November 28, Sunday newspaper inserts will read "Christmas 2010." It will continue each Sunday through Christmas.
~ Dick's website will display the Christmas message prior to the first insert (next week) in time for Thanksgiving day.
~ Television commercials running after November 28th will also refer to Christmas season

Think I'll pay a visit to Dick's this holiday season to show my deep appreciation for taking a stand on this !

♥ The History of APRONS ♥

I don't think our kids know what an apron is!

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath because she only had a few.

It was also because it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and aprons used less material.

But along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids..
And when the weather was cold Grandma wrapped it around her arms.


Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.
Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables.
After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.
In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men folk knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace
that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes.


REMEMBER:
Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool.
Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw.

They would go crazy now trying to figure out
how many germs were on that apron.

I don't think I ever caught anything from an apron – but

LOVE !