It’s  Crazy Ya’ll  never really got the time or attention it deserved to be a real blog, mostly because my life was crazy for real.  My sister  and my husband’s sister had come to live with us just as we were trying to settle in to life as empty nesters.

Life is still crazy at Casa Parker for sure.  My sister in law has sadly passed away and my youngest son has come home to live while waiting for a heart transplant.

I have chosen to live this sometimes crazy, sometimes wonderful  life with as much joy and grace as I can.  Please join me over at The Home Place as we plan, design and build our sweet little home in the Texas Hill County.  I want to share with you my dear readers the things that mean the most to me, the books. recipes and people I love.  In my little online shop I hope to share items I love and hope you will too.

So follow me over to The Home Place

After a rush trip to Roundtop ( somehow rush trip and Roundtop don’t mix) I brought home the below little treasure.  This chest will become one of the two cabinets in our not yet started forever home master bathroom.  I can’t wait to get it cleaned up and pretty and for a time enjoy the finished product in our current home.

If not for a blown out truck tire and the scorching temperatures we might be needing a storage unit.

Next time!!!

This view is so familiar to so many friends and family.  I hate when this is our daily and reality.  But I thank God that we are in driving distance of this amazing place.

My mom was in the hospital for 3 months before she died.   Drew was hospitalized twice for 5 weeks each time he had an LVAD implanted.  My cousin Ralph was down the road at Herman for weeks and weeks.   The Texas Medical Center has been vital to my family for quite some time.
Drew has been back in the hospital since last Thursday for an infection in his blood.  Not a huge problem for most people but with an LVAD it’s a problem that must be dealt with quickly and throughly.  
I remembered with this hospital stay how much I’ve come to LOVE routine every day existence.  I am reminded what a blessing ordinary can be.   

However, every time I see this

I know we are all in very good hands medically.

Our family, church family and my FTL sisters pray over us continually and for that I am more than grateful.

When your day to day life feels boring and ordinary, stop a moment and offer up a grateful prayer

Pam

Sitting on the couch this last day of 2016 sipping my coffee and enjoying my Christmas tree before it makes its exit.
Thinking about the Christmas of my childhood. We celebrated with the same people, ate the same meal and I was just fine with that.

But grandparents pass away and then parents do and I find myself the grandparent!!!

This was the first Christmas that my youngest son Drew wasn’t here for Christmas morning.  Because of the age difference between my two sons Drew was still leaving cookies and milk for Santa when Quincy III spent his first Christmas out of my house.

It was different for us but the one thing I’ve learned about this life is it changes whether you want it to or not.

Don’t think this Christmas was sad for us at all though, just different. Because this grandmother has learned to anticipate Christmas and not leave everything to the last minute I had time to really enjoy it. A trip after Thanksgiving with the grandkids.  The Nutcracker with my precious Merritt,cookie baking.  Almost every year our grandkids come the night Santa comes to the neighborhood.  We have hot cocoa and Christmas cookies and watch a Christmas movie.  This year was no exception!!!! (Except we missed Santa!!!!)

We had Christmas Eve with our oldest and the grandkids.  Christmas morning we drove to Austin to spend with Drew.  We had gumbo Christmas night with the Kenny Parkers.  It really was a wonderful Christmas!!!! Different yes, but still wonderful. 

I’m a little sad that I took no pictures. But happy that I was so in the moment that I didn’t even think of it.

Christmas 2016 was a good one and is ready to be put away.  

2017 is full of so many possibilities.  Some of them are going to be wonderful and some scare me,to be honest. So I will hold tight to this

Happy New Year everyone!!!!

Today would have been my sweet mother’s 84th birthday.   84?? I can’t even imagine her that age. 

  Mother died when she was 64 of heart failure.  Anyone who knows my family understands why this is very poignant.  We had no idea when Mother died of the legacy of heart failure she would leave us.

I’m 63. I have heart failure. When I feel the urge to whine or complain I am reminded how lucky and blessed I’ve been.   They constantly tried different drugs trying to improve Mom’s heart function and she made more runs to the hospital than I care to remember.   When I was diagnosed they gave me a wonderful drug ( that was a real struggle to adjust to) that improved my function markedly.

At my exact age my sweet momma didn’t drive any longer, couldn’t clean her own house and shop for groceries.   Her heart just wouldn’t  let her.

Last Sunday Quin and I took our grandkids to Schilterban and floated the lazy ( it’s not all that lazy) river.  Did the heat get to me? Yeah!    Was I sore the next day? HELL yeah! But I could do it.

Today we are celebrating the birthday of my great niece Lilly.  All five of Momma’s great grandchildren will be there.  I can’t think of a better way to honor my Momma.

I think the important word here is “grow”.  Dear Lord let me keep growing, not just getting older.

I find it hard to put into words the peace I am beginning to have concerning aging and my ” after children” life.  For a good bit of time I felt a little lost and without purpose and I didn’t like it one little bit. I became impatient with myself and with God because I wanted to get on to the “next thing”.  Instead of rushing ahead to something new, I am finding great peace and a quiet joy in just being.  Am I through learning and growing, good grief I sure hope not!  Let me tell you “young ones”,even at 63 there are new things to learn and new adventures ahead.  I think the difference is I feel content to wait for them.  During this time God is teaching me serenity, and it seems to be fitting quite nicely. So here I sit full of serenity and wisdom until the next crazy crisis shakes my world again.   There are no promises of what your life will look like, but this I believe…

You go nowhere by accident

Wherever you go,

God is sending you.

Wherever you are,

God has put you there.

God has a purpose

in your being there.

Christ lives in you

and has something

he wants to do

through you where you are.

Believe this and go in the

grace and love and

power of Jesus Christ.

— Rev. Richard Halverson

And just because I have no great picture to go along with this post I’m going to share a picture of my son Drew and his puppy Blanche Du Bois

Two things

1. When I make my bed my day just seems  better, more productive

2. How many times have I rushed out saying 

 
“I don’t have time to make the bed”

This morning I timed it.  Turned on the stopwatch on my phone and 1 minutes 46 seconds later the bed was made.  That excuse will never work again. Yeah me!!

   
  In July we bought a pretty little piece of land just outside of Blanco where we are going to build our “retirement” home.

As it often happens life gets in the way of our best plans and it still sits waiting for us to get started on our home.  Our youngest son Drew went to the Dr the week after we closed on the land and ( as you may already know) had open heart surgery this summer to implant an LVAD( his second).

Drew’s recovery has been great and he is moving back to San Marcos in January and we will get started on our house. 

 On Saturday and Sunday we walked the property and dreamed 

 With the recent rains our little creek was flowing. 
   The view from the top of our  “hill” 

This being 60 thing won’t be all bad since we get to have this new adventure.

Hey just a little reminder, don’t forget to join me on Feb5 & 6 for IF:Gathering Clear Lake!!!

The words below are so very true!!  I just need to forget 5 useless petty things and learn something new that enriches my life.

If you think you’ve done every exciting interesting thing in your life by the time you are 50 we need to talk.

i am reminded constantly by my Father that He still has plans to use me
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