The Merry Month Of May

The month of May is always good to me.  There are a lot of happenings this month.  I met my best friend the day before my birthday and my brother and sister on my birthday.  We went to Macaroni Grill, my favorite.  I got lots of goodies from family....foods that I love and seldom ever buy for myself, especially the Spanish olives.  Isn't this ladybug journal cute that Nel got me?

 

A special book from my sister, chocolate from my brother, gift card from my best friend, and Jess gave me the loveliest rose gold bracelet.  I don't wear jewelry often, but she knows I love bracelets.

 

 

 

 

Took a few pictures while waiting to get an oil change, and saw not only one penny, but two pennies on the ground.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There's a festival in my town every Spring.

 

 

 

I've had this tea cup for years.  It's from the English Rose collection, and I've never been able to part with it, as it is a favorite of mine.

 

 

 

We've had a few rainy days in May.

It's raining right now!

 

Flower beds at the church on

Mother's Day.

 

 

Nel, the pasta sauce with artichokes was pretty good.  I added a bit of sugar, cause I like sweetness to my spaghetti sauce.

 

 

So many Lilies around my town.

 

 

Yes, the merry month of May
is good to me.

 

~Sheri

Kentucky Derby

I haven't been able to post for a while because this past semester has been sooooo busy with teaching, baby care, and planning for our cross-country move...Oh! Did I mention? Our little family is moving back to Cali!

Georgia has treated us so sweet, but now that we have the baby, we want to be close to our families. So, this will be our last spring in Georgia, and that means our last Kentucky Derby in the south. 

I just love the Derby, and we're actually planning a family trip to the races when Mia's a little bit older. In the meantime, we'll be celebrating from home.

We got all dressed up in our Derby best. And hooray! Daddy's horse won! 

We celebrated the win with some home-cooked shrimp etouffee and blackened catfish (recipe courtesy of the New Orleans Gumbo Shop). 

And you can't have a Derby Day without a mint julep. 

Cheers, friends!

~Nel


Edited May 15, 2019...

P.S. Happy Birthday, Sheri! (Mom)
Wishing you a day as special and beautiful as you are. ♡

A Mother's Day Message For Nel and Jess

Now that my daughters are raising children of their own, they are feeling all the deep emotions of motherhood, and with that comes utter joy to complete exhaustion. 

 

Nel sent me a couple pictures recently, and in her own words she said, "I thought these two pictures pretty much sum up my transition to motherhood this semester.  The first is the beautiful view from my campus office...and the second is the view where I've actually been working for the last four months haha."

 

 

 

Nel and Jess, I never told you this story, and thought it was a good time to share it with you....
 

One day, I was out grocery shopping.  I had my kids with me, and I was a bit frazzled running around taking care of things.  It must have shown on my face because a polite woman spoke a few words to me.  She was an attractive lady with dark brown hair.  She was in her 50's or 60's, and with a peaceful smile she looked at me and said, "this is the best time of your life."  I didn't know what she meant or why she said that to me, but I do now.

 

Oh, I remember the days well, but I was younger, I had more energy.  But there's something to be said about a mom in her 20's taking care of a baby also.  When many 21 year olds are out wildly celebrating their special day, I was home nursing you, Nel.  But you were my best friend - what more could I want?

 

 

And you were my Yummy.

(Jess' nickname).

 

 

I do remember how tiring it was to keep up
with small children.
 

Sometimes they crawl

in the most unlikely places.

 

 

They mischievously get into

the diaper wipes.

 

 

They spill milk all over themselves.

 

 

Just when you think they're

taking a nap,

you walk in the room and see this.

 

 

This little girl loves to play

dress up.

 

 

And Jess, you did too.

 

 

How incredible it is that

they trust you with everything.

 

 

They eat their own cupcake, and want some of yours.
 

 

And when you're tired and teary-eyed from the long day's work and being around unappreciative and thankless adults, you get a precious smile like this, reminding you just how important and loved you are.

 

 

"They know me in a way no one ever has.  They open me to things I never knew existed.  They drive me to insanity and push me to my depths.  They are the beat of my heart, the pulse of my veins, and the energy in my soul -
they are my kids." ~unknown

 

Danelle and Jessica, thank you for being good mothers to my grandbabies.  And just like the woman I ran into many years ago, this dark haired woman in her 50's, with a peaceful smile on her face is telling you the same thing...."this is the best time of your life."

Happy Mother's Day!



Crawling All Over Me

Many of you know I love the ladybug,
but I never told you why it's so special to me.  
Whenever I see one, I think of our Mother Mary.
(This is my garden at the old house).

 

 

Originally, it is said that in the Middle Ages, farmers prayed to the Virgin Mary for help to save their crops from a plague of harmful pests.  A swarm of ladybugs came, ate up the pests and saved the day.  Thus, they became known as the "Beetle of Our Lady" or Lady Beetles.  ~Wild Gratitude

 

When I create a fairy garden for my grandkids someday, I want to surround it with a dozen ladybugs. 
 

 

"When I was a little girl, I used to spend hours looking for ladybugs.  Finally, I'd just give up and fall asleep in the grass.  When I woke up, they were crawling all over me."

 

~Katherine, Under the Tuscan Sun

 

 

Last week, I opened my front door, and a ladybug was right there on the front porch saying hello.

 

There is a big garden of yellow roses in front of the church, and it was only when I downloaded the picture that I noticed a ladybug underneath the petal of the rose.

 

 

So, now that you know what the ladybug means to me, you can imagine how surprised I was when my son brought me these small cakes from the grocery store one day.  Their chocolaty goodness was so moist and Yummy.

 

 

Seen any ladybugs lately?

 

 

~Sheri