No, it’s not my birthday. My birthday was back in January. But, I am 63. And, I am a “young” 63. I have always thought of myself as being very young at heart. My friends are usually younger than me. Most of my close friends are quite a bit younger then me! My mindset is not that of someone who is 63! As a matter of fact, in my mind I think I’m about 43.
I have known people that are my age or a little bit younger than I am, that act like they have one foot in the grave!! I don’t understand that! When I think about all that I do in a day, and the things that I think about doing – it makes me realize just how “young” I really am. I’m not ready to give up – or throw in the towel on life, just because I am officially a Senior Citizen! Nope, not this girl! I’m also very thankful for an “attitude of gratitude”. Although I may have my “downer days”…they are rare. In most cases I am the girl that the glass is half full, not half empty – if you know what I mean.
From taking care of two little grandsons (currently)…
Jackson, 7 months old
Kash, 3 yrs. old
to sewing like a madwoman – especially lately! The popularity of my little pillow quilts that I make for babies has grown tremendously (especially on eBay), not so much on Etsy. So this past week (prior to leaving town on Thursday) that is what I was busy with…
Classic Winnie the Pooh paired with solid pink
Owl Print paired with sage green (I made two of these for a set of twins, but the other one is paired with solid yellow)
U of Florida “Gator” quilt (This was a special order)
Barn Toss Pillow Quilt
Animal Toss Pillow Quilt for Baby!
I’m working on two with Nursery Rhyme flannel currently and love the “girly girl” ones I’ve come up with…
Purple & Cream Eyelet
Hot Pink, White Eyelet, & Black & white zebra print
But, still my best sellers are the ones with embroidered butterflies….
For girl
For boy
or gender neutral
When I’m not sewing…I’m still walking 3.5 miles on Mon. Wed. and Fri. mornings with friends and going to the gym to do some treadmill and strength training on Tues. and Thurs. morning. Hubby is supportive enough to tend to the grandsons for an hour so I can make myself a priority.
I treat taking care of grandsons like a “real job”…by focusing entirely on them when they are here. I rarely read e-mail, talk on phone, text, sew or anything while they are here. We go for walks, play in back yard, go to the park/playground…
Jackson’s first swinging adventure!
Sometimes, when it’s too hot to play outside in the Texas heat, we take a trip to the dollar store to see if we can find any cheap toys, or great treats! It was so funny one day last week…Paw Paw stayed home with a napping Jackson while Kash and I went to the $$ store. On the way, Kash informed me that he wanted some gummy worms. I said, “okay, we will look and see if we can find some when we get there.” Well, we looked high and low, walking up and down the candy isle, but couldn’t find any. Kash said, “That’s okay, Maw Maw…I’ll go ask”..and off he marched, walking confidently up to the checkout counter where a checker was standing. He boldly asked her, “Got any worms?” We both laughed so hard at his confident almost cocky attitude – and it got him some worms, too!
It was the one year anniversary of my mother-in-law’s death this past week also. Hubby and I were her primary caregivers for 2+ years and so we were both in a little bit of a “funk”. Last Sunday I made a spur of the moment decision to try and arrange a “surprise” trip for hubby to the Austin area (Round Rock, to be exact) to watch his oldest grandson play football. Our daughter-in-law had been texting and sending pictures and I knew it would lift hubby’s spirits if I could arrange for us to go. So, I texted his baby son, Josh (Jackson’s daddy) to see if he could make other arrangements for childcare on Thursday and Friday so we could make a quick overnight trip to watch a football game. (It’s approx. a 5 hour drive and we would benefit by not only getting to see his oldest son & wife, but the famous football player, Dillon and his two younger brothers, James & Chris. Well, I managed to pull it off!
Father, Son & Grandson
Grandson, Chris at the game
Grandson, James at the game
OMG! How the boys have grown since we last saw them!! We were blown away and a bit saddened by how much they had changed! We just don’t make it to that area enough to see them! We are so tied down with taking care of first, Granny for 2+ years, and now two other grandsons!! But, I have to say that whenever we do go, we always feel so welcome and so loved! These three grandsons are so sweet and so loving. Mommy and Daddy are doing an awesome job of raising three awesome young men!
At the game, Dillon is # 57
So, that kinda capped off our week! We left Thursday morning and returned home Friday afternoon. I still had some sewing to finish up for the week, so I got right back to it when we got back. Then, this morning one of our “new” sisters that has joined our church expressed an interest in some “girl time”. So, while hubby stayed home and finished the laundry, my friend, Teressa and I went garage saling and out for a Chinese lunch. When I returned home at 1:00 hubby wanted to go to Sam’s for a free health screening. Yep!! Shocked me that hubby suggested it – since he’s not the walking picture of health! LOL But, we went and had our “numbers” checked.
Everything checked out pretty good. So, as I end this post..once again I say, “I’m thankful to be a young 63″…in mind, body and spirit. I’m ready to take on the next 30 years, God willing.
dancingthruyears 