Wanda

Look What I Found

Published on April 17, 2017April 18, 2017 by Wanda3 Comments

I was coming home the other night and it was getting pretty dark. I don’t like to get home after dark because I live in the woods and we have wild animals that like to come out and play when the sun goes down. I was running a little longer that I had expected. I live on a private road with only one other house on it. After you turn off the main road my little road winds back a bit and the makes a turn. This is the view from my car when I made that last turn before I went up my driveway. I didn’t have my camera with me just my cell phone. I stopped the car and jumped out to catch this breath taking sunset.

sunsetapril2017

My Jolt For The Day

Published on April 17, 2017April 17, 2017 by WandaLeave a comment

Jolt

My three grandchildren were on Spring Break from school last week. When they are off I try to have them spend a day or two with me one on one because there are three of them and only one of me. I had just spent three days with Aidan. He’s the middle child of the family and my crafting buddy. I know that we will always find some fun things to do together and this visit was no exception. So after leaving him at the dance studio with his mother and sister I am thinking about what a good time we had and how I am looking forward to spending the next few days with his older brother Andrew who is 13.

Andrew is sitting next to me in the front seat of the car and we’re talking about what we will do for the next couple of days. He mentions something to me about a story he had written on the computer with his Pop Pop. He keeps asking me if I remember this or that about the story. It dawns on me that I have no idea what he is talking about. I am doing my best to fake it, but he finally catches on and says, “Grami, did you forget about that story?” I have to fess up and admit I did indeed forget about it. To that Andrew says, “It’s OK Grami, you are old and old people forget.” Needless to say I bit right through my tongue trying to keep from becoming hysterical with laughter.

Climbing Out of the Sorrow

Published on April 16, 2017April 17, 2017 by Wanda3 Comments

Climbing

Have you ever been told happiness is a choice? I never really bought into that idea until now. Last August I lost my husband of 40 years. I never expected I would have to go through the death of my life mate. It was sudden and cruel and it left me feeling this awful pain, emptiness and anger. I wanted to shrivel up and die too.

At first there is so much you have to attend to. Making funeral arrangements, changing bank accounts, notifying social security, etc. Family and friends are constantly with you while you handle all of the lists of things that need to be taken care of. Then, it all stops. Everyone goes home. No one is making you dinner anymore. All of a sudden your home is emptier than it has ever been. The reality that you live alone hits and it hits hard.

I began to wake up and make a conscious choice for happiness. I began to climb out of that sorrow to face another day and another and another. I still stumble occasionally but I put one foot in front of the other and move onward and upward. I choose to look for the beauty that surrounds me and to lean on my family for strength but mostly to trust that I am exactly where God means for me to be.

God has given the human spirit a determination that will sustain us beyond belief. It’s what fuels my climb out of the sorrow and anger that greets me each morning and all of a sudden I realize that the journey isn’t as long today as it was yesterday.

Cranky Pants

Published on April 15, 2017April 15, 2017 by Wanda1 Comment

Cranky

Do I know this emotional behavior well. My grandson Aidan is a great kid. He will be eleven this month. He’s smart, imaginative and is a good problem solver, but he is given to episodes of extreme crankiness. For instance, he was visiting me for a couple of days this week during Spring break from school. We had a grand time. He’s my crafting buddy. I taught him how to use a sewing machine so he could make a Mimikyu character. He did a great job. Then….while playing a game on the computer, I wanted to take his picture. After getting him to finally look at me, this is what I got. This face says it all.
aidan

Preoccupied With A Decision

Published on April 15, 2017 by WandaLeave a comment

It’s been almost a month since I have posted here. I have been a little preoccupied. I have had to make a difficult decision. I will be moving this year. I really didn’t think I would ever move again after Gary and I moved to NC, but things change. Since Gary died I find it’s just too expensive for me to stay here. I only have my income now and I really don’t want to be house poor. I have my son in Miami Beach that I want to be able to visit often as well as friends and family all over the country. So, my daughter Kelly and her husband Joe have invited me to live with them. Well, actually they are putting a mother in law suite on their house for me. It’s perfect. I can see my three grandchildren as much as I want any time I want. And none of my kids have to will worry about me living all alone in my forest. 🙂 I will definitely miss my 5 1/2 acres of solitude country living, but I will also love the convenience of city life. Except for the traffic, that is.

I have been going through all of my stuff. And I do have a lot of stuff. Too much stuff. Silly stuff. I have been sorting, donating, selling, giving, and throwing out stuff. Living with a pack rat for over 40 years has made my job even harder. Gary’s philosophy was “you don’t have to feed it” so he kept all of it. This philosophy was coupled with “if one is good, 10 are better.” Now I am not saying that it never paid off, but honestly, it’s too much stuff.

While construction is being done on Kelly and Joe’s house, they will be staying here with me. So I really can’t put off working on the “stuff”. There will be five other people living here and they won’t fit if the ‘stuff’ remains.

I feel that Lent has in some ways passed me by. I did not do all the things I had planned to do preparing for Easter. However, God has continued to work in me during this most holy season. I know this because I have found acceptance of my situation and am at peace with the solution God has given me.

I never in a million years thought I would end up having to give up my home. But after a lot of soul searching and a few tears I realized that all I am giving up is a house. A building. A thing. My home will always be with me in my heart. My home is and always has been my faith and family and I will have my home with me no matter where it physically is.

I wish you and yours a holy blessed Easter.

Welcome

Published on April 14, 2017May 29, 2018 by WandaLeave a comment

Hello and welcome to my blog. I look forward to visiting with you. Pull up a chair, pour yourself a glass of cold milk or a cup of hot coffee or tea and have a cookie or two.

I already have a blog on Blogger but have been repeatedly told that WordPress is better. So, I am giving it a chance. I am not sure what I will do with my old blog over there at the competition’s place. I think I will see how this works out here before I make a decision.

I am not making any guarantee that my random musings will be interesting or of any value to you. I have strong opinions about my faith in Jesus Christ, my family, abortion, immigration, politics, and NASCAR. So, be forewarned my opinions may differ from yours. I will gladly read and respond to any and all comments that you make about what I post, but please be kind and respectful when you comment and I will do the same.

Let me tell you a little about me. I am a Roman Catholic 65-year-old widow, mother, and grandmother. I spend my days’ quilting, reading, visiting with my grandchildren and watching sports. Yes, NASCAR is a sport. If you don’t think it is, get behind the wheel of a race car and drive for 500 miles and see if you haven’t had the workout of your life. These drivers spend hours doing physical training. I am also a Washington Redskin fan and Philadelphia Phillies fan. All of my children played sports so I am a sports fan by osmosis. I don’t have an athletic bone in my body. 🙂

My favorite NASCAR driver is Kasey Kahne who drives the #5 for Hendrick Motorsports. I have been his fan since he drove for Ray Evernham. I was lucky enough to win a signed T-shirt during one of the races a couple of years ago. It was a Great Clips-sponsored race.

My all-time favorite Redskin is Joe Theismann. I just recently was given a signed jersey from a friend who got the item just for me. How lucky am I? I still can see the injury that took him out of the game for good. I’ll never forget it.

My favorite Phillie’s player is Michael Jack Schmidt. He was a great player and I was able to enjoy seeing him play in person many times.

I have been a quilter since 2005 and I quilt as often as I can. At one time I belonged to three quilt guilds, but that was getting out of hand so I only belong to one now. My guild is very active and we do a lot of charity work with our Community Outreach Program. It’s why I belong to it. I love the fellowship the guild affords me. We just recently had an outreach workshop for the Veteran’s Hospital in Fayetteville. We have been supporting them for years by making patriotic lap quilts. There were over forty women present at this workshop.

I am a voracious reader. I try to read my Bible every day. It’s my goal to read the Bible in its entirety in a year. I have attempted this task before and failed. My favorite author is James Patterson, although he doesn’t do all of his own writing anymore. That is sometimes a disappointment because the quality suffers sometimes. But I am hooked on Alex Cross, The Womens’ Murder Club, Michael Bennet and Private series’. I also love historical fiction and cozy mysteries. I can honestly say that in my entire life I have only chosen one book I could not finish, and that was just last year. It was so disappointing because the subject matter was great.

I have been a collector of many things over the years. Unfortunately, since I lost my husband in August 2016, I find that I have to move and therefore get rid of my treasures. So, my collections are being given away or sold or donated… I am doing whatever I can do to get rid of stuff. The logo and picture at the top of this page is one of my favorite cookie jars. That’s how I came up with the name of my blog. Cookies and Moo. The funny thing is, I am a terrible cookie maker. Gary and the kids always made the Christmas cookies. So, I am not sure how the whole cookie jar thing happened. The image of cookie jars full of fresh homemade cookies makes me think about having a cup of coffee, or tea or milk and a warm cookie or two while visiting with a friend.

I have about one hundred cow cookie jars. I have no idea how it got so out of hand. I started collecting cows back in the 90’s after we bought a vacation home in NC. Before long everyone was giving me cows as gifts. You would not believe how many cows I have. But that’s a story for another day.

Keep the faith! Wanda

Wow In 7 Days…

Published on April 12, 2017April 27, 2017 by WandaLeave a comment

it will be a month since I have posted. I can’t believe it’s been that long.

I have had to make a difficult decision. I will be moving this year. I really didn’t think I would ever move again after Gary and I moved to NC, but things change. Since Gary died I find it’s just too expensive for me to stay here. I only have my income now and I really don’t want to be house poor. I have my son in Miami Beach that I want to be able to visit often as well as friends and family all over the country. So, my daughter Kelly and her husband Joe have invited me to live with them. Well, actually they are putting a mother in law suite on their house for me. It’s perfect. I can see my three grandchildren as much as I want any time I want. And none of my kids have to will worry about me living all alone in my forest. 🙂 I will definitely miss my 5 1/2 acres of solitude country living, but I will also love the convenience of city life. Except for the traffic, that is.

So, I have been not only going through the 40 plus years of Gary’s stuff, but am now going through mine. I just got to my Easter decorations. I had five bins full of them. Both girls took some and the rest are going to the flea market.

Kelly and I have decided to start a small business. We will be selling one of a kind hand made items and will be selling some at a local flea market to test our ideas, etc. But will eventually be selling online and at craft shows. We have decided on K&W Creations as our name. We are both excited to get things started. I have been working on a blog and logo for us. We would like to have all of that done before we actually start selling. We are going to test some of our ideas out at a flea market to see what goes well. It should be fun working with Kelly on this.

Andrew, Aidan and Alannah are on spring break now. Aidan was here since Monday. I met Kelly at the dance studio to switch Andrew for Aidan. Now he’ll be here until Friday evening when I will meet Kelly at the dance studio and switch Alannah for Andrew and I will have her until Easter Sunday when the rest of the family will be here for dinner.

Aidan sewing his Mimikyu

Aidan’s Mimikyu Project

Can you tell he’s a little annoyed I distracted his Roblox Game?

Andrew is in on the computer right now. He’s playing Roblox while I am blogging. He’s not the crafty sort. We’ll do other things. Mostly just hang out talking and watching movies. He is after all a teenager now. So it’s a whole new set of rules. 🙂

I have been doing some sewing too. Here is a variation of the 10 Minute Tablerunner. I make it the same way, but then I add batting to the area between the triangles and quilt it.

Easter Tablerunner

Close up of worded fabric

Easter Tablerunner

Gracie’s Bandanna

I made this tablerunner for my mother in law and this shirt for Isabella. I have rediscovered my embroidery machine.

I have some book reviews to do too. Finally have gotten back to my reading. Will work on them soon. Have a good night.

Happy St. Patty’s Day

Published on March 17, 2017April 27, 2017 by WandaLeave a comment

Today is the feast of St. Patrick. On this day everyone claims to be Irish. Celebrations with parades. corned beef and cabbage, green beer, potato candy and dancing the Irish Jig while wearing of the green are happening all over not only the United States, but the world.

March 17th marks the saint’s death. Patrick died in 461 in Saul, County Down. It was here that he had established his first church in a small and simple barn, after arriving nearby at the mouth of the Slaney River. He is buried in the grounds of Down Cathedral in Downpatrick and a memorial stone, made from local Mourne Mountain granite, marks his grave. For those who celebrate its intended meaning, St. Patrick’s Day is a traditional day for spiritual renewal.

Interestingly, the first St. Patrick’s Day parade was not held in Ireland at all, but in Boston in the United States in 1737. This was followed by an “official” parade in New York in 1766. Ireland was a little further behind – their first parade was held in Waterford in 1903, while Dublin joined the club back in 1931. Today, the parade in Dublin is a huge, colourful, theatrical event that snakes through the historic city centre, with vivid displays and international bands.

Raise your glasses to Luke Wadding, an Irish Franciscan friar from Waterford whose persistent efforts turned March 17 into a feast day. Born in 1558, Wadding died in Rome in 1657 and his remains are interred there in the college of St. Isidore’s, which he founded. If you visit the National Gallery of Ireland, you can see a painting of the friar by Carlo Maratta, in Waterford city he is commemorated with a statue outside the French Church (Greyfriars).

St. Patrick was thought to have originally come from either Wales or Scotland, where he was abducted at the age of 16 and brought to Northern Ireland as a slave. Once there, he was sent to Slemish Mountain in County Antrim to herd sheep. But on his escape, he had a vision and returned to Ireland to spread the word of Christianity. It was on this island that he remained for the rest of his life, preaching, baptising and building churches until his death in 461 in County Down.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

Published on March 17, 2017April 27, 2017 by WandaLeave a comment

Prayer to St. Patrick, Patron of Ireland.

Dear St. Patrick,

in your humility you called yourself a sinner,

but you became a most successful missionary

and prompted countless pagans

to follow the Saviour.

Many of their descendents in turn

spread the Good News in numerous foreign lands.

Through your powerful intercession with God,

obtain the missionaries we need

to continue the work you began.

Amen.

NASCAR Sunday

Published on March 12, 2017May 24, 2018 by WandaLeave a comment

Today was the third race of the 2017 NASCAR Schedule. Kasey Kahne drove his No. 5 Liftmaster Chevy SS and finished 12th. Not the best finish he has had so far this year, but respectable. So far he is off to a great start over the past two years. This kid can drive so I just don’t understand why he has struggled so much.

Anyway, if you didn’t catch today’s race the end was priceless. Kyle Busch, the driver of the 18 M&M’s Camry wrecked in the last lap after he tried to push Logano into the 2 car. Logano countered with a move to forge ahead of Busch and Busch wrecked. He lew off the handle at Joey Logano and tried to attack him after the race. Joey’s team surrounded him and finally Kyle was subdued by officials and was escorted from the area. Now, if you know anything about Kyle Busch, you know that he is notorious for wrecking people to secure a win. It has never mattered who or when or where either. Kasey has been left in his wake many times. I just can’t muster any sympathy for Kyle Busch.

So, next week it’s Phoenix. I’m hoping the 5 Team finishes better.