A week from today that little blonde haired, blue eyed boy will be 25 years old. He's my baby. I can't believe it. He has been my calm and comforting little boy. I remember when he was 6 months old and I was sad, he would just snuggle me and look deep into my eyes, and even though he did not talk I would feel he was saying to me " mommy it's okay, everything will be okay." Then years later when my husband and I divorced he was still there comforting me , and giving me the strength and courage to keep going. He has always had such a tender heart. Now he is a daddy and I am so proud of him. I have always been proud of him. He is a wonderful daddy. Every time I see him with his little girl, I see his eyes light up with love. They just shine whenever his Abby girl is near. I understand the total feeling of joy that he feels towards his child. That's how I feel about him! Whenever I see my children , my eyes light up and my heart skips a beat. I am so blessed to have a precious child like Jordan. He is not a child any longer but a man, with a child of his own. He is still my child though. Happy birthday Jordan my son. I love you more than you will ever know.

Summer time.... when the living is easy........ Lalalalala.....

It is so gorgeous her right now. The temp is in the plus 30 degree Celsius. That is welcoming summer. Tomorrow is summer solstice. I can't believe how short summer is. I will enjoy it while I can. Before I know it, fall and winter will be here. As you can see my baby girl Abby and Athena are enjoying the summer fun just fine.

I was just recently reminded of a time in my childhood when I first loved to sing. I watched a video of a girl named Conny who sang, "Some where over the rainbow." It was gorgeous. She was 6 years old when she sang that. I remember when my family took a trip to Tulsa Oklahoma. We went by train. On our way back home to Canada, after many set backs( a transit strike and many hours waiting at train stations and bus stops) we finally made it home. As the train was nearing our Canadian destination, I remember looking out the window and I started to sing the song, " Born Free." It was 1966 and the movie "Born Free" had just been released in the movie theaters. I had not yet seen it as I was only 7 years old. I had only heard the song on the radio. I thought it was such a beautiful song. It touched my heart at such a young age. So as our train pulled in to the station in Canada , I remember singing Born Free, as free as the wind blows..... I think it was then that I knew that I loved music. I am not a musician or a song writer, but I know that music touches me deep to the core. Music can make me burst into tears without notice. It only takes a few words of a song and I am touched deep within my soul. Before you know it I can be crying like a baby. I think music is fantastic. I'm all for promoting music in schools . What a fantastic way for young people to express them selves.

Yellow Shirt I don't know who wrote this, but I thought it was gorgeous.

The yellow shirt had long sleeves, four extra-large pockets trimmed in black thread and snaps up the front. It was faded from years of wear, but still in decent shape. I found it in 1963 when I was home from college on Christmas break, rummaging through bags of clothes Mom intended to give away. "You're not taking that old thing, are you?" Mom said when she saw me packing the yellow shirt. "I wore that when I was pregnant with your brother in 1954!"

"It's just the thing to wear over my clothes during art class, Mom. Thanks!" I slipped it into my suitcase before she could object. The yellow shirt be came a part of my college wardrobe. I loved it. After graduation, I wore the shirt the day I moved into my new apartment and on Saturday mornings when I cleaned. The next year, I married. When I became pregnant, I wore the yellow shirt during big-belly days. I missed Mom and the rest of my family, since we were in Colorado and they were in Illinois. But that shirt helped. I smiled, remembering that Mother had worn it when she was pregnant, 15 years earlier.

That Christmas, mindful of the warm feelings the shirt had given me, I patched one elbow, wrapped it in holiday paper and sent it to Mom. When Mom wrote to thank me for her "real" gifts, she said the yellow shirt was lovely. She never mentioned it again. The next year, my husband, daughter and I stopped at Mom and Dad's to pick up some furniture. Days later, when we uncrated the kitchen table, I noticed something yellow taped to its bottom. The shirt! And so the pattern was set.

On our next visit home, I secretly placed the shirt under Mom and Dad's mattress. I don't know how long it took for her to find it, but almost two years passed before I discovered it under the base of our living-room floor lamp. The yellow shirt was just what I needed now while refinishing furniture. The walnut stains added character.

In 1975 my husband and I divorced. With my three children, I prepared to move back to Illinois . As I packed, a deep depression overtook me. I wondered if I could make it on my own. I wondered if I would find a job. I paged through the Bible, looking for comfort. In Ephesians, I read, "So use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy whenever he attacks, and when it is all over, you will be standing up."

I tried to picture myself wearing God's armor, but all I saw was the stained yellow shirt. Slowly, it dawned on me. Wasn't my mother's love a piece of God's armor? My courage was renewed.

Unpacking in our new home, I knew I had to get the shirt back to Mother. The next time I visited her, I tucked it in her bottom dresser drawer.

Meanwhile, I found a good job at a radio station. A year later I discovered the yellow shirt hidden in a rag bag in my cleaning closet. Something new had been added. Embroidered in bright green across the breast pocket were the words "I BELONG TO PAT." Not to be outdone, I got out my own embroidery materials and added an apostrophe and seven more letters. Now the shirt proudly proclaimed, "I BELONG TO PAT'S MOTHER." But I didn't stop there. I zig-zagged all the frayed seams, then had a friend mail the shirt in a fancy box to Mom from Arlington , VA. We enclosed an official looking letter from "The Institute for the Destitute," announcing that she was the recipient of an award for good deeds. I would have given anything to see Mom's face when she opened the box. But, of course, she never mentioned it.

Two years later, in 1978, I remarried. The day of our wedding, Harold and I put our car in a friend's garage to avoid practical jokers. After the wedding, while my husband drove us to our honeymoon suite, I reached for a pillow in the car to rest my head. It felt lumpy. I unzipped the case and found, wrapped in wedding paper, the yellow shirt. Inside a pocket was a note: "Read John 14:27-29. I love you both, Mother."

That night I paged through the Bible in a hotel room and found the verses: "I am leaving you with a gift: peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn't fragile like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled or afraid. Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again. If you really love me, you will be very happy for me, for now I can go to the Father, who is greater than I am. I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do, you will believe in me." The shirt was mothers final gift. Only

If I had known,for three months that she had Lou Gehrigs disease. Mother died the following year at age 57.

I was tempted to send the yellow shirt with her to her grave. But I'm glad I didn't, because it is a vivid reminder of the love-filled game she and I played for 16 years. Besides, my older daughter is in college now, majoring in art. And every art student needs a baggy yellow shirt with big pockets.

I think this is so beautiful. The Love of a mother and child.

TICK WARNING!I hate it when people forward bogus warnings, and I have even done it myself a couple times unintentionally...but this one is real, and it's important. So please send this warning to everyone on your e-mail list.If someone comes to your front door saying they are checking for ticks due to the warm weather and asks you to take your clothes off and dance around with your arms up, DO NOT DO IT!! THIS IS A SCAM!! They only want to see you naked.I wish I'd gotten this yesterday. I feel so stupid.

This is going to be one of my most stupid trivial posts of all. It's

going to make you think, who the frick cares. But I'm going to

post it anyway. Here goes. I am in love with Jude Law! I have

recently watched " The Holiday" And Jude Law made me melt!

I have never seen him to be a heart melting kind of guy before,

but watching him in this movie made me turn to mush.

Especially when I found out that he was the.... Oh I don't want

to give it away. In case any of you have not seen the movie

before. If you have not, go rent it. You too might fall in love

with Jude. My love affairs with leading men do pass. I used to

have a huge crush on Colin Firth after I watched "Bridget

Jones Diary". I still do Love Colin, but now I have a new crush.

Please forgive me Colin. I still love you. I think it's the british

accent I go ga ga over. Or maybe the dimples in the chin and

cheek. Or the deep blue eyes. Or the way he fell head over heals

for Cameron Diaz. I told you this was going to be a totally

trivial post. Who cares. But come on ladies, look at him. He's

pretty cute right!

8 Random facts/habits about me.
I've been tagged by artpuppy.

1. I twirl my hair. I have since I was a little girl. It is so soothing!

2. I collect teddy bears. My kids think I have too many. I think not.

3. My first crush was my cousin Lance. I think I was 3.


4. My favorite thing to do is spend time with my granddaughter Abby. I'm addicted to her.

5. I love watching movies.

6. I love to read.

7. I fantasize about being a chef in a villa in Italy.

8. I'd seriously love to quit my job and travel the world.

I tag Jen

Tiffany

Kelle

Amanda

Michelle

Kathy

Imran

Amanda Franks