What? Christmas is in12 Days? Promise?

Where has the time gone? It seems like yesterday that I was planning Thanksgiving Dinner with Ryan, Katie, Logan, Gavin and "Baby Braley".

The next thing I recall is that like a flash they were gone...(back to Minnesota)...

Then immediately it was Kiarra's 9th birthday!!!! WHOOO!!! HOOOO!

And now I am leaving for Christmas in Ohio in 6 days!

Where to begin?

We really enjoyed our time with the Braley's! The boys are awesome! And so much fun and energy too!

We celebrated Gavin's 3rd birthday when they arrived and Gavin is such a boy! Last year he barely talked....and now he is the "talker" of the entire family! When he wanted my attention, he would say "Grandma Dianne! Look at me! Look at me! It took me a few days to figure out that that is how Ryan get the boys to focus when he is coaching them.

Logan is the quit, thoughtful one....very deep...He may have been a little more subdued as he came down with the flu for 4 days...but he has recovered since he got back to Minnesota.

He is so..."Ryan"...in looks and personality and coloring. It is like a "mirror into the past".

Katie looks beautiful pregnant...but she always does!

We had a great time watching old movies and handing out, eating ice cream, and other healthy items.

What can I say about Ryan? I miss him when he leaves, and try to enjoy every minute while he is here.


This week was my granddaughter Kiarra's 9th birthday! She is growing into a beautiful, healthy young lady in Wyoming. She is the best "Fisherman" in the family! Loves the outdoors and all types of animals...she lives in the right part of the country for that, bit too far from us. We just don't get to see her or Kristofer, or Brendan often enough.

Kiarra is the first grandchild that I got be witness being born in the delivery room.

What a special memory that will always be!



Just a few days to finish packing for our trip to Ohio to see Mike, Des, Abbey, Emme, Cammi and their new house.

We can hardly wait to "squeeeeze those girls till their eyeballs pop out" (Inside Joke!)

I will close now, but I am wondering if we will have a "White Christmas"?

Merry Christmas!

Getting Ready For The Braley's....Who is going to be 3?

Only 6 days until we get to see Logan; Gavin; Katie and Ryan!!!!!!!!!!

We will spend Thanksgiving together, but before turkey day we will celebrate Gavin's 3rd birthday!!!

We have a lot of fun plans for the boys and some special time for Katie to get a little pampering....
Back to Gavin....
Like his older brother, he is ALL boy!

Tough and Tender;

Adventurous; Fearless;

Loving and Fun Loving at the same time!

As free spirited as both boys are, Ryan and Katie are tremendous, loving parents who are raising a new generation of Godly leaders. For that we are most thankful...

My next post will detail our time together....

Happy Birthday Abbegael!

Tomorrow is Abbegael's 7th Birthday! Wow! How fast times goes by! Abbey has grown into a beautiful young lady right before my eyes. I wish that we lived closer so I could see her every day....


I wish that all of our kid's lived near us so we could see all 9 grandchildren much much more frequently.


Now...back to Abbey....


She is a joy to us....she has a sweet, sweet heart, is really smart, and sometimes serious, but cutting through her serious side is a great laugh when she gets tickled by something.


Abbey has a really cool personality, and if I was 7 years old, I would want to have Abbey as my friend.

So birthday blessings to you Abbey, we pray for you every day, and can hardly wait to see you at Christmas time.

Enjoy your day and your party!
Love,
Grandma

Wisdom of Age

"When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. ”
John 8

I came across this verse this morning in our bible study in John. It struck me that it really tied to Fred's blog yesterday about how we have changed over the years.

The commentary in my study bible says that "age and experience often tempers us". This is why the oldest accusers left first, as they knew they were not without sin. The younger accusers had a harder time giving up being "self righteous" and judgemental.

Scripture says that we begin to change when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, and if we grow in the Lord, he refines us and grows us through challenge and triumph; through blessings and trials; through experience and HIS consistency we become wiser to what is really important.

I am not saying we are OLD, or have ARRIVED!...I am saying that we are learning HIS way daily... and we can hardly wait for tomorrow to see what the Lord has for us to learn...

His Mercies ARE new every morning!

The "Queen Bee" Has Hives!

What the heck is this?????I woke up last Thursday with a "rash" on my knee....No big deal....but 6 days later this thing had spread like Ebola....eeeeek!!!

I have had hives before and Dr Julie has given me a prescription...but this time the cream did not work and I got worse and worse.... So by Thursday I went in to Dr. Burden my dermatologist covered from stem to stern with itchy, blotchy red spots (oooops TMI!).

She gave me two prescriptions that are helping slowly, we still do not know the cause.

I am working tomorrow, so I am praying to be delivered tonight....

That's all for now...I have to go find a wire brush....(oooops TMI again!)

As Fred always says....."If you got the itch...I've got the scratch!". ( I think he means money)

That's all for now
Love, the Queen B

Un-Retired!!!

For two years, I have been praying about getting a part time job...I have always loved hospital gift shops. My favorite is one called "Lori's" in a new hospital near our old house in Stone Oak.

Well I started Monday....long story on how I got the job....I work with three other women...and after my first week of training, I love it!...

I will work 10-15 hours per week so I can keep up with my bible studies, and my traveling schedule.

It was a little strange getting back into the work world after 6 years, but I already know that being in a hospital is a great opportunity to minister to hurting people.

Keep me and them in your prayers....

Practice photo posting from Des' summer pictures!

Emme turned 5 on Wednesday. She found a rock in the van while we were running errands around town. She kept telling me, "Grandma Jesus put this rock here for my birthday". She was so excited. All day she kept reminding me of the rock. At the end of our long day, on our way to get Abbey from school, she piped up, "Grandma He gave me a rock this year for my birthday and last year HE gave me a tree branch". Out of the mouth of Babes. So cute!

Abbey wants me to be sure to tell you that she has mastered the art of arm-pit farting. She is my arm-pit farting instructor. Out of the mouth of a first grader.

Cammi is relentless in her pursuit of my "breath mints", which she refers to loudly as GUM. Des even caught her climbing on the girls' dress-up trunk, standing on her tipee toes, arched over my carry on bag, looking for her next piece of stolen gum. She was laughing scared when we snuck in and caught her. I feel used:) in a good way. Out of the mouth of a 2 year old.

I'm on my way!

No time for chit-chat....I'm on a mission to Ohio!

OK, I am coming in 1 week...Fred and I are celebrating our 6th (iron) anniversary today. Time has really flown by...We have grown together through all of our experiences and our family has grown by 5 more grandchildren. Each of our 9 grandchildren are special, unique blessings to us.
I wish I could be in 4 places at once....

Going to Ohio....

Travel Alert!
I'm excited to see the 4 girlz and Mike too!!! Drama and more drama!! We will be painting and wall papering. Dez & Mike can work, I'll take the girlz and RUN!!!! They love me!!!

Tales from the woods of Minnesota....

We had a great time together with Ryan, Katie, Logan, Gavin, and "Baby Bump" Braley.

We visited the "apple orchard", but it was too early to pick apples because of the cool, wet spring and summer.

We bought apples from a lady from Venezuela that Ryan can communicate with as he and Katie had spent time in South America 6 years ago on a YWAM mission trip...

The boys enjoyed going to see "Kung Fu Panda" movie...so did I....

Logan showed how he rides his bike (with training wheels) down their long drive way...He is FEARLESS ! Gavin was well prepared with his new "Cars" helmet...


Gavin, Logan and I took a stroll in the wagon to the cemetery that is just up the hill from the Braley home....I have always been fascinated with the history in cemeteries...especially the "old" ones.

We got to go to the State Fair and ate pizza, ice cream and of course funnel cake....I passed on the corn dogs, root beer, strawberries and cream....but it is not a vacation without ice cream.

Another highlight was Sunday church service....the congregation prayed over Ryan and the travel team before they left for Texas in a church planting seminar.

Logan & Gavin have a new super hero...Bible Man!

I love their house and especially the way that Katie has decorated it.

I miss then all and can't wait to see them again...SOON!

On the road again

Heading to Minnesota to see the Braley Boys and new baby (?).
Katie and Ryan have lots of plans for us...movies, food and of course the "State Fair!"

Stay tuned for updates later this week....

"I Did It !!!!

Today Fred and I scraped together my attempt to be a part of the "blog nation"....

I am not sure that I understand hpw to do this, or if I will even like "blogging".

I chose the title "New Mercies Every Morning" from Lamentations 3:23 which the Lord reminded me of last week during my daily morning walk with Him.

I love the Lord because he first loved me...

After the Lord, my second priority is my family...Husband...Children...Grandchildren and our entire extended family that I miss very much.