~DON'T BLINK..OR YOU'LL MISS IT~

Miss what, you say? 

(don't listen to me, I'm babbling!)

Valentines is just a week away..ALREADY!

Dining room table...

I'm hanging on for dear life..but the world is turning faster and faster...

The breakfast bar..

I am not the only one that is feeling like that I hope..like I'm going to fly off into space..

Then again...could be.

Oh..and I've become a "shopaholic" and didn't know it.  Yep. T'is true!

The hutch top.

Great grandchild..(baby girl) is due in March and I've been in a shopping frenzy!

Tomorrow is the shower..  This is #9..and I'm as excited as when the first was born. 

Coffee table in living room.

It's been fun..I guess you know by now I LOVE babies to pieces!!

So...today I didn't post any of the grands or greats..but, yeah, I talked about one of them.

Sorry.  :)

You forgive me...don't you?

Love and hugs..

Mona

~SILVER THREADS...

 If you look on the sidebar..this little seven year old was just past toddling stage..she is the one holding the necklace and studying it in my daughter, Mary's,  powder room.  Her Auntie Natalia, who is her mother's sister, was getting married to her daddy's first cousin.  Yep..two first cousins married sisters.  Can you follow that?

:)

Emily is changing..

yes...changing so fast.  I hope I get to see her as a grown woman..but it's unlikely.

My great grandmother never got to see me past this age.  I remember it well, that last time I saw my great grandmother. I was just five.

Columbian and Irish are a great mix, aren't they? :)

Thanks so much for stopping by, what a great feeling to know I wasn't forgotten.

I need to take pictures I know.  I mean, I cannot keep showing you the grandchildren and greats..but I admit it would give me lots to post about and bore everyone to tears!

I just don't want to drift to far again..I'm hanging on.

...that silver thread..

I had a dream once.  I dreamed that I drifted up into the sky..I could feel the breeze..see for great distances..and I kept drifting higher and higher,  I wanted to keep going farther and farther but 

I was teathered to the earth by a silver thread..and it kept me from drifting away...and then I remembered. 

... my babies, and my beloved and my friends..and I allowed myself to slowly float back to earth.  I was needed.   It kept me from cutting that silver thread.

Love.

Maybe it was to see my great grandchildren...maybe?

Love,

Mona

:)

~THANK YOU, GOD, "

THIS IS WRENNA DAWN..IN ALASKA

She is an amazing young woman.  

She recently traveled to Alaska by way of the Alcon Highway..she traveled with her friend, Jason.  She worked as a guide which is what she is trained to do.

I could not be prouder ... 

 ...of her sweetness

(Wren and Jason.  Alaska.)

 her waunderlust..

 her love of friends, family...and me!  Yes, ME!  

I admire her love of nature...her respect for it.

her determination..

her ability to conquer...I salute her independence.

When she graduated from high school she and with her father went on foot across the United States..met all sorts of local folks..got to know her country..it's grass roots, which is what she wanted. They went on foot with occassional rides.  Again, I was in a tizzy!! 

She was in the Oregon news. 

....next... 

She went to Costa Rica ...alone this time ..a couple of years ago..when she was just nineteen or so and this time I literally lost sleep and sometimes cried when I didn't hear from her for awhile...

She knew no one.  She was on an adventure...and went into the wilderness..alone.  Met people..and made dear friends everywhere she went.  

She is my granddaughter and next to the youngest of the fourteen.  Her brother is the youngest.  

She is the one who says she will take care of me when I get old..  :)

I don't know anyone who knows Wren that doesn't love her and admire her.

And..listen to this... :) The last time I saw her she said "Grandma, can I one day have your Halloween collection?"   Not sure why that touched me so much, but it did.  I will make certain she gets it.

  

All fourteen of my now grown grandchildren are making me so proud.  

Why did I post about her?  Who knows?  It's just that sometimes my heart is so full of love for all of them..and tonight I just wanted you to know a bit about Wrenna.

She is coming to visit me in March....ask me if I am excited...go ahead..ask...:)

I have so much to be grateful for that I cannot even begin to count my blessings..

Did I tell you she is off to Spain soon?  The land of her great, great grandfather, Pacifico, Franko Castillo.  I should tell her.....

No Valentine decor...maybe next time? 

My love to all,

Mona

P.S.  Sometimes life sort of takes over and I drifted from my blog..no, not to some other media outlet like facebook or one of those..just...drifted.

~A POST CHRISTMAS POST`

I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas.  We sure did.  Many of us were missing but sometimes that cannot be helped.  There were 25 of us and the little cousins were together and a new little cousin was added.  

We missed the ones that could not make it.

Above is a picture of the Mission Inn at Christmas.  It is just a few miles from us.  It's where my grandparents were married many years ago.  Over the years is has undergone upgrades but always kept as a thing of pride in our small city.  

We are a sister city to San Bernadino, also not far away.  We have had fear and tragedy but we have also had joy...as is the way of life.  

This is one of the outside walls..  You can see our San Bernadino Mountains in the distance.

Yes, the sad tragedy happened at the foot of those mountains.  

In those mountains is Big Bear and Lake Arrowhead.  A lovely place to visit.  We are waiting for our snowpack.  So far..nothing.

View of the inside court yard.

...so you can see the crowds that gather for the lighting...  It was so cold that we didn't go this year.

Our downtown Riverside is not a very big place and finding a place to park can be very challenging.

A view from the one of the balcony's.  My children sent my second husband, Frank, and I here for our anniversary and it was just beautiful.   I lost Frank to liver cancer in February 2007..  We were married on New Years Eve 2002.  

Straight ahead you can see the clock tower.  Just beneath the clock you can see a figure.  When the clock moves so does the figures..and they are amazing works of art.  

Off in the distance you can see one of our office buildings..I'm not sure which one it is.  

The Mission Inn and the surrounding shops, museums, library etc, is a favorite place of mine to wander in and shop and just sight see.  After my first husband's death, I came here often to just wander and think.  Sometimes with friends..sometimes alone.  

I have loved living in Riverside for all these years.  Lots of sadness but lots of joy too.

I've taken some of my blogging friends to visit here..

More photo's tomorrow..  

I hope you enjoyed these..

Peace and love,

Mona

~CHRISTMAS CLUTTER ~

I took a few pictures in the kitchen..not the most interesting place..but it's cozy..there are little red stools to sit on, all painted with cherries on the seats..which you have probably seen if you have visited me very often.  

This is the little island in my kitchen..right across from the stove.  HANDY!

Not a big kitchen but looked much bigger before I put in the island.

I think I put candy canes in about every container that would hold them..

This is my jam jar but since I have two ..well..more candy canes!

This is the bottom of my kitchen lamp over the sink...and... my GIANT candy canes.

There is just something about candy canes..isn't there?

What?  The stripes?  What?!  WHAT??!

My favorite little coffee pot...No clue where I got this ..but I've had it ...forever..

I know..I know...clutter, clutter...

Makes me feel..good.  Probably something deep in my childhood.  :)

No end to the clutter in our household..but it's sort of organized clutter.  Does that count??  

Well...does it?  (be nice :)

Today I finished the outside Christmas tree...to the big pine cones I added berries from the back yard, AND all those interesting branches I've been saving in a container on the patio..

Looks cute..at least it does to me..but probably just more clutter to some.

WAIT!!!

I've got the answer...it's in my DNA!!  I probably have a cluttered DNA!

:)

Peace and love~

Mona

~SENTIMENTAL ME...

Hi agian..

A couple of people asked me to post some pictures of my decorations...so here are a few.  I have hundreds..some from back when I got married in 1954.  Some are from later years..

But it's over 60 years of collecting and some have gotten broken from babies..kitties, accidents and from moves..but many have survived.

Below are a few.

Figgy pudding?  :)

 A choo choo..

A sleigh full of toys..

Grandfather clock..  

Rocking horsie!

 and Saint Nicholas too!!  

 A little raccoon and a car car!  Just like the one my grandpa used to own.  It even had little glass vases in holders on each side of the back seat for flowers.  We cranked it to get it started..had a choke..yep, and a throttle..all the wonderful things that all car car's should have!  

 Grandpa's pocket watch made of GOLD...well..not this one..

 ...and of course a coo coo clock!

Wonder what kind of bird this is...shaking his tail feathers!!

I have some that are so old and cracked and faded...

much like 

my memories of those Christmas' of years gone by.  

I find myself drifting off and reliving some of those days.  I guess that's what happens as you age.

Sentimental me...

Guess I'll always be

So in love with you,

No one else will do

Sentimental me...

:)

Peace!

Mona

~GOOD MORNING, SUNSHINE..~

 The early morning sun in our living room.  

This room is only bright in the morning.  It's beautiful and only lasts for a very few moments..but there is something so special about it.

Sitting on the sofa watching the sun rise in the East ...a wonderful way to start my day.

Lamps in the late afternoon make this room so cozy and welcoming, but there is nothing like the mornings..

Just touches of Christmas is all this room needs..

...like a bit of evergreen here and there..holly added to the bouquet of roses..

 ....a pair of childrens ice skates made into a sweet Christmas decoration...

 Some pine and evergreen, with the word  "JOY" in delicate glass letters is all my cup shelf needs...

I will probably add a bit more..but...then again..maybe not.  

 Evergreen and roses, my favorite combination..

 A Cup of Christmas Tea~

If you have never read the book...please do.  It will touch your heart...

 Miss Priss...all dressed for the season...

You see, I decorate with toys...I always have.  

My children's toys as they grew out of them were the perfect look I wanted.

For many, many years that was all I had to decorate with..and things that others didn't want anymore and it became a sort of style for me.  I used to call it "Early Goodwill."

Everything in this picture..everything was someone else's once.  Except the birdcage..which was a birthday gift from one of my daughters.  I will always keep it until one day she takes it back.

 And last of all is one of the dearest things I own.  My piano where I spend a bit of every day of my life.  It belonged to a dear friend's husband who passed away...even the music books once belonged to someone special who is now gone. 

Everything but the photograph's were once owned by someone else.  That is why my home is so special to me.  It is filled with things that were treasures to someone else once..and now I am entrusted to care for them.  For now.

:)

Peace,

Mona

~NO SNOW...~

Do you? 

It's cold and dry here...but the weather is not what we are celebrating...

A dear old man in Temecula California made this shelf for me..the two don't go together but it doesn't matter.  I love both pieces..so...they do go together.  

You know?

 The family room is full to the brim now with Christmas.  

T'was fun!

 The Brambly Hedge tea set was a gift from my daughter Mary.  She gave me a little at a time.

She was working her first job at the time..and worked hard.  They mean a lot to me.

Guess who's name is on the bottom?  :)

What they gave me will go back to them.

The tea cup tree.

Pay NO attention to the tree.. was still working on it..took me forever to get all the decorations on it.

60 years of collecting..bulbs from the 1950's.  I seldom throw anything away.  (You probably already guessed that :)   I pass them on.

My collection of eggs are finally gone.  The girls have them.  We used to get together the on Easter and decorate eggs for Christmas.. all year we collected old jewelry, cut out figures of old Christmas cards..it was fun.

We don't do that anymore.  

We keep saying we are going to, but we never do.  

One of those things that pass with time.   

You know how it is, don't you?  

I do.

Peace~

Mona