I Thought I'd Died and Gone To Sweden......

By now you are probably asking yourself what these two pictures have to do with anything. I'll explain...... I love grocery stores more than Marlene loves shoes. You want me to leave an NFL game on TV... invite me to a grocery store. Now Grocery Outlet is a particularly interesting store to go into because you never know what you'll find, Russian beets, Arab ketchup, French crackers, etc. While Marlene was wasting her time in a fabric store nearby, I wandered into the Clovis Grocery Outlet. I'm singing along to the music on the stores sound system when they announce that this is the ABBA music channel on satelite radio. ALL ABBA ALL THE TIME!!! Wow, I didn't know this existed. I'm tellin' you, this is the best grocery shopping experience you can have unless Whole Foods goes clothing optional. I hope this is the start of a trend. Yaa shuure.

Decorating for Christmas...

Wow, it is time to decorate for Christmas again! This year we are going "lite," "light." There are not going to be any kids here at Christmas this year. This year the family starts gathering January 13th when Cory, Annie, and Bee come from NYC. So, the more you put up in decorations, the more you have to put away.

This year we are displaying Cory's dumpster find from last year! Yes, you may recognize the giant Christmas balls from the Mervyn's displays from last year. After Christmas, Cory and Annie were hunting....wow...big find! We stored them all year in our attic.

I like them!

Yes, the decorated tree came decorated. All we had to do is bag it all year and uncover it. It really looks nice as you come up. The Santa has "The Bruce's" printed on it. It was a gift from Colleen, Lyle's mom, from around 1980. We put it out each year! It is a great memory of her!

Well, this is Bee's special place. Last year I found a sale on "Snow Babies." The music box and ornament were for my future grandkids. Boy are we surprised that we have a granddaughter for this Christmas! A true miracle! So, this arrangement is for Bee!
Well, the mantle would not be complete without the focus of Christmas...Jesus, the light of the world! We love the season and enjoy saying, "Merry Christmas!" We have Christmas with us everyday!

Oh, yes....Dottie's stocking is the only one out this year. Lyle thinks it's a little sad not to hang them all. But, I think she is our only child to be with us this year. It will be okay for this year.

Hope you have a wonderful Christmas month! Share the Love!

Vacation Getaway!

I love a long weekend!
On Saturday, we escaped to San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay for the day.
Although we left in the fog, it was absolutely beautiful at the coast! We met our good friends, Dave and Debbie Fox at their campsite in the hills outside San Luis Obispo. After meeting and greeting all their camping buddies, we went to a wonderful nursery called, Ron's in Grover City. It was an upscale place with way overpriced novelties, but great ideas. We then traveled into downtown San Luis to eat at Flame Bay. The stirfry food was amazing and filling! We sat in the outdoor patio and listened to the live band play a variety of tunes. Very relaxing. After a little shopping and a frozen yogurt, we headed back to the campsite to leave Dave and Debbie.

We headed for Morro Bay where we snapped these pictures. The weather was just right. Not too hot, not too cold. The sound of the water lapping against the shore and birds flying over has a calming effect!

We snapped the picture of a lady with 2 little boys and she returned the favor. What a friendly place to visit.

I love seeing that powerful looking rock just plopped in the middle landscape. God's work often makes me marvel and smile! I love the man standing in front of the big rock! Another great idea of God!

A Nice day!

Actually, I had 4 other pictures I tried to download and lost when I had to refresh. They were of Lu Chi Fa's beautiful home...the author of Double Luck, Memoir of a Chinese Orphan...A must read! Also, the giant chess board with people playing the game. Maybe another time.

A Blessed Thanksgiving!

Well, today was a nice Thanksgiving Day. Nate, Meg, and their young parrot were up from Orange County. Ernie was quite entertaining, especially for Dottie.

Everyone got a chance to hold Ernie. This young parrot, a Caique, was so tame. Here Grandma Lois got her chance to hold and talk to Ernie.

We sprung Grandpa Clayton from the nursing home today to enjoy a wonderful family dinner. He was strong enough to make the trip and seemed to have quite a good time holding Ernie.

Nate demonstrated Ernie's tricks. This bird was amazing! Oh so tame and fun to play with. You can turn it upside down, rub its feathers under its wings, neck, head, back, and stomach. It was very gentle.

Nate gave Grandpa his Christmas present a little early. 5 pair of nice warm socks. Grandpa is pretty thin skinned and needs warm clothes. He had been wanting longer socks. These were perfect for him!

While we were waiting for Lyle to finish all the food, Cory called from NYC. He, Annie, and Bee were on their way to a friend's home for their holiday meal. We passed the phone around to the grand parents. Everyone enjoyed talking with Cory for a few minutes.

Oops, I forgot to pass the phone to Nate and Meg. But, no problem, Nate just called him up to send their greetings for Thanksgiving. Even though we did not have everyone at home this day, there was a since of blessing to know all is well with our kids and parents. We are blessed!

We had an amazing meal cooked entirely by Lyle. His bar-b-qued turkey and pork roast were unbelievably flavorful! The mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, green beans, red potatoes, and an apple pie, were not only delicious, but beautiful to see. Thank you Lyle, you did an awesome job!

After dinner, Nate entertained us by building the table decorations. The wooden leaves, Lyle had made years ago had never been placed vertically....only Nate would go for the record of height! Frankly, it was pretty amazing to watch! Relaxing after dinner, Ernie was the side show again. Ernie likes chocolate cream pie! Nate and Meg brought a fabulous pie from a wonderful French bakery near their home. It did not really travel well, but the flavor was very delicious. When Nate cut Meg a piece, Ernie helped himself to a few bites before Meg got there.

Nate helped Grandpa achieve a pirate look in this group picture. I love these guys!

Not to be outdone, Grandma got to sport Ernie on her shoulder in this group shot! It was a fun day!

This is my man! After 32 years, he is still the best! I am very blessed! I cannot even imagine how different my life would have been had I not found him. Not only is he my husband, he is my best friend! I love you Lyle!

Well, by 2:45, it was time to get Clayton back to rest up for dinner! He did very well today. We were blessed to have him join us for this wonderful holiday of giving thanks. There is so much to be thankful for.

We love and know Jesus Christ as our personal Savior!

We are blessed with so much!

We have wonderful family and friends.

(And...we are grandparents to baby BEE!)

I have a good job that gives me so much satisfaction to make a difference in young lives.

I tell my kids at school, "Don't just be a Thanksgobbler, be a Thanksgiver."

I hope they remembered!

Hope you did too!

Happy Thanksgiving from the Bruce's.

Giving Angels of Love

Today an interesting thing happened to me before school. Mr. Moore, my substitute from when I went to NYC came to my classroom holding a small brown lunch bag. Now you need to know that Mr. Moore is at least 70 years old and a wonderful educator. Well, he said he had a gift for Baby Bee. His wife had made it for her and the bag was not fancy, but the gift made me smile. It was the handmade pink cap and booties shown below. Never meeting Mrs. Moore, and only knowing Mr. Moore on a professional level, it was a shocker that my grandbaby would be considered for a love gift such as this. Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Moore for your generosity. You amaze me!Well, just before leaving for NYC, the Character Coach comes to me, package in hand, and says, "I was shopping for my baby girl and found this cute little outfit that had a Bee on it. I just had to get it for your grandbaby." Again, I am blown away. Carin Lake will probably never even see Bee, but she wanted to give some love. You amaze me Carin! Thank you! So, we go to our regular theater seats to see a play, and the lady who sits behind us passes a bag to us to give to Bee. (Of course this was so early on, we did not know if Bee was a girl or boy.) But, Virginia wanted to show her love to our new baby to be. She knitted the yellow hat with matching booties and made the quilt with ducks on it. Again, overwhelmed with the generosity of people who will probably never meet baby Bee. Thank you Virginia, you are a sweetheart!

So I go to the lady who gives me my spray tans. Sigrid says, "Before you leave, I have some things I want you to have for your grandbaby. My grandbaby girl, Marlie had outgrown them, and I want you to have them."

So, I have photographed all the things she has been sending home with me! Again, blown away! Thank you Sigrid for the walker, bounce seat, entertaining changing mat, and many, many, many clothes for Baby to enjoy! You are a sweetie!

Then just before leaving for NYC, my mom says, "I have a friend that made baby Bee a beautiful pink afgan." Well, you can see in the picture the beautiful craftsmanship of Joan Dae. Joan is in a wheelchair and lives in Lemoore. I have only met this kind lady one time, yet she had made this beautiful afgan for baby Bee. God Bless you Joan, you amaze me. Thank you!

I guess, I just wanted to officially appreciate the kindnesses of people who know how to give to others. I know the Bible says, "Give and it shall be given to you." I know all the people mentioned in this blog are blessed folks! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the love you have shown to my baby Bee! You are Giving Angels of Love.

I remember.....

November 8th, I guess I will always remember this day. My mom left this earth 14 years ago today. I don't think of her as often as I used to, as life takes over. I guess that's the way it should be. I find myself thinking of her a lot when things like weddings and the birth of a baby come up. I wish I could show her the new little one. She would be nuts over her. Annie's words about her mom ring true for me also. So much has happened in the years she has been gone. I will always miss her as she was the most important person in my life that shaped me. Since she cannot come back to see me, I look forward to the day I can join her. You were the best. L

Bee is Amazing! Visiting was Fabulous!

Bee is only 2 weeks old in this video. She is happy and growing! She loves her mirror and mobile. She makes the most wonderful sounds all day long. It was so fun to hold her and give her lots of love. I know she is the smartest baby on the planet! This video is the closest to seeing and hearing how wonderful she is, without really being there. Enjoy my sweet Bee!