I love to get photos of Ashley with Lincoln. Because she is so often behind the camera I want to be sure that I catch some shots of the two of them together. The bluebells in the woods were a perfect backdrop to have a little photo shoot on Good Friday. If you read Ashley's blog you already saw these photos but I wanted to get them on my blog too. It's been a year since we a found out Ashley was pregnant and I just love seeing these two together!
We had the most wonderful family Easter gathering on Sunday! It was such a joy to fill my home with food and family. We played fun games including basketball challenges of all ages. Let's just say, my mom is a pretty good shot! I am feeling very much at home in my house after four months and days like Sunday remind me of how happy I am to be here! It was a great day for me.
My son and my grandson. . .what a pair! It was so fun to hang out with Jay and Lincoln on Saturday. They are watching basketball on TV and Lincoln is loving it. Normally Lincoln isn't very thrilled with the bottle but he was willing to try it with Jay. So looking forward to watching them together over the years; Lincoln and his Uncle Jay!
My home has many flower beds but none of them felt like mine . . . until now! Mollie offered to help me with the garden by my front door and I was thrilled! She is a talented and knowledgeable gardener with a generous spirit. Ashley and Lincoln came over to assist with the project and we were a perfect team! I got Grammy duty and was thrilled to introduce Lincoln to gardening. I am so looking forward to digging in the dirt with him someday and showing him how to plant seeds and find night crawlers! But yesterday Mollie did all the hard work with help from Ashley. I now have a gorgeous garden that makes me smile every time I go outside or pull up in the driveway. I absolutely love being close to family and friends! This is the life. 
It was a wonderful weekend in Des Moines with Dale. We had so much fun going to some of our favorite places and making some new discoveries. This was my first trip to Goode Greenhouse and I wish I would have found it sooner. It was a feast for my sense. . .all so beautiful.
We found favorite spots for walking. The pond area behind the Des Moines Art Center was coming alive with plants and people. The zoo was about as busy as I had ever seen with people and strollers everywhere! Of course our favorite food stops were part of the visit including Tasty Taco. . . yummy!
Lincoln is three months old. I have been in my new home for three months and I have been a "Grammy" for three months. I am loving this season. The smiles and snuggles are the best pay ever!
I do like to cook but I really love to bake desserts. I have been saving this recipe for a couple of months and decided that this was the weekend to try the Petite Fruit Tarts. They were yummy but they were not very petite.
The fresh berries were beautiful and they brought amazing flavor and color. I also added some nectarine and apple as suggested by the recipe.
Tossing the fruit with a little sugar and flour was fun and fragrant. Working with the dough was messy and that is always fun too! It was a very buttery yummy dough. Yes, I know that's lots of flour but I needed it since I didn't cool the dough as much as recommended. I was in a hurry!
Putting it all together was another messy step but I do think that is a big part of the joy. I scooped fruit onto each circle of dough, pinched the edges up and then sprinkled with a little bit of sugar.
They were gorgeous even before they went into the oven. The house smelled amazing while they baked and the fruits all came together to make a very delicious dessert. A dip of vanilla ice cream on the top was just perfect. The leftovers with a cup of coffee made a great patio breakfast. When they were finally ready for the oven I said that we probably wouldn't be having them again. . . way more work than a pie! After the first couple of bites I decided that I would most certainly make them again but I will make them smaller next time! 
It's been gorgeous all week and it's so fun to be outside. I got to take care of Lincoln for a little while yesterday. When Ashley came back we got to have some blanket time in the yard. After all my work getting the deck ready for spring it's nice to sit out there with an icy drink too. Today I am washing the car in my driveway for the first time in years. I just love playing with the hose again!
I love a quiet start to the morning; no alarm clocks and no rush. I have lots to do today; a couple of walks, water seal on the deck cleaning up the hosta bed that lines the back yard. But first I will start the day slowly knitting while the morning sun streams in and Mowgli guards against squirrels.
After such a mild winter the early spring is not a huge surprised but it is still greatly appreciated. Just today there were so many wonderful signs of spring around my house. A baby on a blanket in the yard, washing the deck and making potato salad! I also did my morning walk and two afternoon walks. This is one tired Grammy!
I made my second run to the brush dump today to get rid of the leaves and other remnants of my spring raking. I washed the deck in preparation for tomorrow when I plan to apply the "water seal." The first potato salad of the season is aways exciting! Of course Lincoln is a welcome visitor any season! It's been a wonderful week already and it's only Tuesday.
On Sunday I braved the snow for my afternoon walk. It wasn't a bad snow and I am sure it will be melted by Tuesday but it still felt very wintry for a walk. The last few weeks I have been trying to walk the mile loop in my neighborhood twice a day. Some days I only go on one walk and some days I have gone three times, but I am being more deliberate about making the time. It feels silly when my walks always used to be at least 3-4 miles but this is where I am for now.
Today is Leap Day and I am happy to have an extra February day for an afternoon filled with snuggles and smiles. February didn't turn out at all like Dale and I had planned. It ended up being a canceled vacation, an unexpected death in Dale's family and an out of state trip for a memorial service. We did good things, spent time with families and were grateful for the warmer than usual days. Now we look forward to March; time for spring, a new baby in Dale's family and certainly more snuggles and smiles too!
I couldn't choose just one...or even three. I got a little "shutter happy" today and thought I would blog a few of my favorites. After three days in Des Moines and a couple of days in Illinois during the last week I was ready for time with Lincoln!
Lincoln is getting more and more generous with his smiles and conversation. I love the way that he responds and will "talk" and coo back to us now. This third month is full of fun interactions!
I am making slow progress on my scrappy patchwork quilt but enjoying it every step of the way. All 900 little squares have been attached to a block of 100 squares. I now have nine squares laying on my living room floor while I make the final decision about sewing those into one big square that will be 60 x60 inches. Then I will be done with the top and ready to work on the batting, backing and quilting. It will take time but I will have fun with it and know that it is filled with wonderful memories, some attached to the specific fabrics and others to this chapter of contentment in my life. I only work on it when it feels fun. If it's a chore then I turn off the light in the sewing room and walk away until it looks like fun again!
It does sound cliche but it really does "take a village." Yesterday was a peek into Lincoln's village for me. He went to his first hockey game to watch cousin, Jake and the Mason City Mohawks and was surrounded by family. Cousins (maybe second cousins) Aunt and Uncle (well, Great Aunt and Uncle) and Great Grandparents were all happy to see him and he got lots of loving attention. In the afternoon Lincoln was the guest of honor at a baby shower with Ashley's Bible study friends from last year. Eddie has been praying for Lincoln for years. . .yes, years before he was even born. All the ladies enjoyed their time holding and getting to know Lincoln. All this reminded me of how much I loved having people of ages involved with my children. There is so much to learn and so much love to give. I am thinking that Lincoln will have a wonderful village filled with family and friends!
These amazing beads were all handmade by my friend, Kelly. They are intricate, unique, colorful and gorgeous just like friendship. When Kelly and I set up our coffee date I asked her to bring her beads. I like seeing the photos of them on facebook but really love to touch them and play with them. I couldn't resist pulling out my camera then thought of how they are so much like the very rich friendships in my life! Kelly is incredibly creative and it was a joy to sit for hours sharing life and sifting through hundreds of beads. I don't often enough say how much I truly value the deep friendships that bless my life!
I think I have mentioned that I am feeling quite content. Life is good. My time with family is wonderful and this week was richly filled with family time. Last week I was thinking that I had gotten to a point where my projects were slowing down but I was wrong. Visits from my sisters, parents and nephew this week were wonderful. Superbowl Sunday seemed uneventful so I got a little nostalgic and baked football shaped Superbowl cookies. (Sugar cookies with chocolate frosting and white laces) It was fun to deliver cookies to Jay and Briana and send some with Ashley and Travis to the party that they attended. The real projects were the 111 bags of cellulose insulation that was blown into my attic yesterday, delivery of my family room furniture today (after more than two months of waiting) and the arrival of my washer and dryer tomorrow. I guess there are plenty of projects and always time for family, especially the littlest member. Thanks to Great Aunt Cindy for the photo above.
Today Lincoln got to meet his great grandparents! It's funny to think of my mom and dad as great grandma and great grandpa. It was so nice to have my parents come down to see my home and visit. It's been such a joy to introduce family members to Lincoln. This Grammy thing is very cool!!
Lincoln is eight weeks old today!
My time with Ashley and Lincoln during this eight weeks has been precious to me!
I also got some very fun Sister Time today! Cindy and Sandi traveled down to visit for the day. We had a great time making soup, talking, laughing, eating and hanging pictures on the walls. Great Aunt Cindy also got to meet Lincoln and get in some good baby time.
Lincoln also got some male bonding time with Drew, his second cousin and my nephew. It's fun to be living in the same town as Drew and Molly. . . too bad Molly was sick today. 
