Christmas Elf

On a Saturday three weeks from the "big day", a Christmas elf arrived to help Grandma with the house decorations. Here he is, getting into the spirit of the day. He loved the singing stockings!

While not technically "under" the mistletoe, he definitely kisses on demand! Just beware the drool accompanying the open mouthed "kiss". Thanks for all the help, young man! The house looks ready for the season, thanks to you!

66th Annniversary

For those of you who do not see our daughter's blog, here are some pictures of the latest family celebration. 66 years married is quite an accomplishment, and in spite of recent challenges, the love shown by this married couple is as strong as ever. We were privileged to be present at their celebration.
Here they are - the bride and groom. We can only hope we will still be together after 66 years, and able to talk about it!
Some of the guests included long time friends (for 37 years at least), and daughter-in-law.
The youngest family member congratulates the bride with an open-mouthed "kiss".
And here he is with great-grandpa, also known as the groom.
The happy couple.

Too late Auntie D!

The services of the resident "Great Aunt Who Teaches Kids to Climb Stairs" will not be needed for this young man. I have it on good authority that they will not be needed for this young man's cousin from the east, who I hear runs up and down the stairs! I don't think Grandma is quite ready for that. One piece pjs, the kind in which the feet and legs tend to stretch, are not the best climbing apparel!

Happy Birthday!

The birthday bride celebrates her big day with her favourite little man (favourite big man was not far away!

A "Jack and Jill" - an evening with friends!

I know all would be disappointed in me if these pictures were not on the blog by today, so here they are! It was fun to have a "shower" with male and female participants (although I have it on good authority that the females did all the work!) Whoever did the work, the result was fabulous. Thanks to the parents of the maid of honour for the use of their home. We had a wonderful evening, sampling various wines, eating yummy food, and sharing in the bride and groom's joy.



While everyone brought wine to stock the almost married couple's cellar, there were many wines for the guests to enjoy as well. How can you tell that the maid of honour and her hubby are experienced bartenders?

For once, the groom got to be part of the gift opening.

The rest of the pictures are of various people who attended and celebrated. The gentleman on the right is the one whose wife was the prime organizer. Unfortunately, this blog entry doesn't contain a picture of her (she must have been too busy running around to pose for a picture), but her husband/groomsman was more than willing to state that he could not claim any credit for the evening's festivities.

Father of the groom, fresh from a trip to China, offers some sage advice to the youngest brother.

I like this picture of the sister of the bride, but I must admit I took it more for the background. Doesn't the mantle look elegant with all the candles and the florist's extra touches?

Sister in law of the maid of honour and her husband (this gets really complicated to explain without using names)!

The florist (and good friend of the bride).

One of the "L" bridesmaids, and beau.

Another bridesmaid and fiance.

This young man was the youngest guest, until Leo showed up. You may recognize him from a previous blog - in that one he had a basketball on his bum! He has grown up a lot since September.

Some of the guests (shot taken from across the room).

Same shot - poor exposure - but I can't remember how to delete pictures once they have been posted.

Here we are listening to the bride's heartfelt thank you. There is nothing like a wedding celebration to reinforce what good friends we have!

I think that's it for me folks. We are at about 40 days and counting! Can't wait for the big event to happen!

Meeting the deadline

This young man has 45 days left to learn to walk (we all want him to be walking at the wedding, rather than scooting or crawling around the floor). He is really close to walking independently. Here he is walking with absolutely no human contact - he is hanging on to a saucepan from the play dishes instead!

A Beautiful Day, A Beautiful Shower, A Beautiful Bride

It was a glorious balmy November day - perfect for a drive to outside the city to the groom's home town for a wedding shower. Everything about the day was perfect...the weather, the occasion, the company, and the event itself.

The location was perfect. The Arts Association building is a gem. Once a bank, then a family home, it is now the perfect venue for display of artworks and for performances and shows. I think I will be heading back often to make purchases!

We arrived on the dot of 2 and had no trouble at all finding the shower location.

This was a shower for family and close friends of the groom and his family. Here, some of the guests wait for the festivities to begin. Zoom in to look at some of the pieces on the wall behind them!

As is custom, the "young ones" assisted with the gifts. Seated here are (from left), the newest bride and soon to be sister-in-law, the next bride and soon to be sister-in-law, sister of today's bride-to-be, and maid (or matron?) of honour for today's bride. Got that? In the background are the chief organizer of the event and her daughter.

Two of the bride's grandmothers were there to help celebrate. At each occasion they find more things they have in common!

Most recent bride, and sister of the groom, works her magic with the bows and a paper plate. We are so glad that today's bride is able to wear at least one ribbon hat!

Mother of the bride and bride to be with one of the gifts - a very interesting plant!

And here she is...modelling her newest wardrobe accessory. You can't go wrong with a great hat!

The groom came at the end to mingle with relatives and friends. Everyone is so happy for this couple!

All in all it was a lovely afternoon, but what else could it be when there was so much love in the room. Once again, I have to say how blessed we are to have family and friends who care about all of us so much. Thanks to all of you!

Oh yes...one last picture of one young man who didn't get to go to the shower! He stayed home and watched NASCAR races with Dad instead! Probably just as well.