Celebrating Amber's 39th birthday on Thursday June 6th!
This is when I first laid eyes on my precious daughter!
Her birth was amazingly easy for an 'older mom' of 36!
My water broke at 4:00 in the morning and I changed sheets and dressed, did my hair and put on my make up! By now my contractions were 3 minutes apart and I headed to the hospital. I arrived shortly before 5 AM and was told to NOT push as I was already in transition.
My doctor RAN into the OR and she was born at 5:15 Am on June 6th, 1985. It was a Thursday and I had only very mild pain. I didn't even break a sweat or mess up my makeup!
I stayed one night in the hospital and had an excellent recovery!
I have loved being a mother!
First in my youth with Summer and Jesse....
and then 19 years later with Amber and then 3 years later with Benjamin.
She is having a wonderful birthday week doing all the things she loves!
Family, sun, beach, water, sand, and good times!
Amber LOVES the summer months much as I love the fall ones.
She was a June baby and I a September one.
Is it just us or do we love the season we were born in best of all?
Louis Dean spent several hours designing and printing out calendar pages this week.
He brought them to me and asked me to fill it out for him - our appointments and plans and such.
It's summertime and the living is easy......
and I have purposely scaled back all of our activities for the next 3 months.
He has a doctor appointment in July and another one in August.
Other than our trips to the ranch each month - there is NOTHING on our agenda other than taking care of things here at home and down at the ranch.
Our anniversary is coming up on the 26th and we are celebrating by buying rose bushes both here and when we go to the ranch.
Louis Dean is my Knight in Shining Overalls and has planted four rose bushes and two other bushes!
He's also helped me spread mulch and pull weeds.
He does love a 'project' and says he hopes I will always need him!
And I do DO!
For some reason he is as fond of wood putty as he is of Gorilla glue.
The window trim was in need of repair or replacing and he fixed it with his magic potion of wood putty, Gorilla glue and sawdust..
He did that on Friday and painted it today (Saturday).....
He can spend hours and hours in his music room doing whatever he does.....
So I entice him out to do some repairs, lawn work, gardening and sometimes to just sit out on the driveway with a glass of wine.
He needs a little more direction now and I am learning how to do this.
Each week I choose a cookbook or a handful of recipe cards to use.
It's easy to get in a rut and since I love reading cookbooks - it's a lot of fun to try different recipes.
Last week I used vintage recipe cards I bought at a garage sale years and years ago!
Jello recipes with cream cheese and 7 Up and pecans......and Cool Whip - although it called for Dream Whip! Remember that??
This looked like something Louis Dean would like!
Easy enough to make!
And it was a Win! WIN!!
He ate four of them along with some homemade potato salad on Friday and finished them off for lunch today.
I've been sewing and cleaning and vacuuming and doing laundry and mending and pulling weeds.
I put the Vakos baby girl quilt in to wash last night and then did the final stitching this afternoon.
It is now ready to gift!
Next up - two baby boy quilts!
One for Tray - a young man I have known since he was a child and this quilt will be for his son.
The next one is for Granddaughter Kaitlyn and her soon to be born son!
I think I have one more baby girl quilt for my niece from Kansas City!
Brother Buster's daughter!
I have been reflecting on Summertime Memories.....
At 75 years of age - life has sure changed.
And I am embracing the changes - but still - it's an adjustment.
My life now revolves around Louis Dean more than anyone else.
Gone are the days when we we were such a vital part of our grandchildren's lives - or our children's lives for that matter.
This is a good thing as we don't have the energy - emotional and physical - that we used to have.
Now we pull ourselves closer to one another and enjoy this special time in our lives where we are not responsible for anyone other than each other.
God has especially blessed me in the fall and winter seasons of my life and I am so very grateful for that.
Good night from Louis Dean and Linda Chapman.....
15 comments:
Beautiful and touching the love you share with LD.
Happy Birthday to Amber.
It is interesting how our lives continually change. My kids need me less in physical ways, and my grands need me to look after them on days their parents work. My parents need me to help them get to appointments. It’s different all the time.
Happy birthday to your Amber!
I think you’re finding a good pace for yourself and LD. You’re a very wise woman!
I am glad to hear that you are cutting back your activities. Your quilt is so lovely, and you really have your priorities straight!!
Happy Birthday to Amber
Amber was so cute and is now so beautiful. Happy Birthday Amber. I am happy you are adjusting and adjusting well.. you are such a good mom and that is why all of your children are super great people... good idea to cut back on activiteis in this heat we are having.. TX and FL are in hot heat waves.. so thankful for AC...
Happy birthday to Amber. She was such a cute little girl.
I'm feeling as you do about life. It's not easy in the best of times as we age, and we have to know how to slow down. I never thought I would be as I am today. And slowing down is not always an option. But sometimes we just have to. Hope you have a great weekend.
I can so relate...how life changes as we enter in these golden years....
staying positive and interested in life goes a long way...I love reading cookbooks too...always have....lD is just amazing for his age...something to be admired...both of you....warm hugs!
Loved seeing the picture of you and Amber!! And you are right about things slowing down. We do not see our grands as much as we used to see them. Landon came over to mow the yard yesterday and he visited with the old folks for a while before Grandpa took him back home. I am so glad I have my reading and my stitching to keep me busy. We both enjoy our Britbox shows in the evening. We found that we can watch the old What's My Line tv shows from the 50s on you tube and those are fun. People were so elegant back then and everyone's handwriting was nice and legible and CURSIVE.:) We are off to Grimmwood today.
Sending special blessing to you and Ld.....
From DeeDee Clark:
We just spent the last two days with extended family. I have an old recipe from my mother called Cherry Delight. My 93 year old sister in law (whom I dearly love) loves it, so I make it every family reunion for her and it uses Dream Whip. I'm afraid if I changed it to Cool Whip, it wouldn't taste the same. She asked if I made it throughout the year, and I told her I only make it for her.
Oh yes, how lives change. At 83 I've turned the corner and for the first time in my life, feel my age! Small things, but nevertheless, makes life a little for difficult. Like you, most of my energy goes to my dearest, but of late, since I have a few heath issues, he has been doing a lot more for himself! Actually it's good for him.
The hardest thing for me is the kids don't want me driving on the freeways like I'm used too. Don usually had several appointments close together and our kids don't want me driving so much on the freeways, traffic is crazy in LA. Takes sometimes a hour to go 10 miles. I do love to drive, but now it will be shopping, pedicures, etc. Not freeway appointments. The kids will take Dad to those.
I loved the pictures of Amber and the rest of your beautiful family!
I haven't blog for a while, but always will keep in touch with you~
My blog was never intented to be a life journey...just a "minute or two". I'm so glad you print yours and have a permanent record of your life journey.
Love and Hugs
You and your Knight in Silver Overhauls are a match made in heaven. Life is harder as we get older. I am really beginning to feel ,y age now at 80. More time with my Dave too. He's 82.
Happy to hear you will still go to the ranch each month. the change of pace is good for your hubby and planting roses sounds wonderful.
I'm so grateful for my sons and all they do for us too.
Love your quotes at the end of the blog. Words to savor.
Sue
Y'all are so blessed to be able to keep busy! I hope Louis Dean had a nice Father's Day, and that you will post about your Sunday. I truly love reading blogs, but, 'specially yours, you know. Going back in time, I saw a post about Lillian! She was a dear, and so pretty!
Hope Amber's had a good birthday week. She's a darling girl!
Hope you are all good! Ed fell and hurt his back last night. He seems to be falling more. "It only hurts when I move!" he said awhile ago.
Please pray for him, I know he hasn't had a very good day although his nephew brought us barbeque ribs, and snaps and potatoes to last us 2 nights last night. He's really is a sweet man and had a terrible childhood! He and my Sherry were born the same year, (1966), and worked together at the local hospital for years. I do love that "boy"!
Our Ed and his family are not feeling good, so we only talked on the phone today. We have each other, here, and I thank God for that.
Love you, Linda!
Trudy
What a beautiful post.
You and Louis Dean are very blessed to have each other.
Happy Birthday to Amber. Love the mother-baby picture of the two of you.
Your life together is very sweet and vull of love and caring Linda, not only for Louis Dean but your entire family. The plan to take it easy this summer is such a good one and this means you can spend more time together especially as an anniversary approaches. Hope your daughter, Amber, has a wonderful birthday year because it should last more than a single day.
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