Me and Ree

I can now say I did it...waited, and waited, and waited some more to see her~The Pioneer Woman and I are now best buds~she said "Hi, so glad to meet you" and now we're old pals. I already felt like I knew her, but now, she knows me!
Ree Drummond is the Pioneer Woman she has blogged daily for 4 years now about her life on an Oklahoma Cattle Ranch and is now touring with her first ever published Cook Book. (For those of you living under a rock, and have no idea who she is). She made a quick stop last night in Portland and my patient husband went with me to see her. It was a packed house and I was the last one to get a ticket to stand in line after her little question and answer session to get to say hi and have her sign my cookbook. We waited for 4 hours. Good thing we were in a book store, in a mall, so we had books, and frozen yogurt to pass the time, and lots of friendly ladies to visit with. Some even came as far as Pendleton to see Ree.
She was so friendly and kept right at it..

Signing, and smiling, letting everyone have a picture, with only a couple of bathroom breaks. And then finally, she met me~BFF's!

Finis !

Well, I finally did it. The cross-stitch I thought I'd never finish is done! It took about 3 years (I think, I should have kept better track of when I started). It feels good to accomplish such a big goal. This is the biggest Cross-stitch project that I've done. Now to get it framed! I can't decided on whether to have mattes and glass or just a nice frame.
I'm already on the look out for a new project and went to an awesome Needlework shop yesterday that gave me all sorts of new ideas-working with Linen-which I've never done because I'm chicken. It is much smaller and takes better eyesight and concentration(at least that's what I think), but the lady at the shop assured me it was easy and I could do it! So I think it will be my next project~now to find a pattern I love!
Up close look:

How To Train Your Grandson

We met Draper and Sara at the movies last night. Here's how the conversation went when we pulled up in the parking lot:
Olson: GRANDMA!!! (followed by a big hug)
Me: Hey you, what are you doing here?
Olson: We're going to see "How to Train your Dragon"
Me: Great, can we go with you?
Olson: Sure, and I'm going to sit on your lap!
Deacon: DRAGONS!!
Followed by snacking, snuggling, and great Dragon surprises. I love that little boy (I'm not little anymore Grandma, I'm 5), he lets me rub his head and scratch his back, and still loves to sit on my lap-even in public.

Who Do You Think You Are?

I have been doing a lot of family history lately and I'm addicted.  I love to think about the stories that I do know, learn new stories and wonder about the what if's or just the what's, where's and why's.  There is a new TV show called "Who Do You Think You Are" on Friday nights on NBC (I think), that got the fires going again.  It is focused on celebrities and helping them find out more about their progenitors.  I am so jealous that they get to travel and see the places where their families lived.
I have loved geneaology since I was young.  I remember sitting on the floor with family group sheets and pedigree charts spread out before me, wanting to know more and wanting to know those people.  Who were they, how did they live, what did they wear, and did they ever wonder about their future progeny?  I loved listening to the family stories and wish now that I would have taken notes!  While I was visiting with my cousin Karen last month I loved hearing her story and seeing the pictures of how she and Joe met and married in 1959.  I wondered to myself~why didn't I know these things?  Well, probably because I spent many years being a selfish teenager and young mother (not that young mother's are selfish-just busy ), more focused on my interests, problems and issues than on other's.  But now it gives me a new understanding of who she was and is, and increases my love for her~turns my heart to my family.  That is the thing I love most about family history, it increases the love I have for my family~my entire family.  (And as I will write more about in the future~it has grown!)
Ancestry.com and Family Search through LDS.org are great tools.  Years ago when I was first doing this I had to go to the Family History library and do a lot of writing to different states for information.  Now it is available right here at my personal computer!  Amazing!
The silhouette's above are of my parents, Bob and LeeElda.  I don't remember what year they were done, but I love them and I finally got around to getting them framed and on the wall.  I love to see them everyday and remember things about their lives.  They had trials and joys, they weren't just names on a chart.  I learn from those life experiences and by doing so increase my love for my family.
My Mom was a hairdresser and had her own beauty shop in our house in Portland.  While I was at Karen's Joe brought out the sign that use to hang from the pole as you went up the stairs to the shop, it had been in some of my Mom's stuff and ended up at Aunt Pauline's (Karen's Mother).  It's funny how something so simple can bring back so many memories and feelings~I love it and put it up so I could look at it everyday.

Maybe I'm getting overly sentimental in my old age~I'll be one of those Grandma's that cry and reminisce at the drop of a hat!