A Grateful Update: Grandkids, Gardens, and Giggles!

 

Fake, Fake, Japanese Container Pond

A Grateful Update: Grandkids, Gardens, and Giggles!

Hey there, fantastic TTOT team! It's time for another dose of gratitude and giggles from tmy simple life. Seriously, folks, my grandkids are like mini comedians on steroids, my garden is growing like weeds :)and my husband... well, let's just say he's still just so funny he does not have to say much.

1. Grandkids - The Little Geniuses of Giggles: I swear, my grandkids are on a mission to make every day of their lives I can manage to borrow seem like a laugh-a-thon. They have these ideas of acting or overacting and make the most mundane task of going to the carwash like a horror comedic movie. I couldn't be more grateful for the constant stream of belly laughs.

2. Garden Adventures - Weeds, Wisdom, and Wonder: Oh, the garden. It's like a wild kingdom where the plants have a secret society. My tomatoes are bearing fruits. Is the kind that is big and pretty, the heirloom kind. Tomorrow we can get 3 fewer tomatoes from the farmer's market because of our bountiful harvest this week. But in all seriousness, tending to my garden has taught me more about patience and persistence than any life coach ever could. It's a wild ride of ups and downs, and I'm taking every minute of it as a success (especially when I triumph over those pesky weeds)!

3. Husband's Hilarious Humor - The Husband Joke Extraordinaire: Ah, my dear husband. He's like a one-man comedy show that never ends. His jokes, eye-rolling, and Miley-Cirus-tongue-showing in pictures are funny from the day I forced him to watch Barbie with me to when he finally agreed to go.

5. Barbie Movie. It was funny.

6. The Maturing Youngs - Daughters, Sons, and Furry Friends: Our kids are growing up faster than weeds in my garden, and it's a beautiful thing to witness. The way they handle life's challenges with grace and humor is nothing short of awe-inspiring. They've turned into these incredible beings who are navigating the adult world while still finding time to send us hilarious pet videos. The two girls are successful in taking care of numerous houseplants. Not too long ago, they could not pick up a broom.

So, there you have it – a snapshot of the hilariously gratifying moments that make up our simple life.

Summer Gratefulness

 

The weather is so nice, I can just hang out on the patio all day.

• I'm so grateful for my laptop. I can take it anywhere I go, so I can work from the patio, the living room, or even my bed. But maybe I should not work on my bed.
• 
  I'm also grateful for my fake fountain. It's so relaxing to listen to the water running, even though I know it's not real.

• I'm grateful for my espresso maker's ease of use. It's so easy to make a perfect cup of espresso, even if I'm not a morning person. With it, I make the perfect cup of coffee every time. And I'm grateful for no-calorie leaf sweetener. It's the perfect way to sweeten my coffee without adding any calories.
• I'm grateful for days off. They give me a chance to relax and recharge. And I'm grateful for a good week at work. It's always nice to feel like I'm making a difference. This past week, there was zero death in the ICU.
• I'm grateful that the COVID vaccine is no longer required by the CDC because of the low risk. I am not anti-vaccine but I am grateful for the reasoning of no-requirement. It's one less thing to worry about and COVID is no longer that scary. I never thought I would write something like this back in 2020 and 2021.
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  I'm grateful for the farmer's market. It's a great place to get fresh, local produce. And I'm grateful for fresh vegetables. Fresh cherries and tomatoes. They're so good for you.
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  And finally, I'm grateful for my reusable woven basket. It helps me reduce waste and reuse. I'm trying to be more environmentally conscious, and this is one small way I can do that. Plus, it is strongly pushed by the state. Colorado is behind California on this but we are catching up.

• I'm grateful for my laptop's battery life. It's long enough that I can work for hours without having to worry about it dying.
• I'm grateful for a good week at work with grateful patients, family, and co-workers. It's nice to know that my hard work is appreciated.

 I know I'm lucky to have all of these things in my life. I'm so grateful for them all.

Got blog? Join the grateful blog team here.

P to U, Thank You

P is for Paul, celebrating my birthday with me.

Q is for a quilt-looking sea turtle large beach towel my sister sent me as a birthday gift. I love it. It will be perfect for Hawaii.

R is for a relaxing day off with my grandson accessible via face time. He is playing with a filter here, a sparkly face mask?

S is for my silly grandson. Here, he makes me laugh.

T is for digital toys using the screen. If it's grandma on the other side of the screen, I think, we can allow more time.

U is for just the two of us. My grandson is not too happy with the news that the new sibling will be a girl. I am trying to bank some just to two of us time, for in four months, we will be busy with a baby.

V is for my forever valentine, birthday, and all holidays date who is also my foodie buddy.

 W is for the wonderful cartoon filters that remove wrinkles automatically. :)

The Alphabetical Gratitude List

Little 3-year-old Grandson Napping

Here's my gratitude list for the week, inspired by Ten Things of Thankful.

• A, he's adorable. My grandson looks so cute especially when sleeping, such an angel.
• B, for big brother. Can you imagine he will be a big brother in July?

Homemade Crustless Pizza

• C, crustless cheesy pizza that "the husband" has been making as part of our "reduced carb" diet.
• D, is for a doable diet, eating food we like with some tweaking.

• E, for easy food I can make that is good for me too. This one is a green tea banana soft-serve ice cream.

Watching Superbowl

• F is for football. My husband and I had a good time watching the Superbowl last week. It was entertaining from beginning to end--game and all with no drama.

• E is for electricity to keep our food good. (Thank goodness, our electricity is restored in our vacation home after the cleaner found our fridge with warm food. We found out, we lost power in the place for five days, yikes).
• E is also for electric cars we have on the mainland. Our cars just run smoothly, and no more visits to gas stations every week.

Bread for Fondue

• F is for friends who bring food to work to share. This one is crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside.
• F is also for easy fondue in a box, which I dipped the bread in. The husband liked them both, and he is picky, that's saying a lot.

Note for Donut

• F is for more free food, doughnuts. This box came with a note. "Working in winter is tough . . . doughnuts are hot." :)

I have listed 11 things I am grateful for, exceeding by one. I will save some letters for the next weeks. Your turn. A . . . 

 

Easter 2021

It's that season again

when the breeze is warm enough

To go out in nature

And the hike is not so rough

The ground is dry enough

The rock's not so slippery

As we climbed the trails above

Not so muddy but rocky

There's not much greenery

But a hint of good scenery

With young growth below, yet premature

Give a hope that reassures

Then Easter Day we were looking forward to

Came by and flew through

A few weeks of preparation

With our three generations

Putting up decorations

Getting gifts all ready

Making food for everybody

Some are healthy, some . . . just yummy

The egg hunting that used to be for our children

Some many years ago 

are now enjoyed by our grandkids

Who reminds us of those early years

The happy birthday days of festivities

The joy from those activities

Makes me grateful for simple things 

That has not changed

Spending time, playing, and eating together

Can bring joy altogether

Birthday Month

Here are some random photos I picked

From my collection that makes me think

The smiles and laughs shared

With the people who care

I share my birthday month with some loved ones

Some close, some far

With distance or heart

In my thoughts they are present

Sometimes that's all that matter

The experience, tastes, and feelings matter too

Simple things like easter bombs "cocoa"

A manicure with massage

And more sweet happy birthday cakes

A workout in different virtual destinations

I cannot go there for real but virtually I can

New Zealand, Spain, the Pacific Islands

All in one day

Imagined or virtual

They can bring joy

Comfort

I harvested some greens from my indoor hydroponic planter. The greens can't get fresher than these, harvested right from my dining room. They are perfect with the Costco-size beef and pork. 

I cooked six dishes. Most left-overs will be frozen for later like after-work dinner when most times, we are too exhausted to cook.

I am grateful for the memory of cooking comfort I remembered from childhood in the Philippines--peanut stew, adobo, pork chops seasoned with lemon pepper, and sour soup. 

I am grateful for the recipes readily available from the internet, the oven, instapot, and air fryer. I was able to cook 6 dishes in 2 hours, preparation time included. You'd think I was in a cooking contest under time-pressure. Only the judges (my family) are more forgiving and very appreciative of my cooking.

I am grateful for the simple things I get to enjoy with my family--walking outdoors, however cold, before the snow hit--picture taking, and watching TV together.

I am even thankful for a friend and a co-nurse who is finally resting after two-month hospitalization from COVID. She must be in heaven.

Until next time.

Visit

Surrounding 

Visiting

Spending time with the people you love

Takes a chunk of your time

Yet the pay off is worthwhile

I did these just yesterday and the day before

While the days were bright, no rain, no pour

So today it’s wet and we could not go out 

I am thankful we did as we all look up

Raking Leaves

It is October and the weather and color of early Fall show some hints here in Colorado. I try to create some beauty around me to share with family and friends and use nature and circumstances as instruments of creativity.  I have many things to be grateful for. Here is my list.

• My son and family came to visit with his family. I have this backdrop in the backyard for them. He showed the kids how to rake and help clean up in the backyard to which his little boy made a face * I am not raking the leaves because you ask me to* kind of attitude. 
• Grandson later did it when not asked. :)

• We are still receiving unexpected wedding gifts even when we did not have a reception. 
• I am thankful for all the gifts and best wishes.

• Wally the dog earns his certificate for dog training 101 (online). 
• I thank him and the trainer for the video training. He learned to close the door, "stay" longer, and be better with "leave it." Human dad Paul is teasing us that we bought Wally's diploma. We did not!
• Nuts from the employee recognition team for staff. 

• Paul is (kinda) letting me slowly decorate the house. It was such a "man house" and so naked of decor. It is safe to start outside.
• Family pictures. Grandson is more interested in looking at the backdrop than being a part of it for photos. :)

• Free flu shot from work.

• My friends, family, and I are keeping healthy.

Read about gratitude from other bloggers here.

It's Fall 2020

I have so many reasons to be thankful

I am now married to Paul

Without a ball

We pull

A simple ceremony before the fall

And this weekend we borrowed my grandson

Who is now Paul's (also) grandson

Little Josiah gladly welcomed

Grandpa Paul without a question

He was such a delight

Easy to excite

With kisses, rides, bubble bath, and chocolate

But he got so active, we thought we had triplets

After that, Paul and I have decided

Milk chocolate drink? We should have skipped it

Because little grandson (and grandparents) 

Would be better without it

Oh after the wedding, we had small get-togethers

To celebrate after in good times and weather

We entertained friends, we barbequed together

And maintained a safe distance

As our health truly matters

My friends' son, so chatty 

Bragging about his stuff

He was showing me his airplane, scorpion, and other stuff

Oh, I have to tell you

I just got elected

As president-elect in a nursing organization

Where 11 years I invested

Nursing service volunteer work

Where I am needed

We did the inauguration via Zoom

When in the past we did this celebration

In a special destination

With a big production

But my team learned to do it online

And the organization turned out more than fine

We had a beautiful inauguration

The best for the time

To end this post, I had to look

For every autumn - ish picture from every recent nook

Here's my wedding cord

When we tied the knot,

A hotel shot where we booked,

From a casual shot, I took,

 the bouquet I used,

A coffee mug we chose

To go with our wedding cake

That's oh, so good

There's a shot from our last breakfast

Two days after the wedding

And the last pic was the time

To the altar, we were walking

That is all folks

Thanks for reading. 

August Thankfuls

It is August first. It is my mother's birthday. We would have been celebrating in Las Vegas today and having a reunion but because of the current circumstances of doing our part to keep each other healthy, we canceled the get-together. We celebrated in spirit and togetherness via Messenger video. 

Here's my gratitude list.

• A visit from my son in my new home. He stayed a bit and we talked and ate together. Just the two of us.
• My reservation in a nearby city went through however last-minute. It will be nice to get away but not have to fly to a new area. It has been months since I did something for fun away from home. I will be doing short hikes with Paul. The patio picture is a little glimpse of the place.
• A picture from 2018 with my mother in Vegas. We went swimming. It was a good day on her birthday week.
• My grandkids greeting their great-grandma with a video.

• This week's humble harvest and the near future's.

• Support from Lettuce Grow where I got my planter. I don't think my plants are growing fast enough. They gave me some tips. One more grow light. I don't see a lot of difference so far from weeks 1 to 3.
• A new hobby that makes me smile--miniature garden. It is a sort of fairy garden without the fairy. I want to use little animals instead.
• 8 days off from work. 
• My daughter and daughter in law helping me do my last boxes of packing.
• My family in the Philippines for making my mother happy on her colorful birthday.

Sweet Times

Say hello to our new dog, Bando. He is an 8-week old boxer mix dog. We estimate he will grow and weigh up to 70 pounds. As my family got over the untimely death of our miniature poodle, Snowball, we all welcome this new baby, Bando, into the house.

Josiah loves dogs and our dogs love him. They are all are very sweet. 

We can't have too much sweetness in the house. So grandma got some cupcakes for them to decorate. Josiah decided to decorate his face instead though.

It was a mix of cool nights and warm to hot days. It's nice to go out and be around the water, even man-made dams. We took a hike this morning.

I am still growing plants, even indoors. Here is today's picture of my little aquaponics. Fish in the bottom, plants on top. I like these sprouts on my salad.

I lost my father a few years ago. He died in the hospital after a few days stay. His passing, however painful to us, was a relief for him. I am thankful his suffering ended.

I feel grateful for a good week. Happy Father's Day to all the fathers at heart.

Daisy

It's been a good week. My Friday ended with a nomination award from a co-worker who witnessed me helping an African-American man in the hospital pharmacy last March. He did not have enough money for his co-pay. I helped him pay for his prescription without him asking. My boss and a couple of co-nurses saw me receiving this award. I guess I made more than one person happy from this act. I, for one, am so happy I was in the pharmacy at the right time. This is the 5th time I have been nominated for the DAISY award so it is a big deal for me. 

I am a rookie gardener. So I am proud of the little successes in my mini garden. Look at my future eggplant, tomato, and a few strawberries. The strawberries are small and sweet.

My grandson often makes me laugh. At 14 months, he is riding this tricycle for the first time and is having such a great time.

We only have 18 COVID patients in the hospital. That is good.

Have a good day you all.