I'm Ba-a-a-ack!!!

Wow, has it really been over 7 months since I've posted?  I will tell you it's been a busy 7+ months, and I think it's a matter of "somethin's gotta give!"  So let me catch you up...

I've been working on my ancestry research.  I've set up family trees on Ancestry.com and love the fact that you enter a name and a little information and before you know it you have hints to look at census data and other information. I've found a 2nd cousin in Arkansas and a 2nd cousin to my PG in Florida.  I'm working on four different trees, so it takes me in many directions.

Also working on some ATC cards in swaps that I've joined at Jessica Brogan's site.  I've done two other swaps and have received some beautiful inspirational cards in return.  The newest swap is about "found poetry" and looks like it will stretch my creativity a bit!

I been running hot and cold when it comes to cooking and baking.  This winter, I've been in the kitchen quite a bit, exploring Pinterest and Facebook recipes.  Most come out pretty darned good.  I've also been doing more reading on GMOs (genetically modified organisms) in our food and want to do more of watching what I'm cooking.  Which leads to growing more of what I will cook.  So I'm also planning this year's garden, hopefully with more organic plantings.

And, of course, there are the grandkids.  Just yesterday we took in "Little Mermaid" at the local library. I love to look over and see them engrossed in the story.  They had seen it before, and my 6 yr. old grandson remembers some of his favorite parts. What a joy to see the look on his face.

What made my heart soar was as soon as I got to their houser, he asked if I brought any art supplies.  Even if it's just a doodle book, we connect with that.

And Little Miss is getting to be the same way, although she's also becoming a bit of a fashionista.  "Grandma, I love your necklace.  It's so fragile."  (Must be the word of the week!)

This year, I'm working on Project Life. For you non-scrapbookers out there, it's a project that lasts a year, and it helps you capture and scrap your everyday life.  How many times have you wondered what life was life for your parents/grandparents when they were your age?  Now is as a good time as any for me to have those answers for my grandkids. Our Scrap Cellar monthly meet-up includes getting our Project Life in place for the prior month before moving on to our other projects.  I think it will work out great and at the end of the year, there will be at least one scrapbook that shows MY life.  Part of my commitment to Project Life is also a commitment to write more in my blog.  I really do love the writing, and sharing pictures.  I just need to commit to it.

This year, we are heading to Idaho this summer. One of my many beautiful nieces is getting married and I wouldn't miss her wedding for the world. So we've decided to make a road trip of it and hopefully have my daughter and grandson accompany us on the way out.  Plans are to stop at Mt. Rushmore and Yellowstone. We'll see what else we can pack into the trip.

Speaking of trips, I've had some wonderful mornings driving to work.  Caught these two pics on two different mornings.  Beautiful way to start the day, isn't it?

Okay, so I can't expect to pack in all the information from the last seven months into one blog post, so I'm going to save everything else for another time.


Oh, one more thing.  There's a new blogger out there, and I'm quite intrigued. He is the son of a fellow blogger and he's looking for truth. Please consider visiting Project Truth and sharing a comment or two. Jackson is a talented 19 year old and has won speech and debate competitions in his state. So if you're up for some good "pondering," his blog might be just the place to get you thinkin' about things.