This year, one of the Challenges I signed up for is Blog All About It, hosted by The Herd Presents. The guideline is basically a blogging prompt challenge. Each month there’s a different prompt that you can interpret as you’d like then create a blog post around it. The 2019 list of prompts can be seen here on my Challenge Page. I will be posting for this Challenge on the 2nd Saturday of each month.

We have a joke and saying in our family. If it wasn’t for bad luck, we wouldn’t have any luck at all.

Lottery tickets and/or gambling have been bought or played maybe a handful of times. We take our vacations in Aruba, and every hotel has a casino. I think out of the last 12 trips, we entered the casino 2 or 3 times. And people laugh at me because if I do go, I go with only $40. and if I lose that, I’m done. I would much rather spend it on something else. However, in the last year I have won some books from GoodReads, which for me, is the best luck.

Even health wise I haven’t been that lucky. With over 30 surgeries, 8 of them on my back, 5 on my knees and multiple medical conditions, I would say not much luck there. However, even with that, I do consider myself Blessed and grateful because I know, and been taught by my Mom, that there is always someone else worse than me. Plus the fact that the last back operation in 2014, which was a 3 day operation that had a total of 5 incisions, I am able to stand straight and not needing to rely on a cane.

Where I am lucky, which IMO I have won the biggest lottery there is, is my family!!

My husband and I will be celebrating our 38th wedding anniversary next month. We have 2 phenomenal sons, I know I am biased, but they are.

Our oldest graduated college and presently studying for his Master’s, was hired within 3 months of graduating in his field with a major company, and bought a house on his own.

Our youngest graduated college with both a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Engineering, is married, just bought their forever home, and has 2 daughters, that are our sunshine and have a big chunk of our hearts.

So yes, I am very lucky!!

This year, one of the Challenges I signed up for is Blog All About It, hosted by The Herd Presents. The guideline is basically a blogging prompt challenge. Each month there’s a different prompt that you can interpret as you’d like then create a blog post around it. The 2019 list of prompts can be seen here on my Challenge Page. I will be posting for this Challenge on the 2nd Saturday of each month.

Pink was never a favorite color of mine. When it came to makeup, I don’t think I ever wore pink lipstick or nail polish. I always tended to gravitate to a warmer palette.

Even when it came to decorating our house, we went with a Colonial decor look also using warmer colors. We recently remodeled our kitchen and I was surprised, that both my husband and I, agreed very quickly on the color scheme and the granite.

However, when it comes to flowers, my favorite is a pink Star Gazer Lily. The scent is amazing but the blooming period is very short. At one time, Yankee Candle even sold the scent but has since discontinued it.

But on Oct 7th, 2 years ago, our world exploded with pink when we welcomed our granddaughter into the world. Having 2 sons, pink was never a color I had to deal with. But now, I love the color pink because of her.

We are currently on baby watch for our 2nd grandchild, not knowing the gender until he/she makes the grand entrance, we are waiting patiently to see if pink will become a nuclear bomb in our family!!!!

This year, one of the Challenges I signed up for is Blog All About It, hosted by The Herd Presents. The guideline is basically a blogging prompt challenge. Each month there’s a different prompt that you can interpret as you’d like then create a blog post around it. The 2019 list of prompts can be seen here on my Challenge Page. I will be posting for this Challenge on the 2nd Saturday of each month.

Since I signed up for this Challenge, I have been contemplating in which direction I would go with this month’s prompt. And then I thought, at my age, which I will not admit to :-), there have been many firsts in my life. Some celebratory and others somber. Since this is the first of a New Year, I am going to reflect on the happy occcasions.

My first real true love, my husband. This year we will be celebrating our 38th wedding anniversary, not counting the 7 years that we dated before marrying. I still vividly recall that magical day in 1981.

As all marriages, we have had our ups and downs, but together we have weathered them all and experienced many wonderful firsts.

Buying our first house. I remember being so frightened. Would we be able to handle a mortgage? We both lived with our parents and bought our house right before the wedding. And when I think back now, I chuckle because our monthly payments were $300/month (kind of gives you a good idea how long ago that was.

We knew we wanted a family and the birth of our first son in 1983 and our second son in 1986 was such a Blessing. We could never have imagined the profound and unconditional love that entered our hearts. The one thing that we were adamant that they do, was to graduate college, which they both did. One has already received his Master’s and the other son is currently in a Master’s Program. We are so proud of both of them and the men they have become.

And then 2 years ago, we were Blessed once again, with the birth of our first grandchild, Lucy. What an amazing love to see our “baby” with a baby of his own. She has stolen both our hearts and has both my husband and I wrapped around her finger. Next month, we are expecting our 2nd grandchild. Not sure of boy or girl since my son and DIL did not want to know the gender ahead of time. We are counting the days to meet him or her!

What comes to your mind with the word first? Would enjoy hearing your firsts!

This year, one of the Challenges I signed up for is Blog All About It, hosted by The Herd Presents. The guideline is basically a blogging prompt challenge. Each month there’s a different prompt that you can interpret as you’d like then create a blog post around it. The 2018 list of prompts can be seen here on my Challenge Page. I will be posting for this Challenge on the 2nd Saturday of each month.

I enjoyed this Challenge and am so excited that Anna is hosting again in 2019. Join us!!! Sign up HERE

When I first saw the prompt for this month, my first thought was diamonds. I think it is true that diamonds are a girl’s best friend. Who doesn’t like diamonds? Even my Dad loved diamonds and would say they were an investment.

The second thing that came to mind was the sparkling and shining lights on a Christmas tree.

And both these thoughts brought me back to the Christmas when I was 8 years old!

Under our tree were three brown lunch bags each tied with a bow. One for my Mom, another for my sister and the third bag had my name on it, all from my Dad. Of course, the three of us were curious, so when my Dad wasn’t around, we tried figuring out what could be in these brown lunch bags. We all agreed that we could feel walnuts. I remember my Mom saying, that she thought my Dad had lost it and had gone off the deep end.

Knowing that the three of us were anxious to see what was in those bags, my Dad prolonged the opening of the gifts for as long as he could. That year, the only presents we were truly interested in were those three lunch bags filled with walnuts and tied with a bow. I’m sure he enjoyed every second that went by aware that he was torturing us. I remember he had a huge smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye.

Finally….he gave each of us the bag with our name on it. We were right, the brown bags contained walnuts. But the walnuts surrounded a small jewelry box. Each held a diamond ring. This is the ring that he picked out for me when I was just 8 years old.

I will always remember and cherish that Christmas, recalling his big smile, the sparkle in his eye and the sense of pride that he fooled the three of us. Sadly, 8 years later, right after Christmas, my Dad passed away.

A memory that I hold dear and is as vivid today as it was so many years ago.

It’s that wonderful time of year!! And I don’t mean the Holidays!

If you have followed my blog for the past 9 years, you know that I’m a Reading Challenge Addict!!

I promised myself that this year I wouldn’t sign up for so many, however, I didn’t keep that promise. I’m now at 17 and waiting for 1 or 2 more to be posted.

I admit that I don’t usually finish them all, but for me, it’s just fun to participate and see how I do and to keep a record of the books I read.

Bev at My Reader’s Block is again hosting the Reading Challenge Addict! She has listed all the challenges that are available if you would like to join. Click on the link HERE

So far, these are the Challenges I have signed up for (some are just a personal record for me since there haven’t been any challenges posted for those):

I will be keeping track of my progress and the titles read in 2019 HERE.

If you would like to join any of the above, either click on my page to grab the hosting link or go to Reading Challenge Addict to see many of the other challenges being offered.

Good Luck!

I am taking part in the 2018 Book Blog Discussion Challenge hosted by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction and Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight!

The last Saturday of the month, I will be recapping the books I have read for the month, what I thought and the links to my reviews, and what I hope to read the following month.

I didn’t read as much as I hoped for this month

Click on titles below to either see my review or to check out the synopsis on GR.

THE MOTHER-IN-LAW by Sally Hepworth
Comments: I really enjoyed this book.

KEEP HER CLOSE by Erik Therme
Comments: Approved via Boookouture

• What did you finish reading this month
• What book(s) should I add to my TBR list