Putting on my big girl pants

I bought this lamp maybe twenty years ago in Saugatuck. My view early in the morning 

Obviously not a recent photo but the front garden at its peak in July 

My turn to host the Chosen Sisters Christmas party  In January due to others traveling. Alas one of the moms got sick right before the party so we are having another one in ten days. A hectic day as we we went to Hannah’s birthday party and we had Maya. She was instructed to just say hi to the moms but inventes all sorts of excuses to be with us

At Hannah’s party who is in the middle front row at an indoor bouncy castle place All of the grandkids there though Oliver opted out of this picture. I always think of Hannah as tiny but compared to her classmates she ‘s quite tall

Miss Naomi started her 4th semester of computer classes One of her teachers thinks she is one of the best in the program. Quite a turn around 

Frosty sunrise. Actually it’s been a relatively warm winter so I can usually exercise outside 

More moms. The following week much effort spent removing numerous Christmas things and trees

Maya and mom

Octopus for Hannah 

So I am not completely flower deprived I have about 6 amaryllis blooming or about to bloom along with paper white narcissi’s

Hannah among Lego girls

 

In the fall of 2016 I decided I hated being fat and made a strict plan to correct that. By the fall of  2017 I was 80 lbs lighter and miracle of miracles a size 4. I kept it off until my surgery in 2019. Not sure if it was the forced period of inactivity or a change in hormones but being a size 4 was not in the cards. Well I could live with being a 6 or an 8 but sadly I am probably a 10, better than a 16 squeezing into 14 but still sad. I do exercise quite a bit and have very good muscle tone but I can’t fit into all the clothes I have. 

I did keep some of the intermediate sizes (the real big girl stuff is gone). It was a sad day I had to dig that out. 

Will try to correct this this year

I hate winter even though this is a relatively good one  I am trying to complete little projects I have no time for in the summer due to doing so much outside. Trying to entangle my ancestors. My fathers side is easy as his father kept good records; mainly British Isles lots of Scottish, Irish, Welsh and British 

My mom’s side more of a mystery as they are more recent immigrants and not highly educated nor did they keep track of anything . I was told all German though my grandma had an Eastern European last name. One great grandparent was easy to trace from the Black Forest part of Germany. Two others were from West Prussia which is now Poland. One of the villages is quite close to Gdańsk 

The one great grandparent with the non German name is a mystery. But somehow I am Swedish 

Still trying to sort things out