The Little Red Coat

Here is a blog I wrote several years ago and I wanted to repost it today..I was reminded of it when I saw Marshall walking around in this very special little red coat as we got ready to go to the Christmas parade last week...Betsy told me that people are always asking her about it and commenting on it when they see it....what we do goes on and on and on....a good thing to remember....

This little red coat is more than 30 years old.....I made it  for my son when he was a little boy..it has a hat that matches and I will show it to you later...I don't really remember much about sewing it other than I did make it and I must have spent a lot of time on it because it is made very well and has lasted through 5 boys and still looks new.  :-)

So here is the lesson I am learning...things that we do last a lot longer than we ever imagine...it is important to do things well and to think about what we are doing as mamas...they can most definitely effect the next generation...
I really, really wish I had a picture of Jon in this little coat but I don't..maybe that is a hint at how much I didn't think of this coat at the time....
At some point I had loaned the coat to my sister and I guess her boy Phillip wore it..I don't remember and there is no picture to remind me.....when she gave it back to me a few years ago, it was like an old friend returning....I had no idea it still was around.I hung it in my closet and then magic started to happen..

.Betsy had a little boy...and by the time I remembered it, the coat fit him perfectly...who knew....one day there would be a Will to wear this coat that a new mama in her early twenties was making for her small son..one day her grandsons would wear this very coat..it would keep them warm and show up in many pictures around Christmas time..

Yesterday as I saw Betsy put the little coat on her middle son, it started to be an 'aha' moment..he didn't want to wear it so it only lasted a minute..LOL gotta love Mac...got  a mind of his own....then she quickly put it on the baby..and rolled the little sleeves up..the hat was perfect for a very cold Atlanta day...and we were off to ride the Pink Pig (another post, another day)...

Marshall is the youngest to wear the little red coat..he is probably the biggest at this age...so it all made me start thinking....so here goes.....
.
There are things that we do as young women that have very far reaching effects on our families...some are GOOD and some are bad...I like to keep the GOOD column FULL and the bad column empty..but that is not always how life goes...I made this coat for my young son because I loved him and enjoyed sewing....I did a good job because I liked what I was doing.....I chose the fabric because it was probably close to Christmas and it is my favorite color...I do remember that is was from a Vogue pattern...so it was special from the beginning...I just didn't know
that my actions as a young mama would reach through the generations and touch each of my grandsons like this....it has made them look awesome in pictures and has kept them warm when it is freezing outside....

Our actions are important..doing what we love is important....we don't do things well if we don't like what we do..
This  is hard to put into words..I am struggling with making my thoughts clear enough for you to understand...

Maybe to simplify what I am trying to say.
....many years ago a young and inexperienced mama sat at  her sewing machine making a little red coat for her little boy without any thought past 'he will look cute in this when I am finished'....
Thirty three years later...the little red coat is still around..she helped to put it on her third grandson yesterday to protect him from the freezing weather and it protected him just fine......

The moral here, girls, is this...what we do has much further reaching benefits than we  ever realize at the moment we are doing them..it is who we are that makes a difference and then, out of the abundance of our heart, the generations are protected and kept warm...so live life intentionally...and love yourself so that the overflow is GOOD and we can smile when we see the next generation wearing the little red coat we made in our younger years.....

thank you for coming down this path with me...I hope you get something that you can take with you as you read..

Prepping for Thanksgiving

I was looking for something when I ran across this picture of my youngest grandson Marshall....

 Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words....

 This is one of those times........

I am having a day like this!!   I just need to put my whole hand in a jar of Nutella and I am sure I would not be so tired........LOL


I hope this helped to lighten your day and give you a smile...

Happy Thanksgiving week......

Love,
Mona

Linking this to Inspire Me Tuesday...

Hitting a Homerun

I think that our dining outside is over until it gets cooler...We have had so much rain that we haven't had many chances to eat on our deck... Now it is hot and humid..welcome to the south!   This was one of the last times we enjoyed a summer supper on the deck..and my husband did the cooking.  It made it taste even better...

Vintage glasses with a bark like pattern are some of my favorites...(do I always say that??) and again we are using the Naturewood plates by Pfaltzgraff with aqua placemats and Paul Revere forks..

and tis the season for Vidalia onions..

 He made onion rings and sweet potato fries...with grass fed burgers...

 They were so good...

 And the best part (well, not really) but close.... was the sweet potatoes coordinated with the colors on the plates....now, that is a homerun..

speaking of baseball.....lol

Here are a few pictures from the baseball field when we went to see our grandsons play recently....

 

Happy Birthday to my sweet grandson Mac...he is 5 years old today..... 

Thank you for stopping by..Please come again soon...

Mona

I am sharing at these parties...so many ideas..come and stay a while....and leave comments when you do...they are always appreciated a lot..

Let's Dish 

Tablescape Thursday 

Seasonal Sundays 

Swimming Pool Fun

I spent the night with my grandsons and their parents recently and before I went home they wanted to show me some of their diving skills...and other newly acquired diving board accomplishments..they have been taking swimming lessons and are quite good in the water...and they love it...I promised them that I would write a blog featuring them on the diving board so here they are......

 first we shuffle Marshall back to the shallow end to be with Daddy......

Ready, Set, Go

 perfect cannonball form....

 learning to dive...love this boy..he is so determined to learn this right.....

 future Olympian Will

 Next up, Mac

  can you see the grin on his face?

 such a sweetheart...suspended in air

 so much fun

I had so much fun watching them..these are the moments that make memories.  Will even swam the entire length of the pool for the first time so I could see him swim....and what he has learned.....

Being their grandmother sobers me sometimes...at the responsibility it carries...to love them well...and to be there for them...I had awesome grandparents that taught me some of the things that really matter....spending a few minutes at the pool instead of leaving to go home is what matters.......my time is what they need and my love.......

thank you for stopping by today..I am grateful that my daughter generously lets me share her boys on my blog....

they are a national treasure....I am serious about that....

I appreciate you my readers and hope to see you again soon..

Mona

Life in Focus

Lately I have been finding myself trying to bring things in my life back into focus....it seems like a lot of the things I want to do with my life have become a little blurry...kinda like this picture......

There is still a lot of color and prettiness here but I just can't really make out the sharp edges that define the objects...

Sometimes it is a struggle because I realize I have already lived over half of my life and I want to spend the rest of my years choosing wisely....but then I forget to have fun and try to do way too much...
and being tired makes it even harder to see clearly......

I have been taking some time this past month or so and reevaluating some of the things in my life....and resting so that it can be easier to bring it into focus once again......

There are so many, many things I still want to accomplish in my lifetime and there are so many interests that I want to pursue.....but I know I can't do it all....but maybe I will try.........how can anybody ever be bored? there is always at least a book to read.....or something to sew..or cook....or a flower to pick...or a weed to pull...or a creative project to start..or something to collect......or a person to think about and smile....or best of all...PRAY.

There.........it seems to be coming back into focus......

 I even have new glasses to get used to...a sharper image to look at.....bringing details with clarity.........

I don't want to waste any of the time I have left in my life..I expect it is several decades but there are also several decades gone....time goes by so fast....children grow up so quickly...and grandchildren cause us to once again slow down and smell the roses...and appreciate life and all it has to offer...

When I looked at my oldest grandson yesterday, he has become a boy....teetering on young manhood...he is no longer a little boy or a toddler but a boy, one that can carry on a conversation with me...and really thinks about things..I cannot even put it into words but one glance at him as he stood in my doorway with  both of his little hands in his pockets....I knew he had turned a corner in his life.....a season has past and he has changed....6 yrs old in a few weeks..he is wise beyond his years and he absolutely has my heart.......in less than 2 months, I will welcome my first granddaughter...the first girl of this generation in our family.....yes, maybe my life is becoming more focused.....being grandmother to these children has definitely taken a more prominent role......it is the role of a lifetime and I don't want to take it lightly.....having their arms around my neck causes everything else in life to pale in comparison.......

YES, I am a lot more focused now.......

thank you for coming by today...

please come again soon....

Mona

Garden and Grandsons

WHEW!!!!  I am in  a real writing drought...the words just do not seem to come lately.....
I am hoping this changes soon because i do love writing my blog and staying in touch with the blogosphere but....

This week has been busy so far and there is evidence that someone else is enjoying my garden when I am not looking...stay tuned....

cleome

 I love this stately flower....it holds a special place in my heart and garden..the very last time I saw my Mama, she handed me this flower plant..about 6 inches tall in a little pot....I planted it in this yard 9 years ago and it has been coming up on it's own for all those years..this year it is the prettiest and healthiest from all of the rain..and I have put the plants in more fertile ground....so that is why you see it so often in my blogging this summer..

see it on the right of the flower bed?

red crepe myrtle

HUGE tomatoes

morning glory

pretty blue weed flower

eggplants doing great, excuse the weeds and grass please

they just look happy..sunflowers

dahlias

 My dahlias are still putting on quite a show...they are certainly a flower worth looking into  if you have never grown them...outstanding...and blooms until frost....

my weedy garden..in transition....

evidence

Someone is visitng during the night and eating the tomatoes....UGHHHH...we have had such an abundance of tomatoes this year so it hasn't made me too discouraged but still......looks like they picked them a really good ripe one last night...and wasted half of it...

and here is the best part...........

intensely watching a movie..Mac, Will, and Marshall

My grandsons......they are what  make my heart go pitter patter...the loves of my life.....and picking tomatoes with them yesterday was a memory that I will cherish.......they were so excited about seeing so many ripe tomatoes at once......ahhhhhhh...love these little boys so very much.....

and if you knew how many pictures I have to take just to get ONE picture of all three at one time....so thankful for digital cameras......and the delete button...LOL

thank you for stopping by today.....

I will see you again soon...

Mona

The Colors of My Garden

Everywhere I look there is COLOR!!! and I am happy.  I love color...bright, happy colors...this is the time of year for zinnias and sunflowers and chaste tree blooms.  I like the contrasts of the reds and yellows against all of the shades of green and white throughout the garden......here are a few of my favorite blooms that are happening right now...ENJOY.....

zinnia

sunflower

chaste tree

But these are what make the garden worthwhile.   having these three little grandsons running around in my yard...now that's a beautiful, colorful sight........

adorable Marshall

gorgeous Mac

wonderful and amazing Will

I am in a whole new wave of extreme thankfulness of how God took this pitiful, sad life and turned it into something that only HE could have fashioned.....and how much HE loves me..no matter what our life looks like now...He can take it and make something good from it.......

thank you for stopping by today and I hope to see you again soon.....

it feels like I have been missing from blogland lately..so much to do...

but summer slows down as everything gets planted and we move into maintenance mode....

Y'all come back now, ya heah??

Mona