Monday Mumbles 39

1. My Granny (Dad's mother) passed away Thursday, April 10th. As she is in the photo below (circa March 2011, her 90th birthday dinner), she was the centerpiece of our family gatherings, the hub to our spokes. All nine of her children are here with her, my father on the far left in green. You can read about her here.

2. For a closer photo of her, here she is in 2010 with Evelyn. Handing the new babies over to Granny always felt like a rite of passage to me, for some reason.

3. Long overdue, we bought Hubs a new suit for the mass and funeral. I'll admit he looked alright in it. 

4. The kids were very good throughout the very long days that existed between hearing the news and the funeral. They were in the car a LOT, and aside from getting restless at the visitation (who wouldn't, watching a bunch of 'old' folks coming in and out, chatting about nothing in particular?), they were fantastic. 

5. My two brothers flew in from respective states (Florida and Indiana), so there was an upside getting to see them, along with one sister-in-law. My mother was also very helpful throughout, watching the kiddos and giving them a reprieve from the torturous talking.

6. Aside from work and Granny, life is fairly steady. Evelyn still has attitude and a LOT of hair. Owen occasionally gets safe seats at school but is learning how to be a better helper and leader. Turner continues to skate through with his usual ease, playing basketball and taking piano lessons. 

7. I've been doing the #100happydays challenge, with some nudging from my brother. I like getting to watch my day and find something that makes me happy. If we don't take time to focus on something that makes us happy, some days will pass us by feeling completely void of joy. 

8. Hubs had me watch a comedian Saturday night, a South African named Trevor Noah. Pretty funny kid, and cute to boot. If you're into stand-up, try finding a few clips on-line.

9. My hair is unreasonably long. I've been very lazy and it's now a decent pony-tail length and touching my shoulders. 

10. I need not go shopping. I find myself having a hard time saying no, sometimes. Meaning, I have three new dresses in my closet and probably shouldn't.