Oh how we love our Luciana!

Oh Luciana....our little love!

We welcomed this sweet baby girl on April 26, 2014. She came a bit early, very excited to meet all of us, I'm sure. She had no idea how excited we were to meet her. I was blessed to be with Amy and Sam through the labor and delivery and watch my little love come into the world. The experience was amazing. Amy was amazing. The fact that we fell absolutely instantly in love with that wet, squishy little ball of wonderful was amazing. And we fell hard!

The whole family was camped out in the waiting room waiting to find out if the baby was a boy or a girl. Yes, they waited until the birth. I know everyone finds out while pregnant (Nicholas and Amanda waited as well), and the "reveal" parties are pretty popular. But wow, there aren't words for the feeling to find out at the birth.

Amy and Sam are such incredible parents. Watching my baby girl become a mom has been such a life changing experience. I am touched just watching her love her baby. She finally knows how much I love her!

And we are so in love with this sweet girl. She has the sweetest personality, the sweetest face...so petite and delicate. Oh, and she is yummy and delicious and smells divine. I just can't get enough!

Oh Luciana Josephine Funari...we love you to the moon. You melt my heart and I love you!!

The Little Things

The further I get in this journey called life, the more I reflect on the roads I've taken. I haven't always taken the easiest of paths and I haven't always made the best decisions. We do the best we can, most of the time, and all any of us really want is to be healthy, happy and live with few regrets. I have some regrets but I also have a long list of things I am proud of, things that I am happy and content with.
Life is so full of change. And I for one want to embrace each new season of life with grace and thankfulness! That sounds amazing and impressive...now if I can ever really get there even I would be impressed. But I am trying.

One of the things that I want so much for my children is contentment. Having grown up with a Dad who was never content or happy where he was in life left me so unsettled but determined to take a different path. I wanted to grow up and just be happy with where I was and with what I had. I credit any success I have had in this area to my great grandmother. She was a country gal who really had very little she could call her own, but she was the richest person I knew. She lived with few regrets (she always told me to be mindful how I treated people so I wouldn't regret it later), and she honestly never complained (other than her back aching).

I have tried to pass some of what she taught me to my children. I want them to love the life they have and be thankful for each day, and be happy with the small things.
It really doesn't take much to make me happy. Richard and I laugh all the time about how silly we are. Sitting on the porch in our rockers watching cars drive by (yup, exactly what old people do), driving into Starbucks for a latte (which we did today), mowing the yard, taking a trip to Dairy Queen...pretty boring to others but highlights of our simple life.
 Of course now we take longer rides to southern Maine to see our kids and our yummy grand babies. It may not cost much, but it is priceless.

 I want to look out over the ocean and remember how big God is and how big his mercy is for me. I want to watch my children with their children and smile as I remember all those years ago when I dreamed of these days. I want to remember the hard times with a thankful heart because we made it through. And I want to enjoy the little things in life...because quite honestly, they are the big things!

My Sweet Gabriella

Just when I thought life couldn't get any better our sweet Gabriella was born ~ October 28, 2013.




Nicholas and Amanda didn't find out what they were having...they wanted to be surprised! But for some reason we thought they were having a boy. I will never forget the look on Nicholas face when he came through the doors from the delivery! He said "its a........girl"  We all just looked at him for a few seconds! But I think he was just as surprised! She had a full head of black hair and the sweetest little face! We fell in love instantly!

                                    
Dear Sweet Gabriella,
You make my heart sing
Your smile melts my heart...every time
 I love you!!!! 

The joy of becoming a Grammy

August 26, 2013 was anything but a regular day for me. It was the day I  became a grandmother!!

Cassy invited me to be in the delivery room with her and Matthew for Sadies birth and I was so honored and excited. What an amazing experience it was to watch my daughter in law give birth to my grandchild!

And, yes, it is an overwhelming love that fills your heart immediately. We can't get enough...of the sweet little sounds she makes, of the smell, of the warmth, of feeling the soft air come through her tiny nostrils, just staring at her. She is perfect!

I am also enjoying watching Matthew be a dad! He is so gentle and sweet with her, and so protective. It makes my heart so proud and happy!

I am loving this new season of life! This is our reward, the icing on the cake...

and we are loving every minute!

Add caption

Yes, we get along!

I was blessed to spend time yesterday with my two favorite daughters in law! yes, I only have two!

I found myself once again amazed at God's grace over my life. It just overwhelms me ....the way God blesses us, over and over!!

Cassy, Amanda and I were chatting over lunch about many things. We talked about church, friends, the arrival our our first grandbaby...due in August, and the relationship we share with each other. I looked amazed at these young women that God put in my life, and put in our family.  The girls my boys married.

Becoming a mother in law doesn't come with a manual, and there isn't one for becoming a daughter in law. We just do the best we can. I've made some mistakes...things might have gone terribly wrong. But thankfully God taught me very early on that my relationship with these girls will have a huge impact on my relationship with my boys, and eventually, my grandchildren. I desired a happy, healthy family where everyone gets along and enjoys being together.

God taught me that it wasn't up to them to form a relationship with me...I'm older, should be wiser :)  with more life experience. They were just starting a new life with the man they loved, the last thing they needed to be concerned with was how to fit into this nutty family. It was my job to get to know them and love them and fit our families together.. And I have tried really hard to do just that.

I am so excited for every new adventure we have together. Grandchildren, family vacations, holidays, family dinners, shopping trips...some of life's greatest blessings. And I look forward to all of it with these amazing young women and our incredible son in law. How can it not bless God's heart when we stive to get along and live in peace with each other?

So, as I wiped the tears from my eyes while thanking them for loving my boys, they just smiled.

They told me they love me too...

and I believe them!!

It really is the simple things...

November!!!  cool weather, wood stoves, leaves, chain saws, pumpkins, gourds, apple pie, pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice lattes, electric blankets, frost on the car window, turning on the furnace, standing around the wood stove, pumpkin muffins, turkey, boots, hats, scarves, gloves, heavy coats, pants, tights, family...

Can you tell I love Fall?? It just makes me happy!

We have had quite a busy one. We had a chimney fire in late September..that was so scary! So, we are waiting to have a new chimney liner put in before we use our wood stove again, and what a difference without it..we love wood heat!!  Richard had a huge wood splitting party in September and was amazed and so thankful when about 17 friends and family came to help! We are truly blessed!

 

 

Amy came home for a visit and boy did I need that!! We had 5 days to just be together and she was so excited to be home for an Autumn visit!

We just had our furnace cleaned and Richard is almost done taking care of all the leaves in the yard..and we sure had a lot of them!

And of course it's deer season, and that means countless hours spent at the shop, cutting and wrapping. Seeing old friends and making new ones, one of Richard's favorite times of year!!

I am so thankful for the incredible life we have here together! Life is so fragile and we need to live every moment to the fullest, embracing every opportunity to just simply love!! I really think it pleases God when we are happy and grateful. He has given us so much! With every birthday that passes (that's just a cute way of saying, "as I get older") it takes less and less to make me really 'feel' happy. I guess that gift must come with age.
We have had the greatest highs and we have certainly experienced some lows, so I guess that's why everything in between is just plain sweet!

So, as you enter into this amazing season this year, I challenge you to take a few minutes everyday to just stop and reflect on all God has given you! Because as you have more birthdays you will also realize it really is the simple things!! Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Home

                                                                            HOME



Amy was just home for a visit and we spent five fun filled days making memories. Cooking, laughing, shopping, laughing, drinking coffee, playing ,talking (and laughing) into the early morning hours... just being together.

Oh, how precious our time together has become. It wasn't that many years ago when I took those moments for granted. Now I long for time with her, to kiss and hug her, to laugh with her, learn from her, teach her, share feelings and ideas (face to face), cook together, watch our favorite shows, reminisce, all the things best friends do.

I've always felt that home is family...that no matter where you live, as long as you are with people you love you are home. I still think this is true but I have also come to realize that it is also a place. The look on Amy's face was priceless as the farm came into view...she hadn't been home in 10 months. The connection she has here was so touching. This house has always been part of her life, and while we, her family, mean everything to her....so doesn't this farmhouse, barn, apple trees, slaughter house and fields. I watched her walk around the yard and just drink it all in. It was beautiful.

It was during those first few moments of Amy being home when I realized that yes, home is made up of people she loves, but it is also the familiar smells, the old barn, the sun shining over the back field...the memories of a childhood of a little red headed girl......