Preparing for Parenthood -- and Other Things . . .

It's fun to watch our kids prepare for parenthood.
Some of them focus on reading all the books they can find about becoming a mom or a dad.
Some of them spend a lot of time talking to people who've been parents for awhile, asking questions and listening to stories.
And some of them just try to wrap their minds and hearts around what's happening, and wait to see what it's like.
In each case, they prepare in ways as individual as they are, keeping in mind the dreams, hopes, and goals they have for parenting their children.
No matter what we do, preparation is important, and it helps if we can keep what we are preparing for in mind. You can read more about preparation in my post on Inspired Bliss.
What are you preparing for?

Two Reasons to Use the Good Dishes . . .

Sometimes, just for fun, we use the good dishes.
You can read about our fancy ways on the Inspired Bliss website in Good Dishes and Other Graces, where I write about how we changed from who-needs-good-china people to a family using our good dishes even on ordinary days.
There are at least two good reasons for getting out the good stuff, especially when all the family is together:
* Making the effort is a way of infusing each day with beauty and grace.
* Your family will wonder what you're up to!
Even if it's just you and your husband (or you by your own self!) use those pretty dishes and that good silver -- you'll enjoy them much more on your table than you will if they're just stacked up in the cabinet.
And if you linger over dinner to tell family stories, so much the better!

Two Tips for Holiday Planning

We spent a little time yesterday with two of the grandkids. A museum trip and dinner out proved both fun and interesting -- what a privilege it is to watch a child come alive to history!
On our way home we drove through snow flurries. It reminded me that the holiday season is almost here, and it's time to get ready. You'll find what I think about that in my blog post Getting Ready for Company on Inspired Bliss. Please stop by!
And if you'd like to include the kids in your preparation, check out my column Thanksgiving Fun on the Hearts at Home website!

Coffee and Conversation with our Father . . .

There's something about sharing conversation and a cup of coffee with a good friend.
In my case, and perhaps in yours as well, that conversation and cup of coffee might often involve prayer -- I get the coffee (and thank God for it!) and share the conversation with Him.
It's important for us as grandparents to pray for our kids and grandkids, and I wrote about that this week for Inspired Bliss in "A Gift Worth Giving."
I invite you to pour yourself a cup of coffee and check it out!

The Best Stories . . .

I love stories.
I love reading them. I love telling them. I especially love hearing them, and some of my favorites are old family stories. I don't get tired of hearing them, because they are like a window into the past, revealing how we got to be the way we are.
In Learning to Drive and Other Stories on the Inspired Bliss channel of Blissfully Domestic, I write about the importance of stories. Come check it out!

The Best News . . .

How did you announce to your parents that you were going to become a parent yourself?
I remember telling my husband's mother when we found out we were going to have our first child. She'd stopped by our apartment for a moment, and asked us something -- I don't remember now just what -- and we just casually mentioned there was a baby on the way.
What a missed opportunity -- we could have made that announcement with so much more of a sense of joy and fun!
How did you find out you were going to be a grandparent?
I talk about some of the ways our kids have shared their good news on the Inspired Bliss channel of Blissfully Domestic, in Four Ways to Share New Baby Joy.
No matter how we hear, a baby is always good news!

Getting Inspired!

We spent some time this afternoon sitting in the swing that hangs from our big sycamore tree, and all around us leaves drifted down like a gentle rain. The back-yard squirrels scurry to find and bury nuts while trying to avoid the young goshawk learning to hunt from the higher branches of the old hackberry.
The 7-year old was here this week, and found the rake. “You're going to need this pretty soon, Grandma,” he said, turning it over in his hands, inspecting it to make sure it's ready to go, giving a few practice rakes just to be sure.
Even though summer is turning into fall, there are new beginnings all around us, as there always are.
One of those new beginnings for me is a new weekly column on the Blissfully Domestic website, on the Inspired Bliss channel. You can find my first Grandma on Board column here, and a new column again each Thursday. You can also use the Inspired Bliss button on the side column to find the website and explore the other excellent posts on Inspired Bliss.
I'm excited for this new opportunity, and even more excited by the other excellent, inspiring writers and artists on this site.
Hope to see you there!