Christmas 2024

MERRY CHRISTMAS!                                                                                       

I pray this season brings all of you much peace, joy, and love as we celebrate the birth of our glorious Savior. In looking back over this year, I am especially blessed to be surrounded by loving family, friends, and brothers and sisters in Christ. This is the rich, abundant life God has for us all when we trust in Jesus, and I am so thankful.

I guess the highlight of the year would have to be Tony’s and my 50th anniversary on April 20th. We were fortunate to be joined by sister Lisa and b-i-l Bob for a beautiful week in Hawaii, half on Oahu and half on the Big Island. It was a lovely place to celebrate and, as always, we had a great time together. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect. (for pictures see my anniversary blog entry.)

The kids are all doing well. Everyone is healthy and happy, which makes for a very contented Papa and Bammy/Grammy. Zoey is a high school senior (gasp)! She is a lovely young woman, as beautiful inside as out, and she was honored by her classmates to be chosen as Homecoming Queen. 

Zoey is still considering her options for next year and will doubtless choose the right path for her future. Leo is a sophomore and is on the JV basketball team. He and Josh are in the process of restoring Josh’s grandfather’s old farm Jeep, so most weekends are spent in the garage, getting the Jeep road worthy. When Ruby, also a sophomore, gets her license in March, we will have THREE young drivers in the family! Ruby is the perfect foil for Papa and gives him a run for his money as they “provoke” each other good naturedly. Etta is in 8th grade and is tall, willowy, creative, and so sweet. She’s in a Bible study with Maggie and one of their friends, led by Zoey. So dear! Maggie, our family’s future vet, is now a mouse mom. Our other 8th grader loves taking care of tiny Wanda and Mary Ann (“Goodbye Earl”). Sam is in 6th grade, his first year at the upper campus. He loves football and played on the middle school team. He will be in his final year of Upward basketball after the holidays. All 6 kids love to read, cook, and spend time together. They are my heart!

The moms and dads continue to do a fabulous job keeping up with the 5 teens and 1 almost teen. Jenni not only has her successful doTERRA business, but she’s also baking and selling her delicious sourdough bread. Dave enjoys teaching engineering and robotics at Parish Episcopal School in Dallas and continues to mentor his award-winning students at their annual NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge in Huntsville, AL. They still spend every summer working at Kanakuk K-7 Kamp in the Branson, MO area. Erika loves her job teaching preschool at a Baptist church in Denton and has continually moved up to more responsible positions. Josh is graphic design manager at GMC Financial, which allows him to do what he loves partly from home and partly from the office. 

In September I had the pleasure of spending a week in southern Maine with my childhood friend, Terry. She was the BEST tour guide, driving me all over the beautiful, rugged coast, visiting quaint villages and eating wonderful seafood. Terry and her husband Al will be joining Lisa, Bob, Tony, and me next fall on a cruise to Portland, ME, as well as Canadian ports in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia. After a scorching summer I’ll be looking forward to cool temperatures and hopefully some beautiful fall color that we don’t get here in Texas. (Blog entry with photos coming soon!)
Boo is now 4 and is the best dog!

 Her only flaw is loving people too much; in other words, jumping up on her favorites for hugs and kisses. But she is well loved by all her friends here at the condos. Several years ago our dear friend Patty invited me to bring Boo to her lovely fenced-in wooded acre in our neighborhood so this condo dog could run and enjoy the outdoors. We lost Patty to a massive stroke last month, but her precious family is keeping the property and has graciously invited me to continue bringing Boo over every day. Patty was a treasure and we miss her, but her loving, kind spirit permeates the nature she loved so much.

This year, thanks to Jenni's inspiration and tutelage, I've been making crusty sourdough bread from active starter. It's taken a full year to get comfortable with the process and to perfect my technique, but I love baking it and our neighbors seem to love it when their turns come up to receive a loaf.

To you, our treasured friends and family, we send our most heartfelt Christmas greeting and prayers for a wonderful MAGA new year! (I had to slip that in!)  May you all be abundantly blessed!

PS: This will be the last year I’m going to mail Christmas cards and newsletters, but I will continue to post a Christmas letter plus photos every year (as well as anything else I consider newsworthy) on my blog.

Left to right: Jenni Cribbs, Dave Cribbs, Maggie (1/17/11) Cribbs, Sam (10/8/12) Cribbs, Zoey (12/28/06) Cribbs, Mona Leo, Ruby (3/21/09) Cribbs, Tony Leo, Leo (8/27/08) Wiese, Erika Wiese, Josh Wiese, Etta (1/7/11) Wiese

 

Blessings and season’s greetings!                                                     December 2023

We hope your year has been one of good health and happiness. The years certainly do fly by, don’t they? And yet, we seem to be able to cram a whole lot of living into 365 days.

God has been very good to us this year. We’re still enjoying living in our lakefront condo with 3-year-old Boo, our precious rescue pup. We’ve had a lot of great dogs over the years, but this one is the most special of all—probably because we have plenty of time to spend with her. She’s a great “old people” dog because she gets us outside and moving! 

Tony and I enjoyed a Mediterranean cruise in June with Lisa and Bob, visiting Italy (Rome, Sicily, Naples, Sorrento, and Florence), Greece (Santorini, Mykonos, Katakolo (my favorite!), and Crete), Malta, and France (Nice and Cannes). As always, it was fun to get away but great to come back to home base. 

In August Tony suddenly developed atrial fibrillation (Afib) and was hospitalized twice, ending up with a cardiac ablation procedure and lots of new medications. This was a unique experience for him because until now he has been in the hospital only once—his birth! He has a great cardiology team that keeps him monitored and regulated, and his medication load has started to be reduced. One of the unfortunate effects of the Afib was a right occipital lobe stroke which caused the loss of ¼ of the vision in each eye. Since Tony already had moderate macular degeneration, this condition was the death knell to his driving ability, thus leaving me as sole driver in our household. Fortunately, “I’m an excellent driver” (Rainman)!! 

The kids are all great! Jenni, Dave, Erika, and Josh are steadfast in their dedication to raising kind, creative, godly children, and we couldn’t be prouder of all of them. High school junior Zoey (17 on Dec. 28) is taking a couple of dual credit (high school and college) classes and is enjoying driving with her license, babysitting, and playing varsity volleyball. Leo, 15, is driving with a permit and is doing very well. He recently made the JV basketball team and we are looking forward to going to his games. Ruby (14), is our resident wit who especially enjoys jokingly sparring with Papa. She’s really fun, unwaveringly deadpan, and super smart. Etta (12) is a tall, willowy sweetheart with a sweet soprano and a voracious appetite for reading. She’s doing very well sleeping in the night brace necessary to keep her scoliosis from progressing. Maggie (12) is a master of facial expressions and self-taught skills including the ukulele, and she is already better at crocheting than Bammy. Both Etta and Maggie took part in a middle school volleyball clinic this fall and learned some valuable skills. Sam (11) is in his last year of elementary school and is quite an athlete. His favorite sport is football but he also excels in basketball and pretty much any sport he tries. He has the best, sometimes wildest, head of hair in the family! 

We’re looking forward to hearing about your 2023, and we wish you all the joys and blessings of the Christmas season as we remember the Reason. May He be very present in our hearts, minds, and holiday activities, especially during this time of turmoil on earth. But we’ve read ahead, and we know Who wins!!

 Joyous greetings of the season!                                                                  

We hope this finds everyone healthy, happy, and prepared to welcome the birth of our Savior. It’s so reassuring to pause and remember the reason for the season when frenzy and stress try to take over our lives. We love you, Jesus, and we welcome you with open hearts and homes!

 

We’ve had a relatively quiet, uneventful year. We’re still enjoying our Boo, who turned 2 in August, taking her for several walks every day. She’s become a great condo dog but needs plenty of exercise, which is good for Tony and me as it keeps us moving out in the fresh air. Tony serves on the finance committee for our condo association, while I keep busy with Precept Bible study and serve as secretary to our condo board of directors. And, of course, 10 minutes away are our 6 young treasures, 4 of whom now tower over their grandmother.

Zoey, 16 on Dec. 28^th, is a sophomore who continues to play and love volleyball. She is on her church youth group music team where she plays violin. Zoey is an excellent driver and will take her license test on her birthday. Leo, 14, is having a great basketball season. He and Josh are rebuilding Josh’s grandfather’s ancient farm Jeep in their garage. It’s a great way for dad and son to bond while Leo learns how to maintain an automobile. Ruby, 13¾, is in her second year of drill team at school and has achieved the rank of sergeant (or as Maggie calls her, sultan J), which is quite an achievement as she is only in 8^th grade. She does a graceful split and has a high kick that would rival the Rockettes. Etta, 12 on Jan. 7^th, is tall and willowy, and she loves clothes and anything sparkly. She is a sweet, loving young lady with an astonishingly voluminous vocabulary. Etta and Maggie are best buds, being only 10 days apart in age, and they both have the prettiest soprano voices. Maggie, 12 on Jan. 17^th, has developed a love for and proficiency of the ukulele. She diligently teaches herself new chords and songs, and she’s developed quite a repertoire. And then there’s Sam, 10, also known as “the one with the hair” J. Sam has a headful of the thickest, fastest-growing hair known to mankind, which leaves him vulnerable to lots of affectionate head rubs. He is very athletic and loves all sports, especially football. He just finished his second season of flag football and has impressive skills. Sam and Maggie will once again play Upward basketball in the new year. All 6 kids are thriving at Founders Classical Academy of Corinth, an excellent charter school very close to their homes, and they’re all very close friends. The 5 oldest kids are very active in their church youth group, and they all have tons of great friends.

Dave, Jenni, Josh, and Erika are doing great in their various endeavors. Dave is still teaching physics, engineering, and robotics at Parish Episcopal School in Dallas. Jenni enjoys her role as mom/chauffeur while growing her doTERRA essential oils business. Josh is in his second year as graphic design manager for GMC Financial and is flourishing there. Erika was promoted to lead teacher at her Christian preschool, where she uses her creativity and love of children daily to impact young lives.

 Tony and I continue to love retirement and living at Water’s Edge. We have a great group of friends here, and the scenery is so lovely, relaxing, and enjoyable. Right now I’m watching a red-headed woodpecker in a tree outside our living room window which will soon be chased away by frolicking squirrels. We also see numerous coyotes, bobcats, armadillos, raccoons, bird varieties, wild turkeys, and snakes (Ugh!) on the property, as our home is on Lewisville Lake, surrounded by Army Corps of Engineers forest.

 May the Lord bless all of you in 2023 and beyond. Even if we don’t get to see each other in person, know that you are in our hearts and prayers. We love hearing from you, and our door is always open for a visit. Merry Christmas!

 Dear family and friends,

"And so the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."

In this atypical year full of trials and challenges, the babe in the manger is the one constant we can celebrate with hope and joy.

I am so ready to be over this covid nonsense, aren't you? Just when we start making plans for a trip somewhere, the destination implements ridiculously burdensome mandates and rules. Good thing we enjoy staying home. We did take a quick road trip to Jacksonville this summer to pick up my aunt's drop-leaf cherry dining room table and introduce Boo to Lisa's 3 pups. Unfortunately, energetic Boo was a bit too much for the smaller older dogs, so we didn't stay long. On the way home we spent the night in Meridian, MS, where Boo had a sweet reunion with her foster mom, Kim. It was good getting away, and Boo was a great car traveler. Our "Little Fox" is almost 1 1/2; she is the best, sweetest pup, and we absolutely adore her.

Our kids and grandkids are all doing great. Zoey (15) and Leo (13) now tower over me. Ruby (12) and Etta (almost 11) are pretty close to matching short Grammy's height, and Maggie (almost 11) and Sam (9) aren't far behind. It's going to be weird being the shortest in the family! They all keep busy with school, sports, and church activities, and they are without a doubt the kindest, sweetest kids I know. We are truly blessed to live so close to each other so we can see each other often.

Dave is still at Parish Episcopal School in Dallas, teaching physics/engineering/robotics. His Rover team took top honors in this year's competition, even though it was done totally via Zoom. Jenni continues loving her thriving and growing doTERRA essential oils business. It allows her lots of creativity with the ability to be available for the kids' crazy schedules.

Josh landed a fabulous job as head graphic designer at GM Financial. He mainly works from home, and his office isn't far for the times he does have to go in. His GM discount enabled them to replace their aging and shrinking (those kids are TALL!!) Nissan Murano with a spiffy new Chevy Blazer. Erika is still enjoying her 3 days a week teaching preschool in Denton and pouring into those sweet little ones.

I wasn't motivated enough to send out this newsletter in time for Christmas this year, so it's very late. Next year I'll try to do better. In the meantime, I wish all of you the very best in 2022--health, happiness, and security in the knowledge that the babe in the manger came to live a perfect life so He could take all our mistakes with Him to the cross and pay the penalty for our sinfulness. Hallelujah, what a Savior!! God bless us, every one.

With love, 

Mona

Death of a Jacuzzi Tub, part deux

Remember that little problem we had with the floor tile in our new shower?  Wellllllllll........turns out the tile wasn't dirty after all.  I scrubbed and scrubbed, tried all the remedies people told me to try, and even had the tile professionally cleaned.  The white film remained.  So I looked for the tile on the Floor and Decor website and found it.  Guess what it said on the listing?  NOT FOR USE ON FLOORS!!!!  It's meant for backsplashes only.  UGH!!!

This is the old tile.  And shortly after we had this experience, F&D added a sign below the sample saying "Not For Floors". 🤪 

So Tony and I gathered all our F&D paperwork plus the one sheet of tile we kept in case we ever had to replace a broken tile, and we schlepped it back up to F&D -- about a 30-minute drive.  We spoke to the in-house designer, who was very gracious and apologetic.  She explained that our original salesperson was new and shouldn't have been on the floor yet.  Whatever.  Anyway, she and the store manager helped us pick out a new rock flooring and gave us a very generous discount.  As they should.

A sample of the new rock tile on top of the old tile.

The new rock tile, up close.

Soon Nelson, our wonderful tile guy, was back in our shower with his "no Ingles" sidekick, Josue ("Joe-zway"), chipping away at the old tile to remove it.  In a week the new floor was installed, grouted, and sealed.  We are much happier, and we actually like the new floor better than the bronze subway tiles.  Win-win!!

All finished, and just beautiful!

Who knew it would go so much better with the wall tile than our first choice?  Even cute little Nelson from the Dominican Republic said we should have picked this one in the first place. 

BONUS: It feels like a foot massage when you stand on it!!

Death of a Jacuzzi tub

 

Ever since Tony and I moved to Water's Edge in April 2016, we have wanted to partially remodel our master bathroom. The sink area and water closet are great, but our shower was too small and we never used the built-in Jacuzzi tub that took up nearly half the bathroom. This year we decided to finally tackle the project. The wonderful contractor we've used in the past, Brian Airis with North Texas Handyman Services, was the logical choice since he's the best in the business.

On one side of the bathroom is the dual sink counter and water closet. On the other side was the tub, shower stall, and linen closet.

We decided to use the space previously occupied by the tub to create a new shower. The existing shower and linen closet would become a large walk-in linen closet. Exciting, right?  So demo started Monday, January 13th promptly at 8 am.

By Wednesday evening a lot had been done. Concrete was poured for the shower floor around the drain, and the new closet was framed in and partially dry walled.

Thursday the drywall was mudded and looking like an actual closet!  The next series of photos will be self explanatory, just more of the construction sequence.

Incidentally, I chose the shower wall tile and Tony chose the floor tile, which I absolutely love.  But our hard water is wreaking havoc on the tile and grout, leaving an ugly white film every time we turn on the water.  If anyone has any ideas how to clean it, I'm open to any and all suggestions.  I've tried several products and have even scrubbed it on my hands and knees with a brush, to no avail.  It's so pretty and I'm so bummed that the beautiful bronze color is covered in a coating of white.  Somehow there has to be a solution.

TA-DA!!  All finished, and boy, do we love our new walk-in storage closet and huge shower (affectionately known as "The Ballroom")!!!  It was a lengthy project but so well worth it.  Now we're contemplating what to do next! 😵