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! 😵

 December 2020

            Joy to the World, the Lord is Come!!                               

What a magnificent time of year, when we can celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ with family and friends!  Tony and I pray you’ve had a good year of health and prosperity.  (Disclaimer: I’m not going to discuss the China virus or the stolen election; this is going to be an upbeat letter.)

Our family continues to be healthy and happy, and this year it has grown by 2 new members.  A sweet 6-year-old Pug named Miss Puggie was given to Erika, Josh, Leo, and Etta, and she has been a joy for the whole family.  She’s the best trained dog we’ve ever been around, and we all adore her. 

Some of you know I’ve been wanting a dog for quite some time, but Tony has not been exactly on board.  Raising a dog in a condo isn’t the easiest task, especially if that dog is a puppy.  But I just couldn’t accept the fact that our days of living with and loving a dog were over.  So my dear friend from childhood, Terry Rodman Brearley, searched the internet for the perfect puppy for me to adopt.  In October her diligence paid off; through her contacts with East Mississippi Animal Rescue, she found the most darling puppy, aptly named Boo because she was found close to Halloween.  The only problem was that EMAR doesn’t transport west of the Mississippi; if we wanted Boo, we had to get her ourselves.  So….the day after the election (I worked the polls during both early voting and on election day) Tony and I drove to Meridian, MS to pick up Boo.  The next day we drove back, and Boo was precious, cuddly, and sweet in the car the entire way.  She’s been a real joy despite the seemingly endless “piranha teeth” teething phase, and she’s doing great with housebreaking.  We decided to continue calling her Boo because she was already used to it, but her full name is Bartsi Boo: BA-Barnabas (“son of encouragement” and the name of the dog in my beloved Mitford book series), R-Rush Limbaugh (a great American patriot), T-Trump (another one), S-Slava (“glory” in Russian), I-“Independence” (added by granddaughter Maggie), Boo-in honor of the wonderful folks at EMAR.  I’m in the process of getting her DNA tested so we can figure out her breed mix.  The vet estimates her birthday to be August 26^th.

This past July was supposed to be a fantastic trip to Hawaii with my sister Lisa, her husband Bob, our cousin Pat Warski, and her husband Jeff.  Obviously that didn’t materialize.  But dear, precious Aunt Olga Warski orchestrated a way for the 6 of us to be together and enjoy each other’s company despite missing our vacation.  At nearly 94 years of age, Aunt Olga went to heaven in September to be reunited with Uncle John, and we were blessed to be able to celebrate her life in our hometown in New York State.  It was a sweet time of family, fellowship, tears, tons of photos, and cherished memories.  That was so like Aunt Olga, always caring for others with never a concern for herself.  She is missed and remembered with the lifetime of love she gave to her family.

The kids are all doing well.  All 6 are back to in-school learning and are very happy after several weeks of at-home learning which none of them enjoyed.  The 3 oldest-Zoey, Leo, and Ruby-are in orchestra, with Zoey and Ruby playing the violin and Leo playing cello.  Sports have been greatly curtailed this year, but limited volleyball, flag football, and gymnastics are being enjoyed nonetheless.  Our adult kids are coping with all the challenges presented this year and are handling them admirably.  God’s grace and perfect plan are evident in their lives.

This year I, like most of my high school friends, turned 70.  Celebrating during this most challenging of years was different, but my family made it so very special.  Here is a glimpse of what took place at our condo on April 8th.

Tony and I wish all of you the joy and hope of this beautiful season, and we especially wish the world a peaceful and healthy 2021.  “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.” Isaiah 60:1 

Header photo, back row: Dave Cribbs, Jenni Leo Cribbs, me holding Boo, Tony, Josh Wiese holding Puggie, Erika Leo Wiese.  Front row: Zoey (almost 14), Ruby (11½), Maggie (almost 10), and Sam (8) Cribbs; Etta (almost 10) and Leo (12) Wiese.

The Apocalypse of 2020

Having much extra time these days, I thought I'd muse a little on the life-changing events of this winter and spring, namely COVID-19 (coronavirus disease #19), or the China virus, or the Wuhan virus.  Since China is never forthcoming or honest with the rest of the world, the source of this pandemic is still in question.  Some say it started with a Chinese national who ate soup made from infected bats in an outdoor wet market.  Others say it came from a medical/lab facility in Wuhan.  Conspiracy theorists, of course, are proposing this was all a ChiCom plot to bring the United States to its knees economically.  Actually, this is not such a far-fetched idea.  China and Russia are our greatest threats during this time in history (although Iran, North Korea, and Iraq have grandiose ideas that they are our worst enemies--scoff, scoff), and these two superpowers would conceivably stop at nothing to do major harm to our sovereign nation.  Right now it seems the prevailing theory of the cause of this worldwide pandemic is an accidental release of the virus from a lab in Wuhan.  We may never know the whole truth because it is, after all, China.

Let me just interject a truth here: I know with all my heart that God is in control of this, and every, situation we experience.  I've read ahead in His Book.  We win.

Okay, back to our current apocalypse.....here's a little chronology of how things have manifested here in our generally serene existence in Lake Dallas, Texas.  On Monday, March 16, 2020, our family planned to use the first official day of Spring Break to celebrate daughter Erika's 41st birthday, which was February 27th.  We were going to meet for a hike, then enjoy the lunch buffet at a Mediterranean restaurant her husband Josh recommended.  By this time, there were already rumblings of this virus becoming an epidemic, and restaurants were taking precautions.  When we arrived at the restaurant, a sign was posted on the door that meals were being served, but the buffet was closed indefinitely due to caution about spreading the virus.  We decided then to grab lunch wherever we wanted, then rejoin at the Lakehouse, the clubhouse at Tony's and my condominium complex.  We didn't think anyone would be using it on a Monday afternoon, which turned out to be true.  We enjoyed our lunches and spent some time playing games, walking down to the lake, watching a movie on the big screen, and just talking and chilling.  It was wonderful just having the 12 of us (2 daughters, 2 sons-in-law, 6 grandkids, Tony, and me) together enjoying each others' company.

After a couple of hours, the president of our condo association came in and let us know he was posting quarantine signs on the doors to the Lakehouse and workout room next door.  The pool and hot tub would also be closed indefinitely.  We were the last people to use the facilities for an extended period of time because of coronavirus fears.  What had been a minor inconvenience suddenly turned into a serious concern.

One of the urgent/yet not urgent considerations we're facing right now is the likelihood of the well-planned, much-anticipated, expensive July trip we've had on the books since last fall.  Our travel posse, consisting of my sister Lisa and her husband Bob, our cousin Pat and her husband Jeff, and Tony and me, is scheduled to fly to Honolulu on July 9th.  We are to spend 2 nights there at the Trump Hotel, then take a 7-day cruise around the islands.  But now it looks as though this is not going to happen, at least not this year.  Fortunately, I have the most wonderful travel agent advocating for Tony and me who, I'm sure, will do everything in her power to adjust the timeline in order for us to take the trip in July 2021 instead.  Marcia Madzy Sholtes is the travel agent's name, and I highly recommend her.  Marcia and her younger siblings actually grew up across the street from my family in Endwell, NY, and I was their babysitter for several years until I left for college.  She now lives in the Charleston, SC area and thoroughly enjoys planning trips for people.  Poor Marcia is swamped right now with clients trying to deal with trip cancellations and postponements, but when she's able to get to us, I have complete confidence that she'll steer us in the right direction.

Here are just some of the ramifications brought on by COVID-19 so far:
The pandemic officially declared March 11, 2020

*Gas currently $1.25/gallon

*School closed through the end of this school year; kids still doing online school at home

*Social distancing measures still the routine

*Tape on the floors at grocery stores and others to help distance shoppers (6ft) from each other

*Limited number of people inside stores and lines of people outside the store doors

*Non-essential stores and businesses mandated closed

*Restaurants serving only by takeout or delivery

*Parks, trails, beaches, and entire cities closed

*Entire sports seasons cancelled

*Concerts, tours, festivals, entertainment events cancelled

*Weddings, family celebrations, holiday gatherings cancelled, including proms and graduations

*Churches are closed, so many offer online services and studies

*No gatherings of 5 or more

*No socializing with anyone outside of your home

*Shortage of masks, gowns, gloves for our front-line workers

*Shortage of ventilators for the critically ill

*Panic buying resulting in no toilet paper, no disinfecting supplies, no paper towels, no tissues, no laundry soap, no hand sanitizer

*Shelves are bare

*Manufacturers, distilleries and other businesses switch their lines to help make visors, masks, hand sanitizer and personal protective equipment

*Government closes the border to all non-essential travel

*Fines are established for breaking the rules

*Stadiums and recreation facilities open up for the overflow of Covid-19 patients

*Press conferences daily from the President and his task force giving updates on new cases, recoveries, and deaths

*Government incentives to stay home

*Barely anyone on the roads

*People wearing masks and gloves outside

*Essential service workers terrified to go to work

*Medical field workers afraid to go home to their families

I'm writing this mainly to document everything happening right now that has turned most lives upside down.  Although this virus has not touched our family or anyone we know, it has been terrible for our country and for the world.  It will be interesting to see how history treats these weeks in which many nations nearly ground to a halt over something that could easily have been prevented.