Coming Home *What makes a home?*

Two more days!!! My daughter and her son will be home for two weeks. How does one prepare a home? How do we create the love & warmth? It is so much harder when this is not the childhood home of my children ... they were all military kids. I try to put things together that I think will invoke memories of their lives, pieces of their grandparents and of course ... cookies in the cookie jar.

Is it having a home that is immaculate? It is having that basket full of lotion, magazines, favorite foods in the frig?

I've put her favorite quilt, that was my Mom's on her bed. Her pillowcases are handp-embroidered by my Grandma -- the little touches my Mom would always do.

Just seeing my daughter everyday, my first born and her first born .... no words to express the love I have in my heart.

Someday I hope that she'll (and the others) will look at my home as their home. We used to say "Home is where the Marine Corps sends you". Now it is ... "Home is where Mom is..."

I sincerely believe the love of a Mom, the special things only a Mom knows ... those are part of it. A basket full of M&Ms, scrap magazines, a fun book, Cosmo, pretty lotions and a few other tokens. Staying up and visiting. Sharing "Mom" moments together. What a difference from the last time she visited ... she was a single woman with a wonderful partner. Mark is still the wonderful partner and now she has a son.

To be continued ... with love & of course, lots of pictures!