Living a Blessed Life

Fun with Uncle Jor Jor

2011-04-10T12:14:00.007-07:00

We apparently like getting pictures of the boys with Uncle Jor Jor's hats on - see earlier post with their sailor hats. Their Uncle Jor Jor had his hats out and was trying to get the boys to "pose" with them on so I could take pics - all while they are eating their gummy bears. Here are the results:

Casen thought even Momma had to get in on the action.

Liam was more interested in getting ahold of his brother's cup & wiping out his drink.

Handsome boy.

In Training

2011-04-10T12:07:00.003-07:00

I think Liam is in training for when he is three and can play on the YMCA Soccer League.

A Treasured Blessing

2011-04-10T10:45:00.007-07:00

It always makes me smile to see them laughing together!

Francine River's Library Contest

2011-03-28T13:36:00.003-07:00

One of my very favorite authors - Francine Rivers is having a contest run by her publishing company. Check out the link below and enter to win a full set of her books and they are giving away free e-book of Leota's Garden - if you haven't read it yet, this would be a good opportunity. My favorite of her books is REDEEMING LOVE. To enter: http://www.tyndale.com/blog/?p=1042

I'm a Soccer Grandma Now! (Cue from Amanda's blog)

2011-03-27T18:42:00.015-07:00

To be honest, I wasn't into athletics growing up - I did do track one year of high school but got kicked off the team (another story for another time). I guess our kids inherited the "no sports" gene from me, but not our grandsons. They have both been in love with any kind of round objects since about 6 weeks old I think! At his first Christmas, Casen took my cool "creativity" gift of Tadoodles and immediately started throwing them. This event dashed my dreams of spending hours being creative with my grandson, but I did notice a sparkle in Bunny's eye!

I've got the sparkle in my eye now too! I am loving getting to watch him and his little team practice and play their games. They are only 3 but they are so cute - their short little legs running, their stop in their tracks wonderment when they connect with the ball, getting distracted by anything that crosses their line of sight and their playing nice with each other. Good times!

Our Boy @ practice

Warming up - Game 1

Instructions from Coach

Goooo Dinos!!!

Sizing each other up

Our team looked so much smaller than their team!

Playing the game.

Liam - wishing he could play the game!

Part of our Cheer Section

Funny & Sweet Things From My Week

2011-03-24T12:19:00.006-07:00

Thursday morning, the kids wanted to do a long run (they are in training for the OKC Memorial Run) and they asked me to come over for about an hour and then drop the boys off at Mimi's house. When I arrive, Casen tells me he wants me to see his new bed. I ask him, "You got a new bed?" "When?" I am thinking. He pulls back his covers and shows me his "Cars" sheets. I am thinking that he had them on his bed about a week and a half ago, but I go with it. "Do you like my new bed, Immie?" he asks. I tell him that I love his "Car" sheets and his bed. I ask him if the car sheets make him go to sleep really, really FAST? He gives me a puzzled look and quickly changes the subject by asking if we are going on the Fast Road to MiMi's house.

I was with the boys at their house and we were getting ready to play Hide n Seek. I start counting and am told, "No, No! We all hide." I find myself crammed into Liam's closet with both boys and am being told, "Shhh! We wait for Mommy and Daddy to find us." I am thinking it is a long time until 5:30 this evening! Finally, I convince Casen that someone needs to be the seeker and look for those hiding. He tells me he will hide and I can look. Then when I call out, "Ready or Not, Here I come!" He calls back, "I'm in my closet, Immie!!" He maybe a little unclear on the rules of Hide and Seek but I love playing it with the little man!

Bright and early -Wednesday morning Liam awakens me with a cry. I go and pick him up from his pack and play and immediately he stops crying, smiles and lays his head on my shoulder, then he pats my back. We have about an hour or so to ourselves: he takes a bottle, jabbers to me and lets me snuggle with him on the couch. Sure beats starting my day with a cup of decaf.

I Love my Sweet Boys!

Precious

2011-03-13T15:00:00.004-07:00

Precious
I remember my child, well actually maybe both and a few of their cousins (you know who you are!) teasing my Mom about that word. Their eyes would twinkle and the grins would appear as soon as that word was out of my Mom's mouth. They would mimic her Okie way of saying it and they would call everything under the sun by that one word.

I guess it stuck with me more than I realized. Often as I blog or comment on my daughter's blog, I avoid the word precious. I don't know if it is the flash forwards of my grands teasing me one day about my pronunciation of it or how often I use it or the context I use it in, but I find myself avoiding it. I even choke on saying it at times. The pr sound is all that makes it across my lips and I quickly insert another word: sweet, cute or some other inadequate substitution. Lately, I have been feeling a little bummed about that. It's a good word, a descriptive word and actually sometimes, it is the perfect word.

Last weekend while in P-burg. Precious was mentioned. Not by my Mom or one of our kids, but by one of my sisters. We all stared. She casually mentioned how that one word is actually the only one that sometimes expresses how we feel about our grands. I guess our kids teasing our Mom stuck with my sisters too. I kept my thoughts to myself. I've been thinking on them since.

Yesterday, we watched our oldest grand - Casen play his first soccer game. He is only three and although he often tells me, "I'm Casen, The Big Boy!" I still think of him being so little. Yesterday he was running, following the ball from one end of the field to the other - smiling almost the entire time. He often came to the sidelines and asked if it was time for snacks and would happily run back to the game when told no, not yet. He got in a few good kicks and even had a part in his team's first score. His little legs were covered by his shorts and shin guards. His shirt was really, really long, even tucked in. He was, in a word, precious!

So I guess the end of this entry is a warning to my grands (and also my kids). You are not just sweet, or cute, or handsome/beautiful, or ornery, or funny or thoughtful. You are in a word: PRECIOUS. Grands, I know that someday, you will probably tease me about calling you that and may even one day be angry with me for letting it slip out in front of your friends, but I will be using it.

Casen and Liam, you are Precious to me!

Blessings

2011-03-11T22:53:00.000-07:00

Heard a beautiful song on the radio yesterday. Have a listen:
http://www.laurastorymusic.com/

Chillaxin

2011-02-08T20:38:00.011-07:00

Relaxing at our hotel was one thing on Jordan's list while he was on liberty. He was able to take a long shower, have us laughing at funny stories, eating some no-bake cookies from home and just have some down time.

He was sweet about us taking some pics of him relaxing and even let me take pics of his BCG's and ear covers.

We enjoyed getting to see him do ordinary things - it made us realize how much we miss his day to day presence and his sense of humor!

The Train

2011-02-01T19:48:00.014-07:00

While visiting Jordan, we all rode the train into the city. Brian and I had been looking forward to riding the train and it turned out Jordan was too. It was relaxing to just visit all the way downtown instead of worrying where we were going and where to park. Before we knew it we were at Union Station.

We Miss Uncle Jor Jor

2011-01-31T20:51:00.015-07:00

While visiting Jordan in Great Lakes we did a little shopping for those back home. Jordan (Uncle Jor Jor) bought Casen and Liam sailor hats. Jordan asked us to send him pictures of the boys wearing them, so we did a little photo shoot. Here are a few of the pics.

(More pictures are on the right side bar of blog - enjoy!)

Casen Turns Three

2011-01-30T17:40:00.020-07:00

Today, our grandson - Casen turned three. I had dreamed of grandbabies for several years when he arrived. He is a joy and a blessing to Brian and I.

We celebrated his birthday yesterday with a Race Car party. It was a fun afternoon and evening - filled with yummy food, good company, 6 precious children and one little puppy - Hobo. The kids enjoyed playing outside, chasing Hobo around and getting loved on by all of us.

I got to make Casen's birthday cake - it was fun to make and so worth it when I saw how happy he was to have a Race Car Birthday cake.

Driving Around Chicago (Translation: "Getting Lost" in Chicago)

2011-01-27T21:09:00.009-07:00

While in Chicago, Brian really wanted to see Wrigley Field. After our morning trip to Wisconsin, we headed for downtown Chicago. We were armed with a map, bottled water, and optimism.

We found it was difficult, no -nearly impossible to:
A) locate Wrigley Field

B) find a parking place

C) find a public restroom.

Finally, Brian spotted a sign which read: "Wrigley Field" with an arrow pointing to our left. We were actually in the correct lane for a left turn, so we turned and there it was - Wrigley Field!

It was worth it. Worth getting lost in Chicago, worth the almost wrong way turn onto the One Way street and worth all the honks directed our way. We were surprised by it- we are used to ballparks which are easy to spot and which have huge parking areas. We liked how this ballpark seemed to be tucked away in this little neighborhood. We liked how people were walking up to it, pointing to the signs and taking pictures. It seemed to be PART of this neighborhood, and that just seemed right to us.

After this little adventure, we decided when we returned to downtown Chicago with Jordan, we would take the train!

Oh, and even after a trip into a neighborhood Starbucks, we still had not found a public restroom!

Jelly Belly Factory

2011-01-23T13:43:00.011-07:00

When our members of our family had traveled to

see the Sikes up in Chicago - often a trip to the Jelly

Belly factory was part of the itinerary. When we planned

our trip to Chicago - it was on my list too. Since we had

driven straight through we had extra time before

Jordan's Graduation, so to Wisconsin we drove.

It was a fun, relaxing morning

for Brian and I.

He's In The Navy Now

2011-01-23T13:11:00.015-07:00

In September, Jordan was sworn into the Navy and left for Recruit Training in Great Lakes, IL. It was a proud day for his Dad and I. We were a little nervous, but excited too.

Then in November Brian and I drove to Chicago to see Jordan's graduation. Again, a proud day for his Dad and I. It was pretty awesome to watch the recruits and exciting to finally get to hug Jordan. It was soooo good to see him - he seemed like he had grown 4 or 5 inches. He said it was just that he stood tall now. Isn't he handsome in his uniform?

Jordan is still in Great Lakes, attending A School. He is doing well and is schedule to finish those classes sometime in April.

We are proud of Jordan and this path he has chosen to walk.

Memories

2011-01-22T15:13:00.013-07:00

This morning, I was going through some old photos and I came across these sweet ones of Amanda and Jordan. And I remembered Brian asking me yesterday if when our kids were little if they were as busy as our grands.

They were. I remember how Amanda and Jordan would go full speed about their day - playing, reading, bickering at times and sweetly loving one another as brothers and sisters do. I remember them (with the help of their Daddy) placing a wading pool at the bottom of their swingset slide for added pool fun. I remember Mandie being a little Mommy to Jordan. I remember finding them in our first backyard dumping pails of dirt on top of one another. They loved that backyard! Memories that make me smile.

Bonus: Now I get to see glimpses of our children in our precious grandsons!
The memories are good and I am blessed.

It's Been a While . . .

2011-01-21T23:54:00.013-07:00

WOW - I have been so neglectful of my blog! I decided while my activity is limited by my knee, I need to get back to blogging. My entries will be all over the map I am sure, but hopefully, with time, I will get my blog updated.

Where shall I begin? I guess with what's on my mind now. A day with our Grands!

Daughter and Son-in-Law took an out of town trip to an ACS (something -Chemist-something else) seminar in Fort Worth and to spend some time together without the little ones. Prior to the knee surgery, Bunny and Immie were scheduled to get the little ones all three days. We were so excited - first full nite we would get to have Mr. Liam. (We are pros at getting to have Casen - The Big Boy for full nites)

Enter hurt knee, surgery and Bunny who has an all day class on Saturday and doesn't trust Immie to behave while watching Grands by herself! (i.e. getting on floor to play cars, playing hide and seek with a bit of chase thrown in - while on crutches, you get the idea.) Enter Son-in-Law's folks. They agree to cover 2 days and Bunny and Immie get to keep Friday.

Bunny packs the car for our trip over to their house (about 1/2 mile from our new home/their old home to their new home - another blessing, another story). Funny, we didn't have to pack a playpen or diapers or formula or toys, yet it looked like we were going for a week! We arrive to find Daughter, Son-in-Law and our Grands all meeting us at the door. Daughter and Son-in-Law were happy to be getting a little adventure yet a little sad at leaving their babies. Grands, Bunny and Immie were just happy to see each other.

We had a fun day. We played Casen - The Big Boy's new fav - Hi Ho Cherry O. The guys played with the legos, trains, cars and balls while Immie got some great pictures. We laughed and laughed at how Mr. Liam just barrels his way across a room and in/out of the play house. We shared fun mealtimes and were amazed at how much both boys ate today. I laughed when Brian asked me if our kids were this busy when they were little. I loved getting to read to the boys, being able to sing to Mr. Liam as I rocked him at bedtime and listening to Casen - The Big Boy talk with Bunny.

It was a good day, a good day with Bunny and our Boys.

Mother's Day

2010-05-09T20:06:00.006-07:00

For the past 8 or so years Mother's Day has been a rough day for me. This year that has changed. This year for the first time in about the same number of years, I spent at least part of the day with each of my children. May 1999 was the last Mother's day I had with Amanda and two years later in 2001 was my last one with Jordan. Living states away from each of them, their schooling and jobs - all these things have prevented me from getting to spend this day with them. Throw in the "Mother's Day Sermons" I have sat through and Mother's day became something that left me feeling lonely for my kids and hurting over every mistake I made as a Mom.

God's grace, peace, mercy and love changed that this year.

Jordan's and our relationship is healing. He lives here in Oklahoma with us now and will until he leaves for basic in September. What a blessing this time with him has been for us and for him. I admit, I was scared of having an adult child move home and feared we would just keep messing up our relationship with each other. God's promises and his timing are doing what needs to be done. It is a work in progress - as all things are. I am trying to remember that and keep my hands off of what I have entrusted to his care. Sharing a special supper with Jordan and Brian this evening (which my Honey prepared) was such a precious closing of this Mother's day.

God has also kept his hand on us in our move. The blessings of that move keep on flowing, like the one above. A special blessing from living here: the opportunity to worship with Amanda and her family today. I haven't done that for a long time on Mother's Day and it was nice to be able to share such a special time with her and her family.

I appreciated the sermon we heard today. For the first time in a long time the "Mother's Day" service didn't leave me bruised and hurting. Instead I left reminded of the fact that God knows my heart. He feels my sorrow for the times I have messed up as a Mom. He hurts with me. He cries with me. He rejoices with me. He listens to my prayers for and about my children. He continually shows me the way to loving my children as he loves me. The most important thing I was reminded of today is the fact that He loves my children and has plans for them.

God is good and I am blessed.

Oklahoma City Memorial Run

2010-04-25T17:16:00.023-07:00

Today Brian and I went into the heart of this city and watched the OKC Memorial Marathon. It was a first for Brian and I and we loved it! One person's shirt said, "Running to Remember." I liked that. We saw all ages, all different abilities and all nationalities. It did my heart good. I loved that a runner would flash a smile or thumbs up to us as we clapped and encouraged them. Our added nephew - Jared joined Brian and I so he could cheer on the runners - especially his wife - Annie.

I'm proud of the runners (especially OUR RUNNERS!). They trained and reached their goals. They ran to Remember a sad day in our nation's history, some ran to remember loved ones they have lost, some ran to show their disabilities don't hinder them from obtaining their goals, some ran because they wanted to push themselves to a new level and some ran because they love to run. Whatever their motivation I was proud to watch and cheer them on and witness their accomplishments today.

Our added son - Josh (ran a 1/2 Marathon), our daughter - Amanda(ran a 5K), our niece - Annie (ran a 1/2 Marathon) and people we know through the kids were all part of the 22,ooo who participated in the run. We were able to see Josh, Annie and our kids' friend - Pam (who also ran a 1/2 Marathon) and cheered them on. One confusion today meant that we missed Amanda's leg of her relay. (that made me sad, but we will be at the right place next year!) They all ran on Team OC. Here are few pictures of our day.

Brian and I Waiting For the Marathon to Begin

The Run

Josh and Annie

At the Finish Line

Celebration Brunch at Jimmy's Egg

Our Runners with Their Signs

A Children's Book

2010-03-28T05:08:00.033-07:00

Green Eggs and Ham ~ One of my favorite childhood books. Last year around St. Patrick's Day I had an idea: to share this book with Casen and for us to make and eat "green eggs and ham."

This past Friday and Saturday we made memories. Casen came to stay the night. Before bed we read Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Suess. We giggled as I read the familiar rhyming words while Casen took pretend bites from the drawings.

Casen was not happy that the egg shells were white,

he asked, "Green Eggs?" told him that we had to

break them out of the shell and then color them.

Immie thought, "What a sweet face!"

Casen enjoyed cooking our green eggs and setting the tray for our breakfast picnic -

Dr. Suess style.

Casen loves Green Eggs -

but Immie did NOT!

Immie loves ham -

but Casen did NOT!

I drew our breakfast and Casen colored the picture. I think he enjoyed his

Casen had a few more pretend bites from his copy of "Green Eggs and Ham."

What a fun time we had. I am so very thankful God has blessed my life with this sweet little boy! Mandie suggested I find some other books and do an activity suggested by their story. I'm already thinking . . .

Any suggestions?

Oh, I have no pictures of me because Brian is in Oregon for his Mom's surgery and extended arm photo taking isn't one of my talents!

A Child's Birthday + Family + Friends = Blessings

2010-02-27T19:57:00.020-07:00

Balloons, Paper Streamers, Plastic Table Cloths, Birthday Cake, Children and Family & Friends. Those made up a day of blessings for me. Today we attended our Grandson, Casen's birthday party. It was his second, but the first that we were able to be a part of. It was a good day! It brought back so many memories of our children when they were little and made lots of new memories for us to cherish.

One memory . . . for our children's birthdays, Brian normally drew the design on their cakes, I would fill it in with frosting and we'd try to keep little fingers from swiping a taste of the icing. Funny, the same thing happened today. Casen was looking at his Train Cake. I went over to see his face as he looked and out came a finger and with a quick swipe a taste of icing went into his mouth. He looks up and tells me, "I tasse choo choo, it good." (not a misspelling - just my attempt to mimic his phonics) My heart filled with love and the memories.

Today was special also because our son, Jordan was there to share the day with us. It has been so long since we have been together as a family, just enjoying one another and making memories. To see Jordan and Amanda together. To see Jordan joking and being ornery as he and his dad used the helium to fill the birthday balloons. (This one is not part of the birthday party, but. . .) To hear him tell me, "I love you, Mom," when I dropped him home to get ready for work. My heart again fills with love as I remember today.

Today we were able to also spend time with our added family - our son-in-law Josh's family. We saw some of Amanda and Josh's friends, ones we now count as ours. It was good to catch up with them all and to see their children. It was fun to visit with Josh's Mom and talk about our grandsons. To watch the kids taking a quick taste of icing from the birthday cakes, letting their balloons go, sure that a nearby tall person will retrieve it. It was good to see them enjoying the fact they are together and having fun!

Finally, it is so good to NOT be leaving in a few days to go home to Arizona. Instead, we just drove home to our little apartment, with the knowledge our kids will spend time together this week and we can see Liam and Casen just about anytime we want to.

Like I said,

a day of blessings!

BROTHERS

2010-01-01T07:33:00.003-07:00

Being a Big Brother seems to just come naturally to Casen. He has been so sweet right from the start with Liam. At first it was, "BABY!" but now the little guy is Liam to Casen. It is pronounced by Casen as one syllable - it sounds so sweet out of his mouth!

Casen reminds me so much of Amanda when we had Jordan. She was so in love with babies and to have one of her own put her over the top. Casen is that way with Liam.

At home, Casen will be busy playing and he will spot Liam. He drops whatever he is doing, runs over and gives Liam some love. It is so sweet to watch him rub his check against Liam and give him little kisses.

I love the thought of them growing up together. I am praying already they will be friends as well as brothers.

Our Second Grandson

2009-12-30T06:03:00.005-07:00

Liam Benjamin Nichols

Born Monday, Dec. 28th

At 4:36 p.m.

Weighing 8 lbs. 3 oz.

Length 20 inches.

He is a bundle of blessings!

Tea Parties and Little Boys

2009-11-17T11:56:00.006-07:00

If you know me at all - you know I have dreamed of grandbabies for years and years before we were blessed with Casen, our almost 2 year old grandson. I couldn't wait to hold them, love on them and to eventually do all the things Grandmas do with their grandbabies. One of the dreams I had was to have tea parties with any granddaughters we might have. I figured that dream would be on hold for a while with having Casen and now his little brother on the way, but today I was proved wrong.

I have a toy chest that holds bags of fun things - a camouflage bag with toy soldiers and tanks, an ocean print with pirates, treasure and a shark - you get the picture. One the bags is definitely a girly bag - big, bright daisies on a bright green background. Inside is a children's tea set. It has not seen the light of day since our "faux" grand-daughters in Arizona had played with it. Well this morning, Casen discovered the girly bag. I thought, "Oh well this might last a couple of minutes." I began to show Casen how to set up the tea set and "serve" tea. I found out that having a tea party with a little boy differs from having one with a little girl.

Difference #1: when setting up for a tea party, boys - unlike girls, do not like setting it up in the traditional manner instead it is much more entertaining to stack the tea cups, saucers, plates, teapot, sugar bowl and flatware until the tower comes tumbling down (reminded me of Jericho's wall - I think I know why little boys love that song and story!). This action demands a break from the tea party to hunt up the tea set - thank goodness the tea set is made of plastic!

Difference #2: when pretending to add sugar to the tea in the cups - little girls daintily stir the imaginary tea with a spoon but little boys apparently stir it so vigorously that the tea cup eventually is spinning (sometimes off of the table!) which brings lots of laughter and more stirring!

Difference #3: instead of pretending to delicately sip from the teacups, boys like to make slurping sounds and end the drink by tossing the cup aside and immediately repeating with a new cup. I'm still not sure why this occurred, Casen has pretty good table manners and doesn't toss dishes from the dinner table. Maybe he thought since it was pretend it may as well be fun?

My tea party with Casen may have been different from the tea party than I had dreamed of but I wouldn't trade it for anything! I love my Boy!

Haunting The Zoo!

2009-10-28T19:03:00.006-07:00

We took Casen to the Haunting at the Zoo. They had trick-or-treating for all the children. Of course Casen went as his favorite - a Lion . . . ROAR!!!!!

Waiting . . .

2009-09-05T13:49:00.004-07:00

I think God is teaching me about waiting on His timing. Brian and I thought we would be settling into our new apartment in OKC, making it our home by now. We thought we would have already taken Casen to the park (several times), the library and probably to Target for a new toy or book. We believed we would have eaten a few meals with Amanda, Josh and Casen, maybe even took supper over after their long day at work. We had hoped to have begun our search for our new church home. We thought we would be taking a trip up to Kansas to see my family and would be receiving and giving some TLC.

But here we are, in Sierra Vista, in an almost empty house - still waiting for everything to be finalized so we can get a firm closing date. We tried to mess with the timing, even reserved the U-Haul, made calls to see how things were progressing and got to the point we actually had to take a card table and folding chairs out of the storage unit (see earlier post). And still we are waiting.

Yesterday, I was praying, asking God to hurry up and get the ball rolling - please. It dawned on me as I was finishing up by telling him that I was trusting this to him that I haven't been trusting it to Him! I was convicted. We have been trying to do this in our timing, not leaving it to Him and His timing!

Psalm 27:14, "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."

Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

I am asking Him to write His words on my heart! Asking Him to let it be in His timing for He sees the whole picture!

Friendship

2009-08-29T19:55:00.007-07:00

If you are a female and if you were in Girl Scouts or Brownies, you might remember a song about Friends. I remember it going like this:

Make new friends,
But keep the old.
One is silver,
And the other's gold.

There may be more verses, but that is what I can remember.

I met my friend, Joyce about 28 years ago. We became friends because we went to church together and were pregnant during the same time and became mothers with babies around the same time. Through the years our friendship has grown. Truthfully, that growth is mostly due to her and her heart.

She has always been there for me, not just in words, but in deeds.

Joyce was there for me those months Brian was at the BP Academy. She had me come over every Tuesday after picking up Jordan up from Kindergarten. We watched a soap together, she cooked lunch (with enough leftovers for the kids and I for dinner) and I ironed (a task that weirdly - I love doing). The boys played. It was a win-win deal.

I can't count the number of times she picked up my relatives flying into Tucson through the years. Normally, it was because someone else I loved was having surgery. She brought snacks up to the hospital waiting rooms, sat untold hours waiting for the doctors to come and deliver news of our loved ones and often would taxi people back to the airport to catch their flights home. She even housed some of us through the years during those visits.

She loves my children. She rejoices over the good things in my childrens' lives and prays over their struggles. She always wants to see them when they are in town even if we can only meet for a quick supper somewhere.

When she had her first grandson - Landon. She graciously let me share in Grandmothering him. She did this because she knew how I longed to be a grandmother and knew I would fall in love with her grandbaby. He was just a day old when she called and asked me to come and see him. I worried that his mommy and daddy wouldn't appreciate me coming so quickly to meet him, but I shouldn't have worried. They apparently have Joyce's gracious spirit.

When my family comes now, she (and sometimes her husband Martin) come down and share a meal with us or spend a day with us. She calls my Mom - Mom and my sisters - her sisters. She even calls Sharlene by her family nickname - Sissie. Joyce is family now too.

Joyce is my "gold" mentioned in the song above. She is a blessing in my life and has been for almost 30 years. The hardest part of leaving Arizona for me is that I won't have Joyce just an hour away. I will miss her.

In Storage and Out of Storage

2009-08-28T08:56:00.003-07:00

I knew it would happen and today was the day. It began last night, Brian and I were going to play a game of Hand and Foot on the bed. Keep reading . . . that is a CARD game. We struggled trying to keep our cards lined up and keep ourselves comfortable. The cards didn't keep lined up and we weren't comfortable. This morning after our walk, Brian comes in and tells me that we are going to go get a card table and two folding chairs from storage. I just smiled. I knew it would happen since almost everything we own is in the unit. Now we have a card table with chairs to play a card game and for meals. Oh and by the way, I won the game last night.

What Is A Picture Worth . . .

2009-08-24T05:09:00.004-07:00

A THOUSAND WORDS

Boys, A Lake and Rocks

2009-08-24T04:44:00.012-07:00

While in Oklahoma last month, we took an evening to visit Lake Hefner. It is a beautiful lake and park. The guys decided to throw and skip rocks - Casen loved this idea. Pretty soon the big boys were trying to see who could make their picks skip more times and Casen was working his way up from throwing pebbles to throwing huge rocks. By evening's end the big boys were throwing rocks to see how big of a splash they could make too.

My Memory Card

2009-08-24T04:18:00.004-07:00

About a month ago we took a trip to Oklahoma to see Amanda, Josh and Casen and then to Kansas to see family and watch our niece, Annie marry Jared.

During this special time my digital camera started acting up. I would be busy snapping pictures about 50 a minute (that # may be slightly exaggerated - but then again if you know my family - maybe not) and all the while feeling pretty proud of my 8GB memory card, yes - 8GB!

What I didn't realize was my 8GB memory card was not holding my pictures! It was apparently holding them for two days and then gone, vanished, wiped clean. Sad part is I didn't catch on right away that my now "evil 8GB memory card" was doing this. And even sadder part is that once I did catch onto its' plan, I didn't think to start using the protecting lock on my camera to ensure my pictures would not end up in No More Land. Shows you where pride gets you!

Anyways, I share this with you to explain why I haven't posted any Kansas pictures. I did make it home with some of our Oklahoma part of the visit and will work on getting those posted.

By the way, I now have a new memory card - 4GB and I'm using my protection lock - just in case it is not 8GB memory card's fault and instead it was my camera's fault. But that's another story for another day.

Another Treasure

2009-08-24T03:57:00.005-07:00

A while back I wrote that one of my favorite parts of moving is sorting through things and getting to take a trip down memory lane. When Jordan was here a few weeks ago we took another trip.

When we originally packed up in Laredo for our move out here to Arizona, we packed everything the kids left at home. Our storage room was crammed with childhood toys, books ranging from cloth baby books to novels in hardback with a few text books thrown in, school and band awards, memory items - you get the picture. A couple of years ago we started taking bins to Amanda since she and Josh had their own home. I tried to downsize it before taking it to her, but I really wanted her to decide what to toss and what to keep.

Jordan's treasures have just been stuck in storage, until his recent visit. We had the idea of letting him go through everything with the hopes he would get rid of the things he had no interest in keeping (and that passed Mom's memory gauge). Jordan went through all his bins - things ended up in the trash, others back into bins (to stay with us), some treasures went with him and he passed a few things down to Casen. We accomplished what we had hoped for including a fun trip down Memory Lane. It was so good to play "Remember when . . ." and "Look at this . . ." with Jordan. We laughed and talked, it was good.

Simple chore turned into Treasure - Good Times with Jordan.

Oh and Amanda, we've got a few things for you . . .

A Mountain Steam

2009-08-21T14:39:00.003-07:00

We've had a pretty dry year down in Arizona, so Brian and I really enjoyed the abundance of water up in Oregon. This just one of the beautiful streams we enjoyed! Don't turn up the sound too loud - it is better as a gentle sound!

Time with Family, two New Friends and a couple of Doggies

2009-08-21T12:32:00.024-07:00

Aunt Georgia, Mom, and me

with Bubba down front.

We enjoyed a quiet evening out at the "Trout Farm" and took a few pictures. This City Girl expected to see big cement tanks buried in the ground with open tops and tons of fish - all different sizes - which I assumed would later be relocated to actual lakes. Instead it was a pretty little lake with a nice trail surrounding it. I guess the fishing is pretty good there too!

Brian and the elusive Uncle Gary
( don't think Uncle Gary is crazy

about having his picture taken!)

At the Cant Farm

At the Trout Farm

Uncle Gary and Me up on Dixie Trail

Dolores has been such a good friend to Mom

since her move up to Oregon. We couldn't

have asked for a better tour guide to the

area than Dolores and we teased her about

knowing everyone in the county!

Dolores and Mom during

one of our Jeep Rides

Mom's neighbor girl, Jeannie and

Brian playing Ladder Ball.

This is Aunt Georgia and Uncle Gary's little dog, Dandy. He is a cutie just like Bubba. He loved having his chest scratched.

A New View

2009-08-19T18:23:00.006-07:00

A few years ago I enjoyed a women's study on the Psalms. During this study we talked about what in nature speaks to us of God and His presence in our lives. I really identified with that thought - the study reaffirmed to me how much God speaks to us thru his wonderful creation.

Psalm 125:1 & 2, "Those who trust in the Lord are like

Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures

forever, As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the

Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore."

The above verse is one of my favorite "comfort" verses - a verse I have turned to in the past to remind me that God is there and surrounding us with His love. I read it over and over the summer of 1999 when it felt our lives were being shattered. Then again, this past year it has come to my mind and lips a thousand times. It words have truly been a comfort to me.

Seeing the created beauty in Oregon, my verse kept coming to mind and I felt a gentle reminder that God surrounds me by His love and presence in my life. This past week in Oregon, I began to view these words not just as a source of comfort, but I also came to see them as a promise for what lies ahead. I know God holds wonderful plans for our future and I can barely wait as those plans unfold.

The House Is Under Contract

2009-07-11T15:58:00.004-07:00

Someone has put in an offer (which we accepted after a counter offer and another counter offer) on the house, so now it is under contract! Praise God - He has blessed us these last few weeks. His Spirit gave us both such a sense of peace over our decision to lower the price of the house and we knew in our hearts that we could leave this matter in God's loving hands. The price was lowered about 5 minutes when the buyer's realtor called ours to set up a time to view the house. The buyer has come by several times, plus he had his folks come by to see it. Each viewing left Brian and I both with a good feeling. He is a first time home buyer, so he is taking advantage of a Arizona program to help with his down. The sale becoming final is contigent upon that working out, but we are leaving it in God's hands. The buyer doesn't want to take posssession until the end of August - perfect timing for us as Brian's retirement date is August 31st. God is good and he is keeping his hands on our lives! I praise Him for seeing the big picture and taking care of our needs and timing!

Grandbaby II is on the Way!

2009-05-20T08:38:00.007-07:00

We have a grandbaby on the way! Brian and I received an early morning phone call a couple of weeks ago. "Mom and Daddy, we are pregnant - we're having another baby!" We were instructed it was a secret until Amanda had her first appointment but I admit, I did tell a few people here and my best friend Joyce. Oh the bliss of the news! Another Grandbaby to love! I think of how much we love Casen and then I try to grasp the thought of that love multiplied by two - what a thought! I can barely wait!

Yesterday we received this phone picture:

We were so excited - the big news was out. This morning, I remembered, "I can now post the big news on Facebook, my blog, and I can talk about it with our Moms and the rest of the family - yeah!!!

Proverbs again comes to my mind, "Children's children are a crown to the aged . . ." It is true! What a wonderful blessing we receive here on this earth - Grandbabies!

Our Home

2009-05-11T21:21:00.014-07:00

I have been thinking about us selling our house and I realized that I have been calling it our "house" not our home. Hmm . . . it got me to thinking. I love this house - it was the first place Brian and I have owned as just the two of us. We have tried with God's help, to make it a welcoming place, a place where our friends and family would find love, joy, comfort and peace.

As our Home these walls have:

seen us at our best and at our worst,

been a place of refuge, comfort

and peace for Brian and I,

heard our prayers to God -

both our petitions and our praise,

welcomed our friends with

warm meals and a soft bed,

been a safe, fun place for children to come,

welcomed a few strangers

and saw them become friends,

enjoyed Casen's first Christmas,

been a temporary home for both of our Moms,

welcomed our children and their families,

been filled with the laughter of reminiscing

each time our siblings came to visit,

heard a few heart to heart talks,

seen tears fall -

some of joy and some of heartache,

and been filled with love - always.

These wall have held a lot of living and I believe that is why we have called it home. God has blessed Brian and I through this home - with good friends, loving family and lots of memories. I think placing it on the market has made me begin to tuck away all the memories and start looking ahead to our next home and the blessings God will provide to Brian and I there.

Psalm 127:1a, "Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain."

Trusting It To God

2009-05-02T12:11:00.016-07:00

We signed papers yesterday morning to list our house for sale. I was feeling excited, a little sad and just a bit nervous while waiting for our realtor to bring over the papers. During this time, I re-read our son-in-law's post on his blog about selling their home (http://www.map-vs-territory.blogspot.com/ the entry entitled: Buying a House.....A Spiritual Journey). I then prayed some more. The Spirit let His peace fill my heart. Although this next year or so is going to be bringing some changes into our lives, I know God will bring blessings from these changes.

In times past I have struggled with listening to God's timing and I have struggled many times with keeping my hands off that which I have given to God. Please pray that I will keep the sale of this house, the timing, any obstacles and the blessings in God's very capable and loving hands. I want to enjoy the changes that are coming. I know He sees the BIG PICTURE and I want to trust it to Him.

Psalm 46:10a, "Be still and know that I am God . . ."

One Favorite Part of Moving

2009-05-01T09:39:00.023-07:00

One of my favorite parts of moving is the packing, I know that probably sounds strange, but hear me out. When I start packing, I savor it. I feel like I am on a treasure hunt. The treasure is the memories I will eventually run across - some stuffed in a box that hasn't seen the light of day since the last move, some are in "photo safe storage" boxes - still waiting to make it into a scrapbook and some are just randomly stuck in-between books, etc.

Some of Today's Treasures

The patches of my husband's old uniform - the ones from

when he first entered the Border Patrol and to go

with those, I found the pictures from the day he

was promoted to a supervisor.

A too sweet picture of Mandie holding newborn
Jordan in the hospital with me looking on smiling nervously.

The packet of pictures that still brings a lump to my throat. The ones capturing my last days with my Dad. Along with those, I found a story I started several years ago. It is about my Dad - a story to acquaint my grandchildren with this special man that they won't have the gift of meeting here on earth. It isn't going back into the stash I found it in, I think I want to pick up with it where I left off. I have a grandbaby now and I would like to have it for him to read some day.

A funny picture of our children and a hairy little "boy" named Thad. I still laugh when I see this photo - the kids really enjoyed having a dog, especially one that would let them dress him up in Jordan's old clothes.

A picture of my Mom and Brian's folks in Oatman, Arizona. We
took fresh carrots and were trying to not feed them all to the same couple of greedy donkeys. We tried hiding the carrots in Dad's wheelchair (I still don't know why we thought that would keep the
donkeys from finding them), but the donkeys didn't take long to sniff them out!

And finally a picture I didn't know I had. I can't say I remember this day, but I'm glad I have a photo of baby me and our dog Trixie.

She was our faithful dog for a lot of years. When my brother went into the army, Trixie started sleeping at the foot of my bed.

Memories.

Do you see why packing is one of my favorite parts of moving?

Angels' Spring Training

2009-04-21T07:29:00.003-07:00

While in Ajo, I bought tickets to take Brian to an Angel's Spring Training Game in Tempe. He is always up for a baseball game and since he is a Die-Hard fan of the Angels, I knew the tickets would be a double in his eyes. We had a fun day . . . slathering on sunblock, watching the game, cheering for the Angels, eating peanuts and nachos, passing beer and soda down the line and watching people.

Phone Photos of Our Boy

2009-04-17T18:47:00.001-07:00

Here are a few photos of our grandson, Casen. They were all sent by his mommy and daddy by phone. Isn't technology AMAZING. Getting almost daily photos of Casen brightens my day and brings a smile to my face without fail! Enjoy . . .
(of course we think his is the sweetest face of all!)

Ajo

2009-04-17T17:18:00.006-07:00

In January, Brian was notified he would be assigned to Ajo, Arizona for a 90 day detail. We had heard some pretty harsh things about Ajo and everyone was quick to point out the negatives of being sent there. We decided we would try to keep a positive spin on this detail and seek the blessings we knew God would provide.
And provide God did!
God definitely used our time there 1) to give us a break from the stresses we have experienced the last few months of 2008, 2) to heal our hearts a little, 3) to be together without distractions and 4) a chance to experience another part of Arizona.

Ajo ended up being an interesting town. Although the lack of stores to shop in, places to rent movies or to eat a meal out was frustrating to both of us. We found there were some fun things to do in Ajo. We found a little "mining museum" that was actually pretty interesting. It not only represented the mining history of Ajo, but also the early settlers, the racial segregation that took place as it grew and the lives of some of it's more interesting townspeople. It was ran by an interesting older couple. I commented on my Facebook page that they were talkers, Amanda (our daughter) commented that people were probably going to be saying that about her Dad and I too. That struck me funny because that day, I had wandered outside and the friendly lady was out there. She started up a conversation and she went off on a tangent about their kids and grands. After about 10 minutes, I thought, "Boy, she can really talk!" then I thought, "Hey, I can too!" Then off I went - talking about our kids and our Casen. As we left, I told Brian I gave her a run for her money on who could talk most randomly (is that a word?) about family.

Casen

2009-01-14T17:57:00.002-07:00

While in Oklahoma last month for our daughter's graduation and celebration, Brian and I got to keep Casen during the daytime, while his mommy and daddy worked. Brianand I loved being able to take care of him. We had so much fun, getting to do the things we have missed out on - reading to him, playing with him, giving him baths, walks (some in the house due to cold weather), letting him help us - good stuff! I am posting a few pictures - enjoy!

Sifting as Wheat - Part II

2009-01-13T14:56:00.002-07:00

Now, fast forward over the next couple of months of Brian and mine lives. These were not calm, easy living months – but hailstorm kind of months.

Immediately following the trip to Kansas, I flew to see our son Jordan. Jordan had been through a storm of his own, a storm that left him bent and beaten, much like the wheat would have been if a hailstorm had moved in across the Kansas sky the day we were at the farm. My days in Boston were bittersweet. Jordan and I had some time to just talk – to reminisce, to talk through some struggles and just be mom and son. It was good to spend time him, to be with friends and to finally see some smiles on Jordan’s face. It was good for both of us, but difficult nevertheless!

I was anxious to be home the entire return flight. I had an uneasy feeling about what awaited me there. My intuition proved correct, I came home to a husband that was struggling much more than when we had parted just 10 short days ago. I saw how tired he was after mowing just small portion of the lawn. How he had to stop and rest after taking out the garbage. How he could not remember his day at work when he got home. How he would not remember what he had planned to do that day. How he could not sleep when he was suppose to, yet would fall asleep the moment he sat down to relax. I saw how scared he was, not understanding what was going on with his body and mind. I saw fear in his eyes and I knew mine mirrored the same. Changes were happening that would take months to solve. Some serious sifting lay ahead for us. But God is good and He is faithful, forgiving, loving and strong. I praise Him for being Him.

Sifting as Wheat - Part III (I know this is lengthy, but please be patient.)

2009-01-13T14:01:00.004-07:00

. . . to sift, as grain in a sieve (Strongs)
There are a couple of verses in Luke 22, covering a conversation between Jesus and his disciples. Jesus had just told them that one of them would betray Him – this made his followers wonder which of them would be the betrayer. It was just a short leap from there to wondering and questioning who was the greatest of them. Please don’t judge them too harshly; I am afraid I too would have been in there amongst them – wondering which of us was the greatest.
Jesus patiently teaches them once again about being a servant, being humble and of standing by Him. Then in verse 31, Jesus tells Peter, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.” (Whoa!) Then in verse 32, Jesus continues, “But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith will not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthening your brothers.” (Double Whoa!)
I feel the months leading up to our trip to the farm and the months that followed, were a sifting for Brian and I. Our Peace was something that Satan wanted to test, to see if the troubles of this world would find us standing by God or turning our backs on Him. The events that had led up to and followed this trip often found us barely keeping a hold on God, at times we times were prostrate on the floor asking God for release from these trials and at other times we angrily asked God, "Why, Father?" But, thankfully, some days it was so easy to see God’s hand still on our lives – those were precious moments to Brian and I – a time to shore up for the next sifting! God knew what needed to take place in order to sift empty words, gestures, misplaced dependency on others and the things of no real value - all things that have kept us from being the people He spoke about in Jeremiah 24, “I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.” I think we had gotten so caught up in doing for God and on depending on others for our needs that we forgot to LOOK TO GOD and we begin to lose sight of Him. Joel 2:13b, “Rend your heart and not your garments.” In 1999, Brian and I were hit with one family problem or event after another which left us struggling. I thought we had learned this lesson during the months, actually years that followed and I actually thought I was striving not to fall back into that pattern, but there in the midst of our sifting my heart was convicted. I was reminded that everything I do is not to raise me up – but to to bring Glory to Him. I also realized that I had begun depending on other people to meet my needs. I know God uses those around me to strengthen me, to encourage me and to convict me, but He still wants me to seek Him for answers and help – then He will provide – whether it is through His Word, His Spirit, my family or friends – He longs to be my Rock, my Fortress.
How often I can identify with Simon Peter - I long to be always pleasing to God, but I mess up so badly at times. And it is those times that God shows His love so strongly, by allowing His Son's blood to cover my messes and present me as clean!
I feel we are still not to the point of strengthening others from our trials, but I think we are taking a few steps in that direction. Thankfully, we have felt Jesus was on our side from the very beginning of our sifting and knew that He had us on His heart, praying our faith would not fail. He has seen us through.

Sifting As Wheat Part I

2009-01-12T18:22:00.001-07:00

Early this past summer we made a trip to see family in Kansas. One of the highlights while we were there was to visit the farm – this is home to my niece Becky, her husband Jason and their precious, precious children Clint and Megan. One of the main functions of this farm is to raise wheat. We were excited as we drove along the dirt road heading out to the farm, even stopping along the way to take pictures of the beautiful fields of near golden wheat. On that dusty trip, I had no idea that the things I would see that day would be on my heart over and over this summer and fall.
My nephew Jason – well he is a farmer and he does what farmers do. He plants, nurtures and harvests the wheat. He trusts in God to provide the right amount of rain, to keep the hailstorms on hold and to bring down the sunshine! A farmer knows his fields, knows when the grain has ripened and knows when he needs to harvest. He uses a combine to separate the straw from the chaff and chaff from the grain. When he is done the farmer takes the grain to storage until he sells it at market.
Seeing all this wheat and watching Jason that day, I had an idea. I wanted the children in my Bible class to see this! I figured most of my little ones had never seen a wheat field and maybe did not even know what wheat was – after all they live in the high desert and are only 2 and 3 years old.I eventually made a flip chart, sharing this day on the farm with them. I wanted them to see the beauty and wonder of what I saw that day and to see God’s Hand on this little portion of their world. Jason even gave me some wheat to take home (the kids loved tasting the wheat kernels as they heard about Farmer Jason and God).
My trip to the farm was God shoring my heart up for the days ahead. Seeing God's loving hand in the wheat field, would bring me comfort these next few months and remind me that He is sovereign even when we are in the hailstorms and when we are being sifted - so that He might draw us closer to Him, closer than we had thought possible!

Toddler Crayons or Fun Balls? You Decide . . .

2009-01-12T05:59:00.002-07:00

A little less than a year ago, a little friend of Amanda's received a set of toddler markers - they were pretty cool even to an aging Gramma. They were little balls with marker ends coming out of one side. Easy to grasp and hold onto while being "Creative." I was told they also came in crayons. A thought formed and went into my mental file box - First crayons for Casen. I remembered that my kids both liked to scribble right around a year. Brian and I - hoping to spark the creative gene in both children - had started taping drawing paper to their highchair trays when each of them were around 10 months. They had happily scribbled with the old fashioned Big Crayons (for little hands). Neither grew up to love drawing, but - a parent can try.
So a day or two before Casen's arrival I was walking through Target, trying to think of ANYTHING else we needed to get before they got here - when I remembered the Toddler Crayons. I searched the "creative aisle" which Brian and I affectionly call the"Glitter and Glue Aisle" at Target. There they hung - Toddler Crayons - a package of 3! I took them off the hook, looked them over, decided they would be fun and into the basket they went.
A few days later, out came the Toddler crayons and a Christmas coloring book. I eagerly got down on the floor with Casen and showed him this Treasure. I jumped up to get some paper, thinking that might work better and by the time I had taken two steps the first Toddler Crayon went flying followed shortly by the second- Brian and Amanda started laughing as I held the intact Toddler Crayon ball and the broken crayon in my hands. I don't have a grandbaby who wants to sit quietly doing creative things, I have a Ballplaying Grandbaby! I think he gets his arm from his Daddy or Bunny! Oh, well . . . The Toddler Crayons got plenty of usage minus the crayons!
Side note: Brian, thinking I was disappointed, later that night tried to console me by telling me that it was okay, maybe the next grandbaby will want to do crafts with me. I had to smile - I love that man!

Leading Up To Christmas

2009-01-12T05:07:00.001-07:00

We were blessed to have Amanda, Josh and our beautiful grandson, Casen home for Christmas. I was thrilled to get to see Casen's first Christmas - what a bonus! I have really missed living closer to them, we missed so many firsts this year. If I had to have one first though it would have to be First Christmas. Christmas is my favorite time of year and in my family we learned early on to do it up right!
It was great getting to decorate for family coming, deciding what to put out of our Christmas things, what not to put too low (little hands and paws - two of the granddogs came too), unwrapping the "Cookies and Milk for Santa" set I bought years ago in anticipation of this event and trying to figure out what to put at Casen's level that he might enjoy. It was FUN for Brian and I both.
The tree ornaments only went 2/3 of the way down the tree, but lights all around (more is always better when it comes to Christmas tree lights). Big Bear ended up in his usual corner minus all his little friends (a few came to a heinous end the last doggie visit! - Another story for another time, maybe!) and the Hallmark snowmen poised to be on the floor for Casen in a sweep of a hand! Despite Brian's fibro the house was perfectly trimmed with strings and strings of Christmas lights (remember more is always better!) and decorations hung from between each window (except the night the wind storm took a couple of them down).
Now all we had to do was wait . . .
and waiting was difficult, the kids drove straight through, leaving OKC mid afternoon. We kept getting updates - text messages, cute pictures and phone calls - until the middle of the night. They didn't want to wake us up, but Hey, We Are Parents Here! - we have internal clocks that apparently activate as needed - Brian made a couple of calls for us that night to reassure us that they were safe and still driving.
Early Sunday morning they pulled into the drive - 2 happy dogs, 1 wide awake Grandson and 2 weary, sleep deprived parents! Lots of hugging and kissing, petting of doggies, talking, and loving ensued. After an hour or so of catching up, Parents hit the bed and Immie and Bunny got to take Grandson to church!

Return to Posting

2008-12-18T04:51:00.002-07:00

I am ashamed when I looked at the date of my lasting posting. We have had so many wonderful moments this year, but also some very difficult ones. I was afraid if I started blogging again, my postings would be negative and full of self misery, not very apt for a blog entitled "Living a Blessed Life." You can be thankful I knew my limitations!

We have been through the fire these last 12 months - health, work, church, finances and our precious children and the things impacting their lives. But God has been faithful to Brian and I - so much beyond that which we deserve. He has held our hearts throughout the rough times this year, wiped our tears and wrapped us in His love . . . all the while gently reminding us that He is in control and that He will never leave us. It has been a learning experience this year, a testing of our faith, a refinement of our lives. Even though we are still not through the fire, we can see more clearly His promises and how they are impacting our lives (and His Promises are always Good - that was a lesson relearned - relearned through our path this year with a little help from a Beth Moore study I was blessed to have been a part of).

I don't want the entire year to be absent - as I said so many wonderful things happened this year! I want to share those, so some of my postings will date back a while. But I also want to share some of the fire and refining we have been through - I will try to share more the lessons learned than the fire that prompted them - I promise!

Photo Box for a Friend

2008-04-23T16:38:00.001-07:00

One of our women from our church family - Deborah - amazes me. She is in charge of the gifts for our annual women's retreat and does most of the sewing and crafting herself. She sets out to serve others and does it well. I wanted to make her something to remind her of our retreat, so I made her an Explosion Box. It is my first one with so much bling on it - borrowed the idea from another friend. I think it really makes it pop. Hopefully, Deborah will like it and that it will be a memory keeper from the retreat.

Surgical Gloves: Alternate Ways To Use Them

2008-04-18T20:40:00.002-07:00

Although I couldn't find a photo of Brian with the surgical gloves on his feet, I figure he probably had something to do with Meg and Clint having them on their feet! It looks like Meg and Clint kept everyone entertained - maybe they didn't want anyone being bored if they weren't holding the baby?

Sisterly Love Plus

2008-04-18T20:25:00.001-07:00

While looking through photos to post, I realized I have a great example of Sisterly Love. When Casen was born my two sisters, Sharlene and Brenda along with my niece - Annie, my great niece - Megan and my great nephew - Clint drove to Oklahoma to see him and his parents. I was so thankful they were able to go especially since I couldn't. It did my heart so much good to know that my sisters and reinforcements were there doing the things I wish I could have being doing. Now that is Sisterly Love Plus!!!!

Favorite photos of Bunny and Casen

2008-04-18T19:51:00.002-07:00

Thought I would continue with my favorite photos. I love these of Bunny and Casen. Brian is so happy to be holding his first grandbaby and it just looks so right to me! The one of Casen on Brian's lap is when Brian was "helping" Casen lead a song, "Everybody Oughta Know." Guess Bunny is prepping Casen for songleading in a few years. I have a sweet photo of Mandie and Brian sleeping in our bed when Mandie is an infant. Both of them have their arm slung above their head, just like Casen. I need to get out a copy of that photo and post it too I guess.

A Gramma married to a Grampa

2008-04-18T19:46:00.002-07:00

While driving around town the other day, there was a little old man obviously confused on which lane to drive in. Brian says something along the line, "Easy Grampa, pick a lane." I looked at him and said, "I'm a Gramma now." He smiled and said, "Yeah, I know." I smiled back and said, "And you're a GRAMPA!" We both started laughing. I guess people can now tell us: "Pick a lane, Gramma/Grampa!"

Sisterly Love

2008-04-18T19:29:00.001-07:00

Recently in Bible class, we spoke of how God blesses us by giving people to care for us. Trying to help the children apply this concept to their lives, I asked each child to name a way each person in their family show that they care for them. I expected the usual, "Daddy goes to work for money," "Mommy cooks breakfast for me, and "Brother shares with me." But, I did not expect, "She (her older handicapped sister) just loves me. Oh, and she finally stopped poking me in the eye!" Nothing like sisterly love!!!

Ah . . . Ha! Moment

2008-04-18T19:17:00.001-07:00

Wednesday evening in Bible class we had an Ah . . . Ha! Moment. David and Nathan started out by reviewing their Memory work:

John 20:31, "Jesus is . . . the son of God." &

Psalm 147:5, "Our Lord is great and very powerful."

They both knew their verses and so we progressed onto the lesson, it was a review of Sunday's lesson on Jesus walking on the water. I asked them how could Jesus walk on the water and not sink like we would - they both sat there thinking and Nathan shouts out Psalm 147:5, "Our Lord is GREAT and VERY POWERFUL!" Davey joins in and shouts out the John verse, "JESUS is the SON of GOD!" How is that for an Ah . . . Ha! Moment?

Blessed by Two of Our Arizona "Grandbabies"

2008-04-17T05:55:00.002-07:00

Yesterday, Brian and I were blessed by watching two of the little ones from church. Nathan arrived about 10:30 and his mommy left with promises from him that he would be a good brother and would behave for us. We immediately began playing - out came the dragon, knights and the castle. He had lots to say while he played - just sharing random thoughts. And for the first time yesterday told me that he loved me. Soon it came time to pick Ashlyn up from school and Nathan gave me a little tour on the way. I learned where his doctor's office is, but that Dr. Brown's office is not there (Mommy and Daddy's doctor). This reminded me of the fact my children couldn't remember how to get to our house (from our town's main highway) when their Kansas aunts were bringing them home from a summer visit - let's just say they were older than 3!! : )
Then we came upon Ashlyn's school. I was reminded that Nathan loved me and to not turn on the first street, but into the next street (school entrance), so that I would be where the mommies park.
The kids were so happy to see each other and Ashlyn told us how her teacher copied her head shadow to make her take home poster.
When we arrived back at the house, Ashlyn immediately wanted to do her homework - reminded me of my kids again, very responsible about school work! After lunch they made cards for their daddy - then Ashlyn wrote a song - how creative is that? She told me she likes writing books and songs. This reminded me of Jordan - always writing books and stories.
We had a fun afternoon. Seemed like we packed a lot into a one day- storytime, rest-time, a trip to the park, DQ for ice cream and watching for different types of cars (we now know Nathan LOVES VW Bugs), a teaparty (Brian did this with them), and then onto church, and reminders throughout the day that Nathan loved me.
What sweeties they are - they made our day fun - we were blessed to have them! Their Mommy and Daddy are doing a good job raising them to be loving and caring people!
I cannot wait until Casen comes see us - what fun we will pack into his visits! Makes me think of another blogging idea . . . hmmm . . . things I want to do with Casen when he comes for a visit!

Photos

2008-04-13T08:25:00.001-07:00

I wasn't sure where to begin with my blogging, so I decided to add a few of my favorite family photos.

I love the picture of Jordan, Mandie and Casen sitting on the sofa. It was good to see both of our children happy and together along with our grandbaby!

Next the photo of Josh and Casen laying across Mandie's lap. Pure joy on Josh's face - love that picture!

Getting Started - Again

2008-04-10T05:06:00.001-07:00

I am starting a new blog since becoming a Grandmother - my old blog title (wife-mother-grandmahopeful.blogspot.com) just doesn't fit anymore. Our grandson, Joshua Casen is wonderful and I am thankful to God for this blessing of being a grandparent.
Proverbs 17:6a,
"Children's children are a crown to the aged . . ."