Whirlwind

So much has happened since the last post.

We have put our house on the market.  We have purchased a new house. We waited 78 days. We closed on the new house. We have had 7 open house Sundays to try to sell the old house.  We have had two karate tests.  Baseball season has started for both boys. Awana is almost over. I almost forgot to mention, Valentine's Day and Easter were celebrated too!

To say we have been busy is a slight understatement. with all the above going on, we have all our normal activities too! Karate classes, homeschooling, housework, piano lessons, moms' group, church, doctor appointments, and all that life gives us.

I have a confession to make:  I'm tired.  I would love to get away for a few days, just the four of us and ignore the rest of the world.  Disappear and just be us without interruption for a long weekend.  Take a few moments to touch base with each other and talk, play games, laugh. Just be a family.

But that would require laundry, packing, reservation hunting, planning, and cleaning the whole house so that if anyone would happen to come by to look at it, it's ready.  And that takes more energy than I have right now.  So I will just make another cup of hot tea and go swing on the front porch for ten minutes.  I have the energy for that.

The Many Names of Granny

This snazzy lady with my two boys goes by many names.

Her 15 great-grandchildren call her "Granny".

Yes, I know there are only 14 right now, but my cousin has another on the way.

The "greats" enjoy PJs and magazines from Granny each Christmas and she enjoys hearing the tales of their sports, lessons, and other activities throughout the year.

She is "Grandma" to her 6 grandchildren.  She spoiled us rotten as Grandmothers are entitled to do.  Each summer we would spend a week or so at her house "helping" with the garden, riding four-wheelers (or the riding lawnmower if we weren't allowed on the quads), snipping green beans or shelling peas, and eating the home-made apple pie, brown sugar bread, and cinnamon rolls that were so large they almost didn't fit on a saucer! 

One summer, Dad and Grandma had a conversation about her famous brown sugar bread.  He didn't want me to eat it so much.  So they came to a compromise- she would only fix it for me on holidays.  My first morning of my week-long stay, I found brown sugar bread awaiting me for breakfast.

 "To celebrate you being here." was the answer to my question. OK I could see that.

"Popeye's Birthday." was the answer the next morning. Popeye was my favorite cartoon character, after all.

"National Rain Day"

"National Breakfast Day"

Funny, there was a holiday each and every day I was at Grandma's house if I wanted brown sugar bread!

She is "Mom" to her two daughters and "Martha" to her sons-in-law.  I can think of many visits to Grandma's house when all the adults were gathered around the kitchen table sharing stories and gathering wisdom from the wise lady who rarely sat at the kitchen table because she was busy taking care of the coffee, the pie or other dessert, and making sure everyone had what they wanted and more.

On Sunday, February 10, 2013 Grandma turned 91 years old. 

Happy Birthday to the wonderful lady who is loved immensely by all of us and many more. No matter what we call her.

Christmas morning

  Christmas morning. All the excitement. The anticipation. The wonder.

Each year my boys wait eagerly at the top of the stairs, just like I had to do, waiting until the adults are ready for us to descend upon the tree to unwrap the surprises that await.

I'm sure my parents were just like I am now, more excited about what the kids reactions will be than what the gifts are for themselves. This year the number of packages under the tree were fewer. We had gotten the boys electronic gadgets they had been asking for over the last year. I didn't want the fun to end to soon, so we created a scavenger hunt with five stops before bringing them back to the tree to reveal the big gift.

G.I. Joe even got in on the fun!

When all the gifts were opened and the traditional breakfast eaten, we each settled in to play set-up the devices. As I looked around, I realized the saying is true,

"The bigger the mess, the more fun was had!"

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everyone!

Christmas

A barn - because the town was crowded.
A young woman - because she obeyed.
A loving man - because he listened.
Lowly shepherds - because they understood sacrificial lambs.
A heavenly host - because they worshipped.
A baby - because He would be one of us.

The First Christmas Gift - because God loved us so much!

Timmmberrrrr!

There once was a tree. The one on the right end of the line.

It was a tall tree.

A very tall tree.

Unfortunately, it was a sick tree and had to come down before it fell on the neighbors house.

So we threw a rope through the V in the trunk.

It was a long rope.

The chain saw came out.

And we got ready.

A notch was cut in the trunk to guide the fall of the three.

After a mighty tug on the rope (or two or three)...

TIMBER!

Success!  No Houses were harmed in the felling of this tree.

Then the chain saw started up again and the cleaning crew started to work.

 After a short time, the yard was cleaned up and the football/baseball/soccer field was safe once again.

39 and holding

     I woke on Monday a little later than normal.  Because Veteran's Day fell on Sunday, my wonderful husband got to have the day off.  School started a little slower after my oldest little M made me scrambled eggs for breakfast.  Two homemade cards were handed to me and another card waited for me to break the seal on the envelope.
     If you haven't guessed yet, Monday was my birthday.  After my wonderful breakfast, we had a quick couple of lessons for school then headed out the door.  I got to go to karate class with my husband and the the four of us went to lunch at Smokey Bones.  The delicious meal ended with a free giant piece of chocolate cake with two scoops of ice cream.
     After gathering our leftovers (no cooking supper!), we ran a few errands and my wonderful hubby spoiled me rotten. He wanted and succeeded in making my day fabulous!

     I know I am blessed. I am married to a man who surpassed my girlhood dreams.  We have two boys who are great buddies and growing into fine young men.  I live in a home that is warm and filled with love and laughter.  I have a car that gets me from errand to errand and activity to activity.  I am a child saved by God who loves me unconditionally.

Yes, I have been blessed to have spent 39 years living the life I have. Monday was such a good day, I think next year, I'll turn 39 again.

Balloon Animals

Each year our church Awana program hosts a Carnival for the Clubbers and their guests.  There is face painting, carnival games, a bounce house, and balloon animals.

I was asked to help with the balloon animals.  Have you ever worked with balloons?  It is crazy!  There were 100 kids there and 2 of us tying balloons into dogs, giraffes, bunnies, swords, and hats.  It was non-stop for 2 hours.  Kids filled the room about 30-40 at a time.  Face-painting was going on across the room while our fingers flew twisting and tying air-filled plastic tubes.  There was an added bonus of a balloon POPPING right in front of a small child every now and again.  They really enjoyed that! NOT.

About half way thru the activities, a little girl, who had waited patiently in line, stepped up.  I asked her what animal she wanted.

"A Koala." What?

"I would like a koala." This girl about 5 years old.

"Honey," I replied, "I can only make a dog, a giraffe, or a bunny.  I can also make you a hat if you like."

"Oh, okay.  I'll take a bunny." she resigned.

"What color would you like?"

"Red, green, and yellow." She state with total confidence.

"Sweetie, I can only do one color."

"Oh." I was such an amateur. "Red."

The red bunny was made.  As I handed my lowly work of art to this little girl, she looked it over.

"Shouldn't there be a twist right here to separate the ears?"

I see I have lots of work to do before next year!