Happy Mother's Day to All

Ahh, the big day for Mom's.  Our big day comes a day early.  Mom has a lot of people so we go in groups. She was glad to see everyone, but wears out quickly these days.  I bring donuts for breakfast.

 Terri- her caregiver when we are working.

I loved this picture, she's reaching for her least little Pixie.

Handy Man went to see his Mom with a homemade lemon pie, always her favorite.  She has a couple more days in rehab, then gets to go home and hopefully will be able to manage.

I miss my sisters today. Miss my extended family as it once was.  Holidays are just weird to me anymore.

Currently my small bathroom is full of male offspring.  Remodeling is such a huge pain in the caboose.  It makes me doubt why I ever thought this was a good idea.  Maybe I'll feel better when it is done.  I do like listening to them fuss and laugh, and well, just being here.

Happy Mother's Day to all.

Happy Mother's Day, Merry Christmas, Happy Birthday

May just always seems ready to burst at the seams. This week was an all day field trip and a Mother's Day Tea, tomorrow is when I will celebrate with Mom and my kids, but this evening I got to enjoy my gifts of the last six months. You know you are committed to a night of gardening when you haul bunny poop in a wheel barrow with a flat tire and broken handle.  When I emptied it, Handy Man put it in the dumpster.
  This is my beautiful new garden bed, birthday present - which has now been planted with peppers, cucumbers, swiss chard, kale, cilantro and parsley.  All these goodies were from a Christmas gift card to Fresh Start.

  That is my kind of place. Reminds me of old time feed stores. They can sharpen your tools, sell every kind of garden plant or seed you need and there is a store dog and cat.  Lovely.
And for Mother's Day, a bag of ladybugs.

I had read about buying beneficial insects, but read that mostly they flee to parts unknown, so I never bought any.  When I got this, I googled ladybug release and learned that you need to do in the evening after watering and release where food can be found.  So I watered all my little garden spots.

 I put a few here and few there until little ladies were climbing all over the place.  Hopefully, a few of them find a happy place to dwell in my flowers and those who fly away to eat someone's aphids will be a blessing to them as well.  Don't you just love a win/win.

And what is behind this lovely new hall door?

More bathroom destruction. My, it just goes on and on.

In addition to my other activities of the week, I spent yesterday morning at Lee's Supply.  My bathroom plumbing knowledgable friends Toney and Andrea, sent me there to get shower, toilet, etc.

The lady who helped me was so very kind and  helpful.  I said if interior design was ever a thought as a career choice for me, it has moved to a position right under ditch digging.  Thank the Lord for friends who know more than you do.

Poor Ol' Blog

While I don't blog as much as in the past.  I typically manage at least two entries a month. Well, not last month.
April at school just kicks me in the backside.  After spring break and the time change, the kids are done.  The whole atmosphere in the classroom changes. They get sassy with each other, sassy with me and being fifth graders, well, spring seems to bring the hormones  on full force.  It seems it is also the birthday season and the frail, elderly mama's going south season as well.  Handy Man's mom, and Deb's mom are both in rehab after hospital stays, mine has another UTI and yet another friend lost her mama this week.  Whew.
Add to that the fact that we are four weeks late spring cleaning the outside,  due to a winter who did not give it up, whilst the bathroom remodel continues.  Life.
Last night was our first in the creek and there were fossils everywhere.  It will be another summer in the fossil mines I feel sure.  Such a gift that creek.  Thank you Lord!  Giddy-up named a rock spot Danger Island.
While I have no pictures of celebrating with Giddy-up, who turned seven, and Mr. Smiley, a big four years old, we had a big birthday time.  Pap had long wanted to take the tool loving Mr. Smiley to the hardware store, so that was his big date.  He was starstruck.  So cute.  He got a level, a little bitty drill, funnels, duct tape and a magnetized saucer to hold his neon colored drill bits.
Giddy-up was interested in trying some different seafood dishes, since his mama is not a fan.  Turns out he loves it all.
Our first birthday in April was with our brown-eyed Buttons-so called because she was our first grandchild with brown eyes, though all who followed are brown eyed.
She had a list of things we needed to accomplish and so we did.
She loves Jello Jigglers, so we did those first, so they would be ready before she left.

 She loves sushi as well as her siblings and ate every bite of it.

 We enjoyed a few art projects.

 I had tons of daffodils in bloom and a few other things that she enjoyed plucking and making an arrangement for her mom.

We created some bead critters, then used the leftover beads for bracelets.

 Next we needed a bracelet and a note for big sister.

 It was big day and she was stuffed.

This was Pixie's solo flight and I wasn't sure if she would be happy when her family pulled out of the drive.  I thought I might better be prepared with something to do immediately. Carrot tops to feed the bunnies made for a happy girl.

We let the chickie girls out and got them some more straw, then headed inside.  She is currently all eat up with unicorns, so I found these little necklaces.  She has the tiniest, sweetest voice, often lost in the presence of big kids.  It was so fun to spend time with her and listen to talk.

 She needed some jelly jiggles as she called them.

 We went upstairs.  The upstairs has been off limits for a long time and I am currently sorting and pitching, which I've been doing for months a bit at a time.  She was unaware that there was an upstairs.  She enjoyed looking around and found a red decorative heart and so quietly inquired, "Can I borrow this?"  I've had several gramerlings that love to have a transitional object.  I'm not sure the developmental theory behind it, but it doesn't bother me in the least.  Though it is often comical what they feel the need to borrow.   Bean and Giddy-up were the most insistent on having something to take home every time they visited.  See that red bag behind Pixie?  It has a bag of Easter eggs, a chapstick, a ceramic dollhouse bathtub, a baby and a dollhouse baby crib.

 Like her siblings, she is seriously cute.

 We returned to the downstairs and she wanted to play in the fairyhouse.

 A little stamping was in order.

 A bit of mixing in piles of flour.

Then time to pack up her jelly jiggles, necklaces and borrowed items and head home.  Sweet.

While we were gathering straw for the girls, I noticed this in the garden that appeared to spring up overnight. That bloom is so interesting.  I have no idea what it is and don't recall every seeing it before.

It has been a soaking wet Derby Day.  We drove through the rain to a little greenhouse about 25 miles away.  Old Thyme Loghouse is the only nursery that grows my favorite tomato.  I cannot wait for garden tomatoes!

Happy Easter

Drummer Boy and Gwen hosted a yummilicious Easter Supper.  Early in the morning I picked up Noella and Ivonne and together we went to Rae's church for service.  Afterwards, I brought her home with me for lunch.

Noella helped me stuff eggs and make the requisite coconut cream pie.

 They were games.

 Hanging out in the kitchen sampling Rae's latest and greatest sourdough.

 Plenty of play and silliness.

 A squeeze for Pappy.

 A little music.

 And a first egg hunt.

Thank you Lord for an abundance of hospitality, food, cuteness and a day for celebrating your sweet gift of love and salvation!  Happiest Easter Season to all!

A Little Sassy Pants Leaves a Big Empty

Playdate was switched this week so Pap and I would have an opportunity to spend a  last afternoon with our little wayside Sassy Pants.  I've talked a great deal about foster care between my daughter and a co-worker friend who also fosters.  I know all about how it works.  I sometimes just can't wrap my head around how it just doesn't always work in the best interest of the child.  Still, we knew what we were signing on for.  My aim was to be as Gramerly to her as I was to the rest.  I still think that was the right thing to do.  That comes at a cost.  When it is time for them to go, a piece of you goes along.
Me aside, my child's home is missing a piece that had long since settled in. For their family and for Sassy Pants, I grieve more than for myself.  I doubt Mr. Smiley has any memories of life before a sister.

We've had five little ones to love temporarily and I pray for each of them, as well as the two my friend has loved.  You hold to hope that the stability they've known might be something they seek and hopefully find in their wee tumble bumble life.  Prayers appreciated.