Saturday, April 25, 2015

Wild One

I can't believe it has been nearly a year since Giddy-Up showed up in the kitchen and proudly declared, "I have a new brother."  What?
 I think I only had to wait two days to meet our precious new boy, and what a wee treasure he is. Wow, one.  Time does indeed fly.
Be Prepared For A Wild Time



 RAAAWWWWRRR!
Peekie!






 

 Hmm, what is this stuff?  (First cake and cheerio experience)
 He would lick his finger, then pat the cake and talk about it, then pick off another cheerio.

 He thought the cheerios were ever so much more interesting and tasty than the cake.  He climbs everywhere, misses nothing, loves to eat meat, chase his big brother, stands and takes some steps- so big.
Who's behind that ferocious mask?
 It's Lazarus, er, I mean Uncle Jimi!

As the afternoon wore on, I noticed my sweet Giddy-Up looking a bit forlorn, so I asked if he'd like to go to creek. Silly question.  I left the birthday boy with the other adults and off we went.  Don't you wish you could bottle the joy that is found in throwing a rock into the creek.  We played there for some time, and he bravely travelled through the troll tunnel by himself.  Next, up the tree fort.  He found three yard darts in the yard and just about every seven minutes for the next thirty, those darts became something new, with a new game, with new rules.  "This red one is fire Gramerly, and the blue ones are water." "See if you can use the fire to knock out the water."
I never tire of watching the way a little one can take some odd objects and a tree and create all kinds of interesting things for us do.  This is how learning is supposed to happen.  

Monday, April 20, 2015

Git Along Little Doggy

Better finish up that "Better Late than Never"  egg hunting. First, it was playtime on the last Playdate evening.  A little drumming.
 A little dress-up.  Uncle Jimi brought a new hat and Ceece brought a new scarf, that happened to to match the dress of choice perfectly.

 Time to hunt a few eggs.  Gee, he is so grown up.


 Gramerly contrived for a little Missy Mam to find a golden egg. She wasn't the least bit offended by the money she found inside.
 Lastly, a round of "Chase the Chickie Girls."


Mr. Smiley needed to pet the chicken.

Yesterday Bean, Giddy-up and Swee-Tee went with me to see our friend Nick in "Beauty and the Beast."  Giddy-up had never seen a play. He loved it and was perfect.  When, during intermission, he spied Nick's mom, Ms. Glitzy, he proclaimed, "Look, there's Nick's girl!"  We came back and enjoyed a few minutes of a brief appearance of the sun, then Bean and Bugg and I headed to a local theater to see "The Sound of Music" on the big screen.  It was fun to share that with them, as it has ever been one of my most favorites, though I'd never seen it on anything besides television.  I believed I answered 786 questions about WWII, Austria, Germany, Jews and the Von Trapp Family Singers. Sadly, somehow the settings on my camera were changed, and I do not have the pictures I thought I had. Well, I have them, but they are black. Fuss and bother.

Friday, April 10, 2015

Floating Along

While Miss Easter and her usual accouterments didn't make an appearance in a typical fashion this year, there was much Eastering just the same.
I decided to go to church with Rae. Shortly before I left, I got a phone call from a little Giddy-Up.
"Gramerly, are you coming to my church?"
"Yes, I am."
"Can I go home with you?"  "In your car?"
"Yes, that would be great."
In the meantime I got a call from Ol' Mother Hubbard asking if I planned to go by Aunt Tish's house to see Mom.  She wanted me to snap a picture or two. I told her Giddy-Up and I would be by.





 After the picture session, Giddy-Up and I headed home. We decided to make some Easter treats- lemon bars and coconut cream pie.  He was a terrific helper.

 I am quite the pre-planner, so before I knew the that the plan for Easter was no plan, I had already purchased and filled eggs.  Stuffing of eggs is a bit limited by the no red dye 40 policy.  I put chocolate in some pretty crystal eggs and coins in butterfly eggs.Thankfully, the rain had taken a break, so we wouldn't be bobbing for eggs.
And we're off on our safari hunt.
 The first egg he found was the butterfly one and when he dropped it in the basket it popped open.  He exclaimed, "Coins!  These are adult eggs, I'm going to find the ones with treats."  I finally talked him in to hunting the butterfly ones, but they had to go in a different bucket.

You saw in the last post Mr. Smiley's complete disinterest in hunting eggs.
Bean and Bugg we're still on their way home from Spring Break vacation, after being held up a day while poor Ceece went a few rounds with a kidney infection.  As we will see later in the week, those two weren't the least bit offended by coins in their butterfly eggs. It was a fun afternoon.

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Sticks

There's a new book out, a stick book with ideas of what to do with sticks.  I absolutely love books with great ideas to employ with my wee folk, but often I don't find much I haven't already tried.
My sweet Mr. Smiley already has this stick thing down.
We were able to distract him from his piece of wood for a   minute with colorful eggs, but soon he returned to his first love.


Time for my pipe.

This stick, of course you want it, but I'm not parting with it for those silly plastic eggs.

Can I play you a little tune?

Do not disturb me. I am meditating!

I'm serious, I'm gonna whoop your behind.

In his best teacher voice, "See, it is like this."

I'm ready to direct this orchestra.

Time to train the puppy.

That boy and his stick. All kinds of serious cuteness.

Sunday, April 5, 2015

Blessed Easter Morning

Loving this "Sun in My Eyes" morning.  What a beautiful Easter!   Of course,  if I look beyond the weather, family drama, government drama, basketball craziness, it is always a glorious remembrance.

Recently our Governor signed a religious freedom act that has blown up facebook. I have just a handful of friends, so I can't imagine what the feed looks like for those that have 342 friends, especially if most of those friends are Hoosiers.  I have to admit, I'm not a conflict person.  I find everyone throwing out their two cents to be a bit unnerving and muddies the water to the extent that it is challenging to find the truth of the matter.  Sometimes I have guilt over not taking sides.  I just can't take a side until I know the whole situation.  Even when I do, I'm not a "Shout it from the Rooftops" kind of gal.  I do know it takes all of us and you have to have "Shouters" to get some people's attention.


I've just finished a much loved Beth Moore Bible Study based on the letters Paul and friends, Silvanus and Timothy, wrote to the Thessalonians.  In this study, one verse in particular popped out at me and then Handy Man shared a story that brought it right home. 

Interestingly, the title of Beth's lesson reads "Stop in the Name of Love."  And the sweet verse that accompanies it- "Seek to lead a quiet life, to mind your business, and to work with your hands as we commanded you. " 1 Thessalonians 4:11

Handy Man is much less of rooftop shouter than I am, so when he talks, I listen.  Yesterday he told me,

I had a weird experience today.  A third shift guy I've seen around, but don't know, came up to me and said, " Are you a Christian?"   I nodded yes and asked him what made him ask.  He replied, "Oh, I knew, by the way you carry yourself and how kind you are to everyone."

Handy Man has always worked so hard, so every day I pray that God will bless his hands to do a good work and that someone might give him the littlest pat on the back for his efforts.  That is really all it takes for him.  Needless to say, he choked up in the retelling, and hearing his story brought at tear at this answered prayer- patted on the back for a job he's accomplished not with hands, but with his heart. Everyday he models Christ's love to me and I am in awe of it.  I love that Handy Man.

Today another favorite verse comes to mind.  This time it was Jesus.  "Peace I give to you, my peace I give you. I do not give it as the world gives it.  Let not your heart be troubled or afraid." John 14:27

No matter how old you grow, there are always firsts and this will be my first Easter with no big family  gig.  Doesn't change the reason for finding joy and peace in this day. While you might not ever find me on the rooftop, you are welcome to pull up a seat, have a piece of coconut cream pie, and I'll tell you all about my sweet Jesus I celebrate today.  



 I'm going to spend a few minutes reminiscing and "Because He Lives" will look to the day that I will see a couple of these faces again.












Wishing you much peace and love today.

Friday, April 3, 2015

Drippy

We've had some serious flooding around these parts the last day, but thankfully, we're above water and the sump pump has done it's job.

Just two weeks after the funeral for Ol' Mother Hubbard's father -in-law, I was back in my same spot, same church,  same day, but this time it  was my little's Grammer that we were honoring and sending off. She passed away Monday.  I think her desire to stay left with their Grandad.

Even in the sadness, a bit of sunshine breaks through. This sweet girl graced us with her presence for many  early Playdates.


She is a minister now, a wife and a new mama.  They just all grow up, don't they? She was at the funeral today.  Recently, when I sent a Playdate memo, I added her to the list.  She told me today that she was so excited to get the e-mail, and so honored that I invited her and her new little lovie to Playdate.  "Honored."  Wow!  Sweet.  Thank you Lord. I needed to hear that today.
I believe Mom is planning to move back home with Glenda on Sunday.  So happy she's feeling better.