Back in the Grind

Sometimes my day after a long weekend goes pretty well. This one started off pretty good. Baby Girl took a two and a half hour nap this morning. After lunch was pretty sketchy with her. She just wanted to be walked around by the hand. Well, that's all fine and dandy for her. . . she's not the one hunched over! I opted to let go, and here's the outcome. . . . .

She's not really just sitting there. She's trying to move the cabinet with her foot. She is ticked with me.

When moving the cabinet didn't work, she opted to flop herself on the floor and have a little hissy fit! Not a way to end a good beginning, I say. She continued on for a few minutes, shoving her chair back and forth - not for kicks and giggles, mind you.

She settled a little after a nap and when the girls got home she had a snack with them. But just for the record - she hates having to think that she might just have to walk all by her little self!

Poor thing.

On a side note - Goldilocks came home from school wanting me to Google Blackbeard the Pirate. They had learned about him in school today. She filled me in on all the "details". So, I Googled him. We looked at all kinds of pictures. I found a little cartoon "movie", but that didn't work for her. She wanted the "real" thing. I'm thinking she was thinking she could actually see him. I did find a 1952 Blackbeard movie - but suffice it to say - it kinda scared her. Oh well.

All in a day's work, I say. All in a day's work!

Dear Mommy. . .

Dear Mommy,

I just want to let you know
It's going to be okay
As we start our journey new
When you bring me home today.

Please don't be afraid of me
I look to you for care
It's new to me as well you see
It can all be quite a scare.

Don't be stressed when I cry
Just hold me close to you
And softly sing a lullaby
To your baby, oh so new.

Feed me, change me, love me please
These things I need as well
Everything will be just fine
Just wait - time will tell.

I love you mommy,
A splendid team we'll be
You get to watch me learn and grow
And become steady on my feet!

So settle in, snuggle up
With your bundle warm and sweet
Our time alone, just you and me
Is something mighty sweet!

Love,
Alaina

Crickett

"Happy Birthday, Donna!"

I know what you're thinking! Well, actually, I don't! ! That's the beauty of it! Or maybe not - maybe you're heading for the knife drawer right now - or you are contemplating how to get even (um . . . good luck on that one) or, or you are just dying in your shoes! Oh, wait. . . you're not wearing shoes! How silly of me! Bahahahahaha!

I have to thank Bekah for having the guts to put this on FB so I could snag it! - You go girl!

Well, anyway, I just want to wish you the happiest birthday ever! I love you so much. You are such a treasure to me. I know our trials are many, but our blessings far out-weigh them!

I'm not sure how I would cope without you. I do believe that is why God made sisters! ! !
And I'm glad you and I are nuts on the same tree! You are on my tree, right?

Love you, love you, love you!
Crickett

" Happy Birthday, Piper Rylee!"

"Little Miss Piper Rylee"

We cannot find the words today to express the love we feel
You've entered all our lives - our hearts you did steal.
Now you're a whole year old - time just blew right by
All we can do right now, is reflect and smile and sigh!

We love you Baby Girl!
"Mah, Pop-pop and Beh"

"Little Miss Alaina Summer"

"Alaina Summer"

We got a gift - a sweet little gift
Yesterday it entered our world
God sent this little package to us
He gave us a baby girl!


She's Heaven's delight from head to toe
A bundle of love - wouldn't you know?
Perfect in every little way
This wonderful gift sent our way!


We love her - yes, there's no doubt
We want to jump, twist, and shout
But, yet reserved we will be
While we hold this little Bebe!


Thank you God, yet again
For sending this gift that's akin
To Heaven on earth for us to love -
Your precious gift from way up above!


Crickett
(Mom-m0m)
Great Ma. . .)

Strawberries . . . .

"Fruit of the Spring"

It's that time of year on the shore
To pick red, ripe strawberries galore
One of the perks of the coming of spring.

There will be pies without baking
And with them jam I'll be making
They will render many a great thing.

And I can't forget the strawberry bread
For my family is smitten with the red
Of this fruit that is born in the spring.

The are great by themselves
But they don't last on my shelves
This divine fruit that is fit for a king!

Crickett

My "New" Kitchen

Ben and I started on the kitchen last March (2010) and finished - pretty much - some minor tweaking here and there - this March (2011). It was a long hard haul with many, I say, many snags along the way. The work was hard and scary. Tempers were short and hot. The result is what I was looking for. My boy did a great job! I wanted my kitchen to feel as if it had been there forever without looking like it. I think we did it!

There was painting of cabinets, Ben redid the old doors to look more "today", new hardware on them and he put down a butcher block counter top for me. He installed a microwave over the stove - now let me tell ya - that one had me sweating bullets! He had to run electric from the microwave to the main panel. I could only imagine him getting french fried! But. . . he did it! We also had to chip off the old plaster so he could put up the bead board. That was easy, but dusty work. He also installed a light over my sink. The last big item was the tile work. Yep, he did that too.

I want things in my home that have a story behind them. On the shelves above the counter I have "vintage" 1976 instant coffee jars. My parents were instant coffee drinkers and when we celebrated the bicentennial in 1976, Maxwell House put their coffee in jars with flags on them. I love them :). The white cup and saucer are Bob's mom's. The rooster was a gift from. . . Jenny? and the green and white hen I picked up at an antique store. The stars - well - they were on clearance at Target, so I dumped the stuff in them out and filled them with various beans.

Over the fridge I have milk glass that is mine and some that is Mrs. Rease's. The clock cookie jar was my mom's. She gave it to me when I started house keeping. Donna gave me the red bowl and the toile cookie jar. Kelly gave me the black hen.

He worked very hard for me and I am extremely proud of him. He will make a fine catch some day!

"Stress Managemnet 101"

Sometimes an "Ah-ha" moment comes via a friend, an incident, a thought. In this case - an email sent by half of my "Aaron and Hur" team. It makes me look at things a little differently.

Enjoy!

"... A young lady confidently walked around the room while leading and explaining stress management to an audience; with a raised glass of water, and everyone knew she was going to ask the ultimate question, 'half empty or half full?'..... she fooled them all... "How heavy is this glass of water?", she inquired with a smile.

Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

She replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes." She continued, "and that's the way it is with stress. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on."

"As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden - holding stress longer and better each time practiced. So, as early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don't carry them through the evening and into the night... pick them up tomorrow.

Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment. Relax, pick them up later after you've rested. Life is short. Enjoy it and the now 'supposed' stress that you've conquered!"


1 * Accept the fact that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue!

2 * Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

3 * Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.

4 * Drive carefully... It's not only cars that can be recalled by their Maker..

5 * If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague

6 * If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it..

7 * It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.

8 * Never buy a car you can't push.

9 * Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

10 * Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance..

11 * Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.

12 * The second mouse gets the cheese.

13 * When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

14 * Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.

15 * You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.

16 * Some mistakes are too much fun to make only once.

17 * We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty, and some are dull.
Some have weird names and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.

18 * A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

18 & 1/2* If a man screams in the woods and there is no woman to hear him - is he still wrong???

19 * Have an awesome day and know that someone has thought about you today.

20 * It was I, your friend!

*Save the earth..... It's the only planet with chocolate! "

Amen Sister! ! !

Bubbles . . . and . . . . Blessings!

I still love blowing bubbles! There's just something about trying to get the biggest bubble you can. But even when oodles and oodles of little ones exit the wand, there is an instant joy. An excitement. And I love watching the girls run after them, trying to catch them without breaking any, jumping up to try to catch the ones the wind has lifted to the heavens. It's sheer pleasure. Pure and simple. Now I hear they are coming out with bubbles that are colored! I have waited my whole life for this. I've tried all kinds of concoctions to get colored bubbles, but to no avail. Can't wait to try these new fangled, soapy bits of joy.

So, what do bubble have to do with blessings. Nothing really, but they compare well.

I've had several blessings come my way over these past two weeks. Some of them were small, like the tiny bubbles from the wand. I didn't even notice them until they had "popped". A smallish blessing is the ease at which Baby Girl lives. She is quite simply a happy little girl. Watching her learn new things - little things for us - is truly a blessing in and of itself. The simple task of learning to drink thru a straw, feed herself finger foods and walk along with you holding your hand is a big thing for her. And I marvel in it with her. Soon to join the ranks of "baby blessings" will be Baby A. My heart just bursts thinking of her, wondering what she will look like, will she be calm or feisty, have hair or not? But one thing I don't wonder about - she will have a good mommy and mom-mom to take care of her, this is for sure.

My other blessings, surprisingly were quite large, like those elusive large bubbles we long for when we pick up that magic "wand"! Ben was able to pick up a very important fall class that had initially been full since early registration. Had he not gotten this class, he would have to have waited another year to enroll and that would have put UMES off another year as well! Thank the Lord for friends that were looking out for him! ! A big bubble for sure.

I was able to get two twin beds, all the bedding, valences and a small dresser for the third floor bedroom. Practically brand new and all for a song! ! I have been looking for a long time for something like that for that room - but everything was way out of my price range . That was a big bubble!

Bob got a job. He's been "under foot" for six months now. He starts Monday. I am very excited for him. It is a good fit for his talents. That is a very big bubble!

My boy went to Church today - huge bubble!

And probably the largest of all those bubbles - actually this makes those big bubbles look small in comparison - my niece (by marriage) - Carries Ayers got baptized today. I think what made it so special is that she wasn't planning on it. As she put it: "It's what God had in store for her".!
Brought tears to my eyes when I read her FB post.

And the Angels sang!

Can we hear a Hallelujah and an Amen! ?

Happy Birthday, Heather!

Happy Birthday, Heather!
Couldn't resist!
You don't look 29! How do you feel? :)
Hope you have (had) a great day!

Love you,
Aunt Crickett

My Poetry

"The Moms in My Life"

I love all the mom's in my life
And all the things they do.
They have a host of countless jobs
It's hard to fill their shoes.

They range from the very young
Whose "mama role" is brand new
To those that are very wise
Who've cried and laughed and grew.

I love that they see beyond
What the world has to say
When it comes to rearing those precious lives
From day to glorious day.

To say that they don't feel defeated
Would be a misleading fact
They just "hunker down" and suck it in
And get themselves back on track.

I know great rewards await them
And their work's not all for nil
I watch as the love they give
Comes from their own free will.

To be a mom like that
Is ever on my mind
I love these women dearly
No greater love you'll find.

Crickett

Happy Mother's day to my daughters, my sisters, my neices, my cousins, my friends.

"How was your day?". . . .

. . . ., you ask? Well, here's a snippet from my day:

Piper learns how to blow raspberries on my front door window!

She thinks it's not only important to have her own blankie, now she must have the blue one.
Ben is trying to chill on the sofa and she wanted his "blankie"!
She won!



It was Grandparent's Day at Helena's school today. There was a little program and then we got to go back to the class room to see their projects, have cookies and punch, and enjoy a little slide presentation from the kids. Of course, now, Helena's presentation was about Pop-pop. How quickly I'm replaced! Oh the agony of it. I guess I shouldn't complain, though. She did give me a dark chocolate candy bar - that I had to leave at school per teacher's instruction - so they could all share their work with each other. Now I just wonder how my candy bar will survive that! Would someone please tell me?
Please?

So . . . .

. . . . I get Baby Girl up from her nap this morning, change her stinky butt and sit her in the living room with her toys so I can dispose of - you know what - and wash my hands. I hear her in there. I hear what appears to sound like her wagon of toys hitting the floor. I wash my hands and go in there, only to find this:




Yep, she found my body butter I had left sitting on the foot stool from the night before, somehow got the lid off and proceeded to slather herself with it! That'll learn me. I don't think - but I'm not 100% positive - she ate any! I'm just impressed she knew what to do with it! Ben laughed his contagious laugh and I snapped a memento! She does smell good, I give her that.

I'm just wondering . . . . is this is any indication as to how my world will turn? Hm?

My Poetry

"In Her Rocking Chair"

All alone I see her there,
Rocking back and forth
In her rocking chair. . . . .

On the front porch of the shack
She called home - way far back
From the world as it scurried
She sat there rocking, free from worry.

Her hair had turned a snowy white
Her eyes had given up much sight
But still she sat there in her chair
Rocking gently without a care.

Did she see the moon at night?
Or had it eluded, too, from her sight.
Did she hear the bird's sweet song?
Or had her hearing been long gone.

It matters not what I may think
As I stood there on the brink
Of awe and wonder of such a sight
A lady rocking with hair so white.

What had she seen in her years
She seemed to have no outward fears.
Did she care she was all alone
In that little shack, her little home?

Did she mind this solitude
All alone in her home so crude.
Rocking on the porch so frail
With her wrinkled skin, aged and pale.

I felt invasive standing there,
Watching her rock without a care
As if the world were hers alone
Guarding her and her little home.

As my heart beat in a frenzy
I watched her rock with an envy
That I could have that same sweet peace
That her spirit seemed to release.

I left her rocking there so dear
She never knew I was even near
Rocking on that porch of her shack
And, I never, ever would go back.

I think of her an awful lot
On summer days when it's hot
Did she leave this world alone
Or did someone bring her to their home.

I guess I will never know
How or when she had to go
But I will long remember being there
Watching her rock in her rocking chair.

Crickett