Johnny Appleseed

It seems that even as we get older we never lose the ability to be amazed at the things Nature throws our way.  And so it is with My Boy.  He's well into his 20's but can still find a curiosity in the simplest of things.

Back in late Spring, early Summer "Johnny" was enjoying his daily routine of an apple, a banana and a glass of OJ.  Simple enough.  Boring enough.  But Nature threw him a tidbit.  She gave him two seeds in his apple that were already germinating.  It never ceases to amaze me the little surprises that come along. 

Being of the curious nature, "Johnny"  promptly removed them and placed them on a damp paper towel and then placed them in a baggie.  He let them grow there until he was confident they would survive in a pot.

Speaking of pots, don't you just love these?   

He fusses over his little trees  like a mother hen. 

Don't, I repeat, don't mess with his babies trees!

Here we are ~ nearing Fall.  I'll be curious to see how Mr. Johnny Appleseed  "over winters" them.
Curious indeed.

July 4th ~ Part 2

This year's celebration included a birthday celebration as well.  There are two of us who fall just before or just after the Fourth.  I already had my cake ~ and ate it too!

This year the birthday that followed was a milestone year for the youngest of my sibs.  She hit the BIG 50!  I think she may have been a little bummed 'cause the word on the street was that she was thinking of not coming this year.  Eek.  Panic.  Think, girl, think!  What to do, what to do?

I, maybe, would have let it roll, but there were two quite lovely surprises waiting for her here. She didn't know we were celebrating her and we couldn't let her bail.  Nope.  No way. No how.  Scurrying for a reason to call and expect her here without spilling the beans and ruining the surprise deemed tricky.  But being the oldest does have its perks sometimes.  I just simply told her what time everyone would be here to eat and said I'd see her then.  Period. End of story.  Now, hang up that phone before it all goes south!

Waiting game. 

I think she was quite surprised when she arrived and I sent her to the pantry to retrieve something for me.  Quite surprised indeed.

 Her two baby girls had managed to come "home" for her birthday celebration.  We hid them in the pantry.  You can't see her, but Nichole is on the other side (those are her shiny red nails).  I think Mama may have cried ~ just a little.  Sometimes it's the small things in life that give it the sweetest flavor.

There were a LOT  the perfect number of candles on that cake!

Then there was McKenna.  Turning 7!  How can this be?  Whew.  Time ~ you need to slow down.

I want this girl.

The day was great.  Happy kids + Happy adults = Happy Hearts!  Just.  That.  Simple.

Jump-starting July

It seems it took forever for July to get here.  Waiting on my gang from Kentucky seemed endless.  Now we are almost halfway thru the month and it seems a blur.  So, lest I forget, I shall start from the beginning and move forward (backward?), perhaps with sprinklings of "now" scattered in between. (or perhaps not). 

My boy didn't forget my birthday.  He left abruptly for town and returned with a birthday coffee for me from Starbucks.  He also took a giant leap in his culinary skills and decided to bake me a cake.  This is impressive in a couple ways:  1.  He doesn't like to cook anything that isn't chicken, pork, beef or fish related.   2. Putting something in the oven is NOT his cup of tea.

So imagine my delight when he decided to do this for his Mama.  The only downfall was the cake choice.  He was certain that Red Velvet cake with cream cheese frosting was my favorite.  Um, nope.  Not even close.  It's his dad's.  Bless his heart!  But, kudos to him for giving it thought.  The only way to fix that is to bake a chocolate cake with chocolate icing for his dad!

 

He's leaning on my baby!  Should I be concerned?

 

Scraping the bowl. 

 

Patting it out.  He said it is like smoothing concrete.  You pat it gently

to get the air bubbles out so it will "settle" nicely. 

I'm so grateful it didn't set up like concrete!

 

 

I love it when he cooks!  It means I don't have to he will survive on his own!  It was a delicious cake ~ even though it wasn't my favorite.  He did well.  He will be a keeper for some lucky girl. 

 

I got to celebrate it with Hubs, Ben, the Man, the Beast and Sarah Sponda.  She made sure I had candles to blow out on my cake and she made them sing "Happy Birthday" to me.  That was kind of like trying to force a child to eat green peas so nice of her!

It was a nice way to jump start our July. 

So, Alicia, keep a weathered eye open for upcoming events!

TTFN

What Can I Say? ? ? ? ?

Anybody?

Sometimes you just have to roll with the punches.  Or grin and nod and get a wash cloth out and clean up the beautiful mess.   I say beautiful, because that is what she, in her eyes, made herself.  I say mess because, well, that is what it was. 

I rarely, if ever, have problems at nap time with the Itty Bitty little thing.  Zip.  Nada.  None.   So I guess I shouldn't complain when she throws a stick in my spokes.  What are the odds that today would be that day.  Didn't get that memo. 

I chose to defy the odds.  I opted to call Donna and chat about my "goings ons".   I rarely talk on the phone to any length.  I felt safe.  Confident.  Unsuspecting.  But, you can't trust a 3 year old ~ ever. I didn't get that memo either.  I could hear movement on the monitor, but not anything that would alarm me or cause me to peek in.  That is, until about four or five minutes passed and the movement was still moving.   I wander on up. Should have went sooner.  That'll learn me.  The hard way.  I could smell her before I got to the door.  I peeked in.  I did not see Itty Bitty.  I called her name.  She pops up from beside the twin bed.  She states without hesitation:

"I don't have nuthin'.   I'm not doin' anything."

 

Have I ever shared that she lies?   (and steals) 

How can I say that and why would I?

Here's why I can and why I would:

 

She had snagged Reasy Peacy's make-up, lotion and spray from her bag and had at it. 

 

Let me remind you ~ I could smell her before I saw her, and when I saw her:

 

I couldn't laugh

I couldn't yell at her (I did scold her)

I couldn't breath

 

She is a beautiful mess.

 

I clean her up, removed the bag and sent her back to bed with strict instructions not to move.

She went right to sleep.  

 I just wonder what she dreamt about. 

 

My beautiful mess.

I shall keep her.

Goodwill Hunting . . . . .

. . . . . . and maybe . . . . a little bartering.

I usually don't do well at Goodwill.  I see pretties, but nothing that jumps up and grabs me by the hand screaming, "Take me, take me!".   Well, except the dictionary that was missing the last half of the "R's" and the first half of the "S's".  

On Tuesday as I was out thrifting with Dolly and Bert something changed.  They had found their bargains and as I was putzing around the jewelry counter waiting for Bert to check out, a bowl of jewelry caught my eye.  It wasn't the marvelous collection of jewels in the bowl, but the bowl itself.
All I could see was the rim.  Nothing special, nothing screaming at me, but the rim was "cute".  So I bent down to take a closer look at the bowl.  Ooooooo. . . . . now we're talkin'!

I asked the fella at the register if I could see said bowl when he was finished with customers.  He said sure, but the line kept growing, Bert was getting closer to check out, and on the inside I was pacing like a caged cat at meal time.   He would never make it to me.  As fate would have it another young man walked up to the jewelry counter to replace a necklace, so I smiled my nicest smile, and in my sweetest voice asked if he could show me the bowl.   Yes, yes he sure could.  Inside I'm doing the happy dance.   I explained to him as he was emptying it out that I had broke my husband's mother's bowl that was just like this.  What a surprise to find a replacement.

But my happy dance ended abruptly when he emptied the bowl and turned over only to find this:                     

"Not for Sale"

 



 

 

Oh, my.  All I could do was look at the poor fella with pain in my eyes (not really, no pain - just disappointment). Generally a "Not for sale" sign means it already belongs to someone or it's quite pricey.   But to my surprise he said - "That's ok.  This is the price it was before they decided to use it as a jewelry bowl."  as he's pointing to the marked out 5-. (I had not seen that)  I can sell it, he says.  

 

What happened  next surprised even me.  I asked him if he would consider taking less for it.  Who in their right mind dickers with Goodwill?  Who?   My mind was thinking $4.00, but my ears heard:  "How about $3.00?.   What???    It was all I could do to stay calm and poised and say, yea, sure, that's good.     "Hang on" he says, "while I run in the back and get another bowl."     What just happened here?  I'm thinking, "Hurry dude" before we get caught.    

 

Happy dance, happy dance, all the way to the car! ! ! ! 

 

I believe in miracles, you sexy thang. Oops, wrong song!

 

We moseyed on over to SA - where I found the Dream Catcher for Goldilocks and then to Halo - a Christian owned thrift store.  I paced again, like a caged cat, waiting my turn to rummage thru the glassware.  Some gal was buying up all the goodies,  I was sure of it.  When she finally moved on, I browsed what was left the shelves.  

 

Again an oddity caught my eye.  There sat two little bowls stacked together.  The one on top had what appeared to be an upside down lid in it.  Curiosity prompted me to touch it to see what it was.  The "lid" didn't move, so I picked up the bowl.  You can't imagine my surprise and excitement when I realized it was the very same pattern as the bowl I snagged at GW, and that it wasn't a bowl at all, but a candle holder! !   Best part ~ it was a whopping fifty cents!            

 

 

 

 

 

Here they are after their bath.  The pattern is Indiana milk glass, Cabbage Leaf pattern.  I love it!

 

Sometimes it all comes together, even in silly things.  $3.50 for a little nostalgia and a replacement ~ not bad for a day's thrifting, I would say.  Not bad at all.   But a day thrifting with kindred spirits ~  that, my friends, is  PRICELESS!                      



Morning Feeding

So, I thought I heard this guy early last week.

Bob confirmed it when he came in and said the same thing!

He found where he's feeding.
Here he is:

(That light color under his body is not part of him,

but where he's pecked away at the tree.)

 



A Pileated Woodpecker

He was tearing that tree up until I went out to snap a picture! 

Then it was a stand-off to see who would move first.

I lost.   I really wanted to get his full body length. 

He is huge and beautiful! 

And his call is incredible!

Ahhh. . . . . 

Vintage Vibe

I know you know that I love all things glass ~ and vintage (well, not ALL things vintage, but a good amount).  And I love finds, steals, gifts from family and friends and, aaand, a "shout out" from a kindred spirit on Pinterest!

Have you ever wanted something when you saw it?  Ogled over it?  Wanted it?  Couldn't afford it? Never got it, but it was always in the back of your mind?  I would say, "One day. . .. one day, I shall have one".  Well.  A month or so ago I was playing with paper at Dolly's house and before I left she sent Miss Sarah to the attic to fetch something.  Down came the following:

 

"Would you like this?" she asks.  Say what?  Be still my beating heart!  Why, yes, YES I WOULD!
You could have knocked me over with a feather.  Oh, Dolly!  Thank you so, so much! Insert Happy Dance! Ahhh. . . . chippy love!   I have pondered for a while as to how to use it. 
I'm sure the perfect thing will come to mind, but if not, I love 'er the way she is!

Then a couple weekends ago the Lion's Club here in town had a "community yard sale" in their building.  I hemmed and hawed over whether or not to go and finally caved around 11:30AM.  I know from experience that all things good and pretty and valuable are usually gone in a matter of minutes.  So I figured I was just going on a scenic tour of the place.  (I've  never been in their building before.)

But someone, aka: God, was watching out for me and my addiction!  Just look at what I came home with (all for under five buckeroos!):

Not one, but two, serving dishes!  $1.00 each.  They are pretty good sized.  Larger than a relish tray. The pattern is called "Star of David".  Told ya He was watchin' out for me.  Used them on the 4th.
Two little candle holders that I'm going to turn into pin cushion bases.  They are heavy as lead and very, very sparkly. And they were only a quarter each.
And lastly, (Heidi Jane ~ I can't believe it!) a tiny little Banana bowl!  That's right.  A.  Banana. Bowl.  It's a pressed diamond cut kind of pattern.  Cute.  Shiny. And tiny.  For ~ hold on ~ two smakeroos! Two!   Ahhh. . . . . Happy Jig! Happy Jig!

On our Annual 4th of July get together my sister surprised me with these:

Like my old Maxwell House coffee jars, they are vintage and they came from Dad's. (All but the little one in front ~ she picked it up at a thrift store).  The star lid on the little one belongs on one of the bigger jars, but the OCD in me wanted consistency.  (go ahead and laugh) The lids even have the old cardboard seals still in them!  I asked her why she gave them to me and you know what she said?  Because I said I liked them and if she ever got rid of them I would like them.  Now, how's that for sharing?  I'm going to use them on patriotic holidays for sure!  Already have it planned out in my noggin.  I love the scene on them ~ a kitchen counter with a window, a coffee mill, a coffee pot, a jar of coffee, utensils, a loaf of sliced bread and a vase of flowers.  Love it!

And then, today.  I'm on Pinterest and see I'm mentioned in a pin by my Kindred Spirit on the West Coast of this here United States of America.  She thought of little ole me when she pinned this:

It's an old Coke carrier like the one I have, only this gal (http://www.infarrantlycreative.net) put shelves in hers to hold pretties.  She even used black, white and red accents!  Can we say: "Oooooo, ahhhhh"?   It was sweet of Christie to think of me after reading my blog post about my Coke carrier.
Even sweeter that she remembered!

Life is too short not to enjoy things around us. It's too short not to share your love, your heart, your talent, your spirit and the things that connect us to one another.  Every day it seems I'm reminded of those that God has led into my life, be it for the long haul or for short stints.  I'm grateful for each and every one, even if I fail to say it.  I feel sometimes I am a miserable friend.  Sometimes I fall short ~ but mostly I just fall.  Flat.

Forgive me?
I love you guys!

Land of "The Lorax"

A couple weeks ago I ran  across a deal on Hibiscus trees.  They normally run around $25.00 to $30.00.  ~ the reason as to why I don't buy them.  To me that's a bit pricey for something you may not be able to nurse through the winter.  But, now, at $10.00 I can and will do that.  So do that I did.  I purchased two of them for my deck.  Yay for me! 

As much as I loved them, they looked  . . . . naked.  All exposed in those pots.  Something had to be done.  It was bugging me.  So I Googled ~  "companion plants for Hibiscus trees", and true to Google's form, it led me all over the universe to look at other tropical plants, but, not really answering my question.

A trip to my favorite local roadside nursery was in order.  Off I go with babes in tow  ~  tee-hee.
Pickin's were slim, it's a little late in the season, but they did have some things I could use. And I had to plant my strawberry pots as well. Each pot has nine cups, meaning I had to buy thirty-six little plants.  Adding that to the companions for my Hibiscus trees I thought I might have to leave one of the kiddos as payment!   Good thing they were on sale.  As we were meandering the isle Goldilocks spied some feathery looking Cock's Comb.  Mom-mom, she says, don't these remind you of The Lorax?  Well, yes, yes they do!  Into the flat they went!  I had my companions!  Through the eyes of a child ~ we should all live there!

 

 

Off we go.  I. Am. Stoked!   Got my stuff planted this weekend.  I like how it turned out.  During Reasy Peacey's birthday party Colin told Kelly that the plants in my Hibiscus pots reminded him of The Lorax.  Say what?  Seems some of us do live through the eyes of a child!  He said they felt like feathers ~ um. . . you touchin' my plants Dude?   He must be a hands on kinda kid! 

 

 



I am so glad I got them.  I never really thought about planting through the eyes of a child, but this year, can I  say,  my eyes were opened in a whole new way.  So now I have a little, very little, Lorax field on my deck.  I love how it turned out.  I am glad I didn't "poo-poo" Goldilocks's vision.  I'm glad I let her be my eyes.  I'm glad, I'm glad, I'm glad.

So, what do you think?   Does this remind YOU of  The Lorax?  Would you plant a Lorax field in your pots?  I hope so!

I will leave you with this.  I don't know why I like it, but it sort of ends my wordy little Lorax post!

Happy Day to Me!

I know ~ doesn't make a bit of sense, yet it's the most logical of sensible things to me.  No, I can't explain that statement.  Let's just roll with it, shall we?

I gifted myself something for Mother's Day.  Yes, I know, Mother's Day was just over a week ago. I'm a busy mama.  So, work with me here.

Boney Ol' Bugger, U.B., Ernest, Bing, ~ AKA:  BOB ~ took me antiquing for Mother's Day.  I love looking at old things, seeing how I am an old thing, and I feel right at home in those smelly ol' stores ~ I am, however, NOT smelly.  Let's just set that straight from the get-go. I am so inclined to come home and shower off the residue those buildings seem to impart on me.  

I usually just browse ~ if you've known me long enough, you know browsing is one of those things I love to do. It's a relative of window shopping (in case you didn't know that) and I love doing that too.
Neither costs a dime and my imagination gets to play all kinds of decorating games.  I love "free" and anything "practically free".  So, I was thrilled beyond thrilled when I stumbled upon my find!

A long, long time ago, Heidi Jane and I entered a contest on Susan Branch's blog (love her blog).  It was for a vintage banana bowl.  Can we just say: "Ooooo, Ahhhh."?  It was a shiny, crystally one.  Yep, all sparkly and saying my name. And if you know me, anything glass, especially clear, sparkly glass, makes me weak in the knees.  It was an anxious wait ~ mainly because Heidi Jane is the Queen of Contest Winners and I just knew she was going to get that thing.  But that was alright by me .  She is part of my Aaron and Hur team and I'm a thinkin':  "What's Hurs is mine!"  tee-hee   But, alas, neither of us won it.  tsk, tsk

But it never really left my mind.  I stalked banana bowls on E-bay and antique stores.  They range from pricey, to very, very pricey.  I didn't need one THAT badly.  But, it never left my mind.

So ~ as I was browsing Season's Best Antique store downtown I ran upon an item that made me stop in my tracks (other items just slowed me down a bit).  Stop dead, I did, glued to the price tag on an item that never really left my mind. Glued.  Could it be?  A typo perhaps?  Or more likely, I needed to put my glasses on to read the fine print.   Oh, by golly, it was true!  There in front of me sat a sparkly, shiny, crystal clear banana bowl.  For. . . . . . . . a whole whopping seven dollars and fifty cents! That's right!  Seven point five zero!   Can we just do a jig right now?  I picked that baby up, held her tight to me ~ you know, just in case, and headed straight for check out, only to play "Eye Spy" on the way out.  I spied a lot, but no time for stopping, you know, just in case.  Not in case I changed my mind, but in case someone realized there might need to be a price check on "Isle Getaway!".  But at check-out, the cashier assured me the price was right, but not without making a comment on it being pretty and at such a good price.  "Just hurry up buddy so I can get my find out of this store." I'm thinking.  And let's say, I didn't waste any time getting to the car.  There's a first time for everything!  Bob was even asking if I was sure I was done.  Now, THAT'S a FIRST! ! !

All shiny and sparkly!  I love her.

Doing what she does best.

I must really thank the booth owner for marking such a lovely thing
at such a lovely price!  Just. For. Me.

 Happy Day to ME!

Bat Master Son and His Side Kick, Goldilocks

Every now and then we encounter the very thing that will make a grown man scream like a girl:  A Bat.  One such encounter occurred Monday night as we were nonchalantly watching "Wheel of Fortune".  The girls were piled on the sofa with me.  Kelly was stretched out on the love seat and Ben was tethered to his phone in a chair behind me and the girls. 

You know how sometimes you think you see a flicker of something, but it's not really there?  Well, that's what I thought.  As I was getting ready to show Rease a quilt block I had made that day Helena screamed:  "There's a bat!".  Now that gets your attention in a hurry.  All business stops and we stare up toward the ceiling and sure enough here it comes, swooping and spiraling from the top of the stairs into the living room creating a pandemonium of great magnitude.  All girls jam up against me, taking cover underneath the box that holds my quilt blocks ~ 'cuase, ya know, bats love hair ~ Kelly bolts out of the house, I think and Ben ends up near the dining room on his belly.  That's where we all remained as we screamed like girls every time the bat would swoop down and circle.  It would go back up the stairs and return lickety-split-quick ~ just to torment us, not once, not twice, but hundreds of times. Okay, not hundreds, but a lot.  We were frozen where we were ~ except for Ben who, by then, was slithering on his belly across the floor to retrieve his phone.  It must have had the wing span of 5 feet!  No kidding.  Well, maybe 18 to 24 inches, but no smaller.  I'm almost sure of that! 

It finally went back up the stairs and didn't come back down.  Now there's food for thought.  Who's room did it decided to park its scary, batty little self in?  Hm?   It was up for debate.  Meantime, Kelly reappeared (with pillow on head, looking like she stepped out of a cartoon), Bob made his presence known, and discussion began on how to "remove" this beast from OUR home. It was a conundrum of sorts.

Since we couldn't "visually and easily see" this home invader and couldn't guarantee that it left by the same means in which it entered. Kelly decided to go to Colin's house for the night.
She gathered Baby Girl and left the older two to decide their fate.  They, being brave souls, decided to stay home and tough it out ~ until it was nearing bedtime.  I gently informed them that my bed was not big enough for four people.  They needed to chew on it for a bit. 

In the meantime what follows next, well, is typical for our home.  Bat Master Son (chaser of the bat, Master of his fate, and Son of my life) and his sidekick, Goldilocks (my heart throb) took matters into their own hands.

They don the safety gear - helmets, gloves, bats (as in baseball)
crab nets, flashlights and a tennis racket

He's going on a "Bat Hunt". . . . . Notice ~ all nooks and crannies are
covered.  No bat touching his skin, no sir!

Goldilocks is a little braver - more skin exposed,
but she's walking softly and carrying a big stick!

They suited up and proceeded to go on a "Bat Hunt".  All went dark upstairs as they tried to flush the beast from it's hiding spot.  Slowly, stealthily, they went from room to room, shaking curtains checking door frames, lamp shades, on top of and behind dressers. You name it, they checked it. All to no avail.  The beast was much more clever than they.  It had picked it's hiding spot well.  Away from probing eyes and "Bat Artillery.  Clever.  Little.  Beast. 

They gave up the hunt. They felt sure it was closed up in the third floor bedroom.  Sure of it.  But, just in case all upstairs doors were shut (either to keep the beast in or to keep him out).  Not being secure that the beast wouldn't enter their bedroom, the girls opted to stay with their dad.  No bats in his house.  They wouldn't have to sleep with one eye open ~ unlike the rest of us who were doomed to stay in the House of Bat.

Not seeing the beast for a couple hours, we felt confident (somewhat) that he was indeed trapped on the third floor.  So Bob and I retired for the night.

Just about midnight as I was settling into a deep sleep, my bedroom door flies open and in jumps Ben. Bat Master Son yells that he got the bat, but he thinks he knocked it out!
What?  Down I go to inspect the situation.  Yep, there he was, wrapped in the crab net.  He had emerged from only God knows where to descend back down the stairs, catching Bat Master Son off guard.  He swung the net and with one fell swoop and knocked the Beast down!

We stand there for a few seconds analyzing the situation and Bat Master Son asks for the flashlight.  He needed to check out the "Creature".  He bends over and touches it with the flashlight.  The bat flips out and looks like it's about to take flight.  That's all I can say, because Bat Master Son and I both screamed and did the "Curly Shuffle" to exit the area just in case our lives were in jeopardy!
I didn't realize I still had it in me to move that fast!  Whew, I guess when your life is on the line you can do miraculous things.   I heard Bob laughing up stairs.  Yea, he can laugh because he wasn't on the front line, defending his homeland.  But, we didn't let him off Scot free.  He got to take the Beast outside and rid us of it.  Whatever went down out there is between Bob, the Beast and the Heavens. 

Ahhh.   Sweet peace.   All's calm on the Home Front, at least until the next adventure, be it plumbing, traveling or bat hunting.

Kentucky . . . .

I feel like Dan'l Boone.  I need to live in Ol' Ken-tuc.  Yep, I do.  But I am here ~ on the sandy land of the Eastern Shore. None-the-less, I shall be happy where I am ~ so I say to myself. 

The last two days of my mini (unexpected, but very much appreciated) vacation went by in a blur.  Well, for that matter, the whole time there flew by like it had the devil on it's heels!  I barely had time to turn around before I walked back in my own back door.  Ridiculous.

The Saturday before I came home I had the pleasure of being able to go to one of Sarah-Sponda's Guard competitions.  It was great.  Those kids work so hard to do what they do.  And the hard work shows in their performances.  Sarah did a great job and I am so proud of her. 



Sarah during Guard competition.  (I know she's in there ~ I saw her!)

It's a story played out using a combination of rifles, flags, dance and theater.  All set to music.

Then, it was home the next day.  Long drive with pleasant memories and a sad heart at leaving my loves behind:

I Love You

Hope and Baby A ~ who's not a baby anymore :(

Just in case one is curious as to what my boy's agenda was for the weekend, well, he was able to go to
opening day at Keenland (a horse racing track).  It was a fine affair:  suit and tie, dressy clothes for all and the women wore hats! 

2nd day of Keenland ~ not quite as formal.  Handsome
dudes, I must admit.

We won't talk about who won or lost on a horse.  Nope.  For one (or two) it could be painful. 
But even with that, I believe life long memories were made by all.  And Mattie (Ben's friend), well, I think he could just move there with no hesitation at all!

Little Boy Blue

Sometimes life hands you a squirrely basket.  Sometimes that basket is overflowing with nutty situations.  And then, sometimes, life  hands you a gift basket.  I got a gift basket on the third of this month.  Quite unexpected. But most assuredly appreciated.

I got to fill an empty seat heading to Kentucky.  It was a last minute thing ~ like the day before the trip last minute ~ and the best part is the kids ironed out the details:  mostly the babysitting part of my life.  The rest was easy peasy with only one stipulation ~ I couldn't, repeat, couldn't, be a backseat driver.  No way.  No how.   I was gently told I would be put to the side of the road.  (tee-hee).  I don't know what makes Ben think I'm a backseat driver.  No earthly idea.  I eagerly promised with some hesitation in my mind, 'cause ya know, it's hard giving up control.  Hard I tell ya, but the reward at the end would be well worth minor heart attacks in the back.  Besides, I had a great opportunity to read  (when I wasn't eyeing the road).

I made Jenny promise not to tell the girls I was coming. I wanted it to be a surprise ~ and you never know, things could've gone wonky here before I got the chance to leave.  Then hearts would have been broken all the way around. And I would have been ticked, and cried all week.  No one wants me in that situation.  No one.

I must say the secret kept well and the looks and reactions of the girls was as priceless as it gets.  I would not have traded those moments for all the tea in China!  Three squealed and one broke down in tears.  Chokes me up just reliving the whole thing. Love knows no boundaries when it comes to family.  It's always an open book with tons of chapters to be written.  And I love to write.

I got to spend Thursday and Friday with Hope, Erica, Alicia, Alaina and Little Boy Blue!  Can I just tell you he took my heart right out of my chest the moment I laid eyes on him.  He still has it.  Just when you think you can't squeeze another ounce of love from your body God hands you this:

 A small bundle of Heaven sent love.  Fresh and sweet.  Gentle as a spring breeze.

 

 

He has every single one of his Aunties wrapped around that tiny little finger of his.  He couldn't grunt
without being picked up. If he stretched, someone was there. And he certainly didn't have to cry for more than three seconds before being rescued, nuzzled and soothed.  Yes, yes, we think we will keep him.  For. Ev.  Er.

I have more to write about my quick but wonderful trip.  I  shall do that soon.  Very soon.  But for now I must run and do something un-fun like venturing to Wally World.  And we ALL know how I feel about that place. 

But before I go and before I forget, I want to thank Kellifer for borrowing vacation time so I could go, I want to thank Jenny for asking her, and I want to thank Benjamin for taking me. 

It was a wonderful trip. 

 

 

 

 

Sweet Surprise

Sometimes it's the little surprises that have the most impact. 
Like last night for example.   Bob and I went to the PO after picking up our regular Friday night pizza. We hadn't been since Hope left on the 1st of August.  The sad thing is ~ the PO is across the street!  For the shame of it all!

As I'm sorting thru the mail, separating mine, Kelly's and Ben's, I run across a card addressed to me:
I'm excited and curious at the same time.  It's printed like an invitation, and seeing who it's from really makes me curious.  She just graduated ~ so that can't be it.  I don't even want to entertain any other kinds of ideas.   Noooo Ma'am.  Not gonna.  Excited because the stamp is a rooosterrrr!
Couldn't wait to get home to open it!  Pizza can wait.  Cards cannot.

Can I tell you when I looked inside I was giddy with joy?  (It wasn't "the other kinds of possibilities"!  PTL! ! )  This is what greeted me:

Let me just say, love is an understatement!  I tear up just writing this.  Such a blessing to end my week! How she managed to find a card that fit was just too cool!   But then I open the card ~ and this is what I see:

Can I just cry now and be done with it? 

Surprise doesn't quite fit the bill.  I was elated!

This isn't a store bought card at all ~ which is the icing on the cake because these are HER words!

I flipped it over to see what program she used to make it. 

And ~ hellloooo:

All I can do is smile.

Thank you Alicia for such kind and thoughtful words.

I love you so very much!

So.  Very.   Much.

Love,

Mom-mom