I Love These Flowers

I'm so glad I can enjoy them.

Need for a New Post

It drives me nuts when I don't have a new post up - and the same one keeps showing up.

But I don't have anything to post about, not really.

I've been cleaning upstairs because Joy and Ben and Brennan and Knox Finch will be staying overnight at our house tomorrow(Saturday) night.  I'm giving them the same two rooms I give the Moores when they are here.  When I clean, I think.  I think and think and think.  About random things.  My thought process is all over the map.

First.  The saga continues.  I don't like housecleaning.  I don't like it.  I'm very slow with it because I'm so easily distracted.  Like now, for instance.  I just came down to, um - I can't remember why I came downstairs - but here I am at my laptop.  Posting.

Then, if I go in the closets I run across old books, pictures - and there I go - looking.

But this is something I know.  If ever I can do to my house what I want to do - well, I would love to have real doors.  Not those hollow fake things that I have.  I probably will go to my grave with the hollow fake version - but oh well.  I thought of all of that as I was dusting the little crevices of the doors - or the recessed areas.  Do you know what I mean?  I hate doing that, but I hate seeing the dust that settles there.

What else did I think of?

Well, when I'm cleaning the bathroom, which is too small - but - I think of those years when all four of my girls shared that bathroom - all the fights and laughing and crying and yelling and getting hair done and baths - and in those days there was a lot of hairspray used.  It would get all over the walls.  and the surfaces.  Now it's so different - but they still explode their cosmetic and hair things all over it when they are here - Kate's here now.  Sarah just left recently.

And then I have to pick up those little framed verses I have everywhere and the framed quotes - to dust them.  But I still like the ones I have - and my favorite is from the book WE WOULD SEE JESUS  by Roy and Revel Hession.  That is a book I "cut my spiritual teeth on" when I was first rescued from the kingdom of darkness - and brought into the kingdom of light -  So the quote is:

"GRACE PERMITS US TO COME (NAY, DEMANDS THAT WE COME) AS EMPTY SINNERS TO BE BLESSED, EMPTY OF RIGHT FEELINGS, GOOD CHARACTER, AND SATISFACTORY RECORD, WITH NOTHING TO COMMEND OURSELVES BUT OUR DEEP NEED, FULLY AND FRANKLY ACKNOWLEDGED."

I recommend that book - but in the present I recommend a book that Kate got at her recent RUF conference.  It's by Tim Keller.  COUNTERFEIT GODS.  I picked it up the other night after she'd gone to bed and got halfway through it.  But she's had it since then & I want to finish it.  So good.

Okay - have to finish.  I'm almost done but then there's downstairs and I have to also get those dust bunnies that are all over my long staircase.

At least I replaced the last post.

We Grew Up Together

My Cousins.  We grew up together.

 As adults we have all agreed that it was as if we had our parents, but also 3 other sets.  Below is my aunt, Florence, appearing to "shake" a bottle for her 2 month old, Rachel.  This occasion is my 2nd birthday and that is my head behind the cake.  Mary Ann, who would be 4 1/2, is standing there at the end of the table.

Mother lighting my candles.  I look confused and bewildered.

I'm guessing Mary Ann, Scott and Rusty would blow the candles out for me.

I don't look like I'm ready for that task.

September 1955

Our back yard on Williams Street.

Suzanne at the back, then Scott, Rusty, Mary Ann, and our neighbor, Sherry.

I'm to the left.  Rachel is to the right.

On that same day, these are the moms.

Florence with the towel.  (I'm guessing someone was going to either give her a perm, or cut her hair.)

That is Mother in the skirt.  A neighbor they're talking with.  Looks like Evelyn Snowden Booker to me.  Rachel is in the white shorts and Mary Ann standing on the other side of the saw horse.

I can tell that's Lucille sitting on...the ground?  A stool?

And my fifth birthday party.

I really do remember watching Mother make that cake.

It was pale blue with small silver beads.  They have a name.  Can't think of them.

That is the same cake stand used at my 2nd birthday party.  It belonged to Ella and is now on a table in my dining room.

I won't bore you, but I remember so many details about this party.

That is my grandmother, Ella to the right, in the white dress, with sunglasses.

I'm in the forefront with the parasol, kneeling with my friend, Bobby Small.

Same Party - Rusty behind my little cousin, Jim.

Scott in front of him, blowing up the balloon.

All 3, my cousins.

Same Party.

Scott to the right.

John in back on my tricycle.

Jim, again.

John is the oldest brother to Jim.

Mary Ann's birthday party.  January 16.

In the back, Rachel, John in the cowboy hat, Scott on the ground, pretending to be shot,

and Mary Ann leaning over him.

January 16, 1954.

First Birthday Party at our new house on Williams Street.

Mary Ann was Five.

My older cousin, Suzanne, seems to be arranging the group.

Her younger brother, Rusty, doesn't look pleased.

Mary Ann in the white sweater and dark dress.

Scott behind Suzanne's arm.

Go back to 1951, I'm in the stroller and Rusty is showing me a duck.

Mary Ann's 5th Birthday, again.

Suzanne, left, Scott, next.

The little boy wandering off is that same Bobby Small in the above picture at my 5th Birthday Party.

And you can see Daddy's telltale shadow of him taking the picture.

I've scanned a lot of pictures today.

These are some that include my cousins.  

The cousins not in these photos are Bert, our oldest.

and Melissa, Mary Claire, and Edward - the 3 who were not yet born, younger siblings to John and Jim.

These are a microscopic slice of what I was fed on - growing up - a sample under a slide - 

Safety, Relationships, Going Home at Night to Mother and Daddy and Mary Ann.

I know that blogs sugar coat.  I'm not faking this one.

I also know that our memories usually include the best stuff.

It's also in a child's mind's eye.  I know, too, that my personality is wired to LOVE this stuff.  

I did, and I do.

Moving Kate Home - We're Done

It was a full day - hot.  But we got it done.

We did a final recap before leaving and Kate's emotions unraveled.

We talked about the last 4 years, the last 11 years.  

How did we get here?  But it was time to go.  

We'd finished packing.

From a Blog Recommendation to Sharing My Heart

Whoa!

There is a blog world out there!  Understatement!

By following a rabbit trail one day, I found a very good source for more rabbit trails - more directions in this blog maze.

If you go to this (group) blog on a day when you might have time to meet some new ladies - wow - there are incredible stories there.  I like to go to the featured writer's site and then first read the "About".  They all have an "about" and some with stories which cause me to gasp.    Some of the things people experience, and I mean, in this case, believers, (but of course nonbelievers do, too) and then they write how they live out these broken lives in God's restoration and sanctification.

I understand that you know and I know - we both know - that this can eat up way too much time.  But still - I like to think of it as reading several short stories instead of a novel.

Also - these ladies on this site - well - they are gifted writers and a lot of them great photographers - most of them in the young category - but a few moving into my age bracket (58 until July when I move up a digit), most of them with small children - but their blogs have so many ads and links on them, meaning, it's such a popular blog that it's good marketing strategy to have an ad on this lady's blog.  A lot of the ads are for charitable causes because due to each lady's particular trial which she's experienced, it's opened up an avenue to help others out of her brokenness.

Okay - so it leaves me thinking.

Well, it leaves me saying, again, no...praying again and saying to God -

"I'll do what you want me to do.  I'm yours.  Use me how You will.  Where I'm apathetic, awaken me, stir me, create passion - make me hot, not lukewarm and please not cold - although He says he prefers cold to that sickening lukewarm.  But I want to be a flame - bright - for Him - but it often feels like I'm a tiny ember.  Even though I don't want to, I'll leave my comfort zone - I will - It's not in the wanting to, it's in the willing to.  I want to let go of my idols - I want to move them out - of my heart as having a place on my worship table.  Change my heart, change my mind, change my attitude.  Open my eyes to see the way You see - invade me, invade my world, my space - that's what I continue to pray.  Reveal my sin - what do I not see in myself?  Bring me to repentance."

It doesn't seem like I touch lives at all.  It doesn't seem like I give much of myself.  and I don't want to do that just for the activity of it.  Just for the good feeling of doing a good thing.  I want to do what He calls me to do.  So it's in the trusting Him to complete the work He began in me in March of 1968.  Really I was written in His book before the beginning of time - but he breathed eternal life into me in 1968.  I'm His business.  I'm not my business, except to continually place myself at His feet - saying yes, whatever. I'm Yours. and to eat the food He's provided - His word - and to drink His water of Life.  And to embrace  whomever and whatever He places in my life - as a gift.  Whether it's sandpaper or silk.  Yes?  Am I right?

Because - did you read that other post about Psalm 36?

I take refuge in the shadow of His wings.
I feast on the abundance of His house.
And He gives me drink from the river of His delights.

That's what I want.  I don't know what all that involves, but there's no other course to take.

It has to be Him.

I HAVE A LOT OF PICTURES

It's nearly impossible for me to tell a story in  just a few words.
It's nearly impossible for me to answer anyone's simple question with a simple sentence or two.

It's also nearly impossible for me to use a few pictures in my post - when I have so many.

I have had Ellie, Luke and Andrew with me today - beginning at around 11:00 am and their parents will return tomorrow close to the same time.... I think.

I find the most effective posts to be those of few words and a few choice photos.  I can't do it - but I'm going to try.

DISCLAIMER:  I'm not the grandmother this post will make me appear to be.  I like the idea of it - and I thought I would be this grandmother - it's who I wanted to be - or maybe HOW I wanted to be.  I just always thought that by the time I was a grandmother there would be very few distractions in my life.  That I would have nothing to do but be a very very very fun, creative grandmother.

So, I've known in advance that I would have E, L, and A today and tomorrow.  I remember not ever being glad if my parents were gone - no matter how much I loved my grandmother.  So - I just wanted this to be fun for them - no regrets - and I wanted to make some memories.  I really don't have all 3 often.  I can't remember when I've had all 3 of them with their Mom and Dad gone.

First, before they came I looked up recipes for play dough.  I used to make that all the time for my girls.  I found the recipes but didn't have the ingredients.  It takes huge amounts of cream of tarter and salt and some call for cornstarch.  There are different recipes.  I didn't have what I needed.

So - they got here at 11ish.  Ann left while I was boiling the water for Mac n Cheese.  Also, Andrew arrived incredibly sleepy - so he went down for a nap almost immediately.

Ellie was already in pretend mode - so I continued the idea - and became the waitress.  She loved it.  Luke was game.  Notice what Ellie and I refer to as "Apple Wine" - in the stemware.  Straight out of my china cabinet.  As I served it Luke seemed a bit nervous.  He asked, "Is it wine?".  I whispered in his ear, "Apple Juice, we're just pretending".

It was their idea to toast.  They "clinked their glasses" several times.

and from lunch they moved into pretending in the kitchen, while I cleaned up - and Ellie suggested that they make small cakes and decorate them.  To her great surprise I went along with it and pulled out my oversized cupcake tins.  We made the cupcakes from scratch - and while they "rested", I cleaned that up and prepared the icing.  Luke chose blue icing.  Ellie struggled between Pink and Purple - so, being in a very indulgent, extravagant mood, I gave her both.

Luke and His Blue Icing

Ellie and Her Pink and Purple

Ellie's hand, working....

and Luke's.

Ellie remained intent....

Luke began to "cut up" with the camera

And they both tasted a LOT.

(Bear in mind, they had access to 3 bowls of icing, and double and triple and quadruple dipping and licking abounded - my thoughts were, "HAVE AT IT!" - I was earning major grandmother points all the while)

From behind the camera I said to them, as they licked a lot, 

"I want you both to pay attention to how your tummies feel.  All of that licking is going to start to make your tummy hurt - so you need to quit when you feel uncomfortable".

I gave them a glass of water to wash it down.  

Luke was the first to push away.

Ellie, next.

Somewhere in the  midst of all of that Andrew had waked up.

He meandered around the kitchen while I  cleaned and assisted.

Here are their creations

I couldn't resist these photo ops

and

From there they went into the Living Room and watched a bit of Channel 7.

That's all I get that time of day.  

Luke begged me, after I cleaned, to please help him build a house with Leggos.

I did, finally - bless him - he waited and waited.

and together he and Ellie worked on something

And then the sun came out so we went outside

and played in the dirt.

We set up in the front yard.  It seemed drier in front, after so much rain.

Ann knows this, Steve knows it, all who know Ellie know it,

nothing is ever simple with her.  There always has to be more - take it all up several notches -

so she wanted me to pull out these lawn chairs as well, and she went inside to bring out a few animals and books.  It was some kind of a yard scene she was setting up.  I wasn't sure. 

Her brothers were enjoying it.  I could only imagine how it looked to others passing by.

As it drew closer to Charlie's time to come home,

Luke and I somehow evolved into a pretend baseball game.

I was walking across the yard with Andrew on my hip - the large, deep front yard - and Luke began running so hard toward me.  I pretended I was applauding him and the next thing I know, we're in a pretend baseball game.  I would throw an imaginary ball, he would hit a home run, I would cheer him from base to base and he'd get  into home plate safe every time.  Ellie got in on it, cheering him from her "lawn chair", and finally became a player too.  When Charlie arrived we were whooping and hollering and anyone would think there was a baseball game going on.  I just kept thinking, "they're running all that sugar off".

But imagine as we're in baseball mindset, Charlie gets out of the car with all of this authentic baseball gear for Luke!

and Charlie's affirming smile as Luke models it

Andrew enjoyed throwing the baseball

This super duper stuff came from the son of one of Charlie's assistants.

He plays great little league baseball in Huntsville and has all the gear for it.

He has been generous enough to pass down some of the things he's outgrown.  

It thrills Luke and he wanted to sleep, tonight, in those batting gloves.

I just couldn't let him. His hands would be so sweaty and yukky.

From outside we came in for baths and dinner.

Scrambled Eggs, Grits, Toast and Apple Juice...

and their cupcakes.