God is in CONTROL

Monday, June 27, 2011

SevenThings I Learned From My Granddaughter

Campbell and Bethany just left this morning after four fun days!  Bethany had several photo shoots so that meant that we had little Miss C all to ourselves!  We had to be on our toes and draw on everything we remembered from raising her Momma and Uncle Marshall.  Here's what this Grandma learned from the whole experience.


1. Little girls who stay up past their bedtimes don't sleep in -- they just wake up earlier.


2. When you turn one, your Nana has to learn to change diapers on the move --


3.  Refrigerator  "surfing" is a good pass time for little girls who are in need of something to do.





4.  Strollers work just as well inside as outside to quiet a little lady who didn't nap long enough and woke up before Nana got HER nap.Pappa to the rescue!!!

5. Pappas are the best stroller drivers b/c they sing while they push 'em.


6. When you're not quite walking--- knees get you where you want to go much more quickly --- and making it to the top of the stairs is soooo much fun!




7.  If you wrinkle up your nose and give a big wide grin - it will get you ANYTHING YOU WANT!

Monday, June 20, 2011

Birthday Celebration

  Now that Bethany has shared Campbell's birthday blog -- I'll post mine. 


                                                                                                                                          photo by Rachel at Love is Rising
Last Saturday evening when we got to Bethany and Mat's place in Kansas City it was "Birthday Central"  Bethany had a lengthy to-do list for us all to work from and it as a whirlwind of activity- from the time we arrived until we went to bed on Sunday night -- it was soooo  much fun!  Nobody worked as hard as Bethany and Mat - and I would have to say Katie and Marshall ran a close second.

Bethany's theme was Flamingos (since they stand on one leg -- and C turning ONE - it seemed to fit).  Bethany is the ultimate party planner and that came early in her life (at 6 she planned a surprise birthday party for me with her daddy and asked me who I wanted to invite to my surprise party)  This year, true to course, Bethany even worked in a birthday dinner for me on Saturday evening the night before Campbell's birthday bash!--



Campbell was quick and into everything!
Two days before, on Friday, C took her first three steps while visiting her great Granddad Good for the first time and then teased us the rest of the weekend -- but wouldn't quite get up the confidence to walk again.  She became "rubber legs" every time we tried to get her to do so.




So many GOOD memories - 


everybody pitching in to pull this party off -- 
  
Marshall and Katie left Denver late Saturday night and made it in about three hours before the party!!!  What a welcome sight!! We were all thrilled they could make it.  They got to stay only about 7 hours ~


With an 80% chance of rain -- Terry and Katie working together to put up a portable canopy
(loaned from next door neighbors)  HOWEVER no rain -- lots of prayers and Hallelujahs for that break in the weather)  

Marshall was the designated "snow cone maker" and worked out of that tent all afternoon making sure everybody was well taken care of.


Campbell and Dirvy were thrilled with the wagon Pappa and her Daddy put together --


Don't know who enjoyed it more!
                                                                  photo by Rachel at Love is Rising

There was a water table, and inflatable baby pool with, a bubble machine and a ladder game the adults played.  Campbell was totally enthralled with the pool, the children and playing with sticks.
                                                                           photo by Rachel at Love is Rising


These two are sooooo competitive!













Campbell loved her little pool -- 
it amazed Grammy Jan and I as we watched  over her "swimming" how long she sat mesmerized by the water





                                                                                                                                                       photo by Rachel at Love is Rising
She planted face down!  More sugar than she's had in her entire life!!!!


Lots of Yummy treats:

There were stuffed jalapenos, taco bites, cheeses, fruits, veggies and lots of deeeeeelicious sweets

One little two-yr. old must have eaten a half dozen of Bethany's strawberry cake balls (with Flamingo skewers, of course)
My favorite, too --  --                                           photo by Rachel
Cute flamings to carry out the theme made by B's friend Elizabeth Fank -- Photo by Rachel


Bethany set up a photo booth for all the guests to have their pictures made with Campbell - Rachel snapped some great ones!!!
 





Our thoughts were also of Parker Grace

Lilies we planted last June in honor or Parker Grace.








and we released a dozen purple balloons for her celebration in Heaven with a prayer by her Pappa.







Friday, June 17, 2011

Traces . . .

 
Traces of Relationships --

My attic toss project is evolving and as I went through tubs of my Mother's yesterday, I found letters exchanged between she and my Dad before they married and valentines they gave each other throughout their marriage of 51 years.   My greatest find was letters from my grandmother, whom I had never known, written to my mother -- I can't wait to sit down with these and learn more about this special lady.


There were letters from Terry's mother written to me in college (before she became my mother-in-law).

Letters that my mother's friends had written to me my first few weeks in college --

I kept lots of these and I can't wait to read 'em --

I filled a 39-gallon trash can with all the other cards Mom and Dad received from others or exchanged with each other. There were tons that my brothers and I had sent to them. . . . all of these representing traces of relationships and reminders of precious relationships --


I looked at that bulging trash can and thought "Hallmark surely made a lot of money on that!"
In all of these -- one dominant theme -- expressions of love and caring the words unsaid were "you matter to me"

We do it differently now -- we text message a few words -- we shoot off an e-card, e-mail or we send some crazy forward that tells us we are loved and if we don't hurry and send it on in 8 sec.we won't get our wishes granted -- - writing letters and sending cards are going out of fashion.


Traces of my  past --
I found my report cards from elementary school

         ---- my dolls and all the doll clothes my mother had painstakingly made -- one poor doll was so old her leg had disintegrated (I told you my Mother was a treasure keeper)

               --- 4-H project books and ribbons earned

                   --- my childhood Bible

 -   my college projects that I'd labored over  for days some 40+ years ago

--an evaluation of my first year of teaching -- certificates from  various volunteer organizations --

                                       
                   there were letters written from a foster daughter who was with us for 19 months in the late 70's

                            artwork done by a high school foreign exchange student who lived with us during Bethany's first year
                             

Church bulletins and newspaper articles when we arrived at a new church -- the same when we moved on

                              Special accomplishments or recognitions granted -
                                       -thank you notes for some act of kindness

This much needed Attic Purge Project has flooded me with memories and given me impressions of my "people" and traces of the past that connect to my future and are a part of who I am at this moment.

I have been blessed to know such loving people through family, friends and church - People who left impressions and traces  on my life -- all are a part of my forever family -I'm gonna have an eternity  to spend time retracing and reconnecting these relationships!

Friday, June 10, 2011

Treasures

It's been a good day -- it was all about treasures. . .

                 Got a phone call from a very close friend from childhood and
                             had a new friend to lunch to work on children's curriculum--treasured friendship

                                   Got a beautiful home-baked birthday cake and a visit from two special teens
                                                   at Church - treasured gifts of the heart and hands







Finished my "Nana-stitching" for Campbell. What a treasure to sew for this little bundle of joy!   Here's a couple of my favorites:


Memory treasures . . .
I took a walk down memory lane and sorted a couple of keepsake tubs that I found in my attic purging project:

In my mom's tub, I found keepsake boxes she'd created  -- one held baby shoes and an envelope of baby teeth.(funny memo on the envelope- she had no idea whose they were -- oh well   -- there were letters I'd written her from college one of them marked "save" wonder what I said? -- mail from my brothers --and it seemed ALL the cards anyone had EVER sent her.


My tub held an article I had written for a ministry magazine way back in 1983, entitled, "So You Want to Marry A Minister" (10 helpful pointers --- hmmm maybe I'd better re-read that.),  letters from Terry when he was in India while we were dating, the flute I played in elementary and middle school,  my 2nd grade reading glasses and a straw bonnet from my childhood.  My mother was the ultimate treasure keeper.

You can only save so much -- how many tokens from your past does it take to help you remember what a happy childhood you had?  I'm not certain -- but the time remembering was so rich -- they were sort of anchors to the past --
                       the time spent with friends was even more a blessing securing me to the future.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011


It's hard to believe that this little lady will be one year old -- just 6 days from now.  I remember those weeks of bouncing her on a huge therapy ball beside the humming vacuum cleaner to get her to finally sleep.
Her family and friends are coming together to celebrate this blessed year we've had with her in a few days.  God's grace has been with us these past 12 months as we've savored every bit of time we could get with her.  It's sure to be a gala event -- I won't share the theme -- but it's one only her momma could think of --of course I'll post the pictures.


In a parenting class last night, the DVD teacher, Tim Kimmel talked about how Hope and Grace are the two sides of a coin. It was a beautiful lesson on the helplessness of our babies and how as we extend grace to them, meeting their every need, we give them hope, building in them a sense of anticipation and trust.   He went on to parallel the fact that our Father has built that same Hope in us as HE's  gracefully cared for us.

That's our two girls -- While we're celebrating a beautiful year together down here with Campbell Hope our own precious Parker Grace knows the fullness of HIS grace and love. She's basked in His love and celebrated the glory of being in His presence these months.  Heaven is even dearer and sweeter now --Some day we'll be a forever family with you, Parker Grace -- our thoughts will be with you this weekend. You are our treasure.  Love you, Nana

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Look at this little peeper???
Can't you just read her mind . . . "hmmm what's up here I can get my hands on???"

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