Overheard in the Sequoia

So, we are cruising along in the Sequoia tonight (BTW - I still LOVE this vehicle!) listening to the local radio station play "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere", when Mike asks Morgan "So Morgan, what is the one thing wrong with this song?!" To which she responds, totally serious, "It's Country!"  It was hilarious. So after we stop laughing,  Mike responds, "Well yay, but the real answer, which your mom had noticed, is that the song says it's 'only half past twelve' where he is, so it's impossible for it to be 'five o'clock somewhere' else, it either has to be 4:30 or 5:30"  So, has anyone else ever noticed this? And no, I won't stop listening to country even if my daughter doesn't like it! (And besides, she's a big Taylor Swift fan...so she likes a bit of country herself.)

A to Z Ice Cream Fun

I'm working on our A to Z Summer Fun list again! (Except the girls really want to do Z to A this summer, so now I'm redoing the list!) :) Looking forward to these fun times with the girls. I'll post the list sometime later, but last week, just for fun, the girls and I dreamed a little bit about how much fun it would be do an A to Z ice cream list - I'm not sure our budget nor our waistlines could handle it, but it's fun to dream!

A - Andy's Frozen Custard (one way or another we'd find a way to make Andy's First!)
B - Blizzards or Banana Splits
C - Coldstone or Cherry Berry
D - Decadent Dove Bars
E - Eclair Bars
F - Frozen Custard (from Andys, of course!)
G - Giant Bowls of Frozen Yumminess
H - Homemade Ice Cream
I - Ice Cream Sandwich Cake
J - James Brown Funky Jackhammer
K - Klondike Bars
L - Lemonade (frozen)
M - Malts
N - New Flavor or Nuts on Top
O - Orange Leaf or Orange Sherbet
P - Popsicles or push-ups
Q - Queen Visit (Dariy Queen, That is!)
R - Root-beer Floats
S - Sundaes or Sonic Slushies or Sherbet
T - Twist Cones
U - U Scream, I Scream, We all Scream for Ice Cream
V - Vanilla Cones
W - Waffle Cones or Wendy's Frosties
X - Xtra Toppings
Y - Yogurt (the frozen kind, from Andy's, again!
Z - Zestos (which would require a 2.5 hour drive, but hey, it's summertime!)

So...if anyone wanted to fund these 26 days of summer fun for us - our family would be ecstatically happy and we'd even promise to get plenty of exercise this summer!! :) LOL

Choking Back the Tears

Yes, I've been choking back the tears all day. My daughter can simply not be old enough to be touring the Middle School today! And then at bedtime tonight do you know what she told me? She had the nerve to tell me that I can no longer sing "You are my Sunshine" to her because she is 'too old' for that! So, I admit, maybe she is, but after almost 11 years of singing that song to her, it makes me just a wee bit weepy to think that I will no longer get to sing that to her again. She is an amazing kid (both my girls are) and I'm glad I get a front row seat to watching her (them) grow up, but as I said on facebook earlier today, I don't want time to stop, I just wish it would slow down a bit! I'm glad she's excited about being able to join band in MS...and her biggest fear about middle school?! Go ahead guess! There are 4 different lunch lines - yikes! I just wish that was my biggest fear about her middle school years! At least Sarah told me I could still sing "You are My Sweetheart" to her! :)

Love, Two of the Sweetest Kids

While the past hour is still fresh in my mind, I'm pausing to 'capture' it.

First my day began with a phone call from my own mom! How sweet to hear her voice first thing in the morning! I love her! And hope she has a beautiful day! I wish 650 miles didn't separate us today (okay, I wish that everyday!)

Then sleepy girls emerged from their bedrooms - the first thing on their minds was finding me and wishing me a Happy Mother's Day and placing in my hands homemade cards of love. Such sweetness. Sarah wanted to 'snuggle' and Morgan wanted Daddy to get up so he could get me my present!

And my present...a new lounge chair! My last one the squirrels chewed up the first year we moved  here. So, they bought me a 'squirrel proof one'! I set it up in my bedroom, so I could have 'breakfast in my lounge chair' in lieu of 'breakfast in bed'! :)

So my waitress (Sarah) shows up, with a towel over her arm, fairy-danced hair, and chocolate at the corners of her mouth.  "What would you like, mam?" "How about some chocolate chip pancakes and some orange juice?" "Ok, I will be right back with that."

When my tray arrives, it has a sweet napkin note, a daisy, and of course breakfast.  And I just had to smile at how they signed the napkin - "Love, Two of the Sweetest Kids" - Oh, I do have to agree with that!

Well the restaurant continues for awhile with them cooking Mike up some eggs and him giving the waitress a hard time about being out of orange juice. I ask what the name of this fine establishment is and they respond "The Two Daughters".  Apparently they are open 24/7. We will definitely have to come back! And our meal...was free!! Oh yay! 

And then the best part - my ears hear that they have hired a dishwasher (Morgan) - and as Mike reports back to me, "The kitchen looks awesome!" I am so spoiled. and loved. and blessed. We are heading out soon to hike my favorite trails at Roaring River State Park and enjoy a picnic lunch. I do believe this is a perfect mother's day!

Here are a couple pics of my 'sweetest kids'... 

This is Sarah laying in the hammock with me the other day
after school. It is so her right now - lost in the world of a good book
and constantly popping her expander out of her mouth!

Morgan & I about to begin our 5K Friday night!
We had a good time! 

Oh, and as I'm finishing this up, Morgan brings some of my 'stuff' to put away in my room - which means, she has not only cleaned up the kitchen, she is also picking up the house (and I think her sister is helping)!! So glad I get to be the mom of these two amazing girls!!

Smiles

To be honest, I've been in a 'funk' lately. I look around me and I know that I have a million or more things to be thankful for. I know I'm living this amazing life and have reason after reason to smile. And yet I feel depression seeping into my soul and I wonder why?  I really want to just 'snap out of it'. I wish I could. I'm trying.

So, I'm taking Mike's advice for me today...

Maybe do something you enjoy/love like writing? When I do something I enjoy it helps my mood. Maybe you should get that stuff ready to send to a publisher? WHATEVER you do, do not worry about the house or getting it cleaned up!!!

I know, he's pretty much...AMAZING. And so,  it's 12:05 and I still haven't got my shower because I have been getting things printed up to send my ideas off to publishers and editors. It's felt good. Mostly. It's kinda scary too...taking the risk...facing rejection. And yet, I know I have to try. Writing makes me feel alive. I love sharing my ideas and thoughts with others. So, we'll see.

A few other things that have made me smile lately. (If I focus on the positive, on the gifts God has given me in my life...then that leaves less room for whatever this 'funk' is, right?!)

• Sarah laying in the hammock with me yesterday after school reading her book (Wayside School) and saying to me "Ahh, this is the life."  Yes, yes, it is. 
• That I am healthy enough to run a 5K with Morgan tonight. And that her and I are both looking forward to it. 
• Flowers my mom & dad sent us brightening up my kitchen
• Daisies growing in unexpected places in my yard. 
• Day after day of simply perfect weather! 
• The baby birds in Sarah's window. Although, I fear some larger bird came and ate them...only 6 days old and they vanished! :( Mom & Dad Robin seemed to be 'upset' - checking nest. But I did enjoy the miracle of it upclose while I could. Here are a couple of pictures.

The girls named them Squirmy and Fernando.
Also, one lil bird hatched and disappeared, &
one lil birdie never hatched. :(

So cute sleeping together with mama standing guard.
I really was this close to her, with just the screen between us.
AMAZING.  

Appreciation

There has been so much I've wanted to blog about lately - and yet, I'm reminded that I can't capture every moment into a blog, even though sometimes I want to capture more than I do (oh these years are slipping by so quickly). I mean, I could easily do a blog post about - the sweet 'sister (apology) note' I found that Morgan wrote her sister, about experiencing the baby birds in Sarah's window up close (and her joy), about Morgan's 5th Grade Research project on Laura Ingalls Wilder, about my bittersweet feelings of Morgan's last few weeks in elementary school, about our fun AtoZ IceCream list we made for fun (but probably won't do)...  Yet, when you are busy living life sometimes you just have to experience it and move on.

I did want to put on a couple of pictures of things we made this past week, both inspired by pinterest (of course!). First, for Teacher Appreciation Week, we made all the Special Class Teachers (art, library, etc)  these cute pencils out of  a package of Rolos candy...

And for Morgan's six coaches for Girls on the Run (side note: our 5K is tomorrow - and she put a toothpick thru the bottom of her foot yesterday, ouch!) we made these cute gifts...

These water bottle holders took us less than an hour to assemble, and my favorite part...spending time in conversation with Morgan, talking about everyday stuff, while accomplishing this project together. It was her idea to add the cute ribbon...the 'pinterest' one did not have a ribbon. I thought it was an adorable addition!

Difficult Day Ahead

These past few days have been both physically and emotionally exhausting. The day after I wrote my last post, hospice was asked to come alongside Gram for this next stage of her journey. It's a journey we all must take one day, yet our hearts kinda just wished Gram would somehow be an exception and just keep adding an ongoing sweetness to our lives. Oh, she has touched us in ways that have changed us forever and her sweetness will always live on in our hearts and the lives we live.  Yet, I will never again get a sweet unexpected email from her again, like I did last Saturday. Our holiday cards from her will stop brightening my mailbox. I will not get to sit lakeside with her this summer and sip lemonade while both talking about memories of years gone by and making new ones. She's lived a lifetime and a half in her 94 years and she has lived them well.

Today is our last day to see her before we begin our 17 hour drive back home. She is still able to fully comprehend all we have to share with her, but she can no longer use her words to speak back. She now only communicates with her eyes - and her gestures. And since it's been said that one's eyes are the windows to their soul, it's good to still be able to connect with her so deeply. But how do you say goodbye to one you love so dearly? Well, for me, it will be 'see you later' - knowing that 'cuz she loves Jesus - I will see her again on the other side of this journey. And though there has been nothing we've been able to do to help her - I hope she has only felt love poured into her these past few days as her family has gathered near her as she finds the courage to journey on. We still wish for a miracle, that her brain will remember how to speak and swallow food and water again - we hate that it might end like this for her, but it is not our miracle to give. We can only love.

Gram has loved well, and thus, taught us through her example, how to live well. Her beautiful legacy is made up of a million moments in the routine of days - of simply loving well, being generous, forgiving, thinking of others, spreading kindness, and brightening this world with handmade quilts and beautiful smiles. I'm so thankful that through knowing Mike, I got to know and love this beautiful soul these past 20 years, and that she chose to be my "Gram" too. I love her very much!

Summer 2010

Gram

Sometimes on this journey of life, you meet amazing people. And then sometimes you're really lucky and get the joy of calling them family. Thus, my good fortune of being able to love Mike's Gram all these years.

(Mike's Brother, Ken, took this picture of her last Thanksgiving. She is 93 in the picture, and 94 now.)

We are feeling a bit sad right now because she took a big tumble this past Sunday and could really use some prayers for healing! We've got a family gathering this summer and are looking forward to spending some time with her! 

Gram, we love you! 

My EEEK moment!

So, it all began last week, when I'm glancing through my facebook posts and I see a 'request' of sorts from the Springfield News-Leader. They are starting a new outdoor section, 'GO: Get Outdoors' and looking for articles or essays for it.  Instantly I think of these random thoughts I jotted in some notebook, last Spring, while on a visit to Roaring River State Park and know it's perfect for this! :) So, I literally spent an hour looking for every 3-ring notebook I've ever scribbled anything in - apparently I have this bad habit of not writing my stuff in one nice little journal - oh no, I have to scribble it wherever, whenever I feel inspired! But I digress, I finally find these scribbled notes in one of the journals! So I type them up, revise them a bit, and click 'send' to the editor at 10pm! 


And the next morning, I get an email saying "Cathy, this is great. I'm sure I will use it – maybe for our first one!" -- thus, I let out my first EEK! They like it! They are going to use it! Okay, I know it's just the newspaper, not a publishing company - but to me, it's big. Someone else (besides just friends and family) likes my writing! This makes me smile. And I wonder all week, will they really put it in the paper? (Yay, I lack a bit of confidence! In fact, Mike even said to me something like, "I'm glad they like it - maybe this will give you the confidence you need!") 

So I woke up this morning, half asleep, checked email, FB on my phone -the usual. Then I bolted upright! The article - I almost forgot the article! I ran to get my laptop (literally!) and dared to look - and sure enough, they did publish it! Thus, my 2nd EEK!!  

Here's the article if you'd like to read it: The Treasure of Roaring River State Park.

I then woke up the girls and told them about it - they smiled big for me (awww!) - and then they were mad at me when I told them their picture was in the paper. But I told them to hurry and get ready so we could stop and buy a paper on the way to school. Then we get to school - and Morgan is like, "Can I show my teacher I'm in the paper?" I'm like, "I thought you were mad you were in the paper?" Morgan, "I am, but I still want her to see!" (She's a bit like me, never wanting the spotlight!)  It also made me smile that Sarah wanted to take the time to read the article in it's entirety.

And it has inspired me a bit. I've wrote a couple more articles this week. I've typed up some letters to editors, and polished up a few drafts to send off to some publishers. Now I just need to find some time to finalize them and send them off!

My writing may never be famous - but I hope that it will encourage as many lives and God needs it to on this brief journey of life I get to live! That it makes people smile, think about God, and encourages them to live deeper, fuller lives.

Easter Blessings

We celebrate Easter because Easter changed everything for all of history! It's a joy we celebrate everyday, although I appreciate Easter because it is a significant pausing to celebrate the One who loved us enough to give us Easter!

These sweet girls...are our sweet Easter Blessings!

And even though our Easter Weekend has been packed with fun, it is these prayers that I treasure the most from the weekend.  Last night, Morgan's Bedtime Prayer went something like this: "God, thank you for learning at church tonight (well, even though I already knew), but Thank You that you are stronger than anything God, even death!"  I LOVE others pouring truth into her heart too!

And then this morning, here is how my conversation with Sarah went, "You know the first thing I did this morning?!" "No, what?" "When I woke up, I prayed!" "What did you pray?" "I thanked God for sending his son, for him dying on a cross and rising again!"  I'm so glad she woke up celebrating what this day is really all about!

These past 3 days we've also crammed in - coloring Easter eggs, watching 2 movies, an overnight trip to Indoor Waterpark, that included an egg hunt, shopping, Lamberts, church, treasure hunt for Easter baskets, emptying of said Easter baskets, learning cat's cradle, a hike, geocaching, a picnic and a backyard campfire! I love sharing life with Mike and the girls!

Intensely learning Cat's Cradle

My view from my picnic blanket today. Beautiful day to celebrate Easter!