In the Car with Grammy and Sunny (translation provided)

cereal... check, water... check, caterpillar... check

Today Sunny and I spent a lot of time in the car together. She is a great car passenger, but she talks the entire time. Here is a sample of our stimulating conversation:

S: Bammy, Bammy drive? (Bammy=Grammy)

G: Yes, Grammy's driving...

S: Drive Bammy, drive.

G: Drive Grammy, drive.

S: Go, Bammy, go, vroom, vroom (this as I take off from a red light)

G: Go Grammy, go.

S: Wheee! Bammy drive. (this as I turn a corner)

G: Yes, Grammy's driving.

S: Gramps drive?

G: No, Grammy's driving.

S: Gramps?

G: Gramps is at work.

S: Mommy?

G: Mommy is at work.

S: Papi?

G: Papi's at work.

S: Daisy?

G: Daisy's at home.

S: Duke?

G: Duke's at home.

S: Doggie? (meaning Rascal)

G: Rascal's at home.

S: Kitty Cat?

G: Kitty Cat's at home.

S: Oh, OK! (pause) Begin conversation again as above from Daisy? Repeat through Kitty Cat's at home.

G: Let's try something new. Let's count.

G: One

S: Two

G: Two

S: Five

G: Three

S: Five

G: Four

S: Five

G: Five!

S: Five!

I know. It boggles the mind that I'm as sane as I am...

Observing Memorial Day

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row

that mark our place, and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

John McCrae, WWI poet

Phoenix International Raceway

I love Indy car racing. I have loved it since I was a girl. One of my wishes in life is that I could attend an Indy car race in person.

We actually got tickets one year for the race here in Phoenix. It was on an Easter Sunday. I worked at a church. Get the picture?

I carried that disappointment for years.

Yesterday, Dan had an appraisal down in south Phoenix. I went along for the ride. As we drove nearer to the Estrella Mountains, he pointed out that PIR is located down there. It was pretty exciting for me because although I knew PIR was somewhere down south, I didn't know where exactly.

We came to Broadway, the road I knew we had to turn on to the reach the subject property, but he drove on through. I pointed out to him that we missed our turn. He told me he was going to show me PIR.

I was so excited!

You can tell I was excited, by the fact that I allowed two photos to be taken of me in shorts with his cheap
"for appraisals only" camera. Haha!

I also got to see the Gila River, which I've never seen before. It had water in it, and there was loads of people fishing in it. (Yes, I know, rivers generally have water. That fact is not true in AZ. It's a desert.)

Dan is the greatest! He knows how much a little thing like driving me by PIR would mean to me, and he was willing to make it happen.

What a great morning...

No Excuses

As I was talking with Katie yesterday, I came to the realization that after today, I won't have Sunny again for two weeks (with the exception of a quick overnight this weekend). Two weeks. Now I have absolutely no excuse for not getting to some of my unfinished projects. That's exciting and overwhelming at the same time.

After Sunny leaves today I plan to sit down and make a list of the projects I think I can tackle in the next two weeks. Then I plan to place asterisks next to the items that I can realistically hope to accomplish.

There. Now I've announced it to the world. I have projects to finish and the time to finish them in. I hope accountability on this scale will work for me. That I'll have progress to report along the way...

Monday Meanderings

Joplin - My heart goes out to the people impacted by the tornado that struck Joplin, Mo. The pictures are just devastating. I'm praying for those who are trapped. For those who have lost loved ones. For those who have lost their homes and possessions. For the emergency workers. The injured. The local government.

Faith - An acquaintance of ours lost his battle with cancer this past Saturday. We have known this family for about 20 years. Sometimes we have been more involved with them personally than other times. His wife, Ellen, wrote the most beautiful Facebook post about his passing. Her faith shone through brightly. She was unapologetic in her unswerving belief that he is Heaven with our Lord, Jesus Christ. Today, I am praying for this family in their loss. But I am mostly thanking God for this wife who in the midst of her sorrow, finds the strength to share the love of Jesus Christ with others.

Breaking the rules - I have to confess that I have been breaking the rules lately. One of the rules I try to live by is: when you bring something new into the house, something old must leave the house. I abhor clutter. I probably to overboard in trying to assure that my home is not cluttered. I haven't been doing so well lately. My downfall is in the craft area. I have been bringing crafts into the house and then letting them sit around making me feel guilty that the craft projects are not completed. Or in some cases, not even started. I have got to get a handle on this. My goal in June is to get this bad habit kicked. We'll see...

Potty training - Seriously, it never occurred to me that I would be participating in potty training again. When Zach was potty trained, I thought it was all over for me. I celebrated. I was wrong. Sunny is potty training and since she spends time at my house, I have a participatory role in this momentous event. The worst thing about potty training this time around is that I have to follow Katie's rules, instead of doing it the way I normally would. Oh well. Sunny is doing quite well. Katie's goal is to have her trained by the time Thunder arrives. She just may do it.

Appraisals - Dan had a phenomenal month in April, 26 orders! yippee! May has been quite a bit slower, but we still received more orders than we did in Jan, Feb, or March. What a blessing!

June - June begins next week. Seriously? I just know the summer will fly by. Before June arrives though, I will face May 25th. May 25th is traditionally the day that I get serious about my holiday planning. I start my Twelve Days of Christmas gift planning on that day. If you would like to follow along with me as I prepare for another stress-free holiday season, check out my Christmas blog. I'd enjoy hearing how you prepare for the holidays, your traditions, what works - what doesn't.

Have a great Monday!

Happy Birthday, Zach!

Today my youngest son turns 22. I have to ask the obvious question. Where have the years gone? He started out as an 8 lb baby boy. Today he's 6'6" and a father. Being the youngest of four, Zach has presented us with unique challenges (Let's face it. They've ALL presented us with unique challenges!), but through every circumstance his kindness, compassion, empathy, and good nature have shone through.

Zach is an overcomer. He has faced personal battles with courage. He continues to mature into the man he was designed to be. He is a terrific father. Skye brings him such joy. His love for Ashley is deep and sure.

I am proud of him. I love him.

Crazy Weather

We are having a spectacular Spring, weather-wise. I can't recall a spring when our temps have stayed so (relatively) low. We've only had three days of official temps of 100 degrees or above. The temps have hovered in the 80s and 90s, dipping into the 70s a couple of weeks ago.

There are actually people complaining that it's not warm enough!

And that's where we're headed now. The 70s. We even have a (slight) chance of rain tomorrow.

We've got the a/c off. The windows are open. It is breezy each afternoon. The air is clear and cool each night. It's gorgeous.

I know the 115 degree and above will be here in about 30 days. But for today, I'm going to enjoy the crisp coolness of a 83 degree high.

The Baby Shower

Saturday we held a Baby Shower for Katie to provide gifts in anticipation of Thunder's arrival. We had a great time with friends, family, games, food, and cake. I wish I could post a photo of the cake, but it has Thunder's real name on it and I can't figure out how to block it out. Here are some photos from our fun day.

Skye holding Gramps' finger

Ashley with the Mother's Day gift Skye made her!

Our official two month photo

Abuela and Grammy

Our un-posed look

Our posed look

Sunny was all partied out

Yeah, she did not want a picture with Grammy

SSMT #10

Almost half way through the challenge! Here's my 10th verse:

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. James 4:10

Congratulations, JD!

Today my oldest son, JD, graduates with a Masters degree. I would tell you the official name of his degree, but I'm not sure I would get it right. Instead, I'll let you know that his Masters is in counseling. His focus is adolescents.

Now, he's on the job hunt. He and his wife, Janel, have been living in Columbia SC the past two years as he pursued his degree. They would prefer to live elsewhere. Their goal is to move later this summer.

I am so proud of JD and Janel for their "stick-to-itiveness" this past two years. I can't wait to see where God will lead them!

Being Flexible

Being flexible is one of my worst subjects. I don't mean being flexible in my body, although I suck at that too, I mean being flexible in how I live my life.

I have a tendency to over-analyze, over-plan, over-think EVERYTHING. I make a list for each day the night before. I make a monthly menu which hangs on my fridge. I make grocery lists, lists of the clothes/shoes we need to purchase for each new season, lists of anything and everything you can think of.

This all probably stems from my issues with perfectionism.

Of course, God, knowing that I have this flexibility issue, likes to throw me for a loop every once in a while.

Yesterday was one of those days. Katie phoned at around 6:20 am and said she felt funny. She had been walking on the treadmill and was having some cramps and pressure. Dan had to be at work at 7:00 am so I offered to take him to work and swing by her house to pick up Sunny. She called her Dr. and received instructions for laying on her side, etc. I picked up Sunny and brought her home.

I was so discombobulated that, after giving Sunny her breakfast, I couldn't get a handle on my day. I looked at my list, but the words were meaningless. I checked in with Katie a few times and then finally got my head together and decided to tackle the errands that were on my Wednesday list. (Yes, I already have partial lists going for the days to come).

We jumped in the car and headed for Hobby Lobby and Costco before swinging by to pick up Dan and head for lunch at Chick-fil-a (which I've never eaten at before!)

I have to say that I was feeling pretty proud of myself. Life threw me a curve, but I managed to regroup. I'm thinking that shows real progress...

(By the way, Katie rested all day and the cramps calmed down some. She will see her Dr. this week)

Happy Mother's Day!

A mother's happiness is like a beacon, lighting up the future but reflected also on the past in the guise of fond memories.  ~Honoré de Balzac

 

A mom forgives us all our faults, not to mention one or two we don't even have.  ~Robert Brault

 

All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother.  ~Abraham Lincoln

 

A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie.  ~Tenneva Jordan

 

The moment a child is born, the mother is also born.  She never existed before.  The woman existed, but the mother, never.  A mother is something absolutely new.  ~Rajneesh

 

The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness.  ~Honoré de Balzac

Another Joy of Motherhood

We had the opportunity to see Zach yesterday for a few minutes. He came straight from work which is why you can see dust and grime on his clothes. He hesitated about taking a photo, but I told him I didn't care what he looked like, I just wanted a Mother's Day photo of the two of us. So, he obliged!

The Joy of Motherhood

One of the joys of motherhood is your first Mother's Day. My first Mother's Day was many years ago, but I still remember how excited I was. The good news is that the excitement continues year after year.

Last night the girls took me out for a Mother's Day meal. We had so much fun. It was marred only by the absence of JD, Janel, Zach, Ashley, and Skye. But, when your kids are all grown with lives of their own, you learn to take what you can get and enjoy it!

Breakfast at Grammy's

Sunny spent the night Saturday night. You know what that means... animal pancakes by Gramps for breakfast on Sunday morning!

I want a doggy, a kitty, a bunny, an elephant...

Now cooking: Nemo, bouncing ball, bunny rabbit

What a great Gramps he is!

SSMT #9

In the past two weeks I had run across several verses that I might want to pick for today's memory verse. When I logged onto the computer this morning, I grabbed my list to make my final choice. That's when I noticed that the daily verse from Bible Gateway was one of the verses on my list... I took that for confirmation!

Verse #9 is:
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6

I can't believe that we're already up to verse 9! I must admit that it's getting more challenging as we move along. I am determined to make it to verse 24. This has been so much more rewarding than I had imagined.