Loretta's Little Life

Age Doesn't Matter....

2012-01-29T18:23:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I celebrated my 50th birthday. Yup, 50 YEARS I've been hanging around. :) Some have asked me if I am depressed about turning 50.

Depressed? About what, I wonder?

Depressed that I've spent more than half that time married to my best friend?

Depressed that I have 6 great kids who have shaped me as much, if not more, than Tim and I have shaped them?

Depressed that we've seen our own miracle with Tim's recovery from cancer?

Depressed that I get to be 50?

Not a chance!

How I can be depressed when I have seen so many blessings in my life?

I've had 50 years to love, to learn, to grow, to laugh, to cry, and to see the hand of God in my life.   I have lived and that is what life is all about!

Sometimes we are tempted to think that if we could turn back the hands of time we might change things that we experienced. My 50 years have taught me that I wouldn't change a thing because each experience, good or bad, has shaped me.
To change my experiences would be to change who I am and who I am continuing to become.

And as Annah so wonderfully reminded me on my birthday,

"Age doesn't matter....unless you are cheese!" :)

Partly Sunny With a Chance of Tears

2012-01-01T17:35:00.000-05:00

We rang in the New Year in our traditional Valenta style with pizza rolls, soda, chips, dips and games. Mingled in the celebration was Jordan packing for his next adventure, going to BYU Idaho for school. It has only been a short few months since Jordan got back from serving a mission in Brazil and now he is packed and ready to go once again. As we made packing lists and to do lists over the past week or so it has felt like we were getting him ready for his mission all over again. And perhaps we are. Two years ago his mission was to go and teach people in Brazil the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Now, his mission is to go and learn so he is prepared to meet his future.

The mom in me wishes his future kept him closer to home but I know it is his time to spread his wings and go make his way in the world. The thing that I have learned about being a mother over the past 25 years of raising kids is that our job as parents is to teach and prepare them and then let them go. From the time our children come to us we are preparing to let them go.

So early tomorrow morning (3:30 a.m.!) we will bring Jordan to the airport to send him west to the land of colder cold and the potential for more snow than his eyes have ever seen. (I hear that is not the case right now but I promised him in the months ahead he will see snow!) We chuckle that Jordan can't really comprehend an Idaho winter and he doesn't even know it yet. :)

As we talked about what he needed for Idaho I suggested boots.

"BOOTS???" he replied in a tone that let me know that he thought I was off my rocker.

He continued, "I don't need BOOTS! My sneakers are just fine. I don't need BOOTS!"

I smiled as I knew there was no convincing him so I simply said,

"Jordan, Idaho gives winter a whole new meaning. I think you will just have to get out there and see for yourself. I think you will decide that you *will* need boots but you can get them out there if you decide you need something more than your sneakers." :)

We haven't discussed boots again.

We did get him a coat that I am sure is *not* up to Idaho standards as far as winter garb goes but it was the best we could do with our mild Kentucky winter selection. I think he will get good at layering his clothes very quickly. :)

I did find him a thick hat that I hope will help keep his noggin warm in light of his extremely short haircut. Jordan gives himself haircuts so a few days ago when it was time for a haircut he went to work. I waited for my cue to trim his neckline when he said he was ready. When he called I went to add my contribution but found it hard to hide my shock when I saw how short his hair was. The first words out of my mouth was,

"WHOA! What happened?"

He grinned and explained that he likes the top a little longer than the sides so he cut the top and then changed the clipper gauge to a shorter one to do the sides. He thought the top needed to be shorter and began cutting the top again without thinking to change back to a longer gauge! The result was an over all *very* short haircut....like short, short, as in "I can see your scalp" short! We both agreed that he would probably be wearing his new thick hat a lot in Idaho, including to bed, until his hair grows out some. BWHAHAHAHAHA! :)

This is before the haircut :)

So the boy is on his way to his future without us really knowing when he will be back home again. That is the part that tugs at my hearts strings. I thought I would feel better knowing he was in the states but I don't. Gone is gone whether in Brazil or Idaho.

As we make our way to the airport with him in the wee hours of tomorrow morning I know the forecast for the day.....

Partly sunny with a chance of tears.

The Truth About Santa...

2011-12-26T23:55:00.006-05:00

As the Christmas season began this year I came across a blog post written by Martha Brockenbrough from last year. I don't know a lot about Martha Brockenbrough other than she has two daughters named Alice and Lucy and she is a writer but I fell in love with her post titled, "The Truth About Santa". I had planned to share it on my blog earlier on in the month but things don't always go as planned. The truth about Loretta is that she doesn't always have enough time for the things that she would love to do, like blogging. :) But despite my harried life right now I wanted to share this profoundly written post by Martha telling her daughter, Lucy, the truth about Santa. It makes me tear up each time I read it.

The Truth About Santa

A few months back, the Tooth Fairy got busted. She left a note for Alice up on her computer, and Lucy figured the whole business out. The Tooth Fairy cursed her need to write notes in elaborate fonts and tried to come up with a cover story, but it didn’t fool Lucy.
To her credit, Lucy has kept the secret from her little sister, who still hasn’t lost a tooth and deserves to wake up with money under her pillow.

But the Tooth Fairy knew it couldn’t be too long before Santa was similarly unmasked. She didn’t know when or how, but she knew the days of magic in her house, at least magic of a certain sort, were coming to an end.

And the Tooth Fairy—by which I mean myself—was pretty darned sad about the inevitable, which finally arrived last week.

Lucy and I have been exchanging notes since the school year started. We’ve talked about all sorts of things—sports, books we’d like to read, adventures we’d like to have, even stories from when I was in third grade. For the most part, though, it’s been light, casual stuff. Until last week.

I NEED TO KNOW, she wrote, using capital letters for emphasis. ARE YOU SANTA? TELL ME THE TRUTH.

What do you do when your kid asks for the truth? You tell it, of course, doing your best to figure out a way that keeps at least some of the magic intact.

Here’s what I wrote:

Dear Lucy,

Thank you for your letter. You asked a very good question: “Are you Santa?”

I know you’ve wanted the answer to this question for a long time, and I’ve had to give it careful thought to know just what to say.

The answer is no. I am not Santa. There is no one Santa.

I am the person who fills your stockings with presents, though. I also choose and wrap the presents under the tree, the same way my mom did for me, and the same way her mom did for her. (And yes, Daddy helps, too.)

I imagine you will someday do this for your children, and I know you will love seeing them run down the stairs on Christmas morning. You will love seeing them sit under the tree, their small faces lit with Christmas lights.

This won’t make you Santa, though.

Santa is bigger than any person, and his work has gone on longer than any of us have lived. What he does is simple, but it is powerful. He teaches children how to have belief in something they can’t see or touch.

It’s a big job, and it’s an important one. Throughout your life, you will need this capacity to believe: in yourself, in your friends, in your talents and in your family. You’ll also need to believe in things you can’t measure or even hold in your hand. Here, I am talking about love, that great power that will light your life from the inside out, even during its darkest, coldest moments.

Santa is a teacher, and I have been his student, and now you know the secret of how he gets down all those chimneys on Christmas Eve: he has help from all the people whose hearts he’s filled with joy.

With full hearts, people like Daddy and me take our turns helping Santa do a job that would otherwise be impossible.

So, no. I am not Santa. Santa is love and magic and hope and happiness. I’m on his team, and now you are, too.

I love you and I always will.

Mama

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T21:05:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas from the Valenta's!

Autumn's Loveliest Smile...

2011-11-21T21:10:00.001-05:00

"Autumn, the year's last loveliest smile." :)

~William Cullen Bryan~

It has been a lovely autumn, indeed. I have enjoyed the changing leaves, the cooling temperatures and the inching toward winter that always stirs excitement in me. The trees are bare now, the remnant of the autumn wind. Seemingly over night the leaves danced off the trees when no one was looking.

Thanksgiving is coming in just a few days.

As a family we have so much to be thankful for. :)

"Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;"

~Colossians 4:2~

12 Years and Nine Days Old

2011-11-06T15:30:00.001-05:00

Annah had a birthday on October 28th. Yes, it is now November 6th.

Finally I have a birthday blog post for Annah. :)

A lot of things have changed over the years as Annah has grown. For instance, she doesn't suck her thumb anymore or wear a crown.

She's grown a lot taller than the flowers she loved

at her Nanny and Poppy's house.

She doesn't fall asleep just anywhere anymore.

She doesn't fit in her favorite red shoes

that she insisted on wearing

even when they were too small.

And she doesn't wear her brother's

clothes much anymore.

But she still does have a thing for shoes! :)

And we still love to celebrate her being in our family!

Happy Birthday, Annah! We love you!

Pumpkin Safety

2011-10-24T11:55:00.003-04:00

Halloween is coming. Please protect your precious cargo by restraining your pumpkins. :)

Home

2011-10-20T20:23:00.002-04:00

Jordan got home last Thursday and what a great day it was! The anticipation of his arrival was beyond words. Beginning on Wednesday night we tracked his flight leaving Brazil at 9:45 pm and when I woke up several times in the middle of the night I would think about where he would be at that particular time arriving in Florida, boarding a flight for Texas and finally, headed home to Kentucky!

I had it in my mind for the past month that his arrival time was 1:40 pm on Thursday, October 13th. I had told his best friend, Donnie, Jordan was arriving at that time and Donnie made plans to meet us at the airport. As I gathered things together that morning I picked up Jordan's itinerary and gave it one more look and it was a *really* good thing I did. As I looked again at his arrival time it was actually for 12:40 pm!!! I don't know how I missed that but I was thankful that we caught my mistake early enough to still make it to the airport in time to get him!

In the pouring rain Tim and the girls put up letters on the garage door that spelled out "Welcome Home Jordan". They had to hang the letter up high on the door because of the rain. At least up high they were a little sheltered from the rain.

On Monday night we had made a FINISH LINE banner for Jordan and wrote all kinds of fun things on it. He is a runner and in his last letters of his mission he compared the ending of his mission to running a race. He said that in a race you can't slow down at the end, that you have to keep on going just as fast. He didn't want to slow down at the end of his mission; he wanted to keep going just as he had been. So, we made him a finish line to greet him at the airport. We all laughed when Abigail thought she was looking up phrases she wanted to write in Portuguese but it was actually set for Spanish so the banner has some Spanish phrases on it! :)

So we waited at the airport with our banner and our balloons. His flight arrived and we were so anxious to see him coming down the escalator. Except, he didn't come. We waited and waited. Lots of other people came down but not Jordan. Some ladies came down and commented on the FINISH LINE sign and asked who that was for. We said that our son was returning home from serving a mission in Brazil for 2 years and to that they exclaimed that they had sat next to him on the plane! Well, that was good news to at least know that he was on the flight!!! We were beginning to think he missed the flight! The ladies said what a nice young man he was and that he had said he wanted pancakes and eggs when he got home! We laughed and said that he had told us he wanted barbecue and cold root beer and that we hoped he wasn't disappointed with our choice of where to take him for dinner that night! The ladies stepped off to the side to get their luggage and then came back over and said, "We want to see him when he comes down!" So they waited with us, perfect strangers who wanted to see our happy reunion with our son. That made me smile.

We continued to wait, and wait and wait. Finally nearly 20 minutes after the flight had arrived Jordan made his descent down the escalator. (He later confessed he was delayed because he stopped by the bathroom and took his time because he knew that I had said in my e-mail that his flight was coming in at 1:40 so he figure we wouldn't be there waiting for him!) First we saw only shoes but as those moving stairs carried him ever closer he came into full view. What a wonderful sight it was to see him in person after 2 years away. I swear he got taller but his eyes were the same and so was his smile.

Donnie got Jordan coming down the escalator and breaking through his FINISH LINE banner on video. We posted it on Facebook for the world to see. :) It's embarrassing to see yourself on video crying and to have your friends say, "You were sobbing!" Yes I was.

After the video we did a few still pictures. This one is Jordan with his brothers and sisters (minus young Tim -- how we wished Tim and Lisa were able to be there with us.) and his best friend, Donnie. Jordan and Donnie have known each other since 2nd grade. Donnie wrote to Jordan while he was gone, something a lot of "friends" say they will do but didn't necessarily do.

After the airport we came home until it was time for Jordan to be officially released from being a missionary. It wasn't until 6:00 pm Thursday night that that would happen so we brought him home, fed him a few McDonald's cheeseburgers and some fries that we picked up on the way home and gave him ice cold root beer. :)

He filled in the last remaining circle that counted the days he was gone. He looked around the house catching up on his surroundings. We asked him lots of questions and played some Catch Phrase (a family favorite!) and laughed...a lot. :)

Jordan was released by Sam Thomas that evening. We took a group picture afterwards, just like we took a group picture when we was set apart 2 years ago.

October 2009

October 2011

After Jordan's release we took him to a barbecue place called JJ McBrewster's and had some really good food and Jordan got to use an iPhone for the first time!!!! It's amazing how technology changes in 2 years!

Jordan and Andrew

After dinner we headed home and we did what we always like to do. I turn the camera to the backseat, hold it up and count to three and CLICK! It's any one's guess what we'll get and that is what makes it fun! :)

So, Jordan is home with us once again. We are enjoying hearing about his experiences and stories from Brazil. In the course of 2 years he has grown into a great young man and his faith in God has grown immeasurably.

These are one of the pairs of shoes that Jordan had on his mission. After miles and miles of walking day after day they wore out. It made me smile that he just put them in a plastic bag, Brazilian dust and all, and brought them home. I had to take a picture of them. They tell a story -- a wonderful story of a mission well served.

Another chapter now begins for Jordan. He is busy looking for a job, getting reacquainted with his friends, and adjusting to life again. While he was away we counted the days till he came back home. Now it seems that we are counting a little differently..... compliments of Abigail and Annah. :)

Wednesday Letters...

2011-10-12T18:02:00.005-04:00

For two years I have written Wednesday letters. I am not sure I will know what to do with myself when next Wednesday rolls around. I have loved writing to Jordan and being able to share with him not only the events of the week but also my thoughts on his accomplishments and challenges on his mission, scriptures that I really liked or a talk I heard in church. It was exciting waiting to get a response from him each Wednesday afternoon. Jordan never missed a week of writing. What a gift that was to me as I would have been worried sick if he had. I need to remember to thank him for that.

I will miss our Wednesday letters but having him back home will be even better than Wednesday letters. :)

The countdown on the white board in the kitchen!

Jordan the night before he left for Brazil. :)

Jordan early in the morning at the airport heading for Brazil

October 2009

This is the picture that made my father cry.

He was so proud of Jordan for serving a mission.

And so are we.

My Last Letter to Jordan

2011-10-11T22:50:00.003-04:00

In two days Jordan will be home. I thought that my last letter to him was last week but it turns out he will probably be able to check and write email one last time before leaving Brazil on Wednesday. After two years of weekly letter writing I sent him this:

Dear Jordan,
It's your turn for dishes on Thursday night.

Love,
Mom

What Snake?

2011-10-08T20:16:00.003-04:00

This afternoon I was in the kitchen getting a drink of water when Tim came in through the garage door and said, "What should we do with this snake?" I flatly said, "What snake?" thinking he was kidding with me. Then his reply came, "The snake on the kitchen floor!" UGH!

Sure enough there WAS a snake on the kitchen floor! The cat was sitting near it so our first thought was the cat caught it and brought it in through the cat door. Yeah, I like that thought, except for the fact it didn't seem to be the slightest bit hurt when Tim was trying to get him out using a broom and dust pan!

Tim got him out of the house but I can't stop thinking about the snake!

How did the snake get in?

How long was it been inside?

And, more importantly, are there more?

It just gives me the creeps to think about it!

One Week From Today...

2011-10-06T22:04:00.009-04:00

One week from today our boy comes home from Brazil! We are all so anxious to see him, to hug him, and hear all about the experiences he has had during mission!

From a little boy...

Jordan and his dad May 1998

To a man, seemingly overnight.

Contagem, Brazil 2011

Girls Will Be Girls....

2011-10-01T22:05:00.007-04:00

A few weeks ago Abigail had her friend, Lauren, stay over night. Having had 4 boys first we got used to the way it was with boy sleepovers. Boy sleepovers are much quieter than girl sleepovers. :) That said, the girl sleepovers are often more entertaining. For instance....

Abigail and Lauren decided to do some face painting. Abigail started. She drew a rather cute unicorn on Lauren's cheek.

Then it was Lauren's turn....

We really don't know what Lauren was trying to make.

We decided she was thinking reindeer with a red nose
and antlers on Abigail's forehead.

Then Lauren changed her mind and wanted to make a unicorn on Abigail. But the unicorn wasn't cute. In fact, it looked kind of...scary!

So, how do you fix a scary looking unicorn?

Well, you put white stripes on the horn and add a gold mane to it, of course!

I didn't think it did the trick and apparently neither did Abigail!

BWHAHAHAHAHA!

Then Lauren had another idea.....

Oh yeah...this is going to be better.....

BWHAHAHAHAHA!

And speaking of girls.....

Jacob was invited to a get together with some friends

and the girl that invited him told him to bring an apron.

"The more embarrassing, the better," she said.

Okay.....

And of course the girl that invited him "forgot" her apron!

I think he was set up!

I guess girls will be girls...
and so will boys! (when the girls are cute!)

October Comes Knocking....

2011-09-27T14:42:00.025-04:00

I can't believe that September is almost gone and October is knocking at the door. It's wasn't that long ago that summer was making an exit and snapping us back to the reality of early mornings and unyielding school schedules. And now here we are a few weeks away from fall break. Incredible!

A little about school this year....

Jacob is in his senior year. All kidding aside, how did this happen? I remember vividly his wide, blue eyes dancing with excitement to begin Kindergarten and now, with only one year left, his still wide, blue eyes are dancing with excitement as he looks to his future and the possibilities that lie ahead.

Jacob September 2011

And Abigail, the once timid, teeth clinching little girl who was afraid to start school because, as she said, "someone will get in love with me!" is now stepping undaunted into her first year of high school! Yes, we are inching ever closer to someone getting in love with her.

And Annah, our timid as a mouse little girl, (who couldn't even say "here" when attendance was called until the end of the year in pre-school) is now in middle school and growing up before our eyes! And no, she is no longer terribly shy, thankfully.

Annah, Jen, Abigail and Julie

September 2011

As October comes knocking we have more than just fall break to look forward to. October also brings Jordan home from Brazil after two years on his mission!

It is a lovely time of year with both the change in weather and the change in *where* Jordan calls home. Just two more weeks to go! :)

Looking Forward....

2011-09-25T15:37:00.001-04:00

Elder Ferri, Diego, Ludmyla, Elder Valenta

Baptism of Ludmyla, September 2011

Bandeirantes, Brazil

Each week when I write to Jordan in Brazil I send him two emails. One e-mail is the news from home and the second e-mail is a "Q&A" and it contains only questions for him. I decided to do this so that he didn't have to sift through letters to answer the questions I would ask. Jordan has been so good about answering each and every question I have sent him.

This week in my Q&A one of my questions was, "What are you looking forward to this week?"The answer he sent back made us smile as we glimpsed both his spiritual focus and his "natural man"......

"I'm looking forward to meeting an elect that has been being prepared by God to be baptized on the 2nd of October and help them enter into the path to one day be exalted in the presence of God with their eternal family. Also I'm excited for lunch on Saturday because the family makes really good dessert."

BWHAHAHAHAHA! It's good to have things to look forward to! :)

Happy Birthday, Tim!

2011-09-16T00:15:00.001-04:00

Today is a special day... it is Tim's birthday! I, for one, am very glad he was born. :) I have never loved anyone more that I do him. He is my best friend. He is dependable. He is committed. He is compassionate. He is honorable. He is funny. And he is really good at helping kids with homework! ;)

I love my life with him.

This is Tim at the MTC in September 1983. He served a mission to Argentina.

Happy Birthday, Tim!

I love you. :)

Creating...

2011-09-13T16:36:00.025-04:00

Back in September 2008 my blog was born. My friend Patty and I had talked about blogs. She asked me what I knew about them and my answer was absolutely nothing! :) As we both learned about blogs I thought she should start one and she wanted me to start one too. I wasn't on board until I attended the Relief Society General Broadcast that September evening and heard the talk that is highlighted here....

I am sure that there isn't anyone alive that would label my blog as "creative" but
when I began my blog I had no way of knowing that just a few short months later Tim would be diagnosed with cancer and that our family would begin a journey that would change us forever. Because I acted on the words of Elder Uctdorf and did what was "creative" for me, I have in turn created for my family a record of our journey these past 3 years. It is a record that will forever stand as a witness of the unmistakable and undeniable hand of God that we saw, and continue to see, in our lives.

Seeing this video clip of that September 2008 talk reminds me all over again of the importance of creating. I hope that each of us can find within us the desire to create something beautiful, worthwhile and fulfilling with our lives...whatever that may be.

9/11 ~ Ten Years Ago

2011-09-10T10:12:00.008-04:00

September 11, 2001.

~19 terrorists

~4 passenger jets

~8:46 a.m. American Airlines Flight 11 crashes into the World Trade Center North Tower.

~9:03 a.m. United Airlines Flight 175 crashes intothe World Trade Center South Tower.

~9:37 a.m. American Airlines Flight 77 flew into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

~10:03 a.m. United Airlines Flight 93 crashes into a field near Shanksville, PA. but it is believed to have had an ultimate target of the Capitol or the White House.

~2,977 people dead (not including the terrorists that were on the planes that day).

~Millions of lives changed forever.

It is a day in our nation's history that will never be forgotten, nor should it be.

Last year on the 9th anniversary of 9/11 I published a blog post titled "9/11 Nine Years Later". Now, another year has passed and we are marking the 10th anniversary of that tragic day.

The following article appeared in the Washington Post on September 8, 2011, written by Thomas S. Monson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I wanted to share it on my blog because it is a reminder of the need to return to God.

9/11 destruction allowed us to spiritually rebuild

By Thomas S. Monson

The calamity of September 11th, 2001 has cast a long shadow. Ten years later, many of us are still haunted by its terrible tragedy of lost lives and broken hearts. It is an episode of anguish that has become a defining moment in the history of the American nation and the world. This week, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, along with Tom Brokaw, will pay its own homage to the unforgettable events of September 11, 2001.

There was, as many have noted, a remarkable surge of faith following the tragedy. People across the United States rediscovered the need for God and turned to Him for solace and understanding. Comfortable times were shattered. We felt the great unsteadiness of life and reached for the great steadiness of our Father in Heaven. And, as ever, we found it. Americans of all faiths came together in a remarkable way.

Sadly, it seems that much of that renewal of faith has waned in the years that have followed. Healing has come with time, but so has indifference. We forget how vulnerable and sorrowful we felt. Our sorrow moved us to remember the deep purposes of our lives. The darkness of our despair brought us a moment of enlightenment. But we are forgetful. When the depth of grief has passed, its lessons often pass from our minds and hearts as well.

Our Father’s commitment to us, His children, is unwavering. Indeed He softens the winters of our lives, but He also brightens our summers. Whether it is the best of times or the worst, He is with us. He has promised us that this will never change.

But we are less faithful than He is. By nature we are vain, frail, and foolish. We sometimes neglect God. Sometimes we fail to keep the commandments that He gives us to make us happy. Sometimes we fail to commune with Him in prayer. Sometimes we forget to succor the poor and the downtrodden who are also His children. And our forgetfulness is very much to our detriment.

If there is a spiritual lesson to be learned from our experience of that fateful day, it may be that we owe to God the same faithfulness that He gives to us. We should strive for steadiness, and for a commitment to God that does not ebb and flow with the years or the crises of our lives. It should not require tragedy for us to remember Him, and we should not be compelled to humility before giving Him our faith and trust. We too should be with Him in every season.

The way to be with God in every season is to strive to be near Him every week and each day. We truly “need Him every hour,” not just in hours of devastation. We must speak to Him, listen to Him, and serve Him. If we wish to serve Him, we should serve our fellow men. We will mourn the lives we lose, but we should also fix the lives that can be mended and heal the hearts that may yet be healed.

It is constancy that God would have from us. Tragedies are not merely opportunities to give Him a fleeting thought, or for momentary insight to His plan for our happiness. Destruction allows us to rebuild our lives in the way He teaches us, and to become something different than we were. We can make Him the center of our thoughts and His Son, Jesus Christ, the pattern for our behavior. We may not only find faith in God in our sorrow. We may also become faithful to Him in times of calm.

Thomas S. Monson is president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Begin Again....

2011-09-06T13:33:00.003-04:00

Oh, it has been a long time since I have written. I think about it but for various reasons my fingers have not made it to the keys. I find the longer I wait the harder it is. The thing about not writing for a long time is that it makes me feel like I should go back and catch up on what happened in the time lapse but then it is that very feeling that makes me not want to write. It's too big of a job. But I miss writing so I will jump back in and begin again.

I am so thrilled that cooler temperatures have finally come knocking on Kentucky's door! Today it is a cool 57 degrees with overcast skies and pockets of rain. The cool air is refreshing and rain is so very needed. Our grass is screaming for water as it has turned a very drab brown color. The grass matches nicely with the dying garden plants so at least the backyard is in the same color scheme. :)

The garden...yeah, that's a sore spot this year. I had high hopes for our garden. We had planted a few pots of tomatoes last year but it had been 2 years since we last planted an actual garden. Cancer sort of took over our lives for a while and a garden was the last thing on our minds. But, this year I was excited to begin again. We decided to plant green beans, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, and yellow squash and even threw in a watermelon plant for fun. We dug, we planted, we watered, we watched, we waited. We don't know what went wrong but whatever it was, it was wide spread. In the end we got a few tomatoes and a few more peppers. The squash plants flowered beautifully but produced not one single squash! The green beans were bumpy and tough. I could go on and on but I won't.

I am still pouting about the garden. I give it a sneer and murmur under my breath each time I am in the backyard. Right now I am feeling like there will be no garden next year. Maybe I will change my mind come spring when I walk through the garden center and see shelves of such lovely young plants that are full of promise begging me to take them home and give them a try. Right now I am not in the mood to be fooled again. We will see come spring.

Right now I am focused on fall. No gardens to water, no weeds to pull, no scorching temperatures. And it's always a plus when the grass is near dead so it doesn't need to be mowed. Yeah, I am loving it. :)

Party Like it's 1997....Happy Birthday, Abigail!

2011-08-05T09:59:00.000-04:00

Another year, another birthday! How could we have celebrated 14 birthdays for our Miss Abigail already? She has grown from a little pigtailed toddler into a beautiful young woman with a dynamite smile that lights up a room in 14 short years! We love you, Abigail, more than we have words to say! Happy Birthday!

More of Jacob's Excellent Adventures....

2011-07-15T18:42:00.000-04:00

Jacob's excellent adventures continue in New York at The Hill Cumorah Pageant. These are the most recent pictures of the work crew from the blog. The pictures coupled with Jacob's letters have given us a glimpse into his fabulous summer! We are so grateful that Jacob as been blessed with such a wonderful opportunity to take part in the production of pageant this year. I am sure that it will be something that will never be forgotten by him. In a week he will return home brimming with memories of his month long stay in New York. I can't think of a better way to spend a summer! :)

At the top of the hill....

The stage is done in record time!

The work crew at the Smith Farm

The Lighting Work Crew

(Jacob is on the far left)

Jacob buried in the sand at Lake Ontario! :)

Canadian Connection...

2011-07-01T10:25:00.011-04:00

It wasn't long ago that I couldn't even tell you when Canada Day was. Now, a few years later, whenever we see or hear anything about Canada we take notice. That shift has come because we now have a connection with Canada. Our oldest son, Tim, served a mission to Canada in 2005-2007 (Canada Montreal Mission -French speaking) and then in August 2008 he gave us a wonderful daughter-in-law from Canada! We love Canada and we love the wonderful people who make it so easy to love Canada!

Happy Birthday, Canada!

"O Canada, we stand on guard for thee."

(Our grandkitty, Taka, standing guard!)

Gee Ray, What's Up With the Squirrel?

2011-06-27T22:45:00.010-04:00

Some weeks ago we had a visit from the some wonderful friends that we had not seen in a long time. They were on their way back home to South Carolina and stopped in to see us. The visit was long over due and much too short but we enjoyed the day. Just as our visit was long over due, so is this blog post! (I will spare you the details but suffice it to say that I have been a little under the weather as I battled what I thought was a really bad cold (turns out they think I have allergy induced asthma) and a bad ear infection. I've been to 3 doctors and am currently on a third antibiotic in about 6 weeks.)
I am feeling better now. And just as I am feeling better I get this message on Facebook from Kim.

"Dear Loretta, The only reason we came to visit was to become famous on your 'my little life'. We are very disappointed that we did not make the cut. Please visit soon, and we will work diligently to provide you with something to write about. Sincerely, The Hartrum Family. PS, your camera holds one of only 5 pictures of the Hartrum Family in existence. If possible, please post and tag me, or email. Thanks"
I feel bad making Kim think she didn't make the cut. I feel even worse for snatching her dream of being famous. So it is here I post rare pictures of Kim and her family. We love you guys and so look forward to seeing you again. Let's not wait so long to see each other again!
Ray (is that a squirrel on your head??) and Kim (nice facial hair!) with their kids Shelby, Katelyn (like mother like daughters?) and Andrew (watch out for the south end of that bird!)

and Gail (Kim's mother) (now we know where Kim gets it from!)

We really meant to call that exterminator before the Hartrum's visit....oops!

Although they were a month late, they insisted on wearig their Derby hats.... :)

With really good friends you can go long periods of time without seeing

them but when you do reconnect it's like no time has passed at all.

The Hartrum's and the Schlemmer's are those kind of friends.

We love you!

Jacob's Excellent Adventure....

2011-06-25T16:20:00.003-04:00

Jacob is off on a most excellent summer adventure -- a month long stint on the Hill Cumorah Work Crew in New York with 25 other boys! I am excited that there is a blog being kept for the duration of the time spent there so it will be fun to get a peek into a little of what Jacob is up to over the next month and maybe get to see pictures of him if we are lucky!

Questions?

(I've provided some links, just click to view)

What is the Hill Cumorah Pageant?

When is the Hill Cumorah Pageant? July 8,9, 12-16

What is the blog address for the work crew's adventures?

You can also access it from the side bar on my blog under the title of

Jacob's Excellent Adventure on the Hill Cumorah Work Crew.:)

Where is Jacob in these pictures?

If you look close all these boys are wet from a game of kickball in the rain!

(Jacob is on the far right, in front)

And what is Jacob working on?

Assembling the stage. It's a huge job!

Just wait until you see the end product! :)

Happy building, boys!

26 Years And Counting....

2011-06-21T17:18:00.004-04:00

Yesterday Tim and I celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary.

I don't know where the time has gone but somehow it has flown by.

In our years together we have done a lot of things. But among our biggest and best accomplishments are that we raised 6 great kids and have given them a forever family.

Of the temples we have been to this is my favorite,

the Washington D.C. Temple,

because it is where we were married. That beautiful June day in 1985 was the beginning of our forever story.

And I love that I still think of us just like this. The years may show on our faces but our hearts are unchanged. They are as full of love, hope and looking toward the future as the day we were married.

Happy Anniversary, Tim. I love you. Here's to another 26. :)

Daddy/Daughter Nerds...

2011-06-17T18:20:00.005-04:00

Tonight Tim and Annah are off to a Daddy/Daughter Activity and they had to dress as Nerds! Annah specially made their matching hot pink duck tape covered glasses for them to wear. :)

Good Times, Good Times!

Cautious Cat Meets Musical Mouse

2011-06-12T17:52:00.008-04:00

This is our grandkitty Taka (pronounced tah-ka). Taka belongs to Tim and Lisa and is a year old. This video of her hit YouTube on June 11 and now it is viral with over 11,000 hits! It makes me laugh out loud every time I see it! YAY Taka! We have a famous grandkitty!

Gotta Love First Graders.....and Jacob

2011-06-01T16:54:00.005-04:00

For the past 5 weeks or so I have been doing a long term sub job for an instructional assistant that has been out with health issues. I work with first grade classes and have really enjoyed my time in the classroom. The things that kids say never fail to bring a smile.

Like the day one boy announced, "You're not like the other subs. You know what you're doing and the other ones don't!" (Okay, that made me feel good because everyone knows you can't fool a first grader!)

Today made me laugh out loud when a little girl came to show the teacher a story she was working on about how to grow fruit.

She thrust the paper in front of the teacher to proudly show off her writing. Peering over the teacher's shoulder I read the title:

"How to Grope Fruit"

BWHAHAHAHAHAHA!

I so wished I had my camera for a visual on that one! I may pack my camera tomorrow.

*This just in: Jacob has passed all his classes! I am out $50 this year :)
(School can't end soon enough for those poor teachers. Bless them.)

Missing....

2011-05-21T12:16:00.002-04:00

Life has been just a tad hectic lately. There are just so many things that need doing and not enough time in a day to get them done. Most days I feel like I am on overload.

Thursday I had a "To Do" list that was 2 pages long.

How can this be?

At one time we had 6 kids all at home and I don't think that life was this busy with all of them home. Maybe it was and I just don't recall. What I do know is that now we are down to 3 at home and I feel like I can't keep up very well.

Back to Thursday.....I broke my To Do list into two sections -- things that I needed to do right after work (I have been working a long term substitute teacher assistant job for the past 3 weeks or so and it will continue until school lets out on June 3rd) and things that I needed to do once I was back home.

My To Do list right after work looked like this....

Get Gas
Go to Annah's school to get booklet on hygiene and puberty class she has next week (ya gotta know what the school is planning with that topic!!!)
Go to Kroger and order wrist corsage for Jacob for prom
Go to bank -- make deposit & get $$ from ATM

My last stop on the list was the bank. I went to the drive thru and made the deposit then looped around the building and went to the ATM. While at the ATM I was talking to Tim on my cell phone. I went through the motions at the machine and went on my way. Once home I finished all the rest of the stuff that lingered on my To Do list and later that evening I couldn't find my ATM card.

Hmmmm.... Retracing my steps in my mind I remembered slipping my card in my pocket to go into Kroger...but no, I went to the ATM machine AFTER that so I didn't lose it at Kroger. I began to think that I left my debit card IN the ATM. UGH! That's a bad feeling.

I went to the bank Friday after school and asked if they, by chance, had my card. By then I was hoping that I DID leave it in the ATM and that it got sucked into the machine and not taken by the next person in line at the ATM. They had yet to empty the ATM on Friday so they told me I would have to come back in the late afternoon to see if they had my card.

I returned to the bank later and held my breath while they looked up my card to see if it was indeed snatched my the machine. I was so relieved when she said they had the card! Yeeesssss! :)

As I signed to get my card back (and there was a looonngg list of cards so there obviously I wasn't the only one) I said, "I am so happy and relieved that my card was found! I was getting worried about where it was!"

I paused and then added,
"Now, you don't by chance have my cell phone, do you?"

BWHAHAHAHAHA!

Yes, my cell in now MIA. I'm pretty sure that it didn't get sucked into the ATM but you just never know.

Mother's Day This Year...

2011-05-14T16:21:00.003-04:00

Mother's Day has come and gone but the memory of the day is still close in my thoughts. It was a good day that began with breakfast in bed, compliments of Abigail and Annah with a little help from their dad. :)

After breakfast I got some awesome and funny cards from the kids. My favorite was probably the one that said,

"Good moms let their kids lick the beaters.

Great moms turn the mixer off first."

BWHAHAHAHAHAHA!

After cards I got some gifts -- chocolate, some "flowers" that were actually snack cakes in the shape of flowers (surely picked out by the kids so they could eat them in my honor!) and the biggest surprise was this.... (I have to post a picture of it because I don't know what to call it!)

I fell in love with it when I had taken the girls shopping on Saturday afternoon. I told them on our way out of the store, "You can tell dad that I want that!" When I said it I wasn't thinking for Mother's Day but apparently they were. That evening the girls went to the store with Tim for milk and they delivered the message and he drove them to the store we were at earlier that day and they showed him where it was and WALLAH....it is mine. :)

I had visions of it living on the fireplace mantle but it turned out that it was too tall and blocked the big family picture that hangs on that wall. (Funny that it didn't seem that big in the store!) I suggested we raise the family picture up but that was met with a frown from Tim. My memory began to come back to me on what it took to hang that picture some years ago -- it is so heavy and needed special reinforcements to be able to hang it and not have it fall and kill someone. I guess moving the picture is not an option after all. Eventually I will figure out where my new "sticks" will live.

A few weeks before Mother's Day I also got this for my big day......

A beautiful bird bath for the front of the house!

Tim was surprised that I liked it and even hesitated before suggesting it be a Mother's Day present... Eventually he said, "Maybe it will grow on me." BWHAHAHAHAHAHA! Yeah, maybe. :P It didn't have to grow on me...I love the punch of color it adds to the front of the house! :) (We've been doing a little landscaping...more on that in a future post.)

So, back to actual Mother's Day.... after the cards, candy and gifts we made our way out the door to church. We had to leave early from our meetings in order to be able to call Jordan in Brazil at the appointed time. There is always some anxiety that comes with the phone call because you just never know if the connection will go through or how good it will be. When you can only talk to your missionary son twice a year there is a lot riding on those phone calls!

So, right at 1:00 pm our time (2:00 pm in Belo Horizonte, Brazil) we placed the call. It went right through and Jordan answered the phone! YAY!

The excitement quickly turned to anxiety when it was clear that he couldn't hear us very well at all but we could hear him. We decided to hang up and try again... same thing happened. He tried wiggling the cord and even changing phones but it would only help for a minute than the connection (on his end) would be bad again. He finally gave us a cell number to call him on and when we tried it said it wasn't a working number! We called back the original number and continued to have problems. He gave us a second cell phone number to try and when we did that number it finally worked! WHEW! We talked to him for an hour -- 20 minutes longer than his allotted 40 minutes but with all the trouble we had we felt entitled to those extra minutes! :) It was good to hear his voice and to hear how much his voice sounds like his Uncle Jeff -- Tim's brother. We have long heard him have the same laugh that Jeff has but this time the tone of his voice sounds so much like Jeff too. :)

At the end of the phone call Jordan told us that he wanted us to know that he had a testimony of the work he was doing. He was very emotional as he spoke but the spirit was strong and bore witness to us of the truth he spoke. We are so proud of him for taking two years of his life to serve a mission. He is changing people's lives and they are changing his. In 6 short months he will be home and beginning the next chapter in his young life. We are anxious to see where his life will lead him.

After the phone call the girls announced that it was time for me to go take a nap! I wondered what they were up to...since when do they decide it's okay for me to nap? Hmmm..... I didn't put up much of a fight though. :) While I napped the girls were busy in the kitchen making these for me....

I loved it! They even thought of it all on their own! They brought them into the room while I was talking to young Tim who had called from Arizona. :)

I did have to question them on what they used to make the heart shape when I found a bag of old cookie cutters sitting on the counter that they used ages ago for play dough! I recognized the bag and knew it had come from the craft cupboard, not the kitchen! They assured me that they did wash the cookie cutter before they used it. Oh good. :)

Cards, gifts, cookies, phone calls....

It was a good Mother's Day. A good Mother's Day, indeed. :)

Spring Surprises....

2011-05-06T22:23:00.004-04:00

I am not sure where spring has gone but it is fleeting.

We have had so much unruly weather that it seems like there was very

little time to breathe in the springtime that I love so much.

The blossoming trees and flowers took a beating from hail and strong winds leaving the once pretty petals littering the ground so the picturesque beauty of the season was short lived. As a result, I missed getting in my springtime photo shoot with nature.

But springtime still had some surprises.....

Surprise #1 So many brewing storms...

Surprise #2 Our dog turned green...

With all the rain we have had our lawn is growing like CRAZY and

the freshly cut grass turns Ella green!

Surprise #3 The Easter bunnies colored some beautiful eggs this

year with colors that we have never seen before! :)

Also never before seen.....Peeps on a stick!:)

Surprise #4 My mother's Lily of the Valley plants(transplanted from New York to Kentucky)survived the fence changes that devastated our back yard last summer.(Compliments of the owners of the field that backs up to our backyard) I was sure they had met their demise but they came through it!

Surprise #5 These mooing creatures just over our back fence and their babies. :)

Surprise #6 In spite of the rough spring weather there were some

very beautiful flowers that still made an appearance...

Ahhh, the spring I know and love. :)

Some Serious Hail...

2011-04-21T22:25:00.010-04:00

Kentucky has had some turbulent weather come through over that past few weeks. There has been lots of rain, high wind, and at times, hail.

A few nights ago we knew there was more bad weather heading our way so when we went to bed we knew the chances were great of being woken up by the weather radio. The weather radio did indeed go off about 6 or 7 times over the course of that night, about every 10-15 minutes.

Finally we turned on the TV to see the advancing storms to determine just where they were. The radar map was very colorful. Green, yellow, pink, red, and even purple colors were inching their way across the screen. Our local weather man was talking about where the tornado warnings were and pointing to the deep purple color on the map saying that color was indicative of hail.

Pointing to a town on the map he said, "They are probably getting hail right now just like that BEACH BALL size hail some areas saw last week!"

BWHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Tim and I looked at each other and busted out laughing!

That is some SERIOUS hail! I am sure he meant to say "baseball size hail"

but I guess at 2:30 in the morning he didn't catch his goof!

3 Jelly Beans A Day....

2011-04-13T20:10:00.001-04:00

My day started out normal enough....laid in bed too long, took Jacob to seminary, checked my email several times waiting for letters from Jordan, puttered around the house, picked Jacob up from school for a doctor's appointment and brought him back again. Then the afternoon was quiet. Maybe a little too quite. Every mother knows when it's "too quiet" something is wrong.

Then the phone rang. It was Abigail telling me that the school nurse told her to call me because her art teacher, with exacto knife in hand, turned around in class and accidentally stabbed Abigail in her upper right arm and she might need stitches. WHAT? REALLY? I asked to talk to the nurse. She confirmed what happened and said she thought I should come to the school to see if I thought it needed stitches or not. My quiet afternoon came to a screeching halt.

When I got to the school, as I saw the outcome of the exacto weilding art teacher, I didn't know whether or not she needed stitches and of course school nurses won't give an opinion for fear of law suits. I had hoped it would be obvious -- "WOW! You really need stitches!" or "Nah, you'll be fine, go back to class." Nope, it wasn't that cut and dried because while it wasn't big, it was a puncture wound and there was no telling how deep it was. Was it big enough for stitches or small enough it could be glued? To be on the safe side I took her to the doctor to let them have a look at her. After cleaning up her arm they "glued" her wound shut and she was good to go.

While at the doctor's office I had told the doctor that her art teacher gives out jelly beans to kids and that I had told Abigail to tell the teacher that she was going to need a WHOLE LOT of jelly beans to get over being stabbed with an exacto knife! I said Abigail might need a doctor's note and we all laughed. When Abigail was all set to go the doctor said, "I need to go get my prescription pad. I will be right back." He came back with a prescription for Abigail....

In doctor talk the prescription is for 3 jelly beans by mouth daily until the end of school!

BWHAHAHAHAHA!

Let's hope three jelly beans keeps the doctor away!

Wednesday Letters...

2011-03-30T19:16:00.004-04:00

Over the past 17 months Wednesday's have become my favorite day of the week. It has become my favorite because it's the day that we hear from Jordan who is serving a mission far away in Brazil.

Each Wednesday I check email frequently waiting to hear from him. And while letters are wonderful, we especially love getting pictures. It is the pictures that give us a visual of his experiences with the people, the baptisms, the food and of course, the fabulous Brazilian sunsets.

Today's letter was fun. In it Jordan wrote about getting a new washing machine and microwave in their apartment! He wrote:

"The best experience of the week was this morning when we got a brand new washing machine that actually washes clothes by itself and also a microwave! President Parrella had said that all the missionaries would get a washing machine but he didnt say anything about the microwave. It was a blessing to get them this morning. The only downside is that last night we got home to a dark house because they cut our power... apparently some of the energy bills hadnt been paid. So we have brand new stuff but we have to wait until tomorrow or Friday to use them."

As far as I know Jordan has not had a washing machine that

"washes clothes by itself" during any part of his mission.

I could feel his joy in the picture he sent.....

That is the look of love if I have ever seen it! :)

*If you want to read some of Jordan's letters and see his pictures you can go here.

Hail No!

2011-03-23T21:10:00.004-04:00

Today was a lovely day. 71 degrees, sunny, breezy, very pleasant! I love the spring time with all it's hidden treasures in the form of budding trees and flowers.

Just this morning I was out taking a few pictures of our Bradford Pear that was snowy white with blossoms.

This afternoon was a different story...

During the sunny, pleasant weather my computer beeped and on the screen it showed a tornado watch had been issued until 9:00 tonight.

Okay...weird, but okay.

Then it got dark and looked like rain. It wasn't long before the rain started and with the rain came hail -- lots of it! It was coming down hard; so hard that I thought it was going to break our windows! If there had been a tornado warning I would have never heard the siren because it was so loud with the pounding of the hail on the house! I'll admit that I was pretty freaked out during the loudest part of the storm!

Annah holds a piece of the marble sized hail!

Looking like winter was back!

Water rushing down the street in the early
part of the storm

By the time Jacob got home the hail had stopped but he was happy to play with the leftovers!

It appears we had no storm damage other than a lot of beautiful Bradford Pear blossoms were blown off the tree. At first glance it looks like snow in the grass but it's the petals. My rose bush on the side of the porch also lost a lot of its new tender leaves.

Hello spring...coming in like a lion!

"Today is going to be a good day!"

2011-03-16T14:25:00.006-04:00

Last Sunday night the phone rang and the voice on the other end said he was calling because he was companions with Elder Valenta and he was wondering how he was.

My mind immediately jumped to young Tim, thinking that it was one of his companions from his mission to Canada several years ago.

I said, "Well, you know he's married and is living in Tempe, Arizona, right?"

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

He then said, "I was companions with Jordan in Brazil."

OH! I hadn't thought of THAT Elder Valenta!

I laughed and said, "Well, in that case, Jordan is NOT married and he does NOT live in Arizona!" :)

Then it all began to make sense....

Elder Wenzel was from Iowa and was companions with Jordan when he was in Ouro Branco, Brazil in June and July 2010. He said what a great missionary Jordan was and that he liked him a lot. He said that Jordan had written him a letter and he got it when he got home from his mission in November and he felt bad because he hadn't written him back but that he thought about him often.

Elder Wenzel is now going to school at BYU. He said that on Sunday a girl got up in church to give a talk. She commented on what a nice day it was outside and that when she woke up that morning she knew it was going to be a good day. THAT reminded Elder Wenzel of Jordan because he remembered that Jordan would get up every morning and say, "Today is going to be a good day! He added that one morning Jordan didn't say it and Elder Wenzel made him say it! :)

It was so nice of Elder Wenzel to call us. I can't tell you how good it was to know that Jordan was still remembered by one of his former companions. I love it that Jordan holds a special place in the life of another. That is one of the highest compliments that can be paid -- to be remembered, to be remembered in a positive way.

Pictures of Elder Valenta and Elder Wenzel in Ouro Branco, Brazil

June & July 2010

"I will make thy name to be remembered..."

Psalms 45:17

Proud To Have Been Her Friend...

2011-03-07T22:12:00.001-05:00

Last week brought news that I have been dreading...the passing of my dear friend, Laurie. She was diagnosed with cancer in early January and now, early March, she is gone.

Laurie with her daughter's Meg and Dawn (on the left)

and her daughters-in law Seirra and Shannon (on the right)

I have never had a friend like Laurie. Our friendship began with her coming to my rescue. Back in June 1999 Tim was called to be the bishop of our ward and at the time I was expecting baby #6. Abigail was totally attached to Tim and was perfectly content to be held by him each Sunday. His call to be bishop meant that he would be sitting up on the stand and she would be with me sitting in the congregation and most Sundays that did not make her happy. Jacob was 5 and more than a handful -- some things never change! :) So between Abigail and Jacob and my Sunday morning refereeing gig with young Tim, Andrew and Jordan, I needed rescuing. And rescue she did.

It began with her asking if Jacob could sit with her just across the aisle from where I sat each week. Jacob was game for anything so there was no protest from him. Once Annah arrived Laurie would offer to do whatever needed to be done whether it was to hold Annah so I could take an unhappy Abigail out of the meeting or if there was more trouble brewing she would sit with the kids while I took the uncooperative one or two out. She was there to do whatever she was needed to do.

Eventually Abigail became brave enough to cross the aisle and join Jacob with Laurie and her family where they would entertain the kids with quiet books and fascinating things that only other people could provide. In time even shy Annah would have the right of passage and cross the aisle too.

Somewhere amid her Sunday morning rescuing we became friends. I loved her for her giving heart and her wonderful ability to meet you where you were and love you in spite of yourself. I loved the way she always helped me to see beyond at the bigger picture. I loved when she shared what she learned and her insight. I cherish the times we went to the temple together. I loved that she was my visiting teacher. I loved that she knew all about me and loved me still the same. Nothing I could tell her would make her think differently of me. I am so thankful I had the opportunity to know her and to love her. I am a better person for having done so.

Today was Laurie's funeral. It was a hard day but a good day. A hard day because of the emotions that were unveiled by all who knew and loved her but a good day because she is not suffering any more. And it was a good day for all those that loved her to come together to celebrate her life.

In the last weeks of her life Laurie said that there was nothing more that she could have wished for in her life. She was satisfied with the full life she had lived. I can attest to that fact. The impact she had on so many lives can not be defined. The love that she offered cannot be measured.

I am not sad for Laurie, for I know where she now calls home and she is free from the earthly pain that she felt. But I am sad for myself that I no longer have her here with me. It is a selfish thing, I know. I want her here. I want to feel her arms around me and her voice declaring that she loves me and my voice declaring that I love her right back.

I will miss her but I look forward to seeing my friend again. I know I will. I know in whom I trust. And I know in whom Laurie trusted and they are one in the same.

"I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust." Psalms 91:2

Laurie, Dawn and Meg

Till we meet again my sweet friend. Thank you for sharing your life and your love. I love you beyond words.

Lessons of Life....

2011-02-26T21:08:00.008-05:00

Tonight we were reminiscing about a time we had gone out to eat as a family.

During our meal the waitress came over and asked Jacob if he wanted more to drink. The cup had a lid on it and when Jacob replied that he would like some more soda the waitress said,

"Would you take your top off?"

Jacob said yes, removed the lid and handed it to her for a refill.

Andrew immediately leaned in toward Jacob and said,

"Jacob, when a girl asks you if you would take your top off, just say no!"

BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Years later we still laugh about that just as we still laugh about this picture....

Mystic in her "orange helmet" young Tim made for her!

Give More Life....

2011-02-23T08:22:00.003-05:00

I am a blog reader. I read the blogs of my friends and people I consider my friends although I have never met them. The other day I read a blog post that captured my attention. It came from Becoming Minimalist. The title of the post was 40 Ways to Give More Life. I wanted to repost it on my blog because it spoke to my heart about what I want to strive for in my relationships with those around me.

"Of all the gifts that we could ever give to another person, none holds more potential than giving life itself. And I love the idea that every interaction I have with another human being offers me that grand opportunity.

It doesn’t matter if my next encounter is a short conversation, an email, a meal, or a 4-hour business meeting, it always offers me the same opportunity… to brighten another’s existence by breathing life into theirs.

Once correctly understood and applied, this simple, profound thought calls us to be more intentional, more thoughtful, and more persistent. It calls us to…

Smile more.
Hug more.
Give more compliments.
Write more love notes.
Offer more forgiveness.
Ask more follow-up questions.
Show more interest.
Have more compassion
Talk to more children.
Remember more names.
Leave bigger tips.
Use kinder words.
Laugh at more jokes.
Make more eye contact.
Listen more intently.
Give more time.
Stop to catch-up longer.
Promote others more often.
Be more optimistic.
Be more sympathetic.
Be more patient.
Celebrate more successes.
Ask to pray more often.
Dream bigger dreams for others.
Cook more meals.
Ask elders for more advice.
Spend more time reminiscing with old friends.
Donate more to charity.
Remember more details.
Sing more songs.
Display more affection.
Give more apologies.
Focus less on differences.
Invite more to come along.
Read more books to your child.
Offer to help more often.
Trust more.
Give more responsibility.
Say more thank-you’s.

Give more life. Because there, you’ll find more for yourself as well."

"The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life."

~Job 33:4~

17 Years Ago Yesterday.....

2011-02-22T10:40:00.006-05:00

February 21st brought a birthday to our home.

The great and fabulous Jacob celebrated his 17th birthday.

It is getting harder for me to believe that ~~he has lived to see the day~~ he is already 17! In honor of his big day I decided to share a few of my favorite pictures of Jacob. :)

Jacob has always been

funny...

And creative....

This is one of my all time favs!

And a lady's man....

(His one leggedness is especially attractive!)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Jacob!

I love you! I wrote it small as to not embarrass you! ;)

Winter Has Fled....

2011-02-17T16:36:00.004-05:00

Winter seems to have fled from outside my window. I will miss it. I enjoy the cold and the snow and the memories that are created in the cold.

We had a lovely snow that was special ordered just for Tim and Lisa when they came in December. Lisa is from Canada and now lives in Arizona so she doesn't see much snow anymore. We ordered snow just for her!

Today it is 66 degrees.

Yup, I think winter has officially fled.

I will let it go but it has to promise to come back next year! :)

Happy Valenta's Day!

2011-02-15T12:30:00.004-05:00

In our home we love February 14th. It's the day of love named in our honor -- St. Valenta's Day. We love that we can wish people a Happy Valenta's Day!

To celebrate the day I made 2 dinners -- meatloaf and mashed potatoes for Tim and I and heart shaped pizzas for the kids. (We all would have done pizza but Tim doesn't do pizza well anymore. He needs so much milk to get it down that he fills up on milk and not food. I wanted him to have a dinner he liked and could get down without a lot of trouble so two dinners it was.)

As treat for later I had made chocolate chip cookies and chocolate covered strawberries. The kids were soooo happy with all the goodies!

Hope you had a Happy Valenta's Day too!

Can You Hear Me Now?

2011-02-10T17:20:00.003-05:00

Abigail says funny things. The funniest thing is that most of the time she doesn't even realize it. Sometimes what she says makes me roll my eyes (hmmmm...maybe that's where she gets it from!). Sometimes it makes me take a slow deep breath. Sometimes she makes me count to 53. Sometimes she makes me laugh out loud....like the other morning.

Abigail is not a morning person. She doesn't like mornings. If she had her way she wouldn't even do mornings....until there is something she is really wanting to do. :) She had one of those mornings a few days ago. She was up with only one wake up call and dressed and downstairs before Annah even lifted her head off the pillow. I loved it -- I wish she did that every morning.

As Tim was getting ready to bring kids to school I asked Abigail to go up stairs in her room and get something for me. She was less than thrilled, rolled her eyes and sighed and began going upstairs murmuring that she was going to be late!!!!

Is that really MY child saying that? Somebody check her birthmark just to be sure!

Seriously? SHE is the one who everybody waits on (unless it's something she wants to do).

As she went up the stairs I said to Tim in a low voice, "She is the one who is always running behind!"

Then a voice coming from the direction of the stairs said, "I can heeeaar you!"

I replied, "Oh yeah, what did I say?" (I was sure she was just messing with me!)

Abigail replied, "You said you're blowing my mind!"

BWHAHAHAHAHAHA! Yup.....that too!

(This is one of my favorite pictures of Abigail!)

A New Light Switch...

2011-02-08T21:45:00.003-05:00

The kids were all in the living room tonight when Tim came in the room and said,

"I wanted to tell you that I put a new light switch in the bathroom today. This one turns on AND off. It's not like the other one that only stayed on....just so you know!"

BWHAHAHAHAHA!

I think they got the message but time will tell. :)

Happy Groundhog Day!

2011-02-01T07:43:00.002-05:00

HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY!

What do we know about Punxsutawney Phil of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania?

On February 2nd, Phil comes out of his burrow on Gobbler’s Knob, in front of thousands of faithful followers from all over the world, to predict the weather for the rest of the winter.

Did you know that Punxsutawney Phil is the only true weather forecasting groundhog. The others are just impostors.

There has been only one Punxsutawney Phil. Punxsutawney Phil gets his longevity from drinking “groundhog punch” (a secret recipe).
One sip, which is administered every summer at the Groundhog Picnic, gives him seven more years of life.

Contrary to popular belief, Punxsutawney Phil’s forecasts are not made in advance by an inner circle of experts. After Phil emerges from his burrow on February 2nd, he speaks to the Groundhog Club President in Groundhogese. His proclamation is then translated for the world.

According to legend, if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter weather. If he does not see his shadow, there will be an early spring.

I am just wondering how that works...if spring is March 20th this year, how can it come any earlier than March 20th? And as far as I can calculate, winter is 6 more weeks regardless of what Phil says. I better stop thinking about this or I could ruin my illusions of the old fat groundhog from Pennsylvania and his predicting abilities. :)

And for the record, I think it would be neat to live in a town called Punxsutawney!

HAPPY 6 MORE WEEKS OF WINTER!

I Need a Little Wanna...

2011-01-31T14:51:00.001-05:00

There is a road in Lexington that always gives me a chuckle when I see it. It is called Lackawanna Road. :)

Then there is the New York State Thruway ticket with the same name on it for a town near Buffalo. It makes me laugh too.

I think that all of us have a "Lackawanna" periodically.

I think I am suffering from a little Lackawanna.

Maybe I need a little more snow.

Snow goes a long way to improve my wanna. :)

Vampire...

2011-01-26T10:43:00.002-05:00

Our family has a tradition of playing the game "Vampire". A few years ago, before Tim and Lisa were married, we played the game when Lisa came to our house for the first time. She loved it so of course we HAD to play it when Tim and Lisa came to visit at Christmas. :)

Vampire is kind of like a game of hide and seek but it is played completely in the dark and you don't know who is "it"! There is a deck of Vampire cards. The cards each have a picture on them of a gravestone but ONE card has a picture of a vampire. Each person takes a card and peeks at it, being careful not to let anyone else see it. The one with the vampire card is "IT" -- they are the vampire but no one knows who it is.

The lights go out, everyone goes to find a hiding place. We give 2 minutes to hide and when the timer goes off the "vampire" comes out of hiding and goes to find the others! Sometimes you bump into the "vampire" on your way to a hiding place or you might be hiding right by the "vampire" and not know it...until the timer goes off!

Then the "vampire" goes about finding victims one by one. When one is found they let out a blood curdling scream to let the others know they've been found! Then that "victim" joins the vampire in finding all the others that are hiding. Once everyone is found the lights go on and we begin again!

Now there is some set up to playing Vampire. Because it needs to be dark, we usually play in the winter when it gets dark earlier. But even in the winter it's not quite dark enough so we go about the house covering windows with throw blankets to reduce any light coming in.....

Like this...

And we cover anything that gives off any hint of light...

The radio..

The phone light...

The microwave...(and many other little flickers of light that

might aid in "seeing" in the dark.)

Then most anywhere is far game for a hiding place.

This was Lisa's very creative place.

In the dark, on the counter she was hard to find!!!

We are a Vampire loving family...even before vampires were the "in" thing!

My Best Present...

2011-01-23T14:02:00.003-05:00

This was my best Christmas present.

I have worn it

every day

since I got it.
It reminds me that in spite of what is happening around me,
all *really* is well.

Thank you, Santa. ;)

Catching Up -- Lights Under Louisville...

2011-01-21T08:25:00.003-05:00

Our Christmas began with picking up young Tim and Lisa from the airport on Thursday. The plan was to pick them up, drive home and have a late dinner. But, because of their tight schedule as they flew from Arizona to Denver to Kentucky, they hadn't had lunch and were feeling very hungry. Since it was an hour and a half trip home we had to change the plan. That change of plans took us to Wendy's where they were offering a coupon for $5 off something called "Lights Under Louisville". The name was intriguing because each 4th of July they have what is called "Thunder Over Louisville" where they have a fantastic fireworks show in the skies over the city of Louisville.

We had planned to do Southern Lights in Lexington (a ride through the horse park with lights galore to ooo and ahhh about) while Tim and Lisa were here so we decided that we would do Lights Under Louisville in place of that. We didn't know what Lights Under Louisville was but we decided to find out! Our timing was perfect as was our location -- it opened at 6:00 pm and it was about 5:50 pm when we drove out of Wendy's parking lot, turned right and we were practically in line for the the place! WOO HOO!

Our wait wasn't long -- only about 15 or 20 minutes in line before we could see the mouth of the cavern bidding us to drive in. While waiting for the line to move there was a sign that, had I been ready with my camera, would have been an AWESOME addition to this blog post. I am disappointed to say that I have no picture. But it was rather humorous.....

As we were nearing the mouth of the cavern there was a sign sporting a mushroom cloud advertising that for a mere $10,000 per person you could reserve your spot in the cavern in case of a nuclear attack! A bomb-shelter? Really? Suddenly I had a change in what I wanted for Christmas. Charming thoughts for the New Year filled my head. :P

After doing a little research, I now know that during the Cuban Missile Crisis, (back when I was a babe in arms in 1962) the caverns served as bomb shelter - at least for those lucky enough to have a reservation- just in case the need arose. Obviously it wasn't needed but over the past 20 years, recycled concrete, brick, block, car parts, non-organic waste, rock and dirt have been dropped off and been used to fill in holes and create floors and internal roads in the 17 mile cavern. Apparently that is where a lot of Louisville's non-biodegradable waste has gone...to make floors and roads in the bomb-shelter. Who knew? We've lived in Kentucky for 15 years now and we never knew!

So we drove through the awesome Mega Cavern to see the Christmas lights...

Today the cavern is used as a weather-proof, earthquake-proof storage center for things like cars, boat, (they've got to be some special cars and boats!), road salt, documents, and even items like original Hollywood movie prints like The Wizard of Oz and many original Disney films are stored there. There is even a worm farm in the cavern and rumor has it that the tour guide actually EATS A WORM on the tour. I am not sure if seeing a tour guide eat a worm is worth the $13 price per person for admission on the regular tours! The Mega Cavern even boasts that it is so safe that it would withstand a tornado or direct hit from a 747 off-course from nearby Louisville International Airport. I just wonder, HOW do they know that?

Wow...if I just had $10,000!

The last sight leaving the cavern is a big lit up

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS sign...

just after the over sized, colorfully lit Menorah. :)

There was a little something for everyone at the Mega Cavern. I am thinking it is Louisville's best kept secret!

P.S. For anyone that wonders, in Kentucky we do not say

Louis-ville or Lu-ee-ville.

It's more like Lu-a-vull.

That is how you can tell the difference between the old timers and the newcomers!

But, well take you any way you say it! :)

Saying Goodbye...

2011-01-16T16:33:00.005-05:00

This is a long post for my little life....

It feels so overwhelming to begin writing on my blog again. So much has happened and so many feelings have passed through my heart. I don't really know where to begin, what to write or how much I am even up to writing. I hope that just by beginning somewhere my answers will come.

Young Tim and Lisa arrived on December 23rd to spend Christmas with us in Kentucky. We were so looking forward to their visit since we hadn't seen them for over a year and a half. We picked them up from the airport and after a stop at Wendy's for some food we went to see "Light's Under Louisville" which will be a blog post of its own in time. (Hopefully before next Christmas!) :)

It was Christmas Eve day that the call came from Minnesota that Tim's dad had passed away. He was diagnosed with lung cancer in August and by Christmas he was gone. We were happy that in August we had made an impromptu trip to Minnesota to see the family as it proved to be the last time we saw Tim's dad. The morning of his passing Tim talked to his step-mother, Phyllis, and asked her if she could hold the phone to his father's ear so that he could talk to him. Phyllis did that so Tim could say goodbye to his dad. When Phyllis came back to the phone she told Tim that his dad had heard him. She knew it because when Tim talked to him he stirred in his bed. It was only 3 hours later when the call came in that his dad was gone.

On Christmas Day we spoke with Jordan in Brazil. It is one of two phone calls we have each year and it broke our hearts to have to share anything other than happy news with him but we had to tell him of the passing of his grandfather. We also had to tell him that his other grandfather, my father, also was not well and he probably wouldn't make it much longer. It was not the news we wanted to share but news we had to.

Plans began to take shape for travel to Minnesota. With Tim and Lisa in town until January 1st, they offered to stay with the kids so Tim and I could drive to Minnesota. The funeral was on Friday, December 31st so we left on Thursday morning and headed north. Without the kids and the dog we made the trip in 14 hours verses the usual 16. We arrived Thursday night for the Friday morning funeral.

It was a snowy Friday... fitting, I suppose, for Minnesota. The last time we were in Minnesota in the winter time was for Tim's grandmother's funeral some years ago. We arrived at the funeral home early and admired all the lovely flowers that were sent in honor of Donald Valenta, the mayor of his Minnesota city. He was greatly honored just by the sheer volume of flowers, the number of people that came to the funeral and the presence of the Minnesota Patriot Guard. What a moving demonstration of honor both to our country and to Tim's father.

My emotions were close to the surface as only 2 days before I had gotten word that my father had only days to live. He had not been doing well for a number of weeks. He was extremely tired, very weak, his coloring was terrible and he felt bad. On top of that he was down over 20 lbs. in just over a month's time. A few days before Christmas the nursing home, where he resided with my mother, called me to prepare me for the reality that he was failing. I stood in Walmart taking the call to hear them say, "We don't know what is wrong but something is going on." His lab reports showed that his liver enzymes were high so they ordered an ultrasound of his liver where they found a mass. With the ultrasound results it was recommended that he have a triple CT scan to see other areas. I was called on December 28th (the day before we left for Minnesota) with results of that CT scan and it was not good. They confirmed that he was full of cancer -- his liver, his stomach, his lymph nodes. There was a nodule on his lung that they also suspected was cancerous. It became apparent that his time was very short.

I had been in contact with the nursing home multiple times a day for a week or more as they called me with updates. With about 20 minutes before the funeral was to begin for Tim's dad I saw that there was voice mail on my phone. I had no reception in the building so I went outside to the back of the building and walked until I had a few bars of cell reception. I listened to the message thinking it was the nursing home updating me again but it wasn't the nursing home but rather it was from one of my father's doctors.  He called to verify the instructions he had. Because my father had a pacemaker and defibrillator I had to give the okay to deactivate the defibrillator. As his body failed his heart would stop but the defibrillator would try to do its job and restart the heart with a jolt. If that happened it would cause him a great deal of pain so to avoid that I had given permission to have his defibrillator deactivated so that he might have an easier passage from life.

I stood there in the cold of that sad Minnesota day with tears streaming down my face. We were there to say our goodbyes to my father-in-law while at the same time confirming the deactivation of the device that had the ability to keep my father's heart beating. I never questioned deactivating the defibrillator, but it seems like such an awful thing to have to confirm as I stood in the cold and snow outside the funeral home that day. I was put through to the doctor and spoke the confirmation -- yes, deactivate the defibrillator. When I hung up I cried in the cold.

Tim was asked to give the eulogy at his father's funeral. That is a hard job to do no matter who you are speaking about but it is particularly difficult when it is your dad. There was a minister who directed the funeral and offered a timeline of his life -- where he was born, how many siblings, his time in the Navy, etc. Then it was Tim's turn. True to his character he brought honor to his father as he spoke about the difficulties that his father had overcome in his life and of the things that were so endearing about him. As we listened to Tim speak about his father we laughed and we cried and we were all reminded of why we loved him. After Tim finished, the minister stood up and in response to Tim's words said, "I have been doing this for a lot of years and I have to say that is the best I have heard! I think he (meaning Tim) deserves a round of applause." He began clapping and was joined by all those in attendance. Leave it to Tim to be applauded at a funeral! I am sure his dad was smiling. :)

The next morning (New Year's Day) we were up before the sun and back on the road to home. At about 6:30 am I called the nursing home to check on how my father had done through the night. The nurse said that she had just come from his room where she had gone in to give him his medicine. She whispered to him and asked if he was comfortable. He said that he was so she said she would let him sleep and come back to give him his medicine later on. At 9:30 I called the room and talked to my mom. She said that my dad was still sleeping and that he didn't wake up to have breakfast. We talked and I told her that I would call her again in a few hours. At noon the call came from the nursing home that he had passed away.

It was hard to believe that all of this was happening...Tim's dad passed away on Christmas Eve day and now my dad passed away on New Year's Day.

Plans were made to leave for New York three days later. We got on the road and drove another 16 hours but this time it was with three of the kids and the dog. Tim and I are pretty convinced that we've ruined our kids desire to ever go to McDonald's again (not a bad thing!) since we ate off the dollar menu all the way to New York and back again! We weren't going for healthy, just cheap. :)

Once in New York we stayed with Carol and Cal who I have known since I was 16. When Cal owned his own business I worked for him and in later years he and Carol became good friends with my parents. Since then they have been caretakers in a sense as they have visited, called, cheered, and comforted them. It has been of great comfort to me that they have been so wonderful about making time for my parents. They are like the many other people who are friends to my parents who have been there when their immediate family hasn't been. Distance, in any form, is a difficult thing for all involved.

The funeral service came together quickly and it couldn't have been a more fitting tribute to him. Cal (whose house we were staying at) spoke first, followed by a group of men singing, "I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go" which was my father's favorite song. My mother wanted to use that song as an opening song but it just struck me as odd to open a funeral service singing, "I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go". In fact, I found it not just odd but outright funny! :) (Sorry Dad!) When the suggestion was made to have the men sing it in the middle of the service I was relieved! After the song it was Tim's turn. All though Tim didn't get around of applause, (they are a tough crowd in NY!) he really did an outstanding job. I am sure that my father was honored by the service.

After the funeral service we traveled quite some distance to the Saratoga National Cemetery where my father was laid to rest. The service there was very short but a site to behold. It began with Tim dedicating the grave site then went immediately into a rifle volley that consisted of 7 rifleman shooting three times. (The tradition of the three volleys comes from an old battlefield custom. The two warring sides would cease hostilities to clear their dead from the battlefield, and the firing of three volleys meant that the dead had been properly cared for and the side was ready to resume the battle.) The volley was followed by the playing of Taps and then the presentation of the flag that was draped over his casket to my mother. Three of the shell casings that were fired (representing 1 for each rifle volley fired) were also presented to my mother. The three casings stand for Duty, Honor and Country.

My mother thinks that the playing of Taps is so final. It does sound final with the melancholy strains of a lone bugle but do you know the words? I didn't until I looked them up. There are no "official words" and there are few varied versions. This is the one I liked best.

Day is done,

Gone the sun,

From the lakes,

From the hills,

From the sky,

All is well,

Safely rest,

God is nigh.

Fades the light,

Dims the sight,

And a star,

Gems the sky,

Gleaming bright,

From afar,

Drawing nigh,

Falls the night.

Thanks and praise,

For our days,

Neath the sun,

Neath the stars,

Neath the sky,

As we go,

This we know,

God is nigh.

A military funeral is a very moving and emotional experience. It is short and yet filled with symbolism. When Taps is played the echo lingers in the heart long after it has ceased to play. I don't know if there is a person in attendance that didn't have a lump in their throat or tears in their eyes.

So both my father and Tim's are laid to rest. Both Veterans. Both received military honors at their passing. Both 83 years old. Both leaving a wife behind. Both making a difference to the people who lives they were a part of.

"As we go, this we know, God is nigh." And He is.

"The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth." Psalms 145:18

Christmas Tears

2010-12-29T08:35:00.002-05:00

It has been a bitter sweet Christmas. Sweet because Tim and Lisa came from Arizona for 9 days and the whole family was together to be able to call Jordan in Brazil on Christmas morning, but bitter because on Christmas Eve Day Tim's father passed away after his short battle with lung cancer -- diagnosed in August and gone in December.

Early Thursday morning Tim and I will be on our way to Minnesota for his funeral on Friday. Tim and Lisa graciously offered to stay with the kids at home and that will make our travel time shorter and less expensive. Because we won't be home to get Tim and Lisa to the airport in Louisville for their flight home on Saturday some great friends offered to get them there for us -- thank you Bunn Family! We so appreciate your kindness in doing this for us.

A visit to Minnesota in August 2010

Tim, Jeff, Dad Don, Peggy and Ron

(*missing from this picture is Pam who could not be there when this was taken)

This was the last picture I took of Tim's dad as we were pulling out of the driveway of their home headed back to Kentucky. What a sweet moment to have captured. He will be missed.

When we are back home and things have settled down I will update the blog on our Christmas happenings.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T20:46:00.002-05:00

We wish you a wonderful Christmas that brings love, joy ,hope and peace.

That is what this time of year is all about -- the love of Jesus Christ for each of us, the joy His presence brings in our lives, the peace in knowing he is our Savior, the hope of the world.

Tim, Loretta, Andrew, Jacob, Abigail, and Annah

Merry Christmas!

*Missing from the picture is Jordan who is serving as a missionary in Brazil until October 2011 and Young Tim who is married and living in Tempe, AZ.

Life is too short for matching socks

2010-12-23T23:31:00.001-05:00

A package came in the mail last week. It was from my sister. For a split second the thought crossed my mind that we should just put it under the tree and open it on Christmas morning. But that thought went as quickly as it came and we opened the package.

Packages from Cretta, always are exciting. She has an knack for gift giving whether it's things she makes herself or the things that she has bought. This year was no exception.

This is what she sent to us......

We each got a pair of wonderfully, colorful socks called Solmates. They are knitted in the USA at a family owned knitting mill, hand finished and then "mismatched with care." The woman who owns Solmates Socks says, "Life is too short for matching socks." :) I agree! I LOVE my socks!

Even Jacob tried his on! He's good sport!

And if our wonderful socks weren't enough, she also sent this...

This is more true than I can express. She has been there through the downpour and she always went with us for a walk in the rain.

Thanks Cretta :) Our feet and our hearts are happy.

Gingerbread House 2010

2010-12-20T11:31:00.004-05:00

It was that time of year again...time to make our annual gingerbread house! We do cheat and begin with a pre-made house. Only a few years ago the kit came with pieces of the house and you had to begin by using the frosting glue to put it together but now the kit comes with a fully put together, naked house to begin decorating. That is all fine and good except this time our house was broken in 3 pieces when we took it out of the box! After a little "gluing" together it was good to go and we began creating. We didn't even need a drill this year to hold it all together! :)

We made our family (the ones living at home) -- Mom, Dad, Jacob (complete with headphones and an iPod!), Abigail, Annah and Ella, our dog. We didn't do the two cats much to Jacob's dismay.

After making the gingerbread house the kids each made a creation all their own. Jacob made a house that he kept together with a C-clamp till it dried enough to stay on it's own! In the end the house was shaped like a coffin with two Gothic looking people standing outside that were meant to be missionaries! :)

Abigail made a maze that was inspired by our October trip to a corn maze! I loved her Christmas tree with the angel on top!

Annah made a two story house complete with bench and a side pool! Her roof did have to be reinforced with tongue depressors but the building was saved from collapse!

It just doesn't feel like Christmas until we've been creative AND totally trashed the kitchen! :)

Kentucky Ice

2010-12-19T23:12:00.005-05:00

Last week it was snowy and icy in Kentucky.

First came the snow and then came the ice. I think all the neighbors could hear the jubilant cheers from inside our house as school was cancelled four out of the five days last week!
I cheer too -- I love snow days!
This week begins the kid's "official" Christmas vacation from school. Their two weeks off has now become three with a little help from Mother Nature! Even winter haters have to admit it is a beautiful season to behold!
What's not to love about the transformation from brown to white and from matte finish to glossy?
Welcome winter!

O December!

2010-12-08T15:15:00.002-05:00

Oh I do love December! Of course I think I also said that about September. And October. And November. But I do love the cold and the days that are filled with hopes for snow and December brings that ever closer.

How fitting that on December 1st it was cold here in Kentucky and it was spitting snow! I knew it wouldn't cover the brown grass that lays matted till spring let alone stay, but, it was thrilling to see white flakes floating in the air! Then days later more fluffy white trailed form the sky and this time it came to stay a little longer. And that really made me smile!

Decembers have become somewhat of a milestone in our family. It was two years ago this December that Tim was diagnosed with throat cancer. Often it is so hard for us to believe that two years have passed since that devastating day the doctor confirmed our worst fears. That December was a blurr. Dealing with the shock of the news, trying to be engaged in Christmas preparations all the while trying to figure out how to keep life "normal" for our family. It seemed an impossible feat but somehow, with means beyond our own, we were able to do what we needed to do. We were aided by angels, seen and unseen, to get through those very dark days.

Just last week Tim had another CT scan (it's been 6 months since his last one) and then this week he saw Dr. Arnold, his oncologist. She was happy to give us the report that all is well! She thought Tim looked great (aside from him being a little skinny -- something I am pretty sure we knew already) :) Tim often comments on how he wished that he had all these people around him telling him how great looked back when he was in high school! hahahaha!

We talked to Dr. Arnold about tests -- how far in between, what kinds, which of all of the "ologoists" to see and when. After the questions Dr. Arnold said to Tim, "You want me to tell you that you don't have to come back, don't you?"

It wasn't really a question but a statement. She was right. When she said that to Tim I choked back tears and avoided eye contact with her so I didn't cry right then and there. Dr. Arnold knew what Tim's true desire was but the reality is that he will continue to go back, although less frequently. That is progress and something that we are really happy about.

So December brings a remembrance of that dreaded diagnosis but December also reminds us just how far we have come. And we know in the journey we were not alone. We weren't alone then and we are not alone now.

O December.....

Giving Thanks For the Good Stuff...

2010-11-27T13:16:00.001-05:00

Thanksgiving was a really wonderful day in our home.

The day before I made our usual two pumpkin pies and an apple pie. (I think next year we might make two apple pies -- I made an exceptional apple pie this year --if I do say so myself-- and it went so fast we should have had two!) I also did the sweet potatoes and the green bean casserole ahead of time so it only required reheating on Thanksgiving. That turned out to be a really good plan and I don't know why I hadn't thought of doing that in previous years.

On Thanksgiving Day Andrew came over. It was really good to see him again. He's been busy working and we really hadn't seen him much over the past few months. But we were really glad that he accepted the invitation to come to have dinner with us. I think he grows taller every time we see him!

In honor of Jordan I had to have Brazil nuts. :) I do love them but to actually shell them yourself takes brute force and these days brute force is hard to come by for me with my still nagging tennis elbow that I've had for 3 months now. (I did finally go to the doctor and was put on an anti-inflammatory for it. It really helped while I was taking it but once the medicine was gone it was back to hurting a lot more.)

After calls to and from family we had dinner just about on time. :) Something always seems to delay the meal but we did pretty good with getting everything out and ready for our 2:00 meal time.

This year we decided (at Annah's suggestion) to use some beautiful etched glasses that came from Hawaii. We received them as a wedding gift almost 25 1/2 years ago and aside from an anniversary or two, we have never used them. We met in Hawaii so they do have special significance! The bases are thick glass but the body of the glass is thin so it scares me to use them thinking they will get broken.

But this year when Annah asked about using them I thought, "Why not?" Really, what is the point of saving the "good stuff" and never use it? We save the "good stuff" for those special occasions but really, what more of a special occasion do we need than to have as many of our family members as could be gathered together for a day of giving thanks for all that God has blessed us with? I can't think of anything more fitting for the "good stuff"!

And speaking of the "good stuff", Tim had the errand of going to the linen closet upstairs and bringing some sort of doily for under the center piece for the table. He came down with a doily that my Grandmother Vroman had crocheted. My first thought was, "We can't use that -- it's too special." But reconsidering I said, "Yes, let's use it! It will be perfect." And it was -- unraveling parts and all. My grandmother, who was born in 1901 and passed away in 1987 at the age of 86, made that and it is very special so why not use it for our thankful day?

Later in the day the missionaries called to ask if they could stop by. Last Sunday I had asked if they had somewhere to eat on Thanksgiving Day and while they did have a place to go, I told them if something happened and it fell through that they could come over to eat with us. Their invitation didn't fall through but they decided to come by and share part of their day with us. We were more than happy to have them (and feed them pie!) as it reminded us of our own missionary son. Maybe someone in Brazil is deciding to care for the missionaries there as we care for the missionaries here. That is my prayer as a mother.

We ended our day with a phone call to Tim and Lisa in Arizona. The first time we called they were eating dinner so we waited to hear from them when they were done with their meal. It was good to talk with them again and catch up!

We had a lovely day filled with good people, good conversation, good food and so many things to be thankful for.

"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts...and be ye thankful."

~Colossians 3:15~

Field Trip...

2010-11-14T20:37:00.004-05:00

Tim announced on Saturday that he was taking the girls on a field trip.

They were all excited and asked him where he was taking them. They wanted to know how far away it was and when they were going. Their facial expressions changed when he said it was a field trip in the house. When they asked again where they were going and after some thoughtful thinking he replied, "To the land of running waters." The guessing began.

"Are we going to have to CLEAN something?"

"You're going to make us clean the shower, aren't you?"

"Are you going to make us clean the toilet?"

Their agitation was brewing. They wanted to know right then and there where their "field trip" was to. Finally the time came when Tim decided it was time to disclose the location of their destination.

He asked the girls to follow him, leading them from the entry way, through the living room, through the computer room, into the kitchen, into the hallway that leads back to the entry way.

They were not amused.

Off the hallway is a half bath. Tim stopped and opened the door and invited them into "the land of running waters."

They groaned.

Still not knowing what the field trip was for Tim began with Exhibit A..........

The eye rolling and sighing began as Tim explained that this was NOT the proper way to put toilet paper on the roll. Then step by step he explained and demonstrated exactly HOW to replace the toilet paper roll! BWHAHAHAHA!

(Below is the demonstration in progress.

I so should have been video taping it!!!)

So they watched and frowned and tried to be irritated and even snickered a few times.

Just when the girls thought the field trip was over Tim announced that they couldn't come out of the bathroom until each of them demonstrated their ability to properly replace the toilet paper roll for themselves!

More groans.

At first they refused.

Then they found out just how serious their tour guide was....

"If you don't do it you will lose computer."

They still weren't budging.

"If you don't do it you will lose the computer and the TV."

Still not convinced.

"If you don't do it you will lose computer, TV and no ice cream tonight."

That was the tipping point....for Annah.

She announced, "You can take away the computer and the TV but don't take away my ice cream!"

Abigail, on the other hand, was still holding out. She was in the bathroom for a while. I opened the door to see this....

Her and the cat just hanging out.

I asked if she did what she needed to do and she replied yes. I looked in around the corner and this is what I saw.....

I guess sometimes you just have to roll with it! :)