Change of Plans!

We were supposed to drive to Canton today to visit my friend Kim and her little girl Annalise.  Surprise, surprise, the relentless snow struck again.  I woke up during the night to the sound of ice softly pelting the window.  It snowed into the late morning and made driving conditions yucky.  So we will have to reschedule.

About 9 o'clock my friend, and neighbor, Laurie called.  She was taking her little girl out to play and wanted Blake and I to join.  We had so much fun!  Their family has been such a blessing and we have become good friends.  We will miss them so much when we move next month.

Just the right size snowman!

How cute are they, holding the snow man's hands?!

Don't you love my su-weet hat?

Dirty Money

Call it a tribute to President's Day.  Perhaps, it was meant to add fervor to my daily prayers for my son.  Maybe it was an attempt to spice up an otherwise routine evening.  The world may never know what was going on in this little munchkin's head when he decided to swallow a nickle and dime last night.

Needless to say, Blake gave us quite a scare with this latest antic.  I heard him gag, then rushed into the room to find him breathless.  Just as quickly, he gulped them the rest of the way down, then told us he "ate the moneys."  You ate the WHAT?

The two hour visit to the Emergency Room which followed was mostly full of waiting and more waiting.  Blake loved every second of it.  He chatted with the nurses as though they were long lost friends.   When they placed the ID bracelet on his wrist he exclaimed with a grin "It's my cast!"   Then the miniature invalid buddied up with another little girl in the waiting room, coloring pictures and explaining LOUDLY how, "There's gonna be moneys in my poop."

When we finally made our way down the long hallway to the Radiology Center, I thought the gravity of the situation would settle in.  I was prepared to console him, as this strange machine took a picture of his tummy.  Nope, he thought it was awesome.  He inspected the machine and declared it to be cool.  He asked to see the picture and smiled as the radiologist gave him this stuffed monkey.

To be honest, other than the whole swallowing two coins, he was charming and adorable, better behaved than usual.  His pure joy at it all was frustrating.  I wish I could say the nickle and dime pictured above were the culprits, but the real items have yet to "appear."  Oh, I sure do love this little boy!

Always Winter, But Never Christmas

 It's at this point, every year we've lived in Northern Ohio, that I feel as if we've stepped into Narnia circa The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.  More snow, and a lot of it, has fallen...again.

Mom and Grandma each sent Blake a Valentine's card with a little cash inside.  We stopped by the toy aisle yesterday and came home with his very first remote controlled, er, spaceship.  His two year old interest zeroed in on this and a gun that made a lot of noise.  Thankfully the Toy Story franchise won out.

 He's getting the hang of it!

After having spent hours listening to this thing whir, run into walls and then rescuing it from under the TV stand repeatedly, I am thinking maybe the toy gun would not have been so annoying after all.

Faithful

The one year anniversary of Grandma's death reminded me that I had saved some bulbs from a flower arrangement I took home after the funeral.  I had planned to plant them last fall, but then we made the decision to move.  I wanted to take them with me, so I left all of the bulbs in ziploc bags in the garage.  There they have sat, forgotten in our dark cold garage.  No soil, no water - just toxic, man-mad, plastic baggies.

Turns out leaving them alone wasn't such a bad thing.  When I finally worked up the nerve to peek at them I saw these lovely green shoots sprouting up!  I know very little about plants (obviously) so I was amazed to see life and growth in the neglected bulbs.

I talked with my dear cousin, Luoma, yesterday who explained that these plants need the winter season.  They need the months of dark, cold dormancy to prepare for a showy spring.  Year after year perennials, draw from their "root stock" to produce their beautiful blooms.  However, she also urged me to "get them in the ground right now!"

What an encouragement these tough plants are.  I know I have definitely felt forgotten before.  There have been times I have received a promise from God, only to see it accomplished on a time table that felt excruciatingly long.  Or I've quietly nourished a dream in my heart with gusto then, to be honest, I shelved it somewhere in my heart and forgot all about it.

Thank God, He does not forget.  "Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." -Philippians 1:6   His work in me is like those persistent green shoots.  From the reservoir of blessing, pain, patience and strength being created, He is growing a plan for me that He will be faithful to complete.

Rock On Larry Boy!

We love to dance around this house, but these moves you'll see below must have been inherited from Uncle Nathan.

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City Grandma, Country Grandma

Yesterday marked one year since Grandma McCleese passed away.  I thought about her quite a lot throughout the day, and was reminded of a writing assignment we did in elementary school.  I chose to give a description of my two grandmas.  Wish I could find it now!  They were both influential in my young life.

My City Grandma, Eva Mae, is still very strong and healthy.

City Grandma:  Mamaw Bowling holding my baby boy for the first time.

• My city grandma loves to buy new clothes.  The sales clerks at her favorite stores know her by name.  

• She is a cleaning machine, and asks us to take our shoes off when we enter the house.

• Grandma is the best cook I know.  She makes old and new dishes with ease that are never too dry or bland.  I loved to make oatmeal cookies with her when I was little.

• She loves to travel, and took her first trip by air this year.

• When we were young she often took us to the mall.  We would visit our favorite shops, grab lunch at Chic-fil-A and later buy a bag of chocolate covered raisins.  I loved visiting her house and being spoiled rotten!

My Country Grandma, Francis Rebecca, is now at rest in heaven.

Country Grandma:  Grandma McCleese, holding Baby Blake for the first time.

• My country grandma always wore skirts.  She had beautiful, long hair that I liked to brush when she took it down from it's platted and pinned up do.

• She loved to garden, and put up enough canned goods to feed an army.

• Grandpa had to keep his eye on her or she would give away every penny she had to someone in need, and she often took in struggling people to stay in their home.  

• She always seemed to have a vat of purple Kool Aid ready for her fifteen grandchildren.

• She gave sloppy kisses and had a beautiful smile.

Of course these two special women have a lot in common too.

• They are both stubborn as the day is long.  

• Both have a true warmth and heart of hospitality.  Neither ever seemed to know a stranger. 

• Most importantly they love and serve God.  I have seen both of them bow to pray earnestly many a time.  Each had experienced her share of trials in this life, and had met them with a gritty determination to rely on her Savior and become stronger.

I am so blessed to be the granddaughter of two such amazing women!

Valentine Sweets!

Today is such a great day for reminding the special people in your life how much they are loved! 

The candy we sent to all of the grandparents made it in time!  This recipe for "Bark" is basically saltines covered in caramel with chocolate on top.  The salty and sweet combo is a definite winner.

I am a sucker for orchids.  Well done, Steve.

 

My gift for my espresso loving man - chocolate tiramisu.  

Love my sweet Valentine!