happy anniversary, baby . . .

June 14, 1996

It's hard to believe that it's been fifteen years since we tied the knot.
Fifteen glorious, wonderful years.

I wouldn't have wanted to share them with anyone else.

And after fifteen years, still he can surprise me . . .

Knowing flowers wouldn't deliver all the way out to Camp MACOBA,
he had these delivered to our daughter's house, where we
were leading Community Groups tonight.
It didn't even occur to me that he might think of such a thing.

I am blessed and blessed! Here's to the next fifteen!

:)

gorgeous finish . . .

This week may have started out on the rough side,
but thanks to my darling man,
it sure finished on a gorgeous note!

Isn't it sweet? I love flowers delivered at work!

I ♥ him!

:)

oh happy day . . .

As always, I enjoyed a wonderful Monday, spending it with my precious peek-a-boo boy!

He had a really great day yesterday; it's like he inherently knows that Santa Claus is checking that list twice!

One thing I noted yesterday was his hands -- they're so big and strong!

And yet they so lovingly touch my face and hold precious puppy for a kiss!

He's really such a good-natured little sport with such a ready smile.

And it cracks me up; he knows that when the orange light from the camera hits his face, it's time to smile!

Yesterday we had lots of play time on the floor.

And he'd move from toy to toy, depending on which one was making noise.

He's funny to watch *and* to listen to as he army crawls across the floor. He really does grunt.

And he makes my neck hurt just watching him crane that head all over the place!

Finally it was lunch time. We had apple/apricots with our cereal for lunch. Listen to me -- I say that like *I* was eating it too! Ugh. Was not. Well maybe just a spoonful, so I could know what he was experiencing.

I love the faces he makes while he's eating.

He's a great eater, too! I've never had him spit anything out.

The only thing about lunchtime is that it's real close to nap time! By the time we're done eating, we're *very* ready for a nap. Yeah, this time I do mean both of us. He's not really crying in the above photo, just letting me know he's ready to be down. It was a great shot of the two teeth!

After cleaning him up and putting him in his crib, he rolls over to his tummy and smiles his little smile; he knew he was tired! He rarely fights napping. He did play around in the crib for about ten, fifteen minutes before falling asleep. It was really cute listening to him chat it up with his animals. He's so sweet!

After his nap and afternoon bottle, we decided to have a hat fashion show.

I love this little hat, though it's a bit big. He kept tossing his head back to try and look at the bill.

So darling!

This one is a cap his other grandma made for him!

It made him happy to wear it! Oh my goodness, how can I resist that darling smile??

For some reason, he didn't like this one . . .

Or perhaps he was just tired of playing 'fashion show' with grandma. Probably.

I wish I could eloquently explain the swell of love that I have for this darling little guy; how precious and dear he is to me. When I watched him on Saturday night, I just wanted to pull him out of his crib and let him sleep on me, because he's so loving and snuggly!

It really excites me to have another one coming; more so because of what I remember about having my second baby. I remember being a little anxious. I so loved my firstborn -- how did loving a second baby compare? And then, after he was born, realizing that I didn't share the love I had for the first baby with the second baby; he got a whole heartful of love that was all his own! My capacity to love truly was multiplied. And that's what excites me -- that once again when grandbaby two arrives early next year, my capacity to love will multiply!!

Ack. I need a Kleenex.

:)

Kiss your Kids

There are two reasons I really dislike winter... the cold, and the viruses that go around. I dread those viruses.

On Friday, my teenage daughter M. got a stomach virus. Now, these are always unpleasant for anyone, but for her they can quickly turn very dangerous. For whatever reason, M. is extremely susceptible to dehydration, (no doctor has ever been able to tell us exactly why, just that some people simply are). Despite all of our precautions, and following doctors orders diligently, it always seems to happen, and it generally happens in the blink of an eye. One minute she can seem fine and alert, the next minute she starts to pass out. Friday evening was no exception.

She awoke from an hour nap, feeling much better, after being sick most of the day. I was relieved to see her looking good, and we talked a bit as I followed her to the bathroom, and waited outside the door in case she needed me. Two minutes later she emerged, slumped and slurring her words, and then she fainted, going down inches away from me, like a ton of bricks, and hitting her nose and head pretty hard. To say I was scared is a gross understatement. By the time I got her to the hospital she was tired, and in pain from the fall, but much more alert. She had no memory of fainting.

Not only was she severely dehydrated, her blood pressure was extremely low. Even after a full IV bag, it still was dropping, reaching a low of 77/37. After another IV bag and a few more hours, I was able to take her home. (Very lucky this time as previous episodes have resulted in days of hospitalization.) She is on the mend now and should be up and about in another day or two.

So, remember to kiss your kids today, and let them know you love them. Seeing your child so vulnerable, always puts things into perspective.

flower power flash . . .

There's nothing like a vase of fresh flowers to make
a girl feel good. Lots & lots better. Great even.
Maybe, dare I say it . . . FANTASTIC!

Especially when they're delivered to her at work . . .

and she's not expecting them in the least . . .

and they're absolutely beautiful . . .

and they're from her most darling, wonderful, loving husband.

*girl sigh*

:)

WHAT A WEEKEND!

First, let me repeat the four confessions of love:

1) God is perfect love.
1 John 4:18
2) Nothing can separate me from God's perfect love.
Romans 8:38-29
3) God pours His perfect love into my imperfect heart.
Romans 5:5
4) Accessed, I can love anyone through anything.
Philippians 4:13

What a good way to start off a glorious morning! I need to keep this in the forefront of my mind today, tomorrow, and the rest of the week! If God can be for me, who can be against me??? HA! Take that.

So . . . this weekend. I did finish the bulk of BBS quilt. Yay-rah! There's still the sashing that needs to go on, which will add about nine inches on all four sides. I'll get there! I promised a picture, so here it is. Phew!


I also said I was going to make that chocolate cake on Sunday. I had to laugh. I consider myself a fairly decent hand in the kitchen. I've been at it for a long, LONG time. I've baked cakes from scratch many times. I love making new desserts and trying new recipes. *Never* have I had such a tough time as I have with the two cakes I've tried from the Mitford cookbook. Egads! The first cake looked simple beautiful, but tasted just mediocre. This second cake absolutely FELL APART! I do not know what happened. I did everything the way the recipe said to do it; I used the best and freshest of ingredients; I waited until the cake had thoroughly cooled before trying to position and frost it. Nevertheless, it simply fell apart. It looked like a huge earthquake fault line had run through the stinking thing! No, really. It looks like California sliding off the rest of the continent. Just look at it!

But oh. my. goodness. It tasted HEAVENLY!! I am not kidding, it was goooooood! The cake was feather-light, and the frosting was . . . well . . . ganache. My favorite! It really doesn't get any better than that. Even Todd agreed that it was simply terrific. I had to take pictures to show; it was only fair. Besides it's great for a laugh!!


It really was rather timely, too. The lastest issue of Eating Well came out this week. The first page I turn to when I get a new issue is the back page, which always has a funny story-like editorial on it. This month's story is about a girl who is a great cake baker and attempts to bake a cake for her boyfriend, who cannot do glucose and sugar and all kinds of things. Anyway, she uses all these special ingredients, bakes the cake and begins to frost it. As she spreads frosting, the cakes begins to crumble underneath her efforts. She piles the frosting on to hopefully 'glue' the cake together, but to no avail. I laughed when I first read it, but I'll admit, I really couldn't envision the scene. I must have read it with a tad of superiority, for God truly gave me empathy in my own mess. I was laughing as hard as my cake was cracking! Julia Child I'm not.

But let me repeat . . . it was GOOD!

This is a shot of last night's sunset, which was simply gorgeous:

In case you're wondering about my plethora of photos today, I got a new camera yesterday, and it's so much fun! It's a little Canon, with a big BITE! It's got lots of pre-set options, one of which is "SUNSET". I just happened to have found this option as the sun was setting in the backyard.

Opportunity taken!

I also took pictures of myself, Todd, us together (using the timer and a cool little flexi-pod that came with it), and Merlin!

Then I went back and took pictures of my first paper-pieced project. I actually took a class at Patches & Stitches and this was our classroom project. I took my completed pieced center and made it into a pillow. Cute, non? It was a great class -- the teacher was Barbara Black, who I really enjoy -- and I've paper-pieced several times since then.

This morning I checked on one of my favorite blogs, Mel's Own Place, and found out I had WON one of her giveaways from over the weekend! I am so excited!! Her button is further down on my blog on the left side. Check it out quilt lovers! She's lots of fun and a *fount* of information! I think I may have ended my "cook your way through Mitford" phase. Yesterday rather did me in. Perhaps I'll focus on quilting and outfitting the RV for now. Goodness.

Carpe diem!

:)

The cake . . .




Gosh, it really was pretty, but I was *so* disappointed in the taste!! I had so geared myself up for this OUT OF THIS WORLD cake -- and it fell short. I wouldn't even put it in the top 10 I've done. It was good, don't get me wrong, but it sure wasn't worth the time, effort, or money that went into it. Lesson learned. I have to say, though, I wonder if it's something I did? The frosting was very good and a great compliment to the dense cake and sweet marmalade filling. But the cake itself was a little on the dry side. And that really surprised me, because you pour this orange juice syrup over it, before it's cooled, to soak in. I was very careful to follow the ingredients and directions to the tee. I dunno.

Poor Todd -- I had really built this bad boy up. He didn't hardly eat anything during the day, so he could afford to go back for seconds, he was prepared for it to be so good! He ate it; but again, it wasn't his favorite. We'll see if the guys at the station eat it.

I will try the chocolate cake next. Let's see what Lew Boyd brings to the table. Hahaha!

We finished up The Return of the King in the RV last night. Todd had figured out how to change the picture so that it covered the entire screen. That was nice! I took a hand towel and some soap over. I really am ready to be there. I want to start moving in. The thing is, we're only taking the bare minimums; the stuff we use on a regular basis. We can't take that stuff over until we're ready to be there all the time! It's quite funny. And truthfully, we can't live in it until we get it leveled out. I think that's very important for the well-being of the RV. Todd is going to split the cable so we can hook it up over there. Fun!

I really want to be able to cook and function in our new space. I need to remember, though, that God works ALL things in HIS perfect time. What is it He's teaching me during this time of waiting? I get ahead of Him *all* the time. So okay, now that I've acknowledged it, I need to be content where I am, and use this time in a way that pleases Him, instead of wasting it wanting something who's time hasn't come!

Easier said than done, but I shall persevere, nonetheless!!

This is a busy week. Tonight I'll go to Stuckey's, tomorrow night Todd's on shift, Thursday night we're going to the Mission Firefly informational meeting, and Friday is open. Saturday, Todd is on shift, so I believe I will be quilting, quilting, quilting!!! Yay-rah! I will work on the 4 BOM squares that I've got, and probably on Ben's quilt. I need to remember to pick up some black thread so I *can* work on Ben's quilt! :) Also, Saturday is the July/August birthday party at Hooked on Quilting . . . I was supposed to go with Tina (she's a July birthday), but I don't think she's going. Boohoo. I'd really like to get some baby quilt fabric, and the backing fabric for Ben's quilt! Plus, Christmas is right around the corner! Ah well; my birthday is coming up too -- I'll take advantage of the discount then!

I'm doing this four-week follow-up study by Beth Moore called Loving Well. I'm enjoying it immensely. God IS love. Love is His very being; His character. God is love, just as I am woman. No emotion I have or circumstance I face changes the fact that I am woman. Same thing goes for God -- nothing changes the fact that HE IS LOVE! What an amazing realization to make and understand!

I celebrate; God is love and He loves me!

Hurrah!

:)

Happy 46th Birthday!

Today's my 46th birthday! I wanted to get some shots of Mo and I together to mark the occasion.


The pics didn't come out as I had planned... try as I might I could not get Molasses to look at the camera or stay very still, (she also kept wanting to close her eyes!)


But that's okay, I had fun trying, as it is so nice just to be with her and as always she made me laugh. What better gift is there then that? Birthdays generally make me happy, and on this one I am as happy as happy can be for my #1 birthday wish was to have my best buddy with me on this day. I am so very grateful to say that Mo's recovery from her stroke has been going really well. (The vet said that they can recover within days, but I am blown away!) I've said it before and I will say it again, she's my hero.


And as for being another year older... it is flipping weird to be turning 46, as I still feel like a kid. I can no longer pretend that 50 is some distant speck on the far off horizine... now it is big and bold and coming closer by the day. I say Yippee!! Life's a gift and I am so damn grateful for each and every birthday!!


“Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be, the last of life, for which the first was made. Our times are in his hand who saith, 'A whole I planned, youth shows but half; Trust God: See all, nor be afraid!'”
-Robert Browning