Merry Christmas 2015

Dear Family and Friends,

            2015 is now drawing to a close for us all…regardless of the kind of year; good, bad, or ugly…we will be closing the chapter.  Our prayer for you and for all of us is that we will choose to remember the good, learn from the bad, and accept that our loving heavenly Father has a purpose in it all and promises to use it for our good.  

            We haven’t had any additions to our family in 2015 but are anticipating the arrival of our “China Baby” by way of the pending adoption to The Growing Table family.  Little ones are loved and cherished and we will all be sad when the little ones are big; but each age and stage is precious and brings blessings and joy. 

 

            We have celebrated a lot of birthdays this year…and two in particular were celebrated together as Grammy's Dad turned 80 and her Mom turned 75.  We enjoyed a family reunion around the celebration and were only missing a few.

            In May, we attended the All School Reunion in our beloved small Kansas home town and loved taking the opportunity to catch up with school friends.  The hospitable folks of our home town put things together in fine fashion and we had a great time!  

In May we also saw our oldest granddaughter, Lou Lou, promoted from 8^th grade.  She is a freshman  now and it boggles our minds to think we actually have a high school grandchild!  Our youngest grand just turned one and with 26 of us in our immediate family, we are a crowd! 

            In early October we flew to Charleston, South Carolina to attend a wedding near there.  If you caught the national news you saw that areas of South Carolina experienced what is referred to as the “Thousand Year Flood” and we felt fortunate to drive out of the state before the water got too high in the red Ford F150 we purchased while there that is now dubbed “The Ark” because it saved us from that flood and got us home! 

             Also in October we enjoyed our family for our annual fall party at the farm.  Pop and I have tried in recent years to surprise the grandkids with our costumes and this year we were Gru and Lucy Wilde from Despicable Me 2.  The littlest ones were not sure what to think of Pop with his mask!

            Pop has hunted, golfed, and fished…and Grammy has attended a women’s retreat, bible study, a Beth Moore event and spent a little time with her folks…but not as much as either of us would like since we’ve traveled so much!  I guess we have some things to look forward to when Pop retires someday.  We hope to sleep a little more, see our grandkids and kids a lot more, have more time for things at the farm (including friends coming to visit), and to just laugh and enjoy life with more time together.

            Wishing you and yours a blessed Christmas and a wonderful New Year,

                                                                                                            Pop and Grammy

I am Loved Deeply, from the Heart

I was on an outing with this five year old cutie pie we call Super Girl on our blog.  She came with me on a fabric shopping excursion today.

I hadn't really planned on shopping for fabric...I thought I had all I needed in order to make a one-year photo quilt for Mini Maiden but when I began laying things out I decided I needed more pink...a girl can never have too much pink!  So I texted Rock Star to see if Super Girl might be available and she was!

I picked her up and we headed out.  It wasn't until we were actually on way that I decided where to go.  Super Girl hadn't had lunch yet and I thought that would be our first stop but she said she wasn't hungry yet and wanted to wait to eat.  I'm flexible so I steered the van toward Hobby Lobby because I love that store!

We found some perfect fabric choices right away and were just looking at lots of things because there are lots of things to look at there!  I thought several times I should tell Super Girl we needed to go but we were having such a good time and I don't get her to myself very often so we took our time.

As we were headed toward the front, I saw a familiar face...

This beautiful woman is a friend from years ago.  She mentored me when I was younger and still had four daughters in my nest.  We lived in the same town and attended the same church.  She loved me unconditionally and radiated the love of God.  I basked in her presence then and she has continued to love me (and I her) from a distance since we no longer live in the same town.  Some day I will see this face in heaven and get to spend more time with her.

She noted today that God brings special people into our lives.  I know what she means.  From a human perspective there is no rhyme or reason for the great love we share; yet God knit our hearts together years ago in a way that I am convinced will endure forever.

As we visited, my sweet little Super Girl was SO very patient!  She browsed the displays on either side of us being careful to always keep in my sight and never once fussed about taking so long (and I know she was getting hungry).  She even took this picture of us for me.

Some days, God smiles or winks at His children to show His great love; and today He brought me so much joy I could hardly contain it!  It was a simple miracle just for me that we were in the same place at the same time...I know without a doubt that He orchestrates our lives.  Thank You, Father!  I love You too!

1 Peter 1:22

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.

A Healing Walk to the Pond

I recently did something to my right shoulder that impinged it and can say with certainty that shoulder impingement is no joke...it sends shooting pains down to the elbow and then short-circuits back to the brain!  After more than a week, I'm feeling much better...after two trips to the doctor, two trips to the chiropractor, a lot of ibuprofen, some Epsom salt soaks in the bath, and some tender, loving care from Pop.

As I type, there is still a twinge once in a while that reminds me I had better not sit too long in front of my computer screen.

Today, as summer is blowing its way to fall, I decided to take a walk to the pond.  Something about spending time in nature is soothing to body, mind, and soul.

So I put on my cowgirl boots (to avoid being bitten by any snakes enjoying the sunshine) and took off toward the pond.  Before I got past the garage, I noticed a nice crop of weeds so I stooped to pull several handfuls out and then address them fully later.  As I pulled some up, something caught my eye...feathers!  Beautiful blue feathers.  I love them!

I headed down the path toward the pond and was immediately smitten by the bright blue sky and the clouds on the horizon and the colorful "flowers" along the way.

Beauty in every direction.  Breathing in the sun-warmed air, I thanked God for His creation that brings us healing and hope in every season.  I lingered by the pond listening to the wind in the trees and just being grateful to live at Four Sisters Farm.

As I made the trek back to the house I followed an alternate path and sensed God teaching me a nature lesson.  Like in life, there is beauty to behold along the way.  Sometimes you have to focus on it to fully appreciate it.  Sometimes you have to block things out like old junk piles and yucky webs in trees with all manner of flying insects in them.

Sometimes you need to be aware of where you are walking and to pay attention lest you end up in a cactus patch or get too near some poison ivy (no picture...I know to stay away).

Sometimes, you need to make choices to stay on the straight and narrow or you might run into a barbed wire fence never thinking it could happen to you.

All along our path, there is good and bad.  In this life, we will have trouble even when we don't look for it.  But we don't have to wallow in it.  We can always look up and find our Father who is always watching over us, Who never leaves us nor forsakes us.  I've found thus far, if I just look up and say thank you, my perspective on this life is good. 

And that's all I have to say today.

Love and grace to you from Grammy.

Unconventional Summer Fun 2015

The Unconventionals live farther away from Four Sisters Farm than any of the other Four Sisters Farm families so we have to plot and plan to get one on one time with Lou Lou, Bub, Southern Gentleman (SG), and Ladybug.  Doctor's Wife (DW) was so good to be flexible as we invited the Unconventional kids out all at once and then one at a time.  We met up in various places to exchange kiddos and it did this momma's heart good to see and hug DW multiple times in one week.  And now, at the risk of being "that" Grammy, I'd like to share pictures from a few memorable days.

Every Pop and Grammy should be so fortunate to have a granddaughter whose personality is larger than life. Ladybug finds excitement in everyday life and has a contagious laugh and expressions that draw us into the way she sees things.

Digging for leftover money from the Fourth of July and making
a sand kingdom were fun for Ladybug and Grammy.

Ladybug made a special yogurt, strawberries,
and whipped cream dessert on her day!

We bounced...

we played bingo...

we upcycled plastic bottles into bracelets...

and of course, we swam!

Southern Gentleman is a walking commentary on life...there is never a dull moment when he is around.  He has an incredible imagination and weaves scenarios all day long.  He brought along a ziploc bag with everything he needed to make a delicious dessert for us...turtles!  He went to work after dinner and visited with Pop and me while he made the treats.  We played outside a lot and he collected an "evedince" bag full of feathers...now every time I see a feather at Four Sisters Farm I think of SG and his bag.

Of course we swam...

we ate SG's specially made turtles... 

SG and Pop hit the cards hard... 

we looked really hard for skipping rocks but didn't find enough... 

we played "Go Fish" after swimming and each won a game... 

SG contemplated his moves in Chinese Checkers against Grammy... 

and enjoyed building a Trio Block racing ramp and cars. 

We packaged up farm "evedince" and sent them home with him.

Bub is a tough but tender-hearted guy.  Pop might say Bub is a "complicated man" like him.  While Pop was at work, I enjoyed my time with Bub. We talked about important things like the upcoming school year and playing Cougar football.  He is a joy to have around and when we played an improvised ring toss game in the the pool (credit to Ladybug for making up the game), I laughed harder than I've laughed in a long time.

Bub worked on his marksmanship...

swam (of course)... 

modified SG's Trio Block racing ramp and cars... 

and I haven't put away the BB gun in the mud room yet...
when I see it I think about how much fun we had.

Then there is Lou Lou.  Sigh.  Our oldest grandchild.  She is a beauty inside and out.  She loves fashion, animals, and music.  She is a delight to spend time with.  Pop and I especially love that her guitar comes with her to the farm and our porch is transformed into a stage and filled with music.  Pop and I both feel so blessed to spend time with her.  She brings a presence when she comes that reminds Pop and me that she is a lovely young woman now and we can't believe it has happened so fast.

Lou spend a tremendous amount of time trimming
clumps of hair off Snowball who decided she really
did appreciate it. 

She tried out a fat tire bike when we went for groceries...

took selfies so I wouldn't wreck the van trying to take a
picture of her with the sunset out her window...

made delicious blueberry mufffins... 

and ate them with me... 

then she got a facetime from her mom who gave her good
news that her application was accepted and she will
attend the high school she was hoping to attend. 

You can see DW on Lou's phone.   

We went to the mall and did some quick looking and a little buying... 

this shirt is on her "wanted" list...
it really is "her".  It says, "First of all, no. Second of all, no."
I love her independent spirit and I love her.

If you are still reading, thanks for humoring me as I've shared our Unconventional Summer Fun!