i haven't posted in a long time... so here's the update: Bob retired and so did I. Been caring for My Mom and Bob's aunt. having an estate sale for his aunt in July....so sorting thru 60+ years of belongings My dearest mother has had health issues and we've had to move her to a care facility. I also sorted thru her things...which were for the most part condensed into one room. and in the midst of this i have injured my back, badly. some days i cannot walk without pain. My life is altered suddenly, things i took for granted, yes even things i destested, are what i crave! I found myself praying that if i could just clean, cook, vacum, do laundry and garden...then i would be content. lol

Leaving on a jet plane

How I feel when I fly

Expectations

How I actually look

Out to the Farm....

That's what we called going to Grandma's House. Grandpa & Grandma lived in Holly, on a hill overlooking Wildwood State Park & Lake. I spent almost every Sunday there. This weekend when Bob & I were out to the Rennesaince Festival (check that baby off my bucket list). I thought, maybe I can find the right road...and lo and behold- there it was....I took Bob down the road I learned to drive on (picture Terry screaming in the backseat)around the lake, and up the hill to Grandma's... It looks a little different. Gone are the rows of crops growing on either side of the house-replaced by a a nice lawn now....The barn is gone, couldn't see the gravel pit...But still there are the lilac bushes, and the basic footprint...I loved my Grandma...she loved me. I miss her, but i have a lifetime of memories of that love, butterfly kisses, and beautiful things hand crocheted just for me.... Once for New Years eve, she crocheted a little brown drawstring purse for me...and now it fits my kindle just right...thank you Grandma Sarah Louise Valentine Carlson Wright. (blink blink)

“A free people ought...to be armed” ― George Washington

These Boys....

Great Lakes- no salt, no sharks, no worries

A day with our boys

Nothing we love better than to spend time with our Grandsons- We had a great day with the boys while Mom & Dad were at Camp

Conversation

I gleaned these points from a pinterest post on teaching your child the art of conversation. It's really good, and if you're raising little people, look it up... for the rest of us...points to ponder and practice: Being a good conversationalist is a way of demonstrating courtesy. Self-sacrifice. Love. A conversation is an opportunity to care for someone. It’s not about being efficient or entertained. Ask children to stay engaged in conversation...yep, that means not checking your phone or Ipod. Be with the people you are with. Help kids to maintain eye contact and even give small facial or verbal affirmations when someone is speaking. Teach children the connection between interrupting and selfishness—that interrupting displays our lack of value for the person in front of us. Teach questions that take a conversation further. What happened then? What was that like? Remind kids to pray silently for wise, loving words that build up. Help your kids to “see” the people who serve them, and verbally appreciate them: the lady cleaning the bathrooms, the guy mopping the restaurant, the church staff. Grace matters. If we can teach grace in speech, no matter what the circumstances, we’ve given kids a timeless key to countless doors.

teach your daughters to cook

OK...I have made jokes for years about not cooking... but i do. And believe me, when all the kids were home...I cooked 3-5 meals per day every day. Some they liked and some they didn't. I have some pretty funny stories about my first attempts to cook for my husband, and they'e fun to tell. And...everybody knows the story of my "muffins" made for 3 men, under the guise of "Miss Demeanor" I never did alot of cooking with my Mom...but I did spend alot of time with her in the kitchen canning, and baking her now famous chocolate chip cookies. In fact, allow me to say I was at her elbow for YEARS of making those cookies...I know thew recipe by heart...but I don't have the touch- i believe that gene skips a generation....a recessive type of gene. :) Fortunately for the world...Sarah inherited that gene and does her Momma proud making those "just like GNeva's" cookies. The world is saved. I will take it a step further and say, I sent her to Grandma specifically to learn to bake. (and sew, but that is another story) What I did not do, (and now regret) was insist that she help me with dinner regularly. Oh, I asked her to, but Mom, I have homework ( a priority in our house) or I have practice/ game (also A PRIORITY) always took precedence. Now don't get me wrong,my girl can fend for herself. Every now and then though, i realize there is a gap in what i taught, and what perhaps i ought to have taught....like the time she was making my spaghetti sauce, and i found her trying to saute the onion flakes....yea..... Now I see where that time would have been beneficial for both of us.. a bonding moment, while also creating a "partner" for preparing family celebration dinners, which i mainly do alone. So listen up ladies....teach your daughters to cook...it's the right thing to do, and will bring blessings untold to you. PROVERBS 1:20 "Wisdom cries out in the street; she raises her voice in the public squares"

ok I will

This Year I will step over the chicken line I will let go of normal and embrace the miraculous. I will honor my vows, love my position of influence- wherever that may be. I will stand up and share my giftings with the world.

Boys making my birthday cake