Buggy

Today I took a day off to stay home and clean. House clean. The extra stuff... like washing windows, scrubbing bugs that have been stuck on the windowsill since last summer, cleaning the patio....

See my clean windowsill. Yep. I did that. It wouldn't be such a news flash if I was the clean freak Gary wishes I was.

But I'm not.

This was progress.

Oppps... You weren't supposed to see the before picture...

Okay. Now you know the truth about me. I let bugs accumulate on my patio windowsill while I'm walking my dog, watching movies with my husband, working, reading my Bible, playing with my grandkids and just enjoying life.

My house isn't immaculate but my heart is full :)

No Coffee.

The family that prays together...

stays together.

The family that has blood work done together...

IS A LITTLE STRANGE.

OKAY. There was no coffee for me this morning. Gary and I went to the Lab before work to get our routine blood work done. You know, the tests the doctors order to make sure every little thing is A-OK with your health...

We had to fast for 12 hours first. No problem.

So I put my coffee in a Thermos

and brought it to work with me.

Ahhhhhhhh. Coffee never tasted better.

Every Bite Counts

Just another attempt at losing the weight. You know, the extra 10 lb. I've gained in the past year. The 20 lb. I've packed on in the last two years. Ahemmm... okay... the fifty lb. since I became pregnant and gave birth to my first kid over thirty years ago.

Weight gain is something us women have

a real problem getting over...

"I used to weigh 100 lb. Honest."

Okay. Now the ingredients:

Arnold's Whole Wheat Sandwich Thin

One Egg,

Scrambled with onion

and mushroom and a tiny bit of olive oil.

Strawberries

fat free cool whip

An estimated 4 pts. on Weight Watchers.

Busted!

At 95 degrees it was defiantly pool day. So after church Gary and I hurried home, threw on our bathing suits and headed for relief.

I am a rule follower. Always have been. If a department store sign reads: stand behind this line... by golly my toes are not touching the line! That's just a small example of my desire to be a model human being. If my mother were here (God rest her soul) she'd be the first to admit that I was a perfect child.

So when the Life Guard threatened to take away my Rice Cake Cheddar Cheese snacks after catching me pop one in my mouth while soaking up the sun poolside, I was appalled!

"I promise I won't eat any more, just please don't confiscate my Rice Cakes!" I begged. Doesn't she have something better to do... like clean the bees out of the pool or watch for kids that are being mean to adults?!

Lock-In At Grammy's

She's three now. I call her my cupcake. I spoil her... but in a good way. This fine display of spoilage only set me back a mere five bucks at a yard sale.

There was a lot to show my Cupcake. We took her and Gracie for a walk and passed these gorgeous daisies along the way.

Gracie was pooped upon our return, but agreed to pose for a few nice pictures with her cookie connection, who also goes by the name Rissie.

We went to the Creamery for Ice Cream then,

leaving Gracie behind

Something tells me Gracie was rebelling. School Teacher Barbie was found mauled and maimed shortly after we arrived home. But she's still smiling.

God's Thoughts

Who can fathom God's ways? Who can know His thoughts? I remind myself via the Mud Room which is my pathway to the laundry room on the left and the kitchen on the right.

I see just a glimpse of God's greatness in the wildflowers that emerged from scattered seeds Gary and I tossed to the freshly toiled ground just months earlier...

And the roses that started out as timid green vine... now bursting with color

And Oh! Those gorgeous hydrangias!

My eyes see the glorious earthly decor as I peer out my bedroom window.... But it's only a tiny portion of God's beauty. Who can know His Glory? Who can fathom His Perfect-ness? Who can know His Ways?

Pack Animal

Ok. So my research confirms my suspicions. My dog's ancestors were pack animals. She'll put up with a lot, just to be close to one of us.

And when she can't find a living, breathing human to pack with she makes believe.

She's so needy.

And so misunderstood.

He Thinks He's Elvis

Gary thinks he's Elvis. Shhh... we won't tell him he's not. It might ruin his vacation.

Our anniversary vacation-time is always so relaxing. I don't want to go home. Gary doesn't look like he does either...

Sideways picture. LOL. Silly Museum stuff.

Elvis in jail? No way.

Officially Summer!

Today is the First day of summer. The calender says so.

Happy Grandkid faces validate that claim...

And the Dog's acting strange.

All I said was...

"Gracie, why do you keep scratching?

Do you need a bath? Is it time to put your Frontline on?"

The Bucket

Fathers Day Tribute to Dad:

Today I remember my Dad who has been gone for over thirty years. I remember the tremendous amount of love and sacrifice behind the "Bucket" ... here's my tribute:

It was around 3:40 PM I believe.... My dad would arrive home from a hard days work with what us kids referred to as "the bucket". There were six of us living at home at that time, and each one of us more than eager for our "turn" to receive what was to be left over from Dad's lunch. Half eaten minced ham sandwiches.. baked by the sun - but good just the same. It was very seldom that a part of a lunch cake didn’t find its way home.

Dad knew of our delight to find that special treat among his leftovers!

Dad’s been gone over thirty years now, and I seem to remember less and less about him as time passes on. There are, however, memories that stay in our hearts and never leave. I never really looked at Dad’s face during the “bucket exchanges” to see if he was smiling.

Now that I’m older, with kids of my own, I know in my heart that the small sacrifice Dad made every day at lunchtime could not compare to the great joy he must have felt handing over the bucket upon his return home each day. I hope my kids have grown up with special memories of simple things, as I have. Who would think that soggy sandwiches and melted lunch cakes in a tin bucket would be such a special memory! I didn’t think about it then… but now that I am older I can see the tremendous amount of love and sacrifice behind the bucket.

Dad, I miss and love you and thank you for all the sacrifices you made for us.

Babies

22 years ago, life could never be better.

A beautiful bright smile awaited me each morning.

Babies are blessings....

The anticipation of their arrival is exciting!

They grow so quickly and before

you know it they're dressing

themselves,  putting on their own shoes...

And growing up and having kids of their own.

Unspoken message to someone special:

Two days ago you gave birth to twin boys, your first. May God bless and keep you as you celebrate the tiny life given to you, your gift from God.

May God comfort you as you mourn the passing of the sweet angel God chose to take and keep for his own.