This is Z Life

Pieces of April

2010-04-21T10:08:00.004-05:00

April brings changes. Changes that I love.

Green. Lots of it. Bare branches begin budding, then shooting forth tiny green leaves and before I know it green is everywhere. The trees and the grasses sport a lovely shade of green that I remember from my boxes of Crayola crayons from my childhood, aptly named "spring green."

Blue sky. Unclouded days. The gray of winter has lifted. Knowing that the summer haze will be here all too soon, I relish the bright, vivid, blue hue of the heavens. "Look how blue the sky is!" Tim and I frequently exclaim to each other.

Birdsong. I especially love to wake to the sound of the birds singing at the farm where we sleep with our bedroom window open once the gentle spring rains have washed the pollen from the air. And in the evening, the lonesome coo of the dove, the hoot of the owl and the call of the whippoorwill.

The birds, themselves. Such a variety. Robins, bluebirds, and woodpeckers are a few that I readily recognize. Tim and I have fun searching in our Sibley's Guide to Birds, trying to identify the lovely winged creatures. A few days ago Tim caught sight of a group of whippoorwills and the first hummingbird of the year.

The Canada Geese have been on the pond for weeks. Now Mother Goose, as we call her, sits on her nest. "Sarge," the name we long ago gave to Father Goose, patrols the pond and field around it, alert, on the lookout for any danger.

Flowers. Both the blossoms on the trees and the flowers growing everywhere, cultivated in yards and gardens in town, wild in the wide open expanses of country fields.

I especially love the wisteria; there has been an abundance of it this year, both in town and in the country, where it grows with wild abandon, its purple flowers climbing high up into the trees and enveloping ancient abandoned farmhouses.

Some of my other favorites include the orange masses of tulips nested in beds of purple violas and pansies in my brother and sister-in-law's garden.

And of course, azaleas. The massive banks of their delicate flowers, in a variety of pinks, reds, purples, and white, blanketing the fronts of the houses in our neighborhood.

Sunshine. Still not too hot most of the day. Perfect on the uncovered front deck on mornings at the farm or filtered through the lacy, green branches of the trees, gently warming me as I lie in the hammock on a lazy Saturday afternoon.

Drinking steaming coffee on a cool morning on the back deck at the farm, the gentle breeze tinkling the wind chimes.

Fishing. Although Tim and I begin fishing at the farm in March, in April the temperature is just right. Warm in the day, chilly enough for a wrap in the evening. It feels so good to be outside again, strolling through the green, green grass down to the pond. Casting out and reeling in fish so quickly that we lose count. John joined us on a recent weekend and we were all three pulling in fish at the same time. It was exciting!

Watching the setting sun cast a pink glow over the Ozark foothills as we eat dinner on the deck at the end of a glorious spring day.

April. It's one of my favorite months of the year. The earth comes to life after the cold, bare winter. It brings cheer to my heart.

Gabe's First Year

2010-03-14T19:58:00.015-05:00

photos above and one below by kaylie long photography kaylielong.blogspot.com

A boy is Truth with dirt on its face,
Beauty with a cut on its finger,
Wisdom with bubble gum in its hair,
And the Hope of the future with a frog in its pocket.
Author Unknown

Gabe is growing up - fast! Transforming from a cuddly baby into a wiggly toddler, he is all boy! And pure joy.

These pictures chronicle his growth during his first year of life.

Sweet newborn, so fresh from God

three photos above by erica fricks photography

First Easter

Paci - fied

Harley man

Taking a dip

Look who's in charge around here!

First campmeeting at FPC

Pumpkin patch gent

First Christmas

Checking out Santa

Shopping wears a man out!

Hammin' it up

Little charmer

On the move. Watch out - he's a fast one!

two photos above by kaylie long photography kaylielong.blogspot.com

Into the future. Gabe is in good hands with two godly parents, Tim and Lauren, to guide his steps.

photo by kaylie long photography kaylielong.blogspot.com

The past year has been a big one for this young family. During Gabe's first year of life, Daddy became a pastor and Mommy a pastor's wife. They are following the highest calling on this earth.

We don't get to see them as much as we'd like. But we hold them in our hearts and follow them in our prayers.

Happy Birthday, Gabe!

2010-03-13T15:15:00.007-06:00

The paparazzi were out in full force on Thursday evening in the front fellowship hall of FPC of NLR. Iphones and cameras of all shapes and sizes were trained on the evening's celebrity as the photographers closely followed his every move. Flashes of light that would bedazzle even the most seasoned of stars lit up the room. Even though he came to recognition only a year ago, the star of the show took everything in stride. He has become accustomed to adoring looks, outstretched arms, smooches, belly tickles, snuggly hugs, and flashing cameras wherever he shows up.

Who is this famous person and what was the event?

It was none other than Gabe Adams! And the social event of the season was the celebration of his first birthday!

Proud parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and a host of family and friends of all ages gathered to celebrate. Gabe is loved!

Proud Daddy

Various other celebrities arrived throughout the evening. This little darling arrived on the arm of her father. None other than Miss Mary Grace herself!

Another little doll, Miss Brooklyn, was also present for the festivities in Gabe's honor.

A tropical sock monkey theme provided a backdrop for the festive atmosphere.

Gabe's personal cake was a smaller version of the large one. Both were created by Mommy and Aunt Karen.

Gettin' some lovin'

Cake time

Hmmm . . .

This is good stuff!

Finger-lickin' good!

Can't get too much of a good thing!

Get up . . .

Let's boogie!

Sweet cousin, Rylie

And cousin Chloe

Presents are the best part!

Happy Birthday, Gabe! You da man!

Tim and I love you so much!

Our First Cruise

2010-03-07T21:41:00.008-06:00

On January 31, Tim and I boarded the Norwegian Spirit in New Orleans and embarked on our first cruise. Although we enjoy traveling and have several friends who cruise on a regular basis, we just didn't know if cruising was for us. We came really close to trying it out when we celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary in August, 2006. We talked with a travel agent who specialized in Alaskan cruises and considered booking one. However, in the end, we flew to Anchorage, rented a motor home and spent two weeks driving around seeing some of the beauty of Alaska. We had a great time and just didn't think we would have enjoyed a cruise as much.

However, a cruise to a warm spot in the middle of winter did have a certain appeal to us. On January 1st of this year, I got online and looked at cruise specials for February. A southern girl, I don't have a high tolerance for the cold. By February, generally our coldest month, I am so ready for some warmth and sunshine. February 1st is my birthday, and I thought it would be nice to spend it in a warmer location. As it turned out, I found what looked like some great deals. I consulted with Mardot; she and her husband, Joel, have been on a number of cruises, and she assured me that the cruise I had in mind was an excellent value. Tim said, "Book it, Honey!" And the planning began.

Here's a map of the itinerary

Mardot turned out to be my personal cruise advisor. She sent me a number of texts with cruise tips, things she wished they had known on their first cruise. I copied and pasted them to my notebook on my iphone. By the time we were ready to depart, I had a virtual booklet. I told Mardot she should write a book, "Cruising for Dummies." The tips were all helpful and made our trip more enjoyable.

Central Arkansas got an ice storm before we left home. Then a little snow on top. We get excited about snow here because we generally get so little.

Here's Tim feeding the birds in our yard before we left.

Although the ice had started melting off by the time we departed Little Rock, there was still a quite a bit of it on the roads. I was glad when we got a little farther south where the roads were clear. Even at that point, we noticed the trees were still coated with ice.

Here's a tree in Pine Bluff at a catfish restaurant where we ate.

It was cold in N'awlins! The passengers boarding the ship were dressed in just about every conceivable manner. Some looked like they had already arrived in the tropics with their lightweight clothing, bare legs, and sandals. Others were bundled up against the cold. We fell into the second group.

Enjoying the view of New Orleans from the top deck

Tug boat on the might Mississippi

My Sweet Baby bought roses for me at dinner the first night on the ship.

The next morning we donned lightweight clothing and headed to the top deck to eat and to explore the ship. It was windy up there! And chilly! I decided to change into something warmer until we reached our first port of call the next day.

Since this day was to be spent at sea and it was my birthday after all, I indulged in a hot stone massage, a fire and ice manicure, and a fire and ice pedicure in the spa. What a treat! I began to think I might like this cruising thing after all. Meanwhile Tim worked out in the gym.

This cute little fellow greeted us when we returned to our cabin at some point that day.

In the evening we had dinner at the French restaurant. Tim, always so thoughtful, had requested a special birthday cake for me. The waitstaff at this restaurant were extra special. Our waitress that night (on the right in the picture below) regaled us with stories of life in Colombia. I don't think it's a place I want to visit.

There were 70-something nationalities represented among the employees on the ship. These people spend up to ten months of the year away from their families while working on the ship. They have one day off each week while in port. Another half day on embarkation day. One lady working in the buffet restaurant was looking forward to getting home soon to see her little girl. I enjoyed hearing some of the unusual names of the staff. The young lady who brought the roses to our table the first evening was Perpetual; she was from India. The girl who did my massage was Gemma. The young lady from Jamaica who did my manicure and pedicure was Sunny. Another sweet young lady in the spa was Tutaro.

On the second morning, we awoke to sunny skies, blue seas, and the sight of another cruise ship along ours pulling into port at Costa Maya, Mexico. Time to get off the ship!

We relaxed while we waited for our shore excursion to begin.

And had our picture made with this squirrel monkey. He was so cute.

It was so good to see my Sweet Baby relax. He works so hard.

We had booked a dune buggy beach safari. Tim was excited; he envisioned an adventurous drive over large sandy dunes. I was a bit hesitant about this adventure, mainly because I have been on some wild rides with Tim. The wilder the better as far as he's concerned. But, that's another story for another time. The fact that it was a safari type tour with guides reassured me that the ride probably wouldn't be so wild that I couldn't handle it.

Our guides, Omar and Adrian, were enthusiastic and fun. They wanted to be sure all of us had a good time.

The dune buggies were painted in bright, tropical colors.

The pink one in front of us was my favorite color.

Tim was raring to go!

At the first stop Adrian used a machete to prepare fresh coconuts for us to drink from.

The coconut milk was delicious - and refreshing! Later, at our main stop, they scooped out the coconut meat for us to eat. Poor Tim only got a small piece. I hogged it - it was that good!

There was a neat little outdoor bar where we bought cold water. The bright sun was hot!

Omar explained that this area had been ravaged by a major hurricane three years ago. It sounded like he said "Hurricane Tim," but because of his accent we couldn't be sure. We got a laugh out of that!

Driving through the village of Mahahual

Our main stop was at a beach resort where we enjoyed a tasty snack: fresh fruit, salsa with chips, and rice and beans. One of the ladies behind the counter had a parrot perched on her shoulder.

Tim and I took a walk along the beach and then enjoyed a little siesta.

The view from my hammock - ahhh . . . . Blue skies, sunshine, and gently waving palm trees - in February!

Mexican recycling - even in a remote resort. I made this picture for a special friend - you know who you are :)

Riding through the Mexican jungle

We saw a monkey somewhere along the way.

Some of the sights outside of the village of Mahahual, just outside Costa Maya.

Note the satellite dish

A curious little observer. We saw so many precious children on this cruise. I wanted to scoop them up and bring them home with me.

After our adventure, we returned to our balcony where we watched the sun set as we departed Costa Maya.

We just thought that was an adventurous day! If we only knew what awaited us upon our arrival in Guatamala the following morning . . . .

John's Birthday Party

2010-02-21T16:15:00.001-06:00

John had a happy birthday - can you tell?

Tim and I took John to brunch at Ashley's after church on Sunday morning. He had a good time with Mom and Dad.

But the real fun was Sunday night after church when three great friends, Nathalie, Kyle, and Beau threw a party for John at his house.

Kyle and Beau's parents made venison chili with the deer Beau killed at the farm at Christmas. Belva brought some awesome brownies. She gave me the recipe. Thanks, Belva :)

Nathalie's mom, Ericka, manned the kitchen.

The guys played ping-pong. Of course.

The girls talked and talked some more - they are girls, after all.

We older girls talked too - we are still girls, after all.

Some of the guys played guitar in one room while the cd player blared contemporary Christian music in another room.

It was loud - and lots of fun!

Did I mention the girls talked. They laughed, squealed, and hammed it up for the camera. Did I mention that they are girls, after all?

They decided to call John in from a ping-pong game to get his picture made with the group. They didn't have to ask him twice :)

Nick enjoyed the attention everyone gave him, especially a special little lady by the name of Mary Grace.

It sure made this mom feel so good to know that her boy has good friends who love him and care enough about him to throw him a party. Thanks to all of you who came.

I'm so sorry I didn't get pictures of everyone. I only had my iphone camera, and the battery finally went dead. I'm especially sorry I didn't get pics of Kyle and Beau.

And Belva and Sherm, that picture of us? It didn't turn out good, so I didn't post it. Trust me on this.

Fun time. Good memories.

Happy Valentine Birthday #26, John!

2010-02-14T01:00:00.003-06:00

Whether cherubic angel . . .

Or mischievous boy . . .

Through these 26 years, you've brought us much joy.

Happy Birthday, John!

We love you!

Mom and Dad

Happy Valentine's, Tim!

2010-02-13T18:45:00.002-06:00

How sweet it is to be loved by you!

We Have a Winner!

2010-02-13T18:28:00.000-06:00

We have a winner in the "Name These People Photo Contest". Eva (Halbrook) Pierce correctly identified everyone in the first picture. They are as follows:

Top row, left to right, standing: Susan Brockinton Zimmerman (yours truly), several have confirmed what I thought about the next girl whom I did not include in the contest because I was unsure of her identity - it's Cindy Haney, then Doug Smith, and Kitty Ott.

Seated in the grass: The young man with his hand over his face is Dewayne Seigrist, the young ladies are Karen Dollar Gibson, Margaret Davis Echols, Faith Holmes Cavin, and Rachel Haney Smith.

Thanks to those of you who participated!

Eva has asked that I donate the giftcard to someone, and I have already selected that person. She is a very special friend of mine.

Can anyone guess the identity of the lady in the blue dress in the second picture?

Happy Birthday, Mardot! AND "Name These People" Photo Contest

2010-02-13T12:35:00.002-06:00

This post has a two-fold purpose: to wish my dear, dear friend Mardot a happy birthday and, as the title indicates, to have a photo contest.

Today is Mardot's birthday. We have been friends for 36 years. You may find that hard to believe, but we've been friends practically since infancy :) A truer friend than Mardot would be hard to find. She has walked with me through the sunshine and through the storms of life.

If you're a local reader and are wondering who Mardot is, you should know that Mardot is what John called her when he was a little boy, and Mardot she has been to us ever since. Her real name is Margaret.

Mardot is like Tim in that she really doesn't like to have attention drawn to her, but I hope she will know that I am doing this post because I love her and want to do a little something special for her on this blog on her special day.

I have an old picture of the two of us somewhere, but when I searched through my pictures I couldn't find it. The photo above is the only old photo (okay - really old) I could come up with. This picture was made in the mid 70's. Mardot is there. Along with some other people you local readers know.

So, here's the contest: Be the first person to correctly identify everyone in the photo above and I will send you a Starbucks gift card for $5. Or a gift card, in the same amount, to the AP Cafe, if you prefer.

That's everyone in the photo above with the exception of the girl to the right of the girl in the red top at the left of the picture. I think I recognize her, but I'm not sure, so we won't count her.

Here's another picture below to give you a little more help with the lady in the red top on the right side of the first picture. This picture below was made on the same day after we finally got to Petit Jean.

Bonus: In addition to identifying everyone in the top picture, if you also identify the lady in the blue dress in the picture below, I'll up the gift card to $7. That will get you a good lunch at the AP Cafe :)

Note to readers who are not familiar with the AP Cafe: It is located at First Pentecostal Church of North Little Rock. It is between Building One and Building Two. You can park in the circle drive in front and walk straight up the sidewalk to the doors to the cafe. It is much better than Starbucks! Great value and a fun atmosphere. Noisy dining in front, quiet dining in back. Or you can order to go. (Just had to put in a plug for AP Cafe here). Oh, and AP stands for "After Prayer". The church is open for prayer 24/7. I sometimes call the cafe BP and AP because I eat, or snack, twice.

I guess this post turned out to have three purposes instead of two: (1) Happy Birthday, Mardot! (2) Photo Contest (3) plug for the AP Cafe.

But the most important one: Happy Birthday, Mardot! I love you, my friend!

They Made My Day!

2010-02-12T21:17:00.001-06:00

When I went to CA today, the first-graders had a surprise for me. They were so excited as we walked down the hall from the first grade classroom to our Reading Resort. "Close your eyes!" called out Sterling. When I opened the door, here's what I found:

Handmade valentines, a chic eyeglass case embroidered with an "S."

I don't know who was more excited, the children or me! I was surprised - and pleased!

I love these kids! They are a bright spot in my life!

Thank you, Candy and the CA first graders. You made my day!

Our Ride

2010-02-09T11:14:00.000-06:00

Our ride last week in sunny Costa Maya, Mexico

Our ride six days later, the day after we returned home

Variety is the spice of life!

February!

2010-01-31T08:50:00.000-06:00

February. It has a reputation, yes it does. And, it's not all good. Folks around these parts say it's cold and dreary and hangs on too long.

I love February. It's not only the month of my birth, but it's the month of my son's birth. John was born on a cold February morning on Valentine's day. Two weeks early. That makes a special holiday even more special!

Hope you enjoy the February header on "This is Z Life" this month.

Meanwhile, it has been a little cold and dreary. Tim and I are headed out for parts warm and sunny today. Our internet access will be very limited. I'll be back here on "Z life" next week. See you then!

Snow, Beautiful Snow!

2010-01-30T08:00:00.003-06:00

Here's another "wayback" snow picture in honor of our snowfall here in central Arkansas. Here's my little boy digging in the snow with a big spoon. I remember he had his Tonka dump truck and had so much much fun "excavating" in the snow.

What a difference time makes. My boy called me last night and told me he and some friends are going sledding this morning on a hill where his friend says they can get up to about 45 miles an hour. Is that possible sledding down a big hill? I don't think I want to know.

Snow is fun for us in this area of the country because it's so rare. It's a magical event. During the five years I lived in Kansas as a young bride, snow lost its magic for me because it was a part of daily life from November to spring.

I remember the first day it snowed when I began teaching at Cessna Elementary in Wichita. Outside my classroom window that morning huge snowflakes began falling fast and furiously. As they continued to fall and the snow began spreading a thick, soft blanket on the ground, I waited for the principal to get on the intercom and tell us that school was being dismissed. It didn't happen. It snowed all day. School was dismissed at four o'clock. I trudged through the drifts, struggling to keep my balance. I remember using a broom to sweep the snow off my car. I don't even remember where I got the broom. I'm sure a co-worker had compassion on the naive, young teacher from the south. I finally got settled in my car and slowly started across the parking lot, only to lose control and began sliding dangerously. I remember that when I got stopped I burst into tears and said aloud to the empty car, "I don't know how to drive in this stuff." Somehow I made it home that day, and over the course of the next few months I learned to drive in that "stuff."

When John was a toddler, I ran a home preschool program out of our house. Tim traveled on business most of the week, and I was home alone with a house full of kids. Couldn't get out. Too many kids for one car, and the weather was bad so much of the winter. We had a chunk of ice in a shady area in our front yard that stayed there from about Thanksgiving until the following spring. I would look out and see that ice and wonder if spring would ever come.

To those of you here in central Arkansas, I hope you make some wonderful memories in the snow today. Or, if you prefer, just curl up with a good book and have a cozy day as you look out at the magical white world.

White Stuff/Way Back

2010-01-29T13:56:00.002-06:00

In honor of the white stuff coming down here in central Arkansas, I interrupt the series "The Blog Posts in my Head" to bring you a "way back" picture from more than twenty years ago.

John was four years old. We got a big snow, which is rare for this area. Then, if I remember correctly, it didn't snow again in central Arkansas for seven years.

That white stuff coming down out there is not pretty, fluffy snow. It's ice. But, maybe there will be some good sledding :)

The Blog Posts in My Head, Part 2: Scott's Graduation

2010-01-28T22:45:00.002-06:00

These pictures are from the trip we took last June that I actually DID post about. After we left NYC, we headed out for Pequannock, New Jersey, about 40 minutes away, where Tim's sister and her family live. Tim's dad and stepmom were there too, and we all had a great time together during Scott's high school graduation weekend. I like the picture below, on the football field after the ceremony, because Tim's dad is with both of his children and all of his grandchildren, which is a pretty rare occurrence.

Three generations of good looking Zimmerman men:)

Our darling niece, Christina, and her bunny with Grandad, the night before graduation, when Jane and Steve hosted a family party for Scott at their home.

This is Tom, or Pop-pop, as Jane and Steve's kids call their other grandfather, Steve's dad. We love Tom. He's always fun to be around. Upbeat, well-read, down to earth. Great conversationalist.

It was chilly, so the guys built a fire and we sat around it and sipped on hot tea and coffee and had a cozy chat. John and his cousins got online to look for good deals on cars.

On graduation day, we went outlet shopping. Christina and I had fun finding some bargains. I love this little girl. She is so sweet and so girly.

After graduation, we all went out to eat at a "diner," as they say in "Joisey." We southerners have never been able to figure out that "diner" thing. We have diners, but NJ diners just look like regular restaurants to us. Things are just different in "Joisey." It's definitely not the south.

But, we love our NJ kinfolks! Here's Scott, with his sibs, Brian, and Christina.

That's all for now, folks!

The Blog Posts in My Head

2010-01-24T20:00:00.025-06:00

January is a month for reflection. A time to look back over the previous year and remember the blessings, the challenges, the special times with family and friends. A time to think about what I did right - and what I need to improve on. Big list, that second one :)

Along these lines, I also thought January would be a good time for a little catching up on this blog. You see, I have blogged a lot this year. Lots and lots. You wouldn't believe how much I've blogged. Why, I'm almost up there with The Pioneer Woman in the number of blog posts I've created! Why don't those posts show up on my blog? It's because they're in my head.

So many pictures I can hardly organize them, so many great times, so many inspirations for posts. And I've written a bunch of them in my head. I just didn't get around to writing them down.

Tim is a different story. He started a blog after I did. It's a private one, really a journal, a diary, if you will. I love reading it; it's a great record of what's going on in our life, and I'm able to see what he's been doing related to work. But, Tim operates differently than me. He gets things done - fast. He put a blog ap on his iphone. At the end of the day, he uploads pics he took that day with his phone, writes about his day, and posts. He keeps it simple and doesn't turn it into a big project.

Me - I want to crop and enhance my photos, then write a story about an event. But, that takes time, and I'm a pretty busy gal, so I think, "Oh, I don't have time right now." And I never get around to it.

So, the point of this post (and perhaps a couple more) is to do a little catching up on 2009 and to promise myself to keep things simple in 2010. KISS: Keep It Simple, Susan

Here's some pictures from those blog posts in my head:

Tim and I started fishing at the farm in early March. Nice largemouth bass in the pond below the house. We bought a paddle boat from our neighbor and christened it "The Minnow Bucket." It was perfect for fishing in the pond, and Nick enjoyed coming along for the ride.

Hauling our fishing gear to the pond

My cousin, Joy, came for a visit, albeit a brief one, in April. For those of you who know Joel, Joy is his sister. Her mother was my mother's beloved baby sister, Devonna. Joy plays the bass fiddle for the Sullivan Family, which is a gospel bluegrass group. Pictured here with me are Enoch and Margie Sullivan, Joy, and Joel. It was so good to see Joy! I don't get to see her often, and it was a real treat to get together.

Spring is also the time for turkey hunting at the farm. This gobbler was strutting his stuff. That's a decoy in the foreground.

The gobbler wasn't strutting for long. Tim bagged him. My hunter looks pretty happy about that!

Tim and I with Tim, Lauren, and baby Gabe in Tulsa in April. I might add here that John and I ordered so much food at the Cheesecake Factory that they couldn't get it all on our table. We ate most of it though!

Rylie holding Gabe. In case you didn't know, these are two of my favorite kiddos in the whole, wide world!

In May, Tim and I traveled to Magnolia, in south Arkansas, to celebrate my Uncle John's birthday. My sweet cousin, Jane, always goes all out with a pretty table and a special meal and birthday cake. She and her husband, David, live near Uncle John and Aunt Ordell and are such a big help to him in caring for my precious aunt, pictured below with Jane and David's adorable grandaughter, Caitlyn.

Aunt Ordell is my mother's only surviving sibling. She still has the same sweet spirit that she's always had.

Memorial Day brought fun on the farm with friends. Fishin', four-wheelin', and food!
Check out Mike's and Rick's fishing poles :)

Even little Ray-ray fished - and caught a bunch!

Everyone who fished caught lots - and threw them back.

Come on, Sterling! Reel it in!

It just doesn't get any better than this! Tim and I love having friends at the farm.

Makeover Underway

2010-01-17T22:42:00.002-06:00

This poor, pitifully neglected blog is finally getting some attention. A makeover is in the works. Please check back this week.

Thanks to those of you who have encouraged me to continue blogging.

New Friends

2009-11-30T20:59:00.009-06:00

On Monday evening, November 9, Tim and I were at the farm making last-minute preparations for guests. I heard the crunch of tires on gravel and looked out the kitchen window. “They’re here,” I called out to Tim and hurried out the front door. A white truck towing a fifth-wheel made its way around the last curve in the driveway and pulled into the yard. Out stepped a lady I had not met in person before. Behind the wheel of the truck was her husband. Lisa and Tony Cianchetta had arrived in Arkansas.

It all started about a year ago. I left a comment on Lisa’s blog, which I had seen on One Stop for Apostolic Bloggers. She had written a funny post about what to buy your husband for Christmas. I read the post aloud to Tim, and we got such a laugh out of it. I left a comment telling her so. She commented back, and the rest, as they say, is history. John was going to Sacramento with a friend, and Lisa and Tony were putting them up in their guest house. Lisa and I exchanged emails, and she sent me pictures of the guys in California. Tony and Kyle, their son, took John snow skiing at Lake Tahoe, and he had a blast. He told us what nice folks the Cianchettas were and how much we have in common. Lisa and I continued to stay in touch. She commented that it was obvious from our blogs that both our husbands love to hunt and suggested that they get it touch and plan a hunt. So, we did just that. Tony invited Tim out west to hunt, but Tim just didn’t feel he could get away because we were gone so much this summer. He invited Tony to come to Arkansas to hunt whitetail deer. And so it came to pass.

We hit it off from the first night. We laughed as they told us about their final approach to the farm. As they started down the country lane that leads to the farm gate, they saw some folks out in an untidy yard. An obese lady was burning trash in a barrel. Tony turned to Lisa and said, “Do we know anything about these people we are going to visit?” He was a little worried. Arkansas folks do have a reputation, and it’s not all good. Thank goodness, our yard was tidy, and we weren’t burning trash in a barrel. They might have turned around and left. Apparently, they don’t burn trash in Cali. :)

Each day, the guys hunted and Lisa and I ventured out to Conway, to NLR, and to Little Rock to shop and eat and see the sights. On Tuesday night we all went to church. And on Friday night, Lisa and I went to a ladies meeting at church. The menu included catfish and grits 'n greens. While not too fond of catfish, I think Lisa was duly impressed with grits 'n greens. Oh, lands sake, they were mighty good! I asked for an extra serving of them, and they brought me a big ol' bowl and I just about made myself sick.

Oh, and we cooked. Lisa said we cooked more in eight days than she had cooked in the last five years. We southern girls like to show our hospitality by cooking. I must say Lisa was a huge help; it was nice to have another gal in the kitchen.

The first night we had a shrimp boil.

Lisa and I eating barbeque at Burges in the Heights. Lisa had her first fried pie here. She and Tony had never heard of fried pies. Oh, the deprivation! We bought a dozen more and took them home to share with the guys. Also, some Peach Jezebel Sauce. You haven't lived if you haven't had Peach Jezebel Sauce. Lisa bought a jar to take back to Cali with her.

The cook in the kitchen window of Burges obliged Lisa by posing for her.
The fried pies were a hit when we got home.

Lisa loved Nick. The feeling was mutual.

Tony got a couple of nice bucks.

The guys hauled their kills to the house in the frontend loader of the tractor.

Tony taught Tim how to butcher a deer.

The guys went pheasant hunting at Wings and Rings one day and took David R. with them.

On the last night, we cooked up the pheasant for a dinner with the Nesterenkos. Lisa and Tony went to church with them in California many years ago and had no idea they were here. They had not seen each other in about 25 years. Lisa and Sis. Nesterenko reconnected when they discovered each other at the ladies meeting.

(I had a picture of dinner with the Nesterenkos right here. Blogger is behaving badly tonight. My picture has not only disappeared, but Blogger refuses to put it in this spot when I upload it again.)

We had a great visit. Now Tim and I are planning to go to California next October. The guys are going on a bear hunt. Lisa and I are going to the beach and to Monterey.

Lisa and Tony, you are the ultimate guests. We are so glad to have become friends with you. Thanks for all the goodies. Ya'll come back now, you hear?

Here's a funny video of Tony on his first climbing stand.

The Berry Pickers

2009-07-14T19:38:00.003-05:00

How many differences can you find in these two pictures? Ha! A better question might be, "How many similarities can you find?" It wouldn't take long to answer that one. Let's see; there are ladies in both pictures. They are picking something. That's about it.

The top picture is of my dear, dear friend, Darla, and me on the 4th of July. We were picking blackberries when the second picture suddenly popped into my head. I asked Darla, "Do you remember 'The Berry Pickers?' " My mother had that print hanging on her wall during the nineties. Yes, Darla remembered it well. "Well, Darla," I said, "I know one thing. They sure weren't picking blackberries."

We hooted with laughter. Drenched with sweat, scratched by thorns, coated with Deep Woods Off! to ward off the chiggers, we stepped carefully to alert any nearby snakes of our presence in the hope that they would flee. And after I saw one evil looking spider, I just tried to put spiders out of my mind.

No, the setting for the painting is most definitely not anywhere in the deep South in July. Perhaps these lovely ladies were picking blueberries on a cool summer day in Maine. Perhaps they were picking cranberries in some other mild clime. One thing is for certain, they wouldn't look quite so nice in the briers of a blackberry patch in a hot Arkansas summer.

But they surely couldn't have had any more fun than Darla and I had that day. Friends since we were teenagers, we only see each other about once a year. Darla lives in Wichita, and she and her family usually come to see us during the summer.

Tim helped us. And Blake, Darla's 12 year old boy. Blake is a doll; we love him. He gets his own post coming up soon.

Last year Darla was here for the 4th, and we picked blackberries. The picking was much easier then. It didn't take us long to get lots of berries from one patch. This year it was much more challenging. The deer had a head start on us; they had eaten a lot of the berries. We had to pick four separate patches and work much harder. In fact, Tim got the tractor and bush-hogged an opening in a thicket so we could get to enough to cook up a double recipe of blackberry-peach crisp. It was well worth the effort. We ate dessert first that night before we cooked up a shrimp boil for dinner.

We made some sweet summer memories. More pics coming soon.

And, oh yes. The blackberry-peach crisp? Recipe for that coming up, too.

The Sidewalks of New York

2009-07-08T16:39:00.001-05:00

"East side, west side, all around the town . . . ." I couldn't help but think of this song as we made our way around the city. When my brother and I were growing up, my Mother entertained us with stories of her childhood, growing up in NLR in the 20's and 30's. One of the stories that made an impression on me was of how she and her sister, Ordell, took dance lessons when they were little girls. "East side, west side, all around the town," she would sing. "The tots sang ring-a-rosy, London Bridge is falling down. Boys and girls together, me and Mamie O'Rourke, tripped the light fantastic on the sidewalks of New York." Then to illustrate how she and Ordell tap-danced to the song, she would execute a few steps right there on the hardwood floor of our living room. My brother and I were delighted! The thought of our mother ever tap-dancing sent us into fits of giggles.

Well, we certainly pounded the sidewalks of New York. Thank goodness for my Propet walking sandals! I was able to keep up with the best of them.

Eating, shopping, seeing the sights, and people-watching. That about sums up our time in the city. We didn't make a lot of pictures. Here's a few.

Times Square

Below is a picture of the exterior of the Tenement Museum in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. On this visit to the city, I wanted to see something we had not seen before. I learned about the Tenement Museum online, and we were not disappointed. In fact, we would probably go back again. This museum picks up where Ellis Island leaves off. If you loved the book A Tree Grows in Brooklyn you would enjoy this museum. As we climbed the staircase in the tenement we toured, I could just imagine Francie's mother, Kitty Nolan, on her knees, scrubbing the stairs.

There were several tours available. The one we took followed a German immigrant family who lived in the building beginning in 1863 and an Italian family who lived there in the early 20th century. Our guide showed us photos of the original families and their descendants today, copies of original lease records, and all manner of drawings and other material that helped us to imagine life in those tenements where we were standing.

The apartments were tiny: 325 square feet that included a kitchen, a bedroom, and a room overlooking the street that was used for living during the day and sleeping at night.

Our guide, a twenty-something young lady told us that she lives in a tenement apartment that has been updated. There was an building next door to the museum that had an apartment for rent. The floor plan was identical to the building we toured. The rental for 325 square feet? $2200/month!

The museum also had a great gift shop with lots of books. I came away with a couple of good ones.

Go here if you want to learn more about the Tenement Museum and the immigrant experience. (Hmm. The link does not appear to be working. Not sure what's up. The url is : tenement.org.)

We really wanted to go back to the Metropolitan Museum of Art; it has been years since we've been there. We enjoyed it so much before; I think we could stay for a week. But, we simply could not do everything we had planned.

My favorite meal was at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Times Square. The sea bass just about melted in my mouth. John, a Sean Hannity fan (okay, we're all Sean Hannity fans), hoped to see Sean at Ruth's Chris. Our waitress assured us that yes, he does indeed dine there.

My favorite shopping? Actually it was for Tim. We came upon a 50% off sale at Jos. A. Banks. And we stocked up. Poor Tim. Between working most of the time, taking little time to shop for himself and John invading his closet, his wardrobe gets pretty raggedy. He came away with some great shirts, pants, ties, and shoes. Although last Sunday, John flipped his tie at me, smiled, and said, "How do you like this tie?" He had already been in his dad's closet, carting away who knows what all!

By the afternoon of the third day, we were all ready to go. Even John, who on the first day declared that he would love to live in NYC, had had enough of the noise and rush in the city that never sleeps. So, we got in our car and headed out through the busy streets for Pequannock, NJ, where Tim's sister and her family live. Tim's dad and stepmom were already there, in anticipation of Scott's graduation. It would be good to see Tim's family again.

Arkies in the Big City (or I Love NYC, but I Can Only Stand It For About Three Days At a Time)

2009-06-30T12:42:00.014-05:00

On June 13, Tim, John, and I boarded an early morning flight and headed out for Philly. Our itinerary: pick up a car at an auction in NJ about an hour from the airport, drive into NYC for three days; spend a couple of days with Tim's family in NJ and attend the high school graduation of our nephew, Scott; take John back to the airport in Philly on the 18th; road trip home with some planned stops and lots of serendipity.

When we got to the auction in Bordentown, NJ, it took awhile for the security guards on duty to locate the car and release it to us. No surprise there. We have done this deal before, and delays are to be expected. That's Tim and me, above, resting on the curb at the auction, our bags piled in the guard shack behind us.

Finally, after a long delay, we made the hour and a half drive into NYC. While we have been there many times over the years, this was the first time we have ever driven in the city. By "we," I mean Tim. John and I assisted him by alternately hollering, "Look out! Don't you see that taxi?!" , "He's going to run into us!" and "Turn right! No, turn left! Hurry up and get in that lane!"

Let's just say that Tim's patience was taxed by our "help." Poor guy. I don't know how he did it. But, he finally got us to our hotel without a crash. It's a miracle :)

Just getting pulled over and into the area to check into our hotel was an ordeal. It was a relief to turn our car over to the doorman and know that we'd be relying on public transportation for the duration of our stay.

Standing on the sidewalk in front of the hotel, we took in the hurrying throngs, the incessant honking, the sirens, the hum, the vibrant energy. It was great to be back in the city.

John remarked, " I would love to live here!"

That's a pretty standard line for him when he first arrives in a major city; I've heard it over and over. I just smiled to myself. I know that while he might enjoy visiting, he would HATE living in this place.

To be continued . . .

The Marker

2009-06-27T17:18:00.001-05:00

Better late than never, I suppose. I wrote this not long before Tim and I left on vacation two weeks ago. When I finished it, I thought, "I'll post this on Father's Day, in memory of Daddy." Technology contrived against me. My laptop and my scanner have an "on again, off again" relationship. The day before we left I wanted to scan in the picture of Daddy and me that is now at the bottom of this post. It turned out that the computer and scanner were not on speaking terms; the relationship was definitely "off." Normally, Tim, my techy husband, can convince them to reconcile, at least for awhile, but this time his attempts were to no avail.

We are now back home, after being gone for two weeks. I have no idea if the laptop and scanner will communicate, but my sweet nephew, Brock, took the picture home, scanned it, and emailed it to me. So here is my Father's Day post, albeit almost a week late:

The third Sunday in May is Decoration Day at the rural cemetary where my parents are buried. My paternal grandparents, great-grandparents, great-great grandparents and a huge extended family are interred there as well.

Every year I go and clean the headstone of my parents and decorate their grave. I enjoy it. I think happy thoughts about my parents, visit with relatives I haven't seen for the last year, and wander about among the old headstones, visiting the graves of my departed family, looking for dates and clues to help me learn more about these people from whom I came.

This year Tim went with me to help me do a little work on the day before I was planning to actually take the flowers. As he cleaned out the old styrofoam from the vases on the headstone and cut fresh pieces for the new flowers, we chatted, sharing memories about my parents.

Then I remembered to look for it. The marker. In years gone by, I could not find it. I suppose it had been covered with dirt, and grass had grown over it. In the last few years, I've been able to find it but only after earnestly combing through the thick grass and searching for it.

This year was different. We have had an abundance of rain. The local news reported that our area has had the wettest May on record since 1882. In fact, the cemetary was the worse for it. Old headstones, their footing weakened by the wet earth, had toppled over. Many were broken. It was a sad sight.

However, one good thing came of this. Perhaps, because the dirt around it had washed away, the marker was plainly visible.

"There it is, Honey!" I exclaimed to Tim. He knows well the story of the marker, but he always takes the time to listen.

I knelt down, rubbed my fingers across the rough concrete, and traced the shape of the "B" etched into its rough surface.

Suddenly, I am a little girl again, perhaps three or four years old. Kneeling on the cool, painted concrete floor of the enclosed back porch that serves as our laundry room. I am "helping" my daddy. He has mixed the concrete and poured it into a large tomato juice can. Now he is tracing the "B" into the top. We set it in a secure spot, where it can harden. Later, he will set the marker into the ground at the cemetary to mark the plots he and my mother have selected.

As I touch the marker, the sorrow overwhelms me. The sobs come like a flood without warning. Tim, whose mother died 16 years ago, knows just what to do. I feel his hand on my shoulder. Then he holds me until the sobs give way to gentle weeping, and the tears subside. Soon, I am smiling again, wiping away my tears, and we go on about our work.

I do not often weep over Daddy. He has been gone for almost 28 years now. But there are moments, unexpectedly, that bring his memory to me so vividly that the hurt is as fresh as the day he died.

Daddy left his mark on my life; he lives on in my heart. I was "Daddy's little girl." He made me feel special. He made me believe I could do anything or be anything. That is a legacy no one can ever take from me.

Next year, I'll be looking for the marker.

Daddy and me, age 3 1/2, August, 1960

Spring Highlights: 5K SundaySchool

2009-06-10T13:40:00.011-05:00

Working with the precious children in 5K Sunday school during the spring quarter was so much fun. Nina H. was my co-teacher, and Tim, who loves kids, assisted us. Nina was an absolute joy to work with. I was acquainted with her before this but did not know her well. Candy H. told me, "You are going to love Nina. Ya'll are kindred spirits." And so we are.

Here is the balloon release we did on the last Sunday. We had talked about the Holy Ghost throughout the quarter and even had a wonderful move of the Spirit one Sunday, where the children were praying earnestly and one little girl came so close to receiving the Holy Ghost. She did receive it a few days later in church and was baptized in the lovely name of Jesus.

Before the balloon release we talked to the children about how the balloons must have helium in them to go up and compared that to how we must have the Holy Ghost to go to Heaven.

The picture below shows "Paul,", aka Tim, in chains, aboard the ship, along with the other "prisoners," "soldiers," and "sailors."

Tim told the story. During the storm part of the story, Nina and I flashed the lights for lightning, turned on a sound machine with a rain sound and a high powered fan for the wind. The passengers rocked along with the ship in the stormy seas and were finally forced to throw their "suitcases" overboard.

The ship crashed against the rocks, and Nina and I ripped apart the ship while the passengers "swam" and "floated" to safety.

This was one of my favorite lessons. It was so realistic that a couple of the children looked scared. At the end, one little boy said, "Let's do that again!"

Here's Nina with dolls representing the devil and Jesus. The Bratz doll with a goatee made a great devil.

"Jesus" calls some of the "disciples."

"Peter" and "Andrew" with their net.

On Easter Sunday, we made Resurrection Cookies. I had made some at home the night before that I brought to eat after we made the batter in class and put them in the "oven."

Here's one of our little dolls with her crown the Sunday we talked about heaven.

Our church rotates teachers every quarter, so we won't be teaching this summer. But I will always remember this special group of five and six year olds. We made some happy memories.

The Best Is Yet to Come!

2009-06-09T11:07:00.031-05:00

This blog has been on the back burner for awhile now. Really, it seems like I've taken it off the burner and set it aside. We've had a lot of things "cooking." Work-related things, church-related things, and social-related things. So many, many things to blog about, but we've been so busy living that I haven't taken the time to write about it.

This morning Tim said to me that he wanted me to just take a day for myself. "Don't do anything work-related," he told me. "Don't do anything you don't want to do. Just take care of yourself." That was music to my ears, because to tell the truth, I'm just worn out. "You might want to do a blog post," he said. He knows how much I enjoyed blogging. It was a welcome suggestion.

Where to begin? I haven't posted for about 2 1/2 months, I think.

Hmmm. I think I'll just begin with my honey. He had a birthday May 13. The big 5-0.

Now if you know Tim very well at all, you know he does not want to be the center of attention. He does not do things to call attention to himself. He most certainly would not ever want me to throw him a birthday party. It's just not his style. I'm a different story. I love any excuse for a big time, and I had been hatching plans for Tim's 50th for about 2 years.

To give you a little background, Tim is 2 years, 3 months, and 12 days younger than me, and in his good-natured, teasing way, he has never let me forget it. His teasing intensifies when I reach another decade mark. Here's a sample remark. "I'm just a young man, barely in my forties, and I'm married to a fifty-something woman."

To which I retort, "Yeah, in the tail end of your forties. You better watch it, mister, or I'm gonna get you good when you hit the fifty mark." He just grins. He's not too worried about it at that point. He's got some time. This has been going on for over 20 years now, and he knows the drill.

But when his big decade mark approaches, he starts to get worried. And he has very good reason to. When he turned thirty, I gave him a surprise "Over the Hill" party. Oh, was he ever surprised! We did it up right!

When he turned forty, I gave him a "Happy Birthday to the Old Guy" party. Another surprise. Lots of old geezer stuff. And lots of fun.

When I turned fifty, two years ago, Tim threw a surprise party for me. The theme? "The Best is Yet to Come." That is so typical of Tim. He is the sweetest guy on earth. It made me feel a little guilty about the party themes I chose for him but not too guilty :)

A couple of months before his birthday, Tim began bringing it up. "Honey, you know I don't want you to do anything special for my birthday." I just smiled sweetly. That smile did not bring him any comfort. None at all. He knew I had something up my sleeve. "You're not planning anything are you, Susan?" To which I replied, "You know I am."

He finally asked, "What would it take to get you NOT to do something for my birthday?"

"A nice trip?" I countered. I love to travel.

"You've got it," he said.

I'm a terrible person. I admit it.

Seriously, Tim loves to travel too. But he feels he should be working, not galavanting about. He works too hard and too long, and I threaten to kidnap him and take him far, far away where he has no cell phone signal. Where he can relax and recharge his batteries. And while I have never actually kidnapped him, I do plan our travels, to which he reluctantly agrees. Then, he has the biggest time of anyone on the trip, and comes home the better for it.

Last summer we took a couple of trips, where he had no cell phone reception (Holmes County, Ohio, home of the USA's largest Amish community) or where the reception was limited or just too expensive (Prince Edward Island, Canada).

It has been a long time since we got away for more than a couple of days, so my taking him up on a trip in trade for no big birthday bash was not a totally selfish move. He needs a break.

Tim and I spent a couple of quiet days at the farm for his birthday. He said it was the best birthday he has ever had.

We have an upcoming trip planned :)

I did not give him the party I was planning. The theme? "Welcome to the AARP!" I was planning to give it at the Patrick Henry Hays Senior Citizen's Center here in our lovely city. I had planned to present him with his AARP card. But, as he pointed out, he doesn't need his own card. He's had AARP benefits for over two years now, since he's married to "a much older woman."

Happy birthday, darling! I love you so! The best is yet to come!

This Is a Test

2009-03-23T11:03:00.003-05:00

This is a test; this is only a test.

This is a test of the emergency blogger system. Ok, I'm just kidding about the emergency part :)

Here's the reason for the test:

This blog is linked to apostolicbloggers.blogspot.com. Typically it takes several hours for a new blog post on "This is Z Life" to show up on apostolicbloggers. Sometimes more, sometimes less.

On Saturday, March 14, the blog post "Announcing Gabe!!" showed up in about a half hour. That was a record!

Since then I have done two blog posts, both on Friday, March 20. However, as of today, March 23, neither of them have shown up on apostolicbloggers.

I contacted apostolicbloggers several months ago when a post took about 30 hours to show up. At that time, they suggested I clear my cache, delete cookies, and refresh my browser. Then the problem corrected before I had a chance to do any of those things. This time around I have done all those things and still nothing.

It does not seem to be a Blogger issue as other blogs hosted by Blogger are updating. Then again, maybe it is. I don't know.

Has anyone else out there had a similar challenge? If so, do you have any suggestions for resolving this?

Thanks :)

Ga-ga over Gabe

2009-03-20T17:14:00.007-05:00

If the posts on "This is Z Life" all seem to be about Gabe lately, it's because we are a little ga-ga. Ga-ga over Gabe. He is an absolutely adorable cuddle-baby!

Here's grandmother, Kim, Lauren's mom, just after she came out of the delivery room. She was glowing!

Grandpa Darwin, Lauren's dad, looks mighty proud of his boy.
So do grandparents David and Mary, Tim's A's parents, who are here from West Virginia.

My Tim is just as smitten as I am :)

Aunt Charity, Tim A's sister is enjoying lovin' on her nephew.

So is great-grandmother Zelmadene, Tim A's grandmother, Mary's mother.
Great-grandparents, Gan-gan and Poppa T., Lauren's maternal grandparents, beam with pride at Gabe's first church service. Gan-gan, Carolyn, cried when she first heard Gabe's name. His middle name, Ison, was her maiden name. Her father was a pioneer Pentecostal preacher. Gabe has a great spirtual heritage on both sides of his family. He is sixth generation Pentecostal.

Poppa T went over during the offering and gave Gabe his first offering to place in the container.

Great-aunt Karen

Great-aunt Kim

Now this one's pretty special - can you guess why? :)

On Tuesday, Lauren took Gabe to the bank where she worked. John just happened to come in. She said she made him hold Gabe and took this picture. I don't remember John ever holding a baby before. He called me and told me about it. He sounded ga-ga over Gabe too.

He said all the ladies who work at the bank were "just going crazy" over Gabe.

Ga-ga over Gabe. I guess it's catchin' :)

Gabes Goes to Church

2009-03-20T09:24:00.002-05:00

Look who showed up at the first night of Mid-America Youth Conference - Gabe!

His momma had him all dolled up in a darling little Ralph Lauren outfit. They were all color coordinated. Aren't they a beautiful family?

I was so happy to see Gabe. Although I held him Saturday and again Tuesday, I was having serious Gabe-withdrawal symptoms.

I sure hope he's there again tonight :)

Announcing: Gabe!!

2009-03-14T21:04:00.005-05:00

He's here! Gabriel Ison Adams arrived yesterday, Friday, March 13th, at 2:43 p.m. He weighed 8 pounds, 9 ounces and was 20 inches long.

I got to hold him today. I am smitten! He made sweet, little, baby noises. Nothing like it in this world :)

Welcome to the world, Gabe! Tim and I are looking forward to watching you grow up.

Congratulations, Tim and Lauren, on your big, beautiful, baby boy!!

(Sorry no pic of Mommy. Daddy, please send me one.)

Making It Up to February, Part I

2009-03-05T08:38:00.015-06:00

Dear February, please accept my apologies. I would feel the same way if I were you. I did not intend to give you such scant attention. I just got busy . . . I got sick . . . we had a lot going on at the office . . . . Okay, I know those sound like excuses to you. But, I had good intentions. I even tried to blog about the birthday party for John, but Blogger just would not cooperate that day. Not that I'm blaming Blogger. I take full responsibility for neglecting you.

So, I'm making it up to you, February. Here's the first post. More on the way! We had some great days:

We had an early surprise birthday party for John on February 7. He turned 25 on the 14th. Yes, he's a Valentine, and while that's pretty special, we learned long ago we have to celebrate early or late because the rest of the world is "Valentining" on his birthday.

Tim and I hosted the party at John's house, and he was totally surprised. He came in from a long day's work and opened his front door. I wish I would have captured the look on his face when everyone yelled, "Surprise!"

Silly me. I assumed the Summit (college and career group) would be free on a Saturday night since most of their activities are on Friday night. Wouldn't you know they had a long-planned trip to Hot Springs to sing that night. I should have checked first. But, we did have a good turnout of young married couples and one engaged couple. Thanks to all of you came and made the evening so much fun!

We ate Mary B's famous tamales with all the trimmings. (I need to do a post on those tamales and their history - that's a great story.) "Mardot," my dear friend and the Queen of Cookies, sent over a plate of her famous chocolate chip cookies. (Land's sakes alive! I'm craving one now! Mardot, are you reading this?) (Can anyone guess who "Mardot" is and how she got her name?)

The girls and I sat around and talked. Mainly about babies. Angie and Jason brought 11 month old Jaxon. He is a charmer, and we all loved on him. Lauren's and Tim's baby is due any day now. And just last weekend, Kara and John W. announced that they, too, are expecting a little one! Hmmm, no wonder we talked about babies!

The guys played ping-pong. And by that I mean they jumped and dove and whooped and hollered and talked smack and made so much noise that we had to close the door to the game room in order to think straight! Oh, my goodness gracious, those guys had a big ole time!

I have tried and tried, to no avail, to upload videos of the ping-pong game. So, I guess a still-shot will have to do. Sorry, "Reg," I don't have you in a still-shot. Sorry, Jimbo, you either. Hey, I didn't even get a pic of you. Being the hostess and the official photographer at the same time is challenging for a gal like me.

Yes, February 7th was a fun day!

More comin' up!

The Lament of the February Blog

2009-03-03T13:03:00.008-06:00

Woe is me! I am a poor, neglected stepchild! Susan has hardly paid any attention to me. I know I'm the shortest month in the year, but only one blog post about me? It's not fair!

She started blogging in October and posted 28 times before the end of the year. Then January got 9 posts. So why, oh why, did she leave me out in the cold?

It's not like I'm an uninteresting month. Oh, I know my reputation. I know people complain about me, that I'm gray, cold, and overstay my welcome.

But, Susan, of all people, knows there's more to me than that! I, February, am the month of her birth. Okay, so she did acknowledge that in her one little bitty post on the 16th. But even that was over two weeks late! I come in with a bang just for her. Her birthday is on the first day of the month. You'd think that alone would get me a little special attention.

Then there's the matter of her only child's birthday being on the 14th - he's a Valentine! Wouldn't you think that would get a mention? And, this year he hit the quarter-century mark. But, did she write about that? Oh, no! Nary a word!

And what about that elegant Valentine banquet her sweetheart took her too? Nothing about that either.

Then there's the matter of spring, the little flirt, peeking through winter's misty curtain. Daffodils popping up, bobbing their yellow heads gaily. Robins hopping about, searching for fat worms. All manner of birds chirping, flitting around gathering twigs for nest-building. Yellow forsythia branches, reaching their slender arms toward the sky. Tulip trees, sporting their dainty pink dresses, decked out like little girls on Easter Sunday in all their finery. Wild dogwoods, sprinkled throughout expanses of woodland, suddenly popping out their snowy blossoms, bringing hope that spring is indeed on the way. Canadian geese arriving at the farm, honking as they begin their nesting on the island.

Then to top it all off, on the last night of my watch, fat snowflakes falling thick and fast, spreading a fluffy covering on all the colorful, spring blossoms. A gentle snow, gone by morning.

Oh, there were lots and lots of things to tell about me, February. Lots and lots of pictures to show. Is Susan ashamed of herself? Does she feel one bit bad about treating me so shabbily?

I await her response.

Wild Thing

2009-02-16T08:57:00.002-06:00

February is over halfway gone, and I haven't posted a thing! So, over the next few days, I plan to backtrack and catch up on the highlights of the month.

February first was my birthday. My 52nd birthday. I'm not a lady who minds telling my age. I'm just happy to still be kicking.

Yesterday afternoon Tim and I went to Barnes and Noble. I stumbled upon a series of lighthearted books on aging by Judith Viorst. Although Viorst has written a number of books, I best remember her for her children's book, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

Yesterday, I purchased her book, Forever Fifty and Other Negotiations. Here's a poem from the book that I enjoyed:

Wild Thing

I went for a walk in the sun without wearing my sunscreen.
I went out of town without making a reservation.
I placed my mouth directly upong a public drinking fountain,
and took a sip.
I didn't bother flossing my teeth before bedtime.
I pumped my own gasoline at a self-service station.
I ate the deviled egg instead of the cauliflower with low-fat
yoghurt dip.
I bought, without reading Consumer Reports, a new dryer.
I left my checking account unreconciled.
I know that the consequences could be dire,
But sometimes a woman simply has to run wild.

I read this aloud to Tim; he chuckled and said this definitely describes the kind of wild I am.

Yes, I'm certainly getting to be a "wild thing" in my fifties. :)

The Bloggies and Cake Wrecks

2009-01-30T10:38:00.006-06:00

I came across this picture twice this week. Earlier this week I was reading Shirley Buxton's blog, writenow.wordpress.com, which I found through apostolicbloggers.blogspot.com a couple of months ago. She had this picture posted and a link to another blog, inhistime.wordpress.com, which told the story behind the cake. I got such a laugh out of it, and it was especially interesting that apparently this cake was made by a Walmart in the Little Rock area where I live. According to the story, it was made for a going-away party for someone at BCBS in Little Rock.

Then yesterday I came across this picture again. I was (and still am) housebound due to being sick - fever, achy and all that. I had little energy, so I entertained myself throughout the long day by reading blogs.

One of my favorite blogs is thepioneerwoman.com. On her site, she mentioned the 2009 bloggies awards. She has been nominated in several categories. So I went to 2009.bloggies.com and voted for her and while I was there I checked out other blogs that had been nominated in various categories.

That's where I came across this picture again. If you want to read a funny blog, check out cakewrecks.blogspot.com. The subtitle is "when professional cakes go horribly, hilariously wrong." And believe me, it is hilarious. Not just the cakes. The accompanying narrative only adds to the humor. Even though I was so sick, I was laughing out loud.

I found the picture above on the sidebar under "the cake that started it all."

Laughter - it's the best medicine.

My Daddy's Birthday

2009-01-27T12:15:00.006-06:00

My daddy was born in January. January 3, 1912. He would be 97 if he were living. I have been thinking about him a lot this month.

He looks to be about three years old in the picture above. (I just started to learn to use Photoshop 3 days ago. I cropped this from a family picture and smudged the background. I have a lot to learn about Photoshop, and this is as good as it gets today.)

I imagine the picture below was made in the late fall of 1912. I love it that my grandmother's face is in the upper right hand corner of this picture. She was eighteen years old. It's the only picture I have of her before the ravages of working in the sun on their cotton farm began to show on her once-smooth face.

If you look closely, you can see that he is holding some type of paper and some type of writing instrument. Curious about this, I googled "when were crayons invented" and learned that the first set of Crayola crayons debuted in 1903. So, I guess that writing instrument could be one of those early crayons.

He is wearing a little dress, which was common for baby boys at that time.

I wonder whatever happened to that old rocking chair. Over the course of the next seventeen years, my grandmother would give birth to eight more children. I imagine she got the use out of that rocking chair.

I try to imagine what the day of his birth was like for my grandparents. My grandmother was 18, my grandfather 23. They had been married one year and two days, having married on New Year's Day of 1911.

Oh, I have a good idea of how she felt. I know what it feels like to be a mother holding a firstborn son. Experiencing a new kind of love, so unimaginable, so all-encompassing and so powerful. I like to imagine her cuddling him in her arms, clasping him protectively to her. I imagine she felt a kind of pride in producing a son for my grandfather.

I am pretty sure he would have wanted a boy. I have observed that in men, that longing for a son. My husband certainly wanted a boy. My grandfather may have wanted a boy for the reasons that so many men want a son. Someone to carry on the family name. A little guy to roughhouse with. To do manly things with, like hunt and fish. But there's another reason I think my grandfather would have wanted a son, and not just one son, but many more strapping boys. He was a farmer. A cotton farmer, with a farm to work. He needed boys to help him work the land. I imagine his manly pride on the day of the birth of the first of his children. A son, yes, a son!

They named him Samuel Bruce. Samuel, for his grandfather, his great-grandfather, and his great-great grandfather before him. Bruce, for his uncle. They called him Sam.

I wonder if the day of his birth was a cold, gray, wet January day like today, so common in this part of the country at this time of year. Or was it like January 3rd of this year, sunny and a warm 76 degrees? Was he born at his parents home or his grandparents home? Was he delivered by a grandmother, an aunt, or a midwife. I don't suppose I'll ever know the answers to these questions. There is no one left to ask.

This is what I do know. This little boy grew up to be my daddy. He loved me.

This is Daddy with Mark and me in 1967, celebrating his 55th birthday.

He was reserved and quiet and did not express a lot of outward affection.

But, I remember him holding me in his lap and telling me about the new room he was going to build on so I wouldn't have to share a room with my brother.

I remember him sitting by my bed when I had the measles and reading aloud to me from the new Highlights magazine he had ordered.

I remember coming home from school shortly after my 16th birthday and seeing a gorgeous white Mustang with red leather interior sitting in the front of the house.

I remember rushing up the front steps and him meeting me at the front door.

I remember throwing my arms around his neck and squealing with delight.

I remember pulling back and looking at him, and seeing that he had a smile on his face and his upper lip was quivering. That was the give-away that he was really excited and pleased about something. That upper lip quivering.

I remember all those things and so many, many more.

He died when I was 24 and Mark was 21. It has been over 27 years now. I appreciate him in ways today that I could not when I was in my early twenties. Before I had experienced more of life and raised a boy.

I know that he lives on in a far better place and that I will see him again. And yet I miss him.

When it comes my time to cross over to the other shore, I expect Daddy will be looking for me. I know I'll be looking for him. And when, after all this time, we see each other again, I expect I'll run to greet him and throw my arms around his neck. He'll be smiling and that upper lip will be quivering.

I love you, Daddy. I will meet you in the morning over there.

John's House: Before and After

2009-01-20T07:17:00.028-06:00

One year ago this month John bought his first house. As you can see from these pictures, he has come a long, long way in a year. He still needs some furniture, rugs, window treatments, wall art, and accessories, but I wanted to document the progress that has been made in a year.

This is what the exterior looked like. He has since had the brick painted and the old shrubs removed. No after pictures yet. This spring/summer he plans to add old-world plank style shutters and some new landscaping.

Living Room: Before

Living Room: After

Master Bedroom : Before

This is Jason, without whom John would have been at a total loss. Jason and his wife Angie have remodeled and flipped several homes. Jason volunteered and came and worked for about seven or eight weeks. He and John would work in the evenings after their jobs. They worked many, many nights until midnight or after. They worked all day on Saturdays and I believe even a few Sunday afternoons. You just don't find very many friends in life like Jason

Master Bedroom: After

Master Bath: Before

Master Bath: After

There's Tim making pictures. Up a little, dear, and get the new light fixture, please. :)

Guest Bedroom One: Before

Guest Bedroom One: After
Tim's mother gave us this bed when we bought our first house. I had slept in it when I visited Tim's parents' home when Tim and I were engaged. I thought it was so pretty, and I felt like a princess when I woke up the first morning in their lovely guest room. The bed is from the civil war period. There are two other pieces that go with it. I think John's Me-me would be happy to know we passed this on to him for his first home.

Hall/Guest Bath: Before

Hall/Guest Bath: After
This picture just does not do this room justice. It turned out so pretty. The white bottom portion of the walls are beadboard.

Guest Bedroom Two: Before

Guest Bedroom Two: After

Kitchen: Before

Kitchen : After

The small table and chairs were set up for the Christmas party. They are not normally there.

Family Room: Before

Family Room: After

The old trunk, serving as an end table at the end of the sofa, belonged to John's great, great, grandfather (Tim's great grandfather).

Dining Room: Before

Dining Room: After

The spindle-backed chairs were Tim's mother's. (The folding chairs, again, were set out for the Christmas party.)

Laundry Room: Before

Oops! No after pictures of the laundry room. I can report that it was all redone with beadboard walls and ceiling and tile floor. While it is not decorated, it is clean and neat. A big improvement!

Game Room: Before

Game Room : After

You really can't see the details, but this room turned out much nicer than I ever thought possible. Nick M. put in canned lighting (which Troy W. did in the rest of the house). Nick did the trim work in this room, textured the walls, and stained the concrete floor.

The game room seems to be a popular place. Next to the kitchen or dining room or whereever the food is. :)

The back yard has a beautiful swimming pool with a liner that was only a couple of years old when John bought the house. I have a before but not an after picture, so I will post those this summer.

This house was really a blessing from the Lord. I saw an ad in the Sunday paper that I thought was too good to be true. The next morning I decided to call on it. The seller told me he already had it sold. The buyer was bringing him the earnest money that afternoon. He said his phone had been ringing off the hook, but he agreed to take my number and call me if the deal fell through. Late that afternoon, he called. The buyer's girlfriend was upset because she hadn't got to look at the house yet, and they couldn't come until Wednesday, two days later.

I told the seller, "I am turning my car around and heading to the house now." When I found it, I saw it was in a good neighborhood and looked good from the outside. I called Tim and John. They came almost immediately. When the seller arrived, he found us converged in the driveway.

He explained their situation. They had already bought a new home in one of NLR's best areas. The house was vacant. Ah, that was good! He seemed very motivated to sell it.

When he opened the front door, we were greeted by the smell of DOG. There was old furniture and junk laying around. The house needed a major facelift. It was just what we were looking for. :)

Tim started bargaining. The seller wanted to sell the house "as is." While it appeared to have "good bones," we wanted to know what was under those "bones." We called Troy Willis. Bless his heart. He came immediately even though it was now about 8:30 and dark and cold outside. He went up in the attic. He crawled under the house. He assured us that it was in good shape structurally. The only thing he could see was that the electrical needed to be brought up to code.

We struck a deal, and in about a month John was a homeowner. The Lord blessed him with a sweet deal. And the opportunity to earn a little sweat equity, a character-building experience. :)

Mouse Tales

2009-01-15T07:59:00.006-06:00

Yesterday I got an interesting phone call from Tim. "Honey, there's a mouse in my car."

"What?!"

"Yes. He must be in the ductwork. He's chewing up things and it's coming out the vents. Blowing all over the place. And it smells terrible in here."

"Tim! How in the world did you get a mouse in your car?"

"Remember last weekend when we were at the farm, and I got those boxes out of the container and put them in the car?"

Ah! Then I understood.

The containers. That's a story in itself.

The containers are large trailers from former ABF trucks. Tim purchased them in 2002 about the same time we purchased the farm. He had the wheels cut off, had a nice large pad built and had them set up on the pad with some space between them - large enough to pull a dump truck or tractor into. He planned to use the containers to store tools and equipment and various other items.

As some of you local readers probably know, we lived at the farm for four years before moving back to town. During that time, the containers became our storage buildings. When we first began storing things there, we were pretty much city slickers with no thought for the little creatures that are just a fact of country life - mice.

It didn't take long for us to learn. But, not before the mice had invaded boxes of clothes, papers, and other items that should never have been stored in those containers. Oh, what a mess!

We learned our lesson about what was appropriate and what was not appropriate to store. If it can be chewed up, don't store it.

So, I was surprised when Tim came into the house at the farm last weekend and said, 'I found a couple of boxes of things I thought you might be interested in for the blog. Come out and take a look."

In the back of his SUV sat two cardboard boxes. Mostly they contained several old trays of slides. Some had been his dad's. Some had been my mother's. I had no idea those had been left in one of the containers. Year ago, even before we moved to the farm, I spent several days sorting through and organizing old slides.

We thought maybe these were just discards, slides we didn't want, that had somehow ended up in storage. But, no. We began pulling out individual slides and holding them up to the light. "Tim, look, here's a great picture of your mother!"

Then, "Here's another great picture! This tray belonged to my mother. Oh, I'm so glad you found these! Let's take them home and I'll sort through them."

What we did not realize was that lurking somewhere in one of those boxes was a mouse. That's the only plausible explanation we can come up with for a mouse being in Tim's car.

We conferred about what he should do. He turned off the heater and cracked the window. He made a quick stop at a store for mouse traps, but they didn't have any.

Tim is a busy man. His day planner was chock full of things to do. He had places to go and people to see. He was in another county nowhere near home where he could trade out vehicles. There seemed to be nothing for him to do but to proceed on his way with his little stowaway on board.

He called me later. "Honey, you better be glad you're not in here. I don't think you'd like it. It sounds like he's right above my feet."

He was right. I wouldn't have liked it. Not one little bit. And that's the understatement of the year!

Tim zoomed in just in time for a quick bite and change of clothes before church last night. He parked his car. We went to church in my vehicle. After church, we went to the store and purchased two mouse traps. Tim loaded them up with peanut butter.

This morning, he went out to check his traps. There, on the front passenger floorboard was a dead mouse.

Tim left for a busy day in a mouse-free vehicle. End of tale.

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

2009-01-13T03:43:00.005-06:00

John, December, 1988, age 4

Yesterday I felt spoiled here in the middle of winter. It was 61 beautiful degrees - and sunny to boot. I reveled in the sun's warm rays as I went about my errands.

But now, according to the forecast, it's time to pay the piper. The high forecast for today is 42 degrees. That's 19 degrees colder! And a low of 27. 27? For crying out loud, this is supposed to be the deep south. But wait! What's this for Thursday? A high of 35 and a low of 16?!

Here's what I recommend. If you absolutely have to get out, bundle up real good. And, don't forget your hat!

Natalie, November, 1992, age 3

Natalie and Brock, December, 1995, ages 6 and 8

If you don't have to brave the cold, cozy up with a good book.

John, January, 1988, age 3

And don't forget the hot chocolate.

Brock and John, 1989, ages 3 and 5

That should do the trick.

And just remember, in this part of the country, the cold spells usually don't last too long. We'll get a respite. It'll probably be in the 70's next week. At least I hope so!

Steeple Sunrise

2009-01-11T16:39:00.005-06:00

This is the view from the front of our house during the winter months when the trees are bare. Tim made this picture last week as I sat and sipped my morning coffee and looked out at this splendid scene. As far as we are concerned, it's the very best thing about our house - the view of the steeple of our church.

As I sipped my coffee, I thought about the very early risers who were already, at that very moment, praying in the church. I knew that by the time I made my way down the hill and around the bend, the fire of the Spirit would already be kindled. For this house of worship truly is a "House of Prayer."

Each day, from about 3:30 a.m. until midnight or so, many people make their way to the church to pray. Most of them attend our church, but some do not. They are simply local citizens who know that the church is always open for prayer.

Our pastor encourages us to pray. He makes the beautiful church sanctuary a place for prayer. Consistent daily prayer has made a difference for our church. It has made a difference for our family. It has made a difference for me.

There is no better way to begin, or to end, the day than with prayer. "The effectual fervant prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

John and Kyle Went to Sac, Had a Great Time, and Now They're Back!

2009-01-07T17:12:00.009-06:00

John and Kyle at the airport upon their return Monday night

On December 30th, John and Kyle D. headed out to the great state of California. Kyle has a girlfriend there, whom he met at PEAK last year, and he invited John along. They were both pretty excited about the trip.

Lisa and Tony C. put them up in their guest house. Thank you so much, Lisa, for all you did for these guys. They both appreciate the hospitality you, Tony, and your Kyle showed them.

Thank you, too, for the pictures! As far as I know, they are the only ones John has of his trip.

.John, Kyle C., and Kyle D.

One of the highlights of the trip for John was going skiing. We don't get to do that here in the deep south. Tony and Kyle C. took him to Lake Tahoe, and he had "an awesome day."

John, Tony, and Kyle C. before the ski trip

John and Kyle at Lake Tahoe ski area

Other highlights of the trip, at least for John, were being in service at TheRock Church, playing flag football with the guys there, and visiting San Francisco. Thanks to Clayton W. for introducing John around. He said he met lots of nice people and made some new friends.

The welcome mat will always be out for you nice California folks. Ya'll come!

My Friend's New Home, Plus a Bonus - Rylie!

2009-01-06T08:42:00.012-06:00

Jackie, Kim, and Rylie

Last Friday afternoon, I had the pleasure of visiting with my dear friend, Kim, in her new home. She and her husband, Jackie built a beautiful new house last year. I had been there several times during construction, but I had not seen it since they moved in. She was going to take her Christmas things down on Saturday, so we agreed on Friday for the visit.

She gave me the tour - the house is gorgeous. She fed me, and we had a nice visit. Later Jackie came in from work, Tim called and was leaving work, so we all met up at Cracker Barrel and had dinner. Tim had not seen the house since they moved in, so they invited us back. When we got to the house, we were greeted by Kim's mother, Lou, and a friend, Michelle, who had stopped by. And then, oh joy, Rylie showed up! She and her parents, Jackie and Jen, were on their way to eat and came by. Oh, we had so much fun with Miss Rylie!

Jackie and Jen

Now, it was easy to tell Kim is a grandmother. She had Christmas everywhere - villages (lots of villages), angels, and a lovely nativity scene. She even had a Christmas room! What a magical place for a child! In addition to the tree were animated carolers, an animated Santa and Mrs. Claus, and other things too numerous to list. But, the thing that impressed me most was that, with the exception of a few things placed up high, Rylie was allowed to touch anything. (Of course, Rylie is not a destructive child and is amazingly careful for a two-year-old).

Kim also had several animated stuffed animals and toys that played Christmas music. Rylie liked to get them all going at once.

Here's a clip of Kim and Rylie.

Rylie also enjoyed "playing" an electronic keyboard that belonged to her daddy when he was a little boy.

Here she is jammin'.

What a fun time we had! Thanks, Kim & Jackie, and Jackie & Jen for sharing the joy of Rylie with Tim and me!

Oh, Boy, It's a Boy!

2009-01-05T11:27:00.003-06:00

2009 is bringing Tim and Lauren a special kind of joy - they are expecting a baby boy!

It took 3, yes, 3, ultrasounds, to get the little fellow to cooperate, but on December 19th they finally got the exciting news. He is due on March 18th.

We are excited for you Tim and Lauren! We look forward to welcoming you to a brave new world this year - the wild, wonderful world of parenthood. Hang on for the ride!

The Gate of the Year

2008-12-31T17:06:00.025-06:00

"I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year,

'Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.'

And he replied, 'Go into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God.

That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way!' "

When I graduated from high school in 1975, the Concert Choir, of which I was a part, sang this at the graduation ceremony. Through the years, from time to time, the words have come back to me.

This morning, as I was thinking about the new year and what it holds, these words came to my mind. It has been a long time since I've thought about them.

That brought to mind another song. An old gospel song that I remember hearing my grandmother sing in her beautiful alto voice when I was a child:

I don't know about tomorrow,

I just live from day to day.

I don't borrow from its sunshine

'Cause the skies may turn to grey.

I don't worry o'er the future,

'Cause I know what Jesus said,

And today I'll walk beside him

'Cause He knows what lies ahead.

Many things about tomorrow

I don't seem to understand

But I know who holds tomorrow,

And I know who holds my hand.

I can still hear her voice singing those words as she went about her daily housework.

As I was thinking about the uncertainty and turmoil in our world today, I thought about my grandmother's life. About the things she went through.

The man she loved and who she would eventually marry went off and fought in the battlefields of France in World War I. She raised her family during the Great Depression. Her only son went off and served in WWII. She was widowed at the age of 54. She battled cancer and won not once, but twice. All that and the other ups and downs of life. I'm sure she faced things I never knew about.

But she knew what to do during all those tough times. "Hold to God's unchanging hand." I learned that at her knee. And at the knee of my mother who faced her own battles with the same fortitude. Prayer. Holding on. I woke up in the morning to the sound of my mother's voice praying. She knelt beside the old floor furnace in the hall outside my bedroom as she cried out to God before she went off to work in the early morning.

My life has been far, far easier than the lives of my mother or my grandmother. I believe it's largely due to their prayers. They built up a memorial of prayer for my brother and me. I'm eating from vineyards I didn't plant and drinking from wells I didn't dig.

Still, I have my own challenges. And the world I live in can be a frightening place. Terror. War. Disease. Economic uncertainty.

But, I know what to do. As we step through the gate into the year of 2009, I'm keeping my hand in His. "I know who holds tomorrow. And I know who holds my hand. "

As a footnote to this post, I would like to add that according to Wikipedia, the song I quoted at the beginning is part of a poem, "The Gate of the Year."

"This poem was written in 1908 by Minnie Louise Haskins, an American lecturer at the London School of Economics, who wrote as a hobby. It was a favourite of Queen Elizabeth the late Queen Mother, who showed it to her husband King George VI. He included it in his famous Christmas message broadcast in 1939 at the beginning of the Second World War. After the King's death the Queen Mother had it engraved on bronze plaques on the entrance to the King George VI Memorial Chapel, Windsor, where both are now interred. It was also read at the funeral service of the Queen Mother."

Interesting bit of history isn't it?

And now from the Z's:

Happy New Year! May God's richest blessings be yours in 2009!

Monopoly Champ

2008-12-31T08:58:00.006-06:00

We spent Christmas Day at the farm. Some things remained the same. Tim, John, and Nick went for a walk.

We cooked up yummy stuff and ate - way too much.

Here's Tim making Eggnog Cinnamon-Raisin French Toast with John assisting, umm, observing him.

Nick was curious and didn't want to be left out of anything.

"Where did Tim go? What does he think he's doing, leaving me behind?"

"Hey ya'll! [ Nick is a southern dog :) ] "Don't forget about me. I want some of that good-smellin' food. It's Christmas, for Pete's sake."

But something was different, and I didn't like it. Not one bit.

We have long-standing tradition of playing Monopoly on Christmas night. And John ALWAYS wins. I NEVER win. Okay, I know those are generalities. But, for the most part, they're true. Maybe Tim has won a time or two. And I think maybe I won once - about 10 years ago.

It is a rowdy, loud, boisterous occasion. Tim and I are first-borns, John is an only, and I think partly as a result of that, we are all highly competitive. It gets crazy. Lots of jive-talkin'. And, Tim. Now, we have to watch him. Because, he likes to cheat. In the real world, you will never find a more ethical man. But when it comes to games, he thinks it's part of the fun. I'm "Little Miss Rule-Follower," and John and Tim tease me because I keep the rules handy, refer to them, and read them aloud whenever I think someone, umm, Tim, is getting off track.

This year, I knew my time had come. I just had this feeling. I was gonna win. I knew it. I kept telling John I was gonna "whup" him this year. And you know what he did? He went to sleep on the sofa by the fire. And wouldn't get up. Tim and I tried to drag him out and make him play. But, he would not budge. Wimped out on me. Cause he knew I was gonna "whup" him this year.

So, by reason of default, I hereby declare myself the "Monopoly Champion for 2008."

Hmmm. It's just not the same as winning after playing a rip-roaring game. I feel cheated.

Monopoly anyone? I hear there's a new version out: "Monopoly Here and Now, World Edition."
You may have heard of it. Or even played it. You use a debit card - imagine that! What's this world coming to?

I thing I'm going out to get it today and challenge Tim to a game tomorrow, New Year's Day. I want to start the new year off right :)

Office Christmas Party

2008-12-30T08:12:00.007-06:00

Our annual office Christmas party was at John's house this year. Someone remarked that it was the smallest group we've ever had. Several people couldn't make it this year, but what we lacked in number, we sure made up for in fun!

First, we ate. Of course! Two Sisters Catering provided the feast, and a feast it was!

Then we played games. The girls played "Catchphrase."

We girls are definitely verbal :)

The guys played ping-pong.

Here's the two Tims in action.

Then we played "Dirty Santa."

Then we sat around and watched Jimbo do impersonations.

He had us rolling!

Here he is impersonating my husband. You'd just have to see it. And know Tim. Jimbo has Tim down pat.

If you know Jimbo, ask him to do an impersonation for you. Tell him I sent you :)

He'll make you laugh.

Then, of course, we ate some more.

The guys played more ping-pong.

Hamming it up. (Can you see the ball in the air?)

And we girls sat and talked some more. We girls are definitely verbal :)

Christmas Pictures Through the Years (Part 2)

2008-12-30T00:30:00.002-06:00

This is a Christmas picture I especially treasure. My mother loved to gather her three grandchildren around the piano at Mark and Kim's house and sing Christmas carols. I think this is such a sweet picture of Natalie, who is singing her little heart out. Brock, too is singing along. But John, oh John, he was not at all happy about singing that night. I think early adolescence was rearing its head. This was made in 1994, shortly before his eleventh birthday.

He looked a lot happier about eating with his cousins. Come to think of it, he still looks this way any time food is mentioned. :)

In 1995, we, along with Mother, got Natalie her first American Girl doll, Samantha. I don't know who was more excited, Natalie or me.

"Aunt Susan, I have a secret." Lots of secrets before we opened our packages. Oh, the suspense!

Christmas is truly a wondrous time of year, but it is never more magical than when seen through the eyes of a child.

Christmas Pictures Through the Years

2008-12-28T22:27:00.022-06:00

Growing up, our Christmas tree stayed up until New Year's Eve or New Year's Day. And, here in the Little Rock area, I still feel like it's Christmas as long as I look out over the city and see the dome of the state capitol building all lit up for the season. So, in that spirit, I am still posting Christmas pictures.

I really had intended to post these last week, but we had technical difficulties here at the house, and then we went to the farm for Christmas where we have no internet connection. So, I'm just now able to get it done.

Can anyone guess who this beautiful little baby girl is with John and me in 1985? ( One hint, she's married. Okay, two, then. She doesn't live here anymore.)

Mother, Kim, John and me, 1985. Can you see that "binky" in his mouth? Little did he know it, but the end was near for the binky. A few days later on New Year's Day, acting on a tip from my friend, Sherry D., I cut off the nipple, told him it was "broke," and that was it. He whined a little for a few days, but it was not as bad as we expected. We tried to find all the binkies hidden under cushions, furniture, toys, and goodness knows where else, and throw them away. Occasionally, one would surface, and we would scramble to get it before he caught sight of it.

We sent this out with Christmas cards in 1986. I started making this little outfit, but then I had to go back to work, so I got someone else to finish it. I loved to sew for John and dreamed that someday, when he was a big boy, I'd have a little girl to sew for. Can you see that bruise on his forehead? This child looked like a case of abuse at times because he had so many tumbles. He was definitely "all boy" even though his momma dressed him up in these sweet little clothes.

Leaving milk and cookies out for Santa at Me-me and Grandad's house in Liberal, KS, 1987. For the record, we read a book to John called "Santa, Are You For Real?" It explained the history of Santa and how he was not "real," but rather a symbol. So, while John didn't believe Santa was real, we enjoyed this tradition. Each year, Santa not only ate the milk and cookies but also left a note thanking John for them and telling him what a good boy he had been that year. I still have the notes. Interestingly, they are written in Grandad's handwriting. :)

Grandad and John, Liberal, Kansas, 1988. Me-me, Tim's dear mother, was battling cancer, and had just had surgery about 3 months before this. She ordered many of our gifts from catalogs that year because she was not able to get out and shop. She was pleased that John enjoyed his gifts so much. I remember one was a tent that fit over the bed. He slept in it while we were there, and that made her so happy.

Nicole L. and John in the Wichita Children's Museum, 1989. This is from what we call John's "funny face period."

Mark and Tim playing a game at Mother's house, 1989 or '90. I don't know who had more fun with this game, the little boys or the big boys :)

Okay, Nina Brooke, this one's for you. I think you look absolutely adorable, elbows propped on the scoring table, chin cupped in your hands.

This is my class at our church school in 1990, with our gingerbread village. Each child made a gingerbread house, a tree out of a pinecone, and a snowman out of marshmallows. Bro. Nathan H., who was 10 that year, helped me make an old mill with a mill wheel. Can you see the wheel? We set it all up around a "pond" made of aluminum foil, and sprinkled "snow" generously all over it. What fun! I still get comments from these kids, who are now adults, about the gingerbread village.

1990, the "funny face period" continues :)

Our "deer" little boys, John and Brock, 1990.

1991. Oh what joy to have a little niece! I was absolutely crazy about Natalie. Well, we all were. Of course, we were crazy about Brock. We couldn't help ourselves. He was a gregarious, irresistable little fellow. But, Natalie was our only girl. And I finally got to go down the "pink aisle" at Toys R Us!!! Yay! I was the mommy of a little boy. I was the aunt of two little boys. I wore "Gee-Jie-Joe" bandaids because that's what we had at our house. I bought monster trucks and dump trucks, and wrecker trucks, and firetrucks, and books about trucks. Oh, I was so happy to get to go down the "pink aisle." This is a pink, yes pink!, Little Tykes vanity that we, along with Mother, got for Nat that Christmas when she was 2 years old. She loved it.

But what she really, really loved was these shoes we got her :)

This is later, on Christmas Day, at her house. Kim said Nat didn't want to take off those shoes.

Made her auntie a happy gal.

I miss those times.

Our Church Christmas Celebration

2008-12-24T11:18:00.005-06:00

Sunday was a special time at our church. We had our regular Sunday morning service; our pastor preached a stirring message. That evening we had a special time to celebrate the Christmas season. A mailing had been sent out to the entire city of North Little Rock as well as Sherwood. We had lots and lots of visitors.

The Children's Winter Wonderland began at 6:00. It included a Puppet Village, Bethlehem Stable with real animals to pet, Gingerbread Lane, and Teddy Bear Land. There was plenty of steaming hot chocolate. It was a good evening for that - it was extra cold for this southern climate!

At 7:00 we had a gospel Christmas concert in the main auditorium. There were many different types of music: southern gospel, bluegrass, classical, as well as various choirs, including a 100 voice children's choir. It was annointed and uplifting. I'm so thankful for all our talented musicians and singers.

Most of all, of course, we are thankful for our pastor, for his vision and wise leadership. We are blessed to be a part of FPC of NLR!

Memories of Christmas Past (Part 5): 1984, John's First Christmas

2008-12-23T04:00:00.003-06:00

Oh, joy! A baby boy! What a year 1984 was! John was born 2 weeks early. He arrived on Valentine's Day - our little sweetheart. (I don't think John looks at this blog very much at all. Don't tell him I'm on here calling him our little sweetheart - LOL!)

Christmas was extra special that year. Mark had a new someone too - his bride, Kim. They married in June. I was so happy to have Kim as a sister at long last. We had known her since she was 14; she was (and still is) a doll. Daddy had told me not long before he died, "If I was Mark, I would have changed that Kim's name a long time ago."

Mark and Kim came to Wichita to celebrate Thanksgiving. Then we put up the tree and had an early Christmas with them.

John "helping" his Aunt Kim decorate the tree.

"Oooo! Ball!"

Tim's mother brought her mom, whom we called Granger, by to meet John during the holidays. This is the only time she ever saw her great-grandson.

Mother took pictures of us to send out with Christmas cards.

We spent Christmas day with Tim's parents and sister, Jane, in Liberal. Jane went to a Christmas party and brought Santa home with her. The series of pics at the top of this post were made at that time. We settled John in on Santa's lap from the back so he didn't realize who was holding him. He was fine until he looked around and saw Santa; then the jig was up. Tim and I love that series of photos.

Yes, 1984 will always be a Christmas to remember.

Memories of Christmas Past (Part 4): 1983, Baby on the Way!

2008-12-22T09:30:00.002-06:00

Christmas of 1983 was a joyous time. Tim and I were going to be parents! We were expecting our first baby in late February.

1983 had been a very good year. Tim got a much better job selling computers and software to insurance agencies. His sales territory was the entire state of Kansas, so he had to travel a lot. That was the only drawback. He usually set out on Monday mornings in our little Pontiac T1000 that we bought in the spring. He was normally back home by Thursday night.

Mother had moved to Wichita. She thought a change would help her following Daddy's death. She was thrilled that at the age of 59, almost 60, she was going to be a grandmother.

Just before Thanksgiving we moved into a new home on the outskirts of the city. A one and a half story, it was in a new neighborhood, had charm, and offered room for a growing family.

My brother, Mark, came to visit at Christmas. We had a real tree at last! An eight foot one that we decked out in new tinsel and, best of all, some new ornaments that hinted at our impending arrival. Mother and Tim were rooting for a boy. Mother bought three special ornaments: a toy soldier, a blue sled, and a blue block. I have the toy soldier and baby block to this day.

There was a fireplace in our new home. Oh, was I excited about that! I had never lived in a house with a fireplace. Tim's mother bought me a beautiful antique rocking chair which we placed by the fireplace. I nurtured visions of rocking our baby by the fire.

We hung three stockings over the fireplace: a big one for daddy, a medium one for mommy, and a tiny one for our baby on the way.

Tim's gift to me that year? A bicycle! He wanted to be sure that I got back to my original shape after the baby was born - LOL! On Christmas morning he insisted that I mount the bike in our living room. I couldn't begin to balance it!

What a special Christmas that was! We knew the new year was bringing us great joy!

Our new home as it looked when we first bought it: 10123 Carr, Wichita, Kansas

Mark and me playing "Chopsticks." Can you see the stockings and the bike in the background?

I love this picture of Mark and me at the piano. Not only because you can see how much fun we were having, but also because Mother's laughing reflection is in the mirror.

Memories of Christmas Past (Part 3): 1982, Our Charlie Brown Christmas Tree

2008-12-21T10:28:00.006-06:00

1982 was a year that marked a lot of changes for us. Tim graduated from Friends University in Wichita with a BA in Business Administration. We were so excited. We thought once he got that degree, our financial situation would improve. He would land a job with a great starting salary, and we would be on our way.

Things didn't work out quite the way we planned, however. The country was in a recession. Jobs were scarce, especially jobs for new college grads. Tim had been working part-time as a computer programmer during his last year of college. The company he worked for was a small, family-owned electronics firm. They offered him a full-time position, but the pay was peanuts. Let's just put it this way. I was teaching in the Wichita Public Schools. I had little experience, being that I had graduated from college only 3 years before, yet my salary was almost twice what Tim was offered. We were so disappointed, but Tim took the job. At least he had one, and we were optimistic that things would improve.

Oh, how we wanted to be home-owners! We felt like we would be foolish to continue renting. We wanted to invest in a home of our own. There were just two obstacles. We had no money for a down payment, and the interest rate for home mortgages was 21%! We were undeterred. We found a house for sale which had an assumable VA loan. The interest rate was 8.5%. Tim talked with his dad, who was on the board of a bank in Liberal, Kansas, Tim's hometown. The bank agreed to give us a loan for $5000. We used that for the down payment on the first home of our very own.

The house was 800 square feet. It had two bedrooms and one bathroom. Most of the house had gold shag carpet. The kitchen had a busy wallpaper and a busy kitchen carpet, all in shades of green. The outside needed paint. The brick flower-bed border around the front porch was crumbling.

Here's the house: 1309 S. Edwards, Wichita, Kansas

We couldn't wait to get started working on it. Due to time constraints, we had to go ahead and move in. Then we got to work. We lovingly painted the gold walls a creamy neutral color. Our next move was to look for some carpet. The rooms were tiny. We figured some carpet remnants at bargain prices would be the solution.

Something happened before we could buy carpet. Tim's company cut him back to 4 days a week. That was the first clue that the business was in trouble. In fact, several months later, after not getting paid for two weeks because the company couldn't meet payroll, Tim went to work one morning, and the doors were padlocked. The company had gone bankrupt.

When Tim was cut back to 4 days a week, our remodeling/decorating plans came to a halt. Now, we were just trying to get by. My dear mother came to visit. She painted the kitchen wallpaper. She helped me shampoo the carpet. We used what we had and made the house look the best we could. Tim's mother gave us a beautiful, antique bedroom suite. But, we had to live with that gold shag carpet. I hated it.

When Christmas time came around, we wanted to have a tree so badly in our new-to-us home. If you read my post about our first Christmas together the previous year, we did not get to have one that year. We talked it over and decided we could spend $5 on a tree. Off we went to the Christmas tree lot. We began looking around the lot at the beautiful trees in various sizes and shapes. It didn't take long to realize that $5 was not going to buy one of those trees. Now, Tim is not the kind of person to let a challenge defeat him. He talked to the attendant at the lot and told him we had $5. Would they have any kind of tree they could sell us for $5? The kindly man led us to the rear of the lot. There he pointed out a small misshapen tree. We could have it for $5. We were overjoyed.

We set it up on a chest in our living room. We were able to come up with a strand or two of lights. Tim's mother gave us a box of wooden ornaments (many of which we cherish to this day). We hung strands of icicles carefully, one at a time.

It turned out to be a beautiful tree. We don't have any pictures of it. I'm not sure we even owned a camera that year. But, in our memories it will always be one of the most beautiful Christmas trees we've ever had. It was our first tree in the first house we owned. Through the years, we've referred to it fondly as our Charlie Brown Christmas tree.

Oh, we've had all kinds of trees through the years. Trees that were far fancier. But our Charlie Brown Christmas tree holds a special place in our hearts. It reminds us of a time when we were young and struggling to make ends meet. When we lived in a tiny house with gold shag carpet. When our lives were ahead of us.

In my mind's eye, I can see it now, the colored light twinkling. I don't need a picture.

Memories of Christmas Past (Part 2): Hard-Candy Christmas, a Christmas Memory From My Daddy

2008-12-19T18:45:00.034-06:00

The little boy in the center of this picture is my daddy. I think the picture was probably made in 1915, because Daddy was born in 1912, and he looks about 3 years old. Doesn't he look darling in his precious little knicker outfit?

He was old enough to be my grandfather. He married at the age of 43. I was born when he was 45. He adored me. My brother came along when he was 48. He was so proud to have a son.

A quiet, reserved man, he was not a big talker, so I don't have the wealth of stories about him that I do about my mother. But, I do have a few. Around Christmas time, he would tell my brother and me what Christmas was like for him as a child.

He grew up on a cotton farm near the small town of Mayflower, Arkansas. The economy of the state was primarily agricultural, and cotton was king. My grandparents were hard workers. They owned a farm, and they worked together in the fields with their children until they had several children. Then my grandmother and their oldest daughter took care of the home while my grandfather and the other children worked the fields.

My daddy was the oldest of 9 children. My grandmother had a baby every other year for 18 years. In those days, the more children, the more farm hands. That's just the way it was.

My daddy began working in the fields when he was five years old. The school year was set up to accommodate the farming seasons. When Daddy was not in school, he was working the fields. My grandfather only gave them two days a year off: the Fourth of July and Christmas.

As an adult, my daddy loved the Fourth of July and Christmas. My brother and I had more fireworks than any other children we knew. We shot them off not only in July but sometimes for Christmas too. Two weeks before Christmas, my daddy set up the tree and arranged the lights just so. Then my mother, brother and I would hang the ornaments and icicles. And the brightly wrapped packages would start piling up.

I loved it when Daddy would reminisce about the Christmases of his childhood long ago. He said they would go out into the woods and cut a large evergreen tree, and then cut the top out of it. The top became their Christmas tree. That mystified me as a child. I could not imagine why they would cut the top out of the tree and use it. He said that way it had a nice shape.

Each child had a stocking. Everything they got for Christmas was in their stocking. He said they each got an apple, an orange, a few nuts, some hard candy, and one toy. The apple and orange puzzled me. Why in the world would they be in his Christmas stocking? He explained that those were a real treat. Fruit was not readily available except during its season. The hard candy I could understand. I loved the hard candy in the candy dishes at our house during Christmas. The bright colors. The striped ribbons of hard sweetness molded into a variety of shapes.

But, one toy? I felt so sorry for my poor daddy. The story that got to me the most was the story of the year that the toy in Daddy's stocking was a pocket knife. He said, looking back on it, he realized it was a cheap knife. But, that Christmas Day, he was so excited. That afternoon he sat on the front steps, whittling on a piece of wood. The knife blade broke. Daddy said he cried and cried, not only because the blade broke, but because he knew it would be a whole year before he got another toy.

That story broke my heart as a child. Today, when I recall it, it still makes me sad. How I long to reach back through the years to that little boy crying on Christmas Day. I want to hold him and comfort him and tell him that as soon as the stores open tomorrow, we will go and buy the finest pocket knife a boy could ever hope to have. And not only that, but there will be toys for his birthday coming up on January 3. That there will be treats and surprises throughout the year. Just because I love him. That he will have days to play and just be a little boy.

This week as I thought about writing this post, I went and took this picture from the shelf in our family room where I keep it displayed. I carefully removed it from the frame, held it in my hands, and marveled that it is almost one hundred years old. Although I have looked at it carefully many times through the years, I examined it again for details I may not have noticed before. And I thought about my daddy. About the kind of man he was. About his generous spirit.

I know that it's not possible to reach back across the years, so I wondered what Daddy's advice to me would be if he were here now. And, I got an answer.

Daddy would tell me to reach out to the child who is crying today. To the hungry heart. To the searching soul. To the lonely. To the discouraged. To try to make my little corner of the world a better place. To try to brighten someone's day. And lighten their load.

That's what I can do now. I feel so inadequate. But I know God uses a willing vessel.

I have on my desk an old print. It hung on the kitchen wall of my dear mother-in-law, Katie, whom I lovingly called Mom. It was her creed. When she died, Dad let me have it.

There is a picture of an old farmhouse. I imagine it looks similar to the farmhouse where my daddy grew up. These are the words under the picture. They are attributed to Sam Walter Foss.

"Let me live in a house by the side of the road,

Where the race of men go by,

The men who are good and the men who are bad,

As good and as bad as I.

"I would not sit in the scorner's seat

Or hurl the cynic's ban;

Let me live in a house by the side of the road

And be a friend to man."

A friend. That's what Daddy would tell me to be. I'm listening.

Memories of Christmas Past (Part 1): 1981, Our First Christmas

2008-12-16T12:13:00.009-06:00

It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. Tim and I were young and so in love. We had been married only four months. I was so happy to be married and celebrating my first Christmas with my darling husband. The sad part was that Daddy died three weeks after Tim and I married, and it was the first Christmas without my daddy, the first man in my life, who adored me and had always made Christmas such a special time.

Tim and I didn't have much in the way of material things that year. He was a senior in college, and funds were tight. But, it didn't matter. Our love was enough. We didn't have a tree that year - no money for one of those or lights or ornaments.

We had Christmas early in Kansas with Tim's parents. They already treated me like a daughter, and I loved them. In addition to brightly wrapped packages of lovely gifts, they gave each of us some Christmas money. Oh, I was so excited about having some money to spend. Maybe some new clothes. That would be nice!

On Christmas Eve, we set out on our journey to spend Christmas in Arkansas with Mother and my brother, Mark. Near Jennings, OK, our car, an old Buick that had belonged to Tim's grandfather, broke down. Long story short, we finally found a kind mechanic, who took us in and repaired our car on Christmas Eve. He even skipped a family gathering that evening to take care of us. But it took all of our Christmas money. I had to forget about new clothes.

We arrived at my mother's home late that night. It was so different from any Christmas I ever remembered in my childhood home. No tree. No colored lights. A few packages. We tried to carry on, but it just was not the same without Daddy.

Of course time helps us to heal. But, every Christmas I think of Daddy. I'll be in a store somewhere and see a display of Old Spice, his favorite men's fragrance, and my eyes fill with tears. I'll get an American Girl catalog in the mail. As I peruse the pages of all the fancy dolls, I think back on some of the dolls I opened on Christmas morning: Suzy Smart, with her own school desk. Nancy Nurse, with her canopy bed. Thumbelina, who moved her head and seemed so much like a real baby. It was Daddy who bought my dolls. Mother always said he just couldn't wait. That he would go out and buy my doll before she had a chance.

I miss my daddy this Christmas. And my mother. I am so thankful that Tim and I will be spending our 28th Christmas together. God has blessed us through the years. There will be trees and lights and packages. Fun and laughter with my brother Mark, his wife, Kim, and my niece and nephew, Natalie and Brock. The sheer loveliness of a quiet day with my darling husband and our precious son, John. And most of all the peace of God, which passes all understanding.

Here's Tim and me with his dad and his sister, Jane

Tim and Dad playing "Simon."

(The picture at the top of the post was made in our first home, a house we rented on Lorraine St. in Wichita.)

Here's . . . Rylie!

2008-12-15T15:23:00.009-06:00

Rylie is the darling granddaughter of my dear, dear friend, Kim. Two years ago last May, I got a call from Kim that Rylie's arrival was imminent, so I high-tailed it out to the hospital. I wanted to be there to celebrate with Kim, because I knew this was a red-letter day in her life, and I wanted to share it with her. I had no intention of going in the birthing room.

Rylie had already been born by the time I got there and both sets of grandparents were in the birthing room with Jackie and Jen, Rylie's parents. I figured I would just wait for Kim to come out a while later. At one point, the door was ajar, and Jen, Kim's sweet daughter-in-law, saw me and called out, "You can come in!" Wow! What a special time! I don't know that I've ever been in a happier room. One new baby, two beaming parents, and four beaming grandparents - and I got to share in all that joy. I got to hold Rylie even before her aunt and uncles arrived. I was smitten!

Now, I'm sure Rylie would have been special to me, anyway. She is a darling, captivating little girl, and she is the daughter of my dear friend. But, I think I bonded with her that day in the birthing room. She is extra-special to me. I always enjoy getting a chance to spend time with her.

A few weeks ago, Kim called and asked if I'd like to join her for lunch. As a bonus, she had Rylie! What do you think my answer was?! We met at the Marketplace. I took along Tim's fancy camera and made 48, yes that's 48, pictures of Rylie. She did not have to be encouraged to smile when I pointed the camera at her. Something tells me she's had lots of practice - LOL! She never seemed to tire of it either. In fact, she was a perfect angel during lunch and our subsequent shopping.

She was really into my lip gloss:)

This was probably about pose # 40, and she was still smiling!

At the risk of sounding like a proud grandparent, I will say that Rylie's social skills are advanced. I got to observe her in action. After we had lunch, we went to a couple of stores that had nice play areas for children. In both of them, there were older children. Riley was not one bit intimidated. She approached the other children, talked with them, and played with them. Now, as a former educator and a mother who raised a boy, I know that two-year-olds normally engage in parallel play, or play alongside, other children. I told Kim I thought Rylie was advanced, and she agreed with me - imagine that :)

Fall at the Farm (Part 6): Office Outing

2008-12-09T22:52:00.008-06:00

These are pictures from an office outing we had at the farm in November.

Fall at the Farm (Part 5): Joe, Diane, and Eric's visit

2008-12-09T22:24:00.001-06:00

On a recent fall weekend, Tim and I had the pleasure of a visit from our friends from Chickasha, OK. Joe, Diane, and Eric arrived at the farm on a Thursday night and stayed until Sunday afternoon. The guys hunted on Friday. Tim got a buck. Diane and I went hunting too - bargain hunting in Conway and we bagged some great deals.

Here's Diane at Yours Truly, a super-nice consignment shop in Conway. I had learned about it only the previous week, when Kim W. and I went there. Diane and I had a blast. We couldn't believe the quality and the prices.

Here's Tim with his buck. He thought it was an eight point, but it turned out one of the antlers was broken. I asked Tim if it got broken off because the buck got in a fight with another buck. Those bucks are really territorial. But, he said no, it looked like it got broken when it was velvet.

Friday night we ate deer chili and played Uno.

On Saturday, the guys went hunting again. Diane and I had to go back to Conway :) The cashier at the store had left out a black skirt Diane was purchasing. That sure worked out well, because we found some more bargains!

"Um, excuse me, girls. Could I go with you? Tim won't let me go into the woods. I'll be so lonely when you leave. Don't you feel sorry for me?"

Here's Diane and me modeling our bargains.

There was wildlife in abundance all weekend. Diane and I teased the guys that we saw more deer from the house than they did on their stands. Really, Joe and Eric could have shot plenty of deer. I think they were trophy hunting.

We all saw a flock of turkeys from the house. Tim killed us a turkey for Thanksgiving. If you view my post, "A Farm Thanksgiving," you will see that this old girl turned out very nicely on Thanksgiving day.

Tim got this picture of an owl sitting on a hay bale.

Joel M., one of Tim's buddies, came out and joined the guys for the Saturday evening hunt. Diane and I cooked a big ole man-pleasing meal for them: baked pork chops, baked sweet potatoes, fried potatoes with onions, green beans with mushrooms and onions, and home-made pumpkin pie. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

Martha Stewart I am not. But, I thought the plates of food were colorful.

"Um, excuse me. That meat smells mighty tasty! Mister, could you spare a bone?"

I caved in to Nick's request. He's a hard fella to resist. I promise he just about talks with those eyes! I gave him all the pork chop bones. One had quite a bit of meat on it.

It was not a good idea. He was a very sick boy. No more rich table scraps for him!

On Sunday, we all went to church. The first time Tim went to a Pentecostal church, he and Joe went together. They were 18, and they each needed a life-changing experience. Although they did not know it that night, that marked the beginning of great changes in their lives. They have remained friends all these years.

After church, Gladys L., a darling Filipino gal who goes to our church, came to greet Diane. Diane is Filipino. You never saw two ladies happier to meet each other! It turned out they even spoke the same dialect! They talked up a storm! I couldn't understand a word of it, but it was obvious they were delighting in each other's company.

Here's Gladys and Diane.

After church we ate at Star of India. Then our friends headed back to Oklahoma.

We enjoyed you so much, Joe, Diane, and Eric! Come again, soon! (Turkey season is in April!)

Fall at the Farm (Part 4): Critters aka Wildlife

2008-12-09T20:20:00.011-06:00

One of the best things about the farm is watching the wildlife.

"Who, me? Oh, I'm just waitin' for the feeder to go off."

Looks like she wasn't the only one.

Reaching for the fruit. Every year the deer get most of the persimmons before Tim and I can get our fill. They are better than candy! After the first frost, that is. Believe me, you don't want to taste them until then. They'll make you pucker up.

"Man, I'm sure glad that nice Mr. Tim planted this food plot for my dining pleasure."

"Looks like I'm not the only one."

"Run, baby, run! Someone's a comin'."

"Take cover!"

The Canada Geese look so peaceful swimming in the pond.

But, they can literally get their feathers ruffled. The males, particularly, are territorial. Sometimes they duke it out. We have watched some pretty amazing battles over the years.

Of course, no post about critters would be complete without a picture of Nick. He's pretty entertaining to watch too.

"Watcha talkin' 'bout? Critters? Hey, I'm not a critter. I'm a member of the family. Would ya open the door and let me in?"

Um, sorry, Nick. I forgot for a moment. You are a member of the family.

Come on in, buddy.

Fall at the Farm (Part 3): Livin' the Country Life

2008-12-09T19:00:00.013-06:00

Tim invested in a new tractor in the early fall. He bought his first one, Juice, in 2002. Juice had worked long and hard and had become a money pit. Too many repair bills.

A tractor is a necessity for Tim, not only for work at the farm, but for our land development business. So, he did a lot of research and finally settled on another Kubota, which we dubbed Juice II for its orange color.

On this day, in early fall, he was discing up food plots for the deer. He was a happy man!

Nick was a happy guy, too.

WAS.

"Hey, I gave you a good picture. One's enough."

"Don't you know when to put that thing away?"

"Okay. One more, and that's it. Enough of anything's enough."

"Now this is more like it! Why didn't you say so? I woulda done a little more cheesin' for ya."

Livin' the country life - it's not for sissies!

Fall at the Farm (Part 2): Sunrise, Sunset

2008-12-09T18:18:00.008-06:00

Sunrise . . .

Sunset . . .

Quickly go the years . . .

Happy Birthday, Dad!

2008-12-09T00:01:00.002-06:00

This post is dedicated to Dad, aka Grandad.

Dad, we love you! You are the best father, father-in-law, and grandfather in the whole world! Whenever we describe you to others, we say you are the quintessential gentleman - and it's true! You have been a successful businessman and community leader, but even though you've been a busy man, you have always had time for your family. You have been such a wonderful role model for your son and grandson. You have treated me like a daughter. As we were reminiscing recently, I will always remember, the first time I met you; you jumped up out of your chair and gave me a big bear-hug and a big kiss on the mouth! Even though I was surprised, I liked you immediately. Thank you for your kindness to me through the years.

Tim, John, and I hope you have a very special birthday and many, many more!

Ozark Mountain Christmas Weekend

2008-12-08T14:18:00.008-06:00

Thursday afternoon Tim and I headed out for Branson. Tim wanted to stop by the farm and check his deer cam (deer cam post coming up sometime soon), and we needed to pick up a few things, so we stopped there first.

We arrived at a beautiful time of day. This tree by the front gate still had some pretty foliage.

This wagon/stage road that crosses our property is about 150 years old. About half way down the trail, it overlooks a field where Tim has a foodplot for the deer. We drove down to see if we could sneak up on any deer. Sure enough, there was a group of them. They took off when they heard us.

There were a few deer in the front yard.

Then as we drove back up toward the gate, we saw 11 deer in the field. They were in two groups, one on either side of the driveway. They didn't seem to be disturbed by us. They frolicked around, running and playing, their white tails waving like flags.

On Friday, Tim and I saw "Grand Canyon" at the Imax. Tim says we no sooner get home from one trip than I'm planning the next one, and it's true. I told him a trip to the Grand Canyon and the southwest U.S. sounds good for about February when it gets miserably cold here. After all, my birthday is in February, and that would be a good way to celebrate. He just smiled and shook his head. I'm gonna keep workin' on him. :)
Friday night, we saw "Noah, the Musical." I had heard it was good, but we were not prepared for just how outstanding it would be. It rivaled any Broadway show we've ever seen.
The live animals outside were just a hint of what was to come. There must have been hundreds of animals, many real, many life-size animatronic. It was fabulous!

John came up to join us! We were so happy about that! He rarely takes a Saturday off. He got in late Friday night. On Saturday, we ate, took in shows, ate some more (John loves to eat - he no sooner eats one meal than he is getting ready for the next!), and went shopping.
Here's some pictures at Branson Landing. John needed cold weather gear. We got some great deals at Belk on a leather coat and a lightweight parka for him, along with gloves, earmuffs, and a hat. He was a happy (and warm) camper.
We ate dinner at Cantina Laredo at the Landing overlooking the fire and water display.

We capped off the day with Shoji's Christmas show. It was spectacular (as usual)! Here's a clip.

Thank you, John for spending time with your Mom and Dad! We enjoyed you so much! We love you!

A Visit From Dad and Jacque, Part II, Sunday and Monday

2008-12-05T00:05:00.002-06:00

On Sunday morning, we all went to church and then had lunch at the Clinton Presidential Library.

Then Jacque, Dad, Tim and I took in the Andy Warhol exhibit at the Arts Center. Although it was a cold, wet day, we stopped to admire this beautiful tree outside the Arts Center.

On Monday, the four of us had brunch at Mimi's Cafe. Then Jacque and I headed out for some girl time while Tim and Dad spent some time together. Jacque wanted to go to a store where they had nice Christmas ornaments. I took her to Tipton's. She couldn't get over the quality and the abundance of beautiful Christmas things. She said even many large cities don't have stores that carry such nice Christmas decor. I guess I took Tipton's for granted all these years.

Jacque was particularly interested in copper ornaments. She liked this display surrounding the interior of the entrance.

Then we paid a visit to Kim. She had called earlier that day and invited Jacque and me over for coffee and dessert. Here's Jacque outside Kim's and Mark's lovely home.

We enjoyed our visit with Kim and Natalie. Here's me with Dali. She was so excited to see me. She is old - 13. She ran around and encouraged me to chase her. Kim couldn't believe it. She said Dali had not acted like that for a long time. Of course, I had to give her a lot of lovin'.

Thanks, Kim, for the chocolate coffee! (Kim makes the best coffee in the whole world. It's true!)

And for the delicious bread. I always enjoy coming to your house.

Next, Jacque and I went to Cobblestone and Vine. We both love that store and usually go there when she visits. We each found some treasures.

The last stop was Williams-Sonoma, where we each found some more treasures. I got Dad and Tim each a box of peppermint bark. I must say it was a hit. We went home and had cheese dip and then ate quite a lot of peppermint bark. It is definitely addictive!

Nick was glad to have us back home. Here he is playing with another toy from Jacque and Dad.

Tim and Dad had their own adventures. Tim took Dad out to see a road that TNT, Tim's excavation company, is building. Then he took him to see Vista Valley, a new development we are doing. Then they went up to the farm.

Here they are relaxing at the end of the day.

We enjoyed you, Dad and Jacque! Come back soon!

A Visit From Dad and Jacque, Part I, Saturday evening

2008-12-05T00:01:00.003-06:00

We were so happy to have Dad and Jacque visit us. They arrived on Saturday evening. We enjoyed a meal together - Mary B.'s hot tamales, my venison chili, and all the trimmings. Tim was a huge help to me in getting the meal ready. He made the cheese dip and the brownies. We had fun working together in the kitchen.

We celebrated Dad's upcoming birthday, which will be on Dec. 9. Then we exchanged Christmas gifts. It was truly a wonderful evening.

Excuse my athletic shoes - that tile kitchen floor gets hard!

Jacque loves Nick, and she loves to spoil him. Nick loves for her to spoil him. Here she is playing with him with a toy she and Dad gave him. He got pretty frisky for a 10 year old Lab. We couldn't believe it because he's usually not active in the evenings. He was excited.
Dad opening his birthday gift, a flannel plaid Polo shirt. What was funny is that I had bought Tim and John each one just like it. They both had on their shirts; it was not planned.

Jacque with her MacKenzie-Childs pot. She collects this pattern.

Tim loves opening packages.

John helped Grandad play Santa.

Dad opening his sweater.
John still gets excited about his Christmas gifts. Grandad and Jacque got him a neat set of stamps featuring 50's cars. They had it framed in chrome to coordinate with the chrome on the cars. It's perfect for his office.

Nick didn't play long. He went back to his snoozing.

Tim thought maybe this was going to be a helmet.

But, it turned out to be a beautiful covered casserole dish.

I must have been a good girl, because I got this neat pepper mill ( I have been wanting one and I really like this red ) . . .
. . . as well as this beautiful and practical set of Emile Henry mixing bowls. Jacque knows I enjoy cooking and I like using red in my kitchen.

My Sweet Baby gave me this CoolPix camera. I love it! It's going to make blogging much easier! It's lightweight, smaller than my iphone, has 8 megapixels, makes movies, black and white pics, sepia toned pics, vivid color pics, and more. I need to sit down with the manual and really learn how to use all the features. Thank you, Tim! You are the best! I love you!

Thank you, Dad and Jacque for such thoughtful gifts! This was a fun evening!

More about our visit coming up in the next post.