Bedtime Stories & Kisses

Our oldest grandchild, Jack, is 6 years old and in Kindergarten, and he has always loved to have stories read to him at bedtime. On my recent visit, I was thrilled to hear him read to me. He chose a favorite book - Green Eggs and Ham - and I am sharing a few photos I took while he read.

The Tiger is named Tigey, a good and faithful friend.

Jack uses many good reading hints to sound out words.

 I noticed this as a former Kindergarten teacher and proud Nana.

I love this cute little wave he so kindly gave me as I listened.

Jack and I have a little bedtime game we play that started long ago. He is a very deep sleeper, and so ever since he was a baby, I have gone into his room when he is sound asleep and planted a big kiss somewhere on his face, depending on which way he is facing. As he got older, I told him one day that I do this, (along with praying over him - such a blessing for me !) and he teasingly said he always knows when I kiss him when he is sleeping. So I challenged him to guess where I kissed him, and the game began. Every morning when I visit, he tries to guess where my kiss landed, and sometimes he comes quite close!

Soon, they will be living nearby, and our time with them will not be divided by many days and hundreds of miles. The day may come when he will not want his Nana kissing him in his sleep, but then, he IS a deep sleeper, so who knows??

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always,

As long as I'm living,

My grandchild you'll be.

(song I sing to each of our grandchildren, from the children's book, I'll Love You for Ever" by Robert Munsch - I use their names in place of grandchild)

Word-Filled Wednesday ~ Philippians 4:13

(photo: dreamstime.com)

As I have mentioned on previous posts, I recently flew to MN to help our daughter and her family pack to move back to MT. While there, God gave me incredible energy and strength to help with packing, cleaning, painting and chasing our grandsons. I prayed for this before I left, because ordinarily, I have many days when I do not possess energy and strength; in fact, most of my days I deal with physical pain. A year ago, I was diagnosed with Chiari Malformation and Syringomyelia, the former being a congenital deformity that results in the crowding of the brainstem and the cerebellum, and the latter being a large cyst that formed in my spinal cord. You can't see it, but I certainly feel it, and even after having had surgery in August of 2009, I continue to have the symptoms caused by nerve damage. (If you want to read more about this, go to this post.)

I share this because I have such huge praise for the Lord for giving me the ability to do what I needed to do in order to help them get ready for this move. As we worked, my daughter kept reminding me to not overdo, and I was able to honestly tell her that God had given me His strength to help out. There were a few times I needed to rest or went to bed early because I was worn out, but He was faithful to provide for me anew every day.

But God wasn't done - on the flight home, I sat next to a woman who shared with me that her adult daughter also has CM, and we talked the entire flight about how her daughter and I cope with this chronic condition! I do not believe in coincidences; no, He orchestrates the details of our lives to bring us closer to Him, be it through a stranger who, out of all the people on that plane, shared about something I know so much about, to answering my prayer to be a help to our daughter and her family, to bringing me home safely. How do I feel now? The symptoms are very apparent, but I am so much closer to Him. He is Metsuda, my fortress.

I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."

Please join Susan for Word-Filled Wednesday at Forever His.

Let the Wild Rumpus Begin!

I spent 12 days in Minneapolis helping Erin and her family pack and clean for their move back to MT, and one morning, Erin, Eli and I took the morning off and went to our favorite children's bookstore "Wild Rumpus". I thought I'd share a few snapshots of our time there.

From the outside, it is obvious that this is a fun place; just look at that door!

The playful color and the fact that it is two doors;

one for little readers and one for big readers (grownups),

tells us we are in for a good time!

Once inside, your senses are awakened BIG TIME!

There are hundreds of books, cards, and games.

This photo shows several colorful bookbags hanging on a clothesline.

But the real fun begins as you come across the store residents!

This is the kitty that has to be the sweetest, most patient cat in the world!

There is Mo the Dove (and apparently a friend or sibling)...

...and yes, this is a live chicken sitting as if on her throne,

(and I know what you are thinking, but, no, I have never seen any droppings)...

...and then, near the counter, there is Harry, the resident tarantula!

There were a few more critters tucked in here and there that I did not get a picture of, as well as a hole in the floor that was covered with plexiglass so that we could peek at what lives below. I didn't see anything this time, but I think they were gerbils.

We paid for our purchases and then it was time to go...

...our last visit to Wild Rumpus for a while...

(Eli wears his boots rain or shine!)

...with happy memories and a book in tow.

Mosaic Monday - Happy Birthday, Maya!

Our sweet little granddaughter Maya turned 2 today! Maya is the daughter of our daughter Sara and her husband Mark, and they live just a few miles from us. We celebrated her birthday at our house with a lunch she asked for, cheesy noodles (macaroni and cheese), peas and grilled chicken, with blueberries for dessert. After her nap, she blew out the candles on her birthday cake and opened presents. Here are a couple of mosaics of Maya's big day!

Sara baked the cake, and the snake is from Cousin Eli!

Maya tried out her new tricycle and the swingset slide even though it was a chilly, breezy day, and you can tell by her good-bye photo in the car that she had a wonderful birthday !

Come join the fun with Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Mondays!

P.S. I hope to get caught up with visiting blogs now that I am home from Minnesota. Our MN family moves back to MT in 2 weeks!!

Thankful Thursday ~ Minneapolis

I am so very thankful that the Lord made it possible for me to fly here to Minneapolis to help our daughter Erin and her family move back to Montana! I got here on Tuesday, and in between packing and cleaning I am really enjoying time with all of them. On a previous post, I wrote about the job the Lord has provided for our son-in-law John as well as housing for them; His timing is perfect in providing what they need right now, just as His timing is perfect for each of us! I am also thankful that this job is such a good fit for John's degree as well as his personality.

I am also thankful that my husband being willing for me to be gone for a few days, and that I am feeling well enough to help out. The Lord is really giving me the physical strength and the sleep I need as I am here.

This is a short message, as I am either helping Erin or keeping Eli occupied, but I wanted to celebrate Thankful Thursday with all of you!

Please join Lynn, who is hosting Thankful Thursday at Spiritually Unequal Marriage.

Happy Birthday, Sara!

Our daughter Sara turned 27 yesterday, and we had a lovely day celebrating with her and her family. I wish I had some pictures of her when she was little downloaded on the computer, but I haven't scanned any of those yet. I will share a few with you that I do have. Sara is a beautiful young woman inside and out, and it was such a wonderful day for me to remember the day she was born.

Here is a picture of Sara and Mark on their wedding day, August 14, 2005.

Sara amd Maya last year when Maya was 1. Maya is a carbon copy of Sara when Sara was a llittle girl!

Mark, Maya and Sara this Easter

We showed Maya a few photos of Sara as a baby, and when I asked her about one of the photos, "Who's that?" Maya said "Maya!" It is almost like seeing Sara as a little one all over again. Double blessings!

Trusting God and Keeping the Joy ~ Part 2

I write this post with tears in my eyes, but they are tears of great JOY! In the post just before this one, I wrote that our family has a longtime prayer we were waiting God's answer for, and He answered on Friday - He has made a way for our daughter Erin and her family to move back to Montana from Minnesota, and we are so excited and so thankful to God! He has provided a job for our son-in-law and a place for them to live, and they will hopefully be coming within a month or so.

They moved to Minnesota, (where John was from and Erin met him in college), when Jack was 2, so they have been gone for 4 years. God's timing is, as always perfect, as He provided a job and housing at a time that was best for them, and we thank Him and praise Him for His provision, for not only has He provided this for them, but He has made it possible for us to have all of our children and grandchildren living near us, and this has been our longtime prayer! Jack is 6 now and Eli just turned 2, and our little Maya, who lives here, will be 2 very soon. They are the JEMs (Jack, Eli and Maya).

On my previous post, I quoted Psalm 28:7b - My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song. One of my favorite praise songs is "How Great is Our God" by Chris Tomlin. It is one of the best ways I can think of to give thanks to God in song, because it is all about Him and how awesome He is. If you wish to hear it, click on my playlist at the bottom of the page. Here are the words:

How Great is Our God

The splendor of the King, clothed in majesty

Let all the earth rejoice

All the earth rejoice

He wraps himself in Light, and darkness tries to hide

And trembles at His voice

Trembles at His voice

How great is our God, sing with me

How great is our God, and all will see

How great, how great is our God

Age to age He stands

And time is in His hands

Beginning and the end

Beginning and the end

The Godhead Three in One

Father Spirit Son

The Lion and the Lamb

The Lion and the Lamb

How great is our God, sing with me

How great is our God, and all will see

How great, how great is our God

Name above all names

Worthy of all praise

My heart will sing

How great is our God

Name above all names

Worthy of all praise

My heart will sing

How great is our God

How great is our God, sing with me

How great is our God, and all will see

How great, how great is our God

Here is a picture of the JEMs and another of the whole gang, taken 1 year ago. I think it is time to have another one taken when they move back! How great is our God!

Trusting God and Keeping the Joy ~ Part 1

(photo: Jack and Eli in MN)

Something wonderful may happen soon that involves our family that would be an answer to a longtime prayer, and we are all waiting patiently for the Lord's answer. I have written a post about waiting on the Lord before, (Waiting)  and now we wait again, and God's Word has kept me at peace...most of the time.

As I was praying about this with Him today, I was sure that all of this is coming about because of His perfect timing. I believe the Lord's timing is always perfect, but He surprised me with this thought: Even in His perfect timing, will I still believe that and trust Him even if  He says "Wait longer" or "No"?

I immediately said "Yes."

He asked again...I paused...how would I feel? Would I be disappointed? Yes, I know I would. Would I lose just a little faith and my trust in Him? I had to search my heart, for He deserved a truthful answer. No, I would not lose faith or my trust in Him. I could honestly say that if He decides to say "No", it is for a reason we cannot see, and to know that He has something better in mind.

This is very hard to understand, when we have such a great desire for our lives and we want to trust Him with it. But I do know this, when I really think about it, this isn't about answered prayer. It is about getting closer to God so that I will trust Him and obey Him no matter what is going on in my life. I can delight in Him no matter what because He delights in me and He knows what is best for me (and for my family).

Debbie from Heart Choices recently wrote a post entitled Say Yes to Joy. I had been thinking about what she wrote for a couple of days, and so as I thought also about the longtime prayer my family has and how God will answer it, Debbie's message was so encouraging, and one thing she said was, "Saying yes to joy requires me to recognize that no matter what is going on in my life ...God is with me."

Debbie shared Zephaniah 3:17 -

The Lord your God is with you.

He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you

He will quiet you with his love.

 He will rejoice over you with singing.

So today I choose joy. If He answers "No" I will be disappointed, but I can still find joy in Him. If He answers "Yes"...

(photo: flickr)

Easter with the JEMs

We celebrated Easter with our daughter Sara, son-in-law Mark and granddaughter Maya. Our other daughter, Erin, son-in-law John, and our grandsons Jack and Eli were in Minneapolis, but we did get a few fun photos from them.

I made this apron for Maya, as she loves to help cook.

She helped me scrub potatoes for our Easter dinner!

Maya helped her Momma and Daddy make Penia bread, which is a sweet bread that originated in rural Italy and is made during the Easter holiday. (Ingredients include sugar, butter, eggs, anise seeds and lemons.) Mark's family makes it every Easter, and this was the first time we've had it. It was delicious!

Here are Jack and Eli in a Brother Hug.

Even though they live far away, they are always near to us in our hearts.

I just had to add this photo of some beautiful hyacinths I bought for Easter,

sitting on my favorite chair that has it's old paint color of almost robin's egg blue.

They smelled wonderful!

He Is Risen!

Thankful Thursday ~ Remembering His Sacrifice

I am so thankful for my Saviour and King, and I want to share this beautiful reminder of Christ's sacrifice on the cross with all of you, as we celerate His glorious resurrection this Easter. This card shares His word in prophecy and at the time of Christ's death and resurrection. (When you click on the picture, you will be taken to Cross Cards to activate the card.)

Please visit Lynn at Spiritually Unequal Marriage for more sharing on Thankful Thurday.