He Shattered Darkness Forever!.....

It is Easter Sunday...the day after the family gathering.  We get together on Saturday because it is easier for all, and I am glad we do.  There is not rush on Saturday and on Sunday we can all go to church and relax and reflect and that is exactly what I am doing today.  

I love it when our extended family gets together.

We have had some rough patches but I think we are mending.  It makes me smile because at the end of the day what you have is your family.  Ours is special.  We get it.  We laugh and cry together but we are what we have and so a holiday get together leaves me thinking about things.

 I love the cousins...they are close.  Eight of them from 7 to 1 year.  

They are excited to see each other and that makes me happy!!

 If this post is just pictures that is okay.  I don't have shelves of photo albums anymore.  I only have my blog and the books that are the result of whatever I choose to post in a year.  Last year was a fail.  I gave up and I am sorry I did.  It does not matter what I record periodically.  It matters that there are memories on pages.  My goal this year is to do that.  

 We had a family moment when we spread out the food.  Some of it was the traditional and some of it was new...from the younger generation.

NEVER missing from a meal is the pineapple marshmallow salad.  

In discussing why we have it time after time when only half of us eat it, I was actually the ONLY one that knew the origin of the infamous salad.

It came from a restaurant owned by Jimmy's Uncle Johnny back in the day....like way back in the day!!  And why am I the only one in the family that knows this???

Because Jimmy's mom told me and I have an incredible mind for the absolutely most useless things ever.  I actually think this is important though.  Someday when I am no longer here someone might wonder why they keep fixing this salad...and now someone besides me knows!

You have to leave a little history for the next generation!!

 An egg hunt...of course!!

 And a swim in a pool that is 75 degrees but who cares??

Happy Easter and thank you Jesus for the promise of ever lasting life!

Addictions.....

It is raining out...like crazy raining!  

I have made my Sunday trip to Sprouts and dropped a bag of groceries on the pavement.  My can of corn rolled under the car and when you try to retrieve a can of corn from under your car an umbrella is useless, so I am wet...really wet, and I don't want to change clothes...it just creates more laundry.

So I am doing two of my favorite things,

 I am eating Red Hots and watching an overdue giraffe stroll around her pen.  I have been doing this for about 6 weeks...both eating and watching.

 I actually happened upon the Red Hots at Walmart and it took me down memory lane to the days early in my grade school years when I used to love Red Hots and popcorn.  I loaded up my grocery cart and so became my new addiction.  However, now I don't even bother with the popcorn.

As for April the giraffe, she has been live on video cam for about 2 months while the world waits for her to deliver her baby giraffe right there in her cage for all the world to see. Thousand are addicted...like  me.

What is taking so long?  I would have to share to much information on the mating habits of the giraffe but suffice it to say...it should be soon!

I have million things to do and what a perfect day to do them.

Instead I am parked with Red Hots and a cell phone waiting and waiting for this random giraffe to give birth.

Some days you should just stay in bed.

Clutter......

Because I really do not want to task my children with going through the massive amounts of clutter in my house when I die, tonight I am going through the hundreds of cards that are in my bottom dresser drawer...

and I am wondering.

I am wondering why I still have every greeting card that ever came to my house.

Surely it is a personality defect that I have never parted with a birthday card that Tim's high school girlfriend gave me.

Yes, I saved some of the special ones but the rest went in the trash. 

I might part with them too in another few years but for tonight one trash bag full is enough.

I am also wondering why in the many ways I am definitely a product of my mom, I did not inherit her tidy nature.  I know she is rolling her eyeballs in heaven.
Sorry mom.

Full House!......

Be careful what you wish for......just kidding of course!

I don't know how the stars aligned and allowed that all four grandkids came to visit at the same time but it was a bit of deja vu for us!

Four kids, all in the same house at the same time only about 40 years older than we used to be!

 BUSY...not even an appropriate word.

Take the mess one child can make and multiply it by four....

More toys scattered in everywhere than I think my kids even owned.

 Adeline was in cousin heaven!

Someone a bit more her size is always a lot more fun than me.

 And Matthew...well, gramps finally has someone who likes boy toys and that is a good thing.

 Can you tell by his face that Mattie did not love our bounce house?

And where was Adeline?

She was taking her turn in the crib for a nap!

Happy man!

Happy girl!

 Funny kids!

 Did I mention that after the other three went home Adeline had the house to herself for the whole weekend!

Yep!  Mom and dad went out of town for the first time since she was born and we got to hang out for three days!

Happy Gramma!

My Little Dalmatian!.....

For the 101st day of school Finley celebrated with a day of 101 Dalmatians.  

This little girl has not been a lover of dogs to date.  She is learning to like them, but it is a slow process.

 She was a lover of dog day at school however, and embraced the whole thing with great enthusiasm.
And what is with the hand?  she is scratching behind her ear of course!

 She even had to assume correct dog posture for one photo so she would look realistic.

And like all good puppies she choose her puppy name....Margaret.

That happens to be her most loved name of the day.  It changes constantly so it was only because it was this day that it was her favorite.

Finley embraces everything with great gusto....

love my little dalmatian!

National Nap Day.....

Really!!

Yes, it is aways National Napping Day the day after the switch to daylight savings time. 

So today, March 13th, is it expected that we nap.

And the saddest part of the day is I didn't!

NO NAP!

I did not know it until 7:00 PM and now it is too late.

Think of what a great place the world would be if we all had milk and cookies and then took a nap every afternoon.

I don't think Winnie the Pooh ever had a bad idea.

Love These Girls.......

Some days just call for silly!

Today was that day!!

 It was a day to assemble our fairy garden.

 A day to check on our newly planted onions.

 And did I mention a day to be silly?

It was just that kind of day!

Old McDonald.....

Okay, so I know this has nothing to do with the kind of farm that has ducks or pigs or cows but it could be a farm with crops so due to lack of imagination, I am going with the Old McDonald theme.

 Although I think it is way too early to plant (that should not be done before Good Friday), Gramps is ready to start his garden, in hopes that we do not have a late freeze!

There is no one that enjoys digging in the dirt more than Finley so he picked up his buddy and they went to work!

 There is a specific method for putting in onions, and peppers.

Just an ordinary hole won't work.

 Finley is a pretty fast learner....

and no one know the intricacies of gardening like Gramps.  

she is learning from the best!

With a little luck we will have onions and radishes for Easter...if it does not freeze!

Happy Birthday Adeline!.....

 I do not know how it got here so fast...one year old already.

 You are such a joy.

Gramps and I have been so truly gifted with four such amazing grandchildren.

We have enjoyed every minute of the time we get to spend with you.

 You are a true ray of sunshine.

You have a never ending smile on your face and I have seldom heard you cry over anything.

 You brighten our days everytime you come through the door.

 I cannot imagine how we could love you more.

 You took on this first birthday with gusto!

You woke up excited, just like you knew something was about to happen!

 It was almost as if you practiced with that candle and your cake.

 No one had to prompt you to dive into that smash cake.

You went face first into all that icing and would not let go until you had to come up for air!

 The only thing that got in your way was that beautiful birthday crown.

If mom hadn't taken it away I believe you would have finished it!

I love you sweet girl, and though it makes me sad this first year had gone by so quickly I know that there are many wonderful days ahead...and I know they will be filled with sunshine because that is who you are!

Ash Wednesday.....

 I am that person that loves Lent.  I particularly love Ash Wednesday.  It was three years ago today that I began serving as a Eucharistic Minister.  

It is and honor and a privilege and each year when we reach this day I know how humbled I am to serve in the position.

It is extraordinary and I try very hard to not forget that.

It is also the time that I try to focus on clearing the cobwebs out of every area of my life.  

I live in excess and selfishness.  That is no secret.

So I am focusing on that among MANY other things left for another post.

Faith has helped me conquer many hurdles.  I look up many days and say "thank you God, I know that was you", but I also miss way to many days that His hand is there and I don't notice.

Those are the days I am buried in that excess and selfishness. 

I am part of a church community that focuses on Lent in a big way.  

I hope that I can take advantage of the next 40 days to emerge more spiritually prepared on the day we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

It will take continual focus.  I am not always good at that.  

Today my prayers begin that I see less of me and more of Him.