The Double Nickel

Yesterday was my brother’s 55th Birthday.  Whoo-ee!  That is getting up there!   Happy Birthday Marty!  I have three brothers, Marty is the oldest of them.  I have always liked having brothers. I don’t’ know how old Marty is here, but it was the “youngest” picture I have of him. (Fifty-five years is a long time to go back, I wasn’t alive for all of that!)

  Kind of freckly and cute, huh?

Scott, Marty, Nate and Dad

One thing I remember about Marty when we were growing up, he liked to laugh.  He still does.  When I was graduating from high school, Marty was already married and had a little girl.  About the time I was getting married, he was graduating from Faith Baptist Bible College and preparing to move to Florida to teach in a Christian school there.  He then had both of his children, Cassie and Nic.

Cassi, Marty and Patti in 1978

I’m not sure when Marty first felt like the Lord wanted him to be in camp work, but he did talk of it being a “dream” of his for a long time.  He taught school, raised his family and was active serving in his church.  He worked different jobs in construction and the restaurant business.  Then one day, he stepped out in faith and followed the Lord’s leading to start a camp.  Marty has done a lot of different things in his life and it is “interesting” to see how the Lord has brought all those experiences full circle.  In 2003 Whisper Mountain Camp was established.  You should go to their website and check them out!

I have a quote hanging on our desk that Andrea actually hung there when she was still in college. It describes just this very thing.

“Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives, is the perfect preparations for the future that only God can see.”

 Marty and Patti on a Colorado visit for Father’s Day 2004

We met up with Marty and Patti in NC when Kenny graduated from college, 2009

Marty’s family: Shaun and Cassi, Sarah and Nic,
Marty and Patti and the Grandkids, Tegan, Abria, Kinsley, Selah and McKenna

Happy Birthday Marty.  You don’t look a day over 55.  Well, ok, one day maybe!  I don’t’ get to see you too much, but I do love you and am proud of you! 

 

Thankful Thursday

Well. with all the Elaine posts lately, I’m sure you’re not surprised to discover that this week I am so thankful for Andrea and Elaine’s recent visit.  With all the cuteness of Elaine going on, I did want you to know I enjoyed some daughter times as well. 

Andrea and I----

• did some shopping,----Grandma had to buy cute things for Elaine and we got some great deals at a new thrift store my friend Joann told us about
• did some cooking together----exchanged a couple of recipes.  She showed me how to make cinnamon rolls with my bread machine
• as usual and always necessary---- she gave me techno aide, on my blog, the computer and my picture file
• we made homemade baby wipes for her store----out of flannel scraps, she cut and I serged the edges
• we watched a favorite movie or two----The Inheritance and Horatio Hornblower
• we even got in a little card making----she made nine and I did about four!
• of course we did a lot of talking!  We had a good time!

Andrea is a good Mom and I am thankful she has chosen to be the Mommy and be at home raising her children.  I hear so many young Moms say they “have” to work, that financially they could not make ends meet if they did not go to work.  I have a hard time with that.  First of all, the sacrifice is just too great, giving up your time with, and influence on your children’s hearts and lives.  Second, I just don’t know how true it always is.  I think women have given into a great big deception in that area.  And here is where my mind has been wandering in thankfulness.  I know that Ben and Andrea live in a very expensive place and how hard it is to make ends meet.  I know Andrea has many talents and abilities and she could probably get a good job.  But those same talents and abilities are put into creativity in the home…budgeting, planning and shopping.  And she is home, being the one to influence Elaine.  It is not just all about teaching and disciplining (though I’m sure there are days it feels that way), she gets to see and enjoy all the milestones and personality development as it happens. That is irreplaceable!!

Elaine loves playing the piano.  She doesn’t mind of Mom plays, as long as she has her space on the keyboard.  And music.  She has to have music, no matter what she drags out to put up!

Bed time milk and a story, every night…so precious!

Andrea got interested in cloth diapers as a way to save money.  (In case you do not know, cloth diapers are not white rectangles held on with pins and covered with plastic pants…it’s a whole new ball game these days!)  Now Ben and Andrea are building a diaper business of their own…its an on-line store.  They are trusting the Lord to build the business, so that by the time Ben is ready to launch into planting a church in NY, it can support them.  He will not have to work a full time job and can give more, if not all, his time to that work.  I love the heart in that thinking, planning and trusting.  While Andrea was here we went to the Rumparooz warehouse in Golden.  Rumparooz is one of the diaper lines she carries…and uses. 

Here’s Andrea and Elaine in the showroom.  Elaine was still trying to wake up from a good nap in the car seat.

Andrea visiting with the warehouse manager, Mike.  Julie, the founder of the company, was in a meeting so Andrea did not get to meet her.

I love you dear daughter and am so thankful for you and blessed by you.  Thanks for making the trip!

Uncle Status

I searched my picture file but I just could not find one picture of Wesley holding Elaine before this picture--

Elaine was nine months old and we were together for Gramps’ funeral.  I know we were together when Elaine was a newborn, but Kenny and Wes both said, “we don’t do babies!”  Wes has warmed up to his Uncle status, but not so sure about Kenny….

Wesley went all out and bought the perfect outfit for Elaine---

This visit with Elaine, Wes was the favorite, sometimes preferred over Grandma and Grandpa even!

I probably shouldn’t tell you this because you may not come to visit me now, but Wes has a pet snake.  His name is Snoops.  He introduced Elaine and Snoops--- and was not too pleased that she tried to squeeze his head off.

Elaine did not seem to like my basement (it does have some scary places), but she didn’t mind gaming down there with Uncle Wessie!

Hanging out together!

Elaine preferred, Mother approved, Uncle!

Grandpa Time

I’ve noticed that time with Grandpa involves a lot of yummy things to eat!

We went to watch Wesley play soccer and Elaine had her first Tootsie Pop!  Probably it was too big for her, she had a little problem with the sucking then swallowing action!  But she got a hold of grandpa’s sucker and thought that was pretty funny.  She didn’t want to let go!

Sharing some cotton candy at the zoo

Not her first ice cream cone, but her first with Grandpa

  Grandpa time also includes a lot of snuggle time!

Therapy

Yesterday as Andrea was packing and I was already dreading her leaving, not to mention taking Elaine with her,  I moaned “what will I do tomorrow when you are gone?”  She told me I had lots of pictures to blog, that would help.  I don’t think I felt this gloomy when she left home for the first time….well, maybe.  Anyway, here goes a little therapy….

See, it is very quiet at my house today and I’m not liking it that much!

Highchair Highlights

This is the sequence of most of our days with Elaine.  She gets up, gets a nappie change and is somewhat happy while she waits for breakfast to be served.  Eating involves a lot of time, no such thing as “fast food”!  But she can be rather entertaining and we do laugh a lot!  After eating and a clean up there is some playtime or a bath.  She seems to think the toy box is just for dumping upside down and seeing where the toys land!  Somewhere in there she gets dressed.  Then there is another nappie change and down for a nap.  During this time I do a quick recovery on my house…no sense in putting too much time into it, that whole sequence is about to repeat itself.  Only insert lunch…then dinner.  Doesn’t sound like much but it is a very full day.  I remember it as a Mom of little ones and now as a grandma…even with Mom doing most of the work…you just get tuckered out! 

She’s working on her grin here

And here’s some foot action

I’d just like to be that limber…I have a hard time bending down low enough to trim my toe nails!

And what meal time would be complete without conversation?

There are times when I think I would like to go back to when the kids were all little and at home. Boy is that a trick of the imagination!  I think God knew what He was doing when He gave us seasons for our life. Today Elaine has been particularly whiney and even a little naughty.  I told Andrea, “No thanks, I really don’t want to go back and do it again”…I’d rather be Grandma!

Mojo Monday

Here is the sketch for this week----

 

And here is my card----

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I liked the nice simple sketch this week.  There is really not anything special about my paper, I kind of used scraps.  I did emboss the base with a Sizzix embossing folder called Victorian and the wedding bands were a Sizzlit die.  The sentiment is from a Stampin’ Up set called God’s Blessings.

A Busy Day with Elaine

I thought it would be fun to see what Webster has to say about the word busy because there is a whole lot of busy going on at my house! 

Busy-1-Employed with constant attention; engaged about something that renders interruption inconvenient.  2-Actively employed; occupied without cessation; constantly in motion.

Yep!  That pretty much describes Elaine!

She found my little stool and drug it over to a drawer in the kitchen, opened the drawer and became “busy”! 

She likes to play “peek a boo”.

Busy rockin’ with Grandpa

Busy yakin’ on the phone

Busy playing

Busy totin’ the Cheerios

Busy smilin’

The result of being busy!

And you can usually follow a trail of busy throughout the house.  It kind of reminds of one of the Family Circus cartoons where there is a trail of “where Dolly has been” on her way to do something Mommy asked.  How I wish I could also post for you all the busy sounds that go with Elaine.  (I can only understand “uh-oh” and “No” quite clearly.)

Needless to say we are loving all of it!