Monday, December 15, 2008

It's SNOWING!!!

I LOVE the SNOW! So I thought nothing of putting my boots on with my pajamas at 11:00 at night to go outside and take a picture while it was snowing. We don't have the snow my dear friend Ronda has at her house, or a view like she has, but just having snow is enough for me. I am happy...and the minute the snow is good for making a snowman, I am going to go get the princess and we are making a snowman. All day she reminded me of every detail we put into the snowman we made last year and wanted to do it again.

I am very sure she didn't understand what I was saying when I told her it wasn't "snowman snow", but she is holding on to the promise that when it is, we have a date.
Posted by Picasa

Dear Santa...


Dear Santa,
I was so excited to get to see you today. I took a tubby last night and let Grandma fix my hair real pretty so I would look my best for you. From the minute I woke up this morning you were the first thing I thought about. I got dressed all by myself and sat very still while Grandma curled my hair and put pretty red ribbons in it to match my new dress.

I knew your reindeer would be there again this year and I was just as excited to get to see them again. I am not afraid of you this year like I was last year. Thank you for letting me sit on your lap and tell you what I wanted for Christmas. I love the toys you gave me today, especially the teddy bear. I will take good care of it.

Did you like the songs I sang for you today. I really like to sing "Santa Clause is Coming To Town" I don't know all the words but Grandma sang it with me to help teach me. I am trying to be real good and to not be on the "naughty" list.

I hope you liked my new dress, Grandma says I looked beautiful in it.
Love,
Chelsea

Posted by Picasa

Rockin Around the Christmas Tree

I don't know where she gets her personality but if I could bottle it up and sell it I would be rich. She sees the camera and goes into "pose" mode. I LOVE IT!

I have no idea where she learned these "moves" but I don't think she learned them from me. You are laughing at that aren't you?
I am realizing just how much I have taught her though. She is forever watching, learning, seeing, and repeating. She knows all my "Grandma isms". Her conversations with me are always reaffirming things I say to her, nicknames I give her, and silly words I use.
When someone used the word Goomba the other day she was quick to tell them that was her Grandma's word.
And she says to me, "I am your baby girl, right Grandma"
Grandma: "You sure are Chelsea, and what else are you?"
Chelsea: "I am your Princess"
Grandma: "I luva luva luva you little Princess!"

Posted by Picasa

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Deck the Halls

Everyday I find out more and more about myself, like how much patience I can put into practice if I really want to. Some of you are laughing at that, aren't you? This year the Christmas decorating was a little different for me. I have always had the kids here to help out, to haul boxes and boxes up from the basement, to open up the boxes and know where everything is suppose to go, to help with lights, to assemble the tree and tolerate the Christmas music that has to be playing as we decorate.
This year it was just me. I brought the tree up and spent a day putting it together and adding the 5 strands of lights. It was a little different for me, I found myself really missing my kids. They moan a little, but they add life to the day. They harass me about being such a perfectionist, they tease each other, and me behind my back. They giggle and laugh together, which is music to my ears.
It was quiet this year. I had time to think, which is very scary for me. I handled it for a day and then begged Sarah to let Chelsea come help. So, I had a day of thinking and reflecting, which was very good for me, might post more on that later, and I had a fun day with the Princess.

She was so much fun, she loved opening up the boxes and she would get so excited at each item. It was better than Christmas morning by far. Every ornament was a thing of wonder to her. Yes, she has helped me decorate every year, but this year was different. She is almost 5 you know, so the conversation is much different and she has ideas of her own now. The bonus is she lets me take her picture pretty much whenever I want to, and believe me, I want to.
I know things about myself, like every ornament has to be in the right place, they have to be spaced just so, there is an order that they go on the tree, first the red balls, then the snowman balls, then the handmade ornaments, then the candycanes. Let me tell you right now, we did things a bit different this year. I tried my darnedest to stay a step ahead of Chelsea the whole day. She loves to learn and she is watching everything I do, so the minute I hung an ornament, she knew exactly what to do and where she was going to hang them. At one point I turned around and she was on a chair, just like Grandma was doing, reaching up high to hang ornaments. Made me a bit nervous but...what the heck, I kept an eye on her and she did fine. I tried very hard to not move any of the ornaments she hung up, but may have moved a few.
At one point I turned around and this is what she was doing, blowing the tree a kiss. Now how cute is that? I just love her to pieces.

While hanging the candy canes she informed me that they could make a heart. Now, tell me how she came up with that one.

I do believe the highlight of her day is when the nativity set came out of the box. She has loved this since she was old enough to touch it. I am sure she doesn't understand what it is yet, but one day she will understand the nativity story and the true meaning of Christmas. She was so careful to unwrap each piece, just like Grandma told her too. (it is an expensive set so I want her to take care of it) She sat at the table and played with it for over an hour.

At the end of the day, we had decorated two trees, hung lights and garland, set out decorations, and both had a wonderful time.
Posted by Picasa

Sunday, December 7, 2008

She's Done It Again

The Moore family, I must say, is anything but boring. They are always up for a challenge, they are very competitive, family is important, and they love to have fun. They all view "fun" in different ways but when given a challenge, they meet it head on.
So Helen (Mark's sister) has the traditional day after Thanksgiving get together at her house, and every year it is an experience. There is always lots of food and family and her added bonus is she throws in a "game" of sorts where we are split into teams and are given any range of tasks to accomplish. The first year one of our stops was at her woodpile where we were challenged to stack as much wood as we could. Very clever way to get that woodpile stacked, if I do say so myself. Being the competitive group we are I don't think she was disappointed in the end results.
This year we started with a 5K walk (pretty sure we didn't go that far but it sounds good) It rained on us for most of the walk, but didn't slow anyone down. When the walk was over it was serious game time. We were slit into two teams, given our respective colored bandanas, red and blue, and very little instructions. Each team was also given a camcorder where we were instructed that every stop we made as a team we had to be taping from the time we got out of the car until we got back in, and someone different had to be taping each time. We were also given a sack with a deck of cards in it and sheet music to a few Christmas carols, along with a clue as to our first stop.
So, in my expedition, we crammed my team (red), all 10 of us and away we went, still unsure how we were being judged, if we were being timed or how long this would take. The other team had a suburban which I believe was a little roomier than our vehicle, but you know we weren't complaining.
First stop, Delores house where we piled into her home to be instructed on how to play Rock Band where we had to complete a song all the way through successfully. Miles on the guitar, Brett on the drums (did I mention Brett is color blind) and the rest of us on vocals set out to conquer this song. It took us two tries but we managed to get through the song, nothing I am sure you would ever want to hear again, poor Delores, but mission accomplished at stop # 1. Each stop also had a trivia question, and if successfully answered you won a different assortment of "stuff" I believe our first stop we won some rebar and wire. You can imagine how excited we were.

Stop number two led us to the store in Pilot Rock where we were given an envelope with $10 in it and instructed to purchase a complete meal for someone. Can you just see the look on the cashiers face when all 10 of us piled in the store, scattered to all four corners searching for the perfect meal we had no idea what we were doing with? We had at least 4 trips to the check stand to spend all our money we left with the winning meal. Did I mention that while we were there the other team arrived and Karen thought it would be nice to move their car around the back of the store so elderly shoppers could park closer to the door. I believe somewhere around here both camcorders batteries stopped working, but I had my camera on board. Trivia question answered successfully, given more boxes of "stuff" which I might add was taking up precious room in the car for seating, and away we went.
Stop number 3, go to Rance and Tiona's home and teach everyone in the house over the age of 5 a new card game and play it through 2 times. Spoons was the game of choice, and they were very good sports about playing the same game they had just learned from the other team who had just left. More "stuff" to load up and on to stop 4.

Here we are at Pat and Carols, Packy's parents home, where we practice our singing skills again as we sing them two Christmas carols before receiving our trivia prizes and sent on our way.

Last stop, Packy's welding shop where all our "stuff" we had won along the way came into practice. Here you see our winnings displayed. Each team was to use these items to create a piece of "yard art". We had full use of any of the equipment in the shop but were not allowed to add anything else to our display other than what we were given. We were assigned Packy as our team welder and the blue team had Kelly.

Team work is an understatement at this point. Still no idea if we are being timed or what we are being judged on but we dive in as if we have no time to spare. It is amazing how well we worked as a team, each person willing to do whatever was needed to be done, even if it meant guarding our project from the other team who stole supplies from our pile and spied on us.
So, here you see our finished projects. The red team created Burl the Snowman and the blue team created an angel. Each unique, each cute and creative as can be, and not way to judge the winning teams. We were both winners, even if I think our snowman is the best.

You really do have to see them in person to appreciate them. There are some very creative things happening in these works of art. The the best part was the fun the family had together. Helen, you rock! Wish you could of been with us to experience the caous but I guess someone had to stay with the babies and keep the food hot. The look on Helen's face when she saw these was priceless, I think I saw a tear in her eye.
It really is true, the family that plays together, stays together. Okay, I think the original saying was "prays" but you know this family knows how to do that also. Each member brings something special and unique to a family. I am so thankful to be a part of such a family.

Posted by Picasa

Pondering on Thankfulness and Treasures

Don't you just love it when you are asked to make a list of what you are thankful for..and then you struggle with even making a list. So, it isn't that I am not thankful, I think my disorder is I think the list has to be perfect and say all the right things. And why is it that is seems to be Thanksgiving time before we make these lists? My challenge to myself is to make them more often, make them real, make them from my heart.
I am Thankful that my husband is home safely from 2 weeks in Rwanda. Probably the longest two weeks I can remember for quite some time. We take for granted that we see someone everyday, can call them anytime, communicate with them, lean on them. For two weeks there was no communicating, just a few incoming emails but unable to respond back.

(FYI: Full grown man standing next to Mark, and they are the same age)
I am thankful for a marriage that has stood the test of time, through too many ups and downs. For a husband who is committed to "US", and understands unconditional love (He may of had to draw on that a few times).
As I looked at the pictures Mark brought home, and listened to his stories, I couldn't help but be very thankful for so many of the comforts we take for granted. The first things we think of when we ponder on what we are thankful for are the obvious: home, family, love, friends, etc....so when I look at the homes these people live in, I am blown away by just how spoiled I am. I don't live in a one room shack smaller than my bathroom, made of sticks with mud plastered on it, sleep on a dirt floor, wear the same clothes everyday, walk 10 miles to church, wonder what my next meal will be.
And yet, with every picture I saw, there were smiles on everyone's faces. They sing, they dance, their poverty hasn't broken them. Can I say the same thing? Not always, I will be honest. Can I challenge myself to focus more on what I am thankful for than what I think I am lacking? I can try. After all, our true happiness should come not from things on the outside, but what is on the inside, what is in my heart.
"Because where your treasure is,(that which we value most) there your heart will be also." I am challenged today to treasure the one thing that should be my highest treasure, my relationship with God. Sadly enough, I let things, circumstances, other relationships, take more priority more often than not. I get sideways, I let life take over instead of letting God steer this vessel. Oh, I know I am not alone, we are all human, we all were given our own "will" to make our own choices, and we all let our focus get blurry at times. We all grab ahold of the steering wheel and refuse to let go. I am sure God is thrilled when I let go with a few fingers, only to grab on with my toes, it is so hard to let go, to not be in charge, it scares me and leaves me vulnerable.
I have been given so many Treasures, in heaven and on earth. So much to be thankful for, so much to stop taking for granted. In moments I choose to not be thankful...I am unthankful..bottom line! OUCH! So today, I check my attitude (which may take some time) and re-focus, re-evaluate, re-direct my thoughts and actions. When all is said and done, I want to be real and all God wants me to be. If you don't know that I love the Lord and it comes as a shock to you, then I haven't let his love shine through me for all to see, I have let ME be the shining star and not Him.
What are you thankful for today?
Where are your treasures?
I am making a list and checking it twice.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

I Pledge Allegiance

Impressionable...
Teachable...
Vulnerable...
But... not replaceable.

"In rare form" is the only way to describe Chelsea on this day. She was all about singing songs from school. I got to tape her as many times as I wanted to, as long as she could be on Grandma's bed. Over and over again she repeated her "Pledge" and songs. My biggest challenge was in keeping the camera steady, both from her bouncing around and me trying not to laugh.
She fills my world. I can't get enough of her. I want to capture all these moments. I don't want to miss a thing. That's where it is hard to be the Grandma, I don't get to be a part of everything. I miss the everyday moments, so I treasure every moment I do get to be a part of. She is one of a kind that is for sure.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Can I Borrow $25?

A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year old son waiting for him at the door.
SON: 'Daddy, may I ask you a question?'
DAD: 'Yeah sure, what it is?' replied the man.
SON: 'Daddy, how much do you make an hour?'
DAD: 'That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?' the man said angrily.
SON: 'I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?'
DAD: 'If you must know, I make $50 an hour.' SON: 'Oh,' the little boy replied, with his head down.
SON: 'Daddy, may I please borrow $25?'
The father was furious, 'If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then You march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I don't work hard everyday for such childish frivolities.'
The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door.
The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?
After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down , and started to think: Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $25.00 and he really didn't ask for money very often. The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door. 'Are you asleep, son?' He asked.
'No daddy, I'm awake,' replied the boy.
'I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier' said the man. It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the $25 you asked for.'
The little boy sat straight up, smiling. 'Oh, thank you daddy!' he yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills. The man saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his father. 'Why do you want more money if you already have some?' the father grumbled.
'Because I didn't have enough, but now I do,' the little boy replied. 'Daddy, I have $50 now. Can I buyan hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you.'
The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness. It's just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts.
Do remember to share that $50 worth of your time with someone you love.
If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of hours. But the family & friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.
From my house to yours.
The light of God surrounds us.
The love of God enfolds us.
The power of God protects us.
The presence of God watches over us.
Wherever we are God is and all is well.'
From my home to yours - enjoy.
(I received this today from a dear friend. I thought it was worth sharing.)

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Strike a Pose

From one day to the next I just don't know what I am going to get with Chelsea. This past weekend I borrowed a camera to try out and went to the river to take some shots. Chelsea asked if she could go and if I would take some pictures of her.

Gee, let me think about that...............okay, I would love to (guess how long that thought process was?)
I had a hard time with the settings on the camera, but not with my royal subject. She was more than eager to run from one spot to another and strike a pose for me. The only problem with this was I wanted a natural unposed look. I will take what I can get though and I will be happy! Did I just say that? I must be tired...

Chelsea is back in the mode that she wants me to take pictures of her, so now I get pictures of her face and not just the back of her head as she is running away from me. She really enjoyed this photo shoot also because we got to go on a field trip to the river to explore. She is fearless, and yes, although I told her 100 times not to get too close to the river so she wouldn't fall in, she was able to slip and get her shoes wet.

Instantly she says, "But I am sorry Grandma!" Well hey, that makes it okay then doesn't it? Heck they are only shoes, they can be washed and dried again, or they can become river shoes and we get her new good shoes. What a change in outlook from my kids. I am however very gratefull that she didn't fall in. I wasn't too excited about going in after her, who would of taken pictures of that moment?
Posted by Picasa

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Yummy Blackberry Jam

As you know, My little Princess loves the help out in any way she can. When Chelsea heard Papa and Grandma were going to pick blackberries she jumped right up in her car seat and away we went. She grabbed her own bucket and stayed right with us the entire time. Of course, her routine was to pick one berry and then eat one. I must say, I was surprized at how well she did. Watch out fellow berry pickers, I think she is going to be a die hard picker like her Grandma.
Now, I took a vote, with myself of course, decided that it is much more fun to go pick the berries than it is to clean them when you get home and do something with them. For blackberries I pretty much just make jam, not sure they would freeze up as nice as the huckleberries.
As soon as Chelsea saw what I was doing when I was making the jam she was right there in the middle of it all. I was a little nervous believe it or not, with her in there helping me. I had berries cooking, and they get very HOT, and I had the water boiling to cook the jars in once they were filled with jam. I have one arm that can barely lift the jars into the hot water, and as you can see I now have a chair in the middle of my workspace with a helper standing on it.
Well, what is a Grandma to do? I stripped her down so we wouldn't ruin her clothes if we got berries on them, which was very good thinking if you could of seen the mess we had when we were done.

Chelsea's job was to measure the berries into the processor, wait for Grandma to put the lid on it and then push the "pulse" button three times. My job was to try and stay one step ahead of her while I was stirring the boiling jam, washing then filling jars, processing them and transporting them from the boiling water to the table across the kitchen.

I am happy to report no one was injured (okay, I did burn my hand in a few places from boiling jam splattering), no one left in tears, just very exhausted but happy to have created one more memory together.

Together we canned 62-8oz jars of jam. I have no idea what in the world we are going to do with all that jam, and I haven't even started the huckleberries yet. Maybe tomorrow.
Posted by Picasa

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Photo Shoot?

We are entering a new stage that I think I am going to like. I was able to bribe Chelsea into a photo shoot. As most of you know we have gone through quite a time where she wasn't having anything to do with me taking her picture, so you can imagine my surprise when she said we could go outside and take some pictures.
Here she is sitting on one the chairs that Papa just made, she loves this chair and thinks it is hers. I certainly am not going to tell her any different. Especially if she will sit in it while I take pictures.

Some days it is hard to believe she is only 4 years old, she looks so much older. And other times I wonder where the time has gone, wasn't it just yesterday I was watching her make her entrance into this world?

Notice we have several different poses in our photo shoot. I got kisses, smiles, and cheesey grins.

I even got her to wear a new outfit I bought for her. It is nearly impossible to get her to wear anything but her dresses so to see her in shorts is rare. Isn't it the cutest outfit? She especially loved the diamondy sparkly buttons, I think they sealed the deal.
Posted by Picasa

Precious Moments

"Papa, will you read to me?" Chelsea half asked and half assumed the answer before it was given, as she jumped up on the bed with a pile of her books.
Papa looks to Grandma for help which gets him no where since she is running for camera. So Papa sets his own book aside, scoots over making room for the Princess to climb up and says to her, "Okay, get up here and lets read a story."

Together they set out on an adventure, Chelsea listens so intently but loves to help Papa narrate the story. It doesn't matter to her that Grandma had just read her the same story a few minutes earlier. That fact just makes it easier for her to help Papa out while he is reading.

Time stands still for no one. One day we won't be able to get her to stop long enough to read to her. I pray these moments kindle in her a love of books, of reading, of exploring new places.

Thank you Lord, for moments like this.
Posted by Picasa

Jungle Gym

Which battles should I choose?
Which ones really matter?
It is very apparent I will answer these questions differently now than I would of when my children were growing up.
Some days it is just easier to enjoy the moment and write it on my heart than it is to battle it.
I don't know what I would of done with my own children if they had decided to turn my bed into their own personal jungle gym. I am sure they would all like to answer that question, but I am not asking them.

We have had this bed set for a few years now, and from the day we got it Chelsea has loved it. I don't know what made her think she could climb on it, swing from it, jump from it, bounce on it..I think you get the picture, but she loves it. She is fearless.

For some reason, it has just never bothered Mark or I when she begins her play time, which I might add is usually at bed time or when I am trying to make the bed. I have been given the opportunity to re-make my bed on more than one occasion. Oh well, in the big picture of this life we live, I don't mind.

It dawned on me that I hadn't really captured this in pictures yet. I almost need to get it on video as you wouldn't believe how fast she gets around, the sound effects that come with the playing, the body slams on the bed...it cracks me up. I can't even get mad at her, she is having so much fun.

She insisted she needed my pink cowboy had for her acrobatic routine and was happy to have Papa wear it for awhile too. He is a good sport. I am not sure how much he really got out of the book he was reading, but hey, he can read it another time.
I wasted a lot of precious moments when my children were growing up by stressing out over moments just like this. When they all have kids of their own I think they will forgive me but in the mean time, I am just going to capture as many moments as I can.
By the way, NO! she isn't spoiled...she is just loved beyond measure. I want to be as big of a blessing to her life as she is to mine. I want to teach her boundaries, while at the same time encourage her to sparkle, to dream, to make life an adventure.