Thirty Days of Thanksgiving - Day 19

Day 19. The Letter S. 

Today I’m thankful for my son Scott. He came twenty-four tension-filled minutes after his twin brother, Brett. Their differences were apparent from the beginning, being fraternal for one thing, but I’m amazed at how early in each of our boys’ lives their personalities became evident. Scott has always—ALWAYS—been a competitor and understood the concept of numbers.

He figured out multiplication in kindergarten (stunning his teacher) and by the time he was seven years old, he read the sports section every morning with his Cocoa Pebbles and began memorizing the baseball stats of his favorite players. He spent hours every day shooting baskets in the driveway. Rain or shine. Summer or winter. He took breaks by throwing a baseball against a pitchback.

It didn’t surprise us when he chose to major in math in college and went on to get a Master’s in statistics. Scott thinks in percentages and can probably tell you the odds of how often a fraternal twin becomes the father of identical twins. What goes around comes around, and he now has the pleasure (and challenge) of raising twins.



He and Denice get bonus points, though, for presenting us with our first grandgirl four years ago. I’m 100% certain she’s the cutest girl on the planet, and I’m 95% sure that Scott can still give you the lifetime stats of his all-time favorite baseball player, Reuben Sierra.

I’m a lucky mom. My heart overflows with thankfulness for these fine young men. Selfishly, I’m also a wee bit thankful for the solitude of my life now. Can you relate?

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving - Day Seven

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Are grandkids the best thing since the hula hoop or what? And what a sense of humor God has! He gave us four sons, then bam! Five grandsons!

Ha. Ha. I’ve loved them everyone in turn. Perfection in miniature! Then, finally . . . FINALLY . . . a grandgirl! The first girl born on my side of the family in 52 years! Thankful, indeed.

It would be impossible to list all of the endearing, superior, divine qualities of my grandchildren – a problem I’m sure none of you other Mimis and Papas out there have. Let’s just say, I’m grateful and blessed.

Waving to Jeremy who doesn't live close enough to get into these family photos - we love you kiddo!

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving - Day One

Today I'm starting something new here at the Cafe - Thirty days of being thankful. If you’re anything like me, you’re thankful every day for God’s gifts and His blessings. Mine tend to be generic more often than not, so as I’ve seen others do, I’m devoting November – the month of Thanksgiving – to being intentionally thankful every day. For small things and those that are unspeakably grand.

To keep things straight – and because it’s the sort of thing I would do – I’ll be going through the alphabet for the first twenty-six days. Then who knows? The last four days may be a surprise even to me as I keep my heart open to abundant gratitude. Join me, okay?

Day One. The letter A. 

Andy and Amy with the boys

Appropriately on the first day, I’m thankful for my firstborn child – Andrew – always Andy to us. Imaginative, creative, and the one who would test my mettle in more ways than I can count (teen-age years anyone?). But thirty-seven years ago, when the gravity of having a little person who was totally dependent on his inept parents dawned on me, I thought all the answers could be found in a book. I found out soon enough the parenting experts hadn’t met Andy.

Enter: the delight of raising a child who asked why of everything, had an imaginary friend named Larry (whose mother let him do all the things I wouldn’t), could spell encyclopedia in the first grade, invented his own utopia and called it Andy-Land, and gave us two amazing grandsons as a reward for our feeble efforts at raising him. His tears when he held his first-born brought full-circle the joy and thankfulness that I’ve had in being Andy’s mom – both then and now.

More adventures in parenting waited in the wings. Journey with me along the road of gratitude this month.
Have you had any surprises as a parent? What are you thankful for today?

LAZY, HAZY, CRAZY DAYS OF SUMMER

They're here - those lazy, hazy days. I know we're only a month in, but already it feels like these hot, hot days will never end! It's not like when you were a kid and could run through the sprinkler to cool off. And these days, who has a window swamp cooler that you can stand in front of, lift up your shirt, and get a quick cool-off?

I do admit, thought, that the slower days are nice. Here are some of my favorite things about summer:
Snowcones - not the ones in a pointy cup that leak everywhere, but mounds of shaved ice in a cup, best eaten with a spoon. Strawberry is my favorite.

 
Watermelon - ice cold, eaten with a fork and a salt shaker nearby.

Movies - something about a dark, air-conditioned theater with the latest comedy or Pixar release just shouts summer to me.

Fireflies - Smart little bugs who only come out at dusk when the thermometer has dipped below triple digits. Nice to sit on the patio and watch the sparkle in the shrubs and flowers.

Lemonade Pie - One 3 oz. cream cheese. One small can frozen lemonade. Large container cool whip. Graham cracker crust. Blend softened cream cheese and lemonade, adding a bit of the lemonade at a time to make a smoother blend. Add cool whip and pile into graham cracker crust. Freeze. Simple and it makes my mouth happy to bite into the cold, tartness.

Books - There's never enough time to read all that I want, but I've started The Book Thief - not the typical summer read, but I'm sprinkling in a few fun reads as I go. I'll be telling you about one of those delights next time. 

Most favorite thing about summer - Grandkids. We try to have each of the five grandkids who live nearby for a stay, and it usually is in the summer. The two from Texas are coming this afternoon. I'm thinking watermelon, movies, and watching fireflies. Who knows? We might even run through the sprinkler.

Stay cool! And as my favorite coffee guy down at the Quik Trip says, "See ya next time!"

So what are you doing this summer? Vacation? Pool parties? Please share.

Life Is a Merry-Go-Round

My apologies, dear readers, here at the Cafe. I've been absent more than present lately. Truthfully, I've been caught in the thrill - and sometimes daunting merry-go-round - of marketing of Chasing Lilacs. After five book signings, including my first ever trip to the International Christian Retail Show in St. Louis, I was feeling a bit wiped out. I LOVE meeting readers and schmoozing with all my writing friends, but I was feeling like I needed a good dose of my "normal" life. So that's what I've been doing. We've had two of our grandsons for their annual stay with Mimi and Papa Max, celebrated our grand-twins' birthday, and am feeling recharged and ready to go. Oh, I also finished the copy edits for Broken Wings, my novel which comes out next summer, and am working on the proposal for what I hope will be my third novel (it's not sold yet - I have to present the idea with a few chapters - prayers would be appreciated).

I've received some of the nicest notes from many of you and more great reviews. You don't realize how much those mean to me - sometimes it's more than my heart can hold. I'm also getting back on the carousel this week and will be making my first "in-person" visit with a book club and traveling to the Northeast corner of the state to the Chapters Book Store in Miami, OK. I can hardly wait! And I love how one of my recent readers, the Redneck Diva, is spreading the word about that event. You can also read her review of Chasing Lilacs here. Her giveaway opportunity has passed, but just wanted to share her sweet take on my book.

So wherever you are, I hope you're having a "happening" summer, that you're able to spend some time with those you love, meet new friends, and recharge your batteries. Hmmm. Having written that, I realize that summer is OVER for many of you - school buses are starting to roll. Alarm clocks are buzzing. Gee, it doesn't seem possible.

Hope to see you all here more often. And if you're in the area, here's the info about my booksigning this week.

Chapters Book Store
Main Street, Miami, OK
Thursday, August 12 ~ 3:30 - 5:30 pm

Miami's a small town. If you find Main Street, then you can find Chapters! Looking forward to a grand time!

Until next time . . .

Chasing Lilacs featured this week

Hello Friends,

Just wanted to let you know that Chasing Lilacs is being offered in a giveaway at my friend, Margaret Daley's, blog this week. Read about it and enter here.

Also, the folks at Novel Journey are hosting me today and asked some great questions. Find out which childhood book first made an impression on me, get the scoop on my journey to publication, and more. For those of you who don't know, Novel Journey has twice been named One of Writer's Digest 101 most valuable websites for writers. It's a great place to learn about some of today's best writers and their advice to other writers. Please stop in and say hi.

In the meantime, I'm perfecting my game on the Wii with Grandson # 1 who is visiting this week. Fun times.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

To moms everywhere: No matter where your kiddos are - I wish you a lovely Mother's Day. Being a mom is one of the greatest privileges I've had. Love to my boys, their precious wives, and all my grandkids. You know who you are.

PS: Once every few years, Mother's Day falls on the birthday of my grandmother on my mom's side. This is one of those years. Although she's been gone many years, it's sort of nice to remember her sweet smile, those crystal blue eyes, and the love I had for both of my grandmothers. If you still have a grandma, give her an extra hug for me today.

SPRING BREAK Special of the Week: Dirt Cake

It's spring break week for the kiddos, and we had the privilege of having our six-year-old twin grandsons spend a few days with us. It amazing how much they've grown and seeing their little minds at work. Reading, drawing, swinging at golf balls in the back yard (the plastic practice ones), trying new foods. But when I announced we'd be making dirt cake, complete with worms, they said, "No way. People don't eat dirt. And we hate worms."

So while they took their evening baths, I got everything together and invited them to help me make the cake. They wrinkled their noses at the dirt (crushed oreos). "We're not eating that."

"How about a taste and see if you like it."

"Mmm. This is good. But no worms."

"We'll see. I think you'll like them."

So when we'd finished mixing and letting them make individual servings, I opened the bag of gummi worms and passed them out.

Of course, they loved it. And I think you will too. This is a fun dessert to take to a spring dinner, and I've seen it presented in a flower pot (please buy a new one) with plastic flowers "planted" in the top. We skipped the flowers and got right to the eating of our creation.

DIRT CAKE

1 16 oz box Oreos, crushed
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 8 oz pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
2 small pkg. vanilla instant pudding
2 1/2 cups milk
1 12 oz. container Cool Whip
Gummi worms

Cream butter, cream cheese, and vanilla in large bowl. In separate bowl, blend pudding and milk (I use the blender for this). Add to creamed mixture and mix well. Fold in Cool Whip. Add 1/2 of cookie crumbs to creamed mixture. Put in foil lined flowerpot. Put rest of cookie crumbs on top to look like soil. Add plastic flowers and gummi worms and you’re ready to eat!


We can all use a spring break once in a while. Time to change our routines, look at the world through a child's eyes, try new things, and have a few laughs. The boys have gone home now, but I feel ready to tackle the writing project that I've been dodging for weeks. I'm ready to get my hands dirty and take a few swings at the characters who've wandered into my head.

How about you? Have you tried anything new lately? Ready for spring break?

The Christmas Spirit

I’m the first to admit, the Christmas spirit is a little slow in making its appearance around here. I’m consumed with me-isms—my book promotion, my next project, my responsibilities to the writing groups I belong to, my blog posts, my email. It’s no wonder I feel like such a Scrooge. When we see only ourselves and the urgencies around us, it’s harder to gain our focus. And sadly, I’m guilty.

This past weekend, I went to Texas to see my grandson perform in his second Christmas band concert. Last year he was a beginning tuba player. This year, he’s advanced to the symphonic band. Oh, what a difference from last year until this one! The tempo was faster, they were together on the melody, and the blending of the sections was so much mellower. Delightful.

Proud Mimi with her grandsons, the tuba player on the left.

They played four numbers, the first of which was The Christmas Eve March where a portion of the song featured the percussion and tuba players. Lots of bum-bum-bum. They played with skill and authority. Next was African Noel with an exotic beat that reminded me of our brothers and sisters in another part of the world. A toe-tapping Holly, Jolly Christmas followed with the finale of Feliz Navidad, its Latin beat resounding with the very talented percussion section again. And in each of the songs, the tuba notes grounded the instruments, giving the overall performance depth and a framework.

It made me more aware than ever that we are all part of humankind. Different cultures. Different generations. One reason to celebrate. How can we not get in the Christmas spirit when we stop for a moment to ponder and remember that Jesus is the Spirit of Christmas? Jesus who came in fulfillment of the prophecy, to save us all, even a wretch like me.

I had a wonderful time with my grandsons and their parents as well as about twelve hours of playing my favorite Christmas CDs on the trip to and fro. I arrived home weary, but filled anew with the wonder of Christmas, the love of family, and the gift of music in our world.

May all heaven and nature sing!

Carve Diem

In anticipation of three of our grandchildren visiting, I threw out a question on FaceBook about carving pumpkins. Is it too early? Any hints for a fun experience?

Here were some of the responses:

1. Put Vaseline on the raw edges where you make the cuts to help pumpkin last longer.
2. In the north we used to carve them a week or two before but now in Florida the day before. (Hmmm. We’re somewhere in the middle, but have had unusually cool weather.)
3. Buy the" kids pumpkin carving sets".
4. The rule is... keep it till it stinks then get another one...
5. We use Sharpies to decorate the pumpkins. Multiple colors, no rotting, then when we're done, I slice the pumpkins in half, bake them, puree the pulp, freeze it - and a year's worth of pumpkin bread and pie!
6. Paint the pumpkin with chalkboard paint & leave messages on them! Cute!
7. No Rules! Carve diem!!!
8. Do not trust the children with knives !*%@*!
9. Whatever you do . . . have fun!

Great advice, but my favorite was Carve Diem! Whatever strikes you, go for it. So go for it we did.

On Friday afternoon, with the help of Aunt Allison, we painted three small pumpkins. I provided the craft paint and the pumpkins. The six-year-old twin grandsons provided the inspiration and art. The two-year-old sister provided the mayhem – grabbing paintbrushes and peering over the top of the patio table to poke her fingers in the paint.

While they loved their painted pumpkins, the twins couldn’t wait for Papa Max to get home to help with the real deal – carving the two remaining pumpkins. I think it was the danger element – sharp objects and the “ick” factor. They were adamant, though, that the carved faces be traditional and “scary.” Baby sister delighted in sticking her fingers in the goo and telling us all repeatedly, “yucky!” And it’s entirely possible she consumed a few raw pumpkin seeds.

Thanks to Christi for suggesting the pumpkin carving tools. Wal-Mart to the rescue, and the little saws were perfect for small hands. I’m happy to report there was no blood shed, and we had two very happy boys when we were finished. The crowning moment – Papa Max shone the flashlight in the cavities for the spooky effect.

Here they are: the pumpkin artists and their creations!

One WICKED Show

We’ve had our theater tickets for months! I’m a huge fan of Broadway musicals, and after hearing my daughter-in-law rave about WICKED, we coughed up the $$ for five tickets. Hubby and me, our son and daughter-in-law (Happy early birthday Allison), and our twelve-year-old grandson. The three-hour show was even better than all the hype, so without giving anything away—here’s what I learned from WICKED:

1. The Emerald City is really, REALLY green. Dazzling, neon, hurt-your-eyes green!
2. Having a best friend of another color is a “good” thing.
3. Things are not always as they seem. Nor are people.
4. Being swept up in an over-the-top fantasy erases the cares of the world, if only for a few hours.
5. The world would be a lot more fun with more flying monkeys.
6. Seeing the delight in my grandson’s eyes was totally worth the price of the tickets.
   

Hope you’ve all taken the time to do something fun this summer. I’m glad we did.

MAKING MEMORIES

Christmas has come and gone. We had good weather, safe travels, and only one person became ill and had to delay spending Christmas with the family, so overall it was all good. As usual, pictures tell the story much better than I could, so enjoy some of my favorite holiday shots.

My dad (where we celebrated Christmas Eve), my nephew Jonathan, and grandson Nash

Allison read the Christmas story in Luke

The kiddos - Andy, Amy, James, & Allison

Part of our exotic menu - Wild Alaskan Adventure

Grandson Drake (who made the food labels) with my sisters

The oldest & youngest of our family. Two lovely ladies!

Our princess, who it turns out likes soccer balls and cell phones better than dolls.

Allison with the twins and our niece, Avery

We've been blessed with wonderful parents, siblings, a houseful of kids and grandkids, and time to spend making memories with them.

Beginning this week, I'll be returning to my regularly scheduled posts about books and writing. First up will be my list of favorite books in 2008 - see you then.

In the meantime, what was your best Christmas memory this year? Don't be shy!

FOR UNTO US IS BORN . . .

MERRY CHRISTMAS

The mad rush is quickly winding down. The shopping is done, the gifts wrapped, the baked goods packed up. All we have to do is load the car and head out west where our family is waiting for the annual Christmas Eve gathering. Christmas Eve is the only tradition that has remained somewhat the same for as long as I can remember. As a child, we went to Granny's (on my dad's side). She had yummy frosted cookies with shiny icing and detailed features on the Santas and snowmen. If we weren't sick from all the cookies, there was also rich, creamy rice pudding served with warm custard sauce. And when I was a teenager, Granny had an aluminum tree with a motorized light that turned to change the tree's color from blue to green to red.

Along the way, the location changed to Mother and Daddy's house, but we still had a meal, our family gift exchange, and reading of the joyous birth of our Savior from the second chapter of Luke. One of the children has the honor of reading the beloved story, and it's become a right of passage of sorts to be old enough to read without stumbling over the words. The last two years, our grandson, Drake, has done the honors. I'm not sure who will read this year, but perhaps Allison, our new daughter-in-law who's attending our Christmas Eve for the first time.

A few years ago, my dad put a new twist in the celebration. He serves an exotic meat of some kind, so over the years, we've dined on peacock, emu, alligator, moose, Yak. There are a few others which I've forgotten (perhaps on purpose). This year is the Wild Alaskan Adventure with caribou, reindeer, smoked salmon, musk ox - we found an online place to order a sampler from our northernmost state. It should be interesting. Oh . . . we always have a ham, too, for a backup entree.

The excitement is building. In less than twenty-four hours, we will have dined, loved, celebrated, and ripped open a mountain of gifts. We are so blessed to have this family - four generations coming together - all because two thousand years ago, a baby came and changed our world forever. Blessed be the name. Jesus. Jesus.

May your Christmas be joy-filled as you remember and celebrate the birth of the Christ Child.

Feliz Navidad!

JINGLE BELLS . . . Tuba Style

Drake (my first born grandson) is one of two tuba players in his school's Sixth Grade Beginner Band, and the FIRST tuba player in our family. He goes to a small school (although not that small compared to their neighboring rural towns) so the Christmas concert is a combined effort of beginners, junior high, high school, and the jazz band. Before we left, Drake gave us a preview of the three songs he would be performing: Jingle Bells, Up On The Housetop, and Jolly Old St. Nicholas.

He takes a deep breath, positions his hand on the keys . . . or are they called valves? Then the boomp, boomp, boomps come out of the concert tuba. Rich. Punctuated. So much fun. Now I knew what to listen for when the band appeared on stage. It's really quite amazing that less than four months ago, most of these kids had never held an instrument, let alone played a song. Now, they sat erect in front of their music stands, their feet tapping out the beats as they counted quarter notes, half notes, rests, and played their hearts out. Beautiful.

One of the fun things about the concert was hearing the progression of difficulty levels as the higher grades performed their numbers. My favorite, after the beginners of course, was the jazz band. Drake liked it, too, and has his sights set on playing with the jazz group one day. I like that.

We rounded out the afternoon with authentic Mexican food at a new restaurant and playing some cut-throat games of Sorry! and Trouble that my younger grandson, Nash, delights in. I had to leave in the early evening and journey on to visit with my dad for a day. 'Twas a nice break from my writing routine and spending time with family is always time well spent.

So, O'er the fields we go, laughing all the way!

Hope you're all getting ready for some lovely times with your families over the holidays. I can hardly wait.

Fa-la-la-la-la!

Tis the season! I wish I were one of those early shoppers who had all my gifts purchased, wrapped, and under the tree by the day after Thanksgiving, but I'm not. As a matter of fact, I don't even have a list made yet, so if you're out there and still want to get your request in to me, it's not too late.

I like to think that I'm a more in-the-moment kinda person. We had a great Thanksgiving with three of our four sons, two daughters-in-law, five of the grandkids, and Max's mom and sister, Connie. Lovely day. Instead of the kitchen marathon, we ordered a dinner from the local grocery, heated it up, added a few favorite side dishes, and enjoyed time with one another. What a blessing.

So, before the Thanksgiving weekend slips away, here are a few pics from our day.

Allison & the twins

The Fab Five

Mimi, Drake, & Jorgen

Check out the matching animal print outfits!

The newlyweds

Connie & Max with Mom

Nash & Jorgen

I got the Christmas tree decorated and the Nativity scenes in place today, so tomorrow it's back to work. I'm very excited about a new writing project. Also, would love to hear what project you're working on. Just don't tell me that you have your Christmas shopping done. La-la-la-la! I don't want to hear it.

FALL BREAK

We all need a break once in a while. So today I’m taking a short breather from my novel revisions to bring you some pictures of what we did last weekend.

It was fall break for the school kiddos, so Max and I were recruited . . . er, volunteered to watch Scott and Denice’s three kids. Lovely weekend for all of us. Scott and Denice got a break from their busy lives of working, chasing kids, and handing out hugs to get away for their tenth anniversary (You know you're old when your children are celebrating double digit anniversaries!). The twins got a break from Kindergarten. And we got a break from our stilted routine.

Some of the things we did: Took the gang to Pumpkin Town (pics below), painted the pumpkins we purchased, took trips to the park (Max did this on Saturday and then had to follow up on Sunday with an encore trip), read books, brought Chinese in one night and pizza another.







All of the kids enjoyed the new book I got recently from Andy McGuire—Rainy Day Games. Such a fun book from a great author and editor at Moody Publishers (although Harvest House did the book).

For a few days, our lives were suspended, but investing time with our grandchildren was just the right break for all of us. Hope that you and yours take time to paint a pumpkin or swing from the monkey bars this month. You’ll be glad you did.

Happy Birthday to a Special Girl

This time last year, I announced the birth of our first granddaughter. Today, she's a year old, and the magic has not dimmed. She is still adorable, soft, smells of baby powder, and babbles girl-talk. Happy Birthday from Mimi and Papa Max.

THE GATHERING

For more than a year, James and Allison have been planning their wedding. Finally, last week, we packed our bags, boarded airplanes, stuffed SUVs with belongings and children, wedding attire, and wads of extra cash and began the journey west. James arrived first. On a Tuesday. On the day that SoCal had their biggest earthquake since 1996. James and Allison were filling out their marriage license papers when the quake hit. It’s nice to have something significant like that to seal a memory, isn’t it?

In the end, of course, there was no major damage, although Allison’s family lost a few knickknacks, and their belongings shifted from their usual places, We arrived the next evening and enjoyed a couple of days of last minute details, welcoming family and friends, and loving the balmy 80-degree days.

Here are a few pics to get you started.

The palms along Katella Ave.

An evening at Bubba Gump's with the Cowan's and Matt B.
Friends from Texas enjoying California hospitality at the Garner's
Our twin grandsons in the surf at Newport Beach

A fairy tale wedding is not complete without terrific shoes--Here's a taste of what's to come. I'll post more wedding and California photos in the week to come.

Right now, they're about ready to boot us from our hotel room, and we have a flight home this afternoon. Can't wait to share more about our trip and some of the fodder I've acquired for future writing.

Blessings!

Another Graduation

We’ve had a lot of family events this year—bridal showers, college graduations, class reunions, birthdays—it seems we’ve been on the road non-stop. We still have the BIG event coming in August—our youngest son’s wedding in California. And maybe a nephew getting married in the fall.

This past Monday, though, I loaded up the PT Cruiser for a family first—our grandson’s graduation from kindergarten. What an event it was! Recitation of Bible verses and songs, demonstrations of reading skills, and the acting out of favorite Bible stories. Our Nash was the little boy who gave his lunch to Jesus. He took his place in front of the microphone and told how Jesus had fed five thousand with the lunch. Then, Nash rolled his blue eyes and looked into the audience before saying his last line—“It was a miracle.” I thought my heart would melt.

All the children disappeared from the stage and marched back in wearing their pint-sized caps and gowns, grinning wildly as they received their diplomas. We like to call it getting their Master’s of Kinder Arts.
Cake and punch. A simply wonderful morning that made the six hour trip each way worth every minute. After lunch, I attended an in-school track meet and saw Drake, Nash’s big brother, come in third in the fifty-meter dash.

Sometimes when I think time is flying past at the speed of light, I stop and remember how quickly these kids are sprouting before my eyes. I want to savor each proud moment, each snapshot in time, and carry it inside me. That’s what a Mimi does, and I consider it my great privilege to do so.

On Being A Mimi

Being a "Mimi" is one of the best parts of my life. Unfortunately, we don't live in the same town as our grandchildren and sometimes have to wait two or three months between visits. Our ten-year-old grandson sent me this in an email a couple of days ago.

All at once, my heart grew homesick to get a hug from that sweet boy. He and his brother live in another state, and we won't see them until the first part of April. So, for fun, I'm posting a few pics--some of my favorite crazy shots. They make me laugh, and just remembering the special times we've had, I long for the next time I see them.

These are the important things in life, folks. And to my guys, Mimi will see you soon.

PS: We have a wee granddaughter also, and before we know it, she'll be luring us with her charms, too. I can't wait!