'Twas the Night Before Christmas

We all have treasured memories and magical times from our youth. Some of my most magical memories are from Christmas Eve. It was a special day for our family. Growing up we never missed the family gathering at my grandparent's house to celebrate together on Christmas Eve.

My aunt, uncle, and cousin met up with my family at my grandparent's house each year on Christmas Eve. I don't remember a year that we missed Christmas Eve until I was grown up and moved far away from home.

These Christmas Eve celebrations were usually joyful occasions, but as we got to our teenage years there were some grouchy teenagers there, namely my brother and I.  Especially when Grandma forced us to bring our band instruments and play. My brother and my cousin were good and I was not, but Grandma did not care. We played Christmas carols and she was happy.

One of my favorite memories of Christmas Eve was how Grandpa would label our gifts from him as from Santa. We all knew his handwriting even as kids, but the joy these gifts from Santa brought were fun. I always treasure that he went this extra step to make our Christmas magical.

Grandpa always bought chocolate covered cherries for the ladies in the family. He would buy the cheap red Queen Anne's boxes you see in the stores. They are not fancy and now that I am an adult I am not that big of a fan, but it was his thing and we loved it. My dad has carried this tradition on since my Grandpa passed away. It still brings joy to my heart to see those red boxes of chocolate covered cherries sitting under the tree.

Each year on our way out the door, Grandpa would say, "Make sure you are watching for Santa on the way home. You might see Rudolph's nose or hear the sleigh bells." My brother and eye would keep our eyes peeled the whole way home looking for Santa Claus.

So tonight, love your family. Remember the good times. Make Christmas magical. Oh, and read "'Twas the Night Before Christmas".

"Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!"  ~ Clement Clarke Moore 

I Feel Pretty!

I adore all vintage dresses from the 1950's. The full skirt with a petticoat is such a flattering shape and style to me. I have quite a few vintage dresses and I wear them for church and dinner and all kinds of things, but this black vintage style dress by OWIN is by far my new favorite. When I put this dress on "I feel pretty, oh so pretty!"* Almost all women understand that feeling pretty in it makes an outfit a real winner. 

There are several reasons why I love this particular dress. First, the length is perfect. It is a little shorter than my other vintage dresses and the skirt is a little bit more full looking than some. Second, the cut and fabric around the bust is very flattering. The fabric in the bust is a satiny type of fabric and provides just enough contrast to give the dress a little bit of a different style and flare. Third, this dress is well made and comfortable. The stitching is well done and the zipper works smoothly.

I ordered this dress in black in a size medium, which is my normal size. I am about 5’6.5 inches tall and weigh around 135 pounds. The medium fits perfectly. I do recommend wearing a supportive bra with this dress to give you a little hint of cleavage. The length, as I said previously, is perfect. It comes to just below the top of my knees. Most of my other 50's style dresses come down below my knees. The fabric has a little stretch to it which allows it to hide some of your more vulnerable areas. 


The neckline is a heart shaped neckline. The fabric in the bust may need some adjustments when you put it on to get to lay just right across your bust. Once you have worn it a couple of times it will require less fiddling when you put it on. 

I wear this dress with a petticoat, but it can also be worn without. The skirt looks okay without but the petticoat provides the fullness you need to get the traditional 1950's look. I love this dress. It can be worn for so many events. My husband also really likes this dress because it shows off my curves well. 

You can buy this dress by OWIN here. 

I received this product free. All opinions stated are 100% my own. 

*Lyrics from "I Feel Pretty" by Stephen Sondheim in "West Side Story"

O Christmas Tree

What kind of Christmas tree do you get? Growing up we always had a real tree. I love the smell, the feel, and the look of a real tree. I have fond memories of going to the Christmas tree farm and cutting our own tree. The joy of decorating the tree was glorious.

Thankfully, we have had several opportunities in Little Bear's lifetime to go cut down our own tree. When we lived farther north it was wonderful at Christmas time. The tree farms were like magic. Living here the soil is sandy and the very few tree farms are different. The type of trees is just not the same. They consider juniper's to be Christmas trees and some other strange varieties as Christmas trees.

I had my first fake tree as an adult. I was newly married to my first husband and he wanted a fake tree. Not gonna lie having a fake tree broke my heart a little.

Now, with Popeye, we have decorated fake trees more often than I would like, but sometimes it has been out of necessity. We have celebrated Christmas with extended family at Thanksgiving several times and put up the fake tree before tree farms were even opened. Then, there have been a couple of times that we have had an extremely early Christmas before deployments. A fake tree works for that and I still find joy in decorating it. Honestly, some of my most memorable Christmas decorating memories have been with fake trees.

First, there were several years my grandparents had a small fiber optic Christmas tree. This little tree was in style when they bought it. My grandparents thought it was so neat. The rest of us liked it the first couple of years and then the tree started making a high pitched noise. The noise was terrible. We mentioned it to my grandparents for a couple of years and they could never hear it. They finally agreed that it must be true since we all complained about it two Christmas seasons in a row. That was the last of the fiber optic tree.

This year and last year we had a small fake tree. We decorated well before Thanksgiving last year. Decorating that small fake tree as a family knowing we would not actually be celebrating gathered around it together on Christmas morning was a mix of sadness and joy on my part. The best part was in the several months we left the Christmas tree up Little Bear and I laughed about decorating with Popeye. We wore our Santa hats and decorated. We laughed and made memories.

This year we decorated that same little fake tree before Thanksgiving. We celebrated Christmas at Thanksgiving with Popeye's parents. I won't let the fake tree stop me from joy at Christmas, but I won't lie and say I don't miss a real tree.

Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels

I love salty and sweet snacks. Salty and Sweet is my favorite snack food category. When Popeye and I got married his sweet grandma sent me a recipe for a salty and sweet snack he loves. When I read the recipe I was thinking it sounded a little odd, but it isn't. It's really perfect.

Pretzels Before Being Microwaved

Salty and Sweet - Cinnamon and Sugar - Crunchy Salted Pretzel Nuggets.... What gets better than that? Basically nothing. One of the best things about it is that it is gastroparesis-friendly, or at least enough for my GP. The one problem with this snack is I always manage to eat too much of it!

This recipe is ridiculously easy.

Ingredients:

1 pound pretzel nuggets or whatever 1/3 cup sugar 1-2 tsp cinnamon 2/3 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

Mix oil, sugar, and cinnamon. Pour over pretzels in a microwave safe bowl.
Stir until all the pretzels are coated with the sugar mixture. Microwave for 2 minutes. Stir.
Microwave again for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir after each 30 seconds or 1 minute. They will probably need 5-6 minutes total in the microwave.

The Christmas Bell

My grandma and grandpa always loved decorating for Christmas. They would start decorating soon after Thanksgiving. I remember going to visit them in the weeks before Christmas and they would pull out all the Christmas stuff and my brother and I would help them decorate. They had a fake Christmas tree, lights for the house, wreaths, mistletoe, and an adorable Christmas village. 

As we decorated my grandma would talk about where she got each piece. Many of their decorations had some kind of sentimental value. She treasured each one of them no matter what they looked like. 

The quaint Christmas village buildings were gifts from my cousin over the years. He started giving them to her long before I can remember. By the time I was in college it had become almost a city instead of a village. 

There was a fuzzy bell shaped ornament that had been a gift from some old friends. This bell was old and faded as long as I could remember. Every year as I helped hang ornaments on Grandma and Grandpa's tree, I tried to hide this tattered looking bell
out of sight.

The unsightly bell still makes an appearance for Christmas. When my family went through Grandma's things they sent me several of her ornaments and decorations. I somehow got this ratty old bell. This year when I pulled it out one of the Santa's on it had broken off. I lovingly glued Santa back on and hung the bell on my Christmas tree. I see it and want to laugh and cry all at the same time. I find my eyes misting with tears because I miss decorating with Grandma. Then, I laugh since this ugly bell, that I tried to hide each year, is now something I faithfully put on my own tree now. 

My Top 10 Favorite Places to Visit

I have been blessed in my life to travel across much of the United States. I have been to 36 of 50 states, not including the states I have only been to airports in. Many of the states I have been to were in my childhood, but they were still amazing and memorable. In my adult life, I have also been to some glorious places.

Out of all these great states, I have ten places I have most enjoyed visiting and have some of my fondest memories at.

1) The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, NM & CO

The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is by far my favorite place. First, the historic steam train is super cool. Second, the landscape and scenery are gorgeous. The first time I was there I was in kindergarten and we saw the Indiana Jones train cars on the tracks. We visited the railroad almost every year after that until I graduated high school. I have been blessed to go back several times as an adult and love it just as much if not more now.

2) The Alamo & Missions, San Antonio, TX

The Alamo and the missions in San Antonio will always have a special place in my heart. First, they are an amazing part of Texas history. They have a sad story that is also filled with hope and joy. They are also a place of beauty and peace. I can wander these missions for hours or sit and enjoy the peace that I feel in these places.

3) Shenandoah National Park, VA

Shenandoah National Park has a special place in my heart. It is one of the first places we took Little Bear hiking. We also went camping there once and saw more bears than I had ever seen. We saw 11 bears on our trip including three bear cubs. It was amazing. Skyline Drive is an amazing drive through the mountains, whether it is spring, summer, winter, or fall.  

4) Echo Amphitheater, NM 

Echo Amphitheater is an interesting and beautiful rock formation found in New Mexico. It is a lovely spot stuck between the mountains and the High Desert. The landscape is stunning. So stunning in fact that many famous artists such as Georgia O'Keefe have used the scenery for inspiration for their work.

5) Cass Scenic Railroad, WV

The Cass Scenic Railroad is a really neat place in West Virginia. When Popeye came home from his first deployment. While the Cass will never take the place of the Cumbres and Toltec it is a truly beautiful railroad. It is in the middle of nowhere, which gives it a really nice relaxing atmosphere. The Cass Scenic Railroad and the wonderful bed and breakfast we stayed at made a perfect getaway after months apart.

6) Top of the Rock, NYC, NY 

When we visited New York City it was a really neat trip. We did a lot of cool stuff including seeing the Statue of Liberty, but I felt overwhelmed by the crowds everywhere. I was thrilled with the views from The Top of the Rock. Top of the Rock was amazing. We could see all of New York City from up there. It was a special moment in time that I will never forget. 

7) Yellowstone National Park 

Yellowstone National Park is a really stunning place. We went when I was in middle school. I don't think my family planned to go there on vacation, but we ended up there. It was one of the coolest vacations we ever went on. We saw wildlife galore, but even cooler than the wildlife are the geysers, springs, and mud pots. The bubbling ground is so interesting. The science and nature combined to make bubbling mud pots, water that has so much acid it can dissolve almost anything, and water that shoots through the crust of the earth rising high into the sky at regular intervals is a feat that only God could perfect. 

8) Colonial Williamsburg Williamsburg, VA 

Colonial Williamsburg is a beautiful historic area. It has more history than almost anywhere I have ever been. The Revolutionary War and Colonial history here give you opportunities to learn so many stories. Besides learning about all the history you can enjoy the stunning gardens. During Christmastime, the Colonial style decorations are interesting and have inspired lots of craft projects for me. 

9) Fort Washington National Park, Fort Washington, MD 

Fort Washington National Park can be found tucked away along the Potomac River just outside of Washington D.C. It is a quiet park with an amazing historic fort that served our country from 1809 until 1939. The historic fort has a beautiful view across the river. It is filled with historic batteries, cannons, and more history than most of us can imagine. When you walk down from the fort to the shores of the Potomac you can fish and find sea glass or river glass as the case may be.  

10) The Blue Ridge Parkway, NC and VA

The Blue Ridge Parkway is the first place Popeye and I went camping. It is also where we rode the first train together of our married life. We made several trips up and down parts of The Blue Ridge Parkway in the early years of our marriage. It will always be one of my favorite places. The Scenery is lovely.

A Boatload of Memories, More Laundry, and a House to Clean

Getting ready for company is always fun. You anticipate your guest's arrival for a while. In most cases, you try your absolute best to make everything look perfect. You look forward to friends or family coming to visit, but you dread the thought of extra scrubbing and dusting. It's the nature of the beast, I suppose.

I know I am not the only one that dreads the cleaning. I'm not going to lie, I am not the best housekeeper. I keep things sort of clean, but we have our own system for organization and sometimes it consists of a pile of papers here and a pile of books there. Other times
our system gets knocked over by Little Bear as he runs past. Then, we just have a mess.

When people come to visit our piles get picked up and put away. When Popeye is in charge of cleaning the piles just get moved and hidden. We move the furniture and vacuum underneath it. We scrub everything an extra time or two. I actually get out the duster and dust all the knick-knacks and picture frames.

When people arrive then the real fun begins. We hang out, we enjoy each others company. We eat good food. Life is good.

Then, our company leaves and we are left with a boatload of memories, more laundry, and a house to clean. Thank goodness the memories make it worth the cleaning and then some.

Shacke XL Duffel Bag

This duffel bag by Shacke is huge. When I read the listing to get the size and saw how big it is I thought, “Oh, neat. That’s pretty big.” In reality, I had no idea how big it would really be until it showed up and I started filling it up. It says the bag can hold 75 pounds and I do not doubt that it can.


Be warned if you fill it that full, it will be extremely heavy and awkward. My husband used this to carry stuff when he came home from an extended overseas trip. He filled it up with tons of stuff. It was heavy and horribly awkward to carry, but it held everything he needed it to and it could have held me. Although more would have made it nearly impossible to carry around. It has a shoulder strap and handles so you have the option of hand carrying it or putting it over your shoulder.


When the bag arrived at my house, my son and I tested it to make sure it was what my husband needed. He was gone and did not have enough bags to get everything home so I had to order him a bag and ship it to him in a care package. Little Bear and I fit 3 huge pillows in it and had room left over . It is really a huge bag. You could hold more than enough stuff for one trip. Little Bear also tried it out and asked if I could mail him in it since he fit. 


One of my favorite features besides its giant size is that this bag folds up into a nice neat square for storage. The zipper goes all the way around so it does not come unfolded. When it is folded up the handles tuck in and you don’t have to worry about it hanging down or getting caught on anything.

You can buy the Shacke XL duffel bag here. 

Birds

I hate birds. I have always hated birds. I don't know if it stems from watching parts of Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" as a child or if it comes from being bitten by several birds at the zoo and chased by geese at the park, and dive bombed by seagulls at the beach. Either way, I really do not like birds.

My Grandma always loved birds. She had bird feeders and bird houses. She had hummingbird feeders she kept full all the time. She had little bird decorations and Christmas ornaments. She loved her birds.

When she moved into the assisted living apartment she did not have anywhere to hang a bird house or bird feeder. Sometimes she would buy bird food when she rode the bus to Walmart. She would put the bird seed out on the little balcony porch she had. Then, one day she quit buying bird seed.

She started getting bread and rolls from her apartment and putting them out on the little porch for the birds to eat. She would always get doves that would come and eat her bread. They seemed to keep all the other birds away. She still enjoyed the doves and any other birds she saw.

All through the years, Grandma would tell me stories about her birds. Before the assisted living place, she had constant complaints about squirrels getting into the bird feeders. Then, there were the complaints about the birds being picky and only eating certain types of seeds, like sunflower seeds. In my life, I never appreciated her love for birds.

The last couple of years, I have finally started to find an appreciation for birds. I am by no means a birder or even a real lover of birds. I have begun to enjoy seeing the wide variety of birds that comes through our yard each year. I have also begun to appreciate taking pictures of birds. Some birds have a majestic and stately look, others have beautiful and vibrant coloring, then there are strange looking birds and even elegant birds. I never expected to grow to like birds, but I do. I still would like to keep them at a distance. I have no intention of getting bitten by birds ever again.

5 of My Favorite Verses

1) Psalms 9:1 

I love this verse and its beautiful reminder to give thanks to the Lord.

 2) Jeremiah 29:11 

I love the promise in this verse that God has plans for me, not to harm me.

3) Matthew 11:28

I love everything about this verse. When I feel weary and overworked I always come back to this verse and remember to turn to Him.

4) Philippians 4:6 

Be anxious for nothing.... A really hard thing to master, but this verse holds truths I need to learn and store away in my heart to remember in my times or anxiety and need. 

5) Hebrews 6:19

I memorized this verse during our most recent deployment. I repeated it often and had it on my mirror as a reminder of God's promises and the hope He brings us. 

Real Pants or Not?

I never wore leggings until after I was diagnosed with gastroparesis. Now I love leggings and yoga pants. They are my favorite pants. When eating makes me bloated, not your normal bloated but a painful balloon in my belly kind of bloated, you do what you have to do. Jeans are not an option on those days.


Not wearing jeans every day has been a huge sacrifice for me. I always wear jeans, always have. They are my favorite pants, but when I am bloated they really hurt. I had no choice, but to give in to my bloated belly and find alternatives.

I started with dresses. I love a good dress. However, dresses are not good for working in the yard and garden. They are not good for laying in the hammock. A dress is not always an option. So, you guessed it... I turned to yoga pants and leggings.

If you would have asked my grandma she would say that leggings are not real pants and no one needs to be wearing them out in public. My dad would agree with her. Talking on the phone with my grandma she was always complaining about the old ladies with too much fat wearing leggings. She said no one ever needed to wear pants that tight, old or young, but especially old.

I have learned something. I don't really care that my grandma would cringe if she were here and knew how many times I have walked out my front door and enjoyed the day wearing leggings and a tunic top. Little Bear told me the other day that he was sure my grandma could see me from heaven. This thought made me laugh and laugh. I am sure that as she looks down on me wearing leggings she is ranting about how she cannot believe I would do such a thing and Jesus is telling her it's okay. Pretty sure she would argue with even God about whether or not leggings are acceptable pants. I love my leggings. I love my grandma, but from her seat up in heaven. she will just have to understand that sometimes, leggings is just the best option I have.

I honestly have learned to like leggings. They are extremely comfortable. They are made from a soft and cozy fabric. They fit me well without feeling like a saw blade trying to cut through my abdomen as I swell up after eating. They look really cute with a long shirt and boots. Even if they looked awful, I would probably keep wearing them.

So, it's up to you to decide for yourself, are leggings real pants or not? In my book, leggings are real pants.

Awesome Microwave Steamer

This silicone steamer by Zoie + Chloe is really cool. I love steaming vegetables, but often when I want to steam things I either don’t have time to steam them on the stovetop or I have pots on all the burners are full of other things. This fold-able steamer works quickly and easily in the microwave. 

Some of the cool features of this steamer are that it folds up easily and takes up very little space to store. It also makes steaming much quicker and easier than on the stovetop. The steamer is made up of three parts that are all dishwasher safe and easy to clean.

This steamer did not come with any instructions or guides for steaming things in the microwave. I love steamed squash. I put a little bit of water in the bottom of the bowl, just enough to cover the entire surface but not enough to seep into the bottom of the steamer bowl. I started with 3 minutes on the squash. Since it was not fork tender, I added it for another minute. This was a little bit too done for the thinnest slices and perfect for the slices that were a little thicker. The power of your microwave will also make a difference in how long things take. I recommend starting with less time than you think it needs so you do not end up with overcooked vegetables.

Little Bear's Favorite Broccoli

Little Bear loves to use this steamer to make broccoli with a little lemon zest. We cut up our broccoli into florets and fill the steamer. Put a little water in the bottom of the bowl and set the full steamer basket in. Put  Sprinkle a pinch of salt over the broccoli. Then zest about half of a lemon over the top. Close the steamer and microwave starting around 3-4 minutes depending on the power of your microwave. Check the broccoli for tenderness. When it is cooked squeeze your lemon over the top. This is one of Little Bear's favorite vegetable dishes. 

The inner bowl can also be used as a colander. This set is oven, microwave, and dishwasher safe. I have hard water at my house and it does show spots when it gets run through the dishwasher. It is overall easy to clean and easy to use. The parts fit well together. Do be careful when removing the lid so you do not get steam burns. I really like this set. It makes it really easy to steam vegetables.

You can buy the Zoie + Chloe silicone steamer here. 

I received this product free. All opinions expressed here are honest, unbiased, and 100% my own. 

10 Great Gifts For Elementary Age Boys

Sometimes it can be really difficult to shop for elementary age boys. Having one of my own I know how hard it is. He has things he loves but I don't want to get him the same type of gift every single holiday. I also want to get him things that are fun, but will require using his imagination and his brain while he plays.

1) Kinex Sets

Kinex sets are an amazing gift for elementary boys. My son got his first set around the age of 5 and has loved them ever since. He now builds complicated projects and all kinds of simple machines with them. There are a wide variety of Kinex sets from simple sets to fancy sets that allow you to build roller coasters.
You can buy Kinex Sets here for $17 and up.

2) Lego Sets 

We all know kids love Legos and there are some amazing and fancy Lego sets out there. There are also some really great inexpensive Lego sets. Kids can sit and play with Legos for hours building all kinds of fancy and imaginative creations. We really love the Lego Creator sets because they have instructions to build 3 different things from one set of Legos.
You can buy Lego sets here for $4 and up.

3) Books

There are so many books that are great for elementary school kids. My son has loved The Indian in the Cupboard, Pippi Longstocking, many of Beverly Cleary's and Roald Dahl's books, The Magic Treehouse series, and so much more. Reading opens the doors to the world. It gives children insights to the world and how things work, as well as teaching them fact and fiction. The world of books opened my eyes and my imagination so much as a child. 

You can buy books on amazon.com new and used for $4 and up. 

4) Sticky Slugs

We have all had sticky hands and enjoyed them, but sticky slugs are even better. They are fun. They are sticky and they are just plain awesome.
You can buy a pack of sticky slugs here for about $7.

5) Nerf Guns

This Nerf N-Strike Elite Target Set comes with a Nerf gun and a target. I love this set because of the target. I love a good old fashioned Nerf gun fight, but frankly, as a mom, it is nice when my kiddo has something else to shoot at.
You can buy this Nerf gun set here for approximately $20.  

6) Science Kits

This Mindblowing Science Kit is pretty awesome. It comes with everything you need for several experiments. The kit has great directions. It does recommend adult supervision, but they are really fun experiments to do with younger children and older kids will enjoy them, too.

You can buy the science kit here for about $10.

7) Stomp Rocket 

Stomp Rocket is awesome. My son has a blast with it. He can play with it for a long time by himself until he gets all the rockets stuck on the roof or in a tree. The wind always blows them off so he can play and have more fun. 

You can buy stomp rocket here for about $15. 

8) Minecraft

Minecraft is a fantastic game, even though it can quickly become an obsession for kids. It requires, skill, critical thinking, imagination, and logic to make things work properly. My son LOVES Minecraft. In the last year, he has become a huge fan and would play all the time if we would let him. It can be played on numerous platforms including PC, Xbox, and Playstation.
You can buy Minecraft here for  $13 and up.

9) Art Kit

If you have a little artist in your life, an art kit and some paper is a great gift. Most art kits come with a huge variety of mediums, including paints, colored pencils, markers, and pastels. These give kids a variety fo tools to work with to create their own masterpieces.
You can buy a great art kit here for around $30. 

10) SnapTite Model Kits

SnapTite makes great models for both beginners and more advanced model builders. One of the best things is they have some really great models that kids will love. They have Star Wars models, cars, planes, trucks, ships and more.

You can buy SnapTite Models here for $10 and up.

Thanksgiving Blessings

Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your blessings, see what God has done.
~Count Your Blessings Johnson Oatman, Jr.

Some of my favorite blessings

Thanksgiving is a day that we have set aside to count our blessings. We tend to celebrate this day with friends, family, and other loved ones. Being a military wife we have had some interesting Thanksgiving celebrations. 

Last year Little Bear and I celebrated Thanksgiving by ourselves. We had finger foods and watched Christmas movies all day. It was a nice relaxing day. We spent it together thinking of Popeye and talking about how grateful we are to have him out protecting our country and our freedoms. 

Several years, Little Bear and I have gone "home" to visit family while Popeye was gone. A couple of years ago we were blessed to meet my niece for the first time and celebrate Thanksgiving at my brother's house. The blessing of Thanksgiving with family is always nice. 

We have also had years that Popeye was home. Some of these Thanksgivings, we celebrated as a family of three. Others we hosted Thanksgiving for relatives. One year we hosted some friends from Popeye's work that could not go home for Thanksgiving. 

Little Bear's First Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a time to remember all the good things in life. God has blessed my family so much. He has given us the blessing of love. Popeye and I have a wonderful marriage. Little Bear is a joy to us and our family. He is such a happy kid and always makes us laugh. We have love of our family both near and far. 

God has blessed us with faith. We have hope even in the hard times God will bless us and watch over us. God has given us a wonderful church family. They encourage us and pray for us. 

God has blessed us with health. Even with gastroparesis, things could be so much worse. I am thankful that God has given me the energy and health to enjoy life and enjoy family. 

Today and everyday be thankful. Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving with Skype

Grandparent's for Thanksgiving

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; his love endures forever.
1 Chronicles 16:34 

A Loving Kid with a Big-Heart and a Lot of Faith

A couple of weeks ago, Sunday morning church both wonderful and emotional. It started like every other Sunday morning does. I was dragging because I hate mornings and am never ready to get up. Little Bear and Popeye were up and ready long before I was. We left for church and were only a couple of minutes late for Sunday School. I blame traffic, not really it was all me and my slowness.

This Sunday was a special service at our church. It was our celebration of All Saint's Day. They read a list of names of our church members that passed away during the last year and they lit candles for them. After this, we had a time for people to speak the names of family members and friends who have passed away in the last year.

I have been extra tearful lately, I blame hormones, but the tears started rolling down my face and I could not speak. Little Bear looks at me and whispers "say her name mom." When he realized I couldn't say it for my tears he shyly says "Great Grandma." Then, he whispers to us "I don't know her real name." Popeye told him and Little Bear said it quietly just as the prayer started.

The next thing Little Bear did was crawl into my lap and hug me tight until my tears stopped flowing. Then, sweet Little Bear looked into my eyes and apologized for messing up her name. I whispered to him that he did well and thank you and hugged my big-hearted boy tight.

Later in the service, we had the Lord's Supper. Little Bear accepted Jesus several years ago but has always been in children's church when we have done the Lord's Supper. This was the first time he participated in it. I whispered as much explanation as I could about how and why we do it. When the tray of tiny, gross, dry crackers (you know you have had that thought, too) came around, I reminded him to only touch ONE cracker and then I told him they are dry, hard, and do not taste good. I also told him not to make any ugly faces or say anything about how bad they taste.

The time came to eat our bread and the look on Little Bear's face was one of dismay and disgust and trying really hard to hide it. He chewed and chewed trying to finish the tiny piece of cracker. When he finally swallowed it down, he looked at me and whispered: "You were right, Mom, they are bad."

The best part of Sunday came when Little Bear walked down the aisle to make a profession of faith and ask to be baptized. He was shy and nervous so he took Popeye and me with him. He talked to the pastor about his decision and our church welcomed him with open arms. Little Bear was shy about standing up in front of everyone and having everyone stare at him. When people came up to shake his hand after the service, my Little Bear was in his element. He loved shaking hands and talking to everyone. He even asked me if he could do that part again sometime.

So, all in all, our Sunday was beautiful. Our Little Bear is turning into a loving kid with a big-heart and a lot of faith.