Easter Festivities

 W Bh

It is almost midnight here. I'm tired but close my day with a smile on my face and peace in my heart.

 

Our family Easter gathering was on Friday evening. The first order of the evening was to open baskets from BonBon and Grandy.

I tell you these babies find joy in the smallest of things.

Seriously, this baby girl was excited over band aids.

Both girls got shades and Connor got a Batman umbrella. All are ready for Spring.

We ate our Yummies and then we hunted eggs.

My spunky little angel was so proud of the little duck that was in her basket.

As you can see, little man was serious about the egg business.

They enjoyed themselves for sure. 

Grandy enjoyed himself too. He's the happiest when he's with these babies.

Connor found the most.

Cora found the prize egg. Of course, Grandy made sure they all got a prize.

Last week I didn't feel up to par. My joints   hurt and back ached. I guess it was what the old timers called Spring Fever. Just an overall feeling of fatigue. I stayed home from Connor's game on Saturday and rested up. We kept the oldest kids that night for Mommy and Daddy to attend a concert. They got in at 12:30 and I got in the bed at 2:00 am. 

The day was not about Easter bunnies or Easter eggs or pretty dresses or shirts and ties. 

We celebrated our Risen Lord. What an awesome worship experience!  

That afternoon I rested. 

I declare to you, He is risen.  

He is risen indeed!

Promise of Spring

Tomorrow will be a busy day.

I wanted to leave you with a post from March, 2013.

After a long season of pain, God began to fill my emptiness

with hope and the promise of a new day.

I shared this on Facebook recently and 

thought it may be appropriate for Easter.

Jesus is our Promise of Spring.

Promise of Spring

March 23, 1975.

Palm Sunday.

Spring Day, Beautiful Day.

Birds chirpping.

Sun shining, 

not a cloud in the sky.

Promise of Spring.

A five year old boy,

"Will you play with me?"

Promise of Spring.

Two friends,

a swingset, 

a sandbox,

Promise of Spring.

Children hiding eyes

Mommies hiding eggs.

Promise of Spring.

A story,

A donkey,

Children

and Palm Branches.

Promise of Spring.

Mommy is hurt.

Daddy is crying

while three lost children wait.

Promise of Spring?

A ride, a siren

A little boy asks, 

"Daddy, will you remember my Easter Basket?"

 Eyes close.

Promise of Spring?

A week later...

An altar, Preacher Daddy,

and three broken children,

"This is my Body which was broken for thee,

eat thou in remembrance of me..."

"This is my Blood that was shed for thee,

drink thou in remembrance of me..."

A mother in a hospital bed,

a cracker, and grape juice,

A vision...

A little boy walks hand in hand

with Jesus.

Yes, Promise of Spring.

When I survey the wondrous cross,

On which the Prince of glory died,

My riches gain I count, but loss,

And pour contempt on all my pride.

See from His head, His hands, His feet,

Sorrow and love flow mingled down;

Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,

Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mind,

That were a present far too small; 

Love so amazing, so divine,

Demands my soul, my life, my all.

Sheila Walsh says, 

"As our Passover Lamb, Jesus connects us to God

and to each other through the pure,

spotless, and perfect sacrifice of Himself.

Despite how your might feel in your 

times of deep pain, you are NEVER alone.

Broken, shattered dreams 

for a family of six

and a little boy five.

Promise of Spring?

YES!

PROMISE OF SPRING!

"Because He lives, you may live also."

Let's Just Lift Our Hands Toward Heaven

On my day off, I'm trying to catch up, 

with YOU!

I have missed so many posts since I started my REAL job!

Yes, keeping babies is a REAL job, if I didn't know before!

Today, every joint in my body is aching. 

My mom had Rheumatoid Arthritis. 

I try not to go there in my mind.

The mind is a powerful thing.

I'm just taking the day off to rest and read. 

We were given these when we signed the contract on the house.

I have taken all of the above this week!

(The panic pills?  Jelly Beans! Yes!

However, I do have my own stash of Panic pills.)

Been doing a little squeezing this week, too!

The walls are up.  Well, not the Sheetrock.

This is the view from the foyer into the great room

and into the kitchen.  It is very open with lots of natural light.

This is the view from the kitchen into the greatroom and master bedroom.

This is the master bedroom and bath.

Did I tell you I have a walk-in closet?

David is standing in the hall that leads to his office.

There will be a small bed in there or a sleeper sofa, maybe?

  The jury is still out on that one.

Do we need 3 bedrooms or 2 bedrooms and an office?

I need a clear, uncluttered dining room table! 

Little Harper is learning everyday. 

I am privileged to be one of her teachers. 

Her mama, the singer, the performer, loving the stage, 

is teaching her some of the show tunes, some of course 

being Disney with choreography.

This week, a TV commercial came on for the Nashville Rescue Mission.

They were playing, Because He Lives in the background.

Harpers lifts hands up high and starts swaying back and forth.

I said, "There you go baby, Praise the Lord."

My daughter and husband attend a very wonderful contemporary UMC.

As contemporary as they are, it still would be somewhat obvious 

for anyone in the congregation to be seen swaying back and forth with uplifted hands.

When I told the kids that my granddaughter had learned to Praise the Lord, 

my son in law responded, 

"Oh, my Lord!"

Yeah, He's mine too:)

giggle, giggle.

I tell you, my heart is full of praise and thanksgiving 

and sometimes it displays itself in various ways.

Maybe I should wear a sign that says, 

"Beware of Uplifted Hands."

Praise is one thing you don't have to teach a child.

It is born in them!

Practicing Hunting Eggs

Oh my goodness! This baby girl is keeping me sooooo busy.

But, I am having so much fun. Each day is a new adventure.

Guess what we did today? 

Yes, we had a practice run.

And baby girl didn't miss a beat.

Yes, we hunt eggs and get Easter goodies but we also talk about Jesus.

Christy said, "I think she said Jesus last night."

Of course she did.

First Tball Game

I haven't blogged regularly for awhile.

Much thanks to those of you who visit

so consistently while I am so inconsistent.

I tell you what, 

keeping my baby girl is a full-time job that I adore; 

however, I have never worked more in my life!

I'm too exhausted when I get home to do anything.

I sometimes fall asleep while I'm reading.

Today was Connor's first Tball Game ever!

The whole family met up at the park.

The girls hadn't seen each other in over a week.

Look at that swing!

And yes, he got his first hit, his first at-bat.

There are no bleachers in Tball.

Baby girl did find a seat.

While, little Miss Sunshine was too busy to sit.

All in line to say, "Good Game."

We were there to the end, of course, 

to offer our own

"Good Job."

Who won?
Everyone wins in Tball!
It's how we play the game.

We were the loudest family 

and I'm sure the most annyoing.

However, Connor sure enjoyed

his cheering section!

I Lost It All to Find Everything

I share this post with you ever so carefully

with a humble and grateful spirit, 

not in anyway to boast.

Not in a million years, did I ever dream this would be a reality.

NEVER!

As a matter of fact, I stopped dreaming a long time ago.

Too many dashed hopes, disappointments, unfulfilled dreams

as a result of bad choices, mistakes, unwise decisions.

A lost vision. 

I heard my daddy say many times, 

"Without a vision, the people perish."

Yesterday we met with the designer. 

I thought we were only allowed a few choices

designated by the builder and home owner's association.

We were given many choices.

We selected a whitewashed brick.

from the Hanson Carolina Collection,

Port Charlotte.

The vinyl is Harbor Gray.

It's sounding more like a cottage with every selection.

A cottage, my dream.

The roof is "Weathered Wood," a dark gray with specks of 

light gray, white and some rust to match the undertones in the brick.

This is my favorite part!

The color of my door is Granite Peak

by Sherwin Williams.

I am sitting here crying and overwhelmed.

A song comes to mind. 

It's an old Southern Gospel Song from the 80's, 

I lost it all to find everything.

I died a pauper to be born a king.

When I learned how to lose, 

I found out how to win.

For I lost it all, to find everything.

I chose very simple lines for the inside.

White painted, Shaker-style kitchen cabinets

with pewter door pulls and knobs.

Granite counter tops, the color, Graphite.

This is not my living room, just the color of my walls, 

Anew Gray by Sherwin Williams. 

We are using the same color through-out.

Gloria Gaither tells the story of an empty lot

with piles of wood, boxes of nails, window panes, a

construction site with old tools, buckets of paint. 

To be honest, she says, it looked rather like a mess.

She goes on to tell her story as she does

so beautifully, (remember it's the 70's)

But one day this house will be filled with rooms,

in one room a girl with her hair all rolled up in coke cans

will listen to sad love songs, 

 while a guy in another room works

out chords on a old guitar. a mom cooks dinner

and a dad will come home 

to a family of people who really care.

(Or something like that)

Together they sing,

Something Beautiful

If ever there were dreams that were lofty and noble, 

they were my dreams at the start

and the hope for life's best

were the hopes that I harbored, down deep in my heart.

But my dreams turned to ashes, 

my castles all crumbled, my fortunes turned to loss, 

so I wrapped them all in the rags of my life 

and laid them at the cross.

Something beautiful, 

Something good,

All my confusion, He understood.

All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife, 

But He made something beautiful of my life.

-- lyrics and music by Bill and Gloria Gaither

It's not about the house.

It's the beauty he's creating from the ashes.

I am utterly amazed.

When I lost everything, He gave me all.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Yes, I have been away. 

Let the Sunshine IN!

Since my last post...

Keeping a sick baby.

Nursing a sick husband with strep throat.

Sick to my stomach, figuratively and literally.

Last week...
Just another beautiful day in the neighborhood?
I'll let you decide.

Accidentally locked a crying baby inside the house

with a barking dog.

Was introduced to the Nashville Police Department 

and Fire Department.

Was questioned by the police as to why, I would lock a baby inside.

Crying and losing all control, I was yelled at by 

the fireman to get out of the way.

He was either going to break down the door or break a window.

If he had told me to calm down one more time, I believe I 

would have smacked him in the face.

Again, questioned by the police as to why the baby 

was on the inside.

Major meltdown.

The dogs in the neighborhood were going crazy.

That was my only salvation.

The phone was inside with the baby and the dog and the keys.

The neighbor who lives next door?  Who has the key?

She's either deaf or dead.

I literally BEAT on her door, rattling the clear stuff, Plexiglas, 

I'm sure or it would have cracked.

Oh yeah, who called 911?

The neighbor with the barking dogs.  

Not the neighbor with the key, obviously.

I honestly thought the police would have some kind of jimmy thing-a-ma-jig

to open locked doors.  NOT!

He was too busy wanting to prosecute me.

The fireman broke the window.  

I went to my baby's bedroom and rocked and cried and held my precious baby.

I hid.  I ran from the police and the fireman.

Who knows what the report stated???

"Situations presents itself.

We find a 55 year old female outside screaming

while a 15 month old baby girl is screaming on the inside.

She looks to be psychotic and may need to be restrained.

Our concern is making sure the baby is safe. 

Leaving the baby with the screaming woman is to be considered 

harmful for both child and dog whom she locked in the house
for reasons yet to be determined."

I am surrounding myself with things that make me smile.

"Gray skies are gonna clear up;
put on a happy face."

Good news..

We found our home.
Made an offer.
They accepted.

As the process is only beginning,
Pray specifically
for good doors to open
and wrong doors to close,
loan to go through,
a good inspection,
good relationship between all parties.

Thanks, in advance.
Sorry I have been away.
Catching up with you tonight.

Bonnie:)