Tuesday, March 31, 2015

The Blueberry Muffin Gang



There isn't much to say about this layout other than what I've already written on the page.

I do wish the photo included the other two of our gang which generally eats out once a week at Cracker Barrel. I guess we are very similar in the way we see things, or is it in the way we taste them?  And we all really like the blueberry muffins. As much as  I like both cornbread and biscuits, the muffin wins out every time.

I"m hoping someone is tipping the servers well, because sometimes we get pretty silly with them. If any Cracker Barrel employees are reading, let me apologize right now. But we take our teasing seriously. We've teased each other so much that we just have to find others and draw them into the web. And of course, we hope you are climbing in the ranks and will some be a 4 star server, if you are not already. That is to your advantage and ours as well.

God bless all who serve the public. It can be a very tough job. Yes, I've talked about how ornery we are when we eat  out, but  we really do love our fellow man and woman and  want you to know that.

Monday, March 30, 2015

Rock Climbers


These boys are very active. Is there anything that is good they have not seen? They do get around.
Caleb and Oliver are so blessed to have a mom home with them and a dad who can join their activities after work and on weekends. There certainly isn't much that they miss. Here they are climbing on the rocks at Gateway Natural Area.

God has created a wonderful world. Just look around you.

Romans 1:20 (NIV)

20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

Sunday, March 29, 2015

Kids Fly High?







Trampolines are gaining in  popularity  now. This one in Ft Collins is called Fly High.  There are several chains with various names. For example, in Nashville, it is Sky High.  The kids have lots of activities there that they really enjoy. And we can feel good about it because it is a much safer than the old trampolines of the past, which died out when they couldn't afford the insurance anymore. They were really not very safe.

Most of pictures that were taken here were blurry because of the ACTION.  But they had a lot of fun...so much so that they have returned since this day.


Saturday, March 28, 2015

Poudre Canyon



So many of my girlfriends either have their grandchildren nearby or can be off to see them often. It is hard being so far away from this boy. I cherish the minutes I get with him. But as much as I would like to have t]him next door, I really wouldn't want to deprive him of the wonderful life his mom and dad can give him in Colorado.

That clear water is so inviting. They took several pictures to show how clear it is there in the Poudre River.
 



Thank you Father God for sparkling waters, for rocks and trees, for all that you have made. Help us look to you as the creator with thanksgiving. Help us to be good care takers of all you have given us.

And thank you that I am alive and able to see my grandchildren, not only in person, but with  FaceTime, on FaceBook, in blogs and in videos and  pictures.

Friday, March 27, 2015

Snow Day


While many of us are tired of snow and wishing it were over, that isn't realistic in this area of the country. We are just too far north to escape it. It is cold and snowing today, but these pictures were taken on February 21, when snow was at least threatening much of the nation. We ORU (Opinions R Us) girls experienced a snow day that transcended state lines. Three of these pictures were taken in Ohio, one in Texas and one in Florida. Yes, that last one escaped the cold. Funny thing is, she is one who enjoys frigid temperatures more than most of us.

Since our God is the one who is in charge of the weather, we will accept what we get with thanksgiving.   In Matthew 6:34  of the Holy Bible,  God  tells not to worry about tomorrow. That is a good verse to remember when daily we are urged to worry about the future, about the weather, which cannot be predicted assuredly for the next week or even day. We certainly cannot know what is will be in a thousand years! So don't worry, be happy.

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Friendship


Friends are an important part of our story. One of Ashley's good friends, Abbey, went to see her in the play Inside Out Atlantis. 

Friends bring big smiles and I love these girls' nice big happy smiles.  

Relationships are of upmost importance  in our lives. God's second commandment after the one to Love God with all your heart, is to love you neighbor as yourself.  Love is what it is all about. 

When things fail to satisfy you, sit and think a while. It isn't because you need more things...it is because you need deeper relationships, loving friends, to make you happy.

And, as I've heard said, to have a friend, you must be a friend.

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Rubber Ducky



This is what I think of when I hear Rubber Duck...definitely not baseball!

Yes, our team has been called that for some time, but that doesn't mean I will ever get used to it...or even baseball. It is hard to understand why someone would pick up a stick swing at a ball that has been lobbed at you at breakneck speed.  Wouldn't it be better to duck?  Oh, there you go. That is why they call  themselves the Rubber Ducks. They are from the Rubber Capitol of the world and they can duck.

The picture above is a much more endearing picture of a rubber duck. This is the real job of a rubber duck...to entertain little girls and boys when they have to be thrown into the tub. It keeps their attention off the bath itself.

Ava seems to be enjoying her bath just fine. Isn't she the cutest great granddaughter ever?

Father, we pray for a new day tomorrow...where we can run from wicked thoughts and deeds and try to please you.

Saturday, March 21, 2015

Bundled Up


It was wonderful weather in Colorado today and I have some great pictures in my possession to prove it.  However, I am totally in love with this picture taken of Oliver in late February...enough so that I just have to post it tonight. I love this little fellow.

This picture is very sharp on my computer, but for some reason this evening, it is fuzzy on this blog. I've tried redoing it, but it remains unsharp. I'm sorry. Don't know what the problem is. If I can figure it out, I'll repost later.

There are times when things don't work out as we wish. We can come unraveled...and I have been known to do that. But, now with high blood pressure, I'm trying to learn to roll with the punches as they say.

The Bible talks about a more serious problem, but we can learn from it for less severe times. Philippians 4:12
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

No matter what you hear, people in this country are some of the best fed in the world. We are not starving as has been the case in many places at many times throughout history.

We are so well taken care of, that we stress over much smaller things, like blurry photos. Lord, help me be content.

Friday, March 20, 2015

Wow Star Wars



I was pretty excited to see Caleb with these uniformed guys. But sadly to say, I did not recognize them. I knew the boys had gone to the Science Museum, but these did not look like the astronaut suits I looked up on google. Ignorant me then emailed his mother and asked what characters they were. You would think I would know they were from Star Wars; but then, remember, I am painfully ignorant about movies and TV.  In 1977 when the movie came out, I had 5 children, the youngest was 7, so I was quite a busy mom. I did 'see' the movie, but as usual I fell asleep in it.  I have seen pictures of the characters now and then over the years, but they didn't stick...none but R2D2. I did remember him. It so happened that when I asked Beth about the pictures she had sent me of Caleb, she sent me another one of Colton and Caleb with R2D2.  If I had had that picture all along, I would have known the others.

It was pretty exciting for the boys. It pleases me just to see Caleb smile.

Thursday, March 19, 2015



The gist of this is: I believe we need an iPi celebration of Pi Day. Since it is a day for geeks, like my husband; it should follow suit with all the other geek happenings in recent years...starting with iMax, followed by iPhone, iPad, iPod , iOS, iTunes and iTouch. I mentioned this to my daughter, Chelle, who is a big celebrator of Pi day each year. So she came up with her iPhone, iPi picture of pie covered by pi.  Of course I had to do a layout of her and her creation.

I have to admit that this is not an all original layout like I usually do.  Brandy Murry of Scrapgirls.com offered this as a freebie. It uses her wonderful Heart of Gold collection which I have in my stash of supplies. Using the easy page and making a few little changes helped me to pay homage to geeks without spending too much precious time.

As I stated on the layout above, it is curious that the new watch is not referred to an iWatch, but by the much more appropriate: Apple watch.

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Wearing the Green


Our family name is Irish, but we really don't identify ourselves as Irish. We are both full blooded Americans with a varied ancestry.  Even though I look somewhat Irish with red hair and freckles; besides a little German, Dutch and English, I have a lot of Indian blood from three different tribes. The only things that even hint of that are my high cheek bones.  

In spite of that, I like to put on the Irish for St Patrick's Day. I'm not really Irish and not Catholic, so it is a little strange, but fun...and I really like green.  So here is the picture I took last night after our life group went home and left a few of the green sugar cookies I'd bought. I thought it would be different to  use a few Irish expressions, so I combed the web and came up with some very interesting sayings.


Monday, March 16, 2015

Art Journal


This is my first attempt at Art Journaling. It shows that I'm a bit organized...or at least would like to be. I love  comfy colors. The prompt I read was a song that I had not heard. It was definitely not my genre. My style has a  more pleasant theme. Voices are clear and melodious.  But I grabbed some words from it that inspired me and added  a quote from Melville and an expression from the Bible, New Every Morning. So now this art journaling piece shows me. This IS me. I enjoyed making it. There are digital artists who make lots of these art journals. This is probably my last one. Like I said. This is me.  Why should I ever do another?

The theme? Our life is a voyage, one day at a time, from God's hands, through time and back again to the one who made us. We are homeward bound from the time we are born into this world.  He renews us each day, one day at a time. We are new every morning, ready to meet what is in store for us each day...ONE DAY AT A TIME.  Praise God.

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Appreciation


I didn't do a layout today. Thankfully, I made two yesterday.  This one is from Caleb's birthday party. I liked the enthusiasm he showed and appreciation of each gift. I love seeing some of his friends, who enjoyed watching him open them as much as he enjoyed unwrapping them. I pray, he will never become sated and fail to appreciate kindness.

How many gifts did you receive today? Oh yes, you did. Was there sunshine? Was there a sweet smile from someone you know, or even a stranger? Was there fresh air to breath? Was there food in your refrigerator?  Were you able to walk? Could you speak? All were gifts of our father God.

I was especially blessed by a church service that left me feeling ready to face the world. We are blessed to have three wonderful ministers, even though our church congregation is small. All three are fine men and they were all at their very best today. Our sermon was great, our song service was excellent and I learned a lot in our class about baptism in the early church. 

I am praying that I will remember the sermon and RUN any time this week that I am tempted to do that which our father in heaven would not want me to do; for He has my best interests at heart and His laws are for my own good...and the good of those around me.

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Play Ball


Oliver's big brother Caleb, has a special friend named Colton. His little brother, Hunter,  is Oliver's friend. These little ones are at Caleb's birthday party and they are playing ball.

This has been a very unproductive day for me. I woke up late, studied for Ladies' Bible Class,  took care of the dog, played with her a bit, sat at the computer for a long time without accomplishing much of anything, fixed a salad for lunch, went out with friends for dinner and attended a church service. What has happened to my day? It is not quite time to go to bed, but it soon will be and I have a to do list of nine things. Looks like Monday will be very busy when these items are added  to my Monday chores.

The sad thing it, my lesson this morning was on redeeming time. I read it, but have failed to do it. Time just got away from me today. I have done absolutely nothing to help anyone today. But with the help of the Father, God, I hope to do better tomorrow.

Let's think about how valuable our time is and vow to make the most of it.


Thursday, March 12, 2015

Child Genius


Since I don't really watch TV, I'm not surprised that I missed the show Child Genius. However, it is the kind of thing I would enjoy seeing.  Perhaps they will bring it back again. I hope so.

Inspired by that show, our quick witted Aussie, who solves Rubik's Cubes like they were simple addition problems and programs robots for fun, decided to attempt something done  by someone on that TV show. He memorized the order of all 52 cards in a deck.

He spent a couple hours working on it and  then his dad videoed as his mom flipped through the cards, Aussie named each one as she showed it to the camera. We watched the video  in utter amazement. Not that we  would doubt that Aussie could do it...but just wondering how he could do that when we can't even remember where we put the keys.  lol

There is still hope for the world...at least if God takes mercy on us and delivers us from our enemies.


Tuesday, March 10, 2015

The Real One


Okay, which is the real one? Which is Caleb? Is it picture number 1, 2, 3 or 4? 

 I  didn't start out with this layout in mind. I just loved the picture and was trying different ways of using it. Then just decided to throw them together.  I could have come up with a much prettier layout, but this is pretty interesting.  I hope Caleb likes it.

This isn't earth shaking or anything, but when I opened the door  to let Maggie out this morning, the odor of skunk hit me so hard I fell backwards.  The dog did not want to go out, but there really wasn't any alternative, so I had to throw her out and slam to door to keep her from getting back inside. She didn't want to be out there and just stood with her nose on the door waiting for me to open it again. I couldn't leave her out there forever.

When she came in, she brought the stink with her. (She smells wonderful, like fresh air usually because so much gets trapped in her thick, long hair.) 

Later, I found, she had 'watered' the bath mat in Ron's bathroom.    After a while, I let her out the front door and she wet on the doormat.  I had to throw a bucket of suds on that. It was not a good day until it rained and cleared the air and Maggie seemed to relearn her 'potty' habits.   

I'm praying there will have been no agitated skunk around when we wake in the morning.








Monday, March 9, 2015

Rollerland



This is the fist time I've seen a flying turtle...had not even heard of them before, but then, I'm old.
The boys, Caleb and Oliver (and their friends) took to them great and had a super time at Rollerland.

Sure wish I were in Colorado more often to hug these guys...and watch them in action.

I pray that God will hold our country together. I pray that we can overcome all the division that has happened in the last few years and become  one nation under God once more. I would like to see that for these kids.  

Sunday, March 8, 2015

Cast T-Shirt


We grandparents are looking forward to seeing Ashley and her brothers this May. It is way too long since we've seen them...in person, huggably close.  They will be turning 13 in July...and this is where the expression, time flies, fits.

This picture was taken of Ashley with her cast t-shirt from the play Inside Out Atlas.  Love you, Ashley

Now, I just have to quote a quote I read in the book yesterday that we are studying in our ladies' Bible class. It is Redeemed, by Kerry Clarensau. She was quoting one of my favorite authors, Max Lucado. She said he is one of her favorite 'wordsmiths'. That is a good description of his work. He does have a way with words.

This is what Max said, "We condemn a man for stumbling this morning, but we didn't see the blows he took yesterday. We judge a woman for the limp in her walk, but cannot see the tack in her shoe....Not only are we ignorant about yesterday, we are ignorant about tomorrow.  Dare we judge a book while chapters are yet unwritten? Should we pass a verdict on a painting while the artist still holds the brush?  How can you dismiss a soul until God's work in complete?"

Let's face it, we are not equipped for judging like we do at times. We don't know the whole story.
We are to love everyone and we can't do that while condemning them.  Leave it to God to pronounce judgment.  We are told to love and to pray, even for our enemies. Accept people where they are and pray they will have experiences that lead them closer to our God,  the creator of the universe.

Saturday, March 7, 2015

Inside Out Atlas Part Two



Have something on my mind to write, but think I'll skip it and get to bed an hour early, so that  I'll be wide awake tomorrow.

I've heard that time changes can have some deleterious affects on people...
for example there are more heart attacks. But really that is not the reason for my early departure. I got up early, so that It wouldn't affect me so much tomorrow. Now I'm getting sleepy early.

And now that I've bored you to death already...I'm off to bed, after a short description of today's layout, which features Ashley.  As you can see by the title, you should have seen one other page on the same subject not too long ago. She was in a play called Inside Out Atlas with Theater Bug in Nashville. She enjoys the theater immensely and it has been good for her..

Friday, March 6, 2015

Squirrel Proof


Wednesday I was watching our 'pet' squirrel wink emoticon trying so very hard to get into the bird feeder. It is the first contraption that we have bought for that purpose that really works. We would have it now, when I can sit here and watch the cute little fellow, silently hoping that he can master it, yet not wanting him to spoil it for the birds. I'm posting the layout I made with a picture of him upside down on the feeder seemingly looking in at me and wanting my help. 

Thursday, March 5, 2015

Tiny Ears



Back in January, Ava had her ears pierced. What a little sweety.  Is there anyone who would not think she is a adorable? If so, this grandmother doesn't want to hear it.

So girly, no matter what she is doing. I love to see her in pink and the tiny little flower ear rings. They go with the gorgeous thick, dark hair.

She just doesn't look like a baby, but we don't want to see this phase of her life go too quickly. They all grow up much too quickly.  Babies always have, but today, it is much worse. Often, little children are not allowed to be little girls. They get swept up in glamour, etc. much too soon. I'd love to see this one enjoy the innocence of childhood. She will be a raving beauty some day...but there is plenty of time for that.

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Born on Groundhog Day


It has been a month since Caleb's birthday. I did this layout right away, but didn't do any posting for a while, then ended up with way more layouts than I have days to post.

Since this picture was taken, on Caleb's birthday at Silver Grill Cafe, he has had a big birthday party with his friends. I'll have more layouts about that later, am still working on some.

Caleb, it is hard for me to believe you are already 5.  I love you very much. You make my heart sing and your smile lights up the room. It has been passed down for several generations and makes me very happy every time I see it. You make me proud to be your grandmother.




Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Communication


There are many ways to communicate. Maggie is hampered by the fact that she has not yet learned to speak English. It's not that we speak other languages to her, but just because she was not intended to speak English.  Yet, she is intelligent enough that she has taught us to understand what she wants on most occasions. As it says on the layout, "Maggie's bones, rolled in Ron's Spiru-ten vanilla energy drink powder, are stored in this plastic jar. When she is ready for desert, she rolls it to me...then sits there looking at me with her big eyes."

I am her master and I love her. She knows that.

We have a master as well. He loves us even more than we love our dog and he understands our language. He is like we are with our dog. We know what is best for our pet, but often we wait until we are asked. He has told us if there is something we need, we are to ask him. Simple, right?  Do we do it?

Monday, March 2, 2015

Were We Speaking of Toys?



Well, it had been a few days more than a month since Christmas when Ashley saw this tiger in the store.  Ashley showed her appreciation of the tiger. She really liked that tiger. She sang a little  song while pleading with her dad to buy it for her. He egged her on, then said, "no".  But she ended up with that tiger.  Are we counting? 60? 61? 62?  Well sorry, I don't have a number for you, but she does have one more tiger. Wait a minute. It has been a month since these pictures were taken...

What is it that you treasure here on earth?  Where do you spend your time and your money? The Bible tells us that where  your treasure is, your heart will be as well. Through the Bible, God has encouraged us to lay up treasures in heaven instead of here on earth. Why do you think that is?  How can one do that?  Think about it.