Tidy It Up

Tomorrow I go to Washington DC to help my daughter and her family take care of things that need to be done before they come to our home for a month long visit. We have been busy preparing our home for 5 small children. My grand kids come to visit regularly but a visit is different than a month long stay with 3 children 4 and under-- I need to be a little baby proof. I am so excited for their visit.

As we have been tidying up we have found lots of fun things-- like the bill of sale from our first house in 1979, certificates from births, baptisms, and ordinations. Old pay stubs, report cards, various lists, notes and dreams. As we looked at these fun things the years just melted away. All of a sudden we were the young couple with four then five and finally six children moving across country every year for four years, on adventures with each other, dragging the poor children along, trying to make it as easy on them as possible. Filling the U-haul, excited for the unknown ahead and sad to leave friends and homes behind.

Yesterday in church the speaker quoted some thoughts on change. Two that I remember were:

Without change there would be a lot of wet babies!!

and

The only thing constant in life is change

I have had fun cleaning, organizing and tiding up things I have not had the opportunity to take care of in a long time. Some of it from neglect (because I would rather be reading a good novel or creating something fun) and some because I have not been home for the last 4 months. Whatever the reason it has been a good walk down memory lane. It feels so good to have my house deeply cleaned and organized.

Right now though, I have 24 hours before our month of adventure and memories begin and I still have a few beds to make. Gotta finish preparing for the adventure of being a full time grandma to 5 cute little ones who will encourage all of the rest of the cousins and aunts and uncles to come and be part of the memories as well. When we all get together there are 28 of us.

It's gonna be a wonderful month.

Old Friends

I have a lovely room in my home named the sewing room. I have to guard it carefully. When the kids were young they would take my scissors and cut PAPER with them!! Over the years if a family member did not know where to put something invariably it would end up in the sewing room. WHY??? Like I said, I need to guard the room carefully.

A year and a half ago we had two major family life changing events at the same time followed by a few more. I got very busy trying to live life and keep up with who knows what and I forgot that I needed to guard my sewing room carefully. I looked in there the other day and was overwhelmed with what I couldn't find--the floor!! It was missing--hidden by a mountain of things that had no business in the sewing room.

I spent the bigger portion of the week searching for my long lost friend and I finally found it. It is a beautiful white painted floor with a blue stencil. I love my floor, I painted it myself. I love my sewing room, it is where I go to create. Today my sweet husband was as excited to see my old friend as I was. To celebrate the return of my old friend we went dancing--in the sewing room, on the pretty floor.

Simple Pleasures

Earlier this week I went with two of my grandsons to the park. We decided to swing. The grins on their faces were wide and wonderful. As they went back and forth they giggled with joy. Soon Denim was laughing--that deep joyful laugh that babies give spontaneously. It was one of those moments that reminded me that life is meant to be lived with gusto, remembering that after the rain the sun usually shines. Even though going up hill is usually difficult, there always follows the down hill ride.

Life is full of moments where we can make choices. I'm glad we chose to go to the park for a ride on the swing. A happy memory for grandma and two great boys. Life is full of many opportunities to enjoy simple pleasures. Take an opportunity for yourself today--you'll be glad you did.

A to Z

This week we celebrate the miracle in our family we call Sasha. She was born on the bridge over the Haw River on 15-501 as her parents were hurrying toward the hospital. My grandmother thought she should be named Bridgette because she was born on the bridge or Mitzi because the car she made her debut in was a Mitsubishi. But her parents chose the name Alexandra Zhenya.

She is an amazing little girl who thrills me with her sweetness. She and her cousin Cooper have a very tender relationship that makes me happy. She sings all day long as she goes about her 'work'. She loves order, everything must be in a certain order according to Sash. I walked into the playroom a while back to see all of the kitchen play foods and dishes arranged just right in a circle as she sat in the middle grinning from ear to ear.

Next week she is coming with her family to visit for a month. I am so excited for this adventure. I am hoping for lots of opportunities to make happy memories while they are here. I know Alexandra will give me many moments to smile and giggle at her antics as she goes about discovering the world in her own Sasha way. The family and her friends call her Sasha, but to me she is Alexandra, a little queen in her own right.

Happy Birthday Alexandra. Grandma loves you.

Guess....

Our grandson needed some one on one time last evening so we put him in the car and brought him home with us. As we were driving along he was chatting in the back seat entertaining us with his amazing little mind.

Pretty soon he asked us to guess.

Guess what??

Just guess.

So we guessed: Green? Five? Left?? May??

It would help if we knew what you wanted us to guess........

"Who is the oldest family?" he said.

We tried to process the question and answered as best we could..... "Grandma and Grandpa??"

To which he answered sounding amazed that we could figure it out "YES!!!"

To-Do

I have two weeks to get organized before my daughter and her sweet family come to stay for a month. As I look around I am a bit overwhelmed. I have a calendar on the fridge listing all of the to-do items and the best day to-do them on. I found this quote by Arthur Godfrey that helps me see the whole picture:

Even if you are on the right track,
you will get run over if you just stand there

Gotta get moving.

Where Are You Going??

I have asked my children many times "Where are you going?" I have asked my husband the same question occasionally over the years. Sometimes as I am running quickly through the house with a cluttered mind I have to stop and ask myself the same question--"Where was I going?"

I heard this quote the other day and I think it deserves some think time:

The common man goes nowhere--you need to be uncommon

Sometimes it is good to stand out from the crowd.