11 Bits & Pieces of January

1. New Year's Day - Arianna is painting a Monet canvas, so the grands brought their crafts along to paint, too. 

2. Josh's birthday - "Daddy, me & you like deer hunting, right?"

3. One evening I took the grands to the library for a pickle event. Besides pickle tasting, they made a pickle craft. Bet you can't guess this one's favorite color. 

This one got the color right...

...but he has his own style of posing for photos. 

4. Richard spent the majority of the month working on replacing the frame rails of the Pete, instead of hauling loads, since the rates are ridiculously low. Trucking is not very profitable right now.  

5. In the middle of the month, we took time off to drive Richard's parents to their winter home in Pinecraft. (They didn't go as early as normal because Mom Miller was recovering from a serious illness.) This was a first for the family- that they allowed us the privilege of a quick FL vacation. They did good at sitting back and letting us handle things, and we had fun! 

We had a little excitement when we witnessed a high-speed police chase. Crikey, that's a dozen police cruisers up ahead there!😧 They got the car stopped but unfortunately the stop-sticks also got that semi. Ugh, 9 flats! I feel your pain, buddy. 😩

Getting settled in. It was super nice for us that some of Richard's sisters had already cleaned the house over Christmas. 

Besides family time...

...and cruising Pinecraft in the golf cart...

...we were able to hang out with some Europe trip friends. We could not believe how many just happened to be there at the same time- it was not planned on ahead. 

And we enjoyed fish dinners from the FL Haiti benefit auction, too. Something else we didn't plan; we just happened to be there at the right time.

Flying back home. What took 2 days to drive, only took 2 hours to return. Single digit temps & a stiff wind were quite a welcome back though. 😞 Our flight was delayed so we didn't make it back in time for the calling hours of our DIL's grandpa; we went to the funeral the next morning instead. 

For inquiring minds, yes, strawberries survive in checked luggage and make delicious pie back home.  

6. Avery's 6th birthday party was a horse theme. She's been [unsuccessfully] asking for a real horse. 

A mermaid tail blanket is a fun gift when one is 6. 

7. Our puzzle of the month was a more challenging one, that was missing 2 pieces. 

The perils of buying cheap/used puzzles from thrift stores. 🤷 

My Swiss chalet Lego set (that Jeremy gave me for Christmas) is complete -as long as I don't allow the grands to play with it. Pieces have a way of mysteriously breaking off when little fingers are here. 

8. Pizza & Game Nite at church was fun. 

Happy Salmon was popular with the youth

9. Teaching a Home Ec class in cheesecake making.  

It all started at a Pampered Chef party where the consultant said she thinks everyone should become an expert at some item and I set out to become "the cheesecake lady of Antrim". It's a little hard to teach because ovens are different but make such a difference in the finished product; my best advice is practice makes perfect -find what works for you. Honestly, I'm kinda bored with cheesecakes and we're so tired of them that they don't get eaten here anymore, so I'm thinking of moving on... scones maybe??

10. Jeremy got complimentary tickets for Disney on Ice through work, so some 'big kids' in our family escorted one little person to the show. I'm not a sports fan, but the one sport I understand & actually enjoy watching is ice skating, so 🤷  

Cotton candy with a Mickey crown set PopPop back a couple jingles, but we're suckers for indulging our grands.

It was so fun! I'd like to go again next year.  

11. And I saved the best for last... I am the proud auntie of this precious baby boy! My youngest brother's 1st son. There are so many reasons that this makes me happy and I can't wait to go cuddle him. Welcome to the family, Samuel.  For this child [we] prayed and the Lord has given [us] [our] petition which [we] asked of Him. 1 Samuel 1:27

Now That My People Are Big

 I just knew once my kids were older I’d have all sorts of time.

I’d read books and scrapbook uninterrupted.

And have huge amounts of time to just crochet.

I’d be way more rested because they would all sleep through the night.

And they would be able to talk through their troubles which would be so much less stressful than trying to figure out why a baby was crying.

They wouldn’t need an hour to settle for sleep and could bathe their own bodies so basically my nights would just be my own.

They’d be able to drive and go to the store for me and we wouldn’t need a babysitter on a Friday night,

There was so much time in my delusional future.

And yet somehow here I am, exhausted to my core.

And there is no longer a 9:00 bedtime in sight when they’d all be safely in their rooms.

Instead they have become creatures of the night who stay up to all hours and who also might make actual meals at 11:00pm.

They can tell you what they are worried about and it is real adult things you can’t fix with a bandaid or a blankie.

Every time they leave in a car your heart amps ups its worry factor by at least 10%.

There is still so much to teach them and so nights are spent talking about how they can perfect the rice they are making for supper or get a stain out of their favorite sweatshirt or helping with taxes.

There’s so much refereeing of the cleaning of the kitchen you should wear stripes and have a whistle and be paid for the hour you lose every night to telling them to 'just get along' and please wipe down the stove.

And you’ll spend your nights watching their movie in hopes of keeping them out of their their rooms, and your books will still gather dust on your bedside table and you’ll still be too tired to read them at bedtime.

Also Saturday nights are spent waiting for kids to come in from curfew or watching them do all the things. With a wee bit of jealousy that you're not their age anymore.

And you’re not up with them in the middle of the night but the amount of time your brain spends thinking about them in the middle of the night is straight up nuts.

Yet they will come up to you out of the blue and just need to sit by you without saying a word because they still need you in the biggest most important ways. Love will overflow from your heart.

And you won’t want to move a muscle just exactly like when you finally got them to sleep when they were babies because you won’t want the moment to end.

I’ve never been more tired even though no one needs me to feed them at 4:00am or look for monsters under their bed.

They need me in ways that are more exhausting to my mind and my heart and my soul. And I know that I’m so lucky to be this tired and I know time is moving so fast.

I have less time than ever now that my people are big but I have the gift of knowing every moment matters.

Every single solitary exhausting love-and-sometimes-anxiety-filled moment.

So yup…still no time, still tired. Still wouldn’t have it any other way.

Run Up Ahead, I'll Catch Up

 Dear Steve, 

   I can hardly believe 30 years have passed since you left us so suddenly & unexpectedly!  THIRTY?! 

At the time I thought I couldn't go on breathing for this long. 

The shock wore off and the grief has softened, although I still miss you. On days like today the tears still fall. 

As we recently learned, if we lived in Switzerland your grave would've already been recycled! Even though I don't get to visit it often, it's still a comfort to know its there. 

I can't imagine you as 48. #forever18 

You were the one who made me a big sister. So many memories growing up together, mission trip to Haiti, my wedding day... and your last day on earth.

I'm sad about the sister-in-law and the nieces & nephews I never got. I guess you figured out pretty quick that Jay would fill the void for us. 

But I'm happy that you are safe, experiencing all the wonders of heaven. Free from all the pain and stress of this world. Amazing grace. 

As I'm sure you know, we had a baby boy exactly 2 years after you left us that we named after you. When he was 18, I lived in fear of losing him, too. Now here we are, 10 years later -he's 28 today- and he's a dad. Of my amazing grandchildren. While you live where time is immaterial, it has a way of marching steadily on here. 

I bet you know, too, how close you came to having your only brother-in-law joining you a couple years back. I wonder if you whispered in Jesus ear "she needs him yet" and watched with a nod as the angel place his fingers on Richard's neck while the barrel lid sliced through. 

I feel conflicted. I want to be here to enjoy my grandchildren, but I desire to depart and be with God which is far superior. Philippians 1:23 

Save me a spot at the table, I'm coming. See ya at the gate! (You know when to meet me there.) 

Love, Cheryl 

Everybody's dressed in black

The preacher's saying life goes too fast

The memories have turned to tears

Thinking back on all the years

I know that you're in a better place

But I'm still here missing you today

It isn't easy to say goodbye

But I know it's only for a little while

Run up ahead and I will catch up

'Cause I'm gonna see you when tomorrow comes

On the other side  On the other side

I bet you feel you're finally home

Running down those streets of gold

The kind of peace you can't explain

Looking into Jesus' face

I know that you're in a better place

I know I'll be joining you someday

It isn't easy to say goodbye

But I know it's only for a little while

Run up ahead and I will catch up

'Cause I'm gonna see you when tomorrow comes

On the other side

Where there are no more goodbyes

No more pain, no more tears left to cry

We will join with the angels singing their song

Praising our Savior, all the day long

It isn't easy to say goodbye

But I know it's only for a little while

Run up ahead and I will catch up

'Cause I'm gonna see you when tomorrow comes

On the other side   On the other side