The safe applesauce

There is only one left in the cupboard and it is found at 7:30 at night.
It is in her hand as she comes to me...
"grammie, can I have this/"
"not now it is to late to be eating applesauce, it is almost time for bed.  You can have it tomorrow

for dinner, would that be okay?"
"well it is the last one and I don't want to have Chloe eat it"
My now, that does pose a problem doesn't it?  What would indeed happen if Chloe got the cupboard door open and got into that last container of applesauce?  How could this dilemma  be solved?
She has it in her hand and decides that she will hide it from Chloe,
finds a safe place on the open book shelf and hides it.
About two weeks later when I am dusting I happen upon the last container of applesauce -
it is safe until after dinner!

Ahes for beauty

She bounds through the family room, lady bug bag in hand, stuffed to the brim with things she will need for our class.  It is from 6:00 - 7:00 at the Gaylord school.
She slips on her black boots that Emily got her, I tell her "those sure are a cute pair of boots"...  she tells me they are from Bubcha.
Little lavender coat, that her momma got her in the beginning of this long cruel winter, sweet baby curls winding around her cherub face, her eyes lit with excitement about the upcoming hour.
I am happy when we get there, she takes to the tables of crafts, enjoying the making of beauty from the supplies.  There are little children everywhere, grandma's loving them - so proud you think you can see it in thier eyes...
memories of their own children growing, going to school, the ache in the heart as you send them out in to the world.
Jesus gently comes to me and I see Him pick up all the ashes of life.
It is a wild world out there, but safely tucked in to each trial is the love of Jesus spreading over His creation,
as He gently picks up our mistakes and transforms our ashes in to beauty.
Little handprints, flowers made of coffee filters, and a butterfly made of grapes and fish crackers...
I breath in as I hold her hand and we walk to the car.
I breath in the fresh air of transformation and see that of all the things I have been blessed with
...there is just nothing better than this!

13 years

We went to see her last night, my mom and I.  Our friend of 40 years is very sick in earthly words.  She knows her Savior, she knows us inside out, but she is still sick.  If a thousand "I love you's" could save her from the valley's we find ourselves in on earth...
she would have been pulled out with human words a long time ago.
But, as we talked to her and she laid in the bed, soft grey curls on her pillow... the words on her night stand read about Jesus being in the valley with us.  You could feel his presence in the room as we read the bible verse on the card.
Her breath catching and the work of taking a pill exhausting her from the movement.
Mom laid on the bed next to her and they held hands, not speaking, just sharing each others breaths, first one and then the other.
Linda is 13 years younger than my mom who just turned 80 on March 13th.
She is 13 years older than me.
And the memories wash over me and a joyful sadness fills my heart...
years of laughter, sorrow, pain, but most of all joy.  I feel as though I want to live in this moment forever and I kick myself for not having a camera.
I want to snap a picture of those hands clasped together holding on, laying on the soft bed of life.
His voice comes to me,
"you have a picture my child, it is etched in your soul".
I lift up my voice to the heavens and pray healing for our dear friend. Wisdom to the Dr.'s that will be looking at all the papers,
from all the tests,
that have filled her days these last 3 months...
and I give thanks to Him for this moment...
as I feel Him etching it in my heart.  As my soul cries out for mercy I can see through my tears, a beautiful picture of friends that never say good-by.  They only speak with the pictures etched deeply within their souls...
until we meet again.

Winter fun

By the looks of things, our little golden birthday girl is getting good use out of her goggles!  Winter activities can sometimes give us a new perspective on snow...
however,
when you get to be a grandma and the snow piles up around your boundaries -
you just can't see the fun.
That is until you see a picture of your grand-babies dressed warm and smiling...
once again you can feel the rays of the summer sun!

Shinney puff

Nola Jean and Jordyn Noel February 21st, 2014 "snowed in"

Our little Jordyn Noel Harren is very social.  She tells great stories and knows how to play with friends.  Along with all her language she does at times do something with her "R's".  We are not quite sure what it is...
but she will tell you sweetly that her name is "Jordyn Noel Harren "(Jo done Noel Hawwen) and then as momma is getting Jordyn ( jo done) out of the car seat she will say "don't worry about me momma I like to arch my back!" (don't wowwy about me mom, I like to awch my back). She has never liked driving in the car seat, and somehow she arches her back to make it more comfortable.  As a mom, you worry ( wowwy) about it, but Jordyn (Jo done says not to!).  Jaci Anna has always taken such good care of her little sister and Conner (Conno) her brother loves to play with her...
at least for a little while...
even though Jordyn (Jo done) many times likes to play beyond his limits.
My favorite story by far is the one about "The three little pigs".
Jordyn (Jo done) has heard this story and likes to play out the book.
She heard the wolf say "I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down"
so, when her and Nola played the three little pigs...
Nola was a little pig
and Jo done was "Shinney puff" (the big bad wolf!)
After I heard this story I got this picture and a TXT...
"BEST FRIENDS FO- EVAH "
What more can a gramma really ask for in life?
Grandchildren, family, and stories of Shinney puffs!

The little SHAGS secret tea (sweet) party

Nola Jean, Jordyn Noel and JaciAnna

One of each dessert!

It was the day of the annual SHAG reunion.  We decided this year it would be a crazy hair pot luck.  Everyone worked on getting there schedules so that they could arrive and eat around 1:00.  As the food came through the door we ran out of space in our kitchen,
ran out of space on our living room table...
where should we put the desserts?
We decide to put them on the radiator in the living room, it was kind of out of the way and yet still visible so people would know where to get their heart shaped cupcakes that Duey made, their oreo cake dreams that Miranda made, fundamiddles that JaciAnna made, or their jello/cool-whip delight that Carol made.
Miranda gave the first warning of putting the desserts at eye level with the little ones.  She said exactly "I am not responsible for those desserts if you are putting them there where the kids can reach what they want".
We didn't think much more of it until we discovered the couch next to the radiator had been pulled out from the wall,
and nestled sweetly behind it was one of each sweet...
and the little sweets wondering how their secret tea party could have possibly been discovered!

The little SHAGS and LOVE

Conner D.

Addy

Nola, Jordyn, Jaci

Jack

Evelyn and Cassie

Love is the most powerful of human emotions. I think that we can agree on the most important sentence in any language being... "I LOVE YOU".

Love requires no justification. If you love someone, no other reason for loving - or living - is needed!