The mermaid towel

Sometimes when your momma goes to the thrift store...
she can find you amazing things!
A little of this and a little of that...
a towel to wrap in with a mermaid hat!
A wish and a wash and hay from a bale...
there you have it, a mermaid tale!!

TuTu's

Cassie in her pink tutu

Jordyn in her blue tutu

Precious little baby bodies all snuggled up with ruffles...
water on a hot summer day.
Little girl toes on the wet ground
never stopping with their play.
A brother, sister and little hands to hold
 Blessings on all...

to God are told.
It is summer, you hear all the soft sounds of children
Gather them up for winter and remember all the places you've been.
Be blessed my babies and sleep tight
All the Tutu's are hung up for the night!

Triple milk cake

Lindsey and Josh had a wedding in Wisconsin...
Gramma D, Jeff, Lacey, Nola and I got to spend the week - end with Cassie!!
When these moments come along you are just not sure how to capture them...
and then you look into your heart and you see the images of love,
not to mention the cake that Lindsey made for us that is almost gone...
printed on my hips!

Friendship

Seeds

Hacker Zinnia Field September 2 2013

Seeds August 2014

When you look at a seed very carefully...
can it be possible to realize its full potential?
I think of when we met back in 1974, who could have known that the time invested back then would lead us to a 40 plus year friendship!?  Time has taken us through rough valleys and mountain top experiences... it has taken us  through the fields of Lafyette right into the rock garden of Arlington.
The seeds harvested have bloomed this year and it makes me think of all that God has given us if we just take the time, if we understand God's Grace to get us through the growing period there will be a time when the flowers that bloom are an incredible display of God's unconditional love for us.
I am thankful this night for God's unconditional love, His Grace, His hand upon our lives...
friendship,
and for a simple zinnia seed.

Today while the blossoms still cling to the vine...

It was a surprise visit when I got home from work.
Lacey, K, and Nola Jean are here just for a short time.
Well, Grandma D is at the hospital park for their Ice Cream Social benefit and it looks like a few good things for Nola to do.  I will take Nola Jean.  Lila and Lacey will go and listen to music.
It ends up to be a wonderful time in the park, the weather is hot and humid, the music sifts over the gentle breeze adding to the pleasure of community gathered together in one spot.
Gramma is there and Nola Jean gets to go up behind her and "surprise"!
Gramma comes and sits by us and we listen to music and catch up on things that went on in RockPort, things that have gone on during the week.
We catch up on each others life with the love of relationship clinging onto the vines of hope.
The drawing is over,
I guess we missed it.
I watch as Gram's walks over the not so even grass to meet up with her friends.  She is the youngest coming in at 80.
And I think to myself...
I don't want to live life without this lady in it.
She has meant so much to my life... laughing, crying,gathering,  and mostly talking.
She is my friend
my mother
and then the blossoms start to bloom as I realize I don't have to live life without her...
she is right there in front of me..
walking through the grass...

July 2014 in Monticello

August

clinging to the vine...
and the relationship that we have built together will lead us in to the promised land.
It may not be at the same time,
but then
that is the beautiful thing about vines...

SILVER SHIRT

When Emi Jo was a teen ager I gave her and her friends rides to the Waconia Ball Room.
They would go to listen to "Chopper".    He preformed at the fair and many other places... where ever "Chopper" was the kids were not far behind!
During this same period of time Emi had a silver shirt in which she was particularly fond of.  She wore the shirt every week-end when she went out with friends (and during the week if she could)
Each week many of her clothes would be hanging in the closet, clean...
but,
silver shirt was always in the laundry.
Being a "mom" - well, lets just say I got tired of always seeing the silver shirt.
So
I hid it somewhere far away.
I never did tell anyone about it and then when Emi got to be Emily... I told her of my escapade with the silver shirt.
Thank goodness she was old enough she didn't get mad.
This year Emily and her kids came to Arlington for the fair on Wednesday August 3rd.  The ride tickets were only $1.00 a piece so we planned on going out to the fair with the kids after I got home from work.
While at work I received this TXT...
"MOM, PLEASE STOP AT KMART AND GET ME A SILVER SHIRT, CHOPPER IS AT THE FAIR TONIGHT!".
I laughed for a long time,
in fact it still makes me smile...
and when we were at the fair,
there were Emi Jo's three children -
partying with CHOPPER - just like she used to do!

The human

Nola's etch a sketch human

Nola and her drawing of a "human"

Notice the legs, arms, eyes and hair...

Nola is an artist like her mom and dad!

Nola was very busy this day experimenting with her artistic abilities.  You will note her first attempt at "drawing a human" which we soon took pictures of and sent to daddy.
This little artist doesn't fall far from the brush!!