Christmas Thoughts

Christmas is the birthday of The King of Kings, The Only wise God, The Prince of Peace, namely Jesus. My husband and I have interesting discussion about many things. Yesterday, the discussion centered around Jesus' DNA. What? Yes, we talk about different things often. The thought my DH has is that Jesus had to have looked exactly like His mother because hers was the only DNA Jesus had. His Father was Spirit, hence no DNA, right? Right. I do have my own opinions about many things when we have our talks, however on this one I would agree with my husband. I truthfully never considered what Jesus may have looked like, other than probably short in stature and Jewish looking. I don't think He looked much like the anglican-looking paintings I have seen of Him. I suppose it doesn't much matter what He looked like, but I do like to think about these things. Our first grandson who was born in July, started out looking very much like his mama. Now that he is 5 1/2 months old, I see a lot of his daddy in his looks. I must say, my grandson has the cutest and most varied expressions of any baby ever. His emotions shine forth in each of the faces he makes. Oh, I digress. :) So, since Jesus must have been the clone (physically speaking) or the spitting image of His mama, then His Father's side contributed 100 % of His Spirit. Have you ever looked at a person and thought before even talking to them, that he/she wasn't very good looking? But then, after you sit down, spend some time with him/her, the countenance of that person radiates beauty and you begin to see the spirit of the person more and more. This is true of Our Savior. I have often wondered how I will recognize my dad, my brother, my grandparents, and even my miscarried child when I get to heaven. I don't think it will be from their DNA, rather it will be their spirit that will shine in my direction. Merry Christmas or as our pastor says, "Now that's something to celebrate!"

The Tree is Up.

I just finished decorating our tree. We got a spruce today. We are very careful to get a non-aggressive Christmas tree. We have had some in Christmases past that do not like anyone, I do mean ANYONE putting ornaments, lights, or anything on their branches. Their needles are so sharp that if they could talk they would say, "STAY AWAY FROM US, WE WILL HURT YOU!" Spruces are very friendly and they hold my heavy ornaments well. White pines have wimpy branches and although they are not prickly sharp, many of my ornaments end up falling off. As I was decorating tonight, I found myself singing Paul McCartney's Christmas song, "Simply Having a Wonderful Christmastime." It is one of my favorite rock n roll type Christmas songs. My husband likes "Santa Baby" as his secular Christmas favorite:) I don't know all the words to Simply Having a Wonderful Christmastime, but just sing the title over and over and it works. The video on YOUTUBE of Paul McCartney singing it at Rockefeller Center is a good one. If I were computer--smart, I'd put it up here for you, but no can do. I need my daughter to handle that kind of saavy stuff. My favorite Christmas hymn is "O Holy Night". This tells the true meaning of Christmas. However, if you happen to be decorating and start humming and singing the Paul McCartney ditty, then go on ahead and I'll join you. Merry Christmas!

Our Anniversary

This Thanksgiviing Day will be our 33rd anniversary. When my husband and I decided to get married, we picked the fall of the year, right after Thanksgiving Day. One reason was because my husband was still in college and couldn't take off much time from school. Another reason was because I was a teacher and couldn't take off much time from school. Plus, we both love the season of fall. I really didn't want a June wedding because everyone else wanted a June wedding. My mom made my wedding dress and my maid of honor's dress which was colors of gold and harvest shades. The invitations were sent, the Chapel at the University of Maryland's Methodist Church was secured. Our pastor could play the piano, sing and marry us, so that was easy. The reception would be at my parents' home with catering from a local store. A cousin would be the photographer and the developer of the wedding pictures. We were on a budget, so all was well. Anyway, when we picked the day after Thanksgiving to say our vows, my husband was happy because (he thought), "I will always remember our wedding date." Since he has trouble with remembering dates, he was all for this plan. What he didn't know was that the date for Thanksgiving changes each year because it isn't like Christmas or the 4th of July. I knew this, but hey, I'm good at remembering dates.

When our first anniversary came up, he almost missed it because he was waiting for Thanksgiving. My husband has many admirable qualities. He is very intelligent. He can remember every song lyric ever written. He knows his history. He is a deep thinker. He is thoughtful. He is as honest as the day is long, but ask him when I was born or the date of our marriage or any date for that matter and forget about it, it's just a guessing game for him.

Thankfully, this year our anniversary comes on Thanksgiving Day. We will have a great dinner, no restaurant this year. He will smoke the turkey. We will have many pie choices including his favorite, coconut. We will toast each other and say thank you God for the gift of Thanksgiving and our anniversary both on the same date!! This may never happen again during the rest of our married life, but if it does, oh,will we rejoice!!!

Whee!!!

I love this picture of my grandson. He is 3 months old now and smiling, grinning, laughing and having fun (most of the time). He still has a few fussy moments from what his mommy tells me, but his exploring,learning and happy moments are outnumbering the grumpy ones. I cannot wait to have some playtime with him in a few days. When other grandmas told me that being a grandmother would be like nothing else, I was a bit skeptical. I have been around children all of my life. First taking care of younger cousins, then babysitting, then having my own. Not to mention 28 years of teaching younger children. However, there truly is nothing quite like being this little guy's grandmama. Thank you, God, for this blessing of pure joy!

JOY

Our ladies Bible study is reading Treasures of Encouragement by Sharon Betters. I have always said I want to meet Barnabas in heaven. His name literally means "son of encouragement." As we meet together each week, we are encouraged by being in the presence of each other and by God's encouraging Words of Scripture. Last week during our study, we experienced a lot of laughter, which in itself is the essence of joy. We are each thinking of and praying for a person to share a "Joy Box" with as was talked about in chapter 2. Our pastor talked about joy yesterday at church. We are to go out into the world with peace and joy. Nehemiah 8:10b says, "Do not grieve, for the JOY of the LORD is your strength." I loved listening to the song "Rest in Him" ( You can watch it on Youtube) this morning as it is an encouragement to know that God loves us so much. So go forth this day to love and serve the Lord in peace and joy!

Fall

Since I haven't written a blog since last month, I figured I better at least write one this month. It has been a busy couple of months for me. My husband and I went to Maui and Kauai in late August and into early September- ALOHA. Then in mid. September, my friend and I went to Florida for a few days. Finally to round out part of September, my husband brought our daughter and new grandson home for a a week and a half while our SIL was in class in another state. Then last week, we took them back to their home and got to stay with them for a few days.I loved that getaway the most because I am so enjoying getting to know our first grandson. Even though fall officially began on September 23, it wasn't until yesterday that the weather has begun to feel autumnal. I know I have mentioned before that fall is my favorite season, but I have to say it again. Fall is my favorite season. The air is crisp and clean, the leaves are starting to turn the multi-colors of red, orange and gold, and the sky is blue with non-threatening clouds. I went shopping yesterday and bought two little candles. One has a pumpkin scent and the other has an apple cider scent. Even though the candles are just votive size, the scents have permeated the house. I might add that I haven't even lit them. Go Yankee Candles!!! I played tennis yesterday and today and just being outside was heavenly. We have had our share of rain in the past few weeks as well as cloudy, gloomy days, so the coolness and sun were a welcome change. So, my advice for anyone, whether you like cool days or warm ones, is to go outside, look up and thank God for all He has given us. To God be the glory spring, summer, winter, or fall. Yea,fall!!

The Earthquake Massage

This past Tuesday around 1:50 in the afternoon, I was just beginning to receive a massage at the Y. My massage lady is the best!! I always look forward to my hour of relaxation. M. had already masssaged my scalp and my shoulders and was working on my right arm when all of a sudden the room started moving. There was a big bang at first and M. and I thought that some he-man just outside the massage room door had dropped a very heavy weight. We are use to the weights being dropped, so no big deal. However, this time the room started swaying and shaking. We held onto each other and soon learned that it was an earthquake. The manager of the Wellness Center, banged on the door and said, "Get out, earthquake." Me,in just my undies, grabbed my shirt and capris and slipped on my sandals and M. and I were out the door in record time. We are thankful that the manager didn't frorget about us being in that little room. After about 20 minutes of standing outside while the building was inspected for structural damage and the debris cleaned up inside- fallen ceiling tiles and some twisted metal, it was back to the massage room for M. and me. We prayed together this time and thanked God for His protection. I kidded with M. that her massage was out of this world, that it was a very deep tissue massage!!! Needless to say, this is one massage I will never forget.

Grandson Fun!

As I look at the cherub face of my first grandchild, there are many things I see. I see a miracle first of all. I see my own daughter's baby face as I gaze upon his. Yeah, yeah, people see who they want to see when they look at the newest member of the family, but he definitely is his mama's baby. When I had his mama, my dad didn't think she was mine because she (in the words of my aunt), "Looked like she had been in Florida for 2 weeks." Also, when my husband pointed out our daughter to his mother in the hospital nursery, her response was, "Why does it say Perez on the bassinette?" Even my own husband couldn't point out his child. I know that this little baby's looks will change as he grows, but for now, he is my baby's baby in looks. Granted, his eyes are his daddy's. It is a joy to hold him, to kiss his cheeks, to snuggle with him when my daughter brings him to me and to pray over him and read The Bible to him in the morning. I love being here with my daughter, my son-in-law and this little one. Yes, it will be hard to leave, but I realize that is part of God's plan too. As my daughter becomes more confident of her motherly instincts and as she and her husband begin this new adventure in their lives, it's all good. My son-in-law is quick to remind my daughter of all of God's blessings when she starts to become overwhelmed with this mother thing. For now, I will close and have some one on one time with my #1 grandson. Thank you, God, for my baby's baby.

July

It has been a while since I wrote anything because I have been doing other things. For one, I have been playing lots of tennis. I am on a senior tennis league that meets 3 days a week and am a sub on a community league that plays once a week. I am learning how to hit that little yellow ball correctly, how to stand when I hit it and all kinds of tennis tips. I have also been sewing for my soon-to-be born grandson. I turned my daughter's old bedroom into my sewing room so that now I don't have to clean off the dining room table after each sewing project. I just leave the sewing machine out and the ironing board is a few feet away. Much better. Here is one of my recent finished projects for my expectant daughter. Some people call it a "hooter hider",but my daughter prefers the term,"Baby Curtain". Don't have any pictures of my tennis games, however last week, my tennis partner and I won all 4 games!! This has never happened to me before, so I was VERY excited. Most tennis leagues play 6 games per set, but we usually stop at 4 games per set. That is about all for now. Gotta get ready for a play. Happy 4th of July!!

The Terpmobile

On Thursday afternoon, I drove my Terpmobile over to the school where I had taught for many years. My Terpmobile and I were going to meet the first first draft pick made by the new UM basketball coach, Mark Turgeon. The junior in high school will sign officially (once he is a senior) to play basketball for my college alma mater in 2012.
It was fun meeting this young man and taking his pictures with the Terpmobile. When I went to Maryland, the basketball coach was Lefty Driesell. I would sometimes study in Cole Fieldhouse while the basketball players were practicing. I didn't like the quietness of the library, so studying in the bleachers worked. Cole Fieldhouse is no longer there,so when my husband and I go to a game in 2012, we will be watching from the Comcast Center. I really don't know the rules of basketball. I do know you need to get that big round ball in the basket, but the part about traveling, I just don't know. You have to "travel" to get the ball down the court, but the referees are always calling someone out for doing this traveling thing.
My brother always said that college basketball was more exciting than pro basketball. I have heard that more and more over the years.
Best wishes to this future Terp who is welcome to drive my Terpmobile.

Birthday and Mother's Day

This past Sunday, I celebrated a milestone birthday (I will leave it at that) and Mother's Day, all in the very same day. My husband made me a lemon cake as that is what I had requested. He doesn't like for me to tell people that he makes cakes, but it's the truth. He is an excellent baker man. I think he would much prefer that I told people that he was a mighty deer shooter or any other wild beast hunter for that matter, but the truth there is, that he isn't. One time a deer literally jumped over him in them thar woods and he missed that target.
Anyway, getting back to the birthday/Mother's Day subject, it was a perfect day. My older daughter came down. My best friend came over. I got to visit my own mom and take her some goodies and take her for a walk down the lovely street where she lives. My younger daughter called me first thing for my bonus days as she couldn't be here.
Now that I am ___ years old, I am more busy and having more fun than I have had since I was 6. I lead a weekly Bible study and it is in it's 4th year. I call it the Yada-Yada Bible Study after the Yada-Yada books by Neta Jackson. The group is very diverse and is much like the characters in her books. I play tennis in a weekly tennis league 2 to 3 times a week. I am a Mentor Mom to 8 FANTASTIC young moms. They teach me soooo much more than I do them. I will miss them as I am leaving this position, since I will be a Grandmama in July and want to devote more time to that new role. I try to walk 3 miles a day about 5 days a week with some dear friends and my G man. I work out at the Y with my friend also about 5 days a week. In addition, I will run my second 5K at the end of this month, so I train by running 3 miles in the park or on the treadmill about once a week. I also visit my mom 2 to 3 times a week, since I am no longer her full time caregiver. It is a good thing I am retired because I wouldn't have time to hold down a job.
So as I begin this new decade,I am thankful to the One who gave me life. God knows the plans for me and that is sufficient. As I heard a Scottish pastor on the radio say yesterday, "Yesterday is a cancelled check, tomorrow is a promissory note, but today, it is cash in hand." May I spend my time today wisely. May I focus on My Creator and Savior for this day and be happy and content.

A Favorite Teacher

On Easter Sunday at 9PM on CBS,there will be a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, called, Beyond the Blackboard. I hope to watch it,because I am a big fan of Hallmark movies and the commercials. I decided to write about just one of my favorite teachers and how she inspired me. Here is the writing.

A Favorite Teacher

My first grade teacher was Mrs. Gifford at Pierpont Primary School in Clarksburg, West Virginia in 1957. She made learning fun! Reading about Dick, Jane, Sally, Spot and Boots in the cozy reading circle is a treasured memory. Mrs. Gifford kept an M & M candy dispenser in the front corner of the classroom. She would allow us to put a penny in the machine and turn the shiny knob and out would pour the multi-colored sweet treat. I guess Mrs. Gifford knew many secrets to winning over her young students, with candy being one great motivator. Yes, I know that food rewards are not encouraged as a major teaching tool nowadays, but hey, it works.
Even as a six year old, I could tell Mrs. Gifford loved her students. She smiled a lot. She encouraged us with reading contests, handwriting awards, and a fishing game at the school carnival. No, we didn’t catch fish, but throwing a fishing line over a sheet and having a prize hooked on and then reeling it over the sheet was something this former first grader will never forget.
Thanks to Mrs. Gifford’s example to me, my teacher dream began in her class. Four years ago, I retired from teaching after twenty-eight years. My last six years of teaching was in the first grade. My teacher dream began in her warm and welcoming first grade classroom. Mrs. Gifford has gone on to her heavenly home, or should I say heavenly classroom, and I will see her again one day. Thanks a bunch, Mrs. Gifford!

April Showers

This past week, two of my friends had a baby shower for my daughter. It was much fun and we were able to have the shower right here in our home. That worked out best for everyone. We even had a real spring shower that evening, compliments of God. It was great to be able to come together to shower Rebecca with love and gifts. One of her friends came late and that was wonderful as it was a nice surprise. We are so glad that she decided to jump in the car no matter how late. One of the cards she received was priceless. I think it was called the Parents' Patron Verse. It said, "We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed." The shower was focused on how God would have us respond to the calling of being a mom. A story was shared about one's occupation when you become a mom. You're not "Just a Mom". You are as many would say, a domestic engineer, a 24/7 worker, a singer (as the lullabies spill forth at 3 AM),a quick change artist when there is a last minute spit-up, a fulltime nurse,a chauffeur, and a myriad of other jobs. You are most definitely not just a mom.
There is nothing more soothing than rocking a baby, as a friend who recently became a grandma for the third time reminded me. When I would rock my two to sleep, I sang one lullaby more than other ones. It goes like this, "rockin', rollin', ridin', all along the way. All bound for morning town, many, many miles away." (repeat the verse, 'til baby is soundly sleeping.) There was something disturbing about the rock-a-bye baby lullaby, so I didn't like to sing that one. The little diddy about rockin', rollin' and ridin', has a soothing-cowboy-esque melody.
As my baby girl has already begun the adventure of mothering her little one in the womb and soon to be in the real world. May she be continually showered with wisdom as well as a light-heartedness as she and her husband bring up their little bundle of joy in the way he should go.

Milk

A while ago I wrote a blog about my Uncle Grover and how he drank my brother's milk and then forgot that he had done that. In the past few weeks, I have been going to 2 places in the area that have non-homogenized milk. That just means that there is cream on the top. It's really good in my morning cup of coffee. Then, you just shake it up to get the homogenization going. The milk I have been getting comes in half gallon glass bottles. Is it just my imagination or does milk take better from glass bottles? So with the recent milk trips and my childhood days of drinking that cold creamy white refreshment, I decided to write about milk. Another aspect of this newly acquired treat is that I have been buying whole milk and not 2%. Actually, the whole milk is better for you or so I am told. I have to say, I am enjoying a glass of cold milk sometimes with my dinner and sometimes just with a couple of cookies. I haven't had a glass of milk with my dinner in ages. Growing up, we always had milk with our meals, but as an adult I have been drinking water, tea or a soft drink instead. My husband says he doesn't know if milk is a drink or a food. It's both, if you count ice cream:)
There was a slogan on TV commercials that said, "Milk,it does a body good." I would have to say amen to that. What is the lesson here? Drink milk. If you can get it in the glass return-deposit bottles, even better.

A Georgia-gorous Weekend

This past weekend, my husband and I got to travel to Georgia to see our daughter and son-in-law. Husband and Son-in-law were in the Java Jog on Saturday. They were both signed up to run the 10 K. As it turned out, it was a picture-perfect run morning. No clouds, great temperature and no "humandidity" as my dad called it. A pack of 115 runners set off at 8:32. It was decided that my husband and son-in-law would not try to keep pace with each other. There are hills in Georgia, did you know that? When running, one realizes this fact quickly. Even a slight hill when driving is a big deal when running. We do not like those hills. As it truned out, my husband decided that he had had enough and felt good about just finishig the 5K part of the race. However, my son-in-law, finished the whole 10 K. I would say being over 30 years younger and an Army officer had something to do with his stamina. My husband came in first in his age group. It turned out that he was the oldest runner in this race. My son-in-las also came in first in his age group. Yea, G. and L.!!!!
While the guys were running, my expectant baby girl and I walked around, ate a light snack and watched our guys cross the finish line.
It was great to play tennis with my daughter. There is a single tennis court within walking distance of their home. I hadn't played in so long that I had to be retaught nearly everything.
Another highlight of the weekend was feeling my daughter's belly move as my grandson let me know he was having his workout too.
We had taken the crib with us that our daughters had and G. and L. put it up. It was a cool moment when G. and L. came downstairs to show us the handwrtten instructions that my husband had written 22 years ago as he had packaged up the crib. It was written on March 18, 1989, 22 years to the DAY of our arrival in Georgia!!!!! He had also written a note on the back of the directions saying that his mom had given us the crib and a blessing for the next baby to use it. This is definitely a keeper crib and note! Thank you God for all of your blessings!! Happy spring!!

March 15th

Today is the Ides of March, actually every 15th of the month is the ides, but Julius Ceasar coined the phrase, "beware the ides of March", to convey a sense of not so good things to come. I don't think of the ides of March in a negative way. It's just another day. It's one in which we can say, "This is the day the Lord has made...".
It is also my 100th post! I haven't had much time lately to blog like I did when I first started in blogland. Now, I will blog when something different comes up or when I feel the Spirit move. With 2 Bible Studies, going to the gym 6 days out of 7, being a Mentor Mom for MOPS, walking daily with our friends, checking in on my mom several times a week, and just the day-to-day tasks of life, blogging has become just a fun thing to do when I have a free moment. I enjoy reading my daughter's weekly blog as her pregnanacy progresses. I enjoy reading other people's thoughts and the way they phrase things. On this ides of March, I hope to do all of the above just like any other day. May we each rejoice today and not look at this mid-March date as one that is up to no good. Enjoy all that God has in store for you today and keep looking up!!

Custard

For the past 2 days, I have wanted to just curl up in a ball and hide. I think I got a bug from my mom, but the doctor thinks it is allergies from the high winds we have been having around here. I kind of hibernated all day yesterday,took my meds and drank hot tea, but this morning I needed to be upbeat as I spoke for a school chapel.
Thankfully, I woke up feeling a lot better, but still had a nasty cough. Could I talk for 10 minutes without coughing like a maniac? As it turned out, I made it through and the little ones didn't seem to mind my raspy voice. Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved the taste of warm, homemade custard when I am feeling yucky. So, on this windy day, I opened my pantry and saw the custard mix. Granted,it was far from homemade, but the Jello brand cook and serve filled the bill. It is a comfort food for me. I don't always have it when I'm sickly, but the combination of the blustery day and the under-the-weather feeling,made it just the right pick-me-up. On days that are warm and sunny and when I am feeling chipper, the frozen-variety is a yummy treat too. Yes, I do like custard.

Peace

At this point in time, my mom has an infection and a fever. She is on an antibiotic to get rid of this same type of infection that she gets several times a year. She is on tylenol for the fever. Her lungs are clear and the nurse said that although many on staff and the patients at the home where mom is, have the flu, mom however, doesn't. Good news, huh. Mom is in God's hands. I realize that at her age, she could lose her battle with this nasty infection and fever to boot, but to her credit, she is a fighter and she has super strong genes. My prayer for my mom is for peace. I have peace that God is in control and that if He chooses to take her to her heavenly home soon,then I know she will be whole and happy and at peace. If He chooses to allow mom to be in her earthly body longer, then I know that is for the best as well. Thank you, Father, for Your peace that passes all understanding.

Not Mellow Yellow

It has been about a month since I last wrote. I have been busy stripping wallpaper from my kitchen walls and painting the walls pineapple cream. In layman's terms, that yellow. We had new cabinets put in the second week of January. It took f-o-r-e-v-e-r to strip the wallpaper. First, I just used a clothes steamer and did about 2 strips in 5 days. Then a friend mentioned a product called Dif and once I scored the wllpapaer with a fancy little disk and sprayed on the dif to help dissolve the paste, voila, I was finished stripping, wallpaper, that is. Then another 2-3 days and the room was complete. Here is a picture. I love the bright yellow and white trim. It is so bright now, that when the lights are on, it looks like the lights are dim in comparison to the walls. Anyway,after 20 years of the same 2 deisgns of wallpaper, it is great to have fresh new walls and cabinets.

2011

This is my first writing of the new year. So far, 2011 is off to a great start. Our daughter and her husband are expecting their first baby!! This is big news as it is also our first grandchild and my mom's (the only living great-grandparent) first great-grandchild. The baby is due to touch down or arrive on July 22. Now, I was 10 days past my first baby's due date and was induced, not recommended and with the mama-to-be, I was exactly 2 weeks behind the doctor's date. My daughter just sent me the first ultrasound pictures and I was totally over-the-wall excited. Just seeing this perfectly formed 12 week and 5 day old being was amazing.
I don't want to be an annoying, bragging grandmama, so my husband, AKA, grandpapa, will have his hands full to keep me reigned in. Granted, men do not get as goo-goo ga-ga in the baby department, so I may have to just curb my enthusiasm when he is around, huh;) Anyway, I pray for my daughter, son-in-law and the little one as God equips this new family to honor Him. I pray for the many lessons, as my blog hints at, that will be learned in this new relationship You have created. Isn't that what it's all about, relationships? I believe so. As this new year unfolds, You hold it all in Your Hands. May we trust You, just as our forming grandchild will trust his/her mama and papa with everything.