THANKFUL THURSDAY!

Grateful.......

.......for attendance at many events & many happenings in my oldest grandchild's life thru the years across the miles. From the drop-off at his first day of kindergarten

 & elementary school visits where he introduced me as 100 years old to his University of Arkansas commencement, he has kept me smiling!

WALKABOUT WEDNESDAY!

Nothing quite like 3 generations of a family walking the golf course of Audubon Park together! 

They all love golf! Plus, All three have Lawrence in their name! 

Going for his first par!

It's in!!!

Three great  connections on this Walkabout Wednesday!

DOUBLE DIGIT

Double-digit birthdays are biggies. Hallmark knows this and takes full advantage.

But the first double digit seems the BEST---a real milestone! 

For Caleb it was an extended celebration of sorts---from party with friends earlier in the month to a celebration with extended family days before---a pogo stick was even delivered to the door and a family dinner at Texas Land and Cattle on the “real” day!

Happy 10^th Birthday to our football playing fisherman CDL!
Cabela's awaits you with open arms anxious to help you spend your birthday "bucks."

"Gaie-TEA

This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24, NASB)

"Good news, John Parker has a birthday!
Good news, John Parker has a birthday!!
Good news, John Parker has a birthday----He's 6 years old today!!!"

We all sang around the kitchen table at breakfast this morning. It is indeed good news when the day is blessed with family gathered, scripture read, prayers given and a grandson honored on "his" day. 

Lots of cuppas of gaie-TEA to be shared these next few days as we, grandparents, celebrate moments one-on-one with our son and his number 4 son. 

A cuppa gaiety with a baseball cookie because John Parker doesn't like cake, as he is quick to remind us!

There's even celebratory gaiety with a stinky fish, especially when it's caught at Pickwick on Pop's dock.

serendipi-TEA : a Re-Brew

Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth." (Genesis 9:16, NIV)

Arriving at Owen's soccer practice, the drops started to fall. Of course they did, it's Memphis BBQ Fest time. Dave Brown had just announced on the simulcast that it was raining down on the river and coming east at 40 mph. Then Joe Birch interrupted, saying, "Will you look at that---iPhones are snapping everywhere---it's a double rainbow."

Out east, we only had dark clouds and drops that were getting heavier by the moment.

But....the good news (serendipiTEA for me) was a Chi-Fil-A around the corner and the cancelled practice allowing extra time for the two of us to go inside the restaurant for a treat. 

The real treat was discovered before we even walked in the door. 

Owen saw it first. "Look , Shug---a rainbow. My first time ever to see one. Look it's two just like the man on the radio said." 

Owen was right. A double rainbow. A double blessing. Created by God.

Just seeing Owen's first (as he recalls) rainbow with him and then both of us sharing the special event of the double rainbow. Serendipi-TEA!

The primary rainbow had the colors showing red, orange, yellow, green....from outside to inside. If the light in the rainbow is reflected twice, it results in a double rainbow---with the reverse of the colors starting with red, orange...and continuing. (red faces inward toward the other rainbow, in both rainbows)(answer.yahoo.com)
That's just what we saw!

And Owen learned a new word.....serendipity!

"tea-lightful"

May you see your children's children! (Psalm 128:6, ESV)

Not only living to see my grandchildren but spending uninterrupted time with them, especially one at a time, is a blessing. A treat beyond measure. A "grand" time to read stories, play a game and create. 

"Serving the birds" idea had us creating a pinecone wreath bird feeder. Slathering peanut butter on the cones and rolling them in seed and thistle to attract the birds was great fun. BUT....a pesky squirrel made short work of disassembling and devouring our creation......as the birds only looked on. In his defense, he does lay clam to all pinecones in our yard, so I should have known better.

Time with a grandson is as "tea-lightful" as a warm cuppa on a cold January day, even when activities take an unexpected turn.

"Star of the Week"

10/31/13 For a kindergartener, it's the best week EVER! "Star of the Week!"
A special SOTW bag for your chair. Pictures from your whole life (5+ years worth) on a big poster for all to see. Family can join you for lunch. Parents can come and read a story to the class.  Can "stump" the class during Show and Tell with the rhyming "brag bag." Ah-h the thrills of childhood stardom

"Officer Buckle and Gloria," one of "star" Owen's favorite books

GIGI'S GIFT

6/23/10 Ever the pragmatic one, Mother, aka Gigi to her grands, gave me (9 years ago) a gift for Josh, if and when he married, because she knew she wouldn’t be around for his special day. His would be the only grandchild’s wedding she would miss. Her gift (can’t tell b/c Megan reads the blog) even included her personalized recipe card for chocolate chess pie. Though somewhat incomplete---she cooked by feel---it had all the ingredients listed boldly, though in her cancer weak hand, and at the bottom was written---“Josh likes this.”
Gigi--- a tall, striking, very “ungrandmotherly” looking lady. She didn’t smell mothbally either, like so many grandmothers do---just ask her grandaughters who loved to get into Gigi’s make-up and the fancy bottles of perfume on her gold filigree tray.

Josh has always had a special relationship with his Gigi even when she treatened to “skin him alive” for running down the driveway as a 4 year old. He had always declared that if he ever married, (and that was a BIG IF) Gigi was the only one he was going to invite to the wedding and it was going to be in Las Vegas because he thought his Gigi would like a glittery place.

I guess Las Vegas lost its luster after Mother died because the wedding will be in Brooklyn, his and Megan’s “beloved borough.” I do regret that Mother never met Megan. She would have liked her and would have loved shopping in New York with her. She would have loved her Valentino’s too. Mother believed in stepping out in style (unlike her daughter) and the adorable PINK wedding shoes would have been right up her “fashion alley.” She would probably also threaten to “skin Josh alive” if he didn’t treat his bride/wife like a lady. Nestled in the ribbon of the package is a silver ice scoop because Josh loved Gig’s “sweet tea.” Always sweetened while warm and then chilled and served in glassware (no Tupperware for her.) with lots of ice. LOTS of ice, another Gigi rule. Hence, the scoop.

I’ll probably cry when I give it to them because Gig’s gift came at great cost---bought years ago as she suffered in her final stages of cancer. Her desire was for Josh to know that she wanted at least her gift to be at the wedding and then used throughout his marriage.