Noah's Birthday by Lucy Lusk

A couple weeks ago was Noah's birthday. It was dirt party. My grandma and grandpa put the party
together but my mom asked them to do the party at their house. The party was a blast! There were
slip n slides and especially DIRT!

Get dirty,

Lucy

Digestive Reader

"You're a bad Christian, Sancho, because you never forget any insult you ever receive.  But men of noble and generous heart do not pay attention to trivialities." - Don Quijote

   Good morning, friends.  Pot 'o coffee brewed,  crickets humming, and I've been ministered to by a delusional fictional character.  All in all, it's been a pretty terrific morning.

     I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, these scarce little moments.  You moms know what I'm talking about.  The tots are enjoying themselves at Grandma's house, and you are completely alone.  We become like kids and silence is our candy store.  Honestly, I wasn't sure where to begin this morning.  I greeted God (who, by-the-way, returned my salutation), meditated briefly on some of His generous promises, and then gleefully skipped past the dirty dishes, unclipped coupons, and toys on the floor, straight to the shelves laden with unread bounty.  It had been so long since I had indulged myself.  Who would I tackle first?  Grisham, Leman, Crichton?  I closed my eyes and spun around, determined to read whichever book my outstretched finger touched.... Dr. Seuss.... Seriously? How did that get in there?  Redo.

      This time I struck gold.  Miguel de Cervantes.  I forgot how funny that guy was.  Michael and I used to read through his "Don Quijote" together.  We would end up laughing at anything that was written in it, like a couple of happy drunks.  (We weren't drunk... just happy.)  We should do that again.  I'll bring the book on our TBD vacation.

What inspirational thing will you read today? ("Christina, I'm reading your blog, he he he.", doesn't count.)

Thanks for stopping by, you faithful, faithful,  Bloggeroonies,

I prayed for you today,


Christina

P.S.   It's awfully quiet around here.  I sure do miss the kids.

Protective Services Anyone?

  It was just Noah and myself today, and I had an itch to play with the irresistible blonde creature.  Feeling more than a bit sluggish after a series of popcorn nights, I put on a pot of coffee.  As my French roast brewed, we engaged ourselves in our favorite game, mom-hides-behind-kitchen-island-and-yells "Boo!" as-toddler-approaches,  while toddler politely screams and shrieks even though he sees the whole thing coming - about thirty times.  Thirty times about did me in, so naturally we moved on to another favorite.  Mom-lies-on-floor-while-two-year-old-crawls-and-jumps-all-over-her game.  Somehow, in the mist of the pile driving, I must've fallen asleep.  I woke up all tingly, like bloodflow to my lower body had completely ceased.  Noah was sitting on me, eating Cheez-Its out of a box that looked like it had been shaken apart by a bulldog, watching Curious George on PBS kids. (The TV wasn't on when I entered my comatose state.)
    Alarmed by my unintentional nap, I made my way to the still-full coffee pot.  Crunch, crunch... I looked down.  Ahh, Cheerios, and a shredded cereal box that perfectly matched the Cheez-It packaging.

  Parenting life gives you many options.  You can grumble about the messes and extra work, or you can let your eyes water with the thought that these messy moments are so fleeting.

     I chose to smile as we finished the episode of Curious George side by side, sipping coffee and juice, as we ate crackers off the floor.  And now, my faithful blog readers, I must bid you ado, as I scurry off to tidy up todays adventures.  I leave you with a beautiful quote from my friend Drea.

"Life's full of uncertainty. Pivotal moments can change the course of the journey & your outlook towards it. Optimism fuels endurance for adventures unknown." - Drea Jewell


       "

A beautiful Day for a Neighbor(ette)

Hey bloggeroonies,

    It's been awhile.  My intention was to do a simple daily photo blog during the summer.  That, however, didn't prove to be that interesting, apparently, because feedback plummeted like a feather in a vacuum.  So, I stopped.  But,  regardless this busy summer schedule, I thought it fitting to dedicate an entry to one of my dearest neighbors.  (We have now reached the point in the blog where the author breaks into song.  It's tricky tonight though, because I am equally torn between the theme to Mr. Roger's Neighborhood and "Sandy" from Grease.  It's a toughy, but because the coin landed heads-up, we must go with zippered sweaters.)

     I am blessed to report that we have many wonderful neighbors nearby, but there's this one super-human, do-gooder that surpasses the other mere mortals in the remaining double-wide dwellings.   Get this,

The woman (occasionally with the help of her male and female offspring) :

Made me breakfast in bed on Mother's Day (Michael & kids were out of town).

Helped us load luggage into the van at 5am. (She's nuts.)

Feeds Buddy and Becky (carassius auratus) when we're away.

Frequently brings edible goodies

Leaves donations to Lusk World Outreach inbetween the doors.

The list goes on and on, but perhaps the most meaningful thing of all, she's a shining example of the cheerful selflessness of Christ.

Happy Birthday, Sandy Roberts.  Your a pal and a confidant (Ok, new songs.)

Be encouraged by the Lord today with this special birthday greeting from Him.

Love you.

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."