New Blog

I have created a new blog, and can't figure out how to transfer my old one:( My new blog is www.applesforjam.blogspot.com.It will still be a simple blog, written to share a bit of our family life with friends and family who are spread over many miles.

Log Cabin Life

This evening I finaly found some pictures that I took a while back that I had been meaning to post. We went and spent the weekend at the home of the John Parkers if Nashville. They have an old restored cabin on a beautiful piece of countryside. The hills of Tennessee can't be beat on a Springtime morning. The boys were up bright and early to fish and play in the creek. They enjoyed the horses and fishing, while we enjoyed the wonderful meal and the fellowship. It was such a lovely relaxing weekend. It still makes me smilejust thinking about it:)

A Day in Nashville

On the morning of the 23rd (of May) the family decided to drive to Nashville and surprise Jon for the day, with a late birthday party. Justin took him golfing, and then to Maggiano's Italian Restaurant for lunch. When he walked in the door he was truly surprised. That was a first! We ate for 2 1/2 hours, and the food was amazing. A real Italian feast. I felt as if we were at a wedding in Sicily with all the courses. Katie had made him a wonderful poster with scriptures imposed over a backlit photo of him with his guitar. She has such a gift for gift giving, and always seems to know what would be most meaningful to the recipient.We then headed over to the Science Museum for the afternoon. The boys had a great time, along with the little ones. One of the most memorable was feeling "weightless" on the climbing wall with their brother-in-law, Justin. He's always up for trying something new!We went by to see Jon's new apartment...great neighborhood. I think all of us felt better about him starting this new phase of life in Nashville now that we can imagine his surroundings. We sure do miss seeing him all the time, but are excited to see him making his dreams come true.

Tim's Graduation

My son-in-law, Tim, graduated from Harding recently, with his MBA. We are so proud of him. We all made a trip to Searcy to see him cross the stage, along with my nephew, Jason, who was completing his degree. We shared a wonderful weekend with friends and family.We stayed with our friends Ken and Teresa, who treated us royally with homemade blueberry pancakes for breakfast! Everyone was able to be there, except for Jon who was traveling with his soccer team.I had a nice visit with my friend, Mona Lee, though never long enough to feel like we've even begun to catch up. Being with all of my brothers and sistes was especially wonderful. This past year, with all its struggles, was much easier because they carried my load. Gabriel, Maria and Julia are so blessed to have such a hard working Dad. To work a full time job, create websites as a side business, and earn an MBA at the same time, shows a lot of diligence on his part. More importantly he is a wonderful husband to our daughter, Katie,and is active in his local congregation. Hopefully, now that his work is completed he can find a little free time for himself.

Charlotte Kimberly

One of the many delightful aspects of these past few weeks has been sharing our days with our granddaughter Charlotte. Since moving here in April from Sicily, we have been able to take many walks, visits and spend time playing in the pool in the backyard. She is a sweet, content child who has brought much joy to our lives. Today I came home with a new dollhouse for the grandbabies. Charlotte was pretty excited about it!

Taekwondo

In January of this year I was praying for my two youngest sons and their futures. I wanted to get them involved in something positive, which would NOT involve competition. While browsing at Hobby Lobby I came across an ornament to hang on the tree which was a dark skinned little boy in a Taekwondo outfit...jumping. It reminded me of Christian, who leaps and bounds through life, but also of Jordan with the determination in the face. After looking into what was available I found that FHU offered a class two nights a week. That's five minutes away:) The class age ranges from 5 to 45. All three instructors have their black belts and are fellow believers...and also adoptive parents. It has been a wonderful semester. The boys have already earned their yellow belts, and will test for their high yellow belts on Monday.Last week Chelsea and Justin went with them to see their work. They were so excited to show off at something NO ONE else in the family had ever done!I have two new patches to sew on before next weeks final class for the semester, followed by "Ninja Night"!I just love it when my prayers are answered so clearly, and I don't have to wait til heaven to see the answer.

Square Foot Gardening

This Spring we decided to expand our gardening efforts and move off of the back porch. In years past we have been gone much of the summer and were unable to benefit from any small bounty we might have been blessed with. Since we will be staying home this summer we have built our first 4x4 frame, with it's neat one foot sections, and planted our crop:) We have spinach, lettuce, cabbage, peppers, basil, onions, and two types of tomatoes. On the porch we are growing rosemary, sage, parsley, and lavendar. We have strawberries, blackberries and raspberries growing along the fence. The weather has been perfect, apparently, for growing things. My yard is in full bloom. I have vases of creamy pink and white peonies in every room. I've passed them on to friends. I have yellow irises in the beds, and azaleas blooming out front. The pink dogwood we planted last year is gorgeous. This past weekend when Chelsea was home visiting I took her around the yard and was pointing out the different things growing, and it suddenly hit me. I am my Mother! She did the same thing to me (and sad to say, I was not that enthusiastic:)She had never been able to grow anything when I was young, and then once we were gone she developed a green thumb. The very same thing had happenned to me. It made me think.Priorities change. Life teaches us patience. Time spent in the garden gives us the gift of peace and contentment while we are working,and then again at harvest time.Chelsea has also planted a garden this year. I'm so happy that she won't be waiting 50 years before she experiences the joys of eating healthy food from her own backyard.

Sliding Down the Hill

Looking through some old pictures taken last summer, I ran across these that were taken with Jordan and Christian when their cousins were visiting. Dear Dana came up with the ultimate water slide on the spur of the moment, and the boys enjoyed their afternoon sliding with Alex, Sam and Seth.And I enjoyed sitting on the porch smocking while Dana squirted soap down the slide:) She's a fun friend!

Linens

Linens, starch, lavendar linen spray, new ribbons- eggshell blue, pinks, greens. Once a year I pull everything out of my buffet and linen armoire. I set up my ironing board and small fan, and plug in the laptop. As the music begins to play, the mood is set."Anne of Green Gables", a glass of sweet tea, and stacks of matching napkins tied with sweet ribbons." These are the napkins painted by Edna Thbaraj for Great Aunt Rema to match her violet dishes", I share with my daughters. "This is the tablecloth I bought at the Tuesday market along the Arno River in Florence. I was with Joyce Shackelford and she helped translate for me. The merchant said I was "simpatico" so he sold it to me for only 25,000 lire. I think he loved you three little ones and was just being kind." Each stack has a memory. Meals shared with those who have gone on. The red cloth that covered the funeral cart in Italy for dear Roberto Masini, that now graces our table each holiday.A new South African cloth brought by our most recent guest, Jean Lambert as she is here preparing for her daughters' upcoming marriage. Everything smooth, starched, neat. No loose ends. For the rest of the year, each time I get out a set of sheets to make the beds for a new guest, I make a new memory. Each tablecloth as it is refolded has a story to tell about the conversations that were shared above it.For two or three days a year I get a chance to reminesce and be grateful. So many lives have touched ours. How blessed we have been.

The Gathering

This past week, the daughter of our friends Terri and Dennis Rine lost her life in a senseless tragedy. Micah, having just turned 26 this past week, was an amazing young woman, and a wonderful OB/GYN nurse. She touched the lives of so many with her kindnesses and the joy by which she lived her life.There is much we do not know at this time. There was a shooting, her husband says accidental, but what we do know is that she is gone from our midst.And it is such a great loss. It makes all around us feel fleeting. It makes life seem insecure. This could be our daughter, our friend. Those could be our broken lives.So last night, as one by one each of our children and grandchildren migrated into the small upstairs schoolroom where Terry was attempting to grade papers, I had to smile.It started with a conversation between Terry and Justin.Brandon joined in.Then Jon with the guitar.Katie joins in singing along. They're all singing, Gabriel is playing a game in the midst of all the feet, baby Julia is kicking her feet.Tim and Maria come looking for Katie. Chelsea and I hear the commotion and go to check what is going on.Here come Jordan and Christian. The room is small. Like 10X10 small. But love was there. And security. For that night, we were all together. We loved one another. We would always be there for each other. Conversations have drifted this past week to family compounds, big rooms with built in library shelves, land for gardening and flowers and all of us together-- three generations, maybe four.But Micah taught us one very valuable last lesson.We only have today. And for today, God has brought us together, and for this we rejoice.We don't need a family compound. We can find each other, even in a little 10X10 room.

I'm Back!

It is hard to believe that it has been an entire year since I last posted. I have been encouraged by so many friends who, unknown to me, were regular followers, to continue with my musings on the daily joys and trials that make up life. For a short, condensed summary of the past year...In August Terry and I celebrated thirty years of marriage, followed the next day with emergency heart surgery to replace his aorta and valve. Becaus of a long recovery period we were unable to make our trip to Italy and spent the Fall semester at home while Terry recuperated.Jonathan went in his stead and did an outstanding job as interim director in his Dad's absence. In October, our granddaughter, Charlotte Kimberly, was born in Catania Sicily.In October, Jordan experienced his first broken wrist, while waveboarding, and had to be in a cast for six weeks. In November, the older children gathered their resources to fly Brandon and family home for a visit.We all enjoyed this time of being together so much.In January, little Julia Marcail joined her little brother Gabriel, 3, and sister Maria, 2, born just one day after her sister's 2nd birthday.I was hospitalized during this time with what turned out to be esophageal spasms, and grateful it was a problem that was easily treated with medication.In March, after many weeks of joy and excitement, Justin and Chelsea once again sent their unborn child straight into God's waiting arms. In April, Brandon and Kristin returned from Sicily for him to complete his masters work at FHU.Tim finished his MBA at Harding in early May. I guess the truth is that it is impossible to condense a years worth of living in a few paragraphs! So from this point onwards, my intent is to share the joys in living in this world, and to encourage my family and friends to live quiet lives serving our Lord...lives of contentment.

Mothers Day 2008

This weekend was a beautiful reminder of how good life can be. The celebrations began on Thursday night when our niece, Maggie, announced that she was finishing the semester with a 3.0 GPA. Maggie came to live with us this semester and has really applied herself to her studies. We are SO proud of her.On Friday the little boys and I celebrated the completion of our school year. They are now officially third and fourth graders. We went out to lunch and then they each chose a gift at Books-a-Million. Christian bought a Science Kit and Jordan chose a guitar pic necklace with a scripture on it. On Saturday night we celebrated the birth of Jon, 24 years ago. Everyone was here for dinner...Micah, Grandpa and Grandma, sisters, brother-in-laws, niece and nephew, etc. We had an apple-brandy marinated pork roast, squash, roasted rosemary potatoes, yeast rolls, brownies and Italian Cream Cheese Cake. We played board games, guitar, and looked through photo albums put together for me by Katie for Mothers Day. She scrapbooked three albums for me. They are wonderful! This morning I was woken by the boys with homemade cards (they know that's my favorite)and two special gifts, one for my house and one for the garden. Jon gave me a card with a picket fence on it ( in honor of the picket fence that is being installed this week:) and beautiful candles. Chelsea and Justin had made me a plate with each family member painted with something that symbolizes them, with their name. It is perfect. I am holding a ladle, Terry a guitar, Katie a paint can, etc. After church we all went to Katie and Tim's for a lunch of pasta al forno, garlic bread and cheesecake. It was all delicious. The phone rang and I was able to have a nice long chat with Brandon and Kristin in Italy. He shared the mornings sermon topic, told of having all their students over for dinner the night before, and singing "Happy First Mothers Day" to Kristin at a little bit after midnight:) Chelsea washed up and then after Grandpa and Grandma left to return to Henderson the girls and I all headed to the fabric store. Chelsea bought some fabric with poppies on it, Katie's favorite flower, and is making her and Maria matching Mother/daughter aprons. I bought fabric for a Thomas the Tank Engine shortall for Gabriel and fabric for three summer play dresses for Maria. I am also in the process of making some baby gowns for the new grandbaby due in October (Brandon and Kristin's first). The weekend was full of laughter, a few tears (as we remembered Chelsea and Justin's little one that is waiting for us in Heaven, but still made her a Mama),and a gratitude that is hard to put into words. I sometimes ask myself how we could be so blessed. I have to stop myself from thinking dire thoughts as to how life can change so rapidly in the blink of an eye, as if I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop.But I know, that whatever happens in the future, just as difficult things have happened in the past, that God will still be God. He loves us and has blessed us with family and brothers and sisters in Christ to help us make it through this world and into the next.What a gift we have been given. What a Savior!