Drinking From My Saucer

The birthday was yesterday. What a great day indeed. Gracie had the perfect gift for mama. She's been itching to give this lusciously wrapped gift since returning from shopping with cousin Mimi. I had to close my eyes, hold out my hands while she crooned happy birthday in that sweet, sweet voice (vibrato & all). She grinned from ear to ear while I opened up her thoughtful gift. =) We ended the day with more cutie things crafted by her little hands -- a picture she drew of our full-of-love family, as she called it. I like the sound of that. =) I told her my best gift was Grace - she is best gift & I'm so blessed to have her every day.

So many wishes, blessings & birthday salutations came from friends & family via Facebook. Some phone calls came in from the nearest & dearest friends; they began at 6 AM but I didn't answer until 7 AM. It took me about an hour to say "thank you" to each one of those delivering birthday greetings. Saying "thank you" made me even more thankful - for so much more than a date on a calendar.

Gracie said I'm the best mom she ever had. Rhonda said I was her best childhood camping buddy. Cindy said I was one of the happiest persons she'd ever known. Pam & Sonny were wishing I'd come back out to California to visit. I'm so going once this degree is finalized! I was sent lots of love & blessings from all over the world - literally. I'm blessed to have friends near & far, some long time friends & some as new as the last 24 hours.

This morning as I enjoy the scent of cinnamon n sugar waft through my kitchen, I'm counting my blessings. I've got so much for which to be thankful. I'm getting healthier with every stick o'butter melting off my behind (three this week). My daughter is smart, healthy & loves to learn. I am loved by my family & though I miss my mom muchly on days like these, memories of her make my heart smile.

My life is full of goodness. Someone said that way before me in a near-cheesy poem that circulated years ago when forwarding bites of wisdom via email was still cool. I pulled it up to read, re-read & share because it just sums it up so nicely. I'm reaping better than I sowed. Not sure about the grammar, but is sure echos my heart today. Drinking from my saucer...

DRINKING FROM MY SAUCER

I've never made a fortune and it's probably too late now,But I don't worry about that much I'm happy anyhow.And as I go along life's way I'm reaping better than I sow,I'm drinking from my saucer 'Cause my cup has overflowed..Haven't got a lot of riches and sometimes the going's tough,But I've got loving ones around me and that makes me rich enough.I thank God for his blessings and the mercies He's bestowed,I'm drinking from my saucer 'cause my cup has overflowed..O, Remember times when things went wrongMy faith wore somewhat thin,But all at once the dark clouds brokeand sun peeped through again.So Lord, help me not to gripe about the tough rows that I've hoed,I'm drinking from my saucer "Cause my cup has overflowed".If God gives me strength and courageWhen the way grows steep and rough,I'll not ask for other blessings I'm already blessed enough.And may I never be too busy to help others bear their loads,Then I'll keep drinking from my saucer"Cause my cup has overflowed."
John Paul Moore

Great Forest Park Balloon Race

Always a good time at the Great Forest Park Balloon Race! Quick trip down and back in the SAME day. Some mystery sickness was making the rounds at Aunt Tracy's house, so no fun with family outside our own full-of-love circle. Gracie is a journalistic as part of her 1st grade routine. In the picture above, you see she chronicled her Great Balloon experience.  She's dreaming of a ride in the big balloon.  That's my girl. =)

Less of Me

Started something new & needful last week. There is less of me today...24 sticks of butter LESS of me. =) Yeah! Gracie thinks there's already more room on the couch for her. hee hee! Actually, she's right. Think about how much room 6 pounds of butter takes up on the couch. Not that we allow butter on the couch. No, we don't.

I must pause to give credit to my friend, Cylinda Shirley Nickel over at Because Life is Like a Bowl of Marbles, for her "sticks 'o butter off my butt" analogy. =) Inspiring, indeed. Well, giggling does indeed add up to activity points. =)

I've got some new shoes...made for walking. Well, they are really made for running, but we are wogging (the walk-jog combo) for now. =) And I've got this great book by John Bingham, Courage to Start. I'm feeling pretty well equipped.

Not only did we buy new shoes for our wogging to running journey to Nashville, but we also invested in a blender. Yes, we are now a smoothie making family. =) Gracie is thrilled. Yes. However, I am under strict orders NOT to sneak celery in her smoothie. "OHhhhhh, that's what those stringy things were. MOM!" So now I know just not to tell her I put sweet potatoes & red pepper in yesterday's blend. Scrumptious with all those raspberries, strawberries & bananas. That's what I call "Deceptively Delicious." To be honest, that's what Jerry Seinfeld's wife calls her cookbook...I love the book, the idea & just plum plagiarized the title. Except that now I've just given her credit, so no plagiarizing going on here. Thanks to Uncle Randy & Auntie Em for the cookbook. =)

So here we go....oh, the we part. I could use some cheerleaders here & not the kind that bring cookies. =) Except I can have cookies. Just have to figure out how many points are in those Shorty Cake kind. =)

Goal for this week: journal every bite

Actually, that was my goal for my 1st week. Journal every bite = SUCCESS! Plus, I totally resisted SODA while down with the family in MO. I survived a family reunion with a 24 stick loss. I even ate the peach cobbler, roasted pork loin, potato salad and some other goodies. I did, however, spit out that bite of cinnamon chocolate roll. Not good; not good at all. =/ JOURNAL EVERY BITE!

Bis spater...

For the Love of Reading

September is Library Card Month.  Whoo hooo! Gracie got her first library card today with her very own 5 year old signature. =) Oh, happy day! She was so proud. They took her picture and put it on the bulletin board designed to celebrate young readers.  She got busy picking out her very own books, insisting that she carry them to the desk by herself. Indeed, it was a great day for 5 year old Grace! She's growing up too fast. =)

Turkey Feet

Excited to wear her new school clothes even before school began, Gracie asked me if she could wear her "skirt with the turkey feet."

Turkey feet skirt...huh?

"You know, the one that has all the circles with turkey feet in them."

=) Still giggling.

Turkey feet be with you~
Turkey feet out~
Give turkey feet a chance...John Lennon (well, kinda)

Summertime, Summertime

Great day at the beach~

“Don't grow up too quickly, lest you forget how much you love the beach.”

-- Michelle Held

Double Grace

Double the fun with Grace and Grace at the Mokena Farm Festival. They enjoyed horse ride, face painting, singing, dancing, and sheep shearing fun! Ok, not so much sheep shearing fun. It looked a bit painful. Good thing sheep are docile creatures or we might not have much experience with wool. =) 

Backseat singer song writer aboard. She's working up a little ditty about burning flame love.

August 19, 2010 at 7:29pm via mobile · Privacy: ·  · 

• Linda  likes this.
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    Menia Thats awesome.

    August 19, 2010 at 8:09pm · 
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    Amber Uh oh!

    August 19, 2010 at 9:35pm · 
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    Carmen  I know...but really it was more about the fire part than the love part. She caught a commercial for Camp Rock 2 musical bonfire song something...I tried to turn it into a passion burning for Jesus. Not sure she was going there. =)

    August 21, 2010 at 11:15am

Looking Back

This moment brought to you by Facebook with a new feature that lets you look back at what you said last year on this same date; couple that with blogspot's feature of backdating your posts and viola~ This is what Gracie said on August 17, 2010: 

Guess what, mom. Did you know chewing gum is the most best for making your teeth get all wiggly to fall out?

August 17, 2010 at 7:24pm via Facebook Mobile · Privacy: ·  · 

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  Kat Frazier, Margie Sugg Moore, Patricia Dominguez Grinker and 3 otherslike this.
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    Kelly  Awww, that's so cute!
    

    August 17, 2010 at 8:29pm · 
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    Carmen  She's been crunching apples like crazy since finding out another pal lost a tooth eating an apple.
    

    August 17, 2010 at 8:38pm · 
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    Cammy  I remember losing a tooth in Sis Gunn's kindergarten class, apple and a snickers I think. Yup, I was eating them both at the same time!
    

    August 17, 2010 at 10:42pm · 
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    Melanie  That girl is like a children's book come to life! Love her!!
    

    August 18, 2010 at 8:04am · 
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    Carmen  Yes, reminds me a bit of Junie B Jones. =)
    

    August 18, 2010 at 4:44pm · 
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    Renee  Dawling, she has Eloise in her! I just love, love, love her!
    

    August 18, 2010 at 5:47pm · 
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    Carmen  and yes, Eloise. I can see that. =)
    

    August 19, 2010 at 5:07pm · 

    
    

    
    

    Further discussion led to a list of methods by which her pals lost teeth:

    Caitlyn: apple

    Annie: pizza

    Hannah: wiggling

    Haddon: biscuit with peach jelly                                                   Grace: 1st tooth: rice crispy treat and wiggling it with her finger                 
    Gracie further reported the loss of her 2nd and 3rd tooth came at the end of school one day:  "I stepped into the bathroom and saw it was halfway out. I twisted out and my friends helped my find it when it fell. I lost two in one day and the tooth fairy left $9 for me." 

Change for a pie?

The computer is on vacation in Temple, Texas for repair. Gee, I miss that guy. Didn't realize how tied at the hip I am to that thing, but given I can't bill for ANY of my work without computer access...I'm hopelessly devoted~ I'm on borrowed time here. Gracie is playing over with her cutie little Sophia friend. Those girls are absolutely CRAZY together & I need to take a turn wrangling the team. Her folks are absolutely WONDER full AND they garden. Oh, yes...a lovely garden indeed. AND they share with their friends. Oh, yes they do. I feasted on some First Light tomatoes from that gorgeous Eden spot. TASTY! Borrowed time..right.

So, yesterday Grace & I went shopping for school clothes - the ALL day kind of shopping that only happens ONCE a year. Thank His holy name. =) We were at Kohls by 7:30 AM & walking out the doors at 9 AM as the crowd thickened. Famished, we stopped in Round the Clock for some breakfast. Mind you, this is no Lumes or Essenhaus by far; but we did enjoy a sit down breakfast with waffles, whipped cream & simply delicious syrup. Approaching the cash register to pay, I handed Grace a five, asking her to get change so I could leave a tip. "Please ask for change for a five." We paid the bill & began our retreat to the car for more adventures in spending when Grace inquisitively asked, "Where's the pie? You forgot the pie." Huh? "Mom, you told me to get change for a pie. Where's our tasty pie?" hee hee...well, the girl wasn't laughing when I told her there was no tasty pie, I wanted change for a five. =) I'm still laughing~ STILL. She is STILL not laughing. Guess my articulation was not as crisp as it should have been. =)

AND before I close (I am on borrowed time, remember?). This Grace FULL moment to share: Climbing in the car this afternoon, Grace was singing a little tune with all the Mary Poppins' British-ness she could muster. "Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down...the medicine go down...the medicine go down." I love a British accent. Ahh, who am I kidding...I swoon at any accent. =) Happy day, friends!