Garden Journal

Since it's getting warmer Phillip is anxious to get the garden started.  He's built 2 new raised beds to try Mel Bartholomew's square foot gardening plan. On Saturday he filled the first new bed and planted broccoli, potatoes, and peas.  Today after work he planted onions and radishes.  Broccoli is a new crop for us.  We eat a lot of it so we decided to try growing our own. 

80

Today would have been Mom's 80th birthday.  So far it's not a horrible day for me.  I believe there are two reasons for that.  First, Mom was adamant that she did not want to live to be in her 80's.  When she talked about that, I'd always say, "But Mama, we want you to be here with us."  She'd answer, "What you want doesn't matter."  Mama knew the Lord and knew that she was ready for heaven and  that's where she is today.  She's probably chuckling that she got her way in the end.  She usually did.  The second reason is that on Feb. 11 last year, which was a very hard day for me, my six girls surprised me by getting together for a lunch at a tea room in Gastonia.  Now I have a sweet memory for that date.

One of the things I've found most comforting since Mom died has been using her Bible.  Mama was a very private person who rarely shared personal feelings, but her Bible is filled with verses she's underlined or highlighted, put stars or check marks beside.  I know that the Lord used those verses of Scripture in some way in her life, and I've loved finding them.  God has used them to comfort me just the way He did for her.

I've also been pondering what she'd think about the changes I've made in her house.  I really believe she'd like the laundry room, den, and hall bathroom.  We're getting ready to buy new carpet and she'd talked about that a lot so I know she'd be ok with that.  My orange bathroom, now that's a different story.  I think Mom would say one of two things.  She might say, "You're a nut."  But I think she'd  say, "You've always been weird."  She was probably right but she loved me anyway. 

Happy Birthday, Mama, from your favorite daughter.

The Orange Bathroom Is Finished

Orange has never been on my list of favorite colors.  I can't think of anything I own that is orange (that isn't related to fall.)  Why I decided to paint my bathroom orange is a mystery to me but I really like the way it turned out.  It wouldn't suit everyone, but it suits me.  Phillip was pretty set against my orange idea so I had decided to compromise on the color to keep peace.  When we went to buy the paint, he actually chose this color, Canyon Sun.  Does he like it?  No, he doesn't but he says he can live with it. He's a pretty good guy.

My Christmas Purse

My granddaughter Lilly gave me this delightful and unique Christmas gift.  She bought it at her school's Santa Shop. 

I don't know if you can read the package but it's a kit to grow a purse.  Lilly was very excited about this.

It's quite tiny but it grows 600 times bigger.  We followed all the instructions very carefully.

And we waited.  And it grew. 

Because Phillip and Hannah have been sick, Lilly hasn't been able to come over, but if she was here to hold it, you'd be able to see how big it's grown.  I'm sure it's 600 times bigger, maybe even more.  Thank you, Lilly, for this wonderful gift.

Christmas

Christmas Eve

I don't have any memories of Christmas Eve to share today.  There are lots of good ones but I can't find them.  I'm sending love and prayers to all of you for a wonderful day tomorrow celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.  Because He came, I have the sure confidence that those we're missing so much are safe and complete, rejoicing in His presence, and that we'll be together again.  Merry Christmas!

Two Days Until Christmas

One of the things I miss since my children have grown up is Christmas pageants.  There was always a Christmas pageant at church that included all the children.  The Sunday School director would drag out the wooden manger and fill it with straw.  Baby Jesus was usually a doll but the Sunday School children played all the rest of the parts in the nativity scene, with the little ones usually being the angel choir. My children have been involved in some unforgettable Christmas pageants through the years.

There was the year someone discovered a microphone hidden in the manger and pointed it out to the others.  From that point in the program, all of them huddled around the manger and sang right into it.  The only thing we could see was the tops of their heads as they all bent over the manger/mic.

Another year the poinsettas that decorated the platform were plucked bald by nervous children before the program was over.  Thankfully no one ate the blooms.

Once one of my children, who will not be named in this post, confused the lines and instead of saying, "This gift is not just for me, but for all mankind." said, "This gift is not for all mankind, but just for me."

My favorite program was the year another child, not to be named but whose picture follows this post, had been very quiet and subdued during every practice.  We were worried that the unnamed child would not even participate during the actual program.  To our amazement, on the big night, our little angel leaped onto the platform and enthusiastically flapped her wings during the whole song, almost smacking the other angels and singing at the top of her little lungs, "in express tomatoes" instead of "in excelsis Deo."

The Christmas program that we saw this year was amazing, beautifully capturing the awe and majesty of this wonderful season, but I missed my little angels or shepherds confusing their lines and flapping their wings while mangling the words of Christmas carols.