And Now the Unveiling of...

My littlest artist's rendition of Frosty the Snowman. I love it!

American Girls Can Be Anything They Want To Be

There once were these two American girls and the older sister thought surely she was born in the wrong country to the wrong family. She was confident she was supposed to be born in an Asian country - probably China. She 'kinda' had China eyes, but not quite all the way. Then there was this blonde sister that was born. She was definately NOT Chinese, so the older sister knew for sure that being an American girl was her mistaken identity. One day to please the oldest girl, her great grandmother (commonly known as Grandma Sugar) made the two girls some beautiful Christmas China dresses. The oldest girl squealed and the youngest girl squealed and they both were so anxious to put them on and 'feel' what being Chinese felt like. Well, Chinese or not,they were beautiful. The dresses and the girls! And they both lived happily ever after in their nice American home. The end...(well not really)

Singing and the tree...

Wow! I've been hearing about it and you're all RIGHT! It HAS been a long time since I posted anything! Sorry! Life, as I'm sure you know is so crazy at this time of year!

Missy's performance went off almost without a hitch. Right as we were "delivering" her to the staff she whipped off her coat to reveal her long-sleeved white shirt was just a spaghetti-straped t-shirt. I was NOT happy about that but as they say, 'the show must go on' and so it did. She did a wonderful job, but has officially announced that she's quit the second grade choir, so if you didn't get to see her, your chance has escaped you.

My 30 minute perfomance was a wonderful treat for me. It was snowing so hard the day of the 'event' that you could often barely see across the street. It was on average 14 degrees that day. Burrrrr! There were some scheduling blunders, but in the end it worked out supurb for me as I got to sing in a shop while the sound was piped over the street and festivities out there. I was warm and yet still got to share. It was wonderful!

Then there was decorating the Christmas tree. As you see our lovely cat thought we'd brought that 'toy' out for her! She was so pleased with us. We, however, weren't so pleased with her when after it was completed she was still trying to get into it or chew on it. We've all come to an understanding and now she pretty well leaves it alone. Good kitty.

Big school girl...

Who is this pretty preschool girl? I can't believe my little Sissy is so big and has "school" pictures already! What fun to watch her develop and make new friends. She is the humor-factor of our family and definately greatly entertaining! It seems like only yesterday we were learning of her arrival - now look at her!
Children are a gift of the Lord, indeed!

Giving Thanks...

As I sit in my chair reading a book on forensic science, Sissy plays in the bathtub rapidly approaching her 4th birthday (is that EVEN possible?) while Missy is downstairs singing and playing on the computer. Mister D works diligently in the back room on some of his moonlighting computers.

This is a blessed time. There are no crisis' in front of us or currently being dealt with. Our biggest "issue" at the moment is what - if anything - we will be buying for Christmas this year.

Next on our 'to do' list is Missy's 2nd grade choir production at the Civic Center's Hall of Trees Festival. Then our town's Christmas celebration where I will have a 30 minute performance window.

What a blessed life we live! I am acutely aware of my state of being - my state of blessing - and hope to always discover myself in a perpetual state of thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to you!

We had a wonderful holiday and

enjoyed family and good food (and believe it or not - I cooked, too)!

We are trying to get ourselves in the gear of Christmas but it seems impossible that it could be this late in the year already! This morning while I was plunking out our annual Christmas letter Sissy did what she loves to do - play on the computer. The girls are fortunate to have a Daddy who can set up computers with ease so they have their own "lab" with two computers side by side. He was wonderful enough to add headphones so we all can do our own things without disturbing others or being disturbed. We're so fortunate!

Who IS this big girl?

I can't believe my "baby" is in 2nd grade and looking so big! Missy's school pictures came today and "Wow!" what a cutie (if I don't say so, myself)!

A HUGE step for her this week was her first visit to the local AWANAS program. She informed us that visitors don't have to memorize scripture, but we're praying (and would solicit your prayers) that she becomes more than a visitor! To hide the Word in her heart is a dream of ours.

(The picture to the right was 2005...the Spring before Kindergarten.)

Rest and Relaxation...

On my day off (Veteran's Day-observed) I couldn't resist this picture of Sissy being a movie-star even during her nap-time. I should have taken a nap, too as - once again- we had a sick child in the night. This time it was Missy. Hopefully we are coming the the end of this series of events.
You can't help but be touched when the 3 year old of the family is thanking God for "keeping Mommy healthy", tho!
To live in a constant state of thankfulness is to really live.

Thank You U.S. Armed Forces Past and Present!

***Thank you, United States of America Armed Forces! Thank you for putting your lives on the line so I might have the freedom to enjoy my selfish, every-day life without interruption!
***Today at a local Veteran's Day Service an Army Colonel shared with the group that deciding to join the armed forces is like writing a check payable to the United States of America. The cost is left blank but can be written for any amount up to and (all too often) including LIFE. This is a truth many don't recognize any more.
***I had the blessed opportunity to share my love of music with this group today when I sang the National Anthem and later in the service, sang and signed "God Bless the USA". It was an honor to have been asked and I was so blessed by those present!
***The service honored World War II veterans and how humbling it was to see them all lined up around the face of the memorial. A special thank you to all the Veterans of wars past and present.

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Our week, personally, was a trying one. We had our share of trials but so many more blessings. Last Friday after the celebration of Granma Bear's birthday Sissy came home sick and spent the rest of the night (into the wee hours of Saturday morning) throwing up. Then on Tuesday night Mister D came home and crashed on the couch. He slept his night away until Missy declared how she, too, was feeling ill. She spent the rest of that night throwing up. Ugh. The next morning Granma Bear called to see how our night went only to announce that she, too, was suffering from the same flu.

I was positive I was going to be the next "victim". In fact, when the Army Colonel (spoken of above) called to confirm Saturday's events I warned him that I was the only one left. I just KNEW I wasn't going to be singing. Well, after getting through Thursday without even an ounce of nausea I thought maybe I was out of the woods - maybe not. Thursday night Sissy woke me up crying that she had (once again) thrown up. I heard the voice of God loud and clear in the midst of cleaning her up. He said, "This is so you KNOW that when you DON'T get sick I have performed a MIRACLE." And so it was.

I am well and His miracle has been noted. God is so good!

Only in my house!

Well, we had an accident in our house this morning. This is the kind of thing that only happens in our house, I'm positive.

Missy has been croupy so Mister D put a vaporizor in her room to moisten the air. He placed it in the only possible position - on the floor. Well, this morning Sissy made an unusual stop in her sister's room to greet her good morning. When she decided to rest for a moment in the abyss of junk and misplaced items, she came to rest her posterior on the top of the vaporizor - while it was still steaming. Meanwhile I was in the shower and 'thought' I heard crying but it wasn't until I got out that I discovered that my youngest daughter was blistered on her bum. Oh! What a terrible ordeal! Fortunately we took a kind visit to the family physician who prescribed a miracle drug (silver sulfadiamide-or something like that) and it provided instant relief for my little one. Like I said, I'm sure this only happens in my house!

I'm a mountain girl!

While visiting a local bookstore Sissy discovered a "hole" in the top of the wall. It wasn't a puncture hole it was a window sized hole. She inquired as to what the purpose was. I told her she'd just have to ask the owner.

At the first opportunity she did just that.

She was informed that it was an office and behind the door were stairs that led to the office with the window. Sissy announced that she wouldn't need the stairs. She could probably just climb up the bookshelf and into that hole because her Papa Bear told her when we were visiting the mountains that she is indeed a mountain girl! The bookstore owner could do nothing but smile and nod her head in agreement.

Not again!

I'm not sure what sparked the comment, but Missy informed me the other day that I have been wearing skirts too often and it's really beginning to "e-noy" her. Well! I'm not sure what's offending her about them, but her opinion was shared and noted.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween to one and all!
The Pink Ninja and Dora the Explorer say "trick or treat"! The girls had such a great night visiting all of the relatives in the area. Too bad Halloween falls on a school night, we still had to scurry home to bathe and rest. Thank goodness teachers were kind enough to suspend the daily homework routine for the night. That's a blessing for all.
Missy loves everything Asian so she got decked out as much as she could including the chopsticks in the bun.
Sissy (who is often called "Blondie" by one particular Grandma PH) was loving "tricking" her into thinking she was "Brownie" not "Blondie"!
What fun! Hope you had a safe and fun Halloween, too!

Raw Chicken in Water!

Did you know...you can BOIL raw chicken?! I did not know that and if you're like everyone else I've shared my new-found knowledge with, you'll get quite the kick out of that one!

We went to supper at Grandma Sugar's and Granddad's over the weekend and she made some home-made chicken noodle soup to die for! I had to know how she did it. When she told me she started by boiling the chicken I interrupted her and asked, "You mean, you put the chicken in the water - RAW?!" She giggled under her breath (unlike my dearest friends who about split a side when I revealed my news) and confirmed, "Yes, Honey...raw chicken in the water." Who knew?

Sissy had to add her two cents to that one..."My Dad can boil! He boiled us some eggs the other day!"

Everyone loves me!

I asked Sissy today at nap time, "Who loves you?"

She answered, "You do!"

I continued, "Who else?"

She answered, "Dad does!"

I finished, "Is there anyone else that love you beside Mom & Dad?"

She concluded, "Missy does, and Granma & Papa do..."

Then in a matter-of-fact tone said,

"Everyone who knows me loves me!"

Mommy's Little Artist...

Missy has quite an artistic ability. I love her attention to detail. Believe it or not, this has always been present. From the time she was a baby she would

organize things symetrically.
Notice the little fairy in the picture to the right removing her tooth as she sleeps. There is a little wand and everything!

Magic?

Sissy was holding a dime in her hand and proclaimed, "Abra-cadabra, ala-kazam! Make this money go away!" Then she looked in her hand at the dime disappointedly. She made a vallient second effort. "Abra-cadabra, ala-kazam! Make this money go away!" A second look in her hand at the dime left her bewildered. She declared matter-of-factly, "I guess I'm not magic-ful!"

Boogers or Snot...

Today while Sissy and I were playing she had some "remnance" of her cold come out of her nose. With one swipe of her tongue it was gone. I "ooooh'ed" her and told her I was going to call her 'Missy' (since the story goes that "Missy eats her boogers - she thinks they taste like cake, but IIIIII don't eat MY boogers!"). Sissy informed me that she didn't eat her BOOGERS...she just licked her SNOT and that is yummy! Mmmmm! I think we have a convert!

True Story...

I can't believe I'm admitting this...

Today a friend brought a bunch of ripe tomatoes to a group of us. Included in the bunch were a few green tomatoes. They were beautiful! I went to examine the crop and couldn't believe what came out of my mouth next. "I didn't know you could grow GREEN tomatoes!"

I thought those girls were going to wet their pants laughing at me! The gal who brought them explained (kindly) that they weren't grown that way, they just weren't RIPE yet! (Oh, boy...will I ever live this one down?!)

Everyday Miracles...

This morning we witnessed the hands of Jesus surrounding our family - more particularly, our little Sissy. After her morning bath while getting ready for church she was told to get some clothes from her chest of drawers. She went to obey and the next thing we heard was a terrible CRASHing sound and then the sound of my baby crying. Mister D went to the rescue with Gretta close behind. The chest of drawers had fallen over (why this had never happened before is a miracle in itself) on top of Sissy. When I got to the scene, she was in his arms and all he could say was, "Let me look at you. Let me see." A full examination produced ONE tiny scrape on her collarbone. No blood shed; no injuries. A MIRACLE in the flesh!

It's not too often that you are acutely aware of the miracles that the Lord provides - but all day all I could think of was how amazing it was that we continued on our way to church (to hear another amazing testamony of a family that also recognized the grace of God in their lives while sparing them in an auto accident) we came home and watched football and had a 'normal' Sunday. We didn't spend our time praying over a hospital bed as the circumstance certainly could have produced. WE ARE SO BLESSED and so acutely aware of the miracle we saw. Jesus loves me, this I know!

Frogs, Bugs and Other Girly Things...

After Dona said that her son won't touch frogs, bugs or anything of the sort, I had to share these pix and this story.

Sissy is a lover of all things boy. She has no fear of any of it and in fact faces things head on. She loves to get out the bug kit Papa & Granma Bear provided and go a-bug-huntin'!

One afternoon while playing outside with Papa she found a worm. She was playing contently with it until the announcement came. "Papa, I need a new worm, I broke this one!"

Even Missy got in on the fun when we found many little frogs in our yard this summer. The girls were almost fighting over who got to hold the frog next! Oh how I love my girly girls!

Tagged?

So my cousin, Dona, 'tagged' me and told me the rules (which include tagging others, but I don't have other bloggers to tag, so I guess the buck will stop here). Being tagged means I have to reveal 8 random facts/habits about myself to my blog audience. Aren't you excited? ha!

1. I have an interest in mortuary science. I think in another life sometime I would enjoy working with the survivors of death. The fascination came about when a friend same age as I am died tragically in an automobile accident. I fully came to the realization that our souls are merely housed in the shell called our body and upon death we truly are absent from the body. This is a blessed event for the lovers of the Lord. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. But in addition to that I wondered about the logistics of the afterlife. What DO they do to a body after the soul is gone? When, what, how, who and why? I researched then started calling myself "Morticia" and even looked into educating myself formally in the field. None of that has come to fruition yet, but perhaps...

2. I am a singer.

3. In high school I wanted to be on Broadway. Then I met Mister D and his long hair and good looks along with his adament opinion about large cities changed my heart and from that my dream went from Broadway to the alter.

4. I have a fascination with tatoos. I have none.

5. I am in love with the Rocky Mountains. I would live in the midst of them if I could.

6. I have a guitar, Ebony, and would love to learn how to play fluently.

7. I love the music of Lyle Lovett (the former Mr. Julia Roberts).

8. I don't cook. I don't even try. I don't like it and I think a spoon and peanut butter would suffice just about every meal. (No, really.)

Vacation in beautiful Colorado

Mister D, Sissy, Gretta & Missy:






The Melk (as Missy used to call them).

Sissy, Granma Bear, Missy & Papa Bear

Papa Bear and his cubs climb the mountain.

(Who is King of the Hill here?)

Beautiful weather, beautiful state, beautiful rest & relaxation! Who could ask for anything more? A wonderful trip to Rocky Mountain National Park was well worth it. Sissy could hardly wait to get out of the vehicle to climb the mountains. She certainly didn't need any hand-holding. Missy just wanted to look good when she got there, although getting there was often filled with whining and complaining. (Her dad would say that is a spiritual gift.) She has become quite the pozer. Maybe model material? Rarely is she caught off-guard. Usually she is scouting for the cameras or requesting, "Mom, take a picture of me here - take a picture of me doing this." Occasionally Papa would ask the same thing. ??? Maybe they're related.
Granma Bear was just trying to nurse an injury but also had a good time away from her mounds of work. (Were they still there when she got back? Yes- but somehow they GREW!) Anyone who hasn't been to Colorado should go! You won't regret it!

First Funny...

For those who may not know, Sissy is very interested in bugs, climbing mountains - anything you might think a boy would like. Yesterday while cleaning her room we found a dead moth on the floor. I picked it up in a tissue that happened to be near and asked her to throw it away. She fooled with it a bit and dropped it on her dress. She began a conversation with the moth. "Come here, little fellow," she said. The conversation rapidly came to an end when the dead moth began climbing on her! With a squeal she jumped on her bed. The moth was lost. We began looking for it then after discovering it was still walking on her - she squealed again and ran out of the room. I laughed so hard! After telling her story to Mister D she gained enough courage to retrace her steps and take care of that little fellow with a mighty determination. Meanwhile...that little fellow found a way out and has never been seen again. Lucky little fellow!

Introducing...

In order of appearance:

Gretta, the creator of this experiment;

Sissy, the fearless and incredibly entertaining offspring;

Missy, the highly emotional, highly insightful offspring;

Mister D, the spouse of a decade, the daddy of the century.

Initial spot

Sept 24, 2007 and I am trying my hand at this blogging experience. It is a curious experiment and there's no telling how long it may last. An interesting prospect - internet posting. Exciting and invasive all at the same time.
Please be patient with me. This will, I'm sure become quite the outlet.
Ta-ta, for now...