Sharing A Bit Of Spring Around Here

Well, I see I am going to get this backwards here but it's okay with me. My long neglected backyard is starting to bloom with a little bit of TLC from me. I don't have a manacured garden by any means. Whatever will grow out there in the shade of the huge pine tree is truly a survivor. I let the yard have it's way since it is going to do just that anyway. Isaac was so excited to have his own rainbow visit him in the sprinkler. Of course, he wanted to know how it got there and to be honest, I just told him that God was paying us a visit.:) He just got a huge smile on his face and said "yeah":) I have lots of work to do to get the yard all cleaned up but it feels good to be out there working in the wee hours of the morning when the sun is rising and a chill is in the air. This yard has so many memories of 32 years of living in it. Weddings, rehearsal dinners, birthday parties, family reunions, childhood campouts under the pine tree, my therapy spot when I needed to sit and have a good cry about things I could not change. I talk to God all the time when I am out there working because all of the wonderful memories come flooding in and they are all good, and I am grateful to thank Him for all that life has given us in this house and out in that yard. It is the memories that make this place Home Sweet Home. More pictures to come as I get things cleaned up. Have a great day you guys. I love you.

Love and Hugs, Laurie

Sharing A Little Touch Of Cuteness-Miss Hannah

Monday Again And Absolutely Gorgeous Weather

It has been a long week, full of gorgeous warm and sunny days here. There is more of the same forcasted for this week. It kind of caught me off guard but I am loving every minute of the time I can spend outdoors and getting the yards back in shape. It is not helping my state of denial that the inside of my house is a cluttered mess. I care, I want to care, but sometimes I don't care. Not a good attitude I have been harboring. ~sigh~ I am going to try and work on my attitude:)

I am looking forward to the grandkids today. Three hours alone with Hannah while Isaac is in preschool. I love our "alone" girlie time, it is so refreshing and fun. I don't have to think about inventions and plumbing with her. I love my time with Isaac too, don't get me wrong:) Our time together is fun and priceless, but keeps me going non stop. And since today is supposed to get in the 80's we are going to play with all things WATER!! Isaac will be in heaven as water is next in line only to breathing for him. It will be fun to see Hannah join in now that she is old enough to hold her own with her brother:) She is such an animated character with her smiles and joy! The brother-sister bond is growing stronger all the time too! I love it.

Stellan is in Boston facing surgery tomorrow. He needs our prayers and his mommy Jennifer too. Annabel is in the hospital but seems to be doing so much better and needs our prayers too. Kristy's baby girl is doing great and we need to pray she stays this way until her birthday into her mommy's arms.

I really appreciate those of you who visit me and let me know you are here. I don't have lots of excitement and interesting things going on all the time, so I appreciate your friendship so much. I hope you all have a wonderful day and the weather is good for you too.

Love and Hugs, Laurie

A Beautiful Monday in Ca.

It is starting out to be another beautiful day here at the coast. The weekend was amazing and true spring weather. We had a wonderful Easter and enjoyed the wonderful weather relaxing and enjoying good company with family. Also getting caught up on some much needed yardwork. The birds are all over the place in the trees and chirp all day and feed in the feeders. I do believe that Spring has sprung here at last. Doves are mating and I can hear them all day long. We even have a pair of mating owls up in the pine tree that we hear at night. Our little forest at the coast here.:)

Not much happening in our neck of the woods but the grandkids will be here soon. We will be spending the day outside and enjoying the beautiful day and fresh air and taking some pictures. I haven't posted any in a while as they are still in my camera waiting to be downloaded. I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter celebrating with family and friends. And I hope your week is a good one too.

Love and Hugs, Laurie

Sunny Saturday In So. California

It is another beautiful sunny day and breezy. I think some yardwork is in order and that's what I am going to do. I spent Good Friday doing lots of soul searching and realizing how many times I had taken the day for granted in the past. Always an overcast and cloudy day, always. But yesterday the sun peaked out a few times for a moment during the day and got my attention. I felt the gratitude and thankfulness up close and personal and just spent the day reflecting on Gods Goodness, His gift I don't deserve, poured out for me and I am thankful, deep down in my soul thankful. Old hymns hummed in my head all day long. And I read other blogs messages and felt the same as they wrote. I am slowing down and not rushing past the cross to get to the resurrection this year. Without the cross, there would be nothing to celebrate and no resurrection. So today, I am going to do yardwork and reflect some more on His goodness and take my time. Tomorrow is Easter Sunday, and the Resurrection Day that changed the world forever. I will celebrate with family.

Most of you already know, but for those who don't, Kim had a baby girl on Thursday and she is perfect. Anna Grace Pearl is a "chunky" 8 lbs. and 19.5". I am so happy for them as they love on this new blessing to their family. An Easter Gift.

I am asking you to please continue praying for Kristy and her baby girl as they wait to meet her at the end of May. Her daddy is having so much fun painting a special nursery for his first little princess. I love it. She is going to rock his world!!

Stellan still needs our prayers and seems to be doing better, but not out of the woods. I have added a button (yes I know how now:) to pray for a very special little girl who needs lots of prayers for her and her mom. The blog is new so it is easy to catch up.

Another little baby boy needs our prayers too. His name is Noah and I haven't put his button up yet. He has many issues and will be born soon. I won't use the offending medical term but will say he needs a miracle.

Kathleen and her unborn baby girl with Trisomy needs our prayers. She is due very soon and needs compassionate doctors to help her baby.

And baby Michael Z. has passed one week now and is still fighting in the hospital. He has many issues too but his parents are holding on to God tightly as their little warrior continues to fight.

Lindsay Carlson is expecting her 4th baby, a girl. She is Caden's mommy who handed him back to the Lord moments after he was born last year. The baby is healthy and I am praying for their family to enjoy the blessings this baby will bring.

Before I started reading blogs, I knew there were babies leaving their mommys arms too soon, but not up close and personal as they are to me now. I will never understand Gods Plan but I believe with all my heart that His Plan is perfect, no matter what I think. So I will pray for these babies and His plans over their lives. Asking Him to be gentle with the families while He proves Himself to be faithful. Asking for Hope.

I hope all of you have a joyful day tomorrow as we celebrate the spectacular gift of God.

Love and Hugs, Laurie

Prayers For Kim And Baby #4 Tomorrow

Just a quick reminder that tomorrow, April 9th, Kim Summons will be having her baby and join me in praying for a wonderful delivery and joy in meeting who this little baby is. Pray for her heart as she balances all of the memories of sweet Mary Grace with the new joy of this baby who is still a surprise. Asking God to bless her and her family in a new and special way. I love her.

Love and Hugs, Laurie

A Day Of Heart Reflections To Journal

I know I already did a long post this morning about my day yesterday and a few odds and ends. But then at 8:00 am, my brother came for a visit, and the mood changed.

David is my older brother by 2 1/2 years and we were always close. He let me tag along with him wherever he went and was my protector. I was "Toots" (pronounced like tootsie rolls) and his baby sister. I still am both of these things to him. Ten years ago he was diagnosed with Parkinsons and it has been rough for him. He was in a very reflective mood today and in the past three years since moving to Arizona, we have only seen eachother three times. There was a time over 30 years ago that he became very judgmental of me for my lack of relationship with my mother. He was very close with her, I was not for reasons stemming from my Dads actions. It got so painful and I could not be honest with him, that I just left the family so that my presence wouldn't upset him. I did it for the family as I was thought of as the black sheep. I had a secret to keep and it hurt to walk away. It was fourteen years later that my brother called me and wanted to talk. We met in a restaurant and spent the whole day talking about the past and what went wrong. It was a day of restoration for our relationship, one orchestrated by the Lord. It was like Easter, our relationship had been resurrected. It was a day of great joy to be accepted for who I was. I will never forget that day of forgiveness between us. As we talked today, his heart was so tender and he kept talking about that time when he let me walk away and continued blaming me for all those years. And his eyes kept tearing up and I felt so sorry for him still feeling guilty. Gosh, that was forgiven so long ago and I have never looked back except in gratitude. He talked about how the family said Corky and I would never make it when we got married at 19 years old and how his marriage and my younger brothers marriages were the ones that the family gave their blessing to. Fifteen years ago and within 5 months of eachother, their wives filed for divorce and their worlds fell apart. I was the one they came to and I did my best to help encourage them through. Tears fell down his face when he said that Corky and I were the ones that lasted and all for the right reasons. So many things were discussed today, his heart needed to relieve the pressure of the burden he was carrying. It was humbling for me to listen. I say all of this to remind myself that forgiveness is something that is for our benefit to let go of bitterness and resentment, not necessarily letting the offender off the hook. But today I realized that I needed to reassure my brother that when I forgave him, it was forgotten as far as the east is from the west. Then it hit me in my heart, this is what the Lord does for us, the same exact thing. He forgives our sins and never brings them up to our face to accuse us. We accuse ourselves. David still feels bad and it tears my heart up. I don't want him to carry a burden that is no longer there and I did my best to encourage him to let it go, it was no biggie to me. Long ago before forgiveness, I wanted him to feel bad as I had been made to feel bad. It was very immature of me back then and I get no pleasure in seeing him hurt now. I think when he left today, that he was more assured that all is really well with us. I know that this disease he has makes him feel very vulnerable and alone. I will be praying much harder for him from this day forward to feel the peace of the Lord. He loves the Lord with all his heart but today his human side was spilling over. We three are orphaned now, both parents gone for quite some time. I am okay with it but both brothers miss our mom deep in their hearts. I must remember to be tender to their feelings, while mine are on another page of life. I don't really expect anyone reading this to understand or get much out of it, I needed to journal it for myself to hear. Life is coming full circle once again for the three of us but I am so thankful my most painful time was in the beginning and not the end. Once again I am so thankful for the lessons I have learned through the storms. I am still learning to dance in the rain, but I am getting there day by day. This Easter, I am renewed in my thankfulness to the One who lived and died for me, and guides me through every storm. I am so thankful for His redemption and restoration. I don't want to think where I would be without Jesus. Not an option. Tonight I will go to sleep with extra tender prayers in my heart for my big brother, still one of my protectors. I love him dearly.

Love and Hugs, Laurie

The Simple Things In Life

Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous. About 72 degrees and sunny blue skies, just like Spring is supposed to be:) The kids didn't get here until noon so after lunch, we spent the afternoon outside exploring all things nature. I love watching Hannah looking up at everything that is moving and sparkling. Of course, when you are only 30 inches tall, everything is up! She loves the birds chirping in the trees, the big black crows being smart mouths up in the pine tree. Huge flocks of seagulls fly right over our house from the beach to the dump that is about 5 miles away. This is their daily routine. Amos the cat follows Hannah everywhere she goes. They truly have a love affair going on. She points at every windchime and wants to hear them make music and gets the biggest smile on her face. Every rock and stone she picked up was a treasure to her. The simple things in life are found through the eyes of a child. Watching them explore is better than any movie I have seen. She is a girlie girl but is going to be one tough chick.! She has to be with her big brother leading the pack:)

Isaac spent the afternoon exploring everything that was "booby-trap" material out in the yards. He loves to go down the side of the house in the "bamboo forest" and collect the dead woody sticks and build gates to keep the wild animals out. The wild animal he is talking about is Jake, the dog. Good Luck. He gets so ticked off when the dog runs right over the trap and destroys it. "He is supposed to stop Grandma. It means keep out and he's not minding me! He's ruining my inventions!!" It is like watching two almost 4 year olds bickering. His mom had their annual easter egg dying party at their house yesterday before they came here. About 20 kids total and one of his buddies Jack, is totally into everything rescue and firefighting. He brought his walkie talkie toy and was getting into fire calls and getting Isaac involved in the rescues. Erin said they were having a blast until Isaac took the walkie talkie toy and started explaining to Jack how the thing was wired and how it worked when you unscrewed it and looked inside at the parts. She said that Jack stopped dead in his tracks and looked at Isaac like he was nutts. Poor kid, it's hard to find someone his age that shares the same technical desires he has buzzing around in his little head. He can't help it, this is how God wired him. He is not satisfied that things just work, he wants to know what it is that makes things work. I hope he uses this same enthusiasm to seek the Lord with all of his heart and plant deep roots of faith and knowledge. The simplicity of complication, that's my Isaac. He's my joy and my teacher. I love these kids so much it hurts sometimes.

Today is supposed to be another beautiful sunny day and my older brother is coming to visit today. He moved to Arizona about three years ago when his daughter moved there. We have lots of catching up to do and it should be fun. I am hoping the guys come to work on the tiles today, yesterday was a no show. I am looking forward to getting it done. My tax buddy called and we are getting money back this year! We usually break even on the federal and owe state taxes. We don't have any write offs so this is a pleasant surprise. I guess the 10% pay cut Corky took last year is coming back a little now. We want to buy a small used RV trailer so we can go with the kids when they go on get aways. Isaac calls theirs a motor home and is begging me and grandpa to buy one so we can all be together and have fun. He can "visit us in ours just like coming to our house." So many places right around us within an hours drive to get away. People are selling them really cheap right now and a "fixer-upper" would be great. More places to put my coke stuff:) A mini-museum on wheels:)
Isaac's term for it and he says he will help me fix it up! So hopefully, this is our plan for the near future. Plans can change but I hope this one will come true.

Well, I have been rambling all over the place long enough and I need to get a fresh pot of coffee on before my brother gets here. I hope you all have a great day and your weather is as good as mine will be.

Oh and thanks to Pam and Amanda, I now know how to copy and paste buttons to my blog. I about pulled my hair out yesterday trying and failing, but I now have two on my side bar. First picture posting help from all of you, and now buttons and links. What's next for this girl in Ca.? All of you are helping me with my fear of the unknown and I feel like I am learning to grow up on the internet with your help. Thanks so much!!

Love and Hugs, Laurie

The First Monday In April

It is hard to believe it is April already and Easter is this coming Sunday. This year is just flying by it seems, yet standing still at the same time for some families that are on my heart this morning. Therefore, I have three or four prayer requests.

1. Baby Stellan is having such a rough time stabilizing in the hospital. Underneath the sweet picture of him on his blog is a delicate heart that needs God's healing touch today. Jessica, his mommy needs our prayers too. I can't imagine having a child sick like this. It breaks my heart for them.

2. Baby Michael Z is my newest Trisomy 18 buddy who was just born last week and has so many medical issues that need our immediate prayers. His blog is Above Mediocrity on my blog roll in my profile and his Daddy has posted pictures of him. He is the sweetest baby and beautiful in every way. They need our prayers big time. I don't know how to link blogs in my posts but you can find it in my profile.

3. A sweet lady named Kathleen is carrying a baby girl with Trisomy 18 and the doctors have told her that they will not be of much help when she is born. They have urged her to terminate. She is trusting the Lord to guide her but is getting such negative medical advice. All babies are a gift from God and have every right to the best chance at life. Just look at Annabel, Mallorie and Zoe B. for a reason to believe for these precious babies. God does not make mistakes, we do.

4. A dear friend of mine has a son who is struggling with drug addiction and needs our prayers for his deliverance. He has entered rehab again and prayers for the devils stronghold on him to be broken are needed now!. Please pray for a broken and willing heart for this young man. God is a God of miracles, able to heal him completely. Prayers for his wife and family are needed too.

5. Prayers for another perfect ultrasound for sweet Kristy and her perfect baby girl today. Sweet peace for Kristy's heart as God goes before her in that room.

6. Prayers for Kim as she will be having her baby in just a few days. She's one of my "girls" and I am asking God to bless the delivery and her family as they meet their new gift.

And of course Emily's Abigail Joy is just the most precious and healthy and beautiful baby girl. They are HOME, yes they are and I pray for her heart as she balances all of the emotions that are in it. Did I say that this baby is gorgeous?

Our weekend was a good one. The grandkids slept over Friday night and we had so much fun watching them buzzing around and staying up past their normal bedtimes:) We are grandparents and we get to do what we want here:) What a joy to hear them talking and laughing in the morning when they woke up. I don't know who loves it more, me or Grandpa! We love these kids so much and I hope they always remember the fun here as they grow up.

The old tile is coming down in the bathroom today, YAY!!! Messy, noisy, but all good. The new tile will go up this week, new fixtures, and new floor tiles will be done by Friday. It has been a long road but so worth it. Then I can get motivated to get going on spring cleaning and decluttering around here. I have tons to do and hope I can stay focused and motivated.

So, that's what has been going on over the past few days here. I hope you all had a good weekend and will have an even better week. Please remember my friends in prayer when you can. They are all special to me and so are all of you. Counting my blessings today, so many to be thankful for. I love you.

Love and Hugs, Laurie

All Over The Place Here On Friday

It has been a good week since my last post. The plumbing is finished, the hole filled back in and cement poured. Just the tiles in the tub/shower need to be torn out and new put back up, and the new tile floor to be laid. This will happen next week and by Friday, I will be taking over and washing down the walls and putting my final touches on the "new and improved" bathroom. It has been a long project but so worth it. I am amazed at the patience I have learned along the way:)

The grandkids are doing a sleep over tonight and Corky and I are looking forward to it. Our chance to break the rules and let Hannah stay up longer and fall asleep in Grandpas arms, and Isaac gets to stay up late and fall asleep on the couch with us. They can sleep it off in the morning and wake up when they want. I love to watch them come through the door and head to their room to play while mommy and daddy are trying to get goodbye hugs and kisses:) This is their home away from home and we are so blessed to share it with them, the place where daddy grew up. I am so grateful that we only live 10 minutes away from eachother. They have never been watched by anyone else except us. Family, it is so precious a gift.

On the NEWS front, Emily had her baby Abigail Joy last night and she is perfect!! She weighed 7lbs.2ozs. and is 21 inches. She is adorable. I am so thankful for the blessings God has poured out on their family.

Kim is due to deliver her baby in one week. I didn't realize the time was so close. I believe Kim to be more private with her family, and doesn't post as frequent about the daily life in her home and I totally respect that. So prayers for her to have a beautiful and blessed delivery are asked for here today. The sex of the baby will be known when it gets here. I love surprise babies. My grandkids were both surprises.

Kristy's baby girl will be here around the end of May and prayers for her continue for a wonderful day of delivery too. Peace, joy and hope are my desire for her until she meets this baby girl face to face.

Kenzie is enjoying Faith Claire and the blessings she is bringing to their family. She is so adorable.

Chrissy is enjoying Dante at home and he is such a little slugger and so cute.

Angie's Adrienne is getting cuter day by day and bringing so much joy to their family too.

Karen's new baby boy she is carrying is a ways off yet but prayers for him are being asked for, that he continues to develop healthy and strong.

Praying for Yvette as she continues nurturing Torrey in her home and waiting to hear about adoption of this precious girl, if it is Gods will.

I sound like a Grandma here I know, but I am a Grandma and my heart can't help but reach out farther than my own family. These girls are family to me in spirit. I have taken them into my heart and they are here to stay. I think when my time here on earth is over and I enter heaven; I hope God lets me work in the nursery:) I can't imagine anything more fulfilling and since I will have a new body that does not get tired, it will be great!!

I hope that all of you reading here have a wonderful weekend and find treasures in everything around you. We have so much to be thankful for and God has given us His beauty everywhere, if we only look. I love you and please pray for my girls.

Love and Hugs, Laurie