Friday, November 27, 2009

Who turned the punchbowl over yesterday?

I do not know. That is the question now when it hails down here. It started the Sunday after Uncle Pat's passing. We were in Church and praising the Lord. I was crying really badly, partly because I couldn't go home for the funeral.
When we got home, there were piles of ice cubes around the house. We had never seen that before. Everybody told us that it had hailed, we didn't see it. It was just there. Evvy said, Don't cry mommy, Uncle Pat tipped over the angel's punchbowl on our house to let us know that he had made it home safely. I stopped crying, that is for sure.
Last night we did have another hail storm and again, I missed it. I was at work. Lightning and thunder and hail for the going home commute. When I got out of work it was over. I missed it again. It is just my timing to miss seeing the punchbowl tipped on our house again:).

Thursday, November 26, 2009

As We Ready Ourselves for our 2009 Turkey Dance.


Yearly, my Thanksgiving meditation is of my mother-in-law(God rest her soul). What a faithful woman she was and what an entrance into heaven there must have been for such a woman who sacrificed her entire life and poured it into her children.
I remember turkeys from my own mother, whose delicious turkeys were often the story of the year.
I was right next to my mother when she was burned, horribly by the turkey, while basting it. I do try to forget that horrific moment. Mother survived, Thank God. But, this year, I am remembering my mother-in-law and the turkey dance.
One of the last Thanksgivings, she took me to her side in the kitchen and handed me one leg of the Turkey. Here Jayne, Do this! she said. What? The Turkey was a frozen ball and she had a stick of butter and seasonings, mostly paprika and she was intending to massage these seasonings into the turkey. What a wrestling match, we had. She had one leg and I had the other and the Turkey which had been used to sitting in that closed position didn't like us pulling at it like we did. Her hands and my hands were full of butter and when we were done I couldn't see the difference between my hands and the turkey. It was red and I think my whole body was full of paprika? It is the one memory of my mother-in-law that I try to pass along every Thanksgiving. The joy of the love of sharing a meal with loved ones. The dirtying of the hands and the kitchen to grant a loving request of the people that you love. Wrestling with the elements of the turkey to wring out of it a delicious meal. I do love the day. Today, it is me and my Elyse wrestling with the Turkey.
The fog is as thick as peanut butter, outside; our hearts are warmed inside by the anticipation of loving Thanksgiving. We do hope your Thanksgiving is happy and safe.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Happy Birthday Baby Brother!

Many happy returns of the day!

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Tis the day before the boys were born! "Make a wish"





We stayed up all night. I never get tired of talking about how we waited for those boys in our lives. We laugh that before the boys we lived in a convent. All girls and all girly stuff. Dad tried to pretend that we were boys and Dad called us boys. But, there were no trucks and no cars and no catchers' mits. We did stuff that was boyish like climb trees and walked on the ice with Dad, but we didn't have any boys in the house and it was felt.
November 24th, we were all crammed into the little bedroom in the upstairs looking out at the stars. They called cousin Karla over. That meant that mommy was going to the hospital. Lets' wish hard on the stars. We stayed in the window and wished and wished. It has to be a boy, we said it is coming on the 25th like Christmas. It has to be a boy. We wished and wished and sang and wished. Some of the girls say they didn't wish for a boy. Cousin Karla told us to pray for a boy and I was with her. Enough of this all girl existence. That was one of the most memorable nights of our lives, next to cousin Karla's wedding. We got our wish! Not just one boy, another boy came after him. What an amazing providence and gift. I do love the remembrance of every one of the precious gifts that my parents gave me. Going to the stork's house every year, just to get me another playmate. But when they got me the boys, it was best of all. I am not kidding. We begged Grandma to give us Michael and I kissed the mole on the back of his head and prayed to God that He would give us a boy for all of the crying we were doing to get that boy. God did both. He gave me my own brother and He gave Michael back to us later on, as well. Talk about answered prayer...

Monday, November 23, 2009

This time Ezra didn't miss the St. Bernard.

Elyse was trying to be cute and the St. Bernard neighbor's dog appeared out of nowhere. What a sight he is! A huge and gigantic creature just bounding effortlessly. Elyse was trying to catch him. She jumped out of her Sunday Shoes to catch him. He just loves everybody. Ezra came outside with the doggy treats and He started to bound toward him and my heart was in my mouth. I said He is going to crush my baby. He is so careful. He bounded up to Ezra like a huge friend. He was jumping so high in the air and then stopped right infront of Ezra and licked his whole face with that huge tongue. His tongue was the size of Ezra's entire face. Yuck! He didn't mind at all.
We want him. Our Emma is so afraid of the St. Bernard that she just hides when he comes to visit. She starts selling her "wolf tickets", as she usually does at other dogs on "her" property and then she says, never mind; shuts up and hides. What a special thing to see. We would love to have one of these immense creatures. I don't know why we call them dogs. They look like angelic caring creatures looking around for love and life. Hi! He always says. He uses the hugeness of his body to give warmth and care, a very maternal-like or nurse-like dog. He looks into your eyes, as if to say what do you need me to do. Can we play? Can we run around the yard? What a beautiful, loving dog. I don't know that they are all like that. But our neighbor's dog made us late for church, and it was worth it. Elyse had on her winter white and was dressed for one of her friend's wedding showers and messed it all up for the love of our St. Bernard friend. Barefooted she guided the creature to his yard. The neighbors were not there. We would need a gate, if we had one. I would love it.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Goodbye Mr. Rug Doctor!

At 6 last night I started my rampage against the carpet dirt. This has become a Thanksgiving tradition, although I am certainly in love again.
Years and years ago it was Michael Jackson and Davy Jones and Dave Partridge and of course, Donnie Osmond. Now in my age, it is the Rug Doctor. I spent 2 days with him and nearly bit off the rest of the family's head to get as much time as I could, squeezed into a 24 hour rental. I love him and I wish to keep him, especially after a sick season, where two of my boys had been down with fever. I have a vendetta against the dirt that sickened them and Mr. Rug Doctor seems the only one who understands.

Why are you so into that machine? Rinsing and covering area time and again. The 2 living rooms were done and the car and then up the stairs. I had, to get some sleep last night and go pick up Ben, but early in the morning, I would awake to start again. I had no idea that my bones would hurt in the morning, as they did.
But I could see Mr. T's face and his finger pointing to me, You do it! He seemed to say. These 3300 square feet are no match for the mother and her Rug Doctor boyfriend for the weekend. They will never understand what I see in him. They will never understand the agreement of two machines(or one machine and a sickness angry mommy) working together for the cleaning of a horribly trampled carpet. Bucket after bucket of dirty water between us and still it was only half done. Time is up. I kissed Mr. Rug Doctor and sent him back to the store with, alas only 1500 square feet completed. But, the stubborn and most important areas are completed. I never want to see my floors look like that again. Of course, I always say this after a weekend with Mr. Rug Doctor and then I forget and get tired and then, unfortunately sickness beckons me to call upon him; come budget or high water.
He's not mine, but he does his share and I do love him most when he's here. They all let me be, when he's here and then the dust settles and the family welcomes me back with open arms, almost. My tirade is over. The dirt that remains will have to stay there and I will sleep till the cows come home. LOL

Thanksgiving Saturday, We're Blessed!

Fred Hammond woke us up this morning, singing we're blessed in the city and in the field and when we come and when we go. We do miss our church in NY where that was a reminder nearly every Sunday. We go to a blessed and humbly blessed church now where everybody is so blessed that it would be proud to get up and sing that every Sunday like we used to. Fred was reminding us and we had a family rejoicing time as we get ready for the REAL Thanksgiving day. Cleaning and cleaning and...did I say...cleaning?



"O Happy Home where Christ is loved the dearest"
I do remind myself of my studies of the Christian household, before I got into this mission. Why don't they just listen and do what I say? Why don't they just behave when I ask them to. Thank God for the words of Jay Adams which I read before I had children. He said the Christian Household is a group of sinners who agree to forgive one another regularly and try to live at peace with one another. I think I can do that. Cleaning day is racking on my nerves, when I am barking out orders and expecting my family to forgive me in my rampage. Thank God for Fred Hammond and the hymnists who are giving me some musical soothings for this savage beast. I won't talk about what they are doing to make me want to batter them. I will continue and press on and realize that we are really blessed and my nerves being tried is part of the magnitudes of the blessings that we are enjoying. How can a savage mother raise cultured Christian children?:)

Friday, November 20, 2009

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

One day of sun and one day of rain, I love it!

It is like driving through London, here when the rains and clouds cover. Loads of new constructions. New houses and new communities of people with little ones looking at their children going into the new schools. Beautiful winding roads interspersed with cows chewing their cud, completely oblivious to the ratrace of taking your children to school and running to work.
I simply love the beauty of the workaday world right alongside the farm life. It is refreshing to me and I do not take enough time to enter into the beauty of the world around me.
Much to do around the house, to prepare for the Thanksgiving celebrations at our house. I am not off on Thanksgiving Day, But we will celebrate anyway.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Prayer for the talks in China.

I had the opportunity to listen to the talks with President Obama and President Wu and rejoiced at the wonderful opportunity of reconciliation this season is. How much we are imitating God when distant neighbors attempt reconciliation and attempt to find points of agreement. Only God can inspire that kind of human interaction and to Him belongs all of the Glory.
I went to get Ben from work at 11 and turned on the news to help me go to sleep and rejoiced to hear these two great men speak about attempting to find reconciliation between the two continents. It was ironic that at the same time I got the CD in the mail of Aunt Gwen's wedding. I am still in awe of the reconciliation of married people as was the case in their wedding. I rejoice that God can reconcile Himself to us and teach us to reconcile even our deepest divides:).

Sunday, November 15, 2009

SPEECHLESS!



Even on days when my son is home with a fever, the awesomeness of the mercy of God to a sinner like me leaves me speechless. Thanks Jo for the wonderful meditation that I am still chewing on.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

They had off for Veterans Day and I did not...

I had no energy to put on another Pot of Tea for my company(children) on their day off. I can dream about it and the time that they tell me Grandma would take with her children. Anne Murray was a reminder of what I should have been doing when I came in from work, yesterday; instead of "napping" again. I made up for it by being awake for the blast off this morning. Talks about teen life and kid life and woman life and maternal wanderings, pucker the landscape of tumultuous communications on the small moments before the bus comes to carry my guests off to their school days. "Mommy I forgot to do my homework" That is when I remember that Grandmas, it is said, used to greet her children with a cup of milk and cookies on a tray and oversee the homework that they did. That is why they were all geniuses. I am not in her league yet. Anne Murray was the setting for me to determine again to take up my mind and get about the business of mothering when I am home and stop giving in to the menopausal pull of the bed gravity and Put on another POT of Tea.

It was another boring report card day, Thank God. I had my speech about what I want from my children which is carefully crafted from my fathers files. I like this grade and this is what I want to see all of the time. Tony Bodden's files of report card speeches are my inheritance from him. I can't get away from him no matter how I try. The children laugh because as I get to the second sentence and the finger starts tapping on firmly on the surfaces, they say who is that you are mimicking. They really know who it is. :) I love the fact that they come in with whatever grade and have no fear of the consequences. I lived and studied under such a torment that I get a real kick that they have none of that. Ben tries to get me to put some tooth into my words about those things, but I simply cannot. So far they are doing decently and I don't want geniuses. I want responsible, reliable and really really useful as Thomas the Tank Engine calls it. I love their laid back attitude about life and things and not the cowering of fear of death hanging over them. Every once in a while when they get too slack I threaten them that I will tell them the story of the Latin Regents. NO!NO! they don't even want to hear the threatenings that I went through. That is enough to make them tow the line. I love that. It is called virtual threatenings. We laugh about it now and they look at that, as anger to avoid. We all have it. It is just where we put it. My Daddy put his into me. I will always use it and I will always love him for it.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Grandma Delaphena is my Veteran for Veterans day, this year.


I found this song from Anne Murray and it reminded me of Grandma Delaphena's house. When the veterans came home, the mothers and grandmothers welcomed them with open arms and they were encouraged to pick up the pieces of their lives and go on in the world over another pot of tea.
It is the mother's and the wife's national sacrifice to take those horror memories and weave them into the future. I haven't seen Grandma's house, since Jo's inheritance, but I am sure that the smell of another cup of tea is still just as warm because of her passing the baton after having it passed to her.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Today is the 23 anniversary of my childbirth career



Through many dangers toils and cares, I have already come, His grace has brought me safe thusfar and grace will lead me home. Amazing Grace


My eyes were closed and the midwife said, you might want to see this. I wasn't sure that I wanted to see the baby being born? She said why else would you choose to do natural childbirth if you don't want to see. I had a list of other reasons. They forced me to look. So I am sure that they didn't switch her at birth. Pascack Valley Hospital birthing rooms. Beautiful dim lights and family friendly enjoyment. The baby came out nearly talking. She smiled in the first moments at my mother and my father and Muffy who came to see the first cousin to the initial grandchild. Here I was a tiny baby and me and my husband and lots of hopes and dreams and cares and ambitions. I am grateful for the beautiful, godly woman that the little speckled bundle that came out of me that day has become. She is careful and deliberate in her faith and her pursuits. She is a friend and a joyful helper in the family. I could never have hoped for as much as I received from the Lord that day.
Happy Birthday, LISHKA!

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Melancholic seasons, too, shall pass?



The small taste of the sights of NY via the tickertape parade over the internet, spawned heaves of melancholic homesickness. I feel in stable condition this morning from it, though. When I am melancholic, it is as though my mind reaches as far back as it can, as though it could go back into the womb to try to find comfort. I was missing my Daddy's lap and my Mommy's womb. I can't go back there, it is just a symptom of aging and stress. God helped me to know that He is there and "a very present help in the times of trouble". I woke this morning, after a good full night's rest and put on my CD of one of our services and the theme was evidently the Fatherhood of God and I felt as though I was in the lap of the Lord. God is so faithful!

Friday, November 6, 2009

BRRRRR.....Missing NY.



It is cold outside! I took the day off and was able to watch the tickertape parade on the internet. Virtual vacation day in NYC for me, I guess. The sadness of the outragious, always makes me miss Dad. Last night, I saw this little movie and I cried all night. It seems that NY homesickness has got me down, a bit.

When I was little, I would wake up and watch stuff, downstairs on the couch with Dad, not quite singing into eachother's mouths, like that couple but we would enjoy the night watchings. Now, I realize that it is my children's opportunity to enjoy the patience of a father and the difficulties. Too often, I am tempted to umpire the conflicts, when I should just allow them the fun of verbal fistacuffs. Never get between a girl and her POP. They could be just challenging eachother and if I get involved I am the outsider. I know that I was that type of daughter and I am getting it back. What comes around, goes around. I couldn't help borrowing this little clip from the youtube so that you all can cry with me and laugh. :)

Thursday, November 5, 2009

What a foible!



I cut my Enoch's hair. I thought it looked pretty good, but he is far from pleased. He is pleasant enough about it. He asked me to take it down further on the first clipping and I was uneven handed, it looks like. I suppose that I am not to be trusted with a scissor in hand with my boy.
He is really a man and taking it as well as can be expected. Unfortunately it will be a week before his hair grows the spotted look out. The children affectionately call those haircuts the dalmation look. Such is life!

Monday, November 2, 2009

When I was newly saved, I used to go to church and my Daddy would tease me in a friendly way, sometimes.


Did you "pitch forward"? In other words did you do your "crazy praise dance" at church again? I hadn't heard "Cece" talk about this but she would say, Did He wake you up this morning? Or I would have said that to him. All I could say was Yes Dad. And he would make that giggle face, somewhat embarrassed and(I would imagine) somewhat jealous at my liberty to make a complete fool out of myself for Jesus. God is worthy. I would always pray God would be glorified in my worship and that I would have my whole family worshiping with me, I wished that my Daddy could understand why I praise God, like I do.
Well, last night we had the church fall festival and my whole crazy praise dance troop (me and my children)reminded me what fools for Jesus that we have raised. God is so faithful to answer prayer. We were in the rain glorifying the God of the Universe with all that was within us. We have the God of the Universe resident in our souls, in Jesus and we "pitched forward", as Dad would say. When I am tempted to wonder where did those crazy praise dancers come from?, the Lord reminds me that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
God is so worthy of all the glory and we didn't need much provocation to dance before Him last night but outside with the light rain upon falling on our heads, we danced, like David in the scriptures.
Grandma Ruth used to say, I don't know what religion they are, but whatever they are, they agree. (Speaking of Ben and I) Last night it was a posse of praise dancers, glorifying God under the mists.










Title- The Studious One!

Title-  The Studious One!
artwork by Elyse

Of biscuits and syrup

Of biscuits and syrup
tasty treats

Happy Saturday!

Happy Saturday!
a day at the Raptor Center.

Widdle Emmie in outer space school

Emmie jumped on the bus and off it flew out into the atmosphere. There was a set of clouds with turbulence right above the house and it took a few minutes for my Emmie to buckle her seatbelt. They hit the bump hard and it knocked my Emmie out of her seat and she bumped her head. The video camera came on and the monitor looked through and stated, Ms. Emmie, where are you? You are not in your seat. Where are you? I am alright I fell because I hadn’t buckled correctly. Well jump up Emmie we have a long way to go and you have to be buckled there is entirely too much turbulence in the stratosphere for you to unbuckle now. As soon as we are through this weather system there will be straight sailing but right now you must buckle. Emmie scrambled into the seat with intensity and purpose now. She watched every cloud pass her window and her nose was pressed to the window trying to see the top of the house as it drifted slowly out of sight. Soon they were not only out of sight of the house, the sun came out brightly and just as quickly they were putting on the atmospherical breathing apparatus and the outerspherical lights. The ABA and the OL. These precautions were to make them appear to be satellites to the radar as they were out in the ionosphere. Emmie knew all about this now. She had gone to the orientation and had a good breakfast and it took them 20 minutes for her to get out past the atmospherical pull and to feel the zero gravity. It would be 15 minutes before the gravity simulators would take effect, a glitch in the system which was being worked on. Until then, they enjoyed the couple of minutes of floatation, while being connected to the seats by belt. The first thing they saw everyday was the strataflotsam. The items which had been dumped into the atmosphere by earlier generations. What would their generation do about this ecological waste area that remained floating above their heads? This was a question for the generations. For now it was the area that they had to guide through on the way to school.

Midnight at the OASIS

Midnight at the OASIS
Sunset in Huntersville

My little Emmie

ran to the bus on the first day of the last year of school. 2 buns on the side of her head. She kissed me and ran at dawn to the bus. She was starting the adventure of a lifetime. I would never see that little girl again, she was going to woman school!

My Father and I 1989

My Father and I 1989

to the tune of Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme

A VISIT TO PAPA











Are you going to Mary Immaculate?

Apricots, Chocolate Cherries and Pie,



Remember me to the one who lived there,



He once was a true love of mine,



Tell him to buy me an acre of land,



Apricots, Chocolate Cherries and Pie,



Between the muddy Hudson in Jamaica Bay,



Then, He’ll be a true love of mine,

Tell him to sow in it seeds of pure cream,



Apricots, Chocolate Cherries and Pie,



And build Ice cream mountains and buildings of whipped cream,

Then, He’ll be a true love of mine,



Tell him to reap them with sickles of M&M’s,



Apricots, Chocolate Cherries and Pie,



And chew bubble gum and eat till we’re done,



Then, He’ll be a true love of mine.



Tell him to run it off down the motor parkway,



Apricots, Chocolate Cherries and Pie,



After your done 50 pushups



and jog down the West Side Highway,



Then he’ll be a true love of mine…

(Don’t wait for me today dad, The kids are sick again, My tummy’s bulging again, My heart is aching again, And now there’s no love there…)





He once was, a true love of mine….So, Girls, I do beg you don't miss your Daddy,Apricots, Chocolate cherries and Pie,You have one short chance to see him on this side, Go visit him and let your light shine.