Camp Creek with Shelby

I am sitting on the porch watching Miss Shelby play in her Einstein chair….which they did not have with my babies! She doesn’t miss a thing….when a bird sings she stops and looks for it. She takes in each leaf blowing in the wind and is mesmerized by the wind chimes. There is something so incredibly precious about a baby in the morning. They wake up so blissfully cheerful with their mussed hair and little puffy eyes. They smell of last nights bath and they love you unabashedly! We should learn to welcome each new day in such a way…..when did we stop? The world is filled with wonder…and you are their guide. What a responsibility! To guide wonder to wonderful!

She is teaching me so much, our little wonder baby. She is reminding me of how amazing it can be to watch a bug crawl across the floor….how to shake my head “no” when I have had enough to eat! She shares slobbery kisses and laughs at the smallest pieces of life. She trembles with joy when it is bath time and literally bounces her days away. She is a combination of Tigger from Winnie the Pooh and Wilbur from Charlotte’s Web….two of my favorite children stories. If Shelby is Tigger….maybe I am Pooh, lover of honey. Or maybe I am Charlotte, wise and knowing….but more importantly willing to make any sacrifice for my sweet Shelby!

Chinese Gift Exchange at Park Avenue

The Annual Chinese Gift Exchange at our church is a tradition.I had not been in years....not since Lou Rasco held a microphone and at the opening of every gift asked, "Who brought that?" It was always kind of embarrassing if your gift was lame...old women can get brutal. There was "the look" at you over their glasses that felt disapproving. But this year I decided to be a sport. I saved the date on my calendar, shopped ahead of time and made an all out effort to dress "Christmas-y" and arrive on time with my finger food.

This year there were exactly 36 gifts...I know because I was number 23 and sat beside number 34. Thought it would never end! On the other side of me was sweet Jackie Carson....who cannot see....and wanted all the details of each gift narrated for her. Who was getting up? What did they open? Bless her heart. She asked me to get her gift for her...now this is pressure. Do you pick the really big nicely wrapped gift that screams "pick me"? Or do you pick a smaller gift that might contain an unexpected surprise? Selecting carefully, Miss Jackie opened a stainless steel cooking thing...spoons and such....of course, it was quite useless to her and I felt guilty.She had her eye on a musical dolphin thing....she loves dolphins...and it sang the tune of a song that was in her wedding (I know...who would have thought such a gift would appear at the annual politically incorrect Chinese gift exchange!)

So...I stole her stainless steel cooking set leaving her empty handed so that I could in turn steal the musical dolphin for her. She was thrilled and even cried....the whole scene was just too emotional...practically cried myself! I think the Good Lord must have smiled on me at the end of the exchange....one of our good sisters said she need a stainless steel cooking set swapping me for it. I ended up with some nice smelling potpourri....which was probably a better trade than I deserved. I helped clean up a little ...and left Miss Jackie wiping her eyes listening to dolphins sing "I love you truly."

There was lots of food...lots of laughs...and a real mixture of young and old. Some amazing, "I can't believe you made that" gifts and some "I can't believe you brought that" gifts. Some sweet..."I couldn't take that away from you" gals....and some "I'll take whatever I want from young mothers or their babies" gals. And then there was the amazing, mouth gaping gift that Faye Todd must have spent an entire year working on....a patch work Christmas tree skirt! Everyone just simply drooled over it. If I had made such a gift....it would have become a family heirloom to be passed down from generation to generation. But there she was ...exchanging it for something equally valuable...or not!

I wore my overalls and the Christmas turtle neck that Donna Hodge gave me....I love it by the way! Daisy Miller, arriving in her vintage convertible Cadillac, was decked out in a fabulous black outfit with rhinestone chandelier earrings and big shiny pins....two for good measure! At one point she made the statement that she wished they were videoing the event just so the men could see what they were missing. I bet! Somehow I think it might just confirm what they already imagine. It was fun...and funny!

I doubt God passes out stars in our crowns for partying ...but maybe for singing dolphins...who knows? Next year I must plan to go again....and bring an amazing gift. I might start on mine right after Christmas....it must be a heady experience to have everyone fighting over the thing that was made by your own hand. Nah.....I'll just keep an eye out for the sales!

Blog beginnings!

What in the world am I doing? A granny with a blog.....what fun! I doubt many will read it ...but won't my kids be surprised when I send them my blog spot. It is a cloudy day....in July. We have had record breaking rains and flooding here in north Texas. It doesn't seem like summer...but half of it has already drifted away. It has been a nice and quiet week at home and I have been able to get a lot done at a slow pace. We are looking forward to going to Camp Creek this next week. I hope the sun will come out so we can enjoy the lake. If not, it should be a long week.

I often have things to say...sometimes having this brain in my head wears me out. I have so many thoughts about so many things (not that any of them are useful) but lots of stuff jumping around up there. Life is funny! Don't you think? I sometimes feel as if I am playing Lucille Ball in a sitcom...or maybe I am Ethel? Would that make Jim Fred? Nah...he is definitely Ricky Ricardo...or maybe he is Andy and I am Barney? :) But it seems as if we sort of bumble through life....happy and satisfied but bumbling none the less.

We are clearly the "Sandwich Generation". We are the group that figured out how to extend life....so our parents are living forever. We won't of course, because they will kill us! :) We are caring for the elderly and supporting the young marrieds and playing with the grand babies. Although I only have one...I expect to have many more. Now...grand babies and the elderly are not all that different...they act the same.....it is just that the former is more fun than the latter and they smell a little better. You can also put the younger ones in "time out"...your parents won't go there....no matter how much you insist! We are squeezed in the middle of life. The down side is that it just wears you slap out...the up side is that clearly if you are in this situation it means that those that you love are alive and well....and kicking. It is surely a mixed blessing.

SO....sometimes I will write about grand babies...and it will be a warm and fuzzy reading. Other times I will write about my kids with great pride....and maybe some worry thrown in for good measure. And I might write about my husband who is still the most adorable man I have ever met. Finally, with tongue in cheek and with a great deal of sarcasm and humor I will write about the old folks....and all their antics and issues. If you are reading this...you are a friend or family....so you can laugh and cry with me as I bumble through this life and have a ball creating my blog! :)