Oops..........

Oops....... I forgot my own anniversary.

I didn't forget my wedding anniversary. I forgot my one year anniversary of blogging. I started this journey, after reading my daughter-in-laws blog, as they were anxiously waiting on information to go to China to get their daughter they were adopting. I didn't think I really had much to say. Ya right ! With an active mind and the ability to talk to anyone, I should have known I would never be at a loss for thoughts to put on my blog. I began this intriguing adventure on Sunday February 24, 2008. Yes . . . I am really past due on my anniversary! God has used this avenue to enrich my life with people that help to push me out of my comfort zone. I have found lots of crafting, photography, uplifting and family blogs to ameliorate my life on a daily basis. I appreciate the new friends I have made on the Net. It has been a pleasure to share my family with others.

Thanks from: Tom and Cindy

1 Timothy 2:5 "For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus"

Congratulations to Jeff and Whitney

A huge Congratulations goes out to Jeff and Whitney. They are the proud parents of a baby girl they have named Quinn Marie. She was 7 lb. 10 oz. at birth and 19.5 in. long. She has lots of black hair. Jeff and Whitney were to bring her home Friday evening. Congratulations for the wonderful addition to your family. Aren't girls just wonderful.

Little Ricky D.

Happy Birthday Son....

We love you so very much.

Rick was the third of three children born in a mere 3 years ! He entered this world at a whopping 9 lbs. 3 oz. Rick was named after Rick Mount of the Purdue Basketball team. What is so funny about that is, that we are all IU fans. Rick Mount was a very good player, and Tom loved basketball. If having babies was as easy as it was delivering Rick, women everywhere would be having babies all the time. To my surprise, he wasn't the prettiest of my babies. When they showed him to me, I thought-- he looks like a frog ! I took him home, fattened him up, and he was the cutest little boy. He looked just like his Grandpa Wagoner.

This makes me think of my Dad when I look at it. Rick and Tom were watching the 1972 Olympics when I took this.

I know he is my son, but I tell ya, he was the cutest little fella. He was so easy going and still is. Everyone loved Little Ricky. He was a novelty, since there had been only girls in our family. He was a joy to have as a son until....kindergarten. He came home one day and "told" me he was going down the road to play with Timmy. Ummmm....no you are not. After some discussion, Rick stayed home and played. We didn't have any outburst like that again.

He was pretty gullible... here he is showing off his new birthday clothes. Rick looks like me in this picture when I was little. Little kids are so funny. He was the first grandson for my parents. Mom and Dad had 3 girls. I had had 2 girls before Rick was born. Everyone thought he was a novelty!

Tom and my Dad took Rick to get his first hair cut. He didn't like that at all. So I cut his hair from that day until the day he decided to wear his hair like his Grandpa Wagoner's. Needless to say he didn't like the barber. Look how thick (and how much) hair Tom has.....!

Looks like Rick isn't happy with Potty Training. I sure miss being a mommy. I loved every minute of motherhood. Rick was so much fun to raise. He was such a good little boy. Of course he had two older sisters that adored him and spoiled him. I remember one day they were all walking home from the bus. There they were, Rick in the middle of his sisters, and they each had their arms interlaced with his. Makes a mother so proud to have children so close.

There is some truth to the saying that boys are treated differently. Rick was allowed to get really dirty. He almost always had a smile on his face. He has those Grandpa Wagoner blue eyes. We used to call him Bruiser because he acted like Dick the Bruiser from WWF wrestling (something I really dislike).

Rick was never one to sit inside and watch TV. He was always busy. He loved playing with a rope slung over a branch of a tree. He would haul stuff up, and then let it down. He spent so much time in our trees. When we were able to keep a dog, Rick was outside playing with it. When he got a little older he moved to baseball cards. We had so many of those things,Tom built a box approx. 3'x5' to hold them. It was great having Rick as a son. He hardly ever caused me any problems. He just went with the flow. He is pretty much like that still. Which once again reminds me of my Dad. Easy going and lets you do your thing.

Rick with his Dad. As you can see, Rick was going through one of his growing spurts. He looks like he is all legs and no body. Tom was very active in sports. He really wanted the kids to be in sports too, but he didn't push them. Rick first became interested in baseball. Yes... I remember when you hit me in the knee with a fast ball......but then... Rick found....... basketball.

Rick looovvveeeddd basketball. He would practice in the morning, afternoon, evenings and inside when the sun went down. We built him (or was it for his Dad?) a basketball court in our backyard. Below Rick is busy painting the 3 point line. It is still on the cement to this day. Good painting Rick. Rick would run up and down our road dribbling the basketball. He played baseball and football in high school, but his love was basketball season.

This is what dedication looks like. Rick would shovel off the basketball court in the winter so he could shoot hoops when it wasn't snowing. I loved watching Rick do this. It gave me a chuckle, and one of those moments a mother holds in her heart. His dedication has carried itself into his adult life.

Do I need an explanation for this photo? Its winter.......basketball court is shoveled off....time for some hoops!Nothing unusual about a high school photo of your son in his baseball uniform. What is different, is Rick's Dad was his coach. Tom started coaching young boys when Rick was just a baby. He continued with our oldest daughter when she wanted to play, and into Rick's high school years. It is a little difficult to be the coaches son. Rick's graduation day from College.

Here we are on his graduation day. He took on his responsibility so well. It is always a proud time for a parent when your child is productive and a responsible person in today's society. We have people come up to us all the time telling us what a great person Rick is. We take credit for some of it, but I really believe Rick was destined to be the person he is. Rick became a christian in his teens. He has grown and matured into a wonderful man that we are very proud of. Rick met his wife, Jennifer, at college. She has beautiful brown eyes and she is a great fit for our family. They had a son, Spencer, that looked a lot like his dad when he was younger. They recently adopted a b e a u t i f u l little girl from China. Her name is Malia. Rick is a great family man. Exactly what he is supposed to be. We are so proud of him and the life he has created. Although I don't get to see him as often as I would like, he is happy. And still playing basketball.

Rick...We couldnt have asked for a better son. My heart is over flowing with love for you. I am so proud of the man you have become.

Happy Birthday Rick

Under the weather...

Roll call....... Cindy...Cindy...has anyone seen Cindy?
Nope.....she is home. Sick.

She has a head ache, sore throat, ears plugged, cough and really tired.

What does the Dr. have for this?

Maybe some of those old time mixtures really would work. Just a few suggestions that older people used to use.

Apply apple cider vinegar...

Two teaspoons of honey with meals...

One teaspoon of olive oil mixed with one teaspoon of garlic (now that sounds good!) Yuk...

Root of rhubarb worn on a string around your neck...
Beets soaked in berry wine (now we are talking)

Goose grease and turpentine.......Yuuuukkkkkk.......

Rub oil of sardines on your throat......(this actually works???)

Kerosene (are you kidding?) with or without sugar...

Skunk oil in teaspoon of sugar...

Never mind, I will just let it run its course.

~Sassy~Insights~

Strange title?

As I have traveled into the blog world, reading and sharing, there are some very perceptive blogs that inspire. I would like to encourage you to read a couple of blogs that I have been following.

First is ~Esther's Insights~. It is a very interesting blog created by Gwendolyn. After her mothers passing, she and her siblings were going through some mementos of their mother. Each one had a special package with their names on it. Gwendolyn was given a 'Treasure Box'. She has generously shared intimate excerpts from this special Box with us. I sit and read her post knowing that the Lord will use them to make changes in me. Gwendolyn says on her blog that her Mother "would take your hand, look into your eyes and with a sparkle and a smile, share straight from her heart." Thank you Gwendolyn for sharing your Mother's never ending love.

The second is 'Sassy Granny'. Kathleen has a collection of thoughts dedicated to her grandchildren. It is wonderfully written. Humor, insight, and caring are woven into each post. When I am done reading her blog, I find myself uplifted and smiling. I truly love the blogs that challenge me to review my own life, that I may become a much better person. Thank you Kathleen for your devotion to your family and sharing of your thoughts.

~Tis Spring~

No matter how long the winter,

spring is sure to follow

Spring shows what God can do

with a drab and dirty world.

~Virgil A. Kraft~

Pretty in Pink

The Material

The prom isn't until first of May, but we have to get started early. Alex and I went shopping to find a pattern and material. When I get into a fabric store, I go nuts. I love material. My creative juices get going. Oh.......I forgot.....this is about the prom dress. Alex will have a one of a kind dress. I made her dress last year modeled after the one Kate Hudson wore on "How to lose a Man in 10 Days". The one she has chosen this year is a lot more fluffy! Another challenge.

Below is the dress it will be based on.

~Natasha~

Natasha Richardson

1963-2009

Natasha Richardson was born to in London to Vanessa Redgrave and Tony Richardson.

She married Liam Neeson and is also survived by 2 sons, Michael-13 and Daniel-12.

May the Peace of God be with your family

Dedication

Today (Sunday- March 15th) Little Miss Malia was dedicated at Rick and Jen's church. She was wiggly as usual. She was dressed in the outfit Rick and Jen got for her while we were in Guangzhou including the famous "squeaky shoes". Rick, Jennifer and Spencer all wore the outfits they bought for themselves just for this occasion. Pastor Jim said that since they were all dressed in their China outfits he would do the dedication in Chinese !!!! I would have liked to have heard that.....The kids have a very nice church family. After the dedication we all went to the Asian Buffet for lunch.

We are so happy that Malia is a part of our family. She is a much loved addition.

She is growing like a weed. It is hard to realize just how much she has grown since November.
This is a photo of Malia with her Mommy, Daddy and Big Brother Spencer when they got back to their room after getting Malia. She likes Spencer already!

A little of the Misc.

Friday Tom and I went over to Mom and Dad's house. My goodness . . . What is that? Oh...it is Mother. She was helping Dad sweep and clean his garage. They didn't know we were coming over to see if they could go and get fish with us in Marion. Boy did Mom need a little work cleaning up before we left!

As you can see in this photo, Mother did clean up nicely. We went to Marion to Dad's favorite place to get fish. It is probably the best fish in this area. We had a very nice time.

Jane and I went for a walk this afternoon (Sunday). It was a lovely day for a walk. There were people out in their yards everywhere. People playing ball in the school playground, working on their yards, kids playing basketball in their backyards, some were taking walks like we were. You can tell everyone is ready for spring. As we know in Indiana, you don't trust the weather man. Strange things can happen before spring officially gets here. Jane and I did come across some crocus in a yard we were passing by. They were so pretty. I just had to share them.

Honor Thy Father . . . .

Most people don't know my Dad.

He is a very quiet man. We tease him that since he was in a house with 4 very talkative women, he never had a chance to speak. Dad is just naturally quiet and a bit backwards around people. You won't find anyone who would say a bad thing about him. He is so admired by everyone in our family. Dad has been sick for almost 4 months. We think he is finally on the mend. What I want to express here, is how much I admire and love my Dad. I know everyone loves their father. My Dad is so special. He didn't get much of an education. The teacher didn't like him. So her disapproval was taken out on Dad with discipline. So he stopped going to school. Today, Tom and I went over to Mom and Dad's so Tom could install wiring for Dad to be able to run a heater he got for Christmas.

While I was standing in Dad's workshop, it brought to mind all that Dad has accomplished in his lifetime. He served in the Army in World War II. He is a very partiotic man. He loves to fly his flag, and has so much respect for the service men and women serving and those that have served. His twin brother and he were both in service for our country at the same time. Neither knowing if the other would make it back. Mom and Dad worked hard to save money to build their own home. People have other people build their homes today, but Mom and Dad built theirs evenings, and on weekends. It took us almost a year. Dad has never had any formal training for building, plumbing, wiring, etc. It just comes natural for him. He made a living, to provide his family (wife and 3 daughters), with all the necessities of life, as a mechanic for those big machines that build roads. We girls were very happy girls. We knew we were loved. After retiring Dad wanted to work in his workshop. He loves to make things out of wood. He has made kitchen tables, microwave stands, chairs, tables, lights, doll furniture, toy automobiles & covered wagons, patio rocking chairs, shelves to just name a few of the things. He was featured in our local newspaper, just like his Dad was years ago, for all the wood working he has done. He and Mother have been so much help for all of their family. They are just a phone call away. This morning I had an overflowing heart. I am so thankful that I was fortunate to have these two people as parents. I love my Dad with all my heart. He will be 88 on April 18th. I treasure everyday that I have to share with both my parents.

View out the window in Dad's workshop

I love you Dad........with all my heart.

Promise of Spring

Promise of Spring

The sky is dark and sullen

The trees look so forlorn

The days are short, a chill sets in

A winter day is born.

I yearn for spring so long ago

A day spent in the park

Among the blooming daffodil

The wren and meadowlark.

I long for gentle days of rain

A warm breeze in the air

The fragrance of a lilac tree

A day so ever fair.

Beneath the dead decaying leaves

A bud does wait anew

To reach its arms up to the sky

When winter days are through.

Beyond the bitter winds that blow

A breeze awaits to greet

To bring in sun kissed golden rod

And tender grass so sweet.

Just as the winter fades away

To this one hope I cling

Our God, who gives the winter wind

Will surely bring the spring

Marilyn Ferguson/ 2006