We just spend a weekend visiting our grandbaby (and her parents!) I kept thinking how much cuter can our grandbaby get? And yet, she continues to become cuter each day. 

Popovers! 

We went, we exclaimed "I can't possibly eat this!" and then did. We visited the downtown Dallas Neiman Marcus at lunch time Saturday and found the downtown traffic minimal which was a very good thing as we had to drive around a bit, circling here, circling there to find just where we could park and enter. Once inside we looked over the jewelry counter, pretending to consider a new 'touch' for our fall wardrobe. . . and after we had all gathered, we headed upstairs for lunch in their Zodiak Room. We had a lovely luncheon with a grandmother, daughter, and granddaughter (who is soon to be engaged), and three other mothers, sans our grown kids. We managed to order various salad plates, sipped iced black current tea (YUM!) and shared one dessert between the six of us as we were way too full to order more than one and yet it was too tempting to pass up a delightful dessert to end the meal we had shared.  We picked the chocolate mouse pie . . . wouldn't you have done the same? The various layers were all differing depths of chocolate - the white layer must have been white chocolate - it was very good, even the fork full we all had. Well worth tucking another bite into our tummies.  

That evening our daughter/son-in-love, and grandbaby hosted a sukiyaki dinner. My husband and daughter had shopped, chopped, and prepared, cooked, and served us the meal. She had her in-laws there along with one sister-in-law who is living at home.  It was a delicious time shared around the table - and was a gift to our daughter as this is her favorite family meal and may be her last one for many years as they leave for mission work. My husband was raised in Japan and his family has a tradition of having sukiyaki on New Year's day. We have adapted that in our family but with awaiting the immediate birth of our grandbaby this year, we opted to post-pone it until later. July wasn't our best time temperature-wise but it worked out very well. I neglected to photograph that event. . . . next time we do it, we'll take photos. The platters of the foods ready for cooking are works of art. 

Family is precious, passing the faith down is our privilege and responsibility. As we sat at the table of our son-in-law and daughter, sharing a meal with his parents and sister, it was a beautiful time. Each set of parents had prayed for their child's future spouse, and here we sit with them and their first child. Its humbling and causes great inner joy.

Truth for Life

Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;

His greatness no one can fathom.

One generation will commend your works to another;

they will tell of your mighty acts.

They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty,

and I will meditate on your wonderful works.

Psalm 145:3-5

 

Look who is sitting pretty! 

Its our grandbaby that is who! She is one smiley girl - loves exploring the world with her hands and mouth. She is getting enough hair now that it is time for cute little tiny hair clips - what fun I had looking at one fabulous store in Tulsa, OK called Kathleen's Kids. I found itty bitty ones and called my daughter to ask her for color requests. I picked them out, paid, and quickly left the store before I really got into shopping. We delivered them to her today. We have been hugging, talking to, cuddling, kissing, tickling, and generally making fools of ourselves on her behalf.  What fun! Tomorrow I'm taking a walk with my grandbaby before it heats up here - so early we shall be on the path of some nice streets of Dallas when dawn breaks. I'll get to enjoy my daughter and granddaughter in the quiet of a summer morning - can't suggest anything I'd rather do!  (no not even tea sipping or knitting)

Speaking of tea sipping, tomorrow I'm taking lunch with friends and family at a Neiman Marcus' lunch room - it will be delightful! Its a splurge that doesn't fully break the bank - and it begins with their wonderful chicken broth and the largest fresh-from-the-oven popovers I've ever seen. The popovers are served with strawberry butter - and all this is presented before the food you ordered for lunch arrives! The service is impecable thus you feel like royalty. Its a special spot to have a 'lets do lunch'. We will be women from Texas: Houston, Waxahaxie,  and Dallas, as well as Oklahoma: Tulsa. The women gathering are those who have a heart for God - it will be many generations at the table, some related, some friends, all soon to be friends. There will be some iced tea sipping instead of hot tea as its in the 3 digits of temperatures. We will be positively "glowing" as we arrived. Wish you could join us!

As we drove here today I finished up a small dishcloth project. a mid-July monthly dishcloth pattern I wasn't able to do day by day as the instructions arrived via email. I took the 4 1/2 hours of our drive to knit, listen to a podcast, visit with my dear husband, and answer my phone as friends and kids called about this or that. It was a perfectly sunny day with blue skies and white puffy clouds - a lovely drive it was. It is a mini-vacation for us. I'll knit some more at night in our hotel room before sleeping each night. And speaking of night, I need to get my rest so I can bounce out of bed for that morning walk. Nite, nite!

Truth for Life

O LORD, I will honor and praise your name, for you are my God. 

You do such wonderful things!

You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them.

Isaiah 25:1

Big blue and expressive eyes! 

Here are the lastest photos of our grand daughter. She is on a trip with our daughter and son-in-love and she is traveling well at 6 months. We are so looking forward to visiting her again later this month. Don't you just want to hug and kiss her? 

Smack!

I'm a lucky woman, not just because I am blessed to have such a cutie patootie grand baby but because of my children, and dear husband, and the family in which I was raised. I have 3 sisters, each different, each talented in her own way, each unique in interests and personality. I also have a brother who keeps pretty much to himself. I'm glad I was raised in a large family - it continues to be a blessing as we all grow older. I pray you have family, by birth or by delivery by God through your church family. Don't live life alone - be connected to family and friends. Life is much sweeter when lived with, shared with, enjoyed with, and walked out with others. But when you need direction, don't first look to friends or family, look first to the one who can see it all, our past, our present, and our future, who watches over us, is ready to lead, guide, and direct us in what will be the best life of all. He has a view no other man has.

Truth For Life

Trust in the LORD with all your heart;

do not depend on your own understanding.

Seek his will in all you do,

and he will show you which path to take.

Proverbs 3:5,6

Finished this dishcloth up as I listened to some radio programs via the internet. This is called the Pebble Stitch Cloth. I got the pattern here:

jimsyldesign.com/dishbout/kpatterns/pebble.html

I have made 3 other dishcloth patterns, all gifts to be given. It has been a pleasure to work on them over the past month knowing they would be used in someone's home. . . gifts of my hands and heart for their homes. A gift of time for their home care.

Knitting as one listens to a book on tape or a podcast or a radio program makes the knitting go pleasantly. Today's programs were focused upon becoming a woman of moderation. Not a woman who gulps food (and life!) but savors life, tastes life, enjoys life. Music to my ears and heart! This is what my life is headed towards. . . perhaps it is middle age, perhaps it is because I now work outside the home and am exposed to the pace and frustrations of peers at work that I sense the fast paced 'just making do' of today's American. 

It would be easy to pick up the pace of others, to let them be the speed setters of my own life; but I purpose to have a different center of life. If I didn't, I fear what direction my life would take. It would not be a life that has balance, joy, or peace; I would not have the time to reach out to others, for reaching out would further overbalance my life by their demands and even needs.  This requires a daily re-setting of what is true, what is good, what is necessary, what I'm truly called to do during each day, on any given day. 

Pushing the reset button? How do I do it? I soak in God's Word each morning and evening, thinking upon what I read, memorizing it, and thus allowing it to change my thoughts, my views, with the result of this inner view of life overflowing into what I do, when I do it, how I do it, with whom I do it, etc. as well as what I opt out of doing. I seek God for the discernment to know what He has asked me to do. I see this dependence upon God in Christ's life and words in the gospel of John. I ask God to make it real in my life. May this be true in your life, dear reader 

Truth For Life

Taste and see that the LORD is good.

Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.

Fear the LORD, you His saints, for those who fear Him lack no things.

Psalm 34:8-9

Summer time! The weekend was lovely! We had sun, we had rain, we had heat. We slept in 3 mornings until 8:30 a.m. - positively luxurious! We cooked out, joined others for a cook out on Friday and Saturday evenings. Friday was with family and filled with much laughter around the table indoors. The other was with friends, old and new, in our Sunday school class. We ate outdoors under huge oak trees. It was a potluck with hot dogs, hamburgers, many delicious sides dishes, home made ice cream and fresh blueberry cobbler. We shared summer plans, jokes, and talked of planning a group trip to Alaska by cruise. Now that is tempting!!!! (we'll be given a year to save for that trip so as many in our class can participate as possible)

At home we enjoyed our pool, read, watered the lawn, went to church and enjoyed having some time with our adult son. It was a perfect summer holiday. I hope this finds you having spent yours with loved ones. We are now planning a trip to see our grandbaby this month - that will be another fun time. We received new photos via email showing her latest feats: she is now sitting up on her own and beginning to eat foods. Being our first grandchild, we are amazed and enthralled with every single step of her growth and development. (have you been there, too?) 

On the needles? I finished up a dishcloth last week and began a new one today. This one is a pattern called Pebble-Stitch Cloth and is designed by Cindy Bartorillo. You can see a photo and get the pattern at: www.jimsyldesign.com/dishbout/kpatterns/pebble.html

I'm knitting one up in Sugar 'n Cream in Key Lime Pie color. It should 'fit' into a friend's kitchen when she gets her walls repainted. She has a sample of her paint on her wall which helped me pick out a yarn to work into her new decor. I'm also looking into patterns I have and pattern books I've checked out from the library for making use of some yarns I have in my stash. Will post photos as I begin those projects. I also plan to make a fan and feather patterned hat to match the fan and feather baby blanket I knit up for a future baby gift.

Truths For Life

Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,

not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.

Hebrews 10:24-25

Happy 4th of July!

The holiday is soon to be upon us! Our local newspapers are abounding in details for how to celebrate, where to celebrate, new recipes, favorite recipes, etc. How about knitting up a tiny flag to make into a pin? Vogue Knitting provides such a pattern here: www.vogueknitting.com/patterns/free/2008/flag-pin.pdf

I think that I will make one using embroidery floss as it won't take much and I don't have red and blue yarn and wouldn't want to have more yarn left over in my stash.

We'll be spending our 4th quietly. I work that morning but will be home the rest of the day. On the 5th we'll join many families from our Sunday school class for dinner and fireworks. Its a tradition hosted by one of our families; it makes for a family feel and I love it! I am trying to decide whether I'll bake a dessert or bring a side dish or salad - the options are open. We don't celebrate with our family as my own extended family and my husband's have dwindled and moved on to their own traditions what with only one grandparent between us living. So, with one child married and gone, the other likely to travel with the one grandparent to visit an uncle and aunt out of state. . . . that leaves us with a vacation-for-2. Not a bad thing at all! 

I think we will plant some shrubs in our new shrub beds since our back yard has now been french drained, re-sodded and just awaiting the replacement of a large portion of our fence. We may set up our little blow up "Family Swim Center" pool. (that is what the box calls it, we find it every year and joke about our having a family swim center on the back patio)  Its a large pool that is deep enough and long enough for us to sit in, read, relax, and cool off as we get a bit of the sun. We buy this same pool each year as we usually wear one out. It provides us with a cool dip before sleeping at night - makes for a better night of rest when our weather tops upper 90's or low 100's. 

May you have a pleasant 4th - spend it safely, with family and friends, good American foods in the great outdoors! As we celebrate our freedom as Americans, let us not forget the freedom we have offered to us in Christ, the true, eternal freedom.

Truth For Life

So Christ has truly set us free. 

Now make sure that you stay free, 

and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law.

Galatians 5:1