Free Hugs Scotland

I've always maintained Glasgow is better than Edinburgh! I think this prooves it! Yes, I know the whole "hug" thing is a bit simplistic, and I've never been much of a hugger myself, but watching the video at least makes me want to be sure to hug those in my life more.

Becca and Sam in Boston

Becca and Sam went to visit her Auntie in Boston. He looks like a proper UK boy in his Cable knit sweater. He seems so grown up for only 8 months old. In the other photo he is bundled up in a lion suit. Praise to God for the lovely red coat Becca is wearing in the lion pic. I was praying she'd find one that suits her and low and behold she went to a thrift shop that day and found a red J. Crew wool coat for 5 dollars. I think the Arran Sweater on Sam was also a thrift (charity shop for my UK friends) find.

Like_youknow

Grammy's Cowboy!

"Why, HOWDY Ma'am. My Momma done raised me right and taught me to tip my hat to the women folk."

Sam is now in Texas for 10 days, where his other Grandmother (not sure what she's going to go by) and Grandpa live. He is having his first visit to his dad's home state and with his cousin Will, affectionally called "Wills"...and his three Aunties and three uncles and more cousins to boot.

He is I think about 8 weeks older than Wills but when they went to the mall with the boys, some folk did ask if they were twins despite the fact that if they were, it would be clear who got most of the "vittles and grub"!

Here's a picture of Will (Left) and Sam (Right) both current.

As for Grammy, I've been laid low since my dental work on the 13th. I do report though that I have felt an added portion of the Lord's comfort and nearness in this time of discomfort, though Glenn has been away for nearly 18 days. He returns home, Lord willing, tomorrow. I'm up late trying to make the house look like Howard Hughes didn't live here the last few weeks. I literally have gone from pain, to medication, to sleeping, and crawling out to kitchen to find the odd soft food to eat, not wanting to add peckishness to the already dizzy whooey feeling from pain meds.

I usually get a lot done round the house when Glenn is away (not that he cares, It's all my pushing myself, he's just happy if I'm happy.)but this time, it was moment to moment and I'm just glad to be free of pain for a few hours despite not accomplishing a lot. God's providence is good and right.

Smile!

A picture that is NOT my grandson. If I didn't have cat allergies, and I had an amenable spouse, I'd have a cat in a heartbeat. Hopefully that wouldn't make me one of those "cat women" who are the butt of jokes about lonely old spinsters with houses full of felines, but it is true. There is nothing like a purring soft fuzzy mewing idiosyncratic beast to make one's house a home.

That said, there is also nothing like said beast to make one's house a furry maloderous box if things go awry, so no notes blaming my cat love post on your obtaining said critter and it going badly.

I have cat on the brain because a sister of a friend and fellow blogger just posted about losing her own dear furball. I also am so in the wonky world of peri-menopause so deeply that I figure a cat would just about round out the picture of midlife insanity. My right cheek is on fire on and off some days and not at all on others. Today I can't get warm. My right cheek is still on fire but right next to it the tip of my nose is an icecicle. Good news: after a couple hours of this I realised I could take my ice cold hand and cover my burning cheek. I'm not always that fast on the uptake.

Friends, having been plagued with increasing migraines the past 8 weeks or so, on and off (like everything else and totally unpredictable like everything else) I have to say that there is a great HIGH that comes from not having one for a few hours or a day...I just about jump around, giving DH big hugs and getting giddy about the potential thrill of cooking a meal or having company in. (and that is from a hermit...company...what a notion!)


I'm at that cyclical stage where I'm likely to start back with the head pain again. I'm hoping it holds off till Wednesday. I realised in the past couple or three weeks that I miss having little girls in my life, particularly that wonderful age between 8-11 where they are able to do crafts and baking and just love to do all things domestic. I've asked a friend if I can borrow three of her five to do some crafts with and she said they'd be pleased to come.

If I had to do it over again I'd have probably done even more of that kind of stuff with my own sweet baby, but I suppose that we actually did that stuff the best and not enough of the "hard core academics"...oops. If I had to do it over again I'd have read to her more though. I missed the window for Peter Rabbit and Pooh for instance. I didn't know about "windows"...that if you don't hit the right book at the right time, your little one's can find them over their head or boring. Live and learn.

So I'm hoping to make little melty beady things that serve absolutely no purpose in life except the joy in making them, called Perler Beads. Their mom is moving house, all by herself (well with help from parishoners) but with hubby off to a family funeral so perhaps the girls being out and having hopefully fun will be a help to her. It's probably pretty pathetic that my life has come to this...the highlight of my week being crafts.

I try not to put too much hope into it going well because my brain runs ahead to all the other crafts I could do with them, and maybe even BAKING!!! Perhaps they'll let me read Peter Rabbit? Is this what peri-menopause does to one? I'm not out changing the world, or writing for fun and profit (forget the great american novel)

So if you think of me, this is where I am....an icebag on my face, a heating pad on my side, with fairly low but happy ambitions....next week perhaps I can share my riviting schedule of a root canal and making a carrot cake for my lady dentist's birthday? Lord willing (said with mixed enthusiasm...root canal..ugh, carrot cake, yeah!) And on a potentially actually important in the grand scheme of things note, the Holy Spirit has been prompting me to pray a bit more this past week. Will try to write a bit more, though it may be no more exciting than this.

I've got nothing else...

2 Corinthians 4 (King James Version)

1Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;

2But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

3But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:

4In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

5For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.

6For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

7But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

8We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;

9Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

10Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

11For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

12So then death worketh in us, but life in you.

13We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;

14Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.

15For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.

16For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

17For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;

18While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Me biased? Um...YEAH.

Sorry no actual "posts." I am struggling through headpain and dental pain. Had work done recently on teeth and one of them just isn't "settling down" like one would like. Prayers appreciated. Will post when able.

Indulge the Grandma!

<---I have a weakness for stern baby photographs.



Perhaps because they are rare?
Sam and his Mama.


This boy already knows his way to Grandmama's heart -->



As always, Apologies for the long time since I last posted. I totally enjoyed having the grandbaby in the house. As soon as they left for the airport I had to do a sweep of the house and put away all the baby gear so my heart wouldn't be torn out seeing it without my dear boy in it. I am most thankful to God for the blessing of having time with them. Will try to write "Soonish"...

I'm so far behind...

I'm so far behind, I might have to pretend I'm ahead. I have wanted to post a tribute of some type to my dear friend Seonag, who went on to Glory this winter. I have wanted to do some type of official announcement of Sweetbaby's baby (seen at left approx 1 week old), though all my friends have long since been put to sleep with Baby pics and tales of wonderment. And I have wondered if I should just retire the old blog, since I'm such a random poster. For now, I shall leave it as it is, and see if I might not get back into the rhythm of the occasional post. I hope this wee note finds my handful of folk who at least used to read this before possibly giving up on me, knowing much of the Lord's blessings.

Yes, I am a grandma. Folk ask me what the wee one will call me and the way I see it, he'll call me whatever he can pronounce with reasonable accuracy in my direction. Of course I'd prefer "Granny" if he could simply learn to roll the r in it like Scottish weeuns do. Baring that, well it's likely something between Grandma, Grammy and Mama Lucy. I'll probably answer to any thing that comes of of his sweet mouth. I confess I already have a larger toy collection than he does, his mother rightly not going in for such a waste of space at his young age, but Grandma has found a wooden train set at a thrift store and since it was priced for a song, I had to buy it. I figure it will come in handy with visiting parishoners if nothing else. (well, OK, their children...though it's brilliant enough I'm pretty sure some parishoners might be tempted to get down on the floor and play trains as well. (There is even a London bridge to go with it lest friends from across the pond visit and feel homesick.)

I know when he was still on the "inside" I was calling him the Pea in the Pod, but now that he is on the outside, I shall call him the nickname he earned himself in his early days, that being "Squeaky." Rather than cry, the wee dear would just squeak. It was certainly more endearing than an full out howl, though I'll admit by week 5 he'd pretty much mastered the latter. He is now, praise God, 10 weeks old. Born Feb 20, 2007 weighing 7 lbs 3 oz and being I am not sure how long...at 8 weeks he weighed 14 pounds 3 oz and was 24 and a half inches long. He rolled over (and over and over) for the first time at 6 weeks. He has a very sweet disposition and has started smiling and cooing to the joy of all. On the night the youth come over for a bible study his mother "loses him" to the assortment of young ladies who all want to enjoy cuddling with him. She uses the time to catch up on her domestic routines.

Grandma, yup, that's me, was blessed to be able to spend from week 2-5 with her first grandbaby and enjoyed every second of it. I also was able to meet a couple dear sisters for coffee, you know who you are, thank you for coming to me, as I didn't rent a car for purposes of economy. Lord willing the little brood of 3 will trek out here at the end of May for a 16 day visit. Please keep mother and baby in prayer as they are flying without the Mr. He will, DV, join them a week later when he is able to get off from work.

All else is well here, we continue to praise God for the opportunity to live and work here and his many blessings.

On a not so "side" side note, I was through a remarkable providence able to find my birthdaughter, who I placed for adoption 28 years ago. We are taking things slowly and just emailing for now, as this has surely been quite a surprise for her to be found at this time, and really just as shocking to me, that I found her, having looked for years to no avail. God's timing is his own and perfect, and I very much appreciate your prayers as we figure out what type of relationship we might enjoy in the future. "Daughter number's one and two" are enjoying writing each other as well, and getting to know each other a bit via email" neither of them having been raised with sisters.

Well, that is all for now. My old friend from my teens, I didn't post your cute comments simply for lack of room. Thanks for sending them. My friend from up north, are you still in the land of the living? We've really lost touch. UK friends, also apologies for losing touch. It's been a long 12 months health wise, I'm having about 12 days of migraines a month so know that I've not forgotten any of you and hope to do better in future.

It's a Meez

A friend of our's from church had one of these "Meez" things on his web so of course I had to make one for my site. It likely being a shameless waste of time (or perhaps refreshing recreation?)I note that I listened to an excellent sermon whilst doing the meez. For those of you who did not get enough playing with dolls as a child, it is the closest thing one can get to the experience without starting tongues wagging, unless you are under 12 in which case you SHOULD be playing with dolls. That said, I was not a doll playing child, finding it incredibly boring, but this meez thing, well it was fun. I made one for hubby and arkboy as well as sweetbaby, but they didn't have an expectant mother form so her's will have to wait for posting. You'll note I am not anywhere NEAR the shape of my meez, they only have one size fits all. When they get a chunky meez form I'll be sure to update in the interest of truthful representation. For my less netsaavy friends the purpose of having a meez is so that one can essentially have a picture without posting one's real picture on the big scary web.)

I am sorry I've been so long since posting. It seems a very long time and the gap is a bit fuzzy. We have all been doing fairly well here. Sweetbaby's bump is now about 33 weeks along and doing well. I enjoyed a wonderful 5 days with her in Maryland as well as seeing my dear friend SW a tiny bit as well as my half sister. I would have liked to see all my "homegirls" but it just wasn't possibly in such a short visit. My main goal had been to be "mother" and fill SweetBaby's freezer with vittles so that they would have some homecooking to thaw out post partum. I hope to see my Maryland friends perhaps when the weeun arrives.

We had a fantabulous visit with my daughter in law, hmm, lets see I need a net name for her, we'll call her Sunny since that's what Arkboy calls her. Sunny's hubby is in Afghanistan and so she spent the 18-25 of December with us. She asked me to teach her to knit. She is about the 6th person I've taught, but the first one who I don't think I had to twist her arm to do so. She was some student, she had two scarves made before she left our house, and was teaching herself things and inventing patterns as well. She made me a hilarious gift which I got in the mail a few days ago. I shall leave you all in suspense and post a picture of it when able.

Some of you may know that my dear sister in the Lord, Seonag, passed away a few weeks ago. I haven' mentioned it because I wanted to post a nice picture of her and a bit of a note of rememberance of her. I've not gotten to that yet, so I'll note her passing here but know I want to do a proper review of the blessing she was to my life at some point in the future. God was most merciful to her in that the doctors were able to keep her free from overmuch pain and according to her daughter, she had as comfortable passing as one could hope for.

On a final note, I have recently came across a really well done series on the topic of Depression in the Christian experience. It was done by none other than a dear brother from my FCC days, David Murray of Stornoway. I cannot recommend it too highly for those who are despresed or have family or church friends who have that experience. It does an excellent balanced job. It is available for free on sermon audio in both audio and video formats. A link to the first of six messages is below.
http://tinyurl.com/y5x3bw