Our Oregon Family

Sure am missing my Oregon family right now. My brother and his family moved there in 1999 I think. It's been a long time. My folks are heading up there right now to be at my nephew's high school graduation. Even though us girls flew up there last summer,and they were here in May of last year, I do wish they were closer. The weird thing is, my brother and I had our daughters just 3 months apart. Emily and Elizabeth. And now we aren't near each other. Missing you...

Summer Dreams

swimming...floating... basking... splashing
baking...BBQing...sun tea....eating
reading...talking...reading more
scrapping...creating....remembering
driving... singing... talking.... games...family nights
family...friends.... make believe
smell of cut grass...cool June mornings....watermelon
hours of violin...piano...voices in harmony
sleeping in.... sunburns.....camping

Love You Mom

Last year in March, my sister, mom and I celebrated! We had tea at the Ritz. In London! Wow! It was an early Mother's Day because we were celebrating Mom's end of chemo and recovery from breast cancer. Don't we know how to have a party? And we are grateful God gave us more time with her. She is a huge part of our lives and our children's lives and especially my father's life. My mom is Mary in a Martha's world. She touches everyone she meets. It doesn't matter your station in life, your situation, your appearance or anything else. You feel valued when you are with her. She will feed you, but more importantly, she'll sit and listen to you at any time. She chooses the better thing.

Mom, I am so glad you are in our lives! I look forward to having many more teas with you.

The Power of Words

"I can pass on a curse or a blessing to those I will never know". That's the song my childhood friend and I will sing in church this Sunday. To our children, or anyone else we connect with, we never know what effect we will have on the future. Will our words break down or build up others, do we instill unity or strife? We have to choose our words so carefully because the tongue yields such power. At Homemakers by Choice today, my friend taught on the power of words. It was poignant for Mother's Day. Our children remember even the smallest slip of the tongue yet they forget when we tell them something quite urgent like taking out the trash! Lord, may my words be like incense rising up to You, pleasing You and enriching the lives of those I come in contact with.