About us – Page 14 – Gracious Rain

May 4, 2012February 21, 2013

A Lovely Feeling

Maybe it makes me a total geek, but I swear, having a big bag of the most scrumptious, soft, fluffy Caron yarn…

well…it makes my heart pound right out of my chest. In fact, I get a little endorphin rush every time I walk past it, and see it all just sitting there, waiting for me to do something with it.

No, it didn’t take long. I fell into the smooth wavy ripple again, only this time, the project is twice the size as the last one. A grown-up blanket that needs to be finished before a certain girly-girl does that…wedding thing.

So, along with all the lists and assignments and check marks and schedules and crazy excitement that comes with a daughter getting married, this gift of mama-love has a ticking clock attached to it.

Lucky for me the peaceful, soothing rhythm–the waves of 4 up and 4 down, over and over, times a million–make this the perfect de-stressing therapy for my silly little soul.

So, in those taking-a-break moments—and sometimes they are just moments–you can be sure that this pretty thing will be in my hands, warming my lap, not to mention my heart.

After all, it’s for my baby girl.

And I have a schedule to keep.

April 20, 2012April 20, 2012

Finding The Dress

Ooooh, there’s something so magical about sitting on that poofy couch–watching your daughter, your baby daughter, try on one beautiful white dress after another.

Swishing past so you can touch it if you want to.

Walking a straight line just to see if the train trails behind just perfectly…as it should.

With a sash around the middle…

…or a satin ribbon?

Will it be the flowered veil, or a simple one with tiny sparkles? Decisions, decisions.

Then flouncing back to the dressing room to try another one.

And in the end our dear little bride-to-be chose the dress that made her feel most like a princess from her favorite fairy tale…as we knew she would.

Happily, I’m truly just along for the ride because the perfect dress for the biggest day in her life simply MUST be her choice. The one that feels right and makes all the searching…just stop.

The dress of her dreams.

*****

Fear not~I didn’t actually show you the one that she picked, because that would be…well, just wrong. Besides, we couldn’t risk Prince Charming getting snoopy, now could we?

March 28, 2012March 28, 2012

Mini Cookie Fest

Our girl, April brought the kids over and just happened to bring a few Easter cookies to decorate. A few, being enough for everybody to have…one. It was perfect.

A lovely adventure, with just enough frosting to go around nicely. No, I did not tell Mr. Beck to lick the knife like that–he came up with the idea on his own. Spooky.

Next, of course, it was time to add the sprinkles. Luckily, the shaker tops have teeny, tiny holes so that little hands can’t get too carried away.

But I guess it is possible to get quite a pile if you just shake long enough, which he apparently…did.

Sweet Miss Lily had a different idea.

All she wanted was the crystal sugar–in pink and purple. And everyone knows that you can never have enough pink and purple–even on a cookie. Or anywhere else for that matter.

It’s a color preference that this wise girl shares with her Grammy. Good form my dear. You’ll go far.

At last, Miss Chompy had her turn with the sparkles–and she didn’t want any help. Some things are best done alone you know. Just a girl, her thoughts and a cookie.

After all, it’s a special moment when you can help a lowly cookie reinvent itself into a work of art…a masterpiece, even.

Just before…

you wolf it down.

We gotta make more of these. One each just doesn’t cut it.

And I hear it’s not polite to wrestle goodies from the grasp of a 4 year old.

Well, how would I know that?

Sheesh.

March 26, 2012March 23, 2012

Hunger Games Premiere!

At last, the big day arrived and we were ready for our incredible Hunger Games Premiere.

After weeks and weeks of finding the right “gift” from each of the main characters…

and just the right quote to go along with it…

and then actually wrapping each and every little one–1100 prizes in all–11-12 per bag– let me tell you my hands were sore! But it was such fun.

We arrived at the theater one hour early and walked past hundreds of cute little folks camped out on the sidewalk, in the sun, just waiting for the midnight showing. We felt soooo lucky not to have to do that–like we have so many times in the past. But these old knees just don’t like sitting on the sidewalk like they used to.

Finally, our people started to file into the theater…

and scope out their prize bags.

Looks to me like they loved them!

People ask me all the time why we do these theater parties. They always want to know what we “get out of it.”

Funny question.

Here’s the answer.

Thank you so much April and Lyndi and Kathy–my kind, sweet, wise and all-knowing helpers. You always make it work and I couldn’t do it without you. I love you guys.

March 19, 2012March 16, 2021

Greenery Then and Now

St. Patrick’s day always has us all thinking, and wearing and tasting and seeing green–positively everywhere. Since Jillian is the only one of us that has actually been to Ireland–she let me borrow one of her incredible pictures to celebrate the day. Seriously–do we even have that color green here?

I carried my little leprechaun with me all day–out of the bottle of course. He’s happier that way.

Dusted off my shamrock earrings–the kids LOVED them. :}

Been saving the perfect socks for this day as well.

Three years ago, Baby Chomp had her own way of spending the day.

Now, she’s much more rainbows than just the color green–which of course, is perfect!

So you know, we did make Miss Chompy’s green jello, marshmallow…umm…thing. Not sure if you’ll be seeing that one or not. Still pondering whether or not it’s edible.

Speaking of edible–my adorable niece Emily, brought over dinner to celebrate the new little soul in our world and St. Patrick’s Day too. Incredible corn beef and asparagus, carrots, cabbage, mashed potatoes and gravy, fruit salad and rolls. We were in heaven I tell you…heaven.