The Movie Reveal

As I blogged in my first post announcing the wedding events of our son, I expressed how the whole event was movie like.  Here are just a few pictures of the wedding...set in a movie setting.  Even Benjamin was posed as a supporting actor looking out over the veranda where the ceremony took place.

What can I say....................this mom just cried when it was sent to her.  My daughter-in-law's parents just glow and yes, our son and hubby are dancing down the aisle.  I hope you enjoy a little of our movie.

Just a Little Buble

Our adult children and their spouses, surprised us for our 33rd Anniversary, last June, with a evening of romance.  Two tickets to Michael Buble, to encourage two battle scared parents, to enjoy an evening of romance.

The concert was outstanding.  The audience a mixture of multiple generations.  Re-makes of songs older than  the young singer, were enjoyed by all generations.  The light shows astonishing and when the hearts fell from the ceiling, you just knew the whole point was to "fall in Love".  He even stops at one point in the concert to remind you to think on "why you fell in love" in the first place.  I think that is a very good word for most couples.  Life can wring you out at times.

Love doesn't just sit there, like a stone, it has to be made, like bread: remade all the time, made new.

                                                   Ursula K. LeUgin

Married life is a mosaic of little things,

Little touches,

Little words,

Little smiles of encouragement,

Little expressions of endearment

He moved to the second stage which was within feet of our wonderful seats.  Here he went back to the 70's era for this tunes.  (Sorry on pictures...phone pics.)

What's terrible is to pretend that second-rate is first-rate.  To pretend that you don't need love when you do; or you like your work when you know quite well your's capable of better.

Doris Lossing

There are just seasons of marriage that you dig deep.  You pull yourself from the pit that situations have put you in and you remind yourself that you want first-rate, not second-rate.  You allow an evening of music, provided for by your adult children, to rekindle what the enemy so strongly wants to extinguish.

You take the lead of the singer, as he sings through some of your favorite romantic songs, and you remember why you fell in Love.

One advantage of marriage is that, when you fall out of love with him or he falls out of love with you, it keeps you together until you fall in again.  ~Judith Viorst

Thanks kids...it was a wonderful evening and one of the best Anniversary gifts ever....love you,

 Dad and Mom

Cleaning on Memory Lane and Destiny

Once again, a post about cleaning.  Now how can anyone have so much to say about such a dirty job?  Well as my first daughter-in-law has said, and she is a woman of few words, "you seem to have a story for everything."  I think age has a lot to do with that or the fact that all of life is truly a story if you write it on your heart.

Number One son not only owns rent homes, which took me down nostalgia lane in the recent cleaning of a retro-70's home, but he is also a custom home builder.  Excellence is his trademark. His newest spec-home is conveniently located two miles from my house, giving me plenty of chances to watch the construction.  I either walk the four mile round trip to see the latest update or drive my car to catch the newest advancements in this house.  From foundation to final paint, I have enjoyed the building of this recent property.  I know my son is in his element because when you ask him how he can do it, he replies, "any monkey can do it!"... which translates, "it is easy for me, because I have this talent."

(Sometimes he asks for my opinion and lets me do some of the shopping, which is always fun.)

As the finishing touches started going into place, he called his Mom again...to my delight...to clean it up for show.  This time, it took me on a stroll down memory lane in the decade of the 80's!  Stroll with me.........

While I was pregnant with "first born", I walked every night...per instructions from my doctor.  Our whole neighborhood was booming with new houses under construction, one of which was a close friend's.  I loved walking through the houses, watching all that was being done, inspecting each new development and designing the interior in my head.  My steps slowed down as my pregnancy progressed.  The very night I went into labor with our first born, I had just walked the neighborhood surveying houses...the smell of wood, freshly painted walls, sheet rock, carpeting and stone masonry remained when I fell asleep.  Within just a few hours, I was delivering our first born son... God transformed a mother's delight into her son's destiny.

( My newest delight...Stephen helping at the stairs and Benjamin playing in the mud...brothers and Mom!)

As I started to clean his newest home, my mind wandered back 30 years ago to my new baby boy.  Today, I stood sweeping the beautiful wooden floors in his latest construction project.  His wife is expecting their son... she is at the same time in her pregnancy I was thirty years ago.  Their son is due just days after my son's 30th birthday.

How many mothers get to share in their son's accomplishments in a field that they themselves enjoyed while that same son was in their womb?

Truly, building beautiful homes is his destiny.   This past weekend, I stood there thinking...how awesome this is, to enjoy my son's accomplishments with him, just like I enjoyed others' works when he was being carried in my womb.   To say the least...this cleaning was a complete fulfillment of the "great circle of life". 

Will one of his sons carry on?  We shall see... let's just say, Joshua already knows his screwdrivers. 

Boy Joy!!!!!!!!!!!

God Knew I Would Need Boy Joy!

First Boy Joy, for this season of life, came in 2006 with Benjamin.

Second Boy Joy, for this season of life, came in March with Grand Son, who calls me Grand Mommy

Third and Fourth Boy Joys, will come in November and December of 2013.

Last November we were introduced to this precious gift from God!!

When he calls my name I just melt!

Daughter-in-law on the left is due the 25th of November...the same month as her's and son's birthday....so three in November.

Daughter - on the right - Due the 8th of December

Benjamin learning how to be a brother-in-law and Uncle.

This little one just turns my world upside down...Total Joy!!!

Life rolls up and down.  We can never predict what tomorrow holds, yet in His mercy He let's His light shine.  We just need to be able to stop and see!  Sometimes that light is sooooooooooooooooooooo Bright you need sunglasses to handle it.  I would say my little guys have given me reasons to wear sunglasses.

Watch for the Sun this week....grab your glasses...His glory is pure JOY!

It Starts with A Pillow

She has six sons, which means, six future daughter-in-laws.  She invest her time and talents into a piece of art, which she cross stitches with her prayerful hands.  For years she has raised her boys by home schooling and teaching them the Word of God.  The time comes when she hands over her sons to the new woman in their life.  Each daughter-in-law unique.  Each personality adds a new dimension to her growing family.  Each daughter-in-law becomes the daughter she never had.  This is the point I get to share in her story.

She trust me to take her piece of art and surround it in a pillow.  Each time...I have now done three...I pray over the piece and how it is to look.  I pray for the daughter-in-law that will receive this precious gift from her mother-in-law.  Each time I want to get it right. 

This is the gift she presents to her future daughter-in-law at the Rehearsal Dinner.  The pillows caused her to ask, when she found out the rehearsal dinner would be in my city, instead of hers, if I would do the rehearsal dinner.  What a privilege to use my Rachel business.

Yes, my Leah is producing much needed income, but like the Leah of the Bible with all her producing there was hard work.  My Rachael business just brings much needed energy. So when asked to use my Rachael business...decorating- well you can just guess I jump to the occasion   In the summer I started to collect items to bring about the dinner that would my friend would give her son.

Carnations would be the popcorn!

The only guides I received was they like "popcorn" movies...still not sure what that meant...comics, superheros and were gamers. The creative juices and fun began. The parents came down to my state for a shopping and brain storming day.   Here is the results.  

 Red chargers to dress up the tables.  We would serve the dinner on nice clear plastic that could be tossed in the trash.  She had ironed and folded the black napkins I had suggested, that would stand on each plate, giving a comfortable, practical and yet elegant place setting.

Excuse the pictures...what can I say?  I was busy getting it ready and only had my phone, which died on me!

See how the carnations became popcorn?

The head table held the Bride and Groom, surrounded by their loving and supportive parents.

Prayers and words of blessings were given during the dinner.

The hit of the evening...the POPCORN BAR!!

Invitations were custom printed movie tickets to the Rehearsal Dinner....custom stickers were bought for the popcorn holders...meal was catered by a local restaurant.   Fun was had by all.   My Rachel business was blessed by this precious family.  It was a blast for me!

          End results....SUCCESS AND JOY!!!

Lazy i Farms - My Kind of Woman

As I entered the room I felt her energy bounce across the floor, as I strolled over to meet her.  

I was there to decorate for her grandson's wedding rehearsal dinner.  Her daughter and I have know each other since our early mothering days...we both had only four at that time and now we both have six children.  Although I haven't had the delight to know her mother also, I felt our hearts just joined immediately.  She wasn't sure how I could pull off the theme of the night without looking "cheesy" as she told her daughter, but in the end, I think I won her over.  She sure won me over.

She is retired and yet in her retirement, I wonder if God hasn't saved the best for this season of her life.  She is a doting grandmother and supportive mother to her daughters.  Instead of just curling up and enjoying the relaxing years of deserved retirement, she ventured out with her daughter to start a business.

She is an entrepreneur  More importantly she is a precious woman of God.  You put those two together and I just gravitate toward a woman of that stature.

She is the owner of Lazy i Farms, which produces soaps and lotions from goats milk.  She just bubbles over in excitement talking about her business.  Her desire to help other is expressed through her help to cancer patients.  She has personally developed her products...they are totally American made.  Her daughter worked beside her for years, as they both raised goats and developed the business. Her grandson now attends market days with her.

Since I won her over with my not so "cheesy" decorating and coordinating of her grandson's rehearsal dinner ( I will post later what I did) she blessed me with a bag full of goodies from her business.

You know most things are really caught more than taught. I caught a hand full just visiting and being with this woman. Her daughter and son-in-law blessed my socks off also...I caught from them also. The Body of Christ blessing each other is really a joy to experience.

  So many times words are needless...actions speak so much louder.

Please check our her site....she is a jewel and her products are wonderful.  Maybe even do some shopping, as you visit, but please let her know I sent you her way.

http://store01.prostores.com/servlet/lazyifarms/StoreFront