trust

"Return to your rest, my soul, for the LORD has been good to you.”

(Psalm 116:7)

coming up empty

Honest to goodness I logged on tonight with not one idea of anything to say.

So I decided to just start typing because I always manage to come up with a fair amount of drivel when I give myself the chance and yet still nothing.


Nada.

Zilch.


See?  Even when going a step further and typing a few more futile words I'm coming up empty, so I think I'll do us all a favor & call it a night.


But first, I leave you with today's snapshot of our sweet Norah.
  
She's such a bundle of precious I can hardly think about anything else so why even try?

Here's another one, for good measure.
 

ps - All of my Baby Norah pictures have been from my phone & are not great (even by my standards!), but I haven't been able to access the pictures on my other camera.  
Unfortunate timing, to be sure, but there you have it.



May we all sleep like, well, babies tonight :)

don't say it if ya don't mean it

So this is pretty much what walking to our little playground looks like.

I say something like, "hey guys, wanna go to the - -"

And they're out the door!

Leaving me

in their

dust. 

Until, of course, we reach the street, at which time we wait patiently 
(and obediently, I might add) for Naynay to catch up... 

...and then it's back to business :)

general miscelleny in the form of a list

Where I haven't been in weeks, not that I'm complaining or anything

Okay, so I'm tired from all the recent wonderful. 
Therefore, all I have for you is some scattered thoughts in listy form.



1.  I'm so, so sorry to report that the car AC started to "run warm" again just two days after spending money I mostly didn't have to get it repaired.  Upon further discussion with The Guy, he informs me it'll only cost 500 million fountain Pepsi's to get her up and running, as if fountain Pepsi's grow on trees.  As tempted as I was, it seemed like proceeding would be a poor decision because I think we all know I can't live that long without another fountain Pepsi on ice.



2.  I've been sweating more than I'm comfortable sharing on the worldwideweb.

I have also been fussing and griping and getting all mad as I zip down Highway 52 at 70 miles per hour with all my windows down, and I"m just going to tell you straight up that you could not pay me enough to divulge the crankiness that is me when sitting in traffic.

(Unless, of course, you offered 500 million fountain Pepsi's...)



B.  I saw Norah and the littles today and it was worth every bit of hot and cranky I endured to kiss those little fingers and cheeks and sniff her baby-head a few dozen times. 

Audrey took her away from me because she is a poor sharer, but as soon as she caught a whiff of a certain little something Norah had deposited she quickly offered to give her back, ha!




7.  Just this.

 
Amen.



a.  I recently rediscovered the glorious wonder that is sweet tea, as opposed to the mostly sugar-free stuff I've resorted to over the past couple of years.  I feel kinda bad for the sub par stuff I've been serving my family in recent days.  They'll be relieved to know I've rejected the folly of my unsweet ways & am now back on track.



4.  Owen has started a new thing since two whole days ago when he spent days & days with me.  He walks up and cocks his head and says "huh?" whenever he's surprised.  For instance, today he came out of his room where he was supposed to be napping to find me in the living room, and proceeds to cock his head to the side and exclaim "huh? why are you here Naynay, this is not your house?" 

I try not to take such things personally.



D.  Audrey is now concerned about me living alone.  I don't know when or why the light bulb went off but suddenly she's all worried about me being lonely and wants to send someone to stay with me. 

(Little does she know of all the delighted wall-staring I do when I find myself sitting in silence.)



c.  (Please don't tell her about all the delighted wall-staring I do when I find myself in blessed silence.)



12.  Finally, there is this...

(You're so welcome.)




XOXO

norah

She arrived on a Thursday in June at the end of a very long day
that suddenly felt not long at all.


She's all pink and tiny and a-little-bit-big, and cuddly and warm, and full of new.

 


She's eight pounds and thirteen ounces full of precious and nearly two feet(!) long, 
yet she fits in the crook of my arm like it's been waiting for her since forever.

She scrunches up her little face like she means business and then settles right back into 
a peace I only wish I could remember...

She's a bundle of pure joy, and potential, and hope, and love...
 

She's my second granddaughter, my fourth grandchild.  

She's my, fills-my-heart-right-up, where-on-earth-have-you-been-all-this-time, 
Norah Grace, 
and I'll be forever thankful for every bit of her :) 

XOXO

toddler tyranny

Owen:  "Naynay, I want owanges."

Naynay:  "Sorry sweetie...I don't have any oranges!"

O:  "But I want some!"

N:  "But I don't HAVE any..."

O:  "But I WANT some!"

N:  "But I don't have any."

O:  "But I WANT some!"

N:  (Big sigh)  "But I don't have any, Bubby.  I'm so sorry"


Owen, taking a moment to think hard thoughts with big frowns:

...but you have SO-DA!!



Well, alrighty then :)



XOXO

let's just call it a recipe, shall we?

So here's what I did.


I mixed up some brownies the old-fashioned way, via Betty Crocker Pillsbury Duncan Hines (with a little help from the Peanut gallery) and proceeded to lick the spoon and desperately scrape what precious little Kari left in the bowl.


After baking them to just the right level of gooey goodness I put them aside to cool for a bit...but not for too long!  When we couldn't stand it any more we cut those suckers up and threw one or three on a plate, piled some fresh strawberries alongside, and gleefully plopped exactly two or three or six dollops of Cool Whip over the whole shebang.  


Best strawberry shortcake in the history of, well, strawberry shortcake.


I just thought you should know...



Happy Monday :)

an allegedly riveting account of mostly nothing at all

My children have been mocking my woeful bloggy performance these last few many weeks, so I'm trying valiantly to get back my groove back, despite the never-ceasing distractions.  Unfortunately, this could mean occasionally grasping at creative-content straws...which leads us to what will likely be the most boring blog post in the history of boring blog posts, so consider yourself warned.

(Now would be time to make a run for it if you want.)


(Seriously...not kidding.)


(Well okay then.  I warned you.)



Today I woke up tired and back-achy and cranky and stressed.


The end.


(Just kidding!)


No really.  I did wake up tired and back-achy and cranky and stressed, but I certainly can't leave well enough alone.  That's just crazy talk.  

I have been a little worn out recently, & as I analyze the situation (as I'm wont to do) my theory is it's just a delayed reaction to a lot of miscellaneous life that hit in the spring. 


Anyway, I took my tired, back-achy, cranky, and stressed self to Merchants to try to get the car AC fixed.  Now I don't want to exaggerate or anything but I have suffered mightily with nary a complaint for a long couple of summers without  prioritizing the expenditure.  However, our newest baby Naff arrives in a very soonish manner, & we're just fooling ourselves if we don't think I'll be doing a lot of Littles-schlepping, and everybody knows it's all fun & games until it's 900 degrees outside and the Littles start sweating in the backseat. 

Therefore, I reprioritized.  


After three years hours in the waiting room it appears it's fixed!  For now!  (Yaay!)  Apparently there is a leak and no one knows whether it's a slow leak or a big leak and the only way to know is if I start sweating again.  

I'm really looking forward to the mystery of wondering when it will again "run warm," at which time I'm to return to aforementioned car repair place so they can assess how many fountain Pepsi's it will cost me to continue in cool-air comfort.  
It's just like the lottery except not at all.


On my way home I went through the Krispy Kreme drive-thru & embarrassed myself.

And now I'm home, and I'm not kidding at all when I say that's all I did today.


Oh!  And it rained!  Again!


Tomorrow I plan to share how I put on my reindeer jammies at 4:48 in the afternoon and nearly wept with delight and then proceeded to eat broccoli for dinner.  Stay tuned!



XOXO

right now...

...I'm hanging out waiting for my girl to arrive so we can drop off her wee babe and pick up my great-with-child-and-definitely-not-wee firstborn.  We shall then make our way to Charlotte, where we will reportedly find  an embarrassment of delights in the form of outlets and Ikea and yes, The Cheesecake Factory.  


(Let's just take a moment here, shall we?)

...I have a sink full of dishes from dinner last night.  The countertops might also be littered with assorted and also ridiculous miscellany such as empty Pepsi cans and dangerously-close-to-overripe melons.  and yet here I sit visiting with you and very aggressively ignoring the aforementioned mess.  (upside of alone-living!)


...I spy a super-soft blanket on my bedroom floor, tucked against the wall with three soft pillows and one tiny elephant.  Evidence of my sweet visit with Peyton yesterday and his increasingly cooperative napping.  That child is ridiculously compliant & sweet-natured.  
Love him.


...I'm listening to a sweet song on Pandora that's making my heart ache just the tiniest bit with the best kind of nostalgia.  

sigh.


...I've been struggling with the clasp of a bracelet that was a gift from one of my dearest a few years ago.  I can't even pull it out of my jewelry box without wanting to hug her tight.  I wonder if she even remembers finding it for me?  I wonder if she has any idea how it fills my heart when I see it on my wrist?


...My crazy-old oscillating fan in the bedroom is making an unpleasant screeching sound as it rotates.  I fear for it's future.


...Kari just texted that she's still 20-ish minutes away.  Wonder if I should run to the store for a Snickers for our hapless sitter/daddy/uncle who is, in fact, not, going to be enjoying a pleasant afternoon visiting and shopping and eating and patting baby bellies?  


...I'm filled with quite the conglomeration of feelings and I don't really know why.  I suppose sometimes feelings just cascade over in an uncontrollable fashion and you just have to "dog swim" (shout out to the four-year-old!) your way through them.  


...Right now I"m feeling thankful and burdened and peaceful and sad and hopeful and nostalgic and happy.  Oh, and thirsty :)


So what in the world is going on in your world right now?  (Do spill!)


Y'all have a happy Saturday!

cause I'm never gonna stop the rain by complainin'

View from my porch on a day that's not rainy and therefore not today

It should be noted that I have no intention of going all complain-y on you, but I feel compelled to note the above picture was taken last week and not today.


Today it's raining.  

Again and a lot.


It was all gray and gloomy and mostly awful yesterday but I kept holding out for the promised afternoon sun.  In fact, my optimism was so very high that I put off washing my hair because THE POOL.  Unfortunately my hopes were dashed, and quite frankly I ended up looking all bed-headed the whole livelong day with nary a need for sunscreen.


Ironically enough, the promised sunshine did appear...at approximately 5:30 in the p-m, which of course is much too late to be of any good to my ghost-like appearance, but at least it renewed my delighted expectations for today and ALL THE VITAMIN D.


Color me both shocked and aggravated to awaken to the sound of a driving rain that could mean only one thing.  Okay two things.  Wet and also no sun.


Sooo, after I bolted out of bed to sop up all the mess that made it's way through my living room window, down the wall and onto the carpet, I accepted the fact that my apartment-living fringe benefit would continue to be useless until - if we are to believe the doggone smiley weather experts - sometime next week.


Not that I'm complaining or anything.

oh, how he slays me

Happy Wednesday  :)

another day, another thwarted life lesson

So today was filled with all manner of drama and intrigue, intermingled with a 
dizzying array of both ups and downs.

I kept thinking that if I just held on, forged ahead, and persevered, I might pull out a win and teach a certain little girl with grand plans of a life undefeated a lesson or two, 
but it wasn't to be.

The lucky little kid beat me every. single. time.

Enjoy it while you can little girl, enjoy it while you can...

sweet ballerina

Today was fun :)  

Audrey had her first dance recital and Y'all, every single child there was just as delightful as you might expect.  The recital was for littles like Audrey and her friends, all the way up to high school seniors, and truth be told, I kinda wanted to hug them all.  

I asked her to "do something" for me, to which she replied she would need music first.  Duh!

I don't think I've ever seen her so excited.  She marched out on stage and did her thing with great enthusiasm - and it should be noted - nary a crossed arm or bashful freak-out.  These were taken afterwards, and she was flat-out giddy with what I can only assume was some performance-driven adrenaline.

We were told no pictures so I didn't bother to bring my camera, which means all I have are these from my phone, which means of course BLURRY, but they still make me so happy...

...just like she does :)