Nana's Special Girl

Warning this post may sound bias to some, so read with caution. . . .

I am a little weary from the interrupted sleep I've had for weeks on end. Not counting the past 2 nights while sleeping with Leah. A mother always sleeps with her ears open to hear the cries of her child. A grandmother is no different, at least not this one. Every noise made in sleep, every turn in the bed puts one on alert. Disrupting my not so normal sleeping pattern as of late. I blame the lack of sleep for the tears that fell as she left to go home. It seems I can't watch her leave without them falling. Running back from the car to hug my neck and whispering "I love you ~ oodles of noodles" didn't help keep me together either. It had been our little catch phrase we used the past few days to express our love for each other in a special granddaughter~ grandmother fashion.

I believe she had a good visit and was quite the helper to her Nana. Insisting that she can do everything to help. Washing eggs to be sold, helping to carry in firewood for the fire, filling the feed buckets and baking brownies were some of the highlights. Among playing with farm animals (real & plastic), watching favorite videos for 5th time in a row, and having a "pet cat" around named Leah, who does a mean impression of one. Cute 3 year old logic came out frequently and one that stands out in my mind was uttered this morning as "we were cooking breakfast." "I can't sleep a lot when the sun is up." Yes darling, I have trouble with that one too. If only I had her energy straight out of the bed each day.

Her intelligence is growing beyond her 3 years of living. Memorizing very quickly stories, songs and concepts with ease. She thinks at a higher level than I have seen others her age do. I wish I could spend more time with her, her mind is so sharp and ready to learn. She surprised Lon and I New Year's eve by counting to ten in Spanish. And again this morning by singing a song she must have learned in pre-school in Spanish too. Not that she probably understood the words to the song in Spanish, but she was able to relate the numbers spoken in Spanish with counting the eggs we were washing correctly. I think they just grow them smarter these days, than when we grew up. I know these attributes will carry her far in school.

I love you "oodles of noodles", my baby girl.

You are the darling of this Nana's heart,

Deborah

2010 ~ A New Decade

I celebrated the start of the new year with my favorite granddaughter. Lon has to work today, so the two of us are ringing in the new year country style. (aka~ doing morning chores). A new year lies before us with all the potential it can hold. Many celebrated the turning of the year into a new one with much partying. We decided to ring it in more calmly. We celebrated with a big bowl of popcorn, Leah's favorite. (She looks so serious for one so little.) The new glasses makes her look older than she is, kinda of studious. Though this Nana thinks she is mighty smart already.






I am so glad she is here with us for a few days. I can't think of a better way to start this fresh new decade. I wonder in the next 10 years what kind of changes we will face? What kind of changes will she face in her lifetime? Ten years from now she will be sitting squarely in her teens. Will she even want to come out to the farm? I hope so, I hope she never looses the curiosity for life that she has now. She helped me prep the 8 dozen eggs for her Papa to take into work today. She did an excellent job of handling the freshly washed eggs, didn't drop the first one! Leah you are a GREAT helper, good job!

For some reason this one feels different. Could it be because we are getting older, due to the turning of the years becoming more precious to us. Or could it be the fact of our new surroundings. I am leaning towards the first more than the second reason. Facing increasing health issues as we age, causes one to be more keenly aware of the limited time we have before us, if the Lord should tarry. I look forward with hope for all the good things I anticipate in this new year. But would be foolish not to consider the struggles, challenges and heartache that could be there as well. So my challenge to myself and to you is to fully live out the days that you are given. To the fullest with no regrets and we can look back on 2010 with a smile and a full heart.


So much potential lies before us in this new year. Growth in our farm, gardens to be planted and harvested, structures to build, new faces to be loved, renovations on the house, a church family to find, living out a year drawing us closer to retirement, spending time with family, living simply, and sharing God's blessings with others. I can't wait! I look forward to writing about our tales and adventures here, of documenting God's goodness.

Looking ahead with JOY,

Deborah


By the way. . . . Anna still has not given birth, so we are officially looking at 2010 kids to be added to our herd. Rats! I so wanted some holiday babies. Oh well, there is always Valentine's day to be considered.

Pondering the End of 2009

This year is quickly coming to an end. It doesn't feel like the end of 2009 is upon us. Time seems to move at a different beat since we moved out onto the farm. It has been 6 months so far and I wonder if that is not the reason why the year doesn't feel over. We've only lived half a year here, there should be more before the calendar page turns to 2010. I suspect in part that it is due to the change not only of our location, but comes also from our change in lifestyle. I look around our home and see familiar things in a new setting. One that is changing more into "our place" as time passes. I feel more at home here, and as I ride the roads to various places. Taking Mom around the farm before she left to go back home, will hopefully place a "mental image" in her mind when I speak of an activity around here. Something she voiced that she needed to see. I enjoyed showing her the barn and all the livestock wandering around and in it. Now when I mention a part of the place she can mentally place herself there and live out the adventure with us. Helping to connect the distance between our homes. She turned 75 last month and Daddy will be 78 in just a few short days. Spending time with them is very precious to me. Talking long hours about family memories is a favorite thing for us to do when we gather. I hope my memory will not fail me in recalling them in the future. You never know when the last Christmas will be spent together as a family. Any one of us young or old could not be around to celebrate another one. No one is guaranteed another day of life. It is hard when you parents start talking about their days being numbered and their deaths to come. It is not something I allow myself to think about that often. I know that dieing is just as much a part of life as living is. I see death everyday and have experienced in through friends and family. But you are never ready for it. Life will move on, despite your absence. There will be a void in the lives of those that lived around you. You can't be apart of some one's life without creating it. I hope and pray that I will be able to stand in the grace of God, if faced with the lost of my parents or family, should I live to see it.

Burying another year,

Deborah

It's Almost Christmas, Are you ready?

We are fast approaching the eve of our Christmas celebrations, with only a few days left for preparations. There is much to be done just in preparing a place for Anna to give birth. Not knowing her exact due date has us trying to stay one if not several steps ahead of her. But I think is would be great to have Christmas babies in our home made manager of sorts. A need for some mulch hay will have to be seen about today in order to make it soft. Amongst the other assorted farm chores, a fact that seemingly never ends. Our firewood supply is nearly gone with all of the sub-freezing nites we have been having. Searching out some dry pieces has been moved to the top of the to-do list. My focus for today is outside the house. Leaving all the inside preps for later on next week. Mom, Dad and Jason will be here starting on Thursday. At some point it would be helpful to start some of the cooking for our family meal on Christmas day. I want to spend more time with my family than in the kitchen. I haven't really thought about how this Christmas would be. So I don't have any expectations about it to be fulfilled. Will just let it unfold instead as it occurs. But I have realized it feels different and is different. Is this mindset due to our moving to the farm , a reflection of the economy we are all facing or simply a sign of aging, of our priorities changing? Something I believe that needs to be pondered by more and embraced more fully. In order to grasp it's depth and be lived out to it's fullest.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas,

Deborah