My Gramma Nichols...

...was strong and sassy and all of about 5ft. She was a spitfire and was always shaking her fist or her head to let you know exactly where you stood with her. I loved that I never had to wonder what was on her mind, well not for longer than the few minutes it took for her to share it. I remember undertaking making a dress when I was first married, I had never done such a thing. She was such an amazing seamstress she made me feel like surely I was capable. I called her in the dead of night, probably 2 or so in the morning, sobbing because I didn't understand how to make a dart. She said with absolutely no hesitation "Now Sis, you can do this." and continued to talk me through a pattern she'd never seen woken from a dead sleep with the calm strength that she seemed to effortlessly possess. When Jeremy and I lost our first pregnancy and I was morose and broken she wasn't the kind of person I would expect to be a soft place to fall. She was strong and terse and direct. But, she came to me and told me of her heartache, of her loss. Once more it was "Now Sis, you can do this". Her strong hands comforting me again just like they had covered mine from cross country while making a dress.
I said all that to say that in the past few years I've noticed my Mom has started to have my Gramma Nichols hands. She, too, is strong and capable. She, however, has always been my biggest cheerleader, fan, and soft place to fall. Her hands can make a blank canvas into a superhero for a grandbaby. A skein of yarn turns into a blanket to warm your very soul because you can feel the love as you snuggle in.
I said all that to say that in the past several months I've noticed my hands starting to age. To not look as young as they once did. I know a lot of people talk about filling shoes. I only hope I can live up to the hands that have come before mine.

You know how...

you sometimes mumble through the verses of a song and then belt out the chorus by heart? That's how I feel about my life lately. I feel like I'm mumbling through the verses but then something familiar and comfortable happens and I am belting out the chorus. Typically I have no problem making up my own words for the ones I forget or have never even known. Not now though, now I feel like everybody is singing the verses and I'm without lyrics....just waiting for the chorus.

How does a month...

go by with nary a post? I cannot fathom not having something word worthy and blogalicious in the past several weeks happen in our lives. And yet, here I sit wondering what in the world I will post about. Lets see lately we have been wrapping up the summer and preparing for the start of our 4th year of homeschooling. We went to the Bristol Ren Faire a few weekends ago and had a fantastic time. The warm weather and breeze made it a perfect day to spend walking around checking out the sights and sounds of Bristol. Sassafras and beef jerky were consumed (by the other 3 people in my family, I have better taste) in mass as we watched glass be blown and Moonie whistle his way through his show. We watched awesome acrobats and amazing whip work all while just soaking up the family time. Our summers are busy with company, so busy we lovingly refer to it as tourist season. Sometimes during the summer we forget to hold time aside for our little family to recharge and regroup. Bristol was a nice battery recharge.

We've been tending our little garden and are starting to enjoy the fruits and vegetables of our labor. Today we had our first batch of green beans big enough for a meal and they were gobbled up with gusto. The thrill of picking and gathering never gets old even if weeding is sometimes met with grimacing and fits, mostly by me!

I went to my first ever live theater show and saw "Wicked" it was such an awesome experience. I've never been before and as soon as it started I had to remind myself to exhale. I wanted to drink in ever nuance of the show since it was such a treat and not something our budget would allow often. Thankfully the USO provided our family with the amazing treat of getting to see Shrek in Chicago. I am so thankful for the blessings that God provides.