Splish...Splash

So...Saturday is pool cleaning day. Now, Sebastian does a really good job, but in the fall especially he needs a little assistance from me to get all of the leaves out. If I left it up to him he would have to be running around in the pool the whole day! It's tough to find good help these days! Geesh!

Now...you may be wondering why my pool is still open??? Well...simply...I forgot to call the pool company to close it until the 2nd week in September. When I did call the lady that answered the phone said "When would you like it closed?" to which I replied "Oh, the beginning of October would be great" to which she answered "Well, the first opening I have is October 23!" Now...I ask you...why didn't she just say that right up front?????

So, although I do a quick cleaning every day before work, Saturday is pool cleaning day. Complete with brushing and skimming and chemicalizing...is that a word??? I did finally turn off the heater on October 1st...after much prodding from my honey. Since no one is swimming anymore, and rarely using the hot tub...I figured he was probably right. See, my honey...I do say you are right sometimes!!

What a beautiful day it was. The sun was shining. There was a slight breeze. A perfect fall day. Cailyn was playing in the rocks by the pool, and I was scooping out leaves with the skimmer...keeping one eye on her so that she did not get too close to the edge and fall in. Thank goodness I was doing that!!!

In fact, I was paying more attention to her...and not quite enough to what I was doing. And so...guess who fell in!!! That's right!

Now I wish I hadn't listened to my honey and was still heating the pool!!! One never knows when the mood may strike you to take a little dip!!

BRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!

Heaven and Hell Weekend

We are fast approaching what my daughter refers to as "Heaven and Hell Weekend.

October 31st is sweet grandlittle bird, Cailyn's third birthday! Wow, it is hard to believe that she is going to be three already. She is such a bright and beautiful part of our lives...a little bit of "heaven on earth."

Then November 1st marks the one year anniversary of our precious grandlittle bird, Carter's last day with us. Again, it is hard to believe that 12 months have passed. These days approaching have been difficult, emotional and very much "hell-like". I know my pain...I can not begin to know my daughter's pain.

Heaven and Hell Weekend...a roller coaster ride I am not wanting to take. But, I will have to none the less. I pray God grants me the strength to sit by Carrie...holding her hand as we rise to the top of that ride and then drop quickly to the bottom....

but...only to rise again. HE will bring us through this, of that I am certain.

I miss you sweet Carter. Every day...every minute...every second.

My nest is empty....

and it seems very strange. In my last post I talked about how full it was. Just that quickly things changed. I mentioned before about the revolving door we have here, and it just continues to spin.

Littlebird Jessie moved out to an apartment not too far from us. Then littlebird Will moved to NYC to pursue his dream in theater.

This week littlebird Carrie and grandlittle bird Cailyn are in Missouri visiting friends and family. So...my nest is empty...really, really empty...strangely empty.

Quiet. My friend said "silence is golden". I say...sometimes not so much.

I have been enjoying my house being in "order". I have been enjoying sharing the TV in the great room with my honey...watching what we want. I did enjoy going in the hot tub with my honey just a few minutes ago...uninterrupted and alone.

But it is quiet.

And empty.

My nest is full...

of love, joy, dreams realized, laughter...and family! Lots and lots of family!!

In early June my sweet grandlittle bird, Cailyn, came for a three-week "Grandy Camp". When Mommy and Daddy left, they planned to return in early July to pick her up and visit with us for another week (a planned family reunion) before returning home. As Cailyn would say..."that's sounds like a plan".

In early July my honey's parents were planning to fly out of their nest, and settle into ours. We had spent the better part of May and June preparing for this move...finishing the renovations in the "guest suite" (which is now the "apartment") installing a dishwasher, garbage disposal, venting the dryer...and removing all of our furniture to make a blank canvas for them to "paint" with all of their special things.

The plan was that my honey's siblings and their families were coming move-in week to help unpack and get my inlaws "settled in". Well, as life goes, our plans never seem to be the reality. Although we had a nice visit with two of my honey's siblings and families for a few days, by the time the delayed moving truck arrived, one family had already returned home.

But...here's the other change in the original plan...and may I say right here it was answered prayer! Cailyn's Mommy and Daddy decided that they would be moving here also that same week!

So...my nest is full...of love, joy, dreams realized, laughter...and family! Lots and lots of family!!

A FULL NEST HAPPENS...one bird migrating at a time. Still hoping that #1 little bird finds her way back to the "mothernest" some day.

Until then, I will keep on praying!!

A Day in the Life of Grandlittle Bird

My littlebird, Carrie, surprised me with a visit a week ago, and when she left to go back home, Grandlittle bird, Cailyn, stayed behind. What a perfect surprise!! I have her for the next three weeks, so we are filling our days with lots of fun. Hopefully "Grandy Camp" can become a tradition and the trip a yearly one!!!



Waking up with a smile
Brushing teeth with Dora toothpaste
Pigtails-picking just the right color hair bands
Getting dressed, including magic Dora panties from Grandy(we are nearly potty trained!)
Breakfast-with the pink pig plate
Potty time
Giggles
Big Hugs
Sweet kisses
Reading books
Doing puzzles
Potty time
Watching Nick Jr.
Playing in her "kitchen"
Lunch-with the pink pig plate
Potty time
Big Hugs
Sweet kisses
Dancing
Singing
Pool time
Snack time
Potty time
Riding her bike
Doing Hula-hoop
Playing on the swing set-a.k.a. Grandy's Playland
Helping Grandy water flowers
Potty time
Playing with GP in the barn
Big Hugs
Sweet Kisses
Dinner-with the pink pig plate
Playing catch with GP
Potty time
Swinging on GP's tire swing
Playing with doll babies
Sticker book
Coloring
Bath time
Potty time
"Jammies"
Brushing teeth with Dora toothpaste
Big Hugs
Sweet Kisses
Watching Curious George in her Dora bed
Grandy snuggled up with her
Going to sleep with a big smile
Night-night...sweet dreams.
Whew!

Oh, and just one more thing...
a heart filled with so much love for such a "littlebird"...there are no words to describe.

I can not wait for morning to do it all again!

The Icing on My Birthday Cake

The first weekend in May we traveled to Moorhead, MN...right up there next to Fargo, ND...to see our son, Will, graduate from Concordia College. It was a weekend full of moments I will cherish forever. Will graduated on my birthday...what a great gift!

Here are a few random "highlights" of the trip:

I traveled to Fargo via airplane with Sissy (my sister Carol), Mom and Dad, and Aunt Jean (the sweater maker). On the way home we were joined by Jessie and my honey. The experiences in the airports and on the planes are a book in themselves! I will try to be brief.

My sister and I had quite the time juggling carry on bags, purses, etc and three wheelchairs on the way there. Most of the time we only had one airport person helping. The end of the trip was much easier as we had four extra hands, and Aunt Jean insisted she did not need a wheelchair.

When we left the hotel in Fargo, my honey somehow managed to squeeze the seven of us including our seven PLUS suitcases in the vehicle he had rented. He put us in first, then stuffed the bags around us! Thank goodness it was only a 5 minute ride. My honey was the "chauffeur extraordinaire" all weekend, taking good care of my parents and aunt. Thanks, honey.

I sat next to Aunt Jean on all of the flights, and she was quite entertaining. At times the conversations just went in a circle as she is beginning to suffer from short-term memory loss so therefore repeats herself...OFTEN. But other times she filled me in on some pretty funny stuff. Like how my Grandmother didn't like to fly because her "legs weren't long enough". And how Aunt Jean once had something engraved with her name, which at the time was "Jean Large". The instructions said to engrave Jean Large so they engraved JEAN all in caps! She also said that flying above the clouds makes her feel like she is in heaven. I agree...it is a spectacular sight.

At the baccalaureate and graduation ceremony sweet grandlittle bird Cailyn was quite the entertainment. She tried to persuade her mommy to leave every couple of minutes by either saying she wanted to go to the potty or go bye-bye. Her face lit up when she saw "Unca Wheeeeeel! My face lit up when she was sitting in her GP's lap and said "Grandy, Happy Birthday". It doesn't get any better than that!

My honey sent me a text the day of graduation as I was seated in the auditorium waiting for him to park the car. The text said "sorry, too late, doors locked, can't make it". Funny guy.

Will singing with the Concordia Choir is always a highlight. We got to hear them three times during the weekend. They make the most beautiful music and I know he will miss being a part of that group. I am so glad he had that experience during his years there at Concordia.

One night as I was getting ready for bed I reached in my bag for the toothpaste. I put the toothpaste on my brush and began to brush my teeth...but it wasn't toothpaste...it was cortisone cream! Disgusting! In the future I will make sure I have my glasses on when preparing to brush my choppers so as not to make that mistake again.

All in all, it was just a perfect weekend. All the little birds were there and of course the grandlittle bird, Cailyn. Will was surrounded by aunts, uncles, grandparents, siblings, a niece and friends. We were all so proud of him and are excited to see what he does in the future. I know he will be heading to NYC to hopefully use his degree in theatre performance.

Break a leg, Will!!

News from the "Barn Widow"...

So my honey has been very busy over the last several months mixing and pouring the cement floor of his barn. This is a very long process. First you have to frame it...then mix it...then pour it...then smooth it out (there is a technical term for that, I just don't know what it is!)...and then, of course, there is the "watching it dry"!