Every day is a gift and I have been reminded once again just how precious that is. It's so easy to take things for granted when everything is going well and every one is healthy. For others every new day is welcomed as a small victory in a fight against the dreaded disease; cancer.

I have several friends who are in that battle. For one things are looking hopeful but, for another young woman married to my classmate things don't look so cheerful since Ruth is battling breast cancer and at the same time she is expecting a baby for later this summer and doctors aren't wanting to do anything until after the baby gets here.

I'm sure I can't quite fathom everything they are going through right now. I can how ever ask for all of you who are willing to help us pray for strength and healing for her.

Life with Lily

So excited to be able to share the final cover design that has been chosen for book one of The Adventures of Lily Lapp series.

Life with Lily is scheduled to release on October 1st.

I had a lot of fun reliving moments from my childhood as I wrote this book. And can't wait until you can get to read them!

Handkerchief Twins

As a little girl I used to keep myself occupied during the long church services by playing with one of my pretty flowered handkerchiefs. By folding them in certain ways I could make a mouse or my favorite: twin babies in a cradle.

To start I would fold the handkerchief in half to make a triangle.

Next I would grasp both of the lower corners and start rolling them up tightly making them meet in the middle.

Taking the bottom I would fold it up. Leaving an inch or more of the top sticking out.

In one hand firmly hold the top corner and the two little rolls. Take the other hand and pull the other corner down until you can turn the whole thing inside out.

And there you have it. Twin babies in a cradle ready to be rocked back and forth.  A quick tug at both ends will unravel the whole thing and you can start all over.

White

Our little corner of the world is wearing a lovely blanket of white again today and its still snowing.

Yard work can wait a little while and the lawn mower which was busy all last week can have a few days to rest.

I love how snow covers everything. It reminds me a lot of love and  forgiveness. There are flaws underneath that snow but they have been covered with a gentle snow and all that remains is something very beautiful!

Spring Hodgepodge

I know I'm late with getting this posted but so far my day has been extra busy and included a run to the Dr. with Buddy.  In case you're wondering, he's doing fine.

1. Spring is in the air (at least in my neck of the woods) and the birds are singing...what's your favorite bird?

Nothing quite beats the joyful song of a happy robin in the spring. During the winter I especially enjoy the nuthatches and chickadees and the splash of color from cardinals and blue jays though I'm happiest if blue jays stay away from the bird feeder since they're  so bossy and chase all the other birds away. For summer entertainment watching the humming birds is a lot of fun. There are so many other birds I love too that I almost feel bad for not mentioning all of them.

2. Speaking of birds...do you tweet? If so tell us your screen name and we'll come flocking to your Twitter site. Even if you don't let's all pretend here that we do-in 140 characters or less, sum up your week so far.

I do have a twitter account but I don't tweet.
Full of unexpected surprises. Can't wait to see what happens next.

3. Its been reported recently that employers are not only viewing the facebook pages of potential hires but they're also requesting your facebook password to have a look at what you've kept from public view. What say you?

I say there are some lines that shouldn't be crossed. And asking for Facebook passwords is one of them.

4. It's April and you know what that means-Major League Baseball is back in action. What's your favorite baseball movie? If that's too hard, what's your favorite sports themed movie?

Even though we love baseball we have never watched any baseball movies. The only sports related movie that I can think of that we have watched is Facing the Giants.

5. Something else this season brings-asparagus. Yes please or no thanks? If it's yes please what's your favorite way to have it prepared?

Yes please!  We like it cut in ¼" slices and steamed and then served in a delicious cream sauce.

6. What drives you?

My family and making every day count.

7. April 18th is International Jugglers Day...can you juggle?

If you're asking if I can juggle items by tossing them in the air and catching them, then no, I can't. But I'm approaching expert status of juggling all the things I need to get done and only drop something occasionally.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Sailor recently wanted to honor one of my accomplishments and asked me to sit in the middle of the kitchen. He ran to get the tire pump and stripped a confetti filled balloon over it and blew it up until it popped showering me with confetti.

I loved the thought behind it even though I don't care for popping balloons. I felt quite honored being showered with confetti like that.

Spiders

Spiders hold the number three spot on the list of things I abhor. So far only snakes and mice are worse than spiders.

Lately there seem to be a lot of those little hairy black spiders around. They seem to move at unmatched speeds but even so I have been successfully working at diminishing their population in our house.

This morning I was changing Buddy and the children were playing peek-a-boo with him at the same time. When all of a sudden Sailor exclaimed there is a huge black spider on Buddy. I managed to hang onto Buddy while I flicked the spider off and tried to stifle a scream while Sailor dissolved into a heap of laughter.

From somewhere he had found this plastic spider and managed to put in on Buddy's onesie without me seeing him do it.

After a scare like that the girls and I are still trying to plot revenge. I think it might be making an appearance in a sandwich sometime in the future if I can make myself touch it.

Nubbins

There is a little over sixteen years between my youngest brother and me. He inherited our mother's love for writing and for quite a few years I could expect to receive letters and poems from him at least once a week.

This morning as I was tidying up the desk I happened to find a poem he had sent about their little minature horse. I love it as much now as I did the day I received it.

Pony and Me

I have a pony and oh you should see
How I love the pony and he loves me.
He is pot bellied, short legged, and quite brown
His face wears a smile and never a frown.

When hitched to a cart that's just his size,
And I'm ready to go he'd win any prize
His name is Nubbins - fits to a "T"
Come have a ride and then you can see.

Yesterday morning the snow lay white
Let's hitch him to the sled on this morning bright
The sled was plastic and green as can be
I sat on it ready, to go you see.

It scraped the gravel and made a strange noise,
He took off like a bolt scattering us boys
My brother fell backwards thump on the ground
I flew off where the lane goes around

Galloping hard he flew up the road
His pot belly low he leaped like a toad
Big brother took off as fast as he could
To catch Nubbins quickly is what he would.

Memories

As I cuddle and care for Buddy I can't help but wonder what his earliest memory will be that he will remember for the rest of his life. Babies are much more aware of everything around them than what we give them credit for often and some more than others. Sailor can remember a few things from when he was still a baby while Rosebud and Sunbeam's earliest memories are from when they were several years old.

My earliest memory is just a little tidbit but at the time I was so terrified that it has retained a permanent place in my file of memories.

I was only seven months old and we were visiting some of my parents friends out of state. We were all sitting at the supper table. I was sitting on Mom's lap and everyone was so busy visiting they weren't paying as much attention to the food they were eating.

A fawn came over to the table and ate a noodle from Mom's plate. I did not like animals at all and was absolutely terrified. Some one jumped up and shooed the fawn out the door but I could hardly cling tight enough to Mom for the rest of the meal.

I asked Mom about this memory and she confirmed that it really did happen. Their friends had adopted a baby fawn after its mother had been hit on the road by their house and yes it really had eaten something from her plate though she couldn't remember if it had been a noodle.

~~~~~

I was in a yellow walker while Mom and Daddy were eating. I happened to noticed the corner of Daddy's big red handkerchief peeping out of his pocket and I went over and pulled it out and then quickly ran away with it.

Mom and Daddy laughed and Daddy got down on his hands and knees and chased me and retrieved his stolen handkerchief and sat at the table again this time leaving the corner of his handkerchief sticking out on purpose.

I got it again and ran away as fast as I could squealing and laughing with Daddy in pursuit. The walker was a little hard to maneuver in some corners and I couldn't run as fast as I wanted to. And it wasn't long before Daddy had caught me again.

~~~~~

I was sitting on the kitchen counter while Mom was dishing out all the food for lunch. She had given me a little dish with some mashed potatoes in it and I was eating them when Daddy came in to wash up.

Mom had to draw Daddy's attention to their little daughter and exclaimed happily how big I was getting and how perfectly clean I stayed while eating.

She turned her back to dish something else out while Daddy went to wash up and I solemnly took a spoon full of potatoes and spread it all over my face. "I spoke too soon," Mom said as she cleaned me up and for some odd reason I felt satisfied with what I had done.

Happy Monday

Mondays in our house are always a little more on the chaotic side and this morning was no different.

The second load of laundry was washing merrily while the dryer hummed its noisy song as it tumbled all the clothes inside.

The floors were still showing tell tale signs of popcorn having been enjoyed by the children last evening and Buddy was getting ready for his first nap of the day when there was a knock on the door.

Imagine my surprise to discover my brother and his family standing there. They live a little over five hundred miles away so we hardly ever get to see them.

We had a short sweet visit, I would have loved to take a picture of their children, especially their youngest daughter. Everyone who knew me as a little girl says I used to look just like her. But I didn't want to scare them away. It's special enough that they stopped in since they are still Amish.

My Monday is still a Monday but the smile they brought to my face this morning is going to last for the rest of the week!

What Are They Saying?

It's getting warmer. People are starting to think about making travel plans for later this summer. Some of those plans might include visiting Amish country.

I have heard from different people already who have enjoyed visiting Amish country but when stopping at Amish businesses or road side stands and heard them speaking to each other in Pennsylvania Dutch they felt certain they were talking about them.

We were reminded about that yesterday when LV and one of his friends had to go to an Amish metal fabricating business to pick some things up. (The people working there did not know LV could understand what they were saying.) While there, a few of the workers were talking in Pennsylvania Dutch. LV's friend, like so many other non-Amish immediately was curious and a little uncomfortable thinking that they were talking about him.

As soon as they left he asked LV what they had been saying.  One of them had asked the other if he had remembered to order certain parts. Another had said that someone had stopped in with a catalog of their products and he had placed it on the front desk.

Nothing interesting, and certainly not talking about the customer. While customers are always welcome and they enjoy visiting with them, no one in the back ground will be talking about them.

So if you have planned a trip to Amish country. Relax and enjoy every minute of it and if you hear them speaking in Pennsylvania Dutch you can smile and know they are not talking about you.

Bits and Pieces

Chomp, chomp. Those little teeth are trying to get through. 

~~~~~

Rosebud is at the age right now where if we were still Amish she would be getting an entire new wardrobe and changing from little girl dresses that button down the back to the three piece suits. A dress, cape, and apron and pins instead of buttons.

I feel just a teeny bit sad that this birthday passes with out the same feeling I had of stepping into a more grown up world. There are other ways to celebrate but it's still not the same.

~~~~~

Thanks to the big wind energy project nearby the traffic has increased dramatically going from busy to super busy. I'll be glad once they're done and things can go back to normal.

~~~~~

Today's projects include trying some pioneer recipes and making a pair of beaded moccasins. Should be a fun challenge.

Post-it Thoughts

Surprise!

After we had built a house for Grandpas right beside ours I used to go over every evening to spend some time with them.

Grandpa was confined to his bed but he still loved visiting and sharing his memories with me. I think it was the highlight of the day for both of us.

Here is one of his stories.

The bishop in our church had a large family. Among his daughters was one that had captured my heart. She was quiet, always had time to give those around her a smile and a kind word, and was never to busy to stop and talk to or help little children.

It was a little intimidating to think of asking to call on her especially since other boys had tried and so far her answers had always been a firm "No." I finally decided the worst thing that could happen was that she says no to me too and I went ahead and asked for permission. She kept me waiting for several weeks before she finally agreed that I could call on her.

We had our first few dates uneventfully and word soon spread that little John was courting Lydia Nissley. The one boy, Henry,  had asked her numerous times to go courting didn't seem very happy with the news but he didn't want to do anything especially not at the bishop's house.

It wasn't very long before Lydia was helping a family out for six weeks after they had a baby and our dates were held at that house instead. Somehow, Henry discovered that and I had a feeling that he might get a few of his friends to go date busting*.

We had just settled on our chairs in the kitchen and were catching up on all the latest news when we heard something in the basement. I told Lydia to hide in the pantry while I got the pail of water that was standing by the wash basin. I waited by the basement door and as soon as Henry and his cronies opened it I let them have it.

I'll never forget how they stood there looking soggy and bewildered. As soon as they gathered their wits together they left and we were never bothered with them again.

He and Grandma both chuckled at the memory while I tried to imagine how he must have looked as a strong young teenager defending their territory instead of lying helplessly in bed.

* Date busting was the term they used when some of the young folks decided to arrive uninvited and sit in on someone else's date. Very annoying especially when you had to wait two weeks between each date.