Cookie Baking Night 12/18/2017

Tonight was Cookie Baking Night and our annual Niece and Nephew Christmas party. 

We started by making our own french pizzas for supper.

We decorated a Christmas bag to take home our goodies

Next, as is our tradition, we decorated a gingerbread house cookie

Enzo & Uncle Greg

Rylar

Allison

Uncle Greg

Ethan

Aunt Katrina 

Carissa

We played the dice game for small prizes

We read about the reason we celebrate Christmas to begin with (from the Bible). We learned how Jesus humbled himself and became a man. He started His life on earth as we all did, as a baby. When we sing classic Christmas Carols like "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" we're singing about the great Savior of the world who came to this earth to die for us, forgive us of our sins, and reconcile us to God. Oh, what a story! Oh, what a Savior!

And on that note of the Good News, we say: Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night. 

Cookie Baking Night 12/4/17

Tonight was Cookie Baking Night. In attendance this evening: Carissa, Allison, Rylar, and Enzo.
Tonight was Rylar's birthday choice (he turned 6 years old yesterday).
For supper he chose: pizza, peaches, strawberries, and oranges
For his cookie he chose: chocolate chip cookies

Ho-hum. Another day. Another cup of flour to measure. 

We had a slightly traumatic egg cracking experience (no egg in the bowl, egg on the pants, egg on the floor, tears were present). Egg cracking is like horse falling off, I suppose. You have to get right back in there and do it again or you'll forever be afraid. With some coaxing, Rylar cracked four more eggs and was a pro by the end. 

Welcom home, Uncle Greg! We missed you so!

For our Bible time tonight we read lesson 6 from Leading Little Ones to God titled "God Sent His Son". This launched us into a lively conversation on why we celebrate Christmas and what it means. We also read John 14:8-10 from the Bible. 

Rylar got to choose the games we played tonight since it was his birthday choice. He chose "Sequence for Kids", a classic, and we played several rousing games of it. 

Happy Birthday Rylar! We love you so!

As usual, a fun time was had by all. 

Caregiving-You Start, I'll Chime In (Prayer) 12/03/2017

My mom has always been a prayer partner in every sense of the word. When you pray with her, you do not pray alone. She interrupts and adds to prayers. She confirms and pleads. She boisterously praises and joyfully claps her hands. She sings and recites Scripture. All this happens alongside, in the middle of, and on top of my prayers.

We have this conversation a lot. "Do you want me to start or do you want to start the prayer?" 

"You start. I'll chime in," she says.  And chime in, she does. 

I suppose this would annoy other people. I've learned to find a rhythm and keep going in the midst of the interruptions. It bothered me at one time, but it doesn't bother me any longer. I'm used to it, and now I enjoy it. I know the day will come when I will miss the "chiming in". 

Cookie Baking Night 11/20/17

Tonight was Cookie Baking Night. In attendance this evening: Emily, Ethan, Carissa, Allison, Rylar, and Enzo.
Tonight was a special night in two ways. It was Emily's birthday choice, and it was Emily's Cookie Baking Night graduation. In a week, Emily will turn 17 years old. (This boggles my mind). She has moved from child to teenager and is moving into young adult. Cookie Baking Nights do not hold the same awe for her as they once did (and that is expected to happen for everyone). I suggested to her that we honor and celebrate the time she's spent here with a proper celebration. She agreed that would be a good idea. But one question bubbled to the surface (with a little bit of panic in the voice), "Does this mean I can't ever come to Cookie Baking Night again?" Nope. You're welcome anytime, kiddo.

For her "birthday choice" meal she chose: Lasagna (a vegetarian pan, please), garlic bread, peaches, and punch (punch because it is a graduation after all).
For her cookie she chose: Oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookies

Now I ask you, what's a graduation without a hat and a couple picture boards? Oh, we had them!

("Do I really have to wear the hat?", she asked.  Yes. It's a graduation. Humor your aunt, please). 

What's an Oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookie you may ask? Exactly what it sounds like. Take an Oreo cookie, wrap some chocolate chip cookie dough around it, bake it, and voila!

The gang's all here

We read a lesson tonight from Leading Little One's to God and Emily read the Scripture for us one last official time. 

For Emily's game choice tonight, we dug out the air hockey table and played a few games. (They always loved that). 

Emily's graduation gift was the tied fleece blanket she made at Cookie Baking Night several years ago (she's asked many times when she can take that home with her). 

It was a fun night and a little bittersweet for the aunt. We all shared our favorite Cookie Baking Night memories about Emily. We will miss her as a regular attendee. 

Not "just another" Cookie Baking Night has come and gone. This one was a landmark in time, the start of a tradition, with other 17-year-old graduations to follow in the future. And, as usual, a fun time was had by all!

Caregiving-Serving With Joy (11/02/2017)

Not long into this caregiving journey, I made up my mind to carry out my tasks cheerfully. There are times when I don't want to do it. There are times when I'm tired. There are times when there is little cooperation in the process of getting the job done. Those things don't need to make a difference in whether I do the job cheerfully or not. It needs to be done. Being angry and frustrated about it accomplishes nothing productive, so I make the decision to be cheerful in the moment. It's just a few minutes. When the task is done, time marches on, and I can return to whatever task I felt to be important in that moment. I remind myself of this truth often: It is not just about a task. It is about loving another human being, and it's about doing it well. It's about accomplishing the purposes of God for that moment. It's about representing Him well.

Caregiving-Washing Feet (10/26/2017)

Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.” For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.” When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. John 13:1-17

In the wee hours of the morning, when I'm alone in the dark with only a nightlight to illuminate the room.  As I'm getting my mom cleaned up from the night, and I sit down on the floor and begin to wash her legs and feet, I think of these verses. And I feel privileged to share in it.

Caregiving-Cheap Entertainment (10/24/2017)

My mom loves audiobooks. We have a bunch of books downloaded to her smart phone, and she listens to them all night long. She can and has listened to the same book over and over again. Her current favorite series is the "Love Comes Softly" series by Janette Oke. It turns out that only 4 of  the 8-book series has been recorded. If the recordings were out there for the other books, my Papa-Larry would have found them by now. He's a relentless resource finder. He leaves no stone unturned. He eventually settled on buying the complete series in paperback form. There has been some thought given to me recording them myself, but the time has not yet been given to that project. For now, I lay on the floor by her bed at night and read a few chapters to her. It was intimidating at first because she is very picky about the narrators she listens to. If she doesn't like the voice, they're done by chapter 2, never to be heard from again. I guess I must have made the cut because she wants me to keep reading. It's a sweet time, really. Elaborate outings of entertainment have been replaced with quiet bedside reading, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I keep reminding myself to "cherish this time while you have it."

Caregiving-Advice From Older Women (Revive 17) 10/09/17

Last weekend, my friend Kim and I were able to get away for a weekend retreat to Indianapolis. We attended the Revive Our Hearts Conference for women in leadership. It's called Revive 17. The theme this year was mentoring.

There were 2,900 women in attendance, a great mix of older and younger women. God allowed me to have two encounters with older women that spoke to me right where I was at the time.

Encounter 1:

The same two women sat next to us through the whole conference. They sought us out on the second day because "they liked our Minnesota accents". We never knew their names. They were friendly yet guarded. At the end of one of the teaching sessions, we were given time to pray with those around us, and we did so. The lady sitting closest to me intensely started telling Kim and I that we should cherish the relationships with our mothers right now. Her mother was gone now. She died with Alzheimer's disease as part of her story. In the end, she did not remember her daughter or know who she was.

She said, "You don't know how long your mothers will be around. Spend time with them now. Forget the past. Enjoy them now. Talk to them." She kept repeating her advice with urgency. I am particularly tender to this kind of advice at the moment, so tears streamed down my face the entire time she spoke. I kept saying "Thank you. We will. Thank you."

I appreciate advice given to me out of the experience of others. It's raw and pure and meaningful. I also realize that nothing happens without the ordering of God. God speaks to us in His Word, He speaks to us in the beauty of the creation that He made, and at times He reaches down and speaks to us directly through the words and experiences of those around us.


Encounter 2:

I was in the bookstore looking at the Bibles. I have a project I'm working on right now and was looking for another journaling Bible. The woman next to me was also looking at the Bibles. We shared a few words about why we were each looking at the Bibles. She had her eye on a large print Bible. It was a nice one. I encouraged her to buy it. We were separated for a time, each looking at products and moving around the room. We found each other again right before we were about to make our purchases. I said, "I see you decided to get the Bible. I'm glad." Then she said words I will always remember:

She said, "Yes. It will probably be the last Bible I ever buy."

I was not expecting those words. It was clear by her reaction that my shock at hearing those words showed on my face.

She said, "It's okay. I just turned 70 years old. I don't think I'll buy another Bible in my lifetime. Then she held my hand in hers and said, "You remember this some day. Remember the woman in the bookstore who isn't afraid to die. Look back and remember this time. You'll be in this spot someday."

I said, "I will. And please write something in that Bible that will mean something to your children, words specifically from you." This referenced a conversation we had earlier about the reason I was making my Bible purchase. She said, "I will."

It was a sweet moment and a short beautiful conversation. I will always remember it.

Caregiving-The Worker Bee (10/18/2017)

My Mama is a hard worker and always has been. Now that she's less mobile in life we've had to redefine "how" she works. Most of her work is done from a chair now, but it's just as significant. She's a big help to us around the house. And she is by far the most cheerful worker in the household. 

Here are some of the activities that fill her days

Picking vegetables in the garden 

Cleaning vegetables 

Buttering bread

Making smoothie bags

Washing the table

Loading the dishwasher

Organizing the containers and lids

Caregiving-This is the day (10/17/2017)

This morning started out with the usual routine, I helped Mama out of bed. We used an assistive device to move her about the room. I helped her clean up and change her clothing.

In the middle of all that, she continually raised her hands and said, "This is the day the LORD has made. Let's rejoice and be glad in it." (from Psalm 118)

After that encounter it's hard to move freely as you please through the rest of your day (on your own two feet) without having a heart of gratitude.

Cookie Baking Night (10/23/17)

Tonight was Cookie Baking Night. In attendance this evening: Emily, Allison, Rylar, and Enzo. Tonight we made our traditional fall favorite: Pumpkin Patch Brownies.

First, we had to make the frosting (Aunt Katrina pre-baked the brownies, so that was done for us)

Next, we frosted the brownies

Then we put the candy pumpkins on top.

Next, our favorite part, putting on the "vines"

The finished products

Tonight, we continued in our book "Leading Little Ones to God". We read lesson 2 "We Cannot See God". We learned that God is spirit, and He is Holy. Emily read Psalm 104: 1-13 for us. 

We ended the evening with a lovely game of Zingo.

Really, it was lovely (and fun). There were happy moments (though you can't quite tell it in the picture above)

While I was helping the boys get into their pajamas, my cell phone was hijacked by the girls

They had a few "selfie" moments

As usual, a fun time was had by all.