May is so pretty!

Here we are almost mid May and it is getting prettier by the moment. Our lilacs are popping all over. I'm blessed with several bushes we have purchased over the years. Got several many years ago for our anniversary - one is in front of the house. I can't remember its variety but we had one like it at home when I was young. It so reminds me of then -and the wonderful sweet smell of them that would pour into our bedroom. It was a big plant - taller then the one story home- tucked into a half corner where the stone front of the home gave way to siding and continued back to the corner - and on across to my sisters room that we shared. The bathroom window was blocked by it's big leaves and I think that was why it had been positioned their. Mom always called it a French lilac - but I'm not so sure. Or " shoe-wah" as she would say with that New England accent she held tightly to. The one in front of our house blooms later then the others around in the yard. Its nice because when almost all of the blooms have left we get one more crack at it.

Miss you Mom - Mother's day was tough without you - but we will see you again in heaven.

Beautiful May and Mothers Day

It is a beautiful day outside - we got sun shining through those clouds finally and the spring flowers are blooming- the humming birds are back. The gardens need a lot of work but hurrah it is spring!
Mothers day is coming and many will have such a good time. I have a little suspicion that it will be calm and quiet here. My mom is gone home to her Lord now, so I have nothing to do to get ready for her. She has all she needs. I expect nothing from my children as they have big families to cellibrate the day with.Their families have been blessed with five children each - one is in heaven, so the possibilities are full for the remaining nine!.
Children need to learn to cheer on their parents~ not to mention how fun it is to do! Card making, flower picking - hundreds of things for mom's from little ones and the older ones- all the way up to those that still have parents to give to.

I hope that where ever you are with your mom the the day is a blessing. Love on your mom and let this be a very special time if you are the mom receiving! Lucky you to have children that rise up and call you blessed!
Here is my mom and my daughter ~ two of the most loved people in my life.This was a tea party for Mother's day 2010. I am so glad we had this photo made.

Friday and some more rain

We've had a good amount of rain- it is too bad not to be able to store it up as clean water for later - wait - that's called a pond - and we have huge puddles but no pond! Now there's an idea that would help a lot in the northern part of our woods!
Hope you have some sunshine where you are!!

April showers....

Growing up we were taught that April Showers brought mayflowers - but since our mom was a direct descendant of the folks on the BOAT also known as "The Mayflower "- were grew up knowing that April showers was not only botanical in nature.
Our back and side woods is filled with those tiny pink blossoms all over the ground that are one of the first to appear after the last snow. There are daffodils and hyacinths - and those lilac bushes are going to pop in about three weeks! Welcome back Mayflowers!

Just like a Mom

Isn't it just like a Mom to worry about her children from the moment she knows they are coming? Isn't it just like a Mom to cry her heart out for them when they have pain? And just like Mom we have to let them go to be what they are to be. And we still worry. But the Good News tells us Moms that we have been given a precious opportunity to have part in the molding of a life- from infant to adult- and that committed to Christ, our child will grow and be drawn toward the cross. Mom's that work into their lives and practice in front of the child a Godly life will have joy in watching the child grow in Christ. And those Mom's - like me and my Mom- who didn't know God's word as we raised ours also have this hope: That as we walk so will our children be drawn to Christ -not because of us but because of Him. The promise is to us and our household that as we come[came] to Christ our families also will be drawn. As a Mom  I rejoice in this daily that nothing I have done takes credit for the fact that my children know Christ as Saviour.
 3 John 4, " I have no greater joy than to hear my children walk in truth"  Amen? If you did not raise your children in Christ because you were not walking - there is still time. PRAY.

A quiet Saturday here

We've had a fairly quiet Saturday here. Husband went to help serve at a men's breakfast at our church. I managed to clean some things up talk with our daughter and see a couple of grand children when she stopped over to deliver our Girl Scout cookies! This grand daughter sold 177 boxes of cookies - she's competing with the Keebler elves!!!
Quiet now - as I am fondly remembering my own mom. Sisters and I went through moms things last week and I passed five rings from my mom to my grad daughters. Two are too small to understand but the olders 3 will be glad to have great grandma's rings. Mom belonged to some jewelry club and got 'pretty rings' every month. She didn't start to buy jewelry until she was over 80 that I can recall - but she sure had fun gathering quite a bit after that! As we sisters went through her things - it was bitter sweet - which by the way is a plant that mom loved. When you see the word bittersweet as one word it refers to the bright orange and red dried seed pods people often use in fall decorations. I don't remember why she liked it - but I remember she did.
Here's to Sunday coming up soon - and a thank you to God Almighty for allowing us to worship freely.

March 4 already

Here it is March 4th already - spring can't be far away. There's a lot for a mom to do in the spring - get ready for Easter, get ready for gardening, get to the spring cleaning. That is something that I always thought was a fun thing. I used to love to clean the house and make it shine. Now I like it to shine still but I'm not as happily doing it as I should be!Our attitudes as moms mean a lot to those around us. I'm going to go clean and cook while praying and smiling while I do that!

Did your Mom read to you? Do you remember the favorites? I've been reading to the grands since they were born- even if they didn't sit still. I love children's books. The three little kittens was a tough read for me when I was very little - I cried every time the sitter read it! I just felt so bad for those "kattins"

Old Roses are the Best

We had a very nice Sunday

Our Sundays here usually include worship with friends, a meal in the middle and family if we can find them. Now that they are getting bigger - they often have plans that conflict with our "un-schedule". But this Sunday was adorably different - because I woke up face to face not with my husband of 41 years - but with one of our grand daughters the 3 year old Miss Grace. It was her first "sleep over". The youngest of the family has graduated to sleepover status and that marks where we are now. Soon there will be no emergency diapers, or searching for her mom to get her to fall asleep. She's a big toddler now. When I awoke to her little face I also heard murmurs in the background. These from Kim and Mike. When they sleep over - usually with brother Joe - we have an 8:15 rule for "Gamma". Do not wake Gamma before 8:15 am. PLEASE. Now since Poppa was also in bed with Grace and Gamma - the rules flew away!    But this made it one of the sweetest Sundays we have had in a long time. God blesses us all the time - we just need to slow down a little to see it! We do so love our grands and treasure every moment of them- and we love the LORD.Worship today was very full and good. Our study in John continued and it was eye-opening for us! God has set us here for a time~ we are enjoying it much.

the roomba

I just noticed the ad at the bottom of my blog page here is for a roomba- or the cousin scuuba - any way - I have had a roomba and any one of you that wants to buy me a new one - you just go right out and get it for me - this thing is fantastic!

Thursday is here

I do like Thursdays and on this one I have gotten many things done -
Helped our daughter finish off a huge polar fleece blanket for an over night camp out - her oldest son will be sleeping out over night in the NE Ohio cold next week end - o BURRRRRRRRRRRRR
I sewed , cleaned a bit, laundry of course, and now I will go off and snap. Snapping the snaps onto a hundred or so sleepers - to get them ready to go to the area agencies my charity supplies! Hope to get those done for tomorrows relay for delivery before Valentine's Day.
Later - I'm thinking I will bake.... something crunchy and chocolate....hmmmmmmm

Wednesdays

I think Wednesdays are over rated but then here it is a Wednesday. On This Wed. I have run around trying to cancel a sale on Ebay - with success, answered phone calls maybe 10 - wow - this is a lot for us, made an appointment to get our taxes done - Yippee! spoken to two separate  reps from a new affiliate I joined - they are so nice, and talked with our daughter for a long time.Waiting right now for a friend to come over and pick up a special order sewing project I finished. This is becoming a busy day here -I would love a nap!

Now it's Friday - everyone is gearing up for football

Super Bowls? OK I know a lot of people watch these games and I also know that Moms are concerned with the foods that will abound this weekend so here's a recipe they might like -

It's a Broccoli Salad
1. Wash peel and chop a couple bunches of broccoli, blanch for 2-3 minutes and chill it ~ yes - some children and teens will eat this especially if they are interested in the game and it is placed in front of them.
2. Chop up a few green onions- those long ones
3.Cut up some fresh clean mushrooms
put those together and cover - set them in the fridge
4 chop a couple nice tomatoes but keep them separate until you are serving the salad
5. you need 1/2 - 3/4 cup slivered almonds to be put on top of the salad before serving

 You can add raisins, sunflower seeds or about anything else you'd like, just consider how long this will be on hold before serving.
The salad dressing- I made some from a recipe I haven't tried - you can use some bottled variety your family prefers. Basic salad dressing has some oil - use a good one, some vinegar - experiment - and a bit of water - and a variety of seasonings S+P TT. I love writing that S+P TT - for those of you baffled as I was - S+P TT means salt and pepper to taste - your taste!
When they load up on football junk - I refuse to name them - eating some of this will at least keep them healthy enough not to cause too much damage!

Thursdays

I like Thursdays - I usually can find something very interesting to do. Today I'll be sewing

Recipes usually remind us of "Mom"

Soon to be posted - recipes from "Moms" . I was thinking of some good ones I have - join me and post a few

What is your Mom like?

My mom is gone now - so I was wondering if any of you would like to add something about your Mother here?

about me KMunro or "Karen"as I'm best known

I think this blog will be a nice way to think about my mom. How fun it is to remember my parents. Mom had favorite things and as I find them I will add them. It is getting easier not to think about them and just cry ~ I've begun to be happy thinking of the fun we all had.
I'm Karen and I come from a long line of early Americans - five family names can be traced back to the Mayflower - and yes - I mean the BIG boat. Mom loved genealogy and Dad loved history so I have a lot to think about.
KMunro