A BUSY WEEK!

"Let's renovate your kitchen," son Ronny said to his sister and her husband, "put in a new floor, ceiling, cabinets, maybe push that wall back a couple of feet so you'll have more room." They looked at him in amazement, wondered if he had half sense. A minute later they nodded.

Christine and Daniel searched for new cabinets, flooring, countertops, lighting. Ronny, a contractor, planned, figured they could do it in a week, but only if Chris brought her five youngest children to our house for the week. (No, I hadn't paid him to say that!) Ron and I were ecstatic. Our 17-year-old grandson Jacob, 15-year-old granddaughter Micah, and 13-year-old granddaughter Rebecca would stay and work. Joe, a friend from VMI, volunteered to help.

Micah and Rebecca cooked (gluten-free, dairy-free) for Daniel, Ronny, Jacob, Joe, and themselves. Plus, they fed the goats, sheep, alpacas, chickens, ducks, two dogs and two pigs. Because all the cabinets and appliances were yanked from the kitchen, the girls set up a table on the covered front porch. With two crock pots, two small portable ovens, and a griddle, they prepared and cooked three from-scratch meals a day for the workers and themselves. So what did they do about dirty dishes? They carried them upstairs, washed them in the bath tub!

 Micah and Rebecca preparing to cook. Ronny is 
drinking a much-needed cup of coffee on the swing.

All the old cabinets were ripped out, linoleum floor pulled up, ceiling torn down, drywall removed. Ronny added more plumbing so an extra sink could be installed. 

The wall between the kitchen and den was removed and set back two feet. See pictures above and below.

 Daniel, Jacob, Ronny, Joe.

Meanwhile, at our Smith Mountain Lake home, we visited nearby Moneta/Smith Mountain Lake Library, checked out three full bags of books.  Because the entire family was on a gluten-free, dairy-free diet, meals were different but delicious. Chris and Sarah, who was 12 on July 1, did the cooking and meal planning. I did whatever they asked me to do, grated LOTS of vegetables (so did Susannah, age 10) and turned on the oven. (Cheers here, please.) Ron washed dishes. (More cheers, please.)

Johanna (6) reads to Josiah (4).

 Susannah, Sarah, Johanna enjoying the lake.

We swam and played in Smith Mountain Lake, kayaked, fished. Ron helped the young non-swimmers with their swimming skills.

 Josiah, Susannah, Yellow Dog, Sarah watching the fish.

 Ron, Anna, Susannah, Yellow Dog and Sarah netting fish.

Meanwhile, two hours away, work on the kitchen continued.The crew worked 18-hour days the entire week. And they still like each other!

 Jacob, Daniel, Ronny, Joe hang ceiling.

 After looking into having custom cabinets made, Chris and Daniel decided to buy all their cabinets at Ikea. The quality is great, and so was the price. Plus, they could get exactly what they wanted. They chose butcher-block counter tops, which look fantastic with the white cabinets and hardwood floor.

 Jacob and Joe put the cabinets together.

Hardwood floors were chosen to replace the old, badly worn  lineoleum. Below, Daniel, Joe and Jacob rack the wood.
 

 

 

 Daniel and Ronny finishing the floor.

Once they finished the floor, they slapped mud on the drywall seams, sanded, added another layer of mud, sanded, and painted the walls a cheerful yellow.

Christine and Ron in the finished kitchen.

In the picture above is the wall that was pushed back two feet. The living room to the right will eventually be the dining room. A sliding glass door on the left leads to a large deck and a gorgeous view of the mountains.

Micah, Ron, Daniel and Anna, Rebecca and Susannah.

An over-sized two-car garage is on the other side of the wall behind Ron. Eventually, the garage will be converted into a living room, and the wall opened above the cabinets will allow folks in the kitchen to interact with those in the new room. A large island in the kitchen will replace the table. 

Not bad for a week's work!

JONATHAN'S TREE

I walked up the driveway to check the mail last Saturday and stopped so suddenly that Yellow Dog bumped into my legs. There, a few yards from me, stood "Jonathan's Tree," its limbs heavy with gorgeous blossoms. Click on the pictures to enlarge.
 

I moved closer for the next shot.

Planted in the spring of 2006 in memory of my precious grandson Jonathan Joseph, the tree is a loving reminder of that sweet little boy.

This is how "Jonathan's Tree" looked in 2010. Splendid then, it is spectacular now, don't you think? The photo below was taken this past Saturday.

We almost bought a weeping cherry back in 2006 because they are so beautiful, but I didn't want anything connected to weeping or sadness. Instead, we selected this ornamental cherry with its branches reaching toward heaven and our grandson.

I'M SO PROUD

I've always been proud of my grandchildren, but when my grands planned how to help families in need I almost burst with pride. On Thanksgiving day they sat around our dining room table and studied the World Vision, Smile Train, and Food for the Poor catalogs and leaflets.

Instead of giving Christmas gifts to each other, they used the money they would have spent for:

• job training for a woman
• a deep-water well for up to 300 people
• equipment and supplies to help mothers keep their newborns alive
• a share of a home for an orphan
• a year of school for an orphan
• mosquito netting
• sheep
• 5 fruit trees
• clothes
• medicine
• help for a disabled child

Adults were there to guide them should the children need assistance.

They did the same thing last year, spending at least two hours each year working on their Christmas gift.

Lessons learned? How to work together. How to speak up when you think something is important. Math, and the power of the dollar in third-world countries, that their money can make a difference in someone's life. How good they have it compared to millions of others, to be thankful for what they have. Compassion. Pride in themselves and each other.

Between them, they donated around $450.00 this year to help others have a better life. Yep. I'm so proud of my grandchildren.

A True Blessing

Ron and I are delighted to welcome a new granddaughter, Anna Faith, into our lives. Born July 9th, she is our daughter and son-in-law's 9th child (our grandson Jonathan is in heaven) and our 13th grandchild. We rejoice. And we look forward to watching her grow, being part of her life, sharing her ups and downs, seeing her personality develop. Her brothers and sisters already adore her, want to hold her.


We spent a few days helping with meals, laundry, the usual household jobs. But we also got in lots of loving and holding time with Anna, and visiting with her brothers and sisters.

Welcome into our lives, Anna Faith. You are a true blessing.

A Snowy Weekend

This picture was taken December 26th. There is still a little snow from the December snowstorm left on the deck. Note my grandkids' bare feet and their shirts that say "Grandma's Favorite." Even though this picture shows 11 grands, we have 12. Jonathan is in heaven.



Now, 12 new inches of snow blanket everything. Today the roads still aren't in good shape. Our driveway is cleared, thanks to hubby's Kubota RTV and his 1953 Ferguson tractor.

Yellow Dawg and Angus love for Ron to use his tractor. Yellow usually rides along in the Kubota.

To me, the best thing about having snow is the pictures I can snap. This one is taken on the screen porch. I used the advice I got in Dan Smith's photography class at the Roanoke Regional Writers Conference in January and didn't attempt to center everything. I like this shot. Thanks, Dan.


Birds are a favorite subject of mine, and since Saturday, I've taken over 100 pictures. Don't worry--you won't be subjected to all of them! All the fowl shots were taken through closed sliding glass doors or windows.



I took the above picture of this bluebird through my office window. I've seen only one; hope it has a mate.



This female cardinal's mate flew off seconds before I snapped this shot.



Gold finches vying for a feeding station. There is another feeder full of nyger seed, but I couldn't be at all the feeders at once. They consumed most of the feed in this feeder in half a day. And yes, I filled it again.


Mist rising off the lake on Sunday morning. Get ready, because more weather is predicted for Tuesday!

White After Labor Day?

Funny how things happen. Fellow Lake Writer Becky Mushko met Lynn Dudley, president of the Piedmont Writers Group, while they waited in line at a wake! Lynn asked Becky to speak to her writers group. Becky did, and mentioned my name to Lynn. Then Lynn saw me on Hal Hubener's "Cover to Cover" TV show, e-mailed me and asked if I would speak at her writers group. I agreed. I'm so glad I did.

On August 25^th, my husband and I drove to the Piedmont Art Museum in Martinsville, Virginia, to speak to the Piedmont Writers Group. I like talking to book lovers and fellow writers. And I love to sell books. But I really enjoy meeting the people who come to the talks and signings. And the ladies I talked with that evening were a lot of fun. A couple wrote poetry, some mysteries, some essays, some short stories, and one is writing a cookbook. Margaret Adkins had published Echoes, a book about her life. I’m looking forward to reading it.

Piedmont Writers Group

We talked about cramming bodies in porta-potties, keeping time lines straight, and the need to tie up all loose threads at the end of a book. We discussed other stuff, too, such as writing conferences and workshops, finding agents and publishers, the pros and cons of self-publishing, and the need for writers to join a writers group.

Outside Macon Bookshop in Lynchburg

On Sunday, August 30^th, I traveled to Lynchburg, Virginia, where I signed books from 1:00-3:00 at Macon Bookshop, which is a block away from Randolph College (formerly Randolph-Macon College). Students from the college poured into the book store to purchase text books. Most spent upwards of $200.00 each on texts and didn’t have any money left to buy my books. But I did sell a few, and bought what looks like a great book on bookkeeping. My husband, our two sons and their families stopped by. Son Ronny bought an interesting-looking book about the canals on the James River.

Four of my 12 grandchildren and me at Macon Bookshop

Perhaps you noticed in the pictures that I was wearing the same outfit at both events. Perhaps you are asking why. The reason is because every Southern gal just knows that you don't wear white pants or white linen jackets after Labor Day! Don't ask me why, you just don't! And I really like my white linen jacket and want to wear it every chance I get before Labor Day. I bet I could wear it to bed and my husband wouldn't tell anybody. Hmmm. That's an idea.

How Do You Make A Bed?

How do you make a bed?

Before this past Easter Sunday, I thought you’d pull up the sheet and blanket, smooth out the wrinkles just so, and drag the bedspread / coverlet / quilt over the top. Throw pillows “tossed” (So who really believes that?) a tiny bit askance along the headboard and a comforter fixed “just so," I thought, suggested order with a casual air and decorative know-how.

Not so! After daughter Christine, her husband Daniel, and their children Jacob, Micah, Rebecca, Sarah, Susannah, Johanna, and Josiah left Sunday, I began pulling sheets off the six beds and crib. Upstairs I stripped Jacob’s bed. Downstairs in the “nursery” I removed queen-size sheets and a crib sheet before opening the door to the “dormitory,” home to three full-size beds, one single, and an antique trundle bed.

When I walked into the girls’ dormitory I laughed and almost cried when I saw my antique spindle bed, its headboard lined with stuffed animals and two “stuffs” tucked gently under the sheet. Which of my daughter’s daughters (ages 11, 9, 7, 6, 2) thought of that? I don’t know. But being a wise (?) grandmother with insight into her grandchildrens' personalities, I have a hunch. And I know that once the idea was broached, the other granddaughters participated eagerly.

Anyhow, I want to leave the old spindle bed from my dad's family as is, complete with stuffed animals on the headboard and tucked under the covers. But I can't do that. Sheets must be changed, stuffed animals--depending on Yellow Dog's munching whims at the moment-- will disappear. But the next time I make the bed, I'll place the "stuffs" as they are now. I took a picture, a picture that will bring back memories of Easter 2008 and of grandchildren loved and remembered. And if my grandchildren read this, I do love you and will always remember you and the joy you've brought into my life.

He's here!

After 14½ hours of fighting (and loads of prayer from his family and friends), our grandson Josiah arrived in this world at 2:15 the afternoon of September 5, 2007. The umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck. Not unusual, you say. Right, my first child Bill’s cord was that way. But Josiah’s cord was twisted around his neck TWICE—had to be cut before he could exit the birth canal. We’re truly blessed to have him here.

Josiah is our daughter Christine's and son-in-law Daniel's eighth child, our 12th grand. Ron and I look forward to experiencing, enjoying and loving
him for many years. This precious baby weighed in at 8.3 pounds and was 21.2 inches long.

Josiah's new family is pictured above. What incredible times they will share. What memories they will make. How blessed they all are! And so am I. Welcome to this world, Josiah. Grandmother already loves you.