He Leadeth Me

Right in the middle of lunch today, Caleb said, "I must go help save Israel!" Of course, I didn't have my video camera running at the time, but he happily recreated the moment for me (time and time again.) Thank you for the Veggie Tales Video, Aunt Kim. I guess it has made an impression!

Three years ago today, this precious little bundle came into our life. Our world was forever changed. Happy Third Birthday, Sweet Caleb!

Let me just say that you need to visit my daughter's blog Sundrenched Moments for some delightful pictures of my two precious daughters. Enjoy!!!

I'll admit, it doesn't take much to make me happy. Take a look at this neat little casserole dish. Has that antique look about it, doesn't it? I love the ridged sides, the recessed handle on the top. Can you guess where I found this little treasure? Wal-Mart--$8.97. Can't wait to see what it looks like filled with Lasagna! I hope you have a "little thing" in your life today that gives you joy.

The family joke is that "no grandchild will get hurt on Ducca's watch." After today, I have an addendum to that maxim. "No grandchild will get cold on Ducca's watch." Caleb is spending the day at Nana and Ducca's house today. When I arrived home from my Bible study at about 11:00, I found Caleb all bundled up in some of Ducca's sweats. It seems that they wanted to go for a wagon ride and Caleb didn't have any warm clothes with him, so Ducca improvised. When my children were little, I don't think I appreciated quite so much the whispered naptime questions. Here is a small sampling of Caleb's questions/comments as he was trying to fall asleep. Please imagine each one in a very quiet whisper. "What was that noise?" "Why are you good?" "I'm thirsty." "What color is your hair?" "Was that noise Ducca?" "It's morning. It's light." "You're funny Nana." ...

The day I saw my brother Terry with his first grandson was when I was convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that I wanted to be a grandmother. This is his Terry with his second grandson, Nathan. Picture taken by my nephew, Jon Aven

"Times of happiness are glimpses of heaven until we get there " --Beth Moore

It's that time of the year again when many of us, including me, are dieting. Because of that, we are HUNGRY! What a good time to snuggle down with your favorite child or with your favorite class and read books about food. The following are some of my favorites! All book covers are courtesy of Titlewave.com . This is such a cute big, bad wolf! Fun book for reading and for doing an art activity. Also featured in a lesson plan for teaching the reading skill of "Characterization" in my book Crash Bang Boom: Exploring Literary Devices Through Children's Literature. Love the illustrations in this book. You don't have to wait for Christmas to make Gingerbread men. Sendac, the author of Where the Wild Things Are , has written many books and this is one of his classics. OK, this is a food stretch, but who can forget the LIMA BEANS??? I haven't seen the movie yet! Have you? This is featured in Crash Bang Boom for teaching the reading skill of "Cause and...

Our children are having babies in just 97 days. In case you haven't heard, they are both due on April 15th. Excitement doesn't quiet express the way we are feeling!! Aren't these mamas cute? "A Grandchild fills a space in your heart that you never knew was empty." Author unknown

As you look for ways to "Go Green" to help save God's Beautiful earth, here is a simple idea. Why not use cloth napkins instead of paper ones? Of course, it helps if you have a very talented daughter-in-law who will make you cloth napkins. The napkins below are my Christmas cloth napkins, but I also have everyday cloth napkins. Mandy uses a Serger and one yard of cloth to make 6 napkins. Not only are you "Going Green" but you have a beautiful table as well. Thank you Mandy!

Since Jeremy was off of school for Christmas break, he and I took Caleb to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. Caleb and Jeremy had already been several times, but this was Nana's first visit. This zoo does a great job of getting visitors engaged with the animals rather than just looking at them behind bars. It was amazing to me how close you could get to my favorite animal, the giraffe. The giraffes love the special crackers you can feed them. You can not only look at the beautiful colored birds.... ...but you can feed them. The mountain lions, like the rest of us, were trying to stay warm. I didn't realize how BIG moose are. Caleb's favorite part of the zoo is the "Merry Ride". What a fun day!

One of my favorite Christmas decorations is my Willow Tree Nativity. I love its simple beauty and I love it because it was a gift from my family several years ago. This year it is especially beautiful sitting atop the wonderful card catalogue given to me by my precious friends in Pasadena ISD. I have a special prayer for myself and for you, my friends as we begin a new decade. As we put our Nativity Scenes in storage for another year, may we remember to keep Jesus in our hearts and in our lives during all 365 days of 2010. Happy New Year!!!