How Mario Kart Changed Our Lives...

It's been one week ago tomorrow since they opened "The Box" - the one containing the game they had waited a whole year for - the box containing the one thing that would change our families lives
- the box containing Wii Mario Kart

At our house kindess is the rule. If we say something unkind to or about one another, we apologize. We hold our tongues when something rude is about to come out. We ...well you get the idea. We try to get along, and while this does not always happen, we all try very hard to "be kind one to another."

Until Now...
from the living room I hear,

"Oh, you losers!"

"Take that you..."

"I hope that hurt!"

"I got super powers and I'm gonna use it on you!"

"Haha you got flattened! Your tires are bigger than you!"


"Hey, look! I'm in 1st and 2nd at the same time - 12th place, baby!"


And how do I handle this loud, excited trash talk? Well like any mom wanting to train up her children in the way they should go, I say, "Hey, I wanna play next game!" And believe me, I'm just as bad as the kids.

Look, even the Grandparents are in on it.
Only when they play I hear things like,

"Mammaw, you have to stay on the road!"

"Pappaw, you're going backwards!"

"Hey, who struck me with lightning?"

"Where's the pit crew? I got something on my windshield!"

OK, gotta go, I need to see how the competition is racing today so I can get my game plan on.

A Bunch Of Nothin'

Mom's surgery went well but recovery has been slow. She still deals with pain and exhaustion. Last week the kids and I went to her house everyday to bake cookies. Mom is not allowed to lift anything heavier than a milk jug so baking and cooking is not on her list of things to do.

The idea was that she could sit at the table and help roll dough or mix ingredients. It was perfect! We enjoyed lots of laughs and plenty of spills. The house still smells good.

On Friday, Christmas Eve, we played Santa. Mom got dressed and road around with us as we delivered cookies because we sure could not handle eating all those ourselves. Don't worry, she stayed in the car so that she was not exposed to multiple flu and virus germs.


NOW, we are doing a bunch of nothin' and it feels SO GOOD!!!
- VeryVerdant

Snow"fakes" In Alabama

Every year for Christmas we put up our tree, hang our stockings, carefully - even reverently - place chocolates in our handmade advent calendar and cut our own snowflakes. Or should I say snowfakes?

Snow is a rare occasion in deep south Alabama. The closest thing we usually get is a little sleet; but yesterday, as we cut mounds of snowflakes from copy paper, the real white stuff was drifting around outside Mom's window. Needless to say the younger kiddos abandoned the paper for the cold outdoors.

So Mom, my sister, my two oldest daughters and I took up the fun and tedious task. We giggled and shared stories as we compared our snowflakes. Some turned out perfect, some turned out a little odd and some turned out plain ugly...It was wonderful.

It was one of Mom's bad days. She was tired and in quite a bit of pain, so she slept most of the day. But for a little while she sat with us...we were the SnowFake Bunch... armed with scissors and paper, laughing at each others stories, and enjoying each others company.


VeryVerdant

A Long Hard Good Day

Mom's surgery went as according to plan. She was in surgery for 2 hours and had very little bleeding. The doctor was able to do the whole surgery laproscopically, which is a huge answer to prayer. This allowed for three small incisions for the instruments and one larger incision for the doctor to be able to reach for the kidney. It sounds miserable (and it is) but he did not have to cut from belly button, across her side and to her back. We are all so thankful.

When I left the hospital at 7:45 Mom still did not have a morphine drip but the doctor had ordered it and had it in place by 8:30pm. Mom is resting better now.

One fun moment in the day - Mom turned her head towards my dad and said,"I want to open my eyes and look at you but it makes me a little sick." Hehehe...those two are the biggest love birds ever and it was funny to hear Mom say that the sight of Dad made her sick. We laughed about it and I wrote it down in her journal. When she is awake and feeling better, I know she will enjoy reading about that.

Sonja

Today Is The Day

Yes, it is here. Mom's surgery is scheduled for 8:30am. We are already wishing it were over.

Did I tell you my sister is down from Indiana? We are very much enjoying our visit with her and her boys...my beautiful nephews. (I can call them beautiful here but, please, don't tell them I used that word.) M - my sister - will be staying with Mom until Saturday. She will be able to help dad with house work and running errands as well as any help Mom needs as far as care goes.

When I woke up the first thing that popped into my head was, "This is it. Today is the day!" Since then there is a song in my head that will not quiet down. The song is based on a familiar scripture from Psalms. "This is the day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it." That is my prayer today. No matter what the day may bring, I pray we are found rejoicing.

The C Word

"It hurts to breathe!" That was my initial response to the news. My mom and dad stopped by last night after Mom's doctors appointment. The news they shared took my breath away. Mom has cancer - 7 cm of it - in her kidney and will need to have the kidney removed. The surgery is scheduled for the 29th, 2 weeks and 6 days from today.

As soon as my breathing and heart rate returned to normal, the questions began stirring around in my mind like a smoothie in a blender. Is there more? Will you be on Chemo? What about radiation? How long is recovery time? What can I do? Will they be able to get it all? It - I could not even say the word for a couple hours.

All the while, my mom stood calm and smiling. "You know what? The doctors only found it because I went in with a bladder infection last week. That's when they ran blood work and ordered the CT scan. My kidneys never really bothered me. No pain or anything. "

Dad pipes in,"Yeah, praise God she was sick because that is why the doctors ran tests on her kidneys. Other wise we might not have known it was there."

"Praise God?" you ask...Yes, that is exactly what they were doing. Not standing there being angry because God allowed her to have cancer, but saying,"Praise God He let me get sick because without being sick, the doctors would not have found the cancer."

Mom's last words to me before she and Dad drove home last night,"Isn't it great that God has a plan and knows what He's doing?"

Hm...so a new journey begins. The journey called cancer...

Of Inspiration and Strength

Have you ever known someone whose life you look at and go "WOW"? For me that feeling comes every time I look back at my own life and consider my parents.
Neither of my parents graduated from high school, neither works for big corporations, neither wears fancy clothes or owns anything with a name brand, but both have lived lives of examples. As I look back over my life, the first things I think of are not the second hand clothes, the bologna sandwiches or even the countless Ramen Noodle nights. What I do remember most are these:

My parents loved each other, even when they disagreed.



I remember Dad building things from wood scraps and the smell of the sawdust that shook from his boots and hair.

I remember a spring day and Mom watching me and my sister through the kitchen window. She was washing dishes while we had a tea party picnic in our front yard.

Sunday morning pot roast meant we would have missionaries or teenagers over for lunch. My parents could not afford much but what they had they willingly shared. To this day, my parents are this way. "Blessed to be a blessing", is what they say, and to them it is more than words, it's a way of life.

I remember sitting on the edge of our car handing Dad tools as he made repairs or just did maintenance checks. I do not remember the parts of the car, or the tools he used or even how hot or cold it was outside when we worked; but I do remember that he let me ramble on and on and he listened intently with genuine interest to what I had to say.

I remember Sunday services sitting between my parents and watching my mom. I remember trying to sit just like her.



I remember at prayer times, my dad would hold out his hand and I would hold it. I remember how big his hands were and how rough yet gentle. It felt safe.


I have newer memories of my parents, pouring themselves into the lives of my children and my sisters boys. I know that they will also grow up seeing the examples of kindness and love set forth by my parents. I know that example will strengthen their lives. I also know it will be a long time before they really appreciate and understand the treasure they will find in these two precious people.


Mom and Dad, in case I haven't said it lately,


I love you so much.


Sonja

Over The Meadow and Through the Woods...

to Grandmother's house I took them.

And she fed them...spiders and miniature pumpkins?

My kids are very fortunate to have such wonderful grandparents.

Thanks, Mom and Dad!

A Few New Things...

From my parents garden...

And in my Etsy Shop...






VeryVerdant

Mammaw and Pappaw's House

Spring break is finally here! Our oldest two are in Washington DC with our church youth group so the younger two and I are enjoying lazy spring days at the best place in the world - Mammaw and Pappaws house.




VeryVerdant