I miss my blog!  I miss coming here to share my heart.  

I miss the encouragement the Lord gives me when I share my heart - my thoughts.

My photos say it all today so well.  Love never fails.  God never fails.  Love never fails!

When I opened my photos to blog this one above showed up first.  

It made me smile - it made me smile BIGTIME!

Anthony was out and about with his day program at Bass Pro and was surprised to run into his cousin Justin who works there.  Justin snapped this pic and sent it to me.

Anthony, you have always been known for your smile 

and it continues to be true.  

Your Momma loves you Sunshine!

Joy and Blessings,

Mèmére

Celebrate and Eat Cake!

It came via a text message including a photo of a letter.  Our daughter Michelle in Kentucky, photographed a letter from the President of Eastern Kentucky University congratulating our oldest grandson, Tristan on making the Presidents List.  According to the letter only a very few excel to this point of perfection in a semester earning a perfect grade point average.

Of course we are so proud of our grandson and it was only fitting that we celebrate his achievement. So I made a cake!  It would have been a perfect celebration if we could have shared the cake with Tristan and his family but alas, they are 1800 miles away.

So Precious Husband and I ate cake!  Here is to you Tristan!  Thanks for a reason to celebrate.  You make your grandparents proud every day and you always have.

Tristan (age 6)

Tristan's High School Graduation 2015

The cake by the way is a keeper!  Need a good recipe? Go here.


Love and Blessings,

💕Mèmére💕

In ALL things!

Does this pattern look familiar to you?  It is Hall's China and often called Jewel Tea dishes because it was sold on the Jewel Tea trucks that sold household products from a truck and drove through neighborhoods meeting the needs of the homemakers.

My favorite aunt on my mother's side of the family, Aunt Virgina, collected these dishes and they lined the shelf around her kitchen in her old farm house.  They bring back such fond memories.  Aunt Virginia had 3 boys - no girls so when I visited I had lots of fun with her and got to make lots of cookies.

What you see in the picture above is a portion of the water pitcher made by Hall's China.  A couple of weeks ago I found the pitcher at a local auction and bought it for $20.  Such a steal.  When I looked at my pitcher I thought of Aunt Virginia.  Fast forward a couple of weeks and my prize pitcher met its demise.  Being the creative woman I am I can still use it but it sure won't be holding ice-tea or lemonade again.  

Once again I am reminded of 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; 

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Love and Hugs,

Mèmére

After 33 Years of Marriage . . .

There is a big announcement to be made.  

 Can you guess what we are announcing?

Drum roll please.

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Is the suspense getting to you yet?

After 33 years of marriage Precious Husband and I have adopted again.

Welcome Miss Daisy Grace Langlois born December 6, 2016 and adopted February 9, 2017.

Her name came by suggestion of this cutie:

our youngest grandson 4 year old Tanner Paul King.

When I showed him the new puppy he suggested BonBon and said it was a name from Disney.  

"Disney huh?  Well how about Daisy?" I asked.  

"Sure Daisy is great!" he said.

I chose her middle name, Grace.

Daisy Grace has a special adoption story just like our other children of course.

I have been absent for a long time but our new baby definitely brought me back to blogland.  

I will share parts of her adoption story soon and more about her name Grace.

Her Daddy, my Precious Husband, loves her and Daisy completely loves him as you can see.

Love and Hugs,

Mèmére

Yellow Bowl Travels to EKU!

We headed to Kentucky in May to attend our oldest grandson Tristan's graduation from high school.  We are so proud of him.  Tristan has studied hard and graduated Summa Cum Laude.  He began classes this week at Eastern Kentucky University with a full scholarship and hopes to get into law enforcement.  He will be living on campus in Burnam Hall, the honors dorm.

Friday Tristan's dad and mom helped him move into his dorm room and Michelle sent me this photo.  

Do you see it?  The yellow bowl!  It seems when getting ready for his move Tristan informed his mom that he was only taking the practical and useful things he felt he would need.  He was packing light.  When they arrived and unpacked, low and behold Michelle spotted the yellow bowl.  "Why did you bring this?" Michelle asked.  "You can't make cookies in your dorm room."

Tristan's answer to his mom, "It reminds me of Mèmére.  I can eat popcorn out of it."

Be still my heart.  Boy did I smile big when Michelle sent me the picture and text.  

The yellow bowl continues to make for blog posts and for precious memories.

Love and Hugs,

Mèmére

The Baby Quilt

Some more family history for my kids.  I have had this baby quilt hung on my wall for many years.  It was actually my quilt and my mother told me years ago that my father's grandmother made it for me.  That would have been my great-grandmother.  It is various colors of blue.  Was she hoping for a boy?  Did they designate blue for boys and pink for girls back in the day?  Don't know the answers but it was my baby quilt.  

In this picture you can see the damage in the corner of the quilt.  It is torn because my little sister used it to wrap her cat, Bonnie in.  No respect at all, right?

I guess I am just glad it made the journey through the years with me.  It is a simple quilt and yet must have taken lots of time and patience to produce. 

Now I have to find a new home for it as we continue to lessen our possessions.  

Love and Hugs,

Mèmére

We Are Off Like A Turtle!

.

Well, we are getting down to the nitty gritty.  We have "practiced" the RV life for nearly 3 months now here in Mesa and this Sunday we will pull out for the first maiden voyage in Miss Adie.

What an experience going from a two story 3700 square foot house to a 40 foot motor home.  Deciding what to take and keep and what to pass on.  Oh, the emotional pain it has brought a few times.  In the scheme of things what we are doing to live this adventure will be well worth it though.

Mom gave me the little turtle you see above years ago.  It is a poor picture but she is holding a planter with flowers on it and it is filled with mint from my yard.  Once upon a time I collected (among many other things) turtles.

The RV life demands that you carry only that which is necessary but in my case also that makes me smile and this little turtle makes me smile.  

Next week we start out headed to Ogden, Utah where we will visit Precious Husband's brother and his family.  From there we go to Kentucky via South Dakota where we will take up residency with driver's licenses and license plates.  Oh my, who would have thunk it :-)

Before I close I want to remind you that one of my main reasons for blogging is to communicate to my family and with that in mind I want to tell my children something today.  My precious husband, your father,  is the most generous and most kind man in the whole world and you children are blessed to be able to call him "dad"!

Love and Hugs,

Mèmére

More Review of 2014

Grandma arriving in Arizona in style of course.

Here is a little more on my review of 2014.  I tend to put things off that are hard and this post contains some hard stuff for me but I need to get it done.

Precious Husband and I always told my mom that we would be here for her when and if she needed us.  June 2013 was a pivotal time when physically my mom's health took a turn due to an injury.  She lived in an independent living facility but we had to move her to assisted living.  When we went home for our family reunion in June of 2014 we could see major decline and when we told mom we thought it might be time to move to Arizona with us she was receptive to the idea.  A week later she fell and was admitted to the hospital for a week with pneumonia.  She said she was ready to come to Arizona and live with us.

My brother and sister-in-law packed her belongings and put her in the passenger seat of their motor home and moved her over July 1st.

It was a transition for her and for us of course.  She began showing early signs of dementia and then on Labor Day she had a bad fall.  About a week later and mom became a hospice patient.

Precious Husband was amazing through all mom's care - we physically tended her as a team.  It was a hard 9 or 10 weeks but we were able to make good on our promise to be here for my mom.

Mom was born in Tombstone Arizona and she returned 87 years later to live out her days in Arizona.

Hugs and Blessings,
Mèmére

Afternoon Light

The weekend is upon us and we are looking forward to spending time with family.  Our boys will come for the weekend and then on Sunday the TLC's and their parents will join us for bbq.  Saturday hope to Skype with daughter and her precious family in Kentucky.  

October is birthday month for two sons, two son-in-loves and 1 daughter!

Hope you enjoy your weekend and make it special too.

Remembering Grandma

 

If you are on Face Book and who isn't,  you may have seen this picture with the caption, "Do You Know What This Is? "

When I saw the picture I smiled and I remembered.

My maternal grandmother would come spend a couple of days with us and the first thing she did was pull out all the ironing my mother had stashed in her closet.  Up went the ironing board and out came a bottle with a sprinkling spout like the one above.  All the clothes would be sprinkled and then ironed to perfection.  Fifty plus years later I can close my eyes and see my precious little grandma doing all that ironing and being a blessing to my mom.

Mom seemed to really appreciate her mother doing the ironing but she never continued the tradition by doing my ironing  :-(

On This Day In History . . .

July 17, 1973 found me getting off a Greyhound bus in Mesa, Arizona to begin a new life.  In tow was my 2 1/2 year old red headed little boy who the kids at Sunshine Acres Children's Home would come to nickname, "Fireball" for that red hair.

The bus made its' destination from Visalia, California where two years earlier I had been the first single person to adopt a child.  The Lord gave me my son June 4, 1971 and I spent two years praying for a place where I could make a living for our newly formed family and yet be a full time mother.  The opportunity came when Carol Whitworth, CEO answered the phone at Sunshine Acres Children's Home and told us they normally did not hire single people but at this time they did need someone to help the nurse take care of any children that might become sick and need temporary extra care away from the dorm and other children.

"Fireball" and I lived and worked at the home and it did completely answer my prayer for a place that I could provide for our needs and yet be a full time mother to my son.  In December of 1979 Jason and I adopted Anthony who was just barely 3 years old.  If you know the rest of the story you know that Anthony found a father for he and his brother and a Precious Husband for me.  Precious Husband and I were married in the Sunshine Acres Chapel with all the Acres kids in attendance nearly 30 years ago.

All in all I lived and worked at this amazing ministry called Sunshine Acres Children's Home for 12 years.  It was nothing like it is today but still no one can tell me those weren't the best years of my life. 

On this day in history 40 years ago I came to live in the desert at a place lovingly called, Miracle in the Desert.  It provided a miracle for me as an adult just like it has provided for hundreds of children all these years later.  

I hope you will take a few minutes and watch the You Tube about the home and see for yourself what an amazing place it is. 

Have Basket Will Travel

The picnic basket is all packed in anticipation of a vacation to California.  Tomorrow I will pick up the two oldest TLC's (Trent and Tyler) and Thursday bright and early we will hit the trail - first stop Great Grandma Judy's.

Looking forward to celebrating my mother's 85th birthday on Friday night and then on Saturday we will have the 3rd annual Leland Family Reunion.

I am feeling 30 years younger tonight as I make special plans all with the boys in mind.   They are going to be so surprised and excited.  After the reunion we will head to the beach and then Knottsberry Farm.

Need to get back to packing but know for sure there will be pictures of fun soon to be seen in future blogs.  Happy summer everyone.

Beautiful Kentucky

(Grand-daughters make a good reason for an afternoon nap.)

Last night I got to see the fireflies putting on their light show and then later in the night the sky lit up with an incredible show of lightning.  The lightening was almost like watching fireworks - amazing.  I tried to take pictures but I think my camera is dying : - (

Today I made banana cupcakes that seem to be a "keeper" here in Kentucky too and tonight we will have chicken enchiladas.

I love to cook for my family and it is really nice when they love to eat it .

Our grandkids have grown up so much in the time since we last visited.  Tristan Dallas has become very savvy in discussing politics and I think would be great on a debate team.  Amber Michelle is the little happy bug in the family - always with something happy to say.  Ava Dorothy continues to keep the family on their toes with her charm and the curls she inherited from her daddy.

We are so enjoying being in beautiful Kentucky and having this special time with our kids and grand-kids.

There Is A Point To My Blurry Pics

We celebrated Taralynn's 4th birthday Saturday.  Of course I took lots of pictures but as I scrolled through them tonight I came to a quick conclusion.  There were more blurry pictures taken than good clear ones. 

 This caused me to ponder about how quickly children move through life.  They never sit or stand still that is why it is hard to snap a clear picture of them.  

Life happens quickly and I am reminded that we must take advantage of every minute as we guide and direct these precious little lives into their futures.

The "guys" modeling their new tee-shirts from Alaska.

Finally I got her to slow down long enough for a quick pose.  

Happy Happy Birthday Taralynn Love Crossman (TLC#3)  

Your Mémère and Pépère love you lots and lots!

TLC Wednesday

So it was time to hang out with the TLC's today.  We had a good time making all kind of things with PlayDoh and then it was painting with water colors.  Fun.  

Tomorrow it will be pack the suitcases and water the plants then Friday it is off to Seattle. We will spend the night and board the ship first thing Saturday morning for 7 nights and 8 days in Alaska.  Wahoooo!

Trust in the Lord

Tomorrow marks an anniversary for me.  Forty years ago God in an amazing way presented me with an eight month old baby boy.  Jason Thomas, often referred to at Sunshine Acres Children's Home as "Fireball" for his red hair.  Yes, June 4, 1971 was a very critical life changing day for me.  A day that would teach me love, patience, and most of all faith.  I am thankful to God this morning for a most precious gift - the gift of faith and the gift of Jason Thomas.

The following story was emailed to me this morning by my cousin Frani and I have read it before but in light of my special date tomorrow I thought I would share it here. 

You see the boy in the story could very possibly be Jason.  Anthony Joseph is a very fortunate young man to be blessed with a brother that loves him to this same degree.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding.  Proverbs 3:5  This is the verse God gave me 9 months after he brought Jason into my life.  Along with the verse He gave me an amazing heart of faith to go along with it. 

THE BRICK

A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something.

As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door! He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown.

The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, 'What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money.. Why did you do it?' The young boy was apologetic.

'Please, mister....please, I'm sorry but I didn't know what else to do,' He pleaded. 'I threw the brick because no one else would stop...' With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. 'It's my  brother, 'he said 'He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up.'

Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, 'Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me.'

Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat.. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took
out a linen handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts.. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay.

'Thank you and may God bless you,' the grateful child told the stranger. Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home..

It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to
remind him of this message: 'Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!'

God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us. It's our choice to listen or not.

Allow Me To Brag

This is a long over-due post.  My Precious Husband is what causes the sun to rise each day for me.  How can I begin to tell anyone, let alone someone who has never met him, what an extremely special man I am married to?

This man with the big heart is the most unselfish person I have ever known.  It amazes me how giving one person can be with no thought of anything in return.

Our family most certainly would not be what it is if it were not for this husband and father that gives us all our stability.   Last night as we spoke to our daughter Michelle in Kentucky she remarked that she is a "daddy's girl" and proud of it.  Truly 5 children could not have a better father.

This month began a new season in our life.  Precious Husband is now retired and I am happy to report he is loving his new status.  I am thankful to the Lord that Precious Husband now has time to give of himself and get involved with our church family in ways he could not before.  It thrills my heart to see him take his Bible and study books out to the pond to ready himself for Tuesday night Bible study with the men.

I have waited a long time for this season and yes, I give thanks to the Lord for the season and for my Precious Husband to share it with.

Life will always hold challenges but I am thankful that God in His mercy and grace brought my Precious Husband into my life nearly 30 years ago to truly complete me.

Family

 

Celebrating our son-in-loves' birthday

I went upstairs to get the camera to take pictures of the grandkids with frosting all over their faces of course.  As I came down the stairs I could not help snapping this picture and thinking to myself, "this is what it is all about - family!"