Remembering My Grandma

 

Last night, the world lost one of its best people.  My grandma, Christina Richards, was...well...it's hard to find words.  She lived by the words of two books, The Bible and The Power of Positive Thinking.  I think that's the magic combination that allowed her to live, against all odds, until she was almost 97.

As I looked through the pictures of I have of her, I was disappointed to find they're all from the last few years (since I've had a digital camera), and do not show the woman I remember.  Grandma didn't always sit in a wheelchair, oxygen tank and old-lady sweater ever present.  Grandma didn't always look like she was about to blow away.

Grandma with Hannah and Lydia

 

Looking back, the Grandma I think about is the one who used make the best after school snacks: strawberries dipped in powdered sugar, marshmallows melted in the toaster oven, and ice cream bon bons.

Grandma, Dad, and me at Grandma's 80th birthday in 1996

I think of the 82 year old who willing took me into her house when I was a teenager, making pancakes for supper, driving me to football games, and patiently sitting by while I spent hours on the phone trying to negotiate school dances.  (Can you believe she never said a word?  That must have taken some restraint.)

Richards family reunion in the early 90s

I think of the woman who, every time we went out to eat in our small hometown, had someone come over to our table and remind her that she was their seventh grade teacher.  Or that they used to work for her at the family-owned Dairy Queen.  Grandma knew everyone in town.  She knew my friends' grandparents, and called my teachers by their maiden names. 

Grandma and her BFF, Jean at Grandma's 90th birthday

I think of her telling me I could be excused from washing the dinner dishes if I would practice the piano while she washed up.  (Worked every time, by the way.)

When I was small, and we'd go to Grandma's house for Sunday supper, she would always make a pan of Pillsbury rolls.  I'd eat as many as my mom would let me get away with - three or more.  Grandma would pat her tummy and say, "Look at all these rolls."  I'd think if I ate enough rolls, I'd have a wonderful soft tummy just like she did.  (That worked too.)

More Richards, at Jonathan's and my wedding

I think about when Jonathan were in need, she opened her home to me again, this time with husband and 6 month old Hannah in tow. 

Grandma and Hannah, the first time they met

And by now, she was in her 90's.  But what a wonderful person to share the first months of our baby's life with...Grandma was there the first time Hannah rolled over,

Some of Hannah's first steps

for the first tentative steps across the living room, and for those precious first words.  Hannah thought Grandma's walker was there for her amusement, and knew that Grandma would give her sips from her own cup, always filled with ice water.

 

My grandma taught me the power of daily prayer and Bible study.  Quietly and unassumingly, she showed me the important roll faith plays in one's life. 

Jonathan's and my graduation from seminary

 She showed me the importance of being surrounded by church community; that you can't do it alone. 

Grandma's pastor and the two of us at my ordination as a minister

More than anyone else, Grandma planted in me the seeds of faith that have flowered into a vocation of ministry.  What a gift to give, and I thank her for it.

You fought the good fight, Grandma. You finished your race.  You kept the faith.  And now you're home.

Summer Camping

 

 

We love to camp.  The first Christmas Jonathan and I were married, our wish lists were full of camping gear, and our family outfitted us generously.  Although camping with toddlers is not the idyllic forest getaway we each remember from our teenage years, our entire family still enjoys the wonder of the outdoors.

 

 

For Jonathan, the best part is making a tending a fire.  For me, it's the s'mores...hands down.  We are both happy to have a campfire (and s'mores) in the evening, and then do it all again after breakfast. 

 

 

For the kids, it's the hot chocolate.  With marshmallows.  (See a sugar-high theme going on here?)

 But what we really love about camping is spending some time together, with a guarantee of none of our regular interruptions. 

See all that lovely green around our tent?  Poison ivy - every bit of it.  Hannah is old enough to understand that she needs to keep out, but Lydia has no idea.  I only have it in me to run around after a two year old in Poison Ivy Land for about 16 hours, so we're strictly one-night campers...at least until the kids are older.

This trip was in the Smoky Mountains.  We found this lovely stream just off the road and spent a nice morning in the water.

Of course, kids can't play in the water without someone falling in and losing their pants, right?

The next time we planned a trip, Lydia was a little sick...just enough that we didn't want her to sleep outside.  So we pitched the tent in the yard.  Lydia slept inside, and the rest of us (plus baby monitor) stayed outside. 

 

 You'll notice that we still had all the essential elements: fire and s'mores.

And more s'mores.

Two weeks ago, we camped near Cumberland Gap in Virginia.

And look at all that grass!  I was thrilled by the absence of poison ivy.  And wouldn't you know it, I came home with it all over my arm.  Oh well....

Since Jonathan and I both grew up camping, we hope that we can teach our girls to love it as much as we did - and still do.

So far, I think we're starting out on the right foot.

Dance Recital Time

Well... Hello, there!  It's been awhile, hasn't it?  We've been doing so much (and I've been taking so many pictures!), and I feel completely overwhelmed about catching up.  So I decided to start with the most recent, and hope to work my way back.

In any case, here are pictures of Hannah's dance recital.  These are for you, Grandma.

The recital was on Saturday.  Hannah has been very excited about it for weeks to come.

The ballet was a story of two little girls who fell asleep in a candy shop, and awoke in the magical land of sweets.  Each class portrayed a different kind of candy.  There was cotton candy, lemon drops, red hots, and Hannah's class were lollipops.

Their tap dance was to Shirley Temple's "On the Good Ship Lollipop."

Hannah's favorite part?  That they danced with actual lollipops!

I mean, look at that thing!  I'd be excited too, wouldn't you?

The recital was at the Clarence Brown Theater at the University of Tennessee.  It all felt very grown-up to be in a "real" theater.

On the car ride home, Jonathan and I told Hannah that she had done a good job.  She said, "I am very proud of myself."

And not to be forgotten is the prima ballerina in training, Miss Lydia.  I think she's just about ready for the stage, don't you?

Snow Day

Imagine the wonder of seeing snow for the first time.  (Technically, Lydia was out in the snow for about three minutes last winter, but I'm sure it made very little lasting impression.)  I snapped this picture just as she came out the front door and saw that everything was covered in white stuff.

It didn't take Lydia long to learn that you're supposed to run around, gathering bits of it in your hands.

Or maybe trying to catch a flake or two on your tongue.

Of course, if you're big like Daddy, you can make a really BIG snowball.

Everyone can help with this one!

I wonder what it's going to be?

In any case, this snow business is pretty fun.

Would you look at that?  It's taller than both of us.  And Hannah says this carrot is it's nose.

This snowman may be very nice, but I'm getting cold.  Enough pictures, Mama.  Time to go inside.

Hannah?  She's never cold.  She could just stay out here all day long.

Decking the Halls (literally)

There's a flurry of organizing and rearranging going on in our house, typical of January's new year frenzy.  Among other, more ambitious projects, we (and by we, I mostly mean Jonathan) have been moving around our artwork and photos.

For a long time, we've been wanting to make a place to display the kids' drawings and scribbles.  After scouring Pinterest, we agreed that we liked the idea of over sized clothespins to hang the drawings.  And then, as if by fate, I found these glitter over sized clothespins at Hobby Lobby on clearance!  So Jonathan screwed them into a piece of wood, and mounted the whole thing on the wall.  Above it, we hung the canvases the girls made at Hannah's birthday party.

This hangs in our dining room, and we all enjoy looking at this during mealtime.  Mama also enjoys a significant reduction of clutter on the fridge.

This morning, we tackled another project that's been on our wish list for some time.  We gathered up our favorite photos, some graphics, and made a new canvas to add to the mix.  Source here and here.

These are Hannah's hands and Lydia's feet.  I added the text using vinyl cut with my Silhouette, and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out.  (Just a hint if you try something like this: canvas and vinyl aren't really best friends, so I added a layer of Mod Podge over the whole thing when it was finished, just to keep everything really stuck together.)

This is in the hallway, directly across from our front door.

Want to know what else is in the works?  Stay tuned...I've got the organizing bug, and I definitely want to take pictures of everything while it's neat - just to prove that once upon a time things were put away!