A Sprinkle of Pink

One of Jennifer and Bryan's good friends arranged for a little surprise gathering tonight to 'sprinkle' Jennifer with a few pink things before baby girl arrives. Since baby girl has been craving cheeseburgers, we went to Bub's Burgers in Zionsville. It was easy for Bryan to get her there under the pretense of meeting Justin, Lynette, and Addison for dinner.

The ladies enjoyed dinner together in the upstairs room, and presented Jennifer with some lovely 'pink-themed' gifts. So much fun!

Little Miss Davis will definitely be sporting some pink when she decides to make her appearance.

And cake pops! There were cake pops! Yum!

Pink balloons added to the festive atmosphere.

We gathered the group for a photo before heading home to wait for baby girl's arrival. Thanks to Tara for planning such a thoughtful little party. (And to Bryan for his help with the surprise.)

Bryan and Noah were eating downstairs with a couple of the other dads and toddlers, and they came up to visit after our little party was over. I thought I needed to take what might be the last photo of their little family of three before baby makes four.

Noah and cousin Addison shared some smiles. So cute!

I think maybe Bryan was trying to explain to Noah just what is in store for him when baby sister comes home. Until then, he'll enjoy a few more days as center of the universe. :)

Throwback Brrrrsday

It is a cold, cold day today. Schools are closed because it's too cold to have kids standing out at the bus stop. Funny thing is, I don't ever remember school being cancelled because of cold when I was a kid. In fact, I don't remember school being closed for any reason back then. The policy was, that if one child could make it to school, then school would be open. Even if the roads were too bad for the buses, the rest of us came to school. Jim even tells the story of a day when he ice skated to school. Uphill. Both ways. :)

I am guessing that the temperature was even colder earlier this morning, but this is what I found when I checked:

At least we have sunshine.

In honor of the cold and snow, I thought I would share some throwback snow day photos. I always loved getting the kids ready to go out and play in the snow. Said no mom ever. What's not to like about digging out hats, gloves, scarves, snow pants, boots and jackets, putting multiple socks on wiggling toes, and wrestling feet into boots that just. won't. go. on. Good times.

And, amazingly, I even had the presence of mind to snap a photo. Here are David and Andrew. Notice the red and yellow Stewart Seeds hat, which proved to be the best snow hat ever.

I do remember that the time spent getting them ready was often greater than the time they spent outside. They made snowballs and snow forts and snowmen, and slid down the hill or the cob pile on redneck farm sleds slick plastic field signs.

Here's another appearance of the hat, this time on Jonathan, who always always ended up in the creek. Every. Single. Time.

Jennifer and Jonathan on a snow day at Purdue when they went from sledding Slayter Hill to trekking across campus to warm up with some liquid refreshment. Hot chocolate, I'm sure.

Meanwhile, back on the farm, Andrew and Matthew were ready to make a snowman… or three.

With a little help from Aunt Jennifer… wearing a familiar looking hat.

Proudly showing off their little snow family.

Hopping back to the present, these two cuties and I plan to spend the day inside where it is warm and cozy. Jammie days are best of all.

Stay warm out there, friends! 

Share the Love

Haleigh stayed overnight with us last night, all by herself. Sometimes it's fun to have some one on one time. We had dinner with her family, then brought her home with us where we watched a little tv, read some stories, and snuggled her into bed with pillows, blankets, and lots of stuffed animals.

This morning, our plan was to make some heart-shaped pancakes for Valentine's Day, or as she likes to call it, Lovinhearts (or Lovintines) Day. Lovin' the lovin'. :) We mixed the batter in a ziploc bag for easy squeezing of the hearts.

She mixed with the whisk, and then finished up with her hands.

I squeezed it into one side and snipped the corner to draw the heart shapes onto the griddle.

With a little practice, I was able to make some reasonably recognizable hearts.

Maybe next year, we'll add some red food coloring for pink hearts.

Haleigh was ready to serve, and called Grandpa in the office to tell him that the pancakes were ready.

Yum!

Grandpa enjoyed his stack o' hearts with blueberries.

Very tasty!

In addition to the heart shapes, Haleigh asked for a pancake in the shape of mouse ears. She's still relishing the memory of their recent trip to WDW. This was the best I could do.

Haleigh also invited her stuffed friends to join us for breakfast. Good thing they don't eat much.

She asked for a braid like Elsa, of Frozen fame, and we enjoyed watching an earlier Disney film, Mary Poppins, together. It was a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious day!

We finished up by working a puzzle,

which she did all by herself.

Ta da!

I posted this card on Facebook to my Valentine, Jim (very appropriate, don't you think?).

These little cuties in Fondwa, Haiti, would love to have a Valentine to sponsor them all year long. We're trying to get 14 new sponsors by the 14th. Maybe one might be you? (And sponsors are welcome any time, even after the 14th.) Share the love!

Finally, I took my friend Ruthann for a scan on Thursday, as a follow-up to her visit to MDAnderson last week. While I was in the waiting room, this verse came across my Instagram feed, and I made it part of my prayer time during her scan. On Friday morning, our Hope turned to Joy as the report was a clear scan! Our God is an awesome God.

Happy Valentine's Day to all.

"We love because He first loved us." ~1 John 4:19

Up

Grandson Noah is at the stage when he wants to be up. On everything. During my Tuesdays with Noah, I spend lots of time keeping him safe from his desire to climb. on. everything.

He likes to stand up on this box.

Put a leg up on the gate.

Reach up for his crayons.

I think he was trying to sneak up onto the couch. Do you see me Granny?

And he can climb up to take a look out the window.

After all that climbing, it's time to buckle up for a little ride in his cozy coupe. Bye bye, Noah!
Soon, it will be time for him to meet up with his new little sister,  face up to the reality of sharing his mommy and daddy, and cuddle up with their new little family of four. Lots of excitement coming up!

Speaking of up, Noah's cousin Matthew is turning 11 today! He is helpful and handsome, sweet and smart, clever and congenial. His sisters and cousins look up to him, and we are proud and blessed to watch him grow up.

Happy Birthday, Matthew!

Granny loves you!

Shine on, Sandi!

We had a good time last weekend as Jim and I headed north to see our friend Sandi Patty perform in Wabash, Indiana. Yes, we are groupies true fans.

I feel a little connection to Wabash, Indiana, since my mom grew up there. When I was a child, I heard many, many stories from my Mamaw about Wabash, Indiana. And she always, always, referred to it as Wabash, Indiana. First and last names. Once a year, we gathered in the city park for the reunion of my grandfather's family. He was one of 12 children, so it was a big event. Most years, we would also go back to the home of his parents, my great-grandparents, Grandma and Grandpap.

One of the most colorful stories, a legend, really, is the story of Modoc the elephant. As the story goes, the circus came to the little town of Wabash, Indiana and pitched their tents at the high school, which was right in town. Three elephants, tied up nearby, were frightened by a barking dog (who was probably frightened by the sight of three elephants at the high school), and broke loose. Two of them continued grazing nearby, but the third, Modoc, stormed into the downtown area. She smelled the peanuts roasting at the drug store on the corner, and ran in the front door, ate a few peanuts, and ran out the back door. She was on the loose for five days before they finally lured her onto a trailer by leaving a bread-loaf trail. My then 7-year-old mother remembers being scared to death that Modoc would come storming around the corner of their house on Elm Street. You can read the full story of Modoc's adventure here.

The old drug store now bears the name 'Modoc's Market' and serves specialty coffees, cold drinks, and snacks, and sells elephant-themed gifts and circus memorabilia. The elephant sculptures outside commemorate that 1942 incident when Modoc made her famous visit to downtown Wabash, Indiana.

We checked in to our room at the Charley Creek Inn, which is situated right between Modoc's Market and the beautiful Honeywell Center, where Sandi would perform.

I was especially fond of the curtain rods in our room. :)

Rich and Becky met us to have dinner and attend the concert together, and they arrived at the hotel first and headed to the on-site wine shop for a little tasting. Walking through the lobby, I noticed this plate, which documents another Wabash, Indiana claim to fame, as the First Electrically Lighted City in the World. Bet you didn't know that!

We located the wine shop, and had a lovely time tasting some new wines. I purchased a chocolate wine that I may add to my milkshakes (or my peppermint ice cream). Yum!

I thought Modoc's Market looked especially nice after sundown. There are renovated apartments on the second floor.

After a delicious dinner at Twenty Restaurant in the hotel, it was time for the concert!

We aren't too good at selfies, but we tried one from our seats down front.

Becky and Rich were sitting just a bit behind us, in two different rows. :) Ruthann, who sadly wasn't able to join us, likes to purchase 'best available' tickets, which sometimes means single seats that aren't side by side. We missed R and D! (Sandi did, too.)

Susan and Becky. (Sandi was busy warming up.)

Soon we were listening to our old favorite songs of praise and worship by Sandi Patty.

It's fun when she performs in Indiana, as it usually means some of her family can join her. That was true on Saturday, as she introduced her parents and her brother, three of their children,

and grandson Thatcher.

She sang one of my favorites to him, 'Masterpiece.'

Here is a little video clip of her singing to baby Thatch. So cute!



She gave her usual good show, singing some of our favorites and inviting the audience to sing along.

Her son, Jonathan, came out to join her, and she told about her dad giving her '5 minutes' to sing solo back in the days when their family was performing. Now she gives Jonathan '5 minutes.' He sang 'It is Well With My Soul', and joined Sandi on 'You'll Never Walk Alone.' Powerful.

She told a few stories, had some fun, and we worshipped together.

She ended the show by telling how she and her husband, Don, pray the Lord's Prayer over their children, wherever they may be. Then she sang the same prayer over everyone in attendance by waving off the accompanist and stepping in front of the microphone to fill the auditorium with her voice alone, in prayer. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

Back at the hotel, we noticed some of the rooms had familiar names. Hail Purdue!

This is the view of the hotel lobby from the upstairs lounge.

We sat in the lounge after the show and shared some wine and conversation. A lovely evening with Sandi and friends.

We woke to a little snow, but not as much as had been predicted. I stepped out of the hotel lobby to take one more photo of Modoc's Market, but it didn't open until 11 a.m., and we needed to be on our way.

Before we headed south, we took a little drive around town. The house where my mom grew up has been sadly neglected. She has many fond memories of the house, the neighborhood, and the town of Wabash, Indiana.

The Wabash County Courthouse stands proudly in the center of town. It is from this dome that the lights were switched on back in 1880 to forever declare Wabash the First Electrically Lighted City in the World! Let your light shine!