An Unexpected Gift

When our daughter, Maria, and her then boyfriend now husband, Eric, were in high school, they had a wonderful art teacher who had a great influence on the artistic path they have followed. Later, that teacher and his wife became very special friends to Maria and Eric. I've met them a few times but really I don't know either of them very well. I just feel like I do.

When Maria and Eric returned from New Mexico they brought a gift to me from that art teacher's wife, Victoria. Isn't that sweet? It certainly was unexpected! Again, Victoria and I have not been around each other much. However, we read each other's blogs and we have a common love for Maria and Eric and their girls. You can check out Victoria's blog here. It is a blog with a lot of yummy things worthy of Pinterest!

Anyway, I wanted to show you the gift Victoria sent to me...

 It is a blank book!

What do you think I should write in it?

Cool quotes?

Ideas for stories?

Lists of fun gifts, such as this one?

It is really pretty!

Thank you, Victoria!

I love it!

Cell Phone Favorites

This week our daughter and her family were in New Mexico. It was a quick trip. Our son-in-law, Eric, had business there but they got a chance to also visit with family and friends down there. They were worried about so much travelling (28+ hours) with the little girls but they were great little travelers and they had a fun time!

We missed them while they were gone! It did give us a chance to receive some pretty sweet photos on our phones...

This is Elise enjoying White Sands National Monument.

Have you been there?

It is a beautiful, beautiful beach...but they forgot the water!

And here is Cordelia making a Sand Angel.

 Check out Maria's blog, Little Things are Big for more about their trip.

We'd been watching their dogs and so shortly after they got home, we let them know we'd return their dogs to them. Eric told the girls that Grandma and Grandpa were coming over, then sent me this photo of their reaction. I loved it, but couldn't hardly get there fast enough!

We're glad you are home and safe and sanitary!

Gate to Freedom

 I just love the following quote...

“As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison.”

Nelson Mandela

My Turn

Have you ever been an EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH ? I don't believe that I have ever had that experience...UNTIL NOW!

Yep, I am an official employee of the month. Does that sound like I am bragging? Well, I'm not. Here's the deal. Where I work, each month two individuals are named employee of the month. I know, it is a singular sort of title but nevertheless, two people share it each month. It isn't a merit award; that is why I am not bragging. Everyone gets a turn. It was simply my turn to be named.

There are two perks to enjoy as employee(s) of the month. The first is a reserved parking spot near the building. It is right beside the spots reserved for all the doctors who do surgery at our clinic.

Unfortunately, it really is just one spot. I used it one day last week when the other employee of the month was out sick. It would have been great except by the time I left work, I'd forgotten about it. Yep, I walked to the regular parking lot and had to turn around and return to my car. EMBARRASSING! I think I will leave the parking spot for the other employee of the month.

The second perk is very nice, though. Every day someone at work places a lunch order for any of the surgeons who are present for lunch. They get the meal from a different restaurant each day. They have copies of the restaurants' menus and the physicians get to choose what they want and it magically appears for them about noon. Cool for them, huh?  Well, as one of the employee of the month honorees, I also get to order a free lunch each day. Woweeeeeeee!

So, being an employee of the month, even sharing it, is very tasty!  

A Woman's Heart

Last night we started a new Lady's Bible Study at our church. We are doing A Woman's Heart by Beth Moore of LifeWay. I've mentioned her studies before. We have a workbook, complete with homework, and watch a video presentation as well. It is always interesting and I enjoy the women who attend. There are women I know from our congregation as well as women from other congregations. It's really quite lovely.

Since last night was our first lesson, the video was really more of an introduction. We started out reading some passages from Exodus 25 as this study is about the Tabernacle. That sounded like kind of a boring theme at first but the Tabernacle is mentioned more than 100 times from the Old Testament through the New Testament. It must be important.

In my notes from last night I wrote this quote, "He came to us so that we can come to him." It was referred to as the theme of the Bible. I guess that is true in many ways, really. We couldn't come to God by ourselves; He initiated it. I don't always understand why we are so important to him. We mess up so much from a personal level to a global level. Yet, he does love us and wants us to be close to him. Amazing.

Are you doing any Bible Studies right now? Do you prefer to study alone or does a group help motivate you?

Movie Review...or Maybe Not

Mike and I went to see R.I.P.D.  last night. I would like to review it for you but you know the saying, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."

Instead, I will share some photos of granddogs.  I'm always showing granddaughter photos. I don't want these girls to feel left out.

Bumblebee and Betty Sprinkles

 Betty Sprinkles relaxing at the top of the stairs

I told Betty to get out of Maria's garden...

...she just looked at me and laid down right in the middle of it.

Bumblebee Just Hanging Out

Bode loves it when Betty Sprinkles and Bumblebee come to play.

Isiah 26.4

Trust in the LORD forever, 

For in GOD the LORD, 

we have an everlasting Rock.

An Evening With the Girls

Last night our daughter and son-in-law, Maria and Eric, had an artsy function to attend. I went over to their house and had a lovely evening with our beautiful granddaughters.

The girls admired and adored their gorgeous Mom a bit before she took off to meet Eric. He had responsibilities at the event so he had gone on ahead.

 Maria looked beautiful.

Cordelia liked the idea that Momma was having a Cinderella event.

As Mom left, we headed to the  backyard for some fun!

Cordelia showed me how to pick tomatoes...only the deep red ones!

Elise was to hold the bucket and keep the little tomatoes safe.

She took her job quite seriously.

...but then...

Elise wanted to pick some as well.

Cordelia tried to keep her away, knowing that Elise wasn't careful to pick only the red ones.

Cordelia got distracted and Elise saw her chance.

 When Cordelia realized that Elise had pulled some tomatoes that were not the required deep red color,

she snatched them from Elise and buried them.

Confused, I asked why she would do that.

"Because," she said, "I don't want Momma to know Elise picked those orange ones."

She was protecting her little sister from the shame of it all.

Sweet.

Eventually, it was time for their baths.

Elise is currently not much of a bathtub fan so her's was very quick.

Cordelia loved splashing and playing, though.

Suds...funny faces...pretending she was in the ocean... 

The fun went on and on!

After bath time

I watched the "Elise" show.

It was pretty cute! 

She was in entertainment mode, trying to think of new moves to put into her act.

Is there anything cuter than a freshly scrubbed, happy little one-year-old?

 Meanwhile, I brushed out Cordy's long, lovely locks.

I couldn't believe how patient she was.

We couldn't forget bedtime snacks.

Elise had her own sippy cup but Cordy explained to me that Elise preferred

to share with Cordelia. 

 Aaaah, hug and kiss time.

And a wee bit of Netflix for Kids to wind down.

And in case you want to know, when an artistic Momma leaves 

notes for the evening, they come complete with illustrations.

It was wonderful.

Little Bighorn Battlefield

Monday of this week Mike and I left Billings and headed to Wyoming. Along the way, though, we made a stop at the Little Bighorn Battlefield. Guess what!? I took a LOT of photos! I will try to limit myself but I need to show some of them to you.

The Little Bighorn Battlefield used to be called the Custer Battlefield. You've all heard of Custer's Last Stand, right? Well, the place where this last stand occurred can be visited still today. It is on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana. Mike and I have been there many times over the years. It always seemed rather ridiculous that the place was named after Custer. First of all, he was not the only general involved in that battle and his was a story of military errors and misjudgments. 

Second, the story is of a victory for the Native Americans and the site is on their reservation. The new name is much more accurate.

The Little Bighorn Battle is a disturbing story, one with no lasting victories. It is referred to a clash of cultures. The basic story, according to the literature provided at the battle site, is that the U.S. Army had ordered all Native Americans onto reservations, including one in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The Native Americans lived a nomadic life and being forced to live confined must have been devastating. 

When gold was discovered in the Black Hills a lot of gold miners swarmed in to get rich, ignoring the fact that they were on a someone else's land. I am sure that is just a small part of the whole story but the result was the Native American tribes worked together to fight back. 

The battle that resulted at Little Bighorn was awful. It was certainly a victory for the Native Americans but they did not regain their life as it was before. They won that battle but not the war.

Standing there at the battlefield I always get a sense of despair and grief. It is a sad place. I stood there looking at all the markers where men died and wondered how much pain they felt, how long did they suffer? 

Out there on the prairie there is not much coverage so Custer and  his men ended up shooting their own horses to hide behind them. The misery of men and animals is still felt there, I think, because all the visitors seem to speak in hushed tones. 

I hate evil. I hate conflict. I hate hate. 

There is a feeling of hope there at the battlefield site I guess. There is now a lot of evidence of two cultures working together. There are now plaques honoring Native Americans as well. 

Native American guides show visitors around the area, even offer tours of the Crow Reservation. There is a lot of evidence of the descendants of both cultures working together to tell the story.  That's a good thing. 

   

Sunday Evening in Billings

One of the things I wanted to do in Billings was to spend some time on the Rimrocks that frame the North edge of the city. It is a great place to go for a lovely view. That tallest building was our hotel, just in case you needed to know that.

Mike was so patient as I wandered around taking photos.

There was evidence up there of many parties.

Alcohol and a cliff edge just don't seem like a good combination to me.

I came across an interesting sculpture.

Do you think it is meant to be Jesus?

Mary?

As I got closer I could read the engraving but

it only said "class of 1956".

Mike came down and took my photograph.

And I took his.

But I didn't so much appreciate it when he was 

pretending to fall or jump. 

I walked away so as not to encourage him.

Sometimes that is just all you can do.

After the Rimrocks we moved on to Lake Elmo

for a few more photo opportunities.

Lucky you!

Anyway, it was a lovely Sunday.

That's all.