just a couple of hours…

I get home from my cross country trip visiting daughter and grandbabies

and we catch up on what is happening

with the people and marriages that we are trying to help patch up

in this crazy ministry life we live

We have been married three plus decades

but we talk about how we need to diligently guard and rekindle

the flame of our love for Him and for each other

So on a rainy, weekday afternoon

I am a playful, young temptress

Who has some unexpectedly free hours

Due to a meeting cancellation

And I go into his office

And tempt him to play hooky with me

Just for a couple of hours

Because the work will still be here when we get back

In the car ride together

His mind is still distracted by what he left undone

But halfway through our meal of lamb gyros and stuffed grape leaves

I see the the change in his countenance when he lays the burdens down

and now he is fully there with me

We are two young things without a care in the world

We hold hands and grab a cup of hot Starbucks

We stop at Whole Foods and have one cookie each

Deceiving ourselves that they are healthy because we bought them there

The Oregon sky is gray and the rain is coming down heavy on the car ride back home

But my heart is burning warm and happy beside him

I’m thankful for the gift of time we gave each other

Just a couple of hours spent guarding and rekindling the flame

When we get home, he has to work to make up for those hours

But when we lay our heads on our pillows that night

I snuggle into his warmth as we cuddle

underneath the quilt his grandma made for us

all those decades ago

and we both go to sleep smiling

 

Still following,

Elizabeth

happily linking here-

this week’s Simple Pleasure is time spent with my husband

Puddle Splashin’…

 

I grew up only ten miles south of where we live now.

Life brought us full circle over a decade ago, the Hubs and I moved back here near my childhood home.

As a girl I loved the rainy Northwest.

Loved the sound of the rain on my roof at night.

Loved walking to the corner store with my little friend from down the street

us huddled under one umbrella while the rain poured down from gray Oregon skies.

At age 52, too much of the rain, and I get Palm Springs on my mind.

So I decided to get in touch with my inner child

and her puddle slashin’ ways.

I bought a pair of shiny, new, black, wellies

and a pair of long, warm, woolie socks

and I took them for their inaugural walk

on this rainy Oregon day…

this beautiful, rainy Oregon day.

 

 

Still following,

Elizabeth

linking to Tuesday Unwrapped at Chatting at the Sky

Congratulations to Diana at To Everything a Season.

You are the winner of the giveaway of Beth Moore’s book!

How did I get so rich?

I opened my suitcase to unpack after getting home from my trip to South Carolina to see my daughter, son in law, and two oldest grandbabies.

Someone had been into my suitcase, and had left me valuable treasures.

One plastic dinosaur.

One miniature stuffed bear.

One children’s book entitled A Walk by the Seashore.

The plastic dinosaur was generously donated by my grandson, “so you won’t forget me Nana”, which I, of course, explained was an impossibility.

The bear was from my oldest granddaughter.  “I want you to have it, Nana” was her only explanation.

The book, because we always go on walks together and because they know how much I love the sea.

I am overwhelmed with such riches.

 

my continuing gratitude list #716-#732

 

-the moon and the stars through the plane window

 

-a safe, uneventful cross country flight

 

-surprising my oldest granddaughter and only grandson with a visit

 

-cooking with my granddaughter

 

-Nana’s adventure walks…my specialty

-dinner and shopping with my daughter

 

-painting pictures

 

-making pumpkin soup

 

-snuggling

 

-reading books

 

-making cake pops

-praying and singing and talking together on the night before I had to leave

 

-a safe trip back home

 

-the Hubs with baby granddaughter to greet me at the airport

 

-a phone call from the ones I left saying they miss me

 

-new wellies

 

-setting the clocks back and getting an extra hour of sleep

 

 

Gratefully yours,

Elizabeth

gathering gratitude with others here-

Click here to enter my giveaway for

Beth Moore’s book

Jesus-90 days with the One and Only

Winner announced tomorrow!

Open up for the King…

 

Still following,

Elizabeth

 

Click here to enter my giveaway

for Beth Moore’s

Jesus~90 days with the One and Only

Friday’s favs…I simply remember my favorite things…I’m lovin’ pumpkin soup!

I’m still here in South Carolina visiting my daughter, son in law, and my sweet grandbabies. 

The time has zoomed by and I have enjoyed every blessed minute I get to be with them.

I head home in the wee hours Saturday.

  YaY for getting to set the clocks BACK an hour Saturday night

so I will get an extra hour to rest when I get home.

On Wednesday, my daughter’s home group from church had dinner at her house.

Her friend from Germany came over and taught my daughter and I how to make pumpkin soup.

First we cleaned out the pumpkin.

Then we cut it up, cut off the skin,

and cut the pumpkin flesh into small chunks.

(my daughter and her friend)

For a huge batch of soup we diced and then sautéed two onions in a little bit of olive oil.

To the onions we added about a pound of diced carrots, 8 diced potatoes, the diced up pumpkin, water to cover it all,  8-10 vegetable, (or chicken), bullion cubes and salt and pepper.

At this point I was feeling a bit skeptical thinking it sounded pretty bland.

Once the veggies were all cooked soft it was time to puree the soup.

This is when an immersion blender would have come in handy.

We had a regular blender and had to puree it in small batches in that…about a bazillion small batches.

(Warning: blending hot items in a blender creates pressure that makes the lid fly off sending burning hot pumpkin soup flying onto the nice German lady who is trying to teach you. 

Not that I would know anything about that.) 

If you use a blender only fill it about half full, put a towel over the lid,

and hold the lid down firmly with one hand as you puree it.

Once the soup is pureed add sour cream, and salt and pepper to taste.

Like I said, with such simple ingredients, I thought it would be bland

but it was delicious!

 

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!

Elizabeth

Click here if you want to enter my giveaway for

Beth Moore’s book

Jesus~90 days with the One and Only

Powerful love…

 

When they said they were moving away

Clear across the whole United States of America

I thought my heart would stop beating at their leaving

This Nana love, it’s an unexplainably powerful thing

The day they left Papa and I sobbed our good-byes

And then life went on and we settled into our new normal

Life without them just minutes away

So we phoned and mailed letters and saw their beautiful faces on Skype

I wanted to reach through the computer screen

and touch their cheeks

and smother them with kisses

and squeeze them with hugs

So I bought a ticket

And this week I flew all night

A fingernail moon and the big and little dippers

Flirted with me out the plane window

I got to their house in the wee hours and woke my grandbabies up

Surprise!  Nana’s here!

The days here are filled with

adventures

and walks

and coloring

and painting

and cooking their favorite things

and storing up memories for them to keep

and for me to pack up and take home with me

This Nana love, it’s an unexplainably powerful thing

Then last evening their Daddy watched them

While my daughter and I went shopping,  just the two of us

And we visited while devouring chips and salsa at our favorite restaurant

In the way she says the letter “s” there’s still the slightest trace

Of the lisp she had as a girl

And it’s not just those grandbabies I miss

Clear across the whole United States of America

Oh this Mama love, it’s an unexplainably powerful thing

 

Still following,

Elizabeth

 

happily linking here~

this week’s simple pleasure

time with my daughter and grandbabies~

 Click here here if you would like to enter my giveaway for Beth Moore’s bookJesus~90 days with the One and Only

Happy Nana…

I left Portland at 10:20p.m. Sunday night and flew non-stop to Charlotte, North Carolina. I slept about three hours on the plane.  I got to my daughter’s house in the wee hours of the morning and was able to wake up my oldest granddaughter and only grandson who did not know I was coming.  Oh, they were so surprised and so happy!  Of course I was overjoyed as well.   In spite of my lack of sleep, we had a full day of important business to attend to…

Exploring the “forest” behind their house…

And the pond where the geese gather…

Discovering that my grandson is now a proficient bike rider…

Cooking their special request for supper…beef stew and cornbread…

Watching “How to Train a Dragon” with them before bed…

Heading to bed with them camped out on the floor beside me…

I am a happy Nana.

Still following,

Elizabeth

 

Linking to Chatting at the Sky

for Tuesday Unwrapped.

 

Remember to click here to enter my giveaway

for Beth Moore’s book

Jesus~90 days with the One and Only