Interesting?

My sister tagged me with the "Kreativ Blogger Award," and here's what she's insisting I do:
List 6 interesting things about myself and tag 6 others to do the same.

I'm not sure how interesting these things are, but here it goes:

1. Kreativ spellings get on my nerves. It's not just this "award," but anytime someone changes a "C" to a "K", an "S" to "Z", etc. just to look klever or kwik-wit'd, it bugz me!

2. This is probably the reason behind #1. I love words. I like learning new words, playing word games, and working crossword puzzles. Oftentimes, I'll remember where I was when I heard a word for the first time. Is that weird? Never mind, don't answer that!

3. Before my 29th birthday, I had lived in 29 different places (counting the dorm, sorority house, and college apartments). This lifestyle caused me, like my sister, to become bored with one place. I used to move furniture around too, but with a two year-old, who has the time or the energy?

4. I love murder mysteries. Sherlock Holmes is my all-time favorite detective, but I also love Sue Grafton's heroine, Kenzie Millhone. Most of my favorite tv shows are murder mysteries: Monk, Psych, Pushing Daisies, The Closer, CSI, Law & Order, Criminal Minds, and (my guilty pleasure) Murder, She Wrote.

5. I'm claustophobic.

6. I'm hand-making just about all of my Christmas gifts this year. It's been a lot of work, but I had so much fun planning what I wanted to do specifically for each person on my list. Having put more time and thought into each present this year is going to make the giving so much more gratifying. I'm getting excited just thinking about it!

Ganne's Birthday Wishes

My grandmother, (Ganne, as she's known by her "grands") turned 75 this year, so we decided to do something extra special. My mom contacted friends, colleagues, and students who had been a part of her 75 years and ask them to send her birthday greetings. The results were beyond what we imagined. Ganne received over 170 cards and emails!
Today, she stopped by to see us and brought her "birthday book" with her, and I snapped a few pictures.
I've inherited many qualities from my Ganne, but I wish I'd gotten her knack for organization. The book contains all of the birthday cards and emails - alphabetized by sender.
This is the card that AP picked out and sent. She calls this "Hello Kitty-Cat."
In addition to the birthday greetings, my sister and I wrote this poem. If you know her, I think you'll agree with our assessment.

She Is…

She is a collector. Of Hummels and postcards and books. Of toothpick holders and L.V.’s folk art.

She is a teacher, and although retired, you are sure to learn something when in her presence.

She is a saver. She is a pack rat, an eater-of-leftovers, a coupon-clipper, and one who freely accepts (and often requests) the senior discount.

She knows how to create her own parking space.

She says things like, “Woo Ooh!” and, “I love you a bushel and a peck,” and, “Wonder who lives here.”

Her yard is colorful with its day lilies and yard art.

She cheers for the Whippets, the Bulldogs, and sometimes, to our dismay, even the Rebels.

She is proud to be an American and flies her flag with honor.

She is true Mississippian with her magnolia tree and syrupy sweet tea.

She has a sweet tooth. You won’t find her without chocolates or mints in her purse. Her candy dish is full of M&Ms or gumdrops and there’s Neapolitan ice cream in her freezer.

She is a member, and often a leader, of groups like DAR, Cameo Society, Attala County Historical Society, Twenty-first Century Club, Little Garden Club, and Colonial Dames.

She likes things from south of the border – from chalupas and chimichangas to her favorite game, Mexican Train.

She is a “cook who cares.” She makes special treats like cocoons and "goop". She leaves the cherries out of Emily’s fruit salad; Laura’s chicken spaghetti is topped with extra cheese; and Andrew knows he can have fresh blueberries or sweet potato casserole on request.

She is up-to-date with the latest technology (if you don’t include the cell phone). Our email in-boxes are always full of interesting forwards and “personal notes”.

Her hometown is "a place called Sallis." She is at home in Kosciusko and has great memories from Monticello and Indianola.

She is a preserver of history who has researched and written historical accounts of her hometown, her church, and her favorite organization.

She has a new room full of memories.

She has nimble fingers that quickly type, beautifully play piano, and sweetly tell “face stories.”

She is full of energy and her house is always fun. With wind-up tub toys, phone calls to the library for story time (“Hang up the phone now please.”), a yellow bicycle-built-for-two, a tree to climb, and a closet full of toys and books from decades passed.

Her sleepovers bring back sweet memories of the fold-out couch with feather pillows, stories about Duke told in a voice unsurpassed by the most famous storytellers, her silky pajamas, and cold cream good-night kisses.

She decorates for every holiday on the calendar.

She has two Christmas trees: one dedicated to family and one to the state she loves.

She wears brooches and pins, and her necklaces are works of art. She wears socks with a ball, clip-on earrings, and a ring shaped like a butter tray. (Actually, she hasn’t worn it in quite some time…it’s just sitting in her jewelry box…maybe she should let someone wear it…someone like her second-born granddaughter who has admired it since she was very small.)

She likes a good game. She is a Wheel of Fortune fan, follows high school and college sports on the radio and TV, and has a weakness for entering contests.

She is a traveler who prefers taking the scenic route (i.e., the Natchez Trace).

She has many opinions. Sometimes she doesn’t even have to state them aloud. You can tell what she’s thinking with one look at her face – the higher the eyebrows, the stronger the opinion.

She is a celebrity. She makes regular appearances in the Star Herald.

She believes in the power of prayer and prays for her friends and family by name each day.

Three generations share her name.

She is a friend, a mother, a grandmother and a great-grandmother.

She is our Ganne.

Fairies

When we were young, if you'd ask my friend, Laura, what she wanted to be when she grew up, she'd say she wanted to be fairy. So, while planning her baby shower, I told my friend Jessi about a sweet fairy dress pattern that I'd found here at one of my favorite craft blogs, Craftzine.
Jessi's very talented mom offered to make one for Laura's baby-to-be and one for AP as well. Jes found all of the great fabric (mostly sheets) at thrift stores.

Here's Elizabeth's in pink...

And here's my sweet fairy in yellow.

The dress is great for twirling!

Rocks In My Dryer

I have found a blog that I absolutely love and want to share. It's "Rocks In My Dryer". I found it while researching Corrie ten Boom for the 8th grade English class I teach. While I don't share her knack for writing, nor her wisdom, the author and I have many things in common. She blogs about motherhood, her love of books, and her Christian faith. I can totally relate to her posts and, from her site, always take away some sort of inspiration.

Here is a post that have inspired me lately, but for more, click here.

Why I Believe (from "Rocks In My Dryer")

There are times when I wish my faith in God was perfectly box-shaped, with the corners tucked in neatly, and the whole thing tied up with a big, red bow.

There are times I wish I had bite-sized answers for the hard questions. Answers that make easy sense within the framework of my humanity. Answers that don't stretch me too much.
But it doesn't work that way. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. And that can get messy. Young mothers get sick. Husbands leave. Terrorists fly planes into buildings. I follow a God who has promised me peace and comfort and joy, but on His terms, not mine.

And I know--I really do know--that this is a tough thing for some people to swallow. From the outside looking in, it looks like a blind faith, or a crutch. I've traveled that road of skepticism more times than I can count. I wrestled until my soul was bruised. There were times, when I was younger, that I didn't think I'd ever be able to believe again.
But I do believe now. I do, with all my heart. Even when it's messy. But how? How can I follow a God who doesn't always stop suffering?

I don't have a theologian's answer to that question, because I'm not a theologian. There was I time when I needed that kind of answer--the facts, the explanations, the persuasion. I've heard them all, and those answers are all an important part of my faith journey.
Now, all I really need to see is His track record in my life. I believe because I've seen what He's done, in my own life--my peace in the storms, my journeys out of the wildnerness. I don't doubt His goodness, simply because He's proven it to me so many times, through my own circumstances, through Scripture, and most of all, on the cross.

My daughter hates it when I make her hold my hand to cross a parking lot. She hates it when I have to tug a little to get the tangles out of her hair. She hates it when I say "no" to snacks right before dinner.
I do all this because I see the big picture. She doesn't.

Yet in all of this, she still loves me and prefers me. Why? Because she knows that the same momma who says "no" to snacks is the same momma who makes sure she's always well-fed. The same momma who grabs her hand in the parking lot is the same momma who kisses her scraped-up knee. I have a track record of proving my love for her. When I do something that makes her angry, she ultimately accepts it as coming from the hand of a mother who always acts with her best interests at heart.

Is that too simple an analogy? Maybe. But faith is simple. It's taking a leap and suspending disbelief just long enough to see if God is who He says He is. If He is, He can handle the tough questions. If He is, He'll meet us on our journey, taking a thousand steps toward us when we take just one toward Him.

From the bottom of my heart, I'll tell you--He's worth the risk.

We're So Proud of Our Friend!

Click here to check out our friend Erika's interview on the "My Home Ideas" website. If you haven't already, I also suggest you check out her blog and read about her latest adventure...at the Daytime Emmys!
The above photo was taken by another friend from Florida, Marla Carter. You should check her out if you want to have beach portraits taken on your next vacation.

Operation Diaper Free

For my birthday, my husband gave me the book Toilet Training in Less Than a Day. After reading it, I felt like it would be a good method for AP. Our day was Monday. The idea is to focus on the potty, and only the potty, until the child can go by his or herself. It seemed easy enough, and she did pretty well for a while, but after spending 4 hours sitting on the kitchen floor with all focus on her, I was pooped, (pardon the pun) and AP was ready to do something else. I thought I'd failed miserably and maybe even tried too soon. I was especially frustrated the next day when she refused to sit on the potty at all.

Then, something wonderful happened. That night, I heard her calling for me at 1:45 am. I ran and got her and took her to the potty! Since then, she's been doing great. I've just been so proud of her! I've also been pretty sad, though. Once the diapers are gone, you really don't have a baby anymore.

The book encourages you to praise dry pants instead of going to the potty. This illustration from the book cracks me up. It says, "Happiness is dry pants."

Anne Parks Is Two!

I can't believe that it has been two years since AP joined our family! It seems like she should still be a little baby, but then, it seems like she's always been here. Each day, she's more and more fun for us. She's talking so much, definitely has a personality all her own, and always has the funniest things to say.

AP on her "birth" day - all 9 lbs. ll oz. of her.

Sandcastle Rice Krispy treats...I wasn't sure these would work, but I coated the sandcastle molds with lots of butter and they slipped right out! The big one in the middle was cut into thin individual serving-sized slices (for people to pick up), and then put back together like a puzzle.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Girl!