Random Rambles

We officially started school today!

Sandhills Sonrise Christian School had it’s inaugural day and it was a success! Sawyer is such a good student and loves to learn, so teaching her is quite fun. I’m sure there will be harder days down the road but today? Today was a good day.

Also, just so we get it out there, Wrex totally laughed at me for getting her a first day of school outfit but I couldn’t resist!

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After Sawyer’s baptism last week, Wrex’s Grandma (and the kids’ GooGoo) stayed with us for a whole week! She hasn’t gotten to do that in more than a year so it was such a special treat for us!

I know I’ve talked about her several times before, but she really is a magnificent lady. She is leaving a legacy of the fear of the Lord and a legacy of familial love with all of us, and we can’t thank her enough for that.

The kids adore her and she spent more time playing with them than anyone I know! She even got in and out of Wryder’s little playroom multiple times a day, despite her being “not as spry as she once was!”

They read every book on the bookshelf and watched a few fun cartoons and ate snacks and did hair and played farm and sale barn and Paw Patrol and Barbies and Uno until she was just plain tuckered out! She even slept with one of the kids almost every night, which they loved.

Lots of time in her lap... — Lots of time in her lap…

My favorite moments where some of the quiet ones where I could hear her talking to them about being kind or using manners or how to show respect to someone or how to include someone that was lonely. Wrex has always attributed a lot of his kindness and manners to her and I love seeing her pass a piece of that on to the next generation.

We took her to North Platte on Saturday so she could start her journey home and when it was time to say goodbye, there wasn’t a dry eye in the car…except for Wryder because he had just gotten a toy train from RaRa and that seemed to assuage his heartache. *ahem*

We sure love our GooGoo and all that she does to pour into our lives and our kids’ lives… Come back soon, Grandma!

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While we were in North Platte, we had to make a stop at Cody Park! The kids rode rides with RaRa AND GooGoo!

I’m telling you, she’s the coolest!

We also checked out the Fort…

Love these people... — Love these people…

Here comes Sayble, riding on a pony... — Here comes Sayble, riding on a pony…

and the kids loved the wooden display in the back.

Sawyer was so inspired, that she came home and made a paper version!

Calf by a pond with water, complete with a boat and a DUCK!

I love that girl’s creativity and drive!

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Wryder got a special gift on Saturday, too! The grands were going to wait until Christmas but decided he was gonna be too big if they waited any longer and let him have them now.

He got PaPa’s chaps from when HE was a little boy! His mom had them custom made and he wore them and then Wrex wore them and now Wryder will wear them.

In case you can’t tell, he was FIRED. UP.

He’ll wear them proud, PaPa!

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While I bought groceries, the kids played at the park with daddy. Sayble had a BALL!

Seriously, she's darn cute! — Seriously, she’s darn cute!

Wrex and I were talking the other day about how her adventures and discoveries and her new tasks and words are still just as exciting as they were with the other two. It never gets old…

I’ve said it a million times – and I’ll say it again – these ARE the best years of our life!

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This week marks the beginning of the busy fall season for us. Sawyer starts dance next week, Awana starts this week (Cubbies next), Wrexy’s sales start getting longer and of course, school. All of these are such good and fun and wonderful things but they can leave us scrambling to get from one place or event or thing to the next. I’m such a lover of peace…I’m trying not to spread myself too thin. I want my the Lord and family to come first and to truly come first…not just get lip action.

As I was shutting off the lights in the school room last night, I was uttering little thoughts to the Lord about our school adventure and my heart shouted, “Lord, I just want to be pleasing to you.” It caught me off guard, yet settled my soul. Though I care about what she learns this year, more than that, I just want us to be a family that pleases Him. Let it be so, Lord…

Not Where I Thought My Morning Was Going

My adopted mom nearly killed me today. Can you believe that?! I went to her blog to find a post on Halloween that she did several years ago (that I love and wanted to share with the world) but found myself reading her latest two blog posts, which I did not know were up.

Ouch. My heart hurts.

I’m one of those people that feels things REALLY deeply and have to really prepare myself for things like that and I just dove right in…

We walked that path with my dad’s mom (my Mema) and then with my great-grandma on my mom’s side (Mema Helen) and now my grandma on my mom’s side (Grandma Cherry). We saw her (Grandma Cherry) last in June and it was a stark and drastic decline from what I had seen last. Her eyes just seemed so empty…

Alzheimer’s (or any other life-stealing disease) is so hard. It’s hard for the one experiencing it and it’s hard for everyone caring for them and it’s hard to see a person become a totally different person. Really.

As sad as I found her posts, I also found them so honoring. She sure loves her momma…

It’s important to honor our loved ones, especially our elders. My parents were so so so very good at that.

I had the privilege of living across the street from my grandparents (my dad’s parents) for the majority of my childhood. I wish I would’ve have fully realized how cool that was…

Every Saturday, my mom or dad would load up those two 70 (and then 80) year olds and take them to Wal-Mart and to the grocery store and anywhere else they needed to go. My parents would wait patiently as they did all of their shopping (as they moved a little slower than we did) and then they’d tie the tops of their bags so we could keep them all separate and load them in the back of our tiny little car. We’d usually stop and grab burgers or chicken and eat lunch with them at their home.

I don’t think I realized at the time what a chore and sacrifice this was…but I know how much work it is with three littles and I assume it’s much the same.

My parents always made sure to include them in all of our school activities and they were always finding ways (and consciously looking for ways) to serve them. This is something that will not be lost on my children…

Start now creating a culture of honor in your home. YOU honor your elders and help your kids follow suit. Go visit…take gifts…make time…pick up the phone…draw pictures…make cards…encourage conversation…tell stories…record histories…take photos…shift your priorities…

These old bodies of ours won’t last forever; they will wither and fade along with the minds and memories of some. Thank the Lord, there is no disease in heaven… But while they are still here and still with us and still able to fully understand what we’re trying to say, I encourage you to tell them how much you love them…take the time to care for them…to honor them…to find ways to bless them (not baby them)…to glean from them the pieces of the legacy of their lives that they have left to share…

So while I want you to reclaim the night on Halloween eve and shine that light for Jesus, what I really want you to do is shine that light for Jesus and hug your family. Tell them how much you love them and vow to honor them when they need it most…when their mind and memory is slipping away and it feels their independence is shriveling.

Mema Helen, now with Jesus - restored to the highest degree — Mema Helen, now with Jesus – restored to the highest degree

Grandma Cherry - five or so years ago — Grandma Cherry – five or so years ago

with my little, curly-haired brother... — with my little, curly-haired brother…

It’s rolling down hill for all of us, isn’t it, this aging thing? We aren’t meant to live here and in these bodies forever…we were made for a short time here and an eternity with our Creator.

For now, let us make these years count…for ourselves and those we love…

Birthday Bonanza 2015 – Part 1

So, I’ve had just a few things on my plate here lately, the biggest of which (so far) culminated this weekend in Kansas. Wrex’s Grandma Rusk turned 80 years old on Sunday and her only request was to have all of her family in one place…to spend time with them and make new memories and to share with them her love for the Lord and her desire for them to know and love Him, too. Why in the world would ya not show up for that?!

Granny is a ranchy thing, but you’d never know it just by looking at her. She’s always put together – never a hair out of place – yet tough as boot leather. I went with a vintage cowgirl/shabby chic theme for her invitations and party decor. Maybe I say this every time, but HONESTLY, this was my favorite party that I have thrown. It’s probably because the woman for whom I threw it is just out of this world lovely… I can’t say enough good things about her here, so you’ll just have to watch the video I made regarding her life. It sums it up to the best of my abilities. (It’s not perfect but after 36 attempts – not even kidding – to read it without crying, that was the best I could do).

I found the kids some little plastic spurs from Party City that they wore the first night. They. were. ADORABLE! Wryder had already lost his rowel at this point but still cute!

Leading up to the event, our family committed to covering it and everyone invited (Grandma, her 5 kids and spouses, grandkids and great-grandkids) in prayer. It’s hard to get 30+ people in one place at one time and we know that satan hates family and does everything in his power to attempt to divide them and we refused to let him.

That alone was such a rewarding time for our little family…something we plan to continue.

Grandma was so excited the day of the event, she woke up at 5:30am, got around and left even sooner than she needed to – she just couldn’t contain herself!

We gave her the grand tour, as we had all kinds of little surprises planned for her.

The only thing missing was the guest book because a certain 2 year old decided to sign the cover himself. *ahem* Thank goodness Granny thought that made it even cuter…

We bought a bundle of cheap cedar shingles and I painted them all to use as signage as the weekend. We had each person’s name on their respective doors and used them for directions and welcomes, etc.

We wanted to make the birthday girl’s room a little extra special so we had a few little things up our sleeve to do so.

When we sent out the invitations, we also included cards for each family member to fill out regarding their favorite thing about and favorite memory with Granny and asked them to send them back with their RSVP cards. We collected all of those and then tied them to the ends of balloons so when she walked in, she had a room full of love waiting to greet her!

Checking out her room.... — Checking out her room….

In everyone’s room, we left them a little goodie bag with fresh fruit, water, an itinerary of weekend events, the jelly belly bean-boozled game for late night fun and a name collage of our entire family. The family hadn’t been all together in a quite some time and we just wanted to make everyone feel as welcome as possible – we were so excited to be together again!

Friday night, Grandma wanted to have a pitch tourney and we couldn’t say no to that! This is quite the competitive group and there was quite a bit of whooping and hollering! 🙂

We had the idea to make Grandma the star of the show for this event and we made her the queen of the cards. I printed some pictures of her and photoshopped some crowns on her head and then mounted them on foam board. We loved the way they turned out!

Isn't she a beauty?! — Isn’t she a beauty?!

The queen in the flesh... — The queen in the flesh…

Some serious card playing - see the shuffler?! — Some serious card playing – see the shuffler?!

Wrex’s sister gathered prizes for the top two highest scores, one of which was Wrexy – no surprise there – and we used some old acrylic plates we had from a display case that we took apart and made plaques to go with them…

The losers got a little something, too. When we hosted pitch parties in Denver, we always tried to make the loser trophy completely ridiculous. I was at the dollar store before our trip and set out to find the most ridiculous looking thing I could find and I happened upon a glittery pirate owl. What the heck?! So I consulted the bestie on what to call the trophy and she came up with “Aye didn’t play my carrrrrds right!” Yes, she’s a genius.

Ashley took home one and Waco the other…he with a little less excitement than she. 😉

Saturday morning, we took professional family photos and then we all gathered to sit at the feet of 80 years of love and wisdom. Grandma shared her heart and her deep and abiding love with us and we got to tell stories and laugh and cry and reflect upon 80 incredible years… It was a really, really good time.

We had some lunch and then we reconvened for a little Minute to Win It showdown. This was so much more fun than I even hoped it would be!

M&M Elevator - good watchin'! — M&M Elevator – good watchin’!

Seriously, that was SO much fun! The Phipps’ are hosting a Minute to Win It night SOON – get ready!

That afternoon, we had an official birthday party for the birthday girl…but I’ll save those for tomorrow… You’re not gonna wanna miss it – trust me!

Goo Goo

Oooooooohhhhhhh, this lady…

She is so special to us. We’re all a blubbering mess around here. She left to go back home today and none of us were quite ready to see that happen. Our week together just went so darn fast. Why does it happen like that?

We are so blessed by her unending love and encouragement for us. She loves her kids and grandkids and great-grandkids more than any person I’ve ever met. She never has anything but kind words to say about any of us; she is truly a speaker of life.

She is in constant communication with the Father and she intercedes for her family with fervor! I have no doubt that our names are on her lips every. single. day.

She’s a really easy house guest! She’s always ready and willing to pitch in…I probably should’ve let her more. I did let her whip us up some mashed potatoes last night – definitely one of her specialties!

Goo Goo, we sure do love you! You honor us so well and I pray we return the favor in at least the slightest! Thank you for loving us and praying for us and for conforming to our whacky schedules and kid rules. 🙂 Thank you for wanting only the best for us and continuing to press in even if we bristle up or poo-poo some of your concerns; we know your heart and it has nothing but love for us. We have yet to know anyone else like you, and that’s really a shame…because the world could sure use more Goo Goo’s…

DIY: Red Hot Applesauce Jello

In the midst of all this sickness, this yummy goodness sounded tasty to me yesterday so I ventured off the couch and made a quick batch.

The first time I ever had this was at Wrex’s family’s house for Christmas one year and I fell in LOVE. It’s like Christmas in a bowl! We have perfected the recipe and its consistency over the years so here is the official recipe.

Red Hot Applesauce Jello – Makes 12+ servings

2 cups water
1 cup Red Hots (you can use Cinnamon Imperials if you can’t find Red Hots. They work….they’re just sugarier, where as the Red Hots add some spice!)
1 packet Knox Gelatin
6 ounces Raspberry Jello
1 large jar of applesauce (5-6 cups)

1.) Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a large pot.

2.) Add in 1 cup of Red Hots and boil and stir until dissolved.

3.) Slowly add in 1 packet of Knox gelatin to dissolved Red Hot mixture. Make sure to remove any clumps that may not get dissolved well. They don’t taste good. 🙂

This will help the recipe not be so soupy.

4.) Mix in 6 ounce of raspberry Jello until dissolved.

Wrex’s mom says you can use any red Jello, but we prefer raspberry.

5.) Remove from heat and then add jar of applesauce and mix well.

You can use either original or unsweetened.

6.) Pour mixture into a serving bowl and place in freezer for about 2 hours. After 2 hours, place in refrigerator. Don’t forget about this lovely stuff in the freezer; if it does freeze, the ice crystals later melt and it gets soupy and not as good.

There's a LOT of volume here so it really needs freezer time to set it. — There’s a LOT of volume here so it really needs freezer time to set it.

7.) Try not to eat the whole bowl in one sitting.

Seriously, this stuff is delish. I have a certain pregnant bestie that loves this stuff. And? I love her so much that when she came to see Wryder the weekend after he was born AND told us she was pregnant herself, I made some in my 5 day postpartum stupor. She MUST be loved. Haha

Enjoy! Let me know how you change it up and what you thought!

Happy Birthday to Goo-Goo!

78 years ago today, Marilyn Maxine Waite was born in Winfield, Kansas. 20 years later, she became Maxine Rusk (upon marrying Arlos) and 27 years later…she became Grandma. Wrex was her first grandchild and they share such a sweet, sweet bond.

Some of Wrexy’s best and favorite memories are of days spent with Grandma. He’d go for weeks at a time down to their ranch in Kansas during the summer. She always cooked his favorite foods and always had a horse lined up for him to ride while he was there. (She knew the way to his heart, for sure!)

She's always up for an adventure! — She’s always up for an adventure!

I am so incredibly thankful that I get to share Granny right along with the rest of the family. (I’ve mentioned that I’ve married well, yes?) She’s a drippy-sweet extrovert who’s gorgeous – inside and out – and who is always ladylike and put together, no matter the occasion.

She can read and write stories like nobody’s business and is the best person I know at staying in touch with people. She truly is one of the most generous, engaging, big-hearted, optimistic, beautiful people on the planet!

She is one of our biggest supporters, prayer warriors, cheerleaders, encouragers and exhorters! (What would we do without this woman?!) She loves the Lord and is definitely leaving a legacy of the fear of the Lord with her children and her grandchildren and her great-grandchildren.

With 2 of her greats, Sawyer and Breckyn

Grandma actually has quite a few names – Grandma Rusk, Granny, Maxine, Great Granny Max…but Sawyer’s favorite is Goo Goo! One of the grandkids named her that early on and 20 some-odd years later, it’s still sticking! Sawyer ADORES her Grandma Rusk! They’ve had the sweetest, sincerest little bond since Sawyer was a tiny, tiny babe.

Goo-Goo is always at the ready to make memories with her family and to pour into them in any way she can. There is no task too messy or time-consuming; no activity too big or small that she won’t participate in to show love to her kiddos and grand-kiddos.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GRANNY!

We love you so very much and are honored to be a part of your heritage. You have loved us and cared for us and supported us in so many ways and we are forever grateful for you. We pray that you are showered with love today, on your birthday…a day that the world most certainly changed for the better. We love you!