Easter Egg Hunt!

Yesterday I got a flashback memory of how precious little children can be during an Easter egg hunt.  It has been a long time since I had little children so I had forgotten.

All of our children's lives they have had an Easter egg hunt at Grandma Belle's and Grandpa Homer's house.  Hayley and I are pretty sure they even had one when they were in college.  Grandpa Homer would fill a prize egg for each, and they loved it.  One year he even made up clues for them to find their eggs.  Hayley still has some of the clues in her scrapbook.  To anyone who knows Hayley, that will not be a surprise!  She is very sentimental.

Well, back to yesterday.  The great-grandchildren hunted eggs in the back yard.  Turner is 3, Kline is 2, and Molly is 1.  It was totally delightful to watch.  Of course there were prize eggs for each.  Turner and Kline were so excited about how many they found.  Molly didn't quite understand what was going on.  After she had one in each hand she was happy.  When she found more she didn't want to put the ones she had in her hands in her basket.  Her mommy told me that she has been playing with the eggs all day today. She knows that they open up so she is having a ball.

Remember the old wicker Easter baskets we had.  Well, all 3 of them had the cutest baskets.  Turner and Kline's were alike.  Molly's was a little bitty white bunny.  Now we can't wait until next year when our newest addition, Liv, will join the hunt.  We were sad that Sydney and Corbin weren't there.  They are totally adorable, too.

Do I sound like a doting grandmother and great-aunt?  I certainly hope so.  That was my aim!!  :D

Spring Spheres!!!!????

Spring spheres?  Give me a break!  There are people in this world that totally blow my mind!  I heard on the news that in Seattle the elementary school wouldn't let a high school student bringing Easter eggs for the children at the elementary school use the name "Easter".  They had to call them "spring spheres".  How ridiculous!  What was even funnier was that the children all called them Easter eggs anyway.  Just shows - little children are smarter than adults!

Palm Sunday

Things are on my mind lately.  People we care a lot about are desperately ill.  We are working on landscaping.  Tri-State Music Festival is coming up soon.  I have doctor appointments to try to keep up with.  These are just a few of the things crowding my mind.  There's nothing wrong with any of them.  They do need my attention.

But, am I really willing to dwell on these things and forget about what my Lord and Savior did for me on the cross?  Do I really stop and focus my mind on Jesus' resurrection? Sadly, not near enough!  There is no greater sacrifice than the sacrifice He made to atone for my sins.  I am so flawed that it amazes me that He found me worthy of this sacrifice.  I should definitely not take that lightly.

So, with that in mind, I am challenging you to join me this year in rejoicing.  Rejoice that every year Spring comes to remind us of our new lives in Christ Jesus.  Our blessings flow over us like a river.  So along with our prayers to God for healing of our precious loved ones, let's don't forget to thank Him for His overwhelming love shown to us by sending His Son to die on the cross.

He is risen!  He is risen indeed!

(If you don't know what I am talking about and want to know more, contact me.  I would love to share my faith with you.)    

MOLLY!

This is the birthday girl.  From the day she was born people all seemed to call her "Miss Molly".  I think that suits her to a "T".  She's quite a little "miss".

This picture was taken at her birthday party.  Dennis & I gave her the dress.  Just couldn't resist it, and Linda was no help in stopping me.  She loved it, too!

I love how much joy a little child can bring to your life.  I can't think about her without smiling.  Dennis and I both feel that our lives are so much richer now.  I love grandchildren so much that I am anxious to have lots of them.  Somehow, I don't think our children are going to cooperate too much in that, though.  :(

This has all reminded me how quickly time flies.  I get melancholy when I remember how it seemed that our children started high school one day and graduated the next.  The college years went even faster, and the next thing we knew they were married!  Molly also reminds me of my children when they were little.  Things they said and did are flooding back into my memory.  Precious times!

This all reminds me to savor the moment.  My cup runneth over and joy overflows!

Happy Spring!

I don't remember a time that I've welcomed Spring more than I have this year.  I don't even care that it is windy!  The warmer weather revives me.

April this year means so much more to me than ever before also because of our precious Molly's birthday.  See my other posting to read more about that.  Just thinking about her fills me with delight.

So send on the storms, wind, whatever.  This year I'm just rejoicing, no matter what

Seiling Music Festival!

Well, it's been quite a day.  For more years than I want to count, I have gone to the Seiling Music Festival.  Seiling is a very small town, but they do such a good job of this festival.  Seriously, I have never noticed a hitch when I've gone.  My piano students through the years have performed there.  Then later I became an accompanist for the elementary and junior high students taking instrumental solos.

All of this makes for an exhausting but fulfilling day.  I start going to the school to rehearse with the children about 2 weeks in advance.  I have played the brass solos so long for Seiling and Tri-State that I sort of know them without much rehearsal.  I even have a favorite trumpet solo, "The Pedlar".  I can hum it.  Just ask me.  I'm always ready to perform it.  :D

The last  few years I switched to woodwinds so that Bev Heinrichs could play for the brass.  Her son, Matt, is a brass player.  It was a big sacrifice for me because I've had to learn new solos! :)  Some might say that trying something new is good for me, and maybe they are right.  My secret is, though, that I'm starting to learn them by heart now, too.  :)  One of them is actually a song the choir sings on one of my favorite "Andy Griffith" shows.  I can't help but grin while playing it.  It's the episode where Barney is so off-key that they get him to sing a "solo" on a special "soloist" microphone.  I'm smiling just thinking about it!

Anyway, I'm tired and happy.  It was a good day, and I am thankful that I am still able to do things like this.  Also, Larry Beeby was one of the judges for the band performances.  It was good to see him!