Happy 16th Birthday, Kathryn

God has granted us two wonderful grandchildren and our only granddaughter turned 16 yesterday. Though our grandchildren have spent most of their lives in another state, we have been blessed with having them spend extended periods with us without their parents.

Kathryn has been with us from 5 weeks to 15 months at a time since she was about 6 months old. This time together has forged a very special bond between Kathryn and myself. She fills my heart with music as I watch her dance and sing. I love to watch her early in the morning, clad in one of Opa's big shirts that she uses for sleeping, as she sits atop the old cellar and quietly sings as she watches and tries to identify the different birds and greets the rising sun. Her walks in the woods and fields are filled with her singing and always result in a small bouquet of flowers for Oma. As a toddler her laughing blue hazel eyes and bouncing dark brown curls would melt my heart as she came into the kitchen with her first word of the day --"Eat!".

Kathryn is my joy and I thank God for every minute I have had with her. When she returns to her parents, thinking of her brings tears of loneliness to my eyes and an ache in my heart, even though she calls me nearly every day as she walks home from school. I want to protect her from every sadness in her life, I want to hold her through every tear that she sheds, I want to pick her up each time she stumbles on her path to adulthood.

Yesterday, Kathryn turned 16 and those bouncing curls and laughing eyes of the toddler have become the beauty and mystery of an alluring young woman. My influence and values are very strong in her personality, even as she sometimes rebels against them. My hope for her is that she will always be in charge of her own destiny by trusting, believing and respecting herself and filling her world with compassion and love.

Sidney Wins Giveaway!

It has taken me awhile to get this posted, because the poor dog (Sidney) is still not adjusted to her new life and would not unwrap herself from my ankles long enough to for me to take a picture of her modeling her new collar.
The collar was donated by GoneDoggie through the generous service of Give Away A Day.

Sidney thanks both of these very nice ladies for her new look.

Tagged

I've been tagged by Janet at The Blackberry Patch !

Rules

1.  Link to the person who tagged you.

2. Post the rules on your blog.

3. Write six random things about yourself.

4.  Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.

5.  Let each person know they've been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.

6.  Let the tagger know when your entry is posted.

Hummm.

1.  I have a space between my front teeth -- Lauren Hutton style.  Though my husband says it's Terry Thomas style.  You have to watch old movies to know who he is.  I'll stick with my self-image  of the model.  And anyway, it's a gift from my father!

2.  My third grade literary achievement was to have my poem, My Bunny,  printed in the Advance Register, the only newspaper in Tulare, California.

3.  I don't enjoy watching television.  It's such a monumental waste of time.  When my husband is home I do try to sit through at least one program with him each night.  It is my sacrifice in the name of matrimonial harmony.

4.  I hate using the telephone -- probably because I can't hear as well as I would like.  I read lips and use visual cues to help me hear, so until we get video phones, I'll stick to email!

5.  I LOVE CHOCOLATE!  Dark, dark, creamy, luscious chocolate.  For Thanksgiving I had two desserts - chocolate cheese cake with a chaser of chocolate brownie fudge ice cream smothered in hot fudge sauce.  That took care of the chocolate cravings for a good, uhm, 3 days.  

6.  My hair was nearly completely white by the age of 32 -- another gift from my father.

Sorry, Janet.  I don't know enough bloggers to tag.  Guess the game will end with me.

Stitching Magic

This is my sister's first quilt -- her original design, hand-quilted and made as a gift for me!  

My two sisters and I were born in a 32- month span and the quilter is the youngest.  Having grown up in the shadow of a couple of over-achievers (one of whom is also a neurotic borderline OCD), she is not as confident about her abilities and creativity as I would like her to be. So, this quilt was to lie quietly in my collection and never be allowed to let others see my sister shine the way I see her.  

Without telling her -- after all, she gave the quilt to me. I can do with it as I wish -- I entered it in the county fair.  And of course, she took first prize (We have a very small county -- she won $3). And now I have posted it to the internet for the entire world to see.

We go to any quilting show within 100 miles of home and we see some excellent hand-quilting, but we also see some less skillful work, too.  She never sees her own work as being anywhere near equal to that of others.  

When she was little, I always envied her fantastic imagination.  I was always totally logical and practical and was never able to reach that magical kingdom that she lived in.  When I see her quilt stitches become slightly uneven or wander a bit off the intended line, I wonder what treasure did her mind find at that moment and where did that new trail take her.  So, I trace her stitching with my finger and try to follow her into the magic places I pray she still finds.  

I hope anyone who examines the hand-quilting of another wonders about what that person was thinking and experiencing with each stitch made and follow them into their world.  Every quilt is full of stories.

Blogging Milestone

Kim at simple-needs is having a giveaway -- check it out!