Tonight, we experienced a ‘first’ in our home. After bedtime, Mike went into the kids’ room and found H reading with a flashlight in his bed. A LEGO magazine! Ha!
I kind of like it, secretly (well, not so secretly anymore)… reading after bedtime with a flashlight is some sort of childhood rite-of-passage, isn’t it?
Love my boy.
June 30, 1950-December 13, 2014
(taken fall, 2013)
Without our oldest little neighbor
Our hall isn’t quite the same these days.
In my mind she’s sitting in the armchair watching a noisy group of kids
Or standing at the plants with a little friend, taking help and giving praise.
She was part of our daily life
Coming by to hand out candy to my boy and my girl.
Serving, sharing and sometimes complaining in her well-known Sheila way
And knocking everyday just to say ‘hi’ to my littlest one with a head full of curl.
She’d come with an invitation for a walk down to Kairos with N
And for no reason, she came with me to H’s swim lesson at the Y
She’d brush or braid my girls’ hair if she had the chance
Or all dressed up, she’d need help with a clasp on her jewelry, so she’d come by.
No one else could get our kids to sit in chairs and converse like adults,
Baggies of potato chips and cups of tea were such treats for them.
N would go down for a visit and come skipping home awhile later
Feeling so grown-up and so loved, like a special little gem.
In her home of hospitality, she’d carefully prepare meals… food being of great importance.
Specific about tastes and flavors and spices, she gave it all her own delicious flair.
Just a couple months ago she told me of the days she tried to be a nun,
And that she couldn’t do it, in the end, because of the boring menu there!
So often there was a knock with a delicious offering of curry
How I miss that she loved us in that way.
Once though, after I delivered A, she brought me over a for-real Ox-tail
And I’m so sorry Sheila, but I didn’t know what to do with that cuisine on that day.
It wasn’t just in this season that she’s been dear to us, you know,
She and Mike had been neighbors way back at Star Ranch and had a special friendship, I would say.
And so when we were dating, Mike took Sheila to the mall to decide which engagement ring to get me.
I said yes, flew out, got to meet her, and a special friendship it would stay.
Two years later we moved to Africa and it was just emails that came and went.
She’d write to say that she was always be praying for us and our kids as we’d come and go.
Email letters, as you may know, with extra capitals, bold fonts and pretty colors would be sent.
She’d just write to send her love, and it would bless me that she’d take the time to tell us so.
A vibrant occupant of our hallway has different neighbors for now,
Good news for them, sad news for you and me.
Sometimes I feel so angry that she was too stubborn to take care of herself,
So very eager to move on from here and the next life to see.
I think of Katie and I’s miscarried babies, siblings of some of her little favorites…
Imagining they’re children now, and into her home they have happily been drawn.
She’s taught them what a durkimaan is and has made them French fries in her toaster oven,
And it’s allowed her joy from our little hallway kids, to somehow carry on.
We were her home, we are her family.
For now, she’s gone, a new life for her is just at the start.
Sheila Pillay, we love you so very much,
And you’ll remain forever in my heart
As a kid I knew the golden rule very well…
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” (Matt 7:12)
But for kids it’s so often used in the context of don’t do to others what you wouldn’t want them to do to you. Am I right?
As a grown-up (seriously) I’ve learned more of what ‘The Golden Rule’ really says. I like this version from The Message…
The real Bible version (and the not the I-need-something-to-say-to-try-to-help-my-child-understand-why-they-shouldn’t-insertbadbehaviorhere-to-their-friends version) is much more positive. And I love it!
It’s not hard for me to imagine what I wish others would do for me. I have all kinds of thoughts about what I wish other people would do. That’s kind of embarrassing to admit, but I think it’s normal? I mean, cause we’re human and all.
The real Bible version reminds me to take those thoughts, and then turn around and ‘grab the initiative and do it for THEM!’
That’s a most excellent idea. That’s a wonderful way to live. It’s so much more than the common reminder to stop doing mean stuff to people cause we don’t want mean stuff done to us. Take all my ideas and turn them outward. What a ‘simple rule-of-thumb guide for behavior’.
Thank you God!
This girl is quite the handful. When the big kids are in school I often take her out to run errands just to get her out of the house. She’s happy no matter what, but she’s so busy at home getting into things that Mama can’t get much done, which is frustrating. So I take her out, so that I can at least accomplish some errands with my cutest little companion.
Last night I took her out on errands so Mike and the big kids could take down the Christmas tree. It would have taken us 100 times longer if Lil’ A was running around while we tried to accomplish a task like that!
I often strap her into her stroller when we are in the mall or a store. She’s content most of the time and I’m thankful. Last night she told me she was cold, so I showed her how to put her little hands in her little pockets while in an elevator.
I think she’s cute.
I love this tradition. Formally, it’s a new one. Historically, it’s just what our family does! We love to wrap.
This year’s categories were:
1. Mono-colored wrapping: All one color
2. Free Style: Boundary less creativity
3. Repurposed: Reused materials for a different use
Participants and judges were the same as last year.
Participants: Daddy, Sister Sarah and myself
Judges: Mama, Dave and Mike
Time:
Christmas Eve, after church. After cookies have been set out for Santa. After carrots have been carefully laid out in a perfect formation in the driveway for the reindeer. After kids have been tucked into bed. After cookies have been eaten. After carrots have been chewed up and spit out on the driveway in a perfect formation. After we gather our hidden gifts from corners all over the house. After scoring papers have been handed out. After we collapse onto the couch in front of the Christmas tree.
Whew!
Okie doke, first up… Mono-Colored.
The winner is…
Sarah!
Category 2: Freestyle
(woven ribbons for wrapping, cut-up paper for ribbon!)
(also woven ribbons!)
(tissue paper ball hanging)
Winner?
Me.
Category 3: Repurposed
(Paper bag, sand paper disc, twine, duct tape and caution tape… yes I raided my Dad’s shop!)
(Foil molded over tree relief!)
(Two milk jugs with coins inside, tied with a ribbon… this is an inside joke between Dad and I… I laughed! And then he regretted doing this later in the week). Ha!
Winner?
Me again.
A really fun activity for a Christmas Eve night with ones that I love.
xoxo
When my Mom visited us in Colorado a few weeks ago, I had a lil’ project lined up… 20 freezer meals at once!!!
I had seen this Costco meal plan online somehow and decided it was worth purchasing for a few dollars:
20 Slow Cooker Freezer Packs for $150 from fivedollardinners.com
BOY was it worth it!!
After I shopped my own pantry and substituted a few things and looked for sales elsewhere, I actually spent less than $150. And the handful of meals we have eaten so far have actually fed us twice. So it’s more like 40 meals! Oh my word. So so worth it.
In days leading up, my fridge had so much meat in it. This meal plan had lots of meat. I don’t think I’ve ever in my life had so much meat in my possession.
Shopping done! These are all of our supplies out and ready to go.
When you purchase the plan she gives you detailed shopping lists, preparation lists and assembly lists.
I love lists.
Did you know that about me?
We started at 2:29.
We worked alongside this lady who walked us through things step by step. Next time I think I’d just stick to the lists though. It wasn’t that helpful to watch her while we were doing our own.
We peeled and chopped and sliced and diced and opened cans and cut meat and rinsed beans and measured spices and and and…
It made quite the mess and quite the pile of dishes.
But then we had two of each meal bagged, labeled, and ready for the freezer!
It’s so beautiful.
This little lady woke up from her nap and promptly got deposited in her playplen close by…
And she likes to take her socks off and put them on her hands. That’s a bonus tidbit for you.
We did it!!!
It took us about 2 1/2 hours. The lady said it should take one person less than two hours. It took two of us more than that! I was SO thankful for my Mama’s help. It’d be a really big job for one person.
I froze them flat and filed them in the freezer drawer.
What a gift! Thank you Mom for helping me. I think we will definitely be doing this again. It’s such a perfect thing for a busy Mom of of littles to have meals that can be dumped from the freezer straight into the slow cooker.
And they’re delicious too.
