Astrid's Quilt

This is Astrid's favorite blanket. My mema made me a blue wedding ring quilt once and I like to keep it on this bed but Astrid sneaks in behind me and puts this one on it. I have resorted to just folding the wedding ring quilt at the foot of the bed. This blanket Grandma Powell made for me. One summer, I was 4 or 5, a big truck backed into our driveway....I asked mom who is that. She said she thought Santa was coming early. From that truck I recieved a beautiful brand new white bedroom suit with a canopy bed. Mom decorated the bed and my room in red and white gingham. Grandma made me this blanket to go with it. On the other side of the blanket, it is red and white flannel in a gingham pattern. It is tied together with yarn not quilted. This blanket is so soft and Astrid will sleep with nothing else. The lace around the edge is gone but you can see where it once was sewed to the blanket. Astrid likes things worn out and old.....Ingrid likes them new and frilly....what will Siggy like. Astrid is reading Dick and Jane....Ingrid is reading Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus...Siggy is trying to escape.

Another week gone

Well another week down. Astrid lost her first tooth yesterday. She is quite proud. We worked in the yard today. My husband mowed. I had to move my Iris'....they get in his way when he is mowing and he just mows them down. Ingrid planted a bradford pear so when she looks out her window she can see it. I planted two crepe myrtles at the side of the house....I guess they are Sigie's. Astrid and her Daddy are going fishing tomorrow...Pop may be going with them depending on where they go. I think Ingrid and I should go shopping....she likes that.

Aunt Syble's Iris

Aunt Syble Garrison gave me this yellow iris. She is actually my
Mema's first cousin. Her father and Grandma Renfroe were brother and
sister.

Easter 2006

Well the Easter Bunny found our house worthy to visit last night. I felt we had gotten enough toys in the last two weeks therefore the Easter Bunny was instructed to only bring constructive items and a little candy. I was leary that I would wake up to disappointed children. Well bright and early this morning we wake to Ingrid's screams. She storms the bedroom and anounces that the Easter Bunny has brought her what she always wanted...an umbrella. There was no disappointment at our house thank goodness.


Last night I also had the bright idea we would learn the Easter story by making these cookies that are suppose to represent the story. With each ingredient I added I read a bible verse and discussed it with Astrid and Ingrid. The first ingredient is to beat pecans with a wooden spoon as Jesus was beaten...the girls understood this and participated well. The next ingredient is a teaspoon of vinegar to represent what Jesus had to drink when he was thirsty on the cross. The children are to smell the vinegar.....Ingrid sniffs so hard she burns the inside of her nose. Then we added 3 egg whites to the vinegar to represent life. As they beat they turn white which represents the purity after our sins are washed away. I then placed salt in each of the girls hand and allowed them to taste it before adding it to the eggwhites...they spit it back in their hand and then added it to the eggwhites. It was to represent the salty tears shed for the cross. Next is a cup of sugar to represent how sweet it is that Jesus did this for each of us and if we ask him to live in our hearts we reap the benefits of heaven. Ingrid said she definetly wants Jesus to live in her heart because she wants to go to heaven. It doesn't say to let the kids taste the sugar...just to add it to the egg whites. There was loud protests from Astrid and Ingrid on why they didn't get to taste the sugar. Next we folded in the pecans and placed the cookies on a cookie sheet in mounds. Each mound is to represent Jesus' tomb. We placed the cookies in a preheated 300 degree oven and turned it off. The girls placed tape on the oven door since we couldn't figure out how to place boulder in front of it. The girls nominated me to be the guard for the night. This morning we woke up...I was not a good guard I went to bed....We took a bite out of our cookies and they were hollow just like the Jesus' tomb. I don't know if the girls understood the whole of the story but I think they enjoyed the experience.

A week with the Christensen's

What a week. Astrid turned six. It doesn't seem possible and makes me feel so much older to say I have a six year old. All she wanted was toy horses and she got plenty of those. Eleven to be exact, plus a book on wild horses and a toy bull named Hammer and several new outfits.

Somehow when Pop picked her up on Thursday from school they had time to drive to Clarksville and buy her birthday present and still make it home before me. The last time he picked her up, he had time to drive her to Morrilton to play at the city park. On Friday while visiting her Kindergarten class, I asked Miss Culp if Pop was making a habit of picking her up from school early. Miss Culp smiled and said "No Ma'am." I think Pop is paying Miss Culp. I can't believe a teacher would cover up for Grandpa.

Ingrid has been suffering lately. It is pretty bad. She is not getting enough attention. In the last week both of her sisters have had birthdays and gotten lots of attention. Ingrid loves to be the center and will go to great links to get noticed. Some of her stunts this week include....a splinter in her kneee(looked like black mark from a magic marker to me), "her tongue keeps getting in the way of her teeth and she doesn't know why but it hurts", waking up in the middle of the night, every pair of shoes she owns has given her "blisters" this week, she was unable to dress herself this week.....the list goes on and on. During Astrid's party she was so fed up with not being the center that she went upstairs and turned on the TV. Her daddy even let her go to work with him one day....I believe she got to spend part of that day with Gigi too. Hopefully this week will be better for her.

Sunshine

Stress Reliever

What a week...I had to take part in terminating someone this week. Even though it was warrented...I feel awful and have worried night and day about it. The same day as I was trying to leave work one of the children I work with's mother and grandfather got in to a custody fight on the front lawn and police cars swarmed the building. Parents today are all caught up in their own wants and feelings rather than what is best for their children. What a selfish world we live in......me,me,me,me and more me. How blessed I am to have a wonderful family and a place to share our memories and stories.

My favorite memories of Grandpa involve me, him, and Aunt Debbie in the little Datsun. Anytime we went to town Grandpa would have the window down and one arm hanging on the door. Just when Debbie and I thought we would make it back to the house without any excitement. Grandpa would open his door while driving down the red dirt road and begin to yell "I am falling out Debbie grab the wheel you're gonna have to drive." Debbie would start screamming and I believe some obscenities were involved. Grandpa never grew tired of this trick.

Mother is making me do this

I don't know what I am suppose to write here.
I am very busy. Two girls are at soccer this morning.
The third one is cutting 4 teeth....two of which are
her first molars. And I am going for a peaceful walk
with my daddy.