Meet my World

1. The cutest, most adorable, spoiled little girl and my only neice, Layla.
2. Flamingoing Fame - Grandma Mumper
3. My Mother, the angel, with a halo of light above her? haha
4. My husband doing his famous, "It's a real smile, I promise!" smile.
   

Flamingoing - A Family Tradition

Flamingos. Mostly pink. Long beaks. Long necks. Long legs. Short stubby body. Odd creation by God.

Well before I married my husband, I knew his family had a thing for flamingos. Oh, it is not a love so to speak, but an oddly outrageous obsession. It's not an obsession of love, but one of shear terror and horror and laughs and gags.

It all began with a very old pot. Someone in his family got the idea to hide the pot at another family member's home as a gag. This pot was passed throughout the family as a joke. Someone finally wised up and decided a pot is hard to sneak in and carefully place. This person would be Gma Mumper. She hid the flamingo as a gag and soon it became an out of control frenzy of flamingo placing, secret dancing.

The flamingo is all about pink and quirky fun. The idea is to sneak a flamingo into the person vacinity (house, yard, car, garage, garden, laptop or camera bag, or as a gift). The person whom it left for or given to is greatly loved...and the main point, you ask. Do not get caught.

Rules for flamingoing:

1. Any flamingo will do...be it big, small, bright or dull. Inside or outside, in funny clothes or none at all.


2. If you're smart, you'll label who the flamingo is going to live with. This little trick prevents you from getting him back again and gives the secret away...thus leaving the oppenent hard pressed with a permanent non-matching houseware.


3. It's best if you sneak it and let all others peek it except for the victim. A spot well chosen is best in the open and obvious, but more vicious is hidden hard.


4. You cannot flamingo someone with the flamingo they gave you until it has been to someone new.


5. Given as a gift is best for then they have to share with the rest.

These rules are simple and fun. Best of all, it doesn't have to be a flamingo (though they are rather fun). Perhaps you'd prefer a platypus or walrus or kiwi bird or hyrax or possum?

Any way you go, you're sure to have good clean fun with flamingoing family and friends alike!

Faith to Move a Mountain

I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:20

I like this verse. Its appeal comes in the thought that many people may have enough faith to move a mountain, but not know it. Or, perhaps, they know they have it, but choose not to use it?

I'd like to take a moment and not be humble...I believe I have as much faith as a mustard seed. However, my thoughts tend to lead to, "Why would I want to move the mountain?" and "Where would I put it?"

It's a conceptual idea of ones self really. Back to the humleness. I know God does great things with faith and I can only hope that I am in the category of "Faithful" when He calls for a job to be done.

From the Heartland - Part 1

I love my job.

Tough Old Bird

Just recently my mother told me Grandma has refused more treatments. My Grandma H has cancer. She's had many medical problems over the years, but the one taking the toll and her ultimate soul crusher is cancer. She has been through so much, I cannot even begin to understand the burden she is bearing.

(She wants to die in peace at home. Unfortunately, doctors and the government don't let that happen. She's residing in the Nursing Home. How terrible to not be able to die in ones own home...at peace with all you know, surrounding by the calming comfort of familiar.)

Knowing my Grandma and how tough the old bird can be, she's a fighter. She has fought for many things and stood through great adversity and hardships. Yet, I cannot describe what it is like to watch someone with so much determination fight a battle that very few her age have won.

And I pray that she will keep fighting the fight. On the other hand, I am secretly praying for God to release her strong soaring spirit from its bonded cage so that it can fly again. I have no hard feelings to God over the matter because He has kept the old bird up and kicking for 10 long years...years medical experts said would never happen.

She has had a chance to see her youngest grandchild (me) graduate high school with honors. Graduate college in a record 2 years with honors. Marry a wonderful man who loves her as much as I do. She has lived to see my brother get married (No one ever thought that would actually happen, it was purely a speculative thought...a passing hope.) She has lived to see numerous great-grandchildren come into this world.

Most importantly though, she has lived a life that she loves. She will always be known as the tough old bird in our clan.