Early Summer Musings

I have always thought my favorite time of year was Autumn, with its beautiful show of leaf colors and crispy, cool days, football games and smells of woodsmoke in the air. Then, again, the first coming of spring, with its daffodils appearing from the cold winter ground and the first few warm breezes and blue, cloudless skies is always wonderful.

But this year, especially, I have realized that the last weeks of May and first weeks of June are another one of my favorite times. That is when my gardenia bushes burst into bloom. Some of the bushes were started from Pamela's bush in Columbia, while others I bought, rooted, and spread around the yard, so there are several different varieties. Some have small flowers and start to bloom towards the end of May, while others have much bigger flowers and bloom well into June.

There is something so satisfying about coming downstairs on an early summer morning to the sweet smell of gardenias on my windowsill, fresh coffee brewing and a bowl of homemade granola covered with sweet ripe peaches from the McLeod Farms in McBee, SC. It is blissful!

This week SS did the most wonderful thing for me in having a gate installed in our back fence and a path made between our house and Mommy M's. This way there is a beautiful, woodsy path we can quickly take back and forth. Baby B enjoys walking it and finding treasures, from the little trees along the way to sticks, leaves and gum balls he likes to collect.

Although they cannot stay in this house they are renting forever, I know we will cherish the times we will be able to spend together this summer, evenings after supper on long summer days, watching our adorable Baby B as he grows and learns.

Hope all of my Pamela's Girls will feel as blessed as I do this week.

With love, CiCi

Baby B at the Pool

It is amazing how much Baby B has grown since last summer... It is also amazing how differently he plays in the pool this year. Last year, he just let me take him around in the baby float as he splashed around until he got tired of it. Then I changed his diaper, put him in his carrier and let him take a nice little nap in a shade by the pool while I layed out. This year he has definite ideas of what he wants to do.

Today was the opening of the Country Club pool, so we were the first ones at the baby pool. After dangling his feet in the water, Baby B got up the courage to get in. He was a little shocked at the cool temperature at first, but then he discovered that he could walk around and splash. After he took a tumble and went under, he wasn't so sure about the water anymore. He decided it was much more exciting to collect all of the magnolia leaves around the pool and gather them into a pile... Far more fun than splashing around in the water. That's Baby B for you...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8JuWRP3i3M

Happy Weekend Pamela's Girls!

Love,

~Mommy

A Saturday That Was Merry & Bright

This past Saturday the air was fresh and cool, the sky sunny and robin egg blue and the day absolutely perfect for sitting out on the wonderful screened-in porch at Chez R with Merry & Bright and a good book. Merry was in her “yellow ball zone” and enjoyed running after it when I gave it a toss for her here and there. The rest of the time she occupied herself with pushing it under a wicker ottoman with her nose and then staring fixedly at me until I got up and retrieved it for her. I’m not sure if it was more entertaining to run for the ball or to watch me on my hands and knees searching under furniture.

Miss Bright was content to sit beside me having her soft, silky white head stroked as I read. She doesn’t ask for much - being the quieter and more sedate of the two sisters - but when it comes to “togetherness”, Brighty is all about it!

Earlier in the week Uncle R & I had decided to try The Village Chapel Saturday night 5pm service. We got ready extra early on Saturday afternoon so that we could pick up a friend who was set to go with us, and then two things happened at once.

First, our friend texted the information that she was sick and unable to go with us.

Second, Uncle R found that he had received an e-mail from a worship leader at our church earlier in the day asking if he could fill in as percussionist at the Saturday night service.

Uncle R has been very happy to plug in as needed with the musicians in providing the music for singing and worship and so we flew into over-drive to get in touch with the worship coordinator and let him know that Uncle R would be able to help. We dropped everything and headed immediately out the door to make it to the worship team practice before the service. It was interesting to us how all of the events of the afternoon led us to being ready to leave the house at the exact time that was needed to make it to that practice. We were very grateful to the Lord for working it all out for Uncle R to help but sorry that our friend wasn’t able to go with us.

We are so happy when we are able to fill a need at our church and endeavor to be available whenever asked. Sometimes the requests have been simple ones that are easy to accomplish and fulfill, such as my assistance with helping to count the offering once a month. Other requests have been a bit more challenging like standing in front of the church and giving the “call to worship” which consists of a prayer and leading the church in a congregational reading. When we have been asked to do this, I mainly let Uncle R do the talking while I stand peeking out from behind him. Heh-heh. He has threatened to stand there, say “hello and good evening” to the church and then announce; “…and this is my wife, J., take it away J !!!” Yeeps.

I hope the Pamela’s Girls have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

Love,
Auntie J

Barkley's New Hair Cut

Barkley went to a new Darlington groomers this morning for his summer cut. I was kind of nervous about him being at a ladies house who just grooms dogs, because I kind of liked having him groomed at a hospital in Columbia( just incase he had a little "break-down" and needed medical assistance.) She said he did good though and I think the cut looks really cute. He was the only dog there, so it just took an hour. It was nice not having to leave him there all day like I usually do. Most importantly, Barkley seems happy and untraumatized, which is the best news of all!
Happy Monday Pamela's Girls!
Love,
~Mommy M

SS's Birthday Weekend

We had a great weekend celebrating SS birthday! While Daddy L went out of town for the weekend, Baby B, Barkley and I had a good time playing over at Cici and SS's every night. Baby B enjoyed eating Cici's homemade pizza, playing with all the fun "man" stuff in SS's weightroom and riding in our old red wagon that SS fixed up. It was so nice have Cici and SS close by while Daddy L was off fishing.

Happy Birthday SS!

Love,

~Mommy M

A VISIT FROM LILLY-BAH

Last week I had a real treat when my “little sister” Lilly-bah came through Nashville with her husband and daughter for a visit. Lilly-bah got this particular nickname from me after she told me about a young cousin who couldn’t say her more formal name and it somehow just stuck.

I haven’t had the chance to see Lilly-bah for quite some time. Her husband is a professor/scientist working at a university near Pittsburgh. I first met Lilly-bah and then later her Husband K during my Grassmere Wildlife Park days. That is where Lilly-bah met him too. She was in charge of the various museum collections and Husband K came to the Park with an amazing birds of prey show that gave exhibitions of flight and facts and set up temporary camp there for a season.

Husband K is a brilliant scientist and has a way of passing on that love and interest to everyone around him. When Uncle R & I had Lilly-bah & Husband K over to our house for an engagement supper before they were married, we sat out on the back deck and Husband K could pick out and identify all of the little sounds around us in the trees and grass. It was fascinating. Now they have a little daughter who is as lovely as Lilly-bah. She has a face that Renaissance painters would have gloried in and china blue eyes the size of saucers.

When she was a little single woman living on her own, Uncle R and I liked to “kidnap” Lilly-bah. We actually did this quite often. We were so bad! Sometimes it was for supper or sometimes she’d come over to spend the night. There were a few times that we called Lilly-bah and “asked" if she wanted to come over - and as I talked with her, I would understood that she had on her pj’s and was heating some soup on the stove. Uncle R would hear me saying; “Oh, well… that’s ok…. maybe some other time…” he would reach over… I would hand him my cell phone… and he would say with a grin; “We’ll be there to get you in 10 minutes. We’re not taking no for an answer!” and hang up. She took this kind of abuse from us cheerfully and I hope that she didn’t mind too much! She always enjoyed hot, spicy foods like Uncle R and he could usually lure her over with a promise of his stuffed anaheim chilis.

My last Friday treat was that I got to take Lilly-bah to the Tearoom for the first time. She has seen photos on Facebook but we have never had the chance to go while she was in town. I worked through my lunch hour the day before so that she and I could have a good, solid chat & tea time and it was great! We had little freshly baked mini almond poppy seed muffins and sweet scones, fresh fruit, a salad with slivered almonds, mandarin oranges, dried cranberries and goat cheese and a little cranberry frozen dessert with teapots of crème earl grey and a fruity hot tea choice for Lilly-bah. I could have lingered and chatted happily with this dear friend for the rest of the afternoon, catching up with each other’s news and enjoying each other’s company. She is still as sweet and pretty as that summer years ago when we first got together for lunch while we were both working at Grassmere.

(I’m sad that this photo ended up blurry, but am including it anyway…)

Uncle R and I would love to have Lilly-bah and her sweet family back in Nashville and we hope that will happen one of these days. Until then we’ll look for good moments together like this past Friday.

Love to the Pamela’s Girls!
Auntie J.

My Little Surfer Dude

While Daddy L was outside working on his boat, I took these pictures of Baby B wearing his new "surfer" outfit from Cici. It looks so cute on him that I had to share... It is hard to capture still photos of him, especially outside since he has so many little "jobs" for himself out there. In one picture you can see him loading up pinecones and sticks in his dump truck. He's become quite the little helper in straightening up the yard:)
Happy weekend Pamela's Girls!

Love,

~Mommy M

Reminiscing...

Cici and I are still busy going through things as she and SS continue to organize after the successful yardsale. My weekend project was to go through the many cards Cici and I have saved since I was born. It has been fun reminiscing as I read cards and letters that family members and friends wrote me years ago. It has been especially funny reading the many letters that friends wrote me when I was little and in highschool. I have gotten lots of laughs at the now trivial things that were so monumental at the time. There were several Leslie letters that are so hysterical, I just could never part with them.

It was fun reading sweet cards from each of Pamela's girls. I found a card from Auntie J that says, "Happy Birthday- Mandy-poo! (Who's my lil' lamb-kin!)... So cute! There was also a card where Uncle R wrote that he was so glad that I was his niece, which I thought was really sweet. I've also saved a cute Grassmere bag and a beloved Hello Kitty bag that I'm sure contained a prized possession from the Hello Kitty store in Nashville.

There were several sweet cards from Anma and I really enjoyed reading the precious letters that Mommas wrote. I've included a couple of her letters below:

Sept. 6, 1979
Dearest Mandy:

I am looking forward to the day when I can read you stories and talk with you. It will be wonderful to see you grow each month and year and to find out all the little cute things that you have on your mind and heart.
I love you

Mommas

Jan. 2, 1980
Dearest Mandy:

Hope you are feeling good and that you will have a happy day- doing the things you like to do, and just being your sweet little self "a joy to all the family!"

I love you-Mommas

Another she started, "Dearest little Mandy (or sugar pie)" which I thought was so cute. In another she said, "I think every little girl should have some money in her purse to buy little things she needs..." and in almost every one she says, "Be a good little girl." Its so adorable the way she phrases everything.

It has been so special to get to know Anma and Mommas more through our Pamela's Girls blog and now through these old letters and cards. It also makes me sad that I didn't get to know them earlier because their sweet, loving demeanor is so evident in every story and card.

Love to all my Pamela's Girls!

~Mommy M

The Village Chapel & Art Show On Prayer

I am always both thrilled and intimidated by the artistic and creative talent at the church to which Uncle R. and I both belong. It’s a wonderfully diverse group of people that we fellowship with - having its largest age group falling into 20 & 30 year olds and showing a healthy community of families with just about every other age or ethnic category gathered together. We love that! You are just as likely to see someone’s 80-year-old-grandmother sitting beside a mohawked young man with piercings and various unidentified tattoos as the average middle class family with teenagers in tow.

At our choice of the 6pm Sunday evening service, Uncle R. and I usually like sit on the aisle on one of the first few rows on the right side of the chapel. When our church serves Communion on the first weekend of the month, we are usually among the first group who will stand up and walk forward to receive the Communion. When we sit back down, I love to sit and watch the procession of our church family as they file down the central aisle beside our chairs. I see expressions that look troubled, heads that are bowed - but I also see smiles as people hug those they pass or hold hands with someone they are walking with toward the front. Will that be like it is in Heaven? Walking forward holding hands, hugging and rejoicing – thankful that we could leave the troubles and sorrows behind? I like to think so! One of my very favorite Communions at The Village Chapel was the one at which Uncle R. and I were fortunate to have Mommy M. with us. The three of us took the bread and wine together and it was all I could do not to burst into tears with the joy that I felt.

Our pastor and his dear wife are exceptional people – creative, loving, brilliant and insightful Bible scholars, published authors and faithful, hardworking servants to the Lord. Kim is an amazing artist and Uncle R. and I are thrilled to have an original painting of hers in our home.

Kim’s creative bent has lent itself through the years to encouraging art shows at our church. Back in 2008 I fearfully put one of my paintings in an art show with the theme of The Attributes Of Christ and I just dropped one off this past Saturday for a show with the theme of Prayer. I am never confident about people looking at the paintings that I do, but I like to participate and hope that I get some good feedback.

This past Sunday I was sick with a sinus infection and couldn’t go on the night of the opening of the art show, but Uncle R. took photos for me. My painting is of the girl praying beneath the tree and I have titled it Autumn Unburdened.

I will get to see the art show for myself this coming Sunday and can’t wait to see what everyone has submitted. I know that I will be overwhelmed with the talent there and my knees will knock a bit when I get to mine.

Yipes.

Love to my Pamela’s Girls,
Auntie J.

i love pizza

It's no secret that my favorite food is pizza. I have a new favorite pizza restuarant. The good and bad of it is that's it's only 3 blocks from my house and I walk by it everyday to get to the train. It's called Gialina's. Even after living in NYC and all its delicious pizzas, I still think this is my favorite by far, ever. Last week, with some convincing of B.K. and friends, I ate here 3 times! I usually can't go more than 2 weeks without eating it. Somewhat problematic, I know.

Anyways, since Pamela's Girls can't try it unless they come to visit me in California, I took a picture of it on Sunday for you. I've also added the link to the menu for various pizzas to try to make it at home if you like. I know Cici and SS have pizza Fridays and maybe she'd like to try to make this four cheese favorite. There's no sauce, a crispy crust and 4 very different types of cheeses (ricotta, provolone, gorgonzola, pecorino & herbs). In this picture I've added a vegetable, wild nettles which are high in protein) to my 4 cheese in attempt to make it healthier, very yum.

I hope my Pamela's Girls give it a try! It appears all Pamela's Girls, including Pamela, can cook, except for me. So maybe you can make something that tastes very close to the real thing. If not, you can come visit me in San Fran and try it anytime! :)



http://www.gialina.com/menu/

Love to Pamela's Girls,
SanFranS

Happy Mother's Day Cici!

For the past few weekends, Cici and I have been going through things in their house as she and SS prepare for a yardsale this weekend. It has been fun going through old drawings and letters that I wrote as a child. This is a picture I drew in the third grade but it is still just as true 25 years later... My heart goes out to my Mother. She has been there for me through every milestone and obstacle in my life... From teaching me my first words, helping me with school projects, moving me into my college dorm, helping me recover from 2 surgeries, making preparations for my wedding and coaching me as I gave birth to my precious son, she has been right by my side through it all! I am SO thankful for such a loving, supportive and wonderful mother! I love you Cici!

Love,

~Mommy M

Happy Mother's Day!

Cici has been the best mother that anyone could ask for. I think if anyone could write down there ideas of an ideal mom, every positive quality, she has. I don't want to get too sappy for Mother's Day, but my mom deserves all the mention she can get. Everyday I appreciate the type of person she is and all she does for me more and more. Cici told me once that my grandmother Pam always wanted her to remember her as being so sweet and kind to them and that's how she wanted me to think of her as well. I definitely do and much, much more; she's caring, supportive, smart, giving, loving, fun, a great listener, the list could go on. I like seeing that my sister, Mommy M, is following in her footsteps as a mother. It seems Pamela's "sweet" trait has been carried down to a third generation and that makes me happy.

Mother's Day 2010

It's hard to believe it's been 31 years since this Mother's Day picture was taken after dedicating Mommy M at First Baptist Church, or 22 years since the girls and I posed on the front porch.

Only last year, 2009, we had the blessing of baptizing Baby B. on Mother's Day.

I want to take this opportunity to thank my two beautiful daughters for making me feel like one of the most blessed mothers in the world.

As every Mother's Day approaches, I tell them

NO PRESENTS, yet every year they give me such wonderful gifts. Not just run out and buy "something" gifts, but things that are meaningful that they've put a lot of thought and effort into. The truth is, that they treat me with such love and respect that they make every day Mother's Day for me.

And, of course, I cannot let the day pass without mentioning the very special mother role models Auntie J and I had growing up with Pamela and Mommas - the ideals of what a mother should be

Quoting selectively from Proverbs 31: "She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness. She watches over the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness.

Her children rise up and call her blessed;........A woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised."

I love all you Pamela's Girls, CiCi

ST. GEORGE ISLAND, NASHVILLE DISASTERS & A HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY TO THE PAMELA’S GIRLS MOMMIES!

On my trip last week to Florida, St. George Island was as beautiful as ever and the hospitality of my boss was kind and overflowing. He caught and grilled fresh fish for us one night after slaving over his rod and reel all morning and then another night he prepared some Low Country Boil (a dish very close to Beaufort Stew) and served it up spread on newspapers and covering two outdoor tables on the upper house deck overlooking the St. George Sound. He took us out to eat at a couple of tasty local restaurants in St. George and the little Florida town of Apalachicola. He gave us the run of his amazing 5 bedroom, 3-level vacation home and we enjoyed using his beach bicycles, beach umbrellas, chairs and – for me – the big overstuffed, comfy reading chair by the window when we had a morning rain.

Then…. I came back to Nashville this past Sunday – driving through some torrential, blinding rains between Birmingham and Huntsville – and wondered if I would be able to make it to my house! I didn’t really fear that our house would be in danger of flooding since we live on a hill and on an upward sloping lot… but how difficult would it be to get there? I was thankfully receiving updates from iWeatherReporters, Uncle R. & Donda, about possible Interstate closures and current rain conditions. It was almost impossible to comprehend the tragic weather events in Nashville when we had experienced such a peaceful and relaxing time in Florida. (sigh) Nashville is currently in a water crisis mode, strongly encouraging people to cut their water consumption by 50%. So…. no turning on the dishwasher, washing of clothes, etc. Yeeps. The big Opry Mills Mall (that I took Mommy M to on one of her visits) and the Opry House are under several feet of water and a house near where we house & puppy-sit in Brentwood is literally sliding off its foundation. Keep us in your prayers, Pamela’s Girls!

On a happier note –

HAPPY UPCOMING MOTHER’S DAY TO THE PAMELA’S GIRLS MOTHERS!

I look at the sweet, caring mother that CiCi has been to her two lovely daughters and how wonderful Mommy M is with Baby B and I am reminded of the precious example given by Pamela and Mommas. Their loving, nurturing, comforting spirits and servant hearts live and are passed on by CiCi and Mommy M and it blesses my heart to see their sweet lives.

It reminds me of the verses -

1 Peter 3:3 & 4
Your adornment must not be merely external--braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.

Love to the Pamela’s Girls!
Auntie J.