Grateful Prayer | Thankful Heart

i am chloe

By Lorraine

can you guess i am
2
by
my antics
my expressions
my spontaneity
my elfish behavior

We went to our daughter’s house Saturday morning to watch the kids while she ran in the Philadelphia 5k Rocky Balboa race
chloe was perfectly 2-years-old
she pulled on an over-sized skirt  
plucked a princess crown on her noggin
and went about the business of being 2
I had the joy of capturing some of her magical moments
the princess and her pop-pop
being sweet
being coy
letting PopPop kiss her cheek
(oh, who can resist those soft cheeks)
being resolute in a stare-down
being vocal about a sibling offence 
being aggrieved
 raider has a special attachment to chloe
she shares her food with him
but only if she wants  
 each child… so unique… overflowing with personality and individual talents 
jammie clad… climbing cherub… crafty keri… chocolate faced… chapped lips…
photobomer…chillin’ sisters… quiet play…
hanging out at their house is truly delightful 
and their mom (with  a friend) braved the chilly morning temps to run a race.  she did it in 9 min 7 sec miles with a 28:22 finish.
what . a . champ!

when brother is sick

By Lorraine

baby Jet has been sick for a bit unable to shake a fever, croupy, bronchial virus illness that sent him to the hospital for a couple of days.  He is home now with meds and should start to feel better soon.
 
Four of his siblings came to my house so Jets mom and dad could take care of him.
I should be running around, cleaning up and getting ready for our three up-state New York grandchildren coming down on Friday to spend the week. Instead, I am sharing some glimpses and moments of our time together…
 
Sick little brother
hospital stay
siblings at Mom-Moms
ready for play
 
trip to the playground
slip down the slide
twirling and dancing
places to hide
 
snooze with the pup
splash in the sink  
swishing those bubbles
drawing with pink
 
buckled in car seats
noodles to eat
bedtime stories
Incredibly sweet
 
library visit
more books to read
pieces in puzzles
tummies to feed
 
climb in the playhouse
French fries to munch
peeking from high spots
all during lunch
 
toys scattered about
sink full of mess
washer still running
house in distress
 
tickles and smooches
diapers to change
fingers need wiping
smells that are strange
 
snuggles at bedtime
piggies and toes
bath time all finished
soon they will doze
 
sleeping so sweetly
my eyes behold
blessings from heaven
 
worth more than gold
copyright 2014 by Lorraine @With a Grateful Prayer and a Thankful Heart
 
 

A Day with Brenna

By Lorraine

Last month, I got a text from my daughter, Jill..
I couldn’t say no to a special request like that!

So, I asked my daughter, Jamie, if I could take little Cambrie for company during my drive up north.
The day before our trip, I picked up a very excited little girl.
That evening, a less than excited little girl decided she really needed her mom so I drove her back home.
Early the next morning, she changed her mind and so I drove back to her house and we got on the road together.
Because she drank all of her apple juice too quickly and we had to stop at the Allentown rest stop.
When she saw the sign there, she realized she needed Auntie Anne’s cinnamon pretzels for the rest of the journey.
While I spent the next day with Brenna, Aunt Jill took Cammie to Build*A*Bear and then out for lunch.
Brenna-Bean and I boarded the school bus, with lots of other 3rd graders, that drove us to Syracuse and the MoST (Museum of Science and Technology)
I have to say, this part of central New York did not get the memo that it is officially SPRING evident by the cold, the snow and the ice that I had to scrape from the car and drive through.
While visiting, Ryan showed me that he too, like his cousin, Jared has learned the algorithms and can solve the Rubik’s Cube
Before our homeward bound journey, Aunt Jill took us out for breakfast.
(and then she kindly followed me to a gas station and helped me fill my car tank, since this Jersey Girl has only pumped her own gasoline a few times e v e r!)
~Cambrie (hugging Build*A*Bear) and I made the 300+ mile drive home with NO stops~
and guess who cried because she didn’t want to go home
🙂
 Last night the phone rang and when I answered, this is what I saw…
Brenna and Shae! A face to face video phone call ~ so fun!

then a text
❤

Thank YOU, Brenna!  Mom-Mom loves you!

Oh, my Chloe Dear!

By Lorraine

The other night my phone sounded that a message came in.
It was from Chloe
Just as you guessed,  I have watched this sweet 25 second video over and over and over 
As promised, we met up with PopPop for our annual Shamrock Shake lunch
at playland
with Cambrie 
 hello, Chloe!
Aunt Abbey was able to stop in from work as well and give a hug to Jethro
Chloe’s newborn shamrock shake face
and last years sweet little face
This little leapling will be turning 2 in a few days ~ can you believe it?

Jethro’s Turn…

By Lorraine

…to have his photo taken in PopPop’s christening outfit

I have photos of all but two grandchildren in this vintage romper as well as our youngest daughter, Abbey who is now 22 years old.  Somehow, I missed grandchildren, Keri and Noah and never thought of it when our older girls were babies. That makes me a little sad since it has now become a tradition.

 

The Birthday Guy

By Lorraine

Yesterday was my guys birthday.
He took the day off and we spent it in a relaxed way doing some of his favorite things.
as he planned…
Not up at 5:15 this morning
a hearty, at-home breakfast.
off to the movies to see Frozen 
a late-afternoon pastrami sandwich at a nearby delicatessen  (yes, he has been hankering for a pastrami sandwich)
then to a second movie… Saving Mr. Banks
(we liked both movies)
and finally birthday cake with some of his huggable & snuggly grandkids
This morning, he is still talking about how much he enjoyed the day
🙂
John’s life verse:
being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:6

Banana Oat Bars and Winter Days

By Lorraine

I take lots of photos.  I keep the best and organize them into various file folders for easy retrieval should I want to find something in the future.  The others I delete.  Usually I keep up, but inevitably fall behind in this task each fall when I get extra busy with projects.
That’s what I have been working on these crazy weather days.  After the new year we had an eight-inch snowstorm.  A few days ago there were -30 wind-chills. Then is warmed up and all the snow melted. This morning is was freezing, icy rain that caused accidents everywhere and even a salt truck overturning.  Tomorrow it is going up to 60 degrees F.  
Like the random weather, I am sharing unrelated photos and throwing in a recipe that I spontaneously made when I saw the recipe posted on facebook.

 This adorable photo is of our youngest grandchild, Jethro.  His mama took the picture and I couldn’t resist sharing.  I didn’t make the hat – it was in a hand-me-down container of clothes he received.

 Icy precipitation covered these lilac branches yesterday.
So I didn’t expect to see this robin land on a branch as icy raindrops fell.  
Almost through a cord of wood already as we stay warm in frigid temperatures.  For the first time I had frost on the inside of my windows.  Noah and Silas bundled up and braved the chill long enough to build a dapper snowman
 Cambrie asked if she could make her favorite Silly faces as I snapped photos.
Our oldest grandson was nominated for Student of the month and his mom received a certificate for National Criminal Justice Honor Society from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia

We worked very hard liquidating Aunt Marie’s sweet little Sears Kit house bungalow and readied to sell.
A fun selfie pic of John and I enjoying a stay-at-home date-night of wine and pizza while we watched the old movie classic, Roman Holiday
My sister and I at her daughters birthday party
My favorite pup
 I couldn’t share this patchwork quilt prior to Christmas because it was a surprise for our daughter, Jill who is providing foster care for a dear baby boy.  With the extra fabric I made the soft cube toy for him as well.
I didn’t know this photo was taken until I saw it on our churches website.  Baby Jethro in the glow of candlelight as we sang Silent Night on Christmas Eve. Abbey is in the foreground with Caleb, Chloe and Jamie in the background.
 And finally, no sooner did I see a recipe on my facebook feed, I went straightway to the kitchen and gave this Banana Oat Bar a try.  It caught my attention because it was suggested as an alternative to wrongful cravings (which I was having).  The original recipe contains no sugar, butter or eggs and since I had ripe bananas on the counter, I whipped it together and popped it into the toaster oven in little time.
The recipe wasn’t detailed so I wasn’t sure if it would bake up like a bar or be more like baked oatmeal.  I sprayed the dish prior to spreading the mixture and was happy that it came out easily and cut neatly. 
I can’t say that my sweet tooth didn’t think of spreading the bars with peanut butter and (heaven forbid) pipe some melted chocolate on top but I subdued that impulse and found them to taste, well, healthy.  They had a pleasant banana flavor, hint of sweetness from the raisins and a soft, chewy texture.  I got 12 4-inch x 1-inch bars and with my substitutions, I figured each to be about 70 calories.  A good, healthy alternative to curb a snack attack. If calories aren’t a concern, stirring in some mini chocolate chips and/or nuts would be a nice addition.
Banana Oat Bars
PRINT RECIPE
3 ripe bananas, mashed (I used 1 cup)
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce (I used 1/2 cup since I didn’t have 3 bananas)
2 cups oats
1/4 cup almond milk (I used 2% milk)
1/2 cup raisins
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
optional (I added 1 Tbs Splenda)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
lightly spray an 8-inch square dish
In mixing bowl, Stir together all of the ingredients until well combined.  Pour into prepared dish and spread evenly.  Bake about 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.  Cut into bars.
Yield: 12 1-inch x 4-inch bars

Double Birthday Party Dinner

By Lorraine

Wrapping up a whirlwind Christmas holiday with our extended family last night was the perfect ending to Jill and Brad’s visit.
Since many of our family members don’t get to see them very often and since two really awesome guys are having birthdays, we got together to celebrate.

Happy Birthday Joe (our nephew) and Brad (our son-in-law)!

These two little girls became instant best friends forever.
Does anyone know the genealogical relationship between children that share the same great-grandparents (their grandparents are sisters) ?
Cambrie is my grandchild and Olivia is my sisters grandchild ~ I think that makes them second cousins?

Our handsome, Joe married to … 

 our niece, Toni (with her cousin, Jamie’s baby Jethro) (1st cousin once removed?)

my sister, Carol, Toni, totally enjoying baby Jet and my niece, Eva 

 my brother, Frank and our son-in-law, Brad

 my sister-in-law, Arlene and our daughter Jill

 Carol, me, Carol’s daughter Chris and Chris’ daughter Alexis

Sweet Chloe
Abbey with her boyfriend, Ryan, a very nice mutual friend and our grandson, Jared

 Little one enjoying a movie in Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop’s room

Many years ago, our sister-in-law began a tradition of snapping Christmas photos of my brother (her husband) my sister and I.

 They have become cherished memories for each of us.

shivering kiddos giving their good-byes before cousins head home to upstate NY
~ regretfully, I did not get photos with Jamie, Josh, John, or niece Caitee ~

{happy sigh}… next comes January. A welcome time for me after the (enjoyable) hustle and bustle.
I love the newness of January and the whiteness of snow (hopefully) and a time to refresh.
Wishing you all the best in the New Year!

Happy Birthday Little Cammie Lou Who!

By Lorraine

Look who’s turning 4!
It’s
 Cambrie Noelle
or rather, Little Cammie Lou Who
 mama decorated with bingle balls and whofoo fluff
 Cammie gave a great big puff
 pantookas hung on the ceilings high
 there was feasting on Roast Beast and who-hash pie
 Every sibling-Who down in Whoville, the tall and the small
had lots of fun and the best time of all!
 Jamie, her dad and newest family member
 pop-pop and the wee one

 a stare-down
 that turned to
 giggles
and a surprise snow storm from the forecast calling for a covering to an inch… we got NINE inches!
After an almost two hour drive (on very slippery roads) that normally takes 35 minutes, this is what it looked like when we got home.
Since I didn’t yet officially introduce out newest grandchild born October 23rd
may I present
Jethro Ross
Jethro joins siblings
Keri, Noah, Silas, Caleb, Cambrie and Chloe

counting my blessings

By Lorraine

 Since we don’t see these precious grands as often as our others, photos from Jill are greatly appreciated!
These were taken just as the kids were heading back to school.
Perfect weather, and a very dear friend visiting from Texas made for an extra special outside brunch to celebrate birthdays.
An Autumn Carnival was the theme for Grandparents Day at Keri and Noah’s school.
The weather was perfect for a full morning of activities with both sets of grandparents loving these two kiddos.
and a reminder why I really blog…
John called my attention recently to the kids at the computer.  I was so surprised to see them having fun perusing my blog and laughing at posts that include them. When they scroll to the bottom of each page they see the list of labels I add to each post making it easy for them to click and and go every post that is about them.
It truly warmed my heart to see this.
❤
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows
James 1:17

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