1.7 seconds after they got through the front door, this is what I saw.

The PJ party included, but was not limited to cookies for baking and Toys R Us for shopping and Good Times for eating and food playing.  There was hot chocolate with marshmallows and whipped cream and popcorn and movies and 7up and cookies and cousins and the-best-way-to-spread-Christmas-cheer-is-singing-LOUD-for-all-to-hear and the Christmas story and  making ornaments for Nonna’s tree and the annual reindeer-head print using little-but-growing hands and feet and paint (what the heck am I thinking!??) and watching  Gilligan’s Island, of all things and sleepy little heads nodding off anywhere from between 9 pm and 2 in the morning (Guini and Hunter are almost always the hold-outs).  And somehow they still wake up at the butt-crack of dawn no matter how late the festivities and little monkeys jumping on beds and o-my-goodness: I was born for this!

I snapped these while talking to my mom on the phone while the kids ate breakfast with Grandpa.

The employees at Toys R Us did not seem nearly as joyously enchanted with our little monkeys as we were.  It was merry mischief.

Merry Christmas from us and our grandbebes.

With flash, with no flash.  Cameras!  grrrrr….

Which turned out w a a a a a y better than they should have for my little $69.99 Kodak digital camera.

Check out this weed.  This was in the mountains when Dave and I were there a few weeks back.  It was getting ready to spread its’ seed everywhere.  I just like how it captured the almost explosive-movement.  No touch-ups.  Just this.  As weeds go, pretty lovely.

And then these two.  With really good cameras you can adjust the focus so that the things you aren’t focusing on are blurry, out-of-focus.  I do not have that option.  But my camera, for some strange reason. did that anyway.  I think I may have been zoomed, I am not sure.  But I love how it blurred the background.  These are not touched up.  If I’d known I’d stumbled into something, I’d have tried more of whatever it was.  *smile

Look at that crazy-awesome background blur.

Secondly, Hunter enjoyed trying a feather and ink for alphabet writing recently.

Thirdly, Peaches & Cream, from Palizzi Farm.  As amazingly sweet and delectable as it sounds.

I LOVE corn on the cob.  Did you know that?  Love it.  It is the Iowa girl in me.

Here they come, walking down the street.  Get the funniest looks from – everyone they meet.  Hey-hey for grandkids!

All together now – JUMP!

Remember when we were kids and adults made us smile for pictures when the sun was totally in our eyes?  Yeah, well, now I have done that to my own grandbebes.  I just thought they should experience it.  Haha.

Peek-a-boo, little monkeys

Gemma drew her family

And other things.

Granddaughters are sweeeeet!

Little tiny Amelie walloped her cousin, Gavin, the other day and when her daddy said, “Amelie-no hitting,” she crossed her arms and lowered her shoulders with a decided **harrumph** and plopped herself down.  It is hilarious thing to see such an itty-bitty pull such a big-girl move.  It probably won’t be that cute 6 months from now, but it sure was this week.

Tredessa got her dress.  And I can’t show you, of course, but she is beautiful in it.

Engagement to her cute guy?  Check.  Amazing ring?  Check.  Location for the wedding (a barn!!)?  Check.  Dress?  Check.

This is just wrong.  Right?  Probably.  But it is evidence that the grandkids were here.

THIS?  Is a good morning sight!  Fresh from the garden!

I should mention, I had just dropped the green beans into boiling water for 10 seconds and then quickly submerged them into ice water to shock them green-green and make them positively delectable for random all-day-long munching.  Mmm. Mm. Mm!

And in honor of the first day of autumn, I am making red beans and rice and missing my brother, Joe, whose gorgeous first born will walk down the aisle tomorrow to be married. {Mrs. Elise Leonard, aka Elise-the-Niece}

You’re just going along, enjoying summer living, and then the veins of the leaves go blood red and begin pumping color into a random branch here or there.  Fascinating!

“I can picture it in my mind’s eye and it’s beautiful, Clark.”  (Christmas Vacation)  I can also see it here at my blog and remember and smile.

It’s what’s on the table and even flowers would not be more appropriate. 

Another interesting part of the season is the bathroom just off the kitchen when everyone leaves.  For there I usually find tiny pairs of underwear and little socks and flip-flops and shoes, hair ties and other misc. clothing…in very small sizes.  If their mamas are looking for something, I may have it. 

Nonna and Amelie.  A Sunday afternoon nap.  On the swing.  In the shade.  After a swim.

Good sign.

This is what I found when we arrived home from Chicago.  The sweetest message ever! 

We were SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO sad our Kelley family didn’t go to Moslander Family Reunion with us this year (they are very busy and important people!), but they so kindly gave the dog room and board and took care of the house and garden for me.  In fact – they took such good care of the garden it grew like a jungle and is so much more the blessed for me having been gone!  THANK-YOU Steph and Tris and the 3 adorables!  Love you so much and we want to tag along when  you go to Chicago, soon!  Pretty please??  We were thinking about you and missing you the whole time!

Gemma on a Saturday

cen·ter·piece, n.

1. Something in a central position, especially a decorative object or arrangement placed at the center of a table.

2. The central or most important feature

 One time Averi saw a picture of my dad and exclaimed, “There’s Grandpa Ross Moslander!” 

Chloe-the-dog was quite longsuffering and sweet.

“A little turkey.”

Amelie loved Lake Michigan!

Gavin has his first tomato!

He was pretty excited to have beat me.  I only have 4 tomato plants this year and he has 3, but he got the first tomato out of the deal, a tiny, green sphere getting ready to turn into a gorgeous red tomato.  Yum.  We were so happy.

Then, to Gavin’s great excitement, we noticed he also had a pepper on his little sweet pepper plant.  Glory be! 

“I’m the luckiest boy in the world!” he told us.

Be still, my melting, proud, love-filled, gooey-sweet, this-kid-is-amazing heart.  He gets the gardener in me because the same heart beats in him, too.  Gavin and I were born to be sustainable-living-backyard-farmers.  I am the luckiest Nonna in the world!

If you could see his eyes (I stink at photography), you’d know they were happy!

My latest movie project

Hunter is at the most hilarious stage.  He likes to make me laugh and will pose for pictures for me.  I caught a few before he jumped in the pool recently.  He loves pulling out his Kung Foo Panda moves.  I laugh every. single. time.

In 3 months (the less-than-90 days between March 23 and June 19), we’ve had Dave-the-husband’s birthday, Amelie’s first birthday, Stormie’s quarter-of-a-century birthday (plus moving her into her first house-she is a homeowner!!), Tara’s super-early-30sbirthday and Mother’s Day.  We had Stephanie’s birthday, Gemma’s birthday followed closely by Gavin’s lava’d birthday, Guini and Hunter’s Kindergarten graduations, Wrex’s birthday, Tredessa (28) and DP’s  (30th) birthdays and Father’s Day.  There have been 2 major Heaven Fest dinners and a couple of big-HF-family-meetings with all the trimmings and even Luka had a bday

Recently::

Gavin’s Volcano “cake” at his breakfast party

The first grandson turned 8 and we all gathered for a happy-Saturday-morning breakfast-party.  I used strawberry Jello for the “lava,” but even though in the trial run the actual liquid didn’t ooze out, but rather just red Jello-bubbles travelled slowly over the sides, no one wanted me to put more Jello in, afraid the donuts would be drenched in it, ruined for consumption. PLUS my dry ice melted down to 2 tiny slivers overnight.  Guess I need a lesson in dry ice!!?  Gav and I will have to try it again sometimes when there is no Jello-sogginess-concern.  With LOTS of dry ice.  A red explosion!!

Gavin’s dinosaur cake when he turned 4, I think, was sort of the beginning of my “cake adventures.”  He keeps making life fun.  Love that boy!

DP turned the big 3-0

Wrote about his birthday:: H E R E. We did a double-celebration for him and Tredessa with a big Rhoades-family-Mexican meal.  Cilantro rice and carne-asada steak tacos plus pulled pork green chile tacos and all the things that go with those.  Dave wanted strawberry shortcake for his birthday.  Tredessa had Lazy Peach Dessert (see below) for hers.  Naturally Wrex performed a song for Dave and noted all his “famous” phraseologies (i.e. o-my-hinkin’-harry, bro-ham-and-cheese, etc) and even mentioned his penchant for v-neck tees.  Stef is a master lyricist!  Dave got the blessings and encouragements from the fam and Tara played him a most appropriate Brad Paisley song, “It Did.”  [see here]

Tredessa was serenaded by her lover-boy for her birthday

And she had a lovely birthday with him.  I wrote her b-day blog:: H E R E.  Then the double-celebration with DP.  She got a song from Wrex and it was a little on the ornery side, which Wrex believes brothers should do.  It was hilarious.  It fit right into the tune of “Take Me Home, Country Rhoades,” if you can imagine.  She is an amazing woman and in love, which we like.

Lazy Peach Dessert by Jane Hagelstein

From the October 1988 issue of Family Ties (the monthly newsletter of New Life Church of God in Norfolk, NE).  But I actually have the handwritten recipe card Jane wrote it on.  Beloved and quite in shambles.

My best advice for this in Colorado:  wait until the western slope peaches are ripe and juicy and cause you car to drive itself to a roadside market where the scent and taste literally scream: DELICIOUS!  Yeah.  They just aren’t quite right, yet, these California peaches.  Huh-uh.  Nope.

Shortbread crust:

Combine 1 cup oleo*

1 3/4 cups flour

2 tablespoons sugar

dash of salt

Lightly pat into glass cake pan (if you push it in hard, it will be tougher and less light and pastry-ish and amazingly wonderful).  Bake it for 15-18 minutes in a 350-degree oven.  Cool.

Peach sauce topping:

2 cups sugar

2 cups water

2 tablespoons corn starch

2 3 oz packages peach Jello

1 tablespoon oleo*

In a saucepan, blend and cook water, sugar and cornstarch until thickened and clear.  remove from heat.  Stir in Jello and oleo until dissolved.  Cool.

Assemble

Slice or chop 7-8 ripe peaches (sometimes I make them all beautiful and perfectly uniform.  Unless they aren’t great peaches anyway…like this batch).  Distribute over the top of the crust.  Pour over the sauce.  Put in the fridge for at least 2 hours (overnight is best).  Cut into 12 servings.  Top with whipped cream.

You may also make this dessert with canned peaches, Jane Hagelstien noted (so Nebraska) or use fresh strawberries and strawberry Jello.

*Oleo, for my dear children, was another name for “margarine” back in the day.  Just use REAL butter instead and all will be well!

WREX had a birthday, too.

Complete wih a custom song for him by Dave and the girls to the “Wolfcreek Pass” soundtrack.  Love this guy.  There is not a more genuine, giving and generous man than Wrex.  His parents did a great job, but if he were ever in the market for new parents, we’d apply for the job.  He is just a cool guy.  That is why God blessed him with the gorgeous Stefane and the two of them with the loveable kiss-kiss, Princess Sawyer.  LOVE them all!

Dave’s Father’s Day Worship set

Dave chose his fav worship songs. We sang along to guitar accompaniment, all the current favs, but it morphed in to pulling out all those old songs from the years the kids were growing up.  Pretty hilarious.  Songs you never really want to sing ever agin, but in this context were pretty fun.  “Lord, I lift Your name on high.  I’m so glad to sing your praises…”  Haha.

Artwork by the grandbebes, found the next morning.  Mixed media:: chalk and stickers on concrete.  Intrigued by the block that say, “Aim for the head,” and the stick figure identified as “dad,” albeit backwards, with a huge bunch of snot coming out of his nose.  Haha.

&  E t c . . .

NEXT UP:  Summer starts June 21!  Today! YEAH!!

Time to relax a bit with some lollygagging in the garden and floating in the pool and you know, a little thing called Heaven Fest.  www.heavenfest.com

We made it!

Guinivere: Hey, Nonna?

Me: Yes, sweetie-pie?

Guinivere: You know on my next birthday in July?  You know when I turn six?  I know what you can get me!

Me: What is that, sweet-pea?

Guinivere: An iPhone!  That’s what I really want!  An iPhone for my birthday!

Uh-huh.  Yes.  Stormie set the bar a little high in her present for Steph’s birthday, I am thinking! CLICK HERE

Meanwhile, Gavin who was playing Angry Birds on my iPod Touch chimed in, “Guini doesn’t really need an iPhone.  She’s only going to be 6, but tomorrow I will be 8.  You could give me this iPod, because that is about right.”  Hahaha.

We ate eggs and lots of candy and bananas while the grandkids were here for awhile this morning.  We also had a chocolate-milk party: Hershey’s syrup in cups of ice-cold milk (pretend frappuccinos).  Lot’s of stirring and some slurping.  My sink looks like this:

Is it bad that this does not bother me one bit – all the dishes?  In fact, I actually like it and think I will let it remain as a reminder of sweet freckle-faced kids who made lots of happy noise and dance here today.

When Stephanie was a little girl, any scarf or random piece of fabric would send her into joyful, swirling-twirling dancing. She would be delighted to get a stack of new bandanas in every color for birthdays.  We called her our “Scarf Dancer” before we even knew there had been such a thing way back when. She was entertaining and funny right out of the gate, graceful and animated.

One rather dreary afternoon last October, Tredessa and I hosted a tea party for Averi and Gemma and Guinivere. When the music started, the scarves came out. And in Gemma and Guini, Stephanie’s own little girls, I see Stephanie still – silly giggling and jumping and free, rainbow colors and fabric framing her tiny self, dancing merrily, making happy.

The music is Chaminade’s “Scarf Dance,” composed around 1887, perfomed by Eric Parkin.

You’re sugar and spice and a really tiny super-star!

  Nonna loves you like crazy!

PS - Shhh…don’t tell anybody about the movie we will be finishing this week!  It is gonna be so cute!  Like you!

I sense God’s smile on this project.  I’ll give you a sneak peek later.  Shhhhhh…..