This summer I pulled out my sewing machine.
It’s been a while.
I thought about the dresses I made for my girls when they were little.
Then I thought about my little granddaughters.
So I made six dresses.

As I sewed, I prayed for their six little hearts.
“Help them to pin their hopes and dreams to You.”
“When things are coming apart at the seams, help them turn to You.”
“Hem them in by Your love, before and behind.”
“Give them the desire to gather together with other believers.”
“Finish off their rough edges so they don’t unravel.”
“Help them not be afraid to go against the grain of culture.”
“Protect them from developing unfair biases.”
“Help them give grace to people who needle them.”
“May they live according to the pattern set in scripture.”
“Give them Your strength to iron out their problems.”

May the Word that is sown (sewn?) into their hearts
take root and produce fruit (and pink flowers!).
Amen.

PB and I have enough grands for a football team.
I think the red-head standing in the back is vying for quarterback.
She’s got a decent offensive line in front of her.
That chubby little guy may develop into a solid center.
They are quite a team of talented, silly, lovable little people.

Roast some hot dogs.
Have a picnic.
Spread out a blanket.
Look up toward the heavens.
Oo and ah.
Give thanks to God.
Hug your kids.
Pray for America.
Happy 4th of July!

They’re on to me.
They must have been eavesdropping as I boasted.
Either that or our resident chipmunks read my blog.
One day after I declared war on the rascals, they stormed back.

Last year, I sprinkled garlic around the edges of the pots.
Then I placed moth balls around the blooms.
Even that didn’t stop the critters
but it did make the front porch stink.
I thought I outsmarted them this year.
But my fork fortified fortress didn’t stand its ground.
A lot of ground was scattered across my porch.
I’m sad to report one casualty.

I should have known the chipmunks would challenge me.
The gaps between the tines were too tempting.

I’m considering a counter-attack.
Perhaps stainless steel forks
with sharpened tips
connected to an electric current
and sprayed with rodent poison.

Game on.

Mother’s Day brought me three of my favorite things:
music, sweets and flowers that never die.

Just look at that bouquet!
It never needs watering or arranging
and it won’t end up in the compost.
Perfect!
It’s great to have a spouse who knows you and what you love.

Just look at those macarons!
There were two trays of these beauties.
They look like something from the Great British Baking Show.
I snapped a quick pic before we snapped the last two up.
Yummmm!
It’s great to have talented grown up kids who can cook.

Just listen to this music!
I put this song together for our church’s Lent season.
This arrangement was a surprise and brought a tear to my eye.
Ohhh!
It’s great to have sneaky grown up kids who can sing and record.

K&N, S&T, A&D and J&K, I love being your mom.

I am proud to present Theo John Overlien!
Born on October 8, 2019
8 lbs. 14 oz.

Theo means “divine gift”.
That he is.

My baby boy has a baby boy.

PB and I have enough grands to make a football team.
I feel like I’ve already won the Superbowl.

“The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.”
Psalm 46:7

Today, I found this gem.

The chore spinner.

Obviously, Jake was too small to contribute at the time.

Or maybe he was just the 4th child,
the baby of the family,
whose only job was to be cute.

Seeing this piece of history made me smile at how things have changed.

All that free labor has now become management.
They are teaching their own kids to set, clear, load and sweep.

Thank goodness I still have PB.
He’s making real progress.
I cook and he cleans up.
No spinning required.

Last year, I declared Arbor Day to be the official holiday of the Biddick siblings. My two brothers, my sister, their spouses and PB and I gathered around the table for a meal and to catch up.

We don’t get together for major holidays anymore. There are 29 grandchildren between the four of us, so the inevitable branching out has taken place, as it should. Yet, long stretches of time can go by without us seeing each other. We needed our own holiday. Arbor Day was perfect.

Our grandfather was a tree man. Grandpa was chosen as “Woodsman of the Year” in 1982, at the age of 87. He loved trees and owned timber land in Mississippi and Wisconsin, where he operated a logging and timber sawing business for many years. He planted hundreds of trees in his lifetime.

This year, Arbor Day also happened to fall on what would have been our mother’s birthday. I think she would’ve been pleased to know we reminisced and laughed together over memories on her birthday.

I used the “farm dishes” for this year’s 2nd annual gathering. When my siblings saw the table settings, there was a collective “ahhhh”. These were our “Sunday only” dishes — usually piled with roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, peas and homemade dinner rolls.

It’s good to spend a day with people you love.
I hope you had a happy Arbor Day.
Mine was pretty great.

We interrupt this Lenten devotional series to bring breaking news.

Isla Dinah Jean arrived!
Saturday, April 6th, 2019
6 lbs. 14 oz.

Meeting your sister for the first time can be breath-taking.

Welcome to the world, little one.
We’re so glad you’re here.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.