Kris Allen is a cool kid with less-obvious genius.
Matt Giraudis the new “Piano Man” for sure! Hip, talented – the judges save was the right thing to do.
Adam “Ant” Lambert is always entertaining and thoroughly-likeable. I think he could very well win this competition just because he is such a great performer.
O, Danny boy…
But the boy who reaches my heart and makes me love one song I never-ever-ever thought I’d love (“Jesus Take the Wheel”) and made me fall in love all over again with a song from the summer Dave and I had our first date and married – 1981 (“Endless Love”) : DANNY GOKEY!
Gokey-Goofy!
Next week, two contestants have to be cut. Anoop can go home already and Lil deserves a great career, but just isn’t hitting the mark these days. Bye-bye.
But I am so hoping Danny Gokey makes it at least to the top two. And if I were an American-Idol voter, I’d vote for Danny Gokey and his 27 pairs of glasses!
Go, Danny Gokey, go!…Jeanie
NOTE TO SELF: The week Danny did “Jesus Take the Wheel” Carrie Underwood was on as a guest artist/returning winner. I am recording the fact that I am calling it: a Danny-Carrie relationship…after he has sufficiently mourned his late wife , that is. Cute, no?
btw-according to news reports, Danny is legally blind so his specs aren’t just for looking cute, and he only has 18 pairs…
“Grandchildren are God’s way of compensating us for growing old.” –unknown
They do make life grand!
Guinivere Eden.
Guini jumps on my lap, wraps her arms tightly around my neck and with an almost-urgency says, “I need you, Nonna.” I look to see if a boogey-man has been chasing her, but I see no one. I ask, “What do you need?” She tells me, “I just need you, Nonna.” I am overcome with gratefulness that she does. I hug her tightly back. The moment vanishes and she off to play again.
Hunter Douglas.
Hunter tells his mommy, “I need to speak to you in regards to…” He is four. What does a four-year-old know about “regarding?” Today he is busy cutting out paper crosses. He says he wants to put them all over the ground at Heaven Fest so that people will be able to worship Jesus there.
Gavin Lee.
Grandpa will be taking Gavin to school while his mommy is at the dentist. “It’s almost time to go,” Grandpa tells the little red-head. Gavin looks his grandpa up and down. “I think you forgot to change your shorts…and that shirt,” he says, clearly concerned that his grandpa will not be meeting the fashion standard at the schoolyard. Dave is wearing a orange t-shirt (which I ask him not to wear, but he believes to be quite comfortable on his work-at-home days) and some navy stretch shorts (which, though they are the closest things you can wear to pajamas in public, are nice). I laugh my head off and wonder whatever Gavin will think of us by the time he reaches 1st grade next fall?!?
Averi Jadyn.
“O wow o wow o wow o wow,” Averi said to me the other day. Despite the remaining fullness in her cheeks, both those seen and unseen, Averi is getting taller and thinning out, growing into her baby weight as she darts from room to room as quickly as her little legs will carry her. Averi’s true passion in life is putting all her new teeth to work. She loves food with great zeal and loudly mourns the end of every meal or snack time. This, I am certain, she inherited from me.
Gemma May.
What a saucy little redhead! When she walks in a room, it is with great fanfare as she invites, “‘Ook at me! ‘Ook at me!” Then usually, and with great authority, she’ll spew some cursory commands at Sandy-the-Dog, who wishes for nothing more than to slink from Gemma’s sight before her tail is yanked on unmercifully or Gemma hops aboard for a ride. Gemma’s life is spent in pursuit of any reason whatsoever to laugh. She never fails to respond to my affectionate “I-love-you” with a very bright response in her quivering little lamb voice: “I wuv you!”
Who knew it could bring this much?…Jeanie-the-Nonna
When Steph first got her bangs I kept asking, “Who do you remind me of…?”
Remember Cher before all the weird surgery-altercations? She was so late-60s cool! The “I Got You, Babe” days (you know, before Cher literally tried to “Turn Back Time”)…
I see in my mind’s eye a big healthy baby – 9 pounds, 10 ounces. Two weeks past her due date, she arrives: peacefully, happily. She settles in as the newest and final addition to the home of love being built by my lover and me. She is the object of affection and delight to her four older siblings. She is a reward and gift to her mommy and daddy.
Chunky at birth, she elongates into a tall-for-her-age, skinny pre-schooler who uses her voice, sweet and syrupy, to melt us and get everything she wants.
She is 5 with a tiny heart-shaped face and big, expressive eyes. There is a big yellow bow in her tightly permed hair and she twirls in a polka-dot skirt. She doesn’t just like school, she looooooooves school!
She runs, during the elementary days, to keep up with her brother. If he is playing baseball, so is she. If he is madly roller-blading – she will keep up. Though we fear her tiny frame may snap from the pace, she is ever just an “nth” of a step behind Rocky.
As a teen, she follows Jesus with all her heart. She prays her sister, with tears, back from the brink. She becomes a stained glass artist and stars in the school play. She learns to drive while worshipping her head off in the car with her mama. She is a blessing.
Age and maturity reveal one of the kindest people I have ever known. She serves and cares and quietly sets things aright. She is 23 now. The baby is 23. And I love her.
I don’t know where the years have gone, Stormkins, but I cherish every moment you have been mine. I love you so deeply, my sweet baby girl. All 23 candles on represent a wish I have for you this year.
Twenty-three Wishes for Stormie on Her 23rd Birthday
I wish for you to “prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” 3 Jn 1.2 nkjv
I wish an unending smile for your face – so your dimples will deepen and delight will spread over your whole head.
I wish the warm and cheerful feeling of yellow flowers to surround you no matter where you are, regardless of any circumstance.
I want your heart to be in peace.
I want you to always and forever know what it means to be free in Christ, totally, completely free! And I rebuke the enemy. I rebuke Satan from even trying to enslave you in any way.
May God’s will be done in your life, all the days of your life, as you bring Him glory – on earth as it is in heaven.
I hope dad and I have given you what you need to be everything God intends. If we have forgotten anything – you know where to find us. It’s not too late!
Never forget how many people adore the stuffing out of you! You are loved-like-crazy by me and dad and Tara and Dave and Hunter and Stephanie and Tristan and Gavin and Guini and Gemma and Rocky and Jovan and Averi and Tredessa and Elise and all the cousins and all the aunts and uncles and don’t forget Grandma and Grandpa Moslander…
“Be-member, mama, we like to ‘shnuggle.'” I will never forget those words nor your voice when you were 4 telling me that. I wish for you to remember it always, too, because I am still happy to ‘shnuggle’ with you!
For the man. The one. The right time. I wish him for you, Stormie. I am praying for him, too.
I wish for you a bunch of cute little Stormies. Oh-even if you only get one like you, she will make you so happy. I guarantee it.
I wish for you to reap all the seeds of godliness and generosity that you have sown. I wish for the bread you have cast upon on the waters to now be found! May it come back to you.
I pray for the heavens to open and loud, clear-cut direction and guidance for your life to be announced with trumpets and singing. I pray you will never wander aimlessly.
I am believing for continued favor on your life.
I remind God about showing you mercy and gracing you mightily (empowering you to be everything He created you to be; empowering you to do all He has called you to do!).
My wish is that you will be full (all the way to capacity and running over) of the Holy Spirit.
I wish for you to always walk in truth.
I will always believe in you. There has not been even moment I have not loved you fully, madly.
I wish you could see what I see when I look into your eyes. There is eternity behind them – there is joy and love and life and lightheartedness – so much life. You’re barely out the starting gate…
I wish for you to have no heartbreaks or sorrow. But if you must, I wish for the LORD to be your comfort (your keeper and the Lover of your soul) so you’ll look back and say, “I would not trade the pain for how I know Him today. It has been worth it.”
My prayer is that you’ll have joy and rejoicing in these early twenties: “in the days of your full-grown youth.” (Ecc. 11.9 Amp). I hope you will relish your youthful vigor and live fully from the heart, seeing and pursuing whatever brings you happiness and pleases the Lord.
“Oh how sweet the light of day, and how wonderful to live in the sunshine! Even if you live a long time, don’t take a single day for granted. Take delight in each light-filled hour…Live footloose and fancy free. You won’t be young forever.” (Ecc. 11 The message)
May the LORD bless you and keep you, my Stormkins. May He make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the smile of the LORD be on your life and may you bring Him joy and be His forever.
Happy Birthday, my baby. Twenty-three years ago today was such a blessed day in my life. I didn’t even know how much at the time, but, wow! God was so good to have given you to me! I love you, babykins!…mom
NOTE TO SELF: Take Stormie to Anthropologie for her birthday. Buy her something sweet.
pictured: I was trying to find a good pic of Stormie’s eyes because I love them. This was as close as I could get; Stormie on 4/15/86 with her daddy just a little while after her birth.
We got together over the weekend to celebrate Stormie’s birthday, just the fam. She didn’t know it, but we decided we’d do a Twilight – themed party since Stormie loves the books and movie by Stephanie Meyer so much.
There were pepper, onion and roast-beef stuffed chimichangas along with cilantro-lime rice and all the other fixings. Tara made her excellent guacamole while Rocky and Jovan served us sizzling sausage and cheese-stuffed jalapenos, “poppers” as they should be. Food everywhere! No special cake, but as Stormie requested, her usual fruit pizza.
The movie soundtrack provided the musical backdrop, and naturally the flick was playing continuously for ambiance. There were red apples (see the book cover), red ribbons and chess pieces (Stephanie-the-daughter is in to the details), quotes everywhere (oh, how our family loves movie quotes!), and Tara painted a black sheet with the title. We used it as a backdrop for some silly pictures.
A Twilight-Movie Party Game
I “invented” a Twilight-Mad-Lib kind of thing. I asked each person to give me a noun, a thing of any sort AND to name a characteristic or physical attribute of Stormie’s. They didn’t know why, but then I used the line from the movie: “Your scent is like a drug to me…” and filled in people’s responses for Stormie. She got stuff like:
Your love is like a picture frame to me. (Cousin Elise)
Your heart is like an egg to me. (Nephew Hunter – reference to the Easter eggs he had just colored with his daddy)
Your chameleon-like hair is like a golf ball to me. (dad)
Your beautiful smile is like the Eiffel Tower to me. (Dave/DP)
Your buns are like the D-Note to me. (said by a certain ornery brother; the D-Note is a very hip indy-style restaurant where they do live music in Olde Town Arvada)
I wish I had thought to also ask them to name their own secret obsession, too, because I could’ve added from the rest of the quote: “Your scent is like a drug to me, my own personal brand of heroin.” Then Hunter’s might have read, “Your heart is like an egg to me, my own personal brand of candy.” And Jovan’s would probably have read: “Your eyes are like a shoe to me [which she really said]…my own personal brand of Edward Cullen!” Which, if you keep up on Jovan’s blog – you know she actually has her own personal brand of Edward!
Feel free to use “my” invented game at your next party! :]
Scenes from Twilight
A couple of the girls re-enacted their favorite neck-biting scene from the movie and everybody held an apple in their hands like the cover of the first book of the series, referenced then in the movie when Edward is talking to Bella at the school cafeteria salad bar. She accidentally knocked a very red apple down and he, with lightening-quick reflexes, kicks it back up, catching it in his hands. Fun!
Gavin fixed his own hair to look just like Edward’s and is already talking about being Edward for Halloween this year. Gemma thought if they were handing her an apple, she may as well eat it. Stephanie got shy about the neck-biting.
There was Easter stuff, too
There was an Easter-egg hunt for the Grand-bebes.
There was some Karaoke
No. Don’t even ask. I will not share the video of Dave and I reprising one of our greatest wedding-singing hits ever: Always by Atlantic Starr!
Custom Colors How-To
Start with flat-finish latex paint in any shade. For small areas, such as a door panel, mix 1 cup at a time.
1. Pour 1 cup of paint into a container. Add 2 tablespoons of unsanded tile grout. Mix with a paint stirrer, carefully breaking up clumps.
2. Apply paint with a roller or a sponge paintbrush to a primed or painted surface. Work in small sections, going over the same spot several times to ensure full, even coverage. Let dry.
3. Smooth area with 150-grit sandpaper, and wipe off dust.
4. To condition: Rub the side of a piece of chalk over entire surface. Wipe away residue with a barely damp sponge.
Some of Martha’s projects with custom colors:
Here is a pretty interesting dining room I ran across. It almost looks like it is in one of those old schoolhouses people buy and turn in to homes.
These kid spaces/projects are cute (in the third picture, it is hard to see, but it is also the toy chest sporting the chalkboard surface):
Two unique uses: A mudroom locker (wish I had one of these!). The quoteable laundry/linen closet – a door filled with inspiring words, right where you need them the most.
A bathroom that welcomes graffiti. A green chalkboard wall where you can draw on the stuff you don’t actually own. And a wall to keep track and keep your stuff.
Colorful, no?
Quick, somebody tell me why I keep loving this room!?!:
Yes, you guessed it-the orange chandelier…and table…and chairs. I do have more orange paint.
Matthew 28: There is nothing to fear here. I know you’re looking for Jesus, the One they nailed to the cross. He is not here. He was raised, just as he said.
With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ’s being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation.
The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death.
God went for the jugular when he sent his own Son. He didn’t deal with the problem as something remote and unimportant. In his Son, Jesus, he personally took on the human condition, entered the disordered mess of struggling humanity in order to set it right once and for all.
Joy is the theme of my song,
And the beat of my heart,
And that joy is found in You.
For You showed the power of Your cross
And your great saving love,
And my soul woke up to You.
I heard Your beautiful news;
Grace so amazing, so true…
Shout it out, let the people sing
Something so powerful should shake the whole wide world.
Make it loud, make it louder still;
Saviour we´re singing now to celebrate Your beautiful news.
There´s a God who came down to save
Showed the world His amazing grace
There´s a God who came down to save
And He calls your name
