Bridget Rose

What a sweet name. And what a sweet, sweet little lady. I have been avoiding this blog for 2 weeks because I knew I could not post one single thing on our family "scrapbook" here until I talked about Miss Bridget who died in a tragic car accident Thursday, August 19th. Somehow it strangely makes it real rather than a terrible dream.

I knew Bridget for 9 years...since she was 15 and I was her K-life small group leader in Kirksville, MO. What a pleasure I was given in watching her grow up into womanhood. She came to St. Louis to go to nursing school and we got to see her quite frequently then because she didn't have a washer and dryer :). I treasure those times of hanging out in my living room with her while clothes washed and she folded. Inevitably she would need to leave and feel so bad that she was leaving a load of laundry behind, but it was just a great excuse to see her again the next day to pick it up. She lived with us for a few weeks when she was in between housing and eventually she graduated and continued to be a nurse at Children's Hospital. And when I say nurse, I really mean top of the line, best nurse of the year. How do we know? Well, in the Lord's sweet provision, when Weston was 9 days old and admitted to the hospital from the ER we were being escorted up to his floor and the nurse said on the elevator, "I think you may know your son's nurse...her name is Bridget." I just started sobbing. She greeted us and was, of course, the best nurse/friend/encourager/advocate we could have asked for. She loved kids and I'll never forget the warmth and love she showered on our own little ones. The last time I saw her was when she came over to meet Lily. She brought her a huge bag of the cutest little clothes and held her the whole time she was here. I picture her now with Lily in our leather chair, talking to me and alternating between rubbing Lily's little feet and her head. I was worried about Lily having a stuffy nose and she reassured me that she was breathing just fine.

I could go on and on about memories of Bridget. But all of them come back to a girl with a sweet, generous, loving, enthusiastic, happy spirit. Her smile and laugh will be etched in my mind forever. God used her life to touch a mass of His people. I am so proud of her. So, so proud of her.

After getting off the phone, Weston saw me crying and asked what was wrong. We had the following conversation:

Me: "Well buddy, mommy is really sad about Miss Bridget's boo-boo's that we prayed about last night."
Weston: "Where IS Bridget?"
Me: "Well, Miss Bridget is with Jesus in Heaven."
Weston: (pause, thinking)"Miss Bridget is at home far, far away."

Welcome Home sweet girl. I wish you were here, but I'll see you there.

And I Quote...

So it's produce season and since we have a garden and a share in a CSA there has been a lot of vegetable vocabulary thrown around in our house. A couple of days ago Weston had scrambled eggs for breakfast. After he was finished I noticed he had spilled quite a bit of milk all over his plate.

Me: "Oh buddy, we had quite a milk spill here, eh?"
Weston: "Oh no mom, that's not milk. That's my eggplant. Just a little eggplant spill."

Sidewalk Chalk Paint

I've been searching far and wide for inside and "close to home outside" things for Westie and I to do while Lily is taking her morning nap. I got this idea from a friend and it is super easy to concoct.



You make sidewalk paint chalk by mixing equal parts cornstarch and water and then several drops of your favorite food coloring.



We didn't even bother getting our "day" clothes on...we were out painting in our pajamas and waving goodbye to the neighbors as they left for work.



A few things I learned. Hefty paint brushes work best...no skimpy watercolor brushes. And sponge brushes work even better if you can keep your tot from mutilating them on the sidewalk.

We painted our hands and feet too make prints...



And when we were all done, we just poured out the rest of the paint and walked through it.



I'm always looking for ideas...what do you do during morning naptime?

When the Going gets Hot...

...get out the hats, scarves and mittens. It has been bloody hot. And wicked humid. You pretty much need to be an amphibian in order to breath outside. So, we busted out our winter wear to play dress up and dream of colder times.

Thirty

It's August! July flew right past me. Perhaps it's because I turned the big 3-0 and now the decade is flying by. I've been looking forward to turning 30 since I turned 25. I made two decisions at 25. One was that I was never going to be "in style" ever again and, two, was that when I turned 30 I would altogether stop caring what people thought of me. Lofty,eh?

But when I started to contemplate the work I needed to do this year in casting off the judgment of others, I came to this realization: Perhaps, I ALSO need to simultaneously mend my own judgmental attitudes. I may be doing it a different way than you would and you may be doing it a different way than I would, but we're all doing the best we can with what we know right now. And probably in the end, I'm not going to be everyone's "cup of tea" and that's okay. So world, as I navigate my thirties, please be gracious to me as I learn to also extend grace to you...especially you people who think it unnecessary to use your blinker :)