Ben shoveling the snow

 Picked up Ben after school today after helping with Mrs. Wittenburg's 2nd grade class.
He was so excited to get home.. He took his book bag into his Mom's house and went out to the garage to get the shovel.. He said "GranAnnie I'm going to shovel the snow off the walk so when mommy gets home she doesn't have to walk in the snow.."  Oh how sweet this was to hear.. He has never shoveled the walks by himself.. I was so proud of him.

Ben standing tall with his shovel...

Snow falls and it's so glistening~!

      Here we are December 12th and it's crisp and cold outside with lots of snow.. It's Iowa and it's suppose to be like this..Only not so cold..But it is winter and I love all the seasons.. So glad I have seat warmers in my new car and I can start my car from the house... gotta love it when it's this cold..  
     My daughter , Jodie has been here for couple days and she bought a remote for our garage to turn on the outside lights.. I have had to go outside and manually turn them on...garage is not connected to the house.. This is so nice now to just flip the switch and ta da the lights go on,,, Sweet~!  Jodie does so many things for us it's just so awesome...and she is so thoughtful~!
    Had a great Thanksgiving in Illinois visiting with my son, Rich and Lisa and family. Ben went with us and loved being with all his cousins and Aunt Jodie and Uncle Richie.. He pulled on the wishbone with cousin Sophia...He was so happy he won~!  

Emily Anne and my Sparky Girl Kelly~!

   

Sophia and Ben playing Monopoly.  They had a really great time playing..Ben is the banker..... and keeps right on top of things.. He knows his math and he knows just what you owe...course he can give change... He is so smart.. Can't believe he is 7 and so smart in reading and math.
       Today I went to school and helped Mrs. Wittenburg with her Christmas presents that the children are going to make and give to their parents.. I'm going back tomorrow and finish with another project she wants them to make for their parents.. There are 23 in the classroom and 4 of the children need two presents for their parents..because of divorce.  It's a lot of work but soooo rewarding,,the children are so excited to be able to make something to give to their parents. I love working with them..
     Took Ben to counseling this afternoon . It's called Play Therapy.. Not sure what it's all about but this is what the guidance counselor wants his parents to try for Ben.. So I get to take him every Thursday and we have so much fun.. Afterwards we go to Casey's store and buy a drink and a cookie and then we drive to the local cemetery and today we put our boots on and of course hats,gloves,coats (it's really cold and snowy here) and walked through the cemetery.. They have a awesome memorial for the cival war soldiers.. So we talked about the soldiers that were buried there and I told them that President Lincoln was the Pres. at that time. That is Ben's favorite President..  He loves to walk in cemeteries and read the names on the tombstones.. He asked if the ones that all had flowers were believers of God and they were the ones that were in heaven with God..and the ones without flowers were not going to heaven.. I told him ,,,No, the ones with flowers are blessed because someone that lives close went to the store and bought some  flowers and put them on their families graves..He said "Does Uncle Wally have flowers on his grave?"  We live close to his cemetery.. I said No Wally doesn't have flowers on his grave...So on Saturday after he has play practice at our church we are going to buy flowers for Wally's grave and take them and place them on his tombstone.. 
We had a nice quiet walk around this cemetery and Ben asking lots of questions and reading lots of names. I just love being with him...
Well, have a blessed day and ta ta for now from Iowa:)

The weather outside is frightful~!

This was on Monday and we had our first snow and ice.. People forgot how to drive and it was accident after accident.. Body shops will be busy for quite awhile..  and Car Dealers busy with people having to buy a new vehicle.. That will help their pocket books..
     This morning it's 9 degrees and very sunny.  No school for the kiddies and Ben's in daycare right now.. I'm going to pick him up at 3 today..He wants to play Monopoly.. We have been playing an ongoing game for 3 days now.. I just set it up and when it's time to quit we just leave the game and come back to it later.. That is the only way to play monopoly..  HE is winning so he doesn't want the game to be put away..:)  
     We are going to Barrington, Illinois to my son's house for Thanksgiving.  So this morning I have 3 pies to make.. I love making pies so I always get to bring pies when we all get together.. Need to get packed and ready to leave at 7 in the morning.. I want to get everything done so when it's 3 today I can pick up Ben and we can just play...  
       

Yesterday when I was at school helping with Mrs. Wittenburg's 2nd grade class the school in the afternoon had a 1/2 hour reading session.. Grades pre-school to 5th grade all came into the gym and sat down in groups and read ~ some to each other and some alone.. I took a chair down to the gym and Ben sat on my lap and read to me.. Then he went to his room and got my Thanksgiving present he made for me.. It says all the things he is thankful for.. I was honored and I told him how proud I was of him making this for me.. He took a picture of me (I need a haircut so bad)..It was a good time and I just love to hear him read.. He doesn't hesitate at all when reading and it just amazes me at 1st grade he can read those big hard words that some of the 2nd graders stumble on or need help... 
Guess I best get busy with the pies and packing.. You all have a great Thanksgiving~!  It's the time of year to be Thankful~!  ta ta for now from Iowa:)

Took Ben to the Library...

       

Tracie and I took Ben to the library last Saturday..It's the brand new Cedar Rapids library.. We found these very comfy chairs...and I mean comfy~!  We asked one or the librrarians how much this chair cost and she said $500... OUCH~! too much for my budget.. But it was so comfy and would be a great chair to be cozy to sit in and read a book.. Ben loved the library..We got lots of Skippy Jon Jones books that had CD's in them so he could listen and enjoy the author read the book..We had a great day..~!  While at the library Ben wanted to use the computer.. He used my library card # and played on the website where there were lots of Math problems to do.. He loves Math..THis site had Math games,, puzzles with Math,, spelling and lots more.. He played for 1/2 hour and then we were off doing something else.. He wanted to get on the computer again and play some more Math games I said you need my card so you can type in my card #..He said "No, GranAnnie I have it memorized.". Yikes~!  This libarary card # is 13 numbers plus 4 numbers for password.. I was amazed.. We had a great time at the library..We were there for 5 hours,,there's so much to do and see.
     I saw this quote the other day and thought I would share it with you..
“Do nothing that you would not like God to see. Say nothing you would not like God to hear. Write nothing you would not like God to read. Go no place where you would not like God to find you. Read no book of which you would not like God to say, "Show it to Me."  Never spend your time in such a way that you would not like to have God say, "What are you doing?” 
- J.C. Ryle

Have a Tiggeriffic Day...ta ta for now from Iowa:)

This is Ben at the playstation with his friend Jacob.. Jacob is in yellow and his Mom, Kim is in Blue..I told them they look like Mario ...Ben and his Mom, Tracie are in the middle.. He loves going to the playstation every year for his birthday with Jacob..  Ben turned 7 this year and is growing up so fast.. Yesterday I went with Tracie and Ben to the brand new Cedar Rapids Library.. He wanted to be on the computer to do a math program (he loves math)...Had to enter my library card number which is 13 numbers.. I told Ben what to type along with my password.. I couldn't believe it the 2nd time we did this he didn't need my card,,he knew the numbers including the password.. Oh my goodness~!  that was so amazing to me that he could remember ALL those numbers.. I think you call this a math whiz...When he does the math or subtraction problems he doesn't even think about it he just writes the answer down  like 7+3 =10.  It's like reading words, no hesitation..  WOW~!  

       He is very interested in Planets right now.. We found 2 really good books on the subject.. I told him we should make the planets and color them and hang them from the ceiling in his bedroom.. He said yes,,we can start with mercury and go from the smallest to the largest.. He said "GranAnnie just to let you know the earth is not the largest ~~~~it's the sun...What a boy... !~!~!

Here is Ben having a good time with lights out and us singing "Happy Birthday". He was so happy~! This was a video and I don't know how to put a video on my blog.. Lots of loud singing ~ in tune and out of tune.. But Ben loved it and we had a great time celebrating his 7th birthday...
           Went to church this morning and because Ben was with his Mom this week he gets to go to church with PaPa Dee Dee and me...The Sunday School is practicing for the Christmas Program ... He said after church that he had a great time and he loves singing to Jesus..He really enjoys going to church with us.. There was a baptism this morning and he was really fascinated with what was going on...he said he would like to someday go under that water just like Jesus did with John the Baptist.. (He remembered the story I told him couple weeks ago)..what a memory he has .. bless his heart.. He accepted God into his life, kneeling next to his bed awhile ago.. He said he wanted to be sure he was in the Lambs book of life.. on God's hand.. I cried..what a tender moment that was for me to listen to him give a heart felt talk to God..wanting God to be in his heart and his name on God's hand.. Sweet~!  What a blessing ~!
       Today was a warm,,rainy day.. After church we dropped Ben off to his Mom's house and we went to Culvers for lunch.. There were lots of people there.. When we got home I took a nap.. Isn't that what Sunday afternoons are for...?
Now I'm going to get some popcorn popped and get ready for the Amazing Race ....I really like this show..  So on that note..Have a Blessed Day~!~! ta ta for now from Iowa:)

Yesterday Dave and I went to Ben's house for his birthday party.. He was with his Dad on Tues.November 12 when it was his b-day but now he is with his Mom for a week and it's time to celebrate.. He wanted a marble cake so his Mom found a camouflage cake that would be good for Mind Craft theme.. She found a small toy in the toy Dept. of WalMart and ta da...the cake was complete.. Ben really likes playing Mind Craft.. I don't understand it but he does and it keeps him quite busy..
      Aunt Jodie sent him a book of Skippy Jon Jones and the stuffed Skippy Jon Jones.. What a delightful book.. He was so excited when he saw the stuffed Skippy Jon Jones.Skippy Jon Jones is a Siamese Cat and he has such big ears and a big head he thinks he is a Chiwawa..spelling all wrong , there is even a little Spanish language. It's a really fun book.  . He was elated...jumping up and down and hugging hugging with all his might.. It was so fun to watch.. His mom has lots of pictures..Even a video of us singing Happy Birthday and blowing out the candles.. I have so many great memories of birthdays I had in the past..Poor Dave has none.. His family did not recognize birthdays.. We had a great time and Ben had a good time playing with everything he got for his birthday...

Happy 7th Birthday Ben ..Yippee Ya--Hoo~!
We are going to the Cedar Rapids library today to check out some Skippy Jon Jones books.. and go to Ben's favorite restaurant... Pizza Ranch...
Have a Tiggeriffic Day~! ta ta for now from Iowa:)

The Joys of Life~!

This is my best friend, Holly...She is my prayer partner and my help when needed...we are at a Steven Curtis Chapman concert . We came with her family and other friends. It was a great concert and Steven Curtis Chapman is such a great entertainer.  It was fun singing along and praising God.. 

Friends like Holly are such a joy~!  People always ask if we are sisters.. Holly is 46 and I'm 69...quite a age difference.. I always tell people that we are actually twins...we were just parted at birth...  We always laugh.. I didn't meet Holly until we moved here from Ohio.. She has 2 children, Caryn and Nathan..age 11 and 15.. Her husband, Fred works at Collins Rockwell.  Has a great job . We had a great evening~!  Praising God~!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

In my devotional for today it talks about getting a Spiritual CheckUp...:

The Psalmist prayed, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Ps 139:23-24)  

If you're wise you'll visit your doctor and get a regular physical checkups. You'll also go to God for regular spiritual checkups.  In what areas?  

1. Your salvation.  "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new"..(2Col 5:17) Was there ever a time in your life when you repented of your sin and placed your trust in Jesus to save you? Have you surrendered to Him and made Him Lord of your life?

2. Your devotional life. "I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day  (Ps. 119;97) "Your word is very pure, therefore Your servant loves it ...Do you read and meditate on God's Word each day?  Are your

personal devotions consistent and meaningful?  Do you try to apply the principles of Scripture to each circumstance you're in?

3. Your humility..God says "I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. Isa 57:15 Are you quick to recognize and agree with God when you have sinned?  Are you quick to admit to others when you are wrong?  Can you rejoice at others' successes, even when yours goes unnoticed? Do you esteem others as better than yourself?  Do you live with a sense of dependence upon God?    

     Praise God if you have had a Spiritual CheckUp today...

The Lord searches every heart and understands every motive... God Loves Us So Much  ~!

Have a Tiggeriffic Day~! Ta Ta For Now from Iowa:)

I love snowmen and birds~!

This morning I took a picture of this card.. It's so whimsical and it just makes me smile..I love the colors and I love that whoever drew this card made the snowlady a necklace.. and earrings...Her purse is a bird feeder..Sweet~!~!  This is how our lives should be everyday...lots of smiles ~caring for others, even though these are birds... I was at the grocery store the other day and when I was driving down the street I saw this older lady getting off at the bus stop..She had two heavy bags and could barely walk..and it was raining.  I turned the car around and pulled up beside her ..;put my window down and said "Mam do you need a ride?"    She looked at me very surprised and then she said yes... She got into my car and I said "Do you live far?"  She said 1 mile ... Oh my , I said and you are going to walk in this weather?"  She said "Well it wasn't raining when I left the house.." I asked her if she had anymore shopping to do and she said she had a prescription to pick up at the Hy-Vee grocery store.. I told her that we could stop there and she could go in and get it...which she did.( I told her "Do you know if you call Hy-Vee they will mail it to you?) She said She didn't know that and thanked me. I then took her home and yes it was 1 mile away.. She thanked me over and over and wanted to pay me.. I told her "No, that if she paid me she would be missing God's blessing"... She had tears and told me that this had never happened to her before.. I told her that God must of placed me in the right place to see that she needed help.. I love helping other people whenever I can and it just makes me smile and just Thank God..~!
     This morning as I was sitting here at my desk  typing this and looking out window at the birds at the bird feeder. Drinking my coffee yum yum~! A small buck deer with a nice rack on his head walk to the platform bird feeder and then came up to the window where I was sitting and looked in....OMGoodness~! I just sat very very still and didn't move a muscle.. I wanted to take a picture so bad but knew if I even blinked my eyes he would run off.. So I just soaked in the wonderment of him looking at me and I looking at him and then he casually left and walked out to my vegetable garden and ate the apples I had left there early this morning..I just sat here watching him and then off he sprang...white tail in the air and running towards our pasture..  My oh My what a blessing that was to see something that magnificent eye to eye.. I just sat here Praising God ~!  There is beauty all around us,,we just have to be very still and be alert to see it and then enjoy it when it comes our way...God is so good and he loves us so much~!
      Knitting slippers last couple of weeks.. Got my son-in-law's done and in the mail and this morning I finished my daughter, Jodie's slippers (purple) ,,hubby took them with him and mailed them for me.. Jodie is going to be so happy.. She said her floors are cold and she can hardly wait to put these slippers on her feet.. Now I just cast on yarn for the 3rd pair of slippers.. Lime Green,,these are going to be for Ben... He requested a pair after he saw that I was making some for his Aunt Jodie.. He loves her so much..
I finally fiqured out how to cast on two pair slippers using circular knitting needles. Oh how nice this is: make two slippers at the same time.. I'm on a roll...
        Have a Tiggeriffic and Blessed Day~!~! ta ta for now from Iowa:)
       

The Hogs Have Arrived~!

 

This morning the sun is shining very bright and the snow is shining on the grass like small gems..The bluejays showed up this morning as usual and are hogging the food at the feeder.. They are so bright and blue with the sun shining on them brightly.  It snowed yesterday, just enough to stick to the grass and shine brightly this morning.. I can hear people moaning about this snow.. It's actually something that is suppose to happen here in Iowa..That is why sometimes Iowa is referred as the 5 seasons state.. We get Spring,Summer,Fall, WInter and then  sometimes Indian Summer... I love Iowa because of the seasons and the texture of the land.. Our neighbors are 1/4 mile away from my home in all directions.. Our school system that is near is only 350 students from K-12 grade.. We have 8 man football which this year almost got to go to state..Our Volleyball girls are having their first try at state Wednesday evening.. in downtown Cedar Rapids... Go Orioles~!Today is Ben's 7th Birthday~!  I will be seeing him at lunch today as I will be at school helping with the 2nd graders.  This computer this morning is going Whak-oo.. Underlining everything I tried to correct it but -. Oh well, I have no time to fiqure it out and it well just have to be what it's going to be.  I can hardly wait to see Ben at lunch.. I bought a cupcake for him and I'm going to sing to him, softly.. Wouldn't want to embarass him.. Lol...He is with his Dad this week and I haven't seen him since Friday. I'm sure his Dad and family have birthday plans this evening.  Tracie (Ben's mom) and I are planning on Saturday to have a big party for him.. Cake ice cream presents and all the exitement that goes with him turning 7.  It was 14 degrees this morning a little crisp....sun was shining and everything is O.K. and normal for Iowa.. If your day starts out with a moan or groan because of what you see outside.. just look at the bright side of life and make it into lemonade...smile  and look at the bright side of life..take a deep sigh  and start thanking God for all the blessings he has given you daily, every minute,every second and soon and very soon your gloom will bloom into a very happy productive day.. Turn the radio on  (only Christian music here)  and listen to the praise music.. and sing along with the songs you know.. Life is Good~! I just praise God and thank him for every blessing he has given to me..   Have a Tiggeriffic Day~! ta ta for now from Iowa:)

Woman's Retreat..

This last week=end I attended a Ladies's Retreat here in Iowa..As you came into the entrance of the camp this is what you saw.. Amazing ~!  It was so cool and the sun was shining just right that everything had a glow.. Especially with all the leaves in full fall color.. I sent this picture to my grandaughter, Kelsy and she said 'Oh GranAnnie this is where I went to church camp for many years".  She said she had lots of memories visiting here every year.. Kelsy is now 22 years old.. I had a great time here at this Women's Retreat.. This week=end it was in the 50's and the sun was shining and making everything seem warmer than it was.. IT was good to get outside and take a walk and have the leaves rustle as you walked through the paths..I could just imagine what it would of been like to hear the laughter of children and hearing them sing the camp songs at the campfire every evening. Kum By Yah~!  A lot of friendships were made and many memories ~!  The name of the camp was Camp Io Dis E Ca..    It was a great meeting of a lot of women who joined in song, fellowship and lots of prayer..
      This morning my friend, Holly and I went to the local Hy-Vee Grocery store ... Hy-Vee every year makes free breakfast for all the Veterans..The Boy Scouts volunteer their services and deliver their breakfast they have ordered to them personally and then gather their trays when they are finished.. I have gone for the last 3 years and I like to greet the veterans with a hand shake and hear their stories... Every year I learn something new and hear lots of new stories.. Of course there is always lots of tears because these men are so grateful that you want to shake their hands and listen to their stories..  I learned this morning that in order to be able to be on a submarine you had to take two tests to qualify.  WOW,,,without this test you would experience pressure to your ears if you didn't know what to do and your ear drums would burst.. I told him he was very brave... I met a man who was in World War 2 and he flew with the flying tigers.. Google Flying Tigers.. These boys (300) 1941 flew in burma and  volunteered to be able to fly in this group of courageous men.. He said his best friend was next to him in his airplane and he was shot down.. He cried.. This is what their airplanes looked like.. They look like flying sharks... These boys were very brave..   
       Most of the men I met today was in the Vietnam or Korean War..I told them it was a honor to shake their hands and tell them from my heart "Thank You"..

It's a great Friday~!~!

This is Natalia...she is in the 2nd grade that I volunteer for on Tues..and Fridays...She is such a beautiful young girl..Her mom and dad are from Russia and she was born here in America... I really enjoy her so much..She reads 6th grade level and her math is 3rd grade..She is a very sweet girl.. That is the Halloween shirt and pants I wore that day.. Natalia was Pippa Long Stockings . Her mom had put a wire in her braid so it could bend to look like Pippy Long Stockings hair.. she was so cute..
        
Today I get to go to my Church Women's Retreat.. It starts at 6 this evening and goes until 4 on Saturday.. It's going to be at a church camp... Teachings are going to me Manifestations of Insecurities...Being Secure in Christ....How Insecurities Affect our Relationships.. I love these retreats ~~it's a time to get away and be with other women..to pray..worship....sing..listen to teachings...laugh...and lots of encouragement.. My bags are packed and right after I get done helping the 2nd graders I'm off like a bat...ha ha..
Ben goes with his Dad tonight and poor Rocco well have to stay the night by himself.. But I'll be with him on Saturday night...  Tracie well be back home from Jamaica on Sunday...  She will have lots to tell us ~!
       Have a Tiggeriffic Day~!~!  ta ta for now from Iowa:)

Ben loving his dog Rocco~!

Ben loves his dog, Rocco~!  His mom went on a trip to Jamaica with her fellow workers and her boss that owns the Chiropractor Office.  Dr. Johnson..  So GranAnnie is staying with Ben and Rocco for a few days while mom is gone.. Ben said last night "GranAnnie take a picture of Rocco and me and send it to Mom and tell her We miss her~!"... AWWWW~! sweet. 
 She will be gone Wed. to Sunday...  Ben goes to his Dad's on Friday evening and well be with his Dad until next Friday..  I will miss him... His birthday is next Tues..11/12 and he will be 7 years old... We are going to have a party tonight...I bought him Star War Lego and he can put it together this evening.. He requested apple crisp and vanilla ice cream instead of cake.. So that is what I made today.. At 3:30 I'll get him at the bus stop.. He loves riding the bus..
        He was so excited when he got off the bus yesterday afternoon.. He had a good day and earned 26 points and earned some time to play legos with the librarian...Plus I bought some books at the book fair and gave them to the counselor to give him on days that he earned more points.. He loves books... He earned a book yesterday.. names Charlie..It's about a dog.. He has been working towards this book for many weeks.. 

This is Ben's teacher ,Mrs. Schlotterbeck.. Last Friday the school had Character Book Parade.. One was suppose to dress up like a character that is in a book.  Ben was Power Rangers.. his teacher is Skippy Jon Jones..  We love these books..  His teacher even has the stuffed animal..Which now Ben wants...mmmm?  birthday is coming up. Have a tiggeriffic Day~!~!  One more day and it's Friday:)  ta ta for now from Iowa:)

Power Ranger came for a visit ~!

Power Ranger came to my house last night Trick or Treating.. He gave me a big kiss and hug ~ When he gave me a kiss he lifted his mask.. It was Ben~!~!  I was so excited..
He showed me some of his prizes that he had picked up on the way to my house.. He had a rubbery eyeball that if you threw it it stuck to the wall and then flattened out and then reshaped itself and fell to the floor.. Oh Ben thought that was so cool~!  I gave him some small candy bars.. He loves dark chocolate.. He says it's more healthy for you... :)
       Today on Facebook someone had this recipe for Crockpot Apple Crisp... MMMMMM~! I made it right away and it was really good this evening with our supper..  I made ham and beans soup and apple crisp~ just hit the spot.
Here is the recipe:

Crockpot Apple Crisp
4-5 cups apples, sliced
1 cup of oats
1 1/2 cups flour
1cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup regular sugar
3 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 cup butter
Spray Crock-Pot with nonstick spray. Line with apples. Melt butter and mix with all remaining ingredients.  Pour mixture over apples.
Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 4 hours..

Tomorrow is Character Parade Day at school. the children dress like their favorite book character. they have to have a book to show what character they are.. Ben is going as a Power Ranger .  I asked his dad if he had the book.. He said "NO". I told him no problem I'll run into Marion Library and see if they have one.. (I called before I left the house). They had 4 ~~ so I chose one and called Cory and told him I found the power ranger book and he could stop by the house and pick it up in the morning when he took Ben to school.. What would parents do without Grandparents.  It's a good thing and I don't mind helping out..  It's so important to our grandchildren ~!  Ben is all set now for Character Day at school.. The parade will be in the morning and their fall party will be in the afternoon. No calling the party Halloween...it is fall party.. how things have changed..
        Well you all have a great and Tiggeriffic Day....ta ta for now from Iowa:)

Happy Halloween~!

 Here is my grandaughter, Emily who is dressed up like a genius.. She doesn't really have to dress up like a genius because she already is one.. She is such a sweetie ~!  She is coming to my house for Christmas break and for Spring break.. We always have a great time. She goes with me to Springville school to volunteer with me with the 2nd graders.. They just lover her.. Someday I can see that she will be a teacher and a good one.  She is a remarkable young Christain Lady...~!  

This is Sophia...she is my grandaughter also...she is dressed up like a Vampire Queen.. Vampire seems to be the theme this year for girls.. There are a lot of girls saying they are going to be vampires in the 2nd grade where I volunteer.. The boys are going to be zombies.. yikes~!  
Sophia is a beautiful young girl who likes to ride her bike a lot with the kids in her neighborhood.. It's so fun to watch her when we go to their house and see how entertaining she is with her friends.. She is in 3rd grade this year....and loves stuffed animals...
       This morning in my devotions it was titled: Stop Comparing Yourself To Others.
       One definition of success is: "gaining wealth and fame."
Should you pick an arbitrary target? Should you compare yourself to others?  What if you have decided to devote yourself to raising children of character, or serving your church and your community?  Does that mean you are less successful?  No..Success is doing the best you can, with what you have, wherever you are in life.  The Bible warns , "When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise." When you play the comparison game you are like the two cows that saw the milk truck go by with a sign , "Pasteurized, homogenized, Vitamin A added." One cow said to the other, "Makes you feel sort of inadequate, doesn't it ?"  God will help you be all that you can be, but He will never help you be someone else.  When you focus your attention on who you aren't by comparing yourself with someone else, you lose sight of who you need to become.  Ever heard of the eighteen/forty/sixty rule? When you're eighteen, you worry about what everybody's thinking about you. When you're forty, you realize that it doesn't really matter what they think about you.  When you're sixty, it dawns on you most of them weren't thinking about you at all~!  Paul's life changed dramatically with one question: "Lord, what do You want me to do?" (Act 9:6) Only when you ask that question, will you discover who you are and what God's calling you to be..
    Boy isn't this so true.. I don't worry what people think about me..I just do what I think I want to do and don't worry about what people think.. This worrying about what people think is a paranoia, fear, and gets your mind to over working and makes the problem bigger.. Really who cares what people think~ if you are asking God "What do You want me to do?" you will discover who you are and what God's calling you to be..
       Have a Tiggeriffic Day~!  ta ta for now from Iowa:)
       

Isn't this the most cutest card.. I took a picture of it and hope I won't get in trouble putting it here.. I just love chickadees and snowmen.. I love the carrot and seeing the big flakes of snow coming down.. Winter is such a magical time... It's just right around the corner here in Iowa... IT's 41 degrees this morning and we are suppose to get a chance of rain today.. 
Getting ready to go to school to volunteer with the 2nd graders.. 23 in the class.. Big class.. I go on Tuesdays and Fridays.. The kids are now used to me being there and when I arrive I can hear them whisper ~ Anne is here, always makes me smile.. 
     Last night while watching the World Series while knitting a pair of slippers for my daughter and son in law ~ I was able to get one slipper completed because the St. Louis Cardinals weren't doing so well.. Dog Gone those boys they should of won last night and the World Series would be won by the Cardinals.. Oh well, off we go to Boston and we get to see our favorite teams play somemore..:)   I decided that today after school I'm going to Marion ,Ia. to buy me some circular needles and when I'm making one slipper I can cast the other slipper onto the needles and make two while I'm making one.. That sounds easy to me..and making two at once would be great.. I know people that do this when making mittens or socks.. I even saw on a knitting website someone making socks one inside the other and making two at the same time.. That would be awesome...~!
        The birds are fed this morning and happy happy.. I saw a Eurasia Morning Dove this morning.. They are not suppose to be in this area.. Sitting next to the Morning Doves that come to my feeder the Eurasia is much much larger... and much lighter grey.. When birds are migrating one can get different birds at their feeders. The white crowned sparrows arrived yesterday.. They are just migrating. I love their bright white stripes next to their heads on either side.. 
         Must get going~~~Have a Tiggeriffic Day~! ta ta for now from Iowa:)

Stephen Curtis Chapman Concert~!

Sunday I went to Stephen Curtis Chapman concert at the Paramont Theater in Cedar Rapids, Iowa..  What an awesome concert.. It was so much fun to set in this theater and be so close to the stage.. Not like sitting in the FIve Seasons Center where you can only afford to set in the nose bleed area..  I really like Stephen Curtis Chapman  and his singing.. He has been making albums for 26 years.. It was fun to sing along to some of his old songs.. and his new songs.  It was a great concert.
    Today is Monday and it's windy outside. 45 outside and sunny.. Today I am going to get out the plastic and cover the porch door to keep out the winter breezes and the snow.. Don't know what I was thinking or the carpenter was thinking when he put in the new windows and a new door. I wish I would of thought it all out and told him that storm door needed a inside door to keep out the blustery windy weather.. So until next spring I'll just put plastic over it and keep out the cold cold weather..
Enjoying the World Series~!  Each game has something to add to it's excitement.. Not boring this year... Last nights game was quite a heart sinker.. The Cardinals having a basemen not on base and not being able to get back on base in time..."Your out~!"  says the umpire and that ended the game.. Hope tonights game ends with the Cardinals winning.. All the beards and bad hair these baseball players have is head shaking ....Just hope it's not contagious for High School kids to do for the spring season in their baseball playing...The peach fuzz will be fun to laugh at... I love baseball especially when it comes to the World Series..and especially when the St. Louis Cards are playing...Go Cards~!  Watching the game with my son-in-law is like watching a volcano go off..spewing anger and words all over~!  when the Cards are not doing well.... Lets hope tonight they play up to speed...and win win win~!
         Just had a Honey Crisp Apple.. I love to cut it up with the skins on ~~sprinkle cinnamon on top ~~put it in the Micro Wave for 5 minutes...Oh it's so good...~!  Wish I had some Greek Yogert  I would of put it on top and eat and say "Yum Yum Yum"  ~!  These apples are very expensive but worth having a few on hand now that's it's fall...When the kids were home I used to make them Apple Dumplings..now that is something that is delish with some vanilla ice cream on top...mmmmmm good~!
         Have a great day~!~!  ta ta for now from Iowa:)
        

Let it Snow~!

On Tuesday it snowed 2 inches.. What a surprise.. I really liked sitting inside here and watching the snow come down in big flakes.. My Grandma always said Big Flakes not a lot of snow..Little snow means you are going to get a lot of snow.. So for our first snow it was nice and melted all away the next day.

Ben really likes Star War Lego's..He built this one in an evening. He is so smart.. I can't believe how he can put it together and knows what the picture is showing.. Every other Thursday the Marion ,Iowa library has Lego Club.. I take him there with his friend Grant.. Their is 2 huge tubs that they have full of lego's and the kids dump them onto the floor and then off they go picking out the legos they want to make their lego project.. Afterwards the library has a built in bookshelf with glass doors.. The kids take their lego project they built and put it on the shelf and put a name tag in front of what they built.. It stays there for 2 weeks and then it all comes back into the room and is dismantled and then the kids make something else... Ben loves going to Lego Club...  This Thursday I took Ben and Grant right after school..the club lasts from 3 to 5p.m.  They got their project done and displayed and then they went back into the room and helped other kids gather parts for the projects they were working on..I thought that was very nice of them to do that..
        Before we left we went over to the library side and the boys got to pick out one book to check out and take home with them..Ben picked out SkippyjonJones book called SkippyjonJones in the DogHouse.. It even had a CD in the back so you could put it in a CD player and listen to the author Judy Schachner read the book.. How fun is that?  Fantastic.  This pun-filled spoof is over-the-top comedy littered with Spanish words....ay caramba mucho fun~!~! all kids right now read about SkippyjonJones who is a siamese cat but wants to be a chihuahua. Ben and Grant just love to read SkippyjonJones~!~!

It snowed last Tuesday ~2 inches~ It was beautiful~!

This is Wednesday morning.. What a beautiful morning. the sun was out and the leaves on the trees showed up so bright and colorful... Noticed that the Junco bird has arrived in Iowa.. This is the first bird that shows up for winter.. on my bird feeders.. They are so pretty... You know winter is here for sure when you see them..
        Had Ben here on Thurday night and all day Friday..(no School on Friday).. We had such a great time.. We played with his Lego's...then we played games,  Battleship and Parcheesi... He loves to play games...When we play battleship I always move my boats to where he calls first..I tell him  "Are you looking at my board ?"  HE smiles and says "No"  I tell him he must be a good guesser.. This helps his self-esteem...I don't do this with every game but I think every chance I get I well try and build his self-esteem up.. Kids need that..
        His Dad picked him up on Friday afternoon. I hated to see him go....but it was time..He will be with his dad for a week before I get to see him again..He will come back to his Mom's next Friday...It will be a long week.. I just love my grandchildren and any chance I get to be with them I jump to the chance.. Grandchildren are a gift from God..
        Getting the itch to knit.. So guess I'll be making my daughter Jodie and her hubby Mark some slippers.. She said the ones I made last year has holes in the heels and they are needing new ones.. IT's that time of year to get the needles out and start click clacking.....
        Have a great Saturday~~~~ta ta for now from Iowa~!

Pumpkin Patch Pizazz~!

 Yesterday Tracie and I took Ben to Monticello to the Pumpkin Patch Pizzazz... Oh he had so much fun~!  There were Sack Races...Wish there had been some kids here so he could race with them..   There were kids there but just not at this spot..GranAnnie can't do the sack race..

I just love this pose I got with him jumping.. (computer is acting up) (can't get it not to underline..)

They had this big plastic bucket ... what a hoot~!  Kids would get inside and walk it one way and then the other way.. It was pretty slippery..  There were a lot of kids there today..even thou it was chilly..  It was a great pumpkin place to take Ben.. 

The birds are busy this morning at the feeder.. Forecast calls for rain/snow..It's that time of year and time to be cold and all the different weather conditions.. Looking out my window here at my desk ~~ I can see the Junco's have arrived.. they are the first bird to come to tell us that winter has arrived.. I'm sure they are thankful for the seed in the birdfeeder.

      picking up Ben today at school so we can go to the library and pick out some books at the Book Fair.. He has become an avid reader and loves books..just like GranAnnie and Aunt Jodie..   Have a great day~! ta ta for now from Iowa:)

Ben Playing with his Big Red Ball

Spring is trying to come to Iowa.. It's a fairly warm day for Ben to go outside and jump on his trampoline.. He loves to take his mom's exercise ball out and play with it on the trampoline.
He is growing taller and getting bigger .  Can't believe that he is 6 and Kindergarten is almost over for this year.. His testing showed that he is reading at 1st grade level and 2nd grade math.. He is very smart.  We love to play cards, board games and of course Mario on the WII game and Mindcraft on my kindle fire.. I don't play Mindcraft but I do enjoy watching him play the game.. This must be a very popular game right now with kids..  
       It's been raining almost everyday here in Iowa...IT gets a little tiring but know that it is replenishing our well with water after the severe drought we had this last summer.  The creeks and rivers are running a little high.. The other day as I was driving through our town , it was raining and 3 little boys had their fishing poles and buckets running toward the river. I guess when it's raining the fish bite easier... Hope so,, they sure did look excited to get to the river and throw their fish lines into the water..
       My tulips are coming up and that is a good sign.. The birds are singing their spring mating songs and it's good to hear the Cardinal tell us how beautiful he is..and to have him say "Hi" with his "What Cheer"..."What Cheer"..  Awe the sounds of Spring.. now if the weather would just warm up and the sun to shine more than one day...that would be so nice.. I can hardly wait to go outside without a jacket.  
         Last Saturday I was raking under the lilac bush and getting all the old sunflower seed shells cleaned up and 1 truck and 2 cars drove into the driveway.. It was the Boy Scouts...troop 57.  They were here to help me clean up the yard.. Every year they have a day where they go and help people with cleaning up their yards or washing windows, or whatever you would like them to do for you.. They just ask for donations.  In 1 1/2 hour they had my whole yard cleaned, sticks picked up and pine cones and corn cobs raked up.  It looked really really good when they were finished and it just made me so happy and grateful.. I paid them and they all thanked me.. It was a good day... I plan on having them come back in the fall and help with the fall yard cleanup.. It was worth every dollar I paid them..they did a great job~!...
          Time to get ready for tomorrow..Going to go to Springville School to help Mrs. Wittenburg with the 2nd graders.. I just helping these kids.. They are so much fun~!
ta ta for now from Iowa:)

Storm has passe

   Big storm came through yesterday.. Weatherman predicting 4 to 8 inches... Well ~ we got 6 inches and the storm was finished by afternoon.. There was suppose to be strong winds and drifting snow.. Was so happy to not get the winds and today it's going to be a beautiful day~!  Sunny...It's already 28 and that is good.
     I'm leaving here in a little bit to go to Illinois to take care of my Illinois grandchildren (4).. Son, Rich and his wife,Lisa are in Las Vages for their anniversary.. They have been sending lots of pictures and looks like they are so enjoying themselves.. They will be back in Chicago on Friday afternoon... Lisa's mom has been there for 2 1/2 days and I'll be there for a couple days until they get home..
     The pheasants (3) are at the feeder this morning.. One has lost all his tailfeathers.. I looked it up to see why he has no tail feathers. It said that they when birds lose their tail feathers it's called fright mold.  It's a survival mode that occurs during trama.  All the tail feathers pop out to confuse their predator. The feathers will grow back about 4 to 6 weeks..   That is good because this bird looks funny without his tail feathers..
       This morning in my devotion it talked about Spiritual Maturity comes by degrees..
How would you describe someone who is spiritually mature? Leonard Wedel says: "A mature person does not take himself too seriously...keeps himself alert in mind ...does not always view with alarm every adverse situation that arises...Is too big to be little...never feels to great to do little things, and is never too proud to do humble things...never accepts either success or failure in themselves as permanent...is one who is able to control his or her impulses...is not afraid to make mistakes...has faith in themselves which becomes stronger as it is fortified by their faith in God."  So measured by that standard, how well are you doing ?  Are you able to evaluate your progress,without getting discouraged or feeling condemned?  Can you look at how far you still have to go, yet be able to appreciate and celebrate how far you have already come?  The Bible says we are changed "from one degree of glory to another."  Notice, spiritual maturity takes place by degrees.. In small steps, not giant leaps.. You must learn to live by God's Word, not by how you feel , for His Word states that as long as you believe, God is working in you:  "The Word of God...is effectually at work in you who believe (exercising it's superhuman power in those who adhere to and trust in and rely on it) " (1TH 2:13)  There is a direct connection between your daily intake of God's Word and your maturity level.. And the good news is, God hasn't left us to do it on our own. "We...are being transformed...from glory to glory...by the Spirit" (2Co 3:18)
Have a Blessed Day~! ta ta for now from Iowa

Come to the Light~!

This week-end was our Women's Retreat in Wyoming , Iowa.. What a great time we had.. 25 women came and what a joyous time we had. The picture is how our tables were decorated.. I loved the tulips...and the spring decorations..~! 
Friday evening we had a great supper served by some ladies at the camp. I showed the girls how to make candles.. They really liked this project and was able to take a candle home with them...Then we had worship time and sang songs.  We watched 3 videos from Women of Faith, Nicole Johnson.. Oh she is so awesome,,,we watched a funny one ...one that was a little funny....and then a serious one.. We had a candle ceremony to show how much God loves us and we need to show our light...our Holy Spirit light.. We then all went to bed after singing lots of worship songs.. The full moon was out and it was shining on my bed in the middle of the night.It was so beautiful.
      Saturday morning we had a wonderful breakfast.. sang more worship songs and then Nancy Griffith game us a message called "Come to the Light".. She is a fantastic speaker and we had 3 girls come forward to accept Christ into their lives... I cried and thought it was just wonderful.. I'm sure God was happy too.   After lunch all the girls gathered their things and packed their cars to get ready to go home.. We all gathered into the dining area and we just sat and talked about our week-end.. They didn't want it to end.. course neither did I... 
     When we parted we had lots of hugs to give to each other and we all got into our cars and went home... It was a successful week-end and God blessed us with another Ladie's retreat..~! 
ta ta for now from Iowa:)

Hungry Birds

 Snow Snow Snowing briskly.. Birds are at the feeder just eating and drinking at the bird bath... So happy to see so many birds. I think I can count almost 20 cardinals , if they would just sit still I could get them all counted.. They are so pretty against the snow...  
This is how we need to be  reading God's word.. Hungry and thirsting...to read what he has in store for us each day..

This week-=end I am going to Wyoming, Iowa for a Women's Retreat that Holly my friend and I have organized.. It's going to be so exciting.. We have nose whistles which I had never seen and they are so cool...We have a young lady named Hope who is going to be our music leader and we have many praise music songs to sing...(7)..all new to us... Our theme this year is Come to the Light... We have a guest speaker coming ~ Nancy Griffith..she is amazing and well give us a message straight from  God..   I'm going to teach the girls how to make candles so they can have light to take home with them to remember we are filled with the Holy Spirit.. If you don't read your bibles daily and pray and have a conversation with God daily,,your Holy Spirit light is going to go off and turn into ashes... then to re -light it is so easy ~ just get back into the word and speaking to God again... God is waiting for us...  
      Sometimes we get attacked with Satan having people to try and discourage us.  But this morning I read my devotion and it says :  As long as you're in this world you'll have problems.. Nobody gets a free pass.  But don't worry, the Lord's got everything under control.. Just learn to be realistic.. You will always have to deal with unpleasant situations, stubborn problems and difficult people. But your attitude (not theirs) is what determines whether or not you enjoy life..  And I doooo enjoy my life~!~!
Have a great day~!  God Bless you All...ta ta for now from Iowa:)

Mr. Pheasant is hungry~!

This morning I woke up early ~ 6-ish.. It's snowing so softly this morning, just coming down in swirls.. I went outside right away to clear the snow away from the ground where the birds feed to keep their feet warm as they are eating.. Notice sometimes they have one leg up?  They are trying to keep the other foot warm..  I put out the black sunflower seed and had several cobs of corn that I shucked off the cob so it would be easier for them to get to..Yes, I spoil my birds..   I came back into the house and got my coffee.. I watched right outside my window for the birds to come..  This beauty of a bird, Mr. Pheasant came right up to the feeder and stayed for quite awhile..  He is pretty fat so he has been eating well this winter.   There were actually 30 of them but this is the only one that was brave enough to come to the feeder.. The others ran madly into the field and into the pasture.. They were so funny to watch with their necks stretched out and pale maling across the yard and into the field that will take them to the pasture..  
         Yesterday the weatherman was predicting for this area to get 5 to 8 inches of snow.. I think so far we have gotten 4 inches..  It's still snowing and it looks lovely.  At least the wind isn't blowing 90 miles an hour and it's really peaceful looking out there.. The school is having a 2 hour delay today.. I'm enjoying my morning with my coffee and reading all my favorite blogs and being in my PJ's before I go into the school to volunteer with the 2nd graders.. I'll get to see Ben in Kindergarden and have lunch with him today.. He is such a joy~!   
       Think I'll make some chilli and put it into the crock pot to cook slowly.. That will taste good on this winter day.. for our supper~!  
       This morning in my devotion it was talking about how God's presence will give you rest.. Unless we spend time in God's presence we will always have an underlying sense of insecurity.  There are certain people we draw security from just by being around them: their presence and approach to life make us feel better. Likewise , when you need to be lifted and strengthened you must spend time with God.  Being in His presence is like being in a room filled with perfume; you take the fragrance of it with you when you leave.  God can give you rest in the midst of trouble, and peace in the midst of conflict.  That includes a difficult workplace, or a home that's in constant turmoil.  God's presence can help you to show love in the face of  mistreatment, and patience in times of stress.  It can help you to bring positive change without a lot of words, and end up feeling good about the way you handled things. So spend time  in God's presence today..
Have a tiggeriffic day~!  Ta ta for now from Iowa:)