God’s faithfulness, love, Nana’s angels

Brazil—Brasil to me….you see I grew up down there. In fact I knew how to write Portuguese before I could write English….would you believe?? Guess when you are six and are in a Brasilian school that is exactly what you would learn to do. I could speak english….YEAH as my parents are Americans. But I did learn to stand at attention and sing the Brasilian Nathional anthem at a very young age….My nieces and kids use to LOVE to hear my sister and I start singing it. They would laugh as we stood to attention and would sing the song as loud as we could possible sing it.

I am trying my hardest to insert a picture into this thing but I guess I am just going to have to have my dear sweet hubby do it….as I told you he is WAY better at computers than I am….but where was I in my little story.

I went to Brazil as a 6 year old so I did learn to read and write Portuguese before English. My dad would translate my letters to my grandma….from Portuguese to English. It was either you learn Portuguese or you end up saying the wrong things at school and at play. So, we learned very quickly while our parents were struggling with language learning. Dad was a missionary and started YFC down in Brasil in the 50’s…..he became very fluent in the language and could preach, preach, preach but when it came to just daily communication he relied on us!!

I didn’t even realize at the time that I also was learning the Brasilian Culture as I was learning their beautiful language. It is awesome to learn from others.

So now as an adult I have had the privelege of going down there for the past 6 summers. It has been such a blessing and so much fun to be back down there with the Brasilian people. They are awesome and the food is yummy…….just ask my kids. Whenever we get together they want a brazilian meal with everything….pasteis, bifes, rice & beans and a good vegetable salad with heart of palm on it. OH…let’s no forget the dessert. It is like a flan…easy to make and delicious.

So we are off again this summer and this time down by where I use to live so that makes it really special!!

Somehow I wrote a long lengthy blog about North Carolina but when  I published it I somehow LOST it.  How very SAD….so now I have to start all over again!!  Sigh!!   So here goes….I just might get this blog thing figured out one of these days.  I tried to post a picture on this too but I need my daughter’s help.  She is the one that has encouraged me to write and has her own blog, she is the greatest!! 

Anyway………………what can I say about my little corner of the world??  We moved from our daughter’s corner up there to where our son lives.  It has been an incredible spring…..we had daffodils, then lillies and at the same time a Japanese Pink Tree and a Red Dogwood tree blooming, it was SO beautiful.  Everytime I went outside or drove into our driveway I was reminded of God’s creation and how much HE must love various colors.  The colors of the trees have also been amazing and things are still blooming all over NC.

We are 45 minutes from the Blue Ridge Parkway and as I tell our 6 year old, “the mountains are calling, can you hear them???”  We listen for awhile and then I always say…”I hear them…they are saying come, come, come!!”   So off we go with a picnic in hand that always has “oreos” in it.  For some reason, if we go out in the canoe, beach, mountains or a picnic we NEED “Oreos.” 

Where was I, oh, the Blue Ridge Parkway…..the Parkway goes through various States and NC has a long stretch of it.  It is SO beautiful up there and so peaceful.  We like to take our picnic and chairs and then find a perfect spot to put our chairs to see ridge after ridge after ridge of mountains that are changing as we watch them.  They remind us of our time in Papua New Guinea and also remind us of God’s faithfulness to us!!  You can go on hiking trails, camp, go canoeing or just sit and relax in the various parks and turnouts on the road.  It is SO beautiful.  We always stop at “the apple man” on the way down or up.  He has apples from his orchard, baskets, fresh jelly and all kinds of goodies.  They are open year round and in the winter I wonder how they even can be there as it does get cold up there. 

The drive up there is also awesome and right before you get to the parkway you will find the little town of “Blowing Rock”.  My daughter in law LOVES that little town and could probably tell you all about the ice cream store, cozy places to stay and the best little shops but when we are driving through there my hubby says, do you want to stop?   My response is usually NO…I want to go to the Parkway!!  For some reason the fantastic views up there are what bring me JOY!!! 

Today was our grandson’s 5th birthday and he wanted to go up to the mountains and to Grandfather Mountain…..so we went with them with our “oreos of course….maybe I should do a commercial on Oreo cookies…)  Anyway we drove up to the Blue Ridge Parkway, followed it for miles and then turned off to Grandfather Mountain.  It is one of the highest points in the Parkway and has a mile high swinging bridge.  You do have to pay to get in up there but it is worth it as the sights are incredible.  They have hiking trails all over too.  I stayed at the bottom……well………not really at the bottom as I was WAY up there but just didn’t climb the 51 steps up to the swinging bridge.  We had a 3 week old number #10 grandson with us and I opted to STAY with him.  Off went the birthday boy, the 6 year old that is missing teeth, the 20 month old who can stare you down, her mommy, our son and my dear hubby.  Soon I could see them walking across this swinging bridge….it looked so SCARRY up there. 

Then our son put that grandbaby on his shoulders and proceeded past the bridge to the highest point.  He looked like a little dot up there…I then noticed that my hubby was out there too with the birthday boy.  I started praying that God would keep them safe and thought that they were INSANE taking those grandbabies out so far….I could hear my daughter in law saying, What are you doing??  It isn’t safe out there, come back!!  I just kept clicking pictures and was in awe just seeing the DOTS of our son, grandbabies and my hubby up there.  GOD did take care of them and they looked so, so small in the grandeur of HIS creation that surrounded them.  GOD created all of this for us to enjoy and we did enjoy a perfect day in our little corner of the world. 

The other day this Nana got her first time OUT by my 6 soon to be 7 Grandaughter……what  a shock!!  But then I was the one that suggested it and knew I deserved it!!

We just had our 10th grandbaby so  after introducing him to his 3 sibling we went  out to Subway and then to the Ice cream store.  On the way back to the house K whispered to me, “Nana, don’t tell Gma that we had a ice cream because we want a punch-up before we go to bed.”  I smiled and whispered back, ‘O.K. K I won’t tell her”

Being  a Nana and forgetting things easily on the way home I said , “Gma, we went to Subway and then to the Ice cream store”   OOps………….I somehow forgot so quickly to not tell Gma.”  A little voice in the back of the van said, ‘Nana you said you wouldn’t tell” I quickly said, “Oh, I am so sorry what are you going to do with me??  Guess I need time out!!”

This child is my imaginary child…she goes along with whatever I dream up and even dreams up some things on her own.  So when we got back to the house she told me that I was in Time OUT and let me over to the red chair in the living room.  So there I sat and meakly said, “How long do I have to be in time out?” her reply was, “10 minutes”   and then she started counting 1-2-3-up to 10 and stated that I was done!!

“O.K. are you going to come tell me what I did wrong??”  She came over and looked me in the eyes and said, “Nana you told when you weren’t suppose to so you had to have time out”  “Oh I am so sorry K I won’t do it again.”   She quickly left to go play with her doll and my response was, ‘K you need to hug me and tell me you love me”  She came over and as she does so very often said, ‘Nana I love you “with a big hug.

Later we told her mommy about the whole thing and her mommy wanted to know if we were O.K. with each other and K said, ” of course”

Guess I better watch what I say and what I tell others because next time I might just be sitting there for 62 minutes, especially if she has me sit for my age!!!   Goodness….that would be forever!!!

I know it has been a beautiful day but for some reason I haven’t FELT like it was beautiful!!  Sigh…the day started out COLD but ended up almost 70 and the sky was a gorgeous blue.  I love the sky when it has puffy clouds and totally blue.  You know I never really looked up today to see if those puffy clouds were up there or not!!

Waking up feeling OH so tired didn’t help much and I wanted to sit and hold that new grandbaby for hours but didn’t go over as I wanted G to have all of the time she wanted as she will leave this next weekend.  SO what did I do???

I went out to lunch with my sweet hubby and then we went swimming which was just what I needed!!   On the board at the pool someone wrote out one of my favorite verses, Phil 4:20  ”Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication, with THANKSGIVING , let your request be known onto God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds  through Christ Jesus.”   It was cool to see that somehow God knew I needed to be reminded of that verse that He wants us to not be anxious.   I have been anxious about our trip this summer, bills, etc…..so it was a good reminder to me.  Did I remember that verse later in the day??  Not really but GOD reminded me again of this verse this evening as I have been writing. 

 I KNOW that HE will undertake and  tomorrow I will feel better which should make tomorrow  fantastic…..God has made all things beautiful even when we don’t feel the best!!   He can make the crooked places in our life straight and can undertake in ways we don’t even know!!    Guess life in always a roller coaster as we have our good and bad days.  But Praise HE always is the same!!

Our 10 th Grand-baby, Luke was born yesterday and as we were leaving the hospital today I told a nurse we just had our 10th grand-baby.  She  seemed surprised that we had 10 grand-kids and then asked me “what is it like to be a grandmother, I hear that it is really different” 

“Wonderful” was my response with a big smile!!  She then wondered if number one was more special than number ten and I said quickly…..oh no they are all so special.   I just can’t compare any of them as they are all SO different with their various personalities!!   

 I could have gone on and on and on telling her about our 12  year old professor who knows way more than his crazy Nana, or our 10 year old ballerina who would do anything and everything for everyone, or our 8 year old little guy who is all boy and so good, or our 6 year old who is missing a few teeth and is always in her little imaginary world.  Of course, I go along with her and call her whatever her name is for the day.  Then there is our little Rap dancer who loves to laugh, next we have a 5 year old who loves the water, dancing and makes me smile.  Our 4 year old is off in his little world withgreat big dimples on his face which make you just want to hug him, the 2 1/2 year old has these gorgeous blue eyes that melt you and somehow you allow him to do whatever he wants, then we have the 19 month old who is now the big sister to our youngest grandbaby!!  She lets you know what she wants by just a movement of her hands and those dark eyes that let you know if she agrees with your decision or not.  And NOW we have the little one who is one day old.  He is calm and super sweet!!  They are all blessings and we are thankful for each one.

As we left the nurse she looked at me and said,  Wow what a gift!!  They are indeed a gift from God and we thank the Lord for each and every one!!

I am just going to have to blog more about each one and all of their personalities and what a blessing they are to us……they are SO much fun!!

This is my first blog on this site….I started a blog a few years ago but just can’t find it anymore.  It is probably out there in cyber space somewhere.  Of course, it would help me if I could only remember the name of the blog!!  Sigh!!  Anyway I hope to blog about our grandkids, God’s faithfulness to us and our trips here and there and everywhere!!