May Days

According to my May posts, in May, I learned I have fibromyalgia, and I made Biscotti and Puffy Biscuit Rolls.  Lest you think all I do around here is develop odd syndromes, and then bake, here's a few other things that happened in May.

1.  I gave up extra sugar.  Crazy, right?  Especially, since I love to bake (and eat Biscotti and biscuits rolls.)  But, it was time.  The big surprise - it hasn't been that difficult.  In three weeks, I've cheated twice.  I'll get better.  It helps that I CAN have an ounce of dark chocolate a day.  Whoo-hoo!

2.  I researched and started ingesting glucosamine sulfate, Curamin, and ribose.  These are supplements that supposedly help fibro.  Isn't that fascinating?  I'll keep ya' posted.

3.  I visited eight doctor's offices.  Between the folks and myself, we're keeping the physicians in town hopping.

4.  I attended a womens' retreat with a good friend.  We had quiet time, prayer time, and a great meal that I did not fix.  That was the best part.

5. My daughter and I made soup and homemade bread for a women who was fading from this life due to cancer.  She passed the following day.  Our gift to her was probably her last meal.  I pray it soothed her body and calmed her spirit.

6.  Our girl celebrated a birthday.  Here she is at age five, exploring life though a magnifying glass.

Today, she teaches high schoolers science and character.  She doles out Jolly Ranchers on test days and gives extra credit points for observed kindnesses. If I had a science teacher like her, I would have almost liked high school.

7.  Our baby boy had a birthday.  He weighed nearly ten pounds at birth, and my bladder has never been the same.  He's now the tallest one in the family, but he'll always be my little bubba.

Here he is getting caught in the rain with his lovely wife.

8.  My Dad had a birthday.  Here he is enjoying his favorite thing on earth - a night out with our girl getting frozen yogurt and double hot fudge.

Have you ever seen a happier 91-year old?  We have several May birthdays, but we make the biggest ta-da over this one.

9.  We spent an hour at Starbucks with our financial advisor.  A cup of sweet chai tea makes the number-crunching go down more smoothly.

10.  My brother, the ex-clown, was in town with his colleagues.  They like to visit our local pie shop and come to our place with the goods.  We all eat like pigs before they go back to work.

This was the cream of the crop.

LEMON MERINGUE

Is this gorgeous, or what?  We have the best pie shop in the country.  Sadly, they don't ship because it's cost prohibitive, but if you're ever near Melbourne, Florida, Sweetie Pies is the place to go. 

June already has four doctor appointments listed, as well as a colonoscopy.   I'll spare you the details on that one.

Summer has arrived!

Sweeping into the New Year

The past four weeks, life has been full of emotion.

1.  Baby Juliet was born.  Her grandpa is my brother, the ex-clown.  He is over the moon about his second grandchild.  Even though they kept him locked outside the nursery. 

Juliet's tiny toes now greet everyone who visits this blog.  

2.   I experienced the wonderful awesomeness that is Les Miserables.  Hugh Jackman is so good; Anne Hathaway is painfully good.  I cried, and then cried some more.  Even Russell Crowe is decent.  Who knew he could sing?  Kind of.

                           

3. Christmas was wonderful, despite the fact that one son and daughter-in-law were absent and my normally enthusiastic Dad seemed a bit low-key.

4.  The day after Christmas, Dad's b.p. dropped and his legs gave out.  He was admitted to the hospital, where he stayed for five days.  He's now in rehab with a back-up of side effects from one medication and seemingly (but not confirmed) worsening Parkinson's symptoms.  More tests to come.

5. A second burner on my stove began to work intermittently (I already have one that heats only if I smack it a few times), so I decided the 22-year old relic was ready to retire.  The new stove (a flat-top - yay!) arrives on Saturday.  I hope I can figure the thing out. 

6.  Our daughter became a Godmother for the first time to the son of her best childhood friend.  We had so fun much smooching on this sweet child.  He's a happy little dude.  Our daughter and her friend are all grown up.  Sniff.  

6.   I discovered I'm the only one on the planet not watching Downton Abbey.  With all the hoopla, I wonder what I'm missing and will have to rent seasons of later.  I did that with the The X-files, and lost two weeks of my life.  I'd rather not do that again. (Although getting to know Mulder and Scully was completely worth it.)

All this, and it's only January.

How is your New Year going?

A Dazzling, Fabulous Day

It's the first day of spring, and it's beautiful here in the Sunshine state.

The ex-clown is in town, and I'm preparing a family dinner tonight of Omaha steaks and a few sides.  My daughter is making croutons, and I'm making split-pea soup, which I've never made before.  All I can say is...the color of it is not that appealing.    

Luckily, it's darn tasty, so maybe we can eat it with our eyes closed.  

On this lovely day, I'd like thank a few people who have done some sweet things for me this week.

1.  An enthusiastic thank you to Lisa at ALL THINGS CAMPBELL for designing the new baseball links to your left.  They were exactly what I was looking for!  If you're looking for creative additions to your blog/website, drop her a line.  She was a peach to work with.

2.  A surprised thank you to Carri at SIMPLY DONE WRIGHT for featuring Adventures in the Ballpark as her Dazzling Blog for the week.  Carri has a beautiful blog and loves the camaraderie, linking, and networking that grows from blogging.  She's like the social director on planet Blogwarts.  Thank you, Carri!

3.  Danielle at SWEET TEA READS gave me this...

A heartfelt thank you to Danielle for thinking of me.

I'm feeling pretty fabulous and dazzled this week because of these kind women.  And, the ex-clown is providing pies for dessert tonight.  I'm telling ya', it's like Christmas around here. 

The Dazzling Blog feature doesn't require any self-revelations.  Carri did a write-up about Adventures on her blog and said some very nice things.  Click on her link above, if you'd like to see it.  It's just pure gift.  I'm humbled and appreciative, and I'd like to thank the members of the academy and my mom, who is really the English teacher/editor/writer in the family.   I share this badge with her.

The fabulous blog ribbon must be shared, which I'm happy to do.  First, though, the required self-revelations:  Name five things I've experienced in my life that were fabulous. 

I wonder how Streep would respond.  Hopefully, she's reading.  (Hi, Meryl!)

My fab five:

1. Holding my three slimy, wrinkly, perfect, fresh-from-heaven children on the days they were born.

2. Winning $1,000.00 at a church raffle.  Way fabulous.

3.  Receiving a letter of recognition from my congressman for my ten years of teaching character education to high-school students.

4.  Purchasing our first house, the one we're still in twenty years later.  The coolest feature was the loft, which is now where I write.

5.  Anytime I savor really good chocolate, it's fabulous.

List five things I hate:

1.  Brussell sprouts.  However, I like cabbage.  Go figure.
2.  Foul language.  It's unnecessary.  Raise the bar.
3.  People who blame their problems on someone else.
4.  Throwing up.  I can't begin to tell you how much I hate this. 
5.  Stubbing my toes.  I've broken two toes this way, and it's extremely painful.  If toes weren't necessary for balance, I'd have mine removed.  They're in the way.

Five things I love:

I created a page last year that covers this category.  This helps me on tough days when I need to remember there are fabulous and dazzling things in the world for which I'm grateful.  Scroll to the top of the blog and click on the tab that reads "Home Runs" for seventeen things I love.  You only have to read five.

Pass the award to five other bloggers (and leave a comment on their blog, so they know they are a recipient.)

1.  Cari at Bubblegum on my Shoe. She writes poignantly and witty-ly from the heart about life as a single mom.

2.  Tamera at Housekeeping, Down Syndrome, and Autism Stuff.  Enough said.  This girl has her hands full.

3.  Jen at We're Living a Full Life.  She is a sweetheart with a passion for all the right things.

4.  Marie at Women Talk About Life.  Otherwise known as Sweet Marie.  And she is.

5.  Laura and Falen at Upward not Inward.  This is a spiritually inspirational blog.  These girls have a heart for God.

Thanks to all these great fellow bloggers, whom I found through the A-Z Blogging Challenge in April.  Blogwarts is a wonderful place.

Non-bloggers suspect/think Blogwarts is a loony bin.

But hey, I say, drinkers bond over booze, quilters bond over fabrics, bakers over cupcakes, and football fans over a touchdown.  Writers bond over shared words inside a column that scrolls down forever.

It keeps us off the streets.

Winners! (and losers)

Two weeks ago, I posted a "camera dump" quiz involving pictures I was excited to take and then forgot about for a month.   I emptied the camera and created a tremendously difficult quiz where the top five winners would receive one of these homemade potholder towels.

I was shocked that every entrant had all the correct answers.   Ballpark fans are brilliant.  If you missed the quiz, check it out here:  Camera Dump Quiz.

I shuffled the names of all the entrants in a Tupperware bowl and drew out these five:

Aneta at Rabbit Trails

Melody-mae

B.W. at In my Mind it's Always Funny

Rita at Soul's Comfort Corner

Susan at I Think; therefore I Yam

Congrats, ladies!  Thank you for playing.  Your fine gifts from the Ballpark will be in the mail shortly! 

My brother, the ex-clown, was disappointed to hear that he didn't win.  He was the first entry, and all his answers were correct.  Subsequent entries were also correct, so he claims everyone simply copied his answers, and he should be awarded a prize.  

When I showed him the prizes, he made a face and said he didn't really want a potholder towel.  He thought a cherry pie would be more appropriate.  

He likes to enter my quizzes and actually won the first one.  (Click here for that brain teaser: Fancy-Pants Giveaway).  But, he wasn't crazy about the prize - $35 worth of coupons at Coldwater Creek.   

So, I offered to treat him to his favorite fish sandwich.  Sadly, that restaurant had closed.  I ended up baking him a cherry pie, which he loved.  

I've created a monster. 

I told him if he doesn't like the prizes, don't take the quiz.  Oh, but he loves to win.  He just wants better prizes.  Or pie.  

He's a really good brother for an ex-clown, so I tolerate his competitive/whiny side.  

I guess for my next quiz, I'll have to give away a power tool.  Or a pie.

INTERVIEW with the Ex-clown

Regular readers know that I have a brother who is an engineer.  In his younger days, he was also a professional clown.  I don't think he was ever in the circus, but he entertained many a child at parties and church events. 

I write about him once in a while, and he tolerates my ramblings.  (For posts on the ex-clown, check out "the ex-clown" file folder.)  He's a good egg.

For I Day, I sent him 26 questions to answer.  Each question focuses on a letter of the alphabet - an expansion on the A-Z challenge.  Here we go...

1.  What is your favorite ART form? (painting, music, writing, crafts, etc.)  Clowning.  

2.  If a BEAR ambled into your house, what would you do? Freeze, and hope he doesn't like frozen food.

3.  Who is your soul mate CARTOON?  Snoopy

4.  Regarding DOUGHNUTS: yeast or cake?  Blueberry cake

5.  Who most ENCOURAGES you?  Wife, Mary

6.  What do you FEAR?  Pain

7.  What is your favorite attribute of GOD?  His capacity for forgiveness.

8.  Your worst HABIT.  Talking too loud.

9.  Your worst INJURY/ILLNESS.  Fractured heel bone

10.  What JOB would you never want to do?  Clean sewers

11.  What would be the best thing about being a KANGAROO?  I could jump high

12.  LEMON Meringue or Key LIME pie?  Lemon Meringue

13.  Favorite MATH equation.  Any equation with pi in it  (especially cherry)

14.  If you owned a NEWSPAPER, what would be its name?  News U Can Use

15.  What is the best financial OFFER you've ever received?  My work retirement plan

16.  Your favorite PARABLE.  The Prodigal Son

17.  If you were QUEEN/KING for a day, what rule would you make?  Do something kind for someone today 

18.  Name one REGRET.  Making an unkind remark to someone

19.  Best SANDWICH you ever had.  Reuben at Woodside Deli in Maryland

20.  If you could talk to a TRICERATOPS, what would you say?  Ever tried roasted marshmallows? 

21.  Have you ever been to UTAH?  Yes, Lake Powell

22.  Worst VEGETABLE.  Eggplant

23.  Are you happy with your WAISTLINE?  Not really.

24.  Which body part was most recently X-RAYED?  Heel (see injury above)

25.  Name something you did YESTERDAY, but will not do today.  Eat too much at the Easter party.

26.  Favorite ZOO animal.  Monkey

There you have it.  Riveting journalism.  

You can now tell your friends you became acquainted with an ex-clown today.  They'll probably be envious.  You can direct them to this post if they want to be part of the "in" crowd. 

p.s. stay tuned for a future interview with Miss Curly-Cute.

29 for 29

February is the month of love.

Hallmark promotes only romantic love, which is sweet and dandy, but the heart is stirred by affection for other things as well. 

Like chocolate.  And KitchenAid mixers.  And TV shows about mysterious islands.  And good toilet paper.

I have a list of things I really love and am grateful for.   My hubby and kids, of course.  That's a given.  But, then other things and other people who are just bonuses in my life.

For the month of February, I'm going to write about the other, non-romantic things I love.   Some I've loved for years; others I've just discovered recently.    29 things, for the 29 days of February.

1.  Yesterday, I posted a limerick for my brother because it was his birthday.   He's in this "other things" category.

I grew up with two brothers, and both were fairly annoying when we were all kids.   Angel Greg died when he was 23.  I was 19.  I'll never know what kind of relationship we might have had as adults.

The ex-clown turned out beautifully.   Partly because, when he was a young man and came to a revelation of following Christ, he called me to apologize for all the former teasing and big-brother-pain-in-the-butt stuff.   To this day, it makes me tear up to think about it.  That kind of humility and accountability is what makes him a gem of a man/husband/father/brother/friend/engineer/ex-clown today.  

We get along much better these days.

2.  My sister is another gem in my life.  I'm five years younger, and I was nothing but a nuisance to her when I was a kid.  However, once we both had kids of our own, we found common ground.   She's a worker bee and a great encourager.  She works with special needs kids and loves it.  She is a new grandma and loves that too.  We can talk for days and laugh over nothing.  And I mean nothing.  She's probably laughing as she reads this.

I think she likes me now.

Here she is hugging her son at his October wedding.   She generously bestows hugs on everyone.  It's one thing that makes her so loveable.  
 

My siblings are like two extra Valentines in my life.  

How Hard is it to Change a Light Bulb?

 A few days ago, I made chocolate turtles for a bake sale.  

Things went swimmingly, until a plate of turtles slipped in the refrigerator and broke a light bulb. 

It was not the easy-access light bulb that hangs from the top and sheds light on the shelves from above.  It was the buried-on-the-lower-back-wall, I-didn't-even-know-it-was-there light bulb.  I had to remove a drawer or two to find it. 

This was not an easy task because our 'fridge is wedged in a cubby that does not allow the right door to swing past 90 degrees.  So, my daughter lugged the 'fridge out a foot so we could remove the drawers.

Which then allowed us to see that shelves would have to come out as well.   

And there it was.  A sad little socket with the sharp filament of the bulb sticking out.  

And dribbled syrup globbed onto the ice maker coil.

I swept up the biggest glass pieces, and was wondering how to get the coil off to clean up the rest when my brother, the ex-clown, arrived home from a long day at work.  (He stays with us when he works at Cape Canaveral.)

Good engineer egg that he is, he shed his shirt and tie and checked out the problem.

                  

"I need a potato," he said.  "But, we need to turn off the electricity first."

Good grief.  All from a slipped plate of turtles.

Current off, I sliced a potato.   

Broken socket removed, my brother then examined the ice maker coil.   "I need a socket wrench," he said.

Because I don't know a socket wrench from a regular wrench, I sent him to the garage to locate the tool.  He came back with this.

He disappeared into the 'fridge piece by piece.

Coil loose, I wiped up the remaining glass and scrubbed off the gooey syrup.

The ex-clown put away the tools while I rooted through the closets looking for a 40-watt light bulb.  Which we didn't have.

I washed the walls of the 'fridge, the shelves, and the drawers, and reinstalled all the parts.  I put all the food back, except half a bag of spinach.  I think it was spinach.  

I'll do it all again when the light bulb arrives.

To answer the title question, how hard is it to change a light bulb - it's doable, if you have the right tools: a refrigerator on wheels, a strong back, a potato, a socket set, and a visiting brother.

Oh, and a replacement bulb.

Summer LEFTOVERS

Okay, it's the end of the month photo wrap-up.

Did summer fly by, or what?  Suddenly, school buses are everywhere.

Time to download the interesting, but unrelated, photos in my camera.

Category 1:  Devouring mini-cupcakes.  

This was at the "everybody-who-has-a-birthday-in-July" party at Southland.  They had beautiful, deliciously fat-filled cupcakes for all the residents.

Dad had three. 

I was only quick enough with the camera to capture two scarf-downs.

I think the third disappeared when I blinked.   The guy can inhale desserts in record time. 

Then, he's not busy eating when birthday parrots come to visit.

Category 2:  T-shirt competition.

My brother, the ex-clown, is a University of Maryland graduate.  The school with a turtle for a mascot.  Which is really kind of sad, because turtles are slow and lumber-y.   Not something you generally look for in a point guard.

But those Terp fans, they defend that turtle like nothing you've ever seen.  Which is good, I guess, because the turtle is clearly too lumber-y and slow to defend himself.  Maybe fans simply feel sorry for the poor thing.

Anyhoo.  I'm a Barry University graduate.   I didn't attend the main campus, so I never attended a Buccaneers game.  But I certainly know that a swarthy buccaneer could squash a lowly turtle.

My loyalty lies more in the direction of our county baseball team.  The Manatees.  Technically, sea cows.

I know I'm talking apples (basketball) and oranges (baseball) here, but I really couldn't care less about the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat.

I'm talking about what looks cute on a t-shirt.   

Hands down, the sea cow shirt.  (In battle, though, I still win.  A sea cow could eat a turtle.  Or just flip him on his back and swim away.)

Category 3:  Missing product.

My grocery store stopped carrying a major ingredient in my FAVORITE homemade pasta sauce.  I can't find it anywhere.

Does your local grocer have Bellino Sun-dried tomatoes?   If it does, let me know.  I'll contact it and see about getting some shipped to sea cow territory. 

I'm going to go hide now, because Terp fans are going to let me have it.

BEHIND DOOR #3

Hurricane Irene is whipping up the Florida coast as I write.   Looks like she's going to just tease Florida and then whollop North Carolina, Virginia, and New York.

Right after they've had an earthquake.

It's just not their week.

Nor my brother's, the ex-clown.  He's in Florida for the week working at the Cape, and he's had some surprises: 

1.  He was expecting me to treat him to a mahi-mahi sandwich at our favorite fish joint as soon as he arrived.  This was his second "prize" for winning my "Fancy-pants" giveaway.  (He wasn't that excited about Coldwater Creek coupons, which were first prize.)

When we arrived at the restaurant, we discovered it was closed.  Not just closed, as in "after hours", but closed as in this...

NOOOOOOO......

We didn't believe it.  We kept peering in the windows and yanking on the door, thinking maybe people were just in the back.  With the lights off.   

We were beyond disappointed. 

I offered to take him someplace else for dinner.  But equivalent to Hurricane Grill.  He suggested a higher-end grill, then offered to treat me because my birthday is coming up. 

I relented.  If he wanted to buy his own prize, who was I to stop him? 

Here he is after we stuffed ourselves silly.

These are pre-Irene waves. 

2.  He's been working 16 hours days.  Good grief. 

3.  He's due to fly home to Maryland on Saturday morning.  Exactly when Irene is predicted to blow in.  He might not get out of here.  He was stuck in Florida last winter due to snow, and he's not looking forward to that experience again. 

So, because he's my favorite ex-clown, and he's had an exhausting week, and I owe him something, I'm going to bake him a cherry pie.

Not the same as Coldwater Creek money, or the best fish sandwich in Florida, but a fair attempt to reward the winner of my first contest.  (Pioneer Woman never has this problem.)

The ex-clown has decided Ballpark contests are a bit screwy.   The first prize may not be something you even want, especially after you understand what it is.   You might end up paying for the 2nd first prize.  The 3rd first prize might be darn tasty, but you have to fly out of state to get it.   Who has time for such nonsense?

I'm going to tell him to read the fine print next time.

Good night, Irene.

 

CRACKER JACK Prize Winner!

Shock of all shocks.

The winner (all 5 answers correct) of the "Fancy-pants Giveaway" is my BROTHER.
  

The ex-clown.  Who doesn't even know what Coldwater Creek is.   Who doesn't even have a CC store nearby.

Really?!?

Unbelievable.

So I called him and told him he won the CC coupons.  He laughed.  Howled, really.

I asked him if he really wanted the coupons, explained that they were for a women's clothing store. 

So happens, he's going to be in Florida for work in about two weeks (staying with us), and he thought, if he won, he'd stop by our store here and pick out something for his wife.  

His wife wasn't thrilled with that idea.  What husband ever hits a home run when he picks out clothes for his wife?  Smart woman, my sister-in-law. 

So, I offered my brother something else.  I mean, he did win, fair and square.  I suggested something he might actually enjoy.  Dinner at Hurricane Grill (our favorite fish joint), or his favorite home-baked dessert.  He snapped up the fish dinner.

Food really is the way to a man's heart.   The CC coupons were dumped immediately.   He's an amiable guy, the ex-clown. 

SO.....I moved on to the next winner.  Who is Mari from Virginia (4 answers correct and first to respond).  Yay Mari!  I'll pop those coupons in the mail today.  Hope you find something wonderful.

The answers to the quiz:

1. As of the date the quiz was posted, I had NOT chopped up any mangoes.  I was too chicken.  However, just yesterday, I took the plunge and diced up a fat mango from the grocery store.  It was not as juicy or as huge as the ones that gave me trouble, but it had pretty much the same yummy factor.  

I ate the whole thing.  Then I scrubbed up to my elbows like a surgeon.  Twice.

So far, so good.

2.  My mom's back procedure was a kyphoplasty.  Which sounds nothing like what it is.   What the heck is a kypho?  I don't know, but it got plasted. 

3.  My thrift shop excursion cost me $16.42.  Everybody got this right.  My brother thought this was actually high for thrift shop shopping.   However, we've already determined that he knows nothing about women's clothes.

4.  My dear husband has been tending to my sweet rose bush. Quietly, he waters and fertilizes, and just recently told me that the thing thrives because he takes care of it.  I never knew this.  I really should pay attention to what goes on around here.

5.  Favorite TV show...

When Home Improvement, The X-files, MacGyver, and Lost were still running, they were all my favorite shows at the time they ran.   I would watch any of these today, if I could find them on re-runs.

However, Lost has stayed with me, where the others have faded a bit.  The writing was so innovative, the characters so interesting.  Several episodes moved me to tears.  Good writing does that to you.  You just don't get that with Jersey Shore.  

There you have it.  Thanks for playing!  All five of you.  You now know more about my life than you probably want to. 

(p.s. does anybody have any Hurricane Grill coupons they want to unload?)

Sweet Somethings

It's been just over a month since Mom fell.   

The unhumorous humerus, the anemia, and the bronchitis knocked her for a loop.

Some days, she looked tiny and frail.  Other days, if not for her sling, you wouldn't know she'd been hospitalized, and is now rehabbing.

Some days were filled with uncertainty; some were simply sad.  Such days are part of a fully-lived life. 

Just this past week, however, there were sweet nuggets nestled amidst the upheaval....

1.  A five-day visit from brother and former professional clown, Phil.  (Delightfully, many clown traits remain.)

2.  A salmon / pork roast dinner with family.

3.  A new cookie recipe from a sweetheart niece who lives on the other side of the planet, Washington state.
 

4.  A beautiful card from the former clown, which included a gift card to my favorite fish joint.

  

5.  A personal phone call from Dr. J., Mom's cardiologist.  I have never received a phone call from a physician in my entire life.  (It's always a nurse, a secretary, or a robot.)

6.  A couple facebook chats with our almost-nun daughter in NJ.  Always wonderful.

7.  A beautiful card from the clown's wife, my sweet sister-in-law, who is my soul-mate caretaker, as she is helping her folks the way I'm helping mine. 

8.  My hubby's new (to us) car that he purchased from a woman who lives in the ALF my folks are in.  He suggested I post a picture...

...and a few details: 2007, Buick Lacrosse with 19 thousand miles.  I have no idea what any of that means, other than it's 4 years old.  

9.  My hubby's old car sold on Craig's list in 24 hours.  For our asking price.  Unbelievable.  

10.  Two more mini roses appeared this week...

This rose bush amazes me.  We do nothing with it, walk on it half the time, and still...it blooms. 

11.  Dr. R. spending almost an hour with us on Friday, going over some of Mom's concerns.  God bless that man.  

12.  And - our younger son is driving in for a day visit this coming Wednesday.  Here he is in college, six years ago...

 

Oh, my.  A curly-cue, history major who could be Josh Groban's cousin.

I love old pictures.

Thank you so much, clown brother, nurse Mary, baker-niece, youngins, and doctors for all the kindnesses.  

And thanks be to God for the trouble-free car switcheroos (which never happens), and hearty pink roses that keep popping up.

"Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above..."                                                               James 1:17