Playgrounds and Creepy McCreeperson

Confession: I am not a big fan of playgrounds. I have to pull the "it all goes back to my childhood" card. Growing up, per my father's wishes, I wore skirts every day. And those of us who wore skirts to school were banned from most playground equipment. (Yes, even in first grade, boys thought it was fun to lay under the equipment and look up skirts. As a result - we just couldn't play on it.) So I was never one of those kids who thought the greatest thing in life was sliding and crossing the ever daunting monkey bars.


Though I don't have kids, I fear my lack of playground enthusiasm makes me a very poor aunt. Faith, on the other hand, loves playgrounds, and there just so happened to be a little "park" as the kids called it at the end of the road where our condo was, so we made a couple of trips down there for fun.

Of course there are the swings. Swings are the one piece of playground equipment I love. I did actually sit on one for a while! (No picture to prove it, but it did happen.)


Hannah had fun with this little thing. I would have broken my neck on it, but she had fun.

Kaylah LOVED the bouncy bridge. And if you'll look to the right of the picture (under the slide) you'll see the best shot I got of Creepy McCreeperson. I wanted to just take a picture, but I was afraid he'd think I was interested in some way and I did not want to make that mistake. Creepy was a rather interesting (aka frightening) individual who lurked at the playground with his fanny pack firmly fastened and his camera in hand. He gave us both the creeps. Glad we never saw him again.

I did NOT participate in the tire swing. I have zero coordination and could only envision a "totally Bekah" moment taking place had I tried. Faith and Hannah both love flying high, spinning around, and all things fun. Kaylah, as you can see - not so much. I so feel her pain. That's why I was behind the camera and not on the swing.

Hey, I wasn't a total party pooper! I did help with the "push me high!" requests.

Hannah worked hard on her monkey bar skills and did pretty well. I have a feeling that even if I couldn't have copped the skirt excuse as a kid, I would not have had what it took to master the monkey bars. Unfortunate but true.

Loved this picture. Hopefully in a different way from how Creepy McCreeperson loved the ones he was taking. Ick.

What is it with children's insatiable desires to climb UP the slide?

Though I'm not a huge playground fan, it was fun to watch them having fun, and it was really nice that they had the whole place to themselves both times we went down to play. Kind of made it feel like the whole place belonged just to us!

Build a Bear!

I said in yesterday's post that it was so odd to be the passenger in a car...and that's true. It was also odd to be a passenger on vacation! Not since I was in high school have I gone on a vacation when someone else planned all of it. Kind of refreshing!


Faith and I left home this past Thursday morning and arrived in Louisville, Kentucky around lunch time. After feasting (don't even think I'm kidding!) at the precious Sonic, we had our first official vacation adventure.

Build A Bear.

I cracked up when Faith told Hannah about it. I could tell that Faith was about to burst with excitement and stopped herself several times from telling Hannah about our first vacation surprise. So when, at last, at the Sonic picnic table, Faith smiled widely and said, "Hannah, we are going to Build a Bear!!!!!" - I watched Hannah's reaction carefully.

She stared for a minute and said, "I don't know what that is." Now that was a crack-me-up moment.


But when we pulled up in front of the store, she decided it looked like a lot of fun! And because I'm just an overgrown kid at heart - I agreed!


I'd never been in a Build-A-Bear before, and you can know I was not leaving that place without my very own bear. Hello! It's vacation! I talked Faith into getting one too. Bears all around! And because the child of a scrapper who also is the "niece" of a scrapper is nothing more than a scrapper in training, we got this picture. Slightly blurry, but she'll learn. (My camera is complex. I was impressed she did this well!) Anyway. Here are Faith and I with our empty bears.



If you've never been to a Build-A-Bear before, welcome to my virtual tour. :) The first item of business, once you've chosen your bear (and those are all the choices there on the wall in the background!), is to stuff the bear. Annie, the lovely worker bee, hooked our little bears onto the tube in the stuffing machine, and we pressed the pedal until the bear was filled right up!

And then - we had to give our bears big hugs to make sure they were stuffed just right. (This sounds like a children's story doesn't it?)

Some of us were more fond of the sound of the stuffing machine than others. Hannah did manage to press the pedal for her own bear's stuffing, as long as she kept her ears good and plugged. Kaylah, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with it.

We chose a heart out of the little basket of hearts and Miss Annie put those hearts inside and sewed our bears right up. (Side note - Chonda Pierce tells a story...I tried to find it on YouTube and couldn't...about going to a Build-A-Bear while she was in rehab for depression. You've GOT to find that story and listen to her tell it. Hysterical - and moving all at the same time.) Anyway, I thought of her as we put our hearts in our bears.

Miss Annie was kind enough to take a picture of all of us with our bears before we moved on to the next part of the fun!

The next station was the "washing" station. Air, which sounds like water and did NOT amuse Kaylah, comes out of the shower heads, and there are little brushes to use on the bears. Once we convinced Kaylah that the shower heads were not going to make any more sound, she joined in the fun of brushing and sprucing up her bear.

Let the shopping begin! Can't leave without an outfit!And there are, as you can see, many options. Boy outfits, girl outfits, summer, winter, day, night, sporty, formal, jammies, swimming, anything you can think of - right down to wedding dresses and tuxes. Kaylah may be young, but she's got the shopping for clothes thing DOWN.

They have little dressing rooms complete with mirrors (and stacks of underwear if you look right in front of the mirror). Hannah and I shared a dressing room for our bears. (Hers received a Tinkerbell looking costume - complete with magic wand.)

My bear's outfit was selected based entirely on the shoes. They were just too cute and I could not pass them up. So I found the coordinating dress and that completed my shopping experience! At least for this trip. If I ever get to go back to a Build-A-Bear, I'll probably buy her a little change of clothes. :)

Final stop in the experience is the birth certificate station - where you can name your bear. Because it felt appropriate for this stage in my life journey, I named her Hope. Please meet Miss Hope. (Side note - I had no idea how appropriate that name would become as the vacation went on. More on that later.)

And Faith, who has also been walking quite a journey of her own, named her bear Grace.

While Faith and I paid Miss Annie for our bears, Kaylah found a gift card and got to work swiping. Seriously! Shopper in training!

And that completed our Build-A-Bear experience. I really had a lot of fun. Would love to go back someday with another kiddo (or just me - for more clothes!) to have more fun. Don't know if Build-A-Bear employees everywhere are so great, but Annie was an exceptional helper. She really made our visit the best start to vacation EVER!

So if you haven't ever been...and you ever get the chance to go....I say GO BUILD A BEAR!!

View from the Passenger Seat

So I went on this road trip this weekend, and one of the most interesting parts of the trip was life in the passenger seat. Obviously, being single, I spend most of my time in the driver's seat. At least if I want to get anywhere.

I learned many things from my perch - some of which were actually spiritual, but I'm saving that for another post.

This bit of cuteness sat right behind me. (Please note that safety measures extended to all passengers in the vehicle, including those of the fluffily stuffed variety.) She's no longer a baby and I knew those precious little legs were long enough to kick right into my back - but fortunately that only happened a time or two. She did enjoy sticking her hand through the head rest to tickle my neck and a few times I found myself bonked by flying toys that sailed over top of my shoulder...





...which led me to learn that the area around my feet can hold a deceivingly large number of confiscated toys. And an umbrella. And my backpack. And my camera (always on top and at the ready for accidents, fires, amusing signs, and the like). And my water bottle. And a trash bag from the drive thru. And a couple bags of groceries. Yeah it turned into a "Buried Bekah" fest.
This other bit of cuteness sat behind her mother....and as you can see, she's learning early the art of the headphones in the little Leap Frog (or whatever it's called) computer. Such a blessing for the front seat occupants. One can only hear "Press the green circle...goodbye!...hello!...Press the green circ...good...he...press the gree...goodbye!" so many times before losing one's sanity. (Which leads one to start calling oneself "one.")

I learned that the phrase "I WILL NEVER FALL ASLEEP! NEVER!" is often followed by:

Faith and I both learned that little packets of foam beads multiply like rabbits - sticking to baby thighs, hiding in pretzel bags, flying in confetti-esque showers throughout the backseat, and also make a tasty (yet forbidden) snack. It was through this that I learned the phrase "Don't see me, Aunt Bekah!" meant "I have a foam bead in my mouth and I don't want you to know it and make me take it out so I will call it to your attention because I don't know that you really don't have eyes in the back of your head." Obviously her sentence was much shorter.

Never too early to start a fashion trend! In addition to this new way of sporting sunglasses, I witnessed rapid wardrobe changes of bears (usually accompanied by "Don't see me make-ed!" until the transformation of clothing was complete).

And of course, who needs things like books and beads and bears when there are ROLLS OF PAPER TOWEL!!!! Oh the treasures that can be constructed from a roll of paper towel! Incidentally, it makes great confetti as well.

I also became re-introduced to songs with Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber - everything from Someone's in the Kitchen with Dinah to Shall We Gather at the River? My favorite sounds, though, were two little voices (surprisingly on key, I might add) singing "God is so good...God is so good...God is so good...He's so good to me."

I learned that green crayon is as much fun to color on tan car doors as it is on the actual coloring book itself.

And I learned the key piece of traveling with small fry: the explanation of remaining travel time in manageable terms. I made a list for you in case you (somehow) don't know.

3 hours = Sunday School and Church

1 1/2 hours = The Elf Movie

1 hour = The Strawberry Shortcake Movie

45 minutes = An Episode of Dora and the Snow Princess

30 minutes = An Episode of Dora

20 minutes = A Trip to Aunt Bekah's

5 minutes = A Time Out

** Please note that 5 year olds are surprisingly aware of the actual length of Dora episodes, so you better have that one timed just about right or they'll call you on it.**

On the Road Again!

Okay so maybe it should now say off the road again...but it's true. I hit the road once again for another tiny vacation. I think I'm done traveling now. At least for a while.

Back at the very beginning of the year, my friend Faith asked if I'd like to go along with her and her two daughters on a little weekend getaway to a condo in Tennessee. We were supposed to be in Nashville across from the Opryland Hotel, but uh...well...flooding created a last minute change in location.

So Thursday morning, we packed up the car and headed out for Fairfield Glade!

Remember back in the fall when I road tripped with my friend Julie...to Brown County? And right when we got to Indianapolis, we found the tanker explosion on 465? Okay apparently I'm just a vehicular curse. Check out what I encountered THIS time:

Trash truck.


At least it wasn't my flat iron that did it. I hope.


The happy passenger.....


And please meet Faith:

Faith and I were suitemates in college and are now scrapping buddies. We are also often mistaken for sisters, which is okay with both of us.

OOOH! And look what we found in Louisville!

Thank goodness. I couldn't stand being away from the cream slush much longer.

So that's where I've been...and I'll let you see some little snippets of our Tennessee adventures here in the days to come. Meanwhile....it's just home sweet home for Miss Bekah.

Perspective

I took this picture recently as a reminder to me that despite the desert, life is still good.

Then I looked at the picture for a while and changed my mind.

Life is hard. God is good.

Over in my link list, you'll see a link for Bryson Hummel's blog. Back in 2007, Bryson, who was almost 5 at the time, lost his leg in an accident with a lawn mower. I remember reading all the updates of his health and praying so hard for him as he went through the physical and emotional pain of recovery.

I knew both his parents from our college days, and they sang in one of the small groups that traveled for our school. The only song I remember their group singing contained these lyrics:

Sometimes living takes the life out of you

And sometimes living is all you can do...

In the silence of all that you face

God will give you His mercy and grace

Jesus never said it was an easy road to travel

He only said that you would never walk alone

So when your last thread of hope begins to come unraveled

Don't give up

He walks beside you on this journey home

...Every falling tear is always understood

Life is hard, but God is good.

I thought it was such a perfect song for them - many years later, so I emailed Bryson's dad to remind him of it. He'd forgotten all about the song and said that it was indeed a perfect song for the season.

And though my desert in no way compares to what they dealt with that year, I'm thankful that the same God Who walked with them and loved them and held them...does it for me too. He has been so patient through my many tears and questions and doubts and fears...

So yes, I concur...Life is hard. But my God is so good.

Zucchini Bread

Ahhh a recipe. Did you think I remodeled the house and removed the kitchen? It would have been a logical guess. One of the...side effects?...of this spiritual and emotional desert I've been in lately has been the complete lack of desire to eat and along with it, therefore, the lack of desire (or need) to cook. I've made a lovely diet of apple cinnamon cheerios, salad, and single serving cups of macaroni and cheese. And water. Lots of water.

But this week I needed some zucchini bread. So I broke out the sadly neglected measuring cups and spoons, sifted through the ingredients in the cabinet, and found that much like riding a bike, I haven't forgotten how to cook.

This recipe is my Mom's. We had a garden when I was growing up. I hated that thing. It was my job to help weed (ick) and shuck corn (double ick) and snap green beans (triple ick)...and I have determined that unless it becomes financially necessary or God gives me a complete change of heart, I will never garden.

But because of our garden, we did occasionally get fun treats - like zucchini bread! So when I moved out on my own and found myself the recipient of some zucchini, I asked Mom for her recipe. I love the way this makes my house smell as it bakes, I love the way it tastes warm out of the oven with butter melted on it, and I love the way it makes me not scramble around for breakfast ideas! Or snacks! Or dessert! A three way food!

The Recipe

1 cup oil
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups grated zucchini (liquid too)

Mix together oil, eggs, sugar, vanilla. Add the rest of the ingredients and pour into 2 greased bread pans. Bake at 350 for one hour.


Please note that the zucchini - to the far right - could audition for a villain on Veggie Tales. The friend of my Mom's who gives me zucchini these days grows MONSTER size zucchini! I call them zucchini on steroids, but please rest assured they are not actually on steroids.

You thought I was kidding, didn't you! This is my least favorite part of the process. I start by cutting the zucchini into chunks and removing the pumpkin-sized seeds and surrounding guts.

Then they look much prettier. I cut them down a little more if the pieces are very big.

Then I put them in the blender with just a little bit of water in the bottom. This becomes the most frustrating part. It probably would go better if I had a food processor, but I don't. And while my blender is pretty good, it's not quite good enough to make me love this.

I spend the better part of a long time doing this step. Grate, stop, stir, grate, stop, stir, grate stop, stir, vow to never do this again.

At long last it starts to look like this, which is nasty looking, but remember - work in progress.

I just keep a bowl there and add to it until the monstrosity of a zucchini is done.

I could make 400 loaves (okay, slight exaggeration) on what comes out of one zucchini, so I do this which later, I'm so happy about! I measure out single cup-size servings of zucchini, put them in plastic bags, and freeze them. Then, say, come January, when I want fresh, warm zucchini bread, I don't have to stress about whether or not I can find a zucchini in this town. I just thaw a couple of bags of it...and I'm all set!

Whether on the spot, or later, when it's time to make the actual bread, I start by putting the oil, eggs, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl. Yes, I do realize the sugar has taken on a questionable and somewhat amusing shape. This did not occur to me when I took the picture. But I always try to put the cups (HA!) in separate areas so I remember how many I've put in. I learned this the hard way when I mis-measured some flour in chocolate chip cookies once.

Much less offensive after it's stirred up, right?

Then I add all the dry ingredients. See? Told you I put them all in different piles!

Stir again - which ends up in nasty looking substance number two. (HA!) It will be very thick.

Add the zucchini....

...Stir...

Pour into greased pans. Very important that they're greased!

Bake (and enjoy the lovely aroma...) When they come out of the oven, I let them cool for a few minutes and then I run a knife around the edges, turn them over, and PRAY.

And if I'm lucky.....

....They don't break!

A Moment of Silence...

First it was my precious Hobby Lobby.

Then it was my wonderful Fashion Bug.

Now....

sniff

...they've taken my Sonic. My strawberry cream slushes. My java chillers. My tater tots. My big gloppy burgers loaded with everything I shouldn't have.

AND I JUST GOT THIS GIFT CARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Never fear. I will find one. Somewhere.

Full Circle

I've told you before how I was a "surprise" and how this always seemed like code for "major accident." I spent most of my twenties asking God a multitude of questions about why I had to be born...where I was...when I was...to the family He chose...when it all seemed like such a mistake.

People who knew Mom when she found out she was pregnant love to recall that moment and its tune becomes about as welcome in my mind as the Copa Cabana (which will again be in my head for days now because I even dared to mention it).

But tonight that struggle, which I have technically "gotten over" took on a much more pleasant tone in my heart.

The past week and a half have been a time of serious spiritual battle in Bekahland. Satan has been relentless and I have not appreciated his exceeding attention to my life. Just when I'd think he was about to leave me alone - nope!

Tonight I stretched out on my floor and begged God for relief. More specifically relief in the human form. Someone who could show up on my doorstep or call my phone and talk me through this thing. Specifically, I wished my Grandma were still alive. She was good with wisdom.

After pulling myself off the floor and forcing myself to be about my evening chores, I knew exactly who I needed.

Sue Ann.

Sue Ann appointed herself my prayer warrior a couple of summers ago and just in the last month has showered extra attention upon me, insisting she would pray for me in my battle - a battle, by the way, which she knew nothing about. And today that's just what I needed: my prayer warrior.

I called for her number and then called her - interrupting her leisurely evening of watching hummingbirds. But just like I knew she'd say...I wasn't interrupting. And bless her precious heart, she sat there and listened to me pour out my heart, amid snot, tears, and gasps for air, and then do you know what she said?

"You listen to Grandma Sue."

I don't care who you are - there's no denying God orchestrated THAT one.

She went on to begin a sentence with "I remember when your Mom found out she was expecting..." and I mentally trailed off with what I knew would be next..."and she was so upset..."

But my mental words weren't matching Sue Ann's verbal ones.

"And we were at a retreat and we gathered around her and prayed for her. Prayed over your life. And who of those women is still alive?"

(I didn't know about the retreat so that was a great question. Who is still alive?)

"Only Grandma Sue is still alive. And who would have thought that just like I prayed over your life when your mother carried you, I would get to share this moment with you today and lift you up?"

And that was my next undoing. The picture at the beginning of this post is a snapshot of letters and cards Mom received during her pregnancy. I won't lie. I hate some of them. The words those people wrote about "you don't see how anything good can come of this now, but you just wait..." are bitter to read. But I keep them because like them or not, they are part of the story.

But tonight. Tonight those cards and words were redeemed. Tonight I found out there was a woman - a mighty woman of prayer - who prayed over me before anyone even knew I was Bekah. And today she prayed over me again. And today she was an answer to prayer.

Right down to being Grandma Sue.

**incidentally...she has never before referred to herself as Grandma Sue...to me anyway. Again - how COOL is God?**

Among Other Things...

...this song has become one of my themes.