Gift #142- Southern Accents

As we are so very far from home, every time I hear someone say y'all or speak with a hint of a twang, I find myself immediately drawn to that person.  I begin stalking them and asking them a thousand questions like "where you from" and "will you be my best friend".  Just kidding.  I am not that bad about it.  I usually wait until our second meeting before I ask them to be my best friend.  :0) 

Joy arrived last night!  Best birthday present ever!  It was so exciting to walk into an airport in Japan, scan the room, hear a familiar voice call out my name, and then see her sweet face.  She had been traveling for almost 24 hours, but we chattered on the whole way home.  Joy uses words like "y'all" and talks about her "momma" and uses "bless her little heart" in proper context.  It does my heart good!  She has only been here for one evening and I already feel a little closer to home.

Gift #151- Joy Comes In The Morning

Me, Kim, Joy, and Candy- 1978

From the title of the post, one might assume that I am talking about Psalm 30:5.  "Sorrow may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning".  I do love that verse and have clung to that promise on several occasions.  But I am not referring to the verse.  I am being quite literal when I say that Joy comes in the morning! My Joy!  My life-long girlfriend Joy.  She is a homeschool mom of 3 amazing kids and is a wife to a super-sweet husband.  They are all so very wonderful to let me borrow their momma for the week.  Baker kids, I promise to take very good care of her and feed her well-  not just rice.  I am counting the minutes!

Gift #150- A Little Bit of Culture

The kids attend Japanese culture class at school once each week.  They learn Japanese words and phrases.  They have learned a few little songs and how to make origami samurai hats.  This morning, I attended a little culture class of my own.  I met with the administrator of a Japanese preschool.  Starting in a few weeks, I will be teaching English at the school and we were meeting to discuss some of the details.  I assumed that we would meet at the school, but instead, we met in her home.  It was a very old traditional Japanese style home.  Wooden floors, tatami mats, low tables, and cushions.  It was so very unique.  We sat on the cushions on the floor and had many different types of tea and a small peach pastry.  After our tea, she asked if I would help her make onigiri (rice balls).  She showed me how to shape them into perfect triangles and bundle them up.  I had the chance to meet her husband and her grandchildren.  One of her granddaughters played Fur Elise for me.  It was just such a great experience.  She sent me home with a gold box full of onigiri and a very happy heart.  

Gift #149- A Jar Full of Buttons

A few years back, my Grandma gave me an old Mason jar full of buttons.  Some of the buttons belonged to her, but most of them belonged to her mother.  Macy and I dumped them out on the floor today and had such a fun time counting and sorting them.  My jar sits on my sewing table where I can enjoy it often.  I love the green of the jar mixed with the colorful buttons inside.  My sisters and I have joked about who was Grandma's favorite.  Beth unwaveringly thinks that she is.  But she doesn't know about my buttons!  :0)

Gift #148- Sunday Afternoon Naps

Aside from coffee, and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, I believe that a Sunday afternoon nap is one of the greatest of God's gifts. My parents enjoyed a good Sunday afternoon nap from time to time when I was a kid.  They didn't get to do it often as the five of us kept them on their toes.  I could never understand why anyone would want to nap when they could be outside playing or at the pond throwing bread crumbs to the ducks.  I SO get it now.  Dad, thanks for all of those Sundays when you forfeited your nap to take us to get a Dilly Bar or to skip rocks.  I will never forget those days and will forfeit a nap or two to do the same for my kiddos so they too can have those great memories.  

Gift #147- A Funny Face

Sam and I were the first ones up yesterday.  We sat quietly in the living room together.  I read a book and he played a game.  After a little bit, I looked up from my book to see what he was up to.  He had bed head and sleepy little eyes.  He caught my stare and asked why I was looking at him.  I told him that it was because he was just too cute.  He tried to make an ugly face and then he said "ok-  I am not cute anymore.  You can stop looking."  Even his ugly face was cute.  His funny little face and quick comeback made me laugh and laugh.  I tried to get him to recreate the face for the camera, but he put his blanket over his head and would not hear of it.  Laughter is such a great way to start the day.

Gift #146- A Warm Welcome

Tonight we were "hailed" into Hank's new squadron- The Bats.   It was so nice to get out and enjoy the evening together.  The party was outside and the weather was perfect. The ladies were very nice and made us feel so very welcome.  It is nice to feel like a part of team again.  I look forward to getting to know our new Bat Family.

Gift #145- Slurping Coffee

I like to wake the kids up each morning by singing to them.  But I don't sing just any old song.  I like to make it up as I go along.  I really like to sing opera style.  But I usually save my opera voice for mornings when the kids are extra grumpy.  They love that!  This morning as I was about to go upstairs to wake them for school, I remembered how my dad would wake my sister and I sometimes when we were little.  He would come and sit in between our beds and slurp his coffee really loud and slow!  And then he would say "AAAHHHH".  He would continue his slurping until one of us smiled or finally put our feet on the floor.  I decided to try that with the kids this morning.  Sam and Macy smiled.  I think that I got a smile out of Jack too.  Especially when I told him that was how his Papa would wake me up in the mornings.  Josh did not love it however.  He looked at me like he wanted to throw his pillow at my head.  I can't say that I blame him.  When the coffee slurping didn't work, I moved on to alternating between the slurping and my opera voice.  Worked like a charm.  The memory of my dad sitting on the little desk in between our beds slurping his coffee made me smile this morning.  I have so very many wonderful childhood memories like that.  Each special memory is a gift.  Thanks Dad.  

Josh thanks you too.  :0)

Gift #144- Little Things

I have gotten a little behind on my posts this last week.  I let the laundry and the dishes and swim team practice get the best of me.  Some days, I have a hard time finding a gift to post.  But that is only when I get too busy and fail to see the gifts in the little things-  like the smell of homemade yeast bread, or the excitement over a lost tooth, or Turbo curled up in a patch of sunlight.  Each day brings so many precious gifts.  Both big and small.  It is just a matter of slowing down to see them.  

Gift #143- Meatfest

This is one of Hank's favorite restaurants.  It is called Kikutei, but Hank and  his buddies affectionately refer to it as "Meatfest".   They frequented Kikutei quite often before the kids and I arrived.  All you can eat and drink for 2 hours for a great price was just too hard to pass up.  We all went on Friday night and had a great time.  The kids got to pick their own meats and vegetables and put them on the grill themselves.  Their favorite was the bacon of course!  It was a fun experience for all of us.  Afterwards, we went through the McDonalds Drive Thru for ice-cream.  It was very entertaining listening to Hank try to place the order.  The employee finally told us to pull to the window and we used a picture menu to order.  :0)  Another great evening in Iwakuni.

Gift #142- Little Voices Singing Sunday School Songs

My Little Nephews- Noah and Tyler

My sister-in-law Annie posted this on Facebook today...

Best part of Sunday afternoon: catching the boys singing songs they learned at Sunday school when they think no one is listening... ♥

Her post made me smile.  Because isn't that just the sweetest sound?  I can't think of anything that fills me up much more than hearing one of my children's little voice singing This Little Light of Mine or Jesus Loves Me- especially when they think no one is listening.