Mamma Mia

Isn't she just beautiful?

Meet my MIL. She's the best MIL in the whole world. 

Ask Sissy. She keeps trying to steal her from me. But I'm holding onto her.

She is the finest Christian woman I know. 

She's grace, she's comfort, she's peace, she's love. She's honest. She's loyal. She's dependable. She's funny. She's the person you go to when you have a puzzle to noodle over. Or something's on your mind. She has wonderful insight, and a whole lot of common sense.

She is who I want to be when I grow up.

I love this family portrait of her parents and she and her brother. I don't think her mother lived long after this picture was taken.

Mom's mother died when Mom was about twenty-five. The same age I was when my mom died.

She knows what it's like to miss your mom. 

Even after all these years, she still misses her mom. 

When she talks about her, it's always in words like, "She made the best meringue EVER," and "She always made sure I looked nice," and "She made everyone feel at home, whenever they dropped by the farm."

I say similar things about her. "She makes the best molasses cookies EVER," and "She always has a kind word to say about everyone," and "She makes you feel like a million bucks."

I wonder if she knows how much like her mom she is? I'll have to tell her. I bet she'll like hearing that.

I love this expression. She's playful and she loves to laugh and she loves a good practical joke.

Her and J have a running prank they play on each other. Actually, two running pranks. A big rubber black spider and an articulated wooden snake.

Both look surprisingly real when you find them in a cereal box, or on top of a roll of toilet paper, or under your bed covers. 

I always know when Mom finds something J's hidden because she lets out a cross between a squeak and a scream. Usually in the morning, before she's really awake. J's pretty good at finding spots to hide these things and then Mom has to come up with something just as good, to return the favor.

They love it.

Today is her birthday. K made her a fluffy peanut butter frosted cake for dessert. 

Peanut butter is her favorite. I'm glad she shared with us. 

It was a close one.

Same photo, black and white. I think I like this one best.

She's still beautiful.