cousin – Page 2 – Nancy Tart: Writing for Life

Cousin Visits!

Cousin visits to our “mini-farm” aka place to get messy, play with animals, discover eggs hidden outside, and enjoy togetherness!

January 18, 2019

Cousin Visits!

My sister, brother, and their three little ones (Sister-Cousin and Brother-Cousins!) have moved back from Kansas!

They came out to our mini-farm (muddy spot with a pond, outside tank with tadpoles, indoor goldfish, foraging chickens, playful Guinea Pigs, cute fluffy bunny, and jumpy adult dogs who think they are 4 months old) over the weekend and the kids were totally excited!

This time, we had very few photographers snapping pictures because they were too busy playing with their cousins!

Lucas was so excited to share his green car (motorized car his Grandma Joanne bought him for his 2^nd birthday) but the battery ran out too quickly – so he shared his Christmas bicycle and his train tracks. For him, those items are his dearest things in the world; train tracks, cars, his bicycle, and his green car.

“Baby JJ” – who isn’t a baby anymore! – and Lucas played train tracks for a bit. JJ liked the bicycle too. Outside JJ and Mandy wanted to see all the fluffy animals.

Anastasia helped show off Minuit, Kimberly’s little black Dwarf Holland Lop Bunny.

Little Minuit loves to eat carrot bits!

Mandy found Jaquline’s “hidden spot” in her bunkbed! (With big paper on the “wall.”)

Taylor and TobyMac did their popcorn jumps after the girls loaded them with Spanish Needles greens (chickens, bunnies, and Guinea Pigs love them before they turn to seed aka the needle part).

Above is the wildflower called Spanish Needle, a favorite food of many small animals.

Jillian showed off her Uncle Buddy knowledge by telling them that people can eat the wildflowers and leaves too. (Yes, but they are bitter unless cooked, and I hoped her younger cousins were distracted by the cuteness of the piggies and missed the “you can eat this weed” tidbit.)

We love cousin visits! It is always fun with family shares their time with each other.

Thanks for reading!

Type at you next time…

~Nancy Tart

Birthday Dolls

A childhood collection becomes a family tradition.

October 20, 2018

Birthday Dolls

Do you have something unique that you do and sometimes you laugh at yourself and think, “this is so silly!” but your family wouldn’t stop it because it means something to them?

For us, one of these “silly family traditions” that I accidently created is the Birthday Dolls.

We have a display of “Growing Up Girls” birthday dolls that represent each of the children’s ages.

Currently it looks like this:

Christina (15), Rebeccah (13), Kimberly (11), Jaquline (8), Jillian (6), Lucas (3), and Anastasia (5).

It started with my collection of age-dolls from when an aunt and cousin bought the first three each of my first three birthdays. I loved them and once I was old enough to make money babysitting and mowing grass, I started collecting the rest of the blonde ones.

Fast forward to when I have two young girls and we didn’t have much display space so Louis suggested I just leave a few out. I left Christina and Rebeccah’s ages. When Kimberly was born, we added the baby one. This became a tradition from then on.

Through twenty-odd years many have broken (by little siblings and my children! Super glue is a porcelain doll’s best friend) a few shattered irreparably, and since my girls are mostly brunettes, any replacements we tried to find with brunette hair. When Anastasia was about 2, she wanted to add her “age” to the dolls – so we added her age doll. Lucas came along and I discovered the same company made “Growing Up Boys” age dolls so we started collecting those as well!

I always check resale and thrift shops for any ones I don’t have (right now, boys from 7 up).

Just a cute little story about how a collection became a family tradition. (Yes, they have already planned that I’ll have to buy more of those to display my grandchildren’s ages someday.)

Thanks for reading!

Type at you next time…

~Nancy Tart

Look Who’s Famous!

The girls find their cousin’s face on a Family Fun Fest 2018 poster & are super excited!

October 2, 2018

Look Who’s Famous!

During our thrift shopping day, we found a gem!

I’ve been a vendor at the Saint Augustine Family Fun Fest for two years – and yes, it is an amazing family venue! (Not the best for our sales yet, but most of our neighbors do very well.) The kids LOVE it so much that they plan to be at the next one each time we are leaving.

My 12+ girls volunteer (last time, officially), and Kimberly and Jaquline trade between “guard duty” (where they walk Jillian, Anastasia, and Lucas around to play on rides, watch the shows, and visit vendors) and “working the booth” (helping to mind the booth and try to sell our crafts).

On a “Family Fun Fest 2018” poster in the Alpha Omega Thrift shop, was Anastasia’s smiling butterfly-painted face! (In the little bubble just above all the sponsors.)

We even checked our pictures to make sure (because she had two different faces during the course of the day). Anastasia is the “butterfly.”

And yes, it was their cousin, smiling down from the poster.

The girls got so excited!

Becky had to take a picture and send it to Anastasia’s mom with the line, “look who’s famous!”

Maybe not “famous,” but it certainly launched the girls into discussing their happy memories from the two fun fests and their hopes for this coming year’s event! (The cutest part for me, is that almost every time I pick Anastasia up from school, she asks me, “when are we going to the next Family Fun Fest?” – she will love seeing herself on a poster for an event she loves!)

Thanks for reading!

Type at you next time…

~Nancy Tart

Oceans of Praise

One night of de-stressing by taking the kids to experience the beauty of the moonlit beach!

September 26, 2018

Oceans of Praise

It was a long, tired, stressful day. It was the kind of day when as I’m driving home, the “Mandisa Fun” Pandora station (Christian Rock with catchy tunes and uplifting lyrics) was blaring out the speakers, windows down, and I’m trying to drum the day out of my head.

It was also nearing the full moon. There were very few clouds, a refreshing warm-cool wind (I knew this would be “blustery” at the beach), and it was 86 degrees at almost 7:30pm.

I decided we’d go to the beach.

I got home to find Eddie and Louis watching football – only into the first quarter. They do so little father-and-son stuff because Louis is always busy that I announced, “I’m headed to the beach,” knowing that would be cool for them to have father-and-son time.

“You’re taking the kids to go shark fishing?” Louis laughed. “It’ll be dark by the time you get there.”

“No, we’re going to walk along the shore and play in the shallows,” I smiled, “don’t worry, they’ll all be back in one piece. There’s a beautiful moon out and it looks amazing.”

Lucas almost stayed to watch football, but then realized all of the girls, including Anastasia, were going with Mommy, and this meant Mommy would be gone a long time.

We showed up to see this:

And this:

And that:

God had an amazing light show for us! It was so bright they could see to build a tribal village with walls, huts, and fields.

Rebeccah took most of the pictures and her selfie:

She tried to get pictures of us, but really we look like black blobs amid the darkness.

This one was a little better:

We raced up and down the shoreline. The water and wind was warm, so Anastasia lay down in the surf to get covered in water. Jillian, Jaquline, Kimberly, and Lucas followed her. Each was completely soaked in the first fifteen minutes. I think it took Rebeccah a half-hour before she let her hair get wet. Our long walk ended up being over two and a half miles! (1.3 miles one way, 1.3 miles back.) We sang praise songs because the majesty of the night looked like it was praising God.

We had to leave when Becca texted saying she was almost done with work. Anastasia was giddy at the prospect of “beating Mommy home” so we trouped back to the van, cleaned up at Aunt Becca’s, and spent a few minutes after Becca got home chatting before my crew made our way home. (Sister time for us Mommies!)

Thank you, Jesus, for a wonderful, exhilarating night.

And yes, my devious plan worked… all of them got back on their good sleep schedule.

Thanks for reading!

Type at you next time…

~Nancy Tart

New Venture

Why is a crazy never-used-makeup 35 year old starting to present it?

September 18, 2018

New Venture

Okay, so if you’ve been following this blog (or *gasp* actually know me), you know that my one experiment with makeup was as an overactive girl in the sweltering mid-Georgia summer. My attempt at rather cheap (I thought it was expensive then, but now know better) mascara, foundation, and blush rolled down my face and irritated my eyes as it literally was melted by the sun and sweat.

I did manage to wear lipstick a few times, like for my wedding, my sisters’ weddings, and my brother’s wedding. (Honestly, every time I bought a lipstick tube, it ended up being used by some child as a crayon.)

That was it.

Now, I have three daughters dabbling in makeup. Rebeccah loves it. I’ve researched everything I can and a few years ago found a couple of brands of makeup I liked and would buy for them. A few months ago, Kimberly and Rebeccah discovered my cousin Tiffany’s Facebook page loaded with tutorials, beautiful images, and the makeup line she sells. This past month, we discovered the lady who used to sell the face cleanser we’ve all used for over a decade doesn’t sell it anymore! No one I know does. If I’m going to buy a product that isn’t sold in stores, I’m going to buy it from someone I know.

Louis has been trying to talk me into makeup for years, and recently, God has opened my eyes that if I’m serious about wanting to please my husband, why am I so against getting “made-up” once a week when we have adult time? Really? I realized how petty I was seriously being. Yes, others who “put their face on” daily spend a lot of money on makeup, but I would be using it on the nights we go walking together. Three or four times a month. That was not going to break the bank.

So, I looked into being a makeup rep. As I’m browsing, I realize I’m crazy. Then I counter that with – I have five daughters, I’m sure I’ll be buying makeup for them too. I’m a BeachBody coach because I LOVE SHAKEOLOGY! I love the only whole food vitamin shake that I I don’t have a huge business through them, but one day I might when I can put more time into it. If I find a makeup line whose business practices and products I like, why shouldn’t I present it to others and perhaps make a little money? It is wise to invest money in products and businesses you love because you would recommend them anyway.

Now, like my beautiful cousin, I’m “presenting” for Younique – at least, as soon as I get my makeup! The starter packet came with items I was going to purchase anyway along with many others to try. I’ll be updating as I travel on this strange journey of learning the art of makeup at 35.

Thanks for reading!

Type at you next time…

~Nancy Tart

Cousin Bonds

April 6, 2018

Cousin Bonds

I love watching the awesome relationships between my children and their cousins. Cousins are something like siblings you don’t live with. They know you, accept you just as you are, enjoy normal everyday things with you, and share one set of grandparents. For my children, their cousins are their best friends. My children are very fortunate to have most of their cousins close by.

The bond seems instant. From crib days, they are inseparable!

They spend long minutes to make bubbles stick to another’s hair as a “crown.”

They turn part of the back yard in to an aerial picture (after two studying about the Hopewell Indians and mounds). Their picture was dugout, in the shape of an elephant and a duck head, created to “hold wasted water.” (The photographer, Rebeccah, and Kimberly who had studied the mound builders, explained while building that this wasn’t heaped up dirt, but it would look good from above.)

Sometimes fun is just looking through a magazine together.

Cousins turn long car rides into parties!

When Grandma joins in, cousin time is even more fun!

Cousins share passions with each other – like a love for waves, wind, and water! (Yes, the dots in the cool March water are most of the sister-cousins!)

When cousins move away, the distance doesn’t stop the love that they have for each other. Even Lucas, who was two when his “baby Isaac” moved to the Midwest, still talks about “when Isaac and Mandy and their baby come play trains with me.” (He’s never seen his “baby” cousin, JJ, except in pictures, but he loves him anyway!) The beauty of cousin love is when they reunite, it doesn’t matter time, distance, or changes, each is so excited to see the other and they seem to instantly pick up where they left off; like the best of friends.

Thanks for reading!

Type at you next time…

~Nancy Tart

Cousin Train

June 15, 2017

Cousin Train

Some days you just need to laugh! When cousins are over, that laughter is always bouncing off the walls.

The big girls raced by each pushing a tomato box across the wooden floor. Mandy squealed from Jaquline’s box (“faster!”). Isaac peered up from behind his pacifier, eyes pleading with me to save him from Kimberly’s driving (but he wouldn’t get out). Lucas grinned, (he was in the “real car” – a toy bin) “Rrrrr”ing as Jillian puffed behind him, racing to keep up with her longer-legged sisters.

“Mom! We’re a train!” Yelled Kimberly.

“A cousin train!” Jaquline squealed.

This was followed by two or three ear-shattering “WOO WOO” howls (impersonations of imaginary trains).

Then they lined up one box behind the other and wanted a “cousin train” picture. Kimberly and Jillian kept running in and out of the picture (if we could bottle their energy, we could make a mint) but we captured everyone else!

Our tomato boxes end up being shelves, clothes sorting bins, storage units, temporary nest boxes, or toys. Once, they became a chalk-covered space ship to Aunt Katy’s house! Another time, they became lifeboats tied together in an ocean. This fun day, they were racecars that morphed into a cousin train (which ended up with six cars and one Christina-and-Rebeccah engine!)

I love their imagination! It makes me smile and opens doors for teaching moments. It also inspires many characters in my books like Jilly and Luke in The Skating Pony.

The cousins love playing together. Mandy is crafty and creative like her Mommy (hmm, crafty…) so the girls always find something fun to do. Lucas and Isaac are only separated by 9 days, so many people have asked if they are twins. They love playing with anything that has wheels.

I wonder where the cousin train will take them next.

Thanks for reading!

Type at you later…

~Nancy Tart

Tag: cousin

Cousin Visits!

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Birthday Dolls

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Look Who’s Famous!

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Oceans of Praise

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New Venture

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Cousin Bonds

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Cousin Train

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