The Final Hurrah of Summer

The rest of the trip was interesting.  I won't say much about the alternator trouble.  Let's just say we had some changes in our plans and a big bill on our Visa!  We also spent a night at my Aunt and Uncle's, Ruthie and Dwen, in northern MI.  And I forgot to take a picture of them!  But it was really nice to be at their place again!

When we got home on Sat. afternoon, all of Keith's siblings were already here.  So we jumped directly into a week of G. family partying.  What fun.  It felt like Christmas without the snow and the other busyness that comes in Dec.

Family portrait.  Logan messed up every one on my camera!  But Sandra got a good one.

Shania and Hannah

The boys had a total blast playing with Uncle Neal.  Josiah was pretty sad to see him go at the end of the week!!

"One, two, three..."

After they all left, we had fun spending time with Matthew, Rhonda and girls.  It's so fun to see the cousins all getting to know each other and making good memories with each other.  Labour Day weekend we went camping with my family.  Well, with those of us who could make it.  Unfortunately, Dad and Dru had to work and Mike's had something else going on, I think.  And of course, Rachel and Dave are a million miles away.  :-(  But, we managed to have lots of fun anyway.  The weather was beautiful, but windy.  We spent a bunch of time at the beach and sitting around the fire.  The kids just played and played.  It was a reminder too, that camping isn't generally relaxing with little kids.  But I'm expecting that each year now, things will get a little easier.  Sunday afternoon it was actually warm enough that I went swimming.  Darla and Rhonda came in too and our hubbies and a bunch of kids, of course.  That was a relaxing afernoon and it was so much fun to just play!  (I'm not so good at doing that normally!)

Hot babes hangin' out at the beach.

Goofy kids.

Playing with play-dough.

Scotty.

Dylan - all tuckered out.

Like I said, it was windy!

Matthew and Sierra - cheers!

Summer Re-visited. (Rachel wanted pictures!)

After Rachel's wedding we had a week to "mosey" home.  That was so nice.  Our first stop was a Y. family reunion.  We were just there for a few hours, but it was really nice to see family again.

Hannah with Great Grandpa and Grandma Y. 

Then we headed to MI to spend a bit of time with our friends Jeff and RoxAnne and their family.  It's always so good to see them!

Next stop - Lake Michigan.  We rented a house near the lake for two nights with my dear friends Karla and Brenda.  It was fun catching up and introducing them to our kids.

Next we met Keith's child-hood friend Dan, his wife, Juanita and family.  We spent a day together and went to the Air Zoo in Kalamazoo.  That was a lot of fun for the kids.

Snack time in the parking lot!

Some of the kids beside a real Blackbird.  (The world's fastest plane, or something like that.  Caleb could tell you all about it probably.)  

To be continued...

Fall

It's been a beautiful fall here.  We've had lots of sunny, crisp/cool days to enjoy.  But, I find I have a hard time enjoying it to the fullest because Fall mostly evokes in me a dread of winter.  Sad, isn't it.  Winter here is so long and often comes so early.  I find that hard to deal with.  Some day, I'd like to live somewhere - even if it's just for one year - where Fall is a really long, beautiful season and the winter that follows doesn't strike terror to my heart.  And where there are lots of hard-woods that bust out with red and orange leaves.  Here were mostly have just yellow leaves.  But, in the meantime I'll try to soak in the beautiful days we have.  And this year I've been thoroughly enjoying my maple tree that has Red Leaves.  It's been wonderful!  Happy fall! 

Oh My Goodness, I'm A Great-Aunt!

My niece, Kayla just had a baby girl this morning.  Her name is Serenity Marie, and she is a precious, little cutie!!  Kayla did a great job!  Now we're waiting for Samantha to have her little boy soon.  When it rains, it pours, eh?  :-)

Is It Too Late To Post Pictures From The Wedding?

It's almost Dave and Rachel's two-month anniversary.  But I still want to post about it.  If I can remember it. :-)

It was one of the most beautiful weddings I've been at.  (Of course, I'm not biased, or anything.) It was a truck-load of work, and I hardly had time to scratch my ear all week, but there were some really good moments too.  Here are some highlights:

* On Wednesday evening we (Dave, Rachel, and our family) went out for supper at a really nice restaurant right on Winona Lake.  We sat outside on the screened porch overlooking the lake.  It was a beautiful evening, and for some reason, I was able to not think about wedding stuff and we just relaxed and had a wonderful time together.

* Late Wednesday night, Matthew, Rhonda and their girls arrived, jet-lagged to the max.  But it was SO good to see them!!!

* Friday morning all of Rachel's friends and relations who were around went out for brunch.  It was like a big, 'ol, "back home" reunion.  So many who used to live here and now live all over the globe, all coming together because of Rachie!  We made quite a ruckus in the restaurant, and had a blast.

* The wedding ceremony was so meaningful and beautiful.  And I didn't have to do anything else, so I could just relax and soak it in.  (And try to forget that there were 240 people behind me.)  The music was beautiful.  She had piano, trumpet and cello for the prelude, processional and recessional.  Wow.   A definite highlight was when a group of our Yutzy aunts, uncles and cousins sang an amazing benediction.  Oh my!

* The reception was lovely.  It was in a tent outside Rachel's church and the weather was absolutely perfect.  Amazing.  

Sadly, I don't have any really good pictures.  But, here are a few anyway.

Logan and Alabama were flower-girl and ring-bearer.  They were so cute!!!

I'm a Nerd

Last night I stayed up late (getting my new computer organized). :-)  So just before I headed for bed I went in Hannah's room to cover her up.  I turned off the closet light which I had left on when I put her to bed because her night-light is not very bright. (Bear with me, I think that detail is relevant.)  Then, with my eyes not adjusted to the new level of darkness and with a sleepy brain, I headed out of the room and WHAMMED into the edge of the door with my forehead.  PAIN.  MUCH PAIN.  I stood there for a bit wondering if my glasses were perhaps broken and just feelin' the pain.  When I went into the bathroom and looked, I already had a nice goose-egg forming above my right eye.  So I got a bag of frozen vegetables and sat with that on my head for awhile and read a book and wondered if I should take Advil before I went to bed.  But, the pain did subside and I was able to sleep fine.  I can't believe I did that.  

Monday!

Why are Mondays so.... Monday-ish??

As far as Mondays go, today was pretty much a bummer.  Sigh.  So, now I'm going to complain a bit, and then I'm going to be thankful, so hold on for the end of the post...

The "badness" started in the middle of the night when Hannah was awake and fussy off and on for an hour or two (it's hard to keep track in the wee hours!).  Keith and I took turns trying to get her settled down.  I finally thought maybe it was her ears or teeth and Keith gave her Advil.  That finally seemed to do the trick.  But the damage was done.  I was tired!  On top of that, I had a bad dream that pointed out some unresolved crud in my heart.  :-(

So, I slept in, which I guess I needed, but that put our day behind schedule.  Then, I made the (rebellious) mistake of checking the weather and email before spending any time with Jesus, and then it was too late.  Duh.

After that it was a series of mis-haps, mistakes, and mayhem...

- Logan woke up with the sure conviction that he, in fact, was in charge and I definitely wasn't.

- I was feeling grumpy and out-of-sorts.  I ended up getting angry at the kids and yelling and it was pretty ugly around here.  By the time we were done with breakfast and chores, I knew we had to back up and take care of stuff.  So we spent some time talking, repenting and praying.  After a discipline session with Logan, I sent him back to bed and told him we were going to pretend that we were starting the day all over. 

- Logan and Caleb were HYPER.  Made me want to never feed them another gram of sugar again.  Ever.

- It was raining and cold today.

- I tried three times to start a fire in the stove and it never did take off - until Keith came home and dumped something very flammable and stinky on it.  So I was cold a good bit of the morning.

- Caleb has a runny nose and his first instinct is to snort.  Gross!  Then when he does blow, he leaves dirty tissues everywhere.  Grrr.  Tomorrow I'm going to charge him $.10 for every snort and every tissue laying around.  Money talks to that boy!

- Caleb "shared" his runny nose with Josiah, who is taking it to another level and is pretty miserable tonight.  More on that later.

- Logan broke a stapler and I found a section of staples - sharp side up - on the dining room floor.

- Caleb broke a cool little car we just got at a garage sale on Sat.

- Keith had a rough morning and then took a night shift at the ambulance tonight.  We hardly had any time to talk, which left me feeling rather dis-connected, but we did talk on the phone tonight, so that's good.

- Josiah didn't take a nap today.  (I gave up around 3:30 or so.)

- I had to discipline Josiah a bajillion times today for a particular behaviour that we're trying to irradicate.

-I dug a small piece of plastic out of Hannah's mouth tonight - I'm guessing it was from the broken car.

- I sent Josiah to go pee this evening and when I went in there a bit later, I found pee All Over the floor.  He claimed he was trying to go in the potty, and I think I believe him.  Not 100% sure.

- Josiah has already been half awake and crying three times tonight.  I feel like just not going to bed at all because I'm afraid I won't get any sleep anyway.  He did this about 3 or 4 weeks ago when he had a cold.  He woke up crying and inconsolable about 9 times during the night.  And, ironically, that was also a night when Keith was doing a night shift and I hardly got any sleep.  

So.  That's the garbage.  As I was thinking about this post earlier this evening, I realized that even with all the junk today, I still have a long list of things to be thankful for, if I just stop and look for them.  So, here's the good stuff that I'm thankful for:

- Hannah didn't choke on anything today.  (That girl puts Everything in her mouth!)  Of course, I have no idea what all she ate off of the floor! :-)

- My boys forgave me for my anger and harsh words.

- Supper was delicious (and came from the freezer, so it was very little work!)

- No one stepped on the staples!

- For the first time since Thursday or Friday, every dirty dish was either washed or in the dishwasher tonight.  (We came close a few times over the weekend, but never got around to that one pan that was soaking...)

- Kisses.  From my handsome hubby and precious little boys .

- I was finally able to start the laundry tonight - after wanting to do it all day.

- Josiah is actually having fewer accidents and starting to tell me when he needs to go.

- And, he hasn't pooped in his underwear for a few days.  He's been going in his diaper when I put him down for a nap.  Works for now I guess.  

- Hannah really is a good baby.

- Caleb was very willing to lay down with Josiah tonight so I could get Hannah to bed.  

- Caleb can be a very compassionate big brother.

- Logan got himself and Caleb a bed-time snack without any help from me.

- Logan and Caleb willingly cleaned up toys, etc. while I was getting Hannah to bed.

- With the two "littles" asleep, we were able to do some reading that we didn't get done today.  And we were in a much better frame of mind than when we tried this afternoon.  Instead of "I don't like this book!", I heard, "Read more!"

- In spite of hyperness and bad attitudes, the boys actually did quite well on their school work today.

- I was able to sweep the floor and put away some miscellaneous stuff this afternoon.  Yay.  Let's hear it for sweeping!

- This afternoon, Keith and I watched part of a Beth Moore video that we watched in our ladies' Sunday School class yesterday.  (I got there late and didn't get to see the whole thing, so I borrowed it.)  It is So Good!  It's from her Bible study series called, "Breaking Free" and the session is titled "God's Unfailing Love."  I think I should write a whole post about that, but we'll see.  I have so much growing to do, but she offers so much hope!

- My Father God, loves me!!!!

- Yeah, there's a small mountain of laundry, but hey, we have clothes to wear! And I have four precious kids to make them dirty!

- Caleb and Logan can do chores!  Today Caleb sorted the laundry and Logan cleaned the bathroom counter and sink.

- Tomorrow we get to start swimming lessons.  We're all excited.  And I'm a little nervous about getting us all out the door by 9:10!!

- Any day now, "my" new computer (a refurbished MacBook) will be arriving.  And I won't ever have to use this stinking, old, dinosaur of a PC any more!  Oops, this was supposed to be the thankful list.  Let's see...  I've been very thankful for it's years - or was that months - of somewhat faithful service.  And for the friend who put it together and gave it to us!

- Tomorrow night I get to go to a Stampin' Up party.  Just me.  No kidlets.  Just grown-up ladies, who can carry on grown-up conversations.  And after that, a prayer time with some ladies from church.  What could be better!

So, as you see, I really do have many things to be thankful for!  I just need to remember them and thank my Completely Gracious and Good Heavenly Father!  

Now, my question is, do I go to bed and try to get some sleep, or just sit here at the computer and work all night.  Josiah has already been awake and crying 4 - no, make that 5 - times and it's only 11:45.  He "barks" like a seal and his nose is all stuffy.  He's been laying on the living room floor for the past while.  Poor little guy!  

If you've read all the way to the end, congratulations.  You're a true friend - or very bored!  :-)  And now I will quit rambling!!

Confessions Of An Intrepid Home-schooler

I want to tell you a little story and give all kinds of praise and glory to my “Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend.”  

For a long time I've thought that I would want to home-school my children – at least for the first few years (when it's the “easiest”) Haha. That goes to show what I knew way back then. Anyway, when the time came to start educating Caleb, there was no longer a Christian school here, and public school wasn't what we wanted to do.  So the only option I was left with was home-schooling.  I wasn't always sure if I was doing it because we really wanted to, or because it was our only option.

Up until this year, it was fairly easy to be low-key (and half-hearted) about the whole thing since Caleb learns easily and was ahead, and Logan was pretty young yet. But, with this school-year looming ahead of me, I knew it was time to get really serious. As I mulled over my feelings, I had some disturbing revelations. 1) I don't really like home-schooling.  I guess that wasn't actually a new thought. I just freely admitted it to myself. 2) I have this nagging feeling that I'm not really “accomplishing” anything when I'm spending so much time doing school. This feeling that I really should be doing something else. 3) I've never really become whole-hearted or “given myself” to home-schooling.  

I have to take a little rabbit-trail here to explain a bit. For a long time I've been goal-oriented, achievement-driven, and very fond of having a clean and organized home. And I'll quickly admit that I've often taken that to an unhealthy extreme. Not that my house is too neat or clean. Ha! But my task-focus and drivenness too often have taken priority over my children's and husband's needs. I'm very happy to spend lots of time at home, taking care of my home and my children and “accomplishing things”.  

What I've discovered is that home-schooling takes a lot of time away from “housework” time and I sorta resent that. As we were approaching this school year and these feeling were crystallizing in my mind, I realized I really, really don't want to go on this way. I started praying and asking God to please, Please, PLEASE help me LIKE this home-school business that we've gotten ourselves into. And I told Him I accept this task He's given me and I commit myself to it.

So, now, a few weeks into school, suddenly I'm realizing that I'm having fun! I'm actually enjoying our learning time together. And the funny thing is, this year it's more demanding and time-consuming than ever before. And I don't resent it. I'm so excited about that I could just, uh, well, I don't know, but I'm really excited. Along with that, I'm enjoying my kids more than I ever have before, I think. Another huge answer to prayer.

Yes, sometimes it all makes my head spin: keeping a toddler occupied, the baby happy, and the older two motivated and focused. And I'm still trying to figure out how to get the necessities done around the house and get enough rest and exercise, etc. But I mostly have joy through it all. Mostly. :-)  And please don't take this to mean that I've pretty much got it together now.  I'm just saying this feels like a victory.  Even on the days when I'm asking forgiveness for losing my temper at someone.

I'm just so thankful that I have a God who is willing and able to work in me and change me. As I write this, it encourages me to ask Him to change some other areas in my life that need a serious make-over. If you think about me, you can pray for me/us. I'm always kinda nervous to share a victory story like this, because I'm afraid I'll just crash in a few days. So, I'm resisting the Enemy and standing in the victory that Jesus has given me.  

In case you're interested, here's what we're doing for school-work this year:

Caleb:
Math – Abeka, Grade 3
Language Arts – Some Sonlight, MCP Phonics, Wordly Wise, Sequential Spelling (that is so cool!), and some of Mom's ingenuity for Creative Writing (because he hates it and I'm trying to help him not hate it!)  (Does anyone have any good ideas??)
Science and History – finishing up Sonlight Core K and soon moving into Core 1. We actually did Core 1 two years ago, but it was way ahead of Logan so we backed up and will hopefully catch Logan's interest this time around.  I'm thinking of supplementing him with lots of good library books. He loves to learn by reading, so I think I should capitalize on that.
Electives - An art appreciation book for kids that we haven't opened yet this year.
       - “Do You Doodle?”, a fun drawing book I got from Sonlight. Hopefully Wendy will be doing some art with the her kids and mine and I'll do Science activities with them all.
       - “Mavis Beacon teaches typing”. I think he's anxious to start that, but we're having computer issues right now – and I'm not sure right now how we'll fit it in time-wise...

Logan:
Math – Math-U-See, Primer level. We're having so much fun with this! I'm thinking I'll switch Caleb over at some point this year or next.
Language Arts – Abeka, K-5. He did some Sonlight Language last year but I'm switching back to Abeka. It's easier for me. Since he already knows most of his letters and is blending simple words, I think we'll follow the curriculum loosely and probably go through at least the first part of it fairly quickly.
Science and History – the same as Caleb, but without any supplementing.
Electives – the same as Caleb, but without the typing.

And, of course, there's still music. We put Logan back in the same level as last year. At the end of last year it was getting to be overwhelming for him. He's having a lot of fun this year. I think it helps that Keith is practicing with him most of the time. Caleb was dragging his feet this year with the piano thing, but this week he got a song he really likes and that has piqued his interest much more. Whew!

And next week we start swimming lessons, so that takes care of Phys. Ed.  Well, that and all the running, jumping, and riding bike they do anyway!

I really didn't mean to "talk your ear off like that."  You don't have to read the whole thing...  :-) It's time to head for bed...  Oh, ugh.  I told Caleb I'd order some shoes for him from Sears before I go to bed tonight.  The poor child has no shoes - only sandals, dress shoes, and rubber boots.  Sometimes it's not so good being the oldest.  There are no hand-me-downs when you need something now!  Okay, I'm signing off!

Hey Ya'll, I'm Alive! (Is Anyone Still Checking Here??)

Hello? Is anyone still out there? I'll have to see if I remember how to do this blogging thing still. Oh my, where do I start. See, this is the problem with me: The longer I wait to write, the more there is to catch up on and the more daunting it seems. So I procrastinate some more. Nasty cycle!

So... Hmmm.... It's hard to get started here. Some day I will post a whole photo album, but for now I'll just write for a few minutes. Here's a quick overview of the last month or so.

* Wedding madness - lots of fun, friends, and family.

* A little vacation on the way home - more time with friends and family and a few days close to Lake Michigan. Ahhhhh....

* Home again - recovering from the trip and all of Keith's family was here for a week. Party time! It was like Christmas without the snow and presents!

* Iris and her kids were in town and, of course, Matthew and Rhonda and family, so we did a bunch of stuff together.

* Oh My It's Time To Start School! It took me a bit to get organized and started, but we're getting into the swing of things now. It's like learning how to juggle! I'm learning how to teach Logan to read while giving Hannah her bottle, keep Josiah occupied while helping the others, keep Caleb encouraged and motivated, and just now I even gave Caleb his spelling words while working on this blog! Please dont' take this to mean that we're just doing just peachy, though. We are definitely a work in progress!!

I have much more to say about the above subjects, and many pictures to post, but we'll see how and when that happens. I'm really hoping to post more now that we're getting into a routine. Hoping.

Now, I'll hold my breath and see if anyone is still checking here, and willing to comment. Someone just said the other day that they read this, but never comment. That was you, Yvonne, right? :-) Hint, hint...

I Don't Have Time To Post But I'm Going To Anyway - Quickly

*  We made it down here in 22 hours straight.  Ugh.  But the kids did really well.  We left at 3:15 am Sunday morning and got here at 2:30 (eastern) Monday morning.

* Since then we've been going full tilt.  Baking cakes, making bulletins, gathering up "stuff" we need, etc.

*  Tonight Matthew and Rhonda get here and maybe Derek's.  We're all going out for supper.

* Last night Rachel was having her trial run with her hairdresser and the lady who's going to do my hair was looking at my hair and asking how I want it.  I had been baking cakes all day and had no time for a shower.  My hair was gross.  They had said that we should come in with clean, dry hair, but not "too clean".  The lady who was looking at my thin, greasy, stringy hair blurted out, "but don't come in with it this dirty!"  We laughed and laughed.  I was embarrassed to be seen in public like that anyway, but then to have a hairdresser looking at your hair...

*  Weddings are a huffin' lot of work!  But fun too.

Big Trip Comin' Up

Lists are made.

Dress is sewn.

Boys' hair is cut.

A few fingernails got trimmed - but not all of them.

I'm real tired.

I found something to wear to Emily's wedding on Saturday.

I had to alter it.

I learned how to bake wedding cakes today.

The laundry is almost done.

Tomorrow is Packing Day.

I feel like I'm running a marathon.

In three and a half days we'll be in Indiana.

In six days Matthew and Rhonda and the girls will be there too.

That's very exciting.

I'm going to bed.

Potpourri

We had a great time at my little reunion two weeks ago.  We used to be just four young girls – 30 years later we’re 4 ladies, 4 husbands and 24 (soon to be 25) children!  It was hard to know whether to reminisce or catch up from the last umpteen years.  We hadn’t all been together at one time for about 20 years.   Thank God for friends!

 

As soon as we got home, we dove right into VBS.  It went quite well, I’d say.  There were anywhere from 31 – 41 kids.  It was exhausting though, and it’s good to be done for anther year.

 

Overheard at Sheldon’s late at night: 

Sheldon (nagging Alicia about chewing her fingernails):  “I read that chewing your fingenails reduces life expectancy the same as smoking a pack a day.”

Sara:  “But it’s cheaper!”

I howled with laughter, but it was pretty late.  Not sure if it’s funny now…

 

The ratio of sunshine: rain has finally tipped more in favor of the sunshine!  Yay!  It’s an absolutely gorgeous day (and I need to go to the basement and sew!)  (That was yesterday.  Today it rained most of the day again.)

 

My dress for Rachel’s wedding is about 65% done.  Maybe more.  Tomorrow I’m going to sew the bodice and skirt together and then wait for my friend Phyllis to put in the invisible zipper.  (I never learned to do those things.  I always had Mom do it.)  It’s looking really pretty.

 

It’s only 9 days until we hit the road for Indiana and Rachel and Dave’s big day.  Mercy!  It’s gonna be a marathon until then!

 

I’m convinced Hannah has/had another (the fourth?) ear infection.  This happened two weeks ago and again this week.  She was fussy about drinking her bottle and would usually only take a 3 – 5 oz. at a time.  So, I started in on the onion/garlic/olive oil treatment and also did vinegar for good measure.  I started yesterday and today I could already tell a big difference.  She’s taking 7-8 oz. at a time.  Two weeks ago I did the same treatment and it seemed to work then too.  Craziness!

 

I’m trying to start exercising again.  It’s so hard to get back into the routine – especially when I’m still so tired that I rarely get up early.  I miss my early morning walks…

That's all for tonight.  It's way past my bed-time!

Rhonda's Got A Hankerin'...

... for pictures of Hannah.  Here you go!  Enjoy.

Five months old!  (Oh my, she's almost 6 now!)

At church camp-out with Justin P., Andy and Amanda's little guy.

Having fun with Daddy.

Logan wanted to make a dandelion chain.  I did most of it, really, but aren't they cute?
Hannah's dedication, several weeks ago.

After a walk at camp-out last weekend.

Hey, Karla or Brenda

I don't usually use this as e-mail, but...  Our home computer is at the doctor and that's where I have your email addresses.  So, could you send me an email, so we can discuss our vacation plans more?  Whoo hoo!  Keith got the Mac hooked up to the internet at home so I now have internet again.  Yay!

A Few Things You Were Just Dying To Know

-  Our computer (PC) is either sick or dead, not sure which.  The mac still works of course, but Keith hasn’t figured out how to hook it up to the internet at home.  So I’m at church doing this.

 

-  I told you awhile ago I was going to have a vacation for a few days.  Well, it was really nice!  Just so you know.  With my little “vacation” and camping, I’ve actually read a few novels in the last few weeks.  And I’ve developed some opinions about a couple of authors.  J

 

 

-  Today I trimmed a shrub for the first time.  I really didn’t know what I was doing and didn’t have the proper tool for the job, but it still looks better than before I started.

 

-  Josiah is a little bit pigeon-toed.  One foot turns in a little.  Should I be concerned?

 

-  Remember awhile ago when Josiah fell down the stairs and had a little “seizure” of some sort? Later he had a really tiny one after hitting his head.  Well, he did it again a couple of days ago.  He fell off a riding toy backwards and hit his head on the brick patio.  He cried really hard – the kind where you don’t breathe for awhile, cried more softly a couple times, then went “spacey” for just a few seconds.  Then he sat on my lap for a long time.  Should I take him to the doctor?

 

-  Hannah is completely weaned now.  I pumped for a few weeks, but that was getting pretty old.  She’s doing quite well, but she’s not on a very consistent schedule.  Oh well.  Just don’t tell Gary Ezzo!

 

-  I started my dress for Rachel’s wedding.  Well, I made a practice bodice with some ugly, old, brown calico.  I was pleased that it was quite close to fitting properly the first time.  I think I’ll try one more before I cut into the real thing.

 

-  Next weekend we’re going to MN.  The purpose of the trip is a reunion with three friends from my childhood, Jewell, Eunice and Prisilla.  We were inseperable when we were about 8 until we started moving away one by one (except Priscilla who still lives in MN.  Anyway, we all turned 40 in the last year or so, and so we’re having a reunion.  We haven’t all been together since Jewell’s wedding in about 1989, I think.  (Eunice and Priscilla, you can correct me here if I’m wrong.)  And between the four of us, we have 24 children and one more on the way (for the youngest, Eunice, who just turned 40 last month.)  I think we’ll have a rollicking good time!

 

-  We went to the beach Thursday for the first time.  It was a little chilly, but the kids had fun playing on the playground equipment, and swimming just a little.

 

-  Today I found a young girl who’s going to come help me once a week for a day or half-day during the summer.  Thank you, Jesus!  I’ve been feeling so overwhelmed with all the stuff to do this summer, so I think this will help.  I’ll have her help with housework, summer projects, and playing with the kids so I can sew or paint up on a ladder or something like that.

 

-  This might just be the summer to paint the trim around the windows (outside) and paint my front door green (sage, not grass).  I’ve wanted to do that ever since we moved in four years ago.

 

-  Did I ever mention that when I was in IN in May, Keith (and Jeff) put new carpet in the boys’ bedroom?  We had gotten a really good deal on a remnant, but I didn’t know when it would get installed.  So, that was a really nice surprise!  Keith said it was my Mother’s Day present.  J

 

-  This next week looks very overwhelmin with getting ready to go away for the weekend, and getting ready for VBS, which starts next Sunday night.  We’re leaving Sheldon’s on Sunday morning so we can get back in time for that.  Oh my.  Pray for me, please?

Thoughts on Evolution

How could evolution possibly be true?  Isn’t it based on the premise that order can come spontaneosly from chaos?  Have any of us ever seen that happen?  On the contrary, don’t we witness the exact opposite every day?? 

 

Last fall I got in the “declare war on clutter” mode and this house was really looking good – even the corners and closets.  Of course, with the arrival of Hannah in January, my “extra tme” disappeared and things started to slide into chaos.  At this point, I would say that clutter and chaos definitely have the upper hand in this house.  It’s driving me a little crazy.  If I believed in evolution, I’d be hopefully watching a pile of stuff (books that need to find a home on a bookshelf, out-grown kid’s clothes, etc.) to see if it turns into some kind of masterpiece – say a set of china dishes (in my pattern of course), or a new computer (to replace our archaic PC that is on it’s way to the doctor – or possibly the cemetary.)  Alas, it doesn’t seem to be happening.

 

So, yesterday I dug in and re-arranged the kids’ dressers and closets.   It’s not all done, but I got a really good start anyway.  It felt really good to shake my fist in the face of clutter just a little bit.

A Fine And Pleasant Misery (with apologies to Pat McManus)

Last weekend was our church camp-out.  There were quite a few people signed up, and then the forecast looked pretty bad.  We headed down the road Friday evening even though it was supposed to rain.  We bought chicken and potato wedges before we left and ate them when we got to the camp-ground.  Derek and Elise were already there, and two other families/groups in campers.  One other family came later.  Everyone else chickened out that night.  And I couldn’t really blame them.  It rained most of the evening, through-out the night and the next morning.  We had the fun of setting up camp in the rain.  Thankfully, Keith put up a big tarp first, before it started to rain hard.  We set up our tent under the tarp and then slid it out so the entrance was just under the tarp. 

 

By Saturday afternoon, the weather cleared up and we had great weather the rest of the time.  Tuesday was a holiday (Canada Day) and Keith also had Monday off.  Derek’s were staying longer, so we did too.  Jeff and Wendy and Dad and Dru came down on Monday.  We ended up staying Monday night too.  That was  where we went wrong.  We were getting kinda tired of camping by then and wouldn’t you know, we had a major thunderstorm early Tuesday morning and then had to pack up in the rain.  Oh well, the kids had a blast and we had some fun too.  I think it was the first time that I really had my fill of camping.  Well, except for last summer when I was pregnant.  I’ll just say that camping with a baby and a pre-schooler is rather exhausting.   Hannah wasn’t the most content, and Josiah loves to run/wander away.  But hey, we kept them both alive, so that’s a good thing.  Maybe next year camping will be more fun.  J

Jeff improvised a swing for Dylan.
The dangers of camping and heating bottles.

Kendra getting ready to lead worship.

Ashley and Hannah.

Mmmmm.  Good s'more!

The kids and popcorn.  left to right:  Josiah, Trevor, Logan, Tia, Alabama.
Trevor kissing Papa's fish.  (Don't ask me!)
Scotty and Mary L. having a little moment together.
AnneJisca enjoying her home-made ice cream.  The best part of the day!  :-)
John and Esther.
Our bravest camper.  Yes, she was there all weekend!
Logan, after playing in the clay/mud at the beach.  It was even in his hair!

Un-Camping

Two weekends ago we went to our local Prov. park for the day with some of the family. It was just like camping without having to set up or sleep in the tent. Good deal! It had been nice and warm on Friday and was really nice on Sunday, but when we were there on Sat., it was cold and windy. Huh. But, it was nice for sitting around a fire!

We borrowed a kiddie picnic table from another camp-site. It was great for the kids.
Tia, our little monkey.

Grandma Dru and Hannah. Hannah wasn't terribly impressed with "camping."
Dylan enjoying the day and his "bumbo".
I decided that my sheep must be shorn, or else, so we did it in the great outdoors. I think I cut 3" off of Caleb's. :-)
Scotty and Wendy chillin' out.
On the way home we saw these two and a moose as well!