fun with the grandkids

I first saw some of these adorable horses at Annabel's beautiful and generous blog.

I went searching for the pattern and found it here.

I substituted the poster board with scrap booking paper given to me by a friend who was quitting that (rather expensive) hobby.

The scrapbook paper was not heavy enough to handle the buttons and wire that were recommended, but brass fasteners fit the bill perfectly.

I spent a very pleasant hour or more with my big grands, ages 8,9 and 11.  We created a mini herd of horses.

Including one unicorn.  Because, unicorns.

more on silence

we've got some snow

Jesus wasn't the only one who was a fan of silence.  The apostle Paul said this in I Thessalonians 4:11-12,

 "and make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you , so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody."

James, Jesus' half-brother, counseled in James 1:19 : "Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry."

There are several verses in the Psalms about silence - probably the one that is best known is Psalm 46:10a: "Be still and know that I am God..."

My favorite one, and the one our pastor lovingly emailed to the resident fisherman to encourage him in his silence is Proverbs 10:19:  "When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise."

My hubby quipped (via email) 'Sounds like a case for shorter sermons.'  

All in good fun of course, we love our pastor and really appreciate his messages.

Two days before hubby's surgery, we were singing along with the worship songs in church.  I looped my arm through his arm.  He really does have a wonderful voice and I realized then how much I was going to miss it.  

Moments later I headed back to children's church to teach the day's lesson.  It was on King Solomon and part of my teaching habit is to spend a bit of time reviewing.   I asked, " Who was the king of Israel before Solomon?"

I was shocked when a little girl in the front row raised her hand.   I have been teaching these kids for the past several years.  Children's church includes Kindergarten - 4th grade.  I have taught this particular little girl for at least 3 years.  She had never before raised her hand.

There is a reason for that.  Her mother shared with me that H. has  'selective mutism'.  She can speak, but doesn't in social settings.

Time paused for a moment as I prepared to hear her speak to me for the first time. 

Instead, she got out of her seat, came up to me and took the white board marker from my hand.  She went up to the board and wrote 'David' - the correct answer. 

She was beaming, I was beaming and, to be honest, close to choking up.  It was a precious, precious moment and I learned an important lesson.

You don't have to talk to communicate.

Classics

A tired two year old in my lap.  In my hand, a classic children's book that I probably heard when I was not much older than she is.

I believe Captain Kangaroo first read it to me, later my mother purchased this book. Years later I purchased it to read to my 3 sons.

Little T. and I have a routine.  We grab a blanket, a stuffed animal, this book and her great-grandpa's old wool cap.

At the appropriate spot in the story, one of us throws the cap on the floor.  

Then we sing and rock and at least one of us falls asleep.

notes

Today, after church, we had our first choir practice in about 5 years.   We for have only been here 4. 

But I have the exciting privilege of directing our Christmas choir.  We are only singing two songs, but I am inordinately pleased about this opportunity.

My musical experience started as a young child.  Mom made sure to take me to children's choir practices.  As a teen I joined the adult choir.  I was in band from late elementary on.  I took several years of piano lessons.  A singing group in high school and college.  College music theory and conducting classes.  Choir and worship team experiences throughout adulthood.

I talk to my dad every morning.  He lives in assisted living.  My mom is his roommate.  She has had Alzheimer's for 12 years now and her care needs are very different than Dad's. 

But I asked Dad to pass this message along to her as it includes both of them.

Thank you:

• for taking me to children's choir
• for buying me a clarinet
• for buying us a piano
• for getting me clarinet lessons
• for making sure I had to piano lessons
• for 'reminding' me to practice
• for driving me to rehearsals, concerts, marching band practices/games
• for attending concerts and games

For giving me the gift of music.  It is such a privilege and I do not take it for granted.  Mom and Dad.  Thank you.

while they are young

The beautiful monarda above, alas, no longer grace our front garden.  Mrs. Doe came in one night bringing Fawn (thing) 1 and Fawn (thing) 2 and taught them how delicious our bee balm are and how one should mow them down and not leave one single flower behind.

So that is what they did.

The resident fisherman has waged war on the deer.  He sprays bobbex.  He applies Deer Scram.  He bought wireless fences and recharges and refills them.   I fear he will follow Bill Murray's playbook in Caddyshack and resort to more drastic means.

The deer in our neighborhood refuse to believe what is written about them.  That they don't like: bleeding heart, daffodils, rhubarb, and several other things that if they don't like them, they certainly have been taught to clean their plates or go to bed without supper.

It is surprising that we have any flowers in our yard at all.

Hunting is prohibited in our little section of the northwoods, a land full of hunters, and the deer seem to know it.  It is not unusual for me to see 6-12 deer on my morning walk.  They are beautiful.  They would be even beautifuller if they did not make a salad bar out of our flower garden.

Alas.

But they are doing something right.  Teaching their young while they are teachable where the good stuff is.

That is what we did with our kids and now our grandkids.  The kids loved  ( and love) going to church because we do.  They love Jesus.  They are teaching their kids to do the same and we get the fun of partnering with them on this.

This sweetie comes to spend time with us several times a week while Mommy and Daddy  work.  Every other week, when Mommy has to work on  Sunday she comes here and we take her to church where her daddy is associate pastor.  While we buckle her in the carseat we say, "We're going to church!"  She says, "Yay!" and claps.

Like our neighborhood deer, we are teaching our little ones while they are young.  We know where the good stuff is too.

here a little, there a little

When Patsy at A Working Pantry  announced her sewing challenge, I knew I had to participate.

It is a simple challenge.  Sew 15 minutes a day for 100 days.  She was kind enough to say that they did not have to be consecutive days.

I have, not a large stash of fabric, but a large pile of Things With Which Something Could Be Done.  I make tee shirt bags for a non-profit I at which I volunteer.  There is a bag of wool garments that no one wanted to wear, but the craft ideas for them are endless.

There was a box I scored for free at a garage sale.  I haven't even looked beyond the first layer or two of that.

This challenge would be great motivation to get a move on.

I devised a super simple 'analog' way of keeping track of my days:

See what you can do with just paper and pencil, kids?  No batteries or cords or updates necessary.

To date I have:

• changed a full length sleeve blouse to a 3/4 length sleeve. 
• mended a pair of the resident fisherman's shorts
• made a pillow sham for my grandson
• repaired a quilt for my other grandson

I made this quilt for my oldest son when I was pregnant with his brother.  In anticipation of needing to move him to a 'big boy bed', I wanted him to have something special to be excited about.

I saw a pattern in a Better Homes and Gardens magazine in the early '80's and ordered it.  I was too young and foolish to realize I was in over my head (or skill level).  There was embroidery, quilting and applique.  I had done precious little of any of these. But I kept at it.   That is how you make progress. A little bit at a time.  Rome wasn't built in a day and all that.

  That is what attracted me about the 100 day challenge.  Slow and steady is my speed.

The quilt had some wear and tear, what with raising three boys (pretty much the whole house had some damage - as adults the boys now compare what they broke, bent, busted or tore apart when they get together - I learn something every time).

Boys.

wear

tear

I did it!  I got it mended and will give it to my firstborn's firstborn.  A sweet little red-headed guy ready to go into his 'big boy bed'.

Ta da!

42

Secrets for being married 42 years?

There's really only one:

Jesus.

When we were dating, we memorized I Corinthians 13.  The love chapter.   That was one of the smartest things we ever did.

The still small voice of the Spirit often reminds to be patient or kind or to keep no record of wrongs.

So for 42 years these two sinners saved by grace have been walking hand in hand with Jesus as our guide.

So thankful.

(Roses don't hurt either.)

Rocking

  

             

She was born 8 weeks early.  

3 pounds 14 ounces.  16 inches long.  Perfectly beautiful.

She breezed through her restrictions.  The oxygen was gone in less than 24 hours.  She spent time under a bilirubin blanket for jaundice:

Although her eye shades are plain here, they, at various times, sported shades or long luxurious eyelashes.  NICU nurses?  They rock.

A feeding tube was in place for a while.  She pulled it out on her own.

Taya came home 3 weeks after she was born.  5 weeks BEFORE her due date.

She is the sweetest little girl. She has found her voice - as a preemie - she didn't have much lung power.  Now?  Lung power.

She is doing great. Our first local grand baby.  Mama has gone back to her part time job now and I get to babysit when daddy is not available.  Taya rocks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One of Taya's roommates in the NICU died earlier this week.  A little sweetie with heart problems who never got to go home.  She is HOME now.

A friend of ours fell off a roof yesterday and died hours later.  

Life is full of tragedies and terrorist attacks and illness and financial woes and all other manner of tribulations.

But GOD gives strength. These two families who have experienced such devastating losses will move numbly through the days ahead, but will keep moving.

We hold on to our Taya just a little bit tighter.  Linger just a little bit longer over her bassinet while she sleeps. Take in that baby smell. Rock her just a little bit longer than necessary because we can.  

Baby rocking is therapeutic.  For the rocker and rockee.  Rocking a sleeping baby should be required for anyone who is stressed.  We rock.

88 days til Christmas

  

It might be 88 days until December 25, but we are having our family Christmas at Thanksgiving this year.  

Which means 49 days until Christmas.

Which means 49 days to make a stocking for the newest family member.

Which means I need to spend some time in the basement unpacking and unearthing my sewing supplies.

But first, a review of today's Bible study lesson.  John 1.

"In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God."

Ancient, mysterious words full of meaning and truth.  It is a delight to ponder these words and discuss them with a group of beautiful, godly women.  We meet to study God's word each Thursday afternoon.  How I look forward to this time!

Staying grounded in these truths will help us not corrupt the true meaning of Christmas.  

And each stitch in this stocking will represent a prayer for this newest little grandson of ours who is expected to arrive after Thanksgiving and before Christmas.

The most wonderful time of the year!

Finally

One of my favorite blogs is this:
http://rosylittlethings.typepad.com/posie_gets_cozy/

(I'm using a blogger app on my ipad and don't know how to/if I can imbed that link.  Anybody?)

Last fall I bought two of her Christmas ornament kits.  I finished one, but then we sold our house and crafty pursuits were set aside while I packed, pitched and cleaned.

It was great fun to stitch again.  I finally finished these:

Not sure if I will keep them or pass them along to these cuties:

3 weeks from Thursday

I fly up to Iowa to wrap a brand new little girl into this pink fluffy chenille/flannel blanky.

Scrumptiousness!!


The fabric is whole cloth I bought from Hobby Lobby, so while I did not piece it myself, I did tie it and make the pink and white polka dotted binding myself (instructions for making your own binding found in Amy Karol's Bend the Rules Sewing).


Here is a tutorial for how to make your own bias tape, but I like Amy's way better.

I popped the blanket in the mail today, before the Post Office goes bankrupt and the nation's postal system collapses. :)

In other news (not as exciting as baby news, but happy news none the less): after a bone-dry August, we have been getting rain for two days straight. Over 6 inches so far and very welcome!

weather

Last month tornadoes came close to my aunts and cousins (paternal side) in North Carolina.

Earlier this month my aunt and uncle and cousins (maternal side) spent the better part of a day sandbagging my aunt and uncles home to protect it from rising flood waters from the Ohio.

We spent a day without power as a result of several tornadoes touching down in our area a few weeks ago.

So when my sister Suzi called and left a message saying 'We are okay', I was not surprised to hear that her news was weather related. Suzi and Tim own a few homes and my niece and nephews live in two of these homes in North Minneapolis.

You can read more about the tornadoes that hit North Minneapolis here. The one death that has been reported was a man that lived two doors away from my nephew. The kids' friend Pete had just arrived at their house. He hadn't even gotten out of his car when this happened:

He was in the driver's seat and narrowly missed getting killed.

All of the trees in that yard are down.

We are so thankful that the kids are all safe.

Now the work begins. Today in Kansas and Missouri and Minneapolis, you will hear the sound of debris being chucked into dumpsters, tarps being nailed onto roofs and chain saws clearing downed trees. Add that to the cleanup work that continues in Alabama and Mississippi. Not to mention the flooding. And that is just in our country. Don't forget Japan and Haiti.

So many people without homes now. And on the flip side so many homes in various parts of the country in danger of being foreclosed upon.

Wouldn't it be nice if the two groups could come together? While I am waiting to rebuild my house, I could live in your house and pay rent to help keep you out of foreclosure?

Just a thought....

categorically speaking

My mind is running in a lot of different directions these days.

I'm still mentally processing all the information I gathered at the conference we attended last week. As director of children's ministries, I need to choose the curriculum for our fledgling church.

In one of the seminars we learned that there are three types of curricula:
1) Biblically based
2) Values based
3) Entertainment oriented.

Of course, I will be choosing the Biblically based kind and have narrowed it down to two possibilities:

1) Generations of Grace
2) Harvest Bible Chapel Children's Curriculum

I want to make this decision by the end of the month and begin recruiting teachers.

AND
Now that we know grandbaby #3 is a girl, I can start making a quilt for her.
I'm undecided between a patchwork type quilt or this one. Any advice? Particularly from the baby's mama?

ALSO
There is a wedding in our future. Daniel and Laura have set the date of March 31 of next year. While as the mother of the groom I have limited responsibilities, I am collecting ideas to make the rehearsal dinner fun and enjoyable. And I might try to lose 10-15 -pounds. :)

PLUS
The garden didn't weed itself while we were gone. Strawberries are now in season and I need to go pickin' and jammin'.

Lots of categories to concentrate on! What's on your mind these days?

home

2, 150 miles.
3 handsome and talented sons
2 beautiful daughters-in-love
2 cute and fun grandchildren
4 different beds
5 amazing worship services
4 thought provoking workshops
1500 brothers and sisters in Christ

My head is stuffed full of knowledge. My heart is stuffed full of gratitude and love.

I'll gradually share info over the next few days, but for now - my house is full of dust bunnies and dirty laundry.

Much to contemplate, but for now, I'm missing these cuties:

These two really love each other!

pensive and still

such a little doll, with a sweet personality to match and a cheerio corsage

Did I tell you? Grandbaby #3 is a girl!

onward

Wonderful times of worship.








Informative and motivational workshops.

Great time with Nathan and Michelle and Daniel (no pics...uncooperative subjects ~smile~).

Now onto to Jon and Kristi and the grands!

journey

Last year we headed up north the day the city of Nashville flooded. We barely made it through.

We are heading north again. Today's adventure? Well, we will be passing through Fort Campbell - where President Obama will be meeting with the Navy Seals who got bin Laden.

Shortly after that we will cross the Ohio River which is at flood stage and expected to crest today.

Earlier this week, Dad had an *ahem* episode. That's all I'll say about that, except to mention that my mom is a rock star and my hero.

All is well now, and several neighbors will be keeping a close watch on the folks. And if our neighbors are good at anything - it's watching. Wonderful people, but very good watchers. If Dad so much as hiccups, the 'hood will descend. lol

We would appreciate your prayers.

big day!

Today is a day for celebrating!

Not because of this.


Or this.

But because of this:

Happy THIRD Birthday, Joshua! How did you get to be such a big boy so soon?

(note: if you think your kids grew up fast - wait until you have grandkids!)

See you very soon, Josh. Have a wonderful day! Love you lots and lots!

fine dining

This home is the first we have owned that has ever had a 'formal' dining room. Not that there is anything formal about our family. As I cleaned and polished last week, I thought about each piece of furniture and its history. Specifically the dining room (love the early morning sun that shines into the room - especially when there is a cheerful bouquet on the table). Pat and I purchased the table and chairs at an antique show in the northwoods. Probably the first and last thing we ever bought at an antique show. We had shopped long and hard. Price was important, but I knew exactly what I wanted (rare for me). It was pricier than we would have liked, but when I consider all the wonderful meal times with family and friends that have occurred here, I have no regrets. Lots of funny stories told here and great conversations. My favorite memories? Three boys sitting around the table books and papers spread out before them as they worked independently, yet together on their homeschool assignments. Where did those years go? If you look very carefully there is a faint inscription on the table - not a swear word, but not a word that I allowed in the house. It often accompanied the name Beavis. It appeared on the table the same summer that Jon babysat a troubled young boy in our home. I always assumed the young man had put that graffiti on our table. I have learned lately (now that they can outrun me and are bigger than I am) that perhaps someone else was the culprit. Now the dining room is mostly quiet. But pretty. Someday I will give you a photo tour of the whole room. I like quiet. And pretty. But I loved sitting around that table when it was noisy and crowded and cluttered, even more.

how one thing leads to another

hoping the tulips hang on until our open house on Saturday

In the spirit of spring cleaning yesterday, I was following the advice of this blog post.

I spent a few hours applying Old English lemon oil to several pieces of antique furniture, including an ash table made by Pat's great-grandfather. Bringing the wood back to life and seeing the beautiful grain was very gratifying.

It also led to a trip into the past.

We have a lot of documentation of the life of Pat's great grandfather. The business he owned, the men he hired - including a couple of brothers - you may have heard of them - Wilbur and Orville Wright. Oscar was in the Wright place at the Wright time (har har) and got to witness history in the making. In fact, Pat's great grandfather was a pallbearer for Wilbur.

Once that piece was done, I moved on to a oak case with glass doors - once upon a time was a 'museum' for bits of nature that Pat and his brother collected. It currently holds various pieces of china and earthenware - some belonging to my grandmother, some to Pat's and some handsome pottery made by my brother-in-law. Still a museum of sorts.

The next furniture polished was a sturdy pine bookshelf. Pat's parents commissioned a Northwoods furniture maker to make this for us soon after Nathan was born.

One of the (unread by me) books on this shelf intrigued me. An old book, the copyright read 1899. The inscription was to Pat's maternal grandmother and was signed by Jessie Landis. Pat's grandmother would have been 8 when she received this book.

And that name Landis rang a bell. Jessie was ( I think) a daughter in law of Jacob Landis (see entry for March 6, 1862). Jacob served in the Union army during the Civil War. We have a 6 page letter dictated by him to Wilbur, his son ( I think) in 1923. This letter describes the battles he engaged in and the wounds he received. I will have to do some checking, but he is either Pat's great-great-grandfather or his great-great uncle.

After all the furniture was polished I sat down and read the book dedicated to Pat's grandmother The Birds' Xmas Carol by Kate Douglas Wiggin (the author of Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm). It is a sweet, sentimental story and a quick read. I'm sure Pat's grandmother enjoyed it very much.

With the furniture polished and the book read, the next job was grocery shopping, supper fixing and supper eating. After those tasks were accomplished my thoughts returned to Jacob Landis, our Civil War soldier. I dug his letter out of an antique dresser (also polished earlier) and decided to transcribe it. I can share it with you another day if you are interested.

I'm sure Jacob, who enlisted in 1861, never dreamed that a distant relative by marriage, 150 years later, would type his war musings into a Word document on such a thing as a computer. Or that you would google his name and find him on the web.

Interesting how one thing leads to another.

quick check in

It has been a fun and busy week.

My sister and nephew were here all week. My brother and niece and nephew came down on Thursday for a few hours.

My nephew challenged me to a video game of the car-racing variety. Wanting to be a good aunt, I agreed to play. I knew he would win of course, since the last time I played a video game was probably 1992.

What I did not expect? That I would get car-sick. Yep. Nausea. Headache. Almost lost my supper.

No more video games for Aunt Cheri, who has handed in her title of cool aunt.

Emilee entertained us, as usual. Here she is taking a modest bow after her performance.



Don't you wish you could get away with wearing a tiara?
My relatives are a bunch of clowns (grandma started it!):


On a more serious note, an F3 tornado blew through our area Wednesday night. Mom, Dad and I passed through the damaged town of Greenback on our way to the Dr. yesterday. The destruction was amazing.

This happened about a mile north of my favorite quilt shop. Thankfully she suffered no damage. But she is reaching out to help those who lost their homes.

No one was killed and only two were injured which amazed us as we surveyed all the debris strewn from one side of the highway to the other.

We are thanking God.
~~~~~
Lots of other things going on here, but no time to tell...off to a ladies' tea this morning, a campfire and sing along tonight. We are expecting company for brunch tomorrow morning and then church tomorrow afternoon.

Have a great weekend everyone!