I'm Free!

A New Post!

2010-07-24T22:46:00.002-05:00

WOW, I have not posted anything here since April????? That's pathetic. I'm not sure why I am finding it hard to do so. I wish I had a knack for writing like some of my friends and family members do. My thoughts zoom through my head quickly and the words don't get down. You are expected to read alot between the lines and that's when I am many times misunderstood. Just know that I love you guys and I am happy and busy and that God is good all the time!

PONYTAIL

2010-04-15T15:40:00.003-05:00

It's my ponytail. It's small, ok? and I'm squinting in the sun. and blowing in the wind. hmmmm................. looking a little off-center, too. Oh, well. still qualifies, right?

SPRING BREAK

2010-03-13T17:03:00.004-06:00

February went by without a single post and here it is the middle of March already. The world is spinning very fast these days! It is spring break here in Iowa City. . . . a really big deal. No school for a whole week. So no work for me for a whole week. I will be going up to the Wilderness Lodge Tuesday until Thursday. Not crazy about water, but crazy about my grandkids, so it will be fun. Don is going to Arizona to see his parents. He so deserves a good trip. He has been working so hard and has battled with bronchitis lately. Hopefully it will be therapeutic. I look forward to some quiet time when I return, to art and then art some more! Hoping for a creative thought to pop into my head - any time now - praying - waiting.

Hope for Haiti

2010-01-18T22:21:00.002-06:00

I'm trying to figure out for the life of me why medical supplies are not getting off the runway and out into where they are needed. Ridiculous. So there is waiting . . . . and longing . . . . and praying . . . . and suffering that we can only imagine the scope of. Haiti keeps tugging at my heart . . . . the orphans keep calling to me . . . . there are even more now. God, what would you have me do? Your word says we are to take care of the widows and orphans. Give me and my family a direction as we pray and pray and pray some more.

I love Oswald

2010-01-13T20:18:00.000-06:00

January 13th.
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ALONE WITH GOD?
"When He was alone the twelve . . . asked of Him . . ." Mark 4:10
His Solitude with Us. When God gets us alone by affliction, heartbreak, or temptation, by disappointment, sickness, or by thwarted affection, by a broken friendship, or by a new friendship - when He gets us absolutely alone, and we are dumbfounded, and cannot ask one question, then He begins to expound. Watch Jesus Christ's training of the twelve. It was the disciples, not the crowd outside, who were perplexed. They constantly asked Him questions, and He constantly expounded things to them; but they only understood after they had received the Holy Spirit (see John 14:26).
If you are going on with God, the only thing that is clear to you, and the only thing God intends to be clear, is the way He deals with your own soul. Your brother's sorrows and perplexities are an absolute confusion to you. We imagine we understand where the other person is, until God gives us a dose of the plague of our own hearts. There are whole tracts of stubbornness and ignorance to be revealed by the Holy Spirit in each one of us, and it can only be done when Jesus gets us alone. Are we alone with Him now, or are we taken up with little fussy notions, fussy comradeships in God's service, fussy ideas about our bodies? Jesus can expound nothing until we get through all the noisy questions of the head and are alone with Him.

More Snow

2010-01-08T12:55:00.002-06:00

"OK, now it's getting ridiculous!" (see my face in previous post yesterday)

Our Place Today

2010-01-07T12:42:00.001-06:00

Baby, it's cold outside and beautiful outside!

Christmas Awakenings

2009-12-24T08:21:00.002-06:00

I woke up this morning with yet another "epiphany" (one of several this season) so I thought wow, I better get up and blog about these awakenings.
1) It must have been very dirty and smelly where Jesus was born, Joseph must have helped deliver him, and what was Mary able to pack and bring along on the back of a donkey to meet her and Jesus' personal needs? (just getting down to the details! and it must have been crude)
2)How is it that our 3 anchor pieces went together so quickly, smoothly, and look so darn wonderful??? Well, there have been people praying for us, that's how. No other explanation!
3)This family is going to save a black baby's life by adopting it into our clan. Not sure who. I am wondering how I got to be so old so fast, and I know it can't be me, but I could definitely "grandmother it". Don asked if I was prophesizing and I told him I don't know what to call it, but anyway, I feel God laying it on me.
4)The girl who plays the Griswald daughter in Christmas Vacation is the same person who plays the pregnant gal in Mixed Nuts. I put that together all by myself!!! Maybe it's not as deep as my other awakenings, but exciting all the same.
Merry Christmas Eve - hopefully off to have a special time with my kids and grandkids, slip sliding all the way, no doubt!

How Great is our God

2009-12-13T03:36:00.003-06:00

I would be very surprised if anyone visits my blog anymore, since I have neglected to post anything for 2 months! geesh. I am up in the middle of the night - once again - so here I am. Dangerous, vulnerable, very irrational and blogging. Bad combination. I am still on a high from yesterday. What a day God blessed me with! From sleeping in to a sweet time with my hubby to spending time with my mom and listening to Emily and choir sing. Wrapping up the evening with dinner with the family. Oh, yes, and IM'ing with a dear friend Billie. I can hardly take it all in. The best was my mom sitting alongside me singing a Chris Tomlin song with me and crying with me and holding my hand. Never in a million years would I dream something so wonderful. How great is our God?! The lost years have been redeemed and now it's just overflowing.

This post is for Emily

2009-10-21T13:06:00.002-05:00

These photos are for you, Emily. By the time you come to Iowa, it won't be like this anymore. I didn't know if everything stays green in Austin. The big maple tree in our yard is so pretty. So yellow. It's so warm and pretty out today - I wish it would last longer.
Our tree looks so yellow, but on the ground I am finding varigated colored leaves with orange and red in them. hmmmm. Proof that they blow in from all over this court and we get to rake them up!!! I love it now, but once they dry up, they're a nuisance!

Lily on Share Day

2009-10-15T16:35:00.004-05:00

Wednesday was Lily's sharing day. Here she is showing Mrs. Fink her new puppy that she got for being brave and getting her flu shot. She is pinching the ear to make the dog bark. So darn cute!
Here she is doing the "Freeze Dance" with a scarf. The music really rocks and when it stops, the kids have to freeze in position. It's so fun to watch. (more fun to join in, believe me!)

This is the felt board where she got to dress the girl for the day. Notice she has a bandaid on her arm - probably just got her flu shot!!!

Lily's Story

2009-09-22T17:12:00.001-05:00

Yesterday Lily told me that she went to a "FIESTA" and that candy fell down from the sky! I love it!

I had FUN today!

2009-09-03T16:47:00.001-05:00

I think these photos speak for themselves!

Some recent photos

2009-08-31T20:32:00.003-05:00

Love this photo so much - here it is again! She's one of our "lily"s - get it?

Here is Big Daddy Weave (well, one of the weavers) warming up and doing sound checks before the concert.

And here are some Big Daddy fans hanging out - looking good - taking in the action and sounds. Of course it's me, and my two nieces Carrie and Gretchen.

WARNING!!!

2009-08-19T12:25:00.002-05:00

What we have here is a bruised, rugburned, swollen knee. What happened is I fell out of bed last night. Although the new memory foam mattress sleeps well, it can also be dangerous!!!

Isn't She lovely?!

2009-08-18T16:40:00.004-05:00

Today Lily traveled down the path through our flower garden. She was searching for the striped catepillar, but we could not find it. Instead a lovely monach butterfly flitted all around her as she sat on the little bench and watched in wonder. Oh my heart. It was a very nice moment. I could not get the butterfly in the picture, but he was there, wasn't he, Lily?

Isn't she lovely?!

2009-08-12T16:01:00.001-05:00

"God's not finished with me yet!"

Quint Reunion

2009-08-10T11:46:00.003-05:00

We had our Quint reunion Saturday and here is my dad and his sister - my aunt Mutz. They were reminiscing about things they did as kids, so we moved them up to the head table and gave them microphones! We all wanted to hear stories of what their childhood was like. What a special time. Mutz is over 90 and dad is 84. They look alike - they talk alike - they're 2 of a kind. Dad had not been doing too great physically, but had started a new drug the day before and he made it through the reunion, staying much longer than expected and I think he had a good time. Thank you, Lord, for the blessing it was for all of us.
Left to right is my sister Cindy, me, my cousin Deanna, and a cousin's wife Marcia. I am apparently telling some appalling tale - just look at my face - and they're all looking at me with various expressions that are hard to interpret. Who knows?! Cracks me up now, that's for sure!

Was this after the "Deanna/Judy talent" game??? Maybe I was retelling about my lap in the relay race!!!!!!!!!! It must have been dreadful, whatever it was. ha But all in all the reunion was a good time.

It's a mini-ME!!!!

2009-07-31T14:04:00.003-05:00

Isn't she a "doll"!? It's ME!!!! They say that's when you know you've made it, is when there is a doll of you. So . . . . I made a doll of me! How come I don't feel like I'm "there"??? hmmm....... the face is from the past of course - I was 18 and skinny - this body looks more like today's body. Someday my girls will fight over it, I'm sure!

TALK ABOUT LAME!!!

2009-07-29T21:35:00.004-05:00

I'm right there with Emily on this one. My blog has been boring and posts have been few and far between. I remember (barely) saying how I was going to share my profound thoughts with you daily. ya, right. If only I had thoughts of any kind on a daily basis!!! hmmmm, surely I DO! Lots of them just shouldn't be put down. But I was thinking colorful thoughts yesterday when we were working on a big project for the preschool. We are using lots of colors and I got to thinking that we need more different colors - like what, I don't know - and then wondering if there are colors in heaven that we haven't even seen yet and what would those look like? warm or cool? or some temperature we don't even know about yet?! maybe hues we did not know could exist. If some of you out there think I have alot of paints now, just wait til then, I'm maybe going to need another carousel caddy thingy, Don!!!

IN OUR FRONT YARD

2009-07-11T12:39:00.002-05:00

Wildflowers.

These guys smell wonderful and there are so many!

My July Birthday girls

2009-07-08T04:38:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday to my sister-in-law KATHY! She is walking through life with an unshakeable faith in God and a love for her Savior that speaks out loud to all who know her. I love you, Kathy.

And Happy Birthday to my niece LACEY yesterday. She is currently in Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State, a smart fun bubbly beautiful young lady. Love you, girl.

Vacations

2009-07-07T15:12:00.002-05:00

It's raining like crazy. Jill and family are busily packing up to catch a plane to Austin tomorrow. It feels strange to think she's going again and I'm not. I am missing Emily a lot. Laura and her family are out in Colorado vacationing. I feel like we're being deserted! I am so thankful that I got to go visit Em in May. That was a huge deal for me to fly down there and back (and boy, my arms are STILL tired!) so I am blessed. I am praying for safe travels for everyone and wishing them lots of fun and good good times!

MY DAD

2009-06-21T21:28:00.002-05:00

Here is my sweet sweet dad. For Father's Day I gave him some wood items that he can paint (and play with). He use to build things, gadgets, thingamabops, doohickies, creating them from his head. He can no longer get into the sawdust, but thought maybe he could keep busy painting some small things just for fun. He is so limited activity-wise and his days get long and boring. It does not take much to cause him difficulty breathing. It also does not take much to please him and amuse him. He has such a big heart. I love him so much and treasure every minute I am with him. This girl loves her dad!

I CAN'T WAIT!!!

2009-06-18T22:28:00.003-05:00

I am so excited I can't hardly stand it. I am so proud of Emily. She is singing with Aaron Ivey on his new CD that is coming out June 23. It won't be long now and I will have one in my hot little hands. When we were at his place in Austin, we went back into his studio and he let us hear a couple songs and they were awesome!!! This is big, folks! REALLY BIG! I can't say enough about it. So I'll just stop for now. You gotta get a copy. It's really good stuff. Go to Emily's blog now and link over to "Aaron" under her "Austin Friends" list and you can hear something really really superb! I just can't say enough, can I?!

FROM OUR YARD

2009-06-17T00:21:00.001-05:00

LILIES!

Bushes between the driveway and house. They're crazy this year.

Our hostas are going nuts, too!

kinda funny?

2009-06-14T13:16:00.002-05:00

I don't even have words to go with this picture. I don't. So that's it.

I miss him!

2009-06-12T14:15:00.003-05:00

I miss him.

I wish I could say it doesn't hurt anymore, because I want to be able to say that to my sister in law Kathy. I want to reassure her that it goes away, but I'd be lying. " grieving" is suppose to "be over" and I have moved on. Instead it became a part of who I am wherever I go and whatever Ido.

I am homesick.

12 years. . . unreal.

I yearn for heaven.

I can feel Jesus holding me up.

I can feel the love of my family.

but. . . I miss him.

BLEAH!!!

2009-06-10T15:28:00.002-05:00

I can't believe I haven't posted since around mothers day. What a slacker! Austin was awesome, we had so much fun with Emily and her friends. This is really bad since I haven't been blogging, I thought I would write today and say that I feel like crap. Don was sick over the weekend and maybe I now have what he had, I don't know, but I was sick all night and today. Feverish, achy, want to puke. Right now I feel like I could pass out. I'm getting a cold rag and lay down. Don suspected food poisoning was his problem, but I'm not so sure. How does one know, anyway?????? whatever. I got something and I don't like it! Just wanted you all to know! ha!

Mothers Day

2009-05-09T21:09:00.004-05:00

These shoes will be walking the streets of Austin very soon - with my feet (as pictured) in them. Comfort and style rolled into one. (or two, depending on how you think) Thanks for the McCarraghers Mothers day gift to me.
I scored a Paper Prayers pin from the Brown's. It is very funky and I love it. I tried the macro setting on my camera, but as you can see, it makes little difference for me.

I also got this cute little tin bird from the Brown's. He loves our flower garden. As our lilies get larger, I will probably move him to a more obvious spot, but for now he is right where I see him as I come out the door.

These gifts are nice, but the best part of Mothers Day is seeing your children happy, healthy, loving the Lord and being good mothers to your grandkids. Happy Mothers Day, girls.

Getting clothed for Austin

2009-05-04T18:11:00.003-05:00

Austin, we are getting ready for lift-off. Oh, that's Houston, well, Austin, we are getting ready to keep you weird!!! I found this top today that I believe will work well for me while in Austin. Can you tell I am getting excited? (yikes) So that we 3 don't show up in the same 3 outfits, I trucked over to K-Mart, knowing the other 2 never shop there, except around Christmas. Well, everything was on sale! And they have lots of cute styles, too. So now that you've seen this, don't you go over to the big K and copy me, you 2. I mean it!!!

Friday and the VA

2009-05-01T21:12:00.003-05:00

I'm beat. There were lots of extra little things to do at school this morning, it seemed like. As soon as I got home, Don announced that he had forgotten about his appointments at the VA that morning and had gone to CR instead!!! swell. It's just that he had successfully scheduled 3 different departments all back to back on his day off! That won't happen again for a long time. Anyway, we went on up there to reschedule and get his meds ordered and ended up getting in for one of his appts. after all. That was the afternoon!!! Sit and wait. Then move to another room and sit and wait. So tiring. But thanking God that he was able to get his blood pressure medicine adjusted. And his blood sugars were great. It wasn't all bad. Don was getting a little crazy/bored so he wanted to play doctor . . . . brat. Anyway, we got out of there before we got into any real trouble.

My busy Thurs.

2009-04-30T17:01:00.004-05:00

Does anyone out there in blogland check in on me anymore? Probably not, and I wouldn't blame you. I haven't posted since Easter. geesh, what a dead beat! yeah, right. Or maybe I'm just the opposite - busy living out my life instead!!!! I will try to do better about stopping to let you know just what it is that I am doing in my busy days. Today I got my hair cut. I worked on some art projects. Preschool was crazy. Lots of glue, paint, and mod podge to clean up as well as water and dirt. Funky smells in the room - just now getting over the headache it gave me. The kids practiced for their spring program, coming up this Sunday. Some extra busy bodies need reminding to stay on the risers and pay attention. Tues/Thurs kids are high maintenance, but so much fun. The M/W/F group are getting bored and are ready to move on to Kindergarten. Ok, Don is out of the shower and ready to head out for supper. bye for now.

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T10:30:00.002-05:00

It is no secret what God can do: Jesus was born, died, and was raised to life! He's alive!!!

My New Friend

2009-03-30T16:03:00.002-05:00

Let me introduce you to my new friend "Wal-zyr D". Met him at Walgreens and he has made me feel like a real woman again. YES!

More good stuff

2009-03-20T14:59:00.002-05:00

Sorry these are blurry, I don't know what's wrong with my camera!!! Anyway, here is another item in the package from Em. . . a luggage tag....just in time for my trip to Austin! I absolutely love it! She could see no good reason to act her age. hmmmm. That's me, I guess!
This is the front of the card she sent. It is what I am trying to live by in my old age, but sadly lacking some days.

Cute little Birdie!

2009-03-20T14:45:00.003-05:00

I got a package in the mail today from Emily and inside was this cute little birdie. I thought hmmmmmm, cute. Then I read her note and she said to see if I knew what it does. I looked really close at those "beady" eyes, they're sewn on, not electronic! Maybe you stick pins in it. Although it's fuzzy, it is not soft and cushiony. hmmmm.........
My finger found something inside the bottom of the bird that kind of pushed. I pushed and pushed - nothing. Maybe it's broken or dead.

Oh well, I thought, it's still cute with that little green tail!!! So I pulled on it slightly and surprise!

It's a tape measure!!! Sneaky! and very very cute. That was fun. Although I think it will continue to provide fun for many days to come. Thank you, Emily!

My Husband

2009-03-18T18:19:00.003-05:00

My husband - I think I'll keep him after all - He worked a 10 hour day and came in the door yelling "supper's ready!" You can see we had a rotisserie chicken and salad and a couple other things, but my point is, I have had an awful week with my allergies acting up and have tried to fix dinner every night even though I didn't feel like it and look what he did tonight! YES!!! I have had a sinus headache, plugged up nose, and sneezing, and why? WHY ? did they have to stop making 12hr. Drixoral Cold and Allergy????? It was the only thing that worked for me. I can feel the 4-Way calling me back into addiction again. HELP! OK, back to my husband. Isn't he sweet and kind of cute? Thanks for supper, honey. (what's for dessert?) sniff, snort

Silly Brown Brothers

2009-03-17T16:15:00.002-05:00

Silly Sam found a new friend out in front of Pancheros. Here they are hanging out together.
Will and his buddy have their arms around each other. BFF!

Crazy Things with wings

2009-03-14T10:03:00.004-05:00

One day last week I was driving to work and I looked off to my right to see probably the last heap of piled up snow - you know, the ugly dirty muddy left over heaps, anyway perched on the very top was a robin. He was looking around as if to say "What the _____?" After that it got below zero windchill again, so I hope he did not return too soon for his own good. I wished I would have stopped the car and took his picture, but of course, I didn't.

Then yesterday on my way to work once again, and I stopped at the traffic light at the intersection of Hwy 6 and 965 by the mall and Lowes and there was a flock of about 8 HUGE seagulls hovering just slightly above the roofs of cars. Everybody was gawking in amazement. The light turned and I went. No picture once again. What were they doing there???

CRAZY BIRDS!!!!!!!!!!

Teddy Bear Picnic Day

2009-03-14T09:57:00.003-05:00

We recently had a teddy bear picnic at preschool. Here is my bear picnicing with baby puppy.
See who baby puppy belongs to. . . just in case you didn't know!

Here comes a bear out of the cave now! grrrrrr Oh, wait, he looks friendly! It's one of those Sam Brown Bears!

And I love her

2009-03-14T09:50:00.002-05:00

This is how we know what love is, that someone lay down his (or in this case Her) fears and get on a plane, enduring whatever awful or humiliating thing that might happen - so that she can go see her baby. Ticket's bought . . . going. . . . ok, then. I love you, Emily.

Sam's Share Day and a real Lulu

2009-02-27T16:50:00.004-06:00

Today was Sam's share day. . . which means he had several jobs throughout his dayat school. Here he is dropping in the "gumballs" while everyone counts (the number was 15 and when he got to 10, he dropped in two at a time so the class had to say 11,12 quickly, then he grabbed the last three for a very fast 13, 14, 15!!!) tricky!
He got to "dress the boy" on the good ol' felt board - looks like he lost one sock and one mitten, but that happens. He points at things while the kids in the group raise their hands to say what color it is.

Here he is sharing his catapult he brought from home. It shoots marshmallows. It was a big hit with everyone. He told how his dad made it and Will has one too and they shoot marshmallows at each other with them. The kids then raise their hands and he calls on them and they ask questions for him to answer. Ellie raised her hand at the very end and said "You should come over to my house sometime . . . and bring that along!" You can see that Mrs. Fink was enjoying the whole thing.

Younger brother Max came at the end to watch the happenings. I got him to do the Skinamarinky dinky doo song with the kids. He is getting very interested in what goes on in that place but has a while to wait yet before he joins up!!!

Little Lulu:

A couple nights ago Lily was over and requested Little Lulu. Well, between cartoons they sing the theme song and I noticed she was trying to sing along "Little Lulu, I love you-lu just the same..." So I tried to sing along to teach her the words and to my horror I realized one part of the song goes something like this: "You're wilder than a Zulu and much harder to tame" I thought WOW, is that a very good thing to teach my grandchild?! Well, it was from the 50's and for the sake of making it rhyme . . . . but really, I was stunned. I don't know. Is that right?! I only wanted her to love Little Lulu like I did as a child.

My dings

2009-02-20T14:01:00.002-06:00

DING!!! oooops!
BIGGER ding! yikes!

THE BIG DING - DANG!!!!!!

My little Hyundai did not fare so well yesterday against the steel sign that says "Do Not Enter" that sits in the middle of the driveway that I drive into each morning at work to get "my usual spot". I've been making that maneuver for a good 3 years or so, but this time something went terribly wrong. I still don't know how to explain it!

Today's the day

2009-02-18T08:12:00.003-06:00

This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. So . . . . let's dance . . . . let's sing . . . . let's be silly . . . . let's laugh . . . . let's praise Him . . . . let's go crazy with love!!!!!!!!!!!

Yukky snow & windy wind

2009-02-11T14:44:00.003-06:00

This is how our neighborhood looks these days. Lot of melting with the warm temps, but it's getting pretty ugly, too. Either it needs to melt down to the ground completely or get a fresh coat of snow, which I think I heard is going to be the case Friday night. Even though it has felt like spring, we all know that Feb. in Iowa means cold and snow. Notice to the right in the picture there is kind of a shelf of snow. It's been kind of cool watching the different formations take place in melting snowbanks out here, but then I get a kick out of watching paint dry, so . . .
It got pretty windy out here and blew my trellis off the side of the porch. Oh, man, it broke my funky glass bottle (bottom left), and broke the head off my pink flamingo birdhouse. I cleaned up the mess and we're good to go for now. We catch some pretty strong winds, that's why we get the snow drifts we do and the leaf piles we do and all that good stuff. The day Don and I blow away, we'll just pick ourselves back up, dust ourselves off, and start all over again. Hey, that could be a song!

My Lump was not Brains!!!

2009-02-09T13:58:00.003-06:00

The growth that was removed from my scalp last week (or so) was a benign tumor called a: Are you ready for this? trichilemmoma Ta-Da!!!! Kind of like "tickle your momma!" Anyway Dr. said google it and here's what it said: a benign neoplasm with differentiation toward pilosebaceous follicular epithelium. So there you have it. All you ever wanted to know about the lump on my head. Benign, being the key word. Thank you, Lord, I am free.

PRESCHOOL STARS!!!

2009-02-04T16:10:00.002-06:00

Both of my preschool grandkids are "Star of the Week" at the same time - which is this week!!! It is almost more than I can stand! From my art table, I look to the right and there they are on the bulletin board just as cute as can be. They got to decorate these posters which tell things about themselves such as their favorite color, food, etc., their family, what they want to be when they grow up, etc. Sam wants to be a policeman and Lily wants to be a ballerina. Wonderful!!!

Fun at Michael's

2009-02-04T16:03:00.001-06:00

Baby Puppy Lily - so cute!
Sam is being a bee!

Max is a baby pig.

Fun at Michael's.

My First Born!

2009-02-04T15:54:00.001-06:00

Happy Birthday, Jill, may you always remain young at heart and full of fun and love! Love you so very much!

Back up to Friday!

2009-01-31T20:49:00.002-06:00

I was sitting here thinking about yesterday and thought I should just back up and blog about my Friday. I went over to Laura's and watched Lily while Laura went to the dr. We had wild and silly time, did lots of playing and giggling for about an hour, then it was time to go get the boys at school. When we got in the car I heard Lily from the backseat say, "Will you turn the music up, Grandma?" So I did and she started singing along to a song that I had no idea how it went. But all I remember is ". . . . the great day of the Lord". She sang her heart out and my heart just melted!!! Then we were sitting waiting for Noah to show up and when I saw a bundled up guy slowly coming along I asked Lily if that was Noah and before she could answer, he started waving at me and I waved back. He had been searching for my little white car, but I had their van instead. When he went to climb into the van, he stepped into a snowbank up to his knees and laughed so hard! I loved it. Then we went around to the other side of the school to pick up Jackson and he helped direct me out of the parking lot, then reminded me what street to turn on, and lastly, he reset some buttons that I had mistakenly hit trying to find the one that closed the garage door! What a lifesaver! We were only back home inside a couple minutes, when Laura returned. What a sweet sweet time. Just had to share that with the rest of you!!!

Another Saturday!

2009-01-31T10:27:00.002-06:00

Does anyone else feel the planet spinning faster besides me??? whew! So much I want to do and so little time. But I love it. I love having something else in the wings when I switch gears. I have been so inspired this week by various friends and family members and I feel stronger the need to worship my Lord. He has placed in me a desire to love and to give. I guess it's been there inside me a long long time, but is resurfacing to the top with strength that is overwhelming and not to be ignored any longer. So I am setting about to do His business.
This week I took my Dad down to Hills to get his hair cut. That's where his favorite barber is. It was a nice day for a little drive, it was pleasant company, and good to see the farms and fields and trees and all that. Good therapy for my parents. Dad's hair was long enough for a ponytail - and so white - and thick and wavy. I wanted to keep some, but I didn't. The barbershop reminded me of my grandpa's. Lots of bottles, comics, fishing stuff, etc. There was a cartoon up on the door that had 2 chocolate bunnies sitting side by side. The first one had his tail bit off and the 2nd one most of his ears bit off. The 1st one says "my butt hurts" and the 2nd one says "what? I didn't hear you" FUNNY, I thought!!!!
Also I had a surgical procedure done on Thurs. to remove a lump from my head - go ahead - laugh all you who know me well - but yes, I did, and contrary to what I believed, it was not some of my brains trying to get out, so they sent it to the labs to identify it. Will know more in a week or so. Hopefully it was some wierd little benign thing that is no more!
It's the weekend, and I am going to do some ART. yes! Thank YOU, for art. amen.

SATURDAY

2009-01-24T11:39:00.004-06:00

WOW, the week is about over and I haven't had time to post a thing all week! It's been crazy nonstop fun for the most part. Today is our last day with Emily, so I am ready to take off and make the most of it. I slept in late, because last night was girls night out and well, frankly, I am getting too old for some of this! It's getting harder to keep up the pace - I feel like I have a lead butt!!!

SUNDAY

2009-01-18T21:53:00.002-06:00

The day began with an incredible message from Doug Fern. Oh - my - gosh! We need to hear more such things from the pulpit of our church if we are to learn how we should be living our lives for God and His glory. . . for the poor and hurting . . . the lost . . . the least. Our church needs to get off its high horse and get real with people. Doug is the hero of the day.
After church we were driving along Riverside Dr. and saw 4 bald eagles up close and personal, but of course we did not have our camera. They were awesome creatures. We had a little nap after lunch - much needed by both of us, then it was off to Jill's house for supper and Christmas gifts with Em. Don had to leave early to go home to bed, but I stayed until 9:30 or so. It was getting pretty silly by that time. Let's just say, be watching my daughters blogs for Grandma Super Cop, the video.

Saturday Event

2009-01-18T10:07:00.002-06:00

What a great day. We met my brother Gary and sister-in-law Melinda from Charles City along with their girls, their hubbies, their kids. Us and girls and hubbies and kids. We met at Comfort Suites in Cedar Falls - the kids could swim, plus other activities. We had a blast. Silliness along with good talks. Games, food (lots of food). Just a sweet sweet time.
(Note to Kathy): Gary asked me about you. At the end of that conversation he said - in typical Gary style and referring to Doug, "The lucky stiff - he's having a great time with Jesus, and I bet he's already met Bill." He's the only person I know that still uses that expression "lucky stiff" from back in the 50's or 60's?!
We drove home in somewhat treacherous road conditions, but all made it safe and sound. The whole day was a huge blessing. Thank you, praise you, Lord.

It was a Good Friday

2009-01-16T20:21:00.003-06:00

Today I took my dad for a dr. appointment. It was to check in with his urologist. His psa was 0.4 so the shots he is getting for his prostate cancer are working! It was all good news today. We celebrated with frosties from Wendy's!!! No school/work today again. I bathed out of the kitchen sink since our showers are frozen up. By the time I get my fanny in the sink, doesn't leave much room for the water! ha! Just kidding. I crack myself up sometimes. Sponge bathing works in a pinch. The best for last - Emily is on her way here. yea! Good times ahead this week. oh, boy. . . . . picking her up at 11:30 tonight at the CR airport. I should sneak in a nap, but I am too psyched.

BRRRRRR

2009-01-15T16:39:00.002-06:00

BRRR! So record lows are the talk of the day. Cold is cold. And it IS!!!!!! No school again today. I had the screaming mimi's so bad last evening and all night. My tummy cramped so badly and I got so tired of getting up and sitting on the COLD toilet. yuk. I finally got to sleeping around 5 and then slept until 10. Today I felt kind of strange - like you're real empty but nothing sounds good - well, I drank lots of water cause I was thirsty. And I worked on a couple pieces of art, but really did not have the creative juices flowing to really enjoy it. We already have heard that there is no school again tomorrow. I have not been out of the house since Tues. but I have to take my dad to the dr. tomorrow - just hoping my car starts! I also need a few things at the store - like to restock the Immodium and T.P.!!!!!!!!!!! And . . . .ANd. . . . .AND. . .. tomorrow Emmy comes! hurray, cause I need her.

SNOW DAY

2009-01-14T17:34:00.003-06:00

This is a fun project I did today and I am so excited about it, because I think it's funky and cute and I get to see these precious little mugs up close and a lot!!!~! So I took some heavy wire and did my swirly thing and used little sticker things to attach the photos and poked them into my colored rocks in the big vase. It sits on the dining room table. I love it! Also I vacuumed, did laundry, cleaned my bathroom (finally), sorted piles of miscellaneous things from Christmas that had accumulated on the counters and table. Cleared out alot of clutter in general. It feels pretty good. How this place gets like this with only 2 people is beyond me. . . . oh, well, then it must be Don if it's beyond me. huh?! Put a roast, potatoes, & carrots in the oven to slow cook. Also today I got to chew out a collection agency that keeps calling us looking for Pam Behrens. It upsets me that they can pick some name out of the phone book that starts with B and then proceed to harrass them. That's basically what happened. dummies! Check the spelling! Check the numbers. Check to see if your brains are turned on. enough. I'm done.

Tuesday's Lesson

2009-01-13T14:42:00.003-06:00

Did you know there's more than one way to make a snowman? My preschool kids taught me this today. Sometimes the biggest snowball doesn't go on the bottom, sometimes the smaller one does. His hat can go upside down, inside out, or even in between the snowballs! He could have legs or not. His whole body could be covered with buttons or he might only have one right smack dab in his middle! Which reinforces my thinking: there's no people like snow people!

MY MONDAY

2009-01-12T17:49:00.003-06:00

OK, it's been an amazing day! First big blessing was a bracelet that a student (Canaan) gave me. It has the verse "trust the Lord your God with all your heart - lean not on your own understanding" with hearts and crosses on it. He picked it out himself. I love it! And I gotta say the verse is a doozy for me, very timely with things going on. Then I walked over to Lisa Hollan's office just to duck in my head and say welcome back! She greeted me with a huge hug and we agreed to go to lunch when I got done at work. It was an awesome conversation at lunch. We even talked about how nice it is that when we get together, we don't necessarily have to talk constantly either or talk about anything serious, though sometimes we do. She is a dear soul and I love her. For two seemingly different people, we seem to have a lot in common and a connection that is hard to explain. So I won't even try to. Nobody else would get it. Anyhow, I love how God orchestrated all this for my day. I am so very thankful.

AMAZING STUFF

2009-01-12T07:58:00.003-06:00

I think I have finally come up with a New Year's resolution. Although I am not crazy about calling it that. I was thinking I could post more often if I would note some way that God showed me something quite amazing that day - just write it down on the blog - share it with the world! ha, like so many people read my blog, whatever. I guess it could be my personal diary- ha! But what if it helped others, inspired someone, amused anybody, ya know? God has His hand on it all, we too quickly forget that. So here goes my day and I will be back later to let you know how it went! Be prepared to be amazed along with me!!!

Art on Etsy

2009-01-08T17:39:00.003-06:00

I am so excited and proud of my two artist daughters for getting their etsy shops open and going great guns!!! You've got to have a look before everything gets sold out! Go to our art blog thingswithwingsartjournal.blogspot.com and you can link right to their shops. Wowsers!!!! It's awesome stuff! My youngest is making me pretty proud, too, for so many reasons. Her musical talent is blowing people away in the Austin area. She will be home to visit soon. yea!!!

Christmas Highlights

2008-12-25T12:46:00.003-06:00

And the winner is: JILL!!! She won the "wet pants contest" for this family gathering. Obviously she did not start out in these pants yesterday, she had to quickly change in the middle of a wild game of Loaded Questions. I, on the other hand, remained dry the whole day. Such fun.
Here is the grandchild lineup for Christmas 2008. Precious gifts from God.

Whoops! We're backing up to the day before. I spent most of the afternoon in the kitchen making goodies - which is why Don took this shot..... he doesn't see this very often! Just look at how jolly I look. No, really I was having fun. (Note: empty bottles on the counter are not wine bottles, but Mona Vie health drink. We are trying to feel better, but I think a cheap wine would make me feel much better. oh, well.)

And so it snowed again!!! Her hair is getting higher!!! The higher the hair, the closer to God. And look at that luxurious stole she is wearing. These porch knobs are giving me such a kick.

One of the highlights of Christmas this year was surprising my mom and dad by us 5 kids showing up all together and presenting them with a new flatscreen TV. I fixed dinner and we had a great family time! Thank you, Lord God, for this precious time. I will cherish it forever.
Left to right: Mary, me, Cindy, Mike, Gary. and of course dad and mom (Don and Donna)

Glimpses of my tree

2008-12-24T10:39:00.002-06:00

Yes, I still have my skinny scrawny tree. It looks worse every year and then I start dumping ornaments on it like crazy and a miracle happens. Isn't it beautiful?!? This ornament reminds us what we're doing all this for, what we live for. (In the upper left corner you can see part of baby Jesus.)
Celebrate! with fa-la-la's and gloria's and jolliness. by golly!

Getting out in the cold

2008-12-23T14:25:00.003-06:00

Baby, it's cold outside!!!
My feet walking in a winter wonderland.

This is my hand muff from my girlhood, so yes, it is practically an antique!!! I was so excited to get it from my mom and dad's house recently and took it to show Lily. The little poop wouldn't even have anything to do with it - did I just call her a poop? - really, that name goes to her mother and her aunt. They made sounds like "uh" "oooh" "ugh" "yigh" and that was a cue for Lily to remain cautious and stand back. Totally ruined my good time, but anyway, this remains near the top of my list of good childhood memories, keeping my hands warm in style! And Lily is not a little poop, she is my sweet precious girl. Look, Lily, isn't this cute? Look at that little tuft of hair and so soft!!!

Here is my holiday sweater: cute, huh? Most holiday sweaters are, let's face it, dorky!!! But not this one, right? right!

I did a random act of kindness today at the McDonalds drive-thru by paying for the person behind me. (finally got my nerve up to do it ) It was 1:30 or so and I thought, what could they be getting this time of day? One lady. coffee? I paid for my fries and coke, $2.12. Then the person behind me, $12.06. whoa!!! The mini-van she was driving should have been the give away, but I just dug deeper in my wallet and felt like a santa claus. It was hilarious watching her in the rear view mirror after that. I told the guy at the window to tell her that Jesus loves her. That was a real kick. I wish I had more to give away. It feels so good.
I don't mean for that to sound selfish.

Doug

2008-12-23T14:20:00.001-06:00

Doug's memorial service was nice. It was a celebration of his life, nothing like the celebration he is having, but good enough for us earthbound creatures for now!

Thinking About Doug

2008-12-11T17:42:00.002-06:00

I have no idea why we have this picture of this picture. It might be something Don took when he was visiting his aunt a couple weeks ago. Just thought I would use it with today's post. I can't believe we have worked our way through another week already. Has it been 22 days since Doug last spoke? He is breathing on his own now. I need to get up to see him again. It's so hard to know how to pray. This morning I heard Joyce Meyer say we need to stop telling God what to do. And then something about using our pain to further His kingdom. It made sense, even though it's a difficult thing.

Back to Doug

2008-12-08T17:18:00.002-06:00

I have been wondering alot lately where Doug is. What is he experiencing? Mostly - has he caught a glimpse of Jesus? If he has, are we just trying to keep him here when he wants to go with his Lord? I don't know how else to pray except for God to move in His mighty way and for the rest of us to give Him glory. No matter what. And of course praying strength and faith for his family - no matter what. God, You are in control. Show me Your Glory.

BOND: JAMES BOND

2008-12-07T16:35:00.003-06:00

We all know James has had a lot of women in his lifetime of romance and adventure, but his all time favorite co-star remains none other than the beautiful voluptuous Floral Snickers! I believe she was up for an academy award for her performance in "Man with a Golden Gun", as depicted below. So tell us, Floral, does he really like his shaken, not stirred?

Miracle Time

2008-12-04T20:00:00.003-06:00

We are praying for a miracle. Our brother in law has been in a coma since Thanksgiving day when he had cardiac arrest. Today the drs. say they are 98% sure he won't wake up. That means we are clinging to that 2% miracle. for now. But God knows best. He has a plan. He is in control. Praise be to God, for He gave us Doug.

SURPRISE!!!

2008-12-04T17:46:00.003-06:00

Lookie here who walked in my door on Thanksgiving day. I guess the two older girls knew about it, since they picked her up at the airport! But it was a total surprise to me. Actually my grandkids and sons in laws also walked in with the girls - with Emily last. I screamed, then cried, then laughed. It was something!!! Doesn't she look good??? Oh my goodness. It was sweet having her here.

This Makes me Sad

2008-11-21T21:01:00.001-06:00

Coming to terms with reality: Emily won't be home for Christmas. :(

This one's for Jen!

2008-11-21T14:50:00.002-06:00

This post is for Jen. This is a notepad I have on my fridge and I wanted to share it with a kindred spirit. Sorry the photo is so bad, I really can't do technology. I don't know what I was thinking trying to pull this off. I somtimes wonder if I should have gone off to a convent instead.

A Tender Thursday Evening

2008-11-13T21:55:00.003-06:00

We visited my parents tonight. Lately I begin to miss them a great deal. It's strange, but I keep feeling pulled toward them. Our visits have been so good. When we hug and kiss goodbye, they won't let go easily. Our hands hold each other for an extended time and sweet words are exchanged. It's like we are circling around to another separation anxiety in our old ages! I love it and hate it at the same time. It is a challenging time in their lives and that is waking me up to trying to be aware of their needs and be there for what they need. Mostly to love on them. They are craving that most. Gripping for the hands and hearts of those they love.

The Greenhouse Corner

2008-11-09T15:23:00.002-06:00

The plants have moved in for the winter and guess where they ended up! I will sacrifice my tub just to keep them corraled and keep the mess contained. Last year I spent the winter getting dry needle-ly type leafy things all over my clothes and floor and all over the countertop, etc. You can imagine the sputtering I did about that. So we'll see if this works better. Jill, check out the Christmas Cactus on the left. Remember that scrawny stem you let us take home with us from your house last year? Would you like it back now???!!! I think it just needed some water and sun! ha!

Once a Marine, Always a Marine

2008-11-09T15:17:00.002-06:00

Last night we attended the Marine Corps Birthday Ball at Longbranch in CR. It was interesting to hear stories of what these men went through for us. And the food was good. We didn't get to dance though because I couldn't pull Mr. Yakkity Yak away from his brothers long enough, but it was his evening, after all. He's not as lean and not as mean, but still a Marine!

Where the Wild Things Are

2008-11-09T15:04:00.003-06:00

Last Sunday we visited High Drive to see Don's folks before they left for Arizona, so thought I would post a couple pictures of the wildlife we saw out there that day.
Here is a handsome species of man that we saw that day. And so loveable!!!

I think this dog's name is Cocoa, not sure. It's kind of a creepy dog, the type that thinks you like her when you really don't. Annoying little thing. Don's folks got her passed off to them and I guess they got kind of attached, even though his mom said no more dogs.

Example of some wildlife out at his folk's place. Usually we see deer or turkey or snakes or cows but not this time. This praying mantis was a biggie! Don't worry, Don moved him off the car before we took off.

A Strange Friday

2008-11-08T22:17:00.003-06:00

My Friday was a strange one. As soon as I got off work, I felt this heaviness come over me that I can't describe. I drove over to Jill's and sat down at her kitchen table. She wanted me to spill my guts, but I didn't know what to say. She offered me a peanut butter sandwich, 2 or 3 times and I declined each time, but later I wish I had accepted. Sam and Max kind of cheered me up temporarily and when I got back in my car, I called Emily and talked to her a few minutes, but she was actually working thru her lunch time, so that was brief. Then I had to stop at Wal Mart for a couple things and there I ran into Laura and Lily. So within a half hour's time I made contact with all my daughters. God is so good. After leaving Wal Mart, I turned on the car radio and heard the song about " take more of me so I can have more of You" and it was the icing on the cake. It's what I needed to hear. But when I got home, I was so much looking forward to having a hot dog and guess what - no bread - not even a heel. So I just had a wiener dipped in catsup and mustard. Did I let that ruin my day? No, I just kind of wished I had taken Jill up on that peanut butter sandwich though!!!

High on Life!

2008-10-29T22:35:00.003-05:00

Boy, nothing makes me happier than putting that finishing top coat on a piece of artwork. Simply brings a smile to my face. I crack myself up sometimes.

The nut doesn't fall far from the tree...........

2008-10-20T18:11:00.003-05:00

Today was Caed's birthday. He is Sam's best buddy. So he had special things to do today, but he did not want to be an oak tree, so he chose Sam to take his place. Here Sam is covered with acorns - well - 5 acorns, but good sized ones! In the song the kids sang, the wind would come along and blow off another acorn until all 5 were on the ground. I tried to wait for Sam to look up before taking this picture, but he never did. He was too busy tending to his acorns. It's serious business being a tree. Good job, Sam!

ME

2008-10-19T15:04:00.002-05:00

Here are some little known facts about me if you are bored and don't know what else to do with yourself but to read on:

I am deathly afraid of the water, but I love slides. So I have been known to take on some adventurous water slides, risking the unknown waters for the thrill of sliding.
I would like to be able to wear fuschia colored hair and multi-colored striped socks.
I like to sort my potato chips by pairing them up with like-sized chips, eating the smaller ones in twos first and working my way up to the largest.
I like to play music loud. (usually singing along, of course!)
I hate to cook and clean and love to paint and sew.
I love comedy, but once in a while desire a sci-fi.
I have 3 daughters who are my heroines, their husbands my heros, and their children, well, they are my reason to go on.

That's probably enough to digest at one time. There's a lot more, as I am pretty complex, and multi-dimensional, and deep, very very deep.

Sam's Special Day!

2008-10-17T14:26:00.003-05:00

It was Sam's share day/birthday day at preschool. He brought his Halloween costume to show the other kids that he is going to dress up as a fire fighter. Fire and fighter both start with the letter F, which is the letter of the week!!! So he was double cool!! Here he is explaining to his teacher, Mrs. Fink what the shield on his helmet is for and also what he might need an axe for. He also had a birthday crown that he wore part of the morning and got to be line leader.
Proud momma and little brother look on. Max now realizes there is fun stuff going on in this place and he wants some of the action real bad. See the double grip she has on him?!?
Ellie is raising her hand hoping to get called on by Sam. She must have a pressing question to ask him. Let me guess: "Where did you get it?" (gets asked 3 or 4 times during sharing time every time!) Ethan is watching me coming around with the camera. To the far right is Caed. He is Sam's best buddy. Their birthdays are a couple days apart and they can't seem to get along without each other!Here is Ariel, Scarlet, Quinn, and part of Luke. Scarlet and Quinn are my 2 favorite girls in the MWF group. They simply crack me up. When they come to the art table, they try to come together and we yak yak yak and giggle lots. They are so much fun. I love them.
Sam made it clear to us that today is his last day to be 4. Tomorrow it's on to number 5! Happy Birthday, Samuel Asher Brown.

Emily needs prayer

2008-10-01T21:56:00.004-05:00

I am simply blogging to pass the time while waiting for my baby girl to call again. She is in the ER in Austin with a horrible headache gone out of control. They are getting ready to do a catscan on her now. It's 10:00 p.m. and it could be hours yet before I hear anything. Part of me wants to be packing my duds and hitting the road. My heart is aching, my eyes are swollen and burning, my stomach is tumbling, my lungs are heaving trying to keep breathing. I am talking to God and I don't even know if I am making any sense. Holy Spirit, intervene for me. I should be there for her, but I am not. I have asked Jesus to cover her with His sweeet love and comfort. They know one another so well and I take great comfort in that. She is not alone and scared. Time is dragging on and so I will try to rest, but. . . . with the phone next to me.

Em, this one's for you!

2008-09-07T13:31:00.003-05:00

This blog is for you, Emily!!! I really do love this shirt. It is real comfy and it brightens my day. And let's face it, I'm weird. If I were in Austin, I'd surely fit in somewhere. But Iowa City gets me, I guess. Oh, and also it helps remind me of how to spell the word "weird" - I always have trouble with that word, because of the i before e except after c rule. But rules are made to be broken....at least some of them are. The best reason I like this shirt so much is it reminds me of you, Emily, as if I need something tie-dyed & XL to help me - you are in my heart. I love you!

Jack and Lily

2008-09-02T20:15:00.002-05:00

Here is my firstborn grandchild 12 years later. He is awesome. I love him.
Lily is a Hawkeye cheerleader ballerina.
No, wait, she is a Hawkeye cheerleader princess. Decisions decisions!!!!!!

2008-08-24T20:26:00.002-05:00

THE BECKER'S - the girls in their Kutless shirts! Quintin was saving his to wear to school Mon. Of course, Trey was on Security duty Sat. night once again. He had to stop Don on his way in to look inside his sack of popcorn. yup, just doing his job.
THE MILKS'S - less Tim. Not sure where he went to at this point. (He too, was on security the night before.) Aren't they cute?
And last, but not least, the old folks!

A Rockin' Outdoor Weekend!

2008-08-24T20:06:00.003-05:00

We took another road trip this weekend, this time to Charles City where my brother and his family reside. Again this year Gary was one of the main organizers of this event, a free concert in the streets of the city. Here was the opener - Brad Stine. I shot this just before I gave him a big hug and told him we love him! He is so dang funny.
This is Kutless. Or the lead singer anyway. It was hard to get a picture as it was dark and so much action. These guys are crazy maniacs. I had no idea they rock like they do. Check out the arms on that guy - that's muscle you see. They did a very rare thing for them - stopped the concert in the middle and had an "altar call" - talk about the presence of the Holy Spirit!!! Lots of people were saved last night! It was awesome.
And here is the rockstar Gretchen - doing her thing on Sunday morning in the park. What a blessing to hear her sing again and for another opportunity to worship with my brother & fam.

In Cincinnati

2008-08-20T14:08:00.002-05:00

Don with his sons and grandson. That's 3 Donald Henry Berends's and 1 Daniel Henry Berends!
Here we are after eating dinner Sunday night - just before saying goodbyes.
Don with Brooklynne.
Donald the 4th, Ashley, and Samantha.

Birthday Boy

2008-08-20T14:00:00.002-05:00

Maxwell Thomas was born one year ago. Isn't he a big boy now? I can't hardly remember wanting a girl, because he is so special to us. God is using him in awesome ways.
Here he is enjoying his cupcake - once he realized it was something to eat! mmmmmmmmWe love you, Max!!!!

Hair & other silly stuff

2008-08-14T11:01:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was cutesy hair - Today the windswept look! (and you two girls thought I couldn't do it!) You know, I kind of like the way this photo enhances my nose! And pay no attention to that washcloth hanging on my shower door - I forgot to throw it in the laundry last night!!! ok, control yourselves, girls. I am cracking myself up again. Better stop before it's too late.

Haircut Day

2008-08-13T11:44:00.004-05:00

I just got my hair cut and once again I attempted to photo myself. Well, maybe you can get the idea in spite of my lack of skills. Below you can kind of see the sides and back. You know how cheap I am - I'm thinking a Cost Cutters quick cheap thing. Well, I go to Cost Cutters, baby, right next to Hobby Lobby. (If you go, ask for Morgan, and tell her the preschool art teacher sent you) She rocks. We had a blast, she is so funny, and the next thing you know, I was paying her twenty-something $'s. When I got in my car, I thought, wow, what just happened????

GO TEAM USA!!!!

2008-08-11T10:27:00.004-05:00

In the spirit of the Olympics, I have placed our flag in my workspace/tv viewing space. Doesn't it make you proud to be an American? (Be thankful we aren't from France, who said they came to the olympics only to smash the Americans! That doesn't sound very sportsmanlike! Guess we showed them though.) Crossed feet indicate I am waiting for something to dry before moving on to the next step so really I'm working.

Catepillar or is it Callepitter?

2008-08-06T13:16:00.005-05:00

Depends on who's saying it, but anyway it's the reason my husband lets milkweed grow in our flower bed. It's so we can have guys like this come along and make themselves at home. This guy is awesome. We should name him. The Brown boys were here looking him over, so maybe I'll send them a call out for suggestions. (if they're anything like their parents, we'll get some doozies!!!) He is hanging head downward for some reason. I hope he decides to stick around for a while so we can see what happens to him!!!

AUNT MUTZ

2008-08-06T13:06:00.003-05:00

My Aunt Mutz is 90. She amazes me. She looks like my dad, talks like my dad, has the same expressions and gestures. Although they hadn't seen each other in a number of years. It always intrigues me how much alike they are. Out of 6 siblings, Mutz and Dad are the only ones left. We asked her lots of questions like where did the name Mutz come from - and Dortz. No one seems to know. (they are Margaret and Dorothy). I guess my dad had lots of nicknames also - something to ask him about next time you visit him. I am thankful to have had this time with her. She is still a riot. And still very social and relationship oriented like she always was.

QUINT REUNION

2008-08-06T12:56:00.002-05:00

Here are just SOME of the wacky Quint cousins who were at the reunion last weekend. What a blast!
Here we are again playing the finger on the nose game - so darn funny - EVERY TIME!!! (sorry about my photographer's skills)

MY TOYS

2008-08-01T16:47:00.002-05:00

This is my toy mixer from when I was a little girl. It was quite something in its day. I remember playing with it in my toy kitchen. And this bear was a soft rubber squeaky toy, but now the squeaker is gone and the rubber is hard as a rock. I don't think I named him, but I remember a rubber goose being around about the same time. He had a jacket and a hat (all rubber) and big orange webbed feet. That might have been Mike's.
And here is my all time favorites - need I introduce them? - ok, I will. M-I-C-K-E-Y, M-O-U-S-E and his girlfriend Minnie. Wearing their original outfits. I was quite the mousketeer!!! This pair could make my girls rich someday!!! They have to be pretty valuable. I've never seen any others around like this. hmmmm......I suppose I could try to find out their value, but it would be like selling one of the kids.

50's Memorabilia

2008-08-01T16:35:00.003-05:00

Here is my nun doll I got for Christmas in the 50's. I think I actually asked Santa for it! She stood on a music box that played Ave Maria - it still plays but a little twangy and messed up sounding. She has no hair under her veil, but she's got white panties and black slip on shoes!
When you take her off the stand, there is a compartment where I kept my rosary! I don't remember ever wanting to be a nun, but I was curious about them, so I went to visit them at the convent once and they gave me orange pop to drink! I think they were trying to win me over to their order, but I liked boys too much to give them up!
I don't consider myself a catholic anymore, but this is a sweet childhood memory of mine that helps to replace the memory of real nuns slapping us with sticks!!!

A Tuesday.

2008-07-29T10:21:00.002-05:00

I need to post and I have little to say, although my brain is about to burst from overload. I've got stuff coming at me from all directions. I get kind of nuts when that happens if I try to worry about it all. So I must spend more time than usual in prayer today. Praise. Lots of praise. And thanks - for all the "stuff" I've got coming at me!

Your Dream/God's Dream

2008-07-20T14:47:00.004-05:00

The sermon today was good... about Joseph:Living God's Dream for your Life. Just a couple of my notes....... You have a dream for your life be it relational, job related, whatever it is, probably placed there by God Himself and when you begin to doubt your dream, see if it's in line with God's word. And when you face destruction, are you willing to wait for the dream? Yes, many of us know about waiting for the dream - while you are, Live the Dream - lead in slave's clothing. Work while you're "in Egypt".....while you are in a place where you don't especially think you want to be, it could also be a place where you may have the most impact, God has you there for a particular reason. Resist temptation by staying busy about the Master's business and tell temptation the Truth. Live like a citizen of heaven while you're in Iowa (or Texas!) And learn to survive the setbacks and bottom-outs! I know several people near and dear to me who have done just that. Still they wait. . . . and wait. . . . for their dream.

Having Em here!

2008-07-11T14:50:00.001-05:00

At the 4th of July parade:
We have been having a lot of fun with Em here visiting. But it's approaching the end and my stomach is feeling sick knowing I will have to let her go once again. It's not getting any easier, but it's worth it to see her face to face and hug her.