When the kids get married and have their own families, as well as in-laws, it's often difficult to work out a date for getting together that works for everyone. That was why we had our Mother's Day celebration a week late.

Last Sunday was a beautiful day - perfect for a picnic. Amy and Christy and their families came down to catch the 11:00 showing of the kids' musical drama that Dawn was directing. After that, everyone came over for burgers and dogs at our house. Because it was so pleasant, we were able to eat on the deck. That makes me happy - not as much mess to clean up!

After lunch the men and boys played ball while we girls sat at the table and chatted. Don't you love the casual way some of the kids play!!!
 

Amy brought me this beautiful bouquet with a robin she had felted. The flowers lasted all week and made the kitchen smell so sweet.

I couldn't help thinking this morning as I threw out the wilted flowers, that I wished I had the creativity to make beautiful bouquets. I love the fresh flowers on the table but my arrangements are so pathetic, it's hard to take pleasure in them. Well, I guess my creative juices lie in other directions.

After the party last week, Christy and her family and I went over to visit with Andy. It was an especially encouraging time. I was on my way to Andy's room to get him, when one of the staff stopped me to tell me she had asked Andy to pray for her because of something she was dealing with. She said he prayed for her right then. Then as he left her, he continued to pray for the next person he saw. 

I continued on my way into his living area, when another staff person stopped me to tell me that one day she had been complaining that this was wrong and that wasn't working right, etc. Then Andy came over to her, placed his hands on her shoulders and told her: "Stop complaining. It could be a lot worse." She said she was so brought up short...he is telling her that it could be a lot worse. 

We enjoyed a little time visiting with Andy but then he announced he "had to get going." It was his way of letting us know he was tired and had had enough. So I proceeded to lead him back to his room. As I opened the door to his area, R was there. We had seen him earlier wearing gloves! (He often eats his dinner wearing his winter coat.) This man talks constantly but doesn't really say anything intelligible. R started "talking" to Andy and me. I tried to pull Andy along to get him to his room, when he turned to me, and basically told me to stop, he needed to take care of this. I had been trying to protect Andy because of his weariness, to get him to his room, but he felt compelled to "listen" to R. R rambled on about a lost boy, going up a hill, etc. etc. and Andy made comforting, affirming noises until R was finally satisfied that we had heard him tell his tale.

I am so astonished every time I observe Andy's empathetic, compassionate heart in action in spite of his infirmity. It's an obvious indication that the Lord has not abandoned him. What a comfort - even if we forget God, He does not forget us.

Even though I had an appointment on Tuesday to have my car serviced, I was still able to fit in a visit with Andy, meeting Dawn and the kids there. We had our usual ice cream, and Kasey was dressed for the occasion in her tutu!

I was able to fit in some yard work this week. It's that time of the year when everything is growing like crazy, then needing to be trimmed back. Unfortunately, the ticks are out, too. I found one on the back of my ear on Friday morning, but it was in a spot that I couldn't see well enough to get it out myself. Although it was attached, it hadn't become engorged yet. I had to ask someone to get it off for me. And now, every time I feel an itch, I wonder if it's another tick.


Here are some more flower pictures. These cherry laurels smell so sweet and lovely.  

Pink Gumpo Azalea

I think these are my favorites: mountain laurels. If you live in Mt. Laurel, you must have these!

Then today, I had an adventure - of sorts. On Mother's Day, I was feeling a little sad that I couldn't see my own mother who lives in western Pennsylvania. I hadn't seen her since last July. So I had this idea to make the trip. I could make it there in 4 hours, spend a little time with her, take her out to lunch, then drive back home. I really didn't want to spend overnight anywhere (except in my own bed), or be away from Andy more than a day. I feel it's important to keep a routine going where I see him every day - but maybe a day now and then would be ok. I felt I could fit in a trip there and back all in a day. 

So I thought about the idea, prayed about it, ran it by my daughters and a friend and decided to give it a try. I left this morning (Sunday) at 7:00, then called my mother around 7:30 to let her know I was coming. She was totally and thoroughly surprised. It was fun to be able to make her so happy. I was there long enough to have lunch with her at a local restaurant and visit with several of my aunts.

I was amazed at how quickly I was able to make the trip. Perhaps because the speed limit is higher, but it only took 3 hours and 20 minutes instead of the 4 hours I was expecting. Of course, it's still a long time to  be driving in the same direction. I'm glad I was able to do it, it was nice to see my mother and spend a little time with her.

Sometimes when you hear a song, it rattles around in your head the rest of the week. I Have this Hope has done that for me.

As I walk this great unknown
Questions come and questions go
Was there purpose for the pain
Did I cry these tears in vain
I don’t wanna live in fear
I wanna trust that You are near
Trust Your grace can be seen
In both triumph and tragedy

I have this hope
In the depth of my soul
In the flood or the fire
You’re with me and You won’t let go

But sometimes my faith feels thin
Like the night will never end
Will You catch every tear
Or will You just leave me here

So whatever happens, I will not be afraid
‘Cause You are closer than this breath that I take
You calm the storm when I hear You call my name
I still believe that one day I’ll see Your face

In the flood or the fire
You are with me and You won’t let go
In the flood or the fire
You are with me and You won’t let go

@ Copyright Tenth Avenue North 2016. All Rights Reserved.

In 1 Timothy 1:1, Paul tells Timothy that Christ Jesus is our hope. And Romans 15:13, God is referred to as the God of hope. I love this verse where Paul says "the God of hope [will] fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." 

Overflow with hope!!! "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." (Hebrews 6:19)


Lamentations 3:19-23, 25
"I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have HOPE: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness...The Lord is good to those whose HOPE is in him, to the one who seeks him."

Since vacation

Even though it's been a while since I've posted, it's not because life has been boring.  Lots has been going on and I'll try to fill in some details.

Since vacation, Andy and I have been busy with doctor appointments.  We had his hearing tested and he needs hearing aids.  He's known that for quite a while, actually, but hasn't wanted to admit the extent of his hearing loss, for several reasons.  One, is hearing loss a sign of weakness or old age???  Two, hearing aids are very expensive.  Andy has never been a big spender (this is a good thing!), and especially doesn't spend money on himself.  But after pressure from his wife and daughters, he finally gave in to us and let me make an appointment.  He has significant hearing loss in the treble registers, which means it's harder to hear women's voices.  (I wonder if that's why he didn't want to get the hearing aids - he likes not hearing us! - yada, yada!)  When we heard the price, he had to be talked into the importance to his life of being able to hear what's going on.  So we are biting the bullet and getting them.  We're thinking of it as investing in his health so that he will be able to be more productive in his work and interpersonal relationships.

We've also had a number of birthday celebrations.  My mother celebrated her 85th on Thursday.  She is so energetic and full of spunk.  She was actually still working until a week or so ago.  She goes to exercise class twice a week, mows her own lawn, quilts and does all kinds of needlework, makes jellies and jams, plays games with her friends, etc.  She is an inspiration to me when I feel old or tired!  I left work at normal time on Thursday afternoon and drove up to visit with her and take her out to eat.  After dinner, we played some games before going to bed.  I stayed overnight and had breakfast and coffee with her before leaving mid morning and returning home.  I didn't take my camera with me so I have no pictures to post of our time together. 

Then last night, we had a surprise party for Andy's mom who turns 80 on Saturday.  Andy's brother Dan planned the party with some help from the rest of us.  He is so creative and interesting so of course the party was a lot of fun.  Mom was totally surprised and shocked.

With Jeff & Cindi

With Andy and Dan

Norma Jean, the Birthday Queen

All of our kids and their families were there so it was a lot of fun to be together.  Dawn organized a little song for the grandkids to sing to their Great Grandmom.

Little Claire won't let me put her down.  Of course, I'm happy to have as much cuddle time as possible with her.  And Tommy - photo bombing our picture.  What a guy!

We really haven't done much with the house except that we've recently noticed some weathering on the outside doors on the north side of the house.  Andy bought a storm door to install for the one door but then we got the idea to look into awnings for over the doors.  We had a company come out and give an estimate, then ordered them.  I like them, they add some interest to the back of the house (and we were able to return the storm door).

 In between all the excitement, I'm making a variety of summer salads for our dinners.


I just made this one up without a recipe.  It's pretty easy - just use the ingredients you'd use for tacos.

Taco Salad

Greek Pasta Salad

Top Ramen Salad

Christmas Chronicles

It was a very busy holiday season.  So busy, in fact, that Andy and I are quite exhausted and are now battling bad colds.  Andy had a bad cough first, but thought it was only allergies.  Unfortunately for me, he was wrong and I caught it, too.  Too much partying, I guess!

So to chronicle our doings since last post:

Saturday, Dec. 22 - our nephew, Mark got married in North East, MD and we went to witness the happy event.  All my brothers and sisters and my mother were there so it was somewhat of a reunion.

Sunday, Dec. 23 - Church in the morning, relax in the afternoon and evening.

Monday, Dec. 24 - We worked in the office all day.  I had my regular Monday work (cleaning up from Sunday) as well as preparing for the Christmas Eve service and trying to work ahead because of the holiday.  I didn't go home at all that day till after the second Christmas Eve service.  (Pastors and wives have to attend both the 5:00 & 7:00 Christmas Eve services because they give us our Christmas bonus then.)

Tuesday, Dec. 25 - Christmas Day - Andy and I decided to go hiking since it was a crisp clear day.  We went down to Pakim Pond in Wharton State Forest.  Because of all the pines, the forest still had plenty of green which is quite pretty against the blue sky.

so peaceful and serene

Wednesday, Dec. 26 - Took this day as our holiday and went to breakfast with Andy's Mom & Dad at their favorite coffee shop.

Thursday & Friday, Dec. 27 & 28 - worked in the office extra hours to make up for the holiday.

Saturday, Dec. 29 - our anniversary - 39 wonderful years.  What better way to celebrate than to have all our kids and grandkids over!  Amy & Ricky willingly went and got my mother so she could join us for the day.  We had a Christmas Brunch with French toast casserole, baked oatmeal, salmon quiche, bacon wrapped sausages and of course, lots of munchies:  fruit and dip, crackers and cheese ball, veggies and dip.

Another little helper

After the brunch we opened our presents.  I think the kids were happy with what they got!

waiting patiently

My Little Pony barn was a big hit!

Sunday, Dec. 30 - Went to church in the morning, home for our usual Sunday lunch of waffles and omelets, then took Mother home.  When we got there, I helped her take down her tree and made her pictures scroll on her computer.  Andy shoveled her walk because they had snow in PA.  We got nothing but rain here in Jersey.


Monday, Dec. 31 - worked all day, tried to work ahead because of taking off for New Year's Day.  We were invited to join our singles friends for a New Year's Eve party with dinner and games.  We had our coats on and were walking out the door, when we looked at each other and wondered what we were doing going out because we both were so exhausted and Andy wasn't feeling well, either.  So we turned around and hung out at home and went to bed early.  A great way to ring in the new year, by the way!

Tuesday, Jan 1, 2013 - We went up to C & C 's so Andy could help Christian put in a new ceiling in their kitchen.  It was hard work but they got a lot accomplished.  I had fun visiting with Christy and reading to the kids.

Wednesday, Jan. 2 - went grocery shopping first thing in the morning, then over to Dawn's by 11:00 to babysit Kira while Dawn went for her surgery.  She didn't get home till 4:00, then the doctor didn't want her to be alone, so Andy came over and we ate with her and Kira and left afterwards.  The doctors are very hopeful and think their surgery was wildly successful this time.

Thursday, Jan. 3 - I went to work but didn't feel well all day.  I had so much to do but was able to accomplish much.  By evening, though, I had a super-duper sore throat.  I took some fermented cod liver oil that Dawn had given me and believe it or not, the next day, my sore throat was better.

However, I still don't feel very well.  I'm congested and have a fever of 100.4 degrees tonight (Saturday).

I guess all this activity was too much for me.  Well, it was a lot of fun while it lasted.  So now I have to deal with reality.  Ugh!

Visit to see Mother

I hadn't been up to see my mother in a while, so last Saturday, I took a break from my normal Saturday routine to take the 2 hour trip.  When I got to her place, she had a list of things she wanted to get done, thinking I would be able to help her.  That was great...I love lists!  Everything on the list was easy and we got them done in good time.

We took her piles of newspapers to a nearby church where the Boy Scouts had a big container for collecting old papers.  Unfortunately, when we got there, the container was not there, so we couldn't dispose of those papers.  I told Mother I'd bring them home with me since our township would be collecting paper recyclables on Tuesday.  They were already in the trunk of my car so we could just leave them there for me to take home with me.

She wanted to buy a pair of new shoes for a grandson's wedding in a couple of weeks so off we went to the mall.  She bought the first pair she tried on - very classy and stylish shoes.  We got a few things at Target, then since we were at the mall, stopped at Panera's for some lunch.

Back at her house, we got out her little table top tree and decorated it.  It looks quite festive in the front window of her house.

While there, I asked her if she still had the kids' book Cowboy Dan.  I remembered having seen it at her house when my kids were young and wondered if she still had it.  I had looked for it online but it was out of print and impossible to buy unless you wanted to spend lots of money.  We looked in her basement and found it in a pile of old stuff.  It was loaded with mold but I brought it home and thought about how I could salvage it.

Google said to put the book in the freezer overnight, then the mold would brush off easily.  If there was still some left, wipe it with Lysol. Well, I tried those steps and some of the mold came off, but not enough for the book to be usable.

Better, but not good enough to let the kids read it.

So not to be deterred, I decided to make my own book.  There were images on Google for the cover, then I scanned each page of the inside of the book and voila...

I'm a rootin' tootin' cowboy and my name is Cowboy Dan;
I can a ride a horse and rope a steer as fast as any man.
But once I was a tenderfoot - My ignorance was sad -
And when the cowboys called me "Dude," it made me whoopin' mad.
I jumped upon a mustang that stood beside the rail;
The ornery critter sat right down and slid me off her tail.

The cowboys said that ridin' was easy as a song,
But everything I did at first just seemed to be all wrong.
I forgot my big sombrero and got sunburned as you please;
I forgot to wear my leather chaps and the bushes scratched my knees.
But when they called the roundup, I was ridin' with a vim,
And I was hopin' Tex would say that I could go with him.
The first to leave the bunkhouse was the wagon with the cook,
With beans and bacon, pots and pans all rattling as they shook.
Then came the string of horses with Slim and Hank and Pete,
And Tex said, "Come on, Danny Boy, You'll make all hands complete."
We rounded up the cattle and drove them hard all day;
When sunset came, we let them graze and sleep the night away.
For we were hungry cowboys and tired as we could be -
When cook yelled, "Come and get it, boys!"  Those beans looked good to me.
Then Hank brought out his banjo and gave the strings a twang,
And as we sat around the fire, This is the song he sang:
"Oh, He's a rootin' tootin' cowboy, and his name is Cowboy Dan;
He can ride a horse and rope a steer as fast as any man -
Yippee -e-e-e-e-e-e-e-!"

So it ended up being a profitable day for both of us, Mother got some errands done and I got a book from years ago to pass along to the next generation.  And of course, we got to spend some time together, too!

Birthday Bash

With 6 birthdays in our family in a space of just 8 weeks, that sounded like a good reason to have a party.  Saturday, August 18th, was the day we chose.  All the kids and grandkids were able to make it.  While Christy and I were on vacation, we planned the menu, then I assigned different dishes to Christy, Dawn, Amy and myself. 

The menu:

hamburgers & hot dogs on the grill

baked beans

deviled eggs

7 layer salad

broccoli salad

chips & dip

carrot cake

cookies

iced tea

Everything turned out delicious with lots of food left over.

The birthday people:

Kira, July 28

Christian, September 26 & Tommy, August 6

Mother, August 15

 

Amy, August 24

Mom, August 24

The kids spent a lot of time playing outside.  Ricky had brought his bows and arrows along, so the guys did some target practicing.  The girls and I had a lot of time in the kitchen to chat and fellowship.

Believe it or not, none of us took a single picture the whole day.  C & C brought their very good camera and they didn't take any pictures either.  So we'll have to keep the memories in our hearts.

Amy went up and got my mother on Saturday morning to bring her along for the day.  Then Mother stayed overnight and went to church with us on Sunday morning.  After church, she had lunch with us and Dawn and Kira before we made the drive to Berks County, PA to take her back home.

It was a very good weekend, one that will warm our hearts and make us smile till the next time we're together.

Last Sunday Christy and Christian and all the kids came down for a visit.  It was somewhat unexpected except that Christy called the day before to ask if they could come down.  We were delighted, of course, to have them.  The purpose of the visit was for Andy and me to test the kids on what they had learned in their schooling this year.  They were supposed to be tested by someone other than their parents and we were happy to hear what they had learned.  We were impressed!  They and their mother had been very diligent and worked hard this year.

They arrived after church quite hungry because traffic had been bad which increased their travel time getting here.  We had omelets and waffles, our usual Sunday after-church meal.  It was a nice day and the younger ones were able to play outside while Grace and Aiden were being tested. Aiden and Naomi also love playing with the toys I keep in the toy chest.

I managed to get a picture of each of the kids except Claire.  When I had the camera in hand, she was eating, so she got missed this time.

Andy left on Friday for the men's retreat.  Since he was going to be gone, I planned a trip up to see my Mother on Saturday.  On the way up, Amy called and said I should stop in to see them on my way home because they'd be home all day.  We did a little mulching and weeding in Mother's gardens, then went to Red Robin for lunch.  That was happy for me because I didn't know there were any Red Robin restaurants around.  We had enjoyed that restaurant when we lived out west years ago.  And they were as good as I remembered.  The only complaint I would make was that the music was too loud, making it hard to have a meaningful conversation.

After lunch we paid a visit to Lowe's and bought some more mulch.  I didn't have time to do any more, but Amy had said she would be happy to help her Grandma so I left some work for her to do!  I did a little trimming of the bush by the front door.  

Then I tried taking a picture with my new phone.  I have a lot to learn on that.  Fortunately, I know a lot of techie people who are happy to give me pointers.

On my way home, I did stop at Amy's since I didn't know when I would see them again.  However, they were out.  Yes, the whole family was gone.  I hadn't given her a definite answer that I would be stopping by, so I can't blame them for not being there.  I did get to see her gardens and enjoy their beauty.

Andy left the men's retreat early because he had several commitments today.  So he got home soon after I did last night.

After church today, I spent the afternoon preparing for our evening with the older singles from church.  We're having a baked potato bar.  I baked 16 potatoes.  Others are bringing toppings:  several kinds of cheese, crumbled bacon, guacamole, sour cream, butter, salsa, etc.  I'm also making chili which Andy and I like to put on the potatoes, and I made blueberry muffins and cinnamon chip muffins.  Someone is also bringing a salad.  Ummm, ymmm!

Twelve people had dinner with us tonight.  It was a wonderful time of food, fun and fellowship.