Hiking in the Park

Left for home just in time, missing a big thunderstorm that hit as we were driving home.

Summer Reading and Inspiration

We checked out several craft/sewing books from the library (well, we do this year-round actually) and found some fun ideas in them for this summer.

The Martha Stewart book detailed the beautiful paper flowers featured in the "Weddings" video we watched (and were fascinated by). The girls are interested in getting some crepe paper and trying these.

Lots of great ideas and inspiration from "Weekend Sewing". I still need to finish the quilt I started last summer from Heather Ross fabric (Heather Ross is the author of this book).

This dress is adorable and looks very easy to make. If I use fabric I already have, will this violate my stated goal of only working on unfinished projects this summer?

This was an interesting book on the English language.

I started this book last night. It's written by several women about their experiences being a grandmother. One of my deepest desires is to be a grandmother someday. I am enjoying this book!

Interview with Dad!

This weekend I was able to ask my Dad a few questions (lots, actually) about his life. There are many more questions I could ask and I think it might be a good idea to keep a list of future questions that pop into my head. I think in some ways it's hard to interview people close to you because you already know so much about them that you can overlook obvious and important questions. Despite my interviewing shortcomings, here is part of our interview.


My Dad, Robert (Bob), is the seventh of nine children born to Hosmer and Ella Belle. He was born at home in Caladonia, Michigan a really long time ago :). He married my mother, Clarice, after they both graduated from Grand Rapids School of the Bible and Music and together they had two children. Four years after my mother's death, Dad married Judy (also widowed) and within a few years they moved their blended family to Canada where my Dad currently pastors a church in the Toronto area. Dad and Judy are enjoying being grandparents and are looking forward to retirement sometime soon.


Starting with the easy questions:

Favorite Book (other than the Bible): "Called and Committed" , read in the summer of 1979 and "Brendan" by Fredrick Buechner. "Brendan" is a historical fiction book that was a requirement for a church history class. I appreciate Buechner's premise in his writing that your life is a story and has a plot which shows God's work in your life through the years.

Favorite Movie: Tender Mercies and O Brother Where Art Thou

Favorite Song: Great is Thy Faithfulness


Special Bible Verse: Philippians 3:13-14- Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Favorite Food: Anything from Cracker Barrel, green beans and meat loaf.

Favorite Place on Earth: The Brooklyn Tabernacle in Brooklyn, New York.


A Place You've Never Been to But Want to Go: England- to see the countryside and see where our family originated.

Memorable Present as a child: A marionette puppet that had its own stage. As an adult, a leather coat given by mom (Clarice).

In what ways do you resemble your parents? Like my father, I am introverted and quiet in groups of people. Like my mother, I enjoy laughter, good food and going out.


Memories of Grandparents? I only knew my maternal Grandfather. He had a good sense of humor and liked to tease. He kept ginger snaps in the cupboard and the kids would take them (and he knew it!). He was a widower for a long time and a retired farmer. He lived in a log cabin and raised corn, beans, cattle and hogs. Whenever we would visit him, we would arrive late at night and would have to wake him up so he could let us in. It was always an adventure to stay at his house.

Early Memories: Locking brothers and sisters in the outhouse. Since none of them thought I was tall enough to reach the outside lock ( I was three or four), I never got blamed for it. I also remember getting bitten on the face by a mother dog when I went to the neighbor's house to look at their puppies. I had to get a tetanus shot after that. I also remember a car crash that happened right outside our house while we were playing outside. I remember street dances, ox roasts and fireworks in the park in Caladonia.

Favorite music/entertainment as a teen? Everly Brothers, Righteous Brothers, Beach Boys, Sam Cook, Gunsmoke (TV), I Love Lucy, Westerns on TV.


What jobs did you hold as a younger man? In high school I gave piano lessons and did some babysitting. I also worked as a junior counselor at Dorion Bible Camp in Canada. At seventeen, I worked as a stock clerk at Woolworth's in downtown Grand Rapids. After a year or so at that job, I worked at Merill Lynch sending out bills for stock purchases. Both jobs helped put me through Bible School. One summer I traveled in singing groups and in my second and third years I was the director at a Bible conference/teen ranch in New Hampshire during the summer.

When did you know you wanted to be a pastor? As a teen-ager I knew I wanted to do something in Christian service. For a time in high school I took business classes and briefly considered a career in business, but I always felt a calling towards ministry.

When did you learn to play piano? I took lessons in the eighth grade from our church pianist. At the time, I didn't appreciate all the emphasis on correct fingering and technique as it seemed too academic and not creative enough. I can and do read music, but I often play using chord structure and by ear.


What attracted you to mom? Her smile. I liked her upbeat, natural ways. I thought she was beautiful and had a sweet manner.

When did you know she was the one? After a Youth for Christ rally I took her back to her dorm and gave her a good night kiss. I realized then that I really cared for her.


An important goal you have fulfilled? Completing my seminary education. I began working on it while pastoring in California, taking classes on weekends and on breaks. When we moved to Colorado, I continued on at Denver Seminary. Seminary education gave me confidence that I was trained in and had a wider exposure to theology.


What are you looking forward to in retirement? More time for travel, writing and reading. I hope to complete a project I have been working on which is looking at a Biblical evaluation of burial versus cremation.

Any Advice? Come to terms with your life, your past (including hurts, disappointments, deprivations, losses) and accept it as God's working in your life. When you are comfortable with yourself (and your past), you can move forward in confidence to what God has for you.


Thanks, Dad! Now I'll need to think of the rest of the questions I forgot to ask!

Sorry I haven't posted for awhile...

My dearest children gave me the flu.

I hope to put up my latest interview this weekend.

Stay tuned!

In Honor of Mother's Day

From a local magazine:


Things Mom would never say:

- "How on earth can you see the TV sitting so far back?"

-"Yeah, I used to skip school a lot, too."

-"Just leave all the lights on- it makes the house look more cheery."

- "Let me smell that shirt- Yeah, it's good for another week."

-"Go ahead and keep that stray dog, honey. I'll be glad to feed and walk him every day."

-"Well, if Timmy's mom says it's OK, that's good enough for me."

- "The curfew is just a general time to shoot for. It's not like I'm running a prison around here."

- "I don't have a tissue with me...just use your sleeve."

Spring

The GI Joes can now move their combat operations outside.

The bunnies can eat fresh grass and frolic.

The trees are leafing.

And the children keep on growing up much too quickly.

The past several days have been filled with various children contracting a stomach flu/virus and the joy that illness of this type brings.

It is even more delightful when one has a home inspection during this time and the home needs to look "normal" or even "nice". "Normal" during the stomach flu does not pass muster when one's home needs to look like a million bucks so the bank will agree to refinance one's loan at a happier interest rate.

I can't imagine trying to sell one's home during a bout of stomach flu.
Oh my.

Congratulations Joe and Jenny!

Joe and Jenny welcomed their first child last night- a little boy weighing 6 pounds, 15 ounces and 20 inches long. They haven't settled on a name yet- hopefully we'll hear about that soon.

Edited to add: the baby's name is Elias David :)

The Guest Room/Office

Before- getting ready to paint so things are just a little more messy than usual (sadly, just a little).

Paint samples on the wall.

And after. The wall color isn't showing up too well in this picture.

Hannah is looking forward to creating some art work for the walls in this room.

Hopefully, this will impress our appraisal inspector (for our re-fi) and make our home worth LOTS of money :).

Happy Birthday Jackson! And Cute Ethan pictures, too!

I love this picture!

Cute Ethan!

Braces!

Before

And after. Just on the top teeth. Full braces later on (sigh).

Here Comes the Snow!

My car got stuck just a few feet up the driveway. Brian had to snowblow to get the car out and into the garage. Schools and businesses sent people home early- I've never seen such big, wet snowflakes falling so quickly. We were soaked by the time we walked into the house (from the car stuck at the end of the driveway)!

Abby and I have been watching the Martha Stewart video on weddings (no, we're not planning a wedding for many years yet- we don't condone children marrying at 14 years of age...). We have only made it through a fraction of the video material, but it was fun to see the professional florists make beautiful arrangements for tables and bouquets.

Abby asked to try on my wedding dress (above) and this time when she put it on *it fit her*. She loves to hear how her Daddy sat with me on Sunday afternoons on the back porch and helped me bead all that lace. He didn't see the dress until the wedding day, but he sure did know all about the beads and sequins!

Of course since this is Martha Stewart, only the best and finest is featured. But I have been amazed at how much one could do themselves, based on watching the professionals show their skills. It encourages me that someday we might be able to give a nice wedding on a small budget.

Outside today the weather has been cold, windy, snowy and foggy (with some thunder thrown in for good measure). A big snow storm is supposedly going to be moving in tonight. I'm so glad because we really need the moisture.

And we have a very long video to watch if we get snowed in!

Easter Table Decorations

The children's table- the place where everyone wishes they could sit (at least at our house).

Hannah and Abby made paper boxes with their flowers on top for our names at the table.

Inside the boxes was a surprise- a marshmallow "peep".

The adult table.

20 of us all together. It was a lovely (and full) day. Foggy and snowy outside. Warm inside!

Tip of the Day

Make sure to remove the aluminum foil from the bottom of the oven (the stuff you put down to keep the oven floor clean) after your au gratin potatoes made for Easter dinner spill all over said oven floor.

Because it is possible that when your daughter sets the oven to "broil" the next day, that the entire inside of the oven could erupt in flames. Large bonfire-type flames. Grab the fire extinguisher quick-type flames.

Hypothetically speaking, of course.

Yet another skirt for Hope

I used some vintage fabric found on ebay a couple of years ago to sew up another summer skirt for Hope.

It seems like it would do well in the fiesta parades we used to go to while living in Santa Barbara.

Or perhaps it's a costume from "Dancing with the Stars". :)

Either way, Hope likes it. I'm a bit pessimistic about this vintage fabric holding up long enough to make it through the summer, however.

Since our yearly state mandated testing is coming up in a week, we have been busy with school and preparations for the exams.

We are also expecting (at least) eighteen for Easter dinner, so much washing and cleaning is going on at our house.

And we've had some snow lately. Winter finally decided to come in Spring. It was cold and windy this past weekend! How are you supposed to wear your Easter clothes when there is snow outside?? Last year we wore our snow pants and heavy winter coats to the sunrise service. Could be a repeat this year...