Another Joy Experienced!

I met Teresa - homesteadingtess!

Would you believe her husband and Nevin worked together for almost a year and neither she nor I knew it - until Teresa put it all together from something I wrote. She asked her husband and of course, he recognized Nevin from my pictures. We planned to meet last week at a Reuseit shop and she gave me this pizza seasoning that she made from drying different herbs. I told her later I should use it as potpourri because the first week almost everytime I walked by it, I took the lid off and smelled it!  It smells soooo good! I don't use many seasonings in cooking so I need to make some pizza and try it. That's a lot of work inside that little jar! Thank You, again, Teresa! Your bubbly personality was exactly how your cousin Lelan described you.

A Special Day with Friends!

We three ladies meet once a year and have a meal together. Nancy is in the middle and that is about the only time I get to see her. Reba, on the right, I occasionally bump into throughout the year.  Nancy's first husband died about 25 years ago and we started this at that time - to try to encourage her. 

The three of us have birthdays in September so we have continued this tradition just to keep in touch. Last year Reba mentioned that since we will be 60 this September, we should do something special together and include our husbands. Her Sunday School class planned a day in the Easton area and there was still room on the bus so they were encouraged to invite others. We did get to do just what Reba was wishing!

I'm not sure what was said; I just know Nevin had his camera ready at just the right time!! Nevin and the four of us pictured all graduated from the same high school and the same year! Neat! So the friendship of Reba, Nancy, and I goes way back. (Nevin and I started dating in our senior year!  )  We represent these backgrounds - Mennonite, Brethren-in-Christ - and Church of the Brethren. 

This was on their schedule - a ride on the canal. Our canal boat was pulled by these mules which is how the barges were pulled through the canal years ago.

Nearby was the Crayola factory where we saw them demonstrate the making of crayons. This is the world's largest crayon.

This is one of my precious friends. She and her husband are also in this Sunday School class with Reba and her husband, Lloyd. She is my neighbor and we try to walk once a week together. We both were looking for something for our grandchildren here but only found this area ten minutes before we needed to meet the bus!! Neither of us can shop that quickly, wisely.   (Someone thought we were sisters!)

We took our own packed lunch for noon but for supper we were scheduled to be at Kauffman's Restaurant, near Rehrersburg, where they specialize in Bar-B-Q chicken.   This just really caught my eye - from this point-of-view it doesn't look too appetizing but it was oh so good! You will notice potatoes in there also. There were many other items to choose from.  This restaurant is different but very delightful.

Right next to the restaurant they have a miniature golf course with a beautiful countryside scenery. Out of the six of us, Nevin had the highest score.  I just love this man - we soon celebrate our 40th anniversary!

Here we're showing off our appearance!

He just walked among us in the golf course as we enjoyed the evening . I've never experienced being that close to a peacock!

We got back to our cars about 8:30, gave some hugs, and were grateful for this special day together.

Sunday, August 30

This beautiful sight greeted us from our familyroom window. I wish we would have noticed it sooner.

I feel weary tonight; it was another extra busy week.....

.....Tori called yesterday and today; I really miss her and our other Colorado grandchildren....

....I said good-bye to these dear girls today. Each September, the 8th grade girls leave our Sunday School class. I have had them for two years. These girls have been a real joy as they have contributed greatly to classroom discussion - either with questions or comments. And their comments were often profound. I just love them.

Christi - these are the girls you will be blessed to have enter your classroom:

Lydia, Taysia, Sophie

Stephanie, Lindsey, Chelsey

Kierra, Kelsey

I pondered my emotions, realizing my deep tiredness didn't help! I recalled something I heard at a seminar for ladies. Having emotions that want to display themselves rather quickly anyways for us, she told us to picture a train. The engine of the train is - my will. The caboose is my emotions. But so often my emotions want to be the engine - taking charge. I need to talk out loud and tell those emotions to get back there where they belong. She said, "Don't reverse it - running the train by my feelings! I need my will to make the decisions!  We're made up of emotions and will - which do I major in?!"

Faith:  a willed obedience. I will trust You, Lord. I will believe Your Word.

I am deeply grateful for a Heavenly Father who has so much patience with His children! He patiently gives us time to get that will back into place - where it belongs.

 ~A joyful experience from last week:

I told you how eager I was to meet my first xanga friend - here she is!!

It truly was a real joy to meet houseintheprairie - now known as Ruthie. We discovered we have many of the same "heart cares."  She was so thoughtful to bring along pictures on her laptop of their home in Montana - very, very different landscape then here in PA.  It took us three hours to catch up in each other's lives! She has a very patient husband as he took care of Danny while we visited.  We met at a nearby Retirement Home as that is where her parents now live.

It wasn't long into our visit that I noticed Ruthie has an infectious laughter and a love for the Lord! It made visiting so easy! The reason we closed this time after three hours - it was past time for supper and my heart went out to her husband, Earl, waiting on us!!

This is Ruthie's Mother.

Later in the week we made plans to have our husbands meet also. Danny is three years old.

I thank the Lord for this precious opportunity!

God bless you with traveling safety as you take these three days to return back home.

~A Peek Into My Week

MONDAY - In our local newspaper: "Free to a good home!!"

Isn't he adorable?! Now if you don't like cats, you won't agree. He was from an earlier birth but just had to show him to you!

I enjoy a schedule!! I think the Lord was showing me this week I need to be more flexible!

 We spread our peaches out so they can ripen nicely. I checked them Sunday and out of THREE baskets only TWO peaches were ready to eat.  I figured they will probably be ready to process on Tuesday. So I scheduled Monday morning to pick up some pictures, stop at our nearby family and wish Matthew a happy birthday, and be home in several hours. For some reason, before I left home I went to the basement, walked by the peaches and did the squeeze test - THEY WERE READY TO PREPARE FOR CANNING, NOW!! How in the world did that happen overnight!! That really changed my day. So I  only could start several hours after lunch. I like to start first thing in the morning if I am doing a fruit or veggie by myself so it's not midnight when I'm finished!

My best friend came to my rescue and finished washing them for me after he arrived home from work. That was one less step for me to do and so very helpful. Doing peaches isn't hard work; it just takes time. But it was the wee hours of the morning when I finally had the dishes washed and everything finished. Peaches produce sticky dishes and it was a joy to have the process finished.

If you can food, you know what a tremendous joy it is to hear your jars seal after removing from the boiling water! These are Loring peaches - a more firm peach.

TUESDAY - Eight baskets of peaches with my mother-in-law and two nieces - in Cheryl's home.

WEDNESDAY:

You might remember I asked on an earlier post what kind of apples you like to mix for applesauce. (Looks like someone got a bit RAMBUNCTIOUS when washing the apples! That's water on the wall!) I decided on Summer Rambo (left) and Ginger Gold (right.) My friends don't add sugar when making Ginger Gold but you need to when making the Summer Rambo. I had four baskets....I mixed the two mentioned, I did one basket of just Ginger Gold, and one basket of Summer Rambo. It will be fun to see which kind turns out to be our favorite.

I was so sure by starting at 10am that I would easily be finished when Nevin comes home from work!  I wasn't! We have prayer meeting tonight (you might call it Bible Study) and after a bit of catching up on conversation, Nevin went upstairs to get ready to go there.  It was about 5 minutes or so later he came back downstairs and said he is going to stay home and help me finish!! There are lots of dishes when working with applesauce and he just blessed my heart!  He is such an encourager! I use cool whip and sherbert containers to freeze our applesauce. So I found the correct lids and marked each container as to what kind of applesauce was inside while Nevin took my job at the sink.

THURSDAY - I could just talk and talk and talk about this place!

Today we were at Christian Aid Ministry.This is a conservative Mennonite organization that is so efficiently run. We feel good about giving financially because you know the items get to the people in the third world countries. They distribute food boxes, clothing, literature, etc. They don't just send it and leave someone else do the distributing.  Through pictures we had the privilege of seeing extremely poor people receiving these boxes. The picture  above is called a widow's box.

They have a dairy operation in Romania. Friends of ours went over and set up the milk handling system. In Ukraine they have sewing centers that give women an opportunity to sew for their needy families as well as others.

Annually, CAM distributes approximately 15 million pounds of food, clothing medicines, seeds, and Christian literature in Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Haiti, Nicaragua, Liberia and various other countries. Isn't that wonderful!!They provide aid to Christians and non-Christians. This is their goal: "To spread the Gospel and shine forth as a Christian example while providing aid and relief because everyone's greatest need can only be met with a personal, saving relationship with Jesus Christ." Below is their address in case you care to google it and learn more about them.

www.christianaidministries

Nevin took a day of vacation today and we went to help pack items for their food boxes. This was our first time to work with powdered milk and flour!  As the person beside you put their scoop of powdered milk in the bag held for them, you could sometimes see the dust coming toward you!!   Because it is a warehouse it is not air-conditioned but they have large fans blowing to keep us comfortable. 

They set dates with churches in the area so we can help in their packing. This was the day for our church. It's a busy time here at home as you already read but our turn only comes about once a year. We feel like our time is well spent here because of the excellent organization that keeps everything going smoothly and everyone having a job.

You remember reading that Daddy is at home in Heaven. The man on the left is Daddy's brother - my Uncle Harold. We all love him. (He is putting one pound of powered milk into the bag held by John.)  Several months after Daddy died in 1998, we had a winter get-together with the Keller family. Harold put his arm around me and in his gentle way told me he prays for my sisters' families and my family! He now took  Daddy's place of holding us up to the Father. I was so moved with very deep appreciation. 

 It was a joy to work with those from church. You could talk as you scooped or held the bag!!   Well, the next picture though was a bit of a different story.....

The supervisor explained carefully all we were to do before we started. He told us that he needs someone who doesn't mind working fast and doesn't mind pressure - working at the scales. This person needs to add flour or take out of the bag to have the exact amount needed. The bags of milk or flour we filled we then put on this table for that person to weigh. Sometimes they waited on bags; other times the bags lined up for them.  

We asked our grandson, Matthew, if he would enjoy going along as school hasn't started yet. He and his  friend Josh (in the background in the black shirt) decided to try it. By the way, we all had to wear aprons. It was fun watching these young men slip it over their heads and TRY to tie it behind their backs. I was impressed with the way they diligently kept at their jobs. Matthew is twisting each bag and then slipping it into the blue tape sealer. He then places each bag in a box behind him.........

Two at this table are operating the scales - Rose and Adrielle. This is not a job I would have been comfortable with but these ladies did so well - and encouraged us when our bags were a bit too heavy or too light. They were just the right people for the job!

At this table, Melita (sister to Adrielle) was the scale lady! It's hard to see the scale behind the bags. Right now she is checking the weight and adding a bit more to the bag from the blue dish pan beside her to get the one pound she needs. There were several different churches represented here today so we met people we didn't know before.

Jenny, I had the privilege and joy to work alongside your Grandma and Grandpa Miller part of the day. They are so precious!

This is a pile of labors of love!

I left here just so blessed to have had a part in today's schedule. I wondered who might receive the bags I filled. We saw a picture of a Romanian family of 11 children. Every time a clothing bag or food parcel  is delivered to them, they take time to pray and sing a song of thanksgiving for God's blessings. I want to be more grateful for all our blessings!

LATE THURSDAY AFTERNOON:

We found out this morning that Barb would be doing her Baby Gold peaches today instead of Friday as planned! Nevin and I gathered a few dish pans and some knives before we left home in the morning and planned on helping as she had four baskets. Baby Gold take long to do because each peach seed needs to be cut out with a special spoon. But they are sooo delicious that Barb and I like to fit this kind into our summer schedule.

After bringing Matthew home,  Matthew and Seth cut the peaches and Darin scooped them into jars. We had an assembly line in process!

A bit too full, Darin!

Yes, our visiting angel arrived again!  Oh Father, bless her!

Nevin is pouring the sugar syrup over the peaches so they don't turn brown. (It was a precious blessing to have this "peach day" happen on a day when he already took vacation. He is always a steadfast helper- he has a purpose and gets it done!)  Barb will soon clean the top of the jars, put the lids on, and place them in water to boil.

After the peaches are washed, Nevin cuts the peach open, removes the seeds, and places them in the blue dish pan. Then Mother and I peel each one. After that it goes to the boys to cut them and fill the jars as you noticed earlier. Jere arrived home from work just in time to help peel a few!! I laughed when he picked up one of my peelings to see if he's getting TOO MUCH PEACH with his peel!

This dear Mother was so busy because we kept producing peaches to be canned! I don't know how many times she was up and down the basement steps with more empty jars for the boys to fill! I think she slept really good tonight! She thanked the Lord for 62 qt. of peaches.

After the last peach was in the jar, we all sat around the table and had delicious hot sandwiches for supper.  Barb is giving her Grandma a thank you hug right before she went home!

FRIDAY:

This peach orchard is about 25 min. from our home and I really appreciate this privilege to buy from them. (Wendi, do you recognize the porch?) I ordered my Baby Gold peaches for today. Mine are on the left. The two baskets on the right are Loring and I took them along for another niece. The center basket has nectarines. I think by Sunday morning at church I might smell like I purchased a new perfume - peach!!

I wish you could see this place in the morning when they bring the peaches in! It is one beautiful sight - basket after basket of peaches all under a large shade tree in the lawn. On Monday they picked 5000 peaches!! Thank You Lord for the variety of jobs around us to help each other as we are on this pilgrimage.

SATURDAY: My house is shouting - HELP! Clean Me!!

I decided this is not an honest picture! You are not seeing the rest of my rack of clothes to iron!! You are not seeing my other tables that have paper stacks that have accumulated during the week! Sad to say, most of it is waiting until next week as I teach Sunday School tomorrow and studying needed to fit into my week before my cleaning. As you all know, it will wait on me! Wouldn't it be fun to have a cleaning lady right now?!

SUNDAY:  Worship and Fellowship!

Psalms 29:2 "Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!" I'm so thankful for this privilege!

NEXT WEEK:

I feel like a young girl looking forward to her first pair of high-heeled shoes (now doesn't that date me!) as I will meet, for the first time, my first out of state xanga friend! I can hardly wait!!! I will tell you next week what her name is - accompanied with a picture!!

Back to Colorado again - not in person but in memories and pictures.

Brian made a little chicken house that holds 12 nests.   The children have some of the chickens named. This happens to be Beauty!  I thought her name fit her well!

Tori is afraid of being pecked if she reaches under the chickens to gather the eggs. So this is the long, slow version of gathering eggs! It's good there's not 50 boxes!!   I don't blame her - it's not fun getting pecked! But she is gentle and gets the job done! (I didn't have the courage to try it!)

After this, she washes the eggs and sands the spots that weren't removed by water.  Then they are ready for sale. Each of the children have an appointed day to do this job.

I had to smile when I saw her hoist the chicken feed bag to her shoulder . It reminded me so much of myself when I was her age as I was raised on a farm and had chores to do.

She is filling the water supply for the chickens.

This is in the garage where they are raising peeps.   There is a heat lamp above them for this is May and still gives cool nights.

I felt like "Mary who had a little lamb...and everywhere that Mary went the lamb was sure to go!"

I'm carrying food and they know it!  I'm watching my feet as I walk so I don't trip over the aggressive ones!  At night, they put the chickens in the little chicken house to my right because of the coyotes. The coyotes are that bold they caught three of the chickens  during the day in the last several weeks.

Playtime for the boys - using their creativity.  Their Grandpa caught these pictures in action!

They switched "drivers" and are pulling wheelies!

This green grass is a welcomed and unusual sight for our Colorado family.  They have been having more rain than usual this Spring. Otherwise it takes irrigation for green grass after April. 

The next time I'll continue with some of the games we thoroughly enjoyed playing with the children and I'll show you the pocketbooks Donna sews - and sells.

~The Blessing of corn

and the JOY when it is finished!!

Barb and I are dividing this corn but Mother is blessing us - again, with her help! She is very fast with her hands and when she is here, everything gets finished quicker!! She uses her gift of serving and  blesses others. 

Mother and Daddy lived in VA. for 20 years where Daddy was a pastor in the Church of the Brethren. Mother babysat for three little children who they both quickly came to love. Because we were so far away, these three became additional grandchildren to them - and still are to Mother today. (Daddy died from a heart attack 10 years ago.) They spend time with her for a week each summer which she appreciates so much. As you see,  20 years later and we have teenagers  spending time with Mother.....Chelsea and Brendan.  Their oldest brother, Chris, is in college.

When you are only four years old, you are allowed  more breaks from husking corn!

We were really excited today to see our corn being silked by a machine! A friend Mother knows bought this machine and it is available to rent. ($8.00 for five hours!) We were all so eager to experience this for the very first time. Silking the corn takes so long as I try to remove all of it I can. We had 30 dozen silked in 40 minutes! We are just starting here and Nevin is making sure things are running properly. NOW Darin is giving his fullest concentration to this job. It is very easy for children to operate (and safe) once it is set up and ready to go. Darin puts it in and soon Seth (left) takes it out and places each cob in a dish pan. It does a wonderful job. I thanked the Lord over and over for this machine today!  The machine is on the move as someone stopped by our home late afternoon so they could use it also today!

Notice the brushes. There is a hose attached to this machine with a small amount of water running and as the corn goes through the brushes, it spins the silk off. It comes out clean! People have asked if the kernels  are bruised? Not at all.   It is just amazing. We are now finished and Chelsea is cleaning the brushes. I think till she was finished, it wasn't only the brushes that were wet! Why is water so much fun on a warm day?!  (It doesn't even have to be a warm day!   )

Next step in the assembly line is putting the corn into the boiling water. When Mother is here, we have two kettles cooking. When it is just Barb and me, one kettle keeps us busy! You see it's not a fancy basement whatsoever but every summer I tell Nevin how very thankful  I am that 32 years ago he bought an old sink from his aunt when they remodeled their kitchen.   That was the start of processing veggies and fruit in our basement.

The boys enjoy helping with this step. After hands are washed, they remove the now cooked corn from one container with ice, to another container, also with ice, just to make sure it is good and cold before we take the corn off the cob. I know some of my friends don't use ice.  This is just the way I was taught at home - it's interesting how we pass some of these little things onto the next generation.

Mother is concentrating. She is creaming this corn. Barb was cutting corn in another dish pan.  Then we mix the two before freezing it. My friend freezes all creamed corn when she wants to make baked corn.

Up to the kitchen for a quick lunch of Chicken Tettrazini.  They weren't super hungry as they enjoyed corn on the cob several times before noon.       Usually one of us stays in the basement and keeps the process going.

This is their favorite job....taking turns driving the tractor for the older ones and taking a ride in the trailer for the younger ones. Matthew just emptied a bucket of cobs in the corn field.  They could carry the buckets but I enjoy giving them this privilege - especially when I know they are being careful.

Darin missed the afternoon rides as he needed a nap.

Did you ever stop to think how many times you touch one ear of corn?  It IS a lot of work but we thoroughly enjoy it for the following seasons. Wednesday we did an additional 40 dozen. Mother wasn't here so it took us longer  !  That evening we were really tired.

Thank You Father for seedtime and harvest (and energy!)

P.S. Would love to help you do corn, Brian and Donna!

This time - a message for Melissa!

They both are in the shape of a necklace; the one on the left is hard to see that. At each Amish store I told them I'm purchasing this for a friend. I asked them if I may return it if it is not the item she wants. And I may do that. The one on the left I found at the first store  but when I saw the one on the right at the second place, that one seemed to fit the picture you explained to me, Melissa. I'll wait to hear from you.

Explanation!   Melissa was asking, on her site, if anyone knew where to find these teething necklaces. I knew that in a few weeks I would be getting close to an Amish store. That happened today and was a fun and meaningful day!

Left to right: Millie, Velma, and my Mother.  Millie and Velma are sisters. Daddy's Mother and their Mother were sisters. Both ladies are widows. Last year Millie was a "new" widow and I wanted to do something for her so we planned a day away with the four of us. This July I thought maybe they would enjoy doing this again. All three agreed and said they looked forward to it. I was so blessed by being with them.

Ummmmm...where oh where is a teething necklace that fit's Melissa's description??

They also had Amish doll clothes.

They had row after row of fabric! My dear Mother tried to teach me to sew when I was growing up - even sending me to 4-H!! Leave me in the kitchen and I am happy but not at a sewing machine.  I admire those of you who turn out beautiful creations!

After the Amish stores, this was our next stop where Millie and Mother found something they liked. If you live in our area, you will recognize this as Brenda's Shop.

I must tell you this yet. Some of you are familiar with Shady Maple Smorgasbord. That is where we had lunch together.  I have said over and over to Nevin when we have a dinner date there (or breakfast - I love breakfast!) I wish I could see in their kitchen because I just cannot imagine how they can put out so much food!  (All four of us enjoy our kitchens.)

As we ladies were leaving we bumped into Mark, one of the managers. (His parents went to Pleasant Hill COB; some of you will remember him.) All of us knew him from his teenage years so we stood and talked awhile. He is just the nicest person to talk to. (I had my camera in the vehicle ) I expressed to him how I would love to take a tour of their kitchen. This was said as a statement - NEVER did I think that was a possibility. He said, "I can do that for you!!" I cannot tell you the joy we four experienced as we had a tour of this amazing place. Just to give you an idea of the amount of people they serve, I asked Mark, "What is the average number of people you serve on a  Saturday?" 7,500!!  Mother's Day they served 9,700!! For those of you who live out of state, if you ever get to Lancaster Co., please stop in here as the food is delicious! We were so very, very appreciative to Mark! He took his time and explained so many interesting things. I felt like the Lord ordered our steps because we had finished lunch and were on our way out when we saw Mark!!

Especially for Teresa.....

It's a small world, isn't it Teresa?!  

 For the rest of my friends.....some time ago Teresa saw a picture of this fellow on my blog and wondered if I would get back to her and tell me his name. She was so sure she recognized him! Here they are first cousins!

Our church called three new deacons in May.  Some time after that our head deacon has a meeting at our home to explain things to them that will now be part of their lives. Did you know, Teresa, that Lelan and Jill are now deacons? After we finished with the business part of the evening, I asked them if I may take this picture to show you! They are a warm and caring couple. We have learned to love them.

 Do you think this family enjoys applesauce?!  These are half gallon containers that we save just for freezing applesauce. Our daughter, Barb, the boys, and I worked at six baskets of the Lodi apples. It's an early apple so takes a bit more sugar than the fall apples but they love it.  My preference is a later apple like Summer Rambo or Jonagold.

 I would really appreciate hearing from those of you who freeze applesauce. This is my question: what kind of apples do you mix that give a really good flavor? For years and years I made only Summer Rambo.

Colorado visit continued.....

 Monday morning

Donna loves flower beds. In PA. she had beautiful ones that were hard to leave behind. Brian purchased 6 x 6's to build a flower box for her. She was so eager to start this project!

Neither grass nor flowers grow well here without irrigation. This is about the most color we saw here and there on their lawn and lane.  So a flower box is really special! 

Harold told Brian and Donna where they could get free topsoil. We dug the topsoil out between the sidewalk and curb which was full of tree roots!! This is also helping Harold as he wants to replace this topsoil with decorative stones for someone he is encouraging.

It was really nice to be working under a shade tree as it was very warm here. Nevin wears long-sleeved shirts every day to work to prevent skin  cancer as he has experienced some problems with that on his face.

This little truck was very full till we were finished.....poor thing looked like it might drag as we started for home.  

Back home.....

Brian had to work until noon so now he and Nevin are unloading. Bradley's getting rid of an annoying piece of dirt in his boot!  They have shrubs around them but a beautiful view behind the house of the Rocky Mountains!

         The boys asked Harold if he would like to stay for lunch -

then told their  Mother!!!  He was so very grateful!

We gathered some items from the fridge and set up in the garage. Tori and I made cupcakes Saturday evening and we were happy to have them on hand today. 

In the afternoon, Donna, Tori, Kelly, and I went to a nearby garden center to fill this appreciated spot behind the house!

Tori is checking if these have a scent.

Donna was reminiscing here. Her Mother (whom she has not seen for seven months) enjoys rooster decorations.

Finally!!

 I meant to show this to you earlier. The girls gave us their bedroom and this was the note that greeted us!

THIS was on the boy's bedroom door!!   But this wasn't for Grandpa and Grandma - rather for their sisters!!  

Finally!

..the date arrived we were so looking forward to seeing on our calendar!!

This is a memory tucked away I think I will remember forever. Last year (June 2008) as we came down this road, we noticed two small figures far ahead.  As we got closer, here it was Bradley and Brent..waiting for us! Since we were in a rental car, they did not recognize us until we were very close! They waved, put on their white cowboy hats, climbed on their bikes, and took off ahead of us to the house.

To my joy and surprise, this year they were doing the very same thing.  BUT we approached their home from a different direction this time; they both had their backs to us! So we had the privilege to surprise them also!  It brings tears as I relive this scene. They waved, rode in the lane, one hand in the air calling "Whoo!  Whoo!" getting the attention of the rest of the family that we had arrived.  What a precious welcome! Soon we were able to give our hugs and kisses. Two years in a row now, maybe this bike episode will become a tradition!  It's not a clear picture but just had to share the memory with you.

My Mother had called Donna before we left home and asked, "What food are you hungry for?" She answered, "Oh Grandma, the shredded potato salad from where you work! I'll sit in the bathroom and enjoy it all by myself!!" Those of you who have tasted this know it is just so yummy! Xanga friend, cerwin/doris, say it's the best in the county!! Mother really wanted to send it for Donna so we took a small insulated bag along - and even after all those hours (leaving at the wee hours of the morning,) it stayed cold! It was a joy to deliver this for Mother and for Donna.

Father and Son - I have a very grateful heart to be here!

I  miss these four so much; I miss the joy of having all seven of our grandchildren here together!  I miss the relationship that develops with cousins. I miss all of us adults being together.  I better start listing what I'm thankful for...

I am thankful today we could take Bradley, Brent, Tori, and Kelly to Focus on the Family. We also did this last year and they were into doing this again. We had about a 75 minute drive so we listened to Odyssey stories in that time.

I hope you can hear Mr. Whit and his wisdom on the Odyssey stories where you live! We spent most of the day here in Colorado Springs at Focus on the Family as there are many activities for the children. One of the favorites - the BIG slide!  Tori is outgrowing some of these fun things so she had permission from her parents to spend time in the book store with money she had earned. I loved watching her making decisions what to buy with the amount she had. That evening I was presented with one of her precious purchases!!

To use the slide you have to go up several flights of steps until you reach the top of the slide, sit in a bag, and soon are on your way back down....fast!! Kelly would call, "Grandma!" loudly from the top so I  would be ready to watch her!  This was her first year to be able to enjoy the slide as you need to be a certain height to use it! She met that requirement this year and was up those steps time after time after time!!

Back home again...the children are eager to show us their new things in this year's time. This is "Fort Courage" that Brian and his friend, Doug, built over a year ago. At Doug and Julia's home in PA., their children have a zip line and our grandchildren have really enjoyed playing on that when they were home to visit. Some months ago Brian made this zip line for the children - to their delight!  Oh my, it goes fast - and far!I  The line is 150'! The rule for Kelly at this point is that someone helps as she gets started....so she doesn't zip too fast!!  Brent is patiently helping right now.

At this point, she may go on her own!  Their feet hit the ground - running!

That first leap......I took a short video clip to show our three grandsons back home. It is quite a thrill! No, I didn't try it! I had enough thrill just watching!!

Playing store - price list for pot holders Tori made last year. Only after we were home and Nevin and I were looking at these pictures did I see the note, "Donations appreciated!!"  I think they would still be accepted if sent by snail mail!  

I had quite a colorful selection!

I'm not sure what Brent is admiring; Tori had other things available for purchase also.

 Because their home is so small compared to the one they had in PA., Tori's closet (behind her)  has a double purpose; it is her own little study also. I love seeing it each time we visit as she wants to show me how she has decorated with drawings, pictures, etc.  I cherish these times she wants to spend with me!

~I'll continue later

               An Update for those who know Glenn and for those who are praying..

                   Do you remember the chorus to "I Know Who Holds Tomorrow?"

"Many things about tomorrow I don't seem to understand; But I know who holds tomorrow, And I know who holds my hand." This is the kind of peace I am praying for Dawn and Glenn, and the children, in this hard time.

Glenn's biopsy was a week ago, Tuesday, June 23. He was in the trauma unit until Friday evening. It is a malignant brain tumor; he was told that he would be informed yesterday as to what number it is. That didn't happen yesterday; Dawn said, "Another day to pray."  He came home from the hospital late yesterday afternoon. Today Glenn and Dawn went to the neurosurgeon's office to have the stitches removed and he then was informed that the pathologist report shows they are not sure if the cancer is #2 or #3. Because of this, the doctor will send the biopsy to another lab because "the difference between a 2 or a 3 is very subtle and they treat it differently." They now have to wait until next week for that result. I told Dawn (my sister) that I felt weary to know we wait again....I can't imagine how she feels!! Her answer just blessed me. "I had tremendous peace in the doctor's office today as we waited but I had told the Lord (she said this gently) 'You promised me You would give me peace.' "

Why am I surprised?! That is a wonderful answer to all our prayers - Peace! Thank you, once more, for your prayers.