Family Wall

This is my Our Family wall in the dining room. I bought the stencil when I was in Colorado. I went to an Upper Case party with Cookie. I love all the stencils. I've had this now for about a year but wanted to paint the room first. While Tim was here he painted the wall and there we are! You can click on the picture to bring it up bigger. I guess I should identify the pictures.
1. Jerry and me. 2. Tyler, Jessica, Rob, Haleigh, Elmise, Armon. 3. Matthew, Katie, Andrew, Pam, Gene. Andrew's marriage to Katie. 4. Shauna, Annie, Kaleb, Tim.   5. Megan, Max, Miller, Christy, Sean, Maddie, Mason. 6. Isabella, Ted, Sydney.
Lord, thank You for my family. There is a lot of love on this wall, thank You.

Happy Birthday January 29

Happy Birthday, Megan! I can't believe you're 15 years old! My, how the years are running by! You're very pretty and sweet, I'm very proud of you! I don't get to see you very often because of the miles between us but you are in my thoughts and prayers every day. I'm sure you're probably celebrating your birthday today, since it's Saturday. I do hope you're having fun with family and friends. I love you.
Dear Lord, please bless Megan on her birthday. Please keep Your Hand of protection upon her as she's growing up and into her teen years now. Help her to make the right kind of friends, to keep her body pure. Please keep her safe. Help her to grow in Your Love. I love her so much and You love her even more!

Journal

     We just made a major purchase today and that always makes me nervous. We bought a new sofa and a platform rocker with a matching ottoman.
     Our old sofa was purchased about 15 or even 16 years ago and has served us well. It's time for a new one. Today was a big sale day at a furniture store here in town, so we went to look... We came home with a platform rocker and matching ottoman. Tuesday the sofa will be delivered.
   It's very exciting but also scary. Did we do the right thing? Did we spend too much money? Will it look right in our living room? 
    
     Another improvement today was putting the "Our Family" stencil on the dining room wall above the family pictures! It looks good! Jessica came over and helped me put it on. I've been waiting to paint the wall before I put the stencil on and Tim painted the wall when he was here so now I had no excuse. It's looks really good! This is from the Upper Case Living party that I went to with my sister-in-law, Cookie, when I was visiting in Colorado. It's about time I get it put on the wall. Now I have another one that Cookie gave to me as a gift. Jessica and I are thinking about where to put it...


     I had my first full body massage yesterday! It was a Christmas gift from Jerry! I loved it and hope to have another one some time. 
     
     Today my church printed the newsletter, that I'm editor of, for the first time ever! This is my fifth year of writing Prime Time News, I've always printed it out at home. Readers give me money to pay for the color ink cartridges. But now, the church is doing the printing for me! What a relief this is! I had to have it ready by 11:00 am today and that wasn't easy to do but I did it. It comes out bi-weekly. 
     My brother, Richard, has helped me immensely in putting out the newsletter. He's a writer and knows the business. I'm an amateur but love writing it. He has helped me put out a newsletter that I'm proud to say: I'm the editor! Thanks again, Richard.


     Well, it's time for me to sit in my new rocker with my feet up! It's very nice.
     Lord, how can I say thanks for all You have given me? The first thing is eternal life. Then comes my personal relationship with Jesus. My family is next: Jerry, my mother, my children, my grandchildren, my extended family, friends, church, home. I could go on and on. You have blessed me beyond measure and I don't deserve it. Please help me to live my life pleasing to You.

Work...Work...Work

Tim working on upstairs sink.

Jerry filling holes in dining room.

 Tim came for a week visit and he has worked from day 1! The first thing he did was reload the logs on the front porch. Here he is replacing the faucets, etc., in the upstairs bathroom. He put new faucets in the shower, upstairs sink, downstairs sink. He painted the dining room ceiling and inside wall, also the living room wall to match the dining room ceiling. He put up new motion lights outside the garage. 

Tim is starting the dining room wall. It's a green we hoped would match the green in the Lord's Supper picture. You can see we matched it pretty good!

Lord, thank You for hard working children! 
Thank You for this good visit we've had with Tim, and with Pam and Gene over the weekend, and with Rob and Jessica and kids when they came over. Please give Tim a safe trip back home tomorrow.

A Great Football Day

Pam & Gene ready for football!

     Sunday was a great football day. Pam and Gene really get into the spirit of it. You can see they even dress for the games! Yesterday the Chicago Bears played the Green Bay Packers. Being from Chicago, of course they wanted the Bears! After that game the New York Jets played the Pittsburgh Steelers. They used to live in Pittsburgh, so of course they were for the Steelers! 
     It was really going to be a great football day! Would you believe we lost our cable during the first game - Bears & Packers?! So they left to watch the game at Dammon's. Jerry and Tim stuck it out here and kept track of what was going on, on the internet. It wasn't the same but during the second half the cable came back on.

     Well, sadly, the Bears lost to the Packers.
But, happily, the Steelers won over the Jets!
So...the Packers and the Steelers will be playing in the Super Bowl! That will be another great football day.
Thank You, Lord, for great sports and entertainment. 

A Great Day

Gene and Tim burning the brush pile.

     It was 15 degrees out and Tim, son, and Gene, son-in-law, decided to burn the brush pile for Jerry. Boys will be boys is all I can say. They seemed to enjoy themselves! 

Pam showing a pillow.

     






     Pam and I were making pillows and curtains. My sewing machine started giving me problems so, in the picture, Tim is oiling it for me. Pam is showing one of the pillows we're working on. This was a favorite shirt of Matthew, grandson. She hated to throw it away but the shirt shrunk when she washed it and the lining didn't. So we left the pockets on it, buttoned the front down, cut the sleeves off and made a nice pillow! We're not finished yet but it's coming. You can click on the picture to see the details better. We made two other pillows and curtains for the family room. 

Paula Deen Signature Pans.

     Gene took me shopping! He helped me pick out a set of pans. He's a good shopper and because he's employed at a department store in Chicago, his employer discount was good here too! So I have a new set of Paula Deen Signature pans. 
     When we came home from shopping he fixed our supper! Chicken, pasta, and steamed veggies. Pam said it's called, Healthy Food for You! It was very tasty!
     Lord, thank You for family, for children, for help  from our children, for loving care. 

Home At Last - One Year Later!

Haleigh, Elmise, Armon, Tyler
in Haiti on one of the trips to meet
the children.

     Son, Rob, and wife, Jessica, had a heart for the people, especially the children, in Haiti. They knew they couldn't help everyone but perhaps they could help one. They looked into adoption and found siblings who needed a home, Elmise and Armon.
     So home studies, papers filed, money raised, visits to Haiti...so many details were completed. A year and a half went by. Another six months and the children would finally join the family in Michigan. 
     Then the earthquake hit. Elmise and Armon were among the first of the adoptee children to be flown to Florida.
     

Tyler holding Armon in the
MBS airport. 

      One year ago today they arrived in our airport, our town. What an exciting day. A lot of us were at the airport to meet and greet them. We'd been waiting and praying for this day for so long. 

Haleigh showing Elmise their bedroom!

It's amazing how quickly they have adjusted to life here. There isn't even a trace of an accent.
They are adjusting
well. We're so proud of them.
Lord, please keep Your Hand on these children of Yours.
Please be with Rob and Jessica as they raise these children along side of Haleigh and Tyler. Keep them strong.

Elmise eating her first pop sickle!

Armon playing with Mama at
Grandma's house.

Elmise and Armon happy to be here!

Supper With Friends

Helen and me. We first
met in about 1964 or '65.

 This evening we had a very nice time and supper at Applebee's with our friends and former neighbors, Helen, her son, Tom, his wife, Christy. We talked a lot about the days we lived side by side. 
The kids were little then and played together every day.

Tim & Tom
They grew up together.

Jerry & Tim, father & son

Lord, thank You for good neighbors and good friends. 

Tom & Christy

One Year Ago Today

     One year ago today Rob, Jessica, Tyler and Haleigh were flown to Florida in a private jet to get their 'kids', Elmise and Armon. What a day that was! 
     They had been in the long process of adopting these siblings for about a year and a half and still had six or more months to go. The earthquake changed everything. They were among the first of adoptive children to be flown out of the country. 
     We were all so relieved to know they were okay and were coming home. They took a few days, in Florida, to get accustomed to being a family before they came on home. 
     Elmise and Armon had so much to learn, but being seven and five, their minds were sharp and quick. They're enrolled in the Christian School here and doing well. 
     They love to come through the woods to Grandma's house and I love to have them. 
Thank You, Lord, for Elmise and Armon and for this first year of their life in our family and in the USA. Please keep Your Hand upon their lives. Help us, as family, to be a good positive influence in their lives. I love them so much and You love them even more.

Journal

     One year ago today the earth quake hit Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. While we were shocked and so sad for the whole country, our thoughts and prayers, immediately went to our future grandchildren, Elmise and Armon. Were they okay? Where were they? Were they alive? Were they hurt?
     Elmise and Armon were being adopted by our son, Rob, and his family. It would be several more months before they would come to live with their new family...the earthquake changed everything. 
     Prayers ascended and God heard... Elmise and Armon were among the first adoptive children to be flown out of Haiti to Florida. Rob, Jessica, Tyler and Haleigh were flown to Florida in a private jet by Dow Chemical Co.! What an experience! 
     What a great day when they were joined as a family and came home to Michigan! I'll never forget it! Neither will they!!!
     What a joy these two children are! They are bright, intelligent, musical, happy, loving, sweet... Need I say more? I love them! They make our number of grandchildren 15! I'd better add here: they are normal kids with a whole lot of energy! 

     Michigan State beat Wisconsin last night in overtime by three points! Yeah!!! 
     We're getting a little snow, not much. This is strange...everyone, around us, all over the country is getting snow, lots of it. We're not.
     I'm still getting Christmas cards! I love it! 
     I'm getting anxious to go to visit my mother again. She'll be 97 in March. Her mind is so good, it's incredible! 
     Tim, our middle son, is coming to visit!!! Yeah! A week from today! Yeah!!! I can't wait! I have a lot of work to do before he comes though. I'd better get busy!


     Lord, how I praise You, how I love You! You are my Saviour, my Lord, my Friend, my Father... Thank You for Elmise and Armon. Please be with Rob and Jessica as they raise them to be good, faithful Christians. Help me as grandma to be kind and patient and loving. 
     Please be with my mother. Bless her with Your Presence. 
     Watch over Tim as he travels here next week. Be with the family as they stay home to work and study. 

Another translation!

Most of you know I love getting comments! In the last couple of months I've gotten two that were in a different language and created a bit of a problem for me. But!!! The problem has been solved! I now have a translator site!
I wrote about a comment in German in a recent post. Here is a comment in Arabic! 
أنا أستمتع بالضبط كيف تتلقى مستواك في جميع أنحاء 
I love to see this writing. I think it's beautiful! 
Here is the translation: I enjoy exactly how you receive your level of around


It doesn't seem to be completed, but I'm still glad to know what it says. So thank you for comments. 


Lord, thank You for friends around the world!

Celebrating

Happy Birthday, Haleigh! An ice cream cake!

  Armon and Elmise love to celebrate birthdays, even if it is for someone else! Happy Birthday, Haleigh!

Grandpa's turn! Haleigh's and Grandpa's birthdays are just two days apart...61years and two days apart! Tyler is in the background.

New slippers for Grandpa!

Oh...Grandpa also got a bag of tootsie rolls! One of his favorite candies!

Thank You, Lord, for birthdays. Thank You for grandpa's and grandchildren!

Happy Birthday January 10

Happy Birthday, Jerry! Neither of us can believe this: 75 years! I love you. We've had a good life together. I hope you have a good day. We started out by going, to the hospital, to the lab for blood work on you, then to our new favorite restaurant, Lannie's, for breakfast. He gave you half off since it's your b-day! That was nice. 
Dear Lord, thank You for Jerry and the life we've had together. It's been good. He's been a good dad to our five children. He's been a good husband to me. He's been a good friend to many. He loves You and that's the most important. Please keep him well and safe. Give him strength to do the things he wants to do. I love him so much and You love him even more!

Happy Birthday January 8

Happy Birthday, Haleigh! I can't believe you're 14! You have such a bright smile and are so pretty! You're a great big sister to Armon and Elmise! Oh yes, you're a great little sister to Tyler!!! You're also a really great granddaughter to me! You've grown up so much in the last year you amaze me! It's fun having you next door so you can come over often...but not often enough! I hope you have a great day today and I'll see you tomorrow. I love you!
Lord, thank You for Haleigh! She's a very special girl. Please watch over her, guide her, protect her, help her as she makes friends and interacts with other kids. I love her so much and You love her even more!

Angels

I bought this angel today at 75% off.  I can't seem to get a good clear picture of it. She's holding a lamb.

This is an assortment of angels.

I love this ring of angels. A candle burns in the middle of them.

I bought this one at a yard sale! I can't imagine selling this. It's so sweet!

Thank You, Lord, for angels. 

Journal

     The holiday season is over. Decorations are down, still need to be put away in the storeroom, but it's happening. 
     The new year is upon us. We started the new year out with the death of a very good friend. (See my last post.) We're waiting to hear when his memorial service will be.
     Before Christmas I received, in my e-mail, a comment to a blog that was written in German. I had no idea if it was good or bad so I waited until I could have it translated before I published it. 
    Yesterday I was able to have a friend read it and tell me if it was good or bad. When she said, "Good." I asked her to tell me what it said! Now, in essence, I'll tell you...! It was this person's first time to visit my blog and she found many interesting things for discussion! She thinks she's not the only one that I make happy! Good Work! (I'm assuming it was written by a woman.) This makes me very happy and I hope the person still reads my blog and will see this. I love comments and don't get very many.
     I got another comment in another language that I didn't know but that one I deleted because I was suspicious of it. 
     Now, a friend who works at a plant in our city, says he can send me a site that translates so when I get a comment in another language I can simply translate it here. That will be good.
     Yesterday I had a very strange experience. I finished the newsletter I write on Friday but then learned of two deaths that I needed to include. Saturday I worked hard rearranging articles, pictures, deleting some, etc. I became very sleepy late Saturday night and had to go to bed. I still hadn't printed it out or sent the one by e-mail. 
     Sunday morning I got up and went right to work printing it out. I printed and folded 40 copies. We ate breakfast, I ran upstairs, got dressed, and we left for church, arriving just in time to give out the newsletter to the first service folks. 
     On the way to church, I looked down at the stack of newsletters on my lap...oh, oh. The yellow color was purple! Oh no...I must have run out of ink in the yellow color cartridge. I thumbed through to see how many had distorted color...all of them! 
     I didn't notice it while it was printing! I didn't see it when I was folding them! I'm not color blind!!! How could I have missed that? 
     Did the Lord cover this over because He knew I didn't have time to change the cartridge and reprint them? Would He do that? 
     As I looked them over I decided it wouldn't matter...they weren't the right color but folks reading wouldn't know what the real color was, unless I told them. 
     I thanked God for hiding this from me and put the newsletters in the rack on the welcome center. 
     Today I changed the yellow cartridge. Then I checked the red and blue cartridges...they were empty too! I can't believe it! 
     Thank You, Lord. You really saved the day for me! New cartridges have now been put in and copies have been printed out to be mailed to our shut-in folks. The right color copies! Thank You for this privilege, that is mine, to write the newsletter. I love You, Heavenly Father.
     Thank You, also, for folks who read my blog and especially for those who take a moment to write a comment and tell me they like what I've written. They inspire me to keep writing.
     Thank You for being my personal Saviour. 
     
          

My Friend

     My wonderful friend, James! He went to be with Jesus yesterday! I miss him so. I have such mixed feelings. Half of me is so sad and the other half or two thirds is so peaceful, excited, happy, even joyful because I KNOW he is walking and talking with Jesus! 
     He's praising God with the angels! That's the kind of person James was! I interviewed him in October to be featured in the Prime Time Newsletter that I'm editor of. 
     He was such a delight to interview! He ended our chat by singing a song to me! I'm So Glad I Found It Out! I wasn't expecting it so I didn't have my camera ready. Later he sang it again and I did get on video. It's not as good as the first time but it's still a treasure for me!
I never dreamed he would leave us so soon.
      He had terminal cancer but he was so optimistic and cheerful, no one really believed he would die so soon. We never know with cancer. I was in shock yesterday when I was called and told of his death, and I guess I'm still in shock today. 
     He had a really wonderful friend, Tymothi. He's my good friend, too. He was with James when he died. They were such an encouragement to each other in life, and now Tymothi has a legacy to live up to. In fact, he came to church this morning not because he felt like it, in his sadness, but because he knew James would want him to!
     Dear Heavenly Father: I praise You because You are All Knowing. You knew it was the day for James to cross over from life to death and on to eternal life! I praise You because James didn't have to suffer, like some do with cancer. He went so quickly. I praise You because James found You in a personal way, as his personal Savior. Thank You for giving me the privilege of knowing James and having him as a friend.  
     Thanks also for the friendship of Tymothi. Please comfort him in his sorrow. Help him to feel Your Presence.

Happy New Year!

 This is our third New Year's Eve party for the grand kids! Here Haleigh and Sydney are frosting cinnamon rolls! Oh yes, we had lots of good things to eat! We shared these with Grandpa and Uncle Ted.

 This was the first New Year's Eve party for Elmise and Armon. They were excited, oh yes! Everyone made their own hat! I think they did a good job!

We had lots of food, strawberries and pretzels dipped in white chocolate, Oreo cookies with green fillings, little chocolate crackers, and apple juice.

 Modeling their hats. I'm sorry Elmise doesn't show in this picture.

Oh yes, we each, also, had a brown cow (root beer float). Hmmm, hmmm, they were good!

 It's midnight! Happy New Year!

I made a bed for them on the floor of the sun room. They are wall to wall kids!

Bella has a bed at the foot of the kids. Five across was just one to many! She was out like a light!
Thank You, Lord, for good times and especially grandchildren! Please help this new year to be a good one for all fifteen of our grandchildren.