Sleepover

We had a sleepover last night for the five grandchildren who were here for Thanksgiving.

Armon, Elmise, Bella all sleeping in the sun room.

Haleigh and Sydney slept in the reading room. We all watched movies before going to bed.
Thank You for my wonderful grandchildren! They keep me on my toes!

Haleigh

Haleigh, dressed as a Greek teenager, in her Latin class presentation to the grandparents. She was beautiful!

Lord, thank You for Haleigh. She's a beautiful girl and she did a beautiful job today in their Latin class presentation. Latin is a tough language, please help her to do well in her class.

Grandparent's Day

Grandparent's Day at Midland Christian School. We have three grandchildren attending there. We were so proud of all three of them. 
Here is Armon singing with his class.

 Elmise with her class. 

 They are doing motions with a song here. It was cute.

Haleigh's Latin class doing sort of a play. They were so dressed up even with eye shadow on. They did a really good job.

Haleigh speaking in Latin! After this they each interpreted in English! It was very impressive!


Lord, Thank You for this day! We felt honored as grandparents. Elmise, Armon, and Haleigh all did such a good job. We're very proud of them and proud to be their grandparents. Please help us, as grandparents, to be examples of You. Help them to see Christ in us.

Happy Birthday November 23

Happy Birthday, Annie! I can't believe you're 17 years old! I actually remember when I was 17! You're a fun loving, sweet, beautiful granddaughter and I love you! You have so much of life ahead of you and so much to look forward to.
Heavenly Father, thank You for Annie! She's such a sweet person. Help her to always trust in You. You have a wonderful plan just for her. Help her to let You work out that plan. Please keep Your Hand upon her, keep her safe, help her to make wise decisions regarding friendships. I love her so much and You love her even more!

Cut Glass Pitcher and Down Sizing

     This cut glass water pitcher was given to Jerry and me as a wedding gift 51 1/2 years ago. About 40 - 45 years ago sitting in the china cabinet, no one in the room, it suddenly cracked very loudly! We had used it several times when we had special company over for dinner. The crack went around the bottom of the handle. I could no longer use it but I kept it in the china cabinet because it was so nice looking. I have lots of other pieces of cut glass that are of the same pattern, all given to us as wedding gifts. 
     While Pam was here visiting I decided this is the time to get rid of it. It's no longer functional, hasn't been for 40 years, and we're trying to down size. I've got to start somewhere. Friends have suggested taking pictures of things I really need to dispose of. So here is my picture. 
     Pam did the job for me, because I couldn't...she took it out to the recycle bin. 
     Heavenly Father, I praise You. Thank You for all the blessings we have, both materially and spiritually. Thank You for this gift given to us so many years ago. Help me to be able to dispose of things. Help me to cherish family, friends, nourishment, home, relationships, and especially my relationship with You.

Help!!!

Gene and Jerry cut a tree that had broken off and was a threat to the safety of anyone walking on the path between our house and Rob's. My camera delays taking the pictures I want! I actually had the tree falling when I snapped the picture but it didn't take until the tree was down! Arrrrrrgh!!!
Gene did other work for us too, like stacking wood on the porch and cleaning our fan that is way up in the peak of our ceiling! 

Pam and me after church. She is my beautiful oldest daughter! She helped me with choosing good, healthy, low cal foods. Hopefully you'll see a good change soon!
Lord, how I thank You for our children. Thank You for the visit to us this weekend.

Santa Parade

Haleigh is on the right behind the sign.

 Pam and Gene came to visit for the weekend! Saturday morning, because Haleigh was in the Santa Parade with the cheerleaders from Midland Christian School, we decided to go and watch the parade and hopefully get to see Haleigh. It was a cold day.






 Here are Jessica and Pam! The sun was shining brightly so sunglasses were good, jackets were necessary!

Our friend, Chris, is sitting on his own snow mobile on this float. He waving at us! He can hardly wait for real snow!

Elmise, Jessica, Armon, Rob! Thanks to our cell phones we discovered they were only about two blocks away! The joined us so we all watched together. This was the first time the kids and Aunt Pam and Uncle Gene had met. 

 I just liked this horse and sleigh. If you look carefully, you can see cardboard antlers tied to the horses head! 

A lot of work went into making this float.

 This truck is pulling the basket and burners from a hot air balloon! It was sooo cold out and the heat from this fire felt so good! Of course they had to keep moving...

Here comes Santa Claus! The star of the parade! Also...the end!
Lord, I thank You for good times, family and friends. 

15 Authors I Love

Brenda of Coffeeteabooksandme challenged us to write our 15 favorite authors off the top of our heads.


So here are mine:


Glen Williamson
Francine Rivers
Corrie ten Boom
Elizabeth Elliot
Joni Eareckson Tada
Max Lucado
Terry Blackstock
Jeanette Oke
Eugenia Price
Charles Swindoll
Catherine Marshall
John Grisham
Calvin Miller
Philip Yancey
John Maxwell


I hope someone else will take up the challenge!


Lord, thank You for the written word. Thank You, especially, for Your Word.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday, Ted! Oh boy, one more year til a BIG one. I can't believe my kids are catching up to me! Well, not really. I'm very proud of the man you have become. Life turned out differently than we all thought. You're a good father...no...you're a great father, to Sydney and Bella. I hope you have a good day today. I wish we could spend it with you, but with work, it's not possible. (Your work...not ours) I wish for you a happy, happy birthday!


Dear Lord, thank You for Ted. He's got a huge responsibility as a dad. Please bless him with Your Presence. Keep him safe and well. I love him so much and You love him even more.

Friends

Dustin & Megan

Saturday I went with a couple of friends to Spring Arbor, Michigan to a wedding reception of a young man and his new bride. Dustin lived here when he was a boy, his dad was our pastor. Now Dustin has grown up, is a missionary and now is married. 

While at the reception I met a friend who had read A Bride's Prayer for me at our wedding 51 years ago! 

Lorraine & me 

Lord, how I thank You for friends. Please bless Dustin and Megan as they begin their married life together. Help them as they prepare to return to the mission field.

Thank You for my friend, Lorraine, and for the good time we had visiting on Saturday after all these years. Please keep her in good health. 

Happy Halloween

     Today is Halloween. It's also my 72nd birthday! I can't believe it. How did I get to be 70, and now 72? 70 is the official 'old age' so I'm well across the line.
     I've had a good day today. I've gotten about ten cards and over 80 happy birthday greetings on facebook! If you're not on facebook you won't know what I'm talking about but it's so fun to connect with friends from the present and the past. 
     Jerry took me to China Palace for dinner after church. It's one of my most favorite restaurants. I had egg drop soup, shrimp with cashews, fried rice, and an egg roll. Jerry had beef and broccoli, and all the rest the same as me. It was so good.
    The verse of the day today is so fitting for me at 72 years with gray hair.     Psalm 71:17,18. NIV Please read it! I had to laugh because whoever picks the verse of the day must have known it was my birthday!
Dear Lord, Thank You for life, for birthdays. Thank You for computers, for cameras, for technology, most of all for family and friends. I love you, my Heavenly Father.
     

Happy Anniversary

Happy Anniversary, Pam and Gene! 28 years already?! I love this picture of you! As you know, it's from the reception after the wedding of Andrew and Katie. It was a fun time and you look so happy. I don't know what you have planned for this weekend, but I'm sure it'll be fun. So...have a good day and a good time. I love you both.
Heavenly Father, You ordained marriage. You are the Creator. Please bless Pam and Gene with Your Presence. Guard their marriage. I love them so much and You love them even more.

Journal

It's time for a new entry here. We've had lots happen since I last posted.


Our weather has gone from nice fall days to a terribly windy day, yesterday, to cold and breezy today. The weatherman, this morning, said it's not windy today, only breezy!


We had a good day Saturday which ended with Jerry falling and wrecking his leg. We were at our friends log cabin for a turkey supper. There were 25 of us there and we were having such a nice time. We had gone with Larry and Rose, who had never been there before so it was fun showing them around. It was time to go home and we were walking out to the car. It was so dark out and they don't have any outside lights. Actually there was a full moon but it hadn't risen yet! Well, they have a metal ring in the side yard, for a camp fire. We couldn't see it and Jerry walked right into it. Down he went... He really wrecked his leg. Both his leg and foot swelled up. Larry and Rose brought us home so we immediately put an ice pack on it. He's been sitting in his lounge chair with his legs up and out and the ice pack on his leg ever since. His foot is much better. His leg is still very black and purple and it's still swollen but not as bad. He can walk a little now but after about an hour of being on it, it hurts and he has to put it up.  


This morning I was taking the grandkids, from next door, to school and Jerry surprised me by going out with me! He drove and after letting the kids out we went to Lannie's Cafe for breakfast! He's now sitting with his leg up and the ice pack back on his leg. Ohhh.


We've joined the folks who are only using cell phones! So if you'd like our number you should let me know in a comment or e-mail and I'll give you the number. We lost our old number that we've had forever and that was hard. I didn't know how I'd like only having my cell phone...but I have to say, I love it! I have my phone with me all the time so I don't have to check the answering machine when we get home from somewhere. It's just very handy. And best of all, we've eliminated a bill!


One problem about not having our land phone was that we couldn't call Tim and family because they live in Canada. It's very expensive to call Canada on our cell phone. But Tim solved that for us. We can now talk over our computers! It's so fun. Jerry can hear just fine and can talk, sitting across the room! This new technology is fine. Well, some of it is. I don't understand most of it and I'm not in to most of it. But what I use I love!


Last evening I went to our Wednesday evening coaching at church. Our pastor is doing a series on church history. Sound boring? Not at all! He makes it so interesting. He started clear back with the Wesley's, actually beginning with Samuel Wesley, John's father. I'm going to read my dad's book again, Son's of Susanna. 


Well, this is long enough. Thanks for reading.


Heavenly Father, I can't praise You enough for Your blessings to me. Please continue to touch Jerry's leg. Help it to heal completely. Thank You for this new technology and for our use of it. Thank You for Jesus and for sustaining the church all these hundreds of years. Thank You for our pastor and his unique teaching ability.

Beautiful Elmise

Elmise had her hair done yesterday. She came running over to show Grandma and Grandpa! Isn't she beautiful? School pictures are to be taken today and she wanted her hair braided. I wonder how long she had to sit still for this? I forgot to ask her...
Thank You, Lord, for our beautiful grandchildren...all 15. Thank You for Elmise. Watch over her, please.

Concert

Musicians!

Elmise and Armon are like a breath of fresh air! When they come in our door it's like a whirl wind entered! They have so much energy! Here they are putting on a concert for Jerry and me! I took a video of them but I don't know how to put it on here so you can't listen to them. Sorry. I wish you could, you'd love it!

Lord, how I praise You! Thank You for our grandchildren, all 15 of our grandchildren. Thank You for Elmise and Armon.  Thank You for their energy! Thank You for their musical talent! They are precious in Your Sight...and mine too.

Journal

Jerry and I just returned from a meeting about Haiti. What a heartbreaking report and pictures we watched. The government will no longer allow shipments of food and supplies to enter the country. The people are starving, sick, and dying. Dear God, please intervene for these people. Please. 

This was newsletter week. I worked hard to get it out and  have already started the next one. A change is being made though...not with the newsletter, but with the distribution of the newsletter. I've been handing them out to all seniors, and also e-mailing them to anyone having the internet and wanting to get them. That comes to about 100 folks receiving the newsletter on a regular basis. I'll no longer be handing them out personally. We'll be making up a mailing list and sending them out. The church is going to pay the postage. This will be quite a change and I just hope it works out.

My mom went to the circus on Friday! She loved it and had a great time! Those were her words. Only a few got to go and she was one of them! She rode her scooter up into a bus and stayed on her scooter all day. I think the circus was in Denver somewhere. I'm so glad for her, to think she got to do something so out of the ordinary and she had strength and stamina to endure the day! She'll be 96 1/2 on October 16! She told me that! Her mind is so good!

I've been doing a lot of writing lately. Mainly about my family. You can read some of it on my new blog: 
www.mylife-experieces.blogspot.com  I made an error and left the n out. I tried to correct it but it won't let me! So now you've got to make the same error, if you want to read it!) I've got some other stories mixed in too. They are all true stories.

We had a Butterfly Bush given to us so we've got it planted in our back yard. I hope, I hope it lives. I'll let you know next summer!

Lord, please intervene for Haiti. You know their needs. 

Thank You for giving my mom such strength in her elder years. Thank You for letting her go to the circus. 

Thank You for helping me with the newsletter and giving me a brother who is patient and helpful. 

Thank You for helping me to write my story and my family story. 
Thank You for the Butterfly Bush! Please help it to live.

I love You, Lord. You are my Saviour, my Help, my Strength.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday, Betty! Another year has gone by already! Life has a way of moving on. We're planning to stop by to visit you today. We miss getting together occasionally. You've always been a good sister-in-law to me. I hope you have a very special day today.
Heavenly Father, thank You for Betty. Watch over her, keep her well, and safe. Help us to be in touch more than we are. I love her and You love her even more.

Journal

Today was a beautiful day. I hope, oh I hope, tomorrow will also be a beautiful day. I have bulbs to plant and other outside work to do. My wild flowers that I planted from my green puzzle never did come up. That was a big disappointment. But now I've got a flower bed all ready for me to plant tulip bulbs in! The sun will shine there next summer and so they should bloom.


I've been going to physical therapy for my sciatic nerve problem for three weeks now and have at least one more week to go. I'm feeling so much better, it definitely was worth going. But I just read a paper about my mom having sciatic nerve problems, a few years ago, and she was put in the nursing home so she would have complete bed rest! They even took her meals to her on a tray! I think she was in for about ten days. Now I'm doing all kinds of exercises and feeling so much better. I think I'd rather go to PT then lay in a nursing home, not able to get out of bed!!!


There's a kind of new song sung now quite often that really bothers me. I refuse to sing it. What a good God You've Been to me. Of course He's been a good God to me but that's not where the emphasis should be. A hymn or chorus or song should be about God not me. I'm sure the writer may have meant well but I think this puts too much importance on me, like I deserve all the good He's given to me. I don't know who wrote it or who recorded it. I just know when it's sung in our church, I can't sing along. Am I the only one who feels this way?  


I praise You, Father, because You are the Creator. I love the beauty of the mountains, the seas, the skies, the flowers, trees, birds, bees, fish, babies, color, knowledge, so much I can't even begin to name it all. Thank You for the beautiful fall season.
Thank You for my physical therapy and for touching  me. Thank You for the advancement of medical procedures. I praise You. 

Party Time!

Armon liked his motorcycle cake!

This was a fun birthday party for Armon and two of his buddies from school. It was chilly out so a fire was perfect to warm us while we roasted hot dogs and ate together outside. Then we went inside for cake and ice cream.  

After we ate cake and ice cream the kids went outside to play games in the tent.
They had a good time together.
 

Elmise, Armon, Addison, Jason played games in the tent!

Getting the fire going so we could roast hot dogs.

I've got the pictures in backwards again! Rob worked hard getting the fire going. It was chilly out so the fire felt good!
Lord, thank You for good family times. 

Motorcycle Cake

Well, here is my feeble attempt at making a motorcycle cake for Armon! It took a lot of patience...! But I got it done. He's six years old now so I think he'll like it anyway.

Armon's motorcycle cake. He likes it!

Lord, thanks for helping me to make this look a little bit like a motorcycle. Help Armon to like it and to feel special. He is a very special little boy.

Happy Birthday

Smile...you're on candid camera!

Happy Birthday, Max! You can get your driver's license now. I know you've been driving, but with restrictions. I know you're a good driver because you drove me all over town last time we were at your house. I was very impressed! I used this picture of you because: 1) it's the latest one I took of you; 2) it shows how tall you must be; 3) it shows your good looks! When you were here in July, you were 6'2". Have you grown more since then? I wouldn't be surprised...  I'm very proud of you, for the great kid you are. I wish for you a great 16th birthday.
Dear Lord, thank You for Max. He's a great kid, with so much potential. Please keep Your Hand upon him as he plays lacrosse and runs in track and whatever sports he participates in. Watch over him as he drives. Guide him as he chooses friends and activities, etc. I love him and You love him even more.

Happy Birthday

What a good looking boy!

Happy Birthday, Armon! You're six years old now! So many changes have taken place in your life this year. But you're a trouper! You have soooo much life, energy, love, enthusiasm, and fun in you. You bring a smile to my face just thinking about you! It's like a burst of energy suddenly comes into our house when you come through the door! I'm sitting here smiling at your picture! I love you, Armon, and wish for you a wonderful, exciting, happy birthday!
Lord, thank You for Armon. You must have a wonderful plan for his life to have brought him here to Michigan to grow up. Thank You for bringing him out of Haiti. Please watch over him, work out the plan You have for his life. Please keep Your Hand upon him. Help him to make good friends, to learn about You, and to also serve You. I love Armon and You love him even more!

Journal

Today we went to the funeral of a friend, Bob. I met Bob the same evening I met Jerry, 52 years ago! In fact, I was introduced to them both at the same time, by Bob's sister, Mary. He's the same age as I am, so he's old but not that old. His death was a shock to everyone. He had a very bad stroke just a week ago. It was a very good funeral, some tributes were given, favorite hymns of Bob's sung, there was some laughter as we thought back over the years, and a good message was brought by Pastor Roger. A very touching poem was read...that had been written by Bob, himself! We're left with the hope of seeing Bob again, someday when we leave this earth. There were lots of people there and it was sad to think of the reason we were all there but it was also good to visit and renew friendships. 
A nephew of Bob, of course was there with his family, and we all had a good laugh at him and with him! His wife and children were all dressed up, the two teenage boys wore black suits and looked so good! His daughter looked very nice and his wife was stunning. He, on the other hand, wore a short sleeved, cotton shirt, unbuttoned at the neck. I guess he was comfortable, but rather, out of place. He said he dresses this way to school every day. (He's a teacher) If his boys hadn't been so dressed up we probably wouldn't have noticed. But he really should have been dressed up for his uncle's funeral. My opinion...


My physical therapy for my sciatic nerve is getting more intense every time I go (twice a week). Today, it was moved up to this morning because of the funeral. I still have pain going down my leg, so I'm not sure they're hitting the problem. But we'll see. I'll do all my exercises tomorrow (four sets) and go back on Wednesday. One day I was measured for the strength in my back...I am above average! Now, how many of you can say that?! I didn't even know there was a way to measure strength in a back!!! And here I am above average! Well, I hope you're laughing with me...

Here's the latest report from Jessica about the adoption process. A week ago we were desperately praying for God to intercede with the governments and judges, etc. Now we're praising God for answered prayer!

one week ago I wrote to you asking you to please pray...  today I am asking you to please PRAISE!!!!!

We have heard from Washington... both children are catagory 1, meaning their adoption was processed in Haiti!  this is a miracle!  a miracle!!!!

when we spoke to the attorney who is helping us, she said... "I have news that will make you soar"... then she explained that after a complete file review, officer mock discovered that both children were in the same catagory... however last week... they were not.  do you have any idea what this means? 

WE HAVE SEEN MIRACLES JUST HAPPEN!  SILENT PRAYERS GET ANSWERED! BROKEN HEARTS BECOME BRAND NEW! 

THATS WHAT FAITH CAN DO!

please celebrate with us and do a little happy dance!

gratefully yours,

the A..... family


I lost my car key a month or more ago. Today Jerry found it...in the sofa! I had looked there before but I think it got moved around with folks sitting and grandkids bouncing with energy! I'm just so thankful to have it back. 

I'm rejoicing. I praise You, Lord, because You are The Creator.

Hot Air Balloons

One up and about ten going up! At one time I counted 45 all in the sky at one time. There were probably more!

Go Michigan!

I wouldn't want to go up in one but I love to watch them!

They are just so fascinating to me.

Work

Bella and Grandpa resting!

Syd, doing two things at once: riding and taking split logs to the stack!

Bella taking logs to the stack.

Ted splitting the logs.

Last Saturday morning two trees went down! Our wood pile was added to by quite a lot! Ted did most of the work. Jerry, Bella, and Sydney helped carry the logs to the pile. That's a big job too. I was in the house working hard on the newsletter. It had to be printed and ready to hand out the next day.
Lord, thank You for the help of Ted, Syd, and Bella. We love You, Lord, and thank You for family.

Schwinn Bicycle Cake

Richard looking at his cake for the first time.

This is the cake I made for Richard's surprise birthday party. You see, one day we were reminiscing, over the phone, about our childhood days in Oklahoma. He got a used Schwinn bike!


It had no fenders so he bought Chrome fenders and put on it. He was just a kid but he had a job at the newspaper downtown. This was in the 40's so bikes were a little different then today's bikes. I decided to try to make a bike for his birthday cake. My attempt is very crude but it worked.
I made two cake mixes. the wheels are two round white layers and the rest is cut out of a 9 by 13 chocolate cake. The tires and chain are black liquorice. The fenders and handle bars are heavy-duty aluminum foil. The spokes are heavy silver paper, cut in strips. The brand name is from scrapbook letters. It's very crude but Richard loved it and that's all that mattered.
It was a challenge to make this since I was staying with Richard and Cookie! But Richard has a radio program on Sunday evenings from about 5:30 to 11:30. So while he was gone I was baking cakes and also listening to his radio program! Cookie was also gone. I cleaned every thing up...you couldn't tell anything was different by the time he came home. I even sprayed room deodorizer both upstairs and downstairs so he wouldn't smell anything yummy when he got home. I took the cakes and all the decorating paraphernalia downstairs to my bedroom where I worked on the creation of a bicycle cake! Like I said, it's very crude but it worked!
When Cookie arrived home she helped me with the last details, like the spokes, etc. Richard had some errands to run so while he was gone to town Cookie and I delivered the cake to the restaurant where the party was to take place. They kept it in the refrigerator for us until time to bring it out.
Lord, thank You for helping us surprise Richard with such a nice party. Thank You for helping me with the cake.

Party Time!

We had a wonderful time at Richard's birthday party! Lisa brought Mother up from Castle Rock. Richard was so surprised to see her! In fact Richard only thought we were going out for supper to his favorite restaurant. We told him Heidi (daughter) and her family was going to join us. Period...that's all he knew. When we arrived at the restauant there sat Mother and Lisa! Balloons, sent by Lorraine, were tied to a chair! They made it very festive! There were also some friends of Richard and Cookie. But I didn't get their pictures. They were very nice people.Lisa, Mother, and Heidi, two of Mother's granddaughters. Richard and Braden talking. Braden is a grandson of Richard and great-grandson of Mother. Heidi, Lisa, myself, and Kimberlynn!

Heidi's and Scott's beautiful children! Kimberlynn; twins: Courtney and Braden; and Jenna. I love this picture!
Dear Lord, thank You so much for my family. I praise You because You are love. I love each one and You love them even more!!!