Fawn!

This morning Jerry and I went out for breakfast quite early. When we came home and were driving in our driveway suddenly about half way up the drive several deer ran across in front of us. Now I know you say, so what, you often see deer and that's right, in fact, I've stopped writing about them because we've been seeing them so often lately. But this morning the last deer to cross was a tiny little fawn! What a thrill to see! I just had to share this! Thank you, Lord, for your creation!

VBS

Last week was VBS week at our church. Avalanche Ranch was the theme. Our three granddaughters loved it, it was so good to hear them singing the songs they learned all week long. Pastor Scott and Miss Emma are fantastic with the kids of our church. So yesterday ended VBS for this year. Our whole auditorium was changed into a corral, fence, saddles, hay, cowboy hats, etc. It was a very different Sunday morning, to be sure, but it was worth it to see and hear the kids so charged up about God. Photos of the entire week were on the big screens and it was a thrill for me to see my own granddaughters among all the other kids learning and having so much fun. We all felt bad Bella had to miss the last two evenings because she was sick. I know she'll want to come back next year. I ordered CDs of the music for the girls so they can keep on singing the songs they learned all year long. It'll be a couple of weeks before they come in, but I know they'll be thrilled to get them. I wish you could all hear them and see them sing! Thank you, Lord, for VBS, for Pastor Scott and Emma, for all the folks who volunteered their time and energy. Thank you, for the blessing of being a grandma!

Happy Fathers Day

Today is Father's Day. Happy Father's Day to my husband, Jerry; to my three sons: Ted, Tim, & Rob, and to my two sons-in-law, Gene & Sean. Happy Father's Day to my two brothers: Richard & Bill, to my many nephews and to some special friends. A very happy Father's Day. May your families treat you royally!

Bella and her Daddy!

Our week with our granddaughters is almost over. Here's Ted and Bella. She still doesn't feel too well but with the medicine she perks up some. She's a little homesick on top of her fever and congestion.

Here's a close up! Isn't this good?! Bella comes up with the cutest comments. The girls have loved looking over the family calendars that Auntie Pam has made for Papa and me every year since 1998! Bella didn't recognize the latest picture of Andrew. I told her he's a man now, not a boy any more. She looked started and then said, "But, he's supposed to be my cousin!"

Nature

This is a pretty flowering tree that I have no idea what it is.
And here's my tiger lily that landed here in the middle of a hosta bed.

That's Love

Bella is sick. Yesterday she had a fever, today it seems to be gone, however she has no energy. For a five year old to have no energy, something is wrong. Last night she gave me the greatest gift a grandchild can give to grandma. She was sleeping on the sofa so I decided I'd take her to bed in the guest room (down stairs) and I'd sleep on the sofa so I'd be near. Sydney was next door having a sleep over. Bella woke up enough to say she wanted to sleep upstairs in the loft in the bed I'd made up for her on the floor. I said okay but that she'd have to walk up the steps. I got her settled in her bed and I sat down in my big boy lounge chair. She asked if I was going to stay there. I answered yes. Then she asked if I was going to sleep there. I smiled and said yes. She said, "Are you going to sleep there all night?" I smiled and nodded yes. Then her whole face beamed and smiled as she said, "Oh, Grandma, that's because you love me!"

Fashion Show

Our granddaughters did it again! We went shopping for new dresses and then had a fashion show for Grandpa! Don't they look nice?!

Good News!

We're back from the cardiologist with good news! Jerry's medicine has been changed, the doctor said he should start feeling better in two days! What a relief. Thank you, Lord. I praise You because You are our Healer.

Little Celebration

We had a little celebration for our 48th anniversary with our three granddaughters who were here and with one of our sons. T-bone steaks cooked out on the grill, hot dogs, baked potatoes, tossed salad, etc. It was nice but hurried because the girls had to be to VBS at 6:30. Jerry and I will celebrate again later, hopefully this weekend. I haven't said alot about tomorrow on here. Jerry goes to see a cardiologist tomorrow so we won't know what the near future will be like for us until we get done there. Will it mean surgery or just an adjustment in the dosage of his medicine? We're hoping for the latter, of course. I hope you'll be praying for us, for him. The appointment is at 2:00 EDT. I'll let you know how it comes out. We're trusting God to take care of him...of us...of you...God is love.

48 years!

Happy anniversary to Jerry and me! We've been married 48 years! That's a long time...and we're still in love!!! We were so young and we had no idea what our life together would hold. Five children and 13 grandchildren later...life is good. Thank you, Heavenly Father, for giving us these past 48 years. You have blessed us in so many ways. May we always be mindful of who you are. We love you and we love each other.

Yesterday

Ohhh, what a day yesterday was! I was going to take my granddaughters to the Butterfly House. We have lots of butterflies flying around here so it would be fun to go where they can land on us and we could identify them. I called to check on time and cost and was told the Butterfly House is only open in April and May! What a disappointment! Well, okay, we'd go for a walk in the beautiful garden in our town. Well, we soon discovered it wasn't really for children, except for a nice walk. It has rolling hills of nice green grass neatly mowed and lots of very big trees and flowers and sidewalks and paths and bridges over streams. A very nice place for grown ups to walk and relax. But for kids? nah! Well, I had taken some snacks for the girls to eat when they got hungry, like any good grandma. Would you believe there are no liter barrels anywhere?! I had to hold their sticky wrappers in my hand. Yuck! We finally came to some large round cement steps under a bridge that seemed to invite hop scotch girls! Haleigh and Sydney were doing so well! But all of a sudden Sydney missed the step and down she went, scraping her knee! Ouch! Oh, did it hurt! She cried and cried. And nothing Haleigh, Bella, or I could say helped. I couldn't even hold her closely because I had one hand full of sticky wrappers! A couple of workers came by in a motorized utility vehicle, and when they realized she was crying they stopped to see if they could be of help to us. She showed them her knee and they said they had a first aide kit up at the barn if we'd like to go there. So we started walking, Sydney limping, when the passenger young man said Sydney could ride in his place and he'd walk! Then they said Haleigh could ride in the seat with her. Well, that was almost like riding in a limo to the girls! Bella, the young man, and I walked! When we all got there they let me pick out what I thought would cover her skinned knee. I cleaned my hand first!!! I also threw the sticky wrappers away!!! Then I cleaned her knee and put the bandage on. I had to fill out a report! This was all very proper! Then we were ready to go and the man asked if she could walk?! Welllll! You guessed it! We waited while he went to get her a wheel chair! She let Bella ride in the chair with her. Haleigh and I guided and pushed the chair all the way back to the entrance. It was a long way! It wasn't a very fun afternoon, but now that it's the next day I have to say it was an interesting afternoon!
After we were home and I was fixing supper the three girls asked if they could go and visit our neighbor man, Mr. Larry. I didn't think so, but finally they convinced me it would be a nice, friendly, neighborly gesture so I said okay, but only for five minutes. If they stayed longer than five minutes they'd be in trouble! So off they went. About 10 minutes later the phone rang, oh-oh. They were five minutes late and maybe had caused a problem! Sure enough, it was Mrs. Patricia, Mr. Larry's wife! She was calling to say the three girls were sitting there in their screened in porch having some refreshment, 7UP! They were worried because they knew they were past the five minutes I had said they could stay. But, they were being very good and so could they, please, stay about 10 more minutes? Oh, okay, sure, why not.
After supper we went to the first night of VBS. What a fun way to end the day.

Happy Anniversary!

Happy anniversary, Bill & Vel! Wow, 41 years ago today! I remember the day so well! Jerry and I were both in your wedding and we had three little kids, ages 6, 4 1/2, and 2. I wonder who took care of them?! I don't remember that! I do remember it being a happy day and I guess that's the best way to remember it. I hope this will be another very happy day for you!

Ready for church

Bella and Syd are ready for church. They even fixed their own hair! Well, okay, I helped Bella with her pony tail, but she did the rest. They love going to church and this week is Bible School!

Beautiful flower

These flowers are blooming on the west side of our yard. I didn't plant them and don't know what they are. Can someone identify them for me? They must be in the lily family. Are they just a kind of day lily?

Keeping Cool!

It was so hot today! The girls and I went to a graduation open house and then decided we needed to do something to cool off. This is in the water spray park. Sydney and Bella had a lot of fun running through the sprays.
This picture is dark because I was taking it into the sun, but it shows another kind of water spray. This is a great fun place.
We needed time to dry off before getting into the car so we walked the tridge! The girls learned the meaning of tridge (tri means 3 and this is 3 bridges in one) It was a fun full day.

Hot pink!

Guess who?! Two of my precious granddaughters so full of fun! They're here to stay for a week so you can just imagine what fun we're going to have! Thank you, Lord, for my wonderful grandchildren! Please keep Your Hands upon them as they grow up.

Jerry - Winner!

Jerry won the battle! For several years now he has battled every spring. It's been a battle with the robins! Several years ago we watched with awe as the robins built a perfect nest on the beam of our front porch. Then we watched the mother robin sit on her eggs with the father watching near by. Finally one day we found egg shells on the porch floor and then we watched the baby robins crane their necks to be fed the worms their mother and father brought. It was so fun watching...until the babies grew big enough to sit on the edge of the nest and try to fly off. That part was okay but the mess they made on the floor of our porch was not okay! Oh, what a mess! So since that year, every spring Jerry has run a continuous battle with the robins to keep them from building a nest on our porch. Every morning he would be out clearing up the beginning of a nest. Then the robins became so insistent he was going out several times a day! The last couple of years he's had his leaf blower out blowing their nesting materials away. Last spring he left the blower on the porch so the minute they brought new material Jerry was out blowing it away. It became almost funny except I felt sorry for the robins until I remembered the mess on the porch several years ago. And now this spring we've not had a robin even look toward our porch! So Jerry won the battle!!!

Sure Vel!

When Bill & Vel were here they seemed to really like our house. But Vel had a suggestion for me when we went upstairs. So I've mulled it over and finally decided to do it. It's kind of a major project...the problem is...Vel isn't here now to help me out! What kind of a sister-in-law makes a big suggestion and then leaves???!!! Oh well, at least now I can do it the way I want to. But believe me it's a lot of work!

Reflection

Monday morning after our small group met last evening is a good time for reflection. Our small group was very small yesterday, but somehow the smaller it is the better it is...why is that? Maybe because we have more of a chance to share our own feelings and observations. There were just five of us yesterday and we really missed the ones who weren't there. In our group we discuss the sermons of the week prior and this week. Our pastor delivers such good, clear sermons and it's so good to discuss them with others and get their views and understandings and put them together with our/my own thoughts. The sermon last week was on Daniel 6. Well, my goodness, we've all heard about Daniel in the lions den since we were just kids. But did you ever stop to think about how faithful Daniel was to God from his youth on up through his adulthood? Life wasn't just a piece of cake for Daniel. He was taken into captivity as a young boy, raised in a different culture, and yet stayed true to God. I'll try to write some of my pastor's main points. Did you ever notice what Daniel was praying when he went up to his room to pray after being told he must pray to the king instead of to God? v. 10-he prayed a prayer of thanksgiving! Oh...do I ever give thanks in the midst of trouble? My prayer is usually help! v.-14 The king wished he wouldn't have made such a law. Have I ever made a decision I'd like to get out of? What can be changed? Anything contrary to God's will for me can be changed. God's will is that I am cleansed and set apart for His Will. Here's a statement to ponder: God's will is not so fragile that if broken it can be repaired! What a mighty God we serve! Daniel was faithful to God in his daily living, then when the big crisis came (the lion's den) God was there to deliver! Yes, what a mighty God we serve!
Yesterday's sermon was titled Sacred Mints. Okay, it was on the sacraments. It was a very good sermon on Communion. In our church we take communion at least every quarter. Even though we don't take it every Sunday we take this for granted so much of the time...just a ritual to be observed. We forget that the first communion was served at the passover meal; we forget that the passover goes all the way back to the Israelites gaining their freedom from Egypt as slaves. We forget and neglect God's Grace to us...to me. I forget God gave His Son for me...God's Grace is to be revered. I praise You, Father.
This Wednesday evening we will celebrate God's Grace with Communion.

June already?

Where does the time go? I can't believe it's June already! We're having beautiful weather right now. I hope it stays. Yesterday I fertilized all my flowers. Jerry's activities are limited for the time being until after the doctor figures out if he has a more serious problem. Sure hope not, anyway, I mowed the back yard yesterday and helped with taking out the garbage and recycle bins Thursday morning. It's very hard for him to not keep busy and to let me do what he feels is his work. He and Ted have the pole barn half shingled, planning to do the rest this month. We'll know June 12 what the problem and diagnosis is. Meantime he's got lab work and a tooth to be pulled and together we've got graduation open houses and a wedding reception to attend, granddaughters coming to visit, plus we'll be getting ready for our trip to visit Tim, Shauna, Annie, and Kaleb. So we have more than enough to keep us busy. Thank you, Lord, for life and for the joy of sharing with others.