Seeking Radiance in the Routine

Happy 79th B-day to Grandpa Sneed

2009-03-31T05:20:00.001-07:00

Maybe I can share more at a later time. But we enjoyed a wonderful weekend in southern Indiana with my family. We had a party for Grandpa Sneed's 79th b-day. I believe there were almost 40 of us at the party. I have several photos, so maybe I can upload more later.

Routine

2009-01-30T17:25:00.000-08:00

It's great to be in the routine of daily life after the Christmas and New Year hoopla. I love the holidays, but I tend to be a methodical kind of gal. We are moving right along with homeschooling this year. Dan helps with this, which is quite nice! I work 3-4 afternoons each week. I started cleaning houses about the middle of last year. I have really been blessed with some wonderful clients! One family has three children; I am there about 10 1/2 hrs. each week. They have really provided a great opportunity for me. This is the only place where I do laundry. Laundry is one job I really enjoy, so this works out just fine with me. The other house which I clean each week is very large, including 7 bathrooms. Fortunately, I only clean one level each week. The couple is absolutely awesome! She started really spoiling me by having on her modern-day player piano around the holidays. It's quite amazing! She likes some of the classical music that I enjoy, so it makes the work pleasurable. The other two cleanings are bi-weekly.

We have had our share of snow and cold weather. I believe we have had snow since Nov., with about 14" being the most accumulation. I love it!

This past Sunday we had our annual Sanctity of Human Life service at church. It's always good to be reminded of the value God has placed upon life. With tender compassion I would love to one day know that I have in some way been a persuasive voice for the aborted child or the euthanized elder person of our nation.

Quote for the Week:
"If we teach a young mother it is okay to take the life of her own child in the womb, we inevitably pull the thread that permeates the entire garment of the sanctity of life — forever."– Martin Palmer, pro-life advocate

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Valentine's Day and Happy Easter!!!!!

2009-01-11T17:05:00.000-08:00

I guess if I don't update my blog I might be wishing everyone a Happy 4th of July before I know it.

A whole lot of living has gone on around here since my last post... some great and wonderful days with family and friends, some sick days of being cooped up inside, some frustrating days with no electricity due to a wind storm.... But, alas, this is the "stuff" life's made of I suppose.

We did enjoy spending Christmas in Indiana, but we all came down with the flu while there. So I didn't really get many pics.

When we returned home late Monday evening, still not feeling very well, our electricity was out due to a wind storm. We decided to light some candles and a small propane heater and brave the cold temps. Clayton was so excited. He kept saying, "I like living off the land." However, when we woke the next morning and could see our breath in the air, he kind of had different feelings about "living off the land". Ha! So, the next night we made other arrangements, and a couple of days later, we were ever so thankful to have electricity!

I have a new position to fill this coming year at our local church. It seems kind of huge to me, but I'm excited about the prospects. Our very faithful missionary president of many years moved away to St. Louis, MO. recently. We miss the Black family very much. Anyways, I was asked to fill the vacant position. I'm looking for all the resources I can get my hands on for ways to promote the missions program in our church. We will major on some home mission (local church) projects here at the outset. I think I will use the theme "The Worth of a Soul" for our next Missions service.

In family news, my Grandpa Sneed broke a bone in his hip a couple of weeks or so before Christmas. So it seemed very different not to have my grandparents with us when we gathered for exchanging gifts, etc. With the condition of his mind, it has been a difficult time. From what the social worker said, he seems to be in the moderate stage of alzheimers. About 10 years ago when we first moved here to Rochester, Grandpa came to preach for us. He just didn't seem to be himself. Dan told a few of us when we returned to the house that he thought Grandpa had alzheimers. A short time later they moved back to southern Indiana from Illinois. He was traveling by himself at night with the moving caravan to their new home when he ended up almost at a former parishioner's house. Since then, different things have continued to happen which have made our fears a reality. One of the most sad things is that Grandpa has known at times that something is wrong. Such signs as putting on two shirts or leaving the car door open everytime he would get out of the car are just a few of the mild occurances that have taken place. It's hard to see someone you love go through this. I know of no one who has been so faithful to love and care for their spouse than Grandma. She spent every night with him in the hospital. She said he would have times of dramatically praising the Lord. Anyways, to wrap this up, Grandpa had to be placed in a nursing home this past Monday. The facility is a new one in Jasper, IN. The family reports that it is very nice, smells clean, etc. He seems to have adapted fairly well so far. Friends have been so wonderful to visit and send words of cheer. My thoughts and prayers are with them. They invested so much in my life when I was younger... I do wish that I lived closer to them at this time.

Here are a few totally random pics from the holidays.

1. Clayton with a fleece blanket I made for him.
2. Amber and Clayton waiting to eat one of Mamaw's delicious breakfasts.
3. Dad giving Grandma one of her gifts. (She had the flu, so was in her robe and hair net :-)
4. Grandpa with a gift.
5. Mom enjoying Bensen.
6. 2 sisters with cheesy smiles and electric skillets (which I'm enjoying and using a lot!)
7. Dan with his gift certificate to White Steamer... Ugh! But so glad he enjoyed it.
8. My nephew Carson (Boy did we have a time with him! He's so much fun!)

Cookie Recipe

2008-12-20T06:58:00.000-08:00

Never Fail Sugar Cookies

2/3 c. shortening
3 T. milk
2 eggs (well beaten)
1 tsp. vanilla
3 c. flour
1 c. sugar 1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cream of tartar

Mix dry ingredients as for pie crust. Mix in shortening. Add remaining ingredients and roll out at least 1/2 inch thick. Cut and place sugar cookies on cookie sheet. Bake at 350* for 7-10 min. until lightly golden.

Buttery Decorator Icing
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/4 c. shortening
1 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. salt
4 c. powdered sugar
2 to 4 tbls. milk

1. In large bowl, combine butter and shortening; beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and salt; mix well.

2. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in
enough milk at high speed until light and fluffy and of desired speading consistency.

Icing can be made up to 2 weeks in advance and stored in tightly covered container in refrigerator. Bring to room temp. and rewhip before using.

This Week--- Recitals

2008-12-05T17:15:00.000-08:00

Monday evening, Amber held her first piano recital for her students. She had worked really hard to make it an enjoyable time for those who attended and it paid off. There were between 45-50 there. The kids did such a great job! The cutest little guy, Zachary, won the trophy for most memorized pieces. A little Chinese girl, who was absolutely adorable, played "The Snowman". (If you upsize the group pic, you can see her in the blue checked jumper/pink blouse.) I doubt she could even reach the pedals, but she did such a fine job on her piece. Clayton has been taking lessons and is really enjoying it. He's a bit different than Amber; in that, she would become so nervous before recitals she would end up sick to her stomach. Clayton actually enjoyed it and said he wished he could have a recital every week.

Amber had made around 100 cookies in the shape of music notes to pass out. She placed two in each Christmas treat bag. The picture below was taken well after the fact, so the sugar is starting to melt, etc. Let me tell ya.... These cookies were SOOOOO good!!!! We have a friend who works at Cookies-by-Design and she would bring us cookies sometimes. I love their cookies, but I think these were very comparable to theirs. Amber made them thick, which I think really helped. She had several compliments the next day when she had lessons, so I know people enjoyed them too. She used the Buttery Decorator Icing from the Pillsbury book and it's very delicious!

Last night, we went to Cinci-OH area to attend the senior recital of David Harkopf Jr. He did an absolutely phenomenal job!! His accompanist was awesome too. It seems pretty amazing that when we moved here about 10 years ago, David was around 15. This year he is graduating with his masters from Miami University in Oxford, OH. We're thrilled at how God is using David's talents in some pretty big ways. It was also great to see fellow-blogger and friend, Melanie Kuhn Clemens! I kind of had to re-introduce her to my husband. Ha! Little girls have a way of growing up!!

A Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-29T19:13:00.000-08:00

We spent Thanksgiving Day with Dan's family. Here are a few pictures from the event.

1. Dan's Dad cutting the turkey.
2. Dan's parent's pomeranian
3. Dan's parents
4. Dan's brother, Don, and his two daughters
5. Dan's sister, Cheryl, and her son, Ryan
6. Dan's sister, Kathie, and her 4 kids
7. Our family
8. The grandkids

"Such a Time as This"

2008-11-07T06:21:00.001-08:00

I have noticed that many blogging friends have been weighing in with post election topics. I've also noticed that nearly everyone has, in some way or another, turned back to the foundational truths of our faith... our hope is in God alone, our future is bright in Him and we will trust Him come what may. I've found comfort here!
I've been having such wonderful conversations with a Catholic lady for whom I work. (We were equally disappointed that proposal two was not defeated here in MI. It was a proposition for embryonic stem cells to be used for research in a number of ways.) As I understand it, she has only recently been permitted by the Catholic priests to read the Scriptures. So many things are coming to light for her. It's just wonderful! She says she wants to surround herself with all that is holy. Yesterday, we talked about these historic times and what it means to us as Americans. No one seems to deny the extraordinary events taking place today!
I'll admit to being a bit anxious as to what the future might hold; however, I was encouraged this morning when I read a devotional so pertinent for today. I was reminded that I was placed here "for such a time as this!!" I love the story of Queen Esther! I'm sure she had some misgivings about her tremendous tasks and unrevealed future, but she didn't cower to Satan and his tactics. She faced it with God on her side and she was an over comer!!

I'll leave you with an excerpt from the last paragraph of the devotional by Carol Hobbs:

"My life is not a fairy tale, but my story begins with "once upon a time" and ends with "they lived happily ever after." Between the "once upon a time," and the "happily ever after," there is a life to live and you and I are here "for such a time as this!"
The Christian's life on earth is "once upon a time" and heaven will be our "happily ever after."

Now--- The Waiting

2008-11-04T16:34:00.000-08:00

Well, we've just settled in for the night and are waiting for results from the election. As I mentioned in my last post, I have been a Challenger today at precinct #10 in Rochester Hills. It was a great experience and for the most part everything went by in a smooth manner. I arrived around 1:00 and the line was long with probably a half hour waiting time for voters. It was very lengthy until 3:00 and then there was a much slower influx of people coming through. It remained slow until 5:00. There were 1, 375 registered voters in this precinct- 324 had already voted by absentee ballots. As of around 5:00 p.m. 741 voters had voted today. So we were having heavy turnout.

Here are some of the interesting happenings of the day:

There were a few who came and were at the wrong place. One couple had already been to one precinct and had been directed to ours.... Ours wasn't the correct one either, so our Lead Poll Worker sent them on to another.... That would be frustrating!

One elderly lady came through the line and was going to vote, and when they looked her up they found that she had already voted absentee. She had someone with her who was wanting to help her with her ballot (had she received one). Fortunately, they had the record of her absentee... She just didn't remember voting.... That was interesting!

A man came in to vote with two large books for something to do while waiting in line. He came prepared, thinking there would be long lines.... When he came in, there was no one in line.... Kind of funny!

One man came in and there was a "red flag" with his name. He was transferred to the Lead Poll Worker and she found that he originally had not filled out the first question of his voter registration form. That question asked if he was a US citizen. He had to fill out another form, and then was able to vote, but he was not happy. I think he even told her that he was going to report her. She didn't care, because she knew she was doing the right thing.

Well, it's going to be a looooooooong night. We don't know the future, but I'm glad I know Who is in control of it all!

Worthwhile reading!

2008-11-03T06:40:00.000-08:00

My cousin is a writer who can express her thoughts so very well through printed text. She just blogged concerning the election, and I only wish I would have thought of these things first!! Ha!! No, really, they were great! The Emporer's New Clothes analogy just put my thoughts and feelings into the perfect word picture! I'm linking to it here.

I'll be brutally honest, I e-mailed McCain's campaign way back before the primaries ever took off. I let him know that I would not be voting for him due to some issues that I won't delve into here. I have come around quite a bit since that time. Someone expressed to me their amusement about that... maybe they really knew it would happen all along, I don't know. It's a wonderful thing that we have the option of changing our minds. However, even if I hadn't "come around", after knowing all the issues at stake, there is no way I could have sat at home on election day. I will go to the polls to cast my ballot for McCain. A vote for Obama is a vote for so many things that we just can't allow to happen in our country. Hopefully, you have all taken the time to know about these issues. Click here for a website with a voter's guide.

I'm a volunteer with the Republican party, and received a call to be a challenger at the polls this year. I'm not sure what all will be involved with that. I have been a runner before, but never a challenger. From what I'm hearing, there's quite a bit more involved. So, it should be an interesting day tomorrow.

A Happy Pirate

2008-11-01T04:49:00.000-07:00

Dave and Pattie Hartkopf had us over for pizza Halloween night, and Clayton dressed up like a pirate. He went trick or treating in their neighborhood. I knew that I didn't want to put much money into a costume. Pattie had suggested that he be a pirate. I went to the Dollar Store and found a kit that had the eye patch, ear ring, and a hook for him to hold in his hand. Then I bought the bandana and Amber figured out how to tie it to fit the occasion. He wore the white shirt and black pants, with a sword on his side. So all in all I only paid $2.00. Not bad! People seemed to like his costume. Some of the men would answer the door and say, "Aaargh!" He also received comments like, "Ahoy, Matey!", and "Here's a happy pirate." It was a fun night!

How Many Presidents Has Your Life Spanned?

2008-10-07T05:14:00.000-07:00

This is for my Dad. We were leaving a restaurant last evening, and Dan was specifically naming the US Presidents in office since he was born in 1967. He counted 8. That's when Clayton spoke up, "Wow, Pap must have lived through 100 then!"

Love ya, Dad!

Happy Belated B-day!

October Already?

2008-10-04T19:21:00.000-07:00

Isn't it hard to believe? I just decorated today for Fall. Wasn't really sure if I was ready for that, but now that it's done I'm glad I did. Now, I'm anxious to go to our local Cider Mill. We have already purchased some of the honeycrisp apples. I'm not sure that these are available in other states, but they are the best!! We have been keeping very busy with school/work routine. Amber is in 11th grade this year and has 15 students in her piano teaching, so that keeps her very busy. Clayton is in 4th grade.

We are to have our Missionary Representatives, the Asburys, with us for a special service tomorrow. It's always great to have them here! I'm planning a traditional ham dinner. Bro. Asbury is gluten intolerant so I have fixed a black cherry jello salad and peanut butter cookies especially for him. I also usually have ice cream, because I know that's a dessert he can eat.

We have received news this past week that some dear friends, Harold & Chris Black, from our church will be moving away to St. Louis, MO. due to a job transfer. We will greatly miss them!

Next week is our area IHC Convention with Jim Plank and Don Bates Jr. We look forward to that.

That's all for now. Who knows? Next time I update, it may be Christmas! Hopefully, though, there will be time between now and then.

Amber just returned from spending a week in IN. She was a nanny to my sister's boys while she and her husband were away in California. She learned what it was like to be in charge of a household, which involved getting up to take my nephew to school each day, etc. It worked out really well. They were able to celebrate my Dad's b-day while she was there, which was a really fun time.

Here's a new interest Clayton has... card stacking. I thought it was pretty cool!

Are you Conservative or Liberal?

2008-09-25T06:32:00.000-07:00

Conservative or Liberal? Workspace Reveals All
Interesting article...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20080925/sc_livescience/conservativeorliberalworkspacerevealsall

Revival with the Millers

2008-09-16T08:44:00.000-07:00

It was such a delight to have Rev. & Mrs. Henry & Jan Miller with us last week in Revival at our church. Their sweet spirit in ministry was an awesome welcome to our church congregation. On Friday night, Bro. Miller told his life story of his amish background and how God led his parents into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. On Sunday morning he preached a "Masterpiece " of a sermon from the title, "We have an altar". They sing so beautifully and with such ease. Some may not know of Jan's musical background. She is so talented, with an ear for music, as well as an education from Cincinnati Conservatory.

September 11-------- May We Never Forget!!!!!

2008-09-11T08:18:00.001-07:00

Our Vacation

2008-09-07T19:51:00.001-07:00

We left on Labor Day for Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area for vacation. My sister's family and my parents joined us there. We had booked a cabin last December and had waited a long time for this day to arrive. There were three full days for us to be there, so each family planned and prepared the meals for one day. Actually, it seemed my mom ended up being involved in every meal in one way or another. I tried to tell her to go relax, but she has such a servant's heart, so I guess it just comes natural.

We had a wonderful time staying up in the mountains. The cabin where we stayed was very nice and had an air hockey table, arcade games, and a tree house. The kids certainly had plenty to do. We took Pit, Dutch Blitz, and Mad Gab. Those were a lot of fun!

One of the highlights for us was going to Tony Gore's BBQ Restaurant. We missed seeing Kirk Talley. He had worked the day before. Tony Gore was there though. We had such a sweet older lady as our waitress. She was a lot of fun to get to know. The signed photos of southern gospel artists on the wall were really neat. The southern gospel music playing throughout the restaurant was refreshing! The food was very tasty! I had bbq ribs, baked beans, and cole slaw. The caramel, chocolate cheesecake was very scrumptious! I told Tony, "there's a knack for making that kind of food". He said that they work very hard at it. I would definitely go back if I was in the area again.

We took the kids to ride go-carts. We also played Lazertag for the first time ever. Talk about feeling young again! I was running through those mazes as though the devil was on my trail.

I really want to go back down there when we have more time. I know we missed a lot of the attractions I would have liked to have seen. Time just flew by, and we wanted to enjoy the cabin and being together. We basically just went out once a day and did something we wanted to do, and then spent the rest of the time at the cabin.

Below are just random pics. I don't really have time to put them in order or make comments on them. We're in Revival this week at our church, so I will try to post more later.

Happy Birthday, Amber!!

2008-08-15T17:28:00.001-07:00

Amber turned 17 this past Monday. She had some friends in from Indiana over the weekend. We had Dan's sister, Cheryl, and nephew, Ryan, here also. We did have a blast!! I tell ya, these teens will keep you hoppin'! Saturday we played volleyball. Sunday night, we had Dave & Pattie, Wes & Jen, David and Jessica Hartkopf after church. The kids played Swap. Monday we played PIT. Have you ever seen an adrenaline rush in action??? I got so tickled, watching Ryan, my nephew. Whenever he almost had a "corner" in Pit, his face would get red and he would start to talk louder and louder. It was hilarious!!

Many thanks to Wes and Jen for reviving the ancient game of Pit. They picked the game up for us at an amish store up north. I hadn't played it in years.

We had Amber's actual b-day dinner Monday evening. I had found some simple firefly decor, which we used for the theme.

With all the hoopla, I didn't get as many pictures of everyone as I would have liked, but we certainly do have memories to last a lifetime!

Here's Amber with her gift from her "special someone". If you look closely you can see the "Indianapolis Colts" chain around its neck. It's so adorable... If only she can keep our dog, Buddy, away from it. He acted like he thought it was a toy for himself. That didn't go over very well, as you can imagine.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful summer. Mine is busy. I have taken on several housecleaning jobs. We've been enjoying wonderful Michigan weather, and are looking forward to a family vacation to Gatlinburg in about 3 weeks.

A Third Licensed Driver in the House!

2008-07-23T04:29:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe I have a daughter old enough to have her license!

She has had her permit for quite awhile. There is such a process anymore in going through 2 segments of driver's ed, documenting driving times (daytime and nighttime), etc. Last week she took the test and then we headed to the Secretary of State's office. We were excited for her. It was kind of funny as we all walked up to the desk to present the final documents and to pay the fee... One of the ladies who worked there asked the lady who was waiting on us if we were all together. The lady working with us jokingly answered, "Yeah, we're going to do a family photo here in a bit." I think Clayton's just as excited as she is about it. I believe it was three- four days later before she actually drove anywhere by herself. Clayton likes to go with her. He makes a good "sidekick" I'm sure.

Summer Days... Raspberry Pie!

2008-07-11T19:03:00.000-07:00

About a month ago now, I took on some house cleaning jobs. It's been interesting and enjoyable meeting new people and entering their homes in such a way.

One lady has several acres of land and probably at least 5-6 extravagant flower gardens, a bountiful vegetable garden, and a long row of black raspberry bushes on the south side of her property. She had told me recently that I was welcome to pick them when they became ripe enough. She mentioned that the birds and deer usually get to them first.

Just today I was amazed at how many had ripened since I was there just over a week ago. They weren't very big, but the did seem to be ripe. We (Amber and Clayton helped too) picked several today, and I had thought of how wonderful it would be to make a raspberry pie. It's been years since I've had one.

I guess I'll just go ahead and admit, it's been awhile since I've done anything so.... fulfilling to my culinary ambitions. (*smile) I make several types of cream pies, but I don't "do" fruit pies. My Mom makes an awesome apple pie, usually mainly for Amber- I think. Amber fell in love with it several years ago now. There will probably never be an apple pie like Mamaw's apple pie. Anyways, back to the raspberries... I wasn't even sure we had picked enough to make an 8" pie. I got them home, spent about 15 minutes looking each one of them over to make sure they were completely clean, rinsed them, and prepared them to cook. I even kind of felt good about my raspberry stained fingers and scratched arms! I cooked the raspberry filling and then had to let it cool for about an hour. What a process!! I felt like I was back in the olden days! Finally, it was all put together and I was able to bake it. And yes, I've been the only one to try to it so far!!! Dan didn't care for a piece. He's kind of a creature of habit, and raspberry pie isn't a habit. Ha! Clayton was a bit "iffy" about trying it. Oh well, this "Mother Hen" just ate a piece of homemade raspberry pie topped with ice cream, and it was absolutely scrumptious!!! Amber was on the phone and so I shared a bite of mine with her and she seemed to really enjoy it. I'm just hoping someone will come along for which I can share it, because I certainly don't need the whole pie!! Ha!

Here are some pictures. Don't let your mouth water too much. Ha!
I'm sure you won't when you see my fancy lattice work.
But, hey, I'm not well versed at this.

I really could have doubled the recipe for the raspberry filling, because there would have been room in my pie crust for another portion.

Pilgrim Youth Camp 2008

2008-07-06T08:46:00.000-07:00

The highlight of my summer is still Pilgrim Youth Camp. It's a tradition I hope to pass on for many more generations. The past couple of years Pilgrim Youth Camp has been growing in number. Last year we broke our record and had 176 campers.

On a personal level, I'm involved in taking photos throughout the week. I have them developed nearly every day and then sell them to the campers. It seems to be something they really enjoy. I believe this year we sold about 200 pictures. The night of the banquet can be a bit overwhelming with trying to take so many pictures in a short period of time, but it's a lot of fun! I am usually involved with Bible Bowl too. This year I was a quizmaster. The experience is amazing... to see kids who have studied so hard get so involved! Our staff, specifically Ruth Nichols, has been on the cutting edge of adapting Bible Bowl to still be fun and relevant, even after many years of using this game among our youth. In recent years we have started inserting bonus questions from the evangelist's evening messages. These kids really are intent upon listening and then being able to answer the questions, sometimes even before the full question is given. Amber studied hard this year, but we had no idea she would be at the top of the list as far as points earned in Bible Bowl. I knew her good friend, Amber Petty, was certainly earning a lot of points for her team. So whenever President Zeigler announced the 2nd place winner as.... Amber--- I just automatically assumed it was Amber Petty. Anyways, we were pleasantly surprised to find out Amber Plemmons had come in second place, receiving a gift certificate to Wal-mart. And we were very excited that Amber Petty came in 1st, as Amber Petty is 19 and this is her last year.

More than any of these things, was the awesome sense of God's presence among our young people, many who are street kids who are in need of so much love and attention. The Tuesday night service has been talked about a lot, as it lasted around 4 hours. Some serious conversions took place. It was great to see some of them back at Family Camp testifying to how they had gone home and witnessed to their unsaved family members.

This year was extra special to me because my sister brought her son, Carson, to join us for the week of youth camp. He is only 11, so wasn't able to be a camper this year, but I thought it would kind of prepare him for if he was able to come next year. We had so much fun with him. He's such a good kid!! He really enjoyed himself.

Here are a few photos of my family. There will be many others available for viewing on the Pilgrim website.

1. Amber and the annual first night tug-of-war. 2. Clayton and Carson with those classic Pixie Sticks. 3. It was pretty cool, Carson and Clayton were asked to show the campers how to do this afterglow event of holding a ball between their arms without touching it with their hands. It was a relay activity. 4. Carson, Ryan Burley and Clayton 5. With Amber 6. Carson and Clayton, ready for the banquet set up for the "staff's kids". 7. Amber trying to get out an answer for Bible Bowl (Brandon Petty on right.) 8. Bro. Zeigler and Amber 9. Amber with her date (Seth Fish) for the banquet

Catching Up... The Grays Visit

2008-07-06T07:50:00.000-07:00

It's almost hard to know where to start, as we were away for our camp meeting the last two weeks of June, and then made a trip back to Indiana over July 4th weekend. One of the highlights of this past month was the Sunday after Jen and Wes were married. We had several members of the Gray family at church on Sunday. Dan had asked Sylvan to give his life story.

It is a very moving account of a prodigal son who found his way back to Father's house. It certainly is a "faith booster" too. His parents pleaded over his soul, and God was faithful!

We felt so privileged to have Bro. & Sis. Eugene Gray in our home for Sunday dinner once again. And Sylvan was a hoot! We just had a blast with them! Sis. Gray fell in love with our dog, Buddy. She's quite an animal lover. Sylvan was fighting with Clayton over the last few pieces of sugar cream pie. And finally said he was taking home the last piece- and he did! Ha! Well, it wasn't quite that bad, especially since it was his and he was actually sharing with the others... We gave pies to the fathers for Father's Day and he just happened to get my sugar cream pie. He must love sugar cream pie, so it worked out very well.

Here are a few pics from that special day. The first is another memory to add to our hearts.

Just proving, Amber isn't too old to still receive one of Bro. Gray's dollar bills. (As Conf. Pres., when he would come to visit, the kids would always receive a dollar or two from him.)

Wes & Jen's Wedding

2008-06-15T13:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the wedding of Wesley Gray and Jen Hartkopf. The wedding was very special. Jen has found a guy who will love her forever, and we're so proud of them! I'd like to have placed captions with them, but I know it would take me awhile to do that. Maybe I can add more photos when I return from a two week trip we're taking. We're heading out of state today, but I wanted to get these uploaded before we left. We're leaving for 2 weeks for Indiana... Youth Camp and Camp Meeting.

Back at home/Retreat Part 2

2008-05-21T18:49:00.000-07:00

Monday dawned bright and clear, but it wasn't long before the reality check set in... Doesn't that seem to be the way it happens sometimes after being gone for vacation or a few days away? Clogged sinks, unpacking, mounds of laundry, and a "not so well" husband (he's been having problems with his legs due to the diabetes). The pieces in my neat little package were definitely wiggling, but it's OK. I'm not complaining. As much as I enjoyed myself at the retreat, I was very excited and ready to see my family after being gone for three days!

Sarah Fry touched on this subject of life in the real world the first night of the retreat. She said, "God has created cycles and seasons and He doesn't intend for everything to be perfect." And... "when we think we have it all together, we may be leaving God out of the picture."

I admit, I'm one who likes to have my ducks all in a row.... but since that doesn't happen very often, I guess I might as well find some enjoyment in the chaos! Ha!

On Sat. afternoon of the retreat, Valerie Quesenberry spoke on the topic "Touching My Sister- Connecting Through Technology". She had so many neat thoughts on the subject. The one I liked the best was: Bloggers have a higher education than average. :+) We may not have thought of it in this light before, but blogging is the back fence of the 21st century. Even though, blogging and e-mail will never replace face to face relationships, these are ways to be connected. There's no doubt about it, women need connection! I can relate, because I have certainly enjoyed catching up with old friends and some of my distant family via the bloggerworld. Along the way, I'll probably be "dropping" some of the new blogging words Valerie left with us, but for now I'd better take her advice and..... "Keep it short". (I think I already failed on that one.)

More photos:
Photo 1: First Night Sharing and Prayer Time

Photo 2: Session Speaker: Valerie Quesenberry

Photo 2: A snapshot of Melissa Gresham receiving a hug from Ruth Dotson.

Photo 4: Lorena Glick and Me

My Sister's World!!! Weekend Retreat 2008

2008-05-18T18:24:00.000-07:00

I just returned home from a Women of Worth retreat in Marengo, OH. I went with two area pastor's wives. I'm really glad it worked out for me to be able to go. The theme was so fitting... My Sister's World! I came away feeling a much stronger sense of connection to my sisters in Christ! I left there knowing, more than ever, that it's OK to be "me"- to be real! I have a renewed vision for making the most out of those imperfect situations which happen in my life. I want to host CeLeBrAtIoNs! as often as possible for the strengths of my sisters. I'm pumped!!! Can't you tell? It happens everytime I go to retreat!
Yeah, I know, tomorrow's Monday and probably sooner, rather than later, the rubber will be meeting my road, at full speed ahead... All of this will be easier said than done! But we have been equipped with some awesome challenges and inspiring concepts, and I really hope to "take heed to the things which I have heard, lest at any time I let them slip". They are too good to let them slip away!
I will probably be blogging more about this throughout the week, but for now, here are some pics.

Photo 1: Beautiful Multipurpose Facility at the Heartland Retreat Center.

Photo 2: This Mother/Daughter Duo was outstanding as the speakers for the convention. They are Sheila Wolfe and Sarah Fry.

Photo 3: We enjoyed a concert by the Keeling family on Sat. night. I love to hear Randy's testimony. I'm glad he shared it again.

Photo 4: Here I am with one of my most favorite people in the whole wide world, Barb Brock (former missionary to Papua New Guinea... Barb spoke on Sat. about "Communicating With (Our Sisters) By Phone/Mail"

Just an Update...

2008-05-12T13:10:00.000-07:00

I have about 5 minutes. Just thought I'd update my blog. Lately, my family has experienced quite a shake up in our schedules. We're finding out what it's like to have a working teenager in our home. It is fun and crazy all at the same time! Add to the mix the fact that this week she's to take her second and final segment of driver's ed. We were trying to find time this week just to have her fitted with a dress for a wedding she's to be in next month, and we had one small time slot this evening. Thankfully, it all worked out and that is now done.
I am to start working the morning shift at Joanns next week. I'm looking forward to that. I have worked second shift for over two years, so this will be different. We're trying to work in a lot of other things, and yet the need for taking time for each other is something I cherish as high priority. Some things can wait, you know!
I really enjoyed Mother's Day. Our service was a special one.
I missed my Mom, and thought of her alot. I did enjoy talking with her on the phone. She had my grandparents to her place for dinner. I told her I would have fixed dinner for her, had we been together. I think I feel more blessed with each passing year for such a caring, loving Mother of character.
Amber prepared most of our dinner. It was SO delicious!
The dessert of Low Fat Cheese Danish was awesome!
I sat with my coffee and savored every bite!
AND I didn't feel guilty after it was all over. Ha!
See recipe below.

My Mother's Day gift this year might seem kind of peculiar, but I'm so thrilled over it!! Dan and Amber went in together and got me a tennis racquet. Amber has been expressing an interest in tennis playing. She never had played before. They gave me the gift last Thurs. We live really close to a park with a nice court, so we went out and played Fri. and Sat. It was a blast!! It was wonderful to spend one on one time with Amber- especially in the midst of her busy schedule lately. I played tennis alot in my teens. Needless, to say, I would be embarrased for most ANYONE to see me play now. But maybe some practice will help. It was so much FUN!

Here's the recipe. Maybe someone else will enjoy it too.

Cheese Danish
3 Tbls. Sugar, 3 tsp. Cinnamon
5 (6 or 7") flour tortillas
Non Stick Cooking Spray
1 c. cold skim milk
1 pkg. (4 oz.)Vanilla Fat Free/Sugar Free instant pudding
1 (8 oz.) light cream cheese (softened)
2 cups thawed Cool Whip (Lite)
1 square Baker's semi-sweet choc. (1 oz.)

Combine sugar and cinnamon. Spray tortilla shells lightly with cooking spray. Sprinkle both sides of each tortilla shell with sugar and cinnamon mixture. Cut each tortilla into 4 wedges. Stand round edge of tortilla in bottom of muffin cup (muffin cup pan). Bake 5-10 min. at 350* until barely golden. Cool in pan. (This should cause tortillas to form somewhat of a cupped form.) I placed a photo below.
Pour milk into large bowl. Add pudding mix. Beat at low speed with mixer for 2 min. Beat in cream cheese at med. speed until smooth. Gently stir in whipped topping. Refrigerate until chilled- at least one hour. When ready to serve, fill each shell with 3 Tbls. pudding mixture. Microwave choc. on high for 1 min. Drizzle choc. over desserts.

Fat: 3.5 grams (which means you can have TWO! ;-)
Calories: 90
20 servings

Homesick for Southern Indiana

2008-04-29T09:43:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!
We were visiting in the hospital recently and an older gentleman from our congregation, who is from West Virginia, had been talking to a relative on the phone. His relative told him of how he had been mushroom hunting. Wow!!! Some wonderful memories flooded my mind!! I LOVE to hunt and eat freshly grown mushrooms!!! But we're now city people. We really do love the city. However, I haven't seen a corn field in months, that I can remember. I remember going mushroom hunting with my dad in those southern Indiana woods. He was great at finding mushrooms. He has a lot of patience for it. Matter of fact, he went hunting with some friends a few days ago. He was walking behind the others and he was finding the ones they were passing up! :-) Well, it wasn't enough, at the hospital, to hear about someone finding a mess of 'em. My sister told me yesterday about the new blog of one of her best friends. I sauntered on over, via bloggerland, and wa lah! She had been mushroom hunting, and had a picture of the ones she had found!!! They were BEAUTIFUL!! Talk about mouth-watering envy!!! :-) Not really, at least I got to see a picture of one. Marsha's post is very worth the read!!! I loved it!

Feeling All Warm And Fuzzy

2008-04-28T05:26:00.000-07:00

The next day and a half around here are going to be quite rare. Dan is taking the kids to Ohio so that Amber can do a Stanford Achievement Test at the Lima Pilgrim School, which happens to be near his parents. So they will be staying with his parents during this time. I'm staying home to work. I'm also hoping to paint Clayton's room. It's been a light blue for 9 yrs. and we're quite ready for a change. Why am I feeling all warm and fuzzy??? Certainly not because I will be alone! But, last night, Clayton's male "protective" instincts must have been kicking in, as out of the blue in such a caring voice he asked, "Are you sure you're going to be ok while we're gone?" That just made my day!!

Going Bananas!

2008-04-24T04:48:00.000-07:00

I never buy more than one bunch of bananas. But yesterday at Aldis they had their bananas for .22 per pound. They looked great. So I got two large bunches for just over $1.00. So, of course, that called for banana pudding! Yummy!! Clayton had fun helping me make it.

Miracles and Praise!!!

2008-04-19T20:58:00.000-07:00

Well, as of May 2nd this blog will be 6 months old. I have enjoyed posting details of exciting events, some achievements of my kids, and even some discouraging happenings (See "The Disappearing Act" OR "It's All My Fault" posts).
This post might be a bit different, but I wanted to publicly extol Jesus Christ for 2 major miracles which have taken place within this past week! These miracles aren't within our family, but have to do with people near and dear to us. The first one I won't go into detail about, but it is MAJOR and God came through above and beyond what we would have asked or thought!! It seemed to be years in the making. We just sat back in awe!!! There is no way for anyone to explain it away!
The second one was concerning a man from our church, Jim Purcell. (I previously mentioned him in one of my posts.) He fell several weeks ago and has had severe injuries from the fall. He had bleeding on the brain and his right side became paralyzed. I was there when the Dr. told us that he would not regain movement in his right leg (maybe in his arm, but not his leg). Jim has been in a rehab center. Today, when Dan talked to him, Jim told Dan that he had moved his previously paralyzed leg 6 inches. This was wonderful news!!!
While I'm at it... I'm very grateful, too, that my Dad wasn't seriously injured this past Wednesday afternoon. He was trying to get a heavy washing machine down a flight of stairs by himself and it started to slip away from him. It went down and he went with it!! It could have been a very terrible situation. He cut his arm and hurt his shin a bit, but otherwise he's fine!
I love the line, "Miracles still happen where there is childlike trust." I know that I have fallen below "Exhibit A, probably even B and/or C" in the "trusting department" at times, but there's nothing like a miracle to boost the "belief system" once again! May a simple love and faith in Jesus be seen in us! It's ALL about HIM!!!

Tagged by "Tamra"

2008-04-16T15:44:00.000-07:00

1. What I was doing 10 years ago: Living in Bicknell, IN at our 2nd pastorate. We also enjoyed living near family at that time. I lived about 30 min. from my parents and my sister's family. Amber was around the age of starting kindergarten, in which she attended Trinity Holiness Academy in Washington, IN. Clayton wasn't developing eyelids yet. :-)

2) 5 Things To Do Today:

Visiting with Dan... We've had 3 people from our congregation in 3 different hospitals this week.
Shop for some greeting cards.
Watch IHC Service tonight. This week, our mid-week church service is canceled due to our annual business meeting this Friday night.
Relax... I worked a double shift at Joanns on Mon. We're having a big sale this week. Last night I didn't get out of work until 11:15 p.m. So I'm kind of looking forward to some relaxation tonight.
And hopefully relax some more.... :-)

3) Snacks I enjoy:
Tortilla Chips and Dip
I love desserts

4) Things I would do if I was a billionaire:
Wow!! Of course, give the tithe to my local church. Pray to God to help me to have the wisdom to spend or invest it wisely.

5) Bad habits I have:
Overanalyzing everything.
Stopping at Taco Bell on the way home from work some nights.
Taking things and putting them away before family members are done using them.

6) 5 places I have lived:
Petersburg, IN
Ft. Wayne, IN
Summitville, IN
Bicknell, IN
Rochester Hills, MI

7) 5 Jobs I've held:
Cashier at True Value Hardware Store(in high school)
Private Care Taker for elderly
Assistant to 2nd Grade Teacher at Bedford Stone City Christian Academy
Worked for a short time at Lincoln Life Insurance (Ft. Wayne)
Joann Fabric and Crafts

The Best Part of Waking Up...

2008-04-11T06:58:00.001-07:00

Is opening the carton of eggs to find a wonderful Scripture verse. :-)

Has anyone noticed the rise of food prices in recent weeks? I normally always shop at Meijer. It's close and I feel they do have good sale prices. But I have been doing some of my shopping at Aldi's the last few weeks and have found that I'm getting a lot more for my money. Of course, the only draw back is there are several things they either don't have or certain off-brands which we just don't like. I have found that their 10 lb. bag of potatoes for $1.99 makes for some excellent tasting potatoes. Their eggs are cheaper at $1.59. Plus you get the little Scripture verse inscribed on the carton, which is really neat way to start the day!

A Recipe Scrapbook

2008-04-11T06:41:00.000-07:00

The ladies from our church have submitted scrapbook pages for a Recipe Scrapbook we're presenting to Jennifer Hartkopf at her bridal shower tomorrow. I'm really excited about it! There are so many great recipes and it will give her some memories to keep with her down through her new life as she takes up housekeeping. We used an 8x8 book, which is a great size. I'm not an avid scrapper, but had fun putting my pages together. The other thing is, when everyone gets involved in something like this, I think it makes it all the more special. The ladies have done a fantastic job!

Our Boy Turns 9!!!

2008-04-05T17:36:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday, Clayton!! We look forward to spending a wonderful Sunday celebrating your special day!
Recently, I finally organized my digital photos. It's great to be able to go right to the certain files and choose which pics I want!

Here are 9 of my favorite "Clayton" snapshots for my family to enjoy. Everyone else may view if they wish.
DISCLAIMER: I know just enough about html and blogging to get me into trouble, thus all the blank spaces between my pics. After trying to figure it out for about 20 min., I guess it will just have to do...

At a wedding in Summer '06

(Thought I'd better post this
one before I post the next
one, lest someone would
wonder about my parental
skills concerning cleanliness
and hygiene detail. Ha!
He cleans up "purty good".

How could I deprive
this boy of SOOOO
much fun? Ha!
He had a blast playing
in this mudhole last
fall.

Just after last year's
b-day dinner of pizza.
We had a sport's theme
for last year's party.

Up north on vacation,
fishing with Mam and Pap.

A guitar, Clayton's gift
for his 4th b-day.
(Aren't those the cutest
toes you've ever seen!! Ha!)

Clayton with his dog,
Chow. A b-day
present for his 3rd
b-day.

At Family
Buggy
Restaurant,
sitting
with the Big
Bear.

About 6 mo. old.

Before you were
conceived I wanted you.
Before you were born
I loved you.
Before you were here
an hour I would die for you.
This is the miracle of love!!!
~Maureen Hawkins

Bronner's Founder Passes Away

2008-04-02T13:55:00.001-07:00

This post is for my Michigan friends, but for those who may not know, Michigan is home to the WORLD'S largest Christmas Store. Bronners Christmas Store is located in Frankenmuth, MI. Frankenmuth is a tourist's town with lots of attractions. Our family has been there several times. Even our nation's first lady, Laura Bush, has visited Bronners in recent years. Bronner's Christmas Store is a blast!! Just to see the outside decorations and little white "Silent Night" chapel is worth the trip. There are approximately 100,000 lights which illuminate the grounds every evening. There are also, 24 outdoor life-size nativity figures on display. Bronners is always advertised with the word Christ in capital letters, i.e. Bronner's CHRISTmas Wonderland.

This morning, I was saddened to learn that Wally Bronner, founder of Bronners, had passed away of inoperable cancer. What was SO commendable about Mr. Bronner was that he strove to keep the focus of the store on the Nativity and Christmas tradition. I believe, in turn, God blessed his business abundantly. Over two million guests come to Bronners annually.

Here are a couple of his quotes:
"Our rule is that everything we do will focus on — or at least not detract from — the Christ whose birth we are celebrating.”

“You want to know the truth?” he asked a Detroit Free Press reporter in 2004. “The truth is no decorations are needed at all at Christmas. What’s really needed at Christmas is that we decorate our hearts.

Here is the web address for further Bronner Trivia:
http://www.bronners.com/triviasheet.html

A photo of us, taken about 5 years ago, in front of the Bronner's Nativity.

The Gyroscope

2008-03-28T11:33:00.001-07:00

My sister and her children were here this week spending a couple of days with us. I had bought the boys Gyroscopes at Cracker Barrel. We were just about ready to go to bed whenever they started getting crazy with them. Ha! Lesson learned: Never give two boys new gyroscopes at 10:30 at night. Ha! No, really, I was glad I did, because they had so much fun with them. Kind of hard to get them settled in to bed, but that's ok. We made some memories! Since we live 9 hours apart, we don't get to see each other very often. We had such a blast! The kids went ice skating too. Since it was a school day for the public school kids, they had the big rink mostly to themselves.

Easter Sunday

2008-03-23T20:50:00.000-07:00

It's been a great day! I didn't realize Amber and Clayton's outfits would even halfway match. I had bought Clayton's shirt and tie at Christmas time. Amber bought her skirt a few weeks ago when she was down in IN visiting her good friend, Amber Petty. Anyhow, it worked out well.

Tonight, Amber and Jennifer brought an evening of sacred music to us. They had practiced hours upon hours for this. They provided piano duets, piano/organ duets, vocal duets, etc. They also had a really BIG surprise!! Apparently Jennifer's aunt, Linda Walker, had shared an invitation with their former piano teacher. As the service was about to start, in walked Mrs. Sue Schlabach, whom Jennifer and Amber love and respect alot! Mrs. Schlabach taught Jennifer for about 9 yrs. and Amber for approximately 7 yrs. So she has had a big part in their musical interests and abilities. She's a fabulous teacher and a wonderful Christian lady. She is the organist for the Detroit First Church of the Nazarene. We miss her and it was great to see her again!

Serving a Risen Savior!!

2008-03-22T05:29:00.000-07:00

I love the events surrounding Holy Week. Dan was scheduled to sing at an IHC rally last night (Good Friday Evening), but it was canceled due to snow. He and Amber had been practicing the song, "The Night Before Easter" (complete with 4 key changes! :-) I just love that song! Hopefully, he'll sing it tomorrow at our church.
So last night, instead, we decided to go to the Williams Lake Nazarene Church's Easter Drama presentation, "The Victor". It had just started snowing here, and we had no idea the roads were so slick. After traveling there and back, I lost count of how many accidents and spin outs we saw. As we were walking through the falling snow into the high school where the performance was held, I had this funny feeling of deja vu, that maybe I was actually going in to see a Christmas drama. Ha! But the play was marvelous!! Really it was almost like a musical. It was portrayed through the eyes of Nicodemus. I especially enjoyed the scene where Jesus performed the many miracles. The blind man did a fantastic job! Miracles still happen, where there is child-like trust!!! I took pictures, but they didn't turn out very well.

Well, most of our day today will be spent preparing for tomorrow. Besides the church details which need to be done, I look forward to planning Sunday dinner for my family. The last couple of years on Easter Sunday I have included a carrot souffle. I believe that's now a tradition. I think I'll have a pork roast, mashed potatoes, pistachio salad (for my kids), macaroni & cheese (for Dan :-) and dinner rolls.

Resurrection Sunday is the most special Sunday all year long, in my opinion. Reflecting more intensely upon the events surrounding Christ's death and resurrection, just seems to bring about jubilant praise in so many people. In turn, God's Spirit draws near!

It's All My Fault!

2008-03-18T14:03:00.000-07:00

Today on a MI 8 lane highway, I pulled out in front of someone. I didn't see a white cargo van coming my way, and the front part of our Lincoln was hit with tremendous force. Amber and I are fine. I should say, I'm VERY thankful Amber is fine, because if I would have pulled forward about two more feet, the impact would have been directly into the passenger's side, and I doubt she would still be with us. The people in the other vehicle are fine. Fortunately, both vehicles were older and of a larger size. As it was, most of the damage was done to the front part of our vehicle. The airbag exploded, and my door was jammed. The person who hit us, seemed to be of Arab descent... He came up and was hollering and pointing, and seemed very angry--- I guess he had reason to be. We apologized over and over again. His demeanor changed rather quickly. It shook us up quite badly, and we're starting to feel stiff and sore, but otherwise- we're just very grateful! I had asked Amber to drive when we left, she normally always does now. She said, "no" (for some reason). I'm so thankful that she wasn't driving. She has her permit, but will be eligible to get her license in a few weeks.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

2008-03-14T07:07:00.001-07:00

I am privileged to have a Mother of extraordinary love and talent, of which I have been the recipient over and over again. Mom, we love you dearly and hope your birthday is very special!

One Way To Know Your Child Is Growing Up-

2008-03-09T19:41:00.000-07:00

Sing it loud, sing it long!

2008-03-08T18:56:00.000-08:00

"Children retain 10% of what is told to them,
40% if there is a visual aid,
60% if there is a story,
and 90% if they sing it."
-Elder Boyd K. Packer

"Buddy" Update

2008-03-05T09:22:00.000-08:00

As of this coming Thursday, we have had our dog, Buddy, for 4 months. I was looking over the picture I took of him right after we brought him home and realized there is quite a difference in him. After having him groomed now (twice), he does look different! His fur on his face, feet, and tail, were so stained when we got him.

BUDDY, 4 MONTHS AGO

After his last short haircut, his fur came in snow white. It's hard to believe the difference! Also, his demeanor is so different now. He was really deprived when we found him. (His story is in an earlier post.) He has warmed up to us very well and loves to cuddle. If one of us is gone for a time, we get the biggest "welcome home party" when we arrive back. (I'm trying to make a case for how wonderful a dog can be for my cousin's son, Bryson! Ha!)

THIS WEEK'S PHOTOS
Black and White

Sepia (Somehow Amber's camera got messed up with all these different tones. I would have preferred these in color, but, oh well.)

Just after Buddy's last haircut.

Speaking to Yourselves in.... HYMNS

2008-03-02T19:10:00.000-08:00

I noticed that I had been tagged by some friends to pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more. Find Page 123.
Read the first 5 sentences.
Post the next 3 sentences.
Tag 5 people......
Well, the book closest to me doesn't have 123 pages, so I guess I'm cheating a little, but it does lead to what I had been thinking of blogging about, so here goes....
The book is Christ's Standard Bearer by George Finlay.
It is a study in the hymns of Charles Wesley.
I love thrift stores and old books. I found this book recently and bought it, mainly because Dan has been doing a Sunday night series on the Hymns of the Church.

These services have been very informative.

The first topic was, "Hymns Which Were Written Over 100 Years Ago". Some of those included: My Savior First of All, I Belong to the King, The Old Rugged Cross and Be Still My Soul. Somehow, I believe those will still be around a long time after I'm gone!

In the second service, Dan spoke about "Hymns Written in 30 Minutes or Less". I found this just amazing! Songs like, Abide With Me, In the Sweet Bye and Bye and No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus. These are songs which could hardly be described any other way, but "God-inspired"!

Unfortunately, I missed last Sunday's hymn service, due to sickness. The theme was, "Hymns Written By Those Who Endured Physical Suffering". I was able to read Dan's notes. Some of the song titles written by those with immense suffering were:
God Will Take Care Of You, Near To The Heart of God and The Solid Rock.

I have come to love the hymns which I grew up singing in church. It seems like they have taken on new meaning for me over the past few years. I've never been privileged to sit in on a hymnology class, but I think it would be so cool! I admit, I enjoy a wide variety of music. I can listen to anything from bluegrass to opera and feel blessed! :-) My daughter has taken an interest in classical, partially because she has had to in her musical studies. (She just completed Bach Inventions 8 and 13) I really liked those too! But there's just nothing like the old hymns!
I heard Gloria Gaither say that hymns are really "portable pieces of theology". What an excellent analogy! How important they will be to us and our children in the years to come!
I remember the first fierce battle I faced as a young mother and wife. One night in the hardest part of it all, the Lord brought a song to my mind, and the most overwhelming peace filled my heart. Now, when I think back to it, the song completely overshadows the trial. And it's been that way all along! Next to the Psalms, nothing has lifted my spirit like the hymns.
I can't say I have a favorite... There are too many wonderful hymns which speak to different occasions and situations we face day to day, but the following song has become ONE of my all-time favorites:

Born on October 3, 1832, in Sweden, Lina was the daughter of a pastor. When she was twenty-six years of age, she accompanied her father on a journey to Gothenburg, but tragedy occurred before the destination was reached. The ship gave a sudden lurch and Lina’s father fell overboard, and drowned before the eyes of his devoted daughter.
Soon many songs began to flow out of her broken heart. Her songs reflect a simple child-like trust in Christ, and a deep sense of His abiding presence in her life, including this song.
Day by day, and with each passing moment, Strength I find, to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment, I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.
He Whose heart is kind beyond all measure Gives unto each day what He deems best—
Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure, Mingling toil with peace and rest.

Oh, I guess I really didn't get to the book overview... Maybe some other time.

Thank Goodness for Kleenex PLUS!

2008-02-26T09:49:00.000-08:00

Well, I think any blogging aspirations I may have had, have kind of faded into oblivion the past few days. Actually, most of life has been put on hold, due to a nasty head cold, flu-like symptoms, and a nagging sinus infection. At this point, what I can say is... Kleenex PLUS is the best thing to come along since soft-spread butter!!! I'll spare you the rest of the details and hope to be blogging again very soon.

Making a Comeback!

2008-02-19T12:10:00.000-08:00

The last few days have been spent at the hospital- rooting for the very life of a wonderful man from our church family. Jim Purcell fell in his driveway this past week. From the outset, we knew he had fallen on his face, and his front teeth had gone through his upper lip. However, we didn't know how traumatic things were going to become. His wife and I were waiting for him to be brought back from a CAT scan whenever the Dr. let us know that he would be going straight to the trauma unit, because they had found blood on the brain. (He was on 3 different types of blood thinners and this was dramatically increasing the danger. During this time, he completely lost mobility in his right leg, and eventually his right arm.) After a couple more CAT scans, they found the blood was increasing, so he was taken for emergency surgery on Sunday morning. He pulled through the first surgery, and we felt good about that. The Dr. had warned us that this could continue to be a pattern. A few hours later, after yet another CAT scan, they found he was bleeding in another area of his brain, so it was back in for a 2nd emergency surgery. His precious wife asked the Dr. if he was going to make it and the Dr.'s reply was, "If I can get the bleeding stopped." How emotionally spent the family must have felt! It's really hard when you just don't know for sure how things are going to end up. The Dr. also said that if he ever saw a man with a will to live, it was Jim! And that made his medical staff want to fight all the harder to save his life.

Different ones have been asking about Jim... I am happy to report that he is starting to show some signs of recovery. He has been taken off the ventilator and talked to Dan today in somewhat of a coherent manner. The CAT scans they have done since the 2nd surgery show improvement. The Dr. did say that it would be 3 days before he can say for sure that he is "out of the woods". We're just trusting and believing!

The Dr. did say he would not regain the use of his leg, and possibly his arm. We'll see! Someone made the comment that "Jim wouldn't be driving anymore." Dan said, "If I know Jim Purcell, he'll be driving with his left leg."

Jim is a man of quiet strength. He loves children and always seems to interact in such a way that kids are drawn to him. He was the first one to take my son fishing. Dan was along for the trip as well, but Jim had invited and it was in his boat that Clayton caught his first fish.

His wife says, "I don't know of anything he can't do!" If something is broken, he will most usually always find a way to fix it. He has even sewn curtains for her. I don't know of too many men who would go out on that venture. Ha!

What was amazing to me was... even with a very black chin, a swollen, lacerated upper lip, a broken nose, and those not even being the serious things involved, he was still trying to get out the words "Thank you", whenever the nurse did something for him. And he was trying to say "I love you" to his wife. Those were some very precious moments in the midst of an extremely difficult circumstance.

We're still rooting for Jim!!

Joann's 90% Off Sale

2008-02-06T10:48:00.000-08:00

For anyone who might be interested, I thought I would mention that Joann's Christmas Decor just went on sale for 90% off. This has not happened with left-over stock for quite some time. They have not been reducing beyond 75%. The rest has then been donated to the Salvation Army. I understand that stores have had a lot of Christmas merchandise left this year, that is why the switch in this policy has taken place. There are some great deals, especially on spools of ribbon, wreaths and garland. Our store is a Super Store with model status. I don't know how much merchandise the regular Joanns Stores will have left.
So... if you're not experiencing (as we are) the start of a "predicted" 7-10 inches of snow today... if you can even bring your eyes to look at Christmas decor again this soon after-the-fact... head on over to Joanns! I'm just SO ready to have it GONE! The fly-away glitter and the little red berries detaching from their stems have long since lost their attraction! :-)

Happy Birthday!!!

2008-02-04T20:09:00.000-08:00

To a special person in our life:

My Mother-in-Law

A Winner!

2008-02-03T10:35:00.000-08:00

I'm excited to announce the WINNER of my bloggy giveaway! Using an online random generator, the person chosen was Stephanie from Rhode Island at Stephanie's Mommy Brain! What a sweet lady! She will receive a Joann's Gift Card to use in whatever way she pleases.
Thanks so much to all of you for participating. Maybe we'll try it again sometime.

I was also SURPRISED to know that I had won something. Vickie, of the blog: Pursuing Simplicity, had offered a gift pack for the Mother of a Teenager. The gift set included a $10.00 gift card to Starbucks, some fine Dark Chocolate, and a book for parents of teenagers, Boundaries for Teens, by Henry Cloud and John Townsend. I simply left a comment, and I just found out I am the winner. I'm excited!! Thank you, Vickie!
She has some interesting posts, so check them out at pursuingsimplicity.blogspot.com/

If you haven't already, please take time to visit Shannon's great website, Rocks in My Dryer. She is the host for the Bloggy Carnival Give Away. She has a lot of fun and cool events going on there!

Give Away Carnival

2008-01-29T22:29:00.000-08:00

Just for fun--- I thought I would participate in the bloggy carnival giveaway.
Denise Bittinger had a link to this site and I found it interesting... Just thought I'd try it. I'll let you know how it goes. :-)

I'm giving away a $10.00 gift card to JoAnn Fabric Store.
(I work there and it's a pleasant place to work.)

All you need to do is leave a comment and mention your favorite hobby, if you have one.

If you don't have a blog, please leave your contact information. You must leave a comment before midnight on Sat., Feb. 2nd.

I will be drawing for the winner on Feb. 3rd. The winner must contact me within 3 days of notification. No gimmicks, no tricks, just join in the FUN! Thanks!!

To link to other blogs which are participating CLICK HERE.

Need a Laugh?

2008-01-28T08:54:00.000-08:00

Our little dog was groomed on Sat. and this is what he came back looking like.
We did not know this was going to happen.
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. lol. Mostly, we laughed.
He's looks so different!

The "new" Buddy

What had been his normal look.
This pic was taken a few months ago.

Changes and The Routine

2008-01-27T23:19:00.001-08:00

The apple template was getting old, so I decided to switch to something different... kind of obvious, huh!

I don't know if it's because I'm a homeschool mother and this happens to be the month of January, but "routine" is a word I can relate to very well. To be honest though, many times I find comfort in the same location, same schedule, same friends, etc. Especially when I think of the alternative, such as the routine being broken by difficult and unforeseen circumstances. Which leads me to mention that I'm very thankful my husband is home after a stay in the hospital a few days ago- he was working in some fiberglass which caused him to develop an allergic reaction or a chemical asthma. His oxygen level began to plummet, among other symptoms. After being very miserable and suffering for about 3 days, he decided to go to the Dr... The Dr. sent him straight to the hospital. Breathing treatments, antibiotics and steroids have been his "story" since then. He's doing much better. We're so glad he's home! Routine is coming back into the Plemmons household slow but sure. And I'm seeking radiance in knowing God is with us in the routine OR extraordinary days of our lives!

A Very Impressive Cookbook!

2008-01-21T08:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Sherri Wolfe's mother gave me a copy of the beautiful new cookbook by the Women of Worth group in Hobe Sound, FL. The title is Kitchen Komforts. If you cook alot and sometimes go through the "What shall I fix for dinner today?" syndrome, this book is for you!! There are over 1,000 very practical recipes (which look to be extremely delicious!), and I'm so anxious to try them. Several names which I recognize have contributed their family recipes or recipes which have been a hit at church gatherings through the years. I noticed that you may order the book by sending $20.00 plus $4.00 shipping and handling to: Ruth Vernon, 8606 SE Alabama Place, Hobe Sound, FL 33455 (Also, I heard that they were going to be made available at IHC this year.)

I'm especially looking forward to trying:

Baked Vidalia Onion Dip

Blueberry Breakfast Sauce

Bonnymill Baked Eggs (A breakfast casserole which doesn't call for bread)

Cinnabon Rolls

Amish Barbequed Hamburgers

Rich and Creamy Potato Bake

Ho-Ho Cake

Easy Elegant No-Bake Cheesecake

Just to name a few...

A Gentle Reminder From My Teenager

2008-01-17T13:04:00.000-08:00

Today, Amber and I were at our bank drive-thru. My patience was wearing thin and I voiced it by saying how it seems the tellers are slow at this particular bank and I always have to wait. Amber responded by saying, "Life is too short to....." I thought maybe she was going to say, "... to spend your life sitting at the bank." Ha! Instead she was saying, "Life's too short to spend time complaining about something such as this (beyond my control)." Thanks, Amber, for that reminder! God used it to cause me to stop and think of how few my complaints should really be in light of His wonderful blessings. Also, a good laugh was brought about by the whole discussion. (Just between us.)

Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery, and Today is a Gift!

That's why it's called The Present!

Lord, help me to unwrap it in such a way that I try to make the very best of each and every moment possible.

Happy 1st Birthday, Bensen!!

2008-01-17T07:53:00.000-08:00

My nephew, Bensen, turns one today! He's so much fun! It had been 7 1/2 yrs. since we had a baby in the family. Bensen has brought a lot of joy and laughter. Below is a clip I took at Christmas time of Bensen cooing on pitch. (Great-Grandpa Sneed sort of joined in part way through. He never claimed to have a knack for singing... Ha! And you can hear Mamaw's comment about not ever having seen a baby do that before!! The funny thing is- he only does it when someone else does it, and stops when they stop.)

I LOVE THIS!!

2008-01-05T09:55:00.000-08:00

The Lord is gracious to those who serve Him;
Full of compassion to those who need Him;
Slow to anger for those who offend Him;
and of great mercy to those who seek Him!!

Don't know where I found this a few years back, but it is so TRUE!
What a great God!!!

And Happy New Year!!!

2008-01-01T07:38:00.000-08:00

After spending a week in sunny southern Indiana and enjoying the fact that we didn't even have to wear a coat, we have come home to good ole Michigan and several inches of snow!!! It is beautiful!! Happy New Year One and All!!

Snapshots from Christmas

2008-01-01T06:20:00.000-08:00

It is such a wonderful thing to gather with family for Christmas. I'm very thankful we were able to make the trip to southern Indiana this year. After an 8 hour trip, we arrived on Christmas Day around 5:00 in the evening. My parents, my sister's family and my grandparents were there to greet us. We had a scrumptious dinner and a most enjoyable time together. A man can be as poor as Job's turkey, but if he has a caring family- he's RICH!!! I know that we are so blessed!

My Mom's beautiful centerpiece

Together time-- Carson (My sister's son) and Clayton

Dad, Jeff (My brother-in-law) and Mom

Grandpa Sneed trying on his new suit coat

Carson and Grandma Sneed

The boys with Papaw and their airgun sets

Baby's First Christmas
Crystal, Bensen and Papaw

Our girl!

On Thursday the guys decided to go to the White Steamer (downtown restaurant
in Washington). Dan loves that place! I'm not so sure about it. LOL!
My Mom, sister and I took the kids and went to the BEST Mexican restaurant
anywhere- (in my opinion) Mi Pueblos!

Mom and Bensen

Carson with his favorite... Nachos Mexicanos

My sister ordered "El Presidente". You can't tell by the picture, but this plate was HUGE!!! We split it three ways.

On Friday evening, my sister invited us over for chili and a game night.
It was fun!

Dad and Mom

A wrestling match usually has a way of breaking out when you get
these three together.

I had so much fun with Bensen!!

Dan with Bensen

My sister's Colt's fans

Amber and Bensen

Crystal's hot wings are awesome!!

Crystal and Carson

In The Snow

2007-12-17T15:38:00.000-08:00

Here's a quick snapshot I took of Clayton and Buddy playing in the snow today. This was taken before Clayton decided it was worth it to come in and get some snow pants on. He had a lot of fun. Brrrr! I wasn't out there long, but it really is cold out there. Buddy hops around in this snow like a kangaroo. It's cute to watch him. If you upsize the picture, you can see that his face is covered in it.

A Christmas Treat!

2007-12-15T18:26:00.000-08:00

My sister passed this recipe along to me this week. Amber made them tonight and they are very hard to leave alone. They're great! I don't even know what they're called...
Here are the ingredients needed:
1/2 bar white Bakers choc. bark
1/2 12oz. bag of white Nestle morsels
Add dash of mint extract
Heat these in microwave dish until melted.
Dip Ritz crackers in melted chocolate.
Then sprinkle with Peppermint Andes Crunch. I found them in the baking aisle near the chocolate chips.
I tried several grocery stores before I finally found the Andes Candy bits at the Super Wal-Mart.

Thank God for Kids!!

2007-12-12T19:08:00.000-08:00

What is a home without children? Quiet. ~Henny Youngman
As the song says, "We'd all live in a quiet house without Big Bird or Mickey Mouse."
In other words.... Life would have some pretty dull moments!
Their voices bring chatter, amusement, questions, compliments and sometimes an embarrassing moment or two... You never know what they will think of next and I love it!!
Tonight, Clayton said, "Mom, you know what I want to be now?" Answer: "A Train DEductor!"

Christmas Drama 2006

Our Trip To Florida :-)

2007-12-09T15:19:00.000-08:00

Tonight we are visiting Hobe Sound Bible Church (Hobe Sound, FL) for their Living Christmas Tree presentation.......................................................
via the internet..... and don't we wish! (It did make for a great blog title though, didn't it!)
Actually, we really are enjoying a quiet winter Sunday evening here in southeastern Michigan. Church for tonight has been canceled due to freezing rain. We had the Black family here for dinner today. We've missed Amber. She's on her way back from God's Bible School and their Christmas program, which she attended last night. I had planned on making the 1 1/2 hour drive to meet Dan's sister to pick her up tonight, but decided against it due to the weather. Have a great Sunday evening!

Birthday Party for Jesus

2007-12-09T15:11:00.001-08:00

Every year in December, our homeschool support group has a birthday party for Jesus. This year was no exception. It was held at our local library. The games and activities were geared toward the reason for the season, the birth of Christ. Our group leader teaches a cake decorating class at Michaels, so naturally she was designated to bring the cake. She even made a beautiful cookie bouquet. The kids had a great time.

A Neat Gift Idea

2007-12-09T15:01:00.000-08:00

The theme for our Women of Worth meeting this month was "Candy Cane Christmas".
This was one of the door prizes. You can use most any candy for the top. This has fake snow and peppermints in the base of the Sunday dish, then a styrofoam ball which fits right on top. The peppermints on top were glued onto the styrofoam ball with hot glue. The curly ribbon (the curly ribbon on this one is white with the words Merry Christmas in red) and red pom pom is in the middle at the top with the two straws. Gift shops sell these for around $15.00. If you can find an inexpensive sundae dish, you can probably make one for approximately $5.00.

Christmas Piano Recital

2007-12-01T20:07:00.000-08:00

Today Amber had her first piano recital with her new teacher, Mrs. Cynthia Webster.
She played a piano duet (2 pianos) with Alyssa Gronow. The song was "O Holy Night" (arr. Clydesdale). Mrs. Webster had so many creative ideas included in the program.
For this particular recital she chose to have several duets, some with other instruments played by musical family members.

Amber & Mrs. Webster

Alyssa & Amber

The Disappearing Act!

2007-11-29T21:16:00.001-08:00

We've been having a time keeping track of our car keys! Tuesday, I started to leave for work, but couldn't find my keys. I quickly summoned the other members of the household, and we started the search. At first, I knew I could use Dan's, but his were missing too. Go figure! :-)
Finally, I believe it was Amber who saved the day and found one of our sets. I got to work and entered the break room in a flurry, kind of muttering all the details of my aformentioned dilemma to those around me. I was able to clock in to work with 1 precious minute to spare!
The evening went fairly well, and then we all clocked out about 11:00 p.m. (due to the new holiday hours).
As we were all preparing to leave, I realized, ONCE AGAIN, that I couldn't find my keys.
This time I had locked them in my car!
Lord knows, I'm the EXTREMELY reluctant type to have to ask someone for a favor, especially on account of my thoughtless behaviour! Not to mention the time involved,
11:00 p.m.
In the meantime, I had a dear co-worker who offered to take me home and then back to work. (Fortunately, someone had found Dan's set by then.) I only live 5 min. away. I was so very grateful for the extra mile she went to help me out. After a day like
this, I've been advised to get an extra made to have in my wallet. Chances are, I'd lose my wallet.:-) I guess it's usually not that bad!
Actually, Amber is using my keys probably more than I have been lately. We still need to have a set made for her too. It's awesome to have a Chauffeur!

Mom Has Part In This Year's Pardoned Turkey!

2007-11-22T18:50:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving the most "lucky" turkey hailed from none other than Dubois County, Indiana (where my parents live). Following tradition, President Bush pardoned a turkey (actually two turkeys) just before Thanksgiving. The turkey this year will be spared from the 165 degree oven heat and flown first class to the more moderate temperatures at Disney World to live in the backyard of Mickey Mouse's Country House at the Magic Kingdom. The event has been updated in recent years to include a bird-naming contest, with votes cast on the White House Web site. Nominees this year included Wing and Prayer, Wish and Bone, and Tom and Jake. Vice President Cheney's suggestion was Lunch and Dinner. As it turned out, May and Flower were the winning names.

Where does my mom fit into this story? :-) Mom works for an upscale, downtown clothing store, Sieberts, in Jasper. She works full time doing alterations. She altered the man's (Mr. Seger) suit who took the turkey from Dubois County to President Bush. (I believe he is one of the two men standing behind President Bush, along with their mother on the left.) SO, there you have it! :-)

And a very Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We spent the day as a family. I has asked a widow from our church to join us for dinner, but her family decided to get together. We are blessed and very thankful for God's bountiful care!

Great job, Mom! I'm sure the suit fit very well!

3 Doe, But No "Go" :-(

2007-11-21T20:42:00.001-08:00

The guys arrived home Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately, they didn't get a deer. They saw three doe. Without a doe tag, they couldn't shoot. They were in good spirits though and had a lot of fun. I loved this video clip Dan took of Clayton
shooting this 22. I know I'm probably biased, but I think he's such a natural!

Jen Hartkopf spent the night with us on Saturday night. That day, she and Amber had gone shopping, practiced music for Sunday, etc. (Since her engagement she spends a lot of weekends in Illinois with Wesley, so we just love it when she's able to be "home".) Dan snapped this pic of them Sunday morning. Thought I'd share it too.

Decorating for Christmas

2007-11-14T08:24:00.000-08:00

I know, it's early yet. And I certainly don't want to take anything away from the blessed Thanksgiving holiday.... but decorating is a process, December is extremely busy, and on and on it goes! Plus, I kind of like the feeling of having the Christmas tree up as we gather for Thanksgiving dinner.
We usually do have our tree up before Thanksgiving. Once November arrives, my family is after me to get it up.
Dan and Clayton left for up north and the cabin with a man from our church this morning. They are going to be ready for Michigan's opening day of gun season and deer hunting tomorrow. They're to be gone through Saturday. Dan's not an avid hunter, but has taken up the sport within the past couple of years, because Clayton has taken such an interest in it. It does give them some quality father-son time. I would be ecstatic for them if they could get a deer. It will have to be a buck, because the doe tags were sold out.
Knowing they had planned to be gone, I thought I would spend this time decorating my house for Christmas. Clayton didn't like that idea. He wanted to be home whenever I decorated, so I started this past Monday instead. Why is it that every year, I have to create a BIG disaster just to decorate for Christmas? Am I the only one to which this happens? It usually takes 2-3 days to recover from the disaster- if you know what I mean. So, now I'm in recovery mode! But the joy of the season is surrounding my heart, all the same!

A couple of years ago, I was wanting to do something a bit different to update my Christmas tree decor, but knew I didn't want to spend the money to completely buy all new stuff. While at work, a lady mentioned how that she had gone across the street to Bordine's Nursery and learned to make bows. I went to Bordines and found that it wasn't as hard as I would have thought. It just takes some patience. We sell some beautiful ribbon at Joanns, so I bought three different types and mixed them for the bows which I added to my tree. Ribbons and bows are fun! They can be used in floral arrangements, gift wrapping and so many other ways.

I live within one mile of the nations largest Salvation Army Thrift Store. Due to some of the high class lifestyles in the surrounding area, there are some great finds. A few years ago I found this nativity scene for somewhere around $3-$5. I had been wanting one for a long time. I was thoroughly satisfied with this one.

There are so many things which aren't important that vie for our attention at this time of year. I really do desire to keep Christ first! Even as the secular culture tries to push Him away, I welcome Him here!

Kitchen Tip

2007-11-13T21:19:00.000-08:00

When fixing Sunday dinner, I like to do as much as I can on Saturday or at least Sunday morning before heading off to church. With my casseroles, usually they have to be reheated before I serve them. When I was at my parents a few weeks ago, my mom shared this tip with me. After baking her casserole, she covered it with tin foil. Then she wrapped the casserole in newspaper. Yes, newspaper! A friend from her church told her about this recently. Last of all, she placed it in her insulated casserole carrier. It was still very warm when we got home from church. As I recall, she didn't have to reheat it at all. And they live 25-30 min. from their church. Try it and see what you think!

Michigan Conference Christmas Dinner

2007-11-12T21:12:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday Dan and I attended the annual Michigan Pilgrim Christmas Dinner at the Fire Mountain Restaurant in our state capital of Lansing. It takes up most of the day for us to attend, but we did have such a nice time! I enjoyed sitting by Miss Ellen Beal. She homeschools two young boys in her home. She's also a one stroke painter.
Here's a photo of Dan with Conference President, James Southerland. Dan has been our
District Zone Chairman for about 8 yrs., but felt it was time to resign this year, so I was glad to get a pic. Rev. Martin Laramie was voted to fill the position this year. We feel he will do an excellent job. We look forward to supporting his endeavors for zone meetings, etc.

Our "Buddy"

2007-11-08T17:48:00.002-08:00

It's been almost two years since our dog, "Chow", left us. I'll never forget
watching Clayton, then six, as he knelt looking out his bedroom window, just sobbing. Amber also was hurting very badly. Talk about sad!! (We had rescued Chow 3 1/2 yrs. before from the slums of Pontiac. He was a puppy. His Mother was full-blooded Chow. We had some tough times with him during the training process. He would be so mean. But he became a great dog and we loved him.)
Anyways, lately my kids have been really wanting to get a dog again. I wasn't too serious about it, but I could tell Dan was acting more interested. I guess I thought I might as well join 'em. :-) My stipulations were that I wanted a small dog and one that didn't shed.
We were looking on Craigslist and came across an ad: shih tzu, 2 yrs. old, please no small children. I called about it. The lady told me how it snapped at her kids. She wouldn't even leave it alone in the room with her kids. She had only had it two months. It was kind of a strange conversation. But the price was great for a full-blooded shih tzu, so I asked if we could make arrangements to see it. She said we would need to plan to be there quite awhile before it would get used to us.
When we arrived in the area where the dog was located, I knew the situation seemed bleaker by the minute. The door and windows of the house were barred. We went to the door and a young African American couple greeted us. She had the dog on a leash and it was barking ferociously. The house smelled like a zoo! I heard a lot of barking coming from elsewhere in the house and it didn't sound like from small dogs. Amber's great with dogs! So she started talking to it. Over the next few minutes and the course of conversation with this couple, we found out that they had 3 children under three years old, 6 pit bulls downstairs, and another shih tzu. This dog was kept in it's little cage most of the time. The man said, "This dog does not like males. It doesn't like me!" The first time Amber tried to reach out and pet it, it snapped at her. She kept talking to it. Shortly after, it started coming around. Amber fell in love with it. Long story short: we walked out with the dog and haven't had a problem since.
He was so furry we couldn't tell by looking at him, but when I first petted him I noticed that his back bone and rib bones were extremely protruding. Yesterday, I even started worrying that maybe he had a bad physical problem. When I picked him up from being groomed today, the lady said he was emaciated. So we look forward to giving it a lot of TLC!
"Buddy" has acclimated to our lifestyle wonderfully! Dan said, "He thinks he's moved to a mansion." :-) Compared to what he was used to, I guess that could be true. He's completely potty-trained. Clayton sits at the kitchen table while doing his school work and Buddy sat under his feet quite a bit of the morning. He's starting to actually bark and wag his tail, which was very seldom the first 24 hours here.
Here are some new pics from after his "day at the spa".

Picture # 2: Before grooming.
Picture # 3: After grooming.

In other news: Recently, I enrolled Clayton into a homeschool art class. Mr. Don West has a wonderful ministry in our area of teaching Christian Art to kids. He has many classes in different suburbs of Detroit. I think there were probably 20-25 kids enrolled in the afternoon class Clayton was involved in today. Matter of fact, he has so many students interested in taking the class, that he has a morning and afternoon class at this particular location. It takes place once a month and is $10.00 for the two hour class. Clayton loved it! This picture was taken during their recess. Most of the kids were outside. I had to pick Clayton up early, because he left to go up north for an overnight stay at the cabin with Dave Walker. He called and he has been having a lot of fun: eating deer jerky, riding the four wheeler, etc. I'm so happy for him!

Rescued!

2007-11-07T18:59:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to post a pic of this shih tzu that we rescued today.
Well actually we bought it. (Quite a story!) We're very pleased so far.
He's two years old. Will post more about it later and will try to
post more pics after it has been groomed.

Candy Apple Salad

2007-11-06T07:46:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe last fall and really enjoyed it. I've made a few changes to it this year, and it's even better! (Last year, I just used peanuts instead of Snicker bars.) It could be served as a dessert, but I have always served it as a fruit salad. Someone described it as tasting like "candy apples at the fair".

Ingredients:
2 cups Red Delicious apples, 2 cups Granny Smith apples- peeled, cored and chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup white sugar
1 (8 0z.) crushed pineapple, with juice
1 Tbls. flour
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbls. white vinegar
1 (8 oz.) Cool Whip
2 Snicker Bars, cut into small pieces
Caramel Ice Cream Topping

Directions:
In a saucepan over medium heat, stir together the egg, flour, sugar, vinegar and pineapple. Cook until thick, about 6 minutes. Set aside until completely cool.
In a large serving bowl, fold together the pineapple mixture and whipped topping. Carefully mix in the apples and 1 and a 1/2 of the Snicker bars. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 Snicker bar on the top. Drizzle with enough Caramel Ice Cream Topping just to make it pretty. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

It's Sunday! Come and Dine!

2007-11-04T17:39:00.000-08:00

I'm on a roll! I decided to continue my blogging streak to make it three days in a row. Certainly don't know how much longer this will continue... Guess it's like a kid with a new toy. Aren't things always more fun when they're new? :-)

Today we enjoyed the company of Michael, Crystal, Kyle and Taylor Mason. They were here representing their upcoming mission work in Mexico. I took a picture, but some who read my blog will receive the church newsletter, so maybe I'd better hold off on that.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, last Sunday I enjoyed the day with my family in IN. Gathering with most all of my immediate family, including my grandparents, was such a blessing.
Earlier in the day, we went to their beautiful rural church for Sunday worship. My dad, who happens to be the Song Leader there, posed a question to the congregation which has continued to resurface in my mind… “What if you invited me to your home for dinner today? You had set out your very best, and spent much time preparing a delectable spread. Meat, mashed potatoes & gravy and hot dinner rolls (tradition, right!) were on the menu. As I arrived and was directed to the table, I just sat and looked on. You asked if I was feeling well… 'Yes, it all looks so good.' But there was no participation.”
My Dad likened that simply analogy to how our Heavenly Father must feel at times. Whenever we come to the house of God, there is so much of which we can partake. His goodness and mercies are very evident and available! Jesus has the table spread!! He invites His chosen people come and dine!!

I must admit, there have been times after a service when I have reminisced by saying, “It’s all been so great!” However, there was somewhat of an empty feeling within, due to my present personal circumstances or whatever was weighing heavy upon my heart at the time. Maybe I missed finding my heart's real desire by my introversion.
On the flip side, I am thankful I have experienced those times of feasting with the King. It can take place at anytime/anywhere. I have known wonderful times of closeness with God at home at my little patio table outside (my quiet place when the weather's right). But there’s still something about the collective gathering of God’s people which I long for after a few days of being involved in the work-a-day-world routine. It's a place where you bring your hearty appetite. I bring mine. All the while waiting for the feast of all feasts… the Marriage Supper of the Lamb!

Last Weekend Photo

2007-11-03T12:32:00.001-07:00

We had a great time last weekend. We took in Youth Challenge and from there went to visit my family. We were all together on Sunday for dinner. That doesn't happen very often. It was great!! There's nothing like Mom's Sunday Dinners! This is Amber, Clayton (left) and my sister's 10 year old son, Carson. Since the only other grandchild (Bensen) of my parents isn't in this photo, I'll add a recent picture that I just LOVE! Bensen also belongs to my sister, Crystal. Isn't he adorable!?!

Apple Mania

2007-11-02T20:24:00.000-07:00

Tonight, on a whim, I decided to create this blog. I didn't really expect it to take this long... but here I am! I've been inspired by the blogs of so many friends and family members. Reading about your everyday lives has brought a connection we never would have had before.

This past month has been Apple Mania around the Plemmons household. Michigan is one of the top three apple producing states in the nation. We've enjoyed two trips to cider mills, one with our church group and one with our homeschool group. There's nothing like their warm fresh donuts and apple cider! I've found two wonderful new apple recipes, which I will try to share soon. I've never been much for making apple pies, but this year I've made about 5 of them. (Maybe because I've found a crust recipe I really like.) My nephew asked that I make one for the GBS Homecoming Fundraiser.

Our Women of Worth meeting this month was based on the theme "Taste and See". It was held in my home. We had a full course meal: Chicken with Apple Cream Sauce and Rice, Sweet Potato Apple Bake, Sliced Apples with Dip, Apple Waldorf Salad, Candy Apple Salad, Bread from Great Harvest Bread Co. and Topsy Turvy Apple Pie. My outdated "apple" kitchen decor did serve a purpose in creating the setting for our meeting. Most of all, I was reminded once again of these simple truths: God is the source of all goodness. Any goodness we may have is granted to us by God. As God's children, we are reflections of God's goodness to others.