Thursday, July 29, 2010

Princess House


I remember when Princess House and Interior Decorating were all the rage for home makers.  I was invited to parties and I even went... to covet mostly, I admit.  Normal people couldn't afford the wonderful household pretties these companies offered.  At one of those parties I bought a set of small square mirrors.  I still have one of those mirrors but it doesn't decorate my house. It's old and alone and too small to be of any use.

One of Lisl and Dru's wedding guests gave them a Princess House vase.  They had it in storage and had never used it.  Lisl admired it when she opened her wedding gifts and put back in it's box. Then she went to Thailand.  The vase sat in storage along with their other possessions to be forgotten for over two years.  Last month when she came home, she found it and brought it in to me.  "While I'm home, I want to use this vase." 

The vase is beautiful.  The little lid with holes for the top lets you arrange the flowers nicely with plenty of space.  Even the stems are beautiful through the glass and water.  I looked it up on line to see what it's worth in dollars.  Etsy has one, not as large, without the lid for 18 dollars.

It's worth a lot more than that to me to have fresh flowers on my table all summer from the garden.  Thanks, Lisl, for sharing this lovely vase with me while you're home.  

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Canoe Date



We put in on Grindstone Lake at the landing and took the shoreline to our right till we came to the channel.  By the time we got to the channel a rain storm was coming up so we motored through quickly to find shelter under the bridge.  We weren't the only boaters looking for a dry place to wait till the cloud went over. 

A boy in his fishing boat came in under with us from the other side, pulling his craft in under him walking his hands along the ceiling of the bridge over us.  Next three people in a canoe already soaked from the downpour came in and pretty well filled up the usable space left for sheltering.


We left the bridge as the sun was coming through and found our way over into Courderay Lake.  As soon as we got over the sandy shoals there we were into the waters of Courderay Lake.  The storm had picked the waves up so our course across was fun with a few white caps.  Elv likes flat water best when he is navigating the canoe but I enjoy the waves meeting us and exploding almost to the top of the canoe.  I trust Elv's driving and the water was beautiful: grey under the cloudy skies to our left and blue under the blue sky to our right.  You can't get a picture of that sort of thing, so I didn't try.

We channeled under another bridge and were promptly in the Little Courderay Lake.  We were looking for the St.Francis Mission there a little out of our way to the Billy Boy Flowage, but I wanted to see it from the water side.  I was disappointed with it...could hardly see it from the lake.  So we went back down the shore to our next channel and bridge dumping into the Billy Boy Flowage. 

Do you see the rainbow on this picture? It stayed a long time and was rather showy. 
We caught a few fish there.  The flowage is a wide swampy looking lake, long like a river and eventually dumps over a dam down on Rt 27 and into the Courderay River.  We found panfish, little sunfish and bluegill, and bass that were never big enough to keep.  The big one got away snapping Elv's line completely. We came home with a dozen fish which he immediately cleaned and added to Lance's fish frying for supper.  
 

There were whole "fields" of these flowers all along the edges of the lakes and channels.  I kept taking pictures of them and in the sunshine couldn't tell if I was getting anything nearly as impressive as they are in real life.    We covered a little over 13 miles of water in our canoe, a perfect way to spend a summer Saturday.  

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Our Summer Verses Colosians 3:12-17


12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,

13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.


Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Marmee's Post

                                        Introducing the beautiful Gwendolyn Marie Burkey.  


                                                                  And Jubilant Dean Lattin

Monday, July 19, 2010

The Lost Cell Phone

  I lost my cell phone.  It happened in one of my crazy moments.  I had called a sister to "share" (air a gripe, to be honest) with her and get something off my chest.  Let's just say that I didn't consider discretion and patience as the better part of being virtuous in the heat of the moment.  I even felt convicted as I went to call her...that I ought to forget it...but I went ahead.  Of course, it was a rather satisfactory conversation...we pretty much had the world's injustices solved and settled, you know.

We talked while I was out at the clothesline hanging up laundry.  When we were done talking I put the phone down? or no, I think I brought it in and set it somewhere...where?  It rang twice before voice mail picked up when I called it from the house phone, over and over while I ranged far and wide... in and out listening for the familiar tune.  I gave up till later in the evening when I wanted it again.  That time when I called it; voice mail picked up immediately.  Okay, so now it's "out of reception" or destroyed completely somewhere...please, not out in all that rain!

That was Saturday. Now it's Monday.  Still no phone.  Saturday night I woke during the night still thinking and searching in my mind about it.  It was like I could almost figure it out...just short of remembering...  When Elv walked out the door this morning he instructed, "Find your phone today, okay?"  That's when I realized that ever since I tried to find it Saturday, I have been solving and searching in the back of my brain both waking and sleeping.  It's nearly driving me crazy. 

Finally, after two days I think it's time to pray about it and skip it till it shows up.  We have a small yard and a small house. It's gotta be around here somewhere! In the meantime I have had plenty of time and opportunity to think about how unnecessary that conversation I had with my sister was.  Okay so someone else was brassy and inconsistent, but so am I sometimes.  When am I going to learn to let it go and let God grow them up as He is TRYING to grow me up...if I can be quiet long enough to notice what HE wants of me.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Melinda's Wedding...My Version

 The household got up at 7:30 this morning and we were all thrown into a flurry of preparing for the wedding.  Amber's hem, a forgotten sleeve, some lace, and elastic work all fell into place.  Oops, Hannah forgot her serving frock, so I dug out a substitute and installed a new zipper for that.  White shirts all over the place...whose is whose?  Susan's eyes were shiny with tears as she pressed for the finish line...."Everybody out!"  Frank's eyes were still dewy as well, having been informed that her work outfit for the morning finishing touches of the arch was not appropriate. She quickly changed and met me at the bathroom door to apologize, leaving me with the feeling that I need to be a better mom long before a busy wedding morning.  Have you have ever gotten two families ready for a wedding in one small house?  Don't be critical...it's a feat. We've done it many a time and we'll do it again.

Jube, the chicken pox baby keeping me home for the wedding, fell asleep for his morning nap while the house slowly emptied.  Last man out slammed the door and he woke.  So he went with me on my hip to hang out the laundry.  He investigated the bugs, grass, and a dead clothespin while I worked.   A happy, sociable baby; he is named appropriately, Jubilant.  Love that baby. While I grated potatoes, I kept a sharp eye on him as he sat on the counter, his mouth in a round, "Oh!". 

About the time the bride and groom were walking up the aisle, I had most of the laundry hung out and the bread stirred up.  Jube and I settled for a bottle of mommy's saved milk and some hugs and giggles.  I really enjoyed this part of the wedding.

Then back to the kitchen where Jube pulled out the vinegar bottle onto the floor spilling a bit...I wiped it up.  He found a pepper shaker on the floor and was eating the cracker I gave him. The shaker is a wooden apple so it rolls nicely.  Next minute I looked and the pepper had sprawled all over the floor and he was gagging on the taste of it.  I quickly offered him a drink of water, but he declined, choosing rather to suffer the afflictions of pepper.  How do you tell a nine month old baby that water will help?!  

The clothes dried quickly and that's good because the clouds were rolling in.  Jube was getting ready  for his afternoon nap as the wedding party moved across town to the reception hall.  Elv, deciding that he'd rather skip the reception than go without me, walked in the door as I settled Jube down on his blanket for his afternoon nap.

 Dear Melinda,

   May God bless you abundantly in your married life. If I could wish anything special for you it would be that you can look back in 30 or 50 years and know that God did it all.  He is good.  

                                                                                      Love you, amg


Tuesday, July 13, 2010

I Am Learning Lately...

 * That I must somehow learn to paint pictures with words.

* That grandchildren call up all the latent mothering skills and that bonding is inevitable and intensely sweet...also a dagger when they leave.

*That unless 2 people who have been married for 28 years make an effort to remain close friends; life with all it's burdens, joys, and business will pull them along parallel paths much like the two wheel tracks on a woods trail...along side each other but always apart.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Family Times in July



     I cannot do justice to "Family Camping" in words or pictures.  I truly am not trying to do that here.  I am simply documenting that we had a good time, camped, and enjoyed the grandbabies.




 
 

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More Family Times In July






 

     Our children from Thailand and Nebraska came home to join the rest of our family for camping last week.  We did everything: camping, Rook, outdoor cooking, singing, canoeing, fishing, and talking by the hour. 



Friday, July 2, 2010

The Distraction Of My Life

 

I spent a good portion of my days this week with this little sweetheart.  He is a gentle, mild baby.  He is also a clown.  He loves to play and tussle.  Yesterday he took to whistling.  Dru thought I was weird when I said so after they got back from eating out with Melinda and Austin.   But that's okay, he'll hear him, too.  Anyway, I got in on one of those "firsts"!  :)

Tomorrow, Gabes are coming.  I shall be doubly distracted then.  Don't look for me here for a few days, okay?!

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