Gardening Photos, Almost Fall, and A Log Cabin Across the Miles

 Hi!

We're in the middle of VBA this week at work (Vacation Bible Adventure) and it's been so fun to watch the kids get excited about the activities! 

The theme is True North. Magnetic North is one thing but True North never changes.  Just like the Lord. He's the same yesterday, today and forever. 

The Kids Team did a phenomenal job decorating and they did something in every room and every space. One fun thing, while we were in Iowa last month my niece was preparing for their church's VBA, they were doing True North too, and she had created a log cabin that was stunning! She used old carpet rolls, wrapped them in crinkled paper and somehow put them together to make this cabin. 

We were blown away! So when we got home I showed our Kids Team this picture and they went to work finding supplies and ended up making one like it!

It amazes me the talent that some people have! I am not those people. Here's some more pictures of our VBA decor:

The waterfall on the left? That's our drum cage. And one of the hallways, with another waterfall at the end:

This week I've spent my time helping at VBA. When it ends at 12:30 I head upstairs to my desk and start my 'day job.' Then I come home and water the yard. That's about all the energy I have left!

My hydrangeas. When my mom was little they must have had a white one in their yard because she used to call it the 'snowball plant.' I've been told that the type of soil you have determines the colors of the flowers. I don't know anything about my soil, but I do love the way this one bush shows off it's colors:

And the flowers are big. Each year they seem to get bigger.

I'll use these for my greeting cards:

It's almost August and we've got a whole lot of blackberries! Each fall we cook them and make blackberry cobbler. It's so good with a little vanilla ice cream. That's like the official start of the fall season for us. What says fall to you?

And one more of the front of our house. I have calla lilies, orange dahlias, (hiding behind the lilies) and red geraniums. What's a flower that you grow every year? Or vegetable?

Have a great rest of your week!

A Girls Day Out

 Hi everyone,

Beth and I had a girls day out last week. A little work and a little fun. 

She had another doctor's appointment on Friday. I always have her read the signs to find out which hallway we're to go down. I don't know about you but it's easy for us to get lost in the maze of hallways and rooms. The test went well, it was just routine.

We're still waiting for the results.

Then it was off to DSW for some shoe shopping! Woohoo! She likes Saucony tennis shoes so it's easy to shop. She knows exactly what she wants and knows to look for the name as she goes down the aisle. I got some Bob's, they're a knock-off of Toms. I loved the colors as soon as I saw them. I'm really liking the blues and creams lately.

Beth just got home from karaoke and art so I ran down to see if I could take a picture of her shoes. I thought she would take them off but instead she spun her chair, and planted her feet. 😄 I think she's done 'peopling' for today.

After DSW we went to Chick-Fil-A for a late lunch/early dinner. We recently learned they're opening one right around the corner from our house! That could be dangerous!

Then it was home for rest and relaxation. We don't do it all the time but when we do, we love to shop!

When you shop, do you get in and get out? Or are you one to browse? Or do you shop on-line?

Have a great rest of your week!

An Apology

I hadn't seen a whole lot on the floods in Texas. Just little snippets here and there.

Then a few days ago I began seeing reels on social media, people's personal videos, their stories, and the aftermath.

One of the videos showed a family moving their cars to higher ground. I believe it was the dad yelling at everyone to go upstairs, to get higher because the river was coming. You could hear the fear and panic in their voices and see the river that ran in front of their house get higher and higher. 

I looked at the date and it was July 4. I thought about how they were probably going through that at the same time I was sitting in my lawn chair on the parade route.

And then I remembered my post about July 4th. And I was so embarrassed.

So many people are going through very hard stuff, they're evacuating due to brush fires, their children are fighting cancer, their homes - or worse - were washed away in the  floods... and here I was complaining about my view being obstructed. 

"Too many people around."

"Not enough floats."

"I can't see."

Oh my word. 

Please forgive me. 

I can get so caught up in my own little world and be so petty about things. I have been so blessed, I have nothing to complain about!

Lord, forgive my complaining heart. Help me to pray instead of complain. Open my eyes to see the world the way you do. Help me to see others and show me how to love them.

Family Stuff

 Hey everyone,

There's a lot happening in and around the family these days.

Diana is due any day now. The midwife says the baby is 'really big' so Diana's hoping he/she comes soon! We get to visit her and Peter next month and can't wait to see them and hold that new precious baby! Plus Adelaide! We're so excited!

We video chatted with them the other day. Adelaide is so articulate I have to keep reminding myself she's only two!

Sharaya and Ally have been exploring this summer. Sharaya always finds the best places. Summer school has started so she's driving busses, as well as doing dispatch. They came over for dinner last weekend and we played Mexican Train afterward. I didn't take a single picture. 😞

She took this of Mount St Helens. It's about 4 hours south of us and erupted back in 1980.

Beth continues to bowl and sing karaoke every week. Plus she works one day a week, and grocery shopping on Thursday. She's still trying to make better choices when she buys food. 

Here she is at work, getting disinfecting wipes to go clean the door handles, push bars, light switches... all those high touch areas around the church.

Hmmm, which orange juice to buy?

All done and heading for the registers.

Chuck and I are doing well. Jobs, yard work, house work, and watching TV fills our days. Course we just got back from Iowa and are planning for Pennsylvania next month! Chuck pulled a muscle in his back last month and was on L&I for a week or two but he's not in pain anymore and is back at work. 

I started to get sick in Iowa, but it was different. Just a cough for the first day or two. Then I had a sore throat for one day. The next morning my throat was fine but I had a stuffy nose. It's been a month and I still have the occasional cough but everything else is gone. I feel fine and am back to work.

We're having warm, sunny weather and that's always nice! Certainly lifts the spirits.

The alarm on my phone keeps going off, I need to go read the Sunday school lesson for this weekend. I'm teaching the kids about Samson. I know the story but I like to write out what I'm going to say so I stay on track and don't leave anything out. I should close and go get that done.

It's always great 'chatting' with you! 'Til next time -

Happy? Fourth

Hello,

The days just fly by and I find myself falling further behind in posting. I hope you all had a good Fourth of July holiday. 

I'm going to vent a little about ours. It was good, but we plan to try something different next year. Chuck and I got our chairs down to our usual intersection at 7am after they blocked off the streets. Got a good spot in the shade. At 9:30 all three of us came back down and settled in to people-watch while we waited for the parade to start. We're just two blocks from the beginning so we get to leave while it's still winding it's way through the streets. It's the perfect spot.

Not long after, a police officer came up and told us all that we would need to move our chairs because that part of the intersection was being used as an emergency exit. It never had been before but okay, we definitely understand. We moved our chairs over closer to the sidewalk, but still got to be 'in the street.' With the intersection now empty, we had a big, clear view toward the start, and of all the participants as they would come down the street!

What we didn't know was that he was going to allow people to stand in the intersection. No chairs allowed. Oh. As it got closer to start time, there were so many people that crowded into that space we could only see directly in front of us.

And there were so many kids! We've been at that spot for many years and have never seen so many. Then we hear a dad ask his kids, "Why are we here?" 

"Candy!!"

"And why are we at the front of the parade?"

"Because they haven't run out of candy!"

"That's right!"

So many of the kids had bags that they would fill, like Halloween. One girl even went out to the street to a parade participant and took the candy right out of her hand! 

It was different.

We had the usual participants:

  Some fun ones:

And a few that made you grateful:

And the horses. They're always a favorite!

But this year I would say 85% of the entries were promotions for local political candidates, or shops, or businesses. It was just one big commercial. 

Plus, in 2020 our town decided to stop doing the big fireworks show so you leave the parade and that's that. We've always loved celebrating July 4th in our town but this year was just meh. 

I did make our usual jello dessert. Diana even made it for Adelaide this year. She called it her 'wibbly wobbly.' 😄

I do want to acknowledge the victims of the Texas floods. My heart goes out to everyone impacted by them. I can only imagine what those families are going through.  

Starting On a Healthier Road

I took Beth to a nutritionist on Monday. We checked in and she filled out the paperwork, then we waited to be called.

Claire (she looked like she was around 30) came out to get us and took us into a private room. She talked with Beth about why it's important to eat healthy, and asked her why she wants to lose weight. She spoke directly with Beth the whole time and Beth answered every question. 

When Beth went dairy free I typed up a list of things that she could eat. It's on her bulletin board and she's starting to make better choices when she shops. 

One thing Claire gave her was a list of what each food offered: protein, carbs, good fats, and how eating them together is better. Plus portion control, what to do if she's still hungry after she eats... things that sound better coming from someone other than your mom. 

We were in there for over an hour and Beth seemed to be pretty excited about it. On our way home we stopped at the grocery store for just a few things and one thing I grabbed was an apple. Beth asked me about the pears and when I pointed to them she said, "No, not that."

"Those are pears Beth. What were you thinking about?"

"They're like apples."

I pointed across the aisle and asked if she wanted a peach or nectarine? 

"Yes. A nectarine."

She had to use two hands to put the twist tie on, but she was excited about buying a nectarine! 

Tonight we did our weekly shopping. It was kind of weird, do you have a regular routine when you go grocery shopping? The Safeway we go to has two entrances and I had to put a letter into the blue mailbox that's on the other side of the parking lot, so we went in the other door, and started our shopping at the other end of the store. We started on the deli side instead of the produce, went down the aisles from the other direction, we saw the store from a whole new perspective! It was like we'd never been there before!

We loaded everything in the back of the car and after we got in she tells me, "I did not buy my licorice." (She usually buys two pounds every week.) "What?! Beth that's fantastic! That was a great choice!" And I gave her a high-five.

Here we are on the road to a healthier lifestyle!