Memorial Day Picnic

Last Sunday we had our church service at the little league park in Craig and had a picnic afterwards. We had a great time! It rained and was a little chilly, but everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves. I'm sure Larry had a good message, but I must admit, watching the eagles fly overhead and all the boats on the water distracted me through most of it. We live in a truly amazing place. We had a good turnout and everytime we plan something, and people show up for it, I feel encouraged. The kids and "old guys" had a game of softball. The "old guys" won! I think the kids were really surprised. They didn't think the adults had it in them. Age and experience beat out youth and speed, I guess.

Mary and I have been having a good time crafting together. She helped me get some of the housework done today while the boys were at ball games, then she and I worked on various craft projects that we have been meaning to get to. The store has all their embroidery patterns on sale, so I think I'll pick a few different ones for some "hope chest" projects for Mary to work on. She is very interested in the idea of aprons right now, we found a cute site on line that sells all kinds of aprons. Maybe we'll make up a few, some for now, some for her hope chest. She is growing into a beautiful young lady, and I love to see her interest in the homemaker skills.

TJ and Noah are smack dab in the middle of the baseball season. Noah has gotten hits in the last two games. He walks in the door after the game with a real cheshire cat grin and says, very non-chalantly, "got another hit today" , but I can see the pride in his eyes. He loves baseball, and I love to see him involved in something he enjoys so much. TJ's level has only two teams, so the competition has been pretty fierce. So far, the games have had alternating winners, which I am really glad about. It would have made for a very dull season if one team had been blowing out the other one at every game.

We are finally getting the plans finalized for our trip back home this summer. Someone graciously gave us some companion tickets they had. The only problem with them is, they don't fly into Mich. So, we are working on how to get from Chicago to MI. I can't wait to see everyone.

Mother's Day

Ok, I'm a little tardy in posting about Mother's Day, but c'mon I'm a busy mom....

Mother's Day has never been my favorite holiday. I think I picked up my disdain for the day from my mother. My dislike grew every year with the reading of Proverbs 31, as I never seem to "measure up". Then, my mom passed on, so it seemed my loss was highlighted. Whatever the reason, I have never liked the day.

This year was definately an exception, and I hope a new pattern. I think finally admitting that I didn't like the day, released me to just enjoy the day, without all the expectations I previously had.

We had a wonderful breakfast at church (the men did all the cooking and cleaning up after), I had the opportunity to speak during service (I really miss teaching on a regular basis), and then just a relaxed afternoon and evening with my family. The men did a great job with breakfast and we had alot of fun with the idea of them doing ALL the work. They had even put tablecloths and decorations on the tables. Very impressive.

I pray beginning some of these "new" traditions will help solidify the family feeling in our church.

I have noticed that people are sticking around later and later, chatting after service, which really warms our hearts. God has good plans for us and we anticipate His harvest.