Life in the Hood

Do you know what you are looking at here?

You are looking at fond memories!

This is a hood off an old vehicle.  It has been undisturbed now for years, hiding in the grass on a Montana farm, about 10 miles from the Canadian Border.  This is the farm where my husband, Mike, grew up.  This is the farm where he worked hard but played hard as well.

This hood was used for a magnificent sled for Mike and his sisters.  I'm guessing some kids from neighboring farms enjoyed it as well.  Mike's dad would hook it up behind their pick-up, let the kids climb on, and pull them around for a ride!  That sounds kind of dangerous to us now in our safety-conscious world, but I'm sure he was careful... pretty sure.

Mike looks at that hood and it instantly brings him back to a precious time in his life.  It was a time when he didn't have the responsibility of a whole congregation resting on his shoulders.  He didn't have people come to him in distress, unable to pay their rent or buy groceries for their children.  It was a time when no one looked to him to help them recover a damaged marriage.  It was a time when his Dad was alive and Mike's goal of each day was to have FUN!    It was a time that built him up, gave him roots and prepared him for his future work.

This makes me think about the responsibility we have as we raise children.  I'm afraid I didn't "play" enough with our kids.  If I had it to do over, I'd be a lot more fun I think.  That time of childhood goes by so quickly, but those memories, if they are wholesome and good, can be called up and give strength many years later. 

This mug is from Bed, Bath and Beyond and I love it. 

I am slowing aquiring the matching dinnerware set.  I really like orange paisley!  Something about this set just makes me feel all content inside.  I especially like this photo also because it shows a picture of my family in the background.  Even the frame with all the crosses on it is a precious treasure, given to me by a special friend.

So, why am I showing you a picture of my coffee mug anyway?

Well, I've won another give-away!

Yay for me, huh?!

I was commenting on another blog, http://www.whoopsidaisy-tonya.com/, and she was doing a coffee give-away.    I liked the name of her blog and I think that was what first caught my attention.  I wasn't really looking for a give-away at all.  Nevertheless, since I commented on her blog I was entered and I WON!  It is rather fun to win stuff!

So, I will be receiving a package of coffee products soon.  I can't wait!  I don't really know what to expect but I'm sure it will be delightful.  I'll let you know! 

Happy 4th of July

I'm really grateful that I'm an American.  

Actually, I wish the world wasn't even divided up into nations.  I wish rather that we all recognized ourselves as just part of the community of the Earth, never a situation where it is "us" against "them", never a day where someone suffers more because of the country where they live, never a time when we take from one country to give to another.

But, that is not the world we live in.

Through no effort of my own, I was born into a nation that offers to me a lot of opportunity and abundance.  I've never been without food.  I've never been in the  middle of a war.  I've always had choices.  This nation has its problems as well but 

I've always had a hopeful future.

For these things I am grateful.

Happy Birthday U.S.A!

God of Our Fathers

God of Our Fathers

God of our fathers, whose almighty hand

Leads forth in beauty all the starry band

Of shining worlds in splendor through the skies:

Our grateful songs before your throne arise.

Your love divine has led us in the past;

In this free land by you our lot is cast;

Oh, be our ruler, guardian, guide, and stay;

Your Word our law, your paths our chosen way.

From war's alarms, from deadly pestilence,

Make your strong arm our every sure defense.

Your true religion in our hearts increase;

Your bounteous goodness, nourish us in peace.

Refresh your people on their toilsome way;

Lead us from night to never-ending day;

Fill all our lives with heav'n-born love and grace

Until at last we meet before your face.

Grandpa's Girl

Cordelia Loooooooves Grandpa Mike.  She was at our house when I was folding laundry.  She wanted to help fold Grandpa's shirts.  When she talks about him it comes out more like "Grumpa" which I think is especially cute.

When Grumpa wasn't home she found his hats and wanted to wear them.  She also wanted Sam to wear them.  For awhile she wore 2 at a time!

Anything that is Grumpa's is special to Cordy.

Strong Will!

Apparently I am still thinking about strength of character.  This tree fascinated me and I instantly thought of my sister, who has cerebral palsy (see http://livingcerebralpalsy.com/the-cost-of-living-with-cerebral-palsy/) , as well as all people dealing with physical handicaps.  Look at this tree...

Sometimes people plant trees and give them good care and they just don't make it.  This tree has suffered some big drama in it's past.  I know that it has managed to endure during years of drought.   It has no doubt suffered assault by bugs as well.  It doesn't look like all the other trees around it, but look at it, it is beautiful!  It is loaded with leaves and is very green.  Yes, it is different from all the other trees; that is why I noticed it.  But is flourishing despite all the strikes against it. 

It is a survivor!

The Strength of the Human Spirit

Earlier this week my friend, Diane, and I went on a lovely walk.  We have access to a beautiful walkway that not only follows a river but also takes you past ruts from the Oregon Trail!

As we followed the swollen river we sometimes had to forge our own path around flooding.  We talked and enjoyed watching Diane's dogs play in the water.

We were talking about the thousands of people who followed the Oregon Trail, passing over this same land.  We thought about the motivation those folks had.  We pondered the amount of courage it took for them to leave the lives they knew, not quite knowing where they were going.  So many died along this trail!  They had to have had strong character to survive the discomfort and danger along the way.   What would it be like to be a woman on that trek.  I found giving birth in a hospital rather uncomfortable, what about women giving birth along this trail?!  What about mothers who had to bury their children along the way? 

How amazing to be standing there, seeing the same view they saw, but experiencing things so very differently!   

Sleeping Child

Is there anything more beautiful than a sleeping child?  I think not.

Hello? Hello?

I have the world's cutest phone, don't you think?

It is a KIN.  According to my son, it was first marketed to teen-age girls.  Hmmm.  But it is just so cute!  I get compliments from strangers!  I liked the idea of it because it can use Wi-Fi to go online for free, without the extra monthly cost of smart phones.

But, sadly, it is also the world's dumbest phone.  OK, so it is possible that I think it is dumb because I am NOT a teen-age girl.  It is actually quite likely that the problems I have with it are largely operator error.  I've texted messages to people I didn't mean to text.  Like the time I meant to ask our daughter to pick up our mail when we were out of town.  Instead, I texted that request to a friend who lives in a neighborhood quite a ways from our home.  Although she was surprised by the request, she was going to do it!  I have some really great friends!

My phone also drops calls, usually long distance ones.  It is infuriating!  Last night, I had the address book part of it accessed to my Mom's listing because I needed to doublecheck her phone number.  That's a funny thing.  Using a cell phone, sometimes I forget people's phone numbers because I rarely need to know them now.  I just click on their name and my phone dials them.  However, last night I just looked at her number and then dialed on our land line; I just wasn't in the mood for dropping calls, etc. 

I had been talking with my Mom a bit when she got the "beep" and she said, "Someone's calling me."  She then saw that the second call was coming from our town.  I offered to just hang up so she could take the call but she declined.  Our towns are only a few hours apart and she sometimes has medical appointments here, but she doesn't really have anyone that should've been calling her from our town.  She said I was the only one who called her from here and I chuckled and said, "Well, it's not me!"  

Finally, I pulled my stupid cell phone out of my pocket and, you guessed it, I had pocket-dialed her from my cell phone while talking with her from our land-line!  It was me interrupting my own conversation!  It made us both laugh, a LOT.  I guess anything that brings laughter can't be all bad, right?

The good news is, I only have until September 2012 until I am eligible for a new free phone!

Art Festival Fun

Note:  This was supposed to have been posted yesterday, but apparently I just put it as a draft.  Sorry!

We had a nice week-end.  I hope you did as well.

One of the items on our agenda was an art festival.

 Maria (daughter) and Cordelia (grandaughter) came along with Mike (husband), Bode (our dog) and me...

There was a fun play area for children...

Cordelia loved the pool of bubbles best.  She started out playing with one wand but as other kids left, she took up their wands as well.  She was having a seriously good time!

I was having fun also!

Meanwhile, Mike and Bode walked around to look at fancy old cars.  Bode made friends easily!  Later, as we were strolling, I heard an older woman call out, "Hi Bode!" Apparently she'd met him when we were in the children's area.

We sat in the grass to listen to some good music.  Again, Bode made friends.

Cordy danced.

Maria looked beautiful...

And I got some great snuggles from my beautiful grandaughter!

If You But Trust in God to Guide You

 If you but trust in God to guide you

And place your confidence in him,

You'll find him always there beside you,

To give you hope and strength within.

For those who trust God's changeless love

Build on the rock that will not move.

What gain is there in futile weeping,

In helpless anger and distress?

If you are in his care and keeping,

In sorrow will he love you less?

For he who took for you a cross

Will bring you safe through ev'ry loss.

 

In patient trust await his leisure

In cheerful hope, with heart content

To take whate'er your Father's pleasure

And all discerning love have sent;

Doubt not your inmost wants are known

To him who chose you for his own.

Sing, pray, and keep his ways unswerving,

Offer your service faithfully,

And trust his word; though undeserving,

You'll find his promise true to be.

God never will forsake in need

The soul that trusts in him indeed.

Text & Tune: Georg Newmark, 1621-1681

Crying Woman photo from:   http://erichaney.wordpress.com

Camera Fun

Ta Da!

His First Point...More or Less

Bode (I hope you are remembering to pronounce it as "Bodie".) is a Hungarian Vizsla and he was bred to hunt.  Vizsla's are in the hunter/pointer group.  I was told that he would eventually point, even though we won't be taking him hunting I thought that would be cool to see.

Well, last night I got to see him actually do his first point, although it was incredibly brief.  He'd been following his prey around for several HOURS...really.  He was so  focused!  It was very apparent that he was serious about stalking.  This was not his usual puppy play.

He'd spy his prey and slink forward, ever so quietly.  He'd hold a position for a LOOOONG time and then creep forward a bit at a time.    I grabbed the camera and snapped, too soon.  Then I saw him kind of stretch forward, his tail (what's left of it) pointing straight behind, a front paw then pulled up...  I grabbed the camera again... too late.  He sprang out of it so quickly!  As you see, I got him as he tried to pounce on his prey.  I'm guessing he isn't quite mature enough yet to hold it too long but it was something beautiful to see!

All this great hunting occurred in our living room.  You see, his prey was a house fly!

I Don't Know What I Think of This

The other night, shortly after supper, a knock came on our door.  When I answered it, I found a young man, college age, standing there with a stack of books.  He told me he was earning money for college in the fall.

(In the interest of full disclosure, this is NOT my door, nor does it look anything like my door...but I like this door quite a lot.)

The first book he showed me was a cookbook.  I politely looked through it a bit as he talked.  It was a nice book with lovely pictures and great nutritional facts.  However, I told him I was not interested as I had a stack of cookbooks.

He then showed me several other books, all religious.  I recognized some of them.  I told him my husband was my pastor and that I had access to a lot of theological books.  He said, "Well, let me show you one you maybe don't have access to."  It was a book with a lot of prophesy in it, he told me.  I finally just point blank asked him what church he was with.  He told me and I told him I really wasn't interested.  He politely thanked me for my time and gave me one of their pamphlets as a "free gift".

After he left, I pondered my reaction to this visit.  What do you think of it?  Even if I don't believe quite the same as him, I didn't mind that he wanted to share his belief.  He was polite when I declined his sales pitch.  I think what bothers me is that his schpeel started out rather deceptive, acting as though he was selling a cookbook to earn college money.  It became very obvious that was just part of the ploy to expose me to his religious beliefs.  Hmmm.... 

I just don't know what I think.  What do you think about this technique?  I'll be anxious to read your comments.

Happy Birthday, Ben!

Our middle child and first son, Ben, was born 26 years ago today.  He was such a fun child to raise!  Ben was all about adventure and there were NO dull moments in his childhood!

Ben was a quaint little kid.  Once, after falling down outside when running, he asked me to make a "no running" rule.  I declined and he cried, "Then this sort of thing is going to just keep happening!"  This picture was taken after he'd broken his arm falling from a piece of playground equipment.  I guess I should have made a rule about that.

Ben's first dog was Chloe.  They were so cute together!

I always thought he was a particularly handsome little boy!

This was an adventure that went askew.  He was stuck in the roll-away!  Although I was horrified when I found him, realizing he could've slipped further and suffocated, I still stopped long enough to snap a photo.  What kind of mother does that?!

Ben LIVED to climb.  At age 2 he asked me, during church, if he could climb the walls after the service as they had some interesting indentations and such.  At age 6 he got into some trouble for climbing on top of a library!  Yikes!

Ben loved his siblings.  I especially liked watching him teach Sam (8 years younger) how to do things such as play Nintendo.  And Ben always deferred to Maria (4 years older) on important issues.  He sometimes referred to her as his other mother.

Ben grew up into a nice looking young man as well.  He has a grown-up job...

grown-up responsibilities...

and a beautiful wife...

...Who made a 2 day drive with him to surprise me when I was in the hospital last summer.

But he's still my sweet little boy!

I thank God I am Ben's mother!  He has enhanced our lives more than he knows!

A Day Off

I wrote out an entire post this morning.  I didn't like it. 

So, I decided to take the day off.

See you tomorrow!