Crossing the Finished Line

Here's a peek at what I have been working on in the past 3 months. Finished up last evening at 9:30.

I started out making counted cross stitch pieces for sibling's bridal shower gifts. CCS was one of those hobbies that fell by the wayside though; too many interruptions when the children were small to keep one's place on the pattern.

So when the next sibling's wedding was coming up I had to find something else to make. By then I was into scrapbooking. I've tried various gifts without hitting on something useful. With another family wedding coming up, I was wracking my brain for something that won't get packed away in the attic unused. I was looking at a scrapbooking idea book when I came across a cookbook idea. Eureka!

I started by asking the groom (R's brother) what recipes he likes. Not being a picky eater, I didn't get enough suggestions from him to make a cookbook. So I branched out to the rest of the family. Then I got recipes -60 of them! Food is a Miller hobby after all.

Thus began our odyssey with food. Not only does it take quite a bit of time to type recipes, I also ended up making nearly every recipe -to nail down vague instructions or yields, and to get a picture of each thing. Photo submissions didn't even come close to matching recipe submissions. The males in this household thought it was great -all kinds of good food. They hinted if the cooking slacks off they'll remind me it's time to make another cookbook (a subtle hint to bro G -their last hope LOL). The reason it's 2 months past the wedding and I'm just now finishing the shower gift is because you can only eat so much food at one time.

The rest of the family expressed some interest in having a copy. Since everything is typed, photographed and designed, it won't take much time to whip out a couple more. (It's pretty basic and I stuck with the 3 wedding colors throughout, 6x6 size.) We're planning to have the family for Sunday lunch to have everyone proof-read their own recipes. I'm feeling a little vulnerable on account of the pictures. I don't have the Miller's natural gift of cooking, so it's likely they will look at one of my photos and think "That's not what it looks like when I make it." I guess that's when they need to put on their apron and make it for me. In any case, I hope this becomes a trusted resource for A. during many happy years of cooking.

VBS in Hindsight

Last week was one I wouldn't want to repeat for a long time. I really didn't get anything done besides minimal housework (at a time when we're generating extra laundry), canning and VBS. Anything that could possibly need harvesting in my garden in July needed it last week, naturally. A dentist appointment for A & JS scheduled 6 months ago -before VBS dates were set- naturally fell on VBS week. And as posted earlier, my class not only required study time; it also required high-energy while in session. Huff-puff.

I came to 2 conclusions: Someone should invent a hold button for gardens... and all moms should teach VBS at least once every 5 years so they appreciate their off years.

As the week progressed I was able to assess what was going on with my class and roll with it. It was so not 'me'. God's grace at work, wrapped in a confirming moment on the very last night. It was not premeditated, but while discussing John 3:16 I asked the girls if they know that rejecting God's great gift of salvation is like slapping God in the face. One of my students protested that thought. Yes, it is harsh, but it is a very serious thing to reject God. For once, I had everyone's attention- no one was whispering, and the one who usually had a snappy comeback for everything had nothing to say. If nothing else was heard all week, that one seed was planted.
I learned that silence may have been my most powerful tool though. I don't speak to a class that isn't listening; when too many girls were whispering I simply stopped mid-sentence and waited to regain their attention. I didn't give this method a second thought, but now I'm told the girls commented on this. This leads me to believe these girls are used to being yelled at, not treated with respect.

One evening I took iced coffee for them. They were impressed. I got the impression they are not used to be treated as adults. Made it worth the effort.
Another glimpse into their lives came when one asked on the last night if I was glad to see her & her friend -they had skipped the previous night. I told her I was. Her response makes me think they normally don't get a positive answer to a question like that. My heart feels heavy for these girls -at such a pivotal age and so little going for them.

I have a picture of my class but didn't get their permission to post it. But here's to the jizzy-est class of girls!
P.S. Jizzy-est is a made-up slang word they used excessively.

Sharing a Fav Site

I was just on one of my frequently-visited websites when it occurred to me that maybe some of you don't know about it and would be interested.
It's Vision Forum's Behemoth.com. They've got family-friendly music, videos, sermons and audio books for download. We could spent a "chunk of change" at this site! So many audio books we'd like to have. They do have free downloads every day -a good way to get familiar with their products. They have OOP books like G A Henty, which JR really likes. Check it out sometime.

VBS

"God has a way of flushing us out of our quiet little places, and when He does we must be ready to speak for Him." -Lee Eclov

When I read this quote this morning it made me think of my VBS class this week. I'm teaching 8th Grade girls. I went into the week excited about the study on Ruth I felt God had led me to, but things have gone south of my expectations. I mistakenly assumed girls of that age who show up at a Mennonite VBS are coming because they are Christians and want to learn more about God; that non-Christians would think they're too 'cool' to come. At the very least I expected if their motive for coming is boys, when they find out it's a girls-only class they would lose interest. I couldn't have been more wrong.

I've got 4 lovely young ladies from church who totally 'get' the point and were connecting with me -and 4-6 community girls that everything is over their heads because they don't have a relationship with Christ. Since they can't relate, they are bored and acting up. I don't have a very high silliness-tolerance level, yet I'm immersed in it this week.

My co-teachers advise me to let their complaining roll off. If my class is boring and I'm too strict and the games we play at recess are dumb, why do they keep coming back? they say. We seem to spend most of our class time off on rabbit trails like 'can we know for sure whether Jesus ate raisin bread or not?' and I feel like I'm wasting my time. But my co-teachers assure me I'm having an impact. I'm definitely flushed out of my quiet, orderly comfort zone this week but praying I can speak for Him.

Nostalgia

On this -the 40th anniversary of Neil Armstrong setting foot on the moon, it seems appropriate to post on my nostalgia stirred by a cereal box.

I remember studying the moon landing in elementary school and thinking it was ancient history, only to be shocked when my dad said he remembers when it happened. Further evidence in my young mind that either my dad was indeed ancient or history isn't necessarily all archaic.

Back to the cereal box... we had one recently which had -for our entertainment while eating- a list of things today's generation may never experience. The list struck me as being rather modern as I remember most of them. The list included:

pet rocks

bicycles with banana seats

flower baskets & sissy bars

click-clacks

8-tracks

vinyl records

phone booths

green stamps

rotary phones

Super 8 movies

no sunscreen

65-cent gas

cassettes

manual push mower

saddle shoes

encyclopedias

triangular car vent windows

soda can pull tabs

polyester suits

business hat

typewriter

carbon paper

metal ice cube trays

TV with channel knobs

penny gumball machines

My children are amazed at my antiquity!

There is another list for things my generation wishes we would've had. It is all technological gadgets, plus in-line skates, electronic toll collection system, SPF 30, and juice boxes. I'm old enough to disagree. Those juice boxes that invariable squirt you or leak juice on your white clothing when you attempt to puncture the seal with the straw are not 'a giant leap for mankind', IMHO. SPF 30 is overkill. And we sure didn't need batteries or an electrical socket to have fun when we were growing up. I have to admit EZ-Pass toll system is handy for our trucks, but it doesn't accept chocolate cake when you're out of cash (ask my folks about that one). I am grateful for the internet now, but glad I didn't have it growing up. The only item on the list I agree with is... the digital camera. I'm no Ansel Adams, but I'm slowly becoming a better photographer thanks to digital.

Family Night

R was wanting to come home from work last evening and have Family Night. He found us elbow-deep in green beans and the chore of making supper got dumped into his lap.
We had Family Night all right! Everyone helped clean beans and/or cranked beans through the frencher, and stuffed them into jars. The beauty of it was we finally have a kitchen large enough to all work in at the same time without tripping over each other.
In the midst of it all, we got some much-prayed-for rain. A thought I was nuts to be standing in the doorway smelling the rain. :) I guess you have to be an adult to understand it. That, and the pleasure of hearing canning jars sealing.
When the men were finished with what they could do, they retreated to the shop and made a cornhole set. With 15 qt. + 3 2-quart jars of beans cooling on the counter, a batch of pickles started, the kitchen cleaned up, and the laundry put away, we rounded out our family night by playing a couple rounds of cornhole.

Lamenting Slow Wits

Yesterday I had an experience that leaves me laughing and chagrined at the same time. I never was one who could think fast when caught by surprise.
I was at my local Aldi's store where you deposit a quarter to use the shopping cart. It's not uncommon to meet up with someone just arriving when you are leaving who offers to exchange a quarter for your cart. So yesterday when this lady practically chased me down and wanted my cart, I didn't think anything of it. But when she preceded to pull the cart away from me without offering the usual quarter, the thought that went through my mind in that split second was that she is trying to stiff me. Being the thrifty Mennonite that I am I asked her "Do you have a quarter?"
She laughed & laughed. "A quarter for a cart!" she said. Her tone totally implied 'that's a good joke! This little Mennonite is trying to stiff me out of a quarter to use the store's shopping cart!'
Now if I thought fast on my feet I would have walked away and let her think I just cracked a good joke. After all, what is a quarter in the general scope of things. But no, not me. When she realized I was serious, she said "Well, I wouldn't know. I'm not from Ohio." She dug through her purse for a quarter.
As soon as I walked away I felt foolish. Somewhere out there is a tourist visiting our great state who will forever remember Ohio as the weird place where you have to pay for shopping carts. I wish at the very least I would have had the presence of mind to explain to her that she will get her quarter back when she returns the cart to the coral. I hope someone explained the system to her so she wasn't truly stiffed out of a quarter.
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I sincerely hope we can make the major decision we're facing without slow-witted regrets. We spent thousands in the last 3 years on our van and are no closer to finding what is wrong with it. We get mixed advice on whether it has redeeming qualities at the high mileage it has. (We had transmission work done 50K ago.) When my mechanically-inclined dh has doubts about whether it will get me to town & back, I lose faith in it fast.
We're ready to give up on it and buy a new set of wheels. That we agree on. But what to buy is another matter. I have this pipe dream of buying something newer that will be very dependable for many, many years. Is the fact that my parents owned the same car nearly all of my childhood misleading my current expectations? I have to face reality that we put on more miles than my parents did, and that things just aren't made like they were in the '60s & '70s.
Meanwhile R is evaluating his philosophy to never buy anything he can't cash off. Little issues on vehicles are just that -little, because he can fix it himself. This has saved us countless $$ on vehicles in the past. Our van of choice is a Toyota or Honda, but they hold their value and are generally out of R's preferred price range.
The real issue is how deeply we want to go into debt for a vehicle. With house payments, now is not a good time to take on van payments. We are blessed with plenty of work despite the economy, yet we're aware some people are in a bind now because they took on too much debt under the assumption their finances will remain constant -a guarantee we don't have.
"When it rains, it pours", they say. You see, we probably should be shopping for a new camper, too. We stored it in the shop instead of the garage over winter, and mice got into it. They chewed holes all over! With the economy right now it's a buyer's market on RVs, but bad timing for us. Till we can afford an upgrade, the economy will turn around and prices will be up again. Sigh. Bring out the duck tape and count our blessings that we have a camper at all... and that we're spoiled from having been debt-free so long.

Weekend in Pictures

Funny how we live in the country where it's quiet yet sometimes we still want to get away for awhile. We went camping this past weekend. Some things we enjoyed-

skipping stones...


fishing... (caught a few smallmouth bass but threw them back)


mini-golfing...


And the most fun... canoeing! Those pictures are on a disposable camera so I can't post them yet. We started out with the 2 boys together but that didn't work very good, so JS switched with R and everyone was happy. We only did the 3 mile trip because the water was so shallow (see below); we got hung up on the rocks a couple times.


Now today I face a mountain of smoky-smelling laundry and grimy gear to clean up before the next venture into the great outdoors.

Re: Previous Post Comments

For the record, my garden-tilling expert is JS.
I thought about distinguishing between the 2 boys before, but no one ever questioned who's who so I concluded maybe everyone can figure it out. I'm posting instead of commenting for clarification with all readers. From here on I'll use the shorthand we use around our house- middle initial added to the J. If that doesn't help, remember R comes before S in the alphabet, thus JR is the elder son and JS the younger.

Sorry, Carolyn. I checked out my settings and can't find any obvious reason for your time-consuming troubles. Any suggestions? I stubbornly prefer Blogger despite your peer pressure. :) Hope you are surviving your week.

Growing Season

Our garden is growing quite well this year. The corn was more like waist-high rather than knee-high by the 4th. We're a little limited what we can grow because of our poor soil and late frosts, but [L-R] corn, cucumbers, beans & tomatoes do well for us. There are also peppers, onions, mint tea & watermelons that don't show up here.

We use 5 gallon buckets for tomato cages, but this year Richard is talking about staking them because the plants are so massive. Do you suppose giving our garden soil a 'Year of Jubilee' last summer is the reason for this?

J has done just about all the tilling this year; he does a good job. He also helped me mulch last week. This is probably the most weed-free garden we've ever had. Ah, the benefits of children old enough to help.

Isn't this baby green bean cute? We are so looking forward to fresh beans.

I am coming to the conclusion my issues with houseplants was 1 part brown thumb and 3 parts lack of good lighting. All of my houseplants are thriving now. I'm especially proud of this fern that is resurrecting...

...and this spindly African violet that burst into bloom.

Some pretty wild flowers Arianna & I spotted on a walk the other evening

In spite of the lush beauty around us, God's Word says "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard... the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." What we have here doesn't even come close. I cannot comprehend the beauty that is awaiting us.

Independance Day

We didn't have any celebrations this year; not even grilling for supper. It was a "labor day" for us. We didn't watch any fireworks either. That usually makes me sad because faces of starving children get in the way of the colorful display- such a waste of money in the name of entertainment. (I'm not condemning anyone -just stating my personal hang-up.)

We are thankful for our freedoms though. I've been thinking on the Bible verse "And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free... If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed." True freedom ...without worries of it being taken away some day.

A is away for a long weekend with her school teacher & classmates. Her first time out-of-state overnight without her parents. I have this tiny, niggling apprehension because I know she was a little apprehensive when she left.

Landscaping Debates

After keeping us guessing all day, it finally cleared off last evening and we were able to have a family work night at my in-laws. The agenda was edging flowerbeds, trimming shrubs and mulching. We got most of it done -they need another load of mulch to finish.
During the fellowship afterwards, a debate arose on how many shrubs there are- the men were guessing 30-40. Someone went out and counted. There are over 60! Most are boxwoods, yews and such varieties that are a pain to clean up the trimmings. Quite an undertaking; no wonder the girls wanted help.
Whenever you have that many personalities working together there are always differences of opinions how to do things. Our famous line got passed around in jest a couple of times- "Do what you want; you will anyhow." So glad we have family who can have fun doing things together though.

Forgotten

I think this has got to be one of the saddest sights on earth.


Up on a hill behind our house is a very old cemetery. Almost 200 years old. Now days you have to walk through a pasture, dodging cow pies, to get to it. It is fenced off to keep the cattle out but it has fallen into total disrepair. It is being over-run with poison ivy and makes me think of snakes, so it's not the most ideal place to explore. Yet despite it's condition, I think this could be a beautiful place to resurrect at the 2nd Coming.



Many of the headstones are unreadable, like this one. Who was this person? Was he/she someone special that God planted a daisy on this grave? Maybe a child?



The detail in some of these headstones makes me think they may have been costly in their day.


I went online but only found 1 record of this cemetery. Someone took time to jot down names & dates back in 1963 before the headstones became so deteriorated. According to the Internet record, the first person buried here was a 7 year old; the youngest a 3 yr. old, the average age 55. In 1963 they found 21 markers but there are even less now as some are broken off at ground level. There are large gaps between some headstones, so I suspect there may be more graves.

For years we wondered 'where are the descendants of these people? Do they even know the graves are here?' If you noticed in the 2nd picture the newer (grey) stone, someone took time to replace the original some years ago, although it is now broken off it's base. Only once in the entire time we live here has anyone stopped and inquired about a cemetery. Recently we found out who those people were and which family name they are descendants of.

I've got enough of my mother's genes in me that I've considered making rubbings of stones to uncover the missing information and to clean up the area, maybe plant some flowers. These people were important to someone once upon a time and probably still deserve respect. Since we do not own that land, I never followed the impulse. Does anyone know- are cemeteries "open domain"?
I would love to see pictures of these people and this area 150 years ago and read stories about their lives. This is a call to me to take an interest in family history & pass it on to my children(sorry, mom, that does not extend to tramping through cemeteries from here to KS and back) and to preserve current history for future generations (scrapbooking).