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 Worrying About What Everybody Else Is Doing

Will Cause You To Lose Your Own Way.

A Wise Son Makes His Father [also mother and grandparents] Happy.

Proverbs 10:1  ICB

A son who gathers crops when they are ready is wise.  Proverbs 10:5  ICB 

This afternoon our grandson Jordan noticed several clumps of alfalfa (in the field in front of our house) that the harvester missed, and asked if he could gather some for his family’s rabbits and sheep. 

I thought that was very wise and thrifty of him, so we called my brother to see if it was OK.  My brother was pleased because the clumps smother new growth.

He filled five garbage bags.

~ ~ ~

Jere and Kristen Arrived Home From Finland

10:00 PM

Jere kept in touch by cell phone so we could be at the house when they arrived.  Earlier in the evening our youngest daughter, who lives an hour away, brought the two little boys so all four children would be here when Jere and Kristen got home.

Jere and Ian.

Kristen and Jared

Jana

Jana has faithfully journaled and sent emails to her parents.  This is the last day for emails to Finland, as Jere and Kristen come back to the USA tomorrow.

Jana (bottom) and Jenna

She was all smiles this morning when she discovered she was going to her cousin’s (Jenna, Diana, and Gloria) house in exchange for the three boys being at our house today and overnight.

 Go-Carts & Miniature Golf

Part of the reason for this exchange was that the boys wanted to race go-carts and play miniature golf.  I knew this was the last day it would suit for the next few weeks, so fit it into my schedule after working in the TFC office.

 Walking to the race track.

Around and around the track.

It wasn’t NASCAR, but there was lots of competition. 

Josh

Jordan (the winner by four points)

Nathan

Me

The funniest picture of the day – a self-portrait by Nathan

A Quiet House Tonight

Cerwin took Jordan and Nathan along with him, because he needed extra manpower to install the generator on the chapel tractor. 

Neighbors took Josh to his baseball game.

 That leaves only me in the house for a few hours – with time to blog and do counted-cross-stitch.

How Long Until 5:30?

Jana was excited to be invited to spend the night with my niece Chelsey.  

I agreed that she could pack her own suitcase.  I think she packed enough for three days!  I’m not sure what she is going to do with three of everything – I expect her to return by noon tomorrow!  Also included in the bag were two of her Build-a-Bear critters.

Every twenty minutes or so, she asked, “How long until 5:30?”  Finally the time came and she was off – carrying her overnight bag and pillow.

I called my sister a few minutes later to make sure she arrived safely.  Nancy laughed and said, “You mean the little girl who came to my door looking like she was moving in.”

Marshmallows

Josh spent the afternoon with his cousins and Uncle Jeff and Aunt Chris.  I was scheduled to enjoy a marshmallow roast and bring him home at 7:30 this evening.  (Cerwin was helping install a generator on the chapel tractor.)

As we sat around the fire, the boys talked us into letting Josh stay for the night, so I came home to a quiet house – without even one grandchild on location.

Before I left, I took a picture of the gang on the trampoline!

Jeff and Chris have some really neat yard decorations.  I love this candle and its old window housing.  (The sides you can see, are open.  The opposite sides are window panes.)

Making Lunch

On the way home from church I asked our grandchildren Josh, Jana, and Gloria what they wanted for lunch.  The vote was for egg sandwiches.  Since the girls didn’t want any extras, I asked Josh if he would like to sautee ham and onions in a separate pan.  He was quite willing.

Gloria is Back to Play With Jana

After lunch, the girls asked if they could be our “servants”.  For a few minutes, they did anything we asked!  Here they brought us snacks that we ordered.  (From a gift basket I purchased at an auction last week.)

After being a servant became old, they wanted to “scrapbook”, so I got them some old magazines, paper, scissors, and glue.

This is what our floor looked like when they were finished – before they cleaned up.

Checking Out the New Chapel

Since we were returing Gloria to her parents at a nearby park, where their Sunday School class was having an evening picnic, Cerwin asked If I wanted to go to the TFC International Office to take updated pictures of the chapel.  That sounded good to me.

Coach lights have been installed in the chapel area.

The new chairs arrived since I was last there.

The entrance steps are finished.

Two storage boxes are installed underneath the chapel.

These will hold the steps, entrance platform, and a few other items when the chapel is moved to churches, fairs, truck shows, etc.

Bringing the Chapel Tractor Home

While we were enroute to the office, Cerwin received a phone call from a friend saying he will be ready to install the generator on the tractor after work tomorrow.  (We need a generator, as we are not always able to plug into electric.) That was great timing – saving us from making an extra trip tomorrow.

Josh was excited to get a ride in the truck.

I tried to convince Jana to look sad that she had to travel home in our CRV instead of an exciting ride in a truck.  I couldn’t quite get a convincing sad look!

A Beautiful Ride Home

Now there’s a truck in our yard.

Since it was a beautiful evening, Jana decided to read her favorite comics on our porch.

Josh played solitary catch by using the house roof.

 It was a great day.

 Good Night!  Sleep Tight!

Ease Your Pace!

 You will only need to remain calm.  The Lord will fight for you.  Exodus 14:14 ICB

God says, “Be quiet and know that I am God.  I will be supreme over all the nations.  I will be supreme in the earth.”  Psalm 46:10  ICB

Robins in Our Yard

I love watching robins.

Especially when they frequent our bird bath.

Recently one of my Xanga friends asked if robins recycle nests.

I was curious too, so looked outside our bathroom window where young robins had just vacated a nest, and saw something rather amusing.  It seems a young robin had tried to return to the security of it’s nest just as I appeared at the window.  The parent sent it flying – and when on the ground soundly scolded it!

The next day there was one egg – and a few days later there were two.  So apparently they do recycle nests. 

Sadly something destroyed the nest so I had to look for another one to complete my series of pictures.

The other day as I was watering flowers, I heard a robin scolding me, and knew that I was near a nest.  I soon found it, climbed on a stool, and photographed these young birds.

~ ~ ~

Look at the birds in the air.  They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns.  But your heavenly Father feeds the birds.  And you know that you are worth much more than the birds.  Matthew 6:25 ICB

Another Day in Our Neighborhood

We weren’t very far into the day when Jana said, “I’m lonely.  I need someone to play with.”

Since her previous playmates of the week were on vacation today, I thought about my sister’s daughter, Chelsey, who loves to come to our house when any of our granddaughters are here.  It turned out to also fit nicely into my sister’s plans.

Chelsey and Jana making a Lunchable lunch.

Having fun with dress-up clothes.

Josh finished his Lego spaceship.

Chelsey’s Goats

At 4 PM the girls walked through our woodlot – on the path between our houses – to feed Chelsey’s goats.  Jana was not so sure about these noisy, hungry animals.

Chelsey was very comfortable inside the pen, but took time to help Jana feed them from the outside, before filling their feed troughs.

Soon Jana was eager to try it herself.

I think they are the cutest critters.

They are show animals that Chelsey will take to several fairs and farm shows this fall.

We walked to my sister’s house in sunshine and came home a few minutes later to dark clouds and the distant sound of an approaching thunderstorm.

Before long we watched rain coming toward us across the western fields.

~ ~ ~

Do you know how God controls the clouds and makes his lightning flash?  Do you know how the clouds hang in the sky?  They are the miracles of God, who knows everything.  Job 37:15 & 16 ICB

Thursday

Our grandchildren have fun doing a variety of things while I spend needed time in our TFC home office.

They play Nintendo games in our grandchildren’s room – which they enjoy even though it is a very antiquated edition – as well as outdoor activities (see Wednesday’s entry).

Jordan enjoys the hunting games I have for our computer.  He also enjoys real-life hunting.  Grandpa was pleased to let him eliminate one of the members of the growing squirrel “pack” in our yard.  (There are seven just outside my window as I make this entry.)

Wal-Mart 

After I was finished in the office, and mail was delivered to the Post Office, we took Diana home, which means we are now down to three grandchildren.  Jordan chose to stay an extra day, by using one of his birthday gift days.  (After the age of thirteen, part of their birthday gift is the right to choose seven days per year – one or more at a time – at our house.)

Daily e-mails from Finland assure us that Josh and Jana’s parents are having a great time.  Kristen enjoys day trips while Jere is participating in ICAR (an agriculture congress). 

 Part of the reason the children talked me into going to Wal-Mart was the need for some good game balls for our house. 

I don’t have a picture of Jana’s choice of a Polly Pocket doll set – but something cute happened at the checkout.  I didn’t know how much money she had, but figured I may have to pay some of it.  When the clerk said her bill was $9.00, Jana searched through the crumpled dollar bills stuffed in her wallet and discovered only two.  She looked up at me with her pretty eyes and a cute smile, and said, “I guess you will have to pay for for the rest of it, Grandma.”

Josh chose a new Lego set, and went into construction mode as soon as we got home.  He was awake early this morning to continue his project.  I didn’t have to supplement his payment as he knew exactly how much money he had and what his item of choice cost.  (He has a part-time job mowing yard for a local doctor, which he did this afternoon.) 

Baseball Under the Lights

The reason I was too tired to make yesterday’s entry last night.

Warming up before the 8 PM game.

Watching one of their team members at bat.  Our team was “on the ball” last night, beating the opponents 10 – 4.

God did not abolish evil

He transformed it!

Jesus did not stop the crucifixion

He rose from the dead!

Don’t let the world squeeze you into its mold

Live above it!