BUMPER STICKER

One of my “friends” had this on his FaceBook status this morning:

A bumper sticker I saw driving to work today – Honk if you love Jesus. Text while driving if you want to meet Him

STUFF

Ok, yeah, there’s a reason I haven’t done a real good job on the keeping-up-with-the-blog thing.

I could go into all the exciting things I’ve been doing lately like actually keeping up with the leaf raking (much to the surprise of my neighbors who don’t count on me to keep up with anything) and getting the oil changed and washing windows and curtains and blinds and … watching the munchkins and …

So, anyhow, I won’t go into all that.

It actually comes down to this. They moved my corporate parent blog so it has more exposure and so I feel like I should actually post on it more than once a month now that people can actually get to it.  But because we’re in deadline chaos at work – I do my blog at night and after I get done doing that blog, I don’t have a lot of energy for this one.

http://apparentlyblogging.awana.org

Oh, I just remembered something funny that happened at work today. We’re in those no-privacy cubicles where you can hear everything that’s going on in the lives of everyone around you. So, a lot of time we all work with iPods going so we block everything out. Then when people are on the phone you either don’t hear or pretend you don’t hear.

Well, today, the lady next to me called someone (I’m guessing her husband) and said, “Did I leave my lunch on the counter?”  I guess whoever she was talking to said “yes,” because then she said, “Oh, I have another meeting and I’m absolutely starving and I won’t be able to get anything to eat for another couple hours.”  She then hung up and I heard her gathering her things together for the meeting.

And I’m thinking “Hmmm … I have a box of granola bars here – should I admit I was listening and offer her a granola bar or should I pretend I didn’t hear her and ignore it.

My eavesdropping won out and I grapped the granola bars and headed to her office – just as the man whose office is on her other side came over from his side in perfect synchronization and also handed her a granola bar.  You had to have been there – but it was funny.

So, this morning on the way to work the weather was all foggy and sunny and and I had my little camera so I stopped …

AFTER WORK

Here’s what I saw when I walked out to the parking lot after work tonight.

THE CHURCH

Another thing the munchkins and I did the weekend their parents were in places north exploring the leaves and the lake- was go to the building dedication at the church where I grew up.

The last time they had had a building dedication was in the 70s, in fact here is my adorable daughter feeling very grown up (she liked that purse) shortly after said dedication. At this time in her life, she was the daughter of the associate pastor and granddaughter of the pastor.

Anyhow, this dedication just happened to be on the Sunday that the kids were with me, so we got up bright and early and headed for my mom’s and then headed even further east to Des Plaines.

A lot of people who used to attend Des Plaines (the attendance has dropped about 1500-1600 over the years) still live in the area and came back for the dedication. So, being the camera person that I am – I actually HAD my camera, but never took it out of my purse. I was too busy saying “Hi” to everyone.

So, I’ll admit I “borrowed” the pictures from Pastor Scott’s Facebook page (well, not Kelli’s picture), but the others. I don’t think he’d mind.

Pastor Scott said that if there were 600 there for the dedication, he’d wear a Bears Jersey since he is a Packers fan.  Actually, 603 showed up, so if WE hadn’t been there, he wouldn’t have had to do that.  (Even the mayor was there.)

All very interesting (Scott’s been pastor about a year or so).

But I think the most poignant moment came when he announced that there had been a time capsule placed in the building at the last dedication.  I whispered to my mom, “Did you know that?”  She hadn’t.

First they showed us a DVD of the men getting the time capsule out of the wall. This was an unexpected surprise – because anyone that knew my dad, knew he liked to write letters.  I knew that time capsule would contain my dad’s “voice” through his writing.

But then Scott showed us that moisture had gotten into the capsule and yes, there were my dad’s papers in there – but they weren’t able to read them because of the moisture.  An audible “ahhhh” filled the auditorium because a lot of the people had attended Des Plaines when dad was there.  Scott said he felt like Geraldo.

(He explained that back in the 70s, people were told to put time capsules in copper – but that was actually not right.  The best thing is Tupperware.  So that’s what they did for this dedication.

I attempted to impress the 5yo with the fact that he had children’s church in the same room where his mo

Anyhow – here are the pictures I stole … I mean borrowed.

THIS IS WHAT I’M DOING

Actually what I’m doing is being perplexed.

They have moved my corporate parenting blog to wordpress and I was so exctied that I could do pictures on it again.

But now I’m finding that it won’t accept pictures from my good camera – just pictures from my little camera.

Why?  I need some expert help.  I don’t understand why it’s a problem since it is now the same server as this one and this one allows me to use the good camera pictures.

EXPLORING THE NEIGHBORHOOD

So, a couple weekends ago the munchkins’ parents decided to get away for the weekend and enjoy the changing colors.  Meanwhile, the munckins and I had our own adventures – we went to see Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, which they loved and I thought was super silly.  And we made the previously mentioned rainbow cake — and we explored the neighborhood …

Here’s what we found.

The 9yo discovers the snakeskin – however her younger siblings were having no part of it.

A beekeeper extraordinaire

As the 9yo would say “Nice.”

Queen of the woods!

Ahhhh …

Hi!

This was a puppet show about I’m not sure what, but it sure had a lot of character … and characters!

What better thing to do on beautiful autumn day than stroll through the woods?

LAWNFIELD

On the way home from Pennsylvania we decided to go north instead of south. This had something to do with soup and Max and Erma, but I’m not sure what.

North meant the tollroad. My growing-up family used to go back and forth from Illinois and Pennsylvania on the tollroad three or four times a year, but it had been awhile and I hadn’t driven it before. However, the tollroad had a lot less traffic than 70 and with my iPass, I didn’t have to stop at any tollbooths – so it was actually an easy drive, much better than the rain-drenched ride east.

Anyhow, as we were traveling, Kelli was reading the map and I mentioned that one of the few president houses I hadn’t been to was Garfield’s, tucked away in the northeast corner of Ohio. Kelli found the location and then Kelli said, “So, let’s go to today.”

“Today?”

“Sure, it’s not that far out of our way.” Then to help the munchkins get excited about a visit to an old house, she said, “Hey, guys. If we visit the president’s house, it will count as school and you won’t have to do your math.”

That clinched the deal.

So we visited Lawnfield.

Actually, I put it right up there with Hayes as one of my favorite houses – big, but not huge and with a “cozy, family” atmosphere.

Here are some Garfield/Lawnfield facts.

*Garfield was the last of the presidents who were born in a log cabin.

*Garfield was president for approximately 200 days before being assassinated by Charles Guiteau.

*Garfield was the only ordained preacher to hold the presidency.

*Garfield married Lucretia Rudolph, the daughter of a prominent family.

*All five Garfield children were successful.

*Lawnfield was lived in by Garfields until 1930 when it was turned over to the Western Reserve Historical Society as a museum.

*The second floor library (one of the coolest rooms I’ve ever seen) was the first presidential library constructed for the purpose of storing a president’s papers.

When we walked into the visitor’s center, the lady at the desk asked if the kids wanted to be Junior Rangers. Of course they did. They each received an activity book with many things to do – and a list of objects they were supposed to find as we toured. The older the child, the more activities he/she has to do to earn the junior ranger badge.  Our tour guide, Lisa, was very patient  explaining things to the kids and since we were the only ones in her tour group, we didn’t have to worry about other people.

The kids take the Junior Ranger Pledge - helped along by Lisa

5yo proudly holds his junior ranger certificate.

All in all, everyone decided it was a fun trip and the 9yo even said it the second-favorite thing she did on the trip.

 

 

Yep! That was fun.

TAKE ME HOME, COUNTRY ROADS …

The road where Ken’s parents live has been in my life since that first visit “back to Pennsylvania” when I was 20 years old and meeting my soon-to-be-inlaws for the first time. And although Ken’s parents now live up the road from where Ken lived as a teen, it is within easy walking distance. As I took that walk after lunch waiting for the t-shirt extravaganza to begin – I realized that this road had been in my life longer than any other street/road/avenue in my life. I have walked it many times.

And what a beautiful walk it always is.

How many girls can you find in the tree?

Across from Ken’s original house

You see the house Ken and his dad built tucked in the trees – I couldn’t get a closer picture because there were people outside

trees standing guard

Haybales

Looking down the road from where Ken used to live to where his parents now live.

Looking toward Uncle Earl’s farm

I think this is my favorite picture – this is Uncle Earl’s farm where Ken spent his childhood summers and talked about in countless sermon illustrations.

THE T-SHIRTS THAT ALMOST WEREN’T

So, the afternoon was drawing to a close and Kelli and Heather had finished the dishes for the 18 gazillion people and we realized we had not yet done the Great-Grandma t-shirt craft project. Thinking it would be better to do the little boys first, we called them in from the yard.

And then the instructions got read – about washing and drying the shirts first – so the boys were sent back out to the yard while the shirts went in the wash.

So the moms decided that at least they could get the paint stirred up – but then read that THAT was suppose to sit for 24 hours (or something).

Realizing that nothing much was happening for the moment (or for many moments), I decided to wander up the road – (I will post those pictures later) and then came back to find out that the shirts …

Well, they decided to go ahead inspite of all the pre-stuff not happening.

Now, I’m sure you’re expecting to see the finished project, but since they came home, tightly wrapped and wet in a garbage bag, I haven’t actually seen the finished project.

The boys sit, waiting …

The paint does its 24 hour marinating in the time it takes a washer/dryer cycle.

One of the cousin munchkins works hard on her t-shirt.

The 9yo hopes it all will work.

The process continues.

Grandma decides to do some tie-dying, too and does a pair of socks – Kelli is overwhelmed.

THE KIDS

Since the dishwashing/drying was well in hand, I decided to go outside and take some pictures of the kids.

The 5yo plants a stick.

The 9yo takes a break.

Hanging around

The West Virginia cousins and the Illinois cousins (one with a sunny face).