I woke up this morning thinking that I would make just a few more things to put in our freezer and take to my dad. And I did, but it turned into a day-long job. Good thing my freezer is full so I have to stop cooking and baking.
I thought I would include a picture of my food slicer I break out when I have a lot of bread to slice. I bought this probably twenty years ago. The width can be adjusted. It all comes apart pretty easily for cleaning. I've used it for bread, meat and cheese. This is a loaf of English Muffin Bread. I found the recipe on Pinterest. Here's the link if you want to know.
I am thankful for...
...the smell of my mom's Swedish Rye Bread baking
...the recipe card with the Swedish Rye Bread recipe written in my mom's handwriting
...a fun chat session on Facebook this evening with an old college friend. Our chat ranged from bad cooking to weather to geography to the mental struggle of realizing our parents are aging and we are all grown up now.
Tonight before we left the Twin Cities we had a wonderful evening with some very good friends. You know, the kind of friends that when you part, you feel refreshed. These are rare friends indeed. I wish so much that they didn't live 2 1/2 hours away.
A few months ago when we were having dinner with them, I made a comment that it seemed like I had made a quilt for everyone I know. Our friend piped up and said I hadn't made one for him. Being the addicted-to-quilting-person I am, I immediately started thinking of what I could make. Since our friends' family name is Moose, I knew I had to find some fabric with a moose on it.
First, here is the label I made for the quilt:
The line of fabric is called Trails' End by Holly Taylor for Moda Fabrics.
One of the fabrics in the line had these rows of moose and rows of bears. I cut the moose strips out and pieced it together for the backing. I love how it turned out!
Our friend said she loved the colors and it went well with their house.
See the little moose and bears? It was so fun to find the perfect fabric for the Mooses.
I had it quilted with a leaf design which went just perfectly with the fabrics!
This sweet lady talking to my mom has been her friend for many decades. This friend was with my mom (and my dad) when Mom had the stroke six weeks ago. She followed my dad (who was following the ambulance) to the hospital and made phone calls along the way. She comes to visit my mom in the hospital several times a week and always with a very cheerful smile.
I will write more tomorrow night about how my mom is doing. I will say that it has been so good to see her. And get a smile and a hug.
Last summer we made a road trip out to North Carolina. One stop along the way was to visit some very dear friends from our college days.
As we were enjoying the evening, I took note of the decor and when I next visited a quilt shop (I hunt them out wherever I am...there should be an app for that), I picked up these fabrics:
I had seen a sweet table runner in a quilt shop near me and snapped a photo (shhhh...don't tell) and recreated a smaller version for our dear friends.
It was so fun to package this up and mail it to our friends.
**Somehow this posted with just pictures and not all the content I wrote.
Grr......
Let's see if I can recreate what I wrote.**
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When the end of a vacation approaches I tend to have mixed feelings. Part of me is looking forward to getting home and sleeping in my own bed, the other part hates the thought of getting home and facing a mountain of laundry and Hubby back at work and I don't get to see my friends and family any more.
But then there's this blog where I get to drag out my posts about the trip and re-live the whole thing.
You're welcome
We left the beach house on Friday morning. I was glad all the Little Ones were awake so I could give them all kisses good-bye.
We took a different route on our trip back home so we could squeeze in a few more visits.
Our stop on Friday was to visit my cousins who live in Eastern Tennessee. (Loudon.) I hadn't been there to see them for 34 years (I've seen them at family events over the years). Hubby never had been to that part of Tennessee.
My aunt and uncle farmed there on an old farm. My uncle passed away 24 years ago. (My aunt remarried a few years ago at age 82 (!) and lives in Florida.) My cousins live in this house.
The house was built in 1845. There are a couple of chunks out of the bricks around the front porch that happened during a Civil War battle.
My relatives have lived here since 1957. But just think that before they lived there, there had been over 100 years of history there already! Mind boggling.
The views from the house are breathtaking. (It was beginning to get dark and had been raining, so the pictures are a little dull.)
A very, very long time ago, this building was slave quarters.
A cherished photo of my sweet cousins and me. These two have an older sister who is the oldest cousin on my dad's side of the family. I am the youngest. I am so blessed to be related to these two Southern Ladies.
We enjoyed a few hours of talking, looking at a few pictures, and laughing. We shared memories, family stories and had fun talking about our grandparents.
(As we were planning our vacation, this stop was all Hubby's idea. He gets a Gold Star for that!)
The next day we stopped in Nashville for a long lunch with some friends. We know them from the previous Minnesota town we lived in. It was good to spend time with them at catch up on each others lives. We miss our friends.
We were delayed getting into Nashville because of slow traffic. (You know -- one of those traffic jams that when it finally breaks up, there is no obvious reason for the slow down.) So, because of that delay, we were just a smidge too late for a stop later in the day at The National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky. (I was wanting to look around in the gift shop some.) It closed at 5pm and we got there at 5:05pm. Phooey. I was sad.
Saturday night was in St. Louis, then Sunday morning, we drove through northeast Missouri on up into Iowa. Sunday afternoon was a quick stop at my in-law's house. They are getting ready to sell their house and move into an apartment. (More on that later.) We picked up a few things, had a nice visit, then finished our last leg home.
It was a wonderful vacation. I was worried I would be stressed with having to get up early to get on the road so many mornings, but I really wasn't. (Maybe it helped that we were seeing friends or family at the end of most days?) We passed the time in the car listening to a couple of audio books. One book I really liked (a John Grishan novel) the other not so much (about WW2 battles). We also took notice of the license plates on the cars around us and wrote down all the different states. We found 43 states and The District of Columbia and 2 Canadian provinces. (Remember doing that as a kid?)
Ten days. 3,301 miles. Thirteen States. Five hotels. Good memories.
Sunday night Hubby and I returned from what I dubbed Giant Road Trip of 2013.
3,301 miles and thirteen states to be exact. I think that qualifies as Giant, don't you?
Our destination was the beach in North Carolina. My sister and brother-in-law own a house on the beach and my extended family was gathering there for parts of the first two weeks of July. We debated about flying out there, but decided on driving and stopping to see friends along the way.
As I look through my list of Facebook friends, sometimes I have to stop and think about which "life" do I know that person from. Was it College? Childhood? Family? When we lived in Iowa? Kansas? Missouri? Singapore? Minnesota? Needless to say, we have friends and family spread out all over the country.
Hubby mapped out a few possible routes, we thought about who we knew where and sent out emails to college friends, family and old friends. Only one visit didn't work out because of a special family outing they had planned for their special needs son. (We thought it was best to let the family have their time with him.)
So the last Friday in June, we hit the road and drove until quite late that night. We "waved" at our parents as we drove through their towns (we'd see them later), and made a stop at my (other) sister's house to use the clean non-public bathroom. ;)
Saturday we were up at at 'em and on the road to our destination to western Pennsylvania to visit our best friends from college whom we hadn't seen for 10 years. He was Hubby's roommate and a groomsman in our wedding and she was a very close friend and my personal attendant for our wedding. We were all four very good friends in college.
I can't even describe how good it was to see these people! So encouraging to see how God has built our marriages, how our faith has grown and what our kids are up to.
After a delicious dinner, we said goodbye way too soon and headed on down the road for our second night in a hotel.
The next day took us through Pennsylvania, Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia and North Carolina. This mid-westerner finds it a little crazy to drive through so many states in one day. And can I say that the traffic through the DC area is more than a bit nuts? We were thankful to have GPS that kept us up to date on the traffic patterns. We also spent time listening to one of our favorite CDs that is full of hymns. Selah - Greatest Hymns. So appropriate for a Sunday on the road. In order to maximize our time on the road and to avoid fast food, we packed a cooler full of sandwich fixings and snacks. That worked out very well. I must say, Hubby is a master at driving and munching on a sandwich. That evening we ended up in the Raleigh, NC area to see some friends from the town we lived in before here. These friends moved away seven years ago and five years ago their beloved daughter was killed in a car accident. We have longed to see them for such a long time. They treated us to yummy North Carolina barbecue. We were so encouraged to be with them and to hear about the journey they have been on. Sadly, we forgot all about getting a picture of all of us. Trip story to be continued....
Hubby and I joined our son and daughter-in-law at their church this morning for worship. I love their church. The music is always fantastic. Today's instruments were a piano and a cello. (The sound of a cello just gives me the chills.) I am so thankful that they are able to worship at a church that truly preaches the gospel. I always get so much practical stuff from the sermons. Every sermon wraps up with the gospel message.The service usually ends with me in tears, I am so moved. What really got me today was being served communion by my son and daughter-in-law. Words cannot describe the emotions. What kind of a loving God do we have that would allow me (& hubby) to experience that moment?
After that simply marvelous morning we enjoyed a yummy BBQ lunch and some fun shopping with the son and daughter-in-law.
Then I spent three and a half hours at Panera (which in and of itself would be great) with an old friend. We first met in choir when Hubby and I were first married and lived in Wichita, Kansas. My friend and I have moved around a lot over the years and even lost touch for several years. We got back in touch and text each other often, but don't often get the opportunity to actually see each other. This trip it happened to work out that we were both able to spend some time together. SO MUCH FUN! I don't think we really spent three and a half hours just sitting there talking, but that is what the clock indicated, so I guess I have to believe it.
This evening we enjoyed a late supper with our daughter and son-in-law. They encouraged us to try something brand new to Hubby and I.
Sushi! At one point in my life I thought I would never want to eat sushi. Megan and Zach have told us about this place and we said we'd like to go with them sometime if they would order for us. And can I say? We really did like it! I'd go again (with someone who knew what they were ordering).
I am thankful for...
...God's truth being preached
...singing with the body of Christ
...partaking in communion
...an afternoon spent with a friend I first met 28 years ago
...that friendship
...my daughter
...the enjoyment of food
For two of my college years I roomed with a gal that has to be the sweetest person in the world. She met and married a farmer and moved to Ohio.
Last summer my friend Carol and I got to spend a couple of days together. We hadn't seen each other for 7 or 8 years and it was very good to spend time together. Oh yeah, and the husbands were there, too. We were all friends in college. We were all involved in a campus Christian group.
My friend and her husband farm on a seven generation farm in Ohio. Their family has met with some pretty big challenges over the years, but they've stuck together and leaned on God.
Last year their local PBS station filmed the family at their farm. I think the purpose was to highlight some of the people of Ohio and highlight farming. This is a great video. It's about 25 minutes long. Watch it. It's time well spent. You'll be blessed. I was. Both times I've watched it.
Today I went to a funeral. I wrote about visiting our friend (Cherri) a couple of weeks ago. I heard about her passing on Sunday and decided to make the drive to attend her funeral. She was only 56 and left behind a sweet husband and two kids that are 18 and 20. Way too young to loose their mother. I sat in the back of the packed sanctuary and went through most of a packet of tissues. I know she's with Jesus and her family are all believers. But the grief is so strong. I don't think I'll ever understand grief.
Cherri told me that she loved to read my blog. I loved the comments she left me. Here's part of a Facebook message she sent me a couple of years ago. It has been the sweetest feedback I've ever received regarding my blog.
I started reading your blog a few months ago and wanted to say that I truly love it. I randomly pop in about once a week and always get a chuckle and a grin with your latest adventure or comments! Your writing style is very warm and inviting - you offer your readers a glimpse into your life without seeming pushy or making it seem all about you. That is a gift Judy. I so enjoy your wit and sarcasm - and especially get a kick out of your ability to just say what you mean. Hugs to you, dear lady.
She often signed off her comments with "hugs to you."
I saw quite a few people from our old church after the service. It was good to get some hugs and chat a bit. I didn't stick around. I was exhausted emotionally and frankly am tired of having the "same old conversation" with people.
I don't mind talking about the kids and what they are doing. It's fun to brag about them.
I get weary of talking about how our move has gone. I know it's been two years. But they have been two pretty awful years. Hubby really likes his job, and we are thankful for that, but we haven't been able to find a good solid church or make any friends. (I know I've talked about that on here before.) Lately, we have been driving 45 miles to a pretty good church with a pastor who preaches from the Bible.
The hardest thing about this last move has been the lack of friends. And by lack of friends, I mean no friends. Going back to our previous town and seeing people from our old church hurts. I miss the friendships. Today, I saw someone I used to be friends with, but she has made it clear she doesn't want me in her life. It's a broken friendship I don't understand. There's a story, but the world wide web isn't the place to go into it. I've tried to understand what went wrong, but she doesn't want to talk about it. It just makes my heart sick. I continue to pray for healing. I ask God to heal my heart and not let me be afraid to reach out again to someone in love and friendship.
Anyway, I know this post is a bit of a downer. Just keeping it real, people, just keeping it real.
That's what today was. Full of sad things and happy things. Kind of makes my head whirl.
Hubby got up early to run a 5K race and was happy to find out that he came in 9th in the whole race! (His time was 22:24) I'm proud of him.
After a lunch of some yummy leftover pizza, we took off west to meet the lady who used her long-arm quilt machine to finish the very first quilt I ever made. In 1999 I took a quilting class when we were living in Singapore. I'll post pictures and tell the whole story when I get the binding on it. But I will say I love how she quilted it!!!
When then drove north near the town we used to live in to attend the grad party of a kid who was a part of the same church as us when we lived there. It was a beautiful day for a drive through the country side. We drove through a lot of small towns we had never been through before. When we congratulated the graduate I said to him, "We're going to ask you the standard questions, but first, do you know the answers?" He smiled and proceeded to tell us what university he's planning on attending and what he wants to study.
We saw quite a few families from our old church at the grad party. That was an unexpected happy thing. Especially those two girls we saw that were only about 4 and 7 when we first knew them. They are now young teenagers and looking so grown up! Amazing how much they have changed in just two years.
We were struck with sadness when we went into the house to visit with the graduate's mother. She has had a recurrence of cancer and is on hospice care at home. Really rough to see her struggling and miss the sparkle in her eyes. Sweet to get a couple of hugs from her. She and I sang on worship team together and I always enjoyed our chats. She has been a faithful reader of this blog, but hasn't been able to for several months.
Our next stop was at a care center to visit a dear, sweet elderly friend of ours. She came to our Bible study for years. She's 85 and has been sick with pneumonia. She's very frail. It was hard to see her like that. None of her regular spunk. We enjoyed our short visit. I was amused to see she had her always present supply of chocolate in her room. She asked about our kids (who adore her) we talked about churches some and who all has been visiting her. When we left her room, I cried.
I told Hubby that was likely the last time we'd see either of the ladies we visited today this side of heaven. So sad to think of from this earthly view, yet reassuring to have that hope.
Hubby and I enjoyed dinner at a nice restaurant and then stopped by some friends for a few hours. We got to see their dog who I like to call a "not guard dog" because he is way too excited to see people when they come visit. But poor old Gunner is ooolllddd. (13) He didn't roll on his back for a tummy rub like he loves to do. When we left, we just got a tail thump. Gunner didn't want to get up.
Inside the house, we got the bonus of seeing two of the three kids. One in the flesh and one on Skype! The one that was on Skype lives in China, so that was a treat for us! (You can see their blog by looking for them in the Link's column on the right under Drew & Rachel's Blog. They work hard in China showing God's love to the people all around them.)
That was a happy time reconnecting with friends with sad mixed in as they talked a little about an estranged child. So heartbreaking to hear they haven't spoken to him (more like he hasn't spoken to them) since last August. I hope we showed a smidgen of compassion. I hope we were good listeners.
When we got home we had a letter from the parents of my childhood friend who died last November. It was their Spring Letter (instead of a Christmas Letter.) They wrote about my friend, Pam's, death to cancer. After I read it I just sat at the table and cried. Like her parents wrote, I still find it hard to believe she's really gone.
Overall, it was a good day. The weather was beautiful and I got to be with my husband. And Jesus stays the same. Jesus is enough.
I am reminded of a song we listened to on our drive. Kari Jobe has a song called, "What Love is This?". (Have you listened to her music? Such amazing stuff.) This song speaks to me. When things of this earth don't make sense, for me it all goes back to hope in Jesus and what He did on the cross for all of us. Jesus stays the same. Jesus is enough. The piano in this song is beautiful, the singing is full of passion, but the message is powerful.
You never change, You are the God you say You are
When I'm afraid You calm and still my beating heart
You stay the same, when hope is just a distant thought
You take my pain
And You lead me to the cross
What love is this, that You gave your life for me
And made a way for me to know You
And I confess You're always enough for me
You're all I need
I look to You
I see the scars upon Your hands
And hold the truth
That when I can't You always can
I'm standing here beneath the shadow of the cross,
I'm overwhelmed that I keep finding open arms
What love is this that You gave your life for me
and made a way for me to know You
And I confess, You're always enough for me
You're all I need
Jesus in Your suffering You were reaching Your thought of me
Jesus in Your suffering You were reaching Your thought of me
What love is this, that You gave Your life for me
And made a way for me to know You
And I confess, You're always enough for me
You're all I need
What love is this, that You gave Your life for me
And made a way for me to know You
And I confess, You're always enough for me
Always enough for me
Always enough for me
I've been in a nostalgic mode lately. That logically leads me to old photo albums. Oh the memories...
...sweet: when I see pictures of my babies
...funny when I come across pictures from college days.
For example:
I don't even know where to start with this one. Sooo many oddities... from my roommate's glasses to those jeans, in those cowboy boots. Oh my.... But what fun memories!
Then there's this group shot.
These are a bunch of the people I hung out with in college. (I'm the oh-so-stylish one in the middle with the amazing purple shirt.) We were all involved in InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. I spent hours and hours talking to and learning from those two girls in the picture. I am still in touch with them today. As a matter of fact, the girl on the front left is married to the guy on the front right. The girl second from the left (you may recognize her from the first picture) is married to the guy in the green shirt to the left of me. And yes, I am married to the guy to the right of me. :)
If I remember right, this was taken at a square dance we all went to with another group from a campus church. I went just because I was hoping to be able to dance with that cutie in the white pants. (I kinda had a crush on him.)
I am thankful for...
...friends from college days
...that I am still friends with those people
...memories
...scanners
In honor of the month of November, I have decided to write a post every day about something I am thankful for. Thirty Days of Thankfulness here we come!
Last weekend we were in Chicago. Such a great city. Our friends, Jackie and Russ, who we met when we lived in Singapore, invited us to join them for the weekend. We lived in the same neighborhood in Singapore and we went to the same church. We even taught a 10th grade Sunday school class together one year. Jackie had her own car, (most of the rest of us ex-pats only had one car for the family) so she graciously gave me (and others) rides to a lot of activities. We spent quite a bit of time in the car talking and talking and talking. Jackie is the one who asked me if I wanted to take a quilting class with her. So it's her fault, or better yet, it's because of her that I fell into the world of quilting. I am thankful for that.
Anyway...enough back story.
We started off the weekend seeing a friend of our son's. Stephen is going to medical school in Chicago and we were able to find a couple of hours to get together with him. We bought him supper and watched him eat and peppered him with questions. While he was trying to eat. Nice, huh? It is always good to spoil a college kid. We didn't eat with him because we had plans for some great Chicago pizza with Jackie and Russ.
Stephen's meal cost us more than any other meal we ate that weekend, thanks for the "gift" the city of Chicago left us on the windshield of our car. Yippie Skippie. I guess these small town people sometimes forget that in actual big towns, sometimes the city wants money to park a car on their streets. **Sigh**
Anyway.....
We found Jackie and Russ' condo (They have a condo right smack on Michigan Avenue).
Here's a view from the roof of their building.
We dumped off our stuff and headed out for pizza. The pizza was fantastic and the company was even better. It was so good to see them and start getting caught up on each others lives and all our kids.
Saturday we walked down the street for a lovely brunch that we even ate outside, it was such a beautiful day. (That's Russ and Jackie and my hubby.)
A couple of shots from their condo... Quite a view, huh?
The afternoon found us on a Chicago River Architecture Tour.
(Remind me to tell you on another day about how the Chicago River fits into our family history.)
Here's some of the pictures I took.
(And yes, that was just some of the pictures I took on the river tour.)
That evening we had Asian food (appropriate, don't you think, since we met in Asia?)
Saturday night we saw a play on Navy Pier and had some classic Chicago popcorn afterwards.
Sunday morning we worshipped at a branch of Willow Creek Church.
Check out the facility:
The church met in some auditorium in downtown Chicago. It was a wonderful worship service complete with a message from Bill Hybels.
Conclusion:
I am thankful for...
...a fun weekend in Chicago.
...my friend Jackie. I cannot say how much she meant to me during those three years in Singapore.
...being able to see Stephen.
...my hubby who does the majority of the driving on our many road trips.
Tomorrow morning I am heading up to the Big Cities to meet up with someone I haven't seen for almost 10 years. I get to spend a day and a half with my college roommate! Carol and I lived together for two years. I married an engineer and have followed him all over the world. Carol married a farmer and has lived in Ohio on a farm ever since. We've had different lives, but I have a feeling we still have tons in common. I told Carol last night on Facebook chat that sometimes when I think about seeing her I almost cry because I am so incredibly excited.
I'll end this with a lovely picture that Carol posted on Facebook this morning. Please keep in mind this is 28 years ago.
I made that dress for Carol for her senior recital. (The buttons were supposed to be off-set.) I noticed that the necklace I have one is from Hubby. He gave it to me the first Valentine's Day we were dating even though we said we wouldn't exchange gifts. I accepted it, of course. (I never did or will turn down a gift of jewelry!)
Today is The Day After The First Day of Spring! Finally. Yippee!
The good news is the snow melting! I may have mentioned that before, but seeing the bare ground brings me such great relief that Spring Is Coming!
The other good news is that I have put my winter coat away for the season! (on the-edge-of-your-seat news, I know...) There is just something in me that cannot wear a winter coat after the first day of spring. yes, I know the highs are only in the mid-thirties this week. It's the principle, people, the principle. (...and yes, I know, Joyce, mid-thirties isn't really warm.) It's the principle of the thing, that, and I am sick and tired of wearing my winter coat.
We had a good weekend together, the hubby and I. Saturday we drove to a northern Iowa lake resort area for lunch and to check out a store that recycles building materials. Not that we are renovating anything, we were just curious. We did see some pretty cool looking really old sinks and doors. But mostly, it was a fun date.
Sunday we went to church where we previously lived. I think we had tried to go three other times over the last several months and every time there was bad weather. We did have to drive back in fog, but it wasn't too terrible.
We enjoyed worshiping with our old church family who we miss so much. We got caught up with a bunch of people. That all was very refreshing for me.
We took our favorite elderly friend out for lunch. She is 84 and we were in a Bible study with her for the better part of 9 years. She's never been married and so cheerful and full of life. Oh, and such a sense of humor! Bible studies were so fun with her jokes and the songs she would sing for us sometimes in Swedish and sometimes in Latin. That she loves Jesus is no secret. Her papa was a pastor and she has some great stories of being a preacher's kid.
Besides today being The Day After The First Day Of Spring, today is my parent's wedding anniversary. They have been married for 58 years! Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!
Here's a picture of them dancing at our daughter's wedding last June. My mom was terribly sick just 7-8 months before this, so is was extra special to see this that day:
The hubby has meetings in The Big City and I got to come along! The highlight of today was dinner with our bestest friends who we don't get to see near enough. He used to be our pastor. I really miss his preaching.
At one point we lived only 1/2 mile apart. Now, due to their move and now our move we live close to three hours away from each other. Tonight's dinner was precious time that went by way too quickly.
I have seen on other blogs where they have posted a picture for every day for a year. I'm not sure if I can do 365 days, but I thought I would try for the month of January. I will write other posts as usual so my huge readership of 2 or 6 people can keep up with the ramblings of my mind.
So here we go with the first day of January and the first day of the year.
Here's the temp late this afternoon. Yikes! Gotta love January in Minnesota. Um, not really. I made a huge pan of lasagna and we invited our friends the Smiths over to help us devour it. The food was great and the fellowship was even better.
I discovered a new website I wanted to bring attention to. It's the website of a terrific restaurant that's too far away from us to visit very often. It's called Peppercorn Pantry in Aplington, Iowa. We've visited twice and had lunch there one time and dessert another time. Okay, we had dessert both visits...but the second time was only dessert.Highly recommended!
