Thanksgiving part 2

Okay, on with the next phase!

Mom, Fred and Caroline left on Tuesday morning and our good friend Ernie Gibson arrived! Ernie drove up from Coral Springs to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. Ernie belonged to our Bible Study small group, taught Isaac's class on Wednesday nights at church and went to West Virginia with us on a Mission trip in 2005. Getting to see him here was such a treat.

Ernie helped Isaac rake up leaves in the lower yard. Weird,... raking leaves a week after shoveling snow...

Ernie was also a huge help getting our new tabletop ready for the feast! Finally, we can have everyone at one table!

One with Ernie...

...and one with me!

For "Black Friday" we didn't head for any old mall, we did it up right! We went shopping at the Green Dragon Flea Market!
Ernie found just what his freezing Florida ears needed!
Having Ernie visit was a real treat and he has an open invitation to return. I'm sure he'll wait until it's warmer though!

Thanksgiving part 1

What an eventful few weeks! Skipping to the best part, we have Nathaniel and Kate home with us now, safe and sound. Between the spectacular beauty of the Autumn woods, to the fuzzy cuteness of our baby bunnies; from the joy of having our kids home to the revolving door of family and friends coming to visit, it's been a great time.

Our bunnies, now three weeks old, are old enough to come out and play. The kids bring them in daily for cuddle sessions- are these little guys ever going to be hand tame! They are adorable!

Nathaniel arrived home on Friday the 16th, ... (wearing the t-shirt I got for his birthday)

(Haikus are easy
But sometimes they don't make sense
Refrigerator)

... and was followed closely by the arrival of my Mom, her husband Fred and his granddaughter Caroline who drove them all this way from Texas. Family reunion time!

Kate flew home on Saturday the 17th and we all greeted her at the airport with hugs, kisses and flowers. She is so glad to be home!
Sunday night it actually began to snow! By Monday morning there was enough snow that the kids had a two hour delay for school. Did they stay snuggled warm in their beds? No! At 6:30 they were begging to go outside with their sleds! Good grief!


We did more cooking and eating out with company here than is probably wise to do so close to Thanksgiving- but it's just a whole week of Thanksgiving as far as we're concerned! We had to make Kate and Nathaniel's favorite dish, Chicken Scarpariello. I'd never had a chance to make it for Mom so the timing was perfect!
We had a terrific visit with Mom, Fred and Caroline. Monday night we said goodbye since they'd be leaving in the morning. There never seems to be enough time for these visits, but we sure packed a lot into this one!

Is Autumn Ever Here!

Wow- but it's been chilly out lately! Perfect for that fall feeling! The leaves are still spectacular and the air, when dry, is crisp and just snapping with "Enjoy it while you can!" We had a gloriously beautiful weekend, almost a week of rain, then the sun came back out. I took the girls out for a drive on Saturday to look for sunshine, pumpkins, and countryside loveliness, and we found them! Sunday Jim and I took the kids and Vali for a walk in Nolde Forest. It was so beautiful, so very beautiful. We weren't the only ones out, lots of folks had the same idea. It was neat seeing other families out, bundled up and enjoying the wonders of the Autumn woods...

Wednesday, being Halloween, the kids had a half-day at school. Once home, Erin and Isaac were taking care of some outdoor chores when they discovered that Erin's rabbits had a litter of babies! The little bunnies are still blind and naked, and two were already "lost", but seven are alive and well! we cleaned out their box and gave them a nesting box. Though it's cold outside, every time we check them their nest of fur that the mother ripped from her belly for them is quite warm and cozy.

Once the rabbits were cared for the kids dressed up for trick-or-treating. Bekah and Erin were mimes and Isaac was an arctic explorer- Sir Earnest Shackelton, when he could remember the name... The group of kids who live right around us all went together down Fawn drive where the residents of the neighborhood all have their "candy posts" set up at the ends of their driveways. It's a regular costume parade, and downhill all the way!

Now to deal with all of the candy!

Enjoy the slide show!

Wonderfully Busy Weekend, Relaxing Week

What a whirlwind! So many things were happening this weekend, but they were all wonderful. I was blessed to go with several ladies from church to Westminster Theological Seminary for a "Women in the Word" Seminar, in which we learned to better read and study Scripture for the purpose of leading Bible studies for others. We were each in a different group, meeting women from all over who are lovers of the Word of God and hungry to learn more.

Here I am with my friends from church, Sharon, Sharon, Annie, (me), and June.

And here's my group, representing NYC, Charlotte, Philadelphia, and other areas nearby.

I left the seminar early, (sniff) in order to get home in time to see Bekah to a friend's home to dress for the homecoming dance. She and her friends primped and giggled as they got ready. Once they were photo-prepared I took a couple of shots and left for the next activity...

Tha annual Covenant Church Fall Fest! Not nearly as cold as last year, but the square dancing was just as fun!

Knowing those with whom we are dancing helps some too!

The past couple of days I've gone exploring with my "walking buddy", Heidi, to better familiarize myself with the area. I'm doing intensive research so that we can be better hosts for friends who come to visit. There is so much to see around here! First, and probably most memorable, stop- the Amish pretzel factory! I was privileged to go into the back where the girls were twisting pretzels and learned that it's not as easy as it looks! They were all so sweet.

Heidi and I took my empty pots to Wayside Produce for Esther, another Amish friend of Heidi's, to fill with gorgeous mums. Esther does all of Heidi's potting for her and she does it right. I also picked up some produce to add to dinner.

The weather is finally cool enough to leave the windows open for the lovely breeze. Milo, formerly a wild-in-the-woods boy, loves to sit and enjoy the sounds and smells.

Day two of our exploration- apple trees in harvest!

This market stand had all the makings for harvest-time decor.

tiny pumpkins!

Honor system cider sales. The Amish farmer who sets his cider out for passers-by to purchase doesn't have a direct line of sight from his house to this spot on the road. He's sold his cider this way for years.

What a splendid view!

That's all for now. This weekend we'll get the kids out for some pretzels and pumpkins.
Golly, I love fall!

Father/ Son Hike

This past weekend Jim and Isaac joined the men from Jim's Sunday School class, and their sons, for a Father/ son hike on the Appalachian Trail. A portion of the famous trail runs quite near where we live. They geared up for an overnight stay with hiking both days. Some of the guys could only join them for the first day's hiking, but most braved the night and second day as well.

Jim brought not only sleeping equipment and food, but a book with amusing stories about camping to share around the fire. You can tell by the clothing and posture of the guys in this shot that it got pretty chilly once the sun went down!

Day two, seated on "the pinnacle", which is a pile of rocks at one high point along the trail.

Onward and upward!

What a spectacular view, makes the effort to reach it worthwhile.

A "boulder field" left by a glacier thousands of years ago.

Photos courtesy of Jim O'Donoghue- thanks for sharing Jim!

Chronologically Incorrect!

A couple of weeks ago, our dear friends the Moffatts drove up all the way from Georgia to spend the night with us while on their way elsewhere. I hope that, in spite of my direction giving faux pas, they will return for a longer visit someday. While their stay was way too brief, it was so neat to see them again.

Now it's a nice quiet Saturday at home. Why so quiet you ask? Jim's Sunday School class of men are taking their sons on a camping trip together. The weather has finally cooled down so the hiking will be crisp and lovely and the sandwiches won't overheat. The sunshine is simply spectacular. Can the sun shine at different intensities? The past two days it's been dazzling. Some of the leaves are beginning to turn and the sky is so blue.

Yesterday Jim and I had the pleasure of going to the school where Rebekah is taking her culinary courses. The restaurant is now open, so we stopped in for lunch! Bekah served us and we were very pleased with the quality of the food. Soup, salad and sandwiches topped off with rice pudding for Jim and chocolate cake for me, all cooked by the students. Yum!


Bekah's chef instructor came out for a visit and then gave us a tour of the kitchen when we finished our meal. We'd toured the facility last year, but now that Bekah's been there he was able to give us the "inside scoop". Evidently she is doing very well and he is pleased with her hard work and motivation. So nice to hear. He works with her for about 3 hours a day so he has a better idea of who she is than any of her other teachers have a chance to.


Our sweet chef...

ttfn!

Life is Full!

We have gone from parading through the streets of Mohnton, celebrating it's 100th Anniversary, to driving across the state to see friends. Erin is still playing field hockey and loving it. Isaac is Scouting and learning new things each week. Bekah is enjoying her Culinary courses. Life is full!

I've broken the recent activities into two slide shows to make them easier to view. First is the Mohnton parade and field hockey action!

For the Columbus Day weekend we drove over to Grove City, PA to see friends and pick up some things that we'd left behind when we moved away so long ago. The Breitensteins had graciously stored a couple of items for us and it was time to claim them. So we took the seats out of the van, drove both cars over and after loading up spent the rest of the weekend visiting,... and EATING!

We took Randy and Lisa and the kids to Applebees for dinner on Saturday. Isaac and Matt hit it off so well, Isaac ended up spending the night at the Welkers while the rest of us went to our hotel! Sunday morning Jim and our kids went to church with Randy while I visited with Lisa in the quiet.

After church We said goodbye and drove over to the Breitenstein's home for a feast. Jeff and Rebecca had a mountain of kabobs ready for the grill, along with beef and venison steaks. Jason Miller was also there to join in the reunion. While the cooking and preparing were happening Jason took Isaac down to the pond to fish. The deal was, whoever caught the first fish didn't have to help with the dishes. Isaac proceeded to catch the first fish!

Meanwhile our girls were playing with the Breitenstein's children. Our Erin sat down with their Christen and Erin for some beading- fortunately she came prepared! Between helping in the kitchen our Rebekah was frequently seen with one or both twins in her arms.

After a fabulous afternoon visiting we made our way over to the Whitehouses' for a campfire cookout- just like old times! Fewer kids running around, but just as familiar and comfortable as we remembered. Janet and Terry and Jim and I swapped stories of what's been going on with our busy older kids as well as those still at home. I don't know anyone busier, yet so content.

Our trip was a wonderful time together and with friends and we hope to repeat it in the coming months. Now that we are close enough the traffic can run both ways!

Yahoo!

Nathaniel has left Iraq! We got a call on Sunday from Anchorage, Alaska, where they'd stopped on their globe-circling trip to Hawaii. He'll probably be very busy for a while- the Army is good at that, doing whatever it is they do when a unit like theirs returns from deployment. He'd once said something about cleaning the sand out of the helicopters...

Whatever he's doing, he's doing it someplace other than a war-zone. Praise God! I hope to soon hear from him via a call from his new cell phone, which he plans to run out and buy as soon as he's able.

Whew- this is one grateful and relieved Mom, signing off for now.