Reflections on life, faith, family and the times we live in
... by a mom at home raising kids.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Ironing-- I love my sister!
Pictured below is my sister and my daughter.  My sister is on the left.


I don't iron much.  Really, I only iron dress clothes that are badly wrinkled.

Lately I've wondered if maybe my standards are a little too low.  I have a friend who irons everything, even t-shirts.

I asked my sister while she was here if she thought a particular shirt of mine was too wrinkled.  She said, "No.....but I don't iron anything."

"Nothing?  Not anything, ever?"  I asked.

"Nothing,"  she said.  "In fact when my kids were little when they were shown a picture of an iron they didn't know what it was."

 I wore the slightly wrinkled shirt.

I love my sister.  
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Monday, July 13, 2009
One Amazing Camp!!!
For a number of years my boys have attended a simply amazing camp for boys.  I think the three of them, if you count their years individually, have spent maybe 17 years there.  It's a camp for middle school boys.  But the boys all love it so much that they go back for years afterward serving as "service team members," junior counselors, senior counselors, etc.  The counselors are not paid.  In fact they pay a small fee to be one.  There are so many guys who want to go back to work they always have MORE than enough staff. 

It's an ecumenical Christian camp.  It's a tough, action oriented, masculine, guy-kind-of-camp, if you know what I mean.  But the best part is the spiritual side.  These young middle schoolers learn that there are cool, young, strong men who pray hard, who love God with all their heart, and are not at all ashamed to say so.  There are daily prayer times and a major group prayer meeting.

Jim, with some fellow counselors.
This year my two nephews came for the first time and had Jim for their counselor.


Typically, these young men come home renewed in their faith.  Some of them develop a relationship with Jesus for the first time.

And ALL of them have a fabulous time being guys of faith.

Above picture was taken on the final day as we were picking up my nephews.
What a week.  Took this photo on the way home.  Two exhausted campers and one exhausted counselor.
If you'd like to know more about this camp, please email me.  I didn't want to post too many identifying details online.
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Friday, July 10, 2009
Doing laundry.  Lots of it.  The girls are going to an awesome Christian camp on Sunday.

Picking up Jim and two nephews at the Boys Camp tomorrow.  First taking the girls to an hour of their swim meet...

Taking Liz to a dive meet today at 4:00(which we forgot about).  Also forgot to take her to the practice yesterday.

Took Mary to a friend's house.

Have to get to Target to buy little shampoo bottles for taking to camp.

My sister will be back today from visiting our brother in Lansing.  Not sure what time.

Mailed a book for Jim.  (He's selling books online to make a little extra money.)

Really need to get in a prayer time.

Need to plan dinner and get some more produce.

Really need that prayer time.


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Thursday, July 09, 2009
Local Produce-- Really Local Produce!
My oldest has been talking to me about buying local produce.  It supports the local economy, fosters community.  It's fresher....you know, all the good reasons.  So I've been meaning to go to our local farmers' market to take advantage of all this good stuff.  

I love to garden and I love fresh produce, especially right out of the garden.   But I am a mediocre gardener.  I usually plant a few tomato plants and maybe a couple other vegetables.  The rest are flowers.

For years I have admired a garden I pass on my way out of our neighborhood.  It's most of the yard, lots of vegetables and some flowers too.  It's obvious that this gardener spends a LOT of time on his garden.  It's organized, tidy, free of weeds, planted early and throughout the summer.   Imagine my delight while walking by it the other day to see a small sign saying to leave your name and number in the box if you'd like to buy some of his organic produce.

Woohoo!!!!  Would I ever!  I went over there yesterday and bought some really delicious produce.  I'll be by next week too, for sure!

Then I called my son and told him I had bought some produce that is even more local than the Farmers' Market.  It's right in my neighborhood.  He picked it off the plant while I was there!!

Loved it.  What a blessing.  
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Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Remember that Snap Dragon?

Here it was, well into the winter season.  This snapdragon just kept hanging on.  I loved it.  I don't know how many frosts it survived.  It even survived snowfalls.


I had originally posted about this snapdragon because I had not planted it.  It had reseeded from another garden location from the year before.  It was actually growing from a little tiny space between the porch and a rock.  It was literally between a rock and a hard place.


I wondered if it would come back this Spring.  I kept looking at its old space and saw nothing.  Then I realized there were several little plants that looked suspiciously like snapdragons growing around where last year's durable little plant had been.

Sure enough.  It reseeded into 4 or 5 or 6 little adorable, hardy snapdragons.  Woohoo!!!  I love it!!  And I love that I actually recognized the foliage and didn't pull it out thinking it was a weed.  

God's creation is so amazing!
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Tuesday, July 07, 2009
St. Augustine, Florida--loved it.
These are some of our pictures from St. Augustine, Florida.  It was such a beautiful old city.  I really enjoyed it.


Below are pictures of the "oldest house."  Dating back to the early 1700s, this house was really interesting.


Jim going back in time.  teehee.


And Liz took a turn too going back in time.
Some of the architecture was so beautiful.
Dinner....
Sunset in the old city....

It was a lovely place.  I'm glad we were able to stop there.

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Friday, July 03, 2009
Home at Last!!!
After twenty some hours on the road we are finally at home and does it ever feel wonderful.

I was reading "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" nearly all the way home.  Keep in mind that the entire novel had taken place in Brooklyn.  When I finally looked up to see the Ann Arbor exit--- OUR EXIT!!! I was reading the following lines in the book

"If there was that same dream feeling about Michigan, then Francie would know that she was the one dreaming.

Ann Arbor!

The University of Michigan was there."

It was so oddly coincidental.  Right as I'm rejoicing that I'm almost home my hometown is mentioned in the book.

So good to be home.

BTW, I have enjoyed "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn."

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Final Stretch
Tonight is the last night on the road.

Stopped in North Carolina for the night and also saw the movie "Public Enemies."  My son Mike was a dancing extra in the movie and we were hoping maybe we could see him.  Twice we all leaned forward for a second whispering, "Is that him?"  Couldn't be sure.  Most of the shots of the dancers were blurred.  Maybe when the DVD comes out and we can stop it we'll know for sure.

It will be nice to be home tomorrow night.  We will probably be on the road some 12 hours tomorrow.  

Then.  Maybe I'll get caught up on my blogging.
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