Joys of reliving the past!

What a special day! Even with the cold, rainy WINDY weather today! We decided (since it was Ron's day off) to take Ronnie and Anna to 'Build a Bear' this morning. They both received 'bear bucks' for Christmas along with coupons and more 'bear bucks' for Ronnie's birthday...and have been waiting to go.
With having Meghan and Sara...and doing all the fun things with them that we did when they were little, then waiting 6 years before having Ronnie and 2 1/2 years later, Anna....now we get to do all those fun things over again! Like Build a Bear! First, though, our morning started off with Ronnie losing another tooth! He was excited, but very matter of fact about it. Anna thought it was really neat!

Ronnie loves to show off the 'hole' in his mouth!

Here they are "stuffing" their new friends...Anna chose a lamb that she named "Lovey Lamb" and Ronnie chose a monkey that he named "Magnificent Monkey"...or M&M for short!

Time to kiss the hearts and put them in their friends! (Anna was so serious about this!)

Time to "air bath" them!

Anna chose a pink outfit for Lovey!

Ron helped Ronnie dress his monkey in a skateboarding outfit, complete with jeans, shirt, helmet, and all the pads...plus the skateboard!

Ron and I had so much fun experiencing this with our little ones! Meghan and Sara stayed home for some well deserved quiet time!

~Bedtime for everyone! Ron is visiting with his brother who is in visiting from Chicago...time to tuck the littles in!

Applause to Sara for figuring out the html codes and how to design her own blog background!!! She designed this one with all my favorite elements in it...from my colors, to the plaid and lace...I'm proud of her! Computers, as most machines, confuse and frustrate me! Which is why I like my 1936 sewing machine so much...it is very, very SIMPLE!

Off tomorrow to meet a friend early for a Salvation Army fundraising "Fabric Fair". I was able to get some good deals 2 years ago...and I'm looking for cottons, quilting fabric, and linens now....amazing the prices! I was told they have lots of yarn there, as well....my favorite things! Then...tomorrow night, a 30th birthday party for Ron's youngest brother....then another family party on Sunday! Family is so very important to us...and seeing his brother Sean is a treat as he doesn't come in often from Chicago. May you all have a wonderful weekend! ~Sue~

The Roots of Endurance....

It is a dark, rainy day in Pittsburgh! We've had such beautiful weather the past few days....couldn't keep the little ones inside, or even Anna in shoes! What fun! They have been playing with friends, running around, climbing trees, playing on the tire swings, at the playground, going for walks....it willbe nice to have a day inside! Yesterday, Ron bought a bicycle off of a friend of ours, so he brought it home, scrubbed it up, put air in the tires and took off for a test ride around the neighborhood....Anna comes into the kitchen where I'm making dinner and says very sadly " Mom...Dad ran away from home on his new bike, and he didn't wear his helmet!"...oh, my goodness, I cracked up! I explained to her that he didn't "run away" and that he would be right back, but that she was right..he should have worn a helmet! I don't know what horrified her more...the thought of him running away or no helmet!

We watched Ty (now 9 months old on Sunday) the past 2 days....he is crawling so fast, pulling to stand on everything, "talking" a mile a minute (like his mom and aunt)...and can fly in his walker.....we enjoy him so much! It's an adjustment having a baby in the house only 2 days a week...but so much fun! He enjoyed being outside, too....he loves the toddler swing we have in the back hanging from one of our trees...he laughs!

Maybe that is why rainy days don't bother me...I know we'll have sunny days again!

I just started reading a book by John Piper called " The Roots of Endurance". Now, I've owned this book for a couple of years now...ever meaning to read it when I "had time"....well....I suppose, God is telling me that the time is now, because I've been so drawn to this book the past few days...I have to force myself to put it down and do my chores! I'm only in the beginning, but wanted to share parts of this thought-provoking book.

"For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised." Hebrews 10:36

"Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their Faith in Jesus." Revelation 14:12

"Have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises." Hebrews 6:11-12

~The Biblical Roots of Endurance~

"I think the main reason endurance returns so often to my mind is a combination of global anxiety, and biblical urgency. We are unsettled by the world. It does not feel safe. It seems fragile and insecure. The 20th century was a sequence of bloody nightmares from which we could not wake up-because we were not asleep. The 21st century has begun with the shattering realization that there is no safe place on earth. Slowly, perhaps, many are wakening to the biblical view that " here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come" ( Hebrews 13:14); that this world does not offer a "kingdom that can't be shaken" (Hebrews 12:28) that we are "sojourners and exiles" (1Peter 2:11) ; that we should " not be surprised at the fiery trials....as though something strange were happening to us" (1 Peter 4:12); that "there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences....and terrors" (Luke 21:11) that "there will come times of difficulty...people will be...abusive...heartless...brutal...treacherous, reckless" (2 Timothy 3:1-4)

This is just a part of the introduction...here is a little more.....

"one way or the other, Christ will bring His church to realize that "in this world you WILL have tribulation" (John 16:33); that " all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (2Timothy 3:12); that we are called to "share in the suffering for the gospel by the power of God" (2Timothy 1:8) and "we groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies" (Romans 8:23) ; that "whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Christ sake and the gospel's will save it " (Mark 8:35) and that "through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22.)

If we will not freely take our cross and follow Jesus (Mark8:34) on the Calvary road, it may be thrust upon us. It would be better to hear the warnings now and wake up to biblical reality. Existence in this fallen world will not be pain-free, trouble-free. There will be groaning because of our finitude and fallenness, and many afflictions because of our calling. (Romans 8:23; Psalm 34:19) Frustation is normal, disappointment is normal, sickness is normal. Conflict, persecution, danger, stress...they are all normal. The mind-set that moves away from these moves away from reality and away from Christ."

~ The next part of this chapter talks about biblical endurance. It starts with the question " How can we keep on loving and serving people when life has so much pain and disapointment?" What are the roots of biblical endurance?"

As I read, I'll share my thought here on this subject. I wish I could type out more, but Oh,...the pain my hands are in right now!

If it is sunny where you are right now...enjoy it! Savor it! If it is dark and rainy....enjoy it! Do somthing cozy....make some hot cocoa...read some books....laugh....and thank God for the rain that is watering His earth! Have a blessed day! ~Sue~

Worrying

It is a horrible thing...worrying. On KDKA.com they ran three stories on a evil computer virus, the Confiker. It can steal back account passwords, take control of you computer, and basically use your computer for bad things. If you have it somewhere in your computer, it will rear its ugly head on April 1st. You have two choices: completely wipe out your computer and start afresh, or you can try to get rid of it. To make a long story short, I am sorta worried about the computers in our house. But my sweet sister reminded me of Matthew 6:34, "Therefore, do NOT worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself."

God knows if my computer will get a virus, or if it will pass over our home. He put another verse into my mind that I had just found recently in Matthew 6, which has alot of verses about worrying, and is one of my new favorites, "Who of you, by worrying, can add a single hour to your life?" That comes from Matthew 6:27 by the way, and it hit home with me instantly. We won't get anywhere in God's plan if we waste time worrying over the smallest things! I am certain God knows what he is doing, after all he is God... :) Good night, just some words to ponder.

* Here is the link to the article on the virus:*

http://kdka.com/consumer/Conficker.worm.virus.2.971885.html

Mom's home...back to normal!

Mom's home....after fighting traffic Friday afternoon for an hour! Oh, it's good to be home! I like to have "all my ducks in a row"....all my children around me, and my husband home....I'm a home loving mom! Much progress was made on the special "Sweet 16" birthday surprise, but much more work is needed until it is completed...so more trips to Grammy & Buppy's house! What will be nice, is that I can trust Meghan to stay away from where I am working on her surprise...and Sara to make sure she does! That way...I'll just take all 4 children with me! They get to visit with their grandparents and aunt (who lives up the street)...Ron can go to work without worrying, and I won't have to miss my children! Of course, we can make little side trips in between work on the surprise...to a couple of parks that are nearby, fishing in the creek, walks thru the fields and a couple of cool antique shops and thrifting stores that are local...fun!

After rushing to see the play "The Music Man" at a local highschool with my older girls and friends Friday night, then yesterday we had a great time at a dear family's birthday party, today was rather quiet...a perfect Sunday! After church, we stayed and visited with friends, then came home to a GF pepperoni pizza and veggies, then while the 4 children rested, I ran out to Half-Price books and got Anna 5 "Raggedy Ann and Andy" books! As I'll explain below, she is now the very proud and diligent little Mama of her own Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls! While I was at the book store, Ronnie played rod-hockey and Anna & Meghan played "pretty pretty princess!" I can't believe how big Anna is getting! I love her HUGE eyes!

Princess Anna!

I think Anna won and had more jewelery than Meghan did!

After dinner tonight, we all had our kefir smoothies...tried a new recipe that makes them taste just like 'orange julius's'!


Then all 6 of us played UNO...Ronnie and Anna have card holders that make playing much easier for them...but Anna was being so silly that she was just happy to be included!

Partners in crime! Sara would always wait until we switched directions before having Anna ( she was helping her) put down a "draw 4" card for her dad!

We had a great time! After we took Anna up to read more in her storybooks, we taught Ronnie how to play 'Rat a Tat Cat' card game...he won both times!



~The other day, good friends of ours moved into a smaller place, one level living and are having a moving sale....and we were able to 'preview' the sale. All of the proceeds are going to a missions trip our church is taking to Zambia. I feel so blessed by the treasures that I brought home, my friends know their treasures went to a good home and money was raised for Zambia. Here are some of the treasures I was blessed with!

Beautiful, hand-pieced and hand-quilted blue and white quilt.


Gorgeous, hand-pieced and appliqued pink, white and light green quilt


One of my favorites....looks like a grandmothers flower garden quilt...all handmade that my friend, when she was a little girl, slept under....these were her grandmothers. Again, all done by hand....when I think of the hours and hours that went into these, I appreciate them even more.

Ron loved this rod-hockey game....he had one when he was a young boy, now our children can enjoy it too!
The wooden sewing box on the left is a treasure! It opens up like an accordian and is filled with all manner of sewing neccessities! The antique sewing maching works beautifully, and was given to me by a friend who had it in her garage. The certificate of authenticity is dated 1936. Sometimes, I feel as if I've stepped back in time. I would love to have a treadle machine someday....no electricity needed! LOL
Ronnie, Anna, Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy having a tea party.
These are two very special treasures! These dolls belonged to my friends daughter. Her daughter is now 45 years old and she got them when she was around 2. At 43 years old...they are in remarkable shape! We had to perform "surgawry" on both of them....one arm needed sewed back on and a foot need stitched...I crocheted black 'shoes' for Andy....now I need a pair for Raggedy Ann....I'm hoping to make some more clothes for them over the summer. Anna loves them so much and carrys them around with her, and tucks them in with kisses at night. So precious that they are loved by another little girl!

And...last but not least! A wonderful small chest that fits perfectly into my diningroom/everything room! It's the perfect place to hold our wooden abacus...which was forever in the way when we weren't using it! Ronnie & Anna's schoolbooks are to the left, and the drawers now hold crayons, rulers, playdough and various other art supplies. It freed up some space in the cabinets in my living room.

~While I was gone, I listened to a cd/talk the entire way to my mothers and back again called " 24 hours is all you get" by Mrs. Susan Bradrick. WOW! Was I convicted! One of the things that convicted me the most, was the phrase " I'm sorry, that just will not be best for our family"....she even had everyone repeat it frequently! LOL There were so many scriptures to reference, about being good stewards of our time, our families, and our resources...it was very timely for me. I feel as if we haven't had a workable routine since fall of 2007! Little by little, we're going to put things into perspective...and get into a routine that suits our family the best. Like being free or having lighter days when Ron is off...since he doesn't have off on weekends. That will maximize our family time, building a stronger family.

One of those 'resolutions' is to go to sleep early...and rise early....so I'm off! Will do a quick menu plan then to bed. I think the 'whirlwind' is beginning to wind down....as it will even more when we say "I'm sorry, that just wouldn't be best for our family"! LOL Goodnight! ~Sue~

BB Guns, Flowers, and Friends

Yesterday our friends the Goettels had a party for their son, Brinton, and one of their 6 daughters, McKenzie. We had a blast, and my dad got to come, so that was a plus! They had activities for everyone: airsoft gun fights for boys, flower potting for the girls, and the rest of us just ate all the yummy food! We all had a ton of fun, here are some pictures from the party:

Mrs. Goettel is helping the little girls plant their flowers. She is next to the birthday girl, McKenzie who is 4....we just found out that Mrs. Goettel is expecting her 8th baby!

Ronnie with a BB gun (I was dodging BB's while taking this picture!)

Anna and her friend Phia potting flowers

Courtney and Meghan with their coffee :)

Anna and Phia

Bella and I

Sweet Little Lila

Well, I have to go help with dinner now, so ciao! My mom will be writing later on, so tune in later for more!

Tagged!

Ok, this is cool, so I thought I would do this! If you want to do this, reply in a comment!

1: Where you and I met?
2: Take a stab at my middle name:
3: How long have you known me?

4: The last time we saw each other?

5: Would I ever go skydiving?
6: Your first impression of me upon meeting/seeing me?

7: Am I funny?

8. My best physical feature?
9: What's my favorite music?
10: Can I sing?
11: What do I want to do more than anything?

12: What is the one thing you think I should do?
13: Do I have any special talents? If so, what are they?
14: Have you ever hugged me?
15: My favorite food?
16: If there was one good nickname for me, what would it be?
17: Your favorite memory of me?
18: If you and I were stranded on an island, what would I bring?
19: Where do you think I will be in 25 years?
20: Will you re-post this so I can fill this out for you?

The Music Man

I love The Music Man. From 76 Trombones to Shipoopie, I love the songs. BPHS was doing it as their spring musical this year, so Mum, Meghan and I went with out dear friends The Williams. Well, this was phenomenal, and I think it is my favorite HS musical I have seen so far ( I have seen 3) because it was so professional and so well choreagraphed (sp?). I had a great time, and wish I could post more, but it is bedtime. Goodnight, my blog readers, sleeptight, followers (couldn't resist!) :)

THE MUSIC MAN!

Our Day without Mum

**IF YOU CARE TO SKIP A RATHER LENGTHY DESCRIPTION ABOUT OUR DAY WITHOUT MUM, PLEASE FIND THE PICTURES IN THIS POST.**

We survived.......only by the sheer grace of the Lord!!! There were no major accidents, mishaps, spills or tragedies yesterday while Mum was gone. :) Mum left yesterday at around ten in the morning after giving 'surgery' to a Raggedy Andy's foot, kissing her children good-bye, singing to her husband to wake him up, and then going to meet someone at an undisclosed location concerning my birthday gift. :( And she left me pondering all day what in the world it could be. But I digress. :) Our day was filled with delighted shrieks and giggles from the 'middles,' Sara and Ronnie, while they played rod hockey. Anna was my helper (and mostly shadow) in the kitchen. She was perfectly outfitted in a princess apron and chef's hat! And of course she asked me why I didn't have one. :) While Mum was gone we were living 'high on the hog' with grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch, chocolate chip cookies (that had WHITE flour!) for snacks, and chicken (breaded with REAL bread-crumbs!), potatoes and greenbeans for dinner. :) It was a very good day....aside from all of us missing Mum so much and feeling like there was a huge something missing.

That morning before Mum left, she sweetly chose to sit in her rocker/recliner and talk to her littles and play with them. Wednesday night Mum and Dad came home bearing gifts! :) A dear couple from church is moving very soon and are having a yard-sale soon and they gave Mum and Dad a sneak peek! They came home with a myriad of items; a few of them made us children's day. :) We all got yo-yo's....they are sort of challenging for Ronnie (but her persevered!) but I FINALLY got the hang of it! :) It has taken me almost sixteen years to figure out those darn yo-yo's. :) Anyway......they brought home also, a vintage Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls that are absolutely precious! By the time they got home Wednesday night, Ronnie and Anna were asleep so Ann and Andy were waiting for Anna when she got up yesterday morning.

She was absolutely enchanted with them! We told her they needed lots of hugs, kisses and lots of love. :) She took her mission very seriously and began playing with them on the spot. :) She gave them an honorary tea-party with her most special princess dishes and laughed a little at Ann's bloomers. :) Andy's foot had a rip in it so Mum quickly gave him 'sowrgry' as Anna calls it. And he is as good as new! However Mum is making both of the dolls black crocheted shoes. :) Mum quickly packed a little food for her drive out, kissed us all goodbye and was off! :) I set about making oatmeal and unloading my dishwasher while Ronnie and Sara played downstairs on the rod-hockey table. They were SO delighed with it! I don't know who shouted more. :)

Lunchtime came around and I wasn't quite sure what to make. We had hotdogs and baked beans but Dad kindly went out to Aldi's in the rainy and drippy day to pick up some WHITE bread, pickles, tomatoes, red onions and cheese, among a few other things. We were having REAL sandwiches for lunch! I know how much Dad loved a good grilled cheese sandwich so I set about making some. Ronnie and Sara opted for cold ham and cheese sandwiches with pickles and mustard, but Dad, Anna and I wanted grilled cheese. But not just any grilled cheese, mind you. Gourmet grilled cheese. Dad used to work at a resturant called Palmers and he always loved their grilled cheese. According to dear Dad, they had sour pickles, cheddar cheese, red-onion and tomato. YUM!!!! Anna wanted plain but Dad made his two sandwiches with the art of a master. :) I made mine without the red onion-I had a piano lesson later. :) It was SO darn good. Especially the pickles since they are a delicacy in our house.

Anna and I baked chocolate chip cookies during that late morning-early afternoon. I realized the butter needed to soften and I called Dad to pick up some brown sugar since we were out. I got everything I could ready with Anna's lovely help beforehand and then came lunch.......and cleanup of lunch.......then the cookies! We used Betty Crocker's recipe and I decided to make a double batch so I could bring some to my piano teacher. It is a good thing! Ronnie and Anna, mostly Anna, were 'little mooches!' of the cookie dough. :) Okay, okay....I was too. :) I was so tired after I pulled the last batch of cookies out of the oven about five minutes before we had to leave for piano lessons. I got to rest in the car on the way there. :) I'm now learning Canon in D. That song is TRICKY! But I love it. :) I got back and Dad had to take my aunt to look at her (now) new car. Dad is the king of finding good, reliable cars for people and he does it with such a willing and helpful spirit. So.....we had to eat dinner early so Dad could take my aunt down to get her car (she completely trusted Dad with finding the perfect car for what she needed and wanted) so we had to eat early. The potatoes took a little longer but the chicken I cut each breast in half as Mum instructed, and they didn't take too long. :) Our Aunt Maureen (Dad's sister) stayed for dinner (because she loves chicken!) and then they were off. I was done!!! Gosh was I bushed and it was only quarter past six! Sara sweetly took care of the littles and cleanup so I could rest. Maybe catch up on a little schoolwork. :-P

The littles went to bed nice and sweetly-Anna loves to have books read to her-and then I came down, got in my jammies and lounged until Dad got home from his hockey league. He got some mini deep-dish pizzas from Aldi's and he told me to pop four in the oven as a snack for Sara, he and I. YUM! They were really good. We had some sweet father-daughter time, munching on our mini-pizzas and talking. He put on a Dean Martin Roast of Frank Sinatra-because EVERYONE knows how much I LOOOOOOVE Frankie. It was from 1977 and the tape was stopped at the middle and after Dean Martin talked for a moment, a dear, old-looking Gene Kelly came on and gave an absolutely sweet and precious tribute to his old friend, Frank Sinatra. There were film clips from (SNIFF SNIFF!) not from It Happened in Brooklyn, but On the Town, Take Me Out to the Ballgame and Anchors Aweigh. Those three are my OTHER three favorites of his. :) Gene Kelly looked so old and so sweet-his Irish smile was still bright and his voice was still strong with a Pittsburgh accent. Dad and I, since we are both, as Sara termed us, 'sappy' both got a little mistyeyed during that part. :)

And that, our probably rather bored readers, was our day. :)

Sweet littles and Raggedy Ann and Andy. Don't they all look so cute!!!???

The incredibly vintage and adorable looking 'operating room.' :) That sewing box was my great-grandmother's.

My wonderful little helper of the day! With her sidekick, Bolt the doggy.

The recipe and a legacy between Dad and Sara and I since we were little. :) We ALWAYS made chocolate chip cookies from the Betty Crocker cookbook together.

Anna Bananna! She took her job so seriously. :) It was hard not to laugh and smile at her silly hat.

Ronnie playing rod hockey. It was SO funny.

The hyper-hockey players. :) Look at his big blue eyes. :)

FACEOFF!

The whole thing.

Sara's team.......

Ronnie's team-they had a power play because the blue team was short one guy. :)

What was left of lunch. :)

The ingredients!

Cream butter and sugars then mix-in eggs......

The cookie-dough! Any memories, Dani!? :)

They are technically drop cookies but I roll them. It's tradition. :)

Almost done!!!

Cooling with mouths watering in anticipation. :)

A tired me right before leaving for my piano lesson.

We all love this quote. :)

Dinner time!

HURRAY! I didn't burn or over cook the chicken!

Well that's it folks! Now I have to get breakfast started. :)