A visit with Jennie

It has been on our hearts for a while now to give Seth's Great-Aunt Jennie a call and go visit.  Jennie was married to Grandpa Elmer's brother Wilfred.  We gave her a call and in the process of arranging our visit, we mentioned Seth's Grandparents.  Jennie commented that "Oh, I haven't seen them in so long."  I suggested that we take her for a visit.  She was grateful for the offer and accepted.  It's a date, then.

Sunday afternoon we picked her up.  She was excited since she hasn't seen her brother-in-law and sister-in-law in about two years.  Much too long and we'll make sure it isn't that long again.

A cute picture of the girls while we wait for Grandpa & Grandma to get back from their church service.  

It was a joyous reunion and they wasted no time in sharing pictures and stories.  

I was in charge of taking the kids to the game room so the adults could visit for a bit.  Course this only lasted until we had a pinched finger from the pool balls.  But nothing a little ice cream couldn't fix.

All good visits must come to an end.  Grandpa & Grandma needed to get to supper so we walked to the cafeteria together.  Jennie, Elizabeth & Elmer posed for a picture together.

And then it was time to take Jennie out for supper, too.  It was a nice visit and I know that Jennie treasured the family time.  Eden is already asking when we can see Great-Great-Aunt Jennie again.  Soon, Eden.  Soon.

Doll skirt in 20 minutes

I saw an idea on a blog to make a denim skirt for a doll from outgrown jeans.  I just happened to have a pair of jeans in the "to give away" pile.  I snatched them back out.    

I took the jeans and the doll and measured how long I wanted the skirt to be on the dolls.  I allowed a little extra for a seam.  I got lucky because the jeans were the same diameter as the doll's waist.  I decided I didn't need to do an elastic waist, making these skirts even easier.  The jeans have a bit of stretch in them anyway so I sewed the top with a zig-zag stitch so it would have a little "give" to it.  

This seemed to be the perfect pair of jeans to use since they already had a ruffle at the bottom.

And here is the end result. . . .

I think they look cute on them.  Hmm.  No pair of jeans is safe in this house.  Oh, really, how many jean skirts do the dolls need?  I think one is enough. . . . for now.  

Watoto Children's Choir

Wednesday night found us at my parents' church in Pella.  The Watoto Children's Choir was performing.  I thought it would be a good experience for my kids.  Music class and a lesson in culture, too.  We were not disappointed!  My kids have not sat that still in a church pew in a long time.  They were nearly mesmerized by the children's choir.

The music was beautiful.
The dancing was perfect.
 The children were adorable.
Their costumes were colorful.
Their stories, however, were heartbreaking.  

Most, if not all of them, are orphans.  Watoto's mission is to Rescue, Raise & Rebuild.  They rescue orphans, raise them with food, love, farming & schooling.  All with the hope of raising the next generation of leaders in Africa to make it a better place.  What a mission!
From their brochure: their Concerts of Hope are a lively demonstration of the life-changing love of God experienced by the children of Watoto.  Children live in groups of 7 with a house mother.  They are between the ages of 2 and 12.  There is also a Baby Watoto home for wee ones.  One gal who spoke was only 8 years old, orphaned and caring for two younger siblings.  Watoto rescued them and now they have a better chance at life.
So glad we could see their story and contribute to making Uganda in Africa a brighter place.

I think it is safe to say that the boys' favorite part was when they brought out the drums.  They were good!  And the dancing was phenomenal.  

On stage singing.  Some of the songs they sang were in English and I could understand them perfectly. They even sang a few great hymns.  Other songs were in their native tongue.

At one point, they had us all stand up and try to teach us a few moves.  I think they'll give us an E for Effort.

Eden waiting for the concert to begin.
Here's what Eden has to say about the concert:  "I liked their singing."

And Eliza waiting for the concert to start.
Eliza:  "I liked the costumes."

My two boys!
Emmet: "I liked their dancing."
Ephraim: "It was AMAZING!"

All four waiting for the concert to begin.  Love those kids!  They enjoyed the concert and are even talking about a few days later.  Eden wants to go back and see them again.  And I do too.  Not a concert we'll soon forget.

Pictures of the week, April 15 to April 21, 2012

Sunday, April 15, 2012

A picture with my parents and Eliza, Eden, Ephraim & Emmet.

Monday, April 16, 2012

My latest reading material. I checked this book out from our local library. I know, I'm not a sports fan. At all. But I do enjoy a book about an athlete with an amazing Christian testimony. Tim Tebow writes about his life, first being spared from a doctor recommended abortion in his mother's womb while in the Philippines where they were missionaries. Thankfully his parents would have nothing to do with that. Fast forward to his growing up years in Florida where he was homeschooled. This was a good book that highlights his early years since his football career isn't over yet, although I don't really know since I don't follow football or any sport for that matter. Tim Tebow has been involved with Focus on the Family and that's what peaked my interest for this book. You may remember him from a Super Bowl commercial a few years back.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

I caught Eden in our room looking at our wedding pictures.  Too cute!  And then later she was asking about who can get married.  I said "Only grown-ups."  And she replied "Well, why were there two kids getting married at your wedding."  Haha.  She was pretty observant to see the ring bearer and flower girl coming down the aisle.  

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

The gorgeous rainbow, and eventually double rainbow on Wednesday, April 18, 2012. We enjoyed watching it for a while and even started school a bit late because of it. What a beautiful reminder of God's presence in our lives.


Thursday, April 19, 2012

Ephraim got to ride in the semi on Wednesday.  Thursday would be Emmet's turn.  Wednesday night he wanted to get his clothes laid out.  He did that and we tucked them in to bed.  I was checking on him before I went to bed and saw that he had changed into his clothes.  Ahhh, too cute.  He wanted to be ready in the morning when Seth came by in semi to get him.  Emmet got to ride for several hours on Thursday and thoroughly enjoyed it!

Friday, April 20, 2012

We took time out to play Uno one afternoon.  Eliza was creative with her card-holding:  in between her toes!

Saturday, April 21, 2012

 I love the smell of lilacs.  And so does Eden.  After collecting our eggs we stopped to smell the bush.  Lovely.  Eden wanted to pick a few to decorate the egg basket.  So we did that and then brought the flowers inside to make the house smell pretty.

Pictures of the week April 8 to April 14, 2012

Sunday, April 8, 2012

A blessed Easter.


Monday, April 9, 2012

A great deal on Cheerios at Hy-Vee.  I got these boxes for less than $.50 a box and they are normally $4 to $4.50 a box.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

The kids have really enjoyed their clubhouse in the nicer weather!

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Our church was hosting a bell choir concert on this particular Wednesday night.  They are from Leighton and there were 11 of them.  I thought this would be a good concert for the kids to go to and get some more music exposure.  And they did very well for me.  We sat toward the front and they usually were watching the bell ringer the entire time.  It was a joy to see their eyes light up when they could recognize a hymn.  Emmet thought it was funny that the the conductor was the "ring leader" and the rest called themselves the "ding-a-lings."  At one point, all the musicians sat down but one and she played a solo with nearly all the bells all by herself.  That was impressive!


Thursday, April 12, 2012

Welcome to the world!  We were having lunch on Thursday and Seth happened to come home for lunch.  He said "Did you see what's happening on the front step?"  I was confused, because the kids had just come in from recess and hadn't said anything.  Sure enough.  There, right by the front step is mama cat.  Pushing out a kitten.  Nice.  I quickly rounded up a box and an old towel.  Really, who wants to have babies on concrete?  We do have a nice barn where she'd be out of the wind and have some nice straw to lay in.  Whatever.  No, the kitties don't have names.  This litter, just like the mama's last litter, all look the same.


Friday, April 13, 2012

Our macaw craft, which I've already blogged about.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

My McBiscuit freezer cooking, which I've already blogged about.  

Sunday, the 15th

We always enjoy an occasional Sunday lunch with my parents. We couldn't be there on Easter Sunday so we went the week after.

Here is a picture of my parents with 4 of their grandchildren.

Playing Mancala with Grandma Twyla.

Going outside to check out Grandpa's ducks. Notice the girls' hair? That's how windy it was.

Eliza in a cute jumper that Grandma made. It was a pair of bib jeans but the girls didn't wear them like that. So my mom cut off the legs and sewed on a double ruffle. It is super cute and Eliza couldn't wait to wear it.

Checking out Grandpa's bull Ferdinand--Seth is feeding him some grass.

A better picture of the bull.
It was a great afternoon spent together!

Easter pictures

Back to Easter Sunday, once arriving at Grandpa & Grandma's house, it was time for a few more pictures in our Easter outfits.

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An attempt at a family photo.

A picture of just Seth and I. This was also our 12th Wedding Anniversary. I've since cut my hair--I (yes, I) cut off several inches myself.

A nice picture of everyone.

Eden looking very pretty!

Another picture with all four children together. The weather was nice to have pictures outside but there was a bit of a chill in the breeze.

All of us together!

Grandpa & Grandma with all the grandkids. Mark, Ephraim, John, Emmet, Eliza & Eden.

A behind the scenes look at trying to get a picture of just Arlin & Donna. Seth is holding a shade over their heads to block the sun. It was one of those "had to be there" moments.

McBiscuits

When Seth has to leave early in the morning, sometimes it is nice to give him a hot breakfast. But, because I enjoy my sleep (and NEED sleep to parent the children all day) I do not rise much before 5am. One way I can make a hot breakfast is to make it ahead and then freeze it. I've made these in the past and we've always enjoyed them. Saturday was when I made a double batch, 24 in all.

In the past, I've made them with Pillsbury Grands Biscuits. This time I wanted to make homemade biscuits. I found my recipe here. Each batch made 12.

We like McBiscuits because you can customize them to your tastes. I made them this time all the same with cheese, egg and ham.

A McBiscuit ready to be wrapped in aluminum foil and ready for the freezer. It looks like there's two of them there but I think we're seeing the reflection in the foil. I've made them before with fully cooked sausage and those are good, too. This is a great way to use up some of my extra eggs since my hens have kicked egg laying into high gear!

Twenty four McBiscuits ready for the freezer. They can be microwaved if they are thawed. Or put them thawed in the oven for 15 minutes @ 400 degrees, still wrapped in aluminum foil (I prefer them this way all though it maybe be cheaper to use the microwave.)

Dresses for Dolls

Just two quick pictures of my latest sewing project other than the girls' Easter dresses.

A while back I finished the doll dresses that match the girls' Christmas dresses.

Katelyn & Lily say 'thank you' for the new dresses.

I used the same pattern for Lily & Katelyn's Easter dresses. It is a super easy pattern. I can sew it in about 30 minutes once I have it cut out. It has hook and loop closure in the back so it is easy for the girls to dress their dolls.

Again, the dolls and my girls are happy with how they turned out. I do hope to make a couple pairs of bloomers (or panties) to match--that's on my to-do list.

Rainbow Morning

The kids were outside a bit before starting school this morning, April 18, 2012. It started out like this. A third of a rainbow on the northwest side of the house. I proceeded to hang up some laundry while we watched the rainbow progress.

And then slowly from the southwest corner we saw another 1/3 of a rainbow. By now we are just sitting on the lawn watching. Waiting. Watching. And then it happens. The ends meet. The kids were ecstatic! Jumping up and down, screaming!

They chilled out to pet the cats and watch the rainbow. We continued watching because on the ends we could see a double rainbow forming. But that one never met in the middle.

In this picture you can see the double rainbow. My kids have seen a double rainbow before but it is still an awesome sight.

One last shot of the double rainbow.

Homeschool started late today, or actually we just started outside today instead of inside. So glad we were able to STOP and ENJOY it. We are always in need of reminders that God is in control. God has made promises to us. God loves us.