Our Christmas Brunch with the bunch

Wow, I don't think I ever took this long of a break from my blog.  Anything I was doing last week was all in preparation for my marathon Christmas weekend. 

Friday Dick and I left immediately from his workplace at 5:30 and made the trip to Lancaster County.  We visited first of all with his parents, then went to Grandma Mary's overnight.  It was so good to spend at least a little bit of time with each of them.

Saturday morning we went to Reamstown Community Center, near Sam and Jenn's, to set up for our brunch with our kids and grandchildren.  It was pretty amazing how this all came together.  Lisa started the ball rolling back in October when she said they'd be spending a few days over Christmas at George's dad near Philly.  They definitely wanted to get to meet Sammy.  So I started the search for a place and a time for at least some of us to get together.

We were happily surprised at the spaciousness of the place when we arrived.  Even a Christmas tree!  We got tables ready,

made pancakes and breakfast casserole, heated the sausage and bacon I had fried earlier, started the coffee,

lined everything up,

happily welcomed everyone as they came,

then sat down to eat together.

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Of course, we had barely finished eating when gifts started to be passed out to the kids.

 

J'von's remote spider freaked some of us out.

We just hung out around the table.  I had an ornament kit for the kids to color,

they played with some of their new toys,

they went out to the nearby playground, they played with the cool balloons I had brought.  Actually, Ray enjoyed them the most!

And of course, Sammy took front and center stage!

So who was there and from where?

Coming the farthest were Lisa, George, and Sophie from Florida. 

Ray and Thyda were there from Virginia Beach.

Jeremy came from DC, and his friend Mike. It was actually Mike's birthday, so we had cake and ice cream later.

The big disappointment was that Anthony had to come by himself.  Just the evening before Austin got a fairly high fever, and they decided  not to take him on a trip when he wasn't feeling well and when he could possibly be contagious.  They decided that at least Anthony should come.  He ended up being our primary photographer for the day.  I'm so glad I took this picture at Thanksgiving. I really, really missed having Lori and Austin there.  

During the day we got this message from Lori and Austin.


Frank came from Pottsville, PA with Destiny and J'von, as well as his friend Lauren and her daughter Nicayla.

And from just a mile away came Sam, Jenn, and Sammy.  I love how he's all eyes for his daddy!

Also missing were Miki and her kids from Sweden, but I had a wonderful phone conversation with her today, and I like I told her, it made my Christmas completely perfect.  

 Four of our seven grandchildren.

The entire group, including Ray and Thyda's dog Leo.

I wanted a picture of Dick and I with our kids. First I blinked.

Then Anthony made a silly face.  Just look how nicely the rest of us were smiling!

It was all downhill from there.  Anthony set his camera to take nine pictures in quick succession.  This is what he got:

And that, folks,  is a perfect example of our crazy family!

All too soon it was time to clean up and leave.  Dick and I had two Christmas Eve services to participate in back in State College.  We said our goodbyes to everyone except Destiny, who came with us for Christmas break, and Ray and Thyda, who followed us to our house. 

I felt a lot of relief when the two services were finished, but even more relief when the morning service at Fillmore was finished today.  I totally love what I do, but I really needed the down time we had today.  Sam, Jenn, and Sammy came today, and we're all having a wonderfully relaxing time.  I'll be having lots more pictures.  Tomorrow is fondue day.

Good worship services, good fun and food at Frank's

We started our day with two beautiful worship services.  At Fillmore my friend Melanie came to sing O Holy Night with me.  I just love singing with her.  The front of our sanctuary was absolutely gorgeous with all the poinsettias people had bought in memory or in honor of loved ones and the gifts for an outreach we are participating in.  

At Houserville I enjoyed giving 6th grader Tommy a chance to play his sax for the offertory.  We did We Three Kings, and he did a fine job.   I also had fun practicing with the kids one last time for the three songs they will be doing on Christmas Eve.  

From Houserville we made a Sheetz stop for sandwiches and then headed toward Pottsville where Frank now lives.  He had Destiny and J'von for the weekend, so it was a nice chance to see them, since it's a bit closer than Reading.  

Frank, always my best boy-cook, proved he has not  lost his touch in the kitchen.  He made the best rice and beans and fried tilapia I have ever eaten. 

 Destiny and J'von with a boat they had just made.

Frank and Lauren live in one of the apartments in an old renovated building.  Frank is an HVAC maintenance tech for the building.   I loved their beautifully decorated stairway.

And Destiny just keeps getting taller. Hopefully that's what it is, and not me getting shorter!

And now begins a new week filled with more music prep and practice.  But the thing I'm most excited about is a brunch in Lancaster County on Saturday morning with many of our children and grandchildren.  I can hardly believe it's all coming together.  It will be far too short, because Dick and I need to be back home for our two Christmas Eve services,   But we will just have to have fun really fast!

I shopped and I'm done!

Just a quick post before I go to bed.  The big news is that today I went shopping for Christmas gifts for our grandchildren, plus one other child from an outreach our church is participating in, and I found something cool for each one, and I'm finished.  Yea!! Dick is the gift wrapper in this family, so I really am finished.

Last evening we kept Austin so Lori and Anthony could go out to dinner in celebration of the end of the toughest semester ever.  After he was here I offered to keep him overnight, since we have everything he needs for bedtime - pj's, his own toothbrush, etc.  What I didn't count on was how small his winter sleeper  had become!  So I cut the feet off.  That really bothered him as he was trying to go to sleep.  He kept pulling his sleeper legs down, then he'd stretch his legs out, and up his sleeper legs would go!  Here's a picture from last evening  and a little video I took this morning.

I was sorting laundry, and look what I found!

While I was shopping today, Jenn sent me this picture. One week till I get to see this precious little guy.  I can hardly wait.  Look at those blue eyes!!  Certainly not from his daddy.  But that nose definitely is.

Lisa introduced me the other night to an app on my iPhone called agingbooth.  You enter a face and it ages it, supposedly to the 2040's.  It's crazy.  According to that, this is how I'll look at age 94!  

 

I'm having fun!

This is a week with not a whole lot of interesting things to write about.  But I'm having fun.  There are so many different church services that I'm preparing and practicing music for just now, I'm just trying to keep them all straight.  The first two weeks of this month I had two Sunday morning services, one at Fillmore and one at Houserville.  I usually practice with Houserville's praise team on Wednesday evenings, and Fillmore's choir has been coming here to our house for practice on Thursday evenings while Judy is recovering from her surgery.  

This week, however, there was also an Advent service at Fillmore Wednesday evening.  So I had practice at Houserville on Tuesday evening, Advent service, including a choir anthem, on Wednesday evening, and choir practice here this evening.  On Sunday I'll have the two regular services, and the next weekend I'll have a Christmas Eve service at each church, and Fillmore's regular Sunday morning service on Christmas Day.  Houserville is not having services that day.  Did you keep that all straight?  I'm not sure I did either.  Prelude pieces, offertory specials, adult choir, children's choir, praise team.....  I love it.  I'm having fun.  But I have needed to actually practice at the piano like I haven't needed to practice for a long time.  

I just love having the choir here for practice. I tried making cookies today for them, molasses ginger snaps and oatmeal chocolate chip, but either my baking soda is old, or I've lost my touch.  Cookies that I used to be able to make nice and rounded came out like pancakes.  But I must say, it didn't affect the taste.  Now I need to put the rest in the freezer or give them away, because cookies are the LAST thing I need right now.  

 

Hopefully this weekend I'll get a chance to be like normal people and do a little Christmas shopping for the grandchildren.  If you are a parent of one of my grandchildren, and you're reading this, please give me some ideas!! 

Saturday's events in State College, Tampa, DC, and Ft. Indiantown Gap

Saturday was a happening day in our family.  I first of all had a most precious time with my dear friends at our monthly women's prayer breakfast.  I've been a part of this group for a year now, and their love,  friendship, and support mean so much to me. 

I left there at ten to pick up Austin.  Dear little guy - he got a stomach bug Friday evening and was not feeling up to his normal rambunctious self.  For a while we just sat next to the Christmas tree and admired the twinkling lights and balls and ornaments.

 He did ask for balloons, however.  So I obliged and blew up several balloons for him to bat around.  

One got stuck on the Christmas arrangement on top of the entertainment center.

That bright green adds a festive touch, don't you think?

There was so much static electricity in the air, that one stuck to the ceiling.  He was upset about that, but I told him Grandpa will get it down when he gets home.  When Grandpa threw a pillow at the balloon to get it down, Austin thought that was the coolest thing. 

He took a good nap, and when he woke up he was so sweet and docile, (and obviously not feeling well), he just sat next to Grandpa for a long time.  

I made popcorn, and just like last week, we ate it under the "bridge" (coffee table).  

And he spent a long time rearranging the stones on this centerpiece.  I never tire of just looking at that handsome face of his.

Meanwhile, in Florida, Sophie outdid herself in something called the Patriot Run.  Check this out.  First she's just ahead of the rest....

....getting further ahead.....

.....and she leaves the rest of the pack in the dust!  I love that little self-satisfied smirk on her face!  

During the afternoon I got a text message from my friend Tracey.  

But I have to give a little back story first.  Tracey and I met in blogland five or six years ago.  She lived in Alabama at that time.  A few years later she moved to Florida, less than an hour from Lisa.  Of course we all thought that, being that close, Lisa and Tracey would soon meet each other.  But life always gets in the way of such things.  In the summer of 2010, when I was at Lisa's to care for Sophie while they were in Costa Rico, Tracey and I did get to meet in person at a restaurant one evening, and we felt like old friends.  But Lisa and Tracey just never did get to meet each other.  

Until....yesterday.  Without planning it!   I got a text message from Tracey asking for Lisa's phone number.  She was at A Christmas Story, the Musical in Tampa, and was sure she had just seen Sophie.  And sure enough, she had!  Here's the picture Lisa posted on FB later!  I LOVE it!!!

Meanwhile, in DC, Jeremy's fun neighborhood had an ugly Christmas sweater contest.  These are some of their homemade creations!!!

I love those reindeer flying through the sky on the back of Jeremy's sweater!

Meanwhile, at Fort Indiantown Gap, Sam, Sammy, and Jenn were attending her Christmas party.  Sam said he took this picture just before Sammy fell asleep.

He even got to meet Santa for the first time!  I love that argyle sweater!

And I leave you with his charming smile!

A time to laugh, a time to weep

So what's been happening this week?  Let me think.....  We decorated for Christmas, I've been enjoying my Christmas CD's, I've been way busy with music prep and practices, Dick finally got a YMCA membership  and played basketball this morning before work (which makes him a very happy camper!), I've been working on plans for a little Christmas gathering with our kids, and we have mourned the loss of three beautiful children in our hometown of Manheim.  

Back in the late 80's we had a wonderful relationship with a young couple on our worship team at Grace, Mark and Marilyn Martin.  We had so much fun together, and our hearts were united deeply in our love for the Lord and for worship.  God eventually led them on, but we stayed in touch from time to time over the years as their family grew and grew to include TEN children!  Beautiful children.  This is the family picture we got from them last Christmas. There are two extra boys on this picture in addition to their ten children.

 On Tuesday afternoon the sixteen-year-old twin sons, Jordan and Kyle (blue plaid shirts in the back row), and the nine-year-old daughter Jocelyn (the little girl farthest to the right) were killed in a car accident.  I don't even know what else to say about it.  It's just too sad and unthinkable.

My Christmas tree and my CD's bring me peace and joy.

O Christmas Tree! and other blessings

We did something today that we never did before.  We went to a tree farm and picked out and cut down our own Christmas tree.  Not a bad feat for an old couple that's been married for forty years!

It was especially fun because Anthony, Lori, and Austin came with us, and it was a beautiful sunny day.

 First we had to hike up the hill.

Then we picked the one we wanted and Dick got down on the ground to saw it off while Anthony made sure it fell in the right direction.  

Austin wanted Grandpa to do it again, but instead Lori helped him to saw off a low branch.

Then we carted it out.

Austin and I trailed behind, because he needed to pick up stones along the way.  He resisted the urge to thrown them, and obediently dropped them instead.  It was especially fun when we crossed that little bridge and he could drop a stone into the water. 

It was cool to watch the way the trees were shoved  into one end of the baler and they'd come out the other end all tied up and ready to go.

Now I'll back up to a few other things.  

On Thursday evening I had the Fillmore choir here for practice.  There are 15 of us.  What a fun bunch!  We just love being and singing together.  Choir director Judy's hip replacement surgery was that day, and went well.  Supposedly she was already coming home today.  This morning Pastor Duane joked,  "If they make us go home any sooner, pretty soon they'll have drive-up surgeries!"  Hahahaha!

On Friday Sam took Sammy to get professional pictures taken.  How precious is this??

Also on Friday I stopped in at Pete's Used Furniture, as I do almost every week.  I've been on the lookout for a coffee table, and I would usually make a loop through the store, not seeing any that I wanted.  But this time there was one I liked for $45.  I didn't even try to negotiate a lower price, which their sign says you're not supposed to do anyway.  But sometimes I can't read!   I like it.  It's just the right height for foot-propping.

On Saturday I kept Austin.  We had fun.  Actually, that new coffee table is just the perfect "bridge" under which to eat popcorn.  He also found his new favorite spot.  Our toasty little heater, which quit working two years ago, has somehow healed itself and works again.  Austin discovered how nice it feels to sit in front of it, especially when you're taking your socks off to clean the sock fuzzies from between your toes, which he just loves to do. 

Austin has been such a picky eater, but is gradually liking more and more things.  We had chicken noodle soup, and he thoroughly enjoyed eating it.  You'll have to watch this little video clip to see why!

This morning I was the pianist and choir director at Fillmore's 8:15 service, filling in for Judy of course, then led worship at Houserville.  I am so BLESSED!!  The fellowship and friendship we are experiencing at both places, and the opportunities to be involved musically are such an answer to the cries of my heart. God has been so good and so faithful.  I never did make that Thanksgiving list, but I still should.  There are so many things I'm thankful for.