It's Friday night and I'm not sleepy and all I have planned for tomorrow is some very necessary cleaning and I'm in the mood for blogging, of all things! We've had such wonderfully warm temperatures - until today! I think the high was maybe mid-fifties plus some breezes that felt downright COLD! Good grief, one day we're using the AC and the next day the heat! I finally got a few fall decorations. It dismays Sammy that I don't do more decorating - except for Christmas. So I had him in mind when I got these pillows for the porch rockers.
I even got a little wreath at Walmart. I didn't think I would post a picture of it after I saw my sister Doris's wreath. She was always the crafty, artsy person in our family. I didn't get those genes. But I think this one will make Sammy happy. I'm hoping to have the kids up here for a weekend soon.
I also got this cute burlap pumpkin for the kitchen table.
I brought those flowers home that I had at church in memory of my dad. They are so cheerful. I love fall colors. Always makes me think of our wedding.
Ever since that shed is out of the way of my sunrise view, there has not been a nice sunrise!! We have had so many cloudy, overcast, foggy mornings! One morning I saw the sun trying so hard to shine through.
On Thursday evening we had a spectacular sunset.
Today I decided to wash the porch rocker pillows that had been out there since May. Remember these?
I put just those two pillows in the washer and set it for a full load. Apparently that was not a good idea. When I went later to switch them to the dryer, I noticed water on the floor. It had run into the water heater closet and the utility closet, both of which are in the laundry. I mopped everything up and was thankful the hallway carpet was not wet. But this evening Dick took the front panel off the washer to look inside. There seemed to be an overflow hose near the back designed to keep water from running all over the electrical stuff near the front. I guess I had too few items and too much water. Something like that. He pulled the washer front then to look at the connections in back. Yikes!!! What a sight to behold! We had never pulled the washer and dryer front since we moved in here in 2010. Should I be too embarrassed to admit that? Anyway, it looks cleaner now, hahaha!
In the process of cleaning up the utility closet I ended up throwing out a whole bunch of used curtain rods. I have no idea why we had them or why I never got rid of them before. I've been challenged this week when listening on TV to the guy that started the minimalist website. He said, "If you haven't used something for six months get rid of it." Good grief. How about if you haven't used something for eight YEARS?? Also this evening I was organizing choir music and couldn't find a certain book. That sent me on a search of my shelves and music cabinet in the den that ended up with a garbage bag full of stuff to throw out. This morning I was looking for something in my top filing cabinet drawer. A few things from there ended up in the trash can, but there's a WHOLE lot more in that filing cabinet that needs to go. I need to borrow a shredder first. I'm feeling sad that we are not in Florida as we usually are at this time of year. My memories on FB this week are filled with pictures of Sophie and Lisa and George and their lovely place and all the fun things we always do. This year we went in June instead - the big road trip with Jenn and the kids. But I wish we could have gone again. Well, that's all. Gotta hit the sack and hope I get sleepy soon.
I'll start off this week with a picture of the mums Dick got at Way Fruit Farm on Saturday. They're so big and beautiful! It seems like we get mums each fall and plant them, but they never come up the next year. I'm wondering if it's because we have too many other perennials that come up first and get so thick that the mums get choked out. But we're going to try again. We'll probably have to thin things out again next spring.
In the middle of September our next door neighbors told us that they were moving and that they had sold their house to someone who would be moving it elsewhere. It's an older mobile home, and the management of our community is working on replacing older homes with new ones. I was excited when they first of all tore down the shed which always seemed to be in the way of my sunrise pictures. Next the enclosed porch was torn down. For a few days it looked like a hurricane had blown through. There were weeks that nothing at all was happening and we wondered if it would actually be moved at all. At last it was put on wheels, but then it sat like that for several more days.
And THEN! Last Thursday morning when I was back in our bedroom and bathroom getting ready for Bible study that house left and I MISSED IT!! I could not believe it when I came out to the kitchen and looked out my sink window!! Didn't they know I needed to have that last picture of it leaving?? Dick was disappointed too. Now it just looks like this until a new one is put there.
Thursdays are again a full day for me. I go to Bible study at Calvary in the morning, and I love it so much. Sherilyn Jamison is the teacher, and she's so real and raw and dynamic. We're studying Hebrews 11 this semester. Afterward I usually make a few stops before going home, then I work on choir stuff in the afternoon. I have exercise class from 5:15 to 6:15 and then choir practice at 7:15. We're working on a new Christmas musical from Brentwood Benson called Good News from Home. We love the songs and the arrangements. We always practice the musical first, then our Sunday morning stuff, and then the praise band practices after that, so it's a long evening. We've added a high school senior, Nicholas, to our praise band. He plays guitar with Ross. There's no better way to learn to play than with a group! On Friday evening I offered to take the boys to GBRV's spaghetti supper. Austin wasn't in the mood, so we took just Hunter. Of course we couldn't take him home from that without some playtime at our house. He loves coming here. I know I say it all the time, but seriously - he is the cutest, sweetest, most content toddler ever!
Saturday was a catch-up day for me here at home. Sunday was a full day. At GBRV the choir sang "Oh Happy Day" and everyone loved it, of course. There also was a baby baptism/dedication. The church has a ministry of giving out baby blessing bags to expectant parents who tour the maternity ward at Mt. Nittany Hospital one Thursday evening per month. A few months ago this young couple and their baby started attending services as a result of that outreach. A lot of their friends and family came to the service on Sunday.
By the way, please notice the flowers! Those are my flowers in memory of my dad. We then went to Calvary for their service. Pastor Dan Nold's messages never fail to touch me deeply and make me feel "pushed" in a good way. Afterward Calvary had their annual Fall Fest. It was a warm beautiful day. Maybe a bit too warm, but so much better than last year when it was cool and drizzling.
There were two food trucks, but there should have been ten! The line was SO LONG! I think I was in line for an hour!
At least there was free Kettle Korn, chips, and water!
Lori's childhood friend Yvette, her two children, and her mother came from NYC to spend the weekend at Anthony and Lori's. On Sunday evening we had a cookout with them. Lots and lots of fun. Yvette grew up in Jamaica until age 15. Lori's parents came to NYC from Jamaica before Lori was born. And me - I went to Jamaica with a Choraleers team right after high school graduation. I loved describing to them the various places on the island that our team had sung, and they knew where I was talking about.
Anthony gave Austin his first wood-splitting lesson.
Later the kids wanted to go into the hot tub. But FIRST the boys had to "go." How easy was this? Hahahaha!
They had a great time in the hot tub. We adults tried to hear ourselves talk over top of their boisterous noise.
I got this shot on the way over to their place.
The weather this week has been almost like summer! I just love it. Any time I can wear capris and sandals I am happy!
They say we're getting a big change at the end of the week though. And of course Michael barreling towards the Florida panhandle is causing concern. I have some very dear friends whom I met here in blogland years ago who could be in the storm's path. I pray that it will lose strength before it hits land tomorrow.
It's Tuesday and it's warm and I love it! Besides, it's our 47th wedding anniversary, but more about that later. I have lots and lots and lots of pictures to share!! But first this one I just took of my front door and planter. It makes me feel happy every time I come home.
Last week we had so much dreary weather. On Friday afternoon when I went over to Anthony and Lori's the sun was finally beginning to peak through. As I was driving away I had to stop and take this picture of the pond. All I could think of was "Heavenly Sunshine!"
Dick and I left right after he got off work for a weekend down home. When we crossed the Susquehanna River above Harrisburg the sun was setting over it. So beautiful!
When we got to Sam's, he came out and said we should hurry inside because they were about to show the halftime activities of Susquenita High School's football game on TV. Jenn's niece Taylor was on the homecoming court. Can you imagine the excitement when Taylor's boyfriend was announced Homecoming King and then Taylor was announced Homecoming Queen? Sammy and Bianca were screaming!! Bianca was saying, "Taylor is my girlfriend!"
That put Sammy in the mood for putting on a show! He first of all enlisted my help setting up a concession stand in the basement. I carried a few things down for him and helped him to make some signs. Things were quite pricey! Oreo cookies were a dollar a piece! A little box of Mike & Ike's was five bucks! He told me that since I was a helper I could have things for free!
And then the multi-faceted show began. First it was a display of this spinning machine he had made. I can't remember what he called it.
Then there was a float in a parade. Bianca wanted to be on it, but Sam convinced her to walk along side it and do "the wave."
Dancing in the laser light went on and on. Here is a video of the two kids dancing together to some classical music.
And then around and around on the "float."
Such a fun evening!
On Saturday Dick and I took the kids to a nearby park. The weather was PERFECT!!! And what a great park it was!
Sammy doesn't need any pushes on the swings anymore!
They played for a long time in the sand box. There was a little girl that was insistent upon destroying everything they built. Her grandparents did nothing about it. I was so relieved when they moved on with her.
From there we went to visit Grandma Mary. She moved to Richland Christian Home (just down the street from her son's home) in September, and I was eager to see her new home. We were surprised by all the high water in the fields and even on some roads on our way there. We actually drove through this! Very slowly, I might add.
I was told that all that standing water is the result of the deluge that area had on Labor Day weekend!! The ground is completely saturated, and there are no creeks in the area, so it has nowhere to go!
Here are some pictures I took during our visit with Grandma Mary. Richland Christian Home is a lovely place with just eighteen residents.
We visited in her room for a while first. She had some toys and a coloring book for the children. This is her bed, complete with a quilt and wall hanging, both made by her, of course.
Then she took us on a tour. I loved the big common sitting area. This doesn't show even half of it.
And the view!
Sammy, of course, wanted to play the piano. I also played and sang a few hymns. Grandma Mary requested "I Will Praise Him" which was one of my dad's favorites.
Here's the crafts and exercise room. The woman sitting down was cutting patches for a quilt.
The children loved the gazebo out back.
We talked some more before we said our goodbyes. We were both aware that October 1st was coming right up. That is the anniversary of my dad's passing from this life, and we reminisced how sad, but precious that night was. I love her so much, and it made my heart happy to see her here, surrounded by other residents and staff who love her just like we do.
And now I gotta brag on Sam! I've said before that he is a city mail carrier, which of course requires day after day of walking. On Saturday it paid off for him! He did the 28-mile March for the Fallen at Fort Indiantown Gap and finished in just under six hours! It's a rugged route and took him much longer than that on previous years. He was very happy with himself. He sent me this picture.
That evening Ray and his friend Ashley and her son RJ came over. The big game between Penn State and Ohio State was on TV. I had fun playing Jenga with the boys. And it was ME who ended up toppling that tower!
Then we had a birthday cake for Sammy - an ice cream cake, as he had requested.
On Sunday morning we got ourselves and the kids dressed up and went to our home church, Grace Community Fellowship. When Sammy asked which church we were going to I told him, "It's the church your dad went to when he was a teenager because we made our kids go to church!"
I thought the kids looked beyond CUTE in their "church" clothes! They looked like an ad for J. Crew, haha!
What a WARM welcome we received that morning! It was just wonderful to be there.
On the way home from church we intended to stop for lunch, but Bianca was falling asleep. At Sammy's request we ordered take-out from a Sheetz gas station. As it turned out, stopping there was quite necessary, even though we were unaware of it when we pulled in. Just as we parked Dick noticed that our gas light was on! We had totally not realized we were getting that low! I was imagining what it would have been like to run out of gas on that flooded road the day before. Yikes!!
Later in the afternoon we went to another birthday party for Sammy at Jenn's parents above Harrisburg. We had a good time.
Here he is with a few of his gifts and his cake - this time an angel food cake, at his request!
What a guy! I love him so much! So grown up already. Seven years ago he was this little bundle!
I started this post on Tuesday, but it is now Wednesday evening. As I said at the top of this post, Tuesday was our 47th wedding anniversary. Here's a picture from that wonderful day.
I was curious yesterday to see how we had celebrated our anniversary ten years ago. I remembered that that was the year Dick had lost his job just a few weeks prior to our anniversary. How wonderful to look back on my blog posts from October 2008 and remember that Miki and her kids had come to visit us from Sweden! And Jeremy from Florida! We celebrated our anniversary with them at the Olive Garden in Lancaster. I remember that we had a LOT of fun.
So last evening we went to our Olive Garden here in State College. We had a scrumptious meal - salad of course, and we both got the steak and Fettuccine Alfredo. We also enjoyed their delightful watermelon margarita.
We even got dessert! I got their seasonal pumpkin cheesecake, but couldn't finish it all and got a take-out box. So when we got home I got an idea. We re-enacted our cake-feeding wedding picture, hahaha!
And yes, I did ask Dick to wear that shirt so we would match, hahaha!
Actually, our area had tornado warnings last evening. We did have some really strong storms, especially after we got home, but no tornado, thankfully!
Today was absolutely DELIGHTFUL!!! After my work was finished at Anthony and Lori's late this afternoon I had time to sit on the screened-in porch and just bask in the the sights and sounds and fragrances. Almost too good to be real!
Later Austin and I walked down to the barn to see the result of Anthony's hard work the past two weeks. He tore out his previous stage and built a bigger and lower one. It will better suit his needs than the other one.
He just finished the flooring yesterday and was doing some electrical work today.
Here he was demonstrating his pipe cutter. Austin was impressed when that pipe fell apart!
And now I'm all caught up! Have a good rest of the week!
