Home is Where the Harp Is

Mmmm....Cereal

2012-01-08T19:56:00.000-05:00

After more than 6 months of silence here on the family blog, this will seem like an odd post but we have to start somewhere. I hope to catch you up but I have learned to not make promises I may not be able to keep.

One of the things keeping me busy is couponing and trying to do magic with the family food budget. It is a game to see how many food/household/cleaning/toiletry items I can get for the least amount of money out of pocket. Today was a good day at the grocery store. Here is a photo of some of the things we purchased.

Yes, those are 20 boxes of cereal. Onhttp://www.coupons.com/ there are several .75 coupons for new cereals from General Mills. They happen to be on sale this week at Tops for 2.50 a box so after doubling the coupons, they are only $1 a box. That is a stock up price in our house since the 3 guys are rather addicted to cereal. Tops also had 8oz POM juice for $1 a bottle, free after $1 coupons in today's paper (as well as some a few weeks ago and some on-line). I also purchased 14 Hot Pockets Snackers, .50 each (free after $1/2 internet printable coupons) and 4 yogurt packs for lunches.

Total retail of my shopping trip today $142.60 (gulp!!)

Total paid $24.60

83% savings

I also earned another .40/per gallon off our gas by using so many coupons. We are up to $1.10 off a gallon so far.

I average between 50%-65% off most trips so this was indeed a good day.

Greg left today for another round of classes in Charlotte so the boys and I had a taste test of the 3 new cereals by GM.

On a scale of 1-10...

Frosted Toast Crunch scored a 5, 7, 7

Dulce de Leche Cheerios scored a 6, 5, 5

Mulitgrain Cheerios with Peanut Butter scored all 8's!

None of them horrible, which is good since we have several boxes of each, lol. The Multigrain Cheerios with PB was by far the favorite. Not a strong PB taste and a nice crunch.

With a new year ahead of us, it is a good time to set some savings goals. I will be trying to tighten our food budget by another $25-$50 a week in the months ahead. I think I can...

Getting to the ROOT of it!

2011-06-01T21:08:00.003-04:00

It's always something around here.

For the last month or so it has been septics, pipes and water.

A bit of a sink hole developed in the backyard this spring. Now, we have had a LOT of rain this spring so we weren't sure if we should be concerned or not. Just to be safe we had a septic company come out to advise us. That led to our septic tank getting emptied out. It had apparently been a loooong time since that had been done. How they can tell the age of the contents of a septic tank is both interesting and gross, lol. We wondered how our real estate agent and lawyer dropped that ball since it is a requirement when a house with a septic sells. Hmmmm. Lesson learned, move on.

The septic man was very helpful, spending a good amount of time with Greg trouble shooting the possible issues and offering suggestions for addressing them. He could do the job for a price of course, but I appreciate his honesty in telling Greg that it was probably a job he and the boys could tackle. So began the digging. And more digging. The goal was to expose the entire length of pipe running from the pump to the ditch so we could check for problems. (There really is no "we" in this gig, unless you count documenting it the most I have done is deliver a glass of cold water on occasion.) The whole process was interrupted several times by weather, work, hockey and life in general.

Tonight they finally exposed the entire length of pipe. Yep, the entire channel of dirt and stone was dug by hand. More of the "man training" as Greg calls it.

You can tell by the tall grass how long they have been working at this "little" project. The water at the end shows you just how high the water table is at the moment. It's even gone down some.

They pulled out all the sections of pipe and sure enough, just as we expected...they were stuffed like a sausage. A sausage of roots. Ick!!

At least the roots were easily pulled from the pipes. That will save a few more dollars since we can use the same pipes. Greg has a few new items to purchase before the pipes can be reassembled and put back into place and the channel covered back up. The end is in sight now.

Where did all those roots come from?? The HUGE willow tree that we had cut down a couple of years ago. Well, mostly cut down. The trunk is so big around that we don't know of anyone with a chainsaw long enough to take down what is left. The boys have fun climbing it. Any guesses on how many years it will take to rot?? This whole process confirms it was the right move to cut it down.

I am out numbered in our house. Living with boys makes for interesting conversations and eventually they all come back to bodily functions. So, what do you think they thought of the root sausage??? I'll give you three guesses and the first two don't count!

Yep, that is the father of my children. Pastor. Leader. Nut job!!

That is all for now. Tune in again for more trials, tribulations and other generally odd bits of news from the Ransomville Harps.

Harp Update

2011-05-16T07:03:00.004-04:00

We are half way through May already, where does time go?? As usual things around our house have been going pretty much at warp speed. Try as I might, I can't seem to find the slow-down lever, I think it has been disabled. So, here is a bit of what we have been up to since February.

-Kaleb became a teenager in April. He is doing really well in school although math and science still aren't his friends. He is mid way through his hockey season. Wilson School is now into it's third year of having a hockey program and the best that they have been able to do is tie one game. So far it hasn't been a matter of losing but rather by how many goals. They have a mercy rule where they stop displaying goals beyond 8. We were thrilled last game when the scoreboard reflected the actual score, lol. Character building, yeah, that's it. Kaleb calls it something else. But I can say all the kids look better on the ice so they have learned some things and improved their skills.

-Josh did get accepted to the SCA for this summer. He will spend 3 weeks in August in the Delaware River Gap (in PA) doing conservation projects. We are still waiting for final details but he is very excited.

-Greg is now just a few weeks away from his third trip to Charlotte for school. His kidney stone was finally blasted and removed and we are praying for a less eventful trip this time around.

-I hosted the 4th annual Spring Fest 2 weeks ago. We had 85 stampers from 3 states and Canada attend a day of stamping. This may have been the best one yet. It just happened to be that April was the most stressful month I have experienced in years. My job has about pushed me over the edge but thankfully at the moment, things are improving. My caseload is now near 60 and some days I feel like I am paddling like a mad woman and yet the stream is still washing me away.

Here is a family photo taken at Easter.

There is more to say but I am late for work. Until next time!!

Mark the Calendar!

2011-02-27T15:28:00.002-05:00

I am posting 2 days in a row! My dad would always say "mark the calendar" whenever we did something remarkable. Sadly, it was usually something like taking out the trash without reminders, lol.

Yesterday I told you about my little shopping obsession. I am not sure you can call it "shopping" if I don't spend money, or very little money. Not only am I saving lots of money and filling up the pantry but there is plenty of man training going on too. The boys are helping me clip and organize my coupons and I take them along occasionally so they can see the pay-off. They have become tough critics lately. If I spend more than $5 out of pocket they call me a slacker!

If you know anything at all about Greg and the boys, then you know they LOVE cereal. We go through some serious cereal and at $4-$5 a box, it could quickly put us in the poor house. When I find a good deal I stock up. This is part of our stash at the moment....

Yep, 30 boxes! None more than $1/box. I give it a month, maybe less, before it is all eaten.

This basket of snacks was completely free. Somehow they taste better than usual ;).

Over the last month I have stocked up a years worth of dish washer detergent, loads of body wash, deodorant, toothpaste and shampoo. Most of it free. You can't be brand picky if you want the best deals. Lucky for me, Greg and the boys eat or use just about anything.

This is my freebie basket I told you about. It is time to empty it out so I can start again.

It is a bit time consuming but so worth it. The lessons the boys are learning are priceless. Kaleb asked me the other day why I give stuff away rather than sell it to make money. We had a great conversation about using our gifts/talents/resources to bless others. We have taught them to tithe but giving goes beyond that. And giving isn't just about $.

We have gotten some good laughs from talking about the trunk of treasures I will gather for them when they go off to college. I hope I am that mom that other boys in the dorm love because of all the cool care packages.

Their only complaint is that they can't score these kinds of deals at Dick's or Gander Mountain.

Until next time...

Best of Intentions

2011-02-26T15:57:00.003-05:00

I wish there was a direct line from my mind to this blog! I have "written" some pretty incredible stuff these last two months, too bad it never materialized so you could read it! I would tell you I am getting to it but then I would just be heaping guilt onto myself every time I think about what I didn't do.

So, here are some random things from our house...

**Greg has come and gone to session #2 of doctoral work in Charlotte. A trip to the ER (while out of town) turned up a very large, impassible kidney stone. He has now had 2 "surgical" procedures and has one more to go. He is a real trooper!

**Josh is anxiously waiting to find out if he will be accepted to the Student Conservation Association for this coming summer. If he is, he will be gone for a month long trip to who knows where, doing who knows what with who knows who. We're still thinking it's a good thing.

**Kaleb is now a hockey player. YIKES! I never thought I would see that day. He will be playing on the school's modified team and because ice time is so precious around these parts his practices won't start until mid March and games will be April-June. You know what that means? I get to freeze my butt off even in the summer, lol!

**My job is going well, but with a new governor who know if I will have a job for long. I am all for cutting spending, reducing our governmental overhead, balancing our state budget, cutting waste. I just hope I am not the "waste".

**Watching the news and reading the papers makes me depressed. Gas is going up, wars are breaking out everywhere, people are out of work, things cost more but incomes are shrinking. What is a girl to do? Especially when so much of it seems beyond my control. Well, pray for one. Second...coupon. I have become a bit obsessive of late with shopping sales, clipping coupons, looking for ways to save. I am all about free these days... free shampoo, free toothpaste, free food. This is one thing you may hear more about from me. If I can't keep the prices from rising and I can't make my income go up, then I will work the system to squeeze out what I can. The cool thing is that I have gotten so many free, or nearly free, items lately that I am giving the excess to others. I have a freebie basket on the counter and when it gets full it goes with me to work to share with my co-workers or the food pantry at church. Maybe someone else will be less crunched as a result. There are a few blogs that post great information on making the most of sales, check them out if you'd like.

http://www.commonsensewithmoney.com/

http://moneysavingmom.com/

http://www.couponsforyourfamily.com/

http://www.givemeneither.com/

**The dog is still a pain

**I am sick, no, make that SICK of winter! Greg and the boys do not share my sentiment.

**I miss my old friends more that anyone will ever know. There is a part of me that feels dead and I know it is due to the lack of girl time. That makes me so sad.

**Our oven is messed up so I can't even make cookies to feed my depression, lol.

**God is still God and He is still good!

That's all for now, the boys and I have gotta run to church.

I Survived!

2010-12-16T21:57:00.003-05:00

Have you ever put off something for so long it became a bit ridiculous? Not that you intended to put whatever "it" is off for so long, it just happened. Well that was me with going to the dentist.

It started when I had 2 of my 3 wisdom teeth pulled. It was not a pleasant experience so I decided I would give my teeth a break. Our dentist at the time was very thorough and gentle, just the way you want a dentist. Except that he was so good that he kept himself in business by always having a "to do" list in your mouth. For many years we had no dental insurance so I "chose" not to go to the dentist to save money. Convenient.

Every month for the last 2 years I have been writing a check for dental insurance for the family. Greg and the boys have been making fabulous use of the service. At least someone was!

All my excuses were striped away but anxiety now replaced all the rational reasons to not visit the dentist. Tick. Tock. Time just keep marching on. How could I go after not going for so long? Totally rational right?! I suppose I should be truthful with you, just so you get the full picture. The last time I went to the dentist I was not yet a mom or even pregnant. Hmmm, Josh is 14 1/2, so I figure it's been about 16 years! {{GASP}} I KNOW!! What good mother faithfully makes her children go to the dentist and yet sets such a poor example for them? Fifty lashes with a wet noodle as my 7th grade math teacher, Mrs Smith, used to say.

IF I went to the dentist he would surely yell at me. I had visions of those rotting teeth photos they showed us in 6th grade health class. Do you remember the ones? The pictures of smokers who had cancer of the mouth, totally decayed teeth and bleeding gums. I think it was the scared straight program for dental hygiene! I had dreams of root canals and gum disease. I had created a monster in my mind. Funny how the imagination runs wild when it goes unchecked!

Pain. It was inevitable. I low, dull pain in the upper right side of my mouth. I knew I could not continue living a fantasy. I called the dentist and made an appointment for a cleaning. Gotta start somewhere, right? I thought a million times about cancelling but it did get me out of work 2 hours early. Thankfully work is so busy I didn't have time to think about it until it was time. Plus I had told Greg and the boys and they would surely ask me about it when I got home. I didn't want to compound "lame" mom with "wimp" mom.

When I made my appointment I begged the receptionist for a gentle and kind hygienist. I threatened her with ugliness, potential passing out. vomiting or hysteria. She agreed, at least I hoped she agreed rather than secretly throwing me to the dental wolves, lol. Please no Nurse Ratched!! I think they knew they had a nut case on their hands because they didn't let me linger in the waiting room. They left no time for me to flee. The poor dental hygienist assigned to my care was a much older woman. My first thought was this could go two ways. She could either be sweet and gentle or she could be one of those people who takes no guff. Sit. Behave. Deal! She caught on quickly that I had left one line blank on my new patient forms. The line that asks when you last visited the dentist. I really hoped it wouldn't come up.

She asks "three years?"

Nope.

Five?

Nope.

Ten???

Nope.

To put an end to her misery, I told her 15. Close enough.

She didn't yell. At least not out loud. She looked around my mouth and simply said, "well it's not a total dental disaster in there".

Whew!!

I asked her how long she had been doing this line of work. Just making small talk. She started in 1968! I told her that was the year I was born so we both knew how long it had been, lol. I promptly told her we didn't need to pursue that conversation any further.

So, I got the works, bite wing x-rays, full mouth scan, scrapping, polishing...

I knew the last step was for the dentist to come have a looksy. We love Dr Bonnevie, he's the boy's ortho. Great guy and for a spell his is filling in seeing "regular" dental patients until the new dentist is up and running. He pulled up my x-rays and walked me through everything. He totally held my hand. Not literally, but you know what I mean. He didn't even yell. There was need of a filling though. But no root canal. Just an $86 filling, after insurance. I was leaping for joy inside. He asked me how I was feeling now that it was all over. I told him I was convinced that 15 years of plaque was surely holding my teeth together and I was very glad to hear I didn't have a dental disaster. He just laughed! And he didn't give me a laundry list of things to be done. He rocks!!

I survived. It didn't kill me. I might even go back!

Oh the Dreams...

2010-12-13T20:11:00.003-05:00

The dreams and hopes we have for our children begin when we first learn about the life we are carrying. We pray for our children to be healthy, that they will grow up to know and love the Lord, that they will have character and heart, that they will be able to safely navigate the world and all its challenges. But we don't know exactly what form or shape their lives will ultimately take. We pour ourselves into them as best as we can, we pray for God to protect them and then we watch the wonder unfold. What will they like? dislike? what strengths and weaknesses will they possess? what talents will God gift them with? The unknowns are so great! I often feel like being a parent is like riding a roller coaster, exhilarating and frightening at the same time and to be quite honest, I often find myself screaming at the top of my lungs to get off the dang ride!! But after it is all said and done I run to the end of the line to get on the ride over and over again.

My boys are fast becoming men and though I try not to blink, life is marching on anyway. When kids are younger they are by your side day and night. You know their comings and goings, what goes in and quite literally, what comes out, lol. But as they get older they are away from you more and more. They start becoming more independent with personalities all their own. They start deciding what they will eat and where they will go, who they will befriend and how they will spend their time. Joshua is well on the road to being his own person. More and more these days I am having flashes of my little blonde boy and wondering where did he go?

Although neither Greg or I fish, Joshua loves fishing!! He has caught some monster sized fish over the past few years.

For the second, or perhaps third year, he has gone duck hunting with my brother. You have never caught Greg or I in waders waist deep in a swamp! I can pretty much promise you that you will never catch me in waders waist deep in a swamp. Well, maybe for some really big money and 100% guarantee of no holes in my waders, lol. But Joshua loves it, even with an occasional hole.

And no one in our family, with the exception of my brother, has ever gotten a deer!! But Josh can tell you all about his adventure this past Thanksgiving when he took his FIRST shot at a deer and got it!! He even helped to gut it before taking it to the deer processor.

I seriously don't know where this kid came from some days! He was the only baby on the unit when he was born, so I know he IS mine and he looks too much like us for anyone to ever claim otherwise. Yet, he is definitely his own person. His favorite thing to wear is anything camouflage and I have to remind him there are other clothes in his closet! He does however, have my admiration. I have little to nothing to do with his love of hunting or fishing but he gets lots of high fives for his passion, skill and determination.

If we are ever hurting for food, I know who I will be calling upon!!

M.I.T.

2010-10-17T08:00:00.002-04:00

Are you a parent with children still at home? Bless you! Are you hanging in there? Each day is a challenge isn't it? Some days you want to hug 'em to death and other days you want to throttle them. Well, maybe you don't, but I do. If someone had told me exactly how hard parenting would be I am not sure I would have jumped in with both feet. But despite how difficult it can be sometimes, I would never trade it!

As I look around our community and the nation at large, I see so many broken homes. So many struggling parents. So many hurting kids. So many out of control kids! The level of disrespect and unkindness in kids is mind blowing. I often make the mistake of thinking that kids inside the church should be better. Truth is they are not.

A while back at one of the youth group meetings, Greg had planned for the teens to do some clean up outdoors after an event. Nothing too difficult, clean up some trash, put back some equipment. He told them this was their opportunity to "serve". The concept of serving, especially in the context of church, is huge. And one I thought was well understood. Jesus came to serve. The bible is filled with images of Jesus serving. We hear it over and over in church and Sunday School. This one is a no-brainer right? Well, let me finish the story. Josh got up from his seat and began to move the grill back to the garage. Kaleb got up and began to pick up trash. The rest of the kids sat there. Greg started to get on their case, prodding them to get up and serve! One of the teens chimed back that he wasn't anyone's slave. Gulp!! To them serving=slavery.

I don't tell this story to brag on my kids (though I was so proud of them!) but rather to show how far off base things have gotten. These were the regulars, at church and youth group. Most of them from families that have attended church for years. If they don't get it, how can we expect the world to get it?

At my new job I go into a lot of homes and I am continually saddened by what I see. Homes with 2 year olds and no toys in sight (but a 52" flat screen on the wall). Homes where the mom is threatening to drop her naughty child off at the Salvation Army like a sack of unwanted clothes. Homes where the kids are out of control yet the parents offer no discipline. Brokenness. Lack of love. Lack of knowledge. Lack of parents taking the responsibility of parenting seriously.

Whether in the church or out, it is clear to me the problem is not a little one anymore. Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." Training our children is the primary job we have as parents. Training is a non-stop job, from sun up to sun down, from birth to ..... job. That is the part they didn't tell you before you had kids. Some training happens naturally as our children observe us going to church, tithing, offering a kind word to another (and on the flip side, observing us being unkind, untrustworthy or unfaithful). But most of the training does not come naturally, we have to to be intentional.

Let's say that this morning I woke up and decided it was a good day to run the Boston Marathon. I showered, put on some jeans and a t-shirt, slid into my Birkenstocks and made my way to the starting line. You would call me a FOOL. Improper dress would be the least of my offenses. You can't run a marathon without training. And running to the mailbox somehow wouldn't cut it. The idea of running the Boston Marathon seems quite funny to me and though it is quite improbable it is not impossible. I could set a goal and work towards it everyday. I could build up from 1 mile to 5 to 26.2. With the right training and equipment I could one day be a runner in a marathon.

Parenting is not much different. We need to have a goal. We need to be intentional. We have to work at it every single day. And at the end of each day when we have done all these things, we need to be on our knees praying for our children. Praying that God will watch over them, that He will cover our mistakes and short comings because we will surely come up short.

We refer to our boys as M.I.T.-Men In Training. The goal: to have 2 boys that leave our home as men equipped for life, employment and marriage. Each day is a new opportunity for training. The school of parenting is like the school of life, the diploma won't come until we are called heavenward. There will be pop quizzes, some we will ace and some we will flunk BIG time. But we can not quit. We are by no means experts but God has impressed upon Greg and I that He desires us to share our journey, our successes and failures. So, as I have time and stories, I will post about this job of parenting. Will you be sitting at the desk that has your name on it???

Heartbroken

2010-10-09T20:55:00.002-04:00

I wish we could rewind the last 48 hours. I want a mulligan, a do over. I want to take back the hurt and sorrow the last two days have brought. Unfortunately, my super powers are not so super. I don't even want to write it but here it goes...Daisy Mae is gone. I might feel a bit better if she had just run away but she is forever gone. We were just approaching the year mark of having her in our family and now instead of celebrating we are mourning.

I hadn't made plans for dinner on Thursday and the left overs were just not that appealing. I suggested we go to a place down the street for dinner. We put up the baby gate to confine Daisy to the family room like we always do when we leave her home alone. We scanned the room for stuff we didn't want chewed up. She wasn't really a big chewer but she did have a history of chewing on odd things like my cards, the boys' Nerf darts and pencils. Her chew toys were readily available. When we got home there were remnants of something on the floor. I was annoyed! What on earth was left for her to chew? Upon closer inspection, I discovered a few bits of a tube of cream that the dermatologist prescribed for Josh. It was on the end table and Daisy must have pulled it down, chewed it to bits and eaten the contents. All that remained was the cap and a few scraps of metal.

Now I was even more annoyed! The carpet was oily and I needed to go refill the cream before the pharmacy closed. I can't imagine it tasted good, what was she thinking? Don't answer that...she was a dog, I know! Dogs eat rocks and dead flies and worms and garbage and lots of stupid, inedible stuff! I asked the pharmacist about it and he informed me that the cream was quite corrosive, it was definitely not meant for consumption. I didn't have a good feeling about it and called Greg. He took her for a walk and by 10pm she was vomiting. I was glad to see it come back up and even more glad when Greg cleaned it up! Greg ended up staying up with her all night as she continued to get sick. By the morning she was unable to stand. We hoped it was due to dehydration.

The boys were clearly worried and Josh was feeling guilty that it was his cream that made her sick. But we made them board the school bus hoping to have better news when they got home. I rubbed Daisy's head and said a prayer over her before I left for work. Greg prepared to load her up in the Jeep so they could be at the vet's office when it opened. She started to have seizures. The vet gave her IV fluids hoping to flush things out. Hoping she would turn a corner. She never turned that corner and died shortly after lunch.

Can I just say how crappy this all is?! CRAPPY!!! First of all, I am MAD! Mad that I insisted we eat out, made that Josh left his cream out, mad at all those people who talked us into getting a dog in the first place and mad that the dog ate that stupid cream! But more than being mad, I am heartbroken. Daisy was Josh and Kaleb's buddy. She was Greg's great delight. She was THE dog for the Harp family. It is no secret that I wasn't so keen on getting a dog and truthfully, I complained about her a lot. She followed me everywhere. She poked me in the rear with her nose on a daily basis. She sat at my feet making it impossible to get up from the sofa without tripping. But I am heartbroken too. This was just not supposed to happen. If I wasn't a pastor's wife I would use a stronger word than crappy but it's all I've got.

When the boys returned from school we had to let them know the news. There were tears. There will probably be tears for awhile. We all need time to sort it all out.

A few hours ago I returned from the Women of Faith conference. I had made a commitment months ago to attend so despite the sadness, I went. It was a good distraction and offered time to reflect. Instead of remembering all the annoying things Daisy did, I thought of the good things. I thought of the joy she had brought. I thought of all the fun things Greg and the boys had taught her to do. I thought about how excited she always got at the sound of the Jeep pulling in the driveway. She delighted in us as well!

In a very crazy way, she reminded me of God. She gently loved on me, hoping to draw me in, but never in an obtrusive way. She would rather be with us than apart. She gently prodded me in the rear. I don't appreciate prodding from a dog or from God but sometimes I need it whether I like it or not. She didn't hold offenses against us and was always eager to see us. She delighted in us for no particular reason. Yes, we fed her, gave her affection and threw things for her to retrieve but she delighted in us beyond measure. Unconditional is the right word I think.

I am sad and at the same time grateful. We will miss our Daisy Mae.

First Day of School 2010

2010-09-09T20:54:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was the first day of school for the boys. I am still in disbelief that Josh is now a high schooler! Kaleb is not far behind in 7th grade. Don't they look thrilled to pose for the annual first day of school photo?

There were only minor reports of getting lost, locker problems and teacher issues. After the first day there is always tons of homework for the parents, the boys think that is hysterical! They stop laughing on day 2 when they get all the assignments.

Poor Daisy is back to being home alone for good chunks of the day. We have secured a few more chew toys to keep her busy.

My new job is going well. There is a lot to the training and for now I am shadowing other coordinators when they go out for appointments. They keep telling me that it will all come together... about a year from now! Do you remember the Pixar film Finding Nemo? Dori kept singing "just keep swimming". Yep. That is me these days.

That's about it for us these days.

Just keep swimming....

The Harp Family is Alive and Well!

2010-08-20T22:13:00.002-04:00

I guess all the thinking I did about blogging didn't actually do much good! I can't believe more than 2 months have gone by since I last was here. Like many of you, we have been extremely busy this summer. Here is an abbreviated update on our lives...

June

Greg traveled to North Carolina for his first 2 week session of doctoral work.

Kaleb finished 6th grade and made honor roll the 4th quarter! He worked so hard and it showed!

Josh finished 8th grade and now is moving on to high school. Oh my! I blinked and my baby is almost grown!

Both boys traveled with Mom and Dad to the Wood Turners Convention in Conn. They got to hang out with several Harp family members. Kaleb won his own lathe set up!!!!

Greg and the boys went to the Adirondacks for a week of canoeing with their Scout troop. Lots of good stories from that week, just ask them.

July

Attended Family Camp at Light House Christian Camp. Hottest week ever, we lost 5 lbs just in sweat!

Josh and Kaleb spent a week at Covenant Acres camp

Finally a week to rest.

Oma flew in from Germany, we picked her up from the Toronto airport

Spent our annual week at the cottage with Chris and his family. May be our last year for renting there. We had a great week, pictures are below. Thom, Mo, their kids, Mom and Dad camped near by so we had a chance to have a big family gathering.

Josh stayed behind with Chris to help them pack and prepare to move to their new house.

Kaleb went with a friend for a few days.

I did lots of canning of jams, salsa and sauce.

I tried out for a design team for a stamp company called Stampavie and was one of 5 new designers chosen from over 200 applicants!

August

Spent a few more days with my mom before returning her to the Toronto airport.

The boys spent more time with friends.

Greg worked hard on reading and writing papers.

I was offered a new job and have my first day on Monday. I will be working for the Niagara County Dept of Health as a Service Coordinator with the Early Intervention Program. Not sure yet what it all means but I am looking forward to it!

Phew! I think that covers the high lights of our summer. Here are some pics...

My mom and the boys before she left to go back to Germany.

Melissa and Logan going for a little ride. We eeked out every minute we could from the dying jet ski.

Here is the cottage we have rented for the last 5 summers. Small but perfect!

Of course there was fishing!

Kaleb water skied with his old Superman costume. What a riot!! His red cape was flapping in the wind as they buzzed the beach.

A group shot one night around the campfire. Mom looks like the wine was tasting good ;)

I am not sure we have ever had a busier summer than this one. Everyone seems to be ready for some routine again. I am sure I will eat those words very soon!

If you are still checking the blog out for updates, thanks for persevering! I will try hard not to let it go so long again.

Blessings and hugs!

I love This Kid!

2010-06-15T20:53:00.002-04:00

On Sunday we went to Marshalls to buy Josh some shorts. He has outgrown most of his clothes and unfortunately the hand me down opportunities have dried up. While we were shopping, Kaleb found this hat he really liked. I wish I had a photo of it because it is hard to describe. It is a slick hat and definitely makes a fashion statement. Kaleb is usually all about blending in so his choice of this hat was rather surprising to me. But I agreed to buy it for him. That night we went for a walk and he was sportin' the new hat. On our walk we passed someone along the way. Here is our conversation...

Kaleb "They're looking at me"

me "maybe, so what?"

Kaleb "why does everyone look at me?"

me "maybe because you are a handsome fella"

Kaleb "Do you think they think my hat looks funny?"

me "Kaleb, first of all, you look very cool in that hat, secondly, I have news for you, the world does NOT revolve around you!"

Kaleb "That is really bad news Mom!"

OH. MY. ACHING SIDE! That kid totally cracks me up!

Yesterday was his last day of school which meant they gave out awards. With Greg out of town I thought it was important for me to go to support him. Teachers from each subject hand out awards for the best student, most improved student and a teachers choice. Kaleb has to work hard at school, it doesn't come quite as easy for him as is does for Joshua. He struggles a lot with math and math concepts. After he came just shy of making the honor roll the second quarter I challenged him to work on his math grade, figuring it would be the boost he needed to make it. He took the challenge very seriously and was able to raise his math grade considerably. He and I spent hours upon hours on his math homework over the last few months. He still missed the honor roll by a fraction of a point but we were so proud of him. Imagine how thrilled we all were when the math teacher presented him with the most improved student award!

It was a proud moment and I was so glad I was there to see it with my own eyes.

A Month in Pictures

2010-06-09T20:02:00.005-04:00

As much as I may try, I am not Superwoman! We've been way too busy this last month to write about it! Here is a quick recap...

May 7th Greg and I celebrated 16 years of marriage. I was recovered enough from surgery to go out to the Olive Garden for lunch.

We have been doing the usual spring yard clean-up. It is nice to see things green again. While pulling weeds Greg happened upon this...

a nest of baby bunnies. They were so new their eyes were still shut. He covered them back up and that night momma bunny came and relocated everyone to a better pad. We counted 7 but think there may have been as many as 10-12.

Chris and Ethan came up for a few days of fishing. They caught several salmon. Here are the boys with their first catch. We enjoyed the fish for dinner the next night...mmm.

Over the Memorial Day weekend we took our new-to-us pop up camper to Lighthouse Christian Camp.

There was lots of this...

Notice the string Greg is holding? It was fastened to the tree so he could swing himself!

Josh actually slept in his hammock all weekend rather than inside with us. Can you say Boy Scout??

We ate the best donuts on the planet. They were fresh from the Amish market and I think we would have bathed in them if we could have, lol.

We are plotting when we might have them again.

On Sunday Greg flew down to Charlotte where he is now several days into his first session of his doctorate program. He is immersed in lots of reading and learning. Reality is setting in that we are in for a long road but we'll have to take it one day at a time.

That brings us to the latest, Josh celebrated his 14th birthday yesterday. One of the things on his wish list was a whole watermelon. So Kaleb gifted him one whole, seedless watermelon. He simply cut it in half and ate it with a spoon!

He said it was as good as he hoped it would be!

The boys are now just days away from finishing up school. We will soon have a high schooler in our house. Ack!! Double Ack!!

From now until the first week of August our calendar is jam packed. I hope to post before then but you know how it goes sometimes. We hope we have lots of fun stories to share!

Accessory-less

2010-05-04T10:14:00.002-04:00

What comes to mind when you think of the word "accessory"? If you are a female perhaps you think of jewelry, handbags or any other kind of wardrobe enhancer. If you watch much Law & Order perhaps "accessory to murder" is your thought. I bet "accessory organ" wasn't the first thing to leap into your mind! That is what the doctor called my gallbladder a few weeks ago when he informed me it had to come out. Like somehow calling it an "accessory" would ease my mind, lol. How many accessory organs am I carrying around?? I already donated my tonsils when I was 10. Still have my appendix though. Greg is minus his appendix and his thyroid, another so called "accessory". The doctor was quick to contrast my "accessory" gallbladder to my "essential" heart. Phew, I was almost worried for a minute.

So, yesterday at 6am Greg drove me to the hospital to get de-accessorized. It took 3 nurses to get an IV in me which was probably the worst part of it all. Apparently I left my good veins at home. I asked the nurse if there was any way they could do some liposuction while they were in there. She didn't think it was funny. And the answer was a big NO. She must have been in a grumpy mood because she didn't think it was funny when I told her to make sure they didn't do any organ harvesting either...just the gallbladder. Sheesh!

The next thing I remember is waking up in the recovery room with blurry vision and nausea. That poor nurse tried her hardest to get me to wake up. She gave me ice chips, apple juice, graham crackers, kept telling me to take deep breaths and cough. I tried really hard but kept falling back to sleep. Every time I opened my eyes 20 minutes had gone by. I even tried to sing. I sang that little ditty "Jesus is the rock and he rolls my blues away, bop shoe bop". If you know it, then it is in your head now isn't it?! You're welcome. Another 20 minutes went by. She was determined to get me out of bed so I finally appeased her wishes and moved from the bed to the wheelchair. Where I proceeded to get so nauseous that I lost my guts. Boy what a mess! But I did feel better ;). After fixing me up she asked me if I wanted to go back to bed? Lady, make up your mind! I managed to get dressed and they were finally able to let Greg come back to see me. By noon we were pulling in the driveway. Yeah...6 hours start to finish. Isn't it amazing what they can do these days? My belly looks a bit like Swiss cheese but I feel really good. Much better than I anticipated. The doctor must have done a good job getting most of the gas out of me because I have had minimal pains. Haven't even touched any of the 40 Oxycodones they gave me. Are they trying to turn me into an addict?

Before surgery I asked about the possibility of seeing the stones they claimed I had. Sure enough, there were 5 stones, one of them almost a 1/2" big! The surgeon told Greg it was a good thing it came out because it was swollen and he could tell it had issues for some time. Apparently my body was compensating for it all this time because the attacks only started about 2 months ago. Boy am I glad I don't have to worry about another attack lurking in my future!

Now I get a few days to recover at home. I am liking the house all quiet and to myself. I promised Greg I would be a good patient so I am sticking to sitting at the computer, watching a bit of TV and hopefully finding time to stamp a card or two. I have lots of thank you cards to send after another very successful stamping event on Saturday. We had nearly 100 women from all over NY, PA, MA and Canada come for a day of stamping and fun. If you are interested in more about that adventure, I have posted some things on my inky-doodles blog (link is in the sidebar). The timing of the surgery worked out well, forced rest I think.

The rest of the fam is doing well. Greg is reading, reading, reading. His first session of school is coming up in June. Boys are doing well, looking forward to summer vacation.

I hope you and your accessories are doing well!

Celebrate!

2010-04-14T22:28:00.006-04:00

Today we celebrated Kaleb's 12th birthday! Where does time go?? I remember the day he was born. We were living in Ft Lauderdale and it was the Tuesday after Easter. Mom was visiting with Gram, hoping that grandson # 2 would come while they were there. We gave mother nature a bit of help and scheduled to be induced. The hospital was just a couple of blocks down the street so Greg and I got up, ate breakfast and walked to the hospital. It was already quite balmy.

I don't recommend being induced when nothing is happening yet, it takes awhile and seemed to be extra painful. Joshua came so fast there was no time for an epidural so this time I was prepared. What I didn't count on was that it wouldn't work! ARGH!! Two babies, no pain meds. I am woman...hear me scream, lol!! Finally around 4:30pm we had a baby to hold. Nathan Christopher was the name we had chosen. Yep, you read that right, Nathan. But once we looked at him we knew the name did not fit. Babies come out all shrivelly and a bit Yoda-like so why Nathan wasn't as good as any other name I can't tell you. It just didn't fit. It took another day to decide he should be called Kaleb Christopher. Kaleb with a "k" so he could be nicknamed KC (which he has never taken to, go figure!) and also because it was the spelling in the German Bible. He was beet red for many days and had a bad case of jaundice but several doses of Florida sunshine took care of that. Look at this young family...ahhh the memories.

And now here we are, 12 years later. He is growing each day into this incredible young man. He still doesn't like attention to be focused on him but he is sly. You gotta watch him. And a goofy sense of humor. He laughs easily and often, I like that. We have so many silly moments. Here is one such silly moment...he took the bow from his present tonight and fashioned it into a mustache, lol.

He works hard at his school work even though he would rather be outside playing hockey. He runs super fast. He gets grumpy sometimes but I can hardly fault him 'cause he gets that from me. He still hugs his mom! I hope that part never ends. He says please and thank you most of the time. He has blue eyes that will melt the girls someday if they don't already! I'm not ready for that yet though. He is one special part of this family.

Josh celebrated something rare and super cool today as well. While he was outside practicing with his bow he managed to shoot a "Robin Hood" which is when you shoot an arrow directly into the end of another arrow. He was so excited he almost won't mind the fact that he has to go spend money to replace the arrows that are now permanently fused as one. He immediately hammered some nails into his bedroom wall so he could display it.

I missed posting about Greg's birthday three weeks ago. We cooked up some delicious steaks and asparagus. Mmmm was that a good dinner. The following day we enjoyed a walk along the Erie Canal. The canal is still drained but we were so glad to have nice weather we just had to get out and enjoy it. Daisy enjoyed it too! She quickly forgot all her walking training, there were simply too many things to see and smell...ducks in the canal, dogs on the path, flowers in the grass, ducks in the canal, did I mention the ducks? By the time we returned home we were all tuckered out, even the dog.

That about gets you caught up about life in Ransomville. We keep chugging along. Hope you are too!

Blessings,

Tracy

Looking For...

2010-03-16T17:20:00.002-04:00

an accountability partner. You have heard of those right? The people in your life that you give permission to be honest with you even when it hurts, the ones who steer you in the right paths, away from wrong paths and who hold you to your word.

Let me give you an example. When I was in high school my best friend and I held each other accountable in our Christian walks, in our relationships and even in our eating. We were both dieting and I gave Michelle permission to keep me accountable to eating the right foods. One day, I really, really, really (catching my desperation??) wanted an ice cream during lunch. I waited in line, purchased the ice cream and had it unwrapped already when I walked out of the line. Michelle spotted me across the cafeteria, ran towards me, grabbed the ice cream and slam dunked it into the trash!
Oh yes she did!!
OH. MAN.
WAS I TICKED?....You betcha!!
But she had done the exact thing I had given her permission to do.

That brings me to my current need. I need someone in my life who will never
and I mean never
allow me to have a weak moment again when I am begged to get a dog. Who knew they could have so many annoying habits? Who knew that dog hair would literally be everywhere, including getting in-grown into the skin of my feet like a sliver (3x's?!)? Who knew they would sniff you so much that the fibers on your clothes would come off?????? Ok, so maybe that last one was a bit of an exaggeration but not by much.

I think I need to write "The Dog Owners Reality Check" book. Think of the lives I could save! Don't believe the lies they tell you...."you'll love her, just wait and see" or "she'll grow on you". Yeah right. That is like the gals who are convinced that moving in together will make their guy only one step away from wanting to get married. Honey, I've got news for you... one has nothing to do with the other!

This is an important job so think seriously before you respond.

Oh yeah...dog lovers and those of you (you know who you are) who covertly or overtly aided and abetted the Harp family in the procurement of current black lab, need not apply.

Takers??

Cha-Cha-Changes!

2010-03-02T07:58:00.000-05:00

change
Pronunciation: \ˈchānj\
Function: verb
a : to make different in some particular, alter
b : to make radically different, transform
c : to give a different position, course, or direction to

2010 is going to be a year of changes. Some have already begun, others are still to be revealed. I want to be intentional about making some changes and be better about adapting to the inevitable changes that are outside my control.

Inevitable change like the growth of our boys. About once a month Josh and I do the back to back height check. On Friday I lost. Then I proceeded to lose it....emotionally! My boy is now officially taller than I am, he is growing up in more ways than his height. I am overflowing with pride for this young man, or M.I.T (man in training) as Greg calls them.

Both boys embarked on a BIG change in January. They are both now in braces. Well, Josh is in braces and Kaleb has a spacing retainer to prepare him for braces. They had their first check up yesterday and all is moving along nicely. I have been amazed by how well they are handling things. Kaleb has to "turn" the spacer in his retainer 2x per week to widen it and has been responsible to do it without prompts. Once his upper teeth have spread far enough to make room for all his teeth they will proceed with the next phase of braces. Take a look at our handsome fellas...

The other big change in our family is that Greg is starting a Doctoral program. He will be pursuing a Doctorate of Ministry with emphasis on Family Counseling. The three year program is through Gordon Conwell and he will need to travel to their North Carolina campus twice a year for 2 weeks. His first session will be this June and he is both anxious and excited. Although he has always expressed interest in more schooling it has been interesting to see God plant seeds in his heart for counseling. Even cooler is the affirmation he is receiving from church. People recognize his gifts and abilities and are so supportive of this challenge he is undertaking.

We are extremely grateful for our family that make these things possible! I see mountains too tall to overcome but God sees them as avenues of blessings. I am so glad I am not in charge, lol.

I am still waiting to see what changes are in store for me. God continues to till the soil of my heart, breaking up those clumps of dirt otherwise known as stubbornness and doubt. Honestly, with all the changes happening around me I am good with status quo.

Blessings!

Closing the Door...

2010-01-12T07:31:00.006-05:00

on 2009. Before I jump into what the new year brings I want to close out the old year. We had a very nice Christmas here is Ransomville. Mom and Dad joined us for a couple of days which made it even better.

Going to church on Christmas Eve has been one of those things we have done since before we were married. Actually, it is one of the few things I can say I have done pretty much my whole life. It is usually a candlelight service and has long been one of my favorite times at church. In the past it was also one of the times you wanted to be early to church or you would risk not finding a good seat. That was until we moved here. There is some odd phenomenon here, the church has been less full on Christmas Eve than on a regular Sunday. I KNOW! Totally strange! I always felt like people were missing out on this very special time. This year I even prayed about it, asking God to impress upon people the desire to worship on Christmas. Well, this time, things were soooo different! The place was packed, we had to add chairs, we ran out of worship folders! It was glorious! Maybe someone was reading my tips to a meaningful Christmas, lol!! It was cool beyond words to see regular faces, old faces, new faces. One of the best services of the year. God is so good!

On Christmas day we enjoyed a nice breakfast and time of opening gifts. Last year I remember shedding tears about how few gifts we were able to afford. This year we didn't have much more under the tree but it felt very different. My heart was different. It was okay because the gifts were not the focus. I also fixed a fantastic dinner, if I do say so myself. It was all about my childhood memories of Yorkshire pudding. I loved it as a kid but had never dared make it myself. I was determined to give it a try and after a last minute panic when I discovered Greg had used up all my eggs, I pulled it off. Prime Rib, Yorshire pudding, roasted aspargus and mushroom gravy....mmmm

It was just like I remembered!

The week following Christmas we joined the rest of the Harp clan at a cottage on Seneca Lake. It had been more than a year since we had all been together. We had a week full of games, fun, and lots of food! My brother and family joined us several times that week. On Friday, even more family joined us, Greg and I cooked dinner for 22 people! I thought for sure we wouldn't have enough food for everyone but I was wrong. Here is just a snippet of our time together...

I thought I took tons of pictures and still managed to come home without a single shot of Jon, Gail or Thom! Sheesh!

The new year is full of possibilities and adventures. I'll be back with more on that soon!
Blessings!

Last Tip...

2009-12-18T07:15:00.002-05:00

We made it all the way to the end folks. Today's tip for having a more meaningful Christmas comes from Psalm 46:10, "Be still and know that I am God". Just be still and take the time to be with Him. Take time to know Him.

Slight detour. Did you happen to catch this Time article on the Advent Conspiracy? It is an interesting read.

Christmas is an interesting time and provides an interesting opportunity. As frustrating as all the commercial hype is, Christmas is still a time where hearts are open. People who may not normally be receptive to the Gospel may be more willing to have a conversation. Going to church on Christmas seems more likely than other times. In between the many secular Christmas/holiday songs on the radio, you will hear one clearly about Christ. Articles and movies on TV briefly highlight the spiritual unlike other times of the year. Yes, it seems that secularism and consumerism is taking over CHRISTmas, but it also seems we have a greater opportunity to share Christ with others this time of year. Even if they don't celebrate it, in some way they know that Christmas is supposed to be about more than gifts. What will you do this season to make Christ known?

Usually when I see that verse from Psalm 46 somewhere, it is just as I wrote it above. But there is an all important second half..."I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth." In the end, no campaign can take away Christ, at least not fully. God will be exalted. You and I are part of God's plan to reach to the ends of the earth. We need to exalt Him. This season, let the light of Christ shine bright. Invite someone to church with you on Thursday night.

Sharing God's love with another will give your Christmas meaning beyond measure.

Tip #11...Knock it Off!!

2009-12-16T13:37:00.002-05:00

Do you ever find yourself saying that to your kids?? "Knock it off"? I do. It is my way of telling them to quit the foolishness! Are you caught up in foolishness? Running around like a chicken with your head cut off, wondering how you will possibly get it all done? If you are, I have 2 things to say to you. One...go back and start at the beginning with these meaningful Christmas tips I have been posting. Second...knock it off! Literally. Knock things off your list. Stop the foolishness. I promise the earth won't stop turning, the kids will live, it will ALL be okay.

Kaleb asked me the other day what it meant when people say "what they don't know won't hurt them". We talked about several different examples but it got me thinking about some of the foolishness I get caught up in. No one but me will know I planned to fix 12 different kinds of cookies this year but only had time for 3. They won't know I wanted to get the living room painted but couldn't squeeze it in. Take an honest look at your list. What is essential and what isn't? Give yourself permission to knock some things off the list. Take a deep breath and move on.

I took a few days off from posting because I am working on all these things myself. Taking up time on the computer was one of things I had to "knock off" the last few days. Instead we invited someone over for dinner. We baked some cookies. We spent time together as a family. Yesterday we let a woman cut us in line at Walmart. {{gasp}} Little things, yet big in so many ways. Greg will tell you that I reach a certain point and then my stress spills over. It affects everyone because I snap at people and get agitated at the smallest things. It can get ugly. My goal this year is to never reach that point. The Lord is my helper...and yours!

Tip #10- Movie Time

2009-12-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

I heard the other day that Americans now watch an average of 31 hours of television a week. WOW! That is scary. My question is how do people have time to watch that much?? I have no smart remarks to make about TV watching. Rather, I want to talk movies. Christmas movies to be exact.

Do you have a favorite? Most of us have at least 1 that comes immediately to mind. For me it is the Muppet Christmas Carol. "Light the lamp, not the rat!!". If that means nothing to you, you need to go rent the movie. The Nativity Story that came out a couple of years ago was a great one to watch with the family. For kids, such a visual can really help them understand better.

Watching a movie isn't necessarily going to add tons of meaning to your Christmas. I know that. But in the midst of all the busyness, stop for a bit. Pop some popcorn. Gather the whole family up and snuggle in for a family movie night.

That's it. My whole tip for today.

Tip #9- The Christmas Letter

2009-12-10T08:05:00.001-05:00

The Christmas cards and letters are slowly starting to trickle into our mailbox. It is the one time of year we hear from many out of town friends and family. I really enjoy reading what everyone has been up to, seeing the photos and how the kids have grown. We hang the photos so it is almost like you are near! We also pray for you as we read them over.

I am going to share one of my pet peeves with you. Ready? Getting Christmas cards with just a signature. Now this does not apply to local people I see regularly or friends/family we keep in touch with. Rather to those who we rarely have contact with any other time. It is such a let down. I am glad you thought enough to send us a card but I want more! How are you? What is new in your life? A signature tells me nothing more than you're alive. Now that I have that off my chest...

The flip side of getting the cards, letters and photos is sending them. I schedule Christmas card making sessions both in Rochester and Ransomville. This year, between the two locations, I had more than 25 stampers attend in October and again in November. I cut and prepared more than 600 cards! Do you know how many I have completed for my own personal use? Maybe 15. I have a bit to do still, lol. For many years now I have put my time and energy into writing a family Christmas letter. It is a task that hangs over my head a bit until I get it done but I have to tell you that I so enjoy writing it. It's like the ornaments. Writing the letter brings back memories. We get so busy with the day to day that it is easy to forget all that we accomplished, endured, overcame, learned, enjoyed, and experienced. Writing our letter gives me time to sit and reflect. Without fail, I am amazed at what transpires in a years time. The many ways we have been stretched and blessed. It is not a bragging session but rather an opportunity to share our lives with our loved ones. For a brief moment I hope to narrow the gap of time and miles that separate us.

I wish I was good at scrapbooking or journaling. I like the concept of both but don't do either of them. This blog and our Christmas letters sort of serve to fulfill both those things. We keep a copy of the letters and someday they may be fun for us to go back and read. Even if I never sent them, I would still write them. They help to remind me that God is faithful. That life is rich. It reminds me to be thankful for many, many things and to offer praise to the giver of those gifts. It helps prepare my heart for the celebration of Christmas.

I encourage you to write a family letter if you don't already. Even if it is just for yourself. Reflect. Be encouraged. Be thankful. Give praise.

Tip #8: Be Relational

2009-12-09T07:26:00.000-05:00

This weekend we heard about the wise men who traveled to see the baby Jesus so that they could worship him and present him gifts. The wise men gave some pretty incredible gifts didn't they? But God is the ultimate gift giver. He gave us a person in the form of a small baby. A saviour. The gift of the possibility of an eternal relationship with himself. WOW! How can we top that? We can't is the simple answer. But we can use it as a model. We can give loads of gifts, we can spend lots of money but perhaps the best gift we can give is ourselves.

The gift of time and relationship is not always easy. It is often inconvienent. I suspect that is why perhaps we try to buy our way out of it sometimes. But we were made to worship God and to be in fellowship with him and others. We slowly shrivel without that relationship factor.

How can you give the gift of time? How can you deepen your relationships with others or perhaps start some new ones? Don't make it complicated or you won't follow through. Ask me how I know?!

Joshua has become quite the hunter/sportsman. He enjoys going out with my brother to shoot ducks or targets. He practices with his bow in the yard. This year he asked for an Airsoft gun (they shoot rubber bb's and are more for fun than sport). I was unsettled about his request but if you know Josh, you know his list is never long. I don't want to squash is enthusiasm for hunting or being a sportsman but I did not like the idea of a bunch of boys shooting at each other, even if it was just for fun. The boys have Airsoft wars similar to paintball wars. After much thought and discussion, we decided that instead of purchasing the gun he asked for, we would buy a membership at the local sportsman club. Greg and Josh can shoot skeet or trap, they can practice archery or partcipate in a variety of activities they offer at the club. While this will allow Josh to do some of the things he enjoys doing, it is more a gift of time. Father/son time. I think this will be much more meaningful than his original request. It will cost more time than money but money can not buy time.

If there are relationships you really want to invest in, think of ways you can spend time doing something they enjoy. Join a bowling league together, join scouts with your child, take a craft or art class together, join the Y as a family and go swimming together.

Maybe you are looking to do something on a smaller scale for a friend or neighbor. You could invite someone over for dinner. I bet we all know someone who might be lonely this season. Maybe they lost a loved one, went through a divorce, are empty nesters for the first time or they just live alone. What? Your house is a mess? You don't have the time? Then how about dropping by a friends house with a hot pizza and a bottle of soda this week?

Ask God to show you a person or family that you can gift with your time. Don't stop there, ask him to give you ideas for how to give yourself relationally to them. He'll answer and you will be blessed. I know it.

Tip #7 Celebrate Traditions

2009-12-07T15:45:00.006-05:00

What memories do you have of Christmas? Is it certain sights, sounds or smells? I bet many of your memories have to do with traditions your family celebrated. Perhaps it was certain cookies your mom always baked or foods she always cooked. Maybe they have to do with rituals you had when you bought or decorated your tree, went to church or opened gifts.

I spent 6 years of my youth growing up in Germany where much of the Christmas celebration takes place on Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve service was one of the few times my Dad actually went to church with us. Mom would cook up a really nice meal for dinner and then we would have to get all spiffed up in nice clothes. We lived off base in a small village but would drive onto the base to attend Catholic Mass. When Mass ended (which was by far the longest service ever, lol), we would drive home. It wasn't just any drive home though. We earnestly looked to the skies to see if we could see evidence of Santa's Sleigh. We always managed to see at least one red light blinking in the sky...a sure sign that Santa indeed was in the area (compliments of the Air Force base!). When we arrived home, our tree would be decked out with presents. I remember feeling so lucky that Santa came to Germany first as I knew he didn't arrive in the US until the next day. And clearly it MUST have been Santa because no one was home to put all those gifts under our tree. Years later I figured out it was our downstairs neighbors who were Santa's helpers while we were in church but, as a kid, it was one magical night. We would stay up until the wee hours opening our gifts. I don't recall many of the gifts I received but I hold dear those times of being together, celebrating Christmas.

Traditions are a wonderful thing. They can help us build precious memories. Here are some of my favorite traditions...

1)Yearly Ornament Exchange Party. On Friday night I drove to Rochester to participate in the 10th annual exchange. I started it all those years ago as a way to spend time with friends and kick off Christmas. We have shared some tears but definitely much laughter. With all our moves, the guest list and format changed a little bit every year. This year I was officially only a guest, no longer the host. There were 4 of us on Friday night that have been together from the beginning. I cherish those memories and each year when I hang those ornaments I am reminded of our friendship and faith.

Here is the adorable ornament I got on Friday. Love it!

2)Picnic dinner by the light of the tree. The boys were not yet 2 and 4 when we first started this tradition. At some point before Christmas, we get take out, usually Chinese, set out a blanket on the floor in front of the tree and have a picnic. The only lights on in the room are those on the tree. We listen to Christmas music. We talk. We eat. We enjoy time together. The boys have already asked when it will be this year.

3) On Christmas morning they boys are not allowed to wake us before 7 and the only thing they can open is their stockings. Now they are old enough to make breakfast for the adults and once breakfast is done, we open gifts. It takes a very long time since only one person at a time can open something. We savor this time.

4) Attending the candle light service on Christmas Eve. It is one of my favorite services of the entire year!

5) Each year the boys get an ornament for the tree. I try to buy ornaments that depict something about the year. When Kaleb was obsessed with tractors as a kid, we gave him a John Deere ornament. When Josh played baseball, we got one with a glove and a bat. One year it was Batman, another year a Lego one. We decorate the tree as a family and the boys still enjoy putting up their special ones.

Traditions build memories. They don't need to be fancy. If you have some, keep them going. If you don't, start one this year.

Tip #6-Go to Church!

2009-12-07T07:21:00.000-05:00

I had planned to post this tip towards the end as an encouragement to take your family to a Christmas Eve service. I changed my mind.

Tip # 6 for enjoying a more meaningful Christmas is to go to church.

Yesterday the boys and I went to church. Usually we attend the Saturday evening service which is much lower in attendance and more laid back. But for Advent we have a special choir assembled that is singing at the Sunday morning services. Pastor Bill is preaching a 4 week series called the "Advent Conspiracy" and it is good stuff. My heart was so blessed by the entire service. If Advent is a time of preparation, a looking forward to the celebration of the birth of Christ, then I am already on the road. My mind and heart are tracking. I am choosing to take my focus off the "stuff" of Christmas and work on the tips I have been sharing. It wouldn't be right if I just threw out all this stuff and then didn't put some of it in practice myself, right?!

As I sat in church I was mindful of those not present. Perhaps they were sick or traveling. Some of them honestly have trouble committing to church on a weekly basis. Whatever the reason may be (I hope it wasn't to go shopping, lol), they missed out. Truly they did. They missed the incredible worship, choir, and sermon. They missed an opportunity to be in fellowship, to be encouraged. They missed an opportunity to worship God and affirm once again that He is ruler of their hearts.

I still encourage you and your family to attend a Christmas Eve service. If it is not already part of your Christmas routine, start this year! Show your kids that God comes first. That God is the reason we even celebrate. Better yet, don't miss the last 2 weeks of Advent. Go. Prepare your hearts.

On a side note: Are you one of the C&E type church goers, you know, only go on Christmas and Easter? Be different this year, start early. Otherwise it is like only reading the end of the story. You miss a lot of good stuff leading up to the grand finale!

And one last thing...when you go to church, go expecting something. Where two or more are gathered in His name, there He is. The God of the universe is there and wants to meet with you. Don't miss that incredible opportunity.

Tip #5-Banish the Scooge...Decorate!

2009-12-05T08:00:00.002-05:00

This one may be more for me. Everytime we have moved, which has been 8 times in 15 1/2 years, I have to reinvent my decorating. Each house and space is different and sometimes things don't work in the new space like they did in the old. Once we moved to this house my umph to decorate flew south and honestly has yet to return. I have a bit of a love/hate thing going on with our house. If I could live in the kitchen I would. The rest of it...not so thrilling. I have finally decided that life is too short to live in a house you don't like so slowly we are tackling the rooms I have issue with. We are 95% complete on the boys bathroom spruce up. A little bit of paint goes a long way.

It has all spilled over into Christmas decorating and my attitude has been rather Scroogish. I am aiming to improve things this year. Why?? Because...

...I love to watch the boys unpack "their" box of ornaments. I give them an ornament each year and when they are grown they will have a start to their own decorating.
...I love the memories that come to mind when I place certain ornaments on the tree
...We have the most precious nativity set, given to us when we left Parkminster Pres in 2001. It is one of the best gifts we have ever been given. The woman who selected it has since passed away but every year when I set it up I am reminded of her, the church and the ministry that took place there. Even though decorating has been sparser the last 2 years, that set always made it out of the box!
...we laugh about the time our tree lost all its needles the day after we bought it or the time the tree fell over, scattering ornaments everywhere just before people came for our open house.
...we enjoy family togetherness when we put up the tree, hopefully creating new memories

We purchased a nativity set early on in our marriage. One way we help the boys anticipate the birth of Jesus is by stashing the baby Jesus figurine away until the 25th. The empty manger is a reminder of what is to come. We have never done the birthday cake for Jesus thing but that is another great way to celebrate. These are just a couple of ways to help younger children grasp that Christmas isn't just about presents. Rather that it is about the greatest gift, the "presence" of Jesus in our lives.

So, put on that Christmas CD, heat up some hot chocolate and scatter some decorating joy around your house. Enjoy recalling memories from years past. Be reminded about how richly you are blessed. Make new memories as you go. Weave those threads into a meaningful tapestry this Christmas.

Tip #4 Be Selflessly Generous

2009-12-04T08:00:00.001-05:00

Perspective. Sometimes I can get to feeling sorry for myself. I bet you never do that, right? Then I see someone in need or pain. My perspective changes. Going to Romania changed my perspective. A lot. Being here in Ransomville has changed my perspective.

Sadly, I often go through my days with shades on. Those shades of selfishness or busyness that keep me from seeing those in need around me. Sometimes I wear them on purpose. Again, probably not something you do, but I will be honest and tell you I do. It is easier not to see the need and pain because then I don't have to do anything about it. Not something I am proud of.

You've probably heard that saying "God ain't finished with me yet." Boy am I glad that is a fact! I have asked Him more in the last couple of years to show me things. Show me a need I can do something about. He is so faithful to answer. Sometimes it is as simple as a card, other times it has been a Wegmans gift card, other times it is a matter of paying someone a visit. Since this is obviously not a natural part of my being, I have to be intentional about giving selflessly. It is something I want to become better at and I want to model it to my boys.

Giving selflessly brings tremendous joy. The opposite of what we may think sometimes. My mind tells me I will be inconvenienced if I do x, y or z. I don't have time. Or money. But when I do it anyway, the return is always greater than my inconvenience. It is in those moments that God whispers to me, He blesses me. My perspective is changed.

How can you be selflessly generous this Christmas? I have a few ideas...
-buy a Biosand filter for a family in Africa. It only costs $85. You can impact a family with clean water for 20 years! We are doing this at church and hope to be able to purchase 10 filters, maybe more. I am so excited to support our friends in Jars of Clay with this project. I posted about it here if you want to read more.
-sponsor a child though Child Care Ministries
-volunteer at a food pantry this Christmas
-ask your kids if they know someone at school who could use help this Christmas. You will be surprised what they know about parents being laid off of jobs, illness, divorce situations. Talk about ways to help and do it as a family.

Ask God to show you a need and how you can meet it. I promise you it will change your perspective and give greater meaning to your season.

Tip #3: Give More

2009-12-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

I know I just told you to spend less. No, I am not losing my mind. Tip 3 for how to enjoy a more meaningful Christmas is to give more. I didn't say go buy more, I said give more.

Remember that "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." -John 3:16

God gave the ultimate gift. He is the mac daddy of gift givers! He has modeled giving in the greatest sense of the word.

How can you and I give more? By giving gifts of kindness. Give gifts that spread the joy you have because you are a child of the King!

Do you bake cookies? Make an extra batch and share it with a neighbor.

Do you like to craft? Encourage your kids to help you make a card or gift for someone.

Smile at the tired cashier at the grocery store.

While we are talking about the grocery store, let someone get ahead of you in line.

Bring the bell ringer a hot cup of coffee and thank them for what they are doing.

If you have the means, plow/snow blow out someones driveway when it snows. Better yet, make it someone you don't know.

You get the idea, right? Find ways to spread cheer and kindness. Nothing too complicated but it does require some thought and intention. Giving thought to someone else means you aren't absorbed in your own schtuff, even if just for a short while.

And maybe, just maybe, you will make them wonder...why are you so cheerful? Something is clearly different, what is it? That may lead to a conversation. Maybe you will share with them the real meaning of Christmas and the joy you have because of it. Just maybe.

Tip #2 Spend Less

2009-12-02T08:15:00.000-05:00

So, we have already made it through Black Friday and Cyber Monday. My email box is being flooded with internet offers to the tune of 30-50 a day. The adds are taking up more space than the news these days. Spend, spend, spend. Rock bottom prices, unheard of deals. How can we resist? The pull is great, isn't it?

Then there are the kids. Kaleb started his wish list months ago. Joshua got savvy this year and cut and pasted pictures into a word document just so we know exactly what he wants. His own mini Christmas catalog if you will, complete with prices and descriptions. The commercialism has our kids very hyped up. I can already feel the anticipation growing. I get daily reminders of how many days are left until the "big day". Oh the pressure and guilt that creeps in at the mere thought of disappointing them.

The statistics are staggering. The billions spent on gifts. The months spent paying off the bills. You know that finances are one of the biggest stressors in life, right? Bad finances lead many into divorce. I never completely shake the stress of finances, and it is not for lack of trying...really hard. Sometimes debt is unavoidable despite our best efforts. Christmas overspending however is completely avoidable. Don't do it! Commit yourself to spending less this year. Commit to staying within your means.

This year I took out my Christmas money in cash. No credit cards. It is helping me not to overspend. I know what I have and when it is gone.

One of my good friends from high school has 6 daughters and lives on a modest budget. Several years ago I asked her how they handle Christmas. What she told me has stuck with me ever since, though I can not say I have been able to follow her lead. She said that Jesus received 3 gifts according to scripture...gold, frankincense and myrrh. If 3 gifts were good enough for the baby Jesus, then 3 gifts were good enough for her girls. Each one received one large, one medium and one small gift. Period. Imagine if our kids knew that in advance. That would take care of a lot of the expectation end of things. And I imagine we would find fewer gifts tossed in the corner just days after Christmas. I love the connection to the nativity as well.

Another mom I spoke with only allows her kids to have 5 items at a time on their wish lists. That is a great idea! If you want to add something new, something else needs to come off the list. WOW! Decisions, decisions.

It is not just about spending less. It is about not getting eaten up by the greed monster. That ugly greed and stuff monster that clouds our ability to embrace the real Christmas. The real Jesus. Gifts are not bad. I really enjoy giving gifts. And receiving them too, who doesn't?? Just make them a part of your Christmas, not THE focus of it. Chose to spend less, stress less, in order that you can focus more on having a meaningful Christmas.

Kind of ironically, the next tip will be on giving more. Huh? Stay tuned.

Meaningful Christmas Tip #1

2009-12-01T08:30:00.000-05:00

Welcome to December! Does the mere thought that we are in the month of Christmas make your heart skip a beat? Do you immediately start going through your mental list of what needs to get done in the next 25 days? For the last 2 years I have thought about the stress of the holidays and how to balance it with celebrating the real Christmas. The Christmas that honors the birth of Christ, not the commercialism our society has made it into. To be honest, I have not been too successful. But I want to keep trying. I also have a lingering question...am I doing a good job teaching my boys about the true Christmas? So, I am working on some practical ideas to help me and my family more fully embrace Christ this season. Maybe you find yourself in a similar place. If so, this is as much for you as it is for us. Will you join us in this journey?

Tip #1: Advent Devotions

Advent is a time of preparation. This preparation is not the kind that involves getting your shopping done, cookies baked, cards sent out on time and the like. This is a preparation of the heart. A time of anticipating the birth of Christ. A time to reflect on the amazing gift God gave us when he sent his son to walk the earth and become the sacrifice for you and me.

One way to do that is with devotional readings specifically for the season. You can find Advent devotionals in bookstores. Your church may give them out for free (ours does). You can find resources on-line. You can simply walk through the New Testament narrations found in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. If you have kids, try to find readings that are easy for them to understand.

Take a few moments after dinner to read a devotion and share your thoughts around the table. It doesn't need to take long but it will model to your kids that this time is special. That we are chosing to spend time focusing on Jesus, anticipating his birth, preparing for a celebration.

Advent started on Sunday so it is not too late to get started! If you want some help with scriptures, check out this article from Focus on the Family from 2000. It also gives ideas for incorporating an Advent wreath into your celebrations. Ahhh, dinner by candlelight. Who cares if what is on the plate is mac n cheese?? Candlelight automatically makes things more special!

I'll be back tomorrow with tip #2.

Wrapping Up November

2009-11-30T19:18:00.002-05:00

I am stepping off the merry go round for a minute. Today is the last day of November. That means it is my brother's birthday. Love ya, Chris!! We just returned from spending Thanksgiving with them. It had shamefully been more than a year since we had been to their house. It was good to be there, good to rest, good to see the boys (nephew #2 turned 2 yesterday!), good to catch up on life, good to do a bit of hunting and good to do a bit of shopping. Just to be clear, Greg, Josh and Chris did the hunting. Melissa and I did the shopping. The guys came home empty handed, the girls did not :).
Thursday was a gorgeous day so while we cooked and prepared, the boys did some 4 wheeling and playing outside. Chris used the mower to bury the boys in leaves. Oh to be a kid again!

The nephews love their cousins! Sometimes more than Kaleb would like, lol. It's all good though!

Our other big November news is that Greg has a new woman in his life. Gasp! In a momentary lapse of my sanity I agreed to get a dog. Greg and Josh had been slowly wearing me down. I finally got the point where I felt guilty for saying no, for depriving my boys of the opportunity to have a pet in their lives. So, everyone, meet Daisy Mae...

Daisy is a 10 month old black lab. A family at church recently adopted her sister and when they heard Daisy was also up for adoption, they hooked us up. Tip: if you are thinking about getting a dog, be sure to let the dog lovers in your life know. They will go above and beyond until you find one. They won't rest until the connection is complete. We have some dog crazy friends, I tell ya, lol.
Anyway, the woman who bought her later decided she wasn't up for the challenge of a raising a puppy so the breeder took her back. She is a very nice dog (but I won't admit to it if pressed!). She is already housebroken, doesn't jump much, can follow some simple commands and loves to be around us. We had to break her of the habit she had to jump onto the furniture. After several failed ideas, someone told us to use mouse traps. Two snapped traps later the lesson was learned! She's a bright one. Now we leave the un-set traps on the sofa when we leave for work and just the sight of them seems to be enough to keep her off. We still have to find a way to curb some of the barking and get her to walk better on the leash. And I need to find a way to get her to stop following me everywhere. Drives me crazy, especially when I am cooking.
But you know that this adventure we have embarked on couldn't go on without some craziness! Last week we discovered she was in heat! We didn't even have her long enough to make plans to get her fixed. grumble, grumble grumble. So, now Daisy Mae is sporting some Daisy Dukes.

This was Daisy snuggling up with Chris' dog, Sheldie. They got along very well and with her blue pants on she was easy to identify!
Tomorrow is December already. I have been toying with the idea of doing a 12 day series of tips on how to have a meaningful Christmas. So, come back tomorrow for tip #1.

Opportunity

2009-11-05T16:56:00.000-05:00

By now you all know I have a second blog. Actually, this blog is my second one, my first blog is my stamping blog called Inky Doodles. There is a link in the sidebar. I don't frequently mix the two but sometimes they are like a PBJ sandwich and are hard to separate.

Many of you know that I have been a demonstrator with Stampin' Up since 2005. In September they made some major changes to the Independent Demo Agreement and for many reasons I did not feel that I could sign it, so I stepped down. You have heard the saying "When God closes a door, he opens a window". Well, in my case he opened the window first, making it easier to shut the door on my life as a demonstrator. In mid August, two weeks prior to the changes at Stampin' Up, I was offered an opportunity to join the design team for a stamp company called Cornish Heritage Farms. This company is owned by a couple originally from England, now residing in Montana. They are a lovely Christian couple and I did not hesitate to say "yes" to their offer! This company has a very large collection of stamps, in many different styles. They have agreements with Thomas Kinkade, Tom Allen, GM, and several other artists. They release new stamps 2-3 times per week! I am currently working with 3 of the lines they carry and can choose any additional releases that appeal to me. I have had the opportunity to write tutorials, product reviews, as well as blog posts for the company blog. Needless to say, this has been keeping me quite busy. I am loving every minute of it. It has opened up opportunities that I probably would not have had if I had remained with Stampin' Up. I am so glad God knows what is best for me, even when I don't always see it at the time!

The latest opportunity came when I was given the chance to be the Guest Blogger for a challenge blog called Stampin' Sisters in Christ. Cornish Heritage Farms is sponsoring their challenge this week and I am honored to be able to share a bit about my life and faith with a new audience. I honestly have moments when I think I should sell all my stamping supplies because it seems like foolishness in the grand scheme of things. Does God really care about stamping?? The answer is he cares about what I care about. He can use whatever we have to give him. I know that. I have seen it. A simple card made of paper and ink can bring comfort or encouragement or joy. When I send cards out I send them off with a prayer. God takes it from there.

Today was my day as the Guest Blogger. If you would like to read the article, check it out here.

Thanks for letting me share this stuff with you. I am no rock star (though Greg thinks so, he's great...but biased) but it is exciting stuff!

Blessings by the Box

2009-10-27T17:57:00.001-04:00

I thought I would shock my 5 readers by posting twice in a week, lol! We are having a slight warm up this week. I wouldn't call it an Indian Summer but we are in the upper 50's, low 60's this week and it is glorious. No jackets, hats or gloves, just sunshine and falling leaves.

On Sunday we enjoyed the potluck following the church service. Potlucks are interesting, aren't they? Some are tempted to assign the dishes to ensure a good variety, but that would be a pot-plan, not a potluck! Who cares if most of the dishes are dessert?? Not me. Now, in truth I might care if the table was dominated by squash and lima beans but it is the unknown that makes it fun. Our kitchen crew usually does a big main dish and this time it was chicken and stuffing, yummy stuff. There was plenty of variety and this time, yes, we were loaded with desserts. Brownies, pumpkin pie, carrot cake and more, mmmm. The best part was that the fellowship hall was packed out! We had to scramble to add more tables. Food and fellowship are always a good combo to draw the crowds.

Later Sunday afternoon, we had another unplanned opportunity. I have told you about Farmer Butch, the man with the fruit orchards. He is an incredible man of faith, with a big heart. We are currently collecting money to purchase Thanksgiving boxes through Angel Food Ministries. These boxes will be given to families in need in our church and community. Well, Butch offered up a box of apples to go with each food box, the only catch was the apples needed to be picked. So, I made an announcement at the potluck and several people showed up to help. Butch had a trailer hooked up to the tractor and we got a fun, bumpy ride out to the orchard. We decided that 25 half bushel baskets of apples would cover our needs. Being the well-equipped farmer, he gave us straps to hook onto the baskets so we could work hands free. Those straps were the bomb!! We were picking big, beautiful Rome apples and in 15 minutes (maybe even less), we had every basket filled to the top. We hopped back onto the trailer and enjoyed an apple on the way back to the barn. But the fun didn't stop there. Butch let us run the apples through the washer/polisher machine. I really wish I had thought to bring my camera. This machine is an oldie and so cool! The guys carefully emptied the baskets onto the conveyor belt at one end, the apples traveled up the belt where any leaves or debris were removed, into the washer and out onto these foam rollers that polished the apples clean. From there they rolled down onto a rotating platform where we packed them back into the baskets. We joked how it felt a bit like that episode of I love Lucy where they were working on the assembly line at the chocolate factory. Once they were all packed up, Butch put them into the cooler where they will stay until we need to deliver them. The whole process only took one hour but every bit of it was so fun. I like that the boys get to be exposed to so many different things and in this case, learn what it takes to get an apple to market and be part of serving someone in need. Butch shared a bit of his heart and why he wanted to donate the apples. It was a blessing to be part of blessing someone else. In a couple of weeks we will deliver a big box of food, along with a big box of apples to several families. When God's people work together, needs are met. It's a beautiful thing!

If you have never heard of Angel Food Ministries, I encourage you to check it out. Each month they offer a box of food for $30.00. The retail cost of the food averages around $65-80 and will feed a family of 4 for a week. There are also convenience/senior meals, produce boxes and meat boxes available. The best part, if you eat, you qualify! We can all use a little help on our budgets these days. The boxes are also a wonderful way to bless a family in need. If you spend $60 on groceries at the store, use that $60 to buy 2 Angel Food boxes, one for yourself and one to share. You can go to their site and enter your zip code to find a church near you that distributes Angel Food. At church, we distributed our first boxes this month and it was indeed a blessing. And the food is good. This month we are enjoying strip steaks, eggs, fajitas, ham steaks, frozen veggies and more. The only item in our box that we don't like...lima beans. Lucky for us, we found someone who likes them so we are happy to pass them along ;).

Hugs from the R-ville Harps!

Whoa!

2009-10-22T22:46:00.002-04:00

I am such a blog slacker!
Time is again, or should I say still, whirring by at an incredible pace. We have had signs of snow already! Ack!! I haven't even fully enjoyed fall yet. We better get crackin' with my list of fall things to do. There are foliage walks to go on, cider to drink, butternut squash soup to be cooked. The changing leaves are beautiful at the moment and the crisp air is nice.

Josh is nearing the end of his football season. The coach now has him playing on both the offensive and defensive lines. At yesterday's game he only sat out for 2 plays the whole game. He is tired, sweaty and smelly by the end. I had to drive home with the windows down yesterday, peeeyewwww, lol. Look for #54 in the photo below, that is our boy...

Our Pig-a-palooza event last month was a smashing success. For the first time in the 3 years we have been here, we had incredible weather for the event. We had the largest turn out to date, we figure there were somewhere around 500 people that attended. The best part was the people lingered, enjoying the animals, antique cars, food, games, music and fireworks.

October is Pastor Appreciation month, did you know that? I think a week would suffice, even a day, but it is in fact all month long. Check out the sign on our church lawn...

Isn't that great? The folks here in Ransomville sure do know how to bless their pastors! Almost everyday this month they have received a phone call from someone letting them know they appreciate them. Priceless words of encouragement. Then there are the cards in the mail, the gift certificate for an oil change, the gift certificate for dinner. The first Sunday they even invited the wives to come forward and we were presented with a bouquet of roses.

I can not tell you the last time I got flowers (in fairness to Greg I tell him not to buy them for me, I am too practically minded about the money). It is wonderful to know that we are appreciated as well. The boys wondered when it was their turn, lol.
On Sunday we wrap the month up with an all-church pot luck after service. Yumm-O.
If you haven't already, do something this week to show your pastor appreciation. Or the person in your life that spiritually encourages you. A kind word of encouragement will lift their spirits.

I hope my next post isn't a month away! In the mean time, hugs to you all!

Goin' Crazy

2009-09-17T22:33:00.002-04:00

This has been one crazy week and it isn't even over yet! I like to feel like I have accomplished things at the end of the day. Every day this week I have accomplished tons and yet still go to be with tons left undone.
Partly, it is adjusting to working full time. Church has been extremely busy as we are getting ready for our annual Pig-a-Palooza event. The copier is smokin' due to all the copies I am running, lol! This will be the 5th year of this community event. There will be pony rides, a bounce house, climbing wall, live music, bow hunters, Chicken BBQ and more. I am sure I will post pictures since I seem to be the designated photographer.
Then there's the boys. They are still adjusting to school, homework, chores and the like. Of course they don't do those things in a vacuum. Homework requires our help, chores require our oversight, school requires us to get up at the crack of dawn too. Did I say I was looking forward to a routine again? WHAT was I thinking??
Josh is in football and now the games have started. I don't know who is responsible for their schedule this year but most of the games are away and most of the locations are an hour's drive. They had their first game on Wednesday and it tied up 5 hours. Poor Josh didn't get home until 8:30 and then had homework to boot. Here is a shot of him after a scrimmage last weekend. He plays offensive line at the moment.

And then there is the call of the produce! I thought I was mostly done with my canning, except for a couple more batches of salsa for Kaleb. But then came the call of more free peaches. The kind perfect for canning. So, off we went to glean more fruit. Greg and I were up until 11 the other night putting up quart jars of sliced peaches. Again, a first for me. I was glad to have a helper because these were a bit time consuming. But look at the result of our labor...

Aren't they beautiful?? We did 18 jars in total. One broke in the canner. On the last batch I cooked some whole vanilla beans in the light sugar syrup to see if we could mimic the vanilla peaches we tasted at the Mennonite market this summer. Oh Baby!! We opened a jar at dinner tonight and it was unanimous...these peaches ROCK! You know what that means, don't you? Probably more canning in my near future!

Back to School

2009-09-08T22:26:00.003-04:00

Summer is over. The buses are running. The new sneakers can finally be worn. Ah yes, the start of another school year. Kaleb is now a 6th grader, officially a middle schooler. Josh is an 8th grader. As I do every year, I made them pose for a picture before the bus came. I needed to use the flash since the sun wasn't exactly up yet. I was wishin' I wasn't up yet, lol. So, here are our two fine, young men...

Loaded down with stuff already. Poor Josh had 3 bags to carry. One for the football gear he needs for practice after school. Yes, you read that correctly. Josh has signed on to play modified football this year. Kaleb decided to sit the season out and I think he has missed it somewhat.

Kaleb was very nervous about entering a new building with new rules. He now has to change classes every period. He managed just fine, no major incidents to report.

Last week we had the chance to go to a Buffalo Bills preseason game against the Detroit Lions. Our friend Lynn gave us 4 tickets she got from work. She was going to take the guys but at the last minute had to cancel, so I went along. It was a perfect night for watching a game. We had awesome seats, mid way up on the 40 yard line. All I will say about the score is that it is going to be a loooooong season if you are a Bills fan! Here we are at the end of the game.

One of our old Young Life kids is now a Buffalo Jill cheerleader. We didn't get a chance to talk with her but we could see her on the field doing her thing. Fun stuff!

I am off to bed. Tomorrow is another early morning.

Ministry

2009-08-28T17:41:00.002-04:00

Here is the definition of "ministry" according to Webster...

Main Entry: min·is·try
Pronunciation: \ˈmi-nə-strē\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural min·is·tries
Date: 14th century
1 : ministration
2 : the office, duties, or functions of a minister
3 : the body of ministers of religion : clergy
4 : a person or thing through which something is accomplished : agency, instrumentality
5 : the period of service or office of a minister or ministry
6 often capitalized a : the body of ministers governing a nation or state from which a smaller cabinet is sometimes selected b : the group of ministers constituting a cabinet
7 a : a government department presided over by a minister b : the building in which the business of a ministry is transacted

I have spent much of the last few days thinking about that word and what it actually means. I thought Webster might be a good place to start. I think it is a pretty lousy, at best incomplete, definition. It seems to me that ministry is way more than how Webster defines it. Well, at least it is in our world.
I am finding out, or rather being reminded, that ministry is anything God calls you to do. Sometimes it is things you want to do. Or things you are good at. Other times they are silly things. Or hard things. Or things that make no sense, at least for now. It is an open ended job description. There is fine print at the bottom that reads "...and other things deemed necessary by the boss".
This is one look at ministry this past week...

Five guys covered in drywall dust! Pastor Bill is in the yellow shirt. In person he looked a lot like the ghost of Christmas past, lol. They have been working on a renovation project at church, creating one large room for the kids ministry. It started in April and is finally nearing completion. Sometimes ministry includes blowing drywall dust out of your nose or standing in a 3' ditch laying pipe.
Sometimes ministry is traveling 7 hours with a van full of teens to Lake Placid for a camping weekend. Greg and 18 other teens and adults pulled out of the church parking lot this afternoon bound for a weekend of fun and fellowship. (yes, that means I am home alone but I have a to do list longer than there are hours in the day)
Maybe asking "what is ministry?" is the wrong question. Perhaps instead I should be asking "am I willing to do what God calls me to do?". Or "am I willing to go where God wants me to go?".

Have a great weekend!

Blueberries, Raspberries, Peaches...OH MY!!

2009-08-23T20:00:00.002-04:00

In the three weeks since I quit my day job (get it? My (1) day job?? Yes, I crack myself up!!) I have embraced the homemaker inside me again. Oh the joy of doing what you are meant to do! I put in a 40 hour week at church, hosted a Grill & Greet for 50 folks after our evening worship service last night, and still had spring in my step to do more. It reminds me of tithing. Tithing you ask? Yes! When we take care of our needs first, we are often left with little to give to the Lord. But, when we give God our best, our first fruits, we find that he stretches what is left to cover our needs and often, then some. It makes no sense to the rational mind, it is a faith thing. This past week, I gave God my best and he stretched my time and energy to cover so much more.
So I present to you the latest line-up in my kitchen...

Peach Vanilla Jam, Raspberry Jam, Bread & Butter Pickles and Blueberry Lime Jam.
I have actually been at this for the last 2 weeks. Somewhere around 55 jars total. I ought to buy stock in the Ball company, lol!
The best part is they all have a story to go with them.
Josh, Kaleb and I spent one morning picking blueberries, a first for us. We had a fun time eating, laughing and talking while we picked. We tried to figure out if we could decipher Korean or Chinese or whatever language was being spoken in the next row. We couldn't so we made up our own ideas. After we finished picking berries, we shared a Stromboli for lunch. I chipped my front tooth on a fork. It was a memorable day!
The raspberries came from Pastor Bill's garden. The Lowery's were in Michigan for their eldest son's wedding so they hired Kaleb to take care of the chickens and the garden. We got chowed by mosquitoes while we picked berries. Then Kaleb spotted a snake in the bushes. That was it, I quit! We picked enough berries for one batch of jam. We shared half the jars with the Lowery's since it really was a collaboration. Now that we've tasted it, we kind of wish we hadn't, lol, it is pretty awesome stuff!
Pickles were a first for me. The boys and I ventured to the Niagara Falls City Market for another first time experience. Joshua helped feed the food processor as we sliced our way through about 45 cups of cucumbers. At one point the bowl of the processor was so full, it started to slice off parts of the underside of my processor lid. Yikes! Luckily we stopped it before it got too damaged. The family had a tasting when it was all done and Joshua discovered he likes pickles now!
After church this morning, we took an unplanned trip to the Raby's orchards to glean more peaches. Butch lets us pick peaches off the ground for free and we filled three 5 gallon buckets in about 20 minutes...in the rain. A lady from church joined us and then came back to the house to help me cook up 2 batches of jam. We talked and laughed. It was a good opportunity to get to know her better.
Ministry in the mundane. Pastor Bill reminded us last night that all of life can be worship if we do it to give God glory. So, these past two weeks have been about giving God glory while canning. It is a good thing I don't sell my goods, they would surely be priceless!

Derailed

2009-08-16T21:49:00.002-04:00

Do you ever feel like your life is derailed? Off track?? That some how you are on the wrong road? If you haven't, then I want to talk to you and eek out every last secret you have!

At the end of my last post I shared how I was starting a new job. And so I did. My first day was interesting to say the least. I had a pit in my gut all day that I was not where I was supposed to be. To be honest, I had many uneasy feelings for the 2 weeks prior. I dismissed it as nervousness. I knew I was mourning my life as I knew it. I told myself I needed to suck it up. My family needed me to take this job, to bring in more income. On that first day, I had conversations with 2 different staff. One was new to the agency and the other had been there several years. These were people I had never met before. They both basically told me to run as fast as I could. What? Totally unsolicited words. I was partially discouraged and partially scared out of my mind! These people were God's way of telling me that I was in the wrong place, on the wrong road.

What do you do when you realize you are not where you are supposed to be? Or that you are doing something you aren't supposed to be doing? Do you continue to walk down the road and hope it gets better? How crazy would I be to quit a job I just started? I was in a terrible fix. What about the money? The boys both need braces, debts are mounting, college is not too far away, the economy is bad....oh those whispers from the devil. I went to bed praying hard that God would give me the right response. If I am really derailed, help me to get back on track. If I am just nervous, give me peace. When I woke up the next day I had a firm resolve that I needed to quit. I was clearly not where God wanted me to be. As soon as I said my intentions out loud, the peace followed. So, I drove in to the agency and resigned on my second day. It was one of the harder things I have had to do. Throw in a bit of humiliation for added measure.

My job at church had not yet been filled, so I went back. With one change. Tomorrow I start the job on a full-time basis. The pay is way less than I would have made. But if the Lord has called me to this place, to this job and ministry, then he will also take care of our needs. His purposes and plans are sometimes beyond my understanding. He is asking me to trust and obey. I am trying. And just in case I needed a little affirmation, an unusually large number of people came by the church office that day and rejoiced over my return. Aw shucks!

What have I learned?
--it is better to be on God's road than my own path
--God's still small voice is much less painful than the bricks he uses to get our attention
--When Jesus condemned them in Matthew 6:30, saying "oh you of little faith", he meant me
--peace is priceless
--Mercy and grace are precious gifts
--God is good and loves me more than I know
--some lessons take years to learn

I wish that falling down was only for toddlers. I wish I was a faster/better student in God's University. I wish I wasn't so bent on being independent. But more than all of that, I am grateful that the God of the universe loves me and calls me his child. That he dusts me off when I fall. That he continues to urge me on in the race.

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:12-14.

Chillin' at the Lake

2009-08-02T16:28:00.003-04:00

Well, summer is now complete! We have just returned from our annual week long stay on Cayuga Lake. The weather was par for this year, rainy and cooler, but we still had a great time.

We finally got the chance to use the jet ski that our friends gave us when we moved. Last summer was consumed with the kitchen reno so there wasn't time. Over the winter we had it tuned up and we got all the necessary paper work and boaters safety courses completed just before vacation. We had lots of fun zipping around the lake!

The rain held off on a few nights so we got a fire going and roasted marshmallows. Chris also rigged up his annual firework display. Fireworks over the lake are spectacular!

Of course, there was lots of fishing. Josh and Chris got up early most mornings to fish and were very successful this year. The first day out Josh got a lake trout and Chris cooked up some yummy Laker Cakes with it (think crab cakes). Josh also caught an 8.5 lb brown trout that we enjoyed for dinner on Wednesday. On one of the last outings Josh and Chris both caught matching 10.5 lb brown trouts. Chris let his go and Josh's is in our freezer for another day. They discovered a secret weapon but I can't tell you, I have been sworn to secrecy!

The boys did lots of tubing again this year. Every year we try the skiing thing and Josh was up longer than any previous year. The pieces are coming together for him. Kaleb just pops out of the water and this year he finally caught the "bug". In years past, they ski (or attempt to ski) to appease us, but with much apprehension. This year Kaleb couldn't get enough. He started to go over the wake and really got over his fear of falling in the middle of the lake. It was so exciting to watch!

Relaxing was the name of the game most of the week. The boys did a lot of stone skipping and by the end of the week this is what they looked like...

too tired to even stand, lol! They threw rocks while laying down on the beach.

When we came back from a trip into Ithaca, we found Melissa and little Logan asleep on the dock...too precious

At some point Josh got a pretty bad case of poison ivy and it may require a doctor visit. Poor guy!

In other news...I start a full-time job tomorrow morning. I am having a hard time getting excited about it to be honest. Even though I have worked part time for years, I consider myself mostly a stay at home mom. I love that job! It is what I feel called to do. I like being a home maker and being here for the boys. But we can't afford for me to stay home any longer. So, tomorrow I will pack a lunch and head off to work. I will be teaching independent living skills to persons with brain injuries. It will involve quite a bit of travel since the meetings all take place in their homes. I appreciate your prayers this week!

Hope you all are well! Thanks for visiting.

Family Camp

2009-07-12T15:02:00.003-04:00

Howdy, friends and family! We have just just returned from a week of family camp at Lighthouse Christian Camp. It was a wonderful time but now I need a vacation to recoup from our vacation! You know how that goes. Although we have dropped in on family camp in the past, we have never stayed for the week. Greg was asked to lead music for the morning worship time and he was originally going to commute since camp is only a half hour away. But, the Hunt family graciously offered us a place to lay our heads so we were able to take it all in.

Josh was only able to join us for 2 days and on Sunday I dropped him off for a week at Boy Scout camp. He had a great time!! He was able to complete requirements for 4 merit badges and he also got a Junior Shooting Team badge he really wanted. To get the badge they had to shoot at a target and get a minimum of 35 points, out of a possible 50. He used a .22 at 50 feet and got 5 bulls eyes for a perfect score!! He even saved his target sheet to show us. Uncle Chris will be so proud! He returned home with only minor scrapes but one huge smile!

Kaleb stayed at family camp but we didn't see him much. They keep the kids very busy with activities and any spare time was spent playing four square. I watched several times and all I can say is that they don't play that game like I remember! There are a gazillion different rules these days. It was the perfect kind of week for Kaleb, lots of sports and running around. He met up with some old friends and made new ones. You know it was a great week when they don't want to leave. He and Greg had a chance to get out on a sailboat the last day.

It was an interesting week, a time where old and new things collided. Lots of folks from Pearce church attend FC so it was a good time to reconnect with old friends.

The Harp family and the Kuhlkin family have been friends for many years, going way back to when they attended Parkminster Pres together. Greg, Jon and Thom were in scouts together with Mike and Dave. Greg and Mike have both worked for Young Life. They even applied for their first ministry jobs at the same church. Mike got the job and shortly there after we moved to Florida to work at First Christian. Fast forward a few years to Greg working as the youth pastor of Pearce church and Mike doing Young Life in Rochester. They often paired up to do ministry together and were a great source of encouragement to each other. Who can better understand a wacky youth guy than another wacky youth guy?! Fast forward a bit more and you find us at Ransomville FMC and now Mike is leading the youth at Pearce. This past week Mike lead the teens at family camp and once again we all were together. Thursday nights of family camp are reserved for a baptismal service and Mike and Greg were asked to participate in some of the baptisms...as a team. Isn't it cool to see how God weaves together our lives? I am sure if you got Mom, Dad, Char and Roe Kuhlkin together, they would tell you they had no clue their sons would end up in ministry, let alone doing baptisms together! It was a cool service, 23 people in all were baptized. Thanks to our friend, John, we have a couple of wonderful photos to share with you. This was on the shore of Lake Ontario...going in....

And coming out...

"He is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come" 2 Cor 5:17

Greg also ran into a couple of people from his years at Rochester Christian HS. Greg hadn't seen Jason Storm since those days, more than 20 years ago and there he was at family camp! The boy that Kaleb befriended happened to be Jason's step-son. The last night at camp they invited us over for supper and we were joined by George and Kathy Merz! George is another one from the Parkminster days and Kathy we met through Young Life. They are friends with the Storms and were visiting for the day. We had a great time of fellowship that night!

At the start of the week I had no idea what lie ahead. On our last night there Greg and I were walking back to the cottage and he commented to me "you've changed". He was referencing that I had sort of come alive as the week progressed. I was more out-going, more talkative, more joyful. I think I felt more myself than I have in a very long time. That makes me both happy and sad. Where has my old self been?? I hope it sticks around awhile.

Today the boys are headed to Covenant Acres Camp for the week. More of the new and old colliding. We arranged it so that they would be there at the same time as several of their old friends from Rochester. They have been looking forward to this week for a long time. I bet Kaleb will have a week where he feels more like his old self too. I can't wait to hear their stories!

Blessings!

How Fast They Grow!

2009-06-26T20:30:00.002-04:00

As of yesterday, we officially no longer have an elementary student in our house! At the old school this day would have happened last year but here, the elementary buildings go to 5th grade. Kaleb did it! It was a proud day. The school held a lovely ceremony filled with awards and pizza.
As early as kindergarten, Kaleb has verbalized his dislike of school. I'm not sure what is not to like about reading, coloring and snack time but he told us just about every day that entire year that he hated it. I remember many tear filled mornings. For him and for me! At first I thought it was the teacher and that first grade would be better. It was, instead of the daily reminders we only got them several times a month. On the whole, I will say we have been very fortunate in the teacher department. Sitting still for hours on end is just not the best solution for any boy! It probably wouldn't shock you if I told you gym and recess were his favorite parts of the day. "Boring" was a frequently used word in his vocabulary. It took pretty drastic measures on my part last summer to banish that word, well, it's almost banished!

Learning doesn't come as easy for Kaleb and math is a not a favorite, to say the least. His teacher has said consistently that he shows great effort despite his troubles. She is very encouraged by his perseverance and is hopeful that soon it will all "click". That is our prayer. I know one day all those hours of quizzing the boys with math facts in the car will pay off. He is a great writer though and always has been. In first grade he would write 3 pages while the others kids were barely writing one. He has a great imagination. His classmates would get mad at him because the teacher would use him as an example of what they should be doing. God gifts us each uniquely, doesn't he?

Add to all that the fact that our move has probably been the hardest on Kaleb. He is a very social being. He had a few really good buddies in Rochester and after 2 years, he still hasn't quite found that here. We still arrange get togethers with his old friends and he emails and phones them, but he needs those roots here. His teacher tried to help steer him in the direction of a couple of boys and we are so grateful for her efforts. Our hope is that the middle school will afford him greater opportunities to meet kids since there are more than double the kids in 6th grade.

Mom is good to remind me that these are the days that bring us to the feet of Jesus. They sure do!

At the ceremony yesterday, he was given the Most Improved award for music as well as the Presidential Award for Academic Excellence. Those were unexpected which made it all the more thrilling! I told Kaleb he is obviously a better student than he thinks he is! That recognition gave him a bit of a boost. Us too, I think.

He is growing into a fine young man and I know God has special plans for him! He is loving and creative. He has a funny sense of humor. I love his giggle and his hugs. I love that he is becoming discerning. He is crazy observant!! He notices the smallest of details and remembers things way longer than I wish he did, lol! He is passionate over certain things, right now it happens to be hockey and Tech Decks. He brings us great joy!

Here are the proud parents with the newest 6th grader!

Ack!! There's a Teenager in the House!

2009-06-08T19:22:00.002-04:00

Joshua is officially a teenager today. I can hardly stand it, there is no way I am old enough to have a teenage son! I distinctly remember being 13 myself and it doesn't seem all that long ago.
When Josh was born, we were temporarily living with Mom and Dad on Hallock Rd. We were in transition, changing careers and finalizing our plans to move to Ft Lauderdale. There have been many miles and memories since that day! I remember Greg holding him like a football when he was born and now he is about to overtake me in height.
Josh is a wonderful boy, um, young man. We know this all on our own but we are also constantly reminded by others. He leaves an impression on people everywhere he goes. He has a love for children and they respond to him in a special way. We call him a kid magnet! He is kind and thoughtful, looking for ways to help others. He is an encourager, like his dad. He is Greg's right hand man at the Saturday evening church service, running the power point program. He is smart to boot! (that he must get from me, lol) He was recently named a Wilson Winner by his teachers for his good academics and character. We are so very proud of him!
Thirteen is a bit of a milestone and we wanted to mark the day in a special way. Last night for the teens weekly meeting, we had a pool party at the pastor's house and turned it into a bit of a birthday bash. Today, after school we piled everyone into the van and set out for Gander Mountain. Josh has turned into quite the sportsman, he really enjoys fishing and hunting thanks to Uncle Chris. My brother is tickled to have infected our son with the bug! It ties in well with many of the things Josh is learning in Scouts as well. He had outgrown the bow my brother had gotten him a few years back so it was time to upgrade to a more serious one. Chris directed us to a good option but it required a fitting as well. So, we surprised him with a little shopping trip. Chris and our friend Lynn helped out so we could get all the extras. Josh was thrilled to say the least! We took a couple photos when we got home.

Here is one with father and son...

Before you know it he will be driving, graduating and making his own way in the world. We are trying to soak up all the time we can. Greg and I are keenly aware that God has given us our children for a time and we are trying our best to train them up in the way they should go. We are intentional about teaching them skills and things they need to know to be successful in life. On top of it all, we are praying hard that God's grace covers us when we fall short. He does! He has richly blessed us with two wonderful boys and we are thankful!

A Good Night's Rest

2009-05-15T08:46:00.000-04:00

The average American spends a third of their lives sleeping...that means 194, 821 hours! For the last year and a half, I have been falling behind on my sleep quota. It has been a very long time since I have had consistent, restful sleep.

When Greg and I got married we purchased a really good mattress and it served us well for about 12 years. The last year on that mattress was a bit iffy but we couldn't afford to replace it quite yet. When we found out we were moving to Ransomville, I told Greg there was no way we were moving that mattress one more time, 7 times was plenty!

Just prior to moving we bought a new mattress at Sam's Club. It was the nicest one they carried, well, at least the most expensive, and it was one we could afford. Yes, we tried it out, it was not a rash decision. We didn't use it until we moved and the first 2 months were quite nice. After that the back and hip pains started. I just thought I was getting old. I was/am. Then it was restless nights, waking up tired after "sleeping" for 8 hours. There were days I needed toothpicks to keep my eyes open! It had a layer of that much-touted memory foam on top but after just 3 months, there were deep pits on both sides of the bed. It was the kind of mattress that shouldn't be flipped but at one point we actually flipped it over and slept on the wrong side. It was a lot like sleeping on the box spring, but with an egg crate foam topper it was actually tolerable. Are you getting the idea for how bad it was??

I have muttered many unkind things to that mattress over the last year. I considered sleeping on the sofa many times. To say I was annoyed and ticked off is an understatement! Often during my sleepless episodes I would craft a mental letter to the Serta company spouting my discontent with their POJ (short for "Piece Of Junk!). What is a girl to do after owning a mattress for almost 2 years? We could not afford to buy another one but it was clearly reaching the point that we couldn't afford not to replace it!!

Last month I went onto the Serta website to get the customer service information so I could actually send one these letters I had mentally crafted. While browsing the site I read over their warranty information. I discovered our mattress had a 10 year warranty and perhaps our POJ qualified for a replacement. My heart skipped a beat! I immediately phoned Serta and the customer service rep asked me a few questions about the mattress... did I have a receipt, where was it purchased? We have to keep all household receipts for pastoral tax purposes so I was able to find the 2007 receipt, yeah!! She advised me to take the mattress back to Sam's Club and exchange it. What?? Obviously, the one bad part about buying a mattress at Sam's is that you have to haul it yourself. I was in a bit of disbelief so I called Sam's Club to verify. There was no way I was going to haul it down there only to be told sorry, Charlie! Sure enough, she told me to bring it in! Not only that, but because I had my original receipt I had the choice of replacing it or getting my money back. Thank you Lord!! It took a few days to find the time and a truck, but we hauled it back and right as rain, she gave me every penny back in cash. Good riddance!

We didn't dare look for a new mattress until we were sure we could get our money back for the POJ. After securing the cash, we headed to JC Penney where they were having a mattress sale. We tried out every model on the floor, at least 3 times! The lesson we learned was that we need a firm mattress, so after about an hour of debating we chose a Sealy Posturpedic firm pillowtop. Even with the sale, it was more money than the POJ but still much less than paying for an entire mattress. We told the salesman we had a truck with us to take it home. Imagine how disappointed we were to hear it would be 2 weeks before we could get it! I suppose it just makes this whole saga even more comical! Except that I am not laughing.

We went home and spent the next 2 weeks camping out in our own home. Greg on a cot and me on an air mattress. Yes, it made for a romantic anniversary! Yesterday, a big white truck pulled up in our drive way and unloaded our brand new mattress. The heavens were singing, I tell you! Well, at least I was. Greg is out of town for Annual Conference so I had the bed all to myself the first night. Ahhh, it was delightful. I am hoping to catch up on some of those lost zzz's really soon.

Now I wish I had called sooner but that is the lesson learned. Don't suffer through life with a POJ!

15 Years!

2009-05-07T06:00:00.001-04:00

Fifteen years ago today, Greg and I got married. Where does time go? Some days it feels like yesterday and other days it feels like a life time ago.

When I met Greg he was going to MCC, getting an associates degree and working at Wegmans. Today he has a Masters of Divinity (and is seriously contemplating a Doctorate!! ack) , is ordained and pastoring in his 4th church. We have two wonderful boys who are growing up way too fast! We have experienced the passing of loved ones and found new people to embrace along the way.

Anyone that tells you marriage is easy is a liar. I have been stretched in ways I never thought possible and I am not just talking stretch marks from being pregnant either! But I will hands down say that being married to Greg has been the greatest blessing. He is a wonderful gift of God and I am so thankful to walk through life with him.

I searched through all of our photos and can't find a recent one of us together. We will have to work on that soon. For now, here is a photo of the day the journey began...

Look at us, kids I tell ya!

I changed my settings for leaving comments, so anyone visiting should be able to now leave one!

Cleveland Rocks but Boston Rules!!!!!!!

2009-05-01T13:29:00.000-04:00

The last few weeks have been crazy at the Harp house. I will try to catch you up over the course of several posts but they may be a bit out of sequence.
On a very last minute whim, we took the boys out of school for 2 days and drove to Cleveland. Why Cleveland you ask?? Because of the Boston Red Sox, silly!! Going to see the Sox play at Fenway is a dream that we will probably never realize. Three years ago we traveled to Toronto to see them play the Blue Jays. We had been talking for some time about going to see the Red Sox when they were playing the Indians and when I checked the schedule, the only time the Sox were in Cleveland was this past week. Hence the last minute frenzy! We got four tickets about 20 rows up from home plate, and saved 50% because of spring ticket sale prices. We got an incredible hook-up on a hotel room from a friend, so off we went.
We arrived Tuesday night in time for the boys to enjoy a swim in the pool. On Wednesday we drove into Cleveland and spent most of the day there. The city was very nice, clean, easy to get around, minimal traffic, lots of things within walking distance. We had lunch at Fat Fish Blue, a cajun type eatery that a local directed us to. Here is Josh with his burger...and no, he wasn't able to finish it!

We walked through town and the boys stopped to pose like a statue in the park...

Then we came upon this huge rubber stamp, a definite photo op!

Cleveland is the home of the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame and on our way there, we passed a couple of large guitars. Definitely another prime photo op...

We are the bitty figures in the photo taken in front of the Hall of Fame. That place is filled with all kinds of memorabilia, it was really cool!

After the Hall of Fame we walked to Progressive Field. The stadium is incredible! I loved everything about this place. Before the game started the guys walked the upper decks to get the full effect.

The game was awesome. The Sox were down 5-0 for awhile but as usual, you can not count them out...ever. They rallied to tie the game in the 8th and finally won it in the 10th inning. You should have heard the fans. There were plenty of Red Sox fans in the stands and the Indians fans had no problem displaying their distaste for us, lol! Late in the game, the beer makes people look like fools, lol! I think Kaleb feared for his life a bit a few times and didn't like the looks he got when we rooted for our team. He did like that the Indians lost though! It was an exciting game for sure. Here are the boys and I when it was done...

They had to do a bit of homework on our trip but they think it was worth missing a couple of days of school.

We do not travel much as a family but this 2 day trip was a fun way to inject some fun and adventure into our lives!

I am hoping to get Greg and Josh to post about their time in Mississippi, but if not, I will at least share some photos with you.

Crazy Ideas

2009-04-07T07:44:00.000-04:00

We woke up to snow today and I don't like it!! Thankfully it will warm up in a day or two and it will all be gone. Winter just needs to be done, over, gone!
So by now most of you know I enjoy cooking and baking. I haven't had a lot of time for it lately with working but I can't stay away from it for long. The natives get restless and hungry and eventually tire of cereal at every meal. They haven't actually tired of cereal yet, that would indeed be a small miracle, lol! It's probably because we have thrown pizza into the mix a couple of times. I subscribe to the Taste of Home magazine and visit recipe sites on-line so there is no shortage of inspiring, mouthwatering recipes to try. I have a confession to make...I get fixated on strange things once in awhile. I will see an idea and no matter how strange or odd it may be, I want to try it. Last year it was making homemade vanilla. That has proven to be a great experiment and I have joyfully used it and given it away. I have gone through 2 full quart jars and better get started on a second batch before the last 2 quarts get used up! I know, THAT is a lot of vanilla!
Though I can no longer find the original source of my latest fixation, this new idea has stayed with me for several weeks, begging me to see it through. Are you intrigued yet?? The latest and greatest thing to come out of my kitchen is.......homemade marshmallows!! Get out, I know!! Who ever even had the thought that such a thing could be done?? I only use/eat marshmallow on rare occasion in Rice Krispy treats or when camping so why this idea held on so strong I have no idea. Greg thought I was out of my mind. I loved my brother Chris' response, "What?! Are store bought ones too expensive for you??" Smartie pants, lol!!! Though I often try to make my own version of things to save money, this time it wasn't about saving money. And I should add it was probably more expensive. But it had to be tried to see if fresher/homemade indeed equalled better in this case. And, like I said, I can become fixated and the only solution is to see it through and be done with it. After securing a few ingredients, I set out to make marshmallows last Saturday. Mix a bit of this, cook a bit of that, whip it all together. The KitchenAid stand mixer that Jon bought us as a wedding gift (almost 15 years ago!!) purred like a kitten on the counter that day. Oh the smell of sugar and vanilla was so incredible!!!! The only bummer was that after pouring the gooey bliss into a pan, it needed to sit for 10-12 hours before cutting and eating! Oh the torture of it all. At least it looked like marshmallows and I dearly hoped they would taste like marshmallows. Actually, I was hoping they tasted better! Check out the final result...

Incredible isn't it??? The recipe I chose filled a 9x13 pan and a loaf pan. In the end I couldn't wait to cut into the smaller batch. I took the cut up samples to church with me that afternoon. I walked up and down the aisle (before church started) handing out samples to folks. I caused a bit of a stir. It was pretty unanimous...they are awesome! I got lots of, "You MADE these??" Yep, in my magic kitchen! I was a hero and the kids kept coming back for more until every last bit was gone. I think all that sugar hyped people up for an even livelier worship time!!
I could share the recipe with you but then you would figure out I am not all that my husband hypes me up to be, lol!
Have a great day!

Sing It...

2009-04-04T07:10:00.000-04:00

One of these things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn't belong... Do you remember that Sesame Street tune? Can you guess what is different in the picture below?

If you guessed that Kaleb is the only one without glasses, you are correct! Kaleb wants you all to know he DOES belong though and we definitely agree!

Back in January I noticed that Greg was sometimes singing different words than what was projected on the screen. Not good when you are the worship leader, lol!! He was also straining when using his computer. I finally called and made us both appointments to see the eye doctor. It had been 3 years since my last exam so it was time. Well, my wonderful husband went straight to bi-focals!! He has had a bit of an adjustment but glasses have certainly helped his reading enjoyment.

Josh came home from school in February with a note from the nurse that he should see an eye doctor. After our trip to Myrtle Beach, we took him, and sure enough, he needed glasses. Actually, he only needed one glass but seventh graders aren't really into monocles these days! He never told us he was having trouble seeing at school, but now he says things are definitely better. He mostly wears them at school so around the house I forget he even owns glasses.

I apologize for being such a lax blogger. We are in a bit of a speed warp these days. I was working full time while my co-worker was away on vacation. All the while continuing to seek full time employment. It really puts a strain on the family and house! I have worked at various things to various degrees for many years but none of it has been consistent, full time work. Honestly, I don't like it! I don't like that it means I don't cook meals much anymore and that
the family is often scrounging for food because there isn't enough time to get to the grocery store. The kids are constantly asking where the clean cloths are. Plenty of families do it everyday and I hope to eventually adjust. For now, I am glad that Cindy is back from Florida!

Greg and Josh are very busy preparing for the mission trip to Mississippi. Greg is coordinating a team of about 25 from church to go to Pass Christian to help rebuild Katrina damaged homes. He took teens from Pearce there several years ago and this trip will be a mix of adults and kids. They depart on Easter Sunday afternoon and will return the following Sunday. Two weeks ago we held a spaghetti dinner fundraiser and this morning is a garage sale. Of course the whole week leading up to today has been consumed with preparations. Some of you may find a letter in your mailbox this week asking to help out. We are still a bit shy of the fundraising goal but I know God will provide for all their needs. Did you know there are still thousands of people living in FEMA trailers more than 3 1/2 years later?? Every year there seem to be new disasters and issues so for most people I am sure Katrina is not even on their minds anymore. But down there it continues to be a daily issue. This will be Josh's first trip of this kind. Kaleb and I will stay behind on this one. His birthday is that week so we have plans!

In other news, the snow is all melted! We have moved into spring and spring storms. Last night I heard a dripping noise in the kitchen and it wasn't coming from the sink! We have a leak up on the roof somewhere. Thankfully we caught it before any damage happened to our new kitchen ceiling! On the next fine day, Greg will have to get up onto the roof and do some repairs.

That is enough for today! Hopefully my next post won't take a month.
Blessings and love to you!!

To the Beach and Back!

2009-02-22T12:23:00.000-05:00

We have safely returned from our travels! We had a wonderful week away visiting with friends and family. Here's a recap of our week.
We set out early Saturday morning for Jen and Mario's house in VA. Pennsylvania is never a thrill, in my opinion. It seems to take forever to drive through and the ups/downs/turns can make even the best rider car sick. The roads in some areas were snow covered so travel was a bit slow but we did make it through. We enjoyed a nice supper and time to visit in the evening. Jennifer has been bitten by the stamping bug so there was fun stuff to talk about, Mario just rolled his eyes! Sunday we headed for the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in VA. WOW!! It was stuffed with cool planes, gliders, space stuff and more. There were planes suspended from the ceiling so every turn had something new to look at. Greg actually got choked up at the sight of the SR-71! We saw the Enola Gay, a Concord jet, early helicopters and military planes. I was amazed at what the human mind can conceive! That someone designed some of these early flying machines and then was daring enough to test them out boggles my mind, lol!
Here is a collage of some of our visit to the museum. Click on the photo to get a bigger view.

Early Monday morning we set out for our final destination...the Viele's house in Myrtle Beach. I will say that they boys were such troopers in the car. Those video players are worth their weight in gold! No fighting or arguing the whole way. It was so good to see Mike, Elissa and the kids. They are growing up so fast! We moved here before they moved south so it didn't really hit me that they lived there until we saw it for ourselves. It is such a great house and they were so gracious to give us their bedroom for our visit! We didn't go with any plans so it was nice to relax without an agenda. We went to the beach twice and one afternoon we visited the aquarium. They had some cool fish there. We all had a chance to touch a stingray and Greg and Josh held a horseshoe crab. Again, I was amazed at God's creation! The sea is just filled with interesting (and some ugly) creatures. We enjoyed a great seafood meal on the inlet...yummy hush puppies! We stayed up late playing dominoes. We laughed and played and just spent time together. Wonderful! Below is a collage of our visit.

We took a ton of pictures but I was so disappointed when I got home and realized we didn't take any of Jen and Mario or Mike and Elissa! What were we thinking??
Here is a photo Elissa took at dinner Thursday night.

This photo looks like it was taken outside, but it was actually inside the aquarium. Aren't my guys good lookin'?

At one point on our drive, Greg and I commented how glad we were to actually be following through on our trip. So often we dream up plans and don't follow through due to money, time or some other reason. But not this time. What a blessed time it was!

Newsworthy

2009-02-10T09:47:00.000-05:00

Twice in one week...wow!! But I have something you may enjoy reading. The Buffalo News did an article on our church this past Sunday. It included a photo of Greg and Pastor Bill too. For the moment, it is listed on their website as well, you can read all about it here...
http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/niagaracounty/story/573200.html

It is a pretty good article but I think they made a typo, we don't have 160 here on Sundays, we wish!! Someday though, maybe even this week with all the press!! And we won't even be here to witness it. I can't wait to see how God uses this opportunity!

Bad Blogger!

2009-02-08T18:01:00.000-05:00

I am pretty good about posting to my stamping blog most days but not here. Maybe I ought to let the boys post once in awhile, that could prove to be interesting!

Joshua is at the end of his basketball season. He has three more games this week and then it will be time to turn in the uniform. It is pretty amazing to see how far these boys have come in just a couple of months. The games are not very high scoring but they do execute plays and more times than not, they look like they know what they are doing. So far, they are undefeated. This has been a great experience for Josh. I remember those days of playing on a team. It went a long way in making me feel a part of a community. Growing up, we lived in Germany for 6 years. When we moved to Lodi, I was going into seventh grade, the same grade that Josh is in now. Lodi was a small, rural community very similar to Ransomville. It was hard to break into those tight knit groups of kids that had grown up together. Being on a team helped me find my place. I am grateful for the opportunities the boys get to help them find their place. In the photo below, he is #12.

Kaleb still needs help finding his place. I think of the four of us, he is the one still struggling the most. He was invited to a birthday party yesterday and had a great time. We need a few more opportunities like that for him!

I am in job search mode at moment. We have placed a high priority on my staying home and being around for the boys. Through it all, I have had many part-time jobs and opportunities, but have been able to maintain a virtually full-time presence at home. As any of you who have made similar choices know, it requires sacrifices. Up until now the sacrifices have been things like vacations, clothing, eating out, and I am sure the boys would be quick to add, game systems and other cool things ALL the other kids have. Mostly things that we don't "need". Now the sacrifices are becoming a bigger deal. The boys both need orthodontic care, Josh may need glasses, we have 2 cars with over 150,000 miles, and the ever rising cost of heating our home. I can look back and know God has provided for our needs. It is a rather humbling picture actually, his provisions have come in many ways and through many people. I know he will continue to care for us. I realize, however, that I am the only component of the equation that has options. Greg is where he is called to be and last I knew, it was illegal to put my kids to work at their age (kidding!!). That leaves me and the part time jobs I have are not enough. Yesterday, I took a civil service exam. That was interesting! Whether that will actually lead to a job, only God knows. I have sent a variety of applications out and made lots of phone calls. I don't need to tell you that NOW isn't exactly the best time to be looking for a job, lol! My response is only to be faithful and continue to look for the door that God opens. I have no idea when or where that will be. These are interesting times. God's timing isn't our timing and his economy is not ours either. He owns the cattle on a 1000 hills so he has an answer to my seeking.

On Saturday we plan to drive south for a short get away. The kids have a week off of school starting Friday. We wanted to go see our friends, the Viele's, who moved to Myrtle Beach last summer. It is one of those things that we can't afford to do, yet we can't afford not to do either. We need a break and a little sunshine won't hurt either! Thankfully, the cost of gas is once again reasonable and we are packing a cooler with sandwiches and hitting the road. We can't wait!! It will be so good to see them. Along the way, we are stopping at Jen and Mario's house for a couple of nights. They are almost the midway point to Myrtle Beach, making our last leg only 7-8 hours. We plan to visit the Smithsonian Air and Space museum next Sunday. My next post will hopefully have photos of our trip.

That covers most of it for now. We are grateful for all of you and who you are in our lives!!

Playing Catch Up

2009-01-19T10:10:00.000-05:00

Happy Martin Luther King Jr Day! We are all home today enjoying a day off. Greg cooked us up a great breakfast this morning after we all slept in. I realized I was a bit behind in my blogging so here is a short recap of the last couple of weeks.
First, I meant to show you something cool we did in our kitchen. Check this out...

It is a piece of vinyl wall art that I had made before Christmas. I ordered it from this site. They were wonderful to work with and can customize just about any idea you have, plus they have lots of pre-made designs. We received it right before Christmas and put it up immediately. It was the finishing touch in our space, makes me feel like we are eating in a restaurant. Now if the waiter would just come take my order when I sit at the table, lol! We also finally got some curtains put up and some shelves installed over the buffet.

Last week was my birthday and we stretched out the festivities over several days. Mom and Dad treated us to dinner on Sunday. We had a fabulous meal and as always, it was just great to be together. Joshua made me some gifts on his lathe, a letter opener and a French style rolling pin. Aren't they great?? My friend Lynn bought this amazing cake for me that we shared at our stamping class and then on the actual day, Greg cooked up a special meal. So far turning 41 isn't too bad!

Joshua is busy with basketball these days. They have practice 5 days a week and have yet to play a game. He seems to be enjoying it and it is a good way to stay fit during these long and cold wintry days. This past weekend he went on a Boy Scout weekend down in Allegheny.
Kaleb is busy creating and obsessing on his latest thing--hockey. He is all about hockey, the pads, the stick, watching it on TV. Below is a picture of one of his latest creations using his playing cards. Do you remember building a house of cards when you were younger?? Oh, the hours of entertainment to be had!

So, there you have the latest on us!
Blessings to you until next time!
Tracy

New Food Take 5

2009-01-07T20:10:00.000-05:00

Hello friends!! We are back with another installment of "Try that Food". Greg and Kaleb stopped by Wegmans last week to pick up a couple of things for me and felt compelled to buy a new food to try. Check out this huge piece of fruit...

Do you know what it is?? I had never seen one before, it is called a Pomello. It is a citrus fruit and is best compared to a grapefruit in taste, just a little less bitter.

The pith is very thick on these...

It had a strange spongy feel to it as well. Weirded me out actually and it was not easy to cut into. Even after peeling away an inch thick rind the fruit was still covered. We decided to cut into rather than try to section it like an orange. As you can see, the insides are a deep pinkish red. Kaleb and Greg gave it a thumbs up for taste, Josh and I said no thanks. It got 4 thumbs down for ease of eating and thus will probably be the only one we eat.

Kaleb thought the peel would make a good hat...

When I looked pomellos up on-line, one of the writers said he saw kids using them as soccer balls in the street. I can see how they would be a great alternative to a soccer ball!

Here is something I can recommend though: Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta. It was a quick recipe and though it says it serves 2, it fed all four of us with a bit leftover. The spiciness was not too bad and I really liked the flavor. I did sneak in some chopped mushrooms and next time might even add some peas. If you are looking to try something new, try it!

Hugs!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T23:29:00.000-05:00

Hello! We want to wish you a very blessed New Year! We have had a busy house for the last week and a half. Chris, Melissa and the boys just left today after visiting for several days. It was a nice time of being together and relaxing. We even watched the boys one night so they could go out on a date. We attempted to have an open house on Sunday where we invited the whole church but it kinda bombed. Hardly anyone showed up. We enjoyed good food and conversation with those that did come and now I know I don't have to do one next year! One of the nice parts about all the preparation was that we made more head way on the kitchen. I know, it seems like is should be done but not quite. We are closer though! I will show you something soon that we did, it is really cool!
I thought I would post a few photos of the past week.
How is this for a cutie?! Little Logan has grown so much since the last time we saw him! He now has hair and teeth and motoring around! He was loving on their dog and she was being ever so good about it!

Here is Josh opening some gifts on Christmas.

Greg...

Kaleb got a cleverly wrapped gift from his brother...

And Ethan opened his gift, a big set of Playmobiles.

Once again, few photos of me, and they aren't fit for posting for the world to see, lol.

I came across this today and thought it was a good word for the new year. It apparently came from a Dear Abby column and is adapted from an Al-Anon credo. (Elissa, this is for you and me ;))

JUST FOR TODAY, I will live through this day only. I will not brood about yesterday or obsess about tomorrow. I will not set far-reaching goals or try to overcome all of my problems at once. I know that I can do something for 24 hours that would overwhelm me if I had to keep it up for a lifetime.
JUST FOR TODAY, I will be happy. I will not dwell on thoughts that depress me. If my mind fills with clouds, I will chase them away and fill it with sunshine.
JUST FOR TODAY, I will accept what is. I will face reality. I will correct those things that I can correct and accept those I cannot.
JUST FOR TODAY, I will improve my mind. I will read something that requires effort, thought and concentration. I will not be a mental loafer.
JUST FOR TODAY, I will make a conscious effort to be agreeable. I will be kind and courteous to those who cross my path, and I'll not speak ill of others. I'll improve my appearance, speak softly, and not interrupt when someone else is talking. Just for today, I'll refrain from improving anybody but myself.
JUST FOR TODAY, I will do something positive to improve my health. If I'm a smoker, I'll quit. If I'm overweight, I'll eat healthily -- if only just for today. And not only that, I'll get off the couch and take a brisk walk, even if it's only around the block.

JUST FOR TODAY, I will gather the courage to do what is right and take responsibility for my own actions.

Hope you are off to a good start to your 2009!

Hugs from all of us!

Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-25T07:43:00.000-05:00

A photo fresh from Christmas Eve service at church!

We wish you a blessed Christmas!

Brrr!!!

2008-12-21T16:43:00.000-05:00

Here is a look at what is going on outside our back door this afternoon...

Crazy wind, snow and cold temps. I have a feeling this is going to be a looooong winter!

Here a couple of pictures from Friday. They cancelled school so the boys got an early start to their vacation.

It was all fun and games until Kaleb got snow down his neck and back. That's what you get for standing in the path of the snowblower!

Josh helped me out in the kitchen later that day. We made a batch of my favorite German cookies, almond crescents. Yummo!
Hope you are staying warm!!

A Happy Note, fa la la la la

2008-12-11T21:53:00.000-05:00

Last night both boys had their holiday band concerts. Luckily they were at the same place and not at the same time! The fifth grade band started it off and did a great job. You can see Kaleb in the percussion section getting ready. We weren't allowed to use flash cameras so we only managed a couple of decent photos. Greg and I sat up in the balcony since that is about the only place you can get a good view of the back of the band. It is cool to see them perform because you finally have proof that they are making progress! Often times their practice at home doesn't seem to amount to much or sound like much. But at the concert it all comes together. They actually do know what they are doing...amazing!

We did get one shot of both boys before the concert. Look at those sharp white shirts and ties.

Thursday nights at our house is often the one night during the week that we are all home together. Tonight, though, Greg had a Boy Scout meeting to go to. Josh worked on more wood turning gifts so Kaleb and I hit the flour and sugar and made cookies. We did 3 different batches. Actually, he helped with the first one and then lost interest until it was time to come to sample the others. Typical! As soon as they cool, they are going in the freezer for Christmas. Otherwise I will be back doing it all again next week.

Hugs!

Warning! Heavy Load Up Ahead

2008-12-10T11:37:00.000-05:00

At church, Pastor Bill is preaching a sermon series entitled "Humbug to Hallelujah". He is using the Dickens classic novel to weave in the Christmas message. He will often ask as he is preaching, "Can I tell you something?" (like we have a choice, lol!!), I too just have to say....I have been bitten by the humbug this year!! It is really rather ugly. I don't want to decorate, and haven't, I don't want to bake, and haven't (gasp!!), shop or anything else that I normally do this time of year. I want to get under the covers and come back out with the groundhog. That will be perfect timing 'cause then I can skip right over turning 41 too!

To add to the foulness of my attitude is the guilt I have about my foulness of attitude. How can a believer, let alone a pastor's wife, not be full of joy during the season of celebrating the birth of Christ??? It really is too much for one person to bear. Those of you that know me, know this is said in humor but also truth. It is a trial that is seeking to over take me.

Why?? I have been asking that question a lot lately. Partly it is the end of year garbage that I hate and wish didn't coincide with the time of Christmas. Like budget talks at church, dealing with health care insurance issues, finances, taxes around the corner. There's a theme building there, can you tell?? There is the raw truth that the easiest way to attack me and my sense of peace is to throw a bunch of money matters at me. Especially when I have gifts to buy. Last week I was making phone calls trying to take care of health insurance stuff and find a way to get orthodontic care for the boys. Someone suggested we look into the dental school at the University of Buffalo. Since they are a teaching facility you can get discounted services and I haven't heard anything bad things about the care. The nice lady at the other end of the phone informed me they just changed their policy and now only accept new patients in October and to call back in September for an appointment! Even then, they will only be accepted if their case is "unique" enough. That was it! I completely lost it! October??? Are you kidding me??? Don't you realize the dentist said we needed to get him started yesterday?? No, I didn't lose it on the nice lady. I just crumpled into a crying mess after I hung up the phone. The poor volunteer in the office that morning! It was the straw that broke the camels back last week. I am better this week so don't send an ambulance for me, lol!

I also am hit harder this year by my loss of friends. I have made some new ones but as the saying goes, "it takes a long time to grow an old friend." Moving is just a part of being in ministry. I have a bit of a "why bother?" attitude and so things are lonely despite a full calendar.

Then of all things.....last week when the family was all together for Thanksgiving, Thom suggests we have a Harp version of the Biggest Loser. Each month the family (couple) with the least percentage of weight loss has to pay $10.00 into the kitty. Next Thanksgiving, the family with the biggest percentage of weight lost wins the kitty. So of course being the person with the most weight to lose, I can't so no thanks to the challenge!! But now, before Christmas?? Before cookies and candy and ham?? Are you crazy?? No wonder I don't want to bake. Thom, I love ya but you are killin' me!! Of course the rest of them look fine so I think it is just a big hoax to get me on a diet. Blast those evil schemers, lol!!

Identifying the whys is good, then I can tackle them. But I am trying to move to the "what now" stage. What do I do to get beyond the humbug stage? I did try the fake it til you make it approach. Last week I put on my finest holiday clothing, socks and earrings in an attempt to at least look festive. Didn't fool anyone! So now I am trying to give it to God. No use trying to hide it, He knows it anyway. God can handle it. I am daily listing things I am grateful for and repeat them often. Today I wrote out our family Christmas letter. It was hanging over my head, adding to my grief, but just as always, it was good to write it. The letter forces me to think back over the whole year, think about the highs, lows, activities, accomplishments, etc. Time is an amazing thing for perspective. Reflecting makes you more aware of God's faithfulness through the journey. Yes, life can be hard and frustrating at times but not always. It is also filled with many joys and blessings. We are healthy, have a roof over our heads, a job, food to eat and each other. So many of those things are luxuries for many people.

Just yesterday the husband of one the ladies at church was in a head-on car accident. He has just started coming to our Saturday evening services. He is banged up but will be okay. The driver of the other car died. Just like that, one slippery road later, some family is without their loved one this Christmas. Lift them all up in prayer if you would.

Are ya still with me?? Bless your heart and bottom for sticking through my catharsis.
Keep an eye to your mailbox, a letter from us is on it's way.

Back From the Abyss

2008-12-05T13:20:00.000-05:00

Don't ask me where time goes! The faster I go, the behinder I get definitely describes me these days.
I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving last week. We were at mom and dad's along with the rest of the family. Sadly, we hadn't seen them since last Christmas. The kids grew so much in that time. I only took a few photos and somehow missed all of the gals! We had a great time, we ate tons of food, played games, exchanged gifts, watched movies, played ball and more.
We tried to get all the cousins together for a photo but it never quite works out like you hope, lol! The sun was in their eyes and they had ants in their pants. This is the best I could get.

Josh is going to catch Uncle Jon in height real soon. J tried to agitate Jon all weekend, he hasn't learned that isn't a good idea. We tried to warn him but he was feeling feisty! Jon showed him who's boss. Give Josh a couple more years though and the story may be different. I took this photo right after Jon picked Josh up off the ground. It was all in fun as you can see my their smiles.

Greg scooped up the nieces and nephew for a quick shot. Everyone was smiles because we had just exchanged our gifts.

Josh made his own gifts to give family this year. He put his new lathe to work and spent hours turning wood and acrylic pens. His first two came out a bit shaky but after that he got the feel for it and did a great job. He gave the ladies the acrylic pens and the men got the wood ones.

He plans to make some for his school friends too. I hope the other winners of those lathes are getting as much use from theirs as Josh is!

We are entering uncharted territory these days with the boys. Both of them have now been approached by a GIRL!!! Oh the giggles and red cheeks as I squeeze the tales from them!! I try to keep it light but inside I am so not ready for all of this.

Tonight we are all going to Rochester. I have my annual ornament exchange party and the guys are taking in a movie.

{{{hugs}}} from all of us

White Stuff?!!

2008-10-23T18:31:00.000-04:00

Yes, you heard it here, we have already had white stuff flying in the air!! Oh, this doesn't look good, signs of winter in mid October?? I wonder if any churches down south are looking to hire?? Pastor Bill would hurt me if he knew I said that, lol.

Well, now you have proof that we weren't abducted by aliens and didn't fall off the face of the planet. Life has been whizzing by at warp speed for a few weeks now.

Kaleb had a play-off game last night and unfortunately lost, so his season is officially over. The game was scoreless almost the entire time but in the end our team fumbled the ball and the other team scored with 51 seconds left on the clock.

Joshua has been busy with Boy Scouts (anyone want to order popcorn??), school, and most recently, hunting. Chris had him for a weekend and took him on a youth duck hunt. They also hunted for pheasant and he actually got a pin tail duck and a pheasant. He was quite excited. That meant we had to eat duck and pheasant. It was another food trying event and we unanimously agreed the duck was yuck!! The pheasant wasn't bad but for me the duck ruined my taste for the entire dinner.

I have had several stamping events each week the last month and that has made for some longs days and nights. I also signed up to substitute in the local schools. To date I have only had one assignment but my hope is to try to work once a week.

Our second service at church is moving along, slowly. Most people are still opting for Sunday morning and it feels strange to sit in such an empty sanctuary. You know it is bad when there aren't enough people around you to drown out your singing. I rely on that!!

Greg has been busy with the additional service, teens, trying to get more people on the worship team and playing guitar for the pre-school. I wish you could see the kids when he walks in the room. To say they LOVE it when he comes to sing is an understatement. It is like a mini rock concert some days. Many parents have commented how their children sing the songs at home. I told him he ought to have his own show.

Greg has also been busy helping out some people in the church with various projects. Cindy's husband took a week off work to put up an addition to their barn last week. Greg went over a couple of times to help him with the framing. This is the farm where the boys help out and they needed to make room for a couple more mini horses they will be caring for.

We finally got around to getting the boys to the dentist again. It is one of those things about moving that gets dropped. I have yet to find a new OB/GYN and with turning 40, I need to find one soon. Anyway, this new dentist was very nice and great with Kaleb who seemed especially nervous. One of the reasons we have held off is that we don't have dental insurance at this church. Those bills sting! Kaleb has to go back to have a filling done and the dentist recommended he see an ortho very soon. Things have changed since I had braces, they no longer wait until your baby teeth are all gone, they start addressing spacing issues as young as 6. Crazy I tell ya! Apparently that is what they now call phase 1 and phase 2 is the actual braces. Both boys are in need so I am not sure what will happen. We are looking into the University of Buffalo dental school as an option. That has pros and cons. They can save you as much of half the cost but you wait for hours and I don't even want to think about what happens if they assign you a poor student. I am sure you will hear more about that down the road.

Look what we had for dinner tonight...potato pancakes with applesauce, yummy!! I remember eating these many times growing up but had forgotten about them until my mom visited and made them for us. The boys really like them, all 3 of them!
That should get you up to speed on us. Hope you are well in your corner of the world!

Happy Saturday!

2008-09-27T12:53:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone! The Harp household is going at warp speed and there is much to write about but I thought it was time for another kitchen update. At the moment not much is being done in there, well, that isn't true, I am cooking and canning up a storm. But work wise, things are on hiatus. As I went back through the pictures I have posted of this journey, I realized that the last one I showed you was pre-sink. We have gotten further along than that.
Here is a shot of the beautiful black sink Dad and Dick Pappa installed for us. I love this sink!! It is really deep with straight sides so it holds a good amount. So far the black hasn't been too bad to keep clean either.
Dad and Greg also finished installing the rest of the lighting. It is good to be able to see!! We have 2 pendants over the island and a matching light over the table. They also put in several more can lights in the key work areas. I still haven't mastered all the switches yet. Oh, and look, we have handles on all the drawers and doors. I didn't realize how much I missed handles until they were on. Way less finger prints now too, lol!
The kick plates and back panel to the island are now in as well. Greg tackled that a few weeks ago. There is also an end panel to the left of the fridge. The outlets on the island are so handy!! Greg often uses his laptop while he is eating his breakfast in the morning.
When my mother was here we found this old buffet at a yard sale. Our plan is to buy more cabinets to make a built in china hutch but the budget for now is spent. When we saw this we knew it would go nicely in the space and serve as our buffet in the mean time. We will stain a couple of shelves to install over the buffet for more display and storage space. The buffet has some repairs that need to be done on it but I really like the character it adds to the room. You can see it is holding some of my recent canning.
One of my favorite things in the kitchen is the garbage cabinet. A silly thing really, but in our old house we stored our recycling in the garage which was off the family room. Here, the garage is detached and we had no good place for the recycling. Who wants to run out in the dead of winter to put an empty milk jug in the bin?? The garbage is a pull out that houses 2 garbage cans, one for trash and one for recycling. Makes me happy!
The valance over the sink and the crown molding are still not up. The doors and windows need their casing put back on and the baseboards are still missing. And we haven't hung anything on the walls yet. Technically we still have the second coat of paint to put on. The first coat covered so well, it may never be done. Greg said my Christmas present will be a finished kitchen. But for now it works and that is a good thing.

Today at 5:07 we are adding a second worship service at church. The goal when we came was to add another service that would meet the needs of those unable to worship on Sundays as well as attract the traditionally unchurched folk. We could really use prayers! I am not even able to go tonight as Kaleb has a 5pm game.

We went to see the new movie "Fireproof" yesterday. It is by the same company that made "Facing the Giants". This one stars Kirk Cameron and is about a couple in a marriage crisis. It was really good and I encourage you to see it if you have the chance. These movies are put out by Christians and they have a definite Godly message. Powerful stuff. The budget for this film was $500,000. (Facing the Giants was a mere $100,00) The entire cast and crew were volunteers. This kind of movie making is so anti-Hollywood. I got a kick out of the credits when they showed screen after screen of thank you's for all the people and business's that donated towards this project. It is in limited release and will only get more air time if people go out to see it. I know people often complain about the lack of good movies, how the selections are so heavy into violence, sex or such. Here is a movie that IS good, IS uplifting, IS funny and without any profanity or sex or violence. Have I convinced you yet? Just go! Make a date this weekend, you will not be sorry. And if you haven't seen Facing the Giants yet, rent it, it's a good one. My boys watch it over and over and I can feel good about it.
Until next time...

R U Ready for Some Football??

2008-09-19T15:34:00.000-04:00

It seems to me that "Harp" and "football" don't belong in the same sentence. Unless of course you are watching it on TV. I am all for rooting on the Bills and eating some snacks. But playing? On a team? For real, you might get hurt kinda playing?? My brother played one season and I don't think Greg, Jon or Thom ever played. I mean, it's rough and dirty. And probably dangerous. Of course that is all "mom" talk right?? Greg said I was being ridiculous and if our boys wanted to play then they should be encouraged to do so. Are you out of your mind?? Knowingly send my son into harms way?? You know where this is going right? I lost the battle, never even stood a chance really.
Do you recognize this kid?It is Kaleb, #56, playing on the New-Wil-Ran Predator squad. Oh what an eye opening experience this has all been. Welcome to the world of cups, girdles, pads, weigh-ins, tackles, dirt, grime..... These pictures were taken after their first game. It rained the entire day. We sat, wet and then frozen on the bleachers for 2 hours. My umbrella leaked. But it was a good game, our team won 33-6. The kids all got muddy, I think they liked it too. Weeks of practice finally paid off and for a bunch of 8-10 year olds they actually looked like they knew what they were doing. Kaleb weighs about 75 pounds and has quite a bit of speed but when the coach asked him if he wanted to carry the ball, he said no. He told me he didn't want a bunch of kids running after him with the sole purpose of tackling him to the ground. Smart kid! So instead when his team is on offense he plays on the line. Now he gets to tackle/be tackled on every play. That seemed like a better alternative? I don't get it?! He seems to manage okay. When his team is on defense he often plays safety. I had to ask what that was. The easiest way to explain it is that he is the last guy on defense and if the runner gets by him he likely will score. No pressure! He has let a couple slip away but he has also gotten some good tackles in, stopping the play. After the first game the coach presented him with this

Cool eh? Kaleb had a great tackle that took their ball carrier down before they could get a first down and got his team the ball back. It was a good confidence booster. The coach told the other kids that this is Kaleb's first year playing and that he would be looking for good tackles at the games. Their reward--a football.
The sidelines are a foreign country I think. I have never been around parents and adults who get so crazy. They tail gate at the practices. They hold "over 21" fundraisers where kids aren't welcome due to the serving of alcohol. They scream things like "hurt someone" to their kids. Do they realize what they are saying?? I can see "play tough" but I can not see telling my kid to seek to hurt someone. How does what they are encouraging translate off the field?? Things that make you go hmmmmmm. Needless to say, we are all getting quite the education this season.
Hope you are enjoying some cooler fall weather where you are.

First Day of School

2008-09-07T20:43:00.000-04:00

The boys are back to school!! If I weren't so busy, I might have thrown a party!! We had a very good summer but things are usually pretty loosey goosey and a type A like myself can only take that for so long, lol! I think they were ready to go back too although they would never admit to it.
So I present, our seventh grader-Josh! Can you believe it?? Seventh grade?? Next thing you know he'll be driving. ACKKKKKKK!!!! When we bought sneakers this year we had to get a mens size 10. He is only a half size away from Greg now.
And then we have our fifth grader! His last year of elementary school. He is big man on campus this year with extra fun things that only the 5th graders can do. We will get to meet his new teacher next week. His big concern this year is whether or not they will get sufficient recess time. He asks a lot of questions this kid. He needs to know everything and many times he asks questions that we just can't answer. Will we get to go outside today? What will we do in music today? What kind of sneakers do you think the kids will be wearing? How much homework will we get each day? If we go out shopping he wants a detailed list of what stores we are going to and in what order. Heaven forbid we add one to the list along the way, throws him all off! We have made a joke of it really. I think he is making up for a mild case of the "why's" when he was 2.
Greg has been working on the kitchen. Yesterday he put some of the trim pieces on the cabinets. I have been busy putting it all to good use with lots more canning and baking. Tonight we had some folks from church over for dessert. It was a good test run of the space and all went well.
Our main home computer is going haywire so we are having it looked at this week. I hope it is fixable, I am lost without it. Sad really, but true. It is crazy how much information we store in a computer isn't it?? Favorite links, documents, pictures, banking and so much more. I feel so lost when it isn't working. So until it is fixed I can't post pictures to the blog. I have one post pre-loaded to share but after that I am at the mercy of Lee the computer guy.
{{{hugs}}}

Let the Games Begin!

2008-08-28T21:04:00.000-04:00

Did you watch the Olympics? We watched a good portion of them and I thought they were incredible. What a human being is capable of boggles the mind!

Well, in honor of the Olympics, we embarked on some new sporting activities. These are no ordinary events and perhaps should not be tried at home. If you should not heed previous advice we accept absolutely no responsibility for possible injury, dismemberment, humiliation or death.

Game 1: The Human Hamster Wheel

Blow up giant water ball, crawl inside and proceed to spin around. If this becomes too mundane, try rolling it off the dock while inside. No persons were injured in the taking of this footage.

Game 2: Across Lake Swim

Eat a big breakfast and decide to swim across lake, a 1 1/4 mile distance. Decide swimming on calm lake is for wimps so add in rough waters and wind. Don't factor in swimming against current in original plans. Chris, Melissa and Greg set out for a "1 hour" swim. Two and a half hours later Greg and Melissa made it, Chris cramped up, Ethan peed over the side of the boat twice (once into the wind ;)), Kaleb whined (a lot), we all were parched and got sun burned. No persons were permanently injured in this event.

Game 3: Kayak Pulling Races

Assist swimmers in the above mentioned game by following alongside for safety. Fill fishing boat with "helpers". Reach other side of boat with 3 tired swimmers and one kayak rider. Realize you can't fit everyone in boat for return ride. Drag extras behind boat in kayak and try not to drown them.

Game 4: Corn Hole

Pitch bean bags into the hole in a board....for hours. Score 21 points first to win. Although no bodies were hurt in this event, there was plenty of aggravation, frustration and general upset by certain losing parties. Ahem, no names, please.

Game 5: ???

Spend 6 days relaxing by the lake. Get bored. Maybe experience heat/sun stroke. Take your nephew's bitty bike and ride it off the dock. Ensure your ultimate safety by wearing a life jacket! Hurry up and return bike to shore before nephew wakes from nap and freaks out!
I have hope that some of these events may some day make it to the Olympic line-up. What do you think?

Fishin'

2008-08-26T08:19:00.000-04:00

One of the things that ALWAYS happens when we are at the lake is fishing. Chris is rather addicted I would say. He would probably call himself "avid" not addicted, lol. Josh has really gotten into fishing too but then again, Uncle Chris walks on water and they want to do what he does. They got up early on several mornings to fish. Oh the life!! Chris did catch a beautiful, 8 pound brown trout one morning. Guess what we had for dinner that night?? It was yummy.
Here is a picture of another one of their catches. Definitely click on this picture if you want to be grossed out! The bottom "thing" is a lamprey eel and it has a hideous mouth. It was attached to one of the fish they caught, a Cayuga Lake 2 for 1 special! In case you are wondering, no, we did not eat Ernie the Eel. Chris has since informed me that they are eaten in places and considered a delicacy. Who knew?

I am off to work!

Here I Am Again!

2008-08-24T22:38:00.000-04:00

We just got back from the funeral and I thought I would post the first group of photos from vacation. Click on any of them and they should pop up in a larger version.
Here are the boys and I early in the week. There is something about 10 year old boys that makes them smile goofy in pictures!
Here is my mom. We did a lot of sitting and relaxing by the lake. And played a lot of corn hole. No, I didn't just use a bad word. Haven't heard of it before? Check this out, they have an American Association and everything. It is a super fun game. I am pretty sure my mom was watching me kick my brothers butt for a third time. Yes, I rock, lol.
Here is Josh returning from a tube ride. He definitely prefers tubing over water skiing but once we finally get him up on skis I think he will sing a different tune.
How many ways can you find to relax? You'd think Greg was researching the topic for a report! Maybe he was just trying to get away from all of us on shore or perhaps avoiding another beating at corn hole.
Kaleb got out on skis a couple of times this year. He was quite reluctant at first. I think a year of fear built up inside of him and he forgot how fun it is. After his first go he was smiling from ear to ear.

I am off to bed, it's been a long, long day.

Here I am

2008-08-24T13:39:00.000-04:00

Technology is amazing! At this very moment I am in the van traveling east on the NY Thruway. Pastor Bill let us borrow his internet card and here I sit, typing on Greg’s laptop, wireless, traveling at 70 miles per hour. Crazy, I tell ya!
Sadly, we are traveling because of a funeral. Melissa’s (my brother’s wife) mom passed away unexpectedly this past week. Just three weeks ago we were all together enjoying vacation and today we will mourn together. Life is full, isn’t it?
So I notice my last post was July 25th. Miss me?? Where have we been you ask? My mother arrived from Germany on July 16th and I just returned her to the airport last week for her flight home. Our family, my brother’s family and my mom spent 2 weeks together on vacation. The first week we spent at the cottage on Cayuga Lake that we have rented the last 2 years. Then we spent another several days at a cottage on Lake Ontario thanks to friends at Pearce who let us use their place. No TV, no phone, just resting, eating, sleeping, resting, eating, swimming, resting….you get the idea. We took a load of pictures so I plan to post several times to share some of the highlights with you.
While we were away, Dad and Dick Pappa went to the house and installed our sink and faucet. They also got our electric to the island running. Though there are plenty of finishing details yet to be done, we are completely functional in our new kitchen. It is wonderful!! My mom and I put up corn in the freezer, made several batches of peach jam and hosted some people for dinner. It is doing exactly what we hoped it would!
Unfortunately I can't upload any pictures at the moment, I will get backto that tomorrow.
Hugs

Doin' the Happy Dance!!

2008-07-25T15:02:00.000-04:00

Woohoo!!!!!!!!! The counter tops are in!! I am doing the happy dance around my new kitchen. On Wednesday the kitchen store called to set up the appointment for Monday. I gave a huge groan because we leave tomorrow for vacation. But, I told her I would make arrangements for someone to be here so they could do the job. There was no way I was going to wait until after our return, lol!! While I was on hold for something else, she spoke to the installer and he was willing to come today! Maybe it was the HUGE GROAN, lol, but since I didn't ask for that I felt especially blessed. When the two men were here we chatted and it turns out they are both Christians and we had a lovely conversation. God is so good isn't he? I love those little blessings he showers on us for no reason. Dad is hoping to come out while we are away and install our sink and faucet. It could be fully functional very soon!
As you can see, we still have a few doors off, Greg needs to put up the wood valance in between those cabinets so the doors are off for easier access. Now that the counters are in we can put on the back panel of the island as well.
Did you notice the floor? I just love it!! Greg and I were up until 1am Sunday finishing it up. (I don't do 1am very well anymore but a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do) Again, the Lord just blessed us because our budget for flooring was not huge and everywhere we looked materials were easily twice our budget. We have a Big Bob's flooring outlet near us and they sell discontinued/overstock items. They had exactly what we wanted and it goes perfectly with all the other elements in the room! It is a tile looking laminate and was manageable for us to install ourselves. We installed something similar in our bathroom last fall and have really enjoyed it.
And how about those stools by the island? Have you ever just known what you wanted but couldn't find it, or at least not at the right price? I looked on-line for a place to purchase them and discovered they averaged $60-80 a stool. Not gonna happen. There must be another way! I spent a couple of hours on the internet looking for cheaper solutions and finally found one pair, new in the box, on Ebay. The seller stated they were from Ikea. Great! I will check out Ikea myself. Soooorry, discontinued. I am not easily detered so I emailed the seller with the hope he had a second pair of stools. He did!! Including the shipping, I got 4 brand new stools for $128.00!
If you need to know how to do a kitchen on a dime (well, not literally a dime ;)) ask me. I have tricks upon tricks. I even purchased 10% off coupons for Home Depot on Ebay. Did you know you could find a coupon for just about anything on Ebay?? It saved us hundreds of dollars. It almost hurts me to spend full price so I avoid it if at all possible. I have said it before but let me say it again, this kitchen would not be possible without searching out deals, using sales and coupons, Mom and Dad and the countless other people who helped us along the way. Oh the ministry that will take place in this space. I can't wait to write and tell you about it.
A silly little thing, but I cooked pasta for the first time in 9 weeks and boy was it good! Bill, the hubby of the lady I job share with, installed our gas line last Friday. He did an awesome job too! We were able to hook up our old stove that had been resting in the garage for the last year. Greg thought it would never see use again. I am grateful for microwaves but boy was it good to cook on a stove again.
We will leave in the morning for our vacation. This will be the third year in a row we have rented this cottage on Cayuga lake with Chris and his family. This year we have the added additions of my mother and little Logan so I pray for little to no rain. We would be stuffed like sardines if we all had to be inside at the same time. I am sure Greg will sleep in his usual spot, out on the dock. But the best part is...we get to relax and be together. It will be a good week.
I will be sure to tell you all about it when we return.
{{{Hugs}}}

Check it Out!

2008-07-22T10:56:00.000-04:00

I don't have any new photos of the kitchen but we did finish putting down the floor and the appliances are in. I am hoping counter tops go in by weeks end. It looks great! Greg leaves tomorrow to direct a Teen Leadership Conference at Roberts Wesleyan College. Josh is at Boy Scout camp. Kaleb and I will be getting ready for our week at the cottage.

I thought I would share a bit church news. I think the last update I shared was our Celebration Sunday. Since then we have had a few baptisms. One of the ladies requested to be baptized at her family's cottage on Lake Ontario. A second woman asked to be baptized at the same time so we headed to the lake last night. Pastor Bill and Greg both had the honor of performing the baptisms. Most of the people in attendance are part of a small group that has just experienced amazing things. This is a group of people that has come together to support one another through many difficult trials and the changes that God is making in them are visible. Have you ever seen someone who has been restored and their physical appearance changes? Not just their countenance but their actual appearance? Skin that glows, eyes that aren't dark anymore. Cool, I tell ya! Anyway, they baptized the 2 ladies and Greg asked if anyone else wanted to be baptized and before the night was done we experienced 5!! It was an awesome night. I am hoping PB is able to get ahold of some of the photos and will post them on the church website.

George and Karen are the couple that host this small group. Karen is our ladies Sunday School teacher and George is one of the church's delegates. Two weeks ago he had a terrible fall off the deck of his pool. The x-rays showed he had broken his neck and some ribs. Greg and some people from church went to George's house and prayed over him and anointed him with oil. When he went to the spinal specialist last Wednesday the doctor said he could not see any evidence of his neck being broken. God is so good! The Lockport newspaper featured an article today on George and I thought you might want to read it, it is such an awesome testimony. Today a Buffalo news station is doing story on it as well and Greg and Pastor Bill are headed over to the house. http://www.lockportjournal.com/communities/local_story_204015806.html?keyword=topstory
Toodles...

They're In!!

2008-07-12T19:32:00.000-04:00

Just a quick update with pictures to show you the cabinets are officially in. Obviously, not the counter top or the trim, but all in due time. My friend, Holly, and her husband came out today and Paul from church also came over for a bit. In six hours it was all done... amazing! It appears they shorted us on the materials for the crown trim so I will need to stop into the store on Monday to look into that. They will come on Tuesday night to measure for the counter tops and I am praying they can install them before we leave for vacation! In the mean time we have the floor to put down, lights to install, gas line to run, dishwasher to install, ect. Plenty to keep us busy ;). This is a good day!

Cabinets!

2008-07-09T09:38:00.000-04:00

We have a good start to cabinets! After 2 nights of work, this is what we have. We knew this wall wasn't going to be easy. We were working around a chimney and the walls weren't straight but they have worked through all of that. If you look at the top of the cabinet you can see the chimney wall peeking out. Once the crown molding goes up you won't see any of that. From the front it is just one nice wall of cabinets. Once you open the doors you see that not all is the same, we have one 24" deep pantry with pull out shelves and one 12" deep pantry with fixed shelves. The refrigerator will slide back under the end cabinet and we have an end wall piece that will finish off that end. I have been given the green light to fill my cabinets so that is what is on my agenda this morning. Of course cereal had to be the first thing to go in, it is the most eaten food in our house!
On Saturday we have people coming back to help with the wall cabinets that will go over the sink area. The base cabinets and island cabinets shouldn't be so difficult so with any luck this process will be done at the end of the weekend. I have to say this installing process is much more involved than I ever thought! But as long as it will all be solid and straight they can take their time.
Greg and I are in search of flooring. There are so many decisions to make in this whole process, I am a little tired of all that stress, lol. Trying to find something we like in our budget is proving to be the difficult part. We went to Lumber Liquidators yesterday but I don't think they have what we are looking for. This afternoon we will try a couple of other places.
I am off to fill my cabinets! Have a great day.

Monday Update Time

2008-07-07T14:42:00.000-04:00

Greetings from humid Upstate NY! I shouldn't really complain, we have had gorgeous weather, lots of sun and not-so-hot temps. Perfect for those of us without AC in the home or in the car. (insert muttering under breath) For the third time the AC in our van is broken and we can not justify repairing it yet again. Show me the genius who designed aluminum lines for cars that are on salted roadways! Each year a new section of the line pits out and each year it costs several hundreds to replace. It's a conspiracy I tell ya!
On to more pleasant topics...the kitchen. We painted the first coat of the final color, don't you love it? Warm, buttery yellow. Tonight at 6 we have some helpers coming to start getting the cabinets up. Yippee. One of my friends' husband does carpentry and knows how to install cabinets so he will be our guide for the process. We hope to get the wall and pantry cabinets up tonight. Greg and I may be able to handle the rest if we have to. It is nice to be in the reconstructing phase of the project.
We took the day off on Friday and spent much of it catching up with old friends. We went up to family camp to get the boys and wandered around chatting it up with people we knew. The boys had a great time, I think they enjoyed the opportunity to be with old and new friends at the same time. On our way back we stopped to pick some cherries. I don't think I have ever seen cherry trees dripping with so much fruit before. They were clustered like grapes. In no time, we picked 8 pounds of sweet cherries. Last week Kaleb and I went strawberry picking. I love that the boys are into U-pick, it makes for a fun family outing.
Joshua finally had a chance to set up the lathe he won at the woodturners convention. He proudly gave us a demonstration, covering all the safety rules, tools and techniques. He really knew his stuff, I was impressed.
The boys are off at Covenant Acres camp this week. We dropped them off yesterday. Each year they get more independant, you have to beg for a good-bye hug now. We made arrangements for them to go the same week as friends from Rochester, they were so excited to see them. The house seems especially quiet but it is okay with us. By Friday we will be ready for a reunion again.
I will be back soon with more pictures of the kitchen. Things are getting exciting now.

Happy July!

2008-07-02T09:46:00.000-04:00

Wow, time flies sometimes. So the last time I posted Joshua was at the woodturners convention with mom and dad. The night before they returned home dad was admitted to a hospital in the area and liked it so well he stayed for more than a week! I am sure he wouldn't agree that he like it so well, lol. It was several days of up and down news but I am happy to report he is now home. Since I am sure he doesn't want me telling the world his troubles, you will have to call him to chat about it. Since they had Josh with them, Greg drove down to the DC area to pick him up. Since it was such a long drive, he spent the night with cousin Jennifer and family and had time to visit with dad at the hospital. Once he was reassured it was okay to return, he and Josh made the 8 hour drive home. It is never fun to be in a hospital, let alone when you are away from home. Being able to stay at Jennifers house was a huge help. (all of us up here are waving hi to Caitlyn and the gang)
We continue to make slow progress on the kitchen. I am trying hard not to set my expectations too high for a completion time. Every turn brings some new challenge. Greg and I added a textured finish to the ceiling partly in an effort to give uniformity to it. The kitchen had a flat painted surface but the bedroom we opened into did not. Add to that the very slight seam where the wall was and it seemed best to do a textured thing. Greg put on the goop and I used the texture brush and all was going along so nicely. You know there is a but here, don't you? But then large portions of it came down. UGH!!! It seems one of the layers on the bedroom ceiling at one time must have been wallpapered or painted with glossy paint so it wouldn't stick. It was so frustrating. What should have been an afternoon job turned into 4 days of patching and fixing. As I write this, it is all done except one corner that needs a final coat of paint. We painted the walls with one coat of tinted primer. The final color will be a darker, warmer yellow. We will probably cut in with the first coat of paint tonight after Greg is done with work.
Just for fun, I thought I would show you the sea of boxes in our garage. This folks, is the cabinet puzzle that we have to solve! We are hoping to start installing them this weekend but like I said, I have to be careful about setting plans. At this point it is unlikely we will finish in time for my mothers arrival on the 16th. Oh well!

The boys are off today to hang out with Pastor Bills family at LCC family camp. We will pick them up on Friday. They will most likely see old friends there and will have a fabulous time.
If you need Greg or I, you know where to find us ;).
Blessings to you and yours this week!

Happy Monday!

2008-06-23T11:17:00.000-04:00

Well, it is time for another update.
The kitchen is moving along, slowly but surely. On Friday our friends, the Hopkins, came for the day. They are newly home from their year long mission trip to Romania and as of yet do not have jobs (pray for that!). They are still in that "helping others" mode so came out to lend us a hand around the house. Maurice helped Greg put down plywood on the floors and do some more spackling. Karen and I did some much needed work on the yard. We weeded and tried to reclaim some of the beds from years of neglect. It was nice to see them and get caught up a bit on the last year. When they left for Romania we were still living in our other house so both sides had lots to share! On Saturday, a man from church spent a couple of hours helping Greg sand the walls. This drywall business is the pits! No wonder everyone we talk to says they hire that part of the job out to the pro's. I think Greg is really close to being done though. Newsflash!!!! Our cabinets are being delivered tomorrow!! They will sit in the garage until we are ready for them. I am hoping that will happen by the weekend.
The Boys: Josh is done with school, he finished last Monday. We went for an awards ceremony and Josh got several nice certificates and medals. He received the Teachers Choice Award from his reading teacher, recognition for the 25 book club, and the President's gold award for high grades. I will try to get a picture of him with all of his stuff soon. When he came home on the last day I asked him how he was and he told me he was sad to see school end and that he was already missing his friends. I take that as a good sign for his first year in a new place! At the moment he is in Virginia with Mom and Dad. They went to Richmond for a wood turners convention, meeting up with Uncle Bob, Aunt Ellen, Chelsea, Uncle Jim and Aunt Betty. They had classes designed for kids and Josh loved it! He called home a couple of times and you could just hear the excitement in his voice. He said there were 60+ kids signed up. They had 25 lathe set-up's for the kids and they got to use them to make things. He wouldn't tell us what, I guess that is a surprise! At the end of the convention they raffled off all the lathes and guess what? Josh and Chelsea both won one!! Oh my, he is off the charts excited!! Greg will have to make room in his shop for the newest wood worker in the family!
Josh and Kaleb both played in a summer soccer league. The end of the season tournament was this past weekend and Kaleb's team went undefeated! I think Kalb scored at least one goal at each game. He and another boy dominated the field with their speed and ability. He has a definite talent for the game! Much to his dismay, he still has school until Wednesday. At least this week he only has half days. He and Greg have been practicing lacrosse lately. Kaleb saved up his money for a stick and is now obsessed with playing every chance he gets.
Yesterday was a great day at church, we had a celebration Sunday to celebrate all that God has been doing in our church the last six months. We call it the WOW report. I highly recommend it, it is good to reflect on God's goodness and give Him praise. We welcomed in new members, baptized 2 new believers, and shared communion. The best part of the service was the "parade of praise". We had been asking people to write down their before and now, a short testimony to God's work in their lives. We wrote them out on poster board, the before on one side, the now on the other. They didn't talk, just one by one went to the front and showed the congregation the before side of their sign, then their now. Things like
before: sick with leukemia, now: totally healed
before: robbing God, now: tithing fully
before: lost, now: found
before: crying all the time, now: able to smile
before: selfish, now: serving others
before: struggling with my faith, now: stronger in my faith
We had more than 30 people in the parade, it was amazing! I can not think of a better way to give testimony and honor to God for the work he is doing in us and around us. After the service we had a picnic outside, a great way to cap off the day!
That is just a peek into what is happening our way. We hope and pray you are all well and enjoying the summer sunshine!

Flag Day

2008-06-14T22:25:00.000-04:00

So....did you celebrate Flag Day yesterday?? I can't say I ever have before this year but it is yet another one of those "perks" when you move to the country. Mayberry RFD is what Linda calls it. The elementary school that Kaleb attends celebrated their 40th Flag Day parade. It is a town event. The streets were lined with people, the roads were blocked off, a newspaper guy was there to document it, all the fire trucks were polished to a high shine and the flags were waving. They went with a 60's theme this year so every class dressed a bit differently. One grade made these great vests out of paper bags that they painted red, white and blue. The 4th graders wore red, white and blue tie-dye t-shits and headbands. They also got to carry the flags from the 50 states. Kaleb carried New Jersey's flag. The 5th grade band marched and played at the head of the parade.
They marched from the school up to the main 4 corners of town. Kaleb said the flag got really heavy, lol! He's the one in the last photo, carryign the yellow flag. Click the photo for a bigger view.
Dad was here for a couple of days and sadly worked mostly by himself this time. Greg was tied up with a church retreat. He worked on walls and said we are just one coat of plaster away from being done. Praise the Lord!! I am eating, breathing and sleeping dust. I am not sure how to reclaim my house once this is done. One room at a time I guess. I stopped in at the kitchen store and our order is scheduled to arrive on Wednesdays truck. She told me we could have cabinets by Friday or the following Monday at the latest. There are still many things left to do and decide. We have no clue what is going down on the floor. But there seems to be an end in sight. We are so grateful for Dad's help and expertise. There is no way we would have dared to attempt this without him!!
On a smelly note, the neighbor kid decided he would let off a stink bomb IN our house today. I have no category for this but I am most definitely NOT pleased!

Drywall and Birthday Boy

2008-06-09T09:26:00.000-04:00

I am slackin'! We have had a bit of a heat wave hit us and the humidity combined with the heat is just taking the life out of me. That is NY weather, 50's one day, 90's the next! Dad was here again for a few days and they made more progress on the kitchen. They took out the sink and last bit of counter by the window. The insulation came out so they could wire more electrical boxes. Now we are ready for the dishwasher, microwave and stove to go in....eventually! One of the problems we face has to do with our hot water baseboards. One of them had to be removed and one needs to be made shorter. The one that needed to be removed was right in front of the sink. Pastor Bills brother has offered to help us but he is busy for the next several weeks. Apparently Greg called him and asked "if I cut these pipes can you fix it later?" Daring man!! Well, the heat units are drained and the pipes are gone, ack! I hope he can truly fix it later or we will be freezing here come October.
Once all the electrical was in they put up new insulation and started to hang the drywall back up. They started some of the mudding but that will require several applications.

In the mean time, Josh turned 12! Yesterday was his birthday. Where does time go? Mom and Dad came by after church and took us out to lunch to celebrate. We got him a new bike, I will have to get a picture of him on it soon. His old one was broken and getting a bit small and with the summer still ahead of us, it was time. Mom and Dad gave him some camping items that he will need when he goes on his first boy scout trip this summer. The teens meet on Sunday nights so Greg arranged for them to have a pool party at the Pastor Bill's house and they combined that with a party for Josh. I bought a cake and Linda, PB's wife, put the word out that the kids were to bring a present for the birthday boy, a dollar store type of thing. The kids made a banner to hang on the pool fence. There were tons of kids and they had a fantastic time. The weather forecast was for thunderstorms but they held off until right after the party! The lightening was like a birthday fireworks display. It was a good day!

Have a great day!!

5/30 Update

2008-05-31T14:32:00.000-04:00

Hello! We are still here and making progress. Dad went home on Sunday and as soon as he left we took a nap!! That man is a machine when it comes to working. Much was accomplished with his help. The biggest task was probably the electric. I won't even pretend to sound like I know what all they did but they spent several days on it. I do know they wired a 3 way switch for a series of pass through lights. That was a big task. The above photo is of one of the switches involved. They wired new outlets, moved several outlets to better locations, added light switches, and a added a bunch of wires waiting to be put to use after the cabinets go in. Here is a shot of Dad and Greg next to their handywork.

Remember I told you how the boys and I spent several hours chiseling up the tile floor? I honestly thought that was the hard part of tearing out the floor. Boy was I mistaken!! Underneath was plywood with screws about every 2 inches in every direction, then some lovely gold specked vinyl and then fiberboard. In all the floor had about an inch of material on it. The cement from the tile covered most of the screw heads. I removed as many as I could but it seemed I hardly made a dent. It took Greg 3 days to completely get everything torn up. Crow bar, hammer, saw, and lots of sweat. At the end of the day he could barely lift a pencil! Not the kinda job a pastor is used to that is for sure, lol!
On Wednesday we ordered the cabinets and countertops. They said it would be 3 to 4 weeks so our schedule is set for moving forward. I imagine in 6 weeks or so I should have photos of our new kitchen.
We are off to the movies to see the new Indiana Jones flick.
More later...

Progress

2008-05-23T08:35:00.000-04:00

Each day more gets done but we are definitely in the "it gets worse before it gets better" stage! Dad and Greg have spent a lot of time in the attic shoring up beams, moving the access door, and prepping electric. Josh, Kaleb and I spent the night chiseling up all of the floor tile. Boy what a job. I hit my finger with the hammer no less than a dozen times! Josh stopped counting how many times he hit himself. We finally got the last tile up about 10pm.

Pastor Bill came over for a couple of hours and helped out prepping a few areas for drywall.

The last 3 days we have been blessed with someone bringing in our dinner. That has been such a huge help.

Today Greg and I are going to talk to the kitchen guy again. We still probably aren't at the point of placing an order yet, hopefully next week.
Back to work!

Sound the Horn!!

2008-05-20T07:01:00.000-04:00

It's FINALLY time to do the kitchen! Greg took the week off of work and Dad has come to help. And he is not one to sit around so work got underway quickly. So quick in fact, I hadn't even taken one last picture of the kitchen in the "before" state. Here is Josh helping to take off some of the cabinet hardware. Dad had already removed some of the doors. The wall that Josh is standing in front of is the wall that is coming down, just to give you perspective. Don't mind our mess....we're remodeling ;).
Mom came for the day and helped me to clear out the contents of the kitchen and take it down to the basement. Say goodbye to all that wood paneling.
I had a stamping engagement in Rochester yesterday so I returned mom back to her house and spent the day running errands before my class. When I came home at 11pm, this is what I found....WOW!! These guys mean business. I didn't think walls would be down so soon! The cabinets, the appliances, the walls....no more! The space opens up so nicely. In a couple of days we will have the cabinet guy come back to measure and offer final words of advice before we place our order. It will take the cabinets 4-6 weeks to come in. In the mean time there are lots of electrical things to do, dust to clean, dry wall to patch, dust to clean, tile to rip up, dust to clean, wallpaper to remove, dust to clean, carpet to remove.... But there is no turning back now!
Stay tuned for more.

Tree Down!

2008-05-13T07:16:00.000-04:00

What have we been up to?? At the moment, a big tree is messing up our yard and clean up is a long and hard task. I wish I had taken a before picture of the massive willow tree in our back yard. In many ways it was a beautiful tree and it was sad to cut it down. Greg figures it may have been 75' tall and the diameter of the trunk is probably 5'. Unfortunately, it was near our septic system and willows have lots of far reaching, invasive roots. We are hoping it hasn't already done damage. This was a case of sellers leaving a problem to the next guy. And we are next guy #4! The man who installed the septic system in 2001 told us he had advised the home owners to take down the tree then but they were moving so why bother?? Arghhhh!! We couldn't afford to have the tree completely taken care of so we just had someone come cut it down. As it was, we knew a guy at church who was willing to give us a break. Now we are working on cutting it all up and hauling the limbs and wood away. And then we still have the problem of what to do with the massive truck still left. Some of the suggested ideas include building a tree house on it, blowing it up, praying it will fall over on its own and some other equally unhelpful ideas. Greg and the boys made as much fun out of the work as they could. This was day one of clean up. They rigged a tarp to pull all the limbs up to the front of the yard. On the way back, they got to ride the tarp. I bet we could make a new rural sport out of this one, lol! The boys love getting to drive around the lawn too. This past week Pastor Bill came over with his chain saw and large trailer and we got a lot done. But there is much left yet.
I will be back in a few days with a special report!
Blessings and hugs to you!

Happy Anniversary to Us!

2008-05-07T10:22:00.000-04:00

Today marks 14 years for Greg and I. Where did that time go? So much has happened in that time. Here is a short recap...

--Got married May 7th, 1994

--moved into our first apartment

--Greg was working for Wegmans, I was managing a group home for mentally ill adults.

--volunteered for Young Life

--moved into a 2 bedroom apartment

--Greg got his bachelors degree

--temporarily moved in with Mom and Dad Harp while we decided about a job

--had a baby, named him Joshua (June 8, 1996)

--moved to Ft Lauderdale to work with the youth at First Christian Church

--had a baby, named him Kaleb (April 14, 1998)

--moved back to Rochester to work at Parkminster Pres. Church

--Greg started working on a Masters in Divinity at Northeastern Seminary

--Greg took a Youth Pastor position at Pearce Memorial Church

--Sept. 11, 2001 happened

--we moved 5 miles down the road to North Chili to live in one of the church owned properties

--Greg graduated from seminary

--We bought our first home and moved a mile down the road

--Greg was ordained into the Free Methodist Church

--got "reorganized" out of a job and spent a year in turmoil (how is that for positive spin??,lol)

--Greg was called to be the associate pastor at Ransomville Free Methodist Church

--moved again, of course. Bought and sold a house in the process

Whew!! And those are just some of the highlights. In between there are missions trips, friends, raising kids, trips, brothers getting married and having kids, part time jobs, hobbies...Can't imagine what the next 14 years will hold.

Through it all , God is good and God is faithful!!

Breathing Again!

2008-04-27T19:52:00.000-04:00

Well, I can breath again! I co-hosted a stamping event yesterday that kind of took on a life of its own. We thought it would be nice to get a few gals together to stamp. I had attended some similar events in the past but there weren't any in this area. We figured for a first time event we might get 20 people. Well, I underestimated our "star power", lol! Holly (my co-hostess) is also an alumni of the Splitcoaststampers design team and we had 2 other alumni attending. We cut off registration at 50! This is a shot of the Fire Hall where we had our event. The ladies were in the middle of doing projects.
We had a good group of gals from Rochester, Syracuse, Canada, PA, as well as local Buffalo gals. I was really wowed by the talent represented. They came with great projects to share and swap.
This is a photo of the four of us Dirty Dozen gals. From left to right: Holly, Michelle, me and Diane. We taught a round of mini classes in the afternoon and I think those were a great hit with the girls.

Greg and Holly's husband did our food for the event. It was so great that we didn't have to worry over that detail. What a spread we had too!
We hosted several people at our house for the weekend as well. Pastor Bill parked his camper in our driveway and that became Casa Laverack. Chris, Melissa, their boys and our boys slept out there.
Check out my stamping blog this week if you want to see more from the event.
At the moment my head feels like it is in a vice grip, I am having serious sleep withdrawals. I hope to be back to normal soon, in more ways than one ;).

Howdy!

2008-03-30T19:54:00.000-04:00

We're still here! Just a bit busy, as I am sure most of you are. I hope you had a nice Easter. We did. Mom and Dad came for dinner and we had a wonderful meal and a relaxing afternoon. Church was rather full, that was nice too.
I thought I would share some of the pictures we took while we were at my brothers. It was Ethan's 3rd birthday. We drove down on Friday and spent the night. My mom has found someone to help her get onto the internet occasionally so these are really for her! Everyone wave "hi" to my mom in Germany!
Ethan gets so charged up when he knows we are coming. Well, truthfully, it is all about Josh and Kaleb, I think we are mostly just transportation! He does enjoy his Aunt Tracy and Uncle Greg, but the cousins....well, they rate HUGE. I am so glad they have opportunities to spend time together.
His party was Toy Story themed. Melissa made this awesome space ship cake and Ethan LOVED it! It had to be kept on top of the refrigerator so the dog wouldn't get any funny ideas but Ethan took every opportunity to pull up the chair and get close to it. He would explain every last important detail of the cake, eh, I mean space ship.

Kaleb and I had some huggy time.

And we can't forget to show off the little guy! Logan is growing so fast. He was about 3 1/2 months old when we were there. He was starting to laugh that sweet new baby laugh. I love how easily they can be entertained at that age. He was very alert for good chunks of time.
Greg decided it was time to paint our bedroom. We are still on hold with the kitchen and I think he was feeling antsy. It looks like the most of the house got a quick, aka lousy, whitewashing before we bought it. White walls can get boring fast, even more so when they are poorly done. Boy, what a difference a coat of paint can make! Greg was up until about 10 last night putting the first coat of paint on so we ended up sleeping in the living room. Kinda like a sleep over but now that we are older the body doesn't handle the floor as well, lol!
The boys are doing well. Kaleb is really looking forward to his trip with Mom in couple of weeks. They are headed to Louisville to see Katy and Uncle Ed. Josh, Greg and I will be headed to PA for 3 days for a ministry conference.
Hope you are all well, {{{hugs}}}

Man Down and Lots of Snow

2008-03-09T12:47:00.000-04:00

Well, last week I said we were all healthy. That was short lived. We have a man down...poor Josh has the stomach flu. He came home early from school on Friday with a fever and by the end of the night had gotten sick. He broke blood vessels around his eyes from all the vomiting. It looks like he was in a fight and got the bad end of it to boot! He is slowly on the mend and the rest of us are praying he doesn't share it with us.

The big news here is the snow. It snowed here from Friday mid day until sometime during the wee hours of Sunday morning. Niagara County averaged about 15"-20"of snow. It is a sight that is for sure! We have had someone come plow us out twice and in between Greg tried to keep up with the snowblower. On his last effort, flames began to shoot out of the snowblower. I am guessing that is bad. He thought so too so he shut it down.

Most churches around were closed today but we still had a fair number of folks show for service. We actually had several new people today! You never know.

Not much else to share this week. We are hanging in there. We hope you are well in your corner of the world. (Leanne---I am ready to fly your way any day now, I could go for some gool 'ol Florida sunshine right about now=))

{{{{Hugs}}}}

March?!

2008-03-02T17:40:00.000-05:00

We are in March already?! Wow, where does time go? I hope life in your corner of the world is going well. We are doing really well. Busy, but well. Sickness has been all around and many people are have having a tough time. We are thankful to be healthy.

There is much to share so I will break it down into bits...

Joshua is loving Boy Scouts! Here he is in his uniform. Greg is loving it just as much.

Church is going really well. The little girl from a previous post is now home and doing amazingly well. Even the doctors said her case had divine intervention! We are half way through our 6 weeks of small groups and God is moving in so many ways. We have really enjoyed the opportunity to connect with new people. We have made new friends, that is really cool and an answer to prayer. Have you ever been part of a church or mission experience where you just knew God had something big in store but you just didn't know what or how it would be? I liken it to being on the top of a roller coaster, you know you will be okay but in the mean time you may lose your guts, lol! It is a good kind of anxiety. Yet there is a small amount of worry in wanting to know what God will require of you in the process. Again, you know in the end you will be okay but... It's a good place to be, I think ;).

God has blessed the socks off my business this past month! I have met lots of new people and have a new person on my team. I finished teaching a round of classes at a local recreation center and it went really well. They have invited me to do more. I actually made money this month! I am thrilled to be able to set aside some money to go towards our new kitchen.

Yes, the kitchen remodel is still on the list. We have been slowly getting our ducks in a row. Greg and I met with a different kitchen place on Friday. We were able to make a few changes to the design and bring down the cost of the cabinets. Our new friends built their own home 3 years ago and have offered to help with the project. He knows how to install cabinets, saving us money on installation. Mom and Dad are helping and folks from church are ready to wield a hammer. God is making an ant hill out of a mountain! I don't think I shared this before, but at Christmas the pastor's wife gave me a gift. The gift was wrapped in a dish towel that had a verse printed on it. It was Hebrews 11:1 "Faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see." Inside was a bottle of Electrosol dishwasher detergent. Remember now, we do not have a dishwasher, that is part of the future kitchen. She attached a note which said that God had told her to give me this gift, that it didn't make sense to her but she was being obedient. This kitchen has become a matter of faith. Everytime my faith gets cloudy, I look at that bottle of Electrosol. Now I see that the construction of the kitchen is going to be a community building endeavor. All part of God's master plan, I am sure!

Gosh, I wish I drank coffee and that I could sit in a coffee shop and talk with you all. There is so much to share and as great a tool as this blog is, it can't communicate everything in my heart or on my mind! Hugs to you all!

Me Again!!

2008-02-14T07:54:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day!! I just had to share a photo of the man I love....handsome guy isn't he? I am so lucky!

Still Here!

2008-02-13T09:26:00.001-05:00

A big THANKS for all your prayers! I owe you an update on things. We had our van repaired and this time, praise God, it was a minimal one. Our poor van has 136,000 miles on it so it is reaching the point where we will need to be prepared to replace it. The longer we can hold out, the better!

Things at church are interesting. It has been a very difficult week or two for many in our congregation. We have been praying for a family with a baby girl undergoing a very serious operation. She has a genetic defect with her intestines and last week they had to remove all of her large intestines. It has been a minute by minute deal at times but God has done some amazing things! In church on Sunday we were praying she would pee. If she wasn't able to do so they would have to take her back into surgery. No matter is too big or small for God. They set a deadline of 6 pm for her to pee. Have you ever prayed for someone to pee before??!! It is serious yet humorous at the same time. I won't leave you hangin', she peed at 5:55pm! Have you ever rejoiced over someone peeing?? We did! Her parents are not believers and we have had the opportunity to love and support them, pray with them, and more. God has used this situation to impact these people and our church.

As I look around on Sundays we are seeing new people every week. Broken, hurting people. I am overwhelmed at times as to how I can or should meet all these needs. God gently reminds me it is not my job, at least not mine alone. It is no mistake that we are in the middle of the 40 days of community at church. I am so excited to see so many people participate in a small group. We are taking on a posture of surrender, growth, healing and so much more. That is why we also have so many burdens to carry at the moment. Satan seeks to divide and discourage. We are pressing on.

My boys have long asked when they can sign up for Boy Scouts. Greg thought the age to start was 12 so Joshua has been waiting his turn. Greg and I decided to look up information so when the time came, we would know who to call. We discovered it is actually 11 years of age or 6th grade. Last night Greg took Josh to his first troop meeting. He came home with a neckerchief, hat and some patches. He was excited! They are transitioning to new leadership and the 2 people taking over are Eagle scouts and very young (21). Let's hope that just means more enthusiasm and energy for the task! They are doing a Klondike this weekend (don't ask me what that is) and Greg is going to take Josh just for part of the day on Saturday. It works out well that the troop meetings are on Tuesday nights, a good night for Greg to attend with him. I am not sure who is more excite, Josh or Greg.

I took Kaleb with me last night to a stamping class I was teaching. He was my helper and he did a great job! In the past month or two my stamping business has just taken off. That is a good thing and I am grateful for the opportunities that have presented themselves.

We have had bitter cold temperatures here, crazy wind and snow. Several of our trees and a lilac bush have lost branches, big ones. Spring clean up will be fun.

I have housecleaning calling my name today. Maybe I will go turn up the music so I can't hear it, lol!

Attacked

2008-02-08T08:39:00.000-05:00

Do you ever just feel like Satan is attacking you? This is one of those weeks in our house so please pray!
Things at church feel that way. We are starting the 40 Days of Community and we know it is the right thing for us. We know it will be good for our community to walk together and grow together. Satan is just hammering us in some areas that are aimed at hurting/dividing our community.
At home it feels that way. We had our van in the shop last week and $400 later it was back on the road. Until Wednesday when I was leaving work and it wouldn't start. We finally got it towed back to the shop last night and I suppose it will be several days before they get to it. You know you are are being attacked when you start to think you can't afford to do ministry. We've never been able to afford to do ministry but God provides a way. In a spiritual way we can't afford NOT to do ministry! My practical mind has difficulty in these areas at times.
We would appreciate your prayers for strength and wisdom!

Happy Monday!

2008-02-04T09:03:00.000-05:00

Only a day late this week! How are you?? We are doing well. This post is a story in pictures. We did get a bit of snow here last week, enough to finally do something with and the boys are thrilled. They spent several hours outside with Greg on Saturday building this snow fort. they used buckets and plastic storage totes to create "bricks". Isn't it great?! We are in for one warm day this week, I hope it holds up.

What is this? Do you know?? Have you ever eaten one? We have been trying out different foods lately, making a fun time of it. The boys have been playing along and after trying something we each give it a thumbs up, thumbs down or neutral, in other words edible but not so sure we care to again =). This time it was horn melon. Greg picked this one. The little card at the grocery store said "a jelly like consistency with a taste of banana and cucumber". I kinda knew just by the description I wasn't going to be a fan of it. The "jelly-like" was all I needed to hear. And who ever heard of ANYTHING that combined bananas and cucumbers?? But God did make this too, so we tried it. It surprisingly didn't get any thumbs down, it wasn't gross, but it didn't get any thumbs up either. I can't really describe it any better that the store did, they were right on. I dare you to try it! Here is our score board of foods tries thus far:

pomegranates: thumbs up from everyone
egg nog: Kaleb was the only real fan
brussel sprouts: I roasted them and Josh was the only thumbs down, the rest of us loved them

Last week the ladies from church had a night out at a paint your own pottery place. We had a fun time talking and painting our pieces. I did a mug and just loved how it came out. We plan to go back again and I plan to make more mugs until I have a set. What do you think?

Have a great week!
How 'bout them Giants??

It's Sunday!

2008-01-27T22:01:00.000-05:00

I know, I missed last weekend. It was a holiday weekend and we were busy lovin' on nephews so I think that gets me off the hook =). Chris, Melissa, Ethan and baby Logan came for the long weekend. We had a very relaxing and fun time. We celebrated with a cake one night since me, my mom and Melissa all have January birthdays. Really, it is just an excuse to eat cake. I made a chocolate cake with white frosting and Ethan insisted it have sprinkles on top. Melissa and I stamped the nights away, oh it was such fun! The boys played non-stop, Lego's, Playmobile, dart tag, hide n go seek. The weather was bitterly cold out so we all opted to stay inside. The only bummer was discovering a leak in a pipe in the basement. Yes, I had discovered one a couple of weeks ago, this was a different leak. My brother did a temporary repair to tie us over until Greg or his dad or a plumber can fix it right. Now that I think of it, Dad has sworn off plumbing. Drats!
Greg missed the fun at home because he was away speaking on the Pearce teen retreat. By the sounds of things he had plenty of his own fun. He phoned on Monday and reported they had 18" of fresh snow where they were. Our ground was brown, no snow, just bitter temps. He took one of the boys from our church with him and he had no problem finding a place in the crowd of strangers. Greg was so thrilled to see so many kids he knew and to catch up with what has been going on in their lives.

I have been very busy with some new opportunities. I was asked a few weeks ago to be a featured designer for Whipper Snapper. More specifically to help promote a new set of stamps illustrated by Anna Wight. Anna asked 5 of us to design samples for the release which took place this past Wednesday. It was such a great joy to be asked to be a part of this release. I have long been a fan of Anna's work, she is amazing at illustrating, photography and stamping.
I have also been asked to write a tutorial for a new product. The tutorial will be posted to their website in the next couple of weeks. I completed the first draft of it tonight and it is on it's way to the company owner. I am praying it doesn't require many changes, it was a long process to put it together. When I get the go ahead, I will tell you the name of the company and tell you where you can see my work. They are also making a DVD of their product and I will be getting creative credit on that as well. It is all quite overwhelming for me yet I am thrilled for the opportunities.
This past Tuesday I began teaching a stamping class at a recreation center in a neighboring town. This is in addition to the class I am doing at church. Slowly I am getting my name out there in an effort to rebuild my stamping business. Greg says I just need to tell them I am famous. Yeah right! As long as he thinks I am, it's good enough for me, lol!
Our bathroom is almost done. Greg has trim up now and the door is back on. He has some sanding and painting left but it is looking so nice! In fact it is so nice that now the rest of the house is screaming for paint. It can never just be one thing can it?
The boys are doing well. We went to Kaleb's school on Friday night for a family winter carnival. Greg volunteered to work one of the booths for part of the time and I made a basket of stamped items to donate to their basket auction. The boys played lots of games and had a good time.
Yesterday, I had some friends from Rochester come for a day of stamping. We had so much fun, the time just went by too fast.
Tomorrow the van has an appointment with the mechanic. Pray the repairs are manageable.
I hope you all are well. Remember, visitors are always welcome! Mom and Dad came for a few hours this afternoon, after church. It was short and sweet.
Blessings on your week!

It's Sunday...

2008-01-13T18:53:00.000-05:00

and here I am!! This week just flew by! I was getting a little down about my birthday. I think it is only a small bit about turning 40 and really more about feeling so isolated from friends and my life in Rochester. These kinds of events just drive home that I am home-sick and friend-sick, if there is such a thing. So, I set my mind to a task. On my stamping blog I held a give away each day this last week. Can I just say I had such a delightful time interacting with these people I have never met! I asked a simple question each day and it opened up such interesting things. I have laughed and been touched by people's situations and hearts. Today's sermon hit on some of this. PB (that would be what we call Pastor Bill) talked about conversations and relationships, ultimately about being fishers of men. We all have been given the task of being fishers of men, everyone of us. How do we do that? Through relationships and conversations with people. I often feel inadequate when it comes to sharing Christ with others. This week on my blog and today in PB's sermon, I am reminded that we can and do have conversations all the time. That it is not as difficult as we make it out to be. All I did was ask a question and I got some incredible responses. Now granted, they are commenting in hopes of winning some goodies, but they still shared some good stuff. God has made us to be relational, with Him and with others. Perhaps the more difficult thing is to be intentional with our conversations, remembering to keep Christ as our motivation. I believe that if we are intentional, we will be fishers of men by what we say as well as by what we don't say. If Christ is our motivation we will treat people differently, kinder with more grace and love. Even if we never mentioned "Christ" we would be fishing. We would invite questions by people just by who we are and how we live/act. It has happened to me many times. I am not writing this to be all preachy, I find myself challenged. If God has indeed called each and every one of us to be fishers of men, how am I doing on that assignment?? Am I even in the boat as PB asked us today?? Am I hoping that fish will just jump into the boat on their own? Better yet, am I hoping someone else is fishing for me?? God would not task us with an impossible task. I am not sure how it will be, but I am looking to have conversations with people this week. Simple ones. Intentional ones. Will you?? I hope you do and then will tell me about it.

In other news...our bathroom is almost complete. I had asked if it might be done by my birthday. No particular reason it had to be, just wondering. Goals are good. Greg has tried, I don't think he'll make it but we are making progress. Mom and Dad bought us a new shower door...a beautiful shower door...and it took almost an entire day to install the thing!! You would think that 2 college graduates with plenty of life experience and more than a sack of rocks for brains could figure out how to install a shower door, lol!! Oh Mylanta!!!!!!!!! (my new favorite saying, btw) We finally completed it at 11:15 last night. My only consolation, it is beautiful. Did I mention how beautiful it is??? BIG thanks, Mom and Dad!!! Dad was also kind enough to leave his air compressor and nail gun here so that should make quicker work of putting the base boards up.

The boys are doing well. Kaleb had ELA exams most of the week and Josh has them coming up this week. They are enjoying their Saturday morning basketball time. Greg is preparing to be away all next weekend. More about that next week. My brother and his family are coming here for the weekend and we are all looking forward to that. Bummer Greg will be away but I am sure we will have plenty of fun anyway. I WILL get pictures of that baby this time.

I would have more pictures for you but alas, I am a knuckle head!! Somehow, don't ask me how, I deleted every last picture on my camera. All my pictures of Christmas, the boys band concerts, the family get together, our last trip to Chris', my pictures of the Cini family visit, gone...poof...no more. Don't even get me started!!!

Have a wonderful week. We send you hugs and love from Ransomville!

Hangover 150

2008-01-06T14:02:00.000-05:00

No, I don't have a hangover...that is the name of the race held at the Ransomville Speedway every New Years Day. The price of admission is a non-perishable food item and if your car meets their guidelines, you can enter it. The cars are basically on their last wheels before hitting the junk yard. It is a series of 3 races: V8, V6 and V4 engines. Each class runs 50 laps for a total of 150 laps...if they make it, which none apparently did. Greg took the boys to this packed event, and I imagine it's probably one of a kind, LOL! The first group to race was the V6ers, with a total of 62 cars at the starting line. After 11 laps only 6 cars remained running. The last car running made it only 38 laps. It looks like it was basically a mud bowl. They don't clear the cars between races, they just shove them to the side. The first thing the boys told me when they came home was about the pink van that caught fire, and it wasn't the only one, to catch fire that is. This is what you do when you move to Ransomville. Greg actually said the big thing to do was tailgate before hand, people brought pallets to set on the muddy ground and had grills going all morning long. Some things I just have no category for...

Bathroom update: We have lights, running water and a working toilet! We're cooking with gas now, baby!!! There is still trim work, a shower door and towel bars/toilet paper holders to install but I can see it all coming together now.

In 8 days I turn 40, ack!! I know there are those of you reading this that will say "been there, done that, no biggie". But since I haven't been there or done that yet, I am having a bit of trouble with it! A lot of trouble actually. Joshua laughing at me didn't help either, punk kid!! (kidding, I love that kid but he's gotta learn what ground is safe to tread on and that isn't it!!) It isn't too late to buy me that gift I know you were thinking about. Try here... www.papertreyink.com or here... www.buffalostamps.com . Stamps and chocolate, those things may help!!

Otherwise, things are clicking along. Hope they are in your neck of the woods!
Have a great week!

Happy New Year!!

2008-01-01T23:04:00.000-05:00

The Harp family wishes you a Happy New Year!! We brought in the new year at church, first with a family game night and then a communion service. That was a first.
We had a busy week between Christmas and New Years. We traveled to Rochester on Wednesday to enjoy an annual tradition. We had the Harp/Odmark Christmas dinner. I am so glad we were able to participate this year. It was great to see Michelle, David and Damon who were in from Colorado for the week and Mike who was in town from Nashville.
The boys stayed at Mom and Dads for a couple of days. They had a chance to meet up with some of their friends, go to a movie and swim at the Y. They had a jam packed, fun filled time!! Meanwhile, Greg and I did some more work on the bathroom. It's beginning to feel like the remodel that never ends, LOL! Before we headed over to church last night we managed to lay down the new flooring so things are progressing.
On Saturday we headed back to Rochester for a day with family. Thom and family as well as Jon and Gail were at Mom and Dads. We spent the day eating too much, opening gifts, napping and enjoying each others company. These days it is rare to get us all together at one time. Here are a few photos of Christmas day at our house and Saturday at Mom and Dad's.
Mo and baby Sara

Brothers!! All three with goatees and Boston hats!

Mom and Dad at our house Christmas morning.

Greg and Kaleb

Josh, Jacob and Greg building Lego's.

I have another post coming with New Year's day stuff.

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and were able to spend it with loved ones.

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-23T09:15:00.000-05:00

The preparations are just about done and we are looking forward to Christmas! The boys are winding up a bit more everyday. I thought I would share a few photos with you of how we have already been celebrating the season.

The boys were both in the church musical, The Next Noel, this past Wednesday. Joshua had a speaking part as Freddie, who also played a donkey. Kaleb was one of the wise men but much to his liking, he had no lines to say. The photo is of one of the last scenes, Joshua is the donkey in the bottom left corner and Kaleb is barely visible with his gold crown to the right of the angel, tucked behind another boy. Click on the photo for a bigger view if you'd like. The children did a wonderful job! Josh has come far from the days when he wouldn't even open his mouth on stage when they were singing in preschool.

We returned yesterday from visiting my brother and his family. They have a new addition, Logan, who is now just over 3 weeks old. Oh, is he a sweet baby!! Melissa looks great, hard to believe she went through labor just a short bit ago! Ethan, is the ever excited older brother now, talking up a storm. We managed to leave without getting a single picture of the baby, phooey!! But here a couple we did take.

Chris wanted to start a new tradition of hiding a pickle ornament on the tree for the boys to find. Whoever found it got a small gift. This is apparently a German tradition, it says so right on the box! I just don't think any real German knows about it, LOL! We called my mom in Germany while we were there and she had never heard of such a thing. Joshua was the finder of the pickle this year and his gift was a pickle ornament of his own. Now we can carry on the German, yet not really German, tradition.

Of course, there had to be outdoor play on the farm! The weather had warmed a bit so sledding down the big hill was out. Chris got out his tractor and plowed some Mogul hills for the boys to sled over while being pulled by the 4 wheeler. They had a blast!

Mom and dad are coming out tomorrow to join us for Christmas. That will help with some of the sadness I feel being in a new place for the holidays. Then next week the Harp fam is getting together with everyone in Rochester. We are looking forward to that.

We wish you a blessed Christmas where ever you are!!

Movin' Along...

2007-12-09T17:21:00.000-05:00

These are busy days, the kind where you need more hours in the day and more energy to go with it! I find that I can get easily overwhelmed by my mental "to-do" list. When I get overwhelmed, I get a bit cranky. Ask my family. Actually, don't ask them, I am sure they would say "a bit" was an understatement! It is one of the things about myself that I rather loathe. Getting cranky doesn't serve me or my to-do list well at all. It doesn't win me any points with the family either. It is an ongoing battle for me and I know God is not going to let me off the hook in this area of my life. I am such a sloooow learner. But I plod forward. I am examining my list, what is essential and what is not. I really wanted to have my Christmas cards out early this year since most people on my list don't realize we have moved. It's not gonna happen. We just put our tree up yesterday, 2 weeks later than my mental calendar said we should. The hand stamped gifts I had hoped to make aren't even started. My mothers gift will never get to Germany in time. Baking, what's that?? Seriously, friends, my eye was twitching due to all the things that weren't getting done on my list! Sillyness I tell you! God gave us enough hours in the day and the talents he wants us to have to accomplish what he sets before us. He does not give me more than I can handle, I do. So now I am asking different questions. What, Lord, do YOU want me to do today?? How can set about accomplishing the tasks set before me? How can I let go of the things that are on my list but not on God's list? I know this, but need frequent reminders (because I am slooooow, remember?) that God's peace dispels crankiness. God's peace comes from time spent with him and doing what he has called me to do. Not more, not less. I get cranky when I am outside the bounds of what he has called me to. Why oh why, do I continue to step outside those bounds?? I used to think the Israelites must have lacked a nugget in their happy meal because it took them 40 years of wandering in the desert to get to the promised land. That journey could have been a 2-3 week trip had they gone straight and claimed God's best. But no....they went in circles and wandered aimlessly. They thought they had a better way. They got cranky. Now I know I am no different. My happy meal is short several nuggets, LOL! I don't want to wander for 40 years until I get it. Lord, help me to get it. When I pray in the mornings for God to pave the way for my day, to set his tasks before me and to give me the energy and desire to do those tasks, I have a great day. I am not cranky. I feel satisfied at the end of the day knowing I worked at those tasks to the best of my abilities. I amazingly, don't have guilt over the things I didn't get done. Oh that those days were greater than the others.

I wanted to share one of my favorite Christmas decorations with you. This is a nativity set that was given to us by Parkminster Church as a going away gift. It is even more special because Mary Jane Preston picked it out for us. It was made by hand from clay. Isn't it darling?? It is so precious to me. It sits near the 3 ceramic angels that we were given by a congregation member when we left the church in Florida. I enjoy memories of those people and places each year when we decorate for Christmas.

Things around the house are movin' along. We asked the man who installed the septic system back in 2001 to come tell us about maintaining it. We have never had a house with a septic. He was a nice man with colorful language but he was quite helpful. One of our concerns is a huge willow tree in the back yard. My brother immediately thought it could be an issue for our septic and since he knows water, we made mental note. Mr. Septic told us he had advised the homeowners at the time to remove it. The shallow roots of a willow can be very destructive to your pipes. Their response was to let the next homeowner deal with it. Seven years and 3 homeowners later, I guess it falls on us. It is a lovely, shade providing tree, but taking it down seems way better than the $15,000 it would take to replace the septic system. Greg will tackle that job in the spring. Mr. Septic will return in the spring to empty out our tank and dig up the tree stump if we'd like.
Last night I was in the basement and discovered a leak coming from the main pipe going out to the septic. When Greg got home he took a look at it and discovered that there are holes that have pitted through the copper pipe. It's a big pipe too, at least 3" diameter. It's a big job I am sure, not just a leaky joint. We are waiting until the morning to call a plumber. I am glad that I found it sooner rather than later!

I hope you all are well and preparing for the celebration of Christ's birth!

It's Snowtime!!

2007-12-02T12:36:00.000-05:00

Snowy greetings from Ransomville!! We woke up this morning to about 6" of snow. So much for all the talk of this area being the Miami of the north! Now I wonder what else they told me that wasn't true, LOL?! But it was a perfect backdrop to the Advent sermon series PB is doing called, Christmas in Narnia. As most of you know, I am the only one moaning about the snow in my family, the guys are all outside romping in it as I write.

Greg is excited to use the $50.00 snow blower he purchased. Remember my post way back when? I was hoping the mere purchase of a snow blower was my insurance that we wouldn't need it! It did need a part and Greg just got it back this past week, so he is happily taking care of the driveway. The boys of course did what they thought best, made snowballs and had a war with each other. Oh they fun!

We traveled back to Rochester yesterday. It was Greg's first time back since we moved. They drove with me so I could co-host my annual Ornament Exchange. For the last 8-9 years, I have had an ornament exchange to kick off the holiday season. Even with all the moving we did in Rochester as Greg changed churches, there is a core group that has been there from the start. Each year I have included some new people so it has been a neat time of sharing with old and new friends. I wasn't exactly sure what was going to happen to my tradition when we moved here but I have wonderful friends who figured out a way to carry it on. Jackie co-hosted it with me, providing us a place to have it. Everyone brought a dish to pass. It was strange for me to host something that I hardly had a hand in. I am used to decorating, baking and cooking and doing most, if not all of the preparations. But the most important part was being together and it was wonderful. I took my camera and after everyone left, I remembered it so I have no photos to share with you. When we decorate our tree every year, the ornaments I have gotten at this event are some of my favorites to hang. It is nice to think back to the person who gave it or some of the funny and serious moments we have shared in our time together. Many tears and much laughter have taken place over this simple sharing of ornaments. I am so grateful to my friends for making sure we carried on the tradition. And I have a beautiful glass ornament to add to my tree this year.

We have baby news to share, well, not "we" exactly, but my brother. Chris and Melissa welcomed their second son, Logan Daniel on Thursday, 11/29. One day before Chris' birthday. All are doing well, we can't wait to meet him and hug him for ourselves.

And there is a bathroom update. Boy, is that a funny statement??!! The plan was, and I think still is, to just give it a new coat of paint. The wallpaper is all down. Greg removed the vanity, medicine cabinet and toilet tank so he could access the walls behind those items. And as with most jobs, it is never quite what it seems so to be. He found wet drywall behind the vanity as a result of a leaky pipe. And he found what I think is black mold or at least really bad mildew behind the toilet tank because the tank was right against the wall and the wallpaper must have trapped the moisture from it. The drywall spackle he used was bad or cheap because it bubbled up and caused pits everywhere. Now he has to re-spackle those areas. And since this is all happening in his "spare" time, we are without the use of the bathroom and will be most likely for some time to come. We did momentarily consider buying a new vanity even though we said we wouldn't but it appears we may not be able to do it anyway. The placement of the pipes in the wall prohibit us from using an off the shelf vanity so we would have to custom order something. Not likely to happen. And moving the pipes is even more unlikely to happen!! It was only supposed to be a coat of paint!

Well, that is enough for today. Thanks for stopping by and sharing a moment with us.
Blessings on your week.