The Last Shall Be First

A first for me--in the first annual Kekionga 5K Gallop/Walk, I came in dead last. However, I came in 3rd in my age group, of females 50 and over, so I got a medal. My time (43:41)was a little more than a minute less than my average. Not bad for last place finisher. :)

A Treasured Friend

Weekly visits with Linda are special times. She and Dick have lived in Berne for 12 years now! I remember the first time I met her at her daughter Tina's house. I thought right away I would like her. :)

4-H RAGBRAI

454 miles across Iowa with Heat, Humidity, Hills and Headwinds. What a guy!!! Someone has to be kind of crazy to spend the last week of July riding between the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. So glad he could choose to do such a "crazy" thing. Sure is better than the prospect he was facing 25 years ago. Thank you, Jesus!

KCA Comforters

A little late. . . but I finally made comforters for Brooks and Mary Catherine as their high school graduation presents. They are done in the colors of their high school, Kiev Christian Academy. They graduated in 2008 and 2009. Project completed in 2011. It's nice to finally have it checked off the to-do list. :)

A Promise Kept

 Back in May I presented the girls in my SS class an incentive to learn the six verses in the Roman Road (Romans 3:23, 6:23, 5:8, 10: 9-10 and 10:13). The promise was that they could come to my house for a cookie-baking party. Twelve girls met the challenge. I didn't want the noise and flying flour that would be inevitable with 12 girls in my kitchen at one time. Three groups of four sounded more reasonable. After a busy summer I decided I better keep my promise before school starts again. On Friday, I had two girls, today I had five and tomorrow five more will come. Each group has (or will) bake three kinds of cookies including Snickerdoodles (so they can roll the dough in cinnamon and sugar), and Funfetti cookies (so they can frost some cookies) and Chocolate Chip Cookies (because they are a favorite).

I don't remember a single lesson taught by Marie Chave, Jean Coffey and Mary Russell. I do remember the special things they did to make me and other students in the class feel special. I hope Addie, Cassie, Madi, Alyssa, Kylee, Shaelynn, Ashley, Audra, Anna, Hannah, Julia, Kayla, and others will remember my Sunday School class as a place where they felt loved and learned to love the faith by example.

The Beauty of Accoustical Music

Berne is so fortunate to have great music for such a small town. I attended "Singing in the Sanctuary" today at First Mennonite Church. Dr. David Crow, a music professor from Ball State University, brought his church choir from Muncie. The 30-voice choir performed all their music a cappella. The accoustics in the sanctuary at First Mennonite is ideal for such music. The hour-long concert included old hymns, songs from the South, from Shakers and some great current hymns. Dr. Scott Lehman also played an organ solo and the congregation sang Festival Doxology with the organ. It was a great way to spend part of  a Sunday afternoon.

34th Anniversary

As has become our custom, Neil and I froze sweet corn today. I purchased 11 dozen at dasMarit this morning. Excluding husking, it took us a little less than 3 hours to blanche, cool, cut and package 22 1-quart bags. We'll enjoy it all year. "Wuv, twu wuv."

A Post a Day Keeps Forgetfulness Away

One brief post a day. . .just for my own benefit. It would help me remember one productive or significant thing from each day. Today is July 21. My last post was in February. Does that mean I have't done anyething significant or productive for 5 months? Nine. But I'll have harder time remembering because of my negligence.

Doilies--Accessorizing Furniture

 I love doilies but haven't used them the last couple of years because I just didn't take the time to wash, starch and shape them. This year I made time!

Shaping with wads of waxed paper and/or newspaper to fill tin foil "tents."













                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Accessorizing the beautiful vase Stacia brought home from Afghanistan.

This doily was SO full of ruffles. My first try definitely didn't work. The clothes pins were like dominioes--when one fell, they all went.

SNOW. . .and lots of it!

Monday, January 31--lots of snow
Tuesday, February 1--icy snow from the east
Wednesday, February 22--lots more snow
Thurs & Fri, Feb 3 & 4--Sunny days to dig out of snow. Shovels and snowblowers weren't enough. Tractors were needed to move the enormous amount of snow with ice sandwiched in between.

 Wishing I had kids to play with!

Saturday, Feb 5--6 more inches of snow
Sunday, Feb 7--only one service at church at 10
Monday, Feb 8--more snow removal (thanks to Bruce and Shane Lehman) and bigger piles

Not quite a 14er. . .but the biggest mountain we've ever had in our yard.

Owen's 4!

Owen was so happy on at his 4th birthday party. He could hardly wait to eat. . . and then to have cake and presents.

Kate Date

 What a special treat when Kate D. and I had wonderful one-on-one time.

 
 A ship in the center of the Fort Wayne Botanical Gardens was her favorite.
















We walked through the gardens but not for long.



















She was eager to get back to the ship where she was in constant motion!

George Washington slept here

Stephanie, Amy, Alec; Stacia, Judd and Jessa; Brooks, Masha, Tory, Beau and Jack; Hilary, Colin and Caroline: nieces and nephews who have all stayed overnight at our house multiple times for multiple nights. It never happened with Ike . . . until last Friday night, January 21st, in the year of our Lord, 2011.

Ike,  we're so glad you came! It may have been the first time you spent the night at our house but don't let it be the last.

The next morning Ike, his parents, Brent and Sandie, and Neil and I took blueberry sausage breakfast bake, one of Mark's favorites, to Swiss Village, and had brunch with Grandma Birdsall. A great time of visiting took place in the dining area and then back in her apartment.

Pristine Beauty

Low-lying shrubs, aspen trunks and evergreens.













So much "dead and down" was cleared in the first two years we owned the property that made way for new growth. This brave, little tree is just about 18" tall.

Just a few months ago the leaves on this aspen tree were all ablaze. Now snow nestles among some of the empty branches.

Snow really clings to the long needles on this tree near the side porch.

A picture of that same long-needled evergreen from the porch.

Clumps of grass are scattered in one of our little meadows. The moisture in the snow will help more of it to grow next summer.

Home Sweet Home

A bright blue sky after a new snowfall. Beautiful!

It was a little tricky getting up the driveway. 4-wheel drive really helps!

The trees were beautifully flocked with snow.

Visitors

 Deer came to visit us. Both of these pictures are taken from the front porch.

We went to visit Scott, Heather, Bridger (2 years) and Iris (3 months) Livengood--our young, cool, cousins in Breckenridge! Mark went with Scott and Heather to a wedding Saturday afternoon and evening. Neil and I were with the kids. After 6 hours of dedicated, non-interrupted one-on-one play time, Bridger was my buddy for life! Unfortunately I have no picture to show for it :(. We saw Iris when she was 3 days old and now again at 3 months. She slept a good deal of the time we were there but when she was awake she was cuddly and content. Neil and I both enjoyed extended time with her. (When Bridger was taking his nap I got to cuddle with Iris. :)



Connie's projects

Drum roll. . .I inserted the key in the deadbolt Neil had just installed. It worked perfectly! 

I used some scrap wood from the basement to lay out the plan for the kitchen even before Mark and I moved the railing being stored there. (The light colored rails go right above the kitchen on the loft. The darker rails behind them will be used outside on the porch.) When Jeni was in Colorado in June, she sketched some possible floor plans for the kitchen. Instead of choosing one or the other, I adopted both! Both top and bottom cabinets will be along the outside log wall. Only cabinets below countertops will be where the boards are located. It will be a cozy kitchen but open to the great room. I'm very excited about it!

I used newspapers to get a feel for the available space. The refrigerator and stove/oven/microwave will be against the framed wall. The sink will be under the window with cupboards, including lazy susans, to the left and a dishwasher to the right. The opening to the kitchen will be by the long, darker board extending from the framed wall. A breakfast counter wide enough for just two will be at this end of that dark board. The angeled board will have some shelves open to the great room. It will be great place for some of Janet's pottery or other decorative items!  Nothing is set in stone yet but it is a plan that Neil and I both like thus far.

We walked around the space and pretended to be working and talking. It felt good. A door can be seen at the back of the picture behind the framed wall. I refer to it as the "servant's entrance." That is the back door and the one I think will be used most frequently. The washer and drier will be your right as you walk in, along with an open coat closet, and a half bath will be to your left which will share that framed wall with the kitchen.

Neil's projects

Neil took lock hardware with him on this trip that he has had in stock for a long time. It made his duffle bag heavy going out and much lighter coming back. This door is considered the main entrance. The window behind Neil is the kitchen window. This door opens to the great room. It is obviously boarded from the outside now.












This door opens to the Pikes Peak side of the house--opposite the door above. From here you can look out to the fire pit which Mark dug. Neil chiseled the recesses for the bolts on the door.













He installed the knobs.













On the doorframe, he chiseled again for the strike plate.

















What a master!

Mark's projects

Splitting wood--maul high overhead. . .

 . . .mid swing. . .

. . .and split right in half! 

Mark also moved all the porch rails which had been stained and dried last June by Eric and Neil. They were stored in the kitchen area where the refrigerator and stove will be. He moved them. . .

. . .to where the wood stove will be. After they were moved I was able to work on kitchen lay-out! 

Since the weather was nice when we arrived, we thought we might be able to enjoy a campfire . . .maybe even cook a meal outside. Mark set to work  digging a fire pit. Working in frozen ground and rocky soil prevented digging a very big pit.   

 Mark gathered several rocks from the immediate area and built a nice ring around the pit. Cold weather set in and we didn't build a fire on this trip. At least we have a great little fire pit for another trip in the near future.