Jordan leading worship...

This is my son, Jordan, on the left, helping to lead worship at his church in Joshua, Texas. We're always glad to come across a video so we can see him in action. Our son, Josh and his family also live in Joshua. We miss him a lot, but we're glad they're doing what they feel the Lord has led them to do for now.

A Quiet Christmas day...

Well, sort of quiet, except for Audrey's jabbering in the background. She's a lot of fun!

We had a Christmas breakfast of scrambled eggs, waffles, bacon and OJ and then began a very long game of Monopoly. This is the new version with electronic banking. We finally had to take a break. We're also watching an Indiana Jones marathon. How Christmasy!
Audrey ripping into a gift!
Adam's relatives sent over lots of goodies. I'm glad I didn't bake a lot of sweets. We need to spread them out a little!
Hope you're having a great Christmas. We miss those of our kids who aren't nearby!
Thank you, Lord, for coming down to earth to rescue us. Sometimes we don't even know we need rescuing. I'm glad you're smarter than we are! :)

Minnesota State Bird...the goldfinch?

Some years ago my husband drove what is called The Heartland Express bus. He drove it for about 10 years and transported one young lady who had Down Syndrome. She lived with her grandmother who appreciated the special treatment Bob gave her granddaughter. To show her appreciation she gave Bob a quilt she had made. The quilt is all white and is embroidered with state birds of all of the states, as far as I can figure. Anyway, I put the quilt away in a drawer thinking I would use it someday when the kids were grown and not likely to soil a white quilt. When we moved into our new home recently I came across the quilt tucked in a drawer probably 10 years ago! Finally, I could spread that quilt on our bed in all of it's glory and enjoy it without fear of tiny grubby hands (and feet)!

Anyone who has done embroidery will appreciate the work that went into this quilt. While looking over Ellie's work I came across the Minnesota State bird. Ellie had stitched a pretty little goldfinch and behind it, the state flower of Minnesota, the Lady Slipper. But wait! The state bird of Minnesota is the Common Loon! What? Well, upon doing a little research I find that back in 1932 there was a vote taken to determine which bird would represent our state. The goldfinch won the vote! But apparently it wasn't official and in 1961 the Loon was officially chosen as the state bird. It sure makes me wonder. How long ago did Ellie MAKE this quilt? Wow! Sometime between 1932 and 1961 apparently! What an interesting treasure we've inherited.


I'm feeling very blessed to have been entrusted with this beautiful piece of needlework. I believe Ellie passed away years ago, but I'll be thanking her when we meet in Heaven! :D

Partial family reunion....

Missy and Trev having a deep discussion.
Of course, it's not a family visit without a trip to Rocky's Pizza. (Left to right: Chelsea, Hailee, Aaron, Missy, Adam, Micah, Audrey, Lisa, Bob, Bob III, Tiffany and Trevor.)
Micah, being domestic!
Bob, visiting with grandson Aaron, Chelsea and ggdaughter,Hailee.
Missy reading to Hailee and a sleeping Audrey.
We had a good visit on Friday with Trevor, Bob and Tiffany, Missy, Aaron and Chelsey and Hailee (our great-granddaughter). Trev flew in from Baltimore, Bob and Tiffany from Longmont, CO and everyone else from Fargo. It was their grandpa's 85th birthday and they were surprising him by having a party for him today. So we got to visit on Friday.

Getting settled...

We're beginning to feel a little bit more settled in our new home. We've got all of the necessities and some of the luxuries, such as my bookshelves and books! :) We still have lots of odds and ends to go through and decide whether we need them in the house or if they could go into storage for the time being.

It was a quiet Thanksgiving for us. Micah, Adam and Audrey had Thanksgiving breakfast with us and then headed to Adam's paternal grandparents' house. They reappeared at our place for a few minutes and then headed off to the maternal grandparents'! Oh well, we have them to ourselves most of the time, so we can't be selfish. Bob and I enjoyed our Thanksgiving feast...twice! Then the kids came home for the night and sampled some of the leftovers.

I took the day off from schoolwork, but tomorrow I'll probably dive into more of it. With the sememster end just three weeks away there's a lot to get done. Hopefully, after December 15 I can spend more time blogging, drawing and posting photos!

Happy Thanksgiving to anyone who happens by! :D

Chubby Bright Eyes...aka Audrey!

Foggy day...

I just came across these on my camera. Pretty!





My colorful little oak tree.