love note

I have had kind of a hard week. Unfortunately, a lot of the problems are self induced. I seem to have been angry at Tom, the world, and of course myself. Tom left for a three day trip this morning. I found this note when I woke up...

The little things really do make a big difference! Thanks Tom! 

100 Buttons

Amelia's kindergartens class was celebrating their 100th day of school. Each student was to pick 100 of any one item they wanted to show their class. Amelia loved playing with Mimi's jar of buttons when she was little and wanted to use buttons for her project.

Later, Amelia decided she would rather sew the buttons on a shirt to wear to school and take 100 Skittles for her class to count. 100 buttons are a lot of buttons...so Amelia, her Mom, and Mimi took turns with the needle and thread.

Congratulations Amelia on 100 days of learning!

The Great Baby Book Snafu

Yesterday, was Matt's 26th Birthday. As part of celebrating Matt's or Andy's birthday, I look through their baby book and reminisce. So yesterday afternoon, I got out Matt's baby book, turned pages, and started oohing and aahing:

there was the copy of Matt's birth certificate with prints of his precious little feet...

there was the first pictures of Matt: the nurses cleaning him up, the first time I got to hold him, Tom rocking with him, the sweet expression on Andy's face when he first saw Matt...

there were the statistics of his birth:  weight 7 lbs 9 ozs,  height 19 3/4 inches, light brown hair, born at
1:44 pm...

there were pictures of his first Easter, his first 4th of July, his first Halloween, his first Thanksgiving, his first five Birthdays, his first five Christmases...

Wait! The picture for Matt's second Christmas (top left hand corner) didn't look quite right:

The picture was kind of blurry, but his hair seemed a little too dark and wavy... And I didn't think those were the curtains we had in the living room of the house on Jasper Way...And the tricycle is the one we got Andy not Matt....

Oh my gosh, the picture was of Andy's second Christmas not Matt's!  Then, I realized that the picture I had in the spot for his third Christmas was actually his second Christmas... and yes the other Christmas pictures were also off.

Now, here are the issues I have with this little snafu:

1.  How did I not notice all these things when I was putting the pictures in his book? And how did I miss the little date stamped in the corner that was read "1983", six years before Matt was born?  And how did I overlook the writing on the back of the picture that read "Andy, Christmas 1983"?

2.  How in the world have I looked at Matt's baby book at least once a year and never caught the mistakes? (Although really, I have been on some powerful drugs over the years for my depression!)

3.  How could Matt, Andy, Tom, family and friends have missed it all these years?

I guess the good news is that it was easy to remove the picture of Andy, move the other pictures into their correct places, and because I organized all my pictures last year...it was easy to find a picture of Matt on his fifth Christmas and to correct my mistake!

Tuesday's Trip to Chicago

On Tuesday Tom and I drove to Chicago.  We met Matt at 

Uncommon Ground at 9am.  It was so good to see him, even if he was tired (he had been up until 4am talking with his new roommates, Josh and Megan.) After breakfast, we went to see his apartment. It was recently remodeled and was really nice.  Now they just have to find the time to get totally moved in and get rid of the boxes! 

We then drove to McHenry for my some-what-annual check up with Dr. Kohn. I haven't been feeling that great, so he decided to make some changes in my medications. Sure hope that helps.

Long day of driving.... maybe next time we should plan to spend the night!

change

It's been over a month since I have blogged.... and wouldn't you know the format has changed. I signed on and it looks completely different.  Have I told you how much I hate change! I hate change! I don't like new things. Oh, Okay there are some new things that I like: new clothes, fresh chocolate chip cookies, flowers blooming, a manicure. But why do other things have to change?

My father had a stroke this week.

I hate change!

Asher's Baby Dedication

Andy and Kelly had Asher's Baby Dedication at their church, Geist Christian Church, on Saturday evening. Such a sweet ceremony. Pastor Randy asked for a pledge from the parents, family, and then church family. Then the congregation sings "Jesus Loves the Little Children" and "Jesus Loves Me" as Pastor Randy walks around the room holding Asher and introducing him to the church family.

Kelly, Asher, Amelia, and Andy

Amelia and Asher

depending on God

"I want you to be all mine. I am weaning you from other dependencies. Your security rests in Me alone--not in other people, not in circumstances" Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

Deuteronomy 33:27 The eternal God is a dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms.

*****

Don't you love how God is always loving on us and always teaching us. Yesterday Tom arrived in Chicago after a long long flight to discover that his drive home was going to be snowy and icy. What normally takes him around 4 hours took him three times longer. I would have preferred for him to stay in Chicago, but he was anxious to get home and assured me that he would drive safely. That is when I had to turn to God and put Tom and me into His loving arms. God assured me as He always does, that He is sovereign and He was watching over us. Then this morning my devotion is about depending on Him. Yes, God I do!

*****

one thousand gifts

465. Tom home safely in the ice and snow

466. the calming of knitting

467. the strength in God's word

Chicago

Tom had to get a physical this morning in Chicago and was also on short call. He had made plans with Matt to have lunch together. I decided I would take a chance and hope that Tom didn't get called on a trip... which would have left me in Chicago with his car and needing to drive home by myself. So, I threw somethings into a bag (forgetting several important items) and we hit the road. We spent the night at the O'Hare Hilton. It was pretty nice, but I couldn't smile at the valet or check in person: my temporary front tooth is getting very flimsy and I only put it in when I am in public... unfortunately, it was packed away in my bag. I hadn't really thought about having to check in. Oh well, people in Chicago aren't all that friendly, so they probably didn't even notice that I wasn't smiling!! Tom got up early this morning for his physical and then brought back Cinnabon and Diet Coke for me. What a treat! We checked out and then drove to Matt's. We picked him up and made a quick stop at Kohl's, where he used some of his Christmas money. We then went to a pizza place and had Chicago deep dish pizza. One slice was so heavy, I could hardly lift it with just one hand! After we ate, we then dropped Matt off at his place and then drove home. Unfortunately, I got car sick on the way home... forgot to take Dramamine. Have to remember that although I am feeling so good--I still get car sick! All in all, a pretty good trip to Chicago.... after all I got to see Matt! Sorry no pictures. No I didn't forget my camera, just forgot to use it!

Asher's brace

On Monday, Asher went to the doctor about his hip-displasia. His left hip was in the socket, but could slip out, so he was fitted for his brace. He will have to wear this for several weeks, possibly months. Amelia also had dip displasia and had to wear a similar brace for months. Thankfully, the brace does not seem to hurt or cause discomfort. Please pray for a fast healing!

Asher with his brace



Kelly and Amelia giving Asher some love!

A visit to Santa

We went with Kelly to take Amelia and Asher to visit Santa at the mall.

What a great experience!

Amelia's first glimpse of Santa:

Asher wasn't that excited to meet Santa:

Amelia sitting on Santa's lap:

Santa reading to Amelia:

Asher, Santa, and Amelia:

Santa gave Amelia a candy cane. She loved it. Even if it was messy:

Christmas Candy

There is a tradition in both Tom and my families of making Christmas candies and cookies. My Dad did not cook, but he did make fudge and peanut brittle at Christmas time. Tom's Father

also was the one to make candy. Several years ago, Tom took over making our traditional Christmas goodies. Tom decided that if he was making candy and cookies for our family, he would make some for our neighbors also. The tradition has grown to include our family,

neighbors, postman, banker, church, etc. I think there will be around 20 plates this year.

This was his ingredients list:

3 lbs butter

10 lbs sugar

72 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

3 bags of raw peanuts

1 bag of powdered sugar

12 oz. coconut

24oz box of Rice Krispies

6 bags of marshmallows

8 oz. of chopped pecans

24 oz evaporated milk

1 can condensed milk

4 cups Karo syrup

2 bags of pretzels

vanilla

red and green food coloring

Amelia decided that she wanted to help Papa.

Amelia in her apron waiting her turn to stir.

She was not sure what she thought about the red color.

She liked dropping the coconut balls into the chocolate,

but she did have to be reminded not to lick her fingers!

Tom putting the plates together.

one of the goodies plate

the card Tom enclosed with the goodies

the inside message

Amelia helped deliver the plates to our neighbors.

Having her participate made this years tradition even more special.

family visit

On Tuesday my Dad, Mom, and sister Pat drove to Indianapolis to meet Asher Thomas

and visit for a few hours. The weather wasn't very agreeable: rain, then sleet, then snow;

but my Dad is a great driver and has been driving in this winter mix for a long while.

They arrived here safely and then made it home safely.

I am so thankful for their visit. I love being in Indianapolis, but I do miss not seeing

my family regularly. I especially miss having them at my house! Tom made a

spicy chicken soup--which was perfect for the wintry weather. We sat around

my dining room table and talked for hours.

Amelia was adorable: she ate lunch, entertained herself looking at books, watched

a "Dora", and then kissed us all before she went to nap! Asher was also adorable

for his introduction to my family. He was actually awake for an hour or so, then ate,

and slept! After everyone left Kelly even got a little nap. Perfect day!

my sister Pat, Mom, and Asher

Great Grandpa and Asher

another one Great Grandpa and Asher

Great Grandma and Asher

me, Mom, and Asher

Amelia watching Dora

Kelly getting her nap!

our Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving holiday began on Tuesday night when we picked Matt up from the bus station. Wednesday was a relaxing day. Tom made pumpkin pies and our traditional

Thanksgiving fudge. Andy, Kelly, Amelia and Asher joined us for dinner and Matt

finally got to meet Asher Thomas.

Asher Thomas and Matt

Kelly's baby and mine!

Matt reading to Amelia

Tom reading to Amelia while she reads to herself

Matt and Amelia on his computer

Too many cooks in the kitchen?

Notice who is missing... my job--clean up!

dinner is served

a time of thanksgiving

more Matt and Asher time

watching Miracle on 34th street

A little Christmas at Thanksgiving

Matt won't be home for Christmas so we had him

open a few presents early!

God has so richly blessed us.

Nothing is more precious than time spent with family.

I pray that you and your family had a blessed Thanksgiving!

copying pictures

I am spending this gloomy Sunday afternoon working on my photograph project. I am working on getting all of my photos copied onto my computer and put on flickr. So far I had years 1978-1997, 2009, 2010, and the pictures we've taken so far this year.Today, I copied year 1998. It's kind of a tedious project. I can only scan 4 pictures at one time. Then I have to put them in a folder and write a description for each one. Then I copy the whole bunch to flickr. The upside is looking at old photos and reliving fun memories. In 1998 we went on a Caribbean cruise with our good friends Randy and Cathie Stalter and their kids Aaron and Alex. It was quite an adventure. Alex broke his arm the day before we were to leave. We ran into a snow storm on the drive down to New Orleans and almost didn't make it it time. Cathie had arrange a private boat trip to swim with the sting rays in Grand Cayman that involved walking about a mile and waiting across from a bread company... I was sure that we would be kidnapped, but all was well and we had a great time!! That year was Andy's junior year, so there was prom and induction to Spanish honor society. We visited Tom's mom several times that year and she spent Christmas with us. This was also a year that we had our dog Tucker, so he made it into several pictures. Lot's of memories of family gatherings at Christmas time also. Here are a few pictures from that year:

Randy, Cathie, Aaron, Andy, Matt, Alex, Tom and I on cruise

swimming with sting rays

Tom, Tucker, Matt, and Grandma Faye at her house

Matt's 11th birthday

Andy and Dawn Coyne dressed for their junior prom

Ryan Burner, Andy, Dawn Coyne celebrating Andy's 17th birthday

Tom and his mom Faye

sitting around the table at Bob and Mom's on Christmas Day

Movie night: Dawn, Andy, Matt, and Tom