A Long Day

Today was a long day for Jim, not for me so much, but it is 11:15 pm and he has only been home about 20 minutes total today. Right now he is down in Hustisford with Natalie. They are working with Brian to replace the front passenger side wheel bearing in the red car. It is not going well. Natalie texted me some pictures but I'm not able to get them off my phone to post them here. I'll have to post them tomorrow maybe. She also told me that the old bearing was resisting all their efforts to get it off (sounds like what happened with the ball joint on the suburban!) and they were all pretty frustrated and angry I'm gonna guess that they won't be able to finish it tonight.

On top of this frustrating development with the car, Jim also had a frustrating afternoon. He had a meeting for work that started at 12:30 and went until 4:30 but could have finished at 3 if it had been better organized.











As for me the day went really well! I had a chance to visit with Richard for a while before he went to Waukesha to visit Liz. He also gave me the t-shirts we had ordered for our family vacation which begins in only nine days!

I also spent a large chunk of today making great  progress on my crochet project.

I'm getting very excited about how it's turning out. There was one small glitch when I ran out of yarn to finish a section but fortunately I was able to find more of the same color at the store. A bonus was that while I was out shopping I unexpectedly found the PERFECT birthday present for my friend Sue. Her birthday isn't until next month but I got it anyway, here it is...tee, hee.

My other two big achievements for the day were making a meal to take to a church family who is going through a difficult time and making plans to meet my sister Melissa in Beaver Dam tomorrow for a thrift-a-thon. We're also going to help my mom with more of the probate paperwork for my uncle Jerry's estate, but the thrifting will be the highlight of the day. I can't wait!!

I'm going to leave you with a photo of one of the roses Tiffany got for her birthday. They really are remarkably beautiful!

Photo of the Day:

Scripture Verse of the Day:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.

Phil. 4:8

Happy Anniversary

One year ago today Richard came home from Afghanistan and we were so happy to be able to meet him in San Diego. It was an unbelievably exciting and emotional time. We are so glad you came home safely Richard and we CAN'T WAIT to repeat the experience with our son Nick. We are so proud of both our boys! Considering it is the anniversary of Richard's Afghanistan homecoming it is fitting that he is also coming home today to visit from college. It will be really good to see him!

 

Waiting anxiously in the cold and dark...

 

Richard was part of the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, Apache Co.

Together again!!
 

Even though I did get to Skype with Nick this morning, (and "meet" Frenchie who laughed at our Wisconsin accents) nothing as exciting as a military homecoming happened today. I DID however get to have lunch with my wonderful friend Sue at her house. After lunch we spent some quality time knitting, crocheting and talking. It was a wonderful break in the routine but once again I neglected to take photos of us together (grrrr!). I guess I'm out of practice on this blogging stuff. We're hoping to get together again next week and I will try really hard to remember to get a picture! Scott and Sue have two beautiful black labs that remind me very much of Abdul, except they are much better behaved! :)

 

When I left Sue gave me the washcloth she had been working on. It's beautiful and made with fall colors, it's almost too pretty to use, but she assures me she can make more. :)

 

 

As for me, I made more progress on the gift project I'm working on. Here are some of the pieces...

 

 

I also managed to finish a sweater for the baby of my friend Kay's niece. This was really fun to make and I think would be an excellent use of scrap yarn. I'll have to make more and stockpile them for future grandbabies!

 

 

Another exciting event of my day was to find tiny new buds on my white Christmas cactus just when I had about given up hope that it was going to survive. Let it be a lesson to me that hope should should never die!

 

Photo of the Day:

 

 

Scripture Verse of the Day:

Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD. Ps. 31:24

Happy Birthday Tiffany!

Today Tiffany turned 21 years old. It seems like just yesterday she was a beautiful baby. Every minute of having her with us has been a blessing. Of course we HAVE to include some baby pictures...

 

 

Here's what Tiffany looks like today...



Just kidding, well actually, that IS what she looks like but she doesn't usually have the rollers in her hair. :) Here she is with her birthday fruit pizza...she's a beautiful young lady.

Phil's gift was a big surprise for her, he got her a Kindle Fire HD, she was THRILLED!

 

We got her a mug with a picture of her and Phil, I made her two winter headbands that she wanted and I had her engagement pictures put into a book for her...

Phil's parents sent her three gorgeous roses in a vase. The three roses stand for "We love you!" Phil had given her a necklace last year with three roses on it to stand for "I love you," and his parents carried on the tradition. It was really sweet. :)

Happy birthday Tiffany, we ALL love you!!

Photo of the Day:

Scripture Verse of the Day:

...let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. 1 Chron. 16:10

A Good News Day

We woke up to a bright sunny day with not a raindrop in sight...

it was a perfect follow-up to the Packer win last night, but although things look good, not all is well. Mysteriously, two of the doors in the house are now sticking shut as if the foundation shifted or the house tilted or something...hmmmm. Also, Gizmo is acting weird, he doesn't want to come out of his kennel and has to be dragged outside. If you know how spastic he is you will understand how completely opposite of his usual behavior this is. Interesting!

Aside from all of that, today was chock full of good things, first I went on line and there was a message from Nick just waiting for me!

I also saw the cherished green dot on facebook...I just love that green dot! Even though I know he's not really doing anything dangerous right now, it is still always a relief to have confirmation he's ok.

He and I had a chance to talk about our vacation plans to North Carolina and I was very excited to find out he will be able to be home for Thanksgiving. I just can't wait to see that boy! It is too many days away.

I'm looking forward to handbells tonight, that is always fun, but since there really isn't much else going on today it's a good time to do a family member update. Next up is Richard:

Richard deployed to Afghanistan March 25, 2011. He was there seven months. Most of the time he was involved in patrols of the area to keep the Marine presence felt to thwart the activities of the insurgents.

 

Richard was never injured while he was in Afghanistan but they lost a sgt to an explosion and a member of his unit lost a hand to an explosive device. Richard was able to provide medical assistance to the injured Marine and received a medal for his efforts (so proud of him!) We met Richard in San Diego very, very early in the morning (1 am) in October 2011 for his homecoming. It was a chilly, misty night and we waited for hours but we were so happy to see him we didn't mind!

Richard worked at Target for awhile after he got out of the Marine Corp in March of 2012, and he is currently attending MLC in New Ulm. His plan is to get his degree in secondary education with a major in history. He has a nice little apartment in Lafayette, MN.

 

Richard is dating a wonderful girl named Elizabeth Plagenz. Liz went to WLA with Richard and she is currently in her final year of grad school at Carroll College in Waukesha where she is earning her doctorate in physcial therapy.

 



Photo of the Day:

Scripture Verse of the Day:

Though and army besiege me,

   my heart will not fear;

though war break out against me,

even then will I be confident.

Psalm 27:3

Rainy Days Are...Fun!

First, a quick update on Friday's post:
When Jim got home from work Friday he and Phil took a look at the suburban and decided that it was the lower ball joint (and not the lower bearing) that had broken. The good news? The part only cost $20 to replace. The bad news...you need a special tool to remove the old one and put in the new one. The part store sells this special tool for $124. It also rents the tool...for $124, but of course if you rent the tool you get full credit when you return it. It's not a bad system but Jim decided to try to replace the part without the special tool. He had a full team of supportive onlookers while he worked in the cold and the dark. (Phil, Tiffany, Natalie and our neighbor JD and his brother.)

Following the pattern of the day everything went wrong for a while as Jim tried to remove the bad part, first he used a chisel - which broke. Then he tried a screwdriver as a chisel - which broke, then the dremel grinder - which died, and finally a really nice grinder that was loaned to us by our wonderful neighbor, JD. After spending a considerable amount of (fruitless) time with the grinder (which didn't break but also failed to remove the part) Jim changed his mind about renting the special tool from the part store. Not long after that the suburban was repaired and ready for action, which was fortunate because we needed to use it to help a family move on Saturday. (Jim's car is still out of action.)

On Saturday I had no time (or energy) for posting. Jim and I spent the entire day packing and moving. Well, I spent the entire day packing and moving, Jim started at about noon because he had a work meeting to go to first. He still worked harder than I did though because he had to unload the truck and move large pieces of furniture up the stairs into the new house. It rained most of the day which made things rather cold, miserable and wet. It was a very productive day. The people we helped were extremely grateful and we enjoyed our time with the work crew, but by the end of it Jim and I were exhausted. It is finally time to admit we are no longer as young as we used to be!

Today, like yesterday, was also rainy from beginning to end. It averaged about 50 degrees outside but the wind and rain made everything feel colder than it was. For something different to do Jim and I took a roadtrip to Oshkosh in the afternoon.

Jim wanted to show me the new Ideal Products building and I am still kicking myself that I didn't take any pictures while we were there. The place looks great but they are behind schedule with the remodel. The original plan was that the building would be ready for the addition of furniture by this Monday and ready for business a week later, but things are currently running about a week behind.

After visiting the new building we stopped at the antique mall in Oshkosh and spent some fun time wandering around. Jim is always on the lookout for a Daisy pump action (wood stock) BB gun like he had when he was a kid. He found a mini version and a full size one with a plastic stock, but not the one he was looking for. I found a few small things too, a really great vintage table runner that looks nice hanging on the shelf in the kitchen...

 

...an adorable dachshund figurine which I was going to give to one of the girls but decided to keep...

...and an old cookie recipe book. The old cook books are the best because they tell you how to make all the classics from scratch. I can't wait to try it!

Now it's time to make popcorn and watch the Packer game. Hopefully they will do better than they did last week! Blessings to all!!

Photos of the day:

Scripture passage of the day:

 

The LORD does whatever pleases him,

   in the heavens and on the earth,

   in the seas and all their depths.

He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth;

   he sends lightning with the rain

   and brings out the wind from his storehouses.

Ps. 135:6-7

A Good Day

It's only 8 am and already it's been a great day - in the sense that God has once again proven his presence in our lives in two (maybe three or four?) seperate events:

Event number one: Jim left for work this morning only to surprise me by returning early. His car had died two blocks from home. He figures it's the timing belt. I could only thank God he didn't get stranded on hwy 41 or in Oshkosh because the problem required towing the car home.

Event number two: As Jim and I turn out of the drive way in the suburban to go tow Jim's car there is a sudden grinding noise and the driver's side front of the vehicle sags toward the ground. We look at each other and say simultaneously "That's not good." A quick inspection reveals that "the part that holds the vehicle up high" (Jim's words, not mine, honestly!) had broken and there are twisted metal pieces laying on the ground. Jim diagnoses that the "lower bearing went." The vehicle is half out of the driveway and into the street. Jim decides to try to move it back into the driveway but it only sags further and now the undercarriage is dragging on the ground. Jim goes to get the floor jack. After some clever manoeuvering he manages to get the front end back to an appropriate height. His plan is to pull on the jack while I gently ease the suburban back into the driveway. It all goes really well (considering we are doing this on gravel) but then -

Event number three: the jack broke. Yup, the handle came off right in his hand. At this point we are out of the street but still in the end of the driveway and now we are also across the sidewalk, but there is NO way it is moving any further. We leave it all where it sits and take the wagon to tow Jim's car. That actually went well (even though we had to go up over the curb because the suburban is blocking the driveway), but as we are creeping down our street toward home we have to wait for the garbage truck to finish his business before we can continue and I realize that in all the excitement -

Event number four: our garbage never made it to the curb. Hmmm.

Now I realize most people would consider this a bad start to the day, but after Jim left for work (finally) I was literally on my knees thanking God. Jim had made two trips to Hustisford and back last night with that suburban, once with Nick's car on the car trailer. I don't even want to think about what could have happened if that bearing broke anywhere other than the driveway or if it had happened to Tiffany who usually drives it.

I'm not sure yet how the broken jack handle or the still full garbage can are going to prove to be blessings in disguise, but I am NOT willing to underestimate the wisdom and power of God. Somehow it will be good, I'm sure of it. :)

I stuck a "SORRY, we'll move it ASAP" sign on the suburban, said another prayer of thanks when Jim let me know he made it safely to Oshkosh and have been marveling at the grace of God ever since. This is about the fourth time in our married lives that we have had a major vehicle disaster in our driveway (or easy distance from home) and no one has ever been hurt. GOD IS GOOD!

On a much lighter note I simply HAVE to mention that today is "I Love Yarn Day". I know most people couldn't care less, but as a yarn lover it is fun for me. To celebrate I devoted guilt-free time today toward finishing a project I've been working on for quite a while. I will give you a photo hint but not say what it is since it is a gift.

Hope everyone else had a good day today too!

Photos of the day:

Scripture verses of the day:
I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. Ps. 4:8

Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge. Ps. 16:1

We're back...finally.

It has been well over a year since the last time I posted on this blog. In that time a lot has happened. Some things we are ready to forget and move on from, and other things have been very positive experiences for our family. At the end of it all though one thing remains true...God has been there with us every step of the way. For that we are extremely thankful.

In the last year or so we've moved, Richard has deployed to Afghanistan and returned, Nick got engaged and deployed to Afghanistan (we are still waiting for his return), Tiffany and Phil got engaged, Richard got an apartment and moved to MN and began college at MLC, we lost cherished pets and then gained three more, and much, much more. (See photo slideshows to the right for pics of some of these events.)

It has been a rollercoaster ride time for us but I think we all agree that we wouldn't change a thing! Things have settled down to a fairly predictable routine now so it should be possible for me to recommit to this blog.

One interesting aspect of today that I just have to mention in particular is today's date 10-11-12. That's not gonna happen again for a hundred years, so number enthusiasts everywhere are making special note of it. Ok, enough of that foolishness, here are a few family updates. I won't do everyone today in the interest of keeping this post reasonably sized, tune in again for further updates.

Jim- Jim is still working at Ideal Products in Oshkosh, working a lot actually. The company is in the process of moving to a new and larger facility to allow for its current and anticipated growth. They have done well even through the recession and their future looks bright. Jim actually has a title of "Customer Service Manager" now although he still wears all his other hats which include emergency IT guy, crisis manager guy, emergency delivery guy, coordinate things needing coordinating guy, conflict resolution guy...you get the idea.

Michelle- After a year and a half of teaching at the childcare center it was time for me to give up the reigns to someone younger and more flexible. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE teaching the little ones but my body couldn't take it anymore. It was time to pass the torch. Natalie has inherited all of my substantial teaching stash and I am moving on to quieter and less complicated work which doesn't require crawling on the floor, like data entry and reception duties, etc. I haven't started yet but soon will be working in the new facility that Ideal Products is remodeling. I am looking forward to the change and the part time hours will make wedding planning and keeping up at home much more realistic.

It is cloudy, windy and cool today and rain is predicted so things look a little gloomy on the surface, but there IS beauty to be found if a person is willing to look for it:

Picture of the Day:

Scripture Verse of the Day:

"Let us fear the LORD our God, who gives autumn and spring rains in season, who assures of the regular weeks of harvest." Jer. 5:24