Alex Is ready for High School

Thursday we drove down to DeMotte, IN to see our oldest granddaughter graduate from the 8th grade. It does not seem possible that Alex has grown to be such a lovely young lady so quickly. We left in the afternoon so we could be on time for the 7 PM ceremony, in the gym at DeMotte Christian school. There were 40 graduates and it was a very nice program. Afterwards we went to Elton and Lauri's house for cake and coffee along with some of Lauri's family.
We stayed overnight and got to spend a few hours enjoying the grandkids and getting caught up with them and all their activities.

Alex will be leaving early Monday morning, with 17 other 8th graders for a trip to Washington DC for 5 days. They have a very full schedule and I am sure they will have lots of fun too. What a wonderful learning experience. I have to say that Alex earned all the money to take this trip, so 'good job Alex'.

Back to South Dakota

This has been a very difficult day emotionally. I got a call this morning as we were driving back from DeMotte, from Chris Fey the person in charge at Leisure Living, where Mom lives, that my Mom had a stroke and they took her by ambulance to Platte Hospital. It was on the right side of the brain, so it left her paralyzed on the left side. She can speak although it is not quite normal, and her mind seems to be quite clear. I will be traveling back to SD soon, but Glenn is going this weekend to be with her, which helped me out as I just returned on Monday, and am trying to catch up on sleep and other things.

Please pray for all of us for decisions to be made and restoration for Mom, as well as safe travel for us.

The rest of the story

We also made another stop on our way home on Memorial Day. We took I- 80 over the Mississippi, and then took I-88 North to highway 78 right into Morrison, IL., so we could see Phil and Shirley. Phil had the second round of chemo last week, and that means staying in the hospital for 5 days. He was tired, but looked good and his spirits were good. We were also so happy that Lauralee and Karissa and her boyfriend Eric were there for the weekend, so we could spend a little time with them. Phil and Brenda are both avid picture takers, so there was lots of that going on. A couple from the church came to take Lauralee to the airport so she could fly back to Indianapolis. We left after 1 1/2 hours and were back on the road again. We had lunch in Princeton and did not stop again until Emma woke from her nap with a start and could not be consoled. We stopped at a new Cabela's in IL and walked with her. Soon she was her happy self again. We got to Byron Center about 6:30. Yesterday was a day with 3 appointments for me, so I did not get all the laundry and unpacking finished until this morning. We had about a perfect weather day today; sunny, a light breeze and low humidity. I went to Byron Center to take care of Emma, and we had a good time as always. She did lots of swinging and riding her tricycle. We plan to leave sometime tomorrow afternoon for DeMotte to see Alex graduate from 8th grade at DeMotte Christian School. We have not heard a time yet, so we may have to guess!! Friday evening we have a high school open house for our neighbor, Kara Bielema, and that is the way the weeks go. We love it!!

South Dakota Memories

It has been well over a week since I last made an entry to this blog, but there has been a lot of activity.

I left on Tuesday the 20th for SD with Joel, Brenda and Emma. We drove to Pella, Iowa the first day, and stayed with my brother Glenn and his wife Donna, and 12 year old son Chad. It was a wonderful break from the drive and Emma had so much fun watching the new puppies and lambs, and playing with the kitties and their pet dog Patch. We all slept well and were on our way at 8 AM after a good breakfast. We continued on our way and after what seemed like a long day we got to Corsica to my Mom at about 4 PM. She was doing well and happy to see us. We brought her a TV that we did not need anymore, and it is quite a bit bigger than the one she had, and made it easier for her to see as she has cataracts and some macular degeneration.

We finally got to the Vanden Hoek Bed and Breakfast (this is what we call the home of Everett's sister Margie and her husband Ken). They are wonderful hosts, and we love staying with them. She invited Dorothy Vander Tuin our sister in law, and enjoyed dinner all together. Once Emma was settled in for the night we played some Ripple, a variety of golf, played with skip-bo cards.

Wednesday we went to visit Mom, and just spent time relaxing. I took Mom to get her car filled with gas, as it is difficult for her to run the pumps.

Each night a thunder storm came through and I woke up the first 3 nights from the thunder. Most of the days were cloudy, but quite pleasant, but Saturday was very windy and cold.

Thursday our niece Gloria and son Jaylon were over for dinner, and after dinner a cousin and his wife came to stay over night as they were having a family reunion at the recently renovated Old School Inn in New Holland for the weekend. The old Christian grade school that I attended for 8 years was sold and purchased by a former local man and he and his wife have made 7 bedrooms, many bathrooms and a large kitchen/ dining room and family room. New Holland has a population of about 75 and has a bed and breakfast and an Inn. Not bad. It rents for $300 a night to use the entire facility.

On Friday we picked up Mom at 9 and headed to Mitchell to do some shopping. Her mattress and box spring needed to be replaced so we shopped for that first, then picked up some items at Walmart. We enjoyed lunch at Perkins and then went to the medical supply store and picked out a lift chair for Mom, as the one she had, was giving her some trouble. We were home in time for Emma to take a nap. I took Mom with me and we went to Platte so Mom could get a haircut. She was so glad she could get so much accomplished. Friday evening we had a good dinner at Dorothy's house in Platte, as well as her sister Marguerite, and Ken and Margie. We played cards of course.

Saturday I watched Emma in the morning, so Brenda and Joel could take some pictures of old barns and other objects of interest. Brenda's hobby is photography and she recently took an all day class that has given her lots of ideas and confidence in her abilities. At noon K & M son Keith and wife Val and 4 children came for lunch and we had a nice visit with them. Then I went to pick up Mom and we all went to Platte for dinner at the Pizza Ranch. Thanks Joel! That has become a tradition, and Mom loves to get out.

Sunday morning we met Mom at church and sat with her, and then said our good byes there, as she was not sure if the van of ladies that she rides with would be staying for coffee after church. We packed, ate and were on our way home at noon.

The ride to Pella went very well, and it was good to stretch our legs and let Emma run. The weather changed drastically from the low 50's on Saturday to 90 on Sunday. Glad the A/C worked in the car. We had quite a fireworks show about 9:30 as there was constant lightning in the sky. We sat outside to watch. Soon the wind started and it rained for about 10 minutes and then stopped. We were so grateful for being spared the horrible tornadoes that went through the northern part of Iowa earlier in the evening. What devastation.

Monday morning most of us were up very early and once Emma woke up we got on the road by 7 AM.

Weekend Fun

We had a good 'day of rest' and it was very appreciated. We enjoyed the morning service and then had a town meeting to get information for a home for disabled that could possibly be built on our church property.
Immediately following that we had our family group dinner in the church basement. We enjoyed a Mexican taco bar, and it was delicious. We spent a quiet afternoon reading the paper and napping.
This evening we had a great band that played during the worship service. The main guy is a teacher at the school across the parking lot at Ada Vista. Pastor Bruce had the second sermon on prayer about confession.

Yesterday we spent preparing for the 3 couples from our Ada dinner group. We enjoyed a roast beef dinner, with mashed potatoes, cauliflower with white sauce, broccoli salad, and dessert. Then we played ripple, a version of golf played with Skip Bo cards. We always have a great time.

Friday we had a wonderful visit with friends from Lenexa, KS, and they joined us for lunch. Willis has just retired and now is free to vacation and enjoy life! Willis and Jean (Bultje) came to GR to see their son Mike, and his wife and children. It was fun to catch up on our families and other interests. Willis and I were classmates from 1st through 12th grade.

Friday evening we went to the Pops concert at DeVos hall which featured patriotic music and honored President Gerald Ford. It was well done, and we were thankful to friends for giving us their tickets. The seats were some of the best, so it was a real treat.

Tomorrow I will be packing for the trip to SD. Tuesday morning I plan to leave here about 7:30 and go to Byron Center to pick up Brenda, Joel and Emma and head to Iowa for our first stop at brother Glenn and spend the night with them. We are all looking forward to it.

A day in the life...............

The dinner is in the oven (pork chops and baked potatoes) and I feel like taking a break, so will spend a bit of time at the computer. It was a day of many small jobs outside and inside. I did the laundry this morning, and then went outside to wash the front door windows, and the den windows. Then decided the bugs and webs and winter dirt on the front porch area needed to be cleaned off, so got out a bucket of soapy water and the car washing brush and attacked the dirt. Once I had the dirt brushed off I got out the hose to rinse it off. That is the fun part. I got wet and so did the windows I had just washed, so got out the Sparkle and paper towel again, and redid the windows.

The other front door that goes to the laundry room was just as dirty so cleaned that up too and swept the front steps, pulled a few weeds and watered the potted plants. I dug out the gazing ball and stand and washed those off so they can be put out front for a change.

I made a trip to Lowell, to Gary's Country meats and got some sliced ham and salami, and pork chops. Also stopped at Springrove Variety and picked up lots of suet for the birds. Then on to a greenhouse by MacDonald's and got a flat of begonia's to plant in the planters on the deck.

I promised myself I would empty one box a day this week, so took another one down from upstairs, so I can see what treasures await me in that one!!

I also found a couple of song books so I am going to sit at the piano awhile and play a few tunes. I have not done that for some time.

Mother's Day

It was a wonderful day. It is nice to celebrate and honor our mother's, but every day is Mother's Day once you have had a child. The best day is a day when you hear from your child. Today I was especially blessed, because I heard from all four of our children, and wishes from some of their spouses is also such a blessing, as they are very dear to me/us. We had a wonderful lunch at Brenda, Joel & Emma, with Brett, Roxanne, Aidan, Olivia and Regan there as well. Four children and two cats always makes for a fun time.

We had great fellowship with our church family today, as always. Pastor Bruce had wonderful sermons on the Holy Spirit this morning and prayer this evening. It was a rainy day, so I also took a nap that lasted longer than I had planned, but it felt good. Hope I can sleep tonight.

Yesterday was a very busy day here. We started with working at clearing more things out of the garage. Brett and the kids came about 10:30 to pick up the clothes that we had gathered, and also some items from the garage that we no longer needed. That was a big boost for both of us as we have looked at piles of stuff for many months now. Brett volunteers for In The Image, and they had a truck in Ada to receive donations, so he could take our things and put them on the truck.

Everett then planted ground cover east of the house, and then washed the deck with the power washer. I stayed in side and cleaned etc. etc.

I talked to Mom this evening as I do every Wednesday and Sunday, and she had a good day,with calls from Glenn, Phil and me. She is so content at Leisure Living, which is truly a blessing for all of us. She still keeps very busy with reading, handwork, word search, playing games and writing letters and cards, as well as visiting with her sister Leona by phone every day,who is in the nursing home just down the street. They are a blessing to each other. We are so grateful for her clear mind and interest in life, as well as her sense of humor.

We are thankful to brother in law Ken who so kindly went to fix Mom's lift chair ( or electric chair as Phil calls it). It had popped a spring a few weeks ago, and it was in a very upright position which did not allow for very comfortable sitting. Ken promised to fix it as soon as he returned from Seattle, so he showed up yesterday and with in an hour had it working again. Thank you Ken!! Mom was thrilled.

Brunch - Hamburg Fry

What a good day. I did not have to fix any meals today! This morning our Coffee Break class met for a brunch and enjoyed a great time with food and fellowship. There were 10 women, and 5 children there. It was a good way to end the year together. It was a dark cloudy morning, and waited to start raining until we were all ready to leave. Perfect timing!

The rest of the afternoon was spent moving clothes up and down stairs, as I am sorting and moving winter clothes up and summer clothes down. Brett volunteers for In The Image, and they are bringing a truck to Ada on Saturday to collect household items and clothing, so I want to have as much ready to go as possible. They are a wonderful organization, and we collect for them at church once a year also.

As soon as I empty the closet in Brenda's room, I will put most of the stuff in the storage room and then wash out the closet. It still has the dust from the remodeling all over it. Yuck. Maybe I will even find boxes with the kids names on that I can unload on them. They just love that.

At 5:30 we were at church to enjoy the Cadets annual Hamburg Fry. They do a good job, and the food is tasty. We had cole slaw, potato salad, chips and ice cream.

Everett worked on getting a good computer /internet connection in his office, as he plans to be working from that office soon. The equipment is all over the corner in the family room, so now we have to find a way to make it all look neat and not like a spaghetti factory.

Remembering Birthday's

I had finished the last blog when I remembered that I was going to mention our little buddy, Ethan's 7th birthday, which was Sunday, May 4. I am sure he had a fun day, because where ever Ethan is, there is sure to be a big smile and some fun or teasing going on. He is a very dear grandson.

Today was brother Glenn's birthday, and he is 52. We talked to him a bit ago and he had a good day he said. He too is a very dear brother. He has a small farm that he loves, with sheep, who produced a lot of lambs this spring. A llama called Bob that is a watchdog for the sheep. He is a very interesting animal, and takes his job very seriously.They also raise English Springer Spaniel's and right now have 5 of a litter of 7, for sale. They are such cute and sweet tempered dogs. They have cats and a pet dog, and probably some other animals, and I will let you know after we stop in there the 20th of this month. Emma will have a good time checking out all the animals when we get there.

Tomorrow morning our Coffee Break class will have a brunch and fellowship. It has been a very good year, and as always, difficult to see a great class of gals leave. Thankfully many of them will return in the fall and be in one of the other classes.

Everett made great progress in the yard again this evening, so he is happy!

Saturday's Routine

I do not know why our Saturday's have always been a day to WORK! Very seldom do we change our routine to fun, but I have to admit I love to catch up and have everything in order for Sunday. I do not suffer if we decide to take off for a Saturday, but this definitely is a comfortable pattern for us. Everett is out in the yard just enjoying putting down bark in the flower beds, and making the yard look so lovely. He is so happy when he can use his John Deere to do most of the work. It is a beautiful morning, with sun, a little breeze, and cool temperatures. Just perfect.

We are one of the hosts for Hospitality Sunday, and I know of 11 people coming. I have to get some snacks ready and clean the house;which I have been working on.

Last night we had a delightful time with Leah and Doug Hiedema one of the missionary couples we have been supporting from Papua New Guinea. Leah has MS which prompted them to come back to the States, but she is doing better at this time, Praise God, and they would really love to go back for another tour. They are waiting on the Lord to show them His will. Leah has some trouble walking, and uses a walker, but she is very encouraged how diet has helped her to feel so much better. We had dinner together and visited till 10. They are a dear couple.

I better get back to work!