What do April Snows Bring?

Bob and Bob Jr.

My sister and her family visited for the weekend. We celebrated her birthday with donuts, a long walk in the glorious sunshine, birthday cake, lots of talk, and loads of fun.

The Jabberwock was our hero. He kept the littlest cousin occupied and happy all weekend. For some unknown reason they called each other "Bob" and it stuck. So here they are.....Bob and Bob Jr.

Donuts to go with coffee and company.

Coffee Roasting 101

We're trying something new these days.....roasting our own coffee!

Start with a the Fresh Roast plus 8 and
a 4lb. sampler of green beans from Sweet Maria's.

Roast your green beans for approx. 7 minutes,
watching carefully so as not to set your kitchen on fire.

Voila! Fresh beans ready for your grinder.

There's really nothing that can quite compare to freshly roasted coffee. And, green beans are less expensive! I hope to recover the cost of my roaster within a couple of months.

P.S.

I love Skype!

I was able to spend a wonderful half hour chatting with my Autumn Rain this morning, all for free. All is well for her in Germany. She's glad she tossed in her scarf and gloves to her last minute packing.....guess it's a bit chilly still. Her dorm is fairly quiet. She's studying hard. And she loves public transit.

I loved hearing her voice and knowing in real time that she is safe.

Words To Hold Fast

Galatians 6:9
"And let us not grow weary while doing good,
for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart."

This spring is causing growth in my life. Some growth is uncomfortable while other aspects are downright painful.

On one hand I'm needing to let go as my children grow up and discover their independence. Whether it's heading off to study in Germany or spending long days at our local campus, I have to take my hands off and know they are safely in the Father's hands, a much safer place to be! But on the other hand there is the need to rein in and corral the one who is wanting more freedom than his maturity level grants.

It's a weary struggle, both letting go and holding fast, but it is the "doing good" that I need to do in this season of my life.

Just So You Know

The Autumn Rain arrived safely in Germany. Never was a phone call so welcome at 1:45 a.m.!
I'm hoping she's had a good night of sleep and will soon be waking to her first day of German classes.

Happy Birthday, Techno Son!

Techno Son and Co.

17 is here already! Wasn't it your birthday yesterday? I was sure you just had one and one and one.... The years keep rolling on.

Here's to a fun filled one!!!!!

Go with God, my precious Autumn Rain!

We're going to miss you!




Looks like you're good to go.

A piece of my heart has flown away. 15 weeks! Her grand adventure has begun. I'll be waiting for that 2 a.m. phone call telling me she's arrived, safe and sound.

My Crazy Girls

It Really is Spring

Winter's Final Word

SNOW!

Turning Twenty

Happy Birthday, Autumn Rain

I was 20 when we welcomed the Autumn Rain into our lives, the very beginning of our beautiful family. Now she's turning 20 herself! Once again, I pause to wonder where those years have flown.

Years so full of dreams and big ideas. Years so full of stories and song. Years so full of love and learning. Wonderful years of being mom to my little girl.

Now she's grown up and ready to explore the world on her own. Come Monday she'll board a plane and fly away for her adventure in Germany. I won't know when she goes to bed at time or if she made it to class safely. I won't know who she'll be spending her free time with or when she plans to be home. But a lovely and responsible young lady has replaced my little girl and I know that she's going to be just fine.

For today we'll celebrate. In fact we've already begun with the trombone "Happy Birthday" greeting. We'll spend the afternoon enjoying the art museum and come home to savor Williamsburg Orange Cake and open gifts. And we'll ignore the fact that Monday is only 4 days away.

Celebrating Easter on Sunrise Lane

Spring?

That's a hard one to get a hold of!
It doesn't look like spring.....too many grey clouds.
It doesn't feel like spring....too cold.
I'd venture to say it doesn't even smell like spring.

But that's okay, I like the rain...most of the time.
Our furnace works very well.
I have a closet full of sweaters to pull on.

Light some candles, make some tea.
We'll give winter a few more weeks to linger.

Always Faithful

A Company of Good Friends

I'm pressing the rewind button with this post. Back we go to the week before we were broadsided with last week's loss.

We have been blessed with many good friends over the years. One of these friends stopped in with a bit of California sunshine to brighten our Oregon days. Some call him The Penguin Boy, we call him cousin. Nobody can have too many cousins....we know, we have 57!

Thanks for the laughter, music, and dancing. Thanks for putting smiles on these faces.

Ladybird and Annie

A Time To Weep

We had high hopes for this new month as we turned the calendar page on Saturday. February had been hard and we were ready for a fresh start.

Three weeks ago today I was comforting my daughter as she mourned the loss of her classmate, her friend. I couldn't really ease her pain, all I could do was hold her while she cried and tried to make some sense of this young life cut short.

Today it's my turn to weep. The Lord chose to take my friend Annie home last night. My heart is heavy with sorrow. If we could only understand the ways of God. Why, God? Annie was so young and has young children who depend on her, a husband who loves her and will be empty without her there. Young moms shouldn't die from pneumonia.

This morning I held my younger daughters and wept with them, Annie touched their lives in a special way and they are grieving too. Life holds too many questions that will never be answered. Some days are just too hard to bear.