"Superbowl Party" 2014

So last year's 'Superbowl party' was one of my favorite memories of 2013. And I've got to say, though they were very different, this year's 'Superbowl party' is probably going to make the list of favorites from 2014.

After Sunday School yesterday morning, Bro. Nick came in briefly to let the class know that they were going to be having a Superbowl party again this year, after church in the evening. I had wondered, with the youth group having shrunk so, if they were going to do one or not. I was glad to hear it. Last year, basically no one watched the game - everyone spent their time playing games and enjoying being together!

Jaylyn and Jewel are visiting us for a few days, and went to church with us last night. So after church, we went over to the gym and pulled out roller skates and the rip-stick out of the big wooden footlocker, expecting the youth classes to be finishing up soon, and everyone to be coming down to the gym like we did last year.

After the four of us had been 'rolling' around the gym for about 35 minutes and no one had appeared, it suddenly dawned on me that they were probably using the youth room and/or the 'new' game room for the party (there was an unused classroom adjoining the youth room, that Bro. Nick and Lydia have turned into a sort of 'game room' for the young people)! But we were having a great time just the four of us, and realized the party was probably over by this time anyway - and it's always awkward to walk in on the tail end of an event - so we just stayed where we were, deciding to just keep roller skating, and see how the evening unfolded.

In a little while, Julia's mom came down with a practically-empty crock pot of cheese dip, heading to the kitchen to clean it out. When she found us in the gym, dear encouraging soul that she is, she urged us to go on up anyway, get something to eat, and join in the game of Taboo they were into up there. I followed her to the kitchen to help clean the pot, and we got to chat a little while. She told me how Julia's university experience is proving to be pretty difficult, and about a mission trip quilt she and her husband had had made for Julia out of her old mission trip t-shirts. Jaylyn came in, and stood and listened, then Trissy came in and joined the conversation, then Jewel, so we all ended up standing (then sitting) in the kitchen for probably another 30 minutes just visiting with Julia's mom! But she is so sweet and big-hearted - it was nice to get to chat with her for a while!

Eventually we made our way upstairs. Julia's dad was the only one watching the game on a TV in the youth room - the others were all gathered in a rough circle in the game room, involved in an enthusiastic game of Taboo. Except for Joy and Nicole's younger brother, who were playing a football video game in the other half of the room.

Bro. Nick, Law, another girl of the youth group who's graduated but good friends with Abigail, Abigail, a visiting girl, and Piper, made up the two teams (Lydia had had to leave a little earlier to go put their two little girls to bed).

It worked really well as an ice-breaker game. We 'jumped' right in, including Jaylyn and Jewel, and the group got to meet them and they got to meet the group without any of those awkward introductions and now-what-do-I-say-to-be-polite-and-keep-the-conversation-going-? moments. A little later on, Nicole and her husband came to pick up her younger brother to take him home, and ended up staying and playing for a little while! I think everyone had a really great evening - after the four of us got there, we all kept playing until we got through the blue sides of the entire box of cards. We'd mixed up the teams and started on the pink side, when Piper suddenly looked up and asked Bro. Nick half-jokingly, half-seriously how late we could stay before he kicked us out. He chuckled and replied we'd probably have to close down right after 9:30, since it was a school night. Right about that time, Mom called Trissy's cell phone to see where we were - we usually leave the Sunday night college suppers at 9:00, and it was 9:30! We'd completely lost track of time!

Trissy and I spent the night at The Grandparents' (where Jaylyn and Jewel are staying), quietly slipping in the house, getting a snack, making out our beds, and crawling in for the night. Jaylyn and Trissy went to sleep after talking together until probably about 11:00. Jewel and I talked until past 2:00. Yeah, I know, there goes my great sleeping habits. But we had some great discussions, and it was really nice. Now at 8:00 the next morning, after less than five hours of sleep, I'm not sure how well I'll function the rest of the day... :) . But it will be okay - I work a shorter shift at the restaurant today, and then plan to go over to VRCA to help the secretary with paperwork for an hour (registration starts today and she's getting over surgery - there's lots of paperwork, but I always have so much fun helping her!), and the rest of the afternoon can be spent enjoying my cousins and family!

The whole evening I just kept thinking, "Praise God! He is SO good!"

My First Lens

Oh that beautiful golden box :) !

My new lens came last Saturday, and yes, I have been going a little crazy taking pictures with it; and enjoying it tremendously. I absolutely love the auto-focus feature. Many many thanks to the dear friend who loaned me her manual-focus lens until I could buy my own - beginning with a manual-focus lens gave me the same type of valuable learning and patience that learning to drive on a stick-shift did!

[Note: Steering wheel picture courtesy of Piper. Trissy and I had her and Abigail over for a couple of hours Monday afternoon. We played games and had a 'tea party', and Piper fell in love with my "fancy camera". In her words, 'This camera makes anything look amazing!']

Recent Happenings No. 7

Last Tuesday (Oct. 1), after running for our family (or part of it) for roughly 30 years, our refrigerator was replaced. This is a big deal. Maybe a little silly, but still a big deal. That thing ran for Mom for several years before she met and married Dad, and for them and Trissy and me until now. It's just now giving out. They built quality back then. It's like giving up an old friend :( .

Last Wednesday (Oct. 2) night, Uncle Alvin's oldest daughter and her family came down and brought us their chickens to 'babysit'. They are moving, and mom offered for us to keep the chickens until they are settled into the new house they're building. They have some pretty chickens, and they are so friendly too. I guess my cousin and her husband's eight kids have them pretty much used to anything :) .
When Trissy and I came in from church, my cousin's oldest daughter was calmly fixing peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches while the next-to-youngest little boy was sitting sleepy-eyed next to the counter. The adults were out in the night, trying to get a chicken coop and pen put up so they could deposit the chickens and get back to finish up a long list of things before my cousin's husband had to be at work in the morning. The kids were loving our country place (they currently live in the city, and are moving to the country), roaming the yard, playing with Murphy and Jack (our two cats), trying out our small basketball court, the older boys helping with the chickens. I know my cousin and her husband have taught and trained their kids well, but I was still so impressed to walk into the house (tired and, I admit ashamedly, rather cross and irritable) and find the oldest little girl calmly making everybody supper. And soon the baby was brought in for her to look after, so my cousin could help with the construction of the chicken pen. She deftly hoisted him to her back, and there he clung like a baby opposum, while she supported him with one hand and continued making sandwiches with the other. Her responsibility and calm just impressed me so much, and warmed my heart in a way I can't explain!

I snapped these pictures of a few of their chickens yesterday morning when I went out to feed them.

Wednesday (Oct. 9) afternoon we had Joy over for a little while. Wednesday is not the best day to have 'the girls', because they (at least Joy and Lela - Abigail and Piper are a little more flexible since they are home-schooled) have school 'til 3:00 and then we have church at 6:30, even if we cancel Piper's 5:00 piano lesson and Joy's and my 5:35-ish discipleship session. But Wednesday was the only day I had off work this week, and we've been wanting to have the girls come over for quite a while, so we worked hard, got the house clean, and invited them. Turns out, Joy ended up being the only one who was able to come (Trissy and I picked her up from school, then took her with us when we went to the church). Mrs. S's mother was to have surgery the next day and Abigail and Piper were going with her, and they had packing to do. So Joy came and we had a short, nice, afternoon. We made and ate corn dog muffins (only we put two 'dogs' in them, side by side, and called them "pig noses" instead!), and Mom played a game of Rummikub with us. Joy had never played but caught on quickly. We finished the game and the muffins right about time to leave for me to get to the church for Piper's piano lesson. It was a quick but very refreshing, enjoyable, and fun afternoon treat with a dear friend.

Thursday afternoon when I came in from a long day of work, Mom and Trissy had hot tea waiting for me in a china cup, and some of Mom's hoarded 'French Vanilla' creamer in a small matching pitcher (Trissy took the photo below, of her tea. She was working on some project in the sewing room).

Thursday night I stayed up late updating/preparing/working on the 365 photo blog I hope to start the first of 2014. I'm enjoying my new Nikon so much. I'm already taking lots of pictures, so set up a page for some of my favorites before the "365" challenge actually starts. The blog still has tweaking and work to be done (for instance, I'm not sure I'll keep that title... But I've got a couple more months to think about it.), but I feel very happy with the beginning results.

Biscuits and gravy last night for supper at The Grandparents'. The Grandmother's biscuits and gravy are still the best, and Friday evening is a special treat - the six of us together for a bonafide Southern home-cooked supper, and usually a movie or game or reading out loud afterwards until bed time. So thankful for these times together.

Today is, I am afraid, one of the last flip-flop days of summer. The weather is getting cooler and is so beautiful. Fall is, hands down, the most wonderful season. I'm lovin' it.
And yes, I do wear mis-matched flip-flops around the house.

I had a little free time today, and a burst of inspiration, and pulled out my things to make some more reversible flag pendants. The academy is going to be doing a "Fall Festival" fundraiser in the old part of town near the end of the month. They are renting booth spaces to craft and food sellers, and I'm thinking about renting half a booth with Niclole and her mom.

Yesterday as I left work at the restaurant, I stopped at the vacant lot next door where a family was having a yard sale. They've had about three during the time I've been working at the restaurant, and I always go over and see if they have any books. When I walked up this time, one of the ladies said with a smile, 'There's a box of books over there. They came from my husband's aunt though, and some of them look a little strange.' As I knelt and looked through them, one of the little girls (there was a whole passle of cute kids playing in the tall grass behind the lot - this one was probably about seven years old) bent down to me and asked, 'Do you want some lemonade?'
"Well, how much is it?" I asked.
She answered shyly, "Fifty cents."
'Fifty cents. Then yes, I'll take some lemonade!' I've always been charmed by the fact that there are still kids who do the old-fashioned lemonade stands, and I couldn't turn down this sweet little cutie. I chose two books - "Heidi", an old classic, and another old one that looked promising - and as I paid for them, she came back and handed me a sturdy plastic cup full of icey lemonade. And it was some of the best lemonade I think I've ever tasted!

{Note: I considered it quite providential that Jewel had just loaned me an old book called "Penrod: His Complete Story" which, so far (I just started it this morning), has proven to be quite well-written and very entertaining! The book I bought from the yard sale was not good, and left 'a bad taste in my mouth', so to speak, though I only skimmed it.}

Blueberry jelly :) . The end.