As I sat on the floor next to the bathtub, reaching in and pouring water into and out of little plastic cups, while Little Guy played, my mind went back to the first time I saw this room.
On day three of our 3-day second date (when I stayed in a friend's guestroom & Jim camped out in his sister's den 25 miles away), we took a day trip about an hour and a half away.
We have fond memories of our lunch by the window of a lakeside restaurant and our walk along the shoreline and our drive down a scenic byway. For our last stop, before he dropped me off at my friend's, we pulled up to a small, white, one-story home on a tree-lined street. The car outside indicated that his parents were there. His mom (?eagerly?) greeted us at the door of a 19' x 17' room with picture windows, where we sat and visited with his parents and longtime family friends.
The two couples were at the house for a few days' vacation, continuing a tradition that Jim's mother had been part of for eight decades ... and Jim for his whole life.
Besides being my introduction to Jim's parents, it was also my introduction to what would become our frequent getaway spot. And now Little Guy is well into his second summer of enjoying frequent weekends there.
Breezes blowing in the open windows ...
... freedom from central air ...
... the whir of the box fans ...
... looking out the picture windows, watching the dogs and bicycles and lawnmowers and strollers go by ...
... blowing bubbles and running back and forth on the back deck that is almost the length of the house.
It's a treat to have a rustic place to make memories year after year ~ memories he can share with his dad ~ who shares them with his mother!
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Summer
My ideal summer ....
... sitting outside in the early evening eating frozen yogurt ...
... standing in the front yard with neighbors while we watch 5 toddlers/ preschoolers from 3 families play ...
... furiouslyinhaling reading books for the summer reading program at the library ...
... water ... swim lessons ...water table ... beach at the lake ... watching boats on the river ...
... road construction ... (a necessary evil)
... taking trips ...
... overnight company as friends & relatives take trips that take them to or through our town ...
... strawberries, blueberries, melon! ...
... cousins playing together ...
NOT my ideal summer ...
... high electric bills because the sump pump has run non-stop since whenever the rains started (which was definitely more than 40 days and 40 nights ago!) ...
... watching farm kids swim in a corn field ...
... seeing a picture of a farmer jet-skiing in his corn field ...
... mosquitoes who love the water ...
... ear problems, root canals, and friends with cancer ...
... sitting outside in the early evening eating frozen yogurt ...
... standing in the front yard with neighbors while we watch 5 toddlers/ preschoolers from 3 families play ...
... furiously
... water ... swim lessons ...water table ... beach at the lake ... watching boats on the river ...
... road construction ... (a necessary evil)
... taking trips ...
... overnight company as friends & relatives take trips that take them to or through our town ...
... strawberries, blueberries, melon! ...
... cousins playing together ...
NOT my ideal summer ...
... high electric bills because the sump pump has run non-stop since whenever the rains started (which was definitely more than 40 days and 40 nights ago!) ...
... watching farm kids swim in a corn field ...
... seeing a picture of a farmer jet-skiing in his corn field ...
... mosquitoes who love the water ...
... ear problems, root canals, and friends with cancer ...
Monday, July 13, 2015
The Long Hallway
When we first visited the church we now call home, I found it interesting that the announcement time often included remarks such as, "You can find more information on the table in The Long Hallway."
The Long Hallway is indeed long. It goes from the gym (which is the main parking lot entrance/exit) to the sanctuary, with the classroom space situated on one side of The Long Hallway. One side of The Long Hallway is lined with windows, and the other with narrow tables covered in floor-length black tablecloths like one might see used in an exhibit hall.
The Long Hallway includes tables for Women's Ministry, Children's Ministry, Evangelistic Materials, Adopt-a-School, and whatever other special events are coming up, e.g., sign-ups for Summer Book Discussion, tags for Angel Tree, drop-off for Foster Child Backpacks, etc.
Once in a great while, the Adult Bible Fellowship (Sunday School) class I attend has a time when each person introduces himself. Many of us said things like, "I'm so-and-so, and my husband (or wife) is with the 3rd graders (or pre-schoolers) this hour." One man said, "... and my wife is doing her Hallway Ministry." Indeed, The Long Hallway is the place to run into people!
The nursery area is on the opposite side of the sanctuary from The Long Hallway. In the name of efficiency, we often exit through the door right by the nursery, thereby skipping The (crowded) Long Hallway. But efficiency has a cost, and so recently, in order to take every opportunity for community, we have been exiting via The Long Hallway.
To be sure, it takes time, but Little Guy loves The Long Hallway because: one - it's like a runway where he literally RUNS to the gym, and two - it leads to the gym where he can run around with the big kids and call out, "Ball! Ball! Ball!" I like exiting via The Long Hallway because it's the only time that our church family (other than nursery workers) sees Little Guy & thus sees us as a threesome.
Just yesterday, while Jim was speaking for The Gideons at another church, Little Guy and I walked/ran down The Long Hallway. We had snippets of conversation with various people, and one young grandpa stopped to play games with him like he does with his grandkids. As I stood in the middle of the gym, while he ran circles around me, I mentioned to another parent who was doing the same thing, "We're running off energy." He totally understood.
The Long Hallway is indeed long. It goes from the gym (which is the main parking lot entrance/exit) to the sanctuary, with the classroom space situated on one side of The Long Hallway. One side of The Long Hallway is lined with windows, and the other with narrow tables covered in floor-length black tablecloths like one might see used in an exhibit hall.
The Long Hallway includes tables for Women's Ministry, Children's Ministry, Evangelistic Materials, Adopt-a-School, and whatever other special events are coming up, e.g., sign-ups for Summer Book Discussion, tags for Angel Tree, drop-off for Foster Child Backpacks, etc.
Once in a great while, the Adult Bible Fellowship (Sunday School) class I attend has a time when each person introduces himself. Many of us said things like, "I'm so-and-so, and my husband (or wife) is with the 3rd graders (or pre-schoolers) this hour." One man said, "... and my wife is doing her Hallway Ministry." Indeed, The Long Hallway is the place to run into people!
The nursery area is on the opposite side of the sanctuary from The Long Hallway. In the name of efficiency, we often exit through the door right by the nursery, thereby skipping The (crowded) Long Hallway. But efficiency has a cost, and so recently, in order to take every opportunity for community, we have been exiting via The Long Hallway.
To be sure, it takes time, but Little Guy loves The Long Hallway because: one - it's like a runway where he literally RUNS to the gym, and two - it leads to the gym where he can run around with the big kids and call out, "Ball! Ball! Ball!" I like exiting via The Long Hallway because it's the only time that our church family (other than nursery workers) sees Little Guy & thus sees us as a threesome.
Just yesterday, while Jim was speaking for The Gideons at another church, Little Guy and I walked/ran down The Long Hallway. We had snippets of conversation with various people, and one young grandpa stopped to play games with him like he does with his grandkids. As I stood in the middle of the gym, while he ran circles around me, I mentioned to another parent who was doing the same thing, "We're running off energy." He totally understood.
Saturday, July 11, 2015
Today's Books
Three more weeks of summer reading program at the library. Two more books to read before Little Guy reaches 90 & can have his name entered in the drawing (for what, I do not know). Today the librarian mentioned that this rainy summer has been good for the summer reading program. :)
Today's books we read are:
Harvest by Kris Waldherr
Except for thanking the Earth for giving us food (rather than acknowledging God as the Giver of all good gifts & creator & sustainer of the earth), and the simplistic idea that harvest happens all in one day, I liked the story and loved the illustrations.
Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback
I liked the moral ... keep using what you have ... and Little Guy liked the cut-outs in the pages! A win-win!
Summertime in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
How can you go wrong with Little House?! This was the first one we have read, and it was just the experience I wanted. The length was just right. The story is gentle. And Little Guy was enamored with the illustrations.
Prayer for a Child by Rachel Field
Found when I grabbed a bunch of books off the Caldecott shelf, this is an illustrated prayer. We have lots of "My First Prayer" books, but this is nice to have a 2-page spread to illustrate each line or so.
The Happy Day by Ruth Krauss
I was surprised Little Guy liked this as much as he did, since it's 99.9% black & white illustrations. But he loves bears, so that grabbed his attention. And the story is obviously written in a way that appeals to the younger set, thus the Caldecott award.
Summer Reading Program has been just the impetus I needed to graduate us from 100% board books to mostly picture books. We've also used the library a lot more, as opposed to only using it for interlibrary loan requests of board books I hear about.
We've also been reading Crash, Bang, Boom by Peter Spier. I can't really count it on our library log, though, because there is no way we have read every sound in the book! If you haven't read it, check it out!
Today's books we read are:
Harvest by Kris Waldherr
Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback
I liked the moral ... keep using what you have ... and Little Guy liked the cut-outs in the pages! A win-win!
Summertime in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
How can you go wrong with Little House?! This was the first one we have read, and it was just the experience I wanted. The length was just right. The story is gentle. And Little Guy was enamored with the illustrations.
Prayer for a Child by Rachel Field
Found when I grabbed a bunch of books off the Caldecott shelf, this is an illustrated prayer. We have lots of "My First Prayer" books, but this is nice to have a 2-page spread to illustrate each line or so.
The Happy Day by Ruth Krauss
I was surprised Little Guy liked this as much as he did, since it's 99.9% black & white illustrations. But he loves bears, so that grabbed his attention. And the story is obviously written in a way that appeals to the younger set, thus the Caldecott award.
Summer Reading Program has been just the impetus I needed to graduate us from 100% board books to mostly picture books. We've also used the library a lot more, as opposed to only using it for interlibrary loan requests of board books I hear about.
We've also been reading Crash, Bang, Boom by Peter Spier. I can't really count it on our library log, though, because there is no way we have read every sound in the book! If you haven't read it, check it out!
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
1000 Gifts ~ Vol. 4, #97
981. fireworks over the lake
982. a friendly rescue squad that flushed sand out of my eye, while I was waiting for said fireworks
983. relaxing early morning alone time at a coffee shop alone while on vacation
984. a generous husband who makes sure I have those two hours
985. God's faithfulness to my in-laws for 60 years of keeping their vows
986. standing in the front of the church where the vows were taken 60 years ago, singing "Blessed Assurance," and praying
987. standing on the sidewalk in front of a family home, listening to the reminiscing
988. standing in a cemetery singing the Doxology and praying, remembering the life & faith of those gone on before us
989. the holy moment when we drove to the bank to get yet another form notarized, in hope that some time in the next year God might add another child to our family
990. the holy moment standing at the FedEx counter in the hardware, sending that notarized form on its way to the people who pray for the children they match with families
982. a friendly rescue squad that flushed sand out of my eye, while I was waiting for said fireworks
983. relaxing early morning alone time at a coffee shop alone while on vacation
984. a generous husband who makes sure I have those two hours
985. God's faithfulness to my in-laws for 60 years of keeping their vows
986. standing in the front of the church where the vows were taken 60 years ago, singing "Blessed Assurance," and praying
987. standing on the sidewalk in front of a family home, listening to the reminiscing
988. standing in a cemetery singing the Doxology and praying, remembering the life & faith of those gone on before us
989. the holy moment when we drove to the bank to get yet another form notarized, in hope that some time in the next year God might add another child to our family
990. the holy moment standing at the FedEx counter in the hardware, sending that notarized form on its way to the people who pray for the children they match with families
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