Happenings

I used to dream about how much time I'd have when my children were grown.  I'd sew and read and blog and and volunteer and wonder what to do with my time!  Ha!  When your husband is in ministry and your grown children and grandchildren live nearby (one still at home, which is great by me--she has legitimate reasons), you're as busy as ever, just with different things . . . or maybe not so different after all.  Here are some highlights of what I've been up to for the past month:

Hospitality--This academic year we've been engaged in a lot of hospitality related to Wittenberg Door.  We have hosted as many as twenty-five people at once and we've had people from all over the world--China, Haiti, Brazil, Japan, Jordan . . .  Most recently, friends from China (mother and son) came for dinner and to fish in our pond.  We have made some great friends and hopefully pointed some people to Christ.

Grandparenting--Elizabeth spent several weeks in Latvia and Lithuania during April and May ministering to at-risk teens.  This is an on-going ministry that her entire family engages in in various ways.  Sometimes, it involves us too since there is much practical support needed here at home while she is away.  My part involves extra childcare and grandmother duty (with assistance from Dave and Hannah, of course).  It's my joy, but it's also exhausting!  There's a reason God gives children to young adults!  We had two sleepovers, made Mother's Day gifts, played in the hose, cooked, read lots of books, worked in the garden, went fishing in our pond, took trips to library, grocery store, nearby state park, nursery, and family fun center (which is not so fun for adults but the kids love it!).  Some highlights:

Plant picks for Mother's Day!

Gardening--Spring was so late this year everything is behind by two weeks!  My pansies have usually been done in by the heat by now, but they are still going strong.  We finally managed to get the vegetable garden put in and spruce up the flower bed, however late.

The veggie garden has tomatoes, cabbage, spaghetti squash, cucumbers, and green beans.  There is still a little space left, so I'm going to pick up some herbs next time I'm shopping.  Though it looks rather empty now, we know from experience that the plants will fill out and be quite crowded.  I took this picture through the fence:

The bucket is for throwing random rocks in.  Dave tilled deeper this year and brought a lot of rocks to the surface, so every time I'm out there, I pick up whatever rocks I see and toss them in.  The bucket is almost full, plus each corner of the fence has a pile to keep critters out.  Keeping them out is an ongoing battle here!

Though every year I add a couple perennials to the flower bed, I planted a lot more of them this year.  The allium bulbs I planted three years ago started out as six, but they have increased to eleven flower-producing bulbs.  I love love LOVE these and look forward to them every May.

They look like something from Dr. Seuss!

Blooming wild on our property are coreopsis and daisies.  Love!

House--There is a screened-in porch off our bedroom that needed some attention if we were ever going to use it consistently.  Before it was sparsely and uncomfortably furnished and just needed some TLC.  So I finally gave it the TLC it needed, rearranged the furniture (including adding some pieces and taking some away), and bought cushions for the metal chairs.  There is still more I want to do, but it's soooooo much better now!  In fact, I'm sitting on it while I write.  It's shady and cool and so pleasant!