I Just Might Be Losing It....

Never mind the fact that I cleaned my kitchen until,

well, lets just say late, 

last night....

And then I was up at six

this morning attacking the 

tub and shower 

with nauseatingly strong cleaner

points to one of two 

things....

either the baby is due any minute,

or ...

and this is the most likely one....
given that hysterectomy a few years back...

I have had enough!

Enough of the mess.

I can turn a blind eye for way longer

than most....

but it is always there.

That monkey on my shoulder.

But then I saw this.

And I totally lost it in mirth.

A new decor.

Making a mental note to ask if anyone actually uses that Old Spice.

Sure to be a fad!

A beautiful razor holder!!

Gasp!  

I never thought it could be functional too!!

LOL

Isn't this what you put candle holders out

there for?

The fact that I found this blogworthy 

at all should give you cause for 

concern.

But, never fear....

I'm way more fun this way!!

Just ask my kids.

Outdoor Blogger Meet

An Outdoor Wednesday Post hosted
by Susan at A Southern Daydreamer.
Thank You, Susan!!
I do hope you'll stop by her blog
and see more great links having to
with anything outdoors.


I post so many photos from Longwood
Gardens that I should be on staff.
Some fellow bloggers had commented
that they would love to visit the
Gardens but hadn't been there in years.

I talked to Mrs. Rabe and Kelly about
organizing a meet.

They were in favor...and so it began.

Sadly, when the time drew closer Kelly
was unable to join us but now she can
...in a virtual way.

Others of you were with us in spirit,
which might have been nice for you
given the weather.



This was the sight that welcomed us.
We were driving through the clouds...
with a mist that was constant.

We wondered briefly how we might
recognize each other but...

It turned out to be no problem
since I have posted recent pictures of
Chelsea and Warren on my blog.

JD, Jim and Karen found us.

Mrs. Rabe, Lindsay, Emily, Rachel
and Kyle soon joined us and we were off!

Jim and Karen with their cameras at the ready...


We talked and laughed our way
through all of this beauty...




































The five bloggers present tried to pose
but it was so wet and we were so busy
getting to know each other that I don't
think we have one photo of all of us where
no one is talking.
Here you see
Mrs Rabe from Creekside Cottage.
My daughter Chelsea who writes Its About Friends.
I am in PINK.
JD from Ribbon Challenged.
Karen from Nittany Inspirations.



The guys complained at us just a bit
as they attempted to get a decent photo.
Sorry men!
Not going to happen!




Mrs. Rabe had to leave first.
This made Chelsea sad since
the girls are all such
dear friends.
But the idea of lunch
cheered her up.

It was at lunch that
Karen and I discovered that she
knows my brother and his wife.
She was at their wedding.
Small world!!!



It was delightful to meet these
wonderful people.
We are beginning talks about
another "meet" next year.

Hope that works out!

Thanks for checking out the
fun we enjoyed.

♥♥Becky K.♥♥

Rocketry on the Church Web Site

For a couple of months we have been
working on a fun project for the church
web site.

Rocketry....

Silliness and then photos of us actually
having a great time launching rockets
together.

I hope you'll take a minute to check this
out. It was both harder and easier than I
thought it would be. Easier because my friend
B. actually manipulated the silly photos so
I didn't have to take a crash course on
Photoshop. Harder because of all of the
hyperlinking and changing around of the order
of the photos over the time we were working on it.

Here you go...click the Launch button!

♥♥Becky K.♥♥

On Growing Up...

This was Chelsea last year with one of her leaf
piles.



Chelsea this year...

She is growing up!

I stopped for a few minutes this morning
to remember what it was I loved about Fall
when I was a child.

If I close my eyes I can still smell the
fall in the air as my brother and I, rakes
in grubby hands, ran across the road to a
perfect place. It was a row of maple trees.
Large trees. These put down many leaves over
a large area. I can see us taking those rakes
and making extravagant pathways through the
leaves. We would run these pathways, laughing
and giggling until our legs would fall out from
under us...

Those were the days.

I remember when it was fun to make little leaf
piles alongside the road and burn the impertinent
little things. So often they resisted this by
issuing great billows of smoke. Just perfect for
pretending to send smoke signals.

Today, I am grown. I would love to go out and
play in the leaves. Unfortunately, it has been
rainy and we must wait for the leaves to dry out
before attempting to gather and burn them.

Ah, but when we do...the sweet smell of Fall will
tickle our noses with delight. First that sweet
smell of the leaves themselves and then the
gentle smell of the smoke as they burn.

I am still that little girl who enjoyed making
patterns in the leaves. I just have to work
a little harder to take the time!

Enjoy the day wherever you are and take a
little time for you today!

Love,
Becky K.

Fall Fest!

Creekside Cottage was the host
for our First Annual Church
Fall Fest.

New church...new traditions!

It was so much fun!

Now, I have to say that with two
of my best homeschooling friends,
and their families, now attending
the church, I have been a bit uptight.

I guess there is a fear that combining
these two worlds could lead to stress
or problems in one or the other.

I am finally beginning to breathe a bit
easier and it is just so fun to be with
these gals and their families in a worship
and fellowship setting.

The new families that we are getting to
know just fit in so well. I love Kelly, Duane
and their boys, and could not have hand
picked a better suiting family for the church.
Kelly is a worker bee and has already lifted my
load considerably!

There are others but they are not in this blog
world yet so I will leave it that it is wonderful
to see the growth in our church that is so
obviously orchestrated by the Lord.
He IS good!
His Mercies are new every day!

Anyway, back to last night...Mrs. Rabe will have
better pictures but here is one that Warren
snapped while we were at the campfire...as you
can see, especially if you click on the picture,
there were hot dogs being prepared...



Those are the Moms, Warren's and Mine, doing some "cooking" here.
They are sharing the fire with Mr. Rabe...who made this fire.
It was great...although it seemed to have it in for a few people
who had to keep moving to stay away from the smoke.

You should have seen some of the burnt offerings that the kids made...
"Yummy!"...she says with a disturbed look on her face...

Mrs. Rabe got some really fun shots of the kids bobbing for apples.
I am very sure she will share.

The weather was just perfect and the skies were clear for
the astronomers among us. The huge telescope came out
and I was shown a smudge that was "something"...If I had
been paying more attention I could tell you what it was
more than something about Andromeda.

Warren got these couple of scary pictures...




and these fun ones of the two Emily's.



It is one of the best things about a family integrated church...
being there to watch your kids interact.
To enjoy their fellowship with each other.
To learn and grow together.

I made a dip that I found on Lisa's Cranberry Flats Blog.
This is a link!
It was a hit!
So awesome!
The best part...it is easy and quick.

My day yesterday was crazy and I was thankful
to be able to pull off a hot dish!
Thanks Lisa!

Well, I will be a nervous wreck today as
Warren and Mikey are going on a bit of a
dirt bike adventure about two hours away.

Yikes!

I hope all of their bones stay intact and
that all goes well.

Peace...calm...Romans 8:28....Peace...

I'll be kept busy running Jonathan and Chelsea to
work at different hours, practicing music, making the
bulletin and cleaning up around here.

Blessings on your weekend!

Becky K.

Time with Miss Paula

A highlight of this week has been getting to spend time with Miss Paula, of Gathering of Friends. It is so easy to just chat away. Sometimes it feels like I have known her for a long time. I guess in a way I have, through the blog.

Monday we went to Longwood, as I told you.

Thursday Paula and her dear MIL, Phyllis, joined Myself, Chelsea and my MIL, Georgia at a local family restaurant called C.R. Lapps. It was a very good time. I have really enjoyed getting to know Phyllis at our weekly bowling challenges and am claiming her as a member of my family. Chelsea is always so excited to see her too.
It was Grandma Phyllis who hosted the surprise Birthday Party for Chelsea in July. She scored really big points for that!

Anyway, here are some of the pictures Chelsea and I took at our little luncheon.

Miss Paula...I tried to take an interesting camera angle and got a great shot of her glass and the ceiling. But she is pretty, right?


Georgia, you can't tell that she is saying.."Noooo"....




Chelsea spilled her full glass of water and was not amused. Poor kid.
I was just glad it was water.


Grandma Phyllis and I solving the world's problems.
So have no fear...we are here!
I can't get over how serious we look...




It was fun.

Paula and I both enjoyed the salad featured that day. It was huge! A bowl of mixed greens with toffee cashews, craisins, cheddar cheese, and cherry tomatoes as toppers. It was a great combination. We both agreed that we loved it.

Well, as usual Saturday is a busy day around here. Sunday is just around the corner and there is music to prepare, the church to "ready", and kids to take to their various jobs. So I am off.

Have a great Day!

Becky K.

Treasured Day with Family

When Warren and I were married there was one couple who were our best friends, bar none. Tim and Lee were it. Warren and Tim had grown up together and it was only by the Grace of God that both guys married crazy women who absolutely read each other's minds and got along so well. So many times you hear about best friends whose friendship goes in the tank when they get married. Not so in this case.

We lived in different parts of the state of Pa, however, before long we had all migrated to York County where we spent some great years as best of friends. We had our children at the same time and joined together to torment Tim's younger brother and his fiance as they got married by making a video for their reception. That was a true adventure that even sent Jonathan to the doctor as he got burned on a spot light. Explaining that one to the pediatrician was not fun.
But the video was hysterical!!!

In the Spring of 1993 there was a huge blizzard. We lived in a house that had only electric heat so we piled our little family into our four wheel drive truck and drove the few miles to Tim and Lee's house, (they had a wood stove), where we got snowed in for three days. It was crazy. If we had stayed at home we would have been out the next day. Tim and Lee lived on a culdesack and it took days to get plowed out. Memories...many, many memories.

Finally, Warren and I moved to Centre County, PA and before we knew it Tim and Lee had moved to Florida. Might as well be the other side of the planet for all we hear from each other...but the love and friendship continues and it is so sweet when we occasionally get together. The kids all act like they have just seen each other last week. A lovely thing, really!

This was some of the fun we had with these cousins today...

Lunch at Shady Maple Smorgasbord. Yum! Today was Tim's birthday so he got to eat free. This is a picture of Tim and Warren in the gift shop talking away as they wait patiently for the rest of us to wrap up the shopping.


So serious, aren't they?

We then brought them through the winding back roads and past a gazillion Amish farms to our stomping grounds in Southern Lancaster County. We enjoyed a much appreciated time of conversation and then before we knew it they had to head on out. As everyone prepared to leave it occurred to us that we needed to get some pictures of these kids as they are growing up and even some of us as we...oh I might as well say it...are growing too...just differently!

The second cousins...




Lee...being goofy.


Tim's parents...Jim and Betty! Love them!!!

The next generation of silliness among cousins.

It was a great day.


Last but not least let me introduce you to this man...

I do not know who he is...

Just let me say that if you go to a smorgasbord
and fall asleep in a chair anywhere near me you
are in danger of becoming "Uncle Bill" for the sake
of a picture.
You should have seen that shock and
amazement from the entire family as I just announced
that I was going to take a picture of "Uncle Bill" and
snapped this, while the others were asking, "Who is Uncle Bill?".
I thought my Mom was going to die of
embarrassment... or of laughing too hard.
Lee wanted to
get her picture taken with the sleeping "Uncle Bill"
...however he stirred when my
flash went off. Good thing too.
I didn't think he was looking too good
and was glad he was still in the land
of the living!!!
The best response came from the teens. They were amazed
that their mothers would behave in so shocking a manner.

What???

It is probably for the best that I am in PA and
Lee is in Florida most of the time. Better for
those around us, anyway...

So, as you can see we had a full and fun day.

I will go to sleep now and will be busily making
portfolios tomorrow. Back to the land of responsibility
and of being a grown-up. Sigh...I'll be back when that chore is
done...blessings!

Making plans!

While it is a ways off we are making plans for a trip out to Colorado and Arizona for sometime in the Fall. It is exciting and challenging to make plans for our immediate family plus two Moms. We all have different ideas of what we would like to see and do while we are there.

Then there is the fact that it is actually cheapest to fly.

I don't fly!

My family tells me that I have been afraid of planes,
even overhead,
since I was at least 2. I would hide under the bed when they went
over...so they tell me.

So...that makes it all the more interesting that I am even
contemplating flying. I wonder if there are enough medications in the world to keep me from having a panic attack and being carried off of the plane and to the jail or nut house???

Yesterday, the Moms and I spent most of the day creating a train schedule that shaved many hours off the trip, compared to driving, and had us sleeping a majority of those hours. Our awake times would be daytimes in cities where we would change trains and spend a few hours sightseeing.

But...when I shared this with Warren...out in Missouri, working...he showed me the fallacy of my ways...Ha! We will see!

Initially, we had planned to purchase or rent an RV to take all of us out there. Then I began to picture us stranded in a corn field....or the engine blowing up on the way to Pike's Peak.

Neither is a fun image.

So...I'll keep you posted on the plans.

Should be fun...I think!

Matilda Retires!

Warren got in safely from Missouri yesterday afternoon while the kids and I were at Co-op. He was able to get onto an earlier flight since there was a big winter storm headed that way. It was good that he did that and was able to get a little bit of rest before the family descended on him.

I realized how much I had missed him when I saw him. I think that we can block out certain emotions for a period of time when they are too hard. So, I kept busy while he was gone for nearly two weeks and am so thankful for his return.

While Warren was gone his mother, Georgia, was on a cruise through the Panama Canal. She will be home today and just called from Florida to say they have safely returned. We had heard nothing while she was gone. It is good to know that she is safe and happy.

Co-op was crazy yesterday! The kids were dumbstruck by my costume. Some boys actually said I was scary. My helper, Bev, played her part so well and we had fun!
There were pictures taken by the yearbook editor...they had better not show up in the yearbook! I looked absolutely terrible. Sooo much makeup and my big pink robe!
Since the class was on Opera and classical singing, I closed the class by singing "The Lord's Prayer" Acapella. It must have been hard to take me seriously in all of that makeup because bless their hearts some of the boys up front were really laughing and I could tell they wanted to stop...at least a couple of them were trying to stop.

My other helper asked if we were going to continue this next week and I emphatically told her, "No!". One week of Matilda was enough. To figure out what I am talking about see the previous post called Thank You. That was enough of that craziness for now.

I had another Dr. appointment this morning. This time with my regular family doc. He is very thorough and I feel he has a good idea of what is causing this pain. Apparently that cyst is sizable but I have also pulled some ligaments or muscles near my hip in all of my climbing around to paint the bathroom, etc. Oh, well. We will see how it heals over this month.
He also understands that I cannot take the anti-inflammatories that the other doctor recommended so has kept me on the tylenol. It is good to know these things about your health for yourself because sometimes well intentioned Docs don't know your whole history and can get you into deeper problems. I am very glad that I did not come home and start taking ibuprofen. It would have really messed me up!

Well, we are off to study Airships. We love the two books by Kenneth Oppel...Airborn and Skybreaker. There are study guides available on line and it has been a great experience to work on these as a class of four...I count me because I enjoy it too. One note: I am reading these aloud and there have been a few edits on my part so far due to Language and situations relating to the romance between Matt and Kate.
We got a video on Airships from the Library and will watch it on this rainy, icy day.


Small group is at our house tonight so life continues to be one thing to the next!

Blessings on your day!

A Wii bit of Pain

Our friends were so excited to be one of the first in this country to own a Wii. I remember the day we got a phone call from Josh just as happy as could be. I really did not understand the attraction. To me all game systems are in one category...time waster and money hogger.

My boys love them and have them...lest you think that they are forbidden in our house, they are not...just extremely well edited and with much complaining that we won't let them buy any "good" games.

That call came from Josh well over a year ago, I think.

Flash forward to last night. I am yelling at the screen after our own newly acquired Wii has just told me that my sports fitness age is 74!!! What does a Wii know? And the bowling? I have never scored so low in my life! This machine has a wicked streak and keeps curving my ball! I love hitting the home runs, though. My sons were WAY impressed.

It was so fun! Our whole family laughing and playing tennis, bowling, and baseball. It felt really good. I am sore today. It was funny when athletic Mikey was sore on the day after he first played it...I should have known it would be worse for me.

This Wii just might be a great thing for keeping this family playing together.

Now, off to church and a fellowship meal here afterwards. I am making chili and rice. I have tables all over the kitchen dining room and living room. I want a church building and I want it now...hear me whine!

It will be fine!

I love having people over...

This is Hospitality Lane, after all!

Blessings on your day!

Our Retreat at Camp K

For more than two decades my Dad worked for an organization that ran a Christian Radio Station and Camp. Over this time I had many opportunities to serve there or drop our children off as campers. Suffice it to say this is a place of many pleasant memories. It happens to be just a few miles from my brother and sister-in-law's home. Since we were traveling with our two dogs and mom's dog, our family of five and Warren's Mom this Thanksgiving Holiday it would have been too overwhelming for Allan and Bev for all of us to spend the night. Mom arranged for all of us, but herself, to come and stay here.
What a stroke of genius that was.
It was awesome!
This is the Lodge where we slept.

There was Tetherball. Remember that game? Two people face off and each tries to get the ball wrapped around a pole in their own direction?


Some of us were out until after 11 pm in a heated tetherball contest.
Not me...I was attempting to read but ended up falling asleep and being a party pooper. I had played a couple of rounds with Chelsea earlier. They were fun.

In the morning Mom, Allan and Bev joined us at the lodge for breakfast. Then there was hiking around the camp and some wicked Chinese Checkers.
Apparently, it was necessary to get a family picture on the camp steps so we all headed down the hill and this is the craziness that ensued...
The Photographers get ready...
ahem...Warren and Allan, it is cold out here! Can you cut the chatter...?

Allan really gets into it!

The family photo was taken...sorry, I was in it and do not have a copy yet...but afterwards we declared victory by standing on the stone pillars...victory for what? I have no clue but it seemed like fun at the time.



Yep, it was a great time! I love my crazy family!!!
We had to tear the kids away. They had the best time and were not quite ready to come home. But, like all good things..they have to come to an end and this was no exception.
We are winding down on this load of pictures but I am so glad that I was able to get them out of that camera. I am debating showing you a picture of myself and Shelley. We were both so elated to see each other that it is more than a little corny. Maybe...
Hey, have a super day! We have a lot to do with school and then packing up the remaining things at the church for tomorrow's move.
Blessings!