July 7-13, 2019 G&G Home, Meeting Richard, Phone Interview, Lake Michigan Trip, Silkie Rooster

July 7-13, 2019
G&G Home, Meeting Richard, Phone Interview, Lake Michigan Trip, Silkie Rooster, SUNFLOWERS BLOOMING!

 Let All That You Do

Be Done In Love
1 Cor. 16:44
  


Hello Friends!
Giz and Grampy (Dh's parents) are still visiting us, at least for a few more days.  They will go home on Monday. 

Chelle and her daughter love sunflowers, so each year I try to post some flower pix j

 It has been a really good visit.  They have been really supportive of our church problem and talking over it with us each day. 



 We honestly really needed, very much, a visit from them.  



It was so necessary to sit with them and share all the details of our church problems with them and their years of wisdom to discern things.  



Their church just took on a new, young minister about two months ago and could relate to some of our issues. 



 But, Grampy has literally gone to this church his whole life (except his few years of service in the Army).  



They haven't had any problems with their elders or pastors believing differently than they believe, no issues with legalism or the like.  G&G were very open to spending as much time as we needed each day to process our thoughts.

Agnes, helping us with the floor.

The Secret Place (Judson Press):

Normally G&G goes to church with us, but I got the impression they didn't want to go to Ada Bible (they are a small church type and Ada is a BIG church type) so we did our devotions together at home this week.

 Ice Cream:

On Sunday we went to our local soft-serve ice cream shop, Ball's.  The best part of Ball's isn't their ice cream but sitting out in their gardens!  So pretty to sit among all their flowers.




Grilled:
I've never met anyone that loved grilled hot dogs and hamburgers more than Giz!  Grampy loves it too, but Giz really lives for her hot dogs. 



Chickens:
Guess what?!!  Charlotte isn't broody any more!  When I opened the coop Monday morning there was Charlotte!  She was among the first to come out!  She *had* been obsessively staying inside the nest box on top of straw; not eating or drinking for weeks.  Almost every day I brought her out and put her in an outside tractor with her own food and water.  She was always very hungry and obviously needed the push each day to try and get over her broodiness.  Yay!  I successfully got both Charlotte and Ms. Lemon off being broody this summer, not an easy task! Not by far!
*Ms. Lemon started laying eggs again this week!



 New Silkie Rooster:
*Silkie?  Kim, a friend I made when Dd was doing homeschool marching band in Grand Rapids, contacted me last week asking if I was interested in adopting a rooster Silkie she had been raising since a baby.  They live in city limits and the rule there is that you can only own/keep hens...no roosters!  



I had been internally debating back and forth for days when she called me.  We talked it over and she encouraged me by sharing this rooster is very loving and kind.



On Friday, Dd and I drove to their house to pick him up.  He is a very funny looking bird--a "showbird," "Silkie Frizzle".  He has a long, bald neck!  



No feathers on his neck! really odd looking! We've named him: RADAGAST (think Lord of the Rings...)
 This summer they bought five Silkies and they are concerned perhaps two more of their flock may be roosters too!  So, maybe next week I'll have more?




Garden:
The garden is doing really well.  I *really* need to start blanching and freezing the kales and swiss chards!!!  I've just been so very busy.  The Japanese Beetles have arrived in mass.  I've begun removing them to save my plants---especially my grape vines and green beans.  I'm SO thankful my lettuce is doing so well, I eat lots of it while I can.  I know it won't last the summer. 




Lake Michigan/Kirk Park:
On Tuesday, Hailee came over at 8:40 AM and we loaded up the car for our adventure. 



 Henry is afraid of car rides so I didn't feed him breakfast; hoping to prevent him from throwing up. Well...I sat in the back seat with him and tried to reassure him but he still ended up throwing up three times on our drive out to the lake.  Once at the lake he made it clear he wasn't willing to have even a toe touch the water!!!  He said right under my umbrella and didn't budge!  After about 3-4 hours he walked up and down the beach with me for very short jaunts.  

Henry, being miserable...forced to visit the beach.

When we left around 3 PM he still had never got a toe wet!  So completely different than the labs we always have had. 




 He was pretty good and didn't complain, he just didn't have a very good time.  



Dd and Hailee had a lot of fun.  They spent some time in the water, took pictures, snacked...  It was a beautiful day.



 Deck:
I've been power spraying the top deck this week. 



 It is a lot harder hanging off or leaning forward and over the rails than when I was just spraying the fence around the pool. 


 I've also continued to make some progress painting on some parts of the deck/fence too.  



I knew this was going to be a big project, but I hoped Dd would be helping me a little.  



Now that she has a job she is too busy to help with my projects so it is taking a lot longer than I hoped.



  I think I am about to the halfway mark though.  



Some days are just too hot to sit or stand in the direct sun to paint. 



 I bet August will be better for painting---BUT, hopefully, our new flooring will be in by then and I might be too busy working on that!  It will all get done...eventually!!!




Richard & Penny:
Wednesday was the latest "Worship Meeting" and we were actually reminded by a Teresa and Penny to come.  We knew during the last meeting, exactly a month ago, that that was our last meeting.  I politely declined the invitation.  Then on Thursday, Penny invited Dd and I to meet her and her husband, Richard for lunch to discuss what had happened at the last meeting while they were out of state.  Friday we meet with them and openly discussed ALL the things that had been said to us, in detail, for two and half hours!!  Boy, it felt like a weight had been taken off my shoulders by finally getting to tell our Worship Meeting leader all that was said while he was away.  I felt like I officially passed the baton and he said he would take it from there.  I'd really been searching for closure and by the end of the lunch I felt like I had received that closer I needed.  Dd did a great job speaking up and sharing her heart as much as I did.  She really does a great job communicating her feelings, of which I'm thrilled.  Richard did a good job of really hearing me and not asking me to put my principals to the side.  I appreciated how they were just as involved in the discussion and were willing to spend all the time going through all the problems one by one.  It was a blessing to me.




Dd's Academic and Various Progress:

Phone Interview: Accounting Office
Dd's math teacher recommended Dd to her husband when he mentioned he needed more office help. This would be at his accounting office.  Dd was SO nervous about the phone interview he scheduled for this week.  Surprisingly, Dd said he was very laid back and easy to talk to!  She got the job and will start work in a few weeks.  We aren't sure she can do two jobs, but she can see what an office job is like and she can decide.




Employment: Pizza Shop
Pizza Shop job is going really well.  She really likes working there and being so challenged when it is super busy.




Art:
Watercolor: Dd continues to be enjoying making art
Photography: Dd continues to improve in photography 




Audio:
The Romanoff Empress by C. W. Gortner: COMPLETED



Reader: 
The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon: In Process

Physical Exercise: 
Swam, first time this year!! 2 hours




Next Week:
Now that our pool is working, I am hoping we can spend more time in it!!!  Hoping Dd will get back to her Science and Math next week.


"If your mouth is open, your not learning."
-Buddha


......

June 30-July 6, 2019 G&G Visit, Fixing Things, Painting, Floors, Pizza Shop Work

June 30-July 6, 2019 

G&G Visiting, Fixing Things, Painting, Floors, Pizza Shop Work

Hello, Friends!

What a good visit with Giz and Grampy, Dh's parents from southern Indiana.  Giz's health has actually improved and her outlook was very positive.  I had really been looking forward to G&G visiting so we could have serious talks about our church problem with them.  They are wise older Christians that only want what is best for us.  We spent time each day discussing our church problem and slowly processed different aspects.  They confirmed the key point moving forward was to NOT stir the pot.  This is a family trait that they always remain firm on.  We don't want to act in a way that doesn't show love first and foremost and sometimes that means quietly walking away and praying for those involved so the Lord can handle it Himself.

We also had quite a few things break over the past few weeks and Grampy is a master repairman.  They were coming to help us pull up the old hardwood floor in the dining room, but all the other things breaking put that on the back burner their first few days.  

A.B. Church:

I went to the new church, for the third time, by myself this week.  Dd's Sunday School class were finally working together to fix up their classroom and Dd wanted to be part of the effort, so she stayed home from church so she could go to Sunday School at our old church.  She said ost of the people looked at her weird like someone had died or had cancer, all but her teacher, Jim!  He was just clearly happy to see her.  She really thinks her teacher is great.  Three weeks ago, at a "Worship Meeting," our relationship with our church changed and we are still processing that and figuring how to move forward.  The ironic part, for me, is that we've spent SO many hours discussing and not-sleeping in the middle of the night when I know all the people involved in our upheaval are unaffected.  How can one event cause such different reactions between people?!  The sermon at Ada was, once again, very good.  I did okay being by myself and relished that I felt totally okay with it.  When I was younger I would have felt more uncomfortable being alone, but I really did okay.  Dh is going to need more time before he is able to try new churches and that's okay. 



Women's Bible Study:
Dd needed the car so I couldn't go to my class this week, but I did my homework.  I'm really enjoying: 
"In His Image" by Jen Wilkin.  



Chickens:
All the girls are doing 'okay.'  I'm not excited about only getting 3-6 eggs each day!  I have 25 hens!  It's not like I'm not feeding them all the time and all sorts of goodies! Charlotte continued to be 'broody' all this week.  I'd bring her up and put her in a chicken tractor, to force her outside because she only wants to obsessively sit in the nest box.  When they are broody the hens won't eat or drink and wither away.  Somewhere in this time frame Ms. Lemon (my Bantam hen) finally stopped being broody!  I am SO glad!  It takes so much effort doing all the extra work needed to stop a hen from being broody that when they recover I truly want to rejoice!



Garden:
Before G&G arrived I spent hours weeding!  Giz has a severe issue with people not weeding their gardens, so I always try to make sure my garden looks as good as I can.  Even though she has macular degeneration she has an eagle eye for weeds.  She noticed how good my garden looked and said so.



Wednesday: Arrival
Giz and Grampy arrived on Wednesday and all our fun began!  Dh actually got off work early!  Luckily, this visit I remembered to pick up Grampy's sugar-free vanilla ice cream ahead of time, but that didn't stop us from going to not one, but TWO different ice cream shops.  G&G are major ice cream fans---major.  



Dishwasher: 
Grampy and Dh worked together and fixed the broken dishwasher!  





Truck: 



With Grampy's truck beside Dh's the two were able to compare and figure out what was broken with the truck---something about a grounding wire.  They fixed the truck!



Electric in Chicken Coop:
I have no idea why but the electricity in the chicken coop just stopped.  The poor girls were without their ceiling fan!!!  Grampy and Dh were able to change out an old timer switch for a new one and fix the problem. The girls are back to having a nice breeze throughout the night!  Happy Hens!



Flooring:
One of the main goals G&G had coming up for a visit was to help Dh and I pull up our old wood flooring in the dining room and prep the floor for the new flooring we've ordered.  We had to move a lot of the furniture out of the dining room to pull it up. The most 'fun' was pulling 3-10 nails out of every single piece of flooring we pulled up.  I moved all the pieces to the sunroom; eventually, we'll get the wood out to the outbuilding so it won't be in the way.  Giz had a special pair of plyers that helped her leverage out each nail.  Her strength isn't what it used to be, but she stuck to it and they didn't stop until we had removed every last nail.  








Videos:
Dh showed Grampy a lot of his video's he took featuring the new machines from his work.  They both love machinery and enjoy watching how the machines run.  It is hard to say who had more fun watching the endless videos!






Pool:
The pump wasn't working and the water level is in doubt, but that wasn't really the focus for us this visit.  I know G&G always wants to help us get our pool going, they have had a pool open for decades!  Perhaps next week we will have time to figure this out?  



Pool Flowers:
Over the past few years, I never thought much about all the rocks around my flowers.  But, it finally clicked just how hot the air is coming off the concrete pad around the pool.  Then I realized all the decorative rocks were acting like little ovens circling the flowers.  I decided to pick up all the rocks and place them around the outside perimeter of the fence.  I miss all the pretty rocks, but the flowers will be better off.



Painting the Fence:  
Giz was so happy to help me paint on our fence.  She wanted a seat, so I found a bucket and she and I chatted and painted together.  It was so nice to have someone painting and working beside me.  



Invite with Elders:
Ironically our church friends, the "A's," invited us out to eat at the very restaurant where Dd is working on Friday, while she was on duty.  We were hoping they wanted to discuss our church problem, but they never brought it up and I wasn't sure what the proper thing to do was, so I didn't bring it up either.  It was nice having fellowship even if there was a cloud hanging over us all.  It was also great seeing Dd at work and her boss and co-workers.




Out-to-Eat:
We don't normally go out to eat, but G&G are big fans.  Friday morning they wanted to have breakfast at The Backwater Grill, then dinner at the pizza place for dinner.  Saturday we went to Moo-ville (ice cream...my favorite!).



Migraines:
Unfortunately, this was a migraine week for me--three days in a row.  I was able to keep moving forward for the most part.  I laid down for a while on Thursday; which was my most painful day.  G&G doesn't have migraines and I always feel so lazy for not having my usual pep when they are visiting.  It seems like people that don't have migraines have a really hard time understanding the whole-body exhaustion and pain that you deal with when your struggling.

Dd's Academic Progress and Activities:

Work: Pizza Shop
Dd had to work a few nights while G&G were here so we didn't get to play cards this visit.  Plus, with Giz's macular degeneration problems we thought it might be better not to bring it up.

Bible/Church:
Dd went back to our old church for Sunday School.  Her class was redecorating the room and she wanted to help.  After the class, Hailee and Dd came home to borrow our sander so they could keep working on a cabinet.  

Science:
Apologia's Biology
*Slow week with G&G here.*



Music:
Giz asked Dd to play her various instruments during the visit:
piano, saxophone, clarinet, and guitar.



Watercolor:
Dd has continued to enjoy doing a lot of watercolor paintings.  I'll do a whole post of some of her paintings soon.



Photography: 
Dd continues to really enjoy photography.  She is really doing well with it.  She took out Dh's 35 mm camera, with old fashioned film and has been taking pictures with it.  We took the film to Walgreens to be developed and are anxiously awaiting how it turns out.

Cooking/Home Economic's:
Dd made G&G her cauliflower dish.  We had a grill out on Saturday--hamburgers and brats and Dd helped out.



Next Week:
G&G will go home next week, on Monday (for me, the week starts on Sunday).  The heat has arrived in West Michigan, we had the air conditioning on for G&G, but after they leave we will probably turn it off for a while.  I don't understand why, but when we run our air it has to go through our geothermal and that ends up costing us hundreds of dollars extra in our electric bill.  It really quickly adds up to a super-bill that is hard to choke down.  I think it is something to do with our well pump.  So, back to sweating inside and out!

My husband is never happier than when his parents are near him!
..................