We Give Thanks

We Give Thanks--

a plaque I got Jonathan to take a picture of while he and I were strolling around Hobby Lobby last month, having a date while our oldest children were at youth night.

We give thanks for food--

this is what it looks like when we freeze corn to take to church carry-in dinner and to Grandma's

(and maybe some for us, too!)

 Cutting it off the cob

We give thanks for friends...

Baby dedication for little Charisse Mosley, when both sets of her grandparents were at our church a couple months ago. Bro. Ralph Gault officiated. 

Unexpected blessing of Brandon Byler and Heather Martin, two days before they became engaged in the foothills of Pikes Peak!

Jonathan and Sam going hunting with work guys--sorry no elk to tell stories about! All they had were bull licenses, or they might have had several cow elk
!

We give thanks for the love between us

Every once in a while, we'll find a decent DVD at the library, or one that teaches drawing lessons. 

And we'll gather round our little laptop in the livingroom. 

And of course, love even extends to little animals!

Rose enjoys feeding a little piglet that a friend brought to home school group.

So thankful for home school group and field trips!

Here we are very much enjoying a couple hours at the Denver Aquarium.

Ever stand so close to a shark?

I'd rather stand near the turtles!

More my style--feeding lettuce to turtles!

More beautiful fish of God's creation

Starfish!

Stingray!

Can you see the children inside the big bubble?

Beside water, under water, through water.

And did you ever feel like a lumpfish?

I just had to get a picture of this lumpfish.

Sometimes I think we all have those moments when we feel like--well, lumpfish!

We're certainly not made out to be the star of the show like starfish, 

or brazen brutes like sharks,

or beautiful fish like so many of the bright-colored ones we saw.

Just something a little less than the ordinary fish, even--

just a lumpy lumpfish.

But even if all we are is a lumpy lumpfish,

we can still give thanks--

that though we may not be beautiful in man's sight, we are created by God,

 though we may be scorned by others, we are loved by Him;

though we may be avoided by others, we are held in God's hand,

though we may be rejected by man, we are accepted by God.

And if there is nothing else to give thanks for, 

we can give thanks for these things!

Ever Feel Like Half a Person?

Well, here are half of persons!

 

The girls are creating scarecrows for the night of the hayride.

And sorry, we did not get a photo of the whole scarecrow. They were awfully cute, stuffed with straw, and topped with pumpkins for heads!

 

There they are, those girls with those half persons.

 



Will they tear them down--

or build them up?

When we tore down those scarecrows, all that was left was bits of straw.

But when the girls built them up, they became a whole person.

Whole pumpkin-head scarecrows

with a little bit of straw stuffing (don't we all have a bit of that?)

can at least scare away blackbirds and wear a jaunty straw hat and cheer up the yard somewhere

with their snaggle-toothed smiles!
(Got that last adjective from Bro. Harry Plank who preached revival two weeks ago at our church! LOVED, LOVED, LOVED his messages,

uproariously funny and incredibly heart-searching.

I'd never had so much fun attending revival in all my life.

You should have been there Sunday morning to see him stomp a wasp on the step to the platform--and then turn around,

arms crossed, nose in the air,

a look of triumph on his face, declaring,

"When you're good, you're good!"

Just loved his crazy, amazing sense of humor! (Did he think we needed it???)

Ever plan something and then have it rain?

How about a hay ride in the rain?

The young and young-at-heart didn't let it deter them. They rode under tarp and umbrella, and probably had the most memorable hayride ever!

(Most of the children are under that tarp! There were about 18 children.)



Jonathan and I couldn't help thinking and discussing with each other--

you have to learn to make the best of things--

and then something that even seems bad (like rain on the evening of the hayride)  becomes a good thing--maybe even the best!

Just out with the umbrellas and tarps, and in with coziness and laughter and abandon to fun!

 

Even when we feel like we are this snaggle-toothed pumpkin head being torn down by scarecrow-demolishers, we can hand the few bits of straw that are left of us to God and say,

"Lord, here are just these few bits of straw.

I have nothing else to offer--no overalls (everything has been exposed and shredded away)

no top (what's left of us is at the bottom)

no hat (or what is left is full of holes)

and not even a pumpkin head anymore!

But if You will take these bits of straw, if all you can do with them is make them into some sort of stuffing that will help someone stand stronger instead of weaker, then do that.

But if you choose to gather these bits of straw up and burn them,

if our lives, ambitions, dreams, plans, wishes and reputations are demolished,

that is okay, too.

In the last day, straw won't stand,

The only thing that will stand is pure gold.

So Lord, if you want to take away all our straw until none be left,

just let Your fire burn, let Your wind blow--till what is left is

not golden straw,

but straw-colored gold, pure gold, refined by fire!

Blow away our dross by Your wind, and leave us pure gold!

 

Even little people can make a lot of noise.

Danny trying out Daddy's baritone horn.

Art class with the home school group. They are sketching a bunch of grapes with leaves, and then shading them. 

Timmy proudly shows his sketch. They made round grapes by tracing quarters.

I miss leaves so much.

Soooo--we raked up leaves at a friend's house after helping him move, and brought them home for the goats. But then the boys decided instead to dump them in the front yard and have some fun.



Some days, don't you agree, you just want to go outside and throw leaves???

But you always have a choice.

You can just throw up your hands,

and scatter leaves,

or you can hold them out to receive--

and receive blessings and joys and comfort and love and grace from the hand of God.

We can let go of our fist full of leaves--let go of defensiveness and prejudice and selfishness and pettiness and people-pleasingness,

and hold out hands to God--

empty hands--

offering thanksgiving for whatever He gives or takes--

and I wonder what He will fill them with?

 

One thing God filled our hands with recently was friends!

Not only was it good to reconnect with Bro. and Sis. Harry Plank from back east, but right on their heels came Brandon Byler and Heather Martin--long-time friends of my family back east.

Brandon and Heather began courting in earnest recently, and I am sooo happy for them!





Just for my brothers who are reading this blog--you would have wanted to tease Brandon so much--

the way he hovers over Heather, giggling and laughing and

acting like the world could never be so sunny and joyful and wonderful!

He tried very, very hard to be as interested in the pictures of my family as Heather was...

she kept asking about one and another of my family and telling Brandon all about how she first met my family when she was five years old, and we were playing bells and...

you could tell Brandon was just so, so interested in my family.

I mean, he was TRYING to be interested,

but anyone could tell he was more interested in that beautiful, radiant young lady sitting there with her happy smile and memories of herself back there when he didn't have a clue this wonderful person existed...

Sammy kept taking pictures, and this one he made brown and white, but I love it anyway.

It was so fun to share about my siblings and just be with such a wonderful young couple--I just think it is tremendous that they are getting together. My sister Kezia graduated with Brandon, and then both Brandon and Heather were at Kezia's wedding in Illinois about 6 years ago. Heather's family has been close friends with our family for many years, and Brandon was a good friend of Kezia's in college. So we sort of feel like we are almost related and share in the joy of God bringing them into each other's lives! 

Our pastor had Brandon preach Sunday-- an incredible message about Jesus healing the woman who had been bent over for 18 years.

Brandon had been spending the week as an intern at Caring Heart Ministries in town, observing counseling sessions, and he shared some of what he has been learning.

He shared about how most churches do well at helping people spiritually, but they often forget about the emotional aspect, and how that often if people's emotional needs are met, and their emotional wounds healed, it clears the way for God to meet their needs spiritually, or for them to become the whole person God intended. I have never heard a message like that before in my life, and I appreciated it so much!

Well, so much for Brandon preaching messages and interning under counseling--

all it takes is getting around our lively little boys who led him on a very merry and very speedy chase,  racing all around the house (I hoped he went too fast through our please-don't-describe-it office, to notice all the mess!) and there was this hilarious wrestling match--and everybody on the floor!
I always love when our boys have a young man to wrestle with--
They need it!



It was just so funny when he suddenly caught himself, eyes wide looking a bit petrified,

"Are they allowed?" he gasped, wondering if I had some rule about behavior in the house.
I got such a kick out of it!

Well, we do have this no-running-in-the-house rule, you know,

but there are a few exceptions,

like when a young guy brings the girl he is courting

and just needs to let off some steam!

And you better believe that Heather was standing there taking pictures, too!
What a fun day!

Autumn Origami Project

A friend from church wanted to turn the pastoral appreciation month offering into something besides a pile of bills or a check. She had seen a picture of a bouquet of money origami and wanted to do the same for our pastor.

 

I figured it would be a big job for one person, and thought the children would enjoy learning to do something like this. So Katherine took us up on the offer to do the folding for her as an art class. The children followed directions while watching an origami tutorial that Katherine had sent a link for online. They made both flowers and butterflies. It takes three bills to make a 6-petal flower, and two bills to make a butterfly. The only other supplies you need are pipe cleaners and floral wire.

Then Katherine arranged the money in with some fall foliage in a basket. 

At the last minute, I felt the inspiration to write this poem to give the pastor based on the arrangement as a prayer for our pastor and our church.

Transformation

 

Flowers out of paper bills,

   And blossoms out of green,

Butterflies with valued wings

   Hide the leaves between.

Folded here and creased right there

   Tweaked and bent and pressed,

Now the money is transformed

    And you see the rest.

No longer flat and hidden,

   No longer lifeless, plain,

Submitted to the Crafter's hand,

   There's 3-D beauty gained!

 

Out of the dust was Adam made.

    No one but God could dream

What dust could make! What earth could hold!

   What light from dark could beam!

Out of our ashes, God brings joy;

   Out of our tears, a song.

Out of a life all bruised and torn

   He makes our weakness strong.

 

Submitted to the Crafter's hand,

   Humbly we kneel in prayer.

"Lord, make of us, dust of the earth,

   Something You can share!

Out of our  nothingness, out of the bad,

   Out of life's ongoing pain,

Skillfully mold, bend and unfold

   Rainbows out of our rain,

 

Beauty out of suffering,

   Peace from the midst of strife,

And from worthiness of only death

   Your offer of endless life.

Lord let us see Your glory

  That Your Spirit weaves  

Like blossoms out of paper,

   And butterflies in the leaves!"

Above, up close, are the first flower and butterfly the children made to see how it would look. It was such a fascinating project, and gave me a lot of joy to participate. How the Lord keeps providing, day after day, small projects we can do to keep the children busy and happy when I am at a loss to keep seven children busy in my own strength!

"Day by day, and with each passing moment,

Strength I find..." 



Autumn Joys

The girls grew these carrots in their garden!

 

Can you see the cocoon hanging from the yellow lid? Timmy brought home a monarch caterpillar, and it promptly spun its cocoon. He had just learned about this in science! 

The girls help slice cucumbers I got at the farm market, along with home grown yellow squash to make some "bread-and-butter" pickles, my favorite. 

Colorful slices ready for pickling.

Rose follows instructions carefully as she knits a yellow dishcloth with a heart pattern inside for Priscilla Lefever's wedding shower.

 

Carrie with an armload of beets from the children's raised beds.

Everyone gathers curiously to see what Daddy brought home from someone he had worked for one day.

It is a Russian instrument, and it had music paper with notes to go with it. There were hymns, patriotic songs, familiar tunes and nursery songs. What fun! Here Mom is showing the children how to play it. You put the paper music guide under the strings and then pluck whichever notes the guide shows.

A Friend's Wedding

Last Wednesday we attended the wedding of Priscilla Lefever to Caleb Carroll at Glen Eyrie Castle.

I think this was the most romantic moment, after the six bridesmaids had descended and been escorted up to the front of the terrace by the groomsmen, when Priscilla came out of the arched doorway and down the staircase, on her father's arm.

Man in dark suit just ahead is Ken Ganger, with my friend Joy Ganger in the right front corner, (sorry this is from behind them!) and Janet McVey seen between them getting her own photo of this moment. My sister Iva is over there to the left with her children. Kenn was an usher.

 

A picture of the wedding party is out of order down several pictures later below.

Below is the Lefever extended clan. I just tried to snap a few pictures alongside, as there was a professional photographer.

Priscilla's family: L to R--Lorraine, Robert (father),Priscilla, Caleb, Fern (mother), Audrey, Eric

Caleb's extended family

Behind Priscilla is Caleb's grandfather, who quoted a large portion of Romans 12 during the ceremony. I loved how he ad libbed some of the time, putting it into his own words. He seemed like such a dear, sweet man. He said that this wedding day was his birthday, and he thought it quite a birthday gift to get a full grown granddaughter!

Jonathan and I enjoyed getting acquainted with him after the wedding. 

One of those illustrious moments that weren't meant to be captured--but my camera was operating slowly about trying for a shot of just the two of them, and caught this scene.

They are going to ask me for this photo--you just wait and see! 

I loved the simple, 3-tiered cake with the verse, "Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes...etc." from I Corinthians 13. 

After the wedding, the many cousins and children raced and rolled and played on the beautiful carpet of green grass just down from the terrace.

We got a kick out of the professional photographer stopping to get a snap of us just as Crystal was getting one, too! Yes, he finally caught on to who the real bride and groom were here!  :) :)

Just another pose, wanting the sunlit red rocks in the background, but they don't show up much there in the center of the background. 

Ken Lefever giving Priscilla, his neice, a hug. The lovely young lady whose back is turned toward us is Kiara, Rob and Carolyn Mattern's daughter, Ken's neice. She and Erica Lefever, the guest book attendants, were dressed almost alike and looked so lovely. Carol Lefever had sewed their dresses.

I loved the wedding favors--three honey sticks tied with brown string, a bit of flower and Caleb and Priscilla's name. I just love creative choices at weddings. 

Here is the wedding party from our side of the castle veranda. All the groomsmen and groom and minister had to stand with the sun beating down on them. Caleb had to shade his eyes to see his bride coming down the castle stairs! Unexpected events usually do happen at outdoor weddings. At Jonathan's sister Barbara's outdoor wedding, the wind gave us a merry time.

Bro. Derald Hunt performed the wedding, and Bro. Donald Lefever, Priscilla's grandpa, prayed the wedding prayer.

Below, Robert, the father, is waiting to give the bride away.

Even beautiful castle weddings must come to an end.

The reality of life continues, with all the crumbs on the terrace wall, dirty dishes, and shoes and socks to find the owners for!

As we were heading out, we got caught in the nearly last part of the wedding ceremony--throwing aspen leaves upon the bride and groom instead of birdseed as they headed across the castle bridge to their decorated car. Too bad Jonathan had taken the camera already and was gone.  I thought it was a very charming touch--but then I am a country girl at heart and think leaves more charming than rice any day.  I loved how Cary Finney, Caleb's uncle, dragged the big garbage bag of aspen leaves over to the bridge, gasping that "we had to go gather these!" Everyone got a handful or more and tossed them as the bride and groom came through the line. I got to stand next to Mardella Ganger, and across from Joanna and Jessica Sturtevant as we showered the leaves.

 

And now, we must go gather these--all the socks and shoes discarded by country boys and girls who want to know what such soft, wonderful green grass feels like on bare feet.

Danny's Seventh Birthday

Delight all over his face!

Yippee! Money!

God giveth us richly all things to enjoy. Thanks, Grandma and pa!

 

Oops, back to a formal photo.

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to them that ask Him!