Rosie's Bridal Shower-More than one Bride!

At Rose's bridal shower last week, there were more than one bride! But I digress.

First there was a huge surprise for Rose!

Sisters and cousins, here out in the parking lot before the shower, had something up their sleeve that included Sam, a trip to the airport, and a lot of coordination.

The surprise was sneaked inside and hidden inside this U-Haul wardrobe box Carrie had gotten from U-Haul that morning and then wrapped (Standing in the background with a huge red bow.)

 

The girls told Rose that because this gift had come special order, it was to be opened first, even before the bridal shower was technically begun.

So Rose began peeling off the wrapping, then slitting down the corner of the cardboard with her knife while I was holding my breath--hoping the knife wouldn't hit something it shouldn't!

After slitting the corner, Rose decided to take a peek inside, and when she did, you should have heard her scream!

It was the best scream in the whole world!

She absolutely had no idea what was in that box! See her mouth. I caught her scream on camera!

 The surprise was two cousins who flew in from Missouri that morning. The shorter one, Pearl, will be one of Rose's bridesmaids, and Natasha is the cousin sewing Rose's wedding gown.

 

 The surprise, long in the making, was a smashing success!

So were the cake and cupcakes. 

Rose's fiance's sister Shelby baked and decorated them, practicing for the wedding cake she is going to make for Rose's wedding. 

I got a picture of her the day before as she was tracing round shapes onto parchment paper with which to line the round cake pans.

Shelby made these chocolate stand-up hearts herself. 

Shelby also put together a childhood and youth slideshow of both Rose and Tommy, which they will probably also use at the wedding in June.

Jonathan's stepmother came and is sitting beside me. Tommy's mother is on the other side of Rose, with Crystal writing down gifts so Rose can send thank yous. Crystal was able to drive over to CO from Missouri during her spring break from school. 

Carrie was master of ceremonies, doing a quiz on matching Bible couples to each other and then trying to come up with what marriage advice each couple might give to Rose and Tommy! (I will paste in these advices at the bottom of the post.)

Carrie decided to do the Toilet Paper Bride contest. There were enough attendees to make four teams to decorate four "brides." Each team had ten minutes and four rolls of toilet paper! 

I loved the creativity, using the toilet paper for dresses, hair pieces, trains, bows, rose bouquets, and other! The bride I helped decorate used the toilet paper cardboard roll for the bouquet holder!

Others tied them onto the bottom of the dress. 

The head decorations were so cute! Rose picked her favorite, which I think happened to be Hannah's outfit with its puffy sleeves!

Then there was gift opening. This roaster with herbs and horse thank you cards inside was from my mother.

These handmade dishcloths (with heart shape knitted into them) and pot holder were from Hannah.  

There were few doubles. So many useful things for  Rose who is starting out with very little for her kitchen and home, since she's been living with Carrie in a little cabin and saving for a down payment on a home with Tommy.  One gift was a glass cutting board with a horse scene behind it. There were baking dishes, kitchen utensils, towels, pig salt and pepper shakers, a baby blanket! 

 

This group of ladies is fully supportive of young couples beginning a family and valuing life. 

One lady, a dear friend at church  who hails from the Netherlands, sewed this gorgeous quilt for Rose with her favorite colors! 

This basket came from Rose's aunt Anita--a basket full of "Pairs," in honor of this new pair, Rose and Tommy.  There were peanut butter and jelly, salt and pepper shaker, rags and riches (bills of money wrapped inside rags) and I don't know what all. What a delight! 

I hope to write more about behind the scenes last week later. 

Here are the promised marriage advices some of the ladies came up with and turned in for Rose and Tommy!

 

Marriage advice from Adam and Eve--"Be fruitful and multiply."

     "Treat your spouse as if they are the only other person in the whole world."

 

Rebekah and Isaac-- "Don't be deceitful, and don't have favorite kids."

Aquila and Priscilla-- "Enjoy tent camping and living life for the Lord."

Moses and Zipporah-- "Obey what God says. Follow Him even when it seems like no one wants to."

Rahab and Salmon-- "Keep each other close with a scarlet cord."

Mary and Joseph--"Trust your significant other."

    "Don't be afraid of roughing it even when expecting a baby."

Hannah and Elkanah--"Please have only one wife! You'll be happier."

  "Wait on God's timing for your family, and when God blesses you with children, dedicate them to God."

Sarah and Abraham--"Always be faithful to the Lord."

    "Don't give up. God is faithful."

Amram and Jochebed--"Protect your children at all cost, and when it's time to send them out on their own (say, on a boat, like on a river maybe) do it with your blessing, and trust God to take care of them when you can't."

Esther and Xerxes-"Be honest and stand up for what's right. Trust that God has put you where you are!"

From Pallet to Door--Repurposing Useless Things

 Recently our son Danny asked Jonathan to bring him home some free pallets for a project.

 Since we are about out of money to finish our house, Danny is coming up with ways to do a rustic finish on the little doorways into the storage areas under the eaves where Hannah stores her books and games, and he stores his boy things.

 

He used special tools to tear the pallets apart and then sanded the lumber a bit.

Of course, the dog and even goats must be curious about how this boy is turning a now-useless pallet into something beautiful.

Here is what he turned those pallets into--a rustic door with hinges, and a rustic wainscoting! We are so proud of Danny's work. If you look up close, the top piece above the door is live edge with the prettiest knots. 

I never cease to get over how seemingly useless things--like pallets--can be repurposed into something beautiful and useful. 

Never think yourself too useless or unnecessary.

You are a work of art in the making!

Rainbow in Arizona

When we arrived at the airport in Phoenix, Arizona, a week ago Sunday, our friend Will picked us up. We were all somewhat discombobulated as to which direction we were supposed to go in all the maze of pavement, billboards, bridges, high walls, construction, and who-knows-what-all. So we just kept going in the direction the vehicle was heading until the GPS let us know we were going the wrong direction--of course!

 However, coming under this bridge and that and around this curve and that, suddenly Jonathan saw something straight ahead in the sky. A rainbow! We found it interesting that we only saw it when we went the wrong direction. Had we known what way to go and gone the other direction, we would have probably missed the rainbow.

I think how often in life, we don't know which way to go. Maybe we even falter and go the wrong way for a little bit. Then our GPS, whether the Bible or godly counsel or common sense or intuition point us in the right way in which we ought to go. But regardless, God's promises are always there--letting us know that even when we are confused or in the middle of a mistake, He is there to guide us and comfort us.  

In the maze of life, just like the maze of Phoenix, God is there.  He is only a breath away.

Will told us how he had gone to find a barber, since he's been in AZ a while with his wife who is at the cancer clinic.

And wouldn't you know it, the barber turns out to be a man from Ghana--the very country where Will and his wife spent years as missionaries!

This man was not only from Ghana, but he was a pastor! Will went to his little store-front church Sunday morning before coming to the airport to pick us up. This pastor and wife and a little girl from their church came to visit Will's wife and to pray for her healing.

e

Even in Arizona, in the middle of the concrete maze, under countless electric wires and jets roaring overhead, God's presence settles. He sees His people wherever they are suffering. 

The whitish concrete building in the middle left is part of Gospel Center where we stay.

I wasn't looking forward to being in Arizona again. It's springtime after all, and Easter. But God had such a wonderful plan and He was showing Himself present in our lives and in the lives of our friends. 
On our way to the airport, Sam added more details to the story he told me that happened to a man at his church who recently was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.The growth was poking into his throat.

The man fasted and prayed about it, and the cancer disappeared! His next visit to Mayo clinic, the doctor couldn't find any cancer!

"What did you do?" the amazed doctor asked. 
"I fasted and prayed," the man said. 

I am inspired by stories like this, though it is not just a story. It really happened to a man in my own son's church. 

And it happened just recently--like a rainbow in Arizona!

Cornflakes and Corn Pudding--Memories of Mothers

Our family used to call it "corn pudding," what others might call scalloped corn.

It was our go-to vegetable dish, along with meatloaf and baked potatoes when we had company or special meals in our home growing up.  I hadn't made it in years, but recently, having missed having corn for a while, I wanted to make it.

I even called my older sister Dorcas to ask about the recipe.  I call Dorcas often about all sorts of things. She has a great memory of our childhood, and never seems to mind me calling at any hour of the day, whether it's about recipes or current events in our family!

I don't know why I'm a little nostalgic lately. Maybe from writing another book from when I was in my young twenties. But also my mom seems a little blue lately, and I've been thinking of her. And not to say I haven't felt a little blue, too.  

Here above is my mom with her two sisters way back about 26 years ago at my sister Iva's wedding. Mom's sister on the right is struggling with dementia right now. We are so grateful that in her older years, she began to draw close to God. I talked to my Aunt Rhonwen just weeks ago, the lovely lady on the left.  

She sent me a disk of pictures of my mom's childhood and youth--a real treasure.

For my mom's birthday back in January, I uploaded some of those pictures to my computer and sent several at a time to her and family on email.

Now my mom is watching her great grandchildren growing up.

My mother-in-law only got to see one great grandchild. She is gone now, but not from our memories. I pulled down our box of cornflakes yesterday to  crush and roll chicken thighs in. I called Hannah down to roll the chicken in the crumbs, reminding her that this is how Grandma Lucas used to make chicken--for Sunday dinner. It was my all-time favorite chicken.

"Precious Memories" is a song Emily Lavery played on the piano during memory service a few weeks ago. I was struggling with having a whole service dedicated to remembering those in our lives who have passed on. But I don't mind the memories coming up on a day to day basis--memories that are helpful and precious,

legacies of godliness. 

 How my mom homeschooled--and I am soon to finish homeschooling my last daughter. (In the picture above, I'm grading Home Ec units while wearing a sort of shawl that my sister Dorcas knitted for me.

Knitting--something my mother taught Dorcas and me, and then years later taught my older daughters who in turn taught Hannah--a skill among many others that is useful and a blessing.

Precious memories, how they linger--everything from chicken rolled in cornflake crumbs 

to corn pudding, from knitting to home schooling.

Ground-breaking--Ceremony or Just Plain Hard Work

A couple weeks ago, Jonathan took part in a ground-breaking ceremony for the all-purpose building that John and Sherry Poff are preparing for at their church in Martin, SD. 

Mission men, church men, and Pastor Poff gathered to pray at the site where a lot of work has already been done to excavate parts and pieces of a fallen down building and fill in the site with fill dirt. This week Jonathan spent a long time in Menards in Rapid City on our way home from Arizona, ordering hundreds (probably thousands) of parts to the building. The mission receipt was about 6 feet long! 

While he was at Menards, I stayed back at our friends the Woodards where we enjoyed visiting around the breakfast table. Then I enjoyed spending time in their church praying. I loved the Easter decor, especially this little nest hidden in the daffodil basket. 

Nicki Woodard told me about a lady who lives in the community who was recently saved, and in this last revival was sanctified. When a friend called this lady and asked how things were going in her life, she said, "Same old, same old." Then she was cut to the heart. She had not been brave enough to share what Jesus had done in her life! This lady called her friend back and said, "Actually it's not the same old." She told her friend how she was a new person! Her friend, instead of scorning, was very interested! Praise God for the miracles of grace happening today!! God is breaking up hard ground and making it soft. 

Sometimes a ground breaking is basically a ceremony--a time of celebration and renewed purpose with a message to those around.  

Other times, ground breaking is very literal.

It is a lot of hard work. Because our garden now has a fence around it, we cannot have our friend Ross come to plow it.  And since we don't have a tiller that works, we must spade it ourselves. Jonathan and the children have been doing that--an hour or half hour at a time a few times a week. 

While they shoveled, I raked, hoed rows, and planted peas, onion sets, a little swiss chard, and a little mustard greens.  My Aunt Mary Lou used to say that if you plant peas before the last snow, they do the best. Peas thrive with snow over them to begin with. They like cool weather. So I hope these peas will thrive! It's raining today--good for the garden, terrible for our driveway.

But we still got out today to go to church, swerving all over in Jonathan's 4-wheel-drive truck.

In our church, we are seeing God breaking ground. Someone who hasn't been to church in a long time has started coming again. A good group was there this morning--and God's ground-breaking continues.

Our pastor's wife has felt led to pray for God to bring back to Lakota Community Chapel the people who have strayed from the fold. 

Thank You, Lord, for answering prayers both now and in the future!

Easter Sunday Surprise!

This is the message that greeted us Saturday evening as Sam brought Jonathan and me from the Denver Airport to our daughters' cabin near Colorado Springs. (Of course the picture was taken the next morning!)

The story of how we ended up at our daughters' place for Easter is pretty long. But in short, after one delayed flight, canceled flight, and another delayed flight, we ended up at the airport desk trying to figure out how to actually make it to our destination in Arizona in time for my blood labs and treatments scheduled for Monday morning. When we asked if they could connect us to the Phoenix flight Sunday afternoon instead of late Saturday evening, they said sure! 

So we made some calls to Sam, Carrie, and Rose, and I was almost speechless with awe at how, despite the frustration and confusion caused by bad weather and canceled flights, God redirected our way to spend Easter morning with our daughters that I miss so  much!

I usually look perfectly horrible in selfies, but this one that I took just for kicks in the airplane to send the kiddos turned out with me looking almost as happy as I felt, and so if I still look horrible, it's okay. At least I look happy! 

By about 9:20 that evening, the girls were welcoming us into their cabin--Rose with happy screeches and Carrie more sedately.

 

Rose said Carrie had just cleaned the cabin, and she had also decorated the piano just in time for us to come! 

How clean the freshly mopped floor seemed, and everything just so cozy and rustic as usual.  

Jonathan describing how he hurt his back when he was carrying a sheet of OSB into the Rosebud parsonage basement, and how he slipped on the mud and wrenched his back out of place--for the third time in about three weeks. He traveled with a hurting back all day!

In the morning, while Carrie practiced her music for the prelude and choir music,

 Rose made a cinnamon walnut bundt cake. 

Jonathan cooked bacon and scrambled eggs on the woodstove.

We accompanied Rose up the hill to the farm where they help take care of animals sometimes and where the girls have chickens, a pig, and a Jersey cow.  

Rose introduced us to Charlotte and Puddle, the pigs. I thought she said "Petals" at first, which seemed odd. Puddle was a much better name for a pig! 

We also saw all the chickens as she took the garbage pail up. 

The girls seem to know to leave their dishes for Mom, because I love to wash dishes! I washed and dishes in the little tin sink and dried them. 

Rose drove us to church in her very, very, very old pickup. 

It is so old that the dash is in a dozen pieces, the engine sounds like a miner going to work for the last time, and the passenger door has a hole rusted right through it. 

BUT

it was very, very clean inside. Because Rose might be willing to have an old, clunky truck to save money for a piece of property after they are married, but she does not lack industry and caring about her parents having to ride in that old thing to church!

I sat in the middle of the front seat between Rose and Jonathan because the little back seat was filled with our luggage. We were going to head back to the airport after church's carry-in dinner.  

Jonathan got this picture, above, of his beloved Pikes Peak.

We shocked the socks off many people at our old church, High Plains Fellowship, by arriving unannounced Easter morning! So many hugs going both ways, especially from our dear friend Gordon, the strong bass in the choir, who is also fighting stage 4 cancer, and who insisted that we join the choir at the end of service to sing the "Hallelujah Chorus" as we had done a year or two ago.

I managed to sneak this peek at Rose and Tommy reading the preacher's text together. 

Carrie made us proud playing a beautiful arrangement of "Because He Lives" before the service, then congregational accompaniment, choir accompaniment (including "The Hallelujah Chorus") and postlude. 

Tables were laden with no end of Easter brunch food out in the vestibule.

 The dessert table.

 

Usually Jonathan and I try to sit with other church people, but since we so rarely see our daughters anymore, we all sat at the same table to visit. Then Tommy (Rose's fiance sitting next to Rose) accompanied the girls and us and later Sam to the airport. It meant so much to me that Tommy wanted to come along. After all, "You're going to be my family!" he explained as he found a narrow seat beside Rose in the back seat of Carrie's rather small minivan. 

What a blessing to have this brief interlude to our life in South Dakota without our dear children! It broke my heart to leave so many behind and move to South Dakota to live far away without them. But God was so good to give us this surprise chance to see each other. I am sure this was as helpful in my cancer fight as the herceptin drug I'm supposed to get tomorrow!