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Foster Care to Adoption: A Journey Completed

November 5, 2012 by 6 Comments
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  Meet Jase.  He is twenty months old, and he is the newest member of our family.  When Jase was just a few days old, he was placed in foster care with my nephew Matt and his wife Jo who were hoping to adopt a child to raise together.  Jase was not their first foster child, so they knew there was no guarantee that that this child they lavished with love would someday join their family. Last Friday, I attended Jase's adoption hearing.  It was a day to finally lay to rest the fear that one day they might have to say good-bye. Here's Jase with the judge who signed his … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Family, My Grandma Knows, Relationships Tagged With: , ,

Autumn Memories

October 31, 2012 by 18 Comments
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Today is the last day of October already, and it's also the anniversary of my father's death.  I thought it would be fitting to share with you one of the fondest memories I have of my dad. First, let me show you what my dad looked like.  The cool thing about this picture is that not only can you see my dad, but you can also see the "fireplace" that we had in my house when I was a kid. It was made of plywood covered with a brick print contact paper. I can't think of a tackier focal point for a living room than a fake fireplace made of contact paper bricks, but when I was a kid, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Family, Frugality, Fun, My Grandma Knows, Relationships, Simplicity Tagged With: , , ,

An Autumn Tradition with Friends

October 16, 2012 by 6 Comments
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One autumn tradition that we enjoy is getting together with friends for a fall party.  Every year we go to our friends' house where  we enjoy the sights, smells, and flavors of autumn all in one fun day. The weather for this year's party was cloudy and chilly in the morning, but that didn't put a damper on the day.  When we arrived, the fire was burning, and soup was on. On the menu today was chicken corn soup--a Pennsylvania Dutch recipe--simmered in a huge iron kettle over an open fire.  Soup is on the menu every year at this party, and it's always delicious! When the soup was … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Food, Friends, Fun, My Grandma Knows, Relationships

Fall Decorations

October 9, 2012 by 4 Comments
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Some of my favorite colors are the warm hues of autumn: apple red, pumpkin orange, goldenrod, and purple chrysanthemums.  While I can't compete with God's beautiful autumn displays outdoors, I still look forward to unpacking my fall decorations to use inside our house. The focal point in our living room is a six foot long custom- made oak shelf on the wall between our kitchen and living room.  This shelf is where I go a little crazy with decorative "clutter".  It's a perfect way to decorate because it's out of the way of our regular living space.  And I don't have to dust it until it's … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Home maintenance, My Grandma Knows, Relationships, Simplicity Tagged With: , , ,

How Many Grandparents Does It Take

August 23, 2012 by 6 Comments
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... to babysit an almost ten-month-old girl while her regular babysitter is on vacation? Never you mind that the baby sitter takes care of this same ten-month-old and her own children all by herself most days of the week.  We're talking about grandparents, not babysitters or parents. So how many grandparents does it take?  TWO!!   And I will tell you why.  We need ..... One to buckle the car seat in while the other prevents the seat belt from retracting. One to make the baby laugh while the other one snaps the picture. One to bathe the baby, and one to hold the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Faith, Family, My Grandma Knows, Relationships Tagged With: , , ,
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