Tyler Lee Fahrendholz

When Tyler was little he had a thing for carving or scratching or writing his initials on things. He scratched them on a car once (good thing we drive junkers) and when confronted he was indignant--why did we think he did it? He carved them in a dresser and in the logs our house is made of. The other day I was in my craft room which used to be occupied by the kids and I saw this...initials of Tyler Lee done in glue from a glue gun. Shows just how observant I am! I've always wondered why there is a hardened spot of something on the carpet..drippings no doubt. I suppose when you are one of four, you must leave your mark somehow.

Grafton Before...

Grafton gets really warm in the summer and pants continually, which is really annoying. We decided to shave him and hopefully cool him down. This is him before his pitiful haircut. I will post one of him now..later.

Hope

Hope and her mom came for a sleep-over last Friday night. She and I and the 3 dogs went for a 2 mile walk in the woods. We also had a lesson on how to make cream puffs and I taught Melanie how to sew a summer dress for Hope. It was Home-Ec. weekend.

Look at this large hummingbird

I hung up an Oriole feeder and hummingbird feeders. Of course, the Orioles prefer the wrong one, sometimes hanging upside down to get a drink.

Mushrooms

It was a good year for Morel mushrooms. In 2 days Trevor and his friend found many pounds.

missing picture

Ollie

The granddog, Oliver came roofing this weekend. He wasn't much help, but an enjoyable presence.

Roofing

John's mom decided she should have a new roof. Lucky for her, she has 2 grandboys who do construction. Tanner and Tyler were the pros. Matt and Tessa were on the roof too. John and I stayed on the ground and helped pick up all those shingles full of tarpaper and nails. I only did it yesterday and .....OH BOY! was I sore and stiff this morning. Grandma's got her new roof.

Jami's 21

Jami turned 21 yesterday. She's a gal who really enjoys life! She got to wear her tiara again ;) Her party was at the bar & grill where she used to waitress. Quiet, low key Tyler found himself a good match!

Gargae sale

On Saturday we had a garage sale in Dakota. It was a city-wide sale. I tell you what....it's a lot of work! It is fun, but not the way to get rich. It's always fun to see what people buy. The stuff we never thot would sell....first to go! It was a cool day. We had a grand total of $97 and lots of junk left over which is still in my van ready to go to the Good Steward.

Oliver

Matt and Tessa adopted a dog from the Humane Society. He's about a year old and is a blood hound/lab mix. His name was Tanner. Since that's her brother's name, they had to change it. He is now Oliver. He's a nice addition to the family!

John morning adventure

The other morning John told me to bring my camera cuz he had to show me something. We drove out to the point that overlooks the valley. He said it was just 100 yds or so. I, of course, was wearing flip flops and my feet were wet and slimy from the wet grass. Had to walk down the steep path, and try to keep from sliding off my shoes. And there it was---a big bunch of pretty purple flowers on the hillside. It was a nice thing for him to share with me!

Dresses

I've been sewing dresses for orphans in Congo. Made 12 so far. It's fun to pray for the girl who will wear the dress and picture those pretty little girls wearing them. I'm going to make shorts for the boys next.

Woman on a Mission

2 weeks ago I finished a Bible study called Woman on a Mission. It was an excellent study for figuring out what God has equipped you to do. It's great for those times in life when you ask yourself, "What now?" At the end we could make a board with our mission statement and whatever else we wanted to include. The things that kept surfacing for me were, sewing, encouraging, mentoring and friendships, and giving and helping. These are the things that make me feel fulfilled and joyful. My mission statement is: To give of my talents, strengths, and passions in obedience to God's leading. I wish I was a leader, because this would be such a fun study to lead and watch women figure things out about themselves and how unique God made each one of us.

What?

I stepped out of the van in Nelson and there they were---someone lost their pants. What's wrong with people????

Sale Away

Last weekend We went on the 100 mile garage sale. We made it to Nelson and turned around. No..that's not John. An interesting character who perhaps didn't have a car ;) Matt and Tessa came with us. We didn't come home with as much stuff as some other years. There was a baby furniture theme which we hope is not an omen. I bought a cute old little crib for $1 and Tessa got 2 antique high chairs.

Now this weekend we will sell our junk at Tessa's in Dakota. They have a city wide sale.