How to spend a lazy summer afternoon

Yesterday was perfectly delightful. It all started with an email from my Aunt Phyll a few weeks ago. She was wondering what my plans were for the 4th of July weekend, and did they include time at the lake? She knew most would have a 3-day weekend, and wanted to spend some time at Grandma's house. Before I go further, let me say that our family has been spoiled for a long time. My grandparent's built their house on Perrin Lake about 50 years ago. Since then innumerable people have enjoyed time at their house. The house is nice, but the yard and the water are really where the party's at. Literally. There have been quiet afternoons with only 1 or 2 present, summer days spent swimming to the point of being waterlogged, family reunions, holiday parties, baseball end-of-season parties, youth group initiations (now there's another blog or two:), nights spent sleeping on the pontoon in the middle of the lake, and many other long-forgotten excuses to enjoy the company and the surroundings. Few places, if any, rank higher on my list of favorite locations to while away the day.

Yesterday included my Grandma, my Mom and I, Mom's sisters ~Phyll, Chris, and Becky ~ Phyll's son James, several of Becky's kids, and random others that showed up here and there throughout the day. The only planning that really happened was preparing for lunch, which was delicious ~ a few salads, deli-style sandwiches, and lots of fresh fruit. Mostly the plan was to spend time in the sun and with each other. The plan came off without a hitch!

For any that have read The Five Love Languages, quality time is at the top of my list. Activities are great, but I just dearly cherish spending time with those I love the most. Grandma's yard is a great place to do that. It sort of has an upper and a lower portion. The lower part of the yard is by far bigger. That leads to the lake, has a picnic table, a fire ring, and much more space. The upper portion has the porch swing and smaller grassy area. When we got there a few were already sitting on the swing. Rather than move down to the larger area, we just brought the lawn chairs up and sat there. Other than when a few swam out to the middle of the lake and when we ate lunch, we never really moved. We were too busy talking. I've spent countless hours lying in the sun at Grandma's house. I don't think I've ever done it in the yard right beside the garage, but that's what we did yesterday. We were simply too busy talking and soaking up the sun to be bothered moving down to the area where we usually sit.

Life is too busy. We don't often enough just spend time with each other, as families, as women, and generations. When I was a child I remember my Mom and I semi-regularly getting together with the women in my Dad's extended family. I thought it had a name, but I don't remember it now. That group consisted of some Amish women and some who were not. They usually quilted while the kids played. There was always a mouth-wateringly delicious lunch, then we'd all head home late in the afternoon. I don't remember a single one of those quilts. I have no idea who they were for. What I remember we kids having a ton of fun, and the women talking and laughing, buzzing like a bunch of bees. It was time to catch up, share stories, ideas, and much more.

Every time I spend time with women, be it at church, Bible study, a sewing bee, or near the swing at Grandma's house, the concensus seems to be that it is a refreshing time that should happen more often. There's a reason families are designed the way they are, generationally. Really we had 4 generations present yesterday. Grandma, her daughters, my generation, and then the little girls. The little girls are my cousins now (yay for adoptions:), but Zoe is 5 and Ellie nearly 3. (Soon the ages of my Grandma's grandchildren will range from 3-40) Since I'm, well, much older than 5 (not the one almost 40, though:), it's almost like they're nieces, not cousins. There is so much joy and insight to be gleaned from all of those generations. We're all at different places in life, but still had so much in common. Even James, who was the only male a good bit of the day, seemed to thoroughly enjoy lazing the day away with us. I can't say the conversation was particularly profound. At points it consisted of intestinal issues, physical changes, eye infections, and funky toes:) It wasn't really the conversation, though, that was important. It was the time together, and lots of laughter.

My time yesterday only solidified my interest in continuing to make time with my family important. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to spend the rest of the day with my Mom and Dad.

Giddy-Up God!

It's been so long since I've had much of anything to say. Other than going to Virginia to visit family about a month ago, I've just been working a lot and trying to spend time outside soaking up some of the gorgeous sun. Bring on the vitamin D! I have so many cute pictures of my niece, but posted some of my favorites on Facebook, so I feel like it's redundant to make people look at the same ones here. Sometimes I have posts that share my ponderings, but it's felt like the muses were working overtime. The only problem is they're in a jumbled mess that would only show up here as a confusing sort of rambling.

In the last couple days, I've felt as is my train of thought took me from one bloggable moment to another. There were no depots in sight for miles. Now I have more stops than I'm sure I'll be able to keep up with.

First on the list of things to share is two enjoyable evenings this last week. Wendy is one of the very special people in my life. We met nearly nine years ago. I had been volunteering at The Power House Youth Center. One of the directors asked me to think and pray about the opportunity of mentoring a particular girl who was a member at the PH. We had developed a bit of a relationship. After considering, I decided to agree. When I said I'd do it, I was told that they had decided on someone else instead. It was Wendy. I knew who she was, but didn't really know her at all. That made me feel a little uneasy. I had no idea what she was like, whether we would click, what we might have in common, what we might talk about, or if she would have any interest in spending time with me, for that matter. I went with it anyway, and I can't tell you how many times over the years Wendy and I have laughed about how right the choice was. We certainly have differences, but we have so many things, besides loving Jesus:), in common. There are things, such as a love for words, that we both implicitly understand about each other. When we tell others, they look at us like we just might be from another planet. The wondering what we might talk about? Ha! Quitting talking is usually our problem.

My friendship with Wendy has been an amazing experience. One of the adventures that I treasure most thus far. I don't have children of my own. She's too old to be my daughter. That's honestly not what a mentoring relationship is anyway, but I feel just a bit of the pride in her that a mother does. It's been my privilege to share in the last nine years of her life. I look forward to many more.

Fast forward nine years. Wendy has recently finished her Victory Lap. She's done a great job supporting herself, living on her own, and paying for school. The last year and a half many of our conversations have centered on the economy, unemployment, the vast array of jobs available or not to people with a business degree, and what in the world to do once graduation arrived. Graduating from college is an exciting time. Graduating from college in a rotten economy and thousands of dollars in loans is a scary time. We've been doing a lot of praying. Wendy found out last week that she had been hired for a job in Macon Georgia. I forgot to mention that once she was old enough, she quit being a member at The Power House and became a volunteer as well as employee. She is now the coordinator for a volunteer program at Wesleyan College. While I'm sad to see her move far away, I think this is a very good move for her. She lived in Macon for one year during school, and loved it. I'm just so excited for her! All those months of concern over how to find a job were taken care of only a month after graduation. I pointed out to her that it was nearly 6 months til I found a nursing job after school. In this economy, a job after only a month can only be seen as a HUGE answer to prayer!

A week ago she and I had dinner at our favorite pizza place. We said our "see ya laters". I figured that was it for quite a while. A going away party was scheduled for Friday, so I got to see her again. Saturday evening I went to church with her, and then to a cookout where we were going to stay for "a little while". A little while after midnight we finally left:) It was a very nice evening. The weather was perfect, not too hot, not too cold. The s'mores were delicious. The company was even better. I felt like it was stolen time with my girl. The two evenings made my weekend completely delightful. I'll miss having Wendy around, but I'm so excited to see what the next stretch in the road holds for her!

Side note: Just before we left church Saturday evening, the daughter of a friend found a large paper with a picture, apparently of Jesus on it. The adults were chatting and heard Vanessa in the background proclaiming, "God! I have a picture of God! I'm taking God home with me!" She really caught our attention when she raised the volume and proclaimed, "Giddy-up God! I'm riding God!" We turned to see her with the large paper rolled and tucked between her knees, "riding" it like a stick pony. How many times do we as adults wish that we could say "Giddy-up God!" I've been chuckling about it all week long. I guess He did giddy-up in finding Wendy's job.

Still among the living

I'm still alive! I have been busy, busy, busy. Blogging, apparently, is the thing to cut out when you can't keep up, at least it has been for me. I got a call today from a sweet college friend. She was my first roommate, other than my sister growing up. Anyway, she has been checking here recently and has seen nothing new. She called just to check in and make sure I'm OK. Yes! It really meant a lot to me that she was considerate enough to check in. I doubt that there will be much more in the next week or so, but I'll do my best. Sarah is not the first one to drop the hint that I've been neglecting this site. I do check in long enough to catch up on others, I've just not taken the time to write. I'll work on that. Thanks again for the notes reminding me that it's time to get back at it.

Baby Mary Janes

As promised, I'm finally getting around to showing off my latest sewing project. That makes it sound like there's been a long string of them. There has not. I'm honestly not much of a seamstress, but after seeing a couple samples on Mary's blogs, I felt inspired. When I saw them I began hoping my brother and sister-in-law would have a girl because these were just too cute. Actually they could easily be made for a boy as well with the right fabric, but who can pass up a pair of pink Mary Janes? Especially considering the fact that I'm not much of an accomplished seamstress, I was quite pleased with how these turned out. I'll admit there were actually 3 made, the first being unintended practice as I found flaws and learned how to improve the process. Katie Grace's mama, Mindy, always says pearls go with everything, so the buttons were a no-brainer. The first link above gives details on information needed to learn how to make them. Here are some photos of the process and finished product. The bag was a last minute thought that kept me up 'til 2am on a work-night, but I felt like it was worth it when it was done.

The crooked seams in this picture were what finally convinced me that this one needed to be a practice rather than the final product. I've discovered I'm a bit of a perfectionist.

Still a little too big, but I just love her little toes peeking through.

Meeting Katie Grace

Last week, Wednesday through Sunday, my parents and I went to Virginia to meet Katie Grace. She was 2 1/2 weeks when we finally got to say hello. I'm biased. There are plenty of precious babies in the world. For right now, though, she is definitely the sweetest one I'm related to. I don't necessarily have a ton to say, but please indulge a proud auntie as I show her off.

This is she and I getting some bonding time while her mama tries to catch up on some sleep. Once we went to Mindy's parent's house, where my parents were staying, then my mom soaked up lots of Grandma time. That meant Katie Grace and I getting our bonding done when everyone else was asleep. Fine by me.

Little missy just loves kicking for all her nakie self is worth. She's also good at peeing when there's not a diaper around, so I indulged her freedom while still leaving the diaper where it could help.

Katie with mommy and daddy........sadly watching Michigan State lose to Ohio State. Mommy tried not to rub it in to daddy too much, but daddy and I were both a little bummed. No worries. The important tournament starts tomorrow!

Daddy thought it would be fun to give Katie a fauxhawk. Judging by the look on her face, I'm not sure she thought it was a good look. haha

I liked this one. She looks so tiny with her daddy's hand coving her whole torso. Such a precious little bundle.

I didn't pinch her. Honest.

I had to get in all the kisses I could until the next time I see her, which by the way, will be the wknd after Easter. Anyone that reads this that is in the Sturgis area, there will be a welcome party for her on Sunday, April 19. Let me know if you're interested in details.

Just hangin' out with Dad. This was the day that Michigan State did win. I think she's trying to wave at the camera.

Thanks for letting me show her off. I've not met a baby yet that wasn't sweet, but I happen to like this one even more than most. It's a little strange to watch my little brother being a dad, giving baths, changing diapers, and pretty much turning to mush when she's around.

Soon to come is another post showing off the piece of apparel I made for Katie Grace. In the meantime, though, I need to get off this computer and into my bed.

Katherine Grace

The last month or so has just felt blah. Not really down, blah, just nothing interesting to say or report. February tends to be that way. Well, I finally have fun things to say! My sister-in-law, Mindy, delivered a new member of the family yesterday. Katherine Grace Schwartz was born to Matt and Mindy. Sounds like she's going to be known as Katie Grace. My Grandma Schwartz was a Katie. I certainly approve.

Here 's Katie bonding with Mindy. I hear she has quite a lot of blonde hair under than little pink hat.

Daddy's learning to multi-task. That's good. I'm sure he's going to need to do lots more of that.

The whole family......after a night of rest. Labor started around 10pm Sunday night, but Katie Grace didn't show her face until 7:08pm on Monday. Long day! Needless to say, Mom and Dad were ready for a night's sleep.

I'm looking forward to making a trip to meet her soon and to give proper congratulations to her parents!

In other news........I had to make a quick trip to Sturgis this morning. I got lucky enough to downstaff from work, so that's why I had the time to go. I went through town a different way than normal. I'm glad I did because I saw an amusing sign. Here it is.

We're doing the Biggest Loser at work. First place wins just over $1000. I'm thinking that stopping in for this "meeting" might be a little counter productive. Do you suppose many people went for the weigh-in then stuck around for lunch today?

This is a bit on the random side, but on the way back to Fort Wayne, I saw this truck. My first thought was that it was a very bright green. Then I realized that with a little imagination, it looked a bit like Shrek rolling down the road. I don't know. My imagination was working overtime. I had a lot of time in the car to get bored. Yes, I realize I could get in trouble for taking this one while I was driving. :) I was at a stoplight when I took the one of the sign. I sure do like having a camera small enough to keep in my purse.

Finally.........there aren't little people in my house to provide a quote of the day, but I have a new word for the day. The bulk of my day today was spent gathering supplies needed to make a gift for Katie. I'm not the best seamstress ever, but I'm going to give it a shot. My cousin Mary is quite possibly the best seamstress ever. I have called and emailed her more than once already today asking questions. At one point I wrote that I was confused. As I read back through to make sure my question made sense, I realized that I had written that I was confusted. What's that? Confused, frustrated, disgusted, it's a bust? Not sure, but I decided that maybe it makes the point more clearly than intended.

Family Christmas Gatherings

These pictures are long overdue. They are also in pretty random order. I put quite a few on here, but wanted to share plenty for a couple cousins that live far enough away that they didn't get to be there. You were missed!
We start with the Schwartz Christmas.


Aidan Hasbrouck, 2 yr old. "Mmmmm......homemade ice cream that Papa Schwartz (Fred) made. Gotta get this stuff to my.......
......mouth! Yep. I did it. Notice no drips of this stuff landed on my shirt! Yum!"

Nathan, Merlin and Gina's youngest. What a little cutie!

Merlin approves of the look Aidan has going on.

My sister Laura.

Emily Mast, one of many cousins to follow. Gotta say I'm pretty impressed with her camera.

Rasika Keely taking a break from her self-appointed job of expediting the white elephant exchange. I don't think she realizes yet that she's just beautiful.

Singing a couple Christmas carols. This was just before everyone old enough to remember Grandma Katie was crying as we sang Silent Night, her favorite song. I like knowing that she heard us from heaven. She sure is missed!

Cousins

Cousins

And more cousins!

So many little cousins, otherwise known as great grands, that it's hard to keep track of which ones belong with which older cousins.

Two of my uncles, Fred, Merlin, and a couple grandbabies.



And now a few of the Eichorns. I'm not quite sure why, but I didn't take many pictures that day. I think it's probably because I get to see them more often.

Isaac Miller and Joel Eichorn.