Random Updates

So October is shaping up to be quite the wet month.  But the rain is good.  Would have been nice if we had more of it this summer, but such is life and all this rain will make the ground great next spring.

As always, we have been so busy!  J. is doing K12 Virtual School this year.  Took us awhile to get back into that swing of things, but I think we are finally there and have a good schedule going.  Z. is officially out of elementary now.  They do things a little different up here.  The go to "Middle School" which is 5th and 6th grades and then to "Intermediate School" which is 7th and 8th grades.  He is still so little I am scared to death of him being at the giant school with bigger kids.   A. is doing great.  She is a sophmore this year. She brought home a class ring brochure the other day.  I didn't even want to look at it.  I can't imagine my little girl graduation high school.  Nope not possible!

September was another month of vacations in our congregation so we had a lot of sparsely attended meetings.  A few Sundays ago there were only 27 there when the meeting started.  Cameron was back in the sound department and Z. ran up and said I have to do the rovers.  And then he was off again before it even registered what he said.  One of the elders took him downstairs for a quick how-to and then when the Watchtower study began, there was my little baby, running the mics.

What!?!?!  He did so good.  No one bonked in the head, no dropped mic, no tripping over the cord.  He was so cute, and now that he got the practice in when there was just a few people there, he has been added into the rotation and will now be doing it more regularly.  He is also learning how to do the sound equipment.  So proud of my little guy.

Cameron, I, and J. went up to Manistee, MI for a quick build.  Cameron has been approved or at least has been going to quick builds up here almost since we arrived.  There was a little mix up with applications so it took me a little longer to be official.  So Manistee was my first quick build in Michigan.  What a great time to go up there!  The fall colors were at their peak.  It is so beautiful!  One of those, stab you in the heart, take your breath away, fill you with awe, make you wanna cry, all at once kinda beautiful.  The weather was yucky but the kingdom hall was built in record time and we had some time to go exploring.

Lake Michigan

New KH in Eastlake, MI (Manistee, MI)

It was so much fun to be a part of it.  I ran into a cousin there that I haven't seen in a very, very long time.  So it was good to catch up with her and her hubby.  Met lots of new friends.  And one of my most favorite things about the build was getting to the site from where we had to park.  On the other side of those trees you see in the back ground was the main parking area.  There was a path from the parking area to the build site through that little patch of forest, and when we arrived in the morning and left at night it was dark so the path was lit up with little twinkle lights.  It was so cute.  I know, it's the little things that get me all excited.

And lastly, friendiversary was this past weekend.  A. and her buddy have a friendiversary every year on the day they met, which also happens to be the day they were suddenly glued together.  The girls haven't seen eachother in two months so it was an extra special weekend filled with junk food, laughter, all night talking, and of course, gifts.  So many gifts!


 They know each other so well.  This past year A. has discovered the Beatles.  So, yep, she was pretty excited about this gift, there was also a Beattle's t-shirt to go along with it.  She is over the top excited.

And as most young teenage girls are, they both LOVE Taylor Swift so A. made this for L.  I promise to post more pics about that project later.  Very cute.  But I do believe the best loved gift of the evening came from a certain Auntie in the house.

Yep, that's the reaction you get to Taylor Swift perfume.  They were so cute, and so appreciative.

Pileated Woodpecker

This is a Pileated Woodpecker that visited us a few days ago.  This is a seriously big woodpecker.  It can measure up to 19 inches in body length and have a wingspan up to 30 inches.  Cool.  This is only the 4th or 5th one I have seen.  So cool.

That's about all the news from the home front.  We are gearing up for winter, and I am praying for a historic blizzard that keeps us in the house for days so I can just do nothing.  Or catch up on some crafts or something other than going, going, going.

Love and miss all of you.  Give each other hugs and kisses from us here up north.

Photo of the Week - Week 35 (a week late) - Friends

For the friendiversary weekend, the girls wanted a photo shoot.  I still didn't have my new lens so I grabbed Dad's camera and we headed out.  It is hard taking photos with a camera you are not used to.  These are NOT being shown to you as great photos.  These are being shown to you to show you how silly my girls are.

So this was right before Dad's camera died, but the girls were being more goofy than photo shooty (is that a word?).  Right after this shot I told them to channel their inner model, to feel it, feel the wind blowing through their hair.  The response?

Oi!  Goofy girls.  At least one of them held her composure.  Well until this was snapped anyway.  Such a fun day.  Photos didn't quite turn out that day, but there is always tomorrow!

Week 35 of 52

Location:  Mecosta, MI

Subject:  Goofballs

Friendiversary Gifts - Complete!

Whew, since today was going to be such a busy day, I stayed up late last night and finished up the rings and the pendant.  So now, officially, we are finished with the gift making!

The rings turned out pretty cute.  These flower rings were purchased as separate pieces at Joann's and A. glued them together.

This pendant and rings we selected from my photos and glued them to glass tiles.  One of the girls really likes old cars hence the old truck photo.  And the small one is really hard to photograph because it is so round every angle I tried it at the light hit it too brightly.  Which in retrospect might even make it not such a great option for a ring in the first place.  Oh well, live and learn.

So there they are.  A. is excited for her big day, and was glad to see the rings already completed this morning so less work for her.  Silly girl.

Oh I forgot the other part of their gifts.  Rachel is crotcheting hair flowers for them.  She will have to post pictures on her blog for you to check them out.  They are really, really cute.

Randomness

So have I mentioned the "Friendiversary" that is taking place?  A and her best bud marked the very first day they met as the day they fell madly in "best friends" with eachother and therefor must celebrate their "friendiversary".  Very cute I must say.  HOWEVER, this event, even though it is officially October 12th has been taking place for well over a month now.  This weekend however is the final hoo-ra and so gift giving shall commence for the final time and we shall declare it OVER!  Whew!

This week we decided to get crafty with some of the gifts so I will be posting those as we get them completed so you all can share in the "Friendiversary".  Recently another one young from the congregation has been added to their little group.  So she is receiving gifts this weekend as well.  Here is what we put together for her new room.  Big Sis how did I do?  I tried thinking like the pro you are as we put this together.

Her new room is going to be purple and lime green.  Since we don't have the luxury of a craft store 10 minutes from the house anymore, we had to use what we had on hand.  Turned out pretty cute.  Now we have to get busy on one for the "bestie".  Stay tuned. . . .

And just because I am so, so happy.  Look what the hubby got me for an extra super early anniversary gift.

Woo Hoo, so excited.  Then Mom happened to go to Aunt Pat's and she was holding a yard sale for her sis-in-law and had another Kitchenaid with extra attachments so I got that one too.  How on earth I go from having none to having two in a matter of weeks is crazy.

Love ya all.  Miss you like nothin' else.