Let me introduce you to our newest grandson, Joshua. They arrived home from China on May 31 and Joshua had his 5th birthday on June 11. John had to show him how to open the packages and after the first 2, he said, "No more." He wanted to stop and play with what he had, Jackie's cousin Kim sent these things which he LOVES. Cars and trucks and a boat.
He also loves Thomas the Train and Friends. Of course, Grandpa and Daddy loved the fact that they "had" to get down on the floor and set up the track.
Then on Saturday we went to the Kentucky Railway Museum where they had a Thomas and Friends event. It was a beautiful day and we had a wonderful time.
John
Sunday, June 15th was the VBS Program at our church. They do things so well!
Wilma came for a few days to help us get settled. She also taught me to make bread. I made a batch by myself a few days later and it turned out really well. I made a batch again this week and it didn't go so well. I tried to multi-task. I didn't have the bread ready for the oven until my casserole for supper was in the oven already. So, I moved my 2 casserole dishes to the bottom rack (we are feeding 7 people now) and put the bread on the top rack. It didn't bake all the way through, so I had to put it back in which gave it a thick, very dark crust. Well - I'm learning. The picture is the first batch.
I am making good progress on my sewing room. It is 12 x 13. Keep in mind that I am still sorting and unpacking and don't have all my stuff yet. Standing in the door and moving counter-clockwise -
My office space
Cutting table, which is a discarded lab table from Wheaton College. So heavy that it will never move again.
And the other wall which will be my sewing and storage wall.
After supper tonight, the family played on the Slip & Slide in the yard. Grandpa stopped to watch as he was putting the tractor away. A perfect ending to a day here in the Bluegrass.
So much has happened in the last month, I don't know where to begin.
Charley and Jackie got final approval to travel to China to pick up their son, Joshua. They left on May 15 and returned on May 31. Joshua is such a sweet little boy. He will be 5 in a few weeks. He is doing well, but it was heart-wrenching this morning to have him crying and say he wants to go home to Beijing. So much going on for such a little person. Jackie got out the memory book they gave him at Bethel (where he was taken care of for the past year and a half).
It is also a big adjustment for John. He is doing excellent, though.
We are now living in our house. We are really pleased with our design. It "lives" really well. We had our first guest. Wilma came to help us for 3 days to get settled. She is such a hard worker and we LOVE having her around.
Bryce, our intern from Asbury University moved in and is SUCH a big help. He helped us move and is working in the garden and did all the animal chores while the kids were gone. We have enjoyed having him around also.
We are doing the door and window trim ourselves and have not had time to work on it since we got moved in. There just aren't enough hours in the day. We have made time though to enjoy the beauty in which we live. We take a few minutes to watch the pasture twinkling with fireflies, or to see how quickly the sun sets in a beautiful sky. We have time to sit on the porch and enjoy popsicles with the boys - a first for Joshua.
I have enjoyed my time in the greenhouse starting plants, but we haven't gotten them all in the ground yet. Charley is helping to do that before he goes back to work.
I have been cooking meals for 7 to 10 people each night. Bryce has invited some friends and Jackie's parents have joined us. It has been a great time. Wilma showed me how to make bread and I am trying it for myself for the first time. The first loaves are in the oven. They look good. Wilma has been so patient because I've had to call her twice today to ask her questions.
Our bedroom window faces east and we have no window coverings yet, so we have been wakend by the sun every morning - except the one morning when it was cloudy and then we were wakend by 2 little boys.
We haven't yet moved anything from our storage locker. My quilting machine, our 2 freezers, all my fabric, and a whole lot of other stuff. We have missed our "stuff."
The small garden looks really good. The potatoes, onions and kohlrabi are there.
The big garden has corn, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes. We don't yet have our beans planted. We are really behind, but are setting up a permanent garden. We have aisles and planting beds. Once we get to making our own compost, we will start adding to the beds each year. Today they are putting cardboard down - reusing from our building project - and then mulch which we get from the county.
Bob is kept busy keeping everyone else running. He is maintaining the big tractor, 2 lawn tractors and everything else we ask him to do.
So, hopefully you can understand why I haven't found time to write here. We are ready for company, so let us know when you would like to come. The trim isn't finished, and the boxes aren't yet unpacked, but we would love to see some of our old friends and share our little piece of heaven with you - down here in the Bluegrass.
