Coffee Break .....

Casas por Cristo Trip

2010-06-13T21:01:00.007-05:00

Casa por Cristo began building homes along the US/Mexican border in 1993, to date they have provided nearly 4,000 families with homes. The families they serve earn an average of 60$ per week and spend up to 30 percent of their income on the transportation that carries them to and from work. With such limited income and burdensome expenses, it is nearly impossible to secure adequate housing. Families are forced to construct makeshift houses of cardboard, pallets, and other accessible materials. With summer highs exceeding 100 degrees, and winter lows well below freezing, these shelters place them at risk of heat and cold related health problems and even death. Many individuals cannot earn enough to buy materials to construct a safe and secure home. However, through Christ's love and the willingness of volunteers, this most basic need is fulfilled. The four walls that now surround these families serve as a constant reminder of the God who loves them and takes care of their needs.

Maggie and I left last Saturday, June 5th, with a group of youth and adults from the Providence Mennonite church in Montgomery. What a great week, and an awesome experience to serve with this group. We traveled by bus from Montgomery to El Paso, where we spent the night before crossing the border into Juarez. Jaurez was hot, dusty and poverty stricken. The population is 2 million, and as far as you can see in every direction is little make shift houses, all sitting on an old landfill. We found the people to be very friendly and cheerful. After two and a half days of hard work our group, which was split into two crews, had completed two houses! It was such a blessing to witness the youth and adults working together hand in hand to provide these two families with a secure home. I was amazed as I watched our youth shut off the cell phones, get out of their comfort zone and work like crazy in hot, dry conditions to help someone out. Not once did I hear a complaint, they were happy to be serving. It was a life changing experience, and I am so thankful that we had the opportunity to go! To learn more about Casa por Cristo, see their website at www.casasporcristo.org .

"We believe in His powerful hand. He provides for our needs and gives us the desires of our hearts." - Maria Pena, waiting for a home from Casas por Cristo

Ready for Summer!

2010-05-06T19:44:00.009-05:00

Can't believe that it has been 6 months since I last posted! I have to admit Facebook has replaced my interest in blogging! It is just so much faster, and not enough time for both right now. Things are busy as usual, lovin watching these grand babies. It is final week for Rob, Maggie just finished prom, and is working on senior pictures. She has one more setting to go. I just started my real estate cont. ed classes online ... Yuck, very time consuming. Noah has recently figured out he can drive Sydney around on the trike! I am loving this because I usually push Sydney around behind Noah. Thank you Noah! Hope that everyone is enjoying the beautiful weather!

News Video of Lady Vikings Volleyball - Channel 10

2009-10-21T07:36:00.008-05:00

Happy Birthday Noah!

2009-08-09T19:52:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday Jordan Tyler and Courtney Marie!

2009-06-26T20:54:00.003-05:00

Courtney's Share the Fun

2009-05-09T06:01:00.004-05:00

Last night we watched cousin Courtney perform at the 4-H Share the Fun contest. She did an amazing job! Lots of 4-H groups and skits... Lana and I got a kick out of some of them. Here are a few photos from the evening.

Keep on singing Courtney!

HOPE THAT EVERYONE HAS A HAPPY MOTHERS DAY

Congratulations Erin!

2009-05-02T17:03:00.013-05:00

Today Erin graduated from Oakland City University! Way to go Erin, we are so proud of you! It was a lovely ceremony, and the campus was beautiful with lots of flowers in bloom. Erin earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology and graduated Magna Cum Laude.

Earlier in the week I ran over and watched Courtney sing at the 4-H "Share the Fun contest" she sang "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus, she did such a cute job. She also performed a dance with Calli Wininger. She received two first place ribbons and will advance to the Area 3 Share-the-Fun Contest. Way to go Courtney Marie!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Prom 2009

2009-04-25T21:27:00.009-05:00

"Our Family" before the Grand March
Me and "My Babies"
Jordan, Maggie, and Robby

Maggie Before the Prom
Maggie and Sydney
Maggie and Kyle on our front porch
Maggie and "the guys" at Audrey's House
"The Girls" at Audrey's Before the Grand March
Abbie, Terrell, and Maggie

Christian and Maggie at Audrey's
Erin, Sydney, Maggie, Noah, and Jordan
Mindi, Kyle, and Maggie Before the Prom

My Adorable Grandchildren

2009-04-18T20:09:00.001-05:00

TOO CUTE FOR WORDS!

FUN FOTO FRIDAY

2009-04-17T12:41:00.004-05:00

Noah Watching the Nest

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

Robin's Nest

2009-04-16T06:34:00.008-05:00

Yesterday morning I was out on the front porch and I noticed a robin had built the nicest nest in the middle of my fern. So yesterday afternoon I checked on it and discovered the little perfect egg. It is right under my front window, Noah can stand on the couch and look out at the mama bird sitting on the nest. He ran and checked on it several times today. After he left today, I was fixing the curtains back and noticed the bird was off the nest and we now have two eggs! Noah will be very excited tomorrow. It only takes a couple of weeks for the eggs to hatch, I can't wait to see Noah's face when he discovers that a little bird was in that egg!

I love spring!

Easter Weekend Photos

2009-04-13T05:47:00.007-05:00

Courtney and Maggie at Mim's
Coloring Easter Eggs
Fun Cousin Time around Mim's Table
The Egg Hunt

We had a lovely Easter weekend. Above are pictures from Mim Johnson's house. Below are pictures from Uncle Jeff's house with the Sanders family. We are blessed with so many wonderful aunts, uncles, and cousins. Hope that you all enjoyed celebrating Easter weekend also!
Alex Counting his Eggs at Uncle Jeff's
Aunt Susie and Maggie
Before the Egg Hunt at Uncle Jeff's
Erin and Maggie at Uncle Jeff's

Other things may change us, but we start and end with family. - Anthony Brandt

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY KATHY AND CLARK!

2009-04-09T11:16:00.002-05:00

Happy Anniversary Kathy and Clark, hope that you enjoyed the cruise! We are so looking forward to seeing you in Florida in June!

Hope that everyone enjoys the upcoming Easter Holiday. I am so excited to have Robby and Maggie both off tomorrow. We plan to order Maggie's prom flowers, go Easter bunny shopping for Noah and Sydney and make some good cakes to take over to Mim Johnson's and Uncle Jeff's on Sunday.

HAPPY EASTER

Happy Birthday Connie!

2009-04-05T18:26:00.003-05:00

Wishing Aunt Connie a very Happy Birthday!
Sydney Jade looking adorable.
Aunt Maggie and Noah at Kim and Cody's reception.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY-Sports Banquet

2009-03-25T10:23:00.004-05:00

Girls Varsity Award Winners
Liz and Maggie

WOW!

2009-03-24T07:25:00.004-05:00

WOW! Just returned from my weekend at the "Walk to Emmaus". What an experience! I am at a loss of words to describe the impact the weekend has had on me. Our theme for the week was "For Such a Time as This". The entire weekend was awesome. Thank you so much Tony for inviting me to go, such a wonderful gift from you. When I walked in the door Sunday night, the house was clean, Robby had made a wonderful dinner for us and Maggie had put flowers on the table! Needless to say, I am feeling pretty blessed.

For we are God's masterpeice. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.
Eph 2:10

Have a great week!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2009-03-17T13:06:00.003-05:00

May your blessings outnumber
The Shamrocks you grow
and troubles avoid you
where ever you go.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY- DR. NOAH

2009-03-11T07:07:00.002-05:00

FIREPROOF

2009-03-05T18:06:00.004-06:00

On Sunday evening at 6:00, Maggie and Felicia will hold their second fundraiser for the Romania mission trip. We will be showing the movie Fireproof. It will be held at the Providence Mennonite Church in Montgomery. We will serve refreshments and have babysitting provided. I have had several people from church say that they have already watched the movie once.... but it is "so good" that they would like to see it again. Tony and I are looking forward to seeing it. If you have Sunday evening free, come and join us!

WEEKEND WRAP UP

2009-03-01T14:37:00.011-06:00

Katie and Maggie

Fun Sunday Afternoon Visit
Great Turn Out For Our Rook Tournament

Felicia, Brooke, and Maggie

Saturday night was our first fundraiser for the Romania trip. What a great turn out! The Yoder brothers made chili and vegetable soup over an open fire and donated it for our dinner. It was delicious. We had tons of wonderful desserts that were generously donated. It was a fun evening filled with visiting and card playing. The girls raised over half of the needed funds. Maggie and I were overwhelmed with the amount of people who pitched in and were eager to help the girls.

This past week flew by. It was our first week with Erin back in school. Next week Maggie starts conditioning, plus it will be the boys basketball sectional. Busy, Busy, Busy! Maggie and I have been trying to walk in the evenings.... we sure will be glad when the weather warms up. My sister Kathy called yesterday from Houston and said that Clark was mowing the lawn and she was watering flowers. I think that she is trying to make me jealous. It worked. I have been thinking about getting flowers and hanging baskets for my porch ever since she called. I can not wait.

Hope that everyone has a great week..... and THINK SPRING!

Mission Fundraiser Meal

2009-02-26T05:53:00.002-06:00

ANNOUNCEMENT

First Fundraiser for Romania Trip

The girls will hold a mission fundraiser meal and rook tourney on Saturday Feb. 28. It will be held at Providence church. Serving begins at 5:00pm- Soup,Sandwiches and Desserts. Tourney starts
at 6:00-bring your own cards. Cost is by donation. Proceeds go to mission funds for Brooke Lengacher, Felicia Swartzentruber and Maggie Sanders. Come out and support our youth by playing or just enjoying a great meal and fellowship.

HAVING A LITTLE FUN!

2009-02-24T11:53:00.014-06:00

Maggie Hamming it Up!
NOAH WEARING MAGGIE'S RAIN BOOTS!

This week is my first week watching the babies full time, Erin will graduate from Oakland City at the end of April. We are so proud of her, it can't be easy to run a house, be a mommy to two, and do all that homework! This is also the first week that Maggie has had off of sports. She is doing therapy for her knee, but is enjoying a little time off. I think that she has one week off and then spring conditioning starts. She was hoping to play club volleyball and was invited to play with a really awesome team, but her knee was too weak. She had to go back to Dr. Eby and was told she is not ready to do the jumping skills yet. Hopefully the therapy will have her ready for summer sports. She did come home from school yesterday with her State Runner up Volleyball ring! It is square with a ruby stone in the middle.... really neat looking. She was pretty excited. Tony has been teaching her to play the guitar, she is picking it up really fast. I snagged the bottom picture from Maggie's camera (Mindy stayed over the weekend so her camera was full of funny pictures). Boy, my sisters and I would have really had some fun with cell phones, and digital cameras!

Hope that you are all having a great week!
Little Sleeping Beauty Ready For a Nap
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

HAPPY 4TH BIRTHDAY BROOKLYN!

2009-02-19T16:16:00.007-06:00

WOW! Our little Brooklyn is 4 years old today! Happy Birthday Brooklyn, We love you!

LOOKING FOR A GOOD BOOK TO READ?

2009-02-18T18:05:00.005-06:00

Last night Tony and I went to Barnes and Noble and I purchased the book "The Shack". We both have had friends tell us that it is a wonderful book. I started it last night and ended up reading way too late. Maggie had two doctors appointments this morning which allowed me a couple of hours of reading.......and I am having a very hard time putting it down. If you get a chance run out and get it, you will laugh and cry. It will also make you stop and rethink your response to past, present, and future failures and disappointments. If you do read it, let me know what you think about it!

Romania Trip

2009-02-16T08:48:00.004-06:00

As most of you know by now, Maggie and Felecia are having fund raisers in hopes to earn needed travel expenses for their upcoming June trip to Constanta, Romania. They will be helping in an orphanage for special needs children. On March 8, they will be showing the movie FIREPROOF, and will provide childcare, if anyone wants to come see the movie. I will keep you updated on the success of the fundraisers, and let you know when the goal has been met.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY * Fun Friday Foto

2009-02-13T05:25:00.007-06:00

Happy Valentines Day Tony!

This a new picture that I have been wanting for a couple of years... Tony bought it for me for Valentines Day. It is of the front gates at the West Baden hotel. We went out to dinner at the French Lick winery last weekend (one of our favorite places), and he bought it for me there. The photographer also has the same shot of spring, summer, and fall. Such a neat old building; doesn't it look beautiful in the snow?!
Our little Sydney Jade
Noah pretending to be "Leo" from Little Einsteins

HOPE THAT EVERYONE HAS A WONDERFUL VALENTINE'S WEEKEND!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUNT JONI

2009-02-11T08:21:00.002-06:00

Today is Aunt Joni's birthday, hope that you have a great birthday!

TWO PEAS IN A POD

2009-02-09T12:28:00.004-06:00

Erin emailed this photo to me yesterday, it was so adorable that I had to share!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUNT KATHY AND UNCLE TIM

2009-02-08T20:14:00.008-06:00

Saturday was Uncle Tim's birthday. He coaches the Loogootee sixth grade basketball team, his team won their tourney on Saturday. Way to go Coach Sanders!
Today is my sister Kathy's birthday! Kathy and her husband Clark live in Houston, Texas. Here is a photo of Mom, Kathy, and Dad. Mom and Dad are planning a trip to visit Kathy soon, wish I were going too! She has already been working in the yard and wearing shorts and flip flops. Hope that you have a nice sunny warm birthday Kathy.
LOOK AT ME GROWING!

MY THREE BABIES!
TOO MANY OF MIM'S MASHDA'S!

SOMEONE IS SLEEPY!
READING DR. SEUSS

This week is the girls basketball sectional. We play in the first game on Tuesday night against Washington Catholic. Maggie is fighting a sore throat and cough, hope she is well by Tuesday night. Hope that everyone has a great week.... and that we have some nice warm days. I am starting to get spring fever.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - Photos from the last couple of days

2009-01-28T07:06:00.004-06:00

Snow Day

2009-01-24T07:23:00.003-06:00

One day last week we woke up to snow and a Snow Day! We love snow days! This is the first snow day in the "new" house. Before .... we would make chili, play rummy and Kimi would come over to play in the snow or take a snow hike. Kimi lived close and it was easy for her to walk half way and meet Maggie or have someone drop her off at the end of the drive. As most of you know we use to live in a secluded wooded area and had plenty of room for tromping around.
Tony and Maggie took one look outside and decided they had better take a snow hike, so they found the boots and took off through the country to Stop N' Sea for hot chocolate. These are the pictures that I found in Maggie's camera. With a move comes lots of changes.... but also a lot of good things remain the same.

BUGGY BOWL

2009-01-23T09:40:00.008-06:00

This was the scene in front of school this morning. Tomorrow night our boys play North Daviess in the Buggy Bowl. Our girls already played them this year and won, allowing us to keep the girls Buggy Bowl trophy another year. We get a real kick out of seeing all these buggies in front of the school... we counted 17! Our girls have a game tomorrow against Pike Central, and then we hope to make it to North Daviess for the boys game.

This has been a busy but good week. Maggie, along with a friend from church, is hoping to raise money to go on a mission trip to Romania in June. They would be working at an orphanage for handicapped children, and would be gone for 12 days. We have started filling out the paper work, and are doing a lot of praying about it.

She has also been invited to join a club volleyball team... of course, she would not start until after basketball season. She is pretty excited about the opportunity to train and play with this group. We are hoping that this works out for her. It is hard to believe that in a couple of weeks it will be basketball sectional time! The girls have had a great ball season... and are looking forward to sectional.

On Wednesday and Thursday I got to spend some time with the babies. Sydney is growing like crazy, and it always makes my day to chase Noah around. He is soooooo funny! Robby is adjusting to his new college schedule.... he went from 3 days a week to 5 days a week, and has more homework. I am so glad that he is commuting, we like having him home for supper every night.

We've been really concerned for my niece Dana, please remember her in your prayers, she has had some recent health concerns. She is in the process of having test run and seeing a specialist.
You can read more about it by hitting her link on my blog list. We are praying that she can get it all taken care of right away, and be living pain free soon.

Hope that you all have a great weekend!

TWO LITTLE SWEETIES!

2009-01-15T13:34:00.004-06:00

Today Maggie had a two hour delay.... yeah! We love two hour delays, and snow days! She and Robby both had a chance to play with Noah and Sydney before they had to leave for school.
Yesterday I was able to get the rest of the boxes put away from the garage... this job has been gnawing away at me for weeks, so I am so thankful to have that accomplished. Just finished the Glen Beck book called "The Christmas Sweater", it was very good. It will make you cry, but it is very worth the read.
Little Doll Baby!
Playin the Drums!

Noah feeding me No-Bakes

Hope that everyone is keeping warm.... I have been looking through seed catalogs and daydreaming about spring and flower gardens!

Have a great weekend.

Happy 3rd Birthday Alex!

2009-01-12T07:03:00.003-06:00

Saturday we enjoyed birthday cake for Alex and Uncle Cliff. We had a great time visiting. Hard to believe Alex is three already... seems like he turned from a toddler to a big boy overnight. Alex is Tony's sister Julinda's youngest son. He is the youngest of the Sanders first cousins.

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY ALEX!

Oh Baby!

2009-01-09T20:19:00.010-06:00

Courtney and Sydney at Mim's house

Aunt Joni with baby Sydney

Maggie, Courtney, and Chris
Noah helping to hold Sydney
Brooklyn and Noah.... Addison was too busy to get caught in a picture!
Dana and Sydney
Me and Sydney
Brooklyn ... isn't she getting big!
Mim Johnson with Sydney
Noah kissing his little sister!

The first couple of pictures were from last Sunday at Mom's. Nothing like a new baby! The other pictures were from today. Erin had to run to school for a little while so I got to baby sit. Dana and the girls came for a visit, then Mim and Pap stopped in for a minute. What a nice afternoon!

Have a great weekend!

HAVE A LITTLE FAITH!

2009-01-03T07:14:00.011-06:00

One of my New Years resolutions is to let go of worry! My pattern seems to be to stay pretty optimistic for a long time and then when things are not going right, I start to worry. Why do we waste time worrying about things we have no control of? Probably lack of faith. Here are some good faith quotes!

"There is nothing that wastes the body like worry, and one who has any faith in God should be ashamed to worry about anything whatsoever"

" Faith, in deed, has up to the present not been able to move real mountains... But it can put mountains where there are none."
-Friedrich Nietzsche

"Hope is faith holding out its hand in the dark."
- George Iles

"To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible."
- St. Thomas Aquinas

"Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe."
-Voltaire

-Do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
-Matthew 6:34

-Trust in the Lord with all your heart;do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
-Proverbs 3:5-6

Less worry - More Prayer!

Last night Papaw, and I got to watch the babies! Here are some photos..... Have I mentioned that .... I LOVE BEING A GRANDMA!

Happy New Years Eve!

2008-12-31T12:58:00.011-06:00

"We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day."
- Edith Lovejoy Pierce

"An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new Year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves."
-Bill Vaughn

Reflecting back, it has been a busy year, but a very good year! So very much to be thankful for...

A few of the highlights included:

-Maggie's mission trip to Mexico
-celebrating Noah's first birthday
-Sunday visits with family
-getting all moved
-Robby graduated from high school and completed his first year of college
-Good health
-two wonderful church families
-Maggie's volleyball team's state run
-every day that I spent watching Noah
-Tony celebrated his 32 year as a Conservation officer
-Jordan and Erin celebrated their first wedding anniversary

Last but not least.....
the birth of our new little grand daughter
Sydney Jade Sanders

Whether you are eager to get rid of the old year, or anxious for the hope that the new year brings.... hoping that you and your family take time to count the blessings of the past year, and have a wonderful time ringing in the new one!

Enjoying the Holidays

2008-12-30T05:32:00.004-06:00

We all had a lovely Christmas! It has been so nice to have my sister Kathy, and her husband Clark home from Texas. This first photo is of the cousins at my Mom's on Christmas evening. (minus Jordan, and John Hewitt). The photo below is Rachel, Maggie, and Nicole (our teen cousins). We spent the day after Christmas working on flowers for Cassie's upcoming June wedding.... so much fun! Our family will enjoy two weddings this year, Cassie in June and Gretchen in the fall. The last two pictures are of our new addition.... she is so precious! I haven't had time to download the pictures from my camera.... nabbed these from Maggie's "already downloaded" ones. Aunt Susan has posted some good ones from the Sanders side on her blog. Hope that everyone is enjoying this wonderful time of the year, and is taking a little time to relax!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2008-12-25T10:00:00.002-06:00

SYDNEY JADE SANDERS

2008-12-23T06:58:00.002-06:00

Our little Miss Sydney Jade has arrived! 6lbs 9 oz, 19 1/2 inches. She has really dark hair and is soooooo pretty and tiny! Big brother Noah is adoring her. Last night when we talked to Jordan, he said that Noah kept sitting down and patting his little lap, letting them know he wanted to hold her again. She is the best little Christmas gift!
Addison and Brooklyn...... what precious little cuties!

2008-12-23T06:55:00.003-06:00

My good friend DeAndrea's children Aunaka and Simeon. Aunaka is 5, and Simeon is 2. I was Aunaka's first babysitter. She was such a sweet little newborn. It is hard to believe that she is 5 now!

2008-12-15T12:20:00.011-06:00

THANK YOU MISTY! MISTY HAS SELECTED COFFEE BREAK AS A FABULOUS BLOG. Misty is my cousin, she has a really neat blog, full of great pictures of her two adorable daughters! CHECK OUT MISTY'S BLOG AT http://fairytaleprincesses.blogspot.com
Here are the rules if you are playing along at home....Here are the rules to receiving this award:

1. You have to pass it on to 5 other fabulous bloggers in a post.

2. You have to list 5 of your fabulous addictions in the post.

3. You must copy and paste the rules and the instructions below in the post.Instructions: On your post of receiving this award, make sure you include the person that gave you the award and link it back to them. I am going to nominate five Fabulous Blogs!

and the nominations are:

1. Erin's Life, Erin is my daughter-in-law, she doesn't get much time to blog. She is a full time student, and a wonderful wife and mother. Her blog is full of great photo's of my favorite little boy! Check it out at: http://erin-schnadenberg.blogspot.com/

2. A Day in The Life, my neice Dana's blog, Dana is also a very busy mom that doesn't have a chance to blog often. When she does get the chance she has two of the prettiest little girls to blog about! What beautiful photos! O.K. Dana.... I know that you are all fighting the flu, so if you don't get a chance to accept your award ...we understand! Check out her blog at: http:dana-tow-jones.blogspot.com

3. The Warrens, Susan Warren's blog spot, Susan is my sister-in-law, I love reading her blogspot because it helps keep me connected with what all is going on in the family! Thanks Susan, for keeping me up on the latest happenings! Check her blog at http://thewarrens-cliffandsusan.blogspot.com

4. Visit The 'Ville, Brenda's blogspot, Brenda is also my sister-in-law. Brenda is a retired school teacher, and owns a neat shop in Crothersville. Brenda's blog features interesting stories, poetry, and thoughts. Check it out at http://brendasville.blogspot.com

5. Sue's Family News, Sue lives in Montgomery. She has two teenagers close in age to Maggie. She goes to Providence Church, and I get to see her at lots of ballgames! I love reading her blog... check it out at http://suesfamilynews.blogspot.com

Now for my five addictions!

1. carbs....bread, pasta, potatoes, chips, more bread!

2. Karen Kingsbury books, love to read a couple of chapters before bed.

3. Visiting at moms on Sundays!

4. Fox News

5. diet coke

Not very interesting addictions....wish I could say jogging and exercising!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TONY!

2008-12-13T07:48:00.007-06:00

Happy Birthday Tony! Today is Tony's birthday, we celebrated on Saturday evening with Maggie, Robby, Jordan, Erin, and Noah. We will celebrate the December birthdays next week at his sister Jane's. We are finally doing great... after the flu hit each of us one at a time last week! Dana and her family were hit with it over the weekend.... hang in there Dana! The tree is up and decorated, and we started the Christmas shopping yesterday. Maggie and I took Erin and Noah to Indy for the day. We had a lot of fun, and got quite a bit of shopping finished. Noah and I are wrapping gifts today! Maggie has a doctors appointment early in the morning to see if she gets to start back playing at ballgames this week. Robby finished his finals last week, Erin finishes hers today. Have a great week..... only 9 more days to shop!

The Big Move!

2008-12-08T06:38:00.006-06:00

We are finally moved! Not unpacked yet.... that is going to take awhile. We are all exhausted, how in the world did we accumulate so much stuff? My garage is to the top with boxes that need sorted and put away. Here are a few quick pictures. The first one is Cassie, Brooklyn, Dana, Connie, and Maggie at Mom's on Thanksgiving.
Courtney and Maggie at Thanksgiving (Maggie has her braces off!)
Maggie at the Fall Sports Banquet
The "New" Kitchen

I am feeling a little overwhelmed. By now, we usually have most of the Christmas presents wrapped and under the tree. We always put the tree up the weekend after Thanksgiving... if not before. Sorry to say, we haven't even purchased the first gift yet, and no clue when we will get the tree up. Not sure where the box containing the decorations and lights are stored. We have a lot of catching up to do! Hope to start all that this evening.

Maggie's knee is healing, and she should be back on the basketball court in two weeks. Noah has been really sick with viral infections and flu. He is feeling better today and should be here any minute. Noah just came in, I will post more later. Hope that you are all enjoying the "getting ready" for the Holidays!

Oh Christmas Tree

2008-11-18T06:55:00.003-06:00

Only a couple of weeks from now and we will be putting up the Christmas tree! Christmas is my favorite time of the year. Tony asked if we should consider making the big switch to an artificial tree this year. We all talked about it and decided nah we better keep a real tree. One of our favorite traditions is putting up the tree, getting it all decorated and having a cup of egg nog and admiring the lights. Yesterday Noah and I sorted through some Christmas decorations, and we found a couple of big stuffed Santas and some Christmas story books. We read them and he thought the "HOHO" dolls were really funny. While looking through the boxes of decorations, and remembering back over the last twenty years of Christmas memories in this house, it is so hard to imagine Christmas morning any where else. It will be such an adjustment not being in this house for Christmas morning. Of course, we will be able to carry on our family traditions there too... and probably add a few new ones. Kathy and Clark will be home from Texas for Christmas! It will be so wonderful to get to have them home for the week.

Today they are putting in my kitchen base cabinets.... so hopefully in a couple of weeks we will be cranking out Christmas candy and getting ready for the festivities!

May you have the gladness of Christmas which is hope; the spirit of Christmas which is peace; the heart of Christmas which is love. - ADA V. HENDRICKS

Transition Time

2008-11-13T05:36:00.006-06:00

Volleyball is over and what a fun season we enjoyed! Here is a picture of our state runnerups right before the Friday night banquet. The girls had their first basketball practice last night. So we didn't have much time to transition into it.... but they are eager to get some practices in before the first game in two weeks. Maggie will have to sit out for two weeks due to her knee injury. She has a doctor appointment next Tuesday, so we will know more then.

Our big transition .... from house to house is going pretty good. They put down the tile in the kitchen and bathrooms yesterday. Our counter tops are going to take a little longer than they thought so we won't have them installed until Nov. 26. I was really wanting to fix Thanksgiving dinner at the new house, but looks like we will have to settle for a weekend after Thanksgiving target. It is amazing to me that they have been able to accomplish so much in such a short time.

Robby is gearing up for opening day on Saturday. Mom is expecting the Florida cousins for "deer camp" next week. What a great time of the year! Basketball, deer hunting, planning for Thanksgiving and Christmas!

Batman paid us a visit last week!

HEADED TO MUNCIE!

2008-11-03T11:42:00.008-06:00

RUSHING THE FLOOR

Lady Vikings After the Final Game!

Mrs. Wirtz, Maggie, and Jen
Liz, Mag, and Hilliary
Jordan, Maggie, and Robby

On the Radio!

What a weekend! We are resting up from all of the excitement, and planning for one more week of decorating and celebrating. The community pep rally will be Thursday evening. The girls will head to Muncie on Friday morning. Thanks to all the friends and family members that have been supporting the team. Maggie has sure appreciated all the text messages, calls, letters and cards congratulating them.

At the house, they are painting the next couple of days.... can't wait to stop by and see color on the walls! (I hope I did o.k. picking out the colors) The tile and hardwood will be installed at the end of this week.

Ooops, Noah is up from his nap. I will post more later.

FUN FHOTO FRIDAY

2008-10-31T20:31:00.002-05:00

DRESS UP DAY AT SCHOOL!
GOOD LUCK AT THE REGIONAL TOMORROW!

CELEBRATION!

2008-10-26T14:32:00.008-05:00

MAGGIE AND ME
NOAH AND ERIN CHEERING FOR AUNT MAG

MAG AND UNCLE TIM
MAGGIE AND MIKE

LAUREN AND MAGGIE
HILL AND MAG

LADY VIKINGS

MIM, MAGGIE, AND PAP JOHNSON
CASSIE AND MAGGIE
ROBBY, MAGGIE, AND JORDAN
PROUD OF OUR BABY SISTER
DAD AND MAGGIE
THANKS FOR ALL THE THERAPY DANA!!!!!!!!!!

IT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I HAVE POSTED, BUT THOUGHT I BETTER MAKE THE TIME TO SHARE THE SECTIONAL PHOTOS!

THE HOURS OF HARD WORK AND PRACTICE PAID OFF ! CONGRATULATIONS TO MAGGIE AND HER TEAM FOR A GREAT SECTIONAL WIN! THANK YOU TO COUSIN DANA FOR THE HOURS SHE HAS PUT INTO THERAPY FOR MAGGIE'S KNEE!

THIS WEEK WILL BRING LOTS OF THERAPY AND PRACTICE FOR THE REGIONAL.

THIS WEEK WILL ALSO BE FINISHING UP THE DRY WALL AT THE NEW HOUSE AND STARTING THE PAINTING!

TONY HAS THE WEEK OFF TO START MOVING THINGS INTO HIS NEW DETACHED GARAGE AND WORKSHOP!

ENJOY THE BEAUTIFUL CHANGE OF LEAVES AND THE GORGEOUS WEATHER!

The Last Blog

2008-09-22T13:33:00.002-05:00

I've really enjoyed this attempt at keeping a blog going.....however, I am getting increasingly busier and busier and something has got to give. So I have decided to take a break from blogging. I may start one back this winter when things slow down and we are moved into our new home. God bless you all and enjoy this beautiful fall season!

WEEKEND WRAP UP

2008-09-21T18:04:00.005-05:00

PLAYING POTS AND PANS!
MAKING A FUNNY FACE!
Maggie's team after the Wood Memorial tourney.
Noah sitting in a box eating his lunch.

We have spent the last two Saturdays at Volleyball tourneys. Maggie's team is doing really good, and we are enjoying watching the games. Noah and I spent the week playing, the last photo is of him eating lunch in his box. He also likes for me to get in the box and read stories to him. We sure know how to have fun! We have been spending a lot of time stopping by the new house to check the progress. They have the roof up and dormers on, shingles should go on in the morning. I have been spending any extra time trying to pick out flooring, cabinets and paint colors.

We talked to Kathy a few times since the hurricane hit. They were finally able to get a generator, and are so happy to be getting things a little back to normal. After the storm came through here last week, it gave me a new appreciation to what they have to experience. Can you imagine having winds more than double what we had, and the electricity still being off! Don't think that would be too easy to handle.

Maggie and I went to Bloomington shopping today.... so many neat fall decorations out! We made our first batch of peanut butter balls this weekend, and purchased a couple of mums for the porch. FALL IS GREAT!

UPCOMING BIRTHDAYS: ADDISON, ERIN, AND PAP JOHNSON!

HOPE THAT YOU MAKE TIME TO GET OUT AND ENJOY THE FALL WEATHER!

HAPPY 9TH BIRTHDAY ROSS!

2008-09-16T12:00:00.003-05:00

HAPPY 9TH BIRTHDAY ROSS!

Our electricity just came back on after being off since Sunday afternoon. Wow! I can't imagine how the Houston people are getting through this... hope your power is back on soon Kathy! I will post more once I get things caught up around here. House is going good... all the brick on porch and around the bottom of house is on. Should be framing in the morning. Have a great week!

Happy Birthday Jonathon!

2008-09-11T07:59:00.006-05:00

Aunt Susan, Jonathon, and Brittney
Brittney and Jonathon

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JONATHON ON SEPTEMBER 8TH!

THOUGHTS FOR THURSDAY......

2008-09-11T06:04:00.004-05:00

John and Cathy
John, Andrea, Gretchen, and Nate
Nate, Clark, and John

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHN HEWITT!

Today is John Hewitt's birthday! John is the first-born grandson of the Johnson clan of cousins. I remember how excited that my mom and dad were to get a hold of a baby boy! After five daughters, and two adorable little granddaughters they were ready to see what it was like to spoil a little boy too. We have so many fun memories of Andrea, John, and Dana when they were little. It sure has been a joy to watch them grow into responsible adults. John and his wife Cathy live near Kathy and Clark in Houston. Happy Birthday John, we love you, miss you and hope to see you at Christmas!

We have a prayer request for the Denise (Hawkins) Delaney family. Denise's son Patrick was in a motorcycle accident last night in Loogootee. Denise's daughter Megan is a senior and is a good friend of Maggie's. If you have a prayer chain please include this family.

TUESDAY AFTERNOON

2008-09-09T14:32:00.008-05:00

Last night was our "Dave Ramsey" class. It was very inspirational! I wish that we would have gone through these classes twenty years ago. We are looking forward to putting these good ideas to practice.

Tonight Maggie has a volleyball game against 10th ranked Springs Valley. It will be fun to watch Allison Ragsdale (she has an awesome jump serve). We always enjoy seeing her and visiting with Sami and Darrin. It should be a really good game. The volleyball photo is of Maggie and Megan Delaney (Megan is Denise Hawkin's daughter).

Two photos of my favorite little boy looking so sweet. Then, the last two photos are of the basement walls. They are suppose to take the forms off today.

It is so nice to have fall "in the air". Our apple trees are loaded, and I am fighting off the urge to swing by the store and pick up carmel dip. Hope that everyone is having a great week!

2008-09-04T08:08:00.004-05:00

Photo of the house site! Yesterday Noah and I went to pick out the front door and the brick, then we stopped by the Washington Park on the way home. He is sooooo much fun! His little smile just melts my heart ..... being a grandma is great.

Our Dave Ramsey classes start next Monday night, and it is a good thing because I can see how making these house selections could get me in a lot of trouble. It would be so easy to get caught up in it and go over my budget. There are so many new, neat ideas out there.

We are blessed to be celebrating lots of birthdays this month.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY UNCLE JEFF!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANA!

2008-09-03T12:07:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday Katie!

2008-09-03T12:04:00.003-05:00

HAPPY "14TH" BIRTHDAY KATIE!

WEEKEND WRAP UP

2008-09-01T06:29:00.005-05:00

What a nice weekend! Friday night was Maggie's first home volleyball game. Thanks to Aunt Connie, Dana, Cassie, Brooklyn, Aunt Susan, Katie, Jordan, Erin, Noah, Robby, Mom, and Dad for joining us to watch! Maggie felt like she had quite the fan club.

Tony was off the entire 3 day weekend. Jordan, Erin and Noah were able to come spend the day Saturday. We cooked out, relaxed, and played rock band most of the day. I didn't play rock band, but Tony did! Maggie had Shaelin over on Saturday night. Sunday we went to church in Montgomery, then to Mom and Dad's for lunch. It was great to see Andrea and Nathan at Mom's! Then, we spent the afternoon celebrating Rob's birthday with the Sanders family. The photo's are from the afternoon, Noah enjoyed getting to play with cousins Alex and Ross. It was nice to have the afternoon to visit.

Maggie's friend Mindi is recovering from surgery and has been out of school for a week. Sunday evening Mom and Dad rode over with us to drop Maggie off to visit with Mindi. We took them to see our lot and help us decide the final positioning of the house and Tony's detached garage. After that, we took them to try the pizza at Fat Boys. Good! Good! Pizza! Yesterday, Tony and I met Marv to drive the stakes for the house and building. This morning they will start digging our basement!

Today, Erin starts back to classes, and I will have Noah. Rob doesn't have to go back until tomorrow, so he will get to enjoy Noah too! Maggie has a home game against Union Dugger tonight. This short 4 day week should fly by... then this weekend Maggie has a home tourney all day Saturday. The Elnora Tractor Show, and the Turkey Trot both are also this coming up weekend.

Hope that everyone enjoyed the holiday weekend!

HAPPY 19TH BIRTHDAY ROBBY!

2008-08-28T07:45:00.002-05:00

Today is Robby's 19th birthday! It sure doesn't seem like 19 years have passed since we brought our little Rob home. We will get a couple of ice cream cakes and celebrate some this weekend! Noah had to go to the doctor last night, he has the same viral infection that Jordan had last week. A sore throat, and a runny nose... poor little guy. Maggie woke up with a sore throat this morning, and has an away game at Forest Park tonight. Tony and I went to take a tour of Josh and Rachel Bauer's home last night. WOW! It was so beautiful.... I am starting to get excited about getting to pick out new counter tops and cabinets! However, I do have to remind myself of the Dave Ramsey course and being held accountable. That brings me back to reality..... but it will still be fun to pick out affordable things for the new house. Hope that everyone is getting ready and making fun plans for the upcoming holiday weekend!

THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY

This was my devotional this morning, so good I couldn't help but share.

HEED THE SIGNALS

HONOR GOD AND OBEY HIS COMMANDS, BECAUSE THIS IS ALL
PEOPLE MUST DO. - ECCLESIASTES 12:13

Here are some God-given, time-tested truths that define the way you should navigate your life. Observe them and enjoy secure passage. Ignore them and crash against the ragged rocks of reality....:

* Love God more than you fear hell.
*Make major decisions in a cemetery.
*When no one is watching, live as if someone is.
*Succeed at home first.
*Don't spend tomorrow's money today.
*Pray twice as much as you fret.
*God has forgiven you; you'd be wise to do the same.

-Grace For The Moment
Max Lucado

Little Catching Up

2008-08-26T06:44:00.003-05:00

Noah and I are having fun... here are a few pictures from yesterday. It is hard to get a picture where he is looking into the camera because he is constantly on the move. He takes his play pretty seriously and thoroughly entertains me all day. Tony and I started a Dave Ramsey "Financial Freedom" course at Providence church last night. We meet every Monday night, and it will run for 13 weeks. We are both really looking forward to it. We had a chance to see him at a live event in Evansville a few years ago, and have always wanted to go through the course. Maggie has her volleyball season underway, and is really enjoying it. She has three games this week. Tonight is at Vincennes Rivet, Thursday we travel to Forest Park and Friday is our first home game against Dubois. Rob is still getting use to a full college load, the commuting time and the homework. We will be celebrating his 19th birthday this week! Our builder called yesterday to let us know that the digging crew has had equipment being repaired and are running a week behind. They are now scheduled to dig our basement next Tuesday. I am praying that I can stay patient through out the whole building process.

"Be patient enough to live one day at a time, letting yesterday go and leaving
tomorrow until it arrives."
-unknown

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDREA MARIE!

2008-08-21T10:58:00.002-05:00

Have a great birthday, and enjoy your vacation to Texas!

THOUGHTS FOR THURSDAY......

2008-08-20T19:02:00.005-05:00

Erin started back to school yesterday! I got my little helper back, boy he is really growing. We had so much fun spending the day together.... he sure is a sweetie. Robby is adjusting to his college hours, going to bed early and getting up early. Maggie goes over about 7:00 and gets home about 6:30, with tons of homework. I met with the appraiser at our lot yesterday afternoon, looks like we will get to start soon. I will try to post some pictures from volleyball games, the house going up, and of course, cute things I catch Noah doing. Not much time to post with packing boxes and ballgames.

At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.
-Albert Schweitzer

FRIDAY MORNING

2008-08-15T06:33:00.009-05:00

EXCITING NEWS! JORDAN AND ERIN WENT FOR AN ULTRASOUND YESTERDAY, THEY THINK IT IS A GIRL. WON'T NOAH BE THE MOST WONDERFUL BIG BROTHER TO A BABY SISTER!

Maggie started back to school on Tuesday. We are trying to adjust to the early schedule, and all the homework. Last night she had a volleyball scrimmage at Linton. They did a great job and had a lot of fun. Next week she has her first game at Sullivan. Robby went to V.U. yesterday with Rob Abel to show him around and pick up text books. He starts back on Tuesday. Erin has one more week until she starts. We are suppose to start the basement at the end of next week.... hope that goes as scheduled! Hope everyone has a nice and relaxing weekend!

Better to do something imperfectly
than to do nothing flawlessly.
- Robert H. Schuller

WEEKEND WRAP UP

2008-08-11T08:47:00.005-05:00

What a weekend! The moving sale went great..... so glad to have it behind us. We had a good crowd and the cool weather was perfect. Sunday morning our preacher had to be out of town, so Tony filled in and did a great job. Had a great lunch at moms and off to celebrate the big "One" birthday at the state forest. Last night Maggie had some friends stay all night for one last sleepover before school starts on Tuesday! Shoals started back today... so we are excited for cousins Myrissa, Rachel, Katie, Nicole, Chris, and Courtney. The first day of school is always so exciting. I am not sure when Ross and Uncle Tim start back to Loogootee? Hope that everyone has a great week!

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY NOAH TYLER SANDERS

2008-08-06T22:04:00.003-05:00

WEEKEND WRAP UP

2008-08-03T15:41:00.007-05:00

Jordan, Erin, and Noah are home from vacation! They had a great time with her dad and family, Noah loved the sand and ocean. Here is a picture of Noah pushing baby Addison in the stroller. The two of them are so cute together.

Jordan and Erin all rested after a week of vacationing!

Saturday morning Katie and I went kayaking over at Boggs, we had a great time. She sure did a good job. The weather was beautiful, lots of boats on the water. The campgrounds were full , lots of people out enjoying the sunshine.

I am up to my ears sorting through boxes, deciding what to put in the moving sale. We are having it Saturday from 8-12. I can't believe how much we have accumulated.... it is crazy! I hope that I have learned my lesson, and don't fill the new house up with so much! The upcoming week will be the first week of regular season volleyball practices.... school registration, Maggie has a couple of doctors appointments, Noah's first birthday, we have our house closing on Friday, and the moving sale on Saturday. If I don't get a chance to post until the weekend ... I will catch up then! Hope that everyone is rested up and ready for another week!

HAPPY 25TH BIRTHDAY CASSIE ELAINE!

2008-08-01T13:25:00.002-05:00

Happy 25th Birthday Cassie Elaine! Hope that you have a great weekend celebrating. We love you and miss having you around.

TUESDAY MORNING

2008-07-27T19:28:00.007-05:00

Kathy sent me some new pictures of her new home, isn't her landscaping and flowers beautiful. She definately has my mom's green thumb! She lives in Houston, Texas and has to work hard to keep everything lush and green. She said that "Dolly" went south of them, but did cause them some showers helping to keep the yard green.

This week is Maggie's volleyball conditioning, she has to be there every morning at 7:30. I picked and canned green beans all day yesterday. Hope to get some things sorted and boxed today. Kathy has been passing along "declutter" tips to help me get motivated. Thanks Kathy!

Energy and persistence conquer all things.
Benjamin Franklin
(p.s. Diet Coke helps too!)

WEEKEND WRAP UP- Call It Grace

2008-07-27T16:32:00.005-05:00

It is Sunday afternoon and we have enjoyed a nice weekend. I am starting each morning reading an inspirational daily devotional from Max Lucado's Grace for the Moment. Todays message was great and I wanted to share it.

Being made right with God by his grace, we could have the hope of receiving the life that never ends. Titus 3:7

You may be decent. You may pay taxes and kiss your kids and sleep with a clean conscience. But apart from Christ you aren't holy. So how can you go to heaven?
Only believe. Accept the work already done, the work of Jesus on the cross. Accept the goodness of Jesus Christ. Abandon your own decency and accept his. Stand before God in his name, not yours.
It's that easy? There was nothing easy about it at all. The cross was heavy, the blood was real, and the price was extravagant. It would have bankrupted you or me, so he paid it for us. Call it simple. Call it a gift. But don't call it easy.
Call it what it is. Call it grace.

Our sermon at church was on Grace, and so was my Sunday school class lesson. Often times, the church lesson will be exactly what I am needing to hear. We had a great visit at Moms, and at Jeff's house today. We heard from Jordan and they are on the beach, staying at a three story beach house, and enjoying every minute of it. I can't wait to see the pictures. Yesterday we spent the day at Maggie's volleyball tourney. They had a great day, and Maggie sure enjoyed it... it is going to be a fun season.

Hope that everybody is rested and ready for another week!

FUN FHOTO FRIDAY -

2008-07-25T05:57:00.006-05:00

Yesterday Brooklyn and Addison came to play! Maggie had volleyball practice last night, and Tony and I met with the builder to discuss options for the new house. They will start digging our basement in a couple of weeks. It is hard to believe that we could be in the new house by Thanksgiving! We have been canning green beans this week, and I have a lot more to pick today. This afternoon Noah and Erin are coming over to visit, they will be leaving for a beach vacation and we will be missing them for a week! Tomorrow Maggie has an all day Volleyball tourney... Maggie is so excited about the season starting. It will be fun to take the day to watch them play. Hope that everyone has a great Friday Nighty planned!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - Photos of Maggie, Aunaka, and Simeon Visiting!

2008-07-23T06:58:00.002-05:00

WEEKEND WRAP UP

2008-07-18T15:01:00.007-05:00

SEE ME DRIVE MY PAPAW'S BIG TRACTOR!

Noah came over to play with Maggie and I on Friday morning. He is so much fun, I can't believe how much he has grown. He will celebrate his first birthday on August 6! Saturday evening Maggie went with Ashley, Emily and Kimi to celebrate Emily's 17th birthday! Tony and I went over to the French Lick Winery for a quiet evening out. This morning was church and visiting at moms, it was such a nice day. Tony had to work at the hospital, so Maggie and I spent the entire day at moms playing rummy and swimming. Connie had a picture album of wedding plans for Cassie's wedding. The dresses they have ordered are gorgeous. We can't wait, it will be next June in Florida. We are so excited for you Cass! Hope that everyone has a great week.

FRIDAY MORNING -

2008-07-18T06:01:00.005-05:00

What a week! Maggie survived camp..... and is glad to be home. Tony and I recovered the greenhouse, and prepared for appraisal and inspections. The house passed everything with flying colors. The next step will be having the survey completed, it has been started and is half way finished. Our closing is set for second week of August and then we will start the new house. We are so fortunate that the new owners are allowing us to rent while our house is being built!

Maggie and I are looking forward to getting Noah today... he is such a joy. This is the first weekend in a long time that isn't all planned out, kind of hoping that it will stay that way.

Hope that everyone has a great "Friday Nighty".

SATURDAY MORNING

2008-07-12T05:52:00.006-05:00

Tony and I took advantage of Maggie being off to camp and spent Thursday night at a neat little bed and breakfast on the Ohio River. We were celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary which is coming up this week! It was such a nice, much needed, relaxing time, and all Tony's idea. We stayed at The historic Grand Rose Hotel Bed and Breakfast located in Elizabethtown, Illinois. It over looks the Ohio River,and is owned by the State of Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. We spent Thursday exploring off the Ohio River National Scenic Byway, miles of through-the-woods, up and down country back roads, stopping for quick hikes to see Garden of the Gods, Camel Rock, and Tower Rock. Tower rock put us on top of a bluff 60 feet above the river, with an awesome river view. Our B&B was beautiful and had a wonderful view, I love being on the water. Across from our room was the E-Town floating river restaurant, the fish alone was worth the drive to Elizabethtown. It was a great trip, and a place that we plan to go back and visit again.

This morning Tony is working at Patoka Lake. I will be picking Maggie up from individual camp and repacking her and delivering her to team camp... also at IU. I talked to her last night, she has had a good time and is looking forward to the team camp. It will be great to get to see her for a couple of hours, I miss her company when she is away!

It is hard to believe how fast the summer is flying by, only a few weeks before school registration. Hope that everyone enjoys what is left of the summer!

A VACATION IS HAVING NOTHING TO DO AND ALL DAY TO DO IT IN.
- ROBERT ORBEN

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2008-07-09T07:00:00.001-05:00

THIS IS SO TRUE.... MAGGIE!

TUESDAY MORNING

2008-07-08T07:05:00.002-05:00

It is Tuesday morning and I am trying to get back on track with the getting everything cleaned up and boxed up for the big move. Our closing is scheduled in 4 weeks, school starts in 5 weeks. Maggie will leave Wednesday for 7 days of Volleyball camp at IU. She is really looking forward to it, Volleyball is her favorite thing to do. I am going to try to take advantage of her being gone (this means I won't be making several trips a day to Montgomery) and get a lot of things sorted and boxed. After 20 years, and 3 kids we have accumulated lots of STUFF! The thought of being in the new house by Thanksgiving is really motivating me to dig in. Erin starts back to school at Oakland City end of August (sorry Erin I know you don't want to think about that yet) and I will get my little buddy back, and boy have I missed him! This also motivates me to get everything ready now, so that I can just enjoy spending time with Noah. He is such a little joy.... hard to believe he will soon be ONE!

"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity;
an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
-Sir Winston Churchill

WEEKEND WRAP UP

2008-07-07T06:42:00.011-05:00

It was so nice to have Kathy and Clark home for a week. Although the week went by too fast, we had some good visiting time. We really enjoy their company and sure wish that they lived closer. They will get to come home again at Christmas, and we will be looking forward to that. We should be moved into our new home by then! Here are some pictures of the weekend. Saturday's trip to take Kathy and Clark to the St. Louis Airport, Maggie enjoying St. Clair Square on the way home Saturday evening. Sunday we were home in time to help celebrate Myrissa's 15th Birthday.

HAPPY 15TH BIRTHDAY MYRISSA!

FUN FHOTO FRIDAY - 4th of July

2008-07-04T12:32:00.005-05:00

We are all enjoying the "Catfish" celebration. Last night Courtney sang on stage, she did a great job! Brooklyn decided to help her sing one too! She was so funny. The rest of the pictures are of the big parade this morning. It has been drizzling through last nights events and the parade this morning. Brooklyn rode on a float with her Grandpa Danny. She looked like such a big girl!

Town was packed with people, and the ballgames are still going strong. Hopefully the rain will stay away for the fireworks tonight!

Have a Happy 4th!

THOUGHTS FOR THURSDAY......

2008-07-03T08:19:00.007-05:00

Yesterday we enjoyed a fun cousin day at Mim's pool. It was a great day to just relax and soak up some sun. The little ones had a great time just playing at mim's. Mim reported that cousin Nicole was doing great at her AAU Nationals! Connie made us a wonderful supper in her beautiful new kitchen! THANKS CONNIE!

HAPPY 15TH BIRTHDAY MYRISSA!

2008-07-03T08:02:00.004-05:00

HAPPY 15 BIRTHDAY MYRISSA! HOPE THAT YOU ARE HAVING FUN ON YOUR TRIP! WE WILL HAVE TO CELEBRATE WHEN YOU GET HOME!

HAPPY 11TH BIRTHDAY CHRIS!

2008-07-02T14:52:00.004-05:00

Words for Wednesday

2008-07-02T06:13:00.002-05:00

Last night we picked Kathy and Clark up and went to the Mexican restaurant at French Lick. We had a nice visit, and enjoyed looking around at what is new. We went back to Moms for a visit. Today we are having a fun day at the pool. This has been Maggie's first and only week of the summer to be completely off (no sports or drivers training). We are really enjoying it! Hard to believe that school will be starting back up in about 5 weeks!

Tomorrow will start the 4th of July celebrations! I think that Gretchen and Andrea plan to visit for the Queen crowning and Courtney's karaoke. Cassie, we are really going to miss you!

HAVE A HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

WEEKEND WRAP UP

2008-06-30T07:48:00.004-05:00

The weekend flew by, Tony had to work "Thunder on the Ohio". He was gone both Saturday and Sunday. Maggie had a weekend basketball tourney at Eastern Greene. It was all day Saturday and Sunday. We won the whole tourney.... that was fun! I did get to have lunch at Moms, Kathy and Clark are home, and my Uncle Kenny and his friend Eva Jean are here from Florida. They will all be here for the 4th of July celebrations, and our "Catfish Festival"! Maggie had friends stay over last night and we are all taking it easy today.

As most of you know, we have had our house on the market since February. We have a nice young couple interested, and have completed negotiations and will sign paperwork this week. We will be starting our new home in Montgomery the middle of August. Lots of sorting and packing to do, it is amazing how much you can accumulate in 2o years with 3 children collecting STUFF! Our new house should be ready to move in to mid-November.

The photo is one that was taken several years ago during, (as the kids call it) CATFISHTABLE WEEK. Hope that everyone has a great week and is making fun family plans for the 4th!

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
-Mark Twain

FUN FHOTO FRIDAY - SUMMER LOVIN' - HAPPY BIRTHDAY JORDAN AND COURTNEY

2008-06-27T05:04:00.007-05:00

ADDISON LOVIN' SUMMER WITH GAGA CONNIE!BROOKLYN SLIP'IN AND A SLID'IN!

HAPPY 9TH BIRTHDAY COURTNEY AND HAPPY 22 BIRTHDAY JORDAN!NOAH LOVIN' SUMMER!
We are all having a great summer! We have the week ahead off to celebrate the 4th - even Maggie is off from her sports schedule! YIPPEE! My sister Kathy and her husband Clark will be here Sunday from Texas! I love summer! Have a great weekend.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - FUN MEMORIES FROM THE 70'S - A FEW OF OUR FAVORITES AT THE JOHNSON HOUSE!

2008-06-25T05:39:00.005-05:00

TUESDAY MORNING

2008-06-24T08:11:00.006-05:00

Good Morning! My computer has been down since yesterday morning, and I am so happy to have it back working. We have had some fun family celebrations and milestones to share. Mom and Dad celebrated their 49th Wedding Anniversary! We gathered at Los Brovos to celebrate Courtneys 9th Birthday! Her birthday is actually on Friday the 27th (same as Jordan). Happy 16th Birthday Hillary Graber, Maggie helped her celebrate at Washington on Sunday evening.

Aunt Kathy will be coming in for her visit this Sunday!

WEEKEND WRAP UP

2008-06-17T08:46:00.009-05:00

Tony and I dropped Maggie off Friday morning in Montgomery to catch the bus for her team camp at Purdue. We headed on to Custer, Wisconsin for the Midwest Renewable Energy Fair. It was an interesting weekend. Lots of electric cars, and lots of alternative energy sources... wind powered, solar powered, bio-fuels, a little bit of everything. The most interesting thing to me was the group of people that had gathered. Lots of peace, and treehugger t-shirts for sale. Tony gathered lots of good and useful information to use for magazine articles. The little town that we stayed in was sitting on "Tomorrow River" and had great fish fry specials... the fish was great! It was nice just to get away together. Maggie had a great time at camp. We are all tired and glad to be home, ready to dig into another week!

HAPPY 25TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY SUSAN AND CLIFF!

FUN FHOTO FRIDAY - DADDY AND ME

2008-06-17T08:45:00.016-05:00

TONY AND MAGGIE TONY AND ROBBY
OUR SON JORDAN WITH HIS LITTLE NOAH

Our FFF theme is Daddy and Me... We had a great fathers day celebration last weekend. Hope that everyone has a great weekend!

My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.
- Jim Valvano

He didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.
-Clarence Budington Kelland

THOUGHTS FOR THURSDAY......

2008-06-17T08:45:00.014-05:00

This has been a great week so far....

-Maggie has a basketball game tonight.

-We got the hay all baled yesterday.

-Maggie has basketball camp this weekend at Purdue.

Thought for the day:

The fact is, that to do anything in the world worth doing, we must not stand back shivering and thinking of the cold and danger, but jump in and scramble through as well as we
can!
-Robert Cushing

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2008-06-17T08:29:00.006-05:00

THE OTHER DAY WHEN NOAH WAS VISITING HE THREW "THE MOST ADORABLE" LITTLE FIT TO HOLD THE SPOON BY HIS SELF ..... HE WON! WHAT A MESS!

TUESDAY MORNING

2008-06-17T06:08:00.009-05:00

CELEBRATIONS!

Yesterday was a busy, busy day and I was having a hard time getting back into the swing of things. I did get to watch Noah yesterday... and he was doing just great. Erin had a doctors appointment in Bloomington, and everything checked out good with the baby on the way. Maggie had drivers training and basketball practice in the evening. The guys were here mowing the hay fields, and it looks great to have it mowed! We will be baling it on Wednesday. Yesterday was also my baby sister Lana's birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY LANA! We will always call her little Lana.... must be cool to be the baby of the family! Here is a photo of Aunt Lana with baby Addison (Dana's baby girl).

The weekend was great... lots of fathers day and birthday celebrations. This was the last chance we were going to have to get together in a while. We celebrated Aunt Susie, Jason, and Jordan's birthdays.

Dad's Day! OUR FAVORITE DADS

2008-06-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

SIT BACK , RELAX AND ENJOY YOUR DAY! TONY AND CHRIS

JORDAN, TONY, AND NOAH NOAH WITH MY DAD.. PAP JOHNSON

HAPPY FATHERS DAY DAD! WE LOVE YOU!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

MAGGIES HOME!

2008-06-14T10:59:00.007-05:00

NEW FRIENDS
THE NEW HOUSE! LITTLE GIRL THAT LIVES BY THE CHURCH
MAGGIE AND FRIENDMAGGIE , TERRELL, AND PAIGE

AREA HOMES
WORK AREA
GOING UP FAST THE LITTLE BOY THAT WILL BE LIVING IN THE NEW HOME!
THE WORK GROUP
We picked Maggie up last night around 2:00. It is great to have her back home! She told us stories until around 4:00, when Tony had to leave for work. We got a few hours of sleep and she had to be back at Montgomery for a area youth group volleyball tourney at 7:00 this morning. I dropped her off and came back home for some sleep! I read through her journal and she has a lot of neat stories, I will try to share some later. Her host family had 4 boys! Here are a few photos of her trip. I will try to share more later!

FUN FHOTO FRIDAY - BLOOPERS

2008-06-12T15:42:00.008-05:00

OOPS! SHE GOT TICKLED AND WALKED AWAY RIGHT AS I WAS SNAPPING THE PHOTO!

Most of you know that this was Maggie's week for the mission trip to Mexico. Last night she was finally able to call home. She called around 10:00. She said that they just passed over to El Paso. It was so good to hear her voice, she sounded wonderful. She said that they were not allowed to go to market, as was planned, because there was too much drug fighting in that area. She said never, ever build your house out of stucco, because it is just way to messy! She said the days were long and hot and she has never felt so sorry for people as she did these people. She said, " Mama I have never cried so much in all my life... we all did... even the boys!" I can't wait to get her home and hear all the stories. I am just so very thankful that she is back in the United States and will be home tonight. Thank you for all the prayers!

DO NOT WORRY!

I am going to share the scripture that I have read every night this week for encouragement:
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
Matthew 6:27

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:34

Hope that you all have a wonderful weekend! We will be celebrating Maggie's homecoming, Jordan , Aunt Susan, and cousin Jason's birthdays, and Fathers day!

THOUGHTS FOR THURSDAY......

2008-06-12T08:01:00.004-05:00

I THINK ............ THAT THESE BASEBALL PHOTOS OF NIECES AND NEPHEWS ARE
GREAT! (ROSS, CHRIS, AND COURTNEY)

I THINK............. THAT I AM SO GRATEFUL THAT MAGGIE RETURNS TOMORROW EVENING!

I THINK ........... THAT IT IS AWESOME THAT COUSIN RACHEL CAME IN 3rd out of 50 girls in a "HOT SHOT' COMPETITION AT CAMP THIS WEEK! WAY TO GO GIRL!

I THINK .......... THAT IT IS GOING TO BE A GREAT FATHERS DAY WEEKEND... HOPE THAT YOU ARE ALL GETTING GEARED UP FOR IT!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2008-06-10T23:29:00.002-05:00

Make a Smilebox photobook

"Tell Me about It" Tuesday

2008-06-10T07:32:00.003-05:00

This morning I was remembering something funny Jordan use to say. Instead of saying
"Tell me about it", he would say "Talk about it". Tony and I would get such a kick out of him doing that. Here are some of my "Talk about its".

Good "Talk about its"

When shopping... Trying on an outfit that fits just right.
The way you feel when you rock a baby to sleep.
A Hot Bubble Bath at the end of a Hard Day....
The way you feel when laundry is caught up and put away!
The smell of baby magic lotion on a baby.
Getting the entire house clean... and then sitting down to watch a good movie.
Having everyone home for supper.

Bad "talk about its"

The cost when you fill the tank up with gas....
When shopping.... Not being able to find anything that fits just right.
Realizing it only took 2 days to put back the 5 pounds that it took you 2 months to loose.
Not being able to see the menu ... and realizing that you forgot your reading glasses.
Having to wear reading glasses to read anything!

After our walk yesterday morning, Tony and I spent a couple of hours working in our garden. The garden is looking great and I can't wait to have tomatoes and cucumbers. While we were working in the garden, Tony's tiller had a flat tire so we ran up to Jordan's to get our air compressor. It was wonderful to pop in and visit with Erin and Noah. Giving Noah hugs is always the highlight of the day. I had to do Remax work for a few hours and then some house work. I did find time to stop by the library to get a good book to read. I decided on Fern Michael's Hide and Seek.

Tony worked at the hospital last night, so i hope he will get to sleep until noon. I have a couple of hours of Remax to do, then I hope to dig in on the house. It is really quiet around here with no Maggie... I told Robby he is going to have to do some extra talking to make up for her being gone!

Monday Morning

2008-06-09T09:57:00.003-05:00

Woke up to a call from Maggie this morning! They spent the night in El Paso and were just getting ready to cross over into Juarez. She will not be able to call until she is back in El Paso on Friday.
Tony and I went to Chicago pizza last night and then to Dairy Queen for a French vanilla Moolatte, the house is pretty quiet without Maggie here. Sunday was a nice visit at moms. Here is a picture of GaGa Connie with Addison.

Tony and I walked our hour route this morning. He has to work one more week of night shifts for the friend at the hospital that has a bad back. I am going to take advantage of the upset in our routine and dig into detailing the house. Yuck! Not my favorite thing to do... but I will be so grateful to have it done.

"The most important trip you take in life is meeting people half way."
-Henry Doyle

WEEKEND WRAP UP

2008-06-06T19:04:00.032-05:00

Photos from the Casas por Cristo website.

"Share the good news..... it is for all Nations."

"For the son of man did not come to be served...
but to serve."
Mark 10:45

We delivered Maggie to the Providence church where she met her youth group at 2:30 am this morning. Twenty three teens and 8 parents set out for Louisville airport where they will catch a flight to El Paso, Texas. Upon arriving in El Paso they will purchase a grill, all food supplies and pick up a rental van. They will cross the border into Juarez, Mexico. Juarez is a very low income city where minimum wage hovers around $5.00 a day. Families are forced to construct makeshift homes of cardboard and pallets. Temperatures exceed 100 degrees on summer days. During the next 4 days they will meet an assigned family and build them a house. The first photo is of the bus pulling out this morning. The rest of the photos are from the Casas por Cristo website. The second photo is of the local children in our building area. The third is a completed house like our youth will be building. The last two are of the types of housing that our assigned family is currently living in. No cell phones, no showers, no hair dryers or curling irons, this will be quite a culture shock for most of these kids. Please keep them in your prayers. I know that God will keep them safe and that it will be a life-changing experience. If you would like to check out the schedule and learn more about Casas por Cristo go to http://www.casasporcristo.org or click on the logo to the right of this post.

Have a great Sunday!