solo..........

Sunday night Nov. 4th, was one of those nights that was just kind of magical. Noah had his first Choral concert since being in college.
The concert was held at the St. James Episcopalian Church. Beautiful church. My older sister was debating on whether or not to come to the concert she had been away for the weekend and was tired so she asked if Noah was soloing at all. I said no so that kind of made up her mind not to come. No problem so just Edwin and I and the kids head to the church.
If you've ever been to that church you know that you sit in these box type seats about 6 people can fit in a box. It's pretty cool. Anyway the concert was very good the singing was excellent. The ladies group sang the mens group sang the whole chorus sang. During the time when the whole choir was singing it was time for a song that had a solo in it for a baritone. The guy who was supposed to sing the part could not sing it that night do to a voice problem at the last minute. The choir director is saying all this to us all. Then he says so he's going to ask someone else to sing it on a whim. He wasn't sure who he was going to ask and he said that's what makes it exciting. So he's just kind of looking around at his students and then he says Noah would you like to sing the solo. And Noah boldly says "yes". Edwin and I looked at each and smiled in surprise. We didn't have time to get nervous for Noah. Noah sang the solo beautifully. It was the best I have heard him sing yet. I did record it with my camera. But it doesn't do it justice you would have had to have been there. After Noah was done singing the audience was very enthusiastic in there applause and the choir director said some very kind things about Noah. It was just a really beautiful moment. A wonderful blessing for Noah and for us.

Check the video out here.

2007-11-04 Noah's solo

 
 
Our grandson Elijah turned 3 this past month. Erika and Hector dedicated Elijah to the Lord in a service at there church the same day as his birthday party. So the top pic of him is from church and then the next pic is at the actual birthday party.
There is this very strange custom or tradition that a lot of Puerto Ricans do for there birthdays and that's smear icing all over there faces. I don't particularly care for it but Elijah does like cute here and he didn't seem to mind.

wacky day & marching band

 

 

 

This past week at my girls school they have been having spirit days. That's where each day the school had organized for the kids to do different things like where red one day, crazy socks the next, blue and white day, wacky day, and Jersey day. These pictures are from wacky day. Both Bri and Bella won the best of there class. Not many people actually dressed up. But I was glad my girls didn't hold back they went for it and had a fun time. The other pictures are of Bri and Bella in the marching band. There school participated in the Halloween Parade in Strasburg. It was a chilly night but we had fun seeing the girls in there very first parade. It was also fun watching Edwin run after the band taking pictures of the girls. The other funny thing was watching my husband and Rico run after the candy that was being thrown out by people in the parade. Edwin he acts like a kid. One of the things I love about him. You have to realize too that Rico doesn't eat candy. Edwin brought a nice supply home.

Amish friends..........

Last night my mom and my sisters and our husbands were invited to friends of my parents home. They are Amish. The father of the family was unable to come to the viewing and funeral so instead he invited us all over to be with him and his family.
What a kind thing to do. This man has a beautiful wife and 9 sons and 1 daughter.
We had a fabulous meal it was like Thanksgiving. We had roast beef, gravy, mashed potatoes,baked corn, carrots, filling, brocolli salad, applesauce, homemade rolls, homemade butter and jelly. For dessert we had coffee, chocolate cake, pie, and whoppie pies. What a meal! When we got there we visited for a bit in living room while the ladies put the finishing touches on the meal. Then it was time for dinner.
We sat around the table and then Christian (the father) asked what was Daddy's favorite song. We told him Amazing Grace. So we sang that song and then we had silent prayer. After thorougly enjoying our meal we ended our meal with another song and also another silent prayer. Then the ladies helped with dishes we weren't supposed to but we helped anyway while mom and the men visited some more in the living room. When we were all gathered in the living room again Christian kept the conversation moving. Christian and his boys own a carriage shop. One thing I noticed and I commented on was that beside where I was sitting there was a book rack and on the rack was "Beside Still Waters" the same devotional a lot of us use. That ws cool to see. We had a wonderful evening. What a blessing this family was to us.
They were full of life and had ready smiles all the time. This will be a good memory for us all. Some of you may be wondering how mom is doing. I think she is doing very well. Yes, she misses Daddy and has her moments but she is keeping busy with her taxi service. And that's a good thing for her.

Daddy..........

 

 

My dad went home to be with his Lord and Savior on Oct. 3, 2007 at 1:35a.m. My dad had hip replacement surgery on Monday the 1st. He came through the surgery fine. Rico and I went to see him the afternoon of the following day and he seemed okay not his normal joking self but that was understandable after an operation. We visited for a bit and then I had to go pick up Bri. Later that night around 10:30 we got a call from my sister saying her and mom were on the way to the hospital cause they had called and said daddy wasn't doing well. Till we got in there Daddy's condition was very grave.
It wasn't long before I heard them calling "code blue" to his room. What a surreal thing. The doctors think Daddy suffered a heart attack. We haven't got official word of that yet though. It is the most unusual thing to lose someone you love so much to have them with you one day and then the next be gone from this earth. I take comfort in knowing that my dad very much wanted to go "home" to be with Jesus. He had been ready for awhile now. My dad had a life full of physical pain. He had had eighteen operations in his life time and this was his fifth hip replacement. I'm glad Daddy is where he wanted to be. And even more then that I'm so glad he had a personal relationship with Jesus. I love you Daddy.

funeral........

 

 

 

We buried Daddy on Saturday, Oct.6th. We were so blessed at the amount of friends and family who came to the viewing and the funeral. I think my dad would have been surprised. It was a joy to greet each visitor. The viewing was on Friday night from 6-9 but the line started before 6 and it ended about 10:15 that night. I would have gladly stood longer to greet each person and I think my sisters and my mom felt the same way. What a blessing to here all the wonderful comments people had to say. I learned things I didn't know about Daddy and the things that were said were wonderful. Mom did so well with greeting everyone. Her beautiful smile was a comfort to many and to me as the many times I glanced a look to see how she was doing. Each time she greeted each person with that warm smile through her many tears. The gospel was preached through my dad's pastor and I know that was what Daddy wanted. He layed it out nice and clear. My oldest sister and I spoke during the funeral. God's grace was there to help us do it and I'm glad we were able to do that.
If you think of it pray for my mom. It's so hard knowing she is by herself in her home now. She is a strong woman I see that more and more but I know she will be lonely. You may be wondering about the "yes it's me" sign. My parents have an amish taxi service and whenever we would pass daddy's van on the road we would have a hard time figuring out if it was Daddy cause there were alot of vans like Daddy's out there. So my sister had the great idea to get Daddy that license plate one year for christmas so we would know it was him. The head stone that you see in the picture above is the back of the headstone of my Dad's parents who Daddy is buried beside. Yes, God is our refuge and strength.

Lampeter Fair..........

Tonight was the opening night for the Lampeter Fair. I still feel like a newbie at this fair. I never went to it growing up. I only went to the New Holland Fair. But I've been going to the Lampeter Fair since my kids have been in school. It's a great fair for sure. Edwin and I and the kids headed over to the fair. Actually Bri and Bella were supposed to be in the parade but the weather put a nix on that so they didn't get to march. But the weather cleared and we stayed for the night. Right away when we got there we all split up. The girls went one way, Edwin and Rico went another and I was on my own. Ya see I wanted to take my time and look at all the things people entered especially the harvest stuff. I was looking at the soybeans, tobacco and the hay as well as the pumpkins and the rabbits and so on and on. I really enjoy also looking at the vegetables that were entered. I really am a country girl. Things that have to do with farming just really appeal to me. I ran into Edwin and Rico a little later and we all went to check out the cow situation. Cows have beautiful eyes. Then I caught up with two of my super d duper friends, Gina and Carol. We all sat and watched the fair queen competion. The competition got to long and we called it a night before we say the crowning. We'll probably head back over to the fair again Thursday cause the girls didn't get there fill yet and we didn't eat anything from the fair yet either. We got to at least get fries or something. So head on over to the fair it's where good memories are made and where you can get lots of freebies.

K-water at it again........

Check out the link. Max Kinderwater is going to Temple Universtiy. He's a freshmen there. He's also on the soccer team. Any of you that know Max know that he's a very good soccer player. His picture was in the newspaper alot over his years at MT playing on his high school team. And now here he goes again. Check out the article.

hey ya all.........

I had a great day today. Started out with a beautiful morning. I got up and made omelets for the family. They turned out very tasty. I filled them with zucchini, onions, garlic, green peppers and cheddar cheese. Served it along side with bacon and toast. After breakfast Edwin and I sat out on the porch swing. It was so nice cause since it's a holiday there was not much traffic on our road so it was some what quiet. Then we started working. After all it's labor day and don't you work on labor day? Anyway Edwin and I got a lot of things done today which felt good. And just so it wasn't all work and no play we did go to the ball diamond down the street and played ball with Edwin's brother and his family as well as one of his sisters and some of her family. It was kind of hot but it was fun. Edwin's brother and fam came back to our house for dinner. Now I'm tired and WHAT I have to go to work tomorrow. I kind of forgot about that. Oh well. Bri has her first cross country meet tomorrow. She had her chicken and pasta tonight which is what her coach said she should eat the day before a race. So she's good to go. Sorry no pics of anything we did I didn't even think about the camera. Hey does that mean I'm not addicted to my blog?

who's sixteen........

 
 
 
August 26 which is tomorrow Rico will be turning 16. How in the world did that happen that he is going to be that old.
You know the saying "where does the time go?" Sixteen years just flew by. Not sure what we are going to do tomorrow for Rico's birthday. I know we will definitely watch the Steeler/Eagle matchup cause Rico loves the EAGLES. That's my boy!!
Rico is a hard one to buy gifts for so we usually just take him out and let him pick what he would like (with in reason).
Burger King is his favorite place to eat so we will probably end up there at some point. If you would like to pray for Rico you can pray that he will have more of an understanding of who Jesus is and what he did for him on the cross. I'm not sure what comprehension he has of church and why we go and prayer and all that goes along with following God. And you could pray that he will speak more words and communicate better his thoughts and feelings with us. Thanks! The pictures were taken this year at the Eagles training camp.

makeup review...........

The last time I bought mascara I bought Revlon 3D Extreme. My rating is a C-
Not worth the money or effort. No 3D effect here on my eyes that's for sure.

Yesterday I bought Loreal Volume Shocking Mascara. I only used it once mind you. But I think it is a really great mascara. It's a two part system. One side has a white primer that you apply first and then you flip it over and apply the actual mascara. The white side has a really great fluffy brush. And the mascara side has a brush like a comb. I really like how when you pull out the brush it really takes off the excess mascara. It made my lashes look longer. For now I will give this mascara a B+. This grade might go higher as I use it more. I'll let you know.

I bought lipstick as well. In recent months I've gotten away from wearing lipstick and just have been wearing lip balm or a gloss. But lipstick is making a come back.
And let me tell you girls lipstick pulls your whole look together. Anyway I bought Revlon Renewist. This lipstick has a really nice feel too it. I do not like to feel like I have lipstick on. This Renewist glides on and feels light. It's a matte look but not to matte where your lips look dehydrated. This lipstick has a moisture core in the middle of it that definitely hydrates. I give this lipstick a B+.

Not the Eagles.......

 

 

This past Saturday night I had the opportunity to go with my husband to a Steelers game at the Redskins. We had a fun time together and it was a cool experience to be at the Redskins Stadium. It wasn't the greatest game but it was a close one and the Steelers scraped one out at the very end and won.

yellowed leaves...............

Confession of sin is a good thing. It's not something that I have often done but last caregroup I felt compelled to confess to my ladies at caregroup of one of my struggles which is regular quiet time. Thank you ladies my friends for listening to me that night. Even though I haven't experienced an overwhelming desire to spend countless hours in fellowship with God it has helped me to make it a point to put time with God on the agenda. I've been lazy but it's time to stop. I was reminded of what God can do in your life when you look to his word regularly when I was looking at my flowers. I have flower bags that hang on the back porch of our house. In the beginning when I put them there they looked nice and fresh and started growing and then got to the point where you couldn't see the bag very much just a nice bunch of flowers providing much delight to the eye. But as time went on they started to deteriorate. There started to be gaps in places and you could see the bag again and leaves started to turn yellow as well as beetles started to feast on the flowers. I couldn't figure out the yellow leaves I tried watering more and watering less. Finally I thought I need to fertilize these beauties. So I did I miracle growed and then added some long term fertilizer to them and wow what a difference in just a few days they are looking beautiful once again. The Holy Spirit brought me that thought. When I allow God to fertilize me when I look to the word to sustain me and encourage me it will produce good growth with in me. It will be life to me. God extended his mercy to me once again. Hallelujah what a Savior.

There is a great new version of "What a Savior" for your downloading pleasure at this website.
http://worshipmatters.blogs.com:80/bobkauflin/2007/06/what-a-savior-m.html
Check it out it's a good one.

4 generations........

 
 

Buddies.........

 
 
Elijah and Rico are good buddies they like to hang out together. The pic of them in the car I think was right after I heard the horn blowing in our car Edwin went to investigate and found these two. Rico was pointing at Elijah blaming him for blowing the horn but I think it was the other way around.

Jazelyn's birthday.....

 

 

Jazelyn turned 1 year old Aug. 4th. Erika and Hector had a birthday party for her at Lancaster County Park.

pride....

I have to tell you all a humbling but funny story. I needed sunglasses so Rico and I headed to Marshall's. I found a pair bought them and headed out to the car. Of course I wanted to wear them right away so I took the sticky label off of the side. This took me awhile but I was determined and eventually got the label off. But then I realized I have no way to get the plastic ring that has the big price tag on that stores always strategically place right in the middle of the sunglasses so that when you try them on you can never truly see what you look like. I didn't have Edwin with me whose teeth can just chomp right through that plastic. Last time I tried that I chipped my tooth so no way was I going to attempt to dislocate the ring. So I just tore off the label and thought oh well I'm just going home no one will see the big ole plastic thing in the middle of my sunglasses and off I went. Meanwhile I decided to treat Rico to his fave place "Burger King". I drive up to the window and I notice the lady looking at me a little longer then normal as if what I thought was her admiring how my new sunglasses looked on me. Of course in my mind I'm thinking oh yeah I must look pretty cool in my new shades. I get the food and the change and drive off. As I'm driving off I a steal a little look in my rear view mirror to assure myself once again that I "look good" in my sunglasses. That's when I started to laugh cause I forgot that the plastic thingy was still hanging in the middle of my shades. Bam! humbled just like that. The lady was probably thinking doesn't that lady realize she has the plastic thingy hanging on her glasses. Or maybe she was thinking.."did she steal those glasses". God is good to remind us that we need to be humble in all things.

Matthew 23:12
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

dinner........

 
 
As you can see I'm making up for lost time here with my posting. I think with this one I'm all up to date.
Last night we had Erika and Hector and the kids over for dinner. I made Chinese at Hector's request. Didn't turn out the greatest I thought but everyone seemed to like it anyway. After dinner we all went outside and played a game called Taps.
Jazelyn and Elijah got so dirty outside that we gave them a bath before they left. Jazelyn is a handful she is what you would call high maintenance. We topped the evening off with cheese cake and icecream.

Binns Park........

My husband is such a good grandfather or should I say Abuelo. He loves to be with our grandkids. We had them overnight this past Sat. Edwin took the kids to see his mom and then after that took them to Binns Park to the fountain and here's the pictures from that. Edwin and Bella took these pictures. Our gkids are so cute it's just fun to watch them.

icecream contest.........

Since Turkey Hill was sponsoring this event there was of course icecream there. Bella wanted to enter the icecream eating contest. First prize was an IPod, second place a signed Dawkins jersey, and third was a signed football by Takeo Spikes. All the kids who entered looked older, bigger, and were boys. But that didn't phase Bella she sat in the mix with everyone and prepared herself mentally for the challenge. The challenge was to eat as much icecream as you could in 3 minutes I think it was. The timer started and they were off eating. We are cheering her on and she's doing great really holding her own. I'm waffling back and forth between yeah go Bella go eat eat eat I want you to win the IPod to oh girl don't eat all that icecream it's not good for you and then back again ohhh it's just little cups of icecream come on move it Bella you got to eat more. Anyway Bella came in third she did great. She ate 9 cups of icecream so she got the football. It's pretty cool. Three cheers for Bella. Oh and sorry about the first two pics I know I already showed you them but they got in the slideshow by mistake and I didn't know how to take them out.