An Overdue Chat

 

“But the LORD is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him.” 

~ Habakkuk 2:20

(Loved studying the book of Habakkuk in my ladies’ Bible study recently!)

Good Monday morning! I am popping in to say hello, but without a myriad of excuses for my lingering absence. Let's just say that I am still slow . . . still enduring . . . and still finding God to be faithful. 

Autumn is tiptoeing in and I am ready. My friend Barbara and I celebrated our end-of-August birthdays a few weeks ago with (iced) PSL's. I clipped several bunches of limelight hydrangeas wearing their autumn blush and I have placed them in crocks and pitchers around the house. Ron and I spent an afternoon driving all over the county for the "right" color of mums. Bekah has begun her new job as an instructional assistant at a Christian school. Now I am waiting for the temperatures to feel more autumnal to match our activities. I am ready to make soup, wear a sweater, and take a fall foliage drive. 

It is hard to believe, but it has now been over a year since Ron retired! It has been a year for learning to balance work and projects and service with rest and quiet pursuits. He has several projects on his fall to-so list, and then he will take a break from projects for the holidays. 

One of my own projects is clearing off and reorganizing my library shelves. When I finished homeschooling in 2019, I was not ready to get rid of any books. Seven years later, I am somewhat ready, so I am going with that. Bekah has put aside some books for her future children. I have passed along some to my other children who are all homeschooling themselves. I have offered some to friends. And I am donating some to a local thrift store that benefits the homeless community. I am approximately halfway, so I need to keep on keeping on. 

What do you have on your want-to-do or need-to-do lists for autumn? 

I will try to visit you, my blogging friends, over the next few days! (I hope that the Blogger Dashboard will behave and show me your posts. It has been a little glitchy of late!) 

I hope you're having a lovely September! 

Family Math

Kati told me this story about a day in their homeschool. She was having four-year-old Ellie practice counting. (How many forks are on the table? How many shoes are you wearing?)

Kati: How many grandparents do you have?

Elli: "Five." 

Kati: "Five? Name them." 

Ellie: "Grandma and Grandpa, Papa and Gran, and Aunt Bekah."


So now Aunt Bekah is an honorary grandparent and we think that is precious! 🩷

Gathering the Moments | June 2026

Here we are, halfway through July, and I am gathering our JUNE moments . . . some big moments, some small, but all a part of our story. 

We eat lots of salads in the summer. Do you?

Car shopping in the 21st century

Reluctantly receiving a hug. The foot says it all, I think.

Rosemary and yarrow from the garden

A small-ish project: an outdoor outlet for . . .

. . . string lights on the patio! 

Bekah's new car!

More summer food: Cream of Crab Soup 🦀

Also in June, we had a sweet visit with Kati, Andrew, and the children!

We played games, visited coffee shops, ate shrimp,
did puzzles, made homemade ice cream, 
had brunch at an out-of-town coffee shop, went to an antique store,
visited Gammy, blew bubbles,
and celebrated Ellie's 5th and Andrew's 40th birthday! 

At the end of the week, Ryan, Sarah, and family came to visit, 

and the local family joined us to CELEBRATE our graduates, Bekah and Ben!
(You can read more about it in ~ this ~ post.)

Before everyone left on Sunday, we had pizza and a little Father's Day celebration.

We hated to see everyone leave, but it had been a good visit!

(Well . . . there was one who was not so sad to see everyone leave. 🐈)

At the end of the month, I lost a precious friend. 

She had not had an easy life, but now her struggles are over and, because she knew Him, she is forever with the Lord! 

I am grateful that I knew her, that her final months were safe and secure, and that she was well-loved. I am also grateful that I had time to say good-bye.

I will close with these words of promise to all who are His, these words that I read to my friend in her last hours:

The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.

Psalm 121:18

Congratulations, Bekah and Ben!

We recently celebrated TWO graduations in our family:

Our daughter Bekah graduated from university,

and our grandson Ben graduated from high school! 

 :: Time to celebrate! ::

So we gathered family and a few friends

and had a casual celebration honoring their accomplishments.

The menu was simple: 

Chick-fil-A strips, rolls, fruit, veggies and dip, and an assortment of chips.

We had a fun photo scavenger hunt 

 . . . and cornhole was set up outside.

At one point, the seven youngest grandchildren played cornhole:

Judah (almost 8) versus all the others! 

(Judah won!)

Bekah wanted to have a dirty soda bar at the party, and it was a big hit!

There were some suggested recipes on the menu board,

but there were plenty of personal creations too.

Our grandson Peter (15) made and decorated the cake!
So creative and delicious!

At this point, I must say that I missed so many photo opportunities. 🤦🏻‍♀️ 

No photos with friends. Not many candids. No pics with Gammy. No photos with Ron and me. No pics of Ben with his parents or siblings. 
Good grief. 

But here are the ones that I took: 

Bekah with all of her nieces and nephews 

(minus one who had left before the photo),

Bekah with her sister Kristin,

with her sister Kati,

with her brother-in-law Brian,

and with her brother Ryan.
As an aside, this brother and sister graduated from the same university with bachelor's degrees in English Literature . . . but 21 years apart!

Bekah with her sister-in-law Sarah,

and with her brother-in-law Andrew.

Wait a minute!

What just happened?!

Let's try this again!

We rejoice with you, Bekah and Ben, 

and pray God's richest blessings on the next chapters of your lives!