Baseball, Girlfriends and a Family Tradition

Good Times......A baseball game for Ellen, time spend with girlfriends and a yummy breakfast with the fam!

Every year we look forward to Chicken BBQ and a Country Breakfast held at Manheim Christian Day School where I attended elementary school. I went to pick up our chicken meals last evening....YUM!....then got Ellen ready for her final Aaron's Acres activity. They were attending the Lancaster Barnstormers baseball opening game. She was excited! After taking her, I went to my friend Brenda's house for a fun girls game night. At one time we all went to the same church. There were 9 of us last night. We ate yummy food, chatted, had some good belly laughs and played a game so we could call it game night! I left after 11....most stayed till the wee hours of the morning!

I couldn't stay that long because I had a breakfast to attend this morning. It's a family tradition to go to MCDS to eat breakfast on their auction day. I always get a made to order omelet and a piece of Moravian Sugar cake. So good! And I drink lots of coffee too. After breakfast we look at some things being sold, buy some whoopie pies at the bake stand then head home. Now I'm full and feel like I need a nap =)

Ellen told us this morning while eating breakfast....she will only share things when she feels like it and is in a casual setting. Asking her how something was will only bring an OK, nothing more. I love it when she shares more detail about an experience.............

Last evening during the game they played the song, Move it Move it, to get the crowd going. Well, Ellen LOVES to dance so of course she stood up and moved it! A camera caught her moving it, moving it... and  projected her on the big screens!!! She was so thrilled! Is that awesome or what!

Ellen has her first Challenger baseball game tomorrow. Last Sunday's game was rained out. I think the weather will be fine tomorrow.  After that, we have a cook-out with some friends from church. Will be a full day again!

Have a great week-end! Take time to enjoy family and the great outdoors. And please remember to Thank the Lord for the blessing of each new day!

80's, Unpleasant Odors, A Thankful Heart

Warm, breezy 80's for the past several days. It was sooooo welcome! I was loving the open windows. Hearing the birds and the neighborhood noises was so refreshing.

I live in the country surrounded by farms. The farmers must  have enjoyed the nice weather too. And I suppose they were trying to get their work done before the rain arrived early this morning. Tuesday evening when I arrived home from Ellen's haircut appointment and some shopping, my home did not have a sweet smell......farms, nice weather, rain in the forecast, manure spreading. I had to shut the windows. We use window air conditioners which of course are not in the windows yet. We were using heat a few days ago! So the house was sweltering hot during the night. I didn't sleep much. Yesterday the poop trucks, as Aidan calls them, were going all day. One window in the kitchen provided some ventilation but the house remained stuffy and hot.

 I confess, I was having a really hard time with this. It was finally warm and we didn't need to use the expensive heating oil. There were beautiful breezes out there that I enjoy but I couldn't open the windows because of the smell! I couldn't hear the birds =(

I just started reading the book One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. What a great book, by the way! As I was trying to get beyond my disgust annoyance at the stinky trucks going by my home.... which were filling the air with a stinky smell..... which was preventing me from enjoying some little pleasures...I tried to think of some way I could be thankful even in this. It took awhile but this is what I came up with:

1. The task of hauling that stuff was providing paid employment for someone. That is a good thing !
2. The farmers were rejoicing for several days with out rain....something that we have not experienced often this spring
3. When I crossed the 2 roads to our mailbox.....NO P**P TRUCKS WENT BY!!!

This morning we are having rain and storms. Maybe it's the rain, maybe it's the direction of the wind, but I have the windows open and am enjoying the breezes! (no unpleasant odors) Thank-you God!

*Praying for all those who are dealing with destruction from the storms. God be with them!

Lilacs!

On Sunday while I was taking pictures of the Littles hunting eggs, I noticed this.......

I knew there would be some lilacs blooming this week!!!

Then this morning when I looked out an upstairs window I saw some that were partially opened. I knew they wouldn't have the full fragrance but I couldn't help myself....I cut some and brought them in anyway =)

They look white but are lavender.

The fragrance is there but you have to get close...

NO PROBLEM =)

Easter Day 2011

One of the first things I noticed yesterday morning was something we have not seen much for weeks and weeks. The sun was shining! And it wasn't freezing cold. What a gift from God on the day we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord! We had a meaningful worship service at church then it was back home to put the finishing touches on our dinner. Paityn rode home with us. She chatted all the way remembering the Easter egg hunt last year, telling us how she was little but now she is bigger and told us she got a hula hoop although I wasn't sure what it was....Nana was having a hard time understanding. Sure enough it was two hula hoops so she could share with Aidan =)

I didn't take any pictures of lunch partly because I didn't set a table. We don't have enough space to stretch out the table and sit to relax. If we set a table we need to clear everything and put it back in place as soon as we are done eating so we have room to visit. It's sorta a pain. I just served the food from the kitchen as we usually do when we have the bunch over on a Sunday. Less fuss was good =)

The weather was perfect for an Easter egg hunt. The storms and rain came later in the afternoon and evening....just perfect!

Zoe's Easter basket was a bunny filled with yogurt snacks =)

Aidan checks out his Easter bag from Nana and Pop Pop

Aidan says, What's this for?

Aunt Kimmy has an idea.....

Aidan the scarecrow!

Paityn finds a sticker book in her Easter bag!

And bubbles....purple bubbles!

Looks like Aidan has some egg gathering to do!

Paityn sees one in the fire ring bricks.

Lynn to the rescue....

he had a cup in his hand so he just put it to his mouth

and bit down with his teeth, that worked =)

Our grandson Andrew helps out his little cousin =)

BLUE bubbles! Neat!

PURPLE bubbles for Paityn

Aidan became a blue Smurf ...

Paityn did not want to be that messy!

 (notice the blue splat on her arm!)

We were teasing Greta and Lynn that we would use colored bubbles at their wedding...

imagine the purple spats on her white dress!

Aidan was loving this!

It washes off!

Zoe was comfy!

Gina wanted to be with us so bad. I am so  irritated at the high gas prices which was the reason she couldn't come home. I'm sure this same reason kept many a family from being complete this year. She and Joe plan to come on May 7. We will be counting down the weeks...she hasn't been home since February.

It's another beautifully warm day. I have Ellen, Aidan and Zoe to keep me company today. We will eat all the goodies I had left over from packing Easter bags.....well, maybe not all of it ;)

It's Saturday and Easter Sunday is coming!

It's Saturday....guess what I'm doing! Cleaning, of course. Taking it slow....maybe because......

1. It's raining. Again. Well it was but now it has stopped. Still cloudy but it's not raining at the moment! (would you believe that the SUN is peeking out of those clouds! We have not seen much of the sun for far too long!)
2. I hurt after I clean. It gets better after a day or 2.
3. Cleaning, while it needs to be done, is not up there on my favorites list! But I feel so much better when I get things in order again. It's never perfectly in order or perfectly clean, I will hasten to add. We do a lot of living in this home =)
4. It's cold....45 degrees when I looked at the outdoor thermometer....and that was after 10. It's starting to warm up, is in the higher 50's now.

There are just a few more areas to clean and then I can do some fun stuff. I have some Easter bags to pack. They will not be as full as other years. We don't need so much candy anyway! I also have some plastic eggs I want to put some small goodies in for an Easter Egg Hunt tomorrow afternoon. I do hope we have nice weather!

By the way, I still hide Ellen's and Greta's Easter baskets for them to find on Sunday morning. I love it. I must try to come up with a new hiding place each year....not always easy! Any of you still make Easter bags/baskets even though your kids aren't little anymore?

Ellen's first Challenger Baseball game was canceled for this afternoon. So disappointing! We will pray for beautiful weather next Sunday for pictures and the opening ceremonies. Our Sunday afternoons will be busy ones till the end of June. Bring it on.....it's wonderful to see these kids having the time of their lives!

 It will be a busy family day here at the Fahnestock home on Easter Sunday. It's my Sunday to help sing on the worship team at church. I'm excited about that! I love to sing and I know there are some wonderful praise songs slated for this special day.

Wishing all my readers a Blessed Easter!

Just what I needed

I just can't seem to help feeling blah. When I heard the weather for today and the next several days all I could do was mutter "Lord have mercy". I won't bore you with posting the forecast.

Then I was feeling blah about trying to get the most groceries for the least amount of $$ possible....because....won't bore you with that either.

 I went to a discount grocery store and picked up a few things then to fill my 9 water jugs at Weis. A nice older lady was filling her 1 jug at the other water thingy. I thought to my blah self that I hope I'm that pleasant when I get older =)

After that, I went inside Weis to pick up some rolls for our dinner. There I saw Ruth. Ruth was on my staff at the Nursing Home and still works there. It's always a piece of sunshine to see her! In our conversation she said that an activity was missed on the activity calendar so some residents didn't know about it. As Ruth was helping get people together she explained that it was a mix-up. One of the gents said "We need Doris"! Ah, so sweet of him, bless his big 'ol heart! I messed up sometimes too.....I'm not perfect (but I sure as heck tried!!).

That made my day a lot brighter. Also today, I got a call asking me to sing at a Sunday morning service at the Nursing Home. It suits me and I said yes. I love the people and it thrills me to serve them in this way.

It was a pretty good day after all!

Busy Day Ahead!

My last two days were child care days. Soooo, today I hopefully can finish getting all my stuff away that I took with me this past week-end. Not much was accomplished with the littles here....Zoe is a baby on the move! And maybe Nana isn't as speedy as she once was either!

I was awakened by fire trucks going by the house this morning. We live near a firehouse so that is nothing unusual. What was different today...the trucks were going up the hill towards the fire house! There was a large fire at a business just outside the little village of Penryn. The trucks going by our house were from neighboring companies who were called to help. Ellen got up early and was all excited from the activity. She talks a mile a minute and runs to the windows to watch them pass. (such activity in the morning before 8 is way. too. much.) I hope she got over it and can concentrate in school.

So now the house is quiet again. I clipped coupons, sorted out the stack of newspapers and put a few more items away from the tote in my family room. There is laundry to fold, and more dirty laundry to wash too. I have a stack of items to iron (for weeks....kept telling myself i will get to it, sigh), dishes to wash (always!) and errands to run.

We are to see warm temps today but not sure we will see the sun. There is a cold front moving through which may bring heavy storms this afternoon.....low 50's tomorrow again. We have only had a handful of warm days so far this spring. The winter seems to have a cold grip on our neck of the woods! I am thankful that we didn't have snow as my niece and her family experienced in Michigan this week!

This is what helps me feel hope that warm and beautiful days will be more frequent....

All these flowers are blooming in the beds in front and side of the house.

I love them!

May a productive and delightful Wednesday be yours!

Fun Week-end!

I'm watching Aidan and Zoe today so there isn't much time to post......

 We had a wonderful time at Creek Haven Retreat this week-end! The house provided such a feeling of being at home. It was wonderful!

It rained all day Saturday but we hardly noticed because we could find so much to do inside the house or barn. The creeks got full  and overflowed their banks, the wind blew hard, it thundered and lightening a bit, the power went out for several hours during the early morning hours on Sunday......we didn't care! The only thing the weather changed for us was to postpone our out to eat till Sunday afternoon rather than go out in the rain on Saturday evening.

Enjoy a few pictures...

Yes, Zoe attended with her Mamma  =)

Heather and Lucinda

Lucinda drove all the way from north of Pittsburgh,

where she now lives, to be with us!

Heather and Marla work on the craft Saturday morning.

Of course....

I had to rock Zoe to sleep =)

On Saturday afternoon we played the game

Now you Have it, Now you Don't.

Sue chose Shirley's gift.

It was wrapped in layers and layers of paper!

Shirley's Mom gives a hand with the duct tape.

Inside this box was another box

with more layers!

Sherry's Mom laughs as she realizes

that the gift she chose came from her daughter!

After that we divided into 2 teams for a game of...

How many words can you make in 10 min. from a box of

Alphabet cereal? 

Words are adding up!

Hard at work!

The crafters with their finished product.

Each one was different....

how neat is that?!!

Sandy and Anna Mae....

Mother's of Sherry and Shirley.

These ladies offered to come to serve us.

They put the finished touches on the meals,

set the table and cleaned up.

What a blessing!

Saturday evening dinner at Creek Haven .

Marla serves the person across from her.

Sue passes the potatoes to Heather.

Marla and Heather headed for home after this meal.

But not before we gathered around them

 to ask God to watch over them.

They arrived to Lancaster County safely.

Praise God!

Sunday morning brought a sky with sun and clouds and a cold wind. We enjoyed a good breakfast, then worshiped together. Our Retreat ended with a meal at Cracker Barrel on our way home.

What a sweet time. We all want to go back to Creek Haven again next year!

Today's the Day

I have worked hard. I planned, I shopped, I studied, I read, I wrote, I packed......yes, I did. This afternoon I head to this lovely country property for a week-end with my church sisters for relaxation, fellowship and fun!

Creek Haven Retreat near Halifax, PA

It's owned and operated by a sweet couple that we have known for many years. It's a beautiful property with a restored farmhouse that sleeps 21! I am really looking forward to this little get away and spending time with my friends.

You should see all the stuff I'm taking. It's not all for me. I have purchased most of the food, planned some group games, prepared a meditation for Sunday morning, gathered some magazines, books and CD's to share. There is stuff in my family room, in the freezer, the frig in the basement and in my kitchen. I hope I don't forget anything! I have notes to help me remember!

There is lots to be done before I head out....gotta get to it! Hope your week-end is a great one too!



A Grateful Heart

I struggled how to title this post. You see, I've been keeping a secret. That's hard for me to do. But I promised to keep it till I was told it was ok to spill the beans. I just received the 'ok' message!!!

We are going to be Grandparents again!!!!!!

Yes, Marcy and Scott

are expecting their second child!

We expect the baby to arrive in November.

They heard the heartbeat yesterday. Marcy said it was good and strong =) Oh how I remember when I first heard the heartbeat of my babies. 

We are grateful to God for blessing our children. We are grateful to God for keeping Marcy healthy and strong during her pregancy with Paityn. We ask the Lord for blessing them again with a smooth pregnancy and a heathy baby.

Congratulations, Marcy, Scott and big sister Paityn!!!!!
We are SOOOOO excited for you!!!!!!

A new sign of Spring

It's raining again. It rained all day yesterday too. It's to get to 50 something this afternoon but we won't see the sun. It's taking a very long time to get consistantly warm around here.

But, this morning I was so excited to see a new sign of spring.......

The beginning of leaves on the Maple trees!

They are popping out all over the place!!

For weeks I've been watching the slow progression of the lilac bushes.

They are really looking good =)

The tulips are trying to bloom......

the hyacinths are looking better then they have in years.

What a reward for those who persevered through the long, cold winter!

James 1:12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

(the verse fits, at least sorta....don't you think?)

Have a Wonderful Spring Day!

Sun, Warm Temps and a half hour at the Park

Whoo Hoo! It's summer today! Some of you have been having spring for weeks. We have not. On Friday we had a true November day.....no kidding. So, please celebrate with me on this summer day =)

No leaves on the trees but the grass is green

and the sky is blue =)

Greta and I took Aidan and Zoe to the park for about a half hour this afternoon. I tried to convince Aidan that it was hot enough for shorts but he was having nothing to do with them!

Aidan says.....

Let's get the fun started!

So much fun!

Greta is getting a work out too!

Aidan loves to drive.

This is one happy Zoe!

Zoe looks sleepy......

Does Nana look like she's lovin' this warm day?

We will do this again....Please, God, give us more days like this!

Old Sing-a-long videos

Aidan has found a love for our many Disney sing-a-long videos. Our kids loved music, so over the years we seem to have acquired a few. Right now he is watching 'Let's go to the Circus'. The music is upbeat and the clowns are a whole lot of fun too!

Not much getting accomplished today. I'm just lovin' my Aidan and Zoe while their Mommy is working and Pop Pop is laying a hardwood floor at their house.

Greta just called to tell me that Boscov's has the Crocs I wanted. There is a shoe sale today....buy one, get one for $1.99. She is going to get a pair too so that brings them down more than what they were on sale earlier....I was going to get a pair but they were out of my size. I'm excited! I love Crocs!

Have a wonderful week-end!

Busy, Busy!

When my children were young, my Dad would say he knew why God gave children to young people! I would laugh at that statement. Now I know what he meant! These busy ones can wear out a Nana!

Who made this mess??

They may look innocent, but they're not!

But, who can be upset with these sweet faces?

Zoe checks out the book basket.....

She takes a look at her foot and sock....

Aidan takes a hydration break.....

Zoe was back at it again...

and after Nana had it all picked up!

Playing together so nicely!

Zoe has a plan....

She sees the newspapers

and knows this could be a good time!



Is it true that children will keep you young?? I'm thinking that it could be!