A Weekend Full of Kids

Phillip and I got to take a few days to get away to Joplin. We had purpose in going there, but it's a fun way for just the two of us to be together as well. 

We packed up and said goodbye to the kids and spent the morning at His Place coffee shop in town. You really can't beat their biscuits and gravy! The owner told us the secret to the gravy, but I won't betray him by giving it away online. 

Phillip's been working on Restoration History lessons on the weekends, so after we had breakfast, he worked on those and I read about Calvin Coolidge for a possible upcoming project. 

Then we left for Joplin.

Elizabeth came to have pizza with us in the hotel room after she got off of work. 

It was so good to see her!

Jonathan wanted to FaceTime before she left. Boys being goofy.

We went to her two classes the next morning. This one is Timothy and Titus.

This one is Gospel of John. 

They were both excellent classes. It made me miss my Bible college days. Phillip said he enjoyed taking the class knowing he wouldn't have to type up notes or study for a test or write a paper.

Doug Welch taught Gospel of John and he started his class with an art study segment on a painting of John the Baptist. And then Elizabeth told us he doesn't give tests, but he has students write out every week what they remember. I wonder if he's familiar with Charlotte Mason? 

And he had an excellent observation from John 1:21 when John the Baptist was asked if he was Messiah or Elijah. He said, "I am not." (side note: juxtapose that with Jesus' "I Am" statements later in the gospel.)

 Mr. Welch was telling the class to make that verse ("I am not") their theme for ministry. He said, 

"Ministry doesn't pay well......

..........unless your currency is affirmation." 

Oh, how true I have found that to be! It's okay to appreciate affirmation; some of us are wired up that way. But there are a lot of pitfalls that go along with it, and ministers would do well to be aware so they can avoid them.

Anyway, great classes; I envy Liz (slightly).

We went out to lunch with Elizabeth and then went to see her parking garage art that we had not seen yet.

She had work to do, so we again went to a coffee shop to work on our projects.

And the whole reason for our trip was to meet Amos! 

We went out to brunch and spent several hours getting to know him. 

He's so great! He and Elizabeth met last summer, I believe (?). He's a youth minister in Oklahoma and works with CIY during the summers. He was raised in a homeschool family, does photography, videography, enjoys theology, and is very easy to talk to. The two of them are sweet together. We enjoyed our visit!

And then today was Youth Sunday at church where the kids and teens helped lead the service. The youth crowd that usually sits up in the balcony was asked to come down and sit in the pews, and a troop of middle school boys followed Harrison to our bench. They were well-behaved, attentive young men!

Kevin (the song leader today) had the younger kids come up on stage and lead some songs. Then Jackson Franke did an excellent job leading in some camp songs. 

I told one of the older girls that she did a good job standing up there singing, and she told me she had been embarrassed. I asked her why she stayed up there then (most of the other kids had left the stage). She said, "I wanted to encourage the little kids to stay on stage and sing." I told her I was proud of her for having courage. 

Jonathan did the communion meditation! This was his first time speaking in front of a real crowd. He spent a lot of time preparing and practicing. We were very proud of him! You can see the service at this YouTube link: Youth Service. Jonathan is at the 17:00 mark.

And Kemper Franke (the preacher's youngest son) preached for us. I think this was his first time in front of a "real" crowd also. He's given this message in shorter versions with the youth group and at camp. Another great job! 

And then the youth served us a meal for lunch and cleaned up afterward (meal service was Phoebe's part, but I did not get a picture! Sorry, Phoebes). I love that these young people get a chance to practice service and participation in all areas of the church. 

 

A Taste of Real Winter

We've had some reminders of what Real Winter is like up here in the Midwest. Of course Missouri doesn't get it as bad as someplaces like Wisconsin or Montana. 

Winter isn't the favorite season for any of us, I don't think (although Phoebe would prefer to freeze than to sweat, so this might be her preference). So much about it is confining instead of freeing. Plus, there are so many ways to die. 😜

But I'm enjoying the community spirit about it around Vandalia. Everyone is in the same boat ~ we all have to get out of our driveway; we all have to wear long johns and hats and gloves; we all have the heat turned up. Maybe it's my temperament, but I enjoy being "in" things together with others. Even if those things include bitter cold weather. And this is our first winter back, so I may very well be bemoaning the cold in a few years. But right now, I'm enjoying the change of having snow and the community spirit surrounding it.

Phillip had his 47th birthday a few weeks ago. We celebrated with Boston Cream Pie like we usually do. 

A church friend came over to visit for a warm afternoon right before the snow came. She lives only a couple of miles away in a house that was owned by Phillip's great uncle back in the day. It's a stately home with a wrought iron fence surrounding it; I love driving by it going into town.

We got about 4 inches of snow last weekend. Phillip took this picture of our house from the mailbox.

Harrison woke up to the snow and he came running out to Phillip: "At first I thought my window had frosted over. Then I noticed the water pump had snow on it! We should take a picture of the house from the lane!" He was very excited. The kids have all played out there together. And I got on Amazon to order water proof gloves and boots and a mud rug.

Jonathan had to work, so he didn't get to "play" in the snow until it was almost evening.

He named his "snowman" Doug. Elizabeth texted, "That's terrifying." That was more of the reaction he wanted instead of the "Ohhh, he's so cute!" that he got from the youth group girls. I thought Doug looked a little like the Michelin Man.

Sunset.

Phillip and Jamie are teaching Restoration History at church on Sunday nights. 

Last Sunday night was their first session, and they did an excellent job. There's so much I've forgotten from my college classes! 

Phillip and Phoebe playing velcro darts in the boy's room.

Cocoa and toast is our cozy winter evening tradition when we're all at home and a little bit bored.

 

To Louisiana from Missouri

 

We've been driving across I-10 to Louisiana for 15 years. We got to try out a new route this time, traveling south from Missouri.

I tell you what ~ it's real nice that it gets a little warmer the further you drive!

It was just Harrison and I. Sad face. The kids are growing up. They have jobs and college and classes and they can't just pick up and go like they used to.

I stopped to get this picture before I got on the highway. The sun was shining on the tree branches and grass blades and all that ice was just sparkling. It was truly beautiful as we drove out of Missouri.

Mom and Dad bought a house and several acres of land near Jennings, LA. The couple who sold it left a lot of nice stuff there. Decor, beds, furniture, appliances, kitchen things..... The lady wanted to start over with their new house and decorate it differently. 

My parents have been living in a camper trailer for years as they've saved up money to buy when they were ready for retirement. The house they bought is such a joy. So comfortable too! I'm so happy for them.

We went to the park in Jennings like we almost always do.

Harrison and Aupa held the baby alligator.

My mom and I made crawfish sauce piquant! Our first time (well, I just chopped vegetables; my mom is the one who really made it). 

Mrs. Sally was telling me at church that sauce piquant means a sauce with a sharp flavor and it's always red. And Étouffée means smothered (which means you cook it down). I remember etouffée having a light roux in it too. 

It was so-o good. I took home the leftovers.

Harrison is sitting in the rocker I grew up with. I didn't know we had it still. A lot of stuff has been in storage waiting for a home. My dad rocked all of us in this chair, and I remember sitting in it next to our radio, which was likely playing Easy Listening, and reading books.

Slippers that Grandma Smith (Alice) made. My mom gave them to me to wear since it was a little chilly the day we arrived.

Harrison is reading a book of Far Side cartoons.

Dad is figuring out how to work the RC Plane Harrison got for Christmas.

It's a mite touchy, but Harrison's got some experience with it now so he's more comfortable to try it here at home on his own.

Company came over to eat with us ~ Mr. Johnny and Mrs. Kristine, Mrs. Aline, Uncle Gerald.

I got to hear a lot of stories from the past while they visited. 

Mrs. Aline told us how she met her husband (Mr. Wallace passed away not too long ago) and stories from early in their marriage. We met them when we first moved to Louisiana when I was 4 and moved in right next door. Our family and theirs ended up doing some homeschooling, so even when moved away from that house, we met up with the Heberts quite a bit for field trips and co-ops and just to go over and visit. 

She is so comfortable to be around; I enjoy talking education with her.

Mrs. Kristine is Teressa's mom. She's a great cook and had me over for many a sleepover. I believe I had tripe at her house. (I can't say I loved it, but I do enjoy trying new foods.) Teressa and her sister left the state on a lark to chase snow, so I didn't get to see them. But I followed their snow adventures on Facebook and was happy for them. 

I learned a lot about Mrs. Kristine's life too, while they visited. Heard more information about childhood church happenings that I had witnessed but didn't really know what was going on. 

It's grounding to talk with people from your past. I only lived in Louisiana for 6 1/2 years, but it was a very formative time and I consider it to be my home. This visit was good for my soul. I'm so happy I grew up with these people.

Mr. Johnny was not a Christian when I was a child, and I remember so many people praying for him for so many years. He is a Christian now, and he is a changed man. It was his birthday on this day.

Harrison got a picture of us doing exercises after we stuffed ourselves. 

My mom knows how to talk people into doing crazy things. 

I think Harrison had the most fun on this trip fishing with my dad. The neighbor has a pond that they invited Dad to fish in.

Harrison caught the most. I believe he caught 6 here and then 2 or 3 the next day. My dad said they were brim, a kind of sunfish.

A good clear road, a beautiful day, and nothing to do but drive and think. I find that perfect. By the way, the trip down I-55 is a good one. The cities aren't fun for driving, of course (St. Louis, Memphis, Jackson, Baton Rouge). But most of the driving hours are very comfortable ~ light traffic, lots of rest areas, good roads. I-10 (which is what we took when we lived in Florida and Texas) is stressful compared to this trip, even though this one is 12 hours.

I shouldn't say I just drove and thought. I listened to lots of podcasts. 

If you are a Christian, you might enjoy Ask Pastor John. I do not always agree with him, but he always has short, thoughtful, Scriptural things to say. If you are a homeschooler or teacher, The Play's the Thing is excellent for learning about specific Shakespeare plays that you might be teaching your children (7 hours on Merchant of Venice anyone? That's the play we'll be doing in a few weeks). If you're just a normal person, you might enjoy Bird Note, a short daily podcast on birds. 

Well, we made it there and back in one piece with no accidents and good weather (thank you, Lord; truly). And tonight I fried up some of Harrison's fish. He said it tasted like chicken.

Everything is Frozen

The Midwest had a winter storm go through this weekend. Town got some snow, but out here in the country, we got mainly ice. No power outages, no wrecks around us, the roads got salted or sanded, so they're all good. The biggest thing that happened was church was cancelled and I moved my trip to Louisiana by one day.

The kids have really enjoyed going out in this to just play. It's a strange crystal world, I guess. Phoebe went out with wet hair and it froze stick straight. She's outside here; just standing in front of the shed.

The kids enjoy going to the Jacyna's family holiday gatherings after we've done our own family celebrating. Jonathan is playing Twister with Quinter and his dad. I think he won.

Harrison and Silas.

Gabry and Jack came over to practice songs with Jonathan. They're going to lead some worship songs at church at some point. And after practice they played a new game the San Antonio Vickery's gave us for Christmas. 

Our yearly game of Catan. 

It gets a little long for someone at some point, so it's hard to get everyone on board for a game. So we play it maybe once a year.

Phillip and Harrison burning the boxes and Christmas tree right before the winter storm hit.

Phillip also finished putting up the porch posts and trimming them out. We're going to paint them black, but we have to wait for warmer weather. 

I made kale and bacon for New Year's. Where did the tradition come from to eat greens and black-eyed peas on New Year's? I didn't necessarily grow up with this, but I've heard about it, so I've been trying different recipes over the past new years. 

Google says we eat them because they are green and represent wealth, so I guess you eat them so you'll have wealth that year. Yecchhh. Not my favorite reason to have a tradition. Sounds superstitious-ey. I'll just eat them because I enjoy them. 

Elizabeth's parking garage paintings around Joplin were featured in Connect2Culture. "A local artist and college student, Gore completed a handful of simple yet poignant paintings throughout downtown Joplin in spring/summer of 2021." How fun is that?! 

Across from County Market. The sun is out today and shining on all the icicled tree branches.

Sunrise 

Sunset