Mennonite Weekly Review

My blog today is going to feature the latest Mennonite news! Sweet little Mennonite ladies all over the US, but mostly in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana are busy baking calorie-laden Christmas goodies!

OK ... now back to Amish Highway 35 ... today I wanted to bake these yummy peanut butter blossom cookies. Several weeks ago I found a bag of Brach's chocolate stars, and recalled fond memories of my Mom baking cookies and then I would get to put the star in the middle of the cookie! I confess that I have never really enjoyed the process of unwrapping a gazillion chocolate kisses to make peanut butter cookies, so I was really excited about finding the bag of Brachs stars! As my first batch of cookies was baking, I grabbed a newspaper off the top of the recycling pile (because that's what good Mennonites use when baking) and when I layed it on my counter, it was the Mennonite Weekly Review! I thought "how appropriate"!

Two dozen of these beauties are going to be delivered to Bethany this afternoon. I volunteered to bake cookies for this months' winning classroom in the Box Tops for Education competition. The winning classmates get to enjoy them tomorrow.

One small baking detail happened today that I forgot to mention. When I slid the last tray of cookies into the oven, I slid a little too quickly and in about 5 minutes I distinctly smelled a burning cookie. I opened the gas oven and sure enough, one was nicely baking/ burning on the bottom of the oven. I opened the window a crack and removed the silly brown-bottom cookie. Soon the timer went off and when I opened the oven to remove the batch and there was about 2 inches of flame shooting up through the bottom of the oven and I could easily see a cookie that had escaped down into there burning like there's no tomorrow. YIKES! I grabbed the baking soda and just threw it into the crack that the flame was shooting out of. It quickly went out, and I opened the window a little bit further. When I went back to the oven to clean up the baking soda mess, I could still see a glow through the bottom of the oven (the bottom that is screwed fast and can't be removed quickly). OMG!!! I started throwing the entire box of baking soda into every one of those cracks that I could ... still glowing! But I couldn't see through the cracks well enough to get a good glimpse of what I thought was another escapee cookie! I called Dave and told him to get his butt home on the slippery roads and I told him I was going to call 911! I started throwing pitchers of water into the oven hoping to somehow splash the water onto the glowing cookie. I kept thinking of the fire extinguisher in the garage, but didn't want to leave the "emergency"! I called 911 as I'm throwing about the third 2-qt. pitcher of water into the oven. The nice 911 lady calmly asked me questions ... like "is the oven turned off?" Uh, no ... I turned the oven off and the "glow" slowly went away! The glow had been coming from the flame of my TURNED ON gas oven! Phew! About this time Dave arrived, I was shaking and sweating, and kind of smiling that embarrassed kind of smile. We opened more windows and started cleaning very wet baking soda out of every crack and crevice of that oven! There was also a tad bit of water that was running down the basement wall underneath the oven. But I did learn an important lesson ... baking soda really does work and never panic! You just can't think clearly when you panic.

So that's about enough excitement for me for the rest of 2009!

A Night Visitor

Last night we had a visitor ... in the middle of the night .... well, 5:30 but that can still count as middle of the night.

Do you ever wake up and just have a sense? You don't even know what that sense is, it's just a sense. Well, after laying in bed a bit and listening to the sounds from the kitchen, bread drawer opening, fridge opening (and shutting! Not so the bread drawer - clue #1), shuffling around, a little clearing of the throat, it was obvious this person knew what he was doing and actually felt quite at home in my kitchen. My brave husband drug his tired self out of bed and wandered into the kitchen weapon-less!

Surely by now you realize that we know who this is and there is absolutely NO panic!

Just our deer-hunting son who drove 2 1/2 hours home from college, in the middle of the night to go hunting. Starting to live life at 2:30 or 3:00 in the morning is no big deal to college students! However when I had a quick 15 minute chat with him at 5:00pm when he had drug himself out of his tree-stand and came home to drive back to college, he informed me that one of his roomates did tell him he was crazy!

He has a test tomorrow so I'm hoping the endless hours in the tree-stand served him well as I'm sure he had all kinds of study guides and index cards in his posession!

This isn't the first time we've had a Night Visitor and I'm pretty sure it won't be the last!

Our Halloween Baby

A huge Happy 22nd Birthday to Allison Jae! You have grown into a wonderful and beautiful young woman!

You arrived 8 days early, so going into labor on the 30th really was unexpected. Being first time parents we were quite confident that you would be born before Halloween. On and on it went, well into the 31st. By that time I was convinced you wouldn't arrive until your November 7th due date! Dad & I had made plans to go out to eat with one of his friends from high school on the 30th, but now things had changed a bit. Instead Dad just told him to come over and hang out with us, and help time contractions! Boy was I impressed, and I'm sure the unmarried friend was also pretty impressed. So yes, you finally arrived 37 hours later, in the afternoon on the 31st! When the nurse announced it was a baby girl, and asked what we would name her, I replied "Halloweeny H_______"! The nurse gasped and then we gave your real, and much loved name! Jae is in honor of your Grandpa Lloyd and Uncle Wendall, who both shared the middle name of Jay, only yours has a nice feminine twist of the "e" at the end.




In spite of our fine parenting skills, you survived and grew into a strong and healthy young girl!


You were the first Grandchild on Dad's side, so you were much loved and spoiled! Grandma Nancy and Great-Grandma Alice sat with you and Dad for a four generation picture.




You welcomed the birth of your first brother, Mitchell (above) and then accepted the birth of brother number two, Kevin (below). But you wanted a baby sister oh so bad!






Your wishes finally came true when you were 10! You proudly named your new baby sister, Abigail Jean!


You are a wonderful "Big Sis" to your siblings, and have set the standard high for them!


As you grew up and moved away to college you really spread your wings, and traveled to far off places .... Nicaragua for 3 months and Europe for a month. Your families in Nica fell in love with you, which was no surprise to us!

You have brought many of your friends into our home, into our lives, and into our hearts! Your smile and warm personality attracts the best of the best! With heartache we walked with you as you grieved the loss of your dear friend Ali, at the tender age of 16! And then smiled through tears when 5 years later you donated 13 inches of beautiful hair to Locks of Love in her honor.

We have spent hours sitting in gymnasiums cheering you and your teammates on. You rose above adversity, even when it was tougher than you had even imagined. We are proud of your athletic spirit!



Happy Birthday my Halloween Princess! You are amazing and we love you to the moon and back!

Happy Fall Ya' All!

I really love fall! It's that time of year when I begin to feel like hibernating, when the busy outside work winds down, and when I can change the look & feel of my home!

My ever-growing candy corn collection.

Followed by my gathering of scarecrows ...

I found these wonderful little white pumpkins at a local roadside pumpkin stand.




My favorite area to "re-decorate" is the fireplace. The soot is part of the permanent decor!

Thought I would include my large clock in this photo as a "salute" to the infamous time-change in Indiana. Changing clocks is new to our state and I'm really not a fan! If you know me, you already know this fact. It's not so much that I'm opposed to changing time - however, changing this large clock is not much fun - it's just thatI wish we were not EST! I would much prefer to be CST, for many reasons but mostly because I don't enjoy the long dark mornings.

I found this oak leaf platter at my favorite gift shop in Berlin, OH! I just wish they would've had a maple leaf option. The window that is part of this coffee table is a door from a built-in china cabinet that was in the original part of the farm house where we live. I found it in the attic when we moved here, and got the story from my Mom.

My favorite fall time snack is what I call my "easy caramel apple"! I peel and slice an apple then alternate bites of apple with bites of 100 Grand candy bar. Can't beat it!!!

Closing out this post with a photo of Kevin's soccer jersey that I kept white all season long! We sat through more rainy and cold soccer games this season than I remember sitting through with Mitch. And someone please tell me why coaches think white jerseys for outside sports are a good idea?

A Trip To My Past ...

Several weeks ago I traveled back in time ... back to where my life was pretty much an empty book, waiting for me to fill the pages. For the past year I had been anticipating a return to Hesston College, the wonderful Mennonite College where I spent two years in the 80's. It was time for my 25 year class reunion, and the college itself was also celebrating it's Centennial on the same weekend.

OK, so this isn't really me, and it's not even what the people looked like when I went there. But just imagine for a moment, 100 years ago people traveled far from home to this little blip on the map!





Now, back to my journey ...



My 15 year old son, Kevin, is planning on studying Aviation when he completes High School, and for the past couple of years has been a frequent visitor to Hesston College's Aviation website. Since I was heading that way, I decided it would be a great opportunity to take him with me on the 13 hour road trip to the great state of Kansas!




My first stop was in Kansas City where I spent a wonderful evening with one of my long-lost college friends! When Kevin & I arrived in Hesston our first day was filled with "college visit" type stuff. A current aviation student took us to the airport where the Aviation Program is headquartered. While Kevin took a flight with one of the instructors I filled the director's ears with a lot of nonsense about why I really don't care to go up in small planes, blah blah blah. After Kevin landed, the top-notch student that we were hanging out with took off for his first solo flight! That was pretty cool to be a part of his exciting day! Kevin then spent the evening, overnight, and all day Saturday with his host student, David, that we know from our neighborhood. David took Kevin to Drubers at midnight for donuts and Newell's Truck Stop the next day. He was in good hands.




On Friday evening I took in a college volleyball game, and reminisced about the wonderful polyester knit long sleeved, itchy & hot uniforms that we wore when I played "back in the day"! I also recalled the time I got my ears pierced for the first time and was late getting back for volleyball practice. I had to run extra after practice for that little lack of judgment.




On Saturday, I looked up my old roomie that still lives in Hesston. We hadn't seen or even communicated in at least 20 years! Our lives have taken different paths and we just haven't made the effort to stay in touch. She is a Hesston native so while in college I spent a lot of time at her home with her Mom and sisters. So of course, her Mom had to pop in while we were catching up on days gone by. Needless to say, lots of laughter and memories! Saturday evening she joined me for an Alumni Banquet on campus, where we bumped into my roommate from my Freshman year, and who played volleyball with us also.



Here I am with my "roomie" and her Mom ... my college Mom.




On Sunday I took Kevin to the Wichita airport to travel home so he wouldn't miss another day of school. It was his first experience of traveling alone, so the whole way there I quizzed him about reading his itinerary, finding his flight number, his flight time, how he would find his gate in Chicago for his connecting flight to South Bend, on and on. I had told him that the first thing he should do when he gets to Chicago is to find his next gate and then he could get something to eat if he wanted. So, when I said goodbye to him I asked him one last time "what's the first thing you should do when you get to Chicago" and he said "call you"! :) I love this kid!




On Sunday afternoon I drove to Salina to spend time with another good friend from my days at HC! One more friendship renewed! In the evening my Mom (who was also in town, more on her later) and I took my cousin Marion B., who is a Bible Professor at HC, to Pizza Hut. His daughter who is close to my age happened to visiting also, so the two of us got to hear a lot of stories about our grandparents. By this time I thought I had been maxed out in stories of the past, but there was still more to come on Monday.

Monday morning I decided to surprise one more friend who is a professor at the college and who I hadn't seen the entire weekend. I snuck into her 7:40am class with a few young souls and sat at a table with them. My friend glanced my way several times, and I thought either she doesn't recognize me or she is stunned by my appearance. She finally comprehended what was going on, and claimed that I just fit in and she didn't notice me right away. It was pretty cool to sit there and listen to her lecture. Did I mention that I took a bag of Munchies and Diet Coke to class with me? Just wanted to add some entertainment to her Wellness & Nutrition class!

The final event from my packed full, fun-filled trip was Chapel at the College. My Mom had been asked to "share her story" with the college community. I know "her story", I lived it with her, but it was quite a bit different to sit in a familiar setting and hear her put her feelings into words. I was amazed that as I sat there I felt the warmth of tears course down my cheeks, and around me I was aware of others wiping tears. She is an amazing woman, who has experienced more heartache and pain than I ever want to feel! Her faith in God sustains her through even the darkest of valleys, and she sets the bar high for me. Perhaps in a future post I will share our story with the blog world. This chapel experience has brought the memories rushing back, and perhaps it's time to put some words to my feelings, so that my children can know that they come from a family of survivors!

This is my beautiful Mother praying God's blessing on all of the women in the family, at our special Mother/Daughter Tea in May.




After enjoying a quick lunch at the college, Mom & I hit the road! Somewhere on the Kansas highway we saw this ...

It might be the new invention that saves Elkhart County and the RV business! :)

Now, 25 years after my time in Kansas, my pages are filling fast! What does my book say about me and the person I have become? What will I fill my pages with in the future?

volleyball, soccer, soccer, volleyball, volleyball ...

.... you get the idea! That's exactly what we have been doing!









We've been enjoying high school soccer with Kevin, college volleyball with Alli, and middle school volleyball with Abbi. There have been several weeks when we have managed to watch 5 games/matches, sometimes several on the same evening.

On one rare afternoon, about 2:00, I decided to sit and take a break before I began the afternoon shift of taxi-driver. I fixed myself a club sandwich with fresh tomato from the garden, sliced some kohlrabi also fresh from the garden, and a big glass of chocolate milk. Having my favorite summertime lunch prepared, I made my way to the sofa to watch my weekly 30 minutes of brainless television. I also made sure I had all necessary electronic devices ready to go!



Left to right: tv remote for power, satellite remote to change channels, speaker remote to control volume (did you know most tv's no longer come with quality speakers?), our pathetic land line phone which has the temperament of a 2 year old, and my trusty cell phone to call people back that I previously "lost" on the land line.

Now would someone please tell me how I'm supposed to relax when I'm staring at all these life-controling items? Next time, I will take my lunch with me to the bedroom, close the door, and enjoy my peace and solitude!

Would The Original Cindy Please Return?

I know you're all thinking this is a post about the return to blogging! Sorry to disappoint, but I'm simply making a statement about the Cindy I used to be! That would be the person I was before 4-H invaded my world, pre-animals, prior to my older sister influencing my kids into thinking that raising chickens was the way to riches & power!

So, here I am, long after the fair is over, with my 4-H Fair Report! Stick with the post until the end, and you can see just how warped my world has really become!

Kevin is waiting patiently, holding his roaster gently & lovingly! And the next picture is of Kevin way down at the end of the judging table, laughing at a joke the judge made about Kevin's Dinner Table! (how sick is that ... really now!)

Next is Abbi, waiting patiently with her big roaster! I like how she completely has allowed him the freedom to run (or fly) if he so chooses!

Both kids received Honors (purple ribbons) for their roasters, so they brought the birds back to the table to compete for Grand Champion. They didn't get that award, but it was fun to watch them up there side by side.


Abbi's Speckled Sussex gave her a quick cool-down as the judge made his way down the table!

... and then on to Rabbit Judging! Abbi is peeking above the judging boxes, way at the end.

Abbi caught the "rabbit bug" from her friends Shannon & Katie!

This was her first year in Rabbit Club, and she entered with a Lionhead breed, which we learned is not an official ARBA (look it up ... American Rabbit Breeders Association) breed. We knew this going in, and it really didn't matter to Abbi. She loved the rabbit she named Alakay, and just wanted to have fun! And of course, Beginners' Luck blessed her with Best of Breed! Now remember that it is not an "official" breed, so her cute little bunny couldn't compete for Grand Champion. But it didn't matter because Alakay is something special to us!

We ended the week with the 4-H Animal Auction. Abbi couldn't (and wouldn't have wanted to) sell her rabbit because ... it's not an official breed! :) But each of the kids sold their "pens" of 3 meat birds, and got a nice little college fund going. Probably not enough for a private Mennonite college, but money in their accounts none-the-less.

Also at auction, I was asked by the Poultry Club Leader if I would be willing to sit at the table and make sure the auction receipts were coming off the printer in a nice orderly fashion. "Heck yeah," I said, "I can do that!" And lest you think that this was a very insignificant responsibility, I handled a crisis quite capably when the printer ink began to lighten a bit. I had to go find the Fair Board Member in charge of printers to come and shake the ink cartridge a little to help clean things up. Problem solved!

Here I am getting my very important and detailed instructions prior to auction.

And now back to the Post Title ... Would the Original Cindy Please Return? I'm not sure what has happened to me in the past several years. I am not and never have claimed to be an animal lover. I'm certainly not an animal hater either. But I think animals have their places, and it's usually in a barn, a pasture, a zoo, or anywhere enclosed where they are nice to look at, but I don't have to pet them, or even like them. I've always wanted a dog and a few cats here at our little farm on Highway 35, but that was simply to appease my begging kids and to catch a few mice now and then! We have certainly filled those expectations many times over ... the road is oh so close, and the cars oh so fast! :( But believe me, we have learned a lot about grieving, letting go, and shopping for a new creature!

Well, slowly this whole animal menagerie has crept into my life, kind of like a bad virus or something! It started with Mitch and his Aunt Julie partnering in the chicken raising business. Then Abbi began to grow up and she was genetically programmed to L.O.V.E. animals, all kinds! I'm pretty sure in her previous life she penned the hymn, "All Things Bright and Beautiful"! It started with goldfish and a parakeet, then moved quickly like the speed of a silver bullet to bigger beasts, like a HORSE! If I blame Aunt Julie for the chicken project, I believe I should firmly place blame on Uncle Terry for the ongoing horse experience. Abbi's first horse, Ginger, was a great old horse that lived to the amazing age of 26. Now Abbi has recently taken ownership of 5 year old Lucky Kaia. That's why we didn't (PTL!) have a horse at the fair this year. I wasn't excited about the thought of chasing a raging toddler of a horse around the ferris wheel and down food row. Abbi also has a flock of egg-laying chickens that number about 15, depending on the day. Everytime we turn around the dog has killed another one, so it's been kind of hard to keep track of the numbers. In addition to the horse and chickens, Abbi has 3 rabbits, 2 dogs, and 3 kittens. I've learned how to wash chickens, what age they change from a pullet to a hen and a cockerell to a rooster, and how to raise the fence to keep the chickens from flying out into the waiting jaws of the dogs (snow fence, pvc pipe, & wire tires do the trick). I've learned about electric fence for the horse, what a hackamore bit, lunging, and wrong lead are. Not changing diet too quickly for the rabbits is important, and laying ice bottles in their cages on hot steamy days makes them feel like they are staying at some swanky resort like Sandals.

The Grand Finale came tonight at the "end of year" Poultry Club Banquet when I allowed my name to be on the ballot for board member-at-large ... remember my outstanding job at the auction? Must have impressed the existing board, 'cause yup, you guessed it ... I was voted in! All I said in my campaigning speech was that I was married to Dave , had four kids, and was learning to love animals at the fair. Didn't they hear the "learning" part?

I've got a long way to go!

If any of you find my old self wandering around a nice air-conditioned, sparkly clean Target, please give her a hug and tell her "thanks for changing your heart for your kids"!

Ready and Waiting

It's that time of year again! It's time for the Elkhart County 4-H Fair!

Abbi & Kevin's chickens had their luxurious bubble baths today!

Abbi & Kevin are ready and waiting, happily I might add, for Aunt Julie to show up with her expertise! The chickens in the pen are considered "fancies". These are egg-layers and Abbi will be showing the three pictured here - a Sussex pullet, and a Hamburg cockerel & pullet. I really don't mind these birds. They're clean and pretty to look at. Fancies are not auctioned at the end of the fair. We will bring them home and soon they will be laying us farm-fresh eggs, along with the 6 others that we have in our chicken coop.





Kevin's picking away at the bottom end to make sure it's all clean! And he's loving every minute of it! NOT! These white chickens are the meat pens (roasters and broilers). They will be judged on their size and of course, cleanliness! Both kids will be showing two broilers and one roaster - that is considered a "meat pen". I've already got processing scheduled for the Tuesday following the fair. :) I used to say "butchering" until I was corrected by a fellow Poultry Club member. I guess that is the same as saying "murdering"?

Abbi carefully washing one of her fancies.

Here's the crew. I'm holding a clean fancy all wrapped up in a fluffly towel. OK, it's actually a towel from my rag drawer, but the chicken seemed comfy anyway!

And of course we always have an audience! Usually there's a crowd but today it was just Grandma and Uno. Our other puppy Dos was safely locked in the garage. We just didn't quite trust him around such meaty animals.

Abbi is also showing a bunny rabbit. It is a Lionhead, and has a mane of fur around it's head ... just like a lion. Her friend Katie also has a Lionhead that will be at the fair.

So be sure and visit us and our fowl & hare at the fairgrounds.

Sing along with me ... "come to the Elkhart County Four H Fair"!

Breathe and Be Filled John 20:21-22

Youth Convention ... Mennonite Assembly ... Columbus, OH .... 2009

(post title was the theme for the week)

I have just completed planning recreation for my fifth convention, first one in Orlando in 1997 followed by St. Louis, Nashville, San Jose, and now Columbus. Believe me when I say that this is no small task. I attempt to fill a gigantic convention hall (50,400 sq.ft. this year)with fun activities for 5,000 jr.high & high school kids, some adults, and a smattering of little kids. I often do a site visit, preferably 1 year prior and then spend the next 12 months planning, making contacts, negotiating contracts for volleyball & basketball courts, ect. So when the event finally is upon me, I have a sense of excitement and exhaustion all at the same time.

Here's the empty Hall F that welcomed us.

Abbi helped with set-up and so did Alli & Kyle.

Having said all this I want you to know that my role in the convention is rather insignificant as it relates to furthering the Kingdom of Christ. There are many more volunteers and paid staff who spend countless hours ensuring that all is running smoothly, and to provide a setting where people can truly invite the Holy Spirit to be a part of their lives and of the week-long gathering.

In relecting on the week, there are "new" things that I know ...

... I know that the theme for this years' convention (post title) was God-given just for me! For some reason it really touched my soul as I was planning for the week.

... I know that I walked many miles this week back & forth from hotel to convention center, that my feet are old and I experienced great pain in them.

Dave caught me taking a catnap in the middle of the noise and excitement.

... I know that I should've had 24 ping pong tables instead of 9, and 14 four-square courts instead of 6! I also know that four-square balls purchased at "dollar" stores, are truly worth only what you pay for them.



... I know that my recreation staff was the best there ever was!!!! Thank you and I love you - Dave, Alli, and Kyle!

Dave checking out equipment to some youth.

Youth Convention Part 2 - The trip home

Enjoy the ride ....

Kevin woke us on the last night about 1:30 with a fairly significant rash on his face. He had been pulling weeds in a cemetery as part of the Jr. High Servant Project in the city the previous day.

When we woke up Sunday morning to leave for home, the rash was quite a bit worse, so Dave went to CVS to buy some benadryl and cream for Kevin's face. Then we were on our way!

Several blocks from the hotel we missed "Sally's" (our gps) instructions for a turn and ended up going home cross-country instead of on the interstate, which really didn't seem like a big deal. Dave & I enjoy seeing new parts of the country! At least that's what we tell each other.

To go along with our Chevy Chase -type trip, Dave wore his favorite sunglasses that had broke in Columbus (missing ear thingy) ...

... and his old man socks, which cracked me up and would make his kids proud!

When we neared Rome City we were tired of following pokey holiday travelers, so again we ignored "Sally", made her "recalculate" and ended up on this road .

Four and a half hours after leaving Columbus we arrived home. The swelling in Kevin's face had increased so much that his eyes were just slits in his face and he had developed a double chin, and the rash was making it's way down his arms. That's when we decided he would need an ER visit! Don't worry, we're used to this. By going in we were able to save the hospital the postage of sending us a "time for your annual visit" postcard. :) The wonderful staff gave him a shot of steroids and sent us home with prescriptions for more steroids and some strong anti-itch medicine.

I'm not posting pictures of Kevin because I promised him I wouldn't. He really doesn't look like himself and isn't feeling well at all. He has been laying around and putting ice packs on his face. I feel so bad for him! And the icing on the "birthday" cake is that tomorrow he turns 15!

Poor guy! What a way to have a birthday.

A recent development today is that I took Abbi to Amigo Centre for camp. We hadn't signed her up because we knew we would just be getting home from convention, and she likely wouldn't want to go. Last night about 8:30 she asked if she would still be able to go. So I called this morning, they said to bring her, and by 10:30am she was moved in to her cabin!

I'm sure she is having a great time!