Hemmer Happenings

Regency Dress Costumes

2012-02-20T15:57:00.010-06:00

Recently Mom decided that she wanted to make dresses for Faith and I from the Regency period. Because we wanted them to look unique, I enjoyed combining different aspects I liked from pictures and costumes in the movies "Emma" and "Pride and Prejudice".

After I sketched out my ideas, my amazing seamstress mother was able to sew my designs!

I love how the sleeves and bodice turned out on Faith's dress.

Mom had to do a lot of adjustments on my dress since we really deviated from the original pattern!

The Spencer jacket was sewn without any pattern at all. Once again, I combined the elements I liked from multiple photos, and Mom was able to sew it. I love how it turned out!

I read somewhere that the shorter the sleeves on the dress, the longer the gloves should be. I was happy to find opera length glove on ebay for $5!

We enjoyed wearing the beautiful finished dresses at an English Country ball recently. Now er just need another opportunity to wear the costumes again...

Rain

2011-04-28T15:37:00.005-05:00

Because so many people ask me how I’m doing, I decided that the quickest way to answer is to write some thoughts down and share it with everyone at once. Many people have told me how amazing and strong I am. I’m not. I’m completely human. I have my moments of grief, anger, frustration, loneliness, and what feels like every emotion under the sun. Any good that is visible in me is due entirely to Jesus Christ. “But by the grace of God, I am what I am.” (1 Cor:15:10)
The honest fact is, it’s been a long and hard month. I know about grief. I knew this wasn’t going to be easy. What I didn’t expect was the unpredictableness of my emotions. The littlest things can trigger memories and make me either want to laugh or to cry. Sometimes both! I have had good days…and awful days. There have been moments when I’m hurting so badly, I can only cry out, “Oh God, help! Please show me you care. I need to see your love somehow…to know you’re there.” And there have been some particular instances this month where God has revealed himself to me in a special way…and just when I needed it the most.
Earlier last week there was one of those gray, rainy days when it seems like spring will never come. The clouds made everything so dreary, and I was more than happy to spend the day inside. As I sat there reading, the doorbell rang. That was enough to trigger memories of the visits Greg made to our house. Every time he came, I’d be waiting in anxious anticipation, so excited I could hardly hold still. The moment his black convertible would pull up, I’d be out the door and launching myself into his arms before he was barely out of the car.
I smiled at the uninhibited joy contained in those memories. And then the tears started falling. I wrapped Greg’s fleece Cardinals blanket around me and hugged it tight as I cried. And once more, I whispered, “Oh Lord…I miss my Greg so much! I miss that love. I just want a hug from him…I want him to hold me so badly…”
A little later, I decided to go for a walk since the rain had let up. I hadn’t been gone long when the skies opened up and it began to rain again. Ducking under the overhang of one of the buildings downtown, I sat down to wait it out. The loneliness washed over me. Everything was so dark. So dreary. So cold. Then all of a sudden, the sun pierced the clouds, and a beautiful rainbow appeared directly in front of me, followed by a second one, directly over the first! Two perfect, shimmering arcs of brilliant light. As my artist’s eye rejoiced in the gorgeous colors, I thought, “Oh Lord, that’s beautiful!”
That’s when I heard that quiet, gentle voice inside, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” (Jeremiah 31:3) With those soft words echoing in my heart and two vibrant rainbows - symbols of hope and promise- shining in front of me, I could almost tangibly feel the presence of God. His arms reaching down to hold me. His love filling my soul with peace. And I smiled. No, I grinned. There’s a difference. Looking back at the pictures of Greg and I together, the joy is obvious in the ear-splitting grin that stretches my face, and in the life and love sparkling in my eyes. After Greg died, I have smiled at people, but it feels fake…and lackluster. But that evening after I got back from my walk, I looked in the mirror and saw the smile there - the evidence of Christ’s love - and this time…it reached my eyes.
I’ve come to learn that if I’m willing to listen and pay attention, God will often speak the most clearly during the deepest struggles of life.
One last thing I wanted to share was a dream I had the other night. In the dream I saw two fields in front of me. The ground in both was broken up and the seeds had been sown. Both looked nearly identical except that over one field, the sun shone brightly. And the ground….was dry. Hard. Lifeless. Dark clouds brooded over the second field, and the earth was soaked with rain. Superimposed over that field, I began to see a faint picture of what was to come. It wasn’t there yet, still a long way off. But in the field that had the rain…a bountiful harvest would grow. I could see it.

I awoke with that image burned into my mind, and lay there thinking for a while. So many of us wish we had it easier, but when we are broken, God can plant the seeds much more easily. I’m sure there are others, like me, who have been broken and yet endure more pain. we think, “God, isn’t that enough? It’s not fair! I want some sunshine now. I’m tired of the darkness…the clouds.” But the ground that was broken and then received the rain produced a fruitful reward in the end.
We often can’t see what’s coming ahead. We don’t know the end result. Only God knows that what we are going through right now will be used for good. Only Jesus can take agonizing pain and heart-rending situations and turn them into something beautiful.
I am humbled to know that God has chosen to use me in this way. It doesn’t completely remove the pain and loneliness of losing my beloved, but it does give me hope. My prayer is that God will use this broken ground - me, in all my frailties and imperfections - to bring honor to His name.

If you’re struggling through something right now, I hope this will encourage you as well. Hold fast, press on, do not lose heart. The rainbow comes after the storm. Even if you can’t see them right now, blue skies and sunshine are just on the other side of those dark clouds. God will not leave you, nor forsake you. He loves you with an everlasting love.

In brokenness lies beauty.

Love

2011-03-23T19:41:00.016-05:00

(To read the things I shared at Greg's funeral, click on the title of this post, "Love".)

Greg Wallace

December 31, 1975 - March 3, 2011

Until we meet again...I miss you, my Greg.

Corn Maze

2010-10-09T13:07:00.011-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, we went to a local corn maze. Greg was visiting for the weekend, and Alyssa tagged along too!

We split into three groups and tried to find our way around the maze. It was challenging because we had no idea where to find each of the checkpoints since they weren't marked on the map.

Once we did find a checkpoint, we stamped that section to show we'd been there. Our cell phones came in handy as it was getting dark at the end of our time. Since Mom and Dad had finished first, we just called them to find out where the last few checkpoints were...

Team #1

Team #2 is looking a little confused.

Actually, we did alright once we had a map. We started off without one at first and soon realized we needed to go back and pay for a map. ;)

It was a perfect evening, and we had the whole maze to ourselves!

Fun was had, and God's creation was enjoyed!

Exciting News!!!!!!

2010-08-10T18:48:00.008-05:00

My handsome brother...

asked this beautiful girl...to marry him!
She said, "Yes!"

Their life together will never be boring!

A look of love!

May the Lord bless and guide you as you serve him on your journey together, Jason and Alyssa!

2010-07-03T22:01:00.008-05:00

Yes, we know, it has been ages since we've updated the blog! It's not that we haven't done anything interesting - on the contrary, we've just been so busy with everything!

Faith, Alyssa and I have been working for my brother's company, Mirror Landscapes, this year. He's had us weeding, spreading mulch and trimming bushes. The extra income is nice, but some of these days of working have been HOT!

Recently, after one sweltering afternoon's labor, we decided to cool off with a water fight.

We didn't bother with water balloons; our water jugs suited us just fine!

Faith is poised to strike...

Oops, water in the eyes!

Ah, it was so refreshing!

Fe and I decided to have a face-off. Back-to-back, count, take 10 steps and throw the water....That was what I told her anyway...I know, I'm devious!

She barely made it past, "One...two..." And I whirled around and dumped my jug on her! Heeheeheee... (that's my wicked little chuckle)

Of course she chased after me yelling, "No fair! Cheater!"

When Jason arrived we decided he needed to participate in the fun - whether he wanted to or not!

We had him sit in a chair while we ever...so...slowly...poured ice cold water over his head!

I love his facial expressions in these pictures!

"Ahhh!! That's...COLD!!"

What a fun way to cool off on a sweltering summer day. :)

Art 4 Art's Sake

2010-04-12T12:15:00.000-05:00

This spring I participated in a fundraising event for our local art gallery, The Next Picture Show.

Over 40 area artists donated their time and talent for this event. During the day the artists worked on a painting; in the evening the public was invited to come and watch the artwork be completed. Each painting was then auctioned off with the proceeds going the The Next Picture Show, which is a non-profit gallery.

I spent most of my day in front of my own painting trying to complete it in time, but I also enjoyed walking around watching the other artists work. There were so many unique styles... Hard at work...

I started painting at noon and finished by 6:00. Our delicious lunch and dinner were catered for us, but around 3:00 Faith brought me...sustenance! Lindt Excellence - "Intense Orange". Mmm...rich, dark chocolate, slivers of almonds and a wonderful hint of orange!
There were so many talented artists that participated in this fundraiser. The evening's auction was quite successful!

Most pieces were done in acrylics, but there were a few watercolors, colored pencil, pastel, and pencil drawings.

This is actually a scene from Dixon's Main Street...

I wasn't sure if I could complete a painting in one day and be happy with it, but it was a really good challenge for me!

I took a few pictures of my work as it progressed step-by-step...

As the day wore on, I was so focused on what I was doing I didn't stop to take any more pictures!

...And the completed painting!

I really enjoyed working on the sunset and the putting lots of color into the water.

I was definitely worn out at the end of the day, but it was a fun experience. I'm already looking forward to joining in on next year's Art 4 Art's Sake!

Kidnapping

2010-03-26T14:40:00.001-05:00

Faith and I decided to kidnap the B. girls before Ava left for a trip to Saudi Arabia. We made it our mission to spoil them and do amusing things to make them smile and laugh. We met at a mall and after doing a little bit of shopping, it was time for a mint brownie break back at the car. Ava loves mint, and I love chocolate, so we figured we couldn't go too wrong with that kind of a treat!

With a day like we had planned, I thought it was appropriate to wear this shirt. It says it all.

And, yes, I really wore these out in public! While we were walking through the mall, I pulled the glasses out of my purse and put them on. You should have seen Ava and Helena's faces! Priceless...

To their credit, the girls still walked with me. I actually got quite a few smiles from different people and even a compliment on how good the glasses looked on me. :)
I know these are for kids, but I'm still a kid at heart.

Helena in a Bob the Builder tractor. Isn't she cute!?!
Ava's mode of transportation to the Middle East?

We found it a bit difficult to fit, but it was fun!

A middle-aged couple walking by smiled at us, and the man even commented that he wanted to join in the fun.

We had always wanted to try one of those photo booths at a mall, and this was the perfect opportunity to do it. After all, it definitely fit with the agenda to smile and laugh! It was a little hard to fit all four of us in there and keep all of our faces in front of the camera. Some of the participants are not much on making faces, but they did a pretty good job! ;)

Ava's face in the second pic is great, and Helena made me crack up when she gasped, "I can't breathe!" Thus, my face in the last one. We have the pictures in our room now, and they make us smile every time we see them!

Next we sat them down on one of the mall benches and gave them each a back rub. Then it was on to Laser Tag! We were too busy there to take any pictures, but take my word for it, we had fun!

Last stop - Olive Garden!

I was so proud of my more reserved sister! She actually put this hat on and walked through the very crowded restaurant to the table where the rest of us were sitting! She did it to make our friends smile, and I think it worked.

We had a very enjoyable day together!

Be a bit silly - check

Smile and laugh at the above - check

Give the girls a bit of spoiling - check

Smile at the above - check

Enjoy our treasured friends - check!

Smile at the above and enjoy their smiles in return - check!

Mission Accomplished!!!!!

Skiing!

2010-03-13T12:45:00.002-06:00

From this picture, can you tell I'm a little behind on blog posts? No snow on the ground now!

A couple of weeks ago, we went skiing at Chestnut Mountain in Galena. My siblings and I went skiing back in December for first time in 9 years. It came back to us pretty quickly, and Melody and I decided we needed to make a return trip!

We're not experts, but we were much more confident this time.

A good number of friends went that day making it extra fun!

Greg and Dad

It was a lovely day! The sun was shining, and the temperatures were fairly warm.

Looking across the Mississippi River into Iowa.

With so many friends there, we never lacked for company on the ride back up the slope on the ski lift.

This was the first time the Kalebaugh girls had ever been skiing, and they did great!

Crystal, Becky, and Mel

Melody and Rachel

The camera wouldn't take a picture at first, and Melody finally had to come to stop right in front of me. It was kind of her not to run me over. ;)

Rach

There were no major mishaps, and a fun time was had by all!

Twin's 18th Birthday

2010-02-25T16:00:00.000-06:00

Our friends, the Kalebaugh twins, recently celebrated their 18th birthday.

Crystal decided to throw them a surprise party.
For something different and fun, she requested that all the attendees do silly or strange things with their hair.

Mel was Crystal's beautician.

Melody had alot of fun with her hair. No, that's not permanent dye. She colored her hair with washable markers. Jason even helped her out; it's not often you get to color on someone's head.

It washed out very easily with shampoo and water. I think the artist in her really enjoyed the different colors.

For my hairstyle, Mel took some fake hair and added it to my own. The colors matched pretty well.

The twins came home and were surprised to find 12 extra people waiting for them. It didn't take them long to get in on the fun!

For the third time, Mel played beautician.

I'm not sure if Becky was a little worried how her hair would end up, but we all thought it looked pretty cute.

Zoe and Gabrielle did Rachel's hair.

Quite the style!

The birthday girls

...and their sis (with Zoe in the background)

Technically it was a girl party, but Sawyer was happily admitted by everyone.

Who wouldn't want an adorable baby to hold?

He was probably the most popular person there!
Group pic

Crystal made three kinds of cookie dough (without eggs), and we had our choice of mix-ins.

Sugar, oatmeal, and chocolate dough with butterscotch, peanut butter, and white, semi-sweet, and milk chocolate chips. It was delicious!!!!!

We tried guess each person's baby picture, and it was pretty difficult with two sets of twins there.

For the second part of the game, we played the memory/match game using the baby pictures and a recent photo of everyone.

Sisters

Happy 18th, Becky and Rachel!

Inexpensive Entertainment

2010-02-12T18:28:00.011-06:00

Proof that we are easily amused!

These spools were remnants from the ribbons that we used to decorate Jason's mall display during the Christmas season. Jason and Alyssa invented their own homemade version of Jenga!

Pull one out....stack it on top...how tall can you go before the tower collapses?

Hmm...which spool next...this one?

AHHH!!! Nope! Wrong choice!

Alright, how many can you balance on your head?

Concentrate...Don't move...Balance...Not bad!

I must say, the evening was full of laughter and the entertainment was cheap!

New Year's Eve

2010-01-07T10:46:00.007-06:00

On New Year's Eve, Melody and I had an invitation to the Bluedorn's house. It was a costume party this year, and we had fun going through our costume boxes to decide what we would be. We had lots of options with all the skits and plays we've been in throughout the years. I wanted something comfortable for the evening, and that helped narrow it down.

We decided to be a doll (or little Bo Peep who didn't have any sheep in the first place!) and Zorro

I knew Ava was going to be Zorro as well, but neither of us knew Greg would show up as the man in black too. I think people had to look twice a few times to make sure who it was.

Ben and Helena also came in Spanish attire.

When we were first posing for the picture that appears at the top of this page, Ben decided to get in on it.

More than just a hand in. ;)

Helena, the lovely Spanish maiden, and I

Greg had an interesting guest. A bit of an air head, but fairly likeable!

We played a number of games. This one always produces alot of laughs!

Our time of singing was accompanied by Hans.

The evening ended with Scum. I think Doug was the "Queen" for this round, thus the unique head attire!

We didn't get home and to bed until 3:30 in the morning, but we had a wonderful evening. What better way to ring in the new year than with good friends? :)

Christmas Hodge Podge

2009-12-23T14:53:00.016-06:00

We have been very remiss in our blogging as of late, and it's not for lack of activity. We have been quite busy this past month, but not many pictures were taken. Bringing the camera AND remembering to take it out of the bag at an event proved to be a challenge sometimes. This post contains a conglomeration of photos from our Christmas season.

The first Saturday in December is always set aside for the Secret Sisters' Party with all the females 16 and up on my mom's side. We're getting to be a pretty big group! Next year our number will have grown to 17.
Aunt Kim and Mom

Katie, Aunt Denise, Dani, Kelly, and me

Grandma, Aunt Tammy, Denise K, and Kristina

We ate a yummy lunch, visited, and opened our presents from our Secret Sister. Mel received a purse.

Mom made my cousin, Kristina, an advent calender for her to enjoy with her two cute little girls. Each of the 25 pockets has an ornament to attach to the tree.

As soon as we arrived home from the party, we hit the road again traveling up to Monroe, WI to an English Country dance. No pictures from that event, but we had a fun!

This year, Mel and I made goodies as Christmas gifts to our students.
She spent a long time on her cookies, and the palettes turned out really cute!

But after making 34 of them, she was ready to be done!

I made cookie dough truffles for my students. It was so hard not to sample them!

Melody and I traveled down to Urbana for a Christmas Ball.

The English Country dancing was quite enjoyable as was the fellowship with friends. We enjoyed dressing up for the occasion.

My pretty sis

We didn't return home until the wee hours of the morning. The next morning we attended church and then drove to Rockford for family Christmas with my dad's side. Dad and his sister, Robin, did not attend the ball and had a decent night's sleep, but you wouldn't know it to look at them.

Crazy faces run in the Hemmer family!

As you can see, Melody and Jason come by their silliness naturally.

It's never dull at Hemmer gatherings.

Melody decided to tattoo our cousin, Andrew, and he was quite happy to accommodate. She used Sharpies to draw the initials S.N. for Snicklefritz Nixon. Don't ask me why he has that name!

Then she embellished it.

Grandma Hemmer flew up from Texas again this year, and we've enjoyed having her with us the past week and a half.

Grandma got all the bows as each present was unwrapped.
Melody and Jason have a tradition of wrapping their presents for each other as strangely as possible. This year they went all out with the bows. A Kleenex even topped one that was wrapped in baby paper. Jason started to neatly wrap a gift, and then he said, "Wait a minute. Is this Mel's? Well...that changes things!" He then proceeded to scrunch the paper together on top and tie a ribbon around the whole thing to hold it together. She felt loved. :)
Melody drew the picture for our Christmas card this year.

I came that they may have Life, and have it Abundantly.

A visit with friends

2009-11-27T11:51:00.000-06:00

Recently Melody and I traveled to central Illinois to visit Kyle, Gretchen, and their sweet little girl, Alaina.

We spent the first afternoon and evening playing games and visiting.
The next day after Alaina had lunch (she makes great faces!)...

...Melody got to work. No, she's not searching the classifieds.

We wanted to picture how large the project would be. Now for some light sketching.

The first coat of paint on the mural for Alaina's room!

I always enjoy watching the process--from blank wall to beautiful picture!

The weather was lovely, and we thought a walk was in order.

"Do you think she'll notice if I try something?"

"Faith! What did you do?!!!"

"Oops. Sorry, Mel. I just painted one stroke..."
"What will I do with her?"

Watching the master at work.

The results of an afternoon's work.

Time to play!
We were amused by Alaina's attempts to walk with her pant legs hindering her efforts.
After supper, we started a fun game of Super Scrabble. It took us three hours!

We had a lot of fun, and it was a close game at the end, but Kyle emerged the victor!

The next morning, Gretchen and I picked out the fonts for the lettering, worked on the sizing, and then cut the letters out. The little miss was supposed to be napping, but she didn't get much of one.

So when she got up, she and Mel had some play time.

Her socks kept falling off, and Mel put one of them on her toys. Alaina thought it was hilarious.
I think she was a bit slap-happy from not getting much sleep.
We had a grand time laughing with her. Thought you might enjoy the video!

After lunch, Gretchen and I did our part.

Placing the letters and tracing around them took us a good portion of the afternoon.

Melody was happy to leave the math and measuring work to us. She would much rather be creative--decorating people was more interesting to her.

We brought a container of homemade cookie dough truffles with us, and by the third day, this was all that was left. Hard work requires sustenance!

This was our pose for the rest of the afternoon.

Melody worked and we watched. :)

Time to paint the Bible verse!
Our entertaining little companion.
I think she wanted the camera.

Deciding which paint to use for the flowers.

A butterfly!

All done!!!!

After a delicious supper, Kyle headed out to help butcher a deer. He offered to let us come along, but we told him the ice cream needed to be eaten.

Our creations were quite yummy!

I couldn't resist a few more Alaina pictures!

"Oops! Am I supposed to have this?"

I love the delight of a baby as she enjoys the simple things in life!

Many thanks to our gracious hosts! We had a wonderful time with you all!

Melody's birthday

2009-11-18T16:00:00.003-06:00

Melody's birthday was in early November, and she decided she wanted to go ice skating.

We found a place in the Quad Cities and invited some friends to join us.

It was a trick getting our laces adjusted just right.

Mel with Katie W. and Helena B.

L. to R. -- Rachel K. Emily W, Rachel W, Katie W, Ava B, me, Helena B, Becky K, Mel, and Crystal K.

This was only my second time skating, but I didn't have any mishaps. :)
Rach

Except for a few figure skaters and their coaches, we had the entire rink to ourselves! We could switch directions and try skating backwards without worrying about running into people.

The birthday girl

Beck

Twins taking a rest.

Katie, Ava, and Helena
Sisters and best friends!

Mel and Crystal
It was a really fun afternoon!

After skating for a couple hours, we went to our new favorite restaurant, Noodles and Company.

Amber M. joined us for lunch.

It was quite yummy, but some of us needed to take it home.

Rachel and Melody used their chopsticks for more than just eating.

The other girls headed home, but a few of us went to Whitey's ice cream for dessert.

Back at home, we made Melody's birthday dinner.
Wild rice, chicken wrapped in pastry dough with pepperjack cheese in the middle, and corn and peas with cream cheese sauce.

Mint Chocolate Cheesecake for dessert!

Mel loves her chocolate!

Pretty girl with her pretty new scarf!

We love you, Miss!

Puppies!

2009-11-04T13:54:00.002-06:00

Our friend, Ava, has three German Shepherds, and one of her dogs had puppies about 8 weeks ago.
We went for a visit!
Isn't this face absolutely adorable?!!!

She is keeping one of the puppies from this litter.
Ella getting her bath.

I love watching Ava with her dogs!

Ella and I

Playtime. They were excited to get out of the kennel!

What does he see?

Hide and seek?

Awww!

They were soooo cute!

You couldn't help but fall in love with them!

Playing with mom (Vreni)

Investigating

I love how this puppy has its head cocked inquisitively.

Ava had Mel hold each of the puppies, so she could take their pictures.

They loved chewing on these squash plants.

Their noises were so cute! The deep throated growl in the video clip is Robey (Ava's male German Shepherd). He was warning the puppies to stay away from his ball.

Time for supper! The way they ran tumbling over their own feet was so cute!

Hey guys! Save some for me!

It was so much fun to see them before they left for their new homes! Thanks, Ava, for letting us visit!

Bridal Shower

2009-10-31T11:59:00.003-05:00

A couple weekends ago, we helped out with a bridal shower for my cousin and his fiancée.

The shower was held at The Turf Room.
Of course the decorations had to go along with the Western theme!
They did a great job!Anyone that wanted to was encouraged to dress in cowgirl attire.
Cousins and aunts.
Aunt Denise (mother of the groom), Katie, Tom, and Grandma
More guests and relatives.

Sisters

Awww!

The happy couple!

See you all at the wedding next weekend!

Last Vacation Post

2009-10-28T12:46:00.001-05:00

Wednesday morning, we got up really early to drive into D.C. Our White House tour time was 7:15!

We weren't allowed to take a camera in the White House, but it was really neat! It was cool knowing we were visiting the home of nearly all our presidents!

What a fun way to end our trip out East! Jason needed to get home a day early to work, and since Mel and I needed to be home before Friday anyways, we decided to fly back with him. We flew to O'Hare and caught the bus to Rockford where my grandpa picked us up, took us out to dinner, and brought us home. Jason wanted to watch National Treasure since we'd just visited all the places in the movie, but I don't think I made it past 8:30 before I was falling asleep. It was so nice to be home!

After Mom and Dad dropped us off at the airport, Wednesday morning, they drove to Baltimore and visited Fort McHenry.

A view of the bay from the fort.

The fort was a star shape. Mom said it was very unique.

The next morning, they hit the road taking a different route so as to see a few other sights.
Mountains in WV and PA.

They stopped at a Frank Lloyd Wright house in PA.

Falling Water House

Dad really enjoys FLW architecture and has always wanted to see one of the houses he designed.

The builders had to pour this roof over the walkway all at once. Not many supports.

It would be a peaceful place to live!

Mr. Wright tried to design the house in such a way that it blended in with nature. The house was built over a creek!

One set of stairs led from the living room right down into the creek.

The family swimming pool.

The family who lived there could walk down these stairs into an outdoor bathtub.

The bathtub and creek right next to it.

Mom and Dad really enjoyed the tour.

They spent the night at a hotel and then traveled the rest of the way home. It was a wonderful vacation with many fun experiences!

Day 6

2009-10-19T09:59:00.015-05:00

On Tuesday we toured the United States Capitol building.

The architecture was beautiful!

The ceiling was unique!
The wall of the dome was painted with various scenes from American history. The artists kept dying before its completion, so quite a few different ones worked on the painting!

Famous paintings
Hmmm...what are we looking at?

The top of the dome was so intricate...

This room was full of statues given by all the different states.

It was beautiful!

Can't remember the name of this statue. Sorry.

On our way to the car for lunch, we passed the Library of Congress. Too bad we didn't go in, we could have re-created a scene from National Treasure 2!

Supreme Court building

Our next stop was the National Archives Building. Flash photography was not allowed, so the pictures are a bit dark.
The Declaration of Independence

The Constitution

Fountain at one of the Smithsonian Art Museums.

Us in front of the fountain. ;)

While the rest of the family went to the Air and Space Museum, I joined Melody at one of the many art museums. She really wanted to go, and by this point, we had seen so many museums that the Air and Space Museum didn't appeal to us all that much.
Melody told me what paintings she wanted to see, and I looked at the map and directed us to the correct rooms.
She was thrilled to find some of the original paintings of a few of her favorite artists!

Renoir's "Oarsmen at Chatou"

"Girl With a Hoop" Renoir

"Londes, le Parlement, effet de soleil dans le brouillard" Monet
Some of these paintings are ones that she is actually using as examples in some of her upcoming art classes. She'll have fun telling her students that she was able to see the real thing!

"Bassin aux nympheas" Monet

Here is a photo of me to prove that I was actually in a real art museum! *gasp* Something I wasn't sure I'd ever do... :)

When we were done at the art museum, we headed over to find the rest of the family. Like I said, we were pretty much "museumed out" by this point, so we didn't take too many pictures. We found ourselves reading about the displays, but not really comprehending anything that our eyes took in! I guess that meant it was time to head home!

Day 5

2009-10-17T13:49:00.001-05:00

On the morning of Day 5, we headed back into Washington D.C. We had tickets to go up in the Washington monument. The traffic was horrible, so the guys dropped us off to pick up our tickets while they hunted for a parking spot.
See the Capitol in the background!

It was fun to look out over the city and see famous landmarks.
Part of the Mall and the Lincoln Memorial

The Mall and the Capitol at the end.

The Pentagon

The White House

Mel and Jason flopped down on the bench while we were waiting for Mom and Dad to come back down. They didn't realize I was snapping their picture.

Once they realized what I did, they had to pose. ;)

We left D.C. and went to Mt. Vernon where we met George and Martha Washington along with their grandchildren.

They were a little hard to get to know--not very communicative.

Throughout the years he lived there, Washington added on to the original house.

He drew up the designs himself.

Looking out over the front yard at the Potomac River.

What a pretty view to have each morning as he woke up!

We were not allowed to take photos in the house itself, but the grounds were beautiful!

Washington was very knowledgeable in farming, building, and gardening. He had very innovative ideas for his time.

A barn he designed to thresh wheat.

This covered walkway led to the kitchen; it was separate from the house because fires were very common and was better to have just the kitchen burn down and not the entire house!

This tree is called a Crepe Myrtle and it reminded us of our Flowering Crab Apple trees back in Illinois. The main difference is that ours bloom in the spring and it was fall when we visited Maryland and Virginia! They were quite lovely.

Washington owned a lot of land and the grounds were just gorgeous...

This is where our first president is interred on a hillside below his home...

One thing that impressed us about Washington is the fact that he could have been king had he wanted to. His courage and skills during the war made him a hero; many people wanted him to be the ruler over the newly formed United States, but Washington firmly believed in the freedom he fought for. Later he did accept presidency and became the only man to ever be unanimously elected as president!

Day 4

2009-10-12T14:10:00.003-05:00

On Day 4 of our vacation, we headed to our nation's capitol!

We started our day by visiting the Holocaust Museum. Somehow, half of our pictures from this day were lost. We don't know how it happened, but we were pretty disappointed. So...I don't have any pictures of our first stop. In fact I borrowed these next couple of pics so you could see where we were.

The Holocaust Museum was excellent. We walked out of there very sobered and thankful for our freedoms.

After lunch, we visited many of the memorials and monuments.

The Washington Monument was impressive!

The Lincoln Memorial

As we were walking up these steps, we couldn't help but be reminded of a certain movie.

Mel and Jase decided they should act out one of the scenes. They couldn't remember the exact wording, but they got it pretty close. Anybody know what movie it's from?
Take 1 of another scene. The final cut was one of the videos we lost, but I thought the blooper was cute.

One of our greatest presidents. At the WWII memorial, we found the Illinois pillar and took a picture by it. Alas...that's another one that didn't survive. We enjoyed hearing the accents and languages other tourists spoke all around us. We definitely weren't in the Midwest!The Vietnam WallAll those names...
Statues at the Vietnam Memorial

The FDR Memorial

It had a number of beautiful waterfalls!What do you think? Do they fit in?
The Jefferson Memorial was our last stop of the day. We were ready to be done! We estimated we walked at least 10 miles that day! We went home tired and sore, but it was worth it. Thomas Jefferson
After seeing all the monuments and memorials to the men and women who formed our country and fought to preserve our freedoms, we thought back to the beginning of our day at the Holocaust Museum. What a stark contrast--a country run by a dictator and the horrors that brought and a country based on Godly principles.

We are blessed to live in America!

East Coast Vacation - Day 3

2009-10-06T13:03:00.001-05:00

We had ideas of where we wanted to go on this vacation, but we didn't really have everything planned out. We were too busy planning Family Camp. As it turned out, it was a good thing we didn't have a schedule to stick to since Jason got sick. Saturday morning, we decided to visit the beach. We thought it would be a relaxing day for him to recover.

Crossing the Chesapeake Bay

The boardwalk at Rehoboth Beach in Delaware

This was the first time the three of us kids had seen the ocean! It was beautiful!

It was a bit chilly that day.

Jason didn't want to give up his sweatshirt.

Mel

After testing the water temperature, we decided we'd wait a bit before going all of the way in.
Soaking wet suits and a chilly breeze--not a good combination to start the afternoon. We spread our towels out on the warm sand instead.

Mel and Mom took a walk down the boardwalk and looked in all the shops.

Finally, it was time to brave the waves! Once we were in the water, it wasn't actually too cold.
Dad and me

Some of the waves were pretty strong. They knocked us over a few times.
Body surfing
Jase, Dad, and me (on the edge of the pic)

We had a blast!

As we were getting ready to leave, Dad said, "Hey look! Dolphins!!!" If we'd left a few minutes earlier, we would have missed them. As it was, we were standing up at just the right time! It was hard to time the picture when they jumped out of the water. Sorry. This is all you get. If you look closely, you can see two fins sticking up. There were probably 50 dolphins swimming parallel to the shore about 100 feet out. It was a very neat way to end the day!!!

This was our most relaxing day of vacation, and we absolutely loved seeing the ocean! It was beautiful!

Family Vacation - Part 1

2009-10-02T12:50:00.000-05:00

September was a very busy month. After getting back from family camp, we had a few days to do laundry, work, speak for a homeschool group, and get ready for our first family vacation in 11 years.

Some friends loaned us a minivan for the trip. Before the sun was even up, we had the van loaded and ready to go.

Hmm...I guess they were awake enough for silliness even at 6 a.m.

After a 15 hour drive, we arrived at Dad's aunt and uncle's house in Maryland. That was vacation day #1-- driving. For a number of years now, Gilman and Judy have been telling us we should come for a visit and see all the sights. We finally made the trip. I meant to get a picture of our wonderful host and hostess before they left on a trip of their own, but it didn't happen. Oops.

Day #2
Aunt Judy was our chauffeur and tour guide to historic Annapolis. Poor Jason got the flu the night we arrived, so he missed this day.

The majority of the buildings had some sort of historical significance.

After seeing a number of signs like the one in the previous picture, we had to chuckle when we saw this one.

It's hard to imagine living that close to your neighbors and not having any yard. The colorful doors were all so pretty.

Our next stop.

We happened to be at the academy right at noon in time for their formations.

It was neat to see!

The chapel windows were gorgeous! This one was a Tiffany.

Aunt Judy is a docent (tour guide) at William Paca's house. He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He had a little summer house in the garden.

The gardens were beautiful! Notice the artist? They were having a "plein aire" contest throughout the town that weekend. It was fun to walk by and see what each person was working on.

We also saw the houses of 3 other signers. Charles Carroll was one of them.

Our last stop of the day was the Maryland capitol building.

The marble was beautiful!
We stood on the exact spot where George Washington resigned his commission as general. They are currently restoring the room.

We really enjoyed this day. It was a lovely quaint town!

Chalk the Walk

2009-09-28T13:03:00.000-05:00

Dixon has a Scarecrow Festival each fall, and one of the events this year was a "Chalk the Walk" contest.
Melody couldn't pass up an opportunity to draw!

It's always fun to hear the comments kids make as they watch.
"Wow! How do you do that?" "Are you an artist?" Mel always chuckles at that one. If you draw, you're an artist. What they usually mean is a "professional artist", but they don't know how to say it.

She said it was interesting to work with a limited range of color choices and small space.

It's fascinating to me how she starts with a blank canvas (or sidewalk in this case) and ends with a beautiful picture! I may not be able to draw more than stick figures, but I can sure appreciate good art!

Vacation pictures coming soon!!!

ICHE Family Camp

2009-09-16T19:19:00.001-05:00

This past Friday, we headed up to Camp Timber-Lee in Wisconsin for ICHE family camp. Mom and Dad drove the van, and since there wasn't room for us with all the stuff in there, Mel and I hitched a ride with the Mendozas.

Stevie and Michael

Michael wanted some music for our ride, and then we played a very long game of Sorry. It took over an hour, and we didn't even get to finish it.

We arrived in time for orientation and announcements.

Mom and Dad were in charge of almost everything this year.

At the end of the night, each family had a list of questions to ask three other families they didn't know. It was a good mixer.
Saturday morning everyone gathered at the picnic shelter for devotions.

Dad had an object lesson planned for the families.

My siblings don't look very awake yet.

Ultimate Frisbee

After lunch, it was time for the Bicycle Olympics.

Michael was ready!

Matthew did a good job explaining each event.

Weaving the buckets

A few spectators - Abby L, Mrs. L, Mel and Katie L.

Visiting time

After the Olympics, a few of us decided it was time to go boating.
Mariah and Bekah L.
Me and Abby L.

Mel and Kate L.

Matthew and Mr. S.

The paddle boats were alot of work, so we switched to canoes.

James W. and Jason

Next up was supper! We had wonderful helpers to get the meal ready.
Mrs. L. and Melody

Mrs. G, Kira S, Mrs. S, Mariah and Kate L.

Nathan S.

Time for the R.I.O.T.!
Really Out-of-the-Ordinary Interesting Things

The first game involved newspapers by the bundle!

Each team had to crumple the papers and throw them into one of the other quadrants.

The winning team was the one with the least amount of papers in their square.

The next unusual game required shaving cream and fruit loops.

This boy really covered his whole head!
Jacob was bombarded by his family and the Capps. I think they enjoyed it!

Robbie W. was one of the winners.

"Tank" was a hit!

The last game of the evening was quite messy!
A cup was placed on one team-mate's head, and his team was supposed to squirt the chocolate syrup into it without spilling much. I think they were too wound up by this time. Every cup holder was very covered by the end of the game.

Stevie M.

Jason G. cleaning up

Kira S.
Hayride time - Katie L, Mel, and Stevie M.

Me, Abby and Mariah L.

Sunday morning, the Barnard family and the three of us led worship.

Mr. L. gave the message.

After church, we head out to the open field to play a few more R.I.O.T. games that we didn't have time for the previous night.

In this relay, every person had to pick an article of clothing from each pile, put it on, run across the line at the end, return each item to its original pile, and tag their next team-mate.

Michael M.

The adults even played.

Jeremy S. chose to wear his clothing a little differently--a shirt on his legs!

Jimmy S. was getting in the action too!

Zack L. and Nathan S. teamed up in the donut game. The donut swung on a string and was difficult to eat.

Abby thought Nathan's face was pretty funny looking with all the powdered sugar.

Given a stick and wearing a blind fold...

...can they find and hit the bucket?

Of course we had to have prizes! Candy time!

A little two-on-two volleyball.

Jacob B. and Jason against Michael C. and James W.

The carpet ball game was in use almost constantly during the weekend. We finally got a chance to play after most people had headed home.

We enjoyed getting to see familiar faces and meeting new people!
Family Camp 2009 = fun!

New York Trip - Part 2

2009-08-28T14:02:00.002-05:00

After the wedding and reception, we spent the night at a hotel and got some much needed sleep after being up for 38 hours straight! The next morning, we hit the road again to do some sight-seeing before heading home.

Even though we all offered to give him a break, Jason was our driver for the entire trip. I think the total for the whole weekend was around 25 hours.

We picked up Amber at her hotel so she could join us on our trip to...

this famous site..

Crossing the Niagara River

Originally we were only going to ride the Maid of the Mist boat, but we ended up deciding to take a tour bus around to all the different sites. It was really nice because we didn't have to worry about finding our way or paying to park anywhere. Our tour guide, Big Jim, was quite a character! I wish I'd gotten a picture of him, but I didn't, so here's a picture of some of the tourists on the bus.

Our first stop was the Whirlpool.

The water was a gorgeous color!

Here's a picture of the river between the Falls and the whirlpool.

We were still dry in this picture!

From the Canadian side, people could view the whirlpool this way if they so desired.

Recently a helicopter crashed into the line. I bet the people inside trolley car had the ride of their life.

We were all in blue that day. It made for good, color-coordinated pictures!

A view of the Canadian side.

We had to get a picture by the beautiful landscaping!

Our next stop was at the Daredevil museum. The walls of the convenience shop were lined with pictures of people crazy enough to go over the Falls. After telling us about a couple of people who were killed in their attempts, our tour guide related the story of a guy who challenged the Falls 4 times--2 successful tries and 2 not. We couldn't figure that one out. Was he like a cat with 9 lives or something? Finally we asked. The man was caught and stopped before he could go over on the last two attempts.

This is the actual barrel from the previous picture. These guys were successful.

This one made it too. We looked inside and could not believe someone would actually fit in it! I would have been feeling a little claustrophobic.

The guy riding this jet ski didn't survive. He planned to drop the jet ski and open his parachute once he went over the Falls. The parachute opened but slipped right off him.

One man made this contraption of tire inner tubes in his backyard, and it worked. It is illegal now to make an attempt, and anyone who tries is fined and sent to jail.

This is Rainbow Bridge connecting Canada and the US.

This was the view of our boat from the top of the observation tower.

The observation tower

We were given rain ponchos to help keep us dry.

The Bridal Veil Falls

You can see why nobody ever attempts a stunts over the American Falls. The rocks at the bottom are quite a deterrent.

We weren't too wet...yet!

Jason was. He didn't put his hood up.

It was gorgeous!

The pictures do not do the Falls justice!
They look so small in the photos, but the height was incredible! See the people on top of the cliff on the right side?

Canada

Our first view of the Horseshoe Falls

The Canadian side

The mist was really pretty!

Now we're wet!

On the ride back, we could see both sets of falls.

This one reminds me of Ireland pictures I've seen.

From the top of the observation tower--Bridal Veil Falls .

It was quite windy up there!

Power!

I know we have quite a few pictures, but it was really hard to choose which ones to post!

The Niagara River

The rapids above the Falls.

Our next stop on the tour was to Cave of the Winds. We received yellow ponchos and sandals this time.

Quite cute and fashionable, aren't they?

Jason kept his sandals for the drive home since his regular ones were soaked. He had to walk into the restaurant and gas stations with them on!

Cave of the Winds

The power of the water was amazing!

The water in this picture was splashing onto my feet.

I was in awe the whole time we were down there. I don't know how anyone could see the Niagara Falls and not believe in God! His creation speaks of His majesty!

A little farther up the steps from where Jason was standing, there was a platform right under the Falls. You could walk right next to them, and Jase even stuck his head under the water.

Because the mist was everywhere, I had to bring the camera up the inside of my poncho and take the next two pictures through opening for my face. I didn't want the camera to get too waterlogged.
Can you see the faint double rainbow?
Behind us is the platform right under the Falls. I didn't notice the sign that day, but I laughed later when I read it. "No Smoking." I don't think that would have been possible even if a person wanted to. It was too wet up there!

Amber and Jason didn't have many dry spots on them by the time we were done with this part of the tour.

We were glad the sun came out later in the afternoon. It made everything even more beautiful, and we were able to dry off a bit too!

Next we went to the other side of the Niagara River.

Bridal Veil Falls from the other side.

I loved the contrast of the white falls and the pretty blue water at the base!

Our next stop. Look at the flow numbers!

Amber and Mel

Last stop--The Three Sisters Islands

My handsome bro.
The rapids above the Falls were pretty.

Our tour guide told us he'd done his job after the 5 hour tour if we were wet, hungry and tired. We were, so I'd say he did well.

When we got back in Jason's car, he punched in our home address on the GPS. It told us to turn left out of the parking lot. We didn't get very far before Melody said, "Um, Jason...I think this is the border crossing..." Yes, going through Canada was the shorter route home, but GPS didn't know we didn't have passports! Uh oh! We realized our mistake a little too late and had to turn into the small customs parking lot. We couldn't go back the other way because there were things in the pavement that would have ruined our tires if we'd tried to return. He went inside, and they told him we'd have to go across the bridge into Canada.

The US customs inspector asked us why we wanted to go to Canada. Our reply, "Well...we really don't want to. You see, we made a wrong turn." He then ran through a list of things to declare - "Do you have any weapons or firearms? Tobacco products? Drugs? Pepper spray?" To each question, Jason shook his head...Until Melody poked him in the side. "Uh, Jase, I have pepper spray in my purse!" The guard looked at us with raised eyebrows. "You do realize that pepper spray is an illegal weapon in Canada, don't you?" How were we supposed to know that?! Thankfully, they didn't give us too much trouble since we weren't intending to stay in Canada.

We paid the toll, crossed the bridge and went into the Canadian customs. Jason put our driver's licenses and the yellow slip of paper saying we'd committed a 16(1) on the counter in front of the man. It was 2 inches from the man's hand, but he said, "Hand it to me! Go over to that line." Whoa! We were a little surprised. We didn't dare take any pictures to chronicle our visit a foreign country lest we commit another mis-demeanor! After waiting in customs for about an hour, we were finally set free to come back to the U.S. We all joked about what would have happened if they had kept us there...Phone call home - "Uh, Dad? I guess we'll be starting a new life here in Canada. Apparently, we are illegal aliens of a most suspicious nature..."
At least now we have an interesting story to tell!

So...we got to cross Rainbow Bridge after all!

Four tired travelers arrived safely in Dixon on Tuesday at 3:00 a.m. ready for a good night's (or should I say morning's) sleep. It was an awesome trip with so many fun memories!

These last two pictures are my favorites!

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,
or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?...
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
Isaiah 40:12a,28a

New York Trip - Part 1

2009-08-19T13:21:00.005-05:00

Date: Sunday, August 9th
Travelers: Faith, Melody, and Jason
Departure time: 2:30 A.M.
Arrival time: 1:30 P.M.
Destination: Buffalo, New York

Event:
A WEDDING

The excited groom: Shannon

His lovely bride: Alice

The smiling couple

The kiss

A pretty bridesmaid: Amber

A handsome usher: Jason
Father and sister of the groom: Dick and Tina

A brother/sister hug

The wedding party

Tina, Dick, and Amber

Siblings: Bryan and Amber

Friends!

A few solo pictures

Best friends!

Order of the reception

Guests

Our host and hostess
A song from Alice's family to welcome Shannon

A traditional Norwegian cake

Dancing time!

Gifts for the new couple

In love!

A very special day indeed!

Amber's B-day

2009-08-06T11:40:00.001-05:00

Amber had a birthday this week, and she asked Mel and I to come help her celebrate. We were only too happy to oblige!

We ran some errands and did a little shopping in the morning and then had lunch at a Mexican restaurant.

The food was delicious!

Amber saw her dream car, and she had to get a picture by it!

After lunch we walked around a fun little town along the Mississippi River visiting all the cute little shops. This tame bunny was hopping around the yard of a Victorian home/coffee shop.

I could have sat in the swing for a good bit of the afternoon. It was a gorgeous day!

The birthday girl had a special plate.

We helped cook her special meal and dessert! It was quite yummy!

Amber's brother, Bryan, came over for a while for dessert and gift time.

We watched a movie, laughed, talked late into the night, and had a wonderful time together making memories!

We love you, Amber!

Therese's wedding

2009-07-25T12:37:00.000-05:00

Last weekend was spent with our relatives on my mom's side. My cousin Therese married Dan on Saturday. While we were waiting for the bride and groom to come out...Jason blew bubbles at Melody.
Our cousin John thought that was a good idea!

Alexa loved the bubbles!

She thought it was funny when they popped on her face.

The happy couple!

While waiting for the reception to begin, a number of us went back to the hotel where many of the out-of-town relatives were staying.

We played Spoolka.

Speed scrabbleTom, John, and Mel

Mom, Ashley, and Aunt Denise

Blink

Mel updating her Facebook status on her ipod

Dad, Uncle Gary, and John watched the White Sox game for a while.

Visiting...

The appetizers at the reception were wonderful!

What do you do when you're waiting around? Take pictures of course!

Aunt Nanette saw us and said, "Wait. Something is missing!"

Aw...don't they look cute?

The landscaping outside made a pretty background.

Our Florida cousins, John and Ashley

I love my bro!

John D, Dale, and Ricky IV

Family picture time!

Jessica

All of my mom's siblings made it to this event!
In age order-Gary, Kim, Denise, Nanette, Tammy, Mom, and John.

When you get the sisters together, they all start sounding like each other.

We're a pretty big group, and we were even missing some.

We enjoyed being a part of Therese and Dan's special day!

Then next afternoon, we had a cookout at my cousin Rick's house.

We had a bean bag tournament.

Uncle John and our host, Rick III

The spectators

Aunt Denise was always really fun to watch. She gets so excited!

Dale was ready for a swim!

I think Ricky was a little cold. He was covered in a towel.

He loved being thrown into the pool!

The little kids enjoyed the air plaything. What do you call it?

Kaitlyn and Alexa

We had a fun afternoon together!

Pegasus Special Riders

2009-07-16T10:44:00.007-05:00

A number of years ago my family and I volunteered at a place called Pegasus Special Riders. Since I had more free time this summer I decided that I wanted to work there again.

Pegasus is a horseback riding program that provides an activity that is both fun and therapeutic to children and adults who have special needs. They have 20 horses that have been donated to the organization; many volunteers come during the week to help with the classes and the multitude of "barn chores".

Previously when we worked here, all the classes were outdoors. A few years ago they updated their facility and had a wonderful, new arena built.

In the tack room, each bridle and halter are labeled with the horse's name. Since there are so many horses and I don't have them all memorized yet, I often refer to the ring binder that has the names and pictures of each horse and what pasture they are in.

Before each class begins, the other volunteers and I go and catch each horse that will be used during that lesson, then groom and saddle them.

This is a shot of the indoor arena where all the lessons take place. I couldn't get any pictures of any of the actual classes since I was leading a horse during that time!

Each client is different in what they are capable of. Most need a volunteer to lead the horse, some need a leader and two people to walk alongside for support, and a couple are able to handle the horse and do everything themselves.

Pegasus has plenty of barn cats who wander around begging for attention!

Black Jack is all saddled and ready to go...

Just like the people, each horse has its own unique temperament. Brock is a Halflinger who can be quite a handful sometimes!

I'm so glad I have an opportunity to work at this organization - I'm not looking forward to the season ending in October or November.

4th of July weekend

2009-07-09T12:11:00.016-05:00

Our 4th of July celebrations began on Friday with Melody's band concert.

She plays in our municipal band each summer, and they put on a patriotic concert every year on the old courthouse lawn.
We had my mom's parents over for dinner, games, and the concert.

During the Armed Forces medley, the announcer asked those who had served our country to stand up when the song was played for their branch of service. Grandpa was in the navy during WWII.

The Skarin family invited us to join their celebrations on the 4th.

They had quite a crowd that day!

It rained pretty much the entire time we were at the picnic, and some of the guys put up a HUGE tarp to shelter us all.

Jason and Mark S.

It worked really well!

The rain didn't stop those who wanted to play volleyball and frisbee.

A little 3-on-3.

My bro was quite wet by the time they were done.

This little cutie had fun playing in the rain. She was completely soaked!
At one point, we could only see two little feet sticking out from underneath the umbrella!

Jase, Matt J. and Dad

Kaitlyn J. and her little one, Amber

Olivia, Mrs. Skarin, and Melody made quite a few trips bringing the food out.

I didn't get to taste this yummy looking dessert, but it sure looked pretty!

I was itching to get my hands on Amber!

What a sweet smile!

After the meal, we were treated to special music and skits to commemorate the holiday.

This was a very unique skit!

They even had a sound effects man.

Jason and Jesse S.

Caleb S. challenged Melody to a game of bean bags.

Our host...

and hostess did a wonderful job making us feel welcome!

On Sunday afternoon, Mel marched in the parade with the band.

She is second from the right.

We ended our weekend watching the Dixon fireworks with friends, but I forgot the camera. It was a lovely weekend!

Weekend Fun!

2009-07-03T12:34:00.000-05:00

Last weekend was a very busy one for us. Melody and I traveled to New Boston to visit with the Bluedorn family. We spent Friday at their home and then we girls went to the Quad Cities on Saturday for some shopping. We ended the day with dancing at Bishop Hill.

There was a live band that played a lot of fun folk songs and we enjoyed the all the lively dances.

On Sunday afternoon we were invited to some friends' house for supper. We finally arrived at their lovely home after getting quite lost on all the twisting, unlabeled country roads!

Most of us played a game of baseball before supper...

Linnea and Mr. C.
Swing, batter!

The moms sat and watched, and Melody gave the two youngest girls an art lesson. The three girls decided that they preferred drawing to baseball!

I guess it's been a long time since I've played this sport and this was evidenced by the fact that I was a quite sore the next day!

The weather was absolutely gorgeous!

When the game was done, everybody crowded around to watch the artists at work...

Liesa and Laura did a great job! Melody was quite impressed with how well they did at such a young age!

After a yummy taco supper we played a number of "mind" games, such as "The Magazine Game", "One Up, One Down", and "The Moon Club".

They were all great sports and caught on to the tricks a lot quicker than most people do!

Both of our families enjoy singing the different harmony parts on hymns, so they brought out their hymnbooks and we sang Faith is the Victory. The C. kids also treated us to vocal piece they recently learned!

We had quite a fun weekend spent with all these friends!

Happy Birthday, Faith!

2009-06-26T12:27:00.007-05:00

27 years ago on the 25th of June, my big sister was born...
(Isn't she cute?)

We didn't do a whole lot to celebrate yesterday since she and I will be spending the weekend with friends. We did have a special birthday meal, and of course she opened her presents. One was given to her early so that she could wear it to the ICHE convention; it was a cute brown skirt from Mom and Dad.

Favorite candy - Reese's Peanut Butter Cups!

I found a unique plaid skirt that will be perfect for winter weather.

She also received a denim jacket, a book by one of her favorite authors, and brown, flowered flip-flops.

Happy Birthday, Fe! We love you!!!

For Jaimie G.

2009-06-17T14:04:00.000-05:00

This post is for Jaimie Gambill who enjoys all the silly pictures we put up here!

We don't lack for subject matter in that department! My siblings have provided us with plenty of picture taking opportunities ever since they were little. There were some really great pictures that I was not allowed to put up here (rats!), but I'm sure you'll enjoy the ones that made the cut!

Computer science class was livened up by these two who found a new use for part of the floppy disks. Floppy disks! We must be getting old! Have you ever tried this?

Mel Jason

Football, anyone?

They made shoulder pads by stuffing doll clothes under their pjs. Don't they look fierce?

They were always dressing up. This time it was the snake charmer and her black cobra in his basket. Jason even had a forked red tongue made out of paper.

I'm not sure what inspired this get-up, but does it really matter? By putting gloves on their feet, were they trying to walk on their "hands"?

Melody put over 50 paper clips in Jason's hair.

Umm...?

Silly faces

Melody and the Kalebaugh twins

This picture was taken at a party where many strange things happened!
I suppose that's one way to play Twister.

Have you heard the story about Melody hiding in the garbage container (It was new and clean.) to scare Jason?

As I was going through these pictures to get my siblings to give their okay to post them, I asked Jason why they put these bags on their heads. He replied, "Because they were there."

Bowling balls with faces.

As you can see, they haven't outgrown their love of silly-ness, but I wouldn't change them for anything!
Melody pointed out that there aren't any "Faith" pictures in this post. I wonder why? ;-)

Just another normal day at the Hemmer house!

If you want to see their newest accomplishment, ask them to play "possum".

ICHE Convention

2009-06-11T12:03:00.002-05:00

Last weekend we attended the ICHE convention in Naperville. We were too busy to get many pictures, so I used a couple from other blogs as well.

I don't have any pictures of Mom, Dad, and Mel at their jobs. Melody was in charge of the Hospitality Room. The speakers and volunteer workers could go there to get their snacks and meals. Dad and Mom ran the Oasis which was a place for people relax and receive advice from veteran homeschoolers.

Jason worked at the recording table most of the time.

I ran errands and helped out at a speaker's table along with Megan and Elli. We look really busy, don't we?

This year Melody was asked to speak in one of the evening workshops. She shared how God has led her through each of her artistic endeavors. Throughout the years, He gave her one step at a time, and she did not even realize that He was preparing her for the next opportunity to use her gifts for him. At the end of the session, she gave a chalk talk.
The verse she used was Proverbs 3:5-6. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart...and He will direct your paths."
When the blacklight picture was revealed, Jesus was pointing to the path.
I know other people were blessed by her session because I was one of them!

Melody and I were asked to play prelude music before a few of the keynote sessions.

I loved playing on that grand!

This was Miss Alaina's first convention, and everybody loved talking to her and holding her. As you can see from the picture, she likes her fingers! Gretchen graciously allowed me to be the baby-holder during one of the workshops she attended. I sure enjoyed it!!!!

I had to lean over a desk to get this picture of her, so that's why the angle is weird. She was so cute sleeping with her thumb in her mouth that I had to post it!

Two pretty ladies, Helena and Melody, getting in some visiting time.

The thing I love most about the convention is working alongside special friends!

Jason's Birthday

2009-06-03T12:29:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was Jason's 24th birthday. Doesn't he look thrilled? Actually he was being weird and making faces while I was trying to get a picture of him, so this is what gets posted.

First the curly ribbon went on top of his head...

then one of his new shirts...

and his next presents went in his ears. That's my brother for you!

Two of the dvds we ordered for him had not arrived yet, so Melody made up some notes for him to unwrap. He thought she'd given him an empty box (I wouldn't put it past her!) because it was so light.

After Jason finished opening his gifts, I had a turn. No, we do not share a b-day. Mom wanted to give me one of my presents early so I could wear it to the convention we are attending this weekend.

I don't think Jason minded too much since he wouldn't really want to wear my gift.

You know how people sometimes bring siblings a gift when they attend a birthday party so the other children don't feel left out...

Melody jokingly commented the other day that she needed a present too, so I bought one of her favorite things for her--chocolate!

Since his birthday dinner was so yummy and filling, we waited a while to have dessert. His choice was white chocolate chip cranberry cake and Fannie May Mint Meltaway ice cream.
My siblings were taking silly pictures of themselves, but I'll only post a couple of the nicer ones! ;-)

Aww...aren't they cute?

Happy birthday, Jase! We love you!