A New Love for Beatrix Potter

My mom bought the kids the complete series of Beatrix Potter stories a while back. I tried to read it to the kids, but it was too wordy and they quickly lost interest. I recently took them down from a high shelf and put the set in their bookcase. They now have a great love to read these books and we would sit all morning on the couch reading them if I let them.

One of their favorite stories is of The Tailor of Gloucester. Their favorite characters are the industrious and thankful mice, who come to the aid of the ill tailor, and the grumpy Simpkin (the tailor's hungry cat) who hides the infamous cherry coloured twist!

It takes a long time to get through this story as it is in its original form (unabridged), but they sit there the entire time transfixed wondering how the Mayor's coat with the embroidered waistcoat will get done.

Music To My Ears

Marshall and Shaylen love singing with me at the piano. They especially love the children's songs that we have sung with them at bedtime from the time they were born.

Usually they get silly when I pull out the video camera, but they must have been in rare form today. Here is "Jesus Loves Me" with a second verse we learned from Dr. and Grammie Endean.

School Days

Marshall and Shaylen got hand-me-down workbooks from a family at CBC and we have gradually used them up. I would have them sit down and "do school". They absolutely loved it. Recently, Shaylen has asked for us to do school and has seemed eager to work.

This past Saturday we went up to Freeport to a teacher's store and purchased a few workbooks to help me in the endeavor to keep their little minds challenged. There was so much there that it was hard narrowing it down to just a few!

The kids were so excited. We told them that we would do school on Monday. They asked about it Saturday night and on the way home from Dover on Sunday night too. Monday morning Marshall woke up and the first words out of his mouth were, "Mommy, can we do school right now?"

We now do school time every day and the kids are enjoying working on papers that teach them about things that are the same, things that are different, following mazes, connecting letters and numbers to form a picture, and practicing their letters. Of course, there is great excitement at writing their own names on their papers and receiving stickers for a job well done.

Chivalry Is Not Dead

I have never heard of Maurice Cheeks, nor do I remember ever watching his basketball team, but I marveled at his sweet, selfless act of chivalry for this nervous little girl. She will probably never forget this moment. Maybe watching the video will cause a lump to rise in your throat like it did in mine.

Time and Money

You all know that we are trying to sell our home. It has been on the market for about a month now and that hasn't been a big problem because we had still been ministering in Scarborough...a 15 minute drive. However, now that we are officially down in Dover, the urgency behind selling our home has increased. Why?

Glad you asked:
A trip down to Dover and back: 1 1/2 hours
Tolls going down and back: $4.10
Gasoline: I don't want to even do the math for this one!
Selling the home to save on this time and money: Priceless

So...for one week, Taigen spends at least 10 1/2 hours in the van. This includes the fact that Wednesdays he'll need to come back and pick us up for Wednesday evening service (We only have one car. Sundays we will just stay down there because of a 4:45 choir rehearsal.) We will also spend over $28 in tolls a week. This adds up!

Please pray for our house to sell.

Off To A Great Start

Many of you have called and asked how our first Sunday went at Heritage. The answer is: Great!

When I woke up Shaylen this morning, she asked what we were going to do. I told her that we were going to go to church. She said, "Where?" I replied, "New Hampshire." The next thing she said was, "Did we sell our house?" Obviously we haven't yet, I would have definitely told you, so we are still praying toward that end, but until then it is an easy 45 minute drive down to Dover.

The kids were in good spirits and went into their Sunday school class without complaint, whines or fits. We were very thankful. Thank you for praying for this. It has been a lot of work, prodding, training and prayers to get them to this point. They were actually looking forward to seeing friends that we've made when we were down there to candidate. (Obviously, as you can tell from our Sunday a.m. photo, Brownie and Snoopy also came along to help with the transition.)

I know I am biased, but, Taigen did a fabulous job preaching both Sunday morning and evening. God is good. Taigen wanted to lay out some bibical, foundational goals for the church in the morning and then wanted the church to know what he was committed to as their pastor. I am looking forward to being under his preaching.

Some of you have asked about my role at the piano. Thankfully, the hymnplaying was fine (even though I had never heard 3/4 of the Sunday p.m. hymns) and the offertory went off without a hitch. A lot of prayers went into that and so I thank you! Don't stop...this will be an ongoing ministry.

After church on Sunday night there was an ice cream social. It provided more opportunities for us to get to know the people and for the people to get to know us. I even had a sweet elderly gentleman think I was still in college...and not the pastor's wife. He was genuinely shocked when I told him that I was married and had three year old twins. He laughed and I told him that he made my night making me feel so young! Too funny. I wonder how old he thought I was!

We are so excited to start in this new ministry and start serving the people down there. Thank you so much to those of you who prayed for this. Our new church family is very grateful and excited that we are down there.

Time With Friends

We have so many good friends that we have made over the years at CBC. Two of them, Matt and Jessica, live just around the corner in the same apartment complex as Janelle. They wanted to take us out to dinner as a way of saying "Good Bye" (or really, "see ya later"). We redeemed their invitation on Saturday evening.

You would think a dinner over steak and strawberry lemonade would be all routine and normal. The funny thing was, Taigen found a bar code label in his steak tips (Ew!) and we had many a good laugh at the expense of the waiter and his roommate, the restaurant chef. The owner, chef and waiter got a good laugh in too and Taigen got his meal free. What a deal! It will be a great memory.

Back to School Burger Bash

We had a great time with the CBC teens one last time at the Back to School Burger Bash. We had a great turnout on a very hot and very humid day, but the teens didn't seem to mind a bit. There was volleyball and wiffle ball and great food!

The activity was held at Pastor Rob and Dana McIlwaine's home. He is the new youth pastor/administrator/assistant pastor at CBC. They have a beautiful home. It was nice of them to open it up to this huge herd of people!

Marshall and Shaylen went too and enjoyed playing with two of the McIlwaine's children: Elise and Neil. Neil pulled out his frogs (and look who is holding one) and tomato worms for the kids to look at, but Neil really scored brownie points when he shared his Matchbox airplanes with Marshall.

We really enjoyed hearing funny stories and sweet comments from the teens about our seven years here and loved spending time with them one last time.

Friday Picnic

Our neighbors and fellow church members came down for a small picnic this morning. Their kids are always so kind and patient with Marshall and Shaylen. Haley and Jonah came down with their mom, Wendy, and we enjoyed a great time together over fluffernutters (peanut butter and fluff sandwiches).

After they were done eating, Haley and Jonah took the kids down to "Rocky Point" (the island of grass and shrubs in the middle of the culdesac) and played hide and seek while Wendy and I were able to sit in the shade and chat. We had a great time. I will miss them immensely when we move.

Glad You Found Us!

I'm glad you made it over to our website! Be sure to tell your friends and relatives where we disappeared to. It's the same ol' blog, but not the same ol' address. We needed to update it in order to reflect our upcoming move to NH.

On a side note, do any of you have family websites? If so, please feel free to let me know of the web address in the comments section so that I can read up on what's new in your life.

The Itsy Bitsy Spider Had An Unusual Dwelling Place

Shaylen was sitting on Taigen's lap last night snuggling. She loves sitting and lounging on his lap. She had laid down and was staring up in his face and thinking. You know something really good is going to come from her mouth when she just sits there and thinks. Her comment revealed that she was paying particular attention to his nose last night because she piped up and said,

"Daddy, you have cobwebs in your nose!"

Decadent Peanut Butter Pie

I've received a request for the recipe of our peanut butter pie. Since it is not original with me, I am glad to share it, though I warn you that it is extremely dangerous to make because it will require eating it, and eating it, will encourage addiction. I hereby wash my hands of any future weight gain problems. You're on your own!

1 cup peanut butter
8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
3 cups Cool Whip
8 individual Reese's Peanut Butter Cups chopped (okay...this idea is original with Taigen)
1 prepared pie crust (chocolate or graham)

Beat together peanut butter, cream cheese and sugar. Stir in chopped peanut butter cups saving a few to sprinkle on top. Gently fold in 3 cups of Cool Whip. Pour into a prepared pie crust. Freeze. Enjoy!

How many does it serve? Well, that depends on who is consuming it. Refrain from taking it to a closet and eating it all by yourself.

A Time To Say Good-Bye

One of the hardest things to do is say "good-bye". Jason has reminded us many times that it is not "good-bye", but more a "see ya later!" but it doesn't seem to make a separation any easier.

Yesterday was our last Sunday with Cornerstone Baptist Church. Pastor preached a fabulous service in the morning as a challenge to us as we get ready to embark upon this new ministry in Dover and also a challenge to the congregation. The interesting fact was that it was the same passage he preached on when Taigen was ordained six years ago. That meant a lot to us.

Sunday night we were able to sit back and enjoy the service. I came prepared with a handkerchief, a package of kleenex and a wad of Puffs. Pastor had told us that he had a few testimonies lined up and then he was going to open it up for others who wanted to say anything to encourage us.

It was such a sweet time. The comments the people made were so precious and encouraging. "Precious" in that comments were made about how we have made a difference, and "encouraging" because it motivates us to go on and continue to minister for the future...to keep on striving. God has been sooooo good to use us here. My heart ached that we were leaving this family of believers. I cried and cried and cried. My eyes actually hurt from weeping so much! They have become family to us when we have had no family near and have challenged us and been an example to us. We will cherish those comments forever. I could go on about the service, but you just had to be there to really understand how touching and heart wrenching it was. The music, the love offering and the testimonies were just...unforgettable.

It has been a JOY to serve with them for the past seven years. "Joy" seems like such a small word along with "love" and "thank you". They all seem so small, insignificant, & insufficient. We wish we could just open up our hearts to let them see the difference they have made in our lives and how much we love them. It is our family that has been blessed by the Cornerstone family. I know that these dear people are only 45 minutes away, and that we can see each other more often than if we had moved to the other side of this continent, but it is the bi-weekly interaction that we will miss.

Many of the CBC family will be checking in to this blog to get the lastest news on our family, and for that I'm grateful. My biggest request is that they will keep us in their prayers. They will be in ours...as well as in our hearts. Thank you. We love you. You are a joy to us.

Friends, Fellowship and Food

We were delighted to have our good friends Jason, Joni, Enzo and Julia up from Massachusetts this weekend. Marshall and Shaylen love playing with Enzo. If our basement was any indication of the fun they had...well...it looked like a tornado went through it...they had a blast! Marshall and Shaylen are beginning to love baby Julia like a sister. Marshall begged to hold her all weekend. She is growing so fast and getting cuter by the minute. I just wanted to gobble her up!

Friday night Joni and I were able to go to Starbucks after the kids went to bed. We sat and enjoyed a nice long chat over a vanilla bean frappucino (Joni) and a raspberry mocha (me). We always run out of time before we run out of conversation. When we got back, the guys were watching football and groaning from eating too much cookie dough. (I know, you're shocked!)

On Saturday morning the guys went to the Men's Breakfast and feasted on steak, sausage, bacon, donuts, bread and eggs. What a feast! They then came back and helped us prepare for a picnic to the Portland Head Light.

Once there, we realized it wasn't going to be a leisurely picnic. The wind was blowing fiercely and it was COLD! We had to hold on to the jars from the peanut butter and fluff. We had to weigh down everything and quickly stuff food in our mouths so that we could quickly hang on to our children or stuff our hands in our pockets to keep warm. It was a blustery day! We did get some great pictures at the lighthouse.

On Saturday night Mike and Brenda came over for a BBQ, and this time, they brought the meat: meat that had been marinated for over six hours. WOW! Mike can never remember exact measurements of what he concocts, but if it could be duplicated, I would do so because it was so delicious and tender. We had a great time and topped off the evening with peanut butter pie and fellowship. What a fabulous day!

New Dictionary Entry

recognize- formally "wreck"; v. to tear down; demolish. This morning, Marshall and Shaylen were looking out the window at the street sweeper. There was a small cobweb in the window sill and I took a napkin and wiped it away. Shaylen said, "Mommy, don't recognize it!!!"

We Have A Winner!

Congratulations go to Trena Penney who came up with "acuppajooses" as a web address for The Coffee Press. I thought it was clever. I will be changing the web address to acuppajooses.blogspot.com by next week, so be sure to make a note of it.

So, what did Trena win? Let's see: Fame? Glory? Maybe not, but I'm sure we can work in a Starbucks date with me.

Many thanks to the rest of you who submitted something. You all were very creative.

Just An Update

I have a couple of new things to report on today. First of all being that we have a showing on our house today at 1:45. We're glad to have some activity. Wouldn't it be great if we got a contract on it today? We'd be thrilled!

Secondly, Taigen went down to Dover yesterday at 6 a.m. to take down another van-load of books. When he got there, he noticed that the sign board beside the entrance to the church had his name on there already as "pastor". That was quick! They also have his name on the new church brochures. We are thrilled that they are excited to make everything official. I got a call from a member yesterday recommending a realtor, and this gentleman said how much they are looking forward to having us down there in a couple of weeks. It's great to hear this from different people as we have contact with them.

Thirdly, I need to remind you to vote on the new web address for this blog if you haven't already. It is very close. The poll will close on Sunday. I know many of you are having way too much fun on this!

Lastly, the weather here yesterday and today is fabulous! It is cool this morning and the windows are open letting in a cool breeze. The house looks clean (and IS clean)and fresh. It is a beautiful Maine morning.

She's Back

Janelle got into Boston yesterday and was at our kitchen table for dinner. Her order? Chicken/Bacon burgers, rice pilaf, salad, chips and peanut butter pie! (I guess she primarily ate Goldfish, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and granola bars while in Zambia.) We were so glad to have her back and the kids especially ate her up. Shaylen played shy for a while, but was soon in the basement playing baseball with her and Marshall was eager to be "loved to pieces". I'm surprised Janelle stayed awake and was able to stay as late as she did, but we enjoyed hearing snippets of Africa.

She is here this morning and Marshall and Shaylen are employing her time with stacks of books. We are so glad she is back!

Don't Forget to Vote

No...it's not that kind of vote, though I want your input!

Taigen and I have gone through all of the entries for the web address contest and have narrowed it down to a select few. I have double checked the web to verify that these addresses have not already been taken, and if they were, I might have changed them a bit in order to preserve your creativity.

The poll is on the right hand side of our blog. Be sure to vote and I'll let you know at the end of the week who submitted the idea. Thanks for your very creative contributions. I'm eager to see who wins.

A Look At Heritage

This past weekend, Taigen was able to load up some of his books from his office and take them down to Heritage in Dover. We had asked if it was possible for us to put them in his new office, but we were told that they really wanted to scour it before we got in there. Instead, we were going to be able to put them in an empty classroom. This didn't matter to us in the least. Either way, it was clearing out Taigen's office for the new assistant pastor, Rob McIlwaine. He is arriving this week!

When we got down to Dover, the couple that was meeting us there to unlock the church had two pitchers of ice water and cups waiting for us. They had been there (on a hot and muggy day, mind you) for who knows how long, cleaning Taigen's office, vacuuming, dusting and waxing his bookshelves so that not only could he bring in his boxes, but also unload them onto the shelves. Mrs. Tock begged Taigen to sit down in his chair and enjoy the office.

I was able to get a few pictures of the church so that you could get a better idea of what it looks like. It is so beautiful. They are looking forward to us getting down there.

When we were done unloading (about a third of Taigen's books), we went to this couple's summer place right by the ocean in York, ME. We grilled out, enjoyed the view and the company. The kids had a great time too and didn't want to leave.

Nubble Light (Cape Neddick)

Mr. Beethoven

The kids enjoy listening to the Classical Kids series CD's Beethoven Lives Upstairs and Mr. Bach Comes to Call. The stories are simple enough for them to understand. Weaved throughout the stories are pieces that those composers wrote. We listen to them often.

Today after naps as we were sitting and coloring, Beethoven's Piano Sonata No.14, or the "Moonlight Sonata" came on the classical station and Shaylen jumped up and said, "Mommy, oh, Mommy! Is that Beethoven?"

She was right!

A Little Creativity--A Lot of Fun

We had a little fun preparing for Brenda yesterday. She was coming over for dinner again and the kids were so excited. I had added something special to the grocery list on Monday so that they could "help" me get ready for dinner.

Growing up, Mom used to always make something called Haystacks. They are relatively easy and fairly fool-proof. I decided to have the kids help me make these for dessert last night.

What you need:
1 carton chow mein noodles
1 pkg butterscotch baking chips
1 cup of peanuts

How to get it done:
In a large pan, melt the butterscotch chips on low. Once they are melted completely, add the chow mein noodles and peanuts. Place by spoonfuls onto wax paper (on a baking sheet) and then place in the fridge to harden. Try not to eat all in one sitting.

The kids enjoyed dumping, stirring and then plopping. It turned out to be a great activity for two 3 1/2 year olds.

Budding Artist

Marshall is in love. In love with planes, that is. If there is one in the sky, he's watching it. At the Dyer Library book sale on Saturday, of all the children's books there, he found one describing planes.

One of the highlights from our vacation was that he was going to get to ride on a plane. He couldn't wait and he loved every minute of it.

Uncle Kyle, Eli and Quinten gave Marshall and Shaylen a Doodle Pro for Christmas two years ago and they have been a great source of entertainment in our minivan. It never fails: When we get into the van and start driving off, Marshall inevitably asks me if I will draw him a plane. It has gotten to be habit.

Within the past few months, Marshall has taken to drawing his own plane next to mine. It has been an evolution of sorts. First his "planes" were a dot or two, then it evolved into a circle with dots. You would never have guessed what it was had he not told you.

Yesterday, however we were playing with the markers and paper and I had been asked to draw him a plane (surprise, surprise). He came back to me a little while later and showed me his drawing. I think he did a fabulous job!

Okay, so he's not ready to sign up for art lessons, but for a 3 1/2 year old, I'd say it's pretty good.