My Birthday Cake

Janelle was down from Wednesday through Saturday morning and we had a great time! One of the things she did while she was down here was spoil me by making me an ice cream sandwich birthday cake. It was awesome! It is something very easy and cool for those hot summer days or when you're serving people who love ice cream!

Here's how you make it.
You'll need:
16 ice cream sandwiches
Large tub of Cool Whip (16oz)
Chocolate syrup
Some form of candy for the top (we used M&M's since they are my favorite)
8x11.5 casserole dish

First you place one layer of ice cream sandwiches in the bottom (it took 6 full ones and 1 cut in half long-ways).
Spread Cool whip over these and then drizzle the chocolate syrup over that.
Then layer remaining sandwiches (8) on top of that. You'll have to cut some to make the puzzle fit.

Spread remaining Cool Whip on top and then sprinkle your candy of choice on the top. (We thought it would be good to use the peanut butter sauce in the middle and then either Reeses' Peanut Butter cups (chopped) or Reese's Pieces. Wouldn't that be good?)

As you can see, Marshall and Shaylen loved it! I'm thinking we will definitely make this one again.

First Fruits of Harvest

On the 4th, we were outside playing around and Taigen mentioned that he had seen some berries on the blueberry bushes. I got really excited and decided to go and check it out for myself. I looked over every bush that I knew existed and gathered the tiny berries. These are much different from "regular" blueberry bushes. These are tiny, and very sweet berries. These are wild and the glory of it is...they are free!!! Marshall helped me pick and he also enjoyed eating them like Sal from Blueberries for Sal. I had a colander though, so the berries wouldn't go "kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk."

It was a meager first picking, the entire contents would fit in my two hands, but there are plenty left on the bushes that will ripen in the days to come.

Happy Independence Day!!!

We hope you have a terrific day celebrating the birthday of this great nation. May God bless the U.S.A.

Mystery Bird

We are at a loss of what this bird is that we saw at the feeder yesterday. He/She was pretty fearful of me and flew away shortly after I snapped this shot. Any input? My guess was a Northern Mockingbird, but it's not a clear enough shot to be absolutely sure.

I got this picture today (07/05) and added it to this post. Does this help at all? Very skittish! It is definitely not picture friendly.

More Beauty To Be Had

When the snow finally melted around our house, it was time for me to spruce up the front garden area. When I did that, I noticed and cut back a bunch of ugly, brown vines growing around our banister leading up to the front door. I didn't know at the time what it was. It just looked like a bunch of overgrown weeds. I whacked it back to about 10 inches off the ground. (I'm wondering now if my neighbors were mortified to see me doing this!?!)

When the shrubs up front started to take on some semblance of life after the hard winter, I also noticed this plant growing back. I knew by the look of it that it was NOT a weed so I left it alone to grow and do what it wanted.

Little did I know that it was a beautiful, healthy clematis vine with vibrant, purple blooms. I think the cutting back did it good! There are dozens of blooms on it right now and it brightens up the front porch area nicely. It's just another sweet reason why we love this house so much.

Sabbaday Falls Journey

On Saturday, a couple from our church and their daughter decided to treat us to a bit of the beauty of New Hampshire. They love the great outdoors and frequently take their family away to go and hike or kayak and camp. We hardly ever do this kind of thing I'm ashamed to say, so when they invited us to come along, we jumped at the opportunity.

They took us up to see Sabbaday Falls. Click on the link to see more pictures and read up on how it got it's name. It is tucked away off the Kancamagus Highway (say that 10x fast!) on a small trail so that if you didn't know where you were going, you'd miss it altogether. We took the trail up to see the falls and then trekked back for lunch. We then enjoyed poking fun at "Friendly Fred" as he grilled some bratwurst and hot dogs and then enjoyed even more laughs around the picnic table.

It was a perfect day for an outing too. Not too hot, and not too cold. It was overcast (perfect weather in my opinion) and it rained a little bit early on in the day(hence the ball cap on my head!), but stopped once we got to the falls.

After lunch we went on over to North Conway to see some of the unique shops there and then headed back home with a brief detour to Eastern Mountain Sports for Debbie's sake! We had such a wonderful time. Definitely something we need to do again.

For the Birds

It's been busy in our yard since Mom was able to set us up with the handy-dandy squirrel proof bird feeder. Mom would probably have not wanted to leave if she knew all the activity we were going to get. The squirrels are probably a bit miffed since they can no longer pig out at our expense. Now they only can munch on the crumbs that are spilled over the edge by birds that are skittish or in a hurry (Blue Jays and White Breasted Nuthatches) or by those who dig around rummaging for their favorite seeds (Chickadees).

While Paul and Sandra were here, we looked out at the bird feeder to see a beautiful bird that we had never seen before. It was a Rose Breasted Grosbeak (Pictured Above Left). He is a fairly large bird and has a very distinctive beak! I was thankful that he wasn't afraid of me so that I could get right up to the door in order to photograph him. I love his colors. The very next day we were able to see the female Grosbeak at the green feeder. She sat there and munched for quite awhile (Right).

Today we noticed that the feeder was quite busy. We saw lots and lots of Blue Jays flying back and forth, Chipping Sparrows, White Breasted Nuthatches, a Gray Catbird & several Tufted Titmice. I looked outside while sorting through some music and noticed some activity at my suet feeder. Hoorah! A new bird! I quickly grabbed my camera and hoped it wouldn't fly away before I could snap a shot. Come to find out, it was a female Hairy Woodpecker. She came back several times and I was able to manage to get a picture that I really liked.

After a while, I moved from the loveseat to a chair in front of the patio door so that I might catch any other newcomers. I worked on my music and glanced up now and then to see what was going on at the feeder, camera in hand, ready to snap photographs. (Call me strange, but it IS fascinating!) Another new bird came to the pole and gradually worked his way up. It was a male Downy Woodpecker. He was quite a bit smaller than the female Hairy Woodpecker. He cautiously examined everything before he decided on the suet as well. Doesn't this picture on the right make you imagine that he is saying, "Hmmm! This looks pretty good!" He is looking at the grape jelly that we set out to attract the Orioles.

You know I've been sporadically seeing the hummingbirds out and about and always been too late to snap a picture. Not anymore!!! I was so excited to see a male and female Ruby-Throated Hummingbird (at separate times) at their feeder today. They were there long enough for me to grab my camera and walk over and snap up some lovely portraits of them. I posted larger, zoomed in photos below so that you can see how pretty they are! I am thrilled. Many, many thanks again to Danette Rogers (SC) who sent me the wonderful bird book by Roger Tory Peterson so that I can figure out these wonderful creatures.

Southern Guests

We have had the privilege of having our friends Paul and Sandra and their kids up from North Carolina for a couple of days. We took Mom to the airport on Saturday afternoon, drove back and did a quick stop at the store for milk and pulled in the driveway. They pulled in about a minute later and then Taigen arrived after his men's retreat a minute after that. Good timing.

For those of you who don't know Paul and Sandra, we met them at BJU. Sandra and I did our student teaching together and I think that is how we got to know each other really well. They both ooze with musical talent and we "commissioned" Sandra to arrange Savior, Like A Shepherd Lead Us into a new melody for our wedding over ten years ago. We recorded it and had it played during the lighting of our unity candle. For the first time this week, Sandra was able to sit and listen to the song being sung. What a blessing to have her listen in as Paul accompanied. It is a beautiful arrangement and our favorite song to sing together. The song has been published in a collection of solo and duet works through BJU Press. If this duet were the only song in the book it would be well worth your money!

They have done a big tour for their vacation and we were SO thankful that they made a detour to New Hampshire. We've been trying to figure out how long it has been since we saw each other, but we're thinking it was waaaay back in 2000 before we left to come up to Maine to serve at CBC. A lot has changed since then! They have two very precious little ones named Sienna and Keith and we were so thrilled to meet them. Marshall and Shaylen had a great time meeting new friends...and, I think they enjoyed meeting us!

One thing that hasn't changed is our ability to roll in laughter! It seems as if we picked up right where we left off. Isn't that a sign of good friends? We stayed up late talking and had relaxing days. What an enjoyable time we've had! I've determined that Paul is just a big kid. Marshall and Shaylen enjoyed playing Hide-and-Seek with Paul. He can squeeze into the tiniest of places! We made an attempt to go to the beach, but the rain decided to pour on us instead so we just camped out at the house most of the time.

They have to leave tomorrow morning and we hate to see them go, but the memories that we made were priceless. Hopefully we can see each other before another decade passes.

Dear Friends

We were delighted to have Doc and Grammie Endean down for dinner on Tuesday. Of course, their real names are Milton and Gracie, but we affectionately call them otherwise.

We always try to get together when Mom is in town. We've known them for a long time! They've seen me grow up. Their daughter is Donna Cross. Pastor Rick and Donna Cross are at Faith Baptist Church in Longmont, CO. They came as youth pastor and wife I believe in 1987. Now they are serving as Senior pastor and wife. So of course, when you've attended their church for X-amount of years, you get to know their parents. Dr. and Mrs. Endean came out often and we always enjoyed visiting with them. When we moved to Maine, to serve with their son and wife (Pastor Ken Endean and Judy) they were a little bit of "home". I could always count on her for updates on the Colorado church.

We had a great time on Tuesday evening with the Endeans. Marshall and Shaylen love them so much and were looking forward to them coming all day. Doc and Grammie brought jump ropes and butterfly nets and they were a HUGE hit.

It was a rainy night, but they braved the roads and Taigen braved the elements in order to grill our chicken! We were so thankful to have them in our home.

(Side note: Here's a quick fact and yet another connection to Dr. and Mrs. Endean. Dr. Endean served as an interim pastor at our church (HBC) after the first pastor took another position down south. Our church family loves Doc and Grammie and can never say too many positive things about them.)

What Are Grandparents For?

Mom has had a great time spoiling the kids. For example: I used to have two small baggies in a drawer in the kitchen. The baggies were full of special treats leftover from Valentine's Day and Easter! We had been s-l-o-w-l-y chipping away at the candy. I currently have a drawer FULL of goodies that will probably last us until NEXT summer when Mom comes out.

I mentioned in my previous post that Mom was wanting to find our birthday and Christmas gifts while she was here. She was hoping I would have ideas for the kids.

Two Christmases ago, Jason and Joni and Enzo gave them some umbrellas. They were shaped like a dolphin and a bee and were just adorable. Marshall and Shaylen literally loved them to pieces. We eventually had to throw them away. It was a sad day in the Joos house. Since then, they have been begging for new ones. I knew that Mom would rack up some major brownie points if she found them new ones.

Of course then we HAD to find some. We did online (and on sale) and the kids were able to open them up the other night. We even sang "Happy Birthday" to them so they would know this is for their birthday. They love them. Marshall's is a Curious George one and it even has George in an airplane! Shaylen's is a clown fish one and you can see through it.

You will not be surprised then when I tell you that the kids are hoping for more rain. We have had some rainy weather lately which makes it bad for sight-seeing, but perfect for two little munchkins.

A Notion Of My Own

One of the things Mom wanted to do while she was here (besides spoiling grandkids of course) was to find our birthday and Christmas presents. There are several benefits to doing this for her: She avoids the HUGE shipping costs from Alaska. (Ever shipped to Alaska? It costs an arm and a leg and all your toes.) AND she gets to see us enjoy the gifts since she will never be able to be here for Christmas or our birthdays because of her vacation schedule.

I had been wanting to learn to sew for a long time. (Ever tried to shop for skirts that are 40 inches long? It's near to impossible without paying a fortune, which I won't.) A good friend of mine, Carol Lowicki (from Cornerstone Baptist Church in ME) heard about this from another good friend, Sue Gauthier (also from ME). She called me up one day and told me that she had been cleaning out her things and came across an extra sewing machine. Would I be interested in taking it? Would I?!?!? Of course I would! My good friend Chris Wheeler had encouraged me to practice on some extra material she had. It wasn't as intimidating as I thought it would be. This could get addicting! Then, unfortunately, it had to be packed up and stored while our house was on the market.

When Mom asked what I wanted for my birthday and Christmas, I mentioned sewing notions. Her eyes lit up. We took a trip to JoAnn Fabrics and the rest is history. I have already made three skirts (all the same pattern so far) and Mom technically made the fourth. I have to admit, they would never win any competitions, but they work for me and I'm having a blast learning.

Bright Feathered Friends

We have had a great visit with Mom. She has been thinking the entire time about what she could get us as a house warming gift. When I suggested a deck bird feeder, her eyes lit up! We have a Wild Birds Unlimited just a few minutes away from the house and so I took her in there. She had a blast picking out things for our deck. We walked out with a deck "tree", a hummingbird feeder, an oriole branch and a bird feeder.

Taigen mounted it on Saturday evening and Mom's been waiting anxiously for the first birds to come. Imagine her horror when two fat squirrels decided to be the first guests instead. Grrrr. Don't mess with my Mama! No matter how much shooing she did or how many shoes she tossed, they always came back. I knew they would. So what could we do? We ended up taking off the tray at the bottom of the feeder. There's a dome over the feeder which prevents them from hanging upside down and eating freely. With the bottom gone, they cannot sit in the tray and munch to their heart's delight. We'll see how desperate or hungry they are.

We had an oriole this afternoon. We're a bit puzzled as to whether or not it is an Audubon's Oriole or a Baltimore Oriole. He seemed a bit too yellowish to be a Baltimore. Any help from my readers? He's pictured here on the right. (Note: You can click on the picture to see it in larger form. Just click the back arrow on your browser when you're ready to go back to reading the post.)

We also had two American Goldfinches; a male and a female. They were so pretty sitting up there munching and munching! I got several pictures of them. Shaylen named them Mr. and Mrs. Buttercup. Appropriate don't you think?

Mom has also seen two hummingbirds come to the feeder. Of course, they are gone before I can grab the camera and snap a shot of them. One day though, I'll be waiting for them.

The tufted Titmouse has been visiting as well as the chipping sparrow, but we were excited to see three new visitors today.

Lunch Guests

We were so excited when Janelle wrote me an email earlier this week and said that she and Brenda were going to make the trek down here Friday. It's not every day that people drive an hour to come and eat lunch with you!

Many of you know that Janelle is headed to Zambia in August. She is going as a short-term missionary to work with the Beamans. Janelle is officially on deputation and trying to raise her support. We're trying to get in as much time with her before she takes off. She'll be gone for at least a year. Marshall is already talking about going to help "Auntie Janellee in Africa." We are so thankful for email, instant messaging and maybe even Skype! Technology is definitely going to make the separation a ton easier.

Brenda is my fellow tall friend. We met each other over 8 years ago when we first went to Cornerstone Baptist Church to see if we should go and serve there. Brenda and I hit it off and have been like family ever since! She is always such an encouragement. Her husband, Mike is a great friend to Taigen and also a wonderful golfing partner. They are busy people, but never too busy to spend time with us.

We always have such a great time together. There is always so much laughter! The kids were spoiled and "loved to pieces" by them.

Smoothie Season

For Mother's Day, Taigen and the kids got me a blender. I had dropped some serious hints about wanting one for my birthday so I was pleasantly surprised to get it early.

Ever since the kids were small enough to drink from a straw I have made them smoothies. I used to use the little processor that whipped up their baby food. It worked well, but it sure took a ton of time (and try squeezing a banana in that tiny compartment!). Not anymore! I can whip them up lickety-split. Smoothies are full of nothing but goodness (vanilla yogurt, a banana, frozen strawberries and blueberries and milk) and as you can see, Shaylen is still enjoying them thoroughly.

Truly Grateful?

Usually on Wednesday evenings we have breakfast for dinner. I usually don't have to defrost anything, it's quick to prepare and the kids love it...usually.

Last night we had scrambled eggs, turkey bacon and bagels. Shaylen sat down to eat, took one look at her plate and thought her "waiter" had given her the wrong entree.
"Is this mine?"
"Yes."
"But I didn't want my bagel cooked."
Taigen had toasted her bagel and smeared some cream cheese on it. She usually loves it, but in her mind, the toasting had ruined it. Dinner was a struggle for her. We had to remind her several times to be thankful for her meal and to obey with a happy heart.

Last night before bed we were praying. She had mentioned two people who were out of church last night with colds and for Great Grandma Rutledge's hip to get better ("Help the boo-boo to wash away"). She then prayed that she would "obey right away, all the way and with a happy heart." She quickly followed with this:

"...and God, help me to obey and eat a good dinner tomorrow, even if the cream cheese is warm. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Speed Bump

On Sunday morning, I was driving us to church. (It's easier for a man in pants to crawl into the back of our minivan.) Before I got on the turnpike I noticed a very small, but brave (or very dense) turtle making his attempt at crossing a four lane highway. I missed him and so did the car behind me, but I thought, "He's never going to make it."

I told the kids, "I just saw a turtle!" Of course, he's way behind us now, but they eagerly look outside the windows as I stop at the stoplight in hopes of spotting him too.

There is construction on the road before the turnpike as well as on the merge onto it. Shortly before you merge, there is a considerable construction BUMP from where they (I hope) will be eventually smoothing out the road.

When we turned at the stoplight and started to merge, we hit that bump pretty hard and Shaylen pipes up from the back. "Mommy, was that the turtle?" Ewwww.

By the way, on the way back to church Sunday night, I saw no signs of turtle roadkill. He must've made it.

An Outing In the Park

Since yesterday was Taigen's day off, we decided to do something special with Mom. It was supposed to be fairly hot so we wanted to be near the water so we could get a breeze from off the ocean. We packed a picnic lunch and took off for Hilton Park in Dover.

It turned out to be slightly overcast during most of our picnic so the heat held off until just before we left. It was perfect! It's not a big playground, but there are a few things for the kids (including my BIG kid, Taigen) to play on, but I think they enjoyed the see-saws the best. It would make them laugh so hard when they would bonk on the ground and make the one up in the air bounce up a bit. This would get them laughing.

After we were done at the park we drove over to Salmon Falls Pottery. Mom loves their stuff and we wanted her to see the store for herself. She's bought their products before, but that was when we were still up in Maine and shopped at The Nestling Duck. It's amazing to see all of the different pottery they put out. When I told her that the maker of the crocks that she's bought us was right here in Dover, her eyes lit up.

We came home for a bit and relaxed and then took off again to go and eat dinner at the Tocks. They live right near the ocean and the view is spectacular. They wanted to treat Mom to dinner by the sea.We enjoyed grilled hamburgers, salad, potato salad and chips 30 feet from the ocean's edge. Just gorgeous! I've posted pictures of the view before on this post. It was a full, but enjoyable day.

Stoutness Exercises

Marshall and Shaylen were all wound up today. It was probably because Daddy was home! Shaylen was climbing up on the couch and rolling off. As she was doing it, she was singing Pooh's Stoutness Exercise song. It was quite funny. I said, "Are you doing your stoutness exercises?" To which Marshall proceeded to exercise with her. He jumped in place 20 times, then 30, then 50, then 80 and finally 100 times.

Then the contest turned into a high jumping contest and I decided to break out the camera. This was hilarious! The kids would wait until my camera gave the go-ahead and then they would jump as high as they could while I attempted to capture it mid-air. Then they would run to me and say, "Can I see, Mama?" Don't you just love digital cameras?

They had a blast, and exercised in the process.

And Who Do I Have to Thank for THIS?

Grammie.
'Nuf said.

First SNAC

What's a SNAC you say? SNAC stands for Sunday Night After Church. We invited the teens from our church over to our house for the first ever SNAC activity. We had such a wonderful time with them. We would have had more but Trinity Christian School in Concord had their graduation Sunday afternoon so a couple of our kids couldn't make it.

If I can base my conclusion off of some of the comments the parents have made, the teens had a wonderful time. I know we sure did! We had pop, ice cream sundaes and monster cookies. Taigen had several games lined up and most of them played with great enthusiasm! It's definitely something we need to do again.