Thunderstorms!

 I'm pretty excited... Got a message on my phone today... It was my first hazardous weather outlook from the National Weather Service.  :-) That might not be something you would get excited about... But I signed up for alerts from the NWS when we went to spotter training. We have our first moderate risk of the season for severe weather over the weekend:  

Sunday evening looks to be our first chance of super cells for the year.  Hmm...  We shall see where they fire and if Hubby is up for practicing a little storm spotting.  ;-) Anyway...if you live in SE Minnesota, prepare yourself for some interesting weather this weekend, and look forward to things getting a lot greener real soon! That's something we can ALL get excited about...

Lead Me...

 I have a new favorite song for today. I came across it on the radio when I was driving around Rochester. For the handful of you that read my blog regularly, you know that my heart has been incredibly burdened for Christian marriages . . . Last night, my sleep was restless again under the weight of grief for those that I know who are dealing with the sorrow of broken marriages.  Every time I would stir in the night I found myself once again just pleading with God to rescue the marriages that I know of that are in peril. And then He gave me a song:  

  You probably also know someone who is hurting from a broken marriage. If you take the time to listen, also take a moment to pray...  

Letting Go...

 I had the privilege of throwing a wedding shower for this beautiful person over the weekend...  

...and last night, I got to have her to myself.

We had a "special date".

We went to Olive Garden, and did some shopping, and had some time to talk.

We've had lots of special dates over the years...

  I've played a role in her life that I never asked for and don't deserve.  But today it's hitting me that last night was probably our last special date cause we're about to give her away.  And, it would appear that God's plan is to take her far from home.  Where has the time gone?  

Our relationship didn't start out so special...

She may look innocent, but this little peanut's head-banging tantrums were my worst nightmare when I babysat her!  :-) But somewhere along the way, she grew up into one of the most beautiful people I've ever known, and I hope my daughter will grow up to be just like her. Over the years, I've had the opportunity to teach her about housekeeping...and a little about homemaking...and a little about hospitality...  I've gotten to work with her, and sing with her, and teach with her...  I've had the opportunity to see her steadfast faith in difficult circumstances, and her unwavering determination to do what she believes is right no matter how much it hurts.  There are so many things I wanted to tell her...so much I wanted to teach her...and so much more I could have learned from her, too.  This girl is a rare treasure and I know that the Lord will use her greatly.  And I just pray that, in the years to come, He will raise up Godly women in her life who will have the privilege of teaching her all the things that I won't be able to, and to challenge her to become all that He created her to be.  So, I'm learning to let go.    It hasn't been easy.    Man, if this is hard, how am I ever going to let go of my one and only little girl??    We're not even gonna go there...    Well...  I love you Bethany.  Have a beautiful marriage!

Phase I set to go...

Our little person was in the Orthodontist's chair again today: 

We got to see the results of all of the x-rays, pictures, measurements and molds that they took at the last appointment.

This is the plaster mold that they made of her teeth to represent her bite "before treatment":



Here are the computer-generated measurements of her jaws superimposed over her profile image:

The funny looking rainbow-colored plastic pieces are expanders like the one Beth will soon have.  She got to choose her color today.  She chose clear with sparkles.  I think she has good taste.  :-)

So, her expander has been ordered, and she will have another appointment on May 3rd to have it put in.  They've explained to her that it will take a little time to learn to talk without a lisp, and she was quite concerned whether she'd be able to talk normally by May 5th because that is Bethany's wedding.  They thought she'd probably do fine as long as she made a point to "practice talking" as much as possible.  Somehow, I don't think that will be a problem... 

The Wedding Shower #1

I started this post around midnight last night... but I was too tired to finish it.  We had an amazing turnout for the shower...by far the most people that have ever been crowded into our living room at one time!  Pictures couldn't quite do justice to just how many people were gathered in our home last night--at times, it was difficult to walk from one side of the room to the other... We estimate that somewhere just under 50 people came.  I don't think I've ever had such a high percentage of the guest list show up for an event like this. I snapped just a couple of pictures of the guests...  I didn't get many because I was busy tending the food:    And here was a quick snapshot of the guests of honor, my niece Bethany and her soon-to-be hubby Isaac: 

 In planning for the shower, I really thought that several folks--especially the guys--would scatter into various corners of the house and yard once their plates were full.  I never thought guys would stick around for the gift opening!  Maybe it was a novelty for them--after all, most guys can say that they've never seen what happens at a bridal shower!  So, I felt badly that there was no way we could offer a seat to everyone...  But I was glad that they seemed content to hang around the food table and talk and they all survived the wedding shower... ...and only one of them was lit on fire! Ha! No, I'm not kidding... 

My brother-in-law got his tushy too close to one of the candles during the gift opening!

(Sorry Wade...but that's what you get for snitting about my pomegranate seeds!)

Maybe that's why guys don't get invited to showers very often...  They're not safe around candles! Oh dear, I can't say I've ever lit a guest on fire before. There's a first time for everything, I guess... I've always scoffed at battery-operated t-lites, but maybe they're not such a bad idea after all--at least, if there are guys around...  ;-) So, the barbeque idea seemed to be a success.  Here's the one and only snapshot that I got of the food:

Since a barbeque buffet required so many serving dishes, I just used my "everyday" stoneware which seemed to look nice with the rustic theme anyway.

Here's a special guest with a plate full of goodies.  When I took this picture, she was in the process of explaining to me that she was disappointed that this was all the food her plate could hold! 

Peach punch and an assortment of dessert bars:

 There were oatmeal fudge bars, peanut butter and jelly bars, and white chocolate macadamia nut bars.  I would say the peanut butter and jelly bars were the biggest hit overall.  Oh, and on a side note--those are frozen peaches floating in the punch.  When they thawed, they sank to the bottom which was also pretty.  I used those because my ice ring didn't fit in this jug.  Since I was lacking the extra refrigerator space for the punch, I put the juice and gingerale in the deep freeze about 4 hours before the shower started.  They got very cold and started to get just slightly slushy--which actually made the punch really good.  I didn't plan it that way, but would probably do it again on purpose.  

Mike and I sang a song with several of Bethany's youngest siblings, and then Mike shared briefly on servanthood in marriage--the difference between a "committed marriage" and a "good marriage".  (Maybe I can persuade him to expand on those thoughts in his blog?)

The gifts...wow!

I've never seen so many gifts! 

Bethany and Isaac were so overwhelmingly blessed by a lot of wonderful people that love them.  We were running out of corners to tuck the gifts into! 

I think, overall, the shower was a success.  I would love to have a larger room for gatherings like this--with a lot more chairs (especially so people don't light their rear ends on fire leaning on my mail stand!).  But, once again, I'm very thankful to see the Lord use our home.  It always seems to hold up so well to the wear and tear of life.  God is good.

And on that note, one of my most special memories of the shower will be how it ended...

A small group formed downstairs...

...and eventually, that group grew into 17-or-so people...

And guess what happened?

Music happened.  :-)

Probably over and hour and a half of the most beautiful praise and worship singing I've heard in a long time.

If I could bottle it up and share it with you on the blog, I would, because I know you would be blessed. 

God is SO good, and He is worthy of our praise!

There is no way I would rather end the evening...

So, I'm very grateful.

And I'm also FREE!!!!

What am I going to do with all my spare time?

  

Wedding Shower #2

 

I bought these roses the day before the shower:

I've never seen roses open so quickly!  Here, they're pictured on the morning of the shower--they were so beautiful in the morning sunlight.

With the rustic/elegant theme I arranged them with twigs from our brush pile.

I was so excited about the little handmade wooden canoe:

I found it on e-bay and I knew it was just perfect for the his and hers shower.  Bethany and Isaac love the outdoors and enjoy canoeing together.  I thought it would be the perfect memento of the shower to give to them.

My niece, Holly, who will be the maid of honor in the wedding, took the time to arrange a photo collage to display at the shower.  The guests enjoyed looking at pictures of the couple from childhood through engagement:

The wedding arch fit perfectly over the punch/dessert table with just a few inches to spare:

The candy bars that I wrapped were on display in a chicken wire basket...

...and every one was devoured.

The bookcase needed something, so I arranged a pair of roses in the entry area...



Framed Scripture and candles were tucked into various corners: 

 

 

So, my rustic/elegant his and hers shower is done!

 

Time to find a new project...

The night before...

 The day began with grocery shopping.  The fridge was FULL: 

And the pantry stocked: 

There was a little decorating to be done...

(Sorry, can't reveal any more of that until tomorrow...)

Then the cooking began:

These were the beans ready to go in the oven.  You are looking at a massive foil pan, and these have been a Godsend this week.  I came across them at Sam's Club last week, and there were 15 for $8.  They have been such a blessing for bulk cooking, and have saved on some really yucky dishwashing.  They were more than worth the 50-or-so cents apiece just in the work they saved.

This is my automatic fruit and veggie washer:



Every kitchen should have one.  :-)  I was also pleasantly surprised by a visit from an automatic grape plucker and carrot peeler.  I forgot to get a picture of it in action, but he's handsome and works for red pepper scraps.  ;-)  Fruit and veggies washed/chopped...  Dip, BBQ sauce and salads made...  Pork thawing.  Beans in the crockpot. 

Oh, and Gretchen even had a bath and is all pretty for the shower:

 

I'm so thankful for a productive day! 

It was long and I'm exhausted, but I love advanced preparation because it means more time for me to enjoy the day tomorrow!