Nisbett Family News

From the Archives

2011-09-22T09:07:00.000-07:00

I was scanning through vacation pictures in preparation for re-establishing my blogging efforts and came across this picture. Aren't they adorable!!

WHAT A GLORIOUS PIECE OF ARTWORK, SCULPTURE AND ENGINEERING ! ! !

2011-06-30T08:03:00.000-07:00

The people in our house -- artists, engineers, pilots, designers -- all marvel at the extravagent beauty and genuis displayed in each minute part of creation.
But few things in creation display so much of God's brilliance as the birds.
Wow! Look at this little guy!

Adam managed to get this shot of a Ruby Throated Hummingbird with his tongue out.

I'm guessing this is a Yellow Throated Warbler.
Adam will correct me if it's not. In my defense, it does have a yellow throat.

ROLLA'S SESQUICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION

2011-06-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

Fine Linen Drama was asked to participate in Rolla's Sesquicentennial Parade, celebrating the 150th birthday of Rolla (founded in 1851). The parade included representations of each decade and we proudly demonstrated 1870 (except iphones kept appearing.)

Josiah and Kelsey waiting for the parade to start.

This is Jen, the delightful young lady from Russia, who was adopted in November by our friends the Quittschreibers.
She spoke no English when she arrived seven months ago and now chatters away with any and all. We've been blessed to get to know her.

BLUEBERRIES ! ! !

2011-06-26T07:15:00.000-07:00

Picking Blueberries (and eating lots of them) is one of the top Niztraditions. We can generally pick about 30 lbs per hour. I think they can eat about that much as well!

This year we were thrilled to have Amy and Nate join us (partly because they both pick fast, but mostly because we love them!)

It poured for about 15 minutes right after we arrive, and we were rather damp.

Then the sun came out and it was a delightful morning.

Nathanael is still damp, but grinning away.

Josiah leaves the house at 5:00am every morning for work and was looking forward to sleeping late Saturday, but the blueberries were calling . . .

. . . and his buddy Nate was lurking in the bushes.

We been picking at Brandywine Farms for over 20 years. They are open from 7:30-noon on Saturdays and Tuesdays as long as the berries hold out. Brandywine Farms is now on Facebook.

ONE MONTH LATER . . .

2011-06-25T15:49:00.000-07:00

One month later ...
Preliminary damage estimate:$3 billion;
cubic yards of debris removed, 597,500;
cars destroyed, 18,000;
number of homes destroyed, 6,954;
number of jobs affected, 5,000;
injuries, 1,150;
number of homes damaged, 875;
number of businesses affected, 500;
deaths, 155 (with others still in hospitals and clinging to life).

One of the projects that Josiah, Nate, Keith and Joy have helped with in Joplin is the building of several moveable shower houses and laundry houses for volunteers.

Josiah is the cool dude with the sunglasses and nail gun.

Joy is the sturdy girl holding up the floor with her bare hands.

Some of the wonderful volunteers from Rolla we met. Most of these people were teachers, police officers, city employees, sherrif's deputies, etc. They serve the community every day at their job and then on their day off, serve another community. I was impressed.

The trees in Joplin are leafing back out.

Rebirth, renewal, tenacity, hope . . . Joplin.

JOPLIN IS MY NEIGHBOR

2011-06-16T11:59:00.000-07:00

Last week, Josiah, Joy, Keith and I traveled with Greentree Christian Church to Joplin to help with the tornado recovery. Joy and I were sent with 8 other wonderful people to help clean up Jack's Barbershop on Main Street. This is our before picture . . .

. . . and this is after.

. . . and this is a 1991 newspaper clipping about Jack and his barbershop that we found among the debris. Jack is 76 years old and has been in this same location as a barber for 50 years. He is a Korean war veteran and a past member of the Missouri National Guard. He is quite a character. You can read more about him in a different newspaper article from 2006 here.

This is the work team with Jack, who very much appreciated being able to recover many of his belongings, including medals and photos of his grandparents and parents.

This is the view across Main Street from Jack's Barbershop (which was next door to a donut shop, which still smelled of donuts even though there was absolutely nothing left of the building.) Joplin is an overwhelming place, both in terms of the extreme destruction, and also in terms of the beautiful spirit of the people. I was struck by the gratitude, thanksgiving, kindness, teamwork and resourcefulness of everyone we came across. I was also utterly amazed after seeing acres and acres of landscape like the picture above, in which NOTHING is still intact, that only 153 people perished. Keith spoke with several men at the lumber yard, and what he heard matched the stories I heard. Families were huddled together in a closet or a bathtub and when it was all over, only the wall they were next to was remaining. They each attributed it to the protecting hand of God and nothing short of that could have prevented this from being a much greater tragedy.

The team built Jack a little shade from pieces of his barbershop.

THE HEAVENS DECLARE THE GLORY OF GOD . .

2011-06-03T04:29:00.000-07:00

THE SKIES PROCLAIM THE WORK OF HIS HANDS . .

. . DAY AFTER DAY THEY POUR FORTH SPEECH . .
. . NIGHT AFTER NIGHT THEY DISPLAY KNOWLEDGE . .

THERE IS NO SPEECH OR LANGUAGE WHERE THEIR VOICE IS NOT HEARD.
THEIR WORDS GO OUT INTO ALL THE EARTH,
THEIR WORDS TO THE ENDS OF THE WORLD.

These pictures were all taken by Adam last week in our backyard on the same evening.
It was incredibly beautiful, the pictures don't even come close.
I marvel at the power of the Artist!

Psalm 19 is one of my favorite verses, in fact, Glory was named after repeating that verse over and over during labor while watching a meteor shower in our front yard.

We have an amazing view in the front yard!

CONGRATULATIONS JAPHETH!

2011-06-01T16:12:00.000-07:00

We recently got together for dinner at Colton's with a lot of family for the occasion of Japheth Nisbett's graduation. Japheth is our nephew (and the kid's cousin -- one of 15 cousins the kids have!)

We enjoyed very much having Keith's sisters, Donna, Margie, and Rhonda, spend the weekend with us -- and Glory, Nathanael, and Anna are enjoying them even more at their home in Texas. The little people took a mini-vacation! I know they're having a fantastic time.

iEVENT

2011-06-01T16:10:00.000-07:00

While Keith's sisters were here, the guys realized there were 8 isomethings here (iphones, ipads, etc.) They found a free app that allowed all eight of them to play this game together on their individual devises.

I walked into the room and they were all (eight of them) staring intently at their technology, moving/tipping/turning the phones around, while the airplane noise droned away. Other than the engine hum (which sounded much like the cicadas) it was generally silent until someone would burst out, "Hey, get off my tail!!!" The spectator experience was somewhat surreal, or at least odd (especially since several unnamed people, for some reason, had to have their tongue just right to fly.)

JOPLIN TORNADO

2011-05-25T17:14:00.000-07:00

Our family is safe, and has not yet been affected by the many tornadoes striking Missouri this month. However, our prayers and thoughts are with those who have been overcome by this sudden tragedy. I thought this blog-post from Stan Wiedeman at Truth Seeker Blog offered an insightful analysis of the situation, and an appropriate response. I've copied a small section of his conclusion here:

Dorothy Sayers poignantly writes, “For whatever reason God chose to make man as he is – limited and suffering and subject to sorrows and death – He had the honesty and courage to take His own medicine. Whatever game He is playing with His creation, He has kept His own rules and played fair. He can exact nothing from man that He has not exacted from Himself. He has Himself gone through the whole of human experience, from the trivial irritations of family life and the cramping restrictions of hard work, and lack of money to the worst horrors of pain and humiliation, defeat, despair, and death. When He was a man, He played the man. He was born in poverty and died in disgrace and thought it well worthwhile.” (Christian Letters to a Post-Christian World, 1969, p 14)

God knows our suffering because he experienced it as a man. This does not answer all the questions, but it answers the important ones. God is there, and he loves us, and he is with us, and he will help us – blessed be the name of the Lord.

JOY'S TRIP TO NEW YORK CITY . . . from the Archives

2011-05-21T20:33:00.000-07:00

Joy and I had a delightful excursion to NYC together last October, thanks to my exceptionally generous sister Kelly (who lives just north of the city.) We took the train along the Hudson into Grand Central (which felt very much like home.)

We didn't spend a "Night at the Museum", but did spend an afternoon there (we didn't have to play catch with the T-Rex either) but it was a fun and educational tour.

We then proceeded to take a "Three-Hour Tour", but saw Lady Liberty instead of Gilligan. I still get goosebumps even though this was my seventh trip with a child to experience this.

The USS Intrepid (another movie location - - "National Treasures"). It is moored just to the north of Circle Line Tours (the boat ride around Manhattan that I highly recommend.)

MORE NY . . .

2011-05-21T20:32:00.000-07:00

Kelly and Joy in Times Square right before we saw "Mary Poppins" on Broadway, which was overwhelmingly fun. Due to Kelly's extreme generosity, we were also able to see "Alfred Hitchcock's Thirty-Nine Steps" which uses 4 actors to portray over 100 different characters and is a brilliantly creative production.

We ventured out the next day to explore several of the Historic Homes along the Hudson River Valley (which I enjoyed seeing with Amy, but haven't been able to convince any of the boys to visit.) One of my personal favorites is Olana, the home of Frederic Church, an extremely gifted artist from the Hudson River School. Joy and I were able to see his famous "Heart of the Andes" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Mr. Church designed the entire house and landscape himself, seeing it as an extended work of art. He based the home on Moroccan Architecture. The home is not only stunning, but completely different from all the other Hudson Valley homes.

He designed all the tiles and patterns.

The interior of the home is also very intriguing, but photography wasn't allowed. The Churches had a large close family and spent much time at home, together, reading books aloud, having family worship time, painting, enjoying outdoors. I could get used to living like that.

2011-05-21T19:30:00.000-07:00

Joy in front of Robert Livingston's home, Clermont, which was rebuilt in 1777 after the British burned it in retribution for the Sr. Robert Livingston's patriotic affiliation . The Jr. Livingston was one of the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration. He also was the man who negotiated the Louisianna Purchase and with Robert Fulton invented the Steamboat (the first one named after his home, "Clermont") Busy Man!

He was an extremely influential man from a family that made significant contibutions to American History. (Google him, you'll learn a lot!)

And here we are about to tour the Vanderbilt Mansion (I should say one of the Vanderbilt Mansions, since the family had a real penchant for building them.) It is the smallest one, but is extremely impressive (the servant's quarters were even very lovely.)

That's quite the back porch!

Joy and Kelly with the twins Willa and Luke in front of the Croton Dam, which creates a reservoir from which much of NYC's drinking water comes. It's a beautiful piece of Architecture in a lovely setting (and fall in New York is spectacular!)

Joy enjoying one of the most delightful parts of the visit . . .Willa! The kids now have 4 cousins on my side of the family!!

I LOVE CENTRAL PARK ! !

2011-05-21T19:29:00.000-07:00

Central Park is one of the loveliest places created by man. The concept, to fashion a carefully crafted wilderness in the middle of an urban area, open to the public, is brilliant. (In contrast to Europe, where most of the famous gardens are privately owned and inaccessible to commoners.)

Rustic Bench (great Lunch spot.)

The Central Park Zoo (one of my favorite zoos).

Overlooking the lake . .

And the Delacourt Theatre (in Central Park), where Kevin Kline and friends first performed " The Pirates of Penzance", before taking it to Broadway.

2011-05-21T19:26:00.000-07:00

Joy, in one of the turrets of Belvedere Castle, a Victorian "Folly" designed by Calvert Vaux (the genius behind Central Park) as a stunning backdrop for the views of the Park. The National Weather Service commandeered the Castle's tower in 1919 as a good location to measure wind-speed, precipitation, etc. which it still does today. The Castle also currently serves as Nature Observatory.

I enjoy the top of Belvedere Castle for it's great views of the City and Central Park (and Joy).

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which was greatly enjoyed by this artist, but not by her feet. I think Joy and I managed to see just about everything the museum has in just 2 1/2 hours (it was probably the equivalent of a 5K !)

The whole trip was a fantastic experience for both Joy and I. We made lots of very special memories, and we appreciate Kelly so much for making it all possible (and for the great lunches she packs!) THANKS KELLY!

THE HIKE 4 . . . OH THE PLACES YOU'LL GO ! !

2011-05-17T13:40:00.000-07:00

And they're off, leaving the Quakkelaar's, with 20 miles ahead of them.

The Hike is a very unique Fine Linen Tradition. After The Prince and the Pauper, our guys were suffering from Post-Production Depression Syndrome, so they decided to walk from the theatre to our house, about 20 miles just "for fun". It turned out about 15 people joined them that year and the event has grown each year.

This year over 80 people made the trek, including Wally, who was discovered by John in a ditch the first year and has been patched and repatched, not missing a single hike. John claims that he has more holes in him now than Wally.

Nathan's Orange Juice is another Hike Tradition.

Each year a different route is chosen, stopping for lunch at one family's house and continuing on to another family's house for dinner.
This year we started at Quakkelaar's, lunched at Quittschreibers, and finished at the Light's.

At every intersection, the group stopped to rest, pray, and re-hydrate.

NEW FACES, OLD TRADITIONS

2011-05-17T13:30:00.001-07:00

This was Gracie's first year hiking, and she really enjoyed the experience. She also wins the award for "Hiker pushed by the most people."

This was also John's first year hiking. The Quittschreibber family adopted John and his sister Jen from Russia around Thanksgiving. John has experienced many firsts and has amazed me with his adaptability and enthusiasm!

Wildflowers are a mandatory part of the Hike.

As is friend "bonding time".

And these guys have wildflowers and bonding time!

UNCONVENTIONAL, UNIQUE, UBIQUITOUS (ok, that last one is a bit of a strech, but I like alliteration.)

2011-05-17T13:30:00.000-07:00

. . .Although they really are kind of all over the place.

I love this picture; we have hikers running, hikers pushing babies, hikers in fedoras, hikers doing pushups (and none of them knew they were being photographed either.)
Random Acts of Fun !

Cool Socks!

The scenery was lovely, as are these ladies' smiles, Christiane , Sarah, and Kayla!

Multi-tasking: Keith had just bagged up trash from lunch, and then began grading final exams off the back of a 4-wheeler.

The traveling infirmary: John and Clarissa with friends (Earlier in the Spring, John's lungs collapsed and Clarissa broke her ankle, but both managed to recoup enough to perform in Seussical and hike the first 8 miles before lunch!) (after that they cruised along the line of hikers offering encouragement, drinks, and and occasional ride.)

THE FEAST OF ESTHER, PURIM, AFTER CHURCH

2011-05-16T05:50:00.000-07:00

After church, several Sunday's ago, we had a short Purim celebration (Feast of Esther) and as part of this we re-enacted the story of Esther. We drew lots for parts (very appropriate) and performed a very entertaining rendition. Joel was King Xerxes and we see him on his "throne" with his royal secretary (also the narrator and audience cue person.)

Keith drew the part of the vile Haman with his wife and friends (Stacey Quittschreiber, Abby Hall, and Anna Nisbett.)

Adam, cast as Mordecai, shown in "sack-cloth and ashes" mourning at the City Gate.

James Quittschreiber as the Harem Master gives beauty treatments to Eva Quakkelaar, (and Glory, Anna, and Kelsey.)

Couriers on fast horses (Josiah and Joy) take messages to the Jews in rural provinces while Queen Esther (Kelsey) looks on.

MOTHER'S DAY OUTING

2011-05-15T05:50:00.000-07:00

Rumor has it that a discussion happened several days before Mother's Day that sounded something like this:
"Do you have any good idea's for what we should give Mom for Mother's Day?"
"Well, on the radio it said that most moms like a day away from their kids best."
"But our mom isn't like most moms."
"That's true. . . hmm. . .well . . we could get her a new septic tank . . .

However, they opted for Dark Chocolate, a candle, getting one of my favorite chairs recovered, and a lovely trip to Meremac Springs Park.

It was a lovely afternoon that ended way too soon.

I actually would have liked a new septic tank.

As always, we were the last to leave.
Thank you for a lovely Mother's Day kids.

INTRODUCING . . . the NIZ-CURSION (or Niz-beast?)

2011-05-14T14:14:00.000-07:00

We have been enjoying the new Ford Excursion that has replaced the Niz-Bus. It is comfy and with 4 wheel drive has been great to pull horse trailers, flat-bed trailers, etc.

The only place we haven't enjoyed having it is at the gas station; but fully loaded our mileage per/person/ per/gallon is better than a Prius!*

*based on two people in a Prius

THE NIZ-BUS ROCKED . . . AND ROLLED . . . AND IS NO MORE

2011-05-13T13:00:00.000-07:00

We have been very thankful for the LORD's protection through several major events recently; in this case, it was the demise of the Niz-bus. Keith and 6 of the kids were on the way to rehearsal during a late winter storm, mixing snow, sleet, and rain (which created a nice SLUSH) when the van hydroplaned, slid and then rolled.

Thankfully, everyone walked away from the accident, no one even needed a band-aid.

John, who had just been released from the hospital was in the front passenger side. The LORD protected him, as the airbag did NOT deploy, which if it had, could quite possibly have re-collapsed his lungs.

John had gotten us such a great deal on the van (John is the head of our Purchasing Department) that
our insurance value on it was higher than our purchase price. In the big picture, money isn't important, but we appreciate John's careful shopping. We will miss the Big White Elephant . . . Niz-bus RIP.

The children were protected emotionally as well. After I commended Adam for covering Glory's face before her window broke completely apart Glory commented with dissapointment, "but then I didn't get to see everything." She didn't bear any emotional scars!

UNDEFEATED AT REGIONAL BOTBALL COMPETITION

2011-05-13T11:22:00.000-07:00

This year's Botball team was extremely successful at the Regional Botball Competition in Edwardsville, Illinois. They were undefeated in the double elimination tournament, were awarded the Judge's Choice award for Outstanding Overall Design of a Robot among other awards.

The team included: Justin Mosher, Josiah Nisbett, John Nisbett, Kelsey Quittschreiber, Abby Hall, and Jacob Hamacher
(not pictured are Zeke Hall and Josh Riefer.)

Josiah and Jacob prepare the robot for a run.

The robot has to autonomously find these red cubes and stack them for points.

Grabbing the cubes also releases the orange ping-pong balls which our robot collects in a basket to gain even more points.

THE HIKE 4

2011-05-09T22:34:00.000-07:00

Our annual Post-Production Depression Syndrome antidote, "The Hike", will commence at 8:00 am on Tuesday, May 10th, with much fanfare and jubilation (if Alyssa's facebook post is accurate.) Adam has once again set up a blog with a real-time map of our progress at: 20milehike.wordpress.com

We will be posting pictures of the T-shirts, the 20 miles of scenery, the happy hikers and more. Looking forward to the fun.

MORE SEUSSICAL ! !

2011-05-06T12:26:00.000-07:00

Not only does the Seussical plot line follow Horton, but also the loveable, mischievous Cat in the Hat, and JoJo from Horton Hears a Who.
Joel Nisbett as Mr. Cat and Jorin Larsen as JoJo. These two face many adventures together. . .

. . .including facing the "Hunches" (that tap-dancing, black-light sensation), from a "new to me" new favorite Dr. Seuss book Hunches in Bunches.

Joy Nisbett, Alyssa McCluskey, Abby Hall, Jenny Williams, Justin Mosher, John Nisbett, Adam Nisbett, and Benjamine Wegner.

The Cat and JoJo also meet Fish and Beach Boys during "It's Possible."

And all of this happened in the fantastical Seuss-world created by Set/scenic Designer Adam Nisbett and Lighting Designer Josiah Nisbett.

SEUSSICAL THE MUSICAL, APRIL 2011

2011-05-05T16:02:00.000-07:00

Working on Seussical the Musical was some of the best memories our family has had, partly because of the fun, excitement, and delight involved in the show itself, but actually much more from the friendship, deep comraderie, and love that we share with our Fine Linen Drama Family. This year's cast involved 62 on stage (and lots more behind the scenes.)

Seussical is a delightful compilation of 17 of Dr. Seuss's best books into a compelling plot with wonderful music. We follow Horton the Elephant as he saves the Whos , Hatches an Egg, and finally notices Gertrude McFuzz.

We were blessed with an 18 piece orchestra of the most talented people in Rolla! (directed by the exceptionally handsome Keith Nisbett.)

And we were all thrilled and extremely thankful to have John rejoin the Wickersham brothers on stage after his three week experience in the hospital following two collapsed lungs (more on that later.) The Wickershams are the cool Jungle monkeys who steal the clover sheltering the "Whos" from Horton the Elephant.

L to R: John Nisbett, Benjamin Wegner (Benjamin will be appearing at the Muny this summer in Singing in the Rain!), Adam Nisbett, and Justin Mosher.

Mayzie LaBird with the Bird Girls:

L to R -- Kelsey Quittschreiber, Rebecca Grow, Kayla Brown, Jenna Light (as Mayzie), Megan Riefer, and Tess Hamacher

INTRODUCING THE CHARACTERS

2011-05-05T16:00:00.000-07:00

The world of Seussical includes several vastly different group. Amy did a wonderful job of costuming them to reflect their character and roles. This is the Jungle Group, which are set in the Jazz Age to reflect their "hip" status as they ridicule and mock Horton for his conservative stance on several issues: "A person's a person, no matter how small" and "I meant what I said and I said what I meant; an Elephant's faithful, 100 percent." They represent the antagonists in Horton Hears a Who, Horton Hatches the Egg, and The One Feather Tail of Gertrude McFuzz.

These are the "Whos", costumed in bright (rather extreme) turn of the Century-style Americana, from Horton Hears a Who.

And a third group: the Cadet's from General Schmitz's Military School referencing "The Butter Battle Book".

Keith Steele center with cadets: John Brown, Kyle Quittschreiber, Peter Cook, Ian Hamacher, Gabe Quakkelaar, Drew McCluskey, Zeke Hall, Nathan Goff, Adler Davidson, Cordell Williams, and Nathanael Nisbett.

Our loveable protaganist Horton with our heroine Gertrude and their "Elephant Bird".

Dan Goff, Glory Nisbett, and Amanda Engelke

WE'RE BACK . . .

2011-04-21T12:34:00.000-07:00

We have been so busy having fun, experiencing challenges, and being blessed by the LORD this last year, that we haven't taken the time to record our experiences. However, we hope to fix that now.

So here goes . . . with a picture taken in the front yard -- of a tree frog in a bluebird house.

That sort of sums up our family's life this year -- making ourselves at home in a variety of circumstances, and being thankful for the LORD's provision (even if it isn't what we expected.)

THE ROLLA REGIONAL ROBOTICS TEAMS GO TO ARKANSAS

2010-12-13T09:25:00.000-08:00

. . . and win ! ! We took three teams down to Mountain Home, Arkansas the first weekend in December for the FIRST Lego League's Regional Competition. Almost 40 teams competed in the "Body Forward" competition, which combined research about biomedical applications for robotics, presentations about that research, and programming and building a robot which would autonomously accomplish up to 16 different tasks during a 2 1/2 minute round. The "Green Team" won the single elimination tournament with the highest score of any team the entire day. Here they are with one of two trophies they received: Cordell Williams, Maggie Quakkelaar, Joy Nisbett, Devin Pittman, Anna Nisbett, Eva Quakkelaar, Jeremy Hanson (in back), and Kyle Quittschreiber (not pictured, who was meeting his new siblings adopted from Russia that day.)

Joy and Maggie during the last round of competition.

All the contestants from Rolla, during YMCA, which was a fun and tension releasing activity right before the final round of competition for the championship.

Part of the Red Team's presentation material.

2010-12-13T07:41:00.000-08:00

John and Zeke, from the Blue Team, watching the Gremlin once again do strange things to their robot. It as a very disappointing day for them, as their robot had the potential to score 360 points (100 points over any score there that day), but kept having unexplained issues (I think maybe their robot was a female.)

The Blue Team waits for their next round. The Blue Team included:
John Nisbett, Gabe Quakkelaar, Zeke Hall, Peter Cook, Jonathan Cureton, and Mikayla Pittman, Kyle Pittman, Adler Davidson

Nathanael and Zach run a round. After the first seeding round, these little guys were in second place overall, and did very well. They were put out when one of the cords connecting the "brain" with the rest of the robot came loose. Nathanael diagnosed and fixed it on the spot, but they lost too much time to recover.

The red team included: Nathanael Nisbett, Zach Filla, Erik Davidson, Marcus Bauer, Ryan Williams, Malachai Quakkelaar, Nathan Widener, Tristan Hanson, and Cade Quittschreiber (who was also unable to attend since he was with his new Russian siblings.)

WE TRAVELED TO HOUSTON, TX FOR A LOVELY WEDDING

2010-11-18T06:18:00.000-08:00

I thought I had posted this back in June when we got home, but it was still in my drafts file. It was fun to look again at all the pictures. And I think Matt and Belinda are still smiling!
We enjoyed the touching and joyful wedding ceremony.

The Bride and Groom were delightfully elated. We expect Matt and Belinda to establish a very successful (God-honoring) home and family. They are a lovely couple, inside and out.

Belinda's mother made the amazing wedding cake.

The Lake Jackson Church of Christ could hire themselves out as caterers. They put together a splendid sit down meal, prepared by the friends of the family. I was so impressed.

2010-11-18T06:16:00.000-08:00

Adam and Donna look for birding "hot spots" in Scotland for their trip -- which they chronicle with wit and creativity (and great photography) at the Forth Degree

I highly recommend a trip to their blog. It's the next best thing to going to Scotland yourself.

TRIP TO TEXAS = LOTS-O-FUN

2010-11-18T05:55:00.000-08:00

In June, we traveled down to Texas for Matthew Nisbett's wedding (Craig and Ann's 3rd son). We first took care of very important business. We stopped at Donna, Margie, and Rhonda's and Donna accepted and documented all of our recent lighters for the BUB

Then we played the ever-popular "Junk-Box Bingo", a highly competitive game with extremely valuable prizes.

Glory specifically requested this game.

Josiah got artistic with the Bingo Pictures.

SNOOPY ! ! ! THE STATE COLLEGE PA VERSION

2010-11-17T16:20:00.000-08:00

We traveled in October to State College, PA to see Amy's theatre group - Class Act Production - perform Snoopy !! the Musical.
It was great fun and they did a terrific job.

Nate graced the stage with his delightfully enthusiastic performance of Snoopy. Also playing Snoopy were Stephen and Josh Bourne.

They performed with three divisions: an adult cast, a teen-age cast, and an elementary cast. Pictured here are the three Linuses, including Andrew Bourne left and David Bourne, center.

Lucy times three, with Mary Bourne in the center.

THE BOURNE FRIENDSHIP

2010-11-17T16:04:00.000-08:00

And three Sallys, with Abby Bourne (on the left)(Amy's co-founder of Class Act Productions).

And if you noticed a Bourne theme going, you were right. We have an alter-ego, or kindred spirit, or similarly strange friendly family in Pennsylvania. They have adopted Amy and Nate so successfully that I'm not sure they even miss us. The Bournes are delightful to be around and we enjoy our time together greatly. They have eight sons and 3 daughters, which may explain why they share a similar "uniqueness" with our family. Here are some of their children, in age order, with some of ours. (Both families are missing two).

A few of their kids have an uncanny resemblance to ours. It doesn't really show so much in pictures, but out of the corner of my eye I keep getting them mixed up; especially John and Stephen.

And David and Josiah (David's hair is much lighter without gel :-).

IT WAS A DELIGHTFUL WEEKEND

2010-11-17T15:59:00.000-08:00

Amy and Nate were extremely hospitable and made us feel very welcome. We played games, sports, watched plays and visited. It was delightful.

Joel and Josiah also appropriated hats, made "Press" badges, and had a fierce photography contest.

. . . . For this reason, we will not be posting all 700 photos of the weekend in PA and will end now.

AND IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER . . .

2010-11-14T20:58:00.000-08:00

This summer we had so much fun that I never got around to posting about our fun. And now, rather than methodically catching up, I am going to just post whatever in no particular chronological order. This post isn't even in order within itself, but I feel free and unburdened, so we'll go with slight disorder (much like my laundry room.)

These lovely young ladies are riding sheep, yep, sheep -- at the Missouri Botanical Gardens, which is where a group of us (about 60 or so homeschoolers) went after our delightful morning at the St. Louis Symphony listening to Camille Saint Saens' Carnvial of the the Animals, which unfortuately didn't have a song about sheep (or we would have had a theme going.)

This is an epiphyte, better known as an orchid. We saw many beautiful examples of these and other rainforest plant in the Climatron. This fit in perfectly with the Exploring Countries and Cultures Curriculumn that several of us are using, since we had just started studying South America and Rainforests.

Some of the hardy explorers before we invaded the gardens.

Even though we divided by age groups, everyone's favorite part of the garden was the maze, and several rather intense games of tag occured here. It was a perfect day all the way around, . . . great friends, fabulous music, beautiful gardens, enlightening education, and delightful weather!

The Adventures of the Niz: Episode 4

2010-08-18T09:42:00.000-07:00

Joel put together these videos of our trip to Colorado. I recommend starting with Episode 1, even though these are random enough on their own that they really don't need to be chronological to make sense (they don't make sense no matter what order they are!)

The Adventures of the Niz: Episode 3

2010-08-18T09:41:00.002-07:00

The Adventures of the Niz: Episode 2

2010-08-18T09:41:00.001-07:00

The Adventures of the Niz: Episode 1

2010-08-18T09:41:00.000-07:00

THE REBELUTION -- AUGUST 28th, 9:00-5:00--ST LOUIS

2010-07-29T09:53:00.000-07:00

Our family will be attending this event. We have been to the Rebelution Conference in the past and found it extremely beneficial. We encourage you to consider bringing some or all of your family (and if you are interested in group rates, let us know!) For more information, go to their website by clicking here.

NEW VAN

2010-07-25T05:46:00.000-07:00

We purchase a new van from Midwest University in Wentzville. They had a nice logo sticker and address on the side of the van. The kids removed the stickers, but reused some of the letters for their own rebranded sticker.

WHAT I DID OVER MY SUMMER VACATION . . .

2010-07-24T17:38:00.000-07:00

We have been so very busy this summer that I haven't had time to post the neat things which have been happening.

The Rolla Regional Robotics Botball Team has been very busy designing, building, programming, and snacking.

Here is the team with their trophies from Regional Competition. They won First Place OverAll and First Place Seeding Rounds.
Team Members include (L to R) Josh Riefer, Abby Hall, John Nisbett, Jacob Hamacher, Justin Mosher, Ben Eldredge, Kelsey Quittschreiber, and Josiah Nisbett (not pictured Eli Prodiva).

Josiah and Jacob preparing the robots for their run during Seeding Rounds at the National Tournament in Edwardsville, Illinois.

Jacob and Josiah watching the robots compete.

The team as they received the Judges Choice Best Design Award at National.

Way to go Rolla Regional Robotics!

IT'S YOUR LAST CHANCE ! !

2010-07-19T13:38:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow evening, Tuesday, July 20th at 7:30 will be the last performance of the Rolla Town Band. Summer just isn't summer until you've sat outside listening to Sousa played by enthusiastic local musicians (ranging in age from 15 to 85).

Tuesday's concert will include: the Star Spangled Banner, Lords of Greenwich, American Elegy (by Frank Tichelli one of my favorite modern composers, Night Flight (King march), Armed Forces on Parade, A Salute to the Cinema, Ye Banks and Braes O'Bonnie Dune, The Thunderer (Sousa), America the Beautiful, and of course The Stars and Stripes Forever (Sousa). This is a great line up of "Americana" music that everyone will enjoy (even 4 year olds).

Also, at intermission, some of the cast of OAT's production of "The Fantasticks" will be performing short excerts from their fantatic upcoming show (pun intended).

So -- two, free, enjoyable entertainment opportunities in the same place. Who says there's nothing to do in Rolla!?
Bring your own chairs or blanket and soak up the experience!

Warning: Members of the Nisbett family will be playing in the ensemble ( at least five.)

THE ADVENTURES OF ADAM

2010-06-29T07:44:00.000-07:00

Adam left yesterday for Scotland with Keith's sisters, Donna, Margie, and Rhonda.
They will be spending three weeks touring, camping, and enjoying the beauty. They will be chronicling their adventures at http://forthdegree.wordpress.com/ if you would like to join them.

YOU ARE INVITED TO AN EXCITING DOUBLE HEADER AT THE NISBETT'S

2010-06-28T09:25:00.000-07:00

Saturday, July 3rd, from Noon to 2 pm we will have with us Senator Chuck Purgason and his lovely wife Janet.

Senator Purgason is a true conservative and a godly man. He is running for the US Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Kit Bond and is facing Roy Blunt in the August 3rd primary. This is a crucial race. You can learn more about Chuck at http://purgasonforsenate.com/

Please join us and get to know Senator Purgason. We will be serving lunch. You are welcome to bring a dish. Feel free to stay all afternoon to visit and fellowship.

You are also welcome to spend the night because . . . .

Sunday, July 4th, in the afternoon we will have with us Pastor Abraham from India.

Our regular church meeting will begin at 2:00 pm and Pastor Abraham will join us some time between 3:00 pm and 4:00 pm to share what God has been doing in India and to teach from the Word. If you have never heard Abraham speak, it is a treat and a blessing.

We will be having a pot-luck dinner afterwards.

Invite your friends and family to both events, even if you can't make it yourself. While their paths are very different, both of these men are dedicating their lives to changing the world, honoring the LORD and bringing GLORY to His name.

Feel free to contact us with any questions, etc.

FAMILY PHOTO SHOOT

2010-06-06T05:48:00.000-07:00

We realized some-what last minute that we had everyone together this evening and decided to take a family photo. Trying to get 13 people to all keep their eyes open at the same time is more of a challenge than it seems that it should be.

Someone mentioned that yawning right before a picture relaxes your jaw and makes your smile look more natural.
Everyone immediately had to experiment, and Adam caught it on film.

Keith requested a picture of the two of us alone (that doesn't happen often.)

Behind the Scenes:
Eliminating sun spots on our faces with advanced technology.

Many thanks to Jed for taking the group shots, and making shade.

28 YEARS and we picked up a few friends along the way.

2010-06-05T10:10:00.000-07:00

June 5th, 1982

"LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup;
you have made my lot secure."

"The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delighful inheritance."
Ps. 16:5-6

OLD FASHIONED SUMMER FUN

2010-06-04T05:26:00.000-07:00

Playing in the fort . . .

. . .and bare feet.

Delightfully content feet . . .

. . . thoughtful, contemplative feet.
Feet should be free to express themselves.

CANTELOPE FIRING SQUAD

2010-06-03T05:11:00.000-07:00

More noctural photography experiments.

In the summer time, the girls curl up with a book in the evenings . . .

. . . and the guys shoot poor defenseless melons.

SUMMER TIME READING

2010-06-02T05:59:00.000-07:00

I have always loved reading, any thing, any where. Anna has recently caught the bug. She can always be found curled up with a book, in her bed, on the couch . . .

. . . and on the van . . . (?)

I guess in a large family, sometimes it's hard to find a quiet spot.

When I looked out the window and saw her here, I really chuckled. I don't think I've ever read a book atop a van.

"GUESS WHAT?! . . WE GET TO PLAY BASEBALL!" from "The Rookie"

2010-06-01T05:53:00.000-07:00

It's that wonderful time of year again for Baseball Games at Green Acre Park with friends and fun.
John is playing this year with Keith coaching again. Dan and Zeke Hall are involved as well. The games are Monday and Wednesday nights (times are listed on our calendar). Join us if you're free!

We received the team's shirts recently (this is a 13-15 year old team, John is the tallest guy on the team, and I'm not sure who they thought the jerseys would fit!) Out came the handy-dandy sewing machine, and John can now throw the ball without getting tangled in his uniform.

SPRING TIME ROBINS

2010-05-31T09:38:00.000-07:00

Earlier in the Spring, we noticed that a Robin was building her nest right outside our living room window. This picture was taken from inside with a 50mm lens, that's how close her nest is.

It was a wonderful, big screen Nature Channel show of the nest building, setting on the eggs, hatching, and then feeding the babies.

Oh my the babies grew fast! Here they are about 1 week after hatch, and it wasn't long afterward that they began flying!

What a fun front seat on yet one more amazing testimony to our Creator's genius.

JOEL AND JOSIAH: UPDATE #3

2010-05-30T13:57:00.000-07:00

Since Nate and Amy moved to State College, we have become acquainted with the Bourne family. The Bournes are active with the theatre stuff in this area and are members of the same church as Nate and Amy. Josiah and I have enjoyed hanging out with the Bournes during our visit.

We helped the Bournes plant some corn. Sorry for the poor quality cell phone pics.

The Bourne's second oldest son is the facilities manager at Camp Kanasatake which has an awesome zipline.

We zipped. It was fun.

Then we shot lots of guns until it got too dark. That was fun too.

RANDOM OTHER STUFF

2010-05-30T13:00:00.000-07:00

This is a papaya. It matches my hat.
BTW, I bought that hat at Goodwill for 29 cents along with an entire outfit to go with it.

This is the guts of the papaya. Yucky stuff.

This is the good part.

We turned it into juice. Hint: it tastes better mixed with Mountain Dew.

2010-05-30T12:45:00.000-07:00

We had a graduation ceremony for Nate...

...played games...

...and went to see Twelve Angry Men.

This is a purple dumpster.

JOEL & JOSIAH: UPDATE #2

2010-05-27T07:35:00.000-07:00

Hi, this is Joel, once again reporting from State College, PA. Josiah and I are having fun, staying busy, and taking photos for your enjoyment. See below.

We went to Dick's Sporting Goods. Duh.

Please stand right there...

Ha.

2010-05-27T07:30:00.000-07:00

Most of our time at Best Buy was spent playing with the iPads.

Oh look, RadioShack. FYI, if you go there to buy a 3.5mm to 3.5mm audio cable, don't. They're too expensive.

Hmm.

And that concludes our coverage of our shopping spree. We didn't buy anything.

Joel and Josiah Reporting

2010-05-24T14:55:00.000-07:00

This is Joel blogging from State College, PA. Josiah and I left home in the evening on Monday, May 17. We arrived at the Nail family's house near Indianapolis, IN at 2:15 A.M. Eastern Time. On Tuesday, while the Nails were busy, we toured downtown Indy.

This is a big monument thing. There was a observation deck at the top that we climbed up to. There was an elevator but it cost $2, so we took the free option: 331 steps, 32 flights of stairs, 24 stories.

The view from the top.

Looking down the elevator shaft.

After much fun and games with the Nails, we left early Thursday morning and drove to Nate and Amy's house here in State College. We'll post more photos and updates later.

A FEW FINE LINEN FRIENDS TAKE A WALK

2010-05-12T12:56:00.000-07:00

"Taking a turn about the Countryside"

A Lady's Bonnet

A Gentleman's word

This pool is as clear as glass;
Let's take of our stockings,
and paddle!

A MOVING SOCIAL EVENT

2010-05-12T12:41:00.000-07:00

Laughing

Visiting

Hiking

Waiting

HIKERS OF ALL AGES AND SIZES!

2010-05-12T12:40:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth, Fine Linen's most enthusiastic fan!

Some people found the hike easier than others.

The youngest hiker

And they march on . . .

OBJECTS FOUND ALONG THE WAY . . .

2010-05-12T12:27:00.000-07:00

The "Hike-mobile", created from Jacob's grill, Luke's hubcap, and Nathan's bumper.

Cat's Cradle with a rope found on the road.

Gabe's Floral Decoration

John's Hat Accessory

COOLING OFF AT THE CREEK

2010-05-12T12:15:00.000-07:00

Cooling off

Visiting in the crossing

Soaking their feet

Total Commitment

OLD HIKE TRADITIONS - Orange Juice, Turtles, and Wally

2010-05-12T11:49:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure why, but a very important Hike Tradition includes Nathan and a half gallon of Orange Juice . . .

. . . Jenna, her straw hat, and a turtle . . .

. . . and John's buddy Wally.
(who was found along the road on the first Hike and has made all twenty miles of every subsequent Hike.)

THE HIKE III FROM THE AIR

2010-05-12T11:39:00.000-07:00

THE HIKE III !!
Joel had one of his pilot friends fly over the Hike while he took pictures.

-> WE ARE HERE <- Organized napping complements of Adam.

The Hamachers Farm, our lovely lunch destination.
The Hamachers were gracious enough to host a small party of over 80 at their house on the very day of their 25th Wedding Anniversary. THANK YOU !!!

Tables on the front veranda awaiting HUNGRY HIKERS.

AND OUR DESTINATION IS REACHED

2010-05-12T09:32:00.000-07:00

Piles of Shoes come off as people rest

And some people don't rest.

The Lights hosted the end of the Hike meal and gathering.
Thank you so much for allowing your lovely home to be invaded by HOARDES of HIKERS.

It was a delightful, leisurely ending to a fantastically perfect day.

Special Thanks to Elizabeth Martin and Nathan Hickle for the use of some of their photos.

THE TRADITION CONTINUES . . . and grows !

2010-05-11T05:58:00.000-07:00

Today the traditional "Post-Production Depression Syndrome" antidote will occur. Once again, members of the cast and about 80 of their closest friends will trek 20 miles, beginning at the theatre and ending in the lovely countryside at the gracious estate of one of their own. You can follow their progress on the all-new THE HIKE BLOG which will include semi-live GPS updates on their map, and posts of their adventures.

BLOG QUIZZ -- GUESS MY FAVORITE COLOR OF FLOWER

2010-05-09T05:36:00.000-07:00

Purple Irises and Peonies (a past mother's day gift) with May Night Salvia on the left

Viola - Blue Moon (my new favorite perennial)

Columbine

Wild Blue Indigo
Baptisia australis

2010-05-09T05:30:00.000-07:00

Clematis - Lady Northcliff

Johnson's Blue Geranium

Campanula

One of the few plants here when we moved in.

MORE STRANGE NOCTURNAL PHOTOGRAPHY EXPERIMENTS

2010-05-08T05:29:00.000-07:00

NEW VOCABULARY WORD -- AMBIGRAM

2010-05-07T05:29:00.000-07:00

"A calligraphic design that manages to squeeze two different readings into the selfsame set of curves."

And it couldn't have happened to a better movie!

Thank you to Julie for this super-fun image.

WHAT HAPPENS IN MY KITCHEN AFTER I GO TO BED . . .

2010-05-06T05:22:00.000-07:00

The guys execute fruits and vegetables with an airsoft gun .

Actually, it took a great deal of technology to get these shots. The Fed-Ex Man brought several small, specially ordered packages of super-sensors (or something spy-sounding).

The baby carrots didn't give in as easily. This morning I wondered why there was a bowl on the table with exploded grapes and a carrot with a hole in it. When I saw the pictures it became rather clear.

BOTBALL---FIRST PLACE OVERALL

2010-05-05T11:11:00.000-07:00

Here are members of the Botball Team (minus Justin Mosher) that recently did an amazing job at the Regional Botball competition in Edwardsville, Illinois. The Overall Award was a compilation of scores from the Seeding Rounds, Documentation/Presentation, and the Double Elimination Tournament. The team scored 1st or 2nd in each category, and scored one of the best Seeding Round Score in the Nation. Interestingly enough, this years competition involves the robot rescuing rubber duckies and frogs from oil slicks (very "current events" appropriate, although the theme was determined months and months ago.)

Congratulations!

The Global Conference on Educational Robotics (during which the International Competition will occur) is July 7-11, also in Edwardsville, Illinois (much closer than last year's competition in Hawaii.) The team is busy programming and strategizing to dominate that event!

A NEW PRIZED POSSESSION

2010-04-29T13:49:00.000-07:00

Thank you Jenna!
The boys loved the cookies too.

NEEDED: GOOD HOME FOR CIVIL WAR BELLE

2010-04-28T10:01:00.000-07:00

This is the piano that we used in "Pride and Prejudice". It is a Dunham Square Piano, built around 1860 (that's pre-Civil War!), and is all beautiful rosewood. It is currently living backstage at the theatre, but needs a new home before OAT begins their summer season. All offers over $150 taken.

CAST PHOTOS FROM "SNOOPY ! ! "

2010-04-27T10:32:00.000-07:00

The Whole Peanuts Gang
(aren't the Woodstocks cute?!)

The Tech Dudes
(There's an awfully lot of computing power there.)

The Backstage Miracle Workers
(try getting that many little kids in the right places in the dark!)

The Musicians
(a musical is just no fun without these guys.)

MORE PICTURES FROM SNOOPY ! !

2010-04-23T09:45:00.000-07:00

Opening night went exceptionally well.
The kids all did a terrific job, and the audience was not stingy in their appreciation of the fun.

Snoopy's Song

To School

Edgar Allen Poe

2010-04-23T09:41:00.000-07:00

I Know Now

Clouds

The Great Writer

Don't Be Anything Less, Than Everything You Can Be

Thank you so much to Debbie Hickle for all our theatre pictures!
and for all sorts of other stuff!

2010-04-23T09:40:00.000-07:00

Only two more shows, tonight and Saturday night, don't miss it.
Tickets are available at A Slice of Pie or by calling 573-261-0244.

BLOOMING IN MY GARDEN RIGHT NOW

2010-04-22T03:31:00.000-07:00

"Then God said, 'Let the land produce vegetation . . .'

. . .And it was so.

And God saw that it was good." Gen. 1:11-12

"Let all the earth fear the LORD;
let all the people of the world revere him.
For he spoke, and it came to be;
He commanded, and it stood firm"
Psalm 33:8-9

ROLLA REGIONAL ROBOTICS

2010-04-21T15:47:00.000-07:00

Keith, Adam and some other Missouri S&T students have been mentoring two different groups of robotics students. The older students are going to compete this Saturday in the Regional Botball Competition at Edwardsville, Illinois. Here we have Josh Riefer, Josiah Nisbett, and Justin Mosher.

They have to program their robot to autonomously gather different items on the game board for specified points.

John putting some finishing touches on their robot arm.

Team member Jacob Hamacher.
We will enjoy seeing this weekend's competition, which is just the first round, with Nationals being in June.

2010-04-21T14:54:00.000-07:00

The younger group will be competing in the F.I.R.S.T. Lego League in the Fall.
Kyle Quittschreiber and Malachi Quakkelaar with their robot.

Gabe Quakkelaar and Zeke Hall programming.

Stephen Martin and Zeke Hall picking out Lego parts.

Josiah Ymker with his robot.

2010-04-21T13:01:00.000-07:00

And these two handsome Martins, Jed and Sam are busy on their robots.

THE SHOW IS A DELIGHTFUL MUSICAL ROMP WITH THE PEANUTS GANG

2010-04-20T10:07:00.000-07:00

We just had our last dress rehearsal and I can guarantee that you will enjoy the show. The kids are doing a magnificent job of portraying all the fun and charm of the comic strip, while adding their own singing, dancing, and acting talents. The costume and sets add to the whimsy, but the show is not just for children. Adults will find themselves laughing heartily at the wit and humor as well. This is the perfect family outing, including the price. Join us this weekend for SNOOPY! ! the Musical.

YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS IT!

2010-04-20T10:05:00.000-07:00

Edgar Allen Poe, with Clarissa Light, RACHEL Hickle, Zeke Hall, John Nisbett, and Adalie Brown.

Three of the Pumpkins in The Vigil

The Great Writer with John Nisbett at Snoopy

Anna Nisbett as Peppermint Patty and Drew McCluskey as Charlie Brown in Poor Sweet Baby

2010-04-20T10:03:00.000-07:00

If Just One Person Believes in You

To the Movies with Margaret Hamacher, Adler Davidson, and Clarissa Light

Finale with Gabe Quakkelaar, John Nisbett, and Zeke Hall

FROM THE ARCHIVES . . .

2010-04-13T09:34:00.000-07:00

Someone needed a photo from Shenandoah and as I was going through my pictures of that show I saw these two shots taken during rehearsals.
My how the time has flown!
These little ones have grown up at the theatre, and consider it our second home.
Aren't Joy and Glory adorable?!

And look at these two hams!
John carried the Union flag in this show, his first part in our mainstage plays.

FUN PICTURES FROM STRIKE

2010-04-09T02:47:00.000-07:00

"Kick Me" X4

1813 Dances require 2010 germ prevention

"And the walls came tumbling down."

What pretty smiles!

TOTO, I DON'T THINK WE'RE AT PEMBERLY ANYMORE !

2010-04-08T00:06:00.000-07:00

The back wall at the theatre has undergone a dramatic transformation this last week.
Rehearsals for Snoopy!! are going well.
The show will be lots of fun; don't miss it: April 22, 23, 24 at 7:00 pm.

Pemberly . . "will live on in my memory as one of the most amiable of places."
Oh, wait, that was Bingley. Never mind.

MR. DARCY AND HIS FAN CLUB

2010-04-07T02:30:00.000-07:00

Note: these are Mr. Darcy's fans, not particularly Joel's. I just wanted to clarify that point.

These shirts are so very creative; each one says Mr. Darcy individually, with one letter being predominate, but when lined up in order also spell MR DARCY. They can also be arranged to spell MARRY CD, CARRY MD or CRY DRAM, which probably don't mean anything, but sound very enigmatic. In smaller groups, you can also spell YAM and ARMY, which sound very un-enigmatic.

PREPARING FOR PASSOVER

2010-04-06T02:11:00.000-07:00

Passover is our children's favorite holiday of the year.
We find so many beautiful pictures of Jesus in the portrayal of the deliverance of God's Chosen People from bondage.
Since we were so busy this year, we didn't do as much as usual, but still had a delightful and memorable evening.
Glory misunderstood what the main course was and asked for more ham (instead of lamb). We should clue her in on a few Passover "Faux Pas" (don't serve pork.)

THANK YOU TO ALL THE PRIDE AND PREJUDICE EVERYONES

2010-04-05T04:20:00.000-07:00

We received so many beautiful flowers, cards, food, gifts, etc. from everyone that we can't begin to thank everyone properly. We appreciate your thoughtfulness so very much. I can't imagine a greater group of people with which to work.

The flowers have greatly brightened my day, and our kitchen.
Thank you.

SOME OF THE ADORABLE FACES IN OUR YARD . . .

2010-04-04T14:00:00.000-07:00

Nikki recently had six healthy, happy little pups. We have all enjoyed them very much (although Adam found them very bothersome after spending several nights in the living room with their snorts, grunts, whines, and all the other little noises that puppies make when they sleep.) There were two boys, and four girls in the litter.
This is Sir Orange

Poor little No Collar (she looks so disappointed.)

Mr. Red

Miss Violet

2010-04-04T13:59:00.000-07:00

Mademoiselle Pink

and Lady Lilac . . .
There is an amazing amount of intelligence and drive in these little packages of German Shepherd puppies. It will be fun to get to know them better now that they have more distinct personalities (and faces, and names, and most importantly different colored collars.)

JOHN'S FIRST PAINTING

2010-03-31T04:03:00.000-07:00

For his Junior Duck Stamp Entry this year, John decided to try his hand at oil painting.
This is his Harlequin Duck in progress . . .

And this is the finished product.
I am exceptionally proud of his work, especially considering all that was going on at the same time.
Although he placed second, I think it is a first place effort and look forward to many more amazing paintings from him.
Adam agrees that it is better than he was doing at 14 years old, (although Adam only had me for a teacher, and John has Adam, so is at an advantage.)

A VISIT FROM THE WILLIS FAMILY

2010-03-30T12:08:00.000-07:00

We met the delightful Willis family in Virginia at the Jamestown 400 Treasure Hunt, hosted by Vision Forum in 2007. We have followed each other's blogs since then, and feel like close friends, despite not spending much time together face to face. However, this problem was rectified somewhat with their visit over the weekend. We enjoyed their family very much. Here, Kasie and Angie pose with Joel and Joy after Saturday's performance of Pride and Prejudice (which they attended in costume, being fellow Jane Austen enthusiasts.)

On Sunday, quite a few of our friend came over to welcome back the straying Nail family, whose untimely departure from the neighborhood is still a source of disapprobation and dissappointment to many (They moved to Indianapolis and we all miss them). The girls (and Nathanael) enjoyed a variety of fun games (judging from the volume of laughing).

Walter, Nate and our guys enjoyed their own games, and much later in the evening, the Willis family was intitiated in to the group of honored few non-Texans who can play "42".

Nate and John played an interesting variation of ping-pong on a tiny table.

We also made music with the Willis family, who are extremely talented and versatile. At one point, there was an eclectic jam session involving piano, guitar, violin, tin whistle, 2 drum sets, trombone, tuba, and voice -- truly a unique combination. A great time was had by all, and actually some lovely music was made.

Thanks to the Willis Family for the honor of your visit.
Ya'll come back now, ya' hear!

WORK DAY

2010-03-26T02:46:00.000-07:00

Several of the guys from the Robotics Team recently came out to help with some Spring Clean up. Nathanael and Glory got in on the action.

They moved some mulch for me, and did a variety of jobs which I greatly appreciated.
Justin, Jacob, Josh, Josiah, John and Ben all worked very hard.
Thanks guys!
(Too bad Ben's name didn't start with a "J" also.)

"Always wear safety goggles" . . or swimming goggles in a pinch.
I hope Julie is happy :-).

A FEW ODD PHOTOS I FOUND ON THE CF CARD . . .in honor of Donna's Birthday

2010-03-25T02:55:00.000-07:00

Who needs a bench ?!

Glory is DEFINITELY not the low man on the totem pole (even if she is the youngest of ten.)

I've heard the term "coming out of the woodwork", but . . . .