Ordination Day

Worth the wait? I think so. Worth the work? Ask Mike, but I am pretty sure he would say yes. A sanctifying process for sure...for all of us. This probably isn't the best place to post details, but for those of you who prayed for us and encouraged us - you know how the Lord worked. It was good. Like our wedding, we were really able to enjoy this day and the week leading up to it. Mike planned the service and, also like our wedding, it was truly representative of him. He involved many men of many different personalities and gifts, who knew him in various contexts. They really honored Mike in their prayers, charges, and commentary on the process and how he navigated his way through it. They were right. I saw it. God certainly spent the last year pruning his servant - growing humility and patience and wisdom. We are thankful. And now that I think of it...a bit nervous...because a pattern is emerging...God teaching us through stripping us of the things we are most confident in at the time.Day of - one of the highlights was having the Kays join us for the celebration. Tim is one of our pastors from Atlanta and he preached the sermon from Ezekiel - God's rebuke of the unfaithful shepherds and his call to be a faithful shepherd. Above - the placemat making, bulletin folding party. Below - supper before the service. Would you believe that 10 people ate dinner and got ready and got out the door ON TIME? And we just have one bathroom!
Grace Lutheran Church is where Harbor's Uptown site meets on Sunday evenings. They let us use their sanctuary for the service. This is the dessert table in the fellowship hall.
These are the LOVELY flowers that Amy Veerman had delivered for the reception. They were perfect - fall-ish and beautiful. (Amy, that was one of the short ones. The best part was these huge maroonish green leaves that they wrapped around the inside of the vase. So pretty. One lady commented, "Those weren't just thrown together.") Not a great picture - they were more vibrant than this shows.
One day, weeks before the service, Olivia was cutting and gluing paper and made this little placemat. I loved it. So I asked her and the Kay girls to make a bunch more to put on the tables at the reception. I thought they were fun and colorful and Olivia loved having somthing she made there.
Chad practicing. I think Mike enjoyed picking the music best. We did two traditional hymns - Come Thou Fount and Holy, Holy, Holy. These have been some of the first hymns we taught our kids - so they could sing along. Chad also played two of his tunes that have become particularly special to us. You can listen to them at soundandshape.com. Click on the sound and shape radio link in the upper right corner - Isaiah 12 and Awake, Awake are the second two songs. (By the way, that's my lady like girl in the pink tights in the back. Apparently she needs the charm school my mother sent me to.)
Kay cuties. Maggie (far right) was the age Greta is now when I first met her.
Who invited Oliver?

The fun continued as the Kays stayed the night and we messed around on Saturday - including a little In and Out burger and the seals in La Jolla.

This was right before an aggressive sea gull came and snatched Joseph's burger away. Committed murder in my heart toward that sea gull. Poor Buddy.

"I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living!" Ps. 27:13

We have had an eyeful lately.

Filler

The next thing to post is Mike's ordination, but I don't have time to sit down and sort through all that - the pictures and the thoughts. So here is a bit of filler...

Doing archeology

Every time I look at these pictures I think of those words "doing archeology," but to the tune of "doing choreography" from White Christmas. I'm weird.

But we've started a history curriculum that we really don't have to start until next year, but I am trying it out...to see how I can hack it as a teaching mom. It's called Story of the World and we are loving it. They start by just defining the terms history and archeology. And, well, since Mike WAS the president of the seminary archeology club...who better to enhance these lessons.
So, we've been having digs in the backyard.



Lots of paint chips...probably lead based we deduced from the time period.
Joe found a big hook of some sort. And they were using a paint brush to clean their findings.

You can't really see it in this picture, but Olivia drew a stellar map of the back yard, with the locations of the two dig sites. Dr. Chapman would be proud.

The Word of the Lord stands forever!

Thank you Seeds Family Worship for engraining this in my child. (We cannot recommend this music highly enough.)

I'm not sure who to thank for him being such a cheese ball...Mike?

The Homemades Post (plus the pie Linda wanted)

So, back before "Bay Greta" was born I mentioned I was going to start trying to make some homemade around the house products. Here is the follow up on the good, the bad, and the "my husband said we can't use that anymore" of it.

Laundry Detergent - WINNER

1 cup Sals Suds

2 cup hot water

1/3 cup salt

1 cup baking soda

Mix until dissolved. Pour in 1 gallon container and top off with water. 1/4 to 1/2 cup per load.

Test: It gets our nasty dinner napkins clean and Joseph's underwear doesn't smell like pee.

Dishwasher Soap - MY HUSBAND SAID WE CAN'T USE THIS ANYMORE

Actually I think his exact words were, "We have too many people over for meals to serve them on dirty dishes." He was right. Even the Seventh Generation stuff doesn't really do the job. Some things you just need chemicals for. I actually us the SG and then every 3rd time or so I buy Cascade to get things good and clean for a while (and open up the kitchen window and close the doors to the kitchen...because once you have taken a break from using that stuff, you really smell how horribly strong it is.

Dish soap - WINNER

This is what the dishwasher soap became and it works great as a kitchen sink hand and dish soap.

1/2 cup Sals Suds

1/c cup water

1 tsp lemon juice

3 drops tea tree oil

1/2 cup white vinegar

Mix all and then dilute about 1/4 cup with water and save the rest for refill. I've also been adding some drops of grapefruit seed extract to it since I read what a great anti-bacterial it was - for kitchen counters, raw meat, etc. (And you know if I read it, it had to be true.)

Diaper wipe spray - WINNER

Baby mild castille soap (Dr. Bronners)

water

few drops each of tea tree oil and lavender oil

I spray this on a cotton ball because let's face it, unless she poops, using a wipe EVERY time I change a diaper is totally a waste. I still use wipes for the big jobs and in my purse. I've cut up some old flannel baby blankets (thank you Northside Hospital) to use as wipes in the future...we'll see how that goes.

Once our kids soap is out, I will start using this in the bath tub on them as well.

Shampoo - LOSER

I just can't do it. My hair felt too nasty. However, my scalp (which has itched since I hit puberty I think) quit itching. So I don't know what to do. Plus, my hair is so stinkin' thick...I couldn't get a brush or my fingers or anything through it. I might revisit this...

Hand soap - WINNER

Castille soap (baby mild)

few drops of tea tree oil (it is an anti-bacterial...I read that)

few drops of lavender

dilute with water (so it is about 1/3 mixture, 2/3 water)

NEXT:

This week I am going to make my own chapstick...or lip lips as we call it.

And, diaper cream that will also double as a hand lotion...because if you can't put it on your bum why not rub it into your hands?!

Now for the pie. Linda, I am almost embarrassed at how easy this is.

Make or buy your crust.

Mix: 3 cups copped apples (green or red, I used both and threw in a pear when I ran short)

2 cups cranberries (I just threw in the whole bag because I really like them.)

1 cup sugar (I use less if not using green apples.)

2 T flour

3/4 t ground cloves

Throw it in your crust and back at 400 for 40 to 45.

favorites

A high piggy, whispies, and a sweet neck - some of my favorites.Those were some of the flowers neighbors brought to our pie stop-by. Another neighbor brought a bouquet of huge sunflowers and cat tails. That placemat under the flowers is something Olivia made weeks ago. She was just cutting a gluing fall paper to a piece of white paper and it has become one of my favorite fall decorations. So much so that I asked her and the Kay girls to make a bunch more to put on the tables at Mike's ordination reception.

2nd Annual Pie Stop-by

I love this season...in case you didn't remember. Last year I was so homesick because nothing felt like Fall here. I complained so much 3 different sets of folks sent us leaves in a box! It was wonderful! But I am trying not to complain so much this year and we are doing our part to force fall...and pay attention, because there are signs of it here.So, this was our 2nd Annual Pie Stop-by. This is by far one of my favorite things to do here. I would say that about 25 of the 30 or so we invited came. Again this year we were introducing neighbors to one another who have lived across the street from each other for 15 years! It was crazy how much they knew about each other (from watching), but had never spoke. We were able to invite many of them to Mike's ordination service - and two families came!
One neighbor offered to bake a pecan pie and another a sweet potato. I made an apple, an apple/cranberry (favorite), a pumpkin, a vegan pumpkin (which I thought was a little gross, but was the only one completely gone), and a pear/apricot tart. We can't wait to do it again next year!

Looks like we have another thumb sucker

Real cheeky

Clearly she gets those from Mike.