True Beauty at 60

Proverbs Chapter 31

She is worth more than precious rubies.

Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life.

She is energetic and strong, a hard worker.

She extends a helping hand to the poor and opens her arms to the needy.

She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs with no fear of the future.

When she speaks, her words are wise, and kindness is the rule when she gives instructions.

Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her:

There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!

Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.

My mom turned 60 on the 3rd of this month. On her birthday we went out to dinner then dropped by here for dessert. If you are in Fort Wayne for dinner, you MUST drop by this little place for an after dinner treat.
I'm in love with their sundaes...they're served in a chocolate bowl and covered with two of your favorite toppings. We chose crispy peanut butter and dark chocolate. Our family shared this one......it went fast and let me tell you, we each fought for as many bites as we could get....by the time it was all said and done, I had chocolate on my white coat and Caedmon had chocolate on his white sweater.

The birthday girl

This past weekend, our family...including my parents, my sister's family and us...stayed at Pokagon for one night to do even more celebrating with the birthday girl.

So much to do there...our family LOVES this place!

Playing around in the recreation room on Friday night

Rylie & CaedmonNephew Jake & Kevin battling it outMaci & KaiyaDinner at Clay's Family Restaurant on Friday nightBack to the hotel for cake, gifts, snacks & bubblyMy sister and I put together this cupcake tree. Thanks for the cupcake topper inspiration, Heather. :) This was my mom's senior picture in high school.Rylie & Kaiya enjoying the fireplacesweet baby emmiJust enough time to enjoy the pool that evening before it closed. Breakfast the next morning at the historic inn restaurant
There is a cute little craft room tucked down in the basement that we checked out after breakfast. The kids got to pick out a free craft to work on.Daddy helping Caedmon paint his wooden whistleKaiya working on her bead chick
Kevin and Dad working on a puzzle overlooking Lake James

This park is so beautiful and has so many great places to walk... which is one of our family's favorite things to do.
We walked to the nature center then stopped by the playground on the way back.She sure doesn't act like she's 60!

Emmi Klairrelaxing back at the innGrandma passed out Easter baskets for the kids......and had her famous Easter egg hunt...golden eggs included $$.
It's just like mom to turn a party that is supposed to be all about her into something where she gives to others...and that is exactly who she is...a giver! If I could only be half the woman she is, I would feel so richly blessed.

I love you mom! You are a one of a kind beauty and I'm so glad you're mine!

Happy Birthday!

Blueberry Pickin'

On Monday all the cousins headed to the blueberry patch and had a ball pickin' blueberries. If you've never picked blueberries before, you should consider it (if they grow in your area of course). It's a lot of fun and a great activity that kids enjoy too. Caedmon and Kaiya both had their own buckets, but for some reason when we were finished their buckets were still empty...even though they picked lots of berries. :) That came back to haunt little miss Kaiya later in the week with a huge mess running down her legs...yeah, I'll stop with the nasty details right there. Did you know that blueberries are at the top of the list for the healthiest food. Because of their dark blue color, they're packed with antioxidant power. By eating them along with other popular berries, you are infusing your body with a forceful weapon that fights against some of the most common and deadliest illnesses known to man. Ok, there's my little healthy tip for the day. I LOVE blueberries! They are probably my favorite fruit along with black raspberries. It was a berry picking day because after the kids had naps, I headed over to the raspberry patch that same day. Yum! There are lots of things you can do with blueberries. I've made jam before, but usually freeze most of them whole in freezer bags. I like to make smoothies with them and use them to make pancakes, muffins, cakes etc. Here are a couple recipes: Blueberry Pancakes

3/4 cup each whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon each baking powder and baking soda

1-1/2 tablespoon sugar

2 egg whites

1-1/2 cups buttermilk

1/4 cup low-fat cottage cheese

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup blueberries

In a large bowl, combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together egg whites, buttermilk, cottage cheese, and vanilla.

Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture. Stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Gently stir in blueberries.

Blueberry Pudding Cake

(mom's recipe)

2 cups blueberries

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 cup flour

3/4 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup milk

3 tablespoons butter or margarine melted

3/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, toss blueberries with cinnamon and lemon juice. Place in a greased 8 in. square pan. In a bowl, combine flour, 3/4 cup sugar and baking powder. Whisk until smooth. Add milk and melted butter. Spoon over berries. Combine 3/4 cup sugar and cornstarch. Sprinkle over batter. Slowly pour boiling water over all. Bake 45-50 minutes or until cake tests done.

On Tuesday we had a lake day and picnic at Pokagon with all the cousins again.

Even the littlest one joined us. Emmi Klair almost two weeks old

We leave on Saturday for Milwaukee. Kevin has business meetings there and it's very family friendly which is nice. So I need to get packin'. Just wanted to post a few thoughts from an email I received from a friend about a hurried lifestyle. Great reminder for myself!

Unhurried moms take the time to explain to their kids where they are going. Hurried moms tell their children to get in the car and they'll find out soon. I think the children of the unhurried mom learned a bit more about their city, streets and addresses.

Unhurried women take time to chat with a tired sales clerk, and brighten her day. Hurried women rush in and out, glancing at their watches, and tapping their nails on the counter if there's a delay. I think the sales clerk got a touch of Jesus from that unhurried woman.

Unhurried women think about how to show love to others - whether it's picking out the right gift, a hand-written note of encouragement, or a phone call. Hurried women wish they had picked out the right gift, written a note, or made that phone call.

Although Jesus was busy, the Bible never mentions Him being in a hurry. Others around Jesus tried to hurry Him up, but Jesus refused to be rushed. He always made time to hold a child, touch a sick man or talk to a woman whose wrong choices ostracized her from others. Jesus could have hurried – He had more to accomplish in three years than we can imagine accomplishing in a lifetime. But He chose to put people over His schedule.

Ephesians 4:2, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” (NIV)

John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”(NIV)

Twelfth Anniversary Weekend

On Father's Day morning, we got a call from my mother-in-law that Kevin's Dad had just had emergency surgery that morning to remove his appendix. Not the Father's Day present he was expecting I'm sure...he spent most of the next week in the hospital recovering. Caedmon had lots of questions about Grandpa that week..."Did he have a heart hole?" "Does he still talk?" "Are we having a funeral?" "Well, for crying out loud!". So funny what goes through the mind of a four-year-old. He was released from the hospital that Thursday and thankfully we didn't have a funeral. We picked up pizzas on our way to see him and to help with yard work on Friday. These pictures were taken that night. You'd think I would have gotten a picture of the injured, but I guess the kids eating their ice cream that night stole the show. Sorry Dad.

Our plans for that weekend were originally to leave the kids with Kevin's parents and celebrate our anniversary (just the two of us) with a nice quiet dinner and an overnight at a nice hotel in South Bend. With dad just getting home from the hospital, it was just too much to expect them to take the kids. So we cancelled those reservations and made new reservations at the inn at Pokagon State Park for the whole family. I always love going there...a beautiful place! We loaded up our bikes and left Saturday afternoon. It poured and stormed the whole way there, so after settling our things in our rooms, we headed to the indoor pool and hot tub. After an hour or so it cleared up very nicely for the rest of the evening and we biked all over the park. It was soooo nice! We rode through all the campgrounds and the smell of the campfires really gave me the fever to go camping. On Sunday morning (our anniversary) we took a hike to Hell's Point. Kaiya wasn't feeling so well...she had a cough and constant run to her nose, so it was a little rough for her.

A long climb, but worth the view at the top. Poor Kaiya, just not feeling like herself. After our hike, it was time to hit the beach.

It doesn't matter how bad this girl feels...if she's in the water, everything is great.It really ended up being a wonderful family weekend after I got past my disappointment of our changed plans. After tucking the kids in bed that night we lit some candles, had some sparkling juice and a wonderful time talking on the couch and relaxing together. We have so much to be thankful for...twelve years of memories together. Spending that day making memories with our whole family is what it's all about. I loved it and I love you honey! Happy Anniversary!