Wed., 5/5/21, Peyton and Isaac came over, Kenzie came over, Kimmy, Adam and Eli came over, Went to discipleship/class

Peyton and Isaac...they made a little book out of the paper I gave them for their spelling.  Isaac go them all right today!  

 I love seeing my oriole at the feeder.  Lots of other birds drinking at that feeder this year too for some reason

Papa Bill and Isaac working on the car some more.  They have the lights working

 Eli, Isaac, Adam, Peyton

 Adam with Peyton on his shoulders, Eli, Kenzie and Isaac

 Kenzie and Adam

 Nana and Kenzie

 Kenzie, Nana and Papa

 Kenzie and Nana

 Kenzie

Beautiful pendant Kenzie made

 Kenzie and Kimmy

 Peyton and Kenzie

Isaac and Kenzie

 Hailey and Kenzie

 So nice in the evening with the lights on

Bill sold our tiller and then used the money to buy Charlie's tiller.  He picked it up this morning.  I put good worship on and spent time with the Lord.  I ate a bagel for breakfast,  and made coffee for Vikki and I.  She came and dropped the kids off and we talked to Kimmy on the phone while she was here.  Vikki left and after Peyton and I waved goodbye, Peyton did her reading class with her teacher on the computer.  While she was doing that, Isaac asked me if he could do his school on his computer.  Vikki had brought both their computers and told them they could do their school here in the morning if they wanted or they could wait until she got back.  I was proud of Isaac for wanting to do it right away.  Peyton got finished and asked me if during her regular free time, she could do school.  Of course I said yes.  They both got it done right away.   We did spelling and reading after that.  While they had their free time, I read the Bible.  Isaac worked on the car some more with Bill.  I made goulash and Vikki, Peyton and I ate some.  Isaac wasn't hungry.  Kenzie got here.  Adam and Bill helped load up the furniture and other things Christine and Bill gave her.  She brought me some ferns to plant and also some geraniums.  So sweet of her!   She ate some goulash too.  It's a favorite of hers.  Kimmy has a really busy evening tonight, so I packed some without burger for her and packed up some regular for the rest of the family.  Kimmy, Adam and Eli got here.  We hung out on the deck.  Eli wanted to eat a sirloin patty here, since he doesn't like goulash, so I warmed it up for him.  Adam wanted to wait to eat at home, so Kimmy packed some goulash up for him too.  We all walked outside and looked at my plants.  Bill and I had to be at the church for our discipleship meeting.  I stayed for class afterward, and he came home to be interviewed by Hailey for a class she's got.  She recorded him.  Kenzie stayed to finish her laundry.  I got here to visit with Hailey a little while before she had to leave.  I was happy to make it home in time to see her.  She and Bill had an ice cream sandwich before she left.  I sure love my grandkids and kids!  What blessings they are to me!

 

Tuesday, 5/4/21, Rained in the morning, Peyton and Isaac came, Went to intercessory prayer at church

 

Bill towing the go cart to the shed to work on it

Isaac helping papa work on the car

Peyton (her drawing is shows lots of love for Nana...and she wrote her name in cursive lol)
Their shirts say sistersaurus and brothersaurus!

Had our oatmeal and coffee.  Put worship music on.  Vikki brought the kids.  I made her a cup of coffee.  She played a worship song on the TV called Abba+As the Deer by Dante Bowe.  She had been crying from listening to it and by the time I was done, I needed Kleenex too.  What a powerful worship song!  I can't wait to go to the concert he will be at.  Bill took the garbage out (I'm so thankful he can do it now).  Gave Peyton and Isaac 15 minutes of free time...the love that each day.  Then we started our spelling.  I went over the words with them, then they took a test to see how many they knew.  Isaac missed 3 and Peyton missed 9.  They were hard words, so they both did good for the first time.  They wrote them 5 times and knew them when I asked them the words again.  I didn't get to ring my bell again, because they were at the table and had their paper and pencils ready.  Great kiddos!  While they wrote their words, I walked outside and looked at my plants.  Nice to have God water them instead of me.  So thankful for the rain!  I went inside and we started the book, Lassie.  They did a good job reading.  I read some too.  It is a really old book.  They read the Picture Bible really good too.  We are half way through it now.  Peyton and I went and picked up McDonald's for lunch for her and Isaac.  Isaac wanted to stay with Papa.   After McDonald's, we went to get tacos for Bill at Taco Bell.  We got home and ate.  Papa's tacos had cheese, so we saved them for Vikki.  His McFlury was a small instead of a large.  I told him God must be putting him on a diet lol.  Vikki got here and ate the tacos.  The kids had everything packed up and ready because they had a virtual field trip so had to get home for it.  I made sirloin patties, potatoes and carrots in the Smart Pot.  It was super delicious.  I went to intercessory prayer.  It was an amazing time of prayer and praising.  Bev and Dave were back from Arizona and so were Kurt and Kathleen.  Talked to Kimmy, Melissa, and Kenzie.  Texted with Adam.Kenzie has a beautiful outside cat now.  She also has 2 doves Travis's mom got for them.   

Monday, 5/3/21, Did regular morning routine, Bill went with Charlie for coffee, I shampooed carpets

 Trying Kimmy's box fans out to dry my carpet..had to make sure they worked before I gave them to her.  They worked great!

Violets are so pretty in the woods

 Jacob, Jared, Kimmy, Eli, Adam, Vikki, Bruce, Max, Melissa, Evan and Jack

Got the spot picked out where to plant the tree

 Jacob digging the hole for the tree

Kimmy, me, Vikki, and Melissa

Me by my new tree

Evan, Eli, Jack, Adam and Max all had fun hanging out

Max, Jack and Evan, Eli and Adam

 Eli

 Vikki sent me this picture of the tree in the truck after they picked it up

Eli, Bruce and Melissa

This is what the tree will looks like when it gets big

Had my morning coffee and oatmeal.  Bill went for coffee with Charlie.  I listened to worship music, vacuumed and shampooed the living room, stairway, and upstairs hallway carpets.  My shampooer does an amazing job and makes the carpet look like new and we've been here 18 years and the carpet was already in.  I cleaned a couple more drawers and moved summer stuff downstairs and winter stuff upstairs.  Cleaned out the freezer drawers in the refrigerator too.  It was a rainy morning.  When it looked like the rain had stopped, I went outside to walk around the yard and look at my plants.  It was lightly misting.  All the plants were happy with the half inch of rain that fell.  Vikki said she needed to borrow the truck to help Misty move.  She came and visited for a while while we drank our coffee.  She left, and when she came back Bill told me she wanted me to meet her in back.  I thought Misty probably gave her some more things she wanted to show me.  Bill and I walked back and she was there and so was Kimmy, Jared and family and Melissa and Bruce and family.  They had bought me a pear tree that I have been wanting and told Vikki I wanted to get.  What a great surprise, and what a great family to bless me by giving me such a great Mother's Day gift.  I will think of them whenever I look at it.  Jacob dug a nice hole.  He had to leave to get his Covid test to be able to play soccer.  Kimmy had locked her keys in the van, so Jared took Vikki's car to take him.  He went home to get the other set of keys too. Bill had to leave to go to Trinity Riders Meeting to give the the State Rally Flyers Kenzie and Travis made up for him. I had told him I didn't want to go this morning, and was so happy to have such wonderful company come.  Kimmy and Vikki loosened the roots and planted the tree.  Does it ever look nice.  We visited on the deck afterwards.  Loved seeing the cousins all walking in the yard and talking.  After we had visited for a while, Melissa, Bruce and boys had to leave so Evan could finish his school work.  When Jared and Jacob got back, I put some snacks out for us to much on.  When they were leaving, Jacob went to get his headphones he left in the truck.  When he got close to the van door, Jared started going slowly.  Jacob said, ok, I'll just stay here.  That's my boy!  Jared stopped and let him in then.  Bill got home.  He ate a bowl of chili that I had unthawed.  We watched one Father Knows Best and then a couple of Leave it to Beaver's.  Vikki called and told me Maverick City was going to have a Concert in Lansing in October.  We knew we wanted to go, so she got tickets for Rody, Peyton, Isacc, Bill, me and her.  We are super excited to go worship with such amazing worship leaders.    

 

 

Sunday, 5/2/21, Went to church, went to Frankenmuth, Spent lots of time out on the deck in the 75-80 degree weather

 

 Riding our motorcycle through Frankenmuth..That's Matthew's church farthest down on the left

 Evan got the lego set we got him put together fast

We went to prayer, then church.  After church we had a cinnamon roll that Charlie and Sue got for us yesterday.  They were yummy warmed up.  We read out on the deck for a while, I walked around and looked at my plants.  Both blueberry bushes are doing great now and getting lots of leaves.  One looked like it wasn't going to get any leaves at first.  It was a beautiful day and in the mid 70's so we rode our motorcycle to Frankenmuth.   We met with Wayne and Lisa our State Coordinators for CMA and Bev and Ron, area reps. to work on plans for the Michigan CMA State Rally.  We walked around Frankenmuth afterward with Bev and Ron.  We came home and spent more time out on the deck relaxing and watching the birds....nuthatches, finches, cardinals, orioles, robins, chickadees, woodpeckers and not so darling starlings.  I walked outside some more and Bill came in and took a nap.  I came in and was going to nap, but Melissa called and after we got done talking I wasn't tired anymore.  I texted with Adam for a while.  Texted with Eli too.  Love texting with grandkids.  We watched a movie, WWJD The Journey Continues.

Sat., 5/1/21, Wished sister Debbie Happy Birthday, it's her 70th!!! Did our CMA Run for the Sun Ride, Went to Melissa's to celebrate Evan's 10th birthday

 Faith Riders Group picture

 So good to see Jeff and Julie and talk to them.  They have been as careful as Melissa and her family, and this was their first time out.  We were so happy to see them today and excited for them as they will get to see their grandkids for the first time today too since Covid started.  They don't live close by to do porch visits, so they've only done face time visits.  They were pretty excited!

Gathered for prayer

Parked at a Subway

Ate our lunch outside

Raindrops on the windshield

Evan with his cookie cake

Bruce, Evan and Melissa



Evan with his lego set we got him

 Evan with Rip Stick from Bruce and Melissa

Piñata broken with candy

Evan with his card and $1 from Aunt Vikki and Uncle Terry

Evan learning to ride his rip stick

 

Our friend, Ziggy, is N.C. and posted these pictures he took

 Really cool picture of our friend with the horses in the background.  

We met Ziggy at a Bed and Breakfast in Maine when we went to a National CMA Rally with Wes, Gayla, Luis and Eva.  He was an airline steward and a super friendly, fun person.  When we went to our State Rally at Bay Shore, he was there the next year.  He is an Area Rep now like we are, so we see him at all the leadership things we go to now.  He does a great impersonation of Mr. Rogers.

Beautiful horses...They are Wild horses of Corolia, NC. They roam wild on the Carova Beach which is only accessible by 4-wheel drive vehicles

We left our house at 8:40 to go to Wes and Gayla's.  We met there for our CMA Run for the Son ride.  There were 18 of us from Faith Riders that came and turned in money collected for this wonderful fundraiser for ...Open Doors, Jesus Film and Mission Ventures which use the money to win souls for Jesus!  Today $5,000 was turned in from Faith Riders.  I'm so happy to be a part of this.  We left at 10 for our ride to Laingsburg.  It was cool and in the 20's when we got up, then 32 degrees when we left home.  When we left for our ride, the sun was shining so it warmed up quickly after that and ended up being a really nice day, although it was pretty windy.  There were 8 bikes that went on the ride and 11 people.  The ride was so pretty going on curvy and hilly roads through the country.  I was so thankful I downloaded Elevation's new album.  I played it all the while I was riding.  Such great worship.  We stopped in a little plaza in Laingsburg that had a Subway, a Cafe, and an Ice Cream shop.  That's all we needed.  We picked up our food and drinks and ate outside.  It was sunny and warm there.  We went back for ice cream after we finished eating.  We visited for a while, then headed home.  We got by Elsie, and it started sprinkling.  It didn't look like is should be raining, but it was.  It didn't rain hard enough to get us wet so that was good, and it didn't last long.  We got home, and I watered some of my plants.  Then we relaxed for a little while.  We went to Melissa and Bruce's at 6 to celebrate Evan's Birthday.  We got to do a backyard visit this time which was really nice and kept us out of the wind.  We sang happy Birthday to Evan, then he blew out his candles...at least he tried.  They were the kind that keep lighting again.  It was fun to watch him try to get them out.  He wanted a cookie cake this year like Hailey always wants.  We had cookies with ice cream and which was delicious. Evan opened his presents and was excited about everything.  He shot his rocket off for us.  They had a little piñata for him to break.  He tried hitting it but couldn't break it.  Bruce finally pitched it at him and he hit it like a ball and it broke and candy went flying.  Melissa posted a cute video of it.  Hailey was wearing the yellow Michigan sweatshirt I got for her at a garage sale and it looked so cute on her.  We came home and read our Bibles and did our devotions.