Left to Right
Leah, Krista, Therese, Max and Dad
We all had fun
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Sunday, January 07, 2007
New Things
I try to learn something new every day. I thought that I would pass along something that I learned yesterday.
It started off with the very best of intentions...Isaac and I decided that we would bake Therese a birthday cake. And not just any kind of cake...a two-layer chocolate cake in the shape of a heart with German chocolate frosting.
Isaac and I mixed the batter with meticulous care, filled the pans to the brim with the rich mixture and placed them in the oven. Isaac set the timer, and we left the room with grand visions of the gorgeous cake we were going to present at dinner time.
About ten minutes later, Isaac ran in to the living room to tell me, in his most serious voice, that the cake smelled like it was done. I told him that it wasn't, but just as a precautionary measure, I went into the kitchen to check. As I opened the oven door, a giant puff of smoke engulfed the room. With a sinking feeling, I realized that the batter in the two pans had overflowed into the bottom of the oven. Quickly grabbing a bowl and spoon, I started to scrape the cake off the bottom of the oven. This was a futile effort! The chocolate batter was flowing over the pans as fast as I could scoop it up. I ended up taking the entire rack out of the oven and setting it out on the picnic table, where they currently remain.
Isaac took one look at the cakes that I took out of the oven and said, "NO! I am NOT eating THAT cake!"
Since I went through this baking trauma, I thought I would pass on that you shouldn't put a box of cake mix in each 8-inch pan...
Therese's 17th Birthday
Yesterday we celebrated Therese's 17th birthday. Can you believe that she's that oooooooold?
Dad and Max are in Denver, but the rest of us celebrated by going to a Mexican restaurant. Here are some pictures:
We love to embarrass each other (in the spirit of Christian love, of course!), so we had the waiters come sing "Happy Birthday" to Therese. They gave her a sombrero to take home as a momento!!
Meg, Justin, Samuel, Isaac and Evangeline.
It's the reality of trying to photograph three children under six.
Mom and Eva
Isaac and Me
The birthday girl with her boyfriends.
Doesn't Samuel look cute with his fresh buzz?
More Nigeria pictures...
Samuel and Jenebu
Isaac, Mercy, George and Deborah
Isaac showing us around the school
Some of my biggest fans...Betty and Cassia
Peniel (5mo), Edward, Rachel, Mercy, Deborah, Krista, George, Isaac
Samuel, Jenebu, Betty(5) and Cassia(3)
Friday, January 05, 2007
WARNING:
I have a bad reputation for missing certain key ingredients in recipes. I've just never been able to live down the time I made blueberry muffins without blueberries. They wouldn't have been so bad if I wouldn't have also forgotten the eggs and baking powder. With this background, it probably was not a good idea for me to attempt to bake cinnamon rolls for the very first time with the "help" of a 5-year-old and a 2-year-old. We had fun though, and I'm interested to see how they turn out at breakfast tomorrow!
Here are some pictures:
My helpers today...
Pictures of two of the very best vaccum operators,laundry folders and dish washer unloaders you will find!
Adventure to Nigeria
George and I were very grateful for the opportunity to visit his family in Nigeria over his 2-week Christmas break from school. The Lord orchestrated every detail of the trip and besides the small "inconveniences" of 3 of our 4 suitcases not arriving in Nigeria until the day we left and missing a connecting flight from Washington DC to Chicago on our way home, our trip was uneventful.When we got off the plane in Abuja, Nigeria, there was a large banner in the airport that said, "Welcome to Nigeria! Nigerians are the happiest people on earth." After our visit, I heartily agree with that statement. We both were blessed by the hospitality and faith of the believers we met in Nigeria. It was a blessing also to be in the home of Samuel and Jenebu, my future in-laws. All of their children are walking with the Lord and continuing a legacy of faithfulness that was begun 3 generations ago when their grandfather accepted Christ after missionaries came to their village with the gospel. It is amazing how the love of God transcends cultures and can cause instant bonds to form between His children. It is equally amazing how the plans of God transcend our own, and how He can bring two people together from opposite ends of the world to become one in Christ. I love George, his family and the people in Nigeria. We look forward to serving the Lord together, and hopefully being able to serve the people of Nigeria with the medical training we have received.
In O'hare airport at 8pm just before boarding the plane for London
9am London time...3 am Illinois time. Don't we look chipper??
Us during our 12 hour lay over in London...
The happy faces of Mercy, Deborah and Jenebu when we arrived at their home in Otukpo, Nigeria after a very long, bumpy and dusty trip.
They're home!
Krista and George got home on Monday morningafter two weeks in Nigeria.
We'll be posting pictures of the trip over the weekend.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
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The Excitment of Welcoming 2007
After our guests left, we had to stay up until the new year, only some of us didn't quite make it.
We could have made it a lot less painless and celebrated Nigerian time, which would have been about 5:00 pm here.
In the background is Leah...
Max is crashed out on the couch....jpg)
And the winner of the Exciting Couple
of 2006 Award...Mom and Dad!
...The New Year's Party...
We had a fun New Year's gathering at our house on Sunday night. There were about 25 people there. We had dinner together, a devotion and prayer time, and later some of us kids played games downstairs while the adults visited.
My dad read an article from Vision Forum that encouraged everyone to do the following three things at this time of year:
#1- Outline and Chronicle the Many Providences of God
#2- Say Thank You to Those Who Have Invested in Your Life
#3- Forgive Those Who Have Wronged You
Here are some pictures from Sunday evening:
Jada, Olen, and baby Paige
Me and my little buddy Isaac
My other little buddy...Evangeline!
Kirsten and her baby brother Samuel
Anne and her children
"Life moves fast. If we don't take the time to chronicle the providences of God, we forget them. If we don't take the time to say thank you to those who have invested in our lives, we actually cultivate a spirit of ingratitude in our hearts. If we don't stop and make sure that we have a spirit of forgiveness toward otehrs, we grow bitter, we lose the capacity to move victoriously into the future, and our prayers are hindered." -Doug Phillips
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