No, this is not a piece of fine embroidery or a carefully stitched piece of lace... it is frost found on our bedroom windows! Isn't it amazing?
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Winter Decor
No, this is not a piece of fine embroidery or a carefully stitched piece of lace... it is frost found on our bedroom windows! Isn't it amazing?
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Master Class
Last Saturday, Josiah had the opportunity to have a master class with cellist Stephen Balderston. Josiah was coached through one of his pieces, and also had the opportunity to observe Mr. Balderston work with several other students. Mom made sure to video the class so Josiah can pull it back out and watch those positional nuances again!
Today both Joanna and Josiah have a concert with a local student orchestra. While they have both performed in recitals before, it is a first orchestra experience for them.
In other news, Joshua survived the skiing and is scheduled to arrive home late evening tonight. Also scheduled to arrive are several inches of snow. We'll see which arrives first - and how much the arrival of the latter effects the arrival of the former.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Skiing - in flat country
Sam, Joseph and Luke atop the... whoa - the one open black diamond slope!
While Josh is out in Colorado tearing up the mountainsides, we thought we'd take a day to do the midwest equivalent: skiing down a former garbage dump turned into what they call a "ski area." Wilmot Mountain is just about 45 minutes from our place, and just enough north of us to actually be across the border in Wisconsin. Tuesday's are their "homeschool discount day" and at 10:00am sharp this past Tuesday we were at the ski lodge in line to buy our passes for the day.
The weather had been very obliging as it snowed nearly all day Monday to get the mountain ready for us. Apparently it still wasn't quite enough snow, though, as most of the trails were closed and they had snow machines running everywhere! We all still had a good deal of fun, with not too many injuries - unless you count all the sore muscles today...
Here's a glance down the mountain from the ski lift:
Jon having a blast!
Joanna and Lauren take a warm-up break inside the lodge.
Joseph, Luke and Jonathan prepare to head back out for their last hour on the slopes.
Jessica, done for the day and happy to still be able to walk, and glad to have not needed to escort anyone to the hospital...
Abbey, Dawn and Beth at the top.
Sebastian, Luke & Joseph ride the lift.
Hannah and Phil on the bunny hill.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Josh
Who is this and where is he?? It's Josh! He's out in Colorado for a week of skiing with a group of guys.
He flew out to Denver this past Saturday and flies back this coming Saturday. So far the report is that he's having a blast! Our hope is that Patrick Henry isn't wearing a cast at this year's Liberty Day celebration...
Monday, January 08, 2007
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Liberty Day '07
Information for the 2007 Liberty Day Celebration and Conference is now online! It took awhile, but it's finally up and we are very excited! Click here!
New this year is an Essay Contest we are hosting. We have three categories for anyone from ages 8-99, so get your pens out and write up something about a person or event from the American colonial/revolutionary era that inspires you, incites your respect, or exemplifies honor - especially as it relates to the establishment or defense of liberty.
The dates are February 23-24, 2007. Yes, it's two days this time! Check it out. We hope to see you there!
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Happy New Year!
We're in the midst of trying to get the advertising finished and out for Liberty Day 2007, so I've been away from blogging lately (obviously), but I have some things I'd like to post. For now, here's a happy new year from the extended Erber gang!!
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Tis the Season!
'Tis the season to celebrate, to rejoice, to feast, and so we have - thus the quietness on our blog for the last few weeks! But now, we'll post a few highlights of our Christmas celebrations that have taken place from December 3rd, through the present.
First off, was the Muligano Christmas gathering at our house shortly after arriving home from the Faith & Freedom Tour. No pics of this party, but we had my mom's local relatives (ie. her brother and his family) over for an afternoon and evening of fun and, of course, feasting. Telephone Charades brought many laughs throughout the evening...
Next was the Koeppen Family Christmas at our home where we had most of Dad's extended family here. We actually managed to get a picture with everyone in it (aside from my Dad's parents who had already left). The original is, of course, much clearer than this scanned in copy, but you get the idea!
Part of the fun of the evening was gingerbread house making, singing carols around the piano together, eating, catching up...
.. and the young cousins getting to know each other better!
Following that came the biggest celebration of the month. Our church's Christmas Celebration on December 17th.
Aside from earlier rehearsals and such, the event sort of started on the 16th, with a day of major cleaning, decorating and rehearsing at the American Legion Hall that our church rents as our meeting place. Oh, yes, and preparing the feast:
The guys really got into the cleaning...
Then came Sunday. Following our regular morning church service, we had a feast - Turkey, multiple potato dishes, cranberries, dressing, salads, sweet potatoes, breads...
And then, we gathered back together for the primarily musical celebration of Christ's birth. We started out with our chamber ensemble playing a selection of Christmas carols that the congregation joined in singing under the able direction of our very own Jonathan Erber.
Then came a series of ensembles:
a handful of piano solos and duets....
a hastily organized - but not too bad sounding - choir...
ah, yes - the bluegrass ensemble performing "Go Tell it on the Mountain"...
...a collection of our younger members sang "Silent Night" to the harp accompaniment of Raeanne Carlson,
A baroque recorder quartet played "Good Christian Men Rejoice," another piano duet, and then our chamber ensemble returned to play some excerpts from Handel's "Messiah" We did hand scores out to the congregation... maybe in future years we'll be able to do it! :-)
We did also have soloists come up to sing a couple of the pieces - "O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings to Zion" and "Come Unto Him" (the soprano half of "He Shall Feed His Flock").
Our chamber orchestra/ensemble was made up of a fine group of musicians -
4 violins, 3 cellos, a flute (actually two flutes that took turns), and Dustin Webb ably contributed piano, harpsichord or organ as needed!
Thanks to all who participated in making this a great event (including the cleaning/decorating crews!). While it was a first endeavor of the sort, there was certainly a lot of talent contributed, and we look forward to seeing how God will use the gifts He has placed in our church in the coming years. It was certainly one of the most joyful and beautiful celebrations of the year! Praise God for giving us such a wonderful season to rejoice in together! Glory to God in the highest!
Ah, then a few days later came our annual highlight: LaSalle Bank's Do It Yourself Messiah in Chicago! Our group numbered around 70 this year and we again got a whole train car reserved to ourselves. Friends came from north, south, east, and west to join us as we traveled the hour and a half train ride into Chicago. We caught up with friends we hadn't seen in a while, and got to enjoy those we see frequently as well.
Our train was delayed during the course of the trip and so we arrived at the Opera House after the doors were already opened! That was a first for us and we've been attending since the late 1990's - (we can't determine which was our first year, but I'm thinking it was '99). Amazingly, the crowd was considerably sparser than last year and we ended up with seats for us all within the front few rows of our respective sections. Partly, that was due to the fact that most people stopped when the saw "reserved" signs on a few rows of chairs and sat behind them - not realizing that there were about 10 rows in front of the "reserved" seats that were not reserved!
As always, the concert was amazing - singing through that much heavy theology with three thousand people in Chicago's Opera House is quite the experience! Each year my prayer is that "the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped." Old Testament prophecies interwoven with New Testament fulfillments, covering the sinful state of man as we walked in darkness, to the promise of a Savior, His birth, life, death, resurrection, ascension, and triumph over the kingdoms of this world, the work of the church in carrying out His commands, the comfort and hope that we have in Him and His promises, and then ending with "Worthy Is the Lamb" and the several minutes of "Amens" - and all of it set to appropriate and incredible music that so well expressed the emotions and message of the words... How can it not be a highlight of the year to have the opportunity to sing such an incredible and inspired masterpiece?
This picture was taken from where we did not sit... the top balcony!
For some of us, one night of it was not enough, and having obtained tickets for Friday evening... we went again!! Which made Saturday slower for some of us, but we still managed to get all the necessary food preparations done! Sunday was church, and our Christmas Eve with Grandpa, Grandma, Aunt Jill and Uncle Don as posted about earlier. Monday was Christmas Day at our house with Jeanine & Jeremy coming over with their spouses and children for our Christmas Feast - and an afternoon and evening of giving and rejoicing! Truly a wonderful time of the year to remember the most wonderful event in world history: The incarnation and birth of Christ. Hallelujah!
First off, was the Muligano Christmas gathering at our house shortly after arriving home from the Faith & Freedom Tour. No pics of this party, but we had my mom's local relatives (ie. her brother and his family) over for an afternoon and evening of fun and, of course, feasting. Telephone Charades brought many laughs throughout the evening...
Next was the Koeppen Family Christmas at our home where we had most of Dad's extended family here. We actually managed to get a picture with everyone in it (aside from my Dad's parents who had already left). The original is, of course, much clearer than this scanned in copy, but you get the idea!
Part of the fun of the evening was gingerbread house making, singing carols around the piano together, eating, catching up...
.. and the young cousins getting to know each other better!
Following that came the biggest celebration of the month. Our church's Christmas Celebration on December 17th.
Aside from earlier rehearsals and such, the event sort of started on the 16th, with a day of major cleaning, decorating and rehearsing at the American Legion Hall that our church rents as our meeting place. Oh, yes, and preparing the feast:
The guys really got into the cleaning...
Then came Sunday. Following our regular morning church service, we had a feast - Turkey, multiple potato dishes, cranberries, dressing, salads, sweet potatoes, breads...
And then, we gathered back together for the primarily musical celebration of Christ's birth. We started out with our chamber ensemble playing a selection of Christmas carols that the congregation joined in singing under the able direction of our very own Jonathan Erber.
Then came a series of ensembles:
a handful of piano solos and duets....
a hastily organized - but not too bad sounding - choir...
ah, yes - the bluegrass ensemble performing "Go Tell it on the Mountain"...
...a collection of our younger members sang "Silent Night" to the harp accompaniment of Raeanne Carlson,
A baroque recorder quartet played "Good Christian Men Rejoice," another piano duet, and then our chamber ensemble returned to play some excerpts from Handel's "Messiah" We did hand scores out to the congregation... maybe in future years we'll be able to do it! :-)
We did also have soloists come up to sing a couple of the pieces - "O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings to Zion" and "Come Unto Him" (the soprano half of "He Shall Feed His Flock").
Our chamber orchestra/ensemble was made up of a fine group of musicians -
4 violins, 3 cellos, a flute (actually two flutes that took turns), and Dustin Webb ably contributed piano, harpsichord or organ as needed!
Thanks to all who participated in making this a great event (including the cleaning/decorating crews!). While it was a first endeavor of the sort, there was certainly a lot of talent contributed, and we look forward to seeing how God will use the gifts He has placed in our church in the coming years. It was certainly one of the most joyful and beautiful celebrations of the year! Praise God for giving us such a wonderful season to rejoice in together! Glory to God in the highest!
Ah, then a few days later came our annual highlight: LaSalle Bank's Do It Yourself Messiah in Chicago! Our group numbered around 70 this year and we again got a whole train car reserved to ourselves. Friends came from north, south, east, and west to join us as we traveled the hour and a half train ride into Chicago. We caught up with friends we hadn't seen in a while, and got to enjoy those we see frequently as well.
Our train was delayed during the course of the trip and so we arrived at the Opera House after the doors were already opened! That was a first for us and we've been attending since the late 1990's - (we can't determine which was our first year, but I'm thinking it was '99). Amazingly, the crowd was considerably sparser than last year and we ended up with seats for us all within the front few rows of our respective sections. Partly, that was due to the fact that most people stopped when the saw "reserved" signs on a few rows of chairs and sat behind them - not realizing that there were about 10 rows in front of the "reserved" seats that were not reserved!
As always, the concert was amazing - singing through that much heavy theology with three thousand people in Chicago's Opera House is quite the experience! Each year my prayer is that "the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped." Old Testament prophecies interwoven with New Testament fulfillments, covering the sinful state of man as we walked in darkness, to the promise of a Savior, His birth, life, death, resurrection, ascension, and triumph over the kingdoms of this world, the work of the church in carrying out His commands, the comfort and hope that we have in Him and His promises, and then ending with "Worthy Is the Lamb" and the several minutes of "Amens" - and all of it set to appropriate and incredible music that so well expressed the emotions and message of the words... How can it not be a highlight of the year to have the opportunity to sing such an incredible and inspired masterpiece?
This picture was taken from where we did not sit... the top balcony!
For some of us, one night of it was not enough, and having obtained tickets for Friday evening... we went again!! Which made Saturday slower for some of us, but we still managed to get all the necessary food preparations done! Sunday was church, and our Christmas Eve with Grandpa, Grandma, Aunt Jill and Uncle Don as posted about earlier. Monday was Christmas Day at our house with Jeanine & Jeremy coming over with their spouses and children for our Christmas Feast - and an afternoon and evening of giving and rejoicing! Truly a wonderful time of the year to remember the most wonderful event in world history: The incarnation and birth of Christ. Hallelujah!
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Christmas Eve at Aunt Jill's House
This was the first year that Aunt Jill and Uncle Don hosted our family Christmas Eve celebration and it was fun and yummy!! It was a first Christmas for "the boys" (Winston & William) and although a second and third Christmas for "the girls" (Caroline & Corrine) it was the first one that they were really able to engage in the festivities to any degree! Smiles were everywhere throughout the afternoon and evening - and you can probably guess whose were our favorites to capture! Thanks to "UD & AJ" for a wonderful and memorable day!
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