Saturday

Saturday was busy and very varied for our family. But I just had to start out with a picture from earlier in the week... Have I mentioned that Winston loves playing in the pool?? :-)

As long as we're on the topic, here are a few other pictures from the week:




We had a window crack during some of the sub-zero weather we had last winter, and finally got around to replacing it! :-)

But to get back to Saturday's events, it started bright and early as Joanna and I headed out the door for a bridal shower for long-time friend Rebecca Knottnerus. Many other ladies from church were there as well, so we had lots of fun!

It was our first time to meet the groom, and we look forward to witnessing their wedding in just a few weeks!

Since Rebecca is a "hat" person, while she opened gifts, they made hats from all the bows, and then had "pictures with the bride" at the end! Blessings on you Rebecca and Paul as you prepare for your life together!

Hurrying home from the shower, we were soon en route to meet up with the rest of the family at the Strand's home to celebrate two birthdays - one (rather belated) for Grant Strand and one for Anna VonHolten. Grant's party had been long anticipated by himself and most of the guys in our church. They spent the afternoon and evening painting each other - uh, yes, using paint ball guns. They even skipped out on dessert to get back to the guns! :)

The ladies spent the day indoors celebrating Anna's 21st birthday by just having fun together, enjoying yummy chocolate cheesecake, signing 'souvenier' t-shirts, and watching a movie together. Thanks, Strands, for hosting us all!

The guys had both camera's outside with them most of the day, so we don't have any of the girl pictures, but a bunch of paintball pics! :-)

Help Wanted

Wanted: A Good Man (or two)

Yes, we're serious. This is actually a wanted ad, and this is a great
employment opportunity. Read on:

North Country Interiors, LLC, has plenty of work and needs a bigger crew. Right now everyone is putting in lots of extra hours and their families are protesting - as are the men themselves! So, if you are looking for some steady work and are willing to work with your hands in commercial, residential and historic settings in northern Illinois, this may be the job for you!

Position Description:
- Crew member working on hardwood, tile, and resilient flooring installation
- All skill levels acceptable, necessary training will be provided
- Primary markets served are Rockford and Chicago with occasional projects in Milwaukee, WI.
- Full-time during the summer months, will consider part-time during fall/winter for college students
- Pay starts at $12/hour, but is commensurate with experience.
- Opportunities for advancement based on merit and experience. Our goal is to provide our crew members with income sufficient to sustain a family.

Employee Requirements:
- Experience operating basic power tools
- Ability to conduct basic construction math
- Capable of lifting 75 lbs
- at least 18 years of age
- Self-motivation and good work ethic

Some more info:
- While a longer-term commitment is desired, NCI is open to discussing short-term opportunities
- Must be prepared to bring to the job site a full supply of common sense each day
- Crew members get to have an Erber as their boss and have their pay checks signed by an attorney

For more info give Nathan a call: 815-914-6397 or nathan@northcountryinteriors.biz

Alive, but...

Yes, we're alive, and yes, we're at home. However we've been hit by some sort of flu bug that somebody brought home from somewhere. So we've been laying low this week! The biggest news items come from the day before the bug struck.

Last Saturday morning Nathan & Jeanine moved into their new home! It's only a short little drive for us and we're so glad to have them settling in close by... especially with less than two months before baby #3 arrives.

Last Saturday afternoon saw us helping our neighbors with an anniversary party for their parents. The catering we did for that event included making nearly 10 dozen deviled eggs. If anyone needs some tips on cooking/peeling/filling that many eggs, just drop me a line. :D

Last Saturday evening after the anniversary party we headed over to the park to meet with a few other families from church for a softball game. We had everyone on the field (except a couple of moms), and it was a lot of fun - aside from one casualty. Josh stepped in to pitch in relief for his sister... and his first pitch came right back at him, and he caught it. BUT, he caught it directly in front of his nose - as in he hardly got his glove up in time... so we had an injury delay and he had to leave the game. He hasn't been feeling too good, looking pretty or breathing well since, although the report from the road is that he's doing much better now. Yes, by Monday morning, he and the RV crew managed to load up and hit the road west all the same. They are finishing up at the Arizona convention today and despite the black nose/eye/face and a bought with the fever/flu thing they've survived thus far and hope to be home safe and sound early next week.

Aside from all that excitement, we've just been enjoying each other's company (and that certainly includes the grandkids!), doing house work, building a deck out back, and trying to get everyone healthy again!

Cousins

4 Little Cousins... getting bigger!!


4 sets of toeses...


...and 4 little noses!


William and Caroline

Winston and Corrine

Slumber Party!!

Saturday night we had a slumber party at our house!! Nathan, Jeanine, Jeremy and Sara had a wedding to attend, and so WE got the grandkids! The boys were soon bedded down for the night quietly - one in the boys room, one in Grandpa and Grandma's room. But, in the girls room... all was NOT quiet! One little girl had been put down in the crib, Auntie Joanna was in the trundle bed, and the other little girl was with Auntie Jess in the big bed. It didn't last long!

The little girl in the crib got a little jealous of the little girl in the big bed, so soon both little girls were in the big bed with Auntie Jess. It started out okay - for a minute or two... but then, after peeking to see if Auntie Jess was watching, the giggling, the tickling, the playing, the kicking and poking started!! Our little girls are not so little anymore and they would have loved to have played the night away - but after allowing some play time, their old auntie started hushing them and telling them to lay still.

Finally, all was quiet, but all was not still. From the far side of the bed, Caroline had apparently fallen asleep, but Corrine was still restless and roaming. Snuggling up to Auntie Jess - with her arm around her neck and face pressed against face - and then turning sideways, pulling the covers up to her neck, and then kicking them off, and then groaning and moaning... finally Auntie Jess asked her if she wanted to go back into the crib, and she replied with her standard answer, "Sure." So Auntie Jess moved her into the crib where the little girl quickly fell peacefully asleep, and with a sigh of relief the old auntie climbed back into the big bed ready to sleep...

But no sooner had her head touched the pillow then she heard a small voice ask, "Now shall *I* sleep by you?" Caroline had been quiet - but wasn't asleep. So once again, a small arm wrapped around Auntie Jessica's neck...

Some time later Grandma came in to check on the girls and found niece and auntie sharing about 6 inches of bed space - but sound asleep, at last.