~Part 1 of GG's 90th birthday party!~

Thank you for your prayers for my family. This must be the old fashion flu (our 2nd bout with it in just one month!) Our kids and Phillip are so sick that all they do is sleep.
I think I'm coming down with it...but until I do... I am trying to keep house and home together. =)
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If you didn't see my Fun Food Friday post...you can go and see the food we served at GG's party and the fun way we presented it.   Hopefully you can use these fun/yummy ideas too!
~Moma (as usual) did a beautiful job decorating the reception hall in purples and off-whites/whites.   Here's the main centerpiece.~

~They ordered the cakes from Wal-mart...and I thought Wal-mart did a great job with her cake.  There was this cake and a sheet cake as well.~

~They had Wal-mart write "Happy 90th Mother" in purple on the cake.~

~The reception hall before everyone started coming.  It was an open house from 11:00-2:00.  I'm not sure how many came, but I think someone said around 150 people were there.~

~My Beautiful Grandmother...Beautiful inside and out.  She and Granddaddy decided to serve Jesus long ago...and that has made all the difference in their lives and ours. =) ~

~My Granddaddy went to Heaven back in 1997.  I was expecting Kimberly...so he never got to meet any of our 5 children.  =(
GG wanted "Granddaddy with her" at her party...so Moma placed this nice picture of them beside the rocking chair she sat in to greet everyone.~

~Osie (GG's neighbor lady who is 91), GG, and Me.~

~My sweet niece Katie came down from GBS.  She didn't know that I was here until she got to TN!  =)
The rest of her family couldn't come all the way from AK (Her Daddy is my oldest brother Andrew).  I SOOO WANTED to see Andrew, Vonnie and the rest of the kids, but  I was delighted that at least Katie could be here.   We had so much fun being together.~

~The Great Granddaughters served the food.  Here I am standing with Katie and Natasha as they served.~

~Laura faithfully cutting the sheet cake.
I helped with the food when I wasn't taking pictures for Moma.  (She had asked me to take lots of pics...and I did! =)~

~GG and her 3 stooges 3 precious children.  =)  Her oldest is my Moma to your right, Aunt Carole is next in the yellow, and Uncle Carson is the baby.  =)~

~This is where GG sat to greet everyone that came to see her and wish her a very Happy Birthday!~

~GG and her brother Walter.  If I understood correctly, he is her only living sibling ...there were originally 9 of them!  Wow!  Life changes so fast!  Only what we do for Christ will Last!~

~Yours truly, GG, and my dear cousin Esther!~

~For the drinks at GG's party Moma served yummy banana punch, and tea with a lemon ring.~

~The table where everyone put their cards/gifts.  The picture on the left is GG...way back when....And the picture on the right is recent!   They took GG to get her picture taken on Thursday morning before her party on Saturday.  I thought it turned out really pretty.~

~"Her Children arise up and call her blessed.  Proverbs 31:28a".~

~The center pieces on the tables.  Moma had to keep it small and simple to leave room for people to eat on both sides.~

~Katie and Brittany serving.~

~L to R: My cousin Esther, Me, my cousins Jane (in the orange) and Martha.  When I surprised everyone and flew in for GG's party Uncle Dan called his daughter Jane out in Washington and flew her in.  She hadn't been home in 2 years!  She arrived just a couple hours before GG's party started!  It was SO F.U.N. being together with nearly all of my cousins on my Moma's side!!!!  All 10 of us were together =)...except my brother Andrew from AK and my cousin Christa from FL!  =( ~

~Our dear long-time friends the Kemps (She's the "Lila" that signs my blog faithfully =) surprised my parents and came from Ohio to GG's party!
I wish you could have seen her face when she first saw me.  She was so shocked...and HAPPY that they had come down for GG's party.  It was so nice being with them.~

~Aunt Carole (in the yellow) with her 2 girls Esther on the left and Jane on the right.~

~Natasha, me, and Laura helping serve.~

Part 2 of GG's party coming up soon. =)  I wish all of you Mothers a VERY HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY tomorrow!   WHAT A HUGE PRIVILEGE we have to be called "Mommy!"  =)

~Fun Food Friday...fun party ideas~

I would have probably taken little Mary with me to the USA so that my family could have at least seen her...but when you fly internationally with a child under 2...you still have to pay taxes which most of the time are around $400.00 or so! I just didn't have that extra cash...so couldn't take little Mary. =(
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I promised part 1 pics from GG's birthday party...but then all of my family is sick and I'm playing cook, nurse, errand-runner, etc.  So, tonight, I'm going to just post some pics of some fun/yummy party ideas from GG's party...and then as soon as I can I'll post part 1 of her party.  Thanks for understanding.  =)
~This is me putting together a fun center piece/way to hold fruit/cheese kabobs before GG's party.~

~You just make your fruit kabobs however you want.
Some ideas would be:
~Alternate 2 grapes, a cube of cheese, 2 grapes, a cube of cheese, etc.
~For the Red, White, and Blue of Fourth of July I like to do pineapple chunks for the "white", grapes or blueberries for the "blue" and Strawberries with the stems for the red. 
~Choc. covered strawberries with the stems are fun too.
~For a springy event you could put a small artificial colorful flower on the end of each skewer before you start your fruit.  I've done that before and it was really cute.
Leave enough room on the DULL end of the kabob for someone to pick up the skewer.
Leave enough room on the pointy end (About 2 inches or so) to shove down into a pineapple!
Do not put the fruit on the skewers any earlier than the night before or the fruit starts tasting like wood.
Make sure when you are putting the kabobs in the pineapple that you have an even amount or just make sure the pineapple is balanced and doesn't tip over.  When serving try to take one from one side, and the next from the other side, so your pineapple won't fall over on you.  =)
I've enjoyed doing this for years.  It makes a pretty FUN centerpiece.~

~Taste of home had the idea of carving out a purple cabbage to use to hold your dip.  My Daddy did this for Moma and he just rolled the leaves back and we put a toothpick to keep them rolled back.  You can go HERE for more details. ~

~It makes for a fun presentation.  We served our Reuben sauce for our sandwiches in this purple cabbage.~

~The sandwiches were so yummy with Moma's reuben sauce.
In the copper serving dish were little smokies in BBQ sauce and grape jelly.  (2 parts BBQ sauce, 1 part grape jelly!  You can pre-bake your little Smokies sausages in the oven to give them a toasted taste and then mix your 2 sauces together and add the sausages and heat it all up in your crock pot for at least 3 hours or so (to mix flavors well) until ready to serve.)  MMMMmmmm GOOD!~

~Everything looked so beautiful and was so yummy at GG's party!  =)~

And as Always...ENJOY!
Part 1 of GG's party pics coming up soon!
Please pray for my family to get better.   I'm trying to get as much done as I can before it hits me. ={
 

~The first of MANY pics of my trip to TN!~

OK! So here's how it all came to pass!  Sunday night the 29th of April I was sitting at my computer and I wrote that poem about Grandmother turning 90 and posted it on my blog.  I then copied the poem and sent her a card with it in it. 
That's when it dawned on me..."THIS IS CRAZY!  I just lost one Grandma and didn't get to come home!  I'd rather go to GG's birthday party and see her alive...then to come back for her funeral (if it were to happen while we are on the mission field.)"  
So, I talked to Phillip about my idea of my flying to TN and SURPRISING my family...especially my Moma and Laura!  Phillip ran it past our mission's director and they both thought that I should go!  YEA!!!!!!  =D
So, I got my ticket on Monday and then called my Aunt Carole and asked her to PLEASE KEEP MY SECRET from everyone especially Laura, Moma, and GG!     GG's birthday party was on Saturday and I wanted to fly out on Thursday so I could help Moma and Laura on Friday.
I could hardly sleep the next few days...I was SO EXCITED!  I called and talked to Laura on Monday night for she and Moma had just arrived at GG's house in TN that evening.  We talked on Tuesday and Wednesday evening as well.  I told her that I wished I could be there to HELP HER GET READY during those few days.  =)  (I NEVER said I wished I could be at the party...for I knew I would be! =)
When I posted my Fun Food Friday with an URGENT unspoken request...my request was for me as I traveled that day!  =)
~So, here I am, on Thursday, May 3rd getting out of the taxi at the Bogota airport heading to my beloved TN, my GG, and my FAMILY! =)~

~After I checked in I got me a VERY RARE treat of a Cinnabon and some hot tea.~

~Then I went back to my gate and awaited my plane...which we boarded ONE HOUR LATE!~ 

I was dying about leaving an hour late...for I knew that I only had an hour and a half lay-over in Atlanta, GA and I DID NOT want to miss my next plane to TN.  Here we are fixin' to taxi down the runway.~ 

~Leaving the Bogota airport.~

~The beautiful Andes Mountains.~

~The huge city of Bogota...filled with many souls who need Jesus!~

~I prayed LOTS that Jesus would help me make my next flight so I could get to TN that evening.  Jesus did help me.  When I landed in Atlanta...Delta gave me a sign that said to RUSH ME THROUGH and I was able to make it to my gate in time.   (For I had to collect my luggage and go through customs before I found my next gate.) 
I just had a short 30 min. flight from Atlanta to Knoxville, TN.  Here we are landing in TN.  I was so EXCITED!  GG's house and my family were just 7 mins. away!!! =D~

~Dear Aunt Carole picked me up.  Here I am seeing GG for the first time.  She looked at me and asked, "Who are you?"
She knew who I was but was so shocked knowing that I was to be in South America and COULD NOT BE IN TENN!  =)~

~10 mins. later Laura, Darla, Bryan, and Moma pulled in from working on the reception hall where GG's birthday party was to be.  I hid until they came up on the deck.  I think you can tell by the pictures that my Uncle Dan captured...that I SURPRISED THEM BOTH VERY MUCH!!!! =)~

~They both screamed and Laura said she just knew she was going to faint!  I was SO HAPPY that I my plan had worked and I had surprised them!~

~Then, just 10 mins. later my Daddy drove in from IN.  I hid again and I think he was surprised as well...although he did not scream.  =)~

~On Friday we had a big day ahead of us doing the last minute preparations for GG's birthday party the next morning.   Dear Moma made yummy gravy and biscuits for our breakfast knowing we'd be working right through the lunch hour and would need a breakfast that would stick to our bones.  =)~

~Daddy cutting the purple cabbage for Moma to use to put the reuben sauce in for our sandwiches.~

~Laura, Moma, and I in front of the nice sign the pastor's wife made for GG in the reception hall.~

~Laura and our dear friend Sis. Clapper doing the skewers of grapes and cubes of cheese.~

~Aunt Carole and I doing the sandwiches...while Moma made the hall beautiful!~

~On the way back to GG's house I snapped this picture of The gorgeous Great Smokey mountains of TN!  Tennessee is GOD'S COUNTRY!  =)  
We moved to TN when I was just 6 months old and lived there until I was nearly 11...so this is Home to me ...well, one of my Many homes now! =)  ~

Part 1 and Part 2 of GG's party pics coming some time tomorrow Lord willing...and part 3 and 4 of the rest of my time in TN coming too!
I'm glad to be back with my WONDERFUL sweetheart and our sweet children.  I think that my little Mary thought that she had Permanently LOST her Mommy...though she didn't know where.  =)  I was happy that she came right to me when she saw me this morning.
I surely am GRATEFUL TO JESUS that He let me go to TN!
 

~I'm home safely! =)~

Hello! Hello! Hello! I feel like I've been around the world in less than 8 days. =) But....OH! I'm SOOOO GLAD I got to go to Grandmother's (GG's) 90th birthday party! I had an absolute BLAST surprising my family and being with everyone for those days.  I GOT to go take 2 thrift store shopping sprees with my niece Brittany, which DELIGHTED ME!!!! =) 
I got home safely late last night! Thank you for praying.
I have a TON of pics to post...but for now I'm going back to bed.
~This new book I bought for our kids from a thrift store tells exactly how I'm feeling today.  Ha!~ 

I'll get some rest and help wipe little noses (for my family came down with another cold/flu while I was gone...we are in the winter/rainy season here!)...and then hopefully I can post some pics from my WONDERFUL trip to TN later today or tomorrow. "Good night!" =)
 

Pray for Heather traveling, please

Hello.  This is Phillip posting for my better half Heather.  Heather got to go to see her dear grandmother in TN for a big surprise 90th birthday party.  And tomorrow morning she will be leaving TN to travel back home to Bogota again.  So we will appreciate your prayers for precious Heather.  All of us are thrilled to get to have Heather with us again soon.  Heather said that she will be posting more about her trip.  So stay tuned.
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Personally, I would like to thank you for praying for my 9 day ministry trip to the congregations here in Colombia.  God gave special help.  There was a good number of seekers including several sincere seekers after Entire Sanctification.  Praise God!  People are progressing in Christ.  We will also appreciate your continued prayers for God's work here.
Thank you so much,
Phillip (Heather's husband)

~Fun Food Friday...Overnight Pull-Apart Cinnamon Bread~

I have an urgent unspoken request...if you could help me pray for it, I'd really appreciate it!  Thank you!

Well, I decided to post my Fun Food Friday post early.  I sometimes do it a day late, so I thought I'd be early this time. =)  This time I am featuring my sweet daughter Kimberly and a recipe she made this week.   And as Always...Enjoy!
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The other night I (me, Kimberly) started this bread that is similar to Monkey Bread...but I like it this way better, because it is a modern way to do it.  Elijah was my helper and he wanted to eat it. I said that we would tomorrow. Then I said, "Is that okay?"  He said, "No."

For recipe click HERE
In the glaze, I put coconut extract instead of vanilla.

 My helper.

 My running shoes. I really like the colors. 

 Gram, this is for you. Thank you for this hat.

-Post by Kimberly

~Trying to touch lives...one at a time~

Please pray for Sis. Farly.  She must have the same sickness that has been at our house.  I'm still not feeling myself...a week and a half later.  =(
~One Friday evening we invited Jimmy and Farly and their girls over to do some cooking/baking.  When they arrived they had this little 5 year old girl Joanna with them. 

Joanna is a student from their school in Paraiso.  I won't go into the SAD details of the POOR conditions that little Joanna (and LOTS of other kids in Paraiso) live in on my blog but suffice it to say that little Joanna had to stay down in our living room for her head is crawling in lice!  (No matter how much Sis. Farly tries to buy lice shampoo and help these students get rid of their lice...when they go back home that night, they sleep in the same dirty sheets and are around their brothers and sisters that have lice, so they come back to school with lice!) 
Could you please pray for little Joanna and all the students at Jimmy and Farly's school.  Jimmy and Farly are GIVING THEIR LIVES to touch these little lives for Jesus!  These precious students and their families surely NEED HIM!~

 ~That Friday evening Sis. Farly showed me how to make "Arroz con Pollo" (Rice with chicken) and per her request I showed her how to make oatmeal raisin cookies, and banana bread.  We made a double batch of cookies so she could take some to school to the students in Paraiso on Monday.  =)~

 ~Sis. Farly's DELICIOUS arroz con Pollo!!~

 ~We had a great evening visiting...  =)~

~ and eating.  =)  ~

 ~Our cookies that Sis. Farly took to pass out to the VERY HAPPY students at their Christian school.~

 ~The kids playing a game of "Tio Rico" (Rich uncle)...similar to "Life."~

 ~On Saturday we took Lady and Gaby to our nearby restaurant for their CHEAP yummy lunch.  (I think we paid around $10.00 for all 9 of us to eat a full course meal!~

 There are so MANY HURTING around us.  It reminds me of these words to the song Let Me Touch Him:
"Oh to be HIS HAND extended...Reaching OUT to the oppressed,
Let Me Touch Him, Let me touch Jesus....so that others will know and be blessed."