Happy 4th of July

Dear God - Please watch and keep over our country. We long to preserve the freedom we have to freely worship You here. Turn our hearts toward You - and shine Your face upon us. Amen

Fathers. . .

Hello Everyone - It has been a LONG and TIRING week. I am leaving today for South Africa. There are 18 people on our team who are going to serve the Zulu people of South Africa. We have been preparing since January this year and now have 54 bags to check in and 18 more to carry on loaded with many generous donations of medicine and medical supplies. I am so thankful even if it has mean some really late nights. It is such a privilege for me to go and I am so thankful to all of you who supported me in so many ways.

The only BIG bummer about going on this trip at this time is that I am going to miss FATHER's DAY. I know that we have some of the BEST FATHER's a Family could ever have. They are loving, supportive, kind, generous, provide good counsel, love to have fun, and well . . . they are so many things I could say.

I am overflowing with thankfulness for my Dad, my Grandpa, and my uncles. They are so so so special to me. Love you, Tracy

Tim's new job

I accepted a new teaching position as Director of Bands at Rochester High School in Rochester, MI.

Rochester High School has approximately 1800 students and is one of three schools in Rochester. It was built in 1955 and renovated in 2002.

Rochester is home of the Falcons; blue and white are our colors. The band program has over 200 students in 3 concert bands and a marching band.

I'm looking forward to this new adventure especially starting at the end of July when I take the band to marching band camp on the campus of Michigan State.

For Better or For Worse!

Today's For Better or For Worse reminded me so much of Grandpa. I thought you all might enjoy reading it as well. Click here to read!

It was a "Memorial" Weekend

How wonderful it was to spend time with the family in Ishpeming.

Grandpa gave us a chance to all get together - unfortunately it was in the hospital!
I was amazed at how well Grandpa managed the surgery. He even kissed "Kimber" his O.R. nurse on the cheek as he was being wheeled into the O.R.

I am continuing to pray for Grandpa's continued healing and that everyone who takes care of Grandpa on a daily/weekly basis is energized and filled with hope!

Tracy

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Ryan!

Happy Birthday to Sarah!

I hope that you both had a fantastic day!

Flower Day!

Today we had a wonderful day at the Eastern Market in downtown Detroit. It was flower day and we did a thorough walk-around and purchased vegetables, perennials, and some of my favorite annuals. We arrived at about 6:15 am and we parked at Ernst Hotel Supply Company again - just $5 - and easy access back and forth from the flower vendors. The pig is a painting on one of the buildings where we looked for flowers. It always cracks me up! Our group photos - myself, carrie, alli, and sarah and the second picture carrie, alli, tim, and sarah. We had a great time. Tim, Carrie, and I made a hearty breakfast afteward (eggs, bacon, potatoes) and then fell fast asleep. Afterwards we prepared the flower beds by amending the soil. We are going to plant everything over the next couple of weeks - keeping a close watch on frost advisories. Hooray for Flower Day!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother Day - you are all such special moms!

Grandma, Emily, Carol, Debbie, Addy, and Joy!!

Love to you all!
Tracy

Busy Mothers Day

Hello Everyone
It has been a beautiful warm Mother's Day. I miss the kids but everyone called and they sent flowers. I have really enjoyed the day. Paul and I did some yard work. We planted a Hydrangea and a Fox Glove. The picture is of the Fox Glove. We saw them on the table at the restaurant we ate at Friday. They are really unusual and very pretty. I also put together a water rock garden I have been thinking about. Paul helped dig the hole for the tub and I did the rest. I really like it and love hearing the water when we sit in the screen room. Hope all is well with everyone and Happy Mother's day to you all!

Love
Emily

Silver Clouds

Tim, Carrie, and I had fun last Thursday making "silver clouds" on the grill. (Bisquick, marshmallows, and peppermint patties) It was a great start to what is feeling more and more like summer!

Mom, Dad, Tim, and Pete are planning on visiting Grandma and Grandpa over Memorial Weekend. We are really looking forward to seeing them!

'Master' Tim moves to Royal Oak

Hope everyone is well. Just wanted to let you know that Tim graduated with his Master's in Music Conducting from MSU this past Friday. I will post some pictures soon. We are so proud of all that he has accomplished.

He is also moving into my little blue house for the summer or until he finds a new full time position. Prayers for Tim right now are (1) to sell his condo in Bay City (2) to find a really good high school band instructor position that is near a university.

Hope to hear from you all soon.
Love, Tracy

Hello Everyone

I was going through some of my computer files looking for something and came across this interesting list I saved. I thought it would be fun to share it with all of you. It is a list of how to's I hope you find them helpful.

Love
Emily

This is "Good" stuff ! Sure hope you can "Mezmerize" all of it.
Who knew?How many of these did you know about?
A sealed envelope - put in the freezer for a few hours, then slide a knife under the flap. The envelope can then be resealed. (hmmm..m...) ======================================================
Use empty toilet paper rolls to store appliance cords. It keeps them neat and you can write on the roll what appliance it belongs to. ======================================================
For icy door steps in freezing temperatures: get warm water and put Dawn dishwashing liquid in it. Pour it all over the steps. T hey won't refreeze. (Wish I had known this for the last 40 years!)
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To remove old wax from a glass candle holder, put it in the freezer for
a few hours. Then take the candle holder out and turn it upside down. The wax will fall out. ======================================================
Crayon marks on walls? This worked wonderfully! A damp rag, dipped in baking soda. Comes off with little effort (elbow grease that is!). ======================================================
Permanent marker on appliances/counter tops (like store receipt blue!) .... rubbing alcohol on paper towel.
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Whenever I purchase a box of S.O.S Pads, I immediately take a pair of scissors and cut each pad into halves. After years of having to throw away rusted and unused and smelly pads, I finally decided that this would be much more economical. And now a box of S.O.S pads last me indefinitely! In fact, I have noticed that the scissors get sharpened this way! ======================================================
Blood stains on clothes? Not to worry! Just pour a little hydrogen peroxide on a cloth and proceed to wipe off every drop of blood. Works every time! Now, where to put the body? LOL ======================================================
Use vertical strokes when washing windows outside and horizontal for inside windows. This way you can tell which side has the streaks. Straight vinegar will get outside windows really clean. Don't wash windows on a sunny day. They will dry too quickly and will probably streak. =====================================================
Spray a bit of perfume on the light bulb in any room to create a lovely light scent in each room when the light is turned on. =====================================================
Place fabric softener sheets in dresser drawers and your clothes will smell freshly washed for weeks to come. You can also do this with towels and linens. ======================================================
Candles will last a lot longer if placed in the freezer for at least 3 hours prior to burning. ======================================================
To clean artificial flowers, pour some salt into a paper bag and add the flowers. Shake vigorously as the salt will absorb all the dust and dirt and leave your artificial flowers looking like new! Works like a charm! =====================================================
To easily remove burnt on food from your skillet, simply add a drop or two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil on stovetop. ======================================================
Spray your Tupperware with nonstick cooking spray before pouring tomato-based sauces and there won't be any stains. ======================================================
Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks. ======================================================
When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar (no salt) to help bring out the corn's natural sweetness.
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Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.
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Don't throw out all that leftover wine: Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces. Leftover wine? What's that?! :)=====================================================
To get rid of itch from mosquito bites, try applying soap on the area and you will experience instant relief.
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Ants, ants, everywhere.... Well, they are said to never cross a chalk line. So get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or wherever ants tend to march. See for yourself. ======================================================
Use air-freshener to clean mirrors. It does a good job and better still, leaves a lovely smell to the shine.
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When you get a splinter, reach for the scotch tape before resorting to tweezers or a needle. Simply put the scotch tape over the splinter, then pull it off. Scotch tape removes most splinters painlessly and easily. =====================================================

Now look what you can do with Alka Seltzer: =====================================================
Clean a toilet. Drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets, wait twenty minutes, brush and flush. The citric acid and effervescent action clean vitreous China. =====================================================
Clean a vase. To remove a stain from the bottom of a glass vase or cruet, fill with water and drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets. =====================================================
Polish jewelry. Drop two Alka Seltzer tablets into a glass of water and immerse the jewelry for two minutes.
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Clean a thermos bottle. Fill the bottle with water, drop in four Alka Seltzer tablets, and let soak for an hour (or longer, if necessary). ======================================================
Unclog a drain. Clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka Seltzer tablets down the drain followed by a cup of Heinz White Vinegar. Wait a few minutes, then run the hot water. ======================================================

Warm Springs GA

Hello

Paul and I had a great adventure today. We went to see Warm Springs. http://gastateparks.org/net/go/parks.aspx?locationid=49&s=49.0.1.5 This is where Franklin Delano Roosevelt built the Little White House in 1932. We had a great time.

there was a really good movie by HBO http://www.hbo.com/films/warmsprings/interviews/kenneth_branagh.html about this. It is only about 30 minute drive from us. I just wanted to share the interesting day. We went to the house and springs. The little town has a lot of cute stores and a ice cream place. We had a small picinic at a road side park right next to the pools. We will have to take you when you visit!!!

Well enjoy you week.

Love

Emily

A Night at the Museum

Tim and I headed out with some friends to the Detriot Institute of Arts in downtown Detroit! We first ate out a delicious Irish Deli called Eph McNally's in Campus Martius and then headed off to see the Ansel Adams Exhibit. We all had a grand time. I was reminded of the many places that Mom and Dad brought us kids in our trusty ol' venture camper.

Happy Birthday Lindsey

I hope it was a wonderful birthday! May God bless you and keep you this year.
Love, Tracy

Shout out from Tracy!

Hi Everyone - I hope you are all doing well. It sounds like everyone had a wonderful Easter. I enjoyed spending time with Mom, Dad, and Pete.

I am off to church today and have and Africa meeting this afternoon.

Carrie and I went to the Royal Oak Market yesterday morning and bought parsnips, carrots, and onions. They were delicious. We also made bread in the bread machine. What fun!

I also bought two containers of wheat grass for the guinea pigs (humans can eat it too) and they thought it was pretty wonderful!

Easter at Florida

Hello Everyone
I hope you had a good Easter! We had a great time and really enjoyed being with each other. I thought you may enjoy some pictures from the beach. We are back in GA and getting back into the swing of things here. take care
Emily

Think spring!

Hello everyone!
We had a wonderful Easter weekend in Ishpeming -- in spite of all the snow! There was so much more than when we were there at Christmas! We figured it snowed about 10 inches Friday night after we got there. We stayed with Addy and Faith and as always we had a blast together, but didn't get enough sleep! No, Faith didn't keep us up, we just visit and catch up til late at night! Faith is such a beautiful baby and has a sweet personality -- she's very easygoing. We got to hear her say her favorite words -- especially "dog!" It was so much fun hearing Debbie and Linda play in the bell choir on Easter morning. What a beautiful service. And then there were the ham balls! Yum!
We took Isaac to a ear/nose/throat specialist last week to figure out his ear issues. It turns out that yes, his adenoids have grown back AGAIN and that is the source of his plugged ears and hearing loss (since January). Isaac has had his adenoids removed twice before and in the 30 years this doctor has practiced he's never had to do a third adenoidectomy on a patient. He's stumped, I'm bummed and Isaac is thrilled and very proud of his new nickname "Adenoid King!" Isaac is scheduled for surgery for ear tubes and removal of his adenoid on Monday, the 16th. This will be his 4th surgury and he thinks its tons of fun. I'm just glad he'll be able to hear again. He has great coping mechanisms and it doesn't seem to bother him usually but his teacher and I can definitely tell he's not hearing everything.
Everything else here is fine. The boys have both started soccer again and are loving it. We're looking forward to their Saturday games.
We hope everyone had a blessed Easter! We were missing all of you!
Love, Joy

The Pollen has come to Georgia

Hello Everyone
Well it is pollen time in Georgia. I couldn’t believe it. The green/ yellow stuff flies through the air like a green cloud and lands on everything. I opened the window to let the spring air in and the kitchen turned green. I posted some before and after pictures of the screen room when we power washed it, just to show you. We are waiting for the rain to come and wash most away. Then we power wash everything.

The top two pictures are from Paul’s latest trip to Japan and China. The pictures are from his hotel in China. I thought the housing was really interesting. We don’t know how wonderful we have it in this country.

Take care, and have a great Easter.
Emily

April Showers bring May Flowers

Good Morning Everyone - Can you believe it is April already? This morning we had strong April showers that have continued on into the morning here. I am hoping that these showers will indeed bring beautiful May flowers.

I have been busy working on the trip to South Africa as of late. We only have 75 days until we leave. It sounds both so short and yet so far away. Thank you to everyone who has responded to my support letter - whether in prayer, finances, and/or medicine. It is really appreciated. I'll certainly keep you up-to-date on my progress! You can also check out my Team Blog.

Yesterday I went to a worship leaders meeting in which we analyzed our 34 strengths according to the Gallup company. It was really interesting. The whole idea is to key in and work with our strengths and surround yourself with people who have complimentary strengths in order to be most effective in your job, your life, and for us our worship teams. My top five were: Activator, Achiever, Arranger, Restorative, and Developer! I wonder what all of yours are?

I am contining on at weight watchers and still am at about 10# lost - I really need a jump start right now. My friend just sent me several links to some good websites that I thought you might be interested in too!
(1) Hungry Girl
(2) Aimee's Adventures
(3) Jaime's Kitchen
(4) Half My Size
(5) Dotti's Weight Loss Zone (This has tons of weight watcher points info!)

I hope you are all doing well.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Love, Tracy