Girls' Trip

On our most recent girls' trip we flew to Buffalo, New York. The first three nights we stayed in Ontario with our last two nights back in the Buffalo area.

Our first point of interest was Niagara Falls. "Niagara Falls" is the collective name for actually three different waterfalls (American Falls, the Bridal Veil Falls, and the Horseshoe Falls) that are on the international border between Canada and our United States. 

We were fortunate to see Niagara Falls from the U.S. side, the Canadian side, behind the Falls, and up close on a tour boat. 

This boat tour was amazing!

We found this little gem in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. It's known as one of the smallest chapels in the world. 

Morningstar Mill is another beautiful thing we found out in St. Catharines, Ontario. I think it had original equipment still on the property. What a beautiful place!

Another favorite of mine was the Lockport Locks and Erie Canal Cruise. This was such a treat. I had seen "locks" before, but to experience the process on a boat was incredible.

 Birthday Girl

Glory is eight years old today. She is creative, loving, and can tell a story like nobody's business. She is such a sweet big sister to Molly and keeps Jonah on his toes! What a blessing. Love you, Glory!

A Good Garden

The garden of 2015 never took off. However, 2016 was a good garden year. You just never know! 

We probably harvested 80-90 cantaloupes. 

I gave squash to everyone I could think of or that I could pawn it off on all summer. I took it to church on several occasions. One day I just loaded up a sack full and took it to a luncheon. Turns out they were giving away door prizes. Yep, they gave my sack out, and the winner was thrilled! I have cooked squash and okra all summer long in as many different ways as I could think of. 

The tomatoes were the only bust! We had beautiful plants in the ground, but I guess the tomato gods were not with us. We just got a handful. The others either died from too much spring rain or some disease.  Oh well....you can't have everything.

 Come On FALL !

Here is our local forecast for this week!

Can I just say.........

This is the local forecast for my destination on a girls' trip. We leave Wednesday!

And.....I'm hoping to bring cooler temps back here for us!

Football Happy Dance

Got a few shots of Jonah at his flag football game today. This is one of my favorites. He and a friend were doing a little celebratory dance after their win. I might be in trouble if/when he figures out I got him dancing!

Family Time

I had all the family together this weekend. Justin, Jared, and Marilyn helped with our big evening meal last night for the September birthdays for Jonah, Glory, and Jenna. Marilyn and Rickie brought some of their salmon from their recent fishing trip in Portland. The joke was that we were eating $1500 salmon! Jared cooked it several different ways. Justin and Keelie added chicken fried steak and gravy - a family favorite. I did a "blast bar" (my version of Sonic blasts); the kiddos enjoyed making their own.  Can I just say Jonah, Glory, Molly, and Marlow add so much to our family?!

Today included a great day of worship at church with Jared, Jenna, and Marlow followed by lunch.

"A" is for Apple 

Recently I had an apple day. The apple cider candle was burning. And then a first for me......a batch of apple butter! I gave that day an "A."

Armor Clad

My group of ladies are revved up. We started our fall study this week. Below is the "Lifeway" description. 

"All day, every day, an invisible war rages around you — unseen, unheard, yet felt throughout every aspect of your life. A devoted, devilish enemy seeks to wreak havoc on everything that matters to you: your heart, your mind, your marriage, your children, your relationships, your resilience, your dreams, your destiny. But his battle plan depends on catching you unaware and unarmed. If you're tired of being pushed around and caught with your guard down, this study is for you.

The Enemy always fails miserably when he meets a woman dressed for the occasion. The Armor of God, more than merely a biblical description of the believer's inventory, is an action plan for putting it on and developing a personalized strategy to secure victory."

"A" is for Apple 

Recently I had an apple day. The apple cider candle was burning. And then a first for me......a batch of apple butter! I gave that day an "A."

Happy Birthday, Jenna

We love you!

Fall Cleaning

This was just one of several projects for the weekend. Got my kitchen cabinets all cleaned and oiled down. (clap, clap)

This Guy is Eleven !

It is unbelievable that Jonah turned 11 yesterday. He's such a great kiddo. Love his smile, his laugh, his heart, and even his goofiness. He carries "Loren" as his middle name which is a fourth generation male to have it. God gave us a very special grandson! 

(Photo taken by family friend, Kristi)

Women's Ministry Kick-Off

We had a Girls' Night Out Wednesday night. We had a great turnout for it. Such good fun, food, and fellowship. Great things are happening at FBC !