The Crandall Family Room

Christmas 2011

2012-02-11T07:15:00.006-06:00

Here are the last of my Christmas photos. I posted photos that weren't on any of the other family blogs.

Andrew, Alissa, Jonathan and Sara. I think that this was before David and Hillary arrived.

Lunch at Los Aztecas. The children were all SO GOOD, down there at the end of the table together!

Fun time at the mall playplace. Wow, I never noticed Sara and I are in this, too!

Two doll dresses for Felicity and Elizabeth.

This is such a CUTE photo of Louise playing Dalmuti:

Lori's Visit

2012-02-08T08:45:00.004-06:00

Lori came to visit us while Alissa and Andrew were with us at Christmastime.
Thanks so much, Lori, for sharing your time with us! And Thanks also for the "kissing balls." I still have one on the back porch that I look at everyday!

Marion Christmas program

2012-02-08T08:25:00.004-06:00

Here are some photos that we took at the children's Christmas program in Marion. Notice Jonathan working on guitar music in the background.

Glenn's Holiday

2012-02-06T08:44:00.004-06:00

I took these photos of Glenn's family room after I decorated for Christmas.

This is Glenn's Christmas cactus that usually lives outside, but we brought it inside instead of buying a poinsetta.

This is a little tree that I bought. It was already decorated, but I put some lights on it. It will be planted in the spring.

This is a bush out front that died last summer. He wanted me to put lights on it like last year. Then when I was out in January, I cut it off and dug it out!

It's PIE Time! Er, HIGH Time!

2011-11-28T10:42:00.004-06:00

These are the pies that I made with my Gays Mills apples. I also put up some canned applesauce. I tried a "rustic tart" but didn't like the way it came out so well. My mistake was in using canned cranberries, instead of dried cranberries. It was too moist. The leafy top was the most fun! Alan got the flowers for Thanksgiving.
This is the fine arts building going up on the UD campus. This is in the general area of where our house was located. It is now a couple layers higher than when I took this photo! We're all wondering when the top will be reached!

Yosemite Valley

2011-11-22T21:01:00.003-06:00

On my last plane flight over California (Sacramento to Los Angeles), the pilot announced that those passengers sitting on the left side of the plane could get a good view of Yosemite Valley. I thought the view was amazing! The color in the photo isn't great, but you can clearly see Half Dome on the right and El Capitan on the left, with the Yosemite Valley in between. I try to think about my routes, and sit on the side that I think might give me the best/most interesting views. Coming into Los Angeles I always see the big HOLLYWOOD sign on the hillside.

Dubuque Wildlife

2011-11-22T16:00:00.001-06:00

Here are some photos that Papa took of a baby animal down our back hillside. Do you know what kind of animal this is? Here's a little closer picture: Look closely at its tail. Now do you know what kind of baby animal it is? It is NOT a rat. Write you answer in the comments!
Here is a big, beautiful web that a very industrious spider spun this fall:
Here is a very funny-looking Papa after he had some dental surgery and his face was partially numb! He couldn't smile on the left side of his face.

Trip to Gays Mills, Wisconsin

2011-11-22T15:02:00.006-06:00

In October, when I came home from Glenn's, Alan said he had a surprise for me. He had planned a lovely day seeing the fall colors and driving through the apple growing areas of southwest Wisconsin. Here's an apple orchard in the Gays Mills area, surrounded by beautiful trees. Look closely and you can see the red apples on the trees. At one of the farms where we stopped, goats climbed up on this apparatus to get corn that Alan sent up in a little bucket.
Here I am beside the apple-sorting machine. It was stopped right now, but it was fascinating to watch the apples fall through the different sized holes to grade them according to size. We also bought a bushel of apples. Coming soon are the pie photos!!

Life of a Corpse Lily

2011-11-14T21:07:00.004-06:00

I know that most of you have seen this in person, but I wanted to document the corpse lily that I got from Andrea Roys. I had been out of town when it came to life in the spring, and the blossom stalk grew up 30 inches before I even got the bulb planted. Here it is on May 8: By May 19 the lily had blossomed. I set it next to the front door, but the unfortunate thing was that it gave off a really bad odor.
Sometime after the whole bloom stalk died off, up came the leaves that lasted the rest of the summer. Here they are on October 15.
By October 28 they leaf stalk had weakened and was beginning to die off. So I unpotted the large bulb around November 5 and will bring it in the house to sit through the winter

A Letter to My Siblings

2011-10-06T17:29:00.000-05:00

Dear John, Jim, & Marianne,

Hardly a week goes by that I don’t think about each of you. It seems harder and harder to relate as a family since both Mom and Dad passed away. They were always the glue that held us together while they were alive. I wish I could see you more often, but I find that’s tough to pull off. Even though I’m far away across the country, I’ve decided that at least I could write more often. Maybe a letter or two could stimulate some fond memories, good feelings, compassion, and conversations among us.

I was thinking recently about the positive ways our parents influenced us. They had a strong faith in God, and although we as children have taken somewhat different spiritual paths, the very fact that we are on those paths is because of their teaching and example. I remember Mom reading from “The Bible Story,” and Dad leading family prayers, always ending with the Lord’s Prayer. I remember Dad preaching in church occasionally, and always choking up over some personal faith-related anecdote. Mom was concerned that we not so fill our minds with the trivialities of television and newspaper comics that we would miss the truly important truths of life and eternity. They tried to teach us moral principles such as respect, honesty, sharing, etc., and as needed they reinforced their lessons with a vigorous pants-down spanking.

Although they were dedicated Seventh-day Adventists, they didn’t always toe the party line when it came to church traditions. That was a good example for us too. They taught us that faith is built on reason and conscience, as well as dogma. Above all, they were compassionate people, and the way they cared for friends and family members (e.g. our aging grandmothers) was more important than any theological doctrines.

Mom and Dad both grew up in rural America, and never lost their love for the land. If we have an appreciation for nature and the environment, we owe it partly to our childhood experience on that 5-acre ranchette in Prescott. Dad was what we would today call a “gentleman farmer,” and he and Mom exposed us to the wonders of milking cows, hatching chicks, gathering eggs, killing the fatted calf, plucking chickens, caring for pets, planting trees, fertilizing gardens, climbing mountains and chopping wood. They taught us to care for the land and to not waste things. The home place on Thumb Butte Road will always be a magical place for me. It is where I discovered Indian artifacts, porcupine quills, rock caves, lizards, horny toads, snakes, scorpions, and felt the cool wind blowing on my face as I watched cumulus clouds drift overhead. I look back on all that now and think of it as a wonderful and rare gift. (And I appreciate John for preserving and improving it!)

In recent years I have often wished for another chance to converse with Mom and Dad about their lives and struggles. I learned later in life that Mom had a chronic tendency to depression, and that Dad had a love-hate relationship with his employment at the VA Hospital. The marriage was not always harmonious, and they struggled financially. I know they worried about the divergent pathways of their adult children (for example, my departure from the SDA faith), and yet their love was always constant. Their greatest crisis was Mom’s final illness with AIDS and Hepatitis, during which time their faithfulness to each other and persistence in the face of adversity became even more entrenched. I love them and admire them.

As the Bible says, “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord . . . . they will rest from their labors, for their deeds will follow them” (Rev. 14:13).

I’m sure each of you will have different highlights in your memory bank when you think about Mom and Dad’s influence. If you ever feel like sharing your thoughts and feelings about our family heritage, it would be illuminating for all of us.

Love,

Alan

No Comment

2011-09-30T10:35:00.000-05:00

"The Story of Everything"

2011-08-20T18:19:00.004-05:00

Hey, Crankids! If you like art and reading you should watch this "doodle animation" that tells the whole Bible story in under 5 minutes. Let me know if you like it.

The Dennis Prager Show

2011-08-16T09:05:00.000-05:00

Here's food for thought!
The Dennis Prager Show

Happy Birthday to Jan!

2011-05-25T21:51:00.001-05:00

For a year or so I've been playing with a little poem, and finally it seems ready to express my deep longing. I dedicate it to you, sweetheart.

A POEM FOR LOVERS

In the beginning,
"They were naked and not ashamed,"
Until hubris devoured innocence.
Now we hardly know each other,
Son of Adam, daughter of Eve,
We cloak ourselves with fig leaves.

But we cannot hide from Love.
The one who made us in his image
Cries "Where are you?"
And covers us with reflected beauty.

Thus hopeful, we turn to the light
Where curved-in-hearts are unsprung.

Someday, you and I
Will know even as we are known,
Translucent with divinity.
Now we see through a glass darkly,
But then--face to face.

(5/25/2011)

Sadie's Visit in Dubuque, IA and Huron, South Dakota

2011-04-05T17:33:00.006-05:00

Sadie came home with us on Saturday, March 26. Her Daddy gave her this special necklace that her Mommy had made, so that she would remember the family. Here she is, ready to go to church with us on Sunday morning. We had company for lunch and there was a little boy, Daniel, who was 4 years old, so Sadie entertained him. During the week, we played, did errands, went to the park, and did Sadie's regular schoolwork. This is a photo that Sadie took of her reading book: Sadie played with the Legos and made some great trains to carry babies, and this wonderful house: On Thursday, March 31, we all piled into the car and headed up to South Dakota to see Andrew, Alissa and little Levi. One of the places that we walked to from their house was the library. It was fun, and there was lots to see there. Here are Andrew and Sadie enjoying books:

Here is Levi enjoying the library, a nice nap out of the wind:

There was a "bug exhibit" at the library and Sadie found these pupa hiding in the honey comb:

She also was fascinated by this model ship:

Everyone who goes to Huron should be sure and visit the library, it is fun, and there is a book room where all the books are for sale. We got children's books for 10 cents apiece!

More to come in our next post. More Huron photos!!

Andrew Peterson - Dancing In The Mine Fields

2011-02-27T19:38:00.000-06:00

An old Boulder friend sent me Andrew Peterson's "Counting Stars" album at Christmas. All the songs are superb art, and here is one that touched me deeply. Enjoy!

Snow on Groundhog's Day!

2011-02-02T15:52:00.010-06:00

Here is what our cul de sac looked like this morning, after we had shoveled our driveway. Natalee left before 5 a.m. this morning on cross-country skiis to go to work at Mercy Hospital, about 3 miles away.

Here is the birthday

man starting to

tackle the drifts in

front of the garage.

Finally we are all shoveled out!

It was work throwing the snow up on top of that pile!

Here's the snow depth along the sidewalk:

Glenn's Flowers in January

2011-01-18T22:33:00.004-06:00

Aren't these camellias just perfect and beautiful? These flowers have all survived several below freezing nights.
Marguerites, the "yellow daisies" that we had in our wedding:

These narcissis are the first bulbs to bloom, and they smell SO FRAGRANT!

These are sitting on the porch, impatiens, Christmas cactus and geranium:

Another Christmas cactus:

More impatiens and Christmas cactus on the porch:

And finally, the tangelo tree has lots of fruit, but it isn't ripe yet. Give it another month!

Feathered Friends and Flowers

2011-01-17T19:31:00.005-06:00

Here is a large red-bellied sapsucker right outside our kitchen window.

These are beautiful rosy finches:

Here's a COLD cardinal with his feathers all fluffed out to keep warm:

Alan bought these flowers to surprise me when I arrived home from Sacramento on December 14. This bouquet was still lovely the day before I returned to Sacramento on January 7!

"Fall" in Sacramento!

2011-01-16T16:03:00.003-06:00

This is a posting of some miscellaneous photos that I took while in Sacramento in December. But first, is the Chicago airport, decked out for Christmas! I was surprised by this, but it was very nice!

These are what the fall colors look like in Sacramento, but this doesn't happen until in December! There were also roses and camellias blooming

Below is a persimmon tree. They lose all their
leaves in the fall, but the fruit stays on to ripen.

Look how very tall this beautiful has grown:

2010 "Chrisgiving" #4

2010-12-22T19:38:00.008-06:00

Some portraits from the Family Room: The ladies: Jan, Alissa, Sara and Hillary

The gents: Alan, Andrew (Alissa), David (Hillary), and Jonathan (Sara)They still like to roughhouse!
Andrew, Alissa and Levi

Where's the mistletoe?

2010 "Chrisgiving" #3

2010-12-22T19:07:00.009-06:00

Here's the Crandall family room, with our youngest grandchild, Levi resting peacefully. It's just quiet before the chaos!
A tired Ezra, and the architectural structure that he designed. Papa and Levi catching a quiet moment:

2010 "Chrisgiving" #2

2010-12-22T18:37:00.006-06:00

This is the second year that we have take the children to a nursing home for them to sing to the residents. This is "Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelulia, Praise Ye the Lord." The girls stand on the Hallelu's and the boys stand when they sing "Praise Ye the Lord." Well, it started out fine, but got a little rough at the end!
This Little Light of Mine:
Alissa with Louise:

2010 "Chrisgiving" #1

2010-12-22T18:11:00.006-06:00

We dubbed Christmas celebrated at Thanksgiving as "Chrisgiving."
These are some miscellaneous photos of sons and grandchildren. David and Andrew:

Hannah, Grace and Sadie
Away in the Manger sung by Grace, Theo, Sadie

Ezra, Hannah and Jude

Grand Children

2010-10-22T21:47:00.003-05:00

Sara came up last week with the children and Sadie made this project. I painted her hand and forearm brown, and that became the tree, then she dipped her fingers in different colors and made the leaves in fall colors.
Then while I was supposed to be watching the children, and they were coloring, this was what Violet was working on! And I was right there in the kitchen! Early Halloween??

Iowa Corn Watch #6

2010-09-06T07:49:00.003-05:00

Here is our cornfield last week: Then we had a hot dry week, and this is what our field looked like this Sunday as we drove by:

So the Iowa corn watch is over for the year. But, would you believe, that was the ONLY field anywhere that we saw was harvested! So, we may take a few more photos of the harvest in progress as we see that happening through the fall.

We have some very generous church member in Wadena who shared a quart of deliciously sweet, really ripe raspberries with us. I probably should have made jam so that I could share it with all of you, but here's what we did with them, and this was SO DELICIOUS:

Homemade bread toasted, a smear of crispy peanut butter (Sam's has this "Naturally More" peanut butter that isn't crunchy, it's CRISPY, and easy to spread), homemade applesauce (which happened to have melted red hots in it), and the raspberries on top. YUMM!!!

Eating our way through Lakewood!

2010-09-05T19:24:00.003-05:00

Here are some miscellaneous photos that we took on vacation in Denver.
We all really enjoyed eating Hillary's good meals!

We also enjoyed at meal at Cici's:
And Louise just enjoyed all the food!
These two enjoyed the food, too. . .

But that's not how this happened!!!!

Iowa Corn Watch #5

2010-08-28T18:21:00.003-05:00

"The corn is as high as an elephant's eye, and it looks like it's climbin' clear up to the sky. . ."

Here is a field of soybeans:

Here is what they look like closer up. There are always 3 beans in a fuzzy pod:

Oops Again!

2010-07-07T08:57:00.002-05:00

If you want to see my "latest" post, scroll down below the corn blog to see my pot gardens!

Iowa Corn Watch #4

2010-06-28T20:30:00.004-05:00

Due to mud at usual field, we photographed this one a few miles away, with no mud. You can see that Iowa corn will be "Knee high by the Fourth of July!" We photographed this on June 27, because we will be in South Dakota next Sunday, on the actual 4th.

Pot Gardening

2010-06-28T20:12:00.004-05:00

I know that it is only June, but my pot gardening is coming along really well, so far. Here is my basil. It has never done so well before. Usually it has bugs by now. I have been cutting it, but it really grows fast!

Here are my "patio tomatoes" that I thought were going to be cherry tomatoes, but they are getting BIG!
The pot on left is mint, and the one with all the flowers has lavender in the middle.

These are my hanging pots of impatiens:

These lilies were blooming in May. They were beautiful this year and the deer didn't eat them (I think the neighbors next door have quit feeding the deer!).

These are balloon flowers. See how they look like balloons before they open up and bloom:

Storm over Cedar Rapids

2010-06-28T20:03:00.003-05:00

June 18, when Jonathan and Sara were at the homeschool conference we were taking the children to a baseball game. Here was the storm coming into town. It was only about 6 p.m. , so it should have been a very light sky everywhere. Needless to say, the game was cancelled, so we just had an outing in the car!

This was Sadie, wanting to stay and play at the spiderweb park.I'm not sure that these ponds are actually for swimming, but it was awfully hot!

Jude's Birthday

2010-06-28T19:46:00.005-05:00

Alan and I went to Marion the day after Jude's birthday and took him a train whistle. He really wanted a whistle, and it has a low tone, so isn't quite to obnoxious to hear.Jonathan helped him assemble a small lego set.

Meanwhile, Violet enjoyed Elvis the cat:

Then I enjoyed Violet!

Trip to Hazleton and Wildlife in Garage!

2010-06-28T19:29:00.003-05:00

Sue Lemon invited us to join her family to visit Hazleton, in the Amish area of Iowa. It was a rainy day, just like the last time we visited there in about 2000! ( Remember, David and Hillary?) It was the "Hazleton Days" celebration, so there was a parade, and these horses and buggies were parked under this big tree, while lots of teenage Amish folk were walking around, waiting for the parade to begin. Here are Alan and I standing in front of a bakery where we enjoyed cherry and apple turnovers! The bakery had no lights, and the ovens were all wood-burning. Behind us are the bins of firewood to heat the ovens.
This is a milk snake that Natalee found in our garage. Alan was gone for the day, so we had to decide what to do with it! After jumping around and looking at it for awhile, we realized that it was dead, because the door had closed on part of it, that you can't see in the photo. We got a book and identified it. Then, Jon, Natalee's son came and I think he took care of it! They are actually "good" snakes, but you all know how I feel about ALL snakes!

Iowa Corn Watch #3

2010-06-28T19:18:00.003-05:00

This was the cornfield on June 13. It was raining cats and dogs (can you see them??) so the photo isn't very close or very clear. But the corn is making good progress!
We also saw some other beautiful flowers along the road that I thought I would show you:

Memorial Day 2010

2010-06-05T14:04:00.006-05:00

Jonathan and Sara and family came up for Memorial Day, and we went downtown to watch the parade. Here we are waiting in the shade for the parade to begin: Sara, Sadie, Jude and Ezra on the sidewalk watching the middle school band march past:
After the parade we visited the children's zoo for its opening weekend of the season:

Here are the "kids" feeding the "kids." The baby goats really like dandelion greens!

Ezra feeding the sheep.
They all enjoyed the merry-go-round. Especially Violet! She DID NOT want to get off!
Alan and Violet enjoyed a ride on the free tractor-pulled train while Sadie watches from the caboose.

Ezra and Jude are in the caboose, and Sadie peeks out from the window:

ERRATA

2010-06-03T19:55:00.002-05:00

I made up a post, left it as a draft, then published it today, with making lots of changes, but it still posted on the original date (May 25) that I started the post. So, if you want to see it, you have to backtrack to May 25. It's about my PARSLEY. :)

Family Time

2010-06-01T08:46:00.000-05:00

Jonathan, Sara and family came up Saturday, May 22. Andrew was here during his 2-week DMin cohort program. It was also Dubuque Days, so we went downtown to see what was happening. But, unfortunately, we went after most events had closed down for the day, but we still enjoyed walking around town.
Funny Guy:
He CAN be serious:

Isn't this special? Andrew just needs a few of his own!

Iowa Corn Watch #2

2010-05-30T14:50:00.006-05:00

Same cornfield, 2 weeks later. Sunday, May 30, 2010
Here's a close-up of some small stalks at the edge of the field. The old saying goes that the corn should be "knee high by the 4th of July." I think it will make it at this rate!
This big old gobbler walked across our front lawn last week!

Whitewater Canyon

2010-05-27T10:11:00.001-05:00

In mid-May we explored the hiking paths of a newer county park about 20 minutes from Dubuque. We enjoyed the limestone cliffs, caves, and flower-strewn meadows. We ate our picnic lunch overlooking the "whitewater" canyon carved by the Maquoqueta River.

Flower name below: May Apples

Heritage Trail Run

2010-05-25T10:56:00.005-05:00

On May 8, Alan ran a 10K (that 6.2 miles!) and placed 2nd in his age division! That was really great considering that he had hurt his back 2 weeks earlier and hadn't been able to keep up his training. He ran in 51 min. 34 sec. That's about 8.5 minutes per mile, for 6 miles! The first place winner for the division set an age group record of 47:11. Here is our champion!

That's his second place medal that he is proudly displaying.

How Much Parsley Would a Woodchuck Chew, if a Woodchuck Chewed on my Parsley?

2010-05-25T10:51:00.004-05:00

SEE FOR YOURSELF:
HE ATE ALL OF IT!

Iowa Corn Watch

2010-05-25T10:18:00.005-05:00

Believe us, there is more to do in Iowa than watch the corn grow! But we are going to show you the stages of this freshly planted corn field about every 2 weeks as we drive by it on our way to Wadena. Stay tuned!

Here is a photo of a beautiful hillside of flox that we see on our way to Wadena. It is really beautiful this time of year with the wildflowers.

Trip to Denver, Part 4

2010-05-08T22:44:00.002-05:00

You probably all saw the blog about Grace's birthday party, when she received the American Girl doll. Well, this week David and I constructed a bed for Felicity. I also made some bedding, and will finish the little quilt when I get back home. Here is the bed:

We also enjoyed times together at meals, doing yardwork, taking walks, eating at Cici's :), reading stories, and shopping at thrift stores :)) Then I bid them all good-bye and flew off to California:

Trip to Denver, Part 3

2010-05-08T22:09:00.006-05:00

This story is not all told in order, but one of the activities we did was to go to the Denver Botanic Gardens:
Here are the children ready to go to church:

These photos were taken the next week when David and Hillary had returned and David was leading worship music at church. The photos were taken an hour before church, during the rehearsal, so there was no one in the seats yet.
Here are David and Hillary, with the pastor (Nate Johnson) and his wife.

Well, I just have one more page of photos that I want to share about my trip to Denver. See below.

Trip to Denver, Part 2

2010-05-08T21:29:00.006-05:00

We enjoyed walking over to the lake at Crown Hill Park and taking the trail around it. The snow dusted mountains were beautiful:

In the distance you can see a "14er", it might be Longs Peak, I can't tell for sure, maybe someone knows:

We saw a flock of big white pelicans fishing for their dinner:We saw cormorants sitting in the trees beside the lake:
Here are my 3 "scooters and biker" taking a break, waiting for Mimi to catch up with them:
If you look REALLY CAREFULLY, right in the middle of this photo, you will see the coyote that we saw on our walk:
To be continued in the next blog below this one!

Trip to Denver, Part 1

2010-05-08T18:55:00.008-05:00

You all know that I went to Denver in April to be with David and Hillary's children while they went on a business trip. Here are David, Hillary and Louise just as they left for their trip to Cincinnati and Canada. Notice those cute pink bags. Sara made them for Hillary.

So, what did the children and I do while we stayed in Denver? Well, we
went to Lowe's and built really cute little wooden schoolhouses. Here they are working on them:
Hannah was amazing with the hammer. I noticed that the dad working nearby with his son kept looking at how well Hannah could hammer in the nails, nice and straight and very quickly! Theo and Grace were at the other end of the table, so they had to pretty much figure it out on their own, and they did a great job, too.

Then, we also had a couple days that it snowed! But, it melted quickly.

I will add more on the next posting about our activities. It should come up on the posting BELOW this one, if all goes as I hope it will with this blog business :)

Project Day!

2010-03-12T21:45:00.004-06:00

Sara is covering a lampshade with some decorator fabric.

Here's Ezra hard at work on a project.

Sadie is working on a project after we baked bread and cinnamon rolls.

Papa and Jonathan helped the children construct a snowlady. Don't you love those lips??

Grand Children

2010-03-12T21:43:00.001-06:00

Here are some photos of the Marion grandchildren at our place.

Here comes a train!

Lovely Violet!

Here is Sadie as a cheer leader!

Ezra and Papa

Jude with flowers

Poor Violet, she burned her hands on the glass doors of the fireplace. Cool water really helped her feel better.

Chinese New Year

2010-02-01T12:55:00.008-06:00

Sunday evening, January 31, Alan and I joined the Taiwanese students to celebrate Chinese New Year. We had a dinner together at Westminster Church. One of the ladies made a plate of Sushi, and some of the students prepared oranges to resemble rabbits. Their food presentation is so beautiful:

We ate with our students, Jason and Milton. They each brought us gifts. Jason gave us a Chinese calligraphy scroll with the meaning "Erudite and Wise" and Milton gave us a calendar with photographs of artifacts from Afghanistan. Unfortunately I couldn't get the calendar photos to post in the correct format!

Here is a photo of the four of us. This red sheet tells about the animals that represent the

12-year cycle of the Chinese Lunar calendar. This is the year of the tiger, and Alan and I were both born in the Year of the Tiger! Also, they believe that each animal has a special characteristic, so even if you are born in the year of the RAT, Milton said that a rat is very quick and smart!! Now about that rooster...?

Video in Marion

2010-02-01T12:47:00.004-06:00

Here are a couple of videos that I couldn't find when I did the last blog. I hope you can see them with your internet connections. The one of Violet apparently couldn't be turned because it was a "multiple page" photo. Sorry, now I know not to do vertical videos! The one of Ezra and Alan was actually a mistake. I meant to take the still photo, but was accidently taking a video. I thought it was cute, anyway :)

A Few Hours in Marion

2010-01-28T12:03:00.000-06:00

This Tuesday we went down to see Sara and the children for a few hours. We also got to see Jonathan during his lunch break. The children were very happily playing.

Little Violet enjoyed the rocking horse, and could move back and forth to get it rocking! But, she was so serious about it!

Jude seemed to enjoy whatever everyone else was playing!

Ezra is the Lego boy in this household: I think he would work on them for hours, especially with Papa to help!

All liked making play dough pies and cookies, and here is Sadie with a sample for you:

I am still trying to figure out how this new blogging format works. I'm having a really hard time moving any photos around, and PUT THEM WHERE I WANT!!!! Any suggestions? They don't seem to drag like they used to. But, they also go in the order you put them in, (not backwards!) which is nice. If anyone has any secrets to this, let me know!

Thanksgiving

2009-12-14T15:38:00.000-06:00

It was wonderful to have the whole family together around the Thanksgiving holiday. Thanks, dear family, for all the beautiful memories!

Andrew's Ordination

2009-12-10T17:48:00.001-06:00

We had a great time this fall in South Dakota attending Andrew's ordination. We met up with Alissa's parents, Dave & Jan, and even had some spare time for a few fix-up projects in Andrew & Alissa's new home.

Sadie's Birthday

2009-12-10T17:45:00.001-06:00

A very photogenic little girl. Five years old already. We love you, Sadie!

Fall at the Pumpkin Barn

2009-12-10T17:40:00.000-06:00

We had lots of fun with the Marion Crandalls visiting the Pumpkin Barn in East Dubuque. We even took a few pumpkins home with us to make into pie!

Rocky Mountain National Park

2009-12-10T17:34:00.001-06:00

One highlight of our summer was the visit to RMNP with the Denver Crandalls. Thanks, guys!

Other Summer Memories

2009-12-10T17:05:00.000-06:00

Here are some other memories from this summer--Andrew dancing a jig in his new church office in Huron, fields of South Dakota sunflowers, and Jonathan and Sara blowing bubbles with Violet on our front porch.

Vacation Last September!

2009-12-04T17:48:00.000-06:00

Special Flowers

2009-09-28T11:22:00.000-05:00

These are the roses that Alan gave me for our 38th wedding anniversary in August. Since we were leaving the next day for South Dakota/Colorado, I took them with us! Here is Alan learning a new song while sitting in Andrew and Alissa's efficiency apartment in Huron, South Dakota, and the flowers sitting proudly on the table. Thank you, Alan. I love you!

This is one of the fields of beautiful sunflowers that we enjoyed while driving across South Dakota on the way to Denver. It was a beautiful trip with all the new sights. We enjoyed having Alissa with us, and she took most of our trip photos. Thank you, Alissa. We love you! When we returned from vacation, Sara and Jonathan came up to Dubuque, and brought these beautiful zinnias that Sara grew across the back of their property. They were beautiful and lasted a LONG time! Thank you, Sara. We love you!

Again this fall we are a friendship family for a couple of Taiwanese MBA students at UD. This year we have been assigned Milton and Jason. Milton is married and has a wife and little boy at home in Taiwan. They came to our place on Friday night to play games and have popcorn, and they brought this lovely begonia plant. Thank you, Milton and Jason!

Glenn's Shopping Trip

2009-06-06T21:58:00.000-05:00

Sacramento, California:

Today Marianne Crosby came by and took Glenn out to go grocery shopping. On the way they passed by the Elks Club and were commenting on how many people were there for a flea market in the parking lot. Glenn is an Elk, so he is always interested in what's going on there.

They were still talking about the flea market, when they turned into the Bel Aire Grocery store parking lot a few blocks later. They pulled up in front of the store, looking for a disabled parking place. No empty space by the first door, so they moved ahead toward the second door. There was a Brinks armored truck in front of the second door where the disabled parking spots are located. It had probably come to pick up a bundle of money.

As Glenn and Marianne moved up to beside the truck, Glenn saw a man with a gun, pointing it at the Brinks truck, and their car was in between! At that moment, 3 sheriff's cars pulled up and Marianne was asked to move back. They readily did move back! They parked a distance away and went ahead into the store to do their grocery shopping. The Brinks truck was still under siege when they came out of the store 1 hour and 15 minutes later! Apparently the bad guys were inside the truck and not coming out! Lots of people with guns were around. There were 8 police/sheriff cars, and probably some unmarked vehicles, too.

Well, Glenn and Marianne loaded up their groceries and headed for home. Enough excitement for one day!

I haven't seen this posted on the Sacramento news channels yet, but will keep looking. I hope I got all the details right, or right enough! Thanks, Glenn, for sharing this adventure!

Glenn's Shopping Trip!

2009-06-06T21:27:00.000-05:00

Today Marianne Crosby came to take Glenn to the grocery store. She usually comes about every other Saturday to take him grocery shopping. On the way to the store, the town was busy because there was a big flea market at the Elks Club. Glenn is an Elk, so he is always interested to see what is going on there.

A few blocks past the Elks Club, they turned into the shopping center where the Bel Aire grocery store is located. As they drove up to the second entrance of the grocery store, they noticed that the Brinks armored truck was there, probably to pick up money. They came up beside the truck, looking for a disabled parking place by the door, and when Glenn looked over to the side, he saw a man pointing a gun at the truck, and his car was between the gun and the Brinks truck! About that moment, 3 sheriff's cars pulled up, and Glenn and Marianne were asked to move back away from the door! They decided to park a distance away, and then went on in and did their shopping!

It seems that the bad guys got into the Brinks truck and were holding up there. About an hour and 15 minutes later Glenn and Marianne were done shopping and came out, and the truck was still under siege! Now there were 8 police/sheriffs cars there--and probably some unmarked ones, too! They decided that was enough excitement for the day and headed home!

I haven't seen anything on the Sacramento new channels' websites about this, but I'll check again tomorrow. Maybe this isn't such a big deal in a big city, but I thought it sounded pretty exciting! I hope I got all the details that Glenn told me correct!

Birthday Lunch

2009-06-01T19:55:00.000-05:00

This is a photo of my birthday luncheon while we were in Minnesota with Andrew and Alissa.

Alan and I were persuaded by the younguns to goof off!

It was a lovely birthday!

The sun set over the lake on the farm where Alissa and Andrew live.

Fragments

2009-06-01T19:24:00.000-05:00

Remember last Christmas when some of you got some LUPINE seeds? Well, this is what they grow:

Not only do they produce a showy stalk, but the foliage is rather tropical looking!
If you pick them before they go to seed, they will bloom again in August or September.
May is Morrell mushroom month here in Iowa. People go out and hunt for them under red elm trees. We didn't go hunting, but were given a bag and were told to cook them soon, as they are better fresh. We followed the cooking directions for having them on scrambled eggs. They were SOOOOO GOOOOD!! We'd heard a lot about Morrells, but had never eaten them. My grandmother used to hunt them each spring. Here is how they look all cooked up:

Fragments

2009-06-01T19:14:00.000-05:00

Save this line

To the North/ Part 2

2009-05-30T15:41:00.000-05:00

There were lots of beautiful trees blooming around the church. This is beside a prayer garden on the church grounds.
Along with the lovely trees, we found a lovely couple!

It was kind of bright, and we look kind of squinty!

Church To the North!

2009-05-30T15:12:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we went To the North and visited Andrew and Alissa in Spicer, Minnesota. This is the church where Andrew has been the past two years.
During the summer there is an 8:30 A.M. service at the outside chapel which is on a lake right behind the church:Here is the choir singing:There's Alissa in the choir

Here is the preacher for the first outside chapel service of the summer: Andrew!

And here is Andrew back in his office. Can you tell that this is a staged photo??

Sex and Spiritual Partnership in Marriage

2009-05-18T14:45:00.000-05:00

Now that I have your attention, check out these interesting comments on marriage by evangelical theologian Donald Bloesch:

"The deepest tie connecting the two partners in a Christian marriage is spiritual. This is why they will regard themselves first of all as brother and sister in Christ and secondarily as husband and wife. The spiritual relation is eternal, wheras the biological relation is temporal."

"The sexual act in Christian marriage must be seen not as a means to an end but rather as an end within a more comprehensive end--partnership in service."

"For Roman Catholic theology the fundamental purpose of marriage [is] . . . procreation and fertility. For radical Protestantism the purpose of marriage itself is changed. The purpose of a marriage in the Lord can be none other than kingdom service."

"The purpose of marriage is life-partnership in service and fruitfulness. But fruitfulness must be seen as being spiritual as well as physical."

This stimulates some further thoughts and questions of my own . . . . According to Genesis, God's "image" is revealed in the fact that he created us "male and female." In other words, God's love is manifested in the unity of two very different creatures. The gift of marriage is a bridging experience that takes us out of our natural self-centeredness and loneliness. God's love also produces "fruitfulness," and this fruitfulness is both biological and (especially) spiritual. Now, if you see marrriage primarily in terms of biological procreation you would discourage birth control--and this is exactly the position of many Roman Catholics. But if the spiritual aspect of marriage is just as important as the physical aspect, the question can be raised about the right balance between these two types of fruitfulness. In the Roman Catholic tradition, the two types of fruitfulness are segregated. Either you have a huge family, or you take a vow of celibacy and devote yourself to kingdom ministry. Martin Luther believed that both kinds of fruitfulness can be enhanced by keeping them together, and Protestants have taken this tack ever since. But does it then become a matter of prayer to discern God's will for the size of one's family? Is it possible that we might become so consumed with the cares of this life, that we fail to properly address the issues of the life to come? How do we reconcile "Great Commission" fruitfulness and "Full Quiver" fruitfulness? I don't have all the answers, but I'm sure the questions will stimulate some interesting discussion.

Sacramento Birthday Celebration

2009-05-18T10:32:00.000-05:00

First off, here is the baggage claim at the Sacramento Airport. Isn't it amazing how high they stack the luggage??

Glenn and I have birthdays in late May (22 & 25). Since I will be returning home on the 20th, I posed the idea that we celebrate our birthdays while I am still in town. Glenn suggested that we drive up to South Lake Tahoe for lunch. I don't think that I have been there since Alan and I have been married (almost 38 years!!). So, yesterday morning, while Sacramento prepared for 100+ degree weather, we headed for the hills! Mountains, actually. The weather was pleasantly warm up there and we had a lovely time. He spent time there over the years, working on paving projects, vacationing, and fishing, so there were lots of memories he was able to share with me.

We had planned on going to the buffet on the 18th floor of a hotel with a view of the lake. He has eaten there before and was looking forward that, but the buffet was closed for kitchen remodeling! We still had a lovely lunch in a diningroom filled with aspen trees!

For the record gang, I left 3/4 of my french fries on the plate, and that was a gourmet turkey burger!
I couldn't leave without at least one photo of Lake Tahoe, and as Alan prefers people in the photos, I had a man on the beach take this:

We had a great day, and have a few more memories for the bank!

Thoughts on Marriage

2009-05-08T20:50:00.000-05:00

A workbook we received at the "Gospel-Centered Marriage" conference included some thought-provoking quotations from various authors. Here are a couple of gems to ponder:

"In mirrors I see myself. . . . They reveal an ugliness I'd rather deny. . . . My wife is such a mirror. When I have sinned against her, my sin appears in the suffering of her face. Her tears reflect with terrible accuracy my selfishness. My self! But I hate the sight . . . . "Stop crying!" I command, as though the mirror were at fault. Or else I just leave the room. Walk away. Oh, what a coward I am, and what a fool! Only when I have the courage fully to look, clearly to know myself--will I admit my need for healing. But if I look away from her whom I have hurt, I have also turned away from her who might forgive me. I reject the very source of my healing. My denial of my sin protects, preserves, perpetuates that sin. Ugliness in me, while I live in illusions, can only grow the uglier. Mirrors that hide nothing hurt me. But this is the hurt of purging and precious renewal--and these are mirrors of dangerous grace." --Walter Wangerin, Living the Passion

"Marriage is the soil for growing glory. We must see our spouses in light of what they are meant to become, without becoming bitter or complacent about who they are. Marriage requires a radical commitment to love our spouses as they are, while longing for them to become what they are not yet. Every marriage moves either toward enhancing one another's glory or toward degrading each other." Dan Allender, Intimate Allies

St. Louis

2009-05-06T08:11:00.000-05:00

Here are a few of my photos from our trip to St. Louis. This is the four of us, and Violet in the meeting. She did exceptionally well in the meeting! Note the corner of a table behind Sara. It was filled with wonderful things to eat at each break. (Was that REALLY why we sat in the back? Of course, not!) Here is where the meeting was held. This was the fellowship hall at Central Presbyterian Church, an EPC church.

Here we are at the St. Louis Zoo. This was actually the end of our visit, and we were TIRED!

It was hard to corral everyone for photo ops. Can you tell some of us are getting worn out? Notice, no photos of me! I was a basketcase. The zoo was FREE. Parking was $11, stroller rental was $9, and we didn't get close enough to see how much the train ride, carousel, children's zoo, special exhibits and food were going for. The zoo alone was way more than we had time for!

Due to the high cost of stroller rental, Jonathan and Alan were "strollers" for most of our time at the zoo!

All in all, the meetings were great, and we did have a wonderful time at the zoo! I'd do it again!

Stormtrooper Cooking

2009-04-30T08:34:00.000-05:00

So, what do I do with my time? You all know that I go to the gym, usually twice a day, but WHAT ELSE do I do? Well, I don't always cook so much, just ask Alan! But I really got in gear yesterday. A lot of things all came together: Alan was out of his breakfast museli, I needed a thank you gift, I wanted to take a meal to a family, I had items that I wanted to use up before my upcoming trip to Sacramento. Sooo, between 9:30 A.M. and 12 Noon yesterday I really got into gear and started cooking!

First I made 3 gallons of museli. That should last until fall, since we will be gone this summer. I will probably stick it in the freezer while we're gone. Next I made a loaf of banana bread (Joy Houssney's tried and true recipe) as a thank you gift for friends whose home we stayed in over Easter in Wadena. Next I made 2 loaves of apple streusal bread. This was the bread that I made for the Wadena bake sale. We hadn't sampled it, and it was a new recipe, so I wanted to try it. A lady who purchased it said it was great! I tried a different apple bread recipe this past weekend, and it was an awful disaster!
Next I made a vegetable casserole, and cooked a big bunch of broccoli. We sampled this for lunch, Yum!

Finally, I made a couple jelled fruit salads, and a batch of sloppy joe mixture. This I will share with another family, along with some nice buns.
After all this cooking, I even got the kitchen cleaned up before leaving to take Alan to class at 12:30, and me back to the gym!

In other notes, the Precept Bible study that I've been taking this winter/spring just finished Tuesday evening. It was a great study on 1 Peter. I got some good ideas for studies/devotions/talks that I could give, if necessary, while we are with Doulos.

Tomorrow (Friday) we are driving down to St. Louis with Jonathan and Sara and children for a Gospel Marriage Conference. I love going to conferences, so I am really excited. This is supposed to be very good, and since Alan and I are praying about the idea of marriage conferences/seminars/retreats in our home, we thought it would be great to experience one! It will also be fun to take a road trip with the grandchildren (and J&S!). If I get some photos of the trip I will post them.

Easter Weekend

2009-04-15T19:31:00.000-05:00

This is the village of Wadena as we drive into it. Population is 230. The church is the tallest brick building on the left, you can just see the top of it, right next to the road.

This is our church in Wadena, where Alan speaks on Sundays. Out in front of the church, the ladies have set up a bake sale, the day before Easter. There was also a silent auction for themed baskets that people donated. Here is some apple streusal bread that I made for the sale.
And here is my DARK chocolate cake. I hope that the man who bought it REALLY likes DARK chocolate, because I made it from scratch with DARK chocolate!
I made this basket of fabrics, sewing notions and patterns, sprinkled with colorful spools of threads, and of course, chocolates!

After the bake sale and an Easter egg hunt that we did for about 50 children in the town park, Alan and I went on a drive around the county and stopped for a picnic. Alan thought that the salad that we brought deserved a photo!

As you can see, we ate it all! The "hitching posts" that you see behind Alan are precisely that. There are a lot of equistrian trails in the area.

After lunch we hiked along this little stream for a ways. The stream is behind me, reflecting the granite rocks.

A moss-covered granite wall.

Then we hiked 2 miles out and 2 miles back on this abandoned railroad bed.
Some signs of spring coming to Iowa:
On the Iowa map, this is touted as the smallest church in the world. It is just outside of Festina, Iowa:

It has 2 pews on each side of the aisle, and each pew can seat 2 average-sized adults:

The farmers often paint quilt blocks on their barns:

A local farmer advertises his political perspective with a sign propped on top of a fertilizer spreader: Easter Sunday morning, some of the church members are preparing to bring out the hot foods for the traditional Easter breakfast before the service.

We spent Saturday night at the home of the lady in the pink shirt in above photo. Her husband isn't in this photo. After church we drove back to Dubuque and did a bit of exercise in the afternoon. That was our weekend!

Easter Weekend

2009-04-15T19:20:00.001-05:00

He is Risen!

2009-04-10T22:13:00.000-05:00

While preparing my sermon for Resurrection Sunday I ran across a hand-written card in my illustration file, recorded some 25 years ago. It reads--

Jonathan (3 yrs. old)
--"Daddy, will all of us die?"
--"Yes"
--"Why Daddy?"
--"Because Adam and Eve disobeyed God, so God said everyone in the world must die."
--"I don't want to die, Daddy."
--"Jesus came so that when we die he can raise us up to life and we will never die again!"
--"Did he really, Daddy, did he really?!"

We were sitting at our kitchen table in Boulder, Colorado, eating breakfast, when this conversation occurred. I can still remember Jonathan's sad eyes brightening with joy and his raspy voice bursting with excitement. Hallelujah! Rejoice, everyone!

Class Treats

2009-04-08T16:43:00.000-05:00

In the interest of having something to post in our very routine lives, I made spice cupcakes for Alan's World View class this week. It was a very special recipe (you can find it on the box of Duncan Hines Spice cake mix--just add eggs, oil and water!!) The frosting was homemade though. It was maple flavored, using pancake syrup with the butter and powdered sugar instead of water and vanilla. Recipe can be found in Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. See how creative I am? But the students must have liked them. 16 students ate 22 cupcakes, and during lent at that! I remember doing student ministry, and there were always some students who weren't eating sugar (desserts, sweets) during lent. Maybe I should have adopted that discipline this year?!

I would have put a sprinkling of chopped pecans on the tops of the cupcakes or some mini m&m's, but I try to make the treats as student-friendly as possible (no nuts, chocolate, coconut, peanut butter, raisins, or anything else that I can think of that they might be allergic to or distasteful of! 2 girls in the class can't have chocolate, oh the pity!) So, they all received a slight sprinkling of colored sugar crystals.

Anyway, this is my actual photo, don't you love the nice setup? I snapped the photo just 20 seconds before we had to be out the door to get Alan to class, otherwise I would have arranged them more artistically (like my lovely daughters-in-law do).

So now, after that introduction, Ta-Daa . . . here are my cupcakes:

Wasn't that magnificent?

Class Treats

2009-04-08T16:39:00.000-05:00

Working and Sleeping

2009-03-30T15:43:00.000-05:00

This was Jonathan's first day off to work at Rockwell Collins at 6 A.M. They were still staying at our house, so he had to leave really early.

After Jonathan and Sara moved down to Marion, the children stayed with us for a few days so that their parents could get a some unpacking done. (That would be so that SARA could get some unpacking done: Jonathan was working each day). I had gotten a "foamy" crown for Sadie to decorate, and a visor for Ezra. (I had actually gotten them a year or so ago when they came, but had never gotten them out to work on). So, I found them, and had the kids decorate them. Sadie loves crowns, so she even wore hers when she went down for a nap in our bed. You can't tell so much from the photo, but she was actually sitting almost upright, propped up on the pillows, sound asleep:

Trip to Colorado and California

2009-03-30T15:29:00.001-05:00

Sorry these have taken so long to get posted: A few photos from my trip to Colorado: This was taken while waiting for the carousel at the zoo:

The children were given beads when we got on the train at the zoo: it was Fat Tuesday, and I guess that the zoo workers were celebrating! This is Hannah with Hillary's mom, Trish, who joined us for the trip to the zoo.Pina colada smoothies!Visiting with Glenn in California:

Jesus in China

2009-03-15T18:35:00.000-05:00

As we prepare for our mission trip this summer with O.M. in Hong Kong, Jan and I are learning more about the growth of Christianity in China. We recently watched this amazing documentary produced by Chinese Christians. As a student of early church history, I was struck with the parallels between the church in the Roman Empire, A.D. 50-300, and the church in China, A.D. 1800-2009. In both cases, the growth of the church was initially slow and impeded by hostile ideologies. But then the church experienced explosive growth, partly as the result of the faithfulness of Christ's followers facing persecution. In both historical periods, the gospel spread through the power of charismatic gifts--supernatural healing, prophecy, etc.--and was not dependent on church buildings, centralized ecclesiastical organizations, or professional clergy. As the apostle Paul wrote, the most important gift of the Spirit is love. It is clear that growing churches, whether in Rome or China, have transformed their respective cultures because they offered a contrast-society where people were reconciled to one another in unity through Christ's love. By the time Constantine legalized Christian practice in the fourth century, Christians numbered between five and ten percent of the imperial population. Government sources in China today estimate that Christians may number as many as 130 million, which is about 9% of the Chinese population. When the tipping point was reached in the Roman Empire, the entire civilized world was quickly impacted by Christ's gospel. Modern China is now the second great economic and military world power, along with the United States. And it is becoming a Christian powerhouse. Are we about to see a spiritual tipping point in China that will impact the world?

Travelling Tales

2009-02-20T20:06:00.000-06:00

Hi, well today I travelled from Dubuque to Minneapolis to Omaha to Denver. The weather was great for travelling and the trip went very smoothly. Just as I was nearing my final destination, and as the plane was about to touch down there was a little rocking of the plane. Now, this has happened before, and I'm not usually bothered by it. I wasn't this time--until the plane touched down, it felt like it touched down only on one wheel, then tipped pretty violently side to side, then, ALL OF A SUDDEN the plan took off up into the sky again! We all sat very quietly. No word from the flight deck. Then it gained altitude and made that big square in the sky that Alissa told me pilots do when coming in to land. Then the pilot brought the plane in to land again, it seemed to be going slower this time, and with just a little rocking the plane finally got safely onto the tarmac! There was much applause!

My next travel revelation is that my checked bag got left in Omaha! Hopefully it will arrive here tonight or in the morning. There was one more flight coming in tonight.

But, now I'm here at David and Hillary's. The children were all so excited to greet me. Theo was so anxious to show me all his Lego sets, all put together! Hannah had a new lamp in her dollhouse, and Grace read me a book! This is just the beginning of our fun week together.

Meanwhile, in my heart, I'm missing you, Alan. I love you. Keep the fire burning for me.

Hairy Woodpecker (female)

2009-02-13T10:09:00.000-06:00

Breakfast Adventures

2009-02-10T09:20:00.000-06:00

So, one day we decided to have eggs and toast along with our oatmeal. Here is how it went: Sadie cracked the eggs. She looked a little worried, you know, messy fingers!

But she was really happy with the results when it all came out all right!

Ezra wanted to make the toast. After he got the bread down into the toaster, you will notice in the photo that his hand was on the little knob that made the toast lighter or darker. I was busy taking pictures, and didn't notice that detail.

So, it looks like Ezra's toast came out a little dark!

Sadie declined Ezra's offer of toast, and made a "lighter" batch, which she carefully smeared with apple butter.

And they both enjoyed their toast creations!

Meanwhile, Jude was dealing with a serious bowl of eggs.

And that was successful, too!

Trip to the Nature Center

2009-02-09T15:49:00.000-06:00

Ezra and Sadie peeking out the window of the animal cave.

Jude and Papa in the wildlife refuge.

Smokey the Bear towering over Ezra, Jude and Sadie.

Our Honda CRV

2009-02-09T15:40:00.000-06:00

A symmetrical moment for the odometer of our trusty 2000 CRV.

Violet Joy Crandall

2009-02-07T18:54:00.000-06:00

I had the JOY of spending a week with Jonathan and Sara's quiver the week that Violet Joy was born. I didn't take many photos, but these are probably the best. Somehow I don't have one with the new daddy! Sorry, Jonathan.

Violet Joy Crandall
Mommy and big sister, Sadie

The Quiver: Sadie, Ezra, Violet, Jude

Precious feet!

Thank You Notes

2009-02-07T18:03:00.000-06:00

I thought you all might like to see the thank you notes from the grandchildren in Denver, Colorado. They are so cute.

Summer 2009--Ministry in Asia

2009-01-31T21:44:00.001-06:00

Jan and I now have the itinerary for our mission trip this summer. We will be out of the country for seven weeks to work with Operation Mobilization in Asia. I've been asked to teach a course in church history for student missionaries on board the ship M.V. Doulos. The ship's staff and crew represent some 50 nationalities. Jan and I will also speak in various conferences as the ship is berthed first in Hong Kong and later in Sihanoukville, Cambodia. We leave Chicago on Tuesday, June 9, arriving in Hong Kong via Tokyo on Wednesday, June 10. We return to the states on Tuesday, July 28. We depart Hong Kong at 4:25 p.m., and after flying for 12.5 hours, our direct flight will arrive in San Francisco 2.5 hours earlier on the same day at 1:50 p.m. (nutty, but true, thanks to that pesky international date line.) For more information about the Doulos ministry, including a virtual tour of the ship, see http://www.mvdoulos.org/

Bird Watching

2009-01-21T20:10:00.000-06:00

Our home is located at the edge of wooded area overlooking Catfish Creek. Over the past year we've spotted some 45 bird species. Year-round residents include turkeys, herons, nuthatches, bluejays, tufted titmice, hawks, bald eagles, crows, geese, finches, several varieties of woodpeckers and cardinals. This winter we put up a new bird feeder to attract the local "denizens of field and forest." I'll try to post photos of our feathered friends from time to time.

The Crandall Family

2009-01-09T18:05:00.000-06:00

Our most amazing accomplishment during the Christmas holiday was getting all fourteen Crandalls to sit still long enough for a family portrait. The prize goes to Ezra for the most creative facial expression.

Supersonic Cranchildren

2009-01-09T17:54:00.001-06:00

This Christmas the Crandall clan gathered in Dubuque to whoop it up! The six Cran-children seemed to play around the house at supersonic speed. Here's the proof.

Welcome to Our Family Room

2009-01-09T16:40:00.000-06:00

As we launch this blog, Jan and I have just celebrated our 38th Christmas as a married couple. We've walked together through seasons of pain and seasons of joy, but mostly joy, and the years have passed quickly. God's grace to us in Jesus Christ is the glue that has helped us cling to Him and to one another. I'll need an eternity to get to know this woman better. Every day I discover fresh and scintillating depths of intelligence and compassion that beckon me. This year we dressed up to attend the annual Christmas Gala at the University of Dubuque, and I couldn't help but notice how beautiful my bride is, both outwardly and inwardly.