April 16, 2011

Sisters with their matching dresses. To church at Barnwell on Sunday.  Mark H. preached on "Fear".   A  delicious lunch of asparagus lasagna, spinach salad, and mint tea,  all from our garden.  In the evening we went to church.  Uncle Byard H. was over from Burkeland to preach a pre-ordination sermon on the office of a deacon.  He did a good job.
Claudia's bithday party On Monday Ina Sue worked hard to get the laundry all finished.  I came home from work early and kept the children while she went with Betty & Carolyn H. to Aiken.  They needed to go over for a cake decorating class they were taking.  Ina Sue used the time to shop at the mall.  The children & I planted a patch of sweetcorn, took a walk then I got them all bathed and in bed.  Ina Sue home around 10:30.  She says she had fun.  After she got home I drove back in to work for several hours to try to get caught up.
One year old. Tuesday found me at work and Ina Sue cleaning the back porch.  In the evening she took the children with her to the Bamberg Pizza Hut to redeem Carolina Sue's Book-it pizzas.  She also got us some of their pasta to finish out our meal.   They brought it home for us to eat.  After supper I sprayed Round-UP and fixed our garden sprinkler.  Ina Sue baked two cakes.

 
She wanted to help feed little Ariel. Our little baby girl Claudia turned 1 year old on Wednesday.  Unbelievable!  Ina Sue made her a little cake.  I was able to pick Landon up on my way through for a service call so he got to ride along with me in the afternoon.  We got home a little early so I could help out.  We kept Patrick's children tonight so I helped feed them all supper then we had a little birthday party for Claudia.  Afterward I took the whole crowd of children for a walk while Ina Sue got things straightened up at home.
A tea party in honor of Ms. Jane B. Ina Sue dropped the children off with Diane O. Thursday morning and went over to to Jane Brubakers for a tea party.  Lots of fancy food and a good time.  I had a really busy day at work but was able to come home a little early to help us get around.  Tonight was the nomination service for our deacon ordination.  Larry Miller from Sarasota FL, is here to help with the ordination.  He preached the qualifications sermon tonight from I Timothy 3.  We came home and were getting the children in bed when the phone rang.....
The honored guests. We didn't sleep the best last night but woke up Friday morning with a sense of peace in God's leading.  I took Carolina Sue to school then Ms. Naomi picked up our children and took them to her house while we met with the officiating bishops.  It turns out that there is not going to be a lot for this ordination...  While we did not feel a definite call from God to this office in particular, we have both already said yes to God's call for our service.  We are at peace with God's call through the church and have committed ourselves to doing our best for him and the church in this role.  We certainly appreciate all the prayers offered on our behalf.

Ina Sue said she cleaned the house as a way to calm her nerves... :)  I went back in to work for the day then came home and mowed the yard.  I also helped Landon make up a little garden for himself back by the pump house.  The children & I went over to the school and picked up BarBQ plates for supper.  The high school is raising funds for their class trip.  In the evening we took a calming walk.  Carolina Sue said "I'm really excited about the new deacon, but I am very surprised.. "  :)

  
Our new family on the back porch. We had a great day together at home on Saturday.  I worked on cutting and trimming up tree limbs and brush around the yard.  We all worked together to mulch the green beans.  I took the three oldest children with me to Barnwell for groceries.  Our cat had 4 kittens this afternoon.  Ina Sue spent the evening cooking for the weekend while I washed the car.