Getting Settled In

Well, I'm hoping to post some pictures here if I can get the camera to upload to the laptop, and figure out how to do all that from here.  I am NOT tech savvy, so we'll see how it goes!

As I previously stated, we have been getting more involved in church, and taking over some of the duties, as we ought to be.  I've also gotten all the paperwork in, and we "officially" started school last Thursday.  We are diving in, both feet, not looking back into the Charlotte Mason method of learning.  I've been reviewing a book I read several years ago, "A Charlotte Mason Companion" by Karen Andreola, and studying up on narratives, ideas for different techniques for hands on learning, and creative free time playing.  No, I don't have it "all together" yet, but we are getting there.   So far I've learned that I have to keep up on the record keeping everyday just for my own peace of mind in regards to the end of the year portfolios.  Also, I'm pleased that there are no required quarterly reports in Pennsylvania.  Just one great big reckoning at the end of the year.

The library is just around the corner from us, but it is TINY, and not very good as far as good kids' books are concerned.  There are some of the classics (most of which I have) and some stuff on Pennsylvania.  Our first History/Geography lesson is all about this new state in which we live, and I was hoping for some good kids' biographies or stories about the Liberty Bell, or living books about the Allegany River or Appalachian Mountains... but I haven't found anything that would be a good living book at the library, so we'll have to look stuff up on the Internet, and maybe I can find some decent priced things on Amazon.  For now I have a few books in my own private library they can use.  We aren't suffering for books around here! LOL

Our next door neighbor had a baby last week, and I decided to make a baby quilt.  There are two things about this baby quilt that made me reach beyond the rut I've gotten into.  First of all, it is of my own design.  Second, it isn't symmetrical.  Also, I used some machine applique which I have never been brave enough to try.  It is of an abstract, modern design too, a real departure from my tendency to use more traditional arrangement.  I just need to put the label on it, and we'll take it over, and bring a meal, too.

We seem to have inherited a black bunny from somewhere.  It definitely isn't wild.  It eats the grass and weeds sedately and though it doesn't startle and run away from us, it won't let us exactly touch it.  The cat has had mild interest in it.  I think he tried to chase it once, then decided to just resort to grooming himself and ignoring the strange intruder.

The weather here has been pretty good, but we have had a few hot and humid days.  Thankfully it has been cool enough at night so that we can just run the fans.  We haven't attempted to put in the AC's yet, as it seems too late in the season to mess with it.  Plus, the style of windows we have for the most part, do no lend themselves to air conditioning units.  That is something we'll have to deal with next year.  

This next picture is one Elizabeth took of me, and decided that the heat was getting to me.  The water here is very different than it was in NY.  I think it is very "soft" water, for suds are quite easily made, and can easily take over if one isn't careful.  Looking at the suds at the end of a hot, humid day, I was longing for snow, and well.....

So, there is a small update.  I'll leave out the boring details of our first monthly shopping, and doing some reconnaissance and finding two very small, but tempting quilt shops.... let's just say Dale is very happy they are each 45 minutes away!  

Dale has put up some pictures on the walls, and the stencils I bought through Amazon.  Very cute looking, I have to say!  I'll post pics of those soon.

Blessings to you all!

Welcome to Pennsylvania!

I've been trying to figure out how much to update here.  A lot seems to be going on, and it is hard to decide how much of the minutia of our life people are really interested in.  That being said, I'll give a somewhat day by day account since the last post, and I promise I'll try and keep it brief as possible.  Even so, you may want to pause here and grab a cup of tea.

The last post was right before our move.  After receiving and accepting the call to be pastor here, Dale resigned from his job at Cornell, and was promptly put to work at the house with dismantling the remaining shelving and computer desk.  He also did a ton of leg work on finding a piano mover.  When he finally was able to locate someone, he got the estimate, then approached me with the bad news.

"So, how attached are you to the piano?" was the first thing he asked.  Not a good sign.

"If the piano doesn't go, I don't go."  Unfortunately I am pretty attached to the piano.

"Okay, here is the deal then.  For them to move it, and drive it down there in their truck, it will cost between $800 and $1000."

Ouch.  Apparently what hurts is the mileage down there and back.

"However, they can help us move it into our truck, and it will be $250."

Well, that was more like it.  Getting from the NY parsonage into the truck was the hard part, because of the angle of the door down to the truck.  Getting the piano into the new parsonage, was easy, as the front porch was almost level with the back end (and the ramp) on the truck.  Originally I had said that Dale was NOT to touch the piano at all, since he is prone to back problems.  However, with the "professionals" (and I use that term very loosely, and I'll explain why later) could do the hard stuff, and Dale could point and direct.

So, I agreed.

Would someone tell me why it is so hard to find a good piano mover?

The rest of the week went in a hurry!  Tuesday, we spent the day with some close friends of ours.  It was so hard to say good-bye to them that evening!  Wednesday was more mad packing, and church in the evening. Thursday was more packing, with the addition of my mom coming in from MA, to help with the move.  Friday we went up north to visit Dale's mom and sister and family before we left the area.

That brings us to Saturday, and that is when the fun began!

Saturday morning we were up and doing last minute packing.  After lunch, Dale and I went to pick up the truck.  When we got back, we started loading up breakables (like the 80 billion canning jars and boxes of dishes) in the "Mom's Attic" part of the truck.  Some friend of ours showed up to help us pack which was such a blessing!  The piano was slotted as one of the first things to go towards the front of the truck, and the "professionals" were scheduled to show up around 3p.m.  They called around 3:30, and were on the wrong road, and Dale straightened them up.

The time waiting for them wasn't wasted, as we could bring some boxes out in the queue we had started, so once the piano was in, it would hopefully go pretty quickly.  Our goal was to get as much loaded up Saturday while we had the help.

A little before 4, the "professional" piano movers showed up.  I took one look at them and just sighed.  There were two of them.  One looked to be a little more mature than the other.  I supposed that one was "brain" and the other was just for extra "brawn", however due to the extra flab and not muscle, I was dubious of that assumption.

Brain dude was a misnomer too, it seemed.  They looked at the piano, and the set of stairs they had to take with it and proceeded to be befuddled.  They actually sat back on their heels while Dale, and a couple of friends figured out that a ramp was going to have to be built (thankfully we had the materials on hand!) going down the stairs, to the truck, which Dale had maneuvered into place with a great show of skill, if I do say so myself.

Soon a working method was worked out, though Flabby still looked kind of vague.  As they were hauling my piano out, they nearly ripped the wheels of the bottom.  Flabby and Brainiac seemed to think that yanking the 800lb piano THROUGH the door jam, instead of OVER it was a good strategy.  Thankfully one of our dependable friends pointed out that wasn't going to work.

"You have to lift it up over the door jam!"  I informed them, trying not to be snarky.

"It's heavy!"  This from Flabby.  I rolled my eyes but didn't say anything.

Once they got it positioned so it could go down the ramp, they had a sort of pulley system for making sure it didn't run away from them.

Now, I may sound bossy, but while everyone was taking a breather before doing the ramp, I told Dale, loud enough so EVERYONE could hear it, that he and Ben or any of our people were to be on the downside of the piano.

"The the professionals be on that side.  That is what we are paying them for."  Brainiac and Flabby chuckled.  I turned to give them my "I'm NOT joking look."    Dale assured me everyone would be careful.

I couldn't watch.  I went over to the other side of the yard where my mom and a friend were watching the littles (which was a major help.  I really appreciated being able to just work and not worry about Isaac or the my friend's littles being underfoot.)

I did have a view of Esther, Elizabeth, and Josiah, who were positioned away from the danger zone, but watching.  Esther had her hands over her face.  I figured if the piano fell, I would know it soon enough.

However, that heart-stopping crash never happened, and after a few intense moments, the piano was secured in the front of the truck.

Dale was going to write them a check, but was interrupted by "Uh, we prefer cash."

Now if it were me, I would have told them too bad, so sad for you.  They never informed us of that when we hired them, and the cash we had on hand was meant for us to live off for a bit after we moved.  However Dale gave the $250 (which they weren't worth, BTW) and I was glad to see them leave.  I should have given the money to our friends who helped figure out how to safely get the piano out of the house.  Braniac and Flabby weren't worth much.

However, the piano was safely moved, undamaged (except for what I suspect is a new scratch on the front) and no one was hurt, which was most important.

Sunday, August 5th, Dale preached for the last time in Willseyville.  There was a great lack of emotion for the most part.  There is one couple in our church who all along have been not wanting us to leave, but understood about God's calling.  They had cake and ice cream after the evening service for us.  It was very thoughtful, but I wasn't surprised to see only four other people there besides our family, and my mom.  Seven years of blood, sweat and tears, and only a few people could take the time to say goodbye.  I told myself that I wouldn't let it bother me, but honestly, it did just a little bit.  I hope they treat their new pastor with much more love and respect.

Monday, August 6th, was moving day!  We were up early, had a good breakfast, then the last minute packing, wiping down, loading up was done.  I tried to do some cleaning before we left, but there was only so much time or energy.  Plus we still had to unload the truck after getting in here in PA.  I was remembering when we moved into the parsonage at Willseyville how not one person showed up to welcome us, or to help unload the truck.  We arrived late on a Saturday, and after getting to bed after an extremely strenuous day (that is another story for another time) got to be around 1 a.m., on the floor.  The truck was a borrowed truck, so we could unload at our leisure.  After pulling in late, and bone tired, Dale preached Sunday school, Sunday Morning, and Sunday Evening.  All that time not one person said, "Hey, can I help you unload the truck?".  

So, when we pulled in here, and saw at least a half a dozen people waiting to greet us and help unload, I could have cried.  The interim pastor (who lives about a mile from us... a really sweet older couple) brought down dinner.  A hot meal... meatloaf, green bean casserole, corn, rolls, cookies and the BEST blueberry pie I've ever had... enough for everyone and some leftovers for us to finish off the next day.

The next day, Tuesday the 7th, Dale and I had to return the truck.  The church had ordered a new stove for me, and it was delivered while we were gone.  My mom was here with the kids.  As the stove was being installed, a lady from the church showed up with the makings for a spaghetti dinner.  I was glad she didn't cook it because we warmed up leftovers from Monday night.

After returning the truck, Dale and Benjamin took all the seats out of the van, then headed back up to NY because there were several office chairs and odd and ends that we just couldn't fit in.  We had arranged to have the extra moving day, and were glad to have done that.

Dale and Benjamin got home a little after 9:30 that night.  I had just gotten everyone to bed, gotten a shower, and was settling down to read.

"We are officially moved out!" Dale said.

The lady next door to us, Mrs. Close, had brought us some yummy sticky buns for our first breakfast.  I got word from her niece the next day that she fell and broke her collar bone, so Wednesday Dale visited her for a while.

Thursday morning my mom left and we went exploring.  We needed groceries, so we just scheduled a day to do some shopping.

And shopping we did!  There is an Aldi, Walmarts, Kmart, Home Depot, and lots of other stores about 45 minutes from us.  I needed several household items, and we decided to purchase a new fridge.  Since our main shopping is going to be twice a month, or less, we figured more storage space wouldn't hurt.  Plus, I have a ton of bulk flour we bought just before leaving for baking.  So our old fridge will turn into the storage fridge in the mud room, and the new fridge's spot would be in the kitchen.  We purchased it at Home Depot, and they have free delivery, which was scheduled for yesterday (the 16th).

Friday, the interim pastor stopped by.  A man that was a member of the church, though hadn't attended in a long time because of his health, passed away Wednesday night.  The funeral was to be Saturday, and though Dale wasn't officiating, we were asked to attend.  The funeral would be in town, and a dinner provided at the church after, so the twins and I could help with that.  It was a good opportunity to meet some of the community.

Oh, did I mention that besides helping us move in, providing meals, and making us feel welcome, the church sent us a bouquet of flowers?

There is much more to write, and I suspect that this is getting too tedious.  Let it suffice to say that we are getting settled in, much faster than I thought we would.  I believe that is because Dale hasn't had to go back to work yet, and we have been gung-ho in getting unpacked.  Josiah, Caleb, and Jerusha have been attending VBS this week in the mornings at a church nearby, and very much enjoying that.  We had our first overnight guests this past Wednesday.  A missionary family we know was heading through this area, and it worked out for us to be a stop for them overnight.  Unfortunately, due to prior commitments, they had to pull out Thursday morning, but it really made me feel like we are up and running if we've had company!

Yesterday afternoon I was online for several hours ordering school books.  Normally we would have started the new term by now, but obviously, with moving, that wasn't going to work.  I'm hoping we'll be starting in about 3 or 4 weeks.

I've ordered some scripture and cute sayings in vinyl stencil form to put up here and there.  I also bought a couple of new clocks.  We still have some shelves to hang, and some pictures to hang, but we are at the point now where we can take a breather and move our focus to other things besides just unpacking, though there is still more of that to do.

We are starting to delve into the ministry here.  We are without printing abilities right now, but are going over to the church this afternoon to clean, and do bulletins, nursery schedule, and a sign up sheet for cleaning.   I'm tentatively thinking on a ladies "tea" just to get us all together and plan some ministry type projects, and see what, if anything, they have been wanting to do.  Plus it will be an excellent opportunity to get to know the ladies better.  I haven't set a date for that yet, but it is simmering on the back burner of my  brain.  First, though, I need to get us into routine with school and music practice again.

I just recently found our camera again, so I'll try and get some pictures up soon.  I was kind of waiting until we got more up on our walls and made it look more "homey" and not so clinical.

If you made it this far through this entry, then reward yourself with some chocolate.  Thanks for taking the time to catch up with me!

Have a blessed day!

Last Update for a While

We got the call Sunday night.  It was a unanimous vote to ask Dale to be the pastor.  He accepted, so now we not only know WHEN we are moving, but WHERE we are moving!  Our time of "limbo" is over, and I can't say how happy I am.

So, we are in the throes of the last few days of packing.  We pick up the truck on Saturday afternoon, and start loading.  Dale preaches here one last time this Sunday, then Monday we pull out for PA.

We've been having fun arranging for our monster piano to be moved.  The estimate for "them" to do it all, loading, hauling, then coming all the way back up to NY was..... well, I hope they all have a nice vacation in Hawaii.    When Dale had gotten off the phone with them he asked me, "So, how attached are you to the piano?"

"If it doesn't go, I don't either."

"Okay then.... " then he laid the fee estimate on me.

So, we are taking some measurements.   It will be worlds cheaper if they just help us load it on our truck, and we haul it, and unload it ourselves.  It will be easier to unload than load because of the porch set up in PA.  We'll see....


Anyway, due to the super-craziness right now, I'm signing off indefinately for now.  I'll start up again, after we get settled some at our new place.  So, don't lose the bookmark here, just don't get impatient waiting for my next post.

Blessings to you all!

Miscellaneous Post

We are almost to one week before our move date!  Dale's last day of work was yesterday, so he is officially unemployed!  Though a new pastor has been hired here at the church, he has asked Dale to fill in when available until all the moving and transitioning has been completed.  I think I mentioned that before.  *blush*.

In case you all haven't noticed, my brain is a bit addled!

The packing has been going well, and we will be finishing up this week.  We still have to go through the shed, but that isn't as bad as it sounds.  I hope!  The last minute clothes packing will get done later in the week, and the kitchen we'll do over next weekend.  There are still a few odds and ends in the meantime to take care of, but we are in pretty good shape.

Speaking of getting in shape, I've been spending as much time as I can in the evenings at the gym.  My membership runs out later in August, but we will be gone several weeks before that.  In the meantime, unsure if there are any gyms near where we will be moving (whether north or south, I still don't know!) , I'm taking advantage of having the access to a gym now.  Elizabeth has been more serious about working out with me recently, and has been following my eating plan, and my workout plan quite a bit.  It is much easier to say "No" to treats when you have a buddy to do it with!  She doesn't need to lose weight at all, but she is doing it  to help me and to maintain her health.  Good girl!

Speaking of weight loss, I haven't really lost much over the summer.  I keep playing around with the same 3 to 5 lbs.  However, though the scale isn't doing a lot of moving, something is going on!  Last weekend, the interim pastor and his wife invited us to stop at their house on the way out of town.  They had been given a ton of clothes, and said we were welcome to go through them and see if there was anything we wanted.  We did, and several of the kids ended up with some nice pieces of clothing!

One of the sweater that Esther got was a beautiful cardigan, with a zipper.  It looks like some sort of Norweigian colorwork, on a smokey blue background.  Just gorgeous!  I fell in love with it, but it was a size Small, so I passed it to the twins who agreed to share it with each other.

Lo and behold, a few days later, Elizabeth was wearing it in the morning.  Seriously.  I about sweat to death just looking at her.  Now I know what my folks felt like when I would show up with sweatpants, a thick hooded sweatshirt on, OVER whatever else I was wearing.  Oh yeah, that would be in the summer.  Oiy.

After some good natured teasing on my part, she finally took it off and said she was getting too warm in it anyway.  Then Esther said, "Mom, why don't you try it on?  I know you like it."

"Honey, it's way too small," was my positive reply.

They finally convinced me to try it on.  Well.....

(You'll note that I put in a pic of the tag just for good measure!)

Now, wearing a size Small is highly unusual for me.  This was a VERY generous size Small, if you know what I mean.  But still.... woot!

Besides going to the gym, I like to knit to help destress.  Is that even a word?  Anyway, I started this tote a few months ago, working on it here and there.  I've spent the bulk of my knitting time finishing it up.  It was very easy knitting, perfect for the present season of life we are going through right now.  Here it is drying out, after felting it:

So, there is a brief, frivolous, and totally random update.  I'm thinking by tomorrow night we'll be getting a call from the head of the Pulpit committee to let us know how things came out in the vote they are supposed to take after the evening service.  

Have a wonderful evening everyone!

Let the Games Begin!

No, I'm not referring to the Olympics!  Still a few more days before those begin!

I am talking about a major declutter/packing spree leading up to our moving day.  Yup, that's right folks, I actually have a solid date... well, at least semi-solid.  Kind of more like "Jello" solid.

We were called back for a second visit at the PA church, last weekend.  It went very well, and it was even a gorgeous weekend, and not near so oppressively hot as it was a few weeks ago.  After the Q and A in the afternoon, the pulpit committee met and voted to recommend Dale to the members as Pastor.  According to their constitution, they have to announce the formal vote two services ahead.  The head of the pulpit committee told us that they would announce it Wednesday night, Sunday morning, and set the vote for Sunday night.  So, in less than a week Dale may be offered a new pastorate!  We appreciate your continued prayers for wisdom and guidance.


Meanwhile, the members here have voted in a new pastor.  He is a young man, with a wife, little girl, and a baby on the way.  They are moving from Ohio.  So, yesterday afternoon Dale a call from "Pastor John" as everyone is already calling him (he has a French last name that no one can seem to remember well enough to pronounce correctly) and had a chat about the logistics of all this transitioning for them and us.  Dale said he was very pleasant to speak with, and he hopes that all will go well for him here.


Anyway, we will be moving over the days of August 6th and 7th at the latest, if not sooner.  Pastor John asked if Dale would continue filling the pulpit, while he can.  He wasn't looking for a commitment, so if we want to leave before the projected moving day, then we need not feel like we can't go.  Dale agreed, and assured me that if we are ready to go before then, we have no responsibility here to fill the pulpit until August 5th, which is the Sunday before our projected moving day.


It is a little strange being in the church still, Dale preaching, but not the pastor anymore.   It seems awkward to me, but Dale is taking it all in stride.


Lately we have been having a rash of break downs here.  The Tracker (Dale's little car) is gone.  It didn't pass inspection, and the work it would have taken to get it to pass was much more than the car was worth.  So, we are now a one vehicle family again, and we've decided to not even bother with another car until after we move.  


Then our main computer started acting up.  I think we jostled something the wrong way while moving it to a temporary desk.  The desk it was on was a pickle to put together, and I figured it would take a while to break it down again.  It did.  I'm glad that one is done!  Anyway, while moving the computer around something got wiggled wrong and for several days we couldn't even get it to turn on!  Dale went through all the connections last night, and got it to turn on, but it shuts down on its own whenever it feels like it.  Well, if we can't get it to work, we are taking out the motherboard, wrapping it up good, and tossing the rest of the computer out.  We'll deal with a new one after we move.  At least we can salvage the info on the hard drive!


Then, last night, after a very hot and very humid day, the AC in the basement started to make some strange noises.  We had to shut that down.  Dale hasn't had a chance to look at it yet.  It sounded like something in the fan.  It could be some crud got in there, or the bearings could be going.... who knows?  


Maybe with all this stuff breaking down is God's way of helping me declutter!


So, we are in a feverish packing mode now.  Not sure how the timing is going to work out.  IF we are voted in at the church in PA, and we end up moving down there, we aren't sure when the parsonage will be ready.  If we have to, though, we'll just use those PODS, and maybe go on vacation while waiting, if they can't house us for a couple of weeks.  If they say, "come as soon as you can" then Dale said he may start making a trip or two ahead just to get the moving started.  We'll have to wait and see.


So, we are sort of in 'limbo' still, but only less than a week of that.  Then we'll know what we are doing.  Either way, we are leaving here on, or by, August 6th-7th.


"T" minus 13 days, and counting. 

Quiet on My Blog But Busy IRL

We have had quite a whirlwind of events, so I wanted to just do a quick post to update everyone.

The short of the long is that Dale candidated in a church in PA last weekend, and they have asked us back for another set of meetings!  So, we will be back in PA the weekend of the 22nd.

I will give more details on the church there later.  Right now we are in a time of prayer and seeking God's guidance.  We are very excited, because whether or not we are supposed to be there, they are a great group of people, and I will be glad to see them again.

Meanwhile, back on the ranch, we are packing.  I had started packing more intently, thinking we would be moving out of here around the 21st, but with the church in PA looking promising, we are sticking around a bit longer to play that out.  Thankfully, no one here minds, and told us to stay as long as we wanted.  Dale fills the pulpit here when available, and we have a place to stay until we now for sure which direction we are moving in.  Anyway, the intense packing is slowed down and I'm finding, oddly enough, time on my hands.  Without school, or the garden, or the pool, or tons of packing to do at the moment, I'm actually finding time to work on a quilt that has been in progress for a year.  It was supposed to be for my niece's  wedding a year ago, but obviously I never got very far on it, as I just finished cutting out yesterday afternoon.  The fabrics in the quilt are gorgeous, if I may say so myself.  I love the colors and how they play off of each other.  This is one of those quilts where I'm battling myself the whole time.

"I want to keep it."

"You can't.  It's for your niece."

"But I WANT it!  It's going to be stunning!"

"No.  You have to send it to her."

"But by the time I actually get it done, it may be this fall.  Way too late for a wedding present, or even a first anniversary gift!"

"Not so.  She'll love it anyway.  You have to give it to her.  Besides you can always give it to her for Christmas."

Pout, pout pout.

And so it goes.  Either way, I'm loving it already, and I haven't even started the piecing yet!

The piecing is somewhat intricate, so this isn't a quick quilt.  However, I'm sure it will be well worth the effort and time.

I've been working on some easy knitting.   Mostly because we've been outside when it isn't too hot, and it is easy to watch the littles and do something easy.  I'm making a tote, that will be felted, and still working on my Cabria wrap.  My Azzu's Shawl is on hold for now.  I needed a break from it.

The weather has been hot, as one would expect in July.  I'm already tired of summer, and ready for those nice, crisp, cooler days of fall, but alas.  I can't speed up time, so I'll have to learn to just be patient.

There is a very basic update in a nutshell!  Have a great day everyone!

Something Lacey Shrug

I finished this simple shrug about a week ago, but have neglected to take a pic until today.  Sorry about all the junk in the background... no matter how much picking up I do it looks like the packing fairy threw up all over the place.  I also included a pic (again) of the blocked part, before I put the ribbing on (above pic) . Hopefully you can see the lace pattern better. Oh, and no sooner had I put it on for church this morning, than I heard "Mom, can I have it?" from the twins.  It is a good sign when your teenage daughters want your stuff!  

Have a blessed Lord's Day everyone!