Wow, I can hardly believe how long its been since I've updated on Xanga.  I had planned to update when Kaity turned 2 but that's been 2 and 1/2 months ago already. 

This past week I was struggling with feeling very melancholy and blue.  I was feeling intimidated and inadequate.  I felt like I was good for nothing and couldn't measure up to others' expectations.  God has placed in my life someone who seems to think they have all the answers.  After some time of struggle one of my daughter's told me not to let it bother me. That God made me ME and I don't have to be like someone else to be worthwhile.  I really appreciated her encouragement.  (God bless her!) 

Anyway, as I pondered this, I came to the conclusion that God made us with different talents..  He blessed me with talents in sewing, knitting, weaving, that type of thing.  He gave my friend Doris a green thumb.  She loves to garden and has beautiful flower beds around her place while my flower beds are growing weeds and I hate the feel of dirt under my fingernails. (Shudder)  God gave our daughter Susana a talent for cooking.  I don't understand it but she LOVES to cook.  Hey, not me!  I'd rather turn tail and run!  Just like Kendra Lily would do from the sewing machine.   She has a talent for keeping a clean house besides a host of other ones.  Some people have an aptitude to teach.  Louise was such a good Sunday School teacher but for me it is a major undertaking and I am usually sweating to just get it over with.   You get my point......

The more I pondered about this the stronger this thought became: No matter what talent God has given to us we need to be careful not to intimidate someone else because they can't do what we can or if their interests doesn't match our own.  No one likes a "KNOW-IT-ALL"!!!!

 I learned that a number of years ago when we lived in Guatemala.  I remember well how a group of us missionary wives were visiting and someone made a remark like:  "I wonder why ......"  I am not sure what the exact question was but it had to do with childbirth.  Well, since I was studying midwifery at the time, I knew the answer and began to instruct them.  My answer was met with coldness and I quickly realized that the lady didn't want to know bad enough for me to tell her!  Kind of a shock but I suppose I needed that lesson.  Sometimes we just don't want to find out answers from people who act like they have all of life's anwers.  I wasn't trying to be a know it all but I guess I wasn't really careful about NOT leaving that impression.  So, since then I have not always answered someone's question even when I did know the answer. 

But I am not perfect so if I have ever intimidated you with anything, I am asking you to forgive me.

And with that, I will close.  Love to all.

I will try to post picturs soon of my Square Foot Garden and other stuff.

Wow, is it already the end of the year???!!!  My first thought is "Where did it go?"

Tonight the girls are leaving for a New Year's Eve campout at Linden School with 3 girls from church.  I sure don't envy them.  I hope they stay warm! 

That leaves the house very quiet.  So maybe I can update this properly. 

I always said that Facebook is a thief when it concerns Xanga.  I still believe that.  But yes, I am on FB.

Today, I officially closed doors on Kim's Knitting Needles & Fabrics, and Down Cellar Bent & Dent.  I am very relieved and also somewhat melancholy.  After 7 years of having a brick and mortar store, it does seem strange to quit but I really felt it needed to come to that.

For a while already, I could see that it was not very profitable and it was getting more stressful.  Finding groceries has been a pain since the beginning when I ordered banana boxes and got pallets of outdated groceries and the company refusing to make it right.  Its been an uphill struggle and about the time I thought we had found a reliable source I would be disappointed.  The last batch of bent and dent stuff was so dirty that I had to wash most of it and then ended up throwing a bunch of stuff.  The shipping costs had gone through the roof and we lost money on it.  I talked to yet another Amish man who was willing to split loads with me but informed me that it would cost an additional $350 to do so.  this wasn't shipping but just for the favor.  I felt I could not afford to put that amount of money down a sinkhole.  He informed me that it would take over $18,000.00 for a full semi load and I would do better because the shipping is lower per box.  Now, where would I get that kind of money and if I did have it, where would I store a semi load of groceries until I could put it on the shelves????  Even if I do live in a school, I don't have that kind of storage room.  So, I was praying for God to lead the way,  should we continue or quit? Also, with homeschooling 4 ( one of those a 1st grader) and a toddler, I felt I didn't need the stress.

Then Pepper (aka Dixie) our dear little poodle went out with a customer and got killed.  That was the final straw!

Lavina found her out on the street....to the customer's credit, she did call and tell me that she heard that Pepper was dead.  She knew the dog had gone out with her and thought about coming back in to tell us, but she thought that we left her out.  (I am not sure why people would think we had a house dog, if we were going to leave her run the streets.  But that's beside the point, I suppose.  This customer was sure she didn't hit her but I suppose it doesn't really matter either.)  Lavina was very heartbroken.  She wailed and sobbed for a long time.  She just couldn't understand why God allowed it to happen.  She had wanted a puppy and had prayed for one and God gave her one and then this.  It didn't make sense and I had no answers for her.  So, we just cried together and later I went out and dug a small grave and buried our pet.

I used to not understand people that had pets, especially housedogs, why they acted so "weird" about them.  Now, I know.  We had never had a house dog before.  This one depended on us to take her out, she went on trips with us, etc.  She gave us her all her love.  Suddenly, she's gone.  And yes, we grieved.  And no, I don't think we were crazy to do so either.  I repent of all my ill thoughts of other petlovers....it just goes to show that its not good to judge others until we've walked a mile in his moccasins.

So, its good-bye to Pepper our black miniture poodle.  (I wish I could find another one just like her!--well, almost, I wouldn't mind if the next one were slightly less hyper.)

Then our dear friend April, heard about Lavina's loss and sorrow and did what she could to help her....she bought her a Shih Tzu puppy that is as cute as a button.  Pixie is a really dustmop and we like her.  But, although, we are fond of her, she doesn't have that loving personality of Pepper.  It did wonders for Lavina's spirits though.  We went to the breeder and picked her out of 7 or 8 puppies.  That was fun.  Thanks a million, April. Picking out Pixie.  She's the one in Lavina's arms.  they all were so cute.

Another exciting thing that happened to us this year was on Jonathan's birthday, when Lavina was born again!  We praise God for His leading in her life.  It gets harder to get a good family picture. 

In October, we took a trip to Va for Vernon's parents' 50th wedding celebration openhouse.  We stopped in OH to visit with my parents on the way.  We were at Grandaddy's a day when our oldest son's family got there.  How sweet it was to actually get to cuddle our newest granddaughter.  She was only 3 weeks old and was so tiny!  I told the family that I got first dibs....I usually am not that selfish but remember, this was my little namesake and birthday blessing.  I could've held her longer but Kaitlyn wasn't too willing to share her mommy for very long. 

Benj's family came out here for a few days right before Christmas and it was funny to watch Kaitlyn and Ben J (3 weeks apart in age) interact.  Once he was supposed to be lying down on the couch resting but having trouble staying down.  I went over and lay down with him, cuddling him close.  Kaitlyn took one look at us and here she came, crawling up on top of me.  She wasn't mean about it, but she left the message very clear.  "This is MY Mommy!"   Oh well, some day, I am sure they'll be best friends.  As it is, he knows he can get a rise out of her and that's more fun than anything else.  

I really miss them.  I used to be kind of callused and not really miss people.  I had said hello  and good-bye so often when we lived in Guatemala that after the first term, it really didn't bother me much.  Now, I see life on same side of the picture as my mother and mother-in-law did.  It is very different being the one left behind and not the one that's leaving.  Now, I really can understand both sides.  Been there, done that.

I suppose this post is getting rather long, so I'll quit.  May God grant you a great New Year.

May you be ready for His return.

 Here's some shots of Kaitlyn taken in Oct.  Also one of Vernon and I for my 50th birthday.   

And her name is.....

Sue Elen!  Sue for me and Ellen for Grandma Edith...(my first and her middle names.)  fits pretty good.  I am not sure how Sue is spelled but Elen only has one "l" since a double "l" in Spanish is pronounced "y".  I just can't wait to see her!

She was born on my and my mother-in-law's birthday's--Oct. 2!  What a special gift.

Our little girl has been begging for a pet for a couple of years.  A kitten was first on the lists.

I've spent the past 2 days dressing my table loom.  It is hard, time-consuming work. 

A couple of years ago, I was asked to do the weaving demonstration at Lattin's annual festival; Sugar on Snow.  It was a smaller version of my own: A countermarch Glimakra floor loom.  I enjoyed that immensely, although, it did seem as if Vernon and I spent most of the day underneath it trying to get the tie-ups right.  (I learned a lot about weaving and about our own loom in the process.) 

Due to lack of space and other issues the Lattins decided not to use Amber's Glimakra again.  Oh, bummer!  I really wanted to do it again.  So, this past time we used an inkle loom and wove a belt.  I was not impressed with that and it seemed like the people didn't show too much interest in it.  I had to wonder how many Colonial people wasted their time weaving belts?  So, I decided to buy a small table loom for that event. 

I was thrilled when Ebay decided to give me $450.00 to spend on Ebay!  Finally, I had sufficient funds to get the loom.  So, once I had all the equipment I needed, the real work began.  I strung my thread on the warping board, trying to do it just right but for odd reason, when I began to put it on the loom, it got sort of tangled.  So, I threaded it, and pulled it out to the other end of the living room.  I put it on dowels on both ends, using a folding chair legs to keep the dowel straight.  I had to use a milk can for weight to keep the chair from sliding around.  I am thankful for big rooms. 

The method was unorthodox for sure but it worked.  Maybe next time I'll be able to do it right from the warping board to the loom.  Anyway, "Sugar on Snow" here I come!

Happy Anniversary Adam and Susana. 

Some time ago, our friend Rich was saying on Xanga that he had won $500 to spend on Ebay and he was trying to decide how to spend it.  I thought, "Wow!  How do YOU rate?"  

I also enjoyed the "mission plane" booths.  Such as Jaars of Wycliffe Bible translators, Fly 4 Life and MAF.  The last one had stuff on Jim Elliot, Nate Saint and their friends who were murdered by the Auca Indians years ago.  I wish I'd had a lot of extra money so I could've bought some of their books and DVDs.  Oh well, as it was, we had to end up buying a serpentine belt for the van and we were so glad that NAPA had a booth so Vernon could order the belt and have it delivered to the airshow.  (They thought of everything, Sleuth!  )

Jonny and Daddy took a walk last Sunday and on the way home stopped by to visit a neighbor who is extremely overweight.  Jonny informed me that the man had no shirt on and looked like an ape, he had that much fur!  

 I am here holding the baby so thought I'd try updating.  For some reason, she's feeling grumpy and wants held.  I had been trying to consolidate my sewing patterns into one filing cabinet.  I had to quit before I was finished but did get some done.  Melisa is listing the patterns on Ebay and we finally figured out a way to pick and choose different patterns to list and be able to put them back in the pattern filing cabinet in their correct order and know which ones she's listed.  Before we had stacks of patterns on the shelves with the other stuff that's been listed.  After a while that didn't work so well!

The morning of June 26, I woke up and the thought struck me:  "Dave and Miriam's 50th wedding do-dah is tomorrow and I'll bet Phillip and Neto Glick's will be up from El Salvador!"  We had been invited and had put the invitation up on the wall thinking we'd like to go but didn't really keep track of when it was going to take place.  I told Vernon that I'd give just about anything to go to it and mentioned Neto's and Phillip's.  I think that it what it really took to help Vernon make up his mind to go.  We made the decision to go about 10:00 PM on Friday.

Shipshewana, Indiana is a 9 or 10 hour drive from here so you don't just pop in.  Also we had some commitments like Summer Bible School going on that week.  The biggest thing we had was that Vernon had ordered some new tires for our BobCat skidsteer and had paid for them.  They had to be picked up on Sat. morning as the Bobcat agency was going out of business and wouldn't be open on Monday. 

We took Marv's VW to save on fuel and crammed the 2 youngest in with Melisa who is trying to get her 30 hours of driving time for her driver's license. We did get over 50 miles to the gallon and I think Jetta's back seats aren't too bad for comfort. 

We called Joanna to let her know that we were coming so some of them were expecting us.  We left Eau Claire about 9 with all 4 tires in the trunk, then headed down to Indiana.  We realized that we'd lose an hour due to time change so Vernon did the lion's share of the driving.  Chicago was slow which seemed weird as it was a Sat. but we made it to Rosewood Christian Fellowship before the shindig was over. 

We didn't see everyone that we would have liked to but we saw all the Yoder's which is really what we had set out to do. (I was hoping to see some Schwartz's there.)  All their 13 children and 53 (?) grandchildren were there.  They have 5 children living in Central America so to get everybody together at the same time is a feat, I am sure.

Dave and Miriam

Its funny, but the one I am the closest to is Judy who is 15 years younger than I.  I suppose it had a lot to do with us being back and forth in Central America when we lived there but I am sure it has something to do with personality too.  We enjoyed getting together with Phillip's when they'd bring the Antorcha's up to Guatemala City.  That said, though, I enjoy visiting with all the Yoder family....almost seems like my cousins. (They used to live in Carbon Hill where I was raised.) We did have a great time and we are so glad we went.  They were glad we came too.

Dave II and Vernon were roommates in Chimaltenango, Guatemala when they were single in 1980.

Miriam with Kendra (Julie's), Rebekah, Martha and Marla (twins) and Judy.  Beka and the twins are Judy's girls.

  Miriam with Janice, Teresa, Louisa, Marlee, Brenda, April, Roxanna, Virginia, Violet, Jeanette, Jessica (Yoder's and Friesen's)

We stayed alnight in the Waukarusa area with Dave and Teresa.  Since Vernon's dad grew up there we were sort of curious as to where the "homeplace" was in relation to Dave's place.  Dave didn't know and Vernon didn't remember so we were surprised to find out after we got home that the place we were looking for was just across the road from Dave's!  If only we had known that then.

We went back over to Shipshewana for church although we could've seen dozens of cousins and uncles and aunts if we had had the time, but we were there for the Yoder's.  There was a fellowship lunch at Rosewood after the service so we made use of the time to get caught up.  I'm not sure that is possible.

We left about 4 and got home around 12:30am Monday morning.  Melisa got in about 6 hours of time and she deserves a medal for doing chicago with a stick shift car!  She scared me a couple of times and stalled it a few times but all in all she didn't do too badly.  Maybe she'll know how to drive stick shift before long.  At least she won't have to get out and push the car around because she doesn't know how to put it in reverse.  (Yes, that really happened to someone I know!)

My garden is doing great, but the leaf lettuce is getting bitter.  I suppose its too hot for it.  Sure looks good though. I really love doing it the Squarefoot way.   My raspberries are loaded.  Looks like we'll get a good crop this year.  Yummy.

my strawberry pyramid my green beans Square Foot Garden

I am going to post some pictures of our dear little one.  She is such a charmer.

She loves hotdogs.

Oh, yes, Lavina turned 10 in June. We got her an ice shaver.  I thought with this heat, she'd enjoy making slushies.   

Well, I was going to post pictures but it won't let me.  I will try later.  Check in me later.  In the meantime, keep serving the Lord with gladness.  Blessings, Kim

I know, I am not any better than the rest of you.  I haven't received very many updates from my Xanga friends and have been blaming it on Facebook.  But thats not MY excuse!   I won't even try to excuse myself...I just haven't felt like updating.

Its been a busy spring as usual.  I am trying Square Foot Gardening this year so built 7 frames out of landscaping timbers.  They are 4 by 8 foot.  Then I gridded them into 1 foot squares.  I don't have them all full yet but what is coming up looks very nice.  I need to make trellis' for my vining crops yet.  I have peas, watermelon, cukes, and stuff like that besides the tomatoes. 

I also made a tiered bed for strawberries.  I've always wanted one but was too tight-fisted to fork out the money that they cost premade from the seed catalogs.  So, when Vernon took down the 1x6's from our living room ceiling--I had them earmarked for my strawberry bed.  (The boards were up there for the original lights which we replaced last month.)

My friend, JoEllen closed her greenhouse for the summer and had told me to take any of the left over plants that I wanted--she was just going to pitch them.  So, I got some more flowers to plant outside.  We have some sewer pipes and stuff "growing"  behind the shop so I decided to plant flowers around those.  Wow, what a difference that made! 

I have wanted Clematis for years but the idea of planting some at the backstop never occurred to me until this year.  So, I've planted a couple plants out there.  I hope to buy a couple more yet before Walmart sells all they have.  I thought I had 2 different kinds but when I was planting them, I saw they are both Gypsy Queen.  That's ok since I do love the deep purple color.  Some day, I hope to get some climbing roses going along the fence surrounding our front yard/ball diamond.

I found 2 apple trees at Walmart that looked like they needed some TLC, so I asked them if I could have them.  They were going to pitch them anyway.  They offered them to me for $5.00 each.  Vernon thinks I got gypped but I am not so sure.  The Jonathan is alive but no leaves.  He looks healthy otherwise but the other one--I thought it was a Winesap, but when I got it home found a loose label at the roots that says Red Delicious--had died on the top half.  The lower limbs are healthy looking and has leaves.  Does anyone have any advice on these?  Should I cut the dead stuff off or leave it on?

I bought 2 maple trees on Ebay that get red in the fall.  They came yesterday so Jonny and I planted those.  I love their color when they turn red.  Most of the maples here don't. 

Anyway, as you see, I've been busy planting.  I failed to mention that I planted 5 new rose bushes.  3 of those don't look so healthy and I had 2 die from my last year's trial.  Oh my.  My thumb isn't so green that I have success all the time.  I winered a lot of flowers over from last year..I had them in pots and just brought them in so I have petunias from last year.  Most of my dusty miller came back.  I didn't know they did that....especially in such a hard winter as we had.

Btw--we had snow flurries on May 15 and I THINK it was the 19th when we had our last snow.  The frost was still biting a week or two ago.  Do you wonder why our garden isn't all planted?  Vernon's dad planted our corn for us last week.

We got another load of groceries this week so I've been busy restocking shelves too.  I am disappointed in this load.  Its dirtier, the boxes aren't as full so we won't make out too great.  I sure hope it gets better...the last 3 shipments have been really good and then I get this one.  Sometimes I wish we could get out of this business.  Its tons of work for little pay!

Our Ebay store has been selling stuff right along.  I still have tons of stuff to list and get rid of.  That's also a time consuming task but my teenager's love listing and its not so laborious.

We are still putsing around trying to finish up school.  Melisa has finished hers and Lavina will soon but I am not sure when Tiana will get done.  Poor girl, Switched on Schoolhouse locked up on her last year so she's trying to do last years work too.

Lavina has been wanting a pet for a long time.  Her daddy ruled out a cat and since then she fell in love with a Maltepoo.  My brother's wife, Danita was her visiting and had one of those pocket-sized doggies and now Lavina is sure she wants one of those.  If only they weren't so expensive!    She  had the fun of baby-sitting a Canadian gosling the past weekend.  It's caretaker says she can tell its a lot tamer now.  Lavina held it for hours it seemed.  It is very cute.

I am going to post a couple of pictures.  I had planned to post them on my last post but didn't get it done.

Here is Kaity Rose stuck.  She loves playing with the pot brush!  ((

This is her Middleton Doll--Buggin' Me.  Almost as big as she.  At the time, she preferred the box it came in but since she has taken a liking to it.  Telephones are definitely her first dolls.  You should see how she cradles one!

I've been doing some rug weaving.  Wish I had more time to put into it.  I had tried to finish at least one a week but lately haven't been able to do that. 

I really like my Glimakra countermarch loom.  I think I could have up to 12 harnesses.  I have it set up with 4 right now.  Someday, I hope to learn more about it and do other stuff.  I have a bunch of Chenille yarn that I would love to weave into shawls but I would need to rewarp it and so far don't have a warping board. 

 I hope you all have a nice summer.  I do plan to update sooner than the last time but will make no promises.  Keep looking up --Christ is coming again!

PS.  No, I don't do Facebook.

 Here it is March 15th already.  Time has a way of slipping away from me.

Our dear little girl is 1 aleady.  When I think of what we were through last year at this time I still shudder and wonder how we ever made it.You can see the bruising on her face.  The swelling was so much she couldn't open her eyes for a couple of days.  I remember how bright eyed and alert most of our babies were just after they were born.  I was miserable for awhile so am very grateful for the healing that we've experienced.

Yesterday we celebrated...she got a few gifts, Lavina made her a cake, and of course we had Mt. Dew, rootbeer and Pringles.  She was asleep during supper so we saved the cake and ice cream till she awoke.  She's a funny little thing...we gave her a doll, Middleton Buggin' Me, which she looked at and poked at its eyes before heading for the box and played with that.

Our other children liked riding toys and things like that but she ignores them.  I have to admit that her favorite playthings are toothbrushes and inkpens.  She is very fond of trashcans, or mop buckets, and anywhere she can crawl through like chair rungs.  Strange but at least she doesn't have expensive tastes and she should be extremely easy to shop for....that is if I'm content to buy her inkpens and toothbrushes!

The other night she had her Tylenol bottle and put it into the trashcan in our bedroom.  Then she had the fun of unloading it to find the Tylenol.  Oh, so much fun!  Yuck.

Yesterday, she found an embroidery hoop and had a fit because she couldn't stick her head through it.  It was large enough and she was happy to entertain herself once someone showed her how.  She has learned to give real kisses (hit or miss), blow her nose in a hanky or burp cloth, and wave bye-bye.  Right now her kisses are better as misses due to her cold! 

As you can tell, she has been the light of our lives this past year and we love her dearly.  I need to upload some pictures but will probably have to do it via the laptop as I don't have the new camera's software installed in this computer.

I did another rug yesterday and also prepared some green rags to do one next week.  I really am enjoying doing that...not the preparation of the rags but the weaving. 

I decided to let the suitcoat go for now....I may try again in a couple of years if Mrs. Joanna is still willing to help me when I am ready.  Right now, I am too wounded to even think about it.    If the Lord would come soon I wouldn't have to do it at all!!  In the meantime, we did pick up a suit at Goodwill that fits pretty good that I may change over.  It has pants to it but unfortunately the crotch is half way to his knees.  I had a great laugh over that one.  Not sure how to revamp those so may just use them for fixing the collar.  Who knows?  But right now, I am not in the mood.

I have something else that Rich  (Inner Joy)  may find interesting;  Our little village newsletter came out this week and the Good Neighbor Award was giving to Sophie Stizcynski Rawls,  widow of Wilson Rawls who authored "Where the Red Fern Grows" and "Summer of the Monkeys".  Sophie's brother John was our next door neighbor until he passed away last spring.   We found that was interesting as those books are among our favorites.  How Mr. Rawls (from OK) met his Conrath, Wisconsin bride we've not yet learned but our girls want to ask John's wife as soon as they get a chance. 

Well, I am going to sign off...oh, I forgot to mention that I had to cut Jonny's hair this afternoon.  I mean really cut it.  He got Sticky tac in it and didn't wait for someone to help him and took the scissors to it.  Later he went up to the girls' room and told them to find a wig so that Mom wouldn't notice!  Oh, my...as if Mom were blind or something, or as if we have wigs growing on trees at our disposal and we can grab just the perfect one whenever the need arises.  Oh well, its not something that a couple of weeks won't fix but now he has hair that isn't there (almost).    He will learn, I'm sure.  He was supposed to be taking a nap when this happened, btw. 

May go find you all faithful to Him when He returns.  Until next time, God bless you abundantly.  Kim

PS  If you haven't read Pablo Yoder's The Long Road Home,  I highly recommend it.  It is SOOOOO good.