Tayler's view of Ellis Island ~ a Photo Essay

As we left Liberty Island, Jeremiah was freezing cold.  So I bundled him up into his moby wrap so I could wear him, and not hold up the forward momentum of our group. 

He took all of about 30 seconds to fall soundly asleep.

We got to Ellis Island, and he was still pretty crashed and when he woke up...  he was crabby and starving. 
So...  I handed over the Nikon ( or as the kids like to call it, the sixth child.) to Tayler and let her explore and shoot pictures....

What follows is an anthology of Ellis Island through the very keen eye of a 15 year old.

Wordless Wednesday

In New York, at the Ground Zero Memorial, they have a display of things that were found in the rubble or left by people in memoriam of their loved ones....
This was in the display.

'nuff said......

I love mail!

I love mail.

I love it when it isn't a bill.

I adore a card with a hand written address.

Packages make me giddy.

Today I got a package...  It is my first review for TEACH Magazine.  It's a book, and it is so purdy!  it came wrapped up in a bow.  I like bows.

I can't wait to read it all... ( so far I have read two pages....  it is amazing....  it speaks to my soul!)

I can't wait to tell you all about it! ( look for the review around the middle of January )

Don't forget to stop by http://www.homemakingwithteach.com/ and see what encouragement you can find to help you today!

The Lovely Lady

After nearly freezing to death outside the Times Square studio of Good Morning America, descending into the warmth of the Subway was as comforting and welcoming as a hug.

We made our way over to Battery Park to catch the ferry that would take us to the lovely green lady.  I do not remember Castle Clinton at all from my first visit to New York when I was 18, so seeing it this time was a fresh new experience.  I really am a history nerd, and being able to touch something that was built in 1812 to keep out the British, well it is just stinkin' cool!  I get all lost in my thoughts, wondering what the walls would say if they could talk.  What if I were able to see images, like videos in my head, of what the building has seen over it's nearly 200 years of existence, by just touching the stones.....  yeah, old stuff geeks me out.

We took over 200 pictures just leading up to, on, and around Liberty Island. (Don't worry, I won't post them all.)   I am very glad to have these little SD cards in cameras now....  I shudder to think of how many rolls of film I would have needed.

We spent at least an hour taking pictures at the base of the statue, and facing the NY skyline.  Our kids were even asked by this group of Japanese tourists to pose in a picture with them.  They told us they were so cute and funny running around that they just wanted to take their picture. 

We tried to go in the statue, and that was when we realized there was a difference in the tickets.  We knew there were specific tickets needed to get in the crown, but there are also specific ones even to get into the Pedestal.  So make sure you buy the right tickets when you go!

We wandered around, gawked at the OCC Liberty bike that is encased in glass, and hit the gift shop.  Soon we were loaded up on the ferry again, and off to Ellis Island.

I wonder what it was like to be an emigrant and see her for the first time.......

Wednesday Wisdom

So......
as I was trying to dig out the avalanche of clothing from the little boys room....  I came across a pair of Hunter's pants that Jeremiah the gum maven left his mark on.  There was this big black blob stuck to the knee of one of the new hole free pants.

I walked to the kitchen and tried ice....  didn't work so good.

Then I was trying to just pick at it...  and I got to thinking how I wished this was silly putty because I could use Rubbing Alcohol and it would just dissolve....

And then I thought, well what do I have to lose by just trying the alcohol... so I used a q-tip and put some on...  it didn't dissolve.  I was getting a little depressed.  I soaked it again..... and headed back to the bathroom to pick at it some more....  it lifted RIGHT OFF!...  it released the sticky from the denim...

Yippie...  pants saved from doom!

Happy Birthday Michele

This year is the milestone birthday year for a bunch of us at church....  The first one to fall was Kristen, then Joan, then me, and now, today we have our dear Michele....  At least when we hit the big 4-0 it wasn't alone... we had some friends to drag with us. :)

I treasure my friendship with Michele.  She is wonderful woman with a servant's heart.  A jewel in Christ's crown, bringing Him glory by her service.

In our house she goes by many names....  and her names help describe what she means to each of us.

Evan, and especially Tayler, call her Mrs. Woodsy.  She and her husband Cliff serve in the youth group at church.  They care for, listen to, and pray for these kids that are learning who they are in Christ, and how to live out a life for Him every day.  She is there fixing food for youth events, spending hours cutting little teeny tiny letters out on her Cricut, to decorate the youth room.  Waiting for the last kids to get picked up....  Always ready with a smile and a hug.

Hunter, he calls her Mrs Woods.  Always with a nonchalant head nod.  You see, she is Brandon's mom, and Brandon is nice to Hunter and picks him to be on his airsoft team.  So he nods to communicate his respect to a mom who has such a cool kid.

Jeremiah, he calls her Missuths Woodths.  He always asks her where her dad is.  ( he is confused between Husband and dad sometimes...)  He knows her as a great hugger, story reader, and happy face in the Nursery.  She serves there, hugging and loving on other people's babies so they can be in service.

To me, she is a friend.  A quiet cheerleader in my corner.  I know she prays for me, and those prayers have meant the world to me when you think sometimes you are all alone.  We have laughed together at ladies retreats, we have cried together over hurts, and we have rejoiced together as we have seen God change lives. 

So, Happy Birthday friend.  I hope God allows us to celebrate many more together.

Let it Snow!

For those of you that live where it snows, nights like this are a little less amazing.  But, for those who do not, I thought maybe some pictures would be cool.

Last night we got a couple of inches, and the most amazing thing was the sky.  It was 11pm  and it was so bright outside.  After marveling at the fact you could see the red in the neighbors barn, I walked back in to the house to get the camera and snap some pictures.

The first picture is when the flash  inadvertently went off... but it made for a spooky looking picture.  The others were with no flash, just capturing the ambient light in the sky.

Isn't God's creation amazing?