Vacation Bible School - 2008

'GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISES'

The theme for our 'Home school moms-V.B.S'.

We started on Monday morning with a sign on the front window (Church of Christ-Summer 2008). More than a dozen children arrived early with their mothers. Everyone was excited and the welcoming began with skits and songs.

The children co-operated well with the adults' instruction & directions during lessons and crafts. The older girls and boys were very helpful, especially at lunch-time and clean-up afterwards.

The Lesson were divided into three days: God directs Noah to build an Ark, Noah trusts & obeys; Animals & Family enter safely into the Ark; and God keeps his promises with a 'Rainbow'...

It is all going along beautifully, Thank God. Prayers are being answered for safe arrivals and departures; wonderful weather; and healthy and happy children being blessed by our good Lord...


Remember: Enjoy & Vacation at home, reading God's Word to your young ones...

From: Our 'Pleasant' Front Porch...Ana & Andy.

Credit: Wise mothers and Creative fathers...

ARK - ART

I'm really excited this summer, because I finally decided to start on my art once again.

It began when my daughter-in-love invited me to an art fest for V.B.S.
They were creating a giant visual collage of Noah's Ark. The dining room table was covered with a large, clear, vinyl table-cloth. My son's boxes of multi-colored acrylics were brought out to be shared with the boys. A large roll of white paper was used to cut into sheets for each of us. And the fun began, I picked pastel colors for the rainbow and hues of blues for the stormy and clear skies. It was great, I really enjoyed myself.

Getting back into art stirs the creative side of the brain and makes you feel like a child again. We had so much fun. Davey poured and mixed a lot of brown and tan, coming up a 'taupe-color' that we used as background for the gopher wood, it turn out nice. Joey said he'd share his colors with me; it really helped in mixing the different hues for the rainbow colors.

On the first day of V.B.S., I got to see the finished project and was surprisingly amazed at how wonderful it looked. Very large on white background: Noah's Ark in taupe & warm brown collage; silver clouds; the ocean in purple/blue hues; and the Rainbow in strips of pastel, it all looked so lovely. Our son Joe has a creative, artistic eye.

Remember: Don't hesitate to start, enjoy your art.

From: Our 'fascinated' Front Porch...Ana & Andy.

Credit: 'In the beginning God created...' - Gen.1:1.

Just call out my name...

Yesterday, while resting and listening to my Audio-Bible on CD, my baby sister Diana called me. She had knee surgery on Thursday the 17th. and sounded groggy and in a lot of pain.

We are very close, when she came home from the hospital, I was 7 years old and thought she was a 'living' doll. She is so sweet, bright and funny, God love her. I can rest assure whenever she calls I'll have a good laugh.

It's funny, I had a feeling of what would happen, if I fell down the steps and had to be in crutches? Then Diana calls and said she fell at work and injured her knee. The worker who was moping quickly placed a wet sign to cover herself. My sister's co-worker said she should have taken a picture with her cell phone, but under the circumstances-pain came before quick thinking.

Answered prayer: The surgery was a success, Thank God. The anesticia made her sick. She makes me laugh, "now I have to get up and go all the time" she said, she was told it's the IV solution going through her system. Being the accident happened at work, workmen comp covers 100%, Thank God. The crutches she was given were a 'child size' because she's so small (5 feet), she had me laughing.

I will be speaking with her tomorrow. Diana had to call the pharmacy for medication. She was given Vicotin, I warned her how taking orange juice with it causes nausea. She's also on Celebrex for inflammation, our sister Millie said to question her doctor, because Diana has asthma. She does take Singular and Advair for the asthma. And Thank the good Lord, she has 100% coverage on all the medicine.And an added blessing, workmen comp has a van to transport her to and from doctors. God covers all our needs exceedingly, abundantly of what we ask for and need.

Remember: Pray for continued health throughout her physical therapy...

Enjoy: Speaking & laughing with the 'living' doll in your family...


From: Our 'loving & prayerful' Front Porch...Ana & Andy

Credit: James Whistler (painter)

Nancy Drew looks for clues

I'm reading The Nancy Drew Files, a mystery book my young friend loaned me, and I'm really enjoying it. The case #124 is titled 'Crime at the Chat Cafe' and it's really good.

One of the characters name is Andy. It's about a Spanish young lady, Lydia Rojas, opening a 'Chat Cafe' in California. Nancy and her cousin George are so neat and 'lista'(spanish) for 'bright-minded & alert' to their surroundings and what needs to be done. The story begins with the 'grand opening' of the 'Chat Cafe' with tee-shirts and balloons.

The girls are always investigating someone, somewhere and something, all at once. Nancy goes in a storage room and gets knocked out. She drives a cool car and dresses very stylishly, that's my kind of detective. Her locket goes missing and her car breaks down, yikes, always a mishap. When her cousin comes up with a clue, Nancy says: 'Only a theory, nothing substantial'.

Nancy has good common sense and she's a good listener. She jumps out of bed in the morning and quickly gets ready for whatever may come her way. Always checking the messages on her answering machine, while packing and getting ready for her next great adventure. She works well with everyone, and is quick to congratulate a job well done.

We should all learn good lessons from reading about young ladies like Nancy Drew. She's a good example of circumspection, being aware of what's going on around her. I love the cute quotes and sharp replies, not rude, but wise and full of humor. They really make you think and test your skills, in trying to solve the mystery with Nancy and the girls.

Remember: Don't be blue, get a clue and always carry a flashlight...

Enjoy: Relaxing and reading a 'good' mystery...

From: Our 'Lista' Front Porch...Ana & Andy.

Credit: Courtney Anne, a real-life 'lista' young lady.

Todo eso por medio peso

There is a Spanish ditty about starting life in America with just a 50 cent investment. It's called 'Todo eso por medio peso' meaning 'All that for half a dollar'.

The Spanish ditty goes like this:
With half a dollar I bought a goat, and with that goat I got some cheese;
And with the cheese I got my strength, and with my strength I got a job.
I got a goat that gave me some cheese; that gave me strength; that got me that job;
and all of that with half a dollar.
With that job I bought me a car and with that car I got collateral to buy my house;
I got a goat that gave me some cheese; giving me strength to get a job;
paying me money to buy a car used for collateral to buy a house;
and all of that for half a dollar...Gracias a Dios/Thanks to God.

That's just how I felt at Saturday's Yearly Rummage Sale. Everything was half off, oh yeah, my kind of sale. A full bag of clothes: $2.00! Our friend, Rayah, was with her mom, Heidi; we had a great time picking out 'like-new clothes'. We kept finding neat pieces and giving them to each other. I first picked a royal blue jacket-like shirt with a lime design on the front shoulders, real classy. I kept looking and found the pants to that outfit! Heidi is so sweet, she found a really nice white 'Land's End' top and she gave it to me. I had an extra bag with 'stuff': a small pentax-camera with the battery; nice pair of brown short leather boots; soft black open-toe sandals; 3 books; and odds and ends, the footwear looks brand new. All in all, the $2.00 bag had 12 pieces of clothing, the grand total was $3.00...Todo eso por medio peso/All of that for half a dollar...Gracias a Dios/Thanks to God.

To be honest with you, my mother would shop only 'brand names' and at the 'better stores' (she was very frugal), yet no one ever left our house without a gift bag.
Raised to use my money wisely, I always carry an extra shopping bag in my pocketbook for great and affordable buys. And, just like my mom, I love to give gift bags with treats to everyone.

Remember: Save & Invest your half dollars/'medio pesos' for your future needs...

Enjoy: Shopping for fashions & finding fun, good 'stuff'...

From: Our 'Thankful' Front Porch...Ana & Andy.


Credit: God, Provider of all our needs...

The Secret Life of Bees

One of my favorite books: 'The Secret Life of Bees' by: Sue Monk Kidd.

The story is about a young girl (coming-of-age) living in the South. It is so good, you can almost sense the sounds and smell of all that's happening around her. I love reading in the 'first person', it's like the character is right there talking to you.

The girl is so brave with the bees, in my mind, I could imagine them humming around her. The Southern sisters she meets are really cheerful and help her with all she needs to know about caring for bees.

The rest is for the cinema, in October 2008, there will be a movie. I am so looking forward to seeing it on video. I think it's great to be able to see how the characters are depicted. Queen Latifah plays one of the sisters. To see a preview trailer of the movie, see below.

Enjoy: Videos based on books read.

Remember: The pictures are in your mind...

From: Our 'dreaming' Front Porch...Ana & Andy.


http://www.bordersmedia.com/feature/
video/secretlifeofbees.asp

I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy...

Happy Days are here again! Yesterday, July 4th, I hit the town with flag colors and camera. Met Rayah at Trudy's candy shop, she showed me her flag colors: sandals with red, white and blue curling ribbons, she said it tickled her toes. She had on big white plastic sunglasses. She made me laugh, saying: 'I got it all at the dollar store'. Rayah is so creative, she was styling. Trudy was very busy with all her kids, selling candy.

I went out to a crowded Main St., everyone was getting ready for the parade. I've never seen the town so full of people. Young and old, men with video cameras, moms with baby carriages, all enjoying the beautiful fun-filled day. Local reporters from the Eureka Television & Spanish channel stations were filming in front of my friend Nancy's 'Times Remembered' shop.

Then it began, the most decorated, wildly anticipated event of the day: 'The Fourth of July parade'. Everyone was excited, looking at all the colorful floats. The 'Shriner Hospital' clowns gave candy to the kids, as they honked and drove in tiny cars. The band played Americana tunes like: 'I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy, Yankee Doodle do-or-die, a real, live nephew of my Uncle Sam, born on the Fourth of July'. That's my favorite song for this great day. It makes one feel so patriotic. My next favorite: 'I'm proud to be an American, cause at least I know I'm free'. Don't get me started or I'll start singing all my favorites right here and now.

The most beautiful float I saw was our friend Ellie's (local artist), she drives her 1950's Chevy in every parade. This Fourth of July, she drove her Chevy, and she was wearing a gorgeous white top hat decorated with sparklers of red & blue, on the front, in sparkly-silver was written 'Happy Birthday', Wow!, it was awesome. I yelled, "Ellie!", she waved and I snapped her picture. Surprised, I saw our 'sister- in-Christ' Diane!, she's involved with all kinds of Senior groups (Tai-chi,etc). She looked so cute with her 'senior sisters' doing a jig and playing a tambourine, you guessed it, I took a picture of her, also. Last, but not least, there was a Mexican band called 'El Conjunto', young guys playing cymbals and guitars. I was skipping alongside them, snapping a picture, and they shook their heads, smiling (reminded me of my nephews).The last float was the Boy Scouts with a make-shift missile with 'Freedom' on it. Hum, I thought, mixed crowd, oh well. I had a wonderful time, walking and taking pictures of it all.

I finally caught up with Rayah & her mom, Heidi, and we shared the joy of watching a great parade. Andy & I had a relaxing afternoon of hot dogs & waffle fries. We went to Joe's house and watched a movie, the great Alfred Hitchcock classic 'Rear Window' with Jimmy Stewart & Grace Kelley, it was charmingly mysterious.

When I think of 'American Freedom', I picture Norman Rockwell's Freedom posters... Freedom from fear: Two boys, secure in bed with parents watching over them, in the dad's hand a newspaper:(during WWII).Freedom from want: Thanksgiving Day dinner with all the family.Freedom of Religion: Depicts all creation (to me ) as one.Freedom of Speech: A farmer speaking at a town meeting.

Hope: You all enjoy the great freedoms of living in this wonderful country.From: Our 'Freedom-loving'
Front Porch to yours...Ana & Andy.
Credit: One Nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all..

Blessed is the Nation whose God is the Lord, and the people he has chosen for his inheritance...Psalm 33:12.

People, let me tell you about my best friend...

Our grandson Joey is a wonderful boy, we love him very much. I call him cheerful Chappel, because he enters a room with a big smile and a ray of sunshine.
He was born in Arkansas during his mom's last semester at Harding(Christian) University. She graduated with high honors: "Magna Cum laude", I attended Joe's graduation, also, and got to see Joey's 1st home. Joey got the best of both parents: smart & responsible.

During his birth, I waited at the nursery window and heard a voice: 'Is he born yet?', I turned and saw a prominent looking white-haired gentleman with a crest on his jacket, smiling. I was so tired, when I looked again he was gone. To this day, I believe he was an angel. And when I left Rebekah's bedside the room was full of people, Starla said they prayed for angels. I got to hold Joey warm from the womb, and he looked a lot like his Papa, David Widner.

Joey 'Joseph Andrew' is named after his dad, Joseph, and his Papi, Andrew. When he had his first bath, he protested so loudly, his wails were heard through out the whole floor. Together with Dada & Momma, we went to Walmart and I got baby Joey a hooded outfit, when we put it on, it was 'snug', he was so big (8 lbs.) He slept and was a good baby. His Grandma Starla (aka Bucky) arrived in Arkansas just in time to help Momma with baby Joey. She made him soft felt clothes. We have early videos of his 1st home and Holidays with his cousins, some day, we'll show them to Joey (again). My folks in Puerto Rico had seen Joey in a large Sears photo Joe & Becky sent to them. Wella said,'Aye, que lindo'(oh, how cute). Wello said,'Se aparece a mi tio 'Juan el colorado' (He looks like my uncle John, the redhead) and he gave Joey the name 'Peachy'(for his auburn hair)...

When we moved to California, Joey was 2 yrs. old and his hair was golden in the sun. He was very cute and curious. We'd do everything together. We'd go for walk-talks & took pictures of everything we came across. We've done some scrap-booking. He enjoys going to the library with me. I remember a book about crickets, I kept looking around due to the sound, it came from the book! He laughed so hard, the table shook. Our adventures have been God sent and we've enjoyed every single one of them with fond memories.

He is so a Chappel, why do you ask?, because, like his great Uncle Donald, he's got the Chappel humor. Andy said, 'He looks so much like Joe at that age (9-11 yrs.old). Joey is tall, handsome and has hazel-eyes. Whenever he wears a different shirt (green/blue) his eyes change colors. His hair is like his Aunt Angie's, light auburn. And he's a vegetarian, he chews his food slowly to get the best taste. I could tell you his shoe size, but his feet grow fast. His garden boots fit me, a size 4 in boys' (I'm a size 7). Once he had a pair of cute green (frog eye) boots, they were his favorites, he wore them all the time to play in the garden. When it would rain, he'd drop a quarter in the puddle and be surprised when he found it in the spring. He claimed the orchard as his own, and we've been (to our delight) picking apples every autumn. That's why I call him "Chappel-apple". I love the fall because of Joey's birthday and his apples.

Joey will be 10 yrs. old in September, I wonder what costume-theme he'll choose for his party? It's the Fourth of July and Joey is at church camp with his family. I can't wait to see him. He will call me on the phone and say,'Know what?', and tell me of the wonderful times he's having with the Seniors and his family.

Joseph asked to be baptized when he was 7 yrs.old, knowing & realizing his future would be secure, putting Christ on in baptism...Gal 3:27. We love you, Joey, & we look forward to spending many wonderful seasons with you, as you grow like Jesus (Luke 2:52) in your life 'In Christ'.

Remember: "Joey, enjoy being a kid"...Papi.

From: Our 'Grand' Front Porch...Ana & Andy.

Credit: God, who knit and wonderfully created us...

The 'Guess Who?' Hat

Happy Summer Birthday, Davey. Our grandson Davey's birthday is in June and the family always has a summer-fest. We all celebrate at either Fireman's Park or the beach.

On his 3rd birthday, we celebrated at the beach. There was a sand storm, it was really windy and sand blew in our faces and even on the sandwiches, Yikes!. It was lots of fun though, all his friends were there: tall, raven-haired beauty, Rayah; cheerful brother Chappel and his home-school friends; Rebekah with her brother and sister. Rayah's mom, Heidi, dug a large space in the sand for the kids to cool off. I had read about sink holes, but she made it wide and not too deep. (Still not recommended.) I'm so cautious when it comes to kids (having babysat since I was twelve).

This year, the family celebrated Davey's 8th birthday at Fireman's Park. I came up with the idea of a costume theme for their birthdays. We've been Indians; Pirates; etc., and this year's theme was Bible characters: Davey-King David; Joey-Joseph, with a carpenters apron; Dad-Abraham; Momma-Queen Esther; Nana-Abigail; Aunt Angie-(as her self),'Princess daughter of the King' and neighbor Joann-Rahab, she said (and I quote): "Rahab was very brave", so true. Davey had soft-shiny gold wrapping paper on his shoulders, very royal-looking. Everyone guessed Momma's as 'Esther', she looked beautiful. Joey's eyes turned blue with the sapphire headdress. My son said: "Mom, you bring food from afar". The costumes were very realistic, especially Aunt Angie's as she let her light shine.


This picture shows Davey wearing his favorite black felt hat. He can reshape it into many styles. Each style is a different character. I think, therefore, I believe this one is the 'Cowboy-from-Toy Story'. He can also become 'George Washington'; 'Indiana Jones'; a '3 Musketeer', all in a flip of the flaps. He's one funny character alright. When we visit, he jumps out and asks: 'Can you guess who I am?', and I have to think real quick: 'latest movie'. Usually I'm right, but it depends if they've borrowed a video from the library, then I'm pleasantly surprised.

I remember the Christmas Davey was four years old, we had 'Open House' in Ferndale. That winter he wore his Doctor Seuss hat everywhere. I placed him on my shoulder with his 'Doctor Seuss' hat on, and everyone smiled and said: 'oh, how cute he looks', as he sang Christmas carols above my head. I suspect that started the: 'I'm so cute' phase.

We really enjoy Davey's antics & funny phrases, sometimes, though, he comes up with some deep thoughts, and we look at each other. For example: During a 'Cinco de Mayo' festivity, not having heard Spanish music (played during the holidays) he asked: Is tomorrow Christmas? Imagine that....

Remember: Enjoy your Boys...

From: Our 'Celebrating' Front Porch...Ana & Andy.

Credit: God who crowns us with grandchildren...