Young and old alike seem to enjoy the warm time of fellowship and fun.
I’m gonna let the pictures do the talking.

I felt right at home!

Beth had a craft project for those who wanted to make fabric flowers.

The kitchen crew did a fantastic job!

Donna was telling me that on Saturday night they put together 40 pizzas in a little over a half hour!   Now THAT is organization!

This next picture is so precious to me.   Grandma Schultz celebrated a birthday on Saturday.  All afternoon different ones stopped and visited with her bringing her birthday cheer.    Her grandson Bobby, Diane and children joined us for the day.

I call Bobby one of my boys.   He lived with us for many years on the farm when our boys were little.

Saturday evening we had a special guest. 
“Jungle John and his live animal show”

Jungle John is a two-time Guinness World  Record Holder, and was
                seen on the “Guinness World Records: Primetime” television show on FOX, the
                  Ricki Lake Show, and most recently on “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!” on TBS.
      
       
 
He sure held the kids attention, as well as making some of the adults right squeamish!
Just look at that snapping turtles mouth.

He ended the show by bringing out a big boa and after talking about it let the kids pet it!

What am I canning with these ingredients?

~ cabbage ~

~ peppers, green and red ~

Mark’s favorite relish recipe!

Christopher usually makes his appearance here on Mondays.   That is the day he has set aside to work on his music and recordings.   He has made a little studio in one of my spare bedrooms.   Monday I went up to see what he was up to.

He told me it’s always good to drink a little honey with warm water to help clear your throat.  So that’s where my honey bottle went to!

He even let me give it a try.   Don’t you wish you could hear the sweet melody?   On second thought I’m glad you can’t!

Last Sunday evening our church had a “Singing around the campfire night!” 

What a great evening.  As we sang the kids roasted marshmellows.

We had to laugh at Irene.  I guess she was helping a grandchild and ended up getting more sticky then the child.

Yay for Coffee!

I sure do LOVE my church family!
Thank you Greenwood Mennonite!

Fall is in the air and with September comes pole limas.

Jeremy’s were in for a visit the day the limas needed to be picked.   Mark, Jeremy, Christopher and Tim all got up early and picked two muck buckets full at the crack of dawn.

Bo loved being in the center of the action and helping by folding a bean and quick throwing it into the “done bucket”. 

Sub sandwiches made a great lunch break for us.  (Diana you know you can take a break!)

Finished in time for Max and Jerms to get in some bow practice and hunting.     Max wanted me to be sure and know that his arrow had a sharp tip on the end.

Watching his daddy and then pulling back like a pro!

Was happy that Jeremy and Cheryl got in on one of our “Sunday Nights at Grandma’s House.”
Cheryl and Edie sharing a laugh.

(notice the baby bump growing)

~Christina, Jesse and Mark~

~Bert and Jeremy with talking hands.~

~Alicia and Tasha~

~Mary Dear and me~

The kids loved this wiggley, squiqqly, thing.

Only Grandma Alene has toys that make sweet grandchildren look like Amishmen!

* * * * * * *

The first Wednesday of September we met for our monthly Community Sewing Circle.   We had the smallest group that I can ever remember having.  (Fourteen women) I sure hope that is not a sign of how this year will be. 

Quilting and knotting a comfort were two of the projects we had going.

We had just two young girls helping with knitting stocking caps.

Grandma Lois working with her great granddaughter Erica.

 
“Sew-and-tell”

Connie finished quilting this antique quilt she was given.  I love how the hand quilting really shows up in this picture.

Carmen showing a wall hanging she machine appliqued.

I’ve been busy this past week sewing in my sewing room again piecing  wonky letters.

 Lot’s of pinning before I can start machine quilting.

I’m making an European pillow sham to go into my granddaughter’s birthday box.

My week also included Passport Health shots and a trip to the dentist for a root canal.  I’ll spare you the details.

It’s Saturday and time I get to some cleaning for the week-end.

“Very nice book!! Am so glad you and your sisters have such a great heritage!! I really admire your family even though I’ve never met you, except through xanga.”

I had gotten a phone call earlier from Mother saying she had a ride to Delaware with a young gal from her church who was coming to a wedding in Dover.

I had my children in for some of the meals while mother was here.   We had planned an outside picnic for Friday evening but rains forced us to change our plans and move the picnic inside.

Holly and Heidi slicing, dicing and chopping for a supper of yummy chicken fajitas.  Everyone else brought side dishes.

After supper we enjoyed a time of singing around the table.

~ A successful Saturday shopping at thrift stores! ~

Good picture of Timmy, Diana and Maggie May.

Love music in our home.

Thank you Heidi for asking my mother to join you on this trip to Delaware.   What a treat it was having you in our home and getting to know you better.

~ Parting Shot ~

I usually enjoy some reading time each day on my side porch.  The other day was was walking in the house when I spied a movement from the corner of my eye.  This little guy decided he had enough of the hot muggy weather and took advantage of Miss Kitty’s water bowl.

Love these girls, Misty and Holly!

Towards the end of the week we did get some good sewing time in.

~Picking~ which squares look the best together!

~Pinning~

~Piecing~

~Pressing~

~Perfection~

~Pillowcase~

~Peacefully Sleeping~

Spending some time with Great-Grandma Alene.

As I type this post please pray for mom.   Today she was admitted to the hospital for some tests.

Today turned out a very big day here at the Yoder house.   My favorite thing to can each year is tomato juice.   Not sure why it’s my favorite but maybe it has something to do with two very special women in my life.     I always use Mom Yoder’s recipe.   I always make it the way my Mother did , not with a Victorio strainer like so many people do but with a blender!  That’s how I remember my mother always doing it.

It makes the creamiest, smoothest, thickest tomato juice.   Here’s how I do it.

Cook the tomatoes till really soft.

I use an older model of a blender with a glass container.   I think the newer blenders are to powerful and you don’t want HOT liquid all over the place.

After blending it I dump it in a fine mesh wire strainer and “tap and stir, tap and stir, tap and stir”.

If you look close in the next picture you can see how the skins roll up in slivers and very few get through the strainer. 

Grandma Alene’s Tomato Juice
For an 8 quart container I add:

2 cups sugar
8 t. salt
half teaspoon celery salt
half teaspoon onion powder
half teaspoon pepper
fourth teaspoon accent

I love drinking it hot!  Yummm!
I use it in cooking more then drinking but since it is so smooth and thick we have always used this as our tomato soup.  Just add a little creamora when serving.

After making 16 quarts this morning I had to take a three hour break and go to the dentist to take care of a throbbing tooth ache I’ve had for the past week.   Dentist put me on antibiotics to take the inflammation down and will have to do a root canal in a couple weeks.

When I got back from the dentist I used the juice I had made this morning and stirred up a big kettle of spaghetti sauce.    Then Mark brought in a muck bucket of wonderful pole lima beans to do.   He does the planting, weeding, picking and always helps shell them.

A good feeling and now it’s time to call it a day!   Whew!
Oh one more thing….

While Misty was here I gave her this little pink depression glass candy dish.   You see, when I was her age I spent a couple days with my Grandmother Vera.   I remember helping her wash windows.   When it came time to go home she gave me this little dish.  Now I’m passing it on to my granddaughter who helped me wash my windows.   Thanks Misty!

This post will mostly be about our oldest granddaughter Misty Dawn.  
I was tickled that it suited to bring Misty home with us last week after our church conference.    I wonder if she knew what she was getting into!

Monday we drove from Mich. to Delaware.
Tuesday Misty and I started washing windows.   She washed all the inside ones on the downstairs, while I did the outside.

In the afternoon, I took her to the pool.   Wednesday was a repeat, finishing up the downstairs windows and pool in the afternoon.

Baby sitting for Maggie May!

Wednesday afternoon, we got a call from Jeremy telling us about a property in Baltimore that was going up for absolute auction the next day.   Mark and I decided to drive out that afternoon and see it.

We were floored!  This property is inside the Baltimore beltway, and instead of feeling like 4 acres, it feels like 20 acres in the country.   I told Mark I felt more in the country there than I do here on Greenwood Road.

In this picture, I was standing next to the stream, and if you look way back in the back of the picture, you see the house.   The property line is somewhere in front of where Mark and Jeremy are.   The state owns a buffer strip on both sides of the stream, which is public property, but not accessible to the public.  Does that make sense?   It is also adjacent on three sides to park land that is also not accessible to the public.  

While we were there that evening, we saw a buck running across the land.   We saw fish in the stream.
The best part of the story is that the auction was held the next day and they were the highest bidders!

Now Max, Bo and new baby will have more room to play than in this fenced-in area on Parksley!

Thursday, Misty and I were back to window washing.   This time the upstairs one.   I got the inside this time and she washed from outside on the porch roof.

Somewhere on one of those days we also washed my vinegar cruet collection.  They look so nice and sparkly clean.

Very exciting news happened on Friday.   Christopher and Alicia moved to Delaware from South Carolina.
That day was tomato juice day for me.

Misty got in on some play.   I’m trying not to work her too hard, but she is a right good helper!

Time for swimming afterwards!

Saturday evening, we went to Sammy’s Concert Hall to hear the Resurrection Quartet and also the Chuck Wagon Gang.

Is that you, Merle, up there singing so natural with the group!?!

Earlier in the evening Merle came up to our table to talk to Misty, telling her that ever since her great-grandpa Mark Yoder died, he has taken it upon himself to pray every day for our children and grandchildren by name.  That includes you Misty!

Misty had a front row seat at the concert!
Merle, we are eternally grateful for you and your prayers.   God bless you many times over for your kindness to our family.

Here’s the Chuck Wagon Gang.   I loved them.  I know they appeal to the older generation, so you know where that places me!

Sunday evening: time for a family game of croquet.

On the sidelines, with Maggie May at our feet!

Monday was a big shopping day for Misty and me.
Now Tuesday brings me up to date.

I’ve been wanting to start a sewing project with Misty before our time with her is over.

We wanted to make something with a checkerboard pattern.  You start with strips.

Misty is a great little sewer.  Look at her concentration.
Time for an iced coffee break!

Chris and Alicia gave this sweet little black featherweight to me that was given to them by a friend who wanted it to have a loving home.

More of Misty’s project later!
I love this girl so much!

Please check out Queena and Ethan’s blog.  They’ve just updated!

~ Mast Communications ~

I see a future quilter!

Last Wednesday Mark and I made the 12 hour trip out to Michigan to be with our oldest son Israel, his dear wife Jessica and their little tribe of  “Israelites”.

That first evening we introduced them to Skype and took them half way around the world to Malaysia.  The children were disappointed that Dorie and James were in bed.

Jessica loves her flowerbeds and working in them.  You can tell by the beauty all around.   Love the way she graces her tables and has fresh flowers cut for most of the rooms.

  Summer wanted a “Grandpa Mark story”!

It wasn’t long before Amber and Autumn came running wanting to get in on these “I can’t believe you grandpa” stories!

We enjoyed seeing the new major project Israel is working on.   Remember the big hay barn he built for hay and equipment?  Well he now has some new plans for it.

He is turning it into a marketplace.    A butcher and processing shop in one end.   A bulk food and meat market in the other end.

Taxidermist and showroom towards the back.

“Bullseye Marketplace” should be open in the fall.  Time for deer season.

Misty and Shad got ahold of Jess and my camera’s and instantly became the Paparazzi!

They took some great pictures for me.   Here Grant with his beloved Bonnie.

Misty took this one of Holly!

 
 …and this one of Shad!

Shad taking a picture of Misty taking a picture.

This is the site that met me one of the mornings I woke up and went down stairs.   The children had gotten up at 6:30 and were busy snapping beans while their Granny Polly was busy snoring away.   Oh my, I had no idea they were up and at it.

I have many more pictures so I’ll make another post of the Conference and more of the Israelites later.