Our Friends and Relations Part 1

As I write this post, I feel like Rabbit in Winnie the Pooh. I am blessed with so many wonderful friends and relations. Just looking at you all in these photos makes my heart rejoice.

Well here are a few. More are coming as I get them loaded. Have fun!

The Best Man--Clay Phillips

Berni & Melissa soon to be in-laws!

Judy and Jane

Helena and Ava

Mary and Sharon
Sharon is expecting my new niece in just a couple of weeks!

Barry we love you!

Don Phillips

Chris Thanks for your humorous words of wisdom!

Mike Capp
Friend and Cousin

















Troy and David
Two of Kyle's nephews.

Karson

Grandma Glenna


















Aaron

The Lewis Family!

My Niece Leslie
Miss personality!

Andrew

Kevin

Johanna & Rachel
Long time friends.

Leon
Please say his name with an English accent if you can!

Gretchen's best friend.
Nathaniel

Newlyweds. Matt and Kaitlyn

Jim Keena

Captain Tjader
Gretchen and Nate were crew on his yacht in Lake Michigan for a couple of summers. They loved it.
Gretchen will have to get Kyle out there sometime.

Greta Henry

Ralph a faithful warrior for Christ.

Dennis a newlywed himself.

Mike Taylor








Kyle and Gretchen are surrounded by a strong community that loves them. What better way to start a family. ;-)

The Painting Company

Last weekend the family headed down to visit Kyle and Gretchen and have a painting party.
(Get it?? Painting Company! HA HA nobody ever gets my puns)

Doesn't this look great. It's not painted yet but notice the beautiful tile on the floor, and the opened up entry way. There used to be a wall at the end of the counters. It's already looking so great!!

Here's the kitchen before they took the wall at the end out. There was also dark paneling on all the walls in that back entry area. What a great improvement that opens up the kitchen.

You can really see a difference compared to the picture above.

Here's the living room before we started. It's filled with kitchen cabinets and a bed for visiting family members. (that's us!)

The talented and expert painting trio "Dad, Nate & Haley". Don't even think about it, you can't afford them.

We had to have play breaks and Boggle was the game of choice. K& G got it and some other games, as a wedding gift from Aliza and Jeff. Thank you John Henry for getting K&G broken in to the game Friday night before we came. We had to get our own once we got home!


Gretchen did manage to stand up at least once. She hid behind Kyle and tried to make him look like buddha. Didn't work.

Poor thing.


Another boggle break. Gretchen was sick with the flu all weekend and slept on the bed while we worked and played around her. Poor thing!
Although it's not all picked up for this picture, the walls in the kitchen, entry and dining area are all double coated and the ceiling is done. Pheew!!! The next day we began trimming out the living room.

Ken managed to get all the way around the top before we had to leave.

The kitchen cabinets were moved out of the living room and Kyle&Nate moved in the couch. (Hoorah a place to sit-----or nap!)

Gretchen was still feverish and in the bed. Hated to leave her like that, but she was in good hands.

Poor thing.

It's so much fun to watch the house become theirs with their tastes. Thanks Kyle & GJ for letting us help.

Curls

Thanks Megan for sharing your tips for perfect curls with us, even tho they came too late for us to use for the wedding. "wink"

Spring is Coming!

We have seen our first robins this week. Hooray!

We are putting out raisins and fresh suet. Matthew said he woke up to a robin singing right outside his window this morning. Found this info on a site www.all-birds.com

How to attract Robins to your backyard

Water will attract Robins and many other birds. Robins love a birdbath and are fun to watch as they drink and bathe. They will come to a bird bath and really like running water. You will often see them under a sprinkler.

Plat form feeders are good. Robins will eat apples, grapes, other fruits and suet. They will also come to feeders with seeds, doughnuts, bread, peanut butter mixtures and many other foods.

Natural food sources in your yard will attract them. A damp lawn will have earthworms. A pile of leaves or brush will have worms and other insects they love such as caterpillars, grasshoppers and beetle grubs. A good way to supply an area for them to forage in is to use fall leaves as mulch in your flowerbeds.

Plant berry bushes and fruit trees. A large part of their diet is fleshy fruits and berries. A yard with natural fruit sources will be returned to over and over.

Robins will use a nesting shelf to build their nest in. This shelf can be attached to the side of a barn, garage, or under the eaves of a house. Since the female lines the nest with it is good to have it near a mud source such as a garden.

A nesting shelf can be made from three boards nailed together to form the floor, back and roof of a house. Make it about 7 inches by 8 inches and 8 inches high. Mount it in a shaded spot. A good place is on the side of your house under overhanging eaves.

Choosing color

Now that GJ's moved out, it's time for the bedroom shuffle.

Haley is taking over Gretchen's old bedroom. She's in the process of choosing the new color.

It really helped to have the two favorites to paint on the wall for evaluation in different light and with her quilts.
Haley is a lover of color. Her current room is bright sunshine yellow. Now she's ready for aqua or turquoise.

I think that she's made her choice and we'll start painting as soon as we get Gretchen's things packed! Can't wait to see how it will turn out. Haley's decorating is always very cheery.

Requests

At one of the bridal showers they gave out magnets with a picture of Kyle and Gretchen on it with a list of prayer requests that came from Gretchen. It's such a key time to pray for them as they are forming their relationship with each other--- establishing the way they communicate and react --- routines and habits etc.

Please join us as we pray for them. Here are the prayer requests that Gretchen shared with us . . . . .

-- "That I would be quick to turn to God in every question and need, sensitive and obedient to His leading in my actions, words, and decisions, and softhearted and teachable to receive the lessons and corrections He has for me."



--"For spiritual strength and growth to be able to love Kyle in the selfless and giving way that God desires."

--"For God's grace, guidance and help in forming new relationships and transitioning to life in a new region."


--"That God would continue to knit Kyle and I together, increase our unity and mold us into an effective team for His use."
I really liked this scripture and loved reading it in a whole variety of translations. Pick your favorite version and enjoy. This is what I pray for K&G. 2 Thessalonians 1:11

( After thinking about this scripture for a while I found I really liked it in "The Message" Bible. It's a version I don't even like, but every once in a while, I get really curious and decide to see how they thought it carried over to contemporary language. This is the part I liked-- "pray that our God will make (them) fit for what he's called (them) to be. . . )

Reception Magic

If you are tiring of wedding posts DO NOT READ FARTHER! Quickly close this window and do not look back at our blog for at least a week!


You can't say that you weren't warned!

I just wanted to foam on a while about the reception. I had such a great time seeing everyone. The food was excellent, I never tasted the cake that night but heard it was fine, and the surroundings were just what I had hoped for, warm and homey.

We had the help of so many friends for which we are thankful thankful. We would like to especially thank Gina. Remember the ugly fireplace and barren room in one of our past posts??? Well now you get to see the finished product!

We had the reception at Bristol Oaks Country Club. Gretchen really liked the big windows all around the room overseeing the snow covered golf course. And it was beautiful as the sun set that evening.

Here's the room before. We weren't sure how to make it warm and inviting, but Gina our "interior decorator " and her family did a fabulous job. The folks at Bristol Oaks thought that we had hired a professional, she's that good. We didn't bother to straighten them out! =)



Notice the "Happily Ever After" on the head table. A sweet friend Lisa found that. It was perfect to carry on the book theme started with the invitations.
Here's the head table in use just as the sun is beginning to set!

The Cake Table

The Cake Table in use!

The fire place before . . . . . . . . and

after.

Notice the sparkly trees on either side!

The fireplace in use as a backdrop for family photos!

The gift table.

The gift table being used.

The evening ended as bookmarks were handed out with Kyle and Gretchen's picture, their scripture, and on the back, their address. They hoped these would serve as reminders to their friends to pray for them...

Our thanks to Elisha Farmer for these fabulous pictures. I don't know how she did it, she was everywhere! Thank you Elisha for bringing our memories to life.