Boiled Buckeyes

On Saturday, we headed to West Lafayette for the game between the Boilers and the aOSU Buckeyes. Now I'm usually a pretty good sport, and I never trash talk before a game, but let's just say that I don't like this team much. At all. Finish the sentence, "Oh how I hate, Ohio _____." (Sorry Buckeye friends.)

That being said, we knew it would take some sort of miracle to pull off a win. I think we were like 450 point underdogs. Or maybe it was only 45. But anyway, NO ONE thought we could win. So early in the game, I took a picture of the scoreboard. I figured it may be the only time we had more points on the board than aOSU. Yay Boilers!

Matthew and Andrew were enjoying the game. It was a beautiful crisp fall day, perfect for football.

Matthew checks out the scoreboard.

Andrew and Darci practice for the kiss cam.

Matthew ducks to avoid the kiss cam.

And look at the scoreboard now! Can anyone believe it?

And yet again. This isn't how the experts thought it would go at all. But it sure is fun, and we're enjoying it while we can.

Brutus was performing in the end zone. He was the only Buckeye that had been there at this point. :)

A flip...

and a bow.

By halftime, the Buckeyes had scored, and we enjoyed a great halftime show by the band with a transportation theme. Starting out with a train, of course.

We had a couple of extra tickets, which we shared with our friends Jeremy and Nicole. I know. They are wearing the wrong colors, but we're still friends. They are looking a bit worried at this point. We were still thinking it was too good to be true.

The referees seemed to do quite a lot of conferring during the game.

And at the end of regulation, after a Boiler block of an aOSU extra point, it's all tied up. Going into overtime!

The Boilers chose to play defense first, and the Buckeyes scored 3 on a field goal. Boilers with the ball move it inside the 1 yard line, and the quarterback stretches it into the end zone for the touchdown and the win! This picture shows the W flag going up to celebrate the victory. We like to see that!

It was a big win, and the students and fans celebrated on the field after the game.

Andrew, Darci, and Matthew cut across the field to get to their car.

I followed them down, and spent a few minutes enjoying the celebration.

I don't believe I have been on the field since this day... Ah, sweet memories.

The view was pretty nice indeed.

I ran into a happy Justin Siller down on the field. Glad to see he's hanging on to his helmet. :)

The band did their post game show from the end zone, since there wasn't room for them on the field. Hats backwards for victory!

I headed back to the car with a look back at the celebration. I know rushing the field isn't always cool, especially for a regular season game. After all, we should expect to win, right? Except we didn't. That's what makes sports exciting. And boy, was it ever exciting!

Our friends Nicole and Jeremy came back to the car after the game and let me take their picture. They were even still smiling. At least on the outside.

But we were smiling more! Boiler Up!!

In other news, our friend and fellow Boiler, Dave, was visiting his friends out in Oklahoma, and missed the game. He doesn't miss many football games at Purdue. You may have noticed his picture featured in our friend Ree's blog. Yes, he knows The Pioneer Woman. He was honored, along with all the veterans in the crowd, at the ranch rodeo he attended with her family. Thanks for your service to our country, Dave, and can I have your autograph?

Home for the Hodgepodge

I am supposed to be in Haiti today. I was experiencing some symptoms over the weekend that were causing me to worry. Or maybe it was the worry that was causing the symptoms. I get that. I don't think I'm a worrier, though my husband would say otherwise. And it wasn't my first trip to Haiti, so I shouldn't have been anxious.  In any case, I am supporting my team in Haiti with my prayers this week instead of my presence. Tests showed that I am fine, and I think I will agree with Joyce and her hubs and call it an 'age spurt.' Genius!

So, since I am at home, I am joining Joyce for the Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer the questions, link up, and visit the other participating bloggers. It really is fun.

1. Of all the tools and gadgets you own which do you most enjoy using?

It would have to be my iPhone. I am anxious to upgrade to the new version in another month or so. It is amazing to think of the advances in technology in telephones in my lifetime. I remember dialing a phone that was attached to the wall! And even then, all I could do was talk!

2. When (if ever) is impatience a virtue?

I'm guessing that there are folks that will come up with a great answer for this one. I can't think of a time that impatience is a virtue. Maybe I'm not being patient enough to think of one! These days, I am trying to live by the wise words of Ann Voskamp, "Life is not an emergency."

3. What temperature do you keep your thermostat set to in winter? Do you have another way to heat your house besides a furnace of some type?

We keep our thermostat set to a comfortable temperature. That may vary depending on the number of people in the house and the temperature outside. We tend to bump it up or down as we see fit. It probably stays around 70 degrees. And our furnace is our only source of heat.

4. Do/did you have a close relationship with any of your grandparents?

I was close to my maternal grandparents. They lived just an hour's drive from us for most of my life, and later moved to our town. I was especially close to my maternal grandmother. 'Mamaw' took me horseback riding, shopping, made my first prom dress, and helped make my bridesmaid dresses to name just a few special memories. Here I am after my high school graduation with Pampaw and Mamaw.

Here we are on our wedding day with my parents and Mamaw and Pampaw.

It was also a blessing that our children were able to know and love my grandparents. Here is Mamaw with Andrew and Jonathan.

And in the Cayman Islands with our five, and the traditional sand turtle (see #5 below).

It is perfect that this question was included in today's Hodgepodge, since today was Mamaw's birthday. I think it would have been her 97th.

5. When did you last have a family portrait taken?

We try to take a picture when we have all the kids together. Sometimes we get it done, and sometimes we don't. The photo on my blog header was taken on Labor Day 2010, and used for our Christmas card last year. Of course, if portrait means taken by a professional photographer, I believe it was 2009, in the Cayman Islands. That year, we took our 10 immediate family, my parents, 4 friends, and 1 cousin for a total of 17! I played the part of travel agent and meal coordinator, and I also arranged for a photographer to take our family photos one evening. I am so glad we did it, and these are a couple of my favorites from the shoot.

The photo above was our Christmas card in 2009, and we had several friends ask if the backdrop was real. Yes, it was, complete with the Jolly Roger sailing by at just the right moment.

The photo below includes my parents, and we are standing around our traditional huge sand turtle we have been building on the beach since our children were little. This was a couple days after the building day, so he was a little worse for the wear, but we couldn't pass up the chance to get a photo.

6. What does the word patriotism mean to you?

I looked up the definition, and found this:

pa·tri·ot·ism

   /ˈpeɪtriəˌtɪzəm or, especially Brit., ˈpæ-/ Show Spel[pey-tree-uh-tiz-uhm or, especially Brit., pa-] noun

devoted love, support, and defense of one's country; national loyalty.

As we approach Veteran's Day, I am thankful for those, both past and present who have shown love and devotion for our country by defending our nation with their service. A friend of mine has a son serving in Afghanistan. After hearing about several groups here in the States planning to run an 11K on Friday for Veteran's Day, they set up a course for them to run there.  Will you pray for him, as well as for the others running and serving in all parts of the world?

7. Do you like to play cards and if so, what's your favorite card game?

I answered this question this morning, but when my son asked why I didn't do #7, I came back to check, and it was gone! Hmmmmm.... don't know what happened.

Anyway, my answer was that our family loves card games. Give our group a deck of cards, and they are entertained for a long time. They spent many hot summer days in the cattle barn at the county fair playing cards. My favorite card game is probably Euchre. I remember playing it in college, and it's still a family favorite. I've been told that Euchre isn't well known in other parts of the country. Do you play Euchre?

8. Insert your own random thought here.
 I decided since I had an unexpected week at home, I should not waste it. My closets are in desperate need of some mission work of a different kind, so I started on the laundry room closet. Some of you neatniks may think this is the before picture. Well, I didn't actually take a before picture, but let's just say the floor was not visible. A truckload of trash, a large bag for goodwill, freshly laundered coats and jackets, and a greatly improved closet. And that was just Monday! Hoping to continue on my quest for clean better closets throughout the week.

Birthday Girl

Today is the very special 26th birthday of this baby...

who grew into this girl...

who is marrying this boy next spring!

We celebrated with lunch at Panera and some Holy Cow Cupcakes.

It was a nice afternoon of celebration 

(despite the Boilermaker disaster in Wisconsin).

And for a little extra birthday treat, here's a corgi quartet 

with their version of "Happy Birthday."
Fit for a queen. Which she is, of course.

Happy Birthday, Jennifer!

I love you!

Phone Photo Friday

It was a busy week, with costumes galore, 

beautiful sky, and sweet baby faces. 

Enjoy!

Astronaut, bee, and bug ~ Autumn sunset ~ Bat duo

Dorothy and doctor ~ Crewe du Drew doggie ~ Smurfette

Dolly on my head ~ After school snack ~ Six months old!

Thanks to friends and family for sharing their sweet photos, edited by me with Instagram.

Linking up with Dawn at My Home Sweet Home.

Blankets and Baggage

I am honored and blessed this year to have the opportunity to be the mentor for a MOPS group. In case you don't know, MOPS stands for "mothers of preschoolers." It's a great place for young moms to find support, personal growth, and spiritual community. I tell them it's great fun for me to hang out with the young cool moms. :)

On Tuesday, the group worked on fleece baby blankets as a service project.

It was fun to see them teaming up to whip out about 20 blankets in the course of the morning.

They were busy cutting, knotting,

and even showing off mad multi-tasking skills.

Can you make a blanket with a baby on your lap?

And, of course, it allowed the moms to do some "mom networking."

They had a great stack of finished blankets to deliver by the end of the morning. Check out the MOPS Greensburg Facebook Page, and spread the word about MOPS. It's a great group!

I ended my day at our packing party with our Haiti team. I forgot to take pictures until we were almost finished, so this is the last of the packing pile...

and the tightly stuffed and carefully weighed suitcases.

The bags were loaded into 'ol Silver to be transported to the airport on Sunday.

After which our fearless leader (and I do mean fearless) sat down for a much deserved rest.

Heading for Haiti Hodgepodge

I am glad to be sharing in the Wednesday Hodgepodge this week. I won't be able to participate next week, as I will be out of the country (see #8 below). I doubt that I will be able to do any blogging at all while I'm gone, but you can be sure I will have several (hundred) pictures to share when I return. :)

Be sure to pay a visit to Joyce, and check out the other Hodgepodgers who are participating. It's fun!

1. Who taught you how to cook?

Well now, that question is making the assumption that I actually know how to cook. I have said it before, I know how to make about three things. After your third meal at our house, you will have tasted my entire repertoire. I don't cook well. I don't cook often. And I have absolutely no idea how to cook for two. Food for the basketball team? No problem. (Spaghetti is one of the three things.)  A meal for Jim and me? Not so much.

2. Have you been told you think too much? Are too much of a perfectionist? Are too sensitive? Were they right?

I have never been accused of thinking too much. I'm not sure I have ever been told any of these things. I guess I'm sometimes a bit of a perfectionist. There are a few things I would rather do myself. Other things, like my laundry room or my closets, are about as far from perfect as you can get.

3. As a child did you have a favorite blanket or toy? Tell about it.
No, I don't really think I had one special toy or blanket. More of a series of things, including an old feather pillow that my grandma always referred to as "that disreputable pillow" because it was so squishy and flat. I'm pretty sure it went to college with me.

4. What 'institution' do you have the most faith in?

Well, after the news this week about Kim K., I don't think I can choose the institution of marriage. I'll choose the church. What better to have faith in?

5. Chrysanthemums-pansies-burning bush-ornamental cabbage...your favorite in an autumn garden?

Chrysanthemums.

6. What superpower do the kids in your neighborhood seem to posses?

I live in the country, not a neighborhood, so no kids around. I wish I had neighborhood kids with barn cleaning superpowers. :)

7. Are you a fan of the cranberry?

Yes, I like cranberries. I remember grinding cranberries with my grandma at Thanksgiving, which was always quite fascinating to me. I don't so much like cranberry relish, but I do have a favorite cranberry recipe to share.

Cranberry Apple Bake (or as we now call it, Cranberry Crumble)

3 cups apples, chopped but not peeled

2 cups raw, whole cranberries

1/3 cup white sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 stick melted butter or margarine
1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup oatmeal

1/3 cup flour

1/3 cup chopped nuts

Place apples, cranberries, white sugar & 1/3 cup brown sugar in 8X8 casserole dish. Pour mixture of melted butter, 1/4 cup brown sugar, oatmeal, flour and nuts over fruit. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Easy and yummy. I try to keep a bag of cranberries in the freezer to have on hand for this recipe. This may also be frozen ahead of time and baked when needed.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

On Sunday, I will be traveling to Haiti. It will be my fourth trip, and my first since the earthquake of January 2010 that destroyed much of the little community I have come to know. I am sure it will be emotional to see piles of rubble where buildings once stood.

I will look to the beautiful mountains and witness the resiliency of the Haitian people, and I will see hope.

 I will see hope in these beautiful children who persevere through unimaginable hardship.

Who continue to learn and grow even after their school building was destroyed.

I will see joy in their faces as we share a few small gifts, take 600! school pictures, and help with some construction projects. I will experience the warmth of the sincerest hospitality, when those who have so little welcome us to their homes to share a meal or a cup of coffee.

And I will be blessed. 

Won't you pray with me for our friends in Haiti, and for safe travels for our group? 

God bless you.

I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
         From whence comes my help?
  My help comes from the LORD,
         Who made heaven and earth. 

~Psalm 121:1