We celebrated Kate's birthday last month with her favorite dinner (cheese enchiladas) and her favorite cake. Such a fun night!

Cutie pie

Love God, Love People, Serve our World.

I am happy to say that I belong to a church that serves people...all over the world and right here at home as well. It is amazing and pretty awesome to witness the ways in which our church makes a difference in this world. Being a christian in not just lip service here, there are real people out there helping and loving people in the name of Jesus Christ. They are not out there protesting abortion or war with hurtful signs and hateful hearts. They are right there to offer real help to pregnant women or military families. They don't go door to door with a pushy agenda and scary literature. Nope, they are in the thick of taking care of the less fortunate and sending people off to the ends of the earth to love and to help. They are not preaching about the evils of divorce and infidelity...they are mending hurting marriages and supporting healthy marriages stay that way. Amazing!
We belong to a community group through our church. Some churches call them small groups or life groups. They are a group of folks that attend church together who get together weekly to discuss, pray, get to know one another, lift each other up, and support each other in a large church where it is difficult to feel connected. Today, as a part of the "Serve our World" mission statement all of the community groups served in some way. That's hundreds of people out there in the community doing good for others. The only agenda that is being pushed is love . Our group and several other groups got together and packaged meals for a group called "Kids Against Hunger". These meals get used here at local food pantries and also get shipped to the horn of Africa to feed the people suffering under a terrible drought.
Just a few hours, but hundreds of people doing good for a few hours each really adds up. What a great morning!

We worked in an assembly line. Scooped in the properly measure ingredients (Soy, rice, veggies, and vitamins) and passed the bags along to be sealed and boxed.

They mixed up a batch for us to try when we were done. Tasty and filling.

Lots of boxes offering life saving nutrition that will soon be on its way.

Messages of love.

We walked out of the warehouse to this. Autumn snow storm.

A visit from my boy is just not in the cards for us right now. John and Cassie had planned on visiting last weekend. I cleaned and baked, Jim searched for fun activities to occupy our days, Zach and Kate requested time off from their jobs...we were all more than ready for some family fun. And then I got a call that started out something like...Mom, I'm sick. A stomach bug or food poisoning...there was no way our visit was going to happen. I felt like a balloon that was slowly deflating. Mostly, I just wanted to get in my car and drive to Mass. and take care of my kid. Anyway, we had a clean house, a ton of food, and lots of TIME on our hands so Jim and I went out to the breakfast that we had planned for all of us at Dottie's diner, stopped at the Woodbury flea market which we thought J & C would have loved and then ran some fun errands. We came home and I made Cassie's birthday pie and dinner. Jeff and Tina came over and we had a very nice time. Minus the guests of honor. Sigh.
Mid week John decided that we would try again for this weekend. An abbreviated visit because Cassie had birthday plans with her family on Sunday...but still we would see them all day on Saturday. I shopped, I cleaned, I baked and we all got excited...again. I was just about to leave work early yesterday so that I could go home and do some last minute things, when I got a call that started off something like, "Hey Mamsy, have you seen the weather for tomorrow?". ( I had, but had hoped it was a false alarm.) Foiled again.
Birthday pie, pumpkin bread, and a maple/oatmeal loaf are all sitting on my counter and I am sad. Our regime for eating healthy is taking a beating.
Oh well, snow is on the way, the house is clean and we are well stocked. Jim will light a fire and it will be a great day. Minus the guests of honor.

After what seems like days and days of muggy rainy weather, today dawned cool, breezy and along with that came a clean crisp smell that happens after an extended rain. It is a gorgeous October day in New England!
There are so many ways that I could spend today, but I am doing what I love best....homekeeping. I am throwing open the windows, stripping beds, scrubbing floors, organizing and literally sweeping summer away. Jim tried to tempt me with a drive in the country to ooh and aah at the changing leaves...but this weekend I will not be lured away from home. He even drew the Macoun apple picking card out of his sneaky pocket, but I will not be tempted and do you want to know why? Aside from wanting a clean house....John is coming home next weekend. I have not seen my child since July 4. I feel an excitement building...even the bunnies out in my fading garden are whispering to each other "John's coming". The birds out in the birdbath are all fluttering with excitement because all will be right in Patti's Kyte's little world when all of my kids are home, laughing at the breakfast table, sitting in front of a warm fire, playing a game at the dining room table. Oh my goodness I cannot wait.
So today I will be going about my chores with a happy heart and tomorrow maybe after church we can head down a country road for some crispy apples.

Random

Happy October! Rabbit! Did ya ever here that if you say rabbit as your first word of the day on the first day of the month, your month will be full of good luck. Rubbish, as far as I am concerned. I do not believe in luck, good or bad.
Jim and I spent the morning together. He came with me for my haircut/color. Then breakfast out and then I had a gift card for a really cool store here in town and we went searching for some artwork to hang up in the family room. The walls are still bare from way back last year when Jimmy painted. Anyway, we settled on a long black shelf with pegs and even tho I am anti knick knack...I got some doo dads for the shelf. Jim is into knicks knacks, he thinks it makes the place look homey. I just think...dust. Compromise.
We took the pup to the vet last week for her yearly check and because she has been "funky" acting lately. We found out that she is getting old, 9 or 10. The reason that she is acting strange is that she is losing her vision. Sigh. I don't think of her as older because we have only had her for 4 years. Oh how I wish that we had her from the start. Anyway, if it is possible,she is getting more TLC than usual.
Oh, our community group started up again last night. A bunch of new faces. I am excited. Young folks and older folks who all follow after Jesus in many amazing ways. So we will all get to know each other and learn more about and grow closer to God in the process. Very cool.
Jim just ran down to the basement to get his tools to hang the shelf and I should sign off so that I can help. Hope that you are enjoying your weekend!

Rugged Maniac

I am amazed by something. I have a child who is super fit, and healthy. I am amazed that this is our (mine and Jim's) child. Zachary committed himself to getting healthy several years ago. He eats well and works out every day. Initially he lost alot of weight. Now, with disciplined weight training, he has sculpted his body and developed muscles upon muscles. It is truly a sight to behold. I admire his willpower and discipline.

This past weekend Jim and I got to witness the pay off to all of his hard work. Zach participated in a 5K Rugged Maniac stamina competition. It was kind of surreal to watch Zach go thru all of the trials. This was my kid. Very cool!

The Naugy team.

Yikes. He really jumped this and landed on the other side. Some others were not so lucky.

Mud and hills.

Here comes my Zachy doodle.

Mr. Muscles.

So proud of him.

Finally the Vacation Pics

It took forever to upload all of these pictures. 2 cameras, 3 i-phones, it was a challenge for me. Anyway, we had such a great time. I think that comes through in the pictures. One week was not long enough. You breath in that salty, crisp, Maine air and your body says thank you...seriously...I feel so good when I am there.


Kate and Jim went up on Friday and set up camp for us. I drove up on Saturday morning. Over the bridge in Portsmouth, NH means vacation has really begun.

Yay!

John and Cassie came up for an overnight. Here is our first glimpse of the ocean.

My first dinner.

Jim was happy to pay for dinner. All smiles.

Mini-golf.

We had a few chilly rainy days and nights. A good book and a snuggly bed.

Oh hello.

I made Kate's favorite dinner one night. Chicken and dumplings.

And corn OTC.

Ahhhhh

This was the view from our campsite.

The view from my bed.

One morning Jim and I got up very early so we could catch the low tide and walk out on the sandbar.

We walked all the way out to the tip of Prouts Neck.

The two of us went into "Old Port" one afternoon and walked the cobbled streets, did some shopping and had a wonderful dinner at Dimillos.

Our last night.

All packed up and ready or not it was time to go home.