Happy Birthday to Lisa!

Lisa is 8 years old today!

Please feel free to comment with birthday greetings to this special birthday girl.  She would be delighted to hear from you.

We'll be celebrating this evening with a meal of her choice, followed by a dessert of her choice, after which we will retire to the family room and delight in observing the pleasure she displays as she opens her cards and gifts.


P.S.  I know I missed several birthdays.  After Lisa's birthday and celebration is over, I do have a post prepared to recognize the birthdays I have missed.  I just don't want to detract from her special day.

Quote of the Day

Mom tries to encourage us to serve one another with a good attitude.  At lunch time today, the following dialogue took place when one child was asked to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for a sibling and was not super excited about having this wonderful opportunity to serve.

Mom: How would you respond if Jesus asked you to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for Him?

Child: You want a peanut butter and jelly?!

:-)

A Golden Sunset

Remember a picture speaks 1,000 words.... :)

Bisson Visit

It finally worked out for three-quarters of the Bisson Family to make a trip out to our place and spend a few days!  We've been looking for an opportunity like this for years!  We had a delightful time, though we felt it far too short.  However, as we were having such a wonderful time, we didn't get a whole lot of pictures.  Thus you'll just have to be satisfied with those I can supply.

They were able to arrive on Thursday afternoon, and stayed until Monday morning.  The weekend was mostly spent chatting and playing games together, but there were a few slightly more organized things we did on Saturday.

The morning found us heading to Cantigny, which involved observing the fall foliage, touring the Robert R. McCormick Mansion, enjoying a picnic lunch, going through the First Division Museum, and climbing on the tanks at a few different times throughout the day.

I pause now to supply a number of photographs.

The day "began" beautifully.  It was slightly brisk, but not freezing cold - exactly how a nice fall day should be.

Our national flag - May it remind us to pray for our country, and for those who are fighting for our freedom.

Despite the turning of the seasons, there were still many beautiful roses to behold.  Notice the backdrop in this picture is a clear blue sky - it was a very nice day.

Another rose picture

One more gorgeous rose

 There were other pretty flowers about too. (I'm just partial to the roses.)

 

These three pictures were so pretty that I couldn't decide which one I liked best and should post.  Thus, I have decided to post all of them and you may vote on which one is best, if you so desire.

1.

 

2.

 

3.

The colors in this photo aren't very sharp, but it is still pleasant to the eye.

Revisiting the site where Jared Barta proposed to my sister Becca over 4 years ago.  (She said "Yes", by the way, in case any of our followers have missed that significant piece of Mueller family history.)  The gazebo, we observed, has been replaced.  The colors in this picture are much sharper.

 They are in this one too.  Lisa observes the foliage.

Zachary decides to rest his little legs.

Sarah was kind enough to smile upon the photographer's request.

Yes, I am aware that David's hat takes away from the beauty of the picture, but it really doesn't do justice to the pretty trees showing off their turning leaves anyway.

The staircase into the mansion.

Climbing on the tanks is a favorite must-do at Cantigny.

Spectators!  :-)

Gabriel looks down the barrel of a gun.  I wonder what he was hoping to find?

Stranger yet, now he is reaching down the barrel of a gun.  If you reach in far enough, can your arm get stuck?

Everybody pose on the tank for a picture!  (Well, everybody who was climbing on it.)

Here are half of the girls.  The other half didn't pose.

We stopped at this little old place in Wheaten for some sugary sweet treats and popcorn on the way home.

It's just an alley that's had a roof put over it and been turned into a little shop with popcorn and "penny" candy.  This picture gives a better idea of its size.  Yes, that's as wide as it is all the way back.

In the late afternoon/early evening on Saturday, there was a good group coaxed outside to play baseball.  Many were grateful that there was only time for one inning for each team before dinner was ready.  :-)

After dinner, part of the group enjoyed some time playing round robin ping pong.

Sunday, after the evening service, we decided to stay up a while, relax, and have some game time on our final evening together.

Mom said, "Look up and smile!"  Click

How often do you walk into a room and find three four-person games going on at once...and find that all the players are members of only two different families?  (Yes, the math brings that to 12 people.  The 13th one you can count in the picture is because one of the "players" was actually a team.)

Another game in the next room over.  These players look very focused.

An exciting game of Imaginiff...especially when it is well past bedtime for all of us.  :-)

Proof that the Bissons were at the Mueller house.  :-)

I guess I could introduce them for you.

Kendra, Kathleen, Mrs. Jean, Christina, Gabriel,

Serena, Sarah,

Hannah, and Lydia Bisson

Proof that the Mueller family was home when the Bisson family stopped by.  :-)

I failed to mention that we had lots of fun on Friday night with everybody playing Pictionary.  Please forgive this comment for being misplaced chronologically.

Bissons, you're welcome back any time you can make it!  We enjoyed the time together so much and look forward to another opportunity.

P.S.  That's the best I've done in a very long time with getting around to posting something while it's still "news".  Aren't you proud of me?  :-)

A Story That Might Put You In Stitches

As the author of this post, I have the right to grant to permission to laugh at me, should you have any desire to do so. I do not, however, possess the right to give you permission to laugh at the other individuals included in this "article". If you have their contact information, you may feel free to contact them and ask their permission to laugh at them, which you may then feel free to do as soon as you receive their permission in writing. If you do not have their contact information, then you just might have to hold your laughter.

As those at home (I'm in Iowa) haven't yet gotten around to posting the birthdays that have occured in the last few days (not trying to apply pressure, just stating the facts), I thought I'd entertain you with a story from last night while you, our patient readers, wait.

It was nearly ten o'clock, but it felt later than that. The boys had been put down just a few minutes before. I was getting tired, but not quite ready to go to bed yet.

Well, what was I going to do? I didn't have the energy to do anything active. The brain was in the process of slowly making its way to sleep mode, so it couldn't be too mentally challenging either. What's left?! Then it hit me..."I feel like working on my cross-stitching." That's exactly what I did.

That's not very humorous yet, is it? Well, it does get more interesting...at least in my opinion.

So I've been sitting in the living room recliner (an extremely comfy chair, by the way), and working on my cross-stitching for probably about twenty minutes.

Becca and Jared have been in the kitchen, in the living room, measuring things in other rooms, coming back, sitting, talking...whatever, for the last, I don't know, fifteen minutes.

All of the sudden I look up and see Becca just staring at me...like I was totally out of my mind! I'm thinking, "OK, What is so strange that she's looking at me like that?" She says, with great concern in her voice, "Jared, I think we had better get her back home as soon as possible. There is definately something wrong with her. I think we must have driven her crazy."

I am bursting with laughter by now. I hadn't realized that she didn't know I enjoyed cross-stitching from time to time.

I had to reassure her that I really was quite all right. I had even brought it along for the trip in case I ever felt like it. I told her that I had actually received a couple cross-stitching sets for Christmas last year...at my own request. I finished one last spring that I had kept for years and just hadn't gotten around to doing it yet. I explained all this and more. It took quite a while to convince her that indeed I was still sane.

She did, however, have good reason to be suprised. For one thing, I don't necessarily naturally gravitate toward things of that sort. I also don't cross-stitch very often, and only really started in recent years, since she got married and moved to Iowa.

Other miscellaneous facts are that I don't have any reason to claim to be any good at it (this is only my second one ever), and that I am extremely slow (but who's suprised at that? It's not like it's the first category in which I'd be classified as slow... :-) ).

Now you've received some entertainment for the day. Hopefully you managed to enjoy it in one way or another.

I should almost be including a picture of before and after last night's work...but I'm not, so you'll just have to do without...and forgive me for it. Thanks! :-)

Let Me Add My Voice

It is September the 11th.  Nine years ago our nation was attacked.  I remember that day relatively well.  There are bad memories: those of the attacks themselves, not knowing what might happen next, watching the news and seeing the physical pain and death, seeing the pain of those whose loved ones were killed, and the fear of those who didn't know whether their loved ones were dead or alive....  There are bad memories indeed, but there are also some other priceless memories.  I remember seeing policemen, firemen, paramedics, military servicemen, other emergency crews, and volunteers doing everything they possibly could.  There were so many who wanted to help somehow, but couldn't, or didn't know how.  Everybody was working together, checking up on their friends and families, hugging and comforting people they had never even met.  Many who had been unwilling to acknowledge God, now turned to Him for help.  The nation was brought together through this crisis, and many re-focused their attention on God.

I want to join in with many others who are taking advantage of the memories associated with today (and the patriotism those memories revive), and express my gratitude in some very small way to all those who sacrificed at that time, at other times in the past, and to those who are making daily sacrifices that I may live without fear and experience the freedom for which so many have fought and died to protect.

This is a general statement, yes, and I mean it whether or not I know you, however, I do have an ever-growing number of friends and family members of whom I am specifically thinking as I write the following note of thanks.

To all those in the military and other vocations of service to the United States of America (whether your service is past or current), and to all the loved ones of those in such service,

Thank you for your sacrifice.

My daily life and freedoms are influenced by the sacrifices you make continually for your country, and I can never be grateful enough.

May God bless each and every one of you for your willingness to serve, and may He protect you as you sacrifice all to keep your country safe and ensure its freedom .

God has used you to bless America!

Thank You!

Another Interruption....

COME!

Please consider coming to the Sforzando String Camp concerts next week. They are all entirely free and we will be there too! In fact, on Wednesday and on Friday, there will be many of us Muellers playing a part in the concerts. We would be delighted if you showed up! :-)

~ Faculty Recital - July 26 - 6:00 P.M.
Free Picnic on the grounds at 5:00 P.M.
Come meet the instructors and hear them play.

~ Church Service - July 28 - 7:15 P.M.
There will be extra music provided by the camp as well as the special piece that all the campers will play at once, wrapping all the way around the auditorium, including standing at the end of your pew.

~ Morning Recital - July 30 - 10:45 A.M.
Advanced chamber groups, harps, and the Pre-Twinkles will all be performing.

~ FINAL CONCERT - July 30 - 7:00 P.M.
Don't miss this last opportunity to listen to this year's Sforzando String Campers perform! This concert will include pieces by the Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced orchestras, as well as the newly added Twinkles group!

Here is a link to the official flyer.

If you need directions or have any other questions, please let us know.

We hope to see you there! :-)

Missions Trip - Tuesday

On Tuesday, we started with work projects again, then went to Bible school the same as we did on Monday.

The guys working outside.

The girls worked on bulletin boards today. Niki and Stephanie did this board.

Heidi and Kimberly started working on this board today. It was huge! The biggest bulletin board any of us had ever seen (and some of us have seen quite a few).

After Niki and Stephanie finished theirs, they came and helped us.

Bible Club

Bible story!

Missionary story!

Nate, a boy from the church out there who came with us to help. He made a really neat wheel out of some of the empty matchboxes from the matchstick cross craft.

A very sweet little girl.

Craft time!

Game time!

Jacob, one of Nate's brothers who also came along.