Spring Cleaning with Little "Angels"

Truthfully, they're not so little anymore.

But my six youngest and my friend's three youngest children (the littles in their respective large families) tackled the back yard today.  

The garden was a mess. If you look carefully at the following picture, you'll see the garden fence, with lots of stuff that needs to be raked:

There was paraphernalia left over from finishing off the siding last fall.  There was an old door, tossed aside when the back door was replaced.  There were weeds and dry old vines and rocks and bits of glass and screws and nails.  Lots of junk to clean.  UGH.

Here you can see that the fence has been removed, and the garden area has been raked and cleaned.  

Elena is rejoicing...we're almost done:

Josh, Dan & Pat took turns driving the tractor around.  Here's Joshua taking a turn.  

They gathered garbage, taking it to the burn pile.  They pulled out the fence, which we plan to re-install after we till and make our garden about 50% larger than last year's.  They pulled out two posts that used to belong to our old wooden swing set, which collapsed a couple of years ago under the weight of a fallen maple tree.  

Linda, Elena, Tiana, Jessie and Joy used rakes and shovels to get rid of weeds and debris.  They worked tirelessly for hours, making a dreary task fun by working together.  

Christopher did lots of running for the older kids.  He picked up some nails and screws.  He ran and got buckets when we needed them.  

"Job well done, kids!  Now it's time for a tea, but just let me get a final picture of the back yard.  C'mon, everybody line up so I can get your picture."

"Aww, do we HAVE to?"  (Half the kids had already made it inside...)

"Naww... it's okay...I know you're tired.  Snap."  

Elena's Big Surprise!

We did it! We pulled off a "While You Were Out" surprise, and renovated the room my daughter Elena shares with her sister, Tiana.

Linda and Elena went to help their cousin, David, and his wife, Kate. Kate just had a beautiful baby boy, and was feeling a bit overwhelmed at the prospect of six kids and hot, hazy and humid summer weather. Linda and Elena were the answer: instant entertainment!

So, while they were out, the ones at home plus a few married ones pitched in and cleared out the bedroom. This is Adeena, painting the drawers and the baseboards and the bed and the dresser.
Linda painting the closet; Daniel working on the door. He put in a new door handle!


We scraped the old border off the wall, then mudded, sanded, painted (3 coats!), painted, and painted: beds, dresser, walls, ceiling, closet, shelves, door, and a brand new little desk that Jeff built! Here is Tiana holding baby Matthew while Rachel poses like a painter!


Waiting for Elena to come in. You can see the little desk that Jeff built:


The look of shock on her face is obvious. She didn't say much, because (as she told us later) she was overwhelmed and was afraid she'd cry. However, she loves her new room!

I will post pictures of the whole effect once I get the bedspreads made and the curtain hung. Meanwhile, thank you so much, married kids of mine, and all the ones at home who pitched in and helped with this project! It's a great blessing to your sisters.

Lady Linda

Our beautiful daughter is now 20 years old! We went to the Medieval Times show in Toronto, thanks to a good friend who bought her the tickets.

Steve and Heather, the Green Knight, Linda and me.

Linda with the King and the Princess.

Linda looking at the Knight in Shining Armour.
I wonder what she's thinking...

Linda is interested in all things Celtic, and that includes much about Medieval History. She was thrilled with the horses, the "fighting", the jousting, and the competition to win the fair lady's heart. However, her greatest thrill of the night was watching the Falconer do a demonstration. Afterwards, she was able to approach him and ask him to sign her crown.

Here, I know what she's thinking... "I wish I could hold it!"

Maybe, some day, Linda will get to train a falcon. For now, she must be content to be a daughter, a sister, a friend, and most of all, a follower of God. That she does very well.

We love you, Linda! I am so glad that your birthday was special.

They shall see His glory...

On the way home from the Recital last night, this is what the sky looked like.


Mark 13:26
"Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
27 "And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven.

It does not take a lot of imagination to picture Jesus coming in those kinds of clouds.

1 Thessalonians 4:17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

When I can read my title clear
To mansions in the skies,
Ill bid farewell to every fear,
And wipe my weeping eyes.

To God the Father, God the Son,
And God the Spirit, Three in One,
Be honour, praise, and glory given
By all in earth, and all in heaven.
- Isaac Watts

No More Dragons!

There were "dragons in this final room in the basement. Wires, stones, metal, wood, debris...all sorts of paraphernalia.

More Junk.

And look at it now:



Linda the dragon-slayer, and her assistant, Elena, are rejoicing in the fact that all of the dragons are purged from the dungeon!! Maybe now we can do something with those rooms!

Girlfriends

Darlene and I have been friends since about 1981. I remember that my daughter Rachel was a baby when we met. Darlene and her husband Ray had 2 children, and we had 3. We hit it off as friends right away, and over the years our families have grown very close. They ended up with 9 kids; we ended up with 12. My son Matt married Darlene's daughter, Joanna.

It's funny how God not only brought us together, but kept us together. Daniel and Patrick are close friends with Joshua. Our four youngest daughters are also great friends.



Today Darlene sent me a picture of our beautiful girls, taken at Jeanine's wedding on November 24. The two in brown are Jessie and Joy; the two in green are Elena and Tiana. Aren't they lovely?

Here's another shot of the girls having fun together:




It is my prayer that the two families continue to be friends, even after we older ones are dead and gone. I hope that these four girls remain friends into adulthood.

Meanwhile, I simply thank God every day for the blessing of friends and family.

Matthew and Joanna Billson

Steve & Heather Ryan & children

Steve and Heather and their children