Another Rubik's Cube Competition

Aussie is up with the Rubik's Cube Champion Competitions. As a matter of fact, he was also one of the organizers of this one in Georgia in April.

If you've seen many of his competitions, you may have noticed that he has a look that screams Aussie. He certainly has this look down.  Not only does he have long purple hair, but a t shirt under a plaid button down one. And of course now there are his glasses as well. We know you Aussie and are very proud of you.

Finally Easter

It is good to have Easter layouts now, even though I am a month late. Things were moving slowly for our family in CO this spring, due to a lot of illness. I believe everyone of them suffered from something.  Because of that the Easter egg hunt was done in the backyard. But when we get kids, eggs and baskets together, we'll have cute pictures and this year was no exception...as you can see here.  Caleb, Oliver and Julia had a good time.

I've Got Your Back

I've worked mostly on Easter layouts today, but this one I'm posting, I did this evening. It features a picture of the boys taken today.   It is more always fun for me when I have time to scrapbook recent photos.

Oliver is a pretty heavy boy, so Caleb is strong. I am proud of both of them.

Sweet Liberty

On the long walk from the hotel to the cruise ship, Mason sat  down for a bit to rest. Kennedy spotted him there and  took the liberty of joining  him, making him blush a bit and providing the opportunity for a proof picture of them 'loitering' in front of the sign, "No Loitering".

Then we have Mason in view of the statue of liberty, given to us by France.   For quite a while now our countries have not seen eye to eye on much...at least the French people didn't seem to like us that well. However, now that we have our president Trump and they have elected a new president, Emmanuel Macron, we are walking hand in hand.  Praise God for the renewal of  our fellowship.

It is wonderful to live in a free country where we have sweet liberty. I am asking God  to continue to bless us with the freedom given to us by our Constitution and to prevent those who would do our country wrong and take away that freedom, from doing that.

Messy Hands Art

This is the Art Show we've been looking forward to for a while. There were four weeks of art lessons at the Harmony Library in Fort Collins, then this show so that the children could display their artistic abilities.  On the page at the top is Julia, whose expressions show how pleased she is with her robot. It is well done and she is cute as can be.

The next  layout features Oliver and his art. He made a robot and a tempura painting as well as a foam print of a cheetah, which is very well done.

Their parents and big brother helped them 'celebrate' their work at the art show. 

We are proud of these two and are happy they enjoyed the class and the art show itself.

Just Us

I am thankful that April snapped this picture of us while she was here. We really should have more pictures taken together. After all, it has been 50 1/2  years since we got married. We spend much more time together than we were ever able to do while he was working and we were raising 6 kids.

We raised them and thankfully they are all responsible, self supporting men and women. However they all live too far from here. Thank the Lord for FaceTime.

All we have here with us now is our spoiled little dog.

You Have to Love It

Julia aka Juju has a great appetite. She is a very good eater. And of course she is now learning to help herself. So while her family was talking at breakfast, Oliver called their attention to Julia. She had taken it upon herself to add to her breakfast...ketchup...lots of ketchup!  Evidently she found it quite tasty and was eating it by the spoonful. You just have to love it.

Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival

The Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC this year was March 17- April 15.

Nashville had it's own festivel on Saturday, March 14.  Part of the celebration is of the  Japanese culture,  since the cherry trees were brought here from Japan many years ago.

Ashley dressed in a kimono for the day.

Messy Hands Art

I've spent more time doing layouts the last few days, than I have for some time now. Actually so much that  I'm having trouble getting other things that I must do done. Anyone else have that problem?  I know, making layouts is much more fun. And it is very easy to do what one likes instead of what one needs to do. I am guilty now.

I love the fact that these pictures of Oliver and Julia fit so well with some of the art supplies I have in my stash of digi papers and embellishments.

I'm looking forward to their art show coming soon.

They are so blessed to have a mom who is there for them. Thank you, Beth.

Indoor Amusement Park

Brittanie  took Ava to the IX Center in Cleveland for the Indoor Amusement Park, which is an annual occurrence there. March 23 was the opening day this year and that is the when these pictures were taken. Looks like they had lots of fun.

Subway

Well, I would not have posted this layout tonight, but  I already told Mason that I would.  I had forgotten when I told him, that he was posted here last night. I try to mix it up, so that I won't slight anyone, but scrap all the photos that I can.

Part of experiencing the Big Apple is riding the subway. As Mason said, it was very helpful for getting around in the city.  I'm not sure he was impressed in any other way by it.

As  I type tonight, I am thinking about those close to me who are flying. Praying for safe trips.

Father, I pray that more and more people will find the love they need in Jesus Christ our Savior. Let us not take your love for granted, but let us learn to love others as we love ourselves.

I especially pray for those who have so lost their way, that they may never see the light.  I pray that somehow in some way, you will be able to reach them.

Dressing Up For History Class

While Mason is in high school in Tennessee and Caleb  is an elementary student in Colorado, both had interesting history classes. Mason decided to dress at Stalin for extra credit, while Caleb dressed as a Pioneer boy for his class Pioneer Day.  Both looked very authentic.

Well as has become the norm,  I am very tired and interested in 'hitting the hay' as they may have said in Pioneer days.

Before I close, however, I have more information about yesterday's blog photo. The picture was taken at Scheels All Sports in Johnstown, Colorado in February.  I understand it is a must visit, so adding that to our bucket list, which may in itself wrap around the world at this time.

Oh, What a Big Bear

As I age, I get further and further behind.  I also loose track of time because it is going so much faster these days. LOL  Actually it is I who am moving much slower and thinking more slowly.

I'm not sure when this cute picture was taken, or where. For some reason there is no record of  it on my computer.  I am sure, however, it was taken this year.

Father and Daughter

It has been a a couple of days since I posted. The reason is, my computer had overworked  itself and I had to get a new one. I'm very happy with the one  I got, but I surely did miss having a computer for so many hours in a row. It is plain to see that I am addicted.  Withdrawals had me so desperate that  I was working word puzzles to avoid work.

But that is over and I'm back to my old self, making digital scrapbook layouts. It is great to be back and it is great to have all this power at my fingertips. I'm  finding things that had somehow gone missing, or were at least beyond the capability of my computer to find.

On the 20th of March, we got a call from April that she was driving up to the area to pick up something her  builder's needed. It was not a short drive for her, although, since she was leaving from her son's  place, it wasn't as far as it would have been from her home. Needless to say, having to get back with the supplies, she was keeping up a fast pace and we had to squeeze in our visit. We did have lunch and a short visit. And we enjoy each and every chance for a hug.

Thank you, April, for being so attentive no matter how busy your life gets.

We love all our children, and since none of them live in our state, we cherish every minute they are here.

I would not like to go back to the early 1900's, but I do like the way families stuck together back then. Often they even lived in the same house.  Today, at least in our case, jobs took our children away from here, some of them, far from here. It is sad  to not see family members often, but the distance certainly makes each meeting very special.

Easter Morning

Laptops are a blessing, but as far as I am concerned, they are not quite adequate when digital scrapping. Probably there are many who have no trouble using them. My problem might be age and the ability to see clearly. At present, I'm having some computer trouble and have been reduced to my laptop. I did manage to make this layout today, but I'll not try to make another. 

Easter nearly slipped by me this year, since I had been in the hospital, then spent the week before Easter recovering my strength. I didn't get cards sent, or little gifts sent or anything. It was still chilly, so I wore the  same type of things I had worn all winter...no Easter bonnet for sure...although if I had worn one, many people would probably have wondered what that was all about. The Easter bunny passed us by. We even had to run out to Cracker Barrel for dinner, for we had nothing in the fridge at home. Thankfully, we had a good meal.  I think we were not the only ones in the family to have less than the very best Easter. I am glad to have this picture of John, Beth and our little grandchildren on Sunday morning.

A New Look

Ashley learned to contour makeup so that she could do that for her anime characters.  I think it may be too much trouble for a school day.  But if and when it is needed, she now has the skill.

For those of you who haven't yet seen the movie,  I Can Only Imagine, I hope you will get that chance. It is a true story and very good. The song,  I Can Only Imagine is a major part of the show. Some young people have made a video, singing that song and it is phenomenal.
Go here and hear a rendition by 'children'. It is beautifully done. You will enjoy it. It has a simple beginning, but gets more complex and even better as it progresses. Listen. You will be glad you did.

This is amazing. It just keeps getting better and better. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acwsBIl15zM&list=PLmLRg5GRCkurA_BurFV_82CSs_1uk7ABG

You can skip the commercial.

More Anime

These pictures were taken at MTAC last weekend. These were the first two characters Ashley portrayed: Kyoka Jiro and Shippo. 

This is a side note. I got this message two days ago in Pastor Rick's Daily Hope email.   It is 

by Rick Warren. I saved it because it is so meaningful today, as it has always been  from the 

beginning of time on this earth. It may help you or someone you know.

Get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has 

planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls” (James 1:21 NLT).

We’ve all noticed that the reception quality on a cell phone varies widely. The same is 

true with you. You must be positioned correctly to hear God speak. Sometimes we don’t 

give God a chance to talk to us. We’ve made up our minds. We want to do what we want 

to do, not what God wants us to do. Our hearts are hardened, and we’re unwilling to listen. 

When you have a closed mind, of course he’s not going to talk to you! 

But if you really want to hear from God — and what believer doesn’t? — you have to 

understand what is keeping you from hearing from God. Here are three mental barriers that

keep your mind closed to God’s message. 

1. Pride. If you think you don’t need God in your life and you want to handle things yourself,

 you’re probably not listening for God to speak. Pride keeps you from being open to the 

possibility that God might want to say something to you. 

2. Fear. A lot of people can’t hear God because they’re afraid to hear God speak. Maybe you 

think that hearing God’s voice or sensing his leading makes you some kind of religious fanatic. 

3. Bitterness. When you hold on to hurt, resentment, or a grudge, you’re not going to be able 

to hear God, because your heart is hardened. It has grown cold and made you defensive, 

even to God’s love.

Perhaps you have been hurt badly, maybe this week or even years ago, and you’re still 

holding on to it. I want to tell you that you’ve got to let it go. Not for another person’s sake, 

but for your sake. The resentment is killing you! Resentment is a self-inflicted wound that 

allows people from your past to continue to hurt you today. You need to let it go, not 

because they deserve forgiveness but because you need to get on with your life. You need

to get rid of the bitterness, fear, and pride that keep you from hearing God’s voice and living 

out his purpose for your life. 

James 1:21 says, “Get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word 

God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls” (NLT).

“Humbly accept” means you let go of your pride and stop trying to figure it out on your own. 

This is the key to opening your mind and heart so that you can hear from the Lord.

May the Lord bless you and keep you.

Beauty in Strength

As you may have read here, our granddaughter, Lauren is a very busy girl. Here she is flanked by friends at Cross Fit  where she spends lots of time to keep herself fit and strong.

Below are pictures of her at 13, I believe. She was already fit, but she has grown much stronger.
We are proud of her.

Pioneer Day

Caleb had psyched himself up so much for Pioneer Day that he made himself well enough to go to school that day, after being sick for several days. The outfit he and his mom put together for it looked very authentic. 

I could possibly photoshop this photo a bit and make it look like it had really been taken that many years ago.  Since the first photos were actually daguerreotypes fairly late in the pioneer  times, that is what I would have to emulate. People had to sit perfectly still quite a while for their likenesses to be made. They would not smile nicely like Caleb is here, because they couldn't hold a smile long enough.

So I guess, I'll just leave this the way that it is, since we all know he didn't live that long ago, but was just celebrating their having  paved the way for the rest of us.

Correction on the Anime Post

Aussie taught a panel at MTAC. I hope to have more information on this later today.

MTAC

Ashley is always ready to go to anime conventions, wherever they might be. This last weekend it happened to be in her area, so it was relatively easy for her to be there. She donned three different costumes. This one is the third one for MTAC this year. I have printed out a lot of info on the event, which included with the anime several other things, such as gaming, so her brother, Aussie, was also there to teach a panel.  I need to find out more about this and how it went.

The character Ashley is representing in these pictures is Link from the 2003 rendition of Zelda, Wind Waker.

Siblings Together

I think I may have mentioned how much these three enjoyed being together over Caleb's spring break. This is one of the things they did. They went to Fly High, the trampoline park. All three
were full of energy and enjoyed their time there.

This picture of Julia impresses me with her two year old attitude.  You wouldn't think she is only two, though. She doesn't let anything get in her way. She conquers everything without seeming to miss a beat. This picture tickles me. Her expression looks more like 15 than two. The doctor said she doesn't have the legs of a toddler, but an older child.

And actually she was still one when this was taken. She didn't turn two until March 16.

I was glad to hear they had a good Easter even though Caleb has been sick this week with a bad cold and now an ear infection.

Hopefully you all were able to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ today.  He is risen! Hallelujah!  Praise God!