Happy Anniversary TCC

Sunday we celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Tigard Christian Church. Since we have only been members for 20 years, it was fun to journey back over the adventure of breaking ground for the new church in 1959 and all the lives that were impacted by this body of believers on Hall and Omara. It was fun to spend the day with pastors and members from the past ... to see children who have grown to adulthood ... to reminisce about where we've been. But it was also a day to look forward to where we are headed.
Leroy Lawson, founding pastor of this small church, shared the message today. He encouraged us, as we are in the process of searching for a new pastor, to make this church one your grandkids want to come to. So often we get "stuck" and find it hard to change ... we stick with OUR likes, OUR ways ... "this is how we did it back then." I checked our website and the sermon hasn't been uploaded yet, but I would encourage you to check back soon http://www.tigardcc.org/sermonlist and listen to this great message.
Happy Anniversary TCC ... for 50 years you have been a shining light in the Tigard community.

Potato Packin'

Saturday we spent the morning at the Oregon Food Bank with a group of eight from church. This visit included a new experience ... aprons, gloves and hairnets! We were assigned to pack 5 pound bags of potatoes and when that was finished ... it was on to packing pears.
It is amazing what a large group of volunteers can accomplish working side-by-side for a good cause. One thing that impressed me was the age range of volunteers ... from the elderly to school-age children. I was reminded that we are never too old to give ... there are chairs available for those who are not able to stand for long periods of time. I love seeing the children involved. They have such enthusiasm! Thinking back ... I wish we would have involved our kids in family service projects.
Our two-hour shift always goes by much too quickly due to the good conversation, laughter and an occasional find ... like heart-shaped potatoes! You don't seem to notice the backache or sore muscles ... until much later : )
With the combined effort of the potato/pear team we packed 26,480 lbs of food which contributed to 20,698 meals and each volunteer packed food for 244 people. It's amazing how so little time can make such a huge difference in someone else's life.

Two-Page Designs

Up until this point all of my digital layouts have been one-pager designs. I am finding more and more two-page templates online to download so I thought I would give it a try. While creating a layout for our 2006 Sunriver Thanksgiving trip I found this family photo to be the perfect fit for cropping. I completed the layout in a 24x12 format and cropped it to a 12x12-left and a 12x12-right.


The crop lined up perfectly between Tim's shoulder so no one was cut in half. I enjoyed working with this layout format ... but maybe it's because I like these photos so much. What great family memories from that trip.
I have all remaining 2006 photos organized in folders by date/topic waiting for a layout design, then sent online to Costco for printing, ... and finally into my album. Because of digital scrapbooking I think I will be able to fit an entire year in one album where before it took at least 2 ... maybe 3 to hold a year full of memories.
It has been fun to once again "experience" the JOY of the 2006 family events ... good memories ... but I am still determined to get caught up!
Credits:
Font: Trajan Pro, CK Ali's Writing, RamRod, Pea Bandit
Template: Shandy Vogt -Double Vol 2

Went with the Wind

O.K. ... so ...
I hardly EVER buy myself a Barbie. I usually receive them as gifts. BUT I stopped by Tuesday Morning after work one day and saw this 50th Anniversary Bob Mackie in-the-box Barbie and I had to add her to my collection. Why?!?!?!?!

• I am reading Gone with the Wind right now
• I love a bargain (it was a great price!)
  
• I loved this Carol Burnett variety show episode
  
• I am a Barbie collector
• I survived my first week of school with students!

However, she may be the last in my collection for a while due to lack of display space. I think we need to create a Barbie "museum" someplace in our home. She's crowding us out : )
She is cute though ... don't you agree!

Seasonal Change

Even though the calendar shows us inching toward fall, the temperatures contradict the seasonal change. The expected high temp for today is 88 degrees. What a change from last Saturday's downpour and cooler temperatures.
Since I am back to work ... school ... my mind is focusing on fall. Today I have a roast in the crockpot and as I'm dusting the house I am putting out the autumn decor.
As I opened the storage box the scent of clove and cinnamon assailed my senses. Since the color scheme aligns with my furnishings, fall is one of my favorite seasons to "accessorize" our home ... even more so than Christmas.
Even though I have enjoyed the warm sunny days of summer and all those things that touch our senses ... I am kind of ready for the seasonal change. Less yard work, more relaxing evenings, soups and stews bubbling on the stove, bundling up in front of the fireplace, etc. ... life seems to move at a slower pace in fall.
The pumpkin patch, family cookie day, our Sunriver getaway ... many great fall family memories to look forward to. I hope you are enjoying the last sunny days of summer!

Cookie Monster

I am working at staying less than three years behind on my 2006 album and I have been "cruising" through the fall events.
I had to post this one of Colin because not only do I love the fall colors but the subject (Colin) is adorable.
Each October we plan a family day to decorate cookies for Halloween. In 2006 2-year old Colin was at the perfect age to join in the frosting frenzy ... and as you can see ... "a spoonful for my cookie; a spoonful for my mouth" was a great decorating plan.
I love looking back on all the fun. It's hard to believe that next week Colin will start preschool. Where does the time go?!?!?
Credits:
Brush: cinnamon brushed alpha
Font: ChromosomeLight, Rough Typewriter, Traveling Typewriter
Paper: LJD Autumn Days ppr03
Template: LJD Template 82

Remembering Kathy ...

Our Englewood group is so precious to us. We met many of these dear friends in the early 70's & 80's. We have shared our joys and our sorrows ... we share such a rich history.
Several years ago Nola & Larry made sure we had a reunion gathering scheduled at their home each fall. Even after 52 weeks have come and gone, when we get together, it only feels like a few days since we last visited.
Saturday evening we received sad news. Kathy ... circled in red ... passed away early Saturday morning. I guess my heart just wasn't ready to absorb this news.
Kathy & I taught a 5th grade girls Sunday School class together in the early 70's. She was a teacher in a school for the deaf and was a great mentor in my new adventure/ministry. I remember her encouragement ... she always mentioned what a good teacher I would be and asked if I had ever considered that as a career option. As the years went by, I did seek out employment in education as a classified employee. It's funny because this week as I returned to work, her comment came to mind again. Sometimes you never know what an impact your words of encouragement have on someone's life.
Three months ago at Lori's memorial service I spent most of the reception time visiting with Kathy & Fred. Good conversation ... warm & encouraging. I'm glad I had this time with them.
Our reunion is scheduled for October 3rd this year ... it will be a joy to be together again ... but we will be missing Kathy. Our love and prayers are with Fred and the family.

Where a Kid Can Be a Kid

All summer we've talked about a family tour on the Hood River Fruit Loop over Labor Day weekend. We were looking forward to the fresh produce, BBQ lunch, homemade desserts that make your mouth water, and the spectacular views of Mt. Hood. It was a good idea until we saw the weekend weather report. If you live out of town or were on vacation, you missed the .75 inch rainfall we had yesterday after a long, dry summer.
So ... this called for Plan B. Where can you spend the day that's enjoyable for all ages? Chuck E. Cheese's! I'm not sure who enjoyed it more ... the kids or the adults! Between all family members we had 300 tokens to use and 3.5 hours later we had nearly 2000 tickets to redeem for prizes. Matt, Walt and I enjoyed the Skee-ball game where Matt won the grand prize four times -- generating hundreds of tickets at a time. I think he should be on a league tournament team : )
Sometimes in life Plan B turns out just fine. In fact, maybe we should celebrate Brian's birthday there every year. Our family loves a new tradition! (just kidding Brian!)
As for the Fruit Loop ... maybe next weekend.
Credits:
Font: CK Ali's Writing, Pea Fay, ChromosomeLight, American Typewriter, Stone Sans
Template: Lina's Layouts -Template 24
Paper: Cathy K Designs -Summer Treats, Paper Yellow Burst
Elements: Welli Designs -Happy Birthday Ticket

A Motherlode Meal

Usually we enjoy a meal out with friends after church on Sundays. Last week we were invited to dine at Claim Jumper and this was Walt's order --
The Motherlode Sandwich ...
Stacked 8 inches high on a toasted French roll this sandwich included the following:
Cure 81 ham
roasted turkey
tri-tip
cheddar & Swiss cheese
onions
lettuce
tomato
pickles
1000 Island dressing
How does one take a bite out of this monstrosity?!?!?! You can bet there was a take-out box involved in this dining experience and the leftovers were used creatively in another meal the following evening.
Thanks, Ward for capturing this fun experience in picture.