It Is Finished

I'm sure by the title you thought I was referring to the year, but I am not. Ever since we moved to this house in 1993, we have very s-l-o-w-l-y worked on fixing it up. In 1997 we built the addition which gave us the basement and another bathroom and a bedroom and office downstairs. At that time we finished the bedroom, bathroom, and office,  but did not complete the basement until 2003. We put in a new kitchen in 2006 and there we just kind of stopped. We really didn't intend to do anything upstairs but the one room that was left to do downstairs was the old living room. We pretty much just ignored it and never used it because our family room was now in the basement and so we bypassed the living room and just went to the basement. Besides that, it was pretty cold in the wintertime.

Finally in the fall of 2013 we re-sided part of the house and insulated the outside walls of the living room and put in new windows and a door. We were amazed last winter how much warmer the room was because of it and decided that we would try to finish it in 2014 so we could actually use it. This summer, we had Phil Eby tear out the old chair railing and stud out the walls and drywall and paint them. Then it sat for a few months waiting for new carpet and furniture. The carpet was laid in the second week of December and on December 23 we went to Newswanger Furniture in Quarryville and picked out our new furniture which they delivered on Christmas Eve. I spent the week between Christmas and New Year putting up some wall hangings and adding a table to the room.

Here's the room from another angle.

 

We also put new vinyl flooring down in the hallway.



I've always heard that your home decorations should tell a little bit about you. Well, I've always felt that the only thing my house told people about me was that I was a poor interior designer. However, I decided to add something to this room that does tell a little bit about me. What do you think?

You will have to click on the picture to enlarge it to see what I have written on the board. I absolutely love playing Scrabble and I love words and I love my family so I feel like this is a perfect addition to my room. I have to give credit for the idea to my friend Becky Gochnauer whose daughter Laura made one for her. After seeing it, I knew that I wanted one for myself.

So...the room is finished except for a TV which will probably go above the mantel. (It's kind of sad to use that wonderful space for that, but it seems the best  place to put it.) I am very pleased with it and it really feels good to have completed the entire downstairs finally. Of course since it took us so long, we should go back over some of the rooms and give them new carpet and new paint, but that will be for another time and another year. Who knows, we may even tackle the upstairs sometime!

Happy New Year!

Christmas Eve {2014}

Every Christmas Eve our family gets together to share a meal, exchange gifts, and celebrate this wonderful time of year. The meal is always the same--lasagna, seven layered salad, bread sticks and a Christmas birthday cake for Jesus.  We always read the Christmas story before we open gifts and a few years ago we started the tradition that Grandpa makes gingerbread houses with the grandchildren and anyone else that wants to. We try to keep it a fun and relaxing evening that everyone can enjoy. This year we were really happy that Hannah made her appearance early enough to join us.

I think the best way to remember something is to show it in pictures so here are a few glimpses of the evening.

 

Our annual family Christmas picture. We had to take it by timer and the only way to keep the kids' attention was to put a video on for them to watch. That is why they look like they are intently watching something.

 

Just us and the grandkids :)

Five precious gifts! I love this picture!



 

 Jay and Alexis doing the motions to the "12 Days of Christmas." See video following.



The two boys ran into each other and then didn't know what to think. It was so cute!

 Melissa is quite happy with her gift :)



Lots of signs. People should definitely know who the Kreiders are.



Gingerbread house making.



Melissa helped Alexis make this beautiful house.

On one side of the roof they wrote Alexis' name and on the other they wrote Hannah

Sweetness over and over. Hannah sleeps blissfully on.



Jay and Alexis do the motions to the "12 Days of Christmas."

 

A very short clip of Mark singing "O Christmas Tree."

Kristen helps Mark sing "Away in a Manger."

Merry Christmas from the Lehmans!

" Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord."
 ~ Luke 2:11

Grand Days

We kept Jay and Kristen's children for a few days over the time that Hannah was born. It was a busy and fun time and I didn't get out the camera too often but I did manage to get a couple pictures of some things that we did. Here are a few snapshots of some of our activities.

Steve and the children decorated big gingerbread men. Actually, Steve and Alexis did most of the decorating and Lydia and Mark helped out by eating the candy!

 They were each supposed to point to their gingerbread man, but Mark didn't quite understand. Notice that Lydia is busy licking her fingers with her other hand :)

On the first morning when Lydia woke up, she asked if this was Christmas and could she open some presents? I obligingly wrapped a gift for each of them to open. I had new crayons and a crayon book for the girls but could only find a girl's pair of sunglasses for Mark to open. He didn't seem to mind.

The couple that rent our house (Eric and Jen Kerr) offered their basement and toys for the children to play with. The kids loved it and it was nice to have toys and a place to play that was new for them.

Alexis loves to do crafts so I had a few things for her to do. Here she made a star out of yarn by winding it around popsicles shaped like a star.

Here she made stars out of cards by pasting them together.

 We sure had a great time! I hope they had as much fun as I did!

Welcome Hannah Joy!

Hannah Joy Lehman was born this morning at 6:00!  Jay called at 2:12 am and asked if I could leave asap to come and stay with the children as Kristen was pretty sure she was in active labor. Knowing that Kristen had very short labors I quickly threw clothes in a bag and headed out the door. On the 45 minute drive I heard over and over on the radio about a baby being born this wonderful night! How fitting! When I arrived Jay and Kristen already had their coats on. After a quick goodbye, they left for the hospital and I laid down and hoped that sleep would come. Surprisingly it did and the next thing I knew it was 7:00. I texted Jay to see if there was news and also to see if they had any coffee in the house. He texted back where I could find coffee and to have the girls call when they got up. Lydia soon came downstairs and after initial surprise at seeing me smiled in delight. I punched in Jay's number on my phone and handed it to her. She was delighted to hear her daddy's voice and when he asked her if she wanted a brother or sister, she said "sister." Jay said, "well that's great, because that is what you got!" She beamed and handed the phone back to me. Jay told me that Hannah had been born about an hour ago and that mother and daughter were doing great. After congratulations and filling me in on some other details we hung up and waited for Alexis and Mark to wake up.  I soon heard Mark's booming voice and as Lydia and I started up the steps, we saw him and Alexis standing at the top. As soon as Alexis saw me, she knew what was going on. I tried to keep Lydia from telling her so she could hear it straight from Jay, but as we were calling him Lydia informed her that it was a sister. Jay was still able to tell Alexis the name and she was so excited that the baby was finally here. Her only concern was whether she would be able to go to her church and participate in the morning service where she was supposed to be an angel. Jay and I assured her that she still could. Jay actually came to the church as well and I met him there with the children. The people in his congregation were so excited for him and we enjoyed the service and Alexis was a beautiful angel.

Afterward Jay went back to the hospital and I met Steve at McDonalds where we gave the children lunch and let them enjoy the playland for a while. On our way home we stopped at the hospital for their first visit with their little sister.

Here is their first look. I just love their expressions.



 

Awwww! So precious

She is absolutely adorable! I love that her name is spelled the same backwards and frontwards and that the numbers of her birthday are the same way too--12/21. I would say that is pretty special! Welcome to the family Hannah! We are so glad to have you join us!

Longwood Gardens

Yesterday my friend Deb and I went to Longwood Gardens. Deb is the manager of New Hope's thrift store and so normally our interaction comes through working together. However, she has a season pass to Longwood Gardens and invited me to go with her. Her pass allows her to take one other person and I was delighted to accompany her. It was good for us to be together outside of work and we had a fun time. We walked through the building and then strolled outside as the lights came on. It was absolutely beautiful and was just a great way to unwind and take a little break from the busyness of the season. Even though I am no gardener, I love to see the creations that other people make and I am in awe of the beauty that surrounds us through nature. The flower displays were gorgeous and the lights outside lit up the evening. Here are a few pictures:

This was a hallway that had individual private bathrooms tucked among the greenery on both sides of it. I had never seen it before when I had been to Longwood Gardens. It's hard to show on a picture, but it was pretty unique.

To Grandfather's House

It's not very often that I read a story that makes me laugh out loud, but this one did. Steve and I were visiting his parents last evening and they always have an edition of "The Fishwrapper" lying around which I often pick up and browse through. I didn't get a chance to read it there, so Mom insisted that I take it along home. This morning, I started reading the first article and nearly spewed out my coffee as I choked back laughter. I was chuckling as I read and then when I got to the last sentence about the wife/grandma who was propped up in bed with a cold towel on her head I just burst out laughing. I don't know who this K.N. Hardin is that wrote the story but I think all grandparents will find this very humorous.

It is titled "To Grandfather's House-When the Children--and their children--Arrive for Turkey Day" The story was written by K.N. Hardin. Enjoy!

     When Thanksgiving rolls around, it's over the highways and through the traffic to grandfather's house they come. Not that I object to being host at family dinner, you understand. If it has to be somewhere, I'd just as soon have it at our house. Because twice we tried having it at our married daughters' homes, and frankly, I had indigestion both times.

     The first time we ate with our newlywed younger daughter and her husband in their compact little apartment. She sat us on cushions tossed on the floor, and served us enchiladas.

     It had been ten years since I could sit on the floor with any degree of comfort, and five years since I could digest enchiladas without a bicarbonate soda chaser. And to top it all off, my dinner partner turned out to be my son-in-law's large boxer, who kept trying to steal my enchiladas as I ate from the coffee table. When I gave him an argument, he replied by blowing repeatedly in my face.

     The next year our older daughter and her husband invited the entire family to their place for Thanksgiving.

     "Dear, you'll go to too much trouble," my wife objected.

     Eloise assured us that she wouldn't. And she didn't.

     We had cold cuts, potato salad, congealed salad, assembly-line bread and soda pop. My congealed salad melted through two layers of paper plates and onto my absorbent tweed trousers, and I crumpled three paper forks before I finally escaped to the local cleaning establishment.

     So you can easily understand why I don't object to having Thanksgiving at our house, although, to be perfectly honest, it usually turns out to be a pretty hectic affair.

     Take last Thanksgiving, for example. Our younger daughter and her husband and family arrived first. Then our older daughter and her pack next. However, it was quite some time before our son and his outfit got there. Because Boone--their two-year-old--took off his shoes and threw them out of the car window, and they had to turn around and go back and find them.

     Then it started!

     Little people darting here and there, the kitchen a bedlam, and women calling out at frequent intervals, "Watch the children!"

     There was a momentary calm while everyone sat down to the table and I said grace, which turned out to be a duet featuring myself and my five-year-old granddaughter, who knew quite a few rather lengthy blessings.

     Ordinarily, when grace is over, people begin to eat. Not in our household. It's a signal for the feminine members to jump up and down from the table like puppets on a string. The biscuits have to be taken off the oven, the coffee has to be warmed, and vegetables have to be passed around. I complained once. But my wife informed me that only a butler and cook would remedy the situation, so I've kept quiet about it since.

     The meal was fairly uneventful. Only four glasses of milk were turned over, which is about par for the course. There was a lengthy debate about whether Roger (my nine-year-old grandson) should be allowed to have a fourth serving of turkey and dressing. And while they were debating, Roger helped himself and polished it off before they decided.

     When dinner was over, I tiptoed to my bedroom to sneak a nap, but just as I was turning the doorknob my younger daughter called out sharply, "Daddy! You can't go in there! I just put the baby down on your bed."

     "Oh. I was just going to take a nap," I explained lamely.

     "I guess you could sleep with him," my daughter said reluctantly.

     I replied, "Thanks, but I've misplaced my hard hat."

     You see, I had the misfortune once of taking a nap with one of my grandbabies and made the mistake of going to sleep before he did. But not for long. I got clobbered with a milk bottle.

     "I'll just go upstairs," I told my daughter.

     "Frank is putting the twins to sleep up there."

     "How about the sewing room?" I asked hopefully.

     "The cousins are cutting out paper dolls in there."

     The only place left was the living room, where my 13-year-old grandson was playing his favorite music, at a higher volume than my head could handle. I already knew a headache was forthcoming!

     I put on my overcoat and hat, and stalked out to the patio--which was colder than I expected. I bravely stuck it out for half an hour. But nobody noticed I was gone, so I finally went in and discovered that naps were over and everything was in full swing again.

     There was a game in progress in the family room, and a family singing group in the living room. I went in and listened to the singing for awhile, but Roger threw up right in the middle of the song and that broke up the musical interlude.

     I considered it a rather propitious moment for everyone to take his leave, but my younger daughter was busily organizing a game of charades.

     The game was especially entertaining to the grandchildren. Particularly when my son rolled on the floor in a valiant attempt to convey "The Wreck of the Hesperus" to his team. The younger grandchildren got down on the floor and rolled with him, and my 13-year-old grandson called out, "Dead dog! Dead dog!"

     And then it was time to go. But leave-taking is a pretty involved thing with my family.

     First, all the snowsuits had to be sorted and assembled. Then the diaper bags had to be packed. And no one travels heavier then my grandchildren. They bring with them a mountainous assortment of toys, blankets, pillows and stuffed animals that have to be located at the last moment. And one little five-year-old packs a tiny steamer trunk that has to go through customs before we allow her to leave. For she sometimes empties out her treasure and fills it full of stuff picked up around the house.

     It is a remarkable thing to see my children assemble their children and herd them into their respective automobiles. How they end up with the right ones is a mystery to me!

     My older daughter called out that we could have Christmas dinner at her house, and she wouldn't go to a bit of trouble. And I called back that if it was all the same to her, we'd just have it at our house.

     And then it was quiet. Of course, there was still much cleaning up to do and the pictures on the wall were askew, but it was quiet!

     I wearily stretched out on my bed, ignoring the fact that the mattress had been thoroughly dampened by its former occupant.

     But after my children and grandchildren had been gone for a little while a strange feeling came over me. Now, mind you, I'm not one to indulge in maudlin sentimentality. But, you know, the children were cute rolling on the floor. And as for Roger throwing up on the living room wallpaper--well, I never really cared much for that wallpaper anyhow.

     I turned to  my wife, who was propped up in bed with a cold towel on her head, and said, "Dear, that's a great bunch of children we have. We should ask them over to dinner more often."

Rejoicing in the Season!

Last year I wrote a blog on how I always feel unsettled between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I think it is a little bit of stress and a little bit of peer pressure to "do Christmas right."

This season can often consume us with a multitude of activities--buying and decorating the Christmas tree, Christmas shopping, Christmas presents, Christmas pageants, Advent, cookie baking. etc. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with it all and wish for "normalcy" in my life.

However, after reading Kara's blog, I have decided to enjoy these normal, seasonal activities that can at times make me cranky. Kara is dying of cancer. She is mourning the loss of not being able to do the normal Christmas activities with her family and at times finds herself jealous of those of us who can. She writes:

So, last night...I was in agony. I was weeping hot and angry tears over the pain. And all I kept saying over and over- is “I’m so jealous of normal people.” I just want to be kissing my kids goodnight and sitting down for a glass of something and adult conversation next to my man- not calling the hospital and debating if I need to go there to spare the kids from hearing my agony. I want a bad hair day, to worry over a spelling test, or upcoming lines in a play coming out smoothly for my brave young lady that has taken on drama with a stutter. I’m so proud. So proud of her. I want to go to a thrift store and buy old wool sweaters and make ugly stuffed animals with my kids and bake over Christmas break. I do not want to be back in radiation battling to kill what is killing me…. or hurting me. I want to be decorating my house for Christmas.

She goes on to say:

I’m going to open my Bible, and I’m going to hunt down the grace, the peace, the source of what living- true living really is. It’s not the absence of this pain, it’s not the presence of normal. It’s the ability and strength that I covet so desperately. It’s Jesus. He is who I need. But I also know He’s not disappointed in my wrestling, weary heart this morning. He will show me, once again, that he is enough. Maybe I can’t run to the store and Christmas shop or decorate, but after I search out peace...I plan to find a few treats for my people for Christmas. That feels almost normal. And tonight as a family- we can read scripture, and as a family we are going to curl up in my bed and pick a Compassion Child to support together.  Oh- I feel the peace coming just making this plan. A moment not focused on me- glory. I feel a contented face coming right now- thank you Jesus.

Wow!  I don't think there is much more I can add to that. I am just going to be grateful that I can physically do those "normal" things that Kara wishes she could do. I don't have to worry about whether my house is as beautifully decorated as my friend's or whether my cookies taste as good as another lady's at church, or whether I can buy the perfect gifts for my family. Christmas is about so much more. It is about life and life is beautiful. I want to embrace every day that God gives me and be thankful that God chose to send his son to earth as a baby so that I can have life, not only on this earth but also for eternity.

My prayers are with Kara and her family as she continues her struggle. As hard and as difficult as her journey is, her strength, courage, and faith are such an inspiration to many. It has helped me to put into perspective the things in my life that are really important and to count each day as a blessing from God.

PS - The sign is a Christmas gift to myself that I purchased from a friend who makes them. I LOVE it! Life is indeed beautiful. Let's be thankful for it.

A White Thanksgiving

Generally people dream of a white Christmas but this year we are having a white Thanksgiving. It snowed for most of the day yesterday and even though it will leave fairly quickly, snow loving people are delighted with this early present.

I am not one of those people that likes to be out in the snow but I do enjoy the beauty of it, especially from indoors! This morning, the sun came out and glistened on the snow and everything was sparkling and beautiful. I tried to capture a couple of pictures, but they don't do it justice.

It is a good day to be thankful. At 4:00 the house will fill as the children and grandchildren come to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal. We will enjoy food, laughter and fellowship and a football game. We will play with the children and talk with the adults and browse through the stacks of paper telling us what is on sale on Black Friday. At the end of the day, we will go home satisfied and happy. This is how Thanksgiving Day should be.

There is so much unrest in the world now. I wish everyone could somehow have a calm and peaceful Thanksgiving with people they love. I wish everyone could feel loved and they could be thankful for life and for God who created this amazing world. However, I know this will not happen. There are people who will go hungry today.  There are people who will feel so alone that they consider suicide. There are people who will hate so badly that they will hurt something or somebody. The list could go on. My prayer today is that someone who is lonely will receive an unexpected visit, that someone who didn't know what they were going to eat, will be given food, and that someone who woke up filled with hatred, will feel love today. I also pray that God will show me if I can be the catalyst to make one of these prayers reality.

 

A Tiny House

In January, when my siblings were all together, my sister made the comment that she and Jim were building a tiny house. At the time, I had no clue what she was talking about. I had never heard of such a thing. However, according to Google:

 

"The Tiny House Movement is a growing group of people who are happy to downsize the space that they live in and enjoy simplified lives as a result. While the average American home is around 2600 square feet, the typical small or tiny house is around 100-400 square feet."

 

Lois ordered the book and the plans last December and the trailer in January. They started building it right about the first week of March. At the beginning they didn't work on it except for a couple of hours on Saturdays but in the last couple of months they have started working on it a lot more.

 

The little house sits on a trailer and so is moveable. At this point, they aren't exactly sure what they will do with it, but Lois has some ideas. She says maybe they will rent their big house out for weekends and then they will stay in the tiny house on the property or maybe one of their grandchildren will use it as a place to live someday.

 

Regardless of what they use it for, Lois especially is enjoying the project. Jim helped a lot with getting the floor right and studding the walls, but much of the work is being done by Lois herself. (She does enlist the help of her two oldest grandchildren sometimes.) About a month ago she was using a miter saw to cut a 2x4 board and it slipped and cut her hand badly enough that she required stitches. Non deterred, she was soon hard at work again--measuring, cutting, nailing. I can't even fathom that she can follow a plan and build a house (are we seriously sisters?), but I have been fascinated with it and today I stopped in to see the progress.

 

It is definitely a tiny house. It is a lot like a camper and yet feels a little different. The main room includes the kitchen, dining area, and a futon for a bed and then there is a separate, small room for the bathroom, which has a toilet, sink and shower. A loft also gives a little extra space where someone can sleep or just relax and read a book. It is very small and cozy!

 

It will be fun to continue to watch the progress. I'm not sure how much they will be able to work on it this winter, but maybe by next summer it will be finished. We will have to wait and see what they use it for and how often it gets lived in. Who knows, I might even rent it out some time for some rest and relaxation!

Here are a few more pictures:

Fascinating, isn't it?