A girl can never have too many pairs of shoes- especially Converse

I mentioned in an earlier post that my dear daughter is all in to Chuck Taylor's. She worked really hard and earned money to by a pair of black high top's. Grandma Mary recently took her shopping for her belated birthday and bought her not one but two pairs of the beloved Converse. Abbi took these pictures and asked me to post them on the blog. Those of you who have Abbi on your Christmas list she is officially "collecting" these now "because three is a collection" She wears women's size 7, the funkier the better. This is funny to me because I did the same thing back in high school, some of you may remember. I had hot pink and neon yellow ones. It just comes back around.

Out with the old

So we tore down our old, sad, dilapidated, poorly engineered, front porch to build a new, wider- big enough for a swing, sturdy front porch. This demolition process along with removing the clapboard to put on vinyl siding created a great deal of rotten wood to be eliminated. We borrowed or dear friend and neighbor, Jerry's truck and took it out to my dad's to burn. My dad has both a piano and an organ and the kids love to have him play and play along with him. Now it is time to side the front and build the new porch.
The old sad porch- it did have shingles- I didn't think to get a picture before we started
Going...
going...
Gone
Our neighbor and friend Gary Nead admires the destruction
Out to Grandpa's to burn the remains
Clint and Bob unload the truck

Now that is a FIRE!
Do you think Abbi could toast a marshmallow?
Waiting for the fire to burn down to put on the last of the wood
All that is left

Music lesson
See Grandpa and Sissy! Aren't a good?
Making a joyful noise
Not bad form says Grandpa.

Award

So Kristen at Yankee-mom.blogspot.com - who also happens to be my dear daughter's aunt recently gave me this award. I guess the way it is supposed to work is I am now supposed to give this award to other bloggers. I have to leave a comment on thier blog letting them know I have given this award and post a link to their blog- so they then can do the same, so here goes... drum roll please---

I nominate:

1. Gretchen my old Grand Rapids friend for keeping me up on all things Texan and reminding me what a great place GR is at http://areageek.blogspot.com/

2. Jerry at http://jerryspeak.blogspot.com/ for the truly AMAZING photography. I learn something every time I look at his photos, and he takes lots of pictures of his grand baby:)

3. Christy at http://myphotographymypassion.blogspot.com/ for more AMAZING photography and shots of familiar places in Michigan.

4. Hanna at http://thisgardenisillegal.com/ for all of the gardening tips as well as the wonderful tomato tasting going on currently.

We had family pictures taken on the Conley side as a present for Clint's step- mom Mary when everybody flew in from all of the corners of the globe for Clint's sister Mandy's wedding back in June. These are some of the pictures. I have more on order of our little clan. These I copied from Trish's photo bucket.

Our little clan
Bree, Missy, Chris, Cody
Jake and Trish
Wes and Mandy
The whole Conley, Randall, Sutton clan

July 2008 book- God Grew Tired Of Us

Whew I am behind- we meet for our August book in two days and I haven't posted July's book. July's book is God Grew Tired Of Us by John Bul Dau. It is an auto-biography as one of the lost boys of Sudan. He chronicles his trip out of Sudan all the way to Syracuse NY. It is inspiring and sad all at the same time. It is a very quick read- I read it in a couple of hours. The last 30 pages is a bit of a drag but otherwise it is fabulous. On a personal note I didn't realize that Grand Rapids took the largest amount of lost boys as immigrants. Both Clint and I have had them in class but just assumed that other cities were taking a similar number. Yeah for Grand Rapids. On a scale of 1-5 we gave this book 4 stars.

Out for a walk

Abbi is such a good big sister- I know I say this all the time but it is so true. She was keeping Caelun busy and out of our hair so we could work on the house and they went for a walk up the side walk. She is plugged into her MP3 player and he is just so happy to have her hang out with him.

Would a rose by any other name...

Summer up date- all of the roses bought back in the spring from Great Lakes Roses are doing splendidly. I actually just finally got the mulch down around them yesterday to pretty up the beds and help keep the moisture in during this last stretch of August. Clint's William Baffin roses have climbed almost to the top of his arbor. Clint said they are the tallest and most glorious he has ever seen them. His Jens Monk is bushed out and climbing up a trellis we put down for it this year. This isn't even the original bush he bought. We moved a sucker because the original bush was just so big. The plant we moved was really quite small. It has completely taken off this year. In fact if any one wants one it is sending up shoots everywhere. Some of the roses were between bloom cycles when I took these pictures. I will try to catch all of them when they are blooming.
This is one of my favorites it is a Buck Shrub- Prairie Sunset
It is quite the show stopper .
I can't believe they look this good the first year.
By the way they all smell as wonderful as they look.
Quadra another Canadian Explorer Series to bracket the garden opposite the Jens Munk
Another Buck Shrub- Prairie Harvest
Morden Sunrise


Buds on the Jens Munk
Buds on the William Baffin
The Jens Munk on the trellis
The William Baffin almost to the top of the arbor
The Quadra starts to climb.

Crystal Lake

My Aunt Pat and Uncle Bill Steinhoff, who live in Hawaii during the school year (Pat is a professor at University Of Hawaii) come to Michigan for part of the summer. They have a cottage on Crystal Lake. It just so happens that we were up in that neck of the woods dropping Abby off so we stopped in. We had a swim and a lovely dinner. Bill who is a master wood worker gave Caelun the most adorable wooden bench. My dad ever the shop teacher said "That is a great piece of work- I believe that would get an A+." Pat and Bill are expecting their first grand child this fall. My cousin Laura is due in September. Caelun was crabby and like good expecting grandparents they were very accommodating. It was a fabulous summer day.

Aunt Pat has fun with Caelun in the lake.

As always our boy loves the water.

Uncle Bill watches as Clint tries to keep a tired Caelun entertained.

Out of Town Visitors

Some old friends found their way to our little burg. The Turmo family- Joel, Melissa, David, and Andrew. Indulge me with a trip through twenty- plus years. Melissa and I danced for the same studio and also for FBT back in Flint when I was in high school. Joel went to community college with Clint, Dawn and I - we were all on Student Senate. After MCC, Dawn and I went to CMU, Clint went to MSU, and Joel went to a private Lutheran College ( I can't remember the name- Joel let me know and I will up date it). Joel then left that school and joined a traveling theater group called Covenant Players traveling through out the country and eventually over seas to Europe preforming at churches along the way. Mean while Melissa came to CMU and we were re-connected through the dance company Shades of Ebony (we were some of the lighter shades) and eventually Orchesis. Joel left covenant Players and came to CMU. I introduced him to Melissa and the rest is history to to speak. Actually Joel, Melissa, Dawn, and I all graduated from CMU. Joel and Melissa got married, and Joel went to Western to go to grad. school for occupational therapy, (Clint is doing his grad. work at WMU now as well- Melissa, Dawn, and I probably shouldn't talk to either one of them considering they are Broncos). Melissa started writing for a newspaper using her journalism degree, Dawn took a teaching job, and I went to grad. school a CMU. At this time Clint graduated from MSU, got married, moved to NH, moved back, started working at Munson Hospital, and had Abby. Time went on, Joel took a job at the University of Wisconsin at Appleton, I got married, took the teaching job at Forest Hills, Dawn changed teaching jobs from Ashley to Breckenridge. Joel and Melissa had David and then Andrew. Clint got divorced. I got divorced. Clint and I got married. Clint took a teaching job with KCTC. We had Caelun. Joel then attended seminary in TN, to become an Episcopal priest. He was just ordained in May and assigned a church in Boca Raton FL. Before beginning his assignment they took a month to go visit everybody, thus landing in Cedar Springs. It is hard to believe that these four other people have been on this adventure with me on and off for twenty years now. Melissa and I have know each other even longer. I don't feel that old. Such is life. I am excited to get to listen to Joel's sermons via the web- especially since we had the same public speaking teacher back at MCC. In fact, Joel, Clint and I all had Pastoor- Dawn I did you have him or Fatka? I think it is funny that the four of us are making our living public speaking- three teachers and a preacher- who would have thunk?

Joel re-locates Andrew who thought our ladder looked inviting.

Melissa and Clint get acquainted.

My dad checks out "the college kids" with now graying hair.

Dawn keeps Caelun entertained
Melissa and David get ready to eat lunch.

Andrew checks out the beginning of our tree house
Joel helps set out the food- they brought potato salad- yum!
Everybody catches up

Aunt Dawn keeps Caelun entertained.

Joel admires our new fence
David enjoys the yard.


Look the flowers match David's shirt.
Yum cheese puffs- Aunt dawn you are the best!
Even better cheese puffs on daddy's head!