Nephew

Family

Front: Julie, Logan, Wendy, Leon, Wayne, Gera, Jesus, Brian
Back: Libby, Naomi, Betsy, Matthew, Nathan, Aaron, Lauren Mae, Amy

Punkin pie

Popcorn

Pellet stove

Pro: It's hard to find any more comfortable place than in front of the stove on a cold morning.

Con: It's hard to get anything done when you are toasting yourself in front of the stove.  

One day

Thank you for the all that I've been able to accomplish today, and thank you that everything else will keep until tomorrow. 

Storytime

Baby dolls

Red and green

Leaves left

 Consumer's Energy has been clearing power lines in our area. As a result, the tree in front of my parents' house has been reduced to a pile of fire wood. The pictures remind me of my brother, with all the gentleness of middle school, informing that I should make like a tree and leaf.

Laundry

It's not my favorite chore, but I am slightly rewarded when it results in a picture. 

Brown

Lang girls

Hadassa

Abigail

Bethany

Rebekah

Hosanna

Pastor's family

International cuisine

Saudi Arabia

It's a privilege to interact with international students every day. I love learning about their culture and customs and language, and I especially love the International Food Festival at SVSU when I learn about their foods. 

Happy International Education Week everyone!

Pakistan

China

France

Birthday

Two of my sisters took me out for breakfast on my birthday. Then we went to the Cookie house, watched a movie and ate lunch. It was a blessing not only to be together, but also that I had enough homework and planning done that I could forget about school responsibilities for a few hours. 

Pretty in pink

Dog-in-a-box

Charlie spent the night in a cardboard box recently. It was a pitiful sight when I found him curled up in the morning, his seventy-five pound body dwarfing the box. He had gotten his line tangled up in the porch posts and couldn't reach his doghouse.

He's pretty good at untangling himself, but I had purchased a longer line, which tangled more than usual. So, now I check on him before I go to bed to make sure he is snuggly curled up in the straw inside his doghouse. 

(And, as happened Tuesday, if he gets wanderlust at 2:45 a.m. and as a result gets tangled up, he just barks twice and I stumble outside to untangle him.)

Thousands of words

Five Roses

Five Roses is a South African tea that is popular in Zambia, and most recently has become a favorite at the Cookie House. 

Autumn

Teatime

Happiness

Photo by Leon

is being with all my sisters

Welcome

Leaves

Question

What does pork taste like?

Produce stand

Naomi has done a marvelous job arranging and maintaining our roadside produce display. 

Door

Studying

Sometimes Brian, Libby and I have homework parties on Saturday. Brian is taking Thermodynamics, Probability and Statistics, Differential Equations, Engineering Statics. Libby is taking Organic Chemistry with a lab, Integrated Genetic Biology, Music Appreciation and History of Western Civilization. I have completed Linguistics for Teachers of English and am now taking Cross Cultural Competence in Communication. Not only do I do homework, but I also correct it. I am teaching Basic English Composition. Between the three of us, we have plenty of homework.

Waiting

Charlie's waiting to meet you, Julie.