Pictures at last!

Two little girls swimming.  I think that they swim for 6-8 hours a day.  What fun to have a pool in the back yard!

This is Mary Kathryn and Adam's beautiful living room, where comfort reigns.  It is perfect for curling up to read, drinking coffee and tea, and blogging.

This is grown up Peter.  He is so tall now!  

This is Holly, reading and watching TV.  

Statesvile, North Carolina

I have to admit that I was conflicted about coming to NC with all the work that needs to be done on the basement at home.  But,  in God's providence, this trip was planned months ago, and we headed out on Saturday morning.  

Now, it's Wednesday (I think), and Tom and I have just moseyed around; read good books; had wonderful conversations; and, of course, eaten like kings and queens.  I know why Mary Kathryn blogs food - because it is so good!  

I brought my camera, and yes, I intend to take pictures, but one child (perhaps my wicked oldest daughter?) confiscated the good memory chip, and I have the one that will only take about 8 pictures before you have to empty it!  Kesse - you are in trouble!  So, after the battery charges, I will try to take pictures and load them - in stages.

Home:  reports from home are: 

Jathan was stung yesterday by a wasp, but did NOT have an allergic reaction (thankfully!).  He has had some severe reactions in the past.  

There was an impressive storm a couple of nights ago with 80 mph winds and LOTS of rain, but the basement seems unharmed.  Yea!

Kyrie knows her roommate now, and is getting more excited about college each day.  She is able to walk on her "boot" now without crutches.  She will get to work today.

Kesse seems to be getting better, though she is working on communication.  At this time, all our information is second hand - ahem.  I believe that she is feeling much better, and has been able to continue working this week. 

The kids here are having a great time.  Holly and Kayren and Peter and the little girls got to play "sardines" in the rain last night.  What fun!   

Update from North Carolina

We made it!  The Lord is very gracious to let us travel so far each year with safety, and so little difficulty.  The van is still running well.  On Saturday, we made it to Louisville without incident, though Kayren was starting to feel lousy.  We got to worship on Sunday morning with Arne and Debbie and family.  Dave Dively preached on Jesus' miracles and preached on the healing of the lady with the 18-year old disturbed spirit.  It was really good.  Then we were able to have Sunday school on the Proverbs, which was also excellent.  We always enjoy worship there.

Sunday afternoon, we went to Brevard to take the girls to the Robinsons so that they could go to camp.  Cousin Anna was there waiting for us.  Other than getting stuck in a very long traffic jam (about 1 hour and forty-five minutes), the trip was fine.  We were tired getting in, and by this time, Kayren was rather ill. 

We were able to visit with the Robinsons this morning, and delighted to see Lorien go to camp.  Kayren was too sick at this point.  We brought her to the Christiansens with us, and will try to get her into a clinic in the morning.  She has a temp of over 102.  

Holly Keister came with us, and made the trip over lots more fun.  She is delightful to have along.  

Now, we just get to rest and relax, and pick fun things to do, like swim in the back yard, stay inside and read good books, eat fun food, chat, sing, and all kinds of good stuff.  We will try and tend to Kayren first, but Lord willing, we can get her some antibiotics tomorrow and she'll start feeling better soon.  

We missed the huge storm in Des Moines last night, but apparently, our basement stayed dry.  What a blessing!  Lord willing, we'll have some pictures soon.

Itinerary for upcoming trip east

Well, Lord willing, we are leaving Saturday morning for Louisville. We are planning on arriving Saturday night, worshiping with Arne and Debbie, and then going to Brevard on Sunday evening. We are picking up cousin Holly and bringing her with us!

Monday, we drop the kids off at camp and head to Statesville. We hope to spend several days there with Mary Kathryn and Adam and family. Friday evening, we will return to Brevard and spend some time with the Robinsons. We will grab the kids on Saturday morning, and head back to Louisville.

Then, after worship on Sunday morning, we will head home again, bringing Holly with us. It feels like a whirlwind trip, which it is, but we are excited to get to spend some time in NC.

Kyrie has decided to stay home and work some of the hours that she has been scheduled. Jathan and Kesse will be home too, trying to earns bucks for college.

After we get home, I have about two weeks to get ready for lots of company for the Keister reunion. Kyrie is also having her senior recital the night before.

Lord willing, we'll have more pictures soon!

Updates from Iowa

Sorry - no pictures today. Kayren has confiscated my camera, so I am picture-less. Anyway, we are still working on getting the moldy sheet rock out of the basement. I think we have one wall left. When all the sheet rock is gone, and we have sprayed for the mold, we can turn the air conditioning back on. Yes!! Today will be 92 degrees with 80% humidity. These last two weeks have not been fun without air. We are spoiled, I know. But, air conditioning makes everything easier - breathing, sleeping, working, cooking, etc. I like it!

A friend showed me a wonderful alternative to bleach for getting rid of the mold. It is hydrogen peroxide mixed with baking soda and lemon juice. I was skeptical but was willing because it is such a cheap alternative! I sprayed an especially black area with the stuff, and it didn't do anything. Disappointed, I went upstairs to check on a couple of things. About 15 minutes later I came down to re-assess, and the black was GONE! Unbelievable. My wall was white again. This stuff is non-toxic, and I can apply it because it doesn't burn my esophagus. I was thrilled. It kills the mold and mildew, and gets rid of the smell. And it is so cheap! I like that part too. It is supposed to clean up all kinds of ugliness - pet decorations, etc.

Jathan is getting his wisdom teeth pulled today. He will be out of commission for a while! He is glad to finally get it done because they have been bothering him for some time.

We will be working on rebuilding the basement bathroom this weekend. The laundry room is back in order (a great help to our family!).

Anyway - lots more work to do.

I need to get to work.

Mary Kathryn posts pictures of yummy food, and I post pictures of mold!

Sights from our basement.

OOOOHHHHH!  Fuzzy mold.  This is the worst kind!

A wet corner discovered.

And our fuzzy friend, that Grandma Keister could hear scampering around one evening when they were spending the night.  Well, we found him!  Phew!  

Several folks from church have come over to help.  We have about 1/3 of the sheetrock off, and the carpets are up.  We need to scrape the floors, dump anything else that got wet, and put in a sump pump.  Then we need to wait and make sure that everything is dry before we start putting things back together again.  

We are going to watch fireworks tonight.  Nice relief!