Tuesday, November 30, 2010

When Snow Falls Slow…

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Preparing for His coming this Advent season…

 

Blessings to you as the snow falls slowly outside…

Monday, November 29, 2010

Thankful

Giving thanks for the little and big things in life today…

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passing my driver’s test

Dad being a cone for me to practice

making sandwiches for 363

registering for PSEO 2nd Semester

polar bear socks

friendships growing with new youth group

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the moon in the trees

icy roads making for quiet neighborhood

making key chains for missions team

Gini

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watching R take the puzzle pieces out of the board meant to help and doing it on the table by himself

watching L profess faith in Christ!

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thanksgiving with family

And the Shofar Blew by Francine Rivers

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gingerbread houses with Mamo

last week of chemistry!!!!!! PRAISE THE LORD!!!

decorating the tree

walking outside in boots and pj pants and sweatshirts

driving for the first time on my own today (to the library…my favorite place…)

 

Blessings abound!

Kaye

Friday, November 26, 2010

Thanksgiving…

Thanksgiving… the day to give thanks to the Lord for his blessing of family and food… and eat way too much turkey and pie…

Woke up and watched the Macy Day Parade with banana bread and worked on that crazy puzzle of the Washington Mall on fourth of July. Then it was off to see family.

With 12 people and 4 dogs roaming around my aunt and uncle’s house, it makes for a day of loud laughs, turkey, funny videos, and great food…

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The table this year was huge… made up of four different tables to fit us all around it!

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All the cousins sit down for a wonderful lunch of:

a 27 pound turkey,

(it hardly fit in the oven!)

6 pounds of potatoes,

and loads of veggies and stuffing…

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We raised our glasses full of sparkling raspberry lemonade, and chowed down.

Then Mom pulled out our favorite party game…

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“Guess What’s In the Chocolate”

Around the box went, with exclamations at finding molasses or orange cream or coconut in the chocolate chosen from the box.

What fun…

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After lunch, the turkey started to make us all a little sleepy… so the boys joined Papa on the couch for a quick snooze…

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Pie was served and no one could resist the homemade whipped cream and pumpkin pie, pecan pie, apple pie, ice cream…

We all ate too much and laughed a lot and remembered past travels and talked NASCAR… it was a blast!

Before we could leave, Dad had to start the car, and we all had to get coats and shoes on… which is a crazy endeavor until itself.

We were so loud in that entryway! All 12 of us laughing and giggling and little boys holding onto our legs with dogs running everywhere, shoes flying.

Papa put on his true MN hat with his flaps on the ears and fur… which got us laughing even more… Mamo giving hugs and “see you in December” to each of us girls… Shan and Derek laughing at us all in chaos in their entryway…

what a family I am blessed to be a part of!

I pray you have a wonderful week of giving thanks with your family!

Kaye

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Gingerbread Houses

Pretzels, candies, and mini wheats oh my!

For as long as I can remember, before Thanksgiving we all get together and decorate ginger scented cottages to be eaten on New Years.

Mamo once again made gingerbread houses for us 7 grandkids to decorate! Thank you!!!

The icing was flying, candies were put in place, and brown cottages turned into fish houses, winter palaces, and candy wonderlands.

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It was a blast decorating the houses and eating candy with cousins and sisters and brothers all laughing and smiling and so focused on making the houses look just right!

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R was the first to finish… Here you have it! The Fish House!

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Next was the T-man with his perfect penguin house!

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Z and M’s house was finished third… with pretty licorice accents!

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Jayden’s Stop-light house finished fourth, and it turned out just right!

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Me and L were last, with the HUGE house! Each of us did a side…

L’s was nice and cottage-like, with darling trees…

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And mine was more uptown funky…

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What a great day!!!

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Blessings!

Kaye

Monday, November 22, 2010

L's Baptism

Yesterday I was blessed and overjoyed to watch my younger sister be baptized in our church!

Her steadfastness and faith in Christ is an amazing thing to watch and I am very blessed to have her as a sister!

Here's a few pictures and a video of our beautiful Miss L!


(If you can't see the video, click here)

 
 
 
 
Blessings to you!
Kaye

Saturday, November 20, 2010

The Day

Today was the day prayed over, looked forward to and dreaded.

Today I was to try again to get my drivers license.

Sat up last night praying hard, reading promises hard, and taking pictures.

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I snuggle down deep under my favorite quilt, still praying.

I want to pass.

I don’t like failure.

At all.

So when I failed my first driver’s test, I was seriously bummed.

But God has a sense of humor, and he knows more than I do. I now see that because of my first failure, I would be able to be more prepared for the second test.

We prayed last night as a family before I went to practice with Dad. It was dark out and cold. Quite cold. We had forgotten that the sun went down early and it was as dark at 4 as it was at 9:30.

Mom suggested the junior high parking lot, since it is lit. We got gas, went over to the lot, and set up two woogies and a Dad as markers.

Back and forth and around I swept the van through the parking lot. Parallel parking, 90 degree parking, all of that.

Came home tired and slightly worried about the parallel part of the test.

Sat on my bed, tired, but not. Read scripture, pray hard, go over everything on the test in my head more times than I can count.

Over and over I prayed, “Please, dear Jesus, let me pass!”

After about the 2,000th time, I flipped open to where I was reading.

“…for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him…”

I sigh thanksgiving and try hard to trust.

The light goes out, and the next thing I see is sunshine in the window.

Breakfast fades in and out, sisters encourage, Mom smiles, and I pray.

“for my Father knows what I need before I ask Him… Trust. Trust…”

Practice out in the street one last time before the test. Around the block, line it up, park it parallel. The traffic on our street continues, and the garbage man waves from his truck in passing. Neighbors smile and I breathe deep, murmuring the steps of paralleling to myself.

Dad says “Let’s go”, and I climb up into the seat of the big red bus.

We arrive, pull forward, smile at the elderly man in the window.

I think he was my test giver last time.

Smiling, he hands me back my permit, insurance, paperwork. His words ring clear and sure through the window.

“Now, go out there and get ‘er done!” Smiles big and waves me forward and I thank God for his encouragement.

The test giver walks up, gets in. He smiles nice and comments on how he likes Fridays, and I nod, smile, while inwardly I try and remember all the rules to driving. He talks about why I didn’t pass last time and I nod knowing, remembering my unhappiness.

Pull out, drive around a corner and there sits 4 bright flags. He nods, parallel park.

Remember thinking last time I thought I wouldn’t fit.

Breathe deep, reverse, feel wheels connect with curb, remember Dad saying, “Don’t panic! Just figure out how you’re going to fix it.”

Wheels turn hard on the pavement, and I park it parallel. Sigh with relief as the instructor tells me to pull out.

Around another corner, after the stoplight and the one-way street, four more bright orange flags sit.

90 degree back turn and park.

I pass it, stop, turn around and am astonished to see that this parking space is HUGE! The one I practiced in was 9 ft wide. This had to be at least 14!

Whip the wheel around, thanking Him for this blessing, and park it no problem.

I turn the corner, expect for him to say, “Pull up to the curb,” which is where I parked last time. He says nothing and I pass it, pulling instead into the parking lot.

He smiles, and I know.

“I’ll be happy to pass you,” he says.

Weight lifts and I soar.

I walk/run into where Dad waits, and swing the paper proud. YES!

I fill out the forms, hand shaking from holding the wheel so tight. Take picture, and walk out, this time praying

thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou

~*~*~*~*~*~

And so, friends, by the grace of God alone, I now write to you as a licensed (and relieved) Kaye Ann Silver.

May God bless you with unexpected miracles that make you soar with thanks~

In Him,

Kaye Ann

Weekends are for Watching

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Stood in stinging cold to watch full moon glide by trees last night.

How beautiful it was!

“The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world...”

Blessings to you this watchful weekend…

Kaye Ann

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Nehemiah 4:14

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I arose and said to the nobles and the officials and the rest of the people,

“Do not be afraid of them.

Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome…”

Nehemiah 4:14

 

 

Remembering not to fear failure, but rest in His all-knowingness.

(kaye ann silver)

Monday, November 15, 2010

Click

I wander out during sunset eager to see what there is to be seen.

Rotini simmers on the stove and I glance brief at the camera before scooping it up. It sits easy around my neck now, and I am used to the added weight of lenses on my shoulders.

Favorite brown shoes sit begging to be worn by the back step, and my feet slip in obligingly.

I tromp out through the door into dusk. Without hesitation, I slide and slip and smoosh through the snow. My brown shoes shiver and I remember the no-grip soles that carry me.

Smiling as I slide, I can imagine Dad watching me in his big boots meant for the northern snows, and his smile and shaking head at my sissy city shoes.

I keep walking out to where the sisters played earlier, where Kira’s tennis ball lays hidden, and the slow swaying swings.

and I click pictures fast, for the battery light warns of the end coming soon.

I sink into snow up to my ankles and my feet shiver, but my face smiles.

Winter has come to us, if only for a few days, and I try to capture it.

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(kaye ann silver)

 

PS-

Here’s what we’re having for dinner tonight…

Maybe you’d like it?

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A Lonely Pine is Standing… In My Front Yard

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a lonely pine is standing

in the north where high winds blow.

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He sleeps; and the whitest blanket

wraps him in ice and snow.

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(part of the poem “A Lonely Pine is Standing” by Heinrich Heine)

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(above: our own not-so lonely tree blanketed in white)

Blessings after a snow filled weekend…

#470-486

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the crunch of boots in snow

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sisters tumbling giggles into the snow

the first snowman of the season

an open house gone well

reading out of the World Literature book

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L and her drawing pencils scattered across the table

M and Z, two sisters, out in the yard

Z’s pink snow pants

R’s giggle

ham sandwiches and potato chips for lunch

a messy room after a clean weekend

phone calls to Papa sick and asking for cookies

Dad shining Him at the Haiti table

camera clicking

R sliding like a penguin down the hill

Kira, my personal foot warmer

 

(kaye ann silver)