Today is the day we celebrate those Americans who have served in our nation's armed services. I am so proud of my grandfather, Eugene Doepp. He was one of these brave men. I am also proud of my uncles, William and James Doepp, and although they did not go to war, they did serve and were prepared to go if our country had needed them.
My wonderful father in law Samuel also served in the US Air Corps during WWII, one of his happiest experiences was serving breakfast to General Dwight D Eisenhower.
While I was in high school we were at war, a police action it was called, in Viet Nam. I knew young men who went away, but never returned. I met a young marine who was afraid. He had seen the horrors of war and did not want to go back there.
After high school I enlisted in the US Air Force, this was where I met my husband. Two of his three brothers also served in the Air Force. I enjoyed the military life, but opted for early discharge after our marriage, since he had already served his time and was returning to civilian life.
During my short time in the service, I didn't do any thing special. I was in training and technical school for most of that time. But while I was assigned to my permanent duty station at Randolph AFB near San Antonio, Texas I worked as a switchboard operator in the communications squadron. I spent a great deal of time working the late night shift with only one or two other women, usually civilian employees.
Many nights we took calls from GIs calling from Viet Nam trying to get a call through to a wife or other loved one. I remember several of those calls, where the poor guy would get cut off, or get a busy signal just before getting connected to home. We usually stayed on the line with them until we were certain they had made contact, many times re- routing through different bases and operators to make sure they could talk to a familiar voice. This was not considered official business, but I somehow think this was pretty important business to these young men, and to their families.
I am grateful to the men and women who have made tremendous personal sacrifices through out our nation's history to preserve our constitution and our freedom.
Thank you to all who have served and are serving, please know that we appreciate your service. Thank you for our enduring freedom. And thank you to those who will take up the standard and bear it forward into the future.
It is a wonderful legacy
Monday, May 31, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
It's Tuesday
For quite sometime my first born has been calling on Tuesday morning and announcing, "It's Tuesday". She doesn't do it quite so much any more, since I would answer rudely BY saying, "WHAT?", quite loudly. I think she was put off by it. I just meant it to be an endearing thing I said in a sort of Kathryn Hepburn sort of way. I don't think she thinks it so endearing.
My first born SS is the wife of a pastor and lives in a tiny town in Pennsylvania. They have two sons, whom I usually describe as little boys. However, as I was telling someone that last week I realized that two boys aged 14, almost 15, and 12 are no longer little boys. They are quite big boys, both in size and spirit.
SS home schools her sons every day. She tends to another young man on Tuesdays so his homeschooling mom can go to her part time job.
I think a very deep regret of both mine and my husband's is that we don't get to be with these two very much. They are kept quite busy by their church activities and we are not as able to travel as we once were.
But I do love the Tuesdays, the IM and the phone calls on non Tuesdays.
It's hard to maintain long distance relationships, it requires effort, and when one doesn't put forth the effort, the relationship suffers, wilts, withers, and fades away. I would not want that to happen. I cherish all of my children as well as any time I have with them.
I realize that most of the time, the problem is with me, but then I am the mom, and it's always your mother's fault. It's ok to blame us, we did it to our moms, and besides, we're strong and we can take it.
My first born SS is the wife of a pastor and lives in a tiny town in Pennsylvania. They have two sons, whom I usually describe as little boys. However, as I was telling someone that last week I realized that two boys aged 14, almost 15, and 12 are no longer little boys. They are quite big boys, both in size and spirit.
SS home schools her sons every day. She tends to another young man on Tuesdays so his homeschooling mom can go to her part time job.
I think a very deep regret of both mine and my husband's is that we don't get to be with these two very much. They are kept quite busy by their church activities and we are not as able to travel as we once were.
But I do love the Tuesdays, the IM and the phone calls on non Tuesdays.
It's hard to maintain long distance relationships, it requires effort, and when one doesn't put forth the effort, the relationship suffers, wilts, withers, and fades away. I would not want that to happen. I cherish all of my children as well as any time I have with them.
I realize that most of the time, the problem is with me, but then I am the mom, and it's always your mother's fault. It's ok to blame us, we did it to our moms, and besides, we're strong and we can take it.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Good morning
Well, I never got around to posting after Sew and Share day at church. I finished the top of my table top quilt. Now I have to decide on how to back it, and get the batting for the middle. I am very pleased with my first actual quilt. It's only 32" x 32", but to me it's quite an accomplishment. I have always wanted to quilt, as evidenced by my collection of quilting books, but I never had someone to teach me how to go about it, now that I have Jan and Barbara, I can make a boat load of quilts, starting now. I have a good idea of what I want to do next, but I need a little help deicphering the pattern. Nothing too crazy just now, let's keep it simple. I want to use up a lot of scrap fabric, so they'll be crazy quilts for now.
We are having quite a storm here today, I love when it rains and the wind blows and the thunder rattles the windows. I don't like it when the sirens go off and you have to head for the basement. We have only done that once in the five years we've lived here. Probably should have gone a few other times, but we lucked out and it missed us.
I am waiting to hear about the newest addition to our church family. Our friend Rebekah is having her baby Nataly as I type. I am praying for you both that it is over quickly and everyone is fine, strong and healthy.
I am going to lay out the fabric for my quilt backing today. Can't wait to see how it turns out.
We are having quite a storm here today, I love when it rains and the wind blows and the thunder rattles the windows. I don't like it when the sirens go off and you have to head for the basement. We have only done that once in the five years we've lived here. Probably should have gone a few other times, but we lucked out and it missed us.
I am waiting to hear about the newest addition to our church family. Our friend Rebekah is having her baby Nataly as I type. I am praying for you both that it is over quickly and everyone is fine, strong and healthy.
I am going to lay out the fabric for my quilt backing today. Can't wait to see how it turns out.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY
To any moms that may read this today. I hope your day was blessed.
This is our first mother's day without a mom. My mother passed away on June 4, last year and Bill's mom died in November, so it's a little strange this year.
Our family celebrated Mother's day last night at our son's house, it was very nice, except that our oldest daughter couldn't be there. We had a nice cake and meal, and celebrated my birthday, which is today as well.
This morning I had the mothers of the 2 and 3 year olds, at church, in for "Muffins with Moms".
The kids seemed pretty excited about it, and one of the little boys, Zachary, had a birthday today, too. So we did a birthday party, too. He and I are birthday twins. We had juice, confetti cupcakes and mini muffins, those kids were wound up when I left them.
Wahoooooooooo. what a day.
This is our first mother's day without a mom. My mother passed away on June 4, last year and Bill's mom died in November, so it's a little strange this year.
Our family celebrated Mother's day last night at our son's house, it was very nice, except that our oldest daughter couldn't be there. We had a nice cake and meal, and celebrated my birthday, which is today as well.
This morning I had the mothers of the 2 and 3 year olds, at church, in for "Muffins with Moms".
The kids seemed pretty excited about it, and one of the little boys, Zachary, had a birthday today, too. So we did a birthday party, too. He and I are birthday twins. We had juice, confetti cupcakes and mini muffins, those kids were wound up when I left them.
Wahoooooooooo. what a day.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Quilt Day
What a great day this is already. My friend Heather posted pictures of her new son's 100 Good Wishes quilt on her blog. and this is my day to go to meet my friends for quilt day.
Heather's quilt, for her son Jake, is just gorgeous, many people, who know the family, sent 9" quilt squares along with a good wish for Jake, the little one they adopted from China. The quilt lady did all the quilting in red to go along with the Chinese proverb about the invisible red thread that joins people who are destined to be in each other's lives. This always makes me think of the red cord that Rahab, in the Old Testament, place in the window of her home in Jericho, so she and her family would be saved. It represents the red cord that has run down through history symbolizing our salvation in Jesus Christ.
I really love that quilt, it's huge and she posted pics of Jake all wrapped up in it. Cute!
Today is my quilt day, several of the women from my church get together to sew/ share and work on their craft projects, but actually Jan and Barbara are teaching most of us to quilt.
I am so excited, that really seems a little silly, doesn't it? But I love working on my little table topper quilt. It's a Christmas theme and very cute. I started by hand piecing, but I quickly realized that if I have to spend that much time doing this little quilt, I will never finish it, because I bore quickly. So I changed the plan after piecing about one row and some trim by hand, I switched to the good old sewing machine. It's moving along much faster now, even though I only work on it on quilt days.
I guess I enjoy the fellowship of the other women, chatting, going to lunch and just seeing what every one else is working on, it's pretty inspiring.
There is a plan for another scrapbooking/ quilting weekend get-away in the fall. Late September or the first weekend in October is the idea. I think that sounds great. 24 hours (for our group only stays one night) of non-stop scrapbooking. Well OK, we do stop and sleep, and of course we eat, but there is no one asking for meals or any of that junk, we just scrapbook our little brains out. Some ladies bring all their quilting stuff and work on that. I love spending the time scrapbooking.
Well, I am off to work on my Christmas table topper. Oh, I think we are going to go to lunch and JoAnn fabrics too, what a great day.
Heather's quilt, for her son Jake, is just gorgeous, many people, who know the family, sent 9" quilt squares along with a good wish for Jake, the little one they adopted from China. The quilt lady did all the quilting in red to go along with the Chinese proverb about the invisible red thread that joins people who are destined to be in each other's lives. This always makes me think of the red cord that Rahab, in the Old Testament, place in the window of her home in Jericho, so she and her family would be saved. It represents the red cord that has run down through history symbolizing our salvation in Jesus Christ.
I really love that quilt, it's huge and she posted pics of Jake all wrapped up in it. Cute!
Today is my quilt day, several of the women from my church get together to sew/ share and work on their craft projects, but actually Jan and Barbara are teaching most of us to quilt.
I am so excited, that really seems a little silly, doesn't it? But I love working on my little table topper quilt. It's a Christmas theme and very cute. I started by hand piecing, but I quickly realized that if I have to spend that much time doing this little quilt, I will never finish it, because I bore quickly. So I changed the plan after piecing about one row and some trim by hand, I switched to the good old sewing machine. It's moving along much faster now, even though I only work on it on quilt days.
I guess I enjoy the fellowship of the other women, chatting, going to lunch and just seeing what every one else is working on, it's pretty inspiring.
There is a plan for another scrapbooking/ quilting weekend get-away in the fall. Late September or the first weekend in October is the idea. I think that sounds great. 24 hours (for our group only stays one night) of non-stop scrapbooking. Well OK, we do stop and sleep, and of course we eat, but there is no one asking for meals or any of that junk, we just scrapbook our little brains out. Some ladies bring all their quilting stuff and work on that. I love spending the time scrapbooking.
Well, I am off to work on my Christmas table topper. Oh, I think we are going to go to lunch and JoAnn fabrics too, what a great day.
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