Today Mama and I took Alex and Cami to Shipshewana to do a little shopping and have some fun together. The highlight of the day was the 1906 restored carousel! They also enjoyed the pretzels and hot dogs we got for lunch and loved the toy store we went to. Cami played with the display dollhouse the whole time we were there.

Watching the puppets sing and dance

Saturday was the big day for John and Erica. She wanted me to take candid pictures, so here are a few of the ones I got.

John and Erica talking to Erica's grandpa

The chairs were full!

The bridal party and the pastor

Bridal party walking up

Erica waiting to go up

Shad (Erica's nephew) signing his name.

The fruit table

Bridesmaid bouquet

Merry, Harmony and I


Servers and Bridesmaids

John coming to pick up Erica

and off they go

Kirsten and Daniel

I hope you aren't all tired of pictures of my nieces and nephews. They are just the best thing for me to take pictures of and their mothers like me to do it too. Adults won't just sit and let you shoot them like children will. At least not the ones in my family. :)

Jordan

Here is Jordan at 2 weeks. She is such a little cutie! I want to be in PA holding her.

Mama is finally coming home today after being at Mike and Anna's for almost 3 weeks! It will be great to have her back again! :)

Sunrise this morning!

After getting 10 inches of rain in the last few days it was really exciting to see a sunrise this morning! :) Especially when it was such a pretty one.

Sugar Cookies

Every Fall and Winter I get an urge to make sugar cookies. They are one of my families favorites and are famous among my friends too.

Great Grandmother Brubaker's Sugar Cookies

Stir together in mixing bowl:
5 c. Flour
1 1/2 c. Sugar
1/4 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Baking Soda
Cut in:
1 c. Soft Butter
Put in cup:
2 eggs beaten
Fill cup with sour milk (I use buttermilk)
Add 2 tsp. Lemon Flavoring
Add milk mixture to dry ingredients and add more sour milk to make a soft dough. Roll out on floured cloth (I just put flour on the counter) 1/4 inch thick. Cut out with cookie cutters and bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until light brown on the bottom. When cool frost with Butter Cream frosting.
Makes 4 dozen

Butter Cream Frosting
1 stick Butter
4 T. Milk
1 tsp. Vanilla
3 1/2-4 c. Powdered Sugar
Mix butter, milk, and vanilla until fluffy. Add powdered sugar. Mix well and spread on cookies.

The first time I made these I was probably 8 or 9 and I thought the recipe said to put in 4 teaspoons of salt instead of 1/4. We kept adding and adding to it and ended up dumping the whole batch. I still remember the huge bowl of cookie dough waiting to be dumped.

Yesterday morning a few of our friends from NC stopped in for a few hours! We had a great time. Ate a good breakfast and visited for awhile, then we took them to the swing.

Micah and Harmony helping Alex go by himself for the first time. It took awhile to get him off the platform. :)

He held on to the edges with his fingers and toes, and came up with hundreds of reasons why he needed just a little more time before takeoff.

Cami and Merlin making stuff in the sand


Cami Jo



Michael

Jenny, Merry and Julie on the platform

Cole was very popular :)

Michael and some of the guys visiting

Saturday evening we had a cook-out in Vandalia with all our kids (from children's ministry) and invited their parents. We had a decent turn-out. Lots of kids, quite a few youth and a few adults. I didn't take any pictures because I was busy playing with the children. :) I have been scolded for that a few times already, but by the time I thought of pictures it was too dark to get good ones. Anyway, we had a lot of food left over so last night we all went to Helmuths for a cook-out and volleyball, horseshoes, football, etc. It was a fun evening.

Visiting on the porch

The boys had to try climbing the beams.

Wes grilled some delicious hot dogs and hamburgers

Horseshoes

Watching horseshoes and texting

Micah

Lydia Mae

Fierce raged the tempest o're the deep, Watch did Thine anxious servants keep,
But Thou wast wrapped in guileless sleep, Calm and still.

"Save Lord, we parish," was their cry, "O save us in our agony!"
Thy word above the storm rose high, "Peace, be still."

The wild winds hushed; The angry deep Sank, like a little child, to sleep;
The sullen billows ceased to leap, At Thy will.

So, when our life is clouded o're, And storm clouds drift us from the shore,
Say, lest we sink to rise no more, "Peace, be still."

Godfery Thring