Happy Mother's Day to my mom, Annie, & Jen ... 3 of the best mom's I know!

And also Happy Mother's Day to some awesome "other mothers" in my life:

Joy, Ruth, Ardy, Deanna, Angela, Victoria, Ariel, Megan, Kate, Marti, Martha, Pam, Jodi, and Chelsea ...   I would also like to include here some I may have lost contact with but still think of often, my cousin and aunt moms, Patti, & Hilda,  ...  and I can't stop without mentioning my grandma's and my dear MIL, Frances who surely are celebrating together today. I pray blessings, joy, and happiness over you and your children, not just today but everyday.  I honor you and speak freedom, peace and contentment into your lives.  For with contentment comes great gain.   Even if you read here and you're not a mom, I insert your names as I pray John 10: 9 & 10 over you.

 "I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. 

You will come in and go out, and find pasture. 

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; 

I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full."

Love,

Jesus

The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord lift His countenance upon you, and give you peace. 

The Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you, Amen.

Be blessed today,

Julee

I will lift up my eyes to the hills—

From whence comes my help?

 My help comes from the Lord,

Who made heaven and earth.

 He will not allow your foot to be moved;

He who keeps you will not slumber.

 Behold, He who keeps Israel

Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

 The Lord is your keeper;

The Lord is your shade at your right hand.

 The sun shall not strike you by day,

Nor the moon by night.

 The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;

He shall preserve your soul.

 The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in

From this time forth, and even forevermore.

Psalm 121

Hokey Pete, we miss you guys.


Your parents are awesome at sending us photos and videos, sometimes almost as many as once or twice a day.


I'm not being ungrateful, but it's just not the same as hanging out with you in real time.


I already love your little personalities and how absolutely well-adjusted you are, whether it's out for dinner charming the wait staff or smiling and acting like Grandpa and I are all that and a bag of chips when we skype.


I was working on some wedding stuff for Aunt Melissa and Uncle Spencer the other day, and I became overwhelmed with the blessing of family.  By the way, do you know what you're wearing to the wedding, yet? Me neither.  I can't wait until the next time we're all together and I wanted you also to know I cherish each and every minute I get to hang out with you.


These are two of my favorite pictures of you guys, so far.  I love how  you adjust to being dressed up in clothes just for a photo shoot.  Lilly, I'm sorry grandma tried to grab a picture in my 1st birthday dress exactly at the same moment you would have rather just taken your nap.  Max, you can be thankful you'll never have to wear that itchy, stiff, pink dress.

Lilly, I love Elmo in the background and that your tutu matches the car. 


Max, I love how you went straight for the dirt and pinwheel seconds after the sit still moment.


I love how you both like the outdoors, playing, napping, eating and talking.


I love how you both love life.


So yeah, ring us up. Come over right away... and ask your mom and dad if this summer is too early to start our Grandma & Grandpa Wilke Adventure Camp?

Mother of the Bride dress ... yes, no, maybe so?

Let The Games Begin

I don't do fashion or organization. 


In fact, I'm wearing the sweatshirt I have on in this picture circa early '90's, as I speak.   On an scale of 1-10, I'm probably about a negative 43. OK, let's face, it I'm a mess.


But there's always hope. Just look at my pinterest tab.  Everything labeled and on it's little organized grid board.  And all with catchy titles. I especially like my fashion board title, If I Cared About Style.  My pinterest site suggested I follow my niece Ashley, so I clicked over to her site and laughed out loud when I read her profile statement, "I can't decide if pinterest is annoying or not."

I do care how I look and it totally frustrates me when I can't find a file, fax, or tax paper . I'm working on my organizational and fashionable skills and recently got everything all neatly arranged and behind bars  tabs.  I found a Plato's Closet in Lafayette!  {insert Hallelujah Chorus} Hoping to find my MOB dress there.  My mac desktop comes and goes.  Once in a while, like just now,  I create a folder, title it clean-up 4.11.12 and drop  I-don't-know-how-this-all-got-out-here into said file, and I do clean up nicely when the occasion calls for it.


I found a new trick for logging what I do during the day. I set the timer on my phone and then make myself work on one thing until the timer goes off.  The other day I hit stopwatch instead of timer, started out on a walk, forgot all about stopping the stopwatch.  According to my iPhone, I walked for 68 hours, 7 minutes, and 42 seconds.


Dangle a shiny, new, pretty book in my face and I'm distracted like a "Peanuts" 4th grade school child character.


When the reality TV series "Survivor" first debuted, my son demanded a refund. His commentary; This is not what I expected with a title like Survivor.  I thought they would throw a bunch of people on a deserted island and see who survives. This show has nothing to do with surviving ... it should be called, "Voter".  You shoulda wrote a book, Ben.


I've only read the first book of The Hunger Games, but I'm hooked. The analogy's can go all sorts of ways;  anit-big government, social injustice, sacrificial lambs, but one can't help putting our crazy quest for entertainment as the mother ship of all analogies.


Most likely this was quoted while in her sunday finest slowly walking the red carpet and waving to nameless faces:  Even Jennifer Lawrence, the star of the film, has gotten in on the act. She told Parade magazine recently that she saw "The Hunger Games" primarily as an indictment of our obsession with reality television. "I was watching the Kardashian girl getting divorced, and that's a tragedy for anyone," she said. "But they're using it for entertainment, and we're watching it. The books hold up a terrible kind of mirror: This is what our society could be like if we became desensitized to trauma and to each other's pain."  


This is what our society COULD be like?????   With our flagrant obsessions over fame, fashion, fun, fortune, and the fountain of youth, honey, we're already on the darkside of hunger games.


"How you spend your time is how you spend your life."


But because I'm human and outright fickle, I'll set my timer,  head out to do some yard work, all while downloading  book two; Catching Fire. Let the {hockey} games begin.

And that's all I have to say about that, said in my best Forrest Gump.

The Big 1-0

Every picture tells a story and everyone has a story to tell.  I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Thank goodness bracketball is over, now I can concentrate on "The Hunger Games" trilogy.
Next up: Articles of Organization and how 'bout them Tigers?

Buggy & Bunny

… he commanded our fathers so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commandments. Psalm 78:6, 7

I'm scurrying to get the birthday party pics together, just as with the engagement party, the birthday parties were celebrations to be remembered a  lifetime.  The babies, the videos, the parents, the families, all huddled together in gratefulness and thanksgiving. Oh my goodness or better said:
God is good...all the time.  If you read here, know you're on my hit prayer list.
Have a life-changing Holy Week.…

All pictures edited and created in the iPastels app on the iPad
All grandbabies created and born 4 days apart in 2011 Happy Birthday Max & Lilly
Linking up today with Still Saturday 

T.G.I.F.

Found these in my small town (pop. 800) antique store which used to be the 5 and dime store.

Another blog post.

Photo by STORIES Photography

Wine glasses are the new cupcakes.

Photo from Style Me Pretty

Linking up today with:

The sister at Savvycityfarmer ~Thriftin' on a Thursday
Common Ground's ~ Vintage Inspiration Friday
My friend Kate ~ Hopefully a HH Skype date!
And you? -----------------------------------------------> Join Grey Barn STORIES

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

Like a fool I stayed away too long---from this blog entry---I hope I do it justice after selfishly hoarding and harboring the moments. And technically, it won't be signed and sealed until 9-22-12, but it's a done deal.

When Spencer asked us if he could marry Melissa, of course, we said yes.  A year and 1/2 ago, when he asked us if he could date her, my heart began to wonder if he would be our sixth child. Last summer and into the fall, as I watched Melissa's countenance and saw her heart out on her sleeve, my wondering ceased.

So let's get right to the logistics.  After we drilled him poured out our heart and souls to him, and talked way too much about the do's and don'ts of a happy marriage, I asked him what his proposal plans were. I proceeded to talk, without waiting for him to answer, and sang my silly song of taking a walk to the railroad tracks and looking for smashed pennies. (I guess my railroad tracks proposal is up for grabs ... or will have to go in the novel)

Spencer smiled graciously and listened.  He's like that.

I started to  mention the beach in Muskegon, it's one of Melissa's favorite places, when Mark kicked me under the figurative "let the boy talk table" and did the universal sign for shut the front door.

You could tell he'd been mulling this over for awhile (Spencer, not Mark). And so it went something like this:

The whole family decided to come to the farm for a little bit of "family time" with a Max & Lilly birthday party, as the decoy.

Spencer would beg off with an overwhelmed-at-work excuse, which was totally not a lie.  Then the planning began.

I can't even imagine the scurrying that took place on Spencer's side of the family, but know this, the mother and sister of the groom, may have missed their calling.  They are party planners extraordinaire, and had only Melissa and Spencer in their thoughts as they pulled curtains from their house, glued buttons on mason jars while in their pajamas,  practically furnished the birthday party brunch, packed the car to the gills including the unused awning, and brought crates full of generosity.

The family of the groom arrived  and proceeded on their walk about of the farm where Melissa played as a young girl.  They embraced the wedding tool shed and saw the places they'd only heard about in stories, from their long time family friends; Melissa's Uncle Ron and Aunt Ardy.

The defining moment came while in the barn bay underneath a row of scruffy old wooden ladders.  Even though a look-a-like picture is posted on Melissa's pinterest board as a wedding idea, this would be the spot where her Spencer would propose.

And so with joy and awesome weather, the transformation began.  Load out, load in. Hang and drape. Sweep and sway. Sisters and kittens.  Lofty and lovely. And with only minutes to spare,  as the wind picked and the cold front marched in, the texts came from the brother of the bride ... "We have the package"... "We've stopped for a baby break"... "On the road again"... "30 minutes away"... "10" ... "5" ....

Light the candles, places everyone.
We made Jen the spokesperson for getting Melissa to the barn, "Hey, Melissa, come see what we mocked up for the wedding, down in the barn."
Melissa, "You guys know there's a winter tornado brewing out there, right?"
Me, "Yeah, here's a scarf and some mittens, you gotta see this." (I didn't want her to be cold, Spencer had 30-45 minutes of material)

We braced the wind and escorted her across the empty driveway, opened the barn door, shoved her in, closed the barn door, and peaked through the cracks (only for a minute, c'mon.)

The sign for all of us to head down to the proposal site and melt Melissa into a puddle of tears, for the 2nd time that night, would be when Spencer opened the barn door.

Without spoiling their version, I can't really tell the whole story without a bit of conversation from those 45 minutes while 15 pairs of eyes watched and waited from the two houses.
Melissa, as she turned around to see where Jen and I had gone and noticed Spencer in the corner, "What are you doing here?"
Spencer, while embracing her and waiting for her avalanche of reality to hit, "What do you think I'm doing here?"
They talked, they prayed, they cried, and they had their own little dance party. Melissa was overwhelmed with it all.   Then the wind moved the barn door a tad Spencer opened the door and we shot out like canon circus entertainers. Just beyond their sight, at the threshold, grandpa started "Praise God from whom all blessings flow," we gathered around them to finish the song and show our support,  as we will for the rest of their lives.

Even though she said it felt like she was in a movie, she embraced the moment(s), wrote all 45 of them on her heart and said yes.

As 3 cats and a kitten skitted about and pawed at the decorations while we borrowed their living room, the overjoyed bride-and-groom-to-be, 3 grandparents, 4 parents, 7 siblings, 1 aunt, and 2 babies, joined hands and asked God to bless the marriage and the blending of families. Then we partied in the big house with Pizza King, continuing the celebrattion with a toast to the happy couple. Eat, drink, and be married.

Signed, sealed, delivered ... 

I'm yours.

Overjoyed

Stories to tell ...

And I will tell them, soon.

Happy Birthday today to our first grandaughter ~ Lilly

And on Friday to our first grandson ~ Max

My Top Ten List

In order of appearance: 

#1.  Mark

#2.  Julee

#3.  Ben

#4.  Jennifer

#5.  Melissa

#6.  Annie

#7.  Tony

#8.  Lilly

#9.  Max

And introducing #10: Spencer

  

Romantic and nostalgic story to follow.  

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

1, 2, 3, Let's Go

Grandma and Grandpa are getting ready for you to come visit!

We've ordered cupcakes, and bought polka-dot material for a girl/boyish tablecloth/backdrop.

I'm making a paper chain and a banner out of old Bible story books I found at an antique store, which are too musty to read from.

We're going to fix a Saturday morning brunch (followed closely by a photoshoot) to celebrate your birthday's.  It's a little early, but your parents will throw the  "real" parties closer to the 19th & 23rd.

Great grandma Thelma & Great grandpa Lloyd will be home to help us celebrate, too!  I'm gonna get all the camera stuff ready and make sure I've picked out just the right spots to capture the day on film (which means on the digital camera, jump-drive, hard drive, etc.)

Did you know we used to take pictures on 35mm film?  After shooting 24 or 36 frames (with only seeing what we actually saw in the viewfinder) we'd press the camera unwind button--and a little lever popped up so we'd wind the film back into the canister, open the back of the camera, take out the canister, drive to the nearest camera shop or put it in a 'Skrudland' envelope, pay upwards of $10 and wait 2 to 3 weeks before getting the developed film back as paper photographs.  If we were lucky we got around 10 or 12 good pictures from one roll of film.  Since you're not into math yet, that's about $1 per photograph.

Thank goodness for the digital age, because I have about 3, 495 pictures of the two of you already.

Anyway, I just wanted you to know that we're getting ready for you to visit.  We're cleaning the floors, so you won't have dirty knees.  We're thinking of ways to keep you from climbing on the hearth and up the stairs.  We're getting age appropriate toys out.  We're practicing up on our grandparent giddiness.

You probably won't sit still to listen, this year, but I wanted to tell you that the end of March will always hold special memories for me.  Max, you've probably already forgotten, but you were supposed to arrive on the scene first. And, since a girl likes to have her mom around for times like this, I'll always be thankful for the support Grandma Martha gave when you, Lilly, decided to come around first. I felt buoyed by her strength and encouraged with the wisdom she imparted to me, after I first arrived to meet you.

And then came you, Max, through the Michigan snowstorm, and into the little hospital in a small town called Big Rapids.  

I've never prayed so hard in all my life as the text messages across those 4 days, at times, came in what seemed like weeks instead of hours apart.

And, I'll never forget seeing the dads motion me and Aunt Lissa, into those rooms and introduced us to you, as your momma's beamed. 

Your parents prepared, and prepared for your arrival. Your mom's were awesome and dad's were troopers, but God prepared for you to enter this world long before he even brought you parents together. 


"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart," Jeremiah 1:5

"For you did form my indward parts: You did knit me together in my mother's womb I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made."  Psalm 139:13 & 14

It's always good to prepare, don't worry about it quite yet, because your parents will help prepare your hearts to learn more about God.  But I just finished attending a conference where the teacher explained about the Shunemite woman in the bible that prepared a place for the  Old Testament prophet Elisha (who, in the New Testament, is mentioned as prototype of Jesus).  She had her husband cut a hole in the wall and add an extra bed, table, chair, and candlelight so when the prophet came to town she could offer him a place to rest.  She prepared to receive the prophet. She didn't run all over town and worry about unimportant things. She was content. She determined in her heart to make a place for Elisha, to give of herself for others. It's always good to prepare a place for Holy One to rest in our hearts.  2 Kings 4:8-37

I guess that's enough for today, but I wanted to let you know a few things you can do to prepare to visit us. You can get ready to be hugged and bragged over.  You can expect lotsa love and attention.  If you wake up early, tell your parents to text us, and we'll hang out with you until a reasonable waking hour.  You can get ready to be kissed and squeezed in real time, enough of this virtual grand parenting.  

Get ready, get set, go!

Task At Hand

I'd probably have booked another wedding, if I woulda stayed off facebook today. Seriously. 
After vowing to give up political jibberish as one of my New Year's Resolutions, I posted this status update this morning, mind you it's only February 17. Fail. 
"Politics are not the task of the believer. ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Whether the quote is true or not doesn't it beg the question, "What is the task of the believer?" 72 comments, an afternoon visitor, 2 pots of coffee and a 1/2 bottle of wine later I've come to believe that some did not understand what I meant. 
Let me be clear---politics, nor a myriad of other distractions, should not be the main task of the believer. Does that make sense? 
Still begs the question, What is the task of the believer?
So I circle around, yet again and hunker down to do the works of my Father.  No more excuses, no discussion or distractions. And I promise, no more political talk. May have to drive up to MI for the primary, though. 


As hard as I search the Word, I don't see much about politics.  Render unto Ceasar's what is Ceasars... is about it. 


Besides the Top Ten, there aren't a whole lot of commands/tasks in the Bible.  But when you do get to the biggies in the New Testament they come with authority and have the high price of Jesus suffering  attached. 


I ask myself yet again, WDIMWIS. (What Does It Mean When It Says) The answer comes back loud and clear.


1. James 1:27  Religion that God the Father accepts as pure and without fault is this: caring for orphans or widows who need help, and keeping yourself free from the world's evil influence.
2. Mark 12:30, 31  Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength  The second command is this: 'Love your neighbor as you love yourself. There are no commands more important than these.
3. Matthew 28:16-20  Then Jesus came to them and said, "All power in heaven and on earth is given to me. So go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Teach them to obey everything that I have taught you, and I will be with you always, even until the end of this age.
4. 1 Thessalonians 5:14-22   Live in peace with each other. We ask you, brothers and sisters, to warn those who do not work. Encourage the people who are afraid. Help those who are weak. Be patient with everyone.  Be sure that no one pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to do what is good for each other and for all people.
Always be joyful. Pray continually, and give thanks whatever happens. That is what God wants for you in Christ Jesus.
Do not hold back the work of the Holy Spirit. Do not treat prophecy as if it were unimportant. But test everything. Keep what is good, and stay away from everything that is evil.


These then, are the tasks of the believers.


Have a great week-end, Love ya Nic!


Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Colossians 3:16


PS We saw a pair of robins today!

Country Mouse, Here

I really don't know what I want to be when I grow up. Do you?

Lately, well, since 2003, I've really wanted to become a writer.  So I've been scratching around in the archives for pieces to submit.  Not that it was lost, but I found an article I wrote called "Lost And Found."  It's pretty self-centered but while rereading it, I came to understand that God made each one of us with a heart for Him and no two personalites or look-a-likes.  How absolutely cool is that? When this life is over, we're even gonna get a white stone with our name on it and no one will understand the name except the one receiving it.*
Our creator is so creative.

I've heard that to be a writer, you have to write.  Here at Julee's Journal, or Grey Barn Farm Journal, or whatever I feel like calling it, most of the writing is about life. My life. It's a dichotomy for me, because I feel like the only way to walk in this life is to get your mind off of self and onto others.  But to keep this thing updated, I must talk about myself.  So therein lies my angst. Yadda, yadda, yadda, blah, blah, blog.

We (the Mr., Grover, Uncle Mark) recently spent a Super week-end with my niece and her husband. We had such a grand time, we didn't even think to take a picture.  So here's one from their wedding this summer.  I tell you, they're still on the honeymoon!

We cooked each other scrumptous meals, we laughed, we cried, we played multiple rounds of monopoly deal, we slept in, we walked their dog, we hunkered down, and we left our shoes by the door, all because that is what families do.

This house, where we watched Chelsea; play with our daughters, the baby kittens, open Christmas gifts and repeated swimming pool escapades.  This land where we took them on walks in strollers, laid pennies on the railroad tracks, and ordered Pizza King too many times to mention, These walls echoed once again with family laughter and medicine.  This family room which used to be strewn with legos, madame alexander dolls, and marbles, remained virtually clean while we scooted our chairs together to watch the big game and offered up prayers of celebration for Chelsea's soulmate and our nephew Derek #35 along with another great-niece baby K #40 in the extended family line-up.

A week-end we won't soon forget.

And then it was off to the city for some serious shopping, a much needed break, and  Francis Chan fuel forthe fire. The train into the city was my first ride on Amtrak.  I KNOW ... can you believe it? Crossing the country on that sucker went straight to the top of my bucket list.  One daughter met me at the 3-sided 4-season train station along side the tracks, another rode the rails from MI and met up within 20 minutes of our train, looking all grown-up and sophisticated. (the first of many times, I shed a few tears during our stay) Then we hiked it down to my sister's friends condo, it only sleeps 4 and 1/2 but it's on MI ave, for crying outloud. There we met up with my sisters, their aunts.  The whole thing orchestrated perfectly, with timed and divine appointments, quickly arranged meetings with a brother/Uncle, and son/nephew. More than one surprise encounter with HS/Chicago/SH friends and daughter/cousin/niece with her 4 grandkids/great neices and nephews.

It was a 3 and 1/2 day soul bender, with a side of mission accomplished. I highly recommend another one, soon.

You in?

And I figured out what I wanna be when I grow up. Me.

“I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.” – Revelation 2:17

*The White Stone

Roots & Wings

My sisters and I spent 3 days in Chicago, converging on the city to hear Francis Chan (Crazy Love, Forgotton God) at the historic Moody Memorial Church.  Ephesians 3 tells the spiritual story of our time together, but check back to get the physical, emotional, and maybe the "mental" play by play of our reunion. 

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,  
that He would grant you, 
according to the riches of His glory, 
to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,  that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; 
that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 
may be able to comprehend with all the saints 
what is the width and length and depth and height 
to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; 
that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Have a blessed Sunday and a Happy Valentine's Day.