Ivy United Methodist Church

Dave and I Saturday went to Altoona, Iowa for the Annual Iowa Plowing Dinner-Meeting. The ladies of this church always prepare our meal and it's so delicious right down to the home made pies.. I picked Cherry.. There were 6 different kinds to chose from. It was a great meal and it was good to see all the fellow plowers and their wives... They come from all over the state of Iowa..

My friend Jane brought her grandson Michael age 1 year old.. He was so cute and he was getting antsy with the meeting being so long. So I went out to the car to get some of Ben's toys.. (tractors and little cars)>. When I got outside there was this couple sitting in a car and they called me over to their car.. They were from Des Moines and they said they drove by this church quite frequently and wondered if it was possible to come inside.. I said "SURE"... This church is quite old and really wonderful to see on the inside. The sanctuary is so beautiful to see.. So they came inside and I took them to the sanctuary and it was just breath taking to see the ivy stained glass window.. We sat down in one of the pews and talked a bit.. Marge and Bob told me they had been married for 61 years . He was a medic in the Navy and enlisted when he was 17.. He was stationed in Idaho.. They had quite a story to tell me and it was so interesting.. I love to talk with men or women who have served in the military in this country. I love to hear their stories..

Here is Marge and Bob.. Look at the license plate...WW2

Navy.. They have two children. One is a Dr. in Iowa City..

We had a great time visiting and sometimes I just think it was meant to be that I was to go outside during the meeting and visit with them and take them inside to see this lovely church... I call it a "God Stop".. God is so good and you never know what he has in store for your day.

We had a great meeting and it was a tiggeriffic day~!

Now I'm home and Spring is showing so many signs of being here. Getting ready to pack and go see my sister, Lynn and brother Dave in South Carolina on Wednesday.. I can hardly wait~!

While I'm there spring has already sprung.. So I get to pack shorts and summer clothes. We plan on spending couple days at the beach and couple days in the mountains.. Two of my favorite places to be.. I'll be back on April 4th...

Have a Tiggeriffic Day~! ta ta for now from Iowa:~)

Yeah~! Ben ~ to infinity and beyond~!

Well, I finally fiqured out how to get the picture I had e-mailed to me onto this post.. Yeah~! Here is Ben with his mittens and slippers I made for him.. He is so funny. Buzz Light year is smiling on his shirt so he must really like his new mittens and slippers. Ben slid around the kitchen floor all evening, falling down and slipping.. Tracie and I just laughed and the more we laughed the more he slipped and fell down.. IT was quite comical. He was putting his arms into the air and saying "To Infinity and Beyond"> What a boy.

Got back yesterday from Belmond, Iowa.. The United States Plowing Board Meeting finished and the boys from Pa. Ohio, Illinois, Minn, and South Dakota are all pleased with the site we chose for the National Plowing Matches that will be held Aug. 17-19... The banquet hall was visited and all was happy with the place.. We are going to have the Coulter, Iowa firemen fix the food for us for this banquet and all proceeds will go to them. I thought this was a really good idea.. Support the fire department ~ they do all the work and I get to just show up.. In the past it has been quite a job lining up where to have the banquet and then set up tables, decorations have someone sit at a table and take in the money and then have to make sure everything and everyone gets paid... Each state takes a turn with having the National Plowing Matches.. Last year it was in Pa.. so it's our turn this year.. The hotel has been chosen,,(no big deal for that one-as there is only one hotel in that area) AmericInn.. A really nice one.. The banquet has been taken care of (turned it over to the fire department) yeah~! The plowing site has been chosen in Belmond . It's going to be a success that is if it doesn't rain... So we are ready for August and that's off Dave and mine list.. It was a little chilly for the two days we were in Hampton, Iowa but it was nice.. One of the ladies from Iowa and I visited all the shops and it was really nice.. For a small town they had some really nice stores.. Minnie May was my favorite.. they served sandwiches, ice cream , coffee, tea and pop. These old towns in Iowa are so cool, the court house is in the middle of this town and then there is a square that has all kinds of shops all around the court house with lots of parking. Very nice.. It was good to be home and now this morning we are headed to Altoona, Iowa which is near Des Moines for the annual dinner meeting for the Iowa Plowing Association. It will be fun to see all the plowmen from Iowa and their wives.. the Ivy Methodist church ladies will be providing the meal for us and it's always good..

Especially the homemade pies.. We will have a short meeting to let us know what is going on for the year and the decisions that were made at the National Plowing Board members.

Big day and I will be glad when we get home and settle back into our recliners and just relax for awhile.

Sunny day with being 37 right now. The birds are so busy at the feeders they look like airplanes landing at the feeders..

Have a great day~!~! ta ta for now from Iowa....

Good Morning~!

Not much time, Leaving for Hampton, Iowa for the Iowa Plowing meeting. Will be gone for 2 days . This August Iowa will be holding the National Plowing Matches in Belmond. So we have to get banquet meeting place found, check on the plowing site which will be in Belmond. 7 states will be involved.. The hotel for everyone to stay has been chosen so that part is taken care of,,busy busy time of year...
Tried to download picture of Ben with the mittens and slippers I made. goodness to be I can't find where they are.. Why is it so difficult to find something? Makes me very frustrated...
So when I get home, I'll tackle this and see if I can fiqure it out..
Have a great and tiggeriffic day~! ta ta from Iowa:~)

IT's a great and beautiful Tuesday~!

Today is Tuesday and it's a beautiful day outside.. 43 degrees ~ all the snow and ice have melted and the birds are alive with their wonderful mating songs.. I can see 8 male cardinals at my window right now and it's just a red blur with them at the feeder.. I can see the lilac bush starting it's early budding.. Won't be long and it will have purple blooms and the fragrance will be overwhelming.. Oh there is Mr. Grackle... His head shining so teal blue.and lower wings just a great shade of purple.. . Mr Red Wing Blackbird is here and that is the real sign that spring is finally here... Oh the joy of Spring~!

Ordered the book "The power of a whisper" written by Bill Hybels... Can hardly wait for it to arrive and start reading... we get whispers from God and then we have to have the guts to respond.. I call them "God Stops"... My friend Holly and I are planning on a Women's Retreat with the women that go to our church and women that live in our community. It is to be held April 15 and 16.. at Camp Hitaga.. a campfire camp. This one is our 3rd one and we are so excited in getting it all planned with God's help... We first started out with thinking of the theme was to be "Beautiful".. After hearing MercyMe's song "Beautiful "this is where we got the idea... We researched all the bible verses that had the word ~"beautiful" it came to us through God's Word (whisper) we would be having our theme "From Ashes to Beauty"..Isaiah 61:3..
Our son, Rich was married on Feb. 26 to a wonderful girl named Lisa.. During the ceremony the scripture was Isaiah 61:3.. To bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of priase. Oh my goodness, I looked at Holly and we both gave a thumbs up.. 2nd conformation from God.. We were jumping with excitement. Next day listening to the radio ~ KLove ~ they were talking about From Ashes to Beauty, Talking about how we all have dreams and how sometimes they just don't work out and they fail.. So they said you needed to have a funeral for these dreams Letting it go and then praying about it and letting God bring it back into something beautiful. I called Holly and told her what I had just heard on the radio... Our 3rd confirmation from God.. So now we have jumped out of the boat and letting God whisper to us of what he is wanting with this retreat. We have it all planned out and it's going to be so exciting.. We are using butterflies as our decoration theme... Beth Moore will be speaking ~ via a DVD about "From Ashes to Beauty"... A 17 year old girl that is part of our worship team at our little church told us she would volenteer her time to do the music for us. She plays the piano and sings beautifully. So now our music has been chosen and Hope will be our worship leader for the music.. Fantastic~! So far we have 15 women who have signed up and are coming.. Glory be to God.. Spring is in the Air and so is God's promises.. and whispers...

Going later today and picking up Ben at daycare.. Last night I was with him and we played Mario game on his new WII.. Oh how much fun we are having. I am so addicted.. So glad I don't have one of those at my house.. He is always Luigi and I'm Mario... I told him when the weather was nicer we would be going outside and playing outside and getting the winter stink off of us..
He said "GranAnnie we don't stink, I took a bath last night">> LOL he is so funny.

Time for lunch~! Have a Tiggeriffic Day~! Ta Ta For Now from Iowa:~)

From Ashes to Beauty~!

I love this picture of Rich and Lisa and their blended family. Rich has three children and Lisa has one... Sophia is in the red dress. The picture of John and Rich is priceless.. John sporting his long hair.. and Rich smiling like a proud father should. Take a look at this picture today because in one year John will be taller than his Dad.. I told them it's not fair they have all grown above my heart I'm so happy for them and so proud.

Feb. 26, 2011, my son Rich got married to a wonderful girl named Lisa...Oh what a happy day it was and a proud moment for me..and my family. Rich and his girls walking down the aisle was so precious.. He is was so proud it was so hard for him not to cry..

Nov. 2009 his wife died of cancer. They had been married almost 20 years and it was such a sad thing to happen to him and the three children..

John is now almost 14 and Kelly is 12 and Emily is 10..

Lisa has a girl age 5 and her name is Sophia.. This marriage is a gift from God..

Have relaxed since I have gotten home from taking care of the 3 kids while Rich and Lisa went on their honeymoon to California.. It was a very busy week taking care of them, running them to their different events and getting them off to school every morning.We did a lot of Act of Kindness deeds for the neighbors.. Delivered cookies, brought their paper to their doorsteps every morning, trash day brought their trash containers to the front of their garages, left a note to the mailperson to thank them for a job well done. I made them Cream of Wheat every morning which they were allowed to pile on lots of vanilla ice cream . No beds were made and we just had fun the whole week.told them we were on vacation too..but when Saturday came we cleaned up the house and got ready for Rich and Lisa to come home. They came home on Sunday afternoon.. Had supper ready for them and it was good to pick them up at the airport and then come home and a hot meal was ready to eat... The kids were so excited to see Rich and Lisa...It was good. Dave came to take me back to Iowa on Sunday . On Monday morning the kids went off to school and Rich,Lisa ,Dave and I went to Egg Harbor for breakfast and afterwards we were off driving back home to Iowa.. Lisa and Rich had a day full of being busy with their lives.. They are so happy and it's so wonderful they have each other.. During the wedding the scripture reading was :

Isaiah 61:3 To bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning and a garment of praise.. They have both come from ashes to beauty... Praise be to God...

I'm Home

Well, I'm back~! The wedding was so wonderful and so beautiful~! Lisa and Rich had a very awesome wedding. Lots of tears, smiles and happiness that the day has arrived... After the wedding we had the dinner and dance.. Oh such fun we had with celebrating a new marriage.

This is Tracie~Jodie~Rich..
my three children..

Dancing with Rich and Lisa...Dave and I are on the left...

Happy Ben and Aunt Jodie.. She was such a great helper in running after him... He was a busy busy boy.. He said "Grannie Annie I have on my Luigi Shoes"... He is so funny.

This is our family..Wish the flash hadn't shown up in the window.. I'll have to try and get that removed... I thought this was a great picture..