Sweet corn

We have 51 (and counting) ears of sweet corn from our garden! Didn't think it would even grow in our soil but I was mistaken! It looks yummy!

Introducing.....Frankie!

Well, here she is!! Frankie, the pet turtle who has been living with us for about 3 weeks now. She is a Map Turtle brought from a lake in Michigan. Jonny has wanted a turtle for what seems like an eternity. We thought it was a faze and he would shrug it off, but no. It persisted for over a year maybe even two. We didn't think he would take care of a pet of his own so we waited it out. Finally, we caved! Jonny now has his very own pet turtle. He takes wonderful care of her. Yes, we are sure it is a her even though she has an androgynous name. She has a slight handicap. Her one eye is damaged along with a foot and claw but she is a cutie! Cutie as turtles go. She has a nice aquarium with all the turtle stuff she needs, in Jonny's room. She just moved in this week. She was previously living in a rubber tote on the deck. But thanks to the generosity of a friend, she has a nice glass aquarium with a filter and light and rocks and yada, yada, yada. She likes to be hand fed by only Jonny. And he loves her deeply. I'm sure better pictures will follow.

Singin' for Primetime~ Aug. 10, 2010

Our kids were part of a small group that sang for our church's Primetime (55 & older ) luncheon ministry. They blessed us with a gospel medley of "Blessed Assurance, When the Roll is Called Up Yonder, Savior Like a Shepherd Lead Us, Leaning on the Everlasting Arms, & Amazing Grace". They also recited Psalm 23 for these folks. What a delight to see your kids ministering to others!

My Garden

This is my little green sanctuary! I spend lots of time in my private paradise. I love the smell of tomatoes, marigolds, green beans, corn, peppers and herbs. It has been a great place to pray, sing, and meditate. The birds don't mind my off-key voice! We are reaping a bountiful harvest that will be preserved thru canning and freezing, another one of the things I enjoy about living in the country!

"I shall remember the deeds of the LORD; surely I remember Your wonders of old. I will meditate on all Your work and muse on Your deeds." Psalm 77:11

Laundry Room Remodeled~Aug. 2010

My sweet husband has been working hard on putting in a main level laundry room for me. We used an existing 1/2 bath that is right off of the garage as you walk in the house. He set out part of a wall into the garage to accommodate my front load washer and dryer. He moved the toilet back into the corner, with a nice little half wall for privacy, laid tile, hung beautiful custom cabinets and put in a vanity for the sink. We are just waiting on the counter tops that will be over the washer & dryer and also over the vanity for the sink. It has such a warm, cozy Tuscan feel! He is my "Greg" of all trades. Thanks Sweetie, it is wonderful!!

Hope & Lane

This is a sweet picture of Hope with her little buddy, Lane. Say cheese!!

Swimming...swimming....swimming

Like I have mentioned in the past, our kids love the water. We have done lots of swimming this summer. Hope took her underwater camera to the pool and captured some great "shots".

Bluberry pickin'

We picked 12 lbs of blueberries in about an hour with my Mom & Dad. That is the allotted time for my kids. They work hard for one hour, then, that is all she wrote! They are done! They quit, they whine, they complain, they have to go potty. Yada, Yada! You name it, after that one hour mark, they throw in the towel and are FINISHED!!!! I was very thankful for those 57 minutes of hard labor!! Little do they know, we will go again!

The Fair

This year was a fun year at the Elkhart County 4-H Fair! I don't know if that was because we had free passes, great weather, or just great memories with friends. We were able to spend a day, riding rides with friends. On another visit, we watched an elephant show and Hope & Jonny rode on the back of the star. Looked at the animals ate lots of junk food on all the other visits. The kids both received blue ribbons for their projects in 4H. Way to go kiddos!! Of course, the fair would not be complete without the tractor pull. The Cripe fam bans together, gets decked out in John Deere green, hoops and hollers for our men on their JD's. The men had a great year pulling.

The kids did the pedal tractor pull. Hope pulled 550 lbs around twenty something feet. Jonathan pulled 450 lbs about the same length. They both did great in their separate age brackets. Of course, I video taped it, but no still pics. Use your imaginations, it was brilliant!