Short Bursts of Sunshine...

...in the midst of LOTS of rain. I repeat, L.O.T.S. of rain!

At least this weekend looks fairly dry. Just posting this pictures today to remember what the sun looks like. :-)

Blooms

Yesterday morning I was delighted to open the front door and see my irises had bloomed.

You may remember these periwinkle colored ones from last year.

New magenta and white irises this year, thanks to the wonderful (and upcoming) Memorial Day Flower Sale at the church where I grew up.

With all of the rain we've received this spring, the irises may go on sale 1-2 weekends earlier. (They like to sell them while they're blooming so you know what color you're getting. If you're interested in irises let me know and I'll get you the details.)

Any local readers who would like to check out the sale for themselves, here's the scoop.

ANNUAL MEMORIAL WEEKEND FLOWER SALE

Friday, May 27 (10am--8pm), and Saturday, May 28 (8am--2pm)

Kauffman Mennonite Church (2 miles south of Manheim, along Rt. 72)

Large variety of perennials, bushes, trees, and some house plants.

***The plants are donated by the members of this church from their own yards, so you know you're getting hardy, well-established plants.

GREAT PRICES!

All proceeds will be donated to a missions organization.

All Has Not Been Quiet...

...on the Winkler homefront, though my blog has. It has rightfully taken up residence on the back burner these last few weeks.

But, I thought I'd write a few posts this week to share what's been keeping me away.

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Weathering.

*to expose to the weather; dry, season, or otherwise affect by exposure to the air or atmosphere

*to discolor, disintegrate, or affect injuriously, as by the effects of weather

*to bear up against and come safely through (a storm, danger, trouble, etc.)

The word "weathering" conjures up many different meanings, moods, and thoughts, but it fits well with how life has felt lately.

We've been bearing up against the late onset of Spring. Those of you at home with young kiddos can heartily agree.

We've been experiencing numerous physical challenges on the home front. The kids have had 10 medical appointments since January--not a single one for sickness/flu though!

Pete has had one very difficult classroom of kids this semester. God is growing him through this hard time, seasoning him, but it's been stressful.

And people we dearly love are experiencing great loss and grief. Our hearts hurt...

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There have been some definate and prolonged challenges lately, but God has been faithful to bring to my mind past answers to prayer to inspire hope, Scripture to instruct my heart with Truth that fits the moment, and simple pleasures and joys that brighten the day, no matter if the sun is shining or hiding behind storm clouds.

A song I heard while in the car the other day really encouraged me. It's by Laura Story, and I'm going to copy the lyrics here:

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace

Comfort for family, protection while we sleep

We pray for healing, for prosperity

We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering

All the while You hear each spoken need

Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops?

What if your healing comes through tears?

What if a thousand sleepless nights

are what it takes to know You're near?

What if trials of this life

are Your mercies in disguise?

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear

We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near

We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love

As if every promise from Your Word is not enough

And all the while You hear each desperate plea

And long that we'd have faith to believe

When friends betray us, when darkness seems to win

We know that pain reminds this heart

That this is not, this is not our home

It's not our home

What if my greatest disappointments,

Or the aching of this life,

Is the revealing of a greater thirst

This world can't satisfy?

And what if trials of this life?

The rain, the storms, the hardest nights?

Are Your mercies in disguise?

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What A Drag...

...having to go INDOORS when the weather is like THIS!





I've literally had to drag my kiddos inside. I mean, we do need to bathe and sleep and accomplish a FEW things each day. :-)

I should point out that our backyard is considered "common area," so the possibilities of my wanderlust children wandering off is pretty high...as is getting into other people's business.

LOOK! I actually caught a moment of peaceful existence on film!

It's nice to take the referee jersey and whistle off for a moment or two.

Rest assured, as soon as I snapped these photos and walked into the next room it was 'game on' again.

How do you convince a 4 yr. old that pinning her brother on the floor til he squeals will one day come back to haunt her?

Time to go back outside...

Come Rain, or Come Shine

I love it when the sun is shining, the kids and I can be outside, and the air smells sweet.

But there's also something very beautiful about raindrops, the coolness that follows a good shower (usually), and the way the drops decorate every surface.

Bloggin' Buddies

I met Annette last year.

She found me via this wonderful medium we call bloggyworld, and when we compared notes I decided she was my long-lost identical twin. Not really, but the similarities between us are unreal. Except they're real. Really.

Ok, my point.

She came to visit! (They live alittle over an hour away.)

This was the second time we've met face-to-face and I hope there are many more occasions. She and her two children, Meghan and Evan (6 mos. younger than Natalia, and 2 mos. older than Adam) joined us for the morning.

The weather was perfect, the kids got along well, we only had a few toddler incidents...but that's normal, and she and I actually got to start and finish most of our conversations! :-)

Not only is Annette a sweet individual, but her family life, faith, and outlook on life makes her a kindred spirit.






Evan and Adam took alternating naps, otherwise we would have had all 4 in our little photo session. Alas, no picture of Annette and I. No other adult was present to hand off the camera.

Thank you for coming Whipples! Hope to see you again soon!

My Quest For Green Things...

Now, I am not the green thumb in our family--I usually forget to water things. :oP


My husband on the other hand keeps the green things we DO have in our house nicely watered. When he was a little boy growing up in Poland, one of his jobs was to water all of the plants in their house, and apparently there were many.


So, needless to say, I choose plants and shrubs that are as maintenance free as possible and my dear hubby and daughter water them each evening during dry spells. :o)


I wanted to add some things to my front flowerbeds this spring and so when my parent's church had their annual plant sale this past Saturday, I was excited. They had some 1,400 plants and shrubs--all transplants from the church members own collections, one women in particular contributed the majority though. (What a job! But it's obviously something she really enjoys.)


I love bluebells, so I was thrilled to get two of those for the front of my flowerbed. (They're past their bloom for this year, but they should be nice next year.) A nice hosta, weeping jenny, coreopsis, geranium, four vinca vines, and twenty dollars later I was a happy girl! Not only was the price right (for 10 plants!!!), but all the proceeds were going to one of the missions organizations the church supports so it was a good cause too.



Here's the new planter pot (all plants from the sale) I put on my front porch...



...and the two larger vinca vines I bought for the back deck.



I bought these geraniums the other weekend at a local greenhouse. They're called "Global Sangria" and I LOVE their deep magenta color.



Now I'm just waiting for our association to send the guys out to dig up the montrous yucca plant that is taking over my other front flowerbed. It'll have huge white flowers on those towering shoots soon, but it's a beast of a plant--you have to get every little bit of root out or it'll come back in full force the next year.



I already have a flowering shrub in mind that won't get too big: a "Minuet" Weigela. Here's what it looks like.




And, so I remember what is where, I've decided to do what my friend Danielle suggested recently on her blog. Check out her Garden Journal & Notebook idea here.

Green Skies

We had some really funky weather yesterday.

After church and lunch and a failed attempt at a nap on Natalia's part, we decided to take a stroll through one of the parks not far from our house. Just as we were finishing the loop we noticed the skies darkening in the distance. Natalia played for a bit on the playground with Daddy before Adam started to get fussy and we headed towards the car. By this time the black clouds were moving in and it started thundering.

As we drove towards home the skies turned a funky green color and Pete commented that if this were Kansas, people would be headed for their basements. We were completely unaware of how true his words were!

We pulled into our parking space just as the skies opened up. Hail and rain pummeled us as Pete and Natalia raced towards the front porch and I yanked Adam's car seat out of the back of the car. There was no way I was leaving him in the car by himself! I got nailed on the back by a piece of hail the size of a superball in the process.

Turns out there was a tornado warning!

Natalia was a little frightened by all of our excitement. She kept lamenting quite dramatically that she didn't want it to snow!!! Now Daddy was going to have to get out the snow shovels again!!!

Soon enough though the storm passed and the skies brightened and all was right again.

Here is something that just ain't right though!

How can he be doing this already I ask you!?!?

Happy Birthday Avery!

As I mentioned earlier, we were celebrating our nephew/cousin Avery's 2nd birthday this week. Last night both sides of the family were together and it was a lot of fun for all ages.

My youngest brother and his girlfriend were able to join us from Philly, which was great. The adult to children ratio keeps getting smaller. Ari (7 mos.) and Adam (3 1/2 mos.) were the newest additions...and Joe and Kim are expecting another in August!

Here's a few snapshots from our loud and crazy night together. I think it would be interesting to know the decibel level of some of our gatherings! :oP The "big kid" in the picture below is my younger brother Joe.

The birthday boy.

And yesterday Natalia wanted to go take a walk in the rain with Daddy, so here she is, all ready and waiting. :o)

More Lion Than Lamb

We've been having some blustery days this week. The warmer temps last weekend were a teaser it seems (as I suspected).

It did reach a bit higher on the thermometer yesterday, enough that Natalia ventured out onto the back deck to check things out (barefooted!), but today it is COLD and will only get colder apparently.

I did catch a few frames of Natalia enjoying the warm breezes though.

Hopefully March will go out like a lamb!

(Sniff) Ahhhhhhh.....

I don't know what it was, but yesterday's sudden warm temps and the smell of spring in the air did wonders for my psyche. :oP

Natalia had a 24 hr. stomach thing on Thursday (YUCK, but thankfully it was short-lived), Adam hit a growth spurt early in the week and was eating every 2 hours again, and we've all had a serious case of cabin fever!

Needless to say, I was so thankful for the glimpse of Spring, though it too was short-lived. I just needed the reminder, know what I mean? That, coupled with reaching a milestone last night--Adam went 6 hours, then 4, which meant I was only up at 2 and 6am--put a bit more spring back in my step this morning. I actually felt refreshed!

Throughout this last week though, when I was still in the thick of it, I found this. It comes from a post by Carolyn Mahaney on the Girl Talk blog, and after personalizing it and making it mine, I hung it on my refrigerator.

Here is my version--maybe it'll speak to you too.

Most of my days look pretty much the same.
I get out of bed each morning so I can do everything I did the day before.

I wash the dishes so they can be dirtied again.
I wash and iron the clothes so they can be worn and wrinkled again.
I pick up toys so they can be played with and scattered again.
I mop the floors so they can gather crumbs again.
I cook meals so that I can go to the grocery store again.
I make beds so they can be slept in again.
I wipe noses so they can run again.
I bathe little bodies so they can get dirty again.
I pick up Cheerios from the floor so that they can be spilled again.

Some days I wonder, if I do all I do, only to have it undone, am I really doing anything?

Then I realize that the mundane, repetitive nature of my days is actually full of significant, enduring work. By the grace of God, a home is being built, a family is being knit together, and souls (mine included) are being shaped for eternity.
God sees my laboring—especially what is considered insignificant—and He is pleased when I give it my best attention and effort.

God's transforming grace, which impacts my soul (and doesn't hinge on how I feel), does infinitely more than the scent of Spring on my psyche. Amen? :o)

Coming Out Of Hibernation

Oh, what a breath of fresh air and warm sunshine will do!

This morning I awoke with a pounding headache and every muscle felt sore--must have been having some wacky dreams! But, after 2 Tylenol, tea and toast, I was determined to power through and actually try to accomplish the grocery shopping before lunch.

With feeling so completely wiped out these last 3 weeks ENERGY was part of the issue--but the even greater reason was all of the combined smells of the place. (And it's a very clean, well-kept store!) As I told my mom last night, I've had trouble even walking through the cereal aisle. That's how keen my smeller has been. Hmmm...under different circumstances I could replace the drug-sniffing dogs, but I digress.

Well, I am happy to report that Natalia and I were victorious this morning. No hurling or collapsing. :-P Praise the Lord!

Maybe the nausea is lessening just a bit. Wierd, since I stopped taking the ginger root and Vit. B6 last Friday. Just didn't feel they were making that big of a difference and I wanted to see what stopping them would do. Maybe I'll be one of the fortunate ones this time and this yucky bout will be short-lived.

All I can say is, I feel like a bear coming out of a long hibernation. And after so many rainy days, the sunshine was calling to me...

Ahhh, Spring Is Here...Until Tomorrow.

We have thoroughly enjoyed the last 3 days of GORGEOUS 70 degree weather! Tomorrow it's to be once again in the high 40's!

I feel like I've been cramming all the warm weather essentials into a few days. Working on a painting project outside, potting flowers and buying shrubs for the front flowerbed. Eating all our meals on the deck, barbequed chicken, macaroni salad, lemonade, burgers and sausage...we haven't wasted an ounce of sunshine!

Can you say CABIN FEVER?!?

Yesterday, Natalia and I met our friend Lisa and her two kids (one only 3 weeks old!) at Long's Park for lunch and some playtime. Natalia and Kaleb could barely sit still to eat their lunch--the playground was calling to them! I just had to laugh at Natalia because she was going 110 miles an hour. Hmmm...that doesn't remind me of anyone at all! :-P I have no problem envisioning Pete as a child from the stories his mother tells me. I have the female version right in front of me!

The kiddos had so much fun, and Lisa and I had a great time catching up. I'm sure Kaleb took a long nap like Natalia did--I almost felt like I needed one!

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Late this morning we headed into town to pick up our chicken barbeque. My childhood home church's ball team was having a fundraiser and there is nothing like Ken Stoner's BBQ! It was scrumptious as always. Ever since I was pregnant with Natalia I have craved this--and it has never diminished. Guess there are worse things I could crave.

Tonight we met another neighborhood family. Never fails--warm weather arrives and people start appearing!

Here are some pics of Natalia taking a turn on their spin-around toy. (The best part was when she'd hop out and swagger before falling sideways!)

And squinting into the sunlight...I just love her little belly sticking out!

Hold Onto Your Hats

What a wierd day of weather! Heavy downpours, sunny skies, wind, drizzle, and repeat. It seemed it couldn't make up it's mind WHAT it wanted to do! Late this afternoon I was upstairs with Natalia when our electric started turning on and off. The wind was blowing so strongly through the trees behind our house, her eyes got big and wide. Then when some building supplies from the new Amish barn behind us starting to fly through the fields, we had to go to the window and investigate. As the man and his boys were running around securing everything they had to hold onto their straw hats. Minutes later the sky turned sapphire blue and the sun came out. It looked like one of those glorious autumn days. Not for long though...the clouds and rain wanted to have the last word.

I'm just glad the electricity was on long enough to fully cook dinner.