Graduation Time

We had the privilege of celebrating two graduations this summer. 

My sister-in-law graduated from North Central a couple of weeks ago.  Her class of over 650 had their ceremony at the Pepsi Coliseum, Indiana State Fairgrounds. ... a bit bigger than my class of, ah hem, 68 students. 

That day was crazy though.  We weren't sure if they were going to have the event with all of the bad weather we had been having.  Thankfully, though, there was no hail or tornadoes so no worries of which pig barn they would herd us too.

It was very touching to see Jeanie in her world of school students.  She's a calm person in general so it shouldn't be any surprise that she appeared totally at ease with the big day.  Jeanie looked so beautiful with her hair curled.  We're praying for God's continued guidance for the next step in her life.

Jeanie walking up to get her diploma.

Jeanie getting her diploma.

Jeanie and her proud parents!

Jeanie and some of the siblings.

The other graduation I went to last week was a tad smaller.  Smaller in a couple ways... class size and person size.  My nephew graduated from kindergarten at Maple Glen Elementary. 

It was so cute to see all of the kids come up on stage waiving at their parents.  The parents waiving back.  So sweet that no one hardly noticed that they had just seen each other earlier when getting ready for school. 
 

Chase standing on stage with his classmates.  They performed songs about colors, moving on to first grade and just silly songs like Ta Tada.

showing off the diploma

Chase and his proud parents!

Chase and Mimi

Chase and Grammy and Grampy

Chase and me (Aunt E or EE)

Chase and his teacher

Chase showing us his part in a school project. 

Both events were great days.   One because he will now get to ride the bus to school AND home.  The other because she stuck out the tough times, persevered and is now moving on to a new and exciting chapter.  Both will be moving on to new and exciting phases in their lives. 

Dan and Libby holding hands while waiting on the graduation to start.

Spring into Summer

Tulips blooming in progression.

It's amazing how something as simple as tulips can bring such joy!  Although they're gone now, I sure did enjoy them while they lasted.... giving that first blast of bold color after a long season of dreary cold and little sunshine.

Icebox Strawberry Pie

I made this pie for our small group a couple of months ago, and it did not disappoint.  So yummy, I will definitely want to make it again.

Cooking down the frozen strawberries for the filling.

Icebox Strawberry Pie

From the episode: Two Perfect Pies
In step 1, it is imperative that the cooked strawberry mixture measures 2 cups; any more and the filling will be loose. If your fresh berries aren’t fully ripe, you may want to add extra sugar to taste in step 2. Use your favorite pie dough or use our recipe. Chill the heavy cream in step 4 to help it whip more quickly.
Serves 8.  

Ingredients

Filling
2 pounds frozen strawberries (see related tasting)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
1 cup sugar
Pinch salt
1 pound fresh strawberries , hulled and sliced thin
1(9-inch) pie shell , baked and cooled (Pillsbury)

Topping
4 ounces cream cheese , softened
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream

Instructions
1. COOK FROZEN BERRIES Cook frozen berries in large saucepan over medium-low heat until berries begin to release juice, about 3 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until thick and jamlike, about 25 minutes (mixture should measure 2 cups).

2. ADD GELATIN Combine lemon juice, water, and gelatin in small bowl. Let stand until gelatin is softened and mixture has thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir gelatin mixture, sugar, and salt into cooked berry mixture and return to simmer, about 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

3. ADD FRESH BERRIES Fold fresh berries into filling. Spread evenly in pie shell and refrigerate until set, about 4 hours. (Filled pie can be refrigerated for 24 hours.)

4. MAKE TOPPING With electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth, about 30 seconds. With mixer running, add cream and whip until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. Serve pie with whipped cream topping.

Prayer Warrior

I know I've been away from blogging for a little while now.  And, I have plenty of posts I'd like to share soon.  But it is fitting that the post following mention of my brother is about my husband's grandpa.  Thank you to everyone who commented or shared with me about my 3/29 post.  We are so blessed to have such amazing, fun and crazy families.

And before I let too much time go by, I would like to mention how much the passing of my husband's grandpa last month impacted our lives.  He (and his wife) lived a simple and yet profound life.  A native of North Carolinian, WWII Veteran, pastor, teacher, husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and friend, I feel blessed to have known him.

July 1943

One thing often mentioned at the funeral was that Grandpa M. was a prayer warrior.  And with his death, there's a great sense of the torch being passed.  God calls us to pray in all circumstances, and I remember God putting a desire in my heart during a revival to truly learn how to pray and the importance of prayer.  But witnessing someone actually live a life of "praying without ceasing" is profound and has strengthened / re-kindled my desire to make prayer much more of a priority in my life.

Grandpa praying at our wedding.

At the funeral, memories from each of the 26 grandchildren were read.  Every memory was touching as it revealed what a strong relationship he had with his family.  Below is what my husband wrote:

The first time I took the risk of being sarcastic with Grandpa, was at a family 4th of July cookout.  I stood next to him, looking out over all the activity, and said with a straight face: "You know this is all your fault, right?"  He paused, smiled with his eyes and told me: "Oh yes, son, I know.  I'm the Big Chief."       

And he couldn't have described himself better.  Because, it was the Big Chief who was always the most respected of the tribe.  It was the Big Chief who talked with The Spirit, and taught others to do the same.  It was The Big Chief who gave the rest of the tribe their purpose, passion, and identity.  Grandpa impacted us all in many ways, but one thing is for sure:  Whether you knew him as Husband, Father, Grandfather, Great-Grandfather, Brother, Soldier, Teacher, Pastor, or Friend.... to all of us, he truly was the Big Chief.

A picture taken before the funeral of Grandma M. with the grandchildren.

I'm very thankful for the heritage we've been given.