Gramma Mimi Camp 2018

The Bedroom Set has Arrived!

This lovely sight is the deliverymen from Ewald Furniture delivering my Amish-made bedroom set. I had ordered it in mid-April and it was supposed to take 8-10 weeks. Since I had previously ordered an Amish-made dining room set, I know that handmade, custom furniture takes it's own sweet time. My target date was (hopefully) September 1. This was a nice surprise!

The new bed, bed springs and mattress. We did not account for the height of the frame when we ordered sky high mattresses! I have to use a small stool. But so comfortable!

These are the nightstands. They are wider than the look and the drawers are deep, too. They are the bomb! I am using them as additional dresser drawers. 

I switched the drawers. I which I had done it when they were delivered. Even empty and with those pads underneath, it was like pushing semi trucks. My husband has the taller one, I have the one with the most drawers. 

New bedding.  

This would have been an all star day for my grandchildren - furniture men in the house! But there was competition. In January we were awakened to fire sirens at 2:00 in the morning. Our neighbor's house, right outside my kitchen window was on fire. Unfortunately the family of three passed away. 

Finally, seven months later, the insurance company and the bank have gotten their act together and were going to tear down the burned down shell. The night before my furniture delivery the family and neighbors held a brief prayer service and balloon send off on the property. 

The grandsons of the day were only four and two. They had no memory of the tragedy and were just excited about demolition. They had front row seats with their lawn chairs in my side yard. The garden in the circle is a memory garden. I think that story will be my next post. 

Church Festival

The Second Sunday in July is our Church Festival! Due to the unfortunate scheduling of July 1st on a Sunday this year, this meant the festival was only 4 days after July 4th. Barely enough time to get ready. 

Thursday I went to the grocery store. I have a terrific pie crust recipe that uses one bag of flour, one can of shortening, 3 1/2 cups of milk, 1 tablespoon of salt and 3 tablespoons of vinegar. It makes the best crust, very flakey; and can be rolled as easy as play dough. Depending on the day, I can get between 15 and 20 crusts from one batch. They keep for up to a week in the refrigerator or up to 3 months frozen. I made two batches and rolled them on waxed paper to save for Saturday. 

Friday we went out of town to check on the progress of my new bedroom set which is being built (very slowly) by the Amish. We also added a second new mattress and springs to our order after experiencing a few nights in our guest room while we painted. After we got home, I baked 6 single layer devil's food cakes as well as 2 dozen cupcakes. 

I got up early on Saturday to bake my first six pies. The first Saturday of the month is my regular lunch date with former co-workers, so I had to step out for an hour or two.  I write the flavor on the toothpick flag to aid the pie ladies when they are slicing. 

Final tally on Saturday night: 18 pies, 6 cakes and 24 cupcakes.  Our festival offers pit BBQ chicken and ham dinners complete with mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans with onions and bacon, roll and butter and your choice of a slice of homemade pie for the bargain price of $9.00.  And if you eat in our air conditioned hall, we include endless glasses of lemonade and water or coffee.  

We could not have been blessed with a more perfect day. Our church is on a country road and the weather was in the low 80's with a cooling country breeze. 

We have a regulation softball diamond on the property and sponsor both a mens and ladies softball tournament on festival day. You can watch from the bleachers, the picnic tables and we have even have a reconstructed antique barn which is roped off for the over 21's where you can enjoy an adult beverage while you watch the players. 

We have a kiddie tractor pull in front of the church steps. This was my grandson's first year in the 3 and 4 year old division. 

Then it was off to the kid's games and bounce houses. My husband and sons are the dishwashing committee and work 11-1, then 3-9. We had two hours to enjoy the activities before they were free for lunch. 

This two year old was making up her own rules. She had so much fun "winning" tickets that she was passing out post its to her dolls when she got home. 

Finally it was time for lunch. This two year old only wanted a roll and the frosting from his cupcake. 

All of my grandchildren chose a cupcake instead of a slice of pie. What am I doing wrong!

I am chairperson of the dinner ticket sellers so I was back to work myself. The festival does offer more than activities for preschoolers.  We have a large silent auction, a live auction in late afternoon, raffles, concessions, bingo, antique tractor displays, games of chance and even a "hog drop" at the end of the evening. No, we don't drop a hog. We place the hog on a lined bingo board drawn on the grass and wait for the hog to "drop" something. Hopefully on the square that you purchased. 

I am our church's representative on a charitable board that helps local families with emergency housing and utility assistance. At tonight's meeting we received word that due to national coverage of horrible aftermath of the migrant raids in our community, donations have been pouring into funds established to help these families. Many lost their only wage earner and those left behind are struggling with rents, electricity, heat and water, as well as groceries and medications and diapers. At this point the church community has been able to establish a safe system of application with bilingual assistance to enable the survival of these families, many which include American born wives and children. It gives me hope for the future that despite the actions of a powerful few, so many people do care about common decency and behaving like Christians and are willing to donate to help others in need. 

Leviticus 19:34

Leviticus 19:34
But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

This article is from my hometown. It makes me sick to my stomach. 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/after-ice-raid-a-12-year-old-us-citizen-adjusts-to-life-without-parents/ar-AAzp5s6?ocid=spartanntp

The trailer park a few blocks from me is eerily quiet. The park which is located between us is normally filled with children playing all summer. When I drive by, it's empty. 

I hear rumors and then find out they are true. One boy quit eating and was taken to the hospital and died. His obituary was in the newspaper, but it did not mention the cause of death.  I heard there was an attempted suicide. People are afraid to call for help. 

I attended a march where a young man about 15 years old spoke. He was born in this country and has lived here all his life. Both of his parents were taken away. He expressed surprise to see people of all ages and races at the rally. He said, "I don't want to be racist or anything, but I thought I would only see Mexicans here, I did not think there would be white people. So many white people yell at me to go back where I come from". He told of a donation made by his teacher so that he could pay for minutes to talk to his mother who is being held at a facility out of state.