under the fitting room lights

Last night at Wal-Mart, on a whim, I tried on a long comfy-looking dress. I made the mistake of throwing it on over top of my t-shirt and my blue jeans, which gave me a bad first impression. So I stepped out of the changing room and told my cousin and my friend, “This makes me look like a member of a strange cult.”

The lady in charge of the fitting rooms got a kick out of that. Every time I saw her after that, she looked at me with a grin on her face like she was trying not to laugh.

I didn’t say the rest of my thought loud enough for her to hear. But it would have been something like, “Come on girls, lets get back to our husband and the rest of the wives.”

I actually think I may go back and buy the dress. Next time I’ll try picturing myself as a greek goddess… or maybe a happy and graceful flower child of the sixties…

Last night at Wal-Mart, on a whim, I tried on a long comfy-looking dress. I made the mistake of throwing it on over top of my t-shirt and my blue jeans, which gave me a bad first impression. So I stepped out of the changing room and told my cousin and my friend, “This makes me look like a member of a strange cult.”

The lady in charge of the fitting rooms got a kick out of that. Every time I saw her after that, she looked at me with a grin on her face like she was trying not to laugh.

I didn’t say the rest of my thought loud enough for her to hear. But it would have been something like, “Come on girls, lets get back to our husband and the rest of the wives.”

I actually think I may go back and buy the dress. Next time I’ll try picturing myself as a greek goddess… or maybe a happy and graceful flower child of the sixties…

a breath of fresh air

It’s been a good Saturday – even including the ridiculous amount of apple stack cakes that my cousin Cheryl and I prepared. (I admit – she did most of the work there.)

Roger was up before 7:00 to do some grocery shopping with Bill, but the rest of us got to be lazy and sleep in. Each of my kids has dealt with a low-grade fever and a little bit of upset stomach this week, and this morning was Avery’s moment. She threw up a little bit (that’s what finally dragged me out of bed) and then she had a nice relaxing bath. She seemed pretty much like herself after that. Hopefully that will be the end of it.

After I had my shower, the two of us went out on the little green porch (the nest, we call it) and had some girl time in the morning freshness. She brushed my hair for a while, and then painted my toenails. First a coat of light pink, then silver glitter. Then, to balance things out, I painted her toenails very neatly in a bright red. (Her choice.)

At one point the wind picked up a little bit, and she perked up with big eyes and said, “Oooh! Fresh air!!” So cute.

It was a nice start to a good day.

I don’t know about tomorrow… but I’m pretty sure it will have a good ending. My parents will be here! For the whole week! They’re working with me in the kitchen!

(Bill is “dreading” working with 4 Hunsbergers in the kitchen this week. I keep telling him it’s going to be the best week of his life. After all, we’re Hunsbergers. The only thing better than one Hunsberger is a whole bunch of us.)

fit and healthy to the core

When I woke up yesterday morning, I had no idea that it was going to be my fit and healthy day. I had to be in the kitchen at 6:45 to make sausage balls with Kendra, so Roger and I didn’t run.

But we heard that the Ronald McDonald dental people were up at the Homeplace Clinic doing free cleanings. So a bunch of us poor, “we work for non-profit” people went up to take advantage of a great opportunity.

It was an interesting experience. After lunch, I went with Kendra Fisher, Clark Hilty, John and Grace Driskill and Judah. Such an odd mixture to be in a dentist’s waiting room together. Also… when you’re with a group of 5 people getting their teeth cleaned, and there is only one dentist’s chair… you spend a lot of time in the waiting room. My reading options were Highlights and a pregnancy magazine. I read about pregnancies and remained grateful for vasectomies.

Then after supper, I did yoga at 7:00 with Mary Driskill. Wow. I thought yoga was all about flexibility. I can handle that. I wasn’t prepared for the strength part. I woke up this morning thinking that maybe I am pregnant. All of my previously known muscles are absolutely fine. Apparently there’s something inside of me called my “core.” That was suffering some this morning.

I can always tell when I’m getting a fever because of the weird dream sequence that I have when I sleep. Somehow that yoga routine made me think of the fever-dream.

That probably means something.

The group that’s doing Bible School this week and doing work projects during the day painted all of our porches green, and put another coat on all the green trim on our house.

I love green.

this week

This may be the hardest week of the summer. Wesley and Malin have day camp from 9:00-3:00, then there’s Bible School every evening at 6:00. There are two different church groups here – one to lead the day camp, and one to lead the Bible school. I’m in the camp kitchen all day long feeding both of these groups plus the day camp campers, and Roger is busy in his own multitude of ways.

He drives the church van to pick up kids every morning for day camp, and keeps the VBS group busy with work projects until it’s time to run the route again to take kids back home. He barely gets time to eat supper before he’s back on the road picking up kids for Bible school. And… two hours later he’s taking them back home again.

I am not a Vacation Bible School advocate.

As I’m writing this, I’m starting to get a suspicion that maybe this is only Monday. It feels like we’ve been doing this for most of a week already.

Monday in the kitchen got off to a rough start. Both of the groups brought about 10 more people than the first estimate that we’d heard (and were counting on.) And it didn’t help that there was a miscommunication about the breakfast time. So one group showed up half an hour earlier than the other and got more food.

I really like the weeks where the kitchen runs like clockwork.

But the weather has been warm, dry and breezy. That’s amazing.

And the 4 little strangers whose clothes I wash seem to be happy and healthy – and looking forward to a beach trip after the madness of life inside a summer camp.

us.

Roger, in case you really do look this page up… here’s the picture you never got around to taking. Maybe yours would have been better, but… maybe not. Getting a decent picture of 4 children is tricky business.

a heads up

A couple of days ago, my friend was telling me about this literary scavenger hunt she’s doing. The idea intrigued me, so… guess who has  a new writing project? There are 40 different (diverse) topics, and it’s supposed to be finished by Sept. 1st. I don’t think I’ll post them all here. If that kind of thing interests you, check my xanga site that I’ve ignored for two years.

Some day I’ll probably put them all here on wordpress and give you a link on the side of the screen – I like keeping things organized.

They’ll be in numerical order.

avery

 

you

and your crazy-amazing

round blue eyes

convinced that you love me more

than I love you

(the grand total now is “google plus one hundred”)

and you just know that you love me better

the debate could last for…

…..hours

but I’m not as patient as I’d like

so mostly – I let you win

because I know when I leave the room

I can have the final word

I’ve loved you since before you were born – 

before those blue-to-infinity eyes looked into mine,

my hand on my tight rounding belly felt a mystery

movement inside of me

that I couldn’t control or predict

your then-tiny feet made me smile

your heart beating somewhere below mine

at first the sound of hope

and then…

fear

uncertainty

and finally a releasing of the dream of you-

who may never even breathe in my arms.

but!

four years later (no – make that five)

never-tiring you with so many words 

round and round 

in a bedtime discussion

-or walking to the mail-

you who can always one-up the number…

(is love measured in numbers?)

maybe you don’t know it yet, but…

I can always win 

because when it’s all said and done,

I’ve loved you longer.

you

and your crazy-amazing

round blue eyes

convinced that you love me more

than I love you

(the grand total now is “google plus one hundred”)

and you just know that you love me better.

the debate could last for…

…..hours
 

but I’m not as patient as I’d like

so mostly – I let you win

because I know when I leave the room

I can have the final word
 

I’ve loved you since before you were born – 

before those blue-to-infinity eyes looked into mine,

my hand on my tight rounding belly felt a mystery

movement inside of me

that I couldn’t control or predict

your then-tiny feet made me smile
 

your heart beating somewhere below mine

at first the sound of hope

and then…

fear

uncertainty

and finally a releasing of the dream of you-

who may never even breathe in my arms.
 

but!

four years later (no – make that five)

never-tiring you with so many words 

round and round 

in a bedtime discussion

-or walking to the mail-

you who can always one-up the number…

(is love measured in numbers?)

maybe you don’t know it yet, but…

I can always win 

because when it’s all said and done,
 

I’ve loved you longer.

Have you noticed??

…I’ve figured out how to easily post pictures to my blog. And I’ve finally got the camera out again to take some pictures of my cute kids. In honor of the collision of those two circumstances, here’s an old one:

If you were seeing this family in real life, wouldn’t you feel a little bit sorry for that naive set of parents? Looking at this picture, I think I kind of understand why so many people have looked at me in the grocery store and said, “It looks like you’ve got your hands full!” It does look like it.

Nowadays on the rare occasion when someone says that to me, I smile and say, “I’ve got a bunch of good helpers.” It’s true. I didn’t realize how hard those years were until I had the chance to look back on them. Those little ragamuffins have turned into intriguing human beings who actually make my life easier at times. (uh-oh… being reprimanded for staying up too late! bye!)

Mmm… the first sloppy joe of the summer.

And it’s only at the very beginning of camp season that you’ll hear me say anything as complimentary as “mmmm” when I bite into a sloppy joe. (Actually, I ate this one alone, so no one heard me this time.)

Doesn’t this picture just make you want to sit down and eat a meal in the camp dining hall?

Malin

Malin comes up with some deeply theological thoughts sometimes. Lately, it seems like she’s been popping out a new one every night when I come to pray with her and tuck her into bed. I wrote a couple of them down.

Malin: If you let Jesus into your heart just a little bit, he’ll grow and grow and it will get bigger and bigger.

5/23/09

Malin: Even if you believe that Jesus and God are 2 different people, when you get to heaven, you’ll just find one person – just one holy person.

5/25

Malin, praying: “….and hopefully Julia has a good time having her baby come out…”

5/22/09

If you let Jesus into your heart just a little bit, he’ll grow and grow and it will get bigger and bigger.

5/23/09

Even if you believe that Jesus and God are 2 different people, when you get to heaven, you’ll just find one person – (just one holy person.)

5/25/09

And finally…. (not quite so theological, but thoughtful just the same) praying for our 2 friends who are expecting babies soon: “…and hopefully, Lauren’s baby will stay in as long as it can ..…. and hopefully Julia has a good time having her baby come out…”

Chocolate Chip Cheeseball

I was asked to bring this to Julia’s baby shower on Saturday. Kind of makes a person feel famous to make the item that everyone wants the recipe for. I did a double recipe for the shower, and used half margarine, half butter. If I was doing a single recipe, I’d use all butter – just because the only thing I like about margarine is the price.

Chocolate Chip Cheeseball

 

 

 8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. margarine, soft

1/4 tsp. vanilla

3/4 c. powdered sugar

2 T. brown sugar

3/4 c. mini chocolate chips

3/4 c. pecans, finely chopped. 

 

In mixing bowl beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla until fluffy. Gradually

add sugars; beat just till combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover and

refrigerate 2 hours. Place mixture on large sheet of plastic wrap. Shape

into a ball. Refrigerate at least l hour. Just before serving, sprinkle on pecans and press in gently. Serve with graham crackers, regular or chocolate.

Chocolate Chip Cheeseball

  

 8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. margarine, soft

1/4 tsp. vanilla

3/4 c. powdered sugar

2 T. brown sugar

3/4 c. mini chocolate chips

3/4 c. pecans, finely chopped. 

 

In mixing bowl beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla until fluffy. Gradually add sugars; beat just till combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours. Place mixture on large sheet of plastic wrap. Shape into a ball. Refrigerate at least l hour. Just before serving, sprinkle on pecans and press in gently. Serve with graham crackers, regular or chocolate.

words from the starch-meister

Last evening, Wesley filled his plate with his favorites from the “leftover buffet,” then did his best to make sure I didn’t worry about his health. “Look mom, I’m having a balanced meal!

how ’bout another round?

Well… by now it’s probably official. This summer will make our 10th year of living here and directing Bethel Camp. At the board meeting this morning, Roger is committing us to another 5-year term.

So, for those of you who are waiting for a new camp director to step in, go find yourselves another camp.

For those of you who are worried that we’re going to pack up and leave Kentucky…. we’ve given our word now. We’re not going anywhere.

a little romance on a drizzly evening

 

So there we all were: humoring Wesley by building a fire so he could roast his spelling book on this next-to-the-last day of school. Of course, after a beautiful sunny day, just as our flames were starting to build up, we started feeling the patterings of raindrops. Do you think that fazed my husband the pioneer? Of course not.  He just kept splitting his logs and building up the fire. And so we roasted our marshmallows, dodging the spelling book that was being shoved all around in the fire (for maximum burn time, I’m sure.)

And while I was letting the kids eat a lot more marshmallows than they usually get, Roger was very quiet and busy on the other side of the fire. I didn’t even notice. (Although I was surprised that he didn’t seem at all upset at Wesley’s announcement of, “I’ve had EIGHT marshmallows already!”)

Last evening, for some reason, I was pondering the deep and meaningful question, “What is it that I find romantic?” And I couldn’t come up with anything. Seriously. I thought maybe that side of me had flown away when I stepped into my thirties.

I changed my mind this evening. I was off in my own little fire-world when I heard Wesley saying (slowly and thoughtfully) “I love…..” Judah came up with the rest of the sentence. “….Ruthie.” (in an almost disdainful tone of voice that might have implied, “What else would Daddy finish that sentence with?”)

You can see what I found when I walked around to the other side of the fire. 

So there we all were: humoring Wesley by building a fire so he could roast his spelling book on this next-to-the-last day of school. Of course, after a beautiful sunny day, just as our flames were starting to build up, we started feeling the patterings of raindrops. Do you think that fazed my husband the pioneer? Of course not.  He just kept splitting his logs and building up the fire. And so we roasted our marshmallows, dodging the spelling book that was being shoved all around in the fire (for maximum burn time, I’m sure.)

And while I was letting the kids eat a lot more marshmallows than they usually get, Roger was very quiet and busy on the other side of the fire. I didn’t even notice. (Although I was surprised that he didn’t seem at all upset at Wesley’s announcement of, “I’ve had eight marshmallows already!”)

Last evening, for some reason, I was pondering the deep and meaningful question, “What is it that I find romantic?” And I couldn’t come up with anything. Seriously. I thought maybe that side of me had flown away when I stepped into my thirties.

I changed my mind this evening. I was off in my own little fire-world when I heard Wesley saying (slowly and thoughtfully) as he stared into the fire, “I love…..” Judah came up with the missing bit of the sentence. “….Ruthie.” (in an almost disdainful tone of voice that might have implied, “What else would Daddy finish that sentence with?”)

They watched the whole process. Here’s a picture of the end result.

And that is something that I find romantic.

up too late – wired

Most evenings, I can drink a cup of full-caffeine coffee and go straight to sleep afterwards. But if I drink an evening mug of coffee and then sit down to write, my mind goes crazy and I’m up all night. What’s up with that?

And what now? Do I go to bed and try not to think about all the things I want to write down? Or do I sit here at the computer and wish that I was asleep?

oh well…