What you do in your house is worth as much as if you did it up in heaven for our Lord God. We should accustom ourselves to think of our position and work as sacred and well-pleasing to God, not on account of the position and work, but on account of the word and faith from which the obedience and the work flow. ~ Martin Luther

Friday, August 05, 2005

The Wild Outdoors

Today I am getting ready for a short overnight camping trip we are taking. We will leave around 6am tomorrow morning and will be going to a State Park in Mount Morris, New york. We are meeting my bro and sil Jonathan and Jessamyn, my sister and bil and their kids, and my parents all down there. It should be great fun. Apparently, this is a 'Taj Mahal" of state parks. We shall see! We will be borrowing a tent from my parents and also putting up a "Pup tent (?)"-a glorified tarp. This will be probably the trillionth time Matt has gone camping, but it is the first for Corynn and I. It is the first time Matt has gone camping anywhere where he had to PAY to stay, though.

I am trying to think of all the stuff I might need, which is hard because I haven't done this before. Today I am going to make cookies and trail mix for the trip, and Matt and I will go shopping for the other necessities tonight. Amazing! Matt goes shopping WITH me! Usually, I do it while he is at work so he doesn't have to worry about it. It is a rare treat indeed when he comes a long. It has probably happened less than a handful of times in our married life!

Update on Mom: She was sent home on Wednesday. They wanted her to stay until Thursday when they could complete their testing, but she convinced them to let her go home and come back for the testing. That's my mom for you. They have ruled out a heart attack, pinpointed gall stones-but still don't know what caused the painful flare up. She is back at her fast paced life, gungho, despite our warnings and concerns. We were going to cancel the camping trip, but she would not hear of it. She will be staying in a hotel though, instead of at the park. So-that is the story with that.

Yesterday I froze lots of corn and squash in preparation for leaving. I used our fresh tomatoes in a yummy pork dish, only to see this morning that about 8 of them are ready again. It is a shame that we will be gone and won't be able to use them right away.

This morning I went to meet the much talked about Rebecca, and pick up some canning jars she had set aside for me, only to find out we had already 'met' before! Several weeks ago, she held a yard sale where I got a beautiful tablecloth for $1.00. When I pulled up to the house-it all clicked. Isn't that ironic? I should have known because she and my dear friend Abby (her sister) share distinct characteristics...I don't know why I didn't connect it before! I had a nice time there despite the awful disposition of Corynn who was dreadully whiny and clingy...grrrr. Hopefully, Rebecca won't think that is how she is all the time! Her house is as I thought it would be-quite beautiful!

Well. I suppose that is all for now. I hope everyone has a great weekend, and I will be back on Monday to share some photos of our excursion!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

How do you freeze your squash? I always have an overabundance of it but I have never frozen it before although I have often thought about it.

Hope you have a great time camping! We haven't been camping since we had kids but we used to alot...maybe next year... might be a real adventure with a six year old, four year old, three year old and almost one year old by next summer!

Jen

Rebecca said...

Jen,

All I do to prepare squash is to slice it (or cube OR shread it...) and blanch it in boiling water for five minutes. You can also steam it for 6-7 minutes if you prefer. Very easy. This is my first time freezing it too, and I only realized I could from reading the book "Preserving the Harvest".

Camping was....an experience! I am sure it would be triply so, with your lot! ;-)

Abigail said...

Glad to hear that your mom's probably diagnosis is less serious than heart attack. We'll keep her in prayer.

And, by the way, what distinct characteristics do my sister and I share? I think we look hardly anything alike (tho' I would love to have her chiseled cheekbones) and am always curious to know the similarities when people see them.

Do people who know siblings of yours place you as a relative when they see you? I don't know how many times I've been told, "Why, you must be a Johnson!", and I'm usually baffled by how they knew. :)

Rebecca said...

Since I spend the most time with my sister, it is interesting because most everyone's reaction to us being sisters is in awe of our seemingly oppositeness. I have heard one or two people say we have the same smile though.

Growing up, people would always say I looked just like my mom. That has changed also. I think I am beginning to look more like my dad the older I get.

As for you and Rebecca, besides the hair color-1) you both have the same skinny build (grrrrrr...)
2) You both have the same mouth AND nose
3) Though you may not agree, I have always envied YOUR cheekbones...they are not that different than your sisters, hers are just more pronounced.
4) Finally, (as if that were not enough) there is SOMETHING (I am not sure what) about those "Johnson" eyes. I can't put my finger on it but you, Rebecca, Pete, and possibly Debbie all share it. Whether it is the hint of mystery, sincerity, or the downward slope of the outer eye...I can't be sure. Perhaps an intermixing of these things...