Rowen's Birthday

Thursday, January 21, was my 52nd birthday. As usual, my family made it a special day by making fruit pies (instead of cake), and having our friends, the Kauses, for supper. I have always told Janet that fruit pies are "real food", while cake is only fluff. Janet used the opportunity to give Beth experience at making the pies...


Beth got to make the woven top on the pie, and it turned out perfectly!


Together they made the best cherry pie, and a delicious pumpkin pie. Thanks ladies!

After eating, the girls and adults played "The game of Things", (we didn't get a good picture) while the boys played Legos.

It was a good kind of birthday celebration for an aging, but grateful man ;-)).

Beth's 14th birthday

On September 26, 1993, we had the joy and privilege of having a baby girl! We named her Elizabeth Janae, but we have always called her Beth.

She has consecrated her life to God, as her name means, and is a wonderful blessing in our home. She is faithful in her devotional walk with God and is as unselfish a young person as I have ever known. She has a servant's heart. She gets up early every morning to share breakfast with the "early crew" so she can empty the dishwasher and make lunches and ice water jugs for anyone working away from home. She regularly does at least half of the vacuuming on Saturdays, cleans the three bathrooms at least half of the time to save me work, does at least half of the ironing...You get the picture. She is a diligent and cheerful blessing to me personally, because she knows "a mother's work is never done" and she knows I would like to have time to do creative things, take walks with Rowen, and even play games. So she does her best to lessen my work load so I can do these things.

Beth has been such a blessing for several years publishing the God's Girls Newsletter (see Beth's Sept. 19 post). A lot of the money she has received as gifts or pay for babysitting or working has gone into the mailing of the newsletters. Other money she receives, she spends on others rather than herself, always remembering to give to the Lord first.

Beth was able to fulfill her desire to make a quilt this year. She worked on sewing the blocks for a couple of years. This spring we put it all together and had it machine quilted. It is on her bed now and is a warm and beautiful symbol of the work that God is doing in her life, putting all the pieces and experiences together and making something beautiful and useful!

We gave Beth a sewing basket with sewing supplies for her birthday. She knows how to cross stitch, crochet, and knit, and she wants to get into sewing more in the future. So now she has her "tool box" to go forward!

I am blessed to have a wonderful 14 year old daughter who daily expresses her love in word and deed, encourages me, and serves our family and the Lord. Happy Birthday, Beth. We love you!