Can you guess where we're going?

I'll give you a hint. It's in the middle east and I (Grandma) have been there once. Grandpa and I have both visited one of the stops on this trip. Our church sends workers to both of these places. (Have you guessed it yet?) If not, here's another clue: It is two countries situated on either side of the Dead Sea. Now for those who need a little extra help: Here is a map.





Yes, we are going to Israel and Jordan (May 18 to June 5).


Now, here's the deal: Why don't you go with us (at your own cost, of course)? Grandpa was asked to audit the books of the missionaries in Jerusalem and Ammon. We're going to add a tour of Petra and a few other places while we are there. You go and, while Grandpa works, we can go sight-seeing.

Love you all, Grandma for both of us

Step into my Parlor....

This is not the spider talking to the fly (for those too young to know: there is an old poem that begins "Step into My Parlor said the Spider to the Fly" It ends with you-know-who getting eaten.) This is Grandma here with pictures of our trip to California. I loved our motel. You can see it was a Residence Inn and had lots of space, conveniences and food. For 4 days when Grandpa came "home" he'd plop on the bed for a few minutes. He was a little tired after standing on his feet from 7 am to 2 pm. We had a great trip - wish you could have gone along.

Love you all! Grandma for both of us

Happy Easter - sort of!

Those of you who know me best know I don't go in for Easter bunnies and other animated characters that purport to represent the resurrection of Jesus. I feel they steal the true meaning of Easter and cheat the viewer of a richer, fuller life they could have because of His work on calvary.

However, I received this Easter greeting from someone and I think it is funny, so I hope you'll forget the Easter part and enjoy your egg.

Check out: http://d21c.com/scratch/holidays/egg.swf

Love you all! Grandma Seagle

Ben's Drawings

Actually these photos should have been in the last posting, but I can't figure out how to put them at the bottom of the page and I don't want them at the top, so I opted for page two of the posting. Be sure to read the first posting.

Love you all! Grandma for both of us.

Best Seller on the Grandma List

Now that I'm back from Dallas I want to show you a little about Ben's book. It's all about rocks and minerals and, appropriately, he named it "Rocks and Minerals." The drawings were done by his own hands. Saya and I got into the act because she was showing the softest mineral, talc. Ben and grandpa had one of the hardest, but I never heard its name. Maybe he will comment on this blog and tell us. Now, do I need to add that Grandpa and I are very proud of Ben?

Ben and Saya visit Grandma and Grandpa

This last week has been blessings galore. We had a five-day visit from Ben and Saya. Anything you want to know about our house? Ask Saya.

While here, she taught me to use all 4 remotes, as she is a video buff, an especial friend of Scooby-Doo – the one DVD I couldn’t get to work right.

I think she is slated to be the next mechanical engineer in our family. (Joe and Uncle Jeff, move over.) She checked out the conveyor belt at Sparkle Market and dis-assembled and re-assembled a playschool toy fire truck. (It was meant to come apart and teach a child mechanics.) She learned to play pick-up-sticks using her thumb and pointer finger. And most important of all, Saya read her Beginning Reader books to me. I was so proud.

Ben brought along his guitar and played for us, until a string broke. He and Grandpa had to run to “downtown” Cortland and buy new ones, but they didn’t have the right tool to replace the broken string. Uncle Rob can remedy that. (By the way, Ben has made much guitar progress since he received his guitar at Christmas 2007. He is a joy to hear.)

Ben also made, with Grandpa’s help, a book about rocks. They sent it in to Blurb to be published. (www.blurb.com) He and we will get a copy.

He is an excellent reader and drawer and also very proficient in the kitchen. He made mouth-watering cookies – little sweet shortbreads with butter cream frosting for filling. Before he left, Ben sorted through my cookbooks and chose 3 to take home. He also typed out several recipes – notably cornbread and blueberry muffins – to take with him to use in Aunt Deb’s kitchen.
If Saya is great with mechanical things, Ben is a pro with the cell phone. He took advice from ET and phoned home often.
We did many things together. Both kids learned the virtues of chocolate and tapioca puddings. (Ben now has the recipes.) One day, the people at our retirement community, Lake Vista, held a craft day and Ben and Saya helped sort used greeting cards to be used for something useful in the near future. We watched the birds from our family room window and thrilled at the appearance of a hen pheasant. We always ate together and Ben or Saya usually said the prayer.

We hope to repeat the experience again and would love to have any of you come stay awhile. Just let us know when.

Love you all! Grandma for Grandpa and me

Uniform Man

This family hasn't had a man in uniform since the Civil War. Now we have three. Sort of. We have Jon in his ROTC suit, Eric in his Eagle Scout outfit and now Eric again in his fireman's clothing. At the same time he received his Eagle Scout Award he was ending his training to be a Stony Creek Volunteer Fireman. He even has a pager on his belt and he must be ready to run when trouble strikes. He is certified in New York State to be an official fireman. Good job, Eric!