The Loudest Praise

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Reading, Writing, by Fran Huisken | Make Your Own Book

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Reading, Writing, by Fran Huisken | Make Your Own Book
I wrote the words for this book in November, 2008 after I wrote the book Chairs, Floors.....All Wonderful Places for Children.  Then for some reason, I never put the photos with the words to make a book, until a 25% discount got me going!  I love sales!  And now I am grateful for my procrastination because I would have missed out on a lot of great photos!  Enjoy!!  (Full screen is best ;-)

Chairs, Floors, Outdoors, and Napping--All Wonderful Places for Children!

I just realized that I had not posted this book so will let you in on that one too.  I did this one in 2008 but when the publisher added so many new features, I redid it in 2011, probably adding a few more photos.  So this is the book that got me started.

FLOORS by CHAIRS | Make Your Own Book

A Photo Journal by Clicker Frog

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Fun on the 4th of July

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Very Cold Tulips!

These are photos of yesterday, downtown Pella.  The tulips were not damaged and I am looking forward to Monday when the weather will be nice and the tulips will be in full bloom!  Today the weather is much nicer.  We went uptown to eat poffertjes and went in some of the fun shops with Jerry and Jean.  Our chairs are on the curb, ready for the 2:30 parade!  It is cloudy but hopefully, we will get to see one parade!

God is in control.......

It is almost unbelievable.  I know for sure that God has a sense of humor!  We got to Pella on Monday evening in very nice weather! Tuesday it BLEW from the south.  Wednesday it BLEW from the north. Thursday was very cold and rainy.  The worst of it is that it is the big TULIP TIME in Pella, IA.  No parades!  We did go get poffertjes from the downtown stand for lunch. This morning we woke up to several inches of snow!  Predictions say it will change to rain.  So no parade again!  I feel so sorry for all the people who plan this event;  for all the buses of people who come;  for the food stands that depend on this event for their fund raiser;  for the queen and her court!  Yesterday, when Lyle waited in the van for the bus, with the boys, he said that God was in control.  Cooper chimed in with, "Yeah, it is not our decision!"

Swim Cover Up from a .....

I saw this idea in a magazine so for less than $4 I bought a white wife beater.  Lyle didn't have one I could use!  It was pretty easy to make.  I thought I could use it as a cover-up but at my age I prefer longer tops, just above my bumpy knees or longer!  If you want instructions, let me know.

Retired People--What Do We Do?

Do working people ever wonder what retired people do every day?  Well, as a "retiree," I am not even sure what I do.  By the "end of the day," which varies daily, I wonder where the day went?  There are some days that I could give a detailed report.  It does seem that I never just sit around.  Each morning I read the newspaper, cartoons being my favorite.  I usually cut quite a few things out of the paper so I have to organize those--into a pile.  I suppose all those will end up on my "hayrack."  I talked to Elise this morning, which is a normal part of my day.  She calls me on her drive to work.  Some days Chris also calls me on his drive.  It helps me to feel close even though I am distant in miles.  I check my emails while I eat my bran muffin with my cold coffee.  The trouble starts when I look at my computer.  One thing leads to the next.  Answer.  Save.  Check on a sale.  Look at a project I've started.  Start a new project.  Should I dump anything?  Oh, yes, I told her I would google something.  Back up stuff to my hard drive.  And there I am and it is noon and I am in my pjs.  I realize I forgot my vitamins and pills.  I better take them.  Then I see what there is to do in the kitchen, besides ordinary kitchen stuff.  I carry something to the bedroom and decide to make the bed.  I should play the piano.  I ask Lyle if we are going anywhere.  If not, I will just stay in my pajamas.  I usually decide on a project to do or work on one started.  I will tell more about my projects later.  I better get something done.  It is noon already and I am at my computer in my pajamas!   I DO LOVE BEING A RETIREE.  Whatever that is.

The Best Day of My Life--for Ellie

I love this book about Ellie!  When she got it in the mail, she and her daddy read it.  She asked how does this person know all this.  Chris told her that I had written it!  "Well, it doesn't say, "Written by Mama" on the cover!"  After that I remember to put my name on the books I make!  I usually write, "Photos by Lyle and Fran Huisken.  Made by Fran."  Because Lyle is the photographer, most people think he makes the books.  He was the "Photo Maker," and I the "Photo Taker."  Now we both enjoy photo taking.  But I love the "Book Making" and writing.  This is a true story about Ellie and her babies.  Enjoy!

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Children Playing on the Beach

Last night I was enjoying some of the past books I made.  I used a publisher called Mixbooks for a couple and just figured out how to get them on my blog.  I wrote this one after our family was together in CA for Christmas a couple years ago.  The beach was one of my favorite times so I chose to just write about that.  Enjoy!

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I LOVE You Just the Way You Are

Please enjoy a book I made some time ago but love it more each day.

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Altered Shirt--Guy's to Gal's Shirt

Shower Hook-As Seen in Real Simple

This is definitely the best thing since peanut butter, only it is for the shower, not for snacking.  This is a shower hook with separate prongs for curtain and liner which means you can take one down without disrupting the other!  $8 at Target!  I might also note that it slides better too! 

Happy Spring!

Gotta love this cartoon.  How many photos are ruined because a kid put his fingers up on the head of the kid next to him?  Years ago, many years in fact, all of Grandma Youngsma's family was together to celebrate her birthday.  We being the photographers of the group, took photos of each family, etc.  On the photo of her with her grandkids, our nephew held his fingers up like that on every one!!  On film, of course!

Easter Postcard Greetings

       I love old postcards!  I wanted to share two of them with you!

Dennis the Menace, sitting with his Easter basket full of eggs:  "Chickens do all the work, but the Easter Bunny takes all the credit."   Mmmmmmmm......

Praying for a Blessed Easter!

Lyle and I are praying that you will have a blessed Easter.  The slideshow below is one I put together some time ago and have finally figured out how to get from my DVD to this post!
The colors of the flowers represent the luturgical colors.  White shows purity, holiness, light, and joy, which is what Jesus is, as He rode humbly on a donkey.  The red symbolizes His blood shed, the Lord and Giver of life.  Then the bursts of white--He arose!!  Also green which is the promise of new life!  Joy and happiness are shown in pink.  The slideshow ends with blue--the color of HOPE!
Please enjoy!

Another free book? YES! Just S&H. I love the photos of my grandbabies sleeping. I found some favorite prayers from my many children's prayer books. I included a dutch lulluby and wanted a spanish prayer for Cooper. He told his mommy, "I can write one for Mama," so he dictated one. Also put in the songs I sang for Gabe and Bennett's baptism. Enjoy!

Mama's Prayer

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Question for the day:  Should I keep it even if it finally quit working?  This is the calculator I used when we owned the studio.  I pushed those buttons a lot!  The paper roller quit long ago but otherwise was in fine shape.  Do you think my kids may want it as an antique?  My mom threw a lot of stuff away that became antiques.  :-)  My thought is to remove the keys.  You know how valuable old typewriter keys are now.  Maybe I could incorporate them into some of my jewelry making!  Ideas anyone?

Just finished another 20 page book.  Hopefully, I will not get another free offer.  Well, I didn't really mean that!  I just better not keep figuring out how to take up the offer.  This book is of the latest family photos taken in 2012.  Lyle and I will be leaving for the summer and I thought I needed the photos so why not put them in a book?  Enjoy

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Ever wonder....
I played some hymns on the piano this morning, and one I have always loved is "Take My Life and Let It Be."  In today's translation "let it be," might mean "leave it alone."  I think the writer should have worked it out to include "Consecrated."

After two days of sending off for photo books, being up one night until 12:30 and the next night until 1:15, I thought I would share the one for myself that I hurriedly did last night.  The reason for the urgency was because of specials.  I made the book for Scott and Elise which is on the entry below on Shutterfly.  I made one for Chris and Lori on Picaboo.  Then I got a one day deal from Picaboo yesterday so I redid Scott and Elise's book to Chris and Lori's.  They are definitely two different websites.  I decided to leave the Shutterfly book on so you can see the differences if you make books yourself.  Each one has its advantages but I think I prefer Shutterfly.  

Anyway........I'll shut up about that.  The book shows photos of our time in Florida with the Huiskens from 2/28 to 3/7.  The Spronks were here 3/10 to 3/18.  We had so much fun, which I hope you will catch by viewing the book.  Enjoy!

The link to "Family Fun in Florida" is:

http://app.picaboo.com/WebView/Project.aspx?clientID=df978fbd396bde38aaf94ffda8bf665c&version=319434&siteID=ViaPreview 

I also have done some books that I have not shared yet since I have not been blogging for awhile.  I made "Shopping is a Gal Thing" when Elise and Lori came for a shopping weekend to celebrate Elise's upcoming big birthday.  It's link is:

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0CYtmbdmyasWGU

I love the one I made for Jerry and Jean about their dog, Molly.  The link is:

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0CYtmbdmyasWGn

And if you are not bored yet, I wrote a story about cousins after our family was together at Chris and Lori for Christmas and New Year's Day.

http://app.picaboo.com/WebView/Project.aspx?clientID=bd78830f9ff63272bad1bbd58f40f364&version=319446&siteID=ViaPreview

Let me know if you looked.  It's great to get comments.  I can still learn.

Photo Book

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From man's old shirt to my shirt!

It has been so long since I blogged but I am missing it!  So I am going to try to stick at it for awhile.  I have been busy with family and all sorts of things.  We were all together at Chris and Lori and kids Christmas evening through January 2.  What a lot of fun we had.  Then Lyle and I stayed two more weeks.  Since we got home I have made a few things.  I am going to share one of them with you for starters.  I bought ($2) a man's shirt at a thrift store.  I went through my "stuff" and altered it.  The plaid I used was one of my Dad's shirts.  Let me know what you think.