Life in a Small Town...

He's Here!

2011-03-20T13:09:00.001-07:00

We welcomed Nicodemus Everett Rogers into the world on March 15, 2011. He was born at 7:10 pm and like the Nicodemus of the Bible, "he came at night". He weighed in at 8#1oz and was 20 inches long! He is a cutie pie! He has lots of black hair like his daddy.

We will call him Nico. (nee-co)

Cinda is liking the big sister gig AND she is learning about gentleness...

He was born within 3 hours and so he doesn't have that squishey newborn look!

He is just about perfect!

Kris, Cinda, Nico and Thomas! What a nice family!

Aunt Alena was there too!

We couldn't be more delighted with the whole thing!

A few more thoughts!

2011-03-01T16:48:00.000-08:00

Hey, I am actually posting within a week! Good for me. I thought I would share before and after pictures of Brett and I from our diet. We finally got motivated enough - something to do with wanting to be around for our grandkids... Anyway, here you go!

Me, before...(ugh...)

Me, after...

Brett, before...

Brett after...

It is really hard to see how great Brett looks! Mostly because his clothes are all to big, but let me tell you...he's a looker!!

Yes, we are proud!

It's been a long time!

2011-02-24T18:14:00.000-08:00

It has sure been a long time since I posted on the blog. I think that I am just going to start from scratch! I still live in a small town, but so much has changed since I first started blogging here! For starters, Brett and I visited the Jelly Belly Factory for Valentine's Day. Now most people go out for a nice dinner or something romantic, NO WAY! Not my man! We went on a train ride (wearing silly paper hats) around the Jelly Belly Factory! Of course, I did get free jelly beans! So it was worth it!

We are grandparents to the most beautiful girl in the world! AND soon to be grandparents to the most beautiful boy in the world. He hasn't yet made his arrival, but check for pictures later on!

There's the little bugger now!! Happily resting inside his mama's tummy! Yep, we are pretty excited! Brett said he can't wait for his new best friend to arrive! It has been pretty awesome having Kris close for this one. She was in Wyoming when Cinda was born. Brett didn't get to meet Cinda until she was 2+ months old! Pretty nifty to be around to see him the same day he is born! Come On, Baby...come on out!! ( I think Kris looks like she is carrying a basketball around under her shirt! I always looked like I had a round beanbag chair!)

I think I stopped posting here because of Facebook. I feel like I am redundant when I post pics on facebook, then again on the blog! I know some of you aren't on facebook, so maybe this is better.

AHH, the great blizzard of 2011! About 4 feet of snow drifted up against the back door. The only door we could get out was the side door, which is good, cause that is where the dog goes out to do her "duty". In Montana we had to pitch her off the deck to get her to go in the snow and not on the deck! Here, she just goes in her own little spot.

I will just leave you with a little picture of the sweetest thing in my life....

She loves the camera! And has to look at the digital screen in the back everytime you take a picture.

Have a great day!

Oregon High School Jazz Band

2010-05-14T19:43:00.000-07:00

Oregon High School Jazz Band had their annual dance tonight! Not too many people danced but the music was great! Sam plays baritone and in a couple of songs, he plays the tuba! They play swing and jazz! A couple of my favorites "Birdland", "Shaft", and the "Pink Panther Theme". It was a great night of music!

Can you believe it! Sam had his first Jazz Band Solo tonight! I didn't think you could solo on the Baritone, but Sam proved everyone wrong! He did an AWESOME Job!!

We are so proud of the hard work he puts into his music! He will be playing with Kable band again this year during the summer when he is home. Pretty fun!

Galena

2010-04-30T13:05:00.000-07:00

For my birthday, Brett and I took a weekend in Galena, Illinois. Galena is right on the border of Iowa, by Dubuque. We just relaxed and enjoyed the sights in this little tiny town, where Ulyssus Grant lived.Spring is beautiful in the Midwest!
Wonderful old homes...

Who can resist the Piggly Wiggly?

Trolley cars

And a large tower on the outskirts of town. You can't climb it anymore...

hmmm, wonder why?

Updates! Montana trip

2010-04-30T12:59:00.001-07:00

Brett and I got to make a quick trip back to Montana in February. It was so great to see the mountains. When I took pictures back to show my friend, who has never left Illinois, she couldn't believe the size of the mountains!Beautiful!

Ah, yes, Belfry....Just a little weird...

And what would my blog be without one more picture of Cinda??

Finally, a catch-up on the Belleque's...part 1

2010-04-30T12:53:00.000-07:00

Lets start with Christmas! That is going back a ways, but here are some fun pictures from our time in Wyoming! Cinda and her tuke...
Ed and Linda

Jasmin and Lindsay

Jasmin is coming to stay with us this summer!

All the crazies and their tukes...

A great picture of Nick and Alena!

California!

2010-04-30T12:46:00.000-07:00

Brett and I had an opportunity to spend a week in California at a conference for AMF. It was a great time at a great place - Forrest Home. I loved the sunshine and the fresh oranges right off the tree for breakfast!! Randy Elliots truck! Gotta love it!
Dwight Jungkeit, with Randy's hat!

Ridge with Randy's hat...taking his life into his hands!

Beautiful California!

It snowed on us one day! What a gorgeous place!

2010-04-30T12:42:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it has been a while since I posted...but here is one of the reasons why! With Cinda in the house, very little gets done! She is a huge distraction, cause she is just sooooo much fun!

Six months old and LOOOKIN' GOOD!

I don't believe that carrots are a favorite!

Could there be a happier Grandpa?? I think not!

Finally!

2009-11-17T20:51:00.001-08:00

Here are the long awaited pictures of the newest addition to the Belleque clan! She is the most beautiful girl in the world! On October 19, 2009 Kris and Thomas added Cinda Ruth Rogers to the family! We are sooooo excited that it is a girl!

Great Grandma

Uncle Nick

Great Grandpa

The Rogers Family!

Isn't Cinda just the cutest?!

I love this picture. No one sleeps like a baby sleeps! She is just grand!

I promise not to be a gushing granny, but still....it is hard.

The sad thing is, Brett hasn't had the opportunity to hold her and meet her yet. He couldn't clear his schedule for a visit and since they live so far from us, I got to go, but he had to stay. I have a feeling at Christmas we will have to fight Grandpa for a chance to hold her!

So welcome, Baby Girl...no one could be more loved by your great grands, grands, aunts, uncles, aunties and cousins! Blessings on you!

The latest in family pictures!

2009-08-22T12:42:00.000-07:00

We had all our kids visit this summer, but not at the same time! They missed each other by a day. So here are the latest in family pictures - we included Dan, too! Andrew, Nick, Alena, Dan and Sam! Great looking bunch. Andrew is getting better at posing for pictures!
There we are. About to leave for the airport!

My Girls!

Kris and Thomas - she looks tired...mostly because it was about 85 degrees and SOOOOOOO humid! The camera lens kept fogging over!

Baby on Board - about 7 months!

I can't wait to meet that little person!

Pella, Iowa

2009-08-22T12:16:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Pella, Iowa home of Pella windows. And all things Dutch. It is a beautiful town in Iowa that we visited on our way back from Camp Winsome. It is very Dutch and full of windmills and tiles. It also has nice public restrooms...just so you know! Apparently, tulips are big around here!
The city is so beautiful. Lots of trees and flowers, places to rest and relax.

This is off of the main street. It is just gorgeous. I love the S-shaped benches.

Very peaceful.

Andrew and I enjoying the sunshine.

Pretty fountain....

in a beautiful park.

Every town has a cannon.

But NOT a huge windmill.

Tile murals

Dan and Kris at the Dairy Queen!

Returning from shopping!

Playing around in the antique store!

Pella is a really nice town. It is so clean! If you get a chance, go see it!

Mason City, Iowa!!

2009-08-22T11:42:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, we had my nephew Dan here for a month this summer! We sure had fun with him hanging out with us. We tend to try to do fun stuff when we travel, so that traveling doesn't get to be too much of a drag. One of the places we went was Mason City, IA. Not only is it home to one of our favorite missionaries, but it is the home of Meredith Wilson (well, he's dead). Can anyone tell me who Meredith Wilson is? You may not know off the top of your head, but I guaratee by the time you finish looking at this blog, you will know who he is! Meredith Wilson is the composer of the musical, "The Music Man". He based his play on a small town - Yup, Mason City, Iowa. The city has a beautiful museum and park next to Wilson's house. So, since we had already visited the Comic Book shop, we decided to go to Music Man Square!

The outside is really cool. The words to the song "Seventy-Six Trombones" are carved around the top of the building.
The museum sign.

The street of River City - This is a replica of the movie (the original) set. It is really neat.

And of course, the pool hall - "We've got trouble, right here in River City".

Doesn't it just make you want to burst into song? (okay, Kristine...go ahead!)

The livery stable where Professor Hill's friend worked.

Band uniforms from Mason City High School.

Remember the "Ye Gods" girl? Edith Tofflemier!

A replica of the high school. Inside it looks like the one in the movie set. Our friend's daughter got married here and had her reception outside.

When you walk out, the gardens are really neat.

Meredith Wilson's house. It is really cool. It is a museum too.

Brett, getting back to his roots. (really, he has a Native American heritage)

The Grand Finale!

Andrew, Sam, Brett and Dan.

You may ask why this is such a fun place for us to go. Well, I love musicals. The Music Man is one of my all time favorites. I did this play in High school back in 1980. Sam did this play last year. He played in the pit orchestra. It was really fun just to do something different that day. We had been working hard at VBS and were performing in the park later. Dan summed it all up in a conversation I had with him...Me: well, we do some weird things." Dan: "nope, you just do Unique things." So, if you are ever in Mason City, IA - go do something Unique!

Byron Days

2009-08-22T11:32:00.001-07:00

Welcome to Small Town, USA! Home of the ByronFest Parade. While Cherie and Sue were here, Brett, Andrew, Cherie and I took in the parade and Quilt Show at the ByronFest. Byron is a small town about 12 miles from us. We saw a very nifty parade and Andrew won some prizes at the carnival! Lots of cute kids at the parade.

Andrew loves the clowns. He's seen these guys a couple of times since we see so many parades. But he still loves 'em!

The obligatory bagpiper.

Now as I look at this pictures, I kind of wonder what the lady on the left in the background is doing?

Okay, Andrew loved these guys! I just had to wonder what kind of "manliness" it takes to put on lycra suits and walk in a parade...but I do think the utility belts are pretty cool.

The actors from the community theater - can you guess what show they are doing?
Toto is pretty cute!

And the stilt walker! He was pretty good. It was a very hot and muggy day!

We are such party animals! Andrew won a shark and a duck. Really, he won them, not Brett. I think it was the bottle ring toss - once he finds the sweet spot, he can make it every time!

The Ren Faire

2009-08-21T21:29:00.000-07:00

Wow, words cannot express (ok, my words) how wild, wacky and really cool the Ren Faire is! We went up on July 25th for Kristine's birthday and because Dan wanted to go! It was really fun and definatly a people watchers paradise! We all had a good time, even Andrew, who enjoyed the joust, the pirates and the zoo. There was so much to see and do, so here are some pictures from that day! This juggler was amazing. He was part of a troupe of jugglers that did some amazing things.

So many booths and people and stuff!!!

The costumes were fabulous!

There was dancing!

King Arthur from Monty Python...with his coconuts.

And my favorite act of the day..

These guys were so funny!

Of course, you have to go to the Joust.

This was the knight we had to root for. He was young and he lost...

There he is with the Mistress of Ceremonies.
(by the time we jousted, the mosquitos were terrible! and it was hot.)

This is the Knight that won. He was a bad guy, but we loved him!

The Queen (I think, Elizabeth) came to the joust too.

A rat catcher...

This guy was really funny too. His name is Moonie.

He made us all laugh.

We went to the Faire with Joe and Val. It was great fun and I want to go back next year! Maybe with just Brett. It wasn't too expensive, but it was a long day for the boys.

more weird stuff...

2009-08-15T18:48:00.000-07:00

Initially I thought that Wisconsin was home of the Weird stuff, but I was wrong. On our trip to Iowa, (more blogs about that later) I discovered that it has it's own weird stuff, so does Minnesota. I haven't found too much odd ball stuff in Illinois, but I am sure it is there. So here is a tour through the latest wacky and weird stuff in the Midwest.

Yes, a giant chicken....right next to the....

GIANT ICE CREAM CONE!!!
These were in the same parking lot...scary.
Although the ice cream cone was pretty darn AWESOME!!!

I have never seen a pet exercise area sign like this one. I think it is kind of classy....

We did find Sherwood Forest in Northern Minnesota - really Northern...
And we found Robin Hood too.

(wondered a bit about Little John...all sorts of things come to mind!)

Giant Robin Hood...you gotta wonder what they were thinking? Is Maid Marion down the road?

Okay, bear with me...We stopped at a GIANT lake - it was very large - bigger than Flathead. And there was this sign "Welcome to Garrison", then there was this....

GIANT FISH!

And this really obvious sign...

It just made me laugh.

Of course we had to be reminded that we were in the bible belt...

Stay tuned for more weird stuff from the midwest!

Shippshewana, Indiana

2009-08-15T18:24:00.001-07:00

This summer has been a busy one, with many places to go and see! I have had several wonderful trips, but the one with my sisters was probably one of the best. It is so nice to be able to spend time with your sisters when you are all grown up and friends!

We took a trip to Shipshewana, Indiana. Shipshewana is a town that is the home of a VERY LARGE Flea Market...I mean, HUGE! It is also the home of a large community of Amish people.
The auction took place in this building. I think I wandered around with my camera, but I seem to have forgotten to take pictures of the actual flea market.

Cherie and I took at least one picture together. It was a gorgeous day!

The Amish are a large part of the scenery around Shipshewana. They are an interesting people. We went to the museum that has the history of the Anabaptist, where the Amish, Mennonite and Hutterite claim their roots are. We, as evangelicals, also come from Anabaptist roots. It was a very interesting museum.
This is a familiar site. Cherie was really excited to see the horse and buggies. I have seen them before in Iowa, but it is really unusual to see parking lots with places to tie up your horse!

They ask you not to take pictures of the people themselves. So we snuck alot of pictures out of the car windows!

Part of the museum.

Part of the trip included the Quilt Gardens. Many people and businesses had planted flowers in a quilt pattern. You followed the map and could take pictures and enjoy the flowers. They were very beautiful.

This was a huge garden. Each site explained the quilt pattern chosen and what flowers were used.

Sue, Cherie and the trip Monkey. He is hard to see, but Sue is holding him.

This park was so beautiful. It was a lovely day. Just perfect weather.

This quilt garden was in memory of the woman's husband.

So pretty. I kept finding myself thinking "boy, mom would have loved this!" She and my grandma would have loved to see the flowers and quilt patterns. It was a great trip with my sisters. AND we actually made it home through Chicago and a terrible rainstorm! Cherie is a great driver and has perfected the "Fletcher Move".

A little bit of Wisconsin weirdness

2009-07-05T21:47:00.001-07:00

I don't have anything at all against Wisconsin and in fact, I know some wonderful people who live up there. But, here is where I draw the line. At A GIANT ORANGE MOOSE! Of the many things I have seen in the midwest, this was probably the oddest so far. It is huge, and is perched on the edge of a man made lake. This is the smaller version, same moose, by the entrance to the resort.

Perhaps slightly weirder than the orange moose, would be this....deer jumping log.

Okay, maybe the giant mouse and cheese. I am not sure what to say.

No one warned me. Really. Oh and by the way, these statues are all located at the same resort. Overkill? Maybe.

One thing about Wisconsin: The cheese is out of this world!

Oh, and the people are AWESOME!

Sam's Birthday Flight

2009-07-05T21:33:00.000-07:00

For Sam's 16th (yes, 16th!!) birthday, I arranged for him to have a flight in a small airplane at our local airport. He was really surprised and excited! He has talked about getting his pilot license for some time, maybe even going to flight school at Moody Bible Institute. However, I have to admit, part of me (the mom part) was hoping he would hate it and I wouldn't have to worry about him flying around in the jungle somewhere!His pilot was a really nice guy. He showed Sam all around the plane and then they got in the cockpit.
I don't think I had any chance of him not liking his flight! Look at the grin on his face!

He couldn't stop smiling! Good thing I trust that God will take care of this daredevil!

Looks complex.

Headphones on.

Last minute checks.

He's back in one peice. You can tell by the look on his face that he had a great time. He got to fly the plane, he didn't get airsick and he flew around the nuclear power plant we have here.

All in all, a great birthday present.

What a guy. It is so hard to believe he is 16. He gets his drivers license in August. When did my little boy grow into a young man??

CIRCUS WORLD!!

2009-06-17T22:16:00.000-07:00

Wow, be prepared to spend a little time at Circus World! I just spent a really long time downloading pictures because it was so hard to choose! If any of you come to visit, Circus World is on our list of places to go.

Now a little history before we start! Circus World is a museum on the grounds of what used to be Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey circus's winter quarters. It is located in beautiful Baraboo Wisconsin. Seriously, I would live in Baraboo...it is just fun to say it! Try it, "Baraboo". Any way, I digress. There is a real circus at Circus World, but also much more as you will see by the pictures. So sit back and relax and Let the Show Begin!

Andrew picked Circus World as his graduation present. So we all packed up and went along for the fun!
Apparently, they don't shoot people out of this cannon any more. Sam was disappointed.

That is one way to get taller!

I know I have short legs...but I don't think I am that wide!

Thomas has found his calling!

Andrew too.

Kristine??

Sam, the Snake Charmer!

Take a look at the following posts. They will walk you through the wonderful experience of Circus World. I couldn't post all the pictures, it would have taken too long, but I think I got the best parts of it!

Circus world minatures

2009-06-17T22:02:00.000-07:00

When you first go into the museum, there is a huge glass case that has a minature model of the circus. It is so cool. At one time it would move around, but now it is just a model. Here are some pictures of my favorite part of the museum.
These are mini replicas of the sideshow banners. They have the lifesize ones on the grounds of Circus World.

The animal tent.

Notice the high wire acts.

The faces in the crowd are soooo cool!

The Circus Parade are models of the real Circus Wagons in the museum.

The Clown tent.
The cook tent.

The wagon in the center is in the museum.

This just makes me want to run away to the circus!

Tonya the Tiger

2009-06-17T21:50:00.000-07:00

This Circus World has a tiger. Her name is Tonya. She is just 7 months old and according to the tiger guy, pretty stupid. She has a very short attention span. He is in the middle of training her. So we got to see her run around and eat off of a stick. Not too exciting, but oh, well. She was fun to watch. According to the tiger guy, tigers aren't very smart. They are pretty lazy and use their size and weight to catch their prey. Leopards are apparently the smart ones in the Big Cat kingdom. Tigers like routine and if something changes they can't handle it. Leopard can break out of cages and can walk around the top wires when they are just babies. Now no one take this the wrong way, but Kris and I decided that Tigers have autism and Leopards have ADHD. (I have earned the right to be irreverent about autism...)
Tonya is looking for her treat.

Batting at the stick

She took a big bite of sawdust. It was pretty funny to see her try to get it off of her tongue.

Then, Tonya spotted a small child outside the cage. She wanted to eat him.

She raced across the cage, but couldn't get close enough.

So she waited to pounce.

Once the parents got him back close to them, she lost interest. But when he was off by himself, she couldn't take her eyes off of her "meal". It was funny, but kind of scary too. Makes you think about the Jungle Book in a whole new light....

Tumblers and Balance acts

2009-06-17T21:41:00.000-07:00

These guys were something else. First of all, they are about 15 or 16 years old. Secondly, they throw and catch each other in places that most people wouldn't want to have thrown or caught. The men in our group were wincing.

Yep, thats the one.

This balancing act wasn't my favorite, but the muscles on the girl were scary. She held the guy up too. It was one of those things you just can't look away from....

The man on the ground is swinging the girl in the air by her hair. Yep.

The performers all seemed to be from the same family. The woman and the man on the ground are the mom and dad of the group, I think. They were probably from South America. It was kind of neat to see the whole family performing together.

Elephants on Parade!

2009-06-17T21:30:00.000-07:00

My favorite part of the circus is the elephants. I just think they are the most fun! This circus had a pretty good elephant show. It is so cute the way they hold onto each others tails.

Down like dominoes!!

Apparently, this elephant is the only one in the world who can balance all 4 feet on a ball at the same time. She did a wonderful job and I have it on videotape too!
I would have liked to see the elephants in tutu's . I think that would have made my day!

Roger the Clown

2009-06-17T21:24:00.000-07:00

Every Circus must have a clown. And so did the Circus World. I have known some great clowns. Roger wasn't in the great catagory, but Andrew really liked him, so he is okay in my book!
Gorilla loved Roger

Every clown must drop his pants at least once.

Well, for a clown, he was amusing.

Elephant ride...

2009-06-17T21:15:00.000-07:00

After the elephants performed in the circus, they were giving elephant rides in the back yard. The kids all wanted to go, so they hopped up. I didn't think that Andrew would want to ride the elephant, but he really wanted to go. Even Kris and the little baby belly went for a ride too!
All Aboard!!

They just walked up and back down a sort of alley way. The elephant was very patient!

They were having fun, although Sam looks like he was sliding off!

The rear view. That just looks painful!

And back again!

I guess that they all had fun!

Circus World Museum

2009-06-17T21:02:00.000-07:00

One thing I really loved about Circus World was the wonderful circus posters. They had them from way back when the circus first started. They had the huge posters that were hung up in the towns to preview the show and the billboard size posters too. The colors and artwork are so vivid and beautiful! Elephants in tutus

Some of the costumes from Ringling Bros.

A Giant size poster!

Elephant costumes.

Clowns

The Punch and Judy Puppet Stage

The Punch and Judy Puppets. I love the little devil one and the alligator!

The Calliope

Circus Wagons

2009-06-17T20:50:00.000-07:00

Circus World has two warehouse size buildings dedicated to preserving and restoring the Circus Wagon. It is an amazing display of craftsmanship and beauty. These pictures don't really do it justice, you are just overwhelmed at the size of the wagons. I wish that my camera really picked up the colors, but I am not sure anything could have done these wagons justice. You will just have to come and visit and we will go up to Baraboo.

This wagon played music and the figures all moved.

You can see how big these are. Brett is six feet tall. The wagon is at least 10 feet. But this is one of the smaller ones.

Lots of gold and bright colors. Can you imagine the excitement when these wagons would roll into town with the animals and entertainers in them!?

This is the train cars they came in on.

There was an amazing level of artistry on these cars.

All hand painted.

The wheels themselves were mini works of art.

There was a year that Cinderella was the theme. The gold wagons were the theme wagons.

I am trying to figure out how I can quilt this circus wheel!

Memorial Day...

2009-05-25T12:00:00.001-07:00

Life in a small town means lots of things...no department stores, less traffic, learning to pass tractors and combines on the highway and parades! Every holiday has a parade! IT IS SO COOL! Today the Oregon High School Band played at the Memorial Day services in the local cemetary.

But first, the parade. The Color Guard from the local VFW.

Brownie troops marched.

The bag piper played here and at the cemetary afterwards.

Some of the veterans. And the boy scouts.

The Oregon High School Band marched in.

Sam didn't march, we hauled stuff over and waited...it is hard to march with the tuba.
Although he has done it before!

The Color Guard.

Some of our veterans. There was a gun salute too.

The band played. The wind was blowing so Sam had to use his one-handed tuba playing skills!

One of our senators. He made a really good speech. Short and to the point!

Laying of the wreaths.

The band played on.

There are those one-handed skills again!

The girl scouts and Brownies put flowers on the veteran's graves.

I think it is important to remember those missing in action. I can't imagine never knowing what happened to someone I loved. It would be so difficult.

Honoring those who have given their lives for our freedom. The speaker quoted someone who said to not only to mourn those who died, but to thank God that they lived. I don't know if I appreciate the sacrifices enough.

But I do want to thank Matt and Carl, Karl and Ben -

just a few who served and who continue to serve.

Thank you very much. Your sacrifice means my freedom. I am thankful that you all came home in one piece. If I were there with you, I would give you a hug.

Lake Blaine Kickball

2009-05-25T11:48:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know what Lake Blaine Kickball is, well, I am sorry for you! It is possibly the funnest way to play kickball ever invented! LBK works this way: there are 4 bases and a pitcher. Everyone else is outfield. The person up to "bat", kicks the ball as hard as they can and runs around the bases. You get points for each base you touch and you can get out if the outfielders hit you with the ball or touch home plate. It is a fun way to play and even slow runners (like me) can usually make one point! In our backyard, the trees took quite a beating. We had several time outs when you had to climb the tree to get the ball.
We had company this night - Lance and Caleb Mennen came over for dinner. Caleb caught on pretty quick to the game, for that matter, so did Lance - but then, he is a youth pastor!

Going for home plate! I think the ball is in the tree!

Negotiating the rules. Kristine was designated pitcher...she didn't want to run.

And here's the reason why! Too much baby...

It is really cool to watch your child have a child. I have said that before, but it is a funny feeling!

Can't wait to meet the little bugger!

Baby Robins

2009-05-25T11:35:00.001-07:00

Right outside of my office window is a Robin's nest. It has been so cool to watch the birds build it, then sit on the eggs and the other day I noticed a bright yellow beak sticking up. So I climbed up on the roof...yes, I did... and took some pictures.

Isn't this sweet?

At first I thought there was only the one, because I couldn't see around the tree branch!

But then I went upstairs and looked out Sam's window and look at that! There are 3 of the little tweethearts! I am sorry about the quality of picture, I couldn't get the screen out.

There is Mama Robin. She saw me on the roof and I am thinking she thought that I was a very large and clumsy cat. So she watched me pretty close. Every once in a while, she would fly to a branch a little ways from the nest and start to tweet. After a little bit a few more Robins would be sitting in tree branches around me. I guess she thought that she had to call for reinforcements!This picture cracked me up! I held really still and focused the camera. She would land on the nest and then peer around at me. Wonder what she is thinking?

Kris and Thomas are here!

2009-05-25T11:18:00.001-07:00

Spring has come to Illinois and it is time for the annual (or monthly) trip to see the Blackhawk statue across the river in Oregon. This time we took Kris and Thomas because they hadn't ever been there. It was a gorgeous day! Not many flowers blooming yet, but we enjoyed the trip anyway. If you come and visit us, we will take you there too!

Kris and Thomas at the statue...

Embarking on a LOOOOOONG walk down to the river. I have gone partway down, Sam and Andrew all the way....At the bottom! (the zoom on my camera is on the highest! It is a long way down!)

Going down isn't too bad....it is coming back up! So they had to stop about halfway to rest!

The final steps up!

The Paddlewheel boat was out on the river. We could hear the music. It looks like alot of fun.

Good twangy music!

She doesn't look very pregnant! It was a really nice day!

Baby Mania!

2009-05-14T12:56:00.001-07:00

Okay, I know, I know....too much Grandbaby stuff and you will all just quit reading the blog, BUT (and I am sure you will hear this again) I just had to post this. About 3 weeks ago we got a picture message on our phones of the latest edition to the Belleque/Rogers clan. I was sitting in the parking lot of a convience store and when I saw it, I started to cry. I couldn't help it. The man taking a smoking break look at me like I was nuts, but I couldn't quit laughing and crying. It was rather pathetic. Even more pathetic than that though, was the next day at work, I showed some of my co-workers....okay, they were very excited for me, but I think I better wait for the baby to be out of the uterus before I show them anymore pictures. Yes, I am fully aware that I am going to be the grandmother with the pictures in my purse....That I KNOW you will want to see!

By the way, tough-guy Brett, cried too. (don't tell him I told you, it will ruin his image!)

Baby Rogers....about 12 weeks, I think.

Then about 2 days ago, we got a 4-D ultrasound picture.

Apparently, the child is shy because the back is turned, but LOOK, it has arms! and a head! and little tiny hands. I can't believe that I can see this child! It is only peanut size! Okay, maybe a bit bigger.

Wow, there isn't anything more amazing that has happened to me than this baby. I can't wait to see it's arrival into this world. They say that the first one is the special one, but honestly, I can't imagine getting tired of this whole grandma thing!

Spring Band Concert

2009-05-14T12:35:00.000-07:00

It was the final Spring Choir/Band Concert of the year....remember, this is a very big deal and rightly so...Sam is the baritone/tuba player extroidinaire! I am not sure I spelled that correctly, but you know what I mean. Anyway, Sam has been working VERY hard all year to be able to play in Jazz band - which by the way has only a couple of freshman in it - and he was making his big debut tonight. I have to admit, the Jazz band is pretty darn AWESOME! They only practice a couple of times a week, but they are great.

Me, at the concert. No, I am not making a face about how the band sounds. Brett caught me just before a sneeze or something. Who says I can't laugh at myself! If you can't be photogenic...be this.

Slick Sam, the baritone man.

Miriam and someone who shall remain nameless (cause I don't know his name) on the xylophone thingy...They were pretty impressive. The mallets were blurry, they were moving so fast!
Pretty cool.

Sam in his Jazz band gear. I appreciate that Mr. Ekhardt makes them dress up, it is the only time I see Sam in something other than a t-shirt.

Normally, Sam wears a silver studded belt with his black pants, but he opted out and wore his black chucks instead. They are his "dress" shoes.

more baritone

The whole group - choir and band and teachers.

Oregon High School ranks # 3 in the STATE of Illinois in music. They earn points in band, marching, choir, soloist and ensemble pieces. It is pretty impressive when you think of the size of some of the schools in Illinois (think Chicago) that these kids ranked #3. Oregon High School is about 600 kids.

GO HAWKS!!!

UNO Craziness!

2009-04-12T17:44:00.000-07:00

Debby and Gordon Anderson came to visit us and some of the missionaries in the area a couple of weeks ago. We had to play Uno Attack. Obviously, Debby has alot of cards. At one time the game spewed out about 12 cards to Brett or Gordon...or maybe Sam. At any rate, we had a fun time! The game begins.
I am laughing because Brett was losing. He has at least 12 cards in his hand.

Debby was saying something interesting!

Gordon, getting hit by the dreaded "spewing of cards".

Sam was probably laughing manically! He and Gordon had quite a rivalry going!

Too much fun!

Downtown Chicago with the Anderson's!

2009-04-12T17:21:00.000-07:00

Brett and I don't often go into the city. Brett goes more than me, but not really to just to sightsee. So while the Anderson's were here, we decided to do a little exploration! Gordon, Debby, Brett and I were staying at a hotel near O'Hare, so with brave hearts (mine) and Brett driving (always!) we headed off toward the Lake, just to see what we could see! This is one of the many skyscrapers in Chicago. I don't think it is the one where Oprah lives.
Busy streets!

Everything is so tall. I really looked like a tourist with my camera and head hanging out the window!
The Chicago Stock Exchange.

We eventually ended up in Chinatown where we ate dinner. This is a really cool Dragon gate. It is so pretty, the colors are so bright.

Very, very beautiful!

This is the square where they have all the statues of each of their Year of's...

We ate near here, in a resturant that had a hundred or more things on their menus. I had teryaki chicken, because I wanted to know what I was eating. They had cuttlefish on the menu, and lots of unknown items. The portions were HUGE, and the prices good. They also had smoothies, which included asparagus and bean. I didn't do the smoothies.

Lots of little shops surround the square. It was a really nice evening. I want to go back when the shops are open. We also drove through the Jewish part of town, Italian and Russian, I think. It is amazing the different cultures that are within Chicago. It made me think about the different ethnic groups that need Jesus. Right here, in this area, we could keep dozens of missionaries busy!

Brett is the year of the Tiger.

I am the year of the Rabbit. By the way, Rabbits and Tigers aren't supposed to marry. Well, somehow it works for us!

Debby Anderson, Year of the Ox

Gordon Anderson, Year of the Dragon.
We had a lot of fun with the Andersons. They have a huge sense of adventure and it was fun to go exploring with them. This was Debby's first trip to Chicago. I hope she comes back soon.

A Visit to Wheaton

2009-04-12T17:13:00.000-07:00

We took time the other day to stop and meet with Christina Cortez, our missionary who lives near Wheaton. So while we were there we drove through the Wheaton College campus. Eventually we want to go and visit more, but this was just a quick drive by.

Here is the sign coming in. It was a quick shot from the car. This is the Billy Graham Center for Evangelism. You can go and visit there. I think that there is a museum. We will have to go and take a look.

This is an old theater that they are trying to save. The style of the building is really cool.

The Castle at Wheaton. Pretty impressive!

Fun times at Lego Land!

2009-04-12T16:57:00.000-07:00

As some of you know, the Belleque's are HUGE lego fans. We love them all and it stems from a childhood of sitting on my grandma's floor with my cousins playing with the basic building blocks. We made people, houses and animals from those red, white and blue legos. It is a wonderful memory. Now, however, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Castles and Bionicles are the mainstays of our lego collection. (which are very well organized by size and color - thanks to Brett!)

So, it was with great joy that Brett and I did reconnaissance on the Legoland Discovery Center in the Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Illinois. Brett has already put some of these pictures on Facebook, so I am putting my favorites on the blog! The front entrance is guarded by a very large giraffe made of legos. Even the lightpole is made of legos (not the pole itself, but the lamps and base) It is pretty dang impressive!

I love the daisys in her hair!

After waiting in line for quite awhile, we finally got to go and see the lego sites. The first room is a lego downtown Chicago. this is Navy Pier. For those who were with us on the trip to Chicago a couple of years ago, we were here! Actually, Brett and I had our picture taken in the lower left corner on the pier at that time. I am a huge fan of minatures, so this room was way too much fun. I could have spent alot more time there. I'm sure I missed alot.

One of the large churches in Chicago. It was so cool!

The fountain was pretty neat. I love the water. It would light up when the room darkened and it became "night" in Chicago.

The Pier, all lit up!

My favorite, R2D2.

This was an awesome trip. We can't wait to take the boys back. It was so much fun.

If you come to visit, we will take you!

Check out Brett's pictures on his Facebook page.

Kristine's Baby bump

2009-04-03T22:35:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it is a bit early to be displaying Kristine's baby bump, but I wanted to have a picture to document this momentus occasion. Brett doesn't think it looks like anything but Kris's tummy, but I was there and it is definatly a "bump". Can you tell I am excited to be a Grandma???!!

She is so slender, you can really see it. I keep trying to feed her, and believe me she eats alot so the morning sickness will go away! She is at 10 weeks now. Please pray for her and that baby...and Thomas too!

Interesting Rest Areas

2009-04-03T22:14:00.001-07:00

The boys and I recently took a road trip during spring break. We traveled across Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska until we came to Wyoming where we stopped at Kris and Thomas's. It was two really long days in the car, but along the way we discovered a couple of things about Iowa. First, they really like to put sculptures in their rest areas. Second, the trees are great for climbing! I guess Hughes donated the land??
Sam spotted this tree and had to play squirrel. He is a master tree climber. Andrew followed him and the dog watched from the ground!

My squirrels.

Sam was up about 25 or 30 feet. It was a great tree!

This sculpture had me puzzled for a bit until I figured out that it is corn. With weird things coming out the top. Things like fish and sunflowers. But my favorite was the pig, yes, a pig coming out of the top of the corn cob.

The pig is the last one on the right. I don't know, I mean, I "get" the sculpture, but well, it is just a little odd. No offense to the Iowan's who read this blog....

This is another, different rest area. I liked this one, it actually makes sense. A flower and "a place to grow". I get it.

The boys posed for lots of pictures. Sorry guys. You can tell Andrew is a bit frustrated with me.

As well he should be.

This was NOT in Iowa. This photo proves that Nebraska takes the prize for undecipherable statues. I don't get this at all. It looks a bit like something crashed into the ground and they just left it there. Sort of "Mad Maxish" or maybe Planet of the Apes...(the old movie) If anyone can explain this to me, I would be glad to hear it!

At any rate, we had a great trip across the great states of Iowa and Nebraska. I find the people really nice and friendly. The trucks on the interstate were a bit scary. They drive REALLY fast and it was a bit unnerving in my little car. But we made it. I listened to Sam play pokemon the whole way across Nebraska. Next time I bring the charger for my MP3.

Latest Quilt

2009-04-03T22:04:00.000-07:00

I finished the quilt I made for Lindsay, my niece, in honor of her graduation from High School! It was really fun to make, kind of different because of the bright colors. It is a two-sided quilt and I think it looks great! When I was all done, I wanted to keep it for myself! But it looks just like something Lindsay would love! So it is hers.

It is made out of tie-dyed material - and some really bright prints I found at Walmart.

I love the colors! Pretty cool!

BAND EXTRAVAGANZA!!

2009-03-20T17:42:00.000-07:00

One of the fun things about living in a small town is that local events are really BIG deals. This week we had the privilege of going to the Oregon Schools Band Extravaganza! It is pretty fun to go and listen to the 5th - 12th grade bands play all together! We had a great time! Sam plays in the Oregon High School Band and has just started in the Jazz band. The bands all walked in and sat down.
Mr. Beske, the brains behind Band Extravaganza!

Sam, the Tuba Man!

The whole band. They played the Star Spangled Banner, it was pretty awesome!

They also play Ode to Joy all together too.

The High School Band played selections from the Lion King and a Sousa March. They played something called Invicta, which I wish I could have recorded. It was really beautiful.

Sam, listening to the 7th graders.

Mr. Ekhardt, the High School Director.

Sam, playing. We are so proud of him. He really has learned alot and is planning on taking music theory and has already signed up for Jazz Band. He will start marching this summer in August. He also is hoping to play the Sousaphone - the BIG tuba next year too. He will be learning the sousaphone dance! (video to come!)

The Sublette Tractor and Toy Show...

2009-03-16T20:40:00.001-07:00

Sublette is a small town in Illinois whose claim to fame is the Sublette Tractor and Toy Show. When we read this, we thought, "well, a toy show could be fun!" So we drove down to Sublette to check it out!

The ever present water tower. Someday, I am going to make a coffee table book all about water towers.

There were semi trucks of all sizes, shapes and colors! They were gorgeous!

I liked this one! Way cool and WAY HUGE!

Brett liked this one the best.

Now, let's talk tractors. In Sublette, the tractor of choice seemed to be the Minneapolis-Moline. There were some others, but MM tractors seemed to be the big thing!

They have such character! The movie "CARS" comes to mind, with the tractors in the field and 'Mater herding them around!

They have cool paint jobs too.

Now, when they said "toys", they actually meant "farm toys". And boy, did they have toys! Tractors and semis and hot wheels and whatever else you could think of. They also had collectibles from the companies, like John Deere and MM.

A pretty nifty collection. Brett thinks that these are probably just toy collections that got out of hand, so the wife said that he had to sell them!

These kid sized tractors were my favorite! They are so cool.

Then there were the big boys toys. Let me tell you, they had some pretty nice tractors and combines. Makes farming look almost easy!

This was the oldest one there. It had steel wheels and looked pretty indestructable. Unless it got caught in the mud!

Tim the Toolman would be impressed with the More Power logo!

Oliver is another big manufacturer.

This was just so pretty. I liked the blue! ( I am such a girl!)

Even real men need to read the instruction book, according to John Deere!

I like the grill!

You can't have a tractor show without a John Deere.

That is me, underneath the sprayer thingy. I am not sure what you call it, but it was huge! Pretty amazing. The things on the side fold out - WAAAAAY out - and then they spray the fields. Although you can't see him, there is a little boy under there with me. We were fascinated.

Needless to say, Brett and I had a very nice day. We got lunch for $4 at the 4H booth. Brett bought some old Andy Griffith trading cards and I got a cool John Deere tractor key chain. You can't beat a spring Sunday afternoon at the Tractor Show....next week...the auction!

Our Lady of Perpetual Help

2009-03-16T20:27:00.001-07:00

Brett and I had decided when we moved to Montana that we would see as many of the sights we could see. We didn't see much of Montana when we lived there, we were too busy, so we make it a point to read our little local newspaper to see what there is to offer.

Along with the Sublette Tractor show, there was a quilt show and an open house at the Catholic church. I don't know how the Catholics name their churches. I would be interested to know where this one got it's or her name. Anyway, this church reminds me alot of St. Ignatius in Montana, without the painted ceiling. It is a gorgeous building.

The Stations of the Cross are all these plaster sculptures. They are beautiful, but like Brett said, theologically inaccurate. And I noticed, no resurrection station.

The stained glass is from Germany. It is beautiful.

The church is hushed and reverent. I bet it has GREAT acoustics! I think I would have loved to sing there, but the ladies who were hosting the open house wouldn't have liked it. Not that I would sound bad....

In the Rectory, there was a quilt show. Of course, I had to go! It was fun. The quilts were nice, but the house was unbelievable! It was so gorgeous! This quilt was tiny strips of fabric, mostly silks and was made in the 1890's.
This was my favorite. I love the wedding ring pattern. It wasn't a big one, but was really pretty with all the colors. I love quilt shows.

Unique things in my town!

2009-03-16T20:17:00.001-07:00

The other day I went for a walk around the neighborhood and I ended up in the golf course. It was pretty barren. I picked up a dozen or so golf balls....Brett says that they might want them back! I hope not. I promised my dad that he could have them for the next time he is here! Anyway, I saw some interesting sites. This is a tree that looks like it was hit by lightning. Keep in mind, while you are looking at it, that Brett is 6 feet tall. That gives you an idea how tall it is! But imagine how tall it was before the lightning struck it!

In addition to lots of fake deer in people's lawns, there also is alot of patriotism. This is one example of that! It is actually pretty close to life size. But it doesn't have an American flag on the pole, it has an MIA flag. I am not sure what I think about it, but I think whoever painted it was pretty talented! (or they had an overhead projector that they blew it up with!)

Lego Man

2009-03-16T20:13:00.001-07:00

Lego mania runs amok at our house! I thought it would be fun to post some pictures of Andrew and his favorite pastime! He loves legos and his most recent acquisition was some sort of Star Wars warship thingy... He used to let his dad help him, but now he has to do it himself. This one was pretty hard, but he kept at it until it was all done! The Star Wars universe is alive and well in Andrew's room!

A tisket, a tasket....a Corn Basket?

2009-02-21T17:53:00.000-08:00

Now, you all know that I do not come from a small town, not like this one. I was rather amazed then, when I was driving west of town and came across this really cool corn basket. I really thought (and part of me still does) this was someone's wonderful idea for being creative with their corn. I could imagine the mom and children working hard to make this big basket. I think that they should put flowers in it or even better, large plastic eggs. (just in time for Easter!)I was really disappointed after I was told by my ever pratical husband, that this is not the whimsical basket I thought it was....it is a duck blind. Yep, a duck blind. Boy, I was really sad.I mean seriously, are the ducks fooled by the big corn basket with the people sitting in it? Maybe they should put flowers in it and hide. Then the ducks would think it was just a basket of flowers? You think?
It would take alot of time to weave all this together.

I would have walked closer, but it was muddy - "sink in to your ankles" muddy.

So, I stayed in the car. Maybe the next time I drive by, there will be some hunters in it.

Or some ducks, laughing hysterically.

From this angle, it looks like it might be a boat. It is kind of "boat" shaped, you know?

Stick a mast and a sail on it, and you are good to go!

Ahhh, life in a small town.

Area Coordinators come for a visit!

2009-02-21T17:41:00.000-08:00

The area coordinator's came for a visit at the beginning of the month. Frank and Linda Distad and Jim and Jan Barnhart. We had a great time of planning for our Area Fellowships and other stuff. We also had fun playing games one night. Linda, Jan and I played pretty good together as a team for Mad Gab.

Jim, Frank and Brett played together pretty well. It is a fun game, but really hard for me!

Can you guess what this one is?

(the answer is at the end of this entry)

Is Frank bored? I don't know....

What is that smirk on Brett's face?

Uh-oh, I don't know if Brett knows the answer.

Speaking of answer..... Buns of Steel.

New Church in Mt. Morris

2009-02-05T14:44:00.000-08:00

Well, AMF has started many different kinds of ministries around the United States, but we haven't had the opportunity to start one quite like this. I like the Potato Bar Idea, but I am not too keen on the type of church this is.

Mt. Morris, where new ideas are always welcome.....

Hometown Pictures!

2009-01-16T20:26:00.000-08:00

And here by request, are pictures of Mt. Morris. Now, if you don't like looking at pictures of scenery, than you probably should move on. I was asked to post pictures of where I live so that people could visualize where we are...so here we go!

Mt. Morris is a pretty cool little town. It has great huge trees and a park. It is very pretty in the fall and really has some friendly people. This amphitheater thing is in the park right in the center of town. It also has the Freedom Bell. I haven't been down to read the information, so I am not sure what it is all about. We are very patriotic! I have heard that the 4th of July celebration here is amazing!

This is the Mt. Morris Post Office. They are very nice and friendly. We really like our mail lady! She gives doggie treats to Ty.

This is the Evangelical Free Church of Mt. Morris. We go here and we like it. It is over 50 years old. I think that the very hard pews are original!

Another view out of my window. With my knee and the cold, I wasn't going to get out of the car!

This is our house. The upstairs left window is Sam's room. The Middle is Andrew, the right is the master bedroom. Downstairs left is the office, middle is living room. The squirrel lives in the tree above the office! I just saw them, they are fat and fuzzy!

Looking west down our street.

Another shot looking west. We have good neighbors.

Mt. Morris has a stoplight. This actually is Hwy. 72.

Downtown Mt. Morris. There is a Hallmark Store with a florist, a couple of bars and not much else.

Our water tower. It is pretty cool to drive around and see all the different water towers. I think I should make a coffee table book...."Water Towers of the Midwest". Our tower is right by the library. It is alot bigger than it looks.

Oregon High School - Where the boys go. This is the old building. It has a huge new gym complex behind it. It is kind of a neat old building - reminds me of Corvallis, Oregon High School.

Well, there you have it, the old hometown. I will try to post more pictures as the seasons change. Even though we are far from family, every time we travel, when we come back, we are always glad to see Mt. Morris. Life is slower here - we were just complaining about having to drive 20 minutes to a DQ - but that is probably for the best! Sometimes we go stir crazy and have to get into the big city, but for the most part, it is quite a nice place to live!

It's been awhile!

2009-01-04T19:12:00.000-08:00

I know it has been awhile since I have updated this blog, but it has been busy. I haven't been able to sit at my desk too comfortably until this week (because of my knee). So, here we go!

I put these pictures on my facebook page, but for those of you NOT on facebook (and you know who you are...) here are the pictures of Andrew's 18th birthday! Can you all believe it? He is an adult. That is totally scary!

We don't really do birthday cake at our house, so we had ice cream instead. Andrew picked out cookies and cream and we put one of my votive candles on it. (No birthday candles to be found!)

We had presents...this is the Disney Scene it game...He rocks at this! So if you come to visit, we will test your Disney trivia...if you have the stomach for it!

It was a Star Wars birthday. Andrew must own enough Star Wars figures to populate his own universe. Come to think of it, since he seems to live in his own universe most of the time, he probably does. I can hear those Star Wars fans out there saying "too many star wars figures? You can never have too many star wars figures".

Trust me, you can.

Legos from Nick and Alena - always a hit. If you combined the Legos star wars and the regular star wars....yikes!

Val and Joe came from Waukegan to visit! We loved having relatives...Val is Sam and Andrew's cousin. It was fun. Joe is an awesome guitar player and he and Sam jammed for a bit. Val is always fun to have around! We got all caught up!

Just so you know...Andrew is a legal adult now, but I am petitioning the court here for guardianship. We are in the process and will let you know how things go. I don't anticipate any problems. It is all a new learning experience for me. The Sheriff will come to the house and subpeona Andrew. Brett and I thought about staging a fight on the front lawn so that when the Sheriff comes, the neighbors would think we were getting in trouble....but we decided that it wouldn't be good for the reputation of the mission...or our family....

I will try to post more soon. My second job starts really in earnest this week, so I am busier. Will try to get more pictures from Christmas up...

oh, Happy New Year!

Christmas is finally here!

2008-12-24T14:31:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve is finally here. I think that I am ready! Today was the first day I really felt the peace of Christmas. I woke up this morning to snow falling down. Beautiful, fluffy snow. It is perfect snowman and snowball snow!

I have been reading the book The Christ of Christmas by Calvin Miller. It has been helpful and refreshing. I needed to focus on Christ, not on me or my situation. The book talks about praise lifting us from our own selfishness. About focusing on the Christ-child, our Savior and King. In the moments that we do that, we are truly experiencing the gift of Christmas.

I have put some picture on of our Christmas adventures.

Here I am, at the Candlelight service of the Evangelical Free Church of Mt. Morris. It was a very nice service. The adult choir and the children's choir sang.Our Pastor, Bruce McKanna. The Adult Choir, Brett singing bass. I didn't get to sing. I couldn't really stand up well and it was hard enough just to be there. But it was very nice! The snow on Christmas eve. It is so pretty. Although, for those who have to shovel, it isn't so nice. I always think of the the hymn, Whiter than Snow.

Our backyard. The dog is up to her chest when she goes out.

We have at least a foot on our porch roof!

Many Blessings to you and yours this Christmas Eve. I hope that when you read the Christmas story, you are impressed again with the joy and love that came down at Christmas!

Much love,

Cindy and the boys

Sorry about the lack of a tuba video. It is awaiting editing by Brett. Then I will post it as soon as possible.

Christmas time is officially here!

2008-12-17T14:38:00.000-08:00

I don't think that the Christmas season really begins at our house until the Christmas sugar cookies get made! It is a big deal. We use Grandma Arnold's (I think) recipe...it is great! They are thick and chewy and really, really addictive! Then there is the decorating! I mix, roll and bake but I don't frost by myself! Sam and Brett helped this time. Sam and I are pretty fast, but Brett likes his cookies "just so".

"Cookies, yay!"

Sam and I are ready to go!

We cut them out first. We did stockings, snowmen, trees, stars, bells and people.Ready to frost!

Partly frosted. It takes a long time....
Sam is tired of frosting. But at our house if you want to eat them, you frost!

I always try to make Brett a big cookie. This year was a tree. He was a little sad because we didn't have red hots.

First, you frost...then add the sprinkles and other good stuff!

READY TO EAT!

Now it is Christmastime for sure!!

25 years!!!

2008-12-10T16:07:00.001-08:00

Yes, today is the 25th Anniversary of my wedding to my best friend, Brett. Wow, 25 years goes by really fast when you are having kids, moving around the country and being busy with ministry. I thought I would share just a few pictures of our life together. Mostly because we can laugh at ourselves...and believe me, that has saved our marriage many times!

First a picture of the day it all started!

The whole family was involved in this wedding. From left to right: Seuzi and Dave Conlee (my brother), Mom, Me, Brett (yes, that young looking man), Dad, Mike and Sue Gumm. Sue was pregnant with Robyn, Cherie and Valerie are in the front. It was 1983, so forgive the big hair!

Then we morphed into this....

Boy, that was a long time ago....
Melanie and Mervyn are our "other selves".

And Finally.......

I love this picture...

I must go now, but will post more later.

Thanks, Brett, for the best and most interesting and entertaining years of my life....

I love you!

The Christmas Spirit...

2008-12-09T21:01:00.000-08:00

I haven't had much Christmas spirit lately. I think it is because of the move, being away from family and the general "blah" I have felt lately. I decided I better try something to get some spirit, so I decorated my house....didn't work. I made cookies...didn't work. I shopped a little...really didn't work. So, I sat down and wrote Christmas cards. That helps - I remember people and things that happen and it makes me feel better, but I still wasn't in the mood. So I watched a movie. I spent two hours one afternoon watching "The Nativity". Although the movie isn't completely accurate, it is the best movie about the birth of Christ that I have seen. It was a good reminder of the reason we celebrate Christmas. My favorite characters in the movie are Joseph and Elizabeth. Joseph is such an honorable man. And I love the part where Mary washes his feet while he is asleep and tells her unborn child that he will have an honorable man to raise Him and that Joseph will always put other people first.

Being the romantic that I am, I love to watch these two people fall in love on the journey to Bethlehem.

Elizabeth (and the wonderful actress who portrays her) is my absolute favorite. She is so amazing and when she greets Mary the lines are right out of the Bible. That scene is so powerful and I think it is because it is God's Word.

Needless to say, watching this movie made my Christmas Spirit a little brighter. I highly recommend it. The music is marvelous and the photography is wonderful. There are lighthearted moments that just prove to me that Mary and Joseph were human, just like me. Yet they were faithful to take the gift that God had given them and trust Him to see them through it. It is a powerful movie. Take the time to watch it.

No pictures to post, but check out Brett's blog www.brettbelleque.blogspot.com

He has some new pictures on there.

Family Portraits

2008-12-03T21:14:00.000-08:00

We decided since we were all together this last week to have a family portrait taken. It was very hard to do, mostly because everyone sort of has ADHD or something akin to that. Getting everyone, even the adults to stand still was a huge job....Getting Andrew to smile, without looking like a halloween pumpkin was even harder! but we succeeded in getting one.

This one.... We look good....
This one looks like we really look.....

The Belleque's

We have shrunk over the years.

Both my boys are taller than me.

I love this picture, it looks just like them.

I title it "Brothers". It sort of looks like modern art.

Wyoming Scenery!

2008-12-03T21:05:00.000-08:00

Normally, I am not a big fan of Wyoming. I love going to see everyone, so I guess this picture is my idea of great Wyoming scenery, but the following pics are probably the really scenic ones! All the gang, playing UNO Attack. Me, Lindsay, Jasmine, Alena, Nick, Sam and Thomas. Kris is taking the picture!
This is heading into Gillette Wyoming at sundown. Gorgeous! I love the reflection off the hood of the car!

Fire in the Sky.

This is the view from Ed and Linda's house. It is the Wind River. When I first came in 1983, the river wasn't even visible, but the brush has been cleared away, and it is this view now.

Kris and I took a walk on Thanksgiving Day and found these deer crossing the river.

It must be cold!

Thanksgiving fun!

2008-12-03T20:53:00.000-08:00

We had a great time visiting with all of the Belleque family during Thanksgiving week. All the kids were there, and the grandparents and some cousins. We even had Tasia, the honorary Belleque! It was too short a time together, but we had some good times crammed into 4 days. Alena and Andrew always like to be together...Ty enjoyed the time too.
Tasia is playing cards, just thinking or sleeping...I am not sure!

Lindsay....

Thomas and Kris really liked the wedding photo album that Linda and Alena made for them.

Nick, kicking back with the dog...

This is one serious UNO game!

waiting for the cards.

Andrew got into the action too....I am not sure what is going on here, with the underwear on his head... I think he just wanted to make us all laugh...which we did.

The Great TV Move!

2008-12-03T20:43:00.000-08:00

Well, here is a story for you, in pictures. It was a nice day for moving a GIANT television upstairs to Nick and Alena's "apartment". You see, Linda and Ed had bought this tv for Nick and Alena to have upstairs, but when they brought it home, they realized that it would take alot of muscle and ingenuity to get it upstairs. So, I took pictures of the event!Thomas, showing off the muscles he has....?

This is 32" screen tv. Up those narrow, steep stairs....

Thinking, thinking....then deciding "this is gonna hurt!"

" ooof."

Suck it in, Thomas!

One, two, three.....Hernia!

They made it....but just barely.

Christmas Project

2008-12-03T20:35:00.000-08:00

Wow, Hard to believe that it is already December! I think the year is racing by. We have snow here, and our tree is up! But these are the Christmas project I have been working on for months. I made huge stockings for the older kids. I will make Andrew and Sam's, but I wanted to finish these so that we could deliver them on Thanksgiving. They look good hung by the fireplace!

Thomas's blue stocking.

Nick's has jingle bells on it so he can't peek!

Kristine's angels.

Alena's Victorian style.

They were fun to make and made me think creatively. Brett wanted them big so lots of stuff could be put in them. Stockings are big at our house, literally!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-23T16:49:00.000-08:00

Well, I thought I should at some point wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. I know that I haven't posted anything new lately, we have been pretty busy, and quite frankly, there hasn't been a whole lot of photo ops going on, but we have had a good week or two.

Sometimes Thanksgiving gets overshadowed by Christmas, but this year I don't want that to happen. I must confess, I did get out the Christmas music! But I only listened to ONE CD and it was an instrumental, so I don't think that should count!

We are headed to Wyoming to see the kiddos. I am very thankful that we can do this. It will be good to see them, but too short a visit. I miss them alot. So instead of getting sad about how much I miss them, I will write a list of what I am thankful for. It won't be comprehensive!

1. I am thankful for my family. All of you!

2. I am thankful for my husband (and for my mom and dad, who made us get married even when we got cold feet and cancelled the wedding on Thanksgiving day 1983)

3. I am thankful for Thomas -who married Kristine. He completes her. They are definately better together than apart!

4. I am thankful for Alena - who married Nick. She loves him just like he is. I remember thinking after I met her the first time, "she should meet Nick." Remarkably, I had nothing to do with them getting together.

5. I am thankful for Andrew - he allows me to grow and see Christ everyday.

6. I am thankful for Sam - he makes me laugh and reminds me that God knows exactly what He is doing even when I didn't want to be pregnant with my fourth child.

7. I am thankful for my church family - those in Oregon, Montana,Wyoming and even in Illinois. Today was the first time Brett and I stayed after church visiting with people. It proves we know people now.

8. I am thankful for the missionaries and Regional Directors and Home Office staff of AMF. They are dedicated people, eager to spread God's word, even if it means doing the hard thing.

9. I am thankful for my relationship with my family - my sisters, my dad, my brother and my own kids. How great to have a family who loves each other. (no fistfights at the holiday gatherings).

10. I am mostly thankful for my relationship with Jesus. It never ceases to amaze me that He loves me in spite of my complaining, whining and general sinfulness. I am like pure, white snow in His eyes. Thank you, Father, for the love of Your Son.

So, that sums up my Thanksgiving thoughts. Sorry it was long, but I hope that it makes you think about what you are thankful for!

Have a wonderful holiday!

Fall is...falling!

2008-11-12T20:52:00.000-08:00

Well, the big maple tree in the backyard finally decided to drop it's leaves, right on to our roof. Which means lots of leaves on the ground and lots of leaves in the gutters. For Sam it means a legitimate trip up on the roof!!This big tree overhangs the balcony of the house and half of the rest of the roof. It is really gorgeous, but makes for lots of leaves.
Sam looks like he's the Captain of all he surveys.

He's not.

Sam went up on the balcony, swept off the roof and cleaned gutters. He was going to go up higher, but I thought I'd wait until Brett got home, then he could watch out for him.

Scooping out the gutters above the office.

He's the MAN!

Meanwhile, the demon squirrel of Emily Street watches from a nearby tree.

(My camera has such a good zoom on it!)

He knew I was taking pictures because he posed for this one, then turned tail and ran!

And he's gone.

Enjoy the fall. We sure have been.

The Life of a Dog...

2008-11-12T20:47:00.001-08:00

This post is really for my son and his wife. It is just so they know that the dog is doing well. She obviously has a very hard life. Eating, sleeping, barking, sleeping, getting petted, sleeping, barking at the demon squirrel and the mailman, sleeping...well, you get the picture.

"Oh, you want to take my picture? Wait, my ears are inside out!"
Silly dog.

Boredom on a Saturday night!

2008-11-12T20:35:00.000-08:00

Okay, so there isn't alot to do in my small town. You have to drive 30 miles to see a movie, eat at a Culvers or go to Staples. It is pretty slow. This is how Sam spent the days after Halloween. Can you guess what it is??

If you guessed "all the leftover smarties from the Halloween candy" You'd be right! We thought the picture would make a really good puzzle!

This is the whole thing. It lasted about a day...then we all started eating the candy.

Brett had to do his annual after Halloween shopping on Monday. He picked up a couple of things. We have puppet size viking helmuts but he picked up these that happen to fit us. So, I had to try out the tripod and timer on the camera! Pretty silly.
Helga and Thor

Well, surely I can find something better to do.

Some silliness...

2008-11-08T17:22:00.000-08:00

Okay, don't ever accuse the Belleque's of being too serious! A friend introduced me to a site that puts a picture of you into an old yearbook photo, so I had to do it, just for fun. And I have been laughing ever since! Let me tell you.... I am not ashamed...I'd look good in 1967! Oh, and I think I look like someone from the movie "Hairspray"! Maybe Miss Baltimore Crabs?
I have to try a mullet on Brett, good thing those went out in the 80's!

Just goes to show you that Kristine looks good in any era! I kinda like the "flip" on her!

Like father, like son. I didn't realize they were the same until after I finished. Pretty funny, tho. A little like early MacGyver, huh?

Enough silliness, you hear??

Hmmmm....

2008-11-05T11:54:00.000-08:00

I feel like I need to say something about the recent election here in America. I am not a political person but here are my thoughts. Here in America we have so much. We don't even begin to understand hunger or poverty, not at the level that other countries experience it. We are so blessed by God, even those who do not believe, that we figure we deserve all of the wealth, safety and security that we have and take for granted, but it is all a gift from God.
My encouragment to you is to remember that God is in control. Presidents will come and go, but God never changes. The world will change, but God will not. That is why I have confidence that no matter what happens in this world, my God will not change, He isn't surprised by any of this.
So here is what I am going to do: I am going to love my husband and my family. I am going to do my job, cut my coupons, encourage my friends, be available to those who hurt and keep going in a direction that furthers the kingdom of God. AND I am going to trust that God will continue to bless my socks off!
Jeremiah says it all "I know the plans I have for you," Declares the Lord, "plans for good and not for evil, to bring you a future and a hope". Jer. 29:11
Have a great day!

Halloween Pictures...

2008-10-31T20:34:00.000-07:00

We went to the pumpkin patch and picked out pumpkins. (try saying that 3 times fast!) It was time to carve them and so the boys set to work.

Sam de-gutted his pumpkin.

My other "big boy" takes his pumpkin carving very, very, very seriously.

Really seriously....really.

Why do I let him have sharp objects???

Ty got in on the Halloween action. She had to be locked on the back porch because she like to eat trick-or-treaters, well, not really eat, just barks ALOT and we thought she might scare the little children. Or not.

Here are the results:

Brett's Pirate.

My Smiling Happy Pumpkin.

Sam's Jack Skellington

Andrew's Skull (carved by Brett)

It was really fun.

The final product. They look pretty cool outside in the dark too.

Chuck moved outside for the evening festivities. Brett is such a fraidy-cat!

I have seen some spiders this size in my shower.

I do believe that sometimes I am the only normal one in this family....

I am telling you, the normal smile on his face is deceiving.

See, I told you.

Happy Halloween from the Belleque's!

Finally, band pictures!

2008-10-31T20:19:00.000-07:00

It was a cold night at the football game. The Oregon Hawks are in the state playoffs and we won tonight - 27 -7. It was a fun game. Sam missed trick or treating...actually handing out candy...and scaring small children because the band played one last time. Here is the picture of the Q-tip hat that I have been promising. He played the baritone some of the time, and the tuba the rest. (boy, he really needs a haircut...)There is the infamous tuba...It is huge, but the Sousaphone is in the shop. Can't wait for that. He is going to learn the Sousaphone dance and perform it next year. He also gets to wear a beret, because he is a tuba player. Yay! No more q-tip.
Looks excited to be there, eh?

Marched in with the tuba, but no marching around the field.

Where's Sam? (too bad his name isn't Waldo)

All in all, the band did great. It was fun to watch one last time. They are really improving. We had a great turn out for the banquet and I volunteered to be the secretary for the band boosters.
Yay for me! It is better than the president! That honor went to Mr. Eckhart.

The Pumpkin Patch!

2008-10-28T20:41:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, we all drove down to Rock Falls to the big pumpkin patch/haunted house. We weren't sure how it would go and let's just say, it was very interesting. We got all the way to the place and then Andrew had a meltdown, for reasons that were rather funny, when we thought about it later (and because it would embarrass him, I won't talk about here!) For those of you who are not initiated in the ways of meltdowns...lets just say, it is a good thing I don't embarrass easily... They had some really neat-o mini pumpkins and gourds. They were so pretty with the sunshine and bright colors.

The petting zoo was pretty fun too. I really thought the pigs were cute, but I wouldn't want one for a pet. The little black one was a, well, a "pig" about his food. The pink one had the cutest little tail that went around in circles.

We now know why they call them "pot bellied pigs". You can see how fast the black pig's tail is moving! Wheee!

There were ducks....can you say "aflack!"?

Mr. and Mrs. Peacock had their own cage. Mrs. really does blend into the background, but she was really pretty shades of brown and gold.

Andrew in a happier moment. He really liked the scarecrow. Kept sticking his hand inside the scarecrows pumpkin head. Hmmm...?

Is your mama a Llama? Check out the eyelashes! Maybe it's Maybelline?

yes, yes, I know...He is 15....but I made him....

The bus was his idea, however!

Sam and Jerry Gourd....Look at all Jerry's brothers on the ground behind him...Asher would have loved these!

Lots and lots of pumpkins!

Are we having fun yet? Well, Sam and I were...not Andrew. Those are our pumpkins in the wagon. Now they are sitting on my kitchen counter waiting to be carved.

You know those stories about corn and spooky things? Well, I caught a picture of an alien coming out of the corn. Sort of reminds me of War of the Worlds...

Wait...is that Tom Cruise?

I really think this is the most sincere pumpkin patch. I sat in the car waiting while the boys went through the haunted house. ( I do not deliberately put myself in places where things jump out at me!) But I didn't see the Great Pumpkin.

I was trying out my night setting on my camera. It took me some time, but I figured out how to get a picture of the really spooky pumpkins. I used the night setting, balanced the camera on the door of the car and used a 3 second timer. It worked pretty good.

I don't have pictures of the haunted house, but I guess it was pretty fun. Andrew liked it too. Brett tried to keep track of him and almost lost him in the dark. Sam said Andrew kept talking to the people trying to scare him saying things like "back off". Sam got spooked a couple of times, but generally it was a pretty tame haunted house. It was fun to do something together as a family, even though it started out pretty rough. It would have been fun to have Nick and Alena, Kris and Thomas here too.

I think it is normal for me to want my chicks all around me. But I really miss them this time of year. I think because of the holidays coming up. And of course, there isn't anyone around to frost the sugar cookies....

Time to catch up a bit...

2008-10-28T20:27:00.001-07:00

Sam says he's not photogenic, well, this time I'd have to agree! I don't know what was up with the kid, but he looks a little weird...or maybe wired!

Anyway, we are very proud of him because he was awarded Most Outstanding Freshman in the marching band. I think it was because he had never marched before, he learned to play and march at the same time in 2 weeks and he is from Montana. For some reason, the kids there just think Montana is some sort of novelty. They call him "Montana" and have taken to calling me, "Mrs. Montana".
Meet Chuck. I knew that we would have more bugs in Illinois than in Montana, but this is ridiculous!

Seriously, this is the newest addition to the Halloween collection that is at our house. Chuck will be outside on our light with the purple runner lights and pumpkins. I will take more pictures on the big day.

I have been quilting. This is my first attempt at triangles. The pattern is "Flock of Geese". I think it turned out pretty good. It is fun to put patterns and stuff together. I have lots to do for Christmas!

IOWA - what a state!

2008-10-22T20:54:00.001-07:00

I decided to try to use bigger images, hopefully some of the detail will be easier to see.

Brett and I went on a road trip last week to Iowa to see a missionary friend down there. We left the boys at home alone, thankfully Sam handled everything and Andrew did great on his own, so we had a good time and didn't worry about them.

Iowa is really pretty, it is harvest time, lots of combines out on the fields. It is rolling hills and corn, lots and lots of corn. AND for some reason, lots of cemetaries and funeral homes. I kept admiring these really neat victorian houses only to discover that they were funeral homes!

This is taken from a rest area right across the border of Illinois and Iowa. The river is the Mississippi River. I can hardly believe that I live East of the Mississippi River. I NEVER thought I would. But then, I am doing alot of things I never thought I would.

Okay, yes, this is a water tower. EVERY town has one. But as Brett and I were getting gas we noticed something interesting about this particular town. The name of which is MONTEZUMA. I believe the residents call it Monte. Who can blame them?

If you look closely, you can see the "Welcome to Montezuma" banner. But I am not sure you can see the name of the store beneath the banner.

Yep, it is the PIT STOP! Okay, I thought it was funny...get it ...."Montezuma's Revenge" and the "Pit Stop".....Okay, maybe not hilarious, but Brett laughed....

We came up with all sorts of town motto's
"Welcome to Montezuma...don't drink the water"
Welcome to Montezuma...where revenge is sweet"
Okay, you get the idea...
MOVING ON...

We ate at a restuarant called "The Machine Shed". It was really nice. The waitresses all wore overalls. They are famous for their apple tarts and of course, their very LARGE Corn.

This little guy was trekking across the sidewalk at a rest area. He was so cute. I had to try out the macro lens on my camera. Hmm, Bretts tennis shoes are looking a little worn.

Brett and I are realizing the privilege that we have to serve here in the midwest. This really is the heartland of America. People are all friendly and interested in life around them. We get to have a new adventure here, out of our comfort zone, surrounded by new sights and things to do. It is exciting, scary and fun all at the same time. I hope that someday we can share this adventure with some of you! Come and visit and we can show you some of the greatest corn fields and funeral homes around!

Fall colors in Illinois

2008-10-22T20:40:00.000-07:00

It has been an absolutely gorgeous fall here in Illinois. I know that some of you are having cold weather and snow, but here most days have been sunny and brisk, with that great smell in the air that comes from autumn leaves and all that fresh air. We have really enjoyed the fall colors here and I haven't really missed driving through the University of Montana campus and looking at the trees there. Soon it will be time for Sam to climb up on the roof and clean out the gutters!This is up at the Stronghold. The camera really doesn't capture how beautiful the leaves are.
This is a bush outside my back door. It is such a vibrant red!

I caught the Canadian geese in this picture by accident. They are all flying south!

Blackhawk looks pretty good surrounded by all that color! I was standing across the river when I took this picture! I am loving my new camera!

This is the wide angle lens on my camera. It shows how far away I was when I took the shot. The river was so still that day and the reflection was so cool!

The pillar of cloud you see isn't really a cloud, it is Lenny (one of the cooling towers at the nuclear power plant outside of Oregon). Andrew named the two towers Lenny and Squiggy.

The Stronghold

2008-10-16T14:31:00.000-07:00

We have been exploring our surroundings and discovered one of the most beautiful places! The Presbyterian Stronghold is just outside of Oregon. It is the host of many things, camps, retreats, the Rennassiance Faire, just to name a few. It is amazingly beautiful. This is the courtyard of the castle.
My new camera takes great shots! This is the fountain and flowers - yes, they are still blooming!
One of the lions standing guard!
Another view of the courtyard
Brett liked the lions!

New Camera Pictures!

2008-10-16T14:20:00.001-07:00

These are just a few random pictures from the new camera! I have been having a really fun time playing with the camera and experimenting with all the different settings! Sam the Mountain Dew Man!
The demon squirrel of Emily Street!

Today he was up in the tree throwing acorns out of the tree onto the roof .

They roll off and land on the ground. I guess it is a quicker way to get them to his stash!

How much is that Doggie in the window? As Brett would say "FREE!"

The Mt. Morris water tower...every town has one.

Hey, I got a new camera!

2008-10-14T19:44:00.000-07:00

I got a new camera to try out! It is a Fuji S2000. Very cool! We had some money left in our equipment fund, so I was able to get exactly what I wanted! And then, to boot, it was all on sale, so I could get a tripod too! I actually got a good picture of the demon squirrel and as soon as I figure out how to download pictures, I will post some! Now we have to take a family/prayer card picture. Sam is excited because he is going to make a lego stop motion movie....this winter, probably.
I am sitting here listening to a Ukele and a tuba. Quite a combo. If Kris were here she could join in with her violin, Thomas on the Bass, Nick on his uke, Andrew on the harmonica and Alena could sing! Now that could be fun....
I will post again soon!

One more thing...

2008-10-07T17:49:00.000-07:00

Today I was blissfully asleep...I stayed up late finish a book...when I was awakened by the...wait for it....TORNADO WARNING SIREN!
Yes, indeed. I shot out of bed and pulled on some clothes, thinking all the while, "gotta get the dog, gotta get a jug of water and get to the basement!"
Just to interject here, it is amazing what your mind thinks of when you are in panic mode...I kept thinking how mad the kids would be if I didn't get the dog...for heaven's sake...the DOG was the first thing I thought of. I would like to think the kids would have been my first concern, but they weren't home...
Back to the story.
Anyway, I run downstairs, grab the dog and my cell phone, then I notice...no wind, no rain...
to interject again...I have seen the movie Twister, I know that there is wind and rain with tornados...
Suddenly, my brain kicks into gear and I realize that the siren has gone off, but apparently for no reason....I got the newspaper to see if there was some sort of drill, then I notice the lady in my backyard...
To interject once again, when people in Montana walk through your back yard, we usually get the shotgun out...Apparently in Illinois, this is normal...
She waves at me...
yes, I am in my pj's with my hair uncombed...
And keeps walking.
I check out all the windows and nope, no tornado. By this time, the dog thinks I am insane...and that brings me to another story....

I came home from the store to discover that my garage side entry door was wide open, in fact, so was my side door into the house.
point of fact...we live in a very large house. If you count the attic and full basement, it is four stories high!
Well, being the brave soul that I am, I grab a knife from my rack in the kitchen and my cell phone...
hey, I watch CSI! I know that if you are stuffed in a car trunk, you want your cell phone...
And begin to scour the house....first the upstairs...Each and every room has a closet, some of them have two...a shower (2 upstairs) and of course the attic, which I determine no one could be in because the door has stuff in front of it.
meanwhile, the dog is following me around..now you have to picture this...I am sneaking around my own empty house, with a butcher knife and a cell phone ... and a very curious dog.
I check every room upstairs, downstairs and then, I have to check....THE BASEMENT!
Point of fact....I have seen the Jason movies and several others...I know what happens in basements!
So, I turn on the light...creep down the stairs...
the dog is still following me...
and there is nothing there. Except puppets. For some of you, that might make you nervous...for me, it is just the way life is in my house.
I must say, if the dog could talk, she would have said "you are such a moron...." Instead, she sighed and went to sleep on the couch.

All this, and Brett has only been gone two days.
Who said life wasn't interesting in small towns??
By the way, it was a drill, the wind blew the garage door open...and my dog still thinks I am stupid.

Ed and Linda visit Blackhawk....

2008-10-07T17:36:00.001-07:00

We went to a place called White Pines Park...and saw Turkeys!! But no guns to shoot them with. I am not sure I would know what to do with a turkey, anyway...
Blackhawk...He is big!
Ed, Linda, Brett...reading the information and wandering.
The Belleque's
It is really beautiful up there! And so green!

Ed and Linda enjoying the view.

We almost had Ed run off the cliff! There was a downhill

slant and he just kept going faster and faster!

Poor Linda was hanging onto him. I just got in front of him.

I figured I would just sacrifice myself for the cause....lol!

The trees here are amazing. I want to build tree houses in all of them!

They are fabulous! They look like something that fairies would live in!

And still more of my hometown!

2008-10-07T17:23:00.001-07:00

Home sweet home, yep...Emily Street.This is our house, at least the one we want to be our house!

It is really nice and comfy. We really, really, really don't want to move...again.

Andrew, Sam and I spent the day raking leaves in our yard.

It is alot smaller than the yard in Montana, but alot more trees...

One of those picturesque farms in the midwest.
The corn is almost ready to harvest.

You know, now that I think about it all those fields of corn are kind of creepy....hence, all the scary movies.

Ah, yes, the famous Black Hawk...leader in the Indian wars that Lincoln fought.

He actually is pretty cool.

Autumn On Parade!

2008-10-07T17:08:00.000-07:00

Autumn On Parade...

think Saturday market under the Burnside Bridge, except no bums...

This is a really big deal in Little Oregon, Illinois!

Let me tell you. People come from all around to see the craft market,

toy show and street performers. There is also a Renassiance Fair

up at the Stronghold that is pretty cool.

We didn't get there this year, but we did see some folks dressed in their costumes. This guy was awesome! He was really graceful on his stilts and the kids loved him!
The Balloon guy...nope, not Brett!
Another stilt artist...person...dragonfly!
On Sunday before the parade, it rained and rained and rained!
Andrew and I ate in the rain...drizzle by now.

Our food needed to be under cover more than we did!

Autumn on Parade is really cool. It was alot of fun, lots of people
and fun stuff to look at!

FOOTBALL! FOOTBALL! FOOTBALL!

2008-10-07T16:54:00.000-07:00

Senior night at OHS! It is a big deal! Trust me! Once again the Oregon Hawks took over the field and whomped on the Winnabego Indians.

It was kind of sad for the Indians,

the score in the first half was 35 to 0.

Obviously, the Hawks are going to the playoffs.

The Pep Band, in all it's loud, obnoxious glory.

Here is a better picture.

Mr. Ekhart, the band director, looks pretty spiffy in his suit.

The band played and marched inthe "Autumn on Parade" Parade.

They did great! It was really fun to watch the parade...more on that later!

A Quilt for my mom...

2008-10-03T19:16:00.000-07:00

I wanted to put these pictures up awhile ago, I just forgot. I started making this quilt about 2 years ago. I had just gone to see my mom, as it turned out, for the last time. She was still able to visit and was pretty coherant. That was in December of 2006. She went to be with the Lord in March of 2007. My mom loved to quilt. She loved beautiful things. She loved the color purple. When I went home in December, after spending time with her, I started making this quilt. This was my first one. I made each square first, then when she died, I stopped. All the embellishments were from mom's stash. Some of the fabric is from Kris's prom dress, some from Kim and Jason's wedding. It took me a long time to want to put the quilt together. It felt like it might mean that she was really gone, that I would be finished with the whole process.

I got back from conference and realized that I wanted, no, needed to finish the quilt and hang it up to share with others. I think it turned out pretty nice.

I miss my mom every day. I sometimes still forget that I can't call her up and visit. I know that she is with Jesus, and is no longer in pain. I wish that she could have been here for Kristine's wedding, she would have loved Thomas. I wish she could see Sam play in the band and Andrew graduate from high school. My mom loved her family. Sometimes she drove us all crazy, but she loved me, she was proud of all of us and she was a great mom. I owe alot of who I am today because of who she was.

Purple Beans

2008-09-30T20:25:00.000-07:00

One of the joys of my small town is my Wednesday afternoon visits to the Farmer's Market at the Library parking lot! On my very first visit there, I found something I had never seen before.

Purple Beans!

Yep, really purple. They are the best tasting beans in the world and they are really fun to watch cook! I took this picture the last time we had them, but Brett said it was pretty gross looking. They do kind of look like alien creatures.....

Anyway, if you get a chance, check out purple beans. The man who sells them to me always has a great story to share. Lately, he's been talking about the magnetic sticks he uses to keep the beans fresh....apparently, they are some sort of new technology... hmm, what did I say about looking like aliens??

Homecoming!!

2008-09-30T20:17:00.001-07:00

Wow! Homecoming happened last week in my small town! It was quite an event. I have been to alot of football games in my life, but this one was....WOW! There must have been 500 people at the game, all dressed in red and white! The Hawks took on the Tigers and won - 42-0!
Yay, Hawks!
Anyway, here are some highlights from the weekend!
There was a parade...

The theme was Superheros...the seniors were Superman, the freshman...Underdog.
Yes, Sam was a little upset about that!

Every parade has to have the FFA float!

Lots of Hawk fans!

NO parade is complete without the firetruck!

The game! It was a good win for the Hawks, with fireworks after every touchdown! Lots of fun in this small town!

Go Hawks!

The Demon Squirrel of Emily Street...

2008-09-22T21:00:00.000-07:00

Yep, he's back. The demon Squirrel of Emily Street. (for those of you who don't like musicals, you won't get my clever take on the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, s'okay. Not everyone knows all the musicals ever written....Kris...)
Today Sam and I were outside and we noticed the squirrel and friends are back. They were up in the trees, zipping around...then I let the dog out. She is too whimpy to ever try to get one, but they don't know that, not yet anyway. So all the chattering stopped and one was stranded in a tree with no where to go. He stopped and stared at us while his friends chattered at us from up a different tree. I tried to get a picture, but he blends in way too well with the branches. He finally took the risk and zipped up the tree to the top of the roof of our house. Later, Sam was out climbing on the roof (yes, we let him) and the squirrel threw something at him. I can't help but be reminded of the Donald Duck and Chip n' Dale cartoons. They are too funny!
Does anyone remember Chip n' Dale Rescue Rangers? That was a huge hit at my house.

I was eating dinner tonight when I had the oddest feeling. It was like looking into the future. I looked at Sam and saw him ten years from now... He is changing so fast and I guess it is weird because he is my baby. His voice has changed, he's sportin' a 'stash and he sounds like a real teenager. I still see the cute little boy who made us all laugh, now he is a big kid, who still makes us laugh. When did he get to be so old? And when do I start feeling old??

Enough nostalgia!

Life in the small town is growing on me.
What I like about it:
It is quiet.
Cars don't zip by.
Everyone says hello.
I can ride my bike.

What I don't like:
It is a half hour drive to anywhere with a decent grocery store, so I really have to make a good list.
Our neighbor has a loud motorcycle and he comes home at 11:00 PM.
It is too quiet.
No quilt stores.
No book stores. I really miss the Book Exchange....
Only a few resturants.
No movie theater.
No Nick and Alena or Kris and Thomas.

Well, the neighbor just roared in so it must be bedtime.

bored....

2008-09-17T16:29:00.001-07:00

As you can see, I am randomly going through my picture file and adding them to my blog.

Hmm, there is a lesson in here somewhere, I just can't find it.

I am learning that you need to add pictures first, then add the text.

I will learn...eventually. The Wussified Dog, Ty.

Nick, Luke, Thomas, Alena, Sam and Kristine all playing hacky-sack on our front lawn in Montana. The only one missing is Tasia. And Em.

As you can see, I must be pretty bored to be adding random pictures to my blog, but yes, I am.

This is Eryn and Jason. Two people from Montana. Well, wait, Jason now lives in Oregon.

The Mission Mountains, St. Ignatius, Montana

Great picture, huh? It is a cool rainbow over St. Ignatius and the Mission Mountains.

One of my favorite places!

Well, Brett is in Florida and I am here. Bored. I have done all my work and now am down to doing housework and stuff. I have read several books and watched WAY too much tv. I guess it is part of being without a full-time job or in school. Life has really slowed way down for me. No homework or job to go to. Well, the office here is my responsibility, but I finished all I can do without Brett here, so I am just biding my time. Once the boys get home from school things liven up a bit, but not much. Case in point, I played Guitar Hero with Sam for 45 minutes today. Life seems pretty desperate, although I really like Guitar Hero. It lets me relive the music of my youth without owning any of the albums. (yes, "albums" as in round and big and vinyl, for those of you under 40).

I have not seen the demon squirrel lately. Maybe he is busy hiding his acorns for the winter. I have never had a oak tree in my yard, but there sure are alot of little acorns around the yard. You have to watch walking barefoot because if you step on one it hurts worse than legos in the middle of the night! I don't know where he is, maybe he has a winter home somewhere else? Or maybe our dog scared him off? Nah, she is too much of a wus for that!

Brett took some great pictures of alligaters for the blog, he will update that. He also said that things seem to be going well for his dad. We will just keep praying.

I think I have probably bored you enough. I guess I just wanted to pass on my own boredom for a bit.

Now I think I will go update my Facebook page!

New Pictures

2008-09-14T18:29:00.000-07:00

Hey, Brett has updated the Montana Belleque's blog. Check out the great pictures of our summer and fall. It is found at brettbelleque.blogspot.com

Take a look!

We are back!

2008-09-13T19:48:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!
We are back from our regional conference in Rapid City, South Dakota. It was our first one with Brett as a regional director. It is a little bit different than just being a missionary. We had a great time, but every once in a while I would forget that we were supposed to be in charge and know what we are doing! We got to know lots of people and hung out at Culver's a couple of nights.

Rain, Rain everywhere! It has been raining since we got back. We, here in Illinois, are getting the tail end of Hurricane Ike. It just keeps on pouring, but the really weird thing is that it doesn't get cold when it rains. It was 72 outside today and pouring down rain. Kind of like taking a lukewarm shower!

My dad headed home today on the shuttle bus to O'Hare. He called about a half hour after getting on to tell us that the bus was stuck on the freeway because the access roads to the airport were flooded! I can't believe the amount of water around here.

Not much else is going on. The demon squirrel is hiding in his tree! He made an appearance when my dad was here! He teases the dog, by hanging around outside the window where she can't get to him!

Kris and Thomas both have jobs! She is working at a gift store and Thomas at a movie theater. They get to go to movies for free, so for two broke college students/newlyweds, that is a pretty sweet deal!

Nick and Alena are both working too! Alena is at McDonalds and Nick at Pizza Hut. They are doing okay and it is nice to know that they are helping out the grandparents.

Sam is getting used to marching band - in the rain!

Andrew is doing good too. We will have an IEP meeting sometime here pretty soon.

Brett and I are feeling pretty good about the job, except I am buried under paperwork this week and Brett will be gone to Florida next week, then off and running around the region.

It is good to be home. We haven't sold the house in Montana yet, so please if you know anyone who needs a 4 bedroom on a half acre for a reasonable price, let me know!

A funny thing happened...

2008-09-02T20:03:00.000-07:00

It is interesting to me that in this small town, people assume that you want to talk to them. I don't have anything against that, but having lived in a bigger town (not just Missoula, but Portland too) I have a certain resistance to talking to strangers on the street. Case in Point...
I was at the minimart today getting my customary Mountain Dew. I got into my car, started it up and then noticed a strange man ("strange" as in unknown to me, not weird or anything like that) walking toward my car and coming to a stop outside my passenger window. Several thoughts ran through my head like "who is this guy?" and " Does he think I am someone else?" and of course "No way am I getting carjacked in Mt. Morris, IL!!!". As it turned out, I rolled down my window and he told me he had noticed my Montana liscense plate and wondered where I was from. He was very nice and we had an interesting conversation for about 10 minutes. It just struck me that if I had been anyplace else, I wouldn't have opened my window to talk to him. That is what I like about small towns....

Update for the Sam fans:
Sam has been moved into all honors classes, except for his US History class. Yep, they seem to think he is a genius here....Well, a BIG Thanks to the Missoula County Public School System!

Update on the other Belleque's and Rogers:
Nick and Alena are settling into Wyoming. Working hard and helping out the grandparents!
Kris and Thomas are doing good...Kris has a job in a coffee shop! In Scott's Bluff! and get this, Thomas is looking into a job in an ARCADE! (a job made just for him!)

Oh, haven't seen the cranky squirrel lately...he must be going nuts! Oh, man, I crack myself up!

The squirrel really is crazy...

2008-08-30T20:16:00.000-07:00

I know that you don't believe me about the squirrel. I will take a picture of him sometime and post it! It is unbelievable. I was unloading the trunk of my car and he sat on a tree branch and scolded me for as long as it took to unload my car! I couldn't believe it, so I made Brett come out and see. That squirrel just chattered at both of us and then after I was done, he fell asleep on the limb of the tree with all of his feet hanging off the branch. It was pretty funny! Now our neighbor, Howard, knows about the crazy squirrel too. He thought it was funny, maybe the squirrel was just welcoming me to the neighborhood! Ha! I think it is out to get me...like the groundhog in "Caddyshack".

And now, random pictures!

2008-08-28T17:21:00.000-07:00

This is our little buddy and his big dad! Asher and his family are moving to the Oregon Coast...further from us. *sigh*
This is another little buddy...Toaster...gotta love those dimples, they are just like his dad's!
Me and the clown I married....25 years ago! Would I do it again? In a heartbeat!
Janni and me - I miss her too. And her two girls!

IFEST in 2009!!!
Tim and Sam - feeling a little bit piratey!

The squirrel that hates me...

2008-08-28T17:13:00.000-07:00

I have heard stories in the past about squirrels that hate people, but I haven't experienced it for myself until yesterday as I was putting out the dog. We have a big (think HUGE) oak tree at the side of the house that is occupied by a variety of small animals including one extremely irritated squirrel. Now I am not sure what I did to irritate him, but he is very cranky. So I am putting out the dog, untangling her leash and suddenly I hear some chattering and squirrel swearing! Now I know that he was cussing me out just by the tone of voice! Anyhoo, he looks right at me, chitters away in squirrel and when I just ignore him and turn away....he throws a nut at me! I am not kidding. It landed inches from my head, right on the outdoor table! I will try to get pictures of him being a bad squirrel, just so someone will believe me. Brett doesn't...oh, if the dog could only talk! Then, this morning as I was headed out to get the mail, I hear the same cranky squirrel in the tree out front! He is out to get me, I am sure of that! Brett said it is okay, that we have a pellet gun....

I met Edna at the store...

2008-08-27T19:13:00.000-07:00

It is funny in this little town how very nice people are. I mean, most of them are over 60, but they are very friendly and really like to talk. NO ONE moves fast in this town. They chat at the grocery store, the gas station, mini mart, the library and post office. I find myself not being in a hurry very much, sometimes not by choice.
I met Edna the other day at the store. She was in front of me in line. She was probably the cutest old lady I have ever met...and I have met my share of cute old ladies. She was so sweet and just could not figure out why I would leave Montana for Illinois. It certainly opens up opportunities to talk about why we moved and what we are doing here. I mean, God comes up in the conversation alot.
I also met Len down at the library. Brett and I were in there getting our library cards (I can't go with out a public library) and we had to fill out alot of paper work. Apparently in Mt. Morris, they guard their library books very closely! We filled out the address, then when we turned the card over, we realized that we had to have a reference! To take a quick bunny trail here, I haven't ever had to have a reference for a library card...like I said, books are very important around here. On the plus side, the library card was FREE! Back to the story. Well, Brett and I looked at each other and started laughing. We didn't know anyone in town! Not a stinkin' soul. I told the librarian - a very nice lady - that I didn't know anyone...and that is when I met Len. He was waiting in line behind me and he stepped up, looked at me and said, " I think I have met you before. My name is Len. " We shook hands and he turned to the librarian and said, " I know her, you can use me for a reference!" We just cracked up. What a sweet old guy! (yes, another of the over 60 or in his case, probably over 70 crowd!)

So life in this town goes on...pretty sweet.

Oh and for those of you who might want a report on how Sam is doing...He is marching in the band, yes, marching. Which he tells me is alot like Guitar Hero....You will have to ask him what that means, because frankly, I didn't get it.

I am frustrated...

2008-08-26T19:30:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I am not great at this blogging thing. I want everyone to know that the profile and the "posted by" thingys aren't working. I am not Brett and he definatly doesn't want to be blamed for what is on this blog. So...It is me (Cindy) writing all this stuff. I will try my best to get the profile thingy figured out. Meanwhile, enjoy...Oh and check out the Montana Belleque's blog that Brett does write!

Wow, it worked!

2008-08-26T18:49:00.001-07:00

Okay, I was a little doubtful that I could figure out how to do this "blogging" thing, but look I did it! Neener Neener! Anyway I actually put a picture on the page too. I am going to try to do that again. Oh, about the blog's picture. That is my really nifty family! Lets see, there is Alena, Nick, Brett(the hunka, hunka burning love that is my husband OF 25 YEARS!)Sam, Thomas and Kristine! Andrew is missing from the picture - can you blame him? Can you guess which ones are mine??? Two of these things are not like the others...that is, they are not Belleque's! If you don't know me and you guess right, I will send you a piece of candy! Really, I will.

These are pictures from the WEDDING! It was so great!

Doesn't Emily look gorgeous! I love the way the sparklers are in focus, but Em isn't! It was so much fun to see all our friends.

Glen and Donna are their usual funny selves...I miss them! Glen performed the wedding! It was, as he put it, "world's colliding!"

The picture of Kris with her brothers just cracks me up! It is how she mostly looks when she's with them - the "I can't believe they are related to me" look. She has perfected it!

Well, school here has started last week. I think the kids are going to make it, not sure though. Kris and Thomas started this week. Nick and Alena are moving to Wyoming to have a fresh start and take care of the 'rents. (Brett's, not mine!) It is a good time, but everything is changing so fast. I can't believe that I am in Illinois, my dad is in Oregon with my sister and brother, my other sister is in Arizona and my kids are in Wyoming! CRAZY! Just a year ago, we didn't have Thomas, we were cruising along in our quiet little world, but God apparently had a different plan in mind. Although I knew without a doubt that Illinois is where he wanted us, I still have trouble believing that I am here. Anyone want to buy a house in Montana? I got one.

Well, I never thought I'd have a blog...

2008-08-26T18:41:00.000-07:00

I really didn't thing I would have a blog. And then I moved away from all that was familiar to me and into the really small town I live in and think I love. Not sure yet. The juries still out on that one. Anyway, I digress. I decided that having a blog would be a good way to keep in touch, show off pictures and generally vent to the public at large. I don't intend to be a whiner, although I am sure there will be days...but I do think that a chance to say what I want to say about my life might be good for me. If you don't want to listen, that is okay. I think there are lots of other blogs available to browse! So hopefully I won't bore you to tears!