Saddle up your horses...

LET ME HAVE THAT APPLE!

     Dear Readers,
 I was so blessed to be able to go to Wild West Days this weekend. Mom and I had talked about going, but then Cate got sick and I didn't even think about it being a possibility. But last night when we got home from Uncle Len's birthday dinner, Ms.Barb (Benjamin's physical therapist) had called and offered to take me with her and another girl, Alyssa, to the event. It was amazing!!

One of the sweet horses we met - doesn't he resemble Marki?

  We got to watch Mike Stacy's clinic first, where he showed people how to train their horses various things (that I didn't know and so enjoyed learning!) and answered the audience's questions. Ms.Barb explained the things I didn't understand and explained how to do a flying lead change, which I have always wanted to learn to do! (I will refrain from giving you all the details...my family said it's another language!) 
   After the clinic, we all walked around and Ms.Barb introduced me to several horses and their people. (I was feeding them all apples, as you can see in first the picture.)

I'm in love with Mr.Big!

   Alyssa volunteers at Luv Shack, an organization that takes in abandoned and abused horses. It is a no-kill shelter and put on the training challenge event we attended next.
  Another animal rescue group was there with some of their animals.


For a three dollar donation, you could go in the animal pen and pet them. I really loved this llama in the pen, and thought I would donate and give 'Emma' some lovin'.


so sweet...



 Emma apparently did not like humans at all. She was so sweet for me,though, and let me wrap my arms around her and rub her back. Isn't she precious??

 And look at those teeth!

 Bless her heart, she needs braces...   The next portion was the Trainers' Challenge. Luv Shack gave these trainers ninety days to train these mostly unridden horses. Well, Mr.Big only had 5 days, and another horse named Sweet Caroline had only THREE days, and she was parading around the whole time with two little kids riding on her back.



I know it's blurry, but I thought it captured Mr.Big perfectly!



Do you see the shadow?




Rodeo, anyone?

 









If you look closely, you'll see Mr.Big's trainer is balancing upside
down on top of him - about to somersault down!



So, I had  a really great day. All the horses were so great, and I learned a ton! I missed out on a day of doing laundry, too...! 

Your horse-crazy blogger,

Claire











Who let the dogs out?!





Go Bulldogs!





 Dear Readers,

 So much has happened this October...But, of course, we've had tests to study for and a myriad of other things to do - so you don't yet know about them! Fall is my favorite season, so I will (I promise) eventually blog about pumpkin patches,  signing at the fair, Halloween and all those wonderful things.

   But right now my heart is really bursting. We have just returned from Mississippi State, and packed into this last weekend was so many wonderful things and people  that I feel nearly choked up thinking about it.

We started the trip out by eating at Little Dooey's with good friends. Uncle Len had never been and

hence found it to be heaven! After that we toured the Cobb Institute of  Archaeology for Mason.

 He is planning to major in Archaeology and later go to seminary and become a missionary.

 (I wish I had it all planned out that neatly!)  The Cobb Institute was truly  amazing. We got to touch shards of pots used in Bible times, and examined artifacts from Israel. Mom wants to changs her major!

   After that one of Dad's Fraternity brothers, Pete, led us through the communications department for Mom and Benjamin. Mom  was a Communications Major, ans so she enjoyed seeing some of her old professors.

She says it looks nothing like it did when she was there,though. Macs instead of typewriters. A computer room instead of a dark room. I wonder how much State will have changed when I've graduated and take my kids there...

  We went to the Lodge, and saw so much maroon! It's nice to go someplace decked out in MSU clothes and not have people say "Are you for Michigan?"

 After that we went to eat at Harvey's (the restaurant Mom and Dad went to after he proposed) with

 our dear friends Miss.Trish, her brother Mr.Butch ,and his wife Mrs.Susan.

Here's half the table! Dad, Cate , Miss.Trish, Mr.Butch, and Mrs.Susan are all on this side!

We truly had a great time! Miss. Trish is Mom's friend and mentor, and with her we have gone to Disneyland,  and she has come to see us in almost every part of the country we've lived. We count our time with all of  them as precious!

Dad and I at Oby's - the best!

 Saturday was game day!

 Grammie drove to our hotel in Columbus to see us, and with her she brought some delecious blueberry doughnuts! (My mouth is still watering...) We were all so happy to see her- and took her out to eat at

 our favorite, Oby's, for the occasion! We had some delecious sweet tea and sandwhiches, and had a lot of hugs as well! (I promise this post will not all be about food!) I rode in the car with her on the way, and by the time we got there my mouth was dry from all the talking! I'm pretty sure her ears were numb from all the listening! 

Grammie with her kiddos!

 Now, back to game day. It was amazing! The atmosphere at Mississippi State is so great. We got to see a ton of sweet people, and by the time the ball game rolled around we had seen everyone on campus and hugged their necks, I'm sure! Mrs. Susan was so amazing and got us side line passes.
We were mere feet away as the players warmed up, and even got to pet Bully! (All I had wanted the whole time was to hold a bulldog's chubby head. I was so lucky - I got to hold Champ's!)   To end our perfect trip the bulldogs won the game!  Following are a few photos from our memory-filled trip.   Your Blogger,
                                                Claire




Don't we NEED a bulldog?



The Shraders, Champ, and his handler (I want that job!!)



                                                                               





                                                                                                              

Mom made this beautiful reminder to-
RING RESPONSIBLY!

                                                                                                     















It's been so long...



It's been so long since I last saw my sweet friend Amanda!

 Dear Readers,
 It's been so long since I last blogged, I know! So much has happened...
  We  just went to Rochester Minnesota, our home for so many years. It was a short visit, but filled with memories that are the sweetest, reunions with the best of friends, family we adore, and fall!



Seeing Mrs.Daimer, the best principal in the world and such a sweet lady!

    It was a bitter sweet trip. It was sad to arrive 'home' and have to go to a hotel, not our little blue house. It was sad to see all our amazing friends and family, and have to leave them. But it was a very, VERY good trip. The above pictures are of the 'reunion' our friends put on for us at the Churchhill accessible playground we all helped build. I saw Amanda and her mom, Mary, which was truly a  gift.  We also got to hug Mrs. Daimer, who we have such great memories with. The blessings keep on coming! The boys' best friend's mom, Nora, came, and later we got to see Greg. Our kindergarten teacher Mrs.Hanson was there, and other dear friends as well.
  We were thrilled to see everyone! Thank you so much Laughlin family for  this amazing gift, and thank you to everyone who made the time for us. You can't know how much this touched my heart.
 


Another amazing friend. Mrs.Shelly took the time to drive from her home hours away for us. Thank you!

 We spent the day with Mrs.Shelly, which was such a blessing. Mom has really missed her, and we so enjoyed our time with her. She made us laugh and cry all in one day! Friends are such a blessing. We love and miss all of you, dear ones!


Our Aunt Sarah, Uncle Talley and Grammie

          Family. Another sweet blessing. We have great memories with Uncle Talley and Aunt Sarah, and made many more this past trip. We spent the evening with them while mom and dad had a meeting, and had the best time. We were even lucky enough to spend the next day with them, too, only this time with mom and dad. It was so much fun visiting Uncle Talley at ABC, where he works with special needs adults.  I also enjoyed learning a song on the piano with Aunt Sarah. Thank you so much for the great time, both of you. 

                               I  love Rochester, so it was such an amazing thing for us to get to go make memories there with our sweet Cate. Even though she didn't know many of the people we saw (and was quite frank about it!) she now has good memories with all our loved ones from Minnesota as well. Which, my Readers, is  truly a blessing. (Could I have used that word  more in this post?)  Your sentimental blogger,
                                                                                                        Claire

Lessons to be learned from Disneyworld (with a few good pictures!)

                    Hello, sweet readers! We are home from Walt Disney World! We truly had a great time. But let me start at the beginning...

a

Our Alligator Bayou room - photo courtesy of Mom

     Upon arrival, there was a little confusion with our room, so we  spent an interesting night in Magnolia Bend. (We stayed at Port Orleans Riverside, our all time favorite!)  The night was filled with wet floors, winding halls, messed up names, and a room on the edge of civilization (they were scrimping to call it accessible).  I won't go too much into detail, but you get the picture! We had always stayed at the lovely Alligator Bayou growing up, so thankfully we could move there the next day. There Dad claimed the beds were bigger and all our moods brighter!

    

My attempt at capturing her as we waited- isn't this the perfect pose?

  The vacation was one of the best. Cate didn't remember Disney World, so it was fun to watch her discover everything and to remember everything ourselves. At the Magic Kingdom, we went to Cinderella's Castle for breakfast with a red-headed Cindy of our own.  

   She was a bit emotional.. yes, that's really a look of crossness in the above photo. But don't those rosy cheeks and folded hands make her look like a little cherub?
   Next up ~ Animal Kingdom!

My favorite park, it's filled with exotic animals,a great area to watch veterinarians perform operations, and interesting facts you never knew. All in the jungle of Africa or mountains of Asia!

 This park has an amazing interactive parade, a thrill ride that goes backward, nature walks filled with gorillas, tigers and naked mole rats (Oh my!) and the best safari ever. My uncle went on a real safari in Africa and didn't see as many animals as we saw at Disneyworld.  We had 3 rhinos nudge and sniff our truck, (I had to fight the urge to pet them - they were that close!) A mama and baby giraffe fed   alongside us, and we (are you ready?)

 heard a lion roar! It was breath taking. It sent chills up my spine. It made reminded me that  we have one awesome God. He let out a thunderous roar once, and then sent out rough barks from the back of his throat. It sounded like he was coughing up something, and it just kept coming. My Dad believes he was telling us to stay away from his air-conditioned rock "This is MY rock. You can't have MY rock!" yes, the lions have a cooled rock to keep them up there most of the time, so we the people can see them in all their majesty.  

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This is my Mom's amazing photo - for more see her blog (the blessing counter) on the link to the right.

So, even though our vacation started out a little less magical than Mom and Dad would have hoped, we still made great memories. In fact, all that craziness at the beginning was, in my opinion, all part of the fun of vacation. There's a song by Point of Grace called "Turn up the music (how you live)". I love this song, and it reminds me not to worry about the dumb things in life, like how messy the kitchen will be after making that batch of pink cookies with your sister, but to embrace the moment and enjoy it! If I always go through life not doing things that will make the house dirty, I'll miss out on all the joys God has to offer me. If we had spent all our vacation mad about those crazy incidents of the first night, we would have truly missed out. And though it did take some time to get over it, we did, and had a great time. That's something I would like to always do, wouldn't you? Thanks for reading all this post, I know I get on my soapbox and don't step down for a time.... Until next time, my readers!

                                                                 Claire

                                                                                                                                       

                                                                                                          Yes, we are the silly Shraders-           

                                                                                                                  and  proud of it!

                                                    

Celebrating Wednesday (on Thursday)

Dear Readers,

Yesterday was a very exciting day for the Shraders! Mom and I got up early and went to the beauty shop to get our hair cut. (As you know from that photo.) I got my pony tail cut off to make into a wig for someone with cancer. This was such a rewarding thing.  It just makes me smile to think of the little girl who will get a pretty wig from my pony tail. Well, mine and a few others. It takes 6-10 pony tails to make one wig. Start growing those locks out, ladies!

 Here's the other bit of exciting news:  My brothers have just joined a theatre group that will be performing the musical  Snoopy!  Benjamin will be piano-playing Schroeder, and Mason (in a smaller role, ha) will be CHARLIE BROWN! I'm so  excited for them, and know they are excited as well.  ( Please keep scrolling...there's a little more...)

                                                                                               

Cutting it all off...

Ta Da!

 I'm at the end of this post, but just wanted to share a little bit of the inspiration for my hair. I was powered to cut my hair for different reasons than the style yesterday.

 "The king will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Matthew 25:40 (Jesus)

Wow. Pretty powerful stuff right there. This is what I did to try to show God my appreciation for all He has, and does, do for me. What will you do?

Love,

Your blogger Claire

Musical beginnings

Dear Readers,

Yesterday a very exciting thing happened! I had my very first piano lesson and my first violin lesson in a long time. My mom and I found a lady, Laura Syjud, to teach me piano and violin back to back. First of all, I need to tell y'all that my violin has a name. My first strings teacher,  Mrs.Carlson, told all of us violin players to name our violins boy names because the cello players named their cellos girl names. The whole reason I was inspired to play the violin was because of Charles (Pa) Ingalls, in the Little House series, playing the fiddle. So, naturally, I named my violin Charles. Well, my new teacher's name is Laura, so even if she was mean (she's very sweet) I'm sure I would like her any way because of her name! So, I truly enjoyed my violin lesson. It was great to get my violin  tuned and sounding good, and also great to practice and correct things that need to be corrected. My piano lesson was amazing as well! I learned a lot in that half hour slot, and am excited to progress!  Thanks for listening to all that...I know it's not a subject all of you, dear Readers, are interested in, but I needed to share. It was truly a fantastic afternoon that I will always remember.

Love,

 Claire

    

"The Highest Words"

    Nikolai Khamara
     U.S.S.R.
     1970s
                            " "What kind of men are these?" wondered Nikolai Khamara. "They show joy while suffering. They sing in very dark hours. Morning and evening, they fold their hands and speak to someone no one can see. As they do, their faces shine." For months, Khamara had watched the Christians who shared his cell in the Communist prison. Unlike the believers who were in prison for refusing to deny their faith in Jesus, Khamara was there for crimes he had committed.
    One day, two of the Christians sat down with Khamara. He told them the story of his life and finished by saying "I am a lost man." 
   One of the Christians asked, "Suppose somebody lost a gold ring. What is the value of the ring when it is lost?" "What a foolish question! A gold ring is a gold ring. You have lost it, but somebody will have it." Khamara replied. "Then what is the value of a lost man?" the Christian asked. He continued, "A lost man, even one who is a thief or murderer or an adulterer, has the value of a whole man. He is of such value that the Son of God forsook Heaven for him and died on the cross to save him."  Khamara understood.
  The Christian said to the robber, "God loves you. You are valuable to Him.
    When Jesus met people of great sins He never asked them what sins they had committed. Instead, He told them, ""Be of good cheer. Your sins are forgiven.""  "You are forgiven because Jesus died for you. You only have to believe. " Khamara became a Christian. "
    Dear Readers,
 That's a pretty amazing story, isn't it? I got it out of the book Jesus Freaks by dc talk and The Voice of the Martyrs.
  After Khamara had served his prison term, he joined the underground church. When his pastor was arrested, Communist guards couldn't get him to give any information on his church. So, they stopped torturing him and brought Khamara in.
  They stabbed Khamara's eyes out in front of his pastor. The pastor could not endure someone suffering for him. "What should I do?" He asked Khamara. Khamara replied "Be faithful to Jesus and do not betray Him. I am happy to suffer for the name of Christ." "When my eyes are taken away, I will see more beauty than I can see with these eyes. I will see the Savior. You remain faithful to Christ to the end." 
  When the guards prepared to cut out Khamara's tongue, he said this; "Praise the Lord Jesus Christ. I have said the highest words that can be said. Now, if you wish, cut out my tongue."
   Khamara died a martyr's death.
   Wow.  Christians all across the globe are suffering like this for their unshakeable faith in Jesus Christ. I've determined that if these amazing people can pray for the people who kill their families, friends and themselves, the least I can do is share Jesus's love with the people I come in contact with every day. Even if it means going out of my comfort zone - isn't it worth that to watch a friend come to know Jesus? That's my goal. Will you join me?

The wonderful world

 Dear Readers,
As all of you know, I'm sure, this world has many many problems. Some days, it's so easy for me to focus on all the bad parts of the world, and I forget that this place is something God created. No, it's not without fault, but still, God said it was good didn't he? None of us is perfect - we all have difficult times and do things we regret. But, let's forgive as God does and look at ourselves as our Creator can - wonderful and made in His image. I'm going to share some of the things I think are beautiful in this world we live.

Horses. One of God's finest creations, in my opinion.  Smart, strong animals, capable of running faster than a car. Roaming free, they are a sight to behold. Bucking and playfully nipping others in their tight family-like herd. Or bridled with rider cantering through showy arenas or grassy fields, the feeling of freedom bursting out of their breast, one with the horse, racing the wind. Oh yeah, and with me in that photo is my brother. Brothers- need I say more? Always your defendant when you need it, yet they pull your braids and tease you at home. You've gotta love 'em! Here's the whole gang - Benjamin, Mason , Claire(me), and Cate. Plus the horses, Marki (with me) and Tyrone (with Mason). On this particular travel to River Ridge Farm (affectionately referred to as Mrs.Rosie's to us) Benjamin was so sweet and defendant of me when another girl was very mean to Marki and I. Thanks, boys! My siblings are some of the most important people in the world to me. They're so supportive - I mean do you see Mason saddling a horse and Benjamin patiently enduring 2 hours of barn time? They're the greatest.

Here's another thing that is beautiful. Music. Sweet and soft, or loud and energetic, music touches my soul.

I took this absolutely angelic picture of my piano to try and capture the music onto this page.  Can't you imagine wonderful melodies pouring out from deep within this amazing instrument? Yes, music is a gift from God. I am taking this oppurtunity to share some good news with you. I love music, yet there are some people who can't hear  the beat of a drum or sway of a fiddle. I learned American Sign Language for people like this, and have been blessed with the oppurtunity to share music with people in Sign Language.

 My Mom recently signed me up for a ministry called Arizona Friends in Sign. There I will be part of a group that performs songs in sign and teaches Sign Language to people who have the desire to learn. I'm very excited and can hardly wait!

And here's my family! The most amazing and fun people in the world! They are very important to me and are my best friends. I love them all!  They are DEFINITELY the most beautiful things I can think of in this world!

I encourage each of you, my sweet readers, to look through fresh eyes at the beauty and splendor of my Father's World!   

The beautiful spring  roadside of Mississippi

       

To Mom

 
Dear Mom,
 Thank you so much for the great weekend! I really enjoyed going to the homeschool conference with you on Friday just the two of us. I  had a ton of fun shopping through curriculum and going to the seminars too.  I love spending time with you- thank you so much! And, even though Mason was there, I really enjoyed Saturday too!   Thank you for all you do and the fun we have together! Cate, the boys and I are so so lucky to have you as our mother. You fill our lives with love, and I hope this post shows you how much I love you!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!
 I love you,
Claire
P.S. readers, as I'm sure you have deduced we went to the homeschool conference and had a blast! I learned a ton at the seminars and will share the details later.

What we've been up to...

Dear Readers,

I apologize for not blogging for some time. But now I'm back with lots of news to share! And Colorful news at that! Yesterday and today the Shrader household has been creatively colorful by tie-dying some shirts! We, being the Disney lovers that we are, even put a mickey on it!
Here's step one: Trace mickey onto the shirt. 

                                                         Step Two : Tie-dye shirt and tie rubber bands around the shirt.

Step three: Wrap tie-dyed shirts in plastic wrap.

(If you'll notice, one of the wraps is a big ball. This is Uncle Len's.) And...voila! The finished product! This is Mom's shirt. Pretty cute, don't you think? Well, that's one finished product. Uncle Len wanted to venture away from the instructions we were all using and try something a little different. I'll let you come to your own conclusions.... (but I must add a photo!)

 Regardless of the outcome of his shirt, we are all very happy to have our Lenny home! (He was at Church camp as a leader and in Mississippi for a week.) I hope y'all  enjoyed reading about our tie-dying adventures!  Until next time, 

                                       Claire                                                                     

Dog Days

Dear Readers,
The Shrader Family has been doing all sorts of fun stuff lately...(Do you see those pictures?) We have been playing games, making rockets soar,watching movies, painting pictures out of puffy paint, making Toy Story 3 place mats, learning Spanish, swimming,(yes-Mason finally got that cast off!) Mom has been teaching me to sew with a machine,(not as easy as it looks..)and I've been trying to finish a cross-stitch I've been working on for-well- a while. Oh yeah--and we went out in public (astonishing-I know!) Wednesday to take Pluto to the Veterinarian! The Animal Hospital is one of the funnest places in the world,(to me) so we had a blast. Pluto doesn't get out and about in the car very much, and hence-forth was trembling and panting with excitement! And, for those of you made after my own heart, nothing is wrong with Pluto...he just needed some Vaccinations! We are going out again this afternoon. Toy Story Three is finally here! We are all very excited to see it, but Benjamin has read the director's blog and gone on the TS3 website so many times this past year I don't know what he's going to do after we see it! He knows so much info on it already I think he may know the ending! We are making lots of goodies tonight in honor of the movie. Mr.Prickly pants is a character of the movie, and we'll be making cupcakes with his face fashioned out of frosting and various candy on the top. Also, we'll bake some of Sheriff Woody's badges, and some Jessie cowgirl hats as well. (cookies!) Cate, Mom and I worked all last week on Rex the Dinosaur place mats, and we made some with Buzz Lightyear, a horse shoe (who could forget my favorite-Bullseye!?), Jessie's hat ,and a sheriff badge. I added a goatee to Uncle Len's Buzz- he looks exactly like Uncle Len! I've made a cartoon astronaut Uncle Lenny! Speaking of astronauts... We really did make a rocket! It was fueled by baking soda and vinegar. We had to put the baking soda in a tube and then tip it upside down into the vinegar. BOOM! When, after several tries, we finally got it right, the rocket soared! Check out my Mom's blog for a link to our hilarious video! (I'm not sure how to add a link..) Her address is: www.theblessingcounter.blogspot.com Enjoy! By the way, we bought a myth busters set at Joanne's with everything we need to make the rocket and other experiments. I dare you to try it - it' s great and you won't regret it! Comment on my blog and share some of your fun summer days- I'd love to hear them! With Love,
Claire