Our Jots about Jordan

Ice Storm

2012-01-12T20:29:00.002-05:00

These are the branches of the tree in front of our house. There is approximately 1/4 inch of ice on everything. The light is reflecting through the ice and I just thought it would make an interesting picture.
You can see the ice build up here on the shepherd's crook plant hanger on the porch also.

You can see the icicles hanging on the porch light at the end of the porch. Everything was encased in this ice. Sort of reminiscent of the Ice Storm of '98.

And this is a duplicate picture that I can't seem to delete.

Good- bye Intrepid

2012-01-12T20:22:00.003-05:00

Our dear faithful Chrysler Intrepid is finally going to take its final trip out of the yard in the next couple of days. (It would have been gone today, except we had an ice storm) A man stopped and inquired about what we were going to do with the two cars in the yard, I explained that one belonged to my son, but that we wanted to sell them. He wanted the Intrepid for parts, made an offer and we took it. We bought it with 19,000 miles on it and in now has 189,000 miles on it. It has been a very good car for us, it survived two teenage drivers, one deer, one ditch, and one stop sign. Good-bye Intrepid, you have been a good and faithful friend!

Merry Christmas from our house to yours!

2011-12-25T08:42:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas a little early

2011-12-18T20:41:00.002-05:00

Justin and Stacy were home on the 1st of December. While they were here, Chris, my sister came and we celebrated with them. They were here for several days and then went to Pennsylvania to spend several days with Stacy's family. They came back home and then Rachel and I took them to Syracuse to fly out on Wednesday the 14th to go back to California. We were so glad to have them here. While they were here we took the opportunity to get a few group pictures. The time flew by so quickly, but it was a good time. Here is a link to the pictures https://picasaweb.google.com/111472392053516289027/JustinAndStacyWereHome##

There was a mouse in our house!

2011-10-22T19:38:00.002-04:00

Last night we returned home from our Brushton Camp Meeting meeting and it was late. I checked my papers and facebook and blogs and decided I was very tired and headed for bed. I had just crawled in bed, decided to read a few pages of a book to relax myself. I picked up the book and underneath it was a bug, a stinkbug to be specific. I got up and grabbed a tissue, scooped up the bug and headed into the bathroom to flush it down the toilet. I lifted the seat on the toilet and jumped back startled. There was a mouse in the toilet. I am hoping this was the mouse that we have been trying to catch over the last three weeks, but I don't know for sure. Anyway, it took three flushes to get rid of the little mouse. What a way to end the day! (Forgot to take any pictures!)

Carpentry job at the parsonage.

2011-10-14T17:20:00.002-04:00

This week I took a few vacation days and my sister did too. She came and we worked at the church parsonage while the pastor and his family were away. We did casings for two doors and three windows, molding for three doors, one door way (both sides) and three windows. We are also putting wainscoting in the dining room with a cap molding on that. Here is a link to see the work that we have done so far. https://picasaweb.google.com/111472392053516289027/CarpentryJobOnTheParsonage#

Busy day!

2011-10-06T20:22:00.002-04:00

No pictures today, but I had a very busy and productive day. After I took Rachel to school, Jeffrey came over and we had eggs and scrapple for breakfast before he had to go to work. Then after he left, I quickly checked email, FB, and a few headlines before heading out to do errands. I left the house, went to the DMV, the post office, the bank, the oil company, and then to Home Depot. I got some of that spray insulation so I could fill some holes where the mice are getting in. I then ran to WM and picked up some D-con to get rid of the mice. Then came home to start working. It all started Sunday night when Jeffrey was here and opened the pantry door and a mouse scurried past his hand. We proceeded to empty the pantry looking for the mouse. There were two large containers of almost everything that was in the pantry sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor. We just carefully walked around them for a few days. So today, I scrubbed the pantry out, and the sealed all of the holes and cracks where a mouse could get in, then proceeded to put most of the stuff back in the pantry. I did throw away some very old stuff. Then I cleaned out the bottom of the pantry where we had canning supplies and pots and pans and roaster and such. I also sealed all of the holes there. Got that all cleaned up and then got into the space where the water heater is and closed all of the holes there. Hopefully, I won't see or hear of anymore mice. The D-con went under the house in the crawl space and I sealed any holes I could see to prevent any critters from getting under the house. I did buy some old fashioned traps and am going to set some of those just in case there are some dumb critters still in the house hiding. After I did all of that, the house cleaner (Tiffany) came so I retreated to the bedroom and finished folding and putting away the laundry and stripped the sheets off of the bed and made the bed with nice clean sheets. It was finally time to go get Rachel at school at about 6 pm. (She stayed late to do some work) Got home and fixed chicken noodle soup for supper and now just trying to relax!

Scenes from around the house outside

2011-09-25T21:05:00.005-04:00

This is from my hibiscus that is on the front porch full of buds.
The apple tree in the front yard. I have made one pie from the apples and may do more! It was very good.

Looking from the front yard to the back, about in the middle is where the large ash tree was.

Just some of the sumac in the back yard, it gets very colorful this time of year.

This is from the top of the sand pile looking toward the west, the two maples along the back of the house are gone plus the ash that was at the end of the deck.

From the lower part of the yard, the maple that was in the middle of the yard is missing plus a smaller ash tree just by the shed (you can see the ash started sprouting again).

Taken looking west again.

This was taken from the back door. It is amazing that the back yard is at least as big as the front if not bigger.

Trip to Burlington Vermont

2011-09-22T22:25:00.003-04:00

Rachel and I went to Burlington on the eve of the 12th for my appointment of the 13th. It was a nice ride over and we took the ferry and got a roundtrip ticket. On our way back on Tuesday, bad weather was moving in and it was a real rocking and reeling trip on the ferry. Here are a few of the pictures of the whitecaps.

Our trip to California

2011-09-22T22:14:00.002-04:00

Sorry it has been so long, but the summer just seemed to fly by so fast. In July, besides working, I was playing lumberjack and cut down several trees in our back yard so that there would be more sun for the pool. In August, Rachel and I cooked again at the Richland Holiness Camp, in Richland, NY for ten days. We came home and I worked for three days and then we took off for the west coast to see Justin and Stacy in Yuba City, CA. Here is the link so that you can see the pictures that I took https://picasaweb.google.com/111472392053516289027/CaliforniaTrip##

Just a nice day to sit out on the porch

2011-06-19T22:55:00.003-04:00

This is a propane fire pit I had gotten for my birthday one year. We decided to try it out while we were out on the porch one night. It is nice.
Jordan discovered that caterpillars wouldn't hurt him.

He learned to be very gentle with them.

Jordan in the hospital

2011-06-19T22:53:00.001-04:00

Over the weekend of June 11, Jordan was in the hospital with pneumonia in both lungs. He was a very sick little boy. Here is a link to the pictures of him and his new bike.
https://picasaweb.google.com/jmccallus/JordanInTheHospital?authkey=Gv1sRgCJvF9Y3J4rXQlQE#

Father's Day 2011

2011-06-19T22:29:00.003-04:00

This is one of the things that got accomplished this past week. Our other pool had a hole in the ring around the top, so we upgraded a little and installed this pool this week. It is great for just cooling off and getting wet.

Jeffrey, Tina, and Jordan got me this beautiful Orchid for Father's Day. They know I love plants and flowers and I think it is beautiful. Thanks again.

Close up shot of the flowers!

We had a very enjoyable day today. It was not only Father's Day, but it was also Jeffrey, Jr.'s birthday. Most every year it is during our annual Brushton Campmeeting and we don't get to celebrate on his birthday. This year camp is late and so Friday night, my sister arrived and we went out for his birthday supper. Then we had them for dinner today for his birthday and to visit while Chris was still here. Rachel fixed a delicious pot roast dinner with carrots, mashed potatoes, cauliflower, and fruit salad. We had scratch chocolate cake with imitation whipped cream frosting. It was very good to get a call from Justin today and to talk a while with him. He then got to wish Jeffrey a happy birthday also. It was just a beautiful day full of beautiful things.

Jeffrey's Graduation at SUNY Canton

2011-05-26T21:30:00.003-04:00

On Saturday, May 21st, Jeffrey Jr. graduated with an associate degree in nursing. He was part of the RN program and will now be able to take the state boards to become an RN. Here is a link to the photos of graduation, the pinning ceremony, and then the party afterwards.
https://picasaweb.google.com/jmccallus/JeffreySGraduation?authkey=Gv1sRgCNfIm7CCu76LgAE#

We are very proud of him and all of his hard work to accomplish this goal in his life. We are also proud of Tina and Jordan and all they had to put up with to help him reach this goal.

Some new friends!

2011-05-16T19:33:00.002-04:00

This week we have been having some new guests at our bird feeder. There are four male and at least one female red breasted grosbeaks that are here. They are a very beautiful bird. Here is a link to my web album and some of the pictures I was able to capture. I haven't gotten any of the female yet, but when I do I will add them. https://picasaweb.google.com/jmccallus/OurFineFeatheredFriends?authkey=Gv1sRgCOCfzZCfnLCwoQE#

Guess who moved out?

2011-05-16T19:29:00.003-04:00

I guess you could say we are now suffering from empty nest syndrome. The robins that built the nest over our back porch light, had an egg in it, have seemingly moved on. I found part of the egg shell on the porch, so either something got it or they hatched and moved. I don't really know, and I don't really care.

2011-05-08T20:34:00.002-04:00

Guess whose house this is? Of course it is right above the porch light on the back of the house, just above my gas grill. I wonder what the grill will look like when I get back from my trip to Utica?

These are the flowers that the boys got their mother for Mother's Day. The ones on the left are from Jeffrey and Tina, the rose bush on the right is from Justin and Stacy.

I got these hydrangea bushes for Rachel for being the mother of our children. She is a very special lady and has been a loving mother to our two boys and now their wives also.

More of the hydrangeas

A real close-up!

Happy Easter everyone!

2011-04-24T22:11:00.004-04:00

Here are some lovely pictures of Jeffrey, Tina, and Jordan in their Easter outfits. Jordan didn't really want to be dressed up, but he was persuaded to wear dress clothes for just a little longer!

This was a "go away and leave me alone" action!

Coloring Easter Eggs!

2011-04-23T21:18:00.006-04:00

Tina and Jordan preparing the colorings for the eggs!

Nanny helping Jordan put the eggs in the different colors! Easy does it!

Carefully, carefully, so we don't splash!

Daddy came to join in the fun.

Look at that one with an "X" on it.

Finished product!

A multi-colored one on the left side.

Putting on the stickers

Jordan saying, "I love my egg".

It's been two years!

2011-04-15T13:36:00.003-04:00

It has been two years since my amarylis has bloomed. I have patiently waited and watered and treated it right and it finally paid off. Last year it got leaves on it, but no flowers.

It gets very top heavy and doesn't take long before it is bowed under the weight of the flowers.

Pictures from the Rehearsal, Wedding, and Reception of Justin and Stacy McCallus

2011-04-04T21:48:00.002-04:00

Here is the link to the web album from April 2, 2011. Justin and Stacy McCallus, First Baptist Church, Lewisburg, PA. https://picasaweb.google.com/jmccallus/JustinAndStacySWedding?authkey=Gv1sRgCOPv5baUxri1Bg#5591908451407634674 Hope you enjoy the pictures! I will try to add captions over the next few days!

Wedding Day

2011-04-02T10:35:00.001-04:00

Today is the day, and this is the place!

Getting ready for a wedding!

2011-03-31T09:23:00.002-04:00

We are in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, for a couple of days to make final preparations for the wedding of our son, Justin, to Stacy Price. We were hoping for some real nice warm weather, but I guess it is going to be cool, rainy, and some snowy. I am hoping to find some shoes while we are here. If I don't then I guess I will be going barefoot. After the wedding on Saturday, I will post whatever pictures I get to take on here and facebook. (I went to the darkside and started a facebook account).

Weekend with Chris

2011-03-09T13:56:00.003-05:00

Chris came up for the last weekend in February. Here are a few pictures of her and Jordan having fun.

California

2011-03-09T13:48:00.002-05:00

In January, I took a driving trip to California with Justin and Stacy. Justin had bought a car and needed to get it to California where he is stationed. SOOO. . . After a long day at work, I drove to Pennsylvania, met up with Justin and Stacy, and we left on a Friday morning. We arrived in California early Monday morning (1 am) and then I returned by plane on that same day to Syracuse arriving around 11 pm there and riding 3 hours home. Here is the link to some of the pictures that I took along the way. I didn't get any of Illinois or Nevada because it was dark when we travelled through them. https://picasaweb.google.com/jmccallus/TripToCalifornia##

Family pictures

2011-01-20T21:58:00.002-05:00

Rachel's brother, Donnie, came and did some pictures for us while Justin and Stacy were here. Here is the link so you can see the pictures. http://picasaweb.google.com/hubmub/McCallusFamily?authkey=Gv1sRgCOnlvYHNi7X-PQ&feat=directlink#

Number 200 blog entry!

2011-01-20T17:39:00.002-05:00

Just some pictures that were taken while Justin was home before heading to California. Stacy came and was here for the two weeks of Justin's RAP. It was a good time. Got Stacy to do the cooking and baking and cleaning while she was here. She was trying to make us all gain weight. Here is the link to the photos http://picasaweb.google.com/jmccallus/JustAroundHome#

Airman McCallus visiting Madison School

2011-01-20T17:14:00.003-05:00

While Justin was home, he was involved in a Recruiter Assistance Program. He different tasks that he did with and for the local recruiter. Rachel wanted him to come in and talk to her class one day. These are the pictures that Stacy took of him at school.

Looks like he knows what he is talking about.

Christmas

2011-01-20T16:39:00.007-05:00

**Just a note to let you know that notes on the side do not end up by the pictures that they should be beside.

Justin got home from Texas on Christmas Eve. We had all gathered at Esther's house for the evening. We had a good time as everyone started arriving. A few tense moments worrying if Tiffany was going to run out of gas somewhere and we would have to send out a rescue party.

We started off our morning by going to Jeffrey and Tina's house for opening gifts. It was a lot of fun to watch Jordan opening his gifts.

Todd played the part of Santa and passed out the gifts to those that were here.

Mathias received his own Yankees onesie much to his mothers dismay.

Black Peter visits

2011-01-20T16:32:00.002-05:00

My wife's class at school studies about cultures and traditions in other lands and one way she does that is Christmas traditions around the world. She called me one morning and asked if I could play the part of "Black Peter". I told her I would. If you want to know about the tradition you can look it up on Wikipedia. I found my old make-up kit and colored my face brown and my beard black, dressed in all black and went to school to throw candy and cookies in her classroom. Really made some believers!

Thanksgiving!

2011-01-20T16:04:00.004-05:00

We hosted Thanksgiving at our house this year. There were 32 here for dinner. I didn't get pictures of everyone, but these are just some random shots of the kids, family, and tables.

The Last Rose of Summer

2011-01-20T16:02:00.003-05:00

This was the last rose of summer that I could pick. I picked this rose on November 1st. It lasted for weeks and then finally faded away.

Getting ready to update the blog again!

2010-12-13T20:48:00.003-05:00

Time just has a way of flying by us. It doesn't really seem that long ago that I posted to my blog but it is. I have a few extra hours this week and I will be posting some Thanksgiving pictures and I will also post a few of our Christmas decorations. Our son, Justin, will be home for Christmas and we are very excited about him coming home. Keep a watch and by the end of the week there will be some new posts.

Jordan spinning like a top

2010-11-10T22:47:00.003-05:00

Nanny didn't feel too good today, so after church tonight, Jordan and his parents came to see her. Jordan was spinning around and making himself dizzy and then falling down. I took these pictures with the old "dinosaur" camera.

He would hold his hands way out and just start going around.

Then it would be time to fall down. Then it was time to start all over again.

Link to pictures that we have taken recently

2010-11-10T16:13:00.005-05:00

Here is the link to my web album that has some pictures that we have taken recently.

http://picasaweb.google.com/jmccallus/JustABunchOfPictures#

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T21:31:00.005-04:00

Okay, I'm back! Here are some pictures of Jordan and his Halloween costume. He is wearing his Air Force ABU. He was really hoping his Uncle Justin would have been home so that they could have been dressed alike, but that wasn't to be. He only went to a few of his neighbors homes and then came to Nanny and Papa's house before church. He wanted me to make sure and get a picture of his basket full of candy. There are also some pictures of the jack o lanterns that his father and mother carved. Can you guess which one is Jordan's???
Anyway, enjoy these and I will be adding a lot more pictures in the next couple of days.

Jordan and Nanny blowing bubbles!

2010-09-17T21:29:00.005-04:00

Jeffrey, Tina, and Jordan came over on Tuesday evening. Jordan wanted to blow bubbles, so he and Nanny had some fun. Enjoy the pictures.

Youth Rally, Saturday, September 11, 2010

2010-09-17T21:15:00.004-04:00

We had our first youth rally of the season at Whalen Park along the St. Lawrence River. The pictures loaded backwards, so the first is our speaker, Rev. Joe Krohn, from our Kingston, Ontario church, the next three pictures are of the group as we gathered for lunch, and the last is the ship that was passing by when we got there. It was the only ship we saw while we were there. It was a beautiful sunny day. The little kids had fun rolling down the hill by the pavillion.

Just a visit to Jeffrey and Tina's house.

2010-09-10T22:17:00.004-04:00

Thursday evening we went over to Jeffrey and Tina's house. Jordan was showing us how he can blow this little horn.

Here he and Nanny are spending some time together.

Jeffrey bought some bagpipes and he was trying to get them to work right. Sometimes the reeds are not real cooperative. He thinks that we were making fun of him, but I really think that it is going to be cool when he can play them. I like the sound of bagpipes.

Jordan sitting on his bed. It took much persuasion to get him to do this.

These are some "Thomas and Friends" plaques that Tina got for Jordan's room. He knows them all by name.

Labor Day weekend

2010-09-10T21:55:00.007-04:00

These first three pictures are from Monday, Labor Day. Esther, Marilyn and Randy, Grandpa Steve, Donnie, Jeffrey, Tina, Jordan, Tandy and Andrew all were here for our pizza, subs, and chip party. This first picture here was of Nanny and Aunt Esther doing a puzzle.

Jordan and Aunt Esther were playing ball.

These next few were taken on Sunday night after church. Jeffrey and Tina and Jordan came over to the house. Aunt Chris was here for the weekend, but left Monday during the day. I was working.

Tina just loves to have her picture taken, can't you tell.

The rest of the pictures were taken Friday night. Jordan got a puzzle and a "Thomas" trainset with a few blocks to build with. He and Aunt Chris played with that a lot and also played ball a lot.

Duplicate picture, but I don't want to take the risk of losing all of the pictures and starting this all over again.

Here he is playing with the Thomas set.

He really loves Chris.

Has poor Aunt Chris worn right out.

Mathias Joseph Straight

2010-08-30T20:39:00.005-04:00

Yesterday, Rachel and I went to Burlington, VT, to see little Mathias. He was born on August 9th and weighted 3 lbs, 9 oz. He was born 10 weeks early. He is out of the NICU and into a transitional unit now. Donnie and Wendy are just so happy and proud of their little guy.

While we were there, he got a little fussy so they got him out for them to hold and calm him down. I think the whole time he was just starting to get hungry.

2010-08-28T19:52:00.002-04:00

During the month of July, we have our zone church campmeeting. We usually are there all day on both Sundays and sometimes during the week. It gets tiresome especially for little ones. Jordan and Papa took a walk up the side of the hill to what is known as the "prayer rock". It is a very large rock where people have been known to gather and pray. It is also an attraction for the kids. Above Jordan's head you can see the kids that are standing on top of the rock. I set Jordan up on the side of the rock and snapped this picture with my cell phone. Not the greatest quality but still a nice picture.

Our trip to Wichita Falls, Texas

2010-08-27T21:25:00.003-04:00

We flew out of Harrisburg, PA on Thursday the 19th of August with Justin's girlfriend Stacy. Landed in Charlotte, NC for a 40 minute layover which lasted longer than that. We finally boarded the plane and were number 15 in line for takeoff. We arrived at Dallas-Fort Worth airport about an hour later than we planned. Got our rental car, a Dodge Calibur, and drove the 124 miles to Wichita Falls. Met Justin at the visitor's center on base and got our passes for the weekend. Got to meet a few of his buddies. Went and had supper together at Cracker Barrel. Went to the motel, checked in and hung out for a while. I took Justin back to the base and he showed me where a few things were. Told me where to meet him the next day for lunch. The motel provided a nice breakfast for us. Stacy just loves Texas shaped waffles. She just loves making them. When we were here in Texas before she just thought that they were the greatest thing. We had a lazy morning Friday, went to the base to meet Justin for lunch, parked in what I thought was the parking lot he told me to park in, but it was the wrong one. We only got to see him for a few minutes before he had to be back at class. Spent the afternoon buzzing around the city and that is when we found the "Falls". There really isn't much else to do there other than the falls except shop. After we picked Justin up, we visited the "Falls" again, so he could see them and we took some pictures, then went out to eat at Olive Garden. It was busy and we waited quite a while before we got our dinner. Saturday we were going to go check out a mini golf place, but it was already so hot, 100+ at 11 am, we decided just to go visit air conditioned stores. We went to Hobby Lobby, what a neat place. After that we went to the Mall and ate lunch and shopped. Rachel really liked the roaches. They have a real nice mall. Thinking of something different to do, we decided to go check out Oklahoma. Well, it is more desolate than the part of Texas we were in. It was too far to really go to any of the cities, so we went back to Wichita Falls. We then tried to find some souvenirs. The tourist center didn't have any, nor had we found any in the mall. We could find ones that said Texas on them, but we wanted Wichita Falls. We asked and they sent us to the "Pecan Shed" and we were able to get some things there and also some really good fudge. We then went to Logan's Roadhouse to have supper. It is one of those places that has the peanuts and you throw the shells on the floor. It was a delicious meal. Then we went back to the motel to hang out and then to bed. Sunday morning we did Hobe Sound Bible Church on the computer. Ate with Justin, and hung out at the "Falls". We took Justin back to the base about 5:30 and headed back to Dallas-Fort Worth area to get our early morning flight to Harrisburg by way of Cincinnati. It was 101 degrees in DFW at 8:30 at night. Left DFW at 7am and were back in Harrisburg at 12:30pm. Got Stacy home and we stopped and bought some sausage and chips and Tastycakes to bring home with us. We arrived home at 11:15 pm Monday night. Went back to work to rest up on Tuesday!

Wichita Falls Trip

2010-08-27T00:08:00.004-04:00

Here is the link to the pictures that I will caption in the very near future.

http://picasaweb.google.com/jmccallus/WichitaFallsTX#

Alex Bay outing

2010-08-27T00:05:00.002-04:00

Here is the link to the pictures that I took that day.

http://picasaweb.google.com/jmccallus/AlexBayManagersDayOut#

Update!!!!

2010-08-26T23:54:00.002-04:00

Sorry it has been so long since I last posted! Please forgive me. Since my last post things were quite busy. Jeffrey and Tina have moved to Massena. They bought a house and Tina transferred branches at the bank. She is now working in Massena. Jeffrey is back in school. I will get some pictures of their house and will add them to this posting. After that, Rachel and I went to Richland, NY and cooked at the Richland Holiness Campmeeting for 10 days. We had fun and enjoyed the fellowship of like believers. We hope and plan to do it again next year. We came home on the 15th of August and I went to work on the 16th. On the 17th, our store managers went on an outing to Alexandria Bay, NY to visit Singer Castle and Boldt Castle and have lunch together. Rachel was granted permission to join us on that outing. Rachel and I then left AB and went and stayed the night in Syracuse. On Wednesday the 18th we travelled to Mifflinburg, PA, stayed with the Ted and Lois Price (Stacy's parents) in preparation for our trip to Texas the next morning. Stacy, Rachel, and I flew out of Harrisburg, PA on the 19th to Dallas-Fort Worth airport, rented a car and drove to Wichita Falls, TX to spend the weekend with Justin. The next two post will be links to the trips that we took and I will caption the pictures, but not tonight. Now I am finally back at work and Rachel is busy preparing for school to start next week.

Just an update

2010-07-12T21:03:00.003-04:00

Time flies when you are having fun and even when you aren't having fun. I can't believe it has been more than a month. During the month of June, we were busy with campmeeting at the Brushton Interdenominational Holiness camp. We enjoyed the ministries of Rev. John Case and Rev. Donald Myers. The singers were John and Betty Case. After camp, we were thrown right into the 4th of July. My sister Chris came for that weekend and we enjoyed cooking on the grill and also seeing the fireworks locally at the mall on the 3rd to celebrate Canada Day and also our 4th of July. Rachel started summer school on the 6th of July. Also during this time, Justin finished up at Keesler AFB and moved on to Sheppard AFB. He just missed being an honor graduate by a half a point. We also got a load of sand to use in the yard for filling holes. We also set up our blow up pool. It has been such a relief on the real hot days that we have been having. Jordan just has a blast in the pool. He really likes it when papa puts on his "goddles". Jeffrey and Tina have finished up their ministry at the Russell Pilgrim Holiness Church and are preparing to move this week. They will be staying with us for a short time until their house is ready for them to move in. Jeffrey has one more year of schooling to finish and he will be finishing his nursing degree. This will be a help when they get back into the ministry and he will be able to help support his family better if they pastor another small church like they had at Russell. The end of this week our local zone campmeeting will be starting. This is the Vermontville Pilgrim Holiness Camp. It is located in the Adirondack mountains. Hopefully, I can get some pictures of Jordan in the pool and maybe some other pictures posted real soon.

Jordan and his first sleepover without Mom and Dad

2010-06-06T21:32:00.005-04:00

Jordan spent a very successful one night sleepover at Nanna and Papa's house on Friday night. Rachel recruited my sister Chris to come help her to entertain Jordan on Saturday during the day when I had to work. All of these pictures were actually taken Saturday evening after his parents returned but one. The one that is sideways was taken during the day on Saturday. I tried to delete it and turn it but I couldn't get it out.These first few he was just climbing up the side of the chair with Nanny.

In these pictures, Jordan was showing us that he could jump over the ball. I was just able to catch him in mid air for most of them. It looks as if he is going to fall, but he didn't fall at all while he was jumping over the ball.

Here he and Aunt Chris are playing soccer. He is very aware of all the different sports and the idea of how they are to be played.

New Toys!

2010-06-06T21:21:00.005-04:00

This past week, my wife and I have gotten one new toy each. They aren't exclusively for each one of us, they are to be shared items. I got her this nice riding mower so she can mow the yard for me and I got a new kitchen faucet so I can do the dishes for her. Isn't this such nice idea? Really, I got the mower so it would be easier and quicker to get the yard done instead of the old push mower that was self propelled. There is now a lot of work to prepare the yard for a riding mower. Rocks to be dug up and holes to be filled in. Guess it will keep me out of trouble.

This is the new faucet that we got. My sister was here for the weekend so she assisted in the installation of the faucet. She also assisted in keeping Jordan from jumping on my stomach while I was underneath the sink.

Look what is in the paper today

2010-05-28T21:27:00.002-04:00

My wife called me at work today to let me know that our son's picture was in the paper today. This is how it appeared. She was a little "hurt" when she saw that her name was not listed, but it was not any of us that wrote the article or put it in the newspaper. Just thought I would share this with everyone. He is now at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi for Tech School. Here will be there about another month. He will then be going back to the state of Texas to Wichita Falls for the rest of his Tech School.

Flags and a new friend

2010-05-26T21:55:00.003-04:00

While we were in Texas we bought an official US Air Force flag which we are proudly flying alongside or our US flag.

This is our new friend this year. He is a cute black groundhog. This is one sure sign that our weasel must be gone. This groundhog has been here for more than a month. There were two of them but I haven't seen the brown one in a while.

Mother's day flowers

2010-05-11T21:33:00.004-04:00

These are pictures of the flower's Rachel received from her boys for Mother's Day. Jeffrey and Tina got her the roses and Justin got her the Oriental Lily. The roses just all of the sudden today wilted real bad. They were really beautiful on Sunday. On Sunday, the lily hadn't bloomed yet, just can't get them to cooperate.

Texas plus!

2010-05-11T20:55:00.002-04:00

I am adding another link for some more of the pictures leading to Texas and while we were in Texas. These are not in order, sorry.

http://picasaweb.google.com/jmccallus/TexasToo?feat=directlink

Finally!

2010-05-06T23:06:00.002-04:00

I took the time tonight to upload the pictures from Justin's camera that I was using in Texas. These are not all of the pictures. I have some from my camera that I will upload sometime. Here is the link to a web album that has 85 pictures and I think I captioned them all.

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ajn4O2YzrxpV9Rz36KTDIw?feat=directlink

Air Force BMT Graduation

2010-05-03T21:35:00.002-04:00

Just returned from a trip to Texas for Justin's graduation. Will be bringing pictures and dialog soon!

Easter

2010-04-07T20:52:00.003-04:00

These are just some pictures that I took on Easter Sunday after church and after dinner. We had Donnie and Wendy, Heidi and Audrey, Jeffrey, Tina, and Jordan, and of course, Rachel and me for dinner. We had one take-out order for Esther. It was a lovely day and a lovely dinner.

Jordan had the barefoot feeling and he didn't even have any Mountain Dew to drink.

Such a nice family picture!

Jordan got a haircut

2010-04-07T20:48:00.004-04:00

Jordan got a nice cool haircut for spring. This is how Jeffrey cut Justin's hair before he left for the Air Force. If you ask Jordan where Justin is he says "Air Force", if you ask him where the Air Force is he says, "Texas".

Some more Party and departure

2010-03-09T07:35:00.007-05:00

The driveway was very full, we were in competition with the party going on across the road.

Marilyn got a nice money tree planted in dirt cake ready for Justin. I wish I could have planted it outside and made it grow.

Justin opening his cards and gifts.

Jordan and Justin playing together after everyone else had left.

Syracuse on Tuesday morning, March 2, 2010. This is at the MEPS building getting ready for the official swearing in. There were quite a few recruits that day. Seven of them were for the Air Force.

At ease, with this man talking to the recruits and the parents.

Taking the oath of Enlistment.

Still smiling after he had signed his contract.

Some family shots before we headed to the airport. I didn't take my camera in the airport but I think you know what the scene is like at an airport and we had enough fun getting through security. Ladies and bobbie pins and security machines just don't get along.

Party Time

2010-03-09T07:15:00.006-05:00

Chris was keeping Jordan occupied while we were decorating and getting things ready inside.

Tina and Aunt Marilyn decorated the archway.

These are some Air Force jets that we hung from the dining room light.

This is the living room ceiling fan.

Not sure what these two are up to.

Justin with Aunt Marilyn.

The wonderful cake that we had gotten at Hannaford.

The balloons along the ceiling.

Some family shots here.

The guests have arrived and we are eating some of Justin's favorite foods.

Tony got taken sideways.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T13:55:00.004-05:00

I got my wife a miniature yellow rose bush for her flowers for Valentine's Day. She just loves the mini roses and hopefully we can keep this one alive for her. This is a close up of the blooms.

This is a picture of the whole bush. As you can see there are many more buds on here so it should bloom for a while yet.

This is a picture of the bouquet that she got for me. What we have sampled so far is delicious. I mean, what could be wrong with it, it's fruit and chocolate. MMMMMMmmm!

I am glad God gave me a wonderful wife!

Jordan and his new golf clubs

2010-02-14T12:55:00.003-05:00

So, this is Jeffrey Jr posting this one. Mom and Dad watched Jordan lastnight so Tina and I could go out to Watertown for a little date. It was really nice of them. While we were out there, I saw these little golf clubs for kids age 2-5. We had talked about getting them for Jordan before but they were usually too expensive. Well, they were on sale since it is obviously not golfing season right now. So we got them for him. My parents had offered to meet us at our house with Jordan to save us some travelling. When we got home, I got them out for Jordan to see and he was just pleased as punch. Tina took these pictures this afternoon so we could put them on the computer. I hope you enjoy them as much as he has been enjoying his golf clubs.

Just a few pictures from Friday evening

2010-02-08T21:34:00.003-05:00

This past Friday evening, Tina's parents were in town, so we told them to stop over and visit for a while. Sharon really wasn't sleeping and I'm not sure what Tina was thinking, but if looks could ... I think I would be in trouble. LOL

Jordan was very afraid of these goggles when Justin put them on but he seems to be enjoying the attention he got when he wore them.

A real "bug eye"!

Pictures from the weekend

2010-02-01T20:30:00.005-05:00

These are just a bunch of pictures that I took on Saturday evening. Jordan was either hitting the ball, throwing the ball, or catching the ball.

Nice catch!

Chris, Teddy, and Jordan having a conversation.

Tina and her crystal ball. I think she sees hurt in my future! (She is going to hurt me!)

Nanny enjoying her computer.

Basketball with Chris.

Jeffrey just looking at the rock that Jordan always wants to be hitting with the golf club. It is actually a plastic rock that goes with a truck.

Jordan getting over being upset that he couldn't hit the rock.

AWWW! Poor Jordan!

Jordan and Aunt Kiss!

Getting ready to swing that club so that he can score!

Pictures

2010-01-25T08:05:00.006-05:00

I know that it has been a long time, but it just seems that time flies by so fast. The pictures start off with Justin's birthday and end with Thanksgiving. Jordan here showing off his golf skills

Jeffrey engrossed in a game on the XBOX

Here he is serving "happy birthday cake"

Justin turned 23 on January 14th. He will be leaving on March 2nd for basic training in the Air Force.

My hibiscus has not stopped blooming. It started in July and usually has at least one bloom on all the time. Soon it will be cut back to get ready for spring growth.

Buddies and their hats.

Nice close up view.

Nanny and facebook.

Gracie on Thanksgiving day.

Jordan wanting to eat.

Tables just waiting for the food.

Some of the hungry guests waiting patiently.

2009-11-25T22:18:00.003-05:00

This is what our youngest son Justin has decided upon for his future for the next 4-6 years. We are very proud of him. This has not been an easy decision for him. There have been many obstacles that have come up in his way as he was working toward this goal. He feels at this point that this is the path for his life. He scored very high on the ASVAB which is very good in choosing his jobs. He goes the beginning of next week to Syracuse to make those selections. I know that this is not the official logo for the Air Force, but I liked this one. Please remember him in your prayers as he starts on this venture.

Sickness!

2009-11-17T14:51:00.002-05:00

Over the last couple of weeks, Rachel and I took turns at being sick. I ended up missing several days of work and going to the doctor to get medicine. Neither of us had the H1N1 virus. She toughed hers out and I ended up running too high of a fever to just tough it out. I am starting to feel some better, but still have an asthmatic condition that just doesn't want to let go. Hopefully soon I will feel 100%. We are very thankful that no one else "caught" what we had. I had today off and spent part of the day outdoors taking care of some last minute preparations for winter. I covered over my rose bush and buried some peony roots under lots of leaves and cardboard. Hopefully they will make it alright through the winter. I wanted to get them planted, but the weather doesn't always cooperate, and today I ran out of energy. Got the snowblower running and cleaned out the gutters.

Worked hard to catch up the blog for the few that even look at it, but at least I have a record that I can look at once in a while. We are having Thanksgiving at our house and I will post pictures after that. If anything exciting happens in the mean time I will probably do another post.

This gray frog has been staring at us too long!

2009-11-17T14:47:00.002-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, my brother-in-law Kendall had an accident with his van. We gave him one of our vans to use and this seat needed to be cleaned so it sat in our living room and just sort of stared at us. Several had commented about it looking like a frog. The frog has returned to his van and all is well at this point.

Halloween

2009-11-17T14:43:00.002-05:00

Jordan was a little elephant for Halloween. He really wasn't too excited about the head wear. Tina and Chris took him out to one of Tina's friends house and then he went and got some candy at other places. He did alright.

Rachel's Birthday October 30th

2009-11-17T14:36:00.005-05:00

Rachel's birthday was on a Friday and we went out to dinner at "The Ole Smokehouse" on Saturday. We had cake and ice cream on Friday evening. These are just some of the pictures from that evening.

We told Jordan to spread his legs apart to hit the golf ball, he got a little carried away.

September 30th!

2009-11-17T14:27:00.003-05:00

On September 30th I reached the grand age of 50. I was on vacation from work that whole week, so as to not get a lot of hassle there. We had a family dinner on Tuesday of that week. We went to the Goose Landing Restaurant to celebrate. Then on Saturday of that week, my wife and sister had a party at our house for my birthday. I didn't take any pictures of my own party. This picture is what was waiting for me when I did return to work after my vacation. My coworkers would not let me take it down until the end of the day. They got to have a little bit of fun at my expense.

Sorry for the delay

2009-11-08T12:06:00.001-05:00

Sorry for the delay in putting up pictures about Rachel's birthday weekend, but I have been not feeling well and maybe if I feel better tomorrow I can get those pictures up. Thanks for your patience!

Happy Birthday Rachel!

2009-10-30T09:43:00.002-04:00

Today is my wife's ?? birthday. I just want to take the time to wish her a wonderful day. She is working right now and we have plans for the weekend. She has been a wonderful companion for the last 26 years and she is my best friend. We share so much and think so much alike most of the time. God has truly blessed my life with her. I will be taking pictures this weekend and will post more later. Love you dear!!!! Here she is with her favorite little man!

This is for you Stacy

2009-10-02T20:04:00.002-04:00

Here are pictures of the pictures that are hanging on our living room wall. Stacy, there aren't too many of you since I don't have too many of you! We have to do something about that.

More work around the house

2009-10-02T19:59:00.003-04:00

We started painting in the master bedroom the other day but I had to shut down my computer and was not able to use it to show you what we had accomplished. This first picture of the sort of white wall is what has been in our bedroom for seven years. It is supposed to look like cracked paint.

This is the new look for our bedroom. The upper part of the wall is a light green color and the bottom is a darker, almost sage green. The border then has all of the colors of the bedroom in it to draw everything together. I think that my sister and I do some awesome work. Maybe we should start a business. What a laugh!

Trip to Burlington, Vermont

2009-10-02T19:45:00.003-04:00

Today we took a trip to Burlington, VT for a doctors appointment. It was a beautiful day for a drive. The weather was sunny and there was a wind blowing pretty gusty, especially as we were crossing Lake Champlain on the ferry. Chris was not really thrilled about that. Anyway, after the appt. we went and had lunch at a place called "Nothing but Noodles". It was very good! Then we decided to go to Michael's Crafts. Found another picture frame to use somewhere. When we came out of Michael's this is what we saw on the Green Mountains. Look at that snow. As the sign says, "Wrong Way". It needs to get warmer not colder.

Finished product

2009-09-30T19:01:00.004-04:00

Here are the pictures of the living room after we finished today with the hanging of pictures and putting stuff back for the decorations. The old chair in this picture will be delivered to our son and daughter-in-law's house tomorrow, hopefully!

As you can see Rachel is relaxing in her new rocker/recliner. She wasn't thrilled that I got her in the pictures.

This is the new reclining couch. We really like it. Above the couch are the new picture frames that we got at Michael's Craft store. I printed pictures from ones that we have taken over the years to put in them.

Vacation! After pictures

2009-09-29T21:31:00.003-04:00

It took about 6 hours, but we got it done in a day. Tomorrow the new furniture arrives and I will take some more pictures. Hopefully, we will have some things on the wall by then also. The color is called "Pecan Sandies" from Home Depot. It is a lovely soft brown. Check back tomorrow night for more pictures.

Vacation! Before pictures

2009-09-29T21:25:00.004-04:00

For my vacation this time, it has become a stacation. My sister came and we have started a few projects this week at home. We painted the livingroom this week and these are the before pictures.

What we have been up to lately

2009-09-14T23:51:00.002-04:00

We have been doing some canning. Tina, our daughter-in-law, wanted to have a garden this year. She thought that that would help them to save some money and also give satisfaction of growing her own food. Her garden was somewhat successful. To go along with her garden we purchased tomatoes and one night we canned 18 quarts and one pint of tomato sauce. Then this past Saturday, we canned 19 quarts of spaghetti sauce. Oh, we had so much fun with worms and rotten tomatoes. Tina likes the added protein.

These are just some of the quarts of sauce.

This is another project that got into the mix. Tina had a lot of cucumbers. We all decided to make some cinnamon crunch sweet pickles. I just finished them up this evening. They are a three day pickle. We got 10 pints of these "delicioso" pickles. We might think of sharing them with you sometime. Like I said, we had a lot of fun and family time together. Can't wait until next year!

Late summer blooms!

2009-09-14T23:45:00.003-04:00

Here are some pictures of the rose that I bought Rachel for Mother's Day this year. We thought that we had lost it to some kind of bug, but I dusted it with rose powder and it came back and bloomed. It had two buds, but one was only half a blossom.

I was trying to get this certain little man to stand still while I took his picture with the rose but you know how kids are.

This is the hibiscus that we have had for many years. The flowers are just so big and beautiful.

Here is the rose about two days later in full bloom. It is so pretty.

Is it time to play football????

2009-09-04T21:56:00.003-04:00

Here we go with the first round pick! Jordan will play whatever position you want. Of course, you will have to tighten up the helmet and shoulder pads. He calls it his helmer.

This one is for you Marian.

Oops, I tipped my head up too high.

Tackled by the air.

Day off from work

2009-08-25T20:53:00.004-04:00

Here are a few pictures that I took with my cell phone on my day off. We went with Donnie and Wendy to Lake Placid for Irma Hudson's committal service. We went early and spent some time walking on Main Street and then went and sat by the water of Mirror Lake. It was a very beautiful day. Sorry the quality isn't the greatest.

Jordan came to visit

2009-08-19T23:03:00.002-04:00

The kids came over this evening because they ran out of water and needed showers and to wash some clothes. I just thought that I needed some pictures of Jordan to put on the blog. As you can see they ended up giving him the squirt gun and he was having a grand old time with that.

Richland Holiness Camp (Our vacation)

2009-08-19T22:47:00.005-04:00

Rachel and I spent our vacation doing the cooking for Richland Camp in Richland, NY. This first picture is of the tabernacle building where the services were held. The little building next to that is the bookstore with a room above it for someone to stay in. The second picture is of the office on the first floor and the girls dorm on the second floor.

This building is the dining hall. The kitchen was on the back side of this building. That is where we spent most of our time. The second floor has rooms but they are no longer used. The next picture is looking toward where people parked their campers. There are a lot of little two storied cabins here on the grounds.

This is looking across the grounds the other way past the tabernacle. On the left is the pavilion where the young people hang out. The next picture is the cabin that we got to stay in. The accommodations were nice. It was air conditioned, had a shower and sink. We still had to walk to the restrooms that were behind the office building.

These are some interior views of the cabin.

These pictures were taken inside of the tabernacle building. The building was dedicated in 1912. It is very interestingly built. If you don't know where Richland is, it is located close to Pulaski, NY, which is in the snow belt region along Lake Ontario. This building has withstood many snowstorms over the last 100 years. We cooked here 8 years ago, and they had just replaced the kitchen roof because it had collapsed under the snow in the winter. They get a lot of snow in this area.

We had a very enjoyable time there. We got to see a lot of our old friends and made some new ones. We have been invited back to cook again next year. Rachel figured up that there were 2087 meals served, that's a lot of food!

Rachel's new toy!

2009-08-03T22:11:00.002-04:00

Here are some pictures of the new van that we got. It is a 2007 Chrysler Town and Country touring van. It is really nice and we got a great deal on it. It has stow and go seats. I know the former owners and they took very good care of this van and traded for a new one. It is the same color as Rachel's sister Marilyn's van.

I see you!

2009-08-01T22:20:00.003-04:00

Jordan wanted to get his picture taken, but he just kept getting closer to the camera. Nice and close!

Just a few pictures

2009-08-01T22:16:00.003-04:00

Here are a couple of pictures of Jordan. He is feeling better now. He was quite the live-wire the evening they were here. He was up and down and all around.

Just an update

2009-07-28T07:54:00.004-04:00

Just came through the ten days of our district campmeeting. We drove to Vermontville, NY several times throughout the week. Gets tiring when you work all day and then drive 1 1/2 hours, have a service, and then drive home. Anyway, it was a good time and enjoyed seeing many friends.
On Sunday, Jordan started running a fever, and with his history of fevers we were all concerned. Jeffrey stayed home with him on Monday and then Tina wasn't feeling well, so they all went to the afterhours clinic in Canton. Jordan and Tina both have Strep throat. Hopefully, none of the rest of us will have it. Anyway, that is the update at this time. Until later, have a good day!

Jordan wearing Nanna'a turban

2009-07-14T21:54:00.003-04:00

This first picture is Jordan wanting to climb up on my lap and play with the camera, he wasn't real happy with me. The other pictures are of him wearing Grandma's turban twistie that she had on her hair after she washed it. He took it from her and then we put it on him. He thought he was pretty cool.

Sorry about the link

2009-07-09T21:15:00.002-04:00

Sorry about the link to the ordination service not working. It was working when I put it on there, but if any changes were made afterward it wouldn't work. I will put the link to our conference website and then you can look at the menu on the left. Find the line for the 88th conference and then you can open it and click on the icon for the ordination. Again, sorry!

http://phcofny.homestead.com/files/index.htm

Link

2009-07-08T23:28:00.003-04:00

Here is the link to our conference website so you can see more pictures from the ordination service.

www.phcofny.homestead.com/files/88th_Annual_Conference/Ordination/index.htm

You can click on the link or you can copy and paste this link and it will take you to the ordination pictures on the website.

Let me introduce . . .

2009-07-07T21:30:00.002-04:00

Rev. Jeffrey L. McCallus, Jr. and his wife Tina.

Today, at Victory Grove Campground, in Colonie, NY, our son Jeffrey was ordained to the ministry. This is after his college work being completed, three years of pastoring and many interviews by the council, and examining board. We are so proud of him and trust God to continue helping them as the labor for HIM! (Jordan was off playing ball somewhere)

2009-06-19T23:04:00.002-04:00

Today was Jeffrey, Jr.'s 25th birthday. We had cake and ice cream after campmeeting service tonight. Jeffrey, Tina, Jordan, Rachel, and I went to Guy's Diner for supper. We had a good time. Justin has been away for several days working in Plattsburgh, NY. He was home tonight.

The new Chef in town!

2009-06-14T15:30:00.004-04:00

This is a picture we took on the cell phone while we were at the Children's Museum in Portland, Maine. They had many different areas in the museum, this was the kitchen area, and the kids can get dressed up in different outfits. Tina put the Chef's outfit on and Jordan is a real ham when you get a camera out. Enjoy!

Old Orchard Beach 2

2009-06-07T21:11:00.003-04:00

Jeffrey and Tina then joined Grandma and Jordan in the water. It was too cool for swimming but they had fun wading in for a while.

The water was at low tide so there was lots of beach there. This picture is looking toward the southwest and you can see the pier is not even in the water here. The white building on the end of the pier is a restaurant. As you can also see, there were not many people out on the beach this day. Their busy season has not yet started.

This is looking up the beach the other way. Lots of resorts and further up the beach were some private homes. Again, not many people.

Jordan had a little shovel and bucket and did enjoy playing in the sand. He is nearly frozen here but he did not want to go back to the room. It was not too long after this that he got a nap and was then refreshed.

We had a very enjoyable time with the "Kids" and someday would like to do a full blown vacation all together. That would be a lot of fun. There is so much to do in that area. We will get Aunt Chris to go with us of course! She and Jordan can build cansastles on the beach.

Old Orchard Beach

2009-06-07T20:47:00.007-04:00

This is what the beachcombers left behind on the beach. Last week, Jeffrey, Tina, and Jordan had to meet our conference council in Albany, NY on Tuesday. After they left there they headed to Old Orchard Beach, Maine for a few days. On Thursday after work, Rachel and I headed over to join them. We stayed at the Alouette Resort that was right on the beach. We had a nice suite and really had a good time.

This is looking out the door of our room toward the ocean. It was very foggy and cool on Friday. We went and had breakfast at a bagel place. We ate outside and enjoyed ourselves. After breakfast we headed north to Portland to go to the Children's Museum and then to do some shopping. Mid-afternoon we got back to Old Orchard Beach and headed to the beach.

This is Jordan and me when we got down on the beach. It was considerably cooler on the waterfront.

Here is grandma with her baby heading into the water.

Here grandma is really serious about getting into the water. She loves the ocean. She just kept going a little further and a little further out.

Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T21:37:00.004-04:00

On this Mother's Day I want to recognize my wife for being a great mother to our children. She has shown them a mother's love. She did her best to do the things in their lives to help them to make the right choices for life and eternity. She deserves to be the Mother of the Year! A mother's influence is very important in a person's life. Here she is with all of her children.

Oswald

2009-05-05T21:23:00.003-04:00

Today Oswald died. He was a very nice guinea pig. He was Justin's birthday present from Stacy several years ago. Anyway, he has been sick off and on and this morning when Rachel went out to the kitchen she realized he was gone. Jordan has loved chasing Oswald around his cage or feeding him carrots and lettuce. He will be missed. Trust you have a good day!

Post 125, playing again!

2009-04-28T22:10:00.002-04:00

I added a little more color to the picture. I don't know if it does any more for it or not. Let me know!

playing with pictures some more

2009-04-25T21:54:00.002-04:00

Tina wanted me to try this with this picture. I "colorized" two items in this picture. I think if they weren't blue they would stand out more against the gray. Let me know what you think!