Memorial Weekend

I'm late, but still wanted to share a little from our Memorial Day weekend. 

On Saturday, my brother, two sisters and I went to the cemetery where my parents are buried to bring some flowers and pay our respects. This isn't something that we usually do together, but we were free that day and it was really nice to remember them together.

My parents stone with Dad's military plaque on the back of it.

We spent some time walking around, remembering people who are laid to rest there. It's a country cemetery, many family members are there, and lots of people we went to church with as kids.  It was a nice thing to do together.

Some of the family stones; Henry was my great grandfather, my grandparents, Peter and Adrianna, an infant that just says infant DeWeerd, and Edna, who was my Dad's sister. She was 1 year old and died of meningitis.

Here's the 4 of us.  My brother Duane, me, Terri and Cheri.  Our birth order is: me, Duane, Terri and Cheri. I'm blessed with a great family!

On Memorial Day, Bob and I went for a beautiful 3 mile hike. This is a trail that goes through woods and then along the Grand River. It was a beautiful day and we greatly enjoyed being out in God's great creation.

Imagine our surprise when we ran into our daughter Laura who was out for a run with their dog on the same trail.  (She's the one who told us about this place, so we shouldn't have been too surprised...)

On our way home, we stopped at the cemetery where Bob's parents and some other family members are buried.

We walked around here, just like I had done with my siblings, and found familiar names of people we remembered.

Bob's parents and a sister that was born with health issues and died before Bob was born.

Bob's grandparents and great grandparents.  Note that on his great grandparents stone Father and Mother are written in Dutch.

Then we came home and had a quiet afternoon and evening.  We watched a movie on WWII in the evening. It was a nice way to spend the day and be thankful for those who gave all for our Freedom.

Friday Funny

 

Cooking Thursday

Do you like cookies?  Fudgy, chocolate cookies?  Do I have a recipe for you!  These cookies are made with a brownie mix and are full of chewy chocolate goodness! They are quick to make because of the mix, and are dangerously good.

Brownie Mix Chocolate Cookies

1 - 20 ounce box Ghiradelli brownies (Can use other brands, but needs to be 20 ounces)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup chocolate chips (May substitute dark chocolate, white chocolate, mint...)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Mix all ingredients together until combined. Dough is thick, so using a hand mixer is easiest, but you can mix it by hand.
Scoop dough onto baking sheet using a 2 inch cookie scoop. Flatten slightly and bake for 9-10 minutes, until edges are set.
Remove from sheet to cool.  Makes 24 cookies.