Donkeys, Tulips = Spring??

I want to be outside in the yard and garden and I also want to be inside sewing, knitting and quilting.  Have you figured out how to do both?  Story of my life - want to do it all!


Little Man is staying with us for a few days.  It is so much fun to see the world through a two year old's eyes.  We will play ball, feed cookies to the donkeys - he will ride his "Harley" - and check out all Papa's tractors - all kinds of fun things.  His two "big cousins" will be here - they have so much fun together.  He plays hard and sleeps good.



Our two miniature donkeys, Gracie and Stormy were very agreeable to having their picture taken yesterday.  Aren't they just the cutest things?  They eat cookies out of Little Man's hands.  He loves the outdoor life. 


Tulips are in bloom in my yard.  Hosta is peeking out.  Does this mean it really is spring?  Or is that just wishful thinking?

Beginnings and Endings...

I'll never be much of a blogger - it's been a month since my last post!  Am I too busy, or just not disciplined enough to post frequent blogs?  Don't know.  I enjoy it when I do get here.  And I really enjoy a few other blogs.  One of my favorites is pleasantviewschoolhouse.blogspot.com.  Some people really can do it all!

March is sometimes hard for me.  I need to remind myself of the good "March things" - my dad's birthday is in March, two nephews were born in March, my brother got married in March, we plant early vegetables in March.  The hard memories:  my mom died in March, my 23 year old nephew, Dale died in March.  I have great memories of both of them - but they left too soon and I still miss them.

My life has been crazy busy lately.  And whose fault might that be?  So many things I love doing with my time - it is hard to choose.  The picture is a stained glass I made - I love Irises - they just look like Spring.  One of my pet peeves is hearing someone say, "I don't have time to do that".  Seems to me that we each have the same number of hours in each day.  Some things are necessary, but a large part of our time is spent on things we choose.  I guess we all know people who choose to do not much of anything.  Funny thing is - they're usually the ones who say they don't have time when asked to do something.  I've found that time has gotten much more precious as I get older.  None of us have an endless supply of time.  Enough of that!

Radishes are growing in the garden - broccoli, spinach carrots and cabbage are planted.  Gracie and Stormy (our miniature donkeys) are enjoying the warmer weather, Bo the Beagle is happy, Little Man rode his "Harley" this weekend and Grandsons One and Two were here!  Life is Good!

Home and Family

August 27, 2010

This summer has been so very hot. Everything is scorched. Our garden is sad.

Fall is near and we're all ready for the change of seasons.

Little J spent the day with us and is now sleeping. He plays so hard, laughs so often and brings us so much joy.

Grandson One, Papa and I played hide, read books, rode the Gator, played ball, visited the donkey, played in the Little House and had all kinds of fun with him. After a long bath and a few books he was ready for bed with Puppy, Blankie, Special Pillow and Cars Quilt...he's all tucked in.

Making plans for our Road Trip...every day we add something to the list. Maybe we will drive more than 9,000 miles!

Brother One and his wife left Wednesday for a six week Road Trip in their wonderful "House on Wheels". We will probably be in the same part of the country at the same time in a few weeks.

Some people collect things - I like collecting experiences and memories, pictures and new friends. Travel makes us see that not all people live the same life we do. Whether by choice or circumstance. We are fortunate if we can choose how we spend our time - or even a small part of our time.

I love this quote, "A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving." Lao Tzu.

As wonderful as travel is; as much as I love to travel - nothing compares to Home and Family. Being away for a while brings a deeper appreciation of what we have at home.

Miles to go....

EASTER

Easter Sunday... brings lots of memories of childhood Easters.

Church - Easter egg hunts - new clothes - family dinners - Mom and Dad - spring.

Easter doesn't seem to be celebrated as much as it used to be - or as much as it should be.

For us as Christians, this should be our most celebrated holiday. Maybe the best celebration is simply the acknowledgement in our own heart and mind that Easter marks the resurrection or our Lord Jesus Christ.

Our Easter was quiet - Josh, Becky and Jeremiah came by for a while when they got home from Raleigh. Jeremiah looked so cute in his Easter outfit. Perry came while they were here. Dale and Tristan were with Amber. We'll see them in a few days.

Ken and I went to Lowe's to buy flowers for the yard. He bought three fruit trees and planted them this afternoon. Flowers and trees = new life - seems appropriate for Easter.

We checked the garden - watching the plants grow. I think we'll plant some more in a week or so. It's good to be home. Today was a very good day.

Las Vegas - a new baby in the family

Las Vegas is so beautiful.  We're on the 20th floor of the Sahara - with a spectacular view of the mountains.  The sunset behind the mountains is so beautiful.

Lester and I flew from Charlotte to Dallas then on to Las Vegas yesterday.

We had lunch with Zac and Debra and met little December Siouxsie Diane Carter!!  A big name for a beautiful little girl.  She seems so little to us because our 

babies were so much bigger.  She is such a sweet baby.

Zac is always fun - he is a born entertainer!  Seems like such a short time ago that he, Zeb, Zane and Josh were little boys.  Now Zac has two little girls and Josh has a little boy.

Jeremiah has been sick for a week - not sleeping well, runny nose, coughing.  Becky took him to the doctor Monday and they gave her an inhaler to use on him.  He is breathing too fast and they're concerned about his lungs working efficiently.  He goes back to the doctor on Monday. We're praying that it is just a temporary viral thing and he'll be all well by Monday.  Looks like he's having fun playing in the basket!

Josh called tonight - Ken ate dinner with them.  I'm sure he enjoyed that.  I talked to him earlier today - all is well at home.  He assured me that he covered up our vegetable garden last night so they didn't freeze. 

Of course, I've lost some money in the casino.  I don't lose much only because I don't risk much.  I just look at it as a form of entertainment.  I like Blackjack and wish I knew enough to play Texas Hold 'Em.  Lester is actually winning!

The economy here is hurting - maybe more than most of the country.  The rate of home foreclosures is unbelievably high.  We talked to a man today who said his house was valued at over $300,000 a year ago and now he can't get $150,000 for it.  

I think that the high percentage of people in this country who have lived above their means for the past 20 to 30 years - bought houses and cars they couldn't pay for and ran up tens of thousands of dollars on credit cards - are the major cause of the economic mess we're in.  The sad part is that many people did what they were supposed to - lived within their means, paid their debts and saved money - and unfortunately they are the ones who are suffering through no fault of their own.  My sermon for the day.  I'm afraid our country has changed to the point of being unrecognizable as the America we loved.

A Beautiful Family Day

The best days are really the simplest ones.   The weather was perfect today - feels like spring might be here.  

We cooked on the grill and ate on the patio.  Little J enjoyed the swing, the hammock and all the attention he got.

Josh, Becky and Little J, Perry, Dale and Tristan and Lester were all here.  After we ate, we just sat and talked and enjoyed the day while Jeremiah took a nap.  It's fun to see Dale and Tristan with him. 

Becky and I checked our garden.  Several of the plants are up and growing.  Ken is building a wire cover to keep the critters from eating our "square foot garden".  

We even had fresh strawberry cake!  Can't get much better than that.

Vegetable Gardening with Jeremiah

Becky, Jeremiah and I planted vegetables today!

Our "square foot garden" is really cool.  If only I could talk Ken into building some more of the frames.  We planted the "square foot garden" and then some in the other garden.

We planted broccoli, lettuce, cabbage, peppers, radishes, carrots, cauliflower - those are the ones I remember.  

Jeremiah was so good.  He played on a quilt and ate a little grass and a few leaves.  He spent the lunch hour in the shop with Ken and the guys.  They said he ate a little chocolate (NOT!)  Becky took him home about 3:30 and I worked til 4:30.  I'm tired.

It is exciting to have a daughter(in-law) to work in the garden with me.  Can't wait til we get those fresh veggies.

A good day.