Its Been A Long Time

Let me just begin by saying that it has been a long time since I updated this and I am sorry. I just don't seem to have enough hours in the day to get it all done and blogging has been the last thing on my to do list. So you might ask what have you been up to since July, well its been quite a bit, I can tell you that...


After my last post we went for a trip to the beach, that was a lot of fun and now it seems like forever ago, here's a pic of us all, My mom and sister and her 2 wonderful boys went with us this year. This a picture of my mom and the kiddos.
We have also hauled more hay this year than I can ever remember hauling in my life and we've hauled a lot hay in my life... Only this year we had a few new drivers and they did a great job, overcame some fears and gave the boys a run for their money...

They don't realize this, but in a few years this will be work and not play...
Future Drivers...


I'm sure they were cooking up a new plan... discussing how they might be able to secure this job for their hay hauling career instead of being the ones doing the heavy work...
Mud, was also something we had a lot of this summer and fall, A LOT of MUD, my laundry room still hasn't recovered, not that it was in good shape to begin with...
check out the socks... This was the "little mud man" as his brother and sister came to call him.

We've had lots of good times with our "bosom friends" ( Anne of green gables became a favorite with our girls).

Made lots and lots of great memories...




Ate lots of great food... sorry about the table mess in the picture, we was having fun with Mu for her birthday, no time to cleanup before pictures!

Made new friends, and a great one she is, an angel for sure. ( sorry again for the mop and cleaner bottle in the pic, that's a part of the everyday life around here)

Worked so hard, we fell asleep just about anywhere... I left him here just long enough to take the picture and then put to bed for a nice long well deserved nap...

And you know what, I am sitting here right now about to freeze to death... It cold out there, and looking back at all the things we did this summer has warmed me up just a bit.
I think that finally we are beginning to settle in at our new home, its been a trying time, a learning time, but a wonderful time, I'm just sorry that I didn't get to share it all with you guys in blog land. What a year... I can't believe that its almost over.
Well hopefully I'll see you soon!! Leave me a note and let me know how you guys have been and what your favorite memory from summer is.

Happy Happy Birthday Baby!!!!

It seems like such a short time ago that my little boy was my little baby, time has a way of going by so fast that if we're not careful to grab every moment we'll miss so much. Here are just a few of the memories I've collected over the past three years.

When you first started sucking your thumb!

And those big blue eyes...

You always were a messy eater, you still are too!

Getting ready for your first haircut,

Your getting into something I'm sure and that ain't changed either, you still have that same sneaky little look,

Here, your trying to figure out just exactly how those peas work,

Now look how big you've grown, and you still love that thumb,
and you do get to play with the big boys a little more often now.

I sure do have a lot of fun with you, E-pie and I know you don't like to hear it, but to me you'll always be my Baby Boy!!! Happy Birthday:)

Its Monday!

Good morning ya'll, are you having a good Monday morning?

I woke up kind of late this morning and so I didn't get to the garden but I did get down to check on my chickens and I a have a few sick ones. Isn't it funny how every thing seems to be going fine until you are gone for a day and then something always seems to happen. For instance, every time my mom and dad leave to go somewhere, His cows always find a place to get out, most of the time this happens when only my day is gone and my mom is home alone, its like they know hes leaving and they decide to party. Anyways, I have no idea what is wrong with my chickens, I think it's the heat, but I am sure they'll be fine.

Now back to the real reason for this post, Yesterday, I was blessed to be able to be in church with some of the most lovely people in the world, they are truly a wonderful cloud of witness that God has allowed to be in my life. Even though we only get to be in church with them a few times a year, When I pull up in their parking lot its like coming home, They are family, truly brothers and sisters in Christ.

Also, My sister and I had decided to use Sonlight curriculum this year for our homeschool, so we placed our order and it was delivered on Friday, we were so excited, It was like Christmas in June. It was a little overwhelming at first but I believe that we will get it all figured out, That is one reason we ordered it so early, we wanted to have a month or two to get familiar with it.

So if any of you have any suggestions or helpful advice on this subject please feel free to leave a comment. We would greatly appreciate it.

This post seems a little jumpy today, I guess I just have alot to tell you about,

One day last week Joy helped me put up a closet organizer kit in the boys bedroom,

(please, don't kill me for posting this picture Joy, I'll never do it again,

I promise , I just thought they needed to see how well you worked that screwdriver)

We are not carpenters, we did however get it up and it works very well, And while we were working we got to hearing little voices in the kitchen, saying, "you want some calldee" very sweetly, and that got us to investigating what our precious innocent littlest ones were up to and this is what we found.....

Aren't they just lovely:) We, of course had a good laugh and then put them in the tub, when they got out, the tub was full of chocolate water! You just can't leave those two alone for a minute, not even a second, they just can't stay out of stuff!!

Hope you guys have a great Monday!

FINALLY!!!!

Well I am finally back on track, here in blog land. It has been an incredibly busy spring and summer for us here, as I'm sure it has been for all of you guys. We have finally gotten somewhat settled into our new house, we are still fixing some things and finishing up with the decorating, hanging up pics, shelves and whatnot. You know how it is when you move, it takes a good 6 months before it really starts to feel like home, but I can tell you this, my kids are loving it, they are having a wonderful time living on the farm here and being so close to their grandparents, cousins and especially their horses.

Now on to what really matters, here is a few pics of our garden, this is what has been taking up much of my time, I love to garden and with one the size of ours you have to be in it every day for at least an hour just to stay on top of the weeds, bugs and to keep everything gathered up. Our garden this year is for 4 different families and I am not the only one working in it, my grandmother is the boss of the operation and I am simply a willing worker, but you know it takes all hands to get the work done and this fall when all I have to do is walk out to the pantry or open the freezer instead of my wallet I will be so very thankful to have worked hard, and to the Lord who has blessed our garden so.

Now our garden has gotten bigger since I took these pictures, off to the left in the picture on top is 6 more row of October beans, a row of strawberries, and 2 rows of sweet potatoes. This bottom picture is of our green beans and 3 rows of tomatoes, and boy am I looking forward to that first red tomato, I'll have to get up awful early to beat my grandpa and my dad to the garden so that they won't get it first.

We also have a couple of new additions to our family, this little fellow was ds#2 birthday present, and then we also got our daughter one. Buddy is the red Australian shepherd and Sissy is the blue one, I was hoping to name them Biscuit and Jelly, or Peanut and Butter, or Mutt and Jeff, but the kiddos didn't like my names.

I just thought this was a sweet picture, This is my grandpa and my youngest son, whose favorite book is the poky little puppy, when you can get him to sit still long enough, but this day he was tired and ready for a book and Papa was a willing reader.

Well I am glad to be back online and I hope to have some before and after pics up of the new house here in a few days, just to show you what we've been doing. Also I have come across some great little recipes for keeping the aphids off your tomatoes, and its all made of household ingredients, not some chemical pesticides. I'll be back in a day or two, You guys have great Sunday. Happy Fathers Day to all you dads out there.

It sure has been awhile!!

I don't have pics to show you this time of all the neat things we've been doing. I have been way to busy, but I do have quite a few things to tell you about.
Well you all know we sold our house and we are now counting down the last three weeks of being here. We have bought a new house and we are waiting to put that one together so that we can paint and put down new flooring, Alot of work to be accomplished in just 3 short weeks. I think we can do it though, we'll have to work hard but that never did hurt anybody.
We have just about made it through our first year of homeschooling !!!! We have about 2 weeks worth of school work to be done and then we will be able to rest for a little while. I also know that next year I do not plan on using the same curriculum that I used this year. I get to start home school with my ds#1 this coming fall and I am very excited and thankful for that.
I have also decided on using a more Charlotte Mason home school approach this coming year, I feel like my dd and ds will both respond better to this type of schooling then they would a workbook type curricula. God has really been answering my prayers in this and I am very thankful for all that He has done in my heart and in the heart of my husband. I am able to more than I ever thought possible with homeschooling and I know that it was all God and Him working in my husbands heart that it possible. It just goes to show that nothing is impossible with God!!
And now on to my garden, Since we are moving and where we are moving to is across the road from my grandparents, we have all decided to put our garden out together, so far we have out 7 rows of potatoes, 7 rows of tomatoes, 6 rows of green beans, 7 rows of October beans, 3 rows of onions, 2 rows of squash and cucumbers, and a few other things. That sounds like a whole lot of stuff, but we plan to can a whole lot of stuff. We have had a lot of rain here this spring and that has made gardening a little tricky but it has been so enjoyable for me to work with my grandparents and my dad in the garden, I have learned so much from them in my life, and I hope to glean even more wisdom from them this gardening season.
Well that is a little bit about all that is going on around here, I hate that i haven't been around for a while but things are pretty crazy with us packing up to move and all. I'll be sure and put up a post when we get moved into our new home, pictures and all. Keep us in your prayers and I will (see) you soon.

What little boys are made of!

Hammers and nails and puppy dog tails, that is what I have always heard that little boys were made of but in this case I do believe that it is hammers and snails and puppy dog tails!!

My ds#1 found this snail a few days ago and brought it home in this cup and it was the neatest thing, ds#2 just loved to watch it move. He was facsinated with it.

My sister Joy stopped by and he just had to show her the snail, They had the best time playing with that thing. Thanks Aunt Joy for showing my baby that much love and attention.

I just love his expressions,you can read every little thought that goes through his mind.

We kept that snail for about 2 weeks, ds#1 took it to school with him to show it to all his buddies there, We finally let him go on Monday, I am sure that he was glad to get back to all his friends, Oh and by the way his name, Sticky Slimy Snail !!

What cool creatures have you found to play with lately, I saw this huge turtle on the road the other day and almost stopped to get him but I thought he might have been a snapping turtle and I didn't wnat none of that, Anyways, I just love finding neat interesting things in nature and now that spring weather is here I am sure there will be a lot more discoveries.

Spring!!!

Well, it looks as if Spring is here for at least the next 2 weeks, i hope it is here for a while and that winter is long gone. It has been such a long winter, at least it feels that way for me, I'm telling you, Spring, I hope you are here to stay.

What have you guys been up to the last two weeks, Probably as much as I have, things have been crazy around here, we run all day and then just fall into bed exhausted, and you know I don't even know what it is that we've been doing. I feel like I have been cleaning house for years and not getting anywhere, It all still looks the same the next morning. Oh and one thing I forgot to mention, is that we sold our house, It was such an answered prayer and I am so very thankful that it has sold, this has been something that has been on my dh and my minds for awhile and was something that we just didn't really know what to do with, so anyways this really sweet young couple comes in the place where my husband works about 2 weeks ago and mentioned that they were looking for a house and my dh mentioned that we were wanting to sell ours, so they said they wanted to come and look, sooooo we spent the next few days cleaning everything up really well and when they came, they said they wanted it, didn't even argue about the price, Isn't it just amazing how God works, we prayed about selling our house, that if it was the Good Lords will for the house to sell that He would work that out and He did, now we just have find some where to live:) But you want me to let you in on something, We ain't worried about that either, because we trusted Him to do what was best with this house, we'll trust Him to find us a new one, No doubts about it, My Lord takes care of me!!

So how about that,

Now, for a little confessing, I have really let down in the bible study department girls and I am so very sorry to you guys, Ya'll know who I'm talking to, We have go to get back into the swing of things and not let this crazy life we live take something so precious away from us, and that goes for everyone out there in blog land, Bible study, I'm talking about opening up the KJV bible, Gods Holy words and reading it, Studying what the Lord has given to us, NOTHING can substitute for the Bible, No other book ever written can take the place or give us anymore help than Gods word can. I believe that with all my heart, now I will say that sometimes other books written by men of God who study and read the true written word of God can offer wonderful insight to the Bible, but nothing can replace it or the study of it, in a Christians life. So to every one out there who, like me, has let that slide for a few days, get back at it, before those fiery darts the devil likes to wing at us, hits us because we've let our defenses down. Can We Do It? Yes We Can!!!

See why I'm glad spring is here, I am going stir crazy sitting in this house, One can only watch so much Bob the Builder, or Fox and the Hound before one really starts to lose touch with reality!!!

I guess I got off on a little rabbit trail, Now back to the topic at hand, Spring!


Today was an absolutely beautiful spring day, The kids and I spent the majority of the day out in the wild blue and green yonder, but you know what I forgot, MY CAMERA!! Now don't that beat all, The creek was up and the kids were having a ball playing in it, My dd was looking so pretty on her pony and my ds#1 was driving the gator all by himself and I didn't get one single picture of it, but Tomorrow we plan on doing it all over again and this time I will be armed, with my camera of course.
So enough of my crazy ramblings for one night, I'll keep ya'll updated on the search for our new home, but for tonight I will leave you with a few pictures I took while still at home today(before we left to go exploring).....








I just threw this one in because I thought it was cute, He was trying to pretend he didn't see me with the camera trying to get a good picture of him. He's so silly;)



The new header picture was taken today, its jsut a few of the Bradford Pear trees that are blooming in my yard. I think that they are just so pretty, but not quite as pretty as the Dogwoods that will be blooming soon:)