Saturday, June 22, 2013

Thankful Thursday, week 63

This week I am thankful for...
 ~Daddy and all that he has done for us.
~That we are officially moving up to VA next week :)! We should be settled by the third of next month!
~How quickly everything is falling into place all of the sudden.
~Boxes.
~Daddy's really neat, wonderful idea, to be shared at a future date ;)...
~That last week was the last time Daddy leaves for VA without us :).
~The visit that we had from our Grandparents and aunts Thursday- that was an unexpected blessing :)!
~One last unexpected geo-caching trip with Grandpa, Grandma, and our Aunts. We did it down here this time, at our favorite park. Do you know how many times we have walked those park trails and not even known what geo-caching was, let alone that we were right above them?!
~Peter's love for animals :).
~My Aunt's help finding a crafting item that I have been looking for for weeks...
 ~Being able to harvest produce from our garden.
~Emmi's delight when Peter does something especially sweet...
~A clean pantry.
~The yummy brown sugar muffins Bethi made for us the other day, all by herself :)
~The Romans study that Katie and I were doing, that ended Wednesday. It was a big blessing, it was kind of sad when it ended!
~That I was able to finish copying out Romans just in time ;)! I got behind when I lost my notebook...
~Now looking forward to getting back to the six month reading plan we put on hold to do Romans :).
~Fresh bread.
~The ability to read.
~Hands to work with... I better get busy :). I need to get a couple letters in the mail and some tatting finished up today. We have a lot of company coming the next couple days, church tomorrow, a showing tomorrow, packing and cleaning and meals, and the yard to mow, Daddy coming home, towels to make, and our fourth of July celebration that we are doing early since we will be moving.... all before we start moving next Friday!

"Rejoice in the Lord always; 
again I will say, rejoice."
                            ~Philippians 4:4

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Happy Father's Day, Daddy!!!

I am so thankful for all that you have done for our family :)! Thank you for following the Lord's leading, for training us up in the way we should go, for giving your time to teach us and build up your relationship with us, helping me with difficult math problems or craft projects, and for providing for us even when it is hard or unpleasant!!! I am so thankful that, even though we have been in different states a lot lately, you still take the time to talk to each of us and lead us in family worship :)! I can't wait until we get up to be in VA with you in a couple weeks and we get to be together every day again :)!!!

I love you, Daddy!!!

Friday, June 14, 2013

Gardening Fun

Look at our little garden...


I love it! I hate bugs, but I love gardening :)! Any way you do it... as a family project, with a little one for some one-on-one time, or alone while thinking or watching the birds playing across the yard (we've had some bold black and red birds lately), I love gardening :). I love that the bees are visiting it more as the cantaloupe flowers and that the butterflies are more plenteous at this time of year, as well :). I like mowing and other yard work, as well, but that can seem not-so-great after three hours of it (I'm not sure if gardening would be the same? I've never gardened for three hours straight ;).) ;). But weeding, watering, and harvesting I could do any day (and do :) ). I'm going to miss the garden when we move, I'm afraid it is going to be too late to put in a new one there and get anything this year...

It had been a week since I last went out, and I was worried at what I would find, it has been a while since we watered it :P. So it was a pleasant surprise when this is what I found...



Tiny cantaloupes finally forming! This is the largest at the size of a tennis ball :)... Little fuzz ball ;)! And peas, and cucumbers, and tomato flowers :)...
I rushed through weeding so that I could show everybody ;). I was thankful that the plants are so big now that they seem to be choking out the weeds instead of vice versa ;). I took in the peas first, I couldn't carry everything at once...


Bethi's peas vines have done amazing, in the past two weeks we've pulled off a handful or two a day to get that bowlful :).


Abbi was thrilled that her Sugar peas were finally plumping up, too :). (Peter liked them as well ;).)

Then I went back out to get the cucumbers... I told everybody to "stay right there!", and Mommy ran thinking I was bringing in "something slimy" ;). Look at all of those!...

 

Ten cucumbers, with at least twice as many tiny little cucumbers that should be ripe by next week! It was sooo much fun to lift up a leaf and find one, then wonder if there were more, pick up another leaf and find three at once, and continue finding them :)...


You can't shell peas inside. Sorry, it is just wrong. Maybe I'm over sentimental. Or just crazy. But I had to take Abbi out ;).

We finally got everybody outside, and everybody was almost as excited as I was ;). 


"Look at that baby cucumber!"


Oh, but he saw a bird ;)...


"Please help, Mommy? He's right there!"


Emmi loved the cantaloupe :).



And we don't have a picture of Tori with the garden :(. I'll have to get one of her with her basil tomorrow. And her tomatoes! I *love* the smell of those tomato plants!!! Each plant has it's own smell, basil and lettuce and tomatoes, and even peas... weeding is really fun with such diverse smells :).

And speaking of gardens, the book "The Garden Where I Grow", by Gary and Jan Bower, is a wonderful book with biblical rhymes about how lessons from the garden go with lessons from the family, accompanied with beautiful watercolor illustrations!

"And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden..."
                                                  ~Genesis 2:8 

Thankful Thursday, Week 62

This week I am especially thankful for...
~A wonderful week with family.
~Peter's squeal of delight every time he saw a cat at Grandma's... he was so cute!
~Grandma's gift of some little drawstring bags for a project Tori and I are working on :)...
~Bubbles.
~Time spent making crafted gifts with Tori.
~Tire swings.
~That Tori found my Romans notebook (that has been missing for about a month!) last night :)!
~The way Peter comes and tries to climb in my lap every time I sit down at the table with my bible. It is amazing the sweet habits these little ones each form with my different bible reading plans! Who knew?!
 ~Teensy tiny frogs...

(That is a dime beside those frogs...)

 Which Peter loved...

~Cleaned and organized shelves and boxes.
~Daddy's photographer influence on this family...

 Andrew got a toy camera, posed the girls...

And Bethi did Mommy's job of tickling the 
"Daddy" to make them laugh, haha!

~Special treats from Gramma...


 The pizza cones were a big hit, Gramma :)!



~Shopping trips.
~"Special treats".
~Cucumbers.
~Fresh produce from our garden :).
~Time with the little girls shelling peas.
~The car driving by to look at our house today. That was exciting :). You never know which car holds the future buyers, haha!
~Completed house projects.
~Peter asking us to read a book to him :)... He's growing up!
~That Daddy gets home tonight!

"Praise the Lord, all nations!
Extol him, all peoples!
For great is his steadfast love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord!"
                                            ~Psalm 117 

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Sharing A Little Bit From Our Weekend

We got out of the house last Friday late, not unusual for us, haha :). Partly because we were told that there would be another house showing the next day, and so we ended up doing our best to get it show-ready before we left. There actually ended up being two showings Saturday! That was really neat, we have never got two showings in one day before...

We got to Mommy's parents in the late afternoon, and had a great time catching up :).Aunt Tessa and Aunt Amber slept over at Grandpa and Grandma's, as well, that first night, and on into the next day. I'm sure Grandma was grateful for their help when we left all the little ones Bethi and down with her the next day ;). I know Andrew and Bethani enjoyed going with Aunt Amber to feed the ducks :).

The memorial service for Uncle Jerry was beautiful. Uncle Jerry, or Jericho, as I used to call him (and nobody will let me forget it, it stuck throughout the family ;).) will definitely be missed, but we know that he is waiting for us with the Lord. I think he became such a big part of our lives over the past two years, even though we lived about two hours away. I am thankful for that time with him :). There were some very thought provoking things shared, and it was very special to be able to be there to remember him that way, although it had it's share of tears.

After the service we went "home' (we always call Grandpa and Grandma's home while we're up there :).) to have lunch and pick up the little ones. We then headed for Aunt Donna's for the afternoon. Cousin Melissa had brought bubbles and balls, and ended up passing out popsicles, as well, the little ones were thrilled, although Andrew's favorite part was the tire swing, haha :). He loved that thing! Tori says that Parker also tried to teach him how to play checkers, I hear that was quite the cute and humorous story ;). Peter was adorable, he is usually quite the stinker when others want to hold him, he nestles into Mommy or I and won't even look at anybody else if they so much as touch him, heehee, but he actually went up to several people and asked to be picked up, it was amazing! There were several family members and friends who dropped by over the course of the day. I was told a dozen times that Tori was just about as tall as me (ya, she's catching up fast...), and asked almost as many times when I was going to drive (nope, no desire, haha!) ;). Just add that to trivia about me... I'm short, don't like the thought of driving, and don't care if that is known ;). We also went over to Aunt Donna's Sunday afternoon. Aunt Donna gave Bethi one of the elephants from Uncle Jerry's elephant collection. Bethi and Uncle Jerry shared a love for all things elephants, and Bethi told Mommy that she'll never look at an elephant without thinking of Uncle Jerry from now on. Aunt Donna heard that and knew Bethi would be blessed by one of his elephant figurines, a very special, thoughtful, gift :)! It was raining that second day, but it wasn't bad and the porch is covered, so we ended up out there a lot both days, I love a porch-full of loved ones, babies, and rocking chairs :)... bubbles don't hurt either, heehee... the bubbles where a big hit ;). We didn't take pictures, we either forgot our camera or didn't take the time to find it most of the time we were at both family's houses. I wish I had thought more about it while we were there, it may be awhile before we make it back after we get to VA, we're not sure how long it will take to settle down there. I am thankful for this time we had with both sides of the family though :)!

Monday morning we stayed at Grandpa and Grandma's, and Aunt Tessa was also there. I was beading some hairpins and got to listen in on quite the game of "Memory", haha! Aunt Tessa then asked me to show her how I was making the pins, but we didn't make it very far, haha :P. She blessed us with some beads she had, thanks Aunt Tessa :)!

That afternoon Grandpa took us geocaching. It had rained off and on all morning, we were afraid we wouldn't be able to make it, and with it being our last visit before we move, that was a sad thought! But the sun finally showed up, and we had a great time :)! We found three caches... it's always an adventure :). The first one was at a beautiful covered bridge, the last one in SC :). Grandma has told us about it for two years now, I wish I had brought my camera, it was as pretty as she said it was :). That cache was more difficult, Aunt Tessa finally found it :).

Aunt Amber was able to join us for supper, and when we left to head home we swung by our Aunts' new home. It is adorable, and very cozy :). The only bad part is they can't bring their cats, Grandma is stuck with those, heehee ;). Grandma says Penny (one of the cats) is awful... she did throw some fits while we were there, but on the whole she is really lovable. She is rather a cat after Abbi's own heart ;)... I won't mention what hour it was when we got home... I will say that Grandma, who is a very early riser, wasn't too far from from waking up when we finally got to sleep after baths and unpacking, haha... I feel bad for the rest of the family, I ended up crashing right before supper last night and being of absolutely no help to all the other sleepy family members, haha. I think I rather made things more difficult when I did wake up and try to help, heehee ;).

This trip was such a blessing :). It will most likely be the last one we take until we leave for VA here in a couple weeks... such a neat thought that we are actually going :). Although I am a person who hates change when it comes, I always see that the change was always for the better afterwards (which makes the next change just as difficult... haha!), so I am really excited to see what the Lord has in store for us :)!!! I am just so thankful that Daddy has finally found a house that the owners will rent to us even with seven children in our family, in fact, they were looking for someone who was a fellow believer, how special is that :)? I can't wait to see what it looks like, haha! It sounds like it is really large, and wonderful in many ways, and I am sure that we will see that these past few months have been worth the wait and lessons learned, and I am so thankful that this time is ending and we will be together again! O my soul, forget not HIS benefits :)...

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Thankful Thursday, Call it Week 1 or 61...

Week 1 here, week 61 for all time :). From here on out, I'll be going with 61, but I wanted to offer that explanation to those who are new readers ;).
This week I am thankful for...
~The house that we are planning on moving into next month, Lord willing.
~That we will see Uncle Jerry at the throne of the Lord.
~Bible verses that speak comfort during times of refining.
~The gospel of Mark.
~Suitcases.
~Laundry baskets.
~Clean clothes.
~Icing cupcakes with the little ones last Tuesday.
~Red tongues that a certain Abbi was proud of, haha....
~Paint.
~Rugs.
~Creative projects.
~Cloth.
~Ribbons.
~Emmi's new "jump rope" :).
~Time spent together.
~Peter's face as he intently concentrates to figure something new out.
~Light.
~Rain.
~Lawn mowers.
~Snap peas.

Praise the Lord! 
Praise the name of the Lord,
give praise, O servants of the Lord,
                  ~Psalms 135:1

An Update of Sorts...

We received news that Uncle Jerry went to be with Jesus Tuesday night... We loved Uncle Jerry, and are going to miss him, but it is a joy to know that we'll meet him again at the throne of God! So, we'll be in upper SC over the weekend, and are praying that the Lord would comfort Aunt Donna, this is especially hard on her :(...

As far as house news goes, Daddy left to go back up to VA last Tuesday. There is another house that is a *very* big possibility in VA, and we are fairly sure that, Lord willing, we will be moved by the beginning of next month :)! What a blessing that would be!

In garden news, we had a yard work day yesterday, have chased two frogs out of the house since Sunday, and are harvesting snap peas like crazy... a handful a day isn't bad, haha. The cucumber plants have cucumbers on them, and the lettuce can't be eaten fast enough!

Finally, the Hidden Treasures auction ends tomorrow! If you haven't visited yet, or might be out bid, you'll want to check it out before midnight tomorrow!

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Emmi's Birthday Pictures :)

Pictures from a precious little three year old's birthday :)....

Emmi was thrilled to get to go out with Daddy "all by herself" this year :)....

She's three!
Haha :). Love this one :)...
Emmi and Daddy getting ready to go out for some special time together :).



 I love this girly. And she has a thousand face expressions....

Peeking in the door as she gets back home... we were 
singing happy birthday to her :).

Talking about her decorations :). 


Working hard ;).

Abbi gave Emmi her monkey... among many other items ;).


See? The face!... love it!


:)



Listening to her cards :)....

Pete the Cat! She loves the books, so the toy was a thrill! :)

A Shirley Temple "Sing and Dance Along". She loves 
Shirley Temple, and she looks and acts like her, too. And 
it started before she ever watched any Shirley Temple
 shows, so it isn't the influence ;).

She has to admire Pete the Cat again ;)...

 See this colorful thing? After Miss Teresa blessed me 
with two large bags of yarn, Emmi found this yarn and 
asked me to make a giraffe. Despite being a odd request, who could resist?!!!

 But she is pretty cute with it :)...

 Chilling with Pete the Cat... I think Pete the Cat was her favorite ;)...


 Tori made an ADORABLE kangaroo for her out of clay :)...


See? Look at that face! 

 Love her :)...

 Pete the Cat cake, haha :)...

 "So silly"...


I think she liked it :)!