My Garden

This spring has been flying by with a pace that resembles high speed Internet but even amidst the fast pace I have been able to "putter in my garden" a little each day. To experience spring in ones own garden is a true joy!
Let me show you a few of my delights!! Come on in!

I found this little sign at Calloway Garden Center while in San Antonio and it was exactly what my "new" garden entrance needed!!! I have planted three elephant ears around it and can just picture it peeking out from under the leaves this summer!

This is what my garden looked like earlier this week. I don't know if you can see Sawyer's trucks and wagon on the pathway; he's taken to playing in here while I garden!

My Columbine is in full bloom now! The flowers have white centers with purple outer petals. I love how the reach their heads up to the sky!! They seem to be looking for something don't they?

I finally got around to weeding my seedlings and was tickled to see how many have come up!! I have several seed patches planted; one is Phlox and the other is Love In A Mist. They have really sprung up this week and I do believe that it is time to transplant them! I also have Butterfly Weed planted and it's taking it's time about sprouting!

"The walk to my garden"
My iris' have been in bloom for two weeks now and have been the highlight of each and everyday!! I would go out and exclaim, shout, and laugh for joy at each and every new color that I found blooming!!

I have a lone peachy/salmon pink iris!! Did I mention that these iris' smell WONDERFUL?! I didn't even know that they had a smell until mine started blooming!

I have been tickled to death to see BOTH of my peony's come back!! I thought they had died because of being dug up, blown around before being transplanted, and then going through a drought in full sun last summer. This one has doubled in size since last spring and has a bud on it!

My Foxglove plants are...incredible!

Siberian Iris

I found these plants in the "untamed" part of my garden. I wasn't sure as to what they were until I pulled a bud apart and found beautiful pink petals inside (I know, I should have waited until they bloomed!).

Then I remembered that I had sowed poppy seeds in this area last fall. Only four plants have come up and two of them are blooming; one is a cheerful pretty pink and the other is a red!!

The garden is calling so I must answer!!!

A New Member of the Animal Family!

Goats have been a subject that we don't talk about very much mainly because we already know that certain members of our family don't like and don't want them while another member really wants one!!

Well, we now have one!! To put it in Daddy's words "I wouldn't mind having a goat.... if it was like billy".

Last Thursday Chelsey asked me if we wanted billy as he was getting to much for her to handle. Upon asking Daddy..... he said... Yes!! Momma couldn't believe I was asking and Tristan could care less if it lived with the calf.

So billy the kid was welcomed into our animal family last Friday and has been a hoot ever since!!
Billy has been bottle fed since he was really little and thinks he is a person. His horns have begun to grow and he gets himself stuck in the fence at times!

As you can see from the picture, he is very inquisitive and he loves rabbit food! Sayre made the mistake of taking billy up to feed his rabbits and Billy ate the food out of the feeders that Sayre had just filled!!
We have the calf, the dogs, and billy all in the same pen (it's huge believe me!) and so far everything is going great!! Lila has gotten used to billy and I think she views him as another "kid" to play with!
Chelsey handled billy allot and as a result he is soft and cuddly. His ears are like silk and his hair is curly.
I love to watch him eat as his teeth don't line up when he chews!

Maybe I should nickname these guys Thing one and Thing Two!! Oh life is a hoot over here!

Spring

Busy, busy, busy is the name of the game at our house! The spring months have always been a busy time for us and this year is no exception.
Speaking of spring, here are some pictures of what it's like at our place!

"Come on down the driveway"
The River Birches that line the driveway have finally leafed out!! I love walking to the mailbox as I get to admire the trees and observe how the seem to "draw a person down the driveway"!

"The Welcoming Committee"
These two goobers hang out on the front porch an awful lot and are usually there to "welcome you" as you drive up. One of them barks and acts all tough but just ignore him and he'll get friendly after a while! The other one.... well it's debatable as to if he can keep his eyes open long enough to even come and welcome you!

"A doves' nest"
Sayre has been finding bird nests all over!! I don't know how he does it... maybe he just watches where the birds are going!

This Momma dove has her nest right outside our shop and we see her each time we walk past. She's been sitting on the nest for a week now; I wonder when the babies will hatch?!

This nest is in a vine that crawls all over a fence! The eggs are beautiful-green with brown flecks! I wonder what kind of a bird laid these?!

"Hatchlings"
This nest is in another bush outside the shop and the babies are a week old if not more now!
It's amazing to be able to see things like this, and to note that God created this for His honor and glory!

What is spring like at your house?

What Sayre Does for Fun!

Sayre called Momma, Trevor, and I down to the pond last Friday for an "exhibition" of his newest pond feat!!

Sawyer was a willing accomplice as you can see! He was prepared for anything that might come his way with his helmet and life jacket on!

Sayre has found that sliding the canoe into the pond is tremendous fun!!! He pulls the canoe to the top of the dam and balances one end of it. Then he gets in, starts rocking back and forth, starts sliding down, tries to avoid a tree, and then makes it into the water!
I heard Momma saying several times "my baby, my baby" (meaning Sawyer) while the adventure was going on!! Ham man enjoyed himself as he went on several rides without complaint!
I don't know if you can see Trevor in the above picture, but it sure looks like he's enjoying himself!!!

"Gliding Along"
Did I ever mention that Sayre is quite ingenious when it comes to figuring out things to occupy his time?

Somehow Sayre was able to convince Momma that she really wanted to go for a ride in a canoe that leaks! I will never cease to be amazed at what this boy does!!!

Just Because....

Sawyer is really turning into a little man! He's two and a half now and brings such delight to all of us. He is one of the "funnest" little men around and here are some pictures to prove it!

One of his favorite outside things to do is to play cars in the dirt. He'll sit there and make dump truck noises while rolling them over "hills" and through mud puddles! You have to watch him with the mud puddles as he LOVES to incessantly jump in them!

He is also fond of petting any animals that happen to be "petable" like our friend Billy the Kid pictured above! He's learning that you are to be nice and gentle with all of the "livestock".

As you can see, he is thoroughly enjoying being outside! When asked what he has done each day, he always tells you "ri dado. Ha to dado's" which translates into "ride tractor. Have two tractors" and then he'll launch into a "talk" about the tractors!! It's a hoot!!!

He has been trying on other peoples shoes this past week! Here he has Tristan's boots on (on the wrong feet too!) and Daddy is showing him how to tie them up.

It can get tricky wearing shoes that are many sizes to big for you!

"Ni boos Daddy!" means nice boots Daddy.
I tremble to think about what our life would be like if he wasn't a part of our family. He's truly a blessing from God!

Hunting Season

Tristan and Collin have hunting blood running through their veins and it really shows during deer and turkey season. I don't know about the other seasons as these are the only two that I've experienced so far!!
Let me illustrate.....
Friday afternoon I espied a turkey walking down to the pond from my bedroom window. On informing Collin (who in turn informed Tristan who was asking "What is GOING ON?!) there was a sudden rush for shotguns, bullets, and turkey calls.....

They forsook all that their mother has taught them about wearing shoes and tore out of doors in their sock feet (or bare feet if they even took the time to take the socks off!)

Tristan kept an eye on the woods where the turkey had retreated while Sayre...... well...... I'm not really sure where he came from or what he is even doing!

I met Collin coming from the road with the news that it was a hen (which they can't hunt) and that it had crossed the road.

Sayre and I then went down to the pond and found this track which we are pretty sure is a turkey.
Now, fast forward to eleven o'clock this morning and repeat the whole performance with the exception of Tristan and Sayre being to busy to rush out the door! Once again, it was a hen but I seriously hope that soon a Tom will show up! Not only because it will mean that somebody might have the chance to get one, but because I think it would be neat if one of the boys got a turkey with my help (seeing it from my room and alerting them) and it being on our property!!!

Cow Stuff

Two weeks ago, the boys brought another calf home to bottle feed! She was three weeks old and I dubbed her "Mee Moo" but certain persons around here insisted on calling her by her tag number! This little gal's Momma had to be put down several days before she arrived here and it sounds like she was rather insistent on keeping her tummy full during that time!!

From the beginning it was evident that she had a different personality than Moo Moo. This calf arrived mooing, mooed all the way up until feeding time, mooed all weekend, and kept mooing until she finally adjusted to life here!! She had mooed herself hoarse by that time, which in itself was funny to hear!

To start off her life here, she had to get used to the bucket which has a nipple on it. This took some doing as the boys had to corner her, tackle her, and then force feed her until she figured out what the bucket was all about. Thankfully, she was a rather bright calf and it took only one tackling session to show her what was expected and from then on she knew what the blue bucket was all about!

Last Monday morning, Tristan went out to feed the calves but only Moo Moo was around. He found Mee Moo laying on top of a dirt pile with no life in her. We don't know what caused her death as there were no symptoms of her being ill.
I will admit that seeing both cows chasing each other around, competing for who could moo the loudest, and seeing who finished their milk first was a treat! But maybe it's good that only one calf is here..... certain people may get attached.....

Moo Moo knew something was going on when her playmate was taken away, so I put Lila in with her. It's been interesting to watch the two interact!!! They both were on top of a dirt pile "grazing" last night and I love looking out there and seeing them BOTH splayed out in the sun!! Moo Moo gets in a playful mood and will dance around Lila who just ignores her!
Lila is really good with the calf.... She would've made a good Momma.

Hymn for Sunday

Come, Thou Fount
Words by: Robert Robinson
Music by: Asahel Nettleton

Come, Thou Fount of ev'ry blessing, Tune my heart to sing Thy grace.
Streams of mercy, never ceasing, Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet, Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it, Mount of God's unchanging love.

Here I raise my Ebenezer; Hither by Thy help I'm come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure, Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger, Wand'ring from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger, Interposed His precious blood.

Oh, to grace how great a debtor Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let that grace now, like a fetter, Bind my yielded heart to Thee.
Let me know Thee in Thy fullness; Guide me by Thy mighty hand
Till, transformed, in Thine own image In Thy presence I shall stand.

Home from the Father Daughter Retreat!

Whew!!! Last week resembled a whirlwind and it culminated (or slowed down a little) with Daddy and I attending the Vision Forum Father Daughter Retreat held at Calloway Gardens! We have been three times now, and each retreat seems more memorable than the last!
Well, let's get to the pictures!

"Father Daughter Unity Games"
It all started Friday afternoon with the Unity games. There are four games and each one focuses on a different aspect of the Father Daughter relationship. Pictured above, are fathers and daughters getting ready to do the Three Legged race and I will admit that this is the game that I dislike the most! In this race you have to work together to keep from falling and to stay "in sync" with each others footsteps! It can be rather interesting!! We saw one father that had three daughters doing it all together!!!
Another game was Father Daughter Croquet and the aspect here is the Father correcting the course that his daughter is taking as she strays off the path.

"More Unity Games"
Oh, this one was fun!! The Daughters had to jump rope with their eyes closed and LISTEN to their Fathers' command to "JUMP!" in order to be successful at jumping over the rope! It was a challenge yet fun too! The aspect of this game was listening to your Fathers commands when you can't see the "big picture".
The last game was an obstacle course that Fathers led their blindfolded Daughters through. Daughters had to step over small brush piles, go around trees (one of which was near a creek!), pick up a pine cone and then drop it in a bucket! This teaches listening to your Father's instruction even though you can't see the way or understand where you're going.
After the games a picnic was held up near the building in the picture and following that was an ice cream social inside.

There were roughly 575 people in attendance of the retreat and this picture doesn't even begin to do it justice!

"High Tea"
Noon on Saturday found all of the Fathers and Daughters enjoying a Victorian High Tea! All of the girls wore their special dresses and I can honestly say that many of the dresses were made 'specially for the occasion!
After the tea everyone went out to the patio to get their picture taken by the staff.

"Pioneer Log Cabin"
The afternoon was ours to do what we pleased with! Many Fathers and Daughters had brought their bikes and were biking many of the trails that Calloway gardens has, others, like us, headed straight over to the Butterfly Center! We took a quick detour to the pioneer log cabin though. They had a lady playing some sort of folk instrument on the front porch which was really neat.

"At the Butterfly Center"
I love the butterfly center....... I love seeing the amazing different varieties and colors of butterflies.... I love seeing their playful tantalizing flights..... I love watching the butterflies!

It was a special treat for some to have a butterfly land on you!

"Mr. Cason's Vegetable Garden"
Daddy and I like going here and seeing the different things that are growing. There are two parts.... first you have the actual vegetable garden, second you have the flower garden (inside the fence in the above picture) which is in the "center" of the vegetable garden.

"Vegetable Garden"
From what I understand everything they grow here is used in the kitchen at the Inn and possibly other places.
I really like the straight rows and how everything is neat and orderly!

"Look what I found amongst the Parsley!"
This was too cute!!

"One of the many ponds"
The azalea's were in the last throes of blooming and it was neat to see the different colors on the other sides of the different ponds.

This years' Father Daughter Retreat was a big encouragement for me. I had started "So Much More" by Anna Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin about a week before leaving, and things in it and things in the conference seem to finally click with me over the weekend. For example, it finally hit me that even though my Daddy is at work all day, I can still be a help to him by simply helping my Momma with the housework, laundry, or what have you.

I can help my Momma make a comfortable clean house for him to come home to each evening, which I'm sure is what he would like!
I have many other things running through my mind about the retreat, but I need to run. Be prepared to see more pictures and thoughts from the retreat over the next week or so!

"Before I close...."
I had to post this!!! We all got a kick out of seeing this advertisement somewhere on the other side of Atlanta!!! It somehow reminds me of my brothers!!