Celebrating Motherhood

     Mothers are such a special blessing!  They set the tone for the entire family.  They work a lot of non-stop shifts.  Middle of the nights after a long, hard day are no match for a mother.  Cleaning up in circles & lots of laundry just comes along with the territory.  Some rock, some co-sleep, some breast feed, some bottle feed, some cook organic, some opt for take out & drive thrus, some homeschool, some make the best classroom mothers, some bring home mega bucks, some are over worked at home & way underpaid, some perfect their yards & houses, some sit & read for hours with their children, some are in super great shape, some are unselfish to a fault, some are stern, some are pushovers, some carpool & attend every event possible, while some prefer the comforts of their own home.  Motherhood doesn't come with a manual.  There's no right way or wrong way.  There's only mine & your way.  We are all different, but our kids unite us.  Next time you see a friend whose mothering totally drives you nuts, encourage her!  Motherhood can challenge us beyond belief & stress us to the max.  At the end of the day, we all have the same agenda~to raise the happiest, healthiest kids possible.  We are in charge of the future of this entire world!  Encourage one another!  We all could use more of that in our life.  Your words may make a difference in another's life & family.  United we stand!  Divided we fall!  If you would have told me years ago that Nathan & I would have 5 kids, I would have laughed & called your bluff!  You know what?  Yes, sometimes it gets hard, but we love every minute of it & wouldn't change it for the world!  Chances are, every mother feels that same love for her unique & special family.

     This Mother's Day, I would like to take the time to introduce you to my mother.  Her name must remain anonymous as to deter all kidnappers!  She is best known as Meme.  She is truly one of a kind!  As Daddy puts it, "She's not happy unless she is with one of her babies!"  She birthed 2 daughters, 5 years apart.  She is a very strong, hardworking person.  She taught 1st grade for 30 years & hardly ever missed a day.  She survived raising 2 hormonal teenage girls that were strong willed & knew better than her!  lol  My sister & I both got married in the same year, just 3 months apart to the guys we dated forever.  She has welcomed 7 grandkids with open arms.  Her jumping right in & helping is the biggest understatement ever.  She loves them more than words can express.  She is practically their other mother.  In fact, they probably prefer her over us due to her constant spoiling!  She is the most unselfish, giving person.  It's really so much so that it is to a fault!  She comes over, helps out, buys 99% of their clothes/toys, feeds her whole crew at least 3 times or more per week, shows up unannounced bringing loads of groceries to cook & help out for the day, attends most every single Dr visit & knows the grandkid's Dr by 1st name basis, takes all of us on fab vacations, hosts the best birthday & holiday celebrations, & so much more!  No, she isn't rich.  She's just completely involved.  If she had just $10 left to her name, she would spend it on us with no thought of herself.  She isn't just our mother, she is our everything.  Even our husbands think so for they will even call her or visit without us!  I wish we could afford to show her our appreciation by buying her some once in a lifetime present, but she knows we barely afford the normal gifts for each occasion.  She doesn't care though.  She just loves us, her family.  That's all she wants!  You know, surely everyone reading this is a free moral agent.  Time is a gift.  We spend it & our hard earned money on what matters most in our lives.  I'm honored that I'm a huge part of that in the life of my mother.  If I turn out half as great as her, I'll surely do!  My kids would love that any day!

Happy Mother's Day!  Have a blessed day!!!

It's Springing Up

      It's that time of year again here~planting season!  Our family enjoys this special time together.  This year Clay was really into riding the tractor with Daddy.  The girls loved picking out the plants as usual.  I thought this time we would "liven" things up by making signs to mark our plants & planting marigolds for both beauty & keeping pests down.  Besides, other years we had a hard time remembering what was coming up where!  We have planted potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, cabbages, cucumbers, radishes, carrots, squash, okra, beans, peas, & sweet corn.  Also, the girls bought wildflower & sunflower seeds.  We are looking forward to the harvest time ahead.  Eating the fresh veggies & also putting them up to enjoy all year long is a great blessing for us!

The girls really did most of the planting this year with just some supervision!  Even little  Miss Raegan enjoyed her share of it!

We planted during the boy's naps.  It was a cool afternoon.  Now, it has warmed up here in South GA!  Clay really enjoys helping Daddy in the garden, too!  & look how much it grew in just 20 days!  Harvest will be SOON!

What's more fun, watering the potatoes or the truck???
Or mama behind the camera...

Thanks as always to Meme & Papa!  We couldn't grow this garden without you!  & yes, we will share the picking as well as the eating!!!  ;)  & also a special thanks to Papaw for helping Nathan lay off the rows with plastic.  It will sure save us from having to hoe & pull weeds so much!