Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Our Harvest is Plentiful

What you see here is one end of our garden~
mainly the cabbages & okra.
The other end is the squash, beans, & peas.  The sweet corn runs the entire length along the back.
The cucumbers are climbing their fence
higher & higher!
 
      The potatoes are almost all gone into our tummys!  The tomatoes are our favorite and just beginning to turn red.  Only 1 of our carrot plants survived.  Obviously we don't know how to grow carrots!  The onions are steady growing but not ready yet either.  Need I explain why I haven't blogged lately?  lol  We are busy picking, canning, packaging, & freezing veggies for the winter!  This is the most wonderful time of year!  We LOVE gardening!!!


Sunday, May 12, 2013

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!!!

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

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!




Saturday, April 27, 2013

Veggie Tales LIVE




Just plain AWESOME!!!  The kids were ecstatic!
Our church group was even drawn for pictures with Bob & Larry, too!  :)

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Easter FAMILY Blessings

    
    
     One thing I have learned in this life is that the definition of family isn't just mere biology & not necessarily found in like DNA.  Our FAMILY is much greater than that.  It's the people who you are close to, know you inside & out, know that you all may carry around differences of opinion yet still choose to love you.  It's the ones that know our kid's likes & dislikes~knowing who loves to read & who could care less, knowing who is tender hearted & who is more care free, seeing them pick up new talents thanks to their encouragement, watching one of them completely get out of their shyness & now enduring the constant singing, knowing who would rather just christen the floor with a wet mess as to stop & go to the potty, realizing how IPs & night-nights save my sanity & that "milk" isn't just milk, & rejoicing with us in every milestone as one rolls & scoots all over the church.  It's who lets us call you crazy names like Soup that seems to have stuck.  It's mine knowing who will give them their way & who may not.  It's also playing church at home while imitating, "Say you verse!"  It's those we celebrate with.  It's those we sell way too many cokes & candy bars with so we can take our children on fun times together.  It's those we are with several times a week & puts up with our kids in services & restaurants & ALWAYS offer a helping hand.  It's those who send us cards & check in on us faithfully.  It's those who feed us even though there are 7 of us & know we eat like little pigs.  It's those special people we trust our kids to go home with.  It's those that stand by each other's side through thick & thin.   It's those we can trust & have confidence in to help us through the heat of the battle.  We laugh together, cry together, worship together, pray together.  It's all those together times that makes us the rock that we are.  Aimwell Calvary Holiness Church is a huge part of our life & our family!  I never knew we would grow so close in 1 year!  We love you!
Our Aimwell Kids

& YES there are tons others that fit this bill also!  Close friends, you know  who you are!  I couldn't pick who to type about first so I just went with old fashioned ABC order. Aileen, I couldn't say enough about our years of friendship!  Amy, I can always call & know you'll listen, understand, encourage, & pray!  Crystal, you haven't even been here very long yet our girls are awesome friends!  Our poor baby boys have lots of "minding their sisters" in store ahead of them!  Ellie, I can always tell you ANYTHING & never fear to hear of it being repeated.  That's hard to find these days!  Gina, you are the strongest woman I know!  Your strength amazes & encourages everyone that knows you!  Jennifer, you are an awesome friend for the funnest of times!  During the serious situations, you are the BEST at never being judgemental & always understanding.  You have a HUGE heart.  O how our kids are such great friends!  Julie, you've made it your home here recently too yet no one is any more practical or helpful than you!  Kendra, what else could I say?  I call...you call.  Life happens in between.  You are so trustworthy, honest, & unreal strong!  You have helped me see the best of some crisis situations.  Mary, you always show such great faith!  You are truly a prayer warrior!  Your heart for young people inspire me!  Michelle, you've been the pastor's wife I needed!  You've been that advisor of greater knowledge than I!  Teena,  you are my mom & homeschool encourager!  You always pick me up when I am down.  You have such a huge heart for helping others!  Teresa Leigh, we have been friends since Pre-Algebra!  We go a long way back!  My kids adore your boys, & we cherish all of those fun memories we have make together!  The Gentry's, y'all have come into our lives at the exact moment we needed you.  Thanks for all you do!  We are behind you 100%!
 
I could cry tears from missing seeing y'all! 
 
& a HUGE shout out to "Aunt" Marsha!  You are all of the above & more!  I could never sing your praises nor thank you enough!  Yes, you & your family are our survival!  Who else is so real?  Who else understands?  Who else have I cried with when the battles were raging?  Who else would babysit 5 kids at a moments notice?  I never have to worry a bit about any of them either.  You all know them just like I do, & we love y'all to the moon & back!
 
Now that's a REAL family!


Monday, April 22, 2013

Happy Birthdays

Our Marianna Jewel Turns 7
 
    

     As I tell Marianna all the time, she is our favorite middle girl! ;) She was named after both families.  Most people don't know my daddy's first name is Marion, & Nathan has the best Granny in the entire world which also happens to be our neighbor.  Her name is Ruby Jewel.  There could never be a more precious, special person to pass down a beautiful name.  Marianna has her same big heart & sweet spirit.  She loves animals (especially dolphins) & playing dress up.  She decided this year on a Fancy Nancy theme inspired by the books she loves.  We pulled off a huge surprise by her BFF Mallory coming!  Both girls are full of giggles & enjoyed themselves being all "fancy" together!  It was truly a special day!

 
& Clay Walker Turns 2
 


    

     Having our boys was our special surprise gifts from the Lord.  Clay has brought new life with his extra spunk & JOY to our family!  He always flashes his beaming blue eyes & sly little smile.  He keeps us on our toes & is such a blessing!  We couldn't imagine living a moment without him!
     With our first, we started taking every child to the zoo when they turn 2.  Clay LOVES Diego so that worked out well with his jungle theme.  Once we got to Jacksonville, it rained.  Instead we ended up at St John's Center, The Cheesecake Factory (a family favorite), The Museum of Science & History, & a few other activities.  The kids had a blast downtown Jacksonville.  Being together & focusing on them is what counts anyways.  We'll have to catch the zoo another time soon!
    
  A special thanks to EE for the beautiful cakes, Meme for the parties & everyone who celebrates with us!  & of course the kids love the way too many awesome gifts! 

Friday, April 19, 2013

Playing Catch-Up

Our Christmas was filled with such wonderful excitement & many blessings! 
Right after New Years, we lounged at the BEACH!

 On Valentine's Day we were skiing hard in Snowshoe, WV~even little Miss Raegan! 
Our two little boys also loved the snow!

 
 
Other than that, it's been our usual~family & friend get togethers, church activities, & everyday life!