Sunday, June 26, 2011

My Home State

    I've been a small town girl all my life.I lived in the small town of Antrim,Ohio till I was 9 years old.One little gas station,rolling hills,farmland,lots of deer and groundhogs,snowy winters and pleasant summers...when we visited recently,I almost wished to move back for a little while.It was great spending time with family and friends again.We took care of my grandpa-who is not very healthy right now,put up strawberries for my aunt and went shopping in Holmes County-Amish country.I love going to visit in the summer time.Their grass is so green and the flowers are so rich in color.I miss the good soil they have up there.     
playing cornhole with cousins
My cousin & youngest sis loved up the baby kittens all week.

My aunt has beautiful flowers!!




We met Slim's sister and children one afternoon.Was great seeing them-even tho it was short.She was happy to meet Kobe for the first time.

My 96 year old great-Grandma-her mind is still clear as a bell.I always enjoy visiting with her-she's such a sweet old lady.


 Kobe was so spoiled that week!!Everyone wanted to hold him!
My grandpa used to hunt a lot when he was still able to.He shot lots of big bucks,turkeys & groundhogs.

I always loved the neighbor's little cottage like house.The sweet old couple that used to live there passed away,but 2 of their sons are now taking care of it.

This is the old farm I grew up on.You can see a glimpse of the big white farmhouse on the right-nestled in the trees.I didn't get a good pic of the farmhouse.I would love to restore the house!!I heard that it was the first house in Antrim to have running water and electricity.My parents built the tan house across the feild after we lived here a few years.We then moved to Alabama.My siblings & I spent many hours playing in the woods,in the creek,sledding down the hills and riding bike on this property.Seeing these old home places brought back so many good memories.
                                         


We went on a hayride one evening.Of course the giggling little girls needed a potty break.This is the only one we could find.

There was a gorgeous sunset one evening.God is the best artist ever!!

My uncle's farm-my Dad's old home place.

Have a great evening!!

Monday, June 20, 2011

Boats & Boots & A Raisin Pie


This is what my hubby got for Father's Day.
 I made (hotglued) the boat as a gift from Kobe to symbolize the begining of the journey of fatherhood.We picked up the driftwood on our anniversary trip.The blue & white fabric was salvaged from my Mom's yardsale stash.The white flag was from a piece of fabric Slim's Mom gave us-the perfect symbol since she is forever resting in peace.The middle stick is from a houseplant that suffered from my green  black thumb.It cost me nothing to make this boat but it holds lots of meaning.I LOVE simple gifts.
 Sailboat,take me away to paradise...

This sailboat we saw on our trip to the beach inspired me to make one.
His old workboots are going to be used as flower planters.My hubby wears his shoes/boots till the soles are barely attached and there are holes everywhere.
 I loved what these cards said.I can be picky about cards-I don't care how they look-I want them to say how I really feel..
My Mom baked each father in our family their favorite kind of pie.Hubby's is Raisin Crumb Pie.
   Hmm..wonder if he'll notice if there is a piece missing??

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Fathers

                  
Father Meaning and Definition
  1. (n.) A respectful mode of address to an old man.
  2. (n.) A male ancestor more remote than a parent; a progenitor; especially, a first ancestor; a founder of a race or family; -- in the plural, fathers, ancestors.
  3. (n.) One who, or that which, gives origin; an originator; a producer, author, or contriver; the first to practice any art, profession, or occupation; a distinguished example or teacher.
  4. (v. t.) To make one's self the father of; to beget.
  5. (v. t.) To take as one's own child; to adopt; hence, to assume as one's own work; to acknowledge one's self author of or responsible for (a statement, policy, etc.).
  6. (n.) One who has begotten a child, whether son or daughter; a generator; a male parent.
  7. (n.) One who performs the offices of a parent by maintenance, affetionate care, counsel, or protection.
  8. (v. t.) To provide with a father.
  9. (n.) A senator of ancient Rome.
  10. (n.) One of the chief esslesiastical authorities of the first centuries after Christ; -- often spoken of collectively as the Fathers; as, the Latin, Greek, or apostolic Fathers.
  11. (n.) A dignitary of the church, a superior of a convent, a confessor (called also father confessor), or a priest; also, the eldest member of a profession, or of a legislative assembly, etc.
  12. (n.) The Supreme Being and Creator; God; in theology, the
    first person in the Trinity                                      
Today I want to honor all the fathers in my life.I have been blessed with godly fathers.My Father,Father-in-law & Grandfather have taught me about the important things in life-God,family,church,work & play.Weather is something they all enjoy watching. & discussing.My Grandpa from Mississippi records the weather in a little book.I'll always be thankful for the heritage I have and the examples they have been to me .I remember seeing all of them reading their Bibles,praying before meal times and going to church.
 I love watching my husband fulfilling his role as a father.It's helping him become a better person-I see love,pride,commitment and a caring heart in him more then ever.He has big plans for his children.As a mother-I want to do the best I can do to help him by praying for him,loving & respecting him with all my heart and being ther to encourage him.I am so glad that he is my child's father and I think Kobe is a lucky little fellow!!This Father's Day was his 1st one.Well,last year we had just found out he was going to be a father!!=)And we celebrated!
Brand New Father
Me & Kobe with my Dad & Grandpa
                  My Grandpa & Grandma Miller

Some quotes I found about fathers~

"When I was a buy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years."
- Mark Twain
Sherman made the terrible discovery that men make about their fathers sooner or later... that the man before him was not an aging father but a boy, a boy much like himself, a boy who grew up and had a child of his own and, as best he could, out of a sense of duty and, perhaps love, adopted a role called Being a Father so that his child would have something mythical and infinitely important: a Protector, who would keep a lid on all the chaotic and catastrophic possibilities of life. ~Tom Wolfe, The Bonfire of the Vanities

        "It is a wise father that knows his own child."
- William Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice  

              "Directly after God in heaven comes a Papa."
- Mozart as a boy.  

   Thank God~the best Father of all~for your father today!!   



Monday, June 6, 2011

Beach Love

Hello,friends!!It's been a LONG time since my last post!YIKES!!I have been doing a lot of blog reading and have been neglecting my own blog.I have lots of things to share,so stay tuned-maybe I'll get around to all of it soon.
May 23,2009
 May 23rd was our 2nd anniversary.WOW!!Time has flown since I said those life changing words-I DO!I think I am the luckiest lady alive.God has blessed me with a wonderful,fun-loving husband who works hard,loves lots and helps me so much.I love him more every day.Okay,I love to brag about him..but I'll move on.=)
sleepy eyed lovers

"Obsession"
(The name of the house)
We stayed in a cute little house in the Village of Tannin in Orange Beach,AL on our anniversary trip.It was very quiet and private place-the perfect get-away for us.I recommend this place to everyone-nothing fancy,but it's a quaint lil place.The owners are super nice to work with.$100 a night was well worth it.And they didn't have the normal cheesy beach decor.Now,don't get me wrong-I love beach decor,but not the bright shells,etc., with the '80s-90's look.We watched turtles in the lake while eating breakfast on the balcony..threw the doors open and let the breezy sea air fill the house..lounged in the livingroom..soaked in the clawfoot tub downstairs..and slept like a baby in the comfy bed.We may or may not have slept till lunch one day.I lurved(aka loooved) =) the old beach houses in the village.
The downstairs was formerly a garage.It is now converted into a beautiful bedroom and bathroom.The clawfoot tub and old door added so much architectural beauty.
The view from the back of the house
outdoor shower


my new flipflops and the fun anthropologie rug (I think its from there)
i loved the nightstand in the background-beautiful details

super cute pillows

Aah..watching sailboats drift by is something i can't get enough of

He makes me smile!!

nothing like feeling the sun on your back,smelling the salty air and feeling the sand squishing in between your toes...

I love this pic-somehow makes me think of Heaven
us-that word is awesome!
Hubby loves the dress-says it makes me look skinny.YAY!But,does that mean that I look fat when I'm not wearing it??=)Those last 10 pounds of baby weight still haven't come off!

i big fat heart old bikes!
Biking the brick paved road was a blast.Riding this old bike reminded me of my childhood days.
We went parasailing one afternoon too.Soaring 800 feet in the air like an eagle was exhilarating yet smooth & peaceful.The view is amazing.Pretty big words coming from someone who is afraid of rides and heights.Try it-it's soo worth it!!



Now,take a deep breath-can you hear the crashing waves,feel the soft mist??
Listen to the sea gulls cry.
The sun is magically changing your skin color from vanilla to a soft mocha color.
ha ha Mine turned lobster red then peeled!
There's a hunk of a man sitting next to you giving you a smirky smile.OK.Maybe not.In my experience,there was!
But enjoy the beach for a moment.
A picture says a thousand words..

So long,beach bums!!



Thursday, April 14, 2011

My Gift and a School Picnic

The weather we've been having is absolutely gorgeous!!Makes we wanna dig in the dirt-kick a little,cause a stir,make some noise and be heard...Can I get a yee-haw??I love living in the country at spring time.The land comes ALIVE!!
  Ok..I still haven't got very far with my projects I was talking about.My lil guy has really wanted his mommy and we've had company...But I DO have something to post that I'm excited about!!
One of my husband's  lovely barns for MY VERY OWN!!
And I didn't even have to beg!!(much)
Actually,I didn't mention it for a long time.He took this barn to a festival in town on Saturday.Before he left,he told me that it will probably go into our backyard.Did I ever mention that I LOVE him??This barn is rather small-6 ft.x8 ft.I am trying to decide if I want to use it for storage or a chicken barn.I'm thinking I'll use it to store our treasures in and then add a lean-to on the backside for a lil chicken coop.Shelves are needing to be made yet...maybe next week.Our storage stuff has been sitting on our screened-in back porch since Oct. when I fall cleaned the house and cleaned out closets.I always fix up the back porch during the summer,so this beauty arrived just in time!!
I fixed lunch for the school children on Wednesday.Instead of serving it at school,like normal-I invited them over for a picnic lunch.I was going to fix this barn up with a colorful banner and maybe tissue paper pom-poms,but my baby fussed all afternoon and evening the day before.Grandma came to the rescue and held him while I made food.I threw some stuff together in the morning and my sister came to help set up and babysit.

Excuse the pics.I was in a hurry and can't find the ones that I edited!!
 We put some old quilts on the ground to sit on.I love my old quilts!! We used bandanas for napkins,pint jars for cups and old dishes.I didn't get as many pics as I wanted to since I was running out of time,but I hope you get the idea.We played Frisbee and tried juggling afterward.We also dug thru my Hubby's Amish clothes.The boys had fun trying them on.I didn't get pics-I was demonstrating everything .
Azaleas and creeping Jenny in a blue jar
Old dishes and tea
Napkins

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Seeds and Scraps

Well,Hello there,friends!!It's been a lil while,'eh??
Most of my time has been dedicated to taking care of this lil charmer..he's been rather fussy the past few weeks,but he's cute even when he's cranky.Hard to believe he'll be 2 months old soon.He outgrew his preemie clothes now and weighed in at 8 lbs the other day.I wanted to cry when I packed up his tiny clothes-knowing he'll never be that little again..time seems to go twice as fast since he came,I'm trying to soak up every minute I can with him before I'll be busy with gardening,canning...Speaking of gardening,I'm starting one inside this year..just lettuce,tomatos and corn so far.
Can't wait to dig in the dirt again!!Watching these sprouts grow reminds me of how we need to grow in the Lord..first of all-die to self,feed contiously(like my lil boy does!!!) on His Word,soak up the "Son". We will then be able to branch out,bear fruit and help others grow..like these plants will help our waist line grow!ha



   This is what's going on outside-
lavender
parsley
weeds..=) but hey,they don't look TOO bad here,do they??And yes,I use the mower when I feel really ambitious!
Creeping Jenny around an azalea bush
Can't remember what this bush is called,but I love it!!
  I've also been working on creating simple beauty out of scraps and a few new items..I haven't got very far yet..I'll show you the mess now-the beauty later.
Tissue Paper
Fabric Remnants
My Craft Table

The beauty pics will be up next.Nothing fancy~just somethings I enjoy doing.
I hope ya'll have a blessed day!!