Backyard picnic

At times we find it necessary yet difficult to escape the daily grind of work and church. We also find that the very walls of our home feel as though they are crushing the very life out of us. I realize that sounds pretty bad, but I am trying to help you understand why I cooked sauerkraut and hotdogs in a skillet on charcoal briquettes in Alabama heat in my backyard when I had a functioning kitchen. Why I chose to carry a dining table and 6 chairs outside to my backyard to eat with bugs. Why I snuck around my home whispering orders to the children about all the condiments and such that they had to carry to the table in our backyard. As pathetic as it seems, it worked. We surprised Paul with a "BBQ?" or "Picnic?" We ate our dinner with the bugs, and Dad breathed a sigh of relief while he ate staring at the blue sky. I am sure our neighbors wondered, but we enjoyed it.

I forgot to get the camera out until after dinner, but here we are, Sorry!

My sweetheart turning the very large compost pile after dinner. We have had 3 volunteer tomato plants from it this summer. Note the "garden" in the background. Every year I honestly think I will be a better gardener. This year I have grown very healthy grass and 3 cucumbers. The tomatoes are growing but haven't ripened yet. My fertilizing in May only killed 4 or 5 tomato plants. I am so proud! I am amazed that I still have 4 children. I guess it's because they have learned to feed themselves to some extent, and they don't require weeding.

He was happy eating outside with the flies. Honest!

Yes, we did smores too. I hope the video below works. If so, check it out.

We weighed Luke last night, and he is officially 45 lbs. now. Leah is 50. Sarah is 56. Eliza might be mad if I told her weight. Let me just say that she is very tall, and her weight reflects that fact.

 

My Long Legged Guitar Pickin' Man

While I was off visiting family in NC the last weekend in May, my sweetheart was performing on the big stage at the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. Songs included in their set were: Sweet Home Alabama (of course!), Free Bird, a couple songs by Sugar Land, You Look Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton, Pride and Joy by Stevie Ray Vaughn, and Famous in a Small Town by Miranda Lambert. Paul played rhythm guitar and sang backup in most of the songs, but he sang lead in Jenny Jenny 867-5309 and Last Dance with Mary Jane by Tom Petty. Although I missed the big performance, I got to see the video, and my husband ROCKED! I am so proud of him!

Youth Conference

Last week I went to a six stake Youth Conference at Troy University. There were more than 500 14-17 year olds and about 100 adults. It was awesome! Speakers were flown in from all over. My favorite was Chad Hymas. Please take a few minutes and go to this link. I suggest you read Just Cut the Dang Strings and One Stripe at a Time. If you are in need of inspiration or a little umph, you can find it in his life stories. Hearing him tell it in person was so moving. I will never forget it. What I took away from him . . . "You can't do it alone," "Many are called, but few are chosen because we choose to not follow," "Your greatest gift is your time," and "Those that know Him have no fear."

I also loved hearing Elder Cornish of the Seventy speak. Here are a few tidbits I gleaned from him:

"You can't pray a lie" -Huck Finn

You don't have to be perfect to pray.

If your prayers aren't being answered the way you want then Heavenly Father probably wants more for you. 

I can't end this post without mentioning that at the dance Thursday night I sat down on the bleachers and began to croquet. Yes, I was prepared for a long 4 hour dance without my sweetheart. I must admit I was feeling bad. The second song was a slow one, and the DJ encouraged the boys to find a dance partner. The next thing I know a young man, probably 14 years old, asked me to dance. I was in shock. Is the room that dark? Can't he see that I am an old person? Is he confused? "Me?" I asked. He replied "Yeah! It's okay. Come on!" I was very flattered, but I told him there were a lot of young women waiting to be asked. He understood and went merrily on his way to find a dancing partner. The young man, Taylor, made my night. Though he will never read this, Thank you Taylor!

Pioneer Day Festivities

This afternoon we joined our branch for a Pioneer Day BBQ. It was very hot out, but the food was yummy! I enjoyed sitting in the shade while my dear husband took the kids down to the beach to swim. Am I a blessed woman or what? 

Thank you Love!

 I don't recall the water being quite this murky looking.

No, I didn't blacken out my daughter's teeth. That is chocolate cake. She was very impressed with her ability to coat her teeth.

Sarah grabbed a stem quickly and stayed dry. That is until she stuck her head in the water.

"I thought this day would never come!"

For years upon years we have told our children "NO!" whenever they would ask for a pet of some type. We have had goldfish (they died in a week or so) and a stray dog that slept on our carport, but nothing that we have really considered a pet of our own. They have begged for a pet until I believe they lost all hope. 

Well . . . while visiting in NC, my aunt Deb offered me one of their kittens. The kitten had been playing around me and kept climbing on my lap. She was awfully cute and after all the sweet pets that I had been with for the previous week (Hope, Stella, Finn and yes, even Winston, but not Elbows the snake. Sorry.) I found myself wanting a pet for the very first time. A day or so later, Paul mentioned that he saw a box of cute kittens at the hardware store and thought one would make a fun surprise for the children. He also said he thought I would kill him, so he left the cute kitten where he found him. After several days of talking and considerations, I decided to go for it. I called Deb 30 minutes before we were leaving NC and asked if her offer was still good. She said yes and that she would have her ready in a few minutes. She and Kara were so sweet to trust us with their little Tabitha.

I planned to keep her name Tabitha, but I met opposition within my family. We discussed it and decided it would be nice to name her after her mother, Serafina. So we now have a very sweet kitten Serafina. She rode very quietly all the way home without making any noise, mess, or smelly excrement. Yeah! Honestly, I was a little nervous about that part. 

The only problem I think we might have is that I'm not sure she knows that she is a cat. The first week we had her home the children were away for the night at Jane's, and Serafina kept barking outside our bedroom door. We thought that was odd. She also prefers to have a light on in the middle of the night, and she enjoys the girls using her for their baby doll. I was always led to believe that cats kept to themselves, but this is not so with Serafina. She enjoys playing with the children and following Paul and I around at night. 

We were all packed up and saying goodbye to the family when I told the children about my surprise for them. They thought I was playing a cruel joke at first, but once I convinced them I was serious, they were in shock for a while.

Shock and amazement!

Yes, these are tears. She really didn't see this coming. I asked her why she was crying and she said, "I thought this day would never come."

 

On our way home we stopped at the Birmingham Temple. We tried to get Serafina to eat, but she was too overwhelmed to try. 

The pictures don't do her justice! She is so beautiful!

No, I'm not choking her!

Thank you Deb and Kara for allowing us to care for Serafina. We thoroughly enjoy having her in our family. I have been converted to a pet lover.

The Ice Cream Story and more NC

The night of my sister's graduation I bribed my children to go by telling them I would get them any treat they'd like if they would get in the van without complaint. After our visit to the zoo, they decided that they wanted to cash in on my promise and get some ice cream. True to my word we searched for an ice cream store. We found a mall that I had been told of, and we found  a Marble Slab inside. Now, anyone who knows me knows that I am very frugal, but this was going to be a special treat. I have been to this ice cream place once before a few years ago, and I knew it would cost more than I would ordinarily spend. I was okay with that, but . . . I nearly had a heart attack! I let the kids pick a dish or a decorated waffle cone (kid's size=1 scoop) and the ice cream that they wanted. I had a cone as well with two scoops. We didn't have anything mixed into the ice cream (I didn't tell them about that aspect of the Marble Slab). Anyway . . . my knees nearly buckled when the cashier rang our 4 cones and 1 dish up and said, "It is $19.65." I very politely handed over my twenty dollar bill and quickly found a seat. I kept breathing and got through it, but honestly, it was a close call. To make matters worse, I didn't care for the ice cream and the kids ended up throwing away their cones. Enough said. Maybe now that I have written this down I can finally let it go. Haha! 

Greenville Zoo in South Carolina

This is us at Kate's graduation.  It was like a sauna that day. To the right of me is my brother, Andrew and my dad in the cool shades. In front of me is my sister-in-law, Jennifer and on the left of her is Will, Kate's boyfriend. Next to Leah is my brother and Jen's husband, Jon. 

Keeping Luke happy during the ceremonies. "Let me see, mom!"

Sarah with my sister, Kate, and her boyfriend, Will.

Visiting Family

I had a wonderful time visiting my family in NC. You can't beat spending time with family. I got to see my nephew, Noah, be baptized, and my sister, Kate's, graduation. I got to go to the Columbus, SC temple with my dad. My Gran visited from New York. I held my first Tupperware Demonstration, Thanks La! We visited Tweetsie Railroad. We went to the Greenville, SC Zoo. We ate ice cream cones for $20 (THAT STILL IRKS ME!)! And last of all, I got to see my brother's band play. My only sadness was not having my Paul with me. 

I'm not sure who enjoys the "tractor" rides more: Grandpa or the kids?

Sutton, Luke, Evan & Leah

Eliza, Noah, Sarah & Liam. Sarah looks like she's up to something.

Laura laughing. I love my sister's laugh. I wish I could capture it. 

Gran and Erin. Gorgeous smiles ladies.

One of many games of poker. Just kidding. 

My Momma. The best mom in the whole world. 

My brother, Mike and I.

My sweet Dad. 

Sarah eating watermelon with her second cousin, Kara. 

Leah proudly shows her "gone tooth." After she lost her first tooth, she would show people and say "look at my loose tooth." We finally helped her realize that it wasn't a "loose tooth" anymore because it was gone. Hence, she shows everyone her "gone tooth". 

Aunt Kate gave the girls a makeover. The dear children said I needed one too. Thanks.

Luke helped Papa Woody change the oil and the air filter on the John Deere. Papa said he was very helpful.