This plus this.....
plus this........
plus this......
plus this.....
equals one big blessed family!!
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Math
This plus this.....
plus this........
plus this......
plus this.....
equals one big blessed family!!
Thursday, April 5, 2012
What is all the hubbuzzz????
Many people this year in the United States have experience a warmer winter. Where I live, we didn't have much of anything to call a winter this year. I got to wear my jeans some this year but, we definitely didn't get our super cold freezes like we typically do.
I have to say I didn't mine not having the freezes this year. When we do have a freeze warning, that means I get to drag out the tarp and sheets, and cover our tree.
It is a family affair when we have to cover this tree. It is big and round, tall, and thorny. Doing this job is not our favorite thing to. It usually is bitter cold and windy when step outside to cover this tree. We all want to do this as quickly as possible so we can head back into the house to get warm.
But, when it does get warmer, that means spring. Which came in February for us this year.
Spring means flowers that bloom.
Flowers mean.......
................BEES, and lots of them.
They swarm between our lovely tree and the azalea bush. It does make it hard for sitting outside for lunch or for the girls to play out front.
But.... this.....
...........equals this and.........
.......and this.
Can you guess what kind of tree it is? I know you are curious and are wondering what
it is that we cover????
When the fruit on the tree gets bigger, people who visit mistakenly think and guess that they are grapefruit or even avocados. But there not.....
This fruit usually starts to change color in October and are ripe in November and December. It usually is not the time one would think to have a lemonade stand.
The above picture is a lemon that is a late bloomer from this past December. It is just now starting to change color... I was hoping to get a shot of the lemon while it was green.
This picture is from some lemons we had 2 years ago. You are not seeing things incorrectly. Yes, the two outer objects are lemons and the one in the middle is a pear, which is typically about the size of a normal lemon.
I do not feed my tree steroids or give it any kind of fertilizers. It is just big boned... Ok, its not big boned. But, I do nothing to this tree except for covering it when there is a freeze, and on the occasion I trim back the branches that are hanging over into the driveway. It is called a, Ponderosa Lemon, they are a type of lemon that is just huge. They taste like a normal lemon and is not sour. They have a very thick rhine and lots of seeds. It also has LOTS of juice. I can get about 2 cups of juice from one lemon.
I have made lemon bars that have tasted great. I also use the lemons to make a herb baked chicken that calls for sliced lemons on top. I have juiced them and I freeze the juice in ice cube trays, so when I need a tablespoon of juice for different recipes, I have it on hand.
The tree produces about 20-25 lemons each year. I give alot of them away to friends. This past year at our last yard sale, I had people ask to buy them. I sold a few and then told my husband to stop selling them because I had people waiting for the lemons. I could have made more money off of the lemons that day then the things we were selling.
So there you go.... the buzz about this tree has bee(n) solved.
I have to say I didn't mine not having the freezes this year. When we do have a freeze warning, that means I get to drag out the tarp and sheets, and cover our tree.
It is a family affair when we have to cover this tree. It is big and round, tall, and thorny. Doing this job is not our favorite thing to. It usually is bitter cold and windy when step outside to cover this tree. We all want to do this as quickly as possible so we can head back into the house to get warm.
But, when it does get warmer, that means spring. Which came in February for us this year.
Spring means flowers that bloom.
Flowers mean.......
................BEES, and lots of them.
They swarm between our lovely tree and the azalea bush. It does make it hard for sitting outside for lunch or for the girls to play out front.
But.... this.....
...........equals this and.........
.......and this.
Can you guess what kind of tree it is? I know you are curious and are wondering what
it is that we cover????
When the fruit on the tree gets bigger, people who visit mistakenly think and guess that they are grapefruit or even avocados. But there not.....
This fruit usually starts to change color in October and are ripe in November and December. It usually is not the time one would think to have a lemonade stand.
The above picture is a lemon that is a late bloomer from this past December. It is just now starting to change color... I was hoping to get a shot of the lemon while it was green.
This picture is from some lemons we had 2 years ago. You are not seeing things incorrectly. Yes, the two outer objects are lemons and the one in the middle is a pear, which is typically about the size of a normal lemon.
I do not feed my tree steroids or give it any kind of fertilizers. It is just big boned... Ok, its not big boned. But, I do nothing to this tree except for covering it when there is a freeze, and on the occasion I trim back the branches that are hanging over into the driveway. It is called a, Ponderosa Lemon, they are a type of lemon that is just huge. They taste like a normal lemon and is not sour. They have a very thick rhine and lots of seeds. It also has LOTS of juice. I can get about 2 cups of juice from one lemon.
I have made lemon bars that have tasted great. I also use the lemons to make a herb baked chicken that calls for sliced lemons on top. I have juiced them and I freeze the juice in ice cube trays, so when I need a tablespoon of juice for different recipes, I have it on hand.
The tree produces about 20-25 lemons each year. I give alot of them away to friends. This past year at our last yard sale, I had people ask to buy them. I sold a few and then told my husband to stop selling them because I had people waiting for the lemons. I could have made more money off of the lemons that day then the things we were selling.
So there you go.... the buzz about this tree has bee(n) solved.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
In a State of Mind
In my last blog posting, I told you that going and sitting on the beach is great therapy for me. I am in my own little world and I become very relaxed. I also have found another place that does the same thing for me.
For some it will come as a big surprise. I find it interesting to see the reaction of people when I tell them I love being on the back of my husbands motorcycle. I have always loved going for a 'ride." I have no desire to ride one myself.... I do know my limits. But, being on the back of a motorcycle with a cool breeze all around me, staring at the landscape as it quickly jets past me, I am in another state of mind. I think about nothing. I escape to some where, where ever it is, my name is not being called.
Gracie has an illness that I have never mentioned before. It is not contagious, some say it is heredity, "that it is in the blood." I have never mentioned it to the doctors because when you look at her, one would think she is so normal, there is nothing wrong with that child. But, one has not seen her run before. This child of mine that I birthed has, horse on the brain. What might that be, you ask? It is one who thinks about horses 24/7. The girl tucks her thumbs in, and cuffs her fingers over them as if they were hooves. She doesn't run, she trots, gallops, nods her head and neighs! ( I am not joking!)
She can draw them perfectly. She can tell you about the different movies we have that have to do with horses. If she has to write about horses, they all have names after the horses from the movies. Her favorite is Secretariat.
So when we were invited to go visit a friend of ours who has a horse and teaches lessons, Gracie was definitely in her state of mind.....
Before we were greeted by our friend, Mrs. K. there were a few horses with their heads hanging out the barn windows. My girl, took the time to go visit each and every horse, to say hello. She approached them gently and ever so kindly. She showed know fear, but respects their strength, and size.
She was truly natural handling the horse. She didn't let it get bossy, she told the horse when it could graze and when not too. She was a natural getting on and off the horse.
Her Nana had a horse when she was a child. It came natural to her as well. So, I guess it is heredity and it "is in the blood."
Laci on the other hand, tried not to show intimidation. But, it was clear she was skeptical.
Heidi enjoys horses just as much, but does not have the same level of the illness. She could tell you alot about the gear in the stable and the kinds of horses. She doesn't run like a horse or think about them like Gracie. Gracie has a full pledge level of illness where as Heidi's is moderate.
I hate to use the cliche' The Horse Whisper, but, I tell you, my girl could have a quite conversation with each horse and tell you what they were feeling. She is so peaceful to watch when it comes to horses. I really wish I could be a fly in her brain, just for a moment to know what she truly is thinking. I have tried asking her, but she grins and says, "Nothing."
This one finally started to shed her intimidation towards the end and found a horse she wanted to say hello to. She just went over to the horse by herself, and started petting its nose. She also wanted to say, "Goodbye and thanks for a great day!"
Thank you Mrs. K for sharing your afternoon with my girls, and we look forward to seeing those babies when they are born.
For some it will come as a big surprise. I find it interesting to see the reaction of people when I tell them I love being on the back of my husbands motorcycle. I have always loved going for a 'ride." I have no desire to ride one myself.... I do know my limits. But, being on the back of a motorcycle with a cool breeze all around me, staring at the landscape as it quickly jets past me, I am in another state of mind. I think about nothing. I escape to some where, where ever it is, my name is not being called.
Gracie has an illness that I have never mentioned before. It is not contagious, some say it is heredity, "that it is in the blood." I have never mentioned it to the doctors because when you look at her, one would think she is so normal, there is nothing wrong with that child. But, one has not seen her run before. This child of mine that I birthed has, horse on the brain. What might that be, you ask? It is one who thinks about horses 24/7. The girl tucks her thumbs in, and cuffs her fingers over them as if they were hooves. She doesn't run, she trots, gallops, nods her head and neighs! ( I am not joking!)
She can draw them perfectly. She can tell you about the different movies we have that have to do with horses. If she has to write about horses, they all have names after the horses from the movies. Her favorite is Secretariat.
So when we were invited to go visit a friend of ours who has a horse and teaches lessons, Gracie was definitely in her state of mind.....
Before we were greeted by our friend, Mrs. K. there were a few horses with their heads hanging out the barn windows. My girl, took the time to go visit each and every horse, to say hello. She approached them gently and ever so kindly. She showed know fear, but respects their strength, and size.
She was truly natural handling the horse. She didn't let it get bossy, she told the horse when it could graze and when not too. She was a natural getting on and off the horse.
Her Nana had a horse when she was a child. It came natural to her as well. So, I guess it is heredity and it "is in the blood."
Laci on the other hand, tried not to show intimidation. But, it was clear she was skeptical.
Heidi enjoys horses just as much, but does not have the same level of the illness. She could tell you alot about the gear in the stable and the kinds of horses. She doesn't run like a horse or think about them like Gracie. Gracie has a full pledge level of illness where as Heidi's is moderate.
I hate to use the cliche' The Horse Whisper, but, I tell you, my girl could have a quite conversation with each horse and tell you what they were feeling. She is so peaceful to watch when it comes to horses. I really wish I could be a fly in her brain, just for a moment to know what she truly is thinking. I have tried asking her, but she grins and says, "Nothing."
This one finally started to shed her intimidation towards the end and found a horse she wanted to say hello to. She just went over to the horse by herself, and started petting its nose. She also wanted to say, "Goodbye and thanks for a great day!"
Thank you Mrs. K for sharing your afternoon with my girls, and we look forward to seeing those babies when they are born.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Therapy....
I have been under some stress the past few months, and it all came to a head this week. I really just needed to get out of the house, running errands wasn't going to qualify. I need to just have a moment to my self, hard to do when you are all are on spring break. We haven't done anything exciting, we have been low key, but today I just needed to have some fun and breathe.
I told the girls we were going to the beach. Not to swim, because the water would be cold, but they could walk along in the water. We packed a lunch and set out. I took a long way about to the beach. I needed to feel like I wasn't going to the same place, I needed somewhere new. So we went to a different beach than normal. (I have to laugh, because if you really think about it, it really is just one long shore line with different names along the way. So it really isn't a different beach.)
As we walked up the board walk and the ocean view came into sight, I took a big long breath and exhaled. The sun on my back, the ocean view, and now as I walked closer, the sounds of the waves made my shoulders relax. Immediately, I felt like everything was lifted, I had no worries.
We found a spot to sit on our towels and ate lunch. I sat and watched the waves, one crashing after another, the sound was extremely peaceful. The girls seemed to be relaxing as well. I watched them, and they seemed to not know how the beach was effecting them. Their shoulders seem to be more relaxed, I could see them, starring into the open and getting lost in their thoughts of nothing. They needed to recharge as much as I did.
I am not a fan of getting into the water and coming out cold, salty, sticky and getting sandy. But, I absolutely love going to the beach and sitting still. Listening to the waves. No one calls my name. I forget all the chores that need to get done.
I love watching my girls twirl and dance across the sand, in and out of the water.
It all brings me peace.
I am also realizing that I love being behind the camera and taking pictures, esp. of my girls. It too relaxes me. I don't think about the sheets that didn't get washed or that I have piles of pine cones in back yard that need to be put into bags before tomorrow. I look into the camera and capture time for just a moment.
This was a great day, all the girls came home recharged, relaxed, and clear minded.
I am hoping to go back this weekend after church with my hubby. He too needs some much needed therapy!
I told the girls we were going to the beach. Not to swim, because the water would be cold, but they could walk along in the water. We packed a lunch and set out. I took a long way about to the beach. I needed to feel like I wasn't going to the same place, I needed somewhere new. So we went to a different beach than normal. (I have to laugh, because if you really think about it, it really is just one long shore line with different names along the way. So it really isn't a different beach.)
As we walked up the board walk and the ocean view came into sight, I took a big long breath and exhaled. The sun on my back, the ocean view, and now as I walked closer, the sounds of the waves made my shoulders relax. Immediately, I felt like everything was lifted, I had no worries.
We found a spot to sit on our towels and ate lunch. I sat and watched the waves, one crashing after another, the sound was extremely peaceful. The girls seemed to be relaxing as well. I watched them, and they seemed to not know how the beach was effecting them. Their shoulders seem to be more relaxed, I could see them, starring into the open and getting lost in their thoughts of nothing. They needed to recharge as much as I did.
I am not a fan of getting into the water and coming out cold, salty, sticky and getting sandy. But, I absolutely love going to the beach and sitting still. Listening to the waves. No one calls my name. I forget all the chores that need to get done.
I love watching my girls twirl and dance across the sand, in and out of the water.
It all brings me peace.
I am also realizing that I love being behind the camera and taking pictures, esp. of my girls. It too relaxes me. I don't think about the sheets that didn't get washed or that I have piles of pine cones in back yard that need to be put into bags before tomorrow. I look into the camera and capture time for just a moment.
This was a great day, all the girls came home recharged, relaxed, and clear minded.
I am hoping to go back this weekend after church with my hubby. He too needs some much needed therapy!
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Random Shots
This is our cat, Chester. We call him a cat dog, because he can acts like a dog more than cat. He must greet every guest and say goodbye them. He begs for food, his favorite is french fries. LOVES boxes!! He sits in them, tears them apart with his teeth and loves to sleep in them. His current favorite box is a shoe box in my closet.
This was taken on a dock in Georgia this past fall. It has three generations of hands. I love seeing the ages in the hands.
I set my camera setting to sport, so I could take fast rapid shots. My intention was to get her after she was done and have her hair be fluffy and full around her face. So seeing this was a surprise but, oh so much fun!
One of GOD's simple beauties.
Laci had walked down to check mail with me, and I thought how neat would it be to get our picture of our shadow with us holding hands. So that is what I did.
I know they say the camera add 10 pounds to a person, is that the same with a shadow?
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Blessing that runneth over
It started out as a normal Monday, everyone sorted their laundry, I went to the kitchen to get my grain ready to make a loaf of bread, the girls are in the classroom getting their books ready for school, a load of laundry is started and I am only 15 minutes late to getting into the classroom. Not bad.
I decided this morning to not take the time to get into our Bible study but to pray for our day and the others who are on our prayer board. Afterwards, we did our pledge, gathered and gave our family hugs and sat down to start math.
I remembered that I needed to call the orthodontist to see if I could get Heidi an appointment being that she had a bracket come off her braces. I went and got the phone and they know that I really prefer the earliest time available, which is typically 9:00 to 9:30 in the morning.So when my sweet receptionist asked if I could get there at 9:30a.m. I look at the clock it is 9:05a.m. and tell her yes, that wouldn't be a problem. I am thinking oh grateful am I to be able to in so quickly. Little did I know that it truly was ALL GOD's timing.
The girls and I quickly put shoes on our feet. As they gather the math books that were needed, I am trying to get the van key and grab my purse. As the girls start to head out of the garage to get into the car, is when my ears hear two of them yell, "MOM, THERE IS WATER ALL OVER IN THE GARAGE!!!"
I am two steps behind them and when I get to the doorway, I click the garage door to open and look down to see the area in front of the washer and dryer are wet, and trail runs down the inside of my garage and out onto my driveway that then goes down into the street gutter. Mine you that the rug in front of the dryer is about 5'x5 and the trail is some areas are 2'-3' feet wide.
I quickly stop the washer, step back into the house quickly call my husband and tell him, I need him and I'm about to walk out the door to an appointment that is needed.
He has all of us girls check all the faucets in the house to make sure there isn't any water leaking anywhere else. He informs to go to my appointment and he is on the way.
As we left the house, Iam shaking my head in disbelief that there was that kind of water trail down the driveway. I wondered how long did that go on? How long would it that have gone if I hadn't had to leave for my appointment.
I immediately started thanking my Heavenly Father.
Thank you Lord for letting me get an appointment so quickly so I could discover the running water. I know for sure that if I hadn't had that appointment to go to, that water would have run at least an hour before I would come to check the laundry.
Thank you Lord for having my husband not be in a meeting and letting him answer his phone so quickly. Thank you Lord for allowing him to be able to leave work so quickly to get home.
I then prayed that it would be something simple, please Lord don't let it be a broken pipe. Let it be an easy fix.
We made it to Heidi's appointment on time and was out in about 20 minutes. Thank you Lord for letting that not take long. We haven't had a long wait at the orthodontist, and I am grateful for that, especially on this day.
When we got back home the girls go to the classroom to finish and start new subjects. I step out into the garage to check to see what is the problem. My loving husband is standing by the washer with his white sneakers on and his dress pant legs tucked into his dress socks. I am grateful for a careful, well dressed, handyman.
My handyman informs me that the machine is not knowing when to stop filling the barrel, so therefor it keeps filling and is running over. He would call around to see if he could find someone to come out and tell us if it broken or if can be fixed and if it is worth it. I know that sometimes the pieces that are broken cost as much as getting something new. I am praying that is not the case. I am still praying that it is something easy.
We will find out on Wednesday morning.
Throughout the day I found more things I was thankful for in this scenario. I am grateful that this is the one time my laundry is in the garage and not in the house. Some of you might remember the issue we had a few years back with the clog pipe and rice and the water that went everywhere in the house. I had flashbacks of water going everywhere in the house and thanked GOD for things I didn't have to replace.
I thought of how many time have I started laundry as I walked out the door to go run an errand or two. My husband has asked me not to that and have snickered at him. For a wife, doing a load of laundry while your running errands is multi-tasking. I am very thankful that this did not happen when I ran an errand. Again, how long would it have just run?
I can only imagine what my front driveway would have and must have looked like, Niagara Falls, with the water flowing. With that thought I again go back to thanking
GOD for that orthodontist appointment.
The girls and I went to the laundry mat today to do laundry. I am thankful to be teaching my girls at home and not have to take time off to go do laundry. (We girls really needed certain laundries to be done.)
I am thankful that I don't have to go to a laundry mat every weekend to get clean laundry. Although, I am thankful to have that available to me. I am very thankful to have a washer and dryer at home with running water. How many people in America who don't have that luxury? How many people in the world don't have that luxury? I am so blessed to be able to step into my garage and do laundry when ever I need something to be cleaned. Thank you LORD for blessing me with things to be cleaned.
I have thought of this verse a few times in the past few days and have to once again snicker.
"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will poured into you lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
Luke 6:38
One would not think there would be so many blessing that would over flow from a washer out onto the driveway. But, I am ever so thankful!
I decided this morning to not take the time to get into our Bible study but to pray for our day and the others who are on our prayer board. Afterwards, we did our pledge, gathered and gave our family hugs and sat down to start math.
I remembered that I needed to call the orthodontist to see if I could get Heidi an appointment being that she had a bracket come off her braces. I went and got the phone and they know that I really prefer the earliest time available, which is typically 9:00 to 9:30 in the morning.So when my sweet receptionist asked if I could get there at 9:30a.m. I look at the clock it is 9:05a.m. and tell her yes, that wouldn't be a problem. I am thinking oh grateful am I to be able to in so quickly. Little did I know that it truly was ALL GOD's timing.
The girls and I quickly put shoes on our feet. As they gather the math books that were needed, I am trying to get the van key and grab my purse. As the girls start to head out of the garage to get into the car, is when my ears hear two of them yell, "MOM, THERE IS WATER ALL OVER IN THE GARAGE!!!"
I am two steps behind them and when I get to the doorway, I click the garage door to open and look down to see the area in front of the washer and dryer are wet, and trail runs down the inside of my garage and out onto my driveway that then goes down into the street gutter. Mine you that the rug in front of the dryer is about 5'x5 and the trail is some areas are 2'-3' feet wide.
I quickly stop the washer, step back into the house quickly call my husband and tell him, I need him and I'm about to walk out the door to an appointment that is needed.
He has all of us girls check all the faucets in the house to make sure there isn't any water leaking anywhere else. He informs to go to my appointment and he is on the way.
As we left the house, Iam shaking my head in disbelief that there was that kind of water trail down the driveway. I wondered how long did that go on? How long would it that have gone if I hadn't had to leave for my appointment.
I immediately started thanking my Heavenly Father.
Thank you Lord for letting me get an appointment so quickly so I could discover the running water. I know for sure that if I hadn't had that appointment to go to, that water would have run at least an hour before I would come to check the laundry.
Thank you Lord for having my husband not be in a meeting and letting him answer his phone so quickly. Thank you Lord for allowing him to be able to leave work so quickly to get home.
I then prayed that it would be something simple, please Lord don't let it be a broken pipe. Let it be an easy fix.
We made it to Heidi's appointment on time and was out in about 20 minutes. Thank you Lord for letting that not take long. We haven't had a long wait at the orthodontist, and I am grateful for that, especially on this day.
When we got back home the girls go to the classroom to finish and start new subjects. I step out into the garage to check to see what is the problem. My loving husband is standing by the washer with his white sneakers on and his dress pant legs tucked into his dress socks. I am grateful for a careful, well dressed, handyman.
My handyman informs me that the machine is not knowing when to stop filling the barrel, so therefor it keeps filling and is running over. He would call around to see if he could find someone to come out and tell us if it broken or if can be fixed and if it is worth it. I know that sometimes the pieces that are broken cost as much as getting something new. I am praying that is not the case. I am still praying that it is something easy.
We will find out on Wednesday morning.
Throughout the day I found more things I was thankful for in this scenario. I am grateful that this is the one time my laundry is in the garage and not in the house. Some of you might remember the issue we had a few years back with the clog pipe and rice and the water that went everywhere in the house. I had flashbacks of water going everywhere in the house and thanked GOD for things I didn't have to replace.
I thought of how many time have I started laundry as I walked out the door to go run an errand or two. My husband has asked me not to that and have snickered at him. For a wife, doing a load of laundry while your running errands is multi-tasking. I am very thankful that this did not happen when I ran an errand. Again, how long would it have just run?
I can only imagine what my front driveway would have and must have looked like, Niagara Falls, with the water flowing. With that thought I again go back to thanking
GOD for that orthodontist appointment.
The girls and I went to the laundry mat today to do laundry. I am thankful to be teaching my girls at home and not have to take time off to go do laundry. (We girls really needed certain laundries to be done.)
I am thankful that I don't have to go to a laundry mat every weekend to get clean laundry. Although, I am thankful to have that available to me. I am very thankful to have a washer and dryer at home with running water. How many people in America who don't have that luxury? How many people in the world don't have that luxury? I am so blessed to be able to step into my garage and do laundry when ever I need something to be cleaned. Thank you LORD for blessing me with things to be cleaned.
I have thought of this verse a few times in the past few days and have to once again snicker.
"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will poured into you lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
Luke 6:38
One would not think there would be so many blessing that would over flow from a washer out onto the driveway. But, I am ever so thankful!
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