***S*N*O*W***D*A*Y ***

We got some S*N*O*W !!!! This is our second "big" snow for this area. We even had a dusting on Christmas day this year. As you can imagine...we are LOVING it. I hunted for some snow pants for the boys (um...yes, that is Tate in bright PINK pants). We got boots and sleds and we were ready for the snow.

The school system here has been closed for 2 days and the kids had a BLAST playing out in the snow. Aside from a few fainting spells from Tissy (note to self...too much bundling makes you really hot and fainty), the past few days have been great.

We are soaking up the change of seasons here and trying to enjoy everything that it has to offer. The kids made snowmen, had hot cocoa, played out doors for hours, and conked out at night. We even skipped school and took advantage of the play time.

How did we find time to do this ???

In the last few months we built an herb box and planted herbs.



Moved 8 yards of pea gravel.



Designed and built our own landscape edge.




And re-designed our back yard space so we could hang out with the kids.

putting in a simple garden

My Mother's Day gift this year was the work and effort it took to put in a garden. I have been wanting one and since we are home a lot right now, it seemed like it would be fun to do. Trying to find just the right place in the yard, digging all the grass out, putting down some good soil...it took a good part of the day.

We didn't go nuts on getting it too big. It was an effort for me not to think too big. =)

It was really fun to work with the kids and grandparents. Tyce is a hard worker. He can out work any one of us.Tate on the other hand...wanders away and finds some mischief to get into.

We planted lettuce, onions, spinach, radishes and carrots. So far the lettuce seems to be doing the best.

WOW !!! What a flood !!!

It has rained here for about 2 days and this storm has dumped more rain than anyone could have imagined. I knew it was going to rain this weekend, so I thought I was doing a good thing in spreading grass seed around the lawn in the bare spots. Well, that was a waste. It has all washed away.

Notice the brown "river" running in the back of our yard. It was about 15 feet wide today.


Here is the water run off that is off to the side of our house. You can see the neighbors behind us look like that water is REALLY close to their basement.

And speaking of basements...glad we have one. When these storms run through, we head down there when the tornado sirens go off. We considered sleeping in our basement last night. We didn't and there was no tornado in our town, but we try to be safe.

The road in front of our house.

Compared to some of the devastation, we are very thankful for our minimal damage. We lost one small tree and had a few little leaks from the driving rain. Nothing too major. And nothing like our downed tree from last year.

Here are some pics of Chuck's work building. It is the red one in the back with the white garage doors. If you didn't know, Chuck works for a Christian company that makes video for children. This flood will be a big loss for Kidmo. A lot of damage to overcome.

Again, these pictures were taken from the overpass above Chuck's building.

Where we turn to get to Chuck's work. A church on the left and a farm on the right. He also heard that his small studio, where they do some video shoots, has also flooded. No pictures of that yet.

As you can see, there is a lot of damage and huge flooding. Please pray for our area and the struggles that are taking place here this weekend. Many homes and families and businesses are effected.

SNOW !!!!!! (and our homemade sled)

We had a BLAST this weekend. We got lots of snow (lots for here at least) and we enjoyed every moment. Friday Chuck made it home from work in record time. It took him an hour (only takes about 10 minutes on a regular day). Cars were all over the place and stuck in ditches. He was safe and took it nice and slow. Friday night we took a walk in the snow after dinner. It was beautiful. We walked over to my parents house and visited, then bundled back up and walked home. Our cheeks were stung with frozen flakes hitting them, but it made for great memories.

Saturday was a true "snowed in" day. They don't plow the snow here and no one shovels. It usually melts within the day, so there is no need to worry. But this snow was deep and lasted several days. It would freeze again at night and make it a glistening iced over wonder each morning.

We let the girls wear our OLD snow clothes (yep...they were huge on them but it didn't matter). The kids bundled up and wanted to sled. We have a little hill in our yard and Chuck found some things for them to sled on.
We used an old toboggan and a runner sled. Both are truly antiques. But it was worth it. I think Chuck used this little toboggan when he was little.
Took a break for lunch then decided to head back out in the snow again. This time Chuck took a second to look for ideas on how to make a homemade sled. You see around here people will use anything. Boogie boards, cardboard, laundry baskets, baby pools, garbage bags, blow up pool rafts. You name it...and someone has used it.
This is what Chuck came up with. We call it SPEEDERS. Old skies (that Chuck's parents brought last time they were here) and wood. And it is FAST !!!! And FUN !!!! By the time we were done, Chuck had drilled holes in the tips to tie on the rope. I know you are jealous. =) Talk about a great way to reuse and recycle.
I have to say...what a good Daddy Chuck is. He spent hours helping the girls sled and have fun in the snow. What a special time together as a family.

Well...it wasn't ALL for the kids. We had a fun runs too.

Snow Day

We had a snow day today. And for some girls who are used to the tropics and the sun...it was a BLAST. They bundled up and had fun playing out in the flurries. All the schools were closed and most people stayed home from work (can you tell it doesn't snow much here???).

crazy full weekend

Every weekend, we have the discussion..."what are we going to do?" What will our weekend be full of? Chores? Fun? Church? Family time? There are some weekends we don't do much more than laze around and relax (which we probably need to more of that). And then there are weekends when we have SOOOOO much that we cram into it. Like this weekend.

To be honest, I can't even remember what we ended up doing Friday night and Saturday morning. Oh right...I broke my toe on Thursday night so I spent most of it hobbling around and trying to stay off of it. Oh, and I brought a family (who just had a baby) a meal on Friday (but that is besides the point).

After running some errands Saturday morning Chuck decided to work on his plan for his work bench. He had not unpacked the garage tools and work items for lack of a better place to unload them onto. We had a great space in our last house with a big work bench and cool peg board (HERE). He has been itching to make another one. He made a pretty good sketch of one and spent about 50 bucks and he and my dad came up with this work bench. Only needs the peg board to finish it off.I am often impressed with how things turn out when Chuck is involved. There isn't much he can't do well. They cranked this whole thing out (including running to the store for supplies) in less than 4 hours. Talk about ACTION !!! While they were working on the work bench, my mom and I organized the school room and got ready for the next school year.

Then we were out visiting a church in a nearby town on Saturday evening and noticed the big K had all their trees and shrubs for sale. 70% OFF. We have been meaning to get some more trees to provide privacy and shade and all it took was some hint of a bargain to get us going on that project. We picked up 5 trees and got them all in the ground on Sunday afternoon. That makes 11 trees we have planted since we got here.

If you look closely, you can see 3 trees along the neighbor's fence. 2 red maple and one flowering pear and the one closest to the deck is a holly (I wanted one that would stay green year round). These were some of the best looking ones from the clearence rack. It isn't really the best season to plant the trees, but they really needed to get out of the pots and into the ground.


These tress will need a little tender loving care and I am hoping with lots of tree hugging, they will make it. We did have to replace one of the trees that we planted in the front yard (and we paid full price for that one). We got so much rain right after we put it in and the ground had too many air pockets. So our fifth tree went out front.

So far, everything we have planted here has grown well. I have NEVER had flowers take off and spread so easily. They are just beautiful. And to be honest, I am not doing anything special to take care of them. Just watering them when I think of it. I try to weed the bed every few weeks and the rest is up to God to make them beautiful.

So our weekend turned out to have more purpose than we thought. We got a LOT done and worked hard. Now Chuck is back to work so he can rest up from all the labor he put in to make our home so special.

We call him, HAYSTACK

We have had fun watching this little cottontail rabbit who lives outside our house. They are quiet common here and fun to spot in the yard. This one is little and seems to be a young one. We named him Haystack, he likes to sit there and be still and pretend that we can't see him.He seems to have a favorite hideout under the stairs out back. We often see him tucked under there in the shade trying to stay cool.

Our bunny Clover loves to hide under things. She isn't likely to run away, but she will burrow under just about anything to try and escape. Notice here, she could tell that someone else has been living under the stairs. Haystack, the wild bunny, is just on the other side of the stairs.


It was fun to watch how Clover suddenly turned into a hound dog and couldn't get enough sniffing of that bunny burrow. She was very interested in checking things out. She backed herself into that corner and wouldn't come out.
Since I took these pictures, we have discovered a smaller bunny who the girls think is Haystack's baby brother, we named him Cookie Dough. These little cotton tail bunnies make Clover look like a giant.

THE WALL

When I mentioned earlier that Tally got to the top of the rock wall at camp the other day I didn't have pictures to show how tall it really is. On the last day of camp, I wanted to get some pictures of her next to it and express how proud I am of her.

I don't know the height of this, but when I had her stand next to it for a picture, she looked so small and fail. I love that she tried something new and dug down deep and found some determination to get all the way to the top. Let's be honest, I am not sure I could have done it. As you walk up close to it, it seems a little overwhelming.


Needless to say, I think I under estimate my kids. They often exceed my expectations.

Way to go Tally !!!!

Almost forgot to mention the balay team. Both the girls loved being part of the balay team (the ones that encourage you on and hold the ropes). What a neat lesson in life, to have your friends around you to spur you on to keep going. They also help you find the right place to put your foot and where to step. I hope my kids continue to find those "balay" kind of friends.

crazy campers

Here they are showing me some kind of game they learned which requires making a mask and pinching your cheek. I think they look hysterical. I am not sure my arms bend in that way.The highlights this week have included...canoeing, riding the zip line and jumping off into the lake, archery, shooting a BB gun, and climbing the rock wall (which Tally made it to the top of).

Did you catch that list??? My little sweet girls tried all of that stuff. And if you know my kids personally, I think you would agree that they have been brave. I am so proud of them. For trying new things, for participating, for jumping in and having fun.

Summer Camp

What a highlight of my motherhood...to watch my kids enjoy camp. There is something so very special about camp. Being part of a cabin. Singing silly songs. Swimming in a lake. Hiking in the woods. The sound of the gravel path under your sneakers as you walk to the craft tent. Being hot and sweaty and exhausted and yet not caring. No TV or video games. Mosquito bites. Bible time. What a great experience.

This week my girls are at camp. And they are having a blast. What a blessing to watch them enjoying camp as much as I did. Note to self...always find some money in the budget to get to camp each summer.