24 years ago

24 years ago our life changed.

We said 'I do'...and we meant it.

We still love, honor and cherish one another,

...in sickness and in health,

...in good times and in bad times,

...for richer and for poorer,

...as long as we both shall live.

Things have changed - some for the better, some not so much.

Through it all we always know this truth ~ we are incredibly blessed. We have each other, and God. What more could we ask for?

"You're My Inspiration."

Squirrel World ~ the Final Chapter

I've finally been able to get pictures of the baby squirrels at Blake's parent's house. They are pretty much full grown and on their own now. They come and go as they please - no more cages, they make their own nest, they forage & have learned what's good to eat. And they have had encounters with the local wild squirrels which are rather territorial, and most importantly - have learned to beware hawks & other predators. But they are so use to the Back Porch Buffet available 24/7 at Ma & Pops' they have stayed close by. Considering the free & easy peanuts and sunflower seeds - theses babies know which side their bread is buttered on ~ OR should that be which pocket the peanut is in! Life is good, and young squirrels can live large at the Back Porch Buffet.

It will be interesting to see how long this behavior lasts. Will the wildness take over or will they aways hang around and possibly teach future generations about the Back Porch buffet? Only time will tell.

My Solution

School is ending next week. (WOW, the year has really gone by fast!) This is Cole's last year in elementary school, so I wanted to give a little something to his teachers...but with finances being what they are, I basically had to come up with something for nothing. My solution - and I think it's a grand idea, if I do say so myself! - is quilted bookmarks. I have plenty of fabric, plenty of batting scraps, and this weekend provided plenty of time. I just layed them out, freemotion quilted them, and then cut them apart. The hardest part was the wee-tiny hole for the ribbons. So I ended up making a boo-coo load of of bookmarks...enough for Cole's teachers - including his PE teacher who is retiring & intends to stay home & quilt to her heart's content, and one of his Sunday School teachers who is retiring from teaching school after 31 years, as well as some for my co-worker's birthdays.




They were easy and fun, but also creative and useful. USEFUL is a key thing, in my opinion when giving teachers gifts. (How many #1 teacher mugs to they really need??????) So I always try to think 'outside the box' and give them something useful. In years past, I've given them packs of lightbulbs, which my boys think is just plain weird, but when I attach the cute little poem Blake wrote about 'Thank you for making me brighter, and A+ = a 100,etc, etc, therefore these 100watt bulbs are for you' it all makes sense. =) BUT then it became unfashionable to use regular 100 watt bulbs...we're suppose to uses those compact florescent thingies - which are not 100 watts. So that messed that up.

Anyway.... Bookmarks were the solution....and might be the answer to Christmas this year, too!

Chattahoochee Nature Center

Just a few more pictures from the nature center. We had a lovely day there. The weather was pleasant, the butterfly garden and hiking trails were great, and most of all...the boys were civilized! What more could a mom ask for for Mother's Day!

The Chattahoochee's natural color isn't this pretty...but a little Photoshop made it look like a artist's fantasy pond.

A pair of Canadian geese....see the baby trying to hide.

A Picklehead.

Thistle blossom

Striking colors of the purple iris among the red roses.

Bald Eagle


The reason for my Happy Mother's Day.

I am not Roadkill!

For Mother's Day I told my guys I wanted a pleasant family day together at the Chattahoochee Nature Center. We had free tickets, thanks to Blake doing some volunteer surveying there...so it was right in our price range! Wahoo!

Among the animal exhibits was this beaver. He was so funny...just laying there snoozing the day away. Every now & then he would twitch & stretch. Then he sat up & swayed...he was really sleepy.
<

Then he yawned & stretched out on his back - just like Riley likes to stretch out!....but then he looked exactly like roadkill!


But I'm happy to say he's a happy, contented little beaver, still enjoying his little pond at the CNC.

Honoring the Past

Last Sunday we went to New Hope Church Cemetery in Villa Rica for a Confederate Memorial. Among the folks being honored there was Blake's 4xGreat-Grandfather, Dempsey Jordan - a veteran of the Civil War. Uncle Sonny... who's real name is Marion Dempsey Jordan was with us. It was really special to see him stand near his name-sake's grave & have the rifle man answer the roll call 'Here in spirit, sir' as he fired the musket. We had 4 generations standing there in honor of Dempsey Jordan...Sonny, Ma, Blake, and the youngest generation - Ian, Cole and Alex.




Here's Pam & Alex in their full 1860's era dress. Ladies didn't normally carry rifles, but we know Pam is just a bit rebellious. *G*



I hope to teach my boys to honor their ancestors, their Southern Heritage (Georgia and Florida) and most of all, always be proud Americans.
We are one nation, under God....

Look what I did today...

This is how I spent my birthday money...

I just wanted something pretty around our front step area. With our current situation, I couldn't go crazy & spend too much, but a house without flowers is just plain depressing. So, I decided to spend my birthday present from Mama on something cheerful & uplifting. Thank you, Mama!

Happy Easter 2009

Blake found the first four-leaf clover of the year.


Cole found a prize egg with money in it!


Ian having fun playing ball.


And every now & then I can convince my guys to clean up & stand still for a family picture. Don't get use to it...it's still a rare event.

Squirrel World ~ Part 3

We've grown!!

It's been a couple weeks since we've seen the baby squirrels at Blake's parent's house. They are thriving! The can jump and scamper like a big-squirrels now...although they occasionally crash & fall. Like most youngsters, they are still a bit clumsy ~ but that just adds to their charm & silliness. While scampering along the windowsill, this little one slipped off. He really knows how to hang on good because he was literally dangling from his hind feet!


They like to climb all over Rusty...I think they think he's their mama. Rusty just stands still & they use him as a race course... running 'round & 'round him! While they are still taking bottles of goats milk, they have started enjoying puppychow & peanuts. One likes to bury his food for later...saving it for 'tomorrow'. The other one likes to eat it immediately...living for today! I wonder which one is the wisest?
It won't be long before they are ready for the outside world! Wahoo!

Camping Food!

Why does food always taste SOOOO much better when we're camping?

Biscuits are heavenly. (Although I must admit to burning the first batch. Ian ate the unburnt tops anyway! The second batch was great.)
Bacon is decadent. Sausage rocks.
Pancakes are to die for.
And how about those camping staples...hot dogs & s'mores!

Just for Naomi

While camping last weekend in NW GA were surprised to come upon Naomi.

No, not that Naomi....a town called Naomi! Well, calling it a town might be stretching things a bit. It was hardly a town, more like a crossroads or maybe a village with a name. But it was big enough to have Naomi Baptist Church, Naomi Garage, Naomi Cemetery Road, and Naomi Elementary School! I know the residents must have thought we were crazy taking pictures of everything with the name Naomi on it...but that's okay. We did it just for you, Naomi!

Camping Spring Break 09

We just returned from a long weekend camping trip at the Pocket. Despite 'roughing it' - colder weather than expected, no handy bathrooms (The waterline was broken at the main bathroom, so we had to hike to the picnic area on the other side of the creek, or hide behind a tree), and just general camping conditions - smoke blowing into our eyes, and no electric or water - we had a wonderful time. Blake & I LOVE camping. The boys love camping! And even Riley loves camping! It refreshes our hearts & souls, and brings us closer together....whether we want to or not! *G*

What do we do when we camp? The boys play in the creek - even though the water was so cold is made your bones ache, according to Cole. (I washed my hair in it...Cole was right! Talk about a brain freeze!WOW!) We sit around and read, play games, and just generally hang out. We also go for road-trips - just riding around on country roads, enjoying the mountains, the scenary, and discovering treasures like wildflower meadows & trout streams.



Blake caught a trout, and Cole (at another creek) caught some kind of carp. Due to the recent rains, the creeks were almost overflowing & really flowing strong - pretty to look at, dangerous to cross.

I came upon the most facinating little bird along the creek bank - a Louisana Waterthrush. I've never seen one of these before. It was constantly bobbing it's tail as it was catching gnats, & bugs on the edges of the water. Really interesting to watch.
We also saw the giant Pileated woodpeckers, goldfinches, canadian geese, and heard various songbirds. At night the peeping frogs made quite a chorus of sound, as did the barred owls. It's soooo nice to fall asleep to these sounds.



Blake took some night-time photos - this one looking across a pasture towards a mountain came out really nice. The stars were awesome!
Cole made friends with a snail.
Ian was really getting into reading The Lord of the Rings, and painting some Warhammer figures.
Me...I was just happy to be there.

Squirrel World ~ Part 2

One week later - the squirrels are growing & seem to be doing really great. Ma & Pops have really been busy caring for them - but their TLC really shows. The squirrels are quite steady on their little feet, and getting more lively & can almost scamper around. They can climb & cling to things really well now. They still enjoy their bottles, but have started nibbling on peanuts & puppy-chow. It will soon be time for them to live in a cage, instead of their little home-made hammock-nest of towels because they will be chewing on things & climbing all over the front porch getting into mischief. But a cage will only be temporary... When they can crack & eat an acorn we'll know they are ready to be on their own. I think Ma is looking forward to that day...but Pops will miss taking care of his babies. But I bet they will hang around nearby ...because Pops always puts food out for the critters.
He keeps a never-ending buffet for the birds, squirrels, chipmunks, 'possums, and raccoons open 24/7, 365 days a year.

Squirrel World

This afternoon we had the pleasure of meeting Blake's mom's newest fur-baby friends...2 baby squirrels she had rescued. One had fallen out of a tree in the yard & was on the ground squawking in distress. High up in the oak tree above it was it's brother - also in distress. No mama squirrel anywhere in sight...a hawk may have got her. So Ma & Rusty rescued both of them after they determined the mama was indeed gone.
The babies are living in a hollow gourd on Ma's front porch and every few hours she feeds them warm goats milk.We estimate their age to be around 5 weeks. So far they are doing great. Their eyes have opened & they are getting more active.



I think this one was looking for a warm, fuzzy & funny-smelling place to hide....but for some reason, Ian just wouldn't let a baby squirrel hide in his arm pit. *G*






Baby squirrels are very difficult to raise. They just don't do well without their real mama, but we're hoping these little guys will make it. Meanwhile, we all enjoyed feeding them, and snuggling with them.



Look how precious they are with their little squirrel-arms wrapped around each other as they sleep.

Signs of Spring... (part 3)

What's has to be one of the most delightful signs of spring?

A Bluebird....

A bluebird enjoying a morning bath!






Blake watched this bluebird taking a bath just outside our kitchen window this morning. (Does that make Blake a "Peeping Tom"...or maybe a Peeping Blake?!)

It's been rainy & cold around here for almost a week. But today was BEAUTIFUL! The sun was shining, the sky was brilliant blue and it just feels wonderfully light & cool. And this little bluebird was having a a good time splashing around, tossing water drops all over the place. Flittering & fluttering - really relishing his bath. If you listen close, you can almost hear him singing "Oh What a Beautiful Mooooorning. Oh What a Beautiful Day..."


Blake told me he quietly went outside & hid in the bushes for awhile, hoping for a better photo opp....but unfortunately, the bird never returned.
*G* But at least now I know what my hubby does while I'm at work.