Sunday in Nicaragua

Excerpts from my journal:

We arrived in Managua last evening at 9 p.m.  The ride from Managua to Diriamba took over an hour through crazy traffic and running red lights.  We were told it was "better not to look."  Our driver took us at top speed up winding roads into the mountains with the Pacific Ocean to our right and Lake Nicaragua to our left.  Not that we could see anything.  It was pitch black.  I could only compare the drive to the old Disney attraction, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride!


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Everyone was asleep when we arrived at the mission house, so I used my flashlight to go into the bathroom and change, then get myself up to a top bunk, as all the lower ones were taken.  Between fear of falling off, fear of SNORING and waking someone up, and FREEZING (it was hot when we arrived - I only took a sheet as my covers for that night, then the wind started to blow - hard), I didn't get much sleep.

Our morning started before 5:30 with showers, then breakfast.  Today's task was to sort toys, clothing, and personal hygiene items for the children.

There was a LOT of stuff!  Many suitcases filled with items.  (BTW, we left the States with two suitcases of deflated soccer balls - 50 in one, 25 in another.  When we pumped them up, we had 150.  I like God's math!)

We started making gift bags to be given away during the week.  The team who had arrived on Friday had already bagged up thousands of pounds of beans and rice.  (Final tally:  10,300 pounds of rice and beans.)

We were also invited to participate in a graduation ceremony at the school Nicaraguan Christian Outreach helped build.  The ceremony was very sweet and included children graduating from both primary and secondary classes.  The buildings themselves would be considered extremely primitive by American standards, but the children and teachers were very proud of their facility.

After going back to the house to work for a few more hours, we went walking down the road quite a way, then off onto dirt paths.

The cinder block houses were quite small, one of the larger ones was perhaps the size of our school room in our house, and the translator told us there were 9 people living there.

The kitchen was a little lean-to attached to one side.  Outdoor toilet.  No water or plumbing in the house, but there was a refrigerator, one bare light bulb, and a tiny TV!

The children are so beautiful and are grateful for whatever we had - balls, candy, Mardi Gras beads (those were popular with the women of all ages!) and the adults were so thankful for the large bags of beans and rice.  They were so gracious and invited us into their homes.

I was so touched by what I saw, but so frustrated by my lack of ability to communicate.  Oh, to tell them how Christ loves them and that they are not forgotten by their Father in Heaven.  I will learn Spanish before I return.  That will be my #1 goal for 2010.

He Gives Us Our Heart's Desire

This past summer, our church's women's ministry had a summer Bible study that also included our junior high and high school girls.  It was fun to participate in a Bible study with my girls.  This was unlike any Bible study I had ever done before where you read a passage and expound on the meaning.  This one was personal.  What is God saying to YOU?  What dreams and desires has God placed in YOU?  Things like that.  AND it included scrapbooking!  You know I loved that part!  

The first lesson was on dreams - the dreams God has placed on your heart.  Few people outside my family knew that one of the dreams nearest to my heart was missions.  Scrapbooking that page was EASY.

I even wrote a little letter to include in my page - it was a letter to God.  A prayer, really.  And I, again, reminded God of this dream, one I feel He placed in my heart more than a dozen years ago.

That was back in the summer.  Fast forward to November 22nd.  Our church was having a newcomer's dinner.  I had no reason to be there.  I'm not a newcomer.  I'm not a pastor or ministry leader.  I'm not a member of the cooking team.  But for some reason, that morning I offered my assistance for that night.  I arrived at 3 p.m. since Brooke had to be there for the youth worship band practice.  The other volunteers and I set up the tables pretty quickly, then we stood around talking, waiting for closer to the time of the dinner to bring in the food.  Out of the blue, I told my pastor, in the middle of a bunch of people, "Pastor Jay, do you know what I want to do more than anything?  I want to go on a missions trip..."  A lady whom I had never met quietly says, "I'm going to Nicaragua in three weeks and there are two more spots for ladies.  Come with me!"  I started crying, as did most of the people around me.  So many reasons why I couldn't go - I had just gone on vacation to Washington, DC and surely couldn't get more time off work - I didn't have a passport - and, most importantly, I didn't have the money.  But the people around me assured me this was God - and that He would open all the doors.

The next day, my boss approved the time off, saying, "How can you miss this opportunity?"  Two days later, we booked plane tickets, still not sure where the money would come from.  The next day, all the money was there, a gift from my Heavenly Father, wrapped with a bow!  Then the following week, my mother-in-law, my girls, and I drove to New Orleans and got my expedited passport.  I was on my way to Nicaragua!

Our church had been collecting pajamas for needy children in our community, but they decided to send the first 100 pair (or as many as they had collected so far) to Nicaragua with me.  Arriving one day before me were 107 pair of PJs, courtesy of Journey Church.

It took me about four hours to roll 90 pair of PJs and stuff them into one suitcase.  The remaining 17 were in Judy's, Carl's, and my suitcases.

This dream I had dreamed for so long was becoming a reality.  I knew when God placed this dream in my heart that my mission field for that time was in my home, raising my children, who were little at the time.  But this dream, this desire had never waned over the years.  Rather, with the help of Sonlight Curriculum, it probably strengthened.  My girls and I would read about different countries and their needs, especially for the Gospel.  We would pray for different people groups and cities and countries around the globe.  I had gone in my prayers.  I had gone in my heart.  Now my feet and hands were going to go.  God is so good.

That's All for Football!

Today was Morgan's last football game of the season.  I took off work so I could attend.  Since her games are on weeknights - and I work every weeknight - I missed most of them.

She has had so much fun.  Now begins Basketball Season.  Oh boy!

What a sweet bunch of girls!

She's Alive!!!

I'm sorry, dear blog readers.  I have been so terribly neglectful of my blog and I do apologize.  (Tap, tap, tap)  Hello?  Is anyone there?  Hello? 

When last I left you, I was planning a tea party in honor of Tasha Tudor's birthday.  The tea went off quite nicely.  When reviewing my photos afterwards, I discovered I didn't take any pictures of the food.  Very sad.  It was very good. 

Tasha Tudor Tea Menu

Herbed Quiche

Raspberry Cream Cheese Sandwiches

Lemon Ginger Scones

Dried Cherry Scones

Fruit Salad with Honey-Lime Dressing and Pound Cake Croutons

Lavender Honey Biscotti

Orange Curd Bars

Teas

River Shannon Irish Breakfast

Citron Oolong

Blackberry Fig

The big tea hit was the Blackberry Fig, which I ordered from The Jasmine Pearl Tea Merchants.  It was delicious!!! 

Here are some highlights of the morning.  

This is the "under 18" table.  There was sure a lot of giggling going on.  I suppose that means they had a good time. 

Brooke Nicole.  Are you behaving yourself? 

Who?  Me?  Of COURSE I am!  Why would you think otherwise, Mother Dear?

I thought so, Brooke.  You are always the epitomy of grace and decorum.   

The grownups had less giggling, but lots of great conversation and fun!  AND, most importantly, we ate!  And drank loads of tea.

After the party, Stewart decided he wanted some tea.

 

Tea is not for kitties, Stewart.  How about just a teeny bit of cream.  This is a rare treat! 

Kallie didn't want to be left out, of course.

Of course, after the cream, Kallie needed a nap.  I'm SO glad my cats are obedient to the "no cats on the table" rule.  :::sigh:::

 I enjoyed hosting my first tea. I can't wait to do the next one!

A Tasha Tudor Tea

I unfortunately did not discover Tasha Tudor until my girls were too "big" for her books. I plan on adding them to my collection to enjoy with my future grandbabies. I admire Tasha's art, her simple way of living, her love for a life lived slowly, yet fully. She was definitely a woman born out of her era. She loved the 1830's and harkened to recreate her own little slice of the 1830's in the woods in Vermont.

Clarice at Storybook Woods is hosting this little blog celebration. Hop on over to her blog and see what it's all about. I am so excited about having this tea with my friends on her birthday. Would you like to join me?

Love, Conditionally.

I am so loved by my kitties. They love me so much that when I work, they sacrifice comfort to be near me.

Stewart, obviously reminding me to add cat food to the shopping list.

They just can't stand to be far away. Generally I have one cat sleeping on one side of my L-shaped desk and another cat on another side.

Stewart and Libby sleeping on the uncomfortable desk. Suffering for my sake.

If I open my lower desk drawer to get my reference book out, that is an open invitation for a cat to jump in and warm that cold, lonely drawer. Holding the place for the book, you know.

Libby looks so sweet when she is sleeping.

Kallie is behind me on the school table. (That table, BTW, was a steal from Pottery Barn for $124. It was a floor model and they didn't have the leaf. It fits perfectly in my school room/office and the black/distressed finish matched my desk.)

Kallie is making sure Morgan's puzzle pieces don't jump off the table and run away. She's right behind my desk. You know, in case I need her to drink the left-over milk in the bowl after the cereal is all gone. Helpful, that's what she is.

The nearness of my cats is because they love me so much and is not influenced at all by the little special surprises in my desk drawer. No, that couldn't be it. Could it?

Punkin Goes to Alabama

Once upon a time, there was a young horse named Punkin who lived with a young girl named Marcie. Punkin learned how to run barrels. Marcie learned how to run barrels. They loved each other and had so much fun together.

After a few years, Marcie grew up and went to college. Her parents sold Punkin to someone who had more time to ride. But Marcie never forgot Punkin and missed her terribly.

Punkin then went to live with someone else who let her run barrels and poles and encouraged her to go really fast. But Punkin never forgot Marcie and missed her terribly.

After more years went by, Punkin came to live with the "C" family. Joshua rode Punkin and she went really fast because she loved Joshua - and running fast. Joshua took Punkin to many horse shows, including AQHA Youth World, where she went to the finals. Joshua loved Punkin very much and she loved him.

Then Joshua grew up and became more interested in girls and cars. Little Morgan started riding Punkin. At first, Punkin was too fast for Morgan, but Punkin was a smart horse and grew to know just how fast Morgan needed to go. Morgan loved Punkin and Punkin loved Morgan. But Punkin never forgot Marcie.

Punkin grew older and could no longer compete. Morgan still loved Punkin, but her life outside of riding became busier and busier. She loved Punkin so much she wanted her to be happy. And Morgan thought Punkin would be happier living with Marcie. And Morgan knew Marcie would be thrilled to have Punkin living with her again.

So Morgan had her mom make a call to Marcie. And early in July, Marcie came to pick up Punkin to bring her back home to Alabama.

But Morgan never forgot Punkin and loved her forever because she was the best horse a little girl could ever ask for. Just ask Marcie.

The End.

June

We have had quite a busy summer! One reason I have been so neglectful of my poor blog.

The month started with the girls and me volunteering at our church's first ever spa night! We had so much fun pampering all the ladies. My sister-in-law and mother-in-law helped out as well. When it was all said and done and the church cleaned back up, we needed a pedicure and a massage ourselves!

This is the only picture I have. Sorry it's so tiny. Morgan and Connie are helping out at the paraffin wax table. (Actually, I think Morgan is getting her own paraffin treatment!)

Then the girls volunteered to help with VBS. They had SO much fun! The youth girls were used for all the songs. Our theme was Crocodile Dock - quite appropriate for South Louisiana. (Again, sorry the photo is so tiny. It is the only one I have.)

I had scrapbook class in my "Upper Room" again. We have so much fun in our very own space!

I'll have to post pictures of the layout later. I need to go up there and take pictures of the recent layouts.

Morgan went to the beach with her BFF Gina. They had so much fun. Their lives have been so busy lately, they haven't seen much of each other. It was wonderful for them to reconnect.

These girls have been best friends since before Kindergarten. What lovely young ladies they have become!

So, there's our June in a nutshell. Busy, busy, busy!

What is it?

For my birthday, my mother-in-law gave me a sweet little teapot. Wanna see it? It's here in this box.

Hey! That's no teapot! That's a stink-pot! Kallie knows the table is a no-no!

But she's not "on" the table, she's "in" a box! Cats can be just as legalistic as kids sometimes!

Birthday Celebration

Birthdays are a big deal with my in-laws. My mother-in-law always throws a big family birthday party for each person's birthday, complete with a special meal, cake, and presents. Even though it's more than a week after the fact, this was my day!

Steve and me on the front porch before we walked over to my mother-in-law's. He looks thrilled, doesn't he? :::grin:::

Morgan and me. She smiled a little nicer than Steve. Now, off for BBQ!

Cats and Dogs

Doing a little filing. What "cat-a-gory" should this be filed under? :::snort:::

Someone left the file drawer open just a teeny bit and Libby thought it would be a good place for a snooze. She scared me - I didn't know she was in there until I went to shut the drawer!

And a very shaggy Cosette was giving her toy quite a workout today. Cosette usually doesn't play with toys, but today was an exception.

She thought it was a pretty tasty toy! Love that tongue!

It's Time for Another Episode....

...of "Name That Bug."

What IS this weird thing? It was enormous, too! Probably at least 3-4"! And it was very aggressive. See it raising that.....whatsit.....and it had big pinching mouthparts!

Do YOU know what this is?

Scrappy Birthday to Janet!

My friend, Janet, turned 40 this year and decided to throw herself a big birthday bash! She set up a private crop at a local scrapbook store, invited her friends, and had it catered by La Madeline's. Yum!

Janet, Linda, me, Elen, Heather, and Cheryl

We had SO much fun, even though I didn't get the first page done in the entire 8 hours I was there. Yes, from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. I didn't do one single little page. Not even a card. Not even a bookmark! But I had a BLAST!

Arianna, Janet, and Angie check out Arianna's pages.


Elen and Heather are hard at work!

Laura and Connie, cutting up - in more ways than one!

What better way to celebrate 40 great years than with good friends, good food, and scrapbooking!

Diplomas and Recitals

My sister-in-law, Susie, graduated from college today. We were all so proud of her. Here she is with her parents.

The Two Connelly Girls. (Note the scrapbooking magazine under Connie's arm. She knew the speeches would be boring. We both read the scrapbook magazines she brought and I was quite glad for the diversion. Rude? Maybe a little. But definitely more polite than the people conversing loudly during the speeches.)

Then we ran to get a bite to eat, then went right to the place for Morgan's piano recital. No pictures from that (Steve was manning the camera), but we got some good ones afterwards. Here's Morgan and Susie.

A proud father and his daughter.

Three generations of Connelly women. (Brooke was manning the camera.)

It was a busy day, but a good one!

Lovin' My Scrapbook Room

Today was the first day I got to just to up into my scrapbook room and PLAY! No agenda, no class to plan for, just FUN, FUN, FUN!!!


First, I finished a birthday layout from my April Hostess Club. I didn't put pictures on it for my class because I wasn't sure if I had scrapbooked these photos before or not - and I didn't have time to look! (Actually I have, but only for Morgan's book. This layout will be for MY book!)

The layout incorporates a little flip book for more pictures and journaling. I will cut a window in my page protector so you can access the little book.




I made a Mother's Day card for my sweet mother-in-law. I loved how it turned out. The colors look bland and washed out in the photo, but it really was quite pretty.







I finished a camping layout I started, oh, three years ago or so.

Did this camping layout. My goal was to completely use up a very old camping themed Simply Scrappin' Kit. I did, plus have the beginnings of four cards that can be purposed for any occasion.

I also made copies of the pages for the kids' books. One page layouts for their books because I only scrapbook the pictures that they are in.

I had so much fun that I didn't realize the time! I looked up and realized it was DARK outside - it was 9 pm and I hadn't even thought of supper! Cereal for supper, anyone?


Yup, the scrapbook room is going to be GREATLY loved! I'll have to post pictures of the room itself next time! Who wants to come scrapbook with me?

You're So Vain...

You probably think this blog is about you....

Don't you?

Don't you?

(My "surprise photos" in my camera that I general refer to as "Brooke's Vanity Pics." Taken of Brooke, by Brooke. Tweaked by Mom.)

Talk DERBY to me!

We are big Kentucky Derby fans, even though we've never been to the "real" race. The week before, Steve and the girls generally check out the videos of the contenders and they pick their horse. My "pick" is generally just a whim - the name, the way the horse looks, where the owner or jockey is from, etc.

Last year, Steve decided that our first Big Event in the new house would be a Kentucky Derby Party! The planning started! In April, the hand-stamped and watercolored, printed invitations went out, lauding this event as our "First Annual."

The week before was very busy. I had a detailed list of what needed to be done each day. This was quickly thrown out the window bright and early Tuesday morning when the other daytime medical transcriptionist was transported to the hospital. In addition to all the party preparation, I had to work extra to boot! AND it meant I had to work the weekend. The weekend that I had invited a million people to my house for a party! (Okay, so it was more like 50.)

Last minute prep - in hat, dress, AND apron! The denim Pampered Chef apron did not go with the outfit. I need a frilly apron. (I looked. I couldn't find one.)

The food table. Well, one of them anyway.

The second, and most important, food table - the one with the desserts!!! The Mint Julep Brownies were AWESOME!

We had our own little impromptu "Red Carpet." Me and Elen.

She and her hubby look like they should be modeling, don't they? Such sweet friends. I went to school with Travis and lost touch for more than 15 years. We met again at a mutual friend's birthday party. Now our daughters are best friends!

Christina is not to sure about Brooke's hat!

Our neighbors, Cindy and Anthony. I went to school with Anthony, too! We had also lost touch over the years. I was so surprised when they bought a house on our street! They are great neighbors!

Isabelle and Joshua. Isabelle didn't have a hat, so she borrowed one from Joshua!

Everyone is gathered for the race. We had "high stakes betting" - everyone brought $1 and put it in a jar and wrote down their name and their horse. Earlier in the week, I wrote down my Top Three: Friesan Fire, Mine That Bird, and Chocolate Candy, in that order. When two men wrote down Friesan Fire, I decided to go for the long shot - Mine That Bird! Everyone teased me, especially when the horses walked in. "Look at yours, Ginger! He's asleep!" I told them he was just faking out the other horses and conserving his energy. They laughed at me.

Then he came from second to last place and won the race! No one was laughing then! And I won the enormous $16 purse! LOL!

After the race, we voted for the hat contest. Elen won Fanciest and Connie won Most Creative. Brooke won the prize for the Biggest Hat. Prizes were official commemorative glasses with all the past winners.

We had a ball and hope all our friends had fun, too. We're already making plans for our Second Annual! I can't wait!

Resurrection Sunday

He is risen! He is risen, indeed!

My two beautiful girls. Steve and I both had to work today, but at least the girls and I were able to make it to the early service. Wonderful message.

Makeover Time!

Once upon a time, there was this little blue-eyed girl....

...with long hair...

...who decided she wanted a new look.

So off to the salon she went. And three and a half hours later, a young lady emerged.

This young lady looks sophisticated, chic even.

:::sniff, sniff::: My baby is growing up. :::sob:::

I'm So Glad...

....that I bought Steve that "squirrel proof" bird feeder.

Par-tea Time!!!

It doesn't take knowing me long to know I LOVE a good tea party! So when my mother-in-law invited me to come to (and bake scones for) a bridal tea party for a friend of the family, I was ready! We had some awesome food.

I made the scones - Chocolate/English Toffee, Ginger Lemon (my favorite, of course), and plain cream scones. My sister-in-law made the curd - strawberry and lime. My mother-in-law made everything else. (And I happened to be working that weekend.)

My mother-in-law had just painted the room and decorated it for spring. Very cute. And here are the gifts for the bride.

The ladies enjoying tea. We had a different tea with each course. Blackberry sage was my favorite!

Oh, look! Here is one of our elegantly dressed servers. Morgan, when did you become a young lady?

And who is this lovely young guest? That can't be MY little girl! :::sigh:::

It's Rough Being a Cat

Boy, who would ever want to be a cat? They work so hard! Just imagine, in ONE day, Stewart had to do this....




....then he had to do that.....



....and that......

.....and more of this!

Yes, the life of a cat is definitely a rough one. :::sigh:::

Silly Girls

My girls are so silly.

They wanted me to take their pictures the other night while they were goofing around.

They fight so much, it was wonderful to see them laughing together.

I like these times when they are having fun together, being silly, enjoying each other.

A glimpse of things to come? I hope so!

Just Call Him Hairy

Morgan comes home from practicing her piano at Nana's and yells, "Get the camera! Quickly! And BE QUIET!!!"


So Brooke and I grab the camera and follow her - back to the field between the end of our street and my mother-in-law's house. "Look, there, by the tree!" It was a little armadillo, rooting around for bugs or grubs or whatever it is they eat. We followed him around, taking pictures, for probably 15 minutes. He really didn't care.

But he never would give us a good smile. This is the only side of him we could photograph - his back side!

I think this is probably the only time I've seen a LIVE armadillo! Usually they are in the middle of the highway looking a mite poorly. I like this kind better.

Sad, Sad Day

On March 10, around 10:30 at night, my cell phone rang. When I saw who it was, I knew it wouldn't be good. Calls that late usually aren't to impart happy news. The manager of our barn said Lady was colicking.

Brooke took these pictures of the horses on 2/17/2009. All three horses in a row - Punkin, Honeybee, and Lady.

If you don't have horses, you probably wouldn't know that colic is a VERY bad thing in a horse. I didn't. You think of babies with colic and you think "tummy ache." Nothing serious.

Later, when Brooke was looking at the photos, she was shocked to see that Lady was mimicking Honeybee's every step. In almost every shot!

But with a horse, colic can be deadly. I was still working, so Steve and the girls went immediately to the barn while I made phone calls to the veterinary service.

It is like they were synchronized - every step the same.

The vet contacted Steve to get the scoop once Steve arrived. After trying a few things that help for a minor colic, and those things not helping, they decided to bring the horse to the equine vet - a trip 45 minutes away. And it was now midnight.

Even here - all four feet off the ground at the same time - both horses. Weird.

The news at the vet's office was not good. It was very serious and she likely would not make it.

"I'm gonna get you, Honeybee!"

Steve and the girls arrived home around 4 a.m. Everyone was upset. By morning, things had worsened and Steve had to make the decision that no pet owner wants to make - we had to put her down.

Brooke with Lady in January 2009

Writing this today (1 April 2009), I still can't believe she is gone. She was just a few weeks shy of seven years old.

Me with Lady in 2007

I suppose it is every little girl's dream to own a horse. I didn't realize that "little girl dream" until I was 41. But while I owned her, she owned all our hearts. And we will all miss her dearly.

Warm House, Great Friends

:::tap, tap, tap::: Anybody still there? I know I've neglected this blog for over a month. I may be speaking only to myself now. I'm going to try to update and keep it updated. A lot has happened in the last month.

One of the most FUN things that happened was our Housewarming! Our wonderful friend, Ashley....

and her sweet husband, Josh...

asked if they could throw us a housewarming party! How could we say no? We had SUCH a wonderful time and were blown away by the terrific party Ashley and Josh put together for us.

Ashley had some great special touches...she had come here to our blog and downloaded a bunch of pictures of us building the house and from our first few months in the house. She mounted these on little standing "frames" and put them all around. She also gave me the great cookbook stand in the back holding the housewarming party invitation. Ashley has a beautiful cookbook stand in her house and I always comment on it.

Because Ashley is a fellow scrapbooker (and that is actually how we met some 5? 6? years ago), she made this great scrapbook page for all the guests to sign and leave notes of good wishes and house blessings. When the party was over, she popped it into a frame. Steve couldn't wait to hang it up and it is in a spot where everyone can see it when they come into our home.

She also cross stitched this bread basket cloth and a tea towel with our name and the year of our marriage. All this in addition to the food. OH, the food! My, oh, my! Delicious beyond all delicious-ness!

There was a yummy pasta salad, an antipasto tray, hummus and artichoke dip for the bruschetta.

And tulips! She bought my favorite flower to decorate the tables! Lovely white tulips that she mixed with sliced lemons in the vases for the neatest looking arrangements! How clever!

My mother-in-law made chicken salad sandwiches and at the last minute decided to just "whip up" a small batch of jambalaya. LOL! It was delicious, though, and it is for sure that between Faye and Ashley, NO ONE left hungry! If they did, it was their own fault!

I felt helpless, so I asked Ashley if I could make something - dessert perhaps. She acquiesced. I think to hush me up. So I made some mini cream puffs, little brownie cups, and a lemon blueberry trifle. Joy and Jenna are discussing whether the cream puffs or the brownie bites are healthier. Joy picked the brownies since they had fruit on top. A good choice, Joy!

Although the lemon berry trifle was pretty good, too! Not that the cream puffs had to be thrown out or anything, mind you.

Here's Paige and Morgan. The FRIENDS were just as wonderful as the food at my party!



And family is pretty wonderful, too. Here's Joshua and his adorable girlfriend, Isabelle.

And not only did we have great food and great company, we even got PRESENTS! That was just the cherry on top. But the best gift was just gathering together with all our friends and relatives and neighbors. Love is always the best gift of all!

Thank you, Ashley, for showing your love for us in such a wonderful way! You and Josh are such a blessing to us and we are so grateful for your friendship! Thanks for the party!

(And they even cleaned up afterwards!)

What is it about BOXES?

Kids and cats just love them! My kids are now too old to want to play in the boxes, but my cats are very glad I get regular shipments for them to play in. And they think the crinkly paper and packing peanuts are pretty cool, too.




Is it just me or is Stewart smiling in his box?

How Old is the Groom?

No, we're not marrying Morgan off at 12. She has been bugging me to try on my wedding dress for a while now. She thinks she'd be interested in using the dress for her wedding, but she says, "These sleeves have GOT to go!"




Kallie will help with the train!




If you want to use that dress, Morgan, you best not grow much. It almost fits! I can't believe I weighed only 88# when I got married! I'll never see THAT weight again!

Happy Valentine's Day, Punkin!

A few weeks ago, we received a call from a lady who owned Morgan's horse, Punkin, when she was a young girl.




She wanted to come and visit. She owned Punkin when she was a 2-year-old horse and helped train her. Her family sold Punkin when she went away to college and she hadn't seen her since.




She came from Alabama to see her old Punkin. There were a few tears and lots of smiles.

After visiting with them at the barn, we all went to eat sushi. It was a great visit. Morgan enjoyed meeting her and hearing about Punkin's youth. I hope she visits again soon!

On Their Way to Mardi Gras

The Budweiser Clydesdales stopped in our small town on their way to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. This was a big event, being listed in our little newspaper and everything. So my mother-in-law came to get the girls for them to see.

When we arrived, the line to have a picture with the horses was wrapped around the parking lot. Hmm...we thought NOT. We just snapped a picture from across the crowd, marveled at the beauty and size of the horses, and promptly left. We get to pet horses every day. The girls did not want to stand in that line just to pat them and for me to get their photo.

Still, a neat thing. We're not beer fans, but we are horse fans. And a Clydesdale is a LOT of horse!