Playing Catch-Up (Complete With Picture Overload)

Hey there, friends!

Welcome to "How To Neglect Your Blog 101."  Ha!  Just kidding!


Gosh, I can't believe it's been so long since I've written.  I started this blog so I would have a way to look back on our experiences and memories, but that's kinda gonna be impossible if I NEVER write anything!  


Must.do.better!


Hope you are having a wonderful summer.  It is hot, hot, HOT here in the Bluegrass state!  But, we're finally getting some rain!  Praise God for His provisions!


Hubby and I took a vacation to the beautiful Smoky Mountains two weeks ago.  We had so much fun and it was nice to get away for a few days.  Now, I must share a few pictures, because you just can't mention vacation in a blog post and not include pictures!  Right?


This is the view of the Great Smoky Mountains from Cades Cove.  It's breathtaking.

We stayed in a charming little cabin up in the mountains.  It was so peaceful and relaxing.

We got a visit from this little guy one night.  He was such fun to watch, but we had a mess of trash strewn all over the next morning!

One of my favorite attractions was the "Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies."  This picture of one of the sharks kinda creeps me out, just a little.

Doesn't this cute black bear seem to be posing for the camera?  What a ham!

In other news, Hubby and I have been busy just enjoying the activities of summer.


We celebrated my youngest nephew, E's 4th birthday in June and my oldest nephew, Lil Man's 6th birthday in July.  I can't believe how fast they are growing up.  It's a little bittersweet for this auntie.  Seems like they should still be little bitty boys.

Lil Man

Sweet E

We've also been doing some canning and preserving.  I put up 24 quart bags of corn last week and we'll be canning green beans this week.  Good winter eating, friends!

Hubby and I went antique mall hoppin' yesterday and I came home with this little goody.  This is the very first time I have EVER seen a 9x12 vintage Pyrex dish.  I love great vintage finds!

And last, but not least, in case you ever wondered, it is virtually impossible to take a picture of 4 children where they are all looking at the camera.


Take 16.  Photo fail.  Sigh.

They are still cuties, even if they won't cooperate for a picture!


Have a great week, y'all!

Slumber Party

Ahh, sweet summertime!  The kiddies are out of school, the air is warm (ok, HOT), the days are long....well, you get the picture.


Anyway.


Since the kids are out of school for summer break now, sweet Miss M spent the night with me and Hubby last weekend.  


SLUMBER PARTY!!


We had such a good time with our precious girl.  We played a little ball in the backyard and boy, was it HOT that day!

Yeah, I'm not very athletic so me attempting to hit a ball was quite amusing.


Here's Miss M and Hubby enjoying a popsicle...my favorite summer treat!

Isn't she the most adorable little sweetheart?

Next, we had some craft time.  Miss M actually came up with this fun idea to make a bird feeder from a water bottle!  Creative, yes?

Every little girl needs a flower from her uncle.  Makes the day perfect!  I love this picture of M.  She looks so happy!

And, after all of that exciting adventure, she was out like a light!  

Those slumber parties sure are some good times!  I think Hubby and I enjoyed it as much as Miss M did.  

Now, time for some relaxation and a long holiday weekend.  I think we are going to do some thrift store shopping, garage sale adventuring and grilling with the fam.  

What are your plans for this Memorial Day weekend?

We've Got Some Catching Up To Do

OK, so I'm really not good at keeping up with this blog thing.  Life gets so busy...where does the time go, anyway?


So much to catch up on since it's been, let's see...FOREVER since I've written anything!  


Since I last posted, my darling Hubby's father suffered a stroke.  He's making remarkable progress, but has a long way to go.  We would definitely appreciate your prayers for him.  Hubby and I went to Ohio to visit with him the weekend before Mother's Day.  We had a wonderful time with him, my mother-in-law, Hubby's baby sister and his older sister and her family.


While we were in Ohio, we also visited Hubby's cousin's greenhouse and nursery, where we got this HUGE hanging basket for my mom for Mother's Day.

And, since we're on the subject of Mother's Day...I hope all of my sweet mama friends had a fantastic day!  You all have the hardest, yet most rewarding job out there and you deserve a day to relax and be pampered.  Hubby and I spent the day with my parents and my sister and her family.  We had a great time!  My mom is one of the most amazing women I've ever met.  I love her so much!

Me, Mom & Sis

Here's a picture of my orange tiger lilies in full bloom, for no reason other than they're so pretty and I love looking at them.

And on a final note, I made homemade bread for the first time this weekend, sans bread maker!!  It was a long process but the bread turned out amazing!

Waiting for the dough to rise

After punching down and kneading for the second time

Divided into two loaves

The finished product!

The bread was delish!  You can find the recipe here.  It's a little sweeter than I had anticipated...more like a Hawaiian bread.  I think next time, I will cut down the sugar to 1/4 cup to make it taste more like a regular white bread.  Either way, it's yummy!

Enjoy your week, friends.  Be blessed!

Near and Dear

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Lupus is an auto-immune disease that can damage any part of the body, from the skin to the joints to organs.  It is a disease of flares and remissions and can range from mild to life-threatening.  It is not contagious.  It is not cancer.  And it is actually a much more common disease than most people think.

It is also a disease that is very near and dear to me, as my beautiful sister was diagnosed with lupus a few years ago.  Here she is with my sweet nieces and nephews.  Precious, yes?

So, for that reason (among others), lupus awareness is important to me.  Great progress has been made in diagnosis and treatment over the last several years, due to increased awareness.  Knowing what lupus is and how to recognize symptoms leads to earlier diagnosis and better treatment options.  It also helps to fund research to determine a cause and cure for this disease.  Please take a few minutes to read more about Lupus Awareness Month here.

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In other news, Hubby and I are slowly but surely getting some flowers planted.  One of my favorite things about spring time is getting to buy and plant new flowers and see everything come alive with blooms and pretty colors.

I love these pretty pink Dahlia's.

And these pretty pink flowers, too.

I bought this really cool silicone cross cake pan from Avon a few months ago and had never used it.  So, I decided to bake some yummy brownies in it.  They turned out really cute.  And delicious!

   

If you love it, you can buy your very own here.

Anndddd...that's about all we've been up to lately.  Here's one last (and pretty hilarious) photo for you guys.  

It's sweet Jasper kitty in the middle of a yawn, looking a lot like he's about to swallow my face!

Y'all have a good week!

I'm A Blog Slacker

I'll admit it.  I am a total blog slacker.


Has it really been nearly two weeks since I've written anything?  Life moves so fast, doesn't it?  Days turn into weeks before you know it.  Time just gets away from us somehow.


How have you guys been?  


We have been super busy here.  Our local Farmer's Market opened two weekends ago and I have been one very happy girl!  Check out this tote bag that I got on the first weekend.  Quite handy for packing around all of my awesome Farmer's Market finds.

We bought some fresh pork last weekend, which was pretty tasty.  And also, some local strawberries, local raw honey and a few other goodies.  I love buying local.  It's a great way to not only support your community, but to know where your food is coming from and how it was grown or raised.

ImageKind

We were in revival at my church this past week.  It was such a blessing.  I feel renewed and refreshed.  God is so good, yes?


Other than that, Hubby and I have just been working a little bit around the house and in the yard.  I am hoping to get some flowers planted soon.  I just love the spring season!


And, last, a few pictures for you.  Peace out, friends.

Hubby cleaning out a flower bed for me.  He's too sweet!

I heart purple flowers.  *sigh*

Sweet Jasper, watching us work in the yard.  Ignore that big ole dirty spot on the window where he rubs his nose.  I really need to clean that before I take pictures.  Eek!

Fresh squeezed strawberry lemonade.  Delicious!

Me and my man.  Love him!

Blessed

I am so blessed.


Hubby and I had a wonderful Easter weekend!  We spent time with the fam, coloring eggs, hunting eggs, eating, and most importantly, praising a risen Savior!


Hope you all had a fabulous celebration, too!  Now for some pictures from our weekend.

Miss M, contemplating what to write on her Easter egg

He is Risen - this is the reason we celebrate!

Best buds - M and Uncle A

Preparing to hunt!  They sure do look excited, don't they?

Miss M

Lil Man

E found one! Or two!  Or thirty!

Sweet Pea, relaxin' at Mamaw and Papaw's after church

We love our sweet nieces and nephews

Blessings to you this week!  May it be filled with His joy and love.

He Is Risen

Today is Good Friday.  It is the day that commemorates the crucifixion of Christ and His death on Calvary.  Praise the Lord, the story doesn't end there.  The Bible tells us that on the third day, He rose and defeated death!  The tomb is empty, friends!

My Savior Lives!

As I write this,  I am listening to "Glorious Day" by Casting Crowns.  If you've never heard it, please take a minute to listen here.  The words to this song touch my heart.

Living He loved me...
Dying He saved me...
And buried He carried my sins far away.
Rising He justified freely forever...
One day He's coming...
Oh, glorious day.

I can not comprehend that kind of love.  


The kind of love that would cause a Father to send His Son to die so that I could live.


The kind of love that would cause the Son to freely and willingly give up His life to pay a price that I couldn't pay.


The kind of love that sees my sin, my failures, my brokenness, and yet still wants me for His own.


I can't comprehend that kind of love.

How can the Creator of the universe love me that much?  


The One who hung the stars in the sky and makes the sun shine during the day?


The One who can calm a raging sea,  who spins the planets in orbit, who took on MY sin so that I could have eternal life with Him?


How could a God so powerful and mighty love me so much?  

It's because of grace, my friends.  God's grace is possible thru the blood that Jesus shed for us.


It's unmerited mercy; a gift from God of salvation.  


Praise God for His precious gift!  This Easter season, don't forget His love.  And His mercy.  And His grace.


May you have a blessed celebration of His victory over death!