Fall Wreath

Check out my beautiful new fall wreath! Lovingly made by Patrice Myers. I am so proud of it!

What A Beautiful Day!

It is sunny, around 75 degree's, the birds are singing and I am headed out to a lounge chair on the back deck.

It's The Little Things...

It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so! ~Mark Twain
Oh my goodness gracious, do I feel lazy! This comes over me about this time every year. The kids are out of school for Spring Break and our life finally slows down a bit. I do miss my girl Gianna...but for now the quiet is nice.

Saturday, Randy and the kids cleaned the yard...while I relaxed out on the deck. HEY! Someone has to be the supervisor! The sun felt wonderful! I just propped my little feet up, closed my eyes and soaked up the warmth of the sun and the fresh air. It was a glorious day! Mowing was not an easy task...it has rained so much this winter and the ground is still quite soft....but the yard looks so much better and I am happy to report...I am beginning to see some green grass peeking up through all the brown.

Well...that is not all I did. I also got my camera out and took a few pictures of my family working in the yard, the beautiful blooms that are bursting out on every tree limb and of course...the adorable black lab playing fetch. He has been waiting for someone to throw that ball for weeks! I was all going well for him...until he decided to attack the weed eater. The weed eater didn't get him...but he broke his toenail when he was dancing around it. "Tiny Tim" will milk that injury for every drop of pity he can get.... for days!


On Sunday...the rain showers returned and we stayed in bed all day long. We watched a few movies a few crime shows and snacked in between naps. Isn't it amazing how the littlest things mean so much. Some take off for great places like Fort Lauderdale, Disney for Spring Break...but we are just enjoying the fact that there is no rush and we can sleep late! AH SPRING!


If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome. ~Anne Bradstreet

Feathered Visitors

These little cuties have been showing up in my backyard lately. I'm not sure what kind of birds they are...but they are almost tame. They let me get very close...and when I do get close...theydon't fly away
they just kind of hop away. Some of them have the bright lemon yellow belly and the others a have just a light yellow but mostly gray belly
I am pretty sure the bright yellow would be the males...since male birds are usually prettier than the females. They are happy, tiny birds that sing a pretty little tune.
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There are many birds that choose to stay here in Southeast, Texas for the Winter months...but I don't think that I have ever seen these little guys before.

June Is Almost Gone

Can you believe how fast June has flown by? I don't know what the weather is like in your neck of the woods...but it is CRAzy hot here in S.E. Texas. The heat index is supposed to be somewhere around 110 today. No rain is expected in the near or distant future and the grass is burned to a crisp. Of course Murphy's Law rings true yet again "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong."..our central air went out Friday night. None of us slept at all! The AC repairmen are so busy right now ...we can't get one out here until late Wednesday evening. So we ran out to the Home Depot first thing on Saturday and bought window units for our bedrooms.

Anyway...back to the month of June. We celebrated two birthdays! Caleb turned 17 on the 7th and Stephen turned 19 of the 15th. Caleb asked for a Banjo for his birthday....yes, a banjo...and we are still trying to find one. Oh we have found a few...but they were all between $500 and $1500...Um No! If anyone knows where we might find one for a reasonable price (no more than $150-$200) please let me know. Speaking Of Caleb..He cut his hair...he cut it SHORT! I took him last Friday to take his senior pictures (my gosh that doesn't even seem possible!) Well...he wanted to get his hair cut first. His hair has been to his shoulders since he was a freshman. I talked him out of it at least for the pictures...I felt it was best that he take the picture with his hair long...just in case he hated the haircut. As we previewed the pictures...I could tell by his face that he didn't like them. So Saturday he got it cut...and then this Wednesday we are going back to take the pictures again. I just want him to be happy and he was right... the haircut turned out really nice. What do you think?

Caleb's hair before and after
Also on Friday...we noticed that our little mama cat had not eaten any of her food...nor had we seen her since the night before. The kids and I went looking for her...and found that she had given birth to 6 kittens (one dead), on the ground behind some bushes. She was a nervous wreck...panting because it was so hot...and I am sure she was still in some pain. The kittens were gasping because they were so hot and dehydrated. I ran home...got a laundry basket with a blanket and we scooped up the kittens and brought them to my back porch. We knew that wasn't going to last for long...I have two house cats of my own, a Labrador and a peek a poo. Mama kitty kept running up to the door and hissing at the animals inside. Like I said she was a nervous wreck.

Mama Kitty 2 days before Delivery
My neighbor is currently in a nursing home and no one is living at his house...well, with the exception of his son who stays there from time to time. He has screened in porch...the screen is pretty much ripped away and he just uses it as a shed. I knew that would be the perfect place for mama kitty and the babies...so I asked one of the family members if it would be OK if I put them in there until the humane society is able to take them. They are so overloaded with animals...we had to be put on a waiting list.Anyway...my neighbors were kind enough to allow it. So now mama kitten has her babies in a nice comfortable box, she can jump in and out of the room as she pleases... and all the food and water she wants. I have also put a box fan in there as well. She is a very good and attentive little mama. Actually..she is a little funny with her babies...she nurses them almost constantly...and when they drift off to sleep..she pulls them back to her with her paw and licks them till they wake up and start nursing again. Their bellies are very round!

3 days old
I am still "making healthy choices" and juicing everyday. It is getting easier each passing day. We have been walking in the evening...but a mile and a half is about all I can handle due to this heat. Even at 8pm the temp is still in the upper 90's. I am certain that I have lost weight...but I have no clue as to how much. I still refuse to weigh myself. I just think for me.... it is better that way.

Spring is fading....

Summer is right around the corner and the kids are finally out of school! Well, sort of...Shelby has to go back on Monday...and every Monday- Thursday from 8:30 AM to 11:00 AM. She didn't quite pass the math section (missed by 4 points) of the TAKS EXAM. If you are not from Texas...this is a pain in the tail exam the state makes our students take...and even if they have straight A's on their report card...if they don't pass this test...they fail the grade anyway. They get three chances to pass it....and Shelby has already taken it for the second time....but the results didn't come in on time. So until they do...she has to attend summer school. If she passed it...then she doesn't have to go back. If she didn't...she will attend class for 4 more weeks and take the exam one final time. Poor darling. She struggles with ADD and Dyslexia.

This morning Hubby and I finished putting the butterfly garden together and the seeds have been sown. FINALLY! For now, I will have my hands full just keeping Sparky (the resident squirrel) and all the Cardinals from eating the seeds. We planted quite a variety to attract not only butterflies...but hopefully hummingbirds as well. On the opposite side of the deck we have a "Firebush" it was here when we moved in and grows to 7 ft every summer. The hummers and butterflies love it! Once the plants come up a bit...I will add a water source...hopefully it will be a solar birdbath/fountain...and a butterfly house. I just love sitting in the swing in the morning and watching all the wildlife come right up to the deck.

Recently, I noticed a little black cat hanging around on the deck eating some cat food I had put in a bag to give to the Raccoons. Every time we went outside...she would run...but I tried calling her and to my surprise she came running to me... rubbing on my leg and purring quite loudly.It was then that I noticed that she is very pregnant. So for the last week or so we have been setting some food out. As friendly as she is...it is obvious...at least to me that she once belonged to someone....and most likely has been dumped. In my opinion...this one of the cruelest things that a human being can do to a helpless animal. Dump them and just leave them to starve. :( I am not quite sure where to set her up for the birthing...I can't put her in the house as my nosey critters would probably make her very nervous. Anyway...it looks like the event is not that far off...so soon I will be trying to find homes...any suckers...oops! UH I mean takers? :)

"What is one to say about June, the time of perfect young summer, the fulfillment of the promise of the earlier months, and with as yet no sign to remind one that its fresh young beauty will ever fade. " ~Gertrude Jekyll

God's Favorite Color?

When Spring is coming we all notice the pretty flowers blooming, the birds and other wildlife preparing for their young to be born...and the warmth of the sun on our skin. But for me...all my life it has happened this way...its like I walk outside and BAM I am blown away...like everything bloomed over night. The tree's go from bare and lifeless...to just covered in leaves.

I have an elderly neighbor..he is 81 and just precious. His legs and his body have failed him...but his mind is as sharp as a tack. One Sunday afternoon he was sitting out in his wheelchair waiting for some one to pick him up for Church and he asked me " What do you suppose God's favorite color might be?" He had that look on his face that I have seen numerous times before...like he knows the answer but wants to hear your thoughts. It was a beautiful day....not a cloud in the sky...and I almost said BLUE! He was looking at me with a smile on his face. He said "think about it for a minute"...He knew I was thinking blue. But I stopped and looked around and said.....Green!
He didn't say a word...he just smiled.

What do you suppose is Gods favorite color?

Spring Fever!

I am trying so hard to get the house cleaning done today...but I am not having much luck. There is just so much too do...the kids were out last week for spring break...and they had their friends over...in other words...we played all week! Today the sun is shining for the first time in 5 days! I just wanna fix me a glass of iced tea and go sit on the back porch...with my feet uo and watch the birds catch worms! *sigh*

Hurry Springtime!

It is really beginning to look like Spring out there....But I'm not really fooled...I am sure one more (or many more) freeze will sneak in before Easter. But check out my pear tree. It never fails...when people see those pretty little white/slightly pink flowers...they have to smell them...even with the bee's swarming around. I try to warn them that they really don't smell good...but I guess it is just one of those things folks need to learn for them selves. haha
OH meet out new little friend...He or She...It comes up on the deck and right up to the back door. Well...he now has a bag of corn with his name on it...well what ever his name is....my daughter likes 'Sparky'...I guess that is as good a name as any. He is not afraid...the dogs and the cats go up to the glass and he just stands there waiting for someone to bring him some corn. Princess Lucy really wanted to play with him this morning...well she may have wanted to eat him.
Anyway...I am dying to get outside and work in the garden ...cookouts on our new deck...toastin marsh mallows around the fire pit. I am even read for the kids to be out of school....Hurry Spring!

Spring Again

Spring again
Spring again
Spring again
Isn't it?
Buds on the branches
A breeze in the blue
And me without mittens
My sweater unbuttoned
A spring full of things
All before me to do.
Author: Karla Kuskin

God Is Great!

I don't know what the weather is like in your part of the world...but I sure hope it is something like ours. It is Sunny, upper 60's and the tree's are beginning to bud out. But that is not all...I feel great...sure I have a few aches and pains...but I am feeling such a positive energy. Life is clicking along for the kids...When the family is happy...mom is happy! Caleb is headed to Florida very soon...and he is so excite I am afraid he is about to bust. He will be travelling with the High school band to march in the Disney Parade. Our band used to go every year...but now they go every 3 years. Stephen is doing well in College and is beginning to make new friends...he got a new job recently and it is so much better for him...he gets just enough hours to make some spending money...but he is able to focus on his studies. He is in a Japanese club...and now he and I are doing a little cooking,,,we are learning to make some Japanese dishes. Shelby is really working hard at school...she stays till 5 everyday by choice...she has Dyslexia is getting extra help for the TAC's test. It makes me so proud of her...it shows that her maturity is growing when she knows that she could come home and watch TV or talk on her cell phone...but chooses to get help. Matthew is Matthew...he finds the joy everyday...no matter where he is or who he is with...he gets on the bus every morning...and has the same smile when he gets off the bus in the afternoon. He is a GIVER of joy! My hubby is settling into his new job...a much better fit for him...he is able to be home early enough in the evening to spend time with us....and that makes me happy! I logged on the computer briefly last night and noticed that little miss Vaiyah is waking up...I know the Karg family is so happy to see those beautiful eyes looking back at them. Y'all keep praying!

I'm not for certain but I am pretty sure that it has to hurt Gods feelings when we go about our daily lives and not notice the beauty around us...so no matter what your weather is like...even if you are struggling through hard times...take a moment and look around for the beauty....I promise it is all around you!