Another year older

On turning another year older...I recently celebrated another birthday. Yes, you did read that right- I celebrated it!:o) I used to kinda resist the idea, maybe even "spas" about it a little. But that was a long time ago!:o) Now I'm just so grateful that God has blessed me with another year and I know that the only other option to getting old, is to die young (or younger) and if you don't want that, then you may as well grow older thankfully and graciously! And while I'm not necessarily going to broadcast my age on a blog, I am so grateful for every year that the Lord has allowed me to live, for every morning He has let me wake up to His new mercies for that day, for the awesome blessings He has bestowed on me all along the way, and for all the times He has carried me over the rough and trying spots in my life. So I guess for me, a birthday celebration is really a thanksgiving celebration to God for all the blessings of life He's so lovingly given to me! Thank You, Father God for another year!Isn't this just the cutest cake!! My sister makes such cool cakes and this is a special garden scene, with a white fence and flowers around it and plants growing in the dirt. You can even see the carrots growing in the dirt below ground where the one piece has been cut out and decorated! So the whole cake was a real hit with me because I love gardens and chocolate cake---how much better could it get?!:o) Thanks, Bridge, you did a lovely, yummy job!:o) Also my baby sister made my birthday supper, a wonderful meal of roast chicken, mashed potatoes, corn and rolls...very good AND I didn't have to make a thing! Thanks, Am!:o) What a wonderful thing family is and how special to have sisters!:o)

I don't like posing alone...and why should I, when I have all these dear people
around to share my life with!

My grandma posing with us--did someone say "cake"? She'll be right there!:o)
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On my birthday, Nathan and the two little ones took me over to some of our friends who have greenhouses, and I picked out some flowers and we also got a bunch of flowering bushes to plant in front of the house. And when I got home from my birthday supper over at my folks, SURPRISE!!! I saw that the boys had made the bed for the bushes while I was gone! What a neat birthday gift! Here is Damien carrying some of the flowers to their new home:o) Poor guy, he had a cold and didn't feel too great that day-


Faithful Aubrey digging holes and planting lots of bushes! Thanks, Bub, great job!:o)

Nathan...My Honey Bun...Daddy...it's a family blog, what am I s'posed to call him? Well, he's all of the above and more:o) so anyway, yes, you can see it's him...He did a wonderful job on our front porch, with the lattice--now we just need to get the gravel and the rest of the "black stuff" put down in the beds, hopefully this week...

Thanks, Honey Bun for all your hard work around here!:o)

Tyler doing most of the back-breaking and building work on my new flower garden up by the road--my sister gave us the old wheel. Thanks Ty, you did an awesome job!

The finished deal--I'm looking forward to seeing how it'll look when the flowers "grow up"!:o)

My baby dears--the weather has suddenly gotten quite warm!

Yeah, maybe winter's finally over!:o)

Jensy "riding" in our back yard...

My sweet Kaiti Beth...

Bow Shoot

The Bow Shoot that Nathan took some of the boys to last Saturday. It was a traditional archery competition--even though it was a cloudy sort of day, and wet and muddy from all the rain we've had recently, they had a great time! Tyler taking careful aim...


Damien shooting at an elk target

Looks like Aubrey is giving it everything he's got!

He always was our "Robin Hood":o)

Ty and his friend, Drew

We've enjoyed finding and collecting some of these,

left behind by archers of the past...

Who were they- These archers of long ago?

If April showers bring May flowers,

what do May showers bring?

Arrowheads!

Heavy downpours bring them to the light of day-

If these old arrowheads could talk, imagine the interesting stories

they might tell us!

We've also found some things made from glass/pottery...

I don't seem to have a knack for finding anything too great, but the boys do.:o) We found a piece of earthenware or ironstone, with enough writing on it to look it up--it says "stone china" on it with the name J.W. Pankhurst & Co. It was made in Hanley, Staffordshire, England. J.W. Pankhurst & Co. produced earthenware and ironstone during the years 1850-1883, at which time someone else took over the business after Pankhurst went bankrupt. So I assume from my findings that this piece is from that time period... I wonder who all handled it, ate off it or used it for food of some kind, and how did this piece end up where it did... I surmise from the various different things that have come from that one place, that Native Americans and settlers have both lived there at some time or another, or else the one had articles belonging at one time to the other. I just love history!

Mother's Day -2010

~Celebrating Motherhood~

"My child has stolen my heart and soul and made my whole world."

And may I add, when you become a mom, you're never the same again; from then on you must try and get used to part of your heart walking around outside your body, for the rest of your life! It really is a wonderful thing though...

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Chad Nathan...celebrating my first Mother's Day after the birth of our first baby- (Obviously his sweet Daddy helped him with his Mother's Day shopping:o)

May 10, 1992

Jens Joseph Vernon--Our latest edition; about 18 years later...

"Every child born into the world is a new thought of God, an ever-fresh and radiant possibility"
And all these lovely people in-between!
"I will wait on the Lord...And I will hope in Him. Here am I and the children whom the Lord has given me!" Isaiah 8:17-18

"I love these little people; and it is not a slight thing, when they, who are so fresh from God, love us."--Charles Dickens
I waited all my life for you...and you...and you...and you...and you...and you!:o)


And remember the post about arranging a few bowls on the table for a blog picture if they're sitting there anyhow...well, here it is!:o) But the thing about it is (besides that we are so blessed to have good food to eat when so many in the world are hungry!), that the wooden ones were all special gifts lately...the big one with home-made potato soup in it was from Aubrey for Mother's Day--it also makes a wonderful salad bowl for the lovely greens that Nathan has been growing; the wooden dipper was part of Ty's Mother's Day gift to me; the bowl with veggies in it was from my sweet Damien (who, by the way, seemed impressed with what he paid for it, aren't children just the sweetest things?!!:o); And the one with home-made artisan bread in it, was from some dear friends of ours from out-of-state who we had the privilege of having here overnight recently. So you see, even a simple picture of some wooden bowls has a special story to tell...At least special to me---just like every person we see each day, as we rush here and there about our busy lives...every person has his/her own story to tell, special and unique to them, if we'll just take the time to listen. Maybe it's my own little or not so little son, or my old grandmother who has a hard time communicating anymore, or my tired husband, or a stranger I've never met before who could become my friend...Oh, just anyone! Well, this post is long enough, and you might be hoping by now that we don't take
too many more pictures of bowls sitting on the table!:o) But you know, when you're a mom and a teacher you can't help but turn every opportunity into an object lesson!:o)


Anyway, yes, back to Mother's Day, I am honored and blessed beyond all I deserve, and I thank You, God, for all my wonderful blessings!
And I love you guys, you're all just the best!!!

"Just Life"

Life happens...Children grow up...grandparents and parents grow old, and older...Capture every moment and savor it...give a hug, a kiss, a pat on the back, a bouquet of flowers-even if you stop beside a country road to pick them, a phone call, an email, a special smile, while you have the chance! Take the time today...the chance may be gone tomorrow!

Our littlest cowboy!

Kaiti, my little flower girl and sweet helper!

Jensy walking with his Nana, my 92 year old grandma...

Jensy, just walking...busy, busy baby!!! He just LOVES being outside!

The kiddos "fishin' hole" - well, I guess you can't see the creek in this picture where they catch their fish, but we've had a lot of good eatin' from back there! NOT this fish though, it was a carp that Damien caught, not good eating, but fun to catch...he said, "It almost pulled me in!"

Spring Pictures

Kaitriana Elizabeth...our little princess in purple. Our lilac bush bloomed so beautifully this year--the first time it ever bloomed like this since we moved it into our yard years ago! Finally it has truly decided to "Bloom where it's been planted"!Baby Jensy

Easter Sunday
Aubrey-16, Chad-18, Tyler-almost 14
Damien-8, Kaitriana-4, and Jens-17 mo.



Our baby Jens...never a dull moment when Jensy is around, that's for sure!:o)


"Polka-dot Princess"
Little Kaiti Beth






O.K., my son talked me into this whole blogging thing...I don't profess to be the world's best blogger, a profound writer, or a professional photographer! And I'm wondering,"Are bloggers for real?" Do they take pictures of real life around them as it happens or do they make life happen for their blog? Well, I'm thinking that this blog will need to be life as it happens most of the time, because I just don't have time to order life up to post on a blog!:o) Maybe someday, but not now! But we'll just do it to have some fun and be creative and share our life as it happens (and maybe once in a while as we make it happen:o) Hey, what's wrong with arranging a few bowls on the table for a blog picture if they're sitting there anyhow?!:o)

Baker Creek Spring Festival

10th Annual Spring Festival at Bakersville (Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds- Mansfield, MO)

History happening in the Ozark Mountains!

Damien and Kaitriana win second place in the dress-up contest!

(Even though poor Damien forgot his tricorn hat at home!:o)

There were about 24 contestants that day~

The boys play "Battle of New Orleans"

I really wanted to post the video of them playing, but it just wouldn't cooperate with me so I'm finally giving up the idea!

They did a great job!

Jamming with friends, John and David, and other musicians~

Good old-time fun!