14 years ago today...

Fourteen years ago today... about this time (8:30 pm), Steve asked me to marry him on my parents deck. It was a Wednesday night and he was as nervous as he was on our first date. I can't believe it has been fourteen years, though. I am thankful for the moment he got down on one knee and asked me to be his bride. I don't love him now like I did then, though... I love him so much more. Ten months later we were married. I am so thankful for that sweet man of mine.

I got to do a lot of scrapbooking today. I am now seeing a bright light at the end of the tunnel of vacation pictures. :) I am almost finished getting them scrapped. I am pretty tickled. Now comes the journaling part. LOL

We went to a cook out this afternoon with all of the teachers I teach with. It was a nice time and the kids got to swim in the pool. Unfortunately, Steve got paged and couldn't go with us. I felt like half of me was missing the whole evening. I was glad to be able to leave and come home to be where he was.

I took the picture for today at a local nature park. It is simple, but I like it. :)

Well, I need to go spend some time with my sweet man and those silly kids before they go to bed. There also may be a bowl of icecream in my future.... hee hee

Busy Friday

Well, I had all good intentions of posting last night but we had a TERRIBLE thunderstorm in the late afternoon which knocked out our phone line!! I couldn't call out or anything...it was dead as a door nail. It finally was fixed by this morning so I was thankful. I was also thankful we didn't have any damage from that storm. There were some lightning strikes that were a little too close for my comfort!!

The picture today is from the Hershey Gardens in PA. I can't remember if I have shown it. I really like how I was able to capture the reflection of the dragonfly in the pond. It is one of my favorites.

Today was spent cleaning this house in the morning and then running around with Mom and Daddy this afternoon. I must say that I love the sound of clothes getting washed and dried as well as the dishwasher running. I guess it is a reminder that things are getting CLEANED. Wesley and Mikayla (especially Wesley) had a harder time remembering all of his cleaning responsibilities today. He told me at one point that he was "tired of cleaning" and needed to play. Well, don't we all feel that way! I told him to get up and get moving. Because he didn't obey me the first time I told him to clean something he had triple duty.... maybe that will teach him a good lesson. :)

I really would have loved to have scrapbooked today but being with Mom and Daddy was good. I know in a couple of weeks that luxury will be gone for a while and I want to enjoy it while I can. I am finding myself really getting into the "funk" that I always seem to get in before school starts. I hate feeling this way, but my mind just keeps reminding me that my relaxed days of no stress are almost over and I hate that. I really love teaching and I know this year will be better than last since we aren't beginning school so new with Wesley and Mikayla, but I just love the slower pace. I can't believe it has been 2 months since we went to Pennsylvania. I look back now and see how quickly my summer has flown.

The kids are spending the night with Mom and Daddy tonight. Steve and I ran to school to take some stuff I had bought for my room today. I enjoy times when he can go with me like that. I just enjoy being with him.

Well, I think we're going to watch a movie and I believe a storm is coming up so I am going to close for now. Hope everyone has a great day!

Slow Motion

Today I am in such slow motion. I think the beach yesterday wore me out as well as made me lazy!!! I got some stuff accomplished today but I was just in a funk. I am thinking, too, it is because I know summer is almost over. Our day at the beach is always right before school starts again. I enjoyed watching the colors that would come out of the ocean when the sun hit it yesterday. This picture shows a lot, but not like it was in person. It was great.

May I just say I took a TON of pictures in Pennsylvania? Now, I realize I did...but when I began to scrap the things...there is NO END TO THEM! lol I am finally finished with Hershey Gardens and now starting on the Amish. I have a zillion of those pictures and am just making it simple because I want the pictures to be the "star" and not all that stuff around them. I am hoping to see a light at the end of the tunnel later on tonight. lol

Steve went out on a "stake out" last night. No one came in the yard; however, he did hear voices from the neighborhood next door and saw people get in a car and then go slowly by our driveway. I think he even said they had almost stopped but went on. It makes us think they are the ones that did the doughnuts in our yard. We might see what we can find out tonight. Steve is going to buy that thing for the end of our driveway that will alarm us if anyone comes up the driveway. We have such a long one that I think that will be beneficial anyway.

We snapped string beans today. The picture is of the kids finishing with them. We all worked on them. That green bowl was "over- flowing" with string beans when we began. It was actually a nice time together because we talked about a lot of different stuff. I enjoyed it, anyway. :) We ate them for supper and they were so good. I am thankful for them!

I guess I need to hear the kids read before they get to bed. I also need to read to them! We'll also look at our map together. I am teaching them the continents and such. They are getting them pretty well!! We didn't get to do it last night or the night before so we've missed out. Of course, me sitting here typing isn't getting any of that done so I am off to "educate".... hee hee

BEACH day

No picture today...it is late. We just got back from spending the day at the beach with one of my friends and her two girls. We had a BLAST. Overall it was a beautiful day, although it did rain on us a bit but the majority of the day was beautiful. We got a few burnt patches but other than that we faired really well in the sun department. I'll share pictures later.

A biggie...Wesley lost his tooth in Sunday School on Sunday!! Again, I'll have to show a picture of that later. :) He was so excited. The Tooth Fairy came and he was tickled. I told him the Tooth Fairy allows us to keep his first tooth so I could put it in the scrapbook. I can't believe my babies are starting to lose their teeth. Weren't they born just yesterday??????

We are having a problem at our house! It seems SOMEONE (or a group of someones....) is coming in our front yard at night and doing 360's....and tearing up our lawn. We thought it might be a one time deal when it happened last week, but when Steve went to work this morning he found it again in our yard...and this time it got closer to the house. We called the sheriff. Steve wants to do a "stake out" tonight, but I am not so sure. We even thought of putting boards with nails sticking up in them in the yard but the sheriff told Steve that would make us liable for THEIR injuries if they got hurt while running over our front yard. Also, we would have to pay for new tires. Now, isn't that the silliest thing you have ever heard???? What happened to owner's rights? Of course, there probably has never been any. BUT, it is OK that someone is coming into our yard and tearing it up by driving circles in it. OK...that makes A LOT of sense. We'll see what happens. I have always felt safe in my home... this makes me start to think more. I have just been praying that the Lord will continue to protect as He has been and will help us catch who is doing this.

Well, I must close for now. I realize I haven't been good about keeping up with my blog as much lately. I just get into enjoying my summer and it doesn't always stay at the forefront of my mind. I have to cherish these moments while I can because my summer is almost over. :)

The fun of nothingness

You know, I am finding a lot of people today want their kids in so many things that they don't give them time to just be kids. Now, while those "things" aren't always bad, they can accumulate to the point where the child has no time at home or begins to have the need to be stimulated at all times. I have always desired for my children to have a childhood. A childhood that is relaxed and not always on the go. I guess you could say, the kind of childhood I had on the farm. They just don't have the farm like I did.

That being said, we are enjoying summer immensly without having to always GO somewhere or BE some place at a specific time. We have spent this entire summer planning very little and taking each day as it comes. It has been both refreshing and relaxing for us all. I think you can tell from the picture that they aren't lacking for fun times or silly excitement. :)

Today we had to go to school and work on a project and the kids had to stay all day. They were so good but you know what they were ready to do when we finished??? GO HOME and play. As soon as we got home they were in their rooms or outside playing and using their imaginations. My desire is for them to continue to improve in the imagination to help their abililty to think creatively. I was so excited to see an article on just what I am talking about in our paper today. It was refreshing to read and backed up everything I have felt since my children have been born. I am going to keep it and refer back to it from time to time.

I have LOVED my summer. I have loved getting to know my children in a different way. We have had so much fun and so many special moments. Those moments have not always been "Mommy directed", either. I have enjoyed watching them be themselves and figure out ways to play. I will continue to enjoy my sweet moments with them in the next couple of weeks. It will get wild again soon, but until then, I am content being a Mommy that hangs out at home with her children and allows them to be CHILDREN.

Speaking of those silly kids.... it is time for them to get ready for bed so we can have another fun day tomorrow. I love those silly things so much. I am thankful I can be their Mommy.

A Little Project

I gave myself a little project yesterday. :) I have found that a couple of pictures in my kitchen just weren't doing a thing for the area anymore. I noticed it when I was cleaning out, but was just wanting to be content with what I had. Well, I was at Walmart the other day and saw these neat black wooden frames that would make colorful pictures POP. I got the idea, yesterday, of doing that in our kitchen and taking pictures of vegetables and vegetation/flowers to fill in the areas. I went on a "journey" last night to our garden and my parent's garden. Unfortunately, there were no RED tomatoes....and I really wanted a picture of a tomato, but that is OK. :) I had to improvise. I took some pictures of my brother's herbs, my Mom's plants and our squash. Everything else we had in our garden was basically green and I didn't want many of those. I also used some pictures of flowers I had taken before. Well, I got them printed today and got the frames and this is what I got!! I am really excited over them and feel like they add a lot to the kitchen. I told Steve that I take so many pictures of things and never use them for anything!! I wanted to start showing them off in the right way. (I know these aren't the best pictures of the frames, but I had to do it quickly before I got the kids in bed. lol)

I found another frame today when I was out that has 8 sections to it that would be perfect for black and white pictures of Wesley and Mikayla as well as pictures of their hands and feet. I have been noticing how much their little feet aren't staying so little anymore and I am wanting to capture it. I know in a couple of years they will look a lot larger. lol I'll try to work on taking those tomorrow. :)

We went to the pool today with some friends. It was nice for the kids but, boy, was it HOT. It is definitely SUMMERTIME around here, now. lol I didn't get a lot of things accomplished that I wanted to do, but it really was a fun day for the munchkins.

Tonight I was reading to them from some new books I have just gotten from the Institute for Creation Research. I want them to start understanding and learning how they were made and why the earth is like it is today...and it isn't from billions of years of evolution, either!! It has been exciting for me to teach it to them. We are also looking at a big world atlas and I am trying to teach them the different parts of the continents, oceans, etc. Wesley is LOVING it and Mikayla really seems to enjoy it, too.

Well, I have to go get some other stuff done. Tell me what you think of my pictures on the wall in the kitchen. I am pretty pleased. :) Have a great day!

Comfort Zone????

I was so NOT in my comfort zone last evening and today when I was going around taking pictures of INSECTS and other wildlife things so that I could enter a photograph in our state's wildlife magazine contest. Last evening I was taking a picture of a garden spider (I think) and trying not to get TOO close so the thing would come at me, while trying to get close enough that you would know what the thing was! As I kept inching in to my Mom and Dad's bushes to get a closer shot, I kept hoping and praying no other insect, arachnid or other creature would find its way on to ME. Well, as I was taking the last shot of this spider (which totally makes me cringe to do anyway...) I began noticing SOMETHING was crawling up my strap on my camera!!!! I immediately let out a yell and jumped back to find that it was a lovely June Bug. I hate those things. My brother and Dad got tickled and my Mom came out to see what all the commotion was. lol Let's just say my heart skipped a few beats at that moment. None of those spider pictures turned out, either, so that was a bummer with all the "work" I put into them. lol

Today, after having a fiasco of getting my pictures developed, the kids and I went to a local nature preserve so that I could, yet again, wander around and find neat and interesting things of which to take pictures. Well, I was out of my comfort zone once again. I am NOT an outside person on a normal basis. I am perfectly content to be inside and find things to do in there. I love being outdoors, but can't handle the insects and creatures. Well, here is "INSIDE GIRL" going into the outside world to take pictures of these insects and creatures I can't handle!! Was I insane???? I tried to put on a brave front for my kids and not spaz over every creature that moved, but there were some moments I was glad the kids weren't right beside me because I was doing a "dance" that would have caused bodily harm to one of them. (usually over something minor...or even a shadow or crease in my shirt that I kept glancing at time and time again just KNOWING it was a creature...)

I began to find some interesting spiders again. I took a picture of a Daddy Long Legs and hoped the whole time it wouldn't hop onto my lens. That would have been deadly...to the creature, my camera and me. I tried to find interesting things but felt that most of my stuff was just ordinary. I did manage to find some honeybees on some flowers and was really into them. Here is the picture of them. I also took pictures of fungus, other mushrooms, tree branches and stuff like that. Whether that is what the judges are looking for, who knows!!??? I guess I will just enter and go with it. My brother is encouraging me to enter more contests. I just still feel like I have a ton more to learn and who really wants to see my pics?? LOL

We had an awesome supper tonight. Steve had picked fresh string beans, squash and cucumbers from his garden and we also had some fresh corn on the cob we had bought at the Farmer's Market as well as grilled chicken. A stinking good supper if I do say so myself. Best of all....I cooked MOST OF IT!! Don't pass out...really. ;) It is amazing what you can do when you have time.

Speaking of time...I think it is now time for me to get a bowl of icecream and dump a load of chocolate stuff on it. Sounds like a plan. Y'all have a good one....and try not to let any creatures "get ya".....hee hee

Saturday * Summer * Fun Day

I just am loving my summer. I love being home and not having to be on a major schedule. (Now, I still love my schedule as far as getting things done and all, but not having to be so stressed with it all.) I am loving being a "stay at home" Mom for a short season. I am amazed, this summer especially, how nice it is. I guess that is why I am not wanting to rush anything.

Steve and I didn't get to go to the movie last night because it was already sold out. No biggie...we just went out to eat and then walked around the mall. I just enjoyed being WITH him. You know, he is such a special man. He truly is the best friend that I have and I thank the Lord for him. I am thankful for how many things he does for me and with me as well as how he is always there.

We had to run and find a new door to our deck today because ours is beginning to rot...joy. NOT a fun thing to have to deal with, but at least we can fix it. I am glad Steve knows what to do with that type of thing because I am oblivious. lol

I was vacuuming like a wild woman today. This past week we purchased one of those Rainbow Vacuum cleaners. I wasn't planning on it, but when I saw what those things pick up and how well they do I knew it would benefit us. Mikayla and Steve have allergies and I just want my house cleaner! I am obsessed with it right now. I can't believe how much dirt was in this house after I have been vacuuming for a month now. lol I went around vacuuming our bed mattresses and comforters today. (I realize I just went on a tangent in this paragraph, but bear with me....I love to get rid of dirt. lol)

When the kids got home from Mom and Dad's today they played outside. Wesley walked home first and wanted to "help" Steve cut grass. Then, Mikayla came on home and they played with the water hose. They had a blast...and I got to be a part of it, too. hee hee They asked me to come and spray them so I obliged... hee hee Mikayla loved it, but didn't at the same time. She said the water was too cold. It wasn't as hot and humid today so I know it was colder. She enjoyed laughing and watching us. Of course, Wesley (my child who is just like me in the zany areas) got the hose from me and started to spray ME!! I saw my OWN "evil grin" face looking back at me when he had that hose pointed at me. lol What a stinker. I had fun being out there with them. Here are a couple of pictures I took today. There are none of me getting wet, though... I didn't have time to upload them after Steve took some pics of me with Wes. They'll come another day.... maybe. ;)

Off to get the kids into bed. I'm ready to relax and have an enjoyable, quiet evening at home. I just love the laid back days of summer....

me again...

Yes, I am still here. I just haven't had much to say the last few days. I am in the realization that school will start in about a month and I am not ready to face that fact. Now, I realize I still have a MONTH but to a teacher that has to go back early and start working on her classroom...well, that doesn't make me happy. lol

This picture is from Monticello. I truly can't remember if I've shown this one before. I am getting to the place I can't remember so forgive me if I repeat one. :)

This week brought around the Fourth of July. We celebrated with friends and enjoyed a night eating outside and setting off fireworks. Steve was too funny doing that. Next year he and our friend said they will make it "bigger and better!" Should be interesting to see. :)

I finally got my house so that I could clean it all again in one swoop. We did that today before I had a meeting. It felt good to get back into that routine again. Of course, my dining room is still in disaster mode but I have given up on that until my scrapbooking stuff can go back in the office.

I did get a chance to scrapbook a good amount this week. I still have a lot of journaling to do, but have gotten pictures on pages up till the end of May. My next big thing will be our trip to Pennsylvania. I can't believe it has already been a month since we went and came back!!

The kids are spending the night with Mom and Daddy tonight so Steve and I thought we'd go see the Pirates of the Caribbean movie. We'll see if we can get in!!