I am from...

I am from dirty dishes

from homemade bread and fresh eggs.

I am from the tiny house 

swelling with people I love.

I am from lizards and toads in the aquarium.

The pecan trees whose long gone limbs I remember as if they were my own.

I'm from dinner together and campfires...roasting marshmallows under the stars.

I'm from adventurous boys and giggly girls.

I'm from movie time before bed and bible verses at breakfast

and from picnics on pretty days.

I'm from stories of the wild west and boys in creeks 

and momma singing praises while she washed the dishes.

I'm from church on Sundays 

I'm from small town and seven grandmothers 

milkshakes with hamburgers and roast and gravy on Sundays

From my love overcoming the odds

losing mother and father as a boy...

that oldest son reading books in his bed and the other one asking his daddy question after question

that oldest girl so proud that she can make her bed and wearing headbands everyday, that little blonde with hands that get into every thing and a smile to make up for it all and their baby sister who loves to play with her bubbas on the pillows on the floor...these memories hidden in my heart.

From frog races on rainy days

and little girls spinning in tire swings 

and matching dresses and pretty hair with homemade bows

and big brothers with legos in one hand and swords in another

and a daddy who works hard every single day and my heart still pounding when I see his truck coming home

That is where I am from .

inspired by "Where I'm From" by George Ella Lyon

The Muddy Place...

This is the name given to the ditch that runs at the bottom of the hill in the pasture.

It's rather like a creek especially after a rain...

The ditch that my little boys found one day after we had moved back to the farm.

My little boys...three and four..who wondered off without telling me...in the cool rain...

I frantically call daddy...they're not familiar with the farm yet...where do you think they could be?

Daddy getting ready to come home from work to look for them...when here they come all wet and muddy...

We were not lost...Boo informs me...I knew right where we were...

So it has always been called the muddy place around here...

looking under the surface of the water through a pipe...
catching tadpoles...

walking across logs...

sawing branches...

building forts and ships...

Today the girls wanted to tag along...so mommy went for a little walk to the muddy place...

and we learned all about it from the guys...

Miss LouLou posing at the muddy place with her cowboy boots:-)

Thanking Him for the Little Things

brothers...camouflaged against bright white snow...crawling on hands and knees...stalking a bird trying to find but a seed on the frozen white


sisters...playing tea party...little bitty...running to the water tank and filling her cup...saying..."party, party, party"...


Miss LouLou...wearing her princess dress...spinning around...the sunlight catching the sequins and sending sparkles all over the wall...reminding me of the sparkle that she brings to our days


Little one....flip-flopping within me...Will you have lots of hair like one of your big sisters?...Will you suck your thumb like one of  your big brothers?...one thing is for sure she has already captured our hearts

Little Bitty...grabbing my hand..."mone mommy"...pulling me to the bed..."cubers", she says...as she climbs into the bed...beckoning me to follow...snuggling under the covers...giggling

My love...getting this blog printed into a book...for me...for us...knowing this is my scrapbook for my children

the calmness I already feel in my spirit...after spending a few moments with Him...each morning...hiding his word in my heart...slowly memorizing...just letting him now each day I need a meek and quiet spirit

Little Bitty...blond hair...in a ponytail...looking so big...still wanting mommy to hold and do everything for her

LouLou pigtail braids...looking so cute...that grin...helping me make homemade poptarts...folding the towels without being asked...getting to be such a good helper.

Some memories of the last year...

Gifts given...
Moments treasured...
Things Pondered...

Ordinary Moments...Extraordinary Gifts...

Yesterday, I was struck with the ordinary day we were having and I felt extraordinarily blessed as I looked around at the littles and the messes they make.  Why did the ordinary strike me so?  I'm not sure unless its because most all of our days are ordinary days just spent with each other and that's what makes them so special.  If I don't embrace the everyday...I will be always waiting for the memorable times...and I will forget that I have the chance everyday to make memories that we all can cherish in our hearts.

our sweet girl...so excited about our thrift store find...a guryl (girl)..bike for me

littles waking up from naps...eating cookies...and growing milk mustaches..for snack

his favorite boots...left out on the porch...makes a pretty picture next to the yellow mums

sisters

brothers

little hands...feeding one of God's creatures...giggles...and my turn now

Bobbing For Pears, Anyone?

Today, Bo came into the kitchen as I was mixing the biscuits for lunch and asked for a big, clean bowl.

"Why do you need a big, clean bowl?" I ask.

"

"Because I want to bob for apples," he replied

"I don't have any apples," I say.  "Oh man, do you have anything like that?"

"We have a few pears."  "That will work, where are they?"

He grabs the bowl and pears and runs outside.  The bowl was soon filled with water.  I place it under the shade tree for the littles.

And Ohhh what fun we had!

Special Moments With My Little Ones...

dusky dark...lightening bugs emerge...let's get a jar mom...running through the yard catching lightening bugs with the my little ones

little girl...first time to catch lightening bugs...grabbing my hand...pulling me along..."Oh, here's one momma." she says

mulberry picking...little hands stained mulberry...faces too...shirts not coming clean...moments to remember...always

excited boys...running to momma..."can you come quick and see what we've found"...see a mouse..."we are really getting to see a lot of God's creation lately"...

baby steps...chubby legs...noticing the hill...deciding to scoot down on here tummy

chubby fingers pointing...baby babbles...grinning...reaching up for me to take here...moments I want to cherish

big boy...upset daddy's schedule is changing...crying in the dark...daddy comes to comfort and lay beside

Mulberry Picking

My brother has a mulberry tree in his yard, hanging full with fruit.  I took the littles to pick some a couple of days ago.  I love picking fruit during the spring and summer.  The boys were so excited about going.  The branches were a little high for us to pick from.  We managed to get 1/2 gallon from his tree and another in the neighborhood.



We thought the mulberries were very yummy! I liked them better than blackberries.  My grandfather says when he was little, they wouldn't let him eat mulberries...but none of us have gotten sick yet!?!  We made a yummy mulberry cobbler and mulberry syrup for our pancakes.

Blackberry and blueberry picking will be here soon...
Until then...here are the littles loving the mulberries!

Celebrating His Gifts...

Yesterday we headed out to a local park in our area. The littles took their bikes and I packed a picnic. Since Chris was off work, he was able to go along. We had a wonderful time strolling around the pond watching the littles ride their bikes and look for crawfish, frogs, minnows and salamanders at the creeks.

brothers...hats on head...racing around the pond on their bikes...laughing

little sis...riding the tricycle...pink dress flowing...hair blowing...looking so proud...her first time to get to ride on the trail

baby girl...riding in the stroller...waving to everyone who passes

my love and I...enjoying the blessings God has placed in our life...walking along side by side

brothers...peering into the creek...carefully lifting rocks...squeals of delight when they find something hidden beneath

little sis...trying to catch a tiny toad...learning to be brave as she holds it in her hand

After our picnic, I wanted to take a walk over to the wildflower garden. I have been reading a book about medicinal plants of the southern Appalachians. I had noticed a couple of ladies from the wildflower society working in the garden when we arrived. I wanted to walk over and see if they could help me identify some of the plants that were listed in my book. They were very helpful. They pointed out several plants around the garden and even gave me some jewelweed to plant in our yard. I hope the jewelweed does well, because it is a natural remedy for poison oak and I have one little one highly allergic.

Upon returning home, I put the little ones to bed and planted the jewelweed in the yard. I decided to take a walk down to the spring and see if I could identify some plants. Bo went with me while the others slept. We had such a fun time hiking along the creek bed and enjoying the beauty of nature.