The GRAY Area

Judah--8 Weeks old

2011-07-10T16:33:00.005-05:00

Just this week, Judah has begun responding when you interact with him--he's smiling back!

Judah--6 Weeks old

2011-07-10T16:31:00.002-05:00

Judah's First Bath!

2011-06-09T17:42:00.009-05:00

Warning some of these pics might border on the graphic side--it is a bath, after all.....:0) Look at your own risk....

Many Helpers!

It takes many hands to keep this little guy happy!

He's not liking that!

Wow! I survived!

We didn't know we had any of these around here.....

2011-06-09T17:39:00.002-05:00

We found this dead armadillo on the road out by our house. It's headless, but we're pretty sure it's an armadillo!!

Hannah

2011-06-09T17:38:00.002-05:00

Hannah in her Easter dress from Mima and Papaw!

Judah's Initiation to the Fun at Nanny Boo Boo & Poppie's

2011-06-09T16:39:00.011-05:00

Nick and Judah

Throwing a Softball

Building new porch steps

Nanny Boo Boo's Bottle Tree--so colorful! :0)

My Lil Monkey

The Wildman with Croquet balls and mallets--maybe not such a good idea....

Nick and Grace (Nick's girlfriend) with Judah

Watch out, Dad!

Homemade Tent right in the living room!

Aww! How Sweet!

A. DeDe, Avery & Landon's Visit and picture taking!

2011-06-09T15:39:00.007-05:00

Beautiful Moth

2011-06-09T14:42:00.002-05:00

This moth came in the house one night while A. DeDe, Avery and Landon were here. We were all admiring it as David held it.....

Random Judah pics

2011-06-09T14:24:00.007-05:00

Judah with Dr. Jarret, my OB-GYN

Judah with Carol, Nurse Practitioner at Dr. Jarrett's Office

Sabrina holding Judah

Joann holding Judah
Daddy with Judah (mid-yawn)

Judah's foot with a hot pack on it before his bilirubin test

Judah and Mima waiting for the bilirubin test

Caleb holding his little brother....
Dr. Bigham holding Judah (the bestest pediatrician ever!!)

Jackie (Dr. Bigham's nurse) holding Judah.....she's pretty awesome, too!

First day home....

Coming Home from Hospital with Judah

2011-06-09T14:04:00.008-05:00

Hannah and Caleb wanted Mima to bring them to the hospital so they could help bring Judah home. So here they are holding him and then singing to him while we were waiting for our final discharge papers!
Be sure to click play on the video at the bottom to hear their song...

Judah is Here!!

2011-05-19T08:55:00.010-05:00

Judah Eleazar Gray arrived on Tuesday, May 1oth at 3:16 p.m. He weighed 6 lbs. 13 oz. and measured 18 3/4 in. long.

It was a very eventful birth! My blood pressure was very high and the doc and nurse were afraid I was going to have a seizure. God really worked some miracles on our behalf and Judah and I are doing fine. The nurse actually delivered Judah because he came so quickly--Dr. Jarrett missed the birth (he was very disappointed!)

Nanny Boo Boo, Hannah and Caleb waiting while I was in labor....

Mima and Grandma Kaye.....waiting....

There he is....

Daddy watching as Judah is semi-cleaned up after birth...

Daddy holding Judah

Nanny Boo Boo getting to hold Judah for the first time

Mima getting to hold Judah for the first time

This is Tracey--the nurse who delivered Judah. She was awesome! (horrible pic of me)

Hannah, Caleb & Dakota saying hello for the first time

Dr. Jarrett and Judah

Judah!

Another Update on My Pregnancy

2011-05-04T13:55:00.002-05:00

I had my ultrasound and Biophysical Profile of Judah and doc appt. yesterday. Busy day!
Judah passed again with flying colors--8 out of 8. I am dilated between a 2 and 3 and 100% effaced and I am 37 weeks. However, Judah is still face up. He needs to turn before labor starts or my labor will be longer and more difficult. We still have a little time left for him to turn. Please be praying that he will turn as he should.

He is so crowded in there that we were unable to get any good pics. :0(

We are anxiously awaiting his arrival! I am considered full term, so if I do go into labor they will not stop it. We want him to come exactly when he's ready and no sooner.

Thanks for all your prayers!!

Judah Update

2011-04-30T07:22:00.003-05:00

I had my doc appt. on Tuesday and another ultrasound for a biophysical profile of Judah. I have not changed as far as dilation and effacing are concerned--crazy, since I am sick and have been coughing a lot! I was surprised! But, that's good...he needs to come when he's ready and I sure don't want to deliver when I'm sick. He passed with flying colors again! 8 out of 8. It's getting crowded in there, though! :0)

We had trouble getting some good pictures of him on 3D. There has to be plenty of fluid around the object you are trying to see when looking in 3D and there's just much more of Judah than fluid.

Hand and foot--his hand is tucked under his chin

Open hand

Every day we are getting closer to his arrival. We can't wait, but are glad that he's not coming too early. We want him totally "done" at arrival--LOL!

Judah

2011-04-19T17:16:00.003-05:00

Judah got an 8 out of 8 on his Biophysical Profile today! Thank you, Jesus!

I got to see him breathing.....which is a great sign that the lungs are functioning.

I got to see him open his little mouth and drink in a little amniotic fluid.

He weighs 5lbs. 14 oz. based on the calculations. That's a good weight.

It was awesome. Tears just rolled down my face watching our little miracle from God!!

Look at this precious little blessing from the Lord! I did not know we'd get a 3D photo--isn't it awesome? Now I really cannot wait to see him in person. He looks a lot like Hannah did.

Thanks everyone for praying!

Another Pregnancy Update.....

2011-04-18T21:58:00.002-05:00

Well, today has been an eventful day! On Saturday, I started feeling bad.....fatigued and out of breath more so than usual. Sunday it was worse and then today was still like Sunday. My mother-in-love, Esther came up to the house today to help me vacuum and do a few things for me (she's so thoughtful and sweet!). She told me to call my doc and let him know what was up....I didn't want to, so she said she wasn't leaving until I called him. So, I did. Of course, he wanted to see me, but did not want me to drive. So, my Father-in-love, Orval drove me, Hannah and Caleb to the doctor's office. He stayed in the waiting room with the kids while I saw the doctor. Dr. Jarrett was concerned about my symptoms. My lungs were clear, but the mucous development and the panting out-of-breath had him concerned. The only way to know if I was having pre-eclampsia symptoms or just coming down with a cold was to do blood work. It would be a couple of days before results were in, if he had the bloodwork done there, so he sent me to Labor & Delivery at the hospital for a complete work-up and fetal monitoring. He also told me that if the bloodwork came back that the symptoms were from pre-eclampsia that he would be delivering Judah tonight. So, off we went to the hospital. Oh, and in the midst of all of this I realized that I did NOT have my cell phone with me (of all the worst times for that to happen :0) ). I was able to use the doc's phone to call David and tell him to meet us at the hospital. We got to the hospital around 4:00ish. They admitted me and put us in a room in Labor and Delivery. David finally got there around 4:45. I was able to use his phone to call my mom, our pastor and another friend....then his phone began to beep--battery low.

Anyway....They took about 6-8 vials of blood at about 5:30. We got the results in a few minutes before shift change at 7:00 p.m. and all came out negative for pre-eclampsia. Yay, Jesus!!! My blood pressure was really high when I got there and they made me lay on my left side and told me that would help my pressure go down--I didn't know that! But, it did! I was 135/77 when they let us go home. The nurse called my doctor and told him that the monitors were picking up some contractions, so he had her check me for dilation and effacing. I am 50% effaced and dilated to a 1. No big deal at almost 35 weeks. I'm not feeling the contractions because of the blood pressure medicine I am on. Judah looked very well to the nurses on the monitors while we were there. So, all is well. Still have the Biophysical profile tomorrow. And, now a follow up doc appt. on Thursday. He said they'd be keeping a real close eye on me from now until Judah comes. They told us tonight at the hospital that if we can make it another week and a half (36 weeks), Judah would probably do very well. Another 3 weeks (38 weeks) and that would be fantastic.

I am so thankful that Jesus is watching over Judah and me! I was scared today thinking that he might need to be delivered tonight, knowing it's too early! The Lord really sustained me and kept me from worrying.

Please continue to pray with us! Thank you all!

Pregnancy Update

2011-04-16T10:52:00.002-05:00

I am currently 34 weeks. I saw my doctor on Tuesday. I am still having high blood pressure readings and am beginning to swell in my hands, legs, and feet. My doctor is concerned about what this is doing to Judah, so he has scheduled me for an ultrasound on Tuesday the 19th. The ultrasound will give us a biophysical profile of Judah. They are measuring several things and I don't know them all....the nurse said they would be things like breathing and movement, etc. He will get a score based on them. The highest is 8 out of 8. If Judah's score is low, I will go back on Wednesday for an appointment with the ultrasound doctor. Then he/she will consult with my ob-gyn about whether to induce labor and bring Judah into the world, early. If this happens, Judah will stay in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) until he is a healthy weight and his lung function is good.

We are believing (please pray and believe with us):

that my blood pressure will come back into the normal range
that I will stop spilling protein into my urine which is a sign of pre-eclampsia
that the swelling will stop
that Judah will stay in-utero until 37 weeks

Our God is a BIG God and he wants us to be healthy and whole! Is. 53:4-5 & Matt. 8:16-17

Thank you for your continued prayers for us!!!

Getting Ready for Judah.....

2011-03-30T15:50:00.004-05:00

We are having some teaching times to get Hannah and Caleb ready for Judah. I am teaching them how to hold him where they support his head, how to put a diaper on, and how to swaddle him in a receiving blanket. The main thing I'm trying to teach through these is how to handle him gently and watch to support his head at all times.

It's been funny (well, sort-of) to watch Caleb forget and pick the doll up by the head with his finger inside the eye socket--hehehe! Hopefully, after doing this for the next six weeks, he'll understand about supporting Judah's head and how gentle he needs to be with him.

Finally Finished.....

2011-03-29T16:08:00.003-05:00

This is a bag I made for my friend, Deanna for her birthday. It took me quite a while to finish it. Not that it was hard, I just haven't spent much time crocheting lately. She's going to use this bag to carry around her crochet-works-in-progress.

Judah and Mama Update

2011-03-07T08:05:00.002-06:00

I had my doc appointment last week. Carol, the nurse practitioner told me that I need to be off my feet for the better part of the day due to lots of pressure and back pain that I'm experiencing. So, that's been a challenge and I'm trying. :0) I do want what's best for Judah. He is doing very well, by the way! I also have a herniated belly button which is causing quite a bit of discomfort and some pain. Please pray that this will correct itself after birth so I don't have to have it corrected with surgery.

We are getting the house in shape to prepare for bringing Judah home in just about 10 weeks. Also, getting a place prepared for Mima to stay in while she's here! We're making progress and I'm hoping to be all done by the end of this month. Dakota is on Spring Break from MTSU this week and he will be helping me get some things accomplished. YAY, Dakota!

Thanks for all your prayers and for staying in touch with our family!

Sourdough Bread--2nd Attempt

2011-02-23T12:46:00.004-06:00

This time it turned out much better! I'm not sure about this bread, though. This one is pretty sour. I don't care for sour bread and it makes David's stomach hurt. I thought this was supposed to be a mild sourdough. I may give it one more try before I give up.

Homemade Granola

2011-02-23T11:22:00.002-06:00

I made this for the first time for breakfast this morning. It's yummy!

Peanut Butter Granola

We put some in a bowl and added milk to it. Yummy! It's also good just by itself.

Knitted Hat for Judah

2011-02-23T10:56:00.005-06:00

This morning I finished this hat for Judah. It turned out better than I expected!

Can't wait to see him in it!

A Precious Homemade Gift for Judah

2011-02-23T10:52:00.005-06:00

Erin Rhodes (16 yrs. old) made this precious cardigan for Judah.....

Isn't it beautiful and she did such a wonderful job on it!

Sourdough Bread

2011-02-23T10:46:00.004-06:00

This was my first attempt at sourdough bread. Starter and instructions were given to me by Joann Jolin. She is taking a culinary arts class at their homeschool co-op and is learning to do this. What I found out after baking this bread is that I was missing a step in my instructions and that could be part of the reason why the bread did not rise. The other reason is that my house has been staying at about 60-64 degrees. It kinda came out flat as a pancake and hard as a rock. Had a good flavor, though.

I am about to bake my second loaf today. With the added step to my instructions, it did rise. YAY! I will post pics of my second loaf if I can remember before everyone tears into it! :0)

Surface Tension Experiment--Swirled Milk

2011-02-16T15:07:00.004-06:00

One drop of each color of food coloring and dish soap.

We added another drop of each color and a little more dish soap.

Science Experiments for Science Club--Getting a Reaction

2011-02-16T14:42:00.008-06:00

GREEN SLIME

Hannah is pouring the Borax solution into the water, glue, food coloring solution

Instant Slime!

Looks kinda gross, huh? But it feels really cool!

Here it is stored away in a baggie

SLOPPY SLIME
It feels really cool. It's slimy and then it's hard. When you squeeze it the slime turns to a solid, but as soon as you let go it's a liquid again.

ROCKET COLA
Diet Cola

Orange Cola

Twist Up

The diet coke was by far the most volatile of the 3. It rocketed out of the bottle to about 31" with only one mento.

The Orange only rocketed about 3" with 2 mentos.

The Twist Up only rocketed about 1 1/2" with 3 mentos.

What fun! We will have to try this again when Daddy and Dakota are home to see it!!

Hannah's Checkup

2011-02-10T12:52:00.003-06:00

We went to see Ann in Franklin for the Diabetes checkup. We finally got Hannah's A1C (blood sugar average over a 3 month period) down below 8. She was 7.6%!!!!! YAY!! She's been in the 8.5-8.9 range for over a year now. We are rejoicing and praying that we can keep it in this area or even lower now!! The 7.6% means that her blood sugar average is 171. That's still high and we'd like to get it even lower, although 7.5 is what is recommended for her age.

Build-A-Bear's for Christmas

2011-02-10T12:42:00.004-06:00

Hannah and Caleb got $$ from Mima and Papaw for Christmas and birthday. When we went to see Ann at Vanderbilt in Franklin for Hannah's checkup, we went to Build-A-Bear afterwards. We had to wait until February this year! It was a long wait for Hannah and Caleb.

Caleb had birthday and Christmas $$, so he was able to get two animals. He chose a black bear and a light brown bear cub.

Teddy & Cuddles

Hannah had already spent her birthday $$. So, she had Christmas $$ only. She was able to get this sweet bunny

She named her Biscuit after her beloved bunny that went to animal heaven in May.

Thank you, Mima & Papaw!!!

Ultrasound Pics of Judah from January

2011-02-10T12:31:00.002-06:00

I had a Level III Ultrasound in January. That's when we found out that we are having a boy! The Level III is a precautionary ultrasound to check for any birth defects and abnormalities. I had to have it because I am 42 years old and they consider that "elderly." Everything was perfect--thank you, Lord!! Here are a few pics:

Judah's Crib Blanket (Afghan)

2011-02-10T10:18:00.006-06:00

My sweet friend, Deanna Jolin of Jolin Country made this precious crib blanket for Judah.

Isn't it beautiful?!! I am so excited now to get his bassinet set up in our room and start getting things ready for his arrival. Only 105 days now. About 3 1/2 months! It will go so fast.

Homemade Lava Lamp

2011-01-20T09:59:00.004-06:00

Yesterday, Hannah started her second semester of Science Club online with Mrs. Loretta Rhodes on currclick.com.

They talked about matter and its 3 states: gas, liquid & solid. At the end of class they made homemade lava lamps. Here is Hannah's:

These are for you, Mom and Dad!

2011-01-13T23:21:00.004-06:00

And for all those who do not see me on a regular basis.......just what you wanted.....close-ups of my pregnant belly.

That's JUDAH in there!

Precious Moments!

2011-01-13T10:20:00.003-06:00

Nick's Birthday

2011-01-13T10:11:00.007-06:00

Tuesday night at Nanny Boo Boo and Poppie's we celebrated Nick's 24th birthday which is officially this Friday. I love this picture of him in the hat I crocheted.

Being silly with Hannah in this one!

Happy Birthday, Nick. WE LOVE YOU!

Snow in Tennessee!

2011-01-13T09:53:00.007-06:00

Well, we've had snow for a loooooooong time, now. Or at least it seems like it for good ole Tennessee! I took these pics on Monday either from the window in the house or from the front porch. I'm not getting out in it because I'm 21 weeks pregnant and DO NOT want to fall! However, I did cheat a little and tentatively walked down the drive (holding Dakota's hand for support) and went to town for some groceries, yesterday. Had to walk down the drive because the van was down at my in-law's house. David had tried to get it out for me and he could not get it back up the drive. So, just parked it there. The joys of country living :0)! Now, the van is officially stuck on the drive about halfway up. I did NOT fall and Dakota was a great help transporting the groceries from the stuck van! Good thing David has 4WD in his work truck and can get around it! Tomorrow the temperature will finally get above freezing and maybe all this snow will melt. I love it, it's beautiful, don't get me wrong.....but, I don't like feeling trapped in it!

David, Dakota, Hannah and Caleb had a great time sledding in the tree field....away from the trees, that is. These pics are them getting out the sleds and heading down. Wish I could have had some better close-ups.

Caleb's Birthday!

2011-01-11T14:57:00.009-06:00

Happy Birthday to our 4 yr. old, Caleb. He turned 4 on December 29th.

An add-on to his Matchbox cars race track from Dakota and Hannah

A remote control car Fire/Ice from Mom and Dad

Woody and Bullseye from A. DeDe and U. Andy, Avery and Landon

Some friends came over for cake and ice cream and to celebrate

Micah and Caleb

Remote control car was a hit!

Giving Ridah a turn

Birthday Cake

Hannah, Micah, Ridah, and Caleb playing the Uno Game that the Rhodes' Family brought

Caleb also opened a card from Mima and Papaw with $25.00 to spend. We will be making a trip to Build-A-Bear in the near future. He had a GREAT birthday!

Christmas, 2010

2011-01-11T14:39:00.011-06:00

Christmas Morning:

Ready to head into the living room and check out stockings and open presents!

Hannah and her stocking

Handmade dolls from Mom and Dad

Caleb and his stocking

Dakota and his stocking--already wearing the hat Mom crocheted

Dakota and wooden/leather bracelet that Dad made

Getting ready to read the Christmas story before we open presents

Listening to the Christmas Story

Hannah's new boots

David bundled up in the hat and scarf that Dawn crocheted for him

David and his new hat from Dakota--it says: I'm not afraid of the dark, the dark is afraid of me

Caleb and his binoculars that were handmade by Hannah

Giving Class

2011-01-11T14:28:00.005-06:00

Hannah and several friends took a "Season of Giving" Class through Lessons Worth Learning on Currclick.com in December. It was an awesome class with Mrs. Loretta putting the emphasis back on giving at Chrismastime! The project we did for the class was to make and send cards to the terminally ill children and their families at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital.

From back left to right: Erin, Seth, Sabrina
Middle: Micah & Joann
Front: Ashley, Hannah, Becca

The Ultrasound Results....

2011-01-05T09:51:00.008-06:00

We are having a.......... BOY!!

Judah Eleazar Gray!!

Yesterday was spent at the docs and then having a 45 minute ultrasound. It was an awesome experience. I loved watching Judah moving around and being able to see every bone and organ! It was amazing! The other ultrasounds I've had have been pretty quick. Usually 15 minutes at most. So, this was a surprise at how long it took and how in depth they looked at everything. He is doing great! I surpassed all the docs expectations in all my screenings even though they consider me "elderly" since I'm pregnant at 42!! Thank you, Jesus!!

I have 18-20 weeks to go! Not much longer now! Judah will be here before we know it!

Hannah is a little bit disappointed. She wanted very much to have a little baby sister. You know, we do need to even things out a little bit. We'll have 4 boys and a girl! As my sister says, at least I got my girl! I'm pretty sure Hannah will be fine, once Judah gets here. She'll be so excited to have a baby in the house!

Now, it's time to go through baby clothes and other items and see what I'm needing for little Judah! Fun time!

Thanks to all of you who have been praying for me.

(The poll results showed that ya'll were thinking girl--64%)

He's quick and sneaky!!

2011-01-01T14:10:00.003-06:00

Caleb requested pizza and macaroni and cheese for his birthday. So, I found B1G1 Free Little Caesar's pizza coupons online. The coupons expired on the 28th, so we decided to split his birthday meal into two dinners and start on Wednesday. So, Dakota and the littles and I all went in the van to Little Caesar's for pizza. Since it is right next to WalMart, I just had to go in for a few things (you know how it is). Actually, I'd still not gotten his birthday gift. Hannah wanted to pick something out for him, too. So, the plan was to order the pizzas and then Hannah and I would go in for the gifts and leave Dakota and Caleb in the van. Well, Caleb was NOT happy with this plan at all. He wanted to come in and "pick out" his gifts! Ha! We pulled in and parked and lo and behold Caleb decided that he needed to go to the bathroom, of course! So Dakota got the honors of taking him in to the bathroom while Hannah and I proceeded to the toy section. When we got back to the van, Dakota shared the account of his bathroom run with Caleb. He said that Caleb told him, "I know right where the bathroom is and I'll show you. What you do is you just follow Mama and Hannah all over the store." Hilariously sneaky! And, nope Dakota did NOT fall for it!

Welcome 2011!

2011-01-01T11:30:00.006-06:00

3 P's for the new year! No, not the peas from Veggie Tales, silly! What I'm talking about is:

Purpose

Prepare

Practice

These ideas have been swirling around in my heart after our New Year's Eve service at Harvest Church last night. I was really challenged to step out and be what God wants me to be in 2011. No more excuses! No more being a cry baby!

Purpose to do His will in our lives. We must be determined to do it no matter what. We must commit to walking in His ways and make it a minute by minute daily commitment to serve Him, honor Him in all that we say and do. We can't be wishy-washy any longer. No more dishonoring the Lord with our half-hearted attempts to do what He's called us to do. Read the Bible, pray, act on His Word. Move forward in 2011 with purpose and walk out His calling on your life.

Prepare for His eminent return. Do you know what He's looking for when He returns? A pure and spotless bride. Are we living our lives in purity? Are we living our lives looking for Him at every turn? Are we preparing ourselves by living our lives in a way that pleases Him? Are there areas that we need to clean up, to fix, to ask the Lord to help us with? Are there areas that we need to step up to the plate and with boldness declare He is Lord to others? Are we intimidated by unbelievers or do they spur us on to show them God's love and how much they need Him? We need to be bold and not shirk our God-given talents and abilities. Move forward in 2011 preparing to meet Him one day.

Practice what we preach. It's so much easier to tell others how it should be done, even our children. This has especially hit home with me. We tell them how to do things, but do we show them how to love the Lord and serve Him in all they say and do? I'm pretty good at teaching it, but I'm not so sure I'm that great at showing it to them and modeling it before them. I've heard it said before that we are not supposed to point them to the cross, we are supposed to take their hands and lead them there. Am I leading or pointing? Are you leading others to Him or just pointing them to Him in a religious hypocritical way? Move forward in 2011 and put into practice what you've been taught, what you preach, who you really want to be.

You can do it! I can do it! Let's work together in the Body of Christ to make 2011 the best year ever! If we will all be determined to do this the Body of Christ will move in unity and we will be amazed at what God can do in all of us and through all of us this year!

Ultrasound Next Week!

2010-12-29T22:00:00.003-06:00

I will have my ultrasound next week (Tues., Jan. 4th) and we will find out if we are having a boy or a girl! We can't wait to see what this baby will be.

The names we have picked out:

Boy: Judah Eleazar

Girl: Shalom Ariella

Ok.....now vote in the poll on the righthand margin. Are we having a boy or a girl?

New Family Pics!

2010-12-29T21:35:00.015-06:00

New Couch!!

2010-12-28T09:28:00.004-06:00

We got this beautiful leather couch from Lora-Joy and Andy when we went to see them at Thanksgiving. We went back to get it 2 weeks later. It fits perfectly in our living room and we are loving it! Thanks, Andy and Lora-Joy!

Victorian Christmas Class

2010-12-28T09:22:00.004-06:00

We made some really pretty Victorian boxes for Hannah's online class. The girls (Ashley & Becca Jolin took the class with us) had a lot of fun making these:

Hannah got a Small Fry for her birthday--Thanks Mima and Papaw!

2010-11-19T17:11:00.003-06:00

Here are some pics of Hannah and the new addition to her animal family! She ordered this small fry online from Build-A-Bear, thanks to a gift card for her birthday from Mima and Papaw. Deciding on the clothes was agonizing as she wanted them all...of course! She was able to get 2 outfits. She named her Diana after Anne of Green Gables "bosom buddy," Diana. We just started reading this book and she loves the fact that Anne has a "bosom buddy"!!

This is Diana in her everyday outfit--tunic top and leggings

This is Diana in her birthday and church outfit.

We are currently taking a Victorian Christmas Class online with Lessonsworthlearning.com on Currclick.com with Mrs. Loretta Rhodes. That's why we have started reading Anne of Green Gables. We are watching the movies, too. It's been a lot of fun. We will also read Little Women at some point and watch the movie. Later on I'll post some pics of all the projects we are doing.

So Much To Be Thankful For.....

2010-11-19T16:50:00.004-06:00

Well, it's been a while since I've posted anything. Have not been feeling too well. However, I am suddenly feeling much better. I am 13 weeks pregnant, now. No more nausea!! :0) And, I have my energy back. So, I'm furiously cleaning and organizing this house. Would like to get it all done before we start decorating for Christmas....so, I'd better hurry! We are also working hard to get ahead in school. I'd like to finish early this year....maybe the first of May so that we are totally done by the time the baby gets here. My mom will appreciate that, too since she's coming before the baby is born!! :0)

I have my next doc appointment on December 14th. This is all of the blood work for Alpha Feta protein and looking for Spina Bifida type defects which we've been told can actually be corrected in the womb now. Isn't it amazing what modern medicine can do? We are trusting God that nothing will need to be done. Please pray that our baby is growing and developing exactly as he or she should and that all will be perfect in our 3rd little miracle!! God is truly blessing us and we are very excited!

I have started couponing....yep! You heard me right and have been getting some fabulous deals at Kroger. I'm starting slowly as I learn the game. We have saved a ton of money on cream of mushroom/chicken soups at .29 a can. Have also already bought diapers that I could not pass up....$12.99 packs for about $5.00 each. Got some baby head-to-toe wash for .38 and $1.38 each. Anyway....sorry to bore you all. But, I'm really getting into this. David says that if I keep it up and continue to get such good deals, it will be like him getting a $2.00 an hour raise.

Speaking of David....we closed down our construction company, Carpenter's Kidz, Inc., because we just could not keep the work steady. A construction company in Woodbury has been asking David to come on board with them and he accepted and is no longer self-employed. No benefits, vacations, etc. as far as we know right now. Hourly pay, but steady work. We are very grateful for the job!!!

God is moving and blessing our family!! We have so many things to be thankful for! We are eagerly awaiting the Thanksgiving holiday as we will be traveling to Knoxville to see my sister and her family for about a day and a half. We will cook together on Thursday and enjoy a great meal together. Hopefully, will get to go and take family pictures while we are there. Can't wait to see them all. Wish we could see Mom and Dad, too. But, it's just too far to come from Texas!

Ok...enough of the update. We are doing well and are blessed! Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Ultrasound

2010-10-14T13:34:00.003-05:00

I had my first ultrasound this morning. I am exactly 8 weeks. My due date is May 26, 2011.
I saw the baby's heart beating and then got to hear it. It was a precious moment for me. I just cried. Here is the first picture of our baby!

The line coming down from about 2 o'clock is the umbilical cord and the baby's head is down at about 5 o'clock and the body goes up and into the middle of the picture where the umbilical cord attaches. If that makes any sense as you look at the picture! :0)

Hannah Got Baptized Today!!

2010-09-26T20:04:00.004-05:00

After our awesome church service this morning we all went to the river which is about 10 min. away and had a baptismal service. We had 6 people get baptized. God is really moving in the lives of the people in our church! Here are the pics of Hannah's baptism:

I shot video footage, too. However, I'm new to running the video camera and I zoomed it in too close and the picture is very fuzzy. So, I'm only going to post the pictures. Dakota took these. He did a great job.

Yay! Jesus!

Caleb's First Visit to the Dentist

2010-09-20T16:32:00.005-05:00

I think he is a little nervous....

Everybody was very sweet and he did great!

Mima, Papaw & Cousin, Dallas Came For a Visit in July Along with A. DeDe, U. Andy, Avery & Landon

2010-09-20T15:28:00.015-05:00

Craft project time while some are shooting targets for practice

Cousins.....

Here they are getting ready to shoot

Watch that aim!

Everybody stand back Lora-Joy's got the rifle!

Finished Projects

Mima and Papaw

Dallas trying to hide from the camera...but, I got him!

Cousins!

A Fun Morning at the Park

Papaw's giving them all a big push!

Papaw helping at the zipline

A Great Evening at the Beach and Lake

Look What We Found in the Shop??

2010-09-20T15:09:00.003-05:00

Surprise, surprise, surprise!!! He was hanging here like this when Cody went to get the mower to go mow and where is this? You guessed it, right over where the mower sits.

He ate the eggs in this bird's nest

Now, he's trying to get away from us--Cody brought out the gun.

Yep, he got away. Bummer!!

Friends

2010-09-20T15:04:00.002-05:00

Caleb and his best friend, Ridah

Hannah and her best friend, Abigail. I Think they're having fun!

So sweet!

David Got to Baptize One of the Guys on His Crew this Summer

2010-09-20T14:47:00.004-05:00

Tony is a great guy who began working for David this spring. He really turned his life around for the Lord and asked to be baptized.
So, on the appointed day this summer, the kids and I drove to the jobsite at the end of the workday. We walked down to a creek and here are the results:

Tony specifically asked that David baptize him

Praying

The old has gone....the new has come!

It's a beautiful creek

The Crew: Tony, David, Richard, Jorge (minus Ray)

Looking at Crawdads

Hannah and Her Daddy

2010-09-20T14:36:00.003-05:00

I Finished A Couple of Knitted Hats

2010-09-20T14:21:00.002-05:00

Hannah Is Learning To Knit

2010-09-20T14:16:00.003-05:00

She's making a scarf!

We Have Some GREAT News!!

2010-09-17T08:31:00.002-05:00

We just found out that we are expecting another baby! Yay, Jesus! He is blessing us once again! This is baby #3 for me to birth and #5 for our family!

We've been VERY busy this summer and I've got so many pics and things to post and no time to do it. Soon.....soon.....I promise I'll be back to post some updates and more info. about my pregnancy.

Hannah Wrote a Short Story for her Online Class

2010-07-17T16:16:00.004-05:00

Hannah is taking an online class on CurrClick.com. Her class is taught by Loretta Rhodes of Lessons Worth Learning. She's taking a Summer book club class. Their assignment for this week was to write a historical fiction short story from an era in American history. Hannah chose the Pioneer days. Daddy really talked Hannah through the writing of her story and helped her to get her thoughts down on paper in a way people could understand what she was thinking when she wrote it (he taught her about having assumptions when you think the reader already knows something, like that it's a fall time of year, without telling them. He taught her how to add that into the story). Here's Hannah's story:

Maggie and Her Pioneer Life

Maggie Jonise woke up early one morning. She threw back the beautiful new quilt on her bed climbed out and the floor was cold. The nights and mornings were chilly on these fall days. Her mother had finished her new quilt just in time after working on it all summer. Maggie put on her dress, stockings and shoes and scurried downstairs. When she got downstairs she found her mother and father sitting at the kitchen table sipping their coffee. They greeted her “good morning.” Maggie asked where her brothers, Jonathan and Jimmy were. Thinking they might be out working already harvesting the wheat.

Dad told her the boys were out in the barn fixing a gate because one of the horses had made a mess of it. The black horse with a white star on its forehead had damaged the fence and gate. He must have been spooked badly by something. The boys thought he‘d been frightened by the slamming of the door to their house.

Maggie went out to the barn to see if she could help and they said that she could brush the horses. Suddenly they noticed a cold wind blowing into the barn and Jonathan went out to see if a storm was blowing. He saw a tornado picking up the clouds in the sky over the fields by their house. He rushed back and told Maggie and her brother to hurry to the house. They flew to the house in a hurry like a bird would do in a storm, trying to get home. Jimmy let the door slam behind them as he and Maggie flew inside. Their parents asked what all the commotion was about. Maggie told them a tornado was just outside the house and Jonathan was out in the barn tying up the horses. Dad tells Mom to take Jimmy and Maggie to the tornado shelter and he would go find Jonathan.

As Dad ran out the door to the barn he saw the tornado tearing down the wheat as it crossed their fields. Jonathan was running toward him and they both ran for the house and the tornado shelter.

The storm blew by quickly and they barely heard a sound since their storm shelter was so sturdy and strong. When they came out they saw a big hole in the roof of their house and their wheat crops were nowhere in sight.

Dad tried to encourage the family that everything would be ok. He said that he could fix the hole in the roof and they could plant again in the spring. He said they could survive the winter by walking the fields and picking up the pieces the tornado did not swirl away.

As the sun peeked through the clouds, Maggie’s family stood in a circle and prayed prayers of thankfulness that they are all ok and hope for them to get through the winter that was to come.

Mrs. Loretta liked Hannah's story. We are proud of Hannah and think she did a GREAT job! Yay, Hannah!!

Christmas Tree Farm Update

2010-06-18T20:28:00.010-05:00

We've had to make some changes to our plans for this year. We will still be opening the Christmas Tree Farm for business, but we will not have the newly constructed gift shop that we'd originally planned. So, plan B is to use the trailer for our gift shop(yes, it's ugly and well...a trailer!). We are going to spend the summer and fall trying to "pretty" it up! It's a job, but David can do it!

We hope to build our dream building for our gift shop in a few years. David's already drawn the plans and it will be awesome, but even with David doing most of the work...it was going to cost us way more than the bank will loan us to build it. Hence, plan B.

So, we refinanced our line of credit with Farm Credit Services of Mid-America. They were great and we would recommend them to anyone!!! We've got a little $$ to work with to fix up the gift shop and buy the equipment we need. We're going to have to be really creative to make it all work and make the $$ spread! We did apply for a grant from the state of Tennessee for Agritourism. If we are approved their matching $$ will go a long way to helping us purchase our equipment, make a parking area, and advertise. We are hopeful and praying for God to give us favor with the state. We should know by the end of August.

The finished trailer will make a great size gift shop with a bathroom and a room for the kids to build their wooden snowmen. So, it will definitely be big enough. We are still excited to see what will come.

We hope you all will visit us this year!

A Surprise from my Precious Daughter!

2010-06-18T20:20:00.004-05:00

We went down to take some measurements of the trailer and talk over our gift shop plans this evening after supper. While we were down there the kids were playing and running all over the place. When we started to head up to the house, Hannah went running in ahead of us. This is what I saw when I came into the house....

Isn't she sweet?!! God has really blessed me with my 4 children!

Hannah's Swim Lessons

2010-06-18T16:21:00.005-05:00

She had a lot of fun!

Runaway Pump!

2010-06-18T13:31:00.008-05:00

Uh oh! Our pump came off the stand in our pond. We use the pump to pump water from the pond to the tree fields, so we can water each tree by hand.

So, Daddy has gone to fix it. We gave him about 40 minutes and now we're heading to the pond for a promised canoe ride!

Daddy's got the pump and stand out of the pond and in the canoe to work on it and reattach it. He's still not done when we get there.

It's pretty nasty work....our pond is not of the 'swimming' kind. :0)

The blue barrels are the floats that keep the stand and the pump from sinking to the bottom.
The wire they were attached with has totally rusted away. So, we will reattach them this winter when we remove the pump from the pond before the first freeze. There is a new kind of plastic cording that will work better--won't rust. Poppie has a lot. It's what they use to bind his hay.

The cows have come to see what all the commotion in their pond is about.

Anxious to ride the canoe....yes, even in that mucky, yucky water! We've talked about running a pump in this pond to keep the water clear and make it look pretty, but well....it's just another expense. Maybe someday.....

Waiting for their canoe ride. Passing the time by throwing rocks into the pond.

A view of Daddy working from the other side of the pond.

Working hard to get all the wires right where they need to be.

Pump and stand are back in the water--a good sign!

Beautiful Sunset!

"When is Daddy going to be done, so that we can ride the canoe?"

The job is done! Coming to pick us up for a canoe ride.

"Come on Mom, we're ready to go!"

It was a great ride! Poppie came to watch us. I left my camera on the bank, though. Sure didn't want it going for a swim. So, that's all the pics I got! :0)

A Beautiful Reminder of God's Promises!

2010-05-28T11:52:00.004-05:00

We saw this rainbow on Wednesday as we were coming home from Wal-Mart. It was beautiful and one of the most vivid colored rainbows I have ever seen. I tried to get off the road and stop, so I could get my camera out and by the time I did, the rainbow was fading right before our eyes. So, the picture is not that great. But, I wanted to share anyway!!

Homeschool Co-op Achievement Night

2010-05-28T11:42:00.004-05:00

We had our Achievement Night for the Co-op on Tuesday evening. The children all did an excellent job.

David took the pics, since I had to be with the kids and on stage at one point. It was dark in the Sanctuary and the pics are a little dark.

This is the 50 State Class that I taught. We had several kids that did not make it for achievement night. However, they did a fantastic job singing all of the 50 states and their capitals by Animaniacs. Hannah is in the front row on the right hand side in a blue shirt and denim skirt.

This is the Hands-On-Music class. They are using Boomwhackers. Hannah loved this class and they did a great job!

Each Boomwhacker makes a note from the C-Scale when it is whacked on something!!

Finished Bag

2010-05-28T11:35:00.003-05:00

This is the bag that I knitted a while back and finished. I just never got the pics of it posted. But, here it is....

Spring Planting is Done!!

2010-04-27T15:45:00.026-05:00

All 2187 trees are in the ground! They've been watered and the new field and areas around where we planted have all been cleaned up. This means the rocks and clods of dirt that accumulate around where the holes are dug, have been picked up from around each individual tree. This makes it possible to mow around the trees. Also, all of the 2500 established trees have been fertilized. It's been a busy few weeks!!

We are getting rain right now and are all rejoicing that we get a week off from watering! yeah!! But, the mowing will soon begin.

These are just various pictures of all our planting days........

Nannie Boo Boo and Caleb

Break time--Soda time (Tracie and Hannah)

Break Time (Nannie Boo Boo and Poppie)

Tree Field by the Gift Shop

Tree Field by the Gift Shop different angle

Dakota and Seth planting....trailer behind them. Gift Shop will be built in front of the trailer.

Planting more trees in this top field

Hannah & Caleb sitting in the shade and watching all the fun!

My kind of work! :0)

Nannie Boo Boo getting a tree out of the box to plant

David helping Poppie by guiding the auger

Canaan Fir

Canaan Fir--looking down from the top

David guiding and rocking the auger

More guiding and rocking the auger--this makes it drill faster (with all the help, they were having a hard time keeping up with us tree planters)

Seth planting a tree--watering barrels in the background

Caleb playing with his big ball while we're planting

Hannah and Caleb swinging and playing (Daddy made the swing for them)

Caleb and his ball

Sweet Hannah

Precious smile

I got paid extra to take all the photographs....so to keep from having to plant, I took a lot of the kids! hehehe!!

Nannie Boo Boo and Tony planting

Dakota planting a tree

Dakota, Poppie, Jorge planting trees--Caleb standing guard over them!!

David getting all the excess dirt out of the holes

Hannah fetching trees from the box for all the planters

Tony digging all the excess dirt from the holes

Working away

Hannah and the tree that she planted all by herself!

Jorge planting a tree

The work never ends....

David helping Poppie

This is the area of last year's field where we lost so many Fir trees. We're having to dig up the dead trees and redig the hole for the new tree. We had to rent a two-man hand-held auger in order to dig the holes since the tractor cannot fit between our little trees. They dug 60 holes with this thing.

Poppie and David getting ready to auger

Augering away! And boy did this thing rough them up. They had bruises on their legs from it.

Caleb guarding the wheelbarrow dirt--we needed extra dirt around some of the trees.

Caleb waving at me from under that hat

And off he goes......my little cowboy!

Cleaning out the holes

Poppie brought the 4-wheeler with the trailer and some barrels with water so we could "water in" the new trees.

We sit a milk jug (or two) by each tree. The jug has a tiny hole in it at the bottom side and it slowly drains out onto the tree.

Meanwhile David is hand digging some holes they forgot with the hand-held auger....bummer! It's already been returned.

Nannie Boo Boo planting the VERY LAST TREE!!! Celebration time!

Two days later here we are watering the new White Pine seedlings in the gift shop tree field. 1000 trees! Watered them all in one day....David, me and the kids.

Hannah and Caleb were a big help. We couldn't have done it without them picking up the jugs behind us and getting them ready for the next set of trees.

David carrying the picked up jugs down the field for the next barrels of water.

Caleb's Version of the Song "The B.I.B.L.E"

2010-04-27T15:31:00.005-05:00

A tried and true children's song:
The B. I. B. L. E.
Yes, that's the book for me
I stand upon
The Word of God
The B. I. B. L. E.

I was listening to him walking around the house singing this the other day:
The B. I. B. L. E.
Yes, that's the book for me
I stand up in
The world for God
The B. I. B. L. E.

Too cute! I told him that I like his version best! He's not sure what I'm talking about. :0)

Oh Me Achey Back....and other parts!

2010-04-20T07:06:00.002-05:00

We've been down in our tree fields til dark most nights for over a week now--planting, watering, fertilizing. It's been a lot of hard work. We are all tired and hurting. My back, legs, neck, shoulders....you get the picture. It only hurts when I breathe! hehehe!

I got really tickled at Caleb because one night after working all day and helping (you know the 3 yr. old kind of help), he said...."Daddy, my legs have a headache." :0)

Chicken-Catcher Caleb

2010-04-19T18:43:00.003-05:00

Caleb decided that he was tired of the escapee chickens scratching in the yard, so he decided that he would catch them and put them back in the fenced in chicken area.
And he did!!!..........

So proud of himself

Caleb and his "catch"!

He is saying "bad chicken"!

He is just toooo cute! We call him the Farmer Gray gonnabe

Happy Resurrection Day!!

2010-04-05T10:47:00.018-05:00

We started a lapbook a few weeks ago about the ministry of Jesus. We've been learning a lot about Jesus and His ministry. We finished up last week with him dying on the cross on what we call Good Friday. We finished up the last one today and it was all about His burial and resurrection. The timing of it all has worked out really well.

We celebrated Passover on Thursday evening. I cooked and prepared our first Passover meal. It was a wonderful, meaningful celebration. Caleb was a little bit bored and kept interrupting (what else do you expect from a 3 yr. old??) But, it was a very meaningful time for us and we will probably do this every year. We missed Dakota and wished he could have been there.

The Passover Meal table

The red bin is for hand-washing and the plate with the towel over it is our Matzah.

The Seder Plate--horseradish (bitter herb), boiled egg, charoset, parsley, romaine, salt water, grape juice and the lamb (not pictured--I made a chicken and potato recipe with herbs and lemon)

This is Caleb washing his hands during a part of the celebration

We've also made a "Hill of Calvary" to celebrate Resurrection Day. We started it last Monday by making our hill with the tomb and planting wheatberries. We've been spraying it with water several times a day for a full week. The wheat grass has grown like crazy and it really looks very pretty. It's been fun for the kids. It's also been a great learning experience. On Good Friday evening we opened the tomb and placed "Jesus" in the tomb (we wrote descriptions of Jesus all over a clothespin and wrapped it in a handkerchief). We sealed the tomb shut. On Sunday morning we got up to the stone rolled to the side and the handkerchief still in the tomb. But, no sign of Jesus anywhere!! HE IS RISEN!!!

Hannah and Caleb making the "mud" for our Hill of Calvary

Caleb quickly lost interest

Muddy hands! What fun!

We made Jesus out of a clothespin

We opened the tomb--see our wheatgrass growing on the hill? Those are roots poking down inside the tomb.

We wrapped Jesus in the burial cloth and placed him in the tomb.

We resealed the tomb

Resurrection Morning! Jesus is gone! HE HAS RISEN!!

Look how much the grass has grown in a few days!

We made resurrection rolls for breakfast. Hannah and Caleb loved rolling the marshmallows in butter and then in the cinnamon/sugar mixture. We rolled the marshmallow in a crescent roll and placed them on the pan.
The marshmallow represents Jesus.
The crescent roll is the tomb.
The butter represents the embalming oils
The sugar/cinnamon mixture represent the burial spices.

We cooked them in the oven and the marshmallow (Jesus) melted and the rolls were hollow inside just like the tomb after Jesus rose!!

They were yummy!

We are so blessed to have such an awesome Savior! He is alive! Thank You, Jesus!

Go Fly A Kite!!

2010-03-31T18:51:00.006-05:00

Hannah and Poppie got a chance to fly her new kite on Tuesday. It was a beautiful and perfect Spring day.

Getting it ready to fly!

Up Up and Away!

Good flying!

Pooped from all that running!

Hannah and Poppie with the kite!

A Close up.....aren't they sweet together?

Hannah's online class was today. It was all about 'first flights' and kites. She had a lot of fun!
Learning about the Wright Brothers
(It was lunchtime and she decided she could not wait until after class....so, she ate her lunch during the class. And, she didn't just have chips, she ate a PBJ before this! :0) )

Charles Lindbergh

Amelia Earhardt

Quiz at the end....Hannah had to stand up to make sure she could type it in fast enough and get her points!!

All 1000 White Pine Seedlings Are In The Ground!

2010-03-29T21:40:00.008-05:00

Well, I'm a little late in posting this! The trees were all planted by last Saturday, March 20th. I've been sick since the 16th and have not been doing much of anything. So, picture posting to my blog with tree updates kinda fell to the bottom of the list when I prioritized things like getting my family fed while feeling like I was trapped under a bus (after it had driven on top of me!). Feeding the family and keeping Hannah and Caleb from killing each other was about all I could do. I've been pretty miserable, but am feeling more like myself today--finally! Thank you, Jesus! Enough about me......the trees, that's what you wanted to know about.....

We are DONE! Well, I shouldn't say "we" since I only planted 6 or 7 trees in total. :0( If you'll look in the background of the pics.....the red chair is where my poor, pitiful, sick self parked while the others were working hard!

We had good help with these trees. Seth and Tracie helped us a LOT! And Nanny Boo Boo planted for the first time this year--she's good at it, too. Don't know what we would have done without all the help! Thank you, thank you!
David digging the holes with the tractor (this is mostly Poppie's job, but when I was out with the camera, Poppie was taking a break from the tractor). Planting is back-breaking and augering is neck-breaking!

The new Auger--working great!

Planting!

You'll notice Caleb in the background of all of these pics--he's making sure we have no slackers!

Hannah Making a Kite with Her Poppie

2010-03-29T21:31:00.005-05:00

Hannah is taking an online class on Wednesday called "Go Fly A Kite" with Mrs. Loretta Rhodes at Currclick.com. Their assignment before class time is to make or buy a kite and go fly it. So, we purchased a kite-making kit and Poppie and Hannah put the kite together and Hannah colored it. Poppie explained to Hannah how a kite will fly and why you need the certain parts of the kite. They have a "date" tomorrow to fly the kite.

yThe finished product!

Pray for some good kite-flying weather!!

Photo Books from Picaboo

2010-03-28T20:35:00.003-05:00

I made these at Picaboo.com. It was fun to take their photos and make a digital scrapbook. Check these out by clicking on their names.

Make one for yourself, too!!

Caleb

Hannah

Caleb...our little helper

2010-03-18T11:32:00.003-05:00

See what a great job he's doing keeping the seat of the 4-wheeler warm and the gears primed....

He's cracking the whip over all the workers...making sure everyone does a great job and that there are no slackers!

Planting Time

2010-03-18T11:17:00.005-05:00

This is the 2nd full day of planting and we have over 300 trees already in the ground! Hallelujah! Everyone is doing a great job!!

This batch of 1000 trees are the White Pine seedlings....

The ground is wet, so feed sacks make great seats that will keep your booty dry or your knees....whatever the case may be! hehehe!

Spring has Sprung!

2010-03-18T11:13:00.002-05:00

And I'm believing it no matter how cold it is and whether we have sunshine or not!! My daffodils are blooming and I'm believing that Spring is here!! Hallelujah!

Dr. Seuss

2010-03-14T22:13:00.005-05:00

If you have kids, you gotta love Dr. Seuss! His books are fabulous! Hannah is taking an online class tomorrow that celebrates his birthday and will be a great, fun time of learning!

As a project for the class, she and I sewed this Dr. Seuss hat! Well, I guess it's the Cat in the Hat's, Hat!

She's gotta friend that wants to attend the class with her! :0)

Knitting Challenge

2010-03-13T22:10:00.004-06:00

Well, this is a newspaper boy bag--that's the style. The bag itself is done, it just needs the shoulder strap to be complete. However, this bag is supposed to be felted. Now, I've never done a felted project and frankly, I'm terrified to put this thing in the washer!!! What if it ruins the way it looks? I like the way it looks right now.

Hmm.....what to do? Any suggestions? Please let me know what you think. Would you felt it or leave it like it is? I'm especially asking any of you knitters out there..

I will post another pic once I knit the shoulder strap.

Fun with Daddy!

2010-03-13T21:49:00.005-06:00

Tonight Hannah and Daddy created a zipline for the dolls and stuffed animals. Yes, we have 3 out at the treehouse, so the dolls and stuffed animals needed one, too--right?
It's fun to watch Hannah's mind work. I think she has her daddy and Poppie's engineering "think-tanks". She looks at things and is constantly figuring out ways to make them more fun! Give her some yarn and watch her go! Too bad it's not to knit or crochet. :0) Ok, she's more like her daddy than like me. That's probably a good thing!!

Some yarn and an s-hook. Some creative knots......

It's a pulley of sorts....will go down and then they can pull them back up.
The first of Hannah's animals to have a go at the new zipline: Sarah, Abbey, and Pongo

They made it all the way down....now, it's time to go back up.

And, they made it all the way to the top--yeah!!

Now, if we all can just get up and down the stairs without anyone getting hurt! :0)

Hannah's Knitted Bag--Finished!

2010-03-13T21:28:00.003-06:00

This is the knitted, drawstring bag I made for Hannah. It's been done for a few weeks now and I just remembered that I never took a pic and featured it on my blog! So here it is...

Caleb had to play some, too!

2010-03-07T10:41:00.005-06:00

Hannah's Piano Playing

2010-03-07T10:18:00.006-06:00

I made these videos of Hannah for her online class. They are having a talent show this week. Weird talents or real talents. Hannah decided that she doesn't have any weird talents, so she wanted to play a few songs for the class. She has learned these songs mostly on her own (with a little help from daddy).

Answered Prayer

2010-03-06T09:42:00.004-06:00

Last night our kitty, Mercy, took off out the door of the house and she was gone into the blackness of night. Amid the tears and crying herself to sleep last night over her 'lost' kitty, Hannah prayed and asked Jesus to bring her home.

We have some stray cats living under our house and have been trying to catch them with our have-a-heart trap. We caught one of them, but have known there was at least one more. Mercy in her cat-like way knows they are there and is always trying to get out to go and investigate. So, last night she finally got her way.

David climbed under the house with a flashlight and the stray cat came flying out from under the house, but no Mercy to be found.

So, as I got up several times last night to check Hannah's sugar, I checked both doors and out the windows looking for the kitty. And....yes, I left the outside lights on. You know, like Motel 6--we'll leave the light on for you....hoping that would guide our beloved kitty home. However, not a sight or sound of her.

This morning, David got up and climbed under the house once more and there sitting in the corner, shaking, was our precious kitty. He grabbed her and brought her into the house and the little bell on her collar greeted me later when I got up and she came around the corner to greet me. I was so excited to see her!! Although, I don't have much to do with her usually because of my allergies. But what a sight for sore eyes. I praised the Lord for answering Hannah's prayers and bringing her kitty home. What a precious testimony of His love for us!!! Yeah, I know, she's just a cat. But she caused my daughter to cry herself to sleep last night. Hannah loves her kitty so much and I could not bear to see her hurting! The anguish of a mama's heart when her children are hurting......

Anyway, just wanted to post today and praise the Lord!!! Hannah is all smiles this morning and cannot put Mercy down!! Ah, she is content and this mama's heart is rejoicing!!

Thank you, Jesus!!

The Homespun Heart Easter Garlands

2010-03-01T16:07:00.003-06:00

These are adorable garlands to hang in your home. Go here to purchase or get the template to make them yourself. What a great way to prepare for Easter.

My Latest Sewing Project

2010-03-01T15:43:00.006-06:00

I made these pillowcases for a special friend, Loretta. She had a near amputation of her foot back in January and is in the agonizing physical therapy stage of recovery (God has done some amazing miracles through her whole ordeal).

Everyone needs something bright and cheerful when they have to just lay on the couch all day and do nothing! Ha!! This sweet, awesome woman of God gets more work done on her couch than I do on two good feet. See the classes she teaches online at CurrClick.com. See her family blog on my sidebar....All Rhodes Lead Home. And check out our ministry blog here. Please add Loretta and her family to your prayer list.

The pillowcases turned out pretty and nice and bright!!! Hope she enjoys propping her foot up on them!

Crochet Hearts

2010-02-21T10:55:00.003-06:00

Look! I'm learning to crochet hearts! Aren't they cute?

Embellishments to Pillowcases

2010-02-14T11:17:00.004-06:00

Look what we did! I say we, because my sweet friend, Deanna of Jolin Country helped me by crocheting these garland hearts. She crocheted them for me and I sewed them to the pillowcases. Aren't they cute? They turned out way better than I imagined they would!

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T11:11:00.005-06:00

The pillowcases I made were for Hannah & Caleb for Valentine's Day. So, they got them this morning with a little stuffed dog down in each pillowcase! They were excited!

Happy Valentine's Day to all my blogger friends!

Caleb's New Bag!

2010-02-07T11:25:00.004-06:00

Yes, I had to make him a bag. He's been begging me to. I've knitted one for Mackenzie and am in the process of knitting one for Hannah. Then, I sewed Hannah the purse....he's feeling a little left out.

So, I found some really cute construction vehicle fabric and made him a bag. It's a little bit big for him as I misjudged it--knotted the handle for him so it does not drag the ground, hehehe :0). I did not want it to look like a purse! I used the same idea as Hannah's purse and just made it bigger and only did one big pocket on the inside.

I'm learning......

This is the bag turned inside out. The lining with the pocket.

He's carrying around an assortment of toys in it. Cars, trucks, Rescue Heroes, links, puzzles, etc. He keeps changing them out--kinda like a girl and her purse! :0)

Hannah's New Purse

2010-02-04T20:42:00.004-06:00

We went to MidSouth Sewing Center to pick up my new rotary cutting mat and I let Hannah pick out some fabric. We brought it home and I made her a new purse.

This is the inside lining of the purse. It has a pocket in it. The round black thing at the top is the velcro closure. There are matching pockets and the velcro on the other side.

It was fun! Hannah is sooooo excited. I finished it right at her bedtime.

Mackenzie's Bag Finally Finished!

2010-01-31T22:49:00.004-06:00

Yes, it was supposed to be a Christmas present. I had to wrap up an IOU for her. Then, I had to explain what an IOU is to Mackenzie and Hannah!

This is the knitted drawstring bag that I've been making for her. I finished it tonight. Actually did most of it this weekend with all the snow and our conference, I got quite a bit of "knitting time"!

Now I'm off to start on Hannah's.....well, maybe not tonight! :0)

Frosty Look-Alike?

2010-01-31T21:07:00.008-06:00

Hmmm.....no top hat. Can't be Frosty. Must be a distant cousin!

The distant cousin snowman in the making!

Phew this one's getting heavy!

Let's trade and you give it a try!

You were right, this one's heavy--no fair!

Phew--this is hard work!

And they think that one is heavy!

The Icy Snow Was So Beautiful Today!

2010-01-31T20:47:00.004-06:00

Caleb & Biscuit

2010-01-30T18:26:00.005-06:00

We let Biscuit out of his home today and he enjoyed some raisins and making Caleb be still!! The spots on the floor are raisins....not anything else, LOL! :0)

Caleb had a hard time being still, but he sure loved Biscuit coming right up to him!!

Sledding Fun!

2010-01-30T17:49:00.004-06:00

Snow Much Snow

2010-01-30T17:33:00.006-06:00

SNOW in Tennessee!

2010-01-30T10:33:00.005-06:00

Can you believe it, the weather people were right.....we got the snow they said we would?!!!

Here are pics of the snow, right outside our front door. I worked really hard to not mess up the beautiful snow. Had to get pics before anyone ventured outside. I'm sure there will be more to post once we go out to play!