Memorial Day Weekend Camp Out!!

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Memorial Day weekend my guys did NOT have to work on Saturday OR Monday.

That meant we needed to have some family time and some FUN!!

I planned a camp out, and then asked David and Kayla if I could steal the boys for it!

Dreams do come true!!

It all started after church on Sunday afternoon when we started to set up, prep for dinner and breakfast around the fire, and play outside!


Pretty soon it was time to drag those kiddos out of that pool and have dinner around the fire!

It was fun cooking our sausage and hot dogs – and we had beans, chips, and watermelon too.

Of course there were smores for dessert!!


Somehow we squeezed nine bodies and two dogs in that tent, ha, ha!!

IT WAS HILARIOUS!!!

Things great memories are made of, right?

We managed to get to sleep around 10:30 p.m.

I cannot say that everyone slept all night long, but we did pretty good!!

This first photo is my early morning sky view at 4:30 a.m.


Next up was breakfast around the fire.

Filling bellies is my full time job!!!

Addie Mae made some amazing cinnamon rolls to go along with the eggs, bacon and sausage.

We forgot to put out the fruit we had prepared – ooops!!

I had made a smoothie, though, to tide over the tummies while we cooked breakfast!


The kiddos played and swam all morning long before we had a late lunch (also outside!)

After lunch I ran Clyde and River home and then we cleaned up everything to get ready for the work week ahead.

What a beautiful weekend we had weather wise!!!


We are already talking about camping out again!!

It was SO MUCH FUN!!

We laughed so much and just enjoyed ALL being together!!

It was not lost on me that day, however, why the guys were off work.

A time to reflect and remember those (and their families) who have sacrificed SO much and gone through unimaginable things just so we can live the way we do.

Just one day a year to honor them is not enough.

I hope that you all had a great weekend – the kick off to SUMMER!!!

Happy Memorial Day!!

Our Garden

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I cannot even believe it is time to garden!!

Summer is HERE!!!

The week before Saige was born, Kayla and I and all the children hopped in her bus and went to the greenhouse together.

It was a very fun and purposeful outing!!

We got all of the plants that we wanted for our gardens that day.


We still have strawberries in our one garden bed from last year, and we had our chives come back beautifully.

Besides getting our garden plants that day with Kayla, Tate and I planned and ordered seeds and 75 more strawberry plants from Johnny’s Seed.

So exciting!!

We planted our garden this year on May 20th – which is something I like to know from year to year.

We moved our square foot garden to the other bed this year, and filled the side where it used to be with strawberry plants.

We are not growing cut flowers this year, unless I decide to put them somewhere else.

I made a quick sketch in a notebook that day to plan it all out, and we just went for it!!


Our strawberries arrived on May 22nd, and we planted those this past weekend.

We also already had to replace all of our marigolds, and some sweet little bunnies are eating all of our cilantro and kale – drats!!


I cannot wait to take more photos in just a couple of weeks when, Lord willing, this garden is flourishing!!

I will say that I have had moments when I think of the japanese beetles from last year with dread – hoping they do not come back.

What are the chances of that though, really??

Sigh.

Here’s hoping!!!

This year I am LOVING being outside more than ever!!

I am not sure why!!

Even Blake told me when we have been outside working on things in the yard that I just look so happy and like I am having so much fun!

I am!!

SEE – I am really a Florida girl at heart – warm weather is MY THING!!!

Stay tuned to see how our little garden does this year!

I hope you are getting outside in the summer weather too – it is SO good for you!!

Mother’s Day!!

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If you have been here awhile, you already know what I answered when Addie Mae asked me, “What would you like for Mother’s Day?”

It’s ALWAYS everyone together and CHEESECAKE!!

Emphasis on the cheesecake, just kidding!

Well, that is what happened and I HAD THE BEST DAY!!!

Of course there were thoughtful gifts too!

Sweet kiddos of mine!!

Please read Eliza’s card carefully – she brought tears to my eyes and cracked me up all with the same card!!!


We went to church after all that gift opening, and as I looked down the row I couldn’t help but get my phone out and take a photo.

WE ARE NOT WORTHY OF THEM ALL!!


Kay’s came over for lunch and brought flowers and chocolate – I love her SO much!!!

We enjoyed a huge lunch and that cheesecake and spent the whole day together!!

It was WONDERFUL and I hardly ever think to take photos when we are all together anymore!!


Pretty soon the house was quiet and it was Blake, Tate and Eliza and myself – a new normal for Sunday evenings while the rest of the “at home” kiddos play volleyball.

The four of us played games, and then had some chunky monkey and watched a show – the perfect end to a wonderful day!!!


Did you know I was voted “MOST LIKE MOM” my senior year of High School?

I am pretty sure that wasn’t a compliment back then, ha, ha!!

ALL I ever wanted for my future though was to be married and to be a mom.

Just LOOK how God answered the desires of my heart before I even knew to pray for them!!

It wasn’t an easy road to our seven children, but I am SO grateful for that journey and how it has shaped me over the years.

If you are a mom, I hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day!!!

If you are longing to be a mom, missing your mom, or have other hurts associated with this holiday – my heart is with you.

MOTHER’S DAY 2023 – YOU WERE AWESOME!!

THANKS KIDDOS!!

I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!

Our New Goat Babies!!

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I think it was last summer that we originally started talking about getting a real building on our land to have laying hens again.

Not long after that, Grant told me I could have one of the buildings in his yard!

For my birthday in September, the guys told me they would pay the cost to have David move the building from Grant’s place to our place.

It wasn’t long after the blessing of that news that I started talking about getting some small goats to go with our laying hens.

At the very beginning of May my new building arrived on a beautiful but freezing cold morning!!


What fun it was for us to see what David does for a living!

He also let the boys drive the mule and help set the building in our yard!


What a sweet gift this is to me!!

Thank you boys!!!


It was about a week after the building was set that we headed to Ontario to our friend’s farm to meet our new goat babies!

To say that Eliza was excited is such an understatement!!

I was excited too.

It was such a beautiful day to be in such a beautiful place!

Let me introduce you to Dottie, Poppy, and Patches – in that order.


Originally we were just getting two girl goats, but when I saw Patches and heard that he would be banded (so he can’t have babies) and dehorned, I just COULD NOT leave him there!

He is adorable!!!

We also got to see the rest of the farm and some brand new puppies – thank goodness they were not for sale!


After we got home that day, this is what Eliza’s doodling looked like –

She really has them drawn exactly as they are!!


Our sweet little building needs a full renovation – thanks to some rot.

But it will be AMAZING once my guys are finished with it!

See that little red shed in this next photo?

That’s what it should look like when we are done!


On one of Blake and my date nights we started looking at things to make the inside of the building what we will need it to be.

It was a fun date night!

I might of bought a new mug too – completely NOT needed!

We also bought a motion sensor light to put on the outside of the building.

These signs cracked us up, but stayed at the store, ha, ha!


I got four books from the library to refresh our knowledge about goats!

I am so glad I did!

We are so excited to have this opportunity for our youngest children!


Lane, Tate and Eliza got to have a date night with Blake and I recently, and we stopped at a Pet store.

Eliza wanted a clicker and treat bag to work on training Ruby and eventually our goats.

SO cute!

We also got collars for the goats.


This past weekend, there was a lot of progress made on our little building!!

My guys are SO talented with carpentry, as they both used to build sheds for a living.

I just LOVE seeing it all come together!!!


We cannot pick up our new babies until the first weekend in June because Patches is still too little.

Hopefully our building and fencing will be ready by then and we can bring our babies home!!

We also have a few laying hens coming with Kayla’s order she placed for their farm, and I have a friend who is giving us a few of theirs.

I still need to find some more – I will have to work on that!

Twin Oaks, you will look good with animals on your land!!

So glad we can give our younger children these opportunities even though we are not on the farm anymore!

Welcome to our family Dottie, Poppy and Patches!!

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