Down on the Farm

Recently we were lucky enough to meet some wonderful people that opened up a whole world to us! Life on the farm! Ben, Maddie, Dee Dee and I headed to the country and visited them. These kind folks showed us all how to get eggs from chickens, feed the goats, pick okra, squash, corn, and beans, and even played a little bluegrass/gospel for us! This was a great experience- one my children will really treasure.

Maddie Grace!

My sweet little girl is growing up! Here she strikes some poses on a hot summer day.

Let's Get Crafty

Summer days are fun, I must admit. We recently had time to paint some place mats. Word to self- a drop cloth can come in handy in times like these! We ended up with some real works of art that we can see each time we eat now!


Ben is just finished a week of cooking camp here, so he was ready to put his skills to work. Look out Food Network!

Need I say More?

Sometimes we just need to be reminded to Celebrate. Thanks to Ben's love of letters, we have been reminded lately.

Road Trip!

Well, the 4th of July was a real trip for us. Literally. We headed West to see some family that we don't often get to see. We stopped in St. Louis on the way out and saw the Arch. This was fun, although Mom was a little shaky once on top! The kids thought the hotel was the best! And we got the joy of getting to be a close family for four whole days. So, Happy birthday, America.

Gardening Delights

We just couldn't stand it. We had to PICK something.
We decided to harvest the onions and potatoes. Cousin Carly joined us, and we had a ball. Come to find out, both root vegetables did not grow as much or as big as I thought . Our harvest was a bit meager, and if we had to live solely off of this garden, we would be hurting, or at least very thin. Dad has been our gardening partner, and it has proven to be a favorite pastime of his this summer.
This is an onion blossom! So pretty i had to capture it.

One potato!

Here they are finding surprises in the dirt- underground surprises- potatoes!!

This is our friend, Dan. His land is where he generously lets us garden. He and his wife also have some blueberry bushes that are as big as a truck! Here, Ben and He are picking some new berries that just came in. Sweet memories!