VGNO
WOW the sky is blue today……
And tomorrow it will be as well…
Welcome to yet another VGNO-
where the cocktails flow anyway you like them, and the blogs are EXCEPTIONAL!
I am so excited about this little heart shaped rock traveling all around!
I will check my mailbox everyday with anticipation….Going to be fun to see where it gets to go!
my hubby is the one on the left- if it were the one in the middle i wouldnt ever worry about our electric bill! 🙂This weekend is very special for us, as it is our 17th wedding anniversary!
We aren’t very organized this year- its 320 and we still don’t have a plan yet….LOL
We like Amish Country- Ohio has the largest Amish settlement in the world..and they have the BEST shopping, food, and QUIET TIME you can ever find 🙂
And we like to camp, but we have been a little under the weather…
Truth is, we dont care, as long as we have some quiet time with each other. No cell phones no kids no drama.
And did I mention I love the love of my life with all of my heart? And I cannot wait for him to come home from work so we can go!
So after 17 years, what are my words of wisdom?
*dont fight about money- it doesnt create any extra…
*dont go to bed angry
*If you accidentally fall asleep angry, have good make up time
( i will leave that to your imagination)
* do not ever takes sides where children are involved
*pray everyday for one another
* lock your spouses debit card in a drawer ( ha ha long story)
* be affectionate in front of your kids- they need to know love
*know the difference between a kiss and a peck
I have more but I need to pack I think?!
This week I helped my daughter Morgan start a blog. It concerns a challenge dear to her heart, and I am hoping all of you will visit! She needs encouragement with her task, so please leave her a comment!
I appreciate it so much!
You can link to her HERE
She is an awesome girl with a huge heart!
I am trying to grow my blog as well, and if any of you have any suggestions you havent already sent me, please feel free.
( i know use spell check) 🙂
Have a great VGNO and Im hoping to have some FANTASTIC PICS of our weekend for you next time!
CORA..
So, this is my niece Cora…
She is an eighth grader…and an amazing girl!
She is taking horseback riding lessons for the heck of it..and she looks like a natural on the horse!
She saddles up, grooms and goes….
I have to say Cora is very special to me…she is my first niece on either side of the family, and her sense of humor is amazing! She spends time rooting for the OSU BUCKEYES, and time with us .
She also likes to shoot guns and hunt and fish , and she is very good at it!
She is not your typical girls, and I’m glad.
TUESDAYS PRAYER
Have you ever been placed in a position where you were waiting for something good to happen,because only faith and waiting could make it so? Or maybe you are a “go-getter” and patience is a virtue you havent been lessoned on yet? Or maybe you are tired of “fighting the good fight” because inside you are so messed up you just want to sleep. Because when you sleep God offers you a bit of peace you do not experience when you are awake.
Im there. Beyond the breaking point, with finances, relationships, family, all of it. So where do I begin to re-construct my life, and how do I decide what to keep and what to dispose of? Is there a magical scripture that will point me the way? Being overwhelmed in the heart is really consuming on a mothers soul. It aches 24 hours a day. Wanting what is best, and knowing how to accomplish it- 2 totally different things.
I havent spent enough time in my garden. (my garden is real, where I go to the proverbial one) I need a good solid day, in the dirt, on my hands and knees,to weed things out. To cry or perhaps pray. Or maybe to just listen. What, O Lord , is it that you want for me? I know what you want from me, but I do not know what I am intended to DO. What do I do? I cannot falter – there are people depending on me. Husband, children., parents, friends. How do I know if I am to turn left or right? How do I know if I am to walk or run?
Please Lord. I need some instruction, guidance, help. I need something I can only get from you. Since I was a child, i have felt your hand upon my heart,never knowing quite what to do with it. Now my heart is heavy and burdened.
I need redemption.
THE BIRD
THIS IS A BIRD THAT WATCHES ME WORK THROUGH THE WINDOW EVERY DAY. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT KIND OF BIRD IT IS, BUT IT HAS A SWEET SONG AND MAKES ME SMILE ON DAYS WHEN ALL I WANT TO DO IS GROWL…..
🙂
My Tink
This is by far the hardest post I have ever written. I am so heartbroken I cannot even describe how much my soul just aches.
Yesterday, while I was working at my desk my daughter came running into the house to tell me something was wrong with Tinkerbell, my 18 month old St Bernard. I went outside, because she has a habit of getting tangled up in everything, so I figured I was going to untangle her and bring her in for a bit.
I was so wrong. She was having seizures i think, and in between she was falling over. I was out of my mind. My sons and my daughter helped me lug her to the house, where we held her while my oldest got the car. There was just no time. She just kept looking at me, and her breathing finally slowed until she took was one last deep breath and that was it. She died in our arms.
Now I know a lot of people would say she was just a dog, but let me take you back. I turned 34 in Feb of 08- my hubby surprised me with my very first dog of my own- Tinkerbell- at a mere 23 lbs, we knew she would be big, but she was exactly what I wanted. I trained her. She didn’t pee in the house much after she was trained. She never jumped on anyone. She liked to get in my bed when John was at work, and she was a great watchdog. She was still a puppy even up to yesterday. I had plans to get her fixed and obedience school in the fall. She was like having another child for me.
So now I sit here and think of all the funny things she did- like when she sits on the furniture like a person….like in the top pic.
When she would run to the neighbors to jump in their pond, then come home and look for John so she could shake off. When my youngest would try to walk her- instead getting drug by her. When Morgan would get the drool from her shaking all over her clothes when she’d come down the stairs. And I keep thinking about her and Lady , our golden retriever, who keeps walking around looking for her. All day today and all night last night.
I feel like I got in to a nightmare and can’t wake up.Its all a fog today. And Im missing her big feet terribly.
And her overly drooly face.
And her big tail knocking everything off of everything.
I think after the sleeples night I had last night, id give anything to have Tink back in my house , because her being in the way was a huge blessing for us all.
farm life…i love it!!
I have to admit- I love living in the country where the dew falls as heavy as rain and the bean field is soo quiet, swaying in the breeze…..
My little chickies- not so little anymore getting ready to lay thier first eggs, as they fight over a spot on the roost each evening..
My little turkey – his name is Cajun cause thats what Im dreaming he will be one day soon.. a cajun roast turkey….,mmmmmmm!
This is an unwanted visitor to our barn, He along with several of his family memberes have been removed- to say the least- my least fav part of farm life….
This is my little dainty pretty puppy Tinkerbell. She is soooo still a puppy- she weighs almost as much as I do- but she is a puppy just the same. And a pretty good guard dog- no on likes for her to get too close- she is all drooly…..
Very funny.
Love it when people overstay their visit…really…I just let her run in the house and they “have to go”
lol
shhh
dont
tell
🙂
I really do love our farm life- we have learned so much about each other and ourselves.
And now as I write this I wonder if it will ever stop storming….
handsome hubby
My very handsome hubby has always been so good to me! We met in high school, and it was quite accidental. Once we became good friends, it was hard for anything to come between us. We didn’t date all through high school- there were other girls for him and guys for me, but we kept coming back to each other… finally on Sept 12, 1992 that circle was closed with our vows….
My Garden, My Place…
birdbath with tall zebra and maiden grass during summer
coneflower
pretty zebra grass
are these black eyed susans? who knows !
These are my fabulous and successful ladybugs….There are millions of them- I ordered them from a company that deals in family and pet safe garden supplies- I think they are all organic, and they ship according to the season so you get your stuff when it is time for best results…..Nice cause they let you know when its coming, and they are always sending $25 off coupons- its cost effective and very good quality stuff….!! 
So this is my birdbath in my garden- it is very old and I keep repairing it- the birds like it because there is tall zebra grass growing all around, and it is hidden from the cats….who love to eat birds- and often bring them to me….EEWWI also have various perrenials and annuals in my garden- they are just in what I like to call- ” spring mode” right now- still waking up and still trying to find out where to grow this year…..
Love my lavendar, creeping phlox, blackeyed susans and I have a tiny eensy weensy japanese maple that has survived a weedeater attack, skunk spray and everything winter has to offer. Its sooo little, and cute, and tough. So Im thinking I will be keeping it around for a bit. As my garden grow and evolve I will be posting more pics to share, because I love them!
Goodbye My Friend….
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SIMPLICITY
So I was doing a little “Spring Cleaning” when I ran across these plates i purchased last year this time, at a charity auction. i really do not know a lot about old dishes, , but what I do know is to look for a mark on the back which typically indicates their origin…..These are a set of four, dating in order from 1977-1980, and are made by “Royal Copenhagen” in “Denmark” They each have a title, and are in great shape. So what the heck do I do with them? Do I have them appraised, and try to sell them? Or should I work them into my new kitchen plan? Im just not sure, so I thought if anyone reads this, they could check them out and throw me a suggestion.
I started out with the plates to make a point I almost forgot to make- but let me back up a bit. Every year we drive to Holmes COunty Ohio, where the heart of the largest Amish community resides. It is a fabulous place to visit when you need a break. You can shop, eat- ( oh can youeat), or just drive around in your car and take it all in. Having been there enough , we drive around a lot- backroads, dirt roads. No cell service, no interuptions. Just you, your spouse, the kids and God, in an awesome landscape no matter what time of year. Having an appreciation for different cultures is one thing, but standing and being in awe is a whole other story. I love the Amish and everything they stand for.
I collect the little “words” as my family calls them. Little plaques of one or two simple words that have a great deal of meaning. My favorite one is “simplicity” Thaat is what the Amish provide for me. A lesson in simplicity. No electric, no cars, no video games no complexcity . Just God and nature, recycling at its greatest, and enough love to share with your neighbors. Everytime we return from a trip there, I come back wanting to simplify things. Not everyone in my house likes it, but they know it is for good reason. Like those silly plates. I only bought them because I was trying to “drive up the bid” for the charity. lol Now I have been dusting them for a year. If you are interested in a trip to see the quiet life of the Amish, I highly recommend it. The reality of simplicity can bring you peace and joy and an understanding for things you never understood before. And isn’t that just beautiful?
