Pollen, Plants and Junk Food

Spring has officially arrived here in the South and has brought with it huge clouds of yellow pollen!

It's a good thing those of us in this household aren't terribly allergic

We are enjoying having our windows open and letting the breeze run through the house, but at the mercy of this stuff that literally coats everything.

Last night before I set the table for dinner, I had to wipe it off two times and I don't think even that took care of it!

On a good Spring note, I planted my garden on Sunday.

I would really love to have a nice big garden and grow all my vegetables, but, alas, I have no green thumb, not to mention time, patience and funds to take on such a feat.

So, I got this cute little Bert and Ernie greenhouse kit because I wanted bell peppers and there were absolutely no bell pepper seeds left at Lowe's and I didn't really want to pay $2.98 for one pepper plant that may or may not survive!

I already had another planting kit and purchased tomato seeds for it.

OK - what is it with some of these photos that they refuse to stay flat and insist on turning on their side?!!

Anyway, it was fun adding the water and watching the little peat pellets grow into nice fluffy mounds.

Of course, I had to put the cute little stickers all over it, too!  :)

They are now perched on a sunny windowsill in my laundry room and I should have some sprouts in about 7 - 10 days.

FUN!!!

Back on a bad note again, I ate nothing but junk food today.  AAAUUUUGGGHHHH - I'll never get rid of these fat rolls if I keep this up!

But, of course, I had to sample one of these cookies that I made for my son.

He will be 22 on Thursday, and in my opinion, no one is too old for a care package full of cookies, right?!!  :)

I went with my old stand-by: Cake Cookies.  All you do is take any cake mix, add 1/2 cup vegetable oil and 2 eggs, mix, add any other fun ingredients or toppings and bake for 10 - 12 minutes at 350°.  Super Duper Easy Peasy!!

He was here for Easter and I sent him home with his birthday present early - a box full of canned goods - chili, mac and cheese, beanie weenies, soup, etc....
Happy Birthday, Jeff!  I love you and I am praying for you EVERY DAY!




P.S. You should know how much I love you all out there in blogland - I just burned dinner because I was in here blogging when I should have been tending the bacon!!!!  We were having BLTs but it looks like we'll be falling back on leftover Easter ham!  :)

Scenes from a Wedding

After a hard week of framing on the construction project, we had a relaxing weekend celebrating the wedding of my husband's cousin, Jason, and Amanda.

How many people can say they chopped down a tree the day before they got married?  Jason can!!!

The 'menfolk' gather at Gramma's house to pick her up and escort her to the church.

"...I'm too sexy for my glasses..."

My son, Jeff, and I don't get to see each other too often, so we sat together at the wedding and goofed off with my camera before the ceremony began

Taking pictures of Rachel and Jennifer sitting across the aisle

While she took pictures of us sitting across the aisle

Watching Gramma Baker and Johnnie Mae totally in awe of this public adventure.  We chatted with them afterwards and determined that the last time they went to a wedding was probably mine and Bill's - 17 years ago!!!

We watched Jason wait with his dad, Harold (aka, "Jorge") - both grim-faced - for the bride to arrive...."C'mon guys!  It's a wedding!"  :)

Finally, the beautiful bride arrives and the ceremony begins

Afterwards, I had to have a picture of the girls as they were part of the wedding, too.  Rachel handed out the programs and Jennifer tended to the guest book.  They are so pretty in their new dresses!

Add the baby for a complete picture of my "chickens"

So, then we head to the reception which is at the local country club

The bride and groom enter - isn't she lovely?

I practiced my artistic-ness (is that a word?) by taking pictures of their first dance from the viewpoint of their table.

We enjoyed a stand-up snacky meal at a cocktail table - a lot of fun and laughs occurred at this little table!!!  These are the times you I cherish!!!

Posing with my handsome man...

...and my friend, Debbie.  I don't have very many close friends at all, but Debbie is one of the few and I love her dearly!!!

And then the happy couple sailed off into the sunset on a really big boat!

Wish it were me doing the sailing!!

A Family Weekend

I had a wonderful past couple of days with my mother!  She came down on Thursday evening and spent some time with me until I had to take her to the airport yesterday as she is going to England for a couple of weeks to spend time with my brother and his family.

Blossoms from the peach tree in our back field

We spent most of Friday in our pajamas just talking and catching up.  I think we lingered until about 2 or 3 in the afternoon!  I can't remember the last time I 'wasted' a day like that!  It felt so good!

At that point, we both agreed we needed to accomplish something so we dressed in our yucky clothes and headed out to the yard to clean up the gardens.

My friend, Sheri, lives in Washington state and somehow got her hands on red crocs that had North Carolina State University logos on them - she sent them to me and I am wearing them for Red Shoe Fridays which she is promoting for her Red Shoes for Rwanda charity.  If you haven't already done so, please take time to stop by her blog and find out what it's all about - it's truly worth your time and even a small pledge or donation!  Click here or on the Red Shoes button on my sidebar .

They are a bit big, so I have to put the strap around the back of my foot to hold them on, but they are excellent garden shoes!  Mom says she thinks thats what crocs started out being anyway!!

My flower beds were overgrown and the perennials were having a hard time coming through,

BEFORE

...but once we got it all cleaned up, it looked so nice!

AFTER

Frankie, Mom's cat whom I am babysitting now while she is away, was there to keep us company

although all he really wanted was to be petted!

Aunt Judy also showed up and chatted with us for a while.  Again, it was so nice to not have a schedule and to just relax and do something fun for a change.

We took Mom to the airport in Charlotte yesterday and on the way home, my #2 daughter, Rachel, and I stopped by a few stores and found a nice dress for me to wear to Jason and Amanda's wedding tomorrow.  It needs a press-job badly, but it does look cute on me!  :)

It's been a few years since I went clothes shopping for myself and I don't think I've ever gone with my daughter!  It was a real treat!

I'm definitely looking forward to this weekend as it will be a full one - full of fun, that is!
Tonight is date night with my husband while everyone else is at the rehearsal dinner and I'm hoping if we're not too worn out from construction work, that he'll want to go see "Clash of the Titans" after dinner.

Then tomorrow is the wedding and my son is coming home for that AND he's staying for Easter lunch on Sunday!  That means all my 'babies' will be home and we can have a nice, big family dinner!!!

Right now I need to grab a bite of lunch and head to the construction project and help my husband for the remainder of the day.  Jason and Harold are only working half day today as they need to get ready for the rehearsal dinner tonight.  I've had several days break from construction work and it's high time I got back in the swing and pitched in.

I hope your weekend is a wonderful one!   Happy Easter!

A Sure Thing

Are you female?

Would you, being female, agree with me that there is one sure thing that can brighten most any girl's day??

FLOWERS!

I was driving up our lane and saw these blooming at my front porch and set my mind to go out and capture them with my camera.

My poor little gardens are in a terrible state of disrepair, but that hasn't stopped the tulips and phlox from coming up each year!!

I am so excited that my mom is coming to see me for a couple of days and perhaps she and I can get into the garden and get it cleaned up tomorrow!

The forsythia is in full bloom and it is such a sunny, cheery day, that you can't help but have your spirits lifted just by being near these beauties!

"And why do you worry about clothes?

See how the lilies of the field grow.

They do not labor or spin.

Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor

was dressed like one of these.

If that is how God clothes the grass of the field,

which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire,

will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?"

So, do not worry, saying,

'What shall we eat?'

or

'What shall we drink?'

or

'What shall we wear?'

...Therefore do not worry about tomorrow,

for tomorrow will worry about itself.

Each day has enough trouble of it's own."

~~ Matthew 6:28-34 (NIV)

Two Wonderful Qualities

My mom passed this on to me today and I thought I'd share it with you!

Two of the most desired qualities....

Patience

and

Wisdom

Lord, please grant me both today!

Refreshed

Can you believe it - TWO posts in ONE day!  That's a record for me!!  I debated as to whether or not to write what's on my heart, simply because I didn't want it to get lost in the shuffle of other posts, but I just felt the need to explode onto my computer screen!

Have you ever noticed....

...that when you were younger you were more apt to catch onto the beat and rhythm of a song before you really listened to the words?

I remember when I was young and Olivia Newton John's song "Let's Get Physical" was a hit.  I must've been in grade school or something and I remember singing it around the house.  My mother stopped me one day and told me that was a 'bad' song and that I shouldn't be listening to that kind of music.

"Huh?"

So what - I just liked the beat.

The conversation went on with her quizzing/challenging me as to why it was a 'bad' song.
I played dumb.

"Physical means she's exercising"

"You know what it means"

"Nuh-uh"

I begged and pleaded mercy so I could continue to listen to secular music.  No luck.
As kids, we were banned from listening to secular music on the radio and my father told us we could only listen to stations that played what we called "goat roper" music (country) or "elevator" music (classical).
That was long before contemporary christian music made it's debut on the radio...at least in Montana, that is.

I also remember a similar incident when my little brother, Mike, was singing a song by the J. Giles Band called "Centerfold".  I unfortunately happened to be in the room when Dad cornered him and told him the same things my mom told me about Olivia's song.  Mike was even more successful at playing dumb:

"I don't know what a centerfold is!"

So, Dad turned to me and said....(I remember this very vividly)....

"Jenny, tell him what a centerfold  is."

WHY ME!!!!??????  Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time!

Again - the beat got us -

"....nah, nah, na-nah, na-na-na, angel is the centerfold...."

Today at church we had a guest musical group called Joyful Sound.  They are a group of college kids with somewhat professional singing training who attend North Greenville University where my daughter attended for about 3 years.  They sing contemporary christian and gospel music and visit churches around North and South Carolina, ministering in music.  I have heard them many many times and mostly enjoyed their music, but have often been turned off by the somewhat 'plastic' appearance I've seen in some of them, with exaggerated eyebrow and facial expressions and dramatic gestures that you seen in television singers.
I know, I was very judgemental, but I'm being honest here and I have a point, so don't knock me too badly.

Anyway, I was a bit skeptical and negative today as we headed to church.

Have you ever noticed....

...that as you get older you tend to listen to the words of a song a bit more than when you were a kid?
Today I heard the words - loud and clear.

Words and phrases like:

"...YOU'RE good to me, good to me, and it's easy to see, YOU give to me, give to me, all that I need, the way you bless me, Lord, I just can't believe - YOU'RE SO good to me...."

"...there are no strangers, there are no outcasts,  there are no orphans of God!  So many fallen, but Hallelujah - there are no orphans of God..."

and probably the most impressing words I heard today were in the classic gospel song "Midnight Cry"

"...I can almost see the Father as he says 'Son - go get my children' - at the midnight cry, the Bride of Christ shall rise.  When Jesus steps out, on a cloud to call His children, all the dead in Christ shall rise, to meet Him in the air.  Then those that remain shall be quickly changed in a moment, at the midnight cry, we'll be going home...."

Powerful words.  Words that struck a chord in my heart.  That song is the culmination of my entire life - my very purpose on earth, and a description of a time I am looking forward to!!

Yes, I definitely heard the words today - the beat was there and the rhythms were beautiful, not to mention the sound of those young strong voices attached to truly joyful faces and genuine spirits - but the words came through loud and clear, and I'd be happy to explain their meaning to anybody!