TWO BABIES...





Little Package was born just a few hours before my youngest son's birthday. Kevin is now 21 years old to Package's 1 year. This is Kevin holding his neice when she was just a few days old. (YES I'M BALLING AGAIN!!) Where has the time gone?! Kevin had the prettiest hair when he was little....golden ringlets. People would always tell me I had the cutest little girl! Kev would look at them and say "I aint no gul!".

The other pictures are of Package and her mom, Alyssa, at the birthday party. I love the side profiles of mama and daughter....the way Package looks at her mom when it's time to blow the candle out....so sweet!
And as a side note.....Package does not like shoes but she wore them all afternoon at her party like a big girl!

Little Package is ONE YEAR OLD!!!!





Where did the time go? I balled all day yesterday. How can it be?!!!

WHEN YOUR OVEN IS BROKEN.......PRESSURE COOK IT!!!







My 4 year old Frigidaire wall oven quit....with no warning at all! What happened to things lasting 20 years or so? We paid good money for our stuff too. ANY WHO.....I thought I would share with yall one of my favorite things in the world....my PRESSURE COOKER. I bought an aluminum one from Wal-Mart over 10 years ago. It became very porous so I bought a stainless steel pot this year. The difference in price....aluminum $25.....Stainless $60. My Mama told me about the great Pressure Cooker and the time it saves.

You can cook fresh peas from your freezer in 3-4 minutes, dried peas (Soaked) in less than 10 minutes vs. cooking them for hours on the stove. You can also cook meat in them too and its way better than in a crock pot. I cooked a 3 pound pork lion in 30 minutes. If you dont have a pressure cooker.....make the investment and get one. Cooking is quicker and it is much better for you.

So while my roast was cooking I peeled the taters and cooked them, cooked some peas from my freezer....mashed the taters and had it all ready in about 35 minutes.

A LITTLE FALL INSIDE



















I put a few Fall decorations out last week. I'm having to arrange things a little different since Little Package is here often. My china cabinet holds a good many items.(Kelli, Mama and I found candle holders like yours a few years ago) I placed my pumpkin tea set in a corner on the kitchen counter. When Little Package started crawling we moved our big coffee table out of the living room. Now that she is walking we placed some things behind the screen in the fireplace. I love AUTUMN!!

BOOK WORM AND A WEIRD WORM




I confess....I am a sucker for a magazine with an Autumn theme. This year I bought some magazines that I've never looked at before. Southern Living is one of my favorites (I have subscribed to it before) but looking at these others...well I really like them too. Maybe they are not new to you but they are to me!

The "Secret Garden" book I bought at the Goodwill store for 39 cents! I have heard Kelli talk about it (It's one of her favorite books) but I had never read it before. Now I know why she likes it so much!! That is the sweetest book and I didnt want it to end. Now I want to see the movie.

Danny found the worm on one of the pecan trees the other day. The thing was about 5 inches long when he first saw it. This is one weird worm! He had horns all over and big suckers on his belly. I bet money that thing is POISONOUS!! Have you got that chill running up and down your spine yet?

OK THATS ALL I HAVE TO SAY!!!! LOL

PAPA'S AND THINGS






Dove season came in last weekend here and it is one of my favorite hunts. I dont like the taste of dove but Danny and my boys have always liked them. This morning Danny's brother and his grandson came over for a shoot. As you can see, the morning started off with a little fog. Danny has not felt the best in the world so I'm glad he felt like hunting today.

As I watched my brother-in-law and his grandson from a distance I thought about the specialness of "PAPA'S" and the influence they have on their GRANDS. There is something really neat about those relationships.

THE FIRST TWO PICTURES ARE OF KENNY, MY BROTHER-IN-LAW, AND HIS GRANDSON KOBY.
THE LAST ONE IS DANNY AND LITTLE PACKAGE AT THE BREAKFAST TABLE LAST WEEK.

PATTY CAKE PACKAGE AND FAY










As you can see Tropical Storm Fay stopped by for a visit. We lost about 4 big trees and several of the small trees blew over too. We will have to wait and see if they can be saved or not (the small ones, that is). The big trees are a total loss. We pulled a couple back up in hopes of getting one last crop off of them before they are removed. We got 9 plus inches of rain. The wind was blowing so hard at times, we know the gauge was unable to get a really accurate reading. Even the bushes around the house took a beating. We have had worse...much worse so we are very thankful.

The Package has learned to PATTY CAKE, she can wave and say BYE-BYE, and she can say POP-PA now. This little girl is a hoot and a half!!

Well there you have my monthly post.....sad but true.

3 POSTS IN ONE DAY!!!





Its been a month & might be another month before I post again. Just some updates. The Summer months have brought a lot of work. Besides the normal work...up keep of the trees, I've been putting up vegetables & such. 8 bushels of peas (pink eyes,purple hulls, Mississippi Creams, Reds, Sudandees), a bushel of butter beans, 4 bushels of tomatoes, 4 bushels of corn, a bushel of squash & blue berries. Pickin, shellin, creamin....good night & there is still more to do as the growing season continues.

There is a new shelter being added on to store the pecan bins & tractors. We are trying to make some changes to make the pecan harvest easier & with less labor.

The Package has been recurrently sick. I think its from the RSV she had in February causing her to have a lot of respiratory infections. Danny has been sick too. In 18&1/2 years he has never had to take an antibiotic. Well the time has come.

So I guess like all of you....life is busy! I am enjoying a really good Bible study by Beth Moore called the PSALMS OF ASCENT. Some of her studies can be hard and complicated but this one is simple but deep in spiritual truths. I highly recommend it!

No more posts for me. I've got work to do. Just thought I would give a little update with some pictures.

REFLECTIONS OF OUR 4TH OF JULY







Danny's parents always rent a place on the lake. We eat & boat & eat & tube & eat....and eat! This year we had fried fish, taters, cold slaw, fried squash, grilled hot dogs, homemade strawberry & vanilla ice cream, pound cake & blue berry cobbler.

We always have a good time with the family. The down fall this year was that Danny has been sick. He didn't get to enjoy it like everyone else.

My step-grand, Stormi, holding The Package.
Granddaddy (Great-grand) pushing The Package around on a foot stool.

WHAT NOTS & PERTYS!!




I had to show yall the new "What Not" or "Perty" that I got to display under one of the end tables in the living room. The Package is 9 months old now & crawling around like crazy. I had to move my real "What Nots & Pertys" so she wouldn't destroy them but I found I like her better!

I didn't know you could love something so much!

GROWING SEASON

We planted a few simple things around the house this year & they are growing nicely. The pecans look scarce & already the war has begun against the Aphids & Casebearers. We put a gallon of lady bugs out last Friday night and we got a nice rain yesterday evening. Hopefully the combination of the two will knock the pesty insects out.

A Little Savings with a Little Shopping


Danny & I had to go to Waycross this afternoon & we decided to pick up a few things at the Kroger grocery store. It is a nice big store & they carry a large selection of groceries. There is a nice big bakery & deli, a huge produce selection, and if your into health foods....well they have the biggest selection I've ever seen. They have recently added a fuel station outside the store. If you use their Kroger savings card you get your gas 3 cents cheaper a gallon (same as Wal-Mart) BUT if you make a $100.00 dollar or more purchase of groceries from Kroger you get A 10 CENT per gallon discount when you buy gas the same day!!!!!! HELLO!! I'm all about some savings here! Oh & another thing I liked about Kroger today.....they bagged all my groceries in paper...they didn't ask me...they just did it. I love brown bagging it!

Thought I would pass that little tidbit on.

Back in the winter I bought a box of this Lipton Honey & Lemon Tea. I love it & have been rationing it out until I went back to Kroger (none of the other stores I go to carry it). This tea is soooo good! The maple flavored cookies are great too & I love them with the tea....or milk....or coffee.....or right by them-selves!!

Well just thought I would share that with you all. So what tips do yall have for saving money these days?

Ahhhhh, Just a little "ALONE TIME" goes a long way!!

I got up yesterday & decided to do a little shopping & spend some time at the beach.....right by myself! I am not a beach person (Sorry Jen) but I like to go once or twice a year. I went to Brunswick, Georgia & hit my favorite stores. After getting a bite to eat I headed to the beach. I like to go to the beach on Jekyll Island because there are always less people. There was less than a dozen groups of people scattered about yesterday......just what I like. St.Simmons is always packed & it is more of a social scene anyway.

So I came back with a new purse from TJ Max (yes Mama I got one, lol), a new wallet & address book (I haven't replaced these items in years) a pair of shorts & a top from Target, a few eatable goodies (2 boxes of the Little School Boy chocolate biscuits & a bag of mini bagels), and last but not least.....a little sun on some areas that dont usually get any (get out of the gutter....I usually have a farmer's tan thank you very much!).

It's nice to live so close to so much (45 miles).
So what do you do when you need some "Alone Time"?

I've been without Internet for 3 months! My satellite with Hughes Net quit working & I couldn't get anyone to service it. I have service through my cell phone now....I dont have a clue how it works but it does. WHEW HOO!!

Much has happened since I posted last. Too much to get into so I will just say....GOD is good!
The Little Package is growing! She is 7 1/2 months old. Crawling like crazy & is the apple of mine & Danny's eye.

The 1st pic was Easter Morning & the other one was taken last week.

I'll get caught up with every ones blogs over time I hope!

HAIR CUTS!!











The Pruning is finished but the clean up continues. As you can see each tree has been cut a good bit. There was already a lot of limb breakage from the crop so that has to be cleared also. The 2 & 3 year old trees were pruned & the full grown pecan trees were given hair cuts too. Many of the trees have little piles of fire wood at the base that has to picked up & stacked. When all the limbs are gathered, we will burn the pile. Dont worry, the branch pile is up against a pond like area to prevent any wild fires. Danny is in a panic to get it all done. Its time to put out fertilizer & we cant do that until the clean up is finished. Anybody want to come & help? I promise to feed you good Southern cooking!

And by the way....last year was so touch & go with the trees. We battled a bitter freeze that burnt all the trees killing 12. We had an extreme water shortage. Fuel fertilizer & chemicals more than doubled in price this year. But God was still so good to us. We had the biggest crop ever....35 thousand pounds of pecans!! Many of you prayed for us & I want to thank you for that. Prayer does work!!!!

LOVE






A picture is worth a thousand words they say. In this case...yep! Folks all over the country are thinking about love this week. I think about it all the time. How I love my husband, my boys, my Little Package....the list goes on. I am blessed, BLESSED, BLESSED!!!! When I think about how blessed I am I go back to the center of it all....JESUS. I believe the Bible is true and because of that belief I know HE loves me more than I love my family & friends. I dont guess I'll know the depth of HIS love until I get to fall at HIS feet one day. As I watched the Little Package holding on to Danny's fingers yesterday I couldnt help but think of my relationship with GOD. I think I'm holding on to HIS finger but in reality......HE's got me. I'm in HIS lap, safe & secure. Happy Valentine's Day. Thank You all for the encouragment. GOD is good, HE is love....HE shows it to me by way of friends I have never even met before!


We love HIM because HE first loved us. 1 John 4:19

THIS & THAT










Pruning continues here. Danny & his brother did take off Saturday & went to Florida fishing (23 white perch). Tuesday Danny & I went back to the same lake (Crescent) & caught 8! We decided we are too young to go fishing there & will wait till retirement!!!!

The Little Package's parents have seperated. Danny & I expected this from the begining but that hasn't made anything easier. It has been 3 weeks since we have seen her however we have a meeting scheduled for next Tuesday. After much kicking & screaming, I have come to realize that God is in control here & I know HE loves the Little Package more than we do so I will trust in HIM in this whole thing. I have peace in this storm.

Speaking of trusting HIM....I spent a good bit of time yesterday putting together a prayer journal for the Little Package. Who will she marry, what church will she go to, school, sickness, protection from the WORLD. I put down all my fears, cares, etc. Present, past & future events in her life. This child WILL be covered in prayer as long as I can breathe! I encourage you to do the same for your children & grands!

I am going for a consultation appointment today for laser eye surgery! I want to see again!!! I'm really excited about it.

Well that is all I have to say. I reckon that was enough! Hope yall have a good day!