Spring Around the House

We've been enjoying a bit of a Spring/Easter break around our house for the last 2 weeks.

So, I thought I'd take ya for a tour of what's blooming 'round here.....

The roses on the arbor are already reaching around the top. Hopefully, it will be full of lovely little pink double blossoms....oh, the fragrance is wonderful.

This camillia.....oh, brother....

For YEARS it has teased us w/ an abundance of buds....only to turn brown and ugly before the flowers would bloom. From my Master Gardner days, I found that it's ailment was a soil born thing and I was told I'd have to move it or it would always have this problem. ....So this year, I bought a daphne to put here instead.....as soon as that daphne was sitting across the walk from the camillia, the camillia, as if in defiance, bloomed prolifically....with NO, I repeat NO brown ugliness....

We will enjoy it...but I think it has outgrown it's place anyhow, so....we'll go ahead and try to move it and plant the daphne here later this year. 

Inside the house, we did a bit of spring cleaning....the twins' bedroom was. a. mess. 

We took EVERYTHING out and only replaced a few things. I think there were 3 garbage bags of ....um..stuff, to throw away or take to Goodwill. Guess I should get and after picture, but I rather like the 'empty room picture' ....

And then there was the matter of the bonus room closet....stuffed to the gills, no evidence of a floor...I KNOW you have no idea what I'm talking about....but, just so y'all know, our bonus room closet does have a floor....

See?

 And now that the fabic, sewing machines (remember, we have 6 daughters), yarn, games, camping stuff, music stands, and snow clothes are back in the closet....you can still see the floor.

This is the after shot....

REALLY, it's better than it was!

REALLY!

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Unfortunately, we also did a bit of this over our break from school

And I think these pictures were a bit before our school break, but our kiddos are still volunteering at Fort Vancouver...

 I love Spring....the newness of things, the blooming, the baby lambs, and chicks (which I will have to post about next!) and the way that it points us to the Savior! Every season has a way to remind us of what God has done, and life...beautiful LIFE in CHRIST  and HIS RESURRECTION is seen so easily  in His creation at this time of year. 

May you all enjoy the REALITY of that NEW LIFE!

Make it Monday!

Well, it's not only been a while since posting a "Make it Monday" but it's also been a while since posting
ANYTHING! I am really hoping to get better.

For our Easter dinner I made these cute litte coin purses for the girls' placecards. 

They make up very quickly....you can get a couple finished in an evening.  

The boys just got a Snickers Bar for their place cards. 

I got the clasps from JoAnn. The black clasps I bought in the store, and the gold ones were purchased online. The gold ones have rings to attach a strap. The black ones have a prettier inside...sorry I did not get a picture.

Twenty Four Years Ago Today!

24 AMAZING YEARS!

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!

O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation!

All ye who hear, now to His temple draw near;

Praise Him in glad adoration.

Praise to the Lord, who over all things so wondrously reigneth,

Shelters thee under His wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!

Hast thou not seen how thy desires ever have been

Granted in what He ordaineth?

Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee;

Surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee.

Ponder anew what the Almighty can do,

If with His love He befriend thee.

Praise to the Lord, O let all that is in me adore Him!

All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him.

Let the Amen sound from His people again,

Gladly for aye we adore Him.

words; music

Happy Anniversary, Gregg!

The life of Pi Day!

I really like Math; I like math problems, I like math puzzles, I like geometry, I like non-euclidean geometry (my favorite, actually!) But, when math tastes good...WOW! What a combination! This is the life! 

 Pi day at our house has evolved in to quite an event...still just a family event, but one we REALLY enjoy! This year my sister Robin and her family were here to eat with us.  (All the way from Texas!) 

Robin brought two pies and Rachel made three. 

Here's the line up...

 Apple

 Pumpkin

Key Lime

Sugar Free Blackberry Pear

 Peanut Butter

 Blackberry Pear

All of them were delicious...yes, I tasted each one...I think everybody here got to taste each one.

 This was a math assignment we all completed...even in a timely manner!

Just a Quick Reminder

It is Pi Day 3.14

I'll post more pictures later...but wanted to make sure you remembered.....

Odds and Ends....Mostly Odds....

Well, don't know that I'll get back to blogging very consistently, but I just might. Today I'm just posting some pictures of a few random activities......

In the Make it Monday category (yes, I know it is not Monday - but Make it Monday w/ Madeline sounds better than the alternative), I'm featuring Madeline...who finished this scrumptious looking pair of slippers for a baby due very soon (close your eyes, Rebecca!)

She's so poetic, that as I'm writing this post, she is playing the "strawberry, strawberry' suzuki rhythm of Twinkle Twinkle.....a natural artist... 

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In other news, our "Little Lamb", Rachel has been supervising the lambing of her small flock - two ewes. Both ewes had twins this year, but one was stillborn. A week after the last birth, her 4H leader called her and asked if she wanted a 'project'. He had a little ewe lamb whose mama was gonna have to be put down, so she adopted a 3day old ewe lamb (who was larger than her 10 day old lamb!) and has been bottle feeding this little sweetie. She will be kept as a breeding ewe.

Well, the first night, she came inside and told us that "Surely" would like her to spend the night....so she lasted out there until after the 2am feeding....then opted for the sofa for the remainder of the night. 

Incidentally, her ewes are named, Surely, Goodness, and Mercy.....but only Surely follows her!

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We've done a bit of hiking this fall/winter....we live in a beautiful area! (There's your plug to come and visit if you don't enjoy this neck of the woods as home!) 

I love having pictures of all the children...these may be harder and harder to come by in the next years.

A GREAT Bargain!

This is a GREAT bargain! Our family LOVES these audio-dramas! We are listening to one even as I opened the email!
Hope to post soon!, but in the mean time, enjoy these wonderful stories!

7 for $7 Share-a-Thon 7 FOR $7 TWO-DAY SHARE-A-THON! Share this offer and get 7 dramatic audios or eBooks for $7. Hurry, offer ends 2/24/13 @ 11:59 pm ET!          BUY NOW!    (Sale is not retroactive and applies only to purchases made from 6:30 pm ET on 2/22/13 to 11:59 pm ET on 2/24/13.) *Offer cannot be combined with any other sales, discounts, coupons or promotions. All digital downloads are subject to a limited number of download attempts. Secure download links expire one year from purchase. Lamplighter Ministries International allows the creation of CDs from your MP3 downloads for personal use only. Unauthorized CD burning for any distribution purpose, whether free or for sale, is strictly prohibited and is a copyright infringement. Contact us via email at mail@lamplighter.net or by phone at 1-888-246-7735 with questions.