Denver Visit to Our Kiddos...

Mornin', y'all!  How y'all doin'?  I'm fine as frog's hair split four ways!   If I's any better, I'd be twins!

OK, I'll try to control myself and use good English and grammar.  Don't hate me if I fall back into my hick self...  :)   I write like I talk...  what can I say.

We've been out of town the last few days - went to Denver to see our Kiwi Kids (guess I'll always think of them that way...actually, I should call them gypsies or vagabonds cuz no telling where they're going to land after their stint in Denver...)   Josh and Lindsey picked us up from the airport and we had such fun with them on Saturday!

 We drove around Denver (first time we'd actually been IN Denver proper) and we drove through the mountains and went to Georgetown, which is a cute little Victorian-type mountain village.  It was so cute, and we did some window-shopping and TONS of visiting.  Later that evening, we went to Landry's Seafood.  Mass quantities of crab-artichoke-spinach dip, crawfish etouffee, shrimp fettuccine, steak, fried shrimp/fish were consumed.  We fairly WADDLED out the door.

 

Here, Josh is working one of those horseshoe puzzles and Lindsey is waiting to see if he really can do it!  And HE DOES!  (He used to have one... I wonder if he told her?)

It was SO good to hug and kiss those kids. They probably got tired of all the affection - especially from their mom, but I really don't care.  Actually, they were glad to see somebody from home, too.  They moved up there in November and nobody's been up there yet to see them.  What with the holidays and snow...

 

 

This guy is trying to shovel his car out of the snow...

 

Speaking of snow.  Colorado got it's first and biggest snowstorm of the year while we were there. Yep, that's right!  Came a blizzard on Sunday, and we were trapped in the hotel all day long!!!   12-24 inches all over the Denver area.  I'm telling you, THIS MOMMA was UPSET thinking I wasn't going to see my kids again before we left on Monday!!!  There were many tears shed and much nashing of teeth and stomping of feet and whining going on in room 219.

Never fear - My brave son put on his snow armor and came to his momma's rescue!!!  He waited til after the snow plows had made their rounds many times over late in the afternoon and he came to see us at the hotel!  We did not want them to get out and drive but he did anyway.  He just called and said, "I'll be there in two minutes!"

Boy howdy - was this Momma HAPPY!!!!!   Jumpin up and down happy!!!  I was all smiles after we got that call!!!   More hugs and kisses and some visiting and then we urged him to go home before the roads were covered up again.  Those snow plows ran all night long.  The kids had to go to work just like everybody else Monday morning.  They are getting used to being Colorado residents and dealing with snow and driving...

 

It IS quite beautiful Monday morning here and you can see the mountains in the distance. See how much Denver got?

Excuse me, I love Colorado and it's SO beautiful - been there several times - but I COULD NOT LIVE WHERE IT SNOWS ALL THE TIME.  You cain't take the "Texas" outta this girl.  Give me the heat and humidity any day!  (Ask me again if I still think that in August...)

We went on to the airport on Monday - slow taxi ride which cost us $90 (had to pick myself up off the floor of the car) but we knew that'd probably happen.  I was watching that meter. tick-tick-tick...  The driver was a nice lady but she talked the entire time.  "Hey Lady - could you just step on it a little bit???"  She was being careful and I appreciated that, but there WERE cars going faster than us.  Then we spent the entire day in Denver International Airport with all the Sunday customers that didn't get to fly because of the bad weather. Lots of cancelled flights and delays.  Our flight to DFW was delayed over an hour.  Guess I should count myself lucky.  We were SO GLAD to see that beautiful Dallas skyline after we got our car and headed home to East Texas!

Now I've saved the best photo for last...  It's either a Colossal  "FAIL"  or...

I HAVE A HALO!  (and Tony doesn't)

 

YOU  BE  THE  JUDGE !!!!

Merry Christmas!

Just taking a minute to check on all my wonderful blogfriends and tell you Merry Christmas!  Things have been hectic this past weekend with two of my kids coming in and us all squeezing into our tiny farmhouse, including 3 dogs - Bug under the Christmas tree, Gypsy the farm dog, and...

TANK (or the Tankster as we are wont to call him) or the Big Galoot or Doofus or ... or ... Tank is my daughter's dog - he keeps her company in college and they have all kinds of fun together. I was lucky to get a picture of him without two strings of drool hanging from the corners of his mouth!  Gotta love Labs!

Anyway, it's a tight squeeze. I've given up on trying to keep any semblance of order in our house until the melee of Christmasing is over with.  I've decided NOT to stress over it, just go with it, have fun with it, and clean up the mess and doghair when the holidlays are over with. (there'll be enough doghair to stuff a small pillow...)  To top it off, I was in the midst of preparing supper yesterday evening and my mom and dad were coming over, and OUR WATER WENT OFF.  Oh JOY TO THE WORLD!  The wonderful things that happen in the country!!!  So we just loaded up all the food and went to Mom's house!  I threw everything into a laundry basket and off we went!  It's back on now...Good - we can flush.

The guys in my family are doing the "guy thing" of chopping down dead trees, of which we have many after the drought we've had in the last couple of years.  It's dangerous to walk in the woods when there's any wind.  We've had several trees fall, and branches are falling daily. Luckily the weather's been nice the last few days - expecting a few storms tonight and cooler temps the rest of the week...

Adam runs the chain saw, Dad does the scooping and putting wood on the burn pile, and Tony does most of the grunt work.  My daddy LOVES to get on the tractor, so Tony is so sweet and lets him do that.

In other news, my Kiwi kids, back a few months from New Zealand, decided  that their next big adventure was to move to Denver.  They found a 3-week house-sitting job in a nice lodge home in the mountains overlooking Denver, went up and found jobs and moved up there over the Thanksgiving holiday.  They both love skiing, snow and their latest activity as of yesterday --- dogsledding!  These two  kids are SO adventurous - they were made for each other!  Dogsledding pictures to come soon!

THIS is what I've been working on for the last couple of months.  A sawmill blade 30" across for a friend at church.  His teenage son asked me to paint a train engine from Union Pacific at the Mineola TX depot on this blade for his dad.  His dad was raised in Mineola and has worked for UP for 30 years.  It was a big job because of the surface of the blade and one I do not care to repeat EVER.  But I was pleased with how it turned out and more importantly - THE SON was pleased.  Glad that's over with!

Well, my friends, I pray that you all have a Merry Christmas with your families, friends and loved ones and that the Lord may bless you richly with wonderful new memories now and in the coming year!  May the beauty and awe of this most holiest of nights scatter your stress and mess and draw you unto Him and His unfailing patience and love. 

Sending warmest wishes from Sand Flat Farm!

GIVEAWAY at River Bend Farm!

It's GIVEAWAY TIME!  Oh, not for me just yet, but for Berte at River Bend Farm!  She has reached a goal of 100 followers and she's having a contest about Blessings in your life.  She wants to bless the winner of her giveaway with one of her yellow spatterware bread pans, a cute napkin and a recipe keeper!  Jump over there and visit this wonderful Texas gal (a kindred sister :) and see for yourself what makes her so special!

I LOVE Spatterware!  So, run on over to Berte's place and sign up!

We've been so blessed these past couple of weeks with scattered showers - usually, we are not in the "scattered" areas, but recently the showers have scattered all over us!   This is my perennial garden - I know you can't really tell what's in there.  Some of it's been cut back and dead-headed - it was getting out of control.  I have some herbs like basil and rosemary and lavender, some purple coneflowers, lantana, clematis (it's little - just starting to climb that little thingie there, and some other flowers.  The lantana is still in need of a haircut so I may move it somewhere else come fall.  I don't know why the grasshoppers are eating the clematis leaves and they won't eat the lantana leaves.  That would solve a big problem!

Sunflowers are going great! They're so cheery and they make me happy!

My daughter's birthday is coming up next week, and we are planning on going out to visit her and probably take her and her boyfriend out to eat or something.  Along with her job, she is a "junkin" gal.  She likes to buy cheap, paint and fix up and sell on craigslist, ebay or her area "buy, sell & trade" facebook page.  She loves a rustic or western theme.  Doing pretty good, too!  She's very artistic and knows how to make things look good.  If she lived closer, she and I would have our own little business together - we've talked about it...it would be so fun!

Josh and Lindsey are settling in at her folks' B and B - they are staying in one of the cottages right now until they decide what they are going to do.  Job hunting starts tomorrow for Josh!  Hope he can find something pretty soon!  Lindsey's parents are re-vamping an old country house right now and I imagine Josh is going to be working on that project as well to supplement his income...I'm SO jealous of that house - it has a screened-in sleeping porch - HOW WONDERFUL!  Pictures will be forthcoming as they complete

the re-do.

We're going to Nashville in a couple of weeks to visit my oldest son, Adam. It's been awhile since we've been up there and it's time for a visit.  Sure miss that boy!

Dolores at Moving Forward With Alzheimers shared this video on her blog...

Well, back to work for me tomorrow.  Thank goodness I'm down to two days a week - which is not bad at all - but I'd like it to be a BIG FAT ZERO days a week!  One of these days...

Keep yer dress down, friends.

This 'N That...

Oh JOY!  We've been having scattered showers for the last few days, and let me tell you - right here near the middle of July, it's been WONDERFUL!!!  Thank you, Lord!  After last year's drought conditions and 100+ temps for 2 months, it's been such a blessing!  It's been a bit cooler the last few days, too...

I love in the afternoons and evenings to see these big thunderheads building up - they are so beautiful!

The evening sky last night was so pretty after the rain!

This was our sunset!

Boy howdy, are y'all in for a real treat.  Not only do I have a video of my chickens but you get to hear my East Texas accent!  You think Arkansans are bad, just wait til you hear this (sorry, Arkansas)!  We had divested the tomato plants of some horn-worms awhile back and one of my Black Stars had swindled it away from the other chickens...  (besides, everybody else does little videos of their chickens so why can't I?)  Just a little over a minute - that's all, can you stand it for a little over a minute?  I watched this first and though, "eh, it's not so interesting," til I got to nearly the end and heard myself talking.  Then I thought, "WHOA - my peeps might like a good laugh!"

Ooooweeee!  Is that accent bad or what!  I hate to hear myself on audio!  (scratching my foot - fire ant bites...)  Don't these chicks have a nice place to live?  Dad did such a good job on my coop and run!

Josh has missed his chihuahua, Bug!  He loves this little pooch.  Lindsey just shakes her head.  But she's got a kitty-cat, Alice, that she is crazy about so I guess they're even (remember Alice? She used to live here with me...).  Bug was so glad to see Josh, too!  I was really hoping that nothing would happen to her before they got home from New Zealand.  She's about 13 now and is having problems getting around.  

Bug was so excited to see Josh, too!

Well, y'all have a great Thursday - I've got some more tomatoes to process into spaghetti sauce today, and a few more pickles to make before the cucumbers turn to mush.  Take it easy on yourself!  Sending you all a BIG HUG from BUG!

BACK TO THE FUTURE! Josh & Lindsey are HOME!

THE KIWIS HAVE LANDED!!!

Our Kiwi Kids, Josh and Lindsey, are home safe and sound after a 22 hour journey from Wellington, New Zealand.  Thank the Lord they had a safe trip and are fine and dandy!  We picked them up from DFW last night and probably everyone got to bed around 1:30 or 2:00 a.m.  

We couldn't stop kissing and hugging them!  They were probably thinking, "OK, that's good - 'nuff hugs and kisses for now..." 

"Back to the Future" - they left New Zealand on Tuesday and arrived in Texas on Tuesday - they went back across the International Date Line and got here on Tuesday!  Isn't that wild???

They were exhausted after that long trip, but all smiles and happy, and there were lots of tears from both sets of parents.  Lindsey was a little teary, too, tho - she was tired and SO happy to see her family!

And happy tears are the BEST!

Lindsey's sweet sister and her two little precious boys, and her parents were thrilled to see their "baby girl"!

Her mom had American flags and red/white/blue leis for the kids and we all welcomed them back to the good ole U S of A (and especially to the Great State of TEXAS :)!!!

I imagine they'll be sleeping and resting today (and maybe tomorrow!), but I know that we'll be spending some fun times together here in the next few days.  We've got LOTS of catching up to do!

(and more hugging and kissing!)

And seeing what's next on the radar for Josh and Lindey's next Big Adventure!

Keep yer dress down!

Josh & Lindsey in New Zealand

If you're following along, Lindsey has updated their blog - their adventure finding a place to live!  I get to see a whole new side of my son as a young husband, a young husband that truly cares about the needs and desires of his sweet wife.  Makes this mother's heart proud...   sniff...  sniff...

UPDATE on My Kiwi Kids

Lindsey and Josh have updated their blog on their travels in New Zealand.  They've still got some catching up to do, but they are settled now and should be updated more frequently - I know they'd enjoy your visits!  The link is on my sidebar OR go here --->   http://joshandlindseynz.blogspot.com/
Thanks!

I'll be back in a day or two ~~~  Peace out!

News From Down Under...

Well, they're mighty close to "down under".  Josh and Lindsey that is.  Arrived safely in Auckland, NZ, and have been staying with some church members in Wellington on the southern coast.  It's 6:31 pm CST here as I write, and it's 1:31 pm NZ time but it's Monday already there.  They spent Sunday with the church there and Josh said there were some Christians there from Malaysia that owned a nice restaurant downtown and they all went there for Sunday dinner.  The folks there have just been SO hospitable to them and have helped them get their bank account, cell phone, and car registration done.  This would have been alot harder to figure out without all their help. Tony and I are SO grateful to them!  And another wonderful Christian family took them under their wing, fed them, and took them sight-seeing, Antony and Jeanette.  Their beautiful pup, Toby, joined them on their treks.  Hope we get to meet some of these wonderful folks IN PERSON with we go visit!!!

They are having a ball, suffering from some jet lag, but in great spirits.  Today is Monday over there.  In about an hour, they will take the auto ferry over to the south island and head to Nelson for the night, and continue on to Hamner Springs Tuesday where they will check out their first jobs!  I saved a few pictures for you.  Josh and Lindsey said it's the prettiest place they've EVER been.

borrowed this photo from Jeanette...

(above) The Harbor at Wellington where they stayed.

I'll just let you look, as most of these scenes are in and around Wellington...

Here's my two Kiwi Kids with Jeanette and Anthony's border collie, Toby.  I love this picture that Jeanette took.  She takes great photos... They look like native Kiwis!  (whatever native Kiwis look like...)    ;)

Momma is doing okay.  After they got there safely and were on terra firma again, and after we've talked to them via Skype several times, and after they got hooked up with some Christian brethren and sistren - well, I'm doing okay.  It was tough on me and Lindsey's mom at the airport watching our babies check their luggage and head on off to the checkpoints.  The dads were great and they let us shed some tears and have several goodbye hugs and kisses and waves --- oh please, just one more hug!  I'm so glad they have each other, too.  They are so perfectly matched and compliment each other to a T. I'm not worried about them - they are in good hands - the Lord can take care of them much better than I can.  I just have to let go and let Him do His job.  It's getting easier, really it is.

Ok, that's all for tonight.  Sorry  I've been absent so long - hey, it's the season - well, almost...  Catch ya later!  Keep your dress down!

Bon Voyage, Josh & Lindsey!

I have a big announcement to make...it's been in the works for some time now, and all the final details have been handled!  And if I make it public, then I guess it's really gonna happen!!!

My son, Josh, and his beautiful wife, Lindsey, are moving to New Zealand!

Gulp...  I still can't believe it.  They are planning on staying a year to work, travel, and work with the Lord's church wherever they may be.  They have made contacts with missionaries that are supported by Lindsey's home congregation and our church recently  began sponsoring another group over there in Auckland, NZ. Things have  come together rapidly and smoothly -- I believe there were some "God coincidences" at work here!  They've made many contacts with the Christians there in the church and have offers of employment and lodging already! They are both very giving and loving people and have hopes of doing humanitarian efforts especially on the south island where there was an earthquake awhile back.  No telling what they'll wind up doing!

They leave next Tuesday and this mother and dad are excited and have heavy hearts at the same time.  I know Lindsey's parents are feeling the same as  Tony and I are.  Their house is empty - everything is in storage (imagine all those new wedding gifts), and they are SO anxious to leave. They are packed and ready to go.  I know they'll miss all their family back home, but this is something they've both wanted to do for a long time.  And it's an awesome time in their young lives to go!  We wouldn't feel NEAR as comfortable with their decision if they didn't already have some good Christian people over there to welcome them and help them to get on their feet!

We asked them if there weren't a farther-from-home place in the world they'd like to go.  They couldn't think of one.

I'd appreciate your prayers for their safety as they fly and move about in New Zealand, for good health while gone, that they will make strong and lasting friendships with the Christians there, and that they will grow closer as a couple and grow spiritually in ways that they've never dreamed of before.  May they help edify and strengthen the Christians and churches that they work with and may the Lord grow them in His grace.  And  please pray for their parents to be supportive and encouraging and not miss them too awfully much!

Oh and by the way, we named our new pup Gypsy - since she was a stray.  We think it's fitting.  She seems to like it.  Thank you for your prayers.

Please Meet Mr. & Mrs. Josh & Lindsey

What a weekend we had last weekend!  My son, Josh, married his God-given soul-mate, Lindsey, at a beautiful lakeside service. The rain held off, it was gorgeous, a good breeze, a few rumbles, but absolutely perfect - we couldn't have asked for better weather! 

I have to tell you - the whole courtship, the whole engagement, the whole wedding, Josh getting a job right before they married, I can't begin to count all the "coincidences" that happened...This young woman and this young man were brought together by the Lord.  All their lives, her parents and us had been praying for these two kids AND their future spouses.  The Lord's been preparing them all these 25 years for each other.  If I looked the whole world over I could not find another girl more perfect for my son Josh.  Her mama feels the same about my son.  Our two families have blended into one.  We share the same faith, the same values, and now the same happiness in the joining of our two kids.

I knew early on that Lindsey was different, and that Josh was different.  They are two peas in a pod and compliment each other so well.  I could tell that they were crazy about each other.  Our whole family loves Lindsey, and hers loves Josh.  It is a match made in heaven - LITERALLY! 

Wanted to share a few snapshots with you all - mind, my sister took 'em - Lindsey & Josh will be getting the wedding photos from the photographer before long, but they still turned out well.  There's a few from the rehearsal dinner, too.  The kids went on a wedding trip to Paris, France, Athens, Greece, and the island of Santorini.  I can't wait to see THOSE photos!!!!  Maybe they'll let me share some of those!

Travel theme  - rehearsal dinner!

Here we all are - both families - at the rehearsal dinner. It was Wonderful!!!

Lindsey and her mom and dad...

Josh and me and Tony...

Josh, Tony and I.  We are so proud of him!

A moment alone with my son before the wedding....

What a blessed day for us all!

My three...

My mom and dad and their grandson...

Hayley and her daddy...

A good-looking bunch of guys...

being silly...

Us two moms!

Waiting for the bride...

More silliness...

Awwww, shucks!

The Bride and her dad (sorry it's out of order...)

The vows.

The REAL Kiss.

Git Er Dun!  Now we can EAT!

Lindsey and the Groomsmen

Josh and the Bridesmaids

See the suitcases?  THAT was the Groom's Cake!  My friend Nelda made both cakes!!!

Now THIS is one happy girl!!!  She's just beautiful!  Inside and out!

Prince Charming and His Princess had their Fairy Tale Wedding!

A happy couple!

My family is now 6!

Looks wierd to see a wedding band on Josh's hand...

Lindsey and Hayley now have a new sister!

Lovebirds...

Adam & his girl Jena

We sent the happy couple off with giant sparklers!  It was magical and wonderful and oh so fun!!! They will be back Monday night late after a long flight back from Europe.  I can't wait to see their pictures.  Don't know if I'll ever get to go myself, but I'm glad these two were able to go.

Thank you all for being patient and looking at all my pictures. I'm a little partial I guess. I thought everything turned out beautifully.  It was busy, it was hectic, but it was wonderful.  I pray for these two kids to be blessed with happiness and a home full of love for each other and for the Lord.  They'll be living not too far away from us so I'm ecstatic about that!   I hope to be back a little more now that the wedding is over with. Been super busy with the garden, and still trying to move things and throw away and put things on craigslist. Take care my friends! 

And keep your dress down!