Day Four

This morning while Abigail played on the computer..........
I taught David how to play clock solitaire. He caught on immediately and we almost won it the second time around-one card off! It was so funny to see his tension/excitement as the king's pile grew!

We packed a picnic lunch to get ready to go to a friend's pond for a swim. Grandpa went into town to register the boat and took a bit longer than planned but we got off for our adventure finally! Neither of the kids hesitated to go into the water because everyone else was already in so they just joined right away. The water temperature was great-even I got right in! This is what all the kids were doing so David did, too...............ready, set, go!

Maybe I should have started out with Abigail's activity first to ease you into the kid's swimming activities! We put the swimmies on right after the picture; she got into the water too quickly but I came running with the camera and the swimmies......it is a faster pace than I am used to and I am out of practice but catching up quickly! Abigail was quite bold-traveling around the swim area and even trying the kayak and hitching a ride on Grandpa's back.

An afternoon storm blew up fast and we made a run for the house. We had a slight change of plans for the picnic but the food and company was just as fine indoors! The kids played for an hour and when the rain let up, we left for home amid many protestations of very good logic...

While eating we got a very important call from Caleb-he is now the proud Assistant Manager of the Lake City, FL, Sherwin Williams Store! Yes, it means a move and quite a few changes but this is quite the honor for a number of hurdles have been set aside to promote him to this position. We thank you , Lord.

When we got the mail back home-there was two very welcome postcards from Dad and Mom!(Grateful for both postcards to be there and you know how it would have played out if they weren't!)

For dinner hotdogs , macaroni salad, potatoes and deviled eggs rounded out the picnic theme; baths and the ending of Princess Bride which was a perfect fit for these two-a princess for Abigail and a sword fight for David; then on to prayers and bed! Whew!

Kids Day Three

Today we went to church and then to a restaurant for lunch, naps in the afternoon when they had wound down with a princess and some legos.

Then back to church for the evening worship service. The kids had fun running around with their new friends after church--I managed to collect them all for a quick picture! When we got home and changed into pj's we had popcorn and soda with a video treat before bed-David got to help Grandpa take the garbage out to the end of the driveway with the tractor-whoopee!

Day Two

We had a stay close to home day. First thing this morning, David and I made some banana bread.

Abigail and I went to the library when the bread was done while Bill and David worked on the boat-Bill is still going through all of the systems.

We got some outdoor time in before the afternoon rains admiring my new gates

It sure does boost the entrance to the property-I can't wait for it to be finished! Yes, I can because it already looks so much prettier!

While it was raining and thundering and lightening out the kids settled in for a good play with the 'new' toys we have in a chest just for them. This amazing creation is David's army helicopter to match the one from the toy chest. He is very good at engineering-imagine that!

We had a long walk after dinner and even had a shell hunt-David hid some of the seashells (ones he found at the beach yesterday) in the yard and we 'found' them. Bath, books and bed soon to follow, my daughter has a great routine established and there is no bedtime struggles....nice way to end the day!

Day One

Bruce, Marsel and kids arrived late last night for a weeks vacation. B and M are celebrating their 10th anniversary and heading off for 5 days on their own down in Clearwater; Bill and I get to keep the kids for them! We went to the beach, of course..............where the waves were perfect and the temperature just beckoned us! Even Abigail who seemed a bit intimidated at first jumped right in and her and Grandma just wave jumped for an hour! Grandpa and David were out a bit further and even tried some body surfing.......couldn't ask for more perfect conditions.

Next we took the boat ride on to the nearby Matanzas Fort and explored the grounds. It was full circle for Bill and I cuz we walked our own children here not so many years ago! In fact, I have a picture just like this of their mom with her brothers!

We all climbed onto the roof for some exploration......these guys are game for anything!

We had another climb after our tour, on the 'family tree' in the park..........a very majestic live oak that has held 25 years of our own children and friends and nieces and nephews..........

home for bath, books and bed------can't beat this for a first day!

PS...........

What?! Who has time to knit with the grandkids here? I do...........it was an hour there and back-so let us not waste car time! Of course, we sang B I B L E and Christmas Carols but my lips work, too, while the hands are knitting! More on my shawl later.............

Visit and Surprise

My two youngest sons were up for a visit; golf with Dad, new tires for Caleb's car needed to be put on and then Matthew surprised us by announcing he would paint our rusty wrought iron gates! Caleb finished his tires pretty quickly (Dad has all the tools he needed!) and worked on the other half. They got out the tractor and lifted it up with a chain and hauled it up for painting-it was in the high 90's so it was too hot to do it in the direct sun. The will put the second and final coat on next week! Thank you sons!

Caleb is in line for a promotion and needed some work shirts embroidered-a friend who used to work for his company, gave Caleb three new shirts but they had Ryan's name on it-I had to pick out the old name stitch by stitch , find just the right font and then re-write Caleb's-glad it worked out!

Flowers and Greenery

The rains have brought forth so much growth outside! The crepe myrtles are in full bloom. These were cut to the quick last spring and they are recovering nicely. I love the red flowers!

My mother's day gift from last year loves to brighten each day with its hibiscus flowers.

These clumps of portulaca grow all over the yard so I stick small bits into this pot of jasmine- they like the arrangement; so do we!

I killed the new orchid I bought a few months ago by putting it outside too soon and it didn't have time to adjust to the heat.........but first orchid is covered with blooms-it is very happy but I am going to get another fancy orchid and try again.

The dahlias from my dad are growing beautifully and still the blooms keep coming!

Dad sent us home with some new shoots for some blue flowering plants from the clump of plants I gave him several years ago-nice to have it go round like that! We will see how they do with the transplant.

Most of the garden is finished for now but we still have the butternut squash !

Bill and I take a walk most evenings and survey our little slice of Eden. Bill keeps wide paths mowed which make it pleasant to walk through the wild areas and gives a good view for things that slither. This is some kind of fennel for it smells just like dill but the plant isn't exactly like dill so we enjoy its aroma and the lacy beauty of the plant-it is 6 feet high now! While out by our pond, we always pause to listen to the pines sing- the subtle rustling sounds like far off traffic but it is the gently swaying of the trees and needles........quite captivating. This grove is about 60-70 feet tall. By far this is my favorite 'view' on our property. It is just one of the many mature live oaks that reside with us but this one is situated so perfectly. It is a feast to my eyes every day both in the morning and in the evening.........you can see why.

Ahoy, Matey!

Look what we came home with today! Bill has been looking for a boat that I will get in (has to have high sides and a canopy and real seats.....)

[Yes, he got a great deal on the bass boat but it is not wife-friendly so he kept looking and wow, 'he done good!' ]

Here it is, a 1993 Sea Pro Centra, 130 hp , 4cyl, 19.6' beauty with a cudy cabin. ( The canopy is in the cabin for transport.) I want to take it right out but Bill has to give it the once over-yes, reasonable, but patience is tough! We bought it to cruise the St Johns River for pleasure and fishing-plenty of room for my knitting and Bill's fishing gear. There is also room for friends so come for a visit!

See the proud new crew!

Birthday Boy Billy

Happy Birthday, dear husband!

Today we celebrate 57 years of Billydom in the world. What a ripple in the universe that day!

Ahhhhhhhhh, Saturday!

Saturdays have always held a very special place in my heart because I didn't have to get right up and dressed and head out of the house. Now that I am retired and can stay home and in pj's every day if I want, I work hard to keep Saturdays distinct and still special. It has a routine all its own-I will share it with you! First is breakfast and 2 pieces of toast-the only day that I indulge in this-eaten in front of a good book. (This is the second in a series of three by Lori Wick called The Rescue )

Next, I get going by picking up and straightening up-usually the kitchen is first that gets my attention, then I toss in laundry, never a burdensome chore to me.

Here is a trick my Mom taught me (and probably her Mom taught her....) that every good chore deserves a reward and I usually hit up a row or two between cleaning projects. This is about 35" across now, I knit a lot on the trip, but there is an error in the row below where I am so it is overwhelming to think how to correct the error. This was not a reward today!

So today I visited my sewing room to finish off some ideas. Mom and I re-covered her portable ironing board and it brought to mind my naked one sitting in storage so I tackled a new cover for it -pleasing results here!

I had seen one of these heat-proof padded covers for a tv tray and decided to make it next. I had bought the fabric while with Mom on our JoAnns excursion. Did you finish yours Mom? (If you look closely, you can see Bling behind the tray-he helped me all day and didn't appreciate being removed from the tray for the picture!) The summer rains are finally here-3 days in a row with afternoon rains! It is incredible what it does for the plants-it is looking very tropical out there.

And this is a new quilt that has been perculating in my head for a few months-I finally took the first cut and it went pretty quickly after that-the first cut is always the hardest, but you know that! I saw a picture an old Keepsake Quilting catalog and used the basic idea for this layout. I had purchased special templates to make the circle blocks while at the quilt show in NY--nice to put my souveniours to work!

Bill is treating me to some of his popcorn now which is a wonderful end to a great day.

Summer Vacation Part II

Here are a few pictures I didn't post the first time-this is the river view of my brother's home.

-this is the deck group as we enjoyed the BBQ.

And this is my youngest nephew who kindly gave up his place on the boat ride for a guest we brought at the last minute-thanks for your kindness!
(He is in the after dinner slump watching tv 'cuz it was raining out!)