Just a foretaste of our camping at Hunting Island...

A foretaste of sunny skies ahead!?!?!

this was at low tide...

...an then high tide...

With Mama...

...and then Dad...

Demolition projects...

This is the house that Ryan is 'fixing up' behind the shop. We knew it had a floor problem under the kitchen sink...but it ended up being a bit more extensive than that as you can see!!

...and this is the inside of what was our camper!! Ivan was trying to fix it up. It spent the last 8 mth in the back of the shop...and he finally dispared for real!! ...So they decided to gut it and get the aluminum out of it...hopefully we can recover a few pennies that way!! I should have been out taking pictures this evening...they got it reduced to a foot high...Ivans words just now...

Ror the rest of us...I worked on an island in the yard here in the back of the house the other day...and I thought I stayed away from the poison and took a shower when I got in for good measure! Well, strangely, my arm and hands have these spots that just keep being itchy!! It was a cool morning to work, and I sent Geneva a text and asked her if she didn't hear one of the other flower beds calling her name. She texted back and said, yeah she was hearing it...but didn't want to heed the call! LOL!!

The children are into school and for the most part enjoying it. This is Gwynndons last year, and he has a real light load this year. I heard him telling one of his siblings the other day that its almost boring! But I am happy for him, cause schooling takes a lot of work for him, and am glad its going easier for him this year. He and Maurita have shop and home ec this year. For Gwynndon the first 1/2 of the year they are doing woodworking. He is planning to build a desk. Maurita is enjoying the home ec classes too...so far they had an introductory day with a tea party, and this week they worked at planning menus! Next week they have a class on baked goods.

The first full week Thorton had some stuffy head issues, and I threatened to keep him home a day or so, but hated for him to have to miss out. Then Geneva reminded me that he might have sinus problems like some of the rest of us were...so I gave him some liquid 'loratodine' and it snapped him right out of it. About Thurs of that week I told him he needed to go get his clothes on. He wondered which? I was confused till he wondered if he should get on school or everyday. I realized that he didn't realize that school at this point wasn't an option any more, so I proceeded to inform him of that fact, and he has been eagerly getting ready ever since!!

The last 2 weeks Andrea and I have been making wild goose chases to Orangeburg in persuit of a passport!! The first week, it was 15 min before the appointment and I asked Andrea if she had got her birth certificate...cause I knew I hadn't!! And she hadn't either...so we made an appointment for the next week...only to be informed that our birth certificate wouldn't work. The state of SC offers two different BC...a short form and a long form. Up until April the short form was sufficient...but now we need the long form. To obtain a long form, we need to take a trip to Columbia...so we are still waiting on a day for that to work out!

And next week the Heges will be arriving to the community, the event being a wedding...Eric Hege and Kendra Peachey. Andrea is still trying to get her dress finished. Actually she had it all done but the handwork, and last night we got that pinned for her. So that is finished now, but the belt needs a few tucks and pinches yet!! So this week I have been putting things in the freezer to help out then!

SCHOOL...

Ok...so our 'baby' started school the other day. Like I told someone...he's been out of the house for quite a while now, so you know when I missed him? When I had 3 ice cream pails of peach peelings, and wanted to call out to the shop to tell Andrea to send one of the little boys in to take them out!!

And they were all ready to leave at 7:45, so were relaxing on the porch...waiting...

And then this blog wouldn't be complete without one of the 'whole' crew!! We have 6 going to school this year...I didn't go back and look, but that didn't happen real often!!

What is Charity?

It is Silence-
When your words would hurt...
It is Patience-
When your neighbors curt...
It is Deafness-
When a scandal flows...
It is Thoughtfulness-
For others woes...
It is Promptness-
When a duty calls...
It is Courage-
When misfortune falls...

Ivan found this the other day...and we really like it...Geneva is going to make a sign!

Hey...I did it!!

I think I got it figured out...how to change this thing. . . (smiley face inserted here...this font don't do smiles!!) Ivan is headed for bed...so gotta run!

A relaxing Sunday...

We enjoyed being at church this morning with most of our church family back again. Last week a good 1/2 was missing...we enjoyed being a small group with a fellowship meal in the back of the church, but we enjoyed having them all back again. The reason so many were gone...there was a wedding in PA and one in WI that claimed many of them, and some were just off visiting family! This morning Mark preached a very good sermon on 'Liberty in Christ' It is not liberty to do what 'we' want to do...we have a responsibly to show 'love' to our brothers and sisters...was the basic theme of it.

And tonight the Ivan and the older children are playing the farming game! I just heard a comment that whoever has $150,000. worth of stuff wins...and I think I have that much! I was reading Lisls friend Rachels blog. She writes so interesting and I have enjoyed keeping up with her commentary on her 'twin' pregnancy. Geneva is downstairs and the little boys just went outside...hard to tell.

This week we got some rain...lovely rain! I told Lanell on Tues when it rained, I was beginning to feel like she talks about. When it rains, you just stop and enjoy! I was hanging out at the shop...so was a bit easier to do that, then when in the house and other things calling!

Why was I in the shop. Geneva and Andrea went to PA and escorted Mom and Jean to WI for Joel Butikofer and Natalie Goods wedding. Mom as a Great Aunt felt honored to get an invite...and it worked out for them to go. I was a bit anxious about the journey, cause just before they came here the end of May, Mom had fallen again, and hurt her one wrist. Then while here, she fell again at Dannys...but things went real well for them, and they all seemed to enjoy the journey! Andrea was grumping about it not being long enough...and I told her that she needed to be thankful for the time that she had. She told me that she was, but that it wasn't long enough. I informed her that was the story of my life...so get used to it and hang on for the ride! LOL! I also told her that I was thinking one evening while I was in the garden, that MAYBE I should have been the one who should have gone and got to renew auld acquaintances with my cousins who I haven't seen in FOREVER!!! (I was trying to be dramatic, like teenagers can be!!)

Things have thankfully left up a bit gardening wise...but now with Ryan gone...Ivan feels the pressure. It hasn't been too bad, and he takes time out in the evenings to work with the sawmill. That seems to relieve some of the pressures that the stresses of the day can accumulate! Last Sat he got all his 'logs' cut up, but by this Sat another pile has accumulated. Back to the garden, we are down to tomatoes and zipper peas, okra (these are all very low maintenance compared to some of the veggies we had coming in earlier) and I can't believe it...we are still getting side shoots of broccoli! Not great amounts, but eating fresh, and even freezing a bit on the side. And I haven't had to dust it once this year. The 2nd picking I saw about 2-3 worms, and no more since...so not sure what took them away.

The other evening I went with Ivan to pick up the last 3 logs over by Garys. On the way home I was able to catch the sunset...but missed the prettiest part. Its amazing how it can hide behind the trees, and when you finally get to a spot you can see it...and its already slipped too far down to be pretty. Oh yeah, the night before the children and I had gone to pick blueberries. Gwynndon was driving, and we clear took a bunny trail...hoping to get a good picture...and it eluded us!!

PS...If y'all think about it pray for Daryl Brubaker...his struggle with cancer seems to be a loosing battle...he didn't make it to church this morning. Our prayer for him and Sharon are that God will give them the strength they need for each day. And Enos Heatwole isn't well. He had struggles with digestion and they traced it to a 'bile' obstruction. In May he had an operation for that, and now can eat again, but has problems with fluid buildup. He has lost his robust strength. The 2nd Sun in June we had baptism, and his oldest gr grandson was one of the ones to be baptized. It brought tears to my eyes when he made his way up the aisle to greet him as a brother in the church!!

Comments...

Well, since I can't seem to get my comments to go thru...I will do like Amy, and try to do some comments here!! By the way Amy...I DO get tired too...and may do one later on if I have more time on my humanity!! And maybe that is why I don't have time to beatify my home and get pictures on here...I so enjoy y'alls 'like Geneva termed it...Better Homes and Garden' houses! Right now it seems we are raising boys instead!! (The reason I said boys is because I think my girls are all big enough to appreciate the finer things in life...but the boys aren't yet!)
Arla, I so enjoy your posts, and esp the one I read last evening about watching the waves. That is one of my favorite pastimes that not all in my family enjoy! So I count it a privilege when they put up with Mom and her 'ocean' thing!!
An to Lisl, we have been watching your 'progress' and think of you from time to time these days and are praying that your baby will come in its due time and you will have the patience and strength to hang in there!!
Amy, we hope that you enjoy Norv's to the fullest...and feel blessed that you are on a 'traffic' route...otherwise folks just don't take the time to search you out!! We were disappointed that they didn't take the extra 10 hours to drive here...but know how traveling can be...so we are trying to forgive them!! Oh, yeah, our Bible School theme this past week was on forgiveness...but we were so busy in the craft class, that we didn't get in on the learning part! LOL!
An to the rest of you...its been awhile since I read your blogs, and can't remember the comments that I wanted to make at the time...but we do enjoy hearing!!
And I have been wondering how you all seem to change the backgrounds on your blogs so frequently, where and how do you do it! I've done some messing around...and can't even remember how I came up with what is here now! Well, better run...there is a HUGE basket of jeans to be hung out, and this is the morning that the girls get to sleep in... :-)

Life...

Has been chugging right on...
...The end of April Ivan and I escorted the high school students and their teacher on a 3 day FL trip. Some of the things we went to...Wycliffe Bible Translators...Titanic...Epcot...Ripleys Believe it or Not... Packed full days...but had a fun time. We sure got our excersize...Ivan took his walk meter along, and we walked 14 mile the day at Epcot alone!! Ryan and Andrea kept the shop open while we were gone. Poor Andrea...we hadn't had any Uhaul rentals for at least a month, and in the 3 days we were gone she did 4 different transactions! After 2 years of doing rentals...I am just starting to feel comfortable with it...and she definately was NOT!!
...Then the next 3 weeks was last minute field trips, tests and all that comes with then end of school.
...Then the youth went camping for 3 days...so Ivan and I had the shop with the younger family. Ivan had been a bit worried about trying to keep up with out his 'big' helpers...but it was good for Kylan and Delvin to pitch in, and we were able to accomplish a surprisingly amount of things. Actually the 3rd day, Maurita had gone overnite with the girls from her room at school. After breakfast Ivan and the boys had gone to the shop, and I was quick trying to cut out a dress before going out...and the boys came rushing back in and said that we were gonna go to the zoo!! So we took the day off too. We took some parts along that needed returned...so it was a 'business trip'?? :-)
...the youth also did a birthday meal for one of the prisons in Columbia.
...and then we were trying to get some sewing done...why am I such a procratinator??
...Then to the garden was starting, we pulled out the peas the other day, broccoli is giving side shoots, cukes and beans are started. Fact is Mon we had 3 bushel of beans...all 41 qt..and then Thurs 2 more bushel...
...and now we are on our way to FL...Pensacola to be exact. My neice Rachel is getting married, and quite a few of our family has jobs...thats the reason for all the sewing.
...We get to see Allen and Lanell. They came into PA last week, and are bringing Mom and Jean down to the wedding also...then will come back to spend a few days in SC, so we are looking forward to that...
...and right now...Geneva is home trying to work on a uhaul rental...and her connection isn't fast enough or something...and I am as frustrated as she is!! I hope the customer is patient!!

All In a Days Work!!

Well, yesterday started out like so many other Friday mornings. I did 3 load of laundry and hung most of it out on the line. Washed the kitchen floor...and Thorton came in wanting me to make a 'machete' pouch like Kylan has. Well, I said maybe you should get Andrea to make one, (since she is out at the shop and usually has extra time on her hands) He said I asked her to, but she said she doesn't know how! He even had the jean pant leg that he wanted it made out of! In my mind, I am remembering how when the older boys were young and I had time to stop and make them arrow pouches, knife pouches, etc...and thought well, guess he deserves some 'mom' time too. And you know, it didn't really take all that long, and he was pleased as could be. Lately he has been grumpy about doing his preschool books, cause he don't like to do them. So I threw a bit of a curve ball into the procedure, by telling him that I really didn't 'feel' like doing this, and life is made up of such things, and we need to cheerfully do them anyway! Then when I was done, I told him that since I had done this for him, now he needed to go do some preschool pages for me! Am I a mean mom or what!! He really can do the books with no problem, but since the weather outside is so delightful...it is just against his 'grain' to sit inside doing books!
Back to my day, I spent 1/2 of the afternoon in the shop working on quarterly taxes and trying to remember if they were due the 15th, or the end of the month! Finally I took the time to look it up and was relieved to see that I had a couple more weeks to come up with the figure!
Back in the house, I decided to quick cut out a dress for myself. Since I had just finished sewing one, I was pretty confident on where I needed to cut, so it went surprisingly fast. And when I was getting ready to leave for my Fri afternoon trip to town, I became aware of the container of mashed banana sitting on the counter. That morning Kylan had seen it in the freezer and said that I should make a banana cake again...and I told him to get it out to thaw, that I would make one. So I quick mixed that up, and Maurita was here to watch it bake!! I really doubt she spent too much time watching it...but she was here to get it out!
So, I went to town...the bank, grocery store, (Piggly Wiggly don't have too much to offer by way of cheap groceries, but they do have sales sometimes that are affordable!), Dollar General where I got to catch up with Sharon B, and another lady from town that we have had contact with, and made a stop by the library to pick up some items that were on hold.
Back home, I unloaded the sodas and Gatorade at the shop, and picked up Gwynndon to take him back to school. The high school was making a supper to sell to provide some of the funds for their class trip to FL this year coming in a couple weeks. The trip to school was 2-fold, since Gwynndon doesn't have his nite driving license, he can't drive after 8, so needed to get a ride home with someone else, and I picked up 8 boxes of carry out for our supper here at home. I also dropped off 2 boxes on the way home for a customer that had ordered. That was a really strange feeling, going into someones drive who wasn't home, and put their meals in the fridge in their garage!
Back home, we ate supper, and had plenty. Ivan wasn't eating suppers this week, but there was a whole box left over when the rest of us were full, so I took it out to the shop and spent some time there while he ate. After I was back in the house, Quinten came in with a big handful of strawberries, so big he held them against his chest so they wouldn't fall, and said 'Mama, you should pick your strawberries, there are lots of red ones out there'. Inwardly I groaned, cause, they weren't to be picked till today, and the biggest one on top was pretty white!! So, I took time to explain that I was glad he was trying to be helpful, but I really would like it if he would let me help do the picking next time, cause these looked a bit on the too white side!!
Maurita had told me when I was cutting the dress for me, that I could cut one for her too, so after supper I told her to bring her material, and was trying to figure it out, when Quinten came in and said that Ryan wanted me in the garden. I had seen that he had got out the wire for the bean/cuke fence before supper, and it works real well for about 5 people to carry it in and hold it while they are fastening it. I had about 2-3 of them tell me that the beans were hardly big enough yet, but I told them till next week, I am sure they would be to the stage where it feels like everyone is just tramping all over them, and I am on edge the whole time, sure the bean plants will be history!
Then I saw some nut grass that needed hoed out, so told one of the boys to go get the hoe for me...and then I ended up hoeing about 3-4 rows till it got dark. I came to the house to clean up, and discovered the material out on the table...so yes, I had everything figured out, so went ahead and cut it!! And while I was cutting Gwynndon called and wanted to know how much left over rice and hash I needed. Then later he wondered if we could use 20 gal of tea!...and if it would be ok to leave it there to get in the morning. I am like, I am not going over to school in the morning for tea, its not really that precious! I knew the ride home he had there was a pickup involved, so they put the garbage can of left over tea on the back, and I filled a 5 gal jug, 2 2gal jugs and 2 gal pitchers in the fridge. There is still some in the garbage can on the back porch, and the boys were having fun going and dipping the tea out of it all day...soon, I think, we will dump the rest and clean up the GC!!
And so...it was really a days work...thankfully they aren't all like this one...some may even be worse! LOL!!

Perseverance...

I didn't get my bid in for pecans very early this year...and when I called Wendells, he said they were all out. Well, a couple days later Naomi called and said that she did put 2 additional bags in the freezer, and became aware later that she still had a bag in there...if we didn't want so many, they could share a few. The next day, Don came breezing into the shop wondering if I had change for a 20 dollar bill. He had some fellows picking up pecans and needed some small change to pay them. As he was leaving, I asked if they had more that needed picked up. He didn't think so, but he sure would have left us have the job, if he knew we were interested. Well, about an hour later, Ivan called and said that Don had called and said the ones that picked up the pecans didn't finish their job, and we could come pick the rest if we wanted! So after school from Maurita down went and helped pick up pecans. We got about a peck, which wasn't so much, but I was glad for them. Then they said that there were more in the tree, if we came back in about a week or so we could have what we could find.

That evening Ivan sat down with the 'cracker' and started shelling them. Then Tues, they called and said there were more to pick up, and they were calling for rain. This time, Maurita was under the weather, so was just Kylan, Delvin and Quinten to help me, but they were good help, and we came home with a bushel...yes a bushel of pecans this time. This was way more than I ever anticipated! Ivan hadn't quite got the first ones all cracked, and he is like wow, we will need to get busy! I reminded him that other years, he just cracked, and then I could work at them by spells during the day...so the first night he did a peck. Wed evening he stayed home from church with the sick ones, and did another peck! I told him that I had hoped he would pick out what was already cracked, and not do more!! :) But we worked at them, and by Fri evening most of those were finished...and Fri evening he cracked the last 1/2 bushel...so now we had lots to do. I worked at them off n on Sat, and then after supper he got a bowl, and we shelled pecans. By 9:30 we were finished, and had 4 1/2 gallon bags ready for the freezer. We also had about 2 qt of small pieces that I kept separate for chopped pecans. We are glad that job is finished...got more than I bargained for, maybe next year I won't have to get any!! Grin!

lovely weather...sick boys

We have been having some lovely weather the last couple of days...the thermometer today says 72*! Yesterday was nice also...I heard Geneva telling Kylan that she milked last night with the curtains up! LOL, here in the south we don't have solid walls on the dairy barns, there are heavy duty curtains they pull shut when it gets cold...so she was crowing about the fact that it was warm enough to have them open!! Kylan answers back that he went shopping without a coat!

Thorton has been fighting a cold all week, and Thurs morning he woke with a definite fever...about 12:30 Miss Ashley called home and said she was concerned about Quinten. He hadn't been acting 'normal'so I went and brought him home too. He did sleep all afternoon, but other than that, didn't act real sick. By Fri he had fever, and was on the couch most of the day! I thought maybe they would be well by this morning, but Thorton is still coughing and Quinten felt a bit warm...so took his temp and it was 99.1*...fever??? Anyway we were home from church and got to use our churches 'new' conference line and hear the message at home anyway!! What a blessing. The boys had been out for awhile earlier and I think their Daddy wanted to make better timing on his walk, cause he sent them in. Now they have been bugging me for the last 1/2 hour that they want to play ball!!

And yesterday I felt like a 'torn' mom! Maurita and Kylan had got these Krispie Kreme doughnut coupons that they really wanted to use, and we did need some things in Columbia, so Ivan told me to go and take them! I really don't like to do things like that without him, but I knew he didn't want to 'blow' the whole day shopping. And besides all that with 2 little sick boys at home...but we went. I told Quinten if he needed to get hold of Ivan what he needed to dial on the phone. Gwynndon was in and out also...so they weren't totally 'home alone'!! KKD was our 2nd stop of the day...and if I had known...I would have made it be the last one! Soon after that Kylan took up the refrain...'when are we going home' and similar statements! He was pleased at the Goodwill store to find two little houses, that he thought they could use for their train set up. Actually one was a fire station and he thought they had enough fire trucks at home to set around it!! So hope his day wasn't totally in vain!! Last weekend in Helen GA, one of our stops was a model train setup of the country of Germany. Since then Gwynndon and Kylan have a renewed interest in their train set up...Gwynndon is trying to figure out what to use to make roads...

One of the things I found at Goodwill was a complete set, minus #1 of the Thomas Maxwell Bible story books! I thought it said hardbacks were $2 a piece, so I was figuring them at $19...and the clerk said, oh no, theses are childrens books, they are $1 apiece. I sure didn't argue on that one...knowing several years ago I had seen them at the flea market, and they wanted $99 for the set!! I had the first one at home, so now my set is complete!!

When we got home, the gate was shut and the place looked a bit deserted, except for the saw that we heard buzz occasionally from the general area of the swamp. Ivans project that he got accomplished yesterday was working on the 'boardwalk' in the swamp. Sometime ago they transported the 30 ft wheel chair ramp from the neighbors house down there, but we couldn't really use it...as the one end was 3 ft in the air, so you had to take a running jump to get on it! :) After he got that lowered properly, he then proceeded to build more walk. I haven't been down yet for a 'walk on the boardwalk'...so not sure where it goes to. One reported that its clear to the river, and one other said, oh, no, just to the deer stand! So maybe I will go take a jaunt right now to find out!! Later~~

Trapping...

This is the subject most in 'vogue' at our house these days! The older boys have set traps in the river to try to deplete the beaver population that has taken up residence there lately. The first several days they went diligently checking the traps, and couldn't figure why they were getting anything...till they discovered the safety was still on! We won't tell who was responsible for this! When they got it set properly..they caught one on Sat.

And the little boys...have set a trap...of sorts...in the little shop by the house. They thought a 'big' rat was digging in the trash bags that are stored out there till the load is big enough to take to the dump. Sat I heard them talking about setting a bucket with a board up the side...but no success. So Delvin was telling Kylan the other night that he had emptied something and piled the stuff beside it, then put some smarties in the bucket... Musta worked. Yesterday morning, Delvin came beaming in the house carrying this foot square plastic container with 2 mice in the bottom, all nicely taped shut. Wondering if he could take this to school!!! I am like, I DON'T think so! Then came the tears...so I said, you go ask your Daddy! That always takes care of it for me! In the meantime, Geneva poked her head out her bedroom door with a comical face, wondering what was the subject at hand. I said would you have appreciated that offering coming to school?!? Her quick reply was not really! Well, thankfully his Dad also vetoed the idea.

At lunchtime we were comparing notes, and he had actually caught 3 mice, and one got away in the transporting to the container. Ryan also discovered that he 'stashed' then up by the firepit while they went to school! He thought that maybe we could suggest that Delvin feed them to his cat, and he would enjoy watching that process! Well, when I first gave him that idea, he thought that would be cruel...but I explained to him the fact that it is all part of the food system! Tried to go on to explain that this is what was tearing up their bags, and how much of a nuisance they really are! I also told him that really it was kinda cruel to keep them in the container too! At supper we discovered that he did indeed feed them to the cat.

Oh in the meanwhile when he came home from school, he said Miss Darlene said that it would have been ok to bring them to school! Ivan did talk with her last night, and she was fine with it, he hadn't realized they were already history at the time! So he texted her this morning and said they wouldn't be coming after all! In the meantime, in the house, Kylan even got into the spirit!! He came in all excited...they caught 4 this morning. So they were dutifully packed in the container of yesterday, and transported off to school!! Ivan retexted Darlene, then even called Mr Korver and said that he hoped it wasn't the wrong thing to do, and wanted him to be aware of what was happening, so no big boys tried their powers of what ever, and that they won't have loose mice at school!!

Just before they left I tried to convince Delvin that maybe he should go ahead and feed 2 of the mice to the cat this morning, since the container might be kinda small for 4 of them. He emphatically informed me that he only feeds the cat once a day!!!

projects... perseverance...payoff

Well, I came home from town late afternoon...and Kylan was washing Ryans pickup. It was fairly cold out there to be washing pickups...but Kylan has been faithfully doing the job for awhile now. His payoff was when the job was finished tonight. Ryan had a camera that turned out to be not all that great, so he had got another one. Kylan had a hankering for that camera...so Ryan bargained with him to wash his truck for 4 xs...and it was his. So when Maurita and Kylan left for the supper at Mr Korvers, Kylan proudly had a camera to take with him to use!!

...and we have been quilting in our spare time around here...and the last row is on top. Its not finished yet...but almost. Makes you get a bit more enthused when the end is in view!

Over Christmas vacation Gwynndon started building a trailer with an old camper axle. Ivan decided when he saw that Gwynndon's heart was there, he was going to encourage it along. I over heard Gwynndon saying tonight that he needs to do a bit more tomorrow...and it will be ready for paint. Ivan was quick to inform him that it needs to warm up quite a bit before that will happen! :-) Ryan is even getting enthused about that project. Ivan kinda dropped him a word on the side, that since he might like to use it occasionally...maybe he should donate the treated wood for the bottom...I think those are in the permanent plans!

Since Thanksgiving when Evan S was here from ID, Gwynndon had his abode in the loft. Earlier he had carried the old desk from the shop up there. He found a book shelf in the ole' blue house, and they have a train set on the floor too. Its quite the cozy little place. Anyway he had been complaining lately that it seems a bit too cozy! So I told him that I guess he could put the single bed up there instead of the double one, that might give him more room. This morning he informed me that last night he moved back downstairs...with his bed! I am like what? Well, he decided to put the single bed in the loft, but since hes been enjoying more room in the double bed...he just felt like he was falling out of the single one...so he went ahead and slept downstairs in the double! Not sure what is gonna happen when our 'big' boys find wives!! Guess that comment was a bit off the original subject! LOL!

Those are just a few of the things that have been taking place around here lately!!

Our story of Dec...

The first weekend in Dec, Ivan and I went to PA. All of my brothers and sisters joined us there to help Mom remember that she is now 80! Sun for lunch we invited all the local, mobile aunts and uncles for lunch. Uncle Amos didn't make it on the first picture.





Some of the annual cookie plates...


Dec 14, 2010...our 25th anniversary. The girls prepared us a lovely supper. The bouquet was from Dannys, Garys, and Allens.




The night all the rest of the children were Christmas caroling...Ivan lined up the 'stair steps' to record in history!!


Dec 21 we had all the 'Heges in the south' for Christmas. With Mom and Jean here...we totaled 43...so we had it in the back of the shop this year! Unfortunately...they took lots of pictures of the decor...but no one thought about the food buffet, and while everyone was eating!!




The Fri before Christmas I got a ride to PA and drove Mom and Jean down here for 1 1/2 weeks, so they got to spend Christmas with us this year!


All day Sunday the 26, we had snow flurries...and Mon morning this is what it looked like when we woke up...



This is what has been occupying the little boys attention the last while...Thorton got another set this year to add to the total array!



This has been happening the last 2 weeks...as often as I can 'coax' them into helping me! Andrea is the most willing helper...and she is leaving tomorrow...boo..hoo!