a girl and a worm

See! Never seen a girl so proud of an earthworm.

did you know?

A butterfly bush attracts ... um ... BUTTERFLIES.Yes, it's a fact. I've found it to be true.
I welcome these visitors anytime. I've been marveling at the uniqueness of these delicate insects.
Such beauty to behold.

rainbow after the storm

We drove through a terrible thunderstorm.
Only to find this beauty on the other side.
In the second picture, look closely to the right,
there's a faint second rainbow.
We pulled over and got out of the car to take it all in.
Amazing.
Takes perfect conditions lining up to create this beauty.

update

on the 5 little birdiesin our fern

birdie babies

yep, they've started hatching!see the fuzzy little babies!

a 'fern' surprise

each spring,

after I hang ferns across the front porch,
there's always a mama bird
who finds the one hanging on the left, by the flag pole,
to be special enough for her nest.this year is no different.
I'm beginning to wonder if it is the same bird. lol.every time I step out front,
she violently flies away - and we're both scared.
she of me entering her territory.
and me, well, I'm not accustomed to the sudden fluttering.
I just need to water her fern-camouflage.
hopefully I'll get pictures of bird babies too!

nature

If we are children of God,

we have a tremendous treasure in nature
and will realize that it is holy and sacred.
We will see God reaching out to us
in every wind that blows,
every sunrise and sunset,
every cloud in the sky,
every flower that blooms,
and ever leaf that fades.
~Oswald Chambers

husbands kayak. girls chat. kids play.

a few weeks ago,

Chris and his buddy, W, kayaked on the local river.
so, W's wife and I met up at Chick-Fil-A for lunch.then headed to the botanical gardens.
to chat. catch up. share.
and take care of a little business
in gathering thoughts for an upcoming event.and of course,
we walked around the gardens with her sweet kiddos.fed stale bread to ducks and fish.rang the big bell.
enjoyed each other's company.
and savored the moments of lovely spring weather.

just writing this wears me out.

you see.
late one Friday afternoon.
we had a hair-brained idea.
to drive 45 minutes.
just over the NC state line.
meet friends.
hike together to see Whitewater falls.
after hiking .5 miles to this lookout,
we should have stopped.that wasn't such bad idea.
fresh air. exercise. and gorgeous view.
actually that would've been a good idea.however, one of the guys suggested we hike
the other mile to the bottom to see the view from there.

do you noticed?
it got dark quickly.and we had to hike out
another mile
up hill
through mountainous terrain
in a hurry
with two kiddos
as daylight was rapidly fleeting.

not a good idea.

we totally over-did-it.
and my leg muscles reminded me of this mistake
for several days following this 3-mile crazy adventure.

what a beautiful day

I slept in today (only until 8:30 AM),
since I've not been feeling so well.
Showered. And headed out to run a few errands.

On the way, I heard a strange "knocking" noise
coming from the front of my car.
Of course, I panicked and called Chris ...
"Something is wrong with my car."
And I worried all the way to my appointment.
I checked it out upon arrival and find it was only my fog light dangling
Just needs to be popped back in place.
Anyways, so that was a good discovery:
a simple problem with a simple fix and no gigantic repair bill.
Then I had a wonderful meeting with someone
regarding carrying out a New Yearresolution of mine.
Ill share more details soon.
Then I stopped in at Belk.
(side note: Yesterday, I went to Belk for the first time this YEAR!
I had to pick up something for Chris and I noticed
an awesome sale of 50% off already clearanced items.
I didn't have time to shop for myself yesterday;
so Chris told me to go back today without him.)
Today, I found super deals -- purchased 5 pieces for $25.92.

Most of all, I have thoroughly enjoyed the weather today.
I parked at back of the parking lot,
just so I could enjoy a nice long walk.
As I walked, I thanked God for the gorgeous day
... blue sky, white clouds, sunshine, warm temperature, and a gentle breeze.
Simply beautiful.

I hope you had a great day, as well.

to the river

We've had a lot of rain lately.

No snow, to speak of, just rain.

(rain gauge measured 3 inches last week)

This past Saturday, Chris, who likes to kayak occasionally,

wanted to go "check out" a local river at the high level.

I obliged and went along for the ride.

And Thumpy went along for the outing as well.

What can I say?

While Chris works, works, and sleeps,

Thumpy and I are stuck at home alone a lot.

We'll take a trip to the river to get out of the house.

videoing the rage to send

as a text message to all his river-rat buddies.

:)

strolling across the old bridge with Thumpy

Chris with his pal

I'll not bore you with Chris' other pictures,
but this river was extremely high and had been higher.
Kind of interesting, I guess.
Definitely made for a fun Saturday outing.

And today is my paternal grandfather's birthday!!
(I believe it's his 72nd birthday)
Happy, happy birthday to him.
I hope he has many, many more.

icy weather

Friday, the Wal-Mart crowd was crazy

all the bread and milk disappeared from the shelves

the weather forecast was a "winter storm"

the reality:

a little sleet & ice Friday night,

a snow flurry Saturday afternoon,

and freezing temperatures.

just enough to make everything pretty.

but main roads stayed clear and passable

thankfully it didn't hinder our church services yesterday.

today, our school district did have a 2-hr delay.

and i know the students and teachers loved that.

disappointingly enough, the weather man is forecasting

the same wintry mix of stuff for this weekend as well.

who knows? not i.

The Weather Man does. ;)

i'll just have to wait and see.

i needed my rain gear

but, would i look this cute
in my rain boots and jacket?

above she is putting on her her "happy" face.

isn't my niece adorable??

and i love the "not sure" look below.

i definitely needed some rain gear yesterday.
it rained off and on ALL day long.
so cold. so dreary. so soggy.
and I needed my rain boots and jacket.
(too bad they are at home)

but, today, i'm looking for a bright, bright, sunshiny day.

God is faithful

He never fails to send the sun to shine on our day.

He faithfully sends the moon out to shine each night.

He always sends food for the sparrows that fly.

He is faithful to clothe the lilies of the field.

And God will faithfully care for His own.
He never fails us - and He never will.

Every promise He fulfills.

I know, first-hand,

over and over, again and again,

God is faithful and true.