Thicket

Introducing our newest baby girl-THICKET, a 4 month old springer spaniel. She is something else! The girls had been begging for a puppy for the longest time. They really had no idea what they were in for! LOL! This little thing loves getting stuff in her mouth and running with it. It's honestly worse than having a baby around. When I scold her she looks at me with those big brown eyes and my heart just melts. She has all of us wrapped around her little paw already. Who wouldn't fall for her when she climbs into your lap and nuzzles her head against you?

With all that energy we've had to come up with ways to burn it off. I've started taking her on my morning runs. She's a very good pace setter. If I am ever able to keep up with her I'll be in very good shape! LOL! She literally runs circles around me. Mark has been working with her twice a day. In the morning they work on discipline. The afternoon is for fetching and swimming. She's doing a great job.

She is a much welcomed bright spot in our family. Even Flirt loves her.

As for the cat, Lizzy-the jury's still out...

Farewell for now...

Have you ever had a person in your life who you think will just be there forever? Fortunately, I have.


Mark and I have been together for 17 years (3 dating and 14 married). I met his grandmother, Margaret within the first few months of our relationship. He told me later that if Margaret had not approved of me he would have never married me! It's the truth. She was more of a mother figure to him than a grandmother. He valued her opinion greatly and so did I.

I loved her from the beginning. She was so vibrant and full of life; such a hard worker. She loved hunting and working bird dogs with her husband. She had a beautiful yard-full of flowers, potted plants and a vegetable garden in the back. She loved to fish and hang out on the lake. She was passionate about family history. On top of all of this, she was a fabulous cook! I never ate anything at her house that I didn't like.


Because she was 6 hours away, we only saw her a couple of times a year. We talked on the phone much more than that! I usually spoke with her once a week. Anytime something would happen here, no matter how trivial, I'd pick up the phone and let her know. Our girls came to know her, not as a great- grandmother, but as their grandmother too. They would mention her all the time. It was hard for Emma to understand why we couldn't go to "Mar-get's " house everyday.

On July 14 we got a call that Margaret had passed away. I honestly couldn't believe it-even though she'd not been doing well. I thought she'd always be there for me-to share advice, wisdom and support. 17 years is only a drop in the bucket to the time I wish I 'd had with her. I grieve for my loss, though, and not hers. Margaret is dancing right now on the streets of gold-all healthy and new. She waited 14 years to see her husband again and even longer to see her Savior.


We've surrounded ourselves with little things to remind us of her-her sewing box, her iron skillet she used to cook burgers for us, her jewelry box and even a little step stool that always set in her kitchen. Not a day goes by that I don't think of her. I still reach for the phone to call her. I'm so thankful that God gave us so much time with her. Time for my girls to get to know and love her. Time for my friendship to develop with her. We made lots of sweet memories that will always be with us. As my dear husband said while comforting me, "This isn't good-bye, it's just farewell for now. One day will all be together again."

Grace turns 10!

My middle baby had her 10th birthday on August 5. Gosh, where does time go?
We started celebrating early while our Canadian friends were here. Grace wanted to go to Waterville (a local water park) for the day. She had so much fun.


Of course I couldn't let her "real" birthday slip by without doing something special too. Thankfully she agreed to family time. She started by spending her birthday eve with the cousins. They had all 3 of my girls over to spend the night. The next morning Aunt Melissa made Grace special birthday pancakes complete with candles.

We let her choose where she wanted to go for lunch (which happened to be my favorite place too-Panini Petes). After lunch Mark went back to work and us girls headed over to the Painting Parrot to paint pottery. This was SO much fun! We must have spent a couple of hours there. We can't wait to go back and do this again.

What would a birthday be without ice cream? We ended the afternoon by going to our favorite ice cream shop and indulging! Later in the evening Grace opened her presents and had cake. We all agreed that she had the best birthday ever. She, of all people, deserves it! I love you sweet girl!

Brilliant Blog Award

I've been given an award for this blog by Lil Birdie Stitches (thank you!) that I must pass along. The rules for receiving this award are:

1) Put the logo on your blog.

2) Add a link to the person who awarded you.

3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs.

4) Add links to those blogs on yours.

5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.I nominate...

Sara

Like Merchant Ships

Karen

JC Handmade

Candice

By Sun and Candlelight

Barb

The Canadian Invasion

We waited and waited and it's finally happened...THE CANADIANS ARE HERE!!!! We've been having the time of our lives showing them around our part of the world. Thankfully they say the weather isn't bad at all-in fact they said it's hotter in Canada! Who would have thought? The guys have been fishing (unsuccessfully!) while the girls have shopped (with much success!). Jenna and Natasha got to go to the final 2 days of volleyball camp with our girls. Then we hit the Eastern Shore Mall and the Tanger Outlet. There were still more shops to see, but no more room in the car for packages! I drove Natasha by the polo fields where she was able to meet a few new friends.

We've been skiing and spent a wonderful day at the beach-Cheryl found a star fish! Today we're going to just hang out by the pool.

Hopefully they've had their fill of seafood. We've eaten tuna, mullet, shrimp, snapper, oysters, grouper and crab cakes. Taras has finally stopped eating shrimp for breakfast! Tonight it's a traditional southern meal-collard greens and corn bread!

It's going to be hard to say goodbye in a couple of days. Actually, it's only "see ya later". We'll be back in Canada shortly after they get back home. Forget all this seafood, I want some perogies!!!

Coastal Wonders

I thought this summer would be slow and relaxing. Instead our calendar has been full! It's all been so good. The girls have done church camp, drama camp, Bible school and then Coastal Wonders. The last was one I knew they couldn't miss.

They went everyday, 8:30-4:30 for five days. These were not only fun filled days, but very educational. They learned things like the water cycle, paper-making, fish printing and migratory bird games. They went crabbing, seining, canoeing and on boardwalk hikes. There was also tye-dyeing, "wild" art and a portable planetarium. At the end of the day they had pool time and even an ice cream party on Friday. Who knew learning could be this much fun!

"Haute homespun out of the Deep South"

This is my new favorite book. Recently I came across an article in a magazine about the author, Natalie Chanin. I was intrigued. Here is a woman who traveled the world designing, etc and ended up coming back to her home state to follow her dreams and help the local community. Not only did she help provide jobs, but she uses recycled materials in her creations. Here's the editorial review from Amazon:

“Haute homespun out of the Deep South.” That’s how Vogue magazine has described the fashion of Natalie Chanin. Alabama Stitch Book brings us a collection of projects and stories from her clothing and lifestyle company, Alabama Chanin, known for the cutting-edge twist it puts on tried-and-true sewing, quilting, and embroidery techniques, applied mostly by hand to recycled cotton jersey. This long-awaited book from Chanin begins with her story. After living in New York and Vienna for over 20 years, she began to transform cotton T-shirts into high fashion using the needlework skills she learned as a child in Florence, Alabama. When she moved home, Chanin hired local women (many of whom had worked in the state’s now defunct textile factories) to stitch her couture collections with her. What follows is a step-by-step guide to the stitching, stenciling, and beading techniques used in the 20 projects showcased in the book: T-shirts, skirts, and corsets that are sold at chic shops around the world, plus a journal cover, sampler quilt, and tablecloth, among others. Also included are a pullout stencil, perforated postcard for bead-embroidery, and reusable patterns. Throughout are Robert Rausch’s beautiful photographs set against the back roads, farms, and homesteads of the rural South.

Not only is the book full of patterns and ideas, it also gives you the history of cotton, t-shirts, etc and tons of little details to help you with your projects. I checked the book out from the library first and was instantly in love! I anxiously await the arrival in the mail of my own copy.