"Nana, I miss Kylie" ....

Anna: ".... I wish she could come to your house and play with us".

Me:  "I do too honey."

Anna:  "Can you call her mom or dad and ask them to bring her to 'Follow' Creek so she can play with us?" (Her older sister, Emily, called Fall Creek "Follow" Creek when she was a toddler. I suppose she heard follow when we said fall but it was just too precious to correct so we didn't. For safety's sake, we eventually corrected her just in case she ever really needed to tell someone where Nana lived. They both know it's Fall Creek now but still refer to it as "Follow" Creek. It makes me smile)

Me: "Baby, Uncle Josh isn't home and Aunt Gina can't bring her here. She's far away".

Anna: "I know but she better come here before she moves farther". (Outta the mouth of babes.)

Although Kylie (along with her daddy & mom) moved away to Great Lakes, IL a month before Anna Elisabeth was even born, she misses her cousin. From Great Lakes, IL (for 7-months) the Navy moved them to San Diego, CA (for a year) and from there to Mayport, FL (where they've been for 4-years). Kylie was only 16 months old herself when her family moved to Illinois. 

Em and Anna won't realize how much time was spent away from their cousin until they are all, a bit older. Here at Nana's house, and in their home as well, pics are everywhere of Miss Kylie and her parents. Conversations include her on a regular basis and it feels (to them) like they know their cousin very well even though they've shared very little time together in the physical sense. She's not here physically but she's always, always in our hearts and that's a big deal. 

New Year's Eve always finds me sentimental (I can only imagine I'm not alone in this ladies. Am I right?) I reflect on the past year. It's memories. It's circumstances. I compare it to our present state of being (this is not always a good idea) and then I think of the actual day.

What were we doing New Year's Eve 2011?

Last year both my sons along with their wives and daughters were here with us, in the home they both grew up in on "Follow" Creek. There was lots of food and lots of giggles from the grandgirlies. It was a good night. One that I've thought of several times in 2012. One of the times that a momma keeps in her heart and draws from when that Sailor and his family feel even farther away then they actually are. 

This evening, as we prepare for the new year (and by prepare I mean eat out at the local Mexican restaurant and stop by the store to grab a head of cabbage) I can't get my Sailor son and his family out of my mind (not that I've tried ;). April 2013 will find him back home with his wife and daughter before he's transferred to Texas which, as Anna predicted, is indeed farther away. The difference being is that he'll be on shore duty for three years. That makes his momma very happy.

2012 will go down in the history as a very different year for The Dials here on Follow Creek but that's okay. We're a tough lot with faith in a great God. Everything and everyone will be okay. I know that.

Me & my precious Anna Elisabeth, Dec. 2012

Of course, Miss Vivi was still in-utero this time last year and didn't make her appearance until April 2012. Her momma named her "Vivian" which means "alive, animated, lively" and she has certainly lived up to her name. I look forward to seeing what next year holds for "Vivilicious" -aka "Squishy" in certain circles ;) 

Happy New Year to you and yours my bloggy friends.  I pray choice blessings overtake you in 2013!

Christmas 2012

Today is December 25th, which means it's Christmas!

 

I hope this finds you either in the midst of enjoying every minute of the day or maybe just having finished up having a grand time with family, friends and all those you hold dear.

 

Christmas is something I have struggled with this year. Not struggled in the way you might think. I love Christmas. In my opinion it really is the most wonderful time of the year.

 

The truth is that 2012 has been a very different year in our home and I've had to work up every ounce of Christmas Spirit I've had. I've literally had to will myself to be merry & I can honestly say that I've never had to do that before.

Soon the tree will come down, "Edgar" (our "Elf on a Shelf") will be packed away (which reminds me, I gotta get him down from the tree top before the grandgirlies wonder why he didn't go back with Santa last night) as we prepare to welcome 2013 (silly Mayans! ;)

It's then that our lives will return to normal. While 2013 will not be without it's challenges I'm looking forward to the new year. I plan to use this last week of December mindfully, wrap up 2012 in a pretty bow & put it behind me.

 

I believe that one day (only God knows when) I'll look back on this year and know why those lessons learned were necessary but until then, I'll trust in the Lord. It's a must.

 

~ Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths (Proverbs 3:5,6) ~

 

Sounds like a great place to start.

 

Merry Christmas!

 

 

 



Oh where, Oh where ....

has my Christmas spirit gone?

Oh where, oh where can it be?

 

I'm not sure.

Well, that's not entirely true.

I kinda know.

The story could, quite possibly, involve Kleenex &

tears are never helpful when one is in search of

her Christmas Spirit ;)

 

"Kimberly's Kollection"

is decorated for the season but the house, now that may be a while longer. Thankfully this year November had five Thursdays

so we still have a week before it's even December.

That will work in my favor for sure.

When folks ask me

(and by folks I mean the grandgirlies)

"Why don't you have your tree up yet?"

or

"Why hasn't "Edgar" come to your house yet?"

(Edgar is our "Elf on a Shelf")

 

I can say

"It's not even December yet."

Brilliant!

Yep, that'll work ...

for a week any way ;)

 

I hope this finds you having just enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving & preparing for a Merry Christmas with lots of family & friends.

 

As for me, I'm off to watch more Christmas movies on

The Hallmark Channel & I thought about making pumpkin bread ...

that sounds like a recipe for some Christmas spirit, right? ;)

 

 

 

 

 



My baby is thirty ... sniff, sniff



I know that you mommas will all agree. There is nothing in the world that will make you more sentimental than your children's birthdays. No matter how old they are.

My baby is 30 today. Since I didn't take my own 30th birthday well, I see no reason to take his well either.  Having woke up in the wee hours of the morning, my thoughts have been directed toward the birthday boy and his brother (his senior by 2-years, 6-months & 26 days :). These thoughts have prompted me to cry for them, laugh for them but, most of all thank God for them ... and their daddy who made it all possible! (I told you I was feeling sentimental & not just a little ;)

Regrets? Of course. There are a few but really only three. Well, three biggies any way & I believe - all sentimentality aside - that without these three things nagging at my maternal heartstrings - all others would be rendered moot.

#1   I wish I'd taken more time to soak both of them in, slow down and cherish more of the moments with those precious boy bundles God so graciously entrusted to me. You see, I'm a firm believer that "The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world". Motherhood is the highest calling & to do it well takes everything you have within you and then some.

#2   I wish I had never uttered the word "hurry" to either one of them. What was I in such a hurry about anyway? If I could, I'd go back and replace every "Hurry" with "Don't worry. Momma will wait. Take your time precious one" ... but I can't and it makes me sad ... very sad.

My pregnancy with him was uneventful. His birth was not. I'll spare you the details ("You're welcome") but an emergency Cesarean produced a beautiful, 8 lb., 9 oz. baby boy with a head full of black hair ... perfection!  We both came home 5-days later, which also happened to be my 21st birthday.

His brother had some difficulty pronouncing the words baby and Philip so our new addition quickly become known within our family as "Bobby Phipp" . We've long since dropped the bobby but he remains Phipp (or Phipper) ... nicknames in Appalachia hold hard!

#3  I wish with all my heart that I'd had more children. At least two more. This regret is not a new one. I've felt it since they were both in junior high. The decision to stop at two children was strictly financial and now (5-days shy of 51) that seems an especially foolish decision to make so early in life (I was 21 - what was I thinking!) Of course, if you've known me (since becoming a mother) you'd know that the feeling of Fall in the air brings about visions of newborn wonderfulness & I ovulate ... even post hysterectomy! ;) 

With all that said, I'm so thankful for my boys. I never had a preference as to what gender either pregnancy produced.  I never gave it a second thought either way. Health was my only concern. (Perhaps I would've eventually had an opinion if I'd continued and kept popping out sons!)  Of course, back in the Stone Ages, you had to be prepared for either/or. There was no ultrasound "Gender Day".  You bought lots of green & yellow and you had  two names picked out. (I still remember them - Joshua Isaiah would have been "Rhonda Leigh" & Philip Andrew would have been "Candace" - her middle name was still up in the air :)   I stand amazed by God and His forethought and care for our future ... Of course, He would give me sons. There was no room in my home for another female suffering from PMS ... He gives us what we need ... He is infinitely wise! :)

Happy 30th birthday Philip Andrew!

Your momma loves you more than you'll ever know my sweet boy!

 

 

 

 

FriSatSunMonTuesdayPhotoDump

Friday Saturday SundayMonday
Tuesday PhotoDump

Well, you know what they say ...

"Better late than never"
(they are always saying things like that, aren't they?)

I know. I know. Pathetic. I'm Pathetic.
(That's what you're thinking. Admit it.)
When things get so busy that your Friday photo dump becomes your FridaySaturdaySundayMonday
Tuesday photo dump perhaps life has gotten a little out of hand.
Perhaps.
It was supposed to be a Monday dump but my pics took longer to upload than usual & alas, the clock struck midnight ... thus the reason it's a Tuesday dump. See, I'm not as lame as you thought.

Trinka, ever present, regardless of the time, day or night, right by side.  I love her!

Emily Rae helping me clean up the deck after one of our gazillionth T-storm this summer ...

Anna Elisabeth (aka Boochie) says she's had enough ... not much of an outside girl anyway ... the heat, humidity and "work" were more than she could take!

My corn has gotten pretty tall (except for the bit blown over by the storm the night before)

And it's TASSELLED!  Can cobbs of corn be far behind? I think not!  So exciting!

It's taller than Em ...

It's taller than Nana!

A blue-eyed Emily among some brown-eyed Susans

They make me soooooo happy!

I wish my tomatoes would get red already!

We went to Big Papaw & Geggy's to bum some flowers & goodness knows my mother has a lot to bum
and I was invited so I did ;)

My daddy out on the front porch reading the morning paper.

Ruby, the hound dog, the newest addition to the family ... she's adorable

Em & Ruby hit it off immediately!

This is the bed from which I gleaned ... lots to chose from!

My momma, she's still got it ... she can garden with the best of them!

The storm the night before blew down her brown-eyed Susans as well :(

A crawdad ... they grossed me out as a kid and they don't do me any favors as an adult ...

is there anything any uglier? I think not!

 Vivian came to pick up her big sisters & they were off to race ...

Don't they look ready to run ... heck, those girls look ready to win!

Well, that's it but it's not. I'm not sure where my VBS pics are. Why are they not in this folder? Hmmmm, I have no idea. Well, being that last weeks very impromtu VBS was a huge part of the reason this post is so late, I should show you a few ... my fear is that it will be Wednesday before I locate them so, it will have to be for another day.

Good night!

Friday Photos



      

Here's my Friday photo dump ...

I'm linking up with

Jeanette at Life Rearranged

 

You should hop over and visit ...

You'll be glad you did!

Have a wonderful weekend!

FridayPhotos ...

My high school sweetheart ...

My Thirty-One kit arrived today. I'm excited ...

The flowers soaked up today's rain ... I believe I'm going to have to thin out the perrenials by the backdoor at Summer's end ...
I did add a few impatients early on but you can hardly see them!

This hill is sunny & the only place I can have ferns & hostas is behind the house but they flourish there ... my ever faithful companion, Trinka, leads the way to the garden ...

The morning glories got off to a rough start but they're coming out of it ... it's really not their fault ... I forgot to soak the seeds before I planted them ... I know, I know ... I'll do better next year!

This purple coneflower is having an identity crisis ...
when it decides what's it's gonna do I'll share it ...
it's trying to be purple, really it is ...

I love that these "Brown-Eyed Susans" just volunteered to show up & beautify the back of the hill  ... aren't they lovely?





As did these coneflowers ....



and more Brown-Eyed Susans showed up near the
"dump" ... a small area where things (i.e. old bikes, lawnmowers, etc.)  are discarded until a trip to the landfill is necessary &
those 'brown-eyed girls' certainly makes the mess look prettier, don't they? ;)



My garden beds ... the deer have been unkind this year. In fact, not one pepper plant survived their voracious appetite ... I'll be prepared next year ... they certainly took advantage of my rookie-ness (is that a word?) ... I hope they enjoyed it 'cause next year ... it's on you dumb deer! ;)

My corn & beans are growing & growing!

Cilantro ... how do I love thee? Let me count the ways ...
I love in thee in salsa & salads & well, I love thee in everything ...
you're my favorite herb but don't tell the others! 

Would you like a cherry tomato? Yes, I believe I would ...

This cucumber is trying it's best to grow ...
my neighbors gave me 4 plants & this is the lone survivor of them all ... need I say it again? Yes, I shall "dumb deer!"

I harvested two zuchinni this evening ...
I'm very excited & yes, in answer to your question, I will be making zuchinni bread this weekend, I have no doubt!
(What? You weren't thinking about me making bread? Sorry, my mistake ;)

Now, I'm not a real fan of the whole umbrella dryer when it comes to an outdoor clothesline but I had searched & searched and wasn't able to find anything that I felt was sturdy enough. Sara my awesome neighbor told me that she had a good experience with the umbrella type dryer she'd had years ago. This one got good reviews on Amazon. com so I'm gonna give it a try ... what's one more thing on the hubby's honey-do list, right? ;)

Tomorrow night, we're having a dinner to honor our Pastor & the 25th anniversary of our church ... can you guess what I'll be bringing? "Turkey" you say? (How'd you know? ;)

Well, there you have it my FridayPhotos ...

I've got to hurry & post this because the gentle soaking rains of today have turned into some pretty violent lightning, thunder & rain so before the internet and/or electricity goes out I'll say

"Good night" ... have a wonderful weekend!