The 4'th of July

Hello, everybody!!

Ah, what a blessed day we had on the 4'th-such sweet fellowship, fun games, delicious stew and inspiring talks...We went to bed that night so refresh by the Body of Christ....The Lord is indeed gracious.

Here's a few pictures from the day-enjoy, dahlings!! Not much time, so I'll skip along!!

Love,

Adeline
Daddy dear's wonderful Brunswick Strew in the making!
"I think not, baby puppy." ;) (Silly movie quote... :)
Fellowship around the stew pot...
Meanwhile, most of us kids fill water balloons for the Great Battle of...oh, I don't know, Waterloo? Cheesy, I know, LOL...
Smells soo good...
Time to eat! Here, Daddy and Mama fill up urns with stew to take back in to the food table... ;)
Soup and crackers are one of the most comforting things in the world, I think...Ah...
Birthday Buddies Daisy and Joe!!

More balloon fillers...or snatchers. :D
Mr. Fritz and Marty try out Wesley's bike...
And Uncle Marc, too! That thing is quite the entertainment piece, LOL.
Cleveland
And, what 4'th of July is complete without watermelon!?
'Panda and 'Angie enjoy a piece together...
And the twins..LOL, they are so incredibly cute they make me laugh for joy!! Those precious little smiles...
Red, White and Blue...and a little green, too... :D
Got a system down...

"Next!"
And, the battle begins!!!Mr. Fritz tries out his stealth skills on TJ...Dear Aunt Laura
Sweet little Martha!
Rosie's got one.
Halt, kiddo!!
Mrs. Leslie enjoying the shade...Such a sweetie...thanks for taking pictures for me, ma'am!
Laughter...
Such a beautiful mother...

Campbell...
Enjoying the water... ;)
Wesley tossin' it...
Look out, Mike...Horray for Mama dearest!! She's going for the flag!! Ah, I love my Mom so much-she's absolutely great!!
Enjoying the shade#2
General Running and ThrowingIn between games everybody stopped to replenish their balloon supply. I love that one-man system, Wes-very nice. :D
Root Beer is one of our July 4'th traditions...Oh, and they have to be chilled in a cow trough filled with ice for it to taste just right. :)
Daddy gave the most inspiring talk to us later that afternoon about being bold Christians who stand up and proclaim the truth of God's word, and who are a salt and a light in this country that has, so sadly, strayed from the Lord and His principles that it was (for the most part) founded on. May the Lord help us, and have mercy on us.

After the time of sharing and having dessert, (everybody but the R.'s had to head on home about that time-we missed them all, but know they had a good time with family that evening) Anyway, we had a ball that afternoon with the dear folks who got to stay. Above, Daddy Darling and Wes race with eggs and spoons...
Passing it off...
Poor Andrew fractured his foot that day, so here's our dear wounded man doing an egg race-I love that perseverance, buddy!!
Future Victims
Go Daddy!!
Wes creaming all competition with the butter and sugar mixture. Add the egg, vanilla and milk mixture alternately with the flour. Mix well....
DeeRound two...
Wes
Another round...

And then the three legged races...and they're off!!Coming down the home stretch...

"Onward, my companion!"
Almost there....

And, Daisy and Norma come out winning by a foot or two-great coordination, girlies!
And then the men did a tug-o-war...
Pulling harder...
and longer...
Aww...what a sweetheart. She loves her big sister...Was taking Joe on a ride...
Father and Son

After kick-ball, shooting off leftover water balloons in the sling shoot at the two targets was considered great fun...
Campbell's turn...The Two Targets
Mr. Joe Man!!
Missed shoot...
Laughter...
And here's our little Joe-Man again, covered in watermelon, LOL.
Later that evening, Daisy was so kind and let me use her for a photography subject-isn't she beautiful!? I love the way her heart is even so much more so-ah, what a dear girl!
And here's us girls sitting on the front porch watching the 'fireworks', LOL!! That was so fun...
I shall end with a picture of my dearest Daddy...Praise the Lord for such a wonderful day together!!

Hope you all have a very blessed evening, y'all!

Love, Adeline

We're Home!!

Abbi's May-Pop Picture

Hello, darlings!

Well, Cleve and I are back home from a delightful few days at the dear Sanders' home in AL-Daddy and the boys are doing the framing on their home, and I got to tag along with Cleve this time while he did a few things on the job, and spend the days with the sweet girlies and Mrs. Wendi-ah, such a wonderful time we had-so many precious memories! Got some hilarious pictures to show you on that trip, LOL. :) I'll have to show y'all those and a million other wonderful happenings ASAP, but right now, I'm off to "love on" (ie, straighten, clean, put out fresh flowers, water plants, sweep, etc.) my home!! How I missed my darling family and our little spot of earth!! Today I shall, Lord willing, deep clean the third floor and wash the bedding for the upcoming family retreat we are having at our home this weekend-we are so excited about that and are so looking forward to seeing some of our dear friends. (and meeting some new ones, I hear-that will be fab!)

Mama and Daddy dearest are gone this morning on a planning session, Edger and Willie R. are here doin' fencing, and Tom's down there helping. Marth's doing laundry, Sam carrying stuff up the barn for me, and I think John's about to start mowing the lawn...not sure what the other kids are up to right this minute...ah, beautiful music is turned up, and a refreshing summer breeze is coming through the opened window...it looks like it might rain. Good, sweet rain.

Praise the Lord. He is so good.

We love you all!!

For the Fam,

Adeline

LOL...

:D I love my sista'-in-love!! And her search for her hubby's hat was indeed successful. :)

Recent Randomness, Grandkids and Michael's Birthday...

Hey, dears!!
Well, as the title pretty much sums up this here postling, we'll be off to pictures...
Around Mike's birthday, Kressant threw a lovely (and delicious) dessert bar party for her dear husband. What a wonderful evening! She made two fabulous cheesecakes, creamy milkshakes, and had ice cream and milk and everything! We played Rook, Guess Who, :) and Monopoly that evening, amidst much laughter, eating, talking and just having such a sweet family time.
Monopoly has been our craze lately.... :) Uncle Cleve and Critter (Michael III) havin' fun!
The exchanging of land...
LOL, Paul won that game-how cute! Such a smart little guy. Must have had to have been very frugal by the looks of his little stash. ;)
I now interrupt birthday pictures with a peek at Dee's adorable skirt she made the other day!! Isn't it precious, girls?
I love the fabric and trim she used.
And here's Sam Man. I just love his smile...

And.....drum roll, please---Ta-Da!! A fan! In the laundry room! Ah, it feels soo good in there now...Above is our dear, rejoicing laundress, showing off the little beauty.And, another little joy of life-we got a new ironing board cover while we were fixing up the room. :) It's even blue, y'all.
See, to match yon' walls!! How neat is that. Oh, what do y'all think of our new laundry room color? It used to be a yellow shade, and it made you feel hot in the summer, so we figured this cool toned blue would be refreshing. We're really happy at how it turned out! Nothing like a fresh coat of paint to liven up a room...

And, now back to birthday and Monopoly...LOL, Sam looks like he's been jipped or something.
The horse and rider are rejoicing over their newly acquired property...
LOL, I just love each of their expressions in this one...
Our dear Kress and little Carlos!! Michael about to blow out the little torches.... Happy Birthday, dear brother! We love you so much! Thanks for the wonderful time, y'all!!
And I shall end with a picture of the three (present here at the farm) grandchildren: Here's Mikey,
And Joe,And Carlos!! :D (This child has got some jaws-he makes us all laugh when he stuffs enormous objects in there! Haha!)

Ah. What cuties.

Well, gotta' run, y'all!

Love in Him,

Polls, anyone?

Hello!
Take a minute to vote over on that poll to the right, would you please?
Thanks, y'all!! I just love these little things. :)

Hope everybody is having a wonderful Wednesday!

~

Martha Harriet

Here's my precious 'little' sister!! She was dear and let me use her for a photography subject-and such a lovely and delightful one! We three girls had a great time down in the woods, laughing, talking, climbing over fences...LOL, sisters are wonderful.
Here's my favorite one-although the 'picture' might could use some help, I love what the picture is of-it is so Martha-ish. She is always so joyful, even when she may be having a hard day or if circumstances may be difficult. She is such an inspiration to me.
Beautiful blue eyes!!

Anybody have a favorite? Oh, and if any of you photographers out there have any more pointers, please, as always, send them on!! I would be very grateful.

Well, gotta hop along, y'all...have a lovely Saturday afternoon. The Lord has helped me to catch up on some of the things I sorta' felt behind in. Isn't He good? :) He gives us such peace, even when we feel overwhelmed at times...Ah.

So blessed in Jesus,

Our Life of Late

Hello, dear people!

Ahh...So much of life-God is good! Also true to the title, it is late, as well. :D Here's what's been happening in the past few weeks.
First off, Pauly has been wounded-the poor lad tripped on the umbrella he was running with and sliced his little hoof open. After being rushed to the doctor and receiving 7 stitches and the orders to stay off that foot, our boy has taken to the couch and wheelchair, and has done a great job of occupying himself-looking at books, playing with kittens and pairing socks, a job that has earned him the title of Chief Sorter of Sockages. :) It's getting better everyday, praise God!Martha's mullin, mullen (?) plant is about to bloom!! Our dear Resident Herbalist is quite tickled. :)
And here's Carlos on Memorial Day-ah-does it get any cuter!?
Beautiful Grand Mama smiling at her grandbabies...
I subjected this poor child to my hoodie-torture. But doesn't he look cute!? He loved it! (well...Dorothy adds, "for a few seconds" ;) a statement to which I agree... :)
Cards. Do you have any of those things at your house that, no matter what you do, you can't seem to keep them in order? Ah! Cards were our lot. The rubber bands didn't do the job. Here's John Man, ever faithful, sorting them all out again. Since this picture was taken, however, The Lord gave us the idea of putting each deck into a little sandwich zip-lock bag, and it's worked!!! Tra-la! The Lord is so gracious to give us those little tips on house keeping.... :D
We had all the married kids and grandkids over Memorial day for a big dinner-we had such a great time. Here's a little plate detail....
And a rose detail-there's just something about raindrops on the velvet petals.
And---My people, read the signs above for your own safety, because...TA-Da!! No steps, dear-but look! See, Daddy and the boys are building a big deck/porch on the back of our home! We are very excited.
Oh, and see that window, farthest to the left, in the row of three? It was replaced with a door, so that way you can go to any floor of the house you want from outside, with out having to wind your way up from the inside. :) Lord willing, a second story "sleeping porch' will be the ceiling of the bottom porch, and there will be stairs leading up to it-then, from the Sleeping porch, stairs will lead up to those two windows at the very tip top, where the windows will be replaced with these French doors!
T'arn't they purty? The Lord blessed us with a great deal on it, too. I love the door handles...
And here it is, as of today. I believe new siding is in the plans, and can't you see Confederate Jasmine climbing up the pole things!!? God is so good.
Where many feet, Lord willing, will patter one day. With out the nails and screws, of course. :)

I saw this yellow mushroom and thought it was so interesting. The broken part's bottom 'pleats' are amazing!
Paul with the kittens, before his injury-aren't they adorable!?Church meeting was at our home last week-here, some of the men fellowship together...
and here are some of the girls visiting...
Poor Z.K. broke his ankle the same week Paul cut his foot, so both darlings were on crutches Sunday and let me get their picture...They are just adorable. The hydrangeas are blooming down here!! They bring such delight to me!

Oh, Mama and Daddy just returned Saturday evening from their 27 wedding anniversary trip to Charles, SC-they left Wednesday, and had a wonderful time! They stayed at the Inn at Middleton Place, and enjoyed the lovely gardens and delicious food...we miss them lots here, and were so glad when they got back. It was fun for a day or two with it being all kids here, but after a little while, it got very, very old very quickly!! :D
I am so grateful for my parent's love for the Lord and each other, and for the beautiful picture of Christ and His Church that they live out...It's such a blessing to have parents who are so deeply in love after 27 years of marriage!! "It gets better everyday" Daddy says. This sunset was one of the most beautiful I've ever seen, I think. Ah, sun sets and rises bring such glory to their Maker!!
A Rusty Rake
Anna The Cat had 5 or 6 of the cutest little fluff balls recently-aren't they precious? There is one who is extra hairy, and he just cracks me up, especially when it rains and he gets wet-too funny!! See, there he is, in the middle-LOL!
Oh, on Sunday, for supper, we got pizza-haha, look! Tons of pizza!

Ahh...well, I hope to be back soon with more soon-I'm super behind on posting...and journaling, and writing and cleaning and sewing and studying. And allot of other things, it feels like. Ah! pray for me, when you think of it, that I would be diligent and get all that I need to get done, done. I know the Lord will help me. He is soo good!!!

Have a great afternoon, y'all!

Love in Him,

How Did You Die?

Did you tackle that trouble that came your way

With a resolute heart and cheerful?
Or hide your face from the light of day
With a craven soul and fearful?
Oh, a trouble's a ton, or a trouble's an ounce,
Or a trouble is what you make it,
And it isn't the fact that you're hurt that counts,
But only how did you take it?

You are beaten to earth? Well, well, what's that?
Come up with a smiling face.
It's nothing against you to fall down flat,
But to lie there -- that's disgrace.
The harder you're thrown, why the higher you bounce;
Be proud of your blackened eye!
It isn't the fact that you're licked that counts,
It's how did you fight -- and why?

And though you be done to the death, what then?
If you battled the best you could,
If you played your part in the world of men,
Why, the Critic will call it good.
Death comes with a crawl, or comes with a pounce,
And whether he's slow or spry,
It isn't the fact that you're dead that counts,
But only how did you die?

Edmund Vance Cooke (1866 – 1932)

Father/Daughter Retreat 2009

Hello, dearest Readers!!

Well, here, at last, are some pictures from the Father/Daughter Retreat put on by Vision Forum back in March-what a precious weekend my two sisters and I had with our beloved Father. Once again, I came away so encouraged and inspired, and blessed by each session and activity. I think my favorite thing was just spending the whole weekend with my Daddy-we talked and talked about all sorts of things, and just enjoyed being together-y'all, I am soo incredibly blessed in my precious father-he is soo wonderful!!! I am so thankful to the Lord for letting him be my own dear Daddy. Ahh...Praise the Lord!!!!!
Miss F. visiting with a little cutie...
Alrighty-to start out, lets see...Oh yes-once we got checked into our room, we headed over to the Grand Lawn (a delightful place where you play all sorts of father/daughter unity games) but, alas, it was raining, and had been most of the day, so everybody crowded into the building, and actually, we had the greatest time meeting people all afternoon!! We had a blast-Daddy got to talk and meet allot of Dads, and we girls got to meet some sweet young ladies and visit with old friends-it was fabulous!! Seems like sometimes you're so busy you don't have much time to meet folks, but this just worked out so charmingly. We did miss the games, though, but just loved the free afternoon to meet folks. Ah. So, at supper time, as it was still raining, :) we had our 'picnic' inside, complete with happy checkered table clothes and everything!
More Visiting....
Announcements, details...
We really enjoyed meeting these kind folks from AL-Dee and Mee, above with their eldest daughter, and...
the father and two of the younger girls.

That night we heard from Doug Phillips on What the Bible says about Fathers and Daughters and then from Voddie Baucham on Why Every Father is Leaving a Legacy Whether he Knows it or Not.

What one does for taking notes when one leaves her note book in the room... :)Uncle Marc and Amanda looking beautiful (and handsome :) Saturday morning. (It's always so fun to dress up for the tea at noon!)Mr. Baucham

And, that morning, we enjoyed hearing Scott Brown on Nourishing a Daughters Vision for the Home, Voddie Baucham on The Ministry of Marriage-Why Putting off Marriage to do Ministry is Unwise and Unnecessary, and then from Doug Phillips on How a Father Inspires his Daughter, and How a Daughter Honors her Father.

Then at noon we enjoyed a beautiful Victorian High Tea with fresh flowers and all sorts of dainty little treats. Our Table...
And the sweet folks we enjoyed tea with...

A cup 'o tea, dahlin'!
It was good to see the S. ladies and gentleman again...
My dear father, sisters and I at the tea...
We were so excited that we got to have tea with Uncle R. and A.!
The place cards were just beautiful...

After tea, they had some photographers ready to take portraits of you and your Daddy all dresses up-here's ours!Dee's Tea-oh, and you got to bring home the china tea-cup-so fun.

After the tea, we had the whole afternoon to just be with Daddy-it was soo delightful! He took us to the Butterfly Center,and we enjoyed walking along the beautiful paths at Callaway-everything was so wet and fresh and cool! I love rain...
The butterflies were amazing!
With friends...And more friends!
Walking along...

On the Edge
It was so cute to see daddies with their little girls-here, a dad takes a shot of his two small ones in front of some flowers...Look Dee!
Dee's picture of me and the fountain...
They had lots of tropical flowers that were so interesting...

Oh, there were tons of these-and they were so photogenic, too. Always happy to pose for all who wanted a picture of their wings! Very accommodating.
Visiting...
My beloved Father
These folks were so nice-we had a great time meeting them.Martha

It was so cool when they landed on you!!
Daddy enjoyed getting to talk to Mr. Doug some...With some of the Phillips girls...
It was so precious to see several hundred fathers and daughters who loved each other and the Lord, walking around and just being together...so refreshing to be among the Body of Christ!
"I know this scent' :) LOL...
With the C. young ladies...

That afternoon we went out with the C.'s at San Marcos.
Moi
Little Miss C.Drink Coke
Sweet girls...

'Sisters' :)
Saturday night Elizabeth Botkin talked about What my Father Taught me about Boys and Mr. Geoff Botkin spoke on How Hollywood is Stealing the Minds and Hearts of our Daughters and What to Do About It. We also enjoyed hearing from dads and daughters about what the Lord had showed them over the weekend-it's always so exciting to see the hearts of fathers and daughters turn towards each other! Praise God!!!! I am so excited!!!

There was also some fun games played that kept everybody in stitches. :DWe said goodbye to everybody that evening and left early that next morning-it's always so sad to say goodbye to everybody-ah, how one desires longer visits! :) It's also exciting going home, to see the rest of the darling fam, and to start/keep doing the things that God has called woman, and more specifically, daughters, to do. To be reminded, refreshed, encouraged-having learned new things, new ways to be a more effective, joyful, submissive, productive, godly daughter, who rejoices in being in her father's house and under his authority-who takes hold of and revels in the HUGE sphere God has put us daughters in, and as one who seeks to serve her family, and further her father's vision for the glory of Jesus Christ. Oh, my goodness, girls-we have a massive responsibility. We have soo much to do-so little time to do it. This time of daughter-hood in our father's house (for the majority of us, Lord willing) will pass. May we be vigilant, diligent, and wise daughters!!! I want to go re-read my notes-I'm so excited!!! God help us!!

Love a blessed, happy, encouraged, convicted, inspired daughter,


P.S. Here's a picture of our Father and Mother. The Head and his Crown. May God help us daughters to be the Polished Corner Stones.