First Snow

The first snow.....

Wyatt and I spent an afternoon over at Grandma Mary's (my mom) and it snowed while we were there. Enough to completely cover the grass actually. So, Grammy and Wyatt thought we should get the sled out. Grammy has a small hill off her veranda, so with a little push.....wheee! Wyatt thought the snow was wonderful!!

(Funny thing is Mom lives about 15 miles west of us, and when we got to our house, not a flake was to be found! Sorry Wyatt no snow at home!)

He still thinks the snow is wonderful. Loves the outside!

Hugs, -M

All dudded up!

Another picture I came across and decided to share.

All three of us were in our dear friends Rob & Desiree's wedding in August. Peanut was the ring-bearer.

Isn't he too cute!!??!!

Hugs, M

I'm Faster than Fast

I came across these pictures today. Memory flash!

Thought it would be fun for everyone to see.

When we went to Orlando in Febuary, we were invited by Pella Windows and Doors for a Richard Petty Driving Experience Event. We did a "ride along" in one of the NASCAR type cars for 5 "hot laps."

Disney Speedway Track

Some of the cars leaving for the next round of riders.

"I can't talk now, I'm

talking to my agent."

Craig looks like an offical NASCAR driver.

Isn't he handsome!!!

Here we are all suited up and ready to

ROLL!!

Let's drive the wheels off that car! And remember that "rubbin' is racin'!"

It was great fun, and I highly recommend it to anyone. Even if you are not into racing. Going a 150 mph is such a rush! It is an amazing experience.

Hugs, M

Splish Splash

OK, so these are not quite so current. They are about a month or so old. Late Fall if you will. :)

SPLISH, SPLASH!
A boy and a puddle. What more do you need to have fun? Or it's more like, getting into trouble.

"Look, Mom! I'll do it again!"

"I don't care that it's yucky barn water. Or that it's stinky. Or that's is cold. Or that my shoes will have to be thrown in the garbage when I'm done. I'M HAVING FUN!"

Hugs, -M

Hammer & Nails

There once was a boy. He had a hammer and a nail.

He wanted to see what he could build.

Let's build a wall. And maybe a floor....

Pound pound pound

Look what I've built!!

Wyatt spent the day helping PaPa Bill build a mock shower for the showroom. He helped build the walls and the floor.

We've decided that we love that he is so interested in building. We have decided that we want him to know how to do it, but be able to afford to pay someone to do it for him! LOL!!

Hugs, The Emily's

Proud

Let us never forget those men and women who serve our country. They protect our freedoms and keep us free. May we always consider their sacrifices. They give up so much, so we may have. Always keep thoughts of them and their families in your prayers.

Growing some fall sunshine

Fall's Sunshine

Hmmm.....

What is this..........

Oh man, it's so Big

Let me take a Smell

With our beautiful Fall days rapidly coming to an end, Wyatt and Mommy took a little time to "smell the sunflowers." It was a spectacular September evening with the most amazing sunset, which gave us amazing lighting for these pictures.

Hugs -M

Up to no good!

What a mess!!

This picture is a little old, just before Christmas 2007, but it is one of my favorites!

Wyatt was helping Mommy make holiday cookies for our friends and family.

Then he wanted to roll out the cookies.
And play in the flour!

But he was having a GREAT time!!!!

Fall's glorious colors

If this isn't glorious, I'm not sure what is.....

This is looking into the sunset that we had on Sunday night. It was a beautiful ending to a wonderful day. I hope all of you had a fabulous Labor Day weekend.

(Uncle Denny and Family, we are especially thinking of you in the aftermath of the latest hurricane to hit our Gulf Coast. Hope all of you are safe!! Big Hugs!)

Blessings to all. Hugs and smooches all around,

The Emily's

This little piggy.....

This little piggy went to town,


This little piggy went to market......

These little pig's are the latest addition on the ranch. I know they will be tasty "chops" this fall. Wyatt sure enjoys going out to see the ~peeggees~.

Hugs-

-M

Here's what we've been up to.....

Like I promised, here are the pictures of (some of) the projects we have been working on this summer.

The pole barn was in shambles when we purchased the property almost 6 years ago. Bizarrely enough, it was the sturdiest of all the building on the farm. (The others are still "in process.") But we removed the old concrete floor that was obviously from an earlier structure, and poured new. Added the 9 foot lean-to on the east end, then re-steeled everything. JUST LIKE NEW!


This is the arbor structure Craig built over the patio.

The plan is to plant trumpet vine so it grows across the top and the sides for the humming birds. The planting will have to wait until spring now. I want to insure good growth, and I don't think warm weather is going to hold out up here long enough for that to happen.

What do you think of it??

Craig and our great friend Rob installed the insulated water lines for our wood boiler this weekend. And once again the yard is a disaster!

Tear up lawn, reseed lawn, tear up lawn, reseed lawn....
It seems to never end. :0)

Thanks for looking....

Hugs-

-M

First Post, Farm Update

Well, here it is.... my first official post, a farm update.

Here is an update of all the happenings on the farm. This summer we "rehabbed" the pole barn. Gave it a major renovation is more correct. In July we removed all of the OLD NASTY concrete and replaced it with LEVEL SMOOTH new concrete. Also, the old vintage rusty (tetanus shot required) steel siding is officially gone. In its place is shiny new rustic red wall steel with a bright white roof and accents. Its starting to look like a real farm around here!

We did a little lawn and garden work. Nothing major.......this year. Craig built me a beautiful arbor and trellis to surround about half of our paver patio. We used old wooden ladders for the arbor portion. The ladders were recovered/discovered during our "barn cleaning" days. I have saved them more times than I can remember from the fire pit, chainsaw, or dumpster. It turned out exactly as I had imagined. Now I can't wait to plant the trumpet vine to cover it. Thank you Honey, I don't know what I'd do with out you.

Also, I replanted/rearranged some of the flower gardens. Added some new, recycled some old, shared a few, and just generally changed some. I think I'm finally getting them the way I'd like them...... Until spring. The veggie garden is growing leaps and bounds. We seem to have an abundance of green beans at the moment. If all of our tomatoes ripen, we will have an excess. Corn looks good. Hot peppers, oh my! I'm not sure what I was thinking when I planted about 24 plants..... Can you say "SALSA"?

Our other big change for the year is more of an economical and environmental one. After last winter and the rising costs of fuels, we made the final decision that we had to do something....... So after many hours of looking online, reading brochures, and physical looking, we purchased and outdoor wood boiler system. By our calculations the cost of unit will be offset by the cost of what we WERE paying in heating fuel in about 3 years. WHAHOOOOO!!! Anything we can do to say a little money and be, maybe, a little more earth friendly is a great idea.

Mr. Wyatt is growing like a weed. Learning at the speed of light. It continually amazes me how quickly he learns something new or figures out how to do something. It's hard to believe that he will be 3 in December!! Where does the time go. Let's see, right now he's big into..... Thomas the Train, Little People movies, loves daddy's tractor, going out the woods with dad, and just in general anything boy. Quick story: a couple of weeks ago, I pointed out a toad while we were out at the pole barn. He wasn't to sure what to think of this little hopping thing. He just continued to look at him, toss a stone so it would move, watch some more. Well about a week ago, there was a rather LARGE toad in the big barn. So he chased it a bit, thought it was pretty neat. Over the weekend, we found a similar small toad in the yard. "MAMA, I hold him, I hold him!!" he squealed. We ENJOY him so very much, and can't imagine life without him. We are truly BLESSED!

(I'll post pictures of all our projects, critters, and wyatt soon. Sorry it didn't have them for this post.)

I hope all of you are having an enjoyable summer with your friends and family. I know we are. We are blessed with great families and wonderful friends.

"Family isn't about whose blood you have. It's about who you care about"

Trey Parker and Matt Stone

Hugs and smooches to all,

Michelle