Tuesday, July 30, 2013

I Love This Little Guy

At the crop 2 weeks ago I made this two page layout using Little Yellow Bicycle's Fern & Forest Boy.
These are pictures taken in April of Kennedy with Kashton. He was about a month old I believe. Kennedy had asked Mommy to take her picture with her brother then wouldn't quit making faces. Cute pictures still!
This is a close up of the left side of the layout. I cut out the little boy on the mushroom from the other paper and used foam tape to give him dimension. I thought that using some burlap would give the layout more of a "boy" feel. The words are from the stickers from this collection.
This is a closer look of the right right side. I again used the burlap as a mat for the journaling block. I'm linking this project up to Cat's Creation Blog for WOW Wednesday. Leave me a comment for a chance to win a prize and do the same for others that link up. I guarantee you will be inspired and you might just win!

The girls spent the night with me last week and will again this week before Remi has to go home. Boy, 3 weeks sure did go by fast this time!

When they were here I should them how to use punches.
They had a wonderful time punching out all sorts of shapes!

Vanessa got a couple of really good pictures
 Remi comes running to me and gives me a hug when she sees me! I just love it! I'm hoping it won't be as hard to say goodbye this time. The kids go to court August 12th. I am believing for God to settle somethings at that time.
Remi just adores Kashton! She is an amazing big sister!
That's all for now. Have a good one!

Afternoon at Possum Kingdom Lake

Last Wednesday we took the kids out on the boat. It was a beautiful day for such an activity.
Remi ready for a ride.
Mommy and Kashton
Daddy with his girls
happy boy!
My SIL is in Hawaii so Doyle had the idea to take this picture saying "aloha" from PK and texting it to her.
Enjoying the ride up front.



The skipper

 Doyle giving Keannon pointers on handling the boat.
Vanessa thought it would be fun to throw out some bread. Look what came to eat!
Look at the size of these fish!
Needless to say we didn't think this through very good as Remi didn't want to get in the water after seeing those fish!
I thought Remi was going to take a nap with her brother but she didn't stay there long. She didn't like missing out on the fun! Kashton is stirring too!
 
Keannon enjoying floating with out the girls for a few minutes.
enjoying the calm cool waters in the cove at Hell's Gate.
Daddy & Kennedy
 Mom & Kennedy
Remi finally decides to try getting in the water again and jumps off the boat.
awww this is relaxing!
Daddy and Remi floating
Remi is still worried about the fish getting her so she isn't going to venture far from Dad!
I just LOVE this picture of Doyle with Kashton!
I really like this picture too!
I bearly got this!
As we were heading back to the dock I noticed that Kennedy's head was down. I asked her if she was ok and she mumbled something. I just thought she was shielding her eyes from the wind. A few minutes later when the we had slowed down I checked again and discovered she was....
sound asleep!
Remi soon followed suit!
 
 As we approach the dock I see this
Do you realize how hard it is to shoot with a zoom in a boat?! I took several of this before I got one that was in focus and not blurry!
Nice way to end the day!

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

The Sign of Promise

A week ago Monday I was determined I was going to begin walking at least once a day. Well, I actually had set the goal for twice but when I set that I realized that was a bit unrealistic. So every morning except Sunday I got up around 7 or 7:30am and took Kaidence walking. I even made myself jog a little. Any of you that know me personally know how much I dislike running but I didn't know how else to get some cardio in. Kaidence loves that I'm doing this and even looked pouty on Sunday morning when I didn't go. I hadn't said anything before now as I wanted to see if I could keep it up.

I've been walking/jogging to the cemetery and back (more walking than jogging). It's just about 2 miles round trip. Thursday morning the clouds were so pretty to me.



My com padre cooling off in the puddle left by recent rains at the back entrance to the cemetery.









That evening a little cloud bank formed to the west of us making an interesting sunset.











A little closer view












In the end this was all that was left. I sure wish I had a clearer view of the horizon. I just got a glimpse of the rich colors. It always amazes me how the picture changes.






Saturday I worked at the store. I had left to let out Kaidence and go feed Clyde. Just before I got home the bottom fell out and it started pouring rain! I make my way back across town to feed Clyde and halfway there it stopped. It hadn't rained a drop on the east side of town!

You could sure tell it was raining looking South!











On my way back to the store I stopped to get supper for me and Marilyn at Chili's when I saw the most gorgeous rainbow!
What I would have given to be in the country to get this shot instead I had buildings, signs and power lines!
I get back to the store. Finish eating dinner and I go to the front of the store to look out the window and I can STILL see the rainbow! I go back out side and it is brighter than before AND I can see the entire thing! I just couldn't get the whole thing in the frame of my camera (my phone). My big camera was at home!

This is the right side of the rainbow looking toward the south from the Brazos Mall Parking Lot.

The left side of the rainbow looking toward the east. At some point there was a double rainbow but I missed that. When I see a rainbow, which isn't often, I am reminded of God's promise. He is faithful and He always keeps His promises!

Have a good one!

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Close Call

Wednesday morning at 6am I was awakened by my cell phone ringing. It was my daughter. She prefaced what she was about to tell me with "don't freak out". Don't you just love that? You know something is wrong when you start a conversation that way! She went on to say her close friend had called her and said that a horse had been found in a residential neighborhood across from where I keep Clyde. If I wasn't fully awake when the phone rang, I was now!

I literally jumped out of bed and frantically grabbed for clothes. Doyle mumbled "what was that about?" I quickly tell him and dart out the door. As I make the 2 miles across town my mind is racing and arguing with myself that it can't be him. There is no possible way he could have gotten out of the pasture as the gate is locked unless someone cut or drove through the fence. Halfway there it begins to rain. Great!

 (This is a view of the driveway I use to get to the barn from the 4-lane street. )

 I turned down the drive to the barn scanning the pasture for a silhouette of a horse. None! I turn the corner where the gate is located and my stomach drops. The gate is standing open! The lock undone! Now there is no doubt my horse is wandering around the neighborhood in the rain, in the dark and hard to see because he is dark colored which makes him an easy target for a vehicle! Now my heart is pounding out of my chest as I fight feelings of sheer panic! I go in the barn and grab his halter and start walking back down the driveway to the street. I see police car lights straight ahead across the road. Not the emergency lights but the spotlight bar they have on their cars. I make my way that direction pretty confident that's where Clyde is.

I get to the police car and the officer asks me if I'm looking for a horse.  Guess that was kind of obvious since I was carrying a halter and rope! "Yes", I say. "where is he"? He points toward the house he's parked in front of. I couldn't see him because I had been blinded by the lights from the car. I look over and sure enough there he stands with his head hung low. I speak to him and he jerks his head up. A voice he recognizes! I walk right up to him and put the halter on. Asking him what the heck he was doing over here! He was standing in the driveway right in front of a garage door and front door.

(This is the house. He was standing in front of the garage with his butt to the door.)

He had been there long enough he had left them three piles of fertilizer! I wanted so bad to take a picture but the officer was watching me and I decided it wasn't a good idea! As best I could I scrapped each pile of poop off of the driveway using my boots. I am very glad at this point 1) that he is found 2) he's not hurt 3) he's not young or he would have been more more frightened damaging property and possibly himself!


(This is looking toward where I keep him from in front of the house I found him at.)

We left the area without incident walking back to the pasture. We stopped before crossing the major 4-lane street as traffic has picked up by now. A young girl yelled from her upstairs window "hello horsey"! Made me smile. That would have been me when I was young!

We make it back to the pasture and I make sure the gate is locked. As I make my way to the barn to feed Clyde I am racking my brain trying to figure out how this could have happened. Then a memory comes to me. Several days ago I had Kennedy with me. She wanted to walk through the gate. Being the doting grandmother, I obliged. I thought I had locked the gate back but OBVIOUSLY I didn't. It had stayed shut several days but I guess because of wind and possibly Clyde pushing against it the lock not being secure came loose from the chain causing it to swing open.

(This was taken Thurs. All that keeps the gate closed is the chain wrapped around the posts. The chain isn't tight enough to keep the gate from giving a little bit when pushed on.)

Odd thing was the day before I thought the gate looked funny to me (it was bowed out just a bit) but I dismissed it because I knew it was locked and didn't bother to check it. In hindsight I realize that was Holy Spirit telling me to check the gate. Papa God is so good that even though I ignored that "gentle warning" He was still faithful to make sure Clyde didn't get hurt.

You will never convince me that it was just "coincidence" that a young woman in that neighborhood was going to be up that time of morning to go to workout at the same place my daughter's friend does. I could not thank Papa enough for keeping Clyde safe for me and keep him from causing any serious damage to property.  All is well again.







Who? Me??!!


Have a good one!