Playing Catch Up...

Good evening everyone.  Wow!  Where has time gone?  It has been quite a while since I have visited with you all.  Time is flying don't you agree?  

We have been rather busy and enjoying the nice weather.  I will try to play catch up in this post. Pardon me in advance for the abundance of pictures.  We've been busy and therefore we have lots to share!

A town not too far from us has a festival once a year called the Georgia Renaissance Festival.  It's been going on since I was a child, but I've never been.  I've heard it was really neat.  A daily deal site had a special deal on tickets this year, so I thought it was a perfect time to see what it was all about.  

Did we enjoy it?  Oh yea....

Will we go again?  Yes... definitely!!!

Was it worth it?  Absolutely...

I'll let the pictures tell the story.

We walked around and were greeted with "characters" such as these.  

Darbee was so amazed with their costumes and abilities. 

I have to admit...some of their costumes were beautiful.

We enjoyed snacks while watching a really neat acrobatic show.

Wow!  These guys did some awesome tricks!

Darbee "went fishing" and caught a fish.  She got a special prize...a shiny necklace!

There was a really neat petting zoo.  Thought of all you prim ladies....bet you would

like to have some of that wool huh?  

There were some awesome rides.  Darbee enjoyed this creature that was on a long

zip line.  All of the rides were so cool!  They were all powered by humans.  They were

so fun to watch.  Can you imagine two men powering (pushing) a large merry-go-round?

Yup...it was neat!

"Fairies" were all over too!  Darbee danced with this one while the lady and 

man played songs with the guitar and accordian.

We watched a jousting show.  What fun!

Of course, we had to get all prettied up to see the queen!

We had a pretend tea party with the fairy queen and her fairy helpers.

The highlight of the day was Darbee Rae getting to go on stage and be crowned a royal princess

of the royal court.  She along with the other little ones had to "pass" several tests in front of the queen.  

They learned to wave a proper princess wave, to curtsy, and to properly greet the queen. It was

the cutest thing.  We got it on video too!

She received an official certificate from the queen!

The final adventure of the day was getting a marshmallow catapult.

This is the neatest thing!  Yes...we have had fun with that!

What a fun day it was.  A fun day with my precious family.

The fun weekend continued.  The next night was a rodeo just a county over from us. We LOVE going to rodeos.  Darbee Rae especially does.  

She wanted to dress "like a cowgirl," so we found her blue jeans and her

sparkly flannel shirt. Luckily, it was outside and was one of the cooler nights we've had in a while. ~Smile~

My favorite part is the bull riding.  It is so fun to watch.

All of last week, we have been buried in "stuff."  Yes...LOTS of stuff.  Do you ever stop and take a look at your house and think, "Where did all of this stuff/junk/mess/things come from? That was me...I wanted to do a DEEP cleaning out.  That's exactly what I did.  I cleaned out EVERYTHING from the attic to the barn.  We had a HUGE yard sale today.  To say I'm tired is a major understatement.  I do declare it will be quite a LONG time before we do another one.  BUT...we did amazing.  It was the best one we've had.

Darbee Rae made out like a bandit too!  She helped me make up grab bags with all of her little toys and she sold those.  She decided too that she wanted to sell snacks.  So...what does a mama do?  Of course...fix her right up.  She sold chips, cookies, fruit snacks, bottled water and juice.  Did she do good?  Oh yea...she made a grand total of $19.75!  Wow...what a lucky little girl.  

I didn't get any pictures until late this afternoon, but you can see...it was a big yard sale!

Darbee was so happy to have several of her little buddies to stop by.  She

got in some good play time.  She was especially happy to see Luke.  We haven't seen him in a while, so it was a special treat!

Bayleigh stopped by too and they enjoyed chalking up our carport.  ~Smile

So sweet.

Aunt Maudie spent the day with us and Darbee was so proud.  She LOVES playing

with her.  She brought a goody bag that she enjoyed playing with too.  She is so sweet to Darbee.

There...you're up to date! :)  I feel better.  I promise to do better and not bombard you with such a long post next time.

I hope all of you are having a nice weekend. 

Until next time....

~HUGS~

A nice surprise...

As long as I can remember, Darbee Rae gets excited to get the mail with me everyday.  She always asks, "Did I get anything?"  Usually, my answer is no.  She LOVES getting her own mail.  Earlier in the week, a dear blogging friend brought a huge smile to her face.  When I opened the mailbox, what did I find inside?  Yes...mail for Darbee Rae!  

She was grinning ear to ear all the way back in the house and couldn't wait to tear it open.  Especially when I told her it was from Ms. Betty Crowe!

She quickly tore it open.

I love her face when she saw what was inside!  

She was so happy to have her very own mail. 

Thanks Ms. Betty for making her day.  Oh-and yes...a shopping trip to the Dollar Tree is in order so she can spend her own money and pay all by herself! :)  

Cherish the moments....

Good evening friends.  It is with both a happy and a heavy heart I write to you tonight.  Ever had that feeling?  So thankful for something but so sad for someone else at the same time?  

Today, I feel that way.   A precious little four year old girl was playing happily at home with her baby brother earlier in the week and collapsed.  She was taken to our local hospital and then flown to a children's hospital in Atlanta.  She never regained consciousness and they never determined what happened.  She passed away this morning.  Wow...four years old.  Don't you think that stopped me in my tracks and made me hug my four year old little girl a little tighter?  

I can't imagine what the family must be going through.  I even begin to fathom what it would be like.  I know somehow God would see me through, but I just can't see myself ever handling something like that.  

So, Today, I have been very thankful yet very sad at the same time.  

I took the day to just sit and watch Darbee Rae play.  To hug her every time she crawled in my lap.  To tell her "I love you."  To cherish each little moment because none of us know when God will call us home.  

It makes me step back for a minute and look at life and think.  

"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things."

Be happy.

"Everything in life need not be perfect to be perfect."

Surround yourself with those you love.

"Friends are the family you choose for yourself."

Go for it.

" Life is a journey and only you hold the map."

Take time to enjoy precious moments.

"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve

me and I learn."

Try something new

"You miss 100% of the shots you do not take."

Be yourself.

"The thing that is really hard, and really amazing is

giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming

yourself."

Smile

"Wrinkles are mementos of smiles we've had."

Love

"Before you were conceived, I wanted you. Before you were

born, I loved you. Before you were an hour old, I would die

for you. This is the miracle of life."

Be silly!

"You don't quit laughing because you've grown old.  

You grow old because you quit laughing."

Think.

"Better keep yourself clean and bright; you are

the window through which you must see the world."

Dance.

"It's easy to stand with the crowd; It takes

courage to stand alone."

Cherish memories.

"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because 

it happened."

Cherish priceless moments.

"You aren't wealthy until you have something money

can't buy."

Hold hands.

"You have two hands.  One to help yourself, the 

second to help others."

Pray.

"When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the

morning light, for your life and strength. Give 

thanks for your food, and the joy of living. If you see no reason

for giving thanks, the fault lies within yourself."

Do something that makes you happy.

"Be happy while you're living, you're a long

time dead."

Spend time with those you love.

"If I could reach up and hold a star for every time you've made me smile, the entire

evening would be in the palm of my hand."

"Think freely. Smile often. Tell those you love that you do. Rediscover old friends. Make new ones. Hope. Grow. Reach out. Pick some flowers. Share them. Keep a promise. Laugh heartily. Let someone in. Hug a child. Slow down. See a sunrise. Listen to rain. Trust life. Have faith. Enjoy. Make mistakes. Learn from them. Explore the unknown. Celebrate life."

Be thankful my friends for each day.

Tonight as I head to bed, I will thank God for giving me another day with my family and yes, I will hug

my little girl a bit tighter.

Resurrection Eggs...the rest of the story...

Hello Friends.  It has been a busy end of the week and will continue to be a busy weekend for us.  Darbee's dance studio is getting ready for recital.  I never knew how serious they are about this stuff with the little ones.  It's crazy.  They have scheduled practices for them for 4 or 5 Saturdays up until recital time.  Wow..they are 4 years old!  That's asking a lot if you ask me.  BUT...no one asked my opinion, so we will finish out the year, and probably be done. 

Anyhow,  a blogging friend wrote a few days ago and asked about our resurrection eggs.  I realized I didn't finish posting about them. OOps!  So, I promised her I would do a post about them before we put them away.  Many of you had not heard of them and thought they were neat.  I have to say, they were a HUGE hit in our household.  Darbee Rae still gets up and asks about opening a new egg.  She really remembers the stories that went with each object.  It's so neat!  I have seen blog mommies in the past that have made their own.  I'm sure it's possible.  I am so glad I found these.  So, here ya go...the egg stories...

Egg 1:  Ride on a donkey

"A lowly donkey was given to Jesus to ride into Jerusalem just before

His death and resurrection."

Verses:  Matthew 21:1-9

Day 2:  Silver Coins

"Judas accepted 30 silver coins for betraying Jesus into the

hands of the Jewish leaders."

Verses:  Matthew 26:14-16, 46-50, 27:1-5

Day 3:  Passover Cup

"At Jesus's last supper with his disciples before He died

on the cross, He used the cup of wine to explain his death.

Christians still drink from a cup to remember Christ's

blood poured out for us and our sins."

Verses:  Mathew 26:17-19, 26-28, Exodus 12:23

Day 4:  Praying Hands

"Praying hands remind us that Jesus went to the

Garden of Gethsemane to pray with His disciples."

Verses: Mark 14:32-42

Day 5:  Leather Whip

"After His trial by Pilate, the Roman soldiers used leather

ropes with rocks and metal woven in to whip Jesus

leaving 39 deep gashes in His skin."

Verses:  John 19:1-15

Day 6:  Crown of Thorns

"The soldiers who crucified Jesus placed a crown of

thorns on His head, so they could mock Him by saying,"Hail

King of the Jews!"

Verses:  Matthew 27:29-31

Day 7:  Nails in the Cross

"Three large nails were driven into Jesus's hands and feet

to nail him to the cross."

Verses:  John 19:16-22

Day 8:  Dice for Gambling

"The Roman soldiers used dice to gamble for Jesus's robe."

Verses:  John 19:23-25

Day 9:  Soldier's Spear

"Roman soldiers used a spear to pierce Jesus' side when He was on the cross."

Verses:  John 19:31-37

Day 10:  Linen Wrapping

"Joseph of Arimathea wrapped the body of Jesus in a linen

cloth after he died on the cross."

Verses:  Matthew 27:57-61

Day 11:  Stone on the Tomb

"The huge stone that had covered the tomb was found

rolled away."

Verses:  Matthew 28:1-3

Day 12:  Empty Tomb

"Jesus's tomb was empty because He rose from the dead!"

Verses:  Matthew 28:5-8

The egg was empty!

There was a little booklet that came with the eggs that had short little stories each day that went with each egg.  It was so much fun...even for me! 

I can't wait to do them again next year!