Hmmmmm................

If this is true, how come it took me 3 tries to figure out how to just show it in a post? LOL

OOPs....maybe I shouldn't have amitted that! :0P

Friendship

Friendship

I write today to tell you of a friend whom I believe was sent straight from God. He can and does do that, don't you think?

This friend picks me up when I am down,

she encourages me when I think I just can't "do it"

she loves at all times, no matter how many times I may stick my foot in my mouth

she has learned to understand that sometimes my compliments come out backwards

she loves my children so very much

she knows that sometimes I need her to turn my own advice on myself

she will never turn away, no matter what

her door is always open ;0)

she's always there, no matter how chaotic or hectic her own life may be

Now this is a good friend, almost as if she's a superhero:

You've just had one crazy stressful day in which you were the last minute maid of honor in your sister-in-law's shotgun wedding, your daughters carried the train, the youngest was the flower girl, and husband ran the music. It's finally all over, and you are headed home, with the leftover wedding cake riding in the passenger seat of the van. You take off slowly, having the girls carefully watch the cake, only to turn the first corner, easily mind you, and have the cake topple over (did I mention it was covered in BLUE icing?) into the floor, down the side of the door, all over the interior of the van. By the time you get pulled over and open the door the cake is destroyed and the gray interior of your van is now blue....BRIGHT BLUE. Just as you discover that you have nothing to clean it up with, not a napkin, kleenex, wet wipe, nada- you hear the trumpets blaring and your knight (or princess?) in shining armor (or a shiny silver van, anyway) comes pulling up to ask if you need help. Poof. She's just there, right when you need her. She gives her every kleenex, napkin, wet wipe, whatever she has to help. No matter that she was on her way somewhere...her friend needed her.

My husband comes pulling up shortly thereafter and comments, "Funny how she's always there every time you need her."

Yes, funny indeed.

Dear friend, I thank you. I thank God for you and your friendship and all that it means to me. God alone knows how many trials we've pulled each other through. Where would I be without you? LOL

I pray that God would create in me the kind of friend I've found in you, and use me to bless others as you have so richly blessed me.

Take heart, and know that you are deeply loved and cherished.

Sincerely,

Friend

Land's End Survey Link Fixed

Sorry about that....the link in my post led to an already completed survey. I've relinked it now to the right survey. :0) I'm still learning, LOL!!! Don't miss your chance at $100 of free clothing!!!!

Pooped Out, Pooped On, Pooch, and a Sunset!

The Blushing Bride on her wedding day....

She had a migraine, so was given meds for that...which made her sick (vomiting) so was then given phenigrin (which made her sleepy)....

and this is what we have: But don't my girls look pretty!!!

These are a mix of just a few of the things happening around these parts. I always want to blog the things we do, but there are just too many to blog them all! So...here's a juicy one.....LOL!

Maid of Honor Duty

After the wedding, the flower girl is plum pooped out....what you can't see is all the cake and grass stains all over that BEAUTIFUL dress. :0( Do you suppose they can dry clean it?

"What's this crazy chicken doing?" she asks.

Um, pooping. LOL! You should have heard her scream when she realized what was happening. I'm proud of her, though...she never dropped the chicken. I, on the other hand, would probably have thrown it across the yard! LOL

Meet Pooch. He's our newest addition. I'm not sure if I like him or not. At first he was fairly house trained, but lately.....

That is just one thing I CAN'T stand!!! Ew!

He's Jaslyn's dog, though. How can you hurt those big brown eyes??? LOL

We (J and I) take pics of sunsets ALL the time....probably more pics of sunsets than kids, LOL!Just thought I'd throw the latest one up! This is why I LOVE living in the c0untry....this is right out my back door.

Land's End Survey and Give Away

Land's End Survey

Simply click here to fill out a VERY short survey (18 questions) and you can be entered to win one of 5 $100 gift cards to Land's End. It's that simple!!! :0) Just thought I'd share this great opportunity.

....and the Chicks Dig It.......

Okay, so that country song is stuck in my head....well, that part of it anyway. I don't know the rest, LOL!
If you were feeling sorry for melindaslife then you can turn that frown upside down and be happy for me! Her chicks have found a home. That's right, these 6 lovely birds narrowly escaped not only the dreadful horror of "chicken house" life, but all 17 of those cats! LOL They must be tough! Hopefully they will bring me some good eggs. If not, hopefully they are tender and juicy and not-so-tough. Ha, ha!
Here's some pics.....

Yup. They are one smart species. That would be why they are trying to huddle and sleep in their food and water. Uh, huh...s-m-a-r-t! I believe that lil one in the corner is giving me what for! What do you think? :0P

They better quiet down soon, LOL. At least Remmy is gone for the rest of the week. I've put them in the tub that is at her end of the house. She's the only one with a room down there....right next to the bathroom, LOL. They can be loud and those of us at the other end won't hear a thing. :0)

My Baby Left Today

Coming into your own....

Remember when that sounded good? When we thought there could be nothing better in the world than that feeling of "I've finally made it"? Well, from this side it is painful...the ache inside of a mother being forced to cut one more string...just that much closer to letting go.

My ballerina left for youth camp today. The weather was fitting. It poured buckets all day. I'm sad to see her getting this old, but I'm excited for the spiritual experience that I know awaits her in the coming week. I'm also worried...what mother wouldn't be? She is staying in a cabin with 39 other raving teenagers. She is staying in one giant room with 26, yes 26 other girls. That's a lot of hormones, people! She is sooo sensitive that she is bound to get her feelings stepped on this week, and a little humbled as well. I know that in a way this is needed...like pruning back a beautiful bush so that it may flower out 10 fold and grow even lovelier. That doesn't make it any easier to think about. Oh, please pray for her, friends...keep praying.

Anyway...being the mother I am, I, of course, photographed the entire grand exit. :0)

I just knew you would want to share in it.....

Linda and Cheryl are frantically checking paperwork and insurances to make sure they haven't missed anyone. Linda is a bit like me....last minute moments!

The Ballerina and friend 'H'
Ahh, the gang. From left, S, the ballerina, the "man", and T
Buds for the Week
There goes the luggage....we're hoping to keep it MOSTLY dry!
See? Such great teamwork!Remember those long bus rides? That's one thing I don't miss!
Going.......

Going.......

Gone

Living Books/Charlotte Mason Schooling Conference Going On NOW!!!

I'm pasting in some info about a Charlotte Mason schooling conference that is going on RIGHT NOW!!! Hurry and click on the link to make sure you don't miss out on any of this GREAT info!!!

Our seminar officially kicks off bright and early on June 6, 2008 and continues through Saturday, June 7, 2008.
Our Schedule for the Weekend:FRIDAY, JUNE 6, 2008--A LIVING BOOKS EDUCATION 9AM CST Why is a Living Books Education the Best Way to Home Educate?
11:00AM CST How Children Learn and The One Mistake Most Parents Make
1:00PM CST "Education is an Atmosphere, a Discipline, a Life": The Three Most Important Ideas of Charlotte Mason
3:00PM CST The Three Things You Must Have to Make Charlotte Mason's Approach Work for You
SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 2008--A LIVING BOOKS EDUCATION SUBJECT-BY-SUBJECTWe are using CM's principle of short lessons with our moms. Each topic will be 25 minutes each, with time for questions
9:00AM CST A. Living History with Living BookB. Geography with Living Books 11:00AM CST A. Science with Living Books B. The Delights of Nature Study
1:00PM CST A. Language Arts: Grammar, Spelling, Writing, DictationB. Language Arts: Poetry, Storytelling
3:00pm Teaching Children to Love Great Art and MusicA. Composer StudyB. Picture Study *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
WHAT IS IT LIKE???Each session will be held live in our Conference Room. Log in using the directions above.At the times on the schedule, Jim and Sheila will begin by sharing a workshop on the topic for that hour. The sessions will last approximately 1-1 1/2 hours, leaving a break between sessions. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
MISS A SESSION???Oh! Don't worry! We record the entire session so you can download by Mp3. Plus, we save the text chat transcripts for each session with even more great encouragement. As they are prepared, the audios/transcripts and all extras are added to this Membership Website. PLUS! You can subscribe to the audios by RSS for them to download directly into your Mp3 player! It is going to be SUPER! You can grab a ticket at this link:
http://www.cindyrushton.com/CharlotteMason21stCentury.html
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
WHEN???This seminar begins:Friday Morning, June 6, 2008 and continues through Saturday, June 7, 2008.Scheduled Start Time is CST, CENTRAL STANDARD TIME.*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
OUR CONFERENCE ROOM...We provide the software download-free. Here is the link:http://www.cindyrushton.com/Conference.exeClick to begin download or copy/paste into your internet browser and click ENTER. It will only take a few minutes to download into your computer, but you want to do it ahead of time so you don't miss a minute in the Conference Room. After it is downloaded on your computer, it will set up an icon on your desktop that says CONFERENCE. Then, you will only have to click it to open up the room. Here are your instructions from there:When you are ready to enter, you will enter your NAME or EMAIL ADDRESS in the first blank.Add the following information when prompted: Name of Room: Talk-a-Latte Password: CMP2121Remember...your password is different for chats and other classes. It only works for the room when the room is open for the study

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

NEED TECH HELP?
Having problems with accessing our Conference Room? Downloading audios? Setting up your RSS Feed? Knowing where to begin?
We have ANSWERS!
Just check out our full site featuring answers to common tech problems. Here is the link:
http://talk-a-latte.com/tech-help/
You can even ask YOUR question there!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*I hope that this answers all of your questions. If not, just let me know and I will gladly help in any way that I can.I can't wait to dig into our study together! Get ready for a great time of study, fellowship, and relationship!Talk to ya soon!With much love,CindySee Us Online!http://www.CindyRushton.com http://www.CindysDesktop.com http://www.MomtoMomRadioShow.comhttp://www.Writers-Nook.com http://www.Playmasters.info http://www.Talk-a-Latte.com http://www.RomanceToolbox.com http://www.UltimateHomeschoolExpo.com Rushton Family Ministries, 1225 Christy Lane, Tuscumbia, AL 35674, USA

The Victorian Garden Party

While some of you were cooking out or on the lake on Memorial Day, several of we ladies were dining in the most elegant of fashions.

The Salad

There was a leek soup before the salad but I was still in such awe of just the decor surrounding me that I forgot to take a picture of it. After the salad came a WONDERFUL main course, which I was so ready to savor that I also forgot to photograph it! It was yummy! I did get a pic of desert, a lucious chocolate creme cake with raspberry sauce, but didn't include it here because honestly, the pic didn't do it justice! (and I've already got 9 pics anyway! LOL)

The salt and pepper were so pretty I had to get a pic! :0)

These are some ladies that were at my table. Miss J and Miss R. In the back, in the long white dress, is our gracious and lovely hostess and chef, Miss S.

This is the beautiful young lady whom I had the honor of sitting across from, Miss J.

Miss L and her daughter

Okay, y'all. Wendy and I both really didn't like ourselves in this pic, but it's the only one of us without all our kids in it! LOL So I HAD to post it. (Don't be mad Wendy! I cropped most of it, right? LOL!) Hey! I just realized you look taller than me. Were you wearing those boots that make you a giant? LOL NO FAIR!
Our Hostess

The lovely Miss Wendy (camera in tote).
The Entire Party

We had a wonderful time of food, fellowship, and NO KIDS, which we all know homeschool moms rarely get a night away from, LOL! It was the most fun I've had in a long time and without a doubt, it will be solid in my memory for years to come.

Thank you, Miss S.

Chicky, Chicky

Well, we are adding some members to our farm family. Baby chicks! We actually added them last Sunday. Yes, that beautiful day....which turned into a stormy night! So...I was out at 4:30am trying to cover them up and keep them from drowning, only to find one had already gone. I think it was the one in this first pic. It was the smallest of the 10.

You may be asking yourself why on earth I would take a pic of the waterer....let me explain.

My dear husband went to the old barn in search of a watering can for the chickens. He comes back with this glass, original chicken watering jar. Wow. As he walks up he says to me, "Now this is why and when it pays to be a Dalrymple." LOLOL!!! Those of you who know us well know that my dear husband is a packrat, although I think with each generation it gets a little better....from what I've seen and heard anyway, LOL! This was his GREAT GRANDMOTHER'S!!! Apparently there were many of them, but as a small boy, he and his brother broke the rest (shame, shame!). It took a while, but I worked the lid off and cleaned it up and it works wonderfully ! Ah, to be a Dalrymple! Just what is she trying to do? Not sure myself!
This is the prettiest of the bunch, IMO.
This one was near death the next morning, so we brought it in and put it in a box in a warm place. Throughout the day it livened up, but that night before I went to bed, I went to check on it and it was dead. :0(

That put us at 8, but as of this morning, we are down to 7. :0( I have no idea what happened to the one that's gone.....it vanished!

She's such a nuzzler! :0)

Even though it shows how badly our grass needed mowing at the time, I think this is my favorite picture. (and it's been mowed since then, anyway, LOL!)

AWANA Awards Night

2008

The Cubbies Class

Jaslyn FINALLY gets to graduate to SPARKS! Yay!
Remmy is the first to finish all 4 Truth and Training books since we started AWANA at our church 5 years ago! Go Remmy!

You know what she's thinking about, though? That's right...."YOUTH GROUP.....FINALLY!" LOL

Yeah, I know her eyes are closed, but she's pretty anyway!!!

All the T&Ts!!!

A Day at the Park With Friends...

Remmy and KatyRendi and Becca
Jaslyn and "A Buxton Twin" (so sorry! I don't know which is which!)
Moms on swing duty, LOL!
The Girl Gang!

We had a wonderful time playing and enjoying the fresh air (after a rainy morning). Friends make normal days grand, don't they?