A Great Day Today

I had such a great day today. And I was at work! This time of year is really busy and some days I don't feel like I get anything done. Today however was not one of those days. My co-workers and I got so much work done today! We also got to spend the day in a wonderful place: Holliday Lake State Park.

Beautiful Holliday Lake State Park

It's been so warm and the flowers are blooming and the birds are singing and it's just been a wonderful week. I even had time today to get a quick hair cut on my lunch break.

Anyway, if you get a chance to get outside this weekend, you should really consider going to Holliday Lake State Park. Even though it has been very warm, the beach isn't open yet. That will happen (as always) on Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend. The campground is open and the picnic area is open and the hiking trails are open. You can also go fishing!

So I hope to see you there!

Take a Hike!

Spring is such a great time for getting outdoors and enjoying the sunshine, the warm breezes, the beauty of nature. So you should really get out and see what's out there.

No matter where you live, there is surely a park or botanical garden or natural area you could go. If you have your own wild backyard or woods, that's even better.

Some wildflowers

I live in a very rural area and there are lots of places I can go to hike or just enjoy wildflowers and wildlife. I also own property that is partially "wild." So I have plenty of room to roam. But I live near some great place to explore nature too. Like Holliday Lake State Park and the Appomattox-Buckingham State Forest.

I love to walk in the woods this time of year. There are flowers blooming everywhere. One of my favorites is the Pink Lady's Slipper. It's unusual shape is very interesting and it always causes me to wonder. It's also just plain cool. You have to be really quick to see them in bloom because they don't last long. If the Mountain Laurel is blooming, the Lady's Slippers probably are too. The Mountain Laurel is more abundant and usually more visible.

Pink Lady's Slippers

These are some I found a couple years ago at Holliday Lake State Park. It is truly my favorite hiking place. It has miles of trails and a lake (of course) and camping and a beach. Just about everything you want in a park. And I'm lucky enough to go there almost every day.

Me on a good day at the park

Here I am on a really great day at the park! I'm so happy to out on the trails and not stuck in an office somewhere. It's not the best as far as "hair days" go, but it was a really great day on the trail!

I hope you will find a good trail near you and GO FOR A HIKE!! Today if possible.

Making Not Buying Experiences

Easter is a very special time. It's a time we reflect and rejoice in our Savior, Jesus Christ. I believe if you celebrate Easter, you shouldn't be offended by this.

It has always been our tradition to color eggs at Easter. I love to do that. It's so much fun with small children. I know there are many kinds of dye kits out there, but we've never used anything other than the very simplest kind. They have been about $.97 as long as I can remember.

Last year, we got a chance to color eggs with Little D. He was so amazed that we let him play with the eggs. He calls them "baby eggs." And he was able to play with the colored water and get his hands dirty. Well, maybe not dirty, but colored.

Daughter S and Little D colored eggs again this morning. I missed the excitement, but I know he really had fun. Both his hands were a nice shade of sage green.

The point is: you don't have to buy expensive things or pay a lot of money to create fun memories. We've used the same Easter baskets for years and the eggs and dye kits are very inexpensive. But we were able to create great memories over the years with our kids and now with our grandkids.

Happy Easter Everyone!

Easter Weekend Started It All

Over the weekend, I attended a baby shower for my youngest daughter. My sisters and some of our aunts gave a lovely shower with lots a good friends, great food, and wonderful fellowship. Daughter P received some very useful and fun items for the baby boy due in just a few weeks. It really got me thinking about when I was pregnant with her.

It was Easter weekend and Son J and Daughter S and I went to spend the weekend with my parents. The Hubs was out to sea for a short while and in those days I was fearless. I thought nothing of traveling with two toddlers. What could happen? I was Super Mom! Besides the baby wasn't due for another 2 months.

Easter 1993

Here we are in my parent's yard on Easter Sunday. This was back in the day when maternity dresses were made to hide the pregnancy. Weren't we cute? Do you love the forsythia bushes? They are always spectacular.

So there I was with two little bitties 3 hours away from my doctor and the Hub (my choice labor coach) out in the Atlantic Ocean playing who-knows-what kind of games. And after church and the Easter egg hunt was over and I had eaten my weight in ham, my sisters and I were sitting around and I said, "Hey that was a contraction!" Talk about freaking people out. But I didn't have another one that day and I thought it was all good. Then on Monday on the drive home (yes with two little bitties), I had two more. Then the next day, several more.

On Wednesday, I went to the doctor and found out I was having even more. They gave me some meds to slow things down and told me to take it easy and go to the hospital if they became 15 minutes apart. The Hubs came home on schedule and I though I was home free. It was just stress, everything would be fine now.

A few days later I found myself back at the hospital in pretty serious labor. Sure enough that baby wanted out! They hooked me up to an IV and started pumping me up with all kinds of stuff. Stuff to slow the contractions, stuff to make my uterus relax, stuff to make the baby's lungs develop faster and who knows what else. Then they put me in an ambulance and sent me to Portsmouth Naval Hospital. They have a NICU there just in case they couldn't stop my labor, the baby would be in good hands.

When they wheeled me in to the labor/delivery room, I had no idea I wouldn't see the light of day for two weeks. Yep, I spent the next 14 days in the hospital flat on my back not even allowed to walk the few feet to the bathroom. When I was finally allowed to go home, it was with very strict orders on what I couldn't do. Like GET UP! So bed rest at home for another 6 weeks.

Oh yeah, remember the two toddlers that I had already birthed? They were attended to by a dear friend when they weren't with my parents. I had such good friend! (then and now) Friends took me to every doctor appointment (over 1 hour away), brought us meals three times a week, helped with the kids, cleaned my house, did our laundry, you name it!

So after all that, Daughter P was born on June 1, 1993. She weighed all of 6 pounds 14 1/4 ounces. She was very healthy and for the most part happy.

Daughter P

She was such a good baby. Of course, she had a brother and a sister to play with her, bring her stuff, pick up what she dropped, push her in the swing, laugh at her, tickle her. Anyway thinking about her baby coming soon has me thinking about her. We can't wait to meet him!

Candy! Candy!

I'm in LOVE with this candy!

It's so good. The almonds are yummy (and good for you). The chocolate is rich and creamy. The candy coating is crunchy and delicious! I've fallen in love with it!

I read the "Nutrition Facts" on the back and the serving size is ten pieces. TEN! Really? I've eaten that many just writing this article. And there are 200 calories in those 10 pieces. I won't tell anybody if you don't.

It's a good thing it only comes in an 8 ounce size. If the bag was bigger, I'd be in serious trouble.

No, what's really good is the hubs doesn't like almonds. So I get the whole bag to myself.

What's your favorite candy?

March 28, 1969

Here is a page from my Nanny's journal from the year 1969:

March 28: Clear. Roger took Carolyn to the hospital. Baby girl born about 7 O'Clock.

March 29: Clear. They sawed some logs. Lewis Morgan helped. Sandi's Birthday.

March 30: Clear. Windy. We went to church. Went to hospital to see Carolyn and baby.

March 31: Clear. Carolyn and Sarah Grace came home.

Me

 

 

 

My mom gave me this journal from 1969 a few weeks ago. It's so cool to have a window into the heart of my grandmother. She almost always reported the weather and the work done around the farm. Above, she reported that they sawed some logs. My dad, grandfather and uncle owned a sawmill. In other entries, she listed farm chores like plowing or cutting hay. Typical for the time and the woman, she rarely reported what she did in the house. Her days were filled with laundry, cleaning, cooking, canning, caring for the garden and her chickens. But you wouldn't know it from her journal. She did what was expected of her and never gave it a second thought. I miss her....

A Couple of Projects

I've recently finished up a couple of quilting projects. My Nanny taught me how to quilt years ago. She was what I call "A Real Quilter." That means she learned (like I did) by watching her mom and grandmother and she made quilts because her family needed them for warmth. It wasn't an art form like it is today. I love all quilts. Quilt shows are awesome and I enjoy seeing the old ones and the new "Artsy" ones.

Graduation Quilt for Daughter S

This one is a full-sized quilt that I started for Daughter S's high school graduation. I finished it a couple of months ago. I'm embarrassed to say that she is now a Junior in college. But better late than never. She helped design it and picked the fabrics. It fits a queen-sized bed.

Hannah's Quilt

This one is a baby quilt for baby Hannah. She is due in April and her daddy was the ring bearer at my wedding. It's so cute and the pink and brown are so popular for baby girls these days. The photo shows up a little dark-the pink is not that dark. I love doing baby quilts because they are (usually) quick and easy. And this one was done on a new quilt frame the hubs made for me out of PVC pipe. A post about that is in the works. I have to wait until I have a quilt in the frame so I can get some good photos. But it's coming, I promise.

Close-up of the fabric

Isn't it so special when you see a baby with something homemade. Either a quilted blanket or a crochet or knit blanket. And when I see tiny little crocheted booties or hats, I die a thousand deaths. What is it about babies that makes grown women die? I don't know, but it must be some primal instinct thing. How else would a woman go through labor?

Sorry about all that.

I may have just lost a few readers.

I'll never talk about that stuff again.

That's a lie.

Anyway, I just wanted to share some special projects. These two are done and now I've moved on to knitting a baby blanket (first time to knit a blanket for me) for the new grandbaby due in May. I'm about half-way through. I'm going to make him a baby quilt too.

Working on a quilt gives me such comfort. As a child, I spent many days at my Nanny's feet under her large quilt frame while she was stitching one. From underneath, the various colors of the pieces make an amazing sight with the light coming through. It's a beautiful thing.