A REALLY GOOD FRIDAY

The kids had a ball today on the farm with Poppy and Nanny. Pete and I had to work and the girls were off for Good Friday. When we picked them up they were dirty, sweaty, sticky and had unidentifiable matter in their hair. When I washed Addie's hair tonight I found a twig, a piece of popcorn, and something that looked like a piece of a jolly rancher. They had a wonderful time. Addie crashed hard after playing all day!

Early Start to the Weekend!

The girls have Good Friday off tomorrow but Pete and I both have to work! It's been an exciting week for them. They've had Easter parties at school, a field trip, and spent the afternoon at the Powder Puff game. Both of them are exhausted and happy to get an early start to the weekend. Since Pete had a Cattleman's Association meeting, the girls and I just took it easy at home tonight. We tinkered around, went walking with Nanny, and just had some good ol' girl time. Looking forward to an Egg Hunt at Kackleberry Farm this weekend and Easter Sunday at church! Boy could I use a weekend about now!

CELEBRATE Good Times!

Tonight my parents took us all out to Coleman Lake to celebrate my dissertation approval. I'm not done yet, but a HUGE chunk of it just got approved. I already feel like I'm walking around a little bit lighter. That was before the crab legs of course. 

Before we left, Addie had to make her daily visit with the puppies!

Addie loved up on Poppy during dinner. She knows exactly where her bread is buttered.

Ali Grace can crack crab legs as fast as any adult! Crab legs are her favorite!

Nanny and the girls... before they were lifted off the ground by a herd of mosquitoes.

Addie posing on the Ogeechee overlook at Coleman Lake. 

Ali, complete with butter stains from the crab legs.

We had a great evening out!  

Terrific Tuesday!

This is my bare side porch. It has stairs going down off the porch and it has great potential. No idea what to do with it. Open to suggestions.

I had a wild morning this morning when my principal informed me that I had to be at a Kiwanis Luncheon for Teachers of the Year today at 12:30. I had not dressed for the occasion and had to turn around and come back home to change and then race back to the meeting! I made it in time and the luncheon was wonderful. With every evil in the world being blamed on teachers these days, it was very nice to be recognized and treated to lunch. Thanks to Kiwanis for that!

Addie had a great afternoon outdoors. She helped Pete put on the tomato cages in the strawbale garden. If you're interested in strawbale gardening go to www.strawbalegardens.com  Mine aren't nearly that pretty yet but they will be! Addie loves to help her daddy. Notice her change of wardrobe. I've given up and have picked my battles in that arena. 

I survived the first day of CRCT AND I learned my 3rd chapter of my dissertation has been approved. Now I just need IRB approval and I'll be on my way. I cannot imagine what it will be like when I finish this beast. It's been a monkey on my back for a long time now and I will surely be happy when it's out of my life. 

Enjoying the outdoors

We had a little time to work out in the yard this afternoon and I got a chance to clean all the winter funk from the porches. I love boston ferns on a front porch. Nothing says southern better than huge ferns on a front porch! These ferns are smaller than the ones I usually get. My husband, agriculturalist extraordinaire, grew these without the benefit of a fertilizer injector and so they are small. They have gorgeous new growth on them though and they are a beautiful dark green. I really love them and they were much cheaper than the huge ferns for sale in town. 

Despite the mosquitoes, the kids had a good time outdoors. Ali spotted the first blackberries of the season. We have several grapevines, blackberry vines and blueberry bushes. 

Addie gathered the eggs...

 The girls helped Pete plant my peppers and tomatoes in the straw bale garden... Still looks a little rough. Not sure how it's going to turn out, but I'm going to do my best.

Then the girls tinkered around the farm until almost bedtime.

We've officially started counting down the days until summer break!

An Egg Hunt, A Wild Turkey, and Nice Evening at Home...

This is the face of spoiled rotten. How many of you put on your housecoat and walk across the road to your grandparents' house for a breakfast of sausage, bacon, eggs and grits? Addie Belle Bennett does. WHENEVER she wants. THAT, my friends, is rotten.

After lunch, Addie got Woody, Jessie and her easter basket ready for an egg hunt at the Dowdy Farm. 

I'd never been to the farm, so I followed a friend there. At least I had a witness when I hit a HUGE wild turkey in the road. It flew over my van and feathers went everywhere! Addie was temporarily traumatized. We all had a good laugh over it.

The kids had a great time with the Easter Bunny! 

Addie and Mary Will loaded up on the trailer with the other kids and took off to the hay field for the hunt! Addie had on sunscreen! She just gets red when it's hot outside!

On your mark! Get set! Go!

The kids annihilated at least 500 eggs in about 5 minutes. They reminded me of army worms in a corn field. 

Addie seemed quite pleased with her loot!

Both girls jumped in the hot tub after Addie got home from the egg hunt. 

Then Poppy called and let us know he was cranking up the grill! We stopped for just a minute to check out Lady Longlegs....

But then Addie smelled the grill and took off... I have no idea what Addie is wearing or why she felt that these two items matched in the least. 

And what's an afternoon on the farm without baby puppies??

After dinner, Poppy asked the girls to help him feed the cows and horses...

first the chickens...then the horses...

The girls love their Poppy! 

The girls rode their bikes back home and left me in the dust!  I don't get many opportunities for a quiet walk alone and it was a nice ending to a great day.

Carmen in the Kitchen

Wouldn't that be a great name for a cooking show? If I had a show.. and I liked to cook! :)  Ali took this picture this morning while I was cooking. Today the weather made a mess of my plans and so I just decided to tinker in the kitchen. Made some cookies and prepared a few meals to freeze for next week. I also looked up a Ree Drummond recipe I'm going to try for supper tomorrow night. That helped take my mind off the tornado watch that spread across central Georgia today.  

Pete had to help decorate and then chaperone the prom at the high school tonight so it was a girls day. We just laid around and became totally useless as the day went on! That's okay I think. Don't we need a few days like that here and there? Addie got the Nanny and Poppy itch and about drove me crazy until I let her call them. She told them she wanted one of them to come get her! So poppy came to get her on the gator and they fed the horses together.

The moonlight through the pines was beautiful tonight! 

We're hoping the weather will clear up and we can go to church tomorrow and then to a friend's Easter egg hunt. I loved this day at home but by tomorrow I'll be ready to get out and about!