Friends and Farm Living

This morning the girls slept very late! They are usually early risers so I figured Spring Break must be catching up with them. I let them sleep. Finally they woke up and I told Addie that we were going to Mary Will's for a play date! Addie adores Mary Will and she was so excited! I could not convince her that a dress really wasn't a great idea for a play date.  

The three girls had a great time.  

Addie didn't want to leave and I told her that in the next couple of weeks we should begin foaling at the farm and that Mary Will could come out and see the new babies when they arrive.

Imagine my surprise when I got a call from my daddy saying the first spring foal had arrived shortly after lunch today! Addie demanded that we go back into town and get Mary Will immediately! When I told her we couldn't do that, she asked that we name the foal after Mary Will. I compromised and told her that we'd just call the filly Miss Mary. Addie agreed. 

 Anastasia's Dream aka "Miss Mary" born 4-7-11

We had a great dinner tonight  outside with Aunt Bonnie, Uncle Carlos, Mama and Daddy. Steaks were fantastic and the company wasn't bad either. We've enjoyed the break so far and are looking forward to a fantastic weekend!

In love with Spring Break!

Aunt Bonnie got here early this morning and she brought 17 dresses with her. Yes, seventeen. She went to a huge Rare Editions warehouse dress sale in Richmond with my cousins Julie and Cindy. They called during my first period class wanting to know if I wanted them to pick up a few dresses for the girls! Addie would wear a dress every day if I'd let her. Mud, horse manure, and a dress. That's her. Bonnie told Addie that Julie picked out this hot number and said it'd be perfect for Addie. She was right. Addie loves it! It was her favorite and she's been wearing it all day long. 

I got a cute shot of Ali Grace on the porch too. She got a few new dresses as well, which she really needs. She has a spelling bee, an awards day ceremony and of course Easter coming up. I don't buy her many dresses because unlike Addie, she only wears a dress if she has to.

We finished up the evening at Coleman Lake. The crab legs were out of this world good! Our table looked like a crime scene when we left. Our friends Laura and Ralston went with us and we were amused at Ralston's first attempt at cracking crab legs!  Ali Grace cracked him under the table, poor guy. Crab legs are one of her favorite foods! 

Pete is picking Uncle Carlos up in Columbia tomorrow and bringing him to Waynesboro after a round of golf at Indian River. Golf shoes should be interesting with Pete's sunburned feet. I'm taking Addie to meet her friend Mary Will for a play date tomorrow afternoon. I haven't told her yet because I knew she wouldn't sleep she'd be so excited. We are loving spring break!

  

Palms on the Ponderosa..

Today was our "business day", the day we planned to get all our running around done so we could enjoy the rest of our break. I was not looking forward to fighting the Masters traffic, but it wasn't bad at all.  We went to Dr. Spratling, the best dentist in the entire world, for our 6 month checkups. Praise the Lord there were no cavities! The last visit cost me 1800 dollars for all the fillings and crowns. Since then, we've worked VERY hard at flossing and brushing better. Ali Grace has never had a cavity and this time Addie had no cavities either! (That could be due to the fact that a good portion of her mouth is silver and therefore there's no place to get a cavity!)

Next we took off to David's Bridal to order flower girl dresses for Erin and Bert's wedding coming up in July. The girls were so excited and Addie was quite disappointed that she couldn't wear the dress home. They have to be ordered and won't be here for a couple of months.  Afterwards, we had lunch at Sticky Fingers. Sticky Fingers is one of our favorite spots. We don't get to eat there much since we moved from the Savannah area so today's lunch was definitely a treat! To wrap it all up, we dropped by Sam's and I found some beautiful Majesty Palms for my screened porch. If there's anything I love as much as ferns on my front porch, it's palms on my back porch. I think they create such a relaxing atmosphere.

The poor gardenia in front of the palm may be beyond help. It was given to me by some dear friends from Effingham, so I can't let it go. Can't give up on it yet. 

Majesty Palms are really finicky. I made futile attempts at making houseplants out of them when we lived near Savannah. I usually ended up killing them and replacing them and finally gave up and accepted that I'd have to wait to build my dream house with my dream porch before I'd be able to enjoy them again. We just didn't get enough light in our old house. Majesty palms are marketed by greenhouses and garden centers because they are highly profitable. They grow very quickly and therefore, turn money quicker. However, no matter what they tell you, Majesty Palms are really not suited for indoors. I learned that after years of trial and error. But, if you have a spot in your house where you get direct sun for at least half of the day, you may be able to make a go of it.    Spider mites are any palm's worst enemy. They will destroy a Majesty Palm. If you see spider mites, mix up a few drops of dish soap and in a bottle of water. Spray a few times a day for several days and that should do the trick. Also, never let your palm dry out or become too saturated. Putting pea gravel at the bottom of the container before planting the palm will help. If the leaves become brown, you're underwatering. If they begin to yellow, you're overwatering. Keep a spray bottle of water handy and when you think about it, mist them. They love humidity.

I consider Majesty palms annuals. By the end of the summer I accept that they will be dead and I'll throw them out and buy another few for next year. If you want a year round indoor palm more suited for our climate try a lady palm or parlor palm. Neither of these is as pretty as a Majesty though. Just my green thumbed opinion. I guess the bottom line is to realize that a 6 foot tall Majesty palm seems like a great deal at 12 to 15 dollars. For me it is because it's worth it for me to enjoy them on my porch just a few short months of spring and summer. However, if you want a palm suited for indoors that will last for years, then the Majesty is not a good value at all and you should consider other options.

We had a great day around the farm. In the late afternoon we walked across the road to brag about our cavity free teeth to Nanny and Poppy. Ali of course jump roped over there. No wonder she's thin as a rail.

We stopped at the arena to talk to Anastasia, who's expecting a foal VERY soon.

Addie saw Poppy drive by on the tractor and she flagged him down for a ride..

They fed the cows and the horses...

And then Addie gave out.

What a good day!

Spring Break Day 1

If my children look homeless today, it's not true. They have a home and we stayed there all day today! They played outside and romped all over the farm. They also made a clandestine trip across the road to Nanny and Poppy's and stole Hershey's Kisses from their stash.  They stuffed their bike baskets full and high tailed it back across the road. Bandits they are..

I slept most of the day today. My allergies have been in high gear since our last day in St. Augustine. After a day's rest I feel much better. It's a good thing since both girls have dentist appointments tomorrow in Augusta. Hopefully Master's traffic won't be too terribly bad. Fingers crossed. 

Home Sweet Vidette!

Today the jellyfish were really bad in the water. The girls waited for the jellyfish to go away and passed the time burying themselves in the sand.

 I don't know why Ali looks like she is in pain when I take her picture lately!

 The peas in a pod had a great day together.

 And although having my toes in the sand was wonderful....

...there's NO place like home!  Poppy had to come over and visit with the girls since he's been away at the Cattleman's Convention and hasn't seen them since Wednesday. Millie Kate was happy to see Addie as well. She licked all over her!

The beach was wonderful. The children had a blast and we can't wait for summer break so we can stay longer although I think Pete is just as content on his front porch than anywhere else in the world. 

Busy at the Beach..

I'm posting early today because we're grilling out tonight and I want to enjoy the evening without worrying about getting my daily posting done!
The kids had a great time this morning at the Alligator Farm. Pete and Sarah waited patiently on the front porch of the cottage for the whole crew to get dressed and out. Pete is not amused. He does not like to wait. For anything.

Soon after we arrived at the Alligator Farm, Addie had to rescue Ali Grace from the jaws of death.

 

Addie and Emma were fascinated by all the reptiles and birds at the zoo.  Can you tell they are peas in a pod?

 Gran and Papa tagged right along with us and helped us herd the girls and keep them from crawling inside the alligator enclosure.

 The whole crew... well minus David and me... the picture takers.

 Ali Grace and the two peas trying to plan our next move at the zoo.

 Addie quickly tired of the zoo. All she really wanted to do was put her feet in the ocean! She gets that from her mama.

Ali Grace is sporting the new pink alligator earrings Gran bought her at the gift shop. She knew she'd better ask Gran and not me. I buy nothing Gator affiliated.

 Gran and the girls looked for shells and sharks teeth. It was quite windy and I stayed under a towel!

We're grilling out at here tonight and the men are off to Gander Mountain with a strict no gun buying policy in full effect. We'll see how that holds up. You know I've had a full day when the outlet malls don't even sound appealing!

Beach Babes

 

I thought spring break would seriously never get here! Praise the Lord it finally arrived today! As soon as the four of us could meet up from the four corners of the world this afternoon. We made very good time and got to St. Augustine about 9pm. We unpacked and quickly ran to the nearest Target to stock up for the weekend. The girls are so excited and I can't wait to hit the beach tomorrow!