SOLD

Just Sold My Last Sunflower Birdhouse!

Etsy Transaction - Sunflower Gourd Birdhouse 3/3:

'via Blog this'

Maybe this will get my creative juices flowing again.

A sale is always good for the ego.

Don't think I have anymore of these type "Martin House Gourds"

but I do still have many other

large gourds.

So if anyone had any surplus kettles last year, because I didn't have a ONE!

I would be MORE than happy to take them off your hands.

Good Foot

Ok...

 "I feel good"!

Yesterday, I started the day off getting myself to an early doctor's appointment.

Not usually one of my favorite things to do.

Especially these days when there is rarely any positive news.

However...

I have decided that in spite of myself,

I choose to put one foot in front of the other and keep trucking.

After leaving the doctor's office

I decided to stop beating myself up for not having any of my seeds started.

I went and picked up some 

HERBS!

My daughter behind my every step reminding me that I was NOT to get any VEGETABLES.

That was her and her Dad's department now.

Then I went to my favorite vegetable stand

Tarheel Too

and picked up some produce.

My favorite buys for sure were the in season 

Local Asparagus & Strawberries

Yummy!

I also picked up some essential for that juicer I bought a while back and have only used once.

I am determined not to give up on myself...

I have too much to loose!

So... Happy!

After helping her mother with some transplanting,

which she now loves to do...

Mary went to check the mailbox before she headed down the street to visit her favorite red headed 1 year old ( a future babysitting client).

To her absolute joy she found an envelope addressed to her.

It was from her 

Awesome...

Aunt Ginny

A belated Birthday gift...

and if you want my opinion,

the belated gifts are the best gifts.

You receive them when you don't expect one 

making them all that more special!

I Love 'Em

Handmade original earrings by Daisynconcrete (aka Aunt Ginny!)

Wow!

She couldn't wait to put them on 

and she wasted no time calling her to thank her.

 Seeds of Change

Technically I am suppose to leave the vegetables to Bill and Mary...

However...

 I figure since I am responsible 

for my own healthy choices.

And I am planting flowers and herbs for teas and juices...

then planting some spinach and leaf lettuce

would be OK.

Both Bill and Mary 

forgave me.

I don't think I stepped on too many toes.

Herbs

Parsley

Thyme

Those dang chickens love my newly planted pots...

so I  put these lovely sticks in them to keep the chickens out.

Once they are established they tend to leave them alone.

They only prey on the young and vulnerable.

Evil Biddies!

But I sure love those eggs with some...

Fresh Dill

Strawberry Baskets

Another favorite of our chickens...

are strawberries!

We had a great crop in the garden several years ago that would  even re-seed themselves.

They have been long gone.

We all need to spread our wings 

but until then

we will make due with what we have.

As much as I love my girls to free range 

I think we are going to have to keep them a little more confined.

At least till we can get some more grass growing and/or some sacrificial plants.

Between the chickens and the dogs we have very little grass left,

no wonder they keep heading to the garden for treats.

Grass in this sandy soil 

is not especially common at the beach.

We had lots of grass till we started raising chickens.

But it takes some work to simply have grass,

now if we want both chicken, grass and vegetables

we are going to have to get 

CREATIVE!

Mint

Now that this has become established

I was able to remove the sticks 

and put them in the thyme.

Yummy...

I can taste the Ice Tea now!

Lavender

I better get some 
Chicken Sticks in this pot before I am killing some chickens.


This is one of the first plants that I tried planting when I moved in with Bill over 15 years ago.
I was determined to have Lavender in my garden.
Oh man...
I killed so many lavender plants in my attempts to have lavender.
But after years and years of trying,
I eventually
had
BEAUTIFUL lavender plants in my garden.


Unfortunately they are now gone...
so it is time to 
Start Again!


It's That Time 

I just ordered Mary's End of year testing supplies.
I can't believe that we are getting close to that time already.


We have had a really good year.
I am so happy that we decided to Homeschool Mary.
We have certainly had our struggles ...
but we have managed to find our way 
and are better people for it.
I feel pretty safe to say we will NOT be going back to public school again.


As much as Mary LOVES her sports...
we are NOT willing to sacrifice her
emotional well being,
 one on one education,
learning to THINK not test,
morals vs superficial social skills
and 
most importantly...
the special bond that we have as a family.
Choosing to raise our daughter with intention and love
that reinforces our priorities and values
is the best choice we have ever made for our daughter.


So if we have to choose between school sports and homeschooling
then it is 
HOMESCHOOLING
hands down!


Her pitching coach feels confident that if she stays on the path she is on now...
he is sure that she will be picked up by a college team
with a full ride 
without playing school ball.


Mother of Invention

Necessity!

I haven't really been to crafty or creative lately.

The closest I have gotten to even partially creative, would have to be picking out what fabric I was going to use for the patches on my tattered skirts

and some

Wash Rags

There may be a scarf and a hat thrown in there.

Patches

Schoolwork Done

Now it is time for some...


Lunch

Lets start with a nice 
Alkaline Juice:
Cucumber
Carrot
Lemon
Celery
Spinach
Apple


Not bad but next time...
I think I will REMOVE the lemon peel!


Green Gourd Creations


has been at a bit of a stand still.
I did manage to update my Etsy site yesterday.
All my items had expired
So, I updated only the pieces that were not seasonal.
I still have MANY 
Christmas Gourds and Halloween Gourds
in stock
 but figured that I would wait to list the Christmas stuff till July.


I may not be where I want to be...
however
I am exactly where my feet are!


Acceptance is an acquired ability.
Always an 
opportunity to practice!

Wow... 2 Months, Really?

We have a lot of catching up to do.

I can't believe I have gone this long without blogging!

But I have to admit...

I have not really been myself lately.

Some days have been better than others and all in all I can not complain.

Life goes on...

one second at a time usually.

Our days have been filled with the usual

and

NOT so usual...

Schoolwork

Time with Mary

Cooking Practice

Mary is trying to perfect the the art of the perfect pancake.
The hardest lesson is accepting that the first couple aren't always pretty.

Educational Field Trips

So many things to learn when the vet comes to the barn
This one ...
made Mary a little weak in the knees... literally!
She had to take a knee.


Basketball Season

came and went.

The Undefeated 

Alley Oops

What a team!
They finished up earning both the regular season champion title and
the Dare County 12U Tournament Champions!


 Migration Season has Begun 

Snow Geese 

With the coming of spring... 

come the flocks of seasonal guest.

Both winged and wheeled.

Here they Come

It is Spring Break and all common sense is gone once this bridge is crossed.

Please folks...

don't forget to pack your patience and courtesy when you come on vacation.

We don't have much surplus to spare if you don't.

Happy, Happy Birthday Girl

Surprise...

Then the Icing on the Cake

To top this birthday off she got to take 

2 of her friends 
to see...


Sierra Hull

  in concert.
Look at her standing beside Sierra...
she was absolutely starstruck!


What a super young lady.
As sick as she was and she still was able to be sweet, polite and pose with her fans after the show.


She can be my 12 year old's idol without a doubt.


Sierra Hull & Highway 111

This is from the actual show.
I found it on Youtube.  
Someone up in the balcony must have taken this video.
We were down on the front row right in front of Sierra and Zach.
What an awesome show!
Sierra was really sick and blowing her nose all evening.
But dang...
her playing was certainly no worse for wear.


This is one Birthday present that was as much enjoyable for us as it was for Mary.


Bill and I

have made some changes this spring.
I have officially passed the hoe and spade over to Bill.
He and Mary are the official tenders of the vegetable garden now.
And have left me to the flowers and herbs.
Wow!
I don't even really know how to respond to this.
It feels kinda "uncomfortable".


He has come to me on more than one occasion now in full frustration over the chickens!
I have to chuckle even as I type this...
How many times have I asked him to PLEASE
help me come up with a way to keep those girls from shredding my every planting effort.
He will finally see how emotionally draining it is to work so hard to keep those chickens from wasting all my vegetables only to have a few stragglers make it and then only to succumb to blight and the dreaded squash and stink bugs.
I bet it won't take 4 years to come up with a successful chicken barrier now that he is doing the vegetable gardening.


He usually is in charge of potatoes, grapes and sometimes corn.
This year it is the the whole sha-bang.
I am really excited!


Which leaves me to more leisurely gardening.


Water Gardens

I have sorely missed my mornings by the pond.  So it is time to get back to it.


Landscaping

Beauty and Vitamin C

Rose Hip Tea anyone?
It will be nice to get back into preserving my medicinal plants.


Aroma Therapy

I will miss this smell...
This is the last of the Wisteria, only a few stragglers remain.


It is time for me to get back to basics...
the beauty,
stillness and quietness of gardening.


Time to commune with the pollinators and work in harmony with them.
And leave the chickens to Bill!


Lady Banks Roses

Seems they have survived their fence trauma and have come back full and happy.


Clematis

Lipstick Salvia

After cutting back all the years of growth in my beds and mourning the loss of so many plants from my neglect, the storm,  the fence and the assault from the neighbors when putting up the new fence....


It is nice to see that I still have some beautiful life left in this old yard.


Softball Season

This is my husbands favorite time of the year.

He an Mary practice EVERY day.

She is starting to put some consistent heat on that ball.

Look out...

she is also really nailing those inside and outside corners!

An Unstoppable Duo

The new dropped 3rd strike rule in 12 U 

has shown to be a very difficult concept to adapt to in this age group.

However, our catcher laughs and says...

"What dropped strikes?  I don't drop ANY balls!"

"Atta Girl, Haley"

Easter

We don't have to hide eggs for Easter anymore...

Our gals are doing a fine job... 

all on their own.

Horse Show Season

Unfortunately Mary had to miss her first ICSC Show because it landed on Opening day of Softball.

It is very difficult for her to choose...

but she won't let her team down.  

Being the pitcher kinda makes it a little hard to miss a game without anyone really noticing.

But she has been putting in a lot of work with Phoenix...

and

it paid off!

Showtime

This was her 3rd show ever and she was a little nervous...

I think first show of the season is just like that.

Plus she decided to try showing in Dressage Suitability and a new division this year.

Field Hunter Division, which neither have classes for her age group, like Hunt Seat.

It is a new addition to the ICSC show class list (a test drive)

And is an all ages class with not many participating yet.

She was kinda wishing that she had signed up for the Hunt Seat classes.  

Since there are more people in the Huntseat 12 and under classes.

But look at this

Big "Beautiful" Boy!

He really isn't a dainty Hunt Seat horse.

Mary doesn't care about that though...

he is her ...

Best Friend

What an incredible bond these two have!
What ever she chooses to do will be fine,
 as long as they do it together.
It's all about teamwork.

What Happened?

Burrrrrrr...

Just last week I was in short sleeves,
 getting a sunburn on my face
and planning my spring garden.
No fair!
What happened?
Now it is in the low 30's with the chance of snow over the weekend.

Monday Mornings

Monday mornings are rarely fun...
and the fact that there were few coals in the wood stove this morning...
didn't make it very easy to get rolling either.
Cold and cranky...
what a way to start the day.

Fireside Reading

This is where I would like to be...
however, I don't think this is going to play out in my favor today.
Instead I think this is where my sick hubby will land if he makes it out of the bed today.

He better keep his germs to himself.
I guess he hasn't been taking his vitamins
...like Mary and I have.


Seems Like Yesterday

Where does the time go?
It doesn't seem that long ago that I was going to dance classes and recitals.

Treasure these Moments

Working together on school projects and "helping" in the shop and the kitchen won't be around forever.
Hanging with the folks won't always be as exciting as it once was...

My Little Girl

well, she is...

Growing Up Fast

I am having trouble wrapping my head around this one!

My "Baby" girl 

is turning into a young lady before my eyes...

I'm not ready...

and I wonder sometimes if she is either?

The "tween" age...

in between a "little kid" and a "teen"

she's growing into a body of a young woman 

with the mind, emotions and self control of little girl.

It is like she has a foot on either side of the fence...

and the fence is barbed wire.

Not pleasant.

A date with "Daddy"!
Weekend before last was the annual
Girl Scout Father Daughter Dance.
And this year is probably going to be their last one!
A little bitter sweet, so this is
a night to be treasured.
They ended up ditching the dance early...
came home, changed and set out for a round of laser tag.

They both had a blast.
Literally!
Set the bar high, Daddy...
you know this is how she will sift through the keepers
without even noticing the ones who don't  make the grade when she is older!
It will save her a lot of heart ache.

Horse Crazy

 I don't remember a time when she didn't

LOVE

the horses!

A Trip to Jinny B's

This is where I think the love affair really took off...
she fell in love with a fella named
"Handsome"
and handsome he is...
a big beautiful black Percheron.

Tall Dark  & "Handsome"

Another Trip to Jinny B's

Pucker Up

Mary getting some "Simon" kisses...
I think that's Simon?

Yee Ha!

 She use to beg night and day for a horse.

"Please... Mommy!"

"Honey, where would we keep it?"

"We can keep it in my room.  I will take care of it."

Oh my!

This guy will have to do for now.

OK...

and she is off...
Ride em Cowgirl!

"Storm"

Pony rides at First Flight Elementary.
Mary wouldn't stop talking about this horse...
 for the longest time.
Once again, she was
in
LOVE!

Spirit

Her favorite Movie...

I don't know how many times we watched this one!

4th Birthday

This was one of the last Birthday cakes I ever made.
Mary is NOT a fan of cake.
Unless
it's an ice cream cake

Riding with the Cousins

Her aunt called us to tell us about this shin dig.
We boogied on up straight from Mary's soccer game, she didn't even care that she still had her shin guards on.

Splish, "Splash"

Who knew...

that she would run into this horse again 6 years later.

And you know what... she remembered him too.

Cousin and Best Friend!

Mary's 6th Birthday Party

Can ya see Mary with her butterfly cowgirl hat and denim jacket 

watching while her cousin Bayli takes a ride! 

Bayli and her mom moved to Spokane, Washington several years ago.

Mary's heart was broken and

we miss them, terribly.

However, the miles seem fewer now that Mary has Skype.

Everyone KNEW 

this child was horse crazy

Of all the horsey gifts Mary has gotten throughout the years...

this by far is my favorite.

Mary got sick a few years back on Christmas day and was hospitalized at CHKD.

My aunt showed up for a visit and came bearing gifts.

"Horsey Gifts"

However, this one was actually from my "Meema"

Mary's great grandmother.

My aunt told me that Meema had told her to specifically get Mary this one.

Aunt Eileen said she had to search high and low for this book.  

And it IS a good one.

I took lessons and did some showing in my youth.

Both my brother Michael and I both did.

I LOVED it!

I would ride my bike to the barn and muck stalls in exchange for lessons or riding time.

I will never forget ...

how proud I felt wearing my mothers old riding boots. 

That all changed when I moved to the suburbs of Roanoke, Va. in 7th grade.

I tagged along to the barn with some new friends who had horses but that only lasted a short while.

Soon, boys and other extra curricular activities filled my life.

I think it was the summer before 8th grade that I stopped wishing for a horse of my own.

Riding Lessons 

It wasn't too long after Mary's 10th Birthday 

that I finally gave in. 

I had put it off for as long as I could.  

I knew that once we traveled down this road there would be no turning back.  

So, every Sunday evening we rode out to Currituck 

for Horseback Riding Lessons for Mary.

11th Birthday

Now she is head over heals 

in LOVE

as well as having a new best-friend!

Phoenix found us...

so we celebrated Mary's birthday a few weeks early.

No Looking Back!

Mary wants to do it all...
she wants to Jump, Barrel Race but most of all she wants to do Dressage.
And do you want to know why
DRESSAGE?
Because in her mind ...
it is a pure form of trust and communication between human and horse.
Some folks may think that it is boring, snobby
and about as interesting as watching paint dry.
But for Mary it isn't about anyone else,
it's about Mary and her horse.
A bond!

High Hopes

Softball

Home Run

Basketball

 Foul Shots

Mary is an athletic girl with a competitive spirit.
She's been playing sports since she was probably about 3 years old.
First it was soccer.
And she has played soccer every year since,
except last year when she gave volleyball a try.
She is one heck of a goalie...
but sometimes there isn't enough action there and she wants to be on the front line.

Then there is softball.
Well this is her all time favorite sport of all.
She started playing baseball with her Dad about 2 or 3...
and was in absolute shock when she started playing t-ball at 4 or 5 years old because she had been hitting baseballs with her Dad pitching to her for so long it threw her off hitting them off a Tee.

I think that since her Dad has such a passion for baseball
it gives Mary an even stronger love for this sport.
She loves all the one on one time she gets with her Daddy.
And now that she is pitching the one on one is even more often.
Just about everyday.
She LOVES her Daddy time.

She got a late start in Basketball.
I will take the blame for this one, I just could never pull it together to get her signed up.
And honestly, I wasn't all that motivated to either.
After all the crazy running around in the fall with school, girl scouts, soccer, dance, PTA etc.
I was ready for a break.
I feel bad now for her... because it is in those younger years that you learn all the fundamentals.
So, even though she is an athletic kid with spirit
she will always be playing catch up in the fundamentals.

She LIKES to win and has a "serious" game face when she is playing.

However when it's all said and done.
It's all about the fun.

Horse Shows

As competitive and into sports as Mary is and as much as she likes to be center stage.
She doesn't see riding as a sport.
She knows that it is.
However, this is not what motivates her to ride.

Yes, she likes to win and she likes to bring home the ribbons
but it still isn't her "passion."

Horses are her LOVE
it is her sanctuary.
Her constant.
It is the thing she does just for her
and where she wants to be
...to feel at peace.

I get this!

She has confessed to me recently that she didn't want to do the big shows.
She just wanted to do the smaller local shows
because she didn't want the "pressure"
of competing in the big shows.

Now, I have to say that I am both shocked and a little relieved.
But, most of all I am proud of my girl for knowing what she wants and having the courage to express it.
It isn't always easy to do at any age.
The desire to please can sometimes override what we want.
AKA ...
co-dependent.

She wants to please her trainer and she wants to please me
but thankfully she
wants to be happy even more.
She is actually coming to understand that she can't do it all.
Even if she wants to.
She wants to play softball, go to skate night, have sleep overs, ride bikes, love and ride her horse and still be a kid.
I will love and support her in whatever she chooses.
I want her to always trust her inner voice.

Healing Nicely

This was taken a couple weeks ago.

Barn Buddy

This is what it is all about!

And it is all fun and games till someone hits the ground.
On this day they both did.
Mary is bound and determined to put me in my grave before my time.
At first I wasn't worried.
The horses spooked at a stand still so the girls kinda slowly went over.
Mary's fall seemed painless as I watched her begin falling to the ground
only she stopped mid fall.
What happened?
NO...
her foot got caught in the stirrup!
My heart flew into my throat.
Mary's equine angel
(it must be my Mom)
is watching over her, because once again Mary has evaded serious injury.
Phoenix just stood there while she hung mid air.
Until her stirrup leather broke and she fell to the ground.

A little banged up...
she still made it to her basketball game that evening and played her heart out.
She is one tuff kid!

And her last game...
was one of her best games ever.
She is back in the game.

New Leather and Irons

I had hoped for some peacock irons
(for safety reasons) 
but since I didn't get them before we "needed" them.
I had to get what was available.
I went to 3 different stores looking for 5" irons.
This kid's foot is growing to fast.

Now let's see if Mary can stay in the saddle at least till the end of basketball season.

My baby's 12th Birthday is right around the corner.
I don't think we can top last years
Birthday present...
and I don't think she will mind one bit.

I think the hardest thing about this age is
"KNOWING" who you are and where you "fit",
it's not about "fitting-in."
I think you are well on your way
Sweet-heart!
It is more than OK to march to the beat of your own drum.
I love you!
Happy Valentine's Day!