It's a big week around here!

Our good friend, Lauren O'Neal, is an artist.  She participated in a Heritage Festival, but I was unable to attend.  I really wanted to get some of her artwork for our house and I wanted to get some presents for Christmas.  I treated myself to this...

The picture of the painting does not do it justice.  She is so talented.  She also hand crafts beautiful jewelry.  I love this painting!

We met Lauren and Jeremy when we started at Springhill a decade ago.  Jeremy was serving at the church as well.  We have remained friends through the years.  We just love them.  Friday night as we visited over dinner, we just picked up where we left off.  Friends like that are such a blessing.

Saturday morning (my birthday) Fred made this for me for breakfast (as per my request).

It was delicious.  Click here is a link to the recipe, Then each boy gave me a flower.  Fred told them for each bud on their stem they needed to tell me something encouraging.  Andrew had three buds.
This is what he said:
1.  You take me to school.
2.  You bought my Kindle.
3.  You pick me up from school.
Bahaha!  I was rolling!  The other boys were much more thoughtful.  It was a sweet time.  They did this throughout the day until they got to 37 flowers.  Sweet.

We have a flower bed that has looked pretty pitiful since we moved in.  I asked Fred if that could be my birthday present.  So, the boys went outside to work on the flower bed and finish up the yard for the season.  Happy Birthday to me, indeed!

 Dash the dog was the only person not very excited about being left inside.  He REALLY wanted to be with his people.  He went from window to window whining.  I explained to him that if he wouldn't lose his mind every time he went outside he might could enjoy some fun, but I still don't trust him. So, he'll continue to go from window to window begging to be outside.

Fred and I went to lunch at Caritas Village.  It is a mission restaurant in the Bing Hampton area.  It was wonderful as always.  Then we went to the Outdoors Outlet, La Michiocana, and Home Depot.  The only picture I got was of us enjoying ice cream.

    Since Clayton turned 12 we've started leaving them at home by themselves...after MUCH laying down of the law.  Much.  Leaving our children at home by themselves is the biggest parenting milestone we've met since everyone was potty trained.  It's a big day.  While we were out I checked with Clayton to see if they were okay.  This was our text exchange...

Be still my heart.  I think that's about the sweetest thing I've ever seen. 

Sunday our families came over to celebrate with OEC.  I have a friend, Paul, who goes to church with us.  His birthday is the 9th so I invited him to come over for lunch.  A good time was had by all!

Monday morning we loaded up and headed out for Big South Fork with some of our friends.  We could not leave fast enough for Andrew.  Here he is waiting for us all...

We stopped at McKay's Used Book Store along the way to shop and have a picnic.  Once we arrived at our cabin Colleen and I grabbed groceries for the week and the boys settled into the cabin and hot tub.

We hiked and hiked over the next fews days.  Our first hike was intended to be a 3 mile hike, but it turned into 8.  Whoops.  Then later that day we hiked four more miles.
We hiked first to Slave Falls.

Fred and Dwight are looking at the map here.  It did not really help us this day.

 This little guy hiked with little to no complaint.  All in all he hiked 20 miles over 3 days.  He's a trooper for sure!

I don't have any pictures, but on our first day we hiked to Charit Creek Lodge.  It was a lodge out in the middle of nowhere.  They provide lodging (very primitive), dinner and breakfast.  From the smell of dinner that was cooking we missed a real treat.

We hiked to the Twin Arches before going to Charit Creek Lodge.

 This is one of the arches.  I cannot begin to describe how breathtakingly beautiful it was.  Who knew this was in Tennessee?!?

On our second day we hiked to Angel Falls, which was more of a rapid to me than a waterfall, but it was still beautiful.

Then we drove to Kentucky to hike to Yahoo Falls.

We stayed there for three nights and then headed home.  On the way home...has anyone figured out yet that I like to squeeze out every.last.bit of a trip?!?...we stopped at Cummins Falls State Park (right outside of Cookeville) and hiked to the waterfall.  This hike was our toughest hike by far.  It was only about two miles, but the terrain was difficult.  Despite that, we all agreed that it was our favorite hike of the week.
See those two little figures on the right?  That's Andrew and Fred hiking across narrow rock.  I had to look away.  Andrew will not be left behind.

 Here is a close up of the above picture.

All of my people on the other side of the falls.  Pictures just do not do justice to the majesty and beauty of all we saw this week.  God just has access to different colors on his palette than we do. It just never gets old.
I was so inspired I decided to strike yoga poses a couple of places.  I don't do yoga.  I can't even touch my toes, but you know...it just seemed like a fun idea at the time.  I was perched between these two rocks because I was helping Andrew get across.

 The hike to Cummins Falls was treacherous to say the least.  We had to cross a river bed several times.  Fred and Dwight were the only people prepared with water shoes.  There were several times where the water was too deep for Andrew.

In an effort to not leave anything undone, we stopped at Loveless Cafe for a final meal...and to make up for all the calories we burned while hiking.  Grin. I cannot resist a face in the hole.

We had one tired fella.  He was concerned he might get a "cricket" in his neck from sleeping in the car.  I have no idea why he would think that!

Begin outside, hiking, and exploring with my guys is really one of my favorite things.  I can't believe I've been with my favorite fella for 15 years now.  Hold on, because the next few weeks are gonna be crazy.

Brrr, it's cold

Saturday morning Fred left early for a 100 mile bike ride.  What?  I can certainly think of a better way to spend a Saturday...like sitting on the couch.  But he really likes it, so I'm glad he had the opportunity to do it.  As an added bonus, he had a great group of friends to ride with him.  These are the pictures I got.

While Fred was riding the boys were with Mr. Fred at men's breakfast.  Then the boys came home in time for Jack to play flag football.  I can not express to you how cold it was.  Here is our crew...

 Just looking at these pictures makes me cold.  In fact, I'm sitting on the couch hours later and I'm still cold.  I'm contemplating turning on our gas logs.

 Andrew made a tent for himself.  He was sweet sitting between Mun and Janice.

 Here we all are after the game.  Jack had a great game.  While he was quarterback he connected with his good buddy for a touchdown and then he caught two interceptions while playing defense.  After the game we went to McAlister's where I enjoyed a bowl of soup.

Since Fred was still riding, Renee came to get Andrew to take him to a birthday party.  Clayton went to a friend's house.  Jack and I went to a party at church.  Fred came in just long enough to shower, put on a suit, and head to a wedding.  What a Saturday.  I'm exhausted just reading it all.

Here is Andrew at his birthday party.  He got to go to a pumpkin patch.

Monday I got to go to chemo with Missy.  We were treated by meeting another friend of ours, who is a breast cancer survivor.  Only 5 more treatments for Missy.

Jack is in a special choir at school.  They sang one night this week and it was precious.  It was in conjunction with the book fair, which is genius on the part of the book fair planners.  See all those parents and grandparents watching their sweet little elementary school singer?  Yeah, they all stayed and bought something.  

Andrew swindled Fred out of a bookmark.  Clayton asked Andrew what he was going to do with the bookmark.  Andrew said, "I'm going to mark my favorite part of my favorite book."  Well, okay.    

For those that don't know, I have a small cleaning and organizing business.  My friend, Stephanie, goes with me quite frequently.  Here we are a few weeks ago...

Occasionally, we will clean a house that has been sold before the new owners move in.  Before we do this we usually go by to look at the house, see how dirty it is, and then give an estimate.  Well, the other afternoon we set off for an estimate appointment.  She put the address in her phone and we followed the navigation. Once in the driveway we looked for a key holder (They are typically on the market and just recently sold, so the key is still outside.).  We waked to the back door and it wasn't there.  We walked to the front door and it wasn't there.  I walked through the flower beds.  No key.  We looked in the windows....we looked in the windows. (Anybody know where this is going?)  I said, "Stephanie, this house looks like someone lives in it.  There's furniture everywhere.  There's a suitcase on the dining room table."  About that same time Stephanie looked at the mailbox and said, "Oh dear...we are at 9520 and we're supposed to be at 9250."  Yep.  We were looking in the windows and walking around the wrong house.  So...if you are reading this and you saw two women walking all around a house...it was us.  Ha!  Whoops.

Andrew had a field trip to Menagerie Farms.  He was all grins.  Fred went with him, so it was a good day for everyone!  While they were at the farm I was with Stephanie getting a foot massage and eating a good lunch for a little pre birthday celebration.  I think everyone had a good time.  I have pictures from Andrew's adventures.
Is this not the cutest picture?  Andrew rode the bus, but Fred had to take his car.  This was Andrew's reaction when he saw Fred.  Is that not the best?!?  I love that my boys love Fred.  It makes my heart skip a beat.

This week

Saturday morning I started to unload the dishwasher and as I grabbed the dishes I knew we had a problem.  The dishes were still dirty.  Yuck...on several levels.  I had to take all these dirty dishes out and then wash them by hand...old school.  I felt just like Laura Ingalls Wilder except with air conditioning.  Sure did.

 I bought this big old thing of dish soap at Costco just a few weeks ago.  I guess it jumped in my cart for a reason.  Ha!

 This was the scene over the weekend.  Because appliances always go out on the weekend when there aren't repairmen around.

I'm proud to report that we are the owners of a new dishwasher.  Isn't it pretty?!?

PS-I think calling a dishwasher "pretty" officially qualifies me as an adult.  Boo.


Sunday we had a baby shower for our sweet friends.  Our quilting ministry made a quilt for them and presented it to them.  Sweet Baby N will make his appearance some time in November.  I cannot wait!

As we were getting ready for school Monday morning I remembered that Andrew needed to take a bag of mini marshmellows to his teacher for some kind of project they are working on.  I told him to take them to school and I think he thought that big bag was his snack.  He said, "I know you are just teasing me, because I cannot eat an entire bag of mini marshmellows."  Fred and I were rolling!!

Later that morning Fred and I got to witness an adoption for a sweet family. It was a glorious day as that sweet boy became a permanent member of their family.  It was a precious moment.

Tuesday I had a minor medical procedure that left me feeling like Tuesday was a black hole.  Thank goodness for friends and family that helped, offered to help, brought food, prayed, and kept our village alive and moving while I was down.
Aunt Janice came in to help get everyone to school, which is no small undertaking.  She even had lunch with the boys.  She took lunch to the middle schooler.  She did not stay to eat with him.  No, she did not.

Those look like some happy boys.  Meanwhile, back at the surgery center I was having a date with this...

Ahem...trying to go to the bathroom and stay awake long enough to go to the bathroom.  Goodness, both were a battle.  I finally went and refused a wheel chair and walked right out of that surgery center.  In hind sight, I probably should have sat down and enjoyed the ride b/c I remember little to nothing about the next few hours.  If we passed you on the interstate and my tongue was hanging out, I apologize. I slept 20 out of 24 hours on Tuesday.
The next day, which I really don't know what to call it...Mimi was here.  She got to go to lunch with the boys as well.  One of them commented that this was the "best week ever".  I'm glad they thought so.  My "best week ever" contains a few more memories.  Ha!  Having Janice and Mimi here was a treat though!

Those are some happy boys, right?!?  Who wouldn't be, is my question!!

My sweet friend, Melanie, led my Wednesday night book study.  I felt like standing up and wearing something other than yoga pants would be prerequisites to leading a book study.  Since neither of those were in my day, I figured I should get a sub.  While I was at home, I got these sweet selfies.  Is she not the best?!?

Speaking of people being the best...this guy...

We went to Sam's before the above mentioned procedure and as we were walking in, Fred took a very important work call.  I walked over to look at something and lost him.  After looking around the store, this is where I found him.  Sitting on the displayed couch, telling someone about Jesus.  That's how we roll.  It made me smile.

Friday morning we got to go to Ram Run at Jack and Andrew's school. Ram Run is a fund raiser that Oak has every year.  They are supposed to get sponsors for running, but we really just end up writing a check.  The boys really love it though. Each time they pass the start line they get a rubber band.  Well, that's the plan.  Andrew did not run much.  He just walked around the track and picked up everybody's rubber bands that they dropped.  Good times.