I Heart Faces - Pets Photo Challenge

This is Michael posting.

We had good friends over and were out having a snowball fight. Here is Star our Australian Shepherd catching a snowball.

If you would like to see lots of pet pictures head on over to...

Count Your Blessings Monday!!

Here is an opportunity for all of us to give thanks unto the Lord for a blessing in our lives. If you would like to take part great. If not that is OK too. If you would like to share your blessing, just leave it in the comments. If you want to use the picture above and list a blessing on your own site, then leave a URL to your site in the comments. There is no pressure here. I just know that I am incredibly blessed and I would like to share that and give thanks to Him who all blessing come from. This is a way that we can encourage one another. I know that I am often encouraged when someone shares a blessing with me. I think that many times we forget that it is a blessing to be able to breath, to get out of bed, to hold a baby... Share your blessings with us. We can share so many other things.... special gifts, recipes, let's take the time to share how God has blessed us!!

Today, I have a friend coming to visit me for a couple of days. She and I have been friends for at least 7 years, but have never met face to face. :) We are online friends. We have been on the same list of ladies for all that time together. She decided a road trip was in her near future and I was blessed enough to be included in her route. She won a fight with breast cancer and the Lord has touched her. She is bringing 3 of her boys with her. We are going to have a great time. I am truly blessed!!

This and That

There is a lot going on around here lately. That is a good thing. :) Something really exciting is going to happen tomorrow, but I will save it for my Count Your Blessings Monday post.

There are blooms everywhere in the yard. I have Stella de Oro lilies blooming and the Shasta Daisys just started blooming. The Black Eyed Susans are forming buds. I have several sunflower forming heads now.

These are orange Lilies and Mallow.

Michael had gone out to burn some trash and told me to come and look. There is a huge squash plant in the other burn barrel. :) If you look closely in this picture, you can see the smoke from the other barrel.

The black raspberries are ripening up. YUM!!!

Brittany's dad sells these pot stands. I love them. The Wonderful Neighbor girl came and planted some flowers in them for me. The long Vinca vines are from my front garden. They did not like being transplanted.

The Echinacea is starting to bloom.

Our garlic was ready early this year. We harvested it and it is hanging to dry. We got 131 bulbs.

This is a picture of the practice shawl I am weaving on my friend's triangle loom. I am getting ready to put the fringe on it. I can't wait to get started on my shawl.

The other day, as I was walking through the yard, I saw a long white string with the top of a feed bag hanging on it. The whole thing was coming out of our Bradford Pear tree. I thought the wind must have put it there. I went over to pick it up and throw it away. It was attached to the tree. I thought maybe children had done that. I did not want other children coming along and pulling hard and breaking branches, so I went to untie it. Well, it wasn't tied, but it was woven into a nest. :) The nest was very hidden in the center of the tree. In this picture, I had already cut off the long part.

We got a little bit of rain today for which we are very grateful. We could sure use some more.

I will be picking baby lamb names this week. Keep watch to see if you won!!!

Name the Baby Lambs!!

Please read everything before you suggest a name. The twins that are brown and white are already named. For the other lambs, please put the name of the Momma sheep down, so I know who the names are for. :) I have extended the deadline for lamb names until Sunday the 27th, since I don't have the prizes here yet. They are done and she is shipping them to me this weekend. For each Momma sheep someone will win a beautiful felted bowl like this one.

Two more baby lambs born 6/4/10
Another baby lamb born 6/5/10
Last baby lamb born 6/9/10

They are not all born yet, but we can start by naming the ones who are here. Remember, all of these babies will end up as meat.

Here is the first set of twins. They are both boys. Their momma is Knit.

This next one is a single ram lamb. I love his markings. He has a brown ear and brown at the tip of his tail. He was born to Abigail. She is not being a very good mother, so I may have to bottle feed him. The Wonderful Neighbor children came over and helped my sweetheart to catch him and his Mom. We put them in solitary confinement for the night. She did let him nurse then.

The last two that have been born so far are twin girls. They were born to Woolsey.

This is Purl. She had her two babies on the morning of June 4th. The little brown one is a ewe (girl) and the white one is a ram (boy). I am going to name these two. I am going to call them Milk and Honey.

Joshua requested that I take this next picture. He did not want anyone to get the idea that he likes sheep. :)

Pepper had a little girl on Sunday, the 6th of June. We thought for sure she would have 2, but she had a single ewe lamb.

Rachael had her baby the morning of June 9th. She had a little girl.

Please leave your ideas under the comments section. I will add the other babies as they are born. Be specific of who you are naming. :) I will come up with some sort of prize. :) After the other contest is over, I will post the prize for this contest.

Homeschool Resource Blowout Sale!!

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Through June 29th, save up to 60% on more than three hundred Vision Forum products, including homeschool resources, supplements, and perennial customer favorites. From our History of the World DVD set and Darwin vs. Calvin DVD, to the Dangerous Books for Boys: Essential Electronics Kit and Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, you are sure to find excellent resources that will stimulate learning in your home — and at rock-bottom prices! Plus, don’t miss this limited-time savings on many of our summer-fun tools and toys, including the Ultimate Survival Knife, Digital Underwater Camera Mask, Pioneer Long-Rifle, Waffle Cone Maker, and much, much more! This is a great time to stock up on materials that will help educate your family and strengthen your walk with Christ, as well as products that will inspire many family summer adventures in the months ahead. Bring Vision Forum’s conference discounts to your home during our Homeschool Resource Blowout Sale! View Our Entire Selection of Discounted Homeschool Resources Special pricing good only online and by phone, and expires at midnight on June 29, 2010 (CDT). Offer good only while supplies last.

Thomas Edison Lightbulb Kit


Pioneer Long Rifle



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Waffle Cone Maker and Roller

Flowers Can Brighten Your Day!!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of 1-800-Flowers. All opinions are 100% mine.

I love flowers. I have my favorites like Sunflowers or ones that smell exceptionally sweet like Gardenias or Lilacs, but I like all flowers. The people we bought our house from planted lots of flowers. There are Daffodils everywhere in the Spring time. It seems, that they are everywhere you look. They planted some Gladiolas and I have added to them. I filled a raised bed with flowers last year. I have flowers that bloom almost continually from Spring right on through the Fall. This is a dream come true for me, because I love to have fresh flowers in my house. They make me glad just to see them. If they are fragrant that is just an added benefit.

When we go to someone's house, I like to pick a bouquet from my garden to take with me. Flowers tell a person that you thought about them. It can cheer them up, or add a bright spot in their home during a hard time. It is like giving them a smile that keeps smiling after you leave. Many times though I will talk to a friend or family member that does not live near me. Maybe they are battling a disease or a time of discouragement. I wish I could be there to give them a hug. They are too far away for me to take them flowers from my yard. I can send them flowers though.

I took horticulture for two years in high school. We learned about floral designing and grew lots of flowers. Michael worked for his Uncle and Aunt who owned a florist shop. He did flower delivery for them. He would visit the hospitals and make deliveries for both patients and their floral shops they had on site. If the hospital is in another city, flower delivery is a good way to go. I have ordered flowers on line many times for many different occasions. I used to send flowers to my Mom for different occasions. When I had meningitis five years ago, my Brother and Sister-in-law in Florida sent me a beautiful planter that I still have plants from. I still think of them when I see those plants. It is a reminder to me of their love and encouragement at a hard time in my life.

Sometimes I like to send flowers to a friend far away just because I miss them and want them to know I was thinking of them. I have a good friend in another state. She has a lot on her plate right now, and I would love to send her a bouquet like this one. It is very easy to send flowers and I have found that I most often use 1-800-Flowers. The bouquets or planters I have sent have all been very nice and they have great prices compared to other places.

Is there someone you could cheer up or send a reminder that you are thinking of them? Check out 1-800-Flowers and send them something special.

Count Your Blessings Monday!!

Here is an opportunity for all of us to give thanks unto the Lord for a blessing in our lives. If you would like to take part great. If not that is OK too. If you would like to share your blessing, just leave it in the comments. If you want to use the picture above and list a blessing on your own site, then leave a URL to your site in the comments. There is no pressure here. I just know that I am incredibly blessed and I would like to share that and give thanks to Him who all blessing come from. This is a way that we can encourage one another. I know that I am often encouraged when someone shares a blessing with me. I think that many times we forget that it is a blessing to be able to breath, to get out of bed, to hold a baby... Share your blessings with us. We can share so many other things.... special gifts, recipes, let's take the time to share how God has blessed us!!

This week I am thankful for Dad's. My dear sweet man has been a wonderful father to Joshua.

I am also grateful for my Dad. I am so thankful that God allowed me to have another Father's Day with him. It almost didn't happen.

Here he is choking Joshua because Joshua is wearing a Notre Dame uniform. :)

This is my Daddy and me.