Happy Encouragement Day!!!!

Sometimes one can KNOW they are doing JUST what they are MEANT to be doing and it can be plain HARD. Life has been like that around our home recently.  

Millie began her "someone is IN the DRIVEWAY" barking. We weren't expecting anyone and ignored her. 

Then we thought we heard Benny yelling. Yes, it WAS Benny. We opened the door and he yelled, "Happy encouragement day!" 

What a great day!  He had made each of us a card and dictated a quick note to Arielle for each of us. I talked Arielle into staying and went out to help get the little guys. Little Buddy is starting to feel at home here. He ran right in and stopped with Danny to inspect the twinkle lights. He used his words, "lights." 

We threw together an impromptu teatime. Even GG got up and had a cuppa. 

Allie, Benny, Arielle, GG, Stacia, Danny, Little Buddy was on my chair

Eventually, everyone was through with tea, and up running here and there. Benny and Danny conquered Uncle Nolan.

Get him, boys!

Little Buddy was content to stay at the tea table. He's not been feeding himself...but look what he did. All.by.himself. I told Arielle maybe I should send home one of her Great-Grandmothers silver teaspoons for Little Buddy's use. It's magic. Wow...consider she would be the boys' Great-great grandmother. Time. 

He climbed over to me and proceeded to finish my tea. He's very helpful this way. 

When tea was over Little Buddy went on to steal GG's heart AND his walker. He had GG moving faster than I've seen him move in over a year or two. 

GG and Little Buddy 

The visit did us all good. I loved Arielle knows when she needs to get them all out of the house, they are always able to come here. I loved the dose of encouragement on our doorstep from Benny. GG needed to see the boys today. 

We did a couple of other things today too! Stacia renewed her driver's permit. I think she needs to learn to parallel park and do some highway driving and she'll be ready for a license. 

Michael and I went to the credit union to figure out WHY I was getting delinquent notices when I could show the mortgage had been withdrawn from our account like clockwork and the checkbook balanced. She checked and was perplexed. She checked further and it became apparent in July I transferred the money from checking to SAVINGS instead of our mortgage. If only it worked that way - that's the way to build a savings account...but it has other unpleasant consequences. ::snort::  All is well now. Michael and I are brainstorming on getting me a chaos-free, quiet day to do all the paperwork once a month.  I get interrupted so often I leave tasks mid-stream and obviously jump back into the wrong spot in the stream. I think I could take the laptop and files to the library and work uninterrupted once a month. 

It's been a long day - but a good day. 

Oh! Seventeen eggs today. 

Fall Mornings

I am embracing each season. Fall has definite perks. Candles, twinkle lights and tea...all seem a tad bit better when the air is crisp, and the morning is darkish. 

I AM really going to miss fresh flowers. BUT, I am loving fall mornings. Happy Sunday, y'all. 

Gherkins @ Pyrah's Fall Festival '22

This was our 3rd year to do the Pyrah Fall Festival with CyRi and Livie. I still need to blog the first. LOL BUT I'm determined to stay current. We noticed the festival seems to grow each year. As long as the kids enjoy it, we'll keep doing it. 

I bought four tickets and hoped we'd be able to work it out to meet BreZaak, CyRi and CoRielle at the festival. It was a beautiful day. Blue skies and no rain. Michael wanted to split wood...but we talked him into coming with us. Alex stayed home with GG. 

Little Buddy and Danny in stroller
Benny, Cy, Arielle and Cory, Stacia, Benny, Carrie

📷by Carrie?

Our first spot to visit was the barn full of games! The game hosts were not merciful in the least. At one point Benny got his chicken INTO the basket and then it sort of sprung out...no prize. LOL  Allie and I would not be able to fulfill this role at the festival. Prizes for all the well-behaved children. 

Benny (4)

Gideon (5)

Michael, Carrie, Bre, Arielle, Benny and Livie

Bella

Benny/Livie sending rubber chickens flying - see the chickens? 

Benny, Livie, Bella, Gideon - Cousins 

Ax throwing  - Benny 

Go, Liv! 

Bella (6)

Gideon (5)

A matching game

📷by Arielle

Liv gave Benny her prize! What a sweetie. 📷by Arielle

The weather forecast had showed no day in the 60's for 10 days...but this day was PERFECT. The first one in a long time and it may well be the last in the 60's.  The scenery is gorgeous at the farm, too. 

Cory and his boys📷by Arielle

Cousins! Benny & Livie 📷by Arielle or Carrie

Ah! Carrie and Cy - 📷by Olivia

The girls and Michael - out in the fields

This is a beautiful spot to have fields...but I couldn't help noticing they have as much, or more, chickweed as we do! It did my heart good. LOL They were selling pumpkins that look like mine. Maybe I shouldn't wait for them to turn orange? 

There were petting animals. This was seconds after Bessie wrapped her tongue around my arm. I learned to stay aware. 

📷by Carrie

Several members are suggesting this big bouncy cushion be added to our playground. I told them we have a big bouncy thing (trampoline) but they think this is safer. It does look like fun. 

Benny, Danny, Little Buddy, Livie📷by Carrie

Danny 📷by Carrie

They also have hammocks, roller slides (like the Japanese parks), tunnels and mazes set up. 

Little Buddy & Danny 

Josiah (Jojo) was happy and content to spend the day in the stroller. The TRACTORS are the one thing he wanted to get out and experience. His smile is priceless. He's one week younger than Danny, about a month younger than Little Buddy....They will all be hitting 2  this fall. 

 Such a great smile! 📷by BreAnne

Hello, Annie 📷by BreAnne

Izaak and Bella 📷by BreAnne

Michael, Josiah, Carrie 

CoRielle needed to leave when Little Buddy and Danny had reached their limit of stimulation. BreZaak headed to a vendor for corn dogs, there was talk of ice cream bars...Michael invited everyone to our home for ice cream.  We pulled out the big gallons we're still trying to use up, cones and hard-shell and CyRi and Bre and the kids showed up. Izaak was heading out to hunt. 

Liv and Cy brought in eggs - 

Cy bounces the kids 

Carrie bounces the kids. 

Jojo was happy to swing! 

I noticed we have yellow leaves ON the ground.  Cy said I can no longer say the snow at the top of our mountain is termination dust. I asked what it was and he said, "Snow." ::snort:: I guess it's official. It's coming. 

Michael got the fire going. 

Bre, Jojo and Gideon warming their hands

Michael is happy with Josiah and Carrie

GG, Bre and Jojo 

Michael, Carrie, GG, Stacia, Allie 

Michael likes to hang out at the fire and tend it a bit after everyone else comes inside. 

Stacia and Millie relax at the end of a long day. 

Stacia Did a Thing

Many of you know Stacia as "shy." In reality she has a touch of social anxiety and has fought panic attacks since the Quake and Tsunami in Japan. Crowded locations and shaky buildings are particular challenges. 

She did a thing. She invited a friend and her sister over to play with the airbrush cake thingy. She made a small cake for us to serve with tea. She demonstrated the air brush tool. She had also made 2 8 layer cakes for the girls. She'd baked, frozen, crumb coated and frosted in the midst of my scone baking craze. ::snort::   After our study today, she finished school and set up an air brushing station. 

We had plenty of leftovers from the women's ministry launch...in fact I can have drop-ins for tea at any point for the next few months and simply pull scones out of the freezer. Consider this your invite if you live locally. Stacia suggested no table clothes so her younger friend wouldn't worry about spilling. Frankly, I have no problem dealing with stained cloths, but she made sense, and this was HER thing! I am so thrilled to see how she was thinking of others, stepping out of her comfort zone and doing the hospitality thing. "Opening the door is an act of love."  She's got it. 

We moved some of the hot drink selections and the hot water pot to a little side table by the table. 

Mom Mary's table and cloth

As a side note - I have a few pieces of polish pottery. We always longed to get an assignment to Europe. I planned to do the military spouse thing and go to the factories - but that didn't happen. Krista has begun picking up pieces at the base's BX. I've SAVED them for SPECIAL occasions. Joelle impacted me Monday. She reminded me I can USE the special things. SO...I pulled out a Polish pottery tea pot and set it out with the everyday pots. I like to make a pot of tea, but no one in the house besides me has liked tea for years...so I use tiny pots for every day. Allie LOVES the Republic of Tea selections and she and I can easily make a normal size pot of tea and down it. It's the small things in life. LOL I pulled out a fun mug from Krista and I found two HUGE mugs I'll have to use soon as well.  Allie and I spent time debating if the big ones WERE cups or soup bowls, but the bowls have little tops, and this has a handle. We think a mug. What do you think? BTW big mugs are why one needs burning hot lava drinks to start with....so one can warm their hands and the drink remains warm through a long conversation or good book. ::wink:: 

12 oz and 20 oz mugs

FINALLY, they arrived in the driveway and were properly welcomed by Millie into our home! I will quit blathering about Polish Pottery. We are so happy this family has moved out to the valley, and it will be much easier to get together. 

We enjoyed drinks and treats...played games and shared memes. Allie was home! GG decided to sit and read and had no need of me during the afternoon.  Michael and Alex had Bible study and Michael brought home dinner. It was a great Friday afternoon - chicken and macaroni salad - which I was too full to eat. I don't think the girls did either. LOL 

It's nice to bring a busy week to an end, it's great Stacia orchestrated the afternoon of community for us all. Have I mentioned lately how much we have loved the dreaded "teen" years? "Teen" years are still not allowed in our home...we have young adults.  It's a joy to watch them as they do the adulting thing.