TAKE TIME TO SMELL THE FLOWERS....

Nothing says "my Heavenly Father loves me" more than the beautiful blooms I see all around me.  I LOVE flowers!  I love smelling them!  I love looking at them!  And I love taking pictures of them!  Here are a few of God's mater pieces that I have managed to capture on film:

I think my mail box is the prettiest on the block!

These flowers are so amazing!

They sprung up over night....

My two favorite colors:  yellow and purple!

A weed is but an unloved flower!

I love dandelions!

Purple pansies remind me of my grandmother!

The fact that I can plant a seed and it becomes a flower is a spiritual exercise!

The color yellow makes me smile!

Purple, hanging flowers?  Yes, please!

Pure and perfect - and not associated with President Snow's white roses....

I think I may take some of my flower photos and make a mural for my bedroom.  (I actually have a LOT more than what is in this post....)
What do y'all think?

SIMPLE GIFTS

The Gang!

The old Shaker hymn, Simple Gifts, has an additional verse about friendships:
     'Tis a gift to have friends and a true friend to be.
     'Tis a gift to think of others not to only think of "me."
     And we hear what others really think and really feel,
     Then we'll all live together with a love that is real.
This song is especially appropriate today because not only did we go on a field tri

p to Shaker Village, but we went with our great friends!  We are so blessed with these families in our life!  And we are truly grateful for their gift of friendship and love! I love our little group!
Shaker Village was fascinating.  They chose a peaceful way of life.  They were celibate, and they believed in equality.  They strove for simplicity and perfection.  Shakers believe we are living in the millennial period already and that Christ has already returned (in the form of a woman they called Mother Ann.)  Only 4 Shakers live in the entire world now.  (two women and two men)
BTW Did you know that Shaker practices are mentioned in the Doctrine and Covenants?  Apparently Leman Copley was a Shaker before he joined the Church.  He had a hard time letting go of some of his former beliefs and was instructed in section 49 to repent.  Cool!  Eh?

As usual, I took lots of pictures....  Here are the best:

Key Lime Pie, Almond, Juice, Asparagus and Kotten Kandy

Feeding the chickens...

Jelly Bean, Apple Pie, Nuts, Marmalade and Amy

and the pigs.

My statuesque boy - Jelly Bean

In the acoustic meeting house....

Listening to Shaker music.

Yes, she sang "Simple Gifts"!

Interpretive Dance by Mark - 

He'd fit right in with the Shaker community.  JK

Kotten Kandy and Key Lime Pie thought the singer's job was awesome!

She was very talented!

In the attic....

Almond, Apple Muffin, Rice Krispie Treat, Maple and Marmalade

Taffy, Nuts, Apple Muffin, Key Lime Pie and Kotten Kandy

"She ain't heavy.  She's my sister!"

Maple and I are Shaker Sisters!

Why?  Because we "confessed" secrets.....

Tic Tac Toe in the dirt.

Clever Girls!

Aren't they cute?

And these guys are too cool for words!

I LOVE my Bettenhausens!

And I LOVE my own daughters!

The role of Shrek is being played by Toffy!

And Maple is our resident Toucan!

If I could adopt sons - these boys would by my first choice!

Almond, Asparagus and Taffy

Standing and listening about Shakers...

I really, really, really like these two girls!

It's a good thing... they're mine!

Teenagers walking in-step!

We are truly blessed by our simple gifts of friendship, love and fellowship!  I'm glad for this great group... I'm glad we can take field trips once in awhile... and I'm glad we homeschool!

A DERBY TRADITION

One thing our family LOVES is traditions.  I could write an entire book about traditions and why my husband and I feel traditions are so important....  Suffice it to say, traditions have brought us tons of joy and fun experiences....
One of our favorite traditions started 6 years ago when we moved to Kentucky.  Our AWESOME friends, the Fieldings, have invited us to watch the Derby at their home every year.  The day is full of Derby hats, swimming, BBQ, Mint Julips (non-alcoholic, of course), Derby pie, and of course, watching a two minute horse race and cheering at the top of our voices for our favorite picks.  (I won bragging rights this year, cuz I picked the winner - before I knew he was the chosen favorite.  I just liked his name:  Nyquist.)  Having wonderful friends to share our Kentucky tradition is so great!

Derby Hats!

Hot Tamale, Apple Jacks, Red Hot, Oatmeal Cookie, Lollipop, Razzlers, Kotten Kandy and Key Lime Pie

Our Derby Hats....  I love my ball cap that I wear once a year:  School?  It's Derby Week

Enjoying their Mint Julips!

These are some of the best men I know...

Scott, Doug and Jeremy

First Swim of the Season!

Key Lime Pie, Razzlers, Oatmeal Cookie and Kotten Kandy

After we got home (late)... We decided to go see Civil War at 10:30 PM.  (Yes, we are exhausted this morning.)  The show was fun.  I (and my family) are definitely Team Captain America.  Tony Stark is too arrogant and a HUGE jerk!  (Full Disclosure:  If someone asks me who my favorite super heroes are, I have four:  Captain America, Batman, Hawkeye and Antman....)  Anyways, we had a lot of fun watching the movie until 1:30 AM!

AND Happy Mother's Day!
I have to give a shout out to two INCREDIBLE mothers:  Mine and Scott's!  They are two of my role models.  Their examples have made me a better person.  And I hope I can someday live up to their greatness.  I could write a book about each one and their positive traits and the ways I would like to emulate them.  I am truly grateful this day for both of my moms!
And why am I grateful to be a mother?  Because:

My daughters!!!!!

A HARD DAY OF MUSIC AND PLAY

I LOVED Friday!
We are so blessed with such an awesome group of friends and fellow homeschoolers.  Our "group" makes me smile!  These kids make me smile!  They are GREAT kids!
Friday was our monthly temple trip with these kids:

In the tree:  Kotten Kandy, Taffy, Maple and Doritos

Below:  Sweet Tarts, Rice Krispie Treat, Asparagus, Lemon Drop, Key Lime Pie and Almond

(Taffy and Maple are our newest friends!  We already love them TONS!  Glad they are part of us!)

After the temple we went to the park to learn about different cultures and try foods from various places.  It was super tastey!  Then we let the kids be kids...  Tree climbing was fun!

Kotten Kandy with Taffy and Maple

Sweet Tarts showing Asparagus how to play ball....

Dancing fun: Key Lime Pie, Rice Krispie Treat, Maple

Headlock fun:  Taffy and Almond

Doritos decided he looked like a pirate!

(In a separate note:  We are really going to miss Doritos and Lemon Drop...  They are leaving us!

We wish we could hide them in our basement when their parents move - maybe they'll leave without them....)

Almond is bonkers!  And Asparagus is cuckoo!

Two beautiful girls:  Kotten Kandy and Maple

After the park we went our house....  Pizza and Pool until... the final show choir concert this season.

Great kids!

Great show!

I'm super sad that some of these kids are moving....  :-(

Teenagers visiting....

Lollipop is going to miss her "Mexican Housewife!"

Don't ask!  They are soooo silly!

I have truly loved singing with these amazing kids!  They are AWESOME!!!!  And I especially loved sharing my music-theater love with them!  They made me smile, laugh and cry!  (That's why musicals are so amazing!  There's a song/show for every emotion or whim!)  I love my choir kids!  I wish I could adopt all of these wonderful kids today!  (Yes, it would be a big family!  But we'd have fun!)

I love everyone of you!

BONUS  PICTURE:

The other day, Key Lime Pie was really cold...  So this is her outfit.

Amy took the picture.  She thought it "captured" her uniqueness!
I sure love this kid of mine!

I'm going to have a hard time, come August, saying goodbye....

PINK RABBITS AND FEEDING HUSBANDS

Lollipop recommended a book to me a few months ago... So I ordered it.  It has been sitting on my shelf waiting for me to read it for about 4 months.   I finally read it two weeks ago AND it is GREAT!  The book is When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr.  This story takes place during WWII, but instead of a Jewish family in hiding, this is the story of a family who did the smart thing early in Hitler's rise to power and became refugees.  I loved how the story is told from the perspective of 9 year old Anna.  It does not focus too much on how horrible the Holocaust was and instead focuses on dealing with life as a refugee for a little girl.  This is a perfect introduction to WWII for kids, but adults would enjoy it too.  The history and feelings about that time in history are definitely worth reading....  This is a book I want to share with my daughters and my future grandchildren.    Thanks, Lollipop, for the recommendation!

And Saturday I finished reading Dr. Laura's book The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands.  I loved this book too.  I love the common-sense, practical and time-tested advice she dispenses throughout the book.  Most of the book I felt just reinforced what I try to do already in my marriage.  But it was a nice reinforcement and a good reminder to appreciate my husband and treat him like a man!  And I definitely realized that there are a few areas in my life where I have room for improvement.  

I was talking to Amy the other day and I told her I think every woman who is about to get married (or already married) should read this book.  It makes sense.  And we would have less divorces and more joy and happiness if women followed the advice in this book.  This is Marriage 101, folks!