Another Hair Cut!

Today, the boys got their hair cut together!!!!! I had fuzzy pictures from Mackie's First Barber haircut, but brought my camera today!!! Neither one look real pleased, do they???

Cows!!! & Swimmin' in the Pool!

We got COWS!!!!! Moooooooooooooo!!! Mack leases his property to a neighbor to let his Cows keep Mack's fields moo-wed off!! Hee Haa!! We had a chance encounter with them as we went to the mailbox this morning! They're still a bit skid-ish, but they are coming around! Mackie LOVES them!!!This is the pool that my good friend Carrie got the boys last summer! It survived the winter in our garage, and out it came today! The boys were REALLY excited to get into it! The day was warm and the water was COLD, but I warmed it up with HOT water from the sink!!!

Swimming isn't actually what they did.....it was more like SPLASHING around in the teeny-weenie pool!!!

Mama....I coooooooowed!

Catch with Creston, Sledding, Rhubarb Pies, and Mackie!

The last two days have been fun-filled!!!

Yesterday, we had a good day after daddy got home! We helped Paw-Paw hoe his potatoes, then hoe-d(?) ours.....then did some yard work, ran some errands, baked TWO Rhubarb Pies,

(First attempt at Rhubarb!!~ Did a pretty good job if I do say so myself!!!)

Mark played Catch with Creston,

(Creston is a really good 'throw-er', but is actually learning to catch well too!!!)

(Mark's not too bad at catching either!)

the boys found out that "We don't need no stinkin' snow!"

and had a very nice visit with my Great Aunt Ida and Uncle Paul!!!

Today, Mark and his dad worked some more on our garage.....I worked some more on cleaning up/out the basement, and I took this picture of Mackie-moo!!!

Soooooooooooooo silly!!!! He just ooooozes cute! He even says "I cuuuute!" Poor kid.....I've done this to him! I'll have to start telling him "You're cute, but don't tell anyone!!!"

That's about it! Mark works tomorrow, so I'm sure it'll be a fun-filled day here at the house!!! Details to come later!!!

Our Weekend!

It was a pretty good weekend! Mark worked on Friday, so we had him for BOTH Saturday AND Sunday! All day!!! Yippee!!

Saturday, after Mark got home and took a short "Rest" we loaded up and went to listen to our friends play their Bluegrass/Gospel music at the Music festival they've been hosting for 8+ years! In a VERY unlike Martha manner, I LEFT MY CAMERA AT HOME!!!!!!!!!! I take pictures of everything coming and going, and I left my camera at home! Paulette, forgive me!!!

It was a really good afternoon!

We then went on in to Boone to run errands, and then ate dinner at Applebee's. I actually ran into one of my old bosses (District Manager) from Western Steer ~ Dave Rhodes!!!! I hadn't seen him in nearly 13 years! He's managing the Applebee's in Boone now....lives in Wilkesboro! Pretty spiffy!

Today was a good day too! We were supposed to meet up with a friend of Marks from School and all of us go to Tweetsie, but due to the rain, fog, cold, and wind, the friend and his family opted to stay in their immediate area and we made plans for a get-together in a few more weeks when the weather is better! We tried to go to Tweetsie anyway,...just to ride the train, but found that Tweetsie was working understaffed and nothing seemed to be in operation as far as we could tell, so we too, opted to come back on a better, brighter day! (This made Creston happy as he does not like Tweetsie due to the "Indians who are mean". Oh boy! I told him that was fine, that we would just bring Mackie in the future and leave him with Nana and Paw-Paw. He said "OK!!!". Not what I was looking for.......

We also found and tried something new! The Red Box thingy for renting movies for $1.00+tax! Now THAT'S pretty cool! We rented Taken. It was actually a very good movie. Very suspensful, but loaded with Violence.....don't let your kids watch! We have a subscription to the Blockbuster rental thingy, due to our proximity to an actual Blockbuster store, but we may just nix that and try the Red Box things for a month or two!

When we got home this evening, I noticed that my rosebush is blooming! Remember Mark got me a Red Rosebush and we planted it in memory of my Grandma.....it's ORANGY-PEACHY-PINK!!!! :o) Oh me!! Looked Red in the Bud stage! That's o.k., though, I think Grandma would like it any old way! So, Grandma, these pictures are for you! Miss you so very much!

Life...

A very special member of my family recently moved away to see if life would be better for her out in the great unknown...I'm hoping and assuming that this afternoon, she returned to our little corner of the world after finding that the grass isn't always greener.

I'm blogging about this because I'm sad at the moment. Maybe blogging isn't the avenue that I should be taking, but at this moment, it seems like a good idea. I've talked over the last few weeks to this member of my family and tried to understand why she felt the need to get away from it all. She said that she just couldn't take it anymore and needed to get away. Then, I tried to explain that basically there is always going to be something in life that isn't going to go our way...that the odds are usually going to seem to be stacked against us. The human tendency IS to run the other direction...to get away from the problem...but as we get older and have more and more troubles, we find that the mess usually follows us around until we confront it. Now, I am not the person to lecture on confrontation....I absolutely HATE confrontation! I will do anything to avoid it if at all possible, and during confrontation, I have the tendency to bawl like a baby! (Not too pretty!) However, I have found that in the end, usually the only thing that will set your heart at ease is to get whatever it is out on the table. Lay it out there and let things go whichever way that they will. At least, then, it's all out there, and you don't have it all crammed up inside of your head anymore. If someone's hurt you, Tell Them! If you've hurt someone, Appologize! If you've left something undone, Finish It! If you've left something unsaid, Say It! So simple, yet so hard to do..

Just remember, Friends and Family are the closest people to us. They know us inside and out. They are the ones we run to when we have GREAT news or horrible news. They are also the ones that we get upset with when they have differing views than we have. Our friends and family don't suddenly hate us when we do or say something that is unexpected...they just see that something is wrong, or may go wrong and they don't want us harmed in any way. We are often loved by MANY who have their own advice to give us based on their own choices ~ bad or good. When we are younger, we think that we know exactly how to live and run our own lives. "It's my own life, isn't it? Why can't everyone just leave me alone and let me make my own mistakes?" So we push away anyone and everyone who has an opinion and we are left alone to make those decisions. Left alone to reap the consequences ~ good or bad.

One bad decision can affect the rest of your life for the entire REST of your life. You don't see it at the time, but later on, down the road, you see exactly how, where, and when you got off the "right path" and went down the wrong one. Ususally, by the time you realize the mess you're in, there's no going back. The wheels are set in motion, and nothing will ever be the same again. Regret is one of the worst things to have to live with. One of the most painful things. You suddenly see how life could have been or should have been...you see the hurt you've caused others every time you look in their eyes. No matter how much time goes by, your loved ones will always remember "When". No matter what you do, it's very rare to be able to "fix" the wrong choices that were made.

Just remember when your loved ones offer up advice...really listen...no matter what the advice is...just listen with your whole heart. You're most likely talking to someone who has made decisions that have caused great pain and regret. Don't write off all us older people as "not knowing what we're talking about". We know...we've been there and we don't want you to have to go there to experience the same pain.

Soooo....I guess what I'm saying is this...Stop running...face your demons and PRAY like you've never prayed before. God never leaves us....we are the ones who leave him and then hopefully find our ways back. We are NEVER alone in this crazy world. There is always hope and there will always be someone out there who loves you who is praying for you and your happiness.

You alone are loved more by God than anyone here on Earth will ever be able to love you. But we earthlings try really hard to come in a close second!

Mother's Day 2009

Today was a pretty good day. We went to church with Mack and Dorothy and then came home and Mark cooked some yummy lunch for us! He had tried to find a Hydrangea Bush for me for Mother's day, but no luck. He did find, however, a pretty red rose bush for me to plant in memory of my Grandmother. I spent my whole life thinking that she loved Red Geraniums, and only after her death did I find out that her favorite flower was the red rose. This actually made me feel a bit bad since I thought that I KNEW what she liked and didn't like. So, we planted the rosebush in the yard next to the trellis-bench that Mark made for me several years ago. I plan on adding to my "Rose Garden" once I figure out if I kill roses or not. I'd like to add one for my father and sister also. As I see how green a thumb I have for roses, I'll add more. (Oh yes! Please note the "Rail" behind me and the boys in the above picture! Mark added this after our recent rash of falls! ((See the boys rail? They LOVE that!!! BEAUTIFUL!!!!!)

My mom was home this year for Mother's Day. I decided that what I wanted most was for just her and me to get together and spend the day, so on Friday, Mark stayed with both boys and I ventured off to Elizabethton and then we went to Johnson City. She and I went by the Cemetary to take flowers to Grandma's grave and took a few pictures to have....just because. Then, we went to eat lunch at Fazolii's in JC. We used to eat there a lot. Then we went and picked mom out a new bathing suit for her to wear in their Hot Tub! Whoooo Hooo! Then we went to see the new Star Trek movie! It was actually REALLY good!!!!!! I wasn't sure if I'd like it or not, since it was going to be a pre-quel, but it all worked really well!!! Go see it if you are a fan! Then to the Mall, and then we were pooped! Doesn't take much to poop me out any more!!! Oh well!!! We had a really good day and were able to just talk and be together without the little people constantly chattering.....love them, but sometimes silence is golden!

This pic. was taken (and posted in an earlier post) when mom and Melissa came up last week! I didn't have my camera when mom and I hung out alone! Sorry mom!!

Mother's Day always makes me happy and sad. I love being a mother to my two little men. They are absolutely the best part of me. I see a lot of my silly self in them. Some may think that's an awful part of me to lend to them, but the way I see it is that what's the point of being little if you can't be silly? I thought about it the other day, and I don't remember a time when I ever really wanted to be older than I was at any given time. You know, most kids can't wait until they are 16, 18, 21...ect. I don't think that I ever did that. I was always waaay too silly and girly and giggly. I was a little kid. I want my sons to have that. I don't want them to ever feel that they need to grow up before their time. I sometimes get upset with myself because I do have a short temper........I'm usually pretty good and level headed until around 5-pm-ish, then I need a break from all the chatter and bickering. I know that all mommies and even daddies get aggravated. I just want to make sure that they remember that mommy was happy and never yelled........gonna have to work more on that. I love my sons more than I could have ever thought possible. I always knew that I wanted to me a mommy. Now that I am one, I am extreemly proud and happy to be one. I just pray that as the years go by, that my sons will adore me the way that I adore them. I pray daily that they will be Godly men who are respectful and kind and wise and are slow to anger. I want to raise our sons in such a way that they don't let life get them down in any way. Life is way too short to get bogged down in anything that will bring you and your family down. I want them to always think positively and see the bright side. Tall order, huh? If you're going to dream, dream BIG! I've always tried to be an optimist....maybe some of that will rub off on them.

The following picture was taken at Easter at the FD. I think it's a really good one of Dorothy with "Her little Men".

Happy Mother's Day everyone!!!

Southern Accent ~ Music!

Our friends Paulette & Dennis Isaacs and Connie Norris are members of Southern Accent ~ a Bluegrass Gospel group based right here in the heart of the High Country! I just wanted to do a quick blog-post about them because they are truly some of the nicest and best people I know! I also wanted to let everyone know that they have a new album coming out AND are Sponsoring their annual Fellowship Celebration all in just a few weeks time!!!!

From left to right (above picture): Dennis & Paulette Isaacs, Connie Norris,

Gary Trivette, & Blake Vance

Southern Accent is the sponsor of one of the area's most looked forward to Spring events!
This year, Southern Accent will host their 8th Annual Fellowship Celebration!!!

What the Celebration is about:

Southern Accent wants to give something back to the people and communities who have supported us over these past 15+ years by hosting a day of fun, fellowship, music and some great food. This event is open to the public at no charge, although donations are accepted and appreciated to help offset the cost of the celebration. There will be several groups ranging from bluegrass gospel, bluegrass, and traditional gospel performing at the Celebration - the music will last all day including areas for jamming, so bring your instruments and join in!

Cove Creek Elementary School is handicap accessible. No alcoholic beverages allowed.

The school is a non-smoking facility.

All are invited to come and join us for this enjoyable day!

Date: Saturday, May 16th, 2009
Event Time: 10am until 9pm
Lunch and supper will be served

Location: Cove Creek Elementary School
Vanderpool Road in Watauga County, NC

Groups Scheduled:
10am - 10:45am - The Dishman Family
11am - 11:45am - The Harmon Family
12pm - 12:45pm - Lunch Break / Young Musicians' Showcase
1pm - 1:45pm - Crossties
2pm - 3:30pm - Southern Accent
3:45pm - 4:30pm - Naomi and the Homefolks
4:45pm - 5:30pm - Familiar Ground
5:45pm - 6:45pm - Supper Break / Leftover Bluegrass starting at 6pm
7pm - 7:45pm - Southern Accent
8pm - 8:45pm - Gaining Ground

Directions:
From Boone - 421 towards Mountain City, TN - turn right onto Vanderpool Road
School is on the right

From Mountain City, TN - 421 towards Boone, NC - turn left onto Vanderpool Road
School is on the right

From 321 (Watauga Lake, Butler, Hampton, etc) - left onto 421 at Skateworld - turn right onto Vanderpool Road
School is on the right

IF YOU NEED DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS FROM WHERE YOU'LL BE COMING FROM, PLEASE CONTACT PAULETTE AT 828-898-6828 or 828-964-1092
EMAIL mailto:dpisaacs@skybest.com?subject=information%20request

Southern Accent
286 Phillip Road
Elk Park,NC 28622
828-898-6828
dpisaacs@skybest.com

This will be a great day of Music, Family, Food, Fun, and Fellowship with tons of music lovers from near and far!!! Bring your families and come on out for an hour or for the whole day! Southern Accent will love to see you there!!!

*Please take the time to visit Southern Accent at their website:
http://www.southernaccent.us/
*Check them out and become a fan on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/southernaccentbluegrass
*Follow them on their Blog:
http://www.southernaccentmusic.blogspot.com/

Thanks for taking the time to get acquainted with Southern Accent!