Age: 16-2

(Previously Unpublished Blog Post Dated August 14th)

How old are you, Josh?

"Two more years 'til 16!

Two more years 'til I have my driver's license!"

And that is how age is measured.

Fourteen years old.
For how many of those years have we had
Monkey Bread for breakfast?

This year it was Hot Box for lunch.

Along with a "Promise Cup."

And "The Lion King" with Grandma!

Thank you, Grandma!
We were the only ones in the entire theater until
the middle of the previews.
Then there were 7 of us.
I was hoping to be able to belt out those "Lion King" songs.
An unfulfilled dream of mine now.

Potato Soup for supper.

Peanut Butter Pie for dessert.
Sweet!

And another Sweet!
Sweet Carrie and her little man, Mo.

Isn't she beautiful?!
Twenty three weeks...that makes 17 to go!

Now, Josh, on to the candle extinguishing!

Except for the fact that I found
trick candles in the cabinet!

It takes 2 to extenguish these!

Fourteen years old on the fourteenth of August
means a GOLDEN BIRTHDAY!

And what could be more golden than...

THE GOLDEN BOY!

Where did he come from?

(enter dreamy harp music)

Sunday, April 28,  2019

The winners of the

"Matthew's 11th Birhday

Dude Perfect

Game Competition"

Carrie and Evan!

Because this was Josh's Golden Birthday,

Carrie and Evan passed on the Golden Boy to Josh.

Josh is now "Keeper of the Golden Boy."

Where will it end up next???

How tall are you, Josh?

Almost as tall as William!

Just a few more inches until I'm as tall as William!

And that is how height is measured.

I will leave you with this...

💓💓💓💓💓

Ch...Ch...Ch...Ch...Changes!

It's inevitable.

The kids get older, and life starts changing!

Big changes.

Like college graduations...

 

Engagements...

💕💕💕

Marriages...

💕💕💕

Hair color...

Height...

And Showers...

YES!

Showers!

Baby Showers!

Such wonderful, fun, amazing, miraculous, exciting changes!

But one thing remains the same.

Always and Forever.

Us. 

Way Up High in an Apple Tree

Way up high in an apple tree,

Five red apples smiled at me!

I shook that tree as hard as I could!

Down came an apple.

Mmmmm, it was good!

What would fall be without a trip to the apple orchard?

I think that we have the most beautiful apple orchard around!

Anderson Orchard just celebrated 50 years!

It's been around almost as long as I've been around.

We have visited this orchard for many, many years.

2011 seems like such a long time ago when I look at these pictures.

So much has happened in just eight years!

 But there are always new memories to be made!

And Paul, Josh, Matthew, and I are on it!

Apple Orchard 2019!

Picking our own apples and sampling them 

along the way is one of the *funnest 

things to do at the orchard!

The boys and I stopped by the orchard a couple times before this trip, 

and each time Matthew asked if we were going to 

go out and get our own apples.

Of course, the other fun thing about going out 

into the orchard is climbing the trees.  

Apple trees are the best!

Food and Fun!

Okay.

I have to do this.

You know I do.

2011 Joshua and 2019 Josh

2011 Matty and 2019 Matthew 

Jonagolds.

That's where it's at for just plain eating apples.  Jonathans are my favorite baking apple.  This year I only made one Apple Pizza Pie.  The crust has become really frustrating to me.  I just haven't been able to figure out what I'm doing wrong.  So, I decided to look around a bit for another crust recipe.  I hesitated doing that for so long, because this recipe is one that came from my Grandma Huff and the same one that I remember Mom using every time she baked pies.

But!  I found one that is almost exactly the same!  The only difference is that it uses butter along with the Crisco.

Thank you, Sally!

Mom and Grandma have both been gone for a long time.  I never got the chance to make a pie crust while they were still alive, so I was missing out on the instruction part of pie crust-making.  I wish I had a picture of the pie that I made with this crust recipe, but trust me!  It turned out just right!

Apple season isn't over, but I always feel like September is the prime timeto make apple desserts.  As the weather turns cold this weekend, I might give Pecan Pie a try!

*Merriam-Webster says that I can use this form of the word, so I'm going to.

Spring Is Springing

I hesitate to say that spring has sprung.

Yet.

After all, we have had snow in April before.

Proof is in the picture.

April 15, 2014

I would love to be a blind optimist 

and really believe that winter has said its final goodbye.

To believe that these sweet blossoms

are safe from a blanket of snow.

But...

I know better.

I have a picture from 25 years ago...

somewhere in my collection of pictures...

of my freshly planted marigolds wearing 

little homemade newspaper hats 

in preparation for a late spring frost.

It can happen.

I am happy that the animals are optimists.

We used to welcome the Tufted Titmouse regularly 

to our feeder, but he hasn't been coming at all lately.

Until last week.

He still isn't a regular visitor, but every now and then

he makes an appearance.

And this is new!

Ducks in the yard!

We have seen them in the little stream 

that runs through the yard...

...but not right out the back window.

It might have something to do with the squirrel's 

discarded corn kernels at the base of the tree.

A bunny.

This is not unusual at all.

 I wanted to end this post with a picture

of one of the many squirrels who visit our 

squirrel feeders, which is what we call 

the bird feeders too.

Squirrels don't care what you call them

or for which animal they are intended.

Since I have so many pictures of our 

squirrels, I'll save my favorite squirrel

picture for another day.

A post dedicated to only squirrels.

Dare I say it?

Happy Spring!