Carson's New Blog!

Wow! I have

noticed that I am doing good to get one post a month published lately. With Carson's busy music schedule this summmer we have not had much down time. Hopefully, with Catie back at Chapel Hill and Carson starting school, I will have a little more time to connect with you all again. I also hope to get back into my garden and landscape and start some fall projects that I will be sharing with you.I do have a little favor to ask of you all. Carson is starting a blog to talk about the journey that she is on with her music. She will be posting about special things that are happening with her like studio time, radio interviews, performances, and the ups and downs of trying to have a career in music. She really needs some followers to encourage her in this journey. Would you be kind enough to check it out and follow her if you are interested? I know a lot of my followers are gardeners and foodies and such, but she would love to have you. If you know of any young people who are interested in a blog of this nature, would you please tell them about her! Thanks so much! Carson's Music Blog

Great News!

Some of you know that we have been waiting for a couple of months on some college admissions letters for my oldest daughter, Catie. Well, thank goodness, this weekend brought some great news...she received her acceptance letter from UNC-Chapel Hill! We are so excited! Even though we are still waiting on letters from two more schools, it seems the pressure has been lifted since this is one of her top choices.


She is such a hardworking student and her dad and I are very proud of the young lady she is becoming. She hopes to be a college professor some day. I think any student would be lucky to be in her class!

On another note, Carson's full band production is almost finished. Her producer has done a great job finding excellent musicians to record her music. It sounds great! He is flying in sometime next week to record her final vocals. She is so excited to finally get to work with him in person.



He will be staying with us in our home. Since we don't have very many out of town guest, I need some suggestions from all of you bloggers out there who frequently have house guests. Feel free to give me some of your best hosting tips!

As you can see, the next week or so will be really busy around here and my blogging may be limited. However, I will stop by to see what each of you have going on in order to avoid withdrawals. I hope you all have a blessed first week of spring!

Thanksgiving in the Country

Wow, what a weekend! I think I am going to need this whole week to get my house back in order. Does anyone else feel that way after Thanksgiving? Joking aside, I think this is one of my favorite holidays because it is centered around family and thankfulness. For Thanksgiving we have combination of relatives from mine and John's family. Many times we also have a few friends in the mix. Usually me or my mom cooks the turkey and dressing and everyone else brings a dish or two of their own. Would you believe that even though it is not coordinated, we have never had two people bring the same dish? This year my aunt brought the turkey and my mom made the dressing. (I didn't know what to do with myself.) I just love the casual atmosphere of our gathering. There is nothing like country living!

Thanksgiving in the country always includes...



...lots of family in the kitchen.



...plenty of food!



...a mandolin?



...a banjo?



...lots of beautiful music!



...cowgirl boots.



...and some very happy listeners.



And after the crowd leaves and the men head out to the deer stands, I spend a little time getting started on my Christmas decorating.

I hope your Thanksgiving was filled with as much love, food, and entertainment as mine. Now, lets all get ready for Christmas!

Proud Mama Moments

Those of you who have children know the feeling...the feeling that you get inside when your child does something special. That feeling that just grows and grows until you feel as though you are going to bust wide open. You know the one that I am talking about. Well, over the past few weeks I have had several of those moments.

My oldest daughter, Catie, received her first set of SAT scores. Wow!! She has worked so hard in her studies and is finally seeing the results of all of that hard work. I joked with her and said that she is definitely the perfect combination of me and her daddy....if you add both of our scores together, ours might be as good as hers. I am so proud of her accomplishments. Can you tell?

My youngest daughter, Carson, is the exact opposite of her sister. Although she is smart too, she only tolerates her lessons. She would much rather spend her time practicing her music. This weekend she was able to enjoy her moment to shine. She was invited to sing a thirty minute set of songs at our local fire department's annual BBQ.



Doesn't she look cute on stage?



I think one of the things that made the event so special was the support that her friends and family gave her....especially her big sister who was hiding behind the poster on the left. She got a group of friends together to make posters to support her little sister. Isn't that a moment that should make me proud?



Although Carson was battling a cold, nerves, and very cold temperatures, she performed like a star.



When she finished the set, I asked her if she was glad that it was over. She just grinned from ear to ear and said, "No, Mom, I'm ready to do it again."

I think what amazes me the most about my children is how incredibly unique they are. God has given them each very different personalities and talents. I pray every day that they will use these gifts to glorify Him. Although I am proud of their big accomplishments, it's the little things that make me swell with pride...the moments when I see them show the love of God to each other and those around them. Isn't that what really matters in the long run?

Feel free to hop on over to this proud mama's youtube channel to see some of the show!