Catie's Senior Prom!

Spring has sprung here in North Carolina! As I am writing this post the birds' sweet songs are drifting through the morning air. After a very busy weekend full of activities...prom...photo shoot...art show performance...and...Easter cantata...it is nice to have a quiet morning to just sit and reflect. I am reminded of how incredibly blessed my family is.

Catie and her friends enjoyed their Senior prom this weekend. The weather was perfect! In fact, it was so nice that she and a friend sat on the pier at the end of the night and enjoyed the warm breeze.

It's hard to believe that she is graduating in just a couple of months. Where did the time go? It seems that just yesterday she was a curly headed little girl playing with toys.



Even though they sometimes argue, you can tell that they really love each other.



As pretty as they are, the azaleas can't hold a candle to Catie.



This child has always loved trees. When she was little, she used to run up and wrap her arms around them.



Every year her prom pictures have to include a tree!



I always like the pictures with the water in the background.



Can you believe that this was the first dress that she tried on?



It fit perfectly! No alterations at all.



I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to take care of this darling girl for the last 17 (almost 18) years. I guess it's almost time for her to spread her wings and fly. I'm sure she is ready...I just don't think that I am!

Warmer Weather

After a week or so of rainy and cool weather, it is so nice to be enjoying some sunshine and warmer weather. Today's temperature reached the ninety degree mark. It actually feels a little like summer out there.

As soon as the weather decides to cooperate, John and Carson saddle up the horses for a little trail riding. We are very fortunate to have plenty of trails for them to explore.



After a long ride, they always stop by the house to tell me "hello" before putting the horses back in the pasture. Of course I have to grab my camera to snap a couple of shots before they ride into the sunset.



Carson stops to give me a quick pose. We're loving this warmer weather here in North Carolina. What are some of the activities that you look forward to when the weather turns warmer?

Chaos and Country Living

The last couple of weeks have been really busy around here. Even though our life gets a little chaotic at times, we always seem to be able to balance the chaos with some simple country living.



Carson spent to first part of the week in the studio recording the final vocals for her songs "Run" and "Missing You." I didn't realize how much work went into recording until this experience. It gives me a new respect for artists and all of the people that work in the music industry. As you can see...she enjoyed every minute of it.



Catie even got into the act and helped record a little of the background vocals!



Of course none of this would have been possibe without the help of some great people. Mark Lassiter introduced us to her producer, Brad Smith. We now consider them both great friends. We couldn't have asked for anyone better to work with Carson. Brad's work is amazing! We cant wait to get the final mix.



It wasn't quite all work and no play. Brad stayed with us in our home and we managed to do a little grilling and fishing...country life at its best!

The Waiting Is Over....Or Is It?

Well it is official. Catie is a Carolina Tarheel! She made her decision last night. We are so proud of her. Now we will be able to start planning and buying the things that she will need to go off to school in the fall. This is such a bittersweet time for us. We are excited for her highschool graduation and the events that are to come; however, it just seemed to come along way too soon! I don't know if she will ever know what joy she brings to my life on a daily basis. Am I ready to let her go away??



Oh, well...on another note...Spring has been playing tricks on us around here. After a couple of weeks of very warm weather, it seems that this last week has taken us back to winter. It has been cold and rainy, so there is not much to report in the garden. Hopefully, warmer weather will return soon. I guess we are always waiting for something aren't we?

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!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Hope you are wearing your green today. My yard sure has its green on!



Have you ever noticed that everyone wants to be Irish on St. Patrick's Day? My grandmother had a little Irish blood in her, so I guess that qualifies me. What do you think?

On a different note: Some of you have asked me about Carson's music. We are still waiting for the final full band production of her two songs. Those should be finished by next week and then she will go back to the studio to record her final vocals. After that, her songs should be available on itunes. If you want to have a sneak peak of one of her songs, feel free to visit her youtube channel. She is looking for more subscribers to her channel and would love for you to subscribe if you do that sort of thing. She also has a facebook page you can like. Her music really appeals to the "younger" set, so if you have kids or grandkids, have them give it a listen and let her know what they think! Thanks so much for your interest in my sweet girl!!

Hope everyone has a wonderful St. Patrick's Day and a beautiful weekend! Don't forget to wear your green!

Trapped!

Have you ever been trapped?


Recently, I found this little feller in one of my bird feeders.


I guess he went into one of the holes and couldn't figure out how to get out. I've been there...trapped in a situation of my own making. Haven't you? Fortunately, for this little bird, I came along and (after grabbing my camera to take pictures) gently opened the lid to let him fly away.


Sometimes we feel trapped in situations that are beyond our control...
situations that just happen. Thankfully, whether trapped by our own mistakes or for some other reason, God is always there to provide an escape for us.


He reaches down from above and opens a door for us walk through. (Although, I doubt that He grabs His camera to take pictures first!) Isn't He amazing?!