Am I Lucky Or What!!!!!

Am I the luckiest person or what!!! I along with many other bloggers participated in a "Primitive Porch Swap" set up by Char from The Pickled Pepper Patch. I just happened to get lucky and I was paired up with Char for this swap. You just won't believe what fantastic things she sent to me. They are all homemade except for one thing but I'm pretty positive Char could have made it had she taken a notion to do it.

Are you ready?????




Can you say "WOW!!!!


This is an incredible flower holder. I'm not so sure I want to put it out on my porch. I took this picture at the fireplace before I knew where I wanted to put this baby. Now it is sitting on my kitchen table with these lovely Geraniums from Joann Fabric. Char also said it worked great for holding rolls of toilet paper. Is that lady a genius or what!!!



This is a small hanging plant holder that I probably will put out on my porch. I need to find the perfect spot for it.


Don't you just adore this fly screen???? I wanted to make one for myself but why bother now! I already have one.


Some of you might remember this next treasure from one of Char's recent tutorials. Yes it is her game board. It is already hanging on the porch. The sweet little garden pick is perched in one of my plants in my living room.


I can't say thank you enough to Char for these wonderful treasurers. This swap was so much fun. I even joined her next swap the "Patriotic Porch Swap". Sorry girls this one is already closed. If Char offers one of these swaps again, don't miss your chance to sign up. You won't regret it I promise.

Have a Sunshiny Day.
Hugs,
AMY

Our Four Legged Friends

I thought it would be nice to post about some of our precious family friends. You know the four legged kind. We have 3 hairy friends at our house. Chipper is 11 years old. He is the most gentle Shepherd around. He has been faithful and loyal to our family for a very long time. When he was just a pup, he used to run behind Aaron in the yard and his front paws would hit Aaron in the back of the legs. Aaron would be bruised up and down his legs. He was not hurting Aaron he just had big heavy feet. Everyone is terrified of him when they come to the house. Little do they know he is just a big baby. One floppy ear and one pointed one. I thought we were going to loose him this past fall. He either had a stroke or he had a bad case of arthritis in his hips. The vet says that is common with Shepherds so they just gave him some medicine and it seemed to make him better. He is a lot more active and he doesn't drag his back side like he was. Could you imagine having to put shoes on this guy. His feet are huge.

Now Susie is a real firecracker. She is 7 years old. She had a litter of pups to Chipper and they were beautiful. It wasn't a planned pregnancy. We weren't in the position to keep any of the puppies so we sent them out to good homes. Susie obviously isn't as big as Chipper but she looks just as mean with both her ears pointing up. She is a big baby none the less. I think Chipper would like to hook up with her again but so far we have been able to keep them separated. I love her eyes.

The UPS guy delivers my packages to me at work. He said there is no way he is getting out of his vehicle when we aren't home with those dogs watching over the house. Of course I know all they would do is lick him to death. I guess it is good that a stranger would think he might be eaten if he trespassed.

Our real baby is Isabella. Bella for short. She is a Schnoodle. If there is anyone out there that wants a house pet that doesn't shed and is the perfect example of obedience, this is a great choice. We got her when she was about 6 weeks old. She will be three this summer. She knows every trick possible. I think she even says "Momma" when I come in the house from work. We got her the year my oldest went off to stay at college. I was looking for in house protection since my husband was working nights at the time. She definitely lets you know when someone is in the drive. Look at those beautiful eyes of hers. I swear she is human sometimes.

I would love to hear about your pets if you have any, especially dogs. I am definitely not what you would call an animal lover but I do love our babies.

Have a great rest of the week my friends,

Hugs,

AMY

~A Mother.... Me ... and My Mother~

Have you ever really thought about what it takes to be a mother? Starting out as a new mother isn't that big of a deal. You have to kiss all boo boo's and make them feel better, chase away monsters from under bed, cook a good hot dog, and know how to play hide and seek. As time goes on you have to have to know how to listen without commenting and know that when things are not alright, you aren't supposed to ask "what's wrong." Man that is hard to do sometimes.

My firstborn Aaron was my "Little Man." We did everything together. He was my shopping buddy and I was his biggest fan. He was so darn smart too. There wasn't anything that kid couldn't figure out for himself. He was so polite and well mannered that adults would come up to me in the store and say what a well behaved little boy he was. That was music to my ears. (sorry the pictures are so blurry. i had to take pictures of pictures for this post)

My "Little Man" is now my "Big Man". He is 21 years old and will embark on his Senior Year of College this fall. My hubby and I had already been married for 2 years when I was 21. I can't even imagine him being married now. I was Aaron's Biggest Fan when he played sports. He always asked me after each game, "Mom how come you are the only mother I heard yelling when we were playing?" I guess his playing just excited me so and I couldn't control my emotions.


My second little pride and joy was my baby girl, better known as "Sissy Girl." God blessed me with a beautiful curly red head baby girl. How lucky was I. Allison of course hated the red hair. For Christmas one year she asked Santa for a black wig. She loved to perform and sing for us. I thought she had star potential at an early age. I mean what mother doesn't think her little girl has talent!! Allison was such a momma's girl. She would tag after me and try to do everything I did. How easy things were then. (doesn't she look a bit like the lion from the Wizard of Oz?)


Now my "Sissy Girl" is a teenager and she thinks she knows it all. Everything that happens in her life is a major drama. I don't remember it being so hard when I was a teenager. Then ago that was a hundred years ago. Allison is a lot like her dad but we do have a few similarities. We both share a passion for clothes and we love to talk. To this day she still calls Aaron "Brother." I'm not sure she knows what his real name is.

I myself have been blessed with a very special mother. My mother is a God fearing Christian woman that has been there for me no matter what I have needed. Growing up the youngest of 10 children, I had to share her quite a bit with my siblings. Mom never made us kids feel like she loved one of us more than the other. (Although secretly I know I am her favorite. Right mom?) Finally at age 13, I had her all to myself. All my brothers and sisters were married off and had families of their own. Mom taught me how to cook and clean. She was the perfect example of how to be a good wife and mother. She taught me that God should be first in my life and I should raise my children in church the way she did her kids.

Mom and dad watched my kids while my husband and I worked. I think out of the 50+ grandchildren they have, mine are the closest to them. They took my kids everywhere they went. I think hanging around with mom and dad all day made them smarter in school as well. They were always around adults. When my dad died, my son fell apart. I didn't think he would ever stop crying that day. His best buddy was gone and there was nothing he could do about it.

Mom has struggled a big part of her life with health issues but she never let her pain show through to us kids. She has had multiple surgeries, hip and knee replacements, foot surgery, stomach surgery, etc. Never once do I remember hearing her complain about the pain she was going through. All she worried about was how her family was doing and was everyone alright. Her heart problems are our biggest concern with her today. She is now 82 and pretty much set in her ways so she has no desire to have anymore surgeries to fix her heart problems or any other problems she may have. God will see her through until her last breath is her motto.

Mom now lives alone in her own home on our property so she is never far from me. I see or talk to her everyday. She is more than a mother to me. She is my best friend. We go out to eat together, we attend church together and we also just sit around and talk to each other about everything. My mother knows more secrets about me than even my best friends in high school did. I adore her.

Now I'll share with you what my kids got me for Mothers Day. These are the most beautiful flowers ever. I have been so blessed by my children and words cannot express how much I love them. They are my heart and my soul.

In closing, I would like to say "Happy Mother's Day" to all my friends old and new. Have a wonderful day.

With Warm Hugs,
~AMY~