Sunny Saturday

 Saturday morning work done; then to lake awhile. Again - pretty cool water but kids didn't seem to mind.

First task: pull up all anchor blocks and move dock. Ben had to help as blocks were all tangled together into one big jumbled mess.

Job done, next fun.

*sigh*

another pet

This little chap was pleased with his homemade pizza for supper.

So nice to be outside again!

Beautiful evening for fishing. 

The colors were brilliant and I couldn't get enough of it. Indeed, summer will come. Can't say it's here yet, but this little taste of it was wonderful.

The beach has a way of making fishing less fun😅

Jason was so pleased with his little seat. Just his size.

This little fish was delighted (as if you can't tell).

Home again - backyard beauty.

We hosted a cookout for our choir and families Sunday evening. Josh introduced his pets to a few friends. 

😄

Was nice to have a crowd here again - on a beautiful evening - and the singing was absolutely beautiful. Such a blessing to work with this group to learn challenging songs as we sing praise to Him Who created us for this very purpose.

And that's it for last weekend.

Was a busy one but very good.

We are blessed and ever so grateful.

Random Busy

 As you may have guessed, I have graduated to Eagle Scouts (or something) in IT issues and now have my pictures back on my desktop. Yay me.

Last week started slow - and cold & rainy - and this little crowd came for lunch one day. Too bad I didn't get many px.

Jewel made these. She officially passed her Home Ec 101 class. 

Er, that would be Family And Consumer Science, as it's now called.

Our two very pretty horses.

The problem with adorable kittens in the barn is that they sink those tiny little claws into me and I can't get away. It's a struggle.

Great jam night last week. 

Josh and Jewel have been doing a lot of random yard and house cleanup in addition to all the mowing, weedwhipping, and weeding.

Work hard; play hard. First trip to lake. Water was chilly but kids went in anyway. Not me, no way. Beth and I walked while Ben & Olivia waded a little.

Brandi loves the lake and has been a lot of fun for Jewel & Josh already. She only gets to swim when no one else is there; she's a little nutty and unpredictable which doesn't work well with a crowd. But it's really fun to watch her with the kids when no one else is there.

Some folks don't believe in shoes around here.

Many cloudy days lately.

Three sweet visitors on Friday night. And it was *relatively* warm. A rare thing this year.

Jasper was supposed to take his bottle but wanted none of it. He was determined to be with the big kids.

And that's a wrap for last week. 

SKS Pottery

 When A. Sarah makes pottery, we are the benefactors. When her pottery line becomes famous and sells for outrageous prices, you can say you first saw it here.

And no, these are not for sale.

Sprint

Sometimes when you're in a race (think sixth grade homeroom cross country) you have to do a sprint the last while to beat the competition. And that's the extent of my racing knowledge. I think I lasted two years on the junior high cross country team until I moved on to bigger and better things. Don't ask me what bc I certainly don't remember. But I do know the feeling of sprinting, and I didn't like it. Maybe that's why I only lasted two years. 

At any rate, that's been life lately. Things have ramped up with Jesse&Lucy's new house, and we've all been pitching in with that. Also our peach trees have gone crazy with peaches and so Dad & I have been pruning and thinning. And thinning. And thinning. Eventually I'll post px. 

School is done, thankfully; Josh's school is stored away and I just have to update Sarah and Jewel's transcripts yet. Kate did great on her classes - all A's - in spite of her crazy online learning and has a good start on her summer classes which are necessary in order for her to graduate next spring. Ben had a good semester too - two A's and one B - in spite of his crazy online learning; he's jumped into work fulltime and is not missing school one bit. Sarah has also been working fulltime which leaves just Jewel and Josh to help me here at the ranch with mowing, gardening, baking, meals, etc. Today is cloudy and really cold, AGAIN. We've had two days warm enough for a little lake time; we thoroughly enjoyed this brief time and are Very Ready for more of it. Meanwhile, while I could be thinning yet more peaches this morning, I'm choosing to update this blog in my cozy warm family room. Because it is Really Really Really Cool outside. As in, Jewel is mowing with her winter coat on.😖

We'll see how far I get.

I've been having computer issues also...

😒

Fun evening at Levi&Echo's awhile ago.

*there were others there. These are just the cutest, you know?*

I got an Instant Pot for Mother's Day. Have been researching and trying lots of things. So far I like it a lot. This is an Instant Pot Fudge Brownie Sundae. Delicious.

Ben takes puppy chow very seriously.

Phone comparisons maybe? Not sure. 

Looked gray outside. Likely cold too. We decided summer was cancelled this year😄

That's all for this time. I'm having trouble getting px to my computer so don't know when I'll post next. Next task on this cold rainy day is to see what's up with that. And I am definitely IT challenged so my hopes aren't high for success here...

Just saying...