Our Newest Addition!

We adopted a rescued cocker spaniel! His name is Mickey (he was already named) and he is just perfect! He is beautiful, fixed, housebroken, and playful! He is approx. 3 years old.

We just love him! The pictures just don't do him justice! :) He seems to love us too!

The *only* problem is that Cash (our 10 year old Australian Shep/Lab mix) does NOT like him at all! We have to keep them completely separate. We are hoping that over time, they will learn to tolerate each other!

You can see above that Mickey fits perfectly with me in my chair in the living room! He is a snuggler...but he also likes to keep *moving* (thus why it is difficult to get a good picture of him).

So we are adjusting to a new dog here as well as our normal doings/ comings and goings! :o) I have to get going...just wanted to pop on real quick and share our newest love with you!!

Have a great week!
Warmly,
Katy :)

Of Tea Parties, Babies, and Banjos!

Good morning friends! :) I have much to do today but I wanted to quickly share some photos of lately while I had some time! 

Madelyn and Jaxson wanted to have a tea party and they invited Xavier to attend as well...

They had little sandwiches, apples, raisins, cranberries and tea (of course!)...

Jaxson always cracks me up when he wears his "mad hatter" hat...and where more appropriate to wear it than to a tea party!?

Last week, Madelyn and I were able to carve out some time to drive over to my sister's place and visit with the girls and their newest addition...little Dusty...

Oh how wonderful it was to snuggle this wee one! He is just *super* sweet!

Don't worry...I did share him *a little bit* with Madelyn...

Because of Dusty's birth and then a sickness that had hit their house ~ they couldn't make it to Madelyn's 16th birthday party...so they had fun giving her gifts while we were there. Aunt Devon also made her a blueberry cobbler!

We harvested our first little batch of green beans the other day and had them with supper. They are absolutely perfect!! These were just from some of the plants in our raised beds. We have more planted in the big garden that I will can when they are ready!

The photo below is a bit blurry...but if you would like to watch the video of X playing his banjo (at our local county fair this weekend) you can go HERE. He won second place! :)

So that's a little peek into our days. We have been keeping busy...my mom hasn't been well so caring for her has been top priority this past week. The normal jobs of being a wife, mother and homemaker have been tended to daily as well!

It's hard to believe we are almost to the end of July! The time is flying by much quicker than I would like. We usually start our schooling mid-August...so we'll be preparing for that soon. Madelyn would like to get her driver's permit as well...so she's been taking online practice tests in preparation. People are growing and days are flying by and it's just so bittersweet! Even when trying to enjoy the little moments...they are gone before I know it!

Thanks for visiting! I've got clothes out on the line, the bed is made and there is more to do!

I gotta run! Have a great week!
Kindly,
Katy

..::SIXTEEN::..

If you have been following my blog for a while (or maybe since the beginning over 10 years ago...WOW!) then you have watched my girl grow up! She turned 16 this past week. My husband and I are blessed to have her as our daughter! 

We don't do big birthday parties every year...but I promised her one for her sixteenth birthday! So, Saturday night...we  had a lovely gathering of family and many of her friends. Madelyn did not just sit back and expect the party be thrown *for* her...she dug right in. She helped make food, purchased things that she wanted for it and was a great help!

 She bought enough glow sticks for her friends...

We had a board for her friends to write messages and such to Madelyn on!

It worked perfectly! Her friends had it all filled up with drawings, autographs, messages and love (I didn't take a picture of it finished....but it is now hanging in Madelyn's room!)...

We threw the party at Pa's pavilion. It's super windy back there so I had quite a time trying to get the table coverings on...starting with scotch tape then moving on to duct tape!!

Because it is so windy (and glaring sun as it sets in the evenings) Chris and our Brother-In-Love hung up a couple tarp signs that they had (I have no idea where they got them). They aren't pretty....but they really help block the wind and sun when necessary! They also help if it starts to rain! So that is the reason for that ugly tarp in this picture...haha! I took this photo though to show the bags of chips hanging up...they were for walking tacos. The party was themed around Madelyn's favorite things...(she loves tacos, macaroni salad, potato salad, mint flavored things, pierogies etc.). Walking tacos are made when you open a bag of doritoes and add meat, cheese, lettuce and other toppings in it and eat! :)

Friends and family arrived, Chris prayed, and the party began!

See those flower balls above? Madelyn made those! :) It was a pinterest find!

 Madelyn also loves cranberries and chocolate...and mint M&M's!

There's Pa (Chris's dad) in the red..and my dad beside him...

Christian friends are such a blessing. They are not perfect....but the acceptance and kindness they all share for each other is just wonderful! I am thankful my children have such great friends (Yes...most of them are homeschooled too!)...

 Madelyn wanted Andes candy cupcakes and cake so we made them together! I didn't try it (although I wanted to) but Madelyn said it was the best icing ever! We homemade a mint icing (another pinterest find) and apparently it tasted wonderful with the chocolate cake! Chris made homemade ice cream (everyone's first time trying my Grandpop and Grammie's homemade ice cream recipe) and it was a huge success!! Everyone loved it!!!

Before her party, Madelyn let me know she didn't want anyone to sing to her. It was just too embarrassing for people to all be looking at her. Well, being the silly mama that I am ~ I told everyone how *excited* Madelyn was for us to sing to her!! Her friends all belted out in tune and she was embarrassed (but happy)! :)

Madelyn with her friend Lindsey...

Mad and her friend Abby...

 The kids all played a fun game of kickball!

Madelyn made props for fun pictures! Her friends took advantage of it and had some laughs! Love these girls!

Below: a picture of my Madelyn and me. I know I look rough... The lighting was bad and I was absolutely exhausted (and the party wasn't even over yet!). It was a long day but I had great joy because I know Madelyn had a good time!

There was a fire for hotdogs and s'mores...

 A funny group pic of the teens...

Some of Mad's friends had to work and showed up late so they aren't pictured! But this was the main crew! We are so thankful that they all could come and celebrate with us! We told them gifts weren't necessary but some brought them anyway and completely blessed Madelyn with their kindness! :o)

Thank you for reading this post and sharing in our celebration as well! I am still trying to process the fact that I am the mother of a sixteen year old....I'm not sure when that will sink in! I am incredibly grateful though. *Such* a blessing she is to our lives! We praise God for giving us the gift of Madelyn and the responsibility to raise her up as a daughter of the King! :)

Warmly,
Katy