Saturday, April 28, 2012

The PRC Banquet

 We have been very blessed in the past years to volunteer at our local Pregnancy Resource Center, and every spring we are excited to attend their annual Fundraiser Banquet.
This year was no exception, and we were happy to have Josh and Theresa along with us.
 The Banquet was very well attended this year; it was wonderful to see all the different people there showing their support for the God glorifying work that the PRC does.
 The Silent Auction was absolutely huge this year; it was great to see how many beautiful things were donated to the cause of spreading the gospel and saving lives.


Once the dinner (which was delicious as usual) was over, we all meandered over to the Sanctuary for the program.
A wonderful quartet regaled us with some delightful melodies, and I am proud to say that I recorded all of them, except for the last one since my memory card became full in the middle of it. :)
Mrs. Donna Luke gave us an update on the PRC, along with thanks for the help given and encouragement to continue.
We were also very blessed by a message given by Mr. Bob Dutko, he had some very relevant points backed from Scripture on unborn and born babies, and how God sees no difference.
We are very grateful for being able to play even a small part at our local Pregnancy Resource Center and are excited to see and hear about the lives they are able to touch.
~Chs

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Josh's Birthday!

On April 18th our second boy turned 22!!
We are very blessed to have this talented man in our family, and are thrilled with the ways God has blessed him in the past few years.
Joshua is our family jokester, lover of music, observer of wild life, enthusiastic hunter and is blessed with a stunning voice, and a beautiful whistle.   You should really hear it when Josh is visiting, and he and Faith whistle through a classical piece, harmony and all!
Being the 5th child Joshua is what we call our third first born (if that makes any sense:) and can do pretty much anything with limited effort.
We were very pleased to be able to have Josh and his wife Theresa (who I some how failed to include in the photographs!) over the day before his birthday for a dinner and party.  
May God bless you, Josh, in the coming year as you continue to lead your own family.

~Chs

"But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint."
Isaiah 40:31

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

A walk with the Wildflowers

Last Sunday we took an April walk at the Nature Sanctuary.
It was a very beautiful evening. The sun was shining down but it was deceiving because there was a definite nip in the air.


We walked over the new, still in construction board walk, and entered the woodsy part of the sanctuary.
There were violets in abundance.  Three different kinds to be exact.  So pretty.
This one was like little white roses, but remains unidentified.
Grouped in bunches near the violets were the distinctive May Apples, some still unfurling their umbrella shaped leaves.
We were thrilled to spot a dog tooth violet flower or trout lily, because the leaves were everywhere but the flowers were few.  I don't know about you, but I think the flower looks a lot like a banana peel! :)
Violets and Spring Cress carpeted some of the path ways, creating a whimsical look.

Then when we came to the swampy parts, there were the Marsh Marigolds!!  Oh those marigolds; they were so bright and cheerful, and they were SO thick.
We truly enjoyed our walk with the wildflowers, and hope we can be a little more faithful about going on our nature walks this year so we can see each of the season's beautiful flowers.
~Chs

Monday, April 16, 2012

The Last Week (or two) in Pictures

 The beginning weeks of April have been very busy, and very fun filled.  So I thought I would share some of the random photos I have taken the past two weeks.  Enjoy!!!
 April 6th was Sadie Rose's first Birthday, so to celebrate we took her to the dog park.
 She was rather timid at first but soon she realized that it wasn't so scary after all, and that maybe all the other dogs weren't out to eat her, and then she really enjoyed herself.
 We also had some last minute pruning to do.

 One afternoon, after pruning, we went down to the flint river to "cool" our feet.

 Another item in our day's work was babysitting 11 Saint Bernard puppies and their Momma.

They were absolutely adorable, and their Mother was an angel dog, putting up with all of them nursing around the clock.
 On the last day that we took care of them, the puppies eyes were just beginning to open and they were trying to totter around on their chubby little legs.
 One of our great finds was this absolutely stunningly beautiful male Pileated Wood Pecker.  Yes, he is real, and no he is not alive.  Mom and I found this gorgeous bird lying dead in the middle of the road.  We were so glad we got to see one of these evasive birds up close, but saddened that it wasn't alive and well.
So there is the last couple weeks in a nutshell (or should I say in a camera lens) I do hope you enjoyed it! :)
~Chs

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Just Ducky!

 As hinted in the last post, I recently purchased 7 Fawn and White Indian Runner ducks.  I took Faith along with me to the Hatchery and she was so overwhelmed by the adorable bills and feet of some certain Khaki Campbell ducks that she bought 4 of them!  :)
So following are some mostly uncaptioned pictures of adorable duckiness.  Uncaptioned, because sometimes the picture just says it all.
The Khaki Campbells

"Hello!"


Posing perfection.


My baby ducklings are growing up so fast, they have already graduated from the kitchen to the front porch, and this week they will move outside for good!  Already I am starting to be able to tell which are girls and boys.  Dear little fluffiness aren't going to be fluffy much longer, but I enjoy all the stages, from duckling to duck.
~Chs

Monday, April 09, 2012

The Birthday Celebration

 On Monday, the week of my birthday, we went on the adventures already documented. Tuesday Charity took Grace and I to see a movie. Wednesday was my truly Birthday but we were rather busy so we didn't do too much then, so on Thursday we had my special dinner, cake and party!
 Mother has always been creative making our cakes, but I think she topped all this year with my 3-D Camera cake.  It was a three layered Carrot Cake with cream cheese filling.   Delicious!

 In between dinner and dessert, we had presents!  Faith gave me a set of adorable laughing Duckling pot holders, :)
and I was thrilled to receive a Jemima Puddle Duck music box that played Clair-De-Lune.

 ^Taking "pictures" with my Camera Cake.^
 I also received a candy dish, whose polka dots look just like pretzel M n' Ms!  :)
I am very grateful for the 20 years the LORD has seen fit to give me, and pray that in the following year He will use me more and more for His glory.
I am also thankful for my wonderful family, and dear friends who were so generous this year for my Birthday.

In fact, as direct result of a gift from one of my dear friends, I am now the proud possessor of 7 Fawn and White Indian Runner ducks!
And as an indirect result of said gift, Faith is the owner of 4 Khaki Campbell ducks.  But you will have to wait till later to hear about that! :)
~Chs