Love Wishes and the Joy of Bubble Wrap!

Have a happy day.  Hope yours oozes

 with love and sugar and perhaps a bite of chocolate too.  

My day looks rather busy.  I am taking a friend who is a recent widow on a walk in the woods with my children instead of our regular homeschooling schedule (which personally I am sick of and need a break from!)...

we are going to leave some marshmallows and other tasty treats

 for my 3 gone back to the wild baby raccoons. 

 (Betty can't believe i am still feeding them. But I can't get their little faces out of my head, as they rolled the marshmallows over their little fingers with glee before they started nibbling on them. Funny, now she is saving up snacks for them too.  Can't wait until she gets to see where they live. Alas though we will be awake, they will be sleeping somewhere out of sight.  If only they knew it was a day dedicated to sugar, surely they'd show face.)

Then going to visit one of my dearest friends in the hospital, he is having back surgery in the morning and I am going to hang out with his wife Beth.  We are praying this is the solution to the horrid pain he has been having for months.  Please pray for Brent!!  He is the friend I prayed for for 25 years, last year God allowed me to lead him to the Lord (say Halleluiah!!)

Then back later in the day to eat the very red cupcakes we made tonight.  Oh how my children love that sickening sweet frosting.  

 I found mine marked down to 25 cents a can after July 4th at Aldi's.  

And because there is nothing natural in it AT ALL, it literally lasts forever.  I have enough red and blue frosting hoarded up in our pantry for years to come!  

Planning on a nail painting festival here late in the day with my daughters.  Figure they would all like some spa treatment, not sure my oldest will be able to play spa with us, she is busy at college these days and getting ready for a trip with JoJo's mom to Seattle this weekend. My Baby is growing up, sniff-sniff.

Now to share these precious photos

 of our Bubblewrap Princess...

Hope your day is filled with JOY unspeakable!

Good-bye my Sweet Raccoons...

Thankful,

sad,

 tearful,

happy...

so many thoughts running through my head...

tonight my three babies will run through their new world...

a piece of heaven tucked into a patch of protected forest,

a haven for 3 orphans to grow up under the watchful eye of their loving Father.

I will miss them more than words can ever capture. 

SkippyJon, Faith and Love you stole my heart

from the first moment I saw your tiny little handful of you. 

My life has been changed because you needed me.

Thank you and be joy filled running up and down all those trees.

LOVE Always;

Your Mama

Walk with Us in the Woods

 

We walked,

we took 300 some pictures...

mostly of my piratey girl and her guy.  JoJo was given a week leave from the Air Force

and we decided it was time that we introduced him to our favorite little piece (or peace) 

of Heaven here on earth.

Any time in the woods is always a good time in my book.  

Unfortunately at the end of the trip our little Princess Mercy took a stumble

and got a pretty big gash across the bridge of her nose to the very edge of her eye.

It didn't need stitches, but boy was it a close call. 

Weeks later and we still have a pretty big mark, slowly it is fading.

It has rained so much over the past few weeks

that we haven't had any woods time. 

I am feeling the need to get outside and enjoy another spring time stroll through the forest. I find it helps to center my heart and bring me back to a place of great peace within my soul, after all of life's commitments and busyness.  

I wonder why that is?

Winter Wonderland (in my yard!)

Homeschool science-snake handling

An afternoon with a garter snake~

(genus: Thamnophis sirtalis-common garter snake)

King Meemer spotted the snake near the edge of our woods.

Mama told them it was a garter snake

King Bonkey wanted to know if it was a 'poison ivy' snake.

Mama showed them how to pick it up and hold it.

our container is to shallow...run for another...


our container is too small for our wee little slithering friend

A boy and his snake

underneath our new friend

no fear

pretty scales-hand painted by God

A princess' secret joy

being studied

Fozzdike takes a turn

King Bonkey being very brave

(after all it might still be a 'poison ivy' snake Mama)

My boy the nature lover

Princess Giggles didn't want to hold the snake, but carefully watched all of us doing it.

Maybe next time!

Oh, for the love of learning...and without a curriculum.

Got to love those kind of days!

A trip to the little cabin in the woods

Katrinka (our tank) heading to the cabin.

A view through the trees.

The beaver dam

Our horse away from home.

More of the old beaver dam.

A climbing King Bonkie (4)

Red Trillium

Red Trillium dancing among the fallen leaves, under the canopy of newly emerging leaves.

A hiding spot for spiders.

A yellow Trout Lily

Some fungus among us.

Silly Bunter gets a drink from the swimming hole.

The pirate chillin' in the cabin

Our faithful fire starter.

A 13 year old superhero flying in the night.

So like her Mama, another tree hugger comes into the forest.

Some trees bite.

Another deep thinker in the family.

Walking back toward our woodsie haven.

************************************

Spring in Vermont is such a reminder of the hand of God to me. As we walk our property and see what is emerging after the long winter nap, it all points to its Maker. I know I have shared my love of the forest with you, but as this is a new location of the trees, bear with me and lets take a walk.

Yes, even the trees clap their hands and the rocks cry out Praise to their God, lets join them.