Crimson Pixie

When I was a child, the Lily above would have been called Lily. I would have called it Lily, anyway. Now, today, Lily has a name. Meet Miss Crimson Pixie!

And this long legged orange beauty . . . well, shoot! This Lily has a name too but I can't remember it!

Do you think these guys are related?

On Bella Noel's Birth Day, Himself, Craig and I were in Traci's room when a nurse came in. Seeing Lanny and Craig, the nurse literally did a double take. Stopped still. Said, something like, boy. You two don't look a like, do you!

And then she saw Joey!

Study Craig's photo a bit. What is wrong with it? What have I done? Don't you just love digital photography?

A Busy Weekend

Jack can be SOOOO sweet -- and the biggest tease.

Traci can still "handle" Joey . . . and love him to pieces!

Bella Noel -- we are enjoying getting to know this littlest Missie.

Erica had a garage sale and the little ones had a Lemonade Stand. The profits went down the drain . . . eventually.

Morghan Grace got a lesson on how to make biscuits.

The "Girls" had a picnic lunch in the shade in the backyard.

The "girls" had a tea party with "sugared" strawberries, muskmelon and "tea". We used place cards, fancy glasses, little hors d'oeuvre forks and our manners.

Whew! Nana is tired and PaPa is already in bed!

Nana can't dance and Audri won't rock and roll

Faces of Summer 2009

Chicago Trip

We came home from visiting Kristy and Tony back in May and when I moved my photos from the camera to the storage drive, I named this one "Bad Photo Police".

Tony can take good "self-portraits". I have seen a dozen or so that he has taken of him and Kristy. Even my 13 year old great niece, Brittney, can take good self portraits. I have been practicing -- and I can't!

See! In this photo I am just about to be arrested and fined for taking a bad self-portrait!

And Himself is all . . . like . . . playing innocent. Acting like nothing is happening. Like he doesn't know me!

Kristy's County (country) Tour

In no apparent order, here are some photos from our day tour through Madison and Union counties.

There is that PaPa -- he would never want anyone to think he was enjoying himself -- or liked the people he was with ! ha ha

This photo was taken by fulltime "RVers" -- they have been living in an RV since 1988. In California. I think that would be great! We took their picture in return.

I love the sod roof on the little log cabin at Mt. Pisgah. I'm thinking when Himself and I build our retirement home, it might have a sod roof. The Des Moines library does. (It does, doesn't it, Johanna? Isn't that the Library with a sod roof?)

Look at this bad boy! Beautiful! He came out of his Peacock House and strutted his stuff! This is at the Madison County Historical Site. There is a beautiful stone house here. There is also a stone barn but we couldn't get inside it.

Kristy wants to know why there is a door "up there" as there are no steps inside the little log Post Office up to the 2nd floor. I don't know what tickled her fancy in this photo. It wasn't that I pointed out the ladder to her. Here is how you get in the door up there. But that wasn't it . . . so who knows?

The little stone schoolhouse was locked. So sad. We wanted to see inside.

These two are wondering why "no windows". The cloakroom was in the southwest corner and you didn't need but one window in the cloakroom -- and that was one the west.

Believe it or not, when I went to elemetary school, we had a "cloakroom" and that is what we called it. Must have been left over from the country school days.

It was a good tour; it was a good day. Hurry back!

Isabella Noel

I tried to wait. Told myself that Traci would want to post a picture first but then I remember the day I took my third baby home and the busyness of the first months of a baby's life and so I have taken the liberty of posting a photo of my newest grandbaby.

to 'Bella

May God ever bless you

with love and with grace,

May joy always shine

on your dear little face.

I hope her hair stays dark and curly and that freckles sprinkle her nose, in the years to come.

Spring green

Johanna and Audri look good in "green". In green Spring. It isn't often I get a picture of "Aunt Hannah" as she's known to nieces and nephews . . . or as "MY Mama!", to Audri Lu.