Family Fun - Summer 07

More fun around the house...


And of course, we had to play some games! Ethan is one of our chief game players, so that always makes things fun. We played Mormon Rook, Balderdash, Sequence, and Apple to Apples. Lots of fun!
Around the table is Grandma Delia, Jentrie, Logan, Adam, me, Kristen, and Cory.

Ethan and Logan

We held our traditional family "yard sale" where the kids get to take home some of our "treasures" that we no longer need.

And more shooting, as Adam takes aim at a clay pigeon during shotgun shooting.

Family Fun - Summer 07

An afternoon to relax in the back yard...


We gathered in the back yard for barbeque and chicken on the grill, plus other good things to eat.

Afterwards, the guys did the traditional playing in the kiddie pool with the neices and nephew, then...

the traditional water fight...

What fun these guys had!

Family Fun - Summer 07

Riverside Park


Time for a picnic and KFC

Then most everyone played some frisbee and baseball before heading to the river to wade and skip rocks.

Logan and Hannah being thrilled at having their picture taken! :)

The group heads back across the field.

Sherita, Logan, Hannah, Kristen, Jentrie, Adam

Grandma Jarrell, Verna, Maury, Adrian, and Hannah before going their separate ways to Chapel Hill and Texas.

Family Fun - Summer 07

Fun Things to Do with Your Family...


What family get-together would not be complete without some shooting time?!
Here Ethan takes aim as others await a turn.

Hannah and Logan enjoy some cousin bonding time while playing guitar hero.

Adrian and Maury enjoy spending some time together.

It was a good evening for a cookout as we all gathered on the deck and in the yard for some burgers on the grill.

Family Fun - Summer 07

A visit to Grandma Jarrell's house for dinner.


Before our meal, everyone wanted to go across the river to see the site of the old White Sulphur Springs resort, which is currently being redeveloped. It has a lot of history for our family since Adrian grew up here and spent a lot of time in the river and exploring the bluffs. It also happens to be the location of the first date for Grandpa and Grandma Sechrest.
This is a picture of Kristen and Merry Grace on the river bank with Adam and Elise in the background.

Our group walking back across the bridge to Grandma Jarrell's house.

Family Fun - Summer 07

An outing to the Dan River



We had a picnic before we got on the river.
Ethan, Adam, Logan, and Hannah sit around the table before we hit the cold water.

Our group after the innertubing adventure.

Family Fun - Summer 2007

This is what we've been up to lately...


An outing with everyone to Tucker Lake.
This is Kristen with Elise, Ian, and Merry Grace playing at the water's edge.

Adam on the ropes.

Adrian in a kayak on the lake.

Ethan, Jentrie, and Merry Grace

Those boys!

I was almost finished with that last post, when the printer started printing...only I wasn't printing anything. I figured Adam was on his laptop downstairs and was printing wirelessly, but when I asked the guys if they were printing, they said they weren't. So, I pulled out the plain white piece of paper and in small lower case letters were the words, "your time is up". Well, since no one here was printing, (even though in the back of my mind I thought it sounded like something the guys would write, like my computer time was up...), I assumed what any paranoid, tv-drama-watcher/Reader's-Digest-reader would assume...that someone was either stalking me or had taken over my computer! But trying to be reasonable, I called Adrian, who was on his way home, to ask if maybe he'd left a print job in the queue, but he hadn't, so now I'm locking doors and turning off the computer, when the boys run upstairs laughing, as the computer prints out, "Gottcha mom"...now that my heart has slowed down a little, great joke guys!

Clean, Clean, Clean

Clean, clean, clean, that seems to be about all I do these days! I have been on a cleaning and organizing spree and it's great to get so many things done, but is there ever an end?! I keep finding more to do! It seems that during the school year, when I'm working outside the home, that there isn't as much time to do some of these cleaning and organizing projects, but this summer things have worked out and I've been able to get a lot of good things done. Whew!!

And last, but not least, I LOVE being home more and getting to be with my family more for these couple of months in the summer! Yay for family!!

Lucy

Here is a picture taken not too long ago of Lucy, our labrador retriever, with Logan and 8bol.

A Loyal Friend

Lucy was a true and loyal friend and we will miss her. I remember when we got her as a puppy, how excited she was to meet us as she wiggled around on the basement floor... and now 14 years later it was time to say goodbye. Here are some of the things I remember about Lucy.



Her kind eyes.

The way she liked to stake out her spot on the front porch, usually in front of the door.

The way she loved to go down to the creek with us.

I remember the "pool" Logan made for her at the creek so she could have her own little spot to relax in. She loved to get in the water to cool off on a hot summer day.

The way she wanted to be with us. She liked to walk with us around the circle when we were taking a walk or to see the chickens.

I remember how she like to be with Adrian, how when we were walking to the creek she'd stop when he stopped and start again when he'd start.

I remember how she'd find a cool spot in the undergrowth at the creek, but would come out quickly when we were ready to go back up the hill to the house.

I remember how she'd bark at Ralph our cat when he sat on the front steps, just to let him know she had her eye on him.

I remember how she was good at catching food in her mouth when you'd toss it to her.

I remember she liked to protect and "mother" little animals.



I know there are more, but that's a few of the things I remember this afternoon, June 25. Our pets play an important role in our lives and I'm grateful to have had the chance to love this sweet old girl, our Lucy.



I remember her buddies Muffy and Whitey who have already gone on and hope they're having a happy reunion right now! And Bouncer, Spot, and Ralph, too; I hope they're there to greet her! And Milo, too...



It's been a sad year for us with our pets. We miss Milo, Kristen's little dog, and we also lost in the past year, Bouncer, Spot, and Ralph, and so many of our chickens (Princess, Captain Jack, Roofer, Chicken Little, Fancy, etc.) I remember how Ralph (the cat) came up as a little stray kitten and climbed up on the backs of our dogs to stay warm. I remember how Bouncer would stop and nuzzle under Adrian's hand to get him to rub her, especially under the neck. To all our faithful, furry and feathered friends, thanks for being our pets and for all the good memories. We love and miss you!

New Chicks in Town

Adrian is putting the chicks in the crate to take them in the chicken house where they'll be safer from the raccoons.

Here they are nestled in their little cubbies in the chicken house. They really are very cute!

Here you can see the gray chicken, who is one of two survivors of the raccoon attacks and some of our new chicks. Notice the grayish brownish one, third from the left...he/she is actually a turkey! So, we now have two hens from before the raccoons (Snowdrop and the gray one) and 15 new chicks and one turkey.
Any suggestions on names?

Grilling Anyone?

Does anyone have a great grilling recipe they like to use? I love to cook out (grill) in the summer and fall, especially, and wondered if anyone wanted to suggest something they like to do on the grill. We grill a lot of the typical foods, hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken, and occasionally steak, and it's pretty standard just-put-it-on-the-grill-and-cook-it style. I'm not really looking for anything fancy, maybe just a fresh idea. I saw a recipe online this morning for hoisin-honey-glazed pork with grilled pineapple that I think I could adapt and use...might be something different and tasty. Sometimes just a different sauce is fun to try, like with chicken to use not only barbecue, but also do some with lemon pepper or terriyaki. So, if you have any good ideas, feel free to share!

What a deal!

I love a bargain! What can I say?! It's hard to express the thrill I get from getting something at a great price! So, here's my deal of the day... It started yesterday when I stopped by Lowe's and saw that they had some flowers reduced on the clearance racks, also known by me as the "dead and dying" rack, but anyway, their six-pack flower trays were just a dollar, along with another little round pot, so I got four and thought I'd add a few more flowers around the house where I'd maybe skimped when I planted several weeks ago. After I'd made my purchase and got in my van to leave, I checked my receipt and saw that I didn't get the sale price on two of the flowers packs! (I know we're only talking a small amount of money here...okay, it was only about a dollar over...I was charged approx. $5.00 instead of $4.00.) But the thrill of a good deal is to actually get it! Today I had to take Logan to his orthodontist appointment which was right by Lowe's, so I dropped him off and went back to Lowe's. I did have to pick up some weed killer, but I also wanted to get my dollar back....I mean, what fun is it to get a bargain if you don't really get it! So, after I got my dollar back.... here's the even better deal I got when I went by the flower clearance racks.... they had reduced the flowers to 50 cents for a six-pack tray of flowers! I thought that was great and decided I'd just get a couple more. While I was picking them out...hang on to your seats!...the Lowe's sales person that was working in that area said, if you want 10, I'll give them to your for a dollar!! Of course, that's too good a deal to pass up, so I got 10 six-packs....(60 flowers) for only $1.00 total! How's that for a great deal! Just made my day! I do love a bargain!

This is a picture of the day lillies at our house. They grow wild and you see them along the road and other places this time of year. There is a small field of them below our house and I just love to look at them!

Grandma and the guys

Logan, Adam, and Grandma

Light Years Away

Have you ever been in a conversation and you weren't even sure you were all speaking the same language? Tonight I was in the middle of conversation like that. Adrian and Adam were discussing sound waves, light particles, and the like, and one would say something and the other one would know what he was talking about and say something like, "Yes, and then there's....." and the other one would go, "Right, and have you thought about...." and so on and so forth. Who else but Adam and Adrian would know such details?! Well, they were certainly on the same wave length, but I was light years away!

Tragedy at the Jarrell Farm

Adam and Logan spent at least a couple of hours reinforcing the chicken pens yesterday and Adrian had gotten some of the materials for an electric fence to put up. Adrian set a couple of traps and we had all been down there trying to make the area secure for our chickens, but evidently we are no match for the vicious nighttime marauders! It seems that we have at least another raccoon, and maybe several. This morning as Adrian was getting ready for work and Adam and I were getting ready to leave for Winston for his appointment with the oral surgeon to have his wisdom teeth removed, the guys went to the chicken pens and found several chickens dead and a raccoon still in the pen! While Adam tried to get to the house to get a gun, the critter managed to get away. I am just heartsick over the loss of Princess, Captain Jack, Roofer, Chicken Little, and our big Rooster. To some they probably just seem like a bunch of chickens, but they had names and personalities and we enjoyed hearing them cackle and crow and watch them scratch about and do all their chicken stuff. Adrian has taken great care to watch over them and learn about raising chickens so we could have fresh eggs and be more self-sufficient. We all feel bad to lose so many of our chickens this week. We are now trying again to put our heads together and see if we can outsmart these raccoons! Logan has been working on some ideas this morning which include barbed wire, paintball guns, and BB guns....so we'll see what happens!

The Bandit

Something got into our chicken pen and got three of our chickens, then another night, one more disappeared. Adrian set traps to try and catch the bandit. Last night the creature got one more chicken and got caught! We had wondered if it would be a raccon, weasil, or maybe a fox...turns out, it was a raccoon. He shouldn't have killed our chickens, but he was only doing what raccoons do, so Adrian did the humane thing and took him about 5 miles away and released him into the woods. He looked really scared in the trap, so I'm glad he's free (and away from our chickens so they will be safe) and I hope he will lead a reformed life and stay away from chickens! I asked Adrian if he thought the raccoon selected his prey because he got three of the little banty (bantam) hens the first night and they are small, or if he thought the raccoon went after his prey at random. Adrian said he didn't know the mind of the raccoon, but offered that we might check out a raccoon profiler to answer that question! :)

Mother's Day Activities

We enjoyed a Mother's Day dinner prepared by Adrian. Grandma Delia and Grandma Jarrell ate with us (Adrian and I, and Adam and Logan) along with Trula and Verna. We visited outside on the deck and opened presents.

Adrian and Trula enjoyed a trip to see the chickens.

Doesn't everyone shoot firearms as part of their Mother's Day activities?!

Adrian and Adam take aim.

Trampoline Time, Mission Prep., Guitar Heroes, Birthday Celebrations

What would a trip to Kristen and Cory's be like without some time on the trampoline?!

Adam beginning the process of getting his papers ready for his mission.

Our very own guitar heroes!

Celebrating Kristen's birthday!

In the country...

Old McDonald

We enjoyed a nice visit with Kristen, Cory, Elise, Ian, and Merry Grace this weekend. On Sunday after our birthday dinner for Adrian, I decided to take Mama a plate since she wasn't feeling well and didn't get to come eat with us. Ian was eager to go with me, so we got into the van and headed out. He was so cute talking about things as we rode along, but one of the cutest things was on the way home...we were riding along, listening to the rain pouring down on the roof of the van, and then all of a sudden he burst into singing "Old McDonald Had a Farm" and so I joined in with him. It was just so cute! Ian is such a neat little fellow and just a real pleasure to be around, always full of adventure and fun!

The grandkids were all just cute as could be and it was a pleasure to be with them. Merry Grace loves to come up to me to be held and it just makes my day. She is so sweet and cute and cuddley. Sometimes she just puts her head against my shoulder and snuggles up and it is just so sweet. Elise is growing up so fast and staying such a good example and a wonderful helper in her family. It's fun to talk to her - she always sounds so grown up and expresses herself so well to be only 5.

8bol rides again

8bol, being the cute little dog he is, quickly responded to Adrian's invitation to "Come on, 8bol, let's take a ride!" Logan came along, too, and they all made a quick trip to take off our trash. 8bol must have had a great time, because when they got back, he continued to sit by the van and whine. He walked from one door to the other and then to the back. He put his paws on the back bumper and cried some more. Evidently, he really likes to ride! He is a good traveler when we go to Kristen's (and he rides in his pet carrier), but I'd never seen that kind of response to a trip! Maybe he liked being held by Logan in the seat and looking out the window this time. I don't know....but he was sure ready to go again!