Happy Mothers Day! I am content now having heard from all 3 of my children! Just to hear their voices and know they are well reassures me. I know the Lord has His hand on their lives, but one of the hardest things for me to do, is leave them in God's hands. I have a compulsion to try and fix everything for them! However, their lives are their own and I can just provide love and support.
We actually have sun amidst the cool Oregon showers,today. I am blessed with flowers today, roses from my daughter and rhododendrons from my husband. The husband helped me plant four rhodies and two azaleas this afternoon. I have my hanging baskets planted and even tho we had temperatures into the 30's this past week, I think they are starting to fill in. I will hang them along the porch, and wait for the spill of flowers to signal the start of summer.
Now the planning intensifies for the graduation time. We have 2 graduating from college, and now trying to find jobs and their niche in life. Weddings and graduations abound, What joy to see the young ones stepping into their futures! Joy and adventure awaits!

We enjoyed seeing Violet and her parents last Sunday. She is getting to be a big girl! So much fun to see her growing and developing personality, expressing her likes and dislikes. She loves to have a book read to her, and studies the page with such interest. I know she will be an early reader! If you can believe it, we arose on that morning, the 20th of April, to find it snowing and at least 2 inches covering the fields and hills. It was winter wonderland in spring! What is funny is that it was 84 degrees the week before!
Just today I have planted my hanging pots with white wave petunias, purple verbania, white allysum and verigated creeping jenny. I am getting ready to put in some day lilies, in a sunny bed which needs more flowers, and have plans for at least 4 more flower beds! Ah spring! Now if it will just not snow any more this season! Of course it is spring in Oregon.

I just realized I had not added an entry for awhile. Its hard to believe we had this snow only a month ago! Now my daffodils and primroses are coming up and showing color and soon Easter will be here!

I already have plans to add more flower beds as soon as the weather cooperates. I have the beds all marked out surrounding the fire pit area, with lilacs which were planted last fall, budding, a baby hedge so to speak, on each side. Also the rhodies we bought at the Small Woodland Tree sale. I plan to put a large quantity of perennials in those beds as well.
In the works are an arbor at the far end, the day lily bed, the Secret Garden, the cut flower bed. All which look, in my head,exactly like the pictures on Martha Stewart magazine! I also plan to put in a drip irragation system as we go, there is too much area to drag sprinklers around.
I have been busy pouring over the gardening magazines for even more ideas!

As you can see, our little Violet is growing! She just had her first birthday Dec.17, with lots of great grandparents,grandparents, 2nd cousins and aunts and uncles. The child does not lack for anything! I haven't posted for a while, and need to get some wintery pictures. This Christmas is very low key for me, so I don't even have a picture of the tree! Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and happy New Year!

We have been having such warm lovely days- up in the 70-80's! David finally got us started on the fenced vegtable garden, and is getting the tomatoes going. We have strawberries in pots and his raspberries are doing well, the deer haven't noticed them yet. Mabel and Curley helped me get my birdhouses on posts, and an old mailbox to put hand tools in. I do have roses blooming on the porch and the porch swing is up.

On the monday after Easter, Rachael was headed back to OSU for classes driving up thru the hills, when she hit a slick spot on the rural 2 lane road. She lost control of her car and ended up hitting a power pole on the drivers side, thereby breaking the pole and the live wire setting the trees on fire! She couldn't get out of the car, but passersby stopped and got her out and sat her in a car untill the paramedics and firetrucks, county sheriff could get there.

We know that Jesus was right there, standing in front of that power pole, and inside the car to cradle her. She has numerous bruises and bumps along her entire left side, from the skull above her ear, her cheekbone, her hand, thigh and knees, ankles. Right now she has no frctures which show up on the x-rays, but is still very painful to bear weight. We are so thankful for her life being spared.

Thank you, Jesus.

I can't believe it is almost Easter! I am seriously getting Spring fever, and have been pouring the garden catologs and magazines. After working on one of the flower beds with a new garden tool, I decided I am not as young as I used to be! I love the daffidils, and finally got some bleeding heart to put in. Lots of work to do!

Snow, snow and more snow! We had about 6 more inches of snow today, and 3 inches of packed snow on the road. This is western Oregon! We don't know what to do with it all, except have lots of car accidents. We are so thankful for a nice warm house! And that we don't have to shovel out the road.

These days, it's all about Violet! I have her only hours old as my computer backgroud at work, and all the pictures of Violet as my screensaver. It is very much fun having a little granddaughter, I must say! She has already made her demands known to her poor sleepy parents, and you can see possibilities and much strength of will in only a 3 week old sweet baby.
We only have delights to come, I'm sure.

We are having a cold snap! About 6 inches of snow fell last night, which put a lovely frosting over the landscape. Biscuit didn't seem to mind, but Max the cat preferred to stay on the porch or come in for a nice warm nap.

Nathan and Naomi have welcomed a sweet Christmas gift into their lives! Violet Christine Levin-Greenhaw came into the world on Dec.17th at 1038. She weighed 8# 13 oz and was 20 inches long. We are all thrilled and thankful to the Lord for his Blessings in this new member of our family. Keep Naomi in your thoughts as she has had a hard birth and is still recuperating. They are both delightful new parents, and a joy to watch. Hope you all have a Merry Christmas!

We were sitting in the living room and reading, when Biscuit started growling. When David looked up, there were a couple of deer out enjoying the apple tree. Bidcuit chased them all over 5 acres! Of course hunting season was over at that point!

We enjoyed what little snow we recieved, it really felt like Christmas time. I even got David to put up lights on the porch! Last week I put up some fir boughs on the railing by the front door, and some little fake trees with the old red sled by the entry. I also put out my villages. The trouble is, I still have so many boxes of stuff, it's hard to remember where certain items are. David says once I clear out all the Christmas boxes from the shop, it will be empty!

Happy Veterans Day! I hope we all remember what brave men have done for our country.
I love the Fall season, with the red and orange leaves falling. The big oak has just dumped lots of leaves. We have discovered that most of them have fallen into the gutters, there by clogging them up just in time for the big storm we recieved this past week. Poor David climbed up to clean the gutters out,even tho he is just getting over a bad cold.
Our old dog Button passed away a couple ofweeks ago. She was 11 1/2. We miss her, she was a sweet dog. Biscuit, our 3 yr old spanial, was not sure why we were burying Button out in the Secret Garden in the moonlight. He has tried to be a very good dog ever since.
I did get one flower bed planted before the weather turned. I planted over 30 1 gallon periniels, mostly lavender, white cone flower, bush phlox, peonias, asters, daisies,etc. I also put in 100 daffidills, and 50 grape hyacynth. I also have the mums to plant. We shall see what the deer think of this new smorgasborg. I have heard that they don't like most of the afore mentioned plants, so we shall see.
David's grass is coming up, I am so glad! We need to reduce the amount of mud that the dog can romp in.
We will have a beautiful baby granddaughter in only 3 weeks or so! Naomi is due the 6th of December. We are so excited to see a new generation coming about, and to see what she looks like!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving in only 2 weeks or so, everyone!

Well, Happy September! It soesn't feel like Fall, as it is about 94 degrees out! Hope you are all having a great Labor Day weekend. We are enjoying our cozy little home under the big trees. I thought I had better post some new pictures, as we have been busy unpacking and sorting and putting away. So here we are. We are finally done with the contractors and bank and can focus on making our home like we want it. I am loving my kitchen and all the light in the house!
We are going to try for an Open House the end of September. I was so sorry to have missed seeing Danial and Shirley when they came thru from Wyoming! It seems that we have been so isolated out here and only concerned with getting the house done and all the details. Now we want to see our friends and family! I can't wait to share our new space with you all. (I will have to make another post for all the pictures.) Take care.