Scattered Thoughts...........

Well.......... they aren't quite as ugly any more. I know that they hate it when I lift the lid on the propane tank. SQUAWK, SQUAWK, SQUAWK!!!! You would think that I'm plucking their feathers the way they carry on. The poor momma sits by anxiously, ready to pounce on my head. I'm really not brave enough to take photos of them more than once a week. Have you ever seen the movie, "The Birds"? Enough said!!!!

I just pray that they get a little cuter. I'm no bird expert, so maybe you guys can help me. The momma bird is black as coal. She is medium sized (larger than a sparrow, smaller than a crow) She has a long beak...... kinda like her babies!!!! I'm curious, so if you know, comment below.

The lovely, lovely wisteria is blooming. Ahhh, did I say it was lovely? Well, it is. Imagine 1,000+ blooms.

The only downfall is the bumblebees is attracts.

This vine is twisted around my porch railing. Directly behind my porch swing. It makes me feel like I'm in a "Secret Garden".

My saliva is also in full bloom.

This just occurred to me as I was typing about my saliva......

Do you guys get tired of my flower fetish? I'm sorry, I just cannot get enough flowers in my garden. When something emerges from the ground and blooms, it makes me happy. It's almost like God says, "Good morning Mandy, here's something pretty. I made it just for you." Am I crazy, probably?

Speaking of pretty.........

I am heading back to Florida!!!! Yee-haw!!! (I'm jumping in the air and kicking my heels)

This time I'm taking my hubby and the young'ens'.

We will be there 8 days and I plan on enjoying every last one of them!! We rented a house right on the beach. We have done that many, many times. We wake up in the morning. Get into our suits. Walk out the backdoor and voila............ the beach!!! White sand and crystal clear blue water. Ahhhh. I cannot wait to show you the pictures.

When we get back, Ryan will have one day at home before he heads to Washington, DC with his classmates. I have NEVER been away from him this long! I'm a little worried!!!

I will be asking for prayers for him and me while he is gone.

I am trying my very best to finish this book before we leave Friday. It's a VERY LARGE book! It's #4 in the Peter and the Starcatchers series. Anything about Peter Pan is a good read. I predict that they will make them into movies. The first book tells about how Peter gets his "flying ability" and how Hook and him became rivals. It also explains how Tinkerbell was changed from a bird to a fairy. Betcha didn't know that!!! They are great books but I doubt many adults (besides me) would like them.

I'm going to try to read a "big girl" book on vacation. I bought this one. I wanted something set on a beach. Something that flowed easy. Something light. You never know, I may get hooked and leave the young adult section of the bookstore. Karen Kingsbury is a Christian author. I like that she leaves all the smuck out. It usually has a Christian undertone. My mother-in-law reads her books all the time.

I'm going to leave you today with a funny.

Since the beginning of school, Gracie has brought home a "home/school journal" every Thursday. She writes in it while she is in school. Then she brings it home for me to write back to her. I love how much her writing skills have developed over the year.

Anyway, we wrote our final letters to each other last Thursday. She brought it home for us to keep (treasure always). I was flipping through it this morning and found these letters to each other. I thought you might enjoy.

note: In this letter I am answering her questions from her letter. Make sense?

I said.....

Dear Gracie,

Hi sweetie pie. It's really hard for me to believe that it is the middle of February. Hopefully Spring comes soon. I'm so tired of snow and cold weather. I like when everything starts turning green and the birds start singing.

I'm glad that you are going to read a bunch tonight. When I was your age I didn't care for reading. As an adult, I LOVE reading. I wish there were more time in my day to read.

While you are at school I clean, cook, run errands, & help at church. On Fridays I go to a Bible Study class.

Have a great day. I will miss you.

Love,

Mom

This was her reply:

Dear Momy,

Hi and don't say sweetie pie in my journal any more ok. I can't wait for my birthday in September. We got a new student named Coalton Vannam. If Jordon moves back we will have 25 kids.

Sincerely,

Gracie

This made me smile and I hope it did you too.

I'm going to hop off the computer though and get busy. Lots of things to do today.