Things making me happy...

a bee in the tree
Originally uploaded by Kudzu and Koolaid

-really good coffee
-birthday weekends full of family and fun
-cards, lots of cards-making me smile
-chocolate
-diet coke
-no calories counting till Monday. Hee!


I hope you are set to have a great weekend.
We are off to pick up my nieces and nephew in a bit from their last day of school. Then they are spending the weekend.

For now I'm off to have more coffee--enjoy your Friday & your weekend.

what's going on around here...

[for Rhonda]
[if you click through any photo it will take you to Flickr to the complete photoset]
[picture heavy!]



These are the baby chicks...they are all feathered out and are terribly cute. I'd be lying if I didn't tell you I don't love sitting around watching them. Chickens are fun & funny to watch. The next few are of two of this batch, both roosters and they are already fighting...which is cute too.(although you can't let them, becuase they will hurt each other, even this little)



We put the garden in on Good Friday and it is blooming out and promising a summer of good stuffs! (yay!)



It's just a little managable patch with peppers, beans, squash, tomatoes and cucumbers.
Say what you will, squash blossoms are beautiful...



and finally AE wagging one of the poor kittens around...




I'm 3 skiens into the star afghan I'm working on -- and while I don't love the colors (just using up stuff in my stash) I am loving the way it works up.

Tomorrow my nieces and nephew finish school for the year. We are celebrating. I'm picking them up from school and taking them for ice cream. We have a fish fry tomorrow night & a family (it's MY BIRTHDAY WEEKEND!!!!!) cookout on Saturday. Sunday IS MY BIRTHDAY (did you know? *grins*) and we are having an ice cream social after church Sunday night. It's going to be a good weekend. I'm going to be Thirty-sixteen. DUUUUUUUUUUUDE.

thinkerly

Nattie said ''thinkerly'' or at least I think it was Nattie. I've been thinking of her a lot lately. Two years ago, on my bday, Dana called to tell me Nattie had died. I can still remember the exact place I was standing when she said the words.

I feel so blessed to have known her, even if it was for a short span of time. I love that she introduced to the Mitford series of books. Anytime I reread those, I think of Nattie and I smile.

Nattie loved pedicures. She liked the color purple and she loved daisies-like me. Every year since she died I've painted my toenails purple for the month of June to honor her memory. Today I got my mani/pedi via the gift certificate my mom gave me for my bday. I spiced things up a little (Nattie would like that, I think) and got a french pedi only with purple tips & had then put a daisy on my toenail too.

I still miss her.

I am more than thankful that I was able to know her.

She was truly, Sparkly Nattie.

Le Sigh.

[tomorrow I have garden pictures and chicken pictures and little girl w/kitten pictures!]

Right now...

I'm sunburned...
ouch-my thighs are a lovely shade of red-eeek!

I have two kiddos sacked out. Exhausted from a long day, full of swimming and then playing with friends.

I have a crochet project that makes me happy--even though I don't love the yarn. (colors...ugh) I love the pattern. It's a star. It makes me happy.

My heart is breaking for a friend. A friend that has shown more grace in her situation than I think I am capable of mustering. She truly amazes me. Encourages me. I am praying for her--and so thankful for her example.

I'm reading The Spirit of Sweetgrass by Nicole Seitz. I read another of her books last year for review and fell in love with her writing.

Tomorrow I have a mani/pedi--that's a goooooooood thing.

It's my birthday week-that's a gooooooooooooooooood thing.

Today was a hard day in a lot of ways. My heart hurts today. But the thing is--this isn't it. It will get better. My Momma always says, ''this too shall pass'' & it will. There will always be bad days--but then, there are those days that take your breath. Those perfect days. They make all the bad days managable.

This is me.
Making it.
Day to day.

Now-the older boys are in bed & I have to do the trash run.
Tomorrow-after the mani/pedi. I get to resume 'farm duties' ...and
there will be chicken pictures
just for Rhonda. :)

And so it begins, again...

Yes, this used to be my craft blog-however, now, it will be *the* blog. I don't do well maintaining one blog...heh, so to think I can have 3-4-5 covering different things/areas (books I've read, homeschooling, crafting, gardening...) is just crazy.

So Kudzu & Koolaid has combined them all & you can look forward to a hodgepodge of a little bit of everything.

If you've stopped by, thanks! I've missed you.

I hope you are looking forward to a fabulous summer!

Decidedly pink...

Decidedly pink...
Originally uploaded by Kudzu and Koolaid

I made my second sideways shell newbie afghan in May for a friends baby girl.

This is a great pattern. It works up very nice. It's easy to follow and fun to crochet.

Poppy's Ripple

Poppy's Ripple
Originally uploaded by Kudzu and Koolaid

I finally finished up my dad's bday afghan. It's washing now. I'll mail it this week. :)