A foxy visitor and some odds and ends

Sorry this is kind of hard to see.  There is a fox right in the middle of this picture.
He is taking a drink from Annabelle's water trough.

Now he is trotting across the meadow, between the two closest trees.

Ouch!  Had to stop and scratch that flea!

 My handsome man all dressed up for work!
He looks so sharp in his 'business casual' get-up.
I really need to get him to try on the pants we bought at thrift stores so I can hem them.  We bought one pair of khakis and a light grey pair new, so he just has the two pair to wear!

I was going to put this above the love seat in the living area, but it seemed like it would make it look cluttered in there, so I put it above the bed.  Missing a few family members, but hopefully will get those filled soon, including the frame labeled 'Bumpkin' (Nelson and Cherisa's little girl!)  The first night two frames got knocked off somehow, but I put them up a tiny bit higher and they all stayed on the wall last night!  We just hope there isn't an earthquake at night!  If so, we gotta get out of there FAST!  Remember the Swap Party? (ladies in NL?) I got two small white shelves (previously Mary's).  I was arranged them in this, but when I went to hang them on the wall, it was too scary to do!  It just didn't feel right to look up and see a shelf sticking out 4 inches from the wall a few feet above one's sleeping head!  When I put the arrangement up somewhere else, hopefully I'll get to add those.

I'm going to fill these frames with wedding photos (which we got from Amber a few days ago and they are amazing!!!)
Matthew and I both agree that it is a leetle too high in placement, so I'm going to lower the arrangement today.

I don't have pictures of the squirrel chase this morning, but it was so entertaining, I have to share it!  I don't know if it is breeding season for squirrels, but there were 4 in my tree this morning and the chase was on, believe me!  Up and down the tree, and then chasing each other back OUT of the tree, then back to sniffing out the trail of another.  Soon there was a thud as one landed on the railing of the deck, scramble, scramble, along the rail, up the awning on the back deck, to the roof, and then THUD and scramble, scramble as the next one jumped to the railing and followed along.  Scritch,scratch, across the roof (a sound that startled me nearly out of my wits the first time it happened, almost three months ago but I've since gotten used to)and then back into the tree.  The one that seemed closest on the trail appeared to have one blind eye, it is cloudy and doesn't seem to move.  He was pretty scruffy and tough with a large tail that was fluffy but possibly missing a few tufts of fur from bygone battles.  Finally the chase went from the roof, down the awning, down the bush with the red berries (in the back), and to Annabelle's meadow.  I could see one go up a tree and then jump to another, down that one, across some sand and back up another tree.  A minute later, here came Scruffy, up the tree, jUUUUmp!, around that tree, down, across the sand...etc.  Then I looked out my kitchen window where I first saw them.  There sat a puzzled little squirrel with a small but VERY fluffy, full tail.  He'd run along a branch, and then back to the trunk of the tree, out another branch and back to the middle.  He sat there in the crook of the branch with his paws in front of him cocking his head back and forth.  Poor little guy, 'go back home, it is no use this time,' I wanted to tell him. 

I love living in a tree house!  In the afternoons I sit on the back deck reading, knitting, emailing, but soon get distracted by birds scratching in the dirt, quail, squirrels, etc.  Always some activity somewhere.

I'm reading "Opening a Chestnut Burr" which has some good reminders for me.  For each of you who are a child of God's, don't forget to let Christ shine through you.  We are His workmanship and when we live letting His love fill us, it pours out to those around us, whether we realize it or not.

 Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed briefly living in my world, and have a great day in yours! Margaret

Yeager 2014

I was much excited as the highly anticipated Yeager Camp approached!

Friday found me baking and getting together food to take.

The 'Can't Leave 'em alone' bars didn't turn out well enough to be shared,
but Matthew is enjoying them in his lunches and they are AMAZING when frozen!

 Speaking of things being frozen....  Vanessa had made cinnamon rolls at December camp and served scrambled eggs with them.  There were eggs left over, so it was requested for us to keep them in a mini fridge that Matthew acquired somewhere along the line.  He checked on them after a week or so and the fridge was doing well... BUT when we took them out to go to camp... THEY WERE FROZEN, in the shell!  We did some research and it was recommended to NOT use previously frozen eggs in anything leaven, so we stopped by Trader Joes on our way out of town to get enough for the cinnamon rolls.  They did attempt to scrambled these.  Well, wait, they were DEFINITELY scrambled,  but the consistency was quite interesting to say the least, but still edible.

Friday night Vanessa started the cinnamon rolls with the help of...

Brad

And Reanne.
Some of the girls helped her the next morning.

I sure hope everyone can see this video!
This is Dad teaching Brennan how to use pots and pans for a drum set.

A very popular place, the snack line!
I fit right in here - people love to eat! =)

Annabella loves making faces at herself!

I was able to get a picture of the entrance as we drove in Saturday morning.
Most everyone stayed on site, but there were a few of us who commuted.  It is 35 minutes from our house.

In the middle of the main area there is a small fenced-off garden with a butterfly bush.
I took this with my phone, but Matthew was able to get better ones later on.

He and Eric were both over there with their fancy camera's taking pictures.
It is great to stop in the middle of things and take in God's tiny miracles.

 

Walking down the hill to the beach Saturday mid-morning.

Lots of interesting houses and gardens along the way!

Brennan exploring the area between the place where they raced the boats
and the shoreline.

The young people split into three teams for sand sculpting. 

My handsome man!

This team did an alligator, a smaller one, and a shark.

This one did a big turtle and a little turtle.

Shane and Reanne,
many thanks to them for the coordinating and planning!

(Sorry I forgot to crop this one, Sophie!)
Terry and Melanie visiting while David played in the sand.

This team struggled to find an out-of-the-ordinary theme and got a late start,
but it was a cool idea and they did very well!

Dawson

The Great Wall of China!
They also did the Great Pyramid, and Mt. Rushmore, complete with smiley faces,
and the Grand canyon! 

Grampsy and Grammy

Tim and Steve visiting

This airplane buzzed over while we were down at the beach.  Looked like a blast!
(What kind of airplane, Daddy?)

 The next 6 pictures are a sequence that Matthew captured.

This is the surfer ducking the wave while paddling back out.
I thought this was a really cool picture!

We came back from the beach and had a lunch of deli sandwiches and chips.  Then the young people and some of the young marrieds played the annual game of 'capture the flag'.  But not just the normal field!  One 'flag' is down in the meadow and the other is near the basketball court and behind the cabins.  It was my first time to play (got battle wounds to show for it) and it was a ton of fun and I'm still sore from all the running!

Claire riding a tricycle and Brennan playing in the dirt.

Amazing sunset that evening

Kind of hard to capture it from up on the hill with houses and trees all around.

Great to see Angela and her family there!

Okay, not sure why those videos disappeared!  I'll have to get Matthew to try to figure it out...

Sunday evening we sang choruses, there were testimonies, prayers requested, and an all around close, cozy time of sharing and encouraging each other in our faith and love for God.

Then we took a break and had snacks while the skit actors and actresses got their things together.  Then much laughter and applause as talent and silliness reigned!

Sunday morning Michael rallied the guys and guided them in making french toast for breakfast
(I was told it was delicious) and a great big mess! (I know that 'cause I helped clean it up ;) 

Good job fellers!

Sunday afternoon we cleaned up, visited, and then some went down to the beach.
We searched for beach glass and watched the waves thunder in.
Took these with my phone, so they aren't the best.

We stopped at Main Street Grill for dinner, along with Dad and Mom, Austin, and Sarah Beth, Tim and Kathy and family, and Danny and Terry and family.

I enjoyed my first Yeager Camp very much!

It reminded me some of Mint Brook camp with the cabins, showers/bathrooms in separate building, and having the meadow and woods.  Also, it is a smaller camp (for here) and just cozy and close.  Times of good sharing in the Christian way and funny times as families together!