Here I go again. . . I accidentally deleted this picture later in the post and have no clue how to slap it back in the middle. :-( It is a lovely view of the nice hardwoods, but it would fit a little better in the middle of the living room shots. The lighting isn't the best either. Most of that is due to the fact I am still learning how to use this camera and need to reread the manual. (Ick!)
Well I am fiiiiinally posting the longed for photos. :-) As you can see by the date (9.21.09) I began taking these weeks ago. . . According the the neighbors, this house was a pitiful sight before the remodeling process began. Consequently I had to wait for the crews to finish some of the work before I could get the "after" pics. The front still had a few things to be done in this shot, and Seth and Ethan are diligently picking up rocks to help the landscaping.
I had hoped for a one story small (but adequate) house that wouldn't cost too much to heat/cool. I had a few desires but didn't actually think they would materialize. . . You can imagine my thrill when we got here and I saw firsthand how nice it was! No, it's not big and full of amenities, but it is all brand new (minus the toilet in my bathroom)! The location is on a hill at the end of a cul-de-sac which is a huge plus for me! We had lived on one in SC, and it is so nice not to worry about traffic. The back is very private and opens up to woods (yippee!!!!) on one side and an open field on the other. My little guys are good at bringing me handfuls of wildflowers from the fields. The back has a shed attached and a nice sized deck which I hope to make the home of a "handy dandy" grill next year. :-)

Happy Fall, Friends!

"Virginia is for lovers," and I'm in love with this state! I am not sure where to begin in my gushing over the beauty. . . So, before I fling a barrage of photos your way, I wanted to include some scenery near my home.

Now for the pictures to soothe the heart of my mother in law! :-)

Many of you know of the shed saga where Silas accidentally locked himself in the shed to which we have no key, and I thought you'd enjoy a few snapshots of the tale. Pardon the nasty door; the landlord had not yet replaced it.

It was a looooong 30 minutes of Silas' wailing along with tears from his older brothers who thought he would never be released from his prison! As you can tell by the picture below, Silas wasn't the least bit thrilled with the Rough Green Snake that we had found on the porch right before the ordeal. For the rest of these photos, I do not plan to add captions as I might be here for several hours. I'll just label the destination. Enjoy! :-)
We walked, enjoyed a picnic, relaxed in the meadows, walked a nature trail, and spied beautiful flowers.

It seems as though I have forgotten my own blog tradition this year. . . I had planned to write pleasant things about each member of this family on their birthday, and (embarrassingly enough) Troy's 32nd birthday was September 23rd! Seth wanted to know if I would be able to think of 32 things! Hmmm. . .boy of little faith! Troy could have turned 50, and I still would have been able to think of things! (Enter drum roll, please! :-) Here's the list:

1. Troy is a great communicator. (Big, big deal to me! We talk about everything.)

2. He cares about his appearance.

3. He is careful to consult me in decisions.

4. He is not a picky eater. (Makes my cooking life much easier -especially since I am the picky one.)

5. Sets a good example by helping with the housework.

6. Irons all the Sunday clothes for me on Saturday evening.

7. Troy has helped me to develop a deep appreciation for good music.

10. He allows me to be myself. (My husband deserves a crown of gold just for that!)

11. He spends a lot of time playing with the boys.

12. Troy carefully weighs options about purchases and is not rash in making choices.
13. He will read instruction manuals/fine print and all the other papers I detest and tell me what I need to know.

14. He wants us to be protected. :-)

15. The boys enjoy spending time with him. (I think that is a good sign!)

16. He cares about his friends.

17. He is a talented song leader and is smooth on the platform.

18. Troy is easy to accompany, and I enjoy playing for him.

19. Troy is careful to pray with us as we begin each day.

20. He "tucks" the boys into bed and makes it a special time.

August 15th had a bit of a somber twist as we headed up the winding road to the pond. It had been seven months since we had been there. This time we carried along four beautiful crosses crafted by Mose Byler and two little stuffed animals. The bear I had chosen from Anthony's room, and the dog I had seen in Caroline's.

The thought that lingered with me that afternoon was the innocence of the future regarding the Biggers on January 9th. They had no idea what was in store for them as they followed that mountain road. . . Who would have been thinking of death following a family outing?! I doubt any of us would be. Yet as I focus on that pond being the entrance to Heaven for Patricia, Caroline, and Anthony, I feel such a sense of joy for them! I still hurt thinking of the pain that Brent endured after losing them on earth, and that is why I asked Mose to make a fourth cross. Brent's heart died at the pond. . . His soul left the earth weeks later, but I think his heart preceded it.

Upon our arrival, we found the original stuffed animals we took right after the accident, and another set of three crosses. I am not sure who brought them, but it was such a kind gesture of remembrance.

Brent, accompanied by Troy, made a visit to the pond on Valentine's Day and took gifts for his family. The flowers for Patricia have died, but the kids' gifts were still there. The dinosaur was for Anthony, and the dog he bought for Caroline.

At least for me it is. Thanks to my kind hubby, I was able to get the pics from the broken camera to our computer. . . and voila! Here is a bit of what has been happening the last few months. I am not sure why the pics are different sizes. It could be due to the trauma they received when the camera was killed. :-) Enjoy a pictorial journey of the events where I remembered and used the camera. Many times I was too busy saying my adieus. Sniff. Sniff. For your sanity, I refrained from including millions of pics of boxes, boxes, and more boxes.

All good things must come to an end, but in the South, we were not bid "farewell." Not a chance. It was "farwell." I had a good laugh over this!!!! A true Southerner was decorating that cake. For all of the Vera fans out there, the cake's colors were inspired by my Vera Bradley Java Blue purse.
Ahhhhh, yes, another one of my projects. Above is the lovely piece after I had started changing its face. This armoire was purchased from Craigslist for only $100, but I could not handle the color! Might fit in someone else's house, but it was a major clash with my distressed furniture.
I slapped some paint on that oak finish, and it now fits perfectly!!!!! :-) Great style of furniture when you have kids. They take a chunk out of it, and it looks like it belongs there. This close-up of a door gives a better idea.

Pardon the post title regarding our new acitivty! I was hoping it wouldn't bring back too many nauseating memories of former presidential campaigns. :-) The idea came to me during a missionary service with this family. Since something as small as a pair of flip flops can bring delight to a shoeless person, we decided to send the boys walking for money. For every five minutes they take strides, they will be given $1 to help buy flip flops which will in turn be sent to the Stetlers for their ministry in Mexico. If you'd like to sponsor these bundles of energy, I will email you our address as I am not fond of plastering it on the Internet. The boys will be delighted with your encouragement! Blessings.

Our move to Greer three years ago was Part 1, and the move to VA will be Part 2, so that leaves us with a 2-3 week stay in Easley as Part 1 1/2. :-) Life has been a bit hectic as we (I) have been packing the house. I have the moving thing down to a science by now, but then - - - I have never liked that subject! I am starting to get very nostalgic and emotional as I say good bye to a nice little house that we have come to love. Thankfully I am not as bad as I used to be and do not plan to kiss the walls as I did as an 8 year old girl when we moved to SD. Nevertheless, the "goodbyes" have started with -

places we have come to love,