Pine Hill Plantation

As I stated in an earlier post, we were at Pine Hill Plantation last weekend.  It is truly quail hunting at its finest.  The dogs found more coveys than I have ever seen (total in my life) and there were at least 15-20 birds per covey.  But the best part was being outside and being with my family.  Here is a sampling of the experience:

mule-drawn carriage

my cowboy

Martin and his trusty steed

The crew on the buggy (dogs in the cages in back)

dog pointing quail covey

Jeanne and mom on the trail of some birds!

shootin in the trees

Dad and Martin

Martin getting a turn

another dog on point

me and Kit on our horses . . . by far the tamest of the group!

the group after Saturday's hunt

A lot has happened

A lot has happened since my last post, and I promise to catch you all up - I know, you are just dying with exchitement.  First, there was the incredible weekend with my sisters, their husbands and mom and dad to Pine Hill Plantation in southern Georgia for a good, old fashioned quail hunt, complete with horses, a mule-drawn carriage, bird dogs, and lots and lots of birds (some of which are now dead).  I have some great pictures that I will post later.  And note that there were NO CHILDREN - the first time in 6 years we have been together without at least one!  It was a great time.

Second, there was the "Winter Storm of 2011" - well at least they were predicting something like that.  Turned out to be a lot of ice, with some snow on top of that.  The roads were pretty bad, but with Ted's Land Rover we were able to go pretty much anywhere.  The kids were out of school for 2 days, which was fun for them, but after a while got old for momma.  I also have some great pictures that I will post.

Third, and here comes the sad part, two pillars of families died this weekend.  Houston Blount (he was my Aunt Barbara's, who is married to mom's brother, father) passed away.  He had been very ill for a long time, and it was a blessing, but it is always hard.   He was a brilliant business man and had a smile that could light up a room.  He always supported the community and his wife, Frances, is one of my favorite people.  I will remember his deep laughter and twinkle in his eye.  He was always so big and strong, especially to a little girl like myself when I first got to know him - not the sick man that I saw on Christmas day.  He will be missed by all who knew him.  Here is a link to his obituary.

Additionally, my Aunt "Ginna" passed away.  Her husband was Frank Park Samford, my grandmother's brother.   She was a lover of the arts and I think that she was one of the prettiest ladies that I have ever known.  I remember always admiring her and still love to hear stories about her and Uncle Frank.  She was very involved in the arts and theater, and he passed on her love for the arts to her children as well as her grandchildren.  And her talent was passed down as well - her daughter Mae is amazing and her granddaughter, Suzanne, has one of my favorite voices, period (she sang at my wedding!).  A link to her obituary is here.

So we have two funerals this weekend, but I will get to see some of my favorite family members at both.  I hate that these deaths are what will bring us together though.  But I guess that is the thing about funerals . . . you mourn with people you love.

Etsy

Anybody else out there obsessed with Etsy?  I am.  When I am bored at work (which happens more than I like to admit), I usually read through my usual blogs (sister, cousin, friends, Pioneer Woman - yes, I am still stalking her), then I head over to a couple of news outlets just so I know what is going on in the world, but then I always seem to find myself browing through Etsy.  There are so many talented people out there - and also some really weird ones as well - that sell stuff on that site.

Today, I stumbled upon a terrific vendor - 3Dots Jewelry.  She has a bunch of jewelry (duh, the name), but also a few other treasurers.  The vast majority is in the $20-$40 price range which is refreshing and it is all so unique.  The pieces are modern and retro (I guess that can they be both at the same time), and a little "crunchy", as I like to say, but definitely not something you see every day.  Love it!

Here are some examples of the jewelry --



I am going to bookmark her for go-to birthday gift, or even maybe get a little something for myself! (NOTE: she is in Quebec so not a last-minute type gift!)  Happy browsing/shopping!

Pictures of Sam

Like I said in an earlier post (and gave you a sneak peak), we had pictures of Sam taken a couple of months ago.  Below are a couple more shots that the photographer posted on Facebook.

For all those interested, here is the link to all the pictures: www.heatherswannerphotography.com/samholt

Resolutions

I don't do New Years resolutions.  In the years that I have tried, I have always come up with something that was completely unattainable and then I feel bad about myself when in like 5 weeks I am not following through with my resolution.  As a result, I had really not even given a New Years resolution a thought this year - until last night.

Ted and I went to Mass last night at our church. It was nice because grandmom kept Ward and Sam and only Ann Park came with us.  So I was really able to listen to the homily.  The associate priest, Father John, was on for the night.  I really like Father John as he is only a year older than me and also a convert like me.  He grew up outside of Mobile and has this funny accent.  But that is not the point of the story.  He said something in his homily that made me think that maybe I should have a resolution this year.  Well, not a resolution, but maybe a goal to strive for over the course of the year. 

He said (and I am paraphrasing): "Act on what you believe."  What a simple, yet challenging concept.  Before you can act on what you believe, you have to know and understand what you believe. Of course, Father John was talking about Christian belief, but belief extends well past religion and/or faith.   And then to put actions behind that belief so that it will have life.  A belief, no matter how heart-felt or genuine, is nothing without action.  And to put a belief into action can be very hard to do - especially when it is not the "norm" or what everyone else is doing.

So my goals for this year are two-fold.  First to know what I believe.  For me, that means researching my faith, but also searching my heart.  And then, second, I am going to (try to) shape my actions to reflect those beliefs.  Purposeful actions.  Not just going through the motions.   

New Years

[WARNING: long post]

Pretty much every year since we have been married (all but one I think), Ted and I have spent New Years at Grey Rocks.  There is always different company and there seems to be more nad more kids each year, but we always have a great time (except for 2007 when we had friends down, Ann Park was a baby, and Ted was so sick with the throw up bug that he had to leave and come home).  We rarely make it to midnight, but always have a great meal, great drinks, and great company.  That is all that really matters anyway, right?  (I try to tell myself that since the girl I was in my early and mid-20s would really think that our New Years are pretty lame!)

And this year was no different.  Jeanne and Martin also like to spend New Years at Grey Rocks, and they were here this year as well.  Tripp was a blast, as usual, and was a little shadow to Ward most of the weekend (but also latched on to Ann Park some which I think that she liked.)  Ashton is so easy-going that I forgot he was there at moments!  Also, Jeanne's best friend, her husband and their 5 month old came down too.

Cute Tripp!

My kids had so much fun.  Ward got a lot of "guy time" which he could not get enough of.  He pulled skeet for daddy, and I think that he went duck hunting at least 3 times (waking up at 5:30 AM for one of those hunts) and got to see two deer gutted which he also loved.  Full camo all weekend --

Ann Park also had a great weekend. I think that she went in the hot tub at least 4 times (and is swimming like a fish!) Jeanne and Martin brought a jumpy house that occupied a lot of her time.  She also spent a good amount of time with me, which she just loves.  One-on-one time is her favorite - a true sign of a middle child!

But Sam was the hit of the weekend, I have to admit.  His little personality has really turned on and he is non-stop fun.  He put every hat he could find on his head, pretended to "shoot" people and animals, and just stole hearts right and left.  He and Cher Cher have a special bond that I love to see.  He literally lights up inside and out when he sees her.  It is so wonderul.

our little cowboy

loving it in the jumpy house

riding in style in the bad boy buggy

hands up!

giving Sue a kiss

giving Papa a kiss

Whew.  That was a long post!!  How any stuck around for the whole thing??