A wedding, flowers, and more cuteness!

Not much to share since my last blog...except photos, that is!  Last weekend, I photographed a wedding for a lovely sister-in-Christ from our church family.  When she asked, I warned her that I was an amateur and only about half of my photos come out nicely...truly, only about 70 out of the 200 that I snapped were worthy in my opinion - sadly a bunch of the indoor photos came out quite blurry due to lighting.  Some day, I want to take a photography class and learn how to get the most out this camera!  Maybe I'll find one after the Mary Poppins shows...

I HAVE been capturing images from the homestead, too. Blooming flowers and, of course, kittens!!

Enjoy scrolling through some...a few from the wedding, then some other precious images:

Next post - an update on this crazy adventure called life!

Dancing, Kittens and Hair, Oh My!

That's basically what my life consists of at the moment - three of my favorite things. Throw in regular motorcycle rides through this gorgeous PA countryside with my main squeeze, a glass of Old Vine Zin or Sauvignon blanc every now and again... and life ain't bad!  Indeed, it's pretty darn good!  Yes, I am a bit busier these days...fewer hikes and lazy afternoons with my daughters and my dogs...


I've moved into a different phase of life.  For almost two decades, my focus and attention were honed in on our children and the management of their education and our home.  Knowing myself and the limits of my energy level, this was intentional...this was necessary.

Now that my family consists of 4 young adults, I feel free to invest in some of my other interests.

Can't recall if I mentioned it - Rosie passed her driver's exam, so I officially survived teaching four teens to drive - Woohoo!  So, she is exploring her new independence lately, running errands for the family, job-hunting, and, of course, visiting her friends down in Lancaster County.  She is re-training her off-track thoroughbred, Bea, and getting Isaac in shape for his future career.

Grace began her three and a half-month program in Esthetics - all things skin care and cosmetics. She leaves at 8am and gets home about 5pm five days a week for the duration of her education. When she graduates, she will be a licensed esthetician, able to provide a variety of skin services in medical spas and dermatology offices.  I asked her if she can take ten years off of my appearance...

...She said, "Sure!  We better do it slowly, though, or no one will recognize you, Mom!

Much to my chagrin, my adorable orange kitty, adopted back in October, whom I was SURE was male (Just a "late bloomer"!), is in fact, female...

...Yes, I realize I should've had them both spayed back in April, but... well...life was a bit hectic at the time, sooo....

...Clearly that big orange tomcat that wanders about this area got to Mickey about three weeks after he got to Val......We now have TWO litters of kittens on our little homestead!

EIGHT kittens in all!  I'm a bit giddy about it.  Takes me back to my childhood when Mom would take me along to Tobi Hill Farm in Honeybrook, PA, owned by Bob and Betty Kirk, to pick up our order of meat.  Every summer I could find five or more kittens hidden in the barn or the huge bushes around the property.  PURE HEAVEN for an eleven-year-old animal-lovin' girl!

We actually had a touch of kitty drama this week...

Val decided to move her litter from the barn deep into a large pile of downed trees and brush that Don was intending to burn!  She had already moved the first two when we discovered her struggling to move this pudgy gray male.  He was just too big for her, so she left him at the base of the large pile, unable to get him inside the protected little den she had created.  So, for the last four days we've diligently cared for this little guy, who is intended to become Nate and Brook's pet.  Today, Rosie was able to coax the others into a reachable location and scooped them out.  Mama doesn't seem terribly interested in them any longer, sooooo....

Now, some of you may know this, but many do not - I LOVE to dance.  After many years of lessons and recitals, ballets, musicals, parades, and colorguard, I took a break.  Sure, I still helped out with various theater camps and choreographed worship dance routines for the churches we attended, but for nearly two decades, my kids and horses captivated my attention.





When the opportunity to choreograph several scenes of Mary Poppins for a local community theater presented itself, it awoke something in me that has been dormant for quite a while.  I am having so much fun!  I have a wide range of dance ability in our ensemble, so my goal has been to find a balance that is challenging, yet attainable for all participants.  The show is about 5 weeks away.  While it is going well, we still have our work cut out for us!

I think I may have to find a dance class for adults, preferably tap or ballet, near me when this production is over because I am so enjoying dancing again!



And, I feel like I am more fit now than I have been in a few years!




Lots of excavation and some landscaping goin' on around the property!

 And, those bedrooms will be completed in a few more weeks, so watch for pics of that.



In the meantime, I will photograph and share these adorable kittens.  The 5 little orange kitties need homes, yet, so let us know of any interested families! Just a couple of months until Grace's goats have their kids, too.

   A summer of cuteness, for sure!