Nothing shy of a petting zoo here....

A funny story...

My husband---dear sweet man that he is LOVES to garden. He has tended our yard and garden well over the years. We have prolific blueberry bushes, blackberry bushes, strawberries, tomatoes, carrots, sometimes watermelon, pumpkins, squash, lots of herbs, and on and on.

Well this year, we've been over run with these....

If you are visiting us, if you are having a cocktail on our deck, if you are a neighborly neighbor, if you are 6 years old---you think they are WAY cute. But the truth of the matter is...the chipmunks--they play chase, they love, they race, they fight, they are a NUISANCE! So in an effort to keep the critters from consuming ALL of our strawberries, Grady has set these....

Chipmunk traps. He entices the critters with peanut butter and proceeds to capture one little friend a day. He then proceeds to take them to the Prayer Garden at the church and release them so they may serve our community as "Church Monks." (It's funny--when I'm in carpool line now I'll notice a few monks playing chase and I know they're Thrasher Monks. You can tell by the way they run.)

Well, he's trying really really hard to have an impact on the chipmunk population, but today I spied this new friend who heard we had the rockin' garden and yard....

Ever since Brock was named St. Francis (Patron Saint of Animals) in the Festival Day Festivities at St. Martins...

we do have the sweetest Garden of Eden in the thriving metropolis of Atlanta, but Grady's garden I'm afraid might not feed our family. Back to work. It might not be in  the cards to live off the land this Spring.   

Happiness

Be outside.

Be enthusiastic.

Be cheerful. 

Smile.

Be flexible.

Be a friend.

Be quiet.

Listen.

Be yourself.

I have determined that if you do a little of all of these things everyday you will be happy--no way around it. 

Peace.

Some days life is.....

A COUNTRY MUSIC SONG

And this is one of my favorites and seems to be most appropriate these days.

Anyway

You can pour your soul out singin'
A song you believe in
That tomorrow they'll forget you ever sang
Sing it anyway
Yeah sing it anyway

I sing
I dream
I love anyway

God is great, but sometimes life ain't good
When I pray it doesn't always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway
I do it anyway

Life is definitely good and God is definitely great or I wouldn't have this......

or this... 

or these....

SPRING BREAK!

HOORAY!!!!

How lucky are we? We are headed to these sugar white sands on Thursday for a much needed Spring Break. Yes, the kids have already had Spring Break--March 9-13. It was cold and rainy and still winter. Spring Break---shming break. 

Anyway---currently in ATLANTA G-A it is 41 degrees with a chance of snow flurries beginning at 6:00am. Fortunately it is suppose to be short lived and in the 70's by Thursday---mid-70's in Florida Panhandle. 

Hopefully Mother Nature won't let us down, but there's something about just being beach front and smelling the salt air. I'll take hot or cold, sun or rain. Just give me a little soft white sand and cool Gulf surf and Mom and Thrasher boys are all smiles. 

Toast the Spring wherever you are. God is good.

6 years ago today.....

It's A BOY!

Welcome to the World Henry McFatter Thrasher "MAC"

March 19, 2003

Who knew Mac would be the one who was born with a "song in his heart?" Not only was he, but he captured our hearts....from Day 1....Big Brother Brock threw him a party, we all napped with him and then through the years we've LAUGHEd with him....A LOT. Our sweet Mac----he loves the outdoors, he's a nurturer---of the soil and soul. He's comic relief. He's our Mac and we're celebrating him all day today. I love birthdays!

Things I love.....(not necessarily in order)

A sense of humor on St. Patrick's Day

A soft side

Grady

Snowballs in my freezer in March

Acoustic sunrise

The smell of good coffee

My Keurig coffee pot G gave me for Christmas

Violins

Rock Band at the Snyders

Brock telling me, "Wow Mom--you can REALLY talk! Sometimes it's so annoying." (I don't have to tell anyone the apple doesn't fall for from the tree)

That Mac puts my kisses in his pocket to save for later

My family's generous spirit

Hearing from old friends

Acolytes at church

Birthdays 

My i-phone (can't believe I'm admitting that)

Happys

Chardonnay

Jazz in the kitchen

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

The Beach

Mom coming to visit

Handwritten Letters

My camera

Long dinners

Long runs

Long playlists of Norah Jones

Sun-kissed kids

The sound of the washer and dryer and dishwasher running simultaneously

Patient school teachers

Sincerity

Humility

High thread count sheets

A new can of tennis balls

Optimism

What did I do to deserve this?

Don't answer that. I actually took this picture about 10 days ago and have finally finished folding and put away all of that pile---one problem--the next pile is twice as high and I'm almost out of laundry detergent and fabric softener. I made Brock wear dirty uniform pants to school today and I was o.k. with that. His haircut was clean-cut and he was tucked in and belted---so what's a little dirt and wrinkles on the knees? 

Grady praised me for my super-laundress abilities over the last 16 years, but as I literally "put my feet up" on him on the sofa last night he asked me if I was wearing two different socks. After a subtle finger gesture, I asked him if he'd been in the guest room lately. He smiled and said, "you know....the laundry has LAPPED you." He hit the nail on the head. (Just FYI--Grady does not EXPECT me to do the laundry. I do it, b/c I'm scared to death he'll ask me to help with yard work.)

I might never catch up---that is unless anyone wants (for a week or two) two boys, their homework, a real estate biz, 6 months of mail, a law practice, an old dog, and two dieting parents.