Family Fishing Frenzy

This is Mitch. He had a great time fishing!













This is Tom fixing the fishing line. Great job Dad!













This is Mason (yellow) and Mitch. The boys sure had a great time fishing. They caught five sunfish total. One was at least 6 inches long. Tom was lucky. When he took a fish off the hook, he was able to squeeze out some eggs. So, we did put all the fish back at the end.







This is Shawn with the last catch of the night. Such a cute little fishy.

As I walked down the driveway this is what I saw.

How cute is that when they are all bonding like that?!

Here I am! I only put the line in a couple times and the fish were nibbling on the fake worm then I let Shawn finish with the pole and then we went in for the night.

Here is Amanda. She couldn't handle not knowing what was going on, so she came down from the house to have some fun too.

Mason and Shawn. They must like each other!

We had a great time fishing in the pond.

Does anyone have any fun fishing stories?

Blossoms and Bees

I just wanted to share with all of you that beautiful tree along side my garage that bloomed more than last year. There are so many blossoms on it and the aroma that comes off it is spectacular.


Below is a closer shot of some blossoms off of this tree. Such great detail in the flowers. (All pics are clickable).
This one below is off of a little crab apple tree in my back yard. The tree is not very big, but it was fun taking these pictures.
You know the tree in the first picture? Well, as I was taking some shots of it, I heard a noise. There was a lot of buzzing going on. I am not sure how many bees were in there, but it sure was noisy.
The bees sure are a fascinating creature. Without them we would not have the pollination that we need to keep everything growing.
Hope you all enjoyed the pictures that I have added. I thought they were kinda cool. I can't wait till I go to Maine and then I can take some pictures there. Never been there so it will be fun to see what I come up with. We will be going in June. Yippppppppeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HERE IS A LITTLE BEE KNOWLEDGE FOR YOU:

Honeybees (or hive bees) are in the animalia kingdom, the arthropoda phylum, the insecta class, the hymenoptera order and the apoidea family. Beekeepers are sometimes called apiarists. Honeybees and bumblebees (apidae subfamily) are social bees and live in colonies. Solitary bees make their own small family nests.

There are 10,0000 - 20,000 species of bee including many wasplike and flylike bees. Most bees are small from 2 mm (.08 inches) long to 4 cm (1.6 inches) long. Bees and wasps are closely related. The main difference is that bees provide their young with pollen and honey, while wasps eat animal food, insects, or spiders. In addition, wasps have unbranched hairs.

Honeybees live in hives or colonies. A small hive contains about 20,000 bees, while some larger hives may have over 100,000 bees. Hives include one queen, hundreds of drones, and thousands of worker bees. The worker bees are female, but they do not breed. The queen bee is female and creates all the babies for the hive. The drone bees are male and do not have stingers.

Bees communicate with each other about food sources using dances. The sounds from the movement of the bees is picked up by the tiny hairs on the bee's head. Bees use the sun in navigation.

The honeybee's hive has cells made of wax. This is where the queen bee lays her eggs. She can lay 1500 eggs in one day. When the larvae hatch, they are fed by the worker bees. The workers collect pollen and nectar from flowers. The pollen is used as a protein source and the nectar is an energy source. Some of the pollen lands on the pistils of the flower and results in cross-pollination. This is important for some crops and flowers. The relationship between the plant and the insect is called symbiosis.

Bees turn the nectar into honey. Workers must visit over four thousand flowers to make just a tablespoon of honey. Beekeepers must be very careful when they remove honey from the hive. They try not to hurt the bees. The beekeepers give sugar syrup to the bees to replace the honey that they take.

The "killer bee" is actually a type of African honeybee. In 1957, it was accidentally released in Brazil during a science experiment. It began to move north and reached Mexico in the 1980s. It can now be found in the southwestern US. These bees react very quickly, attack in large numbers, and swarm for long periods of time.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY

The Little Things

It is the little things that count

And give a mother pleasure -

The things her children bring to her

Which they so richly treasure...

The picture that is smudged a bit

With tiny fingerprints,

The colored rock, the lightning bugs,

The sticky peppermints;

The ragged, bright bouquet of flowers

A child brings, roots and all - These things delight a mother's heart

Although they seem quite small.

A mother can see beauty

In the very smallest thing

For there's a little bit of heaven

In a small child's offering.

- Katherine Nelson Davis

Softball and Friends

Hello There!

Boy did I have an awesome time visiting with my friend from long ago and watching her twins play ball! I also enjoyed the visit with them as a family after the game. I have known Karen for 25years and that is a long time for a great friendship. It was so nice seeing everyone again, reminiscing, laughing, talking, enjoying each others company. (the pictures you can click on to enlarge).



This is Kaitlyn with another awesome hit. She hit it way out in the outfield. Then she got to second. You can see the pics as I photographed her running to the base. Also, Kait was hitting well all afternoon. She kept getting hit after hit. Triples even! She made some awesome catches out in center field. On one fly ball, she ran all the way into Left field and caught it on the run. Sooo FAST! Great catch Kait.





Here she is going past first and on her way to second.









The arrival and a small break till the next hit.









This is Nicole (Colie), she is a great pitcher. I would say that 95-98%of her pitches are strikes, if not, they are so close that you would not want to let it go by. She winds up and delivers!








Colie pitching again. In this picture you can see to the left of the picture the bat hitting the bright yellow ball. So cool! That is Kait in Center field behind Colie.

They have been on varsity all four years of High School and do a tremendous job.

Great job girls!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHAWN-10

May 6, 1998 A very active boy was born into the family. Shawn Robert Burgdorfer. We are so happy that God brought you into our lives 10 years ago. You are a very special boy to your Dad and I.


You were so cute with that big smile in the Michigan onsie.

Here are a few more snapshots throughout your ten years. Five years old on the Woodchucks T-ball team. The A-Town getting ready for school park night. Amanda and you when we were staying at a Hotel on the Ohio and West Virginia border on the way to see Grandpa Lehr and your Aunt Gina, Uncle Steve and Cousin Steven.





Then there are pictures of you when you and I are being silly with a clown wig and Groucho glasses. You use to sit on your Dad's lap and play with your matchbox cars and drive them on his chest and lap and make vrooooooooom noises. Sometimes you got really loud too. It was so cute and I know your Dad enjoyed it. I know he loved you and misses you very much.










Now we have a new beginning and a new family to add with some of our old family. You have a wonderful Step-Dad and two new brothers. You also have another Grandpa and Grandma, Aunt Sara and Cousin Connor. We are very blessed to have so many people that love us.

The next pictures are when we went to the whitecaps game and you got to run out in the center field with one of the players for the National Anthem.

Then the last two pics are when we were in Mackinaw last year. We had so much fun visiting all the forts, camping, site seeing, the mystery spot.
I cannot believe you are Ten now!! Where does the time fly. You are so special to me Shawner Bauner. I love you so much!!!!!!! God has truly blessed me by letting me have you.

FREE TOWEL GIFT PACKAGE

Hello everyone!

My friend Ted from http://www.americanchairstore.com/ emailed me and said that if anyone is interested in posting his website on their blog he would send them a free towel gift package.

You can email him through his website too. Tell him that I sent you and you wanted to put his web site on your blog. He knows to check my blog and if anyone is interested can write me on there.
I guarantee that you will enjoy these towels. I love them!

Thanks!
Shelly

PLAYING WITH THE CAMERA

HI THERE!

I WAS PLAYING WITH MY CAMERA TODAY AND THERE ARE SEVERAL FEATURES ON IT AND JUST THOUGHT I WOULD SHOW WHAT I DID. I CAN SAVE A PIC ON THE CAMERA AS BLACK AND WHITE, SEPIA (WHICH IS LIKE AN OLD WESTERN LOOK), AND CYANOTYPE (WHICH HAS A BLUEISH HINT TO IT). THIS IS ALL KIND OF INTERESTING SO I THOUGHT I WOULD SHARE.




















LETS TAKE A POLL TO SEE WHICH ONE EVERYONE LIKES? GIVE ME YOUR FEEDBACK IF YOU LIKE.
ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND!

Baseball Fever!!!!!

This is Shawn swinging away at a ball.
Shawn has fun, he has played since 5yrs old. The boys are TEN now.




This is Mitchell swinging away at a ball.

This is Mitch in the ready position in RF.
Mitch is having fun, this is his first year playing baseball. He seems to like it so far.





This is Shawn catching a fly ball at second base. I was like, hey that fly ball is heading towards Shawn, I hope he catches it. Got my camera up real quick and snapped it. Lookie in the glove. There is a white object with red stitching--that be called the baseball that was hit. hahaha

I know the boys are having a good time playing ball. I am having fun watching them. After all, softball is my all time favorite sport. I have played since 6Th grade.

They have an awesome coach. He works so well with all the boys and explains things to them and has a very good personality. I guess he use to play baseball for Notre Dame. Way to go!!!

Sickness in the House

Hi Everyone!

The fun begins! One little fella, Mason, stayed home yesterday because when he went to the bathroom he has the runs. I believe that is why they call it the runs, because you have to run to get to the toilet because the fluid is flowing out your hiney!!!!!

Today he wakes up and is vomiting. Not fun for him and makes a miserable day. Then comes up and is crying thinks he is going to vomit again, nothing happened. Wants water. Sorry buddy, have to have ice chips because if you put liquid in there all at once your stomach is not going to like it. Then comes up, can I have something to eat. Sorry buddy, in a little while see how you do then will get you some toast. Okay! I know if he puts something in his stomach he will just hurl it up and that will not be fun for him. So, we are waiting patiently till he can have something. I have been around kids enough to know that these things happen. Because they want something to eat and then here it comes!!!!!

Tom text me from work and said that a guy he works with son is sick like that too. So, it is going around. BEWARE of this awful fun time! Then my daughter text me from school and said her stomach feels kinda upset. So, she was going to come home. Well, she is not here yet. She was also going to go away for the weekend to her boyfriends house and wants to still go. We will see if she is sick or what? No one wants to stay home if they had plans to do something.

Lovely blooms!

Flowers from Valentine's Day! So BEEEE UUUUUU TIIIIII Fulllllllll!!!!!!!!

A day in Grand Haven

I had some errands to do today and thought I would take my camera with me and take a couple shots of the Grand Haven Lighthouse. It was cooler outside so I did not take a lot of shots. I parked by the Bill Mar Restaurant and took pics with my 300mm lens. I did not zoom in all the way either. Here are a couple shots for you to look at.

I really enjoy taking pictures!

The reason I went out to Grand Haven in the first place is because we have a friend of my daughter's living with us and she was raised with a lot of disadvantages. She has been sheltered and held back in so many ways and we thought we would try to help her get out into the real world and out on her own. So today, I helped take her to some places to fill out some applications. I pray that she will get a better job and will be able to get out on her own. I know she wants this too but does not know how to go about getting there.



We went into a local art store. There were several paintings that someone has done and also photographic pictures too. Thought to myself was that I could do that. Not the painting, but taking the pictures. I love doing that anyway.

I could not zoom this all the way into 300mm because I would not have gotten the whole shot in.

I might show you more pictures that I have taken in the upcoming year. Just trying to experiment with my camera and get to know it better.

CHECK IT OUT!

Anyone have any towels that are shredding or falling apart? Try looking at the site at the right of my blog under the clock. Time has run out for your old shabby bath towels, cleaning towels, or whatever you may need in the linen dept. There are other items on the site you can take a look at too. I have had flour sack towels for a long time now and love cleaning with them. No streaks in the windows after cleaning. No streaks on the flat top stove or appliances. Leaves a nice shine instead of a smeared look. I liked these towels so much, that I have invested in some bath towels, washcloths, and hand towels. I love them! They hold up so good and after many washings, they get more fluffy and last a long time. I have a towel, must have had five years now and it does not shred or break apart. GREAT QUALITY!

This company http://americanchairstore.com/ ACS has great customer service. And great quality of product. Take a look and see if you like or need anything. It is well worth it.

Enjoy your day!

Amanda's Prom her Jr. Year

There once was a young lady named Amanda. While in her Junior Year it became time for the Prom. There was a lot of planning and preparation. A beautiful dress to be bought, jewelry to go with the dress, hemming the dress, plans with boyfriend Matt, paying for the prom tickets, making reservations for the restaurant, Charlie's Crab, and ordering and picking up the boutonniere and Corsage and then head off to the Prom at the Masonic Temple in Grand Rapids this year. Plans to have friends come and do hair and make-up. Before the hair was done, Amanda spent time in magazines and online looking for hairstyles that she liked that might work. Now I will show you some pictures of the start and to the finished result. Hope you all enjoy.

This is Allison and she did a great job on Amanda's hair. As you see they both have smiles on their faces and enjoying the moment. I kept running in and outside so I could get the flower bed area done with some mulch and flowers so I could take pictures. I went to Countryside Greenhouse at 9am on Saturday so I could get started on that. Laying mulch takes a long time, especially the big area that I have to do. I like doing the outside work.

Next was Make-Up time! This is Faith and Amanda, also smiling and enjoying the moment and conversation. All the little things that it takes to put one's self together for a nice evening out. A moment that you will want to remember and cherish for the rest of your life here on earth.

Thank you to Allison and Faith for doing all of this. Thanks to Gayla for having the make-up that we wanted and needed.

TA-DAH!!!!!

BEAUTIFUL!!! Amanda, you have turned into such a beautiful young lady. I thank God for you daily! Your Dad would have been proud of you.

I hope that your future turns out to be the best that it can be. Keep God first, then everything else should fall in place! I love you!

This is Matt. So fun and happy! He is excited to take Amanda out and she is excited to be taken out. LOL

Matt is an extremely well mannered young man. He is kind, courteous, full of life, always looking out for the concerns of others.

Here they are! Together for a fun night!

DECK OF CARDS

There is a choice you have to make in everything you do. So keep in mind that in the end the choice you make~makes you"

Here is a new way to look at a deck of cards!! You will be glad you did.

It was quiet that day, the guns and the mortars, and land mines for some reason hadn't been heard. The young soldier knew it was Sunday, the holiest day of the week. A s he was sitting there, he got out an old deck of cards and laid them out across his bunk.

Just then an army sergeant came in and said, "Why aren't you with the rest of the platoon?"

The soldier replied, "I thought I would stay behind and spend some time with the Lord"

The sergeant said, "Looks to me like you're going to play cards."

The soldier said, "No, sir. You see, since we are not allowed to have Bibles or other spiritual books in this country, I've decided to talk to the Lord by studying this deck of cards."

The sergeant asked in disbelief, "How will you do that?"

"You see the Ace, Sergeant? It reminds me that there is only one God.

The Two represents the two parts of the Bible, Old and New Testaments

The Three represents the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost.

The Four stands for the Four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

The Five is for the five virgins there were ten but only five of them were glorified.

The Six is for the six days it took God to create the Heavens and Earth.

The Seven is for the day God rested after making His Creation.

The Eight is for the family of Noah and his wife, their three sons and their wives -- the eight people God spared from the flood that destroyed the Earth.

The Nine is for the lepers that Jesus cleansed of leprosy.. He cleansed ten, but nine never thanked Him.

The Ten represents the Ten Commandments that God handed down to Moses on tablets made of stone.

The Jack is a reminder of Satan, one of God's first angels, but he got kicked out of heaven for his sly and wicked ways and is now the joker of eternal hell.

The Queen stands for the Virgin Mary.

The King stands for Jesus, for he is the King of all kings.

When I count the dots on all the cards, I come up with 365 total, one for every day of the year.

There are a total of 52 cards in a deck; each is a week - 52 weeks in a year.

The four suits represent the four seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter.

Each suit has thirteen cards -- there are exactly thirteen weeks in a quarter .

So when I want to talk to God and thank Him, I just pull out this old deck of cards and they remind me of all that I have to be thankful for."

The sergeant just stood there. After a minute, with tears in his eyes and pain in his heart, he said, "Soldier, can I borrow that deck of cards?" Please let this be a reminder and take time to pray for all of our soldiers who are being sent away, putting their lives on the line fighting & Prayer for the Military.

DANCING RAIN

I thought I would add this cool picture that I seen. The photography in this picture is awesome. To catch a raindrop or two with a splash of excitement of hitting the deck rail.

I love when it rains and helps my flowers grow better and my grass get more green. Just the past couple days I have noticed how much the grass has brightened up. Did you know that lightning also helps with the grass color?
Well, that is what I heard one time.

That wind out there is really really strong.
You can just hear it blowing like crazy out there. Would wind be called wind, if you could not see the trees and other things blowing in it? How much hairspray would one need out there tonight? HAHAHA! 60MPH WINDS!

Great day!

Had a wonderful afternoon outside and not having to wear a sweatshirt or coat. I got to clean up the rest of the flower beds and whatnot. Shawn was outside playing while I did all of this and the air was so nice and the sun beating down was great to feel its warmth again. I still have to clean up the piles. Had to wait for Tom to take the blower off of the lawn tractor so I could use that with the trailer that I attach to it. I will have to finish that up Monday or something. Had some friends come over tonight and we cooked out, kids were making a fort in the woods and we adults played a couple games of sequence. Yes, Ted and Tom, beat Faith and I again.

Have a great day tomorrow!

Horton Hears a Who

Just wanted to let you know that kids got a good point out of that movie. Shawn said, even though there are little people, they are still important and still a person.

Yep, that is what they said in the movie too. Even though you may be a small person, you are still a person!!!!

Also in the movie, the female kangaroo, (Carol Burnett's voice) said about Horton talking to the spot on the flower, if you can't see them they must not be real!

That is a good point: Just because you can't see God the Father, does that mean that He is not real? No wonder it is hard for people to grasp things at times and understand the true meaning. Anyway, I have to go outside and do some raking and Shawn going to shoot his 22.

Take Care!

HEAVENLY SUNSHINE

What a beautiful day! We have had a nice steady rain last night and the sun is out now. This weekend will be good for cleaning out the landscape bedding. I am excited to work in the yard now. It will be nice to be outside in the fresh air and preparing the yard.

I wondered why my husband wasn't in the bed last night and this is what he said--he said that I was like in a boxing match last night. Wondered what I was dreaming about. He said I actually hit him in the back and kneed him where a man would not want to be kneed. I cannot believe that. It is so strange when we dream about something and sometimes our body will physically act out. CRAZINESS!!!

Does anyone have a story about when they were dreaming and anything interesting or unusual happen?

IN MEMORY

"

Hello there. I just wanted to say a few things that have been on my mind lately. Sometimes my mind just randomly goes to thinking about Randy. You see, I have two children from him and they remind me of him also. But, as Amanda and Shawn get older I think of things. Amanda is going to graduate next year and I think of how proud her Dad would have been if he was here. All the milestones in their lives he is not here. The fact that Amanda and Shawn have to live life without their father. The songs that come to mind are To Where You Are by Josh Groban, I Can Only Imagine by Mercy Me (those two I had at the funeral) and I like Homesick by Mercy Me also. Randy does not have to imagine what Heaven is like-he is there!

I pray that my children know that I did love their Dad and I am sorry for the way things had to turn out for them. I also want them to know that life does continue on and that we do grow from every situation or pathway in our lives. Everything is a growing experience. God is always in control and He is always by our side-as long as we let Him be there. I know that my children accepted Christ as their personal Saviour but my hope is that they will continue to follow Him. And to know that there is a "better place" that we are heading to. We don't always understand why things happen but there is a reason and we will find out someday.

In Christ there are no Goodbye's. In Christ there is NO End. So, close your eyes and see God's face and put your sight on home (our heavenly home).

God takes us down certain roads or pathways and the ones we have traveled have been difficult at times. We all love our life and the way that it is. God has brought two more kids/step-brothers (Mitch and Mason)and a wonderful husband/step-dad (Tom) into our lives and we are looking forward to what is to come.

WHO AM I ???

It is so amazing that God would have his Son die for us. Because of what He has done, we will have life not because of what we have done or who we are! He hears us when we call, catches us when we fall, we are flowers that quickly fade-here today and gone tomorrow. I hope you enjoy the video that I have found. I think it is so cool how this video is put together.