Ponce Deleon Lighthouse

We took the day to go fill out Volunteer paperwork at the New Smyrna Beach Ponce Deleon Lighthouse and visit the Beach.

We had a great day and as I write this we are sitting on the couch relaxing since we got too much Sun!

We all made it to the top...all 203 steps going up, even Daddy!

We walked around the top twice 

A rather shaky look as we all make our way down

This is the very first lens that was used in the Lighthouse, it was so interesting to see the wick and how much Kerosene it took to keep it lite.

After the Lighthouse we visited New Smyrna Beach for about an hour, We saw a few jellyfish and caught Sunburns..lol..

We will be visiting the Lighthouse again August 16-17 for International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend..We are setting up a few Ham Radios and will see how many different Lighthouses we can reach in 2 days!

The Van Fleet Bike Trail Kicked my Butt

Friday Richard played Hooky from work and we ran off together as soon as all 3 were in school for the day!

We loaded up our bikes and drove an hour away to try our riding skills on the Van Fleet State Trail.

We rode a total of 30 miles with stops for water and our new fav. snack, CLIFF bars.

We almost didn't make it to pick up the kids in time but even with the rush to get back to the car It was worth being sore today!

It was so peaceful out there, we saw 2 turtles, cows and people were stopped along the trail taking pics of this otter that was down in the wet bank.

Today I'm sore but planning on riding again tomorrow but this time for a shorter ride around home.

You can read more about this trail here Van Fleet State Trail

Enjoy your Weekend!

Bike Riding in Style

My Christmas present from my Husband Richard was a very nice new bike! It's a "Giant" brand bike and it's the color Mint...Yup like Mint ice cream..lol..

I love it and it goes along with my Resolution of getting back into shape, I shall not use the word "Diet" as I fail at that year after year. We are just making smarter choices in what we eat..which I'm finding very hard since I love to grab something Yummy after the kids are in bed at night. Any suggestions for low calorie but tasteful snacks?

We are riding our bikes about every weekend, if it' just us 2 then we go for a long ride around 20 or more miles but if the kids are along than we just ride for about 3 or so...They all have bikes and love to ride and see the turtles on the bike trail.

Here I am with my new bike, the sweater makes me look pregnant but let me assure you, I am not!..lol..

I'm finding bike riding to be alot of fun which I never thought it would be!

Lake Woodruff Wildlife Refuge Day Trip

Yesterday we met my Sister and her family out at DeLand's Lake Woodruff Wild life Refuge where we walked for about 2 hours.

We saw a tiny snake that my Sister was brave enough to hold but I passed on..lol..

We did see a 5 ft alligator that was sunning itself across the bank and he kept an watchful eye on us but never moved, Thank Goodness..lol   The above pic is NOT the guy we saw though, he is from the webpage.

You can read more about the Wildlife Refuge below or google it. We plan on going back next weekend, it's free to park/walk and the kids love to see what pops around every corner.

The Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge is part of the United States National Wildlife Refuge System, located in north central Florida, twenty-five miles west of Daytona Beach, off U.S. Highway 17 in DeLeon Springs.

The Lake Woodruff Wilderness Area is part of the refuge, and consists of 1,066 acres (4.31 km²) or 4.9% of its total area. It lies along the western boundary, between Honey Creek and the St. Johns River. On the river's other side is the Alexander Springs Wilderness Area.

Disney Pic and a Video

Here is a pic from our Disney trip and a rather long (about 7 mins) video of the kids on some rides. It's a Small World was my Fav. and to see the younger 2 reactions and looks on their faces is just priceless!!

We had so much fun and the kids are STILL talking about it!!

We Have Been To See....

Right now we are so tired and watching Beauty and the Beast while we get ready for bed but It has been such a Wonderful day! 

I'll post pics tomorrow!

Circleville Pumpkin Show 2010

I wanted to share some Family fun we had in October at the Circleville Pumpkin Show before I share my Christmas decorations, Enjoy!!

Thornville Backwoods Fest 2010

I went on Friday to the Thornville Backwoods Fest and had so much fun looking at the arts and crafts and smelling the great BBQ that was wafting in the air. Due to some vendors not wanting to be filmed or me even taking photos of their crafts for fear that I'd copy them I was only able to get a view minutes of video (you can watch some of the goodies that people have bought as they walk out) but at the end you can see the Awesome Americana Wreath the I bought and promptly hung up in my kitchen and the 3 stars that have Cinnamon/Apple pottpurie? that will hang in my kitchen windows. Isn't that Flag Wreath the Best?

Watcha Working on Wednesday

 This past Sunday we heard water leaking behind our shower in the wall so Richard went into Daughter's closet which is behind our shower to find a flooded mess and after tearing apart the wall we found the leak, after 2 trips to Lowes for the needed parts to fix it the shower is dryer but the closet is taking longer to air out.

Today we got the chance to run to Chillicothe with Richard since he had an interview, his contract is up and he is in the process of looking for a new job, please pray that he gets something fast. After dropping him off the kids and I ran to the park to feed the ducks, here are some cute pics...

This pic of our 3 kiddos is my fav.!

We are enjoying Richard having the extra time with us and we are busy with lots of day trips and trying to stay cool in this heat. I have started a new book by Mary Ellen Hughes called String of Lies.

What Summer reading have you been doing, have you discovered any one new?

Summer Recap, Catching-up before Holidays

Here is a re-cap of some of the fun lil things we did this Summer. Today I'm running to the store to grab last minute Thanksgiving fixins and a Library run for fun movies to keep everyone happy!


Fun new faucet with a lil turn spout, kids love this, I love the white knobs.


First day of School, How happy and excited they were to be off and running for the bus.



Learning how to can with great Friends..This is Zuccinni Relish and Green Beans.


Carving Pumpkins with Family and Friends!


Excercising HOSS..He loves getting attention!

Hope ya'll are enjoying the Holidays!

Happy 4th of July!!

Have a great 4th! We are heading out to celebrate with family in Alabama, I'll be back with lottsa pics!

The Dawes Arboretum

On Sunday after Church we were invited to go explore a great park named "The Dawes Arboretum" in Newark OH. It is a treasure trove of flowering plants and trees. The perfect place for a picnic and picture taking! We are looking forward for a return trip soon as we ran out of time.


These are the hedges that spell out "Dawes Arboretum", we climbed the high tower but wasn't on there for long cuse you could feel the tower sway with every step. It was scaring the kids..really..the kids..lol..



Hamming it up at the Sun Dial


Our new Friends, a classmate of Crystal's.


The perfect family shot..except Abigail decided to hold up that postcard right as it was taken..lol..

Thank You and the National Air Force Museum

Thank You all for the kind words and prayers/good thoughts on Friday..It was a very trying day and I was mentally tired at the end of the day but after a rest I'm feeling much better. We will see what the future holds for our case.


On Sat. we decided to go on a day trip to the National Air Force Museum in Dayton OH. It was a long drive but we played around with DH's new stereo. The kids were pretty good on the drive, Abby thought we'd never get there..LOL..

We also saw an IMAX film, It was very good and the kids only got squirmy at the end. Here are some pics, the pics I took of the planes didn't turn out well, too dark in there :(











The last time we were there R was in a stroller and had a melt down plus it was cold and rainy, this trip was so much fun, he loved looking at the planes and we were able to walk in the park there and look at everything.

And the best part is...They SLEPT IN this morning!!!

Hocking Hills and Lake Logan Dam Day Trip 6-9-08

Since it's so hot and the kids were getting bored We loaded up and headed out! We went to Hocking Hills for a nice drive and stopped at Cedar Falls for a little walk, DH could only walk a little ways so we will go back another day to finish the 2 1/2 mile hike. One breathtaking few of a tiny waterfall.
Had to pose the kids on this Rock Bench, They love Hamming it up!
This is a crevice hole made by years of water swirling down there, DH played around with my focus on the camera to get this pic for me!
This is how far up we were from it!
This is the Iron bridge that we had to cross, the kids were very slow walking across it and Abigail kept looking down and grabbing for Daddy...Never cried though...I'm proud of her! MMM...Should have tilted the pic for ya.
This is what we saw when looking down!

Then DH was sore so we loaded back up into the car and drove to this tiny Dam, Tankers was amazed and we stopped and let the kids run in the field next to it.
Quick shot of everyone posing, One of the few pics of DH that I grabbed!!!

The field that was next to the Dam, the kids were chasing Butterflies. You'd think that they didn't have 5 acres to play on...LOL...

It was a nice day and everyone came home and vegged out!