Jeremy & Hannah's Engagement, Part Deux

Ok, so when we left off, Hannah had just said "yes" and looked in the direction of the bridge.   Both she and Jeremy started to laugh as the sorority sisters broke into hoots and hollers as well as the group of their friends waiting down under the bridge.

The two groups made quite a ruckus cheering on the newly engaged couple.

Awww, how sweet.  I'm so very grateful to have all these pics captured for family and friends to share.

I'm not sure at what point Hannah figured out that the howls of appreciation were coming from her friends.

Oh....yea.....I think it was right about this moment when she realized she and Jeremy weren't alone and that the cheers were for them.

How much fun was that?

And then the funniest thing happened.   A crowd surrounded them and people were hugging Hannah and taking pictures.   I was confused because I thought everyone involved with Jeremy's plan was down under the bridge.   Who in the world were all these people?  Turns out these were well wishers who just happened to witness the proposal and wanted to get in on the happy moment.

Now it was our turn to wish the happy couple congratulations.

We all came out of our hiding spots and joined Jeremy and Hannah on the museum steps.

Friends and family holding the "Yes" signs.

Everywhere we looked there were crepe myrtle trees with their trunks painted blue.  Kinda weird, but kinda interesting, too.   So I'll leave you with one last shot of the happy couple....in front of the blue trees and the bridge spanning the Tennessee River behind them.   I feel like the symbolism is a little prophetic......a sweet young couple planning a new life together, going off into an unknown future much like those crossing the bridges behind them going off into the future.

Joel and I want to wish God's richest blessings on our son and soon-to-be daughter-in-law.   We are thrilled for Jeremy to have found someone so thoughtful, happy and caring to share his life with.   And we are tickled to welcome Hannah into our family and look forward to creating many years of memories together with her as Jeremy's wife.

And so I'll sign off with this pic of a very pretty (pretty to me at least) manhole cover.    Our memories of Chattanooga will forever be changed with all the happy events of today etched in our hearts and minds.

Looking forward to the (about to get busy) next few months!

Debbie

Jeremy and Hannah are Engaged!

Joel and I are excited to announce to you, our friends and family, that today our youngest son, Jeremy, asked his girlfriend, Hannah, to be his wife.   And she said "Yes!".   Jeremy has had this day planned for several weeks now and he invited Joel and I to be there to see him propose to Hannah.   Joel was a little under the weather today so I drove down to Chattanooga because I simply could not miss this!

Jeremy planned for friends of both he and Hannah to hang out near the museum in Chattanooga and then we would all join up with he and Hannah after he proposed.   I arrived an hour before the designated time to allow myself time to find a good spot to take some pics.   You know I wasn't going to miss out on capturing this event on camera, right?

I took this shot from the walking bridge that spans the Tennessee River.   And you can just barely make out the glass enclosed outer deck on the museum on the right.   Yes, that far away!   I was worried the lens on my camera wouldn't be able to get in close enough to see their faces.  As I waited there were about 30 girls dressed in army fatigue green clothes and they were taking a lot of pics of one another.   Turns out it was a sorority taking end of year photos.   A few of the girls asked me what I kept looking at and I explained that my son was going to propose to his girlfriend.  

Well, that was all it took.  They said they weren't leaving until they got to watch the big event, and so they kept peppering me with questions wondering if every couple that walked out on the deck of the museum was my son.   We watched the Southern Belle glide past with a boat load of patrons on board.  

And many people walked up and down the deck of the museum, but none of them were Jeremy and Hannah.   Let me tell you there is a lot going on in downtown Chattanooga on a warm spring afternoon!   There were people everywhere.....parking was at a premium and the sidewalks were crowded with folks enjoying the lovely weather.

Some of Jeremy and Hannah's sweet friends and Hannah's roommates met nearby at The Ice Cream Show and made up signs for after he popped the question.  Hannah's sister and family and other friends also were in on the proposal and they all met up under the bridge, watching the deck of the museum, waiting to shout "yippee" after Hannah accepted the ring.

And then, finally, I spotted them walking up to the museum.   I don't know if Jeremy's heart was pounding as much as mine was.   I was afraid I would shake the camera and get blurry pictures.

Wouldn't you know they stepped up to the glass rail on the side of the deck facing the bridge?   I asked 3 of the sorority sisters to step in front of me so that Hannah wouldn't look over and see me as I snuck in pics in between the 3 girls.

And then all of a sudden Jeremy dropped to one knee and Hannah must have known what was coming next.   How sweet for this mama to be able to watch her youngest son propose to the woman that completes him and makes him so very happy.

I think that was a resounding "Yes!" from Hannah, don't you?

Sure looks like a "Yes" to me!   How very sweet.

Well, you get the picture, right?  Check out the lady off to the right hand side of the pic, grinning at the kids.

And then Hannah heard some commotion.....

Stay tuned for part two,
Debbie

Gun Safety Lessons

Grandpa asked the kids if they would like to learn how to shoot and Jackson gave him an enthusiastic thumbs up.   Sydney, on the other hand, decided she would rather stay inside and draw.    Until the following day......Grandpa gave both kids an unloaded rifle to hold and they posed for the camera giving me their best "bad boy" look.   We cracked up!

 Joel had bought a new target for the kids to use.....one of those metal things that has posts that you push into the ground and the targets are swinging pendulums that move when struck by a bullet.    Jackson did really well his first time trying to hit the targets.   He did so well that Sydney decided the next day to give it a try as well.

 But first things first.  Joel is extremely careful about gun safety and spent time explaining to both Sydney and Jackson how to safely use the firearms.

 Fifteen paces back, she took aim and fired.    And hit it!  Again and again!

 Ten minutes later she took off her safety googles and exclaimed to both Jackson and Joel, "This is fun!   It should be a sport!"    They both cracked up as they explained to Sydney that not only is shooting a huge sport, but it's also a winter and summer Olympic event!   Needless to say, she had a good time....mainly because she was a very accurate shooter.  

 And speaking of accurate shooters, you should have seen Jackson.   Both the kids were naturals and did really well hitting the targets.

 Next up, the .22 came out.    And once again, Sydney did really well using the scope and hitting the targets.

 Jackson patiently waited his turn.....what a little sharpshooter!

I think both kids will want to go shooting again with Grandpa on their next trip to the farm.  

Learning to be responsible with firearms is very important and gun ownership is an integral part of our national heritage.   We feel it's imperative to pass along a love for the Second Amendment to the next generation so America can remain free and strong in the world.

Proud to be an American,
Debbie

Guess Who Came to Dinner?

And breakfast and lunch?    Our two oldest grandkids, that's who!   Our daughter and her husband attended a wonderful conference in London for 10 days and we were thrilled to share "kid watching" duties (they're too old to call it babysitting!) with their other grandparents.   So after the kids spent a week in the mountains of North Carolina, we met them halfway and brought them here to the farm for the remaining week.

 As soon as we had the kids in our car we whisked them off to Chattanooga to meet up with their Uncle Jeremy.    He picked a Japanese restaurant as a fun place to have our lunch and then it was off to the Chattanooga Aquarium.    We spent a few cool hours escaping the heat and humidity walking thru the fresh water side of the aquarium.....chatting all the way as we all caught up with each other's lives.   Joel and Jeremy hadn't seen the kids since we moved here 2-1/2 years ago!   That's just way too long to go without spending some quality time together.

 We said our good byes to Jeremy and headed up the Plateau to the farm.   And it wasn't long before Sydney and Jackson were playing with the puppies.   Everyday.    Several times everyday.   I'm not sure who enjoyed playing the most.....the kids or the puppies!

 It made my heart swell to peek out of the back screen door and watch the kids carrying the puppies back to their pen as their giggles floated to me thru the air.   I love to see our grands taking advantage of the fresh air and freedom to roam our farm whenever they feel like it.

 Then we got the brilliant idea to watch some movies.....except Joel and Jackson had to rearrange some wires in order to try and make that happen.   They were trying to get things set up so we could use Netflix.    Don't even ask how long they worked on that project!    And we never were able to make it work.  Oh, well, we went back to our little library of movies for movie night.

 It was exhausting for Molly to watch the guys work so hard.....so exhausting, in fact, that she had to take a nap.

 Meanwhile, Sydney continued drawing.....mostly faces this week.   Instead of having her work at the kitchen table I cleared out one of my sewing machines and repurposed the cabinet for her to use as an art space.   She spent hours drawing faces on fabric!   Pretty cool, huh?   She is so talented....and sweet....and......well, you get the picture.

 We decided we might turn some of these into fabric dolls on their next trip up to see us.

 And then the kids and I worked on this project together throughout the week.    I had already made the blocks just before they arrived here.   Because it was going to be Julie's birthday the day they were scheduled to be back home in Florida, we three wanted to have a present for Julie.   So we did a joint project.....a quilt for Julie!  

The kids helped me to arrange the blocks on my design wall before I sewed them together.    Then, I loaded the quilt onto the longarm machine and showed them how to sew thru all 3 layers, creating a quilt.    As a finishing touch, Sydney made a label that I sewed onto the back of the quilt.   Now Julie has a permanent memory of her 45th birthday, complete with a present from her mom and her kids.  

As a finishing touch, Sydney made a label that I sewed onto the back of the quilt.   Now Julie has a permanent memory of her 45th birthday, complete with a present from her mom and her kids.   

It was so sweet to sneak onto the sleeping porch each morning and watch Jackson sleeping soundly.   He seemed to enjoy his own special place tucked into the corner of that room. 

As I came around the corner one morning I cracked up when I saw this......

Yea, that's a lot of shoes, wouldn't you say?   It was great to know the kids were relaxing here and fit right into our routines.   And now we are hoping they can come back up real soon....and bring their mom and dad with them!

Grateful Grandparents,
Deb and Joel

A "Fantastic" Farm Day Picnic

No, I'm not gloating.  The name of our quilt guild is The Fan-Tastic's.   And so, when it came time to name the picnic this year I dubbed it a Fantastic Farm Day Picnic.   On Friday we had over 70 women find their way to the farm to come to the annual picnic.   This was the first large outing we hosted here in Tennessee and while it was a bit of work to get ready for the event, Joel and I both really had a blast watching the ladies wander our land and take in the beauty that we get to enjoy every day.

 So, who do we have here, you ask?   Well,  it just so happens that a few days before the picnic I got an email from Karen, my cousin from PA that I haven't seen in over 40 years.   She and her husband, Les, were going to be vacationing at Mammoth Cave in KY and wondered how far away our farm was from Mammoth.   You guessed it, after they left Mammoth they arrived here right in the middle of a crazy busy week.  Not that we cared....I just felt bad that we didn't have a lot of extra time to spend with them.  At least we had overnight to visit and catch up on our lives.

 Then it was back to work.  Here's the crew taking a break for some much needed lunch.   When Lynne and Barb P. approached me about the possibility of having the picnic on our farm, I asked Joel if he would mind and we both easily decided it would be fun.   Then I corralled Barb D. into helping as well.  The day before the picnic Barb P.'s husband, Jerry, pitched in (as well as Lynne's hubby, Jim) and helped to load the 14 tables from the church into our trailer and unload them again here.   Jerry was great at figuring out how to lay out the tables and squeeze 80 women onto the covered portion of the pavilion.   Thanks, guys!

Early Friday morning Lynne, Barb and Barb showed up, ready to put it all together.   It sure helped that we had prepped a great deal before the actual event.   A few days earlier we got together and wrapped the Ball jars that had handles with a strip of burlap and red & white gingham.   Lynne brought cute sewing themed pins to attach to each jar and both the jar and pins were favors for all the women.   Plus, they used the jars to drink from during the picnic.   We hope they liked them as we thought we were quite clever to think of something farm-y as a favor.   giggle......hey, I told you we had fun doing this!

 Here is the pavilion all set up for everyone's arrival.   The one table in the foreground was askew while we waited for the hanging planter to stop dripping water.  Oops!   I had watered the plants earlier and forgot how long they drip.  We put a mug at each place setting with a cute red & white straw in each one.   And there were red & white daisies in large Ball jars as centerpieces on the tables.  I wish I had taken the time to take a few more pics of the different areas we set up but I was kinda running around making sure everything was ready before 9:30 when the first guests arrived.

Off to the right you can see the round table set up just outside the pavilion.   It had a chalkboard welcome sign standing on it with a box that contained napkin wrapped plastic ware.  On the box was a label that read "Shovels, pitchforks and scythes".   Bah-ha-ha-ha!   Come on, you know that was funny.  There was also a metal shepherds' crook hanger....you know, like the kind you hang a plant from.  Instead, I hung a bucket filled with bug spray and sunscreen for the ladies to use.

 Joel directed traffic along with Barb D. and after the ladies parked up and down our lane they began to wander around the farm.   Pretty soon we had a mob in the studio while the girls asked questions about the building.   Yes, I was reminded once again what a lucky girl I am to have such a fabulous space to play in.

 And here we have 2 friends admiring the quilts we had hung on the line.   Just how many different ways can you bring a quilt theme into a farm picnic?   You'd be surprised!

 I snuck away at one point to take a pic of just a portion of the cars parked along our lane.   What a great turnout we had!   All in all we had over 70 women show up.

 Lynne had brought a microphone and equipment to use so the ladies could hear us talk about what we had in store for them during their stay on the farm.   I was surprised when they handed the microphone over to me and asked me to tell about how we came to be on this land and explain what the ladies would be doing after we ate.  And then it was time for the food.....and everyone lined up to begin sampling all the goodies brought by the group.

Here is our president, Stephanie, chatting with Joel while they watched the goings on in the shade of the pavilion.   Joel and I were totally shocked when Stephanie presented us with a gift card with thanks from the guild for hosting the picnic.   That was so unnecessary, but we appreciated it very much.

The week before the picnic I sewed an apron for each of the four of us girls using tea towels that said "Everything is better in a mason jar".   I added some chicken fabric for the lower ruffle, and chicken wire fabric for the waistband.   A little bit of frayed red and white striped fabric became the pocket and ta-da!   Farm-y aprons!  Here is my sweet friend, Barb D. taking a much deserved break to eat some yummy dessert.

And speaking of Barb......chuckle....she took the song "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" and changed it around a bit to read "Joel and Debbie had a farm".   Well, you know what happened next, don't you?   She wrote up the song to include all the animals and their sounds we have on our farm and printed copies of the song and led the girls in singing every single round to the familiar tune.   We really got a chuckle out of hearing 70 plus women singing about our farm animals.   

Here is Barb P. singing along with the others.    What a great day we had!  After the meal the ladies wandered around the farm using the maps of the farm I had printed out the night before the picnic.   It was a treat for Joel and I to watch as small groups of women wandered up to the chicken coop(Nancy Stewart came away with a shirt full of freshly laid eggs.....grinning from ear to ear as she showed them to me), and over to see the Civil War soldier grave, and down to the barn to check on the animals.   

We even had croquet and badminton set up in the front yard.   Although, I am not sure if anyone played out there because it was getting warmer and warmer with each passing hour.  As the party was winding down I spied Nancy and Nance relaxing on the swing that looks out over the pasture and ran over to take a quick pic of them.

All in all, I believe everyone had a good time.   We had lots of ladies tell us they would like to come back and do this all again next year.    Hmmmm, I think we can make that happen.   Thanks, girls, for your kind words of praise and admiration.   We were totally humbled by your accolades.   And a huge thank you to Lynne, Barb and Barb.   The picnic was a success because of all your hard work and "Fantastic" (I just couldn't help myself!) ideas.

Taking a week to unwind now,

Farmer Joel and Farm Chick Debbie