Just a little tidbit

I just wanted to brag on my husband a little bit today:-) He's so special and I'm thankful for him. I don't say that enough to him or others, but I am truly grateful for him. Yesterday I had an "accident" with the lawnmower;-) Our mower turns sharper one direction than the other and I was trying to mow around some trees next to a steel fence and the direction I turned was the "not so sharp" direction...lol! Front end of the mower meets fence while knees meet the edges of the mower body = two very badly bruised knee caps. OH MY WORD. I've done it before, just not that bad...hahaha! I love to mow and with Caleb around I hardly ever get to! Well, anyways today was one of those "Caleb won't let go of my legs while crying incessantly" days on top of bruised knees that hurt to even be touched much less used to walk with...lol! I got the sweetest note from my husband encouraging me and sympathizing with me this afternoon. After that he called me up and said he was going to be home soon to pick the kids up and take them to go get dinner so I didn't have to fix it tonight! What a surprise! When he got here to get the kids, he pulled a Kombucha out of his lunch bag just for me! Those are my favorite and I love them! 

I'm thinking to myself...."hey, maybe I should wreck into that fence more often..."!!! LOL!! *just kidding;-)*

He was just so kind to me and I'm so thankful the Lord gave me such a special man and I don't know what I would do without him! He's the best!

12 years in the making

Sunday will be our 12th wedding anniversary. What a milestone! Congratulations to the poor man;-) He's been around the block a few times with me and I congratulate him on his patience:-) Time has slipped by so quickly and I'm starting to have a hard time remembering what life was like before we got married, since he was 20 and I was 19. SO many things have come and gone over the years, but one thing is for sure, we're still married and plan to be as long as the Lord allows! Love is a choice. He's not always awesome and I'm not always desirable, but we still choose to love. I'm just thankful that I have a husband that in spite of my differences, weaknesses, idiosyncrasies, ocd cleaning habits, and little-house-on-the-prairie-tendencies, he still loves me! I know a lot of people find it hard to believe that is possible...lol...but then, he's no saint either!! hahaha! We look back at the early days of marriage and just laugh and laugh! We had NO CLUE! I'm sure if anyone had a "clue" they wouldn't have gotten married either:-) Ignorance in marriage is God's way of ensuring bliss in the relationship long enough for them to realize that getting "unmarried" is way too much trouble...lol!

Seriously, I am glad that I married who I did and I wouldn't change it for the world! God has blessed me with more than I deserve (none of us deserve anything!) and I hope that we can continue to grow in grace together with Christ and truly have a Heavenly Marriage until God either comes or takes us home! Happy Anniversary to my best friend and soul mate! I love you!

I hope to add some better ones tonight. These were captured off our wedding video:-)

May 20, 2000

Fall family pictures 2010

Our 11th anniversary family trip to Cades Cove Tn.

Easter 2012

Hopefully after this Friday, I'll have some pictures of our little day trip we're hoping to take for our 12th! We were wanting to do a getaway, but with three kids in the picture that's not possible:-) Maybe next year!!

My baby is growing up so fast!

Poor kid...his sister was trying to help him choose which toy to play with...unfortunately for him, she thought he wanted them all! LOL!

His favorite place to stand!

Swinging with Mommy

All my "babies" :-) Three are technically mine, but I love the rest as if they were! Such sweet kiddos!

My other two "babies" (hardly, since one is as tall as her mother:-)

I find it so hard to believe that Caleb will be 14 mos. this coming Tuesday. Where did the time go? There are days that make life feel as if it is crawling along like a turtle crossing a road, but then there are others that make you feel like you're on the the Nascar Raceway! 

Knowing that he is only 10 mos. away from being two, really makes me feel like life is truly like a vapor. You puff and it's gone! I must hold on to and cherish each little moment with my children, for one day they will be gone and I will be left with my memories. Well, if the Lord tarries, I'll never have an empty house because I'll either have younger nieces and nephews over or I'll have grandchildren! That will be really fun! 

The above picture with all the kids in it was taken Sunday night before Mel and Jenny left with their family for Wisconsin. How I will miss making popcorn, chocolate chip cookies for the boys and playing games with all of them. They've only been gone three days and I already feel like it's been forever! *sniff, sniff* I will miss Kade's funny stories and jokes, Kole's insatiable appetite for anything I could fix him, Karrington's cheesy little grin and sweet hugs, Kylie's sweet spirit and helpful assistance with anything I needed, and Kennedy's flair for the dramatic and her goofy outtake on life!  Each one is so special and unique and we'll miss them so much! Life is truly flying by. Cherish each moment!

Columbus Farmers Market

My $3.00 worth of red and green leaf lettuce!

Everything I got that day except the meat! (the big bag of greens in the back of the picture I got with my Shelby Co-op box!!)

I tell you what, that lettuce is so good! I chopped up the two bunches I'm holding and used it to feed the entire Lockhart family on Sunday (16 people) and still have enough leftover for us to eat on one meal a day until Saturday. Now, how's that for a "bang for your buck"!! You CANNOT CANNOT do any better than that at even Aldi's! Plus, you're not eating an human excrement (sorry people, organic's included in that!) animal excrement, noxious chemicals and pesticides! Guess what, I only paid $3.00! FLAT RATE. No hidden costs, no sales tax, no extra gas costs...makes sense to me:-)

I think the drawback for a lot of people is having to get up out of the bed on Saturday and go pick it up. That's kinda hard, I know, but we jump out of the bed early for so many other things that are really not as important as feeding our families clean healthy food that doesn't break the bank. Also, there is the learning experience of eating seasonally. No, I don't eat tomatoes in March or April because they're not ready to harvest until July! You learn to eat what is growing and that's just what you eat! 

I wanted to also let you know that Brandon Higgins over at www.c-sawhill.com is now at the Shelby Farmers Market in Uptown Shelby every Saturday from 8-3 selling his meat, honey, and homemade soaps. Incredible meat! We love it! I am getting ready to put a 2.5 pound roast in the oven that is pure meat, hardly any fat at ALL! We'll eat on that roast all week and I'm so glad that I know who took care of the animal and if I have ANY questions about his products, he's always happy to answer them! That is VALUABLE! We were just out at his farm the other day and got to see some of his cows:-) The girls love going out there to visit with CJ (his little girl) and visit with the goats. Fun! He welcomes a visit most anytime and doesn't mind showing you around! Check out his site and that will give you an idea of what he has at the Market each week. You can't miss his tent! lol! IT'S LIME GREEN! The brightest one over there...lol! 

Also, my dear friend Sherri Greene from www.greenefamilyfarm.blogspot.com ,  and her crew are also at the Farmers Market in Shelby on Saturdays as well. She grows some of the most delicious salad greens you've ever tasted! She sells those, eggs, breads, and other baked goods through Farmers Fresh Market and also the Shelby Market. You can also give her a ring during the week if you need eggs and greens and were unable to go to the Markets, and she'll set you right up! They are living proof that you can farm in the city:-)

Speaking of farming in the city, my garden is popping right up! My black turtle beans are growing so quickly and even my corn is starting to really pick up in growth! I've even seen some herb sprouts starting to take off and I cannot wait to get my hands on some of my delicious blueberries and blackberries that are growing quite nicely:-) Maybe next week, everything will be up tall enough for you to really see it in pictures. So beautiful!