Wet Weather, Finally!!

AHHHHHHH!!!! The sound of rain beating on the roof and the flow of water on the fields.....good stuff!! Thank God for answering prayers for rain. Tucker, in the pic above, is recovering from a little "ahem" surgery. He has being doing very well since Monday. Gotta go check how the water is running out by the new hay barn. Praying for more rain, we still need a ton more to get us out of this drought. Have a good Thursday!

Just a little update:

• School - in my 2nd semester of my master's degree program. Wow!! It really is an endurance challenge. I haven't written APA style papers in about 11 years, but here I am writing them on a regular basis. Overwhelmed at times, but still rewarding at the same time. I could go on and on about this aspect of grad school, but I'll save that for another time.
• Daughter - Amazing!! I have been so blessed with all that has transpired in the last 7 months. Sure, it is crazy for me to say that, but at the same time my daughter and I have gone to the depths of HELL and have ended up closer than ever before. At one time I thought the relationship was broken beyond repair. I prayed and prayed and prayed some more for God to intervene and allow both of our hearts to heal and come together to sustain us through the rest of our life. We have to lean on Him and have faith that He is in control and will guide us through the trauma and make us better than ever on the other side. I'm very thankful for my faith in God and all that He is.
• Work - Feeling better about being more in tune with everything involved with my job. My mind is calming and am able to focus more clearly. Very thankful.
• Gus & Tucker - Oh goodness!!! They are a pure southern hot mess!!! These two boys are a joy to have. Gus is still my little buddy and sounding board. He still gets to hear all of my tears, my laughter, my talking to myself to help figure things out...I think I need to get him a counselor!! Haha! Just kidding...but really I probably need to.
  
• Couponing - I've cooled on it just a little bit due to responsibilities with school this summer. Still have my binder and still clipping. I love saving money and I love finding the good deals. Focus just isn't 100% there right now.
• Pool time - Well, that is a little interrupted right now. The hay barn is being built and the workers are in the process of building it, so I can't be laying out in the pool right now. So ready to get back out there.
• Farm - Babies, babies, babies everywhere. Those little things are so cute. Dealing with a drought is not very fun when these mommies and babies depend on good nutrition to grow into the very best they can be. The Lord has blessed us with a couple of small, and I emphasize small, showers this past week. It has helped, but we need much much more to recover and have enough hay for this upcoming winter. Hopefully, I can get that chicken coop once the hay barn is built. But, I am going to wait til the Fall to tackle that project. It's just too hot right now.

Father's Day is this Sunday. Don't forget your dad or the wonderful dad in your child's life. Daddy's are very important and I don't take the fact that mine was such a great part of my life lightly at all. I am so thankful for my dad! He's the best!

7 months

7 months ago today I had to say goodbye to you. 7 months ago I memorized every freckle on your face. 7 months ago I kissed you for the last time. 7 months ago I stroked your hair for the last time. 7 months ago I gave you back to your heavenly Father. I miss you so much boo boo!! 7 months can witness a lot of change in someone's life. You can discover how truly strong you are and how heartbroken you can actually be. It is absolutely amazing. Your headstone was set last Wednesday and it looks amazing. It fits you so perfectly. I can picture you in the woods scene depicted on your headstone enjoying the deer, turkey, and waterfall. You loved the outdoors. Mother's Day was the hardest yet. I just wanted to touch you...at least the day I lost you I could touch you and kiss you. Oh, and I received your memory blanket last week. It is breathtaking and is priceless to me. Every baseball jersey, t-shirt, dress shirt, jean, pajama pant, and boxer short brings back so many precious memories. You were the best son ever and I am proud to be your mama!! Love you little man!

Couponers Can Help!

above image: A Full Cup

Attention all couponers!!!! Use that stash to help out fellow Americans by making donations to tornado victims. I will be gathering my donations and scouring stores for great deals to add to my donation box over the next week. You know you won't be able to use those 100 tubes of toothpaste you have scored lately any time soon. So why not give back at least one time!?! Challenge yourself to see how much you can donate and come back here and leave me a message and/or a pic of the great donations you are able to make.

Another great giveaway

There is another great giveaway over at Kool Beenz! It is sponsored by Cotton Blossom Farm

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Giveaway over at Kara's Party Ideas!

Hey!! Go over to Kara's Party Ideas to enter a fabulous party giveaway!! All of the items will be delivered to your door. What could be better???

Chick Cave!!!

Swoon!!!! Oh how I long for the day to have a specific room just for crafts, gift wrapping, sewing (still working on that one), scrapbooking, flower arranging, and whatever else room. I am collecting images for ideas on what exactly I want and decorating ideas for the space. I already have a cool light fixture to use. Thanks dad for letting me shop in your shop. And I definitely want an island. An island that has wrapping paper on one end in one of those cut off thingys that stores have. Loving the idea of recycling or upcycling items to use in there. Maybe one day I will have my very own Chick Cave!! Oh! And I already have an owl ordered to go on the door when you enter the Chick Cave or maybe it should be called the Hootie Cave! So, how about you??? Do you have your very own Hootie Cave or Chick Cave???? If you do I would love to have a look. Just send a link in the comments section for us to drool over! Have a great weekend y'all!

So it is another beautiful Friday in the Southeast!! I can't wait to be able to start the weekend. Gus is ready to play and run free for a few days. My brain is starting to think about Easter baskets and all the goodies that can be put into them. I love, love, love the little "Robin Eggs." This is the only time of the year that I eat Whoppers and I consume them. Yummmmmmy and pretty too!!!

Fishing is on the calendar for tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully the weather will continue to cooperate. I am also going to spend some time working on the extra memory quilts for my parents and my daughter. Oh, I got a sewing machine from my mom Thursday and am going to attempt to learn how to sew on it. She also gave me some of her old supplies such as a pin cushion....love them. Looking forward to pursuing that hobby. I sewed many times with my grandmother when I was young but had not pursued it any further, except for cross stitching since then. Happy to bring that tradition back. I am also going to go to get some flowers for Kade's grave for the Spring/Summer and work on that project. And get some for the wreath on the front door.

Love this time of year and the renewal that abounds all around in nature. It is time to spend some time outside before it becomes an oven down here and I want to homestead inside during the hotness outside.

Hope you all have a great weekend!!!

Spring Break!

The weather has been gorgeous during Spring Break!
Sunshine, quilt making, beach, fabulous eating, smell of sunscreen, playing with the puppies, riding the Gator, watching newborn calves, listening to the turkeys gobbling, riding dirt roads, spending time with my daughter, and remembering my son...very much needed time to decompress. AHHHHHHH!!!! I love it!

Thinking about getting a sewing machine and trying my hand at more sewing projects...hmmmmmm...might be a good time to start the chick cave!!! oh yeah!

Fussy Cut: Heather Ross giveaway!

Fussy Cut: Heather Ross giveaway!: "Oh, my sweet readers. Thanks for all of the kind comments and emails about my new blog. You are so encouraging, and I appreciate ..."

Preview of Kade's Quilt

This is just a preview of Kade's memory quilt. It now has to be sewn together then taken to the lady that will be hand quilting it. I am so thrilled with how it turned out.

One-on-One

This baby gets to have some one-on-one time with his mama this week. No new baby Tucker to deal with (Tucker is a new solid black small mini schnauzer) this week. Tucker will be visiting his brother, Jasper, for the week. So, Gus gets to get a good grooming and loving from mama. He loves his alone time. He is truly a blessing to have in my life and keeps me company.

In other news, the vegetable garden is turned over and ready to have some brand new plants for this year planted. The potatoes are already in the ground. The flowers are blooming already and the pollen is kickin' like crazy. Yeah, sinus infection will be knocking on my door pretty soon, ughhh! The daffodils, tulip trees, and Bradford pear trees are absolutely beautiful. Hoping the peach trees will not be killed by frost since I'm sure they will be blooming early. This 80 degree weather will have them fired up and ready to go earlier than they need to. Heck, it has me wanting to put on the swim suit and jump in the pool already!! Hope you all have a great week!!

Dear children, let us not love with words or speech
but with actions and in truth.

1 John 3:18

Jewelry Organizer

I love, love, love the Flip N Dazzle. I was so tired of my jewelry getting tangled up and me having to search for matching earrings. This has solved that problem. The inside has a detachable jewelry roll that can carry a few items for a small trip. Just wish that it came in more fabric choices....oh well, I'm still happy with it.

Jewelry Holder Inspiration

I ran across this great little jewelry holder either on etsy or when I typed in images of jewelry holders into google. I want to give proper credit and if you know who's it is let me know. I do give props to whoever made this absolutely cute jewelry holder. This is totally DIY worthy. You can customize the colors to coordinate with your home/bathroom. I love it!!! I have been looking for a cute solution to my jewelry problem. Hanging necklaces from a bedside lamp or in a jewelry case all together probably isn't the best idea. So, I will begin checking out flea markets and yard sales to find a cute picture frame and begin the process. If you try it good luck to y'all and post pics of your creations!!

Introductions and Inspirations

Hello!!! Thank you for visiting my new blog. Hootie Hoo Farm is designed to share my love and walk with God, inspiration, lifestyles, personal experiences, farm happenings, and the adventures of Gus and Jasper (he will soon be joining the fam) the two mini schnauzers. My other blog Never Alone will only have information concerning my journey through the grief of losing my 12 year old son, Kade, on October 16, 2010. I want this blog to be more about my life as I move forward and reinvent my new "normal."

I am not a designer, writer, etc...it is just little ol' me and that's it. I love to surf blogs and find inspiration and to help me complete some ideas I already have.

The picture today comes from a fabulous website I stumbled across yesterday. Y'all may already be familiar with it and I may be the one that is out of the loop. However, it is Hostess with the Mostess . The party themes and details to the parties she showcases are absolutely mouth watering. Delicious!!!! I am obsessed with it right now. All sorts of party ideas are racing around in my head. Gotta focus, gotta focus, gotta focus!!! So, jump on over there and visit this great resourceful website.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all of your heart

and do not lean on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him

and He will make your paths straight