11 Acre Wood Blog

Various notes from the Sanders family

Georgia Getaway-Part 2

9:21 am on Wednesday, November 26, 2008

We headed off to the hills of North Georgia one of the days we were there, to get some apples. It was a lovely day full of adventures!

On the Road
Momma, our experienced traffic driver, with her copilot.

Grace gets in a morning nap!

Grandmothers always make the car ride more fun!

The ‘look’.

Turn around and smile!

Ethan wondering how many more thrift stores we’ll have to stop at along the way.. LOL!

This was a cute little place where we picked up our apples. Inside, there was a little train that ran around on a suspended track above your head and was a highlight for Nehemiah. Everyone tried the samples of Apple Cider and enjoyed Butter Pecan ice cream in waffles cones as a treat from Grandmother!

Our little stash…

Mountains off in the distance with the little bit of fall color starting to show.

The afternoon was still early when we had gotten our apples, so Momma thought it would be fun to take a detour to Amicalola Falls.

Passing time in the car. Here is Grace’s ‘patient’ in the back seat. 

Being ‘doctored’ with the ‘Emergency roadside car kit’.

All hooked up. LOL! Notice the IV fluid (aka water bottle) on top of the seat. J 

Hiking up to see the Falls. It was 600 steps to the top.

Reflection.

On a bridge.

Look Granddaddy, there’s a huge tree!

Pretty scenery.

It was a steep incline pretty much the whole first mile or so until we got to the bottom of the stairs.

Motion.

A view of the Falls from below.

Gorgeous!

Grandmother & Granddaddy.

I didn’t notice until later how many pics of Bekah and me there were from that day. Don’t know where Grace was when these were made…

Grandmother and Granddaddy stayed to enjoy the scenery from below while the rest of us climbed the last part of the stairs to the top where you could look over the Falls.

We reached the top!

Lookin’ over.

“The grasslands of the desert overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness.” Psalm 65:13

‘ze kiddos.

Pretty Momma.

Down. down, down.

Only 364 more to go….

“Riley, are you crying?” “Look……stairs!”

Georgia Getaway-Part 1

8:34 am on Wednesday, November 26, 2008

As you have probably noticed, blogging is not top priority on my list of things to do each day. Recently our days have been quite full with “undertheweather” boys, catching back up with missed school during chicken processing, preparing to go to our grandparents this evening for the family Thanksgiving get together and just the everyday happenings. But I did find these old pictures from a trip we took back in the beginning of October that never got posted. 

We went up and spent several days with Grandmother & Granddaddy.  It was a nice break just to get away from the house for a little bit and get to visit with Momma’s side of the family. Daddy had to work and Noah had chicken responsibilities, so they stayed home. We missed our “Men Figures”, but it was cute to see the little guys step up to fill their place and take care of us ladies. J We had a great time!

Around the House
Watchin’ football with Granddaddy.

“Whatcha takin’ my picture for?”

Gibbie all cozy comfy.

My little man.

Mother and Daughter in the kitchen.

Silliness with Uncle Brooke.

Cousin Laura’s 2nd Birthday Party
“What’s trump again?” Cousins enjoying games of euchre. 

Ne-hi-the-miah.

Granddaddy, Sarah and Papa. 

Our cousin Rob and one of his twin girls.

Aunt Paula, our lovely hostess.

Momma talking with Rachel.

Miss Lydia about to light her hair the cake.

Aunt Paula’s delicious strawberry cake. Mmmm….

My camera was passed all around that evening and I ended up with a variety of pictures like this one. J   

“Let me see, are you Audrey or Haley?” LOL!

The birthday girl.

Anna and Rebekah.

I could tell some adoring Uncles got hold of my camera since half the pictures on it were of the twins. Lots of fun. J 

Quite a contrast!

Ethan caught peeking in the gifts.

NEWS…News…news….

9:35 am on Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Hello Faithful Readers!

Just a quick update to let ya know what we’ve been up to. You could pretty much sum it up in four words: Slittin’, scaldin’, pluckin’ and evisceratin’. Yep, it’s chicken processing time! I did it last week and Rebekah is doing it this week. We were blessed with fair weather last week when processing, but today it is CHILLY! I just took a thermos of hot apple cider down to the them this morning. Momma, Bekah and Noah are working hard despite the cold though. The little boys have built a little fire down there and are roasting marshmallows. J 

We told my sister (who is due any day now) that she couldn’t go into labor until after we were done with chickens this week. J I think at this point though, she’d be happy just to get that little girl out even if we couldn’t come up to help with the kids. I’m just glad that God’s in control of the timing and such and so we don’t have to worry about it.

Let me think, any other news….Oh yes, Ethan got braces yesterday. We tried to hunt for an alternative to this “expensive fad”, but with his canine teeth blocked out, there wasn’t much else we could do. 

That’s about it around here. Hope everyone is staying warm and enjoying the day, which is a gift from the Lord. TTFN 

In Need of a Job?

9:54 am on Thursday, November 13, 2008

Here is the best offer around:
(This is what I found written on the board in the laundry room when Grace was doing laundry) J 

Laundry Lady on duty.

Yesterday In Pics…

10:19 am on Saturday, November 8, 2008

It was predicted to rain yesterday afternoon (which it did) and so Grace asked to use my camera to get some pics of the pretty colors before the rain knocked the leaves off. 

She got some pretty good shots of the boys.

Nehemiah.

Eman.

Down the drive.

Under the pear tree.

In the late afternoon, Uncle Marvin (Daddy’s, father’s, brother) and Aunt Margaret stopped in for the weekend on their way down to Florida. Here are the girls getting’ supper on the table.

Living room activities.

Noah.

After supper Euchre games.

This morning we had some yummy waffles and eggs and it has turned out to be a pretty day after the rain last night. We are having a lovely visit so far. 

Sun. Fun Times With Dear Friends

3:43 pm on Friday, November 7, 2008

Sunday morning we all got up, went to church, and afterwards came home and changed clothes. Then we all piled into vehicles and set off with our “picnic lunch” (soup) to spend the afternoon at the property.  

None of the Roberts Girls or Mrs. Conley had been up there before. The weather was just perfect!

We ate lunch first before exploring.

Lunch buddies.

The guys eatin’ on top of stacked drywall.

Cutie.

Momma, Mrs. Conley and the wittle ones got to tour in style! Some others were trying to use the excuse that they were a nursing mother to get a ride as well, but it didn’t work. J 

Prepared for anything.

Down at the pond.

Campbell and Grace.

Skipping stones.

Trying to catch a grasshopper that they had thrown in the water as fish food. So then they could re-throw it by the boat dock where most of the fish normally hang out.

A full dock.

Bekah and Norma.

Dangling legs.

Discussions.

A popping Pepper.

Edgar and Noah.

Waitin’ their turn. Several trips back and forth were made to ferry everyone out to the treehouse.

Out a floatin’.

My brother.

Paddlin’ off.

Fun times.

The gals.

Daddy and the little guys.

Pepper didn’t like being left on shore.

Ethan in his boat.

Mr. Fritz gettin’ in his Sunday afternoon nap. J 

Grace and Dais’-a pair. 

Enjoying the view.

Movin’ water.

Momma shows Mrs. Conley around.

We now have power (and a working bathroom). Except the blinds hadn’t been put up yet, so we girls held towels up for one another.  Beats the alternative. J

Our newly drilled well.

Touring the garden site.

Eman Checking on the beehives.

In the borrow field.

Late afternoon beauty…

End of the day stares.

Roundin’ the gang up.

It was about 6:00pm when we were headed back to the house. Once arrived, sandwiches and coffee were hurriedly made and bags loaded up before the Roberts Fam had to head home that evening. 

Photo Credits: Abbi S. and Willie R.

Thanks for bringing your family up, Mr. Fritz! It was an encouraging, fun time together. Y’all are welcome anytime…

“Company, company…where would we be without company?” ~BBC Sense & Sensibility~

Sat. Fun Times With Dear Friends (Part-2)

6:44 am on Friday, November 7, 2008

In the late afternoon, the parents went out to eat at a local restaurant for supper. Here’s how we kids spent the time in their absence: 

We divided into two teams and stuck this blue barrel in the middle of the field. So then, by alternating members, each team tried to get as far as they could toward the other team’s side by walking on the barrel until they fell off. If we’d had two barrels, it would have been fun to race. 

The little guys had to be helped on.

It’s harder than it looks.

Having a difficult time staying on. LOL!

Go Grace!

Marty made it all the way and won for our team! I think Willie was trying to intimidate her into falling off by taking lots of pictures. Didn’t work though. J After that we tried a different variation. Timing…you could only stay on for 10 sec. Meaning speed was the key.

When we ourselves had eaten and got the filthy little boys cleaned up for church the next morning, a game was decided upon to play. And that was Guesstures. It was Sanders Kids vs. Roberts Kids. A pair of two from a team would go up at a time. We liked doing it that way so you didn’t have to go up and ‘perform’ by yourself. It was also funny to see the different ways people tried to act out the same word. I don’t even know who actually won at the end, we just had a good time. Sometimes 15 minutes would pass between turns because we would get off talking about some random subject. LOL! 
Edgar and Campbell went first. 

“Hmmm…they put up some good competition!”

I can’t remember what they were trying to describe, but it sure looks interesting.

Couch buddies.

“How does this contraption work again?”

Excitement.

“Are y’all ready to guess?”

Off in the corner we have a battle going on. J 

Sistas go for it.

Norma’s shirt says it all…”Country Girls” and one little straggler.

Our poor attempts at the word “dry”. 

The parent walked in the door when we were in the middle of our game. With a little urging, we got the parents to join in. 

“This is going to be memorable…..”

Mrs. Conley and Mr. Fritz were a great pair! Fun times…

Who’s up next?

Grace and Willie having camera wars.

Decisions….decisions….

Miss Rose.

“Pilla hoggers.” No, just joking.

Momma’s the best.

Those ‘few hours before sunrise’ are starting to show their effect.

I love everyone’s expressions in this picture. Serious, funny, inquisitive and content.

Mother dear.

Later, we trooped outside and did a few fireworks. 

Our big burn pile was still wet from the rain we’d gotten, but there were quite a few boxes that had been thrown on top. The guys decided to lite them and so we enjoyed the blazing warmth for the ten minutes it lasted.

Gathered around.

Sparks.

After returning to the house, some went on the bed while others stayed up ’til midnight playing Nertz. Chaotic, I tell ya, but so much fun!

Photo Credits: Willie R. and Abbi S.

Stay tuned for the conclusion of the weekend. Sunday afternoon at the property…..

Sat. Fun Times With Dear Friends

6:27 am on Friday, November 7, 2008

Go here first, for part 1.

Saturday was a relaxing, yet full day spent around the house. Games were played, bikes ridden, food eaten (especially a certain bag of Oreos J), naps taken, chickens fed, balls tossed, noses wiped, a truck driven, restaurant visited, fireworks shot, fire lit, piano played, adventures shared and pictures taken….

After breakfast everyone went and did various activities….

The Mothers talked.

The guys went down the road to look at the truck.

Test drive.

The girls did random activities such as card games, talking, taking walks, etc… 

And the little guys (with all their energy) were always on the go.

A huddle.

Crash course.

Master Gray.

Waitin’ for the games to start. 

Kisses.

Determination (notice the seat or the lack thereof). 

Before lunch, several games of Greek Dodge Ball were played. We swapped around teams some and that made it interesting. Girls vs. Boys, Roberts vs. Sanders, by age, etc…

Norma wasn’t feelin’ too well, so she gracious sat out and took all the ‘action shots’ below:

“Got it!”

“Don’t hit me!”

I guess the game wasn’t as interesting as diggin’ in the dirt. J 

Nice save. 

“Hmmm….this is a little more tricky than I thought!”

“All hands on deck ball!”

Bekah.

Fri. Fun Times With Dear Friends

2:43 pm on Thursday, November 6, 2008

How’s that for a title? J 

The day of Rebekah’s birthday, the Roberts Fam joined us for a weekend of fun and visiting. Sort of a rainy and wet evening when they arrived, but that didn’t seem to have any effect on our little party at all. Everyone was so excited and overjoyed at seeing one another! There was non-stop talking from the moment they walked in the door! Or at least I can say that for us girls anyway. LOL! 

That evening we enjoyed eating a meal together, catching up, laughing at humorous stories told (to us at least) while cleaning the kitchen, singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Bekah and serving the cake and ice cream, playing Catch Phrase with all the kids (and Momma who joined in) until past midnight, watching everyone’s personalities shine through as we played the game (Campbell, you were the best! LOL!), looking at picture books about ships, making memories and then falling into bed a couple hours before sunrise. 

Birthday Girl.

It’s so nice having a full home filled with friends and family.

“Kinda a little long for ya there buddy. Don’t ya think?” J 

Dessert is served!

Pink Frills

3:08 pm on Wednesday, November 5, 2008

This past Saturday morning, we Sanders Ladies headed off to attend a baby shower for a young mother in our church. This is their first child and it is a girl (if you didn’t already know that from the title). We had to leave early to go meet my Grandparents and LL & Co. at the Property, but had a lovely time visiting before having to go. 

Full living room.

Many cute gifts were passed around.

The night before, Bekah just whipped up this baby quilt in a couple of hours from scraps, and an old shirt that didn’t fit us anymore. Isn’t it just the sweetest thing? 

Up close.

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