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Vineyard Chats is a blog created by the owner of Vineyard Farms and Vineyard Real Estate Group. Here, you will find product reviews for local and international items, and ways to give in your community and across the globe!

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

The Boondocks

We had a great Memorial Day weekend in the “boondocks” with MeMe and PawPaw!!

We spent most of it camping on MeMe and PawPaw’s land in Dickson, TN!  Mom, Dad, Alex and the dogs “roughed it” way more than the rest of us- they slept in a tent, while Dan, the girls and I slept in Mom and Dad’s RV! 

The land is gorgeous, with crops, a tree stand, lots of open space, and so much to do!  The creek feeding into the river is my very favorite part!  I love to dig for amazing rocks there (there are PLENTY of amazing rocks, and I will post pictures of them below!).

The drive is always interesting when all 6 of us, plus 2 dogs are packed inside!  Here is Stoney begging to be held, and Mosby battling for space against Ashi’s foot…

StoneyRide footOnMosby

These are pictures from when we first got there…

They have crops planted on one part of the land-

Crops

Dad has a tree stand (there are turkeys, deer, pheasants…)

TreeStand

Here are Dan and Ashi pitching the tent

003

And Mom and Dad’s RV

RV

Mom and Dad’s Tent

Tent

The dogs trying to rub Atlanta off in the grass…AshiandDogs

I love the scenery here.  It reminds me of some of my favorite Bible verses:

The LORD is my Shepherd; I shall not want.  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures…

Green Pastures

He leadeth me beside still waters…

Still Waters

He restoreth my soul.  He guideth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me.  Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.

FLowers2

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; Thou has anointed my head with oil; My cup runneth over.

Skies

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord FOREVER. 

Psalm 23: 1-6

Right away, Alex and Mosby went off to explore, while Courtney and Avery played in the GoKart. 

005

It wasn’t long before PawPaw and Alex found their way to the creek with some fishing gear!

PawPawAlexFishing

Alex and Mosby later snuck off to do some shooting.  He’s getting good with his target practicing!

AlexShooting

Dan took over before too long.  He received tons of medals and recognition in the Army for his expert shooting, so he wanted to see if he’s still got it.  ;) 

Ashi came to check things out!

Dan shoting

Next, it was off to the creek!   My favorite part!!  As you can probably imagine, Alex is in his element here.  Mosby… not so much.  Our dogs are sufficiently citified.  You’ll see what I mean in a minute…

BoyandDog 

Here are PawPaw and Avery exploring

PawPawAvi PawPawAvi2

This butterfly seemed especially fond of MeMe and PawPaw!PawPawButterfly

See what I mean??  How cute is this picture?!?!MeMeButterfly

My Dad- the SURVIVORMAN!  :)  This crawfish was holding on for dear life to my Dad’s TONGUE!!!!  EWWWWWW, DAD!  :0)  LOL!PawPawCrawfish

Mosby was SOOOOO afraid of the water!RiverSide

At first, Stoney thought about just hanging on the raft…StoneyRaft

Then he got VERY brave!  See him out there??  You can barely see his tiny head just past Alex!  That water was up to Alex’s chest, and Stoney is swimming right through it!  He looked just like a musk rat!

StoneySwim

Here he is, swimming again, and Mosby finally got brave enough to go check on Stoney to make sure he’s OK!

MosbyStoneySwim

But Mosby opted to stay on the beach almost the entire time, and waited for drinks of water from MeMe’s hands.  City dog…MosbyWater

Here’s my whole crew.

MyCrew

These boys LOOOOOVE fishing!PawPawAlexFish PawPawAlexFishing

That boy would have slept in the creek if I had let him…Alex

Bow fishing???  I dunno…  But he brought his entire arsenal.  Bow and arrows, BB gun, you name it.

AlexBow

Alex and Courtney romped around for hours!AlexCourt

Ashi enjoyed rides in the raftAshiRaft

Ashi’s scowl.  This look absolutely kills me!  She has it down to a fine art, too!

AshiScowl

Sweet baby!!!!!  Look at that face!AshiSmile

My Avery bear.  I love, love, love this picture!!!AviSmile

She was throwing rocks for Stoney to fetch- you can see it flying, and Stoney watching it!

AviStoneyRock

Yep, this is what it took to get Mosby in the water!!!CarryMosby

Alex caught a frog!  Unfortunately, he didn’t last much longer. 

RIP, Mr. Toad…

Frog

More raft rides!

GirlsRaft

OK, so this was my LEAST favorite part of the trip!  Look how HUGE this guy is!  Big spiders are plentiful there!  ICK!!!!HUGESpider

Lovin’ life…

 KidsPond 

MeMe fishing…

MeMeFishing

With coffee in hand, of course…MeMePawPaw

Oh, don’t let Stoney’s swimming skills fool you.  He’s still a city dog.  He fully expected to be bundled in towels after his swims.  He would sit like this until he stopped shivering, then go for another swim.  :)

StoneyTowel

Later, there were rides on the GoKart!  Here’s Alex speeding around…

  AlexGoKart   

Dan’s turn…

DanGoKart

MeMe’s turn!

MeMeGoKart

And EVERYBODY watch out for PawPaw!!!!PawPawGoKart

Check out all these fish the boys caught!!!  There were some really big ones on here, but they’re hard to see against my camo-clad boy!AlexStringer

The girls, just a-swingin’

SwingingGirls

Next… SPARKLERS!

Sparklers Sparklers2 Sparklers3

Avery and Ashi had a bath in the RV.  Can you believe how much these two look alike????  Avery (4) is on the left, and Ashi (2) is on the right.

CuteSisters 

And last but not least… Here are the pictures of the rocks we found…

These just have very cool shapes!!!

fossilrock6

These have incredible fossils in them!!!  Double click to enlarge!fossilrocks

Here is an up-close example of the fossil in one of them!fossilrock2

I had a very hard time getting a clear picture of this one.  Dan found this, and it is AMAZING!!!

fossilrock3

The upper tip of this rock looks like scales are imprinted in it!fossilrock4

These are just SO cool.

fossilrock5

Thanks again to MeMe and PawPaw for an AWESOME trip!  We love you!

And thank you to all the vets out there who have served our country, left their families, and given their lives so that we can experience these kinds of freedoms!  You are our heroes!

Monday, May 18, 2009

Some Mobile Uploads...

Night out with Jan & some new friends (I'm not in this pic- I'm taking it). Thanks Jan, it was fun!!


Stoney begging, "PLEEEEEEASE???"


Homeschool Graduation night for Alex- he would be leaving 5th grade if he were in public school. Realistically, he's doing 8th grade math, but we're super happy we went to this- it was very special!

Rollerblading in the park with the kiddos


Summertime in our neighborhood park
Posted via Pixelpipe.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Posted via Pixelpipe.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Inverted Tomato Planter

OK Guys, I'm going to try this... I'll let you know how it goes!!!

How to Build a Topsy-Turvy Tomato Planter
By Myra Smith, eHow Editor
Rate: (9 Ratings)
You will learn how to build a topsy-turvy tomato planter using items that you probably already have, such as plastic gallon jugs. Milk jugs will not be adequate, as they are not sturdy enough. A gallon vinegar jug or similar type is desired. Be certain that the original container was only used to store food-grade products.

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Difficulty: Moderately EasyInstructionsThings You'll Need:
Gallon jugs Nylon rope Drill Potting soil Box knife Plastic or metal washers with ½-inch opening
Step 1Cut the top off of a sturdy gallon jug, leaving as much height as possible. Use a box knife or shears.

Step 2Punch four holes around the top, evenly spaced approximately 1 inch from the top of the jug.

Step 3Drill or cut out an opening in the bottom of the jug approximately 2 to 3 inches in diameter.

Step 4Cut nylon rope (four equal pieces) approximately 3 feet long. At the top of the jug, thread each piece of nylon rope through each hole from the outside, and place a washer on the inside. Thread the rope through the washer, and tie a double knot on the inside. Repeat until all four pieces of rope are secured on the inside of the jug.

Step 5Place the root portion of your tomato plant up through the hole in the bottom of the jug. Gently add the potting soil around the roots, packing lightly to secure the plant. Continue to add potting soil until your container is filled. This is slightly awkward, because you have to hold the container in one hand while filling container with soil to avoid injury to the plant.

Step 6Tie the four pieces of rope by knotting the loose ends to form the hanger for the planter. Tie these with a double knot, pulling tightly.

Step 7Hang the planter, and water thoroughly. Add a water-soluble plant food (Miracle Grow or similar product) to the first watering and monthly thereafter to furnish the plant with adequate nutrients. Check the soil often; do not allow it to get too dry or plant growth will be stunted. A layer of peat moss can be added to control evaporation of moisture from the planter.

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Tips & Warnings
Check the soil often for dryness, and water when required. Do not over-water or the plant's roots will develop rot. If you place peat moss in the top of the planter, cut a plastic lid to fit on top of the container or the birds may try to nest there. The lid from a can of coffee will be adequate.Do not use jugs that have previously contained any poisonous products, such as windshield washer fluid.

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