Morton Household Blog II

A Continuation....

2011-09-02T21:03:00.001-04:00

....of another blog post. The Morton's have filled up their picture space on Morton Household Blog II, and have had to start Morton Household Blog III! Can you believe it?! It seems that every two years you can expect this to happen...it took us two years to fill up our first blog, and it has taken just over two years to fill up our second. If you would like to see the beginning of this post, please click here, then travel on over to this blog again to finish. Sorry for the confusion!

Again, click here for the beginning of this post, please.

Wrinkly little toes

Getting ready....

He flips...

....ouch. Looks like that was a back smacker.

"Ta-da!"

JuneBug with his Pop-pum gathering wood for the campfire.

Chillin'

Peanut had just gotten sand in his mouth!

Drying off

After all that outdoor activity, it was time to do some indoor stuff, like playing with Thomas the Tank Engine!

What a ham.

Little sun-burnt Peanut

Peanut found a shoe at church. Don't think that's your style, bud. :D

Rose and Mumzie

Children

It is so cute seeing all the different personalities show through :) (click to see better)

Lavender

Vivian and Rose

A Momma and her Daughter and a Grandmum and her Grandson

Miss M.

Miss Essie

Everyone loves holding Peanut

Saying Good-byes

What a pair

One of my favorite "accidental" pictures!

Cutie JuneBug

Kids, don't try this at home :D

Well, so long Morton Household Blog II!

mortonhouseholblogiii.blogspot.com

Cheerio,

~S~

The Morton Maiden

A Small Glimpse...

2011-08-23T19:50:00.002-04:00

...into our refreshing week at the family Bible conference. Nearly every day we were blessed to hear 3 sermons, each by different pastors. The first sermon of the day was on God's providence, the second on living before God with a clear conscience, and the third was on the different works of Christ (Jesus the Passover, Victor, Advocate, etc.). All of them would be great to listen to on Sermon Audio if you can! (they are not yet on Sermon Audio...I will try to link to them if I can later)

Mr. A. and Mr. D. organizing the newly-arrived food

Helpers

Cooking hot dogs

Mr. W: "Yes, take a picture of me with my gloved hand" :D We had such fun people to work with in the kitchen!

Browsing the book table...for other people this is a hobby!

Game time

Everyone looks pretty serious...I guess because it was a serious game :)

Mrs. B. and her sweet baby...the youngest child ever to attend the conference at just 4 weeks old!

*sigh* wish I could hold him right now and pinch his cute little cheeks!

A fellow photographeress, albeit a much more talented one than I!

Little Miss R.

Lunch conversation
Clean up

New friends

Porch talk

Singing God's Word

Miss A. at Daddy's and Mumzie's game night

Dice...that can only mean one thing.....

...."Bunco"!

Rotation, rotation

A balancing trick...it was quite the spectacle

Two very lovely gals

Don't you love it when you capture someone laughing on camera?

Cousins
Capturing a group just before they are ready is just about as fun as capturing someone laughing :D

That's a bit more "normal" :)

It was such a joy to get to know you better, Miss Y.!

Two godly Mothers

Bugsbee....it was so fun with you and your family at the conference!

Mrs. D. in the kitchen

....and her husband, Mr. D.
The Uconn Fan Family

Miss A.'s version of Jeopardy...it was super fun!

"I know the answer!"

"Should we choose Food for 500 or Literature for 300?"

Fewer numbers are on the wall....a sure sign that people are winning!

"You aren't taking my picture are you?" Thanks to Mr. Nick for this and a few other pictures!

Two Mr. D.s

"Pick me!"

Amuzed Mumzie

Great facial expressions

Scores

"Stay here"

Setting up for the group photo

Lots of people

Praying Mantis

I shall end with a picture of the C. family! So good visiting with you all!

~S~

The Morton Maiden

Marriage

2011-08-21T21:35:00.004-04:00

One more here.....friends passed this on to us and I, in turn, am passing it on to you! If you find it interesting you should check it out. I don't know anymore about it than what is advertised. Mr. M

"Marrying Well-Practical Wisdom for Courtship" from the Botkin families

Some topics discussed:

- Preparation for marriage starts early
- What the Bible says about courtship
- What about betrothal?
- Why strong brother-sister relationships are essential, in families and between families
- Dominion, discipleship, and life mission: Marry for the same reason you live your whole life
- Love like Jesus: Selflessly
- Risk management in relationships
- The deadly danger of worry
- What to think about emotions
- How do I know this is the right one?
- How to determine God's will
- The place of faith
- Maintaining peace and harmony between families
- When to skip courtship altogether
- Engagement periods
- Wisely reforming American wedding ceremonies

http://westernconservatory.com/marrying-well-biblical-courtship-geoff-botkin-family

Divided

2011-08-21T21:12:00.005-04:00

Watched a good movie tonight called "Divided". Thought I would post the trailer here and a link. Enjoy, Mr. M

Divided Trailer from NCFIC on Vimeo.

http://dividedthemovie.com/#top

Oh, by the way, it's only free for viewing until september!

2011-08-11T18:50:00.001-04:00

This past weekend was delightfully spent with Stephen and Katie...what a relaxing time!I don't have too many pictures from the visit, as we spent some of the days in our p.j.'s for the first several hours after waking.....making great memories :) Well, enough jibber-jabber...on to the pictures!

There they are...our host and hostess!

Team work

Stephen doesn't like to waste matches...he uses them for as long as possible before burning his fingers!

"Snap to it!" :)

Stephen's parents and siblings came over one evening, and we had a little birthday celebration for Mrs. Mouring

Mrs. Mouring was wearing her ladybug shirt, and Anna got her a ladybug to use when snuggling with her soon-to-be-born grandson, which was wrapped in....

...ladybug tissue paper! So cute. It was a ladybug evening!
"I look this tired because you kept me up so late last night" :D

It was great to catch up with Anna!

Bunco time!

Tim

Such great expressions :)

The winner's table

Mr. Mouring was in charge of the bell...probably to keep some people's hands (like mine :) from unnecessarily ringing it :D

Daddy got the fuzzy pink dice! (somehow, having the fuzzy pink dice is good, but I don't know why :)

Creating my usual mess when I use the blender

Healthy(er) chocolate milk shakes combined with....

...great people leads to.....

.....ahhhhh....satisfaction :)

Now for the verses of the day, from a sermon we listened to: "Consider the work of God: who can make straight what He has made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him." Ecclesiastes 7:13-14

~S~

The Morton Maiden

Stephen and Katie (and baby :)

2011-07-23T23:50:00.003-04:00

We were so delighted to have Stephen and Katie over the July 4th weekend!

We simply had to go to the coffee shop so Katie could get her iced mocha fix. :) Stephen, Katie, and I had fun visiting together and running into friends/acquaintances!

:)

After the coffee shop, we stopped by Daddy's workplace to give him an iced mocha

Mumzie doing some food prep

Daddy and Stephen chatting before heading out for dinner

"Let's go eat!"

Dinner! What a great meal.

After dinner, we headed to one of the best dessert places we know of

Mumzie and Daddy anxious to get started on their desserts

Be assured that it was just as delicious as it looks :)

Daddy and Mumzie outside the chocolatier

Cool lighting

Love

Yours truly

The following daw we hosted a baby shower for Stephen and Katie. They were so sweet and helped us set things up!

"Clean up, clean up, everybody, everywhere, clean up, clean up, everybody do your share." What toddler doesn't know that song? :D

"What-ho"

Balloons on the mailbox

Stephen's Art

Let the party begin!

Cousins

Cousins, and the mommies to the cousins in the top picture :)

Stephen tried out their son's toy. On the packaging for the shield it said "Warning: This is a toy. Does not provide protection.".....just in case you weren't clear on that :D

My great-grandparents writing advice and memories for Stephen and Katie

Cousin Chris and Aunt Kay

Eden and London

C. and Uncle John

Relaxing

The couple of the hour

The quilt made by Great-Aunt Patty

Playing the bucket-and-balls-with-water game

They all loved the refreshing water on such a hot day!

It was so nice to see the older kids helping the younger ones

Bubbles!

We also did the fruit-rollup contest....it was hilarious...

...especially because Stephen participated, too!

Aunt Peggy writing out her advice card

Great-Grandpa and Stephen

Chris and Aunt Peggy

Stephen and Katie with our Great-Grandparents

Katie darlin'. Love ya, sista!

Natalie, Eden, and Katie

Watching C. put together his Lego's

Pretty hair

It was a very, very hot day

Natalie

An arm wrestling match

Katie reading all the advice cards that the guests filled out...they were so precious.

Mr. Alexander and Stephen at church

Katie and Baby M.

Talking about '80's hairstyles :)

Cutie Rose

Mumzie enjoying having another daughter around

LOL!

:D

Peaceful bubble-blower sleeper

More talk of "80's hairstyles

M. and Bugsbee

Relaxing at home

I love how both Mumzie and Katie have their feet propped up :)

We headed over to Aunt Beth's house on Brendan's birthday to give him his birthday gift

Happy Birthday, Brendan!

Eden showing one of their new kittens

Matching sisters in our skirts from Grandma G.

Enjoying the coffee shop again

Love

We found this on our van window...a little "note" from one of the young fellas at church :)

Washing off the window

~S~

The Morton Maiden

Random Picture of The Week

2011-07-19T20:23:00.006-04:00

This evening as Mumzie and I were cleaning up dinner, Daddy ever-so-sweetly took the clothes off the line for us! He is such an example of a selfless husband and father!

~S~

The Morton Maiden

P.S. Eventually, Daddy saw me taking his picture, and when he came inside he said "There I was, flies all around me eatin' my head like beef steak, and you were just takin' my picture!" :)

Summertime

2011-07-18T19:20:00.001-04:00

One day Mumzie and I saw a doe and two fawns playing in our back yard! When the doe saw me, she stood perfectly still, watching me, until her fawns went back into the woods.

A gathering at Grandma's

My second cousin and Great-Aunt

Visiting with gals at church

Smiles abound

Kids. Love the randomness of this picture!

Manly conversations. It looks like Mr. A. is swatting a bug on his head :)

Brothers; Mr. A. and Mr. L.

Brothers again; Mr. Bumpas and Mr. 'Lil' Bumpas

Sweet couple

Father and sons

The Morton Family (thanks to Mr. D. for taking! All the other photos from church are credited to Mumzie; thank you, Mumzie!)

Daddy and Uncle J. watching the bratwursts cook at Grandpa's and Grandma's

Busy bees in the kitchen

Cousin P.

Mumzie fishing for a chocolate fish :D

At Grandma R.'s, Daddy had all the kids run races and do all sorts of games around Grandma's yard.

"...let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us" Hebrews 12:1b

"Are the hamburgers done?"

Grandma, Joel, and Maddy

Watching the kids

Syd

Claire and Mumzie

Mumzie demonstrating to the kids how to play another game

This is Shea posing for a picture :)

Crab crawl

Cousins

Edy

Brendan

Bryce

Eden is a very fast runner. As she ran around the house everyone cheered her on, and when she finished...

..She put her hand on her hip and got that satisfied smile you see on her face. :)

Joel, Aunt Beth, Eden

I.G. and C. spent an afternoon with us recently. They both loved our swings!

C. was screaming the whole time he was swinging!

Standing on one of our stumps

We fed the fish together. For the first time, we got to see one of our really big fish!

We also waded in the water

Drinking Gatorade and drying off our feet in the sun

Hiding behind a leaf :)

Stick fighting

I.G. helped Daddy tear up some cardboard to burn

Meanwhile, C. picked up sticks

After the boys left, we went back to our housework...Mumzie cleaning windows!

Until next time,

~S~

The Morton Maiden

Trees, Wood, Sticks, More Wood....

2011-07-12T19:40:00.003-04:00

Very sadly, we had to have four trees in our yard cut down. All in all, we had a week-long project cleaning up the wood. We are thankful to have had very apt helpers in our endeavor!

Brendan driving some sticks to a pile

Our handy-dandy tree men. They cut the trees down and we did the rest of the clean up from there.

Down comes a big piece!

TIMBERRRrrrrrrr

"Okay, Camera Girl, it's time for you to get to work!" :D

Observing....

...this. That, my friends, is a lot of leaves!

Great-Uncle John helps give some perspective on how big our oak tree was (and how hollow it was!). Unfortunately, we missed getting pictures/video of the huge oak coming down... let's just say it was amazing!

Mumzie

Uncle John was our saw cutter and log splitter

During dinner break, Brendan set up his army men

DQ snacks! Yum!

Aunt Patty getting a ride from Daddy

Aunt Bethie and the girls came to pick up Brendan

Brendan got to operate a log splitter for the first time

Eden looks scared :)

Our favorite part about the tree-cutting experience was getting to ride on the back of the trailer!

Log splitting on another day

Taking a break with Uncle John

Cousin I.G. also came over one day to help

A full trailer

Team work

Raking up little sticks

With I.G. there, we had a nice system of passing the wood :)

I.G. with his messy ice cream sandwich face :)

The day I.G. came was also the day Uncle John worked for 12 hours...almost everything was finished!

Mumzie making popcorn over the campfire

Enjoying a rest after a long day of work

To celebrate the completion of the tree work, we had dinner at IHOP!

This was my first time eating in an IHOP

A pleasant view on the way home

~S~
The Morton Maiden

P.S. Please forgive the huge spaces in-between pictures. I keep trying to fix them, but Blogger is not letting me!

2011-07-11T16:00:00.005-04:00

Hello, Dear Readers!

Today we have been blessed with much-needed rain! We are thrilled. With our over-abundance of rain this past spring, we did not think we would have a lack of it this summer. However, the ground has turned out to be quite dry. It is a good reminder that we must always depend on the Lord's provision, even when we think we won't have to.

Now on to some pictures. We have an assortment of Morton-y happenings....enjoy! :)

Re-organization! We recently re-organized our office/guest bedroom. The desk now sits in front of the window instead of a blank white wall, so now we have a picturesque perspective when duty (or pleasure :) calls us to computer work.

Measure twice, drill once ;)

Our new wipe-off board from Ikea! It is glass which gives a nice, cleaner look than traditional wipe-off boards.
~~~
Mumzie and I took Grandpa and Grandma out for lunch on Grandma's birthday, and Grandma's sister works at the restaurant we ate at! We had the nicest waitress. :)

Coconut cream pie...Grandpa's favorite!
~~~

One evening we babysat Eden and had a blast spending time with her! She has such a bubbly personality and brought joy to our hearts. Eden reminds us of Katie when she was younger. Love Eden's smile in this picture as she helps Mumzie with the laundry!

Workers

She takes all of her work very seriously :)

Playing dolls with Mumzie

Eden also helped us with some cheese.

Friends at church ordered lots of cheese from our friends, so we loaded all the cheese up to take to everyone.

The result of Mumzie saying "Eden, show me your teeth" :D
~~~

Dinner on our patio with Grandma, Uncle David, and cousin Joel

Checking out the pond

I think Joel saw a frog

Retiring to the living room for visiting and games

Cheerio for now!

~S~

The Morton Maiden

Keeper of Home

2011-06-22T08:37:00.002-04:00

Click here to view an article that is very encouraging on being a Keeper of Home!

Titus 2:3-5

The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; that they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

~Mumzie~

Visiting My Sisters

2011-06-18T14:04:00.001-04:00

After our weekend with the Squirrelys, we headed first to Ike's and Meg's, then on to Stephen's and Katie's!

Celebrating JuneBug's birthday

"Hi"

A cupcake with a Thomas-the-tank engine ring!

Finding an inventive way to fill up JuneBug's swimming pool from Grandma R.

Ready to try out the pool

"What is all this?"

The boys loved the pool!

"This is the life"

Daddy trying out JuneBug's new basketball hoop

What a fun time...

...now we move on to Stephen's and Katie's....

Shopping for hydrangeas

The wagon, filled with...air....and a little bit of dirt

Magnolia

"What about these?"

Mumzie: "So it would get this tall..."

Katie:"This heat is killing me...but I'm smiling!"

We finally picked some hydrangeas

The nursery we were at had really pretty pots, and I loved this royal blue with the lighter blue pots behind (although I think the extremely bright sun inhibited me from capturing the true colors of the pots...yes, I still have much to learn when it comes to photography!)

Putting the hydrangeas in their intended spot

"It looks like we need one more plant..."

Before

After. We had such fun helping plant the hydrangeas!

While the ladies worked on flowers, Daddy worked on raking pine needles and spraying weed killer and insect killer around the house

For dinner, Stephen's parents along with Abby and Tim came over! We had a grand time visiting with them!

On our way to Starbucks, Stephen, Katie, and I noticed this very interesting picture on the back of a semi-truck. After some intense investigating (a.k.a. reading the fine print), we found it was a picture of Michael Jordan, advertising his line of cologne. We found it very amusing. :)

At the Starbucks drive-through, Stephen very patiently ordered all 5 of the complicated orders (you know the type....skim milk, half decaf-half regular venti coconut frappuccino with 7 shots coconut syrup and 7 shots chocolate syrup, extra whip :D)

Oh, yeah....that's what I'm talkin' about. Thanks for the treat, Stephen and Katie!

Ikea!

Comfortable

Umm...feet :)

The people who belong to the feet...or do the feet belong to the people?

Kate's Art

On one of the TV's they had "Singin' in the Rain" playing...."Oh, Pierre, you shouldn't have come" :)

My parents

(Some of) My siblings

Toys

Sharing a story over our Ikea snack

Mumzie's art

Elevator ride! (Sam and Chloe, we did not jump, just in case you were wondering :)

Packaging up our new mirror

More packaging

Stephen and Daddy grilling our steaks....they were so good.

Our lovely dinner with lovely people

Reminders and remainders of our relaxing dinner

Saying "farwell"...for now

And with that, I say farwell to you, our dear readers!

~S~

The Morton Maiden

Visiting with the Squirrelys

2011-06-01T22:00:00.001-04:00

All the Squirrelys and their families met up this past weekend for an enjoyable visit! Some of us had not seen one another in over a year!

Everyone should have a hat when traveling :)

Mr. Keith waiting for his food. For lunch we went to Earth Food, a supermarket that sells more organic, natural food than your average grocery store (think Whole Foods type). They have a food bar where you can pick almost any type of healthy food you might fancy.

My turkey-cranberry-Gouda cheese panini with berry smoothie was quite delectable!

Drama at the lunch table :D

Chuck and Kaitlin...a sweet couple

Darlings Chloe, Sam, and Devin. It has been way too long since a picture of y'all's lovely faces have been posted on this blog!

Devin's beloved purse that she had for several years and that Katie and I helped pick finally gave out....it's strap broke :( I can't wait to see your new one, dearie!

Charlie delighted all of us with his smiles :)

Needless to say, everyone was itching to have a turn holding Charlie. He was a good sport about it, too :)

He brings such joy

The Squirrelys' Daddies

Mr. Keith and his Grandson

On our way to the cooking store

With the way Chuck looks in a chef hat, I think he could compete in Iron Chef America on the food network! :)

"Which cheese knife is better?"

"What cute little tongs!"

Movie shopping at Border's. Nothing worth buying.

Smiles

Mr. Bob and Daddy

Visiting everywhere we go!

Stephen bought his wife a mocha

Mamma Diane, Sam, and I sharing a chair

Back at the hotel. "Look what I got at Border's!"

Mumzie and I waiting for our kind, gentlemanly chauffeur, Daddy

Eating dinner at a lovely Italian restaurant

Katie getting practice putting baby boys to sleep :) (yes, Stephen and Katie are having a boy!!!! We are thrilled!)

Dessert at Bruster's

Waiting in line with friends makes it much more fun :)

Mmmm! Ice cream!

Katie has really doubled her portions since she's eating for two now :D Just kidding....she was holding Stephen's ice cream in addition to her own!

Tennessee sunset

All done with dessert

A round of Taboo

Stephen intently making sure Chuck does not cheat :)

My parents

Everyone got to take turns with the taboo buzzer, and we were all more than delighted when we got to use it :)

A very ecstatic Auntie with her nephew

Food prep and stories

Devin fixing her BBQ sandwich....it was so tasty!

Mumzie and Daddy enjoying Charlie

After lunch almost everyone left, so we had a very pleasant afternoon and evening spent with those remaining... Mr. Bob, Mrs. Renee, Sam and Chloe! We all decided to go for an evening stroll and shared many laughs

Walking around businesses after hours can be rather interesting :)

The late night owls had some scrumptious snacks accompanied with sweet fellowship

Sam

Mrs. Renee, Sam, and Chloe got Mr. Bob one of those chef hats that you saw earlier on Chuck, and he was finding some very interesting, out-of-the ordinary ways of wearing it!

Amused

I think this was my favorite style :)

Ahhh...what a fun trip! "Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of a friend" Proverbs 27:17

How true! It was so refreshing spending time with dear friends!

So long for now,

~S~

The Morton Maiden

Church, Yard Work, Etc.

2011-06-01T16:50:00.001-04:00

The newest member of our congregation...such a cutie!

Everyone wants to hold her

How cute....all the adults were chatting when we noticed Ti and Ethan sitting in the grass as you see them, talking and watching the other children!

Sisters with matching hats

:D
Having Fun

Baby M., Bugsbee, Mr. L., and my "big brother" grumpy Mr. S. :)

Uncle David has come over several times to help us around our yard...here is Daddy and him working on our raised beds (which now have veggies popping up out if it!)

Taking down the fence we put up last fall

Mumzie mowing away

Some small flooding in our yard (small compared to our most recent flooding)

Grass sitting in water

Fluffy Frosting

The birthday cake Mumzie made for Daddy and me (somehow I did not upload the picture of Mumzie making it! :( )

Our Red Bud Tree

Mumzie's gorgeous rose

Daddy's birthday bag from Grandma and Grandpa :)

Brunch with Grandpa and Grandma

A Jane Austen mug!

Enjoying Grandma R.'s front porch...oh, the memories we have on that porch!

Celebrating Mother's Day with Grandma R.

Now for our verse of the day. This was our memory verse two weeks ago, and this morning we read it during "Proverbs" (i.e., morning devotions) with Meg, JuneBug, and Peanut.....

"Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding, in all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths"

Proverbs 3:5-6

Tally-Ho for now,

~S~

The Morton Maiden

A Day Spent In "Feminin Pursuits"*

2011-05-18T23:40:00.001-04:00

An afternoon of lunch at Bob Evans, followed by shopping at a green house and a visit to the Alexanders with the A. and D. ladies (and our accompanying gentleman, Mr. Stewart) was so fun and refreshing!

*Quote from Miss Ann

Table End #1

Table End #2

Mumzie loved feeding Caledonia...

...and Caledonia liked it, too :)

Flowers amongst flowers

Sweetness

Lovely Hair

I think Geneva enjoyed Mrs. D. pushing her in the cart!

Glorious Yellow

Ann's ingenious idea to help Adri with her dress

The little girl who calls me "A-Toon-Dawg" :D

Caledonia

Our very helpful, gentlemanly protector for the expedition

Cassidy and Ann

I love pansies...they are so intricate and colorful...plus edible! (though I myself have never eaten one)

Mumzie with her little companion for the afternoon

Explaining a flower

Mrs. A. shopping

Calalillies remind me of Meg

Victoria

(hydrangeas remind me of Katie)

Flowers in abundance

Fellowship at the Alexander's....thank you for your sweet hospitality! The cookies and tea were a luscious addition!

The younger ones playing school

"Keep hold of instruction; do not let her go; guard her, for she is your life"

Proverbs 4:13

Cheeri-o for now,

~S~

The Morton Maiden

Water Park, Packing, and Airports

2011-05-14T08:40:00.001-04:00

Uncle J. and Aunt K. invited me to join them on a trip to an indoor water park, along with Aunt J. and E.!

Upon our arrival we spent the first few hours swimming. Afterwards we ate (or rather, devoured) some pizza!

Smiling C. and E.

I.G.

Aunt K. and Uncle J.

After our pizza we all slept very well :)

At breakfast the next morning

Traveling down the Tanzanian Twister

I didn't take very many pictures in the water park...you can imagine the difficulty of trying to keep my camera dry! Be assured, though, it was fun!

Finishing up our swim

Uncle J. was excited about his new HD flip cam, and everyone enjoyed reviewing footage from the trip!

"I don't want to leave!"

C. showing me some tasty pastries at a restaurant

E. and I.G.

A candy corn

My cousins are so much fun ♥

C., Aunt K., I.G., and Uncle J.

Aunt J. and E.

Jelly bean into the mouth

Picking up some souvenirs

Goldfish on the way home

Our competent driver

E. looking at books

All these vibrant and.....

smiling faces did not stay that way for very long....

...because we all fell asleep! (this was not staged....and please don't ask me how Uncle J. took this picture while driving :D)

Now let's jump ahead several days....

Helping Aunt J. and the boys pack before taking them to the airport

This, to me, represents a perfectly-shaped partly-eaten apple. Anyone agree?

Cards

Now let's jump ahead to the next morning...

Everyone half-awake leaving for the airport

Waiting

...and waiting

"Are we ready yet?"

One last group shot. We miss you guys!

~S~

The Morton Maiden

The Vernon's Visit

2011-05-11T10:50:00.002-04:00

We were absolutely thrilled when Ike, Meg, JuneBug and Peanut came to visit us after several months of not seeing them!

The morning they arrived, Mumzie got out an old U.S. map we used when Meg, Kate, and I were growing up to show where JuneBug lives and where Pop-um and Mum-mum live!

Drawing a line from his state to our state

Cutie Peanut had gotten even chubbier since we saw him last!

Chubby Boy

While reading with Mum-mum....

... Pop-pum came home from work!

Checking out Pop-pum's tractor

Sword fighting in the barn

Peanut says "Hey! Where's my sword?"

We had Grandpa and Grandma over for cake for Meg's birthday. JuneBug has learned very quickly that birthdays=cake..hence his look of anticipation :D

There is no doubt he liked that cake!

Waiting for breakfast the next morning

Later that day we had a family gathering so everyone could see the Vernon's

Uncle David and Eden looking out at the ducks

Aunt J., Aunt Bethie, and Peanut

Aunt J. was sooo happy to put Peanut to sleep!

Great-Uncle John loves holding Peanut, too

Aunt K., Peanut, and C.

A lot of our cousins...

... and a lot of people taking their picture! :)

Grandma trying out some new hair extensions :D

Peanut and E.

Slobber boy

Thinker boy

JuneBug with his Great-Grandma

Sharing his concerns with Aunt J. :)

Umm...Peanut on display? :)

Playing ball

Having fun with new toys (hey, look! There's Ike! Yes, he was here, too :))

A new trend...alphabet hats!

For Meg's birthday, we took her to her favorite Italian restaurant (well, really everyone's favorite restaurant :D)

JuneBug liked it, too :)

BIG bite

Checking out the wood-fired grill and brick pizza oven

Mumzie with her dessert

Time to go

Such a charming little fella

Basketball time! Yes!

As Daddy said, a very girly throw :D

Inventive throwing techniques

It was nice to be outside after having rain for several days!

Intense about the game :)

Getting ready to feed the fish

JuneBug

Ike

The fish were coming so close, some of us were even able to feed them out of our hands!

Our little Russian :D

Cute

Back in the barn...Exercising

Trying out the push-up bars

Tractor time with Great-Grandma

He has the biggest eyes!

Talking with his Great-Great-Uncle John

I love my nephews

Daddy reading poems to his grandsons that he read to his daughters when we were little

Late-night card games

Memories with Pop-pum

Reading with Mum-mum

Looking at the map again

Goldfish in the barn...something JuneBug had been looking forward to for a long time!

He won. Probably because he stole my sword.

The start of a competition with a nurf gun and balls

Enjoying the spectacle

Aiming

*gasp!* A ball is gone! Mumzie was the only one who hit a ball!

A different competition :)

Yet another competition...all done in fun :D

Awwww.

Feeding his Mommy goldfish crackers to make her all better after she was wounded

Whew! That tuckered us out!

What a fun time we had. We miss them so much!

Cheeri-o,

~S~

The Morton Maiden

Morton Happenings

2011-04-19T21:50:00.003-04:00

~Springy-ness~

Spring Cleaning

Finally.... some warmer weather!

Mumzie and Me

Preparing...

Corned Beef

Bryce and Brendan spent the night and helped pick up sticks around the house (we have a lot of sticks in our yard!)

They liked the dock :)

Brendan getting his blood pressure checked :D

Talking

Popcorn and visiting

Family Devotions

~Birthday~

D. and his cake

Aunt A. and my newest cousin....so cute!

Excitedness

Uncle J. setting up the Pinata

"Off with your head!" :D

~Family from Japan~

Mumzie and I had the pleasure of picking up my Aunt and cousins from the airport!

Cousins

Making dinner

Cuties

Food, homework, family, and movies

Siblings

Several days later, we had them over to our house, along with my Great Aunt and Uncle!

Aunt P. and Aunt J.

Uncle J. and E.

~Precious Baby~

Our friends recently had a new addition to their family, Baby M.!

She is such a tiny, darling, cutie!

Brothers (love how they are all sitting in a very similar position! :D)

Baby M., the Morton Maiden, and an excited older sister :)

~S~

The Morton Maiden

A Few of My Favorite Things* (in no particular order)...

2011-03-16T09:24:00.020-04:00

*Please note: This is by no means a comprehensive list of all my favorite things!

Visiting with a friend over coffee

Running into friends at the Hair Salon

Watching Daddy play "chop" with the kids at church

Mothers and Daughters

Talking around Grandma's kitchen table

Aunts who stand outside in freezing cold weather grilling

Cousins

Chocolate covered strawberries

Vegging out with my parents

Toys lined up in a row

Cousins that make me laugh

Uncles that make me laugh, too!

Reading over Mumzie's shoulder

Friends chatting around our van (and posting pictures of them making funny faces :D)

Bugsbee

The transformation of this...

...into this....

...and Daddy enjoying the result :D

...and last but not least....

watching my parents learn to sword fight :D

~S~

The Morton Maiden

Long Delay in Posting

2011-03-03T11:55:00.005-05:00

S.A.M. is working hard in her studies and no time to post!
I guess this one counts for a "Mumzie" post! After I catch up on some e-mails maybe I will get another post accomplished! I sure miss all my secretaries, bakers, and blogger posters!!

~Mumzie~

Snow

2011-02-05T18:41:00.004-05:00

Here is some perspective of how much snow we have received! Now if we can just figure out a way to dump all of the piles of snow into the pond!

Photos by Daddy and S.A.M.

~Mumzie~

An Announcement...

2011-01-31T21:22:00.003-05:00

Stephen and Katie are expecting a Baby! Praise the Lord for His blessings!!

2011-01-31T20:59:00.003-05:00

Thought for the day

Are you SAD?

"The Two Shall Become One"...

2011-01-29T21:09:00.009-05:00

What a joy and honor it was to witness a marriage between two very precious people! Our family has known the bride and her parents for many, many years and have pioneered in in several endeavors together!

Awaiting the entrance of the Bride

Lovely decorations

Their first kiss!

Husband and Wife!

More Decor

A speech

Bridesmaid

Father of the Bride

Another Bridesmaid with her sister

One Photographer, Two Bridesmaids, Three Friends

The Bride and Maid of Honor

Cassidy and tired Geneva

Once it was found out that it was Mr. P.R.'s birthday, the Father of the Bride led everyone in singing "happy birthday"!

Visiting

Sisters

Mr. N. and Mrs. H. (siblings)

Mr. M. and Mrs. H. (siblings again :)

Siblings #1

Siblings #2

Siblings #3

Brothers :D

Friends

Love

Ambiance

Tear-down can be sooooo long and tiring!

Cheerio,

~S~

The Morton Maiden

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

2011-01-27T15:00:00.001-05:00

For Grandma's birthday, we went to our favorite restaurant with her and Uncle David.

Grandma and her choice dish of the evening

One of the best pizzas ever. "Pizza isn't a good-enough word for it. It's like an open-faced Chicago-style sandwich." ~ Uncle David

Uncle David's dinner was simply delectable (he kindly allowed me to try a bite of his in exchange for a sampling of my pizza. Isn't it fun to do that sometimes?!)

Mumzie and Daddy

Our attentive waitress brought Grandma a complimentary birthday cake! While it was very, very thoughtful and delicious, there was only a slight problem....

...we had cake at our house, too! We ended up having small pieces of the restaurant's cake, and (ahem) "normal" size pieces of our cake. Tea made a lovely addition to the experience. (My British blood showing through :)

All in all, a lovely evening celebrating a very special person's birthday. Love you, Grandma!

Cheerio,

~S~

The Morton Maiden

New Year's Eve

2011-01-26T20:40:00.003-05:00

In God's providence, New Year's Eve happened to fall on one of our Bible study nights, so our group decided to make a bigger ado than usual (spending more time visiting, having lots more food, etc.)

Mrs. Alexander thought this would be a perfect time to get some portraits of their family, and asked us to help (we were more than happy to comply :)

Mother and Daughter (Our family also took advantage of this picture-taking opportunity :)

Britt-Ann

(While I did not get a portrait of every member in the Alexander family, I did get a few, and am posting my personal favorite shots of each.)

Bree

Tayter *

Bell *

Mr. Alexander and Daddy conversing

Some of the guys visiting

Mrs. Alexander, Rose, and Mrs. P.

Walking around trying to find the best places to take pictures

Britt-Ann and Essie Grace

My parents with a camera and a shovel

Mr. Alexander and his youngest

An unusual sight in this particular part of the country

A friendly visitor wanting to get in on the action :)

Daddy sharing one of his great stories

Our kind hosts...thanks Mr. and Mrs. Alexander for your hospitality!

Making...

Cucumber sandwiches. Yum!

Ti with all his cars and tractors

Ti reminds me of Tayter when Tayter was that age!

Mrs. Alexander's mother and Essie Grace

Gathered around the computer

It looks like I was a bit too distracted with the fellowship to keep up with my camera...ah, well. We always have the memories :)

Cherrio,

~S~

The Morton Maiden

*Compliments to Mrs. Alexander. There are other pictures in this post taken by the Alexanders, but having combined their and my pictures, I am not sure which are theirs and which are mine :)

Down South

2011-01-18T22:15:00.001-05:00

On our latest trip to Ike's and Meg's, we (as usual) were rushing around running errands before leaving. To give you a little glimpse of what we go through before leaving, we took a few pictures this time! (If you get bored, there are some pictures right after these of a pair of very cute and charming little boys that you might find more interesting! :)

Heading into the Atkins' store to purchase some last-minute items

Garrett, Caledonia, Stewart, and Mrs. Atkins working the store

Mrs. Atkins was so sweet and provided food for us to take on our journey! What a blessing they are.

Cheery sisters and helpers

Then on to the coffee shop

Coffee is a huge staple for us on our trips to keep the driver(s) awake!

Our final stop before heading out of dodge was piking up Daddy from work!

Now on to our trip....

Precious Meg with her precious boys

Block-building

Peanut and JuneBug

Playing with the new toss toy from Grandma Roxy

We were late in making our family calendars this year, so we had them sent to Ike and Meg's so we could all get them at the same time!

Relishing time with my nephew

Sunrise

Chubby cheeks

JuneBug imitating "the guy" :)

Happy boy

Happy Grandpa, Happy Boy, and Happy Momma

A little later in the day, Stephen and Katie came! During dinner, we had a....

...surprise birthday party for Stephen!

Make a wish! ;)

"Don't get your saliva on it!!"

Mumzie made a delicious white chocolate raspberry cheesecake. Fresh raspberries and all!

JuneBug shows Uncle Stephen the birthday card JuneBug colored

Katie and JuneBug

Smooches for Peanut

Good times

Stephen and Katie with their nephews

Brothers

They are simply too much alike :)

Mumzie and her grandsons

The following morning, we awoke to find...

Snow everywhere! (outside, that is :)

Bundled up, trying to stay warm on our way to church

Mr. D. having a conversation with some of the little ones

Peanut and Mumzie

What sweet fellowship we have together!

Men talking

I had an encouraging and fun time singing Psalms with some of the children

JuneBug love the Psalms, too

Hannah. Such a cutie.

While waiting for the rest of our family to leave, we (Stephen, Katie, and I) enjoyed waving to little ones and taking pictures

"Look! They're taking our picture!"

God's Handwork

Daddy and his grandsons

Love this one!

Visiting more family across town

Demonstrating how their money sling shots work

A miner in a basket

J. and Peanut

Preparing for Family Worship

Genny and bundled up Peanut

Nan getting JuneBug bundled

Flying an airplane

Bright eyed and bushy tailed

My little ham

Too cute

Entertaining Peanut

Brothers

Meg and her boys

Kisses good-bye

Until next time,

Cheery-o,

~S~

The Morton Maiden

2011-01-16T21:46:00.002-05:00

Spurgeon's Morning and Evening. Very good reading!

You can read it here.

..............................Dad

My new look

2011-01-15T19:22:00.008-05:00

After a week of extreme Rogaine treatment I have a new look! What do you think?

.......................Dad

Try it yourself here.

Busyness at the Morton's

2011-01-08T23:30:00.001-05:00

Chatting with the P. family before church while waiting for the doors to open

~Visiting Family~

Aunt A. and Cousins P. and D.

Ready for dessert!

D.'s special suit

Uncle J. with one of his techno-savvy gadgets

~1st Birthday~

The Birthday Boy

Singers and Well-wishers

Scared?

Enjoying the good food

Eden and Aunt Bethie

Siblings

Enjoying his first piece of cake!

The Princess

Aunt Bethie, Yours Truly, and Grandma

2011-01-08T23:29:00.001-05:00

~Snow~

Mr. Atkins plowing our driveway. Thanks, Mr. Atkins!

~Pony Party~
Mrs. Atkins recently held a special birthday party for her daughter Adrienna. The party's theme was ponies, and everything fit in perfectly with the theme. Mrs. Atkins even had a couple of horses come over for all the girls to ride!

The delectable delights, fit for any cowgirl

All the cowgirls

Mrs. Atkins asked Mumzie and me to call the Virginia Reel for them. It was such fun and the girls did an excellent job dancing!

Do-si-do

The Birthday girl

After the Virginia Reel, they all had a quiz to fill out

Helpers

Time for the WarHead contest!

Almost everyone kept their faces straight!

~Family~

Out to eat with Great-Uncle Jim, his daughter Kim, and friend Angie. We had a wonderfully good time visiting and cheering on Kim's football team!

Afterwards, we headed on to Grandma's house to meet up with more of her siblings, nieces, and children.....

Great-Uncle D. and Uncle David talking about Grandma's door misalignment and who is supposed to fix it! :)

Food, discussion, laughter, pictures

Uncle Jim

Uncle M.

Sisters-in-law

Mumzie and Cousin J. looking at pictures

Great-Uncle J. proudly showing pictures of his grandsons

Cousin M.

Aunt Niecey

Grandma and Chloe

Yours Truly and Grandma

Uncle David, Angie, and Aunt Sandy

The start of the pyramid picture....

Pyramid picture #2

Pyramid picture #3

Pyramid picture #4

The final pyramid picture

Tally-ho,

~S~

The Morton Maiden

Precious Peanut

2011-01-01T15:51:00.007-05:00

Peanut is growing up so fast... he is interacting much more and smiling a lot, making the heart of this Auntie melt and be thankful to the Lord for blessing us with Peanut. We take such joy in seeing his charming, expressive, little face.

"I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for Thou, LORD, only makest me dwell safely" Psalm 4: 8

Wide awake

Looking at his Mommy

Intrigued with Auntie's antics

~S~

The Morton Maiden and Delighted Auntie

Thanksgiving at Grandma's

2010-12-30T19:00:00.001-05:00

Eden is such a doll!

Grandma and Aunt Bethie

Natalie walking her dog

A mirror

Cousins

The Pirate

Uncle D., Syd, Aunt K.

Syd and Uncle David

Upon opening her refrigerator, Grandma found a toy inside left by one of her grandkids!

Grandma and S.

~S~

The Morton Maiden

2010-12-30T07:53:00.001-05:00

We were so excited to be able to host some of Stephen's family overnight recently! We were also very pleased for their added company at a Bible study we have been attending.

The line of Mommies and their babies

Geneva eager to eat her dessert

Serving

Mrs. A. and her precious baby

Big sister helping little sister

Friends

We love holding babies!

Discussion

Caledonia has such a precious smile

Two Mr. T.s

Anna....

...and Miss B. showing us their beautiful hand work

Miss E. and Anna

The next morning, packing up :(

Twirling

Looking elegant (and Mr. Timmy looking handsome ;) as they head off to a wedding!

~Nature~

~Sickness~

Sitting around enjoying tapioca pudding while Daddy tries to stay warm during his sickness of the flu and strep throat! Praise the Lord for His healing Hand.

~Visiting~

It was so much fun getting to visit with some old neighbors!

~S~

The Morton Maiden

Random Picture of the Week

2010-12-29T11:20:00.001-05:00

All of Daddy and Mumzie's children, framed :)

~S~

The Morton Maiden

Morton Activities

2010-12-29T11:00:00.001-05:00

~Birthday Party~
We attended a birthday party for two of my cousins. Their theme was Toy Story.

Cousin C., a.k.a. Woody. I think he looks better in the Woody outfit than Woody himself!

Aunt Patty loves her nieces and nephews!

Uncle J. gathering the kids for the Mr. Potato Head game

All the kid-os

Priceless

Cousin I., a.k.a. Buz Lightyear, ready for some sweets!

Aunt K. and Mumzie

C. with his new, cool guitar

Strummin' away

~Webinar~

Recently, Garrett, Adrianna, and Cassidy joined me for "Mrs. Morecraft's School of Composition and Elocution". Mrs. Morecraft's school was a 7- week course designed to equip Christian young people to glorify God in their writing and speaking. While we only took pictures of one night during the course, we had a grand time gathering in our living room week after week to hear and watch the webinar. Garrett, Cassidy, and Adrianna would kindly bring a scrumptious snack to share. Mrs. Morecraft will be hosting another webinar starting in January. I will sadly be unable to participate, but if you are interested, you can find out more information here.

Listening attentively to Mrs. Morecraft

~Sewing~

Now that we are "permanently" moved into our own home, we are very excited to have our very own sewing machine out and working! While school has kept me from being able to try my hand at sewing for the first time in 2 years or so, Mumzie has had more opportunity for sewing, and has done an excellent job. Here she is working away on a gift for Meg.

"Give her the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates" Proverbs 31:31

~Cousins~

During the birth of my newest cousin, we were thrilled to watch her brother and participate in all the excitement!

The Big Brother

While making cupcakes to celebrate, D. learned how to crack eggs.

Coloring with his Aunt

After several hours, we finally received a text message with a picture! D.'s sister had finally been born!

Sprinkles make fun toppings!

After eating his cupcake, D. was covered from head-to-toe (literally) in chocolate frosting!

Gelling D.'s hair before going to see his sister

Sweet Baby P.

My first girl cousin on Mumzie's side of the family!

Grandma enjoying her new Granddaughter

~Auction~

An auction was held recently in my Great Aunt and Uncle's neighborhood, and Mumzie, Grandma, and I decided to go. Although we were worn out by the end of the day, it was so much fun being with family, plus we were blessed with some wonderful deals!

Watching (notice Mumzie's Starbucks....a fun treat we also shared together!)

Great Uncle L. amidst some of our goods

Team work on picking up spilled treasures

Aunt K. and Uncle L.

A Seamstresses delight

Measuring our new Buffet to figure out how we are going to take it home!

Showing Daddy all of our finds after arriving home

I found lots and lots of jewelry!

~Wedding~

A relative of ours recently was married, and it was so fun getting to visit with family!

Some of our dinner companions

Parents of the groom

Waltzing....they danced so beautifully!

Mumzie and Daddy dancing

Waltzing with Great-Grandpa...what fun!

Great-Grandpa and Grandma with Great-Grandma's son and daughter-in-law

This couch reminded me so much of something that Audrey Hepburn would sit on, so I had to have a picture with it!

~Pond~

Daddy and Mumzie trying to sink a hose in our pond so it does not freeze this winter....the things one must learn when one moves to the country!

~Apples~

Mrs. A., Cassidy, and Adrianna kindly helped Mumzie in making our applesauce this year!

Working away

~Pond (again!)~

Raking leaves out of the pond

Putting up a fence to help keep at least some leaves out of the pond :)

~Pancakes~

We have found a recipe for homemade wholewheat pancakes that has become a family favorite! They have also become a weekly tradition, and we almost always put walnuts or pecans in the batter for extra yummy-ness! Last week we added fresh blackberrys on top....mmm! We are so grateful to Mrs. D. for sharing her delicious recipe!

~Another Birthday Party~

Comforting tired Eden

Daddy and C.

Auntie Bethie

Blowing out candles

The upside-down piece of cake I served. Let's just say Cake and I don't always get along well when it comes to serving (eating cake is an altogether different matter, though :)

~S~

The Morton Maiden

Sweet

2010-12-21T22:27:00.002-05:00

Family

2010-12-21T14:23:00.010-05:00

Great-Grandma holding Peanut for the first time

Cool Tractors

Katie holding her Nephew for the first time

"yes", you are a Cutie...Grandmum loves your cheeks and double chin!

~Mumzie~

Stephen's and Katie's

2010-11-16T22:00:00.001-05:00

On a recent trip to Stephen's and Katie's, we were delighted to have Grandma R. with us!

Strolling downtown

An artist at work on the streets of Virginia

We had so much fun shopping in a quaint boutique where everything was 50-75% off!

Admiring pottery

Lunch at Cosi's

Discussing personality and character labels :)

Daddy in his dashing hat

Art

Grandma trying on a hat

Discussing clothes :)

Dinner by candlelight...

..With Stephen's siblings and parents!

Brownies and ice cream....yummy!

Good times

Doesn't everyone cook chicken at 12:00 a.m.? :)

Peeling boiled eggs

Mrs. M. working away

Visiting

A photo session with the Ladies in Brown

Speak no evil, hear no evil, see no evil

Dinner with the S. family

A trip to Ikea!

A very unique chandelier

Grandma perusing Ikea for the first time

Light Art

We have a picture of Katie wearing, I believe, that same exact shirt, looking at that same exact picture at an Ikea store in 2008! Now there is an addition to the picture in 2010 :)

Katie, Stephen, and I were delighted to discover how delicious Ikea's frozen yogurt is!

Frozen yogurt and cinnamon rolls are even tastier when shared with family

Grandma learned how to play a bowling game on Katie's iPod Touch

After driving around and shopping, we went to Stephen's parent's for Mr. M.'s famously delicious sub sandwiches!

Jolly times

Two dear Mothers

Pleasurable sights of Creation on our journey home

Until next time,

~S~

The Morton Maiden