Paul and I decided to take a break and enjoy Tennessee. We piddled around the farm. We planted 3 magnolia trees and Lita got her 1st bath. I have decided my love of hygiene will not be shared by anyone in my family. The kids have to be told multiple times to get a shower and then told multiple times to get out of shower. The dogs hide when they see me pick up a water hose. 
Lita fell in right along with the others. I think she was actually mad at me for a few days. It's like they are getting a full body massage when they get a bath. What's not to like!?! She laid down at one point on her side and scared me to death. I thought she had passed out from pulling so hard at the ties. Paul kept saying, "I don't think this is a good idea". Lita survived her first and probably last bath. She does love being brushed!!
Paul and I love antiques.
We checked out all the antique stores we have been passing, but never had the time to stop.
The only thing we bought was an old xylophone for our "future" chickens to enjoy.
Our old magnolia is blooming and the crepe myrtles finally have leaves on them. Other pretty flowers have been blooming also.
We are excited about the builder we have found. Floor plans are being finalized. We have a tentative demo date of June 22, which happens to be Paul’s birthday!!! The company we are using is Lotus Building Group. Keegan (the builder) brought an engineer to the house to check everything out and see what can be removed and what must stay. When I arrived the engineer had already left, but Keegan was waiting on me to go over some of the details of the inspection. When I got out of the car he said, "Hey did you know you have a Lotus flower in your pond?" I had never heard of a Lotus flower and had no idea what it was. I had seen 2 pretty little flowers in my pond, but just thought it was a lily pad flower.
He told me, "The lotus flower grows in muddy waters and rises above the surface to bloom with remarkable beauty." This piqued my curiosity so I did a little research. Of all the plants in the world, the lotus flower is the most unique. It has a life cycle unlike any other. With its roots based in mud, it submerges every night into murky water, and—undeterred by its dirty environment—it miraculously re-blooms the next morning without residue on its petals. The flower also has a fascinating will to live. A lotus seed can withstand thousands of years without water, able to germinate over two centuries later. It represents long life, health, honor, rebirth and good luck. This was interesting to me for several reasons. For one, what an appropriate name for a company that remodels old homes. Homes that have spent years withstanding the outdoor elements, wear and tear of housing and protecting its families, and then bringing it back to life, to its former glory. Secondly, it’s s so cool that we have a lotus flower at the farmhouse we are remodeling. Thirdly, how this flower can relate to our lives. There have been times in my life I have felt like I was swimming in muddy, mirky waters. Sometimes it felt as if I was drowning in them. I felt I would never be able rise above all my problems, God would never be able to use me and my life would never turn out as I had dreamed. In Psalm 40:2, David writes about a time he was in the "slimy pit" full of "mud and mire." I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock. (Psalm 40:1-2) We are human and we make mistakes. Sometimes other people make mistakes that directly effect us. Our God is so big!!!! He can bring good out of those hard times. Max Lucado said it best when he said, “God is the Master Weaver. He takes what was intended for evil and reweaves it for good". (Genesis 50:20) He will lift us out of those muddy waters and allow us to bloom with remarkable beauty. Maybe he will use you to help someone else going through a similar situation, maybe your story will encourage others, or maybe, as my mom always told me, He's building character. All we have to do is follow Jesus's example....offer ourselves to do God's will through prayer and obedience.
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