Mortonclan

Today....

2012-01-31T13:19:00.000-08:00

...I was sitting at the dining table drinking milk and eating chocolate chews out of the pot with Mama and Martha and we were talking and laughing and critiquing the new curtains. And holding up a tassle. And then talking about serious stuff over pins and fabric scraps. Then laughing some more.

And just being with them has cheered me up so much that it makes me want to dance and laugh and almost cry because I love them so much!!! I was feeling sorta down today, and they've just blessed me so much. How grateful I am to have them in my life, to be with throughout the day. They are such a delight to live with!!!

It is beautiful out today. It smells like spring. I saw the first snow drop blossom by the fence line today!

"Love never fails" is playing. It reminds me of how much our Saviour loves us-so much more then we humans can ever love.
His love is perfect and beautiful, and it is so, so good to be His.Much love to you on this exquisite day!

Adeline

It's a.....

2012-01-28T15:22:00.000-08:00

.....GIRL!!!!

Hooray!!!! :D Can you imagine Wes and Rach with a little pink girlie!?? We are so, so thrilled for them! The Lord is so good.

It was so fun reading all the guesses!!! Thanks for rejoicing with us. We love y'all! (And-my guess was wrong-of course. :D Hehehe....)

Bethany Smith is now Bethany Lane as of a few hours ago!!! Yayyyy!!! We're here at the Smithies! It was a beautiful wedding. I am so. so. happy for them both!! I can hardly wait to post pictures!!!

God is good. Our cup runneth over.

Love,

Adeline

'Ze Polls be Open!!

2012-01-26T14:44:00.000-08:00

My dear Peoples!!

Tonight, this very night, the gender of Wesley and Rachel's newest munchie shall be announced to the throngs of family gathered! We are SO excited, and can hardly wait to hear the words thus uttered!

Henceforth, in the glorious Morton tradition of baby anticipation delight, we hereby commence our guesses: They are as follows, and we invite you to join on our merriment and cast thy vote along with the aforementioned elated throngs!!

Here's to the beloved New One!

Mine (Adeline's) : Boy
Martha: Girl
Andrew: Girl
Sam: Girl
John: Boy
Mama: Boy
Daddy: Boy
Edwin: Boy
Paul: Girl

And below is our dear girl, the lovely Mama! We love you, Rach, Wes, Joe, William and Baby!!

In Which is Posted Thoughts, Assorted Pictures and a Showcasing of an Exceptional Color

2012-01-21T19:32:00.000-08:00

The happiest of evenings to you, kind reader.

Tonight I was so blessed and encouraged as I listened to Daddy as he told us stories of the mercies of the Lord in our lives...How good and gracious God has been to us, all the days of our lives! And to give us such amazing parents, too...It makes me dance with joy!

The lightening tonight was breathtakingly beautiful.

And Mama Dear made us Chicken Divan. She is wonderful.

Then I sorted pictures and looked through New Year's and remembered a wonderful, happy weekend. I'm so looking forward to posting that deluge...they made me laugh and smile! (Hey, y'all! Miss all of you... ;D )
Oh, and it rained tonight, mon cheri!! Glorious rain. I can still hear the drops falling from the sky, down, down, down to make a tiny splashing sound as they hit the puddles outside the window in the dark! I love rain. It smells so fragrant and fresh outside. This is the most wonderfully warm January I've ever enjoyed. Bliss!
Here's Mummy Love a few days ago, hanging out linens with...Martha!
There are few things as wonderful as burying your face in a sheet right off the line...My dearest sista!See, this is the mouse trap I made recently!
We were having this insane mouse problem (they were having ruckus parties at night that were keeping the neighbors up) hence, we had to do something more drastic then your classic mouse trap, as they refused them and our various other methods of enticement we attempted-so I looked this baby up online, tried to decipher the instructions, and voila!

It didn't work.
Don't try this. I know you were thinking you would, but don't.
It was a complete waste of board, bucket and bait, but made a lovely conversational icebreaker when people dropped in......"Oh, that's just the mouse trap! Ooops, watch your step, honey..." ;)

We finally purchased some other traps from wally world and are now rid of the pesky rodents and this handmade trap for an unknown and blissful time!

Well.
Tomorrow I get to go to Church meeting and see (some of) our precious, precious people and worship our Lord together! So looking forward to the fellowship and encouragement tomorrow!!

Dance practice a few Sunday afternoons ago...it was a blast messing up together. ;P Heheh..."Other way, Mr. Collins!"

Oh, gracious, y'all-something else...lately I've just been feasting on the color green. The Lord is so loving to make such wealths of color for us to live amongst...driving in south Georgia in the winter is breathtaking...huge fields of bright green wheat grass, with cows here and there munching, old fences, weathered rustic barns, huge old camellia bushes dripping with dense, snow white blossoms...The rich green of a soft sweater or the camellia leaf, or a blade of grass coming up out of moist, dark brown earth...sometimes you just stop and stare, and are amazed by the very green-ness of green......it's one of the most beautiful and greatest gifts in the whole world!
And pictures of Ireland are so filled with it.
Ireland! *sigh* (Did you know that's where my great-great grandfather came from?)
And wouldn't it be fun to have a whole closet in green!? Like this dress. Lime Green. Airy simplicity. Such lacy, feminine perfection.And clover-green, lush clover....Another edible specimen for your wardrobe!
Ah.
Wow.
This simply cannot be improved upon.And these bea-u-ties!Also a monogramed clutch caught my eye. So very elegant, in green, of course.
....and....saving the near bestest for near-lastest...a furry, olive green creation from Louis Green.
Alas, for unlimited credit at this shop...would that she gave me free reign on her merchandise! Her hats are sincerely drool worthy.And....a clover green bit of lusciousness from this season at Talbots that I saved for very last!!!
Oh wow.
Do you ever see a piece that is so perfect it begins to pull at yon raiment heart strings? This was the coat.
Here-cover up those tacky plastic bracelets with your finger...there we go, now, think pearls...huge bright yellow velvet flower on the shoulder...cream cardigan underneath...camel colored wool skirt...there. Perfect. Beautiful!!
Ah. So, kind reader, thank you for loving shades of clover and all these precious people I love and the beautiful places with me for a minute!
And now, mon cheir, I bid thee goodnight, and adieu

Fondly,

The Damsel Above
Oh yes. One last thing to show you. Look at this lace. Peachy dreams it doth inspire!!
OK. I'm gone...this time for real. Goodnight!
Love, AGM

Bethany+Danny=Amour Vrai!

2012-01-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

Most lovely Observers,

Can you believe our Beth is going to be married to the love of her life in just two short weeks? I am just so incredibly happy for my precious cousin. We are grateful to the Lord for what He has done-what a joy it has been to see how God has brought her her husband and her best friend. It is truly glorious.

Not to mention, too, that they make the cutest couple. Hope you enjoy these shots that I got of them a few days before they got engaged.

However, before we proceed on to the two lovebirds, I give thee two specimens who were being delightfully obnoxious before we left for pictures. :D
Andrew and Zack making it fun. :D Little brothers make life so happy!

Now. On to Beth and Danny!
Ah....it's wonderful, isn't it?

Praising the Lord and brimming over with joy for Bethy!! Danny is getting such a treasure! I just love watching them...they're so. so. perfect together, and are each so blessed in the other. Bless the Lord!

Have the most beautiful of evenings, mon cheris!

Amour,

Adeline

Sometimes...

2011-12-31T10:50:00.000-08:00

...the Lord puts a family in your life and the lives of those around you, that is very very special. And even though it may be years or months before you see them again, they remain in everyone's heart, and mind, and thoughts.

A family that, until we see their faces, or hear their laugh in person, or give them a big, huge hug and share cups of coffee all around or sing together again, those things-the laughter, the coffee, the singing-it'll just be missing something. When you're looking around the room at so many of the people you love, and their faces are not here and there amongst them, you miss them. Or when you're laughing as you look through old pictures and then you get a big lump in your throat that won't go away, and then you're laughing and crying at the same time...not a gloomy, hopeless missing, but a joyful, ache missing, the missing you have when you're in the will of God and you really love a family.

And when we're joyous, we'll think of y'all and miss you-and when we're sad, we'll know you're praying for us.

The time apart will only mean a longer slide show when we see you again, or longer stories from around the living room, as we all sit together, coffee in hand, with the fire crackling, with Mr. Rick's antics and Mr. Fritz slapping his knee and Daddy's can't-really-breath laugh, Uncle Marc's hilarious roar...children running around and cards in the dining room and late nights and guitar jamming sessions and cook outs and charades and Frisbee-Daisy's piano playing and a Church meeting Sunday morning that gives you chill bumps because all the men's words weave together like a tapestry...

Living together as Christian brothers and sisters is so glorious...I know we've all said it allot, but we miss each of them and love them more then can be written down.

Just know all your families are all over here on the other side of the world missing and lovin' you, always.

I just wanted to post a few pictures of the last few day they were in the country.
We had the honor of having them over for supper a few nights before they left. (Wesley is obviously enjoying himself. Cutie. That boy can eat.)True Love-it's so beautiful to watch!
"Psst!! Sam! Where's the meal?" ;P
(next time I'll try and have the protein ready on time. Bless every body's hearts. "I like putting allot of, uh, raw, in their diet.")
Bella has a beautiful voice. And 'a course Cleve and 'Kota's playing is amazing.Kress and Isa!
And Keni Ken and Isa. LOL. Isa looks like she's about to start attacking something. Scary but very cute.
Singing together...

2011-12-31T10:49:00.000-08:00

Friday there was a going away party at the H.'s. Above, a little group looks at the scrapbook everybody in our Church put together for the D.'s. (Mrs. J. is a scrapbooker extraordinaire, by the way)
There was singing...
...talking...
...and a grill out with cheesecakes for dessert! (oh yes...)

And there was allot of words from way down in people's hearts, and allot of tears.

2011-12-31T10:48:00.000-08:00

On our last Sunday with them here, we planned an all-day get-together. Above is dear Uncle Marc with little E. H.s.
Morning greetings. (that slurping is enchanting, Zack. ;D )
Bella Boo
C&L (love, love this picture!)
Love our Daisy Doo!
(Dakota wasn't much for the hummis, I suppose... ;)
(I can just hear Alyssa saying, with half a laugh "ahhh, uhhh!! I see!")The sunset was so beautiful that evening.
And then it got dark, and the day was over.
And we all said goodbye.
And it was really really hard to say goodbye.
But we did.
This picture is the one that's in our hearts. There we all are! ('cept the dear R. Roberts, Sander and Smith families)

By Cleve's pergola, laughing and joking and smiling and lovin' each other.

And we're still doing that, just now, some of it's over skype. :)

"Finally, brethren, farewell.

Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. Greet one another with an holy kiss. All the saints salute you.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen."

~1 Corinthians 13, 11-13

WW-The Day They Were Joined as One

2011-12-25T22:41:00.001-08:00

(Kind Observers,
I hope you're having a lovely evening! Now that all the luscious hub-ub of December and New Years is over, we're back to posting! Enjoy.
Love, AGM)

Shuffles. Yawns. It's still dark outside. A half whispered word.
Then breathlessness.
The realization that the day, the day Cleveland gets married, is today. He's putting his tie on. Today, for his wedding. Daddy's standing next to him. Daddy's been waiting for this day for a while, too.

Today is a joyous day. It's the day we have been praying for for a long time. This is the Lord's doing, and it is so very very marvelous in our eyes.
John helps Edwin with his collar... The Groom ties his shoes...
I remove curlers...
Paul needing help with his tie...Marth moments before the sneeze...The art of combing...
The buttoning...

2011-12-25T22:22:00.000-08:00

We're all ready! The sun's bright morning light is shining out now-we've all had breakfast-Marth and I put scarves around our curler heads and went to breakfast feeling like ladies of leisure. Thankfully only a few people were up, LOL. We saw the dear F. ladies...ah, that was a good breakfast. The whole room almost was filled with my dear siblings and nieces and nephews, laughing and giggling with excitement!!
Running out to the car in joy...looking up at the crisp clear sky and seeing a jet stream floating miles up in the air like soft white ribbon, and wanting to yell with happiness!! I think we did...me and Marth have that clean, dressed and ready feeling...we see brothers getting in various cars-the early morning air is clean and fresh, and you hug a sibling tight and carry on at how awesome they look in their tie-you see your sister and her baby!! How good it is to see your sister and nephew...
Have y'all all got your purses? Who is ____ riding with? No, there's tons of room, squeeze in!
Laughter. All-the-way-teeth smiles.
Did you get my ____ from the room!? Got it!
Shouts from car to car, excited waving as we pull away...happiness. Almost uncontainable excitment.

Abs, Marth, Daddy, Mama and I all ride together...we put on makeup, laugh, and take a picture and then laugh again at the angle......and we all pray and thank the Lord together as we drive along. Singing! Hearts overflowing. Your eyes mist up. How good is God? To us, who are unworthy of anything but hell...to be loved and belong to God Almighty, who blesses us with every good thing...your heart can't utter enough thanks and praise. It's spilling over now, and all you can do is give more thanks...your brother has found that "good thing"....
We arrive at the entrance of the Kendall's long winding driveway, a few minutes before the time Cleveland is scheduled to be there at their home for pictures. He's got something special planned for his girl this morning, and we can hear him from the car giving directions to his men...laughter.
A joke.
The sound of a violin tuning up.
Breath frosty in the cold mountain air...We're about to burst with excitment!!
Hey Marth!Two 'brother's' smile at another brother...And a 'sister' smiles at another!!
(Ah, Abbi, you got some awesome pictures...love you!)The father of the Bridegroom!

Martha watching (some of) the amazing men in her life...
(some of) those men....Look at their expressions!
...and in this one...Edwin, a much beloved brother! He also doubles as a stealthy security guard. ;D
Samuel, our fifth boy and now the second oldest at home...It's such an honor watching your little brothers become men.They're ready...Cleveland and his mighty men are going to surprise the Bride by coming down the drive, on foot , with music...!!
We can hear them!! The joyful tune can be heard echoing through the trees...guitar, violin and penny whistle-we can barely see through the trees-wait-Is that her on the porch!!? No...
Heavens, it's chilly! Our view!
We see Cleve and his men and father gathered in the front yard-we can still hear the beautiful, joyful music from here!! Wait...see, she's there now!! Lise Marie is on the front steps!
Yayyy!! Look at her white dress... There's something about a girl in a white dress that just makes you ecstatic.
He sees his bride for the first time on her wedding day. It is a beautiful time.
The music is stopped now. Distant voices...Then we see them, arm in arm, walking to the spot for pictures.
I can hardly wait to see their faces...
Hunter rides by...Good morning, Hunter!!
Can you believe this! We'll be related before the end of the day!! :)

2011-12-25T21:14:00.000-08:00

Here we are in the church building, up here in the balcony. I tell you what's around us, here...Oh course, here's Ron and Marth and others watching the proceedings below decks...a few last minute things before the dear, lovely crowds of guests come in! And to our left, is the soon-to-be- Mr. and Mrs. Cleveland Morton!! She's holding her flowers.
He's a little quiet and so is she-every few minutes they'll burst into smiles when they look at each other...she's holding the most beautiful white roses, and she's wearing her mother's delicate white gown, it's elegant long sleeves and neck and hem adorned with wide, encrusting lace...tiny white shoes peek out and two pearls are in her ears-her gorgeous dark hair is curled into thick waves, and sprinkled in the back are some tiny little pearls nestled in her hair...She is such a beautiful bride! Ah, he looks so handsome too...except the dear boy's hair needs some help at this moment.
He asked me to fix it a little... :)
Jel, anyone? OK, no gel? Oh, this works...He looks awesome in the lavender tie! Watching people coming in...*Laughing*
My darling cousin Maud!!! Isa loves her Aunt Maudie...Lise's grandparents and Cleveland's. What an honor to have them there. They're the ones who really started it all! If it wasn't for them, we would not be having a wedding today.
I'm so grateful for my grandparents-I'm really missing my (late) GrandMama, Dorothy Jean Baell Cox, today. I can hardly wait for her to met Lise one day when we go to be with the Lord...
We were bad children and brought a whole bag of snack foods up there, lest we starve.
We're passing it around and having a blast!! Above, M&K get in a few sustaining bites. ;D
Notice the three munchies in their little sweaters!!! Cuties!!Here we are downstairs-and here is Willie,
John,and Nick as they await the throngs!
The V. girls were amazing! Some of the sweetest, most helpful and thoughtful girls you'll ever meet...
Andrew Tully, Best Man
I love these two...And Bethy and Danny are here!! And... ...they just got engaged yesterday!!!
It's so special watching Cleve and Beth, first cousins and two of my favorite young people in the world, fall in love with their sweethearts at the same time.Sisters
A praying, godly father.
How can one value more, a picture and what it so accurately portrays?
I see some of our people down there!! It is the funnest, most exciting thing to look down and see faces that are precious to you!!
Oh, there's Mrs. Christine and the H. family!! Ohhh, look at Angelita's hair, Marth!! There's Brady and Bailey in their matching ties...they are SO wonderful....Look at The Twins!! And there's Joel! Mr. Rick's got baby T.!.....

Music begins, and the first wedding commences. Chandler and his men walk out, and Chandler tells all assembled of the saving grace and cleansing blood of Jesus Christ.

And now dearest Prentiss walks down on her father's arm, and they are married.
It is beautiful and holy to watch two people become one before the Lord.
They are now Mr. and Mrs. Chandler A.!!
We all finish singing a beautiful hymn as the precious new couple and their family walk back down the aisle.

We all walk toward the balcony steps, where we run into the A. family coming up!! "It was beautiful Mrs. Val!!" as we walk down. "I'll be watching you!" Mrs. Val A. whispers to me as we pass each other. She is so sweet!

Here we are.
Katie, Dorothy, Martha and I stand in the lobby together.
Everything is ready. We all huddle together.
"Oh, girls, he's getting married!!" Katie is saying. We hear beautiful strands of music coming through the doorway to our right.
Girls!! Sisters! We're here together, all four of us here, about to walk down the aisle and Cleve's getting married in just a few minutes. Isn't God good!!?
We're all four so happy and excited we're all crying and laughing at the same time. Do you ever do that? cry and laugh at the same time? It only happens when you're too happy to just laugh, and then it spills over into crying, too.

The Lord we serve is faithful and true.I can't really see...but I can hear a song being sung (by a beautiful voice!) about how grateful one is for their parents as Daddy and Mama and 'Uncle' Tom and 'Aunt' Jan walk down the aisle, and meet at the center, where they're each lighting a candle together as two couples.

The two lovely mothers are seated. us girls start to go down.
And look!!
There is Cleveland!! And all our guys. One of the most beautiful songs in the world is playing-Gabriel's Oboe by Ennio Morricone (bring it up in another tab while you read!)
There she is. Cleve's wife. And she and her Daddy are smiling really big.
Slow steps.
Misty eyes.
I can't really breath.
I look up at Cleve. He's in awe. He's just watching them come towards him with focused, hazy eyes and a slight smile. One of the most incredible things is to see a humble, big man with a tender heart that is about to spill over.
I look back at Lise and her father.
They're closer now. How long has it been?
Then, all three of them are in a row.
How must it feel to give away a daughter? And two in one day? So many thoughts must have been rushing through this father's mind....Dr. Kendall is giving them a charge.
And they are married.And it is holy. And beautiful."And the twain shall become one flesh..."Daddy is getting up, and he is speaking to his two children. He charges his son and he speaks of being a husbandman. Of being a cord of three strands, and of the Lord Jesus Christ being that third strand in your marriage that makes it strong.
How beautiful is my father's voice. How holy are his words...how precious is this time...

Tears streaming down your face when you sing the words of a hymn, all together with hundreds of Christians, the words clear and strong! To sing together!

Your Grandfather's deep velvet voice, rich with emotion, praying God's blessing on his offspring as this holy ceremony ends.
We are blessed in the man, our Patriarch.
The way he says amen...
Music swells.
Your shoulders shake a little from joy deep inside.
They're walking out!
When do I go?
Smiles on every face. Eyes are sparkling!!!

Joy. When you get back down the aisle, you look back and see more of your darling family coming back down too.
You see your brother and his wife embracing!!
Tears streaming down your brother's face. He wipes them away with his sleeve as he smiles, lips trembling.

You hear laughter as groomsmen and bride's maids and parents stand around smiling very very big! The music is still playing! Arms linked in arms, congratulations, "Y'all, they're married now!!" and praises to the Lord Who did it all...

Man and Wife. It's so beautiful, isn't it!?

*Continued on Page Two*

2011-12-25T20:41:00.000-08:00

That sound of a crowd of happy people talking and laughing, moving-the swish of a skirt-a cough.
Wait-if you listen very closely, you can hear a bagpipe...well, maybe not...What is that?
You see faces so dear, everywhere!!!
A baby making wonderful baby noises. Purses and bags and people flood out the door to the feast that awaits. Food and rejoicing people just go together!!Some of the dear faces! Ansley and Brittany. (my soon to-be-'cousins'!! :D )And dear McKinnie too!! Love these three...
The Newly Engaged make haste to join the throngs!The afore mentioned Throng.
Some of my babies!! (neices and nephews are such fun...)Ronald Michael
Danny and Beth
(LOL, check out the mini couple behind them in the same clothes. Too cute!! :) )
Roses and Berries
Catherine Esther, a sister dear to the hearts of the same...
Essie Cakes
William's vestments cause him disappointment.
"Motherest, why mustn't I roll amongst the clovers so green? So lush? Mine frocks and I long for their gentle softness and tender crunch... "Alan and Kate, 6 years into forever....Queen Maud and The Wallace get their bubbles ready!
Friends

People are lining the walk way to the reception room...

You look up-the sky is bright blue. It is a beautiful day!!
A bagpiper is coming down through the long winding line of people, his red kilt bright in the sunlight-a little drummer boy walks behind, a chapeau atop his head, both their music filling the air and your heart with it's victorious sound...bubbles are drawn and ready to cheer the two new couples as they walk past!!
It's so good to see sweet friends!!
Lauren H. doing some of her amazing work on her camera.
Dressed to the nines, little man, and looking magnificent!Don't you love it when people you love are laughing and smiling together!?

Our two couples are coming through now!! You smile because they're together. Hugging people. Their mouths are moving, talking-I can't hear what they're saying, just that they're smiling and so blessed by so many dear people coming!! Bubbles float lazily in the air. When they get closer, we all yell and clap and cheer!!

As the two new families pass about to go inside, Chandler hugs his dad, and it makes you cry because they're both crying...
Fathers and sons, daddies and daughters, and the mothers that have given birth to these four children...what a day this is for all of them...

The music stops abruptly, only to begins again the way bagpipes do in their glorious way! Everyone is smiling and clapping-more bubbles...
And in go C&L and P&C to the bountiful reception that's been so beautifully prepared.

Heavenly music comes from dainty fingers plucking a harp in a corner...large green topiaries sit on the long, white covered tables that are piled high with luncheon-little sandwiches, cheeses, tall tiered platters of sweet fresh fruits, steaming bowls of shrimp and grits...trays piled high with chicken nuggets (loving Chick fil A!) and crisp vegetables with a myriad of dippings! Sweet tea and water sat in abundance at the end of the tables. And plenty of napkins for those people who always spill food on their white silk blouses!...
Marty McBeth, being the sweet girl she is...we love you Marty!
Uncle Tim and Tom!
And Alyssa amazing hounds tooth coat...me wants one too!!....
Sweet girls!
Wesley and his little boy.Little Men enjoying the left overs. :)
Hey, dear Lauren!!"This needs onnnne more...."

Everyone crowds around the two get-away cars!!
Inside, a few minutes ago, we gave them hugs and I love yous...
They're about to go on their honeymoons!!
Here they come now!!!
Running, hand in hand, through waving, clapping, shouting people who are ecstaticly excited for them and love them. Allot...

There they go, y'all!!
Mr. and Mrs. Cleveland Morton...
...and Mr. and Mrs. Chandler Allan.

Praises to the Lord Jesus!!

After Dr. Kendall did a count down, they both raced away, balloons flapping behind and horn honking and the rest of us just laughed and waved and were very, very happy.

2011-12-20T05:23:00.000-08:00

After the two pairs of turtle doves flew off on their wedding trips, we all stayed there for a while and enjoyed fellowship with some of the wonderful saints assembled...Mine MamaWillieLooking forward to their own date, no doubt. (aren't they ca-ute?)
Abbi
JoelCampbell (Oh, joy-it just makes me smile because Campbell and Joel look so much like siblings...how neat is that! So good to have all of them there...)
BrothersSam
Another newly wed couple that is totally cute, themselves. :)Gray, honey, you look like a celebrity.A dear, dear 'sister' and the maid of honor...You're wonderful, Christiana!! We love you!
I love watching my parents speak with people.
Weddings often make you think about weddings that have already happened and how grateful you are for them.Dorothy
With one of my very dearest and best friends in this whole wide world...EmanHunter and ColinEthan shows us brace-less-ness. What fine chompers, my dear boy!Adeline (that's moi). Oh, our brothers are the sweetest-it was quite chilly so they all gave us their coats. They are just darling, each of them.
Abbi O!
John
Sam
Mama
Andrew (love this story-telling shot!)
'Aunt' JanCleveland and Lise Marie's mothers are so beautiful! Look, isn't it neat how they almost matched!?
Such a precious and lovely woman I have for a mother!Martha Harriet
This picture makes me smile, dear sister!And...sister mine once more in my favorite portrait from the weekend!Couldn't decide which I liked better, so I'm posting all of them!
Martha, you are a jewel and we all love you so...

And, so ends the day our William Cleveland got married to the love of his life. What a day it has been!! More wonderful times came that night, gathered in the Kendall home, munching on cake and leftovers, thinking, talking, laughing. And then tomorrow on Sunday we had the meeting that morning, then ate a huge lunch together, and afterwards attended a mini seminar by Mr. Botkin in the afternoon -the entire day was a great blessing and we made it home that evening, safe, sound and very grateful.

Hooray!! Blessed be the name of the Lord. He is a good God.

Love you all,

Adeline

p.s. For more pictures, go to: www.sposabellaphotography.com/kendall

Wedding Weekend Part 4-Rehearsal Dinner

2011-12-12T16:52:00.001-08:00

Friday, December 2, 2011-in the evening...
Here we are Friday afternoon, trying to get some of the rehearsal dinner set up before our rehearsal starts, after which dear Mrs. A. will take over. (the A. family has been such a delight to work with.) Uncle Frank has a hidden prowess with arranging cedar boughs.

Poor Ashburn has a known prowess for carrying cedar boughs.

Dear guys, all of them-they all caught on to fancy napkin folding and utensil placement right on and were invaluable.
In the sanctuary, the first wedding finishes up their rehearsal...
Nana and Grand Daddy are here!!!
Cleveland and Lise Marie's rehearsal starts!Wes and I practicing processing. (I just love all my brothers! *sigh* Check out his awesome sweater, by the way-great job, Rach!!)
Willie, one of Cleve's awesome ushers!
Dorothy and Sam going down...
All the Groom's Men
Another shot...
Gray is such a joyful young man. I love the way he's always smiling.
"Yes you are-a! Yeeesss...."
Enoch gets re-aquainted with Aunt Peach.
Mike and Marth!
I was so tickled how the look alikes in our family ending up walking down together- and see, they're both even wearing blue! How cute is that?
Mr. Kendall Sr. is always a joy of be with.
And, here are the Bridegroom's parents at the rehearsal dinner!

(Notice Daddy's pen. I love the way he always has a pen with him. So prepared. So astute. Also mom's shawl. Notice two toned accessory. Notice gold sheen in shawl matches husband's gold shirt. No planning. Comes naturally. Notice nonchalantly unbuttoned tweed coat. Notice them being fully awesome!! :) Yay for King and Queen! )
And...notice this perfect mint chocolate chip cup cake with delicate chocolate shavings.
This would be perfection if you liked mint chocolate chip.
I prefer the cheese cake with strawberries in back ground. It has more calories (always a plus) and had a pretty strawberry atop. ;P
Some of the most wonderful people in the world sat at this table!
Dear Christiana, Maid of Honor to both brides!
This was fun. (I love their expressions here!!)Our dearest Aunt De with little Isa, her great-niece! (can you believe that? My Aunt is truly, truly beautiful.)
C&L
And C&P
I love my manly men, who eat meat and potatoes. (they are allowed an occasional piece of quiche)*Rhino the Hamster's laugh* "Let it begin! Ahhh!" Mrs. A. , Mom and Dorothy did an excellent job on the desserts. Did I say that Dorothy's mocha cheesecake was on the table.....mmmm, but not for long.
Apparently the dear lad in front is before the sugar crash, and the dear lad in the back ground is just after. 'Tis the nature of things.What a pure joy and honor to have the S. family-they are such a tremendous blessing to our family.John Man
The order of the evening was feasting and toasting.

Here are pictures of the eating.
This was the table I got to sit at! Oh, I love these people. How blessed one is, to enjoy good food with people one loves so much.
Chandler's father started out the blessings and toasts, and then...
...my father spoke, brothers,
uncles,
other uncles, grandfathers, more brothers, cousins, precious old friends and some new ones, spoke blessings and gave advice to the two couples. I didn't get a picture of every one who spoke (most of them, really) but many things that were said were so special, direct and poignant that they brought tears to my eyes. It was truly a blessed time.
Lise sang a beautiful song to her bethrothed...
...and he listened with a full heart.

Love is beautiful. Then the father of the brides spoke to everyone, as one daughter,
and then the other, look and listen to him with love in their eyes on the eve of him giving them to another.

It is beautiful.

Love, Adeline

WW Part 3- A Bridal Luncheon

2011-12-10T05:08:00.001-08:00

Friday, December 2, 2011-in the morning
Good morning! We had a cozy sleep last night at the Campanas, have driven back to Greenville, and are now walking from the Kendall's to their neighbors home for a very special bridal luncheon that the sweetest group of ladies always give to each other's children when they marry-a time right before the wedding to stop, relax, pray, be together, and just worship God with the ladies in your life before you become a Mrs.
Our brother's bride, looking lovely in purple.
The two grooms escorting the ladies to the muncheon ( muncheon was a typo but I thought it was so funny that I think I'll leave it) and are helping carry in boxes of gifts. (Oh, look-Mumsie and Aunt Jan are almost matching! How nifty is that?)
The beautiful wreath that greets us. The theme is music-beautiful, wonderful music, and I love how they incorporated it in the decorations! So inspiring.
Dr. Kendall escorts Miss Kendall up the walk way. ( I love watching granddaddies and granddaughters...it is so precious.)
The Father of the Brides and the Two GroomsAnd, wow, THE most beautiful sight is right inside! What an incredible place is set up in this dear lady's home.
...napkins folded, fresh white roses with gold accents make for a stunning table scape.
And Dorothy's here!!! :D It is SO fabulous to see her again!!! Kate Kate is our only sissy who's not here-we miss her real bad, but we shall see her tomorrow, Lord willing...Mumsie and Dath are chatting in a side room before the party starts.
For the two brides and their bridesmaids.
Now, we're gathering into the living room for a devotional before lunch. (above is A. and her beloved Aunt Giggs!)

(Sadly I didn't get any pictures of the amazing lady who spoke, but I do want to say how encouraging her talk has been. What an honor to hear an 'older' (but not very :) lady speak words of encouragement, warning and wisdom (and wit) to the two brides and the others blessed to be there.)
Lise dear, partaking of the luscious congealed cherry salad.
Cherie (Lise's big sister!) and Dorothy...
...and Dorothy and Kate! (Chandler's sweet sister-in-law)
Prentiss looking lovely down at the other end of the table...
Oh, and the food is super good. :D
Little A. is so. so. cute! She just brought Lise two flowers in the shape of an 'L' for 'love' and 'Lise' How sweet is that?
The hostesses are so gracious and sweet. They make you feel so comfortable and at ease, and are so sensitive to anything you might need. Hot coffee, Martha's name place card, and the remnants of her raspberry lemon tea!
Dee
The four Kendall sisters! What a beautiful thing-four sisters who love the Lord.
And now, back in the living room....having just enjoyed that delicious feast, we all plop on the comfy couches and Lise and Prentiss give their girls the most beautiful little gifts.
Lise passes hers out...
What a delightful package!! Outside, I find a letter from my new sister. I love letters. Letters are so very special. And, clipped onto some purple ribbon, is a silk dupioni flower, with three little pearls nestled amongst the crinkly fibers. Tucked into the ribbon, too, are some tiny tissues with an A on them. And then inside the box, is a gorgeous pearl and shiny purple bead floating necklace! :) I think it will be really exceptional with the brides maid's outfit. Lise is just too sweet!
And, as there are two brides, we got to hear the second of the two amazing, encouraging talks. I wish I had had a recorder with me. What a blessing.Afterwards we all sing a hymn...a beautiful hymn. A new one I had never heard before, of which the words were so powerful it almost makes you cry.From the corner of the room...
Those fun little circles that happen after a party is over! (LOL but which is actually an extension of it :) Martha from the stairwell-so beautiful in blue!!
What an incredibly special, God honoring time we have been blessed with! Wow....

I love you all! Have a beautiful, beautiful afternoon! Tomorrow is The Day!!

Love,

Adeline Morton

WW Part 2-Off to Greenville!

2011-12-08T13:07:00.000-08:00

Thursday, December 1, 2011 5:30 am

We're off!! Hooray!!! Daddy dearest is driving, 'a course, and we're stuffed to the ge-ills with luggage and other junk!! (Hope we haven't forgotten anything...you know that sinking feeling as you pull out of the driveway on the way to a special occasion, and you feel as if you've forgotten something? Huhhh...well, we've got enough junk to live comfortably for several years in here, so we should be fine! :))Alrighty, so, Cleve and the 4 older boys are riding in his VW, and me, Marth, Paul and Mums and Poppie are all in the CRV. Feather beds are up to our chinny chins and are making the best pillows ever-I feel like I'm in a cloud! :D I'm managing to write in my journal, which I so love to do. And what a joyous entry I can write! On the way to Cleveland's wedding. Praise God!And...today is Samuel's 15 birthday!!! Happy Birthday, dearest little brother. We love you so.
Here's Paul and me, with coffee!
And Paul and Marth, with oreos! Daddy is too sweet.

Abbi dearest just called, and I had the most fabulous time talking with her! She is such a precious friend and 'sister'...I can hardly wait to see all our people at the wedding this weekend.
Ah. well, almost all of them. Everybody's missing the D.'s real bad.

Well.

Anyway, our trip went great, and we arrived at the dear Kendall home just in time to eat pizza! :D And we got to meet some of their married siblings for the first time, so that was very special.

There are buckets of beautiful white roses and such on the porch. Greenery is in piles here and there. Grandchildren are everywhere, in glorious joy! People are scurrying here and there, with boxes of stuff to take to the church building. Introductions are being made, programs folded- it is so precious to see Cleve and Lise together, after having not seen one another for a month. ;D They're pretty happy about it too.
And here we are at the church building, leaves and wire and scissors in hand to make the sanctuary sparkle!
Above is, me, trying to look like I know what I'm doing. As you can see, I'm trying to explain the beauty of my creation. Pren isn't convinced.
"Notice the chic yet simple cluster at the top. No frills. The palm tree look? Maybe I should go with some ceder?"
Out with the poins! Non red, clashes with 'ze purple. Looked too busy, too. Lise dear moves them again, sweet girl!
Cherie was such a delight to meet and be with. Here she is, preparing the beautiful pew markers.Cleve, you're an incredible photographer. Especially with your favorite subject. :)
I try again. :)Back at the house, the amazing Mrs. S. works on center pieces!

That evening we joined the dearest Campana family at their cabin to celebrate Sam's birthday and fellowship and stay the night! What a blessing they are.
Some of us in the huge mirror!Cards, books, fresh cookies, laughter, monopoly, even dogopoly (which I was a darling over, trying to add interest to the younger kids game by playing it with them, and then they deserted me to go play monopoly with the big kids, leaving me stranded there in the floor with my juvenile puppy cards and tick token in hand. "Desertion and Betrayal!" ;D)
Ah, we had such a fabulous time together. There is something wonderful about cabins and mountains and big fireplaces and friends, all together."Happy birthday to you!!"

We love you, Sam. You are such a blessing to us. May God richly, richly bless you as you continue to serve Him with all that you are.
(sorry about the odd assortment of candles, darling.)

Happy Birthday.

And goodnight! I'm curling up in the loft with the girlies, having just come up from sitting by the fire for a little bit by myself. It's so good to sit by the fire alone for a little, with the Lord, Who is always with us.

Tomorrow is Friday! Friday. Ah.

Love,

Adeline

Wedding Week Part 1-In Which Cleveland and his Brothers try on their Strollers

2011-12-07T09:56:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, November 29, 2011.....in the evening

Well, they're all in! The beautiful gray stroller suits for dearest Cleve's wedding!! Dark gray, luscious wool, all soft and rich, with dusky, silvery lavender ties. They are paired with the most stunning dove gray wool waistcoats!

We're all here in the barn, having the most hilarious time with all eight of my adorable brothers, Kress, Rach and Daddy and Mama-pulling things here, adjusting there-laughing, joking and general merriment. I'm sitting here on the couch (alas, feeling like I'm gonna throw up-it's so annoying when you get to feeling bad when you want to have fun with everybody else) anyway, I'm here on the couch with Kress and Marth, who is dressed in her beautiful bridesmaid's outfit (yayy!!) and looking gorgeous. I really am in wonderment. To have all eight of Daddy and Mama's sons in the same room at once all lined up, and in matching outfits, it happens so seldom, that I'm just drinking it up. It is truly beautiful!! Hooray!To see eight men standing there, and then my little mother sitting there in her chair, directing the changing of a shirt or the adjusting of a cuff, and then to think that she carried each one for 9 months, and then birthed them, nursed them, and that she and Daddy loved them and trained them just leaves me wide eyed with such joy and amazement, gratefulness and a rich feeling. To see their fruit standing there in eight glorious pictures of manhood. Praise God!!! And now the third one married, in just 5 days!!! Oh, gracious-I am so. so. excited.

Oh, this is so fun.
OK. Alrighty, now we're moving on to more pictures!The aforementioned ladies on the aforementioned couch. Wow. Lovely shot, eh?
And The Man!
Suave. Generally stunning. Looks smashing in lavender. Not to mention being a mighty ox. "Honey, your shirt cuff should come this close to....""Ahahahah! Arnold! Because I'm huge!"
Thanks for another glorious shot, Tom darling! :D It was my evenin'!
Norman Rockwell would be so proud.
Paul has such a heritage of manhood in his father and brothers.

Thank you, Lord, for You are the source of all of the good things in our lives.Few things are more delightful to me then to have all my brothers in one place-It's hilarious and one can hardly stop smiling. Brothers are just like good medicine when they all get together!!
Shoe Swap. We had a shirt swap, too, but we won't blog that...Wes, I love you! And your shoes. Glorious fill ins!
Oh, yes, here it is-my favorite picture. This is what I was talking about. It is just so beautiful. Mama and her eight sons.
(And I couldn't decide...color, or B&W? Which do you like better?)

And I just love, love the way I can see my Mom's head.

How blessed, how very, very blessed we are in her. She is a virtuous, Godly woman whom I praise with a grateful heart! Ah, and my Daddy-a kind, manly, Godly father who is an excellent example of the kind, firm leadership that the Lord intends a man to give his family-sharp and firm as rock on the things that matter, flexible and understanding on the things that don't.
These boys have a high mark to live up to. And they are doing it, by God's grace - each one crying out to the Lord, walking with Him themselves. I wish I could blow these up to ginormous proportions so I can see their expressions and hang them on the wall. I love all their faces.

Oh, and they're cute. cute. cute. All eight of them!! And funny. And handsome. And a million other things that are fully wonderful!!!

So.
Oh, and on Wednesday night, we fixed a huge supper and lit candles and and sat down together in the midst of wedding preparations, to honor Cleve as we shared his last meal under Daddy's roof as an unmarried man, under his jurisdiction. Next time, he will have a lovely, precious wife on his arm and will be the head of his own home. Won't that be amazing and lovely?!

We sure are going to miss you, Cleve. We're so excited for you. You are wonderful.

Love,

Poog

p.s. Tomorrow we leave for South Carolina!! I'm off to pack!

They're married now!!

2011-12-06T08:41:00.000-08:00

Cleveland Morton and Lise Marie Kendall are now Mr. and Mrs. William Cleveland Morton, for always!Words are interesting things-sometimes you want a whole basket full of them, long ones and short ones-big ones and small ones, to describe what you're thinking and how you're feeling and all that's happened-and then other times, when your heart is so full, the only few you can utter, as you sigh for joy deep down in your heart, is Thank You, Lord. And Praises to You, Father-for You are a good Father...

Thanks, and praises to our Redeemer, Who is Faithful and True.

Of course my usual basketful of words is coming soon, with lots of pictures and those details we feminine creatures just love to write down! And news! Is it possible for the Mortons to have more family news? Luscious, happy news about our dear cousin, Bethy!!!...but more later, dearests! Just love to you, and thanks to God this morning. This beautiful morning, when the breeze is soft and warm, and smells like tea olive...

Much love,

Adeline

It's almost time...

2011-11-21T04:27:00.001-08:00

...for Cleve to go get married...
...to this sweet girl!
"This is the LORD'S doing; It is marvelous in our eyes." Psalm 118, 23

With hearts filled with joy and anticipation, love and excitement, and gratefulness to our Lord Jesus,

Adeline, for the whole family! (5 days left!!)

12 Days and Counting!

2011-11-20T06:23:00.000-08:00

Good morning, dearest reader!! How are you?

Can you believe the Big Day is only 12 days away!!!? Cleve will be a married man in only 12 days!!!! :D We are so, so, excited for him and precious Lise!!

I thought the rose in the front yard looked so wedding-ish, so I'm posting it here in their honor, along with the biggest hooray in the world for one of the best big brothers in it and his beautiful bride-to-be!

Here's a little taste of life here at Calathora of late...wedding deliciousness, of course-just being together...doggies, measuring for tuxes, all the beautiful wedding related invitations...so many amazing things happening when the wedding of a beloved sibling approaches...all the laughter, anticipation, tears, struggles, almost uncontainable joy...a wedding is such a glorious event. Praise the Lord.
And here's The Couple!! (I just adore her look-so precious!)They were examining a la creepy fruit they found in the pasture...any one know what this is?
Movie still, my dear!!! (It's hard to take a bad picture of these two)
The mist rising up off the field one morning...Lise, you'll have an incredible view of the sunrises/sets from your and Cleveland's apartment deck!! :D We can hardly wait to have you down here in our family!!!
Ah, roses....
GrandMama sure did pick some amazing varieties when she planted her rose garden. Ah, how I miss her. I always really miss her and Little Timothy allot when ever the Big Things happen in life and you want to celebrate with them. How I love them...it'll be so amazing to see them again...God is good...
Another rose shot...
What's been on our background lately. Cuties.Here's Edwin Man and our new dog! He was THE darlingest stray, and we all loved him, but he ran off the next day. We sorta miss him, and are praying that maybe he'll come back...we'll see. Aww, we even named him.
This 'ole farm needs A Beast terribly!Cleve's been doing an amazing job of preparing a place for his bethrothed...looking great, brother!! Observe their beautiful dishes in the cabinet!
Superwoman returns!!! ;D
Dearest S. K. and her family came to Katie's to assist her after she had Anna for the day, and I got to spend a little time with her, Z. and little T! And of course Wally Bear! Their whole family is such a blessing.
We all love you, S. You are such a blessing. And Wally and T. are smitten.
The sunset one evening was so brilliant it almost took your breath away! This picture does not do it justice-they always look more splendid in real life. :)
Chattin' with the neighbors!
Who also happens to be your dear brother in law. :D
And isn't the moon above pretty?
Mike and Kressy's house is coming along! It's so exciting watching it come together.
Me, Marth and some of the "little" boys scraped up some change one day, splurged on pizza and then went to the park and had the biggest time together! I love an afternoon of just talking, eating, and playing with your siblings.
The cotton is so pretty this time of year. We stopped on the side of the road and got a self portrait. Try #1...
...and #2! :D
Ah, few things are better then the feel of a dirt road under bare feet and cotton and blue sky! And pine trees!
Mike you're too cute!!! :D I just love all eight of my boys!! He and Mama are seen here, measuring for wedding tuxes! Mama is amazing and got them all off ebay, along with some awesome vests that came all the way from Merry Olde England! :D The guys look smashing.
Paul's GI Joe set up. Looks so cool, buddy!
Love Sam's smile here!
The Wedding Board, on which goes all things wedding-ish!The invitation was gorgeous, Kendalls!! This will be the first double wedding I've ever been to. :)
The exquisite invitation to the bride's maids luncheon. The black and white velum with ribbon was absolutely stunning, I thought. What delightful things to look forward to!

Well, we're off to do some shopping! Goodie!! :D

Have a beautiful Monday.

Love y'all!!

Adeline Grace

A Day trip to Alabamie

2011-11-11T08:07:00.000-08:00

And....I got to see this little guy while we were there!! Oh, how I love him, and miss him!! Isn't he THE cutest child ever?! I think he looks like Dorothy allot in this picture. :)

First thing, howev'a, Daddy, Mama, Marth, Edwin and Paul and me got to go to Rora Valley for the day-we had to drop off some farming equipment, which made for a lovely excuse to go see some of our favorite people in the whole world! We've really been missing the Sanders, and Dorothy and her little family, so it was so, so good and refreshing to spend the afternoon and evening with them. What precious family.
(aww, looking at these makes me miss him so bad!)
Martha gave Dorothy and Enoch the quilt she had made for him! Isn't it incredible!!?? He will treasure that amazing gift for always, I know.

I know this, because I treasure the quilt my precious Aunt made for me years ago..

Dearest Darth, it was so very good to see you.
And Abbi brought over hot out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookies to munch on while we visited! She is so thoughtful..... an incredible young woman who loves Jesus and her family and others with such a genuine sincerity that it makes you just thank the Lord for her.

We got to all pile on the bed and laugh and talk for a while...sisters are amongst the most blessed gifts in the whole world.
The Sanders invited us to their house for a delicious supper together. What joy to just 'be' with family.
Daddy and Noah talking in the living room...
...while we girls chat in the closet before supper! LOL.
(Why the closet? And why do we Mortons choose the laundry room at our house? :D It's just better that way, ma' dear. The oddest spots are 'de best! :D)
Aunt Wendi started doing an impersonation right before we all sat down for dinner. (LOL!)She was impersonating the 'Snake King' off 'Courageous' - go see the movie, if you have not yet - and we all just laughed and laughed and had the best time-she is hilarious! She and Noah are quite the duo for comedy.
Ah! He is so. so. cute. He's like a little fluffy bunny!His eyes are incredibly blue.
And hims woves hims Grandmama! And Aunt Poog, although he doesn't know that yet. :D

Sanders and Sanders, :) thank you so much for having us in your homes...we love each of you so much, and miss y'alls lots over here!

Have a beautiful day! It's cloudy here, and looks like rain. The breeze smells so sweet, and is blowing yellow leaves down from the trees along the garden fence...

Lovingly,

Adeline

Anna Grace, our Newest GrandBaby!

2011-11-10T07:27:00.000-08:00

Ah, how happy we are that she is here!!

Isn't the Lord so very good!? Isn't she just adorable!? Oh, my gracious.

I love her. She is such a gift, this little girl.

Please bless her life, Father! Draw her close to Yourself, in Christ's name I ask this of You...Thank You...

Beautiful footsies...awww...Anna and Kate (Katie is such a gorgeous Mom!)
Mama and Daughter
And Brother and Sister!! LOL, her four siblings just adore her. It's so precious.
Aww...Wallace, you are such a joy!! This picture makes me laugh with pleasure! Cutie!!With her Papa and Mama!And with her Abuelita...

Me and Marth got to stay the rest of the weekend (Mama and Daddy were so sweet to let us stay over!) We had such a blast being with our dear Smithies! And I can hardly believe I didn't get any pictures of everybody while we were all there together, but...anyway, here's a few pictures from Sunday after Church meeting.
Dear Brittany and Wallace...aww...too sweet!And Maud and Kinny!! What precious girlies.Sunday afternoon relaxin'! (I love this picture. Essence la Smith! Heheh!! :D Being in the Smith home is such a joy.)

Oh, and Saturday night, Marth, Bethy and I, with dear Armand as our gallant escort, went to go see Courageous!! Marth and I had seen it before, but it was Beth's first time watching it, but we all three bawled the whole way through the movie.

What an incredible film.

We stuffed ourselves with popcorn and yummies, and cried and laughed and got some pictures out front for memories! When we got home, we made some more popcorn and watched another movie with Maud, stayed up later and laughed some more!! Ah, but mostly just enjoying being together. What precious memories we made that weekend.

To be with the darling Smithtons for a whole weekend, enjoying a new grandbaby together, staying up late with our dearest, wonderful sister Bethy-talking, laughing, eating lots of chocolate, of course, :D going shopping with Daddy and Mama (yayy!!) and just fellow shipping with them...the Lord is good!
Happy day, dearest reader!

Lovingly,

Adeline Grace Morton

Better Together

2011-11-07T19:29:00.001-08:00

This is the Lord' doing, and it is so, so marvelous in our eyes!! To see them laughing together......sitting on random benches just to sit... ;)
...cooking......just lookin' at each other...
...being excited together...
...painting their new future home...

(Oh, y'all, their colors are awesome!! They did so good!)
...just deciding what in the worl' to order...

(as you can see, the menu isn't getting very much attention) :D
...and above, looking glamorous together...

(These two are the most gor-ge-ous-est together ever!! )...wearing his shoes......him looking like his uncle and her like her mama......having photo shoots (of the other one)......eating oreos (the best cookie in the world!) with their little brother...
...meeting Mr. Truett Cathy one day while out to eat...
...visiting an aquarium together and seeing a million fish......having a "serious crush on Cleve!!"... (LOL)
...and just going to town together and looking around!! It's so much better when you're with the person that you love...

And it's so, so beautiful to watch them.
Together-ness is beautiful.
Love is beautiful.

Thank You, Lord...

Goodmorning and a beautiful quote...

2011-10-27T07:46:00.000-07:00

Dearest Observers!!

How art thou? It's cool and cloudy here today! And I have on a bright green sweater so I feel very Ireland-ish. :D I think it may rain a bit.

Praying for all of you who are traveling to Asheville for the conference, and for the speakers, and the whole weekend. What a (Lord willing) fabulous time coming up!
Y'all have FUN!!! Goodie! Meet lots of people and take lots of notes at the sessions so you can tell us all about it, and take tons of pictures! May your pillow be soft and your meals warm, and don't get your heel caught on the steps. There lots of those-be careful. You would not want to trip. Hehehe, I don't suppose it will snow this time, but if it does, throw a snowball for me!! Leaveth not thy coat in thine room! Stay warm, and God bless you!! Hehe, I'm so excited for ya'! We'll miss seeing you all there. God bless each of your weekends and may He direct your steps to accomplish His will for you. Love y'all!

Oh, and the quote-by George Perkins Morris on God's Word.

"THOU TRUEST friend man ever knew,
Thy constancy I've tried;
When all were false, I found thee true,
My counselor and guide.
The mines of earth no treasures give
That could this Volume buy:
In teaching me the way to live
It taught me how to die."

Isn't that beautiful? To have the Words of Almighty God is incredible. Thank You, Lord! Hallelujah!

Happy day, reader.

Love,

Addie Grace

Alan's Girls

2011-10-26T10:19:00.000-07:00

Here she is, y'all!!! Little Anna Grace with her Mama and big sister!

Oh, y'all, isn't she a cutie pie!!? Check out those cheeks!! Sooo perfect for lots 'o 'tisses! (She looks like a little bunny in this picture. :D )

Awww, I love her so! She and her Mama and family are doing wonderful and she's eating good and is just so darling! Three cheers for Katie dear!!
Anna is a fluffy Munchie at 7 lbs and 12 oz--hehe, just the perfect holding size. :D

Dear Father, please bless little Anna Grace, and help her to seek You early. Thank you for her life. In Jesus name, amen...

Lots of love,

Aunt Poog

She's here!!!

2011-10-25T17:22:00.001-07:00

Anna Grace Smith entered the world just a few moments ago!! Praise the Lord for His many blessings!!!

No details as to hair or eyes or looks, just lots of love and excitement!!! I can hardly wait to hold the 12th little Grand Munchie, and give hers lots 'ob 'tisses :D

Praise the name of the Lord. He is so gracious!!!

Much love to you all!

Aunt Poog

*Thanks to google images for the picture!*

Part 2 of Engagement Weekend

2011-10-17T07:50:00.000-07:00

After we left the coffee shop, we went back home where the K. family had planned and were preparing a special engagement dinner-the sun was going down, the hanging of Japanese lanterns was going on, (with much laughing) and you could smell the grill going...
Mr. K., grilling the best steaks ever.
And there's Daddy back there gettin' some lovin's from Enoch.Oh, and a flash back to Friday-here we are, touring Cleve and Lise's apartment. Notice the hole for the dishwasher.
It was such a blessing to have Chandler down!! We just love him. Here he is, riding The Beast with success! He and Pren were both so fearless with those animals. Love you both so much!And here is Enoch with a very very special Auntie.
Lise dear trying out.......their newly acquired Chair. With a capitol C, baby! That thing is massive! And super comfy!! I think it'll look so fabulous in their new home.
And...another favorite shot from the weekend-some of our little brothers and their wonderful buddies. Love all those boys...

"Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quite ye like men, be strong."-1 Cor. 16, 13
"Wittle Wiwi Cakes!! I wove wou baby. And you's twactor! Yes I do. Yes I do!"
Mike Jr. and Noah tour Michael and Kressant's garden and house site.Our precious Rach and Kress.......hanging the lanterns!
Martha having some Auntie time with Isabella.Kressant Amanda!! Her name means "luna" (or moon). Thank you, dear sister, for reflecting the light of the Son. You bring such joy and brightness to our family! Prentiss and Chandler. (or I could say "Pren-Pren and Chan-Chan!!" in a high pitched, exaggerated Chinese accent to be amusing, but I will refrain, as it would be highly corney.) Are they not a handsome pair?
Only a few weeks left 'till the big day!!! Yahoo!! Hunter, you make us smile!!
As does this Muchkin. Gracious. This child has more personality than-than anybody I've ever met. He makes us laugh all the time. The other day Marth was baby sitting him while M&K were on a date, and Marth was asking him something about an orange.
"It's not Arrrr-ange." he said, exaggerating our Morton accent. "It's Orr-ange. :D
I love you, Critter!

2011-10-17T07:48:00.000-07:00

The time has come! The K. family had prepared an incredible engagement feast for the occasion. The salads were very colorful and delicious, the table set, just so!

(Yes, those are jars for glasses. Occasionally, the Morton family cannot keep up with the glass breakage that takes place around here, and we use canning jars, with great success. I love 'em!)I love seeing my Dad holding his grandchildren!The lady...
...and gentleman of the evening!
Prentiss' lovely arrangements.
Saying, “ Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.” Revelation 7, verse 12
This dinner was one that marks a spot in our family's history. The Lord has brought Cleveland a good thing-a Christ-loving wife. And we basked in that knowledge and that joy all together as we broke bread and prayed and laughed and sang long into the evening. Here he is, speaking so poignantly of his delight in Lise Marie and his devotion to her...Looking forward to their family and hoping in the Lord for the blessing of children.Sisters sat beside each other and visited...
And we laughed-allot. And grandchildren made us smile and we gave them kisses!You have such pretty blue eyes, sister dear!!

Beautiful love... ...was all around the table...Discussing farm renovations, the latest equipment and rainfall.
I love watching these three sing together!
"to the back of the barn where he gave her a.... lecture!" (words to a cute song....)Singing to the grandkids!! "We know frogs go-la-de-da-da, la...."He must have been super excited about that apple chunk. Heavens.
(Ugh. We do not claim ownership of that window. Gracious. Who washed that thing, anyway?)Love is so beautiful!!
Laughter is too. :D As are my dearest parents!Pren and Chandler...
...and Mr. and Mrs. K....laughing , because.....
... Wesley is doing some impersonations...can you guess who he's doing here? :D

Isa and her Daddy!! (oh my gracious. It's still sinking in that Mike Jr. is a Daddy!! How precious.)
LOL!! This makes me laugh!!
Michael Jr. is one of the sweetest, kindest and most servant-hearted men I've ever seen. He is so humble and is such a blessing.

And so ends this log of that incredible event.

We are awed and so grateful to the Lord!
His mercies endure forever!And I shall leave you with a picture of the Bridegroom-to-be with a cup of good coffee and a letter from "his Sweetheart".

Love you all, so much!

Until later,

Adeline Morton

The weekend that Cleve asked her....

2011-10-12T19:55:00.000-07:00

....to be his wife.

It was so beautiful. Ah! So many memories fill my mind as I remember this incredible weekend. Thank You, Lord...So, here I am, albeit a bit late, to write it down!!

So, here's how it happened, mon cheri:

Saturday afternoon, he gave her a beautiful red rose that felt like velvet, and they drove to the lovely spot (with me in the back as a delighted chaperone/photograher, and with sweet Gracia, too!). He'd picked out a roof top garden with a white pergola, Confederate jasmine climbing up it's wooden frame, with pots of pretty flowers here and there-all looking down on a quaint small town street. The weather was perfect! Blue skies, everything green, but with the perfect fall-ish fell to the air. So, the stage is set.

Below, the Lady and her rose!
On the way...Our precious new sister.
I love this picture - they were sitting out in the garden of the restaurant.
Before he took her up to the garden, they shared a little hors d'oeuvre at Jonah's, with Paul and Gracia joining them just for fun. :D I sat at another table to get some shots and enjoy the whole picture...I could hardly stop smiling...Wow. As I look at this picture, my heart fills up with gratefulness to the Lord. "Those who wait on the Lord will not be disappointed."Now...it's off to the roof top! (If you look closely, you can see Christiana and the other paparazzi Cleve had arranged for getting some footage of them coming...LOL, we were all so excited!)The folks who owned the apartment were so gracious to allow him to use it-they were so sweet.
And then.

A little breeze. Bright sunlight.
Excited, subdued laughs from family positioned here and there, (Cleve had it all worked out so he could have a video of it-he is too cute!)
And then quiet. The scrape of the metal chair.
And then, so much joy and excitement that he forget all that he had planned to say, and so just asked her, in the simplest, sweetest form-on a bended knee and a heart full of love-in quiet words we couldn't hear, but from her face, it looked like she was very, very happy.And she said yes. :)And then he pulled out a beautiful ring and slipped it on her finger! And then there was laughing, congratulations, tears and hugs and hearts so, so full!!Sisters And then...one of the sweetest things in the world.
Our families and most of our wonderful Church family were down below on the sidewalk, all gathered together-after she said yes they both leaned over and waved, and clapping and cheers went up!! And then the song, 'Going To the Chapel' came up from the side walk, clear and happy!!! It was so glorious.There they are!!!
Those are (some of) my people!! How blessed we are. How I love each one.The ring and the rose. It's an oval diamond in a Tiffany setting-good job,Cleveland dear. You did good. :)
In lieu of a kiss! - which they're saving for their wedding day. :DYahh!! Praise the Lord!!A picture that speaks so much it almost makes me cry. Ah...wow.The Bride- and Groom-to-be with their parents.A new sister!!
I just love all the smiles in these pictures!!! They're like sunshine, really. God's people are such happy people!And now, we're all off to the coffee-shop-of-coffee-shops a little bit down the side walk, to celebrate together! Grassroots Coffee - local and fabulous.....On the way there, Cleve tells about the proposal from his end. :D Congratulations from a brother...
...and another brother!! Cleve is blessed with such wonderful friends/brothers!It was even on the menu. :)And all the delicacies that were set up before hand-'Twas beautiful, Mama dear, and so delicious! (See those cookies in the back? Those are Kressant's mocha crinkle cookies she made. They should be illegal. They are awesome.) Our dearest Dorothy! It was so perfect that y'all got to come, Dee!Enoch got passed around to allot of his Aunties! Here he is with his Aunt Manda. He looks VERY comfy. :D Check out the pose! And his pants! Mini camos! Suave Little Muskrat. How I love and miss him!
Hugs from her new friends! (Angela, I love your flower!)
Sweet Peach!! (before her caffeine fix. ;P *mischievous laugh* ) You are fully awesome, dearest sister mine!!

2011-10-12T19:54:00.000-07:00

Some more pictures of friends and family at the Grassroots Coffee celebration - Isa being held by dear Mrs. K- look, Isa is sucking her thumb!!

Aunt Lisa, you're looking so regal back there! Elegance...I think this has got to be my favorite picture of The Couple from the day. "You see that child over there? Gorging on lemon squares? And now they're all gone and I only got 6..."
"Awww" (and all the people echoed awwww!) :D Cuties.
Marty, you are such an incredible big sister-it's beautiful to watch you! God bless you, dear friend.
My two Talented Brothers-in-law blessed us with live music during the celebration! Marie's Wedding was my favorite. It's been one of my "When Cleve gets married!" songs and it was so wonderful to hear it at his actual engagement party. Can you believe he's engaged!!?? Praise God!! :D

And I think it's very hilarious and cool that my two brothers-in-law are so. so. similar. Look!! Aren't they cute!? They even have almost the same kind of hat. :D We're so blessed.
Beautiful Mrs. Christine!! I just love this picture. (And she's wearing her amazing colors. I'm wearing mine! :D)C&LM
Campbella Cute Mommie!! Mother dearest, and me, feeding little Jonathan some sort of highly caffeinated treatling, I'm sure... :)Daddy dear, with the love of his life in the background! Ah, beautiful picture..."I have need of every ounce of this energy drink for tonight's dinner. Lest I become weary, and slumber amidst the festivities!! *insert Rhino the Hampster's excited laugh* Let it begin! Let it begin! Ahaha!"
Those coffee bags full 'o beanlings made the greatest seats!
Above, a fine assortment of brothers chit chat on an unknown subject. Ben looks enthralled. (LOL)
Enoch was "quite the most popular bachelor in London"!
Aww...and look at his little paws, the way they fold like that! That's our oldest grandchild and our youngest. So sweet.
"Larry. Larry, who moved my chair?" ;D
Sweet girlies on the bean bags! Missin' Bella Boo in this picture, though...Sarah really liked the coffee. *laughing*
Our group from the back of the shop...we had such a wonderful time together, and we all were so grateful to those from our Church family and other dear friends who came to celebrate and rejoice with Cleve and Lise and our families!!! It was truly one of the most special times in my life. The rich smell of fine coffees, the laughter and voices of people you love, and sound of frolicking violins...and then looking through the happy jumble to see your brother and his fiancée smiling at each other...That is wonderful.

Part 2 to come!

The Lady that Came from Africa

2011-10-10T10:00:00.000-07:00

For the month of August, our family had the great joy and honor of having an amazing young woman from Africa come and live with us.

She blessed and continues to bless our family in so, so many ways-she has forever impacted us with her love for Christ Jesus, her joy, and her dedication to following Him with all that she is. We are so grateful to God for the opportunity to be with this incredible sister in Christ!
We love you so, N., and miss you so very much!! Thank you, from the bottom of our full hearts, dearest sister!! We're still humming Safa Saphel' Isizwe and dancing with Wally Bear and breaking ice and doin' bread and listening to Daddy dear read God's Word!! And eating! And killin flies. In proper red neck fashion. :D

And it has gotten cool! Really cold in the mornings. I wish I could show you the flowers that are blooming in the fields...they are beautiful. We miss and love you so!!
Sisters"I would like a wa-ter, please ma'am!" :DThe little tea (or coffee) Katie gave for her before she left.Some of the girlies! And poor Wally Bear. Woefully outnumbered.
At Chick'fil A for the first time.
Trips to town with lots of girls crammed into a suburban...
Making bread together...
Laughing together......and our last picture together, after laughing very, very hard. And then we cried after she left. She has blessed us.
And, here is a picture of your little buddy, just for you! This picture makes me smile!!
I'm sure he's thinkin' as we are-just missing you. And praying for you. And love you, so very much!!

Chomps (and hugs!) to you from across the ocean!

Love always,

Adeline

Good morning, dearest Observers!

2011-10-10T07:34:00.000-07:00

How are you? Oh, I've missed you! And writing on this poor old blog. :D I was so full of thoughts this morning and joy and so many beautiful things that I had to sit and write something down!!
*
So. How are you? ! Isn't our Lord Jesus good? He is. All the time. And He is so, so gracious to bless us with beautiful Autumn days, the brightest blue skies, with sweet smelling breezes...With a precious wife for our big brother (who comes from the sweetest family, too!) A girl who loves Jesus.
He blesses us with families that you love so much, you and all your people think about them everyday and miss them when they have to move away to another country. It's like good medicine to hear their voice over the phone or hear them laugh. You really miss those laughs.

He blesses us with grand babies who live next door who are fluffy and don't mind getting kissed a million times on their little cheek!
.....With an outbreak of loathsome house flies that teach you patience.
.....With big sisters who live hours away who talk to you on the phone while you both work and you laugh allot and feel so much better because of talking to her.

Oh, and for beautiful music. A waltz that makes you dance around your house or a piece that's so moving it makes you want to cry! Deep cellos, an oboe that makes you close your eyes and sigh with joy, and violins that sound like happy birds!
For a harvest of sweet potatoes that are a beautiful orange color, and for an awesome little sister in the kitchen canning them.

He is a good God. Can I ever praise Him enough? No, I cannot...He is worthy of all I can ever give, though...

Oh, gracious-there are so many special and amazing things to post on!! I am quite behind, so, I'm playing catch up. Going back to August. ;) More posts to come!

A happy day to you, dear reader!

Much cordiality,

Adeline Grace Morton

*google images*

Something beautiful....

2011-09-17T23:00:00.000-07:00

...happened today.
We joyfully announce the engagement of William Cleveland Morton to Miss Lise Marie Kendall.

Blessed be the name of the Lord!!!! He is faithful and true. Oh, I can hardly wait to share more pictures of today's happenings with you!!! Our hearts are so, so full-to overflowing!!

The Lord is so good, all the time!!!!

Much love to you all, from the happiest sister in the world,

Adeline!

In which Cleveland turns another year older...

2011-09-13T14:29:00.000-07:00

...and in which we have one of the best times we've ever had, gathered around the table in the barn, laughing, singing...celebrating him and his life, and thanking the Lord Jesus for him.

Ah, how we love him!

How blessed we are to have him as our brother and son.

We love you, Cleve. So much.
Down the table.To have Wesley and Uncle Frank both telling stories at the same table is one of the most glorious things in the world!! (We were so thrilled the Campanas were up here that weekend!!)
"...and you know, this guy was over there doing this number..."
Crying-waving hilarious!!Mama and Daughter-Kress and Isa, we love you so! Oh, and check out Isa-, she sucks her thumb!! How dainty is that? Well, she's not actually doing it in this picture, LOL, but it is so so cute when she does...)
Carlo was in such suspense over this story. :)
Daddy's all-the-way-laugh -One of the most delightful sounds in the world! It makes me grin just looking at this picture.Joe
Marth and N.-precious sisters!Reading birthday notes and opening some awesome, thoughtful gifts. :)
And I shall end with one of my favorite pictures from the last few weeks.
*merriment and laughing* (More on this later)

Happy Birthday, dearest brother.

Love forever,

Adeline, for all of us

Some of you got it...

2011-09-13T14:15:00.000-07:00

...and some of your guesses made us laugh even harder. :D

And here's the one to the right, today, holding one of the precious little babies at Church. :D

(We love you, Aunt Laura and Amanda!! Uncle Marc, thanks for the beautiful idea. :)

Love and laughing,

Addie~O

Now accepting guesses....

2011-09-05T12:52:00.000-07:00

...in regards to the identity of the two stealthy individuals above. Name the two persons correctly and you will receive fame and accolades.

(Oh my stars-you will love this!! :P LOL-when I got it via email several weeks ago it made my day. Only one hint, lovelie-they live in the south, a little east.) While we're waiting for some pictures of Enoch to arrive, I thought I would entertain us all by sharing! (with their permission, of course.)

May the hysteria commence!

With love,

Poog

A New Look!!

2011-09-01T22:41:00.000-07:00

Ta-da!

Dearest Observer,

I now present to you a new look here on this mortonclan blog. Fresh picture, white background, delicious new( but not too different) font...

So. What ya' think?

Less trashy looking in the sidebar? Or does one feel lost? There is no little welcoming words or picture, or 'about us' up top. It's almost like not having a door mat. But I put all that goodie down at the bottom. And I seems like the words in the header should be bigger, maybe white...I think it's not quite singing. I'll see what my family thinks about it in the mornin'. Have you any thoughts?

Hehe, I know you have much more important things to do then evaluate blog templates, but would you be so gracious as to send a little feed back? Is it any easier to read/pictures clearer? Thanks, dearies!!

For the trouble of reading this wordy postage, I shall end with one of my very favorite pictures from this past month. Jeanine Morton...Strength and dignity are her clothing; And she laugheth at the time to come..." (Prov. 31)

(I love you, Mama!!)

Goodnight, kind Observers. Ta-ta, toodles & a cheerio!!

Lovingly,

Addie Grace

July Vacation

2011-08-31T13:15:00.000-07:00

Darlingest Readers,

How are you!? I've missed you! Heavens, I'm so behind in keeping this poor picture journal up.

SO: Before I indulge in posting pictures of THE cutest newborn in the world, we shall be good children and catch up.

Hence:

July was huge. Very busy, exciting, and making me smile as I look back through these 'old' pictures! God is good, all the time, and so faithful!

Alrighty-we spent our July 4 vacation in South Carolina, beautiful state-we enjoyed touring Traveler's Rest, some reenacting at Cowpens battlefield, and a wonderful weekend with the dear Kendall family. What a blessing our time with them was!! Thank you all so, so much for an incredible time!!

So, now, I take you with us to our first stop, into a room at Traveler's Rest, where I admire the work on the stairs. The wood in this home was incredible.

It is so fun to tour homes with our architect Daddy!! He is brilliant and is so sweet to point out things of interest to us.
The tour guide said the red color comes from adding a little gold to the glass while it's being made. Would have never ever guessed!
Sister Dear with the afore mentioned stairs. (Andrew and Sam rush to join the picture)
Me and Marth
The roman numerals that guided the builders.
Cleve
Now there are some incredible shoes! :)
My Father's hand resting on the hand railing that is made of one solid piece of wood.

After we enjoyed the house and grounds, Daddy took us to this precious little cafe-it was delightful. The interior decorating was beautifully done. See, isn't that cool? It's like a wood-sy window treatment.
A glorious detail from...
...this amazing quilt! All the different fibers were just fabulous.
A stunning lily at the Inn...

2011-08-31T13:14:00.000-07:00

Then we headed to The Cowpens battlefield, where a small group of gentlemen were doing some fascinating demonstrations. Their costumes were incredible!!

All the old shoes that day were amazing-beautiful in their own unique way.
And this man's shoes were awesome. What glorious, rugged aplomb.

We had the greatest time talking with them afterwards-they were hilarious, and very kind to answer our many questions. They made one of my favorite pictures from the weekend!Bayonet.

The walk back to our rides....

2011-08-31T13:13:00.000-07:00

Then it was off to the Kendall's!! What a precious, welcoming family. Above, is The Courting Couple (now engaged!!!) looking absolutely adorable!
I think my favorite part of being with a family is when we gather at the end of the day for the reading of God's Word, singing, telling stories, hearing poems...it is all so rich.
Such a sweet Grandmother! (R.'s looking pretty intent, LOL...she just loved it when she would sing! :) Love this one...

And touring their beautiful town! Christiana looking so feminine in her glorious hat!
The suspension bridge. It would shake sometimes, but had a beautiful view.
Marfa dear!

(This makes me think of you, Daisy!! Miss and love you!) Another shot of sister...

Some of us girlies on a swing.

(gracious, these are very simple captions. And you know how big I am on word economy, too....yes, it is late!)

The incredible view from the bridge.
And the view from...the view!
There were tons of the tamest little pigeons. "Tommy's got the spotlight!" ;)
Their streets was just beautiful... I thought this planting was stunning.
Touring the town was extra fun in Lise's adorable convertible.
John Man holding down a rock at the river.

(On to page two, lovelies!)

2011-08-31T13:12:00.000-07:00

When we got home, Mrs. Jan and Mr. Tom and Daddy and Mama had this huge July 4th lunch waiting-it was fabulous! Above is Andrew's hat, that I love.
Dear Lise
Prentiss's beautiful arrangements!

A dearly loved big brother...and a dearly loved little brother.....Edwin, you are so cute. I love you and thanks for the tea. :)"Napkins, anyone?" Prentiss, you are a blessing! (we miss you!) R. Cakes!! I don't know if I have ever seen a more friendly baby.

Precious People
Dinner together...
... the 'little' boys got to go up the mountain with Lise for a ride later that afternoon...

2011-08-31T13:11:00.000-07:00

And then Corn Cakes!!! I mean corn hole-however that goes-anyway, then of course we had a massive tournament that afternoon. There are soo many special pictures of people in mid toss I laughed so hard sorting through the pictures. :)
I...
....love...
...these...
....boys!!
Cleve tossin'.
Daddy doing the same...he was so good. Mama just always looks so elegant!! I love her so. Christiana, your expression makes me laugh.
Paul's driving prowess was, until then, unknown.
(No, no, he didn't drive. :D Doesn't he look great, though?)

And above is Hunter and Chandler, a wonderful duo. (they are seen here whispering strategy to each other as they pretend to gather bags. (It was painfully obvious) ;D

Dear Prentiss bringing in some of the beautiful produce she had raised!
Another elegant lady!!
Aww, you're so sweet. It was nothing, really. I just snapped, and it just, turned out incredible. Notice the slight blurring of the bag in motion, the focus on the black hole. The still figures in the back ground, blurred but greatly adding to the overall effect of the photograph. The variety of blues in the foreground and back...

This is such a fun picture...
Dr. and Mrs. K.-gracious hosts and dear Christian friends.
The crowds observe with fascination.
Chandler holds The List.
I just love it when you catch everyone in their thoughtful expression. (I especially love mine. It is disturbing enough that it causes any opponents to be distracted to failure. Keep a serious face during stare. Repeat if necessary.)
This one amuses me as well...
A baby acorn Sam found-isn't it so cute!? :) I love little things.
Ah, how beautiful families are!
....and father and soon-to-be son-in-law :)
I think I rung the chimney on that one...
Beautiful, beautiful flag...
"What's that......!!??" (to have a brother's all-the-way laugh in a picture is one of my favorite things)
Sweet Christiana
The dog acted as umpire for a while...
HA! John, you are hilarious. I know you look disappointed in that toss, but you still look cute. :D
All Mr. Tom needs is a toga.
There's something so beautiful about fathers and their daughters.... :)

And then we all threw knives. That was allot of fun, and Marth and I could hardly stop laughing. Nearly swallowed our hankies. I'm proud of all of us, doing our best. :D It was hilarious.

Here, Hunter demonstrates the Stick Into method. No need to throw or aim. Just place into desired target and add force. It works every time. For him. (*mischievous laugh*) Y'all are just pure delight!

We waved, hollered and hugged goodbye Monday around noon after a lovely lunch at their local Mexican diner, and then headed for Georgia! We had an incredible time, dearest K.s. Thank you, from the bottom of our full and happy hearts.

What car ride is complete without a frappicino? Daddy is too sweet. :D

2011-08-31T13:10:00.000-07:00

Oh, but before we got home, we stopped by this amazing restaurant in middle GA. It was THE best food with the most fabulous atmosphere, friendly service and gorgeous grounds.
The waiter was a dear and took our picture for us.
After supper we enjoyed the little lakelet and yard.
Dragonfly

One of my 'bestest' friends.
Wrought iron fences and Dark green magnolia leaves just go together...

And....after we left there, we had one of the most amazing experiences our family has ever had.

Daddy had spotted a Morton, Georgia on the map, so we thought we would stop by and look around. When we arrived, there was only an old barn with a J. H. Morton's name on it.

...so, we got out, stretched and enjoyed the lovely evening. We had noticed a gentleman who was mowing around the old barn earlier and had driven over to his house across the street, so Daddy went over to introduce himself and to ask about the town.

Come to find out, his wife's maiden name was Morton, and they are genealogy buffs. We also found out we have the same linage, and that she and her family have traced our family line all the way back to-

OH my goodness-a quick breath-this is so amazing: all the way back to 800.

800!!!!

We are totally awed. My grandmother and Daddy, and really all of our family, have a love for genealogy, and Daddy has been able to trace us back to Ireland on one side, but that is as far as we have been able to go-and on Mama's side, too, Grand Mama traced her side all the way to England. So, our family is just ecstatic.

They were so hospitable and welcomed us into their home, where she pulled out a huge folder with pictures, stories, Bible records, quotes, and even the name to two or three books written by relations of ours about our family linage. We asked her questions for quite a while, and also enjoyed looking at her husband's amazing bottle collection. We are hoping to go see them and learn more about our family, maybe photo copy her scrapbook, and see if we can find those books.

Oh, and we are related to William the Conqueror. Have not studied him, but ...mmmmm :D And we have allot of French in us, too! (Rozenn, we could be related!! ;)

So. Praise the Lord. We are very thrilled.

And we took a few pictures, too, whilst at the old barn. Above: Paul Man!

Two incredible siblings...

He looks like a soldier from WWII. Wonderful boy.

And another wonderful young man!The gentleman and his collection! 'Twas amazing.Awww...I thought this baby one was adorable.Hearing about the people that we came from. The Morton coat of arms. I can hardly wait to read more about it.

So, thus ends our incredible July vacation. What a blessing it has been, in so many huge ways.

Thank You, Lord!

Much love to you all,

Adeline Grace

The Baby!!!!

2011-08-16T02:51:00.000-07:00

Dorothy and Noah's baby is here!

Praise the Lord for this little boy, Enoch Timothy!! We are thanking the Lord and so, so happy for our awesome sister and her wonderful hubby. God is so good. Bless His name.

And, y'all-he is gorgeous. Gor-ge-ous. Hehehe!! From the pictures, he looks allot like Dorothy in his face. :) And he has hair! (I know Dee is excited about that, as any Morton blooded person would, LOL!) I can hardly believe that Dorothy and Noah are a Mom and Dad now!! That just makes me smile. We love you both so much!

For some amazing pictures, go visit his other Auntie's bloggie here. See, isn't he luscious? Dorothy and Noah, congratulations on your first born son. Thank You, Lord.

And his feet are perfect! Proper baby feet. :) And his little cheeks! Oh, how I love him. I can hardly wait to hold him and give him kisses.

A heartfull of love to you, little baby boy, from your adoring and anticipating

Aunt Poog

P.S. Oh! Guesses! We all wrote down our thoughts while she was in labor, and I shall post them now for your amusement!

Andrew: boy, 8 lbs
Poog: boy, 7 lbs, 2 oz
Rach: boy, 7 1/2 lbs
N.: girl, 3.2 kilomaters
Sam: girl, 6 lbs 5 oz
Cleve: boy, 7 lbs, 11 oz
John: girl, 7 lbs
Edwin: boy, 5 lbs
Little Joe: boy and he thinks he will be "wittle" thing. :D

What were your thoughts? :) (can you believe I guessed correctly this time?)

(Oh, heavens, by the way, this poor little blog-sorry it's been so long since we've posted-life has been super exciting and busy of late...more on that coming later... *huge, ginormous grin* Until then, lovelies, I remain your tardy but affectionate recorder of events here at Calathora and elsewhere. Have a beautiful day!)

I'm off to look at his pictures again before I go back to bed. :)

Good morning!

2011 Style Show

2011-07-02T04:47:00.000-07:00

On June 10 and 11 about 100 ladies and daughters came to Calathora Farms for the first Style Show.

The weekend was wonderful .

Monday morning following, the Morton family found itself canoeing across the laundry room - water pump went out on the washer - and the vegetables came in and the internet went out!! We have so much to share with you and we think we'll be up and running again in a few days - soooo, come back in a few days for the Style Show post we have been wanting to share with you for many days now.

For a few insights on the weekend, go over and look at the Sander's post here. The Sanders headed up the "curly hair" section of the Style Show and just ignited the weekend!!

I will share the two scriptures that were the basis of the whole weekend............

(I am on borrowed internet service and must leave soon, so cannot take much time. When we have our internet up and running again, we'll take a leisurely stroll through the weekend.)

In Isaiah 61,it is written that the Lord gives
BEAUTY for ashes,
the oil of JOY for mourning,
the garment of GLADNESS for the spirit of heaviness.....

and in Proverbs 31, we asre told that
STRENGTH and DIGNITY are her clothing and she SMILES at the future....

Well, I must run.

Ordinary Days

2011-06-25T09:17:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon, Mon Cheris!

Well, here's me and Marth, giving a happy hall-ooos and hug to you!

So much to tell you about! But, 'till a post about the Style Show weekend (we had such an incredible time with so many precious ladies!) here is a massive post about life here on the farmling of late. Lots of pictures-be sure you're well hydrated and have food on hand if you're hypoglycemic. Or just a munchie. ;) (You should eat healthier, lovie. That has partially hydrogenated soy bean oil in it.)

Oh! Real quick-guess what? A bit of flower news-our Confederate Jasmine (I love that name!) is alive and well, and making the back porch smell heavenly at this very moment. We're trying to train it to go up the back porch and then on up the the top decks...wouldn't that be so wonderful? And our hydrangea bush is still blooming! Hehe, can you believe that? 'Course I already told you about that. Flowers just touch my heart. For years we've been trying to get them' thangs' to do something besides wither and fade. Or get hacked to death by well meaning Zorros. (I love those boys.) Mother dearest and Samuel have been so good about watering everything, and our dear plantlings have responded to their tender loving care. They are wonderful.
So...on to 'ze post...Here is the afore mentioned Mama, icing a cake. We gathered close by for this. :)

Paul, our wet wonder! Joe, watching the slip and slide show with concern from the porch one afternoon we all got together to play in the water. :)

I loved each of these so much I just had to post them all. :) Little girls are wonderful.
William & Wallace
"Bring me Wallace! With fries, if possible. Tater tots-just as good." Piranha.

(Carloie wasn't as impressed with our shin dig as we were)

Preparing to launch, continuing a grand and glorious tradition in Mortondom!
Off he slides...
Contented. ;)
Marfa Girl
John getting air time.
It was too fun having the girls and their babies over. :) Love you Rach! And Joey you are too beautiful. :D

(He's thinking- "I can't believe I fell for this. Bustin' my rear out there on that infernal plastic. Ah. Yes mother. That toe. A little to the left.")

"You will not believe what I have been through tonight!"
;) He actually loved it. I love you, Critter!
Woofie comes in from the water to ensure the icing of the cake is proceeding on as planned.

( It's too fun having "the neighbor kids" be your nephews and nieces at the same time. :)

Essie Cakes
Wally Bear, you are pure joy.

Ah, I'm so glad Summer's here. That afternoon was a blast.

Recently the G. family came up for a visit-we enjoyed the visit and were so blessed by all they did in the barn-thanks so much y'all, for the delightful visit and help. God bless each of you!
Kressy and Mrs. A. at church one morning. This was right before Isa arrived. (obviously;)

I could just kick myself for never getting all three of our showing mommies at Church together in the same picture. Alas. Anyway, here's two of them! Aren't they cute?And the dear R. family!! May God bless them. We had such a fabulous time with these sweet folks. They were coming through GA and we were so thrilled to meet them at last. (Hello, y'all! Hope to see you again soon! :)