Richard L. Ingram

Richard was a friend of Clint's. They worked together at Siemen's Automotive. I had met him when we'd run into him in stores and other places. Normally, I would not discuss this here, but there are some ugly, ugly rumors going around that are quite upsetting to those who knew and cared for Richard. I have been helping with relief efforts and have gone door to door seeing what people needed. I heard many of the rumors myself and found them very disturbing. I have spoken to Richard's neighbors including a retired policeman who was on the scene right after the tornado. This man lived behind Richard and was there immediately. I also spoke to some members of his family. Richard was outside, lying face down and had a head wound that indicated he died immediately. There was no suffering. The other stories about how he died are just that....stories. There is no truth in them. His family members are already struggling with what happened. Seeing the destruction at his house was bad enough. They do not need wild rumors of gross exaggeration. 

For those looking to steal copper out of the houses that were hit hard, remember the Coke residents are watching you....through the scope of their rifles. I know; I've spoken to them. They are red hot mad about the looting of their neighbor's homes. They are waiting for you to come back.

OBX Photos

Rub a dub dub, three girls in a jacuzzi tub!
I enjoyed the hot tub, but this jacuzzi in the master suite was da bomb!

Caleb was "good and dirty" after playing with several other children on Jockey's Ridge! He and Joshua rolled down the dunes with the other children there.
Clint and I sat in the overlook since my injured ankle could not handle the shifting sands.
As families left, we received many compliments on Joshua's, Caleb's and Bethany's behavior and social skills!
Not only did they introduce themselves to every child and parent there, but they helped several find their way around!
When I made a crack about "unsocialized homeschoolers," one mother told me she was not surprised that they were homeschooled because they were so well behaved and had excellent social skills!

Brandon thrilled Hannah by holding her over the incoming waves.
It was chilly the first day we arrived, but temperatures soared to 83 the next day and stayed warm the rest of the trip.

Miss Amanda reacting as I teased her about a boy!

Joshua digging!
There's so many of them and they are all so creative, they really do some excavating on the beach. (We   taught them to fill any holes in to protect sea turtles. Sea turtles will get trapped in big holes in the sand.)
They had a huge castle with a moat that filled in as the tide came in. I missed getting a picture of it, but it was something else!

Wild Horses of Corolla

While we were in OBX, Clint took me to Corolla and Carova Beaches to spend the day. We explored the entire area, saw so many of the horses that I could not keep count, watched the sunset and then drove back on the beach at night while the moonlight danced on the waves. We had a wonderful time together!

When I was a teen, I felt very alone, unwanted and unloved. I asked God to send me a godly mate who would love me for myself. I am so thankful He sent Clint to be a husband to me and father to my children. That simple, but heartfelt prayer from a struggling teen yielded great blessings.

Oodles of Poodles

I have always wanted to raise teacup poodles. The Lord has recently blessed us with three!
This is Mr. Tippy Toes "Tippy" or Barefoot in OBX (Outerbanks) "Bear."
I have not decided on a name yet. Let me know which you like best at contentmentacres@yahoo.com
He is an 8 week old apricot.

This is Ginger Kisses. She is an 12 week apricot.

This is Sweet Magnolia Blossom "Maggie."
Her former name was Tina. This was my first attempt at cutting a poodle's hair.
She is 5 months old and is one of the smartest dogs I've ever seen.
She was here less than 24 hours before she'd bark to come in or go outside.

When we got her, she had a long coat with a few mats in it, but she took to the grooming pretty well.

We hope to raise poo-chis (poodle chihuahua hybrids) in our licensed kennel the near future.

Gloucester, VA Tornado

Please join us in prayer for our county which was hit by a tornado that killed three people and destroyed many homes. A tornado like this is very unusual for our area. The destruction was 8.5 miles long and went very close to several friends of ours. It passed within less than 5 miles from our home. In the home pictured above, the mother put her children in the bathtub right before the house was blown over. PTL, they all survived! The link will take you to a video of the family. I tried to embed it, but it is not working.

Here is the Link: http://www.dailypress.com/videobeta/c4813237-7ecc-42e6-892c-14c0d9141555/News/A-bathtub-saved-Rayshad-Mathews-life-in-Gloucester-

Survival During Natural Disasters

Home from OBX

We are home from a week in the OBX. The entire family had a wonderful time! Clint and I spent an entire day alone on Corolla and Corova beaches. This is the truck at sunset. Driving on the beach at night while watching the moonlight dance on the waves was something we'll never forget seeing.

Make Your Own Ressurection Eggs Craft

http://www.southernsavers.com/2010/03/archive-frugal-resurrection-eggs/ Make your own Resurrection Eggs for Resurrection Sunday.

Animal Tracks Lesson Plan

I came across this lesson plan while searching the internet to find the tracks I spotted on my walk today.

http://www.skullduggery.com/Lessons/0470-3.pdf Animal Tracks

http://www.skullduggery.com/Lessons.htm More Lesson Plans

It is a Big Store!

I forgot how large Sams Club seems to the children.

Caleb (9): "Mom? What are all those people's pictures up there for?"

Me: "Those are people who are missing."

Caleb pointing with his thumb over his shoulder: "In here?"

Smith and Wesson

These are our two Vietnamese Potbelly Pigs, Smith & Wesson. We have had a terrible time keeping them in a pen since the fire happened. I think we made a good modification to their temporary pen last night. If it holds them, we will call it Fort Knox! Wesson is the female in the top picture. Smith is the male.