Buttercup came after Coco. She was a scared, timid dog that would hide under the table or in her crate. She hated the leash, but eventually came to be fine with a harness. She was good about going out and coming in from the backyard. Buttercup was also severely underweight, so we were tasked with making her more comfortable and fattening her up before she left on the rescue transport to head up north.
Our foster dog, Coco, was finally cleared and able to travel to her new home up north. She was cleared the day of travel, so we let her run around in the backyard as much as possible. Anna read outside to keep her company. She is now with a great foster family up north and is doing great!
Our church has a meal every Wednesday night. Phil's sister Vanessa, who is the church secretary, asked if I would be willing to make one of the meals. I love to cook and the church would be paying for the food, so it was a win-win! We made tacos! The girls were such a big help and Vanessa did all the chopping for me. We worked from 1:45-6:30! It was a long day and I was exhausted, but I loved it! We also made all the desserts, but we made those at home a few days before.
Our friends from Hartsville, the Andersons, got to come to the old house and stay the weekend. We had a good time and were able to explore with them as well. We love introducing our friends to the old house and to the quaint towns around it.
My mom and sister (and her two kids) were able to come down for the week and visit at the old house. Leah's kids (Vera & Michael) had spring break, so they came down Sunday and left on Thursday. I still had to work while they were there, but we were able to still have a good time and get out a little bit. The kids played outside in the creek and the barn even though it was freezing! We went for a drive on Monday afternoon to see the two surrounding towns. On Tuesday, Leah and mom went to do some shopping for souvenirs. Leah took all the kids on Wednesday to the Mast General Store and they got some fun old-fashioned candy and some neat toys. My mom stayed at the old house and we were able to visit on my breaks. We had a good week together.
We took a weekend while the girls were at a weekend youth retreat (about an hour from the old house) to go and open up the old house for the summer season. It is a little earlier than we normally open it up, so it was still a bit chilly in the house! 40 degrees inside! Wow! John spent some time exploring with Aunt Sherri and Uncle Allen while Phil and I worked and got things put together. We also took some time to walk the property and explore.
Our girls went on a youth retreat with the church youth group. Phil's sister and brother-in-law are the children and family pastors at our church and they are the ones that went with the teens. When I picked the kids up on Sunday morning, Anna said, "Mama, I'm going to tell you something that will blow your mind. I got saved!" We have prayed and prayed for our girls to want to follow Jesus! I cried and cried when she told me and kept hugging her. We are thrilled that she has finally believed and are also glad that Phil's sister is the one that talked and prayed with her! What a sweet thing for Vanessa and Eric to be a part of Anna's story!
Eric, Vanessa, & the girls
