Barberville Fall Jamboree

Hey y'all!

Well, we did it again... we went to the Barberville Music Festival! Only this time, of course, it was the Fall Jamboree, not Spring Frolic :D

We had such a good time. Anna played two shows with her Fiddle guild, there was lots of shopping, and we got to spend time with several sweet families.

I'll be posting some pics, as you have probably guessed :)

All the "Fiddling Krickets" and their families met at the musicians entrance at 10:00 I believe.

Three little girls, Olivia and I all headed over to see Roger and Gailanne performing right before the Krickets had to play.

Jean Marie, the avid photographer. :)

A shot I "stole" from Jean Marie. I took it from a different angle, though :D Love ya, dahlin!

Anna and I, profound caption, right? :)

Jean and I, another pure genius title by Emily... *blank stare* :D

Anna and her violin.

My and Mattie's feet :)

Jean, Mrs. Hope, and Joseph eating sugar cane :)

Rebecca Foster dancing with Johnny.

Lauren barn dancing. Wasn't that fun? :)

Anna barn dancing as well :)

A candid picture, taken by Miss Mattie Amundsen. Amundsen family, I do believe you all have a budding photographer on your hands :)

The Artist herself, Mattie :)

Anna and Rebecca preparing for their second performance.

Miss Kricket, if you're reading this, you did a wonderful job organizing your group!

All the Fiddling Krickets minus Seamus who had to go to a soccer tryout.

Mrs. Chalmers and Cameron Foster were the wonderful guitarists. Good job, y'all!

Anna playing Rakes of Kildare, I believe.

The Amundsen's playing with the Katie and Joe Waller (Jackson Creek).

Mrs. Scarlet, I didn't know you play the bass! You learn something new everyday, I guess. :)

Roger tuning up.

Gailanne tuning as well.

Well, we had such a good time that occasionally, we forgot to take pictures so, that's all we have :)

Again, like I said on the Spring Frolic post... Can't wait till next time!
God bless!

~Emily

Barberville Fall Jamboree Announcement

Hey y'all!
We had such a good time at this years Barberville Spring frolic that we're going to attend the Fall Jamboree on November 1st. Anna will be playing with her teacher and fiddle guild... Here is the link to the Friends of Florida Folk Barberville page: http://www.folkfiddle.com/barber.htm.
hope to see you there! :)
~Emily

Happy 18th Emily!

Thus begins a photo shoot Emily and I did earlier this afternoon.


The newest "legal adult" in the Stone home.

Twirling about...

Okay, so it's not of Emily, but she was holding Moo and I thought this was too cute to pass up. Yes, for those of you who are wondering...it is a picture of a cat. ;)

She's growing into a fine young lady.

More graceful spinning.

Lord willing, more pictures shall soon be forthcoming from her birthday party.

May the Lord God bless our Emily!

~Anna

Family Trip, At the O'Briens

Hello faithful readers...that is...if any of you still read this blog. :) We are quite remorseful over our recent LACK of posts. I beg your forgiveness!!!

Our family recently made a trip to to Illinois. On our way there we visited in Michigan...pretty much all over the state. Then, on to Illinois we went, afterward visiting in Indiana.
"Let's start at the very beginning...a very good place to start." :)

Our first stop, after a 23 1/2 hour straight drive, was at the O'Brien's home in Northern Michigan. They kindly let us stay with them in their lovely, lake-front home.


After an afternoon of running about hither and yon to see the sights, Mrs. O'Brien kindly treated us to some delicious ice cream.

Liv with her creamy dessert.

Outside of the ice cream shop, there hung a rock. Just a normal, average looking rock. Apparently, the natives use this rock to forecast the weather.
*If it gets wet, the day will be rainy; if it swings, gusts of wind will be experienced; if the rock feels hot, it will be sweltering outside; etc...*
Well, Emily decided she wanted to touch this incredible rock. The moment she presses a finger to its porous surface...the stone comes tumbling out of the sling with a thud. We took that to mean that there would be an earthquake. :D

An Amish homestead nearby, we bought fresh eggs, butter milk, and salted butter. Delicious!

Later that day, Olivia and Chelsea (the O'Brien's granddaughter) amused themselves by swimming in the lake. They must have jumped off the end of the dock 30 times in a half hour. :)
Splashing in the drink
Olivia showed me this tiny snail she found in the lake. We'd never seen a black one before, so I figured I should take a picture of the momentous occasion. :)
A view of the O'Brien's home from the end of their dock. When you walk out on the porch, it feels like you're in a tree house.

Daddy shoving us away from the dock. We spent the next hour or so touring a vast lake in a pontoon boat. It was so refreshing.
Yup, I think they're drying. :)
Emily and I
Our pilot, Captain O'Brien, looking quite intent on his task. The lovely bride of our captain, reclining with their sweet dog, Abbey.

This is a boy dog...named...Silky. My, how masculine! :)
Sigh...Deeper sigh...
Chelsea with her heat-producing bookends, Emily and Mom.
Another view the ship master. Behind is his son, Mr. Jay.

'Ello Mum!
Isn't it funny how most people that live right off the lake have boats, jet skis, kayaks, or canoes? :)
Who thinks they know what THIS is?
Hmm, it seems the wind is a bit too much for them.
Father and Daughter

By the size of this house, the up-keep of the landscaping, and the flag hanging from the balcony, we figured the owner of this house must be a rich doctor or lawyer with a son that likes pirates. I wonder how close our guess was...? :D
Disembarking after a lovely voyage.
Getting ready to leave the next morning.
The last shot we got of the Mr. and Mrs.

They were such kind, gracious hosts and we thank the Lord for the time spent "fellowshipping" with them.

~Anna