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Bernadette Stevenson Caruso was a warm and lovely twenty three year old wife and mother. Her friends and family describe her as a loving, devoted mother to her three year old daughter. Bernadette was the youngest of seven children in our family. She was my little sister. We were sisters sharing that special sister bond. Our lives were all entwined in the usual family ways, hanging out with siblings, getting our children together, celebrating family events and holidays. One of the last memories I have is shopping for Christmas tree trimmings together, it was important that our trees reflected our individual families and styles. It was a fun sister thing to do. I still remember our conversation was on bows, tinsel and ornaments. Sisters, there is nothing like them!

On September 27, 1986, Bernadette disappeared without a trace. She simply got off work and disappeared. Bernadette and her car just vanished. The lives of those she touched has never been the same. Her family and friends knew right away that Bernadette had met with foul play, she would never have left her family and little daughter. No leads, no information, no Bernadette. We still search for answers.

I remember Bernadette at Christmas time in a special way, Bernadette’s birthday was usually celebrated at our family’s Forth of July gathering. My daughter Sara Bernadette was born on New Years Eve in 1987, just in time to watch the fireworks with me as I had with her name sake, Aunt Bernadette on each birthday. What was more amazing was that Sara had come a month early.

This year as we have for the last twenty three years we will put up a Christmas tree for Bernadette and stand before it and say the promises that we have made in our hearts ” Bernadette, We miss you , we will never give up. We will bring you home.” Our family will gather as we decorate Bernadette’s tree having a glass of wine and sharing the memories of having had the gift of Bernadette in our lives. Our children, some who never got the chance to meet their aunt will again hear stories about her and continue to love their Aunt Bernadette simply because we have kept her alive in our hearts.

  Bernadette Stevenson Caruso

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Yesterday Ebony had her babies! Twins, a boy and a girl. cute as a button they are! We are super busy the last couple of days and hopefully I will get to update my blog about my week on Friday, till then enjoy the pictures of the new babies at the farm.

Thanks everyone for your votes! Keep them coming!

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Well, after one busy weekend and one tumble down the stairs, I’m feeling much better after seeing the little guy. I arrived this morning a little late moving slower this morning because I am so sore. All it took was the first smile from Jack to brighten my day, he even gave it to me with his passy in place! An hour of smiles and playtime with Jack melted my cares away. We have been signing together and I think he has Mommy and Daddy already! Well the little guy is awake from his nap and hungey so catch you all later!
Here is a picture of the handsome little guy!

Little Jack!

Wow, In one day I made it form 74th place to 18th place! Thanks for your support, remember you can vote once a day!

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It’s still delivery time here at the farm, Tobi has been at this since 12:30 and has four boys and more to come. Here are some pictures of the new litter! Gotta get back to Tobi!

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Here are some pictures taken at Magnolia Hill Farm.

Our home is a work in progress, we are still working on redoing bathrooms and eventually the kitchen. I love details it must have been from the days when I worked as a display person for The Limited. How I loved that job. These days it is just the finishing touches I get to put inside the house. We are a blend of the old and new here and I love mixing things up some. Jim no longer wants me to watch the home makeover or decorating shows. He use to joke that he never knew how the furniture would be arranged when he got home from work each day! LOL We always put pictures of the kids and farm animals so I thought I would share some inside pictures.

A True Friend

If I could catch a rainbow I would do it just for you. And share with you it’s beauty On the days you’re feeling blue. If I could build a mountain You could call your very own. A place to find serenity A place to be alone. If I could take your troubles I would toss them into the sea, But all these things I’m finding Are impossible for me. I cannot build a mountain Or catch a rainbow fair, But let me be what I know best, A friend that is always there.  …Khahlil Gibran   A poem from Khahili Gibran, I have loved his work since I was a teenager.   A few weeks ago we lost our little micro mini pig, Miss Piggy, she lived here at the farm with our other pot bellied pig Wilbur. We were saddened by the lost and realized that we would have to find a new special friend for Wilbur soon. Then things got a little busy with everyone being sick and my mother in law passing away. Wilbur kept getting out of his pen, something he never did when Miss Piggy was alive. Well, while out Wilbur checked out all the other animals in the barn and decided to visit Moonpie, our stud llama who is in a stall by himself. The two have become best buds in just a couple of days! Yesterday I moved a dog house into Moonpie’s stall for Wilbur. Everytime I went down to check on the goat to see if she was in labor I checked on Wilbur and Moonpie. Wilbur was sound asleep in his pig house and Moonpie was laying right next to him. This proves two things: First, animals do mourn the loss of their friends. Second, friends can come in all shapes and sizes! Here are pictures of Wilbur and Moonpie!

Another funny picture from the farm!

I don't think I should be driving this close to my due date!!!!!

We arrived late yesterday afternoon in Zanesville for my mother in law, Betty’s funeral. It was a nice ride here we followed John, Tracy and Jack in their car. Jack seemed to do pretty good on the ride. Jack and I are both under the weather but did ok on the long trip.I couldn’t help but reflect on all the times we made this trip to visit Grandpa and Grandma when the kids were young. About an hour before we would get here they would all get excited and antsy in the car. Betty would have cooked all our favorite things and would make her wonderful peanut butter fudge for us. They looked forward to our visits and now as grandparents we understand their excitement even more. I was blessed to have a wonderful mother in law in Betty. She was a kind and sweet person. If anyone would be the example of a true Christian, it would be Betty. she was kind and thoughtful and never judgemental.  Kathy, from Ohio and I talked on the phone before we came, talking about how good Betty had been to us when our kids were babies. She loved to watch them and never missed an opportunity to tell us what good mothers we were. She was a wonderful support system for us. Betty did not have an easy life and after Harry, (Jim’s Dad) died she lived with her family. She loved that part of her life, she loved being around her sister and family and loved her nieces and nephews. I am sure that was one of the high points in her life. I was blessed to have had great grandparents and I am very thankful that our children did too! I bet you Betty is up there making her peanut butter fudge! I know that she will be happy to see those who have gone before her, Harry and her family. i know that Betty is up there refreshed in God’s presence and taking care of others still!  We love you Betty!

Merry Christmas Noah and Family!

This is about a 5yr old named, Noah, He is in the last stages of a 2 1/2 yr battle with Nueroblastoma Cancer. His family is celebrating Christmas next week with him and Noahs request is to get lots of Christmas cards Please send cards to: Noah Biorkman 1141 Fountain View Circle, South Lyon MI 48178 Lets see how many cards we can get this little guy!

We will be thinking of you Noah! 

Hope everyone is especially nice to those little trick or treaters coming around tonight! For the last couple of years we have not had any come to either of our houses and I do miss it. I thought of the years past, dressing the kids up and taking them out. Sure do miss those times! Then Tracy sent me a picture or two of  little Jack dressed ( and undressed) and I couldn’t stop laughing! What do you think???

Well, today was suppose to be a cleaning day but I jumped when hubby asked me to go to the nursery with him to pick up some plants. We also made a stop at the farmers market and got five more  baby chicks to add to our chick nursery, LOL.    We are having a chicken coop delivered Monday and I’m sure that is going to make it a little bit easier to look after the brood.

On our way home,  Jim asked if I wanted to stop at a local winery and vineyard just a couple of miles from our farm. Let’s see, wine tasting or cleaning? Umm,  there was no thinking about it.  We stopped at Perigeaux Vineyards and Winery in St. Leonard. It was a beautiful rural setting and the co- owner, Mr. Fleming was a wonderful host as we samples a few of his wines. We left with 2 bottles.  My selection a bottle of  Perigeaux Merlot 2007, a yummy ( I am enjoying it as a type ) medium bodied wine with hints of oak and blackberry. Hubby chose a bottle of Mackall Merlot 2007, a little fuller bodied than mine with hints of raspberry.  So we may not get too much done around the farm this evening. Here is a picture from their website and a link. Check them out and come down and visit,  enjoy the fall leaves and winery! Just another excuse for our wine loving friends to come visit!

http://www.perigeaux.com

On Saturday night our goat Ivory went into labor, she was due on November 6th so she was a little early. Little Autumn Rose was born Oct 25, 2009 at 4:15 AM. She is a cutie pie! White with black on her face and feet. She is a pretty active little goat for being early but just couldn’t nurse on her Mom. We ended up milking her Mom and giving her bottles for a couple of days, now she is nursing fine. Here is a picture of her at 15 minutes old!

Autumn Rose

On Monday everyone came down to see the new baby goat and have a family dinner. Tracy & Jack visited with us. Sara and Matt, Tracy and Dad all enjoyed the Chinese food I fixed and the delicious cake from Jeneva’s Cakes in Prince Frederick. I was happy to find this bakery when we moved to Calvert County. I walked into the shop and walked out with this beautiful cake for our dinner! Thank you to the very nice lady who iced and decorated it in record time, I was impressed.

The gang loved the cake, and believe me when I say this crowd is cake consiours after all the Sugarbakers and The Cakery cakes we have grown to love! Stop by and check them out!

Cakes By Jeneva
151 Central Square Drive, Prince Frederick, Maryland  20678

We are getting ready for winter here at the farm. We have our black goat, Ebony still due on November 6th. Our Great Pyrameese, Tobi is due on Nov 15th. I am hoping she has a small litter.
There is alway lots to do at the farm with feeding and taking care of the farm and animals. There is no resting here, LOL

The pond is almost finished and ready for fish!

Jim’s Pond

On my way to work yesterday I stopped by to see Jack and Tracy and snapped a picture or two!

I will close with two more pictures of our little pumpkin taken by his parents!

Ok, so most of you know we have chickens and ducks. Two day ago our brood hen , who has been sitting on a nest for a couple of weeks hatched seven chicks. It will be a little more work for the next month or two keeping them warm but they are so darn cute! I keep thinking about all the eggs to come! The picture don’t do them justice!

Jack is here visiting with his Mommy and her friend from Texas, Karah! Everyone is having a wonderful time except little Jack who is having some stomach issues. Lucky for Jack he has some many loving arms to hold him.  I got to enjoy Jack through the night yesterday and for someone not feeling well he was a really good baby! The girls and I are having a tea this afternoon so I’ll post picture later.  Here the little guy on his one month birthday! Happy Birthday Buddy!

As the afternoon progressed Karah and Tracy went to Solomons Island and then shopping. It was tea for five when they got home. Tracy , Karah, Sara, Jack and I. Can you see Jack enjoying the tea ?  LOL. It was a lovely afternoon spent with three young woman that would make any mother proud!

Surprise ! Surprise !

Today  Tracy and Jack came for a visit, this was the first visit Jack had made to Nana and Granpap’s home! It was also the first time for little Jack to see his room here and visit with JD ( Jack’s Donkey) a miniature donkey born two weeks before Jack! I’m not sure which Little Jack is growing faster, LOL. We had a wonderful visit and Tracy was thoughtful and even brought us lunch! I soooooooooo loved our visit! Here some pictures from our visit!

Well it has been forever since I’ve written on my blog ( almost a year) so I decided to start blogging again. What a year it has been for us. There have been so many changes in our lives, I don’t even know if I can remember or recap them all.  The most wonderful change is of course the addition of our first grandchild, Jack! He is of course the most beautiful baby in the world! I’m not a proud grandma now am I? LOL.  We put a lot of thought into what we wanted to be called as grandparents and both of us decided of names used by family members before us. So I am Nana and Jim is Granpap. NO I just couldn’t think of myself as a Grandmaw, LOL. We are both loving being grandparents! One of the things I love the most is how much I loved being a Mom when Tracy, Sara and Matt were little! I loved everything about being a Mom! Tracy and John are WONDERFUL parents. I love to watch them take care of Jack, love and nurture him. Jack is very lucky to have them as his Mommy and Daddy!

Sara is busy with school and friends. She is sooo enjoying being 21! She and Raven are best buds and great company for each other. Raven is her new schnauzer ( she got him from her friends Amy and Craig, he is one of Annie’s puppies. He is really well behaved and trained.  They are quite a pair!

Matthew is still trying to find his way here in Calvert County. He rebuilt another car and just got tags  for it, so clear the roads! He is going to be helping out  as we get ready for our Oktoberfest here at the farm.

Hubby is putting in a pond that seems to get larger every day( I think he thinks I don’t notice that) I think if he had a sandbox when he was younger he wouldn’t like to play in the dirt as much as he does, HAHAH.

Well that’s all for now, time to feed the animals!

Jim and I went to the auction last night since we were both feeling better. We were just sitting there minding our own business (watching the bargins) when somone tapped me on my shoulder and said ” I want to buy something too!” What a surprise, it was Tracy and Sara. A double surprise! They had come down to see Matt for his birthday, which is today. They didn’t know that Matt had gone out with his friends and was spending the night so we got to visit with them. Tracy even got a clock at the auction! Watch out, that’s how we got started Tracy! It was nice to spend time with them and we are looking forward to going to John & Tracy’s for Jim’s birthday dinner on Sunday, so see you soon! Happy 19th Birthday Matthew! Boy I am feeling old now, your my baby! Have fun!

Since moving here to Calvert County, Jim and I are known to attend the auctions at the Chesapeake Auction & Marketplace.  Just ask our kids! We refer to it as our date night. The Marketplace and Auction house can be found just off Calvert Beach Road in St. Leonard, Maryland. It’s just a couple of minutes from our house. We’ve gotten some wonderful items from the auctions at terrific bargin prices, just check out some of the pictures of our bargins here.

We’ve gotten some really neat pieces from the auctions, Sara and Matthew are starting to catch on and have been known to even hang out with Mom and Dad there. (Sara and Matt are looking for apartment furniture!) It’s a fun place and the people who work there are really nice. We’ve also meet a lot of new people that way! It’s fun to have the Victorian style house to decorate. The people there must think we are crazy for some of the stuff we bid on, as our taste can be eclectic at times! The shops in the Market Place have a wonderful variety of antiques and collectables. The book shop is fun, brings me back to my days working in the library.  We shop for stuff that we like and makes us happy.  (I would tell everyone about our beautiful tanning bed that we got at the auction for $100.00 but you would all be over here tanning all the time! LOL.)  We are having fun and if your trying to find us on a Friday night that’s where we will be. Kay and Larry’s daughter, Nicole runs a Gourmet Snack Bar there and is an excellent cook. ( The only place I’ve had  Tuna Pasta Salad made like Nana’s.) We look forward to our dinners there. Hats off to Nicole for taking so much pride in her cooking!

Here is a sample menu from last week!

Menu
Homemade Beef Stew
Cheese Burger w/Fries
Fish & Chips
Chicken Tender w/Fries
Shrimp Basket
Hot Dogs
Nacho Pie
Pumpkin Bread Pudding
Carrot Cake
White cake w/chocolate Icing

Come join us for some good old fashion fun!

This morning as I was trying to watch the morning news over coffee, I was using the remote flicking through the channels when I saw a special on the Gates of New York. I stopped there to watch the special since that was one of John and Tracy’s first trips together. They actually went to visit New York being unaware of the art exhibit there. I remember Tracy calling and telling me about the Gates. They got some great pictures of the Gates and Central Park. Watching the show I was amazed at the cost of the project, 20 million dollars. I thought,” WOW that’s alot of money for an exhibit for two weeks. Think of all the good the money could have done.” ( I think of how hard it is to do fundraising for our Task Force for The Missing and Unindentified and how much even a fraction of those funds could have been used on behalf of the over 105,372 Missing Persons listed in the FBI’s NCIC computer system.  I thought about how that money spent on the Gates could have been used.

 I kept watching the show wanting to know how the artists, Christo and Jeanne-Claude could justify the project, for no other reason then because they wanted to, as they stated in the show. The project cost 20 million dollars and they paid for the project themselves!  It had nothing to do with Sept 11. No other prupose but art for the public. I watched the mixed emotions of the New Yorkers who watched the project unfold in Central Park, many thought it was an intrusion into the beautiful natural beauty of the park. Many anticipated the unveiling of the project, Truly, it was a mixed bag of reactions.

Here are a few facts about the exhibit from Christo and Jeanne- Claude’s website.

About The Gates, Central Park, New York City, 1979-2005

• The Gates were unfurled in Central Park, New York City on February 12, 2005, and remained through February 27, 2005.
• Christo and Jeanne-Claude developed the concept for The Gates in 1979.
  On January 22, 2003, the City granted permission to the artists to realize their vision.
• 7,500 gates, 16 feet high (4.87 m) with a width varying from 5 feet 6 inches to 18 feet (1.68 m to 5.48 m) lined 23 miles (36.8 km) of footpaths in the park.
• Free-hanging, saffron-colored fabric panels were suspended from the top of each gate and hang down to 7 feet (2.13 m) above the ground.
• The Gates were stationed approximately 12 feet (3.65 m) apart, except when low branches extend above the walkways.
• The Gates  created a visual golden river appearing and disappearing through the bare branches of the trees, highlighting the shapes of the footpaths.
• The luminous moving fabric  underlined the organic and serpentine design of the walkways, while the rectangular poles were a reminder of the grid pattern of the City blocks around the park.
• The project  provided employment for hundreds of New York City residents, hired to assemble, install, maintain and remove the installation.
• After The Gates were removed, most of the materials was recycled.
• As always, Central Park was open to the public, free of charge, during The Gates.
• The Gates is financed entirely by the artists, who do not accept sponsorships. The publicbeared no expense of any kind.
• For more information about The Gates please visit www.christojeanneclaude.net

As I watched the show and the Gates began to unfurl, the response from those there was amazing, it was very moving to the New Yorkers and the visitors there. The comments made by some of those who viewed the exhibit  was that it was beautiful, uplifting and gave you a sense of freedom. As I watched the show I felt a feeling of wonder. In the words of Christo and Jean -Claude from the New York Gov  website:

 ”The temporary quality of the projects is an aesthetic decision. Our works are temporary in order to endow the works of art with a feeling of urgency to be seen, and the love and tenderness brought by the fact that they will not last. Those feelings are usually reserved for other temporary things such as childhood and our own life. These are valued because we know that they will not last. We want to offer this feeling of love and tenderness to our works, as an added value (dimension) and as an additional aesthetic quality.”

There was a feeling within me, a feeling of sadness that I had missed the Gates but happy that Tracy and John had experienced it firsthand. That they had been part of something larger than themselves, a piece of history that gave people hope and inspiration. Thsy had shared in a bigger dream.

The Gates were a vision of the artists, a vision that gave many enormous pleasure and happiness. It was a dream in the making, project that was a long time in the making. A project that gave New Yorker’s and the rest of the country inspiration. We all may not have the funds to undertake projects of that magnitude but we all have dreams in the making. Dreams that no one can ever take away from us, no matter what twists and turns are lives take. That dreams like the Gates are dreams that should be shared, because they inspire and encourage our spirits ands souls. We all need to keep our dream and visions alive even if we are the only ones who pursue them.  Dreams have a rippling effect. That all dreams are worth  pursuing no matter their size or impact. We all have dreams, dreams to do bigger and better things with our lives. Career dreams, family dreams and yes even dreams of llama farms… on that note I’m headed to the barn.

 Oh, and by the way the Gates actually brought in 254 million dollars to the city of New York, smart man that Mayor Bloomburg. That’s giving me some ideas…

What better thing to do on a beautiful Sunday afternoon then to get together with the new  Mr. And Mrs. Marshall, Sara and Matthew for a relaxing Sunday dinner. Sorry Andy and Amanda couldn’t make it. It was a relaxing day with plenty of good food and conversation, with a lot of football watching and a nap or two mixed in! The Redskins and the Ravens didn’t fare as well as the Huntsmans and Marshalls who enjoyed the crab soup and ribs. Everyone seemed to enjoy just hanging out after having a pretty busy weekend. As John, Tracy and Sara pulled out of the driveway to head home, Harley headed down the driveway and cried when they left. He loved all the attention!  We loved the visit!

  Hope Everyone Else Had A Great Weekend Too!

Ok, So everyone is in the same boat here with the stock market going crazy, so a little humor while we are all losing our shirts! Remember it’s only our retirement money! We will all go to work for Home Depot!

Well maybe not for Sara, she just helped pick them out! Sara joined us at the farm this weekend for a visit. We had a great time just hanging out and playing with the animals. Saturday morning came around and Jim, Matt and Sara and I headed to the farmers market to pick up some roosters and chickens.  Sara HATES the chickens, LOL so she didn’t even want to carry the box. We had a fun morning just hanging out and even got to visit with Harley’s brother. We stopped at a Mexican Restaurant that we had been wanting to try for awhile for some great atmosphere and mexican food for lunch. It wasa relaxing day and a lot of fun, just what everyone needed to unwind.  Sara headed back home for a romantic dinner with Andy.  Jim, Matt and I went to the Cheasapeake Auction House Handyman and Tool Auction. I visited the Marketplace there and picked up some books at the book store before checking out the antique marketplace. Wow, I could spend hours in there just looking. Matt and Jim had fun as usual checking out the auction bargins.  We have all had trouble sleeping lately and Saturday night was no different. On Friday Matthew had loaded up a large load of hay on our trailer ( 210 Bales!) and when he couldn’t sleep he went down and unloaded it all to surprise his Dad! It was a long night for Matt and I kept the chocolate cookies coming for energy. Even though it was a night of not much sleep it was nice to hang out with Matt in the barn while he stacked hay and talked. Sunday was a day for sleeping in!  Today were resting and getting ready for another busy week ahead.  Mr. & Mrs. Marshall are doing the same after working on their house yesterday. Sara is getting ready for upcoming midterms and Harley is busy digging up the yard…

Have a Happy Monday!

Just sitting here thinking of Tracy & John, who are come home today! I know they have had a wonderful honeymoon and are excited about coming back to their new life as Mr. & Mrs. I know we are! Sara and I are headed to their house before they get there with a few surprises to drop off and then we pick them up at midnight! It will be a l-o-n-g day for them as they leave Palm Island at 9:00AM. Hopefully Tracy will have an easier time on the flight home, since she is feeling better. Looking forward to them being home!

Welcome Home Mr. & Mrs. Marshall !

Ours won’t be any different. As I speak he is digging in my flower pots. And yes, he has tried to chase the chickens. The cats like Harley, they look at him and see a warm fuzzy blanket. Here are some pictures Sara took yesterday.

Yes, he is going to be a handful. I’m thinking obedience school. LOL

 Yes, I got a ” Harley”Ok, so I told a few people that Jim got me a Harley today. And some people got worried, is she crazy? What was he thinking? We heard all kinds of comments. LOL Well those that new me better just knew it had to be an animal and they were right!

” Harley” is an 11 week old Great Pyrenees Puppy weighing in at just around 40 lbs. We’ve had our female  pyrenees, Toby for a couple of years. She is the farm guard dog, just ask the UPS man! She hates the color brown. She is a great guard dog and real sweet to boot.

Toby has taken to her new friend rather slowly, keeping him in his proper place. She immediately went down to the barn and stood in the door way as if to say, Your not coming in my barn! Harley and Annie( our Toy Schnauzer) are buddies and bunked together last night in the laundry room. Harley has been pretty laid back so far. He didn’t want to get out of bed this morning. That’s OK neither did I. So we are continuing on, just one big happy family here at the farm! Next week I’m starting a second page called ” Meet Our Animals”. I’ve been working on some children’s stories for awhile now and now that the wedding planning is over, I’ll be putting the finishing touches on some of those. So, see I’m still as sane as I always was. LOL