These photos are from early spring, but Ambrose and I still enjoy our snail friends. These photos were taken shortly after the eggs hatched that our snail, Salome, laid.
The babies are so tiny-that’s an egg shell in the left of the frame for reference. (The snails eat eggshells for calcium.)
That’s Salome in the pot.
More baby photos, those are oats for size reference!
And this is the day that we released Salome in our garden. Ambrose and I still have one of her original babies, and some other new ones now as well! Who knew that snails could be so fun and interesting to observe and that I would end up this weird? (Everyone knew about me.)
Grandbabies… 
This is Thomas Eärendil. Does he look familiar? Elsie favors her mom very strongly, and while I see both sides in Thomas, he definitely has something of the look of our babies. He’s the sweetest, most laid back baby.
I went to a terrarium workshop with a friend and loved it! I’m very obsessed with this little terrarium. The plants have grown a lot since I made this a couple of months ago, so I need to take a new photo!
By the end of this year, we will only have five kids left at home. Larkspur moved out a few weeks ago. I’m coping. Thankfully, she’s very close and we still see her all the time. This was my attempt at an Easter photo. Not all were cooperative, but I’ll take it.
We had our traditional Easter scavenger hunt later that day after mass. Ambrose didn’t suspect that we gave him the same bow and arrow set that we gave him last year. It had been missing for months and I came across it in the shed a few weeks before Easter. Jonny refinished the bow and added new hemp twine in green (it was previously a natural color) and he made arrows out of dowels and acorn caps. We felt very proud of this.
Mabel made an elaborate Easter cake!
Keats peformed the Bartok viola concerto with his orchestra this spring after qualifying by winning his university’s concerto contest. Afterwards, he promised me again that next time he’d play something pretty. I may not be a huge fan of Bartok, but I am really proud of Keats.
My favorite “sweetshrub” or “carolina allspice” (Calycanthus floridus). I wish I could bottle this one up and smell it all year long.
p.s. !!!!!!!!!!!!
Keats and Claudia are getting married late this fall! (If you scroll to the end of this post from 2022, Claudia is “the friend” that Keats was performing with at our friend’s cabin.)
(We haven’t taken engagement photos, so I had to crop them out of a photo I took of their string quartet.)
And so are Gabe and Angela! We will have weddings about 3 weeks apart in both November and December.
Back soon for more catching up! Though now you know the big important news. 🙂
Oh, Ginny, it’s so exciting to read about your kids moving out, getting married, and (in one case, so far) even having children! It’s wild for me as a reader, since I’ve been reading for about 14 years…so if it’s wild for me, I can only imagine how it must feel for you.
I’m excited for all of them :).
The couples’ photos are lovely, but so is the Easter one! I hope you are all having a great summer. Thanks for this update!
It’s so lovely to see how your family has grown. I have enjoyed your vlog since 2006 or so. 🙂 it feels as if we are old friends. Growing babies and knitting through the years. Thank you for your posts. They bring a smile to my heart.
Congratulations, Ginny, on grand-baby Thomas and Kear’s and Gabe’s engagements. Their happiness is catching, Instead a tear, thanks for sharing !
Congratulations on the new grandbaby and the upcoming weddings! I love your posts
Wow! TWO weddings and a new grandbaby! What joy. Congratulations to all!
Wonderful news all around, Ginny, Congratulations!
Peace be with you. 🙂
Congratulations to you, Keats, and Gabe!! I’m so happy for your family.
Such lovely days to come..so many blessings 🙂 Congrats to them all and you Ginny !
I’m so amazed at everyone changing so much .. adults. Where did the time go? Everyone looks so good, happy and so blessed. Wonderful to see pictures. Happy for you all. Thanks for sharing.
love,
Helen
Thanks for the updates. Congrats to everyone on the engagements. They all look so happy.
Oh Ginny what a good Life, it’s making me cry. I can only hope my own kids will fare as well as yours. I did not know Keats was such a giant by the way, larger than life :).
Congratulations !!!
Wonderful to hear all this news. Congratulations on the weddings, grand kids! I’ve been reading your blog for so long that I remember when they were all little kids or not born yet!
That are sweet news! Life is unfolding in blessed ways!
Thanks for sharing all the big and small news and wonders in words and pictures.
I envy you a bit that your adult kids seem to life close by… My two oldest live 2 / 3 hours away and therefore we see them only every 6 to 8 weeks, although we chat a lot in the phone.
I really cherish that our “little one” (17 years old) still lives with us and I really enjoy the last everyday part of motherhood.
I remember when Larkspur and your older boys were little! Time has flown by so fast. What a beautiful family you have and such blessings. Heartfelt congratulations to all!!!! And thank you for updating all of us.❤️
So amazing and fun to see your beautiful grown up children!
Sending much love to all of you Ginny. Such wonderful news 🙂 xoxo
Blessings abundant and 10,000 beside! Congratulations on all of your wonderful news. ❤️
Have you read The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey? It was the first thing I thought of when I started reading your post.
Hi Ginny,
As always I look forward to your newsletter and pictures- your photography is breathtaking.
Blessings to you and your sweet family,
Thank you for the update how wonderful to look forward to daughter-in-laws. They are marrying into a wonderful family.
Wonderful Ginny, so happy for you and your family. 🩷
Congratulations on grandbabies and weddings. Hard to believe I’ve been following your blog this long and now they are getting married. Im happy for your growing family.
Beautiful!! Many congrats to both happy couples💗💗
Congratulations!!! What a blessing to be so busy with so many great things! When did the handsome Gabe become an adult???? Where does the time go. LOL
Wonder seasons of life. Those of us in similar seasons are very bless to read your posts. They are refreshing and uplifting. It’s nice your children are spaced out so you still enjoy the little things :-). Thank you for blessing our days…
I love you and your family. It has been an honor to follow you for these many years and witness the prospering and growth of your beautiful family. The snails were especially enlightening in this post.
Everyone is so gorgeous! Love to you all.
So wonderful Ginny ! Congratulations on all the wonderfulness of it all !!! New babies , grown babies & snail babies !!! 🙂
Two handsome couples tying the knot. ♥️ Love your little snail tutorial, so tiny but very interesting! Love the Easter Cake. Thank you for sharing so much of your interesting family!!!
I love how we have transitioned to this same season; seeing your children who have grown as my own have is such a sweet thing in my heart. You don’t know me, but I have been praying for you and these growing souls for ages! CONGRATS!
You all are such a most beautiful family. Much love to you all!
Peace and Blessings!
Terri
Congratulations to all. Weddings are the happiest of events.(as well as baptisms.)
What joy you have to look forward to. And big congrats to Keats on his amazing achievement. You must be bursting with pride.Xxxxx
Beautiful events captured by beautiful photographs! Can’t wait to see more. Congratulations to all!
So many wonder-full blessings! Congratulations!
Hi Ginny, Thank You for the update. Thomas is adorable. Welcome to the world Thomas. God Bless. Congratulations to the engaged couples. Thank You for the recent photo f the children. They are getting so big.
Marilyn
What gorgeous photos – I particularly like the one of Keats and of the engaged couples!
I am so happy for all of these joyous things! May each marriage be blessed!
Congratulations on your new grandson. Thomas is beautiful. God luck to the engaged couples. God Bless.
Marion
Oh, congratulations!!!!! Such a blessing to be greeting grandchildren and new daughters and still have littles at home.
Snail babies, grand babies, engagements! How absolutely delightful!