The Needle in a Haystack

March 31st

My kids are NUTS... this happens to be my #2 son Jeremy...don't ask....
....yesterday was such a great day... we picked up C at the Capital and then went out to lunch...Big C and I hadn't eaten all day and it was 3:00 so we were FAMISHED...
..Quick stops to Lowes, Michaels & EB Games to cover the needs of everyone int he car and then a relaxing evening at home...

...since lunch was so late we ate an even later supper...I thought I would share a really simple ( but delicious) recipe Chris and I enjoyed on our trip out west 2 years ago ..I think we were in Mexico... anyhow... you simple grill a burger and top it with carmeilzed onions, thousand island dressing and colby jack cheese.. and but that on a rye roll... talk about yummy!!!!!

....I ordered 35 skeins of yarn today.. yep.... 35 skeins of sugar and creme and TLC Essentials.... Amazon was having a sale... .40 cents a ball for sugar and creme & .69 cents for TLC Essentials... I bought all the yarn needed to finish my ripple and goodness who knows what I'll use all the sugar and creme for but I'll have enough of it to do anything I want!!!! I think the S&C is sold out but last check TLC Essentials were still available..
..Heather... if your reading this dear, Dad and I really think you need to open your own etsy shop for your jewelry....
....The mail brought one of my Healing Herbs books today from Paperbackswap  it is so interesting ... we hope to have a website up ( please Mr. Power Ranger) bu mid summer with several organic herbs available....
...Getting ready to watch the ball games  for a change of pace this evening...Chris had a meeting this morning in Burlington and has been on an old movie marathon since he came home... currently Fletch... Croccodile Dundee before that....

...We also went to look at a piece of property for sale up the road from us... Um... first of all it has a major power line running through it... second it wasn't two pieces of property a mile apart it was one piece of property a mile long.. something like 196 acres or some such thing AND they wanted a million bucks for it.. which sort of made it out of our price range ( `sheesh~)..

..So... celebrate family.... enjoy yourselves... and have a fine day...all day  long!

Ripple progress

Just how am I suppose to finish this ripple when the "kids" seem to have taken over???
..I sat in my big comfy chair with a nice cup of tea ..already to do a few rows on the giant ripple and visit with my sweetie.... the night was a bit nippy compared to the last few days so Chuck decided he needed a blankie... not to be out done Cubs decided to join.... no crocheting was done..but the snuggles were nice...
You have to click on over to my friend Samantha's  blog and take a gander at her sweet little teddy....he is up for nominations as this week's cutie award.... I sure which I was a thread master..I can imagine a  whole fleet of these little guys tucked around my house...
....Our first crop of the season is up... we have a cold weather bed in back of the house and sure enough the onion heads are beginning to dance...not to long before we'll be sticking the seedlings in the grown and enjoying  the bounty( or sharing it with the wildlife)
...Christopher finishes his week at the capital today...he is at a soup kitchen....good stuff... AND I don't think he has played basketball all week... I imagine he'll be on the court 24/7 when he gets home...
..I hope everyone has a fine day....all day ..long

There's Got to Be a Morning After

I was so sure that lightening had hit a tree near by last night that I wandered out htis a.m. to snap a picture ...I couldn't find the destroyed tree but I did find our delightful trees wearing their spring wardrobe.... in the next coming week there will be a line of white just in front as the dogwoods come in bloom... I think they are beautiful even in the dreary weather!
We had such bad storms last night that last for about 6 hours and then turned into rain which just let up about an hour ago... The hail hitting was 3/4 of an inch according to the weather service and I lost internet and tv and a bit of time electricity... after crying on the phone to hubby who was in New Bern....singing a few old hymns to remind myself who was in charge of ever little rain drop and finding the flashlights and candles,  I snuggled in bed with my newest book..a pressie from mum in law...
..I have a certain almost phobia about thunder storms after living through not just a few bad ones in Ky & Ohio when I was young...
...........Sweetie comes home tonight... a treat since he had packed for the whole week...

I'm off to get a new "do" and finish off some grocery shopping...

...So be prepared for the unprepared... and have a fine day...all day long!

March 27

After sitting in traffic this morning for 45 minutes only going about 5 miles in that time...after dropping Christopher off at the Capital..this was a site for sore eyes!!! Yummy... This store just happens to be the very first Krispy Kreme retail store..I was more then happy to experience a bit of history!  So..... 2 chocolate creme filled doughnuts... 1 cinnamon bun and one glazed creme filled doughnut later I was enjoying doughnuts and tea at mum in laws... We had a nice visit and I enjoyed her flowers and trees that are keeping up with the spring weather!  I am so jealous of her iris... they came from here at the farm but hers bloom earlier AND they are a beautiful color of dark purple... ours our simply a pale lilac..hhmmm...
....I spent the afternoon doing a bit of cleaning ...reading... crochet ...AND ( ssshhhh....) I took a nap! only a small one... we had a nasty little storm blow through that caused a bit of a ruckus...all is quiet now...
...I had a phone dinner with my friend Dana..her hubby and kiddo are gone for the evening also so we blabbed about everything for an hour while we ate our respective meals...( hats off to Dana...she ate PEAS)!!!!
...I stumbled on a program about a mom who homeschools sextuplets....this woman is amazing.... I barely can hang on some days and I'm only one deep in homeschooling...

....nothing but the ripple on the hook!

I had a fine day...all day long....and I hope you do too!!!

Wolfpack bound

Jamie's going back to NCSU to finish his last year to earn a BS in Applied Sociology ..after I dropped a very handsome and well dressed Christopher off at the State Capital to begin his duty as Governor's Page, I hooked up with my firstborn for a nice lunch and chat.... he also went with me to Michael's to buy yarn ( what a great son)...

Christopher enjoyed his afternoon in politics and tomorrow's schedule for him looks like a tour of the legislative building in the morning and the capital in the afternoon with a special speaker in between along with his duties...his the page for Budget and Finance department....

My dearest is into exercise right now...~ me~ not so much~ but I thought his way to motivate himself was unique so I thought I would share..this is from his blog ( you can find both of his blogs in my side bar):

I'm a little...

---

worn out right now.

As part of my new physical fitness "regimen", (the one I started in hopes of being able to dunk a basketball on a regulation height rim--it's a father/son project) I do the following:

Take a deck of cards.

Each card = the number of repetitions of a certain exercise.  Aces are 1 and face cards are 10.  Suits don't matter...yet.

Ace-4 = the number of pushups.  So, if I draw a 4, I do 4 pushups...and so on.
5-9= deep knee bends, which are: Keep your back straight and lower yourself until you are sitting upright on the balls of your feet. These are tough.
10-King=Toe lifts.  These are easy: lift your arms above your head and reach upwards, standing on your toes.

It took me 26 minutes to do all the cards tonight. Actually, it's the first time I made it through the whole deck. (I've been working up to it...  )

As my upper body gets stronger (and I can notice a huge difference after 2 weeks, as in my whole body no longer trembles during each push up   ) I'll change the formula so that I am doing more pushups and fewer toe lifts.

In real life, you are supposed to do 4 exercises, one for each suit, so eventually I need to find another one to do.

Gotta be ready for the end of year basketball banquet/father-son game, don't you know.

Chris

...Maybe  some day I'll try it... until that day... the leftover banana pudding is calling my name!
....and by the way...have a fine day...all day long!

March 25

I found this cute little slate at the thrift shop and thought it would look cute on my porch....

...we had such a wonderful day... Jeremy and Heather came up and had lunch with us... I was prepared to make sloppy joes and macaroni salad but Dad insisted on taking the crew to lunch... we have not so many places to eat here in our tiny town and after lunch today we just crossed yet another one off the list...we should have stayed home and had the sloppy joes!

...I did however have a huge bowl of banana pudding in the fridge and I must say it made up for any disappointments from the buffet in town..

Easy Banana Pudding
1 box instant pudding mix
1 tub of Cool Whip
4 ripe bananas
vanilla wafers

Make pudding according to directions.... add cool whip and blend...
pour 1/3 of the mixture in a bowl...top with vanilla wafers and then sliced bananas.. repeat mixture, wafers & nanas  layers twice more and chill for at least 2 hours...

...No much hooking going on..just the ripple...Heather LOVED her fingerless gloves and requested a hat and scarf to match....

....we spent a great deal of time int he yard this afternoon just walking around and discovering new buds... its official that the outhouse will have to come down this year..( an icon gone) and Chris announced that the month of June is outside renovations complete with new roof and siding ( yikes)

....enjoying our evening together and devouring the banana pudding...
..Enjoy yourself...and have a fine day ...all day long.....

March 24

I love spring!  We literally have hundreds of daffodils, paper whites and domestic jonquils growing all over the property... I just had to bring a bouquet in...such a cheering greeting when you walk in the door...

....Chris felt a bit sorry for me this morning and suggested a trip to our favorite Mexican restaurant... how could I not chirp up a bit  chomping into a perfect enchilada.
..Jeremy and Heather were suppose to come up for dinner of cornbeef and cabbage  this evening but Jeremy spent the morning on the lake fishing and was a bit tired... Chris wasn't a bit sad... more corn beef for him!!!

....I received a book today from paperback swap  I finished the first in the Scrapbook Mystery series this morning and the 2nd arrived just in time.. I NEVER thought I would be so caught up in light reading mysteries... must be my shadow side...

....and just for nostalgia's sake, Chris and I spent a bit of time watching VH1's classics Rumor's by Fleetwood Mac... Still somewhere if I allow it to move to the fore front of my brain they have to be in my top 5 favorite bands.... and yes I realized I STILL know all the lyrics to every song after these 32 odd years....I happened to have owned Christine McVie's first album " The Legendary Christine Perfect" which was pre FWM and a scattering of Buckingham / Nick stuff.... sort of made me want to throw on my jeans, earth shoes and my "Peace , Love, Doves, Incense and Waterbeds t-shirt....

...and get this.. Stevie Nicks would take her crochet into the studio to relax her while she wrote....~sigh~I knew there was a reason I loved their stuff!...not much on the hook except the b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l ripple and a couple of mystery CAL's that have my family thinking maybe I had attended one too many concerts as a teen... to shape the pattern Sarah suggested we use a can...and she even gave certain cans to try... so women all over the world are digging in the pantry for Bush Beans cans to make a good fit for the project...
...Christopher has spent the day setting up a fantasy baseball team  and shooting hoops on the street... watching Barton College win the NCAA Div II tournie and cleaning his room...
Songbird

For you, there'll be no more crying,
For you, the sun will be shining,
And I feel that when I'm with you,
It's alright, I know it's right

To you, I'll give the world
to you, I'll never be cold
'Cause I feel that when I'm with you,
It's alright, I know it's right.

And the songbirds are singing,
Like they know the score,
And I love you, I love you, I love you,
Like never before.

And I wish you all the love in the world,
But most of all, I wish it from myself.

And the songbirds keep singing,
Like they know the score,
And I love you, I love you, I love you,
Like never before, like never before.

© 1977 Christine McVie

..so have a fine day...all day long!

Guest Blogger

This weekend my homeschool team the Raleigh Hawks played in a basketball tournament in Lynchburg Virginia at Liberty University. there were 8 teams in the jv division and they were divided into two different groups. The first four games that we played were rather easy probably due to lack of playing experience. We ended up making it to the finals where we played a team from Orange county N.C., it was a very close game at the half but we were able to pull away at the end and win it all. It was a great experience to play at the Vine center which is the home court for the Liberty university flames.

Christopher E. Eaton

...That's Christopher peeking around someones head..the picture was actually taken at the state finals....

...Busier day with lots of change in plans.... Christopher did a bit of biology, read MacBeth and did a brief narrative on it... he also had a baseball game tonight about an hour plus from the house.  We won but the game went into extra innings so we had to miss an evening with friends an hour and a half the other way in Raleigh.

..My Joann's order came so I was able to pick up the ripple again today....

Sarah is doing a mystery thread CAL here  I am doing mine in a sage color...

..so....invite someone to write a bit...take me out to the ball game.....try something new...and have a fine day...all day long

March 22

I thought I would share my ripple now that all the colors are in place...I am lovin it!!!
I did have to send off for more yarns now that I have decided I like the way it looks...so I am stalking the mail person everyday waiting for the Joann's order to come in...
...Honee made it home today ( yeah)...another week of this job behind us... for those that don't know he is doing a Harris Teeter remodel and as usual there is always a sub contractor refusing to be a team player...this week it's the tile folks.... actually the tile folks seem to be a glitch in most of the Harris Teeters he does....
...I had a burst of energy in this great weather and began to spring clean the porch... no easy task but I made a wonderful dent in it..the only battle we fight this time of year with spring cleaning is the fact that here in the Pine State, everything is covered in yellow pine pollen for about the next month...no joke it settles on all surfaces... puddles, cars, cat fur...Those with allergies are really suffering now....all of us have light allergies, thankfully nothing serious although with C playing baseball I have noticed his eye a little puffy by the end of the game...
...nothing new on the hook...so far.... I finished the skirt of the Crinoline Lady but I am not  use to thread so much yet so I am taking it s-l-o-w...
...Christopher spent most the day on a biology project..did a bit of algebra...read a few chapters In Around the World in 80 Days.  The day was so beautiful that any free time he spent outside  shooting hoops or playing a pick up game with  so neighborhood folks...

Vicki @ turkeyfeathers  is having a sweet little doll quilt give away... I am only lessening my odds because I received the absolute sweetest little  package from her today with adorable little ice cream cones and cupcakes made by her daughter Grace.  Check out her etsy shop  or scroll down a few posts... you'll be amazed at what fairy fingers this child has to produce such tiny pretties!

....Reading is slow this week... I had wanted to read a couple of books since I am into easy read mysteries, but time has been a bit cramped in the reading dept... The weekend seems rather booked up so it might be Monday before I can settle in and finish this latest one up...

..so... be a team player.... appreciate  the talents of others... and have a fine day...all day long!

March 21

This is the progress on my Crinoline Lady...I love the color and feel comfortable with the way the project is going so far...

...This morning was Bible Study at Jeanette's and a very good one it was!  There were only 5 of us but the company was fabulous and the particular study was great!
I'm waiting on a call to go pick up C..he had Networks tonight which is a basketball drill/conditioning type thing...he loves it and is really challenged by the coaches there...Today he worked on Algebra and a few lessons in Editor in Chief... did a bit of reading  and of course set up his bracket for the Sweet 16..we also spent some time on current events....

.....just putzing around crocheting some.... cleaning a bit.....talking on the phone a bit.... sitting through my new favorite show Mythbusters ( move over Dog)....

So...have a fine day...all day long