The Needle in a Haystack

I Ran Away To Va

..Isn't this picture hysterical!!! I snarfed it from Bro Dave's blog this a.m.  If you under 40 you might not have watched the old thriller "The Blob"  It was great... I suggest digging up a copy if you can ..in the mean time... you must suffer through  "The Blog"

...... as serendipitous as I use to be ..I came to the realization that I hate change.... I'm not comfortable with it any more... In the past I would thrive on it... must be my shadow side.... I'm reading all the " Your turning 50 soon" self help stuff and apparently I should be " embracing" the "season".... but I have moments when I wish all my boys were wee ones again gathered around for a good read aloud and a handful of homemade cookies. 
..So last night I needed some me time... a time to sort...a time to scream.. a time to rant.. a time to be mean....( It was the cut verse of the Everly Brothers).... now I've been having a major battle with ticks this season so a good walk on the property was out of the question... so I decided I was going to run away to Va.  ...and I did..... If I go due north from my house ( I think) I end up in Virgilina Va....that's about 12 miles or so.... but if I go northeast ( I think) down some very very winding country roads... I end up in Va in 10 miles... I love that spot of Va/NC... there is nothing there except older homes , a few cows and a very old church.  trees hang low over the road and there isn't a car in sight...
..I came to grips with myself right about Nelson Church Road( which is a good thing since I didn't know which way to turn and not get lost) and came back home to cook dinner... not quite as happy as a clam at high tide... but better....I'll come through on the other side.... praying my way into newness..

...Christopher and I did not have the greatest school day yesterday... not sure if it was him or me or a combo of the two... last night he acknowledge being a jerk which I was thankful for...so today will be much better...He will be doing some research on the creation of the world stories in different cultures..more a bit of apologetics on his part ...

... I have to do a few errands for Chris  and maybe some outside work.... I really want to finish up a lapghan  and need to think of a project for my friend Jeanette.  She is the one with the llamas , well she is in a bit of a battle with breast cancer right now... She's asked ( and I embarrassed that I didn't volunteer first) to keep her company for a few of her chemo treatments .  It is an honor to fellowship with her through this...Please remember her in your prayers.

....Chris has MOnday off so maybe by Tuesday I can post up some of the much awaited and anticipated bathroom remodel pics.  I must say its looking lovely in there  .  Chris has made up his mind that he is picking the colors out for the bedroom..~sigh~  Two girlie steps forward... 3 steps back...

....Pray for the troops... do something nice for someone today ... and have a fine day... all day long

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Just One Tiny Thing

Isn't that the sweetest little turtle head poking up???  He's getting ready to travel across country to swap out for one tiny other little thing... I almost hated to give him up... so I decided today will have to produce brothers..or sisters  for him!  I got the pattern from the ever talented Kristie  I have made several of her patterns and they are all cute and easy to work up. 

..My hubby is considering a job switch and today could be a determining day for that... pray if you feel led..

..... Yesterday was a fun day despite the fact Chris didn't get home until 10:30.  Hopefully that is the last major jaunt to New Bern ..only some ballards or some such construction things to go in ..that shouldn't take long.

...Christopher and I met MIL for lunch  and that is always fun.  C and I decided to eat our heavy meal then and just snack for dinner since dad wouldn't be home.  Christopher's driving skills are improving every time he drives...I can tell by the amount of fingernail imprints I make in the upholstery of the passenger side.

...The kitchen got a fairly good swipe yesterday despite our long lunch and the turtle making... I tackled the top of the fridge and cabinets... yuck... that's all I can say about it...hopefully I can keep on top of it..I am sure there are things I found up there that only made it there to keep it away from little preschool hands... and um... my baby is 16 just a small get real moment there

...Christopher was very good with his algebra yesterday ..and weight lifting... and driving around... and running..and playing basketball... today will be a much greater school catch up day Latin, Lit, Grammar, History and hopefully Chemistry if the book comes in.


....Today is living room cleaning day ... I have grocery shopping so I think I might leave C in charge of the dusting while I shop.  He reaches the tops of the ceiling fan and shelves way better then I do anyhow! 


The cats are reaching a new calm... only small fires to put out through the day  .. each cat has a staked out territory now  ans as long as they stay in their "district" we're fine..

..... My mom called last night to give me her itinerary for the trip she and my aunt are taking....10 day resort tour in the Canadian Rockies!  I am so jealous... minus the resort part that is our dream trip... we want to drive though...

...The Korean hostages have been released!! What an answer to prayer!!

Off to take on the day and wait for my sweetie to call..

Remember to pray for the troops....and have a fine day all day long

House of the Hissing Cats

These two little crochet guys have got to be the funniest things I have seen in awhile....I wish I was smart enough to have created them myself!  They are the work of a fellow "hooker" over at craftster    I love the show  Mythbusters  , it happens to be one of the few shows I actually  watch on TV.  I just burst out laughing when I saw  them captured in crochet!  Some folks really got loaded with the talent!

.... The cats are still driving me insane... slowly but surely the straight jacket is going to have to come out... maybe today will be the day when I can fold laundry without  having to break up a cat fight...

.. My friend Dana  and I had a wonderful Bible Study yesterday.  One of the things that really jumped at us was God calling us not for the big things, but for the very small, almost unnoticed things each day.  We both will be more aware of those things from now on...

.. after a quick stop to pick up a bit of fabric from our soon defunct WallyWorld I sat for a bit of a visit on the porch of one of my dearest buddies " Big Sam".  I met him years ago when we first moved here.  The man must be close to 70 now .. He's a short black fellow, walks with a cane...He's probably every bit of 500 plus pounds and his wife is maybe 100 lbs soaking wet.   Sam hails from rural southern VA, right across the border  from us.  He moved his family down here years ago to work at the now closed Burlington Mills.   His way of conversation is like a song sometimes... I spit out things I know he will agree with me on just to see that head nod and hear him say " sho nuf..sho nuf".... His life is full of his "grandbabies" now and he even bought a new truck  so they all could fit when he takes them to the store " for a little something" ... his wife doesn't drive so once a week they pack off to Walmart and the grocery .. she shops, he sits and watches the people.
... We almost always talk of religion... I keep meaning to go to a service at his church..just to see.. I moved to NC in 1978 and have always been fascinated with the fact that in very rural areas like ours there are black churches and white churches... In Ohio we just had churches.....
... So Sam was on the topic of tithing yesterday...  Apparently his church tells him how much to tithe and you can always "catch up" or "borrow" if you can't make the tithe that week... each member has an amount its not by family.  so his wife pays maybe 3.00 a week out of her SS and he pays maybe 6.00.  This is along the dollar they still pay for  his " baby girl" who happens to be unmarried still .   They have a a Mother of the Church.  Now this older, wiser woman  gets a dollar a week for each unmarried in the church and its her job to help keep them straight.   I had never heard of that... and I'm not much on paying for those sorts of things, but the idea is brilliant!  A herder of unmarried women... absolutely fascinating....
....
...Christopher had a fairly good day with school work. We read a couple of satires by Royko.  Mutt of the Year had him busting out laughing.  His writing assignment was on Human of the Year, various obscure categories   for humans.  The content was great... the structure..um.... we'll see that one again today... he and Chris did Algebra... I think this might be C's best subject this year...must be the good teacher... we threw in some Latin for good measure .  He  played a bit of guitar and with the cooler temps  spent alot  of time outside. ( cooler meaning  mid 80's)

.... The bedroom DID get the good cleaning today.  I bit the bullet and just plowed ahead first thing  to get the dreaded vacuuming out of the way... It looks great in there.

I had an email from someone asking what my cleaning schedule was... I had a bit of a giggle because home chores are something I'm not thrilled over... My schedule is to force me to do them rather then curl up with a book or a craft.  But here goes:
Monday: masterbath
Tuesday: Bedroom
Wednesday: Kitchen
Thursday: Livingroom/familyroom
Friday : Front porch, outside  & car
Saturday: spare room, spare bath and C's room
Sunday: feet up!  This is when I allow myself to do the bare minimum and usually spend the day working on my crochet Charity Blitz items. This months charity is Agape Clubhouse in Deland FL. 
  ..everyday of course there are the general chores  but on these days the room gets an extra going over.

...Chris bought the wall and ceiling paint for the bathroom yesterday and did the ceiling trim and one wall.  I ordered the blinds.  The room is looking so lovely!

Today's agenda... the kitchen, a couple little craft things,  a batch of cookies that  are needed to cheer someone up and a nice lunch visit with my MIL. 
..My poor hubby will be gone until close to midnight tonight having to  get one job going in one town and then drive to the coast for a 5:00pm meeting .  He refuses one more night in a motel alone so he's driving home after this 3 hour plus meeting....~~ arrghghh~  after days like that nothing looks better then the porch light of your own home does it??

... Time to fill up the food bowls and take on the day.....
..So pray for our troops... and have a fine day... all day long!

 

Kick Me and Call Me Stupid

...I love my son and daughter in law... a lot.... and my husband and I would do anything for them.... which includes adding their two cats to our already bulging kitty population!  Heather and Jeremy are looking for a new home.... which is a nice thing... but they can't keep their cats with them right now.... which is a bad thing .... so Heather called almost in tears yesterday  needing a home for the cats or they would have to go to the shelter.~sigh~ the cats actually came from a litter one of our cats had a year and a half ago...so we "know" these cats ... the idea of taking them to the pound was just heart wrenching... so.... the kids drove up loaded with litter, food, scratch toys ..and Rocky and Baby....
...It's a zoo around here.... nobody seems to wan to get along...including Baby and Rocky!  These next couple of months are going to be looooooonnnnngggg......

.... Besides having a billion cats in our home now, I did have a pretty good day yesterday. Chris  put Kilz on the bathroom ceiling to get it ready for painting ..I managed to get most of my chores done with a couple of extras thrown in.

.... Christopher finished up his Algebra in record time, ( his dad is a much better teacher of all things logical)... he whipped through Grammar and had plenty of time for free reading... which was a blessing!  This is the first year the kid has just read for pleasure on his own( I guess free reading time in the past wasn't pleasure).. Chris and I always thought it strange to NOT want to go into a library and just feel like a kid int he candy store and stock up on books followed by hours of reading...but up til this year, Christopher just hasn't been on the bandwagon!  Igleefully let him lull on the sofa with book in hand for 2 hours... He also played guitar and did his running... spent a bit of time one on one with his brother . He misses them all so much... No matter how he jokes about now being an only child its tough going from 4 boys to being an only child at home...

....I was able to do a bit of crafting, finding a couple patterns I want to try and sewing a couple tissue holders  along with some more squares for blankets...

...Today is Bible Study and lunch with Dana  we are just taking our time and really enjoying the Beth Moore Daniel study.   Its bedroom deep cleaning which is one of my least favorite jobs since it requires lugging the vacuum cleaner through tight spaces..but I always feel better after its done...

I need to shop for just the right piece of material to finish off a pillow and hopefully do a couple more tissue holders ....and referee the cats.... BEN, if your reading this the answer is NO.. despite the fact I might come across as a softee... NO MORE CATS....

..... Now to get serious for a bit, recently there has been a big debate on troop reduction  on Capital Hill... once VA Senator suggested starting off with 5000 and decreasing from there... if you read my blog you know I HATE WAR, I HATE this war... I honestly feel like we shouldn' be in this war... I have protested wars from Vietnam til now... but the thought of my child being in Sadar City and the unrest all around the area pushes a panic button at the thought of taking troops out... If we start removing troops that is 5000 less soldiers who have my son's back in a dangerous situation... now that we are there... lets get the job done... and done right.... Pulling out troops in large clumps at this point will mean a slaughter for our men and women on the ground there... I don't like it.... It stinks... but I am not willing to risk my child or any other child to more perils then what they already have to face.... pour more in if you need to.... but don't  send these lambs to the slaughter....

....Think about it.... I understand its a mess.... its a horrible mess... but don't botch it by cutting short the man power for those doing what they are told...

.....So pray for those troops, and the leaders who make the decisions about those troops.... and have a fine day.... all day long.
... Of the Troops and For the Troops". ..

Happy Birthday Kami Kitchen .... where ever you are.....

...... I sometimes wish I had a delete key in my brain... able to get rid of the useless info stored there an replace it to things pertinent to my life now.... I know the brain has far more capacity then we use , but as I approach 50  I'm thinking I might as well use what part I've already gotten to know pretty well... and that part has alot of clutter....Take for instance the fact that today is Kami Kitchen's birthday.... who is Kami Kitchen????? she happens to be  a girl I babysat for one summer when I was 15years old.... so were talking almost 35 years ago!!!  I only saw her that one summer and she was maybe going to be 2 at the time.... but for some odd reason ever year here I am thinking  " today is Kami Kitchen's birthday"..... now my niece BriAnne also has a birthday this week... but I have to make notes and check the calender like crazy to remember that one it would be so great to just delete Kami's info and replace it with BriAnne's..... all you techies get to work on that function!!!

....I grew up learning lots and lots about sustainable living and self sufficiency.... then it was called being poor... but I loved learning all the different aspects of cooking, baking , sewing, even helping with a hog slaughter once at my Uncle Woodrow's.... but my parents were very much not that way... very high tech sort of folks... I guess they had grown up poor ( at least my dad did) so they went processed... but  I still loved all those sorts of things... In my teen years... the poverty folks started a movement and called it " back to the landers"..That's when I bought the book The Mother Earth News Almanac...full of fabulous tips for folks " living off the land"..... Over the years I have followed pretty much the same philosophy  about things... using what you have, doing for yourself... now the movement is called " being a Proverbs 31 Woman"...  It's like the same company  with a different name....
.... Every year about this time I do another read through of the Almanac to see if there are any tips I might have missed over the last  34 years.... low and behold there was.... I was having a horrible time keeping ants out of the barn cats food during the day.... so I put the bowl in a shallow pan of water...  There you go!  The ants aren't swimmers and the cats can eat their food in peace.... ! Give it a try!

... You know what I miss ?  a good old fashion gospel sing... I told Chris this morning I was going to talk to a couple of folks and see if we can round one up some Sunday evening...

......I finished up the very very pretty velvet drawstring bag over the weekend ... I actually did a tutorial  for it but can't post it until I get it sent to my swap partner... I foresee lots of these little bags for different things... The burnt velvet dragonflies  were very easy to do...
..I also finished up  a few squares for  Ben's homeless project and two larger crochet squares to send to Miss Vicki in Washington...

... Yesterday was Jeremy and Heather's one year anniversary... They were planning a nice dinner out. 
....Lots on the agenda today
...chipping away at the bathroom remodel.  Chris got lots of the trim up over the weekend and I need to go in today and do " job site clean up"... I am just in a pickle about curtains in there .. what I had planned won't work now ..something will come up...
..Chris has a couple of errands for me to run and we have our homeschool work to get through ( Ben I just might need you to step up to the Latin plate this year).... I want to finish up the items for my swap partner and work on a small crochet item ...
.. dinner tonight will be

Baked Potato Soup
2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup flour
7 cups milk
4 large baking potatoes baked, peeled & cubed
4 slcied green oonions
12 strips of crisp cooked & crumbled bacon
1 1/4 shredded cheese
1cup sour cream
3/4t salt
1/2 t pepper
   In a large pan melt butter, stir in flour and heat and stir until thickened.  Add milk, potatoes and onions.. bring to boil stirring constantly, Reduce heat  and simmer .. add remaining ingredients and stir until cheese is melted.
...This recipe half's well..

add a green salad and a slice of homemade homemade bread
Garden Patch Bread
..I mix mine in a bread machine and then bake in the oven usually.. today I let the bread machine do all the work..

1/2 cup water
1/3 cup tomato juice ( I had V-8  that I used for the chili so we used that)
3/4t salt
1t sugar
1T yeast
1T olive oil ( any oil or butter/ margarine will work
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/8 cup green pepper
1/8 cup onion
1/2t dried basil
3cups bread flour
I used the basic white bread cycle for this... I think if you bake in the oven I'd preheat to 350 and start tapping it at 35 minutes or so... prehaps 40....

I just put butter on mine but garlic butter probably would be great

Don't forget to pray for the troops... and have a fine day... all day long!!

Aug 25

....Cubs enjoying the joys of AC on a hot day while gazing at her outside counter parts on the front porch....I think she really does feel superior!
.... I accomplished very little of the things I had planned yesterday... wonderful interruptions.   
Christopher and I did school in the a.m.  he had worked extra hard so we just had Latin, Grammar and Lit to do on Friday morning. He did a bit of room and bathroom straightening and worked on his Fantasy Football things.  It was really really hot so he saved his running til almost dark.  I made the mistake of telling him about the hernia he had when he was three and ask him about lifting weights... now he has been walking around sure he is going to get another hernia.
..I left out to attend to Josh's bills and do grocery shopping and ran into an old friend I haven't seen in a couple of years ( almost 3)... she had moved a few times and changed her phone number.  Come to find out she is just 6 minutes up the road so after putting away the groceries and doing a quick tidy of the house, I called Chris to tell him where I would be and went for a visit.  We spent two wonderful hours catching up.  They have a beautiful home and her children have turned into such lovely people, inside and out!
.... When I got home there was a message from my Grams wanting me to call.   I usually block about an hours worth of time for that visit .... she is such an unconventional Grams... not the warm fuzzy memories of cookies and snuggly quilts.... but trips to the beach and climbs up mountains...  taking a bit of chance now and again...we are planning a trip together in 3 weeks to Myrtle Beach.  We'll meet her there with my Uncle.... she wants to take us to Charleston for the day....I can't wait!!  My cousin is visiting her next week and bringing the babies... they really aren't babies any more...more like preschoolers... but they are our families babies...
....While I was on the phone I worked on some of hte blankets I want to do for Ben to pass out to the homeless folks he encounters occasionally when he has his lunch.. these folks live in tents in the woods or walk the streets by day and line up for the shelter downtown at night.  he's on the front line with this one so the least I could do was offer support!
... Two great articles this a.m.  The first is a post  on new and old wineskins my Bro Black  under his Aug 24th post.  This is the very topic we had been discussing at homegroup last week.... how Churches seem to hold up as clicks or clubs and once you leave the club there is little room for fellowship ( as a general rule of thumb).. this is so sad because the church is not just a small structure under a certain name, but the church is world wide believers.  We read the verses of scripture about the body and its parts but refuse to look outside the body to fill gaps  or spread the certain function to where it might be needed... it seems we live in a church society of amputees!! 
......and for a biblical perspective on illegal immigration read my husband Chris's  excellent post... well thought out my love!! 

..... Not sure what today holds for us... we have a bit of outside things to do and I believe I heard the lawn tractor cranking up....

Remember to pray for our troops... and have a fine day all day long!   

Aug 24

Isn't this the sweetest little doll?  I won her over at Crochetville at an auction they were having for the site.  Originally I had bought her for one of my nieces ( I have 4 lovely ones) but when I opened the box I HAD to keep her!  The detail work on her travel outfit is just lovely.... Much to the disgust of the menfolk she is sitting in my familyroom  smiling down at everyone. 

..Thanks for all the good wishes about yesterdays visit to Chapel Hill.  I must confess that I said many prayers about both the visits but especially the plastic surgeon. We are having major insurance issues about this and it looks like it will be an out of pocket surgery ( pre-existing condition)  but the surgeon was well aware and spent as short amount of time as possible packing as much info as possible into a 15 minute time slot ( the hospital bills in 15 minute increments).  Both Christopher and I felt very comfortable with him and he sounded like not just cosmetically but also  more important C's breathing issues would be corrected along with some muscle redo in his lip.  His surgery is scheduled for April 7 2008.
..The ortho was just as promising with a consult for implants or bridge work to finish out the dental end of his cleft .  They had talked of surgery to do jaw manipulation earlier last year but C was faithful in wearing bands even when it hurt and has helped facilitate his treatment.  We are proud of him!
...These two things could possibly be the last two surgeries... What a long road, but praise God for the technology that has developed to correct the birth defect.  While it  didn't seem so at the time, Christopher's was mild compared to some of the facial defects  seen at the clinic.

.... I was able to get one hat crocheted yesterday  at the clinic.  I used Catherine's  Timberdon pattern and with great results.  I love her patterns and her work and have even purchased my favorite winter hat from her and another flower pin .

.... Friday's are outside chore days and I woke up early enough to spray the latest patch of poison ivy and a monster growth of some plant by the front gate.  I also managed to bring in the dog beds for another washing and sprayed that area which now only has the faintest hint of skunk. I still need to do a good dusting out there and a vacuum .. Christopher needs to take a contractors bag an  harvest all the dead basketballs in the woods and cul-de-sac .  While we own the property and the goal kids walk as far as two miles to play on the goal....at times its the highlight of Kinton Fork NC after the Country Store closes!!

...I was disappointed in my trip to JoAnn's yesterday.  I managed  a small scrap of velvet that was on sale to finish up my "cheer-up" swap and hopefully today I can make a small drawstring bag from it.  I bought a small dragon fly  stamp and will try the technique  of burning the image on the velvet.   Apparently you place your iron on the hottest setting, place the stamp on the under side of the velvet, wet the velvet and iron over the stamp.  I'll let you know how it comes out.  I have wanted to try this for a couple of years but the Scot in my was too cheap to spend 4.00 or more a 1/4 yard for the velvet.... it has to be velvet not velveteen.
..I also picked up a 1/2 yard of material  I thought might work for pillow backing... but it won't..the fabric is beautiful in purples and black...   just not what  I needed....
..I also picked up a bit of red ticking... and I'm not so sure where I''ll use it  but I love ticking....I once had visions of ticking, checks and cabbage rose prints decorating a room but  Chris isn't a ticking sort of fellow so I will have to sneak it in some way...

.....Tonight for supper we'll have calico beans, ham steak & mac and cheese..... if I get out the door to run errands.  I need to do Josh's banking today... I am sure in his own way there was a system... I'm just having a bit of time figuring that out... and there were a bunch of direct withdrawals he forgot to tell me out! 

Yesterday at the ortho I ran into the husband of my dear friend Laurie. Their son is a Marine stationed in Baghdad.  It was comforting to talk about it in language with someone else that is in the same place we are.  So while you are praying for my Josh, say a prayer for their son John.

Pray for the troops....and have a fine day ...all day long...

Quite a Busy Day Planned Here

We were all up earlier then usual .  Chris had to go to New Bern again today and Christopher and I needed to get the house in a bit of order and some school work finished before we left for Chapel Hill.  Since he was 3 days old Christopher has been a patient at the craniofacial clinic there.  He was born in a very rural hospital in NC and it took awhile for the doctors to connect us with some place that could get us on track  with feeding and surgeries for his cleft lip and palette.    There have been nothing but great doctors  , dentist , and  support there.   Today we meet with the plastic surgeon about nose repair ..and then the ortho to discuss bridge work and when his braces   might come off... Its been 3 years of visits but it beats having jaw surgery!  Chapel Hill is a good hour plus away from the house and we have to pass several fun places ( to me) on the way down... so along with battling the crowds of students returning to class on the UNC Campus I decided to add JoAnn's fabrics, Michaels Crafts, the thrift store and maybe the book store.  I planned soup and sandwiches for supper  since we'll be late getting home.  His last appt is at 3:30 and traffic gets a bit testy on I-85 that time of day....
... I need to pack a bag with plenty of things to keep busy during the waits.  Some crochet and  a book.

....I received an update from my friend that her son was NOT on the helicopter that went down  in Iraq, however are hearts are saddened by the fact that there are mamas who  are grieving just the same.

.. My aunt checked in and Perry Ohio seems to be just mud..no floods... My mom is in Springfield O and she is as dry as a bone there.   

....Pray for the troops... and have a fine day... all day long...

Aug 22

...do you know what that is a picture of????? A french knot.... yep, after 42 years of embroidery I finally made one!!!  I'm rather proud of myself considering it has taken me years of frustration to get one completed!  I almost hate to part with it and feel it should be framed in a special place at home... but it will be winging its way to FL next week if all goes well...

...School went well yesterday .. C read alot and worked on his Algebra.  He managed several chapters and exercises from Fallacy Detective  this is the second Bluedorn book we have read , the first being "Whatever Happened to Penny Candy" about economics.  Our Literature story was a Poem by Frost called Fear .  We also worked on SAT vocabulary study. He did his usual guitar, running, basketball and watched a couple of History Channel specials.  We will be using Streams of Civilization for history but the book isn't here yet. 

...On our library trip last week I checked out a book called "Everyday Pasta" by Giada Laurentiis.  We love Italian food!  Last night I made  Mini Penne with Parmesan Chicken.  The penne was OK.. not bad, just not up our ally but  the chicken.... a true keeper!  The recipe had called for chicken tenders but I used boneless, skinless, chicken breast.  So simple... soak in buttermilk preheat the oven to 450..then bread heavily with Italian bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese mixed together.  Bake for about 25 minutes.  I put mine on a foil lined jelly roll pan ..They came out juicy and tender... I have always had a problem with them drying out... these were wonderful!

.... I am finishing up one book and getting ready to move on to The Good Earth by Pearl S Buck.  I had read it years ago when the crowd I was running with gave it a good read and had a discussion on it ( while eating carob brownies and drinking herb tea) ..The book didn't stick as I was more interested in being part of the group then actually absorbing the book.... somethings are wasted on the young!! I STILL would love to be part of a book club and discuss the book while eating carob brownies and drinking herb tea.... but this time around I think I will appreciate the book much more.

  I heard briefly from Josh last night.  He was served an Iraq meal and he said it was OK ..what ever it was he was eating.. he sounds very tired... please continue to pray.

.....I managed 2 of the 60 purple squares and one baby hat last night..I was quite proud of myself..

...The bedroom got its cleaning while I talked to a friend ..today is the kitchen and I am happy to report that all appliances have had a scrub and all that is left is the floor... I am hoping to work on a few tea towels having been inspired after I read HomespunLiving  today... she has the best ideas!! Back in July she did a bit of redwork on tea towels for curtains that I fell in love with... I bought some patterns from Vicki   who owns Patternbee( there is a link on her blog) last spring ..those old vintage type days of the week dishtowel things.. Yep, a fork dancing with a spoon or a creamer smoozing with a sugar bowl always makes me smile!!

..and as a side note... we had rain last night!  I know that isn't news for most of the country... and Aunt C & Uncle D if your reading this check in.( they live in northern Ohio) but for our little drought area it was a God send!  I bet my neighbor is more then happy he switched from raising tobacco to hot peppers this year.  The little fiery red boogers are just smiling on the vines when we go by!

Please pray for the families of those 14 killed in the Black Hawk helicopter today..I have been in contact with one anxious mama so far waiting for word on her son.. When you have a child playing in that sandbox, they all become your children.....
.......................reminds me of John Donne...any mans death........send not to see for whom the bell tolls....it tolls for thee....

... So pray for the troops...and have a fine day...all day long...