The Needle in a Haystack

Happy Birthday Martha

...This is a picture of my home church... the church I grew up in as a little girl.... filled with people who love me and pray for me.  People I have learned from and who have been there when I need them the most.... family.... It is nestled int he foothills of WV... a small mining community called Katy   I love this church.  I love the people...even as a grown woman when I go back for a visit I get the greatest sense of peace sitting in one of those pews.  I know the exact number of wooden slats in the pew in front of me... I know where to turn to smile at each person there..

......today one of the dearest and gentlest faces to smile at won't be there.  My dear Martha was called home to be with the Lord.

.. When my parents were new Christians, very young themselves with a new baby ( uh ...that would be me) Scott , the pastor of Katy, and his wife Martha took my parents under their wing.  They mentored, they prayed , they counseled, and most important in my eyes, they loved me.  Not only did they love me as a wee one, but they loved me as an adult, and to this day Scott will give me a good hard squeeze and say " how's my girl Lenny"...( I have no idea how the whole Lenny thing got started but he and Martha have ALWAYS called me that)..  I learned what it meant to raise 4 boys on a small income.... and how to handle your self like a godly woman in times of stress.   Martha was my measuring  stick... calm, even beautiful Martha. ( her children will rise up and call her blessed)

... Her heart was always with Jesus  while she was here on earth.. and today, today she meets her Saviour face to face.  It's Martha's birthday into eternal life.  Praise be to God for his excellent and mercifulness to us, sinners, saved only by His grace!  Happy Birthday Martha!!

........My sin-oh the bliss of this glorious tho't
My sin not in part, but the whole.
Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
O my soul
                                              ..... Spafford  1828-1888

Sept the somethingth

... Chris is backing going over his teaching for fellowship tonight, I have a ham in the oven and the fruit salad is made up, Christopher is scrubbing out the cooler and in a bit we will head off to the lake with friends.  It's been a stressful week on so many levels.  Even good stress is stress.  Tomorrow we will declare a day of complete rest for our home.  A day to regroup, reconnect, putter around and do things we enjoy....

....I hope everyone has a wonderful day..all day long...

The morns are meeker then they were,
the nuts are getting browner,
the cherries cheek is plumper;
the rose is out of town.

The maple wears a gayer  scarf,
the field a scarlet gown...
lest I be old fashion,
I'll put a trinket on.

........Rosetti

I guess she signed

... CSI  Las Vegas is one of those shows I really like.  Most of the time I have to catch reruns  since Christopher usually has basketball conditioning.  Last night Chris  drove him since he walks with his buddies during that time.  I fixed a cup of tea and was able to watch the whole season premier.   I rarely  just watch a show.  Most of the time I am crocheting or have some sort of handi work going.  I had heard that the whole is sarah dead thing came from the fact that there was some contract dispute.  I guess they got that worked out!

..It was cool enough last night that I was able to walk in our neighborhood.  I spoke to a couple of neighbors, we are still in a state of shock over Nancy. 

.....We got an email from Josh this morning.  He has the day off from the war so he is going on a tour of Saddman's palaces and bath houses...  Ok, first off all, having a day off from the war is a concept I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around, second.. WHAT DOES HE MEAN TAKE A TOUR OF PALACES AND BATH HOUSES!!!!?????  I suppose he didn't get my memo about hunkering under his bunk and not coming out unless he had to....~ sheesh~ why does this child always insist on adventure???    Jamie owns maybe 6 of my grey hairs... Jeremy maybe a couple more then that....Christopher... maybe 1 at the most so far... all the rest belong to Joshua!!  I might add his Grammy Sue wasn't grey  either until he was about 2 0r 3.. so I know its not just me!~smile~ 

.... Busy basketball day today....this time the drive isn't as far.  I go to Louisburg.  I have a couple of tea towels to work on while I wait and I could do a bit of grocery shopping .  Our little fellowship is having a picnic on Sunday and I need to do a ham and fruit salad.  I'm anxious for the weather to turn a bit so I can spend more time outside.

....I wish I had lots of fun recipes and such to share with you but not much of that going on here.  Some weeks are just like that you know...

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

They will have to give back their medals....

.. here they are on the Olympic podium flashing the Black Panther sign...remember the Olympics   39 years ago????  Apparently these two are trying for a revival.

..... Actually, its a picture my Aunt C ( the gold medal activist) sent to me of her and my mom ( the silver medal activist) of their recent trip to Canada.  There were several pictures that looked like those two had a blast.

..I'm always a bit jealous of sister type things since I only had much younger brothers that weren't much fun.

..... and why haven't I been blogging the last couple of days???? Exhaustion!  I have had so many things to do and alot of driving to and from places..  Today is an at home day which will still involve a trip into town but that's only 20 miles round trip and not 120!

... Chris started his new job Monday morning and seems to like it so far. His hours are longer but I have to just deal with the fact I can't live in a perfect sweetie world... where are all the good salaried  short hours jobs????

...Dana and I finished our Beth Moore Bible Study yesterday.  We were both glad it was over.  I for one am not a great eschatology sort of  person.  The Lord is going to come when he sees fit and how he sees fit...me picking it apart isn't going to change a thing...   There were good lessons to learn... integrity and prayer .. Daniel was a GREAT example...

... Christopher began basketball on Monday.  The place they practice was 60 miles away.  It was after 7:00 when I arrived home Monday.  I was so thankful for dinner in the crockpot!  When I was at the thrift store yesterday I found a slow cooker cookbook for .50 and grabbed it.  I have a feeling that my crockpot will be a faithful servant this ball season!

... Remember my ti raid  on the ban burn and no camping on Sat?  Well..... Sunday afternoon we were driving home and found a small forest fire burning about 2 miles from the house.  It knocked out power and flared for two days.  Exciting stuff... we need rain!!!

.. I got a very disturbing phone call last night from our neighbor.  We only have 6 families on our part of the road, none of use are very close but we tend to try and be there for each other.  The neighbor to our left has had a struggle the last few years. Single mom, no skills, no work, her daughter was in a serious car accident then found out the daughter was pregnant( beautiful little boy)... I have seen the mom working her self ragged in construction to try and pay for her home.  Finally her 63 yo body just would tire out so she took her social security, not much but she stayed tires.  No insurance until she was 65 so she avoided the  doctor.  She is now  at Duke Med in intensive care with last stage ovarian cancer. They have called in her children in PA.   My heart aches for Nancy.  I have no idea what the health care solution is, but I know  something needs to be available.   There is not one doctor ( and we only have half a dozen) in our community that will see someone on credit... They all have stoic office managers looking for the benjamins before you get very far past the front door.  As for now, I'll pray....

... Not much done the last couple of days on the crafting front.. today I hope to do a bit of work with wax and maybe some embroidery ( not on the same piece)...

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

NON!

...I sort of hate to post words in honor of Marcel..... he passed away yesterday you know.... I LOVE mime, so much so that I took a whole class in mime my first year of college....I wasn't very good but I could walk up imaginary stairs, run against imaginary wind, drink and imaginary glass of water and define a box.... all talents that have proved me well over the past years ( not)....

........ Do you know that there was actually a movie by Mel Brooks called " Silent Movie" ( I use to be a HUGE Mel Brooks fanatic)... nobody spoke in the whole movie except  Marceau.  He said one word Non! It was hysterical and such a play on mime...I loved it.... I  was working in a movie theater when it cam out and would run around the concession stand to peek through  the doors to watch and then just down right chuckle when I heard the word coming through the doors!  Good stuff.... sure beats all teh quadrant/ sector type movies out there today ( sorry sweetie)

... I heard from Josh yesterday again  through email.  He sound a bit better ..rested.... he is very homesick though....

... Jesse stopped by for dinner and we had a nice but short visit.  She seems to be doing well  at ECU and adapting to college life.

... Chris and I suffered through the NC State/ Clemson football game yesterday.  I don't know why we do it.... we always say we're not because its way to frustrating... but we do... I can easily switch back allegiance to WVU  or Ohio State depending on who is having a good day... I'm not a die hard football fan...

.... We had homemade lasagna last night for dinner.  I thought I would up the authenticity a bit by using ricotta instead of cottage cheese.... both of the guys were caught picking it out and shoving it to the sides of their plate...~ sheesh~  guess I'll stick with plain old cottage cheese next time!

.... Chris continued painting the bedroom until he ran out of paint... It is looking great!!  I was a bit leary of painting the wood in there but it gives a very warm rustic feel to it. 

... I worked on a few afghan squares last night... one for a friend with breast cancer, another for  an army wife not doing so well with a deployment.  as I make a square for their friendship ghans, I make an extra to piece together for Ben's homeless project.   Today I hope to finish up one more afghan and do some work on a tea towel.

.... Tomorrow will be extra super busy.  I have to wake up early and function by taking Chris to his new job to pick up his vehicle... then back for a couple of hours before hitting the road again and driving another hour  plus back to Cary where Christopher has basketball practice.  It will be one of those days where if anything is done it has to be in the car.  I'll also be thanking God for my servant the crockpot!

.... I pray everyone is having a great day in the Lord.... remember to whisper the names of the troops in your prayers...Ben... why the dickens did you delete your blog... and the rest of you... have a fine day... all day long!

I took to the woods

...Our annual camping trip has been canceled... I admit I am in a bit of a pout over it.... oh the group of friends and hubby are all trying to make it better with a cabin retreat int he mountains... or a bit of geocaching at the lake... but its not the same.  I like woods, tents, campfires, hot drinks sipped while staring out in the woods...but we are in such a drought that the parks  and rec in VA where we were going to camp has issued a burn ban... what's camping without a campfire???  I wonder if some one sent Thoreau a memo when he was a t Walden..." Henry, I think global warming has set in... no campfires up there bud!"..

.... before everyone runs to post a comment... I KNOW IT IS SERIOUS....fires are very real in these parts and we have kept a watchful eye on things around our little stead... but that doesn't mean I'm not disappointed in the fact I'll miss my camping trip!

....... Josh called yesterday.  I wasn't home but Chris got to speak to him.. I was GLAD Chris got to speak to him... I'm not sure I could take the "small arms fire" story as well as a dad could.  I shed a few good tears and spent a long while in conversation with God about it.  It will be a long year...

....I'm chipping away at my WIP and spent some time on a stole I had tucked away in a soft gray yarn  I rustled through some patterns and sorted.... pulled out some fall decorations.

... the men were treated to porkchops for supper...I got this recipe from mum in law a few years back and its a favorite around here

Chops in Soup ( probably has a fancier name but that's the one on the recipe card}

6 pork chops
5 or so potatoes peeled and sliced
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 1/4 cup milk
onion
salt and pepper

brown chops and onion in a bit of oil.... place potato slices in a greased baking dish and top with the onions/ chops... sprinkle with salt and pepper and mix together soup and milk.  Pour over chops and potatoes... bake cover on 350 degrees for about 30 minutes and then uncover and bake another 40 minutes or so until chops are done and potatoes are tender.  we had corn and asparagus as a side .

... It almost seems like  a Sunday for some reason... I'm trying to get the guys out of the house for the day but I'm having very little luck... is there such a thing as liking home TOO much???  If Jesse stops by for a visit I'll go do a bit of shopping and a library visit with her.  One perk of being the mom is that the gf's and wives of the boys will go along even if they don't want too ~smile~   mostly they do I think..

... several small things to do today.... the spare room has become like a jungle of boxes, craft supplies, odds and ends.  I'll work in snippets to get things set right in there.  Chris is painting the bedroom walls off and on  and I need to clean a bit in one area in there. 

...... A few of my friends on a homeschool  loop have been discussing colors... If you see yourself as a color what would it be.... It has been interesting to read the answers... mostly I have to agree with their choices ... I picked lavender... followed by  violet....... so ... what color do you see yourself as???? a mauve? cream? perhaps a sage???

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

A Bit of This and That

I thought I would share a few websites that I have been following the last couple of weeks..
Any Soldier  is a website where needs of the troops are posted and folks can supply as they can.  I know the 1132nd put out a call for footbags and so far I have received 6 with a promise of about 20 on the way.  They also have very little water so baby wipes for baths are very helpful.  Temps today in Baghdad.... a balmy 106 degrees 

Baghdad Prayer PAtrol  sends out daily prayer requests for the areas in and around Baghdad. 

Let's say Thanks  allows folks to thank the troops  for free!  Just a small email to let them know they are not alone over there.

..... Yesterday we were able to get alot done both personally and around the house. Chris redid the roof of the storage shed and then settled in reading his new book by Karl Barth.  Since Jimmy  "introduced" the two of them he has been absorbed.  I so appreciate having  a husband who enjoys studying that way.  It allows me to glean without actually having to read.  Not that I don't read, my level of reading for pleasure just tends to e a few ( hundred) notches below my sweeties.  I get the readers digest version~smile~

... I cleaned out a few cabinets in the kitchen with the intention of selling a few of the odd china pieces I have gathered over the years.  Not anything with sentimental value, but odd pieces picked up at tag sales and flea markets.  I could part with nothing... the only thing to come out of the cabinet was a Virginia Rose Homer Laughlin shallow serving dish with a deep crack.   Of course nothing liquid could ever go in the bowl again... and my mind went to mosaics and planters etc... throwing the bowl out could not be an option... so.. now the kitties are eating off fine china... I think they like it!  I also finished up a table cloth I had been working on for (4) years..~sheesh~ it took all of maybe an hour to finish off... why do I put these things off???  Then my next WIP ( work in progress) was the days of the week towels .. I had finished up to Thursday and last night while we relaxed I managed most of the dancing sugar bowl for Friday's.   My great grandmother use to have such things in her kitchen and I loved them! 

...we had a bit of regrouping in the school dept.  History was just not working for us in the text we bought... a discussion led to using the text as a base but allowing for much broader studies in some areas and focus on some others.  ~ The beauty of homeschooling~

... fall gave us a little visit the last couple of days.  I LOVE this season, it tends to be much too brief here in the south.  I also know that the temps will shoot back up in a couple of days and we'll have the AC cranked once again with 90 degree temps outside.  But for the last couple of days, its been muffins and coffee or tea for breakfast... cook books with soup recipes and hardy breads being poured over.  Thoughts turning to the holidays. 

... Our family had talked a bit last year of going away for the holidays instead of celebrating at home.  We tend to enjoy the time together more then the gifts anyhow ( although the gifts are always nice)  The kids were the first to mention it this year, I'm not sure anyone wants to be sitting at home with Josh not there..perhaps going some where will help us miss him less....  Finding a place we all agree on is another thing... Emily wants Charleston ( but as she says she is just a gf and so the vote only counts half), Jamie wants the beach but I don't know how I feel about the beach at Christmas, Jeremy wants the mountains but half of the crew HATE to travel any distance at all.  I wouldn't mind Williamsburg  ..any suggestions????

...... We're off to Raleigh for the evening,  a couple of errands, dinner with the inlaws and then Networks...

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

My family is so easily amused.....

... My family can make a party out of anything.... not sure what that says about us...hmmm...
  My Grams had one of those nifty home blood pressure cuffs... the kind that seems like the blood will squirt out of your fingers and your arm is being squeezed off... then your blood pressure and  heart rate are displayed  on a little screen.  We all took turns...Uncle Bill gathered the youngsters around to explain the top and bottom numbers... Jeremy kept taking his... wondering why his heart rate was so fast ( as he was gulping Mountain Dews ~sheesh~)... I'm happy to say all of us seem rather healthy in that department.... not your normal beach activities!!~smile~

... Today was such a busy day .  Christopher plowed through his school work and then took on the task of raking out  the front flower bed .  It is really looking good.   Mint had taken over so we had to really work on getting rid of it... now I'm not sure what we'll put  there.  Chris  wants to put a deck  so I hate to think of planting more roses  in that spot.  It might stay bare until spring.

... I had to go to Raleigh and pick up Chris after he turned in his truck at his old job and did orientation at his new one.  we are both very excited about the new company.
..One little blessing I had to today was when Chris called concerned because I needed to bring his birth certificate to the new job.  A few years back I put all of our birth certificates, the deed to the house , important papers, into a box where I could grab it on a moments notice.  So it was easy without digging to be able to put my hands on Chris'. 

...The trip took much longer then I thought so I was glad to have supper in the crockpot  Swiss steak ...

Swiss Steak
6 cube steaks browned in oil
Place in the crockpot with ;
1 clove garlic
1 onion
1 rib of celery
1 can diced tomatoes
1 8oz can tomato sauce
2t beef bullion
.cook on low for 4-6 hours
... at the end of cooking mix 1/4 cup water and 2T cornstarch until blended then add to the tomato mixture and stir until thickened.

... we had it over spaghetti...  yum!!!

I made my first pair of knitting needles today.  I was so proud... I cut a small dowel into 2-8 inch links  and pointed the end in the electric pencil sharpener.  I sanded them down and varnished then took sculpy and made 2 sweet little lavender beads poking them on the ends to make a sure fit... then baked at 275 degrees for 20 minutes.  I'll have to get a picture tomorrow.  The possibilities are endless for these things!!
...Off to rest up from the day.... I do believe hubby and I have a few fudge striped delights to snack on with a hot drink... nothing is more relaxing then a cup of chamomile !!
... remember to pray for the troops... and a BIG thank you to all those who comment and email to let me know you are... and have a fine day... all day long!

Happiness Part 4

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

Happiness Part 3

..Jamie and Emily rolled in late Friday night.... we all sat up until 2:00 talking and laughing... these two are so much fun!... It was great hearing about Jamie's new job.... and Emily has opened a new Dojo in Lillington , NC  called Merritt's.... do you think her black belt helps keep Jamie in line????