Well... Day 2 of CD being in New Bern... his 12 hour days and the fact he has to do manuel labor and he falls asleep at 9:00 make being away from home easy for him....I could say the same thing for myself today!  Not sure why everything int eh house had to break the 2nd day he is away from home.  I rose tot he challange and I too am exhausted tonight...

Woke up to take C to biology class.  The heater wasn't working very well and there was frost on the west side windows...bbbrrrrr... its only Oct!

...dropped C off at bio ( 45 minutes from the house) and hit walmart to see if they had any baby yarn on sale for the little hats I am crocheting...BINGO... some cutie yarn for only 2.50 a skein.  I worked up one hat this evening and it gives just the right size for what I want to send. 

...Poor C is having such a tough time in Biology...we talked about it on the way home.  He knows he is just going to ahve to give a bit more time to it.

...came home and the computer was dead... actually the modem... called C in New Bern who tried talking me through some things.... nothing.... I finally got off the phone with him... took a deep breath and step by stepped followed a process to discover it was a bad plug... Ahh... easy fix once I solved the problem...

..... then the water pump died... now.. I suppose most folks learn from their parents how to fix things.... I applied my knowledge to the situation at hand.... ....years ago my folks owned a really old car... and sometimes it just died....my dad being Superman in disguise ( to me) would simply open the hood, knock three time ( sounds like a Tony Orlando song huh?) with his tool of choice...

.....yep... an umbrella... kept it tucked under the front seat... so it was never fear.... dad and his umbrella are here ( OK.. maybe he was more

...yeah...I'm thinking more Underdog... but it worked!  So... off I trotted with not an umbrella....but a mop...

......I was going to use the broom, but there was something pulsing in the back of my brain about a metal broom pole and striking something with 220 volts.....shades of 9th grade Physical Science trying to push its way to the fore front of my brain.... Mrs. Cook would have been proud... I hit it three times with plastic...it started and stopped and I had to make three runs  to the pumphouse and back... in the dark... with heavy breathing deer ( or obscene hunters) tracking my moves...

...AND a trip back to walmart where Christopher and I sucessfully picked out an oil filled heater thingy guarunteed to keep us cozy while the rest of Kinton Fork freezes...and so after talking to my honee on the phone... weaving a small basket with Christopher, and solving all the micro disasters of the day... I think I'll fix a spot of tea... and mosey on out to the corral and kiss my horsey goodnight( great line John)

so much for the monster post I wrote that got gobbled in to the neither world..( insert manuel buzzer here)...

anyhow... the gist of it was .. not much going on except for the day to day stuff... lots and lots of travel with Christopher going to and from

basketball& biology......sitting for 4 hours won't be so bad once I crank up the new think pad Chris gave me...I have already stalked Panera Bread once  but I need to get the hang of the little red mouse button...also, I ahve taken on crocheting Caps for the Capital, little newborn and preemie hats My goal is 30-50 hats... these work up so quickly and go to a great cause... If you are a knitter or a crocheter you can go here to learn more about it.

www.savethechildren.org

I have 6 done....

My basket reed order has come in and I hope to spend time next week designing a Christmas basket.  This will be a blend of flat and round reed  with various dyes... hopefully it will turn out well.

...I'll have plenty of time with CD gone to New Bern... only 4 days and 3 nights but we are both just a bit pouty over the whole thing...this will be our life for the next 8 months or so... I do plan on heading down when I can and seeing all there is to see... just makes it a bit tough with Christopher having obligations...

... I am hosting a Mystry Crochet ALong at www.crochetville.org

I designed a small pattern and post 8 rows a day... it has been a blast so far and I have made a few new online friends... and all of us are crocheters using arcylic yarn( gasp)... and according to some pattern designers in the crochet world, that puts us right there with serial killers and axe murders... awe well... I did order cotton thread today ( like about 10 balls worth)so perhaps I am not the lowest of the low!

..and finally I leave you with the artery busting meatloaf I made for dinner... it was a new recipe and I must say we all enjoyed it. ( C did say it could use some sausage, gets that from his mother)...

Bacon Mushroom Swiss Meatloaf

do the dishes ... and relax with my sweetie...

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

.... my friend Susan sent me a note tell how grieved she was at recent events.... Colorado... Wisconson... PA..... our own country  with the leadership gone astray....

...... we should all be grieved....

Who casts not up his eye to the sun when it rises? but who takes off his eye from a comet when that breaks out? Who bends not his ear to any bell which upon any occasion rings? but who can remove it from that bell which is passing a piece of himself out of this world? No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were: any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

we're back from our Ohio/PA trip.... exhausted but happy!

we started out Friday morning traveling across southern VA to hook up with the WV turnpike. We made a stop at the family favorite quick fix

.....one of the few places you can get fries for breakfast... unfortunately as much as I love em... the MSGs drive me crazy... I probably shouldn't have eaten the biscuit either cause the curving mountain roads gave me a splitting migraine by 9:00.....

....the guys snacked their way across the state, goldfish, twizzlers, beef jerky.... I napped until about 1:00.....

.......nothing like blue lights in the rear view to make you sit up and take notice...~ " do you realize you were going 81 in a 70"....~sigh~ and why don't you have a registration ( just go it in the mail and it was on my desk).... he took Chris' license and came back with a warning ticket..... I was getting ready to play the old " My son is an MP" card but didn't have to.... We spent the rest of the turnpike going 79 ... and listening to 1776 by David McCullough..it was wonderful... we finished it up about the time we rolled into Columbus at around 4.00 that afternoon...

... We relaxed a bit... checked the emails and dressed for the rehersal dinner...

... Wonderful evening... lots and lots of folks , many we had never met and lots of family we haven't seen in awhile.

Great food and a game of corn holes going on in the back yard..

.. Corn holes is really more of a midwestern thing I think... even my mom drives around with corn hole "targets" and bean bags in her trunk... I am seriously considering whipping up  a set for us... we are great Bocce ball players  but this might give us a bit of variety... this sort of gives an overview: http://www.cincinnatigames.biz/Pages/Rules.html

The whole family went back to the motel and slept like rocks, despite the fact we were right next to the airport!

......there is great comfort in family... knowing who loves you despite all the wrinkles and warts....

... so go grab a family member...give em a big hug... and have a fine day... all day long!

....have I been living under a rock????? Of course I hear on the news from time to time that harry Potter is causing a bit of a stir....but... well.. I ddin't know the American Library Association keeps list on the 100 most challenged books... these are books that folks deem umm..."evil"... now some I probably wouldn't want MY kiddos reading...but as a lover of classic literature....I'm having a tough time understanding some of this... I picked up the cue from another blogger and decided to do a 13 on Thursday.... My fav 13 challenged books:

The list of the top 100 are here:

http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/bbwlinks/100mostfrequently.htm

...and my list.

13. Where's Waldo

12.  Adventures of Tom sawyer

11. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

10. slaughter House 5 ( any other Vonnegut fans out there???? I could write a whole post on Cat's Cradle)

9. James and the Giant Peach ( perhaps protest from Ga. peach growers????)

8. A Light in the Attic (?????)

7. A Wrinkle In Time ( my fav book from 6th grade

6.  Of Mice and Men ( Peta???)

5.  I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

4. The Outsiders ( first book I ever read with a curse word that my parents knew about...can't count Love Story by Erich Segal that lived under my mattress)

3. The Catcher in the Rye ( fav 11th grade book)

2. Lord of the Flies ( dh's fav highschool read)

1. To Kill a Mockingbird ( Attickus is rolling in his grave over this one!!!!)

...Fantastic weather the last couple of days... I went out to do a mintectomy in the flower beds....

Mint....3

Me.......1

Gosh that stuff is fiesty....sort of like cockroaches... the bomb will drop and there will be roaches and mint!

signing off for the night... one tired hubby ( dads VS kiddos)....bengay time....

...have a fine night ... all night long....

Happy Birthday Google

http://www.google.com/I absolutely love the graphics they do  for special days!

With basketball practices now in full swing,...I enter into yet another  life of riding the roads to get  number "31" where he needs to be.  The upside is visitng with all the other moms in the same boat.

Lots and Lots of suppers fixed in the crockpot...

This week we have had basketball, biology ( weird things growing in petri dishes around the house), lots and lots of reading on Lewis and Clark and watching th wonderful Ken Burns DVD ;" Corps of Discovery, Lewis and Clark".  Christopher is reading "Of Courage Undaunted", on the journey, and I found the Lewis and Clark Journals that I have been reading every night. I wish we were heading out west to follow the trail, but instead we are heading north for a bit .  We have a wedding in Columbus Ohio, then on to Mentor on the lake to visit my aunt , who will just have returned from Mongolia, then on to Gettysburg and a swoop through washington DC and then home.  I'm really not of the Civil war frame of mind right now but I know the trip will be wonderful.  October is our month to try and do short travels.

Three wonderful postcards in the mail today... Mary and Al hailed us from Strasburg... My aunt sent one from China before going into Mongolia, and my mom is caught in Hungry, just in time for a bit of political goings on ( she loves it)..... Thanks folks!  They are going in the collection....

..For those of you who collect Junior Rangr patches, or want to start... The Lewis and Clark Trail offers one by mail...you can find the activites here:

http://www.nps.gov/archive/lecl/Education/JrWebRanger/NewActivities.htm

...and I have a new favorite snack food....

These folks , are delicious... and speaking of delicious... its lunch time here at End of the Road... I'll break the male child away from his "work" of loading the laptop with games to play on the trip and we'll whip up a couple ( few) grilled cheese sandwhiches...

...until later....have a fine day... all day long...

Remind me never ....ever... to eat Ben & Jerry's Mint Cookie Ice Cream before I go to bed again!

...I had the weirdest dream!!! First of all... the fellow from one of the blogs I read, www.daveblackonline.com  was sort of this mafia figure... and I was at my old highschool ( Springfield North, Springfield Ohio), outside by the theater... and he had... umm.. thugs.. I guess with him... and I think they were politely going to dispose of me because I hadn't written a paper!  The thug was none other then Mark Jacobson, the owner of the dealer we bought our new car from.... They were both very polite but I could hear the shots in the woods from others who had not written their paper .... insert here that it seemed like the surreal scene in " A Good Man is hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connery.. absolutely one of my fav authors....You know the scene, where the family is being quietly and politely being led off  and shot while the main killer talks to the old woman ... I'll not spoil the ending  but suggest everyone rush to the local library and check out the short story yourself.... anyhow... I digress....back to the  dream.... so I'm sitting there ready to start pushing up daisies... when along comes none other then Ted Kennedy ( quite a mixture out there on that field beside the school huh????) but.... Ted had in his hand.... a 5 paragraph paper...typed and polished

.............and it hasn't finished getting weird yet............as I was thanking him and the paper mafia was retreating.... a parade of elephants tail to tail were walking across the ball field.............I have never been one on dream interpretation although I did take a class in college where the professor was all about dreams... He said that everything and everyone in your dream represents you..... hmmm... about the only thing I might identify with  would be the elephants....hmmm....off to drink chamomile tea before I go to bed tonight!

Droopy rainy cool day.... perfect day to get alot of inside things done...after throwing a roast in the roaster, I set to work on an overy zealous project for Christopher's Christmas present a huge 3ft by 3ft monopoly board.... in cross stitch....

Still a bit rainy for the afternoon so I popped a bowl of corn and settled in to watch one of my all time fav old movies :... I also  divided warp reeds for my upcoming basketry class on Sept 20th.  I am so excited to be teaching again...its been 2 years since I have taught classes, although I ahve done a few demonstrations.  There seems to be a real intrest in the area and I am booked for Oct and only a few slots for Nov and Dec.

Christopher and I watched a DVD ont eh War of 1812.... really well done... I think we learned alot.. Not sure why I am feeling a bit stressed tonight... probably something a handful of Raisinettes will cure...Have a fine day... all day long

I have spent the last 3 days reading this awesome travel blog from a fellow homeschooler...

http://www.activated-storytellers.com/travel/typical.html

Chris and I do alot of traveling but this is a dream come true... well worth the read...

Ohter exciting stuff at the eaton household?...hmmm.

We closed the door at the lake.  after 7 years of serving there as chaplain... we decided no more... time to turn the page and move on to something else.

Last weekend we decided to search once again for a church home... its a tiresome process... I physically could not make myself go out the door and go tot he church we had chosen to visit... this Sunday we have been invited to church with some friends...apparently there is a huge potluck afterwards...just can't go wrong with a potluck...the pastor is Heather's old pastor so  I think they will go with us too...

Working back through yesterday.,.... Christopher has been cursed with my eyesight... and since he is a b-ball player... we opted for :...ok ..not fake eyeballs... but they sure would have been cheaper then the contacts !  He likes thtem.. and that's important.. also picked picked out glasses for when he is not wearing contacts...

While C was at biology yesterday I hit the thrift store... found a new old pair of jeans that fit very well... sorry to the person whose hiney got to big for them ( yes I know they could ahve lost weight and that's why they gave them to Goodwill... but misery loves company)... AND the 5th book in the Unfortunate Events...Christopher and I love these books... I borrowed them fromt he library but thought it high time we own them ourselves... especially at 50 cents each!

Lunch was:

... yesterday an interesting poll came out about pizza... how you can tell a persons personality by the pizza toppings... Chris is a die hard pepperoni person... I happen to like veggie...acording to the survey...folks who order one topping on their pizza are grouchy procrastinators..(ahem)... but folks who order veggies... make great parents. ( yeah me).. I would have had low self steem in that area if it weren't for the study!

... and finally... I leave you with a link to my sweetie's new blog...

http://www.christianguitar.org/forums/showthread.php?t=134683&page=3

He tends to be a bit more intense on his blog then I am on mine ( understatement).. but he is a wonderful teacher and I know you'll enjoy it!

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

...Its been two weeks since the wedding and I suppose I can't use that as an excuse any more for my lack of presense in the cyber world...not just my blog... the yahoo group I own.....a few groups I belong to...I just sort of took a step back and examined a few areas... what works for me... what doesn't...not a real serious thing... just life maintance...

I'll not even begin to catch you up on the last two weeks... lots of little things... a couple bigger things...

..OK.. today... the day started up great... I absolutely love the smell of hubby's coffee..he does this mixing thing with hazelnut and breakfast blend... I am not a coffee drinker but I could use the smell of fresh ground coffee as an air freshener!... I scooted out of bed and made a cuppa tea... my fav...if you haven't tried this one... you should... I drink it iced too....but this morning we shared our hot drinks.... and a plate of these beauties:

....so not good for us... but it makes our mouths happy!....

Then we cleaned the Corolla extra  good... and headed out on a mission....4 hours later we are the proud owners of..yep.. Aspen green Camry...with our trade in we didn't really increase the monthly payment by too much... and the leg room is alot more then what we had..We had 50,000 miles on the Corolla in 2 years...we travel ALOT so the extras will work for us.

... and to celebrate...Chili's... I can't get a decent pic on here... but trust me it was delicious!  especially since we had been sitting at the dealership from 11:00 to 3:00...

This evening we are just relaxing... Chris and Christopher are watching football... Chris is pulling for Ohio state... Christopher for TX... I don't care... granted I grew up in Ohio... and we live near some of the best colleges in the nations... but this year I must go with WVU... the coach happens to be from right near where I was born, my Grams still lives there... and anytime some one from Grant town makes big... you take notice...it was a coal camp... and the mine shut down years ago...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grant_Town,_West_Virginia  population 657... gotta love it!

I spent the evening testing a pattern for one of my crochet buddies.:

What a cutie huh?  I'll let you know when she makes the pattern available...

Now, thanks for the emails reminding me that etsy is out of crochet hook holders... umm... yep... I knew that... and I have been work on several new fabrics  and they should be up in the etsy by Monday...hopefully.... maybe...

anyhow... since I am having a perfect.. high fat... not good for you sort of eating day... off to munch on saltines piled high with peanutbutter...

....its a good day... and may you have a fine day... all day long!

...... I wish I could say we are floating on cloud 9 after the wedding... the truth is we are just a bit melancholy ....work out the change in family dynamics... ....

Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee,
Little Jackie Paper loved that rascal Puff,
And brought him strings and sealing wax and other fancy stuff. Oh

Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee,
Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee.

Together they would travel on a boat with billowed sail
Jackie kept a lookout perched on Puff's gigantic tail,
Noble kings and princes would bow whene'er they came,
Pirate ships would lower their flags when Puff roared out his name. Oh!

Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee,
Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee.

A dragon lives forever but not so little boys
Painted wings and giants' rings make way for other toys.
One grey night it happened, Jackie Paper came no more
And Puff that mighty dragon, he ceased his fearless roar.

His head was bent in sorrow, green scales fell like rain,
Puff no longer went to play along the cherry lane.
Without his lifelong friend, Puff could not be brave,
So Puff that mighty dragon sadly slipped into his cave. Oh!

Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee,
Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee.

....I have nothing more to say....

Not sure why Heather's bridal luncheon brought back a few memories for me....it really might have actually been the hour and a half trip there and then back....

The first hour and a half I was running a tad late... I have only been a passenger to the Upchurch's... never the driver... so I missed a couple of turns( cell phone was left at home YIKES!)....things went so well.  Delicious food and great company... I really like Heather's mom and sister, sylvia read a book to the group entitled " You are my Middle Child"... both Jerm and Heather are middles...layed back... definitely march to the beat of their own drums...

....but on the way there.... all I could think of were.......Shmoos

 ...every Sunday my dad and I would grab the funnies looking for he Shmoo... I thought he was adorable....when I was very young I remember thinking I wish I had a shmoo for a pet.....

...later I was horrified when the Dog Patch crowd  feasted on Shmoo...Barbaric....It seemed to fit with that 1973 film ( dh's fav when we got married)  Soylent Green..... that infamous line " Its People!!!!".......I felt the same way " Its Shmoo!!!!".. I later learned that Al Capp was just writing about a true event.. during the Berlin Air drop shmoos stuffed with food were dropped and caused near riots....no live shmoos were hurt during this air drop.......Sadly the US government did the Shmoos in with the Shmooicide Squad ( shmoos reproduce like...yep Tribbles... both cute, both loveable....both out of control....

You know I think my brother had a pet tribble.. came out the same year as my dad kept a :.......now those were the good old days.... when I got up, made my bed and left the house to congrate in someone's garage or basement to transform shoes boxes and popsicle sticks into houses for "Now I know all you post- 60's youngsters are saying "Trolls".... but no.. we called them Wish-Niks.... and each and everyone of us were inspired designers with our shoe box homes.. glue and sticks.. scrap material.... no one would even think about sitting in front of the TV... and video games were the stuff Orwell's 1984 was made of....

... and each mom kept a pitcher of drink in the fridge.... not Kool-aid... something far more exciting.....

.. Funny Face drinks......of course later on they were presweetened... nothing like aspartane at an early age....and we drank it out of small dixie cups..... what great memories!

... we also played with klackers... two acrylic balls on oppisite ends of a rope that you would move your arm up and down and strike them together...we had so many bruises up and down our arms social services would have cringed!!!!... finding a pic of these torture devices seems a bit tough...

but here is a pic of the how-to's... you can get the idea....and when it rained?????? board games.... especially my all time fav"

too much fun!.... and then because my dad really new how to have fun.... my brother's and I played this:Hands Up Harry..... you shot this cowpoke with a soft dart gun... only the darts weren't so soft back then... his hat would fly off.. his guns fall back...and the most fun... when his pants fell down!.....

I feel sorry for kids today... they simply have electronics that keep them from all this fun stuff!......

~sigh~ have a fine day... all day long~