Pics from Memorial Day

Earlier in the month, I volunteered to come in to work on Memorial Day. We have staff come in over long weekends, which makes the first day back to work manageable.

AARGH--WHY in the world do I volunteer to do this?

I emptied the book drop, checked in books and shelved everything within an hour. By the time I left, it had started to rain. It's been warm and rainy all week.

This is the last outpost before heading into Stickville. You can tell by the sign. Who else sells #50 bags of potatoes and advertises? I never shop here though. I stopped once to pick up stuff for a salad. They only carry iceberg lettuce.



Heading down my street (and oh, I use that term loosely), where all cell phone coverage disappears.

My own little piece of paradise! (Which could be better only with cell phone coverage.)


We headed up to Roanoke to meet a large church group for a picnic. The weather held out for several hours, and when it started sprinkling, a lot of die hards remained.


Uh, that would not be me.

Trevor was waaaaay off with friends, hanging out (and dry!) in the playground tubes. Robert got drenched looking for him though. :)

Trevor wisely carries his shoes.

The rain stopped later at home and we bird watched. I am usually too fidgety to sit still for this, but when I can, it's so relaxing.

Goldfinch

They generally get along well with each other, although they have distinct personalities.

Red bellied woodpecker

I enjoy learning the traits of different birds; some will sit in a nearby branch, others will have predictable flying patterns back and forth from the feeders.

Hairy woodpecker

Our Birds of Virginia Field Guide is well used.

Chickadee (dee dee)

I don't feel like my Memorial Day post is a week late. Memorial Day was just a week early this year.

Cover up

Holly bought a Hollister gift card for a friend. She did not find the half naked guy on the card particularly amusing, so Trevor went to work on it and got the guy dressed.


Thanks, Trev! Holly's friend won't be creeped out, and Moms all over are a little happier. :)

Back to Sunday

I continue to struggle with timely posting to my blog. It's a priority, but everything in my life is behind by a few days.

Sunday:

Saving our seats at church. Is this bad? I want to get a "good" seat, which means sitting close to the front. My husband, however, prefers the back. Robert chats in the foyer, but after our hour long drive, I toss down our stuff and run to the bathroom. :)


Robert served in the cafe afterwards. He's usually there once a month. I don't often get goodies, but they always oh-so-sweetly call out my name!


I stick to coffee.


Sometimes Holly and Trevor get treats, sometimes not. All proceeds go to missions, it's just good all the way around.


Trevor ran around outside with his friends and came back in to cool off. It's been warm and humid all week.


Some wives have a difficult time getting their husbands to church. I can't seem to get mine to LEAVE.

Waiting in our cars for the guys to finish up...

Later in the afternoon, Trevor and I went for a walk down our street.


Later, the rest of us hung out on the deck while Trevor the Ninja entertained us below.


It was a great day. At this point, I'm so far behind that I'll probably be late to heaven.

A happy anniversary

Although we celebrated our 16th anniversary on Friday, it was pretty quiet, and we didn't do anything special to mark the day. This, of course, is because we celebrate EVERY day. (Bahahaha!)



Rob does know me though. This is really from last week, but he ran into Walmart to get me Advil and brought this out. Not many things make me happier (is that good or bad?).



I worked in the morning, and everyone had early soccer games.

Despite Robert's pleading, Holly's team tied in their game.



The little boys were paying attention though.

Incredibly Trevor spotted the camera.
I was more than half a soccer field length away.

The younger team won their game 9-0.



We went out afterwards for pizza with friends.


Apparently, no one here can just smile....


Holly snapped this on the drive home. Wachovia Tower is somewhat of a landmark here, with it's distinctive roofline. The sky was gorgeous.



Trevor took this one. It will probably be my next blog header.



It was a lovely day. I can't shake the thought that in ten years, we won't be doing stuff like this. Eeeek!

WHERE are those Little Debbies??

Book Giveaway - HERO: Becoming the Man She Desires by Fred Stoeker and Jasen Stoeker

Eek, I'm behind once again, which means I have not yet read this book. However, Fred Stoeker authored both Every Man's Battle, and Every Young Man's Battle, and I'm familiar enough with that series to look forward to HERO.

Through the generosity of Waterbrook Press, I have been provided with a copy of this book to GIVE AWAY. Just leave a comment for me, and make sure that I either know you or have good contact info. I'll be pulling a name at random in a week or so and mail it out then. Thanks for participating!!

Here's the publisher's book summary:

You already know it’s not easy being a single man in this culture today. But it is easy to be overwhelmed, to feel helpless and hopeless about living by God’s high standards for singles. It’s easy to cave in to the pressures of this sex-soaked world and accept defeat—blaming the media, the culture, even girlfriends who don’t know how tough it can be.

But many men have read books like Every Young Man’s Battle and Tactics and have committed themselves to stand strong and pure in the power of God, and to go on the offensive against the onslaught of negative stereotypes. Some have suffered. Some have fallen. But many have experienced victory—and you can be among them.

What makes those committed men so desirable to women? Be Her Hero is their motto. From best-selling author Fred Stoeker, along with his son Jasen, come the straightforward insight and real-life examples you’re looking for to help you take personal purity to its logical conclusion. Here’s straight truth with irrefutable evidence of what makes an ultimate hero to women who long for men of faith—men who stand by their convictions and make their world a safer and better place.

Are you ready to accept the challenge?

A slew of book reviews

I keep feeling like I'm not accomplishing anything. Apparently I'm mistaken, because the books are piling up and ready to go back to the library. There's been nothing too remarkable either way, so I'm posting them all at once just so I can keep track of what I've read.

A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity by Bill O'Reilly

I've been a long time fan of O'Reilly, and I can remember when he was on trash(ier) tv several years ago. Yes, I like him, but I can't seriously call The O'Reilly Factor a news show. I've read many of Bill's books in the past; this one differs in that it's his autobiography of growing up as a young Catholic boy on Long Island. To sum it up, using Bill's words, "A bold, fresh piece of humanity fights his way up and becomes a media force."

We don't talk about it much, but we've spent some time with Bill.

Or at least someone who looks a lot like him.

Robert disliked the book; Bill's ego came shining through. That's probably the same reason I found it appealing.


A good read; O'Reilly fans may like it.

* * *

Leaving the Saints: How I Lost the Mormons and Found My Faith by Martha Beck

Linda recommended this book; a very sad story (and the author did NOT find true faith). This book provides an inside look at the practices of the LDS church, and its actions to continue to so tragically deceive its members. I'd recommend this for the church story.

* * *

An Inconvenient Book: Real Solutions to the World's Biggest Problems by Glenn Beck

The usual entertaining and sometimes self-deprecating commentary of Glenn Beck. I wasn't sure if I should check this out, but the cover photo of Glenn eating a map of the state of California convinced me. It's a dated book, nothing too outstanding; I enjoyed it nonetheless. I had several Facebook ads for a free download too, I'm sure that's available just by googling for it.

* * *

Defeating Darwinism by Opening Minds by Phillip E. Johnson

* * *

Multiple Sclerosis: Your Legal Rights by Lanny Perkins and Sara Perkins

* * *

Employment Issues and Multiple Sclerosis by Phillip D. Rumrill, Jr.

Weekly menu

Dad's choice
rotisserie chicken, bread, caesar salad, watermelon
something with ground beef
can I convince Robert to make pizza?
BLTs? pasta?
steak, baked potatoes, and ?? *anniversary dinner!*
nacho dogs!

*Choose from:
tv dinners
manwiches

Cake of the week if someone will make it (for our anniversary?):
Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake (blog recipe)

On the back burner:
breakfast with Chef Greg's hash browns (if I find the recipe)
Easy Peanut Butter Fudge, thanks again to Heather
dilled chicken pasta salad
chicken fajitas
meatballs
fish sticks
giant burritos

Over the river and through the woods

Trevor took me out for a walk in the woods a few days ago.


When we first moved here, I was terrified about getting lost back here forever. It could happen, right? We are in the middle of nowhere. (But I guess the old moonshiners didn't get lost enough to care.)


It didn't take me long to realize that if you find the creek, you're good. You can follow it somewhere and eventually find something (even if it's ten miles from home). Besides, from the house, I can shout down to the creek and the kids hear me.


Of course, I wore my good walking shoes.


Lucky even tagged along, choosing to stay with us instead of running off to find his deer leg. (Yep, he's still working on it.)


We crossed the creek and walked up hill that backs to our house, and turned around when we knew we were getting closer to another house.


We turned around, and followed the creek on a side we've never been before. There are what appear to be several old logging roads running through the woods, and they were also used as ATV paths a few years ago.

Something new! The path ended at a fence which is part of a horse pasture. I *think* the fence was electric, but I wasn't going to test it a second time to be sure.


It was time to head back home. (That's the desired effect of electricity, I guess.)


Trevor spotted a turtle.


By this time, I was barely managing to keep up, but I finally saw our house through the trees.


It was a nice walk, fun to explore paths I've only passed before, and fun to check it all out afterwards on aerial photographs online. I have a bit of a thing for maps, and even if I don't know where I'm going, I like to know where I've been.

Cold front!

It was very cold last night, considering this is the third week of May. Our thermometer dropped down to 39 degrees, and there was frost on the cars and roofs this morning.



It did not break any records, however, and it wasn't a terrible thing. We were able to sleep with the windows open--okay, I think it was just one window last night, but it was w-i-d-e open.

Weird things are going on around here. There was an earthquake, really, truly, over the weekend. Although it was "only" 3.0 (I can say that, since I grew up in California), the epicenter was in a residential neighborhood and woke up several friends of ours. I need to see how close we are to any fault lines.

My dad and Sherry are coming out in two weeks. It could get interesting.

Book Review - Multiple Bles8ings by Jon & Kate Gosselin and Beth Carson

We (well, some of us) have enjoyed watching Jon and Kate on tv for the past year. It took me a while to get past Kate's brusqueness, but she's grown on me. Jon is so laid back, and their family dynamics are interesting to say the least.

Multiple Bles8ings is their story, or part of it. There's nothing new in the book. I would have enjoyed some bit of personal information from their past, where and how they grew up, what they were like before they had kids. I had a difficult time reconciling the awkward, flowery sentences with down to earth Kate, and I can only imagine this is where the third author's voice came in.

(As J&K were considering adoption, referring to an unwed pregnant teenager.) "Although she was repeatedly asked about everyone's growing suspicions, she had somehow managed to conceal the change in her slight frame with overly baggy clothing, and therefore fuel the fires of denial that had sustained her mother for months."

or

"Once inside, Jon tended to the task of helping me into bed for the night while the girls chirped about the events of the day, asking rapid-fire questions peppered with sporadic reminders of what the next morning would bring."

(Was there a publishing deadline?)

Overall, though, it was a good book, and the writing seemed to improve as the story progressed (maybe I just became immune to it). It didn't bother Holly at all; maybe I'm being too picky. I appreciated the show of their Christian faith here, which is lacking in the series. If you like Jon & Kate, you'll like this.

Book Review - Where Yesterday Lives by Karen Kingsbury

I loved the first series that I read by this author. I've read a few of her books since then, but I'm having trouble getting into anything else she's written.

Like all Kingsbury books, Where Yesterday Lives is about family. Ellen's marriage is going down the tubes, and when her father unexpectedly dies, her husband stays behind in Florida, while she goes off to her family in Michigan. There are also major relational struggles between her and her siblings, and Ellen seeks out her first love, Jake.

But I didn't find Ellen likeable; with their endless petty bickering, her siblings were equally unlikeable. I didn't care how things were resolved. This is the same problem I had with the last Kingsbury book. I don't know...maybe I'm expecting too much.

So. Not recommended. Karen Kingsbury has written, what, two dozen books? Any suggestions for one of hers that does not include 9/11, and is not part of the Forever Faithful series? I really enjoyed Oceans Apart and the Redemption series.

In my garden

I spent a little bit of time this weekend taking pictures of what's blooming in our yard.

Clematis is one of our favorites; we've planted it in all three houses we've lived in. We long ago discovered that the secret to clematis is in not trimming it back during the winter. All that seemingly dead growth isn't really dead.


I'd never seen dogwoods until moving here. Robert planted this baby tree for me that I can see out of two windows. Be still my heart! (For the dogwood and my husband!)


Bleeding hearts are another favorite bush of ours.


Foxglove. I don't know much about this, but it looks cool in pictures! I reminds me of gladiolas and looks like hummingbirds would enjoy it.


I think the poppies are the cheeriest flowers ever, and I can never have too much cheer!


I have no idea what this is; another hummingbird favorite though... (Becky or Debbie in NNY, I'm guessing you'll be the first to tell me!)


Columbine have been my very favorite flower for years, ever since I came across a mountain meadow full of wild columbine. Robert knows how much I love them and always has them growing somewhere for me. They have to be blue; yellow and pink just aren't the same.


Easy growing petunias are already in full bloom in the planter boxes. They are such a nice and easy way to bring instant spring!


The trees still have bright green leaves, not all the way leafed out yet. We've had mostly seasonal weather, 70s with occasional rain. Spring is so pretty, and I look forward to summer.

Mother's Day List

1. Off to church bright and early in the morning. (Believe me, 9:00 a.m. is bright and early enough around here.)


2. Fellowshipped after church over coffee and pastries.

3. Home to hang out for a while in the afternoon.

4. Robert, Holly and Trevor gave me the Mercy Me CD I wanted for Christmas (it didn't exist back then, but it does now!), along with a rose bush.


5. I played PS2 with Trevor.

6. I got in some reading time.

7. We ate giant burritos for dinner.

8. Robert snapped a few photos, and wouldn't you know, there was not one good one of all three of us.


I will photoshop Holly into the other picture when I have more time. (And no, I have not opened my free Photoshop software that I've now had for two years, but I did download something similar for free. How logical is that?)

(Update: Yay, I did it! Very cool, it was pretty easy using a tutorial I found by googling:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2014110&id=1049791911&l=6bc3d962d9)


9. Back to church in the evening.


10. We stayed late and enjoyed the company.

11. Stopped at the grocery store to pick up Breyer's Mint Chocolate Chip, and Reese's Peanut Butter Cup ice cream.

12. Watch the Amazing Race finale with Holly.

13. Played Bejeweled on the computer for an hour after everyone went to bed. And still could not get over 70K.

14. Had a pleasant and relaxing day.