Fall Highlights

The trees are just starting to turn their glorious colors here in central Virginia. Meanwhile the flowers in our neighborhood are providing a lot of beauty. 

It's my favorite time of year - sweatshirts, jeans, hot soup, gorgeous foliage.


Today I'm sharing a potpourri of the week's beauty.


I'm trying this picture as my new (this week) header. Love the colors, the rooster, the Coke box. Finally found some Coke bottles to fit into the box - they are from China with Chinese lettering on the back. 

The books were from last week's yard sale. Since you already know I'm a little off - reading maps - now you must learn that I also love reading children's books. 

However, I see a theme in these books - they're all historical fiction. Would it sound better if we just said I read historical fiction ... and the accompanying maps?!


Between reading historical novels, where there was always a pot of stew on the wood stove, and the cooler temps we're enjoying, I decided it was time for me to make a pot of my favorite soup.

Hamburger soup, a recipe given to me by my friends, the ladies of the Grove Avenue Women's Missionary Union. I'll always remember the time several of us made huge pots of this soup and served it, along with sandwiches, at a local homeless shelter. I was blessed by the experience. And now I bless you with the recipe.

Hamburger Soup


1 lb. ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 - 46 oz. can V-8 juice
1 can each: Creamed Corn, Peas, Carrots, Butter Beans
3/4 c. celery, chopped
2 tsp. salt
Pepper to taste
1 tsp. sugar
Dash of Italian Seasoning


Brown the beef and onion; drain. Combine all ingredients in large pot. Cook slowly on top of stove 2.5-3.0 hours. Or in the crockpot on low for 5-6 hours. Add water if too thick. 


Have a great weekend!

Hugs,

          Mary

I'm sharing at:

Almost Heaven...

West Virginia, right?


I've been buying Christian romance novels (I know, I know) because I love to read them before bed. I can totally relax reading this stuff. And at these prices ...

I've been "traveling" around to several different states recently reading the books, but for some reason, West Virginia really caught my fancy. Have you been there?


I have, a few times. A gorgeous place. Mountains, streams, stunning fall foliage, and one amazing bridge.

Hazel, a dear friend who hails from WV, seemed shocked when I recently asked her why West Virginia separated from Virginia all those years ago.


"Uh, because y'all were for slavery, and we weren't."


Oh. Gosh. How embarrassing.


Well, the book was so interesting, I ordered a WV map. It arrived today.

I come from a family of map readers. How weird is that?!?! I can remember sitting around the living room, each of us with a map in front of our face, studying various places. Suddenly, one would say, "Look at this, I found so-and-so." And we'd all drop our maps to look at this one.


So if you try to reach me tonight, I won't be available. Although my current sweet little family are not map readers, I plan to hide away somewhere with a cup of warm tea and my WV map. How fun!


Do you have any strange habits, like map reading? If so, confess now. Please?

Hugs,

Mary

New Header, New Name - Tell Me What You Think

Trying out a new header today, along with a slightly modified name.


I wanted something a little less academic (101), a bit more personal (Ms.).


I'd like to figure out how to make the header picture not so tall so that the post title shows on the same screen as the header. If you know how to make that happen, please send details my way.


I'm about finished with pneumonia, just very weak. I believe I will start walking a bit today in this gorgeous fall weather. Maybe walking will bring back a bit of energy.


I did spend some time this weekend working on my Alewives giveaway fabric - here's a little sneak peak:

Hope to complete that project before Christmas arrives by the end of the week. Love the owls!


What projects are you working on? I'd love to stop over and see what you're up to.

The Piano Hardship

Taking piano lessons was, for me, a true hardship.


Giving me piano lessons was, for my parents, a sacrifice.


Teaching me piano lessons was, for my teacher, . . . probably a nightmare.


Ha! I came across this 1960s piece of sheet music in the piano stool recently and decided to frame it. 

I've carried that piece of music to every place I've ever lived here in central Virginia. I've moved ten times. 


I decided by now it's surely vintage so I framed it and hung it next to the other pictures on the parlor wall (a/k/a the music room, depending on which of us you ask). 


When I started second grade, my mother decided I should begin piano lessons. Each Tuesday I was given $2 in an envelope with instructions to give the money to Mrs. Walters (name changed). 


This began a series of Tuesday piano lessons that would last for five years. Five years of me never practicing. Five years of mom sending $2. Five years of Mrs. Walters getting agitated with me for not practicing. 

I remember she had looooong red fingernails, which in my innocent little, book reading, country world of the 1960s, scared me to death.


Once I did so poorly on a piece I should have practiced, she actually took my innocent little hand and smashed it onto the keyboard. 


I did not appreciate that. 


These days they'd call Child Protective Services. Back then we knew better than to go home and tell Mama we hadn't practiced our piano piece. 


Did I mention recitals? That's where this sheet music came in - it's one of those horrible pieces I had to memorize and play in front of the entire high school auditorium. I think the whole county was there. All 58 of them. 


These recitals made me physically sick. Have you ever been so afraid you felt physically sick? I did, every year prior to recital. 


Somehow I got through playing this piece and it's been in the piano bench ever since. Moving around with me. 


This week it got framed.


Happy Rednesday! 


P.S. I am starting to feel better, and thanks for all your kind thoughts and prayers.

A New Roo

As I sit here battling pneumonia ...


I know right?! It's as miserable as it sounds.


Mr. Redo took me to a drive-thru doctor (ours are called Patient First, what are yours called where you live?) yesterday. Not really drive-thru but you know what I mean. Mr. Redo tried hard to convince the doc that I had pneumonia, but the doc was having none of it. 


He did, however, acquiesce to allow me a chest x-ray. And he did, thankfully, start me on an antibiotic for the "respiratory infection" he diagnosed. 

Today Patient First called to say the radiologist found pneumonia from the x-ray. 


Mr. Redo is not happy. He rarely gets mad ... and I do mean rarely, but I'm sure I heard a hint of anger in his voice after I told him about the phone call. Very frustrated that the doc didn't find it. I reassured him with the fact that, nevertheless, the doc did start an antibiotic. 


This is the second time I've had pneumonia. Have you had it? You honestly feel like you're passing to your eternal reward with pneumonia. 

Lots of rest is suggested. 


How can a mother of two busy homeschoolers/soccer players rest? Well, we didn't get much homeschooling done this morning, but I did drive them to soccer. You can actually rest quite well while alone in a sunshine-warmed van. 


I'm sure the meds will put me back on my feet quickly. I really thought that taking Vitamin C daily would prevent me from having pneumonia again, but alas that was a fallacy. 

I did notice on our drive to soccer that a few trees have leaves starting to turn some delightful colors. I do love fall but without pneumonia is my fall of choice.  


The pictures are:


A recent thrifty rooster find - did you notice she has been attacked by some wild beast, as many of her tail feathers are missing - how awful! She found a safe home with us.


Lace and apple/pear s&p - all thrifted.


Embroidered table runner - made by my own dear mother many, many years ago.

Burlap Table Runner Winner!

Today is September 18th, the day I promised to draw a winning number for the handmade table runner.





And the winning number is (drum roll please):

4

Which belongs to Thrifty Crafty Girl.


Congratulations, Thrifty! Enjoy your runner!

Saturday's Yard Sales

So in spite of my fever, aches, and chills ...


And the pain in my lower back ...


(are you feeling a little sorry for me yet :)


Ms. E and I ventured out in the cold, damp wind around 11:00.


The yard sale advertised as a "neighborhood" sale consisted of three townhouses, none of which had anything I needed.


But on the return trip home, we came across two of these at $1 each.

(We've been talking about painting "The Red Room" for the two years 

we've lived here but still haven't gotten around to it. Maybe soon.)

You know we can use all the folding chairs we can find for that Big Thanksgiving Bash we're getting ready for, right?


They're not pretty but they don't have to be. We just like getting together and celebrating Thanksgiving. Can't wait for the big day!

Homeschool Sports

Miss E and Redo Jr. are enrolled in two homeschool sporting groups - soccer on Monday and Wednesday afternoons. And today (Friday) we start homeschool ice skating. 


I've never seen two kids so excited. They eagerly fly through their lessons each morning.

Redo Jr. is learning about sheep. Ms. E is learning Algebra ... her dad helps her at night. Let's not talk about my own Algebra struggles in high school, way back in the day, okay?!?! 


Miss E made several new friends at soccer. Such sweet girls, each one helping the other. This team's focus is not on winning or competing but rather on exercise, fun, and Christian character.

Redo Jr. made some new soccer friends, too. He never learns the names of his friends. He's too busy playing with them. I should quit asking, "What's your new friend's name?" Maybe it's a guy thing.

I'm making some new friends, too - other homeschooling moms. We all enjoy our forays into homeschool physical education!

Will let you know how ice skating goes - Ms. E and Redo Jr. are ice skaters from way back, so I know they're going to love P.E. today!

Fall Decor 2011

Our fall dining room centerpiece contains 

thrifted items and several I shopped

for within our home.

The tablecloth was a treasured find from a yard sale at $10. 
I made the burlap and lace tablerunner for about $5.
The pumpkin pie dish came from a yard sale for $1.
Salt and pepper shakes were Goodwill finds for $1.
The little vase, flowers, and leaves were from last year.

Total cost of our centerpiece - $17. 

Our Big Thanksgiving Plans

I've spoken of our family Thanksgiving gathering where 47 members of Mr. Redo's family (including us) come together for a luncheon of turkey, ham, and covered dish delights. 


I thought I'd show you around our house where we provide tables and chairs for everyone to be together. 


Our dining room seats twelve when my grandfather's table is fully extended. I like to seat our matriarchs and patriarchs in this room. 

In that corner, where you see the green foam from some long forgotten project, we will put a small folding table for two. 


This cozy white table, which lives near the built-ins in our den, will hold five. 

The rest of our long den will be filled with rental tables and will seat sixteen.

(Couch comes apart and will be pushed against the walls.)

This room was dubbed "The Parlor" by Mr. Redo when we first moved to this house two years ago. Doesn't that remind you of the Baldwin sisters from The Waltons? "Why come into the parlor, John, and have a taste of the recipe."  :)

(Ms. E entertains her friends with Monopoly here)

We will seat eight family members at a folding table in the Parlor.

And we will, if necessary, seat everyone else upstairs in our bedroom. Seriously. 

Did you count as we went along? I counted 43 downstairs, which leaves a few upstairs in the bedroom. If it's a lovely day (sometimes it is), some will probably eat outside on the deck. Then we wouldn't have to send anyone upstairs. Hoping the weather will be nice. 

Now as you can imagine, a lot of food comes along with all those family members. Where will we put all that food? Most will go along my counter/stove/sink (Mr. Redo has a board (which I cover with Reynolds wrap) that nicely covers the sink for this one day of the year). 

A folding table will replace the red bench for the day, and that will hold desserts. Just barely, though. 

Drinks (tea, coffee, water, and two types of sodas) will be served by Mr. Redo's sister (my very best helper without whom I could do none of this!) at this drink station (for the day).

This year I hope to find a low cost/no cost enclosed canopy so that we might put desserts outside on the patio table. 

So that's the plan. It's a lot of work getting ready but so worth it when everyone arrives and we talk, laugh, and eat together. My favorite day of the year, really. 

I'll keep you posted on plans as we get closer to the November date. 

Meanwhile, the burlap table runner giveaway continues here, ending this Sunday, 9/18, at 9:00 p.m. 

I'm sharing here:

God Bless the U.S.A.

An Organized Homeschool Student

Ms. E never ceases to surprise me. She went from being a messy-bedroom middle schooler to being an extremely organized-desk high schooler over the summer :)


Here are some pics of her organization, which she did entirely on her own. Since I'm an organizational fanatic, I am very proud of her work on setting up her homeschool desk in this manner.

 Neat, clean, attractive

(I am in love with this organization!) 

(I learned in Blogland to "shop your house" for interesting collections, suggested Ms. E do that for her school desk. A very attractive vignette for her desk top. All the animals are from yard sales.) 

So there it is, ready to get down to some serious Algebra! 


Which goes to show there is always hope for a messy kid to be reformed :)


Remember to sign up for the burlap table runner giveaway here!

Rain Washed Earth

Following two days of heavy rain and thunder storms here in central Virginia ... 

I glanced out the kitchen window late this afternoon and saw the sun shine on the clean earth. 

Of course I wanted to share the beauty with you, my blogging friends.

 Raindrops on a spider web

(Casper didn't like going out while it rained but

says it's okay now)

 (Can anyone tell me what this plant is? It's huge, covering an entire side of our back yard)

Hickory nut - two trees overhang our deck. Mordecai, our resident squirrel, and his friend, have dropped at least 5,000 of these onto our deck, our heads, our dog - or more often just the sharp, jagged edged hulls which are not comfortable for man nor beast to walk upon.

 Mushrooms in the wild regions of my yard

Hope you enjoyed seeing my rain washed part of the world.

All decorative or functional items in our yard were either thrifted, yard sale-d, or brought home from the dump's "Too Good to Waste" area. 


Don't forget to enter the giveaway for a handmade burlap and lace table runner here!