I Love My Purls

2012-02-14T20:41:00.000-05:00

This is Castlewood, currently office of the Chesterfield Historical Society of Virginia. Originally it was a home built in 1816. In 1860 the house was acquired by Trinity Methodist Church and served as a parsonage for traveling ministers until it was purchased in 1957 and restored to it's original 1820 condition. It became Heritage Savings and Loan in 1976. The county purchased the property in1987.

Exterior is in pretty bad shape. They recently received a grant for $160,000 and the building will be repaired this spring.

My sister in law, Barbara and I visited the site and participated in their Heirloom Seed Exchange.

This is a awful picture, my camera is not doing very well. But when I saw this it brought back a lot of good memories. This is Moore's Lake, which was located on Jefferson Davis Hwy. I went swimming here many times as a child and teenager. I am not sure when it was closed - it was very much like Overhill Lake in Henrico County.

The interior is lovely.

Lots of documented history.

Model of the building.

There were many books of seeds: veggies, herbs, flowers. You could only pick 10 seed packets. No cost, you just have to bring back seeds after harvesting your crop.

It was hard to choose. I tried to pick different types of plants that I have never planted.

Lemon Queen Sunflower

Sweet Annie

Cilantro

Sensitive Plant Mimosa Pudica

Italian Dark Green Flat Parsley

Tomato -Black Krim

Red Cherry Tomatoes

Okra - Red Burgandy

Cardinal Climber. It was a fun day, learning a little about the county's history and picking out some great plant seeds. Then we went to lunch at a new cafe - Huckleberry's - it is in a sports parks very near our house. The food was great. I had dumpling soup - the best soup ever.

I stopped to get the doggies some treats on the way home and bought these huge bones for them....they loved them, especially Annabelle.

2012-02-02T22:50:00.000-05:00

Every Wednesday morning I have chime practice at our church. I really enjoy this - I am not musical at all and learning this with a wonderful group of women is so rewarding. We have a very patient and lovely choir director - Sue who is just wonderful and funny.

We practice and play in the balcony.

View of our sanctuary from the balcony.

Organ in the loft.

I had a real treat when I when to practice yesterday. Sue recently lost her parents, and is going through all their things. Her mother was a very talented knitter and Sue brought some things she found and asked me if I wanted them. WOW! I was very excited and honored to accept them. And she says there are a lot of knitting items and she would bring them also if I was interested.

This cute baby pattern book has a lot of cute sweater patterns.

This is amazing. This beautiful sweater hand knit, complete except for attaching the yoke which is a intricate intarsia pattern. Just gorgeous. It looks to be about a size 10/12 adult. I thought she was going to ask me if I could complete it for her which I would have gladly done - but she said I could have it.

Love the aqua color, a lot of work was put into this.

I need to sit down and look at the pattern and figure out how to complete it. This really means a lot to me. I just love it and I love that Sue thought of me about giving these items a home. Thank you Sue so much.

I continue to work on the crochet squares. I blocked this bunch and want to sew them together. Doing this as I go along will be easier than waiting to complete all of them when I have enough - not sure how many I am going to make, I'll decide as I go along.

This is the pattern "water lily".

I am knitting this poncho for Meighan. I made one for her 2 years ago. I am not putting the hood on this one.

I love this yarn from Hobby Lobby. The poncho color is "surprize stripe". And now that I have a Hobby Lobby 12 miles from our house I can just run over there whenever I want!!!

I made Dave one of his favorite meals last night. I made a huge meatloaf since we love leftovers for sandwiches.

But it's this sauce that makes the meatloaf yummy.

I opened this bottle of wine Kari gave us. It is pretty good cabernet.

Love for Valentine's Day...be back soon.

Catching up

2012-01-31T22:52:00.000-05:00

I am still getting movies from the library. I watch them when I am sewing, knitting or doing computer stuff. This story was very sweet.

Wow, this was so good and touching. Julie Christie was wonderful. A sad story about alzheimer 's affecting a couple married for almost 50 years. A tear jerker.

Loved this. I love these period stories.

I listened to this on my ipod. I think I missed some important segments. I have the book and plan on reading it - next on my list.

Oh, if you haven't seen this you should. A documentary charting early development of four babies - one from San Francisco, one from Namibia, one from Mongolia and one from Tokyo. Quote from the jacket: " illustrating what makes human life unique, similar and precious wherever it occurs." Fascinating seeing different cultures and how they raise their children - it was amazing to me.

So, I am going to bed to finish this book. I am almost done. I love the Twilight Saga books, which really surprised me, I didn't think I would like them.

Meighan's school picture. I couldn't find Alex but I know I have his. They are growing way to fast.

Trying to learn how to sew

2012-01-31T18:48:00.000-05:00

The original sewing machine we bought Emmy did not work, the stitching was horrible and I couldn't do a thing with it. So we took it back and ordered another one.....this one. Emmy came over on Sunday and we had our first sewing lesson. Things went well for a while. But for some reason the thread starting breaking. I tried everything but nothing worked.

She did learn a few things about basic sewing.

She learned to sew buttons on....and played around with all the different stitches..

and made a pillow, in her favorite color of course.

Pretty darn good for a first project. This kid amazes me. I just don't want her to get discouraged and I don't think she will, she seems to go with the flow -

So we packed this machine back up so we could return it and order another one.

John Martin's 60th Birthday Celebration

2012-01-31T18:37:00.000-05:00

On Saturday we headed to Aylett for John's BD celebration. Great food, Great music and Great company.

Jeannette looking great.

The food was scrumptious - barbecue, slaw, beans and much more.

Blue Grass music - I had no idea how good John could sing.

Pamela - love her so much..

Our cute new family RN - so proud of her.

So glad Tracie could come.

Courtney sang - it was so marvelous - just WOW!

Cute, delicious cake.

Happy, Happy Birthday John.

New Orleans

2012-01-31T18:17:00.000-05:00

On New Years Eve Dave and I headed south again for the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.

We stayed at Quality Inn that was a good little ways from Bourbon Street - no problem - we could get the trolley right outside of our hotel. We never had to wait more than 5 minutes and the charge was very reasonable.

The first night we headed for Bourban Street to celebrate.

We had dinner at the best restaurant and luckily we sat outside on the balcony.

Dave's appetizer, those shrimp were huge and delish.

Gumbo - Dave's favorite - he had it every day while we were there.

My dinner - OMG - it was the best. It was a seafood mixture and grits stacked high. I love grits and these were the best.

Then we just walked around.

Selling shots on the street - shameful...

I had one anyway...

Found this great place with a band - we enjoyed dancing and well, drinking.

We took a Pedicab home, it was fun riding while the driver of the cycle pointed out places of interest. It cost $10 which I thought was very reasonable.

Nice young man, working his way through college.

Our room was very small but very cute and cozy.

Had a great TV.

Sorrow to say this was my last picture in New Orleans. I messed up some how and lost the pictures of the game at the super dome. I was really mad. But we had a blast. Hokies played Michigan and they played a great game. They lost by 3 points but they should have won. 23/20.

I found a few more pictures of Dave's birthday celebration.

I bought Dave a Mini Keurig so he could take it when we travel.. The man loves his coffee.

Happy Birthday Dave

2012-01-30T23:21:00.000-05:00

A few family members came over for a belated Christmas celebration and Dave's 69th Birthday.

Samara lost her first tooth.

Opening gifts.

We gave Emmy a sewing machine.

Emmy putting last minute decorations on the cake.

Happy Birthday Baby - you are the best!!!!

Dave got a new digital photo player from his kids and it has a lot of great pictures. He loves it.

Finally - Last Pics From our Trip to Florida

2012-01-30T20:21:00.000-05:00

I am finally getting around to downloading the rest of our pictures from our Florida trip. We went to visit our nephew, Terrence, his wife Laura and their cute son Connor. They live in Orlando, but great news - as of next week they are moving back to Richmond!!! Yeah!

Little Connor - such a cutie.

Meighan enjoyed one of Terrence's guitars.

Is he the cutest or what?

Laura's brother was visiting from Virginia.

The kids had a blast. I think they are petting Warren here??? not sure.

Warren -- their Yorkie. When we met Warren the year before we fell in love and just had to get a Yorkie - the next summer Dave gave me Annabelle for my birthday.

The kids got a ride in their golf cart.

The following day we headed back to Universal.

We had lots of fun.

This little lizard appeared while I was waiting for the kids...

We enjoyed a yummy lunch. Milk Shake for Alex.

Headed to the main street for the parade.

WOW - the parade was fantastic. Everything was fantastic. I want to come back - Soon!!!!

Headed back to the house and packed - we wanted to get an early start on our trip back to Knoxville to meet Paul and Amy - for Christmas Eve.

We arrived to Knoxville earlier than expected - we made it just in time to have dinner at Red Lobster.

We found these bands for Alex = he suffers so from car sickness. These helped so much, he didn't get sick and he was a lot more talkative...

We were the last ones to leave Red Lobster.

Headed to the hotel, met Paul and Amy and the kids had a few gifts waiting for them.

Puzzle..

Cinderella snow globe.

..a great book for Alex...

Happy girl - Justin CD...

Loved his book...looks like Star Wars!!!

I found this card in Richmond before we left for our trip very appropriate don't you think? Merry Christmas to my sweet husband.

I got a lot of these made on our trip. I love making them-I have quite a ways to go....a afghan for a special somebody.

Wednesday Evening

2011-12-30T18:34:00.000-05:00

I have fond memories of this "talking water fountain" - Ian and Samantha were so cute at this fountain when we visited with them when they were a little bit younger than the twins are now..

They got wet -- again.

Our last stop of the day - Dr. Seuss. Lots of fun.

Had dinner and headed home....we were all very tired. A great day.

Wednesday at Universal

2011-12-30T17:57:00.000-05:00

Alex was ready to go and meet Spider Man.

Candy store again.

This was the height of the trip for Alex. Spider Man spent a lot of time with him. So cute, he was telling Alex how Cool his outfit was and helping to straighten his mask.

Signing autographs.

Hugs!

Waiting for the other action guys ...

Green Goblin.

Dave and Meg on the water ride.

Drenched!!

Drying out our tickets and Dave's cigs.

Alex joined them on the flume ride.

Then we headed for Harry Potter - it was so crowded. The kids weren't tall enough to go on the main ride.

Waiting in line to go in the "Wand" shop. It was a long wait...

Alex and I found a spot to rest while Grandpa and Meighan ride a roller coaster.

Alex put his costume back on and had a blast playing the role...many people came over and asked "how Spidy was doing".

Butter Beer.

Such a good time!!!!

More pictures from Florida

2011-12-27T18:06:00.000-05:00

We stayed at the house on Tuesday and had fun at the pool. The weather is warm and wonderful. Meg in her Ariel outfit = I also brought her a Cinderella dress but she wouldn't wear her outfits to Disney.

Our little super hero.

A Wonderful Christmas

2011-12-26T17:56:00.000-05:00

We met Amy, Paul and the twins in Knoxville, TN on Saturday... and we headed to Florida on Sunday.

We got to the house in Florida around 8:00 pm. Meg wanted a bath right away in the big tub.

We all loved the house, very roomy...

Headed to Magic Kingdom on Monday.

Poinsetta trees were gorgeous.

Loved this candy shop.

The kids were very good waiting in the long lines.

We headed for Epcot..

Meg and I had lunch with the princesses in Norway.

Our waiter.

The food was fantastic. The salad bar was good enough on its own.

Meighan kept saying to me, "Grandma this is the best day ever!"

There was a light show on the castle - it was truly magical - it looked like it was covered in ice...

Then there were fireworks.

And it started snowing as we were leaving....just beautiful. But very crowded. We were all very tired. A long day.

2011-12-09T18:59:00.000-05:00

Dave and I went to Cary Street last week - to look around. We hadn't been in a long while. This restaurant was so good..... "CanCan" - a french restaurant.

This bread was to die for.....

Gorgeous bar...

Dave had french onion soup...

I had pumpkin-very different and very delish!

Dave had a burger... those fries were the best.

I had 1/2 sandwich and salad...very yum.

We bought some of that delicious bread to take home.

Bathrooms were different and charming..

I went to a favorite knit shop...haven't been here for a couple of years. I bought some yarn to make a shawl.

Had to go to this chocolate store...

I bought something really neat here, will share a picture later.

We found a neat thrift shop - "Fan-tastic Shop on Main Street and some fantastic deals.

This is a vintage planter, so cute..

Books - wow. Very cheap, these were .75 cents - the next two Twilight series books, which I have really taken a liking to.

Patterns - .25 each.

Scarf for $1, I think I will monogram something to make it real special.

Mickey and Minnie hats are done.

Fingerless gloves are done.

Getting some Christmas decorations done.

This was a delicious dinner.

I bought this cake in a clay pot a while ago, so I decided to bake it tonight. It was very good - key lime.

I made a little gooey glaze...

it was yummy.

After church last Sunday we stayed to help decorate...

That tree is huge!!!

It was fun and we enjoyed a nice lunch prepared by Faye.

Another great recipe....grilled, teriyaki salmon.

and my most favorite recipe in a long time...Pecan-Crusted Mozzarella Salad..

1/2 inch sliced fresh mozzarella cheese, dipped in flour, egg, lastly in a mixture of Panko bread crumbs, pecans, cheese...

so good, my favorite of the year.

I made my cut out butter cookies this week to take to a memorial reception at our church on Saturday.

Another great dish...

These are "Truffled Roasted Potatoes" =OMG, these were the yummiest ever. Don't tell Dave but this bottle of White Truffle Oil was $10...well worth it to me.

This wine was perfect with dinner.

I am saving corks - to make a wreath.

This is dinner - Pork Milanese - it was good and will make it again.

Sarah came today to groom all the doggies - even Max - he spent the night with us last night, so he would be here for his grooming.

Max was so good and he really looked cute.

Annabelle was next.

Bandit had a grooming too, but I didn't get a picture. All 3 dogs are groomed and ready for the holidays. We love Sarah and so do the doggies.

2011-11-28T23:03:00.000-05:00

When I get in the bed to read at night Bandit loves it and immediately gets in Daves' spot.

Sparkle nail polish...

I think Emerson and Meighan will like it.

A few more t - shirts....

This is my favorite so far.

Little red sweater, finally blocked.

I added a ribbon to Meighan's hat.

We went to Jerry and Barbara's saturday to watch the Tech/UVA game and spend time with family. It was great seeing Fletcher, Joanna and Elena.

18 months old - so cute and sweet.

Great evening and the Hokies won!!!

Tonight I made bread bowls...

to serve this turkey soup in.

It was very good. Trying to use up the turkey from Thanksgiving. Wonder what I can make tomorrow??

2011-11-25T11:41:00.000-05:00

Hope every one had a good Thanksgiving. Ours was very low key and quiet. I did everything I wanted to do = watched the parade, dog show, and football. We went to Cracker Barrel with Matlin. The wait wasn't too bad and the food was wonderful.

The cheescake I made Wednesday turned out perfect = we had it for dessert later in the night.

Dave likes his with cherries on top, I like mine plain.

So I am cooking our Thanksgiving meal today--turkey is in the oven - 20 pounds and cost $10. We love leftovers. I followed Alton Brown's recipe.

I got a little knitting done. I am making these wrist warmers for Sue, our choir director. I have made these before, a quick and easy little project.

One more Mickey hat completed.

I started reading this book. I haven't seen any of the movies but with all the press about the 4th movie I thought I would start reading the series.

2011-11-23T21:25:00.000-05:00

I have been busy this week making T - Shirts for the kids for when we go to Disney....

Mickey of course,

Minnie...

Donald...

My sewing room seems to be a mess all the time...

Crocheting some Mickey hats... 3 more to make...

I made a run to Hobby Lobby after chimes today...needed some more T-Shirts - they have a lot of different colors and the price is right. I also needed 11 more of the polka dot kitchen cabinet knobs - they had 10.

I found this rug to go at my sink - I think it looks great with my black counter and white cabinets.

I made a Cheese Cake for tomorrow...

Cheesecake in the oven.

It turned out beautiful.. no cracks!! Also made a breakfast casserole for tomorrow morning.

We plan a nice quiet day tomorrow. Sleep in, watch the Macy Parade and the Dog Show -- spend the afternoon with Matlin - going to Cracker Barrel for lunch, then coming home and have that yummy Cheesecake for dessert...and be thankful for all we have.

Busy Weekend

2011-11-22T15:11:00.000-05:00

We hosted a reception for our new members on Sunday.

20 new members.

Jean, Joe, Dave and Me.

This punch was delicious.

Chocolate, peanut butter acorns.

They were gone in a snap.

Pastor Finck.

The kids at our church love to help.

Twins - Emma and Ethan, they are a year older than the twins. Very sweet.

We went to see Aidan play football.

No helmets or padding. They pull the red tags off to "tackle".

2011-11-20T18:55:00.000-05:00

Our Christmas present this year is a week with the twins in Disney World!!! I am so excited. We are meeting in Knoxville, TN on the 17th, will be in Florida until Christmas Eve. Then heading back to Knoxville and spending Christmas with Amy and Paul. I have been busy sewing:

I was going to make some princess outfits for Meg but found these instead. Her favorite is "Little Mermaid".

Alex is into Star Wars, so I embroidered him a few T Shirts.

I've almost finished the sweater for Meighan. Alex blue sweater is done.

I have been watching movies from our library while I sew. I love this British series.

I am having trouble with our fridge. See the big icicles - the freezor goes warm and things in the fridge freeze. Sure hope Sears can get out this week.

Enjoyed a new wine while making and eating this:

Shrimp soup - Yum!

Made from this book.

Peanut Butter cookies for Dave, his favorite.

Just finished this book, very good ---

House in Florida, fifteen minutes from Disney and a heated pool.

Samara's 5th Birthday

2011-11-09T20:12:00.001-05:00

My lovely lantern bought recently at Hobby Lobby.

,,,also bought this pan at Hobby Lobby - 50% off.

This skillet candle from Walmart - it's Paula Deen.

Great cake mix from Trader Joe's.....used to make cupcakes for our youngest grandaughter's 5th birthday....

...iced with yummy buttercream and decorated with lots of pretty toppings.

Packed and ready to go when we pick up Samara to celebrate her birthday.

Small breads baked and packed for church.

Went to Chucky Cheese and had lots of fun.

Pizza....

....birthday card and gift card...

Cupcake topped with a cupcake candle for our birthday princess....

Yummy.....

The kids were out of school and Emerson helped us celebrate Samara's birthday.

Fun, Fun, Fun!!!!

2011-11-01T21:00:00.000-04:00

I found this cute Minnie Mouse ribbon at Walmart and used my cousin Dianne's idea to make a plain shirt very cute. It turned out very nice.

My desk in the kitchen. I decided to leave my computer in my sewing room to keep my kitchen desk a little neater since I now have new countertops.

New lovely wine.

Dave bought a leaf blower, which will hopefully make the yard clean up a little easier for him.

Net over the pond to keep the leaves out.

A little color still remains.

Pool is covered.

Zinnia's still putting out a little color.

sweet potatoe vines are dieing out, which means potatoes are ready to harvest.

I love sweet potatoes!!!

We dug up this crop today.

The biggest!

Some weird shapes.

I cut the big one in quarters.

Cooked it in the microwave and it was delish. Dave hates sweet potatoes, next year maybe we will grow baked potatoes - his favorite.

I finished this little sweater today.

Started this one...

in red with a little sparkle....

..thought it would look so cute with this dress I bought for Meighan...a Christmas dress. I need to stay focused and get it completed.

Mushrooms -- we love them, so I made Mushroom Soup.

It was so yummy.

2011-11-01T20:24:00.000-04:00

This is the reason Dave and I didn't go to St. Louis for Halloween. I recently accepted the chairman position of the Fellowship Committee at our church. This means I am in charge of several church receptions/parties during the year. I have a great co-chairman but I thought since this was our first one I needed to be there. And I am glad I did, a lot of people attended and it was a lot of fun. I had a lot of support - especially Dave, our friends Jean and Joe and most of the ladies in my Chime Group.

We met on Saturday to set up.

Faye, awesome co-chairman, couldn't have done it without her!

This Sunday was a 5th Sunday and we have a potluck following services; plus this was also "Marty Party" - a annual party in celebration of Martin Luther - founder of the Lutheran Church. Our deacons took charge and grilled Knockwurst, Hotdogs and Hamburgers. There was a keg of beer on the patio.

It is hard to see what these ladies are up to - they are trying to open a bottle of wine. The corkscrew broke and several ladies jumped in to help. The lady on the left is Ann, she is our deacon and she is from Germany. She brought Sauerkraut - the best I have ever eaten - she says it is the "real" thing.

I am sorry that box is covering the wine. These are the most fun people ever. Good in so many ways. I am so glad we found this church.

Jean, Faye, Millye met me at the church last week and we made these center pieces.

This is our Pastor and church secretary - Mette - we were also celebrating her 10th anniversary with our church.

This is Sue - our Choir, Chimes and Bell Director. She is lovely, I appreciate her so much.

We were a little tired after this and went home for a nap and waited for Halloween.

We were excited and waiting for our neighborhood trick and treaters. It started to rain at dark and we only had about 10 kids come by. We had fun anyway.

Our little witch dog. Annabelle was so good, she didn't bark at the trick and treaters - Bandit did, so he had to go inside.

Dave put on the wolf mask he wore when Meg was Little Red Riding Hood.

...just waiting...

On the right - Elijah!

This is Evelyn from across the street, she is big sister to twins which I have posted about previously. She came to see us on Saturday since they were going to New York to see Grandparents for Halloween.

Isn't she sweet?

I'm glad I had treats ready.

Blur, thanks to the rain.

Previous Halloween with the twins.

We had chili on the porch for dinner. I found this cute idea on a favorite blog - pour the chili over fritos in the bag... loved the idea...

but I just put the fritos in a bowl and and put chili on top ... delish!

Had a nice coffee drink for dessert.

We enjoyed our Halloween. We talked to the kids and Amy sent pictures - so cute. We will be in St. Louis next year, hopefully!

By the way, Loretta, I love the Tutu's!!!!

2011-11-01T15:15:00.000-04:00

Dave and I have enjoyed going to the tech home games and to many of the Bowl Games over the last 18 or so years. We have decided not to get the tickets for next season, for many reasons. If we want to go to a particular game in the future we will check out ebay. We sold our tickets for the upcoming Thursday night game and there were many numbers of tickets to be sold.

Here are a few pictures from this year.

A few ornaments for the car.

One of the first and a favorite restaurant we have gone to many times - Sharkey's.

This guy sat near us this year. He is quite the entertainer and maybe a little drunk. He says he will be on "Wheel of Fortune" on the 30th of December. I want to tune in, I am sure he will be full of himself.

Many, many t shirts.

The fans are wild and crazy and lots of fun.

2011-11-01T14:39:00.000-04:00

Wine from Trader Joe's, very good.

This was dinner, we love mushrooms.

Remember our counter tops? I have been wanting to replace them. They were just blah. Dave heard about Miracle Method and looked into it. Much more economical than replacement. The job took 2 days and walla - I love the results.

The entire kitchen was sealed off from the rest of the house. A lot of sanding and dust. 9 layers of material was placed over old tops.

Venting to the outside - lots of dust.

I love the outcome - a whole new look. That wall paper is coming down.

Close up.

We couldn't put anything on them for 5 days.

Looks great with the white cabinets. Now I am looking for new handles and door knobs. I will be headed to Hobby Lobby soon - there is finally a HL in Chesterfield.

First meal back into my "new" kitchen. We love soup, especially in the fall.

2011-11-01T14:14:00.000-04:00

We went to the State Fair with our friends, Jean and Joe. It was a blast and a beautiful day.

and the food! Fried Oreo's.

Big cake.

Pig race.

Dog show.

This is the quilt that Emerson's friend - Camilla, made and entered at the fair. She won first place. Pretty good for a 9 year old.

All kinds of pumpkins.

Piglets.

Mama.

Funny looking rabbit.

We didn't ride any rides but had fun walking around the grounds on a perfect day.

Loving Sewing and Cooking and a Few Other Things

2011-10-03T18:10:00.000-04:00

This is material I cut on the bias to make bias tape....

My newest, greatest gadget - love it - makes bias tape in a jiffy.

My first project for my bias maker... I love this skirt pattern, fast and simple.

Halloween skirt for Meighan.

Love the colorful spiderwebs.

Test pattern for a shirt to match.

Turned out very cute - this picture does not give it justice.

Love this Eagles material - Paul's team, we like them too, Michael Vick is the Eagles quarterback.

T Shirt for Alex.

Also made him some pajamas..

And this cute eyeglass case for him to put his little glasses in..

Remember this book I recently bought... I have been testing out some of the recipes, so far so good - yum!

Grilled chicken with pineapple - Outback - 696 calories versus 400 calories! This sandwich was great, I had mine with pineapple, Dave did not.

Pulled Pork - Bob Evans - 1,590 calories versus 430 calories!

Shrimp Lo Mein - P.F. Chang's 1,308 calories versus 490 calories!

This is Elijah, he lives in our culdesac and comes to visit every now and them. He is quite a character. During this visit Bandit headed under my desk in the kitchen to get away - Elijah took every doggie toy we have and took them to Bandit's hideout. Too cute.

Matt and Lacey's Wedding

2011-09-20T20:56:00.000-04:00

This cute picture of the special couple was in the wedding invitation - loved the purple accented invite - lovely.

It was a perfect day for the wedding and a perfect setting - held in Urbanna at the home of a relative of Lacey's.

Father of the groom.

Courtney.

The groom - in his Zoot Suit, black and white shoes and a cane.

Daniel and his girlfriend.

Purple Dress = just gorgeous = she was a lovely bride.

Courtney sang = what a talented girl.

Matt's Mother.

The wedding party danced their way down the walkway after the wedding = So Cute!

The guys wore white shoes and very cool suits. Loved the bridesmaid dresses = they were a light silver.

The reception was held in a outside area just a bit from the wedding site.

Our aunts - Jeannette and Dorothy - as much fun as ever.

I had to throw these in - this is Matt and John at Amy's wedding - sure wish she could have been at his wedding.

Love this picture of Matt and Courtney also from Amy and Paul's wedding reception.

It was a great celebration - Congratulations Matt and Lacey!!!!

Going Back in Time

2011-09-18T20:43:00.000-04:00

This is a very late post - on my Birthday - July 23 Dave and I went back to the Lakeside area where I spent a part of my childhood = a lot of great memories.....The area has changed a lot = there are a lot of thrift shops and a few nice eateries.

Had to get a shot of this = Mom and Charley danced here many nights. Dave and I met them here a few times.

Lakeside Avenue in 2011.

We had lunch at this cute cafe.

The food was yummy.

After lunch we went next door to this cute shop. The owner was full of info about the area.

She had a lot of photos of the area in the 50's and 60's.

Sailor Bob! Remember him?

Lakeside Avenue in the 50's. Our grandfather was a barber and worked at the shop in this strip of stores.

Pony rides on Azalea Avenue.

Bill's Barbecue not in Lakeside = on Broad Street, a hang out for teens back then.

Roys Big Burger - the best burgers ever. Closed recently.

Broad Street downtown. Miller and Rhoads, Thalhimers and the old movie theaters.

This is the house I grew up in on Bloomingdale Avenue. Sorry it is so blurred = not sure why, maybe because I was shocked by the appearance. I remember it being a "big" house. We lived with my grandparents and had family visit very often. Joyful times!!!

Me in front of the Breedlove's house next door. Remember Jimmy Breedlove?

Grandma Minnie, Jack and Me.

Mom, Jack and Me.

Me, Jack, Loretta, Dianne, and Dickie. Notice how most of the pics are in front of the Breedlove's house?

Me and Jack decorating the Christmas tree in this house.

Me.

Our Family = not sure where my dad and me are? From the top going right = Jimmy, Jeanette, Bernie, Dillard, Dorothy holding Bridget, Louise (doesn't she look gorgeous), Grandpa, Grandma, Margaret, Loretta, Dickie, Dianne holding Pamela, Debbie and Jackie.

Our Grandparents.

My Christmas presents.

Margaret with Loretta, Dianne, Dickie.

Our dog, a beautiful collie. I think her name was Lady.

I love this picture. Crazy about these puppies. I am not quite sure, but I believe someone poisoned our dog, I can't remember a lot but for some reason this sticks with me.

Grandma Minnie and me.

Jack and Peggy.

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Emerson's purse is finished.

Hers is a little different. We put ribbon and a bow - which can be changed with the season.

First foot ball game of the season - we headed west. On the walk to the stadium we saw the cadet's marching to the field. Very impressive.

Hokie bus.

Orange mustang spotted outside the field.

As usual the band did a great job before the game and during half time.

Apallachian State from Boone North Carolina - Hokies won 56/13.

Back to Roanoke to our little Annie -

Working on my scarf and watching more football - what else. Well, I did go out and did a little shopping.

Coffee Pot - must have coffee.

New shirts - with the old hokie bird.

Have you seen this book? WOW!

The recipes are scrumptuous looking and so much lower in calories - this is my favorite salad from Applebees - who would have thought 1430 calories - I had this salad Friday night - Yikes!! I only ate half but OMG. I will be trying the substitutes soon. I will let you know how they turn out.

The alternate recipes look really good.

All the comparisons are unbelievable.

Annabelle is so good to take on trips, except she gets sick on her stomach. I will get medicine for her for the next trip.

Poor girl! In her kennel in the back seat.

I started this scarf for my little guy - it is a puppy scarf. I showed it to him when he was here this summer and he liked it. I need to get busy, it will be cold in St. Louis soon.

Mimi - September 1 - Happy Birthday

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Today was Mom's Birthday-I miss her very much. She would be so proud to see her grandaughters and what wonderful mothers they are. I wish she was here to see her great grand children - she loved us so much and we love her.

Lots of Reading and Movie Watching

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I have been getting movies from the library and listening to books on my Ipod from the library...which has been great for the last 8 days with no power -- thanks for battery operated devices - my nook, DVD Player, and Ipod. No TV but so what, nothing much on during the summer anyway. "Bee Season" is such a cute movie or so you would think, but it gets very emotional - loved it! a bit of a tear jerker.

I listened to "American Wife" on my Ipod when I was working, it was very long, not sure I would have stuck with it if I was reading it, but it was ok.

Being Julia with Annette Bening was a favorite.

This book was so good - another recommendation from Amy. We love anything by this author.

"The Penderwicks" I listened on my Ipod - great story, can't wait to read more - story about 4 little girls, being raised by their father. Such a loving story about sisters and their adventures.

"Love and Other Drugs" if you haven't seen it, get it. At first it is a little silly, who cares story, but it gets deep, not too deep, but has a meaningful and touching ending. Love it!

"The Help" I read this book a while ago - loved it. Went to see the movie with Kari and it was great - Dave went to and he really liked it. Surprise!!

"No Country For Old Men" Sorry, but I can't believe this was up for a lot of awards. The movie is crazy, brutal and gross. I love the actors - Javier Bardem and Tommy Lee Jones but not in this movie. The ending didn't make sense to me??

I haven't seen anything with Liam that I haven't like...

Hurricane Irene

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The hurricane was a real pain - we didn't have power for 8 days and there was major cleanup in our yard. But, we were very lucky in comparison to others.

We ate supper in the garage...taking advantage of the light whenever we could.

I made chili the day before the storm hit - it was so good. Our last meal at home for the next 7 days.

The pool was bad -it looked black at the bottom = took forever to get out the debris - then the water was light green since the pump couldn't cut on - no power!

We were lucky - no trees fell down, which was a blessing. We could have had it so much worse. The worse part was throwing all of our food out from the fridge and freezer.

So Far Behind in my Blogging

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Our little Annabelle in her favorite spot. She is so sweet. She just goes in her little kennel when we tell her to, don't have to pick her up and put her it.....and she knows when it is her bedtime...10 o'clock every night = she is ready.

These kabobs were great, made them with chicken thighs - very tender.

Veggies this year have been great.

Lilly of the Valley, one of my favorite flowers - it is the flower of the month for May. These little goodies I found may have to go to my favorite May girl.

A very good wine.

I have loved working in the garden this year.

Spraying for some critters that are eating my plants.

Pumpkin!

Watermelon!

White Pumpkin!

Banana Peppers!

Cucumbers - our best crop so far!

Sweet Potatoes - the vines are gorgeous, just hope there will be potatoes this fall.

Big limb blown into my herb area.

We are still enjoying the pool.

Metal doll house = soon to be a bird feeder.

Morning Glories are in abundance as usual.

Gorgeous Hydrangea.

I love making homemade ice cream, don't know why I only made it once the summer. This is Raspberry Gelato.

Served in these cute, metal cups.

We have had a stellar crop of tomatoes this year. I have given them to just about everyone and we enjoyed them with every meal.

Our Bandit.

Back side of the doll house.

Zinnias!

Basil...

Okra...

Had to make one of Dave's favorite dishes.

Yummy.

I have been doing a lot of crochet...Started this Japanese scarf.

Pocket book for Meighan.

,,,from this book.

Making one for Emerson in her favorite color.

Doing a little sewing, made this skirt for Meighan...

Applique to match. Pocket books are in.

Another yummy chicken dish enjoyed on a cooler evening on the back deck.