A Good Sport

There's just something about a dog wearing a baseball hat that brings a smile to your face!

Braden and Daisy :)

Child Labor

At 11 years old, Christian thinks it's fun to mow. How long before this will be considered work to him?! Although I have to admit, I like to mow. I do alot of my best thinking then :)

Happy Saturday!

SkyWatch Friday

A beautiful end to a perfect Thanksgiving!

For SkyWatch photos from all over the world, visit
Skyley




Did anyone go out and brave Black Friday? If so, what did you get?
Have a great day!

One more thing:




A few days back I was tagged from D in Tuscaloosa and Rambling Round in Selma, AL

The rules of this Meme are:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.
5. Let each person know they’ve been tagged and leave a comment on their blog
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

So six random things about me, hmmmm:

1) I am a magazine junkie. I buy a new magazine everytime I go to the store because it has a pretty cover, then I barely skim through it when I get it home.

2) I love Disneyland. It's one of my favorite places to go. It is the "happiest place on earth". When we were leaving San Diego, I knew I'd miss my family, friends and Disneyland!

3) I want to learn to paint. I've always wanted to learn. When the boys started school, I was trying to find a class to take. Couldn't find anything until right before we left Georgia, I found a local woman who gave classes, figures. I've bought tons of supplies and books, but don't know where to start!

4) Today I am going to look up a "Potato Candy" recipe to use up my leftover mashed potatoes. My grandma used to make this when I was little and it was delicious!

5) I love quiet mornings when the kids are still sleeping. It's one of my favorite times of the day :)

6) I love antiques and old houses/buildings. I can spend hours on end going through an antique store or historic home/museum. I really feel a connection to old things!

Phew, trying to think of 6 random things is harder than you might think!

Ok, now to tag some friends :)
1)
Crittoria-West Paris, Me

2) Mo in London

3) JM in Oeiras

4) Olivier in Evry, France

5) Laurie in So Pasadena

6) Lessie in Anderson, SC

Gramma Ann, I'll do your tag next! I fell behind :)

Happy Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving. It is our first Thanksgiving in our new house. I can't help but wonder how many Thanksgivings were celebrated here and what food was served, who sat at the table, what the people looked like, etc...

Thanksgivings used to be so big as a child, or maybe it's just my memory of it. We always had several family members and friends and of course the children's table where me and my cousins and nephews and nieces sat. After the years passed, our family grew smaller with deaths and divorces and the kids growing up and moving. After I got married at 19, Nick and I would start out at my grandparents house, which they always ate at around noon. That was their big dinner of the day. After eating and visiting, we'd head over to Nick's grandmothers house for yet another meal!

Now that we've moved out of state, we don't get to spend Thanksgivings with our extended families and friends but those memories keep them right here with us.

This Thanksgiving we have so much to be greatful for and I feel truly blessed.

So what is on your menu this Thanksgiving?
Ours is the same every year:

Vegetable tray
Turkey of course!
Cornbread dressing (love this from Nick's grandma's)
Green bean casserole
Sweet potato casserole
Mashed potatoes and gravy
Corn Pudding (Christian got this recipe sent home from school back in kindergarten and we've used it ever since)
Ambrosia salad
Cranberries
Rolls
Pumpkin Pie (yuck) Pecan Pie (yum!)

And a big ol nap!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

(These festive, little turkeys above were drawn/colored by my littlest turkeys, Braden and Dalton. Aw, and look how sweet, they are thankful for "Me"!) I love those little guys :)

Reflections

This is our neighbor's home, which we walked to on Sunday. I thought the reflection in the water was so peaceful.

The kids are home from school till Monday for Thanksgiving break. It's nice to not have any schedules, although tomorrow will keep us busy cooking and cleaning!

Daisy And Crockett

On Sunday, you know us, we went hiking! This time, we wanted to find our neighbor's lake that she said we are welcome to wander around. At one time, all this property belonged to the Sperry's (builder of our house) and remained as one parcel up until nearly 10 years ago. Let's see, back in 1948 my neighbor that I just mentioned above, her mother in law purchased this house and owned it up until 1999, when she passed away. My neighbor, at some point, divorced her husband, and he sold a bunch of this land and a big chunk of it became a grocery store/strip mall. Ugh! So that's a little tid bit of info on how this land became subdivided. Did that make sense? It's taken me all this time to finally get it straight,lol.

So anyways, we took a path that led us through the woods, with the kids and dogs in tow. All the while I kept hearing my neighbors words in my head playing over and over, "we've been seeing alot of bear over here in the thicket"...of course we walked through much of the thicket and I also kept telling myself what a dummy I am for not finding out when bears hibernate. Fortunately, we made it to the lake without seeing a bear and sat down with some lunch we had packed. Another thing that had me worried, wondering if the bears were smelling our pb&j's?

All in all, it was a nice afternoon if only I could have relaxed a little more and not been so terrified of running into a bear!

This photo is Daisy and Crockett. Daisy is the little lab in the front. She's basically just a puppy, about a year and a half old. So full of energy! And Crockett is our sweet Rottweiler. He's just a big ol baby who thinks he's a lap dog!
Ashlyn started a habit of yelling out for them in the tune of "Davy Crockett" but she yells "Daisy and Crockett" because she doesn't want Crockett to have his feelings hurt if she calls Daisy's name twice, like the song "Davy, Davy Crockett" lol.

Back to the bears, I was just doing some research on them and came across this sad site about bear hunts in Va. Click here to see how to save the Virginia Bears.

Give Peace A Chance

A couple of weeks ago while out hiking, we came upon this cute little peace fort someone built. Location: Tinker Creek, near Lord Botetourt High School.

It's Monday, get up and get moving! Have a great day :)

Sheetz

The Sheetz Truck is one of the most colorful gas trucks I've ever seen. Their slogan "Hungry?" tells you they sell more than just gas :)

Texaco Sign

This little rustic building always catches my eye as I drive by. Love the old sign and the red tin roof :)

SkyWatch Friday

The view from the Botetourt Sports Complex

For skywatch photos from all over the world, visit Skyley

Peek-A-Boo

Can you see the bridge through the hole in the log? This was taken on the James River in Eagle Rock, same location as Tuesday's photo :)

Daleville College

This is the old Daleville College which is now an apartment building. I love the red steeple :)

Taken from the historical marker:

Daleville College D-41 Daleville College began as a private school that Church of the Brethren educator Isaac N. H. Beahm conducted for the children of Benjamin F. Nininger and George Layman in 1890. The construction of school buildings began the following year. In 1892, the school incorporated as the Botetourt Normal College. It was renamed Daleville College in 1910. Affiliated with the Church of the Brethren, the college merged with Bridgewater College effective in 1924. The campus became Daleville Academy, a secondary school, until it closed in 1933. The surviving academic buildings here are good examples of early-20th-century educational architecture in Virginia.

Skippin Rocks On The River By The Railroad Tracks

To quote Tim McGraw (one of my favorite summer songs!). Anyways, we took a short drive down the road to
Eagle Rock on Sunday afternoon. Ashlyn had slept over at a friends house Saturday night so it was just Nick and myself and the boys. Eagle Rock is such a quaint little town, I loved it. It looks like it was once a booming railroad town, nestled in the hollow. Great old historic homes and buildings. I could have walked around all day snapping photographs if it wasn't so cold and if it wasn't for the feeling of car sickness I was getting travelling up and down the windy roads. We pulled over and took a walk along the James River before heading back home. Stopped and picked up a sandwich for lunch and I made some hot soup, then we settled in and watched Get Smart. Have you seen this yet? It was hilarious!

The Woodson's

Mr. and Mrs. Selma Woodson owned our house after the Sperry's and then the widow, Mrs. Nettie Huff Woodson, later sold it to Mrs. Hancock in 1948.
The Woodson's final resting place is in the cemetery at the end of our road. I've heard of them and to walk over and see their markers make them so much more real to me. Mr. Woodson signed his name down in the basement in 1929. I haven't found out yet if they had children or not. I only just started to find out more on this couple who have shared our home.

A small update: We "might" get some snow tonight! Just flurries I've heard but hopefully we'll get something! It sure is cold out. I'm heading to the grocery store shortly. I'd love if they cancelled school tomorrow and the kids got a snow day! I've heard it doesn't take a whole lot for them to cancel school so keep your fingers crossed :)

SkyWatch Friday on a Sunday?

I was late getting ready for skywatch this week but went out Friday afternoon after Braden and Dalton got home from school in a quest for the perfect skywatch photo. The weather was wet and misty and the clouds were hanging over the tops of the mountains. There were so many great photo opportunities to pick from. I took this from the Blue Ridge Library (we needed a trip there anyway!) and when we returned home, my internet was down. I tried and tried to fix it with Comcast over the phone to no avail. They finally sent a technician out yesterday and he couldn't fix it either. After he left, I messed around with it some more, removing a few programs and voila, it worked! I don't what I did but whatever it was, I'm back :)

The Other Side Of The Gate

Yesterday I showed you the old route 220 that ran through our property more than a hundred years ago.
On Sunday, Ashlyn and I were taking a walk around the pond to see how things have been changing since the change of seasons. The photo above is the backside of the pond, taken from the other side of the gate in yesterdays photo. Here, you can really see the the road clearly.

Later in the afternoon, our neighbor from down the railroad tracks stopped by to introduce himself and ask permission to ride through our property while hunting. He offered my husband some venison in return.

He was a very nice gentleman, born in the same house he is living in 68 years ago! He warned us that he and his hunting buddies have been spotting alot of bear while out hunting, in the thicket across the tracks. He told us he's even been keeping a close eye on his grand daughter. Yikes!

Old 220

I have been told that the old orginal Rte 220 ran right here, through our property. You can still kind of see the definition of an old, used road. I like to walk along it and wonder about the people who travelled past my house.

I want to find out more about the old road, so a trip to the Botetourt Historical Society is in my near future.

I did visit the historical society a month or so ago to get information on our house and its inhabitants of the past. I'm looking forward to another visit :)

If You Enjoy Your Freedom

Thank a vet.....
Today is Veterans Day.
Here's a great story of a veteran who just received his Silver Star after nearly 60 years
CLICK HERE FOR STORY

This cute patriotic bench sits in front of Ashlyn's school :)

Happy Veterans Day and thank you!

Happy Birthday USMC!

Today is the Marine Corps birthday. The Corps is 233 years old today and still looks great!
My husband, a former Marine, served from 1985-1989. We were stationed at MCAGCC in 29 Palms, Ca.
My husband was in Tow Co, 3rd Tanks BN.

I worked in the PX on base.

We lived in a small, 1 bedroom house right outside the main entrance to the base.

We both have so many great memories of our time in 29 Palms. We made alot of great friends, although unfortunately over time have lost touch with them.

If anyone stumbles upon this and remembers us, LCPL Nick Breese, we'd love to hear from you!

Happy Birthday Marine Corps!

(my husband is the guy on the far right, when looking at the photo)

A Room With A View

Every morning when I go upstairs to wake Braden and Dalton up for school, this is the view that greets me. They really have one of the best views in the house, with this gorgeous tree right outside their window. This is taken out the top part of their window because the bottom half they've covered with a poster of a race car. Can you believe they'd rather look at a silly car than this beautiful tree? Crazy little boys :)

Just Ducky

A couple of weeks ago we got some visitors and they've stayed. These cute little ducks! First it started with 4 and now we have about 10 in our pond. Nick went over to Southern States and picked up some duck food for the little fellas. Now when they see Nick coming with his red cup in hand, they all come swimming up. There is one that is a little hoggy about the food and scares the others away. Relax guy, there's plenty to go around :)

SkyWatch Friday

Not a cloud in the sky when we went on a hike last week. We started down this little road when Dalton told us that it was private property. When we walked back to look, sure enough, a sign was posted as private property. Thank goodness someone was paying attention!

For a trip around the world, visit SKYLEY

Ghost?

Last night Ashlyn and I were heading out the door to pick up pizza (Dalton's law you know,lol)I had my camera and was snapping away telling Ashlyn I was seeing if there were any ghosts in the area (she hates that,lol)
What do you suppose this is? The background is just vast emptiness, nothing there, yet this swirly mist appeared.

(click on photo to enlarge...you can see the swirly thing better :) )

Dead

Scott Bulger has a photography challenge on his blog to photograph something "dead" and turn it into art. Well, with the kids all being home today (keep in mind I'm posting this on Tues for it to run on Wed, love the blogger magic post) I told my 2 older kids about it and sent them both on their way with cameras in hand in search of something to photograph. Part of my reasoning was to get Ashlyn and Christian to do something together and like it and get along. Well, they ended up fighting about 5 minutes into it so I didn't get much from Christian but the above photo is something Ashlyn did. I think she did pretty well :)

Now meet the photographer:



My beautiful daughter Ashlyn. I can't believe my baby girl is 14 and a freshman in high school already....how time flies...

When you read this in the morning, we should have a brand new president!

They're Off And Running

It's a cool, drizzly day today at the polls. Here's what it looks like at our polling center, Lord Botetourt High School, this morning.

May the best candidate win!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have to update...Today was parent/teacher conferences at the schools. I just returned from Braden and Dalton's conference and it was so cute. Their school is also a polling center but the 1st grade teachers put together a slide show for the parents to watch while we were there waiting and had it set up in the hallway. It was adorable and set to patriotic music. They had asked the children what they would do if they were president and they each wrote what their law would be. Here's Braden and Dalton's laws: (they accidentally mixed up Braden and Dalton's pictures so the one that says "Braden" is really Dalton and vice versa :) )




Some of the other laws were:
"If I was President, I'd have a cat"
"If I was President, I'd make a law that kids eat cotton candy every day at 10:00"
"If I was President, I'd make a law for everyone to have friends"
and there were many laws that the first graders would make for peace and ending hunger.

Aren't first graders adorable?!

Halloween 2008

A few photos from Halloween. Christian's school had 60's day on Halloween so he wore that super cool afro. For Halloween night he wore a creepy, devil-y mask which somehow I missed getting a photo of. Ashlyn and her friend went as football players, which just meant wearing her brother's old football jersey.

This weekend I got to play plumber. I made 10 lbs of mashed potatoes on Thursday night for Braden and Dalton's football banquet and clogged the drain with peels from the disposal. Finally on Sunday afternoon Nick and I managed to get the clog out after taking apart pipes from down in the basement. I've never been so happy to get to do dishes again!

Last night we watched Journey To The Center Of The Earth which was pretty good. We all enjoyed it.

Well, that about sums up our weekend!

OOORAH!

Like father, like sons...Braden and Dalton as my little Marines this Halloween. Daddy still has camo stick left over from his Marine Corps days and camoflauged the boy's faces all up. Of course they LOVED this!

After the kids all got home from school we headed over to Lord Botetourt High School for their fall festival. They had some classrooms decorated as scenes from scary movies and kids acting out the scenes. Braden and Dalton got too scared after only 2 rooms so I took them outside and waited while the Ashlyn, her friend, and Christian finished. Christian of course didn't think it was scary at all and the girls acted as though it was the scariest thing ever...girls!

After the scary house we came home for some dinner then headed out for a little trick or treating. We did go through the subdivision that had food set up,lol. We already ate at home but will definately go back next year as these people had hamburgers and hot dogs grilling and lots and lots of extras. They were happily feeding all the trick or treaters as well as their families.

After trick or treating we went back over to the high school for the football game. LB lost but it did get exciting towards the end when one of our boys got hit hard and took off after the boy who hit him. It seemed for a minute as though both teams would be in one big fight on the field before it was broke up. A personal foul was called on the play against Northside.

After all that, we dropped the kids at home and Nick and I went to a little Halloween party ourselves. Busy but fun night.

I'll have some more pics to show you tomorrow of our Halloween :)

November Theme Day-Books

Can you believe it's November already, which means Theme Day in CDP land. I love to read and am happy Braden and Dalton share in my enthusiasm.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

American Fork (UT), USA by Annie, Anderson (SC), USA by Lessie, Ararat, Australia by freefalling, Arradon, France by Alice, Ashton under Lyne, UK by Pennine, Auckland, New Zealand by Lachezar, Aurora, South Africa by shelagh, Austin (TX), USA by LB, Avignon, France by Nathalie, Bali, Indonesia by Anak Dokan, Bandung, Indonesia by Harry Makertia, Bandung, Indonesia by Eki Akhwan, Bandung, Indonesia by Bunyamin, Bangkok, Thailand by UberSand, Barrow-in-Furness, UK by Enitharmon, Barton (VT), USA by Andree, Baziège, France by PaB, Belgrade, Serbia by Bibi, Bellefonte (PA), USA by Barb-n-PA, Birmingham (AL), USA by VJ, Bogor, Indonesia by Gagah, Boston (MA), USA by Cluelessinboston, Boston (MA), USA by Ilse, Boulder (CO), USA by A Sterling World, Budapest, Hungary by Zannnie and Zsolt, Budapest, Hungary by Isadora, Buenos Aires, Argentina by Karine, Canterbury, UK by Rose, Cavite, Philippines by Steven Que, Chandler (AZ), USA by PattheAZRealtor, Chapel Hill (NC), USA by missleah, Château-Gontier, France by Laurent, Chateaubriant, France by Bergson, Chateaubriant, France by trieulet, Cheltenham, UK by Marley, Chennai, India by Ram N, City of the Blue Mountains, Australia by Richard, Coral Gables (FL), USA by Jnstropic, Edinburgh, UK by Dido, Evry, France by Olivier, Fort Lauderdale (FL), USA by Gigi, Geneva (IL), USA by Kelly, Glasgow, Scotland by Jackie, Gliwice, Poland by prado&fio, Greenville (SC), USA by Denton, Grenoble, France by Bleeding Orange, Haninge, Sweden by Steffe, Helsinki, Finland by PPusa, Herne Bay, Great Britain by Han, Lil n Caz, Hobart, Australia by Greg, Honningsvag, Norway by J., Islip (NY), USA by Bettye, Jackson (MS), USA by Halcyon, Jakarta, Indonesia by Santy, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia by Susie of Arabia, Jefferson City (MO), USA by Chinamom2005, Juneau (AK), USA by Gwyn, Karwar, India by Yogesh, Knoxville (TN), USA by hope, Knoxville (TN), USA by Knoxville Girl, Lakewood (OH), USA by mouse, Larchmont (NY), USA by Marie-Noyale, Las Vegas (NV), USA by Mo, Lisbon, Portugal by Maria João, Lisbon, Portugal by Sailor Girl, Lodz, Poland by wikiyu, London, UK by Ham, Madrid, Spain by Tr3nta, Mainz, Germany by JB, Manila, Philippines by Hilda, Manila, Philippines by Heyokity, Melbourne, Australia by John, Melbourne, Australia by Mblamo, Menton, France by Jilly, Mexico City, Mexico by Carraol, Middletown (MD), USA by Bernie, Milton, New Zealand by Milton Daily Photo, Milwaukee (WI), USA by karl, Minneapolis (MN), USA by Mitch, Minneapolis (MN), USA by snapshutter, Molfetta, Italy by saretta, Monrovia (CA), USA by Keith, Monte Carlo, Monaco by Jilly, Monterrey, Mexico by rafa, Montréal, Canada by My Life in Montreal, Moscow, Russia by Irina, Moscow (ID), USA by Sherry, Mumbai, India by Kunalbhatia, Mumbai, India by MumbaiiteAnu, Murcia, Spain by usuahia, Napa (CA), USA by katester, Nashville (TN), USA by Chris, Nelson, New Zealand by Meg and Ben, New Delhi, India by Delhi Photo Diary, New Orleans (LA), USA by steve buser, New York City (NY), USA by Kitty, New York City (NY), USA by Ming the Merciless, Norwich, UK by Goddess888, Oklahoma City (OK), USA by ananda.tashie, Orlando (FL), USA by OrlFla, Paderborn, Germany by Soemchen, Palos Verdes (CA), USA by tash, Paris, France by Elsa, Paris, France by Eric, Pasadena (CA), USA by Petrea, Pasadena (CA), USA by Can8ianben, Pensacola (FL), USA by P J, Philadelphia (PA), USA by Stiffa, Phoenix (AZ), USA by Sharon, Port Angeles (WA), USA by Jelvistar, Port Elizabeth, South Africa by Sam, Port Townsend (WA), USA by raf, Prague, Czech Republic by Honza03, Prague, Czech Republic by kakna, Quincy (MA), USA by slim, Ramsey, Isle of Man by babooshka, Reykjavik, Iceland by Vírgíll, Riga, Latvia by Riga Photos, Roanoke (VA), USA by Tanya, Rotterdam, Netherlands by Ineke, Rouen, France by Bbsato, Saarbrücken, Germany by LadyDemeter, Saigon, Vietnam by Simon, Saint Paul (MN), USA by Kate, Salem (OR), USA by jill, Salem (OR), USA by pearls, Salt Lake City (UT), USA by Eric, San Antonio (TX), USA by Kramer, San Francisco (CA), USA by Burd Zel Krai, San Francisco (CA), USA by PFranson, Santa Fe (NM), USA by Randem, Seattle (WA), USA by Chuck, Seattle (WA), USA by Kim, Selma (AL), USA by RamblingRound, Seoul, South Korea by Phil, Seoul, Korea South by SeoulSnapper, Sesimbra, Portugal by Aldeia, Silver Spring (MD), USA by John, Singapore, Singapore by Keropok, Singapore, Singapore by Zannnie, Sofia, Bulgaria by Antonia, Springfield (IL), USA by Aubrey, Stanwood (WA), USA by MaryBeth, Stavanger, Norway by Tanty, Stayton (OR), USA by Celine, Stockholm, Sweden by Stromsjo, Stouffville, Canada by Ken, Subang Jaya, Malaysia by JC, Sunshine Coast, Australia by bitingmidge, Sydney, Australia by Sally, Sydney, Australia by Ann, Székesfehérvár, Hungary by Teomo, Tacloban City, Philippines by agnesdv, Tamarindo, Costa Rica by David, Tauranga, New Zealand by Lisa Sarsfield, Telluride (CO), USA by mtsrool, Tempe (AZ), USA by angie, Terrell (TX), USA by Jim K, Terrell (TX), USA by Bstexas, Torino, Italy by Fabrizio, Torun, Poland by Glenn, Toulouse, France by Julia, Trieste, Italy by Rob&Piero, Turin, Italy by Livio, Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina by Jazzy, Twin Cities (MN), USA by Slinger, Verona, Italy by Valeria in Verona, Vienna, Austria by G_mirage2, Wailea (HI), USA by Kuanyin, Washington (DC), USA by D.C. Confidential, Wellington, New Zealand by Jeremyb, West Paris (ME), USA by crittoria, West Sacramento (CA), USA by Barbara, Willits (CA), USA by Elaine, Woerden, Netherlands by Marcel, Yakima (WA), USA by katney, Yellowknife, Canada by Arctic Dreamer, York, UK by Ruby in York,