The Dolphin, The Onion and the Basket

2006-11-13T20:21:00.000-08:00

Quiet time? What the hell is that??
Not around here. I get a few minutes at night but thats about it. Plus I have been working at home. Sheesh!!

But it sounds like it is keeping you young and out of trouble lol.

30 eggs a day!! yikes. You could sell them for a few dollars by the dozen. thats a good way to bring extra coffee money in. Or, if you don't feel like selling them, find some families that may need a little extra help and give to them. It will make you feel good. :)

I need to get my bag of goodies down to the food bank also for the holiday.

next week is my 15th wedding anniversary and we are going to go see Howy Mandel. I am very excited about that. A weekend at the coast.

talk to you later

lea

Time..and Time again. And then someday...again.

2006-11-11T11:09:00.000-08:00

2006-11-09T14:59:00.000-08:00

My favorite Martian!

2006-11-09T05:40:00.000-08:00

What is this thing we call "quiet time?"
We're painting house and deck for couple days, this usually turns into twice as long as we planned. And it's two months overdue :D
And I have a basket of unfinished knitting. What possessed me to make the tot a sweater that requires a "cap" sleeve?
And Christmas is sneaking up on us. (Panic!!)
Not to mention Thanksgiving. (I'm still finding candy wrappers from Halloween...)
And Amanda just discovered what handknitted items sell for. (She's wanting to market me! GAAHHHH!)
Pour us some coffee, sis's and break out the biscotti!
Loves and hugs!
p.s. What in helz do we do with 30 eggs a day?

2006-11-03T20:52:00.000-08:00

ROFL, I know the feeling. Smack away.

Mine has been driving me nuts for days now. It seems like every time I sit down or turn my back, he has some sort of crisis that he just cant seem to solve himself. It is irritating the hell out of me.

I finally blew up at him the other night. It was the last straw.

Not only am I working at work, but im bring work home to do. Im beat.

Ok im done for now.

thanks for letting me rant.

love to all

lea

2006-11-01T05:32:00.000-08:00

If I ever get a little quiet time around here, I"d love to visit you! I've been keeping very strange hours, and it's confused my travels a bit. And been so tired...at the moment, the 2 yr old is howling at the top of his lungs, his dad and grampa are impatient and irritated with him (why do they use a 15 minute speech to simply say "stop yelling and eat your breakfast? Is this a guy thing? Are they venting?) It doesn't help that he listens to me and generally behaves better with me. I end up having to sooth all three of 'em and really would like to just smack the two tall ones.

2006-10-31T22:11:00.000-08:00

I have been really busy myself. Back to work and just cant seem to keep up with everything. plus working overtime at home for work, lol.

hey runie, not sure if you still do the astral visits anymore but if you are doing that, would love a visit with you. let me know so I can expect you lol.

lelia honey, if you are checking the blog please fill us in on what is happening. I know you are very busy, but am a bit worried about you. Please do not let yourself become ill. take care of yourself and get plenty of rest.

love to all

lea

2006-10-27T03:20:00.000-08:00

I would be blogging, but I've been busy holding a memorial service for my lily bed. It's been busy all this week, altho for the life of me, I can't explain just what I've gotten done. Aside from a few more hats, they keep me sane when my fingers itch for knitting and I can't seem to count past a 3 stitch repeat without losing it. That probably would happen to anyone dealing with a 2yr old roaring thru the house gleefully attempting to round up 3 cats, couple dogs...I did get a pie made tho. It was a nice pie. Brief, but nice...

Lelia, are you doing okay? If you have time, would love an update on your sister's health. Meantime, will continue sending love and prayers for you all.

2006-10-03T12:28:00.000-08:00

Runie,

I hope you are checking this blog occasionally. Lelia's sister is really ill and that is why she hasn't had time to be here.

Im not sure if she has been emailing you with info or not but I thought I would leave you a note here just in case.

Lelia's sister has a very bad pulmomary disease, of which I can not pronounce let alone spell. It's pretty serious.

Send Lelia a note and let her know you are aware. I will also email this to you.

Camping with Happy

2006-09-11T15:31:00.000-08:00

This is my baby dog when we were camping. His name is Happy

He likes to snuggle under the blankets. It keeps me warm at night lol.

Back to work

2006-09-11T15:28:00.000-08:00

Well, good news im going back to work tomorrow. I have to find a new job, I cant keep doing this every year.

I have been trying to post pictures here but for some reason its not letting me. Will continue to try, have a really cute one of our little dog Happy when we were camping.

ciao for now

lea

2006-09-07T05:17:00.000-08:00

2006-09-04T12:51:00.000-08:00

This is one of those really awful pics, but it's Theri with my favorite knitted shawl-wrap thingie. So far I've refused to give it up, I plan to live in it this winter!

2006-09-04T11:57:00.000-08:00

omgs..I can blog from my Photobucket! That's just too nifty!

Finally...and a cup of coffee!

2006-09-01T03:54:00.000-08:00

I have been so neglectful of the blog! Somehow it got lost in the daily stampede of life around our house. Then again, I couldn't type fast enough to keep up with the chronicles!On the good side, couple baby sweaters done, pair of socks done, wonderful buttons have been found, a few kids hats have been made, dinners fixed reasonably on time (or the 2yr old would make me regret being 5 minutes late), dogs bathed, cats cuddled, 6yr old's homework seen to..hmm..there's more, I'm sure..there always is. Oh..and somewhere in all that, I found time to read Michael Connelly's "The Lincoln Lawyer" which was a good read. He's one of my favorite fiction authors.I did not get the house painted or the deck resealed yet. That was one of my goals for end of summer, but there's still time here. Georgia weather melds softly into fall rather than suddenly slamming in. Sometime in September I'll find a paint sprayer thingie and freshen up the house outdoors.The Knitpicks needles have been a delight in case you wondered. I don't use the DPN's, since they are extremely slick and slither right out of my knitting.Yarn? Oh yes..tons! I ordered some from Knitting Warehouse and due to a snag on the final page of ordering it, it tripled ordered. But it's washable and soft, so it'll be perfect for busy young moms that throw everything into washing machines. Hope everyone likes autumn red. And grey.And yes...I played Warcraft a bit. *blush*

2006-08-31T18:33:00.000-08:00

I am so swamped here, that all I can hear are tree frogs. I want nother vacation!

where did you go?

2006-08-09T10:00:00.000-08:00

Hey, where did you guys go?

Did you run off on vacation without me? LOL

Hadn't heard from either of you in a while and had to ask.

LED License plate frame

2006-07-26T14:26:00.000-08:00

yeah, its the scrolling message license frame for 29.95 at ABC Distributing.com. it has a remote control also. its way awesome. its Item #411057-3LCP just in case you want to see it

they are not legal in texas or michigan.

let me know what you think lol

lea

2006-07-25T11:07:00.000-08:00

Wow..the kids are growing up so fast, Lelia! I have a feeling Corey will do beautifully on his essay score. He has a smart mom!
What is the LED rear thingie? Can you use it to flash strange and scary messages to tailgaters on the road? That leads to interesting possiblities...lol

Welcome Home!

2006-07-25T10:50:00.000-08:00

Glad to see you home safely, with pictures to show and stories to tell! It is flat out that way, isn't it?!
I like your new template, it looks like the clock on my cell phone, lol.
Lea, thanks for the tip about a rear readout - am seriously considering...
Went to the school today to register Emily for 4th grade...she didn't even want to go with me. We didn't get the teacher we were hoping for, but since 4th graders will be changing classes for subjects this year it doesn't matter, as they will all be learning under each instructor. Interesting things ahead...
Cory did extremely well on his placement test - as expected, the smart little bugger! He has received a letter of acceptance and we're awaiting the score of the essay section of the test so that we can talk with an admissions counselor and see where we stand money-wise. How scary! But also how exciting!
Otherwise, I've been hanging out, trying to be a good friend to my dear friend whose teenager is in crisis, and waiting to hear how you two ladies fare. Also learning to run a new system here; not too bad, just figuring which buttons to push frantically instead of the others...heheh.
Love you both and will hopefully have more interesting things to say soon.
:0)
Lelia

2006-07-25T01:57:00.000-08:00

I was playing with the template again, lol.

Welcome home

2006-07-23T08:49:00.000-08:00

Glad to see you are home safe. Hope the trip was what you were hoping.

We have just been hanging out Lelia and I, here in the blog. Its been quit fun. Missed you!!

I'm baaack..!

2006-07-22T02:59:00.000-08:00

It was a fun ramble! We went thru Missouri, Arkansas and Tennesee to add info to Allen's family tree and revisit folks we haven't seen in years.

There's a shot of the old part of town, a grouping of photos of women thru the years, and some very loved faces together again for a visit!

Couple of my knitting needles melted in the heat there, lol, and I was glad to get home to the hills. The land in Charleston Missouri is so flat I could stand on a gum wrapper and see seven states.

Absolutely

2006-07-20T13:11:00.000-08:00

You can vent here absolutely as far as im concerned. Its the perfect place.

As for the led read out in your rear window, go to abcdistributing.com and check for the licence plate frame with led read out. you can change the message and everything. its way cool and not too terribly expensive. Im thinking of getting one for jay for xmas.

Giggles...

2006-07-20T09:22:00.000-08:00

I had to LOL at Lea's bumper sticker story. I love reading bumper stickers - what a wonderful tool man has found for expressing himself. I'd like one of those digital signs, or an lcd readout, posted in my back window so I can change it at will. There's MY rear view, buddy!
Anyhoo, I've finally gotten Cory to apply to and take the assessment test at the local tech college. He had his heart set on either of two out of state highly specialized schools for auto mechanics, that came with highly specialized tuitions and very little financial aid. He can learn much the same locally, hopefully with the help of some state lottery funded scholarships, and the luxury of living at home for a bit longer to ease the financial burden on himself. He is quickly learning the hard way. Bless his heart...as I almost burst out laughing.
I know he's heartbroken about not going where he wanted to go, but he didn't want it hard enough to get a job and save some money for it when he knew it was an absolute necessity that he do so. Now he's finding out what 'asbolute necessity' means. I'm sad, but in a way I'm sure Runie understands. I'm not a terrible mother at all...it's just that his attitude throughout this entire college thing has been very nonchallant and we're looking at losing his health insurance if he isn't enrolled somewhere fast!!
I wasn't gonna do that here, but it looks like I just did. Can we do that here ladies? Is this a place for spontaneously airing our frustration with teenagers? If not, please remind me to keep it light and I will in the future.
Much love!
Lelia

Yahoo

2006-07-19T04:42:00.000-08:00

Well for some reason my computer doesnt like the yahoo site, so I will not be joining that one.

Anyway I like the blog. Its fun!!

Thats all for now have to run.

lea

Bumber sticker

2006-07-19T04:34:00.000-08:00

I just had to share this with you guys, it cracked me up

Was driving the other day and pulled up behind this car that had this bumper sticker in the window. It read...

All men are idiots, and I married their king.

I laughed all the way home :)

2006-07-17T14:00:00.000-08:00

Hidy-ho from the pacific northwest.

Well Lelia, we are getting your weather now. Its is supposed to reach triple digits by the end of the week. YUCK!!

Our central air is not working so we are suffering. Not sure if will be able to get it fixed by then or not. It sucks!!

Glad you enjoyed the movie. Hope to see it soon.

Speaking of seafood, after that blog about the shrimp, got all hungry for some crab. Had a big crab salad loaded in thousand island dressing last week. It was yummy!

take care for now

lea

Greetings from South Carolina...

2006-07-17T10:14:00.000-08:00

Hello dear friends! Missing you both, wishing you well and safe travels to Runie!
We had a nice weekend around here. Friday I spent some much needed time with my dear friend, Juice. She and I haven't visited in quite some time and caught up on the local gossip and giggles. After that, I headed out to hear some other friends (including her husband Chris, a drummer) make great music! I sang, I danced, I had a few beers with my friends during and after the show. Angela invited us all to her house afterward. We all love to hear the guys play, but they're working so we don't get to spend any time with them. Their fan-base is growing and they're playing more and more gigs out of town so it is a real treat to get them to ourselves anymore! I was fairly tired by this time tho, so I stayed an hour or so and then headed home. Whew, what a night! You can check them out at dbbryant.com if you care for guitar rock...
Saturday we kind of took it easy; my legs were paying for the dancing and I kind of puttered around the house, still working on the clean-up, de-clutter project. Cory took his Girlfriend to a concert in the park that they never got to (teenagers!) and Levi and Emily and I went out for seafood - Runie got shrimp on my brain! - and missed the showtime for Pirates of the Carribean so we put that off til Sunday. However, I believe I did eat my weight in fried seafood. Great day, I love fried oysters!!! I'm also a shrimp gumbo lover, but am allergic to the tomatoes so I have to enjoy it in small bits. I had my small bit. Then went back to the oysters...anyhoo...
"Pirates..." was a good flick, but I must admit I liked the first one better. Emily has developed an early kind of 'thing' for Johnny Depp. She doesn't have any interest in boys yet, at 9 yrs old, but has always sat up and taken notice of Johnny...heheh. No complaints...I fell Depply in love myself on Jump Street... :0)
We're now not so patiently awaiting the next "Pirate" movie - what an ending! We highly recommend seeing this one, but be ready for the cliffhanger!
Til next time, with hopefully more interesting things to report...lolol
Bloomers

mmm shrimp

2006-07-13T14:58:00.000-08:00

My favorite seafood is shrimp. Be careful or you will have both of us on your front door step.

The Dark Lord and myself are well. I still am not working except around the house. ICK!!!!
Trying to catch up on stuff around here. Its a never ending battle.

Oh, I tried to go to the yahoo site it wouldn't let me join without invitation or something like that.

Anyway I will talk to you both later.

Ciao for now

Lea

MMMmmmm....

2006-07-13T09:44:00.000-08:00

Careful what you say sister, lest you forget it was a shrimp dish that once lured me across state lines to you! Heheh, I have wonderful memories of Allens shrimp chowder and walking through your woods with you!! And of meeting the first grand, little James - who isn't little or 'only' any more!
Your dinner sounds delicious and I'm in the market for some new recipes - we're burning out on all the old favorites. Luckily, Levi and the kids enjoy being guinea pigs at the table!
Your knitting sounds like wonderful, horrid frustration and fun! This is why I have yet to take up knitting, lolol. I just don't think I have it in me, altho I have a terrible envy of those who create with their hands. I must find a way to do so that does not involve counting or numbers in any way. I can spell supercallafragillistic...but cannot consistently add two and two!
Emily and I have tackled my "Freestyle" redo of the masterbath. I found a neat show on HGTV (which I've also only recently discovered) on which they remake your room without spending a dime. They simply de-clutter and rearrange using items throughout your own home. I have virtually no fashion or design sense, so I'm desperate for ideas and definitely looking to do some new things on the 'thrift,' if ya know what I mean. I plan to spend some money on paint for most rooms and wallpaper for a couple. After that, accessories will come bit by bit, as I discover things I love throughout my wanderings. Mostly, I've just gotta learn to throw things out. I have too much stuff!! Enough of that...
Lea, I'd love to know how you and the Dark Lord fare, waaaay across the miles. I love and miss you both. Please tell him I bow as I speak his name. :0)
Bloomin'

2006-07-10T08:25:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Allen found some huge, fresh shrimp and brought home a couple pounds, I already had a lovely wild salmon on hand...
So last night was a wonderful and easy dinner! Broiled salmon on a bed of rice with a layer of sliced onions, a layer of sliced lemons, my own special sauce that has been altered to use olive oil instead of butter (it's healthier and tastes good!), shrimp scampi a la' mom..it's all about the olive oil, garlic, Pescino (the cheap stuff from the grocery store in that cool fishbottle), paprika, and a couple other little dashes of this and that, and finally sprinkled with freshly (and finely) grated parmesan. A side of fresh greenbeans crowned with pearl onions and crusty bread to dip. Sounds complicated, but it's one of the easiest things to fix! And fast and such a pretty dish! Our son and his tot drove up exactly as I was taking it out of the oven. How does he do that??
Okay, chortling and tummyrubbing done...been thinking about some of my knitting projects. There's been a dismaying number of disasters in my "redesigning" projects. The most recent was discovering I had carefully knitted the front parts of a baby cardigan and...they were both the left side. Rip, rip, rip....
The other cardigan, the one done in that gorgeous Sonata cotton...yeah that one. The button band refuses to pick up properly. Did I slip that first stitch of every row just so it'd pick up perfectly? Yep. It's a perfect and neat selvage. Does it work? Nope.
Solution so far...I knitted a separate button band using a provisional cast on just to see what was going on. Haven't tried to put it all together yet, I'm waiting for my knitting disposition to improve. Meantime, am over halfway thru knitting a warm, wool sock while I consider things. It's entirely possible that I'm far too tempted to leap into a new project and have been woolgathering instead of paying attention to the cardigan. (Yep, I said that..you may now all groan in unison.) And part of the problem is that I have three new knitting books. One of those I bought just for one particular pattern in it. I love 'em all, but that pattern...I love it. It has no diagram and goes strangely in one direction then the other, I'm not certain I understand the pattern at all...but I want it on my needles asap. Gotta try it! This might be one of those week-long learning curves
Guess who hasn't packed anything for the Missouri trip, aside from her knitbag...

2006-07-09T20:28:00.000-08:00

Ladies, don't forget to drop by The Silver Kettle and look that over too.
Sure good to see you again, Lea!!!

Good Evening...

2006-07-09T16:11:00.000-08:00

So glad the dolphin made you smile Lea, and that you found the spot Runie created for us. I have always loved that picture Emily made; Runie and I commented on how kids are often more 'puter literate than us grown-folk!
Not a terribly exciting day, but a nice one all the same. I slept in a bit and then puttered about; Dad gave me a beautiful antique reproduction sideboard and we've had to rearrange two rooms to make space for it in our dining area. Since we only use the kitchen nook now, that was quite a feat!! Lol, it's cozy, but I like it. I'll upload a photo soon as I locate my rechargables - seems someone raided my digital camera...little buggers!
We watched Chicken Little, which made me giggle more than I expected, and my new and easy chicken dish was a hit. Although I was accused of being the reason Chicken Little's mother was absent in the film...it was still a nice meal.
Have a wonderful evening, ladies. I will leave you with yet another of Emily's wonderful creations.
Mom as a Bird - by Emily

2006-07-09T08:23:00.000-08:00

Oh, by the way, I love the Sunrise of the Dolphin. Very cute!!!!!

2006-07-09T08:18:00.000-08:00

Its so nice to be able to talk to you guys again. This will be awesome. Also, I am home during the day, since I was laid off again in May. Am still looking for work but hope to be going back in the fall to the same place. Would love to receive a call on the land line. :) Anyway good to hear from you guys. Ciao for now

Good morning!

2006-07-09T05:03:00.000-08:00

My day started out just right! First thing in my mailbox were 3 new knitting books. One has a baby sweater pattern that I've coveted ever since I first saw the finished product.
It's the "Beribboned Baby Sweater" in Kid, Kids, Kids. While we're gone to Missouri next week, that will be my goal to work on!

2006-07-08T17:21:00.000-08:00

I made it im here. Hi all!!

Sunrise of the Dolphin - by Emily, age 5

2006-07-08T09:23:00.000-08:00

Listening for Dolphin sounds in the far off distance...I'm sure she hears our call.
Hurry along, little sis!

We're Home!

2006-07-08T08:50:00.000-08:00

It's wonderful to have a place together again! Three old friends, living in distant areas of the US and sharing life.