Melissa's Idea Garden

Well, another busy week has come and gone. The fence work has been going along (slower than I thought it would be, they have completed one of the four sides). Two of the sides are going to be chain link and they say those will go up in about a day. But the vinyl part of the fence is very complex. They spent all week this week working on it and setting up the posts for the chain link fence. I am ready for the puppies to go outside. Our house just isn't big enough for the two of them and I am very tired of cleaning up puppy messes.

But we have had a little fun this week. Yesterday, I took the kids to FunQuest for a homeschool skate. I really appreciated the fact that they are reaching out to homeschoolers and are trying to set up a reasonably priced fun time for the children. Jack and Katrina had fun skating, playing laser tag, and Katrina spent some time in the big playplace.

Continue reading "Skating, Sweet Puppy Moment, Locks of Love" »

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Yesterday, we left fluffball here with Daniel and took Ginger for some fun one-on-one time. Unfortunately, Ginger and fluffball aren't getting along all that well. Hopefully, they will come to like one another. Anyway, we took Ginger on a visit to my dad's mountain cabin. As you can see by the pictures below, she had a wonderful time!

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When we first built our deck last spring, we built in extra big with the intention of installing a hot tub in the next phase. Well phase two came this past week when we finished paying off our Hot Springs Grandee Hot Tub, which was delivered yesterday. And, boy did I miss some shots for my blog! It took them two hours to get lined up with the crane to maneuver the hot tub into place and seeing a several hundred pound hot tub hoisted through the air and heading towards your French doors...nothing quite like it! But, nothing was damaged and I regret to say I missed the great installation photos. Here is what it looks with the cover on and inserted into our deck.

And here is a picture of what the tub looks like uncovered and out in the open (though we chose to recess ours).

We also picked up another item for the deck that had been on our wish list. A firebowl. We tried it out Tuesday night and it is lovely!

We can't wait for the snow to fly so we can enjoy our firebowl and sit in the hot tub. When we picked out the hot tub, the salesperson informed me this was the same model that is in the White House! Wow...we are in some good company, here!

Continue reading "Hot Tub and Goldendoodle - Are We White House Material?" »

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Before we went trick or treating on Friday, we had a photo session Friday morning. A gentleman in our church has a photography business and I thought it would be fun for the kids to have their pictures taken in a photo shoot:) We had tried to get together before the leaves had all fallen from the trees, but between inclement weather and busy schedules, we missed some of the prettier days. But in the end, we got some great shots. You can check them out at my flickr account

Friday night, we got home about 9 from trick or treating and went to bed around 10:30. We were up at 7:30 to head to my mom's church for the Holiday Bazaar. It was amazing!

Continue reading "Holiday Bazaar, Photo Session, and Goblins and Goodies" »

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We had a wonderful time trick or treating last night. The kids got their costumes together and I took pictures as we were leaving so they would be looking their best:

First we went to the town of Bedford for Spooktacular. Something I have read about every year, but we have not gone. It is a program put on by our county parks and recreation department. There were several games for the children to play (free of charge) and depending on how well they did at the game, they would get a prize that matched their skill. Katrina's best gift was a cute stuffed bat. Jack's best gift was a pumpkin faced yo-yo. They also won lots of candy and had fun just playing the games. We were there about 45 minutes.

It was still early to trick or treat so I suprised the kids with dinner at Burger King. Then we headed over to drop in on some friends of ours to show off the kids costumes before we started walking through the streets of Bedford. Every year we trick or treat somewhere different. Living out in a rural area, it is hard to trick or treat nearby.

We walked about 3 miles in a 2 hour time period. The kids got lots of yummy candy. The thing I liked about trick or treating in Bedford were the great decorations. People there really went all out and made some beautiful displays! The other thing I really enjoyed about our evening was the great costumes and seeing so many adults joining in the fun. If we go back to Bedford next year, I will be in costume too.

I took a bunch of pictures. If you would like to see more of the kids and our Halloween fun, go check it out at
Flickr.

We got home about 8:45. The kids looked through their goodies and by the time we got to turn in, it was around 11. We had a 7 am wake up call (and I was tuckered out from all that walking, plus three wake up calls in the night from Ginger).

So come back tomorrow and I'll fill you in on what we did today:)

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Today, families from my homeschool group went on a field trip to the Old City Cemetery in Lynchburg. My kids and I have visited this site many times and learned a lot at the variety of tours we have signed up for. Today we were very excited about the opportunity to picnic in the autumn weather, swing on the swing that hangs from the pecan tree and learn more about the cemetery.

In years past, we have learned about composting, pond life, the railroad station, the pestilence house, bats, tombstone rubbings, the Confederate Cemetery, and some of the historical markers. Today we were supposed to learn about the trees in the cemetery and some African American history.

The kids and I packed lunches, packed up for the afternoon (the children had group piano lessons after the field trip). It was overcast and cool, but we were expecting the temperatures to reach 55 and for it to be sunny without precipitation.

Continue reading "Old City Cemetery Field Trip" »

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My children have gone to Awanas for several years now and it is a highlight of their life. Not only do they learn a lot of bible verses and ways to get along with others, but they play fun games and enjoy crafts and they spend time with Christian adults who are kind enough to volunteer their time every week to spend with them.

Tonight, there was a special event at Awanas. We had a Fall Festival. The weather was perfect and we all had fun. We are very blessed to attend a church that has members with such a heart for children.

So without further ado...some photos...

Continue reading "Awanas Fall Festival" »

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On Wednesday, we visited Liberty Lake Park in Bedford. We have been trying to get there once a week as a homeschool function, but we have had a hard time getting others to come. Not sure if it is the day or if everyone just has so much to do, they just don't need or want to do a 'park day'. Anyway...this past Wednesday, we met a new family. The oldest daughter, Melinda, had been exploring with her magnifying glass and the sun. Pretty soon, Melinda, Rebecca, Jack and Katrina were busy setting small fires.

They were not content though just to try to burn leaves and nuts, they got creative too and now I have some fun Halloween decorations!

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Last Saturday afternoon the kids and I went Five Blessings Farm for their Farm Fall Festival. It was fun. There was an inflatable bouncy thing. We got to feed goats from our hands and we got to see Tickles and Billy (they are doing great in their new home and they are getting to see lots of children).

We enjoyed a hayride and pony rides (Katrina went three times). And there were pumpkins to paint. Katrina decided that the Jekyll and Hyde approach was good. We put out Jekyll during the day, but then turn it around for Hyde in the evening!

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...and he gives the best treats!

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One of the things I love most about the church we attend is that the members there really have a heart for children and family. We are a small church, but we have Awanas and during the year do a lot of things with our youngsters in mind. Our Pastor started a father/son campout and the boys and dads love it. They go camp near a creek in tents and fish and swim and spend time together.

Well, of course us moms and daughters didn't want to be left out, so we started the Mother/Daughter sleepover. We didn't want to go camping, so we spent the night at the church. We had so much fun.

We ate pizza for dinner.

In the morning we woke up and had coffee, milk, and cinnamon rolls before packing up, cleaning up and heading home about 9 a.m. It was a wonderful time!

Posted by Melissa Markham at 8:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

For the last week, I spent all my spare blogging moments working on the Homeschool Carnival. Now that it is posted, I can update you on how things are going with Ginger and a little bit about what we have been up to.

Ginger is doing better with sleeping (well except for last night, but I guess we all have off nights...) She is sleeping up to 4 hours before waking up and then she goes back to bed within a few minutes after going out and taking care of business. But when she wakes up around 5 or 6, she is ready to be up for today.

Here are some photos...after all, they always speak more than words...

Continue reading "Ginger Update" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 7:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

Hopefully you will forgive me for not visiting and for having a few posts. Between sleep deprivation due to the new puppy that doesn't want to sleep at night and trying to keep some semblance of a homeschool schedule and trying to prepare for a test in tonight's class...I am having a hard time thinking straight, much less keeping up. But fortunately, I am still able to use the camera so that you can see the reason for the current havoc in our lives;)

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Go check out this video for some amazing creatures like the one pictured above (which is a comb jelly).

And here you can see more photos of these interesting new creatures that have been recently found. Beautiful, aren't they?

Posted by Melissa Markham at 6:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Imagine...going underwater to see the remains of the sunken palace of Cleopatra or the Lighthouse of Alexandria. As the earth has shifted through the ages and earthquakes have caused land to be lowered and raised, some amazing treasures have fallen into the water.

The bay is filled archaeological sunken treasures. In the 1990s archaeologist-divers found thousands of objects: 26 sphinxes, statues bearing gifts to the gods, blocks weighing up to 56 tons, and even Roman and Greek shipwrecks.

A committee has been set up to discuss the feasibility of creating an underwater museum which will enable visitors to more truly experience the palace and lighthouse the way they were.

For more information on the proceedings, click here.

For more cool photos, click here.

Posted by Melissa Markham at 5:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Sorry, I have been away, but life is busy with homeschool, home activities, social activities, class, church, fundraisers, field trips and visitors. I think that about covers it!

Let's see...Homeschooling is going pretty well. We have gotten through about 6 chapters of Story of the World. Jack is learning about the Human Genome and Katrina is studying about classifying living and non-living things. We are learning grammar, spelling, and of course, lovely math. Piano is going well and they are getting back in the groove of things after not having practiced as much as they should over the summer.

We are busy doing some odds and ends around the house. As you saw in photos last week. This week, the appliance repair man came. Parts are on order to fix the freezer. The cost of the dryer repairs was almost as much as a new dryer, so we got a new dryer. Our old one had a computer 'board' on it and I wanted to get away from that. It was 14 years old and for the extra 26 dollars we paid for the brand new dryer, I am happy. I also purchased a small outside storage shed (but I can't tell you why just yet). We are also expecting a lot of packages coming in the mail in the near future. But again, can't share about that just yet. All of those calls and ordering and researching take up time.

Continue reading "Hi There...Remember Me?" »

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When I was a child, my parents and I often took rides into the mountains of Bedford and Amherst County on Sunday afternoons. As impressive as the surroundings are, there was something that stood out...

The above photo is from this website.

This thing resembles a huge golf ball perched atop of Apple Orchard Mountain. But it is really a FAA Radar tower that used to be part of a military base. The other buildings that were part of what used to be a military base have been dismantled and only the radar dome remains.

The radar dome continues to be a draw to hikers. Here's a couple of hikers you might recognize checking out the top of Apple Orchard Mountain.

For more pictures that Daniel and Jack took during their hike to the Radar dome, visit Daniel's blog post.

For more photos taken by other hikers, go visit this photo page.

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I am fascinated by unusual animals. The American Bison which was brought back from the brink of extinction.
The Ruby-Throated Hummingbird that flies hundreds of miles across the Gulf each year to its breeding grounds. And my favorite...the Komodo Dragon. I find this magnificent reptile absolutely amazing!

The Okapi is another animal that captured my attention when I was pursuing writing non-fiction books on unusual animals.

Just recently, the first ever photo of a wild Okapi was caught last week by trip cameras in Virunga National Park. This elusive creature which resembles a giraffe and resembles a zebra is on the brink of extinction. We can only hope that its elusiveness serves to protect it.

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Daniel is many things...He is smart. He is well-informed. He is a great Dad. He is a loving son and husband. He can make a computer do just about anything. But he has only a little bit of expertise in the mechanical and home repair departments. So things break around here and they tend to get left undone, unless it's something I can fix. Well, last week, I rented two handymen and now little things that had piled up are working very well!

Continue reading "Home Improvement" »

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National Geographic has the best photos! And they have had them for a long, long time. Here are some that caught my eye this week.

Posted by Melissa Markham at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Because I know the inquiring minds of my readers like knowing what I am up to (and believe me,
I have been busy, busy, busy and more news about that will be following in the days and weeks ahead). But last week, one thing on the agenda was to take Jack to have his braces put on.

Well, here are a couple of before photos...

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Today was a busy one. One of the things we had to do was load up Billy and Tickles, the bunnies, to take to Five Blessings Farm. We got the bunnies a little over a year ago, but they weren't the pet that Katrina envisioned. They are beautiful and cuddly, but mostly they just eat and sleep and poop. She would try to play with them, but would often end up scratched. And cleaning up a litter box full of poop everyday became very old (as did me having to remind her to do it and coax her to do it and yell at her to do it).

What we learned that Katrina really wanted was a dog. Something that will interact with her and play with her and be more responsive than a rabbit. She has been begging for a dog for awhile, so we told her she could choose. She could find a new home for the rabbits and then get a dog or she could keep the rabbits and wait on the dogs. It was a hard decision for her. Katrina wants to bring home every creature she sees. She loves animals, is tender hearted and wants to take care of them all. So she started picking people that we knew to ask. The first family already had a bunny and we thought they might like to have two more. While they weren't interested, she did give me the name of the lady who runs Five Blessings Farm. After a few conversations, the owner decided she would like to add them to her farm. Katrina was very pleased with this as the bunnies will be part of classroom presentations and field trips and they will get lots of time around people.

So today, before we left, we gathered the bunnies for a photo shoot and thought we would share.

Tune in tomorrow to see what Jack was doing today! And be sure to keep tuned in for more news about upcoming additions to our menagerie.

Posted by Melissa Markham at 10:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

There were several reasons for my silence yesterday.

1. We were up at 5 and did all of our pre-school activities.
2. We had school from 9-12.
3. About 9:30, the duct people arrived to assess our air flow, then they said that they would be back tomorrow. I said 'what?' You were supposed to be installing today. After some discussion, we all got our ducks lined up and more people showed up at about 11:00. (And we still managed to get our work done even with the distractions.
4. Spent the afternoon studying for my paralegal class tomorrow night, finishing reading the book Secret, watching the people working on the Heat Pump, and watching the movie Halloweentown High.
5. Last night I watched the movie Gone, Baby, Gone, based on my friend Nikowa's recommendation (more on the later).
6. And my final reason was that Monday night, I was watching an episode from Season 4 of LOST and exceeded our fair use thingy with Hughes Net and they cut my internet down to worse than dial up for 24 hours...

So now you know what I was doing yesterday. And now you get to see some pictures:)

Continue reading "We're Chillin With Our New Frigidaire Heat Pump" »

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The last several mornings, we have gone out and found this lovely 4 point buck grazing in our yard. See the velvet on his antlers? He looked up once at me before I got my camera out, but then I couldn't get him to look up again. Perhaps I will get a better picture later this week.

He lets us get really close. I was standing less than 50 feet away when I took this photo.

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Oops....I forgot last week to do my weekly report and by the time I remembered, it was too late to get something put together and our first week of school was about to launch. Sorry about that!

Bedford County is in the Piedmont (foothills) of Virginia). And the peaks of Sharp Top and Flat Top dominate the horizon. These are twin peaks and called The Peaks of Otter. These are favorite destinations on the Blue Ridge Parkway, not just for locals, but for people visiting from around the country. Both mountains have a hiking trail to the top and Flat Top is actually the higher peak, though the pointy top of Sharp Top gives the illusion that it is the taller of the two.

Here are some quotes about the Peaks of Otter that date back to the days of Thomas Jefferson.

Continue reading "52 Weeks in Bedford County, Va: Week 4 The Peaks of Otter" »

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This morning, I spent about 1 hour cleaning out the fridge. I noticed it was getting a bit dirty and I wanted to clean it up. I don't know how all of that dirt gets in there...I found a dried up grape, spills that had been hidden, and a couple of pieces of my hair! How did that get in there!?

I cleaned out the expired stuff. I found some sauce that was dated to 2004...don't know how I missed that on previous clean ups (and no, it hasn't been 4 years since I cleaned the fridge...honest!

So here's what got thrown away (only the stuff on the top, really...!)

And then it was all sparkly clean. Didn't think to take a picture of it dirty, but it really does look tons better!

Stay tuned...the freezers are on the agenda...I know you are quivering with excitement;)

Posted by Melissa Markham at 3:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Back in the late 1970s, a friend and co-worker of my fathers purchased land in northern Bedford County. At first he went in on the property with another gentleman, but eventually, Bob Donovan purchased the complete property for a total of 51 acres backed up to National Forest.

Bob and Dad frequently went hunting together and Bob and his family enjoyed times spent at the cabin. Bob was eventually transferred first to Ohio, then to Canada and then to ABB in Connecticut. In 1994 he was named President of ABB. During this time, Bob still found time to come back and visit his land in Sedalia to hunt. Sometimes alone, sometimes with his family, because even though he left the area, that land meant a lot to him.

Continue reading "A Visit With My Dad and Dianne" »

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Pictures are truly worth a thousand words, aren't they?

Continue reading "Smith Mountain Lake Photos Part 3" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 9:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Today, the kids and I loaded up and headed to Rocky Mount, VA (about an hour away from our house). We were going to see Carole and Jessica. Carole and I met the first year I started homeschooling and over the last 6 years, we have had lots of fun times together. We hadn't seen Carole and Jessica since back in the spring. I was particularly excited about going and visiting her and enjoying some time in her lovely garden.

Continue reading "A Visit With A Friend" »

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The first two photos will show you the contrast of the views around the lake. Because I was busy piloting, I didn't get the opportunity to take pictures of some of the beautiful homes there, but every year, there is a home tour where several of the lovely homes are opened up by their owners for tours and the money raised goes to fight Multiple Sclerosis.

Continue reading "Smith Mountain Lake Photos Part 2" »

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Here are some photos of our 4-H club officers.

Posted by Melissa Markham at 9:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Well, my internet connection seems to be better today...so I will share some more pictures from our day yesterday.

Continue reading "Smith Mountain Lake Photos Part 1" »

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Bedford County has many fun places to offer those who love the great outdoors. National Forest Land, the Blue Ridge Parkway, The Peaks of Otter and Smith Mountain Lake are just a few. Smith Mountain Lake is considered the Jewel of the Blue Ridge. Smith Mountain Lake is the most popular lake destination in the state of Virginia. It has over 500 miles of shoreline.

From Smith Mountain Lake.Com

Why is there a gorgeous, 40-mile long, 20,600 acre lake, with 500 miles of shoreline, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of rural southwestern Virginia? Because Smith Mountain Lake was created to generate electricity, and to help manage water flows downstream and nearby. The damming of the Blackwater and Roanoke Rivers formed Smith Mountain Lake in a filling process that began on September 24, 1963 -- and ended almost 2.5 years later on March 7, 1966.

Smith Mountain Lake's surface covers 32 square miles. Its highest normal water level ("full pond") is 795 feet above sea level. There is typically very little seasonal variation in the water level. The daily variation for electricity production is 12-24 inches. During severe drought conditions, including 2007, lake levels have fallen by five feet. Under extreme flood control conditions, the water level could reach the top of the Smith Mountain Dam -- 802 feet above sea level. (The US Army Corps of Engineers publishes a daily water level report that is also available graphically over time.)

Continue reading "52 Weeks in Bedford County, VA: Week 3 Smith Mountain Lake" »

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Last week, I told you all about our Bald Faced Hornets Nest. Well here are the photos. Our Orkin guy is going to help this week. Ain't it amazing!!!???

You can even see the hornets on the outside of the nest.

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In an army hospital at Fort Gordon, Georgia, at 9:17 pm, I came kicking and screaming into the world.

For the next year and a half, my parents lived in Georgia, then Texas, before moving to Lynchburg, VA when my Dad finished his time in the Army. I have been in the Lynchburg, Va area pretty much ever since. We lived in a trailer, and then a house in Forest, VA until I was 9. The trailer is now gone with a huge subdivision in the fields behind where it used to sit. The little brick house still stands. Then we moved to a ranch style home in Lynchburg, but still on the Forest side of town and in Bedford County (though we had a Lynchburg address). We lived there for until I was 15, when we moved about a mile across the road to a home that we had built. When I was 18, I went to the College of William and Mary and spent my summers at home, except for the summer between my junior and senior year when I lived in Williamsburg with a college friend.

I was married 6 days after graduation.We were college sweethearts, but the marriage only lasted a little over a year. Then I returned home to Mom and Dad's. A year later, I met Daniel and moved in with him in a trailer in Moneta. A year after that his kids came to live with us and we moved to a bigger trailer in Body Camp (both of these places still in Bedford County. A year later, we purchased 5 acres of land for 100.00 down and monthly payments in Huddleston (southeastern Bedford County). A year later (after we had chopped down a kazillion trees), we moved into our current home and come this October we will have lived here for 15 years.

Continue reading "42 Years Ago Today...." »

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Ever since we arrived back in May, Daniel has mentioned us going to State Farm Water Park. It never seemed to be in the cards though. Since he is a contractor, he is not included among those who get to take advantage of the very nice recreational area that State Farm has set up. But, his boss told him this week that she would get passes for the kids and me to go and we went today. It was 74, cloudy and started raining about 4. I was literally sitting with a towel wrapped around me while the wind blew. The kids weren't bothered by the cold and in fact told me I would get warm if I just got in the water. While the water was heated and it probably would have been warmer than sitting in the chair, I knew that getting in meant only one thing...getting back out and I just wasn't up for it.

Continue reading "State Farm Water Park" »

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