Melissa's Idea Garden

This summer, I am taking part of our local library's adult reading challenge. We are to read 16 books by the middle of August and there are certain categories we have to read from. This is an attempt to get us to look at books we might otherwise ignore. I am enjoying it and I chose the book "102 Minutes: The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers" by Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn.

As most of us, I remember exactly where I was when the towers were attacked and how I felt in the days afterwards. I couldn't believe what I was seeing on the television. The enormity of what had happened only barely began to sink in during those days and I cried many tears for those who had lost their lives and for our country that I knew would never be the same. This book is an account of people who were inside the Towers during the attack and the minutes leading up to the collapse of the north tower. As the title reminds us, the whole catastrophe took 102 minutes from beginning to end.

If you read the book, you will be amazed at the heroism of many, of the lack of communication between rescue workers and how these attacks made everything that couldn't go wrong, go wrong (broken sprinkler system, broken PA system and more). You will read the thoughts of people fighting to survive. Some were successful, some were not. And you will realize that hind sight is always twenty-twenty, but foresight had some good ideas too, it was just that people weren't listening.

The authors do an excellent job of putting this story together and it was not an easy job to tackle. I highly recommend this if you want to know more about what went on September 11, 2001.

I have rediscovered my love of reading. When I was growing up, I always had a book with me. I read as I brushed my teeth, dried my hair, ate my breakfast, walked to the bus stop, on the way to school and whenever I had a break during the day. My senior year of highschool, I read over 100 books. My favorites at the time were gothic romance, Stephen King, Dean Koontz and John Saul. My 12th grade English teacher, Mrs. Boswell, told me it was fine to read the fun stuff, but to be sure to spend time in the classics as well. I took her advice to heart and developed a love for Hardy, Steinbeck, Dickens and Vonnegut (to name a few). Well, now my challenge to myself is to read nonfiction books as well as fiction.

You can check on my Shelfari account in the sidebar of my blog to see what all I have been reading this year. I read from my Kindle while I exercise and then from the stack of books that I have collected over the last 10 years, but hadn't gotten around to reading. The book I finished today was Reversing Heart Disease. It is a book that my hubby bought a few years ago, but then never read. When my dear friend, Carole, called me to tell me her hubby had had a heart attack, Daniel remembered the book and told her about it. I thought to myself...this is a book I should read, so onto my shelf it went. And I got a copy of Reversing Diabetes by Dr. Whitaker to read on my Kindle. I have a history of Diabetes in my family. I am overweight, sedentary and love to eat sweets. Last August, after my yearly physical, my doctor sent me my blood test results and a prescription for a cholesterol medication.

So, Saturday morning, the kids and I were up and early. We enjoyed the breakfast buffet at the Golden Corral, then we went to register with a local homeschool co-op. I wish now I had registered a couple of months ago. It turns out the perk of registering is that you get to be in the first group to sign up for the next semester's classes. I arrived at 10 (when registration began) and there were already a dozen people in front of me and that didn't even matter because 2 of the three classes that Katrina was interested in were already full! Dang it! But, we registered and we chose the classes because they told us that there are usually some who sign up and then things change over the summer. So the class we know Katrina will get into is Karate. We are hoping Guitar and Junior Acting will open up.

While I stood in line, the kids perused the book/curriculum sale. We were looking for Saxon Geometry in particular for Jack and Katrina was just looking. She found a book to read and Jack found a book called the Atlas of World History. The kid is a history buff. Daniel treated us to lunch from Papa John's and I spent the afternoon cleaning dishes and baking brownies and making jigglers for the cook-out on Sunday.

Sunday morning, we were at church at 8:45. Enjoyed another good message. I really am loving Blue Ridge Community Church. I feel uplifted and enlightened every week. Then, we came home and I prepared baked beans, did a bunch of dishes and got things set up for the cook-out.

From about 1:30 until after midnight we entertained my Bruce, Ryan, Charles, Ashley, Therese, Joy, David, Jonathan, Dakota, Paul, and Faye. We had a good time eating good food, visiting, and playing games. Several of us played PIT and Settlers of Catan. The only downside for me was missing Tess. She normally is here this time of year and I missed having her help and just missed her presence.

We slept in on Monday and spent the day doing odds and ends (I had dishes and cleaning up to do from the cook-out). I took Jack and Katrina to a friend's house for a cook-out and pool time. I took Daniel to pick up his rental car for the week and then he and I watched Crazy Heart. Very good movie. Jeff Bridges has a lot of talent and range!

Today, Daniel was back on the road to Raleigh. I was doing chores. I have done laundry, mowed, groomed the dogs, and put more tick powder and bedding in their dog houses. I have taken care of some odds and ends and took the kids to piano lessons. I have checked school work and prepared for tomorrow's assignments. About 7 pm, I was ready to go to bed. Jack looked at me and said...but it's only 7! I said, but I am tired!

When, oh when is someone going to learn to bottle the energy of a child and give it to adults??? Well, the hot tub is calling...

I don't know if everyone sleepwalks at sometime in their life, or if some people do it a lot and others none at all. When I was a kid, I had a couple of sleepwalking incidents (the one I remember is my mom telling me I walked down the hall with my pillow and when asked what I was doing with it, I told her I was putting it in the dirty clothes. I didn't wake up, but went back to sleep. I did it enough that my parents kept the door to the basement shut at night because it was right across from my room and they didn't want me falling down the stairs.

Daniel has a funny sleepwalking story where he carried on a conversation with his parents, asking them a variety of questions, the whole time he was sound asleep.

Those are kind of funny stories and though I knew sleepwalking could be dangerous, I didn't really think about it.

When the talking and giggling won't stop!

I read this book because it is the book that my husband's grandfather read more that 75 years ago and later he gave the name 'Tess' to my mother-in-law. I had heard the story before that she had been named for the main character in this book, but had never read it.

This story will transport you to another time. A time when there were squatters and they were treated horribly. A time when people's preconceived ideas and expectations led them to make poor and unfounded judgments (oh wait...we still do that). You will follow a young girl and see a mustard seed of faith grow in her. And you will see that even though she has none of the 'modern advantages,' she is the one who is the richest.

Tess passed away two months ago and we located the book to read. The story captured me early on and is one of love and faith and adventure and drama and unfairness. I am sure that Mr. Brown wanted his daughter to have the fine qualities of Tess when he chose this name for her. She lived up to the name and her dad's expectations.

We miss you Tess.

Katrina and I enjoy taking photos. We think some of them are good. So, when we heard about the Campbell County Art Show, we both wanted to give it a whirl. There were over 180 pieces of art entered in the show. There were student divisions (ages 5-10 and 11-17), and these were further broken down based on medium. Then there were categories for Novice (never entered an art show), Amateur and Professional. And these were also sorted by medium.

Pictures were to be dropped off between 8 and 9, then the judging would begin. Then at 1:30, winners would be announced. Katrina and I were going to go home between drop off time and announcement time, but there were so many beautiful pieces of art work to see and we were having fun hanging out with some friends of ours that were there, so we just stayed. We left for a bit to get some water and hit a couple of yard sales, then we came back.

I purchased this book a few months ago and have been reading it a little at a time. There are so many great tips in here! With money tight these days, I highly recommend that you add it to your shelf!

The book is written by Rebecca DiLiberto and is divided into the following sections: In the Kitchen, Around the House, Lifestyle, Fun and Leisure. There are so many great tips in here, that the only way I can figure out to make the most of this book is to pick a few at a time, get them to be a habit, then move on.

Here is a small sample of some of the ways to save money:

"If you burn milk when heating it on the stove, add a pinch of salt to take away the scorched smell and taste. (this also works with coffee)"

"When you brew a pot of coffee that nobody drinks, don't pour it down the drain. Freeze leftovers in ice cube trays to add to iced coffee instead of ice cubes."

"There's nothing more frustrating than over-salting a soup or stew that you've spent countless hours and dollars on. Don't throw it out! Try adding some wedges of raw potato or apple to absorb the salt. Let the soup simmer for 10 minutes or so, then removed the wedges. IF your soup is still too salty, try sprinkling in a spoonful of sugar. And if that doesn't work, a dash of apple cider vinegar may do the trick. Finally, try diluting with water or low-sodium broth."

My daughter is a little closer to her vending machine dynasty! Since receiving her first bubblegum at Christmas, she has made enough money to purchase her second machine and fill it with M and Ms. Today we placed it at the Campbell County Extension Office! Watch out Donald Trump, Katrina is on her way!

I am a proud alumni of The College of William and Mary a.k.a. The College of Knowledge a.k.a. The Alma Mater of a Nation. I graduated in 1988 and go back whenever I have the opportunity to visit. The four years I spent at William and Mary shaped my future. I have so many fond memories of my days there and I never stopped being in awe of the history of the place. When you walk on the cobblestone sidewalks or up and down the stairs in the Sunken Garden or in some of the older buildings on campus, you can't help but notice the 'divets' - the reminders that thousands of footsteps have walked there before you for centuries. The campus of William and Mary is beautiful. It is quiet and serene and outside was a favorite place to study.

As an alumn, I receive the William and Mary alumni magazine. In this past issue, President W. Taylor Reveley III spoke of Charter Day. William and Mary's charter was signed February 8, 1693. Every February, the college celebrates Charter Day. President Reveley spoke and recorded some o fhis speech in the Alumni magazine. It reminded me of the pride I feel about having attended a college with so much history and in honor of my alma mater's 317th birthday, I thought I would record it here.

Tomorrow my Grandma, Irene Orndorff, will turn 90 years old. Yesterday, our family celebrated her birthday in Strasburg, VA. Over 200 invitations were sent out. I didn't count how many people where there, but as you can see in this photo (which doesn't include everyone), there was a very good turn-out.

Of course, what else would you expect when you are celebrating the birthday of a woman who has spent 90 years in the same community, living, loving, and helping those around her. My grandmother has 7 children, 5 boys and 2 girls, all of who are still alive and kicking. She has 16 grandchildren if my count is right. And I couldn't begin to tell you how many great-grandchildren, and I think there may be one or two great, great-grandchildren.

Birthdays are special. I know some people don't care to make a big deal out of them for one reason or another, but just think about it. Our birthdays celebrate the day we came into this world! And each of us has an affect on others that we have met during our lifetime. That's a pretty amazing thing to celebrate each year. So in our house, we tend to go all out for birthdays. In fact, I would rather do more of a present thing for a birthday than for Christmas, just seems right to me.

When the kids were little, I was known as the party queen. I would put together the most amazing and fun birthday parties. One year we had great fun with a pokemon party. Another year, Katrina had a jungle party that we are still talking about. But as the kids grow older, the fun themed parties are falling by the wayside. This year Jack's idea of an awesome birthday party was playing Halo with his brothers, his dad, and some friends. And there was pizza, ice cream, and a movie involved too. Last year, Katrina had a sleepover at the church. We had so much fun - making crafts, baking cookies, playing hide-n-seek in the dark.

We are trying to lighten our load as we look towards moving in the months ahead. Below is information about the Stairmaster we have and our looking for a new home for. We are asking 500.00 for it. It is commercial grade.

In 1996, Daniel and I purchased a brand new StairMaster Freeclimber 4400 PT for approximately $3600.00. For the first few months, I used it regularly, then off and on. Daniel used it regularly for a couple of years, then sporadically since. The machine is in good working order and is not broken or damaged in anyway. It also comes with a mat to sit the Stairmaster on, two instructions books. So, instead of paying an expensive health club fee, why not get this awesome piece of equipment to use in the privacy of your own home. Trust me, it will give you a great workout! And your heart will thank you for it!

Below, you will find information about the StairMaster 4400 PT that comes from the manufacturer. This item is available for you to pick up only or you may arrange for shipping if you would like.

The StairMaster 4400 PT has the new upright rail-less configuration design. This encourages correct posture, and prevents the ability to cheat by transferring weight to the arms. This stepper made by the industry-leading manufacturer of steppers. The independent step action offers the extra wide "sweet spot" that makes the Stairmaster so effective and enjoyable to use. It offers a wide range of exercise options to provide constant motivation and challenge for everyone regardless of age or fitness point during the workout. The new computer console motivates the user during workouts, with different program options and workout statistics. With its 2' x 4' floor space footprint, this is one of the most space savings steppers available.

Console Readouts: Elapsed Time, Calories Burned, Miles Traveled, Floors Climbed, Step Rate, Relative Workout Intensity "MET's" and Power Output for Workout-to-Workout Comparisons

Well time flies when you are busy...

I have three boxes packed up for a yard sale in May. There are another dozen boxes packed up for moving. And I have solde about three boxes worth of stuff on eBay and Amazon.

Still no one has come to see the house, but the realtor says warmer weather and longer days will bring them out. Meanwhile I am glad to get some of the packing done.

I want to thank all of you for your prayers, messages and kindnesses over the last few weeks regarding Tess. It has been a busy few weeks for them. Hospice nurses came home with Tess for the first week to help with the administering of the antibiotics she needed and to help her get around as she gained strength.

Sharon, Johnny's daughter, found a place near her for Tess and Johnny to move to. Within a week of being in the hospital, they had moved. But as nice as Sharon's area is, it didn't have the friends that Tess and Johnny have spent the last 20 years with. They wanted to be in their own home and with their friends, so back to Bowling Green they went. Their neighbors are keeping an eye on them and helping them out with whatever needs doing. A nurse comes by periodically to check on Tess and her condition. She is having problems with swelling in her legs that the doctors are trying to address.

Daniel and Charles hope to go down and visit her next month.