One of my most favorite tasks as a homemaker is pegging clothes. I loved pegging clothes even as a child, then as a teen. My mom had two long clotheslines strung far between two trees. Every 20 or so feet, we would hold the rope up with a rake standing on end. It was wonderful to see. I took the above picture of an amish friend's wash. From 1983 to 1999 I had poles just like in the above picture. The only thing I didn't like was that I had to constantly keep an eye on the weather for rain clouds. That was especially hard the year the twins were born.

One of the very first things I did as a new bride was to ask Mike to hang a line between the only two trees on our property (at that time)...and they were a good distance away! Mike's friend and former neighbor, Dago, said he knew we were back from our honeymoon when he looked out his window and saw that clothesline.

In navy housing, we were provided with two T poles, and I was the only person in all of housing to use my poles. Sometimes people would refer to me as "the lady who uses her clothesline."

When we moved to San Diego, I had Mike install two of those same poles. I loved pegging clothes in San Diego...by the time you finished pegging the last diaper, the first diaper was already dry. Gotta love that hot desert air!

So when we moved up here to our dream property, I knew I wanted a covered porch. And I got one...on all four sides of the house! I love it.

So for 9 years I have had two umbrella clotheslines...one in the basement (above) and one on my porch. This past spring, the clothesline on my porch finally snapped and broke.So I bought another one, but it was lightweight aluminum and lasted 3 months. See all the bent arms?! I only had two loads of laundry hanging when it snapped. So I started researching for a heavy duty clothesline.

I like this one, but it is pricey and not very big. I would need two of these.This would be my first choice, but it is very pricey at $198! Mike is going to try to replicate my first choice with some pvc pipe he has. I did find one of these that I would eventually like to put down the basement. It stretches 34 feet...and our basement is 32 x56. Perfect!
I have always had a separate rack for hanging diapers, sock and washcloths. It has always been the youngest child's chore to peg these items as soon as they are able to reach it...usually two years old. Ruthie has had this chore for 7 years now.
Anna was so excited to get her first radishes out of her garden. Hurray, Anna! We sliced the radishes very thin and added cucumbers, tomatoes, spring onions and italian dressing. Delicious!
I read this fantastic book called, Turning the Ship, by Dustin Guidry. The subtitle is, "Why the church needs to demolish age barriers and join together as the family of God." I read the book in two nights...it was that good.

Anyone who wants to know why folks are choosing home churches or age-integrated churches, needs to read this book. Be forewarned: You will get angry when you learn that most protestant church practices are rooted in secular humanism.

Another warning: You might as well read this book at the same time as hubby, otherwise you will get interrupted every three minutes so he can read something profound to you!

We got lots of chores done today. Now it's time for the Saturday night showers and preparing our hearts for tomorrow's sermons. I hope everyone is enjoying the season. Many blessings ~ Kathie

Anna has been busy sewing these kite blocks for a quilt for darling Abby. Abby turns one year old next week. What a fast year! I'll be sure to show you the finished quilt.

I didn't get a chance to write last night because the violent storms kept the computer unplugged. My friend Christina let me use this picture from Tuesday night's storm. That is dime-sized hail! I just read the weather report and the weatherman says we are going to have another string of violent storms next week. Get ready!I found this dressing at Walmart this week and fed it to my family last night. We loved it! Our salad included lettuce (romaine and spring mix), cucumbers, carrots, cherry tomatoes, and rice noodles. Yummy!
Mike has been eating wasabi peas because of the health benefits. Wasabi is known for its anticancer benefits. The Japanese eat it with their raw fish because of its antibiotic and antiparasitic properties. Doctors also find is useful in fighting asthma and bronchitis. Wasabi is described as being "hot and fiery without burning," which changes to a sweetness that lingers in the mouth. Anyhow, Mike and I enjoy them.

The white wasabi peas that you find in the health food stores are much better for you than the green-dyed wasabi peas in the grocery stores. The green-dyed peas also have sugar, salt, palm oil and, of course, food dyes. Buy the white!

Mike has been faithful in adding cayenne to his diet (either capsule or powder) to lower his blood pressure. The cayenne he takes is 93,000 BTUs, as compared to grocery store cayenne that contains 2-3000 BTUs. But it works! Mike's blood pressure has gone from 148/90 to 128/81 from cayenne alone. Isn't that impressive?!

Today is a rainy day, so we should get lots of reading and practicing done. Maggie has two appts, so we're off and running soon. Maggie had a rough day emotionally yesterday, so I spent a lot of time meditating on God's promises. It is my natural bent to do a lot of self examination spiritually, so when trouble arises, I dig deeper. It seems there is always something that I need to get right with God. Thank God He is always listening!

Have a nice day. Many blessings ~ Kathie

Last Friday when we went to a garage sale, Anna picked up two old Bibles and asked the man how much he wanted for them. The man got very serious and told her his policy was to never accept money for Bibles. Wow! One of the Bibles had a $63 price tag from our local Christian bookstore, Jacob's Well. It looks old (Jacob's Well was open from 1974-2008) but is in perfect condition. The second Bible is even older, 1914, and holds a fascinating history.

On the first page we learn that the Bible was a Christmas gift from a woman named Fonda to her mother.
In the middle of the Bible we learn that the family's last name is Moon. On the Family Register page, we learn that Mr. and Mrs. Moon were married on December 21, 1888 at the bride's home. Wow!

On the Births page we learn that Mr. John Moon was born August 17,1871, and Mrs. Minnie (Mark) Moon was born November 18, 1874. He was from Columbia, Iowa, she was from Attica, Iowa.

One of their children lived for two months (Alva Moon), and one of their children lived for three days (Baby Moon), in 1900 and 1901, respectively. Fortunately they did have two surviving daughters born in 1904 and 1913. These two daughters were later married in 1929 and 1934.Towards the back of the Bible are newspaper clippings of the obituaries for the parents and children. Mrs. Moon's father, Isaac Mark was a soldier in the civil war! There are also poems that were written by him. What a treasure trove!

We even found two pages that were cut out of a magazine that must have been very old...just look at the picture of Rudy Atwood above!

Anna spent some time online and found this family's online family tree. She even saw where there were some blanks that she could fill in thanks to her info!! What a wonderful time we've been having with this piece of history. Anna realizes this family is probably going to want her Bible, so for now she is enjoying it.

Today I brought home a bag of claws for a special lunch. The Crabknockers Seafood store in Leonardtown sells a large bag of claws for $5. Since that is my children's favorite part, it's a great deal!

Sarah made dinner tonight. We had delicious corn on the cob from Walmart. If you decide to buy some, make sure you pull back the husk on each cob. Some of them were dried out.
Later on I cut the corn off the leftovers and made this black bean and corn salad. Yummy!
Last week Ruthie got her first case of poison ivy. I had to go to Walmart to get some calamine lotion and found this Calamine Spray from the Band Aid company. What a dream! Just spray, wait 60 seconds and it's completely dry. Some mother must've invented this!

Allen and I saw a house on fire today. The owner had driven his car into his garage where the engine overheated. I felt sorry for the firefighters that had to douse that fire on this warm and humid day.

We had a pretty intense thunderstorm tonight with lots of lightening. Now that it's over, I'm going to cut Mike and Allen's hair.

Hope you are enjoying your week. Most homeschoolers and Christian schools are over for the summer. The public schools end June 12th. Time to start enjoying the summer season. Many blessings ~ Kathie

Some folks keep an eye out for the first hurricane of the season, or the best time for the cherry blossoms in Washington D.C. My Dad looks forward to the first tomato of the season. But me, I tend to keep an eye on the height of amish corn. This was the tallest I could find in Mennonite territory. Ronald promises the corn will be ready by July 4th. Hurray!

John the Produce Man up at the farmers market says he will be selling 20# boxes of fresh sweet cherries this Saturday. They will cost $20. Not bad! Today was Ruthie's first day back at violin lesson since her broken wrist. Just in time for recital next week.
Today was a busy day for Lizzie. (See the dress she made?!) After violin lesson, Lizzie dashed off to play her 8 memorized piano pieces before a judge. She did very well, as expected. Great job, Lizzie! What did she do when she came home to unwind? Played piano for an hour!
I never got to show off the birthday gifts from this spring. Allen gave Lizzie this quiver to hold her arrows. She was tickled pink. She has it hanging in her room.

I gave Lizzie this wall plaque I found at the thrift store.
Sarah gave Lizzie a set of six wall peel-ons that are western themed. So now Lizzie and Ruthie have a western bedroom they can enjoy.
The only thing about their bedroom that I can't stand is that they both hang their cowgirl hats on their bedposts...for me to knock off when I sneak in to kiss them goodnight. I gave Allen a brand new Volcano stove that came with many extras. I was so tickled to find this gem at the thrift shop. I looked up the entire set online and found my $5 find was worth $156! Sarah also bought her gift at the thrift shop. Everyone wanted this lamp in their room!
I found this shade for 15 cents and painted it an antique red to look like this:
Not bad! My five sailors came home from Virginia having passed their boating course. Right now everyone is outside trying to find Moab the Muscovy who has been missing all day. Fortunately we haven't seen any signs of a fox...so far. Lizzie is as sad as the other lone muscovy. As much as that duck is a bother, we still are praying for her to return home safely...for Lizzie's sake.

For any of you church folks who didn't get to see the finished parsonage, I took 11 pictures and will print them out. I will show them to the elderly folks on Sunday, then I will ask permission to post them on the bulletin board. Sure looks nice!

Our family has been reading some fantastic books lately. I read this book called, "Do Hard Things" by Alex and Brett Harris, sons of the famous Gregg Harris, homeschool educator. Every teen should read this book. The subtitle, "A Teenage Rebellion against low expectations" says it all. Nice easy reading for a long afternoon.

I listened to Focus on the Family today on the radio. Dr. Dobson was interviewing Terry Schiavo's father. It was hard not to cry while driving. I hope I never have to watch my children die of thirst.

Enjoy your week. Many blessings ~ Kathie

Every night I leave my kitchen sink light on, so in the morning I never know what will be on the screen outside that window. About four times a year I will see a luna moth. This one is actually small, about 4" from tip to tail. But they never cease to amaze me.
Today Ruthie and I went to the farmers market in search of more cheap chairs, but we found ourselves surrounded by an entirely different culture ~ horse folks! There were trucks with horse trailers everywhere! Ruthie and I walked through the stables to see all the horses. We were told that this is a fantastic year for buying a horse because of the terrible economy. They expect most horses to sell for $1000-1500, half of the usual amount.

Ruthie enjoyed the sing-song chant of the auctioneer. There were dozens of boxes of reins, saddles, saddlebags, etc., to be auctioned off before the horses, so we left.

Ruthie did some more vacuuming while I mowed the lawn. If only we could have two more days like today...we might break even!

We are preparing our hearts for tomorrow's sermon. Take care and have a restful Sunday. Many blessings ~ Kathie

Look at that naughty muscovy standing on my fragile marigolds that are only 2" high! Those two muscovies better make a big dent in the mosquito population this summer or they're roast! Maggie was going bananas this morning because she isn't able to use her hands...but that didn't stop her from vacuuming with her feet!

It worked like a charm! When she got tired of vacuuming, she had someone put a swiffer pad on her feet. Poor darling.

This morning we were driving to town when we saw a "Garage Sale ~ Friday" sign. Now that's my kind of garage sale! I bought this double boiler for $1. Next year when Maggie's honeybees have lots of beeswax for making candles, I'll be all set. I'm not sure if you can tell how big this is, but the bottom is 2 gallon size, the inset is 1 gallon. Perfect! It even came with the ladle.
I'm not sure why, but my children love to pose for the camera. They always think up the craziest ideas...and their father is always a willing cameraman.
These two pictures are ridiculous. They are pretending to fight for the line.
Guess where Mike and my middle four children are tonight. Virginia...again! Yep. They found out that on July 1st the law changes, and anyone who rides a jetski will have to have a boating license. In 2012 the law changes again, and everyone, regardless of age, will have to have a boating license to drive a boat or jetski.

Here in St. Mary's County there is a boating course that runs 6 weeks long. But in VA the course is 8-4 pm all day Saturday. So today they drove down.

Anna wanted me to show you this picture of the schoolbus that goes 350 mph. (Most of today's pictures are from Anna.) It was impressive.

Well, we are between severe thunderstorms, so I want to run up and get my shower. For two hours after everyone left, Ruthie and I ran around cleaning and doing laundry. So now we're gonna get showers, then enjoy a good video (probably Roy Rogers...hurray).

Enjoy your weekend. Many blessings ~ Kathie

I so love driving down our dirt road this time of year. The mountain laurel is just beautiful. I'll never tire of it.
Anna took this picture of our asparagus two weeks ago. Now it has grown about 18" and gone to seed. I enjoy watching my children get excited about the garden.

My pictures are going backwards from today because I forgot to upload them in reverse. My guests last week, Ellen and Chris, gave me these lilies. Lizzie picked the daisies from our field. How I love fresh cut flowers!

I bought this wrought iron candle holder at the thrift shop for 25 cents. It was rusty, so I sanded it down and sprayed some black paint on it. The beautiful floral candles are from the Dollar Store. So far it's been too windy, or too cold, or too hot, to use. But it sure is nice for looks!

My horseradish is 18" tall!
We had a lot of fun with Chris and Ellen last week. Chris is a friend of Mike's from his Navy days. Chris retired from Delta Airlines a year ago. Ellen owns her own company and commutes to Baltimore. They are full of wonderful stories. They also have our sense of humor, and lots of it! Thanks for a fun time!Chris and Ellen came up to watch the Blue Angels at our airshow rehearsal last Friday. The show was wonderful. Very few clouds in the sky...unlike the actual airshow on Saturday. According to the newspaper, the rain held off until after the airshow, but was cloudy.

Otto the trick helicopter was a favorite. So was the schoolbus that had a jet engine that could go 350 mph (but makes for terrible pictures).
There were a lot of static displays as well. I didn't take any pictures the entire weekend, so I need to raid my childrens' picture files. These pictures are from Ruthie's new camera. Did I mention the 100 pictures of darling Abigail?
After the airshow, we took my mom (who came to the airshow with us) to the Hog Point Bridge on base and we watched 11 skates swimming in the water. The one thing about our airshows here at Pax River...there is always a beautiful breeze.

Late Friday evening we packed our van and headed to VA to Mom and Dad's weekend home. My children had fun swimming, fishing, tubing, jetskiing, waterskiing, and boating. This was the only picture I found...guess Ruthie was having to much fun to snap pictures. We came home Tuesday morning, and we've been running ever since.

In a half hour I have to pick up my neighbor's children from the bus stop and take them home. Then drop Allen off at Tang Soo Do class. Then drop sourdough rolls and magazines at a friend's home. Back to pick up Allen, then home for dinner. Maggie finished the last of her MRIs today, so tomorrow I get to sleep in (but don't tell anyone!).

Enjoy the sun. Many blessings ~ Kathie