I found these pictures on the library of Congress website. The first pic is from a booklet from Maxwell House coffee on how to make coffee. I love the old fashioned coffee perculators. The second was from a gardening handbook from the government urging people to grow their own vegetable gardens during the war for conservation. I wonder how that would go over today. The other is just a very sweet black and white picture. If you have ever milked a cow, your first peak at the process leaves you with the exact same expression on that little girl. enjoy. The website is completely fascinating, you could spend days looking at all of the archivals.

She cracks me up sometimes (this is random Peru picture on the beach), She can be frustrating... But I am proud of her. I cannot believe summer vacation is almost over.
When I was a kid we never went back until after Labor Day. She starts on August 10th.
We are getting ready to tackle to the school supply lists and other school must haves.
She is off for her final week of the summer to National Youth Roundup.

a mom, a daughter, a convertible and a weekend

the marble needed only a little cleaning

Belle of the Bow

What a whirlwind.
We left Friday morning to head to Michigan.
The first surprise was at the rental car facility. I had ordered an inexpensive economy car. They gave is a convertible PT cruiser. I am not a big car person, but the daughter and I felt that this would add some fun to the trip! We were able to catch an earlier flight which gave us an extra three hours. We made great use of the time. We drove straight to the florist and grabbed three bouquets of flowers. We decided that the first resting place should be St Charles Cemetery. It is a small country cemetery, but was manicured. We used baby wipes to clean off the marble on my mom’s and grandparents head stones. They look pretty clean. We left flowers and chatted a bit. It was good to be there. …Off to the family church, not my church but the church that has held my families baptisms, weddings, and funerals. It felt good to recognize the common names I grew up with. We are no longer catholic, but I always want to honor my family by stopping by. When I was little my parents spent hours helping out and my grandma played the organ for years there.
We decided last minute to stop at my grandma’s best friend’s house. She is a dear family friend. Her husband passed away two years ago and many of her friends are long gone. I am not sure what this feels like, but I do imagine it can be sad and sometimes lonely. We brought her flowers and loved on her for about 45 minutes, it was wonderful. She inspires me, she is still active in the community and she looked great. If we had time we could have spent the afternoon with her.

I will share more later – I met my dear niece and it was wonderful.
My presentation is in 90 minutes. I have to prepare.
I cannot help but think “What am I doing?”
Just pray… I am….

You must read this

It is mildly disgusting and very funny.
I read it aloud to my daughter and we both laughed…
He deserves a medal for sure.

the pictures, the stories, the inspiration

Well she is home. And yes she has changed. She has hunger and love pouring out of her. The children of Peru were amazing teachers for her. She met new friends and learned a few lessons about life. More to come....

Netflix….
An Unfinished Life

If the family would have gone to the movies or the video store, this would have never been purchased.
But thanks to the video service, voila. I snuck it via the mailbox. :)
I liked it, the plot was familiar, but the cinematography from Wyoming was stunning.
Robert Redford is getting old and I think Jennifer Lopez is beautiful. She has that natural beauty and I appreciate the fact that she is not super-thin.
Netflix...

Chasing Ghosts

(image from his website)

While traveling last week I finished the book Chasing Ghosts by Paul Rieckhoff.
I thought it was well written, interesting and compelling.
I picked it up with an open mind and glad that I did.

continue to pray

THE DAUGHTER comes home Monday Morning - I will have plenty of stories and pictures from Peru very soon. Thanks to modern technology we were able to talk, email and im frequently. She sounds excited, passionate and tired. I cannot wait to put on our jammies and go through the suitcase, pictures and hear the stories.

I sit tonight with anxious feelings, not for anything in particular, just stuff.
I know I should be feeling confident and proud and satisfied.
I have a great family, an awesome adventurous daughter, a good job, a good National Guard unit, great opportunities ahead, wonderful friends and plenty of things, but just feeling a bit out of sorts.
It could be jet lag from the quick trip to Argentina or just a funky cloud hovering over my space. Tomorrow, I will start fresh.

vino

Is it too late to begin thinking about gifts for the holidays?
Check this out Jar Head Wine -
A bit of vino, and the proceeds going to a great cause. This would make a great gift.

Jarhead Red is a wine made by Marines, for Marines, at Firestone Vineyard on California’s Central Coast. Net proceeds from the sale of this wine benefit the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, which provides educational assistance to children of U.S. Marines, with special attention given to children of fallen Marines. Please consider directly supporting the foundation at Marine-Scholars.org.

The power of zucchini.

My little fella’s grew three inches in only four days.
When I made this announcement at Curve’s on Monday morning, all of the ladies had a wonderful and hilarious reaction.
I might have to tighten security in the garden.

Laughing and smiling burns calories too.

simply amazing

Humbling experience… standing near the closet door…

The next four weeks are very busy for us.

I am traveling out of country for work; my daughter is out country and will return in a week, my husband has week long class out of town; my daughter and I are traveling to take a quick peek at my new niece and following that up with a short presentation in Chicago. We have less than a month before school starts and my daughter and niece are going on a week long camping trip the first week of August.
The presentation in Chicago will require that I look very professional.

I tried on a few things at Ann Taylor, but nothing was working for me. I then remembered that I could always just send my two black suits to the dry cleaners and buy a few accessories to update them. The classic style jacket fits perfect, I am going to launder them both and decide later. I tried the skirt on without hose, I am not sure what I was thinking… but I did it any way. Crap, I am a total fat ass ( I just keep thinking bought the suits in 1993 and 1994. I am only 1-2 pounds difference from 12 years ago and it could be stress). Perhaps the years of storage may have caused the material to cinch up across my ass.
Now, once you put the jacket on I look just fine. Damn right professional.

But, I might have to find this … Body Enhancers Hose



The copy reads:
Maximum Control Seamless Mid-Thigh Hosiery Ultimate in seamless control. Mid-thigh silhouette with comfort waist and leg bands.


I could give it a try.

I do not have alot of details at this point

Tonight, I went to class and I wanted to pass along a huge prayer request.
There has been an SF Captain that has been in my three classes. He looked a little pale when I greeted him this evening, later he revealed to us that they have found a mass in his body and lymph nodes. I do not have many details, and I do not know him that well, but say a prayer for him (Williams) and his wife. He seems like a great guy and to top that he is SF and has been very busy the last several years taking care of business.
thanks

Garden update…
I cannot post any pics for awhile, the daughter has taken the working digital camera with her. I do have one that is barely held together with duct tape, but I will just wait.
The yellow and green squash are about 2-3 inches long, they are appearing in abundance.
Each eggplant plant has 2-3 small eggplants. They are very strong and healthy. I have started to pick the spinach and leaf lettuce. Simply delicious!
The herbs are in full swing and I will dry some and stick them in the freezer for use later. Mint, cilantro, dill and parsley.
The cucumbers and pepper plants have plenty of flowers and will bear fruit soon.
The beets are fattening and the radish are harvesting on the spicy side.
I am looking forward to rotating another row of lettuce and radish this weekend.

All is well, a bit crowded but thriving.

I am attempting to grow collard greens, it is not going well, I think this climate is not the best for growing plentiful greens, but the seed packet was 99 cents and I am enjoying tending to the underdeveloped plants.

I have an entire patch of mint that is 5 feet long. I love it, it looks lush and smells great. I know some may classify mint as a weed and a pest in the garden... but what can I say, it is my weed.

Peru update.
They are in country.
The location where they are staying is gorgeous. I literally could hear sparks of excitement through the phone (Yes, Cingular was honest, she does have coverage!)
They performed their drama this afternoon and spent time washing ten little girls hair today. C- was armed with rubber gloves, shampoos, ribbons, bows and clips of all colors. She said the little girls loved them and wanted to stay with the team all day long. Keep praying.

Have you cleaned out the kid’s closets to make room for the new school year?
I have an idea inspired by Blackfive’s post this morning for where to send any gently used items. This post comes just in time, I have several things I can pass along.

You can find more details.
You can send Wheelchairs, School Supplies, Soccer Balls, Games (outdoor), Cookies/Candy, or whatever to:
CPT Greg Amira
B CO / 402 CA BN
FOB Warhorse
APO AE 09336

Ok. quick update from Miami.
So far so good. She is the role of a “cat” for the Mime presentation.
She thought these two women were very inspirational speakers Donna Partow and Susie Shellenberger and a concert with Barlow Girls were awesome.

This link will provide more details…
Daily updates
She mentioned that the pop machine only takes change and the food has been lousy – but everything else has been great. Her flight leaves very early in the morning, she is excited.

Military History

I am just finishing up my critical review of John Wayne's The Green Berets for my US Military History class. Any comments? I watched it with a much closer eye this time. I found myself completely engrossed in the SF motto De oppresso liber ("To liberate the oppressed")

thoughts...

I am praying for Mary.

I love the summer and plethra of berries

12 ounces of blueberries.
I can eat them within just a few minutes and I just did.

Happy Independence Day

July 4, 1776
The Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence without dissent.

For a bit of history....

the story....
In 1776, John Adams predicted to his wife, Abigail, that America's Independence Day would be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. He wrote that "this anniversary should be commemorated with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward, forever more."

so far, so good

Traveling Mercies

She made it to Miami safely and has linked up with the group. She will be there for two days training and preparing for the work in Peru.
She thinks she is really cool spending the 4th of July in Miami without us! I bet the fireworks over the Ocean will be amazing.
She says it is pretty warm and it is not a dry heat… The average temp for Lima next will be in the mid 60’s, pray for good weather for them.

Nervous excitement - my daughter cannot control her emotions.
The alarm is set for 0215 and the bags are in the car.
She leaves for the trip of her life in a few hours.
Miami, FL and then....
Lima, Peru.
Please remember her in the next two weeks if you get a chance. We are excited, nervous and just waiting to see what God will reveal. I will post updates every chance I get. Thank You to everyone that made this possible.