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Over the weekend I finished the top and got the quilt pin basted. I have four of the 42 blocks quilted.
I went walking on a different path. This one is narrower because no bikes are allowed. Again the water is very low. There is more shade on this path so it is not as hot to walk.
I don't know if I will continue to walk at lunchtime until the weather gets cooler. I was physically sick from walking last week because I get too hot. The humidity has rolled back in and coupled with 80 degrees - forget about it. I will just have to do more in the evening.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Progress on the wedding quilt
Posted by patty a. at Monday, August 27, 2012
2 comments:
- QuiltSwissy said...
Wedding Quilt looks beautiful!
We walk early in the monring and very late at night, like 11 pm. That is the only way the Swissys could survive the heat and still get 2 miles in a day.
Good for you for walking! It feels good and nature is so soothing.
- August 27, 2012 at 4:58 AM
- Exuberant Color said...
You really got that top done fast. I think it is going to be really pretty.
I am a fair weather walker so you know I haven't walked much this year.
- August 27, 2012 at 6:36 PM
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I have been reading the Create with Connie and Mary blog for quite some time and finally decided to join one of their challenges this week.
The color combo is:
Since we evidently live in a snowdome here (meaning every county but ours gets snow!!!), I decided to make my wishful snowman using my Button Buddies stamp set!
Now, if you're looking very closely, you might just spy some Sale-a-Bration sneak peeks here!
I spy a patterned paper, a button, and stamp! Less than a month away until the fun begins!!!
P.S. – If you would like to book a party or make an order of $150 or more, you might just be able to get a free pack of that gorgeous glimmer paper!
Stamps: Button Buddies, Vintage Verses (SAB)
Ink: Pool Party, Basic Grey
Paper: Whisper White, Silver Glimmer, Pool Party, Sycamore Street DSP (SAB)
Accessories: Northern Flurry Embossing Folder, Basic Rhinestones, Frost White Shimmer Paint, Sycamore Street Button Pack (SAB)

subset: commoncrawl


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Complete coverage of South Carolina at War
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- Thoughts of returning home to loved ones and Saturdays filled with college football are on the minds of some of the 60 S.C. National Guard soldiers serving in an Army helicopter unit in Afghanistan.
The troops, members of a CH-47 Chinook helicopter unit based at McEntire Joint National Guard Base, are just weeks away from the end of a yearlong deployment.
"The money's good, but I just want to get back home and be with my wife," said Staff Sgt. Paul Peek of Eastover, an aircraft maintainer.
Peek and his fellow soldiers are writing an important chapter in Army history: They are members of the first Chinook helicopter unit to be organized, staffed and deployed to a combat zone in less than three years.
Most have flown other helicopters or have been deployed before. But the Afghan mission has been one of the most challenging deployments, the soldiers of Detachment 1, Company B, 2nd Battalion, 238th Aviation Regiment added.
"We've set records for flight hours and total missions," said Chief Warrant Officer Carson Hayslip, a pilot from Columbia. "We had 7,000 hours of flight time halfway through the deployment."
Typically, a Chinook unit might take twice as long - a year - to reach that mark.
Hayslip, who flew an AH-64 Apache attack helicopter in 2003 when his Guard unit was in Kosovo, said there is little comparison between the two countries.
"This is a little tougher than Kosovo, that's for sure," Hayslip said. "The terrain and altitude here are more challenging."
While mountainous, Kosovo's highest peak is about 8,700 feet above sea level, far below the average 15,000-feet peaks common in Afghanistan's Hindu Kush mountains.
The gangly, two-rotor Chinook is the poster child of Army recruiting ads. It also is the service's workhorse, shuttling troops and hauling cargo - sometimes hooked to slings below its belly.
"People always ask the question about, 'How many troops can a Chinook hold?'" said Sgt. 1st Class Gregory Castles of Winnsboro, an unabashed Clemson football booster. "We say, 'Always one more.'"
The Chinooks' ability to lift heavy loads is crucial for the Army as soldiers push into Afghanistan's mountains.
Each Chinook has seats for 33 soldiers, can haul up to 25,000 pounds of gear or move vehicles - even howitzer artillery pieces - up and down a mountain.
"I'd like to think we're a welcome sight," Castles said.
Chinooks are called on to resupply troops at remote outposts, accessible only by air or donkey trains.
"They count on us for food, water and ammo, and not necessarily in that order," said Spc. Tommy Hurt, a Chinook crew chief from Blacksburg.
When the S.C. soldiers arrived in Afghanistan in January, the guardsmen were spilt into three groups. One group remained at Bagram; the other two moved to bases in eastern regions of Afghanistan.
Now, they are ready to go home.
That trip, just weeks away, will be a long overdue homecoming for Cpl. Brian Richards of Woodrow.
Richards was mobilized in January 2007, deploying to Afghanistan with the Guard's 218th Brigade Combat Team as a member of the security forces battalion.
Richards returned home with the 218th in May 2008 but left again, about a month later, for Fort Rucker, Ala. There, he spent 2 1/2 months training to be a gunner on a Chinook.
Richards was home a few weeks before he deployed again in November 2008 as a member of the Chinook unit.
"For a Guard guy, being away nearly three years is a long time," Richards said. "I'm looking forward to going home."
Other soldiers are making a list of the things they want to do.
Castles, the Clemson booster, hopes to land tickets for the Tigers annual battle with their intrastate rival, the University of South Carolina.
Peek said he had plenty on his to-do list.
"I started some projects, and I'm anxious to get back to finish them," Peek said. "I've had a whole year to plan them."
Peek also put the deployment into perspective for South Carolinians accustomed to the mild, usually snowless winters of their native state.
"We got here in mid-January and have watched the snow melt off the mountains. I'll be glad to get out of here before it snows again."


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We are Moving!!!!!
We are Moving!
Please take a moment and change your bookmarks for us. We have moved to a new, and better, site.
We Look Forward to seeing you there.
There will no longer be posts on this site after January 31, 2012
Thank you and we cannot wait to see you at our new home
You Gotta Read Reviews Admin Team
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Review - The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Title : The Lovely Bones
Author : Alice Sebold
Publisher : Hachette Audio Group
Buy The Lovely Bones Here!
Rating: You Gotta Read
Reviewed By : Brynna
THE LOVELY BONES, read by author, Alice Sebold. THE LOVELY BONES has been made into a motion picture, starring Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, Mark Whalberg, Stanley Tucci, and Saoirse Ronan, and is scheduled to be released on Dec. 11, 2009.
It is a story of unspeakable tragedy and loss, but also of abiding love and even joy. With its astonishing force, THE LOVELY BONES has captured the hearts of millions of readers around the world.
At fourteen while walking home during the cold Autumn weather, Susie Salmon goes missing and is raped and murdered by the strange neighborhood recluse George Harvey. While her family, schoolmates, and the police search fruitlessly for her, the Gilbert's dog finds her elbow and the reallization that Susie is never coming back begins to settle into her small town. Questions are rampant as the community tries to drag itself back from the tragedy, while Susie watches her family and friends from her Heaven.
From Susie's point of view we are given omnificent views from each individual character. Susie almost becomes them, while staying a separate entity. Her family's grief, her father's obsession with finding her killer, and the destruction of her family becomes something both watched and experienced. I don't believe I've ever read a book told in quite this way before. Ms. Sebold handles the difficult situations with care, showing Susie's murder delicately as possible without omitting the horror from her readers. Her writing flows off the page into the hearts of her audience, leaving joy and hope to replace grief and fear. The author's emotional attachment to her characters is evident in the way she reads her work. This book certainly deserves a you gotta read.
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This product was added to our catalog on November 23, 2010.


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Wizard of Oz Turns 75!
If you look around in bookstores, on the Internet, and on television, you're bound to notice sooner or later that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the movie The Wizard of Oz! This is a great time for fans of the movie to pick up memorabilia dedicated to this special birthday.
Wizard of Oz Merchandise
What collectables have you seen?
|My friend Sandy sent me this card as I was working on the manuscript for Annie's Stories
|She later sent me this for St. Patrick's Day!
Wizard of Oz and Annie's Stories
Of course I'd love for folks to include my new book Annie's Stories in their collectables when gathering up items in this special landmark year. Long before the movie there was the book, you know. And I thought it would be interesting to explore what folks at the time thought of L. Frank Baum's tale. From the New York Times, September 8, 1900 (Baum's launch week of his new book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.)
"In 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' the fact is clearly recognized that the young as well as their elders love novelty."
Now isn't that the truth still today!
"There seems to be an inborn love of stories in child minds, and one of the most familiar and pleading requests of children is to be told another story."
I certainly hope that's still true!
"...it will indeed be strange if there be a normal child who will not enjoy the story."
What an endorsement! :)
Do you love the story still today? If you've read Annie's Stories, what part of what Annie read in the book resonated the most with you?
More Wizard of Oz Memorbilia
Because the cover of my book bears the cover of Baum's book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, it makes a great collectable don't you think?
|My friend Jaime Wright thinks so! :)


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Is the foot note, ambiguously portraying the symbolism of green eyes as a sign of homosexuality; accompanied by textual evidence to support the claim the man was a homosexual?
I believe the man's green eyes represent his sexual orientation because of the foot note that identifies the implications of the man's "bottle-green eyes", the content of the man's dialogue, and Mahoney's claim that the man was a "queer old-josser"(18). First, the presence of the footnote suggesting the figurative nature of green eyes as meaning homosexuality is random and ambiguous within the story. Because the narrator brings up his "…confused notion ………The sailors' eyes were blue and grey and even black(16)," "(the) pair of bottlegreen eyes,"(19) is foreshadowed and emphasized. The foot note serves to bring more attention to the color of the man's eyes later in the story, ultimately tying back to the original, vague foot note. I believe the presence of the second foot note, drawing further attention to the man's green eyes is a clue that the author purposefully placed the first, ambiguous foot note to identify the man's sexual orientation. Secondly, "He said if ever he found a boy talking to girls or having a girl for a sweetheart he would whip him and whip him; and that would teach him not to be talking to girls…there was nothing in the world he would like so well as that."(19) This identifies not only the man's interest towards the boys' association with little girls, but also his dislike of boys associating with girls. This suggests that the man is not only homosexual, but in fact he is interested in little boys. His interest in the young boys is supported by fact that the man is talking to these young boys that seem to want nothing to do with him. Lastly, when the man leaves the boys for a few minutes for a break, Mahoney states, "I say! Look what he's doing!...I say He's a queer old josser!"(18) The indefinite purpose of the man's break from the boys is still somewhat ambiguous despite Mahoney's reaction that the man is doing something "queer." Immediately the author's diction hints that the man's break is of an unordinary nature. "Queer" suggests the awkwardness of the man's "break", and the shocked reaction of Mahoney provides evidence that the man was in fact behaving inappropriately. The unclear footnotes that draw attention to symbolic relationship between green eyes and homosexuality, the content of the man's dialogue suggesting his disdain for little boys conversing with girls, and the inappropriate behavior identified by Mahoney as shocking and queer leads me believe that the man is in fact a homosexual that leaves the boys to masturbate. The ambiguous relationship between the foot note and the character created in "The Encounter" serve as the dots that need to be connected by the evidence provided in the text.
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Top Tourist Attractions in Hong Kong: Ocean Park Hong Kong is one of famous attractions in Hong Kong as travelers favorite destinations. Ocean Park Hong Kong is complete entertainment complex which offers amusement park, animal theme park, oceanarium, marine mammal park and many rides(The Eagle, The Abyss, The Whirly Bird, Bumper Blaster, The Dragon,Hair Raiser,). Ocean Park Hong Kong located on Wong Chuk Hang and Nam Long Shan, Southern District of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Below more complete Location Map of Ocean Park Hong Kong:
Ocean Park Hong Kong Photo
image source: discoverhongkong.com
Picture of Ocean Park Hong Kong
image source: aecom.com
See also tourists attractions in Hong Kong like: hong kong zoological and botanical gardens, snoopy world hong kong, sky100 hong kong, pictures of disneyland, snoopy world, sky100 hong kong observation deck, inspiration lake hong kong, hong kong street market.


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August 31, 2013
- In my life this week…
It has been another crazy week. . .
Lots of Appts at the first of the week . . .
School started for Middle Monkey. . .
- In our homeschool this week…
We have been cursing along
I'm kinda nervous to say it is going good,
and have it backfire on me.
So far, so good though!
Great things happening this year!
- Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…
Take time to enjoy the things they really want to study
We follow a science book, but if the subject is one
they want to spend more time on, we stop and
explore it more.
Like right now, we are breaking to learn more about
rocks, and hoping to do some mining if I can find a place!
- Places we're going and people we're seeing…
This next week,
we have a couple more doctors appts,
we are going to spend a family day together,
starting our new year of Co-op,
taking a field trip on Friday,
and a Family Reunion.
- My favorite thing this week was…
Seeing the huge smile on Middle Monkey's
face on the first day of school!
- My kiddos favorite thing this week was…
Going to the library!
- Things I'm working on…
Paperwork, reorganizing
- I'm cooking…
Pizza Casserole
- I'm grateful for…
My wonderful kids!
- I rewarded my kids this week by…
Buying them Froyo!
- Something I am ogling or have my eye on…
More organizational tools!
- A photo, video, link, or quote to share (silly, serious or both!)…
First day of school


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There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
Rise Stretch and Shine
I am not a morning person. By any definition. My body and mind are both hard wired to come alive once the sun sets regardless of how exhausted I may be. (I'm often told that that means I have a high I.Q) I cringe at the thought of having to do anything before 11 a.m. … Continue reading Rise Stretch and Shine
Tree Pose
Balance. Why is the idea such a difficult concept to come by? I've searched mentally, for many long and arduous years, for the possible answer to that question to no avail. Evaluating my actions, my thoughts, my physical being. Yet, none really offered an explanation or some inkling as to why I struggle so hard … Continue reading Tree Pose
Pigeon Pose
For the past fourteen years that I have been living and dealing with scoliosis --spinal curvature-- I have found that the oddest and yet the most enlightening things happen as a result. Whenever I find myself standing or sitting for too long, my body has a tell sign that I need to get up and … Continue reading Pigeon Pose
Corpse Pose
Unlike other poses that call for strength or agility, this calls for nothing but rest. (And a lot of focus... yep, no escaping that) Come to a seated position in the center of your mat and legs stretched in front of you. Slowly lower the upper body until you come to lie flat on your … Continue reading Corpse Pose
Back in 2009, when I was studying for an undergraduate degree in Biology at Barry University in Miami, I enrolled myself into a yoga class that the school offered in exchange for credit that counted toward graduation requirements. It was my first encounter with yoga; spanning the entire semester, the course opened my eyes to … Continue reading Headstand
"Set your Drishti." This is a peculiar phrase that I have often heard repeated during my more "organized" experiences with yoga. The first few times –when I wasn't as familiar with the jargon—it often left me puzzled (which isn't as hard of a thing to do to me sometimes). I, being the writer that I … Continue reading Focus


text: Aug 2 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 index is seen opening down about 0.5 percent on Tuesday, according to financial bookmakers. * The UK blue chip index closed 30.5 points lower on Monday at 6693.95 points, with energy stocks slipping on weaker crude oil prices and banks losing ground following the results of the European Union's stress test. * SABMILLER: Anheuser-Busch InBev and SABMiller, the world's two largest brewers, set out a timetable on Monday for the final stages of their $100 billion-plus merger, with completion of the deal expected in a little more than two months. * OLD MUTUAL: European private equity fund Cinven is about to start exclusive talks to buy the Italian wealth arm of financial services firm Old Mutual for about 300 million euros ($335 million), a source with knowledge of the deal told Reuters. * BP: BP Plc curtailed production over the weekend on the 60,000 barrel per day (bpd) reforming unit at the 413,500 bpd Whiting, Indiana refinery for repairs, sources familiar with plant operations said on Monday. * For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets * UK CORPORATE DIARY: Impax Environmental Half Year Earnings Markets Plc Spirent Half Year Earnings Communications Plc 4imprint Group Plc Half Year Earnings Filtronic Plc Full Year Earnings Travis Perkins Plc Half Year Earnings Elementis Plc Half Year Earnings Greggs Plc Half Year Earnings BBA Aviation Plc Half Year Earnings Rotork Plc Half Year Earnings Morgan Sindall Half Year Earnings Group Plc SDL Plc Half Year Earnings Cyprotex Plc Half Year Earnings Tullett Prebon Plc Half Year Earnings Fresnillo Plc Half Year Earnings Meggitt Plc Half Year Earnings InterContinental Interim Earnings Hotels Group Plc Direct Line Half Year Earnings Insurance Group Plc TODAY'S UK PAPERS > Financial Times > Other business headlines Multimedia versions of Reuters Top News are now available for: * 3000 Xtra : visit topnews.session.rservices.com * For Top News : topnews.reuters.com (Reporting by Sanjeeban Sarkar in Bengaluru)


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In my attempt to get this weight loss program working again, I decided to go back to first principles. What I was doing right back at the start was working really quite well, but then I started playing with the system, and things were never quite as successful, or sat as easily with me, as they did back then.
As such, I have gone back to my old ways. I weigh every day now, and have brought back my old spreadsheet (which is the eighth wonder of the world as far as I'm concerned - I really do have a man-crush on the thing). This helps me keep track of everything, by telling me my daily and weekly losses, the rates I'm losing at, how close to all my mini-targets I am, estimated completion dates at this rate of loss etc etc. I don't really know why I ever stopped using it, but its back in a big way!
The diet has gone back to the old system too. This means, basically, no carbs until my evening meal. I have an omelette for breakfast, and then chicken or something for lunch, to try and stick with protein for most of the day. This kept me fairly satisfied in the past, but I added some carbs in the evening to try and avoid going full-Atkins (which I'm still rather wary of). It worked before, so I'm hoping it will help me kick the carb-addiction that I've been giving in to far too often this year.
Those are some general rules, but I also have a few set promises to myself. Some of them might seem impossible, and as such, it might not seem very wise to try and make them a 'rule' per se. But when I started my weight-loss way back when, the weekly target I set myself was, also, far too high. I didn't reach it every week - but rather than deflate me, it was by striving to get as close to that target as I could that actually drove a lot of my old success. So, I'm not too concerned about setting targets that are too hard - they force me to work harder than easy targets ever have!
The following are the new rules. However, each one has an addendum, to give me at least SOME breathing space.
1) I will exercise every day - but it doesn't have to be running.
On the days I don't run, I want to start actually doing something else, rather than just writing off exercise altogether. I will do push-ups, sit-ups etc on the days I don't run, and might even throw the weights back into the mix, to try and get some variety.
2) I will weigh-in TWICE a week - but only the Monday one is official
This is to try and combat the pattern of dieting hard over the weekend to score a loss on Monday, and then relaxing and gaining at the start of the week, before repeating the cycle and striving to score a loss again by Monday. Instead, I will report my current weight on Wednesday or Thursday, just to try and encourage me to keep the losses consistent, rather than constantly up and down.
3) I will blog at least 3 times a week - even if just to say hi.
This one is more about making sure I am reading all your blogs too. Since I now keep track of the blogs I follow on my own homepage, I need to make sure I am visiting my own blog regularly, so that I can also keep track of who has updated! It might mean I have more short, pointless posts, but I'd rather be regular like that than forever be making these huge, unwieldy update posts.
4) I will lose weight every week - even if its only 0.1 lbs
This is the questionable one, as I have myself said that, some weeks, there's nothing you can do to avoid a gain. The thing is, I say that, but every gain I've had is because of something I've done wrong, or something I haven't done right. I've been making SO MANY excuses so far this year, and then brushing them off by saying 'at least' this or 'one off' that. I used to be much stricter with myself than this, so this rule is the one I'm most determined to keep. Of course, its also the one I'm most likely to fail in, but at least by aiming for it, I can limit any potential gains to a minimum.


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Don't miss stories. Follow Raw Story!
Jon Stewart rips James Dobson who is president of the evangelical group Focus on the Family. Dobson has criticized Barack Obama for "distorting" the Bible.
This video is from Comedy Central's The Daily Show, broadcast June 25, 2008.
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This is not a blog.
Let's get this straight up front: I am not writing a blog post, not blogging a blog ,
this is not a catalog, a "blogalog" This is a Porfolio ...
It's adding continuous content to my site , making it ever expanding and hitting multiple areas of photography.
Monday, November 28, 2016
Saturday, November 12, 2016
Thursday, November 10, 2016
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Sunday, November 6, 2016
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
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Source: PCI
Posted on 28 Oct 2009
John Blackburn, chief executive officer of COUNTRY Financial and chair of the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America's (PCI) Board of Governors will address the PCI Annual Meeting on Wednesday and highlight the strength and competitiveness of the industry as well as its commitment to delivering on its promise to policyholders during this challenging economic environment.
Blackburn began his term as chair of PCI, which is composed of more than 1,000 member companies and represents the broadest cross-section of insurers of any national trade association, just as the nation was beginning to see the full signs of the economic crisis and changing political landscape. "We quickly recognized that the old ways of doing business and approaching advocacy were no longer enough," said Blackburn. "We created special board committees to help ensure we were nimble and able to respond quickly to emerging threats. We focused on thought leadership and securing a seat at the table with key policymakers."
To be successful in this environment Blackburn, the Board of Governors and the PCI staff established the association as a true thought leader and the Wall Street Journal this summer recognized the trade group as a "Washington Influential."
"PCI is the go to property casualty trade association as policy debates are waged during these difficult times," said Blackburn. "As a result, PCI has demonstrated success in carving out property casualty from the financial services regulatory reform proposals thus far and I think we will continue to be successful in our goal of achieving the least and lightest touch of the federal government on our industry."
The PCI Board Committee on Natural Catastrophes is also developing strong policy positions and guidelines that will reshape the debate on NAT CAT solutions as Congress takes up the issue next year.
At the state level Blackburn said PCI has successfully defended the members' position on the use of credit-based insurance scoring, fended off constant threats of onerous bad faith legislation, scored great victories in a number of states, such as the North Carolina Beach Plan reform and continues to make a difference through strong legal advocacy.
"As I look back on this past year," said Blackburn, "I am proud of our industry. Despite the fourth most costly hurricane season and the economic crisis, we continued to deliver on our commitment to policyholders – and without having to ask for a government bailout. We all must continue to tell this good story in the state houses and on Capitol Hill."
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text: I saw a version of this random acts of kindness poster on Pinterest. It wasn't big enough to print and some of the suggestions were better options for adults. I made this tear off poster for my teen room using suggestions that were mostly free or only required some time or patience. You can find the PDF file at the Download button or publisher file at the link below that.


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I was rejected in 2009. It's a bit shame-making, admitting this past failure, but a writer's success, much like any artist endeavor, is defined by those who can triumph over rejection. I tell you about this rejection, because I want you to know how much it meant to me to be accepted this time; also to let friends who applied and were previously rejected (from anything!) know that success is possible with perseverance.
I labored over my submission, and when I was finally accepted I felt like I had won something. A prize that was bestowed on me not because of luck or chance but because of my hard work. It was, and still is, an incredible feeling. Tin House always seemed like some far off dream, something that only "real" writers get to experience. I went in with high expectations and they were met and surpassed beyond anything I could have dreamt or imagined.
|Aimee at her reading.
I was incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to study with Aimee Bender, who is by far the most generous and kind teacher, brilliant and talented writer, I've ever encountered. I read her novel, The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, before Tin House and loved it. Since leaving I begun reading her short story collection, The Girl in the Flammable Skirt, which is filled with magic and sex and humanity and whimsy. I aspire to see the world the way she does.
* * *
|One of many cocktail receptions.
It can be overwhelming. You look around and there are 200+ people, all of them like you, laboring over a blank page or hovering in front of a blank screen. They all aspire to write something honest and true and profound. Being in the Tin House bubble means that you look around and know the most interesting detail of everyone's lives. Everyone you meet is like YOU. They struggle with the same things you do, have dedicated their lives to the same pursuit.
I felt equal parts of accomplished, inspired and intimidated. You can't sit through one lecture or workshop without hearing people say names like John Cheever, Raymond Carver, and Alice Munro, names of people I know I should've known, and will soon know intimately (I promise). You quickly realize there isn't enough time to read everything: the Tin House reading list is debilitatingly long.
You listen to Pulitzer prize winner Paul Harding explain "The Jewels of the Cabots," like he fucking wrote it; learn about narration from the wickedly funny and honest Steve Almond, listen to Robert Bosworth tell a loving loving recollection of how he met his wife Antonya Nelson (and the story of his brother) which almost makes (or does make) you cry, all while teaching us the 12 steps to alternative characterization (Tonal dissonance!). You listen to Tony Doerr's brilliant talk on story structure (Freytag can suck it basically) and you realize there is so much you don't know. So much you didn't even think to know and you feel humbled. But it's okay, because then you sit in Aimee Bender's lecture on "Useless Rules" and realize that there is a liberating freedom in writing. Writing ultimate celebrates the individual, the unique voice. Suddenly things start to feel better.
Aimee talked about this scale, which reminded me of the last post I wrote on "The Writing Disease."
She said that most writer's go through bouts on either side of this scale, but the healthiest, most productive place to be is slightly left of center. Open and receptive to feedback, but willing to take a risk, to trust your voice and try something new.
D.A. Powell's lecture on short poetry was particularly incredible. I could listen to that man recite his poetry for hours, but that is another story. Finally, I would be remiss if I did not mention Mama Allison (Dorothy Allison that is) and her talk on reading as performance. I do believe she brought the house down. Her talk is an experience I won't soon forget, and her advice on reading and listening to your work is something that will become part of my process from here on out.
Here are a few of the best snippets from these lectures that I'd like to share with you:
Aimee Bender from our workshop:
- Where the language feels alive is where the story is. Follow the fire.
- Senses are the way humans experience the world.
- Avoid details that are just, "following the shoe leather." Neutral details that are not filtered through a narrative voice.
Paul Harding from his lecture on "The Jewels of the Cabots":
- The best story embodies it's own characters.
- Stories dictate their own meaning; give instructions on how they should be read.
Christopher Beha from his lecture on Sentences:
- Style is a way of looking at the world.
Matthew Zapruder from his lecture "Useful Poetry":
- The stakes are too high to have one word mean something other than what they usually do. How important can what the poet say be -- if they are willing to disguise it?
- Avoid the pressure of the real.
Wells Tower from his lecture on the Grotesque:
- Using the grotesque to show the darkest parts of humanity without begging for sympathy.
- Investigations of the ordinary must be handled as an investigation of the grotesque which must be handled as an investigation of the mundane.
D.A. Powell from his lecture on short poetry:
- Compression - when a thought that would be ruined by dwelling on it is made graceful by a light and rapid touch.
- Compression is the first grace of style.
- Time does the editing for you. It gets ride of the loose parts.
- Trim away the unhealthy parts to make the tree healthier.
- Each word must earn its space.
- People like to know they are in a story, that there is a narrator on duty to guide them through.
- The reader knows nothing at word one.
- Readers want to know where they are and what is important.
- I want to know enough to feel what is being shown.
- Effective first person narrators are aware they are telling a story.
- Keep reader abreast of the important details.
- Keep reader abreast of the important details.
- (Told by Elissa Schappel, repeated by Steve Almond) The flatest character in the novel is usually the writer, acting as a merged narrator.
|Steve Almond on Narration.
Robert Boswell from his lecture on Alternative Characterizations:
- What the characters say reveal who they are. In plays, the actors speak to conceal themselves. Give a character something to say that people do not usually say.
- Forced choice questions: where the character is given two options and neither is preferable.
- Say the hardest thing about your character.
Dorothy Allison from her lecture on reading as performance:
- Read your work out loud. Record it, and listen to the story. You will hear where it's lagging, where the grammar errors are.
- Performance (and writing) is about risk. Tremendous emotional risk.
- Performance is the perfecting of text.
- Read your work out loud. Record it, and listen to the story. You will hear where it's lagging, where the grammar errors are.
- Performance (and writing) is about risk. Tremendous emotional risk.
- Performance is the perfecting of text.
If any of my Tin House friends have other jewels they gathered from lecture or panels please feel free to share.
The workshops and lectures and readings were incredible, but my favorite part of Tin House was the people I met. Talented people whose names I hope to find printed somewhere, sometime soon. People who I hope to call "friend" for a lifetime.
It is easy to be intimidated by the talented people you meet, especially the faculty, at Tin House. But as my good friend Ron Maclean, author of Night Bus, told me, writing is at least a 10 year apprenticeship. Writing well takes time. The amazing faculty are like individuals who have reached a higher level of nirvana. It's something I feel everyone can inspire to, if they believe they are able. Tin House gave me faith in hard work and perseverance, and it gave me faith in myself.
I will carry the lessons I learned in my heart, until next year.
Tin House resources:
About the workshop
Reading list on Good Reads
Literary Journals and Daily Reads
The Rumpus (subscribe to the daily rumpus)
The Millions


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Although Taiwan was rejected yesterday for the seventh time in its bid to become an observer in the World Health Assembly (WHA), Taiwanese officials saw remarkable progress in other countries' support for Taiwan's bid.
During the second plenary meeting, Taiwan's application to join the WHA as an observer was again rejected, but Taiwan still stands a chance tomorrow to apply during the third plenary meeting, the committee "A" meeting and the round table meeting.
The general committee of the WHA, the World Health Organization's (WHO) highest decision body, decided not to include Taiwan's application to be a WHA observer as a supplementary item to the assembly agenda.
However, the US displayed considerable support for Taiwan's observership bid by addressing a letter to chairman of the general demanding to accommodate Taiwan into its health network.
Although the US stressed its above request did not mean it supported the inclusion of Taiwan's observer status bid in the assembly agenda, Taiwanese officials regarded the high level of support the US has exhibited as unprecedented.
For the first time, the US spoke for Taiwan's observership application, whereas Japan, which has publicly expressed support for Taiwan's bid to join the WHA as an observer, did not make any supportive move during the general committee.
Moreover, none of the EU members opposed adding Taiwan's observer status application to the assembly agenda.
EU countries had opposed Taiwan's entering the WHA as an observer for the past several years. Last year, France and Spain opposed putting Taiwan's observership into the assembly agenda.
Officials hailed the lack of opposition from the EU as another considerable milestone in Taiwan's efforts to enter the WHO.
"It was a good sign never seen before," said an official.
During the general committee, seven countries supported Taiwan's bid while 27 others opposed. Taiwan's allies -- the seven supporters -- Nicaragua, Honduras, Palau, Belize, Senegal, Dominica and Gambia spoke for Taiwan, whereas Cuba, Libya, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Algeria -- which were among the 27 -- stood against Taiwan.
Officials said China launched an unprecedented effort to mobilize its allies to block Taiwan's observership bid.
However, officials expressed optimism because not many countries, apart from these allies, voiced their opposition against Taiwan's bid.
Wu Yi (
Michael Kao (
Kao said the US expressed support for the proposal and that Japan also held a "friendly" attitude toward the proposal.
Marshall Islands put forth the proposal to add Taiwan's application for WHA observer status as a supplementary item to the assembly's provisional agenda.
Christine McNab, a spokeswoman for the World Health Organization (WHO), said on the committee itself, a minority of the members and a handful of non-members spoke for Taiwan's proposal.
Bangladeshi chaired the general committee, which was attended by 23 countries. Kao said only 1 or 2 of the countries attending the general committee were Taiwan's allies.


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Saturday was "maintenance day" on many fronts. Everyone in the family got their hair done and Frank replaced the aft air conditioning condensate pump.
Then the kids and I headed to the local water park (very local, like 5 minutes down the road) to celebrate their friend Julia's birthday. It was a blast!
We left the water park, washed all the chlorine out of our fresh highlights and headed to the beach to watch "The Lego Movie" with a bunch of our friends. Everything was awesome!
Sunday was a great day to chill at the marina. We enjoyed the Herrington Harbour hospitality at a slip holder breakfast then spent 5 solid hours at the pool. We got some sun! Then we read and grilled and relaxed. And that is how I like my weekends!


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My Favorite Flirts is a feature that lets you reach your favorite Flirts easily from My Account or on 1-800-TO-FLIRT.Manage My Favorites
(59 Reviews)
HI BOYS! I love trying so many new things and love to please. I have a sweet sexy voice that will melt you in a second, so gimme a try! I am young and willing... so call me!
I am here ready and waiting for you.


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Horizon Bank is pleased to announce the recent donation to the Town of Waterloo, Indiana. The donation, in the amount of $5,000, was presented by Larry Kummer, Market President of Northeast Indiana to Town Manager, Tena Woenker on January 8th at Waterloo Town Hall. On hand for the event were the following Horizon employees; Kristine Gruwell, Waterloo Branch Manager, Molly Allen, Auburn Branch Manager, and Dr. Daniel Schmidt, Advisory Board Member of Horizon Bank.
Funds will be used to restore Francis Thomas Memorial Park, located on West Van Vleek Street in Waterloo, Indiana which burned in March 2015. The renewed park will be utilized by children in the communities of Waterloo, Ashley & Auburn.
About Francis Thomas Memorial ParkThe park is located just west of the downtown, and provides a large playground area, modern restrooms and a bandstand. The park also has an open-air pavilion for use in warmer weather and an historic train depot for year-round use. Both are available to rent for reunions and other gatherings.
About Horizon
Horizon Bancorp is a locally owned, independent, commercial bank holding company serving Northern and Central Indiana and Southwest and Central Michigan through its commercial banking subsidiary Horizon Bank, NA. Horizon also offers mortgage-banking services throughout the Midwest. Horizon Bancorp may be reached online at www.horizonbank.com. Its common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol HBNC.
# # #
Contact: Amy Phares
Public Relations Coordinator
Phone: (219) 874-9208
Fax: (219) 873-2628


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What's in your makeup bag?
Ok so this is whats in my 'makeup' bag:
1) a jumble of receipts. what can i say? receipts are comforting. they can provide an alibi should you need one (what? it's hard out here for a Librarian). also they're like money–essentially they're the money that you spent that you really shouldn't have been spending. you don't really need those blue zebra print sunglasses do you? RETURN!
2) hand sanitizer. who cares what all the medical nay sayers say re: the effectiveness of this glorious goop. it's become as american as apple pie and as ubiquitous as
Rihanna Beyonce Rihanna so i think the people have spoken. if i have my hand sanitizer i'm happy, if i'm happy i'm less likely to contract a cold or a flesh eating virus. massive gap in logic? perhaps. the bottom line is don't mess with my hand sanitizer.
3) my Carmex. winter, spring, summer or fall i gotta have it.
4) i usually have mascara and Kohl but my Kohl is missing. i suspect foul play involving a certain 12 year old priss pot.
5&6) palmers coco butter and some other lotion. why the lotion and the back up lotion? i'm black. and so are most of the people around me.
that's all for this edition! what are your must haves? share! maybe (just maybe) i need to up my makeup bag game.


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Felt Food Taco
Looking for a way to get your child interested in sewing? Look no further than this felt food craft -- it's impossibly easy to make, and encourages endless creativity!
Click to find similar content by grade or subject.
What You Need:
- Tan felt for the taco shell, red for tomato, green for lettuce, yellow for cheese, black felt for olive slices, etc.
- Tan embroidery floss + needle
- Stuffing, batting or cotton balls
What You Do:
- First, have your child cut two circles of tan felt (it's best to trace around a plate or the bottom of a large bowl for this.) Have her sew the edges together with matching thread to make the taco shell.
- To hold the taco folded together, check where you normally pinch a taco in your fingers to pick it up. Add a small snap or piece of Velcro to the insides of the taco in this area.
- Next, it's time to add the ingredients! Let her cut squiggles of yellow felt to make shredded cheese, and squiggles of green felt to make lettuce. She can also cut small pieces of red felt to make chopped tomato. Let her make as many ingredients as she likes.
- Set up a taco bar in her play kitchen – it's a fun addition to any play room, and 100% less messy than the real thing!


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You've reached the website for fantasy author, Jess E. Owen.
The hardback, special edition of Song of the Summer King is now available for preorder.
You can also download the e-book from Amazon! (go & search the title, I don't want to spam the link here!)
Books will be printed and available this fall in very limited quantity. Order yours now!
UPDATE: For those who have ordered a book or are thinking of ordering, I am now expecting the printed copies in November!
Customer reviews so far:
"…absolutely stunning.."
"I haven't been this excited about a book since Harry Potter!"
"A fantastic and much needed breath of fresh air."
For more ordering information, please contact firstname.lastname@example.com.
For the most up-to-date information on Jess's work and her publishing company,
Five Elements Press, please check the blog, or the Song of the Summer King fan page!


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Hilary Duff in Ksubi
Hilary Duff was seen getting some money from an ATM in Los Angeles, California a few days ago. It looks like Hilary was ready to go somewhere nice after the stop at the machine from the way she was dressed, I really quite like this outfit.
She was wearing a pair of Ksubi denim cut off shorts, a red blazer, a simple white tee and white heels with her cream Chanel bag. I wouldn't have thought pairing stiletto heels this high with short shorts would look good, it's always gave off that vibe to me but on Hilary it looks really nice. I love her style!
Images courtesy of INFdaily.com
8 responses to "Hilary Duff in Ksubi"
[…] Jeans Blog – Designer Jeans | Denim Blog.com Related Posts […]
Well she looks cute but its not my style – rugged denim cutoffs with heels. It's as if she's being pulled in two different directions, nothing holds it together. I was going for chic but then I remembered that trucker rally I was invited to.
Heels with short short cutoffs just says trampy to me…I can't get into it.
[…] See more here: Hilary Duff in Ksubi : Jeans… […]
I think if she needed a heel a wedge would have been a better choice. There's something about this outfit that seems confused – all business on top, party on the bottom half. It's the mullet of outfits! 🙂
Lizzy McGuire is spinning in her grave…
Hey, Hillary, you're trying too hard with whatever look you're trying to achieve. Can't you afford an actual, QUALIFIED stylist to pick out your wardrobe instead of going with your questionable fashion instinct? And for crying out loud, those sessions at the gym aren't cutting it. Sheesh.
Denim fail.


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Try the new Beta.Halton.ca
Halton Region
1151 Bronte Road, Oakville
Ontario, Canada, L6M 3L1
Phone: Dial 311 or
Toll free: 1-866-442-5866
Email Halton Region
Green Carts are collected once every week on your collection day.
back to top
Unacceptable materials:
Printable list of acceptable items (PDF file).
The printable list of acceptable items is also available in other languages:
Halton residents may pick up an additional Green Cart from one of the following locations:
To ensure availability, dial 311 before visiting any of the sites noted above.
Broken Green Carts can be returned for a free exchange to:
Broken Green Carts are recycled into new containers.
If you choose to line your Green Cart with bags, use only acceptable Green Cart liners.
Not all liners sold in stores are acceptable for use in Halton's Green Cart program.
Halton Region does not accept plastic products or plastic liners in the Green Cart.
If purchasing liners, buy only certified compostable liners with the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) logo on the box as shown here:
Not all acceptable liners are listed (this is a sample listing only).
The following bags are not accepted in the Green Cart:
Printable list of acceptable Green Cart liners (PDF file).
For problems or questions regarding this site, please email Halton
or dial 311 or 905-825-6000
Toll free 1-866-4HALTON (1-866-442-5866) | TTY: 905-827-9833
Your Privacy and Our Website Terms of use
Halton Region is composed of
the City of Burlington,
the Town of Halton Hills,
the Town of Milton,
and the Town of Oakville .


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Wednesday, January 13, 2010
I am torn apart today at work. I know her life will physically be easier, but emotionally I am not sure how you make it through this, but I know she will. She is a strong lady, and I know her beautiful angel will be watching over her always. God Bless my friend, you are in my prayers. I am here for you, and my heart goes out to you.
6 comments:
- Midwest Mommy said...
One of the hardest parts of reading blogs is realizing just how often little angels leave us. My prayers are with her and her family.
- January 13, 2010 at 11:04 AM
- Julie said...
Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear that. I will be praying not only for her and her family but for you as well.
- January 13, 2010 at 11:09 AM
- mom2nji said...
I agree with Midwest Mommy. Blogging opens us up to so many friends, but it always exposes us to so much loss. I am so sorry for your friends loss. Thinking of and praying for her.
- January 13, 2010 at 1:50 PM
- Katy said...
I am so sorry to hear this. Prayers for her family.
- January 13, 2010 at 2:34 PM
So hard to hear the loss of a child, I am sending my thoughts and prayers to your friend and you as well. May god lift her up and wrap his arms around her during this sad and enduring time in the loss of her daughter.
- January 13, 2010 at 2:36 PM
- Knowledge Safari said...
We are so sorry to hear of this loss. Please let your friend know that we are holding her in our thoughts. You hang in there too!
- January 13, 2010 at 5:26 PM


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Running-related Facebook pages and magazines will prompt you: "what was your best run ever?" What a question! How can you sift through years and years of runs and choose the very "best" one? What does "best" mean, anyway? Can we choose a best race, a best distance run, and a best workout? A best run in fall, winter, spring, and summer? Alone and with a group? Before and after an injury? So many different, relative "best" runs! While a few runs have stood out to me as contenders for my "best" run of all time, I did not have one true "best" run until June 3, 2012. Since I did not have a blog back then, I will share the run with you now. 🙂
SPOILER ALERT! A DOUBLE RAINBOW IS INVOLVED!!!!! (Does that make you want to keep reading? Good.)
To preface the run recap, let me set the scene. I had just moved from Ewing to Princeton three days prior. It is important to note that these three days were spent a.) working, and b.) at Reunions. If you are unfamiliar with Reunions…just Google it. It is runner-up to the Indy 500 as the country's largest beer order. I got my ticket's worth, and spent three late nights having a great time with new friends.
It was a whirlwind of a weekend. I ran Thursday and Friday and took Saturday off…I anticipated a nice long run on Sunday after the craziness. A sort of cleanse, if you will. I got back home on Sunday morning at…around 5:30am, which was the first time I have ever stayed up that late besides all-nighters writing papers! It was quite eerie. I slept until noon and started the day. Ominous clouds and an impromptu thunderstorm cut some of my plans short. It promptly got sunny again. Confusing. I went to a yoga class at 3:00, because it was now too hot and humid to start my long run. I would do it after, risking some fatigue but oh well. Right after yoga, the storm started again. What.
I checked the current sunset time and realized around 6:45 that I did not have much time to spare if I wanted to get in eight miles (that was my longest post-ITB injury at the time). So, with thunder rumbling in the distance and the temperature having dropped to around 65, I set off. With every crack of thunder and swaying tree branch overhead, I picked up the pace. I went all the way down to the towpath until I questioned whether or not running beside still water in a thunderstorm was a good idea. Because I couldn't remember storm safety rules at the moment, I veered toward campus after a short (scared) stint on a nearby trail. The tents from Reunions were mostly still up, some were in the process of being deconstructed. I passed by the 5th year tent, where just two nights before we had tried to seek shelter from the growing sinkhole (exaggeration, but not by much) on the "grass" caused by the downpour. We had done quite some damage to the ground!
I looped around to Jadwin Gym and the track. The rain had subsided, but the air was still damp and chilly. The storm clearly could return any second. As I rounded the bush and brick-lined corner of the far side of the track, what awaited me was pure amazement. Right in front of me was the thickest, boldest rainbow I had ever seen. It seemed to come right from the ground, as if it were planted on the adjacent street. To the left was an identical beam, following the first all the way past its curve. (Double rainbows: not just on Youtube, friends.) I picked up the pace as I ran to it. I was smiling and I was all alone. I looked around frantically for someone in the parking lot to beg for a picture, but there was no one. I was practically in a trance, chasing this rainbow, probably going at it at 7:20 pace at this point. I didn't even feel my body, running just felt like being, right then. I ran down a road away from the rainbow, and kept turning around to smile at it. I passed a guy when running up a hill shortly after, and I wanted to shout, "Did you see the rainbow? Isn't it amazing?!" I was definitely still smiling, because I think he smiled back. The rainbow was contagious. When I saw it, the words: "Princeton after the storm" popped into my head. It made so much sense. I had never seen anything that meant so much symbolically to me as that double rainbow.
You see, for the past six months, I did not have the best feelings about Princeton. This place was haunted with memories and I could hardly handle them. I had wanted to get out, go anywhere but here or home – I thought about moving to Boston, or to Colorado, or to Pennsylvania. Because this was Princeton, and I didn't think I could stand it another year. I had serious doubts about if it was possible for me to stay here and start fresh. That weekend, however, I had taken the first steps to doing exactly that: I met a whole new group of friends, and I had spent that weekend, a particular weekend I had been worried about for the aforementioned reasons, with them, being myself and having a great time. I had moved and left behind the memories of senior year and my old house (and my mother's steam carpet cleaner…but that's another part of the weekend I won't get into…). This run turned out to be more than just a detox after the crazy weekend of partying, working, and little sleep. This was Princeton After the Storm. It really was the start of something new, and for the first time in months, I was happy to be here and excited to see what was next.


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Can you feel spring in the air? I can. Not just the weather temps or the shift in sunlight. It's the change in my activities that stirs my soul. I go outside more. I'm digging into soil more. Here are some creative things -- inside the house and outside -- happening this week.
I'm making progress on the advent calendar:
Now for Julia's Kitty Cats painting. Here are a few shots to show its progress over recent weeks:
Adam finished the metal edging around the herb garden!!! He still needs to tamp in the soil firmly around all the edges, but it looks good. I'm excited about what we'll grow there this year.
click over here to the farm blog.
Here's a recent sunset over the playground at the afterschool program where I work each afternoon. It's nice to have daylight for the kids to play almost until it's time to go home.
Thursday, February 2, 2017
Things Are Coming Along
2 comments:
Yay, Joseph and Mary look great! I like Julia's cats. It is sort of fun to give your art away to strangers. Maybe you can commission her to make some for you? Just loan her a pen, lol!ReplyDelete
I don't see a signature on the artwork. Hopefully, your daughter is signing these pieces. My daughter was never taught to do this and I have a huge box of her unsigned work. Sigh.ReplyDelete
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The Message of the Twenty-Third Psalm
by Max Lucado
INSPIRATION Ever wonder why churches are powerful in one generation but empty the next? Perhaps the answer is found in Proverbs 15:25. "The Lord will tear down the proud person's house."
God hates arrogance. He hates arrogance because we haven't done anything to be arrogant about. Do art critics give award to the canvas? Is there a Pulitzer for ink? Can you imagine a scalpel growing smug after a successful heart transplant? Of course not. They are only tools, so they get no credit for the accomplishments.
And the message of the Twenty-third Psalm is that we have nothing to be proud about either. We have rest, salvation, blessings, and home in heaven--and we did nothing to earn any of it. Who did? Who did the work? The answer threads through the psalm like a silk thread through pearls.
"He makes me . . ."
"He leads me . . ."
"He restores my soul . . ."
"You are with me . . . "
"You rod and your staff comfort me . . ."
"You prepare a table . . ."
"You anoint my head . . ."
We may be the canvas, the paper, or the scalpel, but we are not the ones who deserve the applause. And just to make sure e get the point right smack-dab in the middle of the poem, David recalls who does. The shepherd leads his sheep, not for our names' sake."
Why does God have anything to do with us? For his name's sake. No other name up in lights. No other name on the front page. This is all done for God's glory. (From Traveling Light by Max Lucado)
APPLICATION In what areas of your life is there a temptation to become or arrogant? Is it a special ability or talent? Is it your possessions--the house you live, or the car you drive? Or it is your educational background or your accomplishments? Make a list of those items and then confess to God your pride. Ask that God will help you remove that spirit of arrogance.
SCRIPTURE Daniel 3:1-30 The Fiery Furnace
EXPLORATION Arrogance--Proverbs 8:13; Isaiah 13:13; Jeremiah 48:29; Romans 1:30
The Devotional Bible - Experiencing the Heart of Jesus, Max Lucado General Editor, Thomas Nelson Publishers, page 1047-1048.
Beth Moore
"The Surprising Goal of Chastisement"
Beth Moore uncovers the glorious relationship
between correction and healing as laid out in God's word.
Wednesdays with Beth presented by LIFE Today with James and Betty Robison.
Watch the full episode at Thriving In A Season of Chastement Part 1


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Are you looking for something cute for your children's birthday party? Maybe this could be an option.
Animal finger puppet will turn on the party! And also can help the children in learning about animals.
How to order? You can directly contact us about the pricelist:
Ideku Handmade Workshop
at Griyo Kulo Resto 2nd floor,
Jl Moh Kahfie 1 no 16A,
Cilandak-Jagakarsa, Jaksel
08119930975 - pin 27BFD973
(ask us for join bbm group)
Ramadan Big Sale UPDATED. Click HERE. Grab them fast before they gone.
Don't forget to join our July Girls Day Out, July 29 2012.
Click HERE for more info :)


text:
1. 60-day Anti-Aging Skin Care System – This 60-day system with EnduriVeil® Continuous Release Technology is clinically proven to address all the critical signs of skin aging. 100% of users tested noticed reduced fine lines and wrinkles and an improvement in their skin's smoothness just after 12 weeks. Say goodbye to toners, serums, moisturizers and all other skin care products. Dermal Renu is the only skin care system you need for younger, healthier looking skin.
2. CLEANSTART - This low-foaming purifying cleanser, rich in the radiant energy of botanical extracts, gently removes impurities while maintaining your skin's healthy balance of natural oils. Leaves your skin clean, refreshed, and prepared for optimum benefits of both DAYSHIELD and NIGHTRESTORE treatments.
3. DAYSHIELD - DAYSHIELD offers an array of vital nutrients in a light, non-greasy formula to bring your skin to a naturally healthy state and looking vibrant. Through our revolutionary EnduriVeil® Continuous Release Technology, a unique combination of active ingredients including premium moisture elements, protects, restores, and repairs your skin for a noticeably more youthful glow.
4. NIGHTRESTORE - NIGHTRESTORE is enriched with revitalizing antioxidants and intense moisture enhancers, essential to the recovery and protection of your skin's health. Our exclusive EnduriVeil® Continuous Release Technology delivers a higher concentration of our unique combination of ingredients to continuously repair damage and restore your skin's youthfulness as you sleep.
5. SMOOTHREVEAL - This gentle exfoliating gel is luxuriously formulated to renew, refresh, and rejuvenate your skin by enhancing collagen production and even skin pigmentation. Non-damaging jojoba beads not only lift away dirt and dead skin cells, but retain moisture, leaving your skin soft, smooth, and balanced.
6. SUNSHIELD - As an essential complement to the Dermal Renu® Anti-Aging Skin Care System, SUNSHIELD is proven to protect your face from both harmful UVA/UVB rays. This light weight, water resistant, mineral based sunscreen, reduces fine lines and wrinkles, while antioxidants fight against skin damage, giving your skin a youthful radiance.
Emmy award winning journalist, Renee Sams, comments... http://itmakesscentz.scent-team.com/products/dermalrenu.php
Get yours today at wholesale! Contact Darren Sanford at (901) 485-3171 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
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Make it an awesome day!
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Monday, July 8, 2013
Badger's Wood...
When I was back home we managed to do a couple of decent days gardening. We shifted many healed-in hedges, planted a new camellia lawn, and we started work on Badger's wood. We had already decided on the creation of the wood last year when we planted the royal oak in honour of the Diamond Jubilee. However, we had yet to design the track that was to run through it, or to plant any of the other trees, which will eventually form a very dense copse of woodland.
We had carefully measured out and planted the border of the wood with Holly, Silver Birch, and Hornbeam (which had just been healed-in there until the old barn is pulled down and the second half of the vineyard planted). So we knew where the boundaries were, we just had to make a path which was long and winding, and looped around the jubilee oak.
I mowed out the path with the push-mower, while Peter walked behind with the weedkiller, spraying the grass.
When it is all planted up with English trees in September it will look great. It will take about 3-5 years before it starts to look like an established wood and before no other part of the path can be seen except the part immediately ahead of you. The map at the beginning of the post accurately plots the course of the path, and the position of the oak tree. It is quite a long path given all its turns, and will feel even longer when you can't see where it is leading you...
Although we don't have Badgers in NZ, we do have hedgehogs. Maybe this little one which has already found its way to Badger's Wood will start a family...
Posted by Lord Cowell at 6:00 AM
Labels: Badger, Badger Wood, English Wood, Woodland Trust
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I created 'charactr' mainly as a way to force myself to draw regularly, to a deadline. OK...i missed the first deadline by an hour or two, but it was the first one I ran.
These are the three silhouettes that I submitted for the first stage. Th guy with the antlers won, though I was kind of routing for the TV head bloke with the shopping trolley.
Always had a lot of the Slough Feg; Horned God from Slaine [2000AD] in this idea. The original Slough Feg was inspired by a cave drawing from France of a shaman with antlers on, so that is what I looked at for this',
Next stage; I Photoshopped a quick guide for the final drawing. Yes I know the model is a girl, but the pose works. Hips and shoulders at nice angles [death to symmetry]. Loving the antlers.
A3 pencil rough on trace with a rubbish right arm. Left arm not much better,...
The bio to the character refers to drawing graffiti using moss blended with buttermilk to make living graffiti. No idea where I first heard of that but I really must try it one day.
charactr #2; Emaciated Jungle Explorer is now underway. Back to the drawing board...
No rest for the wicked!


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Monday, January 26, 2015
Well, I thought it was pretty funny...
but it makes me wonder if the people who actually comment on these things have no sense of humour or they simply take things way too seriously.
Posted by Spockgirl at 8:59:00 PM
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Sunday, January 18, 2015
In a nutshell...
Over 25 years of work experience in one/two areas, no certification at all, no reference letters, no transferable skills, no life, no children, holes in my clothes, a mortgaged house that is falling apart and broken trees. But I have bacon.
Posted by Spockgirl at 1:11:00 AM
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Thursday, January 1, 2015
Ringing in the new...
Posted by Spockgirl at 12:55:00 AM
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My gran passed away this morning at the ripe old age of 89, fast approaching 90. She's had a good innings but she's been quite ill for some time. Her mind was all there, as was her sense of humour, but her body just gave out. She was an amazing woman, she was liberal for her age and understanding of modern day life and views. She had a great sense of humour and a twinkle in her eye that many probably never saw. We'll miss her.
R.I.P. E.G. Pearson.
Here I go again
10 months ago


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As part of getting things in order lately, along with finishing my taxes (yay!) and setting up my facebook page, I added a link on the blog to Essential Depot. They have been my source for lye ever since it stopped being carried in grocery stores. Their customer service has always been excellent and their soapmaking line continues to grow. They carry other supplies, including a line for biofuel makers, and have some pretty cool vintage lye booklets you can download for free. To check them out, just click on the link at the bottom of the blog.
Spring blooms cheer me on my wanderings around the homestead. The pollinators seem very happy that the plum and peaches are flowering. It's so early, I expect a freeze may end up getting the blossoms before Spring truly arrives. But for now, the honeybees and others are being fed.
The daffodils appear to be finished, except for these sweet miniature Tete-a Tete's under the plum tree. The grape hyacinths are getting scarce, but there are some regular hyacinths in bloom. What have you got blooming in your yard?


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GEORGE TOWN – Police have summoned fifteen motorists for indiscriminate parking and blocking traffic just to play Pokemon Go in the vicinity of the Lebuh Acheh and Lebuh Cannon areas here last night.
Northeast district police chief ACP Mior Faridalathrash Wahid said police swooped in after receiving reports from residents regarding the presence of people who were disrupting the peace in the area.
"Residents in the area claimed that crowd begans to gather from 8pm to 5am to play the game, making a lot of noise and disturbing the neighbourhood, triggering unease," he said here today.
He said the police operation from 10pm to 12 midnight found the vehicles' owners playing Pokemon Go after parking their vehicles indiscriminately and blocking traffic in the area.
Mior Faridalatrash said there was no offence in people playing Pokemon Go but they should not disturb others in the process. – BERNAMA


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It's been awhile (great song btw).. since I've blogged... hey, marriage is a busy business if you do it right... Spent a great Mother's Day weekend in Cambria with the girls... we got to try the newish Dragon Bistro.. bit pricey, but excellent service, and tasty food (even if it is mostly Americanized). Now I think about it and crave it... they have the crunchiest batter fried and sauced meat dishes anywhere... not so hard you break your teeth..but perfectly and freshly fried in good oil. We had individual lunch dishes... Orange chicken, Mandarin pork, and Sweet and sour pork. All very similar (even though the O.C. and the M.P. were supposed to be spicy), but tasty and perfectly cooked nonetheless.. so fresh you have to wait a bit to eat because it's so hot (temperature-wise). The girls both had egg drop soup and I had the hot and sour (which was plenty hot spice-wise). The rice was super simple...eggs and soy cooked rice... nothing else.. the egg roll was meh...but I've gotten kind of blase about Chinese egg rolls these days anyhow..living here in Southeast Asian eggroll heaven..
On non food related matters, we saw a plethora of wildlife there.. dolphins, otters, seals, sea lions, crabs, starfish, a Jules Verne sized octopus, and even had a shark attack right outside our window practically...(don't worry...the person is fine...his kayak however is another matter). We even saw a bit of whale in the distance (a bit early for them yet). Oh, and the bunnies... we normally see tons of squirrels begging for food in their adorable little Black Plague ridden way... but for the first time we saw dozens of adorable brown bunnies..not rabbits... proper BUNNIES... like Peter Cottontail style... the kind of bunnies you think of when you think of the word "bunny".
So that's it for now.. I'm back again.. deal with it.
Dragon Bistro
2150 Center St
Cambria, CA
Open 7 days a week 11 am to 9 pm


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Jawatan Kosong Di NAZA Kia Malaysia - At Naza we believe that people make the company and they are the key to our success. We believe strongly in nurturing and rewarding our employees. As we continuously grow, we seek highly qualified, competent and committed individuals who can run with our vision and mission and take it to greater height. Those with the above attributes and knowledge are invited to apply for a promising career in our organisation.
In tandem with our exponential growth, we are constantly looking for the driven few to join us and experience our winning culture
Senior Treasury Executive


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Adam Scarpello
Adam Scarpello got sick of scrounging up weapons every time he needed one, so he started laying in his own supply. Now he has 100-odd broadswords, rapiers, knives, and daggers; a great number of guns and shields; and suits of armor in both plate and chain mail. The actor and fight coach showed them to me one sunny afternoon, in the shade of a shaggy river birch tree outside his armory. The steel of the rapiers glinted dangerously as squirrels scrabbled in the fat leaves overhead.
Rapiers, the long thin swords seen in movies such as The Princess Bride, are among the most popular stage weapons. Broadswords are larger and thicker, less about piercing and more about hacking, and they're in demand for fights taking place in the Middle Ages, such as in Henry V. Scarpello's swords have blunted points and edges, making them roughly as dangerous as golf clubs. "But if I was walking down the street with a golf club in one hand and a rapier in the other," he says, "no one would even see the golf club."
Scarpello, who has the bright ice-blue eyes and erect athletic carriage of Alexander Skarsgard, wrestled folding chairs from a supply of 20-pound training shields so I could sit for a demo. Scarpello founded Staged Steel Armory out of his house in St. Paul two years ago; he rents his weapons to the shows that draw on his services. He showed me how a rapier is best wielded, flourished, and brandished to achieve maximum visibility in the cheap seats. It was hard to listen as he talked. There's something about a rapier moving just in front of you—flickering and then vanishing like lightning—that demands your absolute attention. "While a rapier's greatest asset is its ability to pierce, the hilt can be used to smash an opponent in the face," Scarpello said as he brought his fist and elbow up to deliver what looked like a very effective way to smash someone in the face.
This is the sort of move you might see used by Tybalt, the guy who makes all the trouble for Romeo and then gets offed by him. A director with no sympathy for Tybalt might have him fighting sneaky and dirty, with his eventual end being the thing the audience most desires. A director more sympathetic to Tybalt might show him fighting reluctantly, pulling punches. Scarpello recently worked on a Romeo and Juliet in which Romeo was portrayed as a young lesbian who slid her rapier into Tybalt in a subtle and mild gesture, to the surprise of all involved. It was, I'm told, a most delicate murder. And that's why St. Paul has this private armory: for better storytelling through combat.
"I liken it to a musical," Scarpello says. "You break the talking to sing, but with what I do, you're breaking the talking to fight. I like to build a fight such that it tells where the character is in their story arc, all that's happened to them in their lives to this point, and where they are in the story right now. Someone who's been drawing a sword for 30 years draws it differently than someone who never has; a trained Navy Seal holds a gun differently than a gangster in 1920s Chicago. A fight should tell a story. If not, what's the point?"
Scarpello practiced martial arts as a child in Omaha, Nebraska, acted in high school, and trained with a stage-fighting choreographer as a teen. Today he is one of about a dozen stage-combat choreographers in the Twin Cities. He's part of the New Bridge Theatre Company in Hastings and has collaborated with Theatre Coup d'Etat. He also teaches fighting in acting classes and is hired as fight director or fight captain for various productions.
At a local community college, Scarpello was part of a Romeo and Juliet that had Tybalt and Romeo ranging over a two-story set in a fight that included weapons lost, weapons regained, and a final swan dive in which dead Tybalt was caught by his friends. To do a large-scale fight scene, Scarpello says, first you teach safety, then weapon use, and then you choreograph the fights. Everyone has to keep to their right tempo, their blocking. They have to choreograph their reaction to being wounded. Then there's the issue of moving the wounded over the living and making sure those seconds or minutes of fight carry storytelling.
"I want to see good fights, and I want to be part of good fights," Scarpello says. With all his armor, he stands a good chance of being part of a lot of very good fights—and we all might see the quality of Twin Cities drama, already so high, inch incrementally higher, as future Romeos and Tybalts draw on years, instead of weeks, of prior rapier experience.


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The Houston Astros, who over the years have had an antiseptic and dull quality about them, have undergone a welcome change. They have an aggressive new manager in Hal Lanier and an excitable and heavyweight middle reliever, Charles Kerfeld, baseball`s equivalent to the Refrigerator.
``He`s just a big kid having a good time,`` said Phil Garner, the Astros` veteran infielder. No question about Kerfeld being big. He is 6 feet 6 inches and last season checked in at 284 pounds. He is now down in the 250-260 range and among the most successful set-up relievers in the National League.


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Aimee coaching Pat
CrossFit, by design, is about not specializing. For most CrossFitters, the goal is not to be a world class weightlifter, however we do want to learn from them. Getting coached by a specialist is one of the best ways to get better at a specific sport. We were lucky to have Greg and Aimee from Catalyst Athletics stop by for a workout and help us with our lifts. Their insight and cueing were extremely enlightening. Expect to hear a few new cues and a focus on new pieces of the weightlifting puzzle.
Workout: Rest Day


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|Chester's favourite activity: eating
|Tug and war with a piece of grass
|Much-loved and much-missed.
I Love Guinea Pigs by Dick King Smith. A
glorious celebration of the loveliness of guinea pigs by an author who
knew and loved them well. He
describes their foibles and habits and remembers much-loved pets now sadly
departed. The illustrations, by Anita Jearn, show the wonderful diversity
of texture and colours, from sleek, satiny guineas to the ones that look
like powder puffs.


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PS It's "Woods" wallpaper by Cole & Sons.
16 May 2010
Quadruple treat: How to "do" yellow
PS It's "Woods" wallpaper by Cole & Sons.
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As a member of the One2One Network, I was recently given the opportunity to listen to and review Yanni's newest CD, Truth of Touch.
To be quite honest, I almost passed on this opportunity. I thought "Yanni?? Isn't he that weird guy with the oddball music?" But then I thought "What the heck, I've got nothing to lose. I'll listen while I write for my blog." And so I did...
And I am SO glad hat I did not let this opportunity pass me! The music just simply flows like a peaceful river from my computer speakers. A difficult post seemed to pour forth from my fingers as I listened to each and every song. It's hard to write about dealing with a special needs child, but not this time. I wrote like I've never written before. The music touched a nerve deep inside of me, made me feel like all will be alright with my little corner of world.
And as the tones flowed from my speakers, it wafted through the house drawing my children in. My oldest, who has Asperger's, fell in love immediately. He asked if this was his new night-time music. He sat on the floor and just listened, humming the melodies after the tunes were long gone. Music like that is a welcome part of our life. It soothes, it calms, it heals, it helps keep us on an even keel. All of these make this CD well worth the purchase price!
I'll certainly something we'll keep playing over and over again! We're sold, and hope that you will be too.
Now for the business part of my review:
I received absolutely no monetary compensation to write this post. The opinions expressed here are purely my own and not those of any other person or entity. In exchange for my membership with One2One Network, I received, for review, a free download of Yanni's "Truth of Touch" CD.


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Pictured above is current Leadership student Emily Feiner from Marquart Village.
The Watertown Area Chamber of Commerce is now accepting applications for the 2017/2018 Leadership Watertown class!
Leadership Watertown is a tuition-based program offered by the Watertown Area Chamber of Commerce to its members and their employees. The mission of Leadership Watertown is to develop a core group of dedicated leaders and educate them on the opportunities and needs of Watertown, with a focus on project management and leadership skills.
Leadership Watertown runs from August through May and is divided into two segments: class time and team project. Class time occurs each month and consists of a combination of speakers, tours and demonstrations that familiarize students with the community. The team project consists of a community service project selected by the Leadership Board.
Click here for an application!


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Monday, January 05, 2009
The dead husband (Photo: Rithysen, Koh Santepheap)
Domestic violence: Wife angered by her husband's beating and attempt to kill her squeezed and bit his penis until he died
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Koh Santepheap newspaper
Translation from Khmer by Socheata
Pursat province: A domestic violence took place causing a woman to grab and pulled her husband's penis to bite and squeezed it without mercy. The husband pitifully died the next day from the pain inflicted. The strange incident took place in Kampong Leu village, Kbal Trach commune, Krakor district, Pursat province on 30 December 2008. Vuth Voeun was the 38-year-old victim, and Sy Voeun, his 38-year-old wife live in the village above.
According to information provided by the Kbal Trach police station, this domestic violence started with 15-liter of rice alcohol bought by the wife to sell at home. However, the husband invited over several of his friends and they drank all the wine while the wife was harvesting rice in the field. The police officer indicated the family house also sells wine and some spices for their survival.
On the day of the incident, the wife bought 15-liter of rice wine to sell to the villagers before they travel to their harvesting work or when they return home from a day of harvesting. On the same day, Voeun, the wife, went to harvest rice the entire day also. In the evening, when she returned home, she saw her husband and several of his friends drinking all the wine she bought for sale, she got mad and a dispute ensued with her husband. The police officers indicated that when his wife gave him a fit, the husband got angry and he rushed to pull her hair to beat her and intended to break her neck. At that moment, the wife started grabbing on to his penis, squeezed and bit it without mercy until the husband was so hurt and fell down, but he did not dare tell any neighbors about this incident and he did not go the hospital either. In the morning, the husband was found dead with his hand pitifully groping over his groin. The wife was arrested by the police and brought in to the station for questioning.
The latest report indicated that on 16 December, the couple above also had a dispute and the wife already bit her husband penis once already, but the incident was not fatal to him. However, on the second round of the fight, the biting and squeezing were more severe than the first time, and this led to his death.


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A couple of announcements: firstly, I'll be at the LFCC – that's the London Film and Comic Con – this weekend, from Friday through until Sunday. Hope to see some of you there.
Secondly, it appears that a book I wrote and drew (after a treatment by Jim Henson), The Musical Monsters of Turkey Hollow, has been nominated for four (!) Harvey Awards this year. One of the nominations is for "excellence in production", which is down to the talents of Scott Newman, but I'll happily take the rest (along with stellar colourist Ian Herring). Really surprised and delighted to get a nod.
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Coming up...
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About Me
- Roger Langridge
- London, United Kingdom
- Eisner and Harvey Award-winning cartoonist responsible for The Muppet Show Comic Book, Thor the Mighty Avenger, Snarked! and Fred the Clown. Would like to save the world through comics.


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U.S. golf courses are on our USA Golf States page where you can find over 15,000 U.S. courses.
All golf calendars have space provided for you to write in tee times.
Select your course from the list then "To Course(s) Page" to set the calendar options.
Worldwide courses are available in a list format on the Golf Courses Around the World.
If your course is not listed, please contact us and we will add it.


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We've had a few surprises lately. Thursday night Monica accused me of never planning anything, & that was the reason she planned her own birthday party. The only problem was I had planned a surprise party for her Friday night. Me planning it actually meant calling Matt Thomas & telling him I would like to do a surprise party for Monica, & he threw an awesome Hawaiian themed party! The point is, though, that I played a part in it all.
The second surprise came today at 2PM when I locked the keys in the car. I haven't done that in forever, so I thought it would be fun. This leads us to surprise #3--our car is WAY too easy to break into, so I won't tell you how we did it but it involved a stick & Monica's small arms.
Surprise #4 came after dinner when I got a call from Wellston Church of Christ saying they needed a preacher/Bible class teacher for tomorrow morning. I quickly pulled some resources together & agreed to do it.
What a weekend of surprises! We are excited & a little scared to see what will spring up tomorrow.
#103: Regrets From Our Beach House Reno
3 hours ago


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So this is my first "official" Desolace update post. I don't expect this to be a regular thing because Desolace is going very slowly, but I figured since I'm happy with where I'm at, I may as well talk a bit about what I've done with it, talk about it, stuff like that.
I mentioned a couple times in previous posts that I worked on Desolace as one of my projects for one of my creative writing classes last semester. By "worked on" I mean I wrote an analysis on some of my plans for the novel in the future, and wrote, re-wrote and extensively edited the first two chapters. I also wrote (not fully edited yet) the third chapter after classes ended and I plan on writing another two of three over the summer in preparation for my next intermediate creative writing class.
My final grade on my writing submission (the two full chapters) was a solid A, which was my goal, so I'm pretty happy with that and hope I can keep it up.
Desolace has always been in a weird spot in the grand scheme of things. Sure I've had a good idea of where I wanted to go with it since the beginning, but writing a book is so much more complicated than knowing your characters and plot. Things tend to happen without your consent because your characters do as they damn will please and your world evolves behind the scenes. It gets frustrating, but part of all that is learning how to control the reins and keep things from diverting too far from your original purpose (or knowing when it is appropriate to let it continue).
A couple things I've determined from writing these first few chapters is that without an outline (as I prefer) I'm being really particular about the details I add in, and how scenes transition from one to another. Usually, I leave it choppy or whatever and go back and fix it later, but for some reason, with this project, it's been really hard to move on to the next part if the previous scenes don't set up everything right. The result has been three good chapters that transition really well from one to the next, but that also makes it slow as hell.
Even without an outline, though, I've got the help of the novel analysis that I wrote on Desolace. It helped me solidify some plot points that I'd been thinking about, fleshed out some traits for my main characters and helped me figure out a lot of the why for the novel. So I think the difficulties of writing the chapters so they transition well aside, I'm in a pretty good place to continue writing a good chunk of the story.
I'm considering writing a brief outline just to organize some of the events I've got in my head. I've had a couple instances already (I've got to go change the ending to the third chapter so it leads into something else first) where I've rearranged the order of plot points because it made more sense to do it in a certain order. But it's a pain in the ass to write it out and then realize it's too early for that, so I figure it would be worth it to write out all the events I have planned and properly organize them in correlation to each other. I don't want to do anything too fancy, just some bullet points that I can rearrange things visually rather than in my head.
Anyway, I think that's it for now. Next time I might go into more detail on the characters and what the story is about, but I need to work on accurately summing it all up before I can write anything about that.


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Worried by growing violence in society, British television is vowing to screen less crime and brutality.
The British Broadcasting Corp. on Thursday announced revised guidelines for programmers.
The same day, the Independent Television Commission told commercial TV companies to cut the amount of violence they screen.
Companies who ignore the ITC guidelines can be reprimanded or in the worst cases fined.
The BBC included no enforcement provisions, but the private network could edit offending segments or censor entire programs.
U.S. programmers are grappling with similar issues. The four U.S. broadcast networks, hoping to block government interference, have agreed to air parental warnings before certain shows.
The ITC regulates Britain's commercial ITV network. The BBC is funded by license fees paid by viewers.
The ITC guidelines say "violent images are becoming increasingly available to news editors," and that TV news bulletins should take account of the time they will air.
The BBC guidelines say viewers should be given more information about what programs contain before screening. The BBC also called for sharper awareness of how sexual violence and violence against women are portrayed.


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16 years ago today, it happened. A bit earlier than I thought, by 3 weeks. But finally the baby was here. It's a girl! they said. We spent about 2 hours with her before they told me to get a few hours of sleep. They whisked my baby away.
In the morning, I was awakened by our new pediatrician. She told me Lea had a "dusky spell" while they fed her. She said to call my husband so we could discuss the situation. Brad arrived quickly. The doctor then told us she suspected Down syndrome. She said "heart problem." She said "mentally retarded." She said we need a geneticist to know for sure. We need a cardiologist. Then she did the best thing she could have done. She sat there quietly while we cried. When we were done, she asked if we had any questions. She explained Down syndrome. She said Lea would lead a great life with some therapy. She said we were blessed.
Still, I was grieving the loss of the baby I thought I was having! I was grieving the loss of PERFECTION.
All of Lea's problems were swirling around my head. I did not call one person on my list to tell them she was born. I could not say the words "Down syndrome" without sobbing uncontrollably. They moved Lea to the special care nursery. They wouldn't let us in for hours as she was having testing done.
Finally, the time came. We were gowned up and washed down. My fear of everything about Down syndrome and heart problems had me a bundle of nerves. Then, I saw her. She had an IV in her head. She was the sweetest, most precious thing I could imagine! I held her for the first time since all of the bad news. And then I REALLY saw her. And guess what?? Perfection! The nurse took this picture at the moment I realized she WAS perfect. God gave her to us for a reason and she would be ok! We were a family now, and we would all be ok.
Happy Sweet Sixteen to our perfect blessing, Lea Renee!


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How often do you set your table with a quality dinnerware set? We always used the good china for special occasions, but we had a nice set of everyday ware. I think in this age of fast and quick meals, we sometimes forget the pleasure of gathering around the dinner table. I'm probably as guilty as anyone of heating up a frozen dinner in the microwave and then eating it in the container. That same meal takes on a whole new feel when you put it on a dinner plate and eat it with steerling flatware. It's more than presentation. It's about taking a step back and really enjoying the food you are consuming.
I'm also guilty of getting stuck in the habit of cooking the same old thing. One of the pleasures of doing this blog is that it helps me look for new ideas. Food Recipes are found in abundance on the web these days. Whether you're cooking for one or a dozen, there is a recipe out there for you. Don't be afraid to experiment. I recently discovered some of the wonderful uses for milled flax seed. Did you know it can be used in recipes as a substitute for eggs and oil? I recently tried that out with pancakes and it worked great.
What new food have you tried recently?
None of the ingredients in Gypsy Stew are new to me. But, I have never tried it before. I ran across the recipe in my great-grandmother's cookbook. This book is so old that the cover and some pages are missing so I don't know its age. She had earmarked the page and made a note on the recipe. So, I've decided to try this one soon. As with most vintage recipes, Gypsy Stew is more method than recipe. It doesn't tell you how long to cook it, but I think it would need to simmer for a couple of hours. Let me know how it works out if you decide to try it.
GYPSY STEW (Vintage Recipe)
1 and 1/2 pounds round steak or veal chopped coarsely
1 bunch celery, stewed in little water until tender
When tender, add salt and pepper
3/4 cup grated cheese, the amount depending on strength and taste
1/2 cup English walnut meats
1 cup milk thickened with 2 tablespoons flour
Serve with mashed potatoes or toast


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Even The Commentators Fight In Hockey
Friday, January 18, 2008
This is just one of those clips that makes you smile. I have no idea who or what these to are arguing about but it appears they're ready to drop the gloves, er...mics at any second.
I don't know about you, but that finger was annoying me just by watching it. If one of you Hockey fans wants to shed some light on what all this is about I'd love to hear from you (I think they're talking about the Maple Leafs, but I could be wrong)
Labels: Fights, Hockey, Randomness, YouTube Video
6 Comments:
they're talking about the maple leafs' GM who has been running the team into the ground
Bill Watters (former Leafs assistant GM) on the left, Nick Kypreos (former NY Ranger, among others) on the right.
I think it has to do with Toronto hiring John Ferguson as the general manager for the leafs and then brow beating him as they continued to lose until finally letting him go.
I don't claim to be a hockey expert, but Rick Nash's game winning goal last night was one of the sickest plays I've ever seen.
Thanks for the chuckle.
Great information.
Nike Air Force One


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