What a marvelous Valentine's Day. Had dinner with the hubby at Outback Steakhouse. It was crowded and had to wait for almost 55 minutes for a table! All my labor intensive work on the candy poppers for the grandkids paid off. They were excited to pass them out. Have a couple waiting for my other grandson and daughter. Very good day.
So I picked up a book at my son's house called "American History A.S.A.P." and started reading. It's an interesting book in the way it is written: short chapters and brief explanation of the events during certain periods in our nation's history. It is fascinating to read (or re-read since we've learned it before in our history classes) about the early beginning of our United States of America and the hardships the early explorers and settlers suffered in the "New World". Makes me appreciate being an American. My ancestors immigrated from England and my husband's family came over in the 1800's from Germany and Bohemia. Can't help but wonder some times what my life would be if my ancestors never came to America. I would be calling the bathroom the "loo" and having Yorkshire pudding, haggis and fish and chips!
Glacier
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Sunday, February 12, 2012
I love my fireplace. I lit the candles last night and I love how the light reflects off the glass doors.
It was perfect for the cold night last night.
How incredibly sad to hear about Whitney Houston. And she had an 18 year old daughter! I don't understand what happens to people who have such a beautiful voice, a fabulous career, the ability to make more money than anyone needs, and end up in an early grave. I read an article that said her last public performance was when she sang "Yes, Jesus Loves Me" on Thursday with singer Kelly Price. It's so sad.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Freedoms
How much does one think of the freedoms we have in this country? When I was in school, history to me seemed boring. I could hardly focus enough to get a passing grade. If I had known then that in the year 2012 (which back then we thought the world would have ended by now!) my liberties would be slowly stripped from me by my own government I would have paid more attention, read more, and became more active in politics instead of being apolitical for so many years. I grew up with the notion that you never discuss religion and politics! Did you ever think that just being able to discuss religion and politics IS A RIGHT provided to us by the 1st Amendment to our Constitution?
During the Revolutionary War, there were many men and women, besides the signers of the Declaration of Independence, that suffered hardships and losses during their struggle for independence and the freedoms that we now enjoy. Following are some examples of what happened to the men who wrote and signed the Declaration of Independence. (This information comes from various sources.)
Five signers were captured by the British during the Revolutionary War.
Twelve had their homes and property occupied, ransacked, looted, and vandalized by the
British.
Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army.
Nine signers died during the course of the
Revolutionary War.
Braxton invested his wealth in shipping and lost his property during the war.
Thomas McKeam was forced to move his family almost constantly.
Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Ellery, Rutledge, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, and Middleton.
Francis Lewis had his home raided and the British jailed his wife who was ill at the time and died several years later.
John Hart's farm was looted in the course of the Revolutionary War and he remained in hiding for a while afterwards.
Lewis Morris saw his home appropriated by the British.
Philip Livingston lost several properties to the British occupation of New York.
So let's consider for a minute what these people suffered and died for that we take for granted every day of our lives and the freedoms that we are so willing to let our government take back in spite of those sacrifices. Hopefully we've all read the constitution at least once in our lifetime, but have you read it lately? I did two days ago and it was a wake-up call. Just these few amendments jumped off the page at me considering current events:
Freedom of religion. Our 1st Amendment right as a citizen of these United States. To be more precise, this is what the writers of our Constitution intended: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...".
Our 4th Amendment right: Prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures. Our founding fathers wanted "the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures...".
The 10th Amendment limits the powers of the federal government to those delegated to it by the Constitution. More specifically: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”
Once you go online, or pick up a book to read the Constitution again and refresh your memory, apply it to current events like Affordable Health Care for America Act (ObamaCare), the Patriot Act (TSA's "pat-downs"), the Enemy Belligerent, Interrogation, Detention, and Prosecution Act of 2010, government bailouts, the Federal Reserve Bank, the EPA, the Federal Government in public education, federally funded abortions, and the list goes on...
Read. Investigate. Recognize your freedoms and liberties every day you wake up and DON'T GIVE THEM UP! Research candidates for the next presidential election, or your local elections. Will your choice preserve, protect and defend the Constitution? In spite of special interest groups?
Our Constitution has written in it the oath the elected president must take before he enters office: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
During the Revolutionary War, there were many men and women, besides the signers of the Declaration of Independence, that suffered hardships and losses during their struggle for independence and the freedoms that we now enjoy. Following are some examples of what happened to the men who wrote and signed the Declaration of Independence. (This information comes from various sources.)
Five signers were captured by the British during the Revolutionary War.
Twelve had their homes and property occupied, ransacked, looted, and vandalized by the
British.
Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army.
Nine signers died during the course of the
Revolutionary War.
Braxton invested his wealth in shipping and lost his property during the war.
Thomas McKeam was forced to move his family almost constantly.
Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Ellery, Rutledge, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, and Middleton.
Francis Lewis had his home raided and the British jailed his wife who was ill at the time and died several years later.
John Hart's farm was looted in the course of the Revolutionary War and he remained in hiding for a while afterwards.
Lewis Morris saw his home appropriated by the British.
Philip Livingston lost several properties to the British occupation of New York.
So let's consider for a minute what these people suffered and died for that we take for granted every day of our lives and the freedoms that we are so willing to let our government take back in spite of those sacrifices. Hopefully we've all read the constitution at least once in our lifetime, but have you read it lately? I did two days ago and it was a wake-up call. Just these few amendments jumped off the page at me considering current events:
Freedom of religion. Our 1st Amendment right as a citizen of these United States. To be more precise, this is what the writers of our Constitution intended: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...".
Our 4th Amendment right: Prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures. Our founding fathers wanted "the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures...".
The 10th Amendment limits the powers of the federal government to those delegated to it by the Constitution. More specifically: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”
Once you go online, or pick up a book to read the Constitution again and refresh your memory, apply it to current events like Affordable Health Care for America Act (ObamaCare), the Patriot Act (TSA's "pat-downs"), the Enemy Belligerent, Interrogation, Detention, and Prosecution Act of 2010, government bailouts, the Federal Reserve Bank, the EPA, the Federal Government in public education, federally funded abortions, and the list goes on...
Read. Investigate. Recognize your freedoms and liberties every day you wake up and DON'T GIVE THEM UP! Research candidates for the next presidential election, or your local elections. Will your choice preserve, protect and defend the Constitution? In spite of special interest groups?
Our Constitution has written in it the oath the elected president must take before he enters office: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
Thursday, February 9, 2012
I missed a post yesterday. I was too tired after work to sit down and write. Today I'm going to share another project for my granddaughter's preschool. They are called Valentine Candy Poppers. This is not my idea. I found the craft online from another blog. So many good ideas out there. These are made with empty toilet tissue tubes, Mod Podge, candy, and Valentine wrapping paper and/or tissue paper.
This is what a finished popper will look like. You'll want to add ribbon and a name tag once the poppers are dry.
Begin by putting "tops" on the roll. Trace two circles on whatever paper you'll use for the tops and bottoms. I used a paper cup to trace the big circle and the actual roll for the other circle. Cut slits to the inner circle so the paper will fold around the roll better. Mod Podge the tops on, let dry, then fill with candy.
Now you're ready to cover the other end. Once the ends are covered, let dry then you're ready to Mod Podge paper for the center of the tube.
The kids can have fun popping out the ends and finding candy surprises inside.
Here are the finished Flower Gardens for the teachers. Happy Valentine's Day!
This is what a finished popper will look like. You'll want to add ribbon and a name tag once the poppers are dry.
Begin by putting "tops" on the roll. Trace two circles on whatever paper you'll use for the tops and bottoms. I used a paper cup to trace the big circle and the actual roll for the other circle. Cut slits to the inner circle so the paper will fold around the roll better. Mod Podge the tops on, let dry, then fill with candy.
Now you're ready to cover the other end. Once the ends are covered, let dry then you're ready to Mod Podge paper for the center of the tube.
I used Valentine's wrapping paper for some and tissue paper for others.
The kids can have fun popping out the ends and finding candy surprises inside.
Here are the finished Flower Gardens for the teachers. Happy Valentine's Day!
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
I love Valentine's Day. I've been working with my grandkids on making special V-Day gifts for their teachers. I found this craft online while looking for craft ideas. I wish I was this bright!
This is called a flower garden, made with foam sheets, tissue paper, decoupage, wooden Popsicle sticks, buttons, and candy. If I forgot anything you'll see it in the pictures.
I covered paper cups with Valentine tissue paper using Mod Podge. I cut squares (doesn't have to be perfect squares) from three tissue paper designs. An older child could help cut out the flowers and paper.
This is called a flower garden, made with foam sheets, tissue paper, decoupage, wooden Popsicle sticks, buttons, and candy. If I forgot anything you'll see it in the pictures.
I covered paper cups with Valentine tissue paper using Mod Podge. I cut squares (doesn't have to be perfect squares) from three tissue paper designs. An older child could help cut out the flowers and paper.
Mod Podge can get really messy and don't brush the tissue paper too much or it will disintegrate!
I glued two Popsicle sticks to the height I wanted for the cups, then I cut out the flower shapes from foam sheets and let my 3 year old granddaughter choose how to put them together. This requires a hot glue gun so it takes an adult to help put them together.
Then stick the flowers in the cup, fill with candy, and you have a flower garden! And fun with the grandkids.
I intend to add more flowers. With a 3 year old attention span, this is more like a week's project! But, this shows a finished cup. My granddaughter had me glue a large button on the top of a wooden stick so I cut the stick to the height of the cup and glued it to the front (cup not shown). You can also add more candy to the cup. This cup looks like some little fingers have been sneaking candy!
Monday, February 6, 2012
Today I want to share a couple crafty things I've been doing. First, for my daughter-in-law's birthday I embroidered my grandchildren's hands (3 yr old and 9 yr old) and a happy birthday wish from them, framed it with lace and the kids presented it to their mom on her birthday on January 30th.
Next, this is a photograph of my bedside "table". We moved into our small house recently and I saw this idea in a decorating magazine. I found three old suitcases and the picnic basket at an antique store, and the lamp at a thrift store. I love it. And, the suitcases act as storage as well.
Tomorrow I'll share the foam flower garden my granddaughter and I are making for her preschool teachers for valentine.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Super Bowl Sunday. Chips, dip, soda, pizza....okay, I'm ready. We've made quite the celebration of super bowl haven't we? Did you see the excitement over groundhog day? Fireworks? Really? for a groundhog?
I'm excited about this election year, only because there might be a chance of ousting Obama. What I've never understood is why some states have primary elections and some caucuses. In order to win the Republican nomination Mitt, Newt, Rick, or Ron have to get 1,144 delegates. Now some states (12 apparently) will hold caucuses and 37 will hold primaries but Missouri will hold both a primary and a caucus. Why? And doesn't it seem that you would get less "votes" with a caucus since the people in that state have to go to a specific place at a specific time and publicly make a pitch for your candidate and then make a public vote? Whereas with the primary, just like an election day, you have all day to get to your polling place and make a private, secretive vote. In and out. Bamb. Done. On your way home.
And why do the candidates drop out so early when the early states like Iowa, South Carolina, Florida, etc. only give the candidates a small portion of the delegates they need. For example, today I heard (after the Nevada caucus) that the delegates so far have been divided like this:
Mitt - 97
Newt - 30
Rick - 16
Ron - 7
That's a long way to 1,144. I'm just saying.
On to bed sheets. My husband asked me how often I wash our sheets. I usually do them every two weeks. I prefer to do them weekly but I don't always get to them that often. But, I began to wonder how often I SHOULD wash them, not wanting to let them go too long to feed all those little critters that you hear about occupying the same space we do in our bed. So I looked it up. And I found out that I'm okay with washing my sheets every two weeks. But it brought my attention to the bed pillows. Who thinks about the pillows I wonder? I change the pillow cases as often as the sheets, but now I learn that the pillows need to be washed at least twice a year and if you haven't done that, you should throw out the pillows and buy new ones! Time to buy new pillows I guess! I love the feel and smell of fresh sheets. I'd wash mine every other day if I could afford the water, electricity, and cost of worn out sheets! Or better yet, had someone else do them for me, like hotel room service.
Time for the super bowl. Go Patriots.
I'm excited about this election year, only because there might be a chance of ousting Obama. What I've never understood is why some states have primary elections and some caucuses. In order to win the Republican nomination Mitt, Newt, Rick, or Ron have to get 1,144 delegates. Now some states (12 apparently) will hold caucuses and 37 will hold primaries but Missouri will hold both a primary and a caucus. Why? And doesn't it seem that you would get less "votes" with a caucus since the people in that state have to go to a specific place at a specific time and publicly make a pitch for your candidate and then make a public vote? Whereas with the primary, just like an election day, you have all day to get to your polling place and make a private, secretive vote. In and out. Bamb. Done. On your way home.
And why do the candidates drop out so early when the early states like Iowa, South Carolina, Florida, etc. only give the candidates a small portion of the delegates they need. For example, today I heard (after the Nevada caucus) that the delegates so far have been divided like this:
Mitt - 97
Newt - 30
Rick - 16
Ron - 7
That's a long way to 1,144. I'm just saying.
On to bed sheets. My husband asked me how often I wash our sheets. I usually do them every two weeks. I prefer to do them weekly but I don't always get to them that often. But, I began to wonder how often I SHOULD wash them, not wanting to let them go too long to feed all those little critters that you hear about occupying the same space we do in our bed. So I looked it up. And I found out that I'm okay with washing my sheets every two weeks. But it brought my attention to the bed pillows. Who thinks about the pillows I wonder? I change the pillow cases as often as the sheets, but now I learn that the pillows need to be washed at least twice a year and if you haven't done that, you should throw out the pillows and buy new ones! Time to buy new pillows I guess! I love the feel and smell of fresh sheets. I'd wash mine every other day if I could afford the water, electricity, and cost of worn out sheets! Or better yet, had someone else do them for me, like hotel room service.
Time for the super bowl. Go Patriots.
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