Rose Colored Glasses

My favorite pair of sun glasses are very feminine; pastel frames and rose tinted lenses. I own 4 pair of sun glasses, and I am always on the hunt for additions to the collection. I learned a long time ago that I should never invest very much on sunglasses, because I tend to misplace them! But this cute girly pair is my favorite. Not only because they are so darling, but also because they make everything I see look pink! You've heard, I am sure...Seeing life through rose colored glasses; an optimistic perception of something; a positive opinion; seeing something in a positive way; often thinking of it as better than it actually is. Well, so be it! When I wear them everything is more lovely!  

Brava!

Frogs For Family Fun

Tools Required

Pattern To Follow

Add Some Creativity

Get REALLY Creative

Angry Camo Frog by Mark

Bug Eyed Frog and Geeko Frog by Cookie

Kissing Frogs...I'm such a Girl!

Fantastic Fly Catching Frog by Amy
Habitat by Cookie

Add The FUN!!!!

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-an-Origami-Jumping-Frog-from-an-Index-Card

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXg2QRTpNyM

Fragrance

To deeply breath in a fine fragrance is to send the soul on a journey towards godliness!

Olympic Sites

http://www.worldtimezone.com/time/olympics-time-map2012.php?select=12008&calldate=07-26-2012&hournr=12&forma=I http://www.london2012.com/index.html?m=no
 If you have a smart phone there are some pretty good apps as well! The Olympics to me isn't about politics or money, it isn't about professionals verses ammitures. To me the Olympics is still Magic! I can imagine the excitement and a sliver of the pressure to your best. The Olympics is like a mini virtual vacation where the destination and all thise in it are putting on their best and brightest side out there to wow and woo me! Silly perhaps, but there is magic in it, and I for one say we don't have enough magic in our lives, so... Let's Enjoy!!!

Cookie's Wisdom

 "Mom did you know that love spelled backwards is almost evil?"
 "Says a lot doesn't it!!!"

Oh Baby!!!

Farm Bill

The Farm Bill--it controls what we eat, who's making our food, and how we buy it. This massive bill contains provisions that dictate crucial parts of our food system, and a new bill is being debated right now in Congress. Unfortunately, the current bill contains measures that will weaken regulation of GM crops, cut food assistance for hungry families, and give more money to large-scale farms. We must weigh in to stop the passage of even more legislation that helps Big Agriculture.

The House of Representatives is currently debating this bill, which could be voted on any day. Sign now to say: We want a fair farm bill that supports local, organic and sustainable food.
Some examples of provisions in the bill:

• Genetically modified (GM) crops would be exempted from environmental reviews, and could go on sale even without approval from the USDA.
• The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly known as food stamps) will be cut by $16 billion, meaning over 2 million working class families and children will lose benefits.
• Large subsidized growers (who already have household incomes >$200k on average) will get higher price guarantees for their crops, giving megafarms even more power to drive small-scale farmers out of business.
• At a time when demand for organic food is soaring, this bill will repeal a program that helps defray the costs of organic certification for farms.
• State standards for farm and food production would be blocked. This would stop a recently passed CA law that mandates more humane treatment for egg-laying chickens.

The bill is so flawed that even USDA chief Tom Vilsack issued a critical statement, saying "These cuts wouldn’t just leave Americans hungry – they would stunt economic growth. The bill also makes misguided reductions to critical energy and conservation program efforts."

Tell our representatives to protect the health and welfare of regular Americans, not Big Business. Let them know we support good food and we're paying close attention to the Farm Bill debate.

The House of Representatives is currently debating this bill, which could be voted on any day. Sign now to say: We want a fair farm bill that supports local, organic and sustainable food.

http://action.freshthemovie.com/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=11316

Thursday's List

     My Day Off To Do List 

1. Water Yard and Trees 
2. Dog Care; bath, dog spots
3. Vacuum All Floors
4. My Bathroom
5. Dust and Blinds
6. Laundry
7. Order Sheets
8. Kitchen; counters, stove, water bottles
9. Organize Fridges and Pantries
10. Menu Planning
11. Coupons
12. Check Tahoe Fluids and Wash Windows
    

The First Stride.....

Tee hee hee!

At an Irish wedding reception someone yelled......
"Would all the married men please stand next to the one person who has made your life worth living."
The bartender was almost crushed to death.

Please Don't Stand Under A Tree

H2o

I leave for work early most mornings. I try to get out the door quickly and quietly in hopes not to disturber the sleeping beasties and beauties in the home. This morning I was gathering the last few things, tiding as I went. I went to rinse my glass with the sprayer in the sink and totally, full on shot myself with it. I don't know what I was thinking. I let out a yell, that woke no sleeping dogs, thank goodness. But I sure looked as though I had been hosed down!!! Who needs coffee for that morning rush! I just need H2o!

Yesterday I came home to a mowed yard and the weeds in my rock were all pulled!
A load of laundry was even done, and I didn't even ask!!! 
Proud parenting moments! 

Oh my goodness 

I want a bathtub in the 

MIDDLE OF THE WOODS!

Today is.....

National Hot Dog Day And Vanilla Ice Cream Day! I think we will make some potatoe salad and have some watermelon to go with that! Purfect dinner for a Monday in July!!

Saturday Night Entertainment

Some of my favorite things!

http://www.brighton.com/ 

Inventory of Activities

I know of many well rounded people who have spent their lives doing many things, holding many jobs, or one job their entire life but multiple projects along the way. Leonardo DaVinci was one of these people; painter, sculptor, architect, musician, engineer, mathematician, and scientist. DaVinci is know as one of the greatest intellects in all history. 

I would surmise that following our interests and passions as a guide to our life paths is the way to go!

LIFE 101  OBJECT LESSON

Listing the activities in our life that we feel closest to/ inspired by, 

(don't think of anything as insignificant or invaluable) 

what ever we have enjoyed spending time doing.

Researching others who have lived their lives of these same things.

The things we love doing can be extraordinary projects or career paths.

Appetizer Menu of Belief

"....Great teachers only offer choices on the menu of life. They can make them sound very appealing, and ultimately they may help you to try those items on the menu. They can even write the menu. But the menu can never be the meal." Wayne W Dyer   from his book 'Wisdom of the Ages'.

Mr Dyer's Appetizer Menu
~Inventory as many of your beliefs as you can think of. Include such things as your attitude toward religion, capital punishment, minority rights, reincarnation, young people, old people, nontraditional medicine, what happens at death, your cultural biases, the ability to perform miracles.
~From this inventory be honest about how many of your firmly held beliefs are the result of your own life experiences, and how many have been handed to you. Make an effort to open your mind to experiencing things directly before proclaiming them as true and living by them.
~Expose yourself to belief systems that are in opposition to those you are familiar with. Experience what it is life to walk in the shoes of those who are different form you. The more of these "contrary" experiences you allow yourself, the more you will know your truth.
~Refuse to be seduced into arguments on the basis of ideas that have been foist upon you by well-meaning others. In other words, stop giving energy to the things you don't believe in, or know to be inapplicable to you.


Do not believe what you have heard.
Do not believe in tradition because it is handed down many generations. 
Do not believe in anything that has been spoken of many times. 
Do not believe because the written statements come from some old sage. 
Do not believe in conjecture. 
Do not believe in authority or teachers or elders. 
But after careful observation and analysis, when it agrees wit reason 
and it will benefit one and all, then accept it and live by it.  ~Buddha

The Here & Now and the Eternity

If your body weighs the same the minute you die as it did when you were alive....That would cause you to surmise that life is weightless. Dr W W Dyer says, "You cannot weigh, measure, compartmentalize, identify, or otherwise put boundaries on life." (in his book "Wisdom of the Ages")

This causes me to wonder; what do we gain from this life and what do we take from it. I know in Sunday school they teach that we gain knowledge here. And all we leave with is the same things. So I ponder. (This for me was a very hard thing to think of when I was young, it was scary to me. Not so scary any more, but liberating and decisive.)

If all things of the earth have been here since the earth began, and are still here.....just as water, they are constantly recycled. What we are made up of was here before we were, and will be here after we are gone. All that is truly ours is what we know, what we learn, what we give with what we have.

Immortality  is not when, but now. Again, now is part of forever. So, that leads me to think (And I thank both my darling friend Tammy and the accountant, for pricking my thought process ~ even though I could not comprehend it at the time you brought it up, I did shelve your quandaries until I was at a point where I could contemplate them.) that this life is just a stepping stone through eternity. All of our elements were already here before we took on this role. And the elements that make us up will still be here when we are done with this role. Do we just pass from one spot to the next? I think there have been lives before, and there will be lives after. Although, I think we are one in the same. Not becoming someone or something different, our spirit is the eternal unchangeable element. I think that may be why some people in this life are so important to us. Even though  the closeness we feel to them, or the remarkable way in which we came together is unfathomable. How we know we knew that person, but have never met before, or how our paths would never have crossed, but more than just happenstance brought us together. How two can be so compatible, with nothing in their current lives that are in common. How can you live with one, yet not grow. Then find one that causes you to begin and explode with life and progression?

I also think it is wise that we are not able to know the particulars. Not knowing is good sometimes. Sometimes letting go of the reality as we know it and just feeling with your spirit, our true essence, your invisible nature. To evaluate what is right for each of us, the direction to take, the things to hold fast to. What we are looking for is to 'simply know it is true'. That is something no one can give us. We must find that, know that for ourselves.

All this has caused me to want to put things in perspective, chart out a life path, an agenda or life shopping list so to speak, of things I wish to take with me on my journey. Things about me that will be remembered when I am just elements once more. 


I want to fill my life with all I can, after all it wont weigh a thing!!!

ATROCITY

Wednesday night I saw Spider Man at the movie theater with Mark. A nice way to escape for a bit, enjoy some time with my boy. The theater is less than 5 minutes from my home. It's a nice neighborhood theater, good part of town. Clean, familiar, safe. My son works there at the  theater, he likes his job.  

As we were leaving after the movie was over, I saw that they were putting up the ropes that create a waiting station as you wait for a premiere. Thursday night would be the midnight showing of the new Batman movie. (I am not a Batman fan, I am more a Super Man girl at heart!)

Mark worked 8pm-2am for the Batman Premiere Thursday night.

My whole team was at work early Friday morning. The hot topic around the water cooler was the events at the midnight showing. [I don't watch tv, I don't usually listen to the news, I know I should more often, however there is too much ugly out there]. As I set about starting my banking morning, I listened. 

Then I asked some questions. 

The news....

Aurora Colorado, Midnight showing, The Dark Knight Rises, packed suburban theater. One Man. Four guns, 6k rounds of ammo. Planned and plotted. 58 people wounded, 12 people dead. 

One off balance person, literally has effected millions. (His parents, his family, those whom he injured and killed, their friends and families, the police and other public services, the employees and other businesses, the people who live near him [that cant go home], the movie theaters world wide who are making changes to their employment safety, the movie makers who express sympathy)

Friday night I drove past the theater. (Mark was working, I dropped off something for him on his break.) There was a police officer parked right out front. My son said that every theater in town now has police protection. Comforting, I suppose, but so sad. He also said, that new employee and patron safety precautions have been implemented. 

Isn't the theater supposed to be a place of safety, relaxation, a place for fun? If our schools, our places of work and our homes, our theaters, are no longer considered safe havens............

what are we to do? 

Dinner

Baked Garlic Chicken and Spinach Wantons!
The small ones are strawberry and cheese filled!
They were WONDERFUL!!!

Super Hero Attire

I saw Spider Man with my son last night. 

I like all the Marvel and DC characters, 

But my "Super Man" wears Levi's and Metatarsals!

The very last time

Wayne W Dyer says, in his book "Wisdom for the Ages", that we should look at everything we do as though it is the first or last time that we ever do it.

I did this with my last pregnancy. I knew Cookie would be my last, and I wanted to make the 9 month duration wonderful and memorable for me and my other three children. I can tell you that the experience was  amazing for me! There was so much anticipation and awareness with the pregnancy and birth of that sweet baby!

The song by Tim Nichols and Craig Wiseman, and performed by Tim McGraw, "Live Like You Were Dying" is a great reminder to me, to put things in perspective and get on with what is important in life.

Live Like You Were Dying

"He said: "I was in my early forties,

"With a lot of life before me,
"An' a moment came that stopped me on a dime.
"I spent most of the next days,
"Looking at the x-rays,
"An' talking 'bout the options an' talkin’ ‘bout sweet time."
I asked him when it sank in,
That this might really be the real end?
How’s it hit you when you get that kind of news?
Man whatcha do? 

An' he said: "I went sky diving, I went rocky mountain climbing,
"I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu.
"And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,
"And I gave forgiveness I'd been denying."
An' he said: "Some day, I hope you get the chance,
"To live like you were dyin'." 

He said "I was finally the husband,
"That most the time I wasn’t.
"An' I became a friend a friend would like to have.
"And all of a sudden goin' fishin’,
"Wasn’t such an imposition,
"And I went three times that year I lost my Dad.
"Well, I finally read the Good Book,
"And I took a good long hard look,
"At what I'd do if I could do it all again,
"And then: 

"I went sky diving, I went rocky mountain climbing,
"I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu.
"And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,
"And I gave forgiveness I'd been denying."
An' he said: "Some day, I hope you get the chance,
"To live like you were dyin'." 

Like tomorrow was a gift,
And you got eternity,
To think about what you’d do with it.
An' what did you do with it?
An' what can I do with it?
An' what would I do with it? 

"Sky diving, I went rocky mountain climbing,
"I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu.
"And then I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,
"And I watched Blue Eagle as it was flyin'."
An' he said: "Some day, I hope you get the chance,
"To live like you were dyin'." 

"To live like you were dyin'."
"To live like you were dyin'."
"To live like you were dyin'."
"To live like you were dyin'." 

Tired or At Peace?

I guess sometimes we need to step back and take inventory of our day:

I went to work, came home, chatted with my best friend for a couple of hours, took Cookie with me to the grocery, watched my daughter's reaction to being viewed by the most angelic young man, came home, did dinner with Cookie, Mark and Amy, blogged in my room while the kids got ready for Joey's birthday party, texted with Jessette until 7:40ish, first guest arrived for party........................

.........................................................................1:30am woke up fully dressed with my laptop as my pillow, the house was quiet and dark, I let the dog out, checked on both my sleeping kids, let the dog in, ran a load of wash, got changed, took the laptop off the bed and climbed in.

What happened to the Party? How did I sleep for 6 hours through a house full of kids? 

Well, it was a good day, and just goes to show.....I have great kids and their friends are great too! 

Thought of The Day

FOREVER INCLUDES NOW!


Made me stop and think.

Sir Edward Dyer (1543-1607)

MY mind to me a kingdom is;
Such present joys therein I find,
That it excels all other bliss
That earth affords or grows by kind:
Though much I want that most would have,	5
Yet still my mind forbids to crave.
No princely pomp, no wealthy store,
No force to win the victory,
No wily wit to salve a sore,
No shape to feed a loving eye;	10
To none of these I yield as thrall;
For why? my mind doth serve for all.
I see how plenty surfeits oft,
And hasty climbers soon do fall;
I see that those which are aloft	15
Mishap doth threaten most of all:
They get with toil, they keep with fear:
Such cares my mind could never bear.
Content I live, this is my stay;
I seek no more than may suffice;	20
I press to bear no haughty sway;
Look, what I lack my mind supplies.
Lo, thus I triumph like a king,
Content with that my mind doth bring.
Some have too much, yet still do crave;	25
I little have, and seek no more.
They are but poor, though much they have,
And I am rich with little store;
They poor, I rich; they beg, I give;
They lack, I leave; they pine, I live.	30
I laugh not at another’s loss,
I grudge not at another’s gain;
No worldly waves my mind can toss;
My state at one doth still remain:
I fear no foe, I fawn no friend;	35
I loathe not life, nor dread my end.
Some weigh their pleasure by their lust,
Their wisdom by their rage of will;
Their treasure is their only trust,
A cloakèd craft their store of skill;	40
But all the pleasure that I find
Is to maintain a quiet mind.
My wealth is health and perfect ease,
My conscience clear my chief defence;
I neither seek by bribes to please,	45
Nor by deceit to breed offence:
Thus do I live; thus will I die;
Would all did so as well as I!

Sun Rise

This is the picture I get to view on my way to work! BEAUTIFUL!!

Quote of The Day

Screw surviving- it's time to THRIVE! 
Jillian Michaels  


everyday   PERSONAL GROWTH   Dream It, Do It!    The only one stopping you—is YOU.    Published: July 8, 2012

Quote of the Day

The First Duty Of Society Is Justice
Alexander Hamilton

This is written on the front of one of the court buildings in down town Phoenix.
I love the architecture, I loved this quote for all to see.

Perfect Weather For a Tour

I went on a drive with a friend today. We had a destination, but didn't end up there. Instead we took a bit of a tour through my hometown. I have driven it many times over the past couple of years. But today the sky was over cast, the day was rainy, the company was comfortable and I got to sit back and just enjoy the city tour! I love the architecture, the houses the businesses, the design of the old and of the new. I am sure we will end up at our destination some day, and I am sure I will blog it.
But today I enjoyed just being a spectator on the tour!!!

Monsoons

Monsoon storms are fast and powerful.

 Here in the Valley of the Sun, 

we have sunny skies the majority of the year. 

 So we love a change of pace! 

Monsoons bring a great deal of excitement. 

You know we are hard up when we get excited 

.about blowing dust and a few drops of rain.

Even when its just enough 

to make our windshields muddy! 

 I say, bring on the change, 

bring on the storms, bring on the MAGIC!

July 13, 2012

My son will turn 18 in one month. No longer a child, by law an adult.
He is a good son, a good boy, a good man.
Only one more month, but he will always be my baby boy.

Amish Friendship Bread

Amish Friendship Bread 

Starter

2c. Flour     2c. Sugar     2c Milk

To better keep up with the process of making this bread, add the actual dates to this recipe. Day One is the date you first received the bag of starter.

• Do not use any metal spoons or bowls with this recipe. It will interfere with the process of fermentation.
• To keep the bag of starter from exploding, check it more than once a day. Be sure to release any excess air build-up.
• When told to knead the bag, do so carefully. Hold the resealable area in one hand, and use the other hand to knead the starter.

• Day One - ______________ - Do nothing.
  
  Day Two - ______________ - Knead the bag.
  
  Day Three - ____________ - Knead the bag.
  
  Day Four - _____________ - Knead the bag.
  
  Day Five - _____________ - Knead the bag.
  
  Day Six - ______________ - Add the 1c flour, 1c sugar and 1c milk to the bag.      Knead until well mixed.
  
  Day Seven - ____________ - Knead the bag
  
  Day Eight - ____________ - Knead the bag
  
  Day Nine - _____________ - Knead the bag
  
  Day Ten - ______________ -
  Pour contents of resealable bag into non-metal bowl. Add remaining flour, sugar and milk. Stir with wooden or plastic spoon. Place 1 cup of starter in each of 3 resealable 1-gallon bags. Give two of these to your friends, save one for you for next time, and....

To the balance (a little over 1c.) of the batter, add the following ingredients and mix well.

1 cup oil
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

In a separate bowl combine the following dry ingredients and mix well:

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 - (5.1 oz) box instant vanilla pudding
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup nuts

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix and pour into two well greased and sugared bread pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.


(To avoid running out of starter, it is normal to feed the starter (add milk, sugar, and flour) before removing a cup for use, and most recipes assume that starter is always fed immediately before being removed. A five-day baking cycle feeds the starter every fifth day and uses the resulting mixture on that day to bake one or two loaves of bread (one cup per loaf). The remaining starter is reserved to begin the next five-day fermentation cycle.Allow fermentation at room temperature.)

Quote of the Day

"To have a mother who loves you for being independent is to have a mother who fosters rebellion in your heart and revolution in your bones." Judy Chicago, 1975

I'm sorry

Sometimes things come out of my mouth that ruin my world.

Quote of the Day

"Life puts you in places you never expected." J.R. Ward Lover Mine

87... How is that a low?

The low here in Phoenix this morning is 87 degrees. 

On my drive home from work yesterday, it was 119! 

I want to move!

Cliff Castle

 Montezuma's Castle

Our waiter's name was Dakota, he was a charming
young man from the area. He is studying at
Yavapai Community College and plans
to go onto (of all places... be still my heart!)
Walter Cronkite, Journalism at ASU, to study communications!
He was so articulate and sounded like he should
be in media. I think that handsome young man
will go far!!!!

I am NO poker player!! For Sure!!!

Steps...

If there is one spot along the creek that I love the most, it is down where the beavers live! There is a spot that is perfect for fishing. These steps lead down to the path that the coyotes have worn along the bank. From here you are right up to the waters edge. There in the shade of the overhang, right there beside the lapping water, would be the perfect spot for a hammock! 

And hours of beauty and magic!
Thanks for a Great Weekend!

Oak Creek

I love the creek! It's Magic!