Twenty one Years Ago ...

life in America was changed forever.  

It was changed in a way that so many who are here today will never truly know.  So many were not even born 21 years ago when America came under attack.

Many of us were effected, not just because we were Americans, but because we lost Fathers and Mothers, Brothers, Sisters, Aunts and Uncles and friends.  

We must NEVER forget.

I know I haven't posted much of late, with so much going on in my personal life, but this is something that needs to be remembered, no matter what is going on in your immediate life.

  'MEET ME IN THE STAIRWELL'

You say you will never forget where you were when you heard the news On September 11, 2001.
Neither will I.

I was on the 110th floor in a smoke filled room with a man who called his wife to say 'Good-Bye.
' I held his fingers steady as he dialed. I gave him the peace to say,
'Honey, I am not going to make it, but it is OK .. I am ready to go.'

I was with his wife when he called as she fed breakfast to their children. I held her up as she tried to understand his words and as she realized he wasn't coming home that night.

I was in the stairwell of the 23rd floor when a woman cried out to Me for help.
'I have been knocking on the door of your heart for 50 years!' I said.  'Of course I will show you the way home - only believe in Me now.'

I was at the base of the building with the Priest ministering to the injured and devastated souls. I took him home to tend to his Flock in Heaven. He heard my voice and answered.


I was on all four of those planes, in every seat, with every prayer. I was with the crew as they were overtaken. I was in the very hearts of the believers there, comforting and assuring them that their faith has saved them.

I was in Texas, Virginia, California, Michigan, Afghanistan.
I was standing next to you when you heard the terrible news.
Did you sense Me?

I want you to know that I saw every face.
I knew every name - though not all knew Me.
Some met Me for the first time on the 86th floor.

Some sought Me with their last breath.
Some couldn't hear Me calling to them through the smoke and flames;  'Come to Me... this way... take my hand.'
Some chose, for the final time, to ignore Me.

But, I was there.

I did not place you in the Tower that day. You may not know why, but I do.. However, if you were there in that explosive moment in time, would you have reached for Me?

Sept. 11, 2001, was not the end of the journey for you .
But someday your journey will end.
And I will be there for you as well.
Seek Me now while I may be found.
Then, at any moment, you know you are ready to go.'

I will be in the stairwell of your final moments.

God

During the next 60 seconds, stop whatever you are doing, and take this opportunity. (Literally it is only 1 minute.)  All you have to do is the following:

Stop and think and appreciate God's power in your life, for doing what you know is pleasing to Him. If you are not ashamed to do this, follow the instructions.

Jesus said, 'If you are ashamed of Me, I will be ashamed of you before My Father'

If you are not ashamed, spread this message ... but only if you believe

'Yes, I love my God. He is my fountain of Life and My Savior. He Keeps me going day and night. Without Him, I am no one. But with Him, I can do everything. Christ is my strength.'

Do what is right for YOU

 I love finding little gems like this.

It doesn't mean that you are being selfish.

It doesn't mean that you are being unkind to others.

It IS taking care of yourself and being the best that you can be in any situation.  

Do NOT give up

I know that there are times that I really need a kick in the pants when I start getting down on myself when things are not going the way I expect them to.

Sometimes I need to re-evaluate my thinking.  Is what I expected the wrong thing to happen or the wrong thing to happen at this time?  Or am I just not suppose to be doing what it is that I am doing?

Or is this more like it.
I need to keep going, keep do what I am doing because my success is right around the corner.

What do you think?
Are you in the same place?

Let's not give up together.
Let's keep "plugging" along cause our success is right around the corner.

New Year's Resolutions

did you make one?

If not, perhaps these might give you a little nudge to make one or more that are worth your effort.

I think that each of these are worth your time and effort.
I am going to be keeping each of these in mind during 2019 
and will try to keep at least 3 of the 10.
But my goal is to keep all 10!

Turbulence

Lately I've been doing a lot of Chinese take out (don't judge me) for lunch or dinners.  You know you have a dinner ordered and have at least 1 more meal (hence lunch).  Please tell me I am not the only one that does this.

This is one of the fortunes from a recent fortune cookie.

Turbulence is a life force.

It is an Opportunity.

Let's love Turbulence

and make it the Opportunity 

to make changes. 

I think this one came to be mine at just the right time, for just the right reasons.  

You see, I've been contemplating some changes.

I'm just not sure what that change will be.

You may know that I am an accountant, a CPA.

You should also know that I am in direct sales.

I have a Tupperware account, because I love my Tupperware.

I have a Limelight by Alcone account, because I really like the natural skin care that is Leaping Bunny certified and because I LOVE makeup.  And with the Limelight makeup I am, I think, getting pretty good.

I also have an account with Pruvit.  They do the Keto//OS supplements that are helping me as I try to do a Keto friendly diet.

But my "turbulence" comes from internal sources.

I really love the products.

But I don't know if I am a "sales" person.

Have my sales come from my "selling" or because people want the products and I am "there"?

How do you know when its time to quit?

How do you know which is the right way to go?

Are any of you in direct sales?

How did you know what product was for you?

If you are no longer in direct sales, why did you stop?

Getting your College Kids Ready for (Back to) School?

I know when my kids were getting ready for College they were excited about going away. They were ready (or so they thought) for the independence that "going away" would bring them.  I think most kids feel that way.  Yes they love their family but they really want to go away and be on their own.

That is until it is about to happen, and then they are wondering (and mom I know you are too) whether they really are prepared.  Do they have what they need for living away from home for more than a week or two.  
Here is a good "starting point" list of things that you need to live "comfortably" away from home.

Room Needs/Storage

• Bedside lamp
• Alarm clock/clock radio
• Mini trash can
• Storage bins
• Under-the-bed storage trays/bins (remember rooms are small)
• Desk lamp (remember extra bulbs)
• Fan
• Bulletin board and pushpins
• Dry-erase wall calendar/board (for class schedule & due dates)
• Mini toolkit (or email for dorm maintenance)
• Picture hangers (double-sided tape for concrete walls)
• Bed lifters (unless beds are permanently set high)
• Flashlight / Night light / emergency lighting (you never know)
• Batteries (check required sizes)

Linens/Laundry Supplies

• Sheets and pillowcases (2 sets. Check with college most twin beds are extra long.)
• Mattress pad (see note above)
• Pillows (2 or whatever you use at home) 
• Blankets (2, one light weight)
• Comforter/bedspread (see note above)
• Towels (2-3 each - bath, hand and face)
• Clothes hangers
• Laundry bag/basket
• Drying rack for laundry
• Laundry detergent, fabric softener and stain remover
• Lint brush (Sticky rollers work great)
• Mini sewing kit

Office/Desk Supplies

• Electronic storage media (memory cards/USB flash drives/ portable hard drives)
• Stapler and staples
• Printer paper (if you decide to bring a printer)
• Pens and pencils, holder and sharpener
• Highlighter pens (multiple colors)
• 3 × 5 index cards (my kids favorites for studying)
• Sticky notes
• Notebooks
• Folder with pockets
• Labels of various sizes
• Paper clips and binder clips
• Rubber bands
• Tape
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Stackable desk trays (at least 4)
• Stamps and envelopes (yes they still need these)

Electronics

• Laptop 
• Printer (optional) or extra money for computer labs where you can print your reports/notes/etc.
• HDMI cord, Ethernet cord (check if your room has wireless)
• Surge protector
• Extension cords
• Headphones
• Cell phone (don't forget charger!)

Shared Items — Check with roommates

• TV and DVD player (may be in dorm lounge)
• Coffeemaker (Jenn couldn't live without her Keurig)
• Microwave
• Small refrigerator (if one isn’t provided)
• Towels/sponges/potholders
• Plates/cups/utensils 
• Cookware/Microwave cookware

Miscellaneous

• Umbrella
• Backpack
• Business Casual Clothing (1 set first impression for interviews)
• Paper Towels, Toilet Paper (even if supplied - 1 of each for emergencies)

And of course to make your "dining" easier, especially if you are not thrilled with the Dining Hall food for the day, Tupperware has some awesome products to help out.

You can find these products and so much more on my Tupperware Site to make quick meals (or Dining Hall "saves") easier!

Check out my  College Kid Send Off Giveaway 

Striped Icebergs and Frozen Waves?

This is really beautiful STRIPED ICEBERGS

Icebergs in the Antarctic area sometimes have stripes, formed by layers of snow that react to different conditions. Blue stripes are often created when a crevice in the ice sheet fills up with melt water and freezes so quickly that no bubbles form.

When an iceberg falls into the sea, a layer of salty seawater can freeze to the underside. If this is rich in algae, it can form a green stripe.
Brown, black and yellow lines are caused by sediment, picked up when the ice sheet grinds downhill towards the sea.


These pictures are available because 2010 has been the coldest winter

 ... Isn't this amazing??  Yes these are really icebergs .... The wonderful tricks that nature can perform!

  How about a frozen wave? 

Antarctica Frozen Wave Pixs - Nature is amazing!

The water froze the instant the wave broke through the ice.
That's what it is like in Antarctica where it is the coldest weather in decades.
Water freezes the instant comes in contact with the air. The temperature of the water is already some degrees below freezing. Just look at how the wave froze in mid-air!!!

Having the Internet means that we get to see something that we never imagined!

Now when it is really really hot outside this summer .... you can check this out and imagine how nice and "cool" this would make you.

Happy Anniversary

I saw this one and just knew it was the one for our Anniversary this year. 

32 years .... and still going strong.

Happy Anniversary Hon. 

LOVE you!

United We Stand

and remember the horror of that day.

But as we remember, we also know that we must go on so that, no matter how much we lost, THEY have not won.  THEY will NEVER win, unless we allow them to - unless we allow our fear and heartache to freeze us at that horrible moment 11 years ago.

But we must honor their memories and continue forward.  Remembering this day, does not freeze us in time, it honor's their memory.  But we must continue being and becoming the person we were meant to be, because THAT is what they would have wanted us to do..

They will NEVER be Forgotten.

God Bless their memory,

God Bless the USA

If you would like to see prior posts for this memorable day,
you can start with last years post done for the 10th anniversary of that fateful day.

August Meteor Shower

I don't know if you are a science buff or a meteor watcher or if you have seen this already but I know this is going to be a spectacular show! I sure hope that we continue to have clear nights - especially tonight,  August 12th - 13th, so I can see this one.

Are you going to watch?

O Christmas Tree

I really love decorating our Christmas Tree, except for the time it takes to do it.  Don't get me wrong, I love how it looks but our Christmas tree is sort of a walk down memory lane.

Every tree should have a Marshmallow Man right??

Ours does.







So as we decorated our tree we went down memory lane and remembered things like the year Jenn graduated from kindergarten - they did a short play on Winnie the Pooh.  Jenn was Winnie, so




  

Or when Dan graduated middle school with honors









Or the year he graduated from High School


















And then there was the year Jenn caught the bouquet at my sister's wedding

















Or when she went cross-country to go to the Marine Corp Ball with her "bestest" friend, and then boyfriend, and then "bestest" friend again (affectionately called Son2 - Hi AJ)

Oh and look what else we find on the tree for "guess who"

Or the year I was the soccer coach for Dan's Soccer team and was assisting with Jenn's (yes I was a glutton for punishment)















And there was our 25th Wedding Anniversary

And of course we ALWAYS have some reindeer who stop by to watch over our tree

Yes walking down memory lane is always fun this time of year.

So many memories are held on our tree.  Some are the same for both our kids, like first Christmas and graduations to sports they excelled in.  But it also shows the things that make them so different. 

We even have an ornament or two for our not so little fur baby! 

Yes, walks down memory lane, no matter how long it takes, is a wonderful thing to do this time of year!

What about your tree?  Do you have special ornaments on your tree?

Quote for today - Happy Anniversary!

You don't marry someone you can live with - 

you marry the person who you cannot live without.

Happy Anniversary Honey

Can you believe it is 30 years today?

One Smart High School Principal.

I received this as part of an email the other day -- and as they said "not sure how true this is, but for my money .... they got it right!"

A CALIFORNIA PRINCIPAL'S OPENING MESSAGE TO STUDENTS
Dennis Prager, a principal at a high school in Redding, California, on the first day of classes in 2010:

To the students and faculty of our high school:

I am your new principal, and honored to be so. There is no greater calling than to teach young people.
I would like to apprise you of some important changes coming to our school. I am making these changes because I am convinced that most of the ideas that have dominated public education in America have worked against you, against your teachers, and against our country.

First, this school will no longer honor race or ethnicity. I could not care less if your racial makeup is black, brown, red, yellow, or white. I could not care less if your origins are African, Latin American, Asian, or European, or if your ancestors arrived here on the Mayflower or on slave ships.
The only identity I care about, the only one this school will recognize, is your individual identity -- your character, your scholarship, your humanity. And the only national identity this school will care about is American. This is an American public school, and American public schools were created to make better Americans.

If you wish to affirm an ethnic, racial, or religious identity through school, you will have to go elsewhere. We will end all ethnicity-, race-and non-American-nationality-based celebrations. They undermine the motto of America, one of its three central values -- E Pluribus Unum --"from many, one". And this school will be guided by America's values.

That includes all after-school clubs. I will not authorize clubs that divide students based on any identities. This includes race, language, religion, sexual orientation, or whatever else may become in vogue in a society divided by political correctness.

Your clubs will be based on interests and passions -- not blood, ethnic, racial or other physically defined ties. Those clubs just cultivate narcissism -- an unhealthy preoccupation with the self -- while the purpose of education is to get you to think beyond yourself. So we will have clubs that transport you to the wonders and glories of art, music, astronomy, languages you do not already speak, carpentry, and more. If the only extracurricular activities you can imagine being interested in are those based on ethnic or racial or sexual identity, that means that little outside of yourself really interests you.

Second, I am not interested in whether English is your native language. My only interest in terms of language is that you leave this school speaking and writing English as fluently as possible. The English language has united America's citizens for more than 200 years, and it will unite us at this school. It is one of the indispensable reasons this country of immigrants has always come to be one country. And if you leave this school without excellent English-language skills, I will have been remiss in my duty to ensure that you are prepared to compete successfully in the American job market. We will learn other languages here -- it is deplorable that most Americans only speak English. But if you want classes taught in your native language rather than in English, this is not your school.

Third, because I regard learning as a sacred endeavor, everything in this school will reflect learning's elevated status. This means, among other things, that you and your teachers will dress accordingly. Many people in our society dress more formally for a meal at a nice restaurant than they do for church or school. These people have their priorities backwards. Therefore, there will be a formal dress code at this school.

Fourth, no obscene language will be tolerated anywhere on this school's property -- whether in class, in the hallways or at athletic events. If you can't speak without using the "F-word," you can't speak. By obscene language I mean the words banned by the Federal Communications Commission plus epithets such as the "N-word," even when used by one black student to address another, or "bitch," even when addressed by a girl to a girlfriend. It is my intent that by the time you leave this school, you will be among the few of your age to distinguish instinctively between the elevated and the degraded, the holy and the obscene.

Fifth, we will end all self-esteem programs. In this school self-esteem will be attained in only one way -- the way people attained it until the state of California decided otherwise a generation ago -- by earning it. One immediate consequence is that there will be one valedictorian, not eight.

Sixth, and last, I am reorienting the school toward academics and away from politics and propaganda. No more time will be devoted to scaring you about smoking and caffeine, or terrifying you about sexual harassment or global warming. No more semesters will be devoted to condom-wearing and teaching you to regard sexual relations as only or primarily a health issue. There will be no more attempts to convince you that you are a victim because you are not white, or not male, or not heterosexual, or not Christian. We will have failed if any one of you graduates from this school and does not consider him or herself inordinately lucky -- to be alive and to be an American.

Now, please stand and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of our country. As many of you do not know the words, your teachers will hand them out to you.

The Winter Wonderland Begins

This is the beginning of the Winter Wonderland here in New Jersey.  Trust me when I tell you I could have missed this without batting an eye or feeling like I was missing out on anything.

Just going to post a few of the pictures I have taken over the last 24 hours while we were watching and then trying to dig out of somewhere in the neighborhood of 25 - 30 inches of the white stuff BEFORE it started blowing around making wonderful drifts all over.

This was outside my back door at around 7:30 last night - yes already it was a mess.

Here was my mailbox this morning - now I'm sure you know how high a mailbox needs to be for the postman to actually delivery your mail from his truck ..........

Just a little bit of snow on my deck and table -- good thing I covered it with plastic before the snow started to fall - how many inches do you think we have here?

This is looking down my front steps (there are 13 steps mind you) and my azalea's that are over 75 years old.  Every year I think this is the last ... and it continues to come back.  One of these times this winter mess is going to do them in.

Some place down there is my driveway - past the wood pile and huge pine tree.  Yes that is a neighbor's house across the way ... When we went out to clear a path to the wood pile, clean off the snow and clean off the steps so we can actually bring in the wood if we need to - the snow was over my knees and half way up my thigh ...

I do think I've gotten my exercise in for today.

coffee maker wanted

ok the worst thing to happen when everyone needs to get out for work/school/whatever is to come down and find the coffee maker has died.

This happened here this morning, at 5:30 this morning there still was no coffee .... 3 very unhappy people for sure.

I'm asking, no begging, for some suggestions on a good coffee maker, that doesn't cost an arm or leg, but makes at least 12 cups relatively quickly.  We are desperate.  Not having that big pot in the early morning makes for a very unhappy family

The Sunsets on the Marco Island Beach

Sunsets on Marco Island.  I really miss these.  I can only hope that I will be able to see these again very soon.

I could live by the beach and be in heaven.

Such wonderful memories of a very peaceful vacation.

Notice the seagulls in the last two pictures - even they thought it was a great place to be.



Have you entered my giveaway?  If not, why not?
Check it out  here

Happy Anniversary Honey

“The most wonderful of all things in life, I believe, is the discovery of another human being with whom one's relationship has a growing depth, beauty, and joy as the years increase.
This inner progressiveness of love between two human beings is a most marvelous thing;
it cannot be found by looking for it or by passionately wishing for it.
It is a sort of divine accident, and the most wonderful of all things in life.”

Hugh Walpole, Sr

29 years today - as the rain was debating whether it would stay away or come down in buckets, we stood in front of friends and family and became one.

Can't believe its been 29 years ....... seems like just yesterday (ok not quite that short) Love you.