A Day In The Life Of............

I did an assignment for Photography class called A day in life of_____(something). I choose a park bench.....My series started out simple enough, I choose an early morning shot before the days activities began.....

I believe park benches are romantic, and it just so happened that I captured a sweet couple sharing a romantic moment.....How lucky was I.....(Thank you sweet romantic couple, A.K.A. my daughter and son in law)

There was the Mother trying to read her magazine while her boys played...

The runner cooling down

And the ice cream that wasn't wanted......

But my favorite was this, my honorable mention....While walking through the park with my daughter we stumbled across this site

I wasn't sure if we had came across a crime scene or a homeless Waffle House worker, but then again it could be a transvestite who loved to trout fish....This picture needs color for you to really appreciate it...When do you walk upon a park bench with a can of trout bait, a empty pack of twix candy bars, a curtain and a Waffle House hat hanging on it...On the ground was three BIG bras, a girdle, flip flops, a house coat (not a robe, there's a difference) and a very sequined patriotic sweater....This was definitely a photo opportunity

If park benches could only talk......

Happy Birthday Hope......

Happy, Happy Birthday to my dear friend Hope.....We've been through a lot of things together, but one thing is certain......You will still be older than me!!!!!

I love you girl!!!

My Thoughts On A Sad Tragedy.........

Most of you know that I grew up in the same coal fields as those killed in that horrible disaster in southern WV. My brother actually worked with one of those men. My heart breaks for the families of those that have lost loved ones and I know that the entire community for each grieves. Miners are a close knit brotherhood, much like firemen or policemen...They know the dangers that lie inside a mountain of coal each time they go underground, just like a firemen knows a building is burning, he doesn't let that stop him, he proudly does his job....

I know what it's like to wait by a phone when you've heard of an accident and I know what its like to meet a ambulance at the Emergency Room, hoping for the best...My Grandfathers were coal miners, my Daddy was a coal miner, so are my brothers, and numerous family members....I remember when I was a teenager and Daddy would talk about how high the mine was...24 inches...I couldn't image working for 8-12 hours Monday-Saturday in the dark in 24 inches (that's the height of a coffee table), you eat in that, go to the bathroom in that and work hard in that, you don't come out until your shift is over....A lot of people around here (Atlanta) always ask me why people live that kind of life...it's simple...It's a way of life in Appalachia, a way to support your family and the only thing that most know. And one they take a great deal of pride in.. There's an old saying "When a boy becomes a man, slap a shovel in his hands"....

I'm proud of my mining heritage, when I was a little girl I thought every bodies Daddy was a coal miner...I spoke to my family yesterday, they were telling me about the protesters standing only a few yards away from the families awaiting news of loved, environmentalist holding signs that said things like, "Let them burn"...Fools that don't realize without people like these who risk their life everyday they wouldn't be able to flip a switch and have electricity at night....This broke my Daddy's heart...When I drive home to visit my family, the last two hours of the trip are filled with me passing coal mine after coal mine...When I start seeing those mines I get my second wind...Because after a long drive, I know I'm almost home...It's sad that protesters used that as their opportunity, and wanted to stand next to family with those horrible signs...As for me, I will mourn the loss of these men and keep their families in my prayers. Such a sad tragedy indeed....

Just A Yukky Week......And A Life Without Jack.....

First off, I'm happy to see the warmer weather and all the beautiful things blooming....I'm over Winter and I'm sure I'm not alone...But my Spring time kryptonite is in high gear...The Bradford Pears are blooming and I've had a weeks worth of itchy, watery eyes, none stop sneezing and talking like I'm in a drum, Friday and Saturday I never got out of my pajamas.........This has been a long winter for all of us and I am happy to see some sun.....And even the dreaded pollen

But this news was the sour icing on the cake....24 has been cancelled......


For 8 seasons I have secretly been hiding my love (lust) and affection (sorry honey)for someone else, that's included none stop heart-pumping action, three nuclear threats, several attempts at the nations presidents and numerous wounds to my own beloved.......Yes, I'm talking about the man who saves of our country/nation/universe and all in a 24 hour period.....None other than Jack Bauer......


I find out that they've cancelled 24 after 8 seasons and then watch Pamela Anderson twirl her hair and do a lap dance on Dancing with the Stars (Did they scrap the bottom of the barrel with her)............And yes, I'm sorry, But I'm over the average mom Kate Goselin too.......



Maybe I'm just bitter about no more Jack, what will us 24 addicts do......What a thrill ride Monday nights have been...

Anybody that watches 24 can quote something from the show...This is one of my Jack favorites..



Jack Bauer: "You probably don't think I could force this towel down your throat, but trust me I can. All the way. Except that I'd hold on to this little bit at the end. When your stomach starts to digest the towel, I pull it out. Taking your stomach lining with it...Most people take about a week to die, it's very painful"...

Photography School........

Can I tell you again how much I love Photography School.....The only bad thing is, everything is a photo op... Like putting my daughter in a blooming tree full of bees...Thank you my love...
And taking my granddaughter outside to the train tracks on a freezing cold day in the rain...All it cost me (that day) was a happy meal....
I'll gladly take comments, critiquing, or any tips for improvement.....

Spring.......

"No matter how long the winter, Spring is sure to follow."

~Proverb

With this past winter, I'll even welcome the pollen and allergies

An Irish Blessing....

May you always have walls for the wind,

A roof for the rain, Tea beside the fire,

Laughter to cheer you, Those you love near you,

And all your heart might desire.

Happy St. Paddy's Day

Another Year Older....And Mostly Ramblings.......

Monday morning I got dressed, put on an adorable and colorful pair of socks that my daughter bought me that said, " It's my birthday today, I'm 29 again"......It was my birthday, I was not 29.....But that was sweet and I think I'll wear them again next year. ....I also think that next year I'll pretend that I was born on leap year....
That's all I'll say about the age thing....

It was a beautiful day, no coat needed and short sleeves worked out perfectly...
I spent the afternoon with my daughter and had a wonderful time (I always do...I really like this girl), we laughed (mostly at me) and had a great lunch at one of our favorites... Douceur de France.....I finished my lunch off with this.....And YES....It was worth it!!!!

We finished the night eating supper at Poppy's, a great Cuban restaurant...


This year has made me think about life differently, and question a few things...Am I to old to start new adventures, should I stick with what I know...Some things are certain


I've got to stop being shocked every time I pluck enough gray hairs from my eyebrows and head to make a toupee....(This happens way too often, and each time I am in awe).


At what point did baby oil and iodine sound like the perfect tanning oil to use while laying directly under the ozone layer on a shinny silver blanket called Even-Up...(If anyone remembers these tanning blankets, chances are you were using the same lotion as me..) This year there will be a giant increase in SPF




Why do I keep buying wrinkle creams that swear to make you look ten years younger, when what I really need is plaster of Paris...



When will I realize that I'll never be a size 6......Ever...



And jeans that make your bottom look smaller, don't do anything for your thighs....

There will always be relationships that I look back on....And throw up a little in my mouth when I think about them...(Still thinking and a little nausea's )

There are friends I never want to be without...The ones you know have your back no matter what...The ones that know every little stinking detail about you....And still they love

And the friends I miss...The ones that I've lost touch with and wonder how it happened...

And last but not least......Someone my age cannot eat Cuban at 8:30 at night......No way, No How..

Thankful and Blessed for another year of Life

News Flash In The Neighborhood...Or Things Georgians Don't See Everyday...

A dirty stranger was spotted walking through our neighborhood Wednesday morning, causing fear and panic among our peaceful surrounding's....

Upon further investigation, no authorities were needed...It seemed the stranger was the authorities

(Yes this is silly, I am aware of this....But I happen to find a 7 foot snowman in the middle of the street in my neighborhood hilarious)

This day is coming.....

It's the 2nd of March and Georgia woke up to snow....Beautiful snowflakes....To those of you who have had record breaking snow this winter I apologize for this.....But this is new for us...And we are hypnotized by it's beauty (truthfully, the state shuts down for a week at the mention of flurries, no bread or milk can be found for miles)....

Anyway, my point of this post was this.....It's March and those of us who dread "that time of year"T when we start looking for the perfect summer bathing suit ...the one that will make us look younger, thinner and more beautiful by the pool, lake or beach, is fast approaching....I have come to realize one thing.....I demand way too much out of a small piece of spandex......And I know this day is coming, when all I'll need is this..........

Thanks Liz....This picture not only made me smile but put me in a deep depression....

Bon Appetit.....

Those crazy squirrels Snoop and Scoop returned for a little Italian dining yesterday....I had made some pasta and put what was left over on my back porch (to lazy to take it to the trash), when I heard a noise....One little over sized rodent had found his way to the mother load...He then called out to his buddy and informed him of the feast....

Several others tried to join the party but were quickly ran away....The two sat and ate for hours, sucking up noodle after noodle....

After they finished...A little sunbathing was required...I figured they would go somewhere and blowup with all that pasta inside, but nope, they were back this morning knocking on the door wanting to know what today's special

.....

This Is Beyond Medals................

Anyone with half a heart, whether you follow the Olympics or not, had to be emotionally drained after watching Canada's Joannie Rochette take the ice last night....Only days after the death of her Mother, she skated to a standing ovation and a room full of tears....She skated as if her Mother was right by her side (I believe she was). They kept panning over to her tearful Dad who was there to support her...A breathtaking performance of grace and beauty...When she ended her routine, she broke down...I broke down as soon as she entered the ice...What courage for such a young woman...She currently stands in third place......And I'm pulling for her, I wish her the best .

The Roses......

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose

by any other name would smell as sweet."

(Can I tell you how much I love my photography classes)

I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are moving.

Oliver Wendell Holmes

A Beautiful Surprise and Valentines Favorite....

It's been a stressful week for me and I'm sure many of you have had the same kind of week yourself, not to mention this global warming is freezing us all to death...I had a wonderful surprise when I opened the mail this evening, Linda over at A day in the life of, had made a beautiful valentines day card for me (she's an incredible scrapbooker and card maker). Linda, it made my day...You are a beauty.

It also reminded me of my favorite Valentine's Day card from my hubby, not at all what you would think...

We had went to the mountains with some friends for Valentines one year, of course one of our friends had already purchased his wife, as my husband puts it the most elaborate card he has ever seen, he swore cupid himself was inside this card sprinkling love dust...He gave his wife the card before we went to supper..Of course, she loved it....Here was my husband and our other friends husband looking at each other with the "you mean were supposed to give a card on valentines day look on their face"

8pm on Valentines Day in the Smokey Mountains is not the time to find the "right card for your wife.".My husband literally walked in the store and grabbed the last card in the wife section and walked out....When I opened the card, romance was the farthest thing from my mind....it had a oven mitt on the front and simple said, " You'll need this for later". ...Inside the card was written,

"Because I'm to hot to handle"......Right know your probably thinking what's wrong with this, give him credit, he tried.....Your right, I should have, except for the part that said.....TO MY HUSBAND WITH WITH LOVE............

I think about what the poor girl at the counter must have thought when my husband(who's a big man)paid for the

"Special Husband Valentines Day Card".....

And it makes that card priceless............

We talk about it and laugh every year....

Laundry Detergent...

Stella I'm sorry I didn't give directions, here they are.....some recipes say
6 cups Borax
6 cups Arm and Hammer Washing Soda
4 Bars Fels Naptha
And nothing else.....

I am one of those people that believe more is better, so I just put it all together ( You only have a cup and half of Borax left over anyway). Oxy-Clean or the Clorox Stain Fighter and Color Booster don't hurt at all...I really like having it in there..And the Clorox Stain Fighter and Color Booster was only $2.00 at the Dollar General..

My Fellow Americans.........

Due to the tough economic times ( sounds so political, doesn't it) and the fact that I can't use cheap laundry detergent...I have grown tired of paying over $15.00 for a bottle of Tide every time I go to the grocery store (A.K.A. Walmart). So, about two months ago I was looking at different soap recipes and I came across the recipe for your own laundry detergent.....This made me both curious and nervous (I break out in hives with certain laundry products)....This product boast the ability to clean, neutralize odors, cut grease, make my whites whiter and my brights brighter and all using only 1/8 cup, and it comes down to about .7 cents per load......Am I the only person who is thinking," Wow there's no way".....Alas, bloggie people that I love and respect there is a way.....And I'm going to show you how...That's right.....I crossed over..........To the frugal side..............(on somethings).

I promise you this stuff works great......Here's what you will need, and about 30 minutes of your time. personally I thought 30 minutes was worth it if I didn't have to buy laundry detergent for months (that's right, months)

First, gather these items
Before you add these together you must grate the soap....I choose to put mine in a blender, it comes out very powdery....If you choose to do this, you MUST brake up the bars of soap into tiny pieces (I put them in a zip lock bag and hit them with a hammer, did the job)


The Fels Naptha Soap bar is hardest to find but I have found it at our local Ace Hardware Store and also Kroger ( it's not in the soap section, it's in the laundry detergent section).
The first time I made mine I altered it a little and added 2cups of Oxy-clean to the mix..It worked great...This time I found the box of Clorox color booster and stain remover for $2.00 and added it......Total cost for all products.....under $8.00

Here's the final product...(Looks Pretty Good...Right)

The Fels Naptha Soap bar is a heavy duty stain remover
Arm and Hammer washing soda works on grease and neutralizes odors
The Borax cleans disinfects and softens the water
And the Clorox is a Stain Fighter and Color Booster
I've been chatting with Jennifer over at Through The Storms Of Life, and she has some really great homemade cleaning recipes....."Hey Jenn, the mold and mildew remover is awesome"...If anybody has some old family cleaning recipes they use....I would love to hear them.....

Soap, Soap And More Soap............

So my obsession with organic soap making hasn't slowed down, I eat and breath soap and lotion ideas... I look at cake pans in a different light....If I can mold soap in it I use it...If Procter and Gamble goes out of business, I'm set for life.....Thanks to my daughters persuasion I've started selling them on etsy on a site she has...You can check it out if you like...loviessongbird.etsy.com

and look under Organically Yours

I know a lot of people make their own soaps and lotions, but it's something that I've never done before,and to be able to do it natural and organic is something I'm pretty proud of...And beside......it's a lot of hard work...

Thought I would share a few pictures with you....Just a few

Strawberries and Cream- Full of Strawberry seeds and ground Almonds, I want to eat this bar

Wild Berry Bliss- Full of Strawberry, Raspberry and Blueberry, a great exfoliating bar with a wonderful scent

Lavender and Chamomile-Need I say more

Sweetest Touch- Contains Moroccan Red (Super good for your skin) and a little touch of Plumeria

Tangerine Dream- Lots of creamy milk and tangerine zest...

A Cupcake Freaks Fantasy And A Birthday Celebration......

I had a great day with my "little girl" on her 28th birthday..... It was a beautiful winters day, sunny and 65 degrees, we did a little shopping and a lot of eating....We had lunch at an absolutely wonderful French bistro called Douceur De France, the waitress spoke about as much southern as we did french...But give me the right mix of pastries and butter, and I can speak any language.....And that's exactly what they did...."Magnifique"....We got a little pampered with a relaxing manicure and then went to get her a big cookie for after supper. What happen next was pretty much a blur, we walked past this little shop to my vehicle and the most angelic cupcakes you have ever seen were displayed in the window....We both stopped right in our tracks....Next thing we knew we were standing at the counter.....I honestly believe I heard the Lord speak to me when I entered this shop saying, "Angie, go forth and buy many cupcakes". All I can say is..... I obeyed the Lord.....And bought ten.....Instead of cookie or cake for her birthday we had these babies.....

We topped the night off with some spicy Cuban food (talk about a day of culture)...If any body out there has a birthday this week let me know, I'll be glad to go and buy one of these wonderful sinful cupcakes and eat it in your honor.....

I love y'all that much.....

Happy Birthday Princess..............

Happy 28th Birthday Hippie Chick!!!!!

Just wanted to say how happy I am and how lucky I feel to have you for a daughter...My one greatest accomplishment.....The day I first held you in my arms, you put an eternal hold on my heart....The passing years have only increased my love for you...You've become a woman that is more beautiful and wonderful than ever I imagined you'd be....I look at you with such pride...I'm amazed that I created you....It's so much fun to be with you and share the happenings in your life (thank you for letting me be apart of that)...........

Now, let's go have some Birthday fun

Seriously.........

This morning physical fitness Barbie, A.K.A. She-ra Princess of power shows up at my door, fresh from the gym, where she had no doubt been tormenting some poor soul ( she had that look of a fresh kill on her face...It's so scary). Carrying her recycled grocery bag full of mixed berries and a few other things I wasn't familiar with...She asked if she could use my blender and make us a protein drink.....The berries looked great, so I thought how bad can it be.

I was good until she put spinach into the blender and it came out looking like this.....

I'm pretty sure, this is one thing that doesn't need to bother with the digestive system....because it's going to go in and come out the same way.....and my guess is pretty quickly.....And then she thought that I would want to share a glass with her..........How can she do that to fruit....How can she do that to herself...Just go eat a salad...Forget that, go eat some chocolate....Seriously!

Just The Facts......

I thought I would start the New Year off with a few facts about me (it's not like I keep many things a secret, if I think it I say it) here's a few things you may or may not care to know about ....

1. Some of you may think I joke when I say I'm an Obsessive Compulsive Person, I'm Not....I am big time OCD....My husband has learned to tolerate me over the years....He just raises his feet when he sees me coming, because it usually means I have a vacuum cleaner or dust buster in my hands.

2.I really do love to clean....I could vacuum and dust every day....A dirty mirror or window drives me insane....And I am constantly cleaning my oven.....I know, I have issues.

If I could make it stop I would....Why couldn't I be an obsessive compulsive ballerina or ball room dancer....Maybe because there aren't any ballerinas who wear an F-cup in a bra....Oh Yea! those are called strippers.....I think I will stick to cleaning.

3. I hate to fold and hang laundry, but I love to smell my clean clothes.


4.I love to can and preserve fruits and vegetable's...I think there's an art to doing it...I love what it looks like in the jars when your finished....My Grandmother and Mama taught me these skills. And I still cherish them.

5. My life would be nothing without God and my family...I have two favorite bible verses.
Gen 50:20
But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.
And Psalm 103:12
As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

6. I love photography, and can't wait to start my lessons...

7. I am knocking on fifty and my daughter just taught me how to knit...I am making a scarf...It's very crocked but I'm going wear it anyway...

But, I cant sew...........Really.....I once sewed all the buttons on the inside of the wrong shirt....The dress I Had to make in home economics class wasn't suitable to wear for my grade....I failed that class.......

8.I am obsessed with organic soap making, I've also started making lotion and kitchen soap...

9. I live with a lot of regrets, I still let my past haunt me.

10. There's a lot of my childhood I want to remember forever, and some I wish I could forget.

11. I am a sleepwalker and talker...I have woke my husband up trying to get the chickens out of the house....He has also got me off the front porch....Just to name a few.

12. I am very proud of my mountain heritage and being a Coal Miners daughters.

13. I believe our house is haunted...We bought the property and built the house four years ago and have always heard little things. About a year ago things got really crazy, voices, televisions, lights and digital photo frames coming on. lots and lots of footsteps and things in my kitchen banging when we aren't in there...I could go on.....Not sure what we will do about this situation....We were woke up during the night with banging on our bedroom wall about three weeks ago and this has happened several times since then....Anyone have the number for a good Ghost Hunter???

14. Summer is my favorite season, But my favorite time to cook is during the fall and winter.

15. I love to read.

16. I've never seen a picture of myself that I thought was good.

17. I've been a "big girl" before, as a matter of fact for several years....At my heaviest I weighed 287lbs......That's only skinny if your seven foot tall...........I'm not..............I don't weigh that now, but I'm sure if I keep sneaking cupcakes I might..

18. I'm not shy....I'm very out spoken and a bit of a flirt.

19. For the past twenty years I have worked in the Operating Room (who don't love a blood and guts girl) Now, I am trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up.

20. I love to, and can sing.

21. I almost drown when I was a little girl...I was terrified of the water and never went near it until I was in my early twenties...I taught myself how to swim, and now I love and respect the water.

22. I was thirty years old before I got my ears pierced....So sad...I pierced them myself...Big Mistake...

23. I hate seafood.

24. I love a good purse...."Boy do I love good purses"....And they like me!!!

24. I believe being a middle child is a punishment....It has made me crazy!!! And after reading this post you will realize just how boring and sad my existence is.....I shall now go eat a cupcake and wallow in the misery that is my life....

A Middle Aged OCD Woman Gets A New Hobby.......

My OCD has been working overtime lately,and I have been a very busy girl...(once again in my kitchen) ....But this this time instead of making preserves I am making homemade, 100% organic soaps (which doesn't contain Lye, I might add)....My house smells soooo good....I have bowls of grapefruit and tangerine zest, pureed avocado and aloe, almonds, honey and blueberry everywhere...Pretty much anything that is great for your skin, I'm putting it in.....Adorable names like, Grapefruit Blush, Tangerine Dream, Georgia Rain (I told you my OCD was working overtime).....I got tired of breaking out from so many other body washes....That I made my own....Most of my ingredient's are things like Milk or Goats Milk....Shea, Cocoa and Coconut Butter....Aloe and Vitamin E...Lots of fresh and dried fruits and some veggies, such as avocado and cucumber...LOVE IT!!!! I feel like I might need to give a few bars away soon...So keep checking back...This stuff is so good!!!

Lavender and Yuzu-luscious Bath salt scrubs

A Blessed Christmas..........

This has been a tough year on a lot of people, and I'm certainly ready to start over and try for a better New Year....So many painful things have happened this year to myself and my family, yet my family has been so blessed..Last Christmas my daddy was in the hospital with pneumonia that turned into MRSA in his lungs, once he started showing improvement...my momma got pneumonia also...I remember praying , "Please don't let this be our last Christmas with either of them". My brother suffered his heart attack in the fall. and my 91 yr old miracle man father in law, who has pulled through so much, now complains about physical therapy wanting him to walk two miles a day....

God has blessed us beyond measure...

Although I wont see my parents and brothers until the coming weekend, I spent a very blessed Christmas with my family here. Christmas Eve we were surrounded by all our children and lots of laughter....and lots of food. Apparently I was trying to make up for all the food that I missed on Thanksgiving....I'm pretty sure I achieved that goal....Our granddaughter was so excited, she wanted to give Santa a present because he gives to us every year...She gave him a bell for his sleigh....she tried her best to stay awake to hear any hint of it jingle...she lasted until 2:00am.....I lasted until 1:45am, that's when she woke me up whispering in my ear that I was going to miss the whole thing....I was exhausted.....
After all, I was sleeping in a bed with her my husband and nineteen stuffed animals...All sleeping on Grammies side of the bed....

She woke me up early saying, "Is it time now, is it time now".
Santa left her a surprise...A boot print...She can't wait to take the picture to school...



For years I have been telling my hubby that he has the key to my heart, even though we are as different as night and day...This year he bought me the "key" to his....

I also got this incredible gift, my old one died back in the summer and I have been using an old 35mm we still had... My daughter and son in law bought me photography lessons...I'm sooooo excited, can't wait to start those.......

I've had so many life changing things happen to me this year...I hope I learn from them all and never go a day that I don't........Count all my Blessing....

May you all have a blessed New Year!

A Wii Hangover....................

This is what a 7 year old looks like after 15 hours of Wii Guitar Hero and sports....

Merry Christmas to All..................

"Let us keep Christmas beautiful without a thought of greed, that it might live forever more to fill our every need. That it shall not be just a day, but last a lifetime through. The miracle of Christmas time, that brings God close to you."

Merry Christmas to all my wonderful Friends!!!

I copied this poem from another blog I read, Dee Dee's son is fighting for our freedom and this poem is from him.....We should always remember those who serve and have served...I'm sure it's especially hard to have a son or daughter, husband or wife, fighting a war at Christmas.....For those of you and your families, I for one am proud that you have my back....

I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.

My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,

My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.

Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,

Transforming the yard to a winter delight.
The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,

Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.

My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,

Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.

In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,

So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.
The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,

But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear..

Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know,

Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.

My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,

And I crept to the door just to see who was near.
Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,

A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.

A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,

Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.

Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,

Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.
"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,

"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!

Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,

You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"

For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,

Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts..
To the window that danced with a warm fire's light

Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right,

I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night."

"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,

That separates you from the darkest of times.
No one had to ask or beg or implore me,

I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.

My Gramps died at 'Pearl on a day in December,"

Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers."

My dad stood his watch in the jungles of 'Nam',

And now it is my turn and so, here I am.
I've not seen my own son in more than a while,

But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.

Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,

The red, white, and blue... an American flag.

I can live through the cold and the being alone,

Away from my family, my house and my home.
I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,

I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.

I can carry the weight of killing another,

Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..

Who stand at the front against any and all,

To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall.."
" So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,

Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."

"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,

"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?

It seems all too little for all that you've done,

For being away from your wife and your son."
Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,

"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.

To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,

To stand your own watch, no matter how long.

For when we come home, either standing or dead,

To know you remember we fought and we bled.

Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,

That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

LCDR Jeff Giles, SC, USN

30th Naval Construction Regiment

OIC, Logistics Cell One

Al Taqqadum, Iraq

The End Of The Beginning...............

Flakes of worn paint on an old porch...the same one I had my first kiss on, and then my first broken heart that I thought would never mend.....A window from a empty room that has been looked through at least a trillion times, with thoughts like, Who's going? Who's coming? And "what in the world are my children doing know"....A rusted washtub hanging on an outside building, that gnarly old walnut tree that we climbed a thousand times...These are the thoughts that kept going through my mind as I walked around my home place one last time....the ones I will hold in my heart....

The walls are empty now in the old house, nothing left but a few odd and ends....After months of agonizing pain for my parents and and all of us, the gas company finally "settled" with them...I promise you, they wont be retiring on a beach somewhere......I made the 475 mile trip once again to help, along with my brothers and sisters in law we packed up what was left of a nine room house and tried to move it into a four room house.....As far as real estate goes in that area pickings are slim.....They do have the potential to build on to the house they are buying, we were just hoping that they could find something and not need to work on it.....

We did managed to laugh at ourselves a little bit...You can't look at your old annuals (especially from the seventies) and take yourself serious.....Who ever came up with the fashion for the decade should be found and punished severely.......Found an old box of eight tracks tapes.....You know those are gonna make a big come back...Right!!!!

And a lot of tears....
I saw my Daddy standing in the yard looking at the house...I went up to him and put my arms around him , he looked at me with tears in his eyes and said, "We had a good run of this ole place didn't we buddy". He put his arm around me and kissed me on top of the head....My heart broke into a thousand pieces....
You may say people move every day, and they do, I did.
But not mountain people, My people.
Especially with family land...
They believe you should be born there and die there....
That is what has made this so hard for my parents..

But the gas company owns it now, and they will put up a gate and bull doze it down, I will need to think long and hard before I make the trip back, to support my parents and stand with my brothers and watch as the old home place is demolished...It will be hard to watch something so special be destroyed by someone who doesn't have a clue how magical the old place was to us..

My grandparents built the house from another old house that was being torn down...So I guess you could say they built an old house out of an older house....I had my brother cut me a piece of the original floor....A beautiful worn piece of chestnut...My husband is going to engraved the word HOME on it for me....I will hang it in my kitchen...

I am going to try to get my own life back on track, I have neglected my family here and they need care too....I just put my Christmas up today, and I have no Christmas shopping done at all....But as I set and reflect on the things that myself and my family have overcome this year, I realize how richly blessed my life is.......I thank God......
I will try to get back on track and stop by my wonderful friends blogs soon....I know I have missed so much...
Still Stressed, But Blessed Beyond Measure
The Queen

Yet Another Qoute...........

Whatever else be lost among the years,

Let us keep Christmas still a shinning thing:

Whatever doubts assail us, or what fears,

Let us hold close one day, remembering

It's poignant meaning for the hearts of men.

Let us get back our childlike faith again.

~Grace Noll Crowell

A Quote........

"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world and behold,everything is softer and more beautiful."

-Norman Vincent Peale