-
Savoring the Moment
I have a confession … I am at the tail end of my third pregnancy (at just about 37 weeks) and I am NOT ready to be done. I mean I’m ready to meet our little BabyBoy. I’m ready to take a load off my feet. I’m ready to stop having to take insulin and being on a very strict diet for gestational diabetes. I’m really ready to not be sweating buckets just from sitting. But I know this is my last pregnancy. I’m over 35 and pregnancy has been hard on my body (this one in particular.) So I’m savoring moments. I’m savoring a foot jabbing me in the…
-
Big, Red, Bouncy Ball
*C*, 5 years old learned something today. The power of a saved-dollar. He doesn’t get an allowance yet. (We started his older brother on an allowance at 1st grade). We don’t pay for household chores. My thought is no-one pays me to make dinner, why should I pay them to put away their laundry and get the table set before dinner? Household chores are just part of being a family! So at this point in the game if he has money in his wallet it isn’t from Mom. Stepping up the plate is Grandma. You have to love Grandmas! Especially the ones my boys have. Twice a week my mother-in-law…
-
Taking a Baseball Bat to Cancer
Sometimes life throws curve balls. I didn’t even know that I was up to bat! It was so hectic and now I see bases are loaded and I am NOT going to strike out, or walk or punt (wait… that’s the wrong sport!) See… I really didn’t know I was in the game. And then whoosh something flew at me and caught my breath.I think it was fear. But just like one pitch, it was thrown at me trying to get me off center, trying to get me to go after it, jerk away from it, recognize it and not ignore it. I did.Whoosh… next came uncertainty. How can I…
-
Blackberry Grunt
Our fields are alive… not with the sound of music, but the glory of berries. The wild raspberries were a healthy crop this year, not the blood letting usual that brought in a meager pint. We served up fruity oatmeal in the morning, fruity salad at lunch and tasty desserts after dinner. No complaints.Now the dew berries are thick and jet black full of their individual globes of pulp and ready to be picked. They are the precursor to the blackberries: the ultimate gift of the land. We don’t have to work for them, the plants are wild, full and laden. It’s a walk in the park… or the back…
-
Big Brothers
We have a few ‘big brothers’ in our house. Our oldest, *J* is 16, *E* is 7, and *C* is 5 and preparing to be a big brother. Each looks up to the other with wide eyed-admiration and I can only imagine what is running through their mind as they interact with, play with, compete with, teach each other. We spent the early-afternoon at the zoo yesterday. *J* brought his girlfriend and *E* did not want to leave their side. He was their shadow; their tour guide; their third-wheel. I stayed kind of ahead so as not to crowd them (and to find an occasional bench to sit on) and…
-
Consider the Army’s electric footprint – DoD Roundtable
I had the opportunity to interview a few key players discussing the Army’s energy security mission. On the call were; U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Howard Bromberg, Commanding General, Fort Bliss; U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Dana J. H. Pittard, Deputy Chief of Staff, G3, United States Army Training and Doctrine Command; Mr. Jerry Hansen, Army Senior Energy Executive, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Strategic Infrastructure; Dr. Kevin Geiss, Program Director for Energy Security. Mr. Hansen defined the Army energy security mission as: “Make energy a consideration for all Army activities to reduce demand, increase efficiency, seek alternative sources, and create a culture of energy accountability while sustaining or…
-
Up North Shrimp Gumbo
Creative instincts can be great… can get you into trouble… and open doors, or in this case a pot lid. We lived in all 4 corners of the US (CONUS). We savored some great taste sensations. We learned to like produce, fish, fruits that we not on our plates as children. Some were fantastic and some… we just couldn’t invite back again! Legumes (any sort of dried bean or pea) are just not my friends! And on that no fly list in capital letters, is okra. Tried it, and believe we are incompatible. Both Dale and I can live with that. But then there is gumbo. I love the idea.…
-
A Peaceful Setting Soothes
A peaceful setting soothes the heart. So simple and true. And when it is at your fingertips how sweet is that!A garden provides so many advantages: outdoor activity, blooms that bring color and fragrance indoors. There is a tracking of the seasons with flowers, bushes and shrubs. Winter was officially over when our irises pushed their way out of the ground and stuck purple and blue lipstick tubes up in the air. At their feet popped the Johnnie jump-ups, bachelor buttons and delphinium. Then came peonies, lilies and pansies springing to life. Now it all out there: sprays of colors, smells and beauty! So, what should you do? BRING IT…
-
July Featured Military Reward – Heaven’s Best
We are about to celebrate the 4th of July and that means the heat of summer is here! We have selected a patriotic company that recognizes the sacrifices our service families make as our Featured Military Reward for July! Heaven’s Best Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning has an exceptional Military Reward for military families in the middle of a PCS move in or move out at Beaufort MCAS! Or maybe you just need to freshen your house after a busy year? Their Military Reward says: 25% Military Discount Heaven’s Best Carpet Cleaning cares and understands the sacrifices that the military community has made in safe guarding our country. Thank You! Their…
