Category: HOLIDAYS

Be sure and THANK a Veteran Today

Thank a VETERAN today for your freedom.
Learn more about Veterans Day here.

The Sack Lunches
I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight. ‘I’m glad I have a good book to read. Perhaps I will get a short nap,’ I thought.

Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. I decided to start a conversation. ‘Where are you headed?’ I asked the soldier seated nearest to me. ‘Chicago – to Great Lakes Base. We’ll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we’re being deployed to Iraq ‘

After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that sack lunches were available for five dollars. It would be several hours before we reached Chicago, and I quickly decided a lunch would help pass the time. As I reached for my wallet, I overheard soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy lunch. ‘No, that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch. Probably wouldn’t be worth five bucks. I’ll wait till we get to Chicago ‘ His friend agreed.

I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying lunch. I walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a fifty dollar bill. ‘Take a lunch to all those soldiers.’ She grabbed my arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. ‘My son was a soldier in Iraq; it’s almost like you are doing it for him.’

Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers were seated.. She stopped at my seat and asked, ‘Which do you like best – beef or chicken?’ ‘Chicken,’ I replied, wondering why she asked. She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a minute later with a dinner plate from first class. ‘This is your thanks.’

After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane, heading for the rest room. A man stopped me. ‘I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this.’ He handed me twenty-five dollars. Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Flight Captain coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked, I hoped he was not looking for me, but noticed he was looking at the numbers only on my side of the plane. When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand, an said, ‘I want to shake your hand.’ Quickly unfastening my seat belt I stood and took the Captain’s hand. With a booming voice he said, ‘I was a soldier and I was a military pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot.’ I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of the passengers.

Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs. A man who was seated about six rows in front of me reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine. He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm. When we landed in Chicago I gathered my belongings and started to deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man who stopped me, put something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars!

Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to the base. I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars. ‘It will take you some time to reach the base. It will be about time for a sandwich. God Bless You.’ Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow travelers. As I walked briskly to my car, I whispered a prayer for their safe return. These soldiers were giving their all for our country. I could only give them a couple of meals.

It seemed so little…

A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life wrote a blank check Made payable to ‘The United States of America ‘ for an amount of ‘up to and including my life.’ That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.’

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Thursday 13 on Tuesday in honor of Veterans Day

I received this as an email just before Veterans Day and while I believe there is a non-violent way to get your point across, I’m also a military wife and daily astounded by the ignorance of those around me, adults and children, of their understanding of how this country was founded and still works. Here’s the email:

Dear Civilians,

‘We know that the current state of affairs in our great nation has many civilians up in arms and excited to join the military. For those of you who can’t join, you can still lend a hand. Here are a few of the areas where we would like your assistance:

  1. The next time you see any adults talking (or wearing a hat) during the playing of the National Anthem – kick their ass. (It is these adults who should be setting the example for the children of the next generation in regards to paying respect.)
  2. When you witness, firsthand, someone burning the American Flag in protest – kick their ass.
  3. Regardless of the rank they held while they served, pay the highest amount of respect to all veterans. If you see anyone doing otherwise, quietly pull them aside and explain how these veterans fought for the very freedom they bask in every second. Enlighten them on the many sacrifices these veterans made to make this Nation great. Then hold them down while a disabled veteran kicks their ass.
  4. (GUYS) If you were never in the military, DO NOT pretend that you were. Wearing battle dress uniforms (BDUs) or Jungle Fatigues, telling others that you used to be ‘Special Forces,’ and collecting GI Joe memorabilia, might have been okay when you were seven years old. Now, it will only make you look stupid and get your ass kicked.
  5. Next time you come across an Air Force member, do not ask them, ‘Do you fly a jet?’ Not everyone in the Air Force is a pilot. Such ignorance deserves an ass-kicking (children are exempt).
  6. If you witness someone calling the US Coast Guard ‘non-military’, inform them of their mistake – and kick their ass.
  7. Next time Old Glory (the US flag) prances by during a parade, get on your damn feet and pay homage to her by placing your hand over your heart. Quietly thank the military member or veteran lucky enough to be carrying her – of course, failure to do either of those could earn you a severe ass-kicking.
  8. Don’t try to discuss politics with a military member or a veteran. We are Americans, and we all bleed the same, regardless of our party affiliation. Our Chain of Command is to include our Commander-In-Chief (CinC). The President (for those who didn’t know) is our CinC regardless of political party. We have no inside track on what happens inside those big important buildings where all those representatives meet; all we know is that when those civilian representatives screw up the situation, they call upon the military to go straighten it out… If you keep asking us the same stupid questions repeatedly, you will get your ass kicked!
  9. ‘Your mama wears combat boots.’ never made sense to me – stop saying It! If she did, she would most likely be a vet and therefore could kick your ass!
  10. Bin Laden and the Taliban are not Communists, so stop saying ‘Let’s go kill those Commies!’ And stop asking us where he is! Crystal balls are not standard issue in the military. That reminds me – if you see anyone calling those damn psychic phone numbers, let me know, so I can go kick their ass!
  11. ‘Flyboy’ (Air Force), ‘Jarhead’ (Marines), ‘Doggie’ (Army), ‘Squid’ (Navy), ‘Puddle Jumpers’ (Coast Guard), etc…, are terms of endearment we use describing each other. Unless you are a service member or vet, you have not earned the right to use them. Using them could get your ass kicked.
  12. If you ever see anyone either standing for or singing the national anthem in Spanish – KICK THEIR ASS.
  13. If you got this email and didn’t pass it on – guess what – you deserve to get your ass kicked!
  14. Last, but not least, whether or not you become a member of the military, support our troops and their families. Every Thanksgiving and religious holiday that you enjoy with family and friends, please remember that there are literally thousands of soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen far from home wishing they could be with their families. Thank God for our military and the sacrifices they make every day. Without them, our country would get it’s ‘ass kicked.’
‘It’s the Veteran, not the reporter, who has given us the freedom of the press.

‘It’s the Veteran, not the poet, who has given us the freedom of speech.’

‘It’s the Veteran, not the campus organizer, who gives us the freedom to demonstrate.’

‘It’s the Military who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag.’

If you were offended by any of this and are not a veteran then you have an overinflated sense of entitlement and should reevaluate your beliefs and values.

For me??


My girl friend around the corner called this morning and asked if I could come over for a minute and maybe have some coffee. This is what she presented me with. Isn’t it adorable???????????

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Photo Hunt ~ Scary

At night this guy looks pretty awesome.
During the day he just scares the mail lady!
You can’t see him behind the post as you walk up
the steps until you are almost upon him.

Share Your Front Door Decor & Porches on Parade

My friend Barbara at Candy Hearts & Paper Flowers is hosting Share your front door Decor on Monday the 20th. Be sure and pop in and check it out. Over at the Inspired Room you can also find Porches on Parade.

My front door is NOT yet painted like we had hoped (we hate these colors, but there have just been so many other pressing projects – SIGH! – next year), but there is always next year. This looks especially creepy at night with the black lights on, but is hard to photograph then so we’ll have to settle for these. The fall decor behind doesn’t show well between the glass in the photo either so I took one from inside to show you. Click on a picture to enlarge for detail. This is what it looks like plain.



A few more happenings this weekend that I found over at the Inspired Room are:

Halloween festivity at Living Locurto! This is another great event that promises to be loads of fun! The party starts on Saturday. Click on her invitation!

And don’t miss the annual Halloween Party at A Fanciful Twist! Vanessa is a fabulous hostess, you will not be disappointed! Click on her invitation above to join in the fun beginning on Saturday!

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Very Vintage Halloween Swap

Thanks to Heidi over at Foxgloves, Fabric & Folly for being the perfect hostess!

My partner was Heidi over at Swirls of Creativity.

This is the package I sent to Heidi. I found this great burlap pumpkin scarecrow, Halloween treat bag with a ghost cookie recipe and cookie cutter, a sparkly ceramic ghost I made, a fall scented tower candle, hand made Halloween shaker box, and for her little ones a spring up pumpkin full of peeps, candy corn and peanut butter kisses which are all mandatory Halloween candies in this house – LOL.


Heidi sent me this adorable box with the cutest mugs for apple cider, pixie sticks, lots of adorable labels and tags, an altered journal and some super vintage fabric and bindings.

I also won this over at Mississippi Songbird. Stephanie had a Halloween Lantern giveaway. She added the cutest towel and some great candy too.

♥
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Flea Market Fun

Yesterday was our anniversary and we stole away for the day and roamed the back roads, visited a great Flea Market in St Germain (you know the old kind with all the junk) and antique stores in Eagle River. We had dinner at the Riverstone Restaurant & Tavern which we thought was adequate, but not worth all the hype for the price, view or service*. We did find the Chanticleer Inn & several others for future special events, all of which came highly recommended after the fact! *After MANY years in the food service industry, I am a hard person to please, I know this about myself. But, I also know from experience that there are certain minimum standards for a restaurant that claims this level of quality. First and foremost is that as a server, you not serve a plate that is not as ordered. You can blame it on the cook, but ultimately it is your responsibility if it is a visible flaw. Secondly, as a server expecting a hefty tip in a higher class restaurant, check back with your table fairly soon after they first take a bite – MAKE SURE the meal is as it was ordered. Thirdly, don’t serve fresh baked warm bread and rock hard butter – it just isn’t that complicated to coordinate this!

At the flea market and antique stores we found all of this and for really (An anniversary gift from hubby) is my favorite find. They are cream testers from a local dairy farmer and each bottle had the cow’s name on it. (Rosemary, Nyoka, Martha, Bonnie, Thelma, Raggie, Beulah, Charity, Beverly, Marygold, Sharon, Beachie, Rogella, Reva, Stella, Hetta & Laverl). I’ve washed them all and am using them as spice bottles. Th antique coffee jars were probably the biggest value find. She must have not wanted to pack up glass at the end of the day as it was all priced very much below it’s actual value!

I also found 6 great new cook books, all for only $1 each. I love taking these old recipe books and adapting the recipes to current day! My favorite find in an antique store is an old beat up recipe box full of handwritten recipes. I almost always find several recipes that will become family favorites in nothing flat.

This doesn’t look like much now, but it was the rummage sale find of the weekend ($25). It is metal and is actually a bar. Hubby is taking off the netting for me and we’re going to paint it to match our other metal furniture (which it matches PERFECTLY) and then put on the deck next summer, after the deck is done! There are 2 sets of lower shelves behind the netting and we’ll use those for flower pots. The top is out of “dog” range and will be perfect for food at BBQ’s.

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Anniversary thoughts after another great year together…

Today is our anniversary. While we have had MANY ups and downs over the years, we always love, laugh and are extremely lucky to still be together when so many of our friends aren’t. I never doubt my hubby’s love for me and I treasure every moment we spend together. We truly have a blessed marriage. On a side note we were married in the same church his folks were 60 years ago which is a story in and of itself. The church has been moved several times during that 60 years and now has a permanent home and a place on the National Historic Places Register.

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