Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington

Check out this latest photograph from the Veterans Day Ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. I don't know whether the National Anthem is being played, or the Flag is going buy, or what, but everyone in the picture is saluting or has his hand over the heart.... all except one. GUESS who that may be? Really, what does that tell you?

Land of the FREE and Home of the Brave

All I can say is WOW! I know, I know, I am still not posting, but we are alive and all is well. Just getting into the grove of the new school year.

I am dating myself

I promise, I will post soon. We have so much going on right now... but, let me take you back in time for a little bit.

Animal Schoooling

Check out this link/video. It is very inspiring and soo true. I have recieved it from an email group that I belong too

http://www.raisingsmallsouls.com/animal-school-movie/

Say YES

Thank you Laurie for sharing this...

Swine Flu Video

Here is a video I got from a friend.
http://www.brainpop.com/health/diseasesinjuriesandconditions/swineflu/

A Love Story

I am in the process of reading my friend & fellow blogger's story about how she met her husband (part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4). This got me in the mood to write about how Nat & I met, and the trials that I/we go through to be excepted by one another's family (believe me, I am still going through this trial, but Nat has finished it and is basking in the sun).

I was working @ TJ Maxx, and going to the local community college (mind you, I was only 18)...

I had my eye on someone else that I was working with, so when Nat started working there, I didn't really notice him. When closing the store, Nat & I would talk about everything and nothing while cleaning up the same zone. I found him easy to talk to and friendly. We became quick friends. As the next few months went on, nothing was growing, except our friendship, which was fine with me.

Then, one day, I was thinking... (I know, a very bad thing for me to do).

I can talk to this person very easily... hey, he's cute, nice, well mannered, and not like any other boy/young man I've ever met before...

Now, I was not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints at that time. Although, I was looking for a church to where I belong, to fit in.

(a little history on me)
My maternal grandmother was LDS, and my paternal grandmother was Methodist. My parents weren't/aren't very religious at all (hey, don't knock them, that is their choice, please think of them in a good manner, don't look down on them, this was their choice).

Growing up, I had attended church w/my paternal grandma, but never felt comfortable. I never attended w/my maternal grandma (to this day I don't know why she never took us). Jumping forward to my high school years... I would attend church & Family Home Evening every once in a while with a friend down the street... can you guess what church her and her family belonged to?

(fast forward to the present)-- well, now, technically the past, but the present of the story
As Nat & I continue talking and getting to know one another as friends, I ask him out on a date. He politely turns me down, saying he has a girlfriend. I am ok with that...

A few days later, he's not scheduled to work, but I had to close. After finishing, we (my co-workers & I) were all waiting by the door to be let out, when one of my co-workers finds a note on the ground addressed to me, hands it to me, and I read it.

It is from Nat, asking if we can get together & talk sometime (he was waiting outside as I got off of work). We talked in the parking lot for about a half hour. We found out that we were both taking classes @ the same time, and made plans to 'meet' once our class was done...

Tune in for the next part, oh yeah, grab some popcorn too...

Worm Composting

We are trying to be more earth friendly as well as more self reliant. We have started some container vegetable gardening. It all started last week after visiting Whole Foods for a field trip here in town. Since Earth Day was Wednesday, Whole Foods celebrated it on Saturday for the whole community. The kids wanted to go, so we went...

One of the tabled was Red Worm Composting. Of course the kids just had to have one, so we got one and had to set it up once home, to give the worms their proper home. Well, we couldn't really have a compost bin without a garden to put it in, right? Oh, did I tell you... the compost bin is here in the house, can't you see my skin just crawling? So, we planted ourselves a garden. We have some herbs, veggies, fruit and even some flowers to go it it. We don't have a lot of space, so we are doing container gardening (this way, when we buy our house - our first house, we can take our garden with us). We will be adding to our garden some fun things like, windmills, bird houses, and some bird feeders. We are getting and using the ideas from the book "Green Thumb".

There has been a lot of talk about bloggers taking other bloggers thoughts and storied & coping them and posting as their own blog. That is rude. This post may seem like you read it before over @ Adventurous Instruction... that's ok, I did plagiarize, but hey, that is my homeschooling blog, so, I am aloud to do it.

The Miracle of the Holy Bible

Elder M. Russell Ballard testifies that as Church members we believe, follow, and teach the Bible’s message inviting all to worship Jesus Christ. Go down to the bottom right and pause my music so you can hear this wonderful message.

I am embarking on...

starting my own business. I want to help Nat out w/the family income, but how? I could go out & get a job @ night, but that is not an option (I can't guarantee when he will be home). I thought about Creative Memories, Avon, Mary Kay, but those are out of the question! I have finally figured out how I am going to help with the income....

I am going to start my own Etsy shop. I will be making knitted, crocheted, cross stitched items, and anything else handmade. I just need help with a name. Everything that is sold on Etsy, has to be handmade. I need a name that is catchy, has spunk, and will keep 'em coming. So, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE help me come up w/a catchy name.

Once I set up shop, I will let ya'll know so you can see what I have to offer. I will be taking special orders as well.

These tips on Name Picking are from Etsy:

Things to consider when choosing a shop name:

• Choose a name that is easy to remember and spell. You want potential buyers to be able to recognize, remember, and be able to find you again, even if they have briefly visited your shop.
• Try to limit your shop name to one or two words that flow well together. For example, “JessicasDesigns” works a thousand times better than something like “beaddesignsbyjessica.” Make sense?
• Take inspiration from others. Sit down with a piece of paper and writing utensil and ask yourself: “What sellers do I know the name of on Etsy?” It doesn’t have to be your favorite seller or any reason other than the fact you remembered their name. This is key. After you have your list of remembered names, take a look at them. Why are they so memorable? After asking yourself these questions, take inspiration from what these sellers have done to create your own memorable name.
• Think about legalities. Some words and names are trademarked, so do your homework first to avoid a possible conflict later. Consider consulting an attorney if you need specialized advice in this area.
• Once you have decided on a name for your shop, take advantage of capital letters to make the appearance of your shop name more cohesive. If you have two words in your shop name, create a visual separation by making the first letters of each word capital letters instead of lowercase. For example, “BoyfriendLetters” reads so much better than “boyfriendletters.” Plus, capitalization doesn’t make a difference when people type your shop name in their browser, it won’t be harder for them to find you.
• If you are selling a very specific product or certain type of supply, it wouldn’t hurt to actually put the basic name of what you are selling in your shop name; this way your shop will show up in most relevant search engines whenever someone does a basic search for “X item” that you are selling. But be careful: if you're thinking about branching out to other types of items, you may not want to follow this tip.
• Last but not least, your shop name should reflect your style in one way or another. If you choose a really elegant name, it would make sense to have elegant items in your shop. If you choose a quirky or clever name, it would make sense that your products reflect that style.