Saturday, May 24, 2008

In Honor of our Fallen.....


From what I could gather, there are no official words to the song Taps but here are the most popular:

Day is done,
gone the sun,
From the hills,
from the lake,
From the skies.
All is well,
safely rest,
God is nigh.

Go to sleep,
peaceful sleep,
May the soldier
or sailor,
God keep.
On the land
or the deep,
Safe in sleep.

Love, good night,
Must thou go,
When the day,
And the night
Need thee so?
All is well.
Speedeth all
To their rest.

Fades the light;
And afar
Goeth day,
And the stars
Shineth bright,
Fare thee well;
Day has gone,
Night is on.

Thanks and praise,
For our days,
'Neath the sun,
Neath the stars,
'Neath the sky,
As we go,
This we know,
God is nigh.






Memorial Day

By Eula Gladys Lincoln


In distant field of sunny France
Where strangers come and go,
Amid the farms of Flanders, where
The fragrant breezes blow,
Our solder-dead in quiet sleep
Neath crosses row on row.

Here shrapnel shells once shrieked and burst
And took their toll of death;
The very wind, itself a foe,
Bore poison on its breath.

Above their graves the birds now sing
As round that home of yore,
When, care-free boys, they romped and played;
Those childhood days soon o'er,
The boys to brave and strong men grown,
They romped and played no more.

They put aside their childish toys,
A man's work each must do,
And when their country called for them,
To her they answered true.

"We must protect our native land:
She shall not suffer wrong
For she has reared and nurtured us,
We're men and we are strong.
We'll bid good-by to those we love;
It will not be for long."

With aching hearts and tear-dimmed eyes
We watched them go away.
Some have returned but many sleep
In foreign lands to-day.

Where English roses bloom and fade,
In France where lilies grow,
Among the fields of Flanders, where
The scarlet poppies blow,
Our soldier-dead are not forgot
Though strangers come and go.






**Poem found Here.

Friday, May 23, 2008

Memorial Day



I don't know about you all but for most years I've viewed Memorial Day as a day off from work/school and a day for picnics and family get-togethers. And while all these things are well and good, I decided to do a bit of research about the real reason behind Memorial Day and to try and incorporate some of the observances into my life on this special day to remember.

Memorial Day is supposed to be a day that we:
"....actively remember our ancestors, our family members, our loved ones, our neighbors, and our friends who have given the ultimate sacrifice."



Some of the ways to do this are:

  • Visiting cemeteries and placing flags or flowers on the graves of our fallen heroes.
  • Visiting memorials.
  • Flying the U.S. Flag at half-staff until noon.
  • Flying the 'POW/MIA Flag' as well.
  • Participating in a "National Moment of Remembrance": at 3 p.m. to pause and think upon the true meaning of the day, and for Taps to be played.
  • Renewing a pledge to aid the widows, widowers, and orphans of our falled dead, and to aid the disabled veterans.





*I got the information for this post from HERE.
**This was originally posted on my old blog.

A Big Thank You!

I just wanted to give a big **thank you** to Tori over at 'A Home Away From Home' for allowing me to use the beautiful photo she took while in Austria, for my new header. I e-mailed her to ask her permission and not only did she grant me permission she surprised me by making it into a header for me. I was so touched by her thoughtfulness and I really love it. Thank you Tori. (o:


Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs


I've always struggled with hard boiling eggs. It should be simple but I always ended up with cracked eggs or green yolks.......until......I followed Rachael Ray's method.

It's simple, you place the eggs in a pan filled with water, allow it to come to a boil and when it does, cover the pan (if you haven't already) and remove from the heat. Let them sit for 15 minutes and then cool them by running cold water into the pan. They will come out perfect. No cracked eggs, no green yolks and not over done. It works for me.

YUM-O! (o;


Monday, May 19, 2008

Gardening Question: Daffodils


I know little-to-nothing about gardening. What is in my flower beds is what was here when we moved here several years ago. My question is why did the green part of my daffodils come up but they never flowered? Am I supposed to do something to them every year like cut them back? I have *no idea* so any suggestions would be appreciated. I do know that this spring our weather has been much cooler. Also my tulips didn't do well either. )o:

Thanks! (o:

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Please Pray!--Updated


I don't normally post on Sundays but my lovely blog friend, Sharon, (who is dear to many of us) is having back surgery on Monday morning. Please keep her in your prayers for healing, wisdom for the doctors, for the Lord to guide their hands, and peace of mind for Sharon.

Updated on Tuesday 5/20: Sharon did just fine. You can read a bit about how her surgery went HERE.

Update #2: Sharon's daughter posted an update you care read HERE.


Friday, May 16, 2008

Using What You Already Have


The last couple of days I've been busy rearranging some things in my house. I love to switch things around because it's like getting new things without having to spend money. For example the lamps in our living room weren't putting out enough light and the switches were broken. I thought I might need to get new ones but instead I am using the lamps from our bedroom in the living room and they look great! I had ordered them online a couple of years ago and although I love how they look I felt they took up too much room on our night tables. So then I rounded up a couple of smaller lamps I had, to use in our bedroom and now I won't have to purchase new lamps. Well, at least not for the end tables, the room could use more light so I might end up purchasing a few floor lamps or up-lights for the corners of the living room. Homemaking is so exciting and such a creative endeavor. As soon as I put the finishing touches on the room (hopefully next week) I'll take some pictures to share with you all.

I've also been finishing up more laundry (does it multiply in the hamper?) and I exercised (been trying to do that more regularly) and now I'm off to enjoy some time with my husband. He was able to come home a bit early today so we have gotten a jump-start on the weekend. Which is so nice because it seems like the weekends just fly by much too quickly. I think we might take the dogs for a ride and grab some junk food for supper. (o:

I hope you all have a *wonderful* weekend that is filled with good things!