If I can stand the heat..

I should have some wonderful lily pics to post today! I am definately not a heat person. I got six more plants in the other day and oh lord..I had water running off the end of my nose. On the good side I have only Ivy and Perriwinkle to plant in the front (have a bald side) and 3 lilies to put out back. I was going to add them out front with the tiger lily and stargazers, but decided to do a 3 season section out back instead. The first hollyhocks have started to bloom out front! I swear they must have feet because some of them aren't where I remember them last year. Same goes for the hastas..hmmm. The lettuce and spinach are going to be tough in the heat..skip one day of watering (which I do late in the day) and they look soooo sad. Even the oregano was droopy yesterday. My pepper and tomato plants have their first little flowers as well. I can't wait for them! Salsa baby! I broke down and got a cheesy little gnome for my garden. I think its so cute. I used to love the commercials for the travel agent with the gnome traveling the world. Kitsch rocks! I spent all day yesterday..all day trying to get my new sister site up. It isn't done yet but will be at Working4Peace. Here is the premise: My two passions (besides my family) are photography and working towards the greater good. I am hoping this is the vehicle to marry the two of them. I plan of offering my photos at a CafePress store and donating a minimum of 50% of the net profits. I'm still working on the layout and will try to incorporate a choice of charities to be selected by the shopper. I had forgotten how annoying problems with HTML could be :) Had the perfect page with colors I loved and somewhere (which I course I couldn't relocate) changed some text so it was the same color as the background. So I reverted back to a different Template and am busy tweaking that. I gave up last night and will be revisiting my demon code shortly. I have always wanted to do more and really, really hope this is the way to accomplish that goal. Oddly enough, this stems not only from my family being very active in volunteer work, but from the fact that I've been in no less then five situations where I should have really bitten the bullet. From this I've concluded, albeit possibly totally wrong, that I have some purpose in life..something to fulfill. Hey, even if I'm wrong I'm doing something good, so its a win win situation no matter how your look at it. Cross your fingers for me as I walk down the HTML path this afternoon :)

I must stop

Cryptograms.org - online and printable cryptograms. This is where I was yesterday..I think I proceeded to solve about 90 cryptograms. My obsessive self had to not only solve the puzzles, but beat the posted average time! I have also decided to pick back up the task of learning French..pray for me. I just want to understand the Piaf songs I like to listen to :) This past week someone decided to park on my blog and argue with me about a previous post. This went on for a couple of days, but has finally stopped. He/She was one of those people looking to argue..not my cup of tea. The whole purpose of my blog to is to present ways in which, if interested, people can be involved in something or learn about things I might think they'd want to know about. My core belief is that the world would be a much better place if we'd all work towards a more peaceful coexistence and care about our fellow man. That has been its goal since the beginning. Any time I cite a fact I try to provide a link to the source, and in some cases a redirect to the site I want people to know about. Basically, I just want to get the word out about some great causes. I do not, nor will I ever make up facts for my blog. I believe we are all free to express our opinions. I will never knowingly offend any person or group. If someone disagrees with me, that is their right. I also expect the same privelage. I base my doings and my life on the concept of peace and will continue to do so. I am not here to argue with anyone. Nuff Said :) Well, we are off to picnic today. I hope whatever it is you are doing for the holiday you have a safe journey and good times.

What twenty dollars can do!

In Liberia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and Sudan, Mercy Corps is helping families grow more of their own food by distributing seeds and demonstrating better farming techniques -- reducing Africa's dependence on outside food aid. Africa Food Mercy Kit From $20.00 The Hunger Site will fund 50.0 cups of food for each Africa Food Mercy Kit purchased. Gifts That Give More are a wonderful way to honor a family member, good friend, respected colleague or loved one. Your purchase is tax-deductible; you will be sent a receipt from Mercy Corps for your taxes. Choose to download and print your own certificate of acknowledgement by clicking here; Adobe Acrobat Reader, or equivalent .pdf viewing program, is required to open the file. (Adobe Acrobat Reader is available for free download at Adobe.com.) The downloaded certificate makes a great "instant" gift for an honored colleague, family member or friend. Or, choose to have us print and mail the certificate to either you or your honoree. For a $5.00 surcharge to cover printing, mailing anywhere in the world, and labor, we will print your certificate in full color and mail it to the address you designate at check-out.

Let Me Give

Let Me Give I do not know how long I’ll live But while I live, Lord, let me give Some comfort to someone in need By smile or nod, kind word or deed And let me do whatever I can To ease things for my fellow man I want naught but to do my part To “lift” a tired or weary heart To change folks’ frowns to smiles again Then I will not have lived in vain And I’ll not care how long I’ll live If I can give…and give…and give (Author Unknown) Let Me Give

The Falun Gong and the Horrors They Suffer For Spirituality's Sake

Following is a video courtesy of Falun Dafa Clearwisdom.net an educational site I hope you will take the time to watch it. It is estimated that 2,862 practitioners have thus far been murdered or tortured. To add to the horror, witness reveal that the horror of organ removal from live Falun Gong practioners goes on inside the Sujiatun Concentration Camp..also known as National Traditional Chinese Medicine Thrombus Treatment Center. FreeVideoCoding.com Falun Gong, a peaceful spiritual practice, was banned in China in July of 1999. Since then, thousands of ordinary Chinese citizens have been arrested, jailed without trial, tortured -- even killed while in police custody. Police officers around the country are encouraged to use violence against Falun Gong practitioners. In some cases, they are even financially rewarded or promoted for each Falun Gong practitioner they brutalize. Ms. Zhao Xin, a 32 year old Economics lecturer at the Beijing Technical and Business University is just one victim. On June 19th, 2000, she was arrested in her local park for doing her Falun Gong exercises. Three days later, the police sent her to the local hospital with lacerations and bruises on her head and back. Three vertebrae in her spine had been crushed, rendering her unable to speak, breath or move from the neck down. This call for support goes out to all kind hearted people in the world to help us stop the illegal and immoral suppression of peaceful Falun Gong practitioners in China. Your support can make a difference. If you would like to help, here are some suggestions: In China, they get a promotion. In America, the policemen who did this would be arrested: www.faluninfo.net To find out more about the crackdown on Falun Gong in China, visit Visit www.faluninfo.net for daily updates on the crackdown in China Write letters to the Chinese government officials and/or Chinese consulate Help us tell the truth about Falun Gong to the people around you Invite us to present Falun Gong to your organization or community Call for action from your local media, government or human rights organization. Thank you for your concern and support. Every voice counts. For more information, visit http://www.faluninfo.net, or call 1 (877) FALUN99 (toll free). From Amnesty International USA: The Falun Gong - a movement which combines teaching of meditation and exercises as a method to improve health and moral standards - was banned by the Chinese government in July 1999. The government, apparently concerned by the large number of followers in all sectors of society - including government departments, declared it was a "cult" and a "threat to stability" and launched a nationwide propaganda campaign against it. The campaign was described as an important "political struggle". Thousands of Falun Gong followers who attempted to protest peacefully against the ban or who continued to practice exercises were arbitrarily detained across China in the days and weeks which followed the ban. Many were reportedly beaten by police in the process. At least hundreds are believed to remain in detention. Some are now being brought to trial on politically motivated charges. They are likely to be sentenced to long prison terms after unfair trials. Read more here! As I read the information presented about the Fulon Gong, I couldn't help but think how lucky I am to be a citizen who is free from persecution in the United States for my religious beliefs. How would I feel, if instead of openly and proudly practicing my religion, I had to cower to the government's whims and hide in the darkness. No human being should have to renounce their spiritual beliefs for fear of death or torture. Most agree that the Nazi terror would never occur in this day and age..because people wouldn't allow it. Aren't we?

What Dead Head Means to Me :)

either the dog or the squirrels are to blame! blog to follow....

so sorry

for my lack of blogging....finally went to the doctors office today. i'm on antibiotics for a couple of days. i seem to have picked up an upper respritory infection. dave was home sick today too. i actually had to drive to work with the air on high because i was so dizzy. yuck. so here it is 5 pm and im already in sweats. at least it isnt bronchitus this time. i will be posting reguarly again, hopefully starting tomorrow. we have the house all nice and neat and the back yard has become a little slice of heaven for me. the first pink roses have bloomed (pics to follow) , we planted tons of stuff and i hung 2 sun cathchers and 2 wind chimes. i love when ther is a light breeze and the chimes tinkle. our peppers and tomatoes are planted and the herbs are doing wonderfully. last night was awesome! i made a roasted chicken (with a new recipe i found online at recipezaar) with a lemon cut and squeezed over the skin, then shoved inside with fresh rosemary sprigs and salt & pepper. with that we had stuffing, spaghetti squash (dave ate some!!!!!! and liked it), lettuce i grew in the garden and home made green goddessy salad dressing with olive oil, curry powder, fresh basil, parsley and green onions from the garden, honey, apple cider vinegar, salt & pepper. It was sooo good. I also sauteed some of the spinach i grew with garlic and olive oil. it was so incredible to each so much of what we grew. to go in the backyard with scissors and cut all your spices, salad and a veggie was way cool. how much fresher can you get than that! anyway...it's back to the sofa and my wonderful husband who is taking care of me. have a great night everyone!

my aching head

my sinuses are under attack! i haven't blogged or posted pics (or checked my email for that matter) for several days, because some alien has moved into my sinus cavities. You know when you feel like poop and barely can drive to work (i only work 7 miles from home too) and then drag through work and get home as soon as you can so you can lay down? today i'm sucking down sudafed all day and taking liquid vitamins to try to push through this without missing any work (part time workers don't get sick days & its too close to summer to use a vacation day. 3 more days then i have the weekend off and this should be over. mom sent the following to me yesterday and i thought it was funny enough to post. i wont say where i we both work, but we've had a case of a worker forced to return to work after insisting they werent better..they died at work. have a great day and..props to sudafed...

Deep thought Saturday...

what beautiful snapdragons these will become! I spent yesterday afternoon on the internet reading about two things in particular. The first was a very bizarre disease, Morgellons, which sounds to odd to be true. Apparently there have been cases reported in every state though. How amazing that I have never heard of this. I read tons of magazines and the newspaper every day. Not a mention thus far. Like Fibro (which my mom has) the sufferers of this ailment were constantly being told it was their imagination. Recently a young man who had been diagnosed with it, actually took his own life to end his suffering. It appears mostly in CA, FL and TX and seems to be very prevelent in people who get multiple Lymes infections. Lesions appear on the body and actually produce biological fibers that grow out of the lesions. They may be white, black, blue, red or other colors and some patients seem to have black seedlike things "bleeding" from the lesions. In addition to this they are constantly plagued by the sensation of bugs crawling under their skin as well as chronic fatigue. There is no cure and the cause is unknown. Now, I'm not a conspiracy theory person by any means, but there are questions as to whether or not bioterorism is to blame. Another theory has to do with a previously undiscovered organism, which by destroying the environment, we have awoken to wreck its havok. Just some food for thought. The link to the page is here: Morgellons Reasearch Foundation I spent the rest of the day reading about Human Body Part Harvesting in Chinese Prison Camps. I plan on dedicating an entire blog to this. In particular, the Chinese government is targeting practicioners of Falun Gong. They are a peacefull group of people who apparently threaten the Chinese government simply because of their growing numbers. I will also be including a video that was shown on the governemnt run Chinese News Station of an apparent self-imolation, which seems, under scrutiny, completely staged, and whose only purpose was to turn the majority of chinese against known practicioners of Falun Gong. What a travesty for the chinese and for humanity in general. I will leave this topic, as I said, though for an entire blog, because I feel very strongly that it is merited. Ah what a way to start the day. It does weigh on my heart heavily, but also reminds me just how lucky, we as americans are to live in a country that does not persecute based on religious practices.....well not the government anyway. I guess when we pause for silent prayers tomorrow in church...I know who I will be thinking of. Have a great, thankful day.

da vinci's spring haircut

Just got home with my baby from the groomer/vets...he hates me! they shaved all his long hair off and he had to get a shot. My poor baby has a hot spot on his wittle tail. He will be on prednisone and an antibiotic capsule and spray for a bit. Hopefully this grudge won't last the whole weekend! I'm posting a before and after pic ! More blogging later have to go make peace with my puppy.

happy wednesday

(This is my face paint from our trip to the zoo..i'm such dork i didn't want to take it off!) i've been a bad blogger.. yesterday after work dave and i went to grandmom's for dinner and mulch spreading. had a great time. today...just got in from groceries and we are having company so i have to clean and get stuff ready for dinner...not a lot of room for inspiration time. wwwaaaahhhh. I did get about 10 cards out yesterday to the children i mentioned before at the site Make A Child Smile. they have lists of birthdays in addition to the 3 featured kids each month, organized by birthdate-how could you not want to send a card to this child? if you click on his picture it will link to the site. it was actually a lot of fun. I had an excuse to play with my gel pens and new pastel sharpies. i even got Dr. Suesse and Wilber stamps from the post office to match the cards. (I am a closet office supply freak) I got a few new photos done also, which I'm pretty pleased with. since my laptop crashed though, i'm a bit out of sorts with locating a lot of my photos. no more shortcut folders to them on my newly rescued and rebuilt model. i have to access them via remote server or external hard drive which can be a pain in the butt. My scrabble history is gone too..damn that "maven"; i have to start over again kicking his heiney. as dorky as it is i'm super psyched about dinner: steaks and corn on the cob! i have to wait a full 4 hours... so far i've been good today though and only had a slimfast and some fruit so watch out steak. my blog is really really lame today...sorry. Hope everyone has a great night, even if you are not having fresh corn on the cob :)

I am rich beyond belief!

Wow! This weekend was a wonderful whirlwind. We had my 4 year old niece Julia with us from Friday to Sunday night and she is such a delight. I just want to gobble her up! The worst part is that she is well aware of how she has Dave and I wrapped around her finger. We took her with us Friday night to church for a women's covered dinner and she had a lot of fun. Of course great grandmom and grandmom being there was most of it. Mom and I took her to the PA Zoo on Saturday (the pic is them 400 feet in the air in the channel 6 hot air balloon!) with a group and Sunday she lasted through about 10 minutes of church before she and I retired to the nursery. The nursery is actually a lot of fun. We rocked with our alphabet blocks! Sunday night we went to Dannielle's for my nephew Nick's 11th birthday party. It was a lot of fun. It was a Family Fest. It did make me realize how happy I am to be back in New Jersey. I missed so much of this during the ten years I spent in San Diego. On the upside though, I loved San Diego and my years there, and it was great for putting the value of family in perspective. I wouldn't trade what I have now for the world...or a perfect climate for that matter! I'm very happy in my corner of New Jersey with my husband, my doggie, a wonderful family (his and mine) and my little backyard with my little herb garden and a little bbq grill to match! I have come to realize over the years and through many experiences how very fortunate I am to be fully satisfied with my life...and how truly rare that is. To everyone who is a part of my life..........Thank you!

Silence like a cancer grows

The Sound of Silence Hello darkness, my old friend, I've come to talk with you again, Because a vision softly creeping, Left its seeds while I was sleeping, And the vision that was planted in my brain Still remains Within the sound of silence. In restless dreams I walked alone Narrow streets of cobblestone, 'Neath the halo of a street lamp, I turned my collar to the cold and damp When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light That split the night And touched the sound of silence. And in the naked light I saw Ten thousand people, maybe more. People talking without speaking, People hearing without listening, People writing songs that voices never share And no one dare Disturb the sound of silence. "Fools" said I, "You do not know Silence like a cancer grows. Hear my words that I might teach you, Take my arms that I might reach you." But my words like silent raindrops fell, And echoed In the wells of silence. And the people bowed and prayed To the neon god they made. And the sign flashed out its warning, In the words that it was forming. And the sign said, "The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls And tenement halls. And whisper'd in the sounds of silence. " - Paul Simon - "Wednesday Morning 3A.M.", 1964 I've had this song stuck in my head for days. When I went back and really read the words, how true they rang. If those of us who can, do not speak out for the ones that cannot and we fail to reach out to the ones who need it..we risk spreading this disease of apathy. How many times have you seen or heard something that bothered you, but failed to act or say anthything due to fear of ridicule if you were wrong? I know I have. I hope that I may absolve myself of that failure if that is at all possible, by doing all I can now. The strong must care for the weak in order for humankind to survive. Whatever may be near to your heart, whether it be animals, prisoners of concience or children in need..please take a moment, just a moment, to extend a hand. It may be financial, time, writing letters or just a kind word to someone you know who needs it. It will make a difference. I've been on the receiving end, and have never forgotten an act of kindness extended to me...now matter how small. It will remain with me for the rest of my life.

In the end, only kindness matters

From the Inspirational Quotes section of this terrific site: (click the logo to visit) If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas. George Bernard Shaw Make A Child Smile: (click on photo for link) This organization sends cards and small gifts to very sick children. What an awesome idea! My cards will be in the mail tomorrow...please join me! Oprah's Angel Network: (click text for link) Great Volunteer Resource..tons of links Directory of Charities: (click text for link) My goodness....in the search to replace my old links I have come across so many teriffic new ones! Since I have tons of stuff to do at home..the rest of the list will have to follow tomorrow! Have a wonderful Day!

my hands

my hands, originally uploaded by andrealeev.

my hands they are my own

Oddly enough I love to garden without gloves. Touching the earth, to me, is a beautiful thing. Obviously, I am not, nor will I ever be a girly manicure and coiff girl. That's okay with me. Dave and I worked for hours on the back yard and I am thrilled with the results. A lot of people believe that you have to be in or at a church to have a connection with God. I do not subscribe to this belief. When I was really filthy this Sunday digging in my potting soil, I felt an awesome connection. I am holding life. This rag tag little fuzzy ball of a bulb will end up being a beautiful flower, come summer. How wonderous a thing that is! At the end of the day when I glanced at my herb and mini vegetable garden, albiet small, I was filled with elation at the thought that I was going to be eating what I had grown, chemical free this summer. It just tastes sooo much better. (This year finds 2 types of lettuce, spinach, 2 kinds of peppers, cherry tomato, basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, parsley, marjoram, chives, sage and something I am sure I have forgotten). If my attempt at canning pans out, I will be eating MY tomato sauce this winter and MY salsa this summer! I plan on drying the herbs to use as well. Lavendar will be added. I am riding a wave of glorious euphoria!! I do not need to be in or at a Church or even praying to feel close to God...I am closest when my hands are pocked with dirt and full of life! Go ahead, get dirty...it's a lot of fun and you might just find yourself smiling the whole while. and don't forget...help feed others not so fortunate!