"There's nothing like getting mail from home. A letter has a sense of warmth and is more personal than e-mail. With regular mail, it's all yours to keep and take with you when you’re on the move," said Specialist Tommy Brooks from the 2-130 Illinois Infantry Battalion served a 12-month tour in Iraq. Let's Say Thanks provides a way for individuals across the country to recognize U.S. troops stationed overseas. By submitting a message through this site you have the opportunity to send a free personalized postcard greeting to deployed servicemen and women. The postcards, depicting patriotic scenes and hometown images, were selected from a pool of entries from children across the country. All you have to do is click on your favorite design and either select the message that best expresses your sentiment or draft a personal note. The postcards are then printed on the Xerox iGen3® Digital Production Press and mailed in care packages by military support organization Give2TheTroops®. To date, more than 12,000 postcards have been mailed to soldiers. With the launch of LetsSayThanks.com, more soldiers can expect to receive messages from home. Xerox is committed to helping people across the nation express their gratitude to our troops overseas. The launch of this program is aimed at reminding them how much Americans appreciate their service. They have a tell a friend link on the site as well! Please tell someone about this wonderfull effort!

Yay a 95%

Just finished American Government today. My final grade after the 7th exam was a 95%! Another reason for Dave to call me egghead. I also finished my first Web Design text and after the last test only got an 85%, which really got my shorts in a bunch. Thus the lack of blogging this past week. Both are correspondence courses. The first I've been working on for about 1 1/2 years now; It's for an Associate's Degree in Paralegal; The second is a certificate course in Web Design which I just started. Honestly, the American Government course was really fascinating. And to think all these years I thought it would be a yawner. Boy was I wrong-loved it. The other was just as much fun. This was was the groundwork for web design..basically a history of the evolution of the web. It started to touch on some hard coding which was a blast. I can't wait for the next book which gets deep into the html coding and starts with writing good text and some framing! I have been terrified of frames, so I'm looking forward to it. Dave and I have decided to take a night class together in Dreamweaver. Now that should be interesting..LOL The brain is convinced the first statement by the teacher will be, "now what is the world wide web?"..we have a bet riding on it. We are also going to take some cooking classes at our local Shoprite. It's super reasonable at $20 a class. The first menu is: Cruncy crudites and chili-spiced dip, santa fe firehouse style chicken wings, award winner's chili and molten mayan chocolate dip with fresh cut fruit. MMMMM. They limit to 12 people per class, so it should involve tons of hands on. Tonight we are going to an Administrative Council meeting at church. This is a direct result of me opening my big mouth about having some ideas for the church at a recent meeting..will I ever learn? Our pastor was/is up for review as an elder and their was a review board in attendance. A lot of griping went on and I finally got upset and had to say something...so here I go to the meeting. We are going in observation mode tonight. I already opened my mouth too much. The activist in me wants a food pantry at the church. I don't think we give enough back to the area and there is such a need. Even a collection of clothing to redistribute at the start of school or a school supply give away would be nice. We'll see how it goes. I've also committed to the WWIF meeting to convince them to send cards and gifts to MAC kids. The WWIF is the "chick group" at church. Each of th aforementioned meeting is only 1 day a month so it should be easy to fit in our schedule. The last thing I've offered to do is help update the church website..that will be fun. I'm still doing the volunteer moderating on Isurvive and putting the website together for the Masaba Rural Dev Organization in Kenya, so I'm pretty busy and LOVE IT! This is the whole reason I went part time at work :) I need to feel like I'm "part of the solution" and I feel that way now. Anyway, now that I've finished the two courses and am waiting for my new books to arrive..its serious blog and podcast time again! Dave didn't think I was getting out enough...happy hon????

A Little Prayer to Share

O Creator of the cosmos, we present our hearts in prayer. We are awestruck by your glory, which surrounds us everywhere. From the birdsong of the morning to a stormy sky at night You reveal yourself in Nature, in its gentleness and might. Through each rainbow that you send us, you renew your convenant With the earth and all life on it, telling us of your intent That each living thing should flourish, in its own way, in its place. You call us to new awareness of our neighbors and their space. In our eagerness to prosper we have ravaged what was good, Using more than what was needed, taking everything we could. We have changed the gentle order you intended for the earth. Now we humbly ask the wisdom to be part of its rebirth. We seek mercy, we seek vision, and the courage we will need, As we work to help the victims of the sins of human greed. By our choices, in our actions may we be part of your plans. help us gently till the Garden you've entrusted to our hands. Finding strength in common purpose, may your faithful people be Voices for a new perspective, leaders in simplicity. Give us guidance, O Creator, give us the power to achieve True compassion for Creation as the legacy we leave. Lord, in your most blessed name we pray. Amen

I'm donating my parsley

To butterflies! At first sight, I thought these buggers were related to the awful tomato horn worms Dave & I were fighting at the beginning of summer. Upon reading further, I found out that they will turn into swallowtail butterflies. The only two herbs they will eat is dill and parsley. Well...I decided to donate my parsley.

Black Beauty..work in progress

Still working on this one..the flowers are so dark they are hmmm..eggplant color. Gorgeous but hard to photograph. Recent overcast days aren't helping either. I'm dying for some natural sunlight here. Last night I boiled 2 1/2 dozen eggs for work today...it's Salad Day. I peeled them this morning..well that's pretty much my morning lol. It's aggravating when the membrane won't seperate from the egg and you get a zillion little pieces of shell right before the egg breaks. I had awesome eggplant last night. I found the recipe on my favorite site Allrecipes.com You slice the eggplant and dip it in egg. Then you coat it in instant mashed potato flakes with some italian seasoning and salt and pepper before either baking or pan frying in olive oil. At the very end you sprinkle some grated parmesan cheese on it. WOW WOW! It really did kind of have a potato chip taste to it. I couldn't stop eating them. I made corn on the cob and baked fried chicken, but was almost too full to eat any. I think the eggplant must have triptophan (sp?) like turkey because I totally crashed on the sofa after we ate. I woke up at 11:30 to Dave playing World of Warcraft. I felt so bad, but he told me it was fine because then he didn't feel guilty playing his game lol. At least I have a great lunch to pack today..left over fried chicken rocks. Later today I will be posting an awesome link my neighbor Dawn gave me. It lets you pick a card design and the company prints and mails it to a soldier oversees for free. Neato!! Until later, I do hope everyone has a great Friday!

You can't see me

You can't see me, originally uploaded by andrealeev. isn't he cute in his little alien way?

oh blogger come on

whay do i have such a horrible time posting pictures??? i think blogger does not like me. guess i'll be posting from flickr AGAIN. aaargh! well still waiting to hear back from the person i'm working with in Kenya on the web site. i asked him a lot so that is to be expected. unfortunately the name he wants to use always brings up a gaming site in the UK. my yahoo mail has been acting wacky, so i missed a response i was waiting for back on Friday of last week. i didn't see it until it was too late, after having searched my inbox with no results. i had volunteered to moderate a message board for a nonprofit on Saturday. this week i'm going to do Friday and Saturday. this is if my dell doesn't decide to catch fire. i've actually switched to running without the battery and it doesn't seem as hot as usual. (my nic seems to be dropping the connection less as well). i have been reading about geocaching and am dying to try it, but lord, the unit they suggest is a bit hight at 250 without the software included. during my fantasy shopping this morning i decided i need a wireless remote so i can play my ipod through my stereo. not...but it was fun to shop. i decided on a laptop cooler for 12.95 and a skype wireless phone for 39. the headset is fine but wireless is really cool. of course i could just get the usb/rj11 adaptor for 10...man, i'm already talking myself out of it, since not that many people are on skype. i was planning on using it to talk to the person i'm working with in Kenya, just to speed up the process, but really am questioning myself on that. as usual the stuff will sit, downsized in my shopping cart and i will change my mind and never check out :) i definately will buy the cooler though. i have lapsed on Soaphoto with posting and would like to post a photo today. i also have to respond to some comments and leave some for other people. lastly, i have been invited to some fun groups on flickr and plan on posting there as well. i have a horrible headache and upset stomach today..probably from the ice cream cone i had last night...i know better than to eat dairy and only have myself to blame. time to suck down another cup of coffee and get my butt moving. today is my day off and i have a lot of cleaning to do..how does clutter pile up sooooo quick??? Dave and i are supposed to go to church tonight, but if i don't feel better i think i'll call and let them know we are staying in. bummer too, tonight we are covering Judaism in World Religions and it's really interesting. well time for the coffee and excedrin extra strength.. have a great day all.

We are dorks

Okay, I don't usually do super silly stuff here, but this still has me laughing 2 days after we taped it. This is a link to Dave "trying" to sing Otis Redding's Sitting on the Dock of the Bay..I almost wet myself the whole time he was singing. I had to share this. I promise this will be the only idiot fodder (i hope) ever to be on my blog. http://www.zshare.net/video/is-this-thing-on_0001-wmv.html Hope this gives you a good laugh..goodness knows we all need one! Turn your sound down before playing if you are in a quiet place :)

its too early

for me to have anything usefull to post... I had to cook lunch for work and update my Netflix queue this morning, so the actual usefull blog will have to wait. In the meantime, here is my Netflix queue...I wonder what it says about me. I was told your Ipod says a lot about you...so I'm wondering this same about this lol. Currently waiting to be watched: The Pink Panther PG Comedy Brick R Drama Syriana R Thrillers Firewall PG-13 Thrillers All About My Mother R Foreign Kingdom of Heaven R Action & Adventure Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price NR Documentary The Chumscrubber R Independent M UR Foreign Distant UR Foreign The Son NR Foreign Code Unknown NR Foreign L'Auberge Espagnole R Foreign Am I destined to always be a dork?

yay good thing

yay good thing, originally uploaded by andrealeev. part of a set i uploaded at flickr today: good vs bad things of summer...what's in my backyard.. check them out by clicking on the photo! mmmm salsa. I am working today..egads..till 1:30p, however, I am already working on my new podcast. The old one is here: My topics are going to be some that have been covered here as well as some new ones like Creative Commons Licensing and sites that promote it. I've found some great new music as well, so be sure to check it out. I will be fully edited and done this week. Sorry for the inane fluff that is my post today, but I'm not really awake and do not want to go to work today. To self "come on get your keister moving!!!"

Can a simple bracelet change the world?

From the Hunger Site: Be inspired by our sky-blue silicone band, and find out! Bracelet reads "Cultivate Peace" and "TheHungerSite.com". Wear as a reminder that peace must first start within the individual, then spread to our community and world. For every bracelet purchased, an extra 10 cups of food goes to Mercy Corps' Darfur refugee fund, to provide relief to refugees of the Sudanese conflict in Darfur. If you buy a set of 100 bracelets, for example, that translates into 1,000 cups of food! Bracelets measure 8" L x 0.5" W (20 cm x 1 cm). Choose a Set of 10 for $10.00, or a Set of 100 (perfect for fundraising drives, schools, or offices!) for $100.00. Keep one for yourself, and share the rest with friends, coworkers and family! Buy 1, Get 1 Free! For a limited time, buy one 10-pack OR 100-pack, and receive a second 10-pack or 100-pack absolutely FREE! CLICK HERE OR ON THE BRACELET TO PURCHASE!

virtual volunteering!

Virtual volunteering Virtual volunteering opens up a whole new world of volunteer possibilities. Virtual volunteering makes it possible to volunteer without ever leaving home. With access to an email account, virtual volunteering makes it possible to volunteer during a lunch break from class or work. Virtual volunteering also makes it possible to volunteer anywhere in Canada or abroad regardless of where you actually live. Virtual volunteers conduct online research, provide professional consulting services, write newsletters, provide online mentoring, electronically visit terminally ill patients and much more. For you, the person who works with volunteers, a whole new world of possibilities opens as well. Consider how many new volunteers with specific skills and expertise you could involve – regardless of where they actually live. Here are some great sites that list available opportunities: United Nations Volunteers Online Worldwide online volunteering opportunities Service Leader a project of the RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs of the University of Texas at Austin, provides information on all aspects of volunteerism. Nabuur.com "The global network neighbor" NABUUR.COM’s is to give communities in developing countries access to their global Neighbours via the Internet. And through these Neighbours to the huge reservoir of resources (knowledge, solutions, energy, creativity) that is available elsewhere. Achievement Advocate Online Mentoring Community. Bridging the gap from potential to acheivement by providing a roadmap and a guiding hand. Have some time to spare? You will be carefully matched to a student and virtually mentor them each week. These are but a few of many such organizations. From the Open Directory Project, I have provided a link with tons more here: Volunteering! Have a safe and happy day!

How comforting!

My blog is worth $0.00. How much is your blog worth? guess it is all for naught! ha ha

Yumm Yumm!

I'm thinking SALSA & tomato sauce! I brought these in from my container garden last night. This leads me to a food post! I found some great sites for recipes and budget cooking. The first, and my favorite by a longshot is: AllRecipes.com You can even do an advanced search by ingredients you want and don't want. This is great for leftovers or that thing in your fridge you want to eat but don't know what to do with. They also have sections for special diets like diabetic and low fat for example. You can also save recipes in a virtual box if you sign up for a free account. Second place goes to: Recipezaar.com If you sign up for free here, you can also get a free recipe box and post. Only downside is the 24 hour wait for your own recipes and photos to post. Cooks.com and The Food Network site are two others I use a lot. Last night I stumbled upon the Cooking Light site. I left a magazine at work and was trying to find a recipe. Really good, healthy ones here. Now for some fun ones that have to do with budget cooking and general budget tips. Some of them even break the meals down into cost per serving. Most of them also have tons of other tips that are really usefull. One even has, oddly enough, a recipe for homemade baby wipes. Miserly Moms.com Better Budgeting.com Living Cheap.com Frugal-moms.com There is a grassroots movement of people who are giving and getting stuff for free in their own towns. Its called Freecycle and can be found HERE. Another neat one is Craigs List. I start here at New Jersey, but you can navigate to any state. Same idea as Freecycle but has barters, jobs, etc as well. I'll try to add some more later today, but wanted to share this great list with eveyone. I really need to work on the spend less thing myself...I'm more motivated after getting my copy of Hungry Planet and seeing how much less I could live very comfortably on. The consumer in me is a bad, bad influence. I am off tomorrow and plan to make some changes on the blog so it loads quicker. I also have put together an outline for my next podcast and am really excited about it...its going to be a good one! I hope everyone has a great day! Its only supposed to be in the eighties today so it will feel great outside! Yeah finally a break from the heat.

I wanted to share a wonderful and necessary organization I came across on Volunteer Match: isurvive.org is a site for abuse survivors. It is a much needed support system for individuals who may think they are alone in their situation. As a former Alateen member, I know how important can be. Knowing you are not alone means so much to somone who may feel that way..it gives hope. Please take a moment to visit their site; more importantly if you know someone who needs it, please refer them! They have a great resourse list as well. Why we're here A few years ago an abuse survivor was searching on the web for help. There were lots of sites for survivors of abuse, but only one that had the kind of in depth, powerful, insightful discussion he was looking for. After a few weeks on their discussion boards he made an amazing connection -- he found someone who had more in common with him than anyone he had ever met. They exchanged several long, meaningful posts. Healing was happening. Then the site went down. Their correspondence was lost. The webmaster left a note up saying he had been hostily forced to delete everything. The site never came back up. The abuse survivor was also a professional web designer. He decided to create a well-rounded, professionally-designed site to help other abuse survivors heal. The idea for isurvive.org was born. The organization isurvive.org is an incorporated 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. This status allows us to offer more protection to participants than a site run by an individual. Thanks to our non-profit status, individuals who do not support our potentially incendiary, controversial discussion topics will have a much tougher time silencing our exchange. isurvive.org is a volunteer-driven organization. The founding team is composed of approximately 25 volunteers in the San Francisco Bay Area, New York City and Los Angeles. Today, as isurvive.org has grown, our volunteer team is now composed of people from various places around the United States. Contact information Our snail mail address is: isurvive.org PO Box 78191 San Francisco, CA 94107 Phone 1-800-875-2071 For For general information contact info@isurvive.org. Questions regarding a specific discussion, chat room or the stories archive, go to the corresponding page and contact the appropriate moderator, or email the site moderator at moderator@isurvive.org. Volunteering isurvive.org is an entirely volunteer-driven organization. From time to time we form volunteer programs for everything from fundraising to online outreach, to grassroots marketing and awareness raising. If you're interested in hearing more about volunteering your time, email volunteer@isurvive.org or check out some of our current volunteer opportunities on Volunteer Match.