Happy B-day Big Bro :-)

Here's a cute Happy Birthday!and here's a crazy one, Happy Birthday!
now go HERE !

start at the beginning.

Crafts we made

Sydney and I have been working on crafts this week. Here is what we made. A blue jean pocket purse and a Sunflower Stitched Card. I have found some really neat projects to do with Sydney when I took the time to look for them. It is also really great that she likes to sew and is willing to use this interest and expand on it.

We will give cards to Mariwilla and Connie for their birthday cards on Sunday afternoon at the party.

Mission San Luis Trip

We went to Sydney's favorite place last weekend and I am now getting the time to blog it. Here is a description I pulled off the Mission San Luis' web site.

A visit to Mission San Luis transports you back in time. Your destination is a community where Apalachee Indians and newcomers from Spain live in close proximity drawn together by religion as well as military and economic purpose.

Modern day visitors to Mission San Luis discover a re-created community where time stands still. There they meet the people of San Luis going about the tasks that sustained life centuries ago. They walk the plaza where the Apalachees played their traditional ball games. They visit the most important structure in the Apalachee village, the council house, and also stop at the home of the Spanish Deputy Governor. Visitors are welcomed at the church built under the supervision of Franciscans, and at the friary where they lived. Mission San Luis is a very special place where history comes to life.Sydney in the Hispanic Village Sydney in the Council House. The Council House.Inside the Hispanic Village sleeping quarters.
t the leather tanning area.Carmella outside of the Council house.

This is where Sydney took the camera away from me. You can see the faces that she was not happy about me taking the pictures.

We had a fun day and were able to take a walk on the trail and the Friar's house and the church.

135 Jars on the shelf

This weekend Newman and I did some kick butt canning. We canned peas and jams all weekend long. Here's what we started off with:
-24 lbs of peas (White Acre, Zipper, Pink Eye)
- 8 lbs of peaches
- 5 lbs of blueberries
- a bag of sand pears
- 6 lbs of strawberries
- buckets and buckets of figs

We made 135 jars of pint, 1/2 pint and bagged a few for the freezer. We spent around $169 together so this breaks down to about $0.80 per 1/2 pint jar. It was an exhausting weekend but boy was it fun!

Special thanks to Debra, Paul, and Bill for allowing us to pick from their fig trees. Special thanks to Robert for helping with making the figs and getting supplies during the weekend. Also, great steaks!

Our variety of canning.... Left to Right: Zipper Peas, Strawberry Jam, Pear Preserves, Blueberry Jam, Peach Jam, Fig Preserves, White Acre Peas, and Pink Eye Peas.

Our canning of 135 cans minus 9 that we still had cooking or gave to Robert.
On the stove working three recipes at once. front left pot is Strawberry Jam, front right pot is hot water bath pot, back left pot is figs and back right pot is Pear Preserves.
Beautiful figs getting cleaned.

Figs and strawberries prior to cooking.

Newman and me cooking our jams.

Nice close up of the frozen foods.

Inform...Educate...Inspire...

I saw this poster at CWA 3114 Local Union Hall. It is a quote that Mother Jones.

Pray for the Dead.
Fight like Hell for the Living.

Www.unionist.com

All Nighters

These are interesting days. This morning at 7am, Sydney came into my room saying "Get up mom, it's 7am and I didn't go to sleep last night." Oh my goodness, I thought. She has since crashed in her room around 8am. She pulled her first all nighter and it was not for a sleepover nor an exam. What it looks like to me is that she read, ate popcorn and had a sprite. She had four books on her bed. One I know she started last night and it was opened to page 122. It's a good thing that I am working from home until 1pm today and then we travel to Panama City, FL for meetings this evening.

BTW... I love Chiquita Bananas! They have a better banana taste than Dole Bananas.

Household projects?

So today, I did a simple job. It took a whole five minutes to complete. I replaced two sets of blinds in my house. One set in Sydney's room and the other in the bathroom. They look okay. But what I have discovered is that I really want to finish up some projects around the house and put a bit of Carmella into the house. While shopping at Tuesday Mornings this week looking for discounted yarn, I found a decorating book. It is my style of decorating. It's a very distinct style. I'm a white wash simple patterns kinda girl. However in my home that is not what I have. I have bold Burgundy's, greens and some blue. I'm not a pastel person but not a bold person either. A more 20's/70's style but not vintage. Add a rustic feel also. What I have found in this book is some patterns that I can sew myself. I can make some cute chair covers and curtains. I even found an awesome idea for a quilt/blanket. Now that I am discovering my style again, I will be able to center my decorating. Which can be unfocused for me. The book reminded me of making an inspiration wall which is what Emily G. taught my Young Women one time at a Wednesday night activity and recently saw that my SIL, Carrie, has one too. Guess I need to concentrate on what I really do like and try to start coordinating. You think I can paint my Grandmother's Mahogany Bedroom suit? Well, one step at a time. Get all the wall and curtains done then think about furniture. The book is called, Decorating easy: Create a simple, comfortable home with pure style. The great thing also is that I got it for $4.99. Great book and great inspiration for me to put Carmella into my home.

The Sewing Area

Sydney has a sewing/craft area in her room.

Side View

Front View

Sydney Sewing her blanket. Another picture of Sydney sewing.

Finished Blanket

.... Sydney really likes the poodle that I sewed on it.

EFCA Debate

Well, I have always wanted to be politically active. It seems that I am getting my opportunity. I gave a presentation about the Employee Free Choice Act at a Central Labor Council this week. It was exciting to talk about what American Income Life is doing to help the working families and supporting this legislation.

After that presentation, there was an agenda item about a DEBATE. Oh how nice, I thought. There is going to be a debate about the EFCA. What a great way to discuss the pros/cons of this issue. During the meeting they spoke about needing another person. Preferably a female since the other two panelist were males. After the meeting, they have asked me to be the third panelist. Whoa! I need more information and I will do my best to be prepared to participate in my FIRST debate. Didn't know it would be so easy to get involved. It's fun!

Homeless, Hungry, Please Help!

Today, I stopped to buy gas as I traveled from Tampa, FL to back home. There at the entrance of the store was an elderly man sitting with a sign saying,

Homeless
Hungry
Please help!

As I was pumping the gas, I started looking for what I had in the car to give the man. I could not just watch and do nothing. I had some bottled water that was cold. At breakfast this morning, I had an extra box of Kashi Honey Toasted Oats and a half bag of Target Popcorn. I handed this to the man who thanked me very graciously. I was just happy to help the man. He only knows what has happened to his life to put him there. I could have been there in his same spot if I didn't have this great job that I do have. I was just happy to be able to help him. The strange thing about it all was that people watch and I almost named this entry, You never know who's watching, but didn't. Well, when I went into the store there was a gentleman that had watched me do this. He told me that it was very nice that I helped the man like that. It struck me because I didn't think anyone was watching. We never will know who is watching nor do we know if we will ever be homeless and hungry asking people to Please Help!

John Wesley's Counsel

As John Wesley's mother counseled: 'Avoid whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, takes off your relish for spiritual things,... increases the authority of the body over the mind' ("In His Steps" in 1979 Devotional Speeches of the Year [1980], pg 61

Wow! This is a very insightful quote. If we could all live our lives on this counsel.

My first scarf

This weekend I started and finished my first scarf. I finished a knitting project and it didn't take too long. It was fun.

For my first time knitting, it turned out to be a cute scarf. There are mistakes but it is wearable. Now, lets see what can be created for gifts.

I learned on http://www.youtube.com/. Maybe someone can find a craft they want to learn and see it demonstrated on there.

My 4th of July

Feet at the beach house. My niece and mom's photo opportunity.

A beautiful picture from Bill & Nan's beach house.

A few people at Bill and Nan's beach house.

Self Portrait after a day in the sun.

My handsome cousin.

My beautiful niece!

My cousin and niece playing on the beach.
Me knitting my first scarf. I have taught myself how to knit using a www.youtube.com video. It is actually easier than I had thought it would be.
Bett Macia

U Pick It

We went to a farm in Bainbridge, GA where we picked our own food yesterday (June 30, 2009). Here are some of the pictures that we took. Someone asked me the other day what Era I would have liked to have been born. We discussed and agreed we were born in the best one for us. Many for different reasons. Some of the reason were: harsh living conditions, women not having a voice, lack of Civil Rights, Lack of Medicine and less advanced forms of hygiene. Yes, I do believe I was born in the best era for me. But as I was picking my veggies, I thought about how it would have been for me to be born in the early 1900's and lived a life as my Grandmother's.

When we got home, I called Tudy (Maternal Grandmother) and told her about our day. We spoke about how it was growing up for her. Boy the changes. Tudy told me about how the world changed. Yes, she has seen tremendous evolution in her lifetime. From the horse and buggy to the Model T, Man walking to flying with the Wright Brothers to Neal Armstrong walking on the Moon, she saw bits of slavery to civil rights riots and now its same sex marriages and an African American as President. I think its been said her generation is the generation of change.

Sydney picking Butter Beans or being a devil (see the little horns she made with butter beans?)

Butter Beans

I was taking the picture of the flower . As we drove around looking for Tomatoes and Okra, I discovered that the flower was Okra.

Me in the field of Okra.

Sydney picking more Butter Beans. It's the new style of picking. Lay down and pick.

Me enjoying my time with Sydney in the field.
Our 5 gallons of Tomatoes.
3 gallons of Butter Beans, Peppers and Okra.