October 31, 2009

It's Going to Happen!

My scraproom is now all crated up and in the process of being painted and getting new flooring!  Meanwhile, I have boxes and boxes of stuff to sort and purge...this isn't going to be an easy project but oh so worth it!  I've wanted this for a very long time!  Goodbye plastic drawers!  Welcome cabinets and decorative baskets!  I'm just now trying to get a vision!
Photobucket

October 26, 2009

Is a Latte a Latte to ask for?

Struggling with my espresso machine, a good one (Krups) for over a year now.  Finally decided to clean it with the cleaner that they use at Barnies, the Florida precursor to Starbucks.  My daughter worked for them her senior year in high school and through college, she sneaked me a bit home in a plastic cup.  It worked!  Now I too can have my homemade cup of java latte any time I want!  Someone put my tamp through the dishwasher so now I have to get out the aluminum cleaner!  Anyone know what works best?

October 25, 2009

Why Blog?

I've pretty much given up blogging. It always seems a blog needs more than a simp0le update. Either you have to add pics and some long thoughtful post. So I quit. I think that's why I like Facebook...it's quick and short and not so personal! There is already too much personal stuff out there on the web, I don;t need to voluntarily add more.
Quoting from another person on one of the message boards I frequet.

This gal was a friend of mine and we had a huge "falling out" that is hurtful to me this day.  She lives diagonally across the US in the NW.  It has been difficult for me but we both said some unkind things to one another.  She has chosen to have nothing to do with me.

This is exactly one reason I blog, not to say something "profound" or feel as if I must add pictures!  As you can see my blog is fairly simple!  It's my right to exercise the First Amendment of the US constitution.


About the First Amendment



By Brian J. Buchanan

First Amendment Center Online managing editor





Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

— The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution



The First Amendment was written because at America's inception, citizens demanded a guarantee of their basic freedoms.



Our blueprint for personal freedom and the hallmark of an open society, the First Amendment protects freedom of speech, press, religion, assembly and petition.



Without the First Amendment, religious minorities could be persecuted, the government might well establish a national religion, protesters could be silenced, the press could not criticize government, and citizens could not mobilize for social change.



When the U.S. Constitution was signed on Sept. 17, 1787, it did not contain the essential freedoms now outlined in the Bill of Rights, because many of the Framers viewed their inclusion as unnecessary. However, after vigorous debate, the Bill of Rights was adopted. The first freedoms guaranteed in this historic document were articulated in the 45 words written by James Madison that we have come to know as the First Amendment.



The Bill of Rights — the first 10 amendments to the Constitution — went into effect on Dec. 15, 1791, when the state of Virginia ratified it, giving the bill the majority of ratifying states required to protect citizens from the power of the federal government.



The First Amendment ensures that "if there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein," as Justice Robert Jackson wrote in the 1943 case West Virginia v. Barnette.



And as Justice William Brennan wrote in New York Times v. Sullivan in 1964, the First Amendment provides that "debate on public issues ... [should be] ... uninhibited, robust, and wide-open."



However, Americans vigorously dispute the application of the First Amendment.



Most people believe in the right to free speech, but debate whether it should cover flag-burning, hard-core rap and heavy-metal lyrics, tobacco advertising, hate speech, pornography, nude dancing, solicitation and various forms of symbolic speech. Many would agree to limiting some forms of free expression, as seen in the First Amendment Center's State of the First Amendment survey reports.



Most people, at some level, recognize the necessity of religious liberty and toleration, but some balk when a religious tenet of a minority religion conflicts with a generally applicable law or with their own religious faith. Many Americans see the need to separate the state from the church to some extent, but decry the banning of school-sponsored prayer from public schools and the removal of the Ten Commandments from public buildings.



Further, courts wrestle daily with First Amendment controversies and constitutional clashes, as evidenced by the free-press vs. fair-trial debate and the dilemma of First Amendment liberty principles vs. the equality values of the 14th Amendment.



Such difficulties are the price of freedom of speech and religion in a tolerant, open society.

If no one ever reads my blog I still have an online journal siting a number of interests to me, wide in variety.  Writing helps me think through, process my own thoughts, comments are welcome.  I like to know what other's are thinking!

October 23, 2009

Double Nickle

The month of October is flying by. This week I turned 55. My husband bought me a cake that said "Happy Birthday Double Nickle".



It was my quest to find two 1954 nickles, which I found on eBay for 99cents. I'll either have them made into charms or put them in my scrapbook.







Just finished a lovely visit with my friend Lynn who is one tiny little 5 foot, 100 pound soaking wet, size 0 wearing jeans, megabyte of energy.








We hit Florida Mall and my favorite scrapbook store in Orlando after she touched down at the OIA.

Wednesday we shopped Daytona including Biktoberfest where Lynn tried out a Harley-Davidson. She wants a street bike but this was the best we could do. She also bought a shirt.

We then spent two days in St. Augustine, shopping every day with some sight seeing and wine tasting. We also got airbrush tattoo's, crazy girls that we are!










Ended out Saturday night with a 3 hour meal at the bar (no tables were available) at the famous Columbia Resturant in St. Augustine. This upscale Spanish resturant started up in Ybor City in 1905.


On our way home to my house we stopped in Altamonte Springs to have lunch at The Elephant Bar where we met my daughter. Of course more shopping and home by 7:00 PM.

Monday we went to the south end of Lake Okeechobee to catch an airboat ride and eat outside at Roland Martin's Marina and Resort in Clewiston and eat at The Gally there.













Tuesday we had time to shop Sebring, eat lunch at a local cafe, and for me to give Lynn a lesson in shifting a manual shift car to help her get the hang of motorcycle shifting! She did really well for her first or second try at this skill, and at least the car didn't tip over when she stalled out the engine!


While I don't have pictures of the casino in Brighton, we do have a fun picture of Lynn and I pulling the handle on a giant slot machiene at which time we were politely escorted to the door for her to place her camera in the car, but we did get the picture~



More fun stuff to come when I get the CD with her pictures in the mail!

October 3, 2009

October!

Well, I turn 55 in a few weeks but feel 35! I've been waiting to get back to blogging and this short post is just to let you know.



Righ now I am in the trenches of Simplify 101 and Organize Your Closet by Aby Garvy. It has helped me a great deal to declutter and purpose the items that live in my home or get rid of them. Last week I sent three tall laundry hampers that I hated to charity, over 300 pieces of clothing! I feel much lighter. Aby is a great inspiration and encourager as well as a smart woman with a plan to help you accompliish whatever area of your life you want to control, rather than it controling you!

More later!