The here and the now

Well we have been home now for almost 2 months, been a slow start but things are starting to get back to normal. We are waiting to hear back if Matt is getting the job as a merchandiser for Coca Cola. Our kitties are settling in and finally accepting the other animals in the house... well almost. I have been helping my Mom with work as one of the managers is on leave and so it gives me something to do with income to help pay off some of our bills we have acquired before and during the move. No news on the house but I sure wish the darn thing would sell since its not doing anything for us. Unfortunately right now everyone and their mother is renting since no one is buying. We are hoping to be in a house of our own again soon so well see how that goes. Will have more exciting stuff in the next post which won't be as long span as the last one.

A Salute to our Veteran's

To the many men and women of our armed services present and past...

Being 3rd Generation of my family to follow in the footsteps of my Nana to fall in love with a servicemen today brings great pride. My Maternal Grandmother followed her heart and married my Grandfather who served as a Amy MP. Then when my Mother married my Dad who served in the Navy like his Father and my Grandmother who were World War II Naval Officers. Just like my maternal Grandfather my Great Uncle also served in the Army.

History of Veteran's Day from www.military.com

Veterans Day gives Americans the opportunity to celebrate the bravery and sacrifice of all U.S. veterans. However, most Americans confuse this holiday with Memorial Day, reports the Department of Veterans Affairs.

What's more, some Americans don't know why we commemorate our Veterans on Nov.11. It's imperative that all Americans know the history of Veterans Day so that we can honor our former servicemembers properly.
A Brief History of Veterans Day

Veterans Day, formerly known as Armistice Day, was originally set as a U.S. legal holiday to honor the end of World War I, which officially took place on November 11, 1918. In legislation that was passed in 1938, November 11 was "dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as 'Armistice Day.'" As such, this new legal holiday honored World War I veterans.

In 1954, after having been through both World War II and the Korean War, the 83rd U.S. Congress -- at the urging of the veterans service organizations -- amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word "Armistice" and inserting the word "Veterans." With the approval of this legislation on June 1, 1954, Nov. 11 became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.

In 1968, the Uniforms Holiday Bill ensured three-day weekends for federal employees by celebrating four national holidays on Mondays: Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Columbus Day. Under this bill, Veterans Day was moved to the last Monday of October. Many states did not agree with this decision and continued to celebrate the holiday on its original date. The first Veterans Day under the new law was observed with much confusion on Oct. 25, 1971.

Finally on September 20, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed a law which returned the annual observance of Veterans Day to its original date of Nov. 11, beginning in 1978. Since then, the Veterans Day holiday has been observed on Nov. 11.
Celebrating the Veterans Day Holiday

If the Nov. 11 holiday falls on a non-workday — Saturday or Sunday — the holiday is observed by the federal government on Monday (if the holiday falls on Sunday) or Friday (if the holiday falls on Saturday). Federal government closings are established by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management — a complete schedule can be found here. State and local government closings are determined locally, and non- government businesses can close or remain open as they see fit, regardless of federal, state or local government operation determinations.

United States Senate Resolution 143, which was passed on Aug. 4, 2001, designated the week of Nov.11 through Nov. 17, 2001, as "National Veterans Awareness Week." The resolution calls for educational efforts directed at elementary and secondary school students concerning the contributions and sacrifices of veterans.
The difference between Veterans Day and Memorial Day

Memorial Day honors servicemembers who died in service to their country or as a result of injuries incurred during battle. Deceased veterans are also remembered on Veterans Day but the day is set aside to thank and honor living veterans who served honorably in the military - in wartime or peacetime.
President Eisenhower’s letter to Harvey V. Higley, Administrator of Veterans' Affairs, designating him Chairman, Veterans Day National Committee

The White House Office
October 8, 1954

Dear Mr. Higley:

I have today signed a proclamation calling upon all of our citizens to observe Thursday, November 11, 1954 as Veterans Day. It is my earnest hope that all veterans, their organizations, and the entire citizenry will join hands to insure proper and widespread observance of this day. With the thought that it will be most helpful to coordinate the planning, I am suggesting the formation of a Veterans Day National Committee. In view of your great personal interest as well as your official responsibilities, I have designated you to serve as Chairman. You may include in the Committee membership such other persons as you desire to select and I am requesting the heads of all departments and agencies of the Executive branch to assist the Committee in its work in every way possible.

I have every confidence that our Nation will respond wholeheartedly in the appropriate observance of Veterans Day, 1954.

Sincerely,

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER

The New, The Now and The Thankful

12 days now till TMO comes and packs up our stuff! Tomorrow we should be getting our new cell phones, both Matt and I will have one. It is exciting but sad at the same time as I still terribly miss the guys from Matt's shop they were the greatest and will be missed very much. In our 9 years this was the only shop with a friendly atmosphere and had gotten to actually know the people working with him. We are moving back home FINALLY and I am looking forward to being home for Thanksgiving for the first time in 8 years and if that isn't enough to be thankful for I don't know what is.Finally I can breathe with ease for the first time not having to worry about Mom and Dad. I can see family and friends anytime I want now without having to worry about when we have to come back here. But most of all I can see my Grandmother more often. I draw so much of my strength from my family and everything is falling into place where it should be.

Alan Jackson - Home

In a small town down in Georgia over forty years ago
Her maiden name was Musik til she met that Jackson boy
They married young like folks did then, not a penny to their name
But they believe the one you vow to love
Should always stay that same

And on the land his daddy gave him, a foundation under way
For a love to last forever or until their dying day
They built a bond that's strong enough to stand the test of time
And a place for us to turn to when our lives were in a bind

And they made their house from a tool shed
Grandaddy rolled down on two logs
And they built walls all around it
And they made that house a home
They taught us 'bout good living
They taught is right and wrong
Lord there'll never be another place
In this world I'll call home

My momma raised five children, four girls then there was me
She found her strength with faith in God and love of family
She never had a social life, home was all she knew
Except the time she took a job, to play a bill or two

My daddy skinned his knuckles on the cars that he repaired
He never earned much money but he gave us all he had
He never made the front page but he did the best he could
And folks drove their cars from miles around
To let him look underneath the hood

And they made their house from a tool shed
Grandaddy rolled down on two logs
And they built walls all around it
And they made that house a home
They taught us 'bout good living
They taught is right and wrong
Lord there'll never be another place
In this world I'll call home
No there'll never be another place in this world
That I'll call home

Star Wars Fan Days II - Plano Texas

Well I have boldy gone where no one in my family has gone before, a Star Wars / Sci Fi convention. We went to the Star Wars Fan Days II convention in Plano Texas on Saturday. There was a lot of excitement as there were so many booths and lots of good costumes. The most impressive I saw was a Darth Vader costume as it looked just like the one used in the movies. We even got to meet Dave Prowse who was the only person till Hayden Christensen to wear the Vader costume in the movies, we also met Peter Mayhew who played Chewbacca, Ashley Eckstein who was the voice of Anakin's padawan Ahsoka in Clone Wars, Orli Shoshan who played Shaak-Ti. If we had stayed around longer then we did we might have had a chance to meet Bruce Campbell but what we saw of him on stage he looked like a nice guy. We got autographs from everyone we got to meet in the big autograph room. There was so much to see it was amazing, most impressively the company that made the R2D2 droids were there with some functional droids and we even got to see what all it took to make them.

To see the pictures
http://angiedosreis.zenfolio.com/p385047932

PUMPKINS!

In honor of October 1st today will be all about Pumpkins!

Most associate pumpkins with is Fall, Thanksgiving, Halloween.The pumpkin has many functions as almost every bit of the pumpkin can be used in some way leaving very little of the pumpkin to be wasted. They are a great stand alone decoration or cute Jack-O-Lantern on Halloween night,a savory snack or yummy desert treat. Starting with the Pumpkin seeds when getting ready to carve your pumpkin for Halloween.You can save the seeds and toast them in a oven @ 350 for 8-10 minutes.

The pumpkin itself can be turned into a delicious pie. I found a insightful web site on how to make a pumpkin pie from a real pumpkin. The step by step pictures included show just how easy it can be.One of my most earliest memories from fall were the pumpkin pies my Mom would spend hours making. The good smells coming from the oven and the whole house just smelled like pumpkin! Over the years and googling over stack after stack of cook book my favorite addition to the classic pumpkin pie is the pumpkin cheesecake! And with some experimenting with a recipe I found for Pumpkin Spice Cake I found a version that is easy and simple to make.

My Pumpkin spice Cake/Bread

1 - Box of Betty Crocker Gingerbread cake & cookie mix
1- 15 oz can of Pumpkin Pie Filling
1 Tbsp Pumpkin Pie spice

Mix all ingrediants together and bake @350 for about 30-35 minutes depending on type of pan you use. I am a big fan of the silicone bake wear as it makes it so much easier to remove after baking.

This is a friends Frosting recipe that is super yummy!

Steph's Kahlua Buttercream Frosting
3 sticks of butter
1 tsp of vanilla
4 tbsp of Kahlua
2lb bag of powdered sugar and a bit of water to thin it as you like

References

Instruction's on how to turn a real pumpkin into pumpkin pie
http://www.pumpkinpatchesandmore.org/pumpkinpie.php

Paula Deen's Pumpkin Cheesecake
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/pumpkin-cheesecake-recipe/index.html

Scrapbooking Guide

The Scrapbooking Bible: A List of a Scrapper’s Best Friends!


Paper Cutter aka Paper Trimmer: This handy gadget is probably the most used item in my collection of tools I use for Scrapbooking/Card making. Most handy feature is the built in ruler mine has that makes cutting paper to the right size and utilize and waste very little paper. It also makes self picture printing a lot easier when trimming those wonderful center pieces that make your layout pop and sparkle. Also useful when mailing those school pictures out to family and friends. Since we bought our first digital camera over 7 years ago now it has been my #1 most useful tool. Also handy for cutting 6 x 12 out of 12 x 12 paper for the cricut machine!

Brads, Eyelets & Embellishments: These little pieces can add so much to a page and they have many functions that they can do for a page. With the variety and many styles a sure to make any page into something special. They come in a variety of shapes and colors not to mention various color gem stones. I have used some in my layouts to make everything from a simple decoration, to hold one piece of paper to another and to even make a flower adding a brad to a fake flower and voila!

Scissors & Punches:
Scissors: Just like regular every day hand held scissors except one small twist instead of cutting straight lines some have jagged teeth like cut shapes, or a fancy swirly edge. Either way to add some spice to any of your layouts with a simple snip.
Punches: These come in a variety of shapes and sizes much like the brads they can be used for creating a border or fancy edge or frame for your layout pictures. Some come in the most basic shapes like Circles, Squares or some more elaborate designs like the current Martha Stewart line that has a ghoulishly theme for Halloween that features the silhouette of a witch, a pumpkin . There are also border punches that usually are the size of your hand from finger tip to the edge of your wrist for larger embellishments. Most punches and scissors can run you from anywhere from 99 cents to $15 depending on the brand and size.

Glue, Epoxy & Dots!: How do I put all these good pictures together on paper? Like everything else in the Crafting store there are about a billion ways to glue your layouts. There is the good old fashion white glue bottle which works well but can be messy and sometimes can cause glue spots to soak through your paper to make unattractive places on the page. Next there is the glue stick which can do some of the same things white glue can also if not applied smoothly it raises parts of the page and leaves a sticky looking smudge. Over the last few years they have made glue dots which are just sticky circles much like we use to find when we opened that new Barbie doll the sticky dot that held the bag of Barbie goodies to the box who knew years later that invention would be coming back to our lives for a different purpose. Another good invention was the glue pen it is very much like the glue dots with the exception it’s in a pen form that you just press on to the item and place where you want. The good perk to Glue pens and Dots your pictures can be removed easily without damage to the picture and replaced with re applying adhesive.

Organizing your Supplies and Storing your Goodies: You don’t need anything fancy and even if you think you don’t have the space for scrapbooking WRONG! All you need is a small table to spread your stuff out to have fun. Even with starting with small projects it is a baby step to honing your skills. My favorite way to store my paper is the 12 x 12 boxes that are for storing your scrapbook while working on it. They are relatively cheap and are perfect size for storing 12 x 12 paper. I also found some awesome little containers in the beading section of Michaels it is a caddy that holds about 6-7 small containers the size of a can of chewing tobacco perfect for organizing your small brads and embellishments. Another good section is to check the sewing section of Wal-Mart, Hobby Lobby or any sewing store they carry assortments of containers in varying sizes for the pins and sewing bobbins. I also have a stack of about 6 plastic storage containers the size of shoe boxes (which you can also use old shoe boxes that works just as well). I once read an article on storage in Better Homes and Gardens Scrapbooking Etc! about storage and a woman said she used a milk crate that she stored in the bottom of her closet for her scrapbooking goodies so get creative about these too easy things you can find around your home can be used as well!

To The Scrapbooking challenged: Anyone can scrapbook, all you need is paper, some time and pictures! Don’t let yourself or anyone else hold you back. One idea leads to another and before you know it you have an album of memories that will last a lifetime and into the next. Many get so discouraged and intimidated walking up and down the aisles of the store looking at all there is and in reality most of that stuff you don’t really need to make something really great. Just some paper, pictures and let your creative mind go to work. Don’t forget to play with the paper a bit to get some ideas and I always say EXPERIMENT! EXPERIMENT! EXPERIMENT! Some things work well together and some do not do not feel bound to the boundaries of the 4 sides of your paper and don’t forget if it doesn’t all fit on one page go for a 2 or even 3, 4 page layout!

Digital Scrapbooking Etc: This can be another intimidation for many, Digital scrapbooking is just as easy as regular paper scrapbooking and sometimes can be cheaper and mess free. Having a scanner or sometimes as I have a 4 in 1 printer helps in this department for those older pictures taken before the era of Digital Cameras. Just scan them to your computer and Voila your ready to start your book. For those that do not own a scanner most stores like Wal-Mart, Walgreens and most picture printing places you can now take in to the store and for around $1 or so you can have your pictures scanned and saved to a CD. The two programs I use for Digital Scrapbooking are Photoshop Elements which can be costly since the main program is $99 and any additional programs that have more embellishments usually run the same. It overall is a very effective picture program for fixing pictures as well. I also use a Hewlett Packard Program that is free to download from their web site called Photosmart Essentials. The program is free and it comes with some other programs from Arc Software that is also free. With Photosmart Essentials it very much is like the Kodak Digital camera it is designed for beginners and is easy to use. There are many layouts for the scrapbooking program that are free and some you can purchase for $6.99-15.



References & Supplies:
HP Photsmart Essentials
http://www.hp.com/united-states/consumer/digital_photography/free/software/index.html
Photoshop Elements
http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshopelwin/
Better Homes and Gardens Scrapbooking Etc
http://www.scrapbooksetc.com/
Cricut Machine
http://www.cricut.com/
Kodak (good place to order pictures for those who don’t print at home)
http://www.kodakgallery.com/Welcome.jsp
Also good for making Calendars and other picture gifts

It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown!

Ok so I have had pumpkins on the brain for the last month... Hard to resist since Orange is one of my favorite colors. Last week I could wait no longer I got out the It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown DVD and had a stroll through my childhood day I watched it, the cartoon version of Sleepy Hollow which oddly I found scary as hell as a kid but loved watching it, then Return to Oz (ok so it's not really a Halloween movie but still a good movie). I need to find The Worst Witch and Hocus Pocus on DVD those are two other Halloween movies I love watching too.

While in Michael's the other day I got a new punch for Scrapbooking it is the silhouette of a witch. They have so many cute things in Michael's for Halloween this year since Martha Stewart's return to grace since her incident a few years back. I think my favorite is the scrapbooking goodies though everything from Ghoul's to Goblins and more all shiny and glitter speced. It is like looking at everything through the eyes of a child everything new and exciting for the first time. For me Halloween has always been exciting for me since Mom made my first Halloween costume... a witch. In tribute to October and being in need of a new signature picture for the forum I go to I did a layout of me in that costume (http://angiedosreis.zenfolio.com/p833711593/h9ab62f5#h9ab62f5) Larger version of the layout. A funny memory came back to me when I was creating the layout was the broom I had I remember Mom handing it to me every 5 seconds because I didn't want to carry it lol I wanted to be the broom less witch.

Sometime this next week I want to stock up on some spice cake and have a bake fest. I got a cookie cutter in the shape of a pumpkin. I really miss the Nut Tree Factory bakery this time of year they had these awesome gingerbread molasses cookies in the shape of Pumpkins. My favorite baking piece I own so far is my pumpkin muffin tin, they are kind of hard to get to come out perfect but when they do they look so cute. Eventually I want to get the tin that looks like a giant pumpkin. The other day I found so many cute pans Tina and I were geeking over them like a kid in the candy store for over an hour.

I think I am already in mind set for Christmas too as I was looking at new Cricut cartridges for ideas for Christmas cards, and one's for Mom and Dad too! But that is another 2 months away so well see more in November about those.


~October Birthday's~
Our oldest Niece Turns 11, Grandma will be 92!!, Our oldest Nephew turns 11 as well =D and of course our friends son Vincent turns 1 hard to think of since it seems like yesterday we went to his baby shower.