Hello dear blog

I was beginning to miss you. It is the end of the year so I must review. It certainly has not been the best but it is what it is.

Let's see, the business sucked this year. All sorts of things broke in the house. Both cars broke. Kara didn't get her scholarship due to grades. Cindi went wild at 16. Jacob is in his last year of elementary school about to head into middle school. My MIL had some serious health issues as well my mother did too.

But I did have my sewing job and my babysitting job which got us through. And my children and my husband and I are all healthy. We have a roof over our heads for now. We have food but only because I insist on buying food before anything else.

And it is almost 2010. 2010 has got to be the year that things go well for us. It just has to be. I do believe in the laws of the universe and that you attract things you want to yourself simply by the power of thought. So I am thinking prosperity, peace, and what's the third P? Oh no, I can't remember.

Anyway, I will eat my black eyed peas and think positive thoughts that 2010 will be our best year ever!! Hope it is for all mankind. God bless us one and all.

Tribute to Stephen E. Poulos, Victim of 9/11

Stephen Poulos, 45, of Basking Ridge, New Jersey was killed on September 11, 2001 while working as an information technology manager at the Aon Corp. in the World Trade Center.
But according to his wife Lisa, computers were not his first love.

Stephen had a beautiful Baritone voice and studied music throughout his high school years and sang Opera for various groups in and around New York City. In the seventies he majored in music at the University of Michigan but got discouraged and gave up singing to study information technology at Columbia University. His wife Lisa said he had given up the Opera for good but he had recently taken part in discussions on the Opera Forum Online and had begun listening to Opera again and was soon moonlighting and

singing for the Brooklyn synagogue choir for the Holy days.


Stephen is remembered by his classmates and coworkers as a talented and kind man with dedication to his craft whether it be computers or music. He was known to have been a great athlete, playing basketball and running cross country in high school. Stephen was well respected by his peers and loved and missed by all who knew him, especially his close family and friends and those who knew him online in the Opera Forum who sat in the back pew of the church at Stephen's memorial service to remember the man they knew as Billybobives.



Stephen was on the 103rd floor of the South Tower when the plane struck his building. His wife said everyone she knew got out safely and it is said that he helped many find their way to the elevators and stairways but he himself was not found on any of the lists of survivors. He stayed behind to make sure everyone got out. That's a true American and I wish I could have met Mr. Poulos or heard his strong Baritone voice in concert. I'm sure he is singing with the Angels.


God bless you Stephen Poulos and your loved ones left behind as well as all the victims of September 11th and all of America.

This memorial is in cooperation and appreciation to Dale C. Roe and the Project 2996.

Please visit
http://project2996.wordpress.com/2009-participants/

to more about Project 2996.

Repost of my Tribute to Manuel Patrocino Victim of 9/11/01

Originally posted September 11, 2006. I have signed up for a new victim to write a tribite to for 2009 as well.

Manuel Patrocino was 34 years old when he died on September 11th, 2001 during the terrorist attacks on America. He was a devoted husband and father to two small children, Keyla and Alex. When the attacks occurred, his wife, Sandra had just recently come to America, Manhattan specifically, from the Dominican Republic. She couldn't speak our language and felt lost in a big city without her husband. Manuel was her map and guide through this world. Fortunately, she had family and friends as well as the Red Cross by her side to help her. But the family is forever changed and they will never forget what happened that day. Neither should we, for the sake of his memory and the memory of ALL those who died that day.

Manuel was an employee at the Windows on the World restaurant at the top of the World Trade Center where he was in charge of uniforms.

His family and friends say he was good with his hands and loved to build things and made his own furniture. He also spent a lot of time with his loved ones. They say he was a happy-go-lucky guy who always had a joke to tell and would always make people smile.

His co-workers remember that he was loyal to his employer, a hard worker, and always had a hand to lend when needed. I wish I could have known him.

So on this day, I hope that you would all take a moment to say a special prayer for Manuel Patrocino's family as they still mourn this special man. And for all those whose lives were lost and the loved ones left behind.

Sign up for the project for this year at:

http://project2996.wordpress.com/2009-signup/

She's 19 today

My oldest daughter Kara is 19 today.

I'm very proud of my daughter. She's a good girl with a good head on her shoulders.

She's in her sophomore year in college, studying to become an art director. She wants to be in advertising. She also has a job painting faces and doing henna tattoos at our local theme park.

Today she went to Disney with some friends for her birthday.

I love you Kara.

Shew...shore is dusty in here...

Excuse me while I dust the place off. shew...shew...

I need my blog. I miss it. I miss AOL journals but no use in whining. I don't like Facebook, I don't like Myspace. I'm a lost blogging soul floating around in the World Wide Web. I'm like the ghost of blogs past. Will you be my ghost of blogs future?

The garden is still doing well. Well, sort of. The carrots, onions, and canteloupes did not make it at all. Caterpillars and cheap seeds did them in. Lessons learned.

But the Sunflowers are about 6 feet tall and flourishing, the Zinnias are beautiful and multicolored, the watermelons have lots and lots and lots of leaves but no fruit. Probably too late. But I've learned that I am very good at growing beans. I have a freezer bag slap full of black eyed peas and they are coming more every day. So next year, I grow beans!! Lots and lots of beans.

Also, my tomato plants are huge but haven't flowered at all yet. Hopefully soon.

Let's see, the kids are enjoying summer vacation. Kara and Cindi both have part time jobs. Jacob is leaving for summer camp tomorrow for one week and he did swimming classes this summer as well.

My cousin Angie got married on a Harley, lol, and we had an over the hill party for my other cousin Allen. He turned 40. I turn 40 this year in Sept.

As for Ryan and I, we have had nothing but bad luck this year with things breaking and going out on us such as the car, both of them, the dryer, the a/c unit in the house, etc...Next year is going to be better for us. I just know it has to be. The Gods of good luck shine down on us, please.

I haven't been sewing all summer until this week. And the kids I watch haven't been here in months. So money is tight too. The economy has really really hurt the construction industry in particular and that is our bread and butter. So we subsist on bread and water. Well, not literally but you get the drift.

I am thinking of going back to school. I am interested in copy editing. I have no idea what the demand is for it but I'd be good at it. Now don't go back through this entry and see if I made any mistakes because I did not edit.

I am a Canna What Flower Are You?

My garden has begun!

Garden Journal Entries:

Monday, May 11, 2009
Some of the Veggies popped up....
Out of all the seedlings we planted a week ago, only the black eyed peas and the okra popped up so far. The black eyed peas popped up with a vengeance though. I think they are going to be nice plants. Still waiting for the tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, green beans, pumpkins, watermelons, squash, and broccoli. We will start preparing the garden area this week. Tilling, mixing the soil, adding compost from my pile and manure from our chickens. Some of the veggies are vines and will be planted in hanging baskets....tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, black eyed peas.... I'm thinking of having Ryan help us make boxes that we can hang on the fence above the garden. Idea!!

I also have some pretty flower seeds to start as soon as all the veggies pop up.

Monday, May 11, 2009
The watermelons came up!!
Looks like lots of them will be sprouting in the next few days!! Exciting!! The watermelon seedlings are pretty big but had to work hard to come out of the seed and up through the soil. Note to self: Next time I will soak the seeds and file them down a bit before planting. Helps the leaves break out of the seed.

*Jacob has been very good at helping keep an eye on the seedlings and watering them when they need it.

Thursday, May 14, 2009
Planted second batch of seeds
This time I used peat pots and seed starter soil from Lowes. Fairly inexpensive actually. I planted onions, carrots, radishes, sunflowers, Zinnia, Plumosa, Aster, basil, and cilantro seeds. OH, and some cherry tomato seeds. I got lucky at Lowes because it was the last pack of cherry tomatoes. Gotta get there early if you want the good stuff and I was kind of late. They didn't have the super 50's that I love so I had to settle with regular cherrys. And no jalapeno seeds AT ALL!! Had to buy a 3" jalapeno potted plant. $3.50 but I'm sure it will be worth it's weight in gold at harvest time. Got the rest of my garden bed tilled and turned and bordered with timber today as well. Will post pics soon!!Last night's rains were very heavy and everything in our yard ended up right where my garden is going. Including a bunch of those qumquat things that are growing in my front yard. There were a hundred of them in my garden bed. The timber should solve that problem. Hopefully. Next up? Fill garden bed with 2-3 inches of compost and fertilizer and mix in with soil.Then start planting seedlings that have come up and are ready to plant. First up is black eyed peas, then okra and the watermelons are almost ready to plant. I think I saw a cucumber seedling breaking through the soil tonight. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Friday, May 15, 2009
Planted watermelon and okra today
The garden beds are all ready and I have begun planting the new seedlings. Starting with the okra and the watermelon. Buried the leftover seedlings in the side yard. With my luck those will grow better than the ones I planted in the garden bed. I thought it was going to rain this evening but I waited and waited and no rain. So I watered. I noticed a cucumber or two pop up and a lil baby squash was about to pop through the soil too.
**also planted some wildflower seeds that Kara gave me in pots today.

In like a Lion...

March has come in like a lion. Not the weather but life in general. I sure hope it goes out like a lamb. Sweet and soft.

My computer is in the shop and I am having withdrawals.

Hi, my name is Shelly, and I'm addicted to Paint Shop Pro.

=o)

Oh Yeah, I was the mystery blogger over at Donna's journal. So cool...some of you pegged me right away but I knew you guys would.

New member of the family....Titan

This is my brother's horse. His name is Titan and he is approximately 3 years old. He's very nice but not broken. My brother has been trying to break him but I know who's really getting broken. lololol