As most of us, I remember exactly where I was when the towers were attacked and how I felt in the days afterwards. I couldn't believe what I was seeing on the television. The enormity of what had happened only barely began to sink in during those days and I cried many tears for those who had lost their lives and for our country that I knew would never be the same. This book is an account of people who were inside the Towers during the attack and the minutes leading up to the collapse of the north tower. As the title reminds us, the whole catastrophe took 102 minutes from beginning to end.
If you read the book, you will be amazed at the heroism of many, of the lack of communication between rescue workers and how these attacks made everything that couldn't go wrong, go wrong (broken sprinkler system, broken PA system and more). You will read the thoughts of people fighting to survive. Some were successful, some were not. And you will realize that hind sight is always twenty-twenty, but foresight had some good ideas too, it was just that people weren't listening.
The authors do an excellent job of putting this story together and it was not an easy job to tackle. I highly recommend this if you want to know more about what went on September 11, 2001.
You can check on my Shelfari account in the sidebar of my blog to see what all I have been reading this year. I read from my Kindle while I exercise and then from the stack of books that I have collected over the last 10 years, but hadn't gotten around to reading. The book I finished today was Reversing Heart Disease. It is a book that my hubby bought a few years ago, but then never read. When my dear friend, Carole, called me to tell me her hubby had had a heart attack, Daniel remembered the book and told her about it. I thought to myself...this is a book I should read, so onto my shelf it went. And I got a copy of Reversing Diabetes by Dr. Whitaker to read on my Kindle. I have a history of Diabetes in my family. I am overweight, sedentary and love to eat sweets. Last August, after my yearly physical, my doctor sent me my blood test results and a prescription for a cholesterol medication.
]]> We were headed to Australia and I didn't have time to discuss it with her. Even if we hadn't been heading out, I have been one to follow a doctor's recommendations...after all they are the doctor (at least in everything but losing weight since that is easier talked about than done).Then, my mother-in-law became ill and went through procedures she should never have gone through and that I have no doubt shortened the time we had with her. And it got me to thinking that doctors aren't infallible and that sometimes they aren't presenting us with the best options. Either because they don't know about them or because the perks they are getting from the drug companies are too 'cool' to ignore. For instance, my husband and I both attend the same practice. We both are on cholesterol meds. His doctor recommended Lipitor which costs over 100.00 a month! My doctor recommended simvastatin which did the trick and is much less expensive at 15.00 a month (which means a lot when you are one of the uninsured). There was another prescription we both needed and the same thing happened, he got given meds that cost over 100.00, while mine cost around 10.00.
So, I thought, perhaps it's time I read that Reversing Heart Disease book. I need to have more knowledge about what may be going on inside of me and what I should be doing about it. I have been so inundated by diet plans over the years, I have no idea what the right thing is to eat anymore...and part of this book contains recipes and other nutrition information.
The first thing I want to say, is that if you find nonfiction boring and slow paced, you won't find this book to be that way. It is written in short sections, so you can quickly read a section, digest the information and go on to the next. The information is written in a way that it is easy to understand. And the information will startle you. The diet makes sense and while I anticipate some parts may be harder than others, it helps that I have already been making changes over the last month. There is a section on supplements (vitamins, minerals and hormones) and how they can do amazing things for your body on the inside and these are natural elements, not medications. There is a section on exercise - what types help, how, and how much you should do.
The scary sections are on medications and surgical procedures. For instance, the statin family (which both my hubby's and my meds are from) have a lot of unwanted side effects and one that (at least 8 years ago when the book was written) aren't mentioned in the physician's reference guide and a lot of doctors just don't know. The statin family can reduce the level of CoQ10 in your body - which your heart really, really needs! Now, tell me that makes sense!? Also, according to a wide range of studies done over the years, for approximately every 100 people that undergo angioplasty, only 6 really need it! And you know how our drugs have to go through all this testing to meet the FDA standards? Well, surgery doesn't have to! So some surgical procedures that are done, are later determined to not be the best thing (remember how tonsillectomies were routine surgery in the 50s?) And did you know that when angioplasty is done and even bypass surgeries are done, that often times, the arteries will close back up within a year! Did you know that exercise can actually help you create natural arteries in your body that will circumvent blockages?
Surgery/cardiology/prescription drugs are big business. And the book doesn't say that operations are always unnecessary, but there are other options. Things we can do that are better for us and will help our over all health and help our pocketbooks! Even if you don't have heart disease and are lucky enough not to know anyone who does, I highly recommend you reading this book. Why wait until the attack comes, why not get a start on getting healthier and preventing the attack? Our society has become so ingrained in fixing it after the fact, that we often forget an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!
So, what are you waiting for? Order this book today!
While I stood in line, the kids perused the book/curriculum sale. We were looking for Saxon Geometry in particular for Jack and Katrina was just looking. She found a book to read and Jack found a book called the Atlas of World History. The kid is a history buff. Daniel treated us to lunch from Papa John's and I spent the afternoon cleaning dishes and baking brownies and making jigglers for the cook-out on Sunday.
Sunday morning, we were at church at 8:45. Enjoyed another good message. I really am loving Blue Ridge Community Church. I feel uplifted and enlightened every week. Then, we came home and I prepared baked beans, did a bunch of dishes and got things set up for the cook-out.
From about 1:30 until after midnight we entertained my Bruce, Ryan, Charles, Ashley, Therese, Joy, David, Jonathan, Dakota, Paul, and Faye. We had a good time eating good food, visiting, and playing games. Several of us played PIT and Settlers of Catan. The only downside for me was missing Tess. She normally is here this time of year and I missed having her help and just missed her presence.
We slept in on Monday and spent the day doing odds and ends (I had dishes and cleaning up to do from the cook-out). I took Jack and Katrina to a friend's house for a cook-out and pool time. I took Daniel to pick up his rental car for the week and then he and I watched Crazy Heart. Very good movie. Jeff Bridges has a lot of talent and range!
Today, Daniel was back on the road to Raleigh. I was doing chores. I have done laundry, mowed, groomed the dogs, and put more tick powder and bedding in their dog houses. I have taken care of some odds and ends and took the kids to piano lessons. I have checked school work and prepared for tomorrow's assignments. About 7 pm, I was ready to go to bed. Jack looked at me and said...but it's only 7! I said, but I am tired!
When, oh when is someone going to learn to bottle the energy of a child and give it to adults??? Well, the hot tub is calling...
]]>Daniel has a funny sleepwalking story where he carried on a conversation with his parents, asking them a variety of questions, the whole time he was sound asleep.
Those are kind of funny stories and though I knew sleepwalking could be dangerous, I didn't really think about it.
]]> Last night, our power went out at about 7 p.m. A drive down the road let us know it was just in our subdivision, which if there were lots of power outages around, we would be low man on the totem pole (back in an ice storm of 95, we were without power for three days). Now that we are aware of Daniel's severe sleep apnea, and have been told he is not to sleep without his CPAP, we knew we had to do something. So we found a couple of rooms in town at a hotel where we could stay.Even though only Daniel really needed to go, we all went. We get two rooms because when you have a son and daughter, putting us all in the same room, just doesn't work too well anymore. Daniel was wide awake, so I bunked with the kids. We were asleep about 11:30.
In the midst of deep sleep, I heard banging on the door. Loud banging. It took me a moment to clear my sleepy brain. I got up, figuring it was Daniel and something was wrong or it was someone knocking on the wrong door. When I got up, I noticed Katrina wasn't in bed beside me. As I got closer to the door, I heard her crying. I thought she was in the bathroom, but then realized SHE WAS OUTSIDE OF THE ROOM!!!!! She was hysterical and crying. At first all I could get from her was 'sleepwalk,' but as she slowly calmed down, she told me her story.
She had left our room (and I didn't hear her - Jack thought she was going to the bathroom when he heard the door). She sleptwalked down and into the housekeeper supply closet. She said when she was in there, she sat on a bar of some sort (she thought it was the bed in our room. She saw me standing there (a vacuum or a mop) and kept calling my name and I wouldn't answer. She was mad and got up to come to me, at that point she saw the vacuum and realized she wasn't in her room anymore. She got out of the closet (no lights, door shut) and came back to our room and woke me up.
As I listened to her sobbing tale, I was horrified. How could she have left the room and I slept right through it? How long had she been gone? And of course, I couldn't help but think of how much worse this could have been - what if she had run into an unsavory character in the hallway...
She was afraid to go back to sleep, but she is young and she was tired, so eventually, her breathing slowed. I held her all night and kept telling myself that if she moved at all, I needed to be aware. I am so glad she is safe and the story ended well, but now I need to do some research and see what more I can learn about sleepwalking.
]]>
This story will transport you to another time. A time when there were squatters and they were treated horribly. A time when people's preconceived ideas and expectations led them to make poor and unfounded judgments (oh wait...we still do that). You will follow a young girl and see a mustard seed of faith grow in her. And you will see that even though she has none of the 'modern advantages,' she is the one who is the richest.
Tess passed away two months ago and we located the book to read. The story captured me early on and is one of love and faith and adventure and drama and unfairness. I am sure that Mr. Brown wanted his daughter to have the fine qualities of Tess when he chose this name for her. She lived up to the name and her dad's expectations.
We miss you Tess.
]]>Pictures were to be dropped off between 8 and 9, then the judging would begin. Then at 1:30, winners would be announced. Katrina and I were going to go home between drop off time and announcement time, but there were so many beautiful pieces of art work to see and we were having fun hanging out with some friends of ours that were there, so we just stayed. We left for a bit to get some water and hit a couple of yard sales, then we came back.
]]> It was very windy today which kept things very exciting. Not all the pictures are framed, some are only matted. So we ended up having to paperclip those pictures to the frames provided by Campbell County. And no sooner had we gotten everything done, a big gust came through and we had the domino affect with the three student easels. It took us 30 minutes to get the frames back up, the pictures back on the frames and clean up the broken glass from a couple of frames that broke in the fall. Fortunately no one was hurt.At 1:30 winners were announced. Katrina won 1st place for this photo:
Butterfly in Action
And I won 2nd place for this photo:
We are now looking for some good rural things to take photos of for another contest in June.
]]>The book is written by Rebecca DiLiberto and is divided into the following sections: In the Kitchen, Around the House, Lifestyle, Fun and Leisure. There are so many great tips in here, that the only way I can figure out to make the most of this book is to pick a few at a time, get them to be a habit, then move on.
Here is a small sample of some of the ways to save money:
"If you burn milk when heating it on the stove, add a pinch of salt to take away the scorched smell and taste. (this also works with coffee)"
"When you brew a pot of coffee that nobody drinks, don't pour it down the drain. Freeze leftovers in ice cube trays to add to iced coffee instead of ice cubes."
"There's nothing more frustrating than over-salting a soup or stew that you've spent countless hours and dollars on. Don't throw it out! Try adding some wedges of raw potato or apple to absorb the salt. Let the soup simmer for 10 minutes or so, then removed the wedges. IF your soup is still too salty, try sprinkling in a spoonful of sugar. And if that doesn't work, a dash of apple cider vinegar may do the trick. Finally, try diluting with water or low-sodium broth."
]]>"A cork will shine your silverware. Just rub it along the surface of knives and spoons - it will pick up whatever is tarnishing the surface."
"Soak tarnished silverward in the cooking water left over from boiling potatoes. The starch will dissolve the tarnish."
"Before you hang a picture, place a piece of tape on the spot you're going to nail - that way the plaster won't crack, chip, or flake."
"Do you know that magical spray the ladies in the nail salon mist your toes with to get them dry and shiny fast? It's nothing more than baby oil. You can create the same effect at home by brushing a coat of baby oil over just-polished fingers and toes - this will also help prevent chipping."
"Your baseball glove will stay free of cracks and keep its shape when storeid with a ball in its palm."
"Instead of buying yarn for knitting, unravel your old, unwanted sweaters for free high-quality yarn."
These are just a few of the hundreds of tips! It's a little book that you will turn to again and again!
As an alumn, I receive the William and Mary alumni magazine. In this past issue, President W. Taylor Reveley III spoke of Charter Day. William and Mary's charter was signed February 8, 1693. Every February, the college celebrates Charter Day. President Reveley spoke and recorded some o fhis speech in the Alumni magazine. It reminded me of the pride I feel about having attended a college with so much history and in honor of my alma mater's 317th birthday, I thought I would record it here.
When we humans are young, our birthdays come around very slowly and once the magic moment finally arrives, it is glorious. The wild animal excitement of birthdays subsides as the years accumulate, and the birthdays begin to pile up, rolling in more and more quickly, relentlessly, like the surf rushing to shore. Some birthdays remain special, though - when we get to be 21 - or 300.
William and Mary had celebrated its 83rd birthday when the colony of Virginia declared independence from greate Britain in June 1776, creating the state of Virginia. Our state was born right here in Williamsburg. W&M people played leading roles in creating it as well as in giving birth to the United States of America. As Dumas Malone put it, "Our continent has provided no greater seedbed of greatness than the one square mile of this old colonial capital, and no American institution of learning has ever surpassed the record of this little College, in Jefferson's generation, as a nursery of statesmen." With shy modesty, we at William and Mary do call ourselves the alma mater of a nation.
William and Mary has been alive and kicking for more than three centuries. The College is still glued together, moving ahead, full of current excellence and future potential. That's quite something.
Let me end this birthday riff with a few epigrams. As you'll see, I've been ecumenical in my sources. They range from two Popes to Dr. Seuss. Their common theme is a celebration of age. If anyone enjoys celebrating age, it's those of us at the College.
There is only one College of William and Mary. So we do say to this marvelous university on its 317th birthday, in the words of Dr. Seuss, truly "there is no one alive who is Youer than You."
I am proud to know my footsteps have mingled with so many amazing individuals from the past and will mingle with those yet to walk the grounds of The College of Knowledge. I will leave you with a common joke that was told on campus when I attended.
Do you know why Thomas Jefferson built UVA?
Because his nephew wasn't smart enough to get into William and Mary!
Of course, what else would you expect when you are celebrating the birthday of a woman who has spent 90 years in the same community, living, loving, and helping those around her. My grandmother has 7 children, 5 boys and 2 girls, all of who are still alive and kicking. She has 16 grandchildren if my count is right. And I couldn't begin to tell you how many great-grandchildren, and I think there may be one or two great, great-grandchildren.
Here Grandma and Granddaddy are being pestered while courting, by my grandma's younger brother, Kenneth.
My Grandma as a young woman.
Uncle Bobby, Uncle Jimmy, Granddaddy
Aunt Patsy, Grandma
Uncle Doug, Dad, Uncle Roger
Aunt Brenda
Uncle Doug, Uncle Bobby, Uncle Jimmy, Dad, Uncle Roger
Aunt Brenda, Aunt Patsy, Grandma
Grandma gets her diploma
Even President Obama sent greetings for Grandma's 90th birthday, though he was unable to attend the party.
My grandmother left public school when she was in 5th grade, and she got her G.E.D. when she was in her 70s. We were all so very proud of her. She raised 7 children and took care of her home, her garden and her husband. My grandmother has always lived simply. She believes in the value and honor of hard work. And most important to her is her family. She is the matriarch that has helped to hold generations together. My grandmother has travelled some, but prefers being at home. She has the most amazing salt and pepper shaker collection - that numbers in the hundreds and every set has a note in it with who gave it to her and when. I am an only child and so is my mother. What I learned about brothers and sisters all came from what I saw in the homes of my aunts and uncles.
Yesterday, my grandmother was asked what her advice was for a long life. She said, "Do what you want. Make your own decisions, don't let others tell you what to do."
]]>When the kids were little, I was known as the party queen. I would put together the most amazing and fun birthday parties. One year we had great fun with a pokemon party. Another year, Katrina had a jungle party that we are still talking about. But as the kids grow older, the fun themed parties are falling by the wayside. This year Jack's idea of an awesome birthday party was playing Halo with his brothers, his dad, and some friends. And there was pizza, ice cream, and a movie involved too. Last year, Katrina had a sleepover at the church. We had so much fun - making crafts, baking cookies, playing hide-n-seek in the dark.
]]> This year Katrina's birthday came 9 days after my mother-in-law died and 2 days before the memorial service. On Easter Sunday, we did honor Kat's birthday with a cake, ice cream, singing and some presents. On her birthday, Katrina was still on crutches from her broken leg and none of us were really in the party mood, so her friend Kaley came over and stayed and they had fun playing with the newest LPS that invaded the house. I told Katrina that on the 23rd, she could invite three friends over to spend the night and on the 24th, I would take them to the mall to hang out and window shop.Well, two friends were unable to come due to prior commitments. And this week, we received some unexpected inheritance money from Tess. Tess loved all of her grandchildren and nothing gave her greater pleasure than buying gifts for them. She was always calling me and telling me about some item she had seen and wondering if one of the kids would like it, especially for Katrina. Katrina was her only granddaughter and Tess loved buying her girlie things from the day she was born.
This year, because of Tess' declining health, she was unable to get Katrina a birthday gift. So when the money came, we decided to give Katrina a last gift from Tess. We rented a hotel room here in Lynchburg (you have no idea how hard it is to find a hotel with a pool in Lynchburg!). Yesterday, once Kaley got home from school, Kaley, Katrina and I headed out. We enjoyed a lovely dinner at China Buffet (Katrina was so happy to get some sushi, since the last she had was when we were in Australia). Then we went to the hotel, checked in and the girls and I spent a couple of hours at the pool.
Then we went to O'Charleys. We had gotten some really good ice cream there in the past and Katrina wanted to go there for dessert. Well, we haven't been to O'Charleys in awhile. They stopped making their special ice cream 2 years ago...ho hum. So we made do with some ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery. It was 10 when we got back to the room and the girls were tired. So they got settled into bed and watched some Disney until going to sleep around 11. Another added bonus to this trip was that Kaley has never spent the night in a hotel before. I just love being part of a child's first experience. They see everything all new and it gives me new appreciation.
Katrina insisted we sleep with the curtains open so she could enjoy the 'city' lights, so 7 o'clock, I was wide awake. The girls slept until 8 and after showers and packing up, we went down to enjoy our buffet breakfast. Then it was off to the mall.
After an hour of trying clothes on at Penney's the girls had made their purchases (boy, was I glad I had my DS to play - it helped me be patient). Then we went to Claire's. The girls found several lovely accessories there before we headed to Subway for lunch.
Next it was a movie. Katrina wanted to see The Last Song and Alice in Wonderland. I wanted to see The Last Song and How To Train Your Dragon. So we decided to see The Last Song. Sure wish, I had looked at some reviews before we went. I admit to being a Hannah Montana fan. I think the show is funny and in this day and age, we need all the laughs we can get. This was a drama and had me in tears towards the end. I think there was too much going on in this movie and quite frankly there were parts that didn't make any sense to me at all. The character that I felt empathy with was Miley's young brother. The male beau was just too much...too 'unflawed'. Oh well, I still believe Miley can do better with her acting skills, hopefully Hollywood won't give up on her before she has a true opportunity to show her depth. I wish we had go to see How to Train Your Dragon. It has a 98 on Rotten Tomatoes! Do you know how rare a score like that is???? One of the only movies I have seen to gett 100% is Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Oh well, sorry to throw in the movie review!
After the movie, we headed home. We know that Tess was looking down and smiling. We just wish she could have been here with us.
]]>
We are trying to lighten our load as we look towards moving in the months ahead. Below is information about the Stairmaster we have and our looking for a new home for. We are asking 500.00 for it. It is commercial grade.
In 1996, Daniel and I purchased a brand new StairMaster Freeclimber 4400 PT for approximately $3600.00. For the first few months, I used it regularly, then off and on. Daniel used it regularly for a couple of years, then sporadically since. The machine is in good working order and is not broken or damaged in anyway. It also comes with a mat to sit the Stairmaster on, two instructions books. So, instead of paying an expensive health club fee, why not get this awesome piece of equipment to use in the privacy of your own home. Trust me, it will give you a great workout! And your heart will thank you for it!
Below, you will find information about the StairMaster 4400 PT that comes from the manufacturer. This item is available for you to pick up only or you may arrange for shipping if you would like.
The StairMaster 4400 PT has the new upright rail-less configuration design. This encourages correct posture, and prevents the ability to cheat by transferring weight to the arms. This stepper made by the industry-leading manufacturer of steppers. The independent step action offers the extra wide "sweet spot" that makes the Stairmaster so effective and enjoyable to use. It offers a wide range of exercise options to provide constant motivation and challenge for everyone regardless of age or fitness point during the workout. The new computer console motivates the user during workouts, with different program options and workout statistics. With its 2' x 4' floor space footprint, this is one of the most space savings steppers available.
* Patented, independent pedal geometry ensures safe, biomechanically correct movement.
* Seven Workout Programs
* 20 Levels of Intensity!
* Workout-to-Workout Comparisons
* Electronic Braking Mechanism
* Speed Control Buttons
Weight of machine: 130 lbs
Construction: Heavy Duty Steel
Dimensions: 41" L x 22" W x 69" H
Step Action: Independent
Speed Range: 26-174 Feet Per Minute
Maximum User Weight: 350 Lbs
Voltage: 110v
Console Readouts: Elapsed Time, Calories Burned, Miles Traveled, Floors Climbed, Step Rate, Relative Workout Intensity "MET's" and Power Output for Workout-to-Workout Comparisons
]]>I have three boxes packed up for a yard sale in May. There are another dozen boxes packed up for moving. And I have solde about three boxes worth of stuff on eBay and Amazon.
Still no one has come to see the house, but the realtor says warmer weather and longer days will bring them out. Meanwhile I am glad to get some of the packing done.
]]>Sharon, Johnny's daughter, found a place near her for Tess and Johnny to move to. Within a week of being in the hospital, they had moved. But as nice as Sharon's area is, it didn't have the friends that Tess and Johnny have spent the last 20 years with. They wanted to be in their own home and with their friends, so back to Bowling Green they went. Their neighbors are keeping an eye on them and helping them out with whatever needs doing. A nurse comes by periodically to check on Tess and her condition. She is having problems with swelling in her legs that the doctors are trying to address.
Daniel and Charles hope to go down and visit her next month.
]]>