Wednesday GUEST Blog

11-9-11 vacant brain
Here is more interesting facts from Ann this week ~Judy


Veterans Day ~ 11.11.11


Of the many federal holidays, Veterans Day is near and dear to my heart. I am one of four Chee You’s who served proudly: brother Tony (Navy), Glen (Army), Larry and me (Air Force) and husband Rick (Air Force), not to mention lots of friends and the newest family member, Sebastian (Army). So on this special day, amongst the hustle and bustle of shopping, working, remembering, thank a veteran for their service. Here’s how the day was formed, from the Department of Veterans Affairs website.

World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” - officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”Sweet to say, I’ve been to the Versailles.

In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…"

The original concept for the celebration was for a day observed with parades and public meetings and a brief suspension of business beginning at 11:00 a.m.

The United States Congress officially recognized the end of World War I when it passed a concurrent resolution on June 4, 1926, with these words:

Whereas the legislatures of twenty-seven of our States have already declared November 11 to be a legal holiday: Therefore be it Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), that the President of the United States is requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on November 11 and inviting the people of the United States to observe the day in schools and churches, or other suitable places, with appropriate ceremonies of friendly relations with all other peoples.

Yes, if you remembered Veterans Day was on a Monday. Government work at it’s best, read on.

The Uniform Holiday Bill (Public Law 90-363 (82 Stat. 250)) was signed on June 28, 1968, and was intended to ensure three-day weekends for Federal employees by celebrating four national holidays on Mondays: Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Columbus Day. It was thought that these extended weekends would encourage travel, recreational and cultural activities and stimulate greater industrial and commercial production. Many states did not agree with this decision and continued to celebrate the holidays on their original dates.

The first Veterans Day under the new law was observed with much confusion on October 25, 1971. It was quite apparent that the commemoration of this day was a matter of historic and patriotic significance to a great number of our citizens, and so on September 20th, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed Public Law 94-97 (89 Stat. 479), which returned the annual observance of Veterans Day to its original date of November 11, beginning in 1978. This action supported the desires of the overwhelming majority of state legislatures, all major veterans service organizations and the American people.

Veterans Day continues to be observed on November 11, regardless of what day of the week on which it falls. The restoration of the observance of Veterans Day to November 11 not only preserves the historical significance of the date, but helps focus attention on the important purpose of Veterans Day: A celebration to honor America's veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good. (Source: Veterans Administration)

Happy Veterans Day to all veterans, to me and to marine dude John. And if you can remember, take a picture of what you are doing at 11:11 am on 11.11.11.

Chat Later

That Girl, Ann Marie

Juggling Act

11-8-11 busy busy brain
Monday night I was all alone as I watched Dancing with the Stars.... everyone else was BUSY.... as was I.

I am happy to say it was raining while I watched TV, and  I was busy framing. This week much to still get done to be ready for my first day of trying to sell my Peace Art this Saturday. I was also making Peace Note Cards.

Since I'm too busy to blog, here is a copy of what is posted over at my Peace Art Blog.... called

"One Small Daily Peace of Art"

Found at:

 http://www.onesmalldailypeaceofart.blogspot.com/

Peaceful Decorating Idea

11-7-11
My neighbor Deb purchased three of my large Peace Art. At first she just was going to hang them on the wall without a frame, but later changed her mind and found inexpensive black frames at the craft store and just tacked them to the outside of the glass.

I really liked the look without the fancy matting which I had been using to frame the larger Peace Art.

A reminder for those of you in the Des Moines area- This Saturday will be my first attempt at selling my Peace Art!

The annual Westminster Holiday Treasures Craft Fair is happening on Saturday, November 12, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Shop for hand-crafted items, original art, Christmas ornaments, fair-trade gifts, baked goods, gluten-free products, and more!
Free admission! All are welcome -- so bring a friend or two!

Westminster Church is at the corner of Beaver and Franklin in the Beaverdale!

PS: I am not set up to take Credit Cards yet; so cash or check please. If sales go well, I will be getting set up for Credit Cards for my future Art Shows in 2012!






Weekend Report

11-7-11 slow Monday brain
A week of November gone already and today I just remembered to turn my wall calendar over to November. I still have a few clocks to turn back also..... Gee.... I'm struggling to keep up.... and November does look to be a challenge with several big commitments to occupy my after work hours.

So today, just a few pictures from the weekend. I was in KC, just a weekend trip, but fun. Friday night Greg took me out to one of my favorite KC restaurants at the Plaza, the Grand Street Cafe. Our KC neighbors Kim and Terry came along which made the evening extra special.

Saturday early afternoon I got to hang out with Molly for a few hours, then Greg and I went to a potluck bonfire with the Miata Car Club. We only lasted  less than 2 hours, cause the smoke was hurting our eyes.

I didn't feel the Oklahoma earthquake Saturday night, since I was pretty much dozing from the very beginning of Saturday Night Live. I was already for my extra hour of sleep, in fact I took at least two extra hours of sleep that night. Molly, however, did post on Facebook that she felt the earthquake which was a little before 11:00 PM, but she is 30 minutes south of us.

Sunday, I arrived back in DM about 2:30 in the afternoon to give me enough sunlight to tackle the leaves and lawn. It was a nice day for November, sunny and 60, so I worked until 4:00 PM and looked forward to a hot soak in the tub to sooth my aching muscles.

The trees are still pretty in KC, glad I don't have to rake much there.

Here was view in my backyard in DM as I was finishing up I noticed how pretty the yellow mums still look out back. There is talk of rain on Tuesday.... slight chance of snow.

Abundance

11-4-11 blessed brain

The other day, when I was looking for a pair of white sports socks to wear, I became frustrated..... and at the same time acutely aware that I have been blessed (and cursed) by ABUNDANCE.

Finding a pair of white shocks was impossible. Everyone I pulled out did not match any of the others. This was crazy! My sock drawer really reflects my life right now.... FULL and ABUNDANT, but very chaotic.
Not much I can do about it for the moment, so I just decided to find a colored pair that was matched up.

My Birthday reminded me how blessed I am by an abundance of friends. I have a variety of friends in all shapes and sizes.... some I drink wine with, some I am able to unwind with, and others I can just "whine" with. Kelley took me to lunch for my Birthday this week and we had fun doing the later..... we know we are blessed, but we both were experiencing small frustrations in life, but by sharing them with each other- we were able to laugh, and they seemed to become less important.

Saturday Report

11-3-11 motoring brain
Saturday, as part of my birthday and Halloween weekend to celebrate..... Greg and I took part in the Annual Iowa Mini Cooper Fall Drive. This was the 9th year. My car, a 2002, was the oldest Mini out of 27 who attended.... and got to be in the lead, since Greg had organized the route this year and decided to drive my car instead of his. As for my part, I came dressed for the occasion: "mini" mouse.

Look close in the side mirror and you can see the line of Minis.

Here Greg is making announcements as I do some sign language.

(Well, not really, but this picture made it look like I was)

We started in Pella, a wonderful Dutch Village, and we had lunch there.

Then we wound around some hilly and curvy roads over to Winterset with a stop in St. Charles at one of the famous covered bridges of Madison County.

Here in Winterset- is the birth place of John Wayne. We took the short tour of the house.

Gift Shop

Our last stop was at the Des Moines Mini dealer (Willis) who provided us with dinner and drinks, and we all hung out for awhile there.

 On some related CAR News; peace sister Carolyn got a new car this week. We tried to talk her into a Mini Cooper, but she wanted a Beetle, since she had one in her youth. I must admit her new car is sweet!



Wednesday GUEST Blog

11-2-11 vacant brain
This is one of the interesting activities Ann did in October ~Judy

The World Comes to Iowa


I’m always amazed at the people who come to Iowa, so before I forget, here’s my ground report of the World Food Prize Program. In case you did not read the first part, here it is
http://tiny.cc/0aixx


I decided to stop by the Iowa State Capitol on October 13th after seeing several stretch limos at the Marriott to catch a glimpse of the “pomp and circumstance” of the festivities for the official “Food Prize” ceremony.

First, the attendees (approx 800) were greeted with an array of music by the Southeast Polk marching band. I absolutely love marching bands, so this was an unexpected treat. Then came buses of guests at the midlevel of the grounds and then …. Drum roll please … the black limos and SUV’s started coming at the top level. Wow, I got to see the Prize winners and former Presidents Kufor( Gahna) and Lula daSalva (Brazil) and many more that I would not even know. This is President Kufor.

Here’s something that wasn’t reported, President Lula got out of his limo and greeted a group of guests … wow, what a security nightmare. He was very kind and posed for pictures for five minutes. I quickly went home and watched the ceremony live on IPTV, it was really a first class program, showcasing Iowa and of course, Norman Borlung. Thank you Iowa Public TV.

The following day, I was able to hear both Prize winners speak. Both men are impressive, rising from nothing to the Presidencies of their countries. President Kufor spoke English and President Lula spoke Portuguese, which meant the attendees were given a headset to hear his speech in English. Sweet, this is how it’s done at United Nations.

On Saturday, I made a point of touring the home of the Food Prize, Hall of Laureates. This is a spectacular restoration of the 1903 Public Library building. The Hall celebrates the importance of agriculture in redefining how you feed the world in the harshest of conditions and its’ pioneers: Norman Bourlung, Henry Wallace, George Carver Washington to name a few. Cleary, the Hall is an “all Iowa tribute”. In addition to the paintings, murals, sculptures, the public garden with two stunning statutes of Boulung and John Ruan (major sponsor) are first class.

The Hall is a private building and will be closed to the public until ’12 Summer. So glad I took the time to take a peek. I hear approximately 3000 people came to the two-day open house.I’ll leave you with this quote by President Lula.

“I am happy to receive the World Food Prize in a state where the statues are not of war heroes, but of heroes that fight hunger …. this is the true war that all leaders need to learn to wage. …. hunger is the most powerful mass destruction weapon … hunger kills children, sometimes in the womb of the mother herself.”

Chat Later
That Girl, Ann Marie

Creativity brings smiles

11-1-11 feeling special brain
Creativity comes in all forms Lori..... take my Dad for instance. He started stamping note cards well into his 70's.... and now has quite the reputation for those of us lucky enough to be on the receiving end.

Cards are even more special to receive these days, since not many people take the time to send the old fashion letter or card through the US mail.

This is my special Birthday Card I received this weekend. Notice that even the cat signed the cat!

This picture is from around 1994 I believe, (Dad must be going through the old picture albums) and I know some of you who didn't know Greg back then are probably giggling about his dark hair..... and skinny legs. To me, Greg gets more handsome with his grey hair, while I struggle to keep from looking too much my age.... I least I don't have to act my age- which I get to prove every Halloween.

Here Friday night dinner out, I had my hair sprayed orange as we attended the Hoot and Howl event at Westminster. A fun evening of scary organ music, skits and silly costumes.
More about all my weekend birthday fun will be reported this week, as I catch my breath.