A very special thanks goes out to John Melnic and Sam Bierstock for not forgetting.

Before You Go
Music by John Melnic
Lyrics by Sam Bierstock
(c)2005 - all rights reserved

Click here to purchase "Before You Go" CDs and DVDs including the pictorial and theNew Downloadable Choir Version
Download the music only now for 99¢!

Sportly Tribulations

Mon 3/31 Blog Prompt: Sports (you enjoy playing or watching)

Sports... I would rather participate than watch them. But nowadays, at my age, I prefer to not even participate, LOL. Well, I would if it was tennis or archery, but given my limited time and the cost, that's just not on the calendar anytime soon. LOL.

Throughout my life I have played baseball (had a 6th grade teacher who had a passion for it so we played everyday for at least an hour); as a senior the class took up cycling (got us out of the school for about an hour each day, LOL); judo (didn't last long there); field hockey (no ice in Guam); tennis (I played tennis for many a year after graduating); and archery (came in 3rd in a tournament). Now I think I should take up the sport of walking :)

Sports papers & elements (c)Epson; Font: Microsoft Sans Serif

Hobbies & Tribulations

Fri 3/28 Blog Prompt: hobbies

It is pointless to say that I scrapbook as a hobby, don't you think? I also cross stitch and really need to start doing it again as I need to finish the angel for my mother and make the ones for my sisters, kids and grands. I pretty much have them all picked out. Except that Nuke is going to get a fairy on the moon. It's all in greys & whites on a black linen. Not quite sure which one to do for Scamp either. Wish I could find a detailed USMC angel. That would be perfect.

I also read extensively (never would have guessed that either would you, LOL). And I love photography, especially shots at night. I have been practicing on that one. Still have a long way to go. I use to put together model cars (when I was in my 20's and 30's) I wish I still had some of them as Indy & Ballerina would have loved them. Some were pretty big.

Amaryllis (c)Kathryn Estry; Font: Lucinda Handwriting

Colour My Tribulations

Thu 3/27 Blog Prompt: favorite music

So many years, so much music. I guess my favorite has been, is and always will be the soft rock of Chicago. "Colour My World" was the theme of the junior/senior prom I attended. "You're the Inspiration" was the song Pan & I chose for our wedding instead of the traditional Bridal March. It is currently my ringtone for Pan's calls.

Still there are other types of music I enjoy... Jazz, reggae, classical, opera,alternative. But I think Chicago and their style of music will always be my favorite.

Template by Amanda Carlson; New Beginnings by Raspberry Road; Font: Dauphin, Euphemia.isclaimer: The photos are not mine but from the Chicago official website. These and more, plus downloads, news, information and concert dates can be found on the site.

Tribulations of Having a Favorite Food

I'm behind. I know, you don't have to tell me, LOL. I'm trying to get caught up, really I am.

Wed 3/26 Blog Prompt: Your favorite food

I love food (unfortunately it shows, lol). But I have a few that are at the top. I love, love, love shrimp & vegetables cooked on a Japanese teppan table. I could eat it just about every day. But as my layout shows, spaghetti has been at the top of my list since I can't remember when. Spaghetti and a salad (or bruschetta) and now that I'm old enough, a glass of wine. Okay, I've been old enough for quite a many a year now.

I also love the chicken and dumplings that my mother found in her father's cookbook from New Orleans. Gosh the cookbook must be nearly half a century old or older now. I'll have to ask her. I also love turnip greens with scallions and salt. Avocados with lemon and salt. New York style cheesecake. I think I'm getting hungry :)

Template by Amy W.; Commercial use overlays (c)Sara Ellis, Kathryn Estry & Brenda Miller; Fonts: Bookman Old Style, Takeout

It's Alive and with Tribulations

Seems the older I get, the more free time I should have, right? Apparently not. Twice this week, people forgot when they were suppose to pick up the Princess so the school calls me (Pan and I are the only other authorized people to pick her up except her parents). It was the end of the month and the boss left yesterday for a week so I had to go in an extra day to get the EOM done and write checks for the week he is going to be gone so that he could sign them.

So I have been lax with doing the blog prompts and don't even have the PODs downloaded and prepared for the blog. But I did manage to get at least one layout for Tuesdays prompt done, which was: various family shots and journaling about the pictures.

Template by Monica; Spring Blossom by Kristmess; Font: Informal Roman

100 Tribulations of Love

Mon 3/24 Blog Prompt: 100 Things I Love

1. Pan
2. the kids
3. the grandchildren
4. my parents
5. my sisters
6. my daughter-in-law
7. my parents-in-law
8. playing with the grandchildren
9. talking with the boys
10. having lunch with my daughter
11. listening about Pan's day
12. telling him about mine
13. family get-togethers
14. get-togethers with friends
15. hearing stories about my ancestors
16. genealogy
17. getting pictures from kids
18. seeing what kind of pictures the grandkids take
19. taking pictures
20. surprise cards from Pan
21. knowing the kids are safe
22. looking through old photos
23. being alive
24. my faith
25. soundscape music
26. Jazz music
27. reggae music
28. learning new things
29. reading
30. astronomy
31. Horatio Hornblower
32. Asimov books
33. researching history
34. science shows
35. history shows
36. horror movies
37. campy "B" sci-fi
38. Stargate SG-1
39. Smallville
40. Eureka
41. Boston Legal
42. my cameras
43. computer
44. truck
45. bedroom
46. Ott-lite
47. Claudia bear
48. telescope
49. things my kids made
50. things my grandkids made
51. green tea set
52. sushi plates
53. chopsticks from Japan
54. wineglasses
55. anything Tinkerbell
56. tripod
57. airplane compass
58. ancient Roman houses
59. traveling
60. DisneyWorld
61. Universal
62. Star Wars Legos
63. seek 'n search puzzles
64. trivia
65. cross stitch
66. lions
67. turnips
68. avocados
69. spaghetti
70. German beer
71. dry red wind
72. tequila
73. candy corn at Halloween
74. Peeps at Easter
75. navel oranges
76. real butter
77. real milk
78. IBC rootbeer
79. Dr. Pepper
80. salt
81. macadamia nuts
82. green tea
83. Japanese restaurants
84. Olive Garden
85. wisteria
86. mimosa trees
87. dogwood trees
88. ferns
89. orchids
90. birds outside window
91. kfkap
92. candles in bathroom
93. Halloween
94. my hair
95. sleeping with tv on
96. hot baths
97. hotter showers
98. someone to clean house
99. places, please puzzles
100. watching Pan play video games

Font: Baby Bowser

Meme: Passion Quilt

I was tagged by a marvelous friend, wife, mother and teacher, Mrs. Who to do this meme:

A PASSION QUILT

THE RULES:
1. Post a picture or make/take/create your own that captures what YOU are most passionate for students to learn about.
2. Give your picture a short title.
3. Title your blog post “Meme: Passion Quilt.”
4. Link back to this blog entry.
5. Include links to 5 (or more) educators.

For more information on the battle of Thermopylae click on image

"To build your future you must know your past"
I am most passionate about students learning history. From the development of our first cities until today, there is so much that can harvested to help build a better future for everyone. What treasures can we find, what jewels are hidden among the years.

By not having the knowledge of our past we are doomed to repeat the mistakes of our ancestors (and the way things are going, sometimes I feel we are not really taking a look back). And you don't have to be a student to continue learning. It is a lifetime pursuit.

Take a moment now... Go read a history book, watch the History or Discovery Time channel, rent a dvd om history, look it up on the internet. Trust me, there is something worthwhile to look into. Share what you find here. I would love to learn it too.

And who am I going to tag?

Loonyhiker, a retired special needs teacher
Tammy, also a retiree but who I know has a passion for boxer rescues
Glynis, a wife, mother and engineer who has tremendous insight into her faith
Karooch, a scrapbook advocate and teacher of the same
Love2Scrap, a mother who home schooled her children and a fantastic photographer

Happy Easter

Going to forego the Astronomy links today and wish each and every one of you a very happy Easter.

APOD #9

Petrified wood - As I was thinking about items to take pictures of for my picture a day, I recalled that my mother had given me a box of things that she had collected over the years that she thought The Princess might be able to use in school. One of the items was a bag of petrified wood. It was interesting to see it and remember when we had stopped there and looked around.

Another trip we had taken was to Cape Cod (actually I think we lived there for a brief period of time) and mom picked up this weekly magazine and saved it. Within its 128 pages (can you make out how much it was to mail the 128 page magazine back in 1967?) is information about surrounding towns, upcoming events, cooking, dining, recommendations, humor, maps and more. One of my favorite is "Wit and Wisdom of the Dead."

Another treasure discovered was a package of sheets from an exhibition in Chinese regarding the development of Ceramics in China, Ch'ing Dynasty Costume Accessories, Miniature Curio Cabinets, Ming Anl Ch'ing Dynasty Enamel Ware, Carvings from the Ming and Ch'ing Dynasties, Lacquer Ware, Bronze Vessels and Musical Instruments, and this one from the back page about Chinese Jade.

Why in the world my mother would have saved a mold (actually 3) of teeth is beyond me, but the grands love looking at them, LOL. And who knows once they start studying health in school (do they still teach that?) they may come in handy.

We had a beautiful day this week and The Princess was spending time with us as Indy is off visiting his other grandparents. Photo shoot time.... And she is always a good subject.

Easter is almost here and one of the photos I have to take for a photo challenge was of holiday candy. I was going nuts trying to figure out where I was going to get holiday candy when I recalled that Pan bought these for me. I'm not a big candy eater, but for candy corn at Halloween and Peeps at Easter I'll make the exception.

I was trying to set up to get some pictures for the picture of a day when kfkap decided he really needed to be in the picture. That is an IBC root beer bottle in case you are wondering.

Template by Michelle Swadling; Timeless Treasures (c)Brenda Miller; Fonts: pointy

Dream Houses & Tribulations

Fri 3/21 Blog Prompt: Dream House (blueprints and journaling about the house we’d love)

I really think my layout says it all. I have always wanted a house based on the ancient Roman architecture with an atrium at the center. Of course, they didn't have glass walls back then, but I would now with light shining in from skylights to filter into the living areas through the atrium. It definitely would have a pool (impluvium) and plenty of plants. A place for relaxing and entertaining. On the back wall of the home would be a series of sliding glass doors leading to a wrap around deck and a backyard big enough for the children to really have a great time. Tree houses, sandbox, swings and slides.

But I am happy with the house that I have.

Toundra kit & alpha (c)Imagine by Fran; Font: Times New Roman

A Tribulation of Birthdays Past

Thu 3/20 Blog Prompt: Birthdays (shots from various birthdays and/or birthday memories)

Straight from the layout:

Woo Hoo Birthday pics from 1985 with me and the kiddos. I couldn't tell you what I got on that birthday though.

Memorable birthdays... There's always the year I got my telescope (I opted to wait for the better one.) Then year Pan and the kids took me to a restaurant with my gift wrapped in newspaper and entirely covered with tape. Or how about the year Pan called to say he was taking me out to dinner and I thought he was going to tell me something bad.

The best birthdays though are the ones with lots of hugs and kisses from Pan, the kids and the grandkids.

Template by Andrea Gold; So Perky (c)Atomic Cupcake; Font: Times New Roman

The Tribulations of Book Learnin'

Wed 3/19 Blog Prompt: Books (crammed bookshelves and favorite authors)

As my layout states, I don't remember a time I didn't read. Books have always been a big part of my life and for the most part I don't stick to just one genre. As you can see I have procured books about philosophy, religion, biographies (auto and otherwise), science fiction, fantasy and mysteries.

As a youngster I read many books by Taylor Caldwall such as her "I, Judas" and "Captains and Kings" which I still have. And there have been few that haven't read or at least heard about the Harry Potter series recently. Of course, Frank Herbert's Dune series which is being continued by his son, Brian. J.R.R. Tolkien, James Michner and James Patterson, Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, Stephen King, Kay Hooper, Dean Koontz, Robin Cook... So the list goes on of favored authors of the books that I own.

Some have special significance such as the signed copy of "Demons Don't Dream" by Piers Anthony, given to me by Nuke which he had gotten from a con he had attended. A BIL sent us a signed copy of one of his How-To books and I previously worked with Jane Menetrey and when her book about her husband was published, she presented me with a signed copy. Scott Waddle, author of "The Right Thing" had been one of Nuke's commanders.

I honestly don't know how I could get through live, if I could not read.

Template by Colie's Corner; Sweet Days (c)Maria Designs; VonFont, Burst My Bubble

Happy Birthday Bombshell!!!

Template by Michelle Swadling; Purple Delight (c)Lunica

A Collection of Tribulations

Tue 3/18 Blog Prompt: My collections

Oh yes, collections have changed over the years. As a child I remember buying tiny dollhouse furniture from Macy's. The sofa was green silk and I just adored it. There were other pieces that didn't make much of an impact on me and I am sure that if we had not moved, I would have had additional pieces as well. Then there were the comic books. Superman and Archie. Those weren't so much a collection as a way to keep my sister and I entertained as we traveled cross country. But we had a stack of them.

Are my collections more refined now? Probably not. They consist of wine glasses, cross stitch patterns and scrapbooking supplies. I guess you could also say our dvds are a collection of sorts.

But through it all one collection has been constant and gets added to from time to time. My lion collection. I have pewter pieces, ceramic, glass, plastic. I have bed cover, earrings & christmas ornaments. There are prints, oils and watercolors throughout the house. I even have a picture the Nuke took and printed out on canvas. That was the last lion I got. I think it is time to go on a lion hunt.

Template by Andrea Gold; My Discovery kit (c)by alexa b.- Alexandra Brandwein; Fonts: Marilyn, Pharmacy

Happy Birthday Bombshell

Template by Becky Fleck; Flower Power kit (c)Wendy Whitney; Fonts: Patterns & Dots, JaneAusten

A daughter is love in a bright pink bow
A bundle of happiness all aglow
A tomboy in jeans with a tear streaked face
Crying because she has just lost a race.

Then all of a sudden, no longer small,
She's a vision of loveliness dressed for a ball
A dreamer, a schemer, no two days the same
What is a daughter...It's more than a name

She's a pleasure, a treasure, a comfort each day
Loving and sweet in her own special way
She's a sense of contentment felt deep inside
Bringing a lifetime of pleasure and pride!

Once Upon a Tribulation

Mon 3/17 Blog Prompt: Happy St. Patty's Day. Today's Prompt is Once Upon a Time (page about childhood toys)

Those were the days, LOL. Maybe they were. Barbies, Barbies everywhere. We had Barbie houses, Barbie furniture (that my mom made), a wardrobe to die for (again mom made)and probably tons more. ddpup and I played Barbie alot. Oh we had other dolls too, but I think Barbie was the one we played the most with. Except for our walking doll. She was the same size as ddpup and could wear her clothes. We use to pretend she was another sister.

What I remember most though were the games we played with mom and sometimes even dad. Scrabble, Monopoly and various card games like War, Go Fish and Old Maid. As they came out we also had Mouse Trap and Mystery Date (you know the one with Poindexter the geek).

When we were traveling we use to have the bingo cards with windows that closed over the state license you located. That was a lot of fun for us especially when we were going cross country.

Now we play just about all our games on the computer, LOL.

Playdate (c)Karen Aiken, Kay Elfin & Julie Mead; Template by MadeByMitzie; Fonts: The King & Queen font, Tempus Sans ITC

This Week in Space #20

Astronomy Picture of the Day
Mar 9: M104 Hubble Remix. Credit & Copyright: Vicent Peris (OAUV / PTeam), MAST, STScI, AURA, NASA
Mar 10: CMBR Dipole: Speeding Through the Universe . Credit: DMR, COBE, NASA, Four-Year Sky Map
Mar 11: Planets Align Over Australian Radio Telescope Array . Credit & Copyright: Graeme L. White & Glen Cozens (James Cook University)
Mar 12: An Avalanche on Mars. Credit: HiRISE, MRO, LPL (U. Arizona), NASA
Mar 13: Star Forming Region LH 95. Credit: Hubble Heritage Team, D. Gouliermis (MPI Heidelberg) et al., (STScI/AURA), ESA, NASA
Mar 14: Sculpting the South Pillar. Credit: Nathan Smith (Univ. of Colorado), et al., SSC, JPL, Caltech, NASA
Mar 15: Endeavour into the Night. Credit: NASA, Jerry Cannon, Rusty Backer

Cosmic Log by Alan Boyle
Mar 10: Your daily dose of science on the Web
Mar 14: Take the Venusian vortex tour

NASA Image of the Day
Mar 10: Mars' Shifting Sands. Image Credit: NASA, HiRISE, MRO, LPL (U. Arizona)
Mar 11: Into the Night. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
Mar 12: Fire in the Sky. Image Credit: NASA/Jerry Cannon, Rusty Backer
Mar 13: The View. Image Credit: NASA
Mar 14: The Leading Edge. Image Credit: NASA

Sky & Telescope
Mar 10: "First Light" for Twin-Eyed Telescope by David Tytell
Mar 11: Getting To Know Mercury by Kelly Beatty
Mar 11: A New Day in Precision Cosmology by Alan MacRobert
Mar 12: Genesis Finding: Earth Has a Problem by Kelly Beatty
Mar 13: What Happened to Mars? by Kelly Beatty
Mar 14: A Whiff of Water From the Moon by Kelly Beatty
Mar 14: Google Sky Now on the Web by Stuart Goldman
Mar 14: Hot Spitzer News! by Stuart Goldman
Mar 14: This Week's Sky at a Glance by Alan MacRobert

Space.com
Mar 12: Real Death Star Could Strike Earth
Mar 12: Spacecraft to Plunge Through Saturn Moon's Icy Plume
Mar 13: Big Crater Carved By Mysterious Meteorite
Mar 14: Mysterious Craters Seen on Mercury
Mar 14: How to Get to Alpha Centauri
Mar 15: Meteor Videotaped Plunging to Earth
Mar 15: Space Rocks Brought Life's Raw Material
Mar 15: Spot the Brightest Star in the Sky
Mar 15: Giant Eye of Venus Proves Shifty
Mar 15: Spacecraft Beams Back New Views of Saturn Moon Despite Glitch

The Space Review
Mar 10: Book Review: The Mystery of the Missing Antimatter by Jeff Foust
Mar 10: Hoping for a reality tomorrow by Jeff Foust


Papers & elements incorporate colors from Color Pixel Challenge and Commercial use products from Acmdesignz and Kathryn Estry; Sketch by Brenda; Fonts: Buddy Jim, Japan

APOD #8

My favorite books... C.S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower series. My in-laws got me this entire set a few Christmas' ago. How's that for having great in-laws. Added bonus, Pan had never read them, I was rather surprised to learn. I think he enjoyed them as much as I do. :)

Glass insulators were first produced in the 1850's for use with telegraph lines. As technology developed insulators were needed for telephone lines, electric power lines, and other applications. -Glass Insulator Reference

At the time I was given this I did not realize they were collector's items. Seems people really do collect them and there are shows nationwide. Wow.

While we may have just one insulator in our collection, we do have a number of Franklin Mint Star Trek pewter pieces. This one is.... Can anyone guess?

The cat is back after his nearly 4 month hiatus at the daughter's house. He is much, much larger and neutered too. The first thing he did upon his return was locate his cube, then rounded up all the stuffed animals he could find to put in his lair (the cube).

For us on the Gulf Coast the time is rapidly approaching for the gathering of hurricane supplies. And the number one supply is batteries and flashlights. Okay, maybe water and food are number one. But batteries and flashlights seem to be in abundance in our house right now.

Wish I could take credit for the beautiful handwriting, but I can't. It's my mother's and those are lava rocks that she brought back from Hawaii when she and my dad flew over to visit ddpup and bear.

Turquisoe from the mines of Arizona. I don't know if this is from one of our travels as a youth or if it was when mom and dad when out to Arizona to visit ddpup and bear. (boy, pup and bear sure got around didn't they, LOL)

Fonts: Star Jedi, Journal

School Days, School Days, Golden Tribulation

Fri 3/14 Blog Prompt: Schools Revisited

days or so the song goes (well, actually it is golden rule days). When I was working on my page for this prompt (see below), I realized I don't have any pictures from school. I don't know if they are lost, stored away or were with mom's when all of her pictures got wet and destroyed. But I can't seem to find them. So I went with what few I had.

Remember when we had to buy special gym clothes? Those one piece outfits? I liked them. So much that I would buy similar ones just to wear. They were comfortable. Then again I liked Oxfords too. :)

And the school dances... I didn't go to many, but the one prom I did go to my mom made my dress (isn't it gorgeous), and my date broke his foot the day of the dance. I think he did it on purpose because he didn't like to dance. We went anyway and I danced the night away without him.

For the most part, I really liked high school. Both in Guam and in Illinois. The teachers were great, interesting and fun. Science class in Guam was like no other. We build a green house on the roof of the gym (it was outside the science room window) and used it to grow plants and breed mice. I think we spent more time in the greenhouse than in the actual classroom, LOL. It was in Guam that I started my four year journey of learning Latin.

JFK was a little different than most high schools in that we were fenced in (due to bomb threats) and the way they viewed learning. Each day was different. How so you say?

Monday and Thursday's schedules would be 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th periods. So far just like any other school.

Tuesday and Friday would go 2nd, 3rd, 1st, 5th, 6th and 4th.

With Wednesday being 3rd, 1st, 2nd, 6th, 4th and 5th.

Their reasoning was that you were hungry or tired just before lunch and school letting out and therefore did not really concentrate on what you were being taught and that by rotating the schedules you were getting the full benefit of each class.

Of course, moving stateside I learned that not all schools operated that way and ended up in the wrong classrooms until I got use to it. Yet, the school in Illinois had it's benefits too. They taught ballroom dancing, shuffleboard, chess, darts, canoeing and sailing. The social skills needed when you were going on a cruise? It was fun, as was the learning. It was in Illinois I took driver's ed with the room full of simulators and a full wall screen for practicing driving before you actually got out on the road.

Deep down somewhere, I am sure there are bad memories of high school, but I don't recall them. And maybe I just don't want to recall them.


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