Midge vs. Barbie

First thing: Don't forget the Reader Appreciation Give Away! Go check it out!

Now on to the show...........

When I was young I had a Barbie and a Midge. Now you know I was not conventional, so of course, red head Midge was my fav! Barbie was a bimbo in my eyes. I am sure she was the cause of the whole massacre. Yeah, I said it right. Barbie led poor ol Midge, trusting soul that she was, to her untimely death. Just served Barbie right that she too ended up in a deep deep hole.

You see, my brothers had the Johnny West set and of course G I Joe's too! It did not seem odd that they had the ol' west and the army functioning in one area. Well Johnny West had one lone lil Indian friend. And Barbie had to see if she could wiggle her lil hinney that way. You know she was told to leave him alone. I am sure that G I Joe had already instilled Marshall law. But she put on those sling back pink heels and popped on over to encourage him.



A fight broke out. Johnny getting mad seeing Barbie across that dusty trail talking to his side kick. He had been asking her out for some time now. Midge was just standing there shocked as it all was going down. Johnny threw a punch and then the Indian did and next thing you know---as always happens in the Wild West---guns were blazing.




Barbie, silly twit, was in the way. She had been acting all silly and faint til that bullet shot her. Midge screamed, came running across to her dying friend. Johnny backed up. The Indian backed up. And here came G I Joe to instill law and order among these ruffians. Next thing you saw was Midge screaming her head off. (Johnny caught it real quick and popped it back on for her.) Barbie had died but she looked good. That blue eye shadow and black mascara did not fade one bit.



Johnny shot at the Indian, the Indian shot back, Joe shot at both of them but amazing all 4 shots hit Midge. She was gone before you knew what way was which. Well the guys covered the whole thing up. Said Barbie and Midge got into some cat fight and killed each other. Of course they said Barbie had all the money so she could afford the bullets to shoot Midge 4 times.



There was a solemn funeral for the girls. They were the only two in town. Johnny carved Barbie a big ol grave marker. Joe made a lil cross for Midge. The Indian left town.



And that was the end of my playing with dolls life. Of course my brothers still had two to play with. Wonder what happened to those guys?

Reader Appreciation Give Away

Spring is Here
Easter is around the corner
and
I want to tell my ADORING FANS

THANK YOU!

so I wish to do a lil different give away

First here is the prize.

It is a Spring Blossoms Bath Set
with body lotion, body wash, 2 bath fizzer eggs and
a pretty pink body polisher.
Wrapped up in a fun lil round hat box.

And this is the twist!

I would like if you would visit one of my ADORING FANS.*
You will find them on the left column.
Tell them your there by way of CRAZED MIND. (comment)
And then please return here----and tell me---
who you visited and what you liked about their blog.

I will pick a winner Sunday night,
April 12th (Easter).

THANK YOU READERS!**

*note you can follow me to and have others come visit your blog.

** hint hint

Found a bit of My Grandmother

Thanks to thewatchery.com for this photo.

I remember this watch from when I was a child. It was the style my grandmother use to wear. I loved the simple elegance of the time piece. I still love it. As a matter of fact I did not know that you could still purchase this watch. It had been put in my head as a piece from a by gone era. When a watch was a tool to keep time with.

But now there are so many different things people look for. Most of all seems to be the name. Weather it be Movado, Tag-Heuer or Cartier it seems to be the name people recognize first. And second seems to be luxury. So we are looking for luxury watches too.

Well it is nice that some can find these items and still get a relatively good deal. I was happy to see this Lady Hamilton Watch for a great savings of 74% off at $84.00. That is a savings of $241.00. Not bad! I wonder if my CG would love this as much as I do? She has simple taste too. And knowing that it was the style my grandmother wore would mean something to her. It is an idea for an end of year gift for her. A finals are finally over gift. What do you think??

I Entered!

Well this is something new to me. But I am taking the plunge and entering the Pillsbury Bake-Off. I am putting in my 2-in-1 bars (brookies) and my Every Flavor Cake. And now my fingers are crossed. Wish me luck.

Oh if your interested I will share my Every Flavor Cake with you.


All Ingredients:

* 3 cup(s) Pillsbury BEST?? All Purpose Flour
* 3 cup(s) white sugar
* 2 teaspoon(s) baking soda
* 1 teaspoon(s) salt
* 3/4 cup(s) Crisco?? Pure Vegetable Oil
* 2 tablespoon(s) vinegar
* 2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
* 2 cup(s) cold water

Number of servings: 18

Instructions:

1. I like this cake because it is my every flavor cake. You can add or change it easy to make almost any flavor. Chocolate, Vanilla, Lemon.....you name it. This egg-less, milk-free is great for people with food allergies. Your flavorings can be: 1/4 cup # HERSHEY?????S Cocoa or HERSHEY?????S SPECIAL DARK?? Cocoa added to dry ingredients for chocolate. Replace vanilla with other flavored extract for Lemon, Orange, Raspberry, ect. May replace the water with fruit juice drained from your favorite canned fruit. ie: 1 cup cold water, 1 cup cold juice drained from peaches and use vanilla extract. or 1 cup cold water, 1 cup cold juice drained from mandarin oranges and use orange extract. or 2 cup cold water, 1/4 cup baking cocoa and 2 tsp of raspberry extract. You can alter this to make your own special flavors as long as the liquid equals the 2 cup cold water and the extract equals to 2 tsp.

2. You will need: * 9-by-13 inch baking pan (you can also make cupcakes with this recipe. * Sifter * Large bowl Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. Grease a 9-by-13 inch baking pan with Crisco?? Pure Vegetable Oil. Sprinkle a little flour in the bottom of the pan and tilt the pan lightly from side to side to distribute the flour so that it coats the bottom and sides of the pan.

4. Sift together, over a large bowl, 3 cups of Pillsbury BEST?? All Purpose Flour, 2 tsp. of baking soda and 1 tsp. of salt. If you are adding # HERSHEY?????S Cocoa or HERSHEY?????S SPECIAL DARK?? Cocoa then do it here. Make sure the ingredients are thoroughly mixed before adding 2 cups of white sugar.

5. Stir in 3/4 cup of Crisco?? Pure Vegetable Oil, 2 cups of cold water and 2 Tbsp. of vinegar. Add 2 tsp. of vanilla extract and stir until all the ingredients are completely combined. *note this is where you can change water to fruit juice or what flavor of extract you wish to use.

6. Pour the batter in the greased baking pan. Bake for approximately 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle of the cake.

7. Let the cake cool for 20 minutes if you choose to frost it. You can serve it with ice cream and Smucker???s?? Ice Cream Toppings or eat it plain. (Personally I like it warm with a little Land O Lakes?? Stick Butter spread on the cake. My mother likes to put some Smucker???s?? preserves on her piece.)

And The Winner Is..........ME!

I am so lucky to be picked by Juls of the CRAZEE Scotts for the Lemonade Award. Now she did not make it clear as to why you win this award. Is if for great sales (attitude)? A sunny outlook on life (the yellow of the lemonade)? Or just cause I can be a sour puss? LOL I do know if came by way of her site that is filled with humor and a touch of CRAZEEness. So this must be because of that shared weird way we think. AKA Blogger Unite!


The Friendship Award was wrapped up with ribbons and bows into the loveliest package. Sweet Granny Annie from Writers, Witches and Words...Oh My! I have to say she became a fast friend here in blogland. And I feel blessed to have her in my life. She shares fantastic advice any time I ask. Then she is always there to listen too. Thanks Annie!

Now is my turn to share. There are all kinds of rules (as with everything in life). I am to pick others to share these awards with. And they pass it on too. And again, again, again......before you know it we all have these awards. I like to bend the rules, rebel that I am. So I now present these to awards to all of my readers. (See list to left of blog.) I could not have this blog with out all of y'all. So FRIENDSHIP AWARD to all. I also feel that we all reach in and put ourselves out there for others to see. We each have a "lemonade stand" that is open 24 hours a day. The LEMONADE STAND AWARD is for each of y'all to share and enjoy.

Thanks Juls and Annie!

My Rocks

These two ladies are my rock. They have been beside me for over 30 years. These women are the ones that I can call to scream, laugh, cry or just share with. We are all food junkies too. Good food junkies!

We all use to live in Dallas Texas area. These last few years have tossed us around and now we are all over Texas. So instead of once a month feast (yes feast!) we get together only twice a year. The in between times feel like famine.



I just wanted to share my bestest of friends with you. Aren't they a scream!



BTW-- the lil lady in the middle is the most sensible one!

Importing Aid

I want to hire these Louisiana divorce attorneys to help my friend here in Texas. Do you think I can get them to travel here????

My friend has been going through all kinds of hell since Nov. '08 trying to get a divorce and custody of her 4 children. She has had to hire 2 different lawyers and still things are no closer to being settled. I like the web site for these Louisiana divorce attorneys because they offer real information to help.

The have a free booklet called Divorce Done Right . You can call Mary and ask her to send you a copy at (866) 376-7930. And they have a good section on their web site of information to know Before You Hire an Attorney. I have been learning a lot here that would have helped my friend greatly.

Do you think I can convince them to come to Texas and be her legal eagles?

DOES THIS MAKE ME CRAZEE?

In celebration of 100 posts, Juls over at Everyday is a Crazee Day, wants to see just how crazee I am. This is what makes me crazee. Are you crazee too?? Well head on over to Everyday is a Crazee Day, and play along.

1. I must have things organized. Closets are arranged by type of item, (pj's, short sleeve tops to go with shorts, short sleeve tops along w/pants, long sleeve tops along w/pants, house dresses, dresses, sweaters, jackets, coats) and they have to be arranged in color in each section. It is like a continuous rainbow. I also have my kitchen cabinets in order by type of food (can veggies, can meat, can fruit, condiments, baking, pasta/rice/beans, drinks, dry goods) and they are also stacked in order with all labels facing front. Same with spices too! I did finally take off the labels on the cabinets. I won't let my plastic dishes be in the same cabinet as my glass dishes. This goes on and on throughout my house. DOES THIS MAKE ME CRAZEE?

2. OK, OCD abounds. I will not let the store bag my groceries. I do not want them to touch my food. (I would prefer self checkout.) But they will put foods together that I do not want to share a bag. And use many more bags than I will. I also stack the dishes when we are through eating at restaurants. DOES THIS MAKE ME CRAZEE?

3. I hate it when someone calls for the plumber that I do an answering service for and will not leave a message. If it is a sale call and they say they will call back later, I inform them that this # always is answered by the service so would they like to leave a message. They almost 99% of the time say, I will call back later....and they do! Just to get me again and again and again. Til they finally get mad because they only reach me. THIS DOES MAKE ME CRAZEE!

4. I can not stand it nor will I eat it if my food touches! Also I eat all of one food before I will eat another. Meats are last! And I have to have a spoon to eat 80% of all food. I eat in clock order starting at the top and working my way around. DOES THIS MAKE ME CRAZEE?

Well I think this is enough to qualify me as one of the CRAZEE'S over at the Everyday is a Crazee Day. What do you think?

Moving on Up

My niece (in-law?) recently was married on a cruise ship. No I did not get to go. But seeing all the pictures was wonderful. Of course getting married normally goes along with a new home of some sort. She will be moving out of the Washington DC area up to Boston. Young, right out of college, up and coming young man on her arm and an offer to work for a Boston law firm. Who could ask for more. Well how about a little Real Estate in Boston.

Well she is. Having grown up in a colonial two story home in Virginia, she wants something a little more urban. So they are looking at Boston Lofts. They have looked at different ones but have not found the One. And the driving back and forth has become quite a pain too. So she checked out Bushari Group Real Estate that can help her by doing all the footwork. I am sure it will be no time and the moving truck will be loading her up.

Isn't it wonderful to think of new beginnings? Remembering that first home, apartment or loft. I know that my lil high rise studio that I had in college was not fancy but still lives in the romantic part of my memories. How about getting to move to a new area, new job, new home, new life. Thrilling and a tab bit scary. What was your first home away from home?

Wonderous Gifts

In the last week I have been so blessed as to have received many different kinds of gifts from my friends. Many where from a trip to south Texas with one girlfriend to see another of our girlfriends. Don't you love it when you can get together with your "sisters"?

Well the first one mentioned here was a Muscat wine from . Now the town of Sister Creek only has 25 residents. The wine is only sold in Texas. The Muscat wine is referred to as "Summer in a Bottle". To that I do agree. It is a crisp sweet dessert wine that I fell in love with.

We also was able to take a tour of the San Antonio Botanical Gardens. There was an amazing garden just for the blind. It was where all the plants could be touched. Many wonderfully scented herbs here. And the "Garden of Eden" (as I called it) was there too. Yes! There was plants that all made my favorite indulgences. Coffee, Chocolate, Tapioca, Vanilla, Banana, Pomegranate and many more. I could eat my way through there. But what I adored the most was the Wisteria. This plant smells so wonderful and holds so many memories for me.

We also visited The Cave Without a Name. (True) There we heard Native American Flute played with Tibetan Bowls (brass bowls filled with water played by rubbing your finger around the rim to make a chime). This music (you can hear it here) was so haunting reverberating off the cave walls. The Cave Without a Name is a live cave, so you can not touch any of it or that part will die. I have never seen water so crystal clear. Like looking through a sheet of glass. The cave's name came from a student who said it was too pretty to have a name.


I also received a wonderful art book from my girlfriend. The paintings reproduced in here are so full of golds, silvers and mosaics that just take your breath away. Gvstav Klimt is the famous artist who did "The Kiss".

And then never least or last, Juls from Crazee Scotts mailed me my prize. I won the Twilight DVD. Her and the girls were so nice to include popcorn and candy too. Thank you so much. You have helped me provide a birthday present for CG's 22nd celebration.

Are you Ready?

Have you made all the preparations?

It is almost here.
Right around the corner.

I have to get ready, soon, now!
Are you ready????
It is a dreaded issue.
I have to go buy a dog flea collar.

No, make that 5 dog flea collars and 3 cat flea collars!

Freaking Freebies

Here is a website with all kinds of free stuff listed. Oh and coupons off too! Just was surprised to see so much and all organized for me already.

So if your inclined jump on over to get yours!

Malicious Behavior

What do you do when someone you know (weather you choose to or not) is getting away with threatening you? When they are just malicious. We have been under verbal attack. But we really are worried that they could get worse. Should be hide, protect ourselves, call in the reserves? (The police will not file reports because we have not been threaten with specific harm or directly.) In all truth this person has already shot himself, what will keep him sane enough not to hurt someone else-----like ME!

I was thinking we might need to go out and get tactical gear. Like maybe something to protect our body (armored vest sound good to me) or head gear (riot shields) or maybe...Malice Clips! That is it. Sounds perfect. Something to control his malice. Wikipedia says Malice is a legal term referring to a party's intention to do injury to another party. Malice is either expressed or implied. Malice is implied when no considerable provocation appears. Well heck let's just clip that. But sad to say not the right Malice Clips. Nope these attach to vest to hold pouches. But that does take me back to a bullet proof vest!

Friendship Award Awarded

writers and witches, and words...oh my!: friendship award... and the winners are...: "RULES. you're supposed to recognize EIGHT people and give them the award and tell them to pass it along."

Annie was so kind to add me to her list of devoted readers. She is passing this award on along with her PIF (Pay It Forward) Monday. Now in the time honored way of things, I will be doing this later. I need to pick my 8. Do you think it will be you? Hummm. Bribery works. (kidding)

I Am Not Bailing Out AIG

The economy is getting tougher and tougher for everyone. I am not immune to this. And I am having to shop for a new car insurance. You see I have AIG. Well they have changed their name to 21st Century Insurance. And of course, my rates have increased. So as always I am off on the world wide web to find the best deal.

We are insuring a van for my mother, a 1980's mustang for CG and my inherited Dodge. I found Autonet Van Insurance and was pretty excited. It claims to have unbeatable van insurance quotes. Well I need that for sure. So I popped on over. Well I then saw they had car insurance, home owners and wow all kinds. Pet insurance (I never knew), travel insurance, courier insurance (hummm), even business and caravan insurances. Well they seem to be able to cover all kinds of needs. Top it off with up to 70% off of van insurance. I am more than ready to get a quote. Click the magic button.

Ding, Ding! Nope not for all my savings. But for me not looking well enough. I would love to tell you of all my savings. Sad to say I do not live in the UK. So nix that for me. If you do live there then check them out and see what you save. (Let me know!)

writers and witches, and words...oh my!: award and pay it forward monday

writers and witches, and words...oh my!: award and pay it forward monday
What a nice award and to celebrate Annie's Birthday. Happy week to ya'!

Lynette Is Quite A Character

Hi y'all! I'm Nessa from Ramblings of a Texas Housewife. I am a friend and across the street neighbor of Lynette's. She asked me to do a guest post while she's off playing in the caves, so here I am!

I decided I wanted to share with you how I "see" Lynette. She is something else! When trying to think of someone to compare her too, I could not narrow it down to just one. Her personality is too big and diverse for that. So, here is a list of famous characters that combined make up my dear friend.

Lucy...everyone's favorite funny redhead!

Flixster - Share Movies

Ripley...from Alien because she can & will kick your butt if necessary!

Flixster - Share Movies

June Cleaver...she probably won't think so, but I see it. She is a great mom, wife, and home keeper!



Giselle...from Enchanted. That scene where she gets all of Central Park singing & dancing? That's her alright!



Ouiser Boudreaux...I'm sure y'all are wondering what the heck I'm thinking! Well, this is a no nonsense Southern woman who says what she thinks and doesn't care what other people think. Outspoken and opinionated, yes but those can be great traits! She just calls them like she seems them, and you can agree with her or not. But there is another side to her. She may be very "tell it like it is" but she's also very loving. She'd give a stranger the shirt off her back. With her you get a little bit of snarky and a whole lot of heart...a little sugar and a little spice! Just the type of friend we all want!

Flixster - Share Movies

Yep, if Lynette were a fictional character, she'd be a mix of those fabulous females! She's funny, strong, quirky, and dances through life, taking all around her along for the wild, wonderful ride. I am blessed to have her in my life.

She'll be back tomorrow, so don't worry , you aren't stuck with me. Have a great Sunday y'all!

~Nessa~

Checking In

Well this may be interesting for me to do. I am currently at my very bestest friends house. LOL Nessa I love ya but sorry not across the street. No I outside of San Antonio in a town named Boerne. Currently I am sitting on her couch with a keyboard precariously balanced on my crossed legs. It is wireless and I have to have it aimed just right for the signal to get to the tower across the room. Also her screen is across the room like a TV screen would be. Oh and the wireless mouse is roaming across the couch.

We had a leisurely drive here yesterday. Taking little stops in the towns along the way. I was happy to stop in Luckenbach Texas but sad to say I did not get to drink a beer there. I was the driver so no booze! We ate at a place called the Hungry Horse and boy was I full! Later that night my other friend Julie went out to the rented car we had to retrieve some items. Luck be it, she locked the keys in the trunk. So we had to call the rental company to get AAA to come to the rescue. Well the gentleman showed up after 11 pm and essential broke in the car. Of course now the horn was blaring waking all around. He had to crawl across the front seat to the back seat to the trunk to get the keys and disable the alarm. Nice to know that no one called the police so would not be hard to steal a car in this neighborhood would it?

Today we walked through the botanical gardens in San Antonio. It was beautiful. And in one garden they had a coffee tree, a chocolate tree, a tapioca plant, a vanilla plant and a banana tree. I could live in that garden for sure! All my wonderful vices in one place. My bestest friend has a 3 yr old daughter. So plenty of exercise chasing her down. How do these lil ones get so much energy? Those lil legs sure can run.

Tonight we are going to listen to Native American flutes being places is a cave called "The Cave with No Name". I am interested in how it will sound echoing off the water laden walls. I am told that it can be quite cold there so I have to bundle up. Gosh with the hot flashes I have I think I may just love a place that can cool me off.

Well yall have a great time this weekend. I sure am enjoying mine! Hopefully tomorrow you will be greeted by Nessa. She is suppose to do a guest post.

HURRY GO WIN

Twilight DVD Give-a-way! at the crazee scotts

Strong Women Series

I have done 4 post in the last week about some very strong women. I would like to feature them all together today. Why? Well I feel they help incorporate the many facets of the women we all are. How? I will connect the dots.

First I want to highlight Nessa. Her post was called "Just My Opinon on Nessa". She is the mom in so many of us. Caring for hearth and home with the little reserves that come her way. As so many of the moms before us have done. Quietly and with a strong will these moms (Nessa included) have toiled to make a nest for us to grow up in. Where we remember the times of nestling in our mommies laps, the comfort of being tucked in and the reassurance that they will always be there. This is very hard work that so many women do daily with little thanks. I want to tell Nessa, my own mom, you, others and even myself--Thank you for caring for all of us!

Second we see Soojung Cho with "Quiet Art". Here is the beauty and grace that women hold. This that we do by nature and can quicken a man's heart and loins so easily. Soojung conveys that same tranquil quality in her art work. When viewed nature takes us and transports the image into a feeling that can touch our very core. Every woman has this same ability in the arch of her back, the line down her leg or the wisps of hair escaping her carefully done up hair. And while we so often do not notice this in ourselves, others will. Then for that quiet moment they stop and take it in with appreciation. Thank you Soojung for allowing your talent to be shared that we all may have those moments of appreciation for the subtle things.

Next there is the independent woman who conquers the world. In "Quite a Lady" Laura Diaz displays the strength that ladies everywhere draw upon. Laura takes the bull by the horns and goes out to achieve greatness in her life. Should we all take this same trip. Well we do. But in other venues. Rhea of Texas Word Tangle makes light of the quirkiness within each of us. Do we have aliens living with us or are they just our children? Juls herding up "Every Day is a Crazee Day" has pointed out that a successful marriage has more to do with working toward a common goal then just Prince Charming sweeping us off our feet. (Big Daddy we do know your the Prince!) And those amazing ladies, Heather and Tiffany, from SITS shows us every day that we all can make great things happen when we pull together.

Now last, and for a purpose, there is Annie Kelleher of Writers, Witches and Words...Oh My! with "Two Thumbs Up for Silver's Lure". Why last. Well it not due to age for sure even though she claims the title of Grannie Annie. No Annie shares with all of us our spirit. That indestructible thread of love, guidance and purpose that weaves our lives. Annie my own very personal thanks to you. You have made changes in my life by sharing yours. Ladies also hold tight to your own gifts within for a little while. Enough to get the joy out of them too! Then let your spirit fly, spreading your wings, gliding on the wind and DANCING in every twirling circles among those around you.

So I know this has been long. But we are all strong women. We are the moms, artist, independent women and free spirits that make up this community. And there lies the beauty that is share. I wish you a wonderful weekend. Open your doors and let Spring in. Open your hearts and let love flow. And most of all, know that the Awards of life are yours to keep.

Quite a Lady

I have to tip my hat to hard workers. And I do also like to recognize people who know that hard work is what brings us up through the ranks. I just told you about Soojung Cho and her beautiful artwork. Now I wish to direct you to a lady who makes nightly news spectacular.

CBS Laura Diaz is a woman with humble beginnings. Born in Santa Paula of farm workers starting a life for their children, Laura and her family spoke little English. Laura learned, along with her family, English and moved to Santa Clarita Valley. Laura's teachers were very supportive at William S. Hart High School where Laura was on the cheerleading team. She continued on to earn a B.A. in English at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. It was from an internship at IBM Communications that she found her love of public speaking. And Laura found her voice through KSBY-TV in San Luis, in Fresno for KFSN-TV and as a reporter for KABC-TV.

Now so far Laura sounds like many we know. Hard working, humble roots and having the experience of a good education. Good but not out of the ordinary. Diaz reported on many stories, such as the First Interstate Bank fire, the Northridge earthquake and the Los Angeles Riots where Laura was held at gunpoint by an angered group. In 1997 she was named lead anchor evening and nightly news and was the first Hispanic woman to hold that spot. In 2002 Laura Diaz changed from KABC-TV to KCBS-TV as co-anchor of the 5 and 11 p.m. news.

Laura now holds eight Emmy Awards, including an Emmy for Individual Achievement in Feature Reporting. She also has 2 Golden Mike Awards for best feature reporting. To top it off Laura holds the national Imagen Award from 2006. Top it off with the L.A. Press Club's highest honor, the "Joseph M. Quinn Award" for journalistic excellence and distinction. She has shown her talent and dedication to her career field. As a field reporter and producer including her anchor duties, Laura told of a undercover federal agent who infiltrated a murderous motorcycle gang, "The Mongols". She shared with us about a gang member that exposed "Emotional Gangs". This is a gang that spreads hate between African Americans and Latinos.

Top this with her commitment to "The Joyful Child Foundation." An organization that grew from her extensive coverage of the murder of Samantha Runnion by a sexual predator. Now this group works organizing neighborhood watches and how to stop child predators. 51 programs have now been established in southern California. It also includes children's creative writing and artistic programs, organisations to prevent child abuse and abduction and research about predator behaviour.

Now I know this is long but I do wish to recognize that dedication to self, to community and to a career is admirable. And in Laura Diaz we see all of this. Hats off!

Quiet Art

Thanks to Soojung Cho for her artwork at http://www.soojungcho.com

I recently recieved an email from a dedicated artist. Soojung Cho sent me a link to her web site. And there I was entranced by the simplicity of her art work. I was able to experience a quiet beauty there that I have not seen often.

Soojung Cho has a saying of 'Life Is Gift, Art Your Best'. I can imagine that she is sharing a secret that many of us have forgotten. In today's rat race of a world we tend to loose track of the gift each day is. How wonderous it can be to look at a ladybug traveling a leaf and see that path was life. When I had the pleasure of seeing Soojung's art work, I saw her gift in life.

"Love of Moonbeam" by Soojung Cho at http://www.soojungcho.com

I offer you a chance to go and visit her site. Pick your favorites pieces. "Love of Moonbean" is mine. Tell Soojung Cho how you see her gift. She has a place to leave her messages. I hope you too enjoy the quiet beauty she shares.