It's so weird, I spent a lot of years yearning for my kids to get older and turn into people, now I can't help lamenting over "tiny hands and feet."
Last week my youngest son turned 21 - 21!!!! I still can't believe it - for so many reasons...and again I was melancholy over all the years gone by, but this time it wasn't because of his age - it was because I remembered mine!
]]>I write this tongue-n-cheek humor column on Saturdays - well, I try and be humorous, sometimes I really miss the mark, but anyway, this Saturday I am paying homage to my grandmother.
It's been a little hard to immerse myself in morning and memory because the day after her death is my younger son, Scott's birthday - today he's 21.
This unlikely pair, generations apart, were unusually close and when this time of year comes around I'm usually consoling him and grieving takes the back seat.
Right now, for so many reasons, I'm missing my grandmother so much. I'm in such need of her wisdom and love that she's just never far from my mind.
So in the best way I know how, Saturday (Aug.15) I pay tribute to the greatest lady I've ever known.
If you get the chance read it - I think you'll enjoy getting to know her:)
Diana
]]>My first several attemps at blogging were dismal.
I tried to keep it up with daily entries of quips, recipes, helpful hints etc., but life got in the way and I let the blog go by the wayside - if in fact blogs have waysides:)
But recently our webmaster blessed me with a really cute, new masthead/logo/marker thingy, and I thought, "wow, if he's not giving up on me, then I should give this blog thing another try."
Instead of the mundane postings of e-mails from PR firms, I will try and offer the cute, touching, frustrating and in general interesting things that I come across everyday. I'm guessing the other stuff you're probably getting blasted with on your computer anyway:)
Wish me luck - and I'll do the same for you!!
Diana
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It's a story of triumph over tragedy and heartbreak
Here's the link - Enjoy.
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Gardening Gives a Dose of Nature
Spending time outside yields a bushel of health benefits, including exposure to fresh air and sunlight (the best source around for vitamin D), as well as all the mental and emotional bonuses that derive from communing with nature.
Gardening is a Great Workout
Gardening tasks provide plenty of exercise, from digging, to hoeing, to toting water. Encourage your kids to pitch in by turning garden work into play with a weeding contest or a seeding straw.
It Makes Healthy Eating Fun
Even selective eaters find it hard to resist the fun of nibbling something straight off the plant. Tempt kids with these pick-and-eat favorites: cherry tomatoes, green beans, and strawberries.
It Stimulates your Brain
A garden is like a classroom without all the desks, grades, and homework. It presents endless opportunities for hands-on environmental learning about beneficial bugs, composting, and photosynthesis.
Gardening Boosts Your Mood
A study in the journal Evolutionary Psychology found that just receiving flowers made people feel better - and helped improve memory. Try growing mammoth sunflowers, morning glories, nasturtiums, and lavender.
It Adds Nutrition to your Diet
Most fresh produce offers nutrients, but some vegetables are more high-powered than others. Carrots, tomatoes, and bell peppers are both kid-friendly and super-nutritious.
I was making the invitations to my mother's graduation party and I just wanted something to listen to as I cut, stamped, glued and taped. I wish I would have picked The Simpsons instead.
The first segment was on healthcare.
Interviewed were these cancer patients who had no insurance and the university clinic where they were receiving treatment had closed.
They had all received one of those, "we regret to inform you..." letters.
They had no idea what they were going to do, but one thng was for sure - they were not going to get the treatment they vitaly needed.
These people who once had a chance at life were basically being told - "sorry."
They weren't poor enough to receive government aid and not rich enough to pay the enormous price tag for treatment. One woman said her treatment was $50,000 each.
I believed the university president when she said she felt bad, but what was she to do? The clinic's funding was cut and they had to make some tough choices.
I took two things away from that story.
1) How can we possibly have the treatment and not give it to those who need it whether they can afford it or not?
and
2) Will that some day be me?
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Where: Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden
1500 North College Ave., Claremont
What: Annual Wildflower Show & Festival
When: Saturday and Sunday, April 11 and 12, 2009
10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Claremont: Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden will host its Annual Wildflower Show and Festival on Saturday and Sunday, April 11 and 12, 2009, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The spectacular indoor display features hundreds of wildflowers collected from the Garden's living collection, the high and low deserts, inland valleys and foothill regions of our local mountains.
A watercolor exhibition by artist Phyllis Case Bennett will be on display during the 2-day Wildflower Show and Festival. Bennett is an instructor with 28 years of experience in watercolor and Chinese Brush painting. When ask about her career as a teacher, she replies, "I teach because it causes me to focus on what's really important. Students are stimulating, critical and inquisitive."
Bennett explains her life's work and focus in watercolor by stating, "I work in water media because it is direct, quick, responsive and clean." She adds, "I believe that intellect and intuition, method and creativity together lead to the highest form of human expression. I have attempted to follow this muse throughout my art life."
Bennett received her BA degree in Art at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She has studied with well-known local artists Rex Brandt, Robert Wood and Millard Sheets, and in Hangzhou, China, at the China Academy of Fine Art, where she has traveled since 1985 to coordinate the Academy's Foreign Study Programs.
Bennett is a member of The Sumie Society of America, Inc., Pomona Valley Art Association, the Yuan Chinese Brush Painting Association, and a Signature Member of WatercolorWest. She will be on site during the Show and Festival to discuss her work.
The 2-day Wildflower Show and Festival offers activity stations, kids' crafts and face painting by "Claremont's Face Painter" - Lilly Walters Schermerhorn, Saturday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Experience a rare and magical time when deserts blooms in "Season of the Sand Blossoms," an environmental art film set to music. Relax, refresh at the Sycamore Café serving gourmet salads, sandwiches, nutritious children's snacks and beverages. This spring the Annual Wildflower Show and Festival at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden makes for a full day of Garden exploration and family fun.
Admission: Members, free. Non-members: $8 adults, $6 seniors (65 yrs. and older); $6 students (13 to 17 years old or full-time college students); $4 child (3 to 12 years of age); Children under 3 years, free.
I used to scoff at such things as flea collars, flea dips, flea baths, flea medications and other preventive measures to keep my home flea free, but no more!
In tomorrow's column I talk about how my husband Dan and I made the gruesome discovery of our infestation devastation - it's not for those with a weak stomach.
My hope is that our experience will alert future flea victims of the warning signs so they nip those little buggers in the larva!
]]>It had been cracked for years from one of my boys. Which one? To this day I don't know neither will own up and each blame the other.
Well last night after getting home from work I do what I love to do when I get home from work - play with my dogs - I have three, but really only two play, one is about 14 and can barely stand let alone run after a ball - so he watches.
Anyway, I stand at one end of my living room and throw a tennis ball across the room into the kitchen and these two adorable little Papillon mixes tear off after it. Well the game was progressing pretty fast - and what can I say - I throw like a girl, so I heaved the ball -- right into and through our living room window.
I wonder how many bugs now call my home their own?
So instead of flipping on TV (which I would LOVE to do) I thought I would take another crack at this blogging thing.
I have never received a response so chances are no one is reading it - but I'm really not one to give up.
So now that I've dropped a HUGE hint. maybe some one will write back and let me know if they've ever done some thing as lame as me.
Gotta go - I think I just heard a vehicle stop outside my house.
Diana:)
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Light blocking features can be added to new window treatment purchases to enhance room darkening. Here are some of the options sleep-deprived homeowners can choose from:
1) Add a blackout liner. Blackout liners are perfect for shift workers who sleep during the day and the friend to new parents who want to encourage good sleeping habits for infants and toddlers.
2) Add decorative tapes to horizontal blinds to block light that enters through rout holes, or choose routless louvers for your blinds.
3) Cornice boxes and valances block light that can enter through the small gap at the headrail of the window treatment. Depending upon the existing treatment, these can be added after a treatment is installed, too.
4) Roman shades and woven woods benefit from the addition of room darkening liners, which present a uniform look to the street. Room darkening cellular shades block light and add insulation between cooled indoor air and the glass.
5) Sleep experts encourage troubled sleepers to wake at the same time every day. An additional feature that can help you wake at the same time every day is programmable motorization. Just set the programmable timer to open your window treatments at a specific time in the morning and the light that was blocked all night will help wake you.
6) Lastly, flanking your existing window treatments with drapery panels and cornice box or valance, may help block light that seeps through the small gaps between the window treatment and the wall. The added bonus is drapery panels will soften the look of your windows and can be changed out seasonally to enhance your décor.
]]>Full-Time and Part-Time Employment...
• Clerical
• Government
• Health Services
• Hospitality
• Law Enforcement
• Retail
• Security
• Shipping
• Transportation
...and more!
Come dressed professionally and be prepared to meet
human resource personnel on site. Bring plenty of resumes.
Hosted by Congressman David Dreier
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Join Billy Bronco and Cal Poly Pomona athletes as we learn how to stay healthy and active! There will also be healthy snacks and crafts, interactive games and sport story time throughout the afternoon.
Every child attending will receive a free book.
When: Saturday, March 28, 2009 1-4p.m.
Where: Cal Poly Pomona Downtown Center
300 West Second Street, Pomona (corner of Second and Main, 2 blocks west of Garey Avenue)
1. Change the race you're running from a sprint to a marathon. Developing the marathon mentality will take a lot of pressure off.
2. Exercise, exercise exercise. Keep your body and mind strong through physical activity. Exercise helps clear the mind, relieve stress and keeps your body's systems running strong. Without a healthy body and mind, you won't ever reach retirement.
3. Choose work that utilizes your talents and capitalizes on your passions. If your job is not as enjoyable as it used to be due to downsizing, added pressure from superiors, irritable co-workers or increased workload; change your expectations. You can't always change the situation, but you can change your reaction. This will help you to better maintain focus at work.
4. Adjust your environment. Listen to background music, instigate meetings on the move, try eating lunch at different places. Change things up and you won't feel the burnout.
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Dogs |
Cats |
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1. Max |
1. Max |
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2. Bailey |
2. Chloe |
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3. Bella |
3. Tigger |
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4. Molly |
4. Tiger |
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5. Lucy |
5. Lucy |
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6. Buddy |
6. Smokey |
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7. Maggie |
7. Oliver |
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8. Daisy |
8. Bella |
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9. Sophie |
9. Shadow |
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10. Chloe |
10. Charlie |
Learn2Grow.com is the fastest growing online resource for plant and gardening information. In just under two years time, Learn2Grow.com posted its 1,000th article, making its expert-driven collection of projects, plant profiles, tips and techniques the most current and complete available online today. The articles and projects are created for people of any skill level and every degree of interest.
courtesy of www.learn2grow.com
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