Re-evaluation

Sorry that I have been gone awhile. Family and work have gotten in the way of posting here.

Today is Easter. Christians believe, according to Scripture, that Jesus came back to life, or was raised from the dead, three days after his death on the cross. As part of the Easter season, the death of Jesus Christ by crucifixion is commemorated on Good Friday, always the Friday just before Easter. Through his death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus paid the penalty for sin, thus purchasing for all who believe in him, eternal life in Christ Jesus. Hope everyone is enjoying the day, not just the commercialism of the holiday. 

I am looking upon it as a new beginning. Plan on re-evaluating where I am and where I am or need to go. I feel I have come to fork in the road of life. Sometimes one needs to stand back and look at where one has been and where one is going.

Hope to post more. See you then.

Celtic ancestry

Hope you had a nice Memorial Day weekend. Well, the holiday didn't disappoint in the weather department In my lifetime I have only had maybe two dry weekends that I can remember.

I attended a Minnesota Scottish Fair, located on the Dakota County Fairgrounds in Farmington, Minnesota, with my daughter on May 4, 2013. While visiting one of the tents I mentioned to the gentleman I wasn't sure if I had any Scottish ancestry. He then asked me what my father's last name was. I told him and there was the surname of my dad, but that was more of a German background. In doing some genealogy sleuthing I did find out there was some through my father's maternal line. Yippey!! Now I will not feel bad when I go to wear a tartan design. Since there may be many tartan options due to many ancestors surnames, I may choose a design (Pride of Scotland) that will not insult a family.

Celtic music touches my soul as it is haunting and beautiful. Ballads are great as they are lively and the tell a story. Some music today is so loud you cannot even her the words of the song. A quote from a movie (Pure Country -  George Strait), "A song is not a song without the words".

Ancestry.com was a good starting point for my sleuthing is genealogy. Be careful though as there are many people who may have the same name as your ancestor. Census records also have issues. The person entering a name may spell it wrong and a person transcribing the census may read it wrong, as I found out about my dad. His first name is Gene. When it was entered into the census record is was entered as Jene. Then when transcribed it came out as Jeroe. It is sad today that the current generation has a hard time decoding "cursive". My opinion is the schools should bring back "cursive".

How did Memorial Day get started?

This is my question -  How and when did Memorial Day get started?

Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. (resource)

Often considered the "official" start of summer in the United States, Memorial Day weekend has become a time to remember the fallen of conflicts past as well as for family picnics and trips to the beach. While parades and celebrations are now commonplace, the holiday was not universally embraced at its inception as it was initially intended to honor Union dead from the Civil War. Over time, the holiday's reach broadened until it became a national day of remembrance. (resource)

With its origins in mind, the question may be asked - how did Memorial Day begin?

I am back!!

Sorry that I have been away for so long. Many things have happened since my last post. One of my daughters got married and had 2 corrective surgeries.

I am healing well. Things are looking up for me. Now on to new challenges.

Am doing sewing for the village that I volunteer at...Dakota City Heritage Village. It is located on the Dakota County Fairgrounds located in Farmington, Minnesota. We have many events going on. In May we have a WWII event with reenactors. In August the village is open during the county fair. In October we have a Harvest Moon Festival and in December we have Christmas in the Village. The village is lit up with lights in the buildings and outside of the buildings. There are also school tours in the Spring and Fall along with our various tours.

It is alot of fun. I cook on a wood burning stove. Sometimes I get so busy I forget to post here. Here I am cooking and the smells fill the house with wonderful smells (so I have been told).

Sewing on one of the treadle machines is fun. When visitors see me sewing on these old machines the look on their faces is priceless. I have learned many tips from these visitors. I do sew my own costumes as that way they are more of a custom fit to me.

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I was involved in my first Victorian Tea this past May 7, 2011. It is a fundraiser for the village I volunteer at. Originally I was just going to be a guest. I was asked to be a table hostess. The Tea was based around the Kentucky Derby as the race was that weekend. The theme was called "A Day at the Races". It was a fun filled day with lots of laughter. We wore hats of various styles, typical of the races. We had the typical menu of scones with jam and collated cream spread, along with tea being served the whole time. Lunch was chicken and salad. Everything was delicious. The women guests were amazing as I had a group of the "Red Hat" ladies. They kept the conversation going so well that I did not have to do much. I learned a few things from these ladies.

The tables were named after horses that have ran in races. My table was called "Sunday Silence". I laughed when I heard that as I am never silent.

Sunday Silence: (1986–2002) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse, earning distinction as 1989 American Horse of the Year over American Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse Easy Goer. He was foaled in 1986, sired by Halo out of Wishing Well by Understanding. Though he was registered as a dark bay/brown, he was in fact a true black. In the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th Century, Sunday Silence is ranked #31. Sunday Silence was retired to Japan, where his success as a leading sire was confined mainly to Asia.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunday_Silence).

The day was so much fun I plan on going next year. I already have an outfit planned to make for that day!!

There is another website about "Teas" in Minnesota. There was a guest at our Tea that blogged about our day along with some pictures. Look at the May 17th blog. Here is there link:  www.tea-friends.net

Gardening for fresh food and physical activity

February came and went very quickly for me. Sorry I have not posted last month. Here is my post for March. I just realized my birthday is coming on Monday and be another year older. When I was a kid I could not wait to be older, now I wish it would slow down.

My New Year’s resolution was to lose weight, tone the body and build muscle strength. Well, I have lost 20lbs since I began my journey in October 2010. At this time I have hit a plateau; which is common with any weight loss regime. Getting back on track is the hard part for me. Spring and summer is not too far away, so I need to get going. There will be many opportunities for outdoor fitness like walking, biking and gardening. Here in Minnesota there are many opportunities for outside activities for the winter enthusiasts. I am not one of those.  

Planning and having a garden will be great. I will get fresh vegetables without the use of herbicides and/or pesticides.  I do not believe in changing the natural order of plant growth and behavior. Gardening is a great gentle physical activity that can help people stay active and healthy. Also, there is nothing tastier than a home grown tomato picked right off of the vine. There is a world of difference between your own tomatoes and the tasteless things you find in the grocery store. My mouth is already beginning to water. 

Physical activity and healthy eating are essential. Moving more and eating better improves health and saves money, which is good for everyone. Thirty minutes of moderately intense physical activity every day is a great way to start getting active. Gardening would incorporate these two things. Preparing a garden requires digging and tilling the soil, bending, walking, planting, moving and carrying items. Seems to me, that would definitely burn calories and tone muscles.

So, while the weather is still cold and snowy, I plan on reading up on what I need to know. When the gardening season begins I will be ready. I will then have a bountiful harvest of fresh vegetables. Yummm!

Starting the Workout Routine

January 27, 2011

Started the routine my personal trainer has put together for me. I can do exercises but my goal was to have a routine to gather the exercises that would help me achieve my goal. The exercises include a routine of cardio, strength training, and flexibility. Nutrition includes 60% - Carbs, 30% - Fat, 10% Protein.

In doing some research it is indicated that a diet rich in complex carbohydrates can and may help a person get fit and stay slim.

Eating carbs makes you thin for life
A recent multi-center study found that the slimmest people also ate the most carbs, and the chubbiest ate the least. The researchers concluded that your odds of getting and staying slim are best when carbs make up to 64% of your total daily caloric intake, or 361 grams.

That's the equivalent of several stuffed baked potatoes (a food we bet you've been afraid to eat for decades).

Most low-carb diets limit you to fewer than 30% of total calories from carbs and sometimes contain as few as 30 grams of carbohydrates a day.


http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/8-reasons-carbs-help-you-lose-weight-2442968/