tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50706542083844846262024-02-20T10:35:40.706-08:00June Cleaver's SITREPJune Cleaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17164334599665026981noreply@blogger.comBlogger205125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070654208384484626.post-57403249959565021202010-07-24T05:26:00.000-07:002010-07-24T12:57:23.428-07:00Abide In HimI haven't written since my diagnosis of glioblastoma, which is a type of brain tumor. Really we were on a fast moving train between the initial "shadow" that showed up in a CAT scan in St. Loius, to the the full blown diagnosis a few days later back in Kansas at KU Medical Center. It does all seem a bit of blur, especially after the biopsy was done and before radiation treatment began. MD Anderson, the huge cancer medical center in Houston gave us a call with the possibility of operating to remove the tumor. I must say, I made that trip thinking "I don't know about this Lord!"<br /><br /><br />After a couple days of testing and a special MRI, the Docs said this is a "No Go!" To tell you truth the I had already gotten that message from the Lord! The thing is though that we had make that trip so we could assure ourselves that we got a second opinion, and would never question that we were moving forward in the right direction. God is so good about that reassurance! <br /><br />Well, we are now done with 4 out of six weeks of radiation and chemo, and aside from being bit fatigued, I am handling it quite well. I have lost some hair, but have very cute hats and scarves for cover (I know, such vanity!). <br /><br />My family has been such a blessing by taking turns getting me to daily radiation treatments in Kansas; everyone has taken a turn; my son and his fiance, a good friend who just happened to visit, and my sisters. The extra added bonus--quality time with people I love--blessings upon blessings!<br /><br />That brings me to my whole attitude about having this illness. I know the Lord has this whole thing under control! From the moment I heard the word "shadow" I knew this was a brain tumor and and I also knew the Lord would help me handle everything that would be happening to me. God's grace is sufficient for me. He also gave me a verse about abiding in Him. I am still working on that . . . it means to remain in Him. I intend to do just that!June Cleaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17164334599665026981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070654208384484626.post-397051484525546822010-05-31T04:45:00.000-07:002010-05-31T04:58:34.455-07:00Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (hey, it needs to be said)Years ago after becoming a Christian I wrestled with this . . . probably because I had become entrenched in feminist ideology. After only a few years of studying the scriptures it was all made clear to me. It wasn't complicated at all, God has a plan, a purpose and a design. The Danvers statement helps clarify things in a more succinct manner than I ever could though, and luckily for me they allow for any and all to copy and disperse their well written statement. <span style="font-style:italic;">(It's a sad commentary on the modern church that they had to though, isn't it!) </span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood</span><br /><br /><br />In December, 1987, the newly-formed Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood met in Danvers, Massachusetts, to compose the Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. Prior to the listing of the actual affirmations that comprise the Danvers Statement, we have included a section detailing contemporary developments that serve as the rationale for these affirmations. We offer this statement to the evangelical world, knowing that it will stimulate healthy discussion, hoping that it will gain widespread assent.<br /><br />Rationale | Affirmations<br /><br />Rationale<br /><br />We have been moved in our purpose by the following contemporary developments which we observe with deep concern:<br /><br />The widespread uncertainty and confusion in our culture regarding the complementary differences between masculinity and femininity;<br /><br />the tragic effects of this confusion in unraveling the fabric of marriage woven by God out of the beautiful and diverse strands of manhood and womanhood;<br /><br />the increasing promotion given to feminist egalitarianism with accompanying distortions or neglect of the glad harmony portrayed in Scripture between the loving, humble leadership of redeemed husbands and the intelligent, willing support of that leadership by redeemed wives;<br /><br />the widespread ambivalence regarding the values of motherhood, vocational homemaking, and the many ministries historically performed by women;<br /><br />the growing claims of legitimacy for sexual relationships which have Biblically and historically been considered illicit or perverse, and the increase in pornographic portrayal of human sexuality;<br /><br />the upsurge of physical and emotional abuse in the family;<br /><br />the emergence of roles for men and women in church leadership that do not conform to Biblical teaching but backfire in the crippling of Biblically faithful witness;<br /><br />the increasing prevalence and acceptance of hermeneutical oddities devised to reinterpret apparently plain meanings of Biblical texts;<br /><br />the consequent threat to Biblical authority as the clarity of Scripture is jeopardized and the accessibility of its meaning to ordinary people is withdrawn into the restricted realm of technical ingenuity;<br /><br />and behind all this the apparent accommodation of some within the church to the spirit of the age at the expense of winsome, radical Biblical authenticity which in the power of the Holy Spirit may reform rather than reflect our ailing culture.<br /><br />Affirmations<br /><br />Based on our understanding of Biblical teachings, we affirm the following:<br /><br />Both Adam and Eve were created in God's image, equal before God as persons and distinct in their manhood and womanhood (Gen 1:26-27, 2:18).<br /><br />Distinctions in masculine and feminine roles are ordained by God as part of the created order, and should find an echo in every human heart (Gen 2:18, 21-24; 1 Cor 11:7-9; 1 Tim 2:12-14).<br /><br />Adam's headship in marriage was established by God before the Fall, and was not a result of sin (Gen 2:16-18, 21-24, 3:1-13; 1 Cor 11:7-9).<br /><br />The Fall introduced distortions into the relationships between men and women (Gen 3:1-7, 12, 16).<br /><br />In the home, the husband's loving, humble headship tends to be replaced by domination or passivity; the wife's intelligent, willing submission tends to be replaced by usurpation or servility.<br /><br />In the church, sin inclines men toward a worldly love of power or an abdication of spiritual responsibility, and inclines women to resist limitations on their roles or to neglect the use of their gifts in appropriate ministries.<br /><br />The Old Testament, as well as the New Testament, manifests the equally high value and dignity which God attached to the roles of both men and women (Gen 1:26-27, 2:18; Gal 3:28). Both Old and New Testaments also affirm the principle of male headship in the family and in the covenant community (Gen 2:18; Eph 5:21-33; Col 3:18-19; 1 Tim 2:11-15).<br /><br />Redemption in Christ aims at removing the distortions introduced by the curse.<br />In the family, husbands should forsake harsh or selfish leadership and grow in love and care for their wives; wives should forsake resistance to their husbands' authority and grow in willing, joyful submission to their husbands' leadership (Eph 5:21-33; Col 3:18-19; Tit 2:3-5; 1 Pet 3:1-7).<br /><br />In the church, redemption in Christ gives men and women an equal share in the blessings of salvation; nevertheless, some governing and teaching roles within the church are restricted to men (Gal 3:28; 1 Cor 11:2-16; 1 Tim 2:11-15).<br /><br />In all of life Christ is the supreme authority and guide for men and women, so that no earthly submission-domestic, religious, or civil-ever implies a mandate to follow a human authority into sin (Dan 3:10-18; Acts 4:19-20, 5:27-29; 1 Pet 3:1-2).<br /><br />In both men and women a heartfelt sense of call to ministry should never be used to set aside Biblical criteria for particular ministries (1 Tim 2:11-15, 3:1-13; Tit 1:5-9). Rather, Biblical teaching should remain the authority for testing our subjective discernment of God's will.<br /><br />With half the world's population outside the reach of indigenous evangelism; with countless other lost people in those societies that have heard the gospel; with the stresses and miseries of sickness, malnutrition, homelessness, illiteracy, ignorance, aging, addiction, crime, incarceration, neuroses, and loneliness, no man or woman who feels a passion from God to make His grace known in word and deed need ever live without a fulfilling ministry for the glory of Christ and the good of this fallen world (1 Cor 12:7-21).<br /><br />We are convinced that a denial or neglect of these principles will lead to increasingly destructive consequences in our families, our churches, and the culture at large.<br /><br /><br />We grant permission and encourage interested persons to use, reproduce, and distribute the Danvers Statement. Printed copies of a brochure are available for a small fee. Visit the CBMW Store or contact us to place an order.June Cleaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17164334599665026981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070654208384484626.post-72351763075604212842010-05-04T14:06:00.000-07:002010-05-04T16:06:28.784-07:00Rock Out<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://usacac.army.mil/cac/usdb/images/oakrocker.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 480px; height: 640px;" src="http://usacac.army.mil/cac/usdb/images/oakrocker.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /> <br />When I found out Betty and her husband were going to make me a "Grammy" I immediately wanted to go shopping for baby clothes. Unfortunately, I wasn't going to find out the gender of erstwhile named "Nigel" until he/she was born. Well, that puts a cramp in one's style for buying baby things . . . they are all very gender specific with either football, baseball themes or pink, very pink feminine ruffles. <br /><br />So, I had to tame my urge with the thought, that OK, I will concentrate on buying one big thing. What one big thing could I get that they would need, and I say need, because the parents involved here are very practical. No frivolous purchases please. Well, then it had to be a rocking chair. <br /><br />When dealing with infants, if memory serves me correct, when trying to calm them some type of rocking is necessary. Having a chair makes the process so much easier! It's also great for nursing. I expect it will be a stress reliever for anyone involved. <br /><br />So my quest began. I really would have liked to purchase an antique rocker, but after looking a while without much success I settled on a newly made oak hand-rubbed rocker made by inmates at the Fort Leavenworth DB (disciplinary barracks). Not only are they beautifully crafted used dowels (instead of staples) they come close to the design that Dad of baby-yet-to-be-named favored; the Cracker Barrel wooden rocker. So, hopefully I scored some points there.<br /><br />Now that the gift is purchased, I await that very special call! My bag is packed, I will load up the rocker and I can be at their home in 4 1/2 hours. Get ready to rock out!June Cleaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17164334599665026981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070654208384484626.post-21035606059982130162010-03-22T06:52:00.000-07:002010-03-22T08:05:00.267-07:00TV Law and Order: NOTLast night Ward and I were flipping channels and this show caught our eye. We are not regular followers, we rarely watch any current TV shows, but the idea of a pregnant teen's boyfriend going on trial for killing the unborn baby of his girlfriend by beating it death in the womb caught our attention. As we watched there were subtleties about the case that we couldn't figure out. It became curiouser and curiouser, until BAM it hit us right between the eyes. <br /><br />The show is Law and Order: Special Vicitms Unit and it was the episode titled<span style="font-style:italic;"> Rockabye</span>. Here is TV.com's summary:<br /><br /><br /><blockquote>After sixteen-year-old Lauren Westley loses her unborn child due to a severe abdominal beating, her father's insistance that Lauren was raped leads detectives to the baby's father, but it isn't long before the detectives realise that Lauren was an active party in her own beating, and the two teens had found it necessary to take the steps they did because the abortion clinic kept putting off Lauren's request for an appointment. Novak faces a tough opponent in her own office when she and Branch disagree over the appropriate action to be taken against Wayne Mortens, the young girl's boyfriend.</blockquote><br /><br />Isn't that interesting wording, that the two teens found it "necessary to take the steps they did"? No, they couldn't just have the baby and give it up for adoption, that thought never occurred to them. But I digress, the plot line follows the story as to the plight of their dire situation, that after having tried for two whole weeks to get an abortion. You see the doctor at the abortion clinic said she had a fever at 22 weeks and she shouldn't have the procedure done due to risk of infection. But she called the clinic everyday (gosh sometimes three times a day) for two weeks and then because she was past 24 weeks they NO CHOICE but to take matters into their own hands, gee these poor kids were forced to brutalize the fetus. Oh the inhumanity of it . . . as their case is told in court about how the cruel doctor kept them at bay, the judge realizes in a light bulb moment that here we have a very simple case of medical malpractice! This doctor obviously was subverting abortions!! It was the doctor's fault that they had to kill their baby, oh wait, we're only allowed to call it a "fetus" in court . . . but it was the doctor's fault that they had to terminate the pregnancy in the only way their feeble little teen minds could come up with . . . they pummeled it to death. Having aroused the sympathy of the entire court room, the judge says, let's let these poor kids go. Please see to it that the doctor is arrested on grounds of criminal malpractice (or some such charge). <br /><br />So the twisted logic of the court seems to say, because the doctor didn't kill the baby, if was his fault the baby was killed! <br /><br />Now I realize that I am getting all worked up about some idiot television show, except that I am told that these shows are based on real cases. And if that is true . . . God help us all!June Cleaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17164334599665026981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070654208384484626.post-72609432061946926482010-03-19T16:38:00.000-07:002010-03-19T17:08:16.201-07:00Meet Me In St. LouisSpring break is always a challenge. Stay home and be bored or venture out and try to do a road trip with the family. This year I got to do a bit of both. The guys (Ward and the Beav) headed off for a four day weekend of college wrestling magic with the finals in Omaha. It is a dream come true for Ward, who wrestled in high school. The Beav is just going along for the male bonding! <br /><br />I, on the other hand, did a singular road trip of my own to do some serious female bonding. I spent the first half of the week in St. Louis, visiting a getting-to-be-very-pregnant Betty. She and the expectant father-to-be are amazingly informed and calmly ready. They are attending Bradley classes, watching birthing videos, reading and carefully monitoring protein intake. If they were any more prepared they would be having twins! <br /><br />We went into St. Louis for some shopping and a short trip to the Art Museum. I was scolded by the concierge for loitering too close to a painting, and all I was doing was pointing out some wonderful detail . . . I remarked later how horrible to have a job whose sole purpose is to be negative . . . "You're too close! Step away from the painting! Don't touch the artwork!" <br />After the museum we went to have lunch at a little Tea Shop in the city. A turkey panini, keemun tea and lemon blueberry cake and oh, I didn't have to eat the whole thing! We split it just the way we used to when having lunches out at Starbucks. I love having a daughter! <br /><br />I finally got to see the inside of a Trader Joe's and buy some "two-buck chuck". It should really be called "three-buck chuck" now, and really it is an awesome price for fairly decent wine. <br /><br />We did some other shopping at Whole Foods, whose nickname is "Whole Paycheck" and I can see why, but really what a wonderful store . . . everything a "crunchy-granola-organic-mother-earth hippy" could possibly want. <br /><br />The best part of the whole trip was seeing my daughter and her husband getting ready for my grand baby! They are waiting to know the sex until birth, which is wonderful but makes it very hard to buy cute little baby outfits. There are no unisex outfits and it has been hard to wait, but we did get to one little shop where I got to purchase the cutest little diapers and covers. It helped the craving to buy all things baby . . . but only a little!June Cleaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17164334599665026981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070654208384484626.post-16427796709462362272010-02-19T17:17:00.000-08:002010-02-19T17:35:39.901-08:00TransformationsThings are changing. Things cannot remain the same, though we wish it we cannot make time stand still.The next year will be a time of great transformation. <br /><br />I will go from being a mom to also being a grandmother. That is a change I look forward to. As is the change of having a daughter-in-law. Expanding family is a wondrous and wonderful thing! <br /><br />Then there is the transformation of the baby of the family, Beav, into a young adult. I know that this has been a gradual thing, and the chrysalis has been dropping away for quite some time now, but there are definitive moments when you feel it is done, a finished thing. That happened today when we had one of those chance conversations while riding in the car together. This young man talked about taking classes next year as a senior that would enable him to get college credits. And he added, "That would be a good thing, don't you think?" Huh?! Is this the same child that was arguing with me six months ago about . . . well, about everything?! These moments can catch you off guard, but, because this is my third child I actually recognize milestones when I see them and savor them.<br /><br />A more traumatic transformation looms a few months down the road. We will be leaving the military lifestyle as Ward puts in his retirement papers and heads off to the civilian world. This is a huge change. For over twenty-six years we have lived and loved this way of life. As challenging as it has been, it has also been a source of pride that Ward has been allowed to serve this wonderful nation as a leader of its young men in uniform. He was good at it, and I like to think I was good at supporting him in doing his job well. <br /><br />However, we won't look back with any regrets. We look forward to finding out what God has planned for us next. Stay tuned for how he helps us become first time home owners and transition out into "the real world."June Cleaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17164334599665026981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070654208384484626.post-3762770257620504402010-01-30T09:01:00.000-08:002010-01-31T16:53:41.734-08:00Dinner with Robert Gates, Kansan of the YearWard and I were in Topeka last night to celebrate the 149th birthday of Kansas at the annual Native Sons and Daughters of Kansas banquet. No, we are not natives of Kansas, but lucky guests invited by a military foundation. After arriving and running a political gauntlet (some type of Republican convention was taking place in the great hall next to our dinner) we also saw in attendance four of the state's six members of Congress, Gov. Mark Parkinson and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. But, this was not an occasion for political hobnobbing. This was an evening to recognize and honor U.S. Defense Secretary Roberts Gates as he accepted the Kansan of the Year award.<br /><br />Mr. Gates, who is originally from Wichita, spoke of growing up in Kansas, "My youth in Kansas was rich with good and modest people. Surrounded by such people, character and integrity, Kansas values, and Kansas common sense became the bedrock of my life." <br /><br />And what a life! After serving in the CIA for some 27 years, he went on to Texas A&M University as its president, and from that post he was named secretary of defense. He has served under eight presidents.<br /><br />Yet, he stood before us last evening as a humble man of sincere character reflecting on lessons he had learned from growing up in Kansas. He spoke in particular of his high school track coach Bob Timmons' life lessons in leadership, integrity, discipline, motivating people and treating all of them respectfully. And because Mr. Timmons was in the room last night, seated at the same table as Mr. Gates' own 96-year-old mother, he got to give a very personal, "Coach, thanks."<br /><br />Mr. Gates said, "I will always consider myself first and foremost a kid from Kansas who got lucky." He made us also feel lucky to be in the same room on this very special occasion. And when you work inside the beltway in Washington D.C. I would say that is nothing short of a miracle. Good work Kansas!June Cleaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17164334599665026981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070654208384484626.post-87740553819577692702010-01-26T16:34:00.000-08:002010-02-03T12:43:49.318-08:00Do You Remember Your First Car?Of course you do! But I am so much older that when my son asked me about it I really had to think. I mean the first car I drove was my Mom's blue Nova, which was a piece of, well, you know! And my brother would also let me borrow his very unreliable blue Ford Pinto hatchback. Seriously, when it wouldn't start we would pop the hood and hit some part of the engine with what ever was handy, and for me it was usually a book. That would dislodge or re-engage whatever part that needed lodging or re-engaging and then the car would start. This was 1973 and I know that my Dad had a truck (that I was not allowed to drive EVER) because one of the cars I was driving was a standard on-the-column and it would always slip ot of gear on my way to work, and this always on a hill! So my Dad said he would follow me to help . . . and you guess it, it slipped out of gear and rolled right back into my Dad's truck. Hey, I TOLD him it would do that! But I guess he thought I would know to brake.<br /><br /> Anyway, after working many hard nights as a waitress at Ramada Inn (my first job) I saved enough to get my own car. This was the era of Datsun and Honda and Toyota and those cute little cars, which of course many of my friends drove. But this is what my $400 could get for me at that time:<br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4nOtWo0nn7FZ4LVMaNANM9DexA2qI53yWqkge_QhFmYxp-qhHkUf3-XkYk4talp85wBx4lbkYtgBIR0_yC4ZGuQsuKOmY41m2ogyJU0NoUcjhBriaxCj6FZt6aTrIFyjP2Ncby8vOfCU/s1600-h/1965+Bonneville+my+first+car+(21).jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4nOtWo0nn7FZ4LVMaNANM9DexA2qI53yWqkge_QhFmYxp-qhHkUf3-XkYk4talp85wBx4lbkYtgBIR0_yC4ZGuQsuKOmY41m2ogyJU0NoUcjhBriaxCj6FZt6aTrIFyjP2Ncby8vOfCU/s320/1965+Bonneville+my+first+car+(21).jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431213677384327794" /></a><br />It was a light blue 1965 Bonneville. Good grief it was a block long and none of my friends would ride anywhere with me. But it was reliable and got me back and forth to school and work.June Cleaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17164334599665026981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070654208384484626.post-75271401769834510742010-01-04T15:05:00.000-08:002010-01-04T17:07:36.370-08:00New Year, New Food<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrQRgN53-tC2A4AtaU9Y2PqUviB-aEzpmXlkTZVWV2KmHvBLlNALlYft7DWs-utOfko4-voSJTib7A8AWC8QMtmDN55AehaDP5IERN9rtYCqQLfTgrELA88r-78XB-Y63lk3hCjxJt6xU/s1600-h/how-to-make-beef-bourguignon.Player.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrQRgN53-tC2A4AtaU9Y2PqUviB-aEzpmXlkTZVWV2KmHvBLlNALlYft7DWs-utOfko4-voSJTib7A8AWC8QMtmDN55AehaDP5IERN9rtYCqQLfTgrELA88r-78XB-Y63lk3hCjxJt6xU/s200/how-to-make-beef-bourguignon.Player.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423025020535615218" /></a><br /><br />We began our New Year with lots of family in and celebrating our favorite thing to do: Eat! For our first dinner I made Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon. A day long process, but very worth it! Savory chunks of tender beef in a butter laced <span style="font-style:italic;">au jus</span> with carrots, mushrooms and pearl onions are ladled over crusty bread. Sigh. Make that a "French sigh!" <br /><br />New Year's Day was perfect for a foodie as well. We began the day with Belgian waffles, made from scratch by the men of the house. Topped with cherries and whipped cream. Whoah! Did they taste especially good because I didn't have to make them? I did try to sneak in and give advice, but was finally booted out! Hey, I was just trying to show them what "soft peaks" are!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGzVrjcFir9bbOdsIOg-u9dYelHUdB9rNDpj3cWD-_GXKDGAtWa8PtwVvFMC5P9xsMqwDMBnhaWwssQehfcjvj5fBKGbfvnzxLf4xmlt4pEa0Qb04sH1AWIzYWwrn7ARoh71OESwYpPg/s1600-h/DSC_0109.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGzVrjcFir9bbOdsIOg-u9dYelHUdB9rNDpj3cWD-_GXKDGAtWa8PtwVvFMC5P9xsMqwDMBnhaWwssQehfcjvj5fBKGbfvnzxLf4xmlt4pEa0Qb04sH1AWIzYWwrn7ARoh71OESwYpPg/s200/DSC_0109.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423047330753393026" /></a><br /><br />We put a brisket on for the New Year's Day meal. Non-traditional, I know, but great to feed a crowd that maybe wouldn't have like my German sauerkraut, meatballs and mashed potatotes meal. And to tell you the truth, I liked the brisket better too! I had planned to serve some sauteed green beans, assorted rolls, and baked macaroni and cheese with the brisket. My plans went a little awry due to tobogganing! And my niece brought too really delicious sides; a corn casserole and a pineapple casserole. That together with my yellow baked macaroni and cheese made for a very uniform palette on the dinner plate as I somehow didn't get those green beans cooked! Oh well, it was all delicious! Dessert was Ghirardelli double chocolate brownies topped with vanilla ice cream. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_GDlc3Cctcl0YkKOWFl4TMGOu1xCgQU58pZiSE37nk18DW76P8bYh3-LmALx7q6WUJzTmeKcdxMkJVYPYPDFM_oCBwDPi_0JeSiOoBD05TRe0JG5AY2qIUzlh_sR8KFmHRzZVRBL7BEE/s1600-h/macroni+and+cheese.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_GDlc3Cctcl0YkKOWFl4TMGOu1xCgQU58pZiSE37nk18DW76P8bYh3-LmALx7q6WUJzTmeKcdxMkJVYPYPDFM_oCBwDPi_0JeSiOoBD05TRe0JG5AY2qIUzlh_sR8KFmHRzZVRBL7BEE/s200/macroni+and+cheese.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423049040320144466" /></a><br />The final morning I made an old family favorite, though to tell you the truth we usually made them for a light dinner or dessert. But I had the ingredients and I knew it was my last chance to make what I grew up calling German Pancakes, but are simply crepes filled with sweetened whipped cream cheese and topped with cinnamon sugar. Oy! Very good, with lots of hot tea or coffee. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizfBe4GpMf7dTDBO0DZOV9lbIc6ZchSdXMxVbEj43Cu-Osts3mAkCBucp-3l2uJFd5o7rfBhxeQ6ZaW7CqIQ2JJBqKy-C7lR5sqrYRCsvogBzYYCnPkb5yczV7ompG0m_IilNYCexQoKQ/s1600-h/P3291266s.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 147px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizfBe4GpMf7dTDBO0DZOV9lbIc6ZchSdXMxVbEj43Cu-Osts3mAkCBucp-3l2uJFd5o7rfBhxeQ6ZaW7CqIQ2JJBqKy-C7lR5sqrYRCsvogBzYYCnPkb5yczV7ompG0m_IilNYCexQoKQ/s200/P3291266s.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423052138229765634" /></a>June Cleaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17164334599665026981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070654208384484626.post-1579886269466958232009-12-23T05:58:00.000-08:002009-12-23T08:27:42.223-08:00Favorite Christmas OrnamentsOur Christmas tree is a small history of our marriage and family. We still have the first ornament we bought in 1976, but many others have been added since then. Of course some have not weathered the journey over the years, still it is fun to put the ornaments on from the past every year and add to them as well. Here are just a few of my favorites:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnVIbWhmlVZzffcaGuxUnwk2VlESDSlnpofaMcvc3-uk07Ho965kZNMRv85OPevX6UY1aFE1g8K_ODlgHrE84lHASwgI9odweb8WlhQV_NCaGbkIPDxceb5xY92HjEPVnkXFM174YAt7E/s1600-h/IMG_4860.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnVIbWhmlVZzffcaGuxUnwk2VlESDSlnpofaMcvc3-uk07Ho965kZNMRv85OPevX6UY1aFE1g8K_ODlgHrE84lHASwgI9odweb8WlhQV_NCaGbkIPDxceb5xY92HjEPVnkXFM174YAt7E/s200/IMG_4860.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418435153615438466" /></a><br />Father Christmas is a recent addition and I love his old worldiness, it reminds me of my German heritage. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSEODh6HmSbo-yMav3DEaeursoadx9A6eCL2XQuyaig15ddOKT8_mBjxsoQHbWKqorPNtABuQJDLXOQYI5KN2kwYA6U5fzMUglS-qkLOIpWsQmeKPn0tAF19bu5RqXJ_ayHYuhdiQWang/s1600-h/IMG_4865.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 130px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSEODh6HmSbo-yMav3DEaeursoadx9A6eCL2XQuyaig15ddOKT8_mBjxsoQHbWKqorPNtABuQJDLXOQYI5KN2kwYA6U5fzMUglS-qkLOIpWsQmeKPn0tAF19bu5RqXJ_ayHYuhdiQWang/s200/IMG_4865.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418434673762344450" /></a><br />This great glass blown cowboy boot is all about Texas!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSh0gmmVi_lozGicEo8TU0r_hcf2gaP2VBIQQ0WEf8P3EdQ_5zOMIh_A1BiF8nMfqjrdp7XZAN8P8u5YIrmGTe_4NVuCuTxcI6ZwOvkrxEg9mWNXaroDE9pRzEaz6BP9OEiDvLcxhyphenhyphenrPc/s1600-h/IMG_4873.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSh0gmmVi_lozGicEo8TU0r_hcf2gaP2VBIQQ0WEf8P3EdQ_5zOMIh_A1BiF8nMfqjrdp7XZAN8P8u5YIrmGTe_4NVuCuTxcI6ZwOvkrxEg9mWNXaroDE9pRzEaz6BP9OEiDvLcxhyphenhyphenrPc/s200/IMG_4873.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418434405958221074" /></a><br />I got this baseball player because of our love of the game. Sorry Beav that it's not a Royals player, but how can you not love Albert Pujols?!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlUpLLCVEHr3v9fMqBy6pNQ4RyUv5qLiEFxnpi0E5THoZCgP4nhys-eda-ulN6qfx-uN6hYiChj5piCFgAvQLLHvyOPhCo3q7qbPRc5QyWgzI3HXh8p1axIV_osir4ikPsyZuUlQ2mA9g/s1600-h/IMG_4869.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 147px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlUpLLCVEHr3v9fMqBy6pNQ4RyUv5qLiEFxnpi0E5THoZCgP4nhys-eda-ulN6qfx-uN6hYiChj5piCFgAvQLLHvyOPhCo3q7qbPRc5QyWgzI3HXh8p1axIV_osir4ikPsyZuUlQ2mA9g/s200/IMG_4869.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418433804606789682" /></a><br />Betty got this ornament for us a few years back, big surprise there! <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2lEi5azrTZ4KTVkuvG-YNgjoJg3tzm0ri0DEUHFvKaJcGbdQ56K-g-wMYUITjlAa971T-67w4riYOmqCYVKUS3Tjpzoii3mDgolWdTkMd81Oxn-Ht3SDH5awkPbdIyUT3yH-QJfzZL4Y/s1600-h/IMG_4867.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 143px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2lEi5azrTZ4KTVkuvG-YNgjoJg3tzm0ri0DEUHFvKaJcGbdQ56K-g-wMYUITjlAa971T-67w4riYOmqCYVKUS3Tjpzoii3mDgolWdTkMd81Oxn-Ht3SDH5awkPbdIyUT3yH-QJfzZL4Y/s200/IMG_4867.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418433523586791490" /></a><br />In keeping with the in-house rivalry we quickly added this one to the tree.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGwk2xDVusoHJ4OHGQCyle9OzjnWFKNSgVa0LrhxQ54lGG3pUZWX40kQsl8f0KCYfai6y4F3Rv96ej4AorfLF0DXu4cZoa5iGDCKFVQGatP99bn_Ibnqd6_-DtbZHBUUZMB2y0nwMtRyU/s1600-h/IMG_4866.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 140px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGwk2xDVusoHJ4OHGQCyle9OzjnWFKNSgVa0LrhxQ54lGG3pUZWX40kQsl8f0KCYfai6y4F3Rv96ej4AorfLF0DXu4cZoa5iGDCKFVQGatP99bn_Ibnqd6_-DtbZHBUUZMB2y0nwMtRyU/s200/IMG_4866.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418433277971696722" /></a><br />This kewl dude reminded me of our youngest, so we had to add it.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfogBpgy3Lg5caqisXQVc9uCgvk6bu5C79sEw65mSfAzXRl766dw2vLDLM75HoiuoIn0dIk8gk48Peq1pCO7QJZKjMXLUE2U94gxbaUO3G3HpEPBbDHPJ9xYoZa2dzxIAzR0M9f1REY6g/s1600-h/IMG_4864.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 142px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfogBpgy3Lg5caqisXQVc9uCgvk6bu5C79sEw65mSfAzXRl766dw2vLDLM75HoiuoIn0dIk8gk48Peq1pCO7QJZKjMXLUE2U94gxbaUO3G3HpEPBbDHPJ9xYoZa2dzxIAzR0M9f1REY6g/s200/IMG_4864.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418433046331701634" /></a><br />This is a salute to my favorite soldier!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtuclTs8aH6GW_YT18FSVX7mYc93ofBDnA8UJkvjoYEr72hvjBSwV-h4oJNOLRxvn6zWKgHGFB_k52g0CWDqXdVFZZsVwJheiBxU3H-Y6c93BjzMq7HBfQ_awJhLOBil2RFnI2sYRqcrA/s1600-h/IMG_4863.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 131px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtuclTs8aH6GW_YT18FSVX7mYc93ofBDnA8UJkvjoYEr72hvjBSwV-h4oJNOLRxvn6zWKgHGFB_k52g0CWDqXdVFZZsVwJheiBxU3H-Y6c93BjzMq7HBfQ_awJhLOBil2RFnI2sYRqcrA/s200/IMG_4863.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418432751064811874" /></a><br />Cows hold some type of weird fascination for me, so I'm always watching for cow ornaments. There were cows at the stable, right?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjynZ0ZQRV4Gjd5UhMEEXD3VSzAtDAuNaxTT84mS8mXDB0jpi2pgz_0xpDP3PZO4e2IhuibM3no2G48b3kd4iRLPQTznB3Hgl86mnC-AReifvT6l4sxp5UmWJh3jxnwwAtVrAYqXIZsmdA/s1600-h/IMG_4871.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjynZ0ZQRV4Gjd5UhMEEXD3VSzAtDAuNaxTT84mS8mXDB0jpi2pgz_0xpDP3PZO4e2IhuibM3no2G48b3kd4iRLPQTznB3Hgl86mnC-AReifvT6l4sxp5UmWJh3jxnwwAtVrAYqXIZsmdA/s200/IMG_4871.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418438620407818834" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd5laWd-QNZGAoFO7SWQkH1AfgWviXX2SnFVp4HloVVpfFIdsZUiMZiDMI7lhyphenhyphenCn37DnVNFUzFBrPYRWLThN7WwUMQhDwaO6YYqxypd6AVAO70GooqA-YZ6FBrNK0LnYAwbwg938jKL3Y/s1600-h/IMG_4861.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd5laWd-QNZGAoFO7SWQkH1AfgWviXX2SnFVp4HloVVpfFIdsZUiMZiDMI7lhyphenhyphenCn37DnVNFUzFBrPYRWLThN7WwUMQhDwaO6YYqxypd6AVAO70GooqA-YZ6FBrNK0LnYAwbwg938jKL3Y/s200/IMG_4861.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418438605789298514" /></a>June Cleaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17164334599665026981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070654208384484626.post-87690809506300418112009-12-22T07:00:00.000-08:002009-12-22T07:27:45.866-08:00For Unto Us A Child Is BornThis is the time of year when I long to hear Handel's Messiah and reflect on God's goodness in sending a Saviour. (Aren't I lucky that we have modern technology and youtube?!) All around me is the crass commercialism of this high holy day, our Christmas! Many people who take the holidays off don't even know why!! How can that be? I realize that traditions passed down often get watered down to meaningless occasions, but this is a religious holiday. If you are a Christian this may be the biggest! <br /><br />I always get overwhelmed with emotion when I think of how it all happened. I accept it whole-heartedly with a fascination as to how all of the details were foretold, came to pass and now here we are centuries later marveling in song as to God's very presence in our lives. Because if you accept the premise of the Christmas story you have Jesus still alive and involved intimately in your life. And it is more than just getting carried away by the beauty of the music, it is my very soul rejoicing with the angels. That is what listening to this is like for me!<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/TN5BaOGTmGs&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/TN5BaOGTmGs&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />For those who think of Christmas as just another break from school or work, I feel so sorry for you. You are missing the meaning of the most glorious event the world has ever known. It is not about presents, or food, or family gatherings, though those things highlight the importance of Christmas. Listen to Handel's words taken from Isaiah 9 verse 6 :<br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-style:italic;">For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given: And the government shall be upon His shoulder, And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.<span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></span></blockquote>June Cleaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17164334599665026981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070654208384484626.post-64433324567361803592009-12-12T08:07:00.000-08:002009-12-12T10:49:36.183-08:00Lady Emma Fire Stryker<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRBNBsUrD2le5q5tEQ7oEYUdst4ZzrOeoo28_9uIL4zxGSYdU1-iX2TEsMdvwmfVTkjJFvX-7DGMKpP8Y69chC_-u2-F1oRugVMRi1z46KVVZvCxzmbQwEBh1LfRMcpgJKEZqNs2KIMAA/s1600-h/Sunny+Side+Beach+031.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRBNBsUrD2le5q5tEQ7oEYUdst4ZzrOeoo28_9uIL4zxGSYdU1-iX2TEsMdvwmfVTkjJFvX-7DGMKpP8Y69chC_-u2-F1oRugVMRi1z46KVVZvCxzmbQwEBh1LfRMcpgJKEZqNs2KIMAA/s320/Sunny+Side+Beach+031.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414391380528779010" /></a><br />We chose her from a large litter of sweet Golden Retriever pups because she was the one who came and laid her sweet little head on our feet. Plus she was one of the few that hadn't been spoken for! She came with "papers" and we had to follow guidelines for naming her, the name "Fire" had to appear in her title. That was easy as our military posting at the time was Fort Lewis, Washington, home of the newly built "Stryker" armored vehicle. The name of Emma was chosen by Betty for her obvious love of Jane Austin novels, so it was a good fit all around!<br /><br />Her first year at Lewis in our home in DuPont was filled with sweet memories of a gangly puppy who did not like to be alone, lasted for only part of her long walks and had to be carried home, but then grew more spunky with each passing month. I do remember her getting frisky with the neighbors Australian Shepherd through a hole under the fence. They would have made great playmates, but the other dog in that yard was a cantankerous old black lab and he sent Emma yelping to our back door with a nip to her nose! She learned a valuable lesson that is good for us as well; don't stick your nose into your neighbor's business!<br /><br />She and our cat Mr. Knightley sorted out the hierarchy of the animal kingdom within the household very quickly. With a few well placed kitty swats, Emma learned to respect the fat cat and the coexistence of the two species went along just fine. <br /><br />We moved to Carlisle, Pennysylvania for Ward's one year War College course. Carlisle is a tiny postage stamp sized post, but it did have some great walking areas and even an area designated for dogs. We took advantage of that area to let Emma run free until one fateful day in late fall when she chased a squirrel right through an open area in the fence. Just as I called our for her to come back, she turned but was still struck by a car. She came back through the opening with a broken leg! We were mortified, and got her to the local vet. After x-rays he said he was too complicated a fracture for him to set, so he bandaged it and we made an appointment for a vet specialist located two hours away the next day. I will never forget that night as Emma lay next to our bed. She would whine with the pain, but as soon as Ward reached over to touch her, she would be silent and rest again. Her human touching her did that much for her!! <br /><br />How we got through those painful months of recuperation is a blur. It was slow and cumbersome because of the pins and trips two hours away to the vet, but early in the spring the pins were out and the cast was off, but sadly her leg would never be quite healthy. <br /><br />We made a trip that summer to my brother's cabin in Colorado. We did an overnight which was a few miles hike in and out and Emma seemed to handle all of that walking just fine. I remember a friend of my brother's visiting us at his cabin. The deck is raised and there are about 10 open wooden stairs to climb from the back yard to get there. His friend had his two large labs and my brother has a smaller lab, and then there was our wounded warrior, Emma. The dogs were getting along fine, but this gentleman decides he needs to clear the deck of all animals and starts shoving them with his foot down the stairs. I see this and in my mind's eye I am doing the slow-motion "no-o-o-o" but it is too late. Down they all go . . . and when Emma returns she is limping! Oy! She favors her leg for several days, and then all seems well.<br /><br />After Carlisle we move to Fort Leavenworth. Emma adjusts well with each move, but we notice odd things about our girl. She licks everything in sight. It is an annoying habit! We ask the vet about it and he can offer nothing but, "probably allergies." She eats everything that is not nailed down. On more than one occasion I have to use the old trick of "one-part hydrogen peroxide to one-part water" to get her to throw up various harmful things she has ingested, to include bags of Dove chocolate (I mean the entire bag!), pans of brownies, loaves of bread, bars of soap, and even parts of chemical fire logs! Occasionally her stomach adventures lead to serious upsets so we would put her on a bland diet of chicken and rice until things returned to normal.<br /><br />For all that, Emma was the sweetest dog I have ever known. Her temperament was beyond passive, especially with other dogs! When we decided to get Kip, our black-lab-hound mix pup, I became concerned that this little two month old Kip was too aggressive to Emma!! Kip was just too Alpha for our Emma. With help from a trainer, I learned to become the Alpha in our home and got control of the situation. <br /><br />I can't believe that just a little over a week ago Emma was her happy, sweet self. We had noticed some odd things, just a bit of drooling and took her to the vet on a Friday. Early Sunday morning she died. The vet was as shocked as we were. He had done blood work, checked her lungs. He thinks it may have been a tumor. Whatever it was it came in by storm and took her with lightning speed.<br /><br />This week my heart still can't believe she is gone. I am troubled by the thought that we should have done more. But I do rest in the fact that we gave her a good home and loved her well, though not as much as she loved us!!June Cleaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17164334599665026981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070654208384484626.post-22794659832402035822009-12-02T11:45:00.000-08:002009-12-02T12:07:39.746-08:00The Best Things In Life Are Not ThingsFinally have a few moments to write about Thanksgiving. Ward and I and the Beave flew down to Texas to spend the holiday with my sister's family. Betty and Wally and their significant others joined us. Between the two families that made twelve for Thanksgiving dinner. That's a lot of pumpkin pie!! <br /><br />This holiday was one of so many new beginnings. Where to start with a heart that is so full? <br /><br /> Betty and her husband are expecting! She is barely "showing" but feels the affects of the pregnancy fully, but is hoping the morning sickness will soon be over once she gets well into the second trimester. I am so excited about becoming a "Gram" and I am hoping that somehow this little family will live closer that halfway across the country. That's for God to decide. But he's been pretty good to us so far.<br /><br />And then Wally introduced everyone to his future bride. We made the trip over to meet his future in-laws. All doubts were put to rest when her mother talked about how she had prayed for a special young man, and how her prayers were answered by my son! I get goosebumps just thinking about this. And that evening I was overcome with emotion and thankfulness. <br /><br />You see, I too have prayed for all my children from birth. One of the big things on that prayer list was for spouses "after the Lord's own heart." Two times now that prayer has been answered with more than I could have hoped for!! <br /><br />Since I have been home I have been reflecting on the Lord's goodness. The turkey and pies are gone, but my Thanksgiving is not over yet. The best things in life are not things!!June Cleaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17164334599665026981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070654208384484626.post-10796872481633284932009-11-23T04:52:00.000-08:002009-11-23T13:28:47.613-08:00Is It Mean To State The Truth?In the following article the author hits the nail on the head about why we as Christians cannot condone what God calls a sin. Why then do I always feel like I am hurting peoples feelings if I should mention this?<br /><br />If we saw someone we know and love trying to rob a bank would we not think to try and talk them out of it? Is this particular sin any different because it involves sex? I have some friends who are not persuaded that this is one of the issues God cares about . . . but I believe God cares about all sins equally and for us to remain silent is just wrong, and we will be judged for that silence. I think it is just too convenient for us to remain silent, and silence can be interpreted as agreement. <br /><br /> I'm certainly not saying to go out and harass homosexuals. I myself, am much like the dinosaur in the movie Toy Story; I don't like confrontation! But we should be able to state an opinion when asked, gulp, about gay marriage. How does one engage in that type of dialogue without being considered "homophobic, intolerant, wingnut, etc., etc." I don't know, but I am working on it!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=116837">Why sin cannot be condoned by state</a>June Cleaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17164334599665026981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070654208384484626.post-32046070783458376872009-11-01T04:30:00.000-08:002009-11-01T04:42:15.963-08:00On Being American With No HyphenJust a short thought:<br /><br />Theodore Roosevelt’s ideas on being an AMERICAN in 1907. “... it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person’s becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.” - Theodore Roosevelt 1907<br /><br />My evening with the patriotic Mr. Park, who came to this country in 1977 and stayed and became a citizen who knows the history of this country and why it is a great nation, and is not a Korean-American, but an AMERICAN, reminds me that we should never take for granted the humble beginnings of all who came here. My own mother is a naturalized citizen, from Germany, and has never taken her rights, or responsibilities, for granted. She votes in every election. She stays current on what is happening, and of course her blood pressure goes up watching the nightly news. She has never been a German-American. She is an AMERICAN with proud German roots.June Cleaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17164334599665026981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070654208384484626.post-78225029074345194482009-10-31T07:51:00.000-07:002009-10-31T08:24:19.407-07:00An Evening With Mr. Park of Lawrence, KansasWe are lucky again in this assignment at Leavenworth in that Ward and I get invited to all of the International events. Last night was the quarterly dinner in which all participants bring a dish to share. It is an international potluck! With over eighty countries represented, there was everything from ceviche to Korean glass noodles to Canadian moose milk. But although the cuisine is sublime, it is not the best part of the evening. Meeting new people, that's the sublime part of the night!<br /><br />Mr. Park, of Lawrence, Kansas, was my dinner partner to my left. And because the gentleman to my right was the director of the event he was kept busy with keeping things running smoothly, I found myself for the most of the dinner, engaged in conversation with this TaeKwonDo philanthropist from the university. Mr. Park provides trips for foreign students to tour the university and to get into games, play golf and if they and their host country are interested a way to attend the university for a year after attending CGSC here at Fort Leavenworth. He was telling me how many foreign students had done this in the past and had gone on to become heads of state. <br /><br />As the evening went on we spoke together about Seoul, where I have lived briefly and where he was from originally and how he came to come to the U.S. and become a citizen. We talked of the differences between Japan and Korea. And Mr. Park amazed me with his candor, but also his love of his adopted nation. He is an American now and a patriot! Wow, his knowledge of history and his point of view in that our country is one that, "never asks for a fight, but when called out goes in full force. And we never nationalize those countries we defeat! We help them rebuild and then get out." Of course he went on to say that did you know that Japan has never apologized for Pearl Harbor, and that we need to keep an eye on them even now. I also remember that not only did they never apologize to Korea for the atrocities that took place even before WWII, there was a controversy even when we were there in 2000-2002 over that part of history in their textbooks. I am amazed that the two countries were able to share hosting the World Cup!<br /><br />The dinner portion was over too soon, and a DJ began playing tunes and the one thing that seems to be truly universal among the students began. The dance! I was mesmerized be a particular Italian officer who, being single, took over the floor with any available female dance partner he could find. Ah, to be twenty (OK, thirty!) years younger and to do the salsa! Ay carumba! Next time I am going to bring a camera to capture the sheer fun of this . . . did I mention that the students were all dressed in their native costumes?June Cleaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17164334599665026981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070654208384484626.post-24831934735109829232009-09-29T09:22:00.000-07:002009-09-29T09:28:18.460-07:00Home Sweet Army Home<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ORGjcswNULxPG1Mo52cv8Ty3Bc-6L8sfHTTmak-N8WyBkP377oSYOA2U9omC4tFYw1RNfzf_cjhOv7LLzQ343tgP5xGJUpUPN0MZ-sUfuRZPboP6k2LmtsMNU41anGvpOc7YRv5V27Q/s1600-h/IMG_4513.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 221px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ORGjcswNULxPG1Mo52cv8Ty3Bc-6L8sfHTTmak-N8WyBkP377oSYOA2U9omC4tFYw1RNfzf_cjhOv7LLzQ343tgP5xGJUpUPN0MZ-sUfuRZPboP6k2LmtsMNU41anGvpOc7YRv5V27Q/s320/IMG_4513.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386925942425704178" /></a><br /><br />Here is a photo taken yesterday of our home at Fort Leavenworth. Great old Army house. Looks very nice doesn't it? Inside there is roughly 4700 square feet of wife killer dusting, vacuuming and stair climbing. Let's play word semantics and call the interior charming and rustic. Or as Betty commented on the kitchen the first time she saw it, "wow, Mom, you could so decorate retro!" Yes, I surely could. My moniker is June Cleaver, but I'll cast my pearls away if they would tell me they'd remodel the kitchen!June Cleaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17164334599665026981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070654208384484626.post-69226164452071818892009-09-28T15:18:00.000-07:002009-09-28T19:07:03.360-07:00Plectranthus<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL3wX8lNfP1VNs8fX7UsOuUToIUVnFu2PIP17iL9eCT6WUzaajCjfQgqmPYJSmqjU94RdpIfnHiBgaBwUjUzuQqlyttfV_SHtGl2DTg1KuJTcCTSKF55Rbc1AFu808ViBISNkukNxk0k4/s1600-h/IMG_4509.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL3wX8lNfP1VNs8fX7UsOuUToIUVnFu2PIP17iL9eCT6WUzaajCjfQgqmPYJSmqjU94RdpIfnHiBgaBwUjUzuQqlyttfV_SHtGl2DTg1KuJTcCTSKF55Rbc1AFu808ViBISNkukNxk0k4/s320/IMG_4509.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386646743871710754" /></a><br />I have a new favorite fall plant--Plectranthus--or Mona Lavender. I don't have anything against the ubiquitous fall mums, except they are so ordinary and common. The Mona is stunning! I paid as much for it as I would have for the boring old mum, but the colors are magnificent in their light purple flowers and deep green leaves, the underside of which are variegated deep plum. I took the plastic wrap from around the body and this plant just unfolded into grandeur. And if I am careful I can winterize it and keep it for next summer.<br /><br />I hope I can keep it alive.June Cleaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17164334599665026981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070654208384484626.post-61251778151455457432009-09-23T10:41:00.000-07:002009-09-23T11:46:47.495-07:00Blooming Where You Are Planted<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwt9A-kUo7L9bGh8Mn0jE5MbeSSRd4pTBkZdPEWgIgEXQ574370oR2sFKQ6S5qxrxjNuS96SvE-uCxL9WfsZfXh6pyJ9q-UPQFP4qh3cUlopqGP2P1DGPmSsc7NplXW98CHhC-zFpu3BY/s1600-h/IMG_4397.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwt9A-kUo7L9bGh8Mn0jE5MbeSSRd4pTBkZdPEWgIgEXQ574370oR2sFKQ6S5qxrxjNuS96SvE-uCxL9WfsZfXh6pyJ9q-UPQFP4qh3cUlopqGP2P1DGPmSsc7NplXW98CHhC-zFpu3BY/s320/IMG_4397.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384728065213523458" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi25E_SQqHeFublbp8CYWGz8JKWM1AVyxQdA4YXpSXfRaxKqA2fuZEVw7wbrpyrI_drcI7IncjQCgXgLDhkba2o0dcNRGyOULyAiFtTH8WZUsDlCAt2ppnBj_HeZSx5P_L0q-LCJUF4OU4/s1600-h/IMG_4396.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi25E_SQqHeFublbp8CYWGz8JKWM1AVyxQdA4YXpSXfRaxKqA2fuZEVw7wbrpyrI_drcI7IncjQCgXgLDhkba2o0dcNRGyOULyAiFtTH8WZUsDlCAt2ppnBj_HeZSx5P_L0q-LCJUF4OU4/s320/IMG_4396.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384719913380724546" /></a><br />Army spouses have long used the phrase "bloom where you are planted" to help us feel good about being constantly uprooted and replanted.<br /><br />The last couple of moves I think the Lord has expanded that and used flowers to help me know that we are where He wants us. Five years ago when we moved from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas to Fort Knox, Kentucky he used a sunflower. The sunflower is the Kansas state flower and I came to love that simple yellow bloom, probably because I really enjoyed our time in Kansas. It was a good fit for our family. The sunflower became symbolic of a warm, folksy community, where kids still gathered in the summer for pick-up baseball games. And I adopted the sunflower as my logo. It was on my business cards, stationary and even in a potted plant in our home.<br /><br />That made the move to Fort Knox a little painful for us. We had been in our new home for about three weeks and I was still feeling a bit glum about it. I was walking the dogs and when returning from the walk I happened to notice a small sunflower in among our bushes. There were no other flowers planted in that area. It was a fluke. Or as I took it, a sign from God! That one lone sunflower said to me that we were where we needed to be at that time. From that point on I looked for what He wanted me to do there at Fort Knox.<br /><br />Then when our time at Fort Knox was supposed to come to an end after two years, Ward was asked to do an overseas assignment. He didn't have to go. We prayed about it and the decision was made. Still, last August, when I was out on a run and feeling lonely and overwhelmed, I questioned that decision. And then I looked up and saw an entire field of sunflowers! It was an affirmation that what we were doing was right. And this field of sunflowers had not been there the year before! I asked and it was due to some construction and new dirt in the field . . . or was just placed there just for me at a time when I needed it!! Because that's the way the Lord works.<br /><br />This year we made a move again. This time away from Fort Knox and the wonderful friends that He had provided for us there. It was made even more heart-wrenching by the death of a dear friend and the timing seemed impossible.<br /><br />We've been here at Fort Leavenworth almost two months and I'm still a bit dazed by the move and leaving those close ties. But here's the thing. Last week I was walking in our yard after clearing some land mines (hey, they are big dogs!) and coming along the side of our house I see a single yellow rose. This on a nearly dead rose bush that Ward and I had just weeks before thought about removing because it looked so bad and stubbly. We had cleared away most of the weeds but just hadn't gotten around to the hard digging out part. But there it was! And how I love yellow roses . . . so once again the Lord gives me a sign that this is where we need to be! The bush is a scrappy, haphazard mess. But zoom in on that beautiful single yellow blossom and tell me that doesn't give one hope. It's going to be okay.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>June Cleaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17164334599665026981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070654208384484626.post-85273751453919210532009-09-22T07:54:00.000-07:002009-09-22T08:09:05.777-07:00Great Blue<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7UHZpRd5dtGh4xc-jTRvVr-Mk8tJq-Y47u4IQiwuTFelD7__4A5dleE_k7S8fHxl84ssU2DcVg4lrxdMafLEfiIFHQOwE3e93IpFqsWCCrFJSnLP4c8VcJhizm-fdwhDZam0_bXw3rMI/s1600-h/IMG_4355.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7UHZpRd5dtGh4xc-jTRvVr-Mk8tJq-Y47u4IQiwuTFelD7__4A5dleE_k7S8fHxl84ssU2DcVg4lrxdMafLEfiIFHQOwE3e93IpFqsWCCrFJSnLP4c8VcJhizm-fdwhDZam0_bXw3rMI/s320/IMG_4355.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384308826130221234" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFLd11acvEm1rruKOffODbpLE1dEGopqOhMHFxB38CsWThJK707eoH5yK-4CWc7vPCD-1iKMfoq9nplw-94pAgPU4NZ4q3TVPnpNRDP2emOBhrvoPK94kOc8-GKE1fKeMOPMDmWflWB7w/s1600-h/IMG_4351.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFLd11acvEm1rruKOffODbpLE1dEGopqOhMHFxB38CsWThJK707eoH5yK-4CWc7vPCD-1iKMfoq9nplw-94pAgPU4NZ4q3TVPnpNRDP2emOBhrvoPK94kOc8-GKE1fKeMOPMDmWflWB7w/s320/IMG_4351.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384305837143433186" /></a><br /><br /><br />Yeah, I finally get to post a pic of the Great Blue Heron that I see almost daily on my walk around Merritt Lake here at Fort Leavenworth. <br /><br />Isn't he something? Ain't he a beaut!? He cooperated so very nicely in August when I went down to the lake, without the dogs!<br />I made a special trip back down to the lake hoping to find him and capture him on film. It took several attempts, as I usually spot him when walking the dogs in the early morning or after dinner time. I would get home, leave the dogs, grab the camera and usually by the time I got back to the lake he would be done with his morning feeding and off to the river, I'm guessing.<br /><br />Anyway, this morning in late August he was feeding around the edge of the lake and I just followed. I stayed well back and didn't seem to bother his searching for fish at all.June Cleaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17164334599665026981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070654208384484626.post-86476161678515991642009-09-08T09:51:00.000-07:002009-09-09T06:14:24.423-07:00Hitting The WallThis happened to me the last time we moved into a 4700 square foot home. I've hit the wall in home decorating. Actually, I'm hitting several blank white walls!<br /><br />We did quite well the first couple of weeks. Ward unpacked the boxes and organized them so it should have been easy to put things up. But no, this is an over one hundred year old house and it's going to take some time to make it feel like a home. That's because we have a budget of course, but more than that, there are just too many huge areas of space to cover. <br /><br />The dining room was the easiest. We have a fireplace and that's a great place to place a picture. Between windows, a built in china hutch and my own china hutch there's not too much empty wall space. But the kicker here is that there is a wall ledge that splits the room horizontally and it breaks too high to even place pictures on. Hmmmm?<br /><br />The kitchen and dining room went together relatively simply with standard items, although I had to use sheers on the four large living room windows because the walls couldn't support anything heavier without major drywall repairs. Ouch! Not going there.<br /><br />The real trouble I am having is with the bedrooms on the second floor. Two of those will be guest rooms. We placed single twin beds in each of those, and we had some furniture for one room. But they still look rather empty and cold.<br /><br />That's really what "decorating" is all about. You want your home, not so much as a showcase, but as a warm and inviting place for your family and friends to congregate.<br /><br />I am so not there yet. And Army families don't have the luxury of time, of settling in over the years and adding a piece here and a something there over the years. After three years at Fort Knox we were just getting the feel of comfortable . . . now at Fort Leavenworth we have to begin again and get a whole new vision. <br /><br />I'm having trouble with that. Sigh.June Cleaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17164334599665026981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070654208384484626.post-64452870871194297582009-08-31T11:54:00.001-07:002009-08-31T15:28:39.387-07:00A Recipe Worth Sharing: Tear SoupMy friend Laura shared with me the title to a book someone gave her on healing after a loss. The title of the book is <span style="font-weight:bold;">Tear Soup<span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span>. Laura, who recently lost her wonderful, exuberant and loving husband to brain cancer said it was a help to her. I picked it up because I am also going through my own grieving process at the loss of this exceptional man who I counted as a friend, knowing full well that what I am experiencing is nothing, not even a tiny scintilla close, in comparison. Still, it has affected me deeply as a personal loss; and the sadness and empathy I feel for Laura is overwhelming.<br /><br />Here in this little book is a short story for all who walk through that valley. It is illustrated brilliantly, saying things like "Not fair, bad news, big disappointment, serious heartache, profound loss, major loss and more than I can bear," which all go into a pot with <span style="font-style:italic;">"the memories, all the misgivings, all the feelings and all the tears she needed to stew in the pot over time."</span><br /><br />In a simple, yet poignant manner this book speaks about how to grieve. In our fast paced culture we have lost the art of grieving. And it is an art. No two people grieve the same. And why should they? <br /><br />My grief for losing Mark will be a totally different recipe than Laura's, but we can share a bowl from each others pot. And listen. And cry. And laugh. And remember. This sweet little book doesn't tell us anything we don't already know instinctively, but reading through it reminds us that it's Okay to go about it in our own good time and way, using our own individual recipe and ingredients.June Cleaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17164334599665026981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070654208384484626.post-78905778117698298112009-08-17T07:53:00.000-07:002009-08-17T08:10:41.022-07:00On Pulling Up RootsAnd having to replant!<br /><br />We have moved. This move was pretty much like all of our others. The packing up at one end, racing to the new post with both cars stuffed to the max with luggage, the kid, the animals and various and sundry items needed to feed them.<br /><br />But this time was so different. Moving is usually a hard emotional experience, it is one of the top stressful situations you can have in your life. But we had more than that on top of it. We had the roller coaster ride of additional stresses. The first being that Ward returned home from deployment. We have taken enough life management courses with the Army and we know that there can be a huge adjustment time, but we didn't get that. We had to pack out in one week! <br /><br />On top of that was the death of a good, good friend that very same week. We had expected it, but maybe not quite so soon. God's timing is always good and to be trusted. We were able to be there for the final goodbye. But now my best friend and I are miles apart during this heavy duty grieving. I can't look out the window, see her and run and give her a hug or just run over to talk. The need to do that seems to create another huge sadness for us both.<br /><br />So between unpacking and painting walls there is weeping. And a husband who probably doesn't understand though he tries. <br /><br />This too shall pass. <br /><br />I no longer try to force God's hand, but I wait patiently. I have learned something through walking with Him all these years. He will give me something to do here. He will help me replant the roots and it will be something that will delight my heart.June Cleaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17164334599665026981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070654208384484626.post-71976742001703106352009-07-10T16:23:00.000-07:002009-07-10T16:34:25.207-07:00This Situation Stinks!!Our hound-lab mix scooted out the front door last night around 9:30 p.m. I grabbed the lead and hustled after him because on the rare occasions that he gets loose he heads straight for the creek in back of our housing area. It's stinky and sludgy and full of high weeds which makes it hard to get him out, especially since the hound part of him gets fresh scents of all kinds of wild critters; we have deer, coyote, raccoons, foxes and oh yes, SKUNKS!<br /><br />And Kip found him one of those last night; I can't believe that in my 60 second lapse time he had gotten himself sprayed!! I found him thrashing about in the tall weeds and at first thought he was fighting with some animal. He came quickly when I called him, but oh . . . the smell!! <br /><br />I learned some things last night. First if your dog gets sprayed by a skunk, keep him outside of your home until he's cleaned!! I took him in because I wanted to check him for wounds. He was OK on that . . . then I googled to find what would clean him up the best. A solution of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and a small squirt of dishwashing liquid did wonders. Unfortunately that is not a solution I can use of my carpets, walls, or anything else that came into contact with Kip, including visitors!<br /><br />So I now have a very sweet smelling dog and a super-stinky home!! Oy! And my packers come Monday. Oy!! Febreeze doesn't cut it with this odiferous malady. I'm trying white vinegar sprayed on everything and getting all of my smaller rugs outside to air. <br /><br />Ah, the visiscitudes of life!!June Cleaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17164334599665026981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5070654208384484626.post-80507651768506929042009-07-06T16:23:00.001-07:002009-07-06T16:26:29.525-07:00Home At Last!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGjcXyEYOUAuAwYCjmLS1eWLrgV5PGLTL9jslnpWMEMzQ1MM9e0Matz5l_r2okGXnMUdN7oJScPUx4fBfs5Dg9S3FbnbuGTlXegAzEgmhXtlKU569ipfB0a95Wt480_iHNll6bvf_jRI8/s1600-h/IMG_4268.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGjcXyEYOUAuAwYCjmLS1eWLrgV5PGLTL9jslnpWMEMzQ1MM9e0Matz5l_r2okGXnMUdN7oJScPUx4fBfs5Dg9S3FbnbuGTlXegAzEgmhXtlKU569ipfB0a95Wt480_iHNll6bvf_jRI8/s320/IMG_4268.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355492277761705810" /></a><br />This picture says it all!!June Cleaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17164334599665026981noreply@blogger.com3