WE HAVE A WINNER AND I LOVE MY BLOGGY FRIENDS THE BEST!

I was trying to visit Yvonne and this blasted blogger is giving all of us a fit! Before I announce the winner of my super Pink giveaway for the third birthday of Pink Saturday I want to say how much I love each and every one of you! You each have so much to offer here. Individual talents, your thoughts, photos, mementos, family treasures. Each one of us brings something to the table and some days blogger just refuses to cooperate like a spoiled child! Yvonne was blogging about this and I thought I would follow her lead! If blogger won't let us comment or visit than we can at least put the word out! Thanks Yvonne, you are a super lady! Thanks for sharing your love and I am sending some right back to you!
Please read my previous posts so you can catch up with me on all the fun upcoming things we have going on!
Now I am giving away something pink. It is something special and it is for a very special someone who follows me and leaves comments here! That person is.....
drum roll....
Stephanie. I will need you to e mail your address so I can send these goodies your way! Congrats! You are a super fun bloggy friend and I am looking forward to your Wedding Party coming June 10th! You always say the nicest things. Watch your mail once I receive your info to send a pink package to you courtesy of me!

I have some blogger issues and will back with a very late Alphabe Thursday post later this evening! Enjoy the day!

MARCO

I was just visiting Parsley and she suggested a summer meet and greet. We requaint ourselves with old friends here and make new ones too.
All you have to do is  put up your post. It should say MARCO and then people will answer back POLO! It is a silly but fun game and I am looking forward to meeting everyone here!
Blogger recently took away some of my friends and I am searching for my Longmont, CO. buddy who owes me a Martini at Mike O'Shay's! This blasted blogger keeps stealing my friends!
I am going to add one more item to this MARCO POLO game we will play during the summer. I am going to share ten things about myself you may or may not know about me! I like these little fun facts so we can all  learn about each other. Please come join this fun!


Facts About Anne

1. I am left handed
2. I started wearing glasses in the fourth grade
3. I am the youngest of five
4. I am a pure blooded SLOVEnian
5. I can not drive a stick shift
6. I read my bible faithfully daily
7. I have two friends from my youth, one since were
    babes together in the playpen and one I crashed my
    tricycle into at age 3! We remain friends today.
8. I have a super secret nickname only my sis Mary knows!
9. I hated being called "Annie/Anna Banana as a kid
10. I was an introvert until age 12

I have shared with you now come back and play...
MARCO

TINKERBELL: 05/31/1997-05/26/2010

It was one year ago Thursday May 26th that we lost Tinkerbell. Her death nearly did Rebekah in! Rebekah loved that silly little dog since she wandered into our lives on Memorial Day 1997! The kids were small and they were playing in the yard but the side gate was open and Sweets and I were in the kitchen preparing for a phamily barbeque! The kids started shrieking and this skinny little dog wandered into our lives forever. She was dirty and thin and she was very timid with women. But she buttered up Sweets and by bedtime that girl was perched on his pillow like "Hello, I am living here now!" It has been a sad year without here.. Even though Hannah has "Roxie" and the other pets are still here it is sad without her. She was a loving little dog with a kind heart. Her death touched all of us in such a way. I can not even explain how we all felt losing her.
We can never replace Tink but we can all smile at the photos all around the house that show her sweet face!
Please join Angela so you can see all the fun posts everyone participating posts! You will love it!
Now I am going to put up another post! I hope you will stop by and enjoy this brainchild of Parsley.

Freedom is not Free

I want to share another poem I found on line.

The Soldier

It is the soldier, not the reporter,
Who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the soldier, not the poet
Who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the soldier, not the campus organizer,
who has given us the  freedom to  demonstrate.
It is the soldier, not the lawyer,
who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the soldier who  salutes the flag,
Who serves under the flag,
It is the soldier who's coffin is draped by the flag.
who allows the protestor to burn the flag.
Charles M. Province

It is late on Monday night, Memorial Day. Before I retire, two things come to mind. First of all, on Friday my Sweets took me to dinner at Chili's after a long trying work week. As we were getting our dinner an old sailor (I am talking probably WWII) was leaving the restaurant with his family. He was wearing his Navy whites and people were stopping him, hugging him and even taking his picture! It was a beautiful moment.  I stopped and thought about my late uncles, Tom  a WWII vet (U.S. Army/Air Corp), my late uncle "Munson" WWII (US Army),  my late brother-in-law Gary, US Army, my sisters ex Bob (US Army Vietnam), my late cousin Jessie (US Army Vietnam). My late father-in-law Carl, USN at Pearl Harbor WWII, my brother-in-law John, USN, USS America. My dear friend Kathy O'Gane, USN ,my hubby's cousin Carolyn USA Desert Storm.  My kids friends, Toby (US Army), Ben (USAF), Matthew (USN), Jason (US Army), Dan (USN). My husband's uncles Duane (US Army), Bud, US Army, Virgil USAF,  My mother's cousin's son James who was a US Marine and lost his life at Vietnam. I think of all the young men we knew who have their name on the Vietnam wall. I think how blessed we are to live here and currently still have freedom because of the selfless acts these military personnel perform daily. I just wanted to end my evening with a great big thank you to all of them!

Then I wanted to thank everyone who participated in my Pink Saturday third birthday celebration.  Because we had a change in plans at the last minute, we had to pull together a barbeque of our own instead of traveling to Pueblo to be with phamily. We ended up having a great time but everyone is exhausted from the day filled with fun so I will have my Sweets draw the lucky winner from my "pink surprise" giveaway tomorrow evening before 9 P.M. (MDT). I hope you will not mind. Leaving a comment on that Pink Post and following me are all I ask of you! Enjoy your week!

"The strongest reason for the people to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in the government." Thomas Jefferson

Love is...Fruit Cocktail Cake and Blue Skies

Don't forget to leave a comment on on Pink Saturday.Spiritual Sunday/Memorial Day post all rolled into one for a chance to win a terrific pink surprise! The rule is very simple just leave a comment there and be a follower! Easy!

I am sharing a sweet Love is....today

 I hope you stop by Marydon's and join all the girls who participate. It is such fun!

This Love is... portraits my life. It has been one of very little materialistic gain. Lots of love, lots of fun and a great big phamily! So I am celebrating this with my Blue Day post of blue skies. I hope you join Sally and all the other wonderful participates of this Blue Monday meme.

I was thinking of a fun cake my Sweets said his late mom use to bake for them. She worked for 20 years in the college cafeteria at SCSC in my hometown. Southern Colorado State College at Pueblo. But because my late mother-in-law was a baker I am sharing a simple fruit cocktail cake recipe she made for the kids when they were growing up.

Fruit Cocktail Cake

1 yellow cake mix
1 can fruit cocktail, 15 oz. with juice
1 can crushed pineapple. 20 oz. with juice
2 large eggs
1 3-4 oz. package instant lemon pudding.
8 oz. whipping cream or Cool Whip

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour a 17 x 11 pan. Mix the packaged cake mix with 1/4 cup pineapple with juice, the fruit cocktail and two eggs. Beat for about 30 seconds with an electric mixer. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat another 2 minutes. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake for 20-23 minutes until sides spring back from the sides of the pan! Cool on a wire rack.
For the topping mix the pudding mix with the remaining pineapple with juice and prepare whipped cream if using fresh. Otherwise add the pudding/pineapple mixture to the cool whip and frost cooled cake. Refrigerate until serving time.

Finally come enjoy the blue skies I found for you today to celebrate Blue Monday. I have added a Memorial Day surprise in blue too.

Thoughts of a Soldier
I struggle to see my objective for the sand blowing in my eyes,
I hear sounds of  explosions like thunder from the sky,
My mouth in dry and my body aches,
I must push on no matter what it takes,
the lives of so many innocent keep running through my mind,
I know this is why my country has me put my life on the line,
So don't lose hope America, we do this for you,
For all your soldiers bleed red,white and blue.
Submitted by Jimmy L. Ashburn

DANCING

I have missed many weeks of Alphabe Thursday. I want to get back into the swing of it! So here goes...dancing! I love to dance! I am not a prima ballerina or a hip hop star. I am no Ginger Rogers . I just like music and I dance when I hear music!
So my "D" word today is  dancing for Alphabe Thursday!

As a child I loved Fred Astaire. I loved watching him dance. I watched the movie "Singing in the Rain" with Gene Kelly many times! He was a favorite dancer of mine too. I liked the new style of John Travolta and Patrick Swayze. I watched Richard Simmons help ladies dance themselves slim! I love "Zumba" the new dancing exercise rage and I admit it, I even watch "Dancing with the Stars."
Now go put on your blue suede shoes and come dance with me!
Enjoy the google images and visit Jenny and lots of other letter lovers today!

HAPPY PINK SATURDAY BIRTHDAY!

Good morning! Have you heard the expression, something like this, the faster I go, the behinder I get! I feel that way today. I was planning my fabulous Pink Saturday post to honor our third birthday today. Then I started thinking about the Memorial Day weekend. I missed Spiritual Sunday last week so here I go trying to stay ahead of the pace and incorporate all three of these into a big Saturday/Sunday surprise!
 I am  offering each one of you this beautiful pink bouquet of flowers!

Then I would call each one of you on my pretty pink phone and wish you a tremendous day filled with love and kindness and all sorts of fun things!

Then I would bake you a big beautiful birthday cake, add some balloons and of course, the perfectly pink drink and send you off with a pink sunset!

Then I would stop by Beverly's and thank her for hosting three wonderful years of pinkness! I would hurry over to Charlotte and Ginger and thank them both for hosting a weekly spiritual slice of bread and a taste of wine (or ginger ale) for all of us who crave God's love and need His constant assurance.

Scripture Regarding Friendship


"Love must be sincere, Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves." Romans 12:9-10


"Therefore as God's chosen people,  holy and dear, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive for the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues, put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." Colossians 3:12-14


"And this is my prayer, that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth and insight , so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ." Phillipians 1:9-10


"Above all, love each other deeply because love covers over a multitude of sins." 1 Peter 4:80

Then please today and all weekend long, never forget the trials, the sacrifice and the bloodshed many American soldiers have given to secure our safety. May our flag wave proudly. Do not give in to the evil ways we are seeing spread over our nation and do not be deceived by the things of this world. Remember these words from some of our founding fathers.

"Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves are its only safe depositories" Thomas Jefferson

"They that would give up essential liberty for a little temporary safety,  deserve neither liberty or safety. " Ben Franklin


"Duty is ours; results are Gods" John Quincy Adams

God Bless America that I may participate in these weekly meme's without any threat or retribution.Please pray for our troops where ever they are serving us today.

Thank you to google image for allowing me to share these images here today. Please stop by and visit Pink Saturday and Spiritual Sunday. You will find the buttons on my right side bar. Then celebrate the freedom we have with a safe and happy Memorial weekend!

NOTE: Somehow blogger pulled an older post and made it front and center. It was my Alphabe Thursday "D" post!

So because I am fighting blogger and losing followers and comments and because I was light headed and goofy this morning putting this post up originally I do have a surprise giveaway that I want to share with everyone! I will have my Sweets draw the lucky winner Monday evening! Spread the joy and come join the giveaway. I will only ask that you leave a comment and be a follower! Easy as eating apple pie with vanilla ice cream!  Just know the giveaway will be pink! I am including all the comments in the drawing already because with a little luck, some of you got through!
Blogger is being very difficult. No commenting, losing followers, refusing to let me follow someone! I am going to get a good night of rest and be back tomorrow. Argh....
Sweet dreams everyone!

F IS FOR FUDD, ELMER

Elmer Fudd is a fictional cartoon character. He is one of the original Warner Brothers Looney Tunes. As a kid  I loved the Bugs Bunny Show and all his friends andof course, his archenemey Elmer Fudd. Elmer has one goal and that is to hunt Bugs! But he has an unusual speech pattern and replaces his Rs and Ls with Ws. His signature catch phrase is "Be vewy, vewy quiet, I'm hunting wabbits."
One of the best known Elmer Fudd cartoon is "What's Opera Doc?" It is the one time that Fudd bests Bugs. Elmer and Bugs were enemies but when teaming with Daffy Duck the three of them could send you into unstoppable laughter.
I miss those fun old fashioned days when cartoons were clean and fun was simply fun! I hope you will visit Jenny and join the Alphabe Thursday fun.

ORNITHOLIGIST

When I was a young girl just out of high school I worked for the Pueblo County Treasurer's office. We collected property taxes. It was a good job at that junction in my life and I liked to stop and chat with  one of the County Commisioners. Mr. Giguere was an ornitholigist. It is a scientific term for a "bird watcher". He would spend weekends bird watching and he always shared his knowledge with me. I never took it as seriously as he did but whenever I see a different or interesting bird I fondly remember this man who helped me learn about this wonderful art.
Now I will be totally honest with you! I am not a fan of birds in mass quantities (remember the Hitchcock flick "The Birds"????) In fact, many years ago at the Denver Zoo I stood in line for hours, literally, with my oldest daughter who was a small child and my late Aunt Ang. We thought we were going to see the koala bear that was on loan from the San Diego zoo. When we got to the front of the line we were led into an atrium where there were birds flying everywhere! My Aunt mumbling "Heck no" and we turned and fled! I laugh out loud thinking of that moment! It was a July day and the temperatures were soaring into the double digits! None of us wanted to be hanging out with all those crazy birds!
 Another story I want to share is that I  was getting a fancy hairdo for a big dance I was attending in high school. My sister Mary, who attended beauty college and kept her beauticians license up all these years was doing my hair in an up swept hairdo with french curls! She had a little parakeet and that bird flew into my hair. He apparently thought I was a nest! That was a terrifying moment! I laugh now but feeling that bird scratch his little bird legs into my head! Oh! It stills sends a chill down my spine!
So before I get anymore long winded I want to ask you to stop by Angela's and join us for Tuesday's Show and Tail!
Please enjoy my google images of birds too!

My Bloggerette Project Completed./ Love is.../MIscellaneous

I

Here is my Love is....today. I hope you will join me along with Marydon and all the other ladies  Life has been a whirl wind of craziness for us lately. So instead of troubling with you all the details I decided this little illustration says it all

I finally finished my project for the Bloggerette Society. Stop by http://bloggerettesorority.blogspot.com.  Thank Debi for hosting and here is a sneak peek of my two rush projects! One is finished and the second one needs a coat of clear protector. It can nto be done until tomorrow.  
I chose a small silver plate tray and added a black and white photo of the Bloggerette Society. Then I decoupaged a colored photo on a plain wood box. I am thinking of using it for a memory box and keep some blogger friend cards and such in this box.
I spent the day pulling weeds in the yard and painting a wicker basket pink! I decoupaged and helped my Sweets make burritos and a few other menu items for the week!

 I could not get a photo of me with my project(s) because I still need to get cleaned up from a long and busy day. I also am posting a few miscellanous photos. Nick ran in a 5k race yesterday. Here are some photos. He also took 7th overhaul in the race and 2nd in his age group. He received a beautiful trophy. Now he needs to rest and focus on the upcoming cross country season. His previous coach retired and his cross country coach is taking over the whole track and field coaching. It will be different but we like the coach and his plans. He is always concerned about the kids welfare so we appreciate him. I also shot a few random photos yesterday when I went downtown to my Sweets office to help him do the mail which he handles once a month.

I added this last photo for Iggy because he loves these orange cones. I see them everywhere in the Spring and Summer, road construction!

PINK OR BLUE YOU DECIDE!

Since my phamily is experiencing a baby boom in 2011, one here and two more on the way, I thought I would share pink and blue with you! Please join Beverly at Pink Saturday and also on Monday join Sally for Blue Monday. Here are some choices for you. Pick your favorites and let me know!

1. Pink Skies

2. Blue Skies

3. Pink Barbie

4. Blue Barbie

5. Pink Hair

6.Blue Hair

 7. Pink Arianna Cecilia (2011)

8. Blue Nick (1992)

I thought these pinks and blues would help you decide which color is your favorite.
But before you do you need a sweet treat to calm your sugar craving:

9. Pink Rock Candy

10. Blue Rock Candy
There you have it! Choose your favorites and come join all the pink and blue fun! I am prejudice. I love them both and I love all the photos! Some are my own, others are google images. You choose. Then tell Beverly and Smiling Sally how much you enjoy these weekly memes.