WE ARE NUMBER ONE TODAY IN CROSS COUNTRY!

 I am trying to be brave. I am trying to smile. I know CC would smile. She would always compliment my kiddo for being such a terrific runner. I am going to miss her. But as I read my comments here for the past three posts I see everyone who knew her loved her so I know she would want us to smile. She was always smiling.

I have run a gamut of emotions today and yesterday. Today as my son and his four varsity team mates prepared to run the Centarus Invitational I was praying for strength for all of them and for a nice position in the race. When I saw Jerry overtake Desmond (Pomona HS) I knew my boy Nick and his team mates were going to do well. Desmond held his own during the first two miles of that race. But my kiddo and his buddies run as a team. They pace each other and talk to each other on the course. No, they never count out loud how many people they pass! That would be rude! Jerry took first. I thought I would die from sheer joy! Then Marco came up in sixth place followed by Stephen 11th and Nick (my baby) 12th! Fabian rounded out the win by placing 17th! They won the race as varsity boys! They were number one!  There was another school, primarily well to do kids, with at least 15-20 varsity runners! When Thornton was announced as the winner overall they rolled their eyes! Don't girls roll their eyes? That was just plain all out flat R U D E! Boys rolling their eyes. I have not witnessed such poor sportsmanship in cross country and my kid has been running for six years! He ran in middle school, he is running his third high school season. They were rude. Now the guys have to concentrate on the Liberty Bell next Friday. My grandson Andrew graduated from  Heritage HS in Littleton, CO. Let me tell you , that is one awesome school. They have their own lake! It is one of the biggest high schools  I have ever seen! I attended an all girls Catholic High school. Maybe 100 girls per class. This school holds a few thousand! But the Liberty Bell has an excellent course and my son loves it because he knows the course after running it for 2 years previously. I hope you will pray for these boys. They are kind, and talented. They are smart and hard working. Their coach has a brand spanking new baby girl at home! I saw those bare baby feet today! The coaches wife quipped "If he has his way, she will run before she walks!" It is a real phamily oriented team. Everyone compliments each other. Pray that they continue their good fortune next weekend. The Liberty Bell hosts 90 schools from four states including Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Wyoming . The guys are thinking about a New Mexico runner who is raked nationally and a  runner who won the pre state trials last week end.
But  we tell our son to beat himself, beat his old time and move forward to the next race!
Praise God we could not even see or smell the fire burning in Boulder County! I think the fire is burning away from the cities which I suppose is a good thing. Continue praying for the people fighting the fire and those who are losing their homes and dealing with this loss. Thank you.

A few photos to show off the guys!

PRAYER REQUESTS

Nick runs at 9:30 this morning. Please pray as we will be closer in to where the Four Mile Fire is burning.

Please pray for CC's family during this difficult time of loss.

Please pray for Mike. He is going through a tough divorce situation. He is struggling and hoping to get a nursing job in Alaska.

Pray for the families of the 9-11 tragedy today and every day.

Pray for our military and all the emergency responders everywhere today.

Prayers would be greatly appreciated.

SUEBONNET SUE WAS HERE

Sunbonnet Sue was here! I am fighting back tears as I write this tonight. We have lost one of the most amazing ladies, CC from http://lacenribbonroses.blogspot.com/. I loved CC, she took me under her wing when I started blogging. I only knew about Sunbonnet Sue because my friend loved this little lady so much. CC was an amazing woman. She is the person who sent me one of her vintage hankies just because. She sent me a beautiful Texas postcard of the birthplace of our former president Dwight D. Eisenhower. That was CC. She was sweet that way. She always encourage me and helped me along. With her gentle push I learned to post those darn buttons and as you can see I am getting good at it! I am going to miss her terribly. I could always send her a quick e mail and she would respond. She took care of me like a sister. I cared for her so much. My only regret is I have a package sitting here that I was going to send her. I found a perfectly hand stitched hankie that was trimmed in pink that I am sure she would have loved along with a duplicate of my pink quilted purse she loved so. I am just sad that she could not see these gifts sitting her for her today. My friend CC taught me that somehow one of these days you will be able to visit every single Pink Saturday participate because that was her way! She shared awards and smiles with all of us. She gave so much of herself and taught us all to love little Sunbonnet Sue! I am grieving right now but I am going to find a tribute to my friend and I am going to call my sweet friend Laura in Parker, Colorado and see if she will help me out. She is one of those crafty, quilty kinda gals. Ironically my sweet friend CC was also a Laura. I am going to miss you more than anyone can know.

"My peace I leave you; My peace I give you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled , nor let it be fearful." John 14:27

Alan Jackson-Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning

I wanted to post this today for 9-11 and for my Pink Saturday post.  This song meant  a lot to me during 9-11 because in the song he says "Did you call up your mother and tell her you love her? Did you dust off that bible at home?" I remember talking to my mother after the events of 9-11. Two months and five days later I lost my mother. I did not have to dust off my bible but I found these words to be comforting than and moreso today:

"If my people who call on my name will humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

I think we need to rethink our world because after 9-11 we all fell back into that same old same old.  On a small political note I must say anyone who calls themselves a man of God would not want to fuel the fire that already is burning in this sickening politically correct world of ours. Enough said .

Please link up with Beverly at http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/
Please join me in linking up with Charlotte and Ginger bloggerspirit.blogspot.com/

ROSES ARE RED VIOLETS ARE BLUE

 Welcome to rainbow Summer School and the color violet. Please thank Mrs. Matlock here. I thought of several different ways to showcase the color violet but I decided to go with an old favorite and then give you a brief history of "violet",

Roses are red
Violets are blue
Sugar is sweet
And so are you!

The words in this poem can be traced as far back as 1590. I have always loved a sweet poem and I always liked this one as a kid. Of course we made up naughty ryhmes as kids too:

Roses are red
Violets are blue
Your mother smells
And you do too!

That was about as wild as my friends and I got when we were growing up.

Now here is a bio about violet and I think you will enjoy this little history I found on the internet.

Other names

Violet
Violet Ordorato
Other names Common Violet, Ordinary Violet, Garden Violet, Sweet Violet

Habitat

Violets are European perennials. They are now naturalized thorughtout North America., and can be found growing in most any soil or situation.

Cultivation

Violets are easily cultivated through root cuttings or seeds. With over 900 species, plant identification to the exact is an expertise in itself.  However all have practically the same medicinal and edible herb values.

Description

The heart shaped leaves often with scalloped or slightly serrated edges are the dark green , smooth and sometimes downy underneath, and grow in a rosette at the base of the plant.  Roots are creeping and send out runners. Depending on soil and light the flowers may be from deep purple to or blue to pinkish  or even yellow whitish.  All have five petals, which may have a yellow (fur) or beard on the inside of two of the petals. blooming from March to June. Gather flowers in full bloom, leaves anytime, and rootstock in the fall. Dry root for later use.


Properties

Medicinal and edible, the flowers and leaves of viola are made into a syrup used in alternative medicine mainly for respiratory ailments associated with congestion, coughing, and sore throat. Flowers are also edible and used as food additives for instance in salad, made into jelly, and candied for decoration. Large does of the root contain an alkoloid called violine which is emetic (causing vomiting) . A decoction made from the root (dry herb) is used as a laxative. Tea made from the entire plant is used to treat digestive disorders and new research has detected the presence of a glycoside of salicylic acid (natural aspirin) which substantiates its use for centuries as a medicinal remedy for headache, body pains and as a sedative. The plants constituents are being studied and show these uses to be valid. Eugenol, Ferulic-acid, Kaempferol, Quercetin, Scopoletin, also show promise in the treatment of many kinds of cancer, arthritis, AIDS, gum disease and more. Used externally the fresh crushed leaves reduce swelling and soothe irritations. As a bath additive the fresh crushed flowers are soothing to the skin and the aroma is very relaxing.

Folklore

 The Ancient Greeks considered the Violet a symbol of fertility and love, they used it in love potions. Pliny recommends that a garland of them be worn around the head to ward off   headaches and dizzy spells.

Recipes

Syrup: Pour one pint of boiling water over 1 cup packed , of fresh flowers and leaves cover and let stand for 12 hours. Strain and squeeze through cloth, add 2 lb. sugar and boil for 1 hour until syrupy. Store in a glass jar. Give 1 tsp. for children 2-3 times a day.

Tea: Steep 1/ 4  dried or fresh herb in 1 cup water for 10 min. stain, flavor to taste. Take in 1/2 cup doses twice a day.

This article was found on the internet by Deb Jackson and Karen Bergeron .

I was a bit long today but I really enjoyed this little research I did! Enjoy!

WHO'S THERE?

I had a tough day today. You might have thought yesterday was a holiday! HeeHee. But I tried to pull some zoo photos from my laptop and I am having some technical difficulties, so instead I am sharing some internet images of one of my favorite creatures, owls.

I think owls are unique and I bet they never ever have neck problems! They are designed so exquisitely that I would like to ask the Good Lord how he decided to create them. Owls are fascinating creatures and some cultures believe they represent wisdom. Others believe they represent doom and death. In my phamily, I have always heard that having owls in your home bring good fortune. Well I do not recommend bringing live owls into your home but I have seen some beautiful photographers of owls as well as collectible items like salt and pepper shakers and figurines. There are many types of owls but in North America some you might recognize are barn owls, the snow owl,  spotted owl and the great horned owl to name just a few. Now please slip over to Angela's and join the fun at Tuesday's Show and Tail!

There are somany fascinating facts about owls as well as interesting folklore but today I want to show you some beautiful images and hope you will stop by

SEASONS OF MY MIND SWAP

Go visit Parsley at http://seasonsofmymind.blgospot.com/. Check out the awesome swap she has in the works! I am hoping to find a partner that wants half Thanksgiving and half Christmas treats and treasures! I am even posting a cute button so you can go over there and join the fun! I am posting a few internet images so you can decide if you want to do your swap with a Thanksgiving themed partner or a Christmas partner! You might want to do half and half and maybe you could end up with me!

Happy Labor Day!