It is better to stir up a question without deciding it, than to decide it without stirring it up. ~Joseph Joubert

Tiffanie @ Pineapples n Pickles

Tiffanie over at Pineapples n Pickles could really use your prayers right now. They found out that they are having a baby boy, but that there are some health problems and they don't know what the outcome is. Please stop over there and show her some love and keep them in your prayers.

A/C issues part Deux

This is what we would be doing if we were home today. Our motor for our air conditioner fan is burning up. Not totally burnt up but burning up. So it is warm at our house. The girls have fans and will be sleeping all day anyway so they won't be upset. We will just have to replace the motor this evening. The good thing is that Mister has already found us one and it is half of what we thought it would be. These sure are the dog days of summer!

Dig the well before you are thirsty. ~Chinese Proverb

Just Thursday

Head over and link up! It is fun to find out about others around you!

Outside my window.. it's sunny
The time is.. 10:21 am
Today I feel.. fidgety
I am thinking.. about what I need to do tonight
At the moment, I am thankful.. my last few days before school starts
I am going.. to give one, maybe two hair cuts to dogs, can some more pickles and possibly cut up some more zucchini to freeze. Oh yeah, I need to unload and load the dishwasher, vacuum and switch out laundry too.
I am wearing.. white top, navy slacks and brown shoes
I wish.. that I had a few more hours in the day

I am reading.. still "Life of Pi", Ball Blue Book of Canning, Ball Complete Book of Canning, and Pickles and Relishes
I am working on.. finding more quotes for the blog
I am hoping.. that I can get everything done so that we can float or fish on Saturday. Mister will go no matter what but I would like to go!
I am hearing.. Kenny Chesney
Around the house.. I am needing to vacuum. But I hope I can get a ton done tonight.

I bet you didn't know.. I back to school on Monday.
One of my favorite.. movies is "Gone in Sixty Seconds" with Nicolas Cage and Angelina Jolie
My weekend plans include.. Fishing, floating and canning (maybe)

While seeking revenge, dig two graves - one for yourself. ~Doug Horton

a/c issues

In Oklahoma our summers can be described as hot, hotter or oh my gracious it is super hot and humid and is taking my breath away!!!! This summer has been the latter and it has been in the triple digits with the heat index another 15 degrees higher. We came home and heard dripping. We pulled the filter out and this is what we saw.


The drain for the air conditioner had gotten clogged and backed up into the closet. We grabbed the shop-vac, took care of the clog, pulled over 5 gallons on water out of the closet and still made it to Mister's grandmother's house only 30 minute late!
This is the closet. The bottom of the picture is the tile in the kitchen. The water was about to go over the edge of the tile and start pouring into the kitchen.

The larger picture of what you just saw. The closet got a good cleaning out after this!

Under the air unit, behind the filter. On the other side of the wood is the closet from the previous pictures.

Water soaking up into the sheet rock. Luckily he had sheet rocked both sides so it didn't soak into the outside wall.

The moral of the story is..... go check your air conditioner drain and clean it out every year. We got lucky, it could have been so much worse.

Watch the little things; a small leak will sink a great ship. ~Benjamin Franklin

Guest blogger : Albert Rasch & Yo-Yo's for Troops

Today I am having Albert Rasch guest post on the blog. I have been following him for a while and he is an amazing person. He is in the middle of the desert, but is still thinking about everyone else. Please help him out if you can!!!

Ok, I know what your thinking...

"What the devil are you up to Albert? Yo-Yos???"

As it turns out, that's exactly what I am thinking. Yo-Yo's.

I happened upon a broken Duncan Butterfly yo-yo. The side was off, and the axle was loose. As it so happens, I travel prepared. I brought some gel crazy glue with me, along with assorted a sundry other items that make your life tolerable in Afghanistan. (See my post: What You Need to Bring Overseas as a Contractor.) A few minutes later I had a perfectly serviceable yo-yo again.

I remember that sometime around 1970-71 there was a Yo-Yo craze; at least there was in my neighborhood! We all had to have Yo-Yos and many of us learned tricks like "walk the dog," "around the world," and "rock the cradle."

So, I was outside the tent in our compound, Yo-Yoing away the afternoon. Boy what fun it is to have something to do while the interminable hours drift by.

A couple of the other fellows whose brains had yet to be baked in their skulls stopped by, so I offered the Yo-Yo to each in turn so they could have some fun with it. We must have spent a couple of hours out there, getting the hang of it, laughing, telling tall tales, and forgetting we were hot, dirty, and far from home.

As a parent, you know the tell tale signs of boredom, frustration, anger, and fear in your children. I see it in our young military folks all too often. I can't tell you how many of these kids I have seen that are dangerously close to the breaking point. All they need is something to distract them from their daily drudgery.

Therein lies my idea.

I would like for you to forward a Yo-Yo or two to me, so that I may distribute them to the young men and women that are out here sucking up dust and dodging bullets. If you have never sent anything to a deployed service member before, let me tell you that it is a one of their greatest pleasures to receive a gift from the states from someone they don't know. It just makes their day!

I hope many of you will be inclined to take a moment out of your day and box one up. I'll let you know who received it and take a picture or two and post it on TROC. Make sure you put a slip of paper inside with your name and email so I can let you know it has arrived, and so the service member can thank you too! It's a little thing, a Yo-Yo is, but it can mean the world sometimes.

My address is:
Albert A Rasch
AEW 455th ECES/FP
APO AE 09355

One more thing if you don't mind. I want to ask all of my fellow bloggers to please link to this post, or even better, email me and I will send you the html of this post for a guest post on your blog! I sure would appreciate it!

I want to thank you in advance for giving this some thought. And for those of you that will forward a YoYo, I can't thank you enough for the kindness you are exhibiting. Believe you me, you will make a service member's day!

Benefactors of The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles: Yo-Yos for Troops Program!

Rick Kratzke of Whitetail Woods has graciously posted this post on his blog! Not only that, but he has offered to send a Yo-Yo to the troops! Well done my friend! Guest Post from Afghanistan

Troutrageous! has also committed to forwarding a YoYo, and check out what he has done on the right side of his blog! He has created a banner! He is another true supporter of our troops!!!

Okie Redneck is going to help out too! She's going to fly the banner, and allow me the privilege of guest posting on her blog! Now there is a great troop supporter! PS: I love the header on your blog!

Please email me if you would be willing to place the banner that Mike Troutrageous! has so graciously designed for the Yo-Yos for the Troops campaign. I would be very appreciative of all of you that would do so. TheRaschOutdoorChronicles(at)msn(dot)com

With regards, your friend,
Albert A Rasch
Member: Kandahar Tent Club
The Hunt Continues...

Never saw off the branch you are on, unless you are being hanged from it. ~Stanislaw Lec

Don't ever take a fence down until you know why it was put up. ~Robert Frost

Promise only what you can deliver. Then deliver more than you promise. ~Author Unknown

Giving up doesn't always mean you are weak. Sometimes it means that you are strong enough to let go. ~Author Unknown

Sometimes it's more important to be human, than to have good taste. ~Brecht

In Oklahoma they have hunts that you can draw out for. The Wildlife Department looks at where the deer population needs the most management. They also have hunts for other species of animals in Oklahoma. I have been putting in for an either sex tag on the elk hunt for 5 years now. Mister drew out with a cow tag 3 years ago and harvested a beautiful cow. This year Mister drew out for a hunt during muzzle loading the the southern part of the state. He will be able to harvest 2 doe, on top of any that we shoot here. Mister's grandfather drew out for an elk hunt! He has been putting in for 40 years and finally drew out. He has a cow tag and is absolutely pumped about it. I didn't draw out this year but there are always other years! I am hoping to shoot something bigger than the mister does sometime in the future!

Just Thursday!

Outside my window.. Sun-shiny and hot. Heat index in the triple digits
The time is.. 9:12 am
Today I feel.. tired
I am thinking.. I don't always like being a girl
At the moment, I am thankful.. that we have an air conditioner
I am going.. to try and make Mister some more ringtones tonight
I am wearing.. Pink and navy top, khaki pants and brown shoes
I wish.. I could have a three day weekend.
I am reading.. Still "Life of Pi" and all my recipe books and new canner book.
I am working on.. getting Mister's phone all loaded up. (once I get everything on his it will make it easier when I get mine!)
I am hoping.. I don't burn this weekend
I am hearing.. "I got a brand new girlfriend, we went and jumped off the deep end" The video is a hoot is you ever get to see it. Now Toby Keith's "Trailer Hood" is on.
Around the house.. you see jars, jars and more jars.
I bet you didn't know.. I am starting back to school in less than two weeks.
One of my favorite.. things about summer is the fresh produce from my garden.
My weekend plans include.. Fishing one day with a little canning thrown in and floating the next.

Head over and link up! We would love to know what you're thinking!

Our new best friends - Otter Box and Rice

I promise you will understand the title more here in a bit. I am going to explain to you why everyone who has a cell phone must keep rice around.
My husband and I have had cell phones for years. He is rougher on them than I am and he ruined his last phone. He will say that it isn't totally ruined, we just need to charge the battery in my phone since his phone won't charge it! But it isn't ruined....
I went to renew our contract and had all sorts of issues. I wanted to come home with two iPhones. We wanted 16GB. We ended up after a day of hassles coming home with ONE iPhone 3G S 32 GB. We also paid more but he now has a phone. The issues that I had are a whole other post that I may or may not do. We will be able to get the second home in a couple weeks and then we will both be happy. But I digress...
When I got the phone I also bought an Otter Box case to put on it. As I said before, Mister can be rough on phones. As I was paying I was thinking "this $50 case better be worth it and protect this phone. I can't believe that I am paying this much for a PHONE CASE." This conversation kept going with myself as I was walking out to the car. I took the phone home and after some other issues that had to be resolved Mister has a new white iPhone 3G S. On Saturday we went to watch some friends of ours weigh in at a fishing tournament. While walking from the dock to the bank my husband, who can't be bothered to slow down and wait for 3 seconds, hits the phone on one of the poles that is supporting the hand rails on the ramp. I hear the sound of something hitting the ramp and then KER-PLOSH!!!!! I look down and see my husbands one day old phone settling in 8 inches of water at the edge of the bank. I am yelling at him to get the phone (I won't use the actual language that I used, it wasn't the best) and when he got down and grabbed it, the phone was still on. On a side note, as I was running up the ramp, I got stung by something on the bottom of my foot. Back to the phone, we took the case off and stuck it in the warm car to try and dry out. Because of the $50 Otter Box there were 3 spots that water could get in, the speaker at the top that you hear out of and the two speaker that are at the bottom that you talk into or the noise comes out of when it is on speaker phone. The Otter Box has sealed everything else up so that the damage was minimal. We go finish watching the weigh in (our friends won!) and then went home. The phone had gotten too hot in the car so we had to wait for it to cool down. Then we noticed the biggie - condensation on the lens of the camera, on the back of the phone. We pulled the sim card our but didn't close it totally back, so that moisture could still get out and be absorbed. I then went and got what would become our best friend - RICE!!! We put the phone in a quart sized bag, put the rice in the bag sealed it up and let the rice do its work. The next day there was no condensation on the lens and the phone has worked wonderful since. I am just thankful that it worked!
The moral of the story is that 1) always keep rice on hand to absorb the liquid out of electronics and 2) that $50 spent on an Otter Box case is well worth it in the end!

I am in no way being compensated by Otter Box, Minute Rice or any other company. But I am getting another phone soon and will be putting an Otter Box on it so if they would like to send me a pink one that would be fine! The opinions expressed are solely my own opinions and I didn't receive anything for the opinions that were stated.

Never miss an opportunity to make others happy, even if you have to leave them alone in order to do it. ~Author Unknown

Our Wedding Song - Writers Workshop

Directions: You can learn more about Writer’s Workshop here….it’s never too late to jump in!! Here is what you must do:
Choose a prompt that inspires you most.
Write.
Come back this Thursday and paste the URL from your actual post (do this by clicking the title of your post after you hit publish, an extended URL will come up in the address bar. That’s the URL you want to use) into the Mister Linky that will be up…this way anyone can click on your name and head over to your place to see what you wrote.
Feel free to write on more than one prompt if you so desire. I do it all the time, but it’s my game…and I don’t know how to shut-up…so it should be expected. And remember the more comment love you give, the more comment love you get so comment comment away.
The Prompts:
This week’s assignments are:
1.) Write about your wedding song. What was it and why did you choose it?

2.) A movie you probably should have previewed before letting your kids watch.

3.) We talk about mother’s guilt a lot…who needs it? Describe a good mom moment!

4.) Post a picture and a description that fits into this quote for you: “How far to heaven? Just open your eyes and look. You are in heaven” -Shankar

5.)Earthquake! Where were you when it happened?
Remember to link up this Thursday, July 22nd!!

**************************

I haven't mentioned it too much but Mister and I have been married twice - to each other. Yes you heard that right. We met in 1998, married in 2002, divorced in 2004, continued talking, remarried in 2008. The second time that we got married it was lets make this legal and get to going! But the song that we have chose to live our life by is Tim McGraw's "Live Like You Were Dying". This song just sums up how we would like to live our lives to the fullest and just enjoy each day as if it was our last.

He said: "I was in my early forties,

"With a lot of life before me,

"An' a moment came that stopped me on a dime.

"I spent most of the next days,

"Looking at the x-rays,

"An' talking 'bout the options an' talkin’ ‘bout sweet time.

"I asked him when it sank in,

That this might really be the real end?

How’s it hit you when you get that kind of news?

Man whatcha do?

An' he said: "I went sky diving, I went rocky mountain climbing,

"I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu.

"And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,

"And I gave forgiveness I'd been denying.

"An' he said: "Some day, I hope you get the chance,

"To live like you were dyin'.

" He said "I was finally the husband,

"That most the time I wasn’t.

"An' I became a friend a friend would like to have.

"And all of a sudden goin' fishin’,

"Wasn’t such an imposition,

"And I went three times that year I lost my Dad.

"Well, I finally read the Good Book,

"And I took a good long hard look,

"At what I'd do if I could do it all again,

"And then:

"I went sky diving, I went rocky mountain climbing,

"I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu.

"And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,

"And I gave forgiveness I'd been denying.

"An' he said: "Some day, I hope you get the chance,

"To live like you were dyin'.

" Like tomorrow was a gift,And you got eternity,

To think about what you’d do with it.

An' what did you do with it?

An' what can I do with it?

An' what would I do with it?

"Sky diving, I went rocky mountain climbing,

"I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu.

"And then I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,

"And I watched Blue Eagle as it was flyin'.

"An' he said: "Some day, I hope you get the chance,

"To live like you were dyin'."

"To live like you were dyin'."

"To live like you were dyin'."

"To live like you were dyin'."

"To live like you were dyin'."

You've got a lot of choices. If getting out of bed in the morning is a chore and you're not smiling on a regular basis, try another choice. ~Steven D. Woodhull

What's the big Dill? (revisited)

Originally posted July 29, 2009....

I am learning to cook with fresh herbs it has been fun to do. I am going to plant a herb garden next year. A friend of mine was talking about foods we like and she mentioned pickles and we were talking about how much we both loved pickles. She found a recipe for sun cooked pickles. I am going to share it with you today and hopefully you will love it!!! Here is my contraption that I am using to keep raccoons out of mine while it is cooking. I am going to give you other tips to help too! This is a kennel for pets and it is keeping them pickles safe while they cook!!!

Sun Cooked Pickles
(measurements are for 1 quart jar)
1 tsp of sugar
1 1/2 Tbls salt
2 1/2 Tbls vinegar
1 dill head with seeds
cucumbers that are between 6-9 inches long

(this is one of the hints) Combine the sugar, salt and vinegar with boiling water. My first batch I followed the directions and put the cucumbers first and then everything else but it didn't mix well so do it backwards. After you have added the boiling water and made sure that it has basically dissolved start adding the cucumbers. This is your brine. The recipe that I had said to split the cumbers in half but I split mine in quarters to make spears. add the dill at the end and put the lid on. I used canning jars and it needs to be tightened one turn. I have it tight enough that I could have the lid "holding" but not totally screwed on. It needs to be loose for the brine to be able to bubble out a bit. Sit the jar outside in the sun and let it "cook". It takes 3 to 4 days to cook. The brine will start to get cloudy and the cucumbers will look more like pickles. After they are done bring them in and refrigerate them.

Hints
-Like I said before combining the ingredients put the sugar, salt and vinegar in and let them dissolve makes it easier.
-If you can't put the jars in something to keep the animals out of them they need to be taken in at night. I found that the cage works great.
-The pickles will not be bright green like you see in the store. They will be a nice green color.
-The sun may bleach the cucumbers. This is okay and doesn't effect the taste.
-Be careful carrying the jars, the brine makes them slippery.
-Make sure and have tons of cucumbers because everyone is going to love them!!!!
This is my 3 quart jar that will be done tomorrow (Wednesday). We have already gone through 3 quarts!!! This is a new favorite of ours!

Updated hints (7/20/2010)

-When using canning jars, flip the lid upside down and then put the band on. This way you don't risk the chance that the jar will seal, causing the pickles to spoil.

-Store the pickles in another, larger container so that you are just using a few containers to make them in. Large plastic peanut containers or pretzel containers work well.

Modern cynics and skeptics... see no harm in paying those to whom they entrust the minds of their children a smaller wage than is paid to those to whom they entrust the care of their plumbing. ~John F. Kennedy

Garden and Canning Jewels

Zucchini RelishSpicy Bread and Butter Pickles
More Blackberry Jelly

Half of the stuff

Here are some things that I have been canning recently. Does anyone what any questions about canning or gardens or anything else? I would love to do a post on it!

If no one ever took risks, Michaelangelo would have painted the Sistine floor." - Neil Simon

Panko - my new love!

I have found my new love - Panko! It is so wonderful and tasty. I first heard about it through The Pioneer Woman but then another friend made me fried pickles and I was hooked. I went and bought a couple of boxes and we made squash and sliced pickles. Oh my gracious! We are now wanting to have it quite often.
Just a few hints for when you make it, first, coat everything in flour, then an egg or egg/milk mixture and then the panko. We loved the fry daddy for this since you don't really have to flip it. Don't make this when you are hungry 'cause you will burn your mouth trying to eat it!

Pickles and squash, Yummy!

Week-End Weight Loss Wrap-Up

It has been crazy around here lately so I haven't gotten to do much!

This is where I had left you before!
Starting weight 195.6
Monday +7
Tuesday +1.3
Wednesday +1.3
Thursday -.7
Friday -1.8
Saturday -.2
----------------
Total weight loss +.6
Ending weight 196.2

That week of our anniversary hurt me big time! So here is this week! I didn't weigh on Monday but I have the rest of the week!

Starting weight 193.6
Monday N/A
Tuesday -starting weight
Wednesday +.4
Thursday -.4
Friday -.7
Saturday -.0
----------------
Total weight loss -.7
Ending weight 192.9

This next week I am going to take lots of small snacks and starting drinking more fluids.

Just Thursday!

Outside my window.. it keeps trying to decide between cloudy and sunny.
The time is.. 2:15 pm
Today I feel.. blah. No lunch break means an extra long day.
I am thinking.. about all that I have to do tonight. Thinking about canning some more pickles.
At the moment, I am thankful.. for wonderful opportunities that will make like easier.
I am going.. to clean and maybe make pickles tonight.
I am wearing.. Navy slacks & a white top
I wish.. that I could have unlimited funds to can with! :)
I am reading.. The Life of Pi (still) and my canning books
I am working on.. losing weight before the next weekend.
I am hoping.. I will lose enough to fit into my swimsuit to go floating in!
I am hearing.. an adding machine and the radio.
Around the house.. I have canning stuff sitting all around.
I bet you didn't know.. that I love to can stuff, even though it seems totally out of sorts for my age. I love it!
One of my favorite.. things to can is blackberry jelly. (just because I like to eat it!)
My weekend plans include.. canning and getting a little sleep!
Join the Fun! Copy & Paste and fill it out on your blog!
*Make sure to LINK UP

I won!!!

Rick over at Whitetail Woods had a give-away for getting 100,000 visitors to his blog. I entered and I was one of the two lucky ones!!!

photo credit

I am having to fight my husband for the stuff! I have told him that I will share it that I did the work for it! :) Thanks Rick for hosting this give-away!

Coming soon!!!

Jess at CSN Stores approached me about doing a product review and once I looked them over, I was jumping up and down. Seriously jumping up and down people! They have anything and everything that you could want. With over 200+ sites you could spend the rest of your life just looking and making wish lists of what you want and need. If dining room furniture is on your list, they have got it. If that precious pup in your life is needing a new bed or other essential, check them out. For all you cooks they have the most amazing deals on cookware. I have been drooling over the canners! They have outdoor furniture, office furniture and supplies and just about anything else you can think of. The the little ones in your life they have tons of items for babies and up. Check them out and be sure and check back to see what I chose and what I think!

Somewhat Dill Zucchini Relish

I made a batch of regular zucchini relish. It was good, but a little sweet for our taste. I will give it to family 'cause there are lots who like it. I like a dill relish. So I decided to do some tweaking and see if I could come up with a relish that wasn't totally dill, but wasn't really sweet either.

This is what I came up with. I will continue tweaking it and see what I can do with it!

10 cups of chopped zucchini

4 1/2 to 5 cups of chopped onions

4-5 cups of green and red sweet peppers

10 tbl of salt

10 tsp celery seed

5 tsp mustard seed

5 cups sugar

4 cups white vinegar

1 tsp turmeric

4 tbl dill

Chop zucchini, onions, and peppers in food processor. Combine them in a bowl with salt and cover with water. (I used a cheese cloth in a strainer for this step..) Let set at least two hours but up to overnight. Drain, rinse and drain again. Squeeze excess water our with hands if needed. Combine remaining ingredients in large pan. Bring to simmer and add veggies. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Place in jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Process for 10 minutes in water bath canner.

garden veggies!
My first jar of canned tomatoes!

Happy 4th of July

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

***************

The Declaration of Independence
In Congress, July 4, 1776, THE UNANIMOUS DECLARATION OFTHE THIRTEEN UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws of Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our People, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from Punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attention to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the Protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

John Hancock, President

Attested, Charles Thomson, Secretary

New Hampshire:

Josiah Bartlett,

William Whipple,

Matthew Thornton

Massachusetts-Bay:

Samuel Adams,

John Adams,

Robert Treat Paine,

Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island:

Stephen Hopkins,

William Ellery

Connecticut:

Roger Sherman,

Samuel Huntington,

William Williams,

Oliver Wolcott

Georgia:

Button Gwinnett,

Lyman Hall,

George Walton

Maryland:

Samuel Chase,

William Paca,

Thomas Stone,

Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia:

George Wythe,

Richard Henry Lee,

Thomas Jefferson,

Benjamin Harrison,

Thomas Nelson, Jr.,

Francis Lightfoot Lee,

Carter Braxton

New York:

William Floyd,

Philip Livingston,

Francis Lewis,

Lewis Morris

Pennsylvania:

Robert Morris,

Benjamin Rush,

Benjamin Franklin,

John Morton,

George Clymer,

James Smith,

George Taylor,

James Wilson,

George Ross

Delaware:

Caesar Rodney,

George Read,

Thomas McKean

North Carolina:

William Hooper,

Joseph Hewes,

John Penn

South Carolina:

Edward Rutledge,

Thomas Heyward, Jr.,

Thomas Lynch, Jr.,

Arthur Middleton

New Jersey:

Richard Stockton,

John Witherspoon,

Francis Hopkinson,

John Hart,

Abraham Clark

*******************************************

Remember

It was the Veteran, not the reporter,

who has given us the freedom of the press.

It was the Veteran, not the poet,

who has given us freedom of speech.

It was the Veteran, not the lawyer,

who has given us the right to fair trial.

It was the Veteran, not the campus organizer,

who has given us freedom to demonstrate.

It is the Veteran, who salutes the flag,

who served under the flag,

and whose coffin is draped by the flag,

who allows the protestor to burn the flag.

Written by Father Denis Edward O'Brien, USMCAll Gave Some - Some Gave All

Week-end Weightloss Wrap-up

Starting weight 195.6
Monday +7
Tuesday +1.3
Wednesday +1.3
Thursday -.7
Friday -1.8
Saturday -.2
----------------
Total weight loss +.6
Ending weight 196.2

We had our anniversary this week so I most definitely ate too much. I am going to get back on track. I have been eating smaller portions and eating my bigger meals in the morning. It has really seemed to help, even though I gained weight. Anyone have any recipes for me to try?

A moment of silence for Baby Cohen

Writer's Workshop - Things that make me smile

Your Assignment, Should You Choose To Accept
This week's assignments are:
1.) Describe someone in your life who you might not know as well as you think you know.2
.) Write a poem about a memory you sometimes wish would disappear.
3.) Write a list of 10 things that are sure to put a smile on your face when you are not happy.
4.) People would be surprised to learn that…
5.) A snappy comeback!

Head over to Mama Kat's to find out more about it or to link up! It is tons of fun!

I chose the prompt write a list of 10 things that are sure to put a smile on your face when you are not happy.

1. 2.

3. Just being out in nature is wonderful. It doesn't even matter if I get anything!

4. Same as above. It is so nice to just be out in nature.

5. My garden is another thing that makes me happy. It is so neat to see all the small plants become bigger and start producing.

6.

7. I love doing anything with crafting. It is so neat to see something come to life. 8. Cooking. I get to create something from scratch and it has another purpose, to nourish us!

9. Everyone of my personal collection of figurines has a special memory or meaning behind it.

10. Reading a good book, canning or any one of a numerous list of things that I love to do!

Now it is your turn. Choose a prompt, write and head over to link up!

Men and fish are alike. They both get into trouble when they open their mouths. ~Author Unknown