One of my favorite poets...enjoy.

I thank God for this most amazing day;
for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;
and for everything which is natural,
which is infinite,
which is yes."

{ee cummings}

Croppin' at The Slammer in Aledo

Linda Mowrer and me having a good time goofing off while we wait for lunch. We all had such a good time scrapping, chatting, eating...

The Slammer Bed and Breakfast

Jerri Anne and Diana waiting for lunch at "The Livermore" It's a new restaurant in Aledo.

Jerri Anne and I found the jailhouse keys in the kitchen door lock. Look closely and you'll see the letter "A" - I would love to have it for my collection...

I went to a scrapbooking crop at The Slammer in Aledo this past Saturday. The building was formerly known as the Mercer County Jail. It's now a bed and breakfast. The dining area is the actual jail cells. Tablecloths and curtains are all done in a black and white stripe. Our cropping area was in the basement known as the Chain Gang Room right next to the Drunk Tank.

Today's Quote

Live every day with enjoyment -
we don't know what tomorrow will give us.

Starting an excerise plan

A facinating historial series on HBO - I highly recommend it.

Live with intention. Walk to the edge.
Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh.
Choose with no regret. Appreciate your friends.
Continue to learn. Do what you love.
Live as if this is all there is.
------ Mary Anne Radmacher

a Quote to Ponder...

We make a living by what we do,
but we make a life by what we give.
- Winston Churchill

Happy 19th Birthday Patrick!

Nicole's Graduation

Nicole graduated on Friday April 11 from boot camp. She is officially in the US Navy and on her way to quartermaster's school at Great Lakes. The above photo is Nicole with her mom, Lorraine Woods and her mother's boyfriend. Patrick rode up with them Thursday afternoon and stayed at a hotel overnight. Friday night they stayed at Lorraine's mother's home. Lorraine said her mother was up cooking for them at 4:00 a.m.! She wanted everything to be perfect! As you can see in the photo, Lorraine is very proud of her daughter. She was just about to bust when she was telling us all the details about the ceremony Saturday afternoon. Patrick looks pretty proud too.

Patrick with Nicole and her mother's boyfriend.

Patrick took these great pictures of the gradutation ceremony. Nicole was able to come back home for 24 hours so we were able to see her on Saturday afternoon. She looked wonderful in her uniform, dress blues. Nicole gave Mom and I a copy of her graduation photo - professionally taken - and a program of the event. Lorraine said it was SRO, the place was packed! A friend of hers was also there to see her daughter graduate, so they got seats up front with her and her family. Her friend is actually in the service too and deployed to Kuwait and she was approved for leave to come back to the states for graduation. This woman, Michelle Pulley, is also Jerri Anne's assistant warden at Henry Hill Correctional Center. There were television cameras everywhere to capture her daughter's reaction. Michelle's daughter did NOT know she was coming to the ceremony. Mom and I saw it on TV. We were trying to find Nicole in the crowd, but didn't. What a surprise. Nicole said she was interviewed for the Navy channel (didn't know they had one) and she said she'd get us a copy of it. We're looking forward to that.

Jessica McClintock's New Victorian Fragrance

I was in Bergner's at the Shoppes on the Grand Prairie in Peoria last Thursday and tried this new fragrance. It's wonderful! Perfect for Spring. I love it! I was going to purchase a bottle, but there were no bottles available, only the tester. Rats! So, I go shopping online. Guess what? I can't find it in stock anywhere. This perfume must be incredibly popular. I'll keep looking...