9/11 Remembered

The Most Powerful Weapon on Earth is the Human Soul on Fire

Since 2002, September 11 has been known as “Patriot Day”, designated in memory of the 2977 killed in the 2001 attacks. Initially the day was called the Prayer and Remembrance for the Victims of the Terrorist Attacks on September 11, 2001.  US House of Representatives Joint Resolution 71 requested that the President designate September 11 of each year as “Patriot Day”. President George W. Bush signed the resolution into law on December 18, 2001 (as Public Law 107-89). It is a discretionary day of remembrance.

On September 4, 2002, President Bush used his authority created by the resolution and proclaimed September 11, as Patriot Day.  On this day, the President directs that the American flag be flown at half-staff at individual American homes, at the White House, and on all U.S. government buildings and establishments, here at home and abroad. The President also asks Americans to observe a moment of silence beginning at 8:46 A.M. (Eastern Daylight Time), the time the first plane struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

It is almost inconceivable that 10 years have passed since that horrific day on American soil. Many patriotic events are scheduled around the country on 9/11 to come together to honor and remember the victims. The official New York City observance of the tenth anniversary will take place at the World Trade Center site.

The National 9/11 Memorial will be dedicated in a ceremony for victim’s families. It will open to the public on September 12, 2011 and will welcome visitors who have reserved advanced passes.

At sunset, the famous “Tribute in Light” will return to the skies above New York City for the night. The tribute is comprised of 44 7000-watt xenon light bulbs, arranged into two 48-foot squares inspired by the shape and orientation of the Twin Towers. The illuminated memorial reaches four miles into the sky and is visible from as far as 30 miles away. The two arrays cast the strongest shaft of light ever projected from Earth into the night sky.

Below is an interactive timeline chronicling the events of 9/11 using images, audio and video from the 9/11 Memorial Museum’s permanent collection. The timeline tells the story of the day as it unfolded in the air and on the ground. It’s filled with first-person accounts from survivors, first responders and witnesses.

TIMELINE: http://timeline.national911memorial.org/

The process of re-visiting this timeline personally left me with a wide range of emotions: anger, fear, guilt and outright rage. There were times when listening to the actual audio and watching live video footage when I felt sick to my stomach. I felt what Al-Qaeda wanted America to feel through their acts of terrorism - terror.  

What these terrorists, and others like them all over the world forget to figure into their master plans is that one of the things that makes America the country it is today is the power of the human spirit. Yes, Americans did feel terror that September day, and that is because Americans have the heart and soul to have compassion for their fellow man.  After the rubble had settled and the countless tragic losses were given names, America began the slow process of rebuilding.

Ten years later, what's happening at Ground Zero is truly amazing.  While I can't make you sit down and watch television, I would highly encourage you to DVR or TiVo this series on The Discovery Channel: http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/the-rising/ called "Rising: Rebuilding Ground Zero."  It is truly a testament to what our country can achieve through hard work and dedication.  You will not be disappointed.  Oh yes, you might want to grab your Kleenex too.  It will grip you hard.

Lastly, I would like to personally thank the men and women (90% of whom are residents of the 5 boroughs of New York) who have spent the last 10 years of their lives working their asses off making the entire Ground Zero project, the National September 11 Museum, the 9-11 Memorial, and the Transit Hub something that all future generations of Americans will be proud of.  I am humbled by your dedication and hard work.

Thank you also to every single Servicemember who has served in the military since 9/11/2001.  My life's passion is found in serving in your reflection.  Thank you also to all of those Servicemembers who were never given the recognition they deserved upon returning home.  They deserve more.  

In the course of your busy, freedom-filled lives, please make an effort to thank a soldier for his or her service.  The sacrifices they make for your freedoms are unbelievable.  Your respect is simple.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

Matthew 5:9

Tower One from the Southwest | Sept 9, 2011

New Shop + Free Shipping

Wild Apple Design is offering FREE SHIPPING to all domestic customers all weekend long, including Labor Day.  This special runs through Monday at 11:59pm.  Use coupon code LABORDAY during the checkout process to take advantage of this fantastic offer!  Click HERE to get to the shop.



BIG NEWS #2:

I would like to announce the opening of my second Etsy shop: Quote Chick.  You can check out the entire shop right here: http://www.QuoteChick.Etsy.com


I started Quote Chick on Etsy because I'm a word nerd.  It's OK, it's not a bad thing.  A good quote can inspire my whole day.  Sometimes, living in a house with teenagers, a little inspiration can go a long way.  Through my Quote Chick on Etsy shop, I hope to pass some of this inspiration along to you.


Here's a little bit more about Quote Chick:


Mission Statement | It is my belief that when intelligent, imaginative, thought-provoking or profound mission statements are made, someone should keep track of it.  If I can share those statements and ideas here and somehow inspire you or the lives of those around you, we all win!


Made-to-Order | Everything in my shop can be customized for your needs - If you see something you like but would LOVE it in another color, please contact me.  There's a 105% chance it can be custom-made for you.


Gifts | I would be happy to work with you to create an extra-special gift for the hard to buy for person in your life.  Perhaps you have a wedding or baby shower coming up, maybe an anniversary or special birthday is approaching.  Let me know what you'd like and I will make it happen.  Gift wrapping is always included at no additional charge.


Here are a few of the items you can find in the Quote Chick shop; I am adding more as quickly as I can!  

http://www.etsy.com/listing/79100747/scrabble-tile-rack-sign-dream-big

http://www.etsy.com/listing/79312013/scrabble-tile-rack-sign-i-love-you

http://www.etsy.com/listing/79100814/scrabble-tile-rack-sign-pray-hard

http://www.etsy.com/listing/79311691/scrabble-tile-rack-sign-peace

http://www.etsy.com/listing/79311210/scrabble-tile-rack-sign-call-mom

http://www.etsy.com/listing/80339682/personalized-wood-photo-letter-blocks

http://www.etsy.com/listing/80339726/personalized-wood-photo-letter-blocks

Quote Chick on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Quote-Chick/140715862681987?sk=info


Quote Chick on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/#!/quote_chick


Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ´¨) ¸.·¨)
(¸.·´(¸.·´ (¸.·¨¯Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
(¯`v´¯)
.`·.¸.·´ 
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ¸.·´.·´¨) ¸.·¨)
(¸.·´(¸.·´ (¸.·¨¯Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ` ♥ ~ Never settle for anything less than butterflies ~ ♥

Old House, New House, Yellow House, Whoo-Hoo House!

Dr. Seuss books were always a great source of reading enjoyment to me as a kid.  Reading those same books to my children as they grew up provided me much of that same enjoyment.  Timeless and classic stories, filled with colorful animations and fun-filled lessons.  Who could forget the little bird who fell from his nest and searched all over town, asking everyone he came across the same question?  (Does this picture provide you that bird's question and the name of the book?)

If you guessed, "Are You My Mother?" you would be correct!!


Recently, we had the aluminum siding on our home replaced due to hail damage from two storms this spring. Previously, when giving directions to people looking for our house, the last direction was always, "Look for the ugly yellow house at the end of the street. That's us."


So, when the siding contractor and the insurance adjuster informed me that they wouldn't be able to replace our 50-year old yukky yellow 8-inch wide aluminum siding with an identical product, I tried (almost successfully) to keep from doing my happy dance right there on the spot.  What?!?  No more blech yellow covering my house?  Oh soooooo sad!  I think it took me less than 10 seconds to recover and ask how many shades of beige were in the siding color chart book.  (If you have ever been inside my house, you will not be shocked - every room in our house except the RED kitchen is a variation of beige).


It turns out, the shade of beige I liked the most was called "desert tan."  How fitting.  For a military family who provided a year of their lives to the betterment of Iraq's future, we just can't seem to get away from the sandy desert.  I'm sure there's irony in there somewhere...


During the process of the mess that a major construction project brings to your home, I did my best to take a few photos along the way.  The crew that actually did the work every day was fabulous.  They were friendly and professional and occasionally even whistled and sang songs while they labored.  They did a fantastic job.  The finishing touches were done by Keith, I'm so glad he understands terms like gable end, fascia and J-channel.  Construction language makes me feel like I'm doing sophomore Algebra again - frustrated!  We still have to put the siding on the garage ourselves, and someday we will get around to building a deck.  All in all though, we are very happy with the end result.

And in the spirit of this Dr. Seuss's book:

I like to think of our house as, "Old House, New House, Yellow House, WHOO-HOO House."  Although when I look at the cover of this book, I am very pleased to say that similarities to our house end because now we have NO yellow!













Drumroll please......

Our Siding Journey

Painting the Town Red - Vote For Me!

My Red Friday necklace was selected to be featured on Made for Me by Oaklie's Great Finds Page this week.

The theme this week is “Painting the Town Red”.

There's a poll where viewers can vote for their favorite item.  The winner receives a free ad by My Helping Hands Graphic Design and ad placement on several websites; also a free listing at The Gift Shop Handmade Directory and the On Fire Gift Guide. 

I'd love it if you could take a few seconds out of your busy schedule to click on over and vote for my necklace.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/68215092/red-fridays-bottle-cap-necklace-2-12884

The Poll is on the left side of the page at the bottom of the page, which can be found here:

http://madeformebyoaklie.com/greatfinds.html

Thanks for your support, everyone.  I hope you all have a FANTASTIC Fourth of July weekend.  The 4th is also my husband's birthday, so we're going to enjoy some family activities.  Stay safe and God Bless.

Free Wall Decal from Vinyl Lettering!

Vinyl Lettering has a fantastic new promo going.


If you "like" their Facebook page, they will send you a free wall decal.  


To get yours, follow these simple steps: 


1.  Go to Vinyl Lettering's Facebook page and "like" them 
https://www.facebook.com/Vinyl-Lettering


2.  Send Vinyl Lettering an email, letting them know you've just "liked" their page and are a fan of their free wall decal giveaway.  Their email address is: vinylletteringstore@gmail.com


Have fun with this and spread the word!!

Waxing Philosophical on Father's Day

This week, one of my Etsy colleagues, Shirley, of Wild Blueberry Ink is running a contest on her blog.  To enter, you write about your favorite summer memory, and win her new releases.  I could arguably be Shirley's biggest fan.  (You wanna arm wrestle me for it?)  So whether I win the contest or not, I will most likely buy her new releases.  HINT:  They are Red, White and Blue themed.  If you would like a preview, check out her blog post with the contest offering HERE.  In any case, the process of writing about my favorite summer memory was about more than a trip to the local Dairy Queen, so I wanted to share it with you.

My Favorite Summer Memory:

When I was younger (a LOT younger), my grandparents would take my two cousins, my brother and I on summer vacations. These weren't trips where you boarded a cruise ship for a week, or hopped a plane to Hawaii bound for a fancy resort. My grandparents packed themselves, the four of us kids, puzzle books and pillows for the "way back" into their station wagon for multi-week long, over-the-road, tour-of-America type adventures. We always started in St. Louis, home base for Grandma and Grandpa, and headed out from there. Sometimes west, sometimes east, ALWAYS fun!

My grandpa was the perfect example during his lifetime of "You're as young as you feel" and most days I believe my grandfather felt like he was still 25 years old. My grandmother, on the other hand, was the eternal worry wart. Everyone had to use the restroom before we set out for the day, whether we had to or not, and she was always confirming that my grandpa had double and triple checked details. His name was Richard, and she called him Dick for short. "Dick, did you make sure the sunscreen is packed? Dick, did you remember to leave the car windows cracked a bit? Dick, do we have the traveler's checks?" My grandfather's answer was always the same, slow and steady. "Yes, Marion."

One of my all-time favorite summer memories has to be from the trip Grandma and Grandpa took us on to Washington D.C. We toured the White House, visited the many Smithsonian museums, tons of other national museums and monuments. This memory, however, wasn't on the list of National Historic Landmarks.

The bunch of us were walking along the sidewalk on "The Mall" between the Museum of Natural History and the U.S. Capitol building. The sidewalk is very long and has a slow, gradual incline. After walking all day, I remember looking ahead to that sidewalk thinking how much faster I could get to The Capitol if I ran. I also knew that taking off up the sidewalk for 5 or 6 long blocks would freak my grandma out, so I voiced my intentions.

My grandmother made me promise to wait at the top of the hill for the rest of our group, not talk to strangers along the way (Really?), and be careful. I agreed and began to carefully run (don't ask) up the hill. About ten seconds into my sprint, I heard my grandmother's frantic voice from behind me. "Dick! What are you doing? Dick! You're going to have a heart attack! DIIIIIIICCKKK!!!!!!!"

My uber-cool grandfather, with no prior notice to his wife, had decided to run up that long sloping sidewalk with me. I ran fast, he ran fast. I turned on the gas; he kept right up with me. At one point, he even pulled out ahead of me. All the while, my grandmother was shrieking warnings and premonitions from behind us, and my grandfather had the biggest smile on his face. It wasn't really a smile that said "I'm totally ignoring your grandmother", but more a smile of "I've got your back, kiddo."

As we finally reached the top of the hill, our strides were still matched. In the final few steps, I poured the last few drops of energy that I had into my run and beat my grandpa across the imaginary finish line by just a few steps.

It wasn't until years later that I learned two things:

1) My grandfather ran track in high school. Even some 60 years later, he probably could have beaten me in that race, but why would he have wanted to do that? He had my back.

2) As a kid, I couldn't see this, but as an adult, mother and grandmother I now see that what my grandpa was doing by running with me was exactly what my grandma was verbalizing. Be careful, don't talk to strangers, and wait at the top of the hill.

This summer memory, one of my very favorite, right in the middle of our nation's capitol, also highlighted some things I felt about my grandfather until the day he left this earth: He personified the word safe throughout my life, and he always had my back.

I'm very thankful for all the times over years my grandfather (and grandmother) spent time with me. Some of the things I learned from him were instrumental in helping me to decide good from bad, right from wrong, and why I'm married to my husband today. My heart aches that they were never able to meet each other, but I know without a doubt that my husband found me with a little help from an angel in Heaven who knew what I deserved.

Thank you Grandpa. Happy Father's Day. Not a week goes by that I don't miss you. Say hello to Grandma for me and tell her I love her. I'm safe now, just like she wanted.

Tuesday Treasury: Generosity Defined

When you think of all the things in your own life that bring you true joy, what comes to mind?  For a lot of people, it might be things like spending time with family, enjoying friends, having success in their careers.


I found this quote on generosity (above) the other day and it really started my wheels turning.  Am I a generous person?  Do I give myself freely to others?  Am I joyful about the time that I give to others?  These are all probably good questions for us all to ask ourselves from time to time.  Maybe you already know the answers to these questions.  Perhaps you need to look in the mirror while you are asking the questions of yourself.  


When you find the answer that determines your generosity, you can do two things with that information.  Be satisfied that you are fulfilling the will that God set forth for you.  Or, if you find that your answer has left you with an unsettled heart, do something about it.  


Today's treasury comes from Etsy artisans who have chosen the path of generosity.  Each shop featured here has chosen to donate proceeds from these items - some 100% of the proceeds - to various charities.  Please visit these fabulous shops and take note not only of their dedication to generosity, but to overall fine workmanship and quality in their products.





So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.
Matthew 6:2 NIV