Doing What Grandparents Do Best, Spoil Their Grandchildren

            Yes My Grandchildren in Pictures

It is the job of grandparents to spoil their grandchildren. We feel that this is what we are here for. We buy things for them. Things like toys and now and then something for their rooms. Kids bedding is always a welcomed gift. We teach our grandchildren about their family heritage. Children want to know where they come from. This is a great time to teach them about their culture. We try to make sure they are being nourished in the things that we feel are important. Grandparents can play a role in a child's life building character and teaching values that will guide their futures. As grandparents it is our job to make sure our grand children know that they are loved. Depending how close you live to your grandchildren, there are things that you can share with them.

Having meals with the grandchildren is an excellent time to instill values like offering thanks to God for our food. It is also a great time for family conversation. It is important to have meal time be a sharing time. This is a time when we can all enjoy having conversations with each other. It is a time of interacting with family members. There are few things that are more important. This is when we can really get to know each other. Manners are an important part of meal time. Manners show respect, and respect is important. If we don't respect our own families, how do we respect anyone else? This is a great time to teach the importance of saying "please" and "thank you", or "may I be excused please"? What better time to teach this then when we want to ask someone to "pass the bread" please? It is important to start when children are young. That way it becomes part of the family tradition, in other words it is a natural occurrence in your family. When your grandchildren grow up and have families of their own they will remember and teach their children the same things. Our country seems to have lost a lot of family traditions. However it does not have to be that way. We can change things one at a time. It is called quality time. It really is important and we should start today.

Do your grandchildren know you love them? This is a question that all grandparents should ask themselves. The best way to let your grandchildren know you love them is to tell them so. You should tell them often. It does not cost anything, and has the reward of keeping communication with them. This is a great way to show that we respect them and support them. We should brag about our grandchildren. Let them know that we are proud of them when they do something good or right.

Grandparents can be great cheerleaders. It is great to go to their sporting activities and cheer for them. Also we can go to recitals, plays and such things. This is a great time to let them know that grandpa and grandma are proud and care enough to show it. Remember, the greatest investment we can make while we are alive is in our children. Think about it, nothing else really matters in the long run. There are many ways to spoil a child. We can lavish them with things and there is nothing wrong with that. The problem with things is they are just that, things. Things tend to disappear. In a few days, weeks, or years we hardly remember them. Another way to spoil our kids is to give them values. Values tend to last a lifetime! And often times the one that taught the values is remembered too.

FOOTBALL TIME

Enough said its Time for Football..........

Lets get started............


Hank Williams Jr. Bio....
The fact that the career of HANK WILLIAMS JR. has endured to become legendary is not surprising. What is surprising—no, make that amazing—is that the man himself has survived the ride.

With 2002, comes the resurgence of the man and his music, and never has there been a time Hank Jr. and his national anthem of ‘country boys can survive’ seemed more relevant to world headlines and musical tastes. A renewed Americanism and a pride in self sufficiency as a national art form can only spell out his name in bold relief—be it carved in a tree in rural Alabama or spray painted on a dilapidated ghetto sidewall in Brooklyn. Hank Williams Jr., like America, has and will survive.

The release of Hank’s much anticipated new music project, “The Almeria Club,” delivers on the promise of not only new musical innovation and new sounds, but a fascinating lifting of the veil to glimpse yet another original slice of family folklore.

Just grazing past the half century mark in his own life, Hank Williams Jr. is at an important juncture. Emerged fully from his father’s imposing shadow, he’s looking back at the roots of his raising with a new appreciation from whence he came. He’s mellowed a shade or two, but lost none of the raw power and cutting edge that has steam powered the engine that succeeded in propelling his own musical imprint into the history books.

On “Almeria Club,” Hank is re-visiting the family tradition from the exact site where Williams family history was originally penned. Hank Sr. did it “his way” there prior to the birth of Randall Hank Williams, his heir to the musical throne.

With his career crowding seventy albums, Hank has a fascinating career to look back upon for a legend still in his prime. His discography chronicles a bold profile of growth from adored offspring of a legendary father, to titan of the modern country rock movement in his own right. Is it any wonder that during the whole last decade, America came to its collective fight each Monday night when this larger than life superman of a musician looked into the camera and unleashed the national anthem for viewers of ABC’s “Monday Night Football”—“Are you ready for some FOOTBALL?” Those simple words won Hank not only a whole new generation of fans but gave him the distinction of being the first country performer to ever win an Emmy—a feat he repeated in ’90 through ’93.
Randall Hank was born May 26, 1949, one month before his father made a landmark first appearance on “The Grand Ole Opry” stage in Nashville. His daddy affectionately nicknamed his baby boy “Bocephus,” after the ventriloquist dummy of the same name who shared the stage with country comic Rod Brasfield. An ironic moniker in the fact that in years to come, Hank Jr.’s uncanny genius for blending his own musical style to cross all the conceivable boundaries between rock and country, would find him, least of all, possessed of none of the qualities of his wooden namesake.

He was three when Hank Sr. died in 1952 and only five years older, at eight, when his mother, Audrey, coaxed him onstage to sing his daddy’s songs.

He made his own debut on the hallowed Opry stage at 11, and at 14 was in the studio for his first record. His rendition of Sr.’s “Long Gone Lonesome Blues” became a hit and transferred the family mantle of stardom and all its blessings and curses to his young shoulders.

In the midst of his teen years, the gulf between Hank Jr. and “normal” grew.

He was already a star, adored by fans, pursued by women twice his age, and coming to terms with life in the fast, tempestuous business of making music. The darkness that had clouded his father’s life seemed destined on his horizon.

Record breaking crowds, chart breaking stats, heartbreaking personal problems—Hank had his share of them all when he was hardly old enough yet to vote. With his career popularity, he was growing restless, tired of the expectations to be the “young Hank Sr.,” hemmed in by the lack of space for the unique qualities of musical expression that were as unique to Hank as his own fingerprints.

Hank was climbing out and climbing into his own shadow when he fell off the mountain. His innovative, raw edged “Hank Williams Jr. & Friends” was freshly in the can, steeping with the talents of young musicians such as Dickie Betts, Toy Caldwell, and Charlie Daniels, who came along side to support Hank’s new musical epiphany as a young country rocker.

It was the ‘70s,--a time for taking risks-- and Jr. was never one to bypass a new mountain to climb—either literally or musically. While mountain climbing in Montana, he took a fall that by every law of nature should have added the adjective “late” in front of his name on all future press releases.

But Hank, as we all know, was never one to follow the ‘law.’ With his head split open, his brain in his hand, and his face shattered, Hank Williams Jr. had only begun to fight. From within the wellsprings of courage and fight so much a part of his persona, Hank summoned up the ‘by God’ determination only a southern boy too young to die can summon.

Survive he did, to come from the ashes, re-born as his own man. It’s been a road he was never to look back from personally or musically.

His current project, “The Almeria Club” circa 2002, is the latest stop on the odyssey that is Hank’s continuing journey set to music.

A time tested staple situated just south of Troy, Alabama, as the crow flies, ‘The Almeria Club,’ where much of the project was recorded, was built in 1907 and served for a time as both a school house and in its later reincarnation, as the town’s community center.

It was here, as an old gentlemen recounted to Jr., that a fight broke out during a performance by Hank Sr. in 1947—two years before Jr. was to see the first light of day. Legend recalls an irate lover broke up the concert that Hank Sr. was performing that night, welding a gun and drawing a dead-eye bead on his sweetie and someone she shouldn’t have been with. In the midst of the ensuing fray, Hank Sr. dropped his guitar, grabbed his adored Miss Audrey, Jr.’s mother, around the waist and literally headed for the hills. Country music’s most famous couple of the day jumped out a backstage window in the old “Almeria Club” and hightailed it through the Alabama woods to escape the gunfire. Yep…Hank done it that way.

Hank Jr. celebrates the reincarnation of this important landmark as he does all things: his way. His personal tradition of pushing his own envelope to new musical levels holds true, as it always has, as rowdy friends imported for the session included a full “who’s who” of top musicians imported from Los Angeles, Austin, and Nashville. The vibe is great country and blues, laced with a high-end acoustic feel, twined with fiddle, banjo, upright piano, and slide guitar. Guest appearances by Nickel Creek and Kid Rock add just the right seasoning for the master himself to fry up a newly caught batch of multi-platinum.

The public Hank, whose concerts are parties thrown for thousands of “guests of honor” who clamor before his stages, waving beer bottles and Confederate flags and are legendary, is as relevant to music today as he was the first day music buyers by the millions took his music to heart. He’s a legend…so are his hits. In his private life, Hank loves to hunt and fish, loves his wife and kids, loves his country, and still loves to raise hell whenever possible. His every appearance reminds us that America—like Hank—“can survive.” And will.

The pages of his bio can’t hope to contain the essence of his larger than life persona and his legend.

Sufficient is it to say in this, the current chapter of greatness, Hank Williams Jr. is a satisfied man.

Thinking of Quiting Smoking ???

Well then you have got to check out N JOY !!!

What
is Njoy
all about?
NJOY looks, feels and tastes like a cigarette or cigar. What makes it better is the freedom to smoke anywhere, anytime, no second hand smoke and lower cost. Hear what NJOY customers are saying about this revolutionary product

Sottera, Inc., based in Scottsdale, Ariz., has filed for patents to manufacture and distribute groundbreaking products and technology represented by the trademarked brand NJOY (www.njoy.com).

The name Sottera is derived from Soteria, the Greek God of preservation, redemption and salvation, three words that are the essence of the NJOY brand and products that give tobacco smokers the opportunity to continue smoking with greater freedom, lower cost and more social acceptance.

The centerpiece of the NJOY family of products is a rechargeable battery-powered microelectronic alternative smoking device that, when used in conjunction with NJOY's replaceable cartridges, mimics the process of smoking. The device is offered in three shapes/sizes: a small cigar, a long cigarette version and a common cigarette style. The cigarette style is offered in assorted colors, giving consumers stylish accessorizing options. The re-fill cartridges are offered without (“Zero”) and with (“Light,” “Medium” and “Full”) nicotine, in "regular-tobacco" and menthol flavors, while also offering apple, vanilla and strawberry ("Zero", “Medium” and “Full”) flavors. Additional specialty flavors are under development to add an entirely new dimension to the NJOY alternative smoking experience.

NJOY is currently being sold in all 50 United States and in over 25 foreign countries. NJOY is available online at www.njoy.com and can ship around the globe, and is also available on affiliate websites and at several retail locations across the US.

What A Chicago Trip !!!! Talk about Platinum Weddings !!

Well Have just returned from my trip to Chicago fro my daughters wedding,Great wedding, good family, Great Chicago food and nice weather all in one, What more can one ask for..Here are a few pics ........Watch for my new post this week

Mingus Mountain Academy

Have visited Mingus on many occasions
What a Wonderful Program !!



Welcome To Mingus Mountain Academy

Mingus Mountain Academy is a JCAHO-accredited facility offering treatment and educational services for emotionally and behaviorally at-risk girls. Founded in 1985, the Academy is located on a 120-acre campus at the base of Mingus Mountain in beautiful Prescott Valley, Arizona. The campus consists of multiple dormitories, a North Central Association-accredited educational center, a medical/clinical complex, an administration center, and a spiritual growth center. Mingus Mountain Academy offers a variety of individual treatment and educational services, including its unique Equestrian Program.

Mingus Mountain Academy provides a structured and nurturing environment for at-risk and delinquent youth. Mingus’ highly structured program focuses on instilling positive norms and values. Individual goals are set forth in each student’s treatment plan that strive to maximize intellectual, social, emotional and physical growth. Goals are based on the holistic philosophy that each student will become a positive young adult through exposure to Mingus’ challenging and enriching program.

Mingus Mountain Academy
P. O. Box 26485
Prescott Valley, AZ 86312

Tel : 602-335-2000
Fax: 602-249-1311
Email: nramirez@mmaaz.com

Check out the web site
www.mmaaz.com

Louie Prima

Memories of Growing Up

A tireless showman and an underrated musical talent, Louis Prima swung his way to icon status thanks to an irresistible, infectious sound whose appeal translated across generations. Nominally a swing artist, Prima's distinctive sound also encompassed New Orleans-style jazz, boogie-woogie, jump blues, R&B, early rock & roll, and even the occasional Italian tarantella. Regardless of what form his music took, it swung hard and fast, with a rolling, up-tempo shuffle beat that helped some of his earlier material cross over to R&B audiences (his songs were also covered by jump blues artists from time to time). His greatest period of popularity coincided with his marriage to singer Keely Smith, whose coolly sophisticated vocals and detached stage manner made a perfect counterpoint to Prima's boisterous presence: mugging, clowning, and cavorting around the stage with the boundless enthusiasm of a hyperactive boy. Prima's band during this time was anchored by tenor saxophonist Sam Butera, whose grounding in jump blues and New Orleans R&B was a perfect match. Perhaps because Prima refused to take his music too seriously, sober-minded jazz critics often dismissed him as a mere entertainer, overlooking his very real talent as a jazzman. He was a capable, gravelly-voiced singer modeled on Louis Armstrong, boasting a surprising range, and was also a fine trumpet player, again in the irrepressible mold of Armstrong; what was more, he wrote Benny Goodman's perennial swing smash "Sing, Sing, Sing." Prima's impact on popular culture was also significant; his pronounced ethnicity made it safe for other Italian-American singers to acknowledge their roots, and he was the first high-profile musical act to take up regular residence in the lounges and casinos of Las Vegas, helping to start the city's transformation into a broader-based entertainment capital. His musical legacy proved long-lasting, as covers of his classics became modern-day hits for David Lee Roth and Brian Setzer; additionally, the '90s swing revival, which sought to re-emphasize the danceability and sense of fun that had largely disappeared from jazz, brought Prima's music back into the limelight (as well as the good graces of critics).

Louis Prima was born December 7, 1911 in New Orleans, LA, to an Italian family who'd emigrated to the U.S. by way of Argentina. He took violin lessons as a youth, but switched to trumpet at age 15 when his older brother went out on tour with a band and left a spare instrument behind. By 17, Prima was playing professionally at a New Orleans theater, influenced chiefly by Louis Armstrong and King Oliver. This was a problem, since the theater was not a jazz venue, and Prima was fired. In the early '30s, he caught on with cornetist Red Nichols for a time, and moved to New York in 1934 at the urging of star bandleader Guy Lombardo, who had been impressed with Prima's trumpet playing. Initially struggling to find work, Prima formed a Dixieland-style backing group called the New Orleans Gang and landed a regular gig at a 52nd Street club known as the Famous Door. The band was a hit, adopting "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans" as their signature song, and recorded numerous sides for a succession of labels up through 1939; some of the better-known members included -- at various points -- clarinetist Pee Wee Russell, pianist Claude Thornhill, guitarist George Van Eps, reedman Eddie Miller, and trombonist George Brunies. Prima also traveled to Los Angeles periodically, and made cameo appearances in several Hollywood musicals, starting with the Bing Crosby Western Rhythm on the Range in 1936.

Meanwhile, Prima was composing original material, and in 1937 he completed a song called "Sing, Sing, Sing." Benny Goodman recorded an instrumental version and had a huge smash with it the following year, spotlighting it in his legendary Carnegie Hall appearance; to this day it remains one of the most readily identifiable melodies of the swing era. Prima broke up the New Orleans Gang in 1939 to form his own big band, which he dubbed the Gleeby Rhythm Orchestra. Following World War II, the band started to take off, landing hits with novelty numbers that often drew upon Prima's Italian background and accent. The first was 1944's "Angelina," a major success that paved the way for titles like "Felicia No Capicia," "Bacciagaloop (Makes Love on the Stoop)," "Please No Squeeza Da Banana," and "Josephina, Please No Leana on the Bell." Prima also made the Hit Parade Top Ten with songs like "Robin Hood" (1944; covered the next year by Les Brown for a bigger hit), "Bell Bottom Trousers" (sung by Lily Ann Carol in 1945), and "Civilization (Bongo, Bongo, Bongo)" (1947). He also wrote Jo Stafford's 1947 hit "A Sunday Kind of Love."}

In 1948, Prima hired a new female vocalist for his band, a 16-year-old Norfolk, Virginia native named Dorothy Keely, who was renamed Keely Smith. Prima parlayed her initial shyness into a stage routine where he attempted to break down her icily reserved façade. The contrast in their styles made for immediate chemistry, and Smith's boyish haircut only added to the duo's distinctive stage presence. Prima broke up the big band in 1949, and continued to work with Smith as a more streamlined nightclub act. They scored a hit in 1950 with their co-composition "Oh Babe!" and toured the country over the next few years. In the summer of 1953, Smith became Prima's fourth wife.

By late 1954, Prima was finding bookings harder and harder to come by. He talked a friend into booking him for an extended stay at the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas, and while passing through New Orleans, he recruited locally popular tenor saxophonist Sam Butera as a possible collaborator if things went well. They did, and Prima called Butera out to Vegas, asking him to bring a few more musicians; the new group debuted at the Sahara on the day after Christmas, and Butera dubbed them the Witnesses during Prima's first on-stage introduction. Their act quickly became a sensation around Las Vegas, and their engagement turned into a residency, billed as "The Wildest Show in Vegas," which ran up to five times a night. Prima and Smith's comic banter was riddled with sexual innuendo, and they sometimes rewrote the lyrics to popular standards in the same spirit; meanwhile, Butera's jump blues/R&B background kept the music equally lively. Even if the music was aimed at older listeners, it shared a great deal of the spirit of early rock & roll.

In 1956, Prima inked a new deal with Capitol, which marked the beginning of the most celebrated and influential period of his recording career. His first album for the label was 1956's The Wildest!, which successfully translated the high energy of his live act into a studio recording; it featured many of his best-known latter-day songs, including the "Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody" medley, "Jump, Jive an' Wail," "Buona Sera," "Oh Marie," and the jive-talking duet "The Lip." Over the next few years, Capitol issued six more Prima albums, highlighted by 1957's The Call of the Wildest and 1958's concert set The Wildest Show in Tahoe. He appeared frequently on The Ed Sullivan Show and other variety programs, and in 1958 he and Smith won a Grammy for their hit version of "That Old Black Magic." In 1959, they appeared in the film Hey Boy! Hey Girl!, which featured their renditions of the title song, "Lazy River," and "Banana Split for My Baby," among others.

While Prima and Smith boasted terrific chemistry on stage, their infidelity-riddled marriage was floundering by the close of the '50s. In 1961, Prima switched from Capitol to Dot Records, and from the Sahara Hotel to the Desert Inn; with his popularity still running high, both deals netted huge sums of money. However, Smith divorced him later that year, scuttling the act and largely negating the deals. Prima returned to Capitol for one final album, 1962's The Wildest Comes Home, and hired a new female vocalist, Gia Maione, who became his fifth wife in 1963. Without Smith, he was never again as popular or prolific on record, but he continued to perform in Las Vegas with Butera and the Witnesses, and toured successfully as well. In 1967, Disney tapped Prima to voice the character of King Louie, ruler of the orangutans, in its animated adaptation of The Jungle Book; his featured number, the swinging "I Wanna Be Like You," ranks among the best-loved Disney songs of its era.

Prima spent much of the late '60s and early '70s playing Vegas casinos and lounges, most notably at the Sands Hotel. With more and more musical acts taking up residence in the city, Prima no longer had the drawing power of old, and in the early '70s he and Butera returned home to New Orleans, where they made a steadier living playing in the French Quarter for the tourist crowd. In late 1975, Prima underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor, and fell into a coma; although he survived for nearly three more years, he never regained consciousness, and died on August 24, 1978. Prima's music began to reappear in subsequent years; ex-Van Halen singer David Lee Roth scored the best-remembered hit of his solo career with a carbon-copy version of "Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody" in 1985, and onetime Stray Cat Brian Setzer scored a Grammy-winning hit with his cover of "Jump, Jive an' Wail." Prima's original version was featured in a Gap commercial around the same time, and the swing-dancing fad of the time helped bring the rest of his music back into the public eye. Meanwhile, Sam Butera continued to perform Prima hits from the golden years on the casino circuits in Las Vegas and Atlantic City...

This was always my Dads Favorite

Blast from the Past

Well you all know there is no BIGGER Boyzz fan in the world, Big Thanks to my ole friend Dirty Dan, What a wonderful suprise call on Fathers day, This my friends is , was. and will always be the original backbone of Chicago Rock Scene from the great days of the 70's till the present.In the late 70's and early eighties if the Boyzz did 200 shows a year we were at 199 of them. CRAZY Naw just some good ole rock and roll fun, Well Dirt is still rockin as always.A multi talented Genius.. Just thought it was time to share some of this with the rest of the world..Here is a couple of the Best videos known to man ENJOY !!! Thanks again Dirt and seeee you in August
NO BETTER ROCK THAN CHICAGO ROCK...Check out Rock and Roll Mania.com

DESTINED TO DIE

CRAZY

TOO WILD TO TAME

Grandpa For The Second Time

Well what a wonderful day in the life of a father!!! Congratulations to my Daughter Kristen and great guy and husband Shane. The two of you have the makings of perfect parents and know you will do just fine........But remeber the Karma ...lol .. I Do...God Bless Megan Marie. Was also a wonderful gesture that both my grandaughters have the same middle name after their sister Dawn Marie who is the angel that watches over us all. Thank you and love you much..........

Remember Kiddyland, Sad Good-Bye

Kiddieland Closing
5/19/2009
Sadly, Kiddieland Announced that it will be closing it's doors for ever on September 27, 2009. Kiddieland leases the land that it sits on and the lease has finally come to an end. There will be no renewal of the lease. Addtional information will be posted on the website at a later date.

My Chicago Trip

Hey all, Last weekend I snuck home to surprise my Daughter and my family, It was my daughter Kristens baby shower, We had not seen each other since the start of her pregnancy and she had promised to send pictures.Well the pics never came so I hopped on a plane on Friday morning and arrived at her baby shower.Too her surprise and mine it could not have been scripted any better. IT WAS A WONDERFUL FEELING. And on top of all many friends and relatives were also in attendance AND my grand daughter Madison.This was the best 30 hours I can think of in a very long time. So to my Children and Grandbaby Thank you for the great weekend !! you all made my heart skip a beat. I love you..............Dad

Happy Mothers Day

Some Mothers day poems to share..As I was Blessed with a Mom of all Moms

We only have One Mom, One Mommy,
One Mother in this World, One life.
Don't wait for the Tomorrow's
to tell Mom, you love her"
~Author Unknown~

"To the world you might just be one person,
but to one person you might just be the world."
~Author Unknown~



WONDERFUL MOTHER

God made a wonderful mother,
A mother who never grows old;
He made her smile of the sunshine,
And He moulded her heart of pure gold;
In her eyes He placed bright shining stars,
In her cheeks fair roses you see;
God made a wonderful mother,
And He gave that dear mother to me.

~By Pat O'Reilly~



AND GRANDMA'S TOO...

"While we honor all our mothers
with words of love and praise.
While we tell about their goodness
and their kind and loving ways.
We should also think of Grandma,
she's a mother too, you see....
For she mothered my dear mother
as my mother mothers me."

~Author Unknown~



MOTHER'S LOVE

Her love is like
an island in life's ocean,
vast and wide

A peaceful, quiet shelter
From the wind, the rain, the tide.
'Tis bound on the north by Hope,
By Patience on the West,
By tender Counsel on the South
And on the East by Rest.

Above it like a beacon light
Shine Faith, and Truth, and Prayer;
And thro' the changing scenes of life
I find a haven there.

~Author Unknown~



MORE THAN A MOTHER

When God set the world in place,
when He hung the stars up in space,
when He made the land and the sea,
then He made you and me.

He sat back and saw all that was good,
He saw things to be as they should.
Just one more blessing He had in store;
He created a mother, but whatever for?

He knew a mother would have a special place
to shine His reflection on her child's face.
A mother will walk the extra mile
just to see her children smile.
She'll work her fingers to the bone
to make a house into a home.

A mother is there to teach and guide,
a mother will stay right by your side.
She'll be there through your pain and strife,
she'll stay constant in your life.

A mother will lend a helping hand
until you have the strength to stand.
She'll pick you up when you are down,
when you need a friend she'll stick around.

A mother is one who listens well,
will keep her word; will never tell.

A mother never pokes or pries
but stands quietly by your side,
giving you the strength you need,
encouraging you to succeed.

A mother is one who can be strong
when you need someone to lean on.

You're more than a mother to me;
a reflection of Him in your face I see,
a love that knows no boundaries.

I'm glad that you chose to be
all this and more to me.
You share a love that knows no end,
you're more than my mother,
you are my friend.

~By Kari Keshmiry~



A POEM FOR MY MOTHER

I miss you so much,
your laugh, your smile, your touch.
You always brightened my days
with all the smiles you sent my way.
I need you as my angel
to always be at my side.
I need you as my angel
to give me peace of mind.
I like to think your near to me
to know that you are there.
Even though I can not see you,
I feel that you are near.
Please do not forget me mom,
for you are always in my heart,
my thoughts and prayers.
I love you.

~By Shari M. Blom~



M-O-T-H-E-R

"M" is for the million things she gave me,
"O" means only that she's growing old,
"T" is for the tears she shed to save me,
"H" is for her heart of purest gold;
"E" is for her eyes, with love-light shining,
"R" means right, and right she'll always be,

Put them all together, they spell "MOTHER,"

A word that means the world to me.

~By Howard Johnson~

The Rosemont Story/ Mayor Bradley Stephens

Well lets start by saying that being a blogger of many subjects,I have decided to take this time and write a very short but strong piece here. The reason ?? Being an avid follower of Chicago Suburb politics and a former resident of Rosemont for 20 something years. Over the last few years I read other peoples accounts of Rosemont and it bothers me to great extents when I read the B.S. that people write that have no real clue of what they are saying. So as a former resident of this great place I thought it only right that I express my thought on the subject of which I know through real life experience.. Lets start with the Honorable and that is the correct word!! Honorable Donald E. Stephens, Here was a brillant man with a brilliant dream that was carried out beyond even his wildest thought could be. This was a man who dreamed a city or village where people could live that true american dream..LIFE IN THE SUBURBS, family life, Great schools and top level Government, We had this all to the millionth degree. This was a man who made all who lived here feel like we were all part of a large loving family.Growing up he was like a Dad to all the kids that lived there ..WHY ?? because he at all activities and school events and etc etc ,

This was no politician or any politician we had ever heard of because he cared about the people and the Village he loved so. He was respected because he had respect for all, Growing up with the kids Mark, Donnie, Bradley and Gail we had the insight of the real life going on and not the unfounded stories the newspapers and other jealous people led people to believe, This was a first class family who allowed to share their Father with a whole community who loved him as much as he loved them. That folks is the definition of a Class act! I could spend days here at this computer writing about the accomplishments Of his Honor, But will save the rest of the story for a future blog post
I am working on...

The Reason for this article today is to wish Mayor Bradley Stephen a huge congratulations !! keeping apprised of Chicago newspapers I had to take the time to write my opinion. AS a Outsider as I now live in Phoenix. And they always say you miss things when your away, Well I have always kept Rosemont in my heart still always feeling like I will always be a Proud Resident..The Structure of this is leading to Mayor Bradley Stephens as a long term Mayor ??? YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT.

 As I have known Bradley since we were young children let me assure you if there is any ONE person in this world that can continue the dream of the late Donald Stephens it is surely his son Bradley, He is a true protege of his father warmth, wisdom and total concern for other that is almost untouchable in this changing times. I remember when he was starting to learn all of this knowledge working along side him many days and nites, both of us many hours of Manuel labor in the convention center..No special treatments but always paid well for a job well done, So to all you skeptics, you probably are not skeptical at all looks like the green eyed monster has a hold of you!! Because all of us that have memories and stories of this neat place we grew up in seem to look at you with discern. So it is my pleasure to also call you his HONOR..

Mayor Bradley Stephens and I know like all of us who know you we are proud of you as we know your Dad is of you Good luck your Honor and may God Bless you and the Stephens Family. Thank you for all of you and some of my fondest memories. M.J.S.

Why Online Shopping ?

CHECK THESE STATS!!!!

Nearly half of U.S. consumers said they planned to increase their holiday shopping online, due in part to high gasoline prices, a holiday shopping survey found.

Forty-four percent of respondents said they planned to do more of their holiday shopping online this year than they did last year, the MyBuys survey conducted by Harris Interactive said Monday.

With growing numbers of people shopping online, "it is more important than ever for online retailers to differentiate themselves," in large part by offering as personalized an online shopping experience as possible, the researchers said.

While 80 percent of online U.S. shoppers buy products Web retailers recommend, 62 percent said product recommendations were rarely personalized to their tastes, the survey found.

To improve sales, retailers should personalize online shopping by recommending brands and categories customers have shown interest in, 53 percent of respondents said.

Sixty-five percent said they would also like retailers to offer e-mail alerts when out-of-stock products arrive, the survey found.

Harris conducted the telephone survey of 2,480 U.S. adults JUNE. 1-5. Figures for age, sex, race or ethnicity, education, household income and other factors were weighted to bring the sample in line with the actual population.

Consumer Confidence with Online Shopping

Consumer Confidence With Online Shopping – On
the Rise Every Year!
The earliest years of e-commerce were met with more than a little suspicion and the pioneering retailers on the Internet were slow to develop customer following because consumers, for the most part not terribly savvy about the workings of the Internet yet, simply didn’t completely trust the technology. Consumer confidence with online shopping took a few years to take off.

Shopping online seemed risky and they weren’t willing to risk sending their credit card or personal information “into the ether” for fear that it would be stolen in transit and used by an unauthorized individual. Visions of the now famous commercial (a middle-aged man with a paunch talking in a giggly Valley-girl squeal about buying a leather bustier) danced through shoppers’ heads. So who’s shopping online?

As banks and credit card companies began assuring consumers of credit protection services, more and more consumer spending trickled into the Net market place. The rise of Secure Sockets Layer servers (SSL) provided added protection that also protected shopper information and buying online began to seem less risky. Online retailers, seeing that consumers needed a sense of security, acknowledged this with opt-in offerings rather than forcing consumers to provide some types of information.

When consumers could choose not to sign up for newsletters or updates and decline to be on mailing lists, they began to feel in control of their online shopping experiences. For Net merchants, this was the vote of confidence they’d been waiting for. By 2003, the Internet had racked up over $52 billion in retail sales!

Retailers Turn to Internet Savvy Home Webmasters

Retailers soon realized that with this influx of sales online there was a new and unique marketing paradigm being created. Confidence was high, Net surfers were in a shopping mood, and advertisers wanted to sell. But how and where to reach the millions of people that were on the Internet every day that had such enormous purchasing power?

LinkShare and Commission Junction were two companies who saw the potential in matching up advertisers with webmasters to the benefit of both. With millions of small, medium and large websites available that catered to special interests from extreme sports to Victorian collectables, partnerships only made sense.

It was the beginning of pay-for-performance marketing partnerships, and was a boon to people looking for a way to work from home and make a good living. By offering guidance and monitoring the process, including collecting all commissions and paying the webmasters with one monthly check, these companies simplified web marketing to consumers for both retailers and website publishers.

Website publishers could work from home publishing a site about a topic they were passionate about and collect income simply by linking to retailers who targeted consumers who fit their profile niche. It guaranteed the retailers they would be seen by consumers interested in buying their products and provided income to the webmasters.

Interestingly, many Internet users felt a sense of trust when they found links to retailers on sites they visited for other purposes. For instance if they visited a gardening website for tips on treating roses or a home improvement website for information on how to refinish a cabinet, they tended to trust any stored linked from these “advice” style websites. Retailers like Home Depot knew loyalty to these styles of sites was strong and responded. Today, nearly every Fortune 500 company in the U.S. has links to millions of affiliate websites to take advantage of that Internet loyalty and build a purchasing relationship on it.

Looking to the future, as more and more consumers turn to shopping in the Internet for its convenience and safety, working at home on your PC will become an option that’s more common as retailers make increasing use of affiliate websites for their advertising needs.

Words Women Use:

A Little Humor and Some Good Advice.............

1.) FINE: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are
right and you need to shut the fuck up.

2.) Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour.
Five Minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more
minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.
>
>3.) Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something,
>and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing
>usually end in fine.
>
>4.) Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Do It and DIE!
>
>5.) Loud Sigh: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement
>often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an
>idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing
>with you about nothing. (Refer back to #3 for the meaning of nothing.)
>
>6.) That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a women
>can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard
>before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.
>
>7.) Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or Faint. Just say
>you're welcome.
>
>8.) Whatever: Is a women's way of saying FUCK YOU!
>
>9.) Don't worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning
>this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but
>is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking "what's
>wrong", for the woman's response refer to # 3.
>
>Send this to the men you know, to warn them about arguments they can
>avoid if they remember the terminology. Send this to all the women you
>know to give them a good laugh, cause they know its true.

Happy St. Josephs Day

According to the Christian Bible, St. Joseph the carpenter was the husband of Mary and the earthly father of Jesus. Tradition says that March 19th is the birthday of St. Joseph.

The feast that is celebrated on St. Joseph's Day honors all fathers.

In the Catholic tradition, St. Joseph's Day traditionally falls during the fasting season of Lent that precedes Easter. That means the feasting for St. Joseph's Day is done without meat. Italian recipes include pastas, fish, sweets, breads and fava beans. Many other countries join the festivities on March 19th and, since Joseph is one of the most common names in these countries, most families have at least one Giuseppe, Jozefa, José, Pepe, Joe or Josephine to celebrate with.

TRADITIONS
• Italian Catholics and many descendants of Italian immigrants prepare St. Joseph Tables, tavole di San Giuseppe, set to honor St. Joseph. They are filled with beautiful and often elaborate foods, including meatless dishes such as stuffed artichokes, pasta and fish, as well as breads, cookies, pastries, cakes and other delicacies.

• St. Joseph Tables are placed in both churches and homes. Each table is blessed by a priest and presided over by a statue of St. Joseph. A stalk of lily blossoms, votive candles and a lace tablecloth are typically used to decorate the feast table.

• Notices are posted in newspapers and in other media inviting the public to view and partake of the traditional meal of pasta Milanese. Participants often leave donations at the table.

• Special groups such as orphans, the elderly or the homeless are invited to share in the feast. At the end of St. Joseph's Day, leftover food is sold or given away, and any money earned is donated to the poor.

• In the United States, red is worn on St. Joseph's Day. There doesn't seem to be any religious significance to this color. It seems to have begun as a tradition to complement the tradition of wearing green on St. Patrick's Day, which falls only two days before.

• St. Joseph is the patron of workers and those in need of work. Prayers for the unemployed are often included in the traditions of March 19th celebrations.

• Burying a statue of St. Joseph in your yard on March 19th is said to help in selling your home and finding a new one. There are even special kits that are marketed for this, although most would say that a prayer would do just as well!

WHEN
The feast day of St. Joseph is celebrated on March 19 every year. In 2007, St. Joseph's Day is on Monday.

PURPOSE
St. Joseph's Day is a Roman Catholic feast day commemorating the life of St. Joseph, the foster father of Jesus and husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

CELEBRATION
Those with strong religious associations, most often those of European descent, typically celebrate St. Joseph's Day.

Greeting cards with a spiritual focus and a light blessing are used to commemorate St. Joseph's Day. In the United States, Hallmark offers four St. Joseph's Day cards.

In many countries St. Joseph's Day is a national holiday.

Those who visit a St. Joseph's table, often receive gifts of fava beans and breads. Fava beans play an integral part of the celebration because this was the food that saved the Sicilians from starvation. The bean is said to bring good luck, and it is believed that if the St. Joseph's bread is kept in the home, the family will never starve.

HISTORY
Many Italian St. Joseph's Day traditions stem from the middle ages. During a famine in Sicily, when food was scarce and many people were starving, the poor people had only their faith to rely on. St. Joseph was known as the protector of the Holy Family; thus, Italians with strong family relationships prayed for St. Joseph to intercede for them, in an effort to ensure successful crops. Their prayers were answered, and the famine came to an end. In gratitude, people promised to make annual offerings of their most precious possession – food – in St. Joseph's honor.

Little is said in the gospel about Joseph, except that he was a descendant of David and a carpenter by trade. Legends provide additional details about Joseph's life. He supposedly was a widower of advanced age when he was chosen by God to wed Mary.

According to one legend, Mary's many suitors left their staffs in the temple one night so that God could indicate who she should marry. The next morning, Joseph's staff blossomed with white flowers and leaves and sent forth a white dove, indicating that he was the chosen one. This explains why statues of St. Joseph typically show him holding the Christ Child and a stalk of white lilies and why this day is a common celebration of fathers throughout the Christian world.

March 19 is said to be St. Joseph's birthday and is celebrated as St. Joseph's Day.

The feast of St. Joseph also marks the beginning of spring in many countries. One Czech proverb, Pekne-li na Svatého Josefa, bývá dobrý rok...

Or, If it is nice on St. Joseph's Day, it will usually be a good year

Amazing Grace at the Coliseum in Rome

Wow ...
> If you haven't heard Il Divo sing before, you are in for an extra treat.
> This is an operatic quartet consisting of a Swiss, a Spaniard, a Frenchman
> and
> an American.

I Owe My Mother....Italian Style

I Owe My Mother

1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE .
"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."

2. My mother taught me RELIGION.
"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL.
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

4. My mother taught me LOGIC.
" Because I said so, that's why."

5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC .
"If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."

6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT.
"Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."

7. My mother taught me IRONY.
"Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."

8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS .
"Shut your mouth and eat your supper."

9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM.
"Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!"

10. My mother taught me about STAMINA .
"You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

11. My mother taught me about WEATHER.
"This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."

12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY.
"If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"

13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE.
"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOUR MODIFICATION .
"Stop acting like your father!"

15. My mother taught me about ENVY.
"There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."

16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION.
"Just wait until we get home."

17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING .
"You are going to get it when you get home!"

18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.
"If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to get stuck that way."

19. My mother taught me ESP.
"Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?"

20. My mother taught me HUMOUR.
"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT .
"If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

22. My mother taught me GENETICS.
"You're just like your father."

23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS.
"Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"

24. My mother taught me WISDOM..
"When you get to be my age, you'll understand."

And my favorite: 25. My mother taught me about JUSTICE .

"One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you

To My Dawn Marie

This Song says it all I Love You Always Forever

Don't cry for me Daddy,

I'm right here.
Although you can't see me
I see your tears.
I visit you often,
I go to work with you each day,
And when it's time for you
to close your eyes ,
On your pillow is where I lay.
I hold your hand &
stroke your hair,
And whisper in your ear.
If you're sad today Daddy,
Remember, I am here.
God took me home.
This we know is true.
But you'll always be My Daddy
Even though I'm not with you.
We will never be apart,
For everytime you think of me,
Please know I'm in your Heart..........
~Author Unknown

Idea's for Spreading Kindness...Or Random Acts of Kindness

On one occasion, a family was at a shoe store where I was purchasing school shoes for my children. They had six children and were debating on which two children would get shoes, since they could not afford shoes for all six. I sought out the manager of the store and gave him enough money for the family to buy shoes for all of their children. I told him to wait until I left the store before telling them about the money. I did not want them to feel obligated to thank me or uncomfortable about accepting the gift. The family was then able to purchase shoes for all of their children. I did not care if the family knew me, however, I did want them to know WHY I was doing this. It was in memory of my beautiful daughter. This would have been the perfect opportunity to leave the Kindness card. Enter the "Random Acts of Kindness" card.
The family would never know me. Who I was is unimportant. But my child and her life is important. The first step in Project Kindness is to seek out ways, look for opportunities, to do something nice for someone. This takes very little creativity, as I have found kind deeds waiting to be done thousands of times. Here are some ideas of deeds for the Kindness Project:

Don’t forget to attach the Kindness Project Cards!! The best thing about the Kindness Project is the fun of anonymity. Be sure to leave the card and leave without being seen as often as you can! Do something kind every day! Share your loved one with the world!


Buy a meal for a young couple or family sitting next to you at a restaurant. Leave the Kindness card with the waitress to give them after you leave. It is a nice surprise they will never forget. It may even make them consider the mortality of their own children and lessen what time they may take for granted.
Partake in a Christmas Angel Program. Leave the card so they know your motivation of love!
Buy shoes or clothes for a family in need.
Bake cookies for a neighbor or teacher, just because.
Order a subscription to Angels Magazine for a family member. Ask that the Kindness card be enclosed in the first issue. It will reinforce, even to family, that your child is never forgotten.
Help an elderly person with yard work or grocery shopping. Many elderly people have a story or two to tell about their own baby that died many years ago.
Visit a nursing home and bring cupcakes. Sit and visit with a few of the residents. You'd be amazed at the loving reception you will receive as many residents rarely receive visitors.
Leave a bouquet at another child's grave at the cemetery. Let them know about our Kindness Project and your child!
Most electric companies allow individuals to assist families who are struggling with their electric bill. If you partake in the program, send your payment with a Kindness card and let them experience the love of your child.
Sign up to participate in a program such as Feed the Children. Your Kindness card will tell them the story of why you are doing this.
Donate to your favorite nonprofit group on your child's birthday or death day. Ask family members and friends to do the same.
Volunteer your time at a local homeless shelter or a crisis nursery.
Buy a new calendar for a workmate.
Donate some grief books to the library or a local support group.
Leave an extra large tip for your food server!
Buy the meal for the person behind you at the fast food drive through.
Leave a bouquet of flowers on someone’s front door step.
Bake goodies and take them to the police station, fire station, or hospital.
Pay a local teen to mow an elderly neighbor’s yard.
Crochet a baby’s blanket and take it to the hospital nursery. Premature babies can always use tiny booties and caps.
Buy a balloon bouquet and ask the nurses the children’s hospital to deliver them to a child.
Make a memorial donation to honor your loved one and a friend’s loved one.
Take a box of doughnuts to an elementary school for a classroom.
Plug someone’s parking meter.
Go to the post office in mid December and ask for of the “letters to Santa” that they get every year. Buy and send the gift on Christmas.
Adopt a street or just pick up litter in the neighborhood.
Leave your change in the soda machine for the next person. It's a nice surprise.
Buy coffee for the person standing behind you in line.
Write to management at places where you get especially good service and commend them (specify names!)
Tape a quarter to a pay phone with a note welcoming anyone who needs it to use it.
Adopt a family through a social service agency, not just at Christmas. People go hungry all year.
Plant a tree or some flowers for a local church. Perhaps offer to “build” a Memorial Garden.
Volunteer at a local shelter, crisis nursery or soup kitchen. This will give more to you than you can imagine.
Volunteer to read to children at your nearest library.
Send your child a note in his lunchbox. Remind them how special they are to you.
Organize a large toy, clothing and diaper drive for a crisis nursery.
Pay for a small child's candy at a convenient store.
Pay for someone's toll and/or gas.
Look for opportunities to open the door for someone or give up your seat for someone.
Buy lunch for the couple or family sitting next to you as you pay your own. Be sure to be secretive!
Buy a toy for a child in the store and ask the clerk to deliver it after you’ve gone.

The list of possible kindnesses is endless. Every act you extend will amaze you! The healing, peace and satisfaction which is born from every kindness is undeniable. It is one of the gifts our children have left behind for us to discover. Please order some of our Kindness cards. We have made them very affordable so that everyone can participate. Then send us your stories. We will publish "Kindness" stories in our newsletter and here on the website. Share your ideas with others and talk about the wonderful and miraculous love your child continues to share within your community. Let them all know that your child lives within your heart, still and always.

Joanne Cacciatore,
Founder,
M.I.S.S. Foundation


My thank you to the M.I.S.S. for this informaton from their website
http://www.missfoundation.org/kindness/ideas.html