Memorial day

Far too many people have no idea the true meaning of Memorial Day!
A child family member (not my kids) said to me the other day that they were learning about Memorial Day in school.  I asked what they had learned and they told me about red, white and blue, the flag and soldiers.  I asked the what they learned about soldiers and the reply was that they need to be supported on Memorial Day because they are at war.  I was a little aggravated that this is what the school is teaching as the meaning for Memorial Day.  I explained the true meaning to this kid and they were completely unaware this was the meaning as that was not what the teacher told them.  Why is the school teaching the wrong meaning???  Why don't we just teach the kids that there is no reason for this holiday any more???  Any way I was too mad to put this in word that made sense that day so I'm trying to today.
 Memorial day is a day to show respect for fallen soldiers.  While yes it is great to show your support to all our service members past and present the holidays designated for them would be Armed Forced Day or Veterans Day.  Or for that fact any day of the year is a good day to thank and support a service member.
I'm not trying to offend any one for the way they choose to celebrate on Memorial Day.  I'm definitely not trying to start a debate but too many have told me the wrong meaning for Memorial Day lately.
Please by all means enjoy this holiday as many have sacrificed all so we could.  Our family will be celebrating too.  Papa Bull will be marching in the parade again this year with the Legion at the age or 81.  Thad will also be in the parade with his father then they will both be part of the ceremony at the cemetery remembering the fallen.  Me and the kids will be in the parade with a float symbolizing the true meaning of Memorial Day.  That afternoon we will be having a picnic and enjoying ourselves knowing that many sacrifices were made for us to have these freedoms.  My request is that while you have picnics and kick off your summer please remember the true meaning while you are celebrating.  And since the school is not, please tell your children the reason for the holiday.  I know the word "died" is harsh for little kids but if we do not tell them the true meaning of Memorial Day then how will they learn it.  My children are 3,4,6 and I have explained the reason we have this holiday to them with out any sugar coating.

So I'm sharing this definition from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Memorial Day
Remembrance of American war dead

Memorial Day is a federal holiday observed annually in the United States on the last Monday of May.[1] Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War. (Southern ladies organizations and southern schoolchildren had decorated Confederate graves in Richmond and other cities during the Civil War, but each region had its own date. Most dates were in May.) By the 20th century Memorial Day had been extended to honor all Americans who have died in all wars. Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.


Of course there is much more to read about Memorial Day on the Wikipedia page but this first paragraph was enough to make my point.  I am totally for supporting all members of the armed forces, my husband SSG Bull included and love that people want to support them.  I just wanted to point out how the nation has seemed to forget the reason for Memorial Day.   

With that said hope everyone has a safe and happy Memorial Day remembering the fallen.

A new look to old planters

As a favor to my Aunt I was asked to bring new life to some old planters she had.  Great concrete planter to start with were saved from being tossed by adding color.  She wanted them to show the details in the animal and the tree.  After a good cleaning (scrubbing with a vegetable scrubber) they already looked new.  I almost didn't want to paint them as they looked so nice but she wanted colors so I gave it lots of thought and came up with the idea to have a light colored background so the animals and the tree would be more noticeable.  As for the detail it showed up mostly on its own when I added the colors so just added some black color to any lines that needed more definition. 

What they looked like to start with (minus the dead plants)

After a good cleaning and a coat of light green paint.  

 

 

Added some of the colors and details.

All finished.  How do they look? 

Since it was nice rainy day here and I couldn't be outside doing any of the good stuff that needs doing like gardening, yard work or making new flowerbeds. I decided to try making my own Mayo.  We have our own chickens so finding a use for the eggs has been one of my favorite things to do.

The recipe I used for my mayo is:

2 Egg Whites

1 Table Spoon of Lemon Juice

1 Teaspoon of yellow mustard

3/4 Cup of Vegetable Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste.

Mix all the ingredients but the oil in the blender on low.

Slowly with a small steady stream add the oil to the mixture, still mixing with the lowest setting. 

Adding the oil can result in slight spattering. 

Enjoy!!!

*you can use 1 whole egg in place of the the 2 egg whites but it makes the mayo a yellower color*

The Bull's Pen Blog

So everyone has a blog so I figured I might give it a try....How hard can it be right???
On a side note I made my own Mayo today....It was soooo easy!!!  I'll post more on that later.  As this is all new to me and will have to spend some time tweaking it......  So how did I do for my first post?