In Memory Day

Just a thing or two I thought I would share:

"Flags-in"

Each year for the past 40 years, the 3rd U.S. Infantry (The Old Guard) has honored America's fallen heroes by placing American flags before the gravestones and niches of service members buried at both Arlington National Cemetery and the U.S. Soldier's and Airmen's Home National Cemetery just prior to Memorial Day weekend.

This tradition, known as "flags in," has been conducted annually since The Old Guard was designated as the Army's official ceremonial unit in 1948. Every available soldier in the 3rd U.S. Infantry participates, placing small American flags one foot in front and centered before each grave marker.

During an approximately three-hour period, the soldiers place flags in front of more than 260,000 gravestones and about 7,300 niches at the cemetery's columbarium. Another 13,500 flags are placed at the Soldier's and Airmen's Cemetery. As part of this yearly memorial activity, Old Guard soldiers remain in the cemetery throughout the weekend, ensuring that a flag remains at each gravestone.
American flags are also placed at the graves of each of the four unknown service men interred at the Tomb of the Unknowns, by the Tomb Sentinels. All flags are removed after Memorial Day before each cemetery is opened to the public.

Bless our brave heroes who have served.

In Memory Day:

Francis Gary Powers

At the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union shot down a U-2 reconnaissance plane deep inside Russia on May 1, 1960. The plane was being operated by the Central Intelligence Agency and was piloted by Francis Gary Powers. Powers was held and tried for espionage by the Russians. He was convicted and was sentenced to ten years in a Soviet Prison. He served less than two years, and was exchanged for a convicted Soviet Spy being held in the United States. On February 10, 1962, he was released from captivity at the Glienicker-Brucke Bridge between East and West Germany. Powers returned to the United States and was exonerated by the US Congress after he returned home in 1962 and his reputation cleared on May 1, 2000 when he was posthumously awarded the POW Medal and CIA's Director's Medal on the 40th anniversary of the shoot down. He found employment as a reporter with KNBC in Los Angeles and on August 1, 1977, he died in a helicopter crash while covering a story on a brush fire near Los Angeles. He is interred in Section 11, Grave 685-2.

I didn't know this man, but his hand is one of the many I would like to have the privilege to shake.

Lucky Me!

Thanks for all the sympathy

and encouragement...

and stories you shared!

I believe there is hope and that my little wrench in my plans will still get ironed out.

Yesterday, I was still a bit disappointed and I decided to skip lunch and just drive thru Starbucks for a little

 pick-me-up...

and when I did I drove off with my drink but not my credit card.

The Starbucks manager kindly called the bank and asked if they would call me to let me know...

but quick as a wink, when I saw my wallet still on my lap, I turned around and drove back to get my card.

All good right?

Yes, until today when I found out, by trying to use my card, that the bank had kindly cancelled it.

*G*

So, when I saw that I was a winner on Julie's blog...

Jaybird Quilts had a blogiversary which prompted a giveaway...

and Miss you know who, aka #243 won this fantastic prize!

For those of you who aren't quite as excited as I am, I have to explain...

this is Julie's design, her pattern... the one that is on the front cover of the current
Quilts and More magazine!

How exciting is that!

This is made with Momo's fabric group, which I love! The kit includes a special ruler thingy for making circles that look, um... circular! And the magazine! I didn't ask Miss Jaybird yet... but maybe she will even sign it for me!

See... that pick-me-up from Starbucks wasn't what I needed at all!

This is what I needed and has now turned my week around!

...Plus all your sweet comments.

I feel much much better now.

On a side note:

 has anybody noticed how beautiful the full moon is?

Caution: Venting Ahead

Nothing quiltie going on here...

Yesterday I went to the Hair stylist to do a "practice" wedding hairstyle.

I was thinking something with the flavor of the retro look.

So, the color went on, the curlers went in, and under the dryer I sat.

The stylist was excited about the "look" and her partner just went to a class on wedding  make-up.

And I don't know how it happened but when I left there

I looked like a hooker... I kid you not! And an old one at that.

It was more of a look for a Halloween fest than a sweet mother of the groom look.

I got into my car... and not a minute to soon... before I left the parking lot and before I started to cry, I took photos.  They were to awful to share. I am not exaggerating here either! The hair was a mess. The lipstick was smudged and the eye color was aqua. I could have thrown up!

Is it not possible to leave a Beauty Shop... looking better, at least a little bit better... than when you entered?

I am severely traumatized. I know I'm not going back.

 I am going to have to rethink the whole wedding look idea.

It wasn't until I got an email from my friend Patty that my spirits were lifted a bit.

She had me go check out this blog she found.

It's not new but it is so very sweet.

It is the DottieAngel blog. I also saw this wonderful tutorial on her site that I thought I would share with you.

I swear I am going to learn how to crochet! Between this tutorial and the one by You Go Girl, On the Edge pillowcase tutorial, they have me hooked, so to speak!

But I won't attempt this prior to the wedding... just so you won't hear about some crazed woman chasing down a hair stylist with a crochet hook in her hand!

A Bar-B-Que or Two

Last Friday was family day for the fire crew. Every year, at the beginning of the season, the guys put on a huge bar-b-que and invite their families to join them for the afternoon. The hubs and I went and our other son (#4), was working nearby and joined in also.

It's always fun to take a tour of the vehicle they ride in and get a lesson on the equipment

they use for fighting the wildfires. Sorry for the backside shot of Tauren... but you can see how their gear is stored in here.

Saturday I made a little picnic and took it over to where the kids (Todd & Jill) were working on the new home with Jill's parents. They are working on replacing the deck... but you know how those projects go. But the end of the day they decided that they would just replace the whole thing.

Over the weekend, I can't say I was very productive at all!

In fact I felt quite lazy!

I think that these potholders for the Potholder Pass Around #3, were the only things that really got accomplished. Ok, I did work on finishing up my Schnibbles...

but it's not like I can take a picture of that and show you...

but I can tell you that I really like the block on this one a whole lot and it goes together lickity split!

As for where I left off with the wedding veil... the bride to be gave it a try and we could see that some changes needed to be made. So I took it a part... did some revamping and put it together again. Now it's time to add the pearls. Other than that, I'm still in the middle of the wedding quilt and the quilting of the Triple Crown quilt. I am going at a snails pace...

but one thing I did do over the weekend was to keep close tabs on any Market updates and what was going on with Spring Market! Glimpses of new fabrics, new patterns... looking at the wonderful quilts that were made by some of our blogging buddies out there!

Yes, there I was, on the bleachers again and another Market viewed from the sidelines!