Martin Luther King "I have a dream"

47 years ago today these words changed our world.

This is the entire speech and still holds true.

Today it is illegal immigrants and Muslims and the Gays that these words hold true for.

This country was founded by illegal immigrants, whats the line "the Indians called them, the white man"

As I listen and let these words sit heavy on my shoulders then I allow the tears to fall and I listen and feel the power of these words rise me up and fill my heart with hope.

Today we soooo need hope for our future.

We have become such a judgmental society and we lack the courage to hold those judgments up to our own mirror.

When did we stop caring for the next person because they were a person?

When did we stop helping someone who was struggling?

When did we as a society stop being polite and respectful?

Todays young adults have no clue how to make a buck and hold on to it for later. We have stopped teaching value of self, money and objects to our children.

We throw so much stuff away and we waste soooo much food on a daily basis.

We have learned to throw away our souls for the next shiny thing/bling

We judge and disregard our family and those that are our true friends for superficial and fake people that leave us out in the cold when the party and money is gone.

I am so grateful to have grown up in a time (the 70's) because my family knew all the other families that lived in the 8 houses on the right and maybe up 6 houses on the left and then the scattered kids I played with all the way to the train tracks and one block over in either direction.

We knew them, really knew them. We played football in the street and roller skated and rode our bikes all over.

If the dog got out people knew where it lived and brought it home.

We BBQ'ed with the people next door and across the street.

We watched each others homes when we were away for the day or the weekend.

We took care of each other, we spoke daily and shared smiles and laughs and for many hugs and well wishes for a good day.

We as a nation need to go back to the basics of why this country was built.

Freedom to choose how we wanted to live, to not be oppressed by a ruler. To stand up for what we know to be right.

I have yet to see anyone really stand up and get people moving for change.

Was the 60's the end of people that can make change. Where are our modern Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's and our modern Kennedy's and our anyone that can bring hope to people to stand and make right be right just because it is the thing to do.

BE the voice in the PTA/PTO of your kids schools to make changes for healthier food and search ways to raise money so that great teachers can teach.

BE the voice that opens the door to abuse in the home or the church or where ever you know it to be happening.

BE the voice to help someone whom is struggling to feed there family or cloth there kids.

BE the voice to stand up for neglect and abuse of animals, children and the elderly.

Volunteer with your kids to clean a park or beach, plant a tree and flowers in the center of town, or in an elderly neighbors yard.

Be the person that goes into the hospitals and holds the babies that no one holds or read to the kids that are so sick they are stuck in there beds all day. Visit an old folks home and just pop in and smile at them and spend 5 minutes talking or reading or just open the curtains and let them know someone does care.

BE THE VOICE OF HOPE, CHANGE, LOVE, CARING, COMPASSION, JUST DO SOMETHING, ANYTHING.

USE YOUR VOICE AND THE FIRE IN YOUR GUT, YOU KNOW THE ONE THAT YOU SHUT UP WHEN SOMETHING MAKES YOU ANGRY YOU WANT TO SCREAM THAT IS JUST WRONG. but you never do.

BE THE VOICE!!!!!

city girls adventures in gardening

I am a city girl born and raised in Southern California and am now living in Virginia. 

I am trying to learn to garden to sustain our family with healthy veggies. this year it was not such a success but it was a start and next year will be better.

I came across this great Facebook page(Straw Bale Gardening - No weeding, no hoeing, no tilling) where I got excited about straw bale gardening as you can tell from the picture above. I planted 6 bales. the picture shown is of 3 tomato, a green pepper, 4 pumpkin and a cantaloupe.  For a first try I am happy with what has come from it. there really hasn't been a harvest per say. More like a battle of the hornworms that ravaged my tomatoes and the cantaloupe.

There were a dozen hornworms before I got them all and found out how to keep them away (cyanne pepper a bit of dish soap and water in a spray bottle applied liberally, to both sides of the leaves) Oh and crushed egg shells around the base just past the leaves. I am pleased to say the tomatoes are making a great comeback and I am looking at about 3 batches of black bean and corn salsa in the next few weeks ....yuuummmmm O

I thought I would be bold and try turnips well they are growing but I have no idea when to harvest and I think they have bolted due to the heat

this was taken about 3 weeks ago and now the leaves are leggy and the turnips are getting bigger......:)

My punpkins, ahhhh my pumpkins they suffered so during the heat but now they are gorgeous and thriving

the picture above is from the end of June beginning of July (look at the pretty blossom) and below are my pumpkins today almost 6 ft. long and moving fast towards the grass.....LOL.

 I so cant wait to harvest them for Halloween. that is the only reason I will ever grow pumpkins for the time being. I love Jack o lanterns..

Next year I will begin in March trying to start seeds that I can transplant and also in the middle of April, weather permitting I will begin to work the ground and making the rows  for some plants and then I am also going to try square foot gardening to see which one is more suited to me.  Agreat book that I have been reading on the subject is Square Foot Gardening ~ Mel Bartholomew. there is also a TV show of the same name with him. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5Lu-7FIj_g

I hate to weed so I am hoping that this will be the way for my family to get a bounty of fresh veggies and herbs.  And of course me being up for a challenge I am also gonna take a lesson in canning from my neighbor across the street in hopes that we will be able to have our home grown tasty goodness in the winter. 

Keep your fingers crossed . 

As a friend says the is another Oprah show.....LOL

26 letters +3 that I am grateful for.....part O

O 

Overloaded is the thought of the day

back to school is Wednesday so there is all the shopping and organizing and getting all the summer stuff cleaned an put away.

Overtime for the Husband and many many hours that will be picked up to get ready for fall and winter.

My house had been a whirlwind of clutter and dust bunnies (where the heck do they come from)

I have taken the summer off, we are now totally off schedule....ahhhhh the dreaded alarm clock is now my enemy for the moment. (how many of you can relate to that?)

soon it will be second nature and the hustle of the mornings breakfast, getting lunches packed and bags ready and the dash up our 300ft driveway to meet the bus, not once but twice. 

Early for my 2nd grader then 2 hrs later for my kindergartener. 

Wooohooo I have a kindergartener, wait? how ? when did that happen? I must have blinked and my round bouncy baby boy is now this funny, thoughtful, happy person. I am in love with him, he is my other man....shhhhh don't tell my husband ...:0)

I am soo excited to get back into our routine, up, dressed, breakfast, quick hit on homework if any then out the door to the bus in an hour............YES!!!!  then again 2 hrs later for my son.....double YES!!!

HMMMMM, what does one do with time to be uninterrupted without  MOM or MAMA being shouted into the air for the millionth bazillionth time, for something they can do themselves. 

To start something and finish it in 5 10 minutes instead of an hour or tomorrow maybe....hmmmmm  *cheesy grin*

I must be sick to be happy about straightening out the closet under the stairs that some how has become the just toss it in room. or the mountain of papers that need to be filed burned or thrashed....OH to get something done .....Nirvana is my feeling when i think about it. Yep I think I am sick in the head.

to have my dining room look like it is supposed to and not kid stash from hell, Perler Beads all over the floor, WWW.PERLERBEADS.COM

Image by Meghan L via Flickr

or practice workbooks for school so they don't for get stuff from last year, not that they got used tooo much,
I slacked off this summer (bad mom, bad bad mom) NOT, we had fun.

My kids taught themselves to swim this year, mind you I used to compete in swimming, but they didnt want my help they figured it out alone with the help of swim goggles.....LOL
and for his birthday my son got his big boy bike a 16" something that is just too big but he has figured out how to get off of it with out injury......."HAPPY DANCE"

MY LIFE IS GOOD!!!! 




I secretly am going to make things to sell online keep your eyes open for my wwww.Etsy.com store coming to the internet very soon

26 letters +3 that I am grateful for.....part N

hmmmm.......................


N

could turn to the dictionary for this one but I think not

N

New friends,

I have begun using twitter and have read some awesome tweets and became a follower and now have met some incredible women that are doing it in there lives full of gratitude, dignity, grace and hot bods for some ....LOL

I enjoy reading there posts because they get me thinking about my life and what my dreams are beyond being a mother, wife and all that entails  and how many of us  have lost our selves.

For my son this is a new year with many, many growing experiences for him just around the corner
He turned 5 a few days ago and will be starting school in a little more than a week. Taking the school bus and making friends and learning things from others. I am so excited for him to make new friends and have someone other than me and his sister to play with and talk to and about.



New ideas and ventures

I am a crocher as I have blogged about in the past and I am still working everyday on my craft so I can open my Etsy.com store and make some money doing what I love to do and that I do for all my friends and family when they have babies.
I make blankets and now branching into toys and humanoids and dog toys and maybe jewelry and belts and clutches and who knows what will show up. my newest thing is small dog toys

every single one is made from either recycled yarn from old damaged sweaters or from left over yarn from baby blankets and other projects. no 2 are alike or will every be exactly the same there is no pattern for these. I let them tell me how they will be.
colors can be custom for the pet or the owner .



and the last N

Nurture

I am remembering to do just that for myself. I have given up so much of me I lost who I was over the years and I didn't like whom I was becoming. My heart hurt all the time my, soul ached and I realized it was because I didn't have me.
I am always meeting the needs of my kids and husband to the point where I have become invisible and for a while I guess I liked being that way but not now. I am doing for me in little ways.
making my things to sell and blogging and using twitter and meeting great people that will enhance my world with there wisdom and comments and smiles and for that I will pass it on through my life and my friends and family and my creations.

I will support those that are doing in there lives because I want to do it in my life as well. GRATEFUL, GRACIOUS, DIGNIFIED, PASSIONATE, FUN, LAUGHING & LOVING.

these are the thing in my head today.

when you feel the quiver in your knees...

what is that saying?
"when you can't, you MUST" the first time I heard it I was attending my first UPW
(Unleash the Power Within) Long Beach August 2007. 


A bit of back story on how I got there:


My dad called me to ask if I wanted to attend, he had a free ticket, I was hesitant, not really sure if I wanted to sit there and listen to a motivational speaker. (that is all I knew of Tony Robbins at the time), then he said he would be working the fire crew, HUH? yeah he says, you will be walking on fire, I jumped without a thought, yes I want to go yes, yes, yes, where when. and that is how that began.


There are many times in your life when you feel the need to do and you think yourself out of it or you let others get in the way or worst of all you allow others to tell you you can't and then the times where your so uncertain that you stand there looking down or out and not moving. 
Think about those times....think about how you felt and the air and your breath and all the people yelling GO or JUMP or what ever it was to get you to just do something.


For instant, I was little and my dad taught me to swim by taking me to the public pool. We walking to the deep end and he said " I will meet you at the steps pointing across the pool and tossed me in" as he strolled I dog paddled to the steps. have been swimming ever since. 
Yes it could have ended badly I could have sank like a rock but I trusted my dad and met him on the other side.
Then I wanted to jump off the diving boards and of course my dad being who he was, let me.


My little 6 yr old self walked up the ladder and walked to the end and looked and saw him off to the side and jumped, no doubt that he would be there if I needed him. 
If my memory is accurate it took me longer to want to do the high dive. 
That is where my title comes in.
I had climbed the jungle gym at school and stood on top and climbed trees and had to figure out how to get down without falling out, so height was not an issue.


I climbed the long long ladder and got to the top and looked around and then looked down and took a breath and walked to the end. 
I felt the spring in the board and played with it for a minute and realized that it was waaaaay up there. then the wind unnerved me (I got scared) but couldn't climb back down oh God no not that.
Looking down I found my dad and he smiled and gave me the WELL? body language and I jumped and remembered to pull my arms in before hitting the water. 
I remember opening my eyes under water and seeing all the bubbles and trying to remember where my dad was. never the less the thrill was the same. Had that same thrill walking across a 15ft. long bed of hot coals with 4000+ people.
fantastic, wonderful, it is a high of energy that you only feel when you JUMP.


How many times have you stood there wanting to do something and not do it but wish you had later.
How many times have you seen those people on some show some where standing in a harness on top of a telephone pole, full of fear only having to catch the bar that is 4 feet out in front of them. the ones that JUMP , you can see it in there faces the change it made to do it.


It is trusting yourgut and the Leap of faith of knowing no matter what you will be ok.
yea some times that person is not OK they jumped and it cost them bad injuries or there life, the point is they jumped.


"Courage is fear saying its prayers and going ahead anyway"


don't syke your self out of things in life, stand there, even if your on solid ground and pay attention to your body it will tell you the truth everytime. 
Your knees will quiver or bend like they want to jump or go or move forward. and that is your que to DO IT, GO, JUMP, HAVE THAT LEAP OF FAITH!!!
think about it you know that feeling of a pushing sensation and you look to see if someone is doing it, well that someone is you saying GO FOR IT!!!


I am blogging and I am on twitter (@oneladielibra) and I will be opening an Etsy.com store very soon.
I have always wanted to see if I could sell the things I crochet. Now is my time to DO IT!!!!
(some items can be custom ordered for color(baby blankets, bracelets, small dog toys) the rest will be on a whim or as the idea hits me. (hats, clucthes, ipod cozies, coffee cuffs, wrist warmers and what ever else strikes me. 


follow me and see what comes around.


have a great day :)

26 letters +3 that I am grateful for.....part M

this is my M

Making things by hand

I am a maker of things by way of crochet.

I have been crocheting since I was about 5 or 6, my grandma taught me.

I have many many memories sitting with her practicing my chains and then granny squares.

I made a bunch of blankets for all my dolls and as I got older I made baby blankets with simple stitches. Now I can read all the pattern books and make all kinds of things. 

In the picture below are a few of the humanoids (amigurumi) and a bear and my very own created Uber Lubb, its the pink monster.

All will be for sale soon on my Etsy.com Page which I will post for when it is up and running.

The one thing I cherish about crocheting is how it keeps me close to my grandma and now I will be teaching it to my daughter and son when they are more interested in doing than watching...LOL

I am branching my crochet into making small dog toys that are firm but soft enough for little dogs to play with unless they have the kill instinct then they wont last long. My little dog loves his toys and brings them to me often to kick across the floor.

I am very excited to branch out into hats, purses and children's clothing with my crochet.

I am researching crochet jewelry now that my nickel allergy has progressed to the point that I am not able to wear my wedding ring or any jewelry that is tight to the skin. 

Also I am very excited about upcycling my crochet items as in using t-shirt, old sweaters and Plarn (plastic yarn) made out of grocery store bags. 

This is the decorative detail on a baby blanket.

Now I will be introducing my Ugly Lubbs.

Hi I am Plurbb, I am a lovey only an owner will love. I am a travel pillow and friend. I am a girl, I have a purple and blue ruffle on the back and this cute flower on my front. 

I am made of recycled plumish colored yarn taken form a damaged sweater, the only new yarn on my is my hair and the colored decorations.

Hallo I am Blibb, I am sassy and rock a funky loopy hair do. I am a free form design meaning there is no pattern for me. I am an original.. :0)

I have a necklace and long thin arms for little hands to hang on tight and not lose me in the store.

And now Uber Lubbs

Uber Lubbs are small and monster cute, a lot of fun.


Hiya I am Plibb, I am a free form creation with frill and curly arms, I have a ruffly skirt that I just love. I am not perfect nor do I want to be.

I also do coasters, washcloths, ornaments and all kinds of great items for that gift your hunting for.
If you have any questions drop me a message and I will be happy to help.

I will take custom colors for the humanoids of the monkey and the skat cat, I also had a rabbit and a girl in the works will post for them another time. also custom colors for baby blankets

one free click will save a life

above the purple box you click for the free food there is the All Star Challenge please also click there and vote for VILLALOBOS RESCUE CENTER in CA they are the largest pittbull rescue in the nation and the starts of Pittbulls and Parolees .(Please confirm your picture so your vote counts)
they are in such need of donations of blankets and treats and volunteers
 http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theanimalrescuesite.com%2F&h=256f0

going green

Image via Wikipedia

i learned about terracycle from a green section in an office supply store.
 www.terracycle.net
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/TerraCycle?ref=ts
they started out with plant food from worm castings ans moved on from there.
This past April they launched some products into WalMart. Lunchboxes, purses, kites all made out of the wrappers from chips and candy and juice pouches.
they are also taking in Ziplock bags and containers and turning them into cutting boards. This New Jersey based company is doing fantastic things with what we consumers throw away everyday and if you sign up for one of there brigades you can make that trash into cash for your children's schools



This link is for Teens Turning Green, I came across them by accident online, they are all for removing lead from our lipsticks and taking the toxins out of our nail polish they are doing great work trying to make legislation against things that are killing u, these kids are our future and we need to hear them and support them check them out

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Teens-Turning-Green/29471969003?ref=ts





I saw this post about Crayola on my Facebook wall and had to share it. I so love Crayola and all the things they are doing to keep our children creative, and now they are going green, finally!!!


http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbcphiladelphia.com%2Fnews%2Fgreen%2FCrayola_Goes_Green_With_Solar_Farm__Recycled_Markers_Philadelphia.html&h=a35b1




and now Treehugger, they are so full of great green info. they are doing sooo much that i am not able to go into detail check them out.


http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.treehugger.com%2Fgalleries%2F2010%2F08%2Fgreat-green-back-to-school-gear-for-tots-and-teens.php%3Fpage%3D1&h=a35b1