ROSH HASHANAH-A JEWISH FEAST

Today is Rosh Hashanah, 5769

Food plays a highly symbolic part in the celebrations for the Jewish New Year. In Hebrew, Rosh Hashanah means, literally, "head of the year". Rosh Hashanah is commonly known as the Jewish New Year.

This name is somewhat deceptive, because there is little similarity between Rosh Hashanah, one of the holiest days of the year, and the American midnight drinking bash and daytime football game.

There is, however, one important similarity between the Jewish New Year and the American one: Many Americans use the New Year as a time to plan a better life, making "resolutions." Likewise, the Jewish New Year is a time to begin introspection, looking back at the mistakes of the past year and planning the changes to make in the new year.

I hope to be more disciplined with my art and try to finish more projects this year.

MY NEW QUILT

I started out with making a collage. The words were all cut out from magazines. The eyes were from a photo that I had enlarged. I just finished printing on my white fabric the images I wanted to use for my new quilt. I used 8 1/2 x 11 Avery labels purchased at Office Depot to stabilize the fabric before running it through my printer. Now I am ready to check out my new sewing machine and see how my baby will sew. It is my BABY LOCK ESPIRE machine that I just purchased.

SUMMER OLYMPICS COMMENTS

Here are the top 10 comments made by NBC sports commentators during the Summer Olympics that they would like to take back but, alas . . .

• 1. Weightlifting commentator: 'This is Gregoriava from Bulgaria . I saw
• her snatch this morning during her warm up and it was amazing.'
• 2. Dressage commentator: 'This is really a lovely horse and I speak
• from personal experience since I once mounted her mother.'
• 3. Paul Hamm, Gymnast: 'I owe a lot to my parents, especially my
• mother and father.'
• 4. Boxing Analyst: 'Sure there have been injuries, and even some
• deaths in boxing, but none of them really that serious.'
• 5. Softball announcer: 'If history repeats itself, I should think we
• can expect the same thing again.'
• 6. Basketball analyst: 'He dribbles a lot and the opposition doesn't
• like it. In fact you can see it all over their faces.'
• 7. At the rowing medal ceremony: 'Ah, isn't that nice, the wife of the
• IOC president is hugging the cox of the British crew.'
• 8. Soccer commentator: 'Julian Dicks is everywhere. It's like they'vegot eleven Dicks on the field.' 9. Tennis commentator: 'One of the reasons Andy is playing so well is
• that, before the final round, his wife takes out his balls and kisses
• them... Oh my God, what have I just said?'
• 10. Another favorite is during the diving competitions the commentator
• said... 'Look at that... you aren't getting anything between those legs.'

LOST IN AMERICA

http://lostamerica.com/about.html Someone shared this link of a photographer that took photos only in the moonlight. I wanted to share his work with you.

LENA

I was thinking about my maternal grandmother, LENA, the other day. She was a beautiful woman who passed away back in the early 80's. She was born in 1900 this month. So if she was still living she would be 108 years old! Wow!! We named our son, Lane, after her memory.

CAT SUPPORT GROUP

ALL YOU CAT LOVERS OUT THERE. I WANTED TO SHARE THESE FUNNY CARDS I FOUND. IF YOU HAVE A CAT LIVING WITH YOU THEN YOU UNDERSTAND THE JOKES.

MY COLLECTION

This is just a small sampling of my cookie jar collection. I got started about 16 years ago when I saw a cookie jar at a garage sale and decided to buy it. Funny thing is I have NEVER put a cookie in one jar! Ha... Originating in the 18th century, cookie jars started out as British biscuit jars. In 1929, the cookie jar made its way to the United States as a glass jar with a metal, screw-on lid.

DO YOU HAVE COLLECTION that you would like to share? I have quite a few...

MY "EYE" DEA

This is my idea for a new art quilt that I had. I could work on it during the hurricane because it didn't require any sewing. I saw a picture of these eyes that seemed to stare at me. I knew I wanted to do something with them. To begin the quilt I had to cut out words from magazines. That I could do by candlelight or flashlight. It took me about a month to cut out all the words I wanted to make my selection from. I was able to do all the gluing the week we didn't have power. I blew up my photo to the size I wanted first. Then I started placing the words where I wanted them. I had trouble finding someone that could transfer my image on to fabric so I had to cut the picture into 8 x 10 sizes. I made copies in black and white. Now I will experiment with printing it on my own white fabric. I bought some large Avery labels to put on the back of my fabric. I will let you know if it works. The next step will be to quilt it and then embellish it.

BUSINESS CARDS

There was a discussion on my Quiltart website about business cards. Here is the one I ordered using VistaPrint. They were really fast and easy to figure out.

This is the one I use most when someone asks me for my card: I use this one when I am showing just my mosaic art:

This is the one I use for photography work:

PHOTOS FROM HURRICANE IKE

BEFORE HURRICANE IKE CAME THE CLOUD FORMATIONS WERE REALLY STRANGE LOOKING. THE PICTURE SHOWS HOW DARK THE CLOUDS WERE COMING FROM THE SOUTH. AFTER THE STORM BLEW THROUGH OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. IT TOOK DOWN TREES AND LOTS OF LIMBS. IT EVEN SNAPPED HUGE TREES RIGHT IN HALF! OUR SWIMMING POOL FILLED UP WITH LEAVES FROM ALL THE OAK TREES. FISHING THEM OUT WAS NOT FUN. HURRICANE IKE BLEW DOWN THE FENCE FROM OUR NEIGHBORS YARD. IT FELL ON PERRY'S TRUCK AND BROKE HIS SIDE VIEW MIRROR.

ABSOLUTE COMFORT

I snapped this picture on the night we were waiting for Hurricane IKE to hit Galveston. They could care less that a major storm was heading our way. We finally got our power back yesterday afternoon. I WAS THRILLED!!! I feel like I am back in the 21st century now. I will post pictures that I took before and after the storm tomorrow. STAY TUNED...

STILL WITHOUT POWER

I am posting this message from my friend's home who is lucky enough to have power. I do not have any electricity due to Hurricane Ike. I am extremely frustrated!!!! Nothing to post about except that it has been a miserable week of heat, no internet, spotty cell phone service, and soggy ice-chest use. We are keeping our fingers crossed that today will be our lucky day and the electric trucks will reconnect our neighborhood. I am off for a well deserved manicure and pedicure.

WATCHING AND WAITING

http://www.stormpulse.com/fullscreen/current

HURRICANE IKE

Officials have ordered the mandatory evacuation of coastal areas south of Houston including all of Galveston Island. Their main concern is a powerful storm surge that could be several meters high when it comes ashore late Friday or in the early morning hours Saturday. Our Zip Code in Sugarland is not in the evacuation. We will stay put expecting lots of rain and wind.

Storm Path:

Date: Sep. 11, 2008

Time: 8:00 p.m. ET

Winds: 100 mph

Strength: Cat. 2

Direction: Moving west-northwest near 12 mph

Latitude: 26.2 N

Longitude: 89.9 W

• Hurricane Ike Takes Aim at Houston

• Hurricane Ike bears down on busy Houston port

• Governor Perry Warns Texans Hurricane Ike is 'Dangerous'

• Astros postpone two games against Cubs

• Parts of Texas evacuated ahead of Hurricane Ike
• Ahead of Ike, gasoline spikes

GARDEN SECRETS

This morning I went out on the back patio to show a friend my hummingbird feeder. They are coming around FINALLY!! But we noticed something moving in the plants and then upon closer inspection we found this tiny, baby lizard. My tomato plants were not doing well and low and behold guess what we saw on the stems? Yep, caterpillars! I have no idea what kind they are. Usually the ones we have are Black Swallowtail ones. But these are so different.

I think this is a Giant Hornworm Caterpillar called an Apple Sphinx.

THE WEDDING FROM HELL

NOW WE HAVE OUR OWN VERB

"FIXIN TO" is a phrase we say loudly and proudly here in Texas. We use it with our southern accents to mean we are about to do something or we are getting ready to do it.

Here Bob Dylan (1962) sang FIXIN' TO DIE (Bukka White).

• I'm lookin' funny in my eyes
• And I believe I'm fixin' to die
• Believe I'm fixin' to die
• I'm lookin' funny in my eyes
• Now, I believe I'm fixin' to die, yeah
• I know I was born to die
• But I hate to leave my children around cryin'
• Yeah
• Just as sho' we live
• It's a, sho' we's born to die
• Sho' we's born to die
• Just as sho's we live
• Sho' we's born to die
• Yeah
• I know I was born to die
• But I hate to leave my children around cryin'
• Yeah
• Yo mother treated me, children
• Like I was her baby child
• Was her baby child
• Yo mother treated me
• Like I was her baby child
• That's why's I sighed
• Sighed so hard
• And come back home to die
• Yeah
• So many nights at the fireside
• How my chillen's mother would cry
• How my chillen's mother would cry
• So many nights at the fireside
• How my chillen's mother would cry
• Yeah
• 'Cause I told the mother I had to say, goodbye
• Look over yon-der
• On the buryin' ground
• On the buryin' ground
• Look over yonder, on the burying ground
• Yon' stand ten thousand
• Standin' still to let me down
• Yeah
• (washboard & guitar)
• Mother, take my chillen back
• Before they let me down
• Before they let me down
• Mother, take my chillen back
• 'Fore they let me down
• Ain't no need a-them screamin' an cryin'
• On the graveyard ground.

Click the link and then click the listen arrow. http://www.bobdylan.com/#/songs/fixin-die-bukka-white

VOTE FOR LANE!!!

~~~~ONLY ONE WEEK LEFT OF VOTING~~~~

By Cheryl Skinner

Lane Zieben is hoping local residents will help propel him to the 2008 World Series. Lane is not a ballplayer. He is a 20-year-old college student who made the finals in the Gillette MLB Rookie Reporter Showdown and will, if enough people vote for him, be working at the World Series as a reporter.

Lane is a 2006 graduate of Elkins High School and is currently majoring in broadcast journalism at University of Texas Austin. His parents, Kathy and Perry Zieben, live in Sugar Land. Lane says his mother saw the competition on the internet and knowing his passion for broadcasting, encouraged him to enter the competition this summer on his college summer break.

I took a chance and did a video and sent it in. I am currently one of four people in the Houston area and one of 48 people nationwide that made the semi-finals. I have used all my networking sources and I hope that some of your readers will help, Lane said in an interview Monday.

The Gillette 2008 MLB Rookie Reporter Showdown is a summer long competition to find the fan that's smooth enough to land the ultimate sports reporter gig: covering the 2008 World Series for MLB.com, say promoters of the competition.

Auditions were held outside 12 Major League Baseball stadiums. Now, the field has been narrowed to 48 Gillette Rookie Reporters four from each MLB team who competed in challenges during games at their home ballpark.

From August 25-September 14, these reporter challenges will air during local broadcasts with fans having an opportunity to log onto www.mlb.com/gillettereporter to vote for their favorite. Lane is hoping that Fort Bend County residents will rally and take him over the top.

Lane says he has known since he was a teen that he wanted to be involved in sports broadcasting. That has been my main goal since I was about 15. Initially I wanted to do sports analysis on a major network, such as ESPN or FOX. Then I started working with a group at college that does play by play and I found my niche. Now that is my goal,Lane said.

An avid sports fan, Lane says while he does hope to get the golden opportunity to go the World Series and participate in this exciting event, he won't be discouraged if he doesn't win.

Even if this doesn't work out, it won't deter me from my goal of being on national television as a sportscaster,he said.

The winner will be announced during local broadcasts throughout the week of September 15.

For those voting for Lane, there is an extra incentive. They might just win a trip to the World Series. After casting a vote for Lane, they can also register for ultimate baseball prize package: roundtrip airfare for two, hotel accommodations, and tickets for two to attend a 2008 MLB World Series Game! All the details are available at www.MLB.com/GilletteReporter.

HOME FOR 10 PEOPLE...IN A PORTABLE BOX

FEELING GOOD SATURDAY!

Tom Henderson created ShelterBox. The contents of his portable refuge can sustain a family of 10 for six months. The lightweight, weatherproof box contains items such as a 10-person tent, blankets, basic tools, water-purification tablets and containers, a multi-fuel or wood-burning stove, mosquito nets and other items tailored to the particular region in crisis.

The ex-Royal Navy search-and-rescue diver says the idea behind the ShelterBox came to him "literally in a heartbeat" while watching the news in 1999. Henderson was struck by the footage he saw of relief workers dropping food on the ground to victims of a disaster.

According to ShelterBox, each box costs $1,000 in the United States, including all materials, packing, storage and distribution to recipients around the world. Donations from the British public and money raised from Rotary Clubs worldwide help fund the boxes.

"Nobody can buy our boxes, they are only available for free," says Henderson.

I THINK THIS IS AN AWESOME IDEA!

GETTING THE LAST LAUGH

I don't know this person but they certainly had a great sense of humor!

MOSAIC MADNESS

This morning when I took the dogs for a walk I noticed the nice cooler air we must have received from our Northern friends. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!! It doesn't last long but if we have it during the early morning and late evening I will take it anyway! Now I can start working on this outdoor mosaic again. It really needs to be cleaned up after the grouting process.

Fort Bend residents can click to send local college student to World Series

OUR LOCAL PAPER RAN THIS ARTICLE ABOUT OUR SON, LANE. PLEASE GO AND VOTE FOR HIM EVERYDAY!!

http://www.fortbendstar.com/090308/n_Fort%20Bend%20residents%20can%20click%20to%20send%20local%20college%20student%20to%20World%20Series.htm

YOU DECIDE IN NOVEMBER

Please watch the following video and decided for yourself what you think about it.

MDA TELETHON

It's a Labor Day tradition -- giving to Jerry's kids. The annual Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon began Sunday at 11 p.m. on KPRC Local 2 and ends at 6 p.m. Monday.

Last night they hosted a kick off party for families affected by MD. We were invited to participate and entertain the families while they had dinner, danced, and had fun.

Here are some pictures from last night. YEP, I am a clown!

SNUGGLES AND TIC TOC

SNUGGLES WANTING CAKE BALLOON TWISTING WHEEL CHAIR YUMMY LOOKING CAKE