New Family Weekday "Traditions".......

"Waiting For Dinner".....can you see the cast iron pot cooking something tasty over the flame? I don't see a TV in the room either.
This could be "my house."

In light of the "food crisis"
that is happening all over the world and due to the high rising costs of food and gas. I felt the need to do something to RAISE "awareness" in my own family.

Thus we have begun "Meatless Mondays"...and "TV-LESS Tuesdays" at our house....not a huge drop in the "world bucket" but just our tiny, tiny, contribution. Plus it is beneficial to THIS family health wise and dollar wise.
I know the "no TV" thing on Tuesdays isn't any great help to the world...however it actually does keep it "calm" in our home and encourage us to do other things than just lay on the couch and have our minds entertained by a electrical powered box....with no effort on our parts. Well little to no effort.
I mean you DO have to press the remote from time to time.

We used to do this "no TV" thing two times a week a few years ago. We had what we called "No TV Nights" where the kids could "Do their home work, play a game, read, hang out and talk to Mom and Dad, or do most anything"....except watch TV.

At first they bawked a bit....but really at some point we really we all became used to this new habit.. But then something "slipped" and we fell back into kicking on the TV in the evening to watch the 5:30 World News and before you know it....the "squawk box" is on ALL NIGHT.....until we go to bed.
As far as the "meat" issue goes.....we don't eat alot of it and aren't against anyone who does eat it. We personally do not eat alot of red meat or pork.
We do like a little steak on occasion and I do mean "rare" occasion.
Yes, pun intended. :-)


So for about the past month.....we have been doing these two "event" nights. Except for the one Monday that I forgot it was "Meatless Monday" at our house and I had chicken, our main meat source...all thawed out and ready to cook when I realized it. But I skipped it and we did it the next night instead. HA!
IT was...."Meatless AND TV=less Tuesday" that week.

Now, I have always felt that "Great Minds think alike"....in fact it's one of my favorite sayings..."tongue in cheek" of course...usually.

So I read an article tonight on a website about Paul McCartney (another "Great Mind)asking his fellow Brits "to give up meat on Mondays" as well.
Here's a quote from the article... "Paul urged his countrymen to give up meat on Mondays, as a way to cut back on their carbon emissions."Interesting.
Then once I had read the Paul McCartney thing.....I did a little searching and I happened upon a website that is called "Meatless Monday" which is part of a "Campaign" by the "John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health." Another.....ummm....place full of "Great Minds."
To quote their website;
"Meatless Monday is a national health campaign to help Americans prevent heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer - four of the leading causes of death in America."

I think we are on "track" here as a family just in these two little areas.....and this may prove to be more beneficial than we realize in the long run.

If we hang in there.

Now if we could just do something more as a family about the gas situation.

High School Days

How do you describe your high school days? Do they evoke sweet memories or are they littered with bitterness and frustrations? Do you still keep in contact with your high school friends? Please explain your answers.

Tags: High School Days, Sweet Memories, Bitterness and Frustrations, Zest For life

Posted by: Mel Avila Alarilla

Gabe's "New Ride"

Gabe and his new car.
Gabe flew into New Orleans from up north last week and bought a new car. It's not totally brand new...it's a 2003 but he has ALWAYS wanted this kind of car. So he is thrilled.

We visited with him for several days.
Now he's on his way back to his home far, far, away in a distant land called Connecticut.
Some where I have never been. Sigh.

He loves it up there....for many reasons. But one being it is so much cooler than here. Gabe has always liked a cooler climate.

We checked in with the "Connecticut Yankee" last night and after driving 17 hours straight, and going through a "scary and weird experience in Mobile Alabama at 3:30 in the morning."

I knew my husband and I had both woke up praying for him in the night several times for a good reason. I called him at 5:00am to check in on him to make sure he was still awake after driving all night.

He had finally made it to Virginia yesterday evening where he was staying the next two days with a friend and attending some business seminars for work before driving the rest of the way home.

I am a bit concerned though.

About his car that is.
I wonder how they are going to like his car up there in "U-Conn" territory...Especially since he put that LSU plate on the front has added that huge LSU sticker on the back windshield..umm....not counting the one on the front windshield. Yikes!

You would think that boy liked LSU or something......

Major Changes........

Ripping out the kitchen
We have been doing some MAJOR CHANGES in our home this year. We just completed the main hall bathroom....which is looking pretty good I must say so myself.

Then last month we had a huge DRAMA.....with this project.
Believe me it was DRAMA too!! I am not over exaggerating in the least bit when I say that.
This is what the "old air conditioner/furnace" looked like once they pulled it out from it's spot and put it on our patio. Scary.....


We had problem after problem with this project.
The A/C people started EARLY in the morning and it was to be done that night...at about 7:15pm I was coming home from work and called my husband and he told me that we had "no Air Conditioning and that they had a problem".....ugh.
OF COURSE....this was ONE of the most humid days we had experienced up to this point in this season....so our house was unbelievably HOT and humid inside when I got home.

My husband had the main A/C man....a friend of ours coming over to check the freon to see what was going on and they found a "leak in the main coil"...ugh! By then it was after 10:00pm....so we triaged the situation and decided to pull out every fan we could...and stick then in the windows and take showers to cool off before going to bed. Ceiling fans blaring of course on high speed.

We were in "hurricane mode" but with power...which we usually pull off anyway because we use a generator....we just had "extra fans" going this time.

Long story.....ummm.....longer.

They fixed all they could and we soon all realized that it still wasn't right.

THREE DAYS LATER ....still with no air in SOUTH LOUISIANA where it was/is very humid and about 80 degrees at 10:00 at night.....and where we have been running our air conditioner.....since December mind you......
(NEW Air Conditioner)

They decided they had to REPLACE the unit they had just put in because it was "defective"....our poor A/C guy who is the nicest guy on the planet...and my poor husband.
They both nearly went crazy over this......and me.....well, I was staying out of it. HA! HA!

I was already frustrated with the mess of it all.....water on the wood floors and rust and the constant running in and out...not counting all the stress of this unit not working. And the expenses.
They seemed to keep going up from what the original estimate/costs were to be some reason. UGH!

Anyhow.....now it's done and we sang "Hallelujah" when the air really DID come on and it was sweet.

That is UNTIL the next day......day FOUR....the air went "off" on it's own and we couldn't get it back on....SO we had to call our sweet A/C guy and he had to go BACK UP into the attic which is like a "coffin" this time of year....and fix an "electrical problem."

This new unit now works so much better and nicer than our old one and pulls much more humidity out of the air we can tell and hopefully will save us money.

Now we are on the "Kitchen remodel project"....and on a deadline.
My 17 year old Twin Niece and Nephew from IOWA are flying down to stay with us for TWO weeks and we pick them up in New Orleans on the 20th. Soooo...we are trying to get this nearly finished by then.
YIKES.....

Photos will be forthcoming when I get a chance to down load them all.....

The kitchen was nearly totally gutted.... the electrical and plumbing is DONE and the new drywall up and about ready to be painted. We have to hurry and get the cabinets up because the counter top people are coming to do the template for them on Wednesday.

Yes....we love living "on the edge."
I think.

What Terrifies You Most?

What is your worst fear in life? What terrifies you most? Do you have a most terrifying experience in life? Please share it with us.

Tags: Terrifying Experiences, Worst Fears, Nightmares

Posted by: Mel Avila Alarilla

Happy Independence Day!!!

I LOVE our flag.

I always have. I just think it's very cool looking. The history is amazing and....and you always recognize it. No matter where you are....or what is happening to it. Good or bad.
I mean I do. Maybe that doesn't work for everyone. I'm not sure about that.
It just happens that way for me.

But then again, I also...like flags in general.....and I love the "Nations" so I am into flags. Because I can identify where something or someone may be from.

That's why I am into that little "blog reader counter" thing on the side bar because it shows a flag and the country. Things like that facsinate me. HA!

It's because they, the flagsthat is.... "REPRESENT" something...they STAND for something....they express.
There is a story and usually a struggle behind who they are waved by and for the land they fly over.
And that is important to many.

When you see a flag from a different nation...and if you recognize it....don't you immediatly think of that country and their people and what their history is?
What they have become known for?
I do...maybe I am just wired different but that's how I am.

I absolutely love to watch the "Opening Ceremonies" for the Olympics and see the
"Parade of the Nations" and the athletes carrying their flags.
It's so awesome to me.

I've been to Third World countries...and also to other "Western" countries....

And then I've come home.

There is just "something" about seeing your OWN country......and seeing your own Flag when you hit the ground or come through Immigration. I've been on planes where once they land....everyone has applauded.....and it wasn't because it had been a bumpy ride. It was because we were back on American soil after being out of our own country.

It didn't mean we didn't like where we had been.....it just meant were were glad to be back home.

I've heard people say....once arriving back into America or whatever "homeland" they belong to....that "they wanted to KISS the ground"....

I have been there and I can relate. It's always fun to go away....but it's always GREAT to be back.

I have to agree with them and say......
"Yes Dorothy...there is no place like home.

I'm not saying that things are perfect in America.
I wouldn't be that bold or pompous.
Believe me.....there are things that bother me just like anyone else.
But you work it out. You do what YOU can to fix it.....to make it better.

What I am saying though is that........
"I love this country....this America."
The name is neat too isn't it?
I just said it out loud and I think it sounds great. HA!

I have few "FAVORITES" when it comes to other countries.... as most of you already know...but I have to say...and no offense intended here.....
I like "mine" the best.

Do you know which one is #2 on my list?? HA! HA!
We will talk about that later......today is
"America's" day.**Post Note**
I received this in my e-mail just now....it's sort of fun to read.
And it explains a lot of how I feel.....except for #10. HA! That one varies depending on who is reading it."Ten Things I LOVE about America"

Poundage

I thought this was HILLARIOUS...!!!

Ummm....I DO need to loose about 10 "American Pounds" though...if you know what I mean.

Right, well I would absolutly LOVE to drop about 10 Pounds "Sterling" shopping in England too but it would cost a fortune to get there to do it.

Speaking of which.....it cost me $90.00 to fill the gas tank in my truck today.
That is about.....say.....200 British Pounds.

This gas thing is getting out of control.