Retiring the flag with the boy scouts

Hello World,


Pack 512 Troop 15 today decided to retire an old flag. We usually hold out meetings at the fire station in Reno and the boys got to learn a little about fire safety rules as well. 


As always my world is a busy and crazy one. Might I add I would not like it to be any different. This week my friend Kim is her from South Africa visiting me. She has been in my life for 9 years and most of that time we have been oceans apart. She has seen me through one of the hardest moments in my life and I was so happy to see her again after two years. We have been doing touristy things like going to San Francisco and driving around Lake Tahoe. We made it back to Reno in time to catch the flag retiring ceremony with the cub scouts. 


When a flag becomes worn or tattered, it is to be replaced with a new flag and the one one is to be reitred in a proper way. This required theflags to be burned in a ceremonial way with the highest respect.
According to the Boy Scouts of America publication 'Your Flag' 'When our national flag is worn beyond repair, cut it into small pieces that will burn easily and completely on a modest, but blazing fire. This should be done in a simple manner with dignity and respect. Be sure the flag is reduced to ashes unrecognizable as a former flag.


There are many many ways to have a flag burning ceremony. My troop did a informal version but the boys learned about the rules about the flag and how it should be retired. Each boy took a turn to read a little about the flag before we lit the fire in a bowl. The boys did a great job and I as a grown up learnt a lot too. If you have a boy I hope you will consider joining the cub scouts. It is a great amazing program.


Here is what our ceremony looked like. Thank you for stopping by.

Here is some flag ettiquette we should all know and teach our kids: ( This was found on the internet ) 

American Flag Etiquette.

Federal law stipulates many aspects of flag etiquette. The section of law dealing with American Flag etiquette is generally referred to as the Flag Code. Some general guidelines from the Flag Code answer many of the most common questions:

• The flag should be lighted at all times, either by sunlight or by an appropriate light source.
• The flag should be flown in fair weather, unless the flag is designed for inclement weather use.
• The flag should never be dipped to any person or thing. It is flown upside down only as a distress signal.
• The flag should not be used for any decoration in general. Bunting of blue, white and red stripes is available for these purposes. The blue stripe of the bunting should be on the top.
• The flag should never be used for any advertising purpose. It should not be embroidered, printed or otherwise impressed on such articles as cushions, handkerchiefs, napkins, boxes, or anything intended to be discarded after temporary use. Advertising signs should not be attached to the staff or halyard.
• The flag should not be used as part of a costume or athletic uniform, except that a flag patch may be used on the uniform of military personnel, fireman, policeman and members of patriotic organizations.
• The flag should never have any mark, insignia, letter, word, number, figure, or drawing of any kind placed on it, or attached to it.
• The flag should never be used for receiving, holding, carrying, or delivering anything.
• When the flag is lowered, no part of it should touch the ground or any other object; it should be received by waiting hands and arms. To store the flag it should be folded neatly and ceremoniously.
• The flag should be cleaned and mended when necessary.
• When a flag is so worn it is no longer fit to serve as a symbol of our country, it should be destroyed by burning in a dignified manner.

I wanted to share this version of the flag retiring ceremony. I read this on the internet and I wanted to share this with you. If you want to read more ways to organize a flag retiring ceremony then you can get some ideas at this link . http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/more/flagretirement_scouts.htm



I AM YOUR FLAG
I was born on June 14, 1777
I am more than cloth shaped into a design.
I am the refuge of the world's oppressed people.
I am the silent sentinel of Freedom.
I am the emblem of the greatest sovereign nation on earth.
I am the inspiration for which American Patriots gave their lives and fortunes.
I have led your sons in to battle from Valley Forge to the blistering desert of the Arabian Peninsula.
I walked in silence with each of your honored dead to their final resting place beneath the silent white crosses, row upon row.
I have flown through peace and war, strife and prosperity, and amidst it all I have been respected.
"Old Glory" is my nickname; proudly I wave on high. Honor me. respect me, defend me with your lives and fortunes. Never let my enemies tear me down from my lofty position lest I never return. Keep alight the fires of patriotism, strive earnestly for the spirit of democracy. Worship Eternal God and keep his commandments, and I shall remain the bulwark of peace of freedom for all people.
FOR I AM YOUR FLAG!
(Stop here until the colors are completely separated. Then continue:)
My red stripes symbolize the blood spilled in defense of the glorious nation.
Let us retire the Red Stripes — Salute!
(burn the RED stripes)
Two.
My white stripes signify the burning tears shed by Americans who lost their sons.
Let us retire the White Stripes — Salute.
(burn the WHITE stripes)
Two.
My blue field is indicative of God's heaven under which we fly. My stars, clustered together, unify 50 States as one for God and Country.
Let us retire the Blue Field with Stars. — Salute.


Thank you for stopping by.

Promises, bribes, threats,rewards..what would parenting be without these ?

Hello World,

Don't know how much you know about me and what I do ? Well it would take a long time to list it all. I am sure it is the same for many moms. Some would consider me to be like and onion , but I do not make people cry, then there is the cabbage, but it is stiff and hard, so I would like to be like a rose , nooo that has thorns,, so a Dahlia I shall compare myself to. What am I talking about ? Layers.. I have many layers ( Oh this reminds me of the clip in Shrek, onions have layers, ogres have layers ) My version is Dahlia's have many layers and people have layers, I have layers and layers.

Click here Shrek video clip to see the video clip. I cannot believe that I found this clip just by googling for it. Amazing technology. See I am already off on a tangent. Like many many of you out there I do a juggling act every single day and I wear many hats to achieve all the things I do. 

So anyway I will get to my story. On Wednesday Priyasha was having an emotional morning and was being very clingy. She is in kindergarten and usually rides the bus. Every so often I drop her off at school on my way to the office or to the gym. On Tuesdays I stay and help in her classroom. Well on Wednesday she decided to imitate the old fashion velcro. She clung to my legs and my heart raced with panic. Her teacher looked at me and re-assured me that she will be fine. I felt helpless as she was peeled of my legs. I walked out of the classroom and did not look back till I was out of her site. I stood outside the gate staring at her classroom and sighed a deep ***siiigghhhh**

What's a mom to do ? I did what was right, I keep on trekking.. I went to the gym and did a kick ass workout... all the while thinking of my baby girl.

Drenched in sweat I stopped by the school again to check in on her and she was fine just like her teacher had promised me. So all sounds good right ? Wait, rewind to when she was crying and holding onto me...her little girlfriend Lauren was also crying and holding her mommy. We met Lauren on day one and she is having a really hard time adjusting to being away from mom. Some of why Missy cries is because she sees someone else cry. She is my sensitive one.

I was so heartbroken to see them both cry, I had a GENIUS MOMENT ...NOT !!!! Have you ever open your mouth and said something and then wanted to reach in your mouth and tie up your tongue in a knot... Yep that was me. I bribed the girls and told them that Lauren could come over and have a playdate tomorrow ( Thursday ). Wait there is more and we can bake cookies... Now remember I work, I had two closings this week, 5 active buyers and cub scouts and girl scouts in the works..yeah did I mention I had layers...

So the minute I suggested it, I wondered how the heck I was going to pull it off. Well I did and it was a blast. I had the other mom follow me home and she visited for a while. Then when she left we baked brownies. I chose to go with the package kind to keep this a simple task for five year olds. We also had very little time to pull it off. The girls learned to measure, take turns and be patient. Lauren had to be picked up right when the brownies were ready. I sent her home with some yummy brownies. It was easy enough for the girls.They did make a mess but it is no fun with no mess right ?

 Now I need to work it off tomorrow with my body sculpting instructor wah wah !!

Okay so a very good friend of mine Kelly has a point.
She said " This is such a sweet thing you did for two little girls. What memories they will have!!!! "  
She also added " That is so adorable! It may have been a bribe in the beginning, but now it is a wonderful memory in the start of a little girl's friendship "


Kellie thank you for being a great friend and for stopping by for tea today. Kellie started her own blog about motherhood too. Please stop by her blog and say hi. She needs some encourage in our wonderful blog world. You can find her here scoutmomx2.blogspot.com

Hope you enjoy my pictures.

Thank you for stopping by...

Barley Soup and Snowy mornings

Hello World

It is only Oct 6.. it was not even two weeks ago when we said goodbye to summer. I was looking forward to the harvest season.You could feel fall in the air. The kids and I have been dreaming of apple pies, pumpkins and cider. So much to look forward to in the fall season....but the last two days have been cold. I have the heat turned on already. I am so tempted to get the fireplace going too.

This morning we woke up and there was snow on the mountains. Can you see it in the picture. Off course my son decided to take off his jacket at the bus stop. I noticed and yelled after I took the picture heheee ! As for my daughter she out grew all her jacket wah wah !! Well I stuffed her into something one size too small and called it good. Her head and hands did not grow much yay !  So this weekend I am off to do some winter shopping.

I cancelled my appointment with the personal trainer at the gym and decided to work at home.Work in real estae that is and not a work out. I have been running around like a mad woman and needed some time to catch up. So yesterday missy was as clingy as could be and I left the school and wanted to cry ( No I did not, teach me how to again ) It was heart breaking having the teacher peel he off my legs and me walking away. Yes she is the new velcro strap in town. I thought that was supposed to end when we started pre-school and here we are in kindergarten and she is still attached to me. She loves he mama... but I am ready to stretch the cord to all day in school ( wohoooo for me ) I feel guilty that she is in school all day but I really shouldn't , shoud I ???

So yesterday I bribed her and told her if she did not cry when I left then she could have a friend come over and bake cookies..What was I thinking...Oh dear..So I will bake cookies and enjoy the afternoon with her. I had to get dinner under control so I took out the crock pot today.

So much has been going on in the Real Estate world. That is another discussion. So if you need to know about short sales and having the deficiency waived please ask even if you are in a different state. 

Anyway back to cooking for now. This is a super duper easy recipe that I stole from a very good friend. See pictures below and recipe below that.

Thanks for listening to me ramble.. Please leave me your comments. 

I 

Barley Soup

Stew Meat
1 can corn
1 can tomatoes
1 large can chicken broth
1 small bag barley
celery
carrots

open up cans and dump into crock pot with veggies..Cook on low 6-8 hours..

Enjoy !

Eezzy Peezy !

It is now 6pm and dinner is served !

Hope you give it a try. Let me know how you change it and how it turns out. 

Cub Scout popcorn sale

Hello world,

I have to say that I love love love the Cub Scouts !

70% of your purchase goes back to the Scout, his troop or pack, and his council. The Boy Scouts of America provides a program for young people that builds character, trains them in the responsibilities of participating citizenship, and develops personal fitness. Well scouting is a long long road and requires a deep commitment. We have been in it since Kindergarten and I hope Pravan will see it all the way through Eagle Scouts.

Did you know it takes about $235 to cover all the activities for each scout every year. The council is asking that each boy sell popcorn for $235. $10 a bag for yummy goodness. If you have not tried some you should pick up some at the local show and sell in your area. Yes I am talking about those dedicated responsible boys in uniform outside Walmart, Raley's or Safeway. They work hard and they are also learning key skills like communicating with people. Some boys are shy and this is a great opportunity for them . I know my son is one of them.



Here are the boys awaiting a customer...Don't they look so handsome ??

The boys were having a good time chatting to the people of NW Reno as they entered the store on a Saturday to shop for groceries and then this nice man stopped by and asked the boys lots of questions about popcorn and prices. He then purchased a $20 bag of thriple chocalate delight which is out of this world.He then told the boys that they could have the bag if they promised to share. They did not waste anytime. It was delicious.





Pravan is working on not being so shy and here he is interacting with a nice lady ..She offered to buy a box of popcorn.

I refused to go around my neighborhood selling popcorn with an order form. Taking money from people that may not know me or trust me was awkward. Then I would have to revisit their house to deliver the popcorn....Way too much work in my already hectic schedule. I was able to get a box of popcorn and we sold $130 worth of it in an hour. I got a work out and the kids were drenched in sweat by the time we made a circle around the neighborhood.





Priyasha has always been a cub scout wanna be so she was more than happy to help her brother sell popcorn. She has no choice but to be at all his meetings so she know the promise and most of the rules. We started off in a wagon and Pravan pulled her around but that got old real fast and he decided to ride his bike while I pulled missy in the wagon. I was impressed at how well Pravan did his selling to the neighbors that answered the door.

We need to get another box and sell more this week....If have not already support a cub scout, please do so. it really helps keep scouting alive. What an amazing program for our boys ? If you have a little boy I hope you will consider signing him up for Scouting. You will be glad you did.

Till next time ..Mwah !!!!

Lunches and good food

Ladies,

Thank you for stopping by. I will post as much as time allows me in my crazy schedule. I know many of you have face book so please like my face book page. I will post there more often as it is can be quicker for. I started an album on there called lunches.

I am proud to say that my son is nine and my daughter is 5 and we have never eaten at a fast food restuarant besides Subway and Port of Subs but that is just sandwiches. I have always packed my son's lunches. Now that my missy is in school I have two lunches to make. It can be challenging so I am mostly prepared with a small menu on Sunday. I also have lunch notes ready to go for the whole week.

I wanted to share some of my ideas with you. Please let me know what some of your ideas are ? I hope this will help some of the other busy moms out there...

I am actually two weeks behind in posting my lunch box pictures so I should have regular content to share with you. One idea a day is my goal for now... Today you get three ideas to mix and match.

Thanks for stopping by.

Tuna submarine with a red pepper for a sail...gold fish , carrots and a cookie

Boiled eggs no yolk, blueberries, red peppers, string cheese and a gogurt and peanut butter pretzels for snack time.

 Dinosaur pastrami sandwiches, raddish's, yogurt, fruit snacks and a granola bar for snack time plus cashews

Yes my kids eat all of their lunch..Lunch time is at 12:30 for the boy so he is starving as breakfast is at 7:15 and  snack at 10:30.. My girl has lunch at kindergarten at 11:45 and she also eats all her lunch. I was surprised.

Thanks for stopping by..Please share your thoughts.

Crockpot dinner makes one part of my day mindless

Okay ladies...

So I promised that I would post my recipes on here. Today I knew was going to be a whirlwind of a day for me so I used my frozen crock pot dinner as a lifesaver. While the kids ate breakfast I set up the crock pot and opened up the bag of my roast pork for dinner.

Grab a glass of wine, a glass of martini or a nice cup of tea. Put up your feet and take a glimpse into my day. I was up at 6:20am today as I did not make lunches for my kids last night and I knew I had a ton to do. I had to get the kids on the bus, stop by the church and meet a girlfriend for coffee by 8:45. I was on schedule after 50 pictures of my lunch boxes and my little girl..We take pictures everyday of her for 100 days for her 100 day project at school. Okay so I know it should be one picture a day but I take like mmmmhhhh 10...So I will have a 1000 pics for 100 days of school but whose counting right ?

Then I realize I am out of gas so I call my girlfriend to let her know but she was dropping her kids off too. I get to coffee and I knew it was the only peace and quiet in my day until now... I relax and chat and we are catching up on jib jab... a few moms come in and they say hi and talk to me about the crock pot recipes.. they tell me I was the topic of discussion at their luncheon :) :) :) I am so glad I can share my adventures with you.

SO for those that do not know me on facebook I came up with my freezable crock pot meals and made 10 in less than two hours. It has been an overwhelming response so I created a page called Moms, Martinis and Munchkins... or something..Here it is
http://www.facebook.com/pages/MomsMartinis-and-Munckins-Everyday-is-a-juggle-and-a-struggle/274426095909478

I then race off to meet a client I squeezed into my day..4 houses later I had to leave to pick up an out of town client from the Atlantis...I will share the joys of home showings in another post... Around 2 pm I drop off my client at the hotel and squeeze in the client from the morning again to write a full price offer on a house. Then I had to call the school and tell them to have the kids ride the bus home and I raced home to get them from the bus stop...I barely made it. We grab a snack and head to cub scouts.. I call clients to tell them their offer is accepted and listen to them screeching..... YAY !!! Happy day... for them ...i still have 200 emails to read and two more offers to write.,,,Yeah I will be up till the sun comes up tonight..I am taking a break to share with you my pics of dinner and the easy easy recipe...Keep reading...

So we are at cub scouts at 4:30 and then I am working out with the kids in my long dress and boots... as they are earning their athletic badges... Then there is drama...one sprained ankle... he is okay..then two kids coming running to get us as one boy fell off the play structure landed on his face...covered in blood and a possible sprained arm...the leader is so awesome and had a first aid kit and we all assist as I babysit another boy as his mom had to go to school and I was waiting for dad...then it gets gloomy and dark and starts to rain as I race to get to the school by 5:30 for the PTO meeting..yes did I fail to mention I am now the secretary of the PTO ...It was a great meeting with a good number of parents that showed up. On the way home at 6:30 I remembered we were out of milk and called hubby as I thought he was home cooking my egg noodles but he never made it home..so I had to race home and cook egg noodles and his punishment was to bring me a bottle of wine heheeeee!

Now her are pictures of my dinner..it was really delicious but a little too salty..I need to read the labels on the soup can a little closer next time. I kind of threw this together so it does not have a name.

Pork Roast and Lipton mix ( is what I will call it )
one large can of cream of mushroom soup
a bag of lipton onion soup mix
throw it together and call it good

EASY RIGHT ...and it tastes sooo good.

I served it with egg noodles and veggies. You can serve with mash potatoes as it makes a great gravy and a salad or just veggies.

Hope you try it. Please leave me some feedback. I promise not all my recipe posts will be so long...

testing

do u see this ?

hello

Thank you for joining my page Moms, Martinis, Munchkins Everyday is a juggle and a struggle.

Please visit me soon. I will be adding recipes and lunchbox ideas as I go through my weeks and days and months of juggling my act each and every day. I love what I do and I am happy to share my ideas. Thanks again for stopping by.

Another disappearing act

One in my cyber world would think that I was magically transformed into Houdini.

Actually my real world friends will say otherwise. My life has changed in ways I cannot imagine. My little girl is not so little anymore. She is in kindergarten. My boy is in in fourth grade and I am now a full time Realtor with Coldwell Banker. I am still a full time mom, cook, chaffeur, nurse, pyschologisy, teacher, therapist, picker upper, fixer upper ..you name WE MOMS DO IT !!!

SO everyday is a juggle and a struggle. I also help with the cub scouts, girl scouts and signed up to be the secretary for the PTO at my kids school...sshhhh!!! so much going on so I know you will forgive me for not blogging. I have folder and gigabytes of pictures to edit...I am out of breath just thinking about it all and now I am also trying to squeeze in the gym..I need to loose my rolls. LOL !

I hope my cyber friends can encourage my return...I have so much to share. I have tons of recipes I want to post on here. I take no credit for them as I researched these over the internet over time and I do not know where or who I got them from.

Stay tuned and I will post you some yumminess and bags of giggles as I go through my days of work, clients and kids.

MWAH !!!

Charred Rosemary Pork Chops

Hello World !

It feels good to finally put my feet up and kind of relax. Actually I have some work to get done tonight before I call it a day. It has been very busy today. I ran errands with the girl but forgot to plan her lunch before she was picked up for school by a friend. I stopped at the store and picked up a lunchable for her to eat as I shopped for some groceries. What a terrible mother I am...hey better than McDonalds right ???

I then had to meet my friend to pick up the girl for school, race over to see my bestest buddy Stacey for Thai food yum ! yum ! Then off to the dentist, back home to sew more aroma therapy bags, 3 loads of laundry, mop the floors and whip up this amazing dinner.

So another happy place for me is the kitchen. I love love love to cook. The kids helped with other chores while I cooked. Here is the recipe for you to try out. Quick meal with some prep work  but can be done in steps and up to a day ahead.

I served this up with mashed potatoes and green beans stirred in with almonds.

To start with :

Pork Chops

Ingredients

• pork chops 
• 4 T granulated sugar
• 1 T garlic, minced 
• 3 Serrano chilies, minced 
• 2 T rosemary, chopped 
• 3 T parsley, chopped 
• 1½  oz. olive oil 
• 1 T kosher salt
• 2 tsp. black pepper

Directions

Place pork chops in a large bowl and reserve. In a blender add sugar,garlic, chilies, rosemary, parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper; macerate until smooth. I also added 2 T of chipolte pepper spice . (Can be found in spice aisle next to chilli seasoning ) Just thought I woud experiment a little. 

Rub pork chops generously with mixture and let stand for 20 minutes if possible.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Grill pork chops over an open flame or sauté, to medium-rare. Be careful not to over-caramelize (the sugar in the rub will burn if left on the fire too long). Once a golden color is achieved transfer to the oven and roast until internal temperatures reaches 125°F. Let rest 3 minutes before serving.

I scooped some mashed potatoes on the bottom of a deep plate. Top with Pork chop and add green beans for some color and drizzle sauce. 

For Sauce :

2 T parsley, chopped 

• 1 T oregano
• 1 T thyme
• 1 tsp. red chili flake
• 6 T extra virgin olive oil
• 2 T aged sherry vinegar
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• ½ tsp. black pepper

Directions

In a mixing bowl add parsley, oregano, thyme, chili, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Whisk and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.

Not sure I like the sauce very much but hubby did so that is all that matters. We cracked open a special bottle of South African wine from the 2010 World Cup collection... A romantic dinner for two in the middle of the week. He may even score tonight once again LOL ! To top it off we had some wonderful South African chocolate aaahhh !!! what more can a lady ask for ..a backrub ??? Maybe I will be lucky.

Remember the key ingredient to cooking. You can never run out of it and it can be found in your HEART , it is " LOVE " 

I have very fond memories from my childhood days cooking with my mom. She always said that if you cooked with love , no matter what you make it will always taste mmhhmmmhhh GOOOOOOOODDDDD!!!!!

So my secret ingredient is " LOVE " 

Hope you give this a try.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you had a productive day and your TO DO LIST has a ton of strike offs like mine does. Let's face it ...we will never get to the bottom of it as we keep adding stuff to it.

Free Spirit XOXOXOX !!!!!

Aroma Therapy neck wraps

Hello World !

24 hours in a day
1440 minutes in a day 
86 400 seconds in a day

How productive are you ? How are you using your time ? I have been busy busy... 

Work is frustrating lately. Been dealing with short sales and negotiating with the banks and I have managed to relieve my seller of the deficiency on her loan. Hoping to close in 45 days. Every time expectations and dead lines are met there is another hurdle. I am hoping for this to finally close. Are you upside in your home ? Ask me how I can help ???

Other than devoting my time to work , cub scouts has been bust too and lots of projects with the boys and my personal projects with kids. I have so many sewing projects now it is crazy. I need to stop starting a new one before I finish one in progress.

My latest project is aroma therapy neck wraps. I have a square bag for myself but the kids have been fighting over mine so I decided to each of them one. I re-searched this for a while and did not find a pattern anywhere. I drew mine on muslin free hand and I am so happy with myself. If you look at the bottom right picture you will see my pattern.


Here is a sample of silk brocades I purchased today. I love it when I can use a 50 % coupon and a 20 % coupon of your total purchase at Joann Fabrics. Print your coupon. See end of blog post.Save some money and create something beautiful.

Fabric makes me happy....I love that I can take a beautiful piece of fabric, cut it up and create something beautiful, useful and

the joy it brings to my kids is priceless !

Pravan loves my sewing machine and he is really getting good at driving it on his own. 

He helped me measure and mix and fill the bag. I sewed a channel in the bag so the filling will be evenly distributed. As you can see I used flaxseed, rice and freshly dried lavender. This is on of four bags. I will post part 2 when I sew one for the girl. Thanks for stopping by. Let me know if you have any questions on how to make one of these.

This coupon ends soon. 

Thanks for stopping by 

Free Spirit xoxoxoxo 

I heart Faces {Red - In support of Go Red For Women)

This is my first entry for I heart faces. Hope you like this picture as much as I do. For a while now I have lurked on the site and felt like a stalker of so many talented photographers out there.

I love taking pics and I am still learning so much. I love all the inspiration out there. Clickhappy is what my family calls me and viewing life through the lens is a daily activity and an absolute pleasure. I look forward to my adventure hopping to each of your blogs and learning a thing or two along the way.

Thanks for taking a peek at my work.

Thanks for stopping by.

I heart you !

K*I*S*S


Keep it simple Sweetie


When will I learn... I had a blast with this photo shoot.


I entered this photo in the I heart faces blog... never done that before so I am giving it a try. I was just disappointed that I had to crop the picture for the blog.

Here is my creation for Valentines Day cards. This was a spin from another blog. You can view HERE Thanks for sharing your creativity.

Happy Valentines day and thanks for stopping by.