Sunday, February 27, 2011

Thing a Day: 25.9

I know that today is actually the 27th but this is actually a continuation of Day 25.

This is a very sad topic but I do have many Jewish friends who may want to see this as well as other people that have read the book without "having to".





Here is a copy of my 13 year old son's Project for Elie Wiesel's Night...And he didn't make me wait for it to get graded after I told him how good I thought it was.


Foreign Jews deported by the government
Rail cars intercepted by the German Gestapo
Forced under gunpoint into digging mass graves
For themselves
The babies used as target practice



Germany invades Hungary
Nice, with much freedom
Then starts an anti-Semitic presence
Forced to stay in homes
Arrests of Jewish leaders
Gold, silver, money, watches, other valuables
All taken away
All Jews marked by their own star
With the threat of death on not wearing them



Moved to live behind the barbed wire fences
Kept prisoner in their own neighborhoods
Then forced to abandon all possessions
And march into cattle cars
Eighty in each one



Oppressive heat
Little breathable air
Darkness everywhere
Not enough room to sit down
So they sleep standing
Germans nail the doors shut
People become lunatics
As they near the destination
Fire can be seen through the small windows
And the smell of burning flesh moves through the car



The arrivals step out of the train car after it enters Auschwitz
And proceed towards processing at Birkenau
The Nazi doctor Josef Mengele leads the “selection”
Making the “good” live to work
And the “bad” to get executed with gaseous pesticide in false showers
And cremated in open pits
Those too old and too young, get killed
Those ill, insane, crippled, disabled in any way, get killed
Others that do not meet Nazi standards, get killed



They are forced to take off their clothing
Then every part of their body shaved
The hair used for textiles
They are showered
They are disinfected with gasoline
They are clothed in prison uniforms
They are now homogenized
Alike in their suffering and torture



They are forced to walk under gunpoint
Through villages
At an almost leisurely pace
Until they arrive at the work camp
Auschwitz III
Buna



Stripped of all valuables
Even gold teeth
And sometimes shoes
Forced to work to support the Nazi cause
Beaten by their superiors and other prisoners
Some are transferred away
Others given twenty lashes for occurrences that are not even crimes
Their possessions consist of eating utensils
Living in fear of American air raids
German-led executions
The constant threat of “selection”
And the omnipresent danger of death



No one knows whether to stay or to leave
Staying means liberation
Or possibly certain death
Leaving means if one survives the transit
He does not face certain death
Marching through the dark and snow
The SS with orders to shoot all that stop
Sons abandoning fathers
Forty-two miles of torture
Ending at a deserted village
Where the prisoners are allowed to rest
And where sleep is the cruelest enemy



From there they march to Gleiwitz
Three days without sustenance
They are herded into cattle cars
Sans roofs
One hundred in each one
When passing through towns
People throw in bread
The prisoners fight to the death
Less than twenty leave each car



People fall very ill in the barracks
And do not leave until it is time for their cremation
On April 5, the murder of Jews begins
On April 10, it stops
On April 11, the prisoners are prisoners no longer
The starved eat and drink
Finally free



Friday, February 25, 2011

Thing a Day: 25.1

Need to cheer myself up after helping my son...too depressing

I don't think this dad knows what kind of monster he just created.






Thing a Day: 25

I know I keep missing my TAD's but there never seems to be anything worthwhile to mention.

Today I helped my 13 (.89 according to him) year old figure out what he wanted to do for his project relating to "Night" by Elie Wiesel.



Thanks to SparkNotes, I was able to remember the story. It is a like a virtual Cliff Notes book. (I survived high school English classes with help from Cliff.)

I had also pulled out this book I purchased while I was visiting Dachau when I was 17. I was leafing thru it. It helped me think about a subject I haven't seen in such depth since I was there. I have never been able to bring myself to watch "Schindler's List" after having learned about it in Hebrew school during junior high .

In the end he has decided to write a poem explaining the process from them being taken from their homes to the peoples ending ...however the Nazi's would decide their endings would be.

If my son will allow it, I will share it after it has been graded. A good grade will be at least one of his requirements for allowing me.

Sorry about such a sad subject but...

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." -Santayana

Monday, February 21, 2011

Thing a Day: 21

Not creative but certainly fun!

Miniature golf. Need I say more?


undefined

Friday, February 18, 2011

Thing a Day: 18 (My New Book)

I hate to say this, but I haven't been the happiest person the last few years...for a good portion of the time.  Dealing with the pain of the Rheumatoid Arthritis on and off most of the time is very wearing.

I really notices it one day when one of my sons said he hadn't seen me smile in such a long time. I'm sorry. That made me want to smile for but  it made me feel sad...I don't want you growing up remembering that about your mom.

When I saw a free e-book from Barnes and Noble for my Nook, I jumped at the chance to buy it. It's called     7 Ancient Keys to Happiness.  Hey...it can only help, right?

7 Ancient Keys to Happiness: A 90 Day, Lesson-a-Day Guide to Achieving Inner-Bliss

It has one activity a day for 90 days to help you remember all of the good things in your life...and hopefully helping you to not think of the unpleasant things.

Today's activity is to become a "LIFE Connoisseur".

Describe all of the assets of either:
(1) an experience (e.g. eating an apple)
(2) a possession (e.g. your bed); or
(3) a relationship (e.g. your best friend)
But you must make sure to only mention the good things and leave out the bad.

Makes sense.

This is going to be tough...

I think I need to do this on paper.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Thing a Day:16

Tomorrow's agenda...Organize the spice cabinet.

So...what do I need to do?

Separate baking from cooking.

Label all bottles. (Wipe 'em down while I'm at it.)

Alphabetize them? Maybe. Probably.

Fill all bottles (from Penzey's refill baggies).

How long will that take? umm...a while.

Hmm...

Thing a Day:15

I know that I have skipped a bunch of days but I am trying to get back on track...

My thing on the 15th was to take a trip to my local Penzey's Spice store (with my husband).

Get a catalog

My husband, Pete, decided that his Valentine's Day Present to me would be to take the day off from work to spend with me. I love spending the day with my hubby...even if it's just running errands. But this errand was special and fun for both of us.

This store is full of spices and herbs...and you get to smell each and every one of them. You get attacked at the door with the conglomeration (is that actually a real word?) of smells.

The best part of shopping there...and finding a new seasoning is that you will be able to make different kinds of dishes and flavors that you couldn't before. Now it is time to do 2 more "things". They will be coming in the next few days. (1) Re-organize the spice cabinet so that we can find everything. (2) Search for new recipes that we'd like to try. Hopefully D will eat at least some of them.

Everyone should take a look at the catalog. (Clicking on the picture of the catalog will get you to the page to order a catalog.) We have been using their products for about 10 years and we love 'em.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Thing a Day: 12

I know that I have missed a few TADs but I've been busy and not feeling so great and have been really tired . I have fallen asleep on the couch the last few days.

I still don't have a "thing" for you today but I wanted to share something.



Remember how a few days ago I altered a dress? Well...the girl who's dress it is came over with a really nice thank you note for me today.

Here's what it said:
"Thank you for fixing my dress. The dance was fun and all of my friends liked my dress. It fit very well. Thanks so much"--L.

...and there was also a thank you from her mom too.

I made me feel great! I had fun doing the altering. Maybe I'll add that to my things to do...

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Thing a Day: 8

I know I'm a day late but here it is...

Cute dress! I only have boys so it was fun doing this "Thing".



One of my friend's daughter, bought a dress that needed to be altered. She asked. I said sure.

The dance is on Friday. The dress is fixed. I just have to hope that I fixed it properly.

...just waiting for her to come try it on to make sure it's right.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Thing a Day: 7

TAD 7 didn't really happen...
I have been dizzy (no really, dizzy, not just ditzy) since Saturday. I haven't managed much since then. I think the only reason why I was able to go snow shoeing the other day is because I had the poles to steady me.

Have you ever felt like you were motion sick...but were just walking on hard ground. That has been me since Saturday. Even turning my head made me dizzy.

My hubby is a physical therapist and was looking through his old books to see what could be wrong. Sometimes it's bad to know stuff. He's looking at all kinds of diagnoses...virus (ok)...auto-immune disease (really? I already have 2...please be wrong)...

Finally, I went to the doctor Monday night (after Pete got home to drive me). She discovered that I had fluid behind my ear...causing motion sickness.

PHEW!

...and I have to say...I LOVE motion sickness patches!
(This is what I'm using.)

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Thing a Day: 6

I know I missed day 5, but I found myself sick yesterday. I was unable to do much of anything but lay down (somewhere near the bathroom).

Anyway...

My family and I have been trying to go snow shoeing since the beginning of December but there is always something that doesn't cooperate, whether it's the weather or my health.




Today, everything did cooperate. It almost didn't though. It was actually kind of funny.

Since my son has grown about 8" since the last time he wanted snow pants...we ran into a bit of a problem. It's a good thing that I'm short (5'3").

My 13 year old son ended up wearing the snow pants marked "womens medium". I wore the pair marked "14/16". They were a little shorter (in the crotch) than I would have liked...but I "sucked it up".

Then we went to a nearby park. walked around, ran around, made snow angels,



threw snowballs at each other, and watched a couple of dogs having a ball in the snow.

 I love watch animals play in the snow.

We all had a great time, followed by hot chocolate for the boys and tea for me.

Friday, February 4, 2011

Thing a Day: 4.5

Since it didn't work right earlier. I figured I would give it another try...

Today TAD has to do with helping my sons, who are both boy scouts.

First, I took the "Youth Protection Training".


Then I will be sewing on a total of 5 merit badges. Three for one kid. Two for the other kid. (Can you see the pins?)



(I thought my son did something to my camera. My pictures did not download this afternoon but a screen shot of his video game did, each time I tried it. I discovered it wasn't the camera...but it was still his fault. He left his game in the disc drive, that's what kept downloading into my photo software. How bizarre.)

Thing a Day: 4

Today TAD has to do with helping my sons, who are both boy scouts.

First, I took the "Youth Protection Training".

***imagine picture of certificate with my name and the date*************************************

Then I will be sewing on a total of 5 merit badges. Three for one kid. Two for the other kid.

***imagine a picture with 2 olive green sashes. One with 6 sewn on, 3 pinned on. The other with only 2 pinned on.*********************************

(My son did something to my camera. My pictures will not download but a screen shot of his video game does, each time I try it. I think he has forgotten that he has his own camera.)

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Thing a Day: 3

Hmm...

What should I do with some old apples...



applesauce? cinnamon muffins with apples in them? or maybe apple crisp...

It's still early yet. I still have some time to decide.

***a few hours later***

I ran out of time to decide, have to get the boys from their after school activities.



 Baked apples. It'll taste the same as crisp once it has ice cream or whipped cream on it, right?

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Thing a Day: 2

We finally have a snow day! Our first for the school year.

I am trying to teach my son how to make one of these snowflakes/stars:


This is his first attempt (I figured we would just make it out of magazine pages):


He forgot to flip it over. In the mean time, I made this. (Keep in mind, I've done this before.)


It looks like I will end up with a 8 pointed star...hey, whatever works right?

My son got very annoyed. decided to quit. Then he says..."Learning how to make it takes the mystery and beauty out of it." I think he's decided he doesn't want to learn it after all.

That's OK.

He just joined his brother in shoveling the driveway. They said the snow is really heavy but didn't give up right away. 

Hurray!

P.S. If anyone want to learn how to make these, visit my friend's blog here.





Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Thing a Day: 1

My father-in-law gave my husband on old Tommy Hilfiger sweater that he was no longer wearing. It's still in good shape. Hubby doesn't like it...neither does the son that will be able to wear it in the next few years.


so...


I'm making it onto a cardigan for me. I'm hand stitching it.( I didn't want it to stretch out on me.) I'm almost done. Just one more hem to go...up the one side. Do you see the pins still in it?

I'm glad I actually did it! It looks sooo much better as a cardigan.