Fighting the battle

Summer is here as are shorts and swim suits. Over the winter I have put on a few extra pounds, and the older I get the harder it is to shed them too.

My husband and I have decided to start walking each day for one thing, but that isn't enough. We need to cut back on what we eat as well. I have been looking into weight loss pills to help curb the hunger and give us that extra boost to our metabolism. I look forward to a slimmer me very soon.

Until next time,

Mary

"Sex and the City" the Movie

You're going to have to forgive me for going on and on about this event that begins Friday night across America and maybe the world. Carrie, Charlotte, Samantha, and Miranda will once again grace the big screen with the "Sex and the City" movie.

The name of this series kept me from watching it for the first few seasons. Then I heard my daughters talking about the relationship between these four friends, the clothes, the honesty between them and most of all, the acceptance of one another. Extremely different types of people, these four young ladies go about their lives in very different ways and with different sets of values, but they do it together. Oh that in real life we could find it this easy to embrace the "not always easy to take" differences we encounter in the people in our worlds.

The relationships, the clothes, the honesty all joined together to make this series one of the most popular ever, and are now making this movie a anxiously awaited event as our heroine, Carrie Bradshaw marries the love of her life, "Mr Big".

My two daughters and I have already bought our tickets for the movie. Saturday night we're going to go out to dinner and then to the movie. We can't wait!! I suggested that we all dress in fashions that would make these Sex and the City gals proud of us, but my girls said I could but they didn't want to. (such chickens I raised!! lol)

Anyway, expect a review of the "Sex and the City" movie here on Sunday or Monday. I'll tell you all about it.

If you too are going to see the movie, do let me know what you think by posting a comment here. If I get enough response I will publish them in a blog posting just for your comments.

Until next time,

Mary

How to play "Hearts"

Today is a great family day and so I thought some of you might enjoy the instructions for playing the card game "Hearts". I recently learned to play this fun game so wanted to share it with you.

These instructions were lovingly "borrowed" from the link below, they are not my own.
How to Play Hearts by Cindy Bond

HEARTS

The object of the game:
Players don't want to end up with tricks containing hearts or the queen of spades, but they do want to end up with the jack of diamonds.

How many can play:
Three to seven players (four players is the best!)

The cards:
You need a standard deck of 52 cards. Each player is dealt the same number of cards. So, if you have 4 players, each receives 13 cards (13 x 4 = 52). If you have 3 players, deal each 13 cards, then add the leftover cards to the kitty. The person who takes the first trick will take the kitty, too. In each suit, the cards are ranked from the Ace, with the highest value, on down: K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, and 2.

How to deal:
The players cut for deal. The lowest cut is the first to deal. The whole pack is dealt out clockwise, one card at a time, each placed face down.

After the cards have been dealt, each player chooses three cards to pass to an opponent. Players pick their cards after they've looked at them, and before they've received cards from their opponents. Cards are passed to the right at the first deal, to the left with the second, and across with the third. At the fourth deal, players keep their own cards.

Note: after each hand, the deal passes to the player on the dealer's left.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is such an important day in the year of our county. It's a day of honoring those who have given their lives for our freedom. We Americans take this amazing country of ours for granted. Our way of life is unlike anything in the world, yet because most of us have never known anything else, we just live it and rarely give it much thought.

My husband is a naturalized citizen. Though he is from Canada, a wonderful country too, he still considers it an honor to be an American and is a way better citizen than I have ever been. He would never miss a chance to vote and is always ready with a flag to proudly display, for any national event such as this one honoring our military dead.

As a born and raised Americans, I hope that you all will join me on Monday with a prayer of thanks to God for all who have fought and given their lives so that our country and others can remain free.

Join me also in a daily awareness that our freedoms are a wonderful gift from God and that anything that keeps others "imprisoned" or made to feel less than the human beings that they are, should be and will be squashed. We as a people must continue to fight for freedom on a day to day basis for all people everywhere.

Let this be so always.

Mary

"Hillary, go home honey!"

I really feel that as a woman I should be shouting, "GO HILLARY" but I can't. For one thing I don't know if I'm ready for a woman president, but I do know that I'm not ready for any Clinton to hold office in this amazing country of ours. My gut doesn't trust her and is tired of hearing about her.

I'm not excited about the Republican candidate either. I think our party could have come up with someone who would represent some new ideas and encourage trust in a party that frankly is floundering in my opinion.

When "Bill" was running for office, I had a strong sense of he was doing it all for himself rather than for our country's well being. I feel that same way about Hillary.

The other day I heard part of a speech Randy Pauche (The Last Lecture) was giving. He said that he didn't get married until late in his life because it took him that long to find a woman whose happiness was more important to him than his own. I loved that and feel that way of thinking is what I need from a presidential candidate. I need to hear from someone that the well being of the United States is more important that anything. It's been a while since I have heard that from a candidate...but just maybe, John McCain does give me that.

Any thoughts on this? I'd love to hear your opinion.

Until next time,

Mary