A Beautiful Award and Other News

Anni at Hootin' Anni's has touched my heart in a very special way. Anni has presented me with the Artist Award. This award originated at Morning Sniffles, and when Anni received it for all of her wonderful talents, she chose to pass a copy on to me. Let me tell you that for Anni to honor me with this award is a great honor. When I saw she had presented it to me, I got this big old lump in my throat and teared up. Thank you, Anni. You've touched my heart once again with your love and kindness.

Anni presented this award to me for my Treasures to Me blog. Some of you may not know that I have a second blog where I write about things that I treasure. If you've never visited Treasures to Me, please drop over for a visit.

I want to pass this beautiful award on to a couple of ladies that I know that are very talented.

Mary at Isabella's Closet. Mary makes beautiful banners and created the header for my Writing Nook blog. If you remember my Christmas header, Mary also created it. Mary also makes lovely home decor items. If you've never visited Mary's blog, be sure to drop in and see all her wonderful creations.

Deena at Can I Be Pretty in Pink also creates some beautiful things. At this time Deena is on hiatus because she is battling breast cancer. Please stop by and leave her a cheery greeting.

February is Black History Month and I've been meaning to post more about how these African Canadians have contributed to Canadian history.
Today I'd like to pay tribute to the Black Canadians who have served in the Canadian military. Though some seem to think that African Canadians have not "paid their dues" in defending our nation, nothing could be farther from the truth. In reality Black Canadians have a long history of military service to our nation. In every instance, African Canadians have voluteered their service. The Volunteer Military Company was made up entirely of Black soldiers and served this nation during the American Civil War.

The Volunteer Military Company was established in Vancouver, British Columbia and was active from 1860 to 1864. This wasn't the first Black regiment to defend Canada and the British controlled territory of Canada. African Canadians have been active in every war and conflict where Canada was involved since the American Revolution.

I salute all African Canadians, past and present, for their sacrifices and duty that allow the people of Canada to continue to live in freedom.

Photo Courtesy of
Library and Archives Canada
C-022626

I would like to leave you with another Valentine postcard from my collection. You're welcome to take a copy if you'd like.

Remember to do a kind deed today. Give a neighbor a helping hand, say a kind word to a child or simply smile at someone who looks as if they're a bit down. Kindness brings hope and hope is everything. ~Blessings, Mary~

Good morning to all my friends and readers. It's Tuesday and it's just a week until my daughter, Michelle has her surgery. She had to go to pre-op yesterday and they told her that instead of being in hospital overnight that she will be staying for four days. This didn't make her happy, but made me feel better. After all, she shouldn't be coming home the day after having a hysterectomy. If I remember correctly, they kept me for five days when I had mine. Though I dislike being in the hospital, the same as she does, it is the place to be after major surgery.


I just found out that SIL is taking the entire week off to make sure that the boys are taken care of. I will go Tuesday morning to watch them while he takes Michelle to the hospital and I'll pick them up from school so he can stay with Michelle for a while. She will sleep after she comes back to her room and he will come home to get them dinner and put them to bed. Then I will pick them up from school so he can visit with her the following day. All in all, we will work it out.

I worked on the boys' Valentines last night and they're just about finished. I will try to take some photos when I am done so I can share my idea. They're very simple, but the boys will love them.

And now, with it being so close to Valentine's Day, I will share one of the Valentine postcards with you from my collection. You are welcome to take a copy if you wish.

In historical news February 12th was Abraham Lincoln's birthday. I always found Lincoln very interesting. Have you ever researched the similarities between him and Kennedy? Interesting reading.

Take care and be sure to give someone special a hug today and tell them you love them. We never know what tomorrow will bring. ~Blessings, Mary~

Monday Award and Meme Day

Today is Monday and the day that I'm supposed to post all my awards and memes for the week. This is going to be fun. This week I was blessed with several awards from Carolyn at Talk to Grams. Thanks so much, Carolyn. I love them all and the Biggest Heart Award is especially awesome.
I'd like to give the toadally awesome award to all the people on my blogroll, so scroll down and if your name is there, you're welcome to take a copy of this award.

The Cool Cat Award was given to my by both Carolyn at Talk to Grams and Sharon at Sit With Me Awhile. Thank you, Ladies. It is adorable. It is going to ALL my visitors. Regardless whether you've been here before, you are welcome to take a copy. All my readers and visitors are awesome.

Anni over at Hootin' Anni's was tagged for a screen capture meme and asked others to participate. Anni is always a lot of fun and this was a challenge for me because I had no idea how to do a screen capture. This is what Anni said:

1. Capture a picture of your computer’s desktop.

2. Post it on your blog along with a link to who tagged you.

3. Tag some people.

Here’s how you can do a screen capture:

1. View desktop and press the Print Scrn key (located in the upper right corner of your keyboard on the same row as the F12 key).

2. Open a graphics program (like Picture Manager, Paint, or Photoshop) and do a Paste (CTRL + V).

3. If you wish, you can “edit” the image, before saving it, but it is best that no icons be deleted before the screen capture so as to add to the element of fun.

Thanks, Anni! You taught me something today and here is the screen capture of my desktop. It is a photo I took at Sea World when we were in Florida. Notice the icons of the games that hubby and the grandsons play. I'm not into computer games but they are. Notice when I took the screen shot that I had two windows up. One was Hootin' Anni's blog and the other was my ebay page.

Like Anni, I am not going to tag anyone for this meme, but if you'd like to participate be sure and let me know. I would love to see your screen capture and following Anni's instructions, it's very simple to do.

Today I cut out the boys Valentine cards that I'm making for them. I am going to be working on them for the next day or so and if they turn out good, I will post photos.

Take care and have a wonderful and safe week. Remember, a smile can light up someone's day and be a real blessing, so when you see someone who looks a little down, give them your best smile. ~Blessings, Mary~

School Resegregation and a Visit with the Grandsons

February is Black History Month and I enjoy learning about black history. Being educated in the culture of others is always enlightening, but the headlines in the morning Toronto Star shocked me. It read: Resegregation: In the wake of recent court decisions it has become the fourth "R" in American schools - reversing decades of government efforts to integrate black and white students. Hardly anyone - least of all black leaders - seems pleased.

What is going on in the world. I grew up in the 50s and 60s and knew without a doubt that segregation was wrong. I watched the NAACP fight for the rights of blacks in the US. I watched race riots on TV and was even in Detroit when one occured. That was scary.

Recently, in Toronto, a vote was taken to open a completely segregated black school. I was appalled to hear this news and now this headline in the paper jumps out at me first thing this morning. What is the world thinking?

In the same paper, on the front page, another smaller headline reads: Obama closed gap with three more wins. America is possibly going to have a historical vote later this year that will put the first black man in the Oval Office. How can these two headlines be on the same front page. Here we are making a historical step (possibly) and at the same time segregating students in our schools. Can anyone make sense of this? I would like to hear your views.

The grandsons came last night to spend the night and we had a good time. We had dinner and then they played while I cleaned up. After that, the boys got in their pajamas and we watched Snow Buddies. This is one of a series of the Air Bud movies. We shared popcorn and had a good laugh. If you haven't seen it, be sure to pick up a copy or rent it. It is a beautiful story.

After I'd finished cleaning up, I found Brandon and Meeko relaxing together. They both know that the couch is not a place for dogs, but Meeko seeks the boys' attention when they are here and this is the end result. *sigh* Meeko isn't destructive but I'd rather he didn't get on the couch and bed. When the boys are here he tends to be a little sneaky and they don't discourage it. After all, bonding with an animal is great fun.

Jordan wasn't to be seen and I went into the computer room to see what he was up to. He had asked if he could go online to one of his game sites and I'd told him if he stayed on that site he could. I've never known either of the boys to disobey about what they view online and he was indeed playing his game. He swiveled around in the chair and I snapped his picture. He is wearing the Pluto shirt he bought at Disney with his own money. He loves that shirt and wears it every chance he gets.
The boys got up this morning, had breakfast and played with their little marble toys. There are metal cards involved and when you put the plastic marble-like toys on the card, they open to reveal a man. The boys love these and enjoy playing.

The boys went home about 1pm and this Grandma was tuckered out. They certainly keep me busy while they are here and I enjoy every minute of it.

My friend Mama Bear at Bears in Exile is celebrating her anniversary. Be sure to drop in and congratulate her. She tells the story of how she and her hubby eloped and she's also posted some great photos.

I hope your weekend was as much fun as mine was. Have a great week and remember to show kindness to others. ~Blessings, Mary~

P.S. Please remember to enter my Easter Giveaway. I will be choosing the winner on February 15th.