A Day To Remember...

Cool Slideshows

It's a special brother who will travel 550 miles to get home, only to take his sister out for a ride in the desert! That is exactly what my brother, Doug, did Saturday. My sons, Travis and Tony, jumped on their Honda dirt bikes and lead the way to the mountains. We have lived here almost 7 years and I hadn't been up in the hills! I was very surprised at how tall they really were and how small our town looked. There are a total of 18 pictures in the slideshow, only a smidgen compared to how many I took! I don't think the slideshow program would have room for 257 pictures!! Let's see that would be 14 slideshows + 5 pictures!!!

2007 Arizona Vacation...

Cool Slideshows

My brother, Doug and his Chihuahua Luke, went to the '07 Family Reunion on the 18th and stayed for a week on the desert. His guide was our mother's cousin, Sam. Doug didn't get any pictures of the reunion, so I am waiting for those to come in from the relatives! It looks like next year there will be several dune buggies and jeeps at the reunion! I remember the family reunion held in 1985 by ride down the wash in my second cousin Kevin's Jeep. He took Travis and Tony and I to "Tony's Well". The well is named after a great uncle.
Doug got back yesterday and ended up taking me out in his desert runner. Travis and Tony jumped on their dirt bikes and lead the way up into the mountains behind our town. I will share some of those pictures in a slideshow tomorrow.






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The Flame of His Spirit...

I lived in darkness surrounded by fear,
Then God spoke my name and caused me to hear.
The flame of his Spirit ignited my heart,
And drove out the Darkness from each secret part.

I think of the flames on the heads of those saints,
Healing candles for Jesus the picture God paints,
A candle of flame knows no darkness, you see,
But dwells in the light as safe as can be.

It's flame draws others to its warm Godly glow,
'Til the two are ignited in Love's endless flow.

by Janey Loree

Written December 11, 1998 & November 16, 2001 ~ Candle art spark by Phyllis Mae Richardson Fisher

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Trees Among the Clouds...

Cool Slideshows

Pictures of the trees among the clouds in the San Joaquin Valley of Southern California!!!





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Blog Carnival Itinerary...

ALL THINGS EQUINE ~ BLOG CARNIVAL

Click on a banner to check out the carnival! The BLOG VILLAGE Goes Gonzo! & Kilroy Goes Gonzo Carnivals have already taken place, while A GONZO poetry SLAM!, A GONZO PHOTOGRAPHY CARNIVAL, and ALL THINGS EQUINE are slated for the near future!! These links will take you to single posts filled with an abundance of great posts on specific themes, and ultimately give you a chance to expand your blog traffic!!! Even if you don't enter a post, stop by for the fun!!!!






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Review my Post Opportunity...

Okay…here is an opportunity for all bloggers to make a little money! For payperpost members, all you need to do is add this badge: to the bottom of ALL your posts giving non-payperpost bloggers a chance to review your post and become a payperpost postie!! For you non-payperpost bloggers, here is a way to earn some money by giving your opinion of the post you just read. And then who knows, you just might want to start earning a little extra cash, too! When you build your page rank to 4 and above, you will start earning some of the big bucks! Right now, if your page rank is 8, you can grab an opportunity to make $1000.00. So, my suggestion to you is to start now by reviewing any post on this blog that boasts the new badge. Start gathering in those great links, build traffic with ppp posts, and join us posties over at www.payperpost.com. My suggestions to me, is to continue to bring great opportunities to my fellow bloggers and bloggettes.

If you want a way to increase blog traffic, and at the same time start a college fund, or a Christmas fund, check out this new program over at PayPerPost.com!

blogs

Notes goes to Photo Carnival...

The Gonzo! Photography Carnival is slated for February 26, and all you need to do is enter a post that includes:

> A photograph of you, a family member or a friend
> You must own the sole copyright to the photo in your post
> Accompanying text is not necessary, but is acceptible

Submissions will be accepted through Friday, February 23rd at 11:59 PM. Official rules and submission info can be found here.

Now all I need to do is find that perfect picture of the guys and post it here on Notes...and submit it before next Friday! Thanks to James Jordan over at Points of Light for hosting this Photo Carnival!!

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Happy Valentine's Day!!!

As the rose opens its petals to the sun,
I open my heart to you.
Letting you know that love has begun,
And that I am in love with you!
As a butterfly spreads its wings on the wind,
I open my heart to you,
letting you know that my love I send,
with the hope that you will say “I do!”
As my heart reveals its love to you,
I thank my God for the chance to prove,
as we walk through life together,
that from your side I will not move.
by Janey Loree Fisher

The "art spark" of Rueben 'n' Candy is taken from "Twiglet" the Little Christmas Tree, a fully illustrated children's book available in PJ's Corner Gift Shoppe.

Notes goes Gonzo at the FREE FOR ALL Carnival...

Well, Kilroy did it again, another successful blog carnival!!! I didn't make it to the first carnival, but entered a post in the "About Family" carnival hosted by Rosemary over at BLOG VILLAGE and entered four posts in the "FREE FOR ALL" carnival hosted on Kilroy's blog, The Gonzo Papers.

I had four posts because I was allowed to enter a post from each of my blogs. I entered "Thank you for sharing your paper doll memories" from PJ's Paper Doll Cut Outs, "Horse Personalities" from Mustang 'n' Cowboys", "Twiglet I - Part I" from "Twiglet" the Little Christmas Tree, and "Tag You're It" from Notes...


Check out a total of 39 posts listed in the "FREE FOR ALL Carnival!!! Also there is a rumor that there will be two more carnivals held on the 26th! Kilroy has all the links and information over on his blog for the poetry and photograph carnivals...

Spam Breakfast Burritos...

My whole family loves SPAM and this looked too good to pass up. Thanks to Recipe Source I having something new to make for breakfast! This is not a paid advertisement, we really do eat SPAM!! I'll share some of our SPAM home recipes in the future.

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
   1       cn             SPAM Luncheon Meat, cubed-(12 oz)
   4                       Eggs
   2       tb             Milk
   1       tb             Butter or margarine
   6                       Flour tortillas (6")
   1       c              Shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
   1       c              Shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
                           CHI-CHI's Salsa to Taco Sauce

  Heat oven to 400'F. In bowl, beat together SPAM, eggs,
  and milk. Melt butter in large skillet; add egg
  mixture. Cook, stirring, to desired doneness. Fill
  each tortilla with SPAM mixture and half of cheeses.
  Roll burrito; place seam side down on 12x8" baking
  dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese over top of burritos.
  Bake 5-10 minutes of until cheese is melted. Serve
  with salsa.

Twenty One Inches on February 7, 2007

I have measured my hair for the "Ponytail & Long Hair" contest that will be held during the Taft Oildorado Days in 2010. The last time I cut my hair was in 2005, At that time my hair was only 4" long. What was I thinking!!! Now my hair is 21" long!!! (24.5" long when straightened out!) I wear it in a ponytail most of the time, alternating between just pulled back and french braiding it.

The last time I let my hair grow this long was 25 years ago and it didn't get much longer than it is right now. It didn't take long for me to get it cut either, because at the time my oldest son was a newborn and he always had a handful in his tiny little fists. (roots and all!)

I can remember my maternal Grandmother's hair being about a foot longer when my mother cut it for her. She had thick auburn hair that she would braid and wrap around her head. The heaviness gave her constant headaches, that went away after her heavy locks were cut. I guess I get my thick hair from her and the natural curl from my dad.

To this day, I wish that I had kept a lock or two of Grandma Nim's braided hair. To my eleven year old eyes her hair was beautiful the way it ranged from deep auburn up to the speckled white and auburn roots. Her hair would have made beautiful dolls hair or a wig for a cancer patient. You didn't hear too much of that going on back then.

This post is to unofficially measure my hair so that I can tell how much it grows between now and the contest in 2010! The next measuring will be in 3 months on May 7.

*Okay...so far my hair has grown 20.5" in two years. That calculates out to 10.25" a year. So, if my hair continues to grow at this rate it will be a total of 55.25" long in 2010!!! That is roughly 4' 6" long and would need only 1' 3" to touch the ground. We'll see...

Goobers By The Beach...

While on a trip to the coast for a dentists appointment, we found a great new place to eat out. The place is "Goobers By The Beach" and it is located next to O'Reillys Bar and Grill in Grover Beach, CA. Only about a block away from the beach on Grand Avenue, this family restaurant is a true treasure!

We had been anticipating a visit to "Goobers By The Beach" for several weeks, ever since Travis and Tony had run into Barbara at the Post Office in our little town 80 miles inland from the Central Coast. Barbara had worked with my sons out at the prison and has turned her correction officer's uniform in for her dream of owning her own restuarant.

Both Barbara and her husband run Goober's By The Beach and O'Reilly's Bar and Grill. TnT and my brother ordered hamburgers, while I ordered the "Mother of All Club Sandwiches"! The guys commented on how good their hamburger and fries where, but I can only tell you about my meal. This delectable club sandwich followed a bowl of Cheddar and Brocolli soup that was sprinkled with a savory spice and garnished with parsley.

The club sandwich filled my plate with a combination of lightly toasted bread layered with slices of ham, turkey, lettuce, and tomatoes with just that right touch of a condiment the likes of which I have not tasted before! I opted out on the fries that I could have ordered with this sandwich and I am glad that I did. With my hunger satisfied with the soup, more than half of the Club Sandwich was placed in a container for me to take home. To say the least, this was a left over that didn't go bad in the refrigerator!

"Goobers By The Beach" has not had it's Grand Opening yet and their website is under construction, but I will be sure to let you know the dates for the Grand Opening and when their website link is live! If you are in the area, their coffee is the best that my brother has tasted in years. Stop by for a cup and let them know that the Fisher's sent ya!!!

Janey Loree on loosing perspective...

As I looked at my blog this morning, I realized that I was getting away from the original purpose of setting up Notes That Touch The Heart. Even though I use a paperdoll that was created by my mother to introduce the next post to you...the original essence is disappearing.

Granted PJ's Janey Loree is wearing outfits that I wore as a kid; outfits that my mother made for me as I was growing up. But, I have not conveyed to you that while the paperdoll reflects what I looked like at about seven or eight, some of the outfits she will be wearing range all the way to high school. For example, the red dress in the Valentine post was worn when I was in first grade and the white blouse and flowery pant outfit were handmade clothes that I wore in 6th and 7th grade.

As I write this post these outfits remind me of when...I used to twirl my hoola-hoop around my waist for hours or when I lost my first helium balloon, while standing on the front patio that my father put in after we bought the place! I can still remember how upset I was that my balloon had broke it's mooring after I tied it to my little wrist.

It was while we lived on Elm Street in Henderson, Nevada, that I was introduced to Spanish. I remember going next door to Mrs. Gallegos' home to learn, "Ponga la mesa" and how to count in Espanol...for those of you who are not sure, the phrase I just used means "set the table"!

And my earliest memories of music start here on Elm Street as well. My dad installed a stereo system throughout the whole house along with speakers that he placed at the peaks on the front and back of the outside of the house. If you read the post I wrote for the first BLOG VILLAGE Goes Gonzo Carnival, "Up with the top, or I'm not going..." you would already know that my father is a singer and he loves music.

He passed his love of music on to me! The music that played over the intercom* was from a radio program called "Silver and Candlelight Music" that transmitted out of Las Vegas. I can't remember specific songs, but I believe with all my heart that I know many, many songs by their tune because I played for hours in the yard as this beautiful instrumental music sifted it's way to center of my very being.

I just remembered a song that would have fit in the category of "Silver and Candlelight"...Ebb Tide!!! This link is to an instrumental rendition of this truly beautiful song. To this day Ebb Tide is one of my favorites that my dad, brother and I sing together!

I will strive to turn the tide of personal posts so that they outweigh the Payperpost posts, blending the two together into a blog that will truly touch your heart.

*Interesting Note: The plants closest to the outside intercoms grew the tallest!

Blog of the Day Award...

Notes That Touch The Heart received the Blog of The Day Award today! Nominate your favorite blog(s) for this prestigious award and let them know that their hard work is not in vain.

"Best Blog Awards

Blog of the Day Awards offers the best selection of weblogs and famous blogs on a variety of topics. Selection of Best Blogs of the Day is usually done a few days ahead of time based on nominations up to that point. Criteria include content, quality, creativity, and the personal opinion of the judges. Judges grant up to four awards each day in recognition of outstanding nominees who are recommended by visitors to the site and by a panel of judges who bestow the honor of a Daily Blog Award upon the recipients. Being named a Blog of the Day Awards Winner can be the crowning achievement of a lifetime of work or it can be the beginning of a new chapter in the life of a blogger. Presentation of these awards can bring acclaim and notoriety beyond their wildest imaginings. The accolades and praise heaped upon winners of these prestigious awards can be best described as fabulous and the stuff of legends. We don't care what blog hosting platform your weblog is hosted on. We want the best blogspot blogs, the best wordpress blogs, the best typepad blogs and so forth. If you know a weblog that should be nominated for these Daily Weblog Awards or if your own blog seems to be a likely candidate for the prize, nominate it by submitting a comment to the most recent award post.

Thank you,

Blog of the Day Awards Judges and Staff

Nominate the Best Blogger you know. 2006 blog awards nominate your favorite blogs - http://blogofthedayawards.blogspot.com/"