Our Bible study outside the steps of where Paul was imprisoned in Rome.

Romina Tomassucci~Archeloga

Our tour guide through the Coliseum

Fall is in the air

Yes, School starts today in this town.....and in a few others according to http://www.maryjanesfarm.org/ farmgirl connection on the virtual porch...it's fun to wait for the anticipation of something new, a fresh start, a new beginning, the anticipation of the unknown...oh, it's all very exciting! Hope all of you that are getting ready for a  new year are blessed beyond belief......that your expectations are exceeded and you find joy in the learning!

Thought this photo would be fitting, he's looking very proper and very involved in his reading.  He looked up once in two hours! No place to sit, so we both stood....I didn't have a book, but there was enough going on around the Embassy to watch during that two hours. It was never a dull moment...I watched  a whole Horse   brigade go by, quite interesting in the hustle and bustle of Rome. We weren't supposed to take photos I guess.   He and I had to wait outside the Rome Embassy last fall while our partners went inside to conduct business..

He waited for another young man  and I waited for my husband...to get a new passport after his was stolen the first day in Rome.  That was an experience we won't forget anytime soon!  It was most interesting! 

Bountiful Harvest

It's that time of year....I'm slicing, chopping, and drying in the food dehydrator; veggies for making a vegetable soup mix!  It certainly takes alot of dried produce to make one jar.....soon as I get the majority of the veggies dried, I'll show you a finished product...right now, I have a few carrots, celery, onions, red bell peppers, tomatoes, summer squash:  yellow crooked neck and zuchini's.   And a pineapple, for some trail mix later.. It's going to taste so delicious this winter and until then it looks pretty! It's comforting to plan ahead and  to be prepared for the winter.  Maybe I'll get a shot of the food dryer trays...We'll see...

Nasturiums, rich vibrant color and tasty too!

Did you ever try nasturiums in salads? Or stuffing them with your favorite stuffing mix, for example: tuna, chicken salad, or some other favorite?  You can also make nasturium butter, chopping up bits of the flower and mixing in butter....looks pretty and gives a little bite to your buttered biscuits!  Try them!  I think you'll like them...be sure to try them from your garden(this way you know they aren't loaded with chemicals) after they're washed and set aside to dry off a bit...

Nasturiums also make a brilliant garnish to any dish or tea party setting!

Didn't even know this still existed..

Just realized this blog is still around...thought it was all closed out...maybe I'll revive it back to life ...time for a fresh start....renewing the old....this started off as our group blog, but we ( the group) faded with the blog...we talk about getting together, but haven't really made the effort...so, now's a good time to rejuevenate the blog and the group!

starving children in Africa....

I was thinking about the recent tragedy of the Haiti earthquakes. When we were young, my parents , mostly my mother would say,"Eat your dinner(mostly when we ate split pea soup)!" and I'd whine and carry on and have to sit at the table for hours until she would either give in or I would. I would remember her saying," you need to eat that, there's starving children in AFRICA!" Today, I was remembering that saying all over again,.....as I was thinking about all the people in Haiti struggling for survival everyday! Often times, I feel so guilty for buying food and then having to throw away what didn't get eaten and went to waste.

As a young child, I used to think, well, why should I have to eat that if they're starving in AFRICA, how is it, that if I eat my soup today, it is going to help one of them? Now, it wasn't that at all, it was supposed to remind us to be thankful for what we do have, because there are starving people all over the world.....and we need to be mindful of them, pray for them, do our part, maybe we could help teach others about world issues, make them aware, maybe we could teach our own families and one another to not be wasteful when there's so much poverty elsewhwere, maybe we could donate to others, maybe we could volunteer locally at food banks or shelters, there are so many things we could do to help those less fortunate around us.......it has recently occured to me that I need to fast for the people in Haiti.......while, I'm fasting, at least one meal a day, doing without food, I can be praying for the people of Haiti and that's a start.......and the $ I save from each meal I do without, I can send as a donation. It's a start, it's what I can do personally, it's what I learned to do, be mindful of others....Thanks mom, for instilling this in me.....

Wrapping up the Year...

Just a quick to note:
the next few days are spent wrapping up the old year and preparing to ring in the New year? What are some of the ways you ring in the new year?
If you've never given it much thought and would like to spend the new year making a collage to sum up what your thoughts are....we traditionally get together and make Collages New Year's day.....
It uses up all our magazines we've collected over the year and we get to reflect on some of the things we do, or ideas we want to try or just sum up who we've become and then paste on the who we are or where we want to be in the new year ahead! It's a day of reflection! So many times it's interesting to see how these collages turn out.....they always surprise us.....we learn things about ourselves we don't even realize!
So if you're not sure what you'll be doing, and you don't have plans yet.....come out and join us for a girls get together....Big Guy will be most likely watching TV and enjoying a nap in the chair while we will be busy as bees.....cutting and pasting and reflecting ...
Hope to see you here....if you have a favorite magazine, quotes, embellishments, bring them, if not just come ...we have all the supplies here......and then some...I provide the glue, the scissors, and the poster board...plan to stay a few hours! No rushing on this day!
Happy New Year!
2010
Monica Rose