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Happy Monday to all! Anything exciting to report? We had rain, with a side of rain and large helping of humidity. Summer in St. Louis y'all.

So I blabbed long enough about this anniversary party I thought I should at least share a few pictures with you. My parents celebrated 50 years of marriage and in my book, 50 years of anything deserves a party. And party we did.


Now a (long) side note - I have had lists upon lists over the past few months to keep things organized for this shindig and we were on schedule. The hubs was on board and the weekend before the party he and I sat down and made a list of what we needed to get done each day that week to be ready for the party on Saturday. Teamwork is our middle name.

Then Monday night the hubs got sick. Tuesday morning I had to take him to the ER and by Tuesday night he had an emergency appendectomy. Which was kind of weird because I didn't remember 'surgery' anywhere on our to-do list.

Que increased stress level.

And to add to the fun, surgery was followed by an infection which kept him in the hospital until late Friday. Coupled with a mystery plumbing leak, a surprise tree removal and a daily increased threat of rain, my stress level runneth over.

I will save all of the gory details for cocktail hour, but needless to say by the time Saturday arrived I was just happy to have showered and brushed my hair. I didn't get as many pictures taken as I would have liked, and some are with my iPhone so they aren't the best quality but you'll get the idea. And we were lucky enough to have the talented Jeremy Keltner there during the party and he got some great shots as well.

Lesson learned. As my great-grandfather always said - don't bother worrying because you will always be worrying about the wrong thing.

So with all of that said, a great time was had by all and the party was a success. We did end up with a downpour shortly after the cake was cut but the fun just moved inside and we didn't skip a beat.

Now enough talk, let's look at some pictures.


Almost ready to go.


The welcome wreath that greeted everyone at the gate as they entered.


Would have been awesome if I had gotten a picture of these things filled out with the drink labels filled in but this will have to do.


I made the menu using the same monogram that appeared on the invitation and the cake.



Each table was decked out in ribbons in my mom's colors, blue, green and yellow, and pictures of the happy couple through the years. The frames were a DIY project I'll share at some point.




They were a pain to hang, but the lanterns were great. All the lanterns were battery operated and worked off of one universal remote which was heaven. Thanks Pier 1.



Inside was a table full of wedding pictures and albums.


And the yummy cake.


Which we cut just in time to move inside before the monsoon hit.


It was a late night but a great time.

Happy Anniversary mom and dad!

Have you thrown any parties lately? Any great outdoor celebrations on your calendar? Wanna come over for a drink? The house is clean.

Margaret "Margie" Moran, Domingo Garcia and Darryl Morin

I Want To Be Free!
Bring Back the Magna Carta!
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
***************
 
I have had it, up to the gills, with the federal government acting as some sort of over-protective parent or nanny. I just want to be let alone! In other words -- I want what the US Constitution is supposed to guarantee me. I want to be FREE!

Just leave me, the h**l, alone!

Pathetic, huh?  You bet it is.

The last thing you're gonna get in America today is --- let alone!   

Heck, we even fought a war over it and over 700,000 Americans lost their lives because a portion of the country asked -- and then insisted -- upon being let alone.

"We feel that our cause is just and holy; we protest solemnly in the face of mankind that we desire peace at any sacrifice save that of honor and independence; we seek no conquest, no aggrandizement, no concession of any kind from the States with which we were lately confederated; all we ask is to be let alone; that those who never held power over us shall not now attempt our subjugation by arms."  Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America, Monday, April 29, 1861.

Well, we all know how THAT turned out. 

It should have been a tip-off as to the direction the US would be taking during and after the war.  And it WAS.

For those who have spent the time and devoted themselves to the study of that period of US history it is obvious that the southern states where suspicious that the US was moving toward a far stronger central government than they were comfortable with -- what with their Celtic ancestry.  But that's another story for another time.

I nearly wrote that "we'd made full circle" ... but we haven't ... not really.  In fact, ever since the American Civil War the United States government has grown ever stronger squeezing the personal freedom and liberty of all Americans into a smaller and smaller box.

Today we find ourselves without privacy, our lives laid bare before the prying eyes and
ears of the government -- in and out of our homes.  The Fourth Amendment to the constitution has been all but shredded.  American citizens are now approaching the conditions Englishmen were enduring as vassals to their king before the Magna Carta which was signed 798 years ago this month (on June 15th).

The Great Charter of the Liberties of England "was the first document forced onto a King of England by a group of his subjects, the feudal barons, in an attempt to limit his powers by law and protect their privileges."  SOURCE:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magna_Carta     

The Magna Carta is extremely important to Americans as England's legal system was used as a model for most of the American colonies in developing their own legal systems.

Back when our public school system, oft referred to today as the "government school system," taught REAL history, not the revisionist propaganda they teach today, every American schoolboy knew that the Magna Carta influenced the early settlers in New England and inspired later constitutional documents, including the United States Constitution.

Ask an American schoolboy today about the Magna Carta and you are likely to get remarks referencing a large bore hand gun or a powerful all terrain vehicle, uh, between the blank stares, that is.

Yes, Americans are cursed with repeating history.  This should explain why we so-called "senior citizens" sometimes appear so smart.  It's not that we are any smarter than anyone else.  It is simply that we are able to predict the future by knowing what Americans have, as a lot, not paid heed to in the past.  We recognize it -- and call it -- with a great deal of accuracy.  It's really quite easy. It just SEEMS like magic.

I have concluded it is going to take another Magna Carta moment pretty much as they experienced in England in 1215 to force, yes, I said FORCE, our government back within the prescribed parameters of the US Constitution.  Once they have tasted corrupt power, rogue governments rarely, if ever, voluntarily give that power up.  Americans can expect a fight to the bitter end in any contest to reclaim their freedom and liberty from our "progressive overlords."

Frankly, I believe America needs a Great Reformer in the mold of Brother Marin Luther,
who (in my opinion) saved the Christian church from the rot at its core, to (metaphorically) nail the constitution to the door of the US Supreme Court, the doors of the US Senate, the House of Representatives, and the front door of the White House. 

You may recall that Luther lived his life afterwards under a death threat.  But he never recanted. NEVER.

It will take a leader with the character, the strength, the determination, the belief that he is right, and the fearlessness of an archangel, and, most importantly -- a reluctance to place himself above other men, to spearhead a successful movement to reclaim the constitutional rights of Americans.

The freedom movement in America is nearing a critical mass.  The government knows it and has been preparing for the coming American apocalypse for some time now.   They know it will be a cataclysmic event. 

Yet one thing is lacking -- that leader we described above for America's freedom movement.  When he appears on the scene -- and he will -- the curtain will go up.
Neither side is assured of victory.  We can only pray God that freedom wins out.

© J. D. Longstreet 

D.J. Arnulfo Aguilar Vásquez sends out message to fans about his Sonido Condor truck at link: http://is.gd/oQuTlV


Sonido Condor released the following list of items stolen in Commerce, CA along with truck, total worth in the thousands of dollars.

Embracing great weather lately and one of those days I opted for a pair of sporty leatherette shorts, printed oversized shirt and electric blue accessories. Instead of flats shoes I chose these nude Zara sandals that I think will be my go-to pair of the season.
Sporty chic anyone?



                                                                             Top: Costa Blanca thanks to Lulu's/ Here
                                                                             Shorts:  thanks to Jovanista/ Here 
                                                              Sandals: Zara/ option Here
                                                                             Bag: Cynthia Rowley/ great option Here 
                                                                             Sunglasses: thanks to zeroUV/ Here
                                                                             Shield cuff bracelet: thanks to Cooee/ Here

Raul Villarreal and Fidel Villarreal

Edward J. Snowden

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny


Following is the text of an email that recently found it's way to the inbox of Rational Nation USA. After reading this many times over several days I finally determined to publish it.

While many will disagree with the points made by Dr. Tanya, many others will agree. Certainly at the very least they are worth considering. History often repeats itself becaue good people decide to do nothing in the face of a growing threat of evil.


A German's View on Islam:

This is by far the best explanation of the Muslim terrorist situation I have ever read. His references to past history are accurate and clear. Not long, and easy to understand. The author of this is Dr. Emanuel Tanya, a well-known and respected psychiatrist. A man whose family was German aristocracy prior to World War II. His family owned a number of large industries, as well as estates.

When asked how many German people were true Nazis, the answer he gave can guide our attitude toward fanaticism.

'Very few people were true Nazis,' he said, 'but many enjoyed the return of German pride, and many more were too busy to care. I was one of those who just thought the Nazis were a bunch of fools. So, the majority just sat back and let it all happen. Then, before we knew it, they owned us, and we had lost control, and the end of the world had come. My family lost everything. I ended up in a concentration camp and the Allies destroyed my factories.’

We are told again and again by 'experts' and 'talking heads' that Islam is the religion of peace and that the vast majority of Muslims just want to live in peace. Although this unqualified assertion may be true, it is entirely irrelevant. It is meaningless fluff, meant to make us feel better, and meant to somehow diminish the spectre of fanatics rampaging across the globe in the name of Islam.

The fact is that the fanatics rule Islam at this moment in history. It is the fanatics who march. It is the fanatics who wage any one of 50 shooting wars worldwide. It is the fanatics who systematically slaughter Christian or tribal groups throughout Africa and are gradually taking over the entire continent in an Islamic wave. It is the fanatics who bomb, behead, murder, or honour-kill. It is the fanatics who take over mosque after mosque. It is the fanatics who zealously spread the stoning and hanging of rape victims and homosexuals. It is the fanatics who teach their young to kill and to become suicide bombers.

The hard, quantifiable fact is that the peaceful majority, the 'silent majority,' is cowed and extraneous. Communist Russia was comprised of Russians who just wanted to live in peace, yet the Russian Communists were responsible for the murder of about 20 million people. The peaceful majority were irrelevant. China's huge population was peaceful as well, but Chinese Communists managed to kill a staggering 70 million people.

The average Japanese individual prior to World War II was not a warmongering sadist. Yet, Japan murdered and slaughtered its way across South East Asia in an orgy of killing that included the systematic murder of 12 million Chinese civilians; most killed by sword, shovel, and bayonet. And who can forget Rwanda, which collapsed into butchery. Could it not be said that the majority of Rwandans were 'peace loving'?

History lessons are often incredibly simple and blunt, yet for all our powers of reason, we often miss the most basic and uncomplicated of points: peace-loving Muslims have been made irrelevant by their silence. Peace-loving Muslims will become our enemy if they don't speak up, because like my friend from Germany, they will awaken one day and find that the fanatics own them, and the end of their world will have begun.

Peace-loving Germans, Japanese, Chinese, Russians, Rwandans, Serbs, Afghans, Iraqis, Palestinians, Somalis, Nigerians, Algerians, and many others have died because the peaceful majority did not speak up until it was too late.

Now Islamic prayers have been introduced into Toronto and other public schools in Ontario, and, yes, in Ottawa too while the Lord's Prayer was removed (due to being so offensive?) The Islamic way may be peaceful for the time being in our country until the fanatics move in.

In Australia, and indeed in many countries around the world, many of the most commonly consumed food items have the halal emblem on them. Just look at the back of some of the most popular chocolate bars, and at other food items in your local supermarket. Food on aircraft has the halal emblem, just to appease the privileged minority who are now rapidly expanding within the nation’s shores.

In the U.K, the Muslim communities refuse to integrate and there are now dozens of “no-go” zones within major cities across the country that the police force dare not intrude upon. Sharia law prevails there, because the
Muslim community in those areas refuses to acknowledge British law.

As for us who watch it all unfold, we must pay attention to the only group that counts -- the fanatics who threaten our way of life.

The solution to this potentially very real threat will not be easily found. Even if it is the implementation will likely face extreme resistance. In the name of political correctness.

In reality the west has themselves to blame for this threat. It has been in the making for several decades. But nobody wanted to recognize or discuss it. The reasons should be self evident.

Consider the future...

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny

Perhaps this is the New Democratic Version of nation building?

Hold on to your hats folks. Increased aid isn't far behind.

As the deficit and national debt continues to grow.

Republicans and Democrats differ how?

Yahoo News - President Barack Obama makes the first extended trip to Africa of his presidency next week—but he won't be stopping in his ancestral homeland.

Obama's weeklong trip—June 26-July 3—which he's taking with his wife, Michelle, and daughters Sasha and Malia, as well as with members of his economic and trade team, is to signal America's interest in trade, democracy and economic development in Africa. He will visit Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania.

"We see Africa as one of the most important emerging regions in the world," deputy national security adviser for strategic communications Ben Rhodes told reporters on a conference call Friday. He added that the administration sees "growing economic opportunities [in the continent] for increased trade and investment" by U.S. businesses.

The trip will also focus on "democracy and democratic institution-building," Rhodes said.

Rhodes acknowledged the president's "deep personal and familial connections" to Kenya and noted that Obama has visited the country as a private citizen and as a senator. But Rhodes said it "wasn’t the best time for the president to travel to Kenya" given the recent election of President Uhuru Kenyatta and Vice President William Ruto, who both face charges of crimes against humanity in the International Criminal Court.

The trip has drawn some controversy at home related to its projected costs, which have varied in multiple news reports.

Rhodes said on Friday the White House can't confirm the cost because it's not being determined by the White House.

"We don't have the exact figure on costs—frankly we don't own or control those numbers," he said. "The security requirements, which make up the bulk of the cost, are determined by the Secret Service, and they don't publicly release the breakdown of the costs for these types of trips." Rhodes added that the Secret Service and White House military office determine the security costs for overseas trips of this nature.

Obama will pay tribute to former South African President and anti-apartheid revolutionary Nelson Mandela while in Africa, and he has planned a visit to Robben Island, where Mandela was imprisoned.

But as for a visit with the former president, Rhodes confirmed on Friday that the White House will allow the Mandela family to lead on that front due to Mandela's health issues. He is currently hospitalized with a lung infection.

It is what it is. It will continue to be what it has been. With no end in sight.

Tic Toc, Tic Toc, Tic Toc...

Via Memeorandum

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny

Perhaps the most tedious speech head of late. Rep. Louie Gohmert at perhaps his worst. Not that he has ever made a speech that has been noteworthy for its substance or even coherence for that matter.

 Did anyone suffer through the entire ramble. If so did you come away with anything, and I mean anything of merit? What is amazing is conservatives actually elected this guy. Via: Memeorandum

Juan Carlos Rodriguez Villava and José Antonio Peral

So when I told him a few weeks back that I had plans to overhall the foyer, his response was music to my ears -"Cool". He's a good egg.


Now I may get some slack for this because this little image is pinned quite a bit, but I'm tired of it. That wallpaper was one of the first projects we (aka the hubs and my dad) tackled in the house. Seven years ago. It is faded, scratched and is starting to come off on the corners.

Also, as much as I like the yellow table on its own, I was never in love with it with the wallpaper. It was all a bit too ketchup and mustard for me.

And the third strike, as great as this layout is in theory it isn't real life. We don't come in the door and put our mail and keys down. We come inside and take off our shoes. And 50% of the residents of this little cottage need to sit down and take several minutes to get those little shoes on and off. So its time to pull a Dr. Phil and 'get real' - we need a spot for all of this action.


Enter my new favorite. You may remember I was fortunate to snag my beauty of a bench a while back and it fits perfectly in the foyer. But the wallpaper isn't doing it any favors. This bench deserves a snazzy space.


So the wallpaper came down.


No one in this house is exempt from a good DIY.


Thanks to plaster walls, I was able to remove all of that wallpaper, all of it, with just my hands. No tools needed. See, I told you it was ready to come down. An important tip in removing wallpaper though, once the paper is off the wall, don't think you are finished. You still need to give the wall a good scrub with a wet sponge to get off all of the glue that remains on the wall. That sponge also helped to loosen up those pesky little pieces that hung on.

After about an hour before bed and then an hour or so the next morning I had a blank palette. I'm already in love with how much brighter and bigger the space feels. And let's face it, anything I can do to make this tiny space feel bigger is a thumbs up. So I painted the entry the same color as the living room (Arrowroot by Pratt & Lambert) to help with that bigger space feeling trick.


But fear not, I didn't just leave it that way. You know I can't go without a good dose of color. Next week we'll see where that color went and what to do when DIY goes wrong. (how's that for a tease?)

What are your plans for the weekend? Any DIY projects planned? Any plans to fix a DIY project?

Feds expanded their investigation by executing search and seizure warrants and inspecting at least 30 other 7-Eleven franchise stores, which has become the largest criminal immigration forfeiture for the Department of Homeland Security's history.

Obama's "Ban the Bomb Bluster"
"No Bomb Obama"
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
**************

One thing about the Hippie generation, they are relentless. Even after the air headed-ness of their ideas has been exposed for decades they continue to press on, and on, and on, ad infinitum.

Heck, we have a President of the US actually making a fool of himself all over the globe, even today, pressing forward the "Ban the Bomb" agenda of the 1960's "flower children."

It is so close to ridiculous that it is no longer funny.

Now known in some parts of the world as "No Bomb Obama," he has most recently been chasing Russia's Vladimir Putin around trying to demonstrate just how "flexible" he (Obama) can be ... now that he has been reelected, and all.

You may recall that the UN Security Council, back in September of 2009, unanimously approved a US-drafted, Obama-authored resolution in New York committing to work towards a world without nuclear weapons.  I am still embarrassed by that. 

Banning the "A" bomb has never really made a whole lot of sense to me since it is not the ultimate weapon anymore, if it ever was.

Think about it a moment.  Even in the closing days of the Second World War, as the US was bombing the living daylights out of Japan,  the Allies were inflicting far more damage and killing far more of the enemy's people with conventional bombs, especially those "fire bombs" (The incendiary bombs we dropped on Japan's cities.)  Earlier, in Germany, the city of Dresden became a maelstrom of death and destruction by high explosive and incendiary bombs.  It became a literal "hurricane of fire" -- and death.

No. The Nuclear Free World mantra is just another of those warm and fuzzy "sayings" or philosophies put forth by the political left, the world over, to press forward their march to Utopia, an imaginary place considered to be perfect or ideal, AND the mythical land of Nirvana, a  place of complete bliss and delight and peace. 

No matter that it is all Bovine Scatology. It is their "pipe" dream and they insist on maintaining it.  Problem is -- they also insist on aggravating the real world half to death with their perpetual rantings about it.

Back in 2009 Obama is reported to have stated:  "We harbor no illusions about the difficulty of bringing about a world without nuclear weapons. We know there are plenty of cynics, and that there will be setbacks to prove their point. But there will also be days like today that push us forward - days that tell a different story. It is the story of a world that understands that no difference or division is worth destroying all that we have built and all that we love." SOURCE:  http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-09-24/us/28063316_1_nuclear-security-summit-nuclear-weapons-resolution

Obama is insistent upon reducing America's nuclear arsenal as an example to the remainder of the nuclear club nations of the world in the HOPE they will be converted into true believers with those cute little daises protruding from the barrels of their soldier's AK-47's.

Pathetic.

If Obama wants to stop the proliferation of nuclear bombs, may we suggest that he get off the dime and bomb the dickens out of Iran's nuclear facilities -- post haste.  We've fiddled around with the Persians for far longer than was necessary -- OR prudent.

The Middle Eastern regional war Obama claims to be so frightened of igniting with a raid on Iran's nuclear bomb making plant(s) is already in the making in a place called Syria. Now that he has introduced -- OVERTLY  -- American assistance to the rebels there, that excuse is gone, especially when one considers Iran's introduction of some 4,000 of their troops into the Syrian civil war on the side of the Syrian tyrant Assad. That figure does not take into account the thousands of irregular Iranian troops fighting for Assad, as well.

So, why wait any longer to strike Iran?  Is Obama setting the US up to lose a fourth war in the Middle East?  (Count 'em:  Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, and possibly Iran)

Seems to me, Obama's campaign to reduce America's nuclear arsenal is just another avenue he is taking to reduce America's standing in the world and lay our necks bare to the blades of our enemies.

© J. D.Longstreet

Chicago police and DEA agents arrested 21 of 23 suspects for heroin and cocaine distribution in three states.

I bought a 29-year TIPS for my retirement account on January 18, 2011. Other than a very small cash holding, that was the only thing in my account. It yielded roughly 1.9% over inflation. In hindsight, I have absolutely no complaints about that trade.


I probably should have said that it was mostly done. That bond accumulated interest over the past 2 1/2 years. I used that interest to buy a 19-year TIPS today. It yields about 1.06% over inflation if held to maturity. That's exactly what I intend to do.

It's been a good 2 1/2 years and it has been an especially good day. My IRA planning is now complete again. I'm also mostly done again.

There were three things I liked about the bond. First, I was concerned that we'd never see 1% real interest rates again in my lifetime. I just don't think our weakened economy can support "normal" real interest rates long-term (which is in sharp contrast to recent stock market euphoria). Second, a 19-year bond is just about perfect for me. I'm 48 years old. It will mature shortly before I am required to start taking minimum distributions from my retirement account. Third, I could afford it. The least TD Ameritrade would allow me to buy was $9,118.51 today. My account had accumulated $9,581.36 of cash. The last few days have been the first real opportunity to put that cash to work in a way that best matches my future needs.

As a side note, I have no idea how high rates will rise from here. I can say this though. I am not bracing for mythical 3.5% real interest rates over the long-term. Not even close.

As for the theory that a U.S. currency crisis will soon be upon us, let's just say that I am far removed from that camp. Investors can't seem to get out of silver fast enough these days. It's down nearly 8% today and roughly 60% from the peak in 2011. Silver treated me well in the past. I owned it from 2004 to 2006. That was good for a 50%+ gain. In hindsight, I missed much of the ride though. That said, there are at least a few "late to the party" investors today who no doubt wish they'd missed the ride entirely.

February 24, 2011
Silver Bubble Construction Set


The following was anonymously written in the comments. Note the capitalization of the word silver as if the metal was worthy of our worship at any price.


The Internet is indeed a wonderful thing. I'm going to go out on the limb here and once again suggest that the same thing that drove silver was the same thing that drove real estate and the stock market before it (and quite possibly after it). Easy money, sure things, and greater fools!

Just opinions. This is most certainly not investment advice.

    Just a casual Sunday outfit with this picture perfect weather after a few cloudy days!
A pair of silk trousers and a simple black tee was an instant decision and a practical one, after all we ended up in the park. So forget about sandals - all I wanted was to walk barefoot and lay on the grass... and so I did...





                                                                                    Tee: H&M
                                                                                    Pants: Harlyn/ Here
                                                                                    Shoes: Miu Miu
                                                                                    Bag: Pulicati/ option Here
                                                                                    Bracelet: c/o Poshlocket/ Here
                                                                                    Sunglasses: c/o zeroUV/ Here