Dear Darla Diaries

cause it's true

Courtesy of @GeorgeTakei FB page ...

tear jerker for a sunday

I had to pick up the new Lt. Dan Band movie when I spotted it in the store yesterday. I hadn't seen it before, didn't have a clue what it covered but knowing what Gary Sinise does in support of the USO was cause enough for me. For those that don't know Gary Sinise and group of down home musicians got together and what started as a regular jam session evolved into a very committed support of the troops morale in the form of the Lt Dan Band. 

In the movie, which is a bit of a biography about the band and what it represents and their support, history in the military, Lt Dan Band and Gary Sinise, there is a very special song. Gina Gonzalez, one of the vocalists, wrote a piece that very strongly captures the essence of 'I Am a Soldier.'

 

Warning: This may make you cry.

name dropping like a fool, probably again

I love to blog.

I love to talk.

I love the cathartic power of the written word.

I love to journal, which is why I started blogging, but on occasion it's more crippling than helpful.

I love the annonymity of the journal and the format of the blog. Which is why I love to blog but it restrains me from what I can blog about ... because the internet has an infinite audience and sometimes our raw open wounds are meant for no one's ears but our own. We face the challenge to purge those words without the fear that our child's mother's grandfather's cousin aka the president may read it, get offended and kick us out of the country. Or some such nonsense.

Paranoid much? At times, other times I'm a veritable open book of information and useless factoids.

(No I'm not really related to the president.)

So today I filled this uncoscious desire for the private secure blogging project. (Since I don't have enough blogs to update and follow.)

My daily blog spin through HeatherArmstrong's Dooce and MaggieMason's MightyGirl lent me the info from last week's CampMIghty! (#5 on my LIfeLIst - once I write my LIfeList.) CM's speaker is Buster Benson who in turn is the founder of 750words.com.

750words.com is the whole focus on this gravy train. 750words is a site with the challenge to write 750 words a day in a completely private fashion. A clean, smooth, private, super easy to use platform.

I'm in love.

There needs to be an ap for that.

(This post only made 265 words - I need to try harder)

versatile blogger she says

Thank you Angel for a very sweet Blog Award. I feel very humbled and appreciate the gesture! I will mull over all the many people I stalk (and I'd feel lucky if they know I exist) and continue on the blogging awarding in a future post.

Of course, the way all blog awards work is that you thank the award-giver (or givers if there are more than one) and link back to them in your post. Then you tell your readers seven things (or 5 or 10 or 15 things, depending on the meme) about yourself. The last step is to give this award to other bloggers, and contact those bloggers and let them know about it.

10, 10 or 15 things to meme. Hmm. Angel is so good at the stumpage! Let's see what I can come up with:

Let's start with an easy one. I have a little fear of the dark, that is only a little exaggerated with my baby away. The first 8 weeks I slept with a lamp on in our bedroom, across the room at the foot of my bed. It helped calm down the fears that popped up their ugly heads when tree limbs moved, clouds floated by or lightning strikes the house. I have finally graduated to only the soft dull glow of my cracked macbook. Three cheers for me! Must remember to watch less scary shows at night, like Winnie the Pooh or The Ring.

Numero Dos. I have slight OCD issues. Certain things need to be in certain orders. I will unconsciously straighten the silverware at a diner, the alignment of my desk accessories or where I get to sit on a couch. I have slowly tried to adjustment to certain quirks so as not too offend or irritate others but there's only so much I can do. Some twitches will always be twitches.

Three. Sometimes I can be a very cranky person. My irritation tolerance can be a hair under nuclear in an unexpected blink of an eye. The cat's hyperactive toddlerness can make me want to throttle him. The way Hubby eats his food or gulps his water can have me using every ounce of self control to keep me from throttling him. Sometimes the volume of the television, one text too many, the sound of the alarm clock or extra whir in the bedroom fan can cause me to want to elicit bloodcurdling screams. Instead I grind my teeth, count to ten, sometimes twice and try to go to my zen spot. It is noones fault but my own and I'm sure perhaps a chemical imbalance or two.

Four. I adore chocolate coconut candy bars. Specifically AlmondsJoys and Mounds with the occasional YorkPeppermintPatty. The coconut and nuts with just a hint of chocolate can calm my frazzled nerves on a crazy day. As a general rule I can't do the majority of chocolate bars because they literally give me an instance headache. It's a bit of a food allergy that I've learned to adjust too. Lucky for me I can hand-over-fist double-chocolate brownies to my hearts content. Just throw in a tall glass of milk and occasional slice of cheese to offset the sugar overload and I'm good to go.

Five. I too am a hoarder. I'm not a fullon bringinthecrazy truck packrat. (Thank goodness for OCD tendencies that require certain areas to be tidyfree (my bedroom, frontroom and masterbath.) I do however have my clutter rooms that I just keep toting from move-to-move because I'm sure that extra box of crayons, paperclips, wrist wraps, scrap greeting card and garden twine can be used for SOMETHING! And I won't part with my childhood mementos (I will eventually stop procrastinating and make a memory box) or my three favorite dolls as a child! I also must keep all the weird hats hubby has collected over the years. Just. In. Case. In case what? He goes bald overnight? I don't know but what if he HATES me for throwing it out without asking?!?

Six: When I'm on a blogging role I will type until I'm cross eyed. Like tonight when the letters are starting to get eyecrossed. /sigh. I guess I'll stop with five.

Angel: Thanks for the meme! We are very alike my friend!

Alfie: Pony up and type it TWIN. I'm sure there has to be something for me to learn. What? No my symbiotic nature should allow me to know it before you type it! P.S. Putting my adorable grownup nephews on your blog does not allow you a grace period either!

 

brilliant idea: treadmill singing video!

 

Thanks James for the linkfix!

beautiful. heart rending. breathtaking.

Thank you JessicaDukes the brilliant bloggess at MorrisonLane for my newest and most addictive blog finds: 1) her and 2) NIENIE.

For those of you who haven't had the visual pleasure, first off stumble over to Morrison Lane. Her photography is breathtaking and her pieces are witty and covered in baby gooeyness and are great for that quick taste of a pickmeup. I myself am often covered in snarky sarcasm with a pill of whatsupwithyou? or two. And I won't lie, I love my besties for that same general principle. My twitter feeds follow a stream of random nonsense and Iatekittensandtheytasteyummy bits. But that is all neither here nor there and if you like a bit of Mary Poppins with a dash of Audrey Hepburn and Lucille Ball, she is your girl. Sometimes our snarkiness needs covered in sunflowers, poppies and cuteness.

Second off, go grab a box of tissues. You will need them when you go to my next HIGHLY RECOMMENDED site. The NieNie Dialogues. At first glance you'll see a cute Americana-esque feel with tatted lace, flags, wallpapers and loveliness with a faint religious undertone. Than you look a little deeper.

The author, Mrs Stephanie Aurora Clark Nielson's bio reads as follows:

I am: Returning from a near-fatal airplane crash, burned 80% of my body, and will have surgeries for the rest of my life. Probably. But I am alive. I cherish Mr. Nielson, Claire, Jane, Oliver, and Nicholas.

Her blog is a beautifully written story. She pours out her heart and soul in her day-to-day life that involves her passel of children, her husband and the struggles of her burn recovery supported by her all consuming faith. I highly recommend going, reading, staying and becoming a follower. To paraphrase another follower of hers [whom for the life of me I can't find as a reference]: when you start wanting to whine about having a 'hard day' you have to put things in perspective. Many of us won't go through a tenth of what NieNie has had to go through and yet we will blog as if our world has imploded and we've lost it all, often over something as minor as a stomach flu, bad cramps or deployments.

I hope I can develop NieNie's attitude. She has the embodiment of Love and God that I was raised with and hope to be able to express as wordlessly, through my actions, as she does.

 

oh summer, you have been missed

Our small area of the country is dealing with a hard climate flip from 15C, excessive rain and wind to 30C and dry, balmy conditions. Hello Spring, I mean Summer, I mean Spring, I mean Summer ... is that Snow? One of my favorite snacks in Germany comes in a variety of colors, flavors, shapes, styles and really soothes the palatte.

 

American Icecream you are temporarily replaced

Welcome to the family German Eis.

Our favorite stand is out of a nice ladies driveway in a nearby village called Annette's Tüte. Tüte is short for cone ... thus eistüte ... ice(cream)cone. She generally serves a variety of freshmade eis from sorbet type to yogurt and a more commen milk based icecream in a flavors like cookie, chocolate, hazelnut and vanilla. They also cost about a euro for a cone. One cone equals the perfect mouthful of goodness.

 

A childhood and often tourist favorite is spaghettieis. Eis comes in a variety of shapes and sizes and they can craft it to look like a variety of foods.

 

Lasagna anyone?

cooking, clothing and perhaps a little random

Tonight I whipped up a batch of delicious goodness taken from a recipe posted by Carol from Songs of Joy at BlogHer, based on an original/age old standard from a recipe by Ree at PW. (You can also do Pico De Gallo and Guac if you prefer.)

Restaurant Style Salsa

• 1-28 oz can Whole Peeled Tomatoes
• 1 can Rotel Tomatoes (I think there are three varieties, I have used them all but usually stay with Original)
• 1 Jalapeño, Sliced & Diced (seeds & all)
• 1/4-1/2 Onion (approx 1/2 cup), chopped
• 1/2 Lime, juiced
• 1 1/2 tsp Cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp Chili Powder
• 1 1/2 tsp Salt (or to your taste)
• 2 pinches of Sugar
• Cilantro (as much as you'd like)

Season to your taste - if you prefer more Chili Powder then add more, if you're not a big fan of Cumin (what is wrong with you???) then reduce it (please don't leave it out...I might have to cry).  

Pulse all ingredients together until the salsa is the texture you like...chunky, smooth...oh the choices...

source: BlogHer article

Let me tell you it is awesome and right up my ally of very little ingredients, very little time and huge results! PW and her allies rock the kitchen as normal. I have done the pico a million times but never a puried salsa like this.

Courtney Carver posted a thought provoking article on the subject of style and a thing she created called Project 333, also on BlogHer.

[Project 333] The Basics

• When: Every three months (It’s never too late to start so join in anytime!)
• What: 33 items including clothing, accessories, jewelry, outerwear and shoes.
• What not: these items are not counted as part of the 33 items – wedding ring or another sentimental piece of jewelry that you never take off, underwear, sleep wear, in-home lounge wear,  and workout clothing (you can only wear your workout clothing to workout)
• How: Choose your 33 items, box up the remainder of your fashion statement, seal it with tape and put it out of site.
• What else: consider that you are creating a wardrobe that you can live, work and play in for three months. Remember that this is not a project in suffering. If your clothes don’t fit or are in poor condition, replace them.

She mentions 7 ways it improved her life including timeliness, money saving, self esteem, healthiness and her sanity. I would highly recommend reading the whole piece and consider doing the same.

Ryan is covering a trip through the wine country over at ThisIsReverb. He made quite the thought provoking statement that reverbed through my soul.

Ryan Detzel is the name, amatuer photography, parenting, spousing, witnessing, cooking and many other things the game.

"As I look upon the stars, remembering every now and again that earth is such a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena – I am once again aware of this blip called life. It’s shorter and shorter the longer and longer in the tooth you’ve become. With age comes wisdom, but time also speeds up. Before we know it the end is here unless the end isn’t really the end at all."

I would highly recommend the BlogHer ap for andro.ds and iph.nes for all you geek reading tech heads. It's a very thorough conglomerate of women bloggers covering many topics like geekery, children, healthy, food, money, exercise and the like. It also lends itself to crossweb blogfodder, as previously seen.

 

haas' hope and adoption

I just found a new blog written by the soon-to-be-mom half of one of the cool couples we've met here in Germany. Becke and her husband Dan are embarking on the same adoption process that we will be starting slowly. I hope I don't overpower her with one-thousand-and-one questions around meeting with our own legal counsel, adoption agencies and the like. You can click on the photo of her blog or click here to see her amazing journey.

to have and have not

In times of sorrow watch youtube videos? I'm not sure but this is one of the greatest marriage proposal methods I've seen.