The American Cancer Society:

The American Cancer Society:

Event Information

Date: Saturday, October 10, 2009
Location: State Capitol
Time: Registration Begins at 8:00 a.m.
Walk starts at 9:00 a.m.

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer is your opportunity to honor breast cancer survivors, remember people we have lost, and raise funds and awareness to help end this disease. Making Strides is not a race; it is a celebration of survivorship, an occasion to express hope, and a shared goal to end a disease that threatens the lives of so many people we love. There is no registration fee or minimum fundraising amount and people of all ages are welcome to participate. If you'd like to participate, please click on the sign up button below.



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Black Iron Days

Big D and I enjoyed Black Iron Days and Wellington Farm the weekend of August 21st. It was very relaxing. I black smith a dinner bell. Yippie

Black Iron Days
Saturday and Sunday
August 22 - 23, 2009
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Hartwick Pines Logging Museum, Grayling

Two of the more than 50 blacksmiths who make Black Iron Days at Hartwick Pines Logging Museum the largest gathering of blacksmiths in Michigan, demonstrate their skilled craft.

Michigan's largest gathering of blacksmiths is here at Hartwick Pines. Other crafts people, including woodworkers and spinners, will be at work, too. The sawmill (powered by a 1912 steam engine) will be operating and you can enjoy the sounds of live traditional music.

This event is free of charge, although a Michigan State Parks motor-vehicle permit is required for park entry. For more information, please send us an e-mail or telephone (989) 348-2537, TDD (517) 373-1592.

Sponsored by the Friends of Hartwick Pines.

Hartwick Pines Logging Museum—part of the Michigan Historical Museum System—is located eight

about black iron days

Z's 14th Birthday

August 20th, 2009

Z celebrated his 14th birthday today with a sleep over at our house on Jolly Rd with his friend Rylan. We had omelets for dinner and then walked to Quality Dairy for ice cream. Z picked Happy Birthday ice cream and I bought him the teenage popular energy drink called "Monster". After, ice cream the boys did monster shots, apparently so they could stay awake all night. According to Z they fell asleep around 5:00 am. and I woke them up around 8:30am to take him to get his pictures taken at Portriat Innovations in Eastwood Towne Center. It wasn't very smart to let him stay up late the night before pictures because he could barely stay awake during the pictures and his friend Rylan fell asleep on the couch in the waiting area. Fortunatly, they got a GREAT shot during the photo session. I can't believe my first baby is already 14 years old.

Girl Scout Camp

August 14th - 16th, 2009

Little D and I got invited to join the Daisy Girl Scout troup on a caming trip at Camp Deer Trail in Harrison. We arrived Friday just in time for S'mores at the main fire pit. The camp couselor showed us to our site named Yearling Thicket which included a platform tent unit with three 4-person tents and one 2-person tent in main camp. Cots and mattresses, picnic tables, and fire ring. It was a little difficult setting up camp in the dark but the girls did a fantastic job. Because we arrived late the girls were a tad excited and had a hard time falling alseep right away so they didn't get much sleep the first night.

The camp counselor woke us up at 7:15 am so we could head down to the Salt Lick building for breakfast. French toast, sausage links, yogurt, fruit, and milk was served after blessing and the girl scout promise. I was impressed with the camps organization and consistancy. Each kid was responsible for thier personal eating area along with chores. Basically, one troup was assigned to be the hoppers during the meal. The hoppers job is to set the table and be available during meal time to fetch things. After everyone was done eating the hopper would retrieve the chore assignments which were written on popsicle sticks. Each person at the table had to choose one stick and the chore that was written on your stick was the chore you were assigned. The chores included the scrapper, washer, wet garbage, dry garbage, sweeper, and stacker. The scrapper was usually the adult at the table. The scrapper had to scrap all the food onto one plate and supervise all the jobs. The washer washed all the dishes. The dry garbage took all the napkins and etc. to the trash. The wet garbage person emptied all the glasses into the sink. The sweeper's job was to sweep around the tables. The stacker assisted the washer by stacking the dishes into the dish rack to carry to the kitchen. Then we all marched out for the flag ceremony.

After breakfast we did many fun activites with the camp counselors. First , the girls made sun catchers and picture frames in the Antlers/craft building. Next , we took the paddle boats for a spin on Long Lake and filled our tummies with hamburgers and veggies. After lunch, the counselors took us on a hike to view the beautiful scenery at Camp Deer Trails. Then we were scheduled for shopping in the............... store but the girls could barely walk 20 feet without falling down so we skipped the shopping and took naps instead. We over slepted just a little and missed a portion of swim time. Personally, I am thrilled that swim didn't last too long because the water was overgrown with seaweed/algae and our toes got stuck in the mud. Before, our fantastic dinner of lasange and brownies we enjoyed playing board games such as Jamini with our troup leader Mrs. Heather n the Salt Lick. Last but not least we gathered around the fairwell bonfire while the camp counselors led us in songs and dances. We weren't ready for bed yet so we decided to have our own bonfire back at the site. We popped popcorn, played with lite sticks, and told stories around the fire. It was so cute to hear the stories the kids made up on their own. We started with a story subject of "Tree Friends" and then one person would create a portion of the story and pass it along to the next person . We continued the story until all kids particapted two times around however, little D and I missed the ending because we took a bathroom break. The kids came up with an evil tree friend that got married to Mrs. Heather but then turned out to be a good tree friend that could move thigns. Another late night sleeping under the mosquito netting in a peacefully dark tent and not a noise to be heard except the crickets that little D said she was scared of. We awoke the next morning to eggs and bacon for breakfast and then packed up for home.

If you haven't noticed by now the camp/buildings names had a deer theme. Salt lick was the cafeteria, antelors was the craft building, yearling thickets was our campsite , with many more unexplored buildings and sites with cute names.

On our way home from Harrison the adults enjoyed remeniscing about some of the cute things the girls said during the trip for example: "don't hit the ball at her because she is alleric to peanut butter", "my mom had a brain freeze for the first time at McDee's today so she is afriad she will get head lice for the first time", and " look mom there's a daddy leg spider" vs daddy long leg. The girls developed some good friends during camp so much so that some decided they were sisters. All in all I enjoyed girls scout camp and like the new adventures it brought. Little D and I look forward to doing it again next year. I am thankful to the moms that took the time to schedule such a fun event. I am grateful that I gain more knowledge of what to expect for the next trip. "right moms?" :) You really do need flash lights to get around in a dark campsite and mosquito netting around the cot really isn't that bad.

Kalamazoo County Fair

Wednesday, August 13th, 2009

Today we went to the Kalamazoo County Fair with grandma. I found the miracle of birth tent the most interesting. There was a cow, pig and sheep all in labor expected to deliver sometime that day. The pig Maude was pregnant with 10-14 piglets. I didn't realize they had that many babies at one time. Apparently a laboring cow got loose on Tuesday and was running through the midway. My favorite ride was the fire ball. Mom rode the ride with me once and I couldn't convience Z to come anywhere near it. He's such a chicken. Bauk Bauk

Kalamazoo Gazette Article: A pregnant cow ran loose at the Kalamazoo County Fair for nearly 45 minutes on Tuesday, knocking over several bystanders and fair officials who attempted to corral it.

One woman was taken to a local hospital as a precautionary measure after being charged by the cow, said Bonna Perrin, the fair's president. Read more at the link below.......


Udder chaos article

Kalamazoo Gazette photos

Video of the cow

Only 4 days left

Take a look at a worthy cause. Having grown up in St. Johns, mint is the community identity...and the mint extract is awesome!
Dace K13


CROSBY MINT FARM (of St. Johns, Michigan/Mint City, USA)
"In addition to having what appears to be the oldest surviving still in the country, the Crosby Farms operation also appears to be the oldest mint farm in continuous operation in the United States. The key word here is "continuous" - that it has cultivated and processed mint since J.E. Crosby purchased the property before World War I." Ephraim K. Smith, President; Heritage Production, Inc.

This farm is being foreclosed on and the redemption period is over on August 14th, 2009, the first day of the St. Johns 25th Annual Mint Festival! The bank will own the farm and will be in a position to start eviction proceedings.

With enough inventory to pay the debt, $325,000 worth of mint essential oil products needs to be sold by AUGUST 14TH

Please visit http://www.getmint.com call 1-800-345-9068 EXT. 101

Any purchase will go towards our goal!!!!

Check the Headlines...
Clinton County News
Lansing State Journal
Chicago Tribune

You can help by:
1. Placing an order at http://www.getmint.com or donating your mint oil to a charity.

2. Call 1-800-345-9068 ext 1012. Please pass this email to everyone in your email address book!!!

3. If you have a blog, please post our story?!

4. Join the facebook Preserve Historic Mint Farm Group

5. Twitter our MINT story! and follow us on Twitter

6. Join the Get Mint Trading Co fanpage

7. Print copies of this email and pass out your to friends, retail stores, schools, church groups...and any social group or network

8. Call your local TV stations, Newspapers, how about emailing or calling about Oprah?!

9. Learn about the uses of mint on our YouTube Channel

10. Visit the Crosby Mint Farm on August 15th & 16th to show your support during our first annual Mint Jam!

Call 1-800-345-9068 for info! http://www.crosbymintfarm.com

Chicago Tribune Article


Uses of Mint

Eases migraines and tension headaches
Promotes healthy gums, tongue and teeth
Reduces congestion and sinus problems
Treats muscle tension and arthritis
Aids in digestion and IBS
Helps relieve menstrual and abdominal cramps
Attacks cold and flu viruses
Fights acne, razor bumps and get a closer shave
Cools the skin on muggy days
Soothes sore and tired feet
Asthma
Arthritis
Anti Viral
Anti Bacterial
Anti Funga

Girls Weekend

Saturday, August 8th, 2009

Meridian Township Photography

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

Today, I took some great shots of a few parks in Meridian in preperation of the photo contet. Below is some information from Meridian's website about the contest for full contest detials visit the link below. Please vote for your favorite picture on my facebook page.

MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP
PARKS AND RECREATION
PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST RULES
ELIGIBILITY:
The contest is open to residents and non residents of Meridian Township. Amateur
photographers only! An amateur photographer is one who takes pictures as a hobby. To be eligible as an amateur you must not receive more than 5% of your total annual
income from photography.

Full Contest Rules

Preschool budget cuts

Little C is supposed to start preschool in the fall because of state budget cuts it's possible she will not be able to attend. I need your help please stop this from happening. Please click on the link and send a letter to the legislators and tell them NOT to stop Early Childhood preschool readiness programs. It is easy just visit the link below and hit send. Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The next meeting for our Great Start Collaborative is Wednesday, 8/12 from 1-3 at Bethlehem Lutheran Church 549 E. Mt. Hope (1 block E. of Cedar). There is drop in child care on site and you can reserve that by calling 371-1347. We will discuss whether we want to schedule one of these legislative visits. I can also add you to our email group even if you're not at the meeting.

http://www.cacvoices.org/organizations/birthtofive


ECIC | Policy Advocacy Center

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Lansing 150 Capitol Moves

Little C and I attended Lansing's 150 birthday bash on the Capitol Lawn today. We ran into many people that we knew. We were also able to see some of our very own Pleasant View Magnets school student perform in a dance number.

Lansing 150 Capitol Moves
Sunday August 2, 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm on the Capitol Lawn

In celebration of Lansing’s 150th birthday, we would like to invite you to a summer picnic event on the Capitol lawn.

Several free activities will be available for children of all ages. The Capitol Building will be open to the public. There will be a merry-go-round, story teller, arts & crafts, face painting and inflatable bounce house and obstacle course. There will be performances and demonstrations by Zumba, B-Boys Club of MSU, Boomers, Happendance, Nokomis American Indians, Capoeira and a Ballroom dance exhibition and lessons by Our Dance Studio of Grand Ledge. You can learn how to make Native American bracelets with Nokomis or have fun with the Impression 5 “Science on Wheels.” Finish the day enjoying the music of the Lansing Symphony Big Band.

Bring a picnic lunch and a blanket or lawn chair and join us in music, dance and movement, or just sit back and enjoy the show.

This birthday celebration will also include free birthday cake and ice cream! Local food vendors such as Turkey Man, L&L Smoke House and Melting Moments can supplement your picnic fare. The Downtown YMCA will kick off the day with a 5K Run/Walk to raise funds for the Open Arms Annual Campaign for Kids & Families. Lansing 150 Capitol Moves is proud to be sponsored by Jackson National Life and Emergent Bio Solutions.

Lansing 150 website

Grandpa K13's 60th Birthday Party

Saturday, August 1st, 2009