Way Back When-sday

I recently finished reading a book by Major Dick Winters called Beyond Band of Brothers. He tells about his experience as a paratrooper in WWII as a part of Easy Company, later known as the "Band of Brothers". On D-Day he parachuted into France and assumed leadership of the Band of Brothers when their commander was killed. When other officers were inadequate or shell shocked, he stepped up and saved the company more than once, demonstrating superior leadership abilities and battle tactics. After leading the men of Easy Company to victory on D-day, behind enemy lines, he continued to do so throughout the war. He fought with them in Bastogne in the famous Battle of the Bulge, and all over Europe, including Austria and Germany, captured Hitler's "Eagle's Nest" and liberated a concentration camp.

Major Dick Winters
Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment
101st Airborne Division

I don't know if he was a Christian, but he was certainly a man of integrity, discipline, and moral character. Here are his principles for leaders:

Leadership at the Point of the Bayonet

Ten Principles for success

1. Strive to be a leader of character, competence, and courage.
2. Lead from the front. Say "Follow me!" and then lead the way.
3. Stay in top physical shape - physical stamina is the root of mental toughness.
4. Develop your team. If you know your people, are fair in setting realistic goals and expectations, and lead by example, you will develop teamwork.
5. Delegate responsibility to your subordinates and let them do their jobs. You can't do a good job if you don;t have a chance to use your imagination and your creativity.
6. Anticipate problems and prepare to overcome obstacles. Don't wait until you get to the top of the ridge and them make up your mind.
7. Remain humble. Don't worry about who receives the credit. Never let power or authority go to your head.
8. Take a moment of self-reflection. Look at yourself in the mirror every night and ask yourself if you did your best.
9. True satisfaction comes from getting the job done. The key to a successful leader is to earn respect - not because of rank or position, but because you are a leader of character.
10. Hang Tough! - Never, ever, give up.

A recent picture of Major Winters.




Here is a short clip of an interview with Mr. Winters and some of the men from Easy Company.

~Alyssa

A Week with Grandma!

I was able to spend last week with Grandma W.
We enjoyed looking through old photo albums together, visiting the farm where she grew up, going through her recipes, visiting the thrift store, playing games (a lot!), and baking.

Here is Grandma in front of the house she grew up in. Her sister-in-law lives there now.


This is the old smoke house near the farm house.

I found an old picture of Grandpa W. (on the left) with Grandma's brother Albert (on the right) that has the same smoke house in the background!


This is the barn her dad built.

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Tending to the house plants.

The Coconut Cream pie we made Saturday morning to have when Dad came that evening. :)

Grandma and me!
I am glad it worked out to stay with her. :)

~Alyssa

The Stars Also...

"Then God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth"; and it was so. Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also."

Genesis 1:14-16

The stars are mentioned in the creation account almost in an "Oh, by the way.." manner, but they are truly mind-boggling! We recently saw AIG's planetarium show on DVD called Created Cosmos. (I would highly recommend it, by the way.) It really put life in perspective and made me so grateful for a God who created all this vast universe and yet cares about each one of us on this little planet called Earth among billions of stars and galaxies!
Truly He is a great and awesome God!



~Alyssa

Way Back When-sday

It's that wonderful old-fashioned idea that others come first and you come second. This was the whole ethic by which I was brought up. Others matter more than you do, so 'don't fuss, dear; get on with it.'
~Audrey Hepburn

Games and Going

Yesterday afternoon we played Chicken Scratch together!

Tomorrow I am going to go visit Grandma for the week. I am looking forward to that! Oh, and there will still be things appearing here since I have a few posts scheduled. :)

Have a lovely week everyone!

~Alyssa

The March Meeting

Last week was this month's Block of the Month quilt meeting. My favorite part is always the show and tell time. These ladies are so creative and make some really lovely quilts!

This is the quilt for this year. Each month we make a new block; this month's block is the one on the bottom left. All the fabric for the finishing kit (borders, sashing, and large setting triangles) are an extra purchase though, so I think my version of this quilt will look different. I really don't want to spend $50 for the finishing kit if I can help it!

~Alyssa

Way Back When-sday

This is a recipe from my Great-Grandma Emma. Mom remembers her making these and using pickle juice in place of the vinegar! These old recipes are interesting to read as they often have unusual ingredients and directions.

~Alyssa

Our Kitchen Companion

Our dog 'Willie' likes to rest on the kitchen rug while we work on meals or bake.
Doesn't he look relaxed?!

~Alyssa

Above All

"The Lord is high above all nations,
His glory is above the heavens.

Who is like the Lord our God,
Who dwells on high,
Who humbles Himself to behold
The things that are in the heavens and in the earth?"
Psalm 113:4-6

If it be such condescension for God to behold things in heaven and earth, what an amazing condescension was it for the Son of God to come from heaven to earth and take our nature upon Him, that He might seek and save them that were lost!
- Matthew Henry

~Alyssa

Endurance

Endurance is the funnel
through which all Christian virtue flows.
- James MacDonald

Way Back When-sday

"Roy Rogers (far left) and Dale Evans (far right) attended David Eisenhower’s birthday party hosted by President and Mrs. Eisenhower in 1956. The Eisenhower's grandson had his cowboy-themed party in the Ground Floor Corridor of the White House."

I like this old photo. :) It's fun to see everyone all dressed up - even the little boys attending the birthday party look very dapper!

~Alyssa

Princess Award...

1. Thank the person that gave it to you:
Thank you Mrs. G. , you are so kind!

2. Name an author you love:
Charles Coffin (His books on the history of liberty are the best!)

3. Name an author who's writings you hate:
Charles Darwin, Carl Marx...etc.

4. The book you love:
the Bible

5. What always moves you, or what makes you feel excited?
Weddings, getting letters and packages in the mail, some movies and music, beautiful architecture.... :)

6. Something I hate:

UNICEF

7. Give the award to 7 blogs.

I give this award to all my readers!

~Alyssa

Friends, Tea and Bread!

Yesterday we went to visit friends for the afternoon! We had tea and visited, and then helped bake bread, since they had gotten a large order for whole wheat loaves, rolls, braids, and also Cinnamon Swirl bread (pictures above). It was fun to work together in the kitchen!

~Alyssa

Way Back When-sday

Another lovely dress from Augusta Auctions!
This silk brocade ballgown from the 1820's was part of Tasha Tudor's large collection.
I think it would have been hard to part with this one!

It has some very simple but elegant details on the bodice.

The back is even pretty!

~Alyssa

Serving Dinner!

Saturday evening was the couple's dinner at church. We girls, along with several of the other young people, served the meal. We really enjoyed working together and doing the best job we could! We organized into teams and had certain tables assigned to each team. It worked out very well. :)

Assembly-line salad assembly!


The salads all ready to go.

Mr. B. made all the delicious food. He used to be a cook in the Navy, so he knows how to make food for a large crowd. Here he is getting ready to slice a huge chunk of Prime Rib. It was so good! The meal was: salad, followed by twice baked potatoes, mixed vegetables and steak with Auju sauce. For dessert there was cheesecake. Lots of it.

They played a few games and then we served the meal.

After dessert, Dr. and Mrs O'Doonan sang several songs.
(They also sang after church yesterday, which is when I took this picture.)
They were such a sweet couple!

The event went really well!
You would not believe the pile of dishes there was to wash afterwards though!!! :O
:)
~Alyssa