• 4-6 avocados, peeled, halved, and pitted
• 1 lime, zested and juiced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Slice the avocados lengthwise into 1/2-inch thick slices.

In a small bowl, add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Spoon the dressing over the avocado. Serve immediately.

On a winter day when the rows and rows of white headstones were shrouded in a band of low-lying mist at Arlington National Cemetery, Jane Newman took her place in the white-gloved military honor guard. As the ashes of the latest fallen soldier arrived, she placed her hand over her heart in the civilian salute.

She didn’t know this soldier or the family that shuffled behind his urn, shoulders stooped in grief. As usual, she knew only his name, Keith E. Fiscus. His age, 26. His years of service in the Army, four, and the names of his next of kin. Yet when she went through the paperwork that morning, she felt a pang. He was one more soldier killed in Iraq.

When she was invited five years ago to become an Army Arlington Lady, Newman, the wife of a 30-year Army artillery officer and herself a retired Army nurse, was drawn to the group’s mission: No soldier is ever buried alone. Every fourth Tuesday of the month, she spends the day at Arlington, standing graveside, hand over heart, at up to six funerals a day.

via Grim Duty in Section 60.

Joyce Johnson remembers the drums beating slowly as she walked with her girls from the Old Post Chapel, behind the horse-drawn caisson carrying the flag-draped casket of her husband.

She remembers struggling to maintain her composure as she stared at his freshly dug grave, trying not to dwell on the terrible sight in the distance — the gaping hole in the Pentagon where he had so proudly worked.

The three-volley salute. Taps. The chaplain handing her a perfectly folded flag. The blur of tributes.

And then a lady stepped forward, a stranger, dressed not in uniform but in a simple dark suit. She whispered a few words and pressed two cards into Johnson’s hands.

“If there is anything you need …”

via At Arlington, each soldier has a special lady – US news – Life – Military – msnbc.com.

Since we were learning about the Civil War this week and next, we went on a field trip to see a an exhibit entitled “Civil War in the West,” which is currently housed in the Old Ordnance Room at Jefferson Barracks National Park. It was interesting to see the different displays showcasing different aspects of life during the Civil War, including a woman rolling bandages, a doctor performing an amputation, (the children had a morbid curiosity about that one!), and soldiers sitting by a campfire.

The children were also interested in a display which showed the kinds of entertainment that were popular back then. They were quite surprised to discover that playing cards and dominoes haven’t changed much!

While we were at the park, we also stopped in the Powder Magazine to see the World War II exhibit. We got to see a local display, which included an airman’s uniform, and a “victory blanket” his family had made.

We also talked about rationing, especially as we’re looking forward to Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee. We discussed how even the royal family had to use ration books, and how people just couldn’t go out and buy whatever they wanted, when they wanted it. I don’t think the children could quite wrap their minds around that concept!

Outside the Powder Magazine is a Battle of the Bulge Memorial. It was nice to stop and look at this, especially as this weekend is Memorial Day Weekend.

Also to honor Memorial Day, we stopped at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, which is adjacent to the park. The children have been there once before, but they were still amazed at the number of graves that are there…to be honest, so am I! It was a good opportunity to talk about how many people have served in the Armed Forces, and how many of them died defending our country.

Only two more weeks of school to go!

I started with a carrot cake on Easter Sunday.

Easter week deserved a cake of its own, aside from the Easter Sunday cake, so I went with a chocolate Irish Cream cheesecake later in the week.

The following week, I made a plain Bailey’s Irish Cream cheesecake.

Next up was a tiramisu layer cake–I think this one was my personal favorite, and it looked so pretty!

That was followed by a coconut cream layer cake, something I’d been wanting to make for a while, but hadn’t gotten around to.

The next week was Ladybug’s birthday, so we had birthday cake.

I finally found a recipe that combines my two favorite desserts, (tiramisu and cheesecake), so our next cake was a–you guessed it–tiramisu cheesecake for Mother’s Day (yes, I made myself a Mother’s Day cake…it was my day, so I could do what I wanted!).

I tried another new recipe for a mocha mousse cake for our 11th anniversary–this was Ryan’s favorite out of all of the cakes I made.

The final week of Easter I tried a variation on an old recipe for a lemon cake–it was very fancy!

Stay tuned tomorrow to see what I made for Pentecost Sunday!

I would like to tip my ball cap and express my most sincere and heartfelt appreciation to John Mozeliak, the Cardinals Players and the entire Cardinal Nation for your recognition of Chipper Jones — and the superior manner in which you recognized him while the Braves were in town: the 45 second standing ovation on Friday night — amplified by Jadier Molina when he stepped out from behind the plate; but especially the pregame presentation on Sunday. This had to be one of the classiest things I’ve ever seen in the sport of baseball, if not any professional sport in my lifetime.

via Cardinal Nation shows its class.