Score!

No, I did not just make a goal. But the mil10 blog has just reached twenty posts, or a score of posts as Abraham Lincoln may have said. Although I think he may have had better things to read than the random ramblings found here.

What is the signifigance of twenty? I don't know, but I listed below several things associated with the number. You never know when you will need a list of such information.

--> Twenty is a village in Lincolnshire, England.
--> A twenty is a denomination of U.S. currency featuring Andrew Jackson's portrait and a denomination of UK currency featuring the portrait of Adam Smith.
--> 20 is the code for international direct dial phone calls to Egypt.
--> Interstate 20 is a freeway that runs from Texas to South Carolina.
--> 20 is a 1988 album by Harry Connick, Jr., but Twenty is a 1997 album by Lynyrd Skynyrd.
--> 20 is CB slang for "a place," being short for "10-20," and is used in reference to a person or object's location.
--> The Twenty Year Curse refers to the pattern of presidents of the United States who were elected to office in 1840, 1860, 1880, 1900, 1920, 1940, and 1960 to die in office.
--> 20/20 is a newsmagazine on ABC.
--> 20/20 indicates normal vision at 20 feet.
--> 20 is the atomic number of calcium.

I know twenty posts is not a big deal in the blogging world, but it is twenty times that the mil10s have opened up and shown a small slice of who we are that may have otherwise gone unseen. Twenty is just the beginning.

Mil10, TX

Who knew there is a town in Texas that shares our last name? Milton, Texas. While looking up random information tonight, I stumbled across this apparently tiny Texas town. I figured it could not be too big of a town since I was not familiar with it. Learning that Milton is southwest of Paris still didn't help me much. Zooming in with an aerial photo showed me only a handful of homes and Google's search engine offered little information.

The Handbook of Texas Online did provide some insight.

MILTON, TEXAS (Lamar County). Milton, on Farm Road 1501 sixteen miles southeast of Paris in southeastern Lamar County, was settled around the time of the Civil War and was originally known as Minton. A post office was established there under the name Milton in 1874; by 1890 the town had a Methodist church, a general store, two combination gristmills and gins, a saw mill, and a dry goods store. A Milton school was in operation by 1896; in 1906 it had an enrollment of sixty-five. The post office closed in 1907, but the town's population continued to grow during the second and third decade of the twentieth century; in the early 1930s 300 residents and four businesses were reported. Since that time Milton has steadily declined. The school and all of the businesses were closed after World War II, and by the early 1970s only a church, a cemetery, and a few scattered houses remained in the area. In 1990 Milton was a dispersed rural community with an estimated population of fifty. The population grew to 80 in 2000.

It may not be the most famous Texas town, but there is a cool association having a town share your last name. Last summer we visited Milton, Florida for that very reason.

Entering Milton, Florida's Historic District. Edie took this photo through the passenger side window while I was driving.

What was the highlight of the visit? The Santa Rosa County Veterans Memorial Plaza. The memorial is "dedicated to the veterans of the United States of America - America's heroes of centuries past and freedom's defenders of days to come."

The Defending Eagle – A bronze statue placed at the entrance of the park. The Defending Eagle has an approximate 12-foot wingspan. The American Bald Eagle is probably the single most recognized symbol of freedom. The Eagle is in a stance of defense, claws dug in, wings out and upward and the head will be tilted at an angle listening for danger. He is ready to defend. On the base of the Eagle is inscribed, “Freedom.”

Ever Tried These?

Always looking for something that can be eaten on the run in the mornings, I have been a fan of granola bars for some time. I prefer the chewy variety as these tend to not be as messy and crumble less than others. Less mess is always a plus when eating in your vehicle on the way to work!

Since our local big-box-store was out of the Kashi bars (TLC Chewy Granola Bars) that had become a day-starting staple as of late, and I have long given up on the Nature Valley bars (both the Chewy Trail Mix and the Chewy Granola with Yogurt Coating) due to burn out, Edie picked up something new. Pictured below is the Fiber One Chewy Oats and Chocolate Bar, the breakfast bar that taking the staring role this week.

Of course, the funny thing is I still have not seen them in the light. You see, since I drive to work in the dark, I really wasn't sure what they looked like before posting this picture.

I am telling the truth when I say they have a great flavor. To adapt a line from Joey after he tasted Rachel's English trifle, let me just say, "What’s not to like? Chocolate? Good. Oats? Good. Gooey, sweet, caramelized substance holding it all together? Gooooood." Unlike the trifle, these bars do not taste like "feet."

My question for you is, have you ever tried these bars? I will wait to post my full review of the bar for a few days. I will wait just in case someone else wants to share an opinion first or you want to rush out and try one on your own.

On a side note, this is not my photo. I borrowed it from someone else. However, the really neat thing is that we used the same plates at my house when I was growing up. Now if they had just used the utensils with the brown handles...

Hip, Hip Hooray, It's Almost Valentine's Day

Can't you see how excited EK is about Valentine's Day. This is at his school party. Be sure and notice the whole cupcake he had just shoved in him mouth.

As excited as he looks, was how I felt when I came home last night. My sweet husband and little boy had picked out some beautiful roses for me for Valentine's Day. EK picked out the most gorgeous color of pink roses. Thanks for the roses guys. I love ya'll so much.

Artist's Corner

This week's entry is EK's take on prehistoric times.