Homefront Team and the Semper Fi Fund

More than 33,000 American warriors have been wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan since the beginning in September of 2001. These people's lives and the lives of their wives, children, mothers, brothers, and sisters are forever changed. The SemperFi Fund is there to give assistance to these brave military members and their families. Please take a moment to read what they are all about.

"The Semper Fi Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit set up to provide immediate financial support for injured members of U.S. Armed Forces and their families. We direct urgently needed resources to Marines and Sailors, as well as members of the Army, Air Force or Coast Guard who serve in support of Marine forces."

 "The basic ideal that drives our efforts is simple: as much as these American heroes have sacrificed, they deserve the best care and support available in their hour of need. Injuries are often severe, and the road to recovery or rehabilitation can be long and costly. Beyond the staggering costs of hospitalization and treatment, related expenses typically pile up quickly. Family members may lose income when taking time off work to visit and care for injured loved ones. Childcare, plane fare and other travel expenses often stretch a family's budget to the breaking point."

"There may be need for physical therapy and counseling. Wheelchairs, specialized equipment and learning devices. Specially adapted cars and vans. Many of those we work with must have their homes modified, or even move into a new home designed to accommodate a serious disability. The list goes on and on, and so do the bills. That's where we come in."


Please take a moment to visit these Homefront Team Shops and support the Semper Fi Fund.

'Help a Wounded Warrior' by PrairieWindDesigns

The Homefront Team is doing a fundraiser to help wounded soldiers. 100% of the proceeds of each of these sales goes to the Semper Fi Fund.

11x14 Photography Ameri... CreationsAnew $30.00	Fabric Flower Bobby Pin... HoldsIt $15.00	SemperFi Fund Upcycled ... PrairieWindDes... $23.00
My Daddy My Hero - Cust... bananabearbout... $18.00	Semper Fi Fund Vintage ... SerendipityDec... $12.00	SemperFi Fund Vintage W... dbdesigned $54.00
SemperFi Fund Gift Bask... LilacAve $25.00	SALE Marine Corps Rever... AStonesThrow $30.00	Crochet Grey Slouchy Ha... quitecrafty $16.00
Semper Fi Fund Nursing ... ANursingRemind... $24.00	Fluffy Monet Scarf CLeeDesigns $20.00	Primitive Patriotic Rag... WanderingWhims... $29.00
Blossom, Bundled Rate P... AhoyGraphics $60.00	BALLET SHOES Hair Clip ... 3LittleBowsBou... $13.00	SemperFi Fund 7/8 Inch ... dbdesigned $34.00

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

Inconvenience

My refrigerator kicked the bucket yesterday.  We were working in the yard and the kids went in for posicles - they came out with bad news and melted icecream.  Thankfully, we have a large chest freezer and a camper with a mini fridge, so I was able to save our food.  After finding the best deal in town, we purchased our new refrigerator only to be delivered more bad news - earliest delivery will be July 27th!  That's over a week!  To further complicate things I have company coming to stay in our home this weekend while we go camping for four days and return with more visitors. Can it get any worse?  I've learned long ago not to ask that question - because it always can.  What my current predictament boils down to is siple inconvenience. Isn't is something how upset we can get when life happens?  How annoyed we are when things don't work properly? Don't begin to get me started on Montana's current season - Road Construction!  The waiting in line, the detours .

Why not take a moment to see what we can learn from these minor incoveniences.  Put in some extra planning, a little extra time, maybe add a dash of creativity and often what you get is a pleasant detour.  While incovenient for a few days in the end I get a new refrigerator.  This morning I was dreading my walk to the camper's refrigerator to make breakfast.  As I walked outside, the beauty of the morning was upon me - the birds were singing, the deer were grazing and the the sunrise was beautiful.  Maybe life throws us an inconvenience once in a while to remind us to stop and take a moment to appreciate what is in front of us.  My wish for you this week is to find the beauty in the inconveniences that come your way.  Another benefit for me is that I have an excuse to share these great etsy items with you! Please stop by these shops.  For the mint chocolate chip soy candle (Yes, that's really a candle) visit

Culinary Chiq Concepts  For a pattern to make your felt yummy food refrigerator play set visit

Dearmykids.  To make groceries that will never go bad, visit Buggabugs.

Creations Anew

I'd like to introduce you to a member of the Etsy HomeFront Team, Robin from Creations Anew. Please take a moment to read this wonderful interview - I hope it will move you and inspire you as it has me.


1. Please tell us a little about yourself.
I've really lived a charmed life. I was born and raised and Army Brat my father was a career soldier and my mother, sister, brother and I revolved around the military. My parents loved to site-see and living in foreign countries afforded us alot of traveling. I remember many hours in a blue Volkswagen van and then an orange one driving around Europe.

I graduated from Karlsruhe American High School in Germany and then I married a soldier and we raised a couple of Army Brats. We spent a couple of tours in Germany and had several stateside duties, from Ft Leonarwood Missouri to the Presido in San Francisco.

During those years I homeschooled my boys and taught Bible Studies. Hubby is now retired from the Army and both boys are graduated from High School. Our oldest son will be a senior at a University in Denver and our youngest son completed his freshman year and is weighing some different options.

Today, I find myself in another transition going from a military wife and motherhood to the civilian world and an empty nest. I'm looking forward to this next of my charmed life. :)


2. What is the 100 photo project?
My 100 Photo Project is really just a personal photo journey. Up until about 5 years ago I was a point and click kind of girl and with these new digital cameras "point and click" could produce a beautiful photo. They are wonderful because I didn't have to think to much about the mechanics of photography.

Earlier this year, I decided that I wanted to dig a little deeper with my art and I ran across the 100 Photo Project on line. http://onehundredphotos.blogspot.com/ There are no hard rules to follow we are encouraged to work at our own pace. The project is really about sharing and encouraging each other in our photographic journey's.

3. What is your favorite place/thing to photograph?

Well that is easy, if you've visited any of my sites you know that I love natural landscapes and florals. Things like mountains, lakes and wildflowers are on my list of favorites; they are always changing and yet ever the same.

Living in Colorado I enjoy all 4 seasons and so this year I've been shooting certain landscapes and trees in all four of the seasons; each seasonal photo has its own individual beauty and its own story.

4. What inspires you?
Other Photographers! I marvel at the things they see and their talent to capture them. By nature, 'm not artistic. I tend to see what is in front of me and obvious and forgetting to look deeper to what is really there. For instance, if I walk by a car, I see a car, other photographers see door handles, steering wheels, headlights, etc.
I've been working on training my eyes to view more than just THAT car!

5. What does the 4th of July mean to you?
I love America! I bleed Red,White and Blue. I'm so thankful to God for allowing me to be born here;to be an American. I've been blessed to have been able to travel world wide and I enjoy visiting other countries and learning about their cultures and their heritage but in the words of Dorthy from the Wizard of Oz,there is NO Place Like Home.

A few years ago, my oldest son befriended a German Foreign Exchange Student and I so enjoyed watching him view our culture. From small town football, (which is HUGE here), to American Flags waving in everyone's yard. He was mystified with our patriotic small town life; we are in the middle on no-where Colorado and yet when we say who we are, we say "We are Americans".

Last year,my youngest son went to small midwest college to play football and he enjoyed rooming with some inner city kids. When he came home, he shared with us that many of these boys did NOT identify with being Americans; their pride stemmed from which coast they come from...Truthfully, that bothered me, that somehow they had missed knowing that even with all of our issues,America really is the land of the Free and the Home of the Brave and that it's for them too.

6. Where can we find you?
I'm all over the place :)
Website: http://www.creations-anew.com/
Blog: http://www.creationsanew100photos.blogspot.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CreationsAnewPhotography
Twitter: http://twitter.com/creationsanew
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/creationsanew/
Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/creationsanew
1000Markets: http://www.1000markets.com/creationsanew

Homefront Team

Do you have plans this 4th of July Weekend?  Maybe you are attending a picnic or a parade, a rodeo or a car show.  Many of you may be attending an old fashioned ice-cream social or an outdoor craft show.  No matter what your plans for the day may bring, most of you will all find a quiet spot to sit and watch the fireworks, or throw a party of your to light up the sky.  Amongst all the activities, I ask this week that you take time to think about our men and women who are serving our country at this very moment.  Then I ask that you take a moment to think of their families. 

With the 4th of July upon us, I wanted to take a moment to share a special Etsy Team with you.  They are the Homefront Team.  The Homefront Team is comprised of etsy shop owners that are spouses and significant others  of members of the uniformed services.  

The Homefront Team Blog describes the team better than I can. "We are male and female, of all ages and several different nationalities and are located, quite literally, worldwide! Our one common thread is that we are personally involved in supporting our countries on a day-in, day-out basis. Without prejudice, or regard for religion, race, nationality or political views, we keep the homefires burning and our families together, no matter how far apart we are."

Whether you are Army, Navy, Marine, Air Force, Coast Guard, Reserves or Retired, the value of having a strong support system on the homefront has been recognized and revered for decades.

So while you are hanging that American Flag with pride at your next picnic, take a moment to remember those who have served in the past and those serving now who have brought you the simple everyday freedoms that we so often take for granted in our day to day lives. 

Please take a moment to visit the Etsy homepage and search Homefront Team.  If you like like what you see posted here, please visit these homefront team shops: For the Freedom and Liberty flag, please visit WanderingWhimsies.  For the Proud Military Spouse Dog Tags, please visit TheTaffyBox.  For the adorable Deployment Bear, please visit camillam.