Packing for Soldier's Angels this Saturday 5/19

Ladies, we will be packing baggies of snacks and comfort items for the chaplains in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Aside from the regular snack  items and personal care items, here are some other things suggested by the chaplain team:
* individual drink mixes
* ice pops for those places that have freezers
* water guns
* cooling scarves
* baby wipes
* medicated foot and body powder
* socks
* fans (personal sized)
* cotton sheets and pillowcases
* Febreeze or other air freshners (not aeorsal)
* sun screen
* bug repellant

Other item we need are: packing tape & scissors.

I have 25 boxes and customs forms. I have baggies.

We'll be in our regular place at the Galleria/285. Email me at everenee@aol.com if you need directions or more information.

PS- as a bonus, we'll be joined by our youngest member, Baby Elsa! 

Meeting Next Saturday- packing party

In honor of mother's day, we are not meeting on Saturday. Rather, we will meet next Saturday at our usual place (Galleria @ 285). Contact Everenee@aol.com for directions.

We will be having a packing party for the troops! Snacks, hygiene items, games, toys, books, magazines (for men, not sexy) puzzle books etc- no chocolate, no aerosol.  These items will be packed into grab-n-go goodie bags and kept with the Chaplin. The troops who visit can take a goodie bag or go shopping for free for the comfort items we provide.

We have- baggies, boxes ( I am ordering 20 APO boxes) we need stuff to send & packing tape.
Each box will be about $12.50 to ship and we'll operate on an adopt a box program. We're asking people to take a box and ship it.  (I have two under two and a trip the post office with boxes is not possible).

I have asked for more specific items from the chaplains group of soldiers angels. I will post if I get a better list.

Cards are always welcome. DVDs of movies are welcome (they're cheap at Big Lots).
See you then!

New Member- Elsa Naomi Trader, Born on Super Tuesday, 3/6/12

Meeting on Saturday 2/11

Greetings all- we have a meeting on Saturday 2/11/ 12 at our usual place at the Galleria (Cumberland and 285). Email me at everenee@aol.com for directions and information. It's a bring your own breakfast meeting and there might be some surprise treats.

This is the last meeting before Georgia's March 6th Presidential Preference primary. The good news is this election is not a done deal so your vote does count! Come for some intelligent conversation as we "caucus" with each other and "stand by our man" or argue for a brokered convention this summer.

Will it be Mitt, Newt, Rick or Ron? Is abstaining a good way to voice your displeasure with the field? Did anyone else see a tweet saying Paul Ryan would be open to being drafted in a brokered convention ( one could only hope!). Anyone else in love with Marco Rubio? Plus did Karen Handel's departure from Komen enhance her political chances in the future? And we'd love to hear what our Catholic friends think about the President's birth control/abortion overreach.

Just some of what's on the table this weekend at Saturday Morning in America- Atlanta chapter.
See you there. (Eve)

South Carolina

If you tweet, join me (Eve) in tweeting @ReincePriebus asking why Iowa, who can't certify their election results or determine who won their caucus, gets the first, and one of the most impactful says in our primary process. Seriously, I keep asking why and I keep discovering there is no good reason. We need to pressure the RNC to make some big time changes in the process to give more people a say in our nominee. IMHO, Eve

Debate tonight on CNN, "juicy" interview with Newt's 2nd Ex on Nightline following the debate (ABC), if you care about such things.

I was impressed with Newt after the last debate, especially since he touched the 3rd rail of Social Security. Still no one excites me. I am hoping for a brokered convention or that Marco Rubio will join the Romney ticket. I'll force myself to get excited by Mitt Romney if that gets us Marco Rubio in 4 or 8 years. (or Paul Ryan or Bobby Jindal). I could get excited if Nikki Haley joined the Romney ticket too. But right now I am hopeful that we can drag this on and that it's not over on the 31st. I would feel much more engaged if our vote on March 6th mattered.

Meeting this Saturday 1/14

We have a meeting on Saturday Jan. 14th at 9am in our new usual place at the Galleria/ 285. Please email everenee@aol.com if you need directions or more information.

I won't be able to attend since my parents decided to take advantage of the long weekend and visit. (Since I work in ministry, I don't get the long weekend).
Here are my thoughts- I apologize for sounding like a "Debbie Downer"... at this point, I am not inspired...

I'm pretty frustrated with the whole primary process and feel like a ship without a sail...
I would like to pass along that I read a nice little e-book called "The Right Fights Back" that set up the primary
situation up to the point of the Iowa caucus. It's only in ebook format and I think it was $2.99 or something
like that. It's short, but really interesting if you're looking for a behind the scenes approach. I learned that Rick
Perry was kind of pushed into running for President and that might explain his lack of debate prep and passion.

Also, HBO made Game Change into a movie and it will be premiering in March- if you didn't read that book.

At this point I am a "none of the above" fan and hoping we get a brokered convention this summer (that is the field
is too widespread to get more the 50% of the first vote at the convention, at which point, other people who may not
have even run in the primaries can be submitted for nomination... such as Bobby Jindal, Paul Ryan etc).

If Mitt wins SC and FL it's pretty much over, as I think the money will dry up for everyone else.
It's sad that in GA we don't have much of a say, however, if Mitt ties or doesn't win either of those states,
GA is the top prize on Super Tuesday, so expect to see some media buys. I just can't think of who might
be strong enough to mount a conservative challenge at this point since Newt is imploding and Santorum isn't really
a fiscal conservative (he supports unions- not going to go over in SC) and Perry is off the radar.

There is a debate on Saturday and another one before next Saturday's vote.

PS- I still maintain that Hillary Clinton will be the ticket with Obama and if that's the case, stock up on weapons, ammunition and gold. (I'm starting to sound like Ron Paul!).

Eve

Debate Tonight 12/15

There is yet another debate tonight (12/15) at 9pm on FOX News Channel. Singing Jenny, Jen from San Marcos, Penny in SoCal and some other ladies get together and chat in our yahoo group. You do have to have a yahoo account (free) to sign in, and Jen has to approve you. If you want to sign up, make sure you mention that you are a SMIA Atlanta member.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/saturdaymorninginamerica

If you can't yell at the TV in your house or commiserate with your spouse/friends, this is a fun thing to do during the debates.

Merry Christmas and FYI our next meeting is January 14- after Iowa caucus and NH primary.