WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN???

Well, Friday, I was cleaning the house until 4am on Saturday morning getting ready for the baby shower on Saturday. I slept from 4-8am, then got up and got back to cleaning. My friend Lisa, who did the shower with me, came over at 12:00 and we started in on the food. My house was almost clean, and her husband actually picked up the last few things that were on the table. So nice! We made a fruit platter, veggies and dip, chips and dip, ham and swiss on croissants, heavenly pink salad, mandarin pasta salad. I think that's it. And another girl named Amy, a friend of Mary, brought over some spinach and artichoke dip and french bread and crab stuffed mushrooms. YUM!!! And then she proceeded to stay in the kitchen and put the pasta salad and heavenly pink salad together. What a nice person! I am so glad I have such nice people around me. I wouldn't and couldn't have done the shower without Lisa. I called her up four times for stuff I didn't get a chance to get and she was so kind and never said no, I can't do it. She is such a gracious friend! She even drove over to the party store on Saturday morning and got some stuff to decorate. I totally forgot about that until about 2am on Saturday. Once all the junk was gone from the family room and living room, I looked around and said, hey, I forgot about the decorations! So she made a really cute banner and bought the streamers and she and her husband decorated the living room and it turned out great! What would I have done without her? And Amy was a big help in the kitchen, too. We are going to get together and hang out in the near future. Such fun!

The baby shower was a huge success. There were about fifteen people here. We played stork bingo, the chocolate diapers game, guess how big around the pregnant woman is, guess how many smarties in the baby bottle and I think there was something else, but now I can't remember. And we had some great prizes! Mary brought a $20 gift cert. to Applebee's, Lisa brought two different body lotion/spa treatment type gift sets. I got a stained glass candle holder, little boxes with See's chocolates in them, and a box of pretty, embossed note cards. Of course Lisa and Mary's prizes were the ones that got stolen when we did the game where you can steal a prize or take a new one! There was a lot of stealing going on! Amy even stole the Applebee's card from a little girl! However, when the little girl ended up with a box of chocolate, she was quite happy! A good time was had by all!

Then on Sunday I had a friend over who I had not had a chance to spend as much time with as I would have liked. We had a blast! She has quite the interesting past and found out about a portion of it. What an amazing woman! Talk about handling adversity! I wish I could tell you all her story, but some things are better left unsaid! I can say, though, if you ever met this woman, you would all love her as much as I do! She is truly amazing and has been through so much!

Well, by the time Sunday night came, I was so exhausted, I ended up getting Rebekah's cold. I really hope my friend doesn't get it! I could hardly sleep, I had the chills. And I stayed in bed for like twelve hours! Then on Monday at 11:30, we had a reservation for tea at Molly Kate's Tea Room. It was so nice! The first time I have taken the girls for tea. They both behaved very well. They had dinosaur shaped grilled cheese and chocolate chip and cherry scones and clotted cream, red grapes and strawberries. And raspberry lemonade in footed goblets! And Jess had her pinky in the air the entire time! Then they had a tiny chocolate cupcake with swirled pink icing and little candy hearts on top, sitting on top of a paper doily on a china plate. So cute! My lunch was a delicious broccoli cheese soup, chicken salad (with raisins, walnuts, celery) on a croissant, mini cucumber sandwiches with dilled cream cheese on wheat, a chocolate chip and cherry scone with clotted cream and for dessert, chocolate cake with chocolate raspberry syrup and cream on top! Yum! We all had tea and the girls got to put "Sugahhh" in theirs. That was supposed to sound fancy. All the time with the pinky in the air, of course. I got a couple of pictures of them there. A great time was had by all. Hey, Joann, they can seat up to twenty for a ladies tea! We could get the whole place to ourselves!

Hope you are all well. If you don't hear from me, it is because I am a little under the weather still and I am trying to recover so we can go visit my aunt this weekend! Have a great day!

My Mom

Well, this is depressing. I sat down a couple of days ago, to write all about my mom. And I realized I don't know enough to write down anything. I know she was born in Florida, that my Grandma was married to someone I never met before, but I don't know much else. And the only one who knows any of it is my aunt, my mom's sister. I am going to have to talk to her to find out more. But when I realized I don't know much, it made me sad. Because I should know about my own mother, shouldn't I? By the time I was at the point in my life that I wanted to know anything, she was so sick that talking was a struggle for her. It just seemed like everything was so difficult. Her mind was getting very fuzzy. About current things. She would ask the same question five or six times and forget the answer. And if she got something stuck in her head, she wouldn't stop thinking about it. For weeks. She had a something on her ear. I don't remember exactly what it was. But she was worried about it forever! She was so worried about this that she finally went to the doctor and I don't remember what they did about it, but then it wasn't an issue anymore. She thought it was cancer or something. And she didn't want to get cancer! But all the while, when she wasn't worried about dying of cancer, she was praying that the Lord would take her home, because she didn't want to live anymore. She was miserable, not able to do anything, couldn't lift a finger by herself, literally. But she was sure she didn't want to die of cancer! Some things just didn't make sense for the longest time. But talking about her history was not really possible at this point. And I should have made more of an effort to do so, but I didn't. And now I don't know much. That makes me sad. But now I will have to piece this all together. Because there aren't many people left.

And on a lighter note. My mom's mother was Grandma Aurlette. Her husband (the man I always knew as my grandpa) was named Arthur. So, Art and Aurlette. My dad's parents were Oma and Opa. It never occurred to me that these were not their real names. Art and Aurlette were so close, I didn't think Oma and Opa (the German name for Grandma and Grandpa) was too much of a stretch. Didn't know until I was like a teenager that their names were Anna and Joseph!

So, after this baby shower is done, I will have to start doing research on my mom.

Today I am Thankful For...

Our friends. New and old. For the happy times we share with them and the wonderful memories.

Our Friends Are Leaving!

My friend Lana is leaving. Boo-hoo! I am sad. Jessica is very sad. Her friend Melanie and her brother Austin are leaving, too. We went to Chuck E Cheese with them yesterday so the kids could play. They are moving to Nevada on Monday. Sold their house and bought one in a small town in Northern Nevada. About 11 hours drive from here! They had looked in Idaho (yes, she knows exactly where Sandpoint is) and some other places and they ended up in Nevada. Got some land and they are going to have chickens again. I used to get eggs from her before they sold their house in Palmdale. Rebekah wants to move to Duh-vad-a. And Jess does, too, when she turns eighteen.

I met Lana a few years ago when the kids were in gymnastics together. Neither of our kids go to the gymnastics center anymore, but we remained friends. And she has been my best Pampered Chef customer! She has had like four kitchen shows in three years! The last one on Friday last week.

I remember when my best friend moved away when I was four years old. She moved to Cincinnati. When we got old enough to write letters back and forth, we did. Covered them with stickers. I think I had to pay extra postage because of all the stickers on the pages! Now she is a television producer! And I visited her in New York when she worked at NBC before I got married. We stayed in contact through the years. Still do. I hope that Jessica and her friend Melanie stay friends.

Rebekah is sad that Austin is leaving. He gave her some cotton candy at Chuck E Cheese yesterday. You would have thought he gave her the best thing in the world. She gave him this look - smile, with lips pressed together, head tilted to one side, shoulder lifted up to rest her cheek on, eyes half closed. Trying to look sultry. Only succeeded in looking funny and cute. That's Rebekah! Then when we laughed at her, she kept doing it. Then she winked at him and I lost it! It was pretty cute.

I know Jessica will have more friends. She makes friends everywhere she goes. But Melanie has been her best friend and her first real friend. That she got together with and played with. That is special. They have had their differences, but for the most part they have gotten along great. And Jess has always told me if they disagree. Melanie is the one she wanted to call when she lost her first tooth! Thank goodness we have Vonage and calls to anywhere in the US are free. So they can still talk on the phone and send each other letters.

So we are losing some good friends, but maybe we can get up to northern Nevada and visit them sometime. Hopefully! Well, we are not really losing them, but we won't be able to get together like we have. What a bummer! But I wish them well in their new adventure.

Now Jessica wants to move because she thinks it is exciting to move.

The Doug Jones Experience

So there's this guy who goes to our church. He's an actor named Doug Jones. And he is a great guy and a wonderful example of Christ. And he has a beautiful voice. And he has done some very interesting movies. So I am looking up his site, the Doug Jones Experience, and I click on the link for his store. Well, it just seems really funny, to ME, that I could buy t-shirts, hats, trivets and teddy bears with Doug's picture on them. With "The Doug Jones Experience" emblazoned across the front. Now granted, this is not HIS site. He does not maintain it, it is maintained by a fan of his, a very nice one at that. Still, it made me laugh out loud. And I know he would be laughing about himself, which makes it even funnier. I may have to buy one of the children's shirts for the girls.

Today I am Thankful For...

My mother-in-law. Who watched the kids for me yesterday so I could go to the doctor. So I didn't have to explain to the kids at this age what the dr. was doing. AND she put the kids to work and straightened up my family room and kitchen! I'm going to have her over more often! What could I do nice for my m-i-l that wouldn't cost a lot? Any ideas?

Recycled Dollars - Part Two

She asked about it. Yesterday. Oh boy. Then she started looking for it. Frantically. Because she wanted to show it to her friend. I told her she needed to get ready to go to the library for story time and I was able to delay her for a while. So, we got home from the library and I had to go to the USPS website, get the phone number for the post office in Santa Clarita to find out if their stamp vending machine still gave change in dollar coins. Yes! So, on my way back from the dr's office yesterday, I stopped there and deposited a $20 bill into the machine. I had to buy a whole book of stamps! Oh well, it is for a good cause. I got twelve golden dollars and two dimes back! Now I have enough for later, too! I got back home and deposited eleven golden dollars into the monster safe and carefully placed the other on the floor of her playroom, right underneath where the tooth box had been on the shelf. After a little while, I casually asked her if she had a chance to look for the missing dollar. She said no and we went to look for it. I showed her where I had found the box and told her to look on the floor around there. There was plenty of debris on the playroom floor, so she had to do a little digging. She found it! "There's something here and it is shiny! And it is round!! It's my golden dollar!!!" Me: "Oh, good, you found it! Now put it someplace safe, okay? So you don't lose it again." Well, we put it in the monster as well. In a separate location from the other eleven. Phew. Done. I was so worried all day, since I had used the same one. What if the post office no longer had them? What if they only had susan b anthony dollars in the machine? I have received those as change before as well. So I was very relieved when I got golden dollars out of the machine!

In answer to your questions, Rosemary, golden dollars are the Sacagawea $1 coins that came out a few years ago that are no longer being minted. They were originally called Sacagawea dollars, but when people started to call them "Sucky's" because Americans don't want to carry coins around, they changed the name to Golden Dollars. They are a gold color and tarnish very quickly, so then they look almost copper-colored. They are the same size as the Susan B Anthony's. Apparently, the US Mint could save over $500 million per year if we would switch to dollar coins instead of paper dollars, but we the public are so whiny about it that they keep the paper and get rid of the coins. Since when do they listen to us about anything? JUST MAKE THE CHANGE. People will adapt! The campaign should be about saving the money, not making the money! But I digress.

Jess has her golden dollars from the tooth fairy. My guilt is gone. Today will be a good day. Now if I can just keep Rebekah from hitting her sister...

Recycled Dollars

I am a bad mom. I didn't realize that her tooth was as loose as it was. She was able last night to push it straight out forward, at a 90 degree angle from where it should have been. We put the Baby Orajel on and waited. It takes about ten minutes for it to take effect. So then I tried. She cried. I tried again and it came out. Then she bled. But she was happy! She really wanted the tooth fairy to come last night. Then she wanted to go to bed so Roy, the Tooth Fairy, would come. Then she was asking all kinds of questions. How does he get in the house? What does he do? Too many questions. I had to admit that I didn't really know that much about him. Well, then there was the problem of the golden dollar. She was anticipating a golden dollar. She wanted another one! But, being the bad mom, I did not plan ahead. Alas, there was no golden dollar to be found. EXCEPT...the one that was still left in the little tooth box from the first tooth! I went looking for the little tooth box and found it, with the gold dollar inside. I put the gold dollar in my pocket and brought the little box to her, where we together put the tooth in it. Then we put it under her pillow. Then this morning, she came to me and said, "He was HERE!" and produced the golden dollar! Ouch. Another twinge of guilt. She didn't ask about her other golden dollar. She hasn't realized yet that it is missing. However, she will. Just a matter of time. So, I need to find another golden dollar. And a third for the next tooth that is already loose. Nothing like planning ahead.

Today I am Thankful For...

The Tooth Fairy. Who paid another visit last night and made my daughter very happy. She's not going to have a tooth left in her head at this rate!

crazy week!

This IS going to be a crazy week. I have so much going on and the baby shower on Saturday! So far, there are going to be eight of us here for the shower. Maybe nine or ten. Not too bad. And I have only had two calls. Mary has had three people call her and one of them called me. Good thing it wasn't a surprise! Yes, I know the shower is a week away. And they haven't had a lot of time to think about it yet. But I will need to buy food and plan the menu. Some of you understand how frustrating it is when people don't RSVP. They don't seem to know that it means RESPOND PLEASE. Not "Call if you can make it". I have been guilty of this myself. I forget to call. I always feel bad when the shoe is on the other foot. So to speak. I mean, if I do it and I realize I do it, then what of all the people who don't give it a second thought? Nobody RSVP's anymore. My sister once gave a baby shower and one guest showed up. And I gave a baby shower last year that nobody called to say they were coming. We had NO RSVP's. So, I had to call everyone. We ended up with about 13 people. Who hadn't called. Who we would not have known were coming if they hadn't been called. Oh the shame of it! We all, myself included, have such bad manners now! I do vow to from now on figure out what is going on in a timely manner and RESPOND when I get invited to something.

Okay, I feel better. Let's move on, shall we? I gotta get my house cleaned!

Poor Scooter!

So, my friend was over yesterday and during the course of the conversation, she tells me that the last time we were down to visit her (about two weeks ago), she accompanied Rebekah to the toilet. And Rebekah was telling her about Scooter. Scooter was the best cat I ever had. He was the brother to my dad's cat, Grey Kitty. Dad also has Orange Kitty. Scooter was originally called Black Kitty. My nephew was three when he named them. (As a little aside, when I took them all to the vet for their first shots, the vet asked which one was which. Duh.)

Well, Scooter loved living in the San Fernando Valley, and he spent his days chasing birds and insects, rolling around in the dirt and sunning himself in the sun. He would come in sometimes, but mostly enjoyed being outside. He had spent the first two years of his life as an outdoor cat. He was given to Dad's neighbor, a guy that mainly cared about himself, because he had mice in the mobile home. When John left, he abandoned the cat. When I moved to an apt. that I could take him in at, I went up the mountain and took the cat home. He loved it. Anyway, when we moved to the desert, he stayed inside most of the time. Didn't like it. No trees outside, since we moved into a new house. He liked chasing mice, but we also had coyotes, which is most likely what happened to him, since he just didn't come home one night. Rebekah doesn't really remember him. She was very small when he disappeared. Jessica remembers him and loved him. He would curl up on the bed while she was asleep and take a nap with her. He loved her, too.

Well, occasionally Scooter will come up in conversation. Jess says she is going to cry. Rebekah says the coyotes got him. She elaborated on this in her conversation with my friend.

"Scooter DIED! The wolves got him!"
"Really?"
"Yeah, they tore his feet off and ate them up!"
"Really?"
"Yeah, then they tore his tail off and ate it up! Then they tore his butt cheeks off and ate them up! Then they tore his ears off and ate them up! Then they tore his tummy off and ate it up! Then they tore his nose off and ate it up! Then they tore his BUTT CHEEKS off and ATE THEM UP! "
"Do you just like saying butt cheeks?"
"Yes."

Somehow, I don't think this little girl is going to grow up and be a vegetarian. My friend said she related this story with such glee! It was all she could do to keep from bursting out laughing.

Hmm. The things girls talk about when they go in the bathroom together!

Today I am Thankful For...

Sling.

I was trying to figure out how to link to someone's blog and a very nice person, with a very interesting blog gave me some directions. So, I am going to try to link to his blog and see if this works.

Sling's Domain is here.

I think it worked. Thanks, Sling! Have a great day.

I feel smarter already. I was probably the only person on the face of the earth who didn't know how to do that.

For those of you who didn't know...

I have allowed for anonymous comments on the blog. So, for those of you who don't have a blogger account and don't want to get one, you can still comment. So, post a comment and let me know you were here!

Twelve Things

Okay, 5:30am and I have just finished washing all of the dishes and the dishwasher is going. It sure doesn’t take long before there are no more clean spoons, bowls or pans! The kids go through so many sippy cups, you would think they are disposable! And I actually get paper cups so they won’t use as many. Their main liquid is water and they are allowed to get it freely from the refrigerator. This does mean, however, that they leave water cups on the table. At least if they are open cups, I don’t have to retrieve them later from unknown places. Sippy cups are mainly used now for non-water items and for the car. But I digress.

I need to clean up this messy house today. Finally put away the Christmas tree. But in a few months I will have to pull it out again. It seems the Christmases come much closer together now. It used to take SOOOOO long for Christmas to get here and now, before I know it, there is another one around the corner.

Yesterday I actually got some stuff accomplished! I poked around in the shed for boxes for the Christmas stuff and ended up rearranging part of the shed. The Hubby actually noticed! And it was driving me crazy that there was only a small area to walk around my car in the garage, so I swept and rearranged part of the garage and now there is a decent amount of room to get around my car. My goal is to get The Hubby’s car in the garage, too. I do have a few things I would like to accomplish. Maybe I should make a list and see what gets done. You know, if you write it down and tell someone else, you have a better chance of getting it done, right? So, here goes:

1. Put away Christmas tree.
2. Clean out garage.
3. Clean up patio, sweep, get rid of tumbleweeds, wash table and chairs.
4. Organize closet (been working on this)
5. Clean up and organize computer room.
6. The computer room is such a mess, I need to put it on here twice.
7. Clean up and organize play room.
8. Clean up kitchen.
9. Vacuum.
10. Shampoo carpets.
11. Wash floors.
12. Wash windows.

Okay, twelve things. Some small, some big. Average one per month, though some will have to be done more than once and some will take longer than a month. So, once I get the tree put away, I will have to get started on a couple of the big ones right away, so I make sure they get done before the end of the year. I can’t be out in the garage in the summertime, so that will have to get done soon, if it is to get done at all. I am going to print this out so I can put it on the refrigerator. Wish me luck! This is the year I get organized!

I hope.

My Mom

So, after reading Rosemary's blog http://rosemarys-attic.blogspot.com, I have been thinking a lot about my mother. So, I am trying to put this all together in my head, but one day soon, I am going to start to tell my mother's story. Parts of it, anyway. And from my perspective. So, stay tuned!

I got to hold the baby!

A one week old baby girl! Yeah, I know, but her mother handed her to me and how could I say no? She was wide awake, bright-eyed and beautiful. So tiny, but she seemed so comfortable. So, I put her in my arms and both of us were just fine. She was absolutely beautiful! Tiny ears and hands. She is half Filipino and just beautiful. Her mother is doing well. We took dinner to them last night. Just Jess and I. The Hubby was nice enough to meet me on his way home and take the little Sister home. Jess got to sit on the floor and hold the baby. I felt like an octopus, keeping my hands directly underneath her arms. She held her for about two minutes and I figured we were doing good, so stop while you are ahead. Well, I asked her, when we were in the car later, "So, what did you think of that little baby?" "SHE WAS SOOOOOOOOOOO CUUUUUUUUTE!" Just as I thought. She loved holding the baby.

Today I am Thankful For...

Sleep. When my children are asleep. I get a little quiet time before they get up again. Besides, they look so beautiful and peaceful when they are sleeping!

Three

Three is the new two. I don't like three. There are some things about three that I like, but there is a lot I don't like. Like the hitting. Of the big Sister. Why? I don't understand coming up to someone and hitting them for no reason. And when asked, "Why did you hit your sister?", the answer is, "I don't know." That's not an answer! I want to know what is going on in the mind of a three year old and she can't explain that to me. It is frustrating.

The things I like about three are that she is finding her independence, but still needs Mommy. She is learning about the things around her and what her likes and dislikes are. She gives great hugs. She has a great smile. But there is an ugly, wrinkled up face that she has, too. Oh dear. What is four going to be like? This one is different than the big Sister. She is mostly love and hugs and trying to please. A little rebellion now and then, but for the most part she just wants to love everyone and have a good time. The little Sister has somewhat of a mean streak. This one is going to be my challenge.

"I'm In"

Hillary has finally admitted she is running for President. We've all known since she left the White House that she was going to attempt to get back in. Well, now it is official. Why can't we have someone in office that does a good job and is looking out for the best interests of the people? Republican, Democrat, whatever, a good candidate that has a chance of winning. Because of the way the electoral college is set up, nobody other than a Republican or Democrat can win. So all those votes are wasted. Let's all pray that in this election we end up with someone who will do the will of the people and do what is in the best interest of the country. I guess part of the problem is that the will of the people is divided in half. The country is divided down the middle with half the people on the left and half on the right and no middle ground. Well, we can hope and pray that it works out, can't we?

Today I am Thankful For...

That Jessica asked for prayer when she got sick. Her faith in God is amazing!

MOMMY?!?!

There's nothing worse than being awakened in the dead of night by a child's cry for Mommy! I leaped out of bed. It was 12:30. She was vomitting in the toilet. Scott also was awakened and went to check her bed. Nothing. She woke up from being sound asleep and made it to the toilet to puke. What an amazing girl! No mess anywhere! Well, we stayed up from 12:30 until 4:30 in the morning when Scott left for work (he had gone back to sleep) and she had about twelve episodes of heaving. Poor thing! There was nothing left to come up! Well, she slept until about 9:00 this morning and she felt much better. No more throwing up. But we only fed her top ramen for lunch just to be on the safe side. She seems to be all better now and is running around like normal now. I am so glad. I hate when she is sick! Hopefully Rebekah doesn't get it! I don't think she will. Jess has a sensitive stomach and picks up every stomach thing just because she doesn't want it to get away, it seems. This one was bad, but not very long. My baby is healthy again!

Upgrade!

Well, I am upgraded now. I have joined the world of the new blogger. I try to avoid changing things on the computer until everyone else has worked out the bugs. It is no longer in Beta, so I think I will be okay. Everything seems to be fine. I think this will work.

Little changes around every corner, but nothing dangerous. I think. Bear with me whilst I figure this out. And let's begin a new adventure with a new year!

Welcome to my new(er) blog!

TodayJessica is thankful for...

Sleeping. And flowers and dogs and all our life.

Oh the weather outside is frightful.

And it's cold inside, too. Went to Grandma Alice's house to visit yesterday. Well, let me back up. First, we went to storytime at the library. Then we went to the mall. The girls and I and two friends. So, the kids played at the library, then played at the mall for about 2 1/2 hours. Then we went to See's and they each picked out a candy. This, in addition to the sample candy that each got and they were both in chocolate heaven. So then we went to Grandma Alice's house. Hubby's mom was there too, since her house still has no carpet after the big flood. For those of you who don't know, they were in Oklahoma for three months and she didn't have her heater on in her house. In early December, Hubby's uncle went to check on the house and when he opened the front door a wave of water poured out. The ice-maker line apparently froze and expanded, cracking the plastic and gushing water for two days. This caused a flood in which all the carpet in the house got soaked and had to be replaced. Anyway, they have been staying with Grandma Alice since then. SO, we visited the girls' Grandma and Great Grandma. Grandma Alice will be 96 this year. She's gettin' up there. Pretty amazing for a woman who survived polio in her twenties, the death of her husband in her thirties and raising two children by herself. But then she is an amazing woman. I wish I had met her sooner. She is amazing. Anyway, so I was talking to the Grandmas and Bekah comes in and sits down on my lap. Then I turned her sideways and cradled her in my arms and within a few minutes she was asleep. It was very sweet. She slept like that for about an hour. Then we had to go and I put her in the car and she continued to sleep. I got to have a nice visit and Jess played with Lincoln Logs in the other room. She got to play undisturbed and I got to chat. What a nice way to end a day! We were gone all day so I didn't get anything done, but it was a fun day. AND since Grandma's house is kept at 74 degrees, we got to thaw out a bit. Such fun!

Today I am thankful for...

Blogger. Without which, I would not be able to keep up with the people around me and I would not have met some nice, new friends! There's love!

I Already Blew It!

Oops, only a few days into this and already I didn't blog yesterday! Sorry! Life gets in the way sometimes. We went to Santa Clarita to visit a friend and we walked around the mall. Looked at the puppies in the pet store, the kids played in the play area, and we had lunch at the Asian Food place. Then we went and looked at the sparkly store. I love that store. Everything in there is sparkly and pretty and pretty affordable. More so than the $7500 necklace at the jewelry store next to the pet store. And that was 50% off! I got a pretty pair of green earrings for $7.99. Such a bargain!

Anyway, all in all, it was a good day. Even if I didn't have a chance to blog!

Today I am thankful for...

That I can be a stay at home mom and be at home with my kids. It is such a joy to see them grow up!

I'm so jazzed!

Okay, went to the monthly pampered chef meeting tonight. Got the brochure with all the new stuff for spring. I AM SOOO EXCITED!!! I want it all. Since I can't have it all and I don't have any money, I will have to figure out a way to earn it all. Anybody wanna do a Show and get some free stuff? There are some totally cool new products...

Yeah, yeah, I know, I am too into this stuff. (There's new tropical themed recipes and shows, too!)

Aireloom Mattress

Been looking into a handmade mattress made by Aireloom. Anybody heard of it? It is supposed to be VERY well made, all natural, and it feels like you are sleeping on a cloud. We tried them out at three different stores so far. Very nice. Please let me know if you have any experience with them.

Today Rebekah Is Thankful For...

Rebekah, what are you thankful for?
I don't know.
Okay, WHO are you thankful for?
God. Why did He made us?
Why DID He make us?
FOR HIS GLORY!!!
Anybody else you're thankful for?
No. Just God.

ANOTHER Baby Shower?!

Yes. I am going to give another baby shower. My friend is having her baby before the end of February. She has two sisters that live within 1/2 hour of her and neither of them has said anything about having a shower. So, my friend and I talked about it. I introduced the two of them to each other. In December. Lisa said that wouldn't it be sad to think later on that this baby would ask her mother, "How come nobody gave you a baby shower when I was born?" It was too much. Besides, I wanted to do it six months ago when she told me she was pregnant, however, I held back because I figured one of her sisters would do it. Nope. So, Lisa and I are going to give it to her. I can't wait. I like giving baby showers. But this will be a rush! AND...we don't know what she is having! She isn't going to find out! That makes it fun! SO, here goes, with another baby shower! If anybody has game ideas, let me know...

Today I am thankful for...

My Hubby. He's pretty cool. He likes me. And he is a good daddy. Jess asked yesterday if he was staying here today. When I answered her yes, he is, she got all excited and started saying, "Daddy's staying here! Daddy's staying here!" She was very excited. Then, this morning, she was hugging on him for quite some time. She loves her daddy. And it is rare that he gets to stay home with us when we don't have all kinds of things going on. Yeah, I am thankful for my Hubby. He's good.

Yard Update

The gardener came. They guy who pulled all the weeds. He was here all day last Sunday. He planted all the plants. He even rearranged part of the dirt above the lawn. He planted a hedge on the other side of the driveway, by the neighbors yard. He did a nice job. And he worked all day and it was FREEZING! He brought his brother with him. They are from Jamaica. The weather is a little different here than there. He was saying it is too cold here for him and he will be moving. But, I hope it is not too soon! I got someone I like and he is good! Hopefully he won't move. Anyway, all we have left to do is the slope on the side of the house. It is 12 feet high and 90 feet across. This is the section above the existing grass. Only the top half of the slope. The guy never called Scott back when he asked for more time, so I guess it is okay that we are not done yet. It is a work in progress and it is costing a fortune that we do not have, but it does look nicer. So, for a while we will be eating mac and cheese (no problem for Bekah, that's her favorite food) and we will suck it up while we are working on the slope. Such fun!

Today I am thankful for...

That I do not live where it is -6 degrees.

NYR

New Years Resolution

I intend to blog everyday. I will probably bore you all to death, but there it is. Tune in if you dare. I will try to be witty, artistic, and forthright. So, here's to the attempt. Oh, yeah, and everyday I am going to post something I am thankful for. Starting today.

Top Ten Reasons...

Today is a good day. This is more for me than for you, dear Reader. I just need a little pick me up. I could easily come up with ten reasons that it is not a good day, however, then I would be being negative, wouldn't I? And my intent here is to bring myself up. SO, for Thursday, January 11,

The Top Ten Reasons why Today Is A Good Day
10. Because it is almost Friday!
9. Because, although it may snow, I will not have to shovel snow.
8. Because God loves me. (This is, of course, really number one, which just goes to show these are not in order)
7. Because there is a beautiful blue-eyed five year old named Jessica.
6. Because there is a beautiful brown-eyed three year old named Rebekah.
5. Because my daughter will read me a book today!
4. Because there are no weeds on my slope!
3. Because my husband loves me. He told me so last night.
2. Because it may snow today and my children love the snow!
1. Because, well, just because. :-)

Hot Tea

Tea is good. Tea is my friend. Hot tea. Steaming, warming up cold hands. No calories. Tasty and free. I like tea. I never really gave it much thought. Then several days ago, I saw my teapot sitting on the stove looking all lonely. So, I decided to make some hot water and throw in a tea bag. It was good. My mouth was happy. My hands were no longer chilled. Life was good. My tea and I were at peace.

Tea is good. Coffee, not so much. In order for me to drink coffee, it has to be loaded up with something else. You know, to get rid of the coffee taste. And I always end up with a stomach ache from coffee. It doesn't agree with me. Tea agrees with me. I never really realized it until now.

Don't get me wrong. I have had tea before. I like to buy tea. It smells good. I have made iced tea many times. In the Iced Tea machine. Brews it into a three quart pitcher you fill with ice and you have a whole pitcher full of iced tea. It's cool. No pun intended. But it's been a once in a while thing. Not all the time. Until last week. I have made tea every day. Hot tea. It has kept me warm. It has made me feel good. I have even ordered tea the last two times we went out to eat. Last night, mexican food. This place with good mexican food in Rosamond. At the airport. I had hot tea. It was good. Darjeeling. You know, the kind Buzz Lightyear drank with Mrs. Nesbit. And at home yesterday it was the one from Pampered Chef with orange and spice in it. Very good. The day before was Cinnamon Spice tea. How could this be bad? And I have yet to try the Hibiscus tea. I have about six different teas at home to try. Hmmm. Imagine the possibilities. Hopefully, you, dear Reader, are not bored with talk of tea. Take comfort that I have found something that is very enjoyable with no guilt. I already have it, so it costs me nothing. It warms me on the inside and tastes good, too. And it warms my hands. And hearing the sound of the teapot whistling leaves me in anticipation of what is to come. I think I have become a tea drinker.

Global Wha?

Okay, I just checked the weather. Twenty four hours from now it is supposed to get to 14 degrees here. That's freakin' cold! Dad's weather report for the same period is 22 degrees. Ours is colder!? He lives in the mountains. He's supposed to have the dang cold weather. I live in the desert. D E S E R T. Okay, it's supposed to get more extreme than the valley, sure, but not THIS! And the record here, from 1987 is 17 degrees. To me, that seems to be getting colder. Yeah, yeah, I know, it is just one temp from one area on one given date, yada yada yada. That's freakin' cold, though! The high is supposed to get to 43 degrees tomorrow. Woo-hooo! Let's go out in our swimsuits and run around in the sprinklers. So, as for me, I don't see the temps going up any. It's cold here. Talk to me when it gets to be summer here, maybe mid-August and I am dying because it is the hottest summer on record. Then we'll talk about global warming. Cuz right now, I'm not buying it.

Jess and Bekah

Today in the car.

Rebekah: "I spy with my little eye something blue..."
Jessica: "My eyes."
Rebekah: "Yes. I just love your beautiful eyes."

Can't get the inflection in the voices, but it was priceless. Every time we play I Spy, Rebekah's first one is blue - for Jessica's eyes. So cute. They have their moments. Then there are the other moments. Let's dwell on these ones for now though.

That Dumb Bed

Okay, it's going back. I won't bore you with all the details. Suffice it to say, I wake up every morning with a backache and it is either so soft my butt is sitting on the bottom or so hard that I am sleeping on a bubble. No matter what number I put it on. Doesn't make for a good night's sleep. Oh well. I think we are going to pack it back up tonight. Now, where did we put all the paperwork?

Happy Freakin New Year!

Should be an interesting year. We'll see what God has in store for us. To all my blogger buddies, have a wonderful new year! Maybe I will figure out how to do more on this blogger thing this year. That would be nice.

Anyway, hope you all have a fabulous new year!

I Hate My Yard!

We got a letter in the mail regarding the weeds on our side yard. We are on a corner, above the street and there is a twenty foot high slope on the side of our yard. One hundred feet long. The top half was all weeds. Because I had fired the gardener last year when he never showed up. Well, the city told us to remove the weeds. So, as it got near the time of the deadline and I realized I wouldn't be able to do it and the new gardener hadn't showed up to do it yet, I called and explained that we were having a hard time getting the gardener here and could we have a little more time. So the guy looks at the pictures and says, "Once you remove the weeds, you will have only dirt and that is not acceptable. There must be something covering the dirt. You can have until January 2 to remove the weeds and put something in place of it." But he wanted to be sure we would have it done by then. Great. So, I got in touch with the new gardener, Rohan. I explained that I had fired the previous gardener because he never showed up. He thought that was a good reason. Well, he told me, when he came out, that it would be about $100 to remove the weeds. Cool. Not bad. I told him I had a deadline. Not a problem. He'd be back tomorrow. Three days later, I call. What happened? I'll be there tomorrow, sorry. Okay, you'll be here tomorrow? Yes. Two days later he shows up at like 5:00pm. It's blowing ice cubes and he's out there working on the yard. He did part of it, then shows up like two days later. It went on like this until a few days before Christmas. He finished it. We went outside to give him the second half of the money and he was gone already. I called two days later and said to call me so we could finish it and give him his money and he didn't call back.

SO, we go to this nursery on Saturday. Get like forty 1-gal. plants that are supposed to grow into good sized bushes and shrubs, four to five feet wide. At $3-4 each, we get like six of this, ten of that, so we can put them in groupings and make it look nice. Get half a dozen bags of compost and we are off to a good start. Then we ask the guy, do you know of anyone who can help us with this? Sure, he knows a guy named Greg that buys plants here, just moved to the area. We call him and he comes out the next day. Sunday. Nice, easy going, returns phone calls. He tells us he wants to put a cedar hedge at the top of the slope and a bunch of 5-ga. rock pines (not in the Big Plant Book and we don't know what they are) in as well as some mulch. Like $1350. And that is with his discount for the first customer of the year. He has those plants, is even willing to trade for the plants we bought. He makes his own mulch, has his own plants and even when we cut the number of plants in half, half the mulch, I do a portion of it, it still would never be less than $800. His base cost for labor for two days was like $500, plus $300 for the mulch. But he was cool with us calling him in a couple of hours to let him know what we decided. Well, we figured at least it would get done and we wouldn't get fined from the city. So, we call him back. He took another job and can't do anything for us until the 6th of January. Nice. Didn't tell us there was the possibility he would take on another job. Oh well. Probably for the best. That is, if I can get the nice, understanding man at the city to grant us another extension. He wasn't very. But, we removed the weeds, got our trash can behind the fence (it was visible from the street, a possible misdemeanor offense that was also on the citation notice) and we bought the plants to go on the slope. We are much further along than we were. We just have to plant the plants and put the mulch down. Will he be nice and grant us another extension or are we going to be fined $500 because we couldn't get a gardener here during the holidays to finish the job? I left two messages for Rohan and hopefully he will call me back and I can get him out here. I have never planted stuff like this before and it is especially hard on the slope. It is STEEP! It is hard to stand on or walk up, let alone plant anything on! The Hubby still has blood on his knee from when he kneeled down and came down pretty hard on it. He already had an infection in his leg and that made it worse. He will probably need to have it drained. He will not be going up on the slope. Yeah, I've got an extra grand to put into this right now, right after the holidays and all.

We'll see what the guy at the city says. Hopefully he had a nice holiday and won't throw the book at me. I can hope, can't I?

Lies, Deceit and the Tooth Fairy

Well, Jess lost her first tooth. The replacement had already grown in behind it and looked like the beginning of a second row of teeth! We put it under her pillow and I checked later and sure enough, the tooth fairy has brought her a shiny golden dollar! She was so anxious to go to bed so the tooth fairy would come. Roy. You know, the Moleinator. The guy from the Santa Clause II movie. She watches those movies like they are the guidebook to how this all works. A big part of me feels really guilty. What happens when she realizes we are LYING to her? Is she going to think that God is not real either, since you can't see Him either? Rebekah was in the car with Scott. "Santa Claus isn't real. The Devil isn't real. Neither is God." What was going on in that head of hers? She must have been thinking about it for a while. Jessica has no questions. She just believes.

So, we put some Baby Orajel on her tooth, right at the base near the gum. This idea came from my friend, who used to work as an RDAEF, or Dental Assistant with too much training to get a job. After about five minutes, she said she couldn't feel it. So, I got a tissue, held onto the tooth and pulled. I felt it pull away, but it didn't come all the way out. She let out a little cry and she saw the blood on the tissue. Scared more than in pain, though, she let me try one more time and out it came. She was amazed. A second later, she had her tongue in the little hole in the front of her mouth. You can't tell me of any kid who doesn't stick their tongue there! She was so excited. She had to call her friend (who is nine months older) and she yelled into the phone, "MY LOOSE TOOTH CAME OUT!" Her friend Melanie exclaimed, "WOW, AND YOU'RE ONLY FIVE!!" She was impressed. Jess was pleased. So then, she gets into her jammies and says good night and Scott told her not to go to bed yet. I couldn't believe what I was hearing! So, she waited about ten minutes and gave us hugs and kisses again and trotted off to bed. Where Rebekah was making too much noise and Jess was getting upset because she couldn't get to sleep. She went to our bed, but not without saying, very anxiously, "But the tooth fairy will not come if I am not in my bed!". Daddy assured her that the tooth fairy wouldn't come while we were still awake and we would put her in her own bed when we went to bed. So, she went and was asleep within a short time. That is when the tooth fairy went rushing around the house trying to find a golden coin. Probably should have located one when the tooth got loose. Dumb tooth fairy! Anyway, a golden dollar was located and placed in the box. The tooth was removed and the whole kit and caboodle finished before she was placed in her bed.

We did a little research. Apparently here are the guidelines:

1. The going rate is a dollar. Sometimes paper and sometimes coins. But the preferred tender is a $1 coin. Just depends on how many kids lose their teeth that night.

2. Nobody knows how the tooth fairy gets in the house.

3. The tooth fairy always takes the tooth with him/her.

4. It is a good idea to put the tooth in a little box to be sure that it doesn't get lost. Ours went in a ziploc bag inside of a little box. Seemed to work just fine.

We'll see how excited she is when she finds all this.

I still feel a little guilty. This being our first tooth, I think we all got through it okay. There's another one that is loose next to where this one was.

I feel old.

Women of Leisure

Yesterday, we got to be women of leisure. Me and the girls. We went to this beautiful mall with my aunt and she treated us to the best lunch I have had in a LOOOOONNNNNNGGGGG time. Beats Chuck E Cheese hands down. Beats mall food court food hands down. We went to the Cheesecake Factory! Yum! I used to live around the corner from the one in Woodland Hills, and when I did, I would get a Chinese Chicken Salad at least once a week and take it home. Soooo good! Well, of course, that is what I had. And the girls shared a Bistro Shrimp Pasta, which they didn't eat much of because they ate all the bread, and it took over an hour for our food to arrive. The kitchen was, apparently, working on a table for 28, so everyone else had to wait. So without crayons or anything to keep them busy, my girls sat and ate bread and had strawberry lemonade (Bekah) and raspberry lemonade (Jess) and they were really very good, for 5 and 3! We were at the restaurant for over two hours! And even though they didn't eat the Pasta, it is their Daddy's favorite, so he had that for dinner. And we all feasted on The BEST DESSERT EVER! Carrot Cake-Cheesecake. It is Delish! Should be outlawed. Better than cheesecake. Better than Carrot Cake. It is soooo good! Boy, did I feel spoiled. Now I know how the other half live. But, they don't have two cute little girls to keep them entertained! It was a wonderful visit and I enjoyed myself immensely. And since I hardly ate anything else all day, I managed to lose a pound in the process. So, I have figured out the Cheesecake Factory Diet. Yeah!

Going to Work Today...

Today was The Hubby's work Christmas party. So, I got up at the usual time, 3:45am, but this time I had to get showered, dressed and get two sleepy girls dressed. At least they were supposed to be sleepy. They woke up at about 4:30 and were ready to go! Jumping around like it was a reasonable hour of the day, which it was not! So, we all piled into the car and drove through the canyon while the girls watched the dvd player in the car. Which broke on the way home. Enjoyed it while it lasted. So, we got to his work at about 6:45am and then had donuts and bottled water. The girls had hot chocolate. Jessica got a ride in the bucket truck. 40 feet in the air in a little plastic bucket attached to a piece of metal. It scared Rebekah and she didn't want to get in it. Jessica has no such fear. She was chomping at the bit to go again! She got to go up twice and then it got too windy when they were going to go up again later, so she didn't get to go. But she enjoyed the chance she did get to go! They both had a lot of fun and didn't want to leave The Hubby's work. HE on the other hand, didn't enjoy it nearly as much as they did. It's still work. And the same people he sees every other work day. But, at least if you have to go to work, this is the best day to go. And he told me I was the prettiest woman there! You gotta love getting a compliment like that! There weren't many wives there though. Most of them wouldn't get up at that time of the morning, or so the husbands say!

It was fun. Eight years together and I had never seen his office. Well, now I can picture him at his desk when he is there. And it is much different than the picture I had in my head. All in all, not a bad day. Except now I am ready to take a nap instead of making stuff for Christmas!

Chili

Scott calls me last night, from his instructors' house. He had his last class for the semester and they went over there to celebrate. So he calls me, to tell me the chili that Mrs. Father Victor made was great! He said I can make that one, that the recipe is on the back of the package. I tell him HE can make it. I'm done.

Isn't chili more of a guy thing anyway?

Aargh.

Deep, dark secrets

Jessica sat down this morning to write a book. She folded the paper in half, about twenty sheets and couldn't figure out why it would not staple. Too much paper. So, I helped her. Then, she decided she was going to make it a DIARY! The conversation went something like this:
"I need a diary for all my deepest, darkest secrets!"
"So, you have deep, dark secrets?"
"Yes!"
"Like what?" (trying to act totally nonchalant)
"Like that I love you very much."
"Well, I am glad that isn't a secret!"

Then, I think she got bored with the idea of making a diary and decided to write a book instead. Complete with illustrations. This is her third book, I think. It is titled, "The Dancing Princess".

I think we need to find a publisher.

The ghost in my hallway

Standing in the hall, getting batteries out of the cupboard and I hear, behind me, "Ooohhooohoooohhh! I'm a goaaassssssttt!" I turn around to see Rebekah standing there, with her nightgown over her head, waving her arms around. Priceless.

Somebody else's chili

Okay, this morning, Jessica says, "That was really good chili you made last night, Mommy!" "Thank you, sweetheart!"

So then I asked Scott again this morning what he thought of it. He said a definite three at least (out of ten)! But I think he was kidding.

Okay, so here's what happened. I was going to make it early. But one thing led to another (it always does, doesn't it) and I didn't get to the dinner-making hoohaa until about 6:30. Well, Doris specified in her recipe that it takes one hour of simmering for the first part, 45 minutes for the second part and 30 minutes for the third part. That would have put dinner at like 8:45. No bueno. So, I speeded up the process. And the person at the grocery store didn't put the ground red pepper in my bag, so I have to go back for that today and needless to say, it didn't get in the chili, since it didn't get in the bag. So, the ingredients were not exactly right. But close. This recipe basically consisted of 2 1/2 lbs of chili grind beef, a can of beef broth, small can tomato sauce and a WHOLE BUNCH of spices. No beans. Hi-falutin' chili. Scott was lamenting the omission of beans and even went so far as to look in the cupboard for chili beans. He NEVER looks in the cupboard for ANYTHING! He told me to add them if I wanted to. I didn't. So we sat down at the table. Me with a big bowl of chili, Scott with his chili and crackers, Jess and Bekah with small bowls. Jessica really liked it. She loves my chili, too, though. She said this was better than the way I normally make chili (beef, beans, tomatoes, spices). Rebekah ate some, declared it was too spicy and only ate a little more when I added more tomato sauce to hers. And a little to Jess'. Scott brought up the rear, finishing his with a ton of crackers. But then he puts crackers in his chicken noodle soup, too, and he likes that.

So, all in all, I think it was a success. I would eat it again. Scott wants me to add beans to it and see how it goes, but he would eat it again. I will have to try The Good Deacon Michael's recipe, which I also printed out. Next time. For now, prime rib is on sale at Albertson's for $4.97/lb. So that is what we will be having for Christmas Day and I am going to try out a new recipe, so I will be getting a smaller one between now and then to try out. Gotta put the chili on the shelf for now. Figuratively speaking, of course!

Bed Day something

I guess I am one of those not totally enamored with this bed. I am pretty sure we are going to keep it. It just doesn't seem like much of a bargain. I don't know if the pump mechanism is going to last the twenty years that it is supposedly guaranteed to. But it is a sliding scale guarantee. If it breaks 15 years into the 20-year guarantee, you only get 25% of your purchase price refunded. Something like that.

SO, if I write sleep number bed a whole bunch of times, then when someone does a search for the sleep number bed, my blog should come up on the search engine, right? Okay, sleep number bed, sleep number bed, sleep number bed. Let's see if it works!

On a scale of one to ten, I would probably give it a 6 or so. At least at this point. Maybe when I get it figured out, I will be happier with it. Not yet. I slept at 80 for most of the night (pretty firm) and I slept on my side, but I went back to sleep after Scott left and put it down to like 45 while on my back and it was okay. Maybe I just need to adjust it depending on which position I sleep in.

When you do something stupid...

and you want to laugh at someone else who did something more stupid than you, this is it.

I was in my twenties. I was not nearly as intelligent as I am now. I had gone to the gas station. Joshua, you know the one. At the northeast corner of Canoga and Oxnard. Well, I had just filled up my tank and, wanting to be the good driver, reached down to press the reset button on the mileage counter/trip meter. Being the type that thinks I can do two things at once, I did this as I had pulled out of the driveway from the gas station onto Canoga heading north. Well, lo and behold, what I didn't realize until it was too late, was that I had stuck my hand through the middle of the steering wheel to reset the trip meter while the wheel was turned to make my right turn. As I started to go, with my arm still stuck through the steering wheel, I quickly realized that it was either break my arm or bust a very hard right into the curb. I chose the latter. POP! goes my right front tire. Talk about feeling stupid. So I sheepishly put my car into reverse, backed up into the garage portion of the service station and asked them if they could change a tire. They had all seen what I had just done. They all turned my direction when they heard the loud sound my tire made as it slammed into the curb. I was laughing so hard I couldn't tell you what any of them said. That may be the dumbest thing I have ever done. Nah, I'm sure there were more stupid moments.

Oh yea, about that bed...

Well, Scott likes it. So I guess that's something. It's okay as far as I am concerned. I guess as long as HE is happy, right? ;-)
I think we will be keeping it. Dad loves his.

My cookbook

My cookbook is a notebook. A three ring binder that I bought when I copied all of my grandma's recipes from her cookbook. Then I added to it. And added some more. It is not organized. But what good cookbook is? I had little scraps of paper with recipes, pages printed off the internet, notepapers with recipes on them. All different shapes and sizes stuffed into the front pocket of the binder, until there was no more room left in that pocket. I have recipes from my grandma, a few from my great aunt, some from my Aunt Sandy, some from my sister. I keep on collecting. And I need to get the family favorites from Scott's side of the family from his 95-year old grandma. I got one recipe from his mom and I think she didn't want me to make it, because it didn't turn out right. Then, she told me how to revise it and it still didn't come out right. That was the no-bake cheesecake. He doesn't think I can make it now. It turned out okay, but not quite the same as his mom made it.

So one day, I got really inspired. I got out my three-hole punch and punched holes in the scraps and notepapers and internet printouts and I put them all in. So, at least they won't fall out now. Next step will be putting them in some order, so I don't have to flip through the whole book to get to something good. When I can't find something I need the recipe for, I just call my sister. She has hers all organized. Even if it is a recipe in a magazine, she knows where to find them all. So, someday I will continue the organization of my cookbook, but for now, I have to flip through. But when I flip through it, I get a smile on my face, because as I turn the pages, I see my Aunt Sandy's writing and my Grandma Aurlette's writing and others that have given me recipes. And I have good memories.

What I am not good at

I am sure there are plenty of things. But, for now, we will leave it at keeping my house clean and making chili. Okay, so, forget the clean house thing for now. I will deal with that later. So, it all boils down to the chili. (Pun intended.)

Scott doesn't like the way I make chili. Too much of this, too little of that. I just throw it all in the pot and let it cook for a while. No go. Well, I like it really tomatoey (is that a word?) and all the chili recipes I am finding don't have any tomatoes in them. So, that's a start. And no beans, either. They all seem to have beef broth and some have chicken broth. And, they all put the ingredients in in steps. First this set of spices, then this set of spices and so on. So, I found two recipes I am going to try. Found them on the chili.org site. They are both award-winning chili recipes. So, I will try. And if he doesn't like these, then I am going to hang up my chili hat and buy a can of Hormel. Got to go to the store today and get the ingredients. There's gonna be chili tonight!

Dead or Alive

Saw this quiz and thought you might enjoy. Will post answers tomorrow on comments.

Famous people. Are they dead or alive?

Jack Palance
Lauren Bacall
Martin Landau
Shelley Winters
Gene Wilder
Don Knotts
Kirk Douglas
Glenn Ford
Red Buttons
Maureen Stapleton

Sleep Number Bed Day 3

Dad needed a new mattress. His bed was shot. He had to lower the bed when Mom first got sick, so he could get her in and out of it. So, now, his bed was still on the floor. Well, he had enough. Time to get the bed fixed, so the frame could sit on it and time to get a new mattress. Well, the guy who fixed his bed told him about the sleep number bed, which has an air chamber in it, so you can adjust it. So, having studied this when Scott started complaining about our mattress a year ago, I showed him online what people had to say about it. They either love it or hate it. No middle ground. It's a pretty freakin' expensive mattress, so you better decide you like it when you fork out that much money. Well, after not convincing him when we looked at it online, he wanted to see it at the store. Didn't take him long to decide that this is what he wanted to do. We all tried it out. He wanted it. Scott asks the guy, "So, do you have a buy one get one free offer?" Well, no, but they do have 15% off the second one when you get two. So, we got one too. Scott's happy. My first night, I felt like I was in a hammock. I had it down too low. The second night, still too low. So, I decided to put it up even higher. Really firm. Like at 80 (out of 100). This seemed to work. I guess it is okay, since Scott likes his side softer and me, firmer. You can't do that on a regular mattress. Someone has to compromise. This way, we can have it the way we each like it. So, this will be night #4. We'll see what happens.

tiny blessings

So, a friend is having a baby tomorrow. Another in January and another in March. Babies everywhere! I am so happy for them. Got to see all the tiny little clothes and jammies and caps and things. So cute!!! I love babies. My own, other people's, it doesn't matter. They are adorable. Those tiny hands and bitty feet. When they stick out their little tiny tongues! Everything is so small! Yet perfect. God is amazing. Something so small and helpless, but perfectly formed. Tiny blessings from God. Every child is a precious gift. Pure innocence and peace. A whole lifetime ahead of them! Who knows what lies ahead. A complete, blank canvas. Sitting in the back pew the other day. Put a hand out to give Noah a high-five and he comes over and places his hand, ever so deliberately on top of yours. Then he pulls away and looks at you, with those perfect little brows furrowed. Watching. So serious. So adorable.

Jessica loves babies. Every time she sees a baby, her voice hits the high notes. "Oh! He's so CUTE! Can I touch him? Oh! Such a cute baby!" Just loves babies. All of them. She doesn't care what color, what race, how big or small. Loves 'em all. I told her about the baby coming on Wed. Hit the high notes. Wants to see him. Can't wait! Wants a hundred of her own someday. She's the only one with enough energy for that!

Can't wait to see these new babies. Don't need to hold 'em though. My sister holds the new babies. I love to look. Don't want to break 'em. I wait till they are sitting up, then I will hold them all day long. I have unknowingly hurt new mother's feelings because I didn't want to hold the new baby. This has happened more than once. My own, no problem. Others, I like to wait. It's funny, how people expect you to be a certain way and when you aren't, they get offended. I love the babies. And I can't wait for their arrival! But I will hold them when they are sturdy and not going to break. So looking forward to tomorrow!

Eternity

I was reading a blog today that made me sad. It reminded me of different passings in my life. I lost my mother a year and a half ago. That was difficult. We knew it was coming. She was not in good health. We also knew where she was going, that she would have a new body and she would be healthy and that made her passing much easier to bear. My father-in-law died two days after Jessica, my 5 1/2 year old was born. My husband still gets emotional. He loved his father so much and was devastated when he passed away. But, there again, we know we will see him again and he will be in a new body. Both of them died peacefully.

My friend's father died several years ago. He was an atheist all of his life. Denied that there was any existence of God. Wanted nothing to do with religion. Wanted to make money, left his wife for a new wife, lived a hard life. Lived life on his terms. Unfortunately for him, his death was not on his terms. He left this world shrieking and pulling at his hair. I shudder to think what he may have seen. I am thankful to God that I never will find out.

You see bumper stickers and such that say things about you being wrong and it being an eternity in hell. It's true. So what if there really is no God. I know there is, but what if? Okay, well, I led a better life because of my faith in God. I am a stronger person because of my faith in God. I know where I will be going because of my faith in God. But what about you? Do you believe there is a God? Do you know where you are going? What if I am right and you are not? This is eternity we are talking about. And that is permanent! The thought that people I love may not be going to Heaven because they did not choose God saddens me. There is no fence-riding on this one. If you do not CHOOSE God, then He will not allow you into Heaven. It is not whether or not you are bad or choose the devil. But if you are not on God's side, there is only one alternative. There is no gray area. Our society likes to soften everything, make it more palatable, more accepted. But God's Word is very clear. It is Him or eternal hell. No other choices. I hope and pray that those I love choose to go to heaven. It is Eternity. That is forever.

Lightbulb in my head...

May have come up with a good home based business. Will let you in on it when I figure it out. Maybe it'll work. Wish me luck!

Perspectives

I usually sit in the back row during church. Mainly because of the children. Rebekah going back and forth from kid's church into the sanctuary, going to get the kids for communion, etc. It all looks different from the back row. I was always a back rower in school. That was so nobody would be behind me and also so I could get away with more. I am not trying to get away with anything anymore, but it does give you an entirely different perspective being in the back. Sometimes people get emotional in church. For one reason or another. It doesn't matter why. But if you are in the back, you more readily notice them. You notice just about everything from the back row. Cues from the music team, people's reactions to the sermons, people's reactions to each other, whether or not the gift-bearers remember to bring up the gifts, checking that the doors are open in the back at the end of the service. The back rowers notice it all.

And sometimes you see people who are hurting and need some support. They usually sit near the back as well. When someone is hurting, my instinct is to go and try to comfort them. Some people like it, some don't. Most don't mind. They like it that someone cares. Like I said, it doesn't matter why and I rarely ask. Although many times people will open up and just want someone to talk to. I don't repeat it. It's nobody's business. But I think one of the reasons I will remain in the back row is for the people who need the comforting. That is one gift I am thankful that God has given me. The ability to sense when someone is hurting. Whether it is in church or somewhere else. Sometimes it is obvious, sometimes not so much, but if I am in the right place at the right time, it wasn't me, it was God. So, if you ever get emotional, or just need a shoulder to lean on or cry on, I will be there, because that is where I am led to be. In the back row.

POTD

My aunt! What a nice person! She sent cards to me, and also to Little Miss Jessica and Little Miss Rebekah and the girls felt like princesses! Cute little cut-out cards with kitties on them. How nice it is to get something in the mail other than junk mail and bills! Especially when I was just griping about that! Jessica was so excited she was almost yelling when she told her daddy about it last night. Every time I go to get the mail, I hope for something good, but don't really expect it. Well, this was so nice! So, to the best person of the day, thank you, thank you! You made our day! :-)

The Mall Part II

Well, here is the good news, I got pictures taken of the girls with Santa at the mall the other day. And they came out great. But, you all have to wait to see them, since they are going out in the Christmas cards! Now you have something to look forward to! And we got a little tiny box of see's candies at the mall yesterday and we each had one for dessert. Jessica had the raspberry creme sample that I got, Rebekah had a scotchmallow (and had more on her face than she started with), Scott had rum nougat (his all time favorite) and I had a walnut square (the best See's candy hands down). So, I guess the trip to the mall wasn't a complete loss. That guy just made me so mad yesterday! Oh, and we ran into Jess and Bekah's friends there (and my friend), so all were happy while we waited for Santa to get back from feeding the reindeer. And if Jess tells you she saw the REAL Santa, don't spoil the fun! She really did!

Piles and Piles of Paper!

So, how do all the rest of you do it? I mean, I am literally up to my eyeballs in junk mail! I don't have enough hours in my day to go through it all. To rip it up, to see if there is anything there I really need to look at. To peruse the catalogs. I just don't have the time. And when I put it aside because I have something else more pressing, I end up with enough junk mail to fit in a grocery store bag! I have mounds of paper and it is becoming a fire hazard. I don't know what all the rest of you do with it, but if you have any ideas, please share. My paper shredder is broken. When I turn it on, it will only pull one piece of paper through and then I have to turn it off and back on to put another piece through. I need a chipper. So I can put an entire day's worth of mail in at a time. Maybe in about six months I will catch up.

Any suggestions? Help!

The Mall

Okay, I need to gripe and complain. I went to the mall today. Ordinarily, the mall is not a bad place to be. Throw in two young girls who want to look at everything and it gets more interesting. Throw in all the Christmas decorations to look at and touch and it becomes even more so. I can handle all of that. What I cannot handle is the extra kiosks that are all over the main thruways and the pushy salespeople trying to pawn their wares to every person who walks by. They are so aggressive! This guy was selling fake snow. Add water and it turns into snow. Well, he wanted $24.95 per box. I told him I didn't have time, I didn't have the money to spend, etc. He tried to give some in a bag to Rebekah and then put the box in the bag so I would have to pay for it. Tried to get me to buy it for $18.00. Such a bargain! NO! Finally, I just said no! I don't have the money to spend on it. But it's only $18! NO! Then I had to take it out of Rebekah's hands and give it back to him. So she wasn't happy. Oh well, by then I was ticked! Doesn't make we want to go back to the mall!

From Jessica

Hi. You know what? You are like something I've never seen. Hey, I think you are pretty. Have a happy Christmas. This is me, Jessica. And I have a Barbie. I like you and you are cool. Hi Aunt Sandy. This is me, Jessica. Hi Joann. Hi Carsten. Hello everybody. I like you.

For Christmas I would like a wallet and a great big sled like Santa Claus's. And a toy reindeer. And more Barbie's. I would like a big bicycle.

Santa Claus has reindeer. He drives a sled and goes down chimneys. And he brings you toys if you're good and he brings you coal if you are naughty. Good bye. That's all, folks. I have a smile right now.

Makes her father proud

So, Rebekah was looking at her pants the other day. She finds a hole. Down there. She says, "Oh no, there's a hole in my pants. I better get some duct tape!"

Who knew she knew what duct tape was?

Some Princesses at Halloween

So, I finally got pictures developed! Over $100 worth! Yikes! Well, I figured since I spent so much money on them, I had better share the joy! So, a few pics from the Halloween season!
Aren't they cute? I think so!

Picnic fun!

Very puzzling...

So, the girls have been doing puzzles. We went to Toys r Us and got some puzzles. I got one - 1000 tiny pieces. A photomosaic of Mickey Mouse made out of scenes from Disney movies. The photos are about 1/3 inch by 1/2 inch and the pieces are like 3/4 inch square. Yikes! What was I thinking! Eventually, I will need to clear off my dining room table. Maybe I will just leave it up at Thanksgiving and people can work on it, if they want to. Who knows? There will only be ten people here. Anyway, so we also got puzzles for the girls. Jess got one with fairies on it. 100 pieces. It took her two days to do it, and she did it all on her own! She also got Spongebob, 100 pieces, and that didn't take as long. Rebekah got two puzzles. One with Clifford and one with Spongebob. 25 pieces. She will quietly go into the dining room, sit down and put her puzzles together. She put one together last night. It takes her no time at all now. She used to get frustrated trying to do them, but now, she knows if she keeps at it, she will get it and she doesn't give up so easily. She is learning to be patient. Jess had a hard time at first with the big one (100 pc). She wanted to get Rebekah's puzzles out, since she can do those in a matter of minutes. Not a challenge. 100 pieces is a challenge. And all the colors were pretty close, too. Not an easy one. They are both learning patience. And they have watched me putting together the big puzzle. So they are learning that not everything can be done quickly. Even for a grown-up. Good mental activity. The girls are learning more than just how to put the puzzles together and we are spending time together doing something fun. Even Hubby has joined in the fun. We have sat together on a few nights working on the puzzle. The background is very difficult! But we are sitting down as a family and enjoying each other's company. Lovin' it!

The Old Cartoons

Well, we downgraded our dish service recently. $19.99/mo now. But all we get are 20 channels and four of them are Nickelodeon and one is Boomerang. Boomerang is made by Cartoon Network and has all the old cartoons. So, the girls have been watching all the classics for a couple of weeks now. Scooby Doo, Flintstones, Magilla Gorilla, Pink Panther, Smurfs. There are so many. And they are enjoying them immensely. When I was a kid and watching The Brady Bunch, I had no idea I was watching re-runs. Well, this is all new to them, too. I found two Smurfs in my drawer two days ago. A regular one and Papa Smurf dressed up as Santa Claus. Jessica wants the girl smurf now. I told her I don't think we will be able to find that anymore and she seems to think Santa Claus may be able to locate it. So, I used a different tactic. "Of all the things out there, like Barbies and Disney toys, you want a Smurf from Santa Claus?" I think I have dissuaded her. But she is enjoying these cartoons. So did Dad, when he came over. A fun time for all.

Lombardi Ranch

The girls and I picked Scott up from work on Monday. It was his short day and he got off at 2:30. So, on the way home, we stopped at Lombardi Ranch. That was fun! We went into the petting zoo, the girls ran around the "police truck", we took pictures of the girls where you stick your head through the circle in the painted scene, they climbed all over the big pumpkin, we looked at all the vegetables growing there and I bought vegetables. Oh, and I took a picture of Rebekah in front of "Baby Boo's Maze". That is what we called her when she was a baby. The girls had so much fun! Then we went out for mexican food afterward. I haven't had that in forever! At least a month. Where someone else cooked it.

When we got home, Scott sat down at the kitchen table with the girls and carved a pumpkin with them. I fell asleep! Well, you see, Sunday, on the way home, Rebekah coughed so much that I thought she was going to throw up. Well, she didn't in the car, but later, when we were all going to bed, she woke up because she was coughing and threw up. Yuck! On her bed. So, I had the bright idea of sleeping with her on the floor of the family room on a sheet in case she got sick again. She didn't. But I couldn't sleep! All night I was awake. (Mental note: You are too old to camp out on the floor. Don't try.) From my spot on the family room floor, I heard every noise in the house. I moved to the couch and that wasn't much better. She woke up at one point and went looking for me and calling me. Finally, when Scott left for work, I put her in her bed and went to sleep in mine. That was good for about two hours when Jess got up. Time change. She was up before 6:30am. So by Monday night I was dead on my feet. Rebekah didn't get sick again and she hasn't coughed since then either. I guess she just had to get it out.

So, Monday night I was in bed before 8pm. Scott put the girls to bed. They have no qualms about talking to their mother even when she is in bed fast asleep, though. So, I didn't get much sleep. Rebekah walks in the room to find me. Sees me sleeping in bed. "Mommy!" "What Rebekah?" "I look like a ghost." "That's great, Rebekah."

And I think Hubby was upset I was trying to sleep through the pumpkin carving. Sorry! I just couldn't keep my eyes open! Can I blame it on the time change?

Fwd: This email to everyone you know...

Don't you hate when you get a great email. Very uplifting, a nice read. But at the end it says to forward to everyone you know, and, oh, what the heck, forward it to every possible email address in the world. Maybe you will get a penny for each email you send it to. Yeah, right. Maybe it will bring you bad luck if you don't. Not that I believe in luck, good or bad. Or your dog will have puppies. Or SOMETHING will happen because of your compliance or lack thereof in regards to this email you received.

Well, the ones that make me go "AAAGHHH!" are the ones that say, "If you don't send this to 387 people in the next 2 minutes, it shows that you don't love God and you are embarrassed to send it because it is about God." Give me a break. How many times have you received this? Somebody figured out that this is the perfect way to guilt people into sending some dumb email that you would not otherwise send to everybody you know. Some people fall for the "Your toenails will all fall off if you don't forward this" mentality and others are guilted into it by the "You are embarrassed to admit you love God if you don't send this" ones.

I love God. With all my heart. But that doesn't mean I am going to send some dumb email to everyone I know and some people I don't just because the email tells me to. I'll send it if I think it will be a good read for the people I know. Funny, uplifting, meaningful, whatever.

Stupid email.

A good day.

Well, yesterday was Wednesday. I felt like baking. It was cool outside. VERY windy. But I needed to do schoolwork with Jess, and Scott had no clean shirts. Not even grey or brown. So I had to do laundry. So, I got up with him at 4am and started his laundry at 4:30 when he left. Washed his clothes (2 loads) and girls clothes (also 2 loads) over the course of the day. Folded and hung and put away. Worked with Jess on schoolwork. She needed to practice her letters. She has a hard time putting the letters in the right place within the lined paper. So, we worked on making perfect letters. Then, she wanted "Recess", so after about an hour and a half of intense writing and doing her workbook, they got dressed and went in the backyard. She loves to put her tennis shoes on now. She ties her shoes all by herself and also ties Bekah's. Pretty cute. So, off they go outside. Well, I was able to squeeze in some baking, too. While she worked on her letters and then when they went outside and for the rest of the day, I baked and cooked. I made my Grandma's potato salad recipe. But I didn't read until after I made it that the potatoes are supposed to be steamed and not boiled. Oh well. I thought it came out well. I never made it before. So, then I had one potato that got too soft. Couldn't use it in the potato salad. Well, I mashed it up and made mashed potato out of it. Which is precisely what you need for homemade potato rolls. Which I made. Which turned out delicious. Which take forever to rise. Which meant I had plenty of time to make pumpkin pie. Which I did. OKAY, ENOUGH!

So, I made potato salad, pumpkin pie and potato rolls. I was going to make something with peaches in it. Peach season is officially over. How sad! We went out on Tuesday to pick peaches and found out they were all gone. But the guy was nice enough to send me to the orchard behind his to see if they had any left. Turns out they did! Already picked. The guy told me I could put as many in a large paper grocery bag as I could fit in the bag for ten dollars. I took one look at these peaches and I couldn't believe my eyes! "These are HUGE!" I said. Well, he explained that these were actually small compared to the ones he had during the peak of the season. He said they were weighing in at two and a half pounds PER PEACH! The ones I got were at least double the size of the ones I have been getting all season. HUGE! I am going back to this place. My bag of peaches was at least 40 pounds. For ten dollars. Not bad at all! I am definitely going back to this place! Oh, and they are SOOO good, too. I am looking forward to Spring now. Cherries, peaches, apples....

Hubby went to church last night, so my day was longer than usual. I got all that stuff made AND washed up every dirty dish that I used. Kitchen table and bar counter are still clean. Yeah for me! And I borrowed the original three Star Wars movies from Zachary's dad, so I watched Star Wars and half of Empire Strikes Back while I baked and cleaned. It's been so long since I have seen those. I just love Princess Leah's hair. Those big cinnamon rolls on the sides of her head. WHAT were they thinking? The movie makes a lot more sense now, though. The comments about the senate and other things make much more sense when you have seen the first three movies.

The girls weren't able to stay up long enough to see Daddy. Rebekah came over to me while I was sitting down watching the movie. "Can you hold me?" She climbed up in my lap and told me I am the best food maker ever! Usually, I am the best mommy ever. But I'll take food maker, too. She loved the rolls. Had two. Then fell asleep in my lap. Maybe she was talking about the hot dog she had for dinner, though. She loved that, too. Jess was diplomatic and said the potato salad was good. She ate two hot dogs and had pumpkin pie for dessert. She didn't like the rolls. She said if they were sweeter, she would like them. Everyone's a critic.

Jess lasted about an hour longer, then succumbed to sleep as well. When their daddy got home, he got to peek in on the beautiful little sleeping faces.

A good day. Happy children, clean house. Baked goods. Does it get better than this?

Zachary

Jess and Bekah have a friend named Zachary. His mom calls him "Z". He is the cutest little boy ever! Not just cute, but well-behaved as well. He is four, right in-between the girls ages, so he plays nicely with both of them. He is very sensitive, not a bully, a little bit shy and really a good boy. I mean, not perfect, because then you would worry that something was wrong, but very well-behaved.

He is also an only child. So, he gets lonely and then his mom feels bad. Well, his mom has "borrowed" the girls a couple of times now and the kids get to play. We get together and play, too, at other times, but they have fun taking the girls out. When I was getting ready for the baby shower, Zachary's parents took the girls and went to the mall play area, took them to Red Robin for lunch and I think they went to the park, too. Yesterday we dropped off the girls at their house in the afternoon and picked them up at about 8:00pm. We got to go on a date! So fun! And the girls had a blast. Zachary went to gymnastics and the girls ran around on the grass outside for 45 minutes. Then they went to Costco and got pizza and smoothies or ice cream or something. They had a blast! Apparently a woman at Costco was looking at her assessing the scene, (my friend with a 3-,4- and 5-year old running around) and told her she was brave! Zachary's mom was a bit offended. It was none of her business!

Anyway, the girls had a great time. They didn't want to come home. At 8pm, they were playing in the backyard on the big play yard that he has. Three swings, teeter-totter, climbing wall, slide. It doesn't get much better than that!

They slept well last night. Scott and I got to have a nice, quiet evening out. We went to see "Man of the Year". Not as funny as I had hoped for. It was all right, but I would rent it, not buy it. The theater was quiet on Monday night, which was nice. Only a few people in there. A nice time.

So nice to have nice friends! A friend for the girls and friends for us as well. His parents are so nice, too! A wonderful day all around!

Phew! That's Done!

Well, the baby shower is done and my house is still clean. Three days later. ACTUALLY, it is cleaner now than it was on Saturday. I have been cleaning, re-arranging furniture, etc. The girls are under strict orders not to bring toys out of the playroom. Scott feels as though he is in someone else's house. Me, too. The nice thing is, though, that last night I didn't feel as though I needed to jump up and do something. I really felt like it was ok to sit for a few minutes. Now, mind you, only half the house is clean. The visible half. The half that nobody sees still looks like a pig sty, but we will cross one bridge at a time. For now, at least if someone comes over, I won't be embarrassed!

For the girls, it was a great week. My friend Mary took them early in the week. Then on Friday, they went to library storytime with a friend, went to the mall play area, had lunch at Red Robin, went to the park and then came home. Then Rebekah went to ballet and I dropped them off at Mary's afterward. They stayed there for a couple hours and Daddy picked them up and brought them home. Friday night, I got home from evening prayer at church at about 9:15 and Rebekah was already asleep. She was so tired! Poor little thing!

My conversation with Rebekah yesterday:
Me: "Rebekah!"
Rebekah: "Whatt?" (She exaggerates the T just a bit)
Me: "I love you."
Rebekah: "I love you, too!"
Pause.
Rebekah: "I love our precious family!"

I let them play with Play doh-doh (their name for it) yesterday. For about 1 and 1/2 hours. They had a blast. Then it took me about 30 minutes to clean up the table, chairs and floor from the play doh mess. I hate play-doh. It gets everywhere! Maybe it isn't the play-doh, maybe it is my kids. It got pressed into the floor, stuck in the crack in the table where it comes apart. It was everywhere. And I can't stand the smell of play-doh either. But since I spent all last week cleaning, I promised them they would get to play with play-doh on Monday. SO I had to let them. As much work as it was. And I was tired! Well, that is over. I can put the play-doh away for another six months! I don't mind other crafts, paints, etc. I just don't like the play-doh!

Now I just have to keep the house clean. Halloween, Scott's brother's family over for dinner, Thanksgiving and Christmas around the corner! Oh, boy!

Oh, and the person who I did the baby shower with, she was wonderful! So helpful! The house wasn't near done when she got there and she helped to put the finishing touches on it. Then we made the food, etc. It is nice to work with someone who is so easy to work with! I think the baby shower went rather well. And they got so many cute things! Oh my goodness! Now the girls want a baby brother even more than they did before!

One I can relate to...

Praise The Lord

An elderly lady was well-known for her faith and for her boldness in talking about it. She would stand on her front porch and shout "PRAISE THE LORD!"

Next door to her lived an atheist who would get so angry at her proclamations he would shout, "There ain't no Lord!!"

Hard times set in on the elderly lady, and she prayed for GOD to send her some assistance. She stood on her porch and shouted "PRAISE THE LORD. GOD I NEED FOOD!! I AM HAVING A HARD TIME. PLEASE LORD, SEND ME SOME GROCERIES!!"

The next morning the lady went out on her porch and noted a large bag of groceries and shouted, "PRAISE THE LORD."

The neighbor jumped from behind a bush and said, "Aha! I told you there was no Lord. I bought those groceries, God didn't."

The lady started jumping up and down and clapping her hands and said, "PRAISE THE LORD. He not only sent me groceries, but He made the devil pay for them. Praise the Lord!"

Is Gun Control The Answer?

Okay, I am going to get on my soapbox here. I just read about the school shooting in an Amish schoolhouse. Apparently the shooter was angry about something that happened twenty years ago and decided to take it out on some innocent Amish schoolgirls. They don't deserve to be shot!

SO, then I saw some comments posted about the shooting and the others from last week. Well, so many people are saying that these criminals should not have access to guns. That there should be more gun control. Yes to the first part, NO to the second!

How many criminals get their guns from a gun store, where they must go through the background check, basic firearms safety test, waiting period, etc.? None. Maybe a few. They get their guns on the streets. Stolen from somewhere else, bought from someone who sold it illegally. So, how many of these hundreds and thousands of gun laws are protecting the public from criminal access to guns? Very few. So, what is the purpose of all the gun laws? To keep law-abiding citizens from being able to carry guns. If there were more people allowed concealed-carry permits, there would be fewer gun-related crimes. No criminal wants to be shot dead while holding someone up. Or robbing a liquor store. He wants a victim that cannot defend himself.

This is such a sad story. I have visited the Amish community in PA. They are hard-working, friendly people who just want to go about their lives and not harm others. It is so horrible that an angry man had to take it out on these people. They don't deserve that. But to say that it is because he had access to guns, and that people should not be allowed to have guns is like saying that matches and fire should be banned because someone started a fire. Fire is good. Without it, we could not heat our homes, light our fireplaces and our candles and enjoy our backyard fire pits. But when it is used in a bad way, well, then it is not the fault of the fire. It is the fault of the person who used it carelessly and without concern for anyone but themselves.

Our country is divided. The right and the left. Who is right? Neither and both. Both sides have their beliefs and convictions. But without unity, without allowing the other side a choice, without having the right to live as we want to live, this country will not survive.

We need to pray for our country and our brothers and sisters in it. We need to remember what our founding fathers built this country on - a belief in GOD. We need to look out for each other and look to God to heal our wounds and give us peace.

When I was pregnant with Rebekah, the alarm went off in the house. At about 6:30am. Well, needless to say, I about jumped out of my skin. I grabbed the phone, called 911 and reported that my alarm went off and I thought someone was trying to break in. I also grabbed some protection. Well, I checked all the windows and doors, told Jess to stay put and waited. Twenty minutes later, the sheriffs called and said they were on their way, from the other side of town. Twenty five minutes after THAT (45 min. after I called) they showed up. Thank goodness it was not a real break-in, but an alarm malfunction. Had it been a real break-in and I was waiting for the sheriffs to come to my rescue, I would not have been there to answer their questions. They cannot protect you or your home or your children from someone intent on doing you harm. They just cannot be there in time. And there are at least half a dozen police, sheriffs and retired sheriffs in my immediate neighborhood. Big help. Be prepared to take care of yourself. Hopefully, you will never have the need. I hope I am never in a situation where I will need to protect my family. But I am prepared to do so. Be prepared. The criminals are.

Friends

It is nice to have friends. Family is chosen for us. We choose our friends ourselves. Friends change as your life changes. When you are young and single, you "hang out" with friends that are in the same situation. Some you get together with just because you like to have fun together, some because you can talk to them.

When you get married, you choose different friends. Your single friend will not necessarily feel comfortable with you and your spouse. You move on. You don't lose that friend, but time and circumstances change relationships. Then come the babies. It is completely different to be married with kids than married without. That can change relationships again.

It is nice to find people that you click with. To have people that both you and your spouse get along with. That is so much easier and more relaxing than having "his" friends and "her" friends.

We spent the afternoon yesterday with some nice friends. People like us. But not too much like us, that would be wierd. A little different than all the other people that are out there. People you can relax with. People who just kind of think the way you do. It was nice. Good food. Good friends. A rain-puddly afternoon. A good time. I hope they had as enjoyable an afternoon as we did! :-)