Sunday, December 31, 2006

TRUTH ABOUT THE STATE OF THE NATION...

My dear husband found this picture today on the internet. I don't know where he found it but it is a perfect description of the state of the United States. The fathers of this country are rolling over in their graves over what their creation has become.
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We are no longer a free country. We're not allowed to celebrate our religion without persecution. We're no longer allowed freedom of speech. We're not allowed to do things without thousands of laws governing every move we make.

There are more starving, homeless people than ever before. Families cannot afford healthcare for their children. They tell us unemployment is lower than ever but yet I have several friends that can't find jobs (at least not jobs that a person can live on). It costs an arm and a leg to have a full tank of gas in your car.

Where are the values of this country? What ever happened to integrity, honesty, and morals?

Saturday, December 30, 2006

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION...AGAIN...

I've joined up with Mom-o-Matic in an effort to lose weight in the new year. She's posted a fun challenge to other mom bloggers to come to her blog and post weight loss statistics every week. She's dubbed it Future MILF's. I love it!


Click here to become a Future MILF!



To join, just click on the picture and it'll direct you to Mom-o-Matic!

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

SCREEN CLEANER...

Have your noticed that your computer monitor, after a few years of use is not as clear as it was when new? Well, that's because electrostatic charges cause micro-etching on the interior surface of the glass which can degrade the picture quality. As a result you end up straining your vision and visual acuity can suffer... BUT... GOOD NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks to ME this process is REVERSIBLE thanks to a brand new PROGRAM I've created that "cleans" the inside of the screen!!!!!! The process takes LESS THAN 30 SECONDS, and the difference is IMMEDIATELY NOTICEABLE!!!!! Just Scroll down and let this program do the work.

















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Now you're screen is clean! Email a link to this page to help your friends clean their screens too!

Sunday, December 24, 2006

Saturday, December 23, 2006

HE CALLED ME ON IT...

My dear husband called me on my bad attitude. He says I'm ruining Christmas for him. I'm sorry he feels this way but if he'd help take on some of the stress throughout the year, maybe I'd like holidays a bit more.
I'm the one that has the task of making sure there's enough money to buy these presents that each year get more and more expensive. I have to make sure that HIS out of town family gets presents mailed to them on time. I'm the one that does the Christmas cards that have to be printed, signed, and mailed. I bake the cookies so he can take them to work and look good with his buddies. I help whichever family we have Christmas with make the Christmas dinner. If we go out of town for the holiday, I have to pack up the boys and make sure they have everything they need. (Giving credit where credit is due: Hubster packs his own clothes when we travel...most of the time).
So I think next year, I'll let HIM be the one to do all this stuff so that I can enjoy Christmas. Maybe that will change his attitude about the way I feel.

Thursday, December 21, 2006

FOUR DAYS UNTIL IT'S OVER...

Yes, I'm excited that Christmas will soon be over with. The stress will be relieved. The decorations will be put away and my house will be back to normal.

Yes, BAH-HUMBUG!

On a good note, I did get a job. I'll be starting Jan. 2nd. I'm really looking forward to being somewhere with adult conversation other than with my husband.

Conversations with him always go something like this:

Husband: "Did you get my uniforms done?"
Me: "Yes."
Husband: "What's for dinner?"
Me: "Can we order in?"
Husband: "Snore!!!!"

He always falls asleep on the couch after work these days. It's become his normal routine. I figured out last night why. He gets up after I go to sleep to check his email. Should I worry? Is he emailing someone he doesn't want me to know about? Or is he just surfing porn?
PS I'm really not liking this new blogger beta. It's so hard to work with.

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

MAGIC REINDEER FOOD


In a small ziploc bag or baby food container, mix:
1/4 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup sugar
sprinkle of red or green sugar crystals (for cake decorating)
OPTIONAL: You can cut a circle of cloth or felt a bit larger than the lid. Place over the lid and tie a ribbon around it to decorate. We actually used Kleenex cut in a circle and tied on with wool for the top of our lid and it turned out really nice.
(the amounts don't have to be exact)

If you use a baby food jar, you can layer the ingredients for a "sand art" look like we did in the photo.

Reindeer Poem to go with:

Sprinkle on the lawn at night
The moon will make it sparkle bright
As Santa's reindeer fly and roam
This will guide them to your home.

Friday, December 15, 2006

BAH HUMBUG...

I'm Scrooge reincarnated. I hate the Christmas season. I dispise buying presents and doing the whole holiday thing. It's all about money and I can't stand it.

I still go through the motions. I make the Christmas cards and mail them. I bake the cookies and fudge. I gain the weight. Blah!

It doesn't help that I can seem to find a job. I've sent resumes and filled out applications all over the city. I haven't had a call back at all. Is it me or is it the time of year? sniffing pits I shower and I brush my teeth.

Ok so I'm done whining for the time being.

I hope everyone begins getting their cards in the mail. I've gotten quite a few and it's been nice. I still need to hang them on the banister.

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

LIFE GETS SO BUSY...

This past week has been a tad bit busy. Between bowling, Christmas parties, family drama, trying to find a part-time job, and preparing for Christmas, it's been hectic. That's why I haven't been here to post much.
I wish I could share more right now but it's not a good time. For now, I'll just post some recent work for you all to see.
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So as you can see, it's been busy. Hope you are dealing well with the craziness of the seasons.
Oh, on a side note, we're having dinner with friends on Saturday at El Sombreros. It's one of our favorite places to eat and they have the yummiest margaritas so I plan to have a few or more (I won't be driving!). If you can, join us!

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

I'm late posting this but I wanted to post it anyway so it's not forgotten.

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving I dropped off a bucket of baby clothes at Once Upon a Child. Their website said if you bring in good condition, name brand baby clothes, they will buy them on the spot.

So I took in my freshly laundered basket of Osh Kosh, Carters, Ralph Lauren, etc. into the store. She had me fill out a form to put with my basket. She said they'd call me over the weekend (WHAT?). I drove into Kansas, a 30 minute drive, to go to this store. So now I have to wait? OK. I was patient and figured it's a holiday weekend. I'll cut them some slack.

So Monday rolls around with no phone call. I called them and she said I'd have to come back out there so they could show me what they'd chosen and give me money for it.

I pack up the kids and drive BACK into Kansas to go to the store. I get there and she shows me they've chosen 5 items. FIVE????? That's all??? They gave me $12.80 for the items and gave me back my basket of clothes. What an incredible waste of my time. It cost me that much in gas alone to make the trip out there.

I wouldn't recommend this store to anyone. It's a waste of time and they're incredibly picky about the items they'll buy from you.

I also priced their clothing while I was there and it's expensive! I can get the same types of items at my local thrift store for no more than $2 per outfit! They were charging anywhere from $6 and up.

I think for the future I'll stick with the thrift store. Not to mention, the people are friendlier there than at Once Upon a Child.

NOTE: They'll be a good garage sale at my house next spring!

Friday, December 01, 2006

PHOTO FRIDAY...AGAIN...

We got some bad weather this week. Two days ago it was freezing rain and yesterday it was snow. Here's a few pictures of the birdbath on each day. Unfortunately, I didn't venture outside to get a picture after all the snow had fallen. It was too damn cold!


While the ice was falling...


While the snow was falling...



I finally finished our Christmas card and got it off to print.






And here's some more of my work that I've done in tha past few days...











Saturday, November 25, 2006

SOME OF MY WORK...

Here's some of the signatures I've made for others. These are some of my favorites. If you'd like to request one, please feel free to email me your request.
I do them for donations, only.















Thursday, November 23, 2006

MY NEW SIGGY...

I use a signature on my emails and when I post to my favorite message boards. This is the newest one that I made for the holidays:

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I'll post new ones as I do them. Maybe if I get to feeling froggy over the weekend, I'll do a post of ones I've made for other people.

NOTE: The CL Bottlefeeding means I'm the community leader for the bottlefeeding message board. It's a prestigious title LOL

PHOTO FRIDAY THURSDAY...

Bath Time

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Wednesday, November 22, 2006

HOMEMADE JOY...

Warning, this is yummy but potent. Be careful!

I know I normally would post recipes on Tuesdays but I ran across this recipe and thought it was too good to pass up. I plan to try this soon.


HOMEMADE BAILEY'S IRISH CREAM

Blend the following ingredients well in a blender

3/4 to 1 1/2 cups Irish whiskey
4 Eggs
2 Tablespoons Chocolate Syrup
2 Teaspoons Instant Coffee
1 Cup Light Cream
1 Can (14 oz) Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 Teaspoon Almond Extract

Refrigerate for 24 hours
Store in the refrigerator but not for longer than 30 days.

Friday, November 17, 2006

FEEL LIKE SLAPPING SOMEONE?...

Then CLICK HERE!

WHAT'S WITH THE LETTER "A"?...

Little Brother has a laundry basket of toys. Literally, it's a laundry basket that just heaping with toys. There's stuffed toys, chewy toys, noisy toys...you name it, it's probably in there.

But he has one toy that he plays with all the time. It's the letter "A". It's a stuffed toy. It doesn't make noise. It's red on one side and B&W checkerboard on the other. It makes me wonder why that particular toy.

On another note, he got his first REAL pair of shoes yesterday. We chose to go with the standard white high-top style. I wanted him to have extra ankle support now that he's cruising the living room furniture. At first he was sort of clonky in them but now, he's back at cruising speed.

It won't be long and he'll be walking!

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

FEELING BLAH...

I've felt kinda blah the past few days and haven't felt like posting. I don't know if it's because the weather went from a spring-like 80 degrees last week to a full blown wintery 30 this week (with a chance of snow). It probably has a little to do with the enpending holiday which I never look forward to. I love Thanksgiving but the joy of that holiday is always lost when Christmas shopping looms around the corner.

It really disappoints me that people think that Christmas is all about presents and spending money. I have to admit, I'm always disappointed that I can't give my children the gifts that they expect (mainly Big Brother since this will be Little Brother's first). I suppose this is partly my fault for caving in on previous years.

Hubster's family is really big on the whole gift-giving thing. That makes it even more difficult. We don't have the kind of money they do to lavish everyone with gifts. We've tried the drawing of names game in years past but to me that's even worse.

Whatever happened to "if you want to give a gift to someone, then do." A person should be obligated in any way to give someone a gift. I don't think that is what a gift is.

Friday, November 10, 2006

PHOTO FRIDAY...

YAY! YAY! YAY! It's finally Friday! Here's some pictures of the boys:

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Wednesday, November 08, 2006

I WANTED TO SHARE THIS...

Even though I don't have a girl, I loved this story. It's so true. I don't know who wrote it or I would definitely give credit.

Telling Your Daughter What To Expect....
We are sitting at lunch one day when my daughter
casually mentions that she and her husband are
thinking of "starting a family." "We're taking a
survey," she says half-joking. "Do you think I
should have a baby?" "It will change your life," I
say, carefully keeping my tone neutral. "I know,"
she says, "no more sleeping in on weekends, no more
spontaneous vacations."
But that is not what I meant at all. I look at my
daughter, trying to decide what to tell her. I want
her to know what she will never learn in childbirth
classes.
I want to tell her that the physical wounds of child
bearing will heal, but becoming a mother will leave
her with an emotional wound so raw that she will
forever be vulnerable. I consider warning her that
she will never again read a newspaper without
asking, "What if that had been MY child?"
That every plane crash, every house fire will haunt
her. That when she sees pictures of starving
children, she will wonder if anything could be worse
than watching your child die.
I look at her carefully manicured nails and stylish
suit and think that no matter how sophisticated she
is, becoming a mother will reduce her to the
primitive level of a bear protecting her cub. That
an urgent call of "Mom!" will cause her to drop a
soufflé or her best crystal without a moments
hesitation.
I feel that I should warn her that no matter how
many years she has invested in her career, she will
be professionally derailed by motherhood. She might
arrange for childcare, but one day she will be going
into an important business meeting and she will
think of her baby's sweet smell. She will have to
use every ounce of discipline to keep from running
home, just to make sure her baby is all right.
I want my daughter to know that every day decisions
will no longer be routine. That a five year old
boy's desire to go to the men's room rather than the
women's at McDonald's will become a major dilemma.
That right there, in the midst of clattering trays
and screaming children, issues of independence and
gender identity will be weighed against the prospect
that a child molester may be lurking in that
restroom.
However decisive she may be at the office, she will
second-guess herself constantly as a mother. Looking
at my attractive daughter, I want to assure her that
eventually she will shed the pounds of pregnancy,
but she will never feel the same about herself. That
her life, now so important, will be of less value to
her once she has a child. That she would give
herself up in a moment to save her offspring, but
will also begin to hope for more years, not to
accomplish her own dreams, but to watch her child
accomplish theirs.
I want her to know that a cesarean scar or shiny
stretch marks will become badges of honor. My
daughter's relationship with her husband will
change, and not in the way she thinks. I wish she
could understand how much more you can love a man
who is careful to powder the baby or who never
hesitates to play with his child. I think she should
know that she will fall in love with him again for
reasons she would now find very unromantic. I wish
my daughter could sense the bond she will feel with
women throughout history who have tried to stop war,
prejudice and drunk driving.
I want to describe to my daughter the exhilaration
of seeing your child learn to ride a bike. I want to
capture for her the belly laugh of a baby who is
touching the soft fur of a dog or cat for the first
time. I want her to taste the joy that is so real it
actually hurts.
My daughter's quizzical look makes me realize that
tears have formed in my eyes. "You'll never regret
it," I finally say. Then I reached across the table,
squeezed my daughter's hand and offered a silent
prayer for her, and for me, and for all the mere
mortal women who stumble their way into this most
wonderful of callings.
Please share this with a Mom that you know or all of
your girlfriends who may someday be Moms. May you
always have in your arms the one who is in your
heart.

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

I VOTED...

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Did you?

We woke up this morning in a fog...literally. When I first got up, I couldn't even see across the street. Here's a picture from the backyard

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This is the same view I posted a few days ago. It's amazing!

Here's my fountain filled with leaves. I need to get those cleaned out of there, along with the rest of the yard.

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This picture just turned out too cool to not post.

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Sunday, November 05, 2006

SANCTUARY SUNDAY...

As we come upon another election week, there are issues that have merged religion and state. So for this Sunday's verse, I have chosen this:

Matthew 7:1

Don't judge, so that you won't be judged.

Some people will be voting on whether or not to allow same sex marriages. My feelings on this is it's not for me to judge. Anyone should be allowed to marry anyone they want (age appropriate, of course). What my beliefs are whether they be religious or other, shouldn't play a part in this.

If two people believe they love each other enough to spend their lives together, then let them. Recognize them as a married couple. If they want to go before a priest, pastor, justice of the peace, or whatever they so choose, then let them.

Maybe our world should be less judgemental on same sex marriages and more critical on those that make this oath to one another and years later decide, Oops, I've changed my mind!

Friday, November 03, 2006

PHOTO FRIDAY...

Here are a couple of pictures from last night's birthday festivities:

Big Brother with his cake. It was marble with buttercream frosting. It was YUMMY
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Big Brother doesn't like to have his picture taken. Notice the icing on his lip! It was good icing.
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Since Big Brother didn't want his picture taken, we moved on to taking pictures of Baby Brother. He loves the camera. He also loves the pizza he got to eat last night along with the cinnamon roll Daddy gave him and the cake that everyone else was feeding him.

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On another note, I thought I'd share pictures of the beautiful fall we're having here in Missouri.


Looking out my back door

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Thursday, November 02, 2006

ELEVEN YEARS AGO TODAY...

..I was in the hospital delivering my first born baby boy. He was actually born at 5:41 pm after 16 hours of labor. His birth was easy. The epidural worked great. It was an awesome experience.

Now here I am 11 years later not believing that time has gone by so fast. It seems like I was just holding him in my arms kissing his face. Now I'm lucky if I get a kiss good night.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BIG BROTHER!!!

Newborn


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Toddler


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Handsome little man


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This year's school picture


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