The skunky ones are feeling left out

Sally (above) and Willy are feeling left out. So their skunky selves wanted to say hi. Or at least Sally did. Willy just wanted me to leave him alone. :)

Finally pictures of the puppy

This is Roxanne. She's almost 16 weeks old.

She likes to eat grass and dirt and sticks and leaves.

So she usually look like this.

There are green things in my yard

See that -- there are flowers growing in my yard. Anybody know what kind they are?

Blades of Green grass are starting to show themselves!

And those are buds on the lilac. YEAH!!!!

Spring may have finally sprung.

Dogs - 0 Skunk - 2

Willy found the skunk this time. Poor guy was blinded until sometime this AM. He seems to be seeing again. But I can still smell skunk today. Outside, inside, on the dog, on my hands. It's the definitive of ick. It won't come off. I'm sure that when we head to the garden center in a little bit that they'll politely ask us to leave. Because I can't believe that as bad as it was/is, that we don't smell like skunk too.

Good thing I had Selsun Blue still! Stuff really does work. Now it makes me wonder though what it is doing to your head if the stuff is strong enough to remove the smell of skunk.

Wonder if the dogs will figure out now that the black and white rabbits aren't for chasing. I sure hope so. Or they may just become permanently outside dogs. Outside dogs that stink like skunk.

The rest of the Chicken Story

Went and picked up chickens this afternoon. Grandpa Jim's farm has added 12 new members.

Ever spent several hours in a house with chickens in the back room? It's kind of like having a fridge that is going out and you keep hearing the motor running. You kind of tune it out. And then the noise gets louder and you hear it again. Then you tune it out. And then you hear it again and you think, "What is that noise all about?" And then the noise starts to bother you . And then you tune it out again.

Fresh eggs. that will make all of this worth it, right?

we have chickens in the back room.

I think I have lost my mind.

10 Random Things for a Friday

1. What are you doing on Monday night? Want to come to my starter show for Partylite?
2. We are planting things in the garden on Sunday. Potatoes, peas, greens, onions, leeks. yummy yummy things. I love spring.
3. Signs of spring - a peek of green in my grass. the moles are active. the cardinals and robins are back!
4. The new puppy is on crack. You should see her run around and around in circles from one end of the house to the other. It's freakin hysterical!
5. Son2 gets to walk across the stage for graduation on May 3rd. We are having a party the same day. Can you come?
6. I am taking the afternoon off. I have an appointment and then I am going home to do some work and maybe read the last of the book for book club tonight. Or maybe I'll just sit on the back deck. You never know with me.
7. I'm working tomorrow at my main job. That sucks. But I haven't worked a Saturday in a while so it's not that big of a deal.
8. I'm looking for a reasonably priced digital camera for Jr. Maybe then he'll send me baby pics. I can't help but think about all of the things I'm missing by not being where Lucas is. :(
9. I want sushi. Not that that surprises anyone. It's pretty common actually. LOL
10. The great pregnant one went to the dr. on Wednesday. According to the measurements from the latest technology, the baby is now bigger than 5 lbs. Apparently feeding her everytime she turned around the last couple of weeks worked. YEAH great pregnant one! Now get off the internet and go have a healthy snack. :D

Not two weeks but pretty close

I'm a bad blogger. I admit it. I go in spurts don't I. Sometimes I run my mouth off like a bad case of verbal manic. Other times I just don't. I think it's just because I feel like I am rambling. Then again, it could just be that I have nothing to say. LOL Me with nothing to say. Yeah right. You know better than that. I think it is more the other reasons. Why I haven't blogged for two weeks:

I'm behind on the book club selection this month. I'll be lucky to get it done before we meet tomorrow night.

I've been on the computer so much working that when I'm not working I've stayed off the computer.

Last time I was on the computer for leisure it was to look up chickens. Don't ask. I'll explain later.

Baby class has taken up a night a week.

I had nothing important to say.

David Letterman has been yawnable and I haven't stayed up that late except tonight. And that's usually when I get my blogging done. I haven't really taken a "lunch hour" in a few weeks. That's the other time I usually get my blogging done.

I've become addicted to other people's blogs. Mahala makes me laugh. I have to catch up with what's going on with Harmony and Maggie. Unclutterer and Zen Habits have so much to teach me. And the food blogs. Who knew there were so many good veggie recipes out there? Oh and the scrapbook blogs. See! It's never ending.

Blockbuster sent me new movies. We're watching Enchanted tomorrow night after book club. If I can stay awake that late.

I've been planning a garden.

I decided to get a part time job helping a friend who is helping me by giving me a part time job to pay off my IRS bill.

I've been doing taxes.

Started selling Partylite again! Want to have a spa or candle party? I'm your gal!

Ok. I see I have no excuse really. I promise to try and do better. :) See BFTLFA! I posted. Now you have something to read.

What time of the day are you?

Found this quiz and subsequent badge over at Harmony's Blog. Thought it fit me quite well. Not sure if that is good or bad but it proves I am not a morning person! If you want to take the quiz yourself, click on the picture!

10 Random Things for a Friday

1. Jr had a birthday on Tuesday! Happy birthday to my favorite oldest son. ;)
2. Apparently I wasn't thankful for anything for over a week. Ok, I was. I just didn't acknowledge it on the blog. So I updated it yesterday. A week's worth of blessings in a day. Perspective. I'm glad it worked out the way it did.
3. Last week's scrapbooking weekend was a blast. Not so much the scrapbooking as I didn't get as much done as I would have liked. But the friend part was great. And the rum runners. They were pretty good too!
4. We ended up not going for Kona or sushi last weekend. I was sad. But we ate at PF Chang's. And I made my own sake bomb there. So that was a good thing.
5. We have a new puppy. Courtesy of the friend that lives far away. She's a Shih Tzu and cute as heck. I'll post pics later. The big puppies are a slight bit unhappy with us though. Apparently they feel invaded. And the cat. He's beyond irritated and has spent most of his time outside this week.
6. This weekend's plans revolve around a baby shower on Saturday for the great pregnant one's pending new arrival. Friends and family and fun! I am looking forward to it.
7. I'm feeling like a bad friend because there are a few people that I feeling out of touch with. Even after talking to them. It's just been too long since we've spent quality time together. I need to work on that.
8. Sushi. I want sushi. Is this a recurring theme or what? LOL
9. I need a good part time job. Any ideas?
10. The great pregnant one update: New ultrasound pics. That baby is one of the most photographed babies ever! We'll have pages of ultrasound pics for the scrapbook. He's still looking good but needs to gain more weight. Which means the GPO needs to eat more. Hear that GPO? EAT MORE! So I asked her what she wanted for supper last night. She wanted Grilled Brats. So I fed her Brats. Brats for the brat. How funny.

It's a David Bowie kind of day Part II

Dance the magic dance!

It's a David Bowie kind of day

Not sure why. But it's a David Bowie kind of day. I've been streaming a bunch of his music today. So I thought I'd share. Enjoy while he sings Heroes to you. Besides there are worse ways to spend 5 minutes on a Thursday.

10 Random Things for a Friday

1. Eric (Son2) found out yesterday that he has everything he needs done to get his GED. This is huge. He took the classes, passed the tests, and now he is done! He is so proud. And I am very proud of him.
2. I am feeling like a bad blogger because I haven't posted since last Friday's 10 things. :(
3. I am leaving in about 4 hours for KC. I will get to see my best friend that lives far away! This weekend is a scrapbooking weekend. My creative side is VERY happy for that.
4. We are adding a cute little puppy to our family on Sunday. :)
5. I spent the week playing catch up for all the things I pushed aside the weeks before because of the big project.
6. I have done more taxes this week than any other this tax season. Have you filed yours?
7. My house is a mess. And I don't think I care. Ok, obviously I do or I wouldn't even mention it. LOL
8. I have only had 3 diet Cokes this week. I've been good don't you think? My Coke Rewards points balance is hurting though.
9. Jr is in culinary classes at the college. For one of his classes he has to make a vegan menu this week. I had lots of fun sharing some of my favorite vegan blogs with him and referring him to recipe archives on my favorite veggie recipe site.
10. The great pregnant one and I are taking "natural" childbirth classes. The next 5 weeks should be interesting.

Happy weekend! I'll try and check in on Sunday night! Promise.

10 Random Things for a Friday

1. I got to hold Lucas last weekend. I had to share him with other people too but that's ok. Because they kept telling me how cute he was. And I got to agree and smile.
2. Yesterday i was driving like a grandma. then i remembered that i am a grandma now so it was only fitting. then i realized that no matter how i drove i was driving like a grandma. because i am one. so there.
3. Next weekend counts as a vacation. I get to go away from home, with nothing I HAVE to do. Only things I want to do. I like the idea of that.
4. One week from today I will be drinking sake bombs and eat volcano rolls at Kona in KC.
5. I am planting things in my back room to go into my garden. And watching them grow a little more every day makes me very happy.
6. Huge project at work is finally pretty well done. At least my part is. And I can now go back to sleeping and working 9 hour days and going to the gym and eating food that didn't come from Lean Cuisine and spending time with my family like a normal person. Not that I'm anywhere close to normal but you get the idea.
7. I need to buy pet food. The bill for which is only climbing as in the next few months we are adding 2 rescued outdoor bunnies and about a dozen chickens to our psuedo farm/zoo. the manchild keeps saying something about fresh eggs and free fertilizer. huh.
8. I have an entire quart of wheat germ in my cupboard. Don't ask. Long story that isn't worth telling really. What else can you do with wheat germ other than put it into say bread or the breakfast shakes I keep telling myself are healthier than the Cap'n Crunch?
9. I get to play with Lucas again in two weeks. Not that I count days or am obsessed or anything.
10. The great pregnant one says the doctor says the baby is 3 lbs 12 oz. Amazing.

Thoughts for Thursday

If you eat just Girl Scout Cookies for lunch BUT you eat several different kinds does it count as a balanced meal?

When does optimism become denial?

Does spending all or your time deciding what to do count as doing something?

Zen Habits

I am a blog junkie. I admit it. But so many blogs bring so much into my life. The time I used to spend reading not so entertaining or truly un-enlightening magazines, the time lost to stupid tv shows, I've replaced it. With blogs. It's almost sad really. I'm a cyber geek.

Every once in a while I decide that I really need to scale down my blog reading. But then I find these certain blogs that just stick with you. Zen Habits is one of them. His 12 step eating program epitomizes what I am trying to do with my life. Most everything he talks about are things that you KNOW you have to change in your life. At least in my life. Check it out. You might even find that one of his e-books is what you need in your life. I know I need them more in mine.

Click here to view more details on the ebooks

10 Random things for a Friday

1. I get to see Lucas tomorrow!
2. I am 98% finished with this huge project that has been driving me nuts and causing me to be grumpy and sleep deprived and having had too much cafeine and anxiety attacks and just being an all round loser. But it's almost done. Tomorrow even.
3. I have to work on a Saturday. Again. But the project will be done so that's a fire out.
4. My desk is clean. Amber did it. And it somehow makes me feel a little better.
5. I am feeling completely uninspired as to what to make for dinner tonight. Any ideas?
6. Amber is done with her "actually having to go to school" classes in two weeks. Then she's on independent study for the rest of the semester
7. I get to see Lucas tomorrow. Yeah I know. I said it twice. It deserves two.
8. I get to have sushi for supper tomorrow night. Not Kona, but it'll be Pei's and that's just about as good.
9. We are having a baby shower for Lucas' mom (Allison) on Sunday. I get to hold Lucas. That makes me smile. Big. Big Smiles.
10. The great pregnant one weighs 130 pounds. She can't decide if that is good or bad. But she looks good. So it is a good thing. Any bets on how much she'll weigh in 9 more weeks?

A $300 pair of walking shoes

I'm looking for new shoes. Walking shoes to be exact. So in my adventure to zappos I find this pair. Insanely expensive pair of shoes

Seriously. Do people really spend $300 on a pair of walking shoes? I want to meet them. I want to ask them to buy a $200 pair instead. And then buy me a nice $100 pair of Ryka's. Heck for $300 I could by a pair of shoes, new sweats, and next year's gym membership.

And why am I looking on the internet for a pair of shoes anyway. Anyone that knows me knows I'm going to end up buying a pair of shoes at DSW anyway. Because they are next to Archivers and Kona Grill and they have Volcano rolls. And they are worth the 30 minute trip just for those. And sake bombs. Can't forget the sake bomb.

Yeah, I really need new walking shoes. Wanna go with?

OK, mental health break is over. Back to work.

It's Arctic not Artic

the local news channel has a front page story about the cold weather. It's been on the front page of their website since mid evening yesterday. It's titled "Artic blast closes schools". It's ArCtic. Not Artic. Notice the first C? It's driving me nuts.

So I emailed them. Wonder if they'll fix it. I feel better now that I emailed them. Should have done that last night.

Here is our Arctic Cold Blast though --- Keep in mind that the "wind chill" is -25 degrees. It's cold. It's 10:30 in the morning. And it's cold.

Gotta love Nebraska.

3:45 update -- they took the Artic story off the front page. There is now a blurb on the narrative forecast. They must have gotten my email. (or a better spell check)

10 random things for a Friday

1 - I really am craving Volcano Rolls from kona. And Sake bombs.
2 - I want to go see my best friend that lives far away. It's been too long. Besides, it's warmer there.
3 - It's been 11 days since I've seen Lucas. It'll be 8 more before I do. This is ridiculous.
4 - My knee hurts from where I skinned it when I slipped on the sand while walking the day before yesterday.
5 - I am drinking Mango Ceylon Tea (Republic of Tea). This is my 4th cup.
6 - I have 221 coke rewards points. Considering I donated most of my points for Toys for Tots last fall, that's a pretty ridiculous amount of Diet Coke.
7 - I have to work this weekend. It's a 3 day weekend. This sucks.
8 - I cooked dead cow for my husband and Son2 for Valentine's Day dinner. I used Pioneer Woman's Recipe. They liked it. Not so much so the spinach and mushroom side dish. But that's my fault. Not Pioneer Woman's. She said nothing about spinach.
9 - I got paid today and according to "the budget" I have no fun money. This sucks twice.
10 - I want sushi. Lots of it. And Sake bombs. Don't forget the sake bombs.

Spring Comes When?

Valentine's Day

Today I am thankful for my valentine.

He makes my life complete. And I love him. And he's mine. I don't even have to ask him to be mine. He just is.

That and he turns my toes to jello. :)

Love - a wildly misunderstood although highly desirable malfunction of the heart which weakens the brain, causes eyes to sparkle, cheeks to glow, blood pressure to rise and the lips to pucker. ~Author Unknown

For this blessing, I am grateful and indebted.

To Do List

I love Boston Legal. Have I told you that before? I look forward to Tuesday nights at 9:00. I consistently laugh. I laugh hard. I've been known to laugh so hard I cry. It's that good. Do you watch it?

One of my favorite times in the show is at the end when Denny and Alan sit on the balcony and have their little review of the day/week. There are always these little "make you think" comments. It's a great way to end the show. Did I mention I love this show? Tonight was no exception.

"there are many things in life that are paramount. But being there for a friend in pain..."
"Lovers come and go but friends...Not everybody has somebody like us."
"the thing about life. you have always have to keep something on the to do list"

Anybody else a Boston Legal fan? Show of hands

And what's on your to do list?

Strike or not. I love these writers. And hey, did you hear? The Writer's Guild accepted the contract today and go back to work tomorrow. {{jumping up and down}} We'll get good TV sometime in the next month or so. As shallow it is, I'm glad for it. I don't think I can handle another mid season "what will we do now" show get picked up that was thrown out before. They should have left most of them in the trash.

Sicky watch --- I'm feeling better. My voice is still shot, the croupy cough is still hanging around, and I'm tired as heck but a week later and I'm feeling mostly better. Eric is past the worst of it. generic Dayquil and lots of liquids seem to be pushing it through him faster. his voice is about an octave lower though. It's kind of cute. :) Jim on the other hand. He's still icky. He's slept since he got home from work. He has a low grade fever, poor guy. But he went to work today. That's more than I did at this time last week. Gotta give him his props for that. Well isn't that more than you really wanted to know. :)

I had about a dozen more things I was going to talk about today but I'll be darned if I can remember what they were. I'll get back to ya. Probably not until tomorrow though.

Be well!

A sick house

My boys are sick. They may be men the rest of the year but when they are sick they are definately boys. Little boys. Little whiny, grumpy, stuffy nosed, coughing, wheezing boys. I love them. And I feel sorry for them. But last week when I was sick, they didn't really give a fig. And now they want me to take care of them. Ok, maybe not Eric so much. But the oldest one? Yeah, he's a miserable sicky.

I'd take his poor miserable sicky photo. But I think he'd not be so happy with that. LOL

Hope that all at your home are happy and healthy and not so whiny.

Today we laughed a lot

Today we laughed a lot.
It was just what we all needed.
We should all do it more than we do.
Laughter cures so many things.
And could solve so many problems.

I love the way my kids look when they laugh.

How do you follow up a post like that last one?

The last post was probably THE single most important post EVER on this blog. That says alot because you KNOW how much we discuss poignant and earth shattering subjects here. For that reason, I haven't been able to come up with anything to follow it.

So what's a person to do? Well any good Grandma posts more pics. So here you go.

Welcome Lucas James

The baby is here!
Lucas James
Born 1/31/08
7 lbs 10 oz - 19 3/4 in
and as his daddy said, "He's just perfect."

Baby Watch Update

I'm going to be a grandma today! They are at the hospital. I am four hours away. THIS SUCKS!! I'm getting done what I have to get done today and then I am on the road. How cool is this? I'm gonna be a grandma. I'm gonna be a grandma. {sung while doing the happy dance}

OK. Back to work. I just had to tell you!

This is the one of the coolest feelings EVER! Who cares if it means I'm old. I'm going to be a grandma!

NKOTB Reunion

My "best friend that lives far away" is going to love me for this. I almost don't want to tell her though because I think I know what will follow. But in case you are a child of the 80's that had a thing for the boy bands.....

New Kids on the Block is rumored to be staging a reunion.





There you go M. Drool away.

Working with idiots can kill you

Click on the pic above and make the article big enough to read. I'd tell you where it originated but I've no clue as it was sourceless when I found it.

I can honestly say that this does not apply to my current position. It does however apply to most others I have had. Now you have fodder next time you need to explain why you need a sick day.

7 random things

Hey! I've been tagged by Harmony to tell you seven random/crazy things about me...hmm....Don't I tell you random things about me every day? hmmmm.

1. I can't drink milk. Not lactose intolerant but something about it gives me ear and sinus infections. Didn't believe it when the nutritionist told me. But quit drinking it and my ears and sinuses have thanked me. Who knew?
2. I wanted to be a Dr when I grew up. I'm still not grown up so this may still happen.
3. My next door neighbors growing up were Keysha on one side and Nancy on the other. Kay lived across the street. Kristy, Lisa, and Jeff all lived around the bend. Chuck lived 2 streets away and was my best friend. Larry used to be my backyard neighbor. I recently got an email from him through classmates.com it was kind of cool.
4. Even though I am on classmates.com, have an alumni designation on my myspace account, am in the hometown paper no less than 3 times a year, my parents still have the same phone number we had growing up, and they live literally in the backyard of the high school, I was still listed as an "unable to locate" or "missing" for my class reunion last summer. I don't think they tried real hard to find us. What do you think?
5. I secretly long to belong to Daring Bakers but just can't bring myself to commit. I would love to expand my baking horizons. But the whole blogging about food thing is a little out of my realm. Even though I do seem to blog about everything else. But I really don't need the extra calories each month either. But most months I make the recipes. This month's lemon meringue pie will most likely make an appearance in my kitchen. But it will have to be shared with A LOT of people because there is that extra sugar nobody needs thing. See. I just can't commit.
6. Jessie "The Body" Ventura (former governor of Minnesota) is my 2nd cousin by marriage. (so what is that, second cousin once removed?)
7. Labyrinth is my all time favorite movie.

That was kind of fun! Thanks Harmony!

From Today's Gratitude Journal

Today I am thankful for the faith of others.

A good friend is in the hospital dealing with congestive heart failure. She has great trust in her doctors. But it is her trust and faith in God that is getting her and her husband through this experience. God be with her. For then I don't have to worry.

Whether you pray, share energy, or send good thoughts, please keep my friend with you today. She could really use it.

1/28/08 Follow up: The procedure on Friday seemed to take. She is home and doing well. Thank you to all of you for your help and concern.

This is my 100th post

Not that I have anything to say really. Just wanted to post so I could say I had 100 posts on my blog. How sad am I? LOL Don't answer that.

And for those who keep asking...Still waiting...no baby news yet.

BUT I'm GONNA BE A GRANDMA!! not that I'm excited or anything. :)

Next Blog

Have you ever been reading a blog in blogger and after you are done, hit the 'next blog' button? It's up there. To the left of the middle of the screen. Do you see it? OK. Now go hit 'next blog'. Take a read. (If it' porno, I apologize now) Sometimes you get a language you don't understand. Sometimes you find a new friend in Australia. Any way you shake it, it's the 'next blog'. Random readings. Go read and report back. (just hit your browser's back button)

Can't wait to see what you find!

When good people...

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. day. Marked locally by a big budget event -- an annual tribute downtown. Further north there was a wreath laid at the memorial to Dr. King. We closed schools. We closed businesses. The banks were open. You could shop at most stores. But did we really honor him? What would he say if he was here today to witness the day that is set aside to honor him?

“He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it. “ - Martin Luther King, Jr.

I have to believe that with all the evil out there, all the otherwise good people who do nothing to stand against it, all the outrage we've surpressed for whatever lie we tell ourselves, that if he were here today to speak, he'd feel dishonored. He wouldn't want the schools closed, the businesses with shut doors, the wreaths and memorials. He'd want action. He'd want words that weren't empty. He'd want us to make a difference today.

Forty five years later, are we any closer than we were then?

And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

Free at last! Free at last!
Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

Who me?

There's a baby in there!

Ella was sooo fascinated by the idea that there was a baby in there! She kept looking for it. And patting the belly. It was fun to watch.

3 year old tantrum

She was a little mad at me. Now if only I could remember what it was all about. :)

A mighty good weekend of not much of anything

So we're still on baby watch. No new news. We've instead spent the weekend doing a lot of nothing. Volunteered with Angel Food and SHARE for most of the day yesterday. Then I had stamp club with the always entertaining Sharon and Amber. :) Hi Sharon! Then home to do more of nothingness. Today was an exciting day of cleaning and going on a search for Union Suits for Jim. Do you have any idea how hard they are to find? I mean it's January. It's below zero. Shouldn't long underwear be a little easier to locate? Called a zillion stores before I found one that had some. But the search has ended and Jim is happy with his new red "winter fur." Oh yeah. And the grocery store. We went grocery shopping and spent a small fortune at Super Target. Then home to watch movies on TiVo. Have you seen Shattered Glass? If you haven't, it's really good.

See. This is why I haven't blogged lately. Really not much to talk about. Except a lot of nothing. So happy nothing day!

Underdog Cartoon Tricky Trap By Tap-Tap (1967)

Last one. I promise. But wasn't that a fun walk down memory lane?

Pinky and the Brain, Tongue Twister

parts of the brain

OK, so I'm bored and I spend too much time on YouTube. What's your point?

smurfs - episode 238 - crying smurfs

Did you know that the Smurfs' turned 50 this year?

SchoolHouse Rock - Grammar The Tale Of Mr Morton

But the ultimate question is "What does Mr. Morton do?"

Horton Hears A Who Trailer

I can honestly say that this is the first movie I'm looking forward to in a LONG time! Who wants to come and see it with me?

I laughed so hard!

Finally watched Napolean Dynamite last night. Yes. I know I'm a few years behind in pop culture what of it? Watched it with a good friend that knew I just needed to laugh. And so we did.

"Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills."

Do you have great skills? Me, I'm a nunchuk skills kind of gal.

ROFL

Why I don't read or watch the news

Warning: don't follow this link unless you want to get as angry as I am.

Because stories like THIS ONE make me literally sick to my stomach. They bother me on so many levels and for so many different reasons. I need to gather my thoughts and then I'll elaborate but right now I’m so full of words that don’t come out right that I’ll have to wait to comment.

What some people think is OK. :(

I believe the grass is no more greener on the other side

A friend posted these lyrics on their blog as part of a larger discussion. I found the statements to ring very true to me. Well, except for 1 of them. But I'm not telling which one. :D And no. It's not the one you thing. LOL

What do you believe?
This I Believe- cool site. Check it out.

"Affirmation" by Savage Garden

I believe the sun should never set upon an argument
I believe we place our happiness in other people's hands
I believe that junk food tastes so good because it's bad for you
I believe your parents did the best job they knew how to do
I believe that beauty magazines promote low self-esteem
I believe I'm loved when I'm completely by myself alone

I believe in Karma what you give is what you get returned
I believe you can't appreciate real love until you've been burned
I believe the grass is no more greener on the other side
I believe you don't know what you've got until you say goodbye

I believe you can't control or choose your sexuality
I believe that trust is more important than monogamy
I believe your most attractive features are your heart and soul
I believe that family is worth more than money or gold
I believe the struggle for financial freedom is unfair
I believe the only ones who disagree are millionaires

I believe in Karma what you give is what you get returned
I believe you can't appreciate real love until you've been burned
I believe the grass is no more greener on the other side
I believe you don't know what you've got until you say goodbye

I believe forgiveness is the key to your unhappiness
I believe that wedded bliss negates the need to be undressed
I believe that God does not endorse TV evangelists
I believe in love surviving death into eternity

I believe in Karma what you give is what you get returned
I believe you can't appreciate real love until you've been burned
I believe the grass is no more greener on the other side
I believe you don't know what you've got until you say goodbye

Speaking of Girl Scout cookies...

As I understand it, the purpose of cookie sales is a pretty basic.
1) Raise $$ for the troop.
2) Teach the kids the value of working and earning.
3) Teach good business practices.

If cookie sales aren't supposed to begin until tomorrow (Friday), why would you bring your kid to my office today to peddle her wares? I mean, what kind of ethics is that teaching your child? It's teaching them how to cheat. And why exactly would you want to do that? And why would you TELL them to tell me that cookie sales don't REALLY start until Friday but this is just practice today.

Did I mention she had already sold nearly 100 boxes? Practice. Yeah, THAT'S it.

What ethical business practice have you modeled today?

Did I mention?

Saw an ad on TV tonight. The newscasters were doing a public service announcement.

Girl Scout cookie sales start next week.

And here we've just recovered from the Christmas cookie coma.

Thin mints and Samoas anyone?

Man Land

It's 12:15 am. I have insomnia. As usual. Nothing new there. Another 15 minutes and I'll try and go back to bed.

My husband fell asleep on the couch earlier. Nothing new there. Usually that just means he sleeps on the couch, I wake him up when I go to bed. He comes to bed and all is well until early morning.

Tonight he woke up and decided to go look for something. I didn't ask what. Then Eric went outside to see what was taking him so long. Then I went out to see what was taking both of them so long. They are both in "man land." aka the garage. The garage that HAD to get a bullet heater two weeks ago. They went out there 2 hours ago.

Exactly what good can come from 2 overgrown boys playing in man land for 2 hours in the late evening on a Tuesday?

Just asking.

From today's gratitude journal

Today's gratitude Journal

Today I am thankful for hope.

This week is the one year anniversary of the recovery of Shawn Hornbeck and Ben Ownby. And that was the day my hope was restored. And it is what I turn to when the hope begins to fade.

Today Show appearance today
Story from that day
Erin's Story

My prayers to both families today. Milestones are rarely easy. My joy with them always.

Hope is some extraordinary spiritual grace that God gives us to control our fears, not to oust them. ~Vincent McNabb

Hope is faith holding out its hand in the dark. ~George Iles

For this blessing, I am grateful and indebted.

Praise be to God!

Man Made Card

If you are a crafter (specifically a stamper) you'll get a kick out of this. I laughed so hard!

Man Made Card Tutorial

My grandpa Jack

The last week since my grandpa’s death has been a roller coaster of emotions. The memories of the best times with him have crept their way into my everyday life. The oddest things will induce a memory or a thought of him.

I have a great respect for my grandpa’s life. He was an incredible man. I can only hope that I will be as positive of an influence on my grandchildren as my grandpa Jack has been for me.

He taught me humility. He never bragged of his own accomplishments. Even when you complimented him on a painting he had done or another successful undertaking he would just say thank you.

He taught me how important it is to be creative no matter what your talents. His woodworking, his paintings, his drawing. All came together to give him a creative outlet. He would always ask me, “what did you create this week?” “It’s important to use both sides of your brain you know.” And when my creative talents fell short of what I wanted, he’d just say, “but did you enjoy doing it? Well that’s what’s important.”

He taught me about support. When I showed an interest in drawing trees, he bought me a book on drawing trees. When I was struggling with calculus, he dug out all of his old calculus books to give to me. He tried to help me find a different way to learn it. I failed miserably but he smiled just the same when I passed the class with the lowest passing grade. “Well you did it. That’s what matters.” When I wanted to learn to do something, he’d do it with me. Even when it was a latch hook rug.

He taught me that there are no gender barriers. Encouraging my love of cars and how they worked, telling me all about engineering, making me watch golf, watching him cook and bake. No matter what I did or wanted to do, he never told me, “that’s for boys” or “that’s for girls.”

He instilled a love of gardening. He showed me every aspect of gardening. He let me pick out seeds and plants. He included me in drawing out the garden plan each spring. Sitting in the garden and eating tomatoes and peas off the vine were encouraged each summer.

He taught me to have pride in others’ accomplishments. He came to every play or musical or band concert I was ever involved with. He came to my track meets. He took me out for breakfast when my report cards came in and celebrated, even when the grades were not straight A’s. “Did you do the best you could? That’s what matters.” Then he turned around a bragged to anyone that would listen about every little success I ever had.

He taught me the importance of education. “Never stop learning.” He beamed when I chose a college. He never said a word when I dropped out. He beamed again when I went back to school. He continued to pursue his own intellectual endeavors long after retirement. Learning HAM radio. Telling me how “you shouldn't let your brain turn to mush.” The well worn magazines from his subscription to Popular Science that sat on his end table. All reminded me that learning wasn’t just for school.

He taught me to do something special for someone. He made me oatmeal scotchies. Just because they were my favorite. And never for any special reason. Walking to DQ and playing on the playground on the way. Just because.

He taught me to stand up for others. The poor school nurse never saw it coming.

He taught me to have respect for everyone. Sir and m’am when I didn’t know someone. Mr. and Mrs. when I did. And always to say thank you.

He taught me the real meaning of love.

Grandpa, I love you. I miss you. And I’ll never forget what you taught me. I promise.

Internet Safety for Teens

Anybody that knows me knows that internet safety is REALLY important to me. This is a really cool video that would be good to show to the young teens in your life. AND it was made by a kid!!

Predator Video

The funniest thing ever

Hey you. Yeah you. You know who you are!

Do you remember that thing we laughed about that one time? The thing that made us laugh so hard we thought we'd die because we were laughing so hard we couldn't catch our breath? We laughed so hard we were both crying. It was so funny it was the funniest thing ever! We were going to write it down so we wouldn't ever forget it and we'd be able to laugh about it all over again. But we didn't need to write it down because it was so funny we'd never forget it. Yeah that was the best laugh ever.

Do you remember what we were laughing about? Yeah, me neither. But it was the funniest thing EVER!

Resolutions

Did you make any New Year's Resolutions? I've made a couple. Things like exercise more, eat better, save money, get organized, etc. But I already know how most of them will turn out. So I've decided to make a few others instead.




1) Laugh. -- I need to laugh more. I need to watch comedies. Read the comics. Subscribe to more humor blogs. Go to a comedy production here and there. I just need to laugh more. And not just at myself.

2) Go to the library. -- I had to pay for my library membership for the first time in my life. (not counting the memberships I've paid for many times over with late fees) Apparently when you live outside of the city's tax jurisdiction you don't pay for the library so you have to pay for a membership. Since I paid the $25, I should really get my money's worth. I'm just going to make it a regular weekly adventure. Ok, probably every couple of weeks. But regularly. :) And I need to return them on time. $25 is really a bargain isn't it?

3) Write more. -- I get a lot out of writing. It's a gift to myself. And it's healing.

4) Create. -- It uses the other side of my brain. I need to let go of the perfectionist part of me that has to have it right. And just create.


But then again... I am perfect the way I am, so why change a thing.


See, I'm laughing already.

From there to here

So I had this idea last week to go over all of my possible words for the year. The "one word" challenge. That obviously didn't work out. I started out well on Thursday and had ideas for Friday, Sat, Sun, and Monday. But that was sidetracked Friday when my grandpa died. I have some reflection to share about him. But not today.

Today I have to pick a word. I had several ideas and have finally settled on one, I think.

Peace
Gratitude
Rejuvenation
Joy
Knowledge

So I've settled on Gratitude. And with that, I intend to use this blog to post what I am grateful for each day. We'll call it a gratitude journal. Bear with me. We'll see how it goes. :)