Outer Banks Vacation....Wordless Wednesday

Find more Wordless Wednesday here and here.

Where did that girl go????

Last week I had an email exchange with someone from my past. It went something like this.....

Person: Initial conversation.
Me: Nice, nice....blah, blah, blah.....nice, nice.
Person: Nice, nice....blah, blah, blah...nice, nice. Something serious. Joke ("to lighten the mood").
Narrator: "Why is this conversation taking place and why are they ignoring the BIG elephant in the room."
Me: Okay...let's get this over with....what is the deal?
Person: Ahhh, there's the girl I remember.

Although I could have done without the conversation (despite the fact that I couldn't really seem to walk away from it - kinda like looking at the aftermath of a bad accident) it made me think about people changing (even myself) and people staying the same. I know it seems a little "deep". Let me explain. Over the years I lived through many "seasons". Although my lifestyle and the people around me have changed I am at the core....the same girl. I have always been pretty feisty. I have definitely learned from my experiences and gained a little maturity that has changed me to a degree but really my constitution hasn't.

When I went to my H.S. reunion I was working at a Youth Crisis Shelter. I remember telling people (you know those "catching up" conversations) and more than one person said, "Of course you work at a Youth Crisis Shelter...wouldn't expect anything different." Isn't that cool? I think it is. Which leads me to this point....What would those same people say if we revisited that conversation and I said "I sell insurance." I think the response would be different. I suspect their response would be something like..."Oh." It isn't really me, is it? It's probably something I should think about, hmmmmmm.

Last week I also received a very nice myspace message from a woman from my H.S. She said she always remembers a time I came to talk to her, when we were freshmen, after she had spent some time in the psych ward. I don't remember the chat and I honestly didn't even remember she had been in the hospital. I do remember that I always felt bad because people weren't that nice to this girl. She was pleasant and very funny. Here's the thing...I see adults acting the same way to certain people, in my life now. And I still find myself trying to make up for the rude behaviors of others. And...today I will be going to the psych ward to visit (if they allow me) a teen who is staying there. I thought it to be ironic that I got that email the day I found out my girl was in the hospital. I think God was giving me a little "wake up". I haven't been myself lately. My head has been somewhere else....caught in the junk life sometimes gives you...distracting me from me and ultimately from what God created me to do.

I know it seems like an arrogant blog because I didn't list all my bad qualities that haven't changed...and trust me I am always working on those things. I always have been. When I was in H.S. I used to read Psychology Text Books from the library. Weird, I know....I guess that hasn't changed either. The point to all of this is this - It doesn't matter who you are, you can't deny yourself. I am not saying you can't improve or grow but your core is your core. Sometimes we sacrifice our desires to accommodate our current situation but that doesn't mean you have to stop being who you really are........

Thanks for listening to my psycho babble. I am interested to hear what you think about all this....

Ahhhhh....Monday Morning

Good Morning! Well, some of you may not read this in the A.M. but I am writing in the morning so that is the greeting you get.

We had a very eventful week-end. Friday night Jake & I had a date night. I should say "cheap date" night. First we went out to eat at this nice place called First Chop. It is a restaurant on a golf course. If you remember me telling you a while ago I won a gift certificate there in a contest on WNIR. I haven't entered a contest since...not sure why I've slacked. The gift certificate was going to expire on December 1, 2006 so we needed to use it. We didn't want to spent more than the GC paid for, which was $25. If you look at their menu, some of the meals cost that by themselves. So we drank water, which was fine with me. I may have ordered a glass of wine otherwise but I lived without it. Lucky for us they had a $12 menu. I ordered steak. Jake ordered fish. We both ordered these bourbon sweet potatoes. YUMMMM. I could have just eaten a big plate of those. Needless to say, we didn't have an appetizer or dessert and we were both stuffed by time we left. When we got our bill it was $26.42. Not bad. We left a $6 tip so we spent a total of $7.42. After dinner we went to the movies. We received movie tickets as a Christmas gift in 2004. We've been to the movies since then but we've went to the second run place that only cost a buck or two. So, we finally used those tickets. It would have cost us $16.50. Yes, it cost $8.25 per person to get into a theater. Yikes. We decided to see BORAT on the recommendation of my sister and "Mitchy" (a guy my hubby works with). The movie was so funny but I'm not really sure how to explain it... It was definitely adult humor that not everyone would appreciate. If you haven't heard of it I will give you a quick description. This American Jewish man goes, as this character (Borat) from Kazakhstan (which is a real country), around the United States interviewing real people (not actors) for a "documentary" he is supposedly filming for his native country (so they think). While meeting with these people he says and does things that are completely inappropriate. He insults everyone but the funny thing is...many of them excuse it as he is ignorant and doesn't know any better. You can't believe some of the things people say to him thinking no one from the US would ever see or hear them. Wow...there are some crazy scenes in that movie. So we did have quite a few belly laughs. So...there you go dinner & a movie for less than $8. What fun.

Saturday night we went to visit my old friend, Stephanie (not the blogger) for dinner. She lives in Euclid so it was a little bit of a drive. My sister and her family also met us. It was a lot of fun and the food was delish. The kids ran around like crazies. There was 5 of them all together. I think Stephanie & her husband definitely don't more kids after having us over. Ha ha.

Sunday we went to Church. I was going to blog about that today but I guess I will save it for later. Afterwords we went to our friends house for lunch. It was also very good, as always. My friend prides herself on her cooking...I used to think I was a good cook until I met her. Hmmmm. It is all relative isn't it.

Overall it was a great week-end. Busy as always.

Have a great day.

Five Posts in a Row............

Can you believe it? I don't want to be on the computer very long this morning and I don't really have a topic of discussion so I thought I would just give you a few updates on what is going on...
Let me start with the weather! It is perfect here. Yesterday it was sunny & almost 70 outside. The kids and I went out and raked leaves/grass in the yard. Then we cleaned out the garage as a nice surprise for daddy. He has been trying to squeeze the extra chore in for a week or so. The kids were so cute. They both helped carry the leaves to a pile I made behind the garage.

This was my first full week of "stay at home momhood". It was okay. I don't think I got nearly as much done as anticipated. Probably because I get sidetracked by the computer so easily. I don't watch TV during the day....I don't even read about my soap opera anymore. It was too stupid for me. My one laundry day has turned into laundry week again. I need to get some control.

I am gearing up for the holidays. I want to make as many of my gifts as I can this year (again). I started several projects. Hopefully I don't run out of time. I want to make my Christmas cards again this year. I'm currently making Thanksgiving cards for everyone in the book of business at the agency. They look really nice. I took one to show the boss yesterday (I went in for a few hours in the evening). He thought it looked cool and said everyone will love it. I have everything cut out - I just need to put them all together and stamp them. I'll post a picture later. Speaking of cards. I am really horrible about sending them. I make these beautiful creations and sometimes I even write in them but I never get around to sending them. It's dumb. That is on my to-do list for today.

Speaking of work...I only worked a few evening hours this week and it was really busy. I didn't sell anything but I have a stack of work to do on my desk as we speak. I am getting it set up so I can do quotes from home. Then I can maximize my time in the office. If things stay the way they are I will probably go back to some regular hours after the new year. I did however, talk to my old boss from the abstinence place and she is going to be hiring for some stuff. I don't know if it is a right fit for me but I won't really know what is going on there until Thanksgiving week so I haven't put much thought into it. Either way, it looks like the holidays will be tight for us. I have accepted it. I love buying gifts for people but I've learned not be be so materialistic and it is much better. Besides, my pottery stuff is going well and is just as beautiful as something you might buy at a specialty shop. I plan to post some pics soon.

Jake's job is fine. They are in their "busy season" and hasn't had time to blog. I told him everyone is waiting to hear what he has to say.

I think if I had to describe our life right now I would say....transition. Sometimes you need to tear down and rebuild. That is how it is for us. And that is okay.

Have a good week-end. I probably won't have time to blog. We have a busy one ahead of us.

My First Thursday Thirteen....Happy Birthday Heather!

Today is my little sister, Heather's birthday. In honor of this special day I am dedicating my first Thursday Thirteen to her.

THIRTEEN THINGS ABOUT MY SISTER...

1. When we were kids we would get into fights (a lot). I would hit her and she would cry and say she was my punching bag. Don't feel to sorry for her because she always got me back by hitting my about 100 times in the same spot. It hurt.

2. I taught my sister to drive a stick shift car. I took her to Mill Hollow and she was practicing. She was trying to make it up this little incline. If you drive stick you know the "hills" can be tricky at first. Well, she kept trying and stalling when some cute boy from our school (I can't remember who) came by and started talking to her. She was so embarrassed. After practicing for an hour or so I let her drive home. It was only a couple of miles. We lived on a fairly busy road (State Route 60). Everyone in our family always backed into the drive so we didn't have to back into the traffic. So as we approached our driveway I told Heather to back into the driveway. She was nervous but did what I asked. As she started to back up she went to push the break but got confused and hit the gas. It caused the car to do a backwards donut in our driveway. Our neighbors were outside and witnessed the whole thing. She was so humiliated that she immediately started crying. I was laughing so hard...I was crying. I guess we are lucky we didn't go back into the road or run over someone.

3. We sound exactly the same on the phone. In High School I would have here talk to guys that called me if I didn't want to talk to them.

4. On her 16th birthday her boyfriend came over our house and I think, gave her a rose. About an hour later she went to the mall with her friends and saw her boyfriend holding hands with another girl.

5. We had a cat named after that boyfriend....

6. That cat loved underwear. It was the strangest thing. It would get into the laundry and find a bra and carry it around the house. One day my sisters new boyfriend came over to meet the family. I set it up and gave the cat one of my sister's bras to carry into the living room in front of everyone. It worked. I thought she was going to die.

7. Heather is a Dental Hygienist. She went to school for it in West Virginia. Do you see the humor? Ha ha. Either way, she met her hubby, Ivan at West Liberty University. She was with our old friend, Tiffany, and they were watching boys riding their bikes and doing tricks. When she met him she had a boyfriend. After hanging out with Ivan and his friends she decided to break up with the boyfriend. She didn't want to break up over the phone so she waited until she came home for her birthday. I don't know if this is true but rumor has it that the boyfriend has purchased a ring and was planning to ask her to marry him. Yikes. I guess we will never know....because she started dating Ivan shortly after that and they got engaged the next year.

8. Heather got a tattoo while she was in college. She told me about it but I wasn't allowed to tell my parents. After I found out I had a dream that I was the one that got the tattoo. It was on my foot. I dreamed I was sleeping and my mom came into my room and lifted up my blankets to tickle my feet. When she did she was my tattoo. The whole thing stressed me out. But my mom eventually did see her tattoo. She was holding the bathroom door for my sister and had looked in the door while Heather was flushing. Her tattoo is on her lower right back. When she went to flush her shirt came up a little and my mom saw it. Well, later that day she said something to her about her having a tattoo. Needless to say, my mother wasn't happy. So, a day or so goes by and my dad says to my sister "Let me see your tattoo". So, she lowers the waist band of her pants and exposes her fish tattoo. My dad looks for a moment and then says..."Wait, I thought your mom said it was a tattoo of a flower." She paused for a moment and then admitted that was her other tattoo. You see, my mom didn't say what she saw and my sister assumed she had seen the tattoo in the front (on her hip bone). So, she got busted for both tattoos. She has a total of 3 now.

9. Heather was the captain of the cheer leading squad, on the May Day Court (like homecoming in the spring) & went to 3 proms. Yet, she wasn't a preppy type girl. She often wore combat boots and some made up fashion.

10. Heather used to love to climb. She would climb ropes, poles, trees, doorways, vines....anything. She was a little monkey.

11. When she was around 4 years old our neighbor caught Heather and the neighbors grandson exposing themselves to each other. I guess they realized they had different equipment and were showing it off. (Come on...I had to add one really bad story).

12. Heather was also a runner. She could run fast. One time this kid in our neighborhood threw a shoe at me and hit me in the eye. In fact, he gave a black eye. She chased & caught him. I held him down and we made him eat dirt. I was probably 11 or 12 at the time. That kid grew up and joined the Marines.

13. Heather is a great sister, mother, daughter and friend. Everyone who knows her loves her because she is so sweet. She is always so much fun and is always being kind to someone. She a punk rock girl in a woman's body but she will never loose her spunk. I love her.

Happy Birthday Heather!!!!

If you want to play Thursday Thirteen go and post your link.

Have a great day.

The Drive Home... Gagging Part 3

If you are new to my blog you may want to get a little background to this post by reading my previous post called "Is the Gag Reflex Hereditary" and then read "The Thirteenth Day of Christmas...Warning Do Not Read While Eating". The Miller family has a real way with barfing. Smells, sounds and any curves in the road send breakfast flying. Jude has always had a weak stomach. Paul, well he can't handle much. And Miles...poor Miles. He is always barfing. As a kid he'd take to big of bites or eat to fast and barf. Now his family moved to West Virginia and he now has a future of hurling to look forward to. I am telling you all this to get to my story......our latest puking edition. Sunday we left West Virginia around 4 PM. We had planned to leave earlier in the day but we got caught up with the horses and by time we all got back to the house lunch ended up being late in the afternoon. As soon as we finished eating (a lot, I might add) we packed up our stuff and tried to head home. The problem was the van didn't start. I don't know what the issue is...all sorts of things are going wrong. I guess it is fine now because it started just fine yesterday. Either way, we set out on our journey home. To get back to the main road (rt 7 or rt 2???) you have two choices of roads. One is straighter but a little longer of a drive. The other is one of the curviest roads you have ever seen. I am not exaggerating. If you haven't spent time in West Virginia you probably wouldn't understand because it is the only place I have ever experienced roads like this one. Curves & Hills, curves & hills one right after another. Well, we took the curvy, yet shorter road. We didn't get very far (for those of you that know the road - by the old firetruck). I started feeling a little queasy. I told Jake, "if I ask you to pull over - please do it immediately, I think I am going to hurl." He laughed at me but agreed he would. I then complained about the stupid curvy road...yada yada yada. Just then, Elise starts coughing- not a big deal since she has had a cold. Suddenly the cough turned into a gargling hocker type sound. I looked back and it is like the barfing faucet was turned on. Barf everywhere. Jude sat there and wasn't phased (amazing isn't it?). Jake pulls over and we have to change her clothes, clean her up, de-barf her car seat....then we go on our merry way. I wish that was the end of the story. It isn't. We drove for another mile or so of curves and here she goes again...barfing barfing barfing. I'm thinking...I don't have enough clean outfits for this. So, we pull over again and start the process all over. I thought she was just getting sick but she hasn't thrown up since. Elise has never been much of a gagger or barfer. In fact she has only ever thrown up a few times. So....the moral of this story is: Do not go on the curvy road unless you haven't eaten for a few hours or bring your barf bag!

Great Cookie Exchange 2006

I don't know if you remember but last year I posted about a Cookie Exchange we had for the "Secret Sisters" (which by the way really aren't a secret at all since everyone tells everyone who they have....ha ha ha) at our church. It didn't go that smoothly. It was nice to know I am not the only one who has some baking issues. I have been, however, thinking about making a baking comeback. I am a woman who has accomplished many things...why shouldn't I be able to bake? In the past I have made Christmas cookies but I've somehow gotten out of the habit. This year I am going to make another attempt. I heard a great suggestion that said to make your dough ahead of time and freeze it in old paper towel tubes. I think I will do that. I have made cookies ahead of time and froze them but they never really seem the same. I can handle the baking part as long as I don't have 50 bowls, spoons and drippy messes all over my kitchen.

So, to get to my point of all this....Yesterday I went to Stephanie's blog and she is participating in an on-line cookie recipe exchange. I love the idea. So today I am going to join. If you are interested you just have to go to Everything Under the Moon and post a link to your blog. Then you post your cookie recipe on your blog and everyone can see it. Isn't that great?

Let me give you a little background on the recipe I am sharing. It is not mine. It actually came from a little recipe book that was born out of our SS Cookie Exchange 2005. It was the best cookie - hands down. I haven't made these myself but they look easy enough. Let me know if you try them.

LaVon's English Tea Sticks
3 Eggs
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 half egg shells full oil
1 cup slivered almonds
2 cups flour

Beat eggs well. Add sugar & continue beating. Add oil, flour, baking powder & vanilla. Beat well. Add almonds & stir (by hand).
Put mixture on greased cookie sheet in shape of a big horizontal oval about 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle sugar & cinnamon on top. Bake at 350.
When it is light brown take out & slice (like biscotti). Put back in oven at 200 to dry (about 1 1/2 hours - until it is hard).

Look What I Did!!!!

This is my first Tackle It Tuesday Post. I was reading Heather's Blog which inspired me to get with it. I used to use the FlyLady system or method to clean my house. It was crazy clean back then. I felt like I did less cleaning but everything was neat, orderly and best of all, CLEAN. I did get a little nutso over it though....like if Jake left a dirty dish in my sparking sink I would complain. Don't worry it didn't take him long to get on board...then we were both a little neurotic. We went on vacation and when we returned we forgot about FlyLady. So, here I am today...with my first FlyLady job. I cleaned my sink (and the area around it.)

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Hopefully it will stay this nice for a while. I am going to try. Also, if you notice the flowers in the background...they are from my hubby. I got them last week so they are starting to wilt but in my mind wilted flowers are better than no flowers, right?

Have a great day! Try to tackle something yourself today! If you want to play along go to 5 Minutes for Mom and add your blog!

West Virginia Week-end In Photos...

I don't think I told you last week that we were going to West Virginia for the week-end. It has been a long time since we went down (Memorial Day). We wanted to get down while the weather was still okay and the kids could spend some time outside. We missed all the summer months being busy. So, we left Ohio on Friday around 2ish (Jake got off work early). It took us exactly 4 hours to get there. It wasn't a bad drive. Elise did cry for about an hour. Anything I'd try to give her...she'd throw right back. Both kids did sleep a little while. After our arrival we hung out and had dinner. Afterwords we did Jude's birthday party because he didn't want to wait any longer and well, it didn't matter when we did it, right? So he opened his gifts. Yes, Zurg was a hit. Yesterday he told me he wanted to take Zurg to the park so he could let him swing on the swings. He's so weird. Okay...back to the story. Jake went hunting on Saturday AM & PM. He didn't get anything. He had borrowed a crossbow from a guy from work. We did a little target practice in the afternoon and I would like to tell you I am pretty good. I hit the bulls eye on my first try and was pretty on target for my next few aims but alas, I got a little cocky and just when I was rubbing it in the most....I shot the arrow over the target and into the woods. We spent close to 45 minutes looking for that silly thing and never found it. So much for that fun. I think I might actually go hunting next time. Wouldn't it be funny if I got a deer before Tim or Jake. I teased them about it and Tim told me I'd have to field dress it (uh...gut it) myself. Hmmm. I don't know if I could do that.

Paul and Linda bought a new horse on Saturday. They got a great deal for the horse and 2 saddles. It was cool to see livestock and get to be so up close and personal. I took a million pics (hence the name of this post).


This is Diamond. She is the new horse. She is really friendly and sweet but was a little nervous with all the commotion and maybe from the trailer ride. She hasn't been ridden in a few months. I guess she belonged to a teen-aged girl that wanted to buy a car instead so she sold her horse.


This is their first horse, Sofie. She is pregnant and due in May. The ponies (princess, oreo & bob) belong to a neighbor. The Millers are taking care of them temporarily. We aren't sure how much longer they will be around. Oreo is a little mean and will bite but the others are very tame and friendly.

Lydia was sitting outside the barn watching everyone fall in love with Diamond (the new horse).
Terry (Aunt Hazel's friend) had been down hunting for the week-end and decided to check out the horses with the rest of the family. He seemed really calm and respectful of the animals. He might be a horse whisperer for all we know. You can see in the picture, Diamond was very comfortable with him.

Paul and Linda were brushing Diamond. She had a rough night because Sofie, the old horse wants to pick on her. She had a few bite marks. In this picture she was sniffing Paul or something.
The kids were so excited to be around the new horse. Sofie isn't very friendly so Diamond is a welcomed edition.
Jake was elected to ride Diamond first (not sure how that happened). I think everyone was a little nervous to see how she was going to react to being ridden after so long. Jake took her for a little walk before riding her.
Here is Jake actually riding Diamond. She did fine. She didn't go any faster than a slow walk but she did great. Oh, and doesn't my husband make a hot cowboy?

Linda was next to ride Diamond. She seems so happy to have horses (finally).
Here's Nolan riding for the first time. Well, he rode Bob before but not a big horse .
Here is Jude living out his Woody Wanna Be Dreams.

Isn't Lydia so cute? She is a natural country girl.

Let's not forget about the cows.... One is names Bell and I forgot the others name. They are both pregnant. The one (I think Bell) is due sometime soon - in the next month or so. I've been around cattle my whole life. My Papaw had many cows just like these two. I used to ride out on the tractor with him to feed the cows. What a great memory.

Okay and last but not least....here is a picture of me & Elise. I forgot to pack my make-up so I am a natural woman. If you look in the background you can see Kellen riding Bob. It is kinda funny.


Oh, BTW...today is Jude's real birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JUDE!!!!

The Search for Zurg...Buzz's Long Lost Father

Do you have any idea what the heck I am talking about? Zurg? He is the bad guy in Toy Story. Zurg is part of the Buzz Lightyear cartoon. He is the "Darth Vader" of the show. At one point he tells Buzz that he is his long lost father. Jude is sorta obsessed with Toy Story, Buzz Lightyear and every toy that is in either Toy Story 1 or 2. Seriously Pixar was brilliant when they made that movie by putting so many different toys in it. I worked at Toys R Us when Toy Story 1 came out. Things that had been sitting on the shelf with an inch of dust on them suddenly were flying off the shelves (army men, barrel of monkeys, little tykes piggy banks, mr. potato head, etch a sketch, slinky dog, etc...). Jude loves stuff. And he really loves Toy Story stuff. He has Buzz Lightyear pjs, night light, room decorations, slippers, at least 5 different sizes of Buzz dolls, Woody in several different sizes as well.... He was Woody for Halloween last year and Buzz for Halloween this year. I've mentioned before I never wanted my children to like characters but long before Jude could even talk he had characters he was drawn to (Elmo was his first). He is character driven. Luckily Elise could care less, although she is a little momma with her baby doll.

You want to know what this has to do with Zurg, right? Well, Jude's birthday is in a few days (November 6th). He has been picking out stuff and telling me he wanted it for his birthday for about 2 months now. In September he went to 2 different birthday parties and he asked when his birthday was....then it began. Well, last week we (the whole family) were at Target and we decided to take a spin through the toy isle. That is when we saw him.... Hanging on a peg about halfway down the action figure isle was something new I had never been privy. It was Zurg. Jude's eyes lit up and immediately he said, "Mom I want Zurg for my Birthday." I looked at Jake and we mumbled something like...he wants everything...doesn't need more toys....toys story obsessed.... Then to get Jude to be quiet I said, "okay, you can have Zurg for your birthday but you have to wait." He put up a little battle but decided he would have to be patient. So we left Target without major incident. So, the week goes on and Jude brings up Zurg. It really isn't like him because usually he wants something because he is right there and looking at it. When we go away he forgets. Not with Zurg. He has been bringing it up constantly. Monday he begged me to go back to the store and buy it because he thought someone else might buy it. I laughed. But you know...I worked at Toys R Us for 6 different Christmas seasons. Long enough to learn this lesson - When you see a toy you or your kid wants on the shelf buy it then. Don't wait. You never know when a new commercial is going to hit or when the Today show is going to do a segment on the latest toy rage that will inevitably cause a mad rush to the toy store and a demand that will never be satisfied before the impending holiday arrives. I've seen it happen time and time again. I used to have desperate fathers come into the store and offer me money to hook them up with whatever toy it was they needed. I never understood. This one man offered me a $50 to get him this pirate ship thing. If I had taken it I would have been fired and you never know if it was a set up so I of course declined. But now that I have children I understand how you don't want to let them down. So, last night Alicia came over to sit with the kids and Jake & I went Birthday gift shopping. We immediately headed over to Toys R Us. After all, they have a Toy Story section. We stop by the games and pick up a great game for him then off to the Disney isle. It was a little sensory overload because of all the different Buzz stuff. Woody has really been pushed out of the picture. And there wasn't even one Jesse. But Buzz in all colors, sizes and materials. Buzz on a motorcycle (which Jude told me he had a dream he was going to get it), Buzz in his space ship, A Buzz train......oh the Buzz galore. But NO Zurg. I started to feel a little panicked. I told Jake we had to head over to Target. So we get to Target and I don't mess around - I need to find Zurg. He wasn't there either. Oh my goodness...the Zurg we saw was a fluke. I know (retail experience again) that when the companies send out products they pack them in variety boxes. For example in the Buzz Lightyear box they might pack 10 pegged toys. 6 Blue, 3 red and one Zurg. And every box might not even have a Zurg. They create a Zurg demand. That makes Zurg a collectible. I've seen it so many times. So, I tell Jake we have to go to another Target. We were on a mission. We went back to the original Target we saw Zurg with Jude. As I walked down the isle I noticed the pegs had been filled. I felt so disappointed because as I looked through the pegs the same way I had watched desperate parents do for years. When I got to the last peg the second to last toy hanging....there he was - ZURG!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah! I think I did a little dance in the isle. So Jude will have his Zurg. Really a cheap birthday gift at $7.19. And he is going to be so excited. He already asked me about Zurg this morning. Ha. I told him not to be upset because he might not get it. He said he would tell Stevie (Alicia's sister) to get it for him. Oh the joys of children.......


Here are some pictures from Jude & Indy's party with had with my parents, last week and from Halloween. Aren't my kids so cute???

Not So Wordless Wednesday.....Ranting, Again!

Sometimes when I sit down to type I am not sure where I am going to go with the post. Today is one of those days. Yesterday I was all fired up and ready to "speak my mind" about a few issues but when I got to work a half hour early I couldn't get my computer to work. By time I figured out the problem it was too late to type...I had a busy day. So, maybe God intervened...who knows.

I've been having some issues lately. Actually, lots of issues. A couple of weeks ago I posted about Forgiveness. I was naively thinking as I typed...I am a forgiving person. I am not trying to be all self righteous or anything but it isn't an area I thought I struggled with very often. Silly me. Shortly after the troubles came out of the woodwork. Doesn't it always work that way. I decided I should go to God. Then I opened this devotional book and the first entry was (of course) about forgiveness. I wasn't in the mood to forgive anyone at that particular moment so I wasn't thrilled. But in the end it isn't about my mood is it? There is a bigger picture. That is reality. Basically the book said all humans are flawed. We know that, right? But I don't want to be flawed. I don't want my friends from church, my husband, my children, etc... to be flawed because it hurts. Our human nature tells us when we are wronged to get even or put that other person in their place. Trust me that is what I felt like doing yesterday. But as I read on it says this - "That doesn't mean it's always right to ignore such actions or the motives that drive them. But it does mean that it's right to refuse to broadcast it, nag about it, or use it to gain power over the offender." (POO!). That is what I want to do...at least my nature tells me to do. It is actually what I am good at... Now some things are best left unsaid...I know. I would never publicize family problems on my blog or anything. But there are other things in my life that have been a huge disappointment to me lately. I am not going to go into great detail but I want to say this about my blog....I love to write. I love my blog. Maybe it sounds selfish but my blog is just that MY blog. It is my thoughts and feelings and I don't want my writing to be censored. I've shared with you all several times that people have been upset about what I write or downright angry with my posts. I haven't always used the best judgement when writing about my past. Not that I regret the stories....I don't - in fact I arrogantly LOVE my old stories. But I did use a few names I shouldn't have. I've made my apologies and moved on. But last summer Jake came under fire for something he wrote on his blog. I was upset with him because I felt like he was causing trouble. I should have been more supportive. Since then our blogs (well mostly mine because Jake quit writing about stuff) has been a topic of controversy. Not directly to me but it is the source of gossip. Here is what happens....I write, someone else reads, they take what I read and analyse it, pick it apart and talk about it with others and so the cycle begins. By time it gets back to me I hear I've been bashing this person and that person. I am hurt by this. Does anyone ever say anything nice about me? It is crazy because by when it gets back to me it has gone through several people who haven't even actually taken the time to read my blog. My blog has joined the ranks of daytime drama. That stinks. I want to write about my feelings, my family, share photos and life. I don't want to censor my blog. You don't have to agree with everything I write. I don't even want you to agree with everything I say. But please don't take my words and use them as a weapon against me. I don't know what these people really feel in their hearts but I feel like they think if I don't hear them saying the words about me that they don't count. I want to forgive. But I can't ignore the actions. So, what do I do? I don't really know. I wish people talked about my post about forgiveness or National Sacher Torte Day. What about the positive stuff I've written???? I am so sad that my light hasn't shined through. That people don't have good things to say about me. You know about a month ago our Pastor said from the pulpit that blogs are all negative and a place for people to spread negativity. Was he talking about my blog? I don't know because I never asked him. But it hurt me that I would have to wonder if he has heard the gossip and if he thought I was just spreading negativity. It hurt me because many people turned and looked at me because they know I have a blog. I am not a bad person. I try to be thoughtful and to be Christlike. I know, I know, I'm far from it. But I don't stink. I want to forgive. I try to learn and improve all the time. I try to be thoughtful and helpful. I try to be a good friend. I am feeling deflated. My heart is broken. I feel like I have failed. I love my church. I love my husband. I love my friends. I am flawed. So if I don't handle things the way I should right away please forgive me. I am not going to censor my blog anymore. I am not going to "broadcast" but I am not going to censor my blog. This is the last apology I will be making. I have too many stories to share to keep coming back to this. This blog isn't about you...it is about me. If you think I cross the line you can hold me accountable by talking with me and telling me. Don't go tell my friends, my boss, my pastor, my husband. If you feel you can't do that then please don't read my blog. I love you all. I really do. Thanks for listening to my little rant and have a great day.

I'm Back!

I've heard a few times this past week-end that y'all have been checking my blog to see if I had written anything! Thanks for being so loyal. I did have an Internet connection after all but I decided to take a mini break from blogging. I've had so much on my mind but decided it wouldn't be a good idea to blog about any of it. Apparently people get really mad if you talk about them on your blog. ha ha. That was a joke. It just seems like the whole blog thing keeps coming up as such a controversy. I want to just laugh it off because it seems so petty but I can't quite get to that level.

Vacation was great. I have a lot of good stories - if I ever get to them. The weather was perfect...it only rained a little one day. The beach was beautiful. I have lots of pics to share (later). Paul & Linda came home on Friday and Jude went with them. I was a little sad that he didn't get to go to the beach one last time but he was so happy to get to go to West Virginia to see Lydia, Nolan and the gang. He is having a good time. He isn't coming home until Wednesday morning. We left Saturday morning. We weren't planning to leave until Saturday night but after we realized we were running out of money and since I am not sure about the status of my job (more on that after I work tomorrow) we decided to head back North. I read my book the whole way home (The Wild Girl). It was so good I couldn't put it down. We got home around 7 P.M. but I ended up staying up until 2 A.M. finishing it. As you know, I have severe insomnia when I am upset/stressed. Since I have been stressed about about work, church, money, etc... coming back to Ohio hit me pretty hard. And the cup of coffee I drank at 5 P.M. probably didn't help anything either. Regardless, I finished the book and can't wait to dive into the other book the guy wrote (One Thousand White Women). Who knows when I will have time to read it. It would be a good Christmas (or Thanksgiving or Election Day or Jude's Birthday or Halloween) gift, if anyone wants to buy it.

Well, I have to get back to getting some things done. Jake is going to be out of town all week, on a sales trip. Say a little prayer that he and Bill sell lots of stuff. My parents will be visiting on Wednesday so that is nice. I will try to make time to blog. Have a good one.

What I SHOULD be doing...

I am procrastinating. Here is a list of the things I need to do before 6 A.M. tomorrow...

• finish the laundry (Tuesday laundry day went out the door because I worked on Tuesday this week).
• call Alicia & talk to her about my work schedule & remind her to come over and get our key so she can come over and check on the cat while we are gone.
• Pack my clothes....check the weather for the outer banks first.
• Pack the kids clothes.
• Pack linens (sheets & towels)...they are not provided by the house.
• Locate & pack Jude's beach toys (I explained it is going to be too cold to swim but he still wants to build a sand castle.
• Find my shell collecting bag (i.e. net bag).
• Recharge camera & portable DVD player (a gift from my parents we haven't used yet!)
• Check batteries in the leap pad & pack extras.
• Clean the house. I want to come home to a neat & tidy house.
• Get any food ready. Oh and the snacks for the car. I may even pack a lunch for in the car tomorrow (PB&J???)

Actually now that I've written it all out it doesn't seem that bad. That is if I stay off the computer and just get it done! Have a good one.

National Sacher Torte Day (revisited)

Would someone PLEASE tell me why so many people are looking up National Sacher Torte Day? This happened before on my blog. I was getting like 8-10 hits a day because people were google-ing it! It is happening AGAIN. So, if you are here looking for info on Nation Sacher Torte Day please please please tell me why.

I suspect someone mentioned it on a TV show or something like that!

Here is my original post.....

What's Goin' On....

It has been such a stressful week. I don't even know where to begin. I guess we can start with the weather. It is snowing. ARGGGGGHHHHH. This morning when I left the house it was 36 out. I guess there is some pick snow storm brewing over the great lakes and they weather people are saying the Snowbelt could possibly get up to 24 INCHES! I am not ready for this. It was 82 on Saturday. We are going to North Carolina (the Outer Banks) next week on vacation. I am excited about it but also a little stressed about it as well. I know I am going to have fun.

So, this week I had a talk with my boss and it looks like I am not going to have a job next month. Well, not really but everything is changing. For starters I am not going to have a set schedule. I get to make my own hours. Sounds pretty good so far, right? Well, I will no longer be getting a base pay. Since starting here last June I've been selling but also doing marketing and secretary type stuff. The idea is for me just to sell. I will be getting a pretty hefty commission for all of my sales, which is nice....if I have people to sell to. My boss says he will be a little more dedicated to getting our name out there and bringing people to the table. If he gets them, I can sell the stuff. I am just so concerned/ worried that when it is all said and done I won't have any money. So far this month (if on the "new" plan) I would be coming out ahead. I will probably only work a few evenings a week, which means I will have to let Alicia go.... Man, I hate to do that because this is her job that she relies on. She did get another babysitting job on Mondays & Wednesdays but I don't know if it will be enough. And my kids love her. The whole thing just stinks. I am happy to be home with them all day but leaving when Jake gets home is going to be hard.

On a happier note...Pottery class is going well. I am making a lot of cool things. I am in the middle of several projects and the new session starts after I get back from vacation. I need to scrape together enough money so I can finish my Christmas gifts. If not you may be getting a "not fired yet" item from me. Ha ha ha.

Also, Last night I got a phone call from my sister, who was at an old friends house, to tell me the old friend is expecting a baby! I was in total shock because she just broke up with a guy (within the last 6 months) she had been with for 7 years. I guess the pregnancy wasn't planned but they are getting married next month. I can't believe she is going to be a mom. I'm not putting her name because she might not want her news on my blog but I told you because I thought it was exciting. Those of us who are mom's all remember what it is like to find out you are pregnant with your first child. It is like it consumes every thought you have. My friend always said she wanted kids but I never really believed she would (especially with that last guy...whew thank God that didn't happen). From what I hear she was on the pill when she got pregnant.

I don't know if I will have time to write anything tomorrow. If not you probably won't hear from me until we get back. I will be unplugged for the vacation. In the mean time....try to stay warm and be nice to each other.

The Gym, Apples & UFO's....

Where do I begin? It was a busy week-end. Saturday morning we decided to hit the gym again. I really hadn't planned on going until Monday but Jake wanted to go and who am I to come between a man and his workout. There was a nice mix of people there. We spent a lot of time just riding the bikes and walking the track. Do you ever compare your body to someone else's? Well, I try to find people who look like what I want to look like. Not all the time...I am not Hollywood obsessed and think I have to be anorexic or anything. I usually find healthy looking people. So, I see this girl while we were walking and I tell Jake I would like to be her size. I told him I wouldn't dress like her though, because she was wearing shorts that I swear look the same as my underwear. I guess people like to show off their body when they look good. I would rather just show off my clothes. Ha ha. Either way, I worked out and I am still so sore today that I don't think I can work out until tomorrow.
On Sunday we went to an Apple farm and picked apples. We went with Melanie, her girls, my sister and her family. It was a beautiful day outside (as is today). We picked bunch of apples and went on a hay ride. The kids had a great time. Afterwords we went to Melanie's new house and finally got to spent a little time with them. It was cool.
On the way back to Melanie's from the Apple farm we saw this thing flying around. We stopped and took a bunch of photo's of it. I have never seen anything quite like it. Let me know if you have. BTW...Melanie (and my sister) live like a block south of Lake Erie so it was flying over the lake.


Okay...

The GYM....

Jake's work bought us passes to the Natatorium. It is a great perk and so nice not have to pay the money to go BUT...I have a difficult time getting motivated. I used to work out a lot before I had children and a hubby. It is not that I don't care about my body because I do. It just seems like I have been so busy for the last 5 years. So, getting back into the swing of things has been a bit of a task. We took a guided tour (it is a new facility since I was here). It was a Thursday night and I swear every single person in there was buff and they all had tight arses. I felt extremely out of place. I think I started to break out in hives. The toothpick girl who was showing us around demonstrated all the equipment. I started to sweat just watching her and I think I was even a little sore the next day. I think I've been to the gym once since then...I can't even remember. I mostly just stared at other people. Oh, I did do the rowing machine for 20 minutes and I walked a few laps. It is pure torchure to me. This morning I planned to go to the gym. I wanted to get up early but I didn't wake up until 7:35, when Jude woke me up to tell me he wanted me to fix him "breakwast". I finally rolled out of bed around 7:55 and headed down stairs. After getting Jude a bowl of cereal and turning the TV to Dora I went down stairs to check my blogspot & myspace. Well, you all know how that turns out. I spent the next hour or so making a slide show on Myspace. Then Elise woke up. I run up and get her and decide I need to get these kids ready. I thought since I was going to the gym I shouldn't shower until afterwards, in case I break out in cold sweats again. While I am getting them dressed Jude tells me there is someone at the door. I didn't really believe him so I went down to check it out and sure enough there was someone at the door. Two someones. The Jehovah Witness ladies. It was too late. I had been spotted through the window. I politely opened the door. The nice young girl took one look at me in my robe with my hair not even combed and said, "Oh, I am sorry to disturb you". She looked startled. I explained that I am already a Christian but did accept there little booklets. I wondered how such beautiful, bright looking young girls could get caught up with that group. I should have done a little sharing with them. I think I will next time. Anyhoo....back to my gym story. After all was said in done, I finally signed the kids into the little play area (they watch your kids for you) at 11:10! Half the day was already gone. The gym was busy but it was mostly older men. I mean really old men. I walked for 10 minutes then I went back down to do the weight machines. I did all of them. I figured it might be a while before I get motivated to come back so I better do everything I can today. I am so out of shape. I could only do 10 lbs on the Military Press. And after a few of those leg machines my leg muscles were shaking. There is a whole row of machines that when you sit in them you face a mirrored wall. Goody. I was able to watch my arms flap in the wind while I worked on some arm extending machine thingy. Seriously the flab was waving. After doing all the machines I thought I should do a cool down lap or two. On my way around the track I spotted a step machine in a kinda secluded area (there is a big cardio room but everyone looks so serious with their Ipods and cool work out clothes) and I thought, Hmmmm I've always wanted to try one of those. So I did for 10 minutes. I thought I might die. So, I wrapped it up for the day. I went and got the kids. On the way out to the car I thought my arm was going to fall off from carrying Elise. What is tomorrow going to be like? I can't even stand to think about it. Jake will probably have to help me get out of bed.

So, there it is. Now I've told you I am working out at the gym and I have no more excuses. Please help keep me accountable and maybe I'll have some funny gym stories.

Can you FORGIVE????

Did you think I was going to make you look at pictures of ME all day long? Well, I was listening to the radio (as always) and they were talking about the most recent school shooting (yet another reason to home school...another topic for another day) and how the Amish were dealing with it. Here is a link to the story. I read the story, then watched the little video clip. It seriously makes me cry. I can't even imagine thought of something so horrible. Those poor little girls. And what about the man's own family. He has his own children and a wife. Their life will probably never be completely normal. If you have followed the story at all the media has really focused on the fact that the Amish have chosen to forgive the man (although he shot himself and is dead as well). The community has embraced the true meaning of forgiveness. They said the children are in a better place now and were thankful for the time they had with them. They also appreciated that the children were not assaulted like the man had originally planned (assumed because of the stuff he had with him). Isn't that incredible? The Bible does tell us to forgive others. In fact it talks about forgiveness A LOT. Do you think that is a coincidence? Well, of course not. Here are a few powerful verses which I am sure you have all heard before...

• 21Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"
  22Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. (Matt. 18:21-22)

• 32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32)

• 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. (Colossians 3:13)

Why is it so difficult to forgive? I don't have an answer for you. I do know this, you can't just say you forgive someone. You have to forget about your anger and hurt. I am sure the Amish and those families that were effected will never forget this horrible thing happened, but maybe they can forget the bad feelings they have towards the event! During an interview with Ann Curry (from NBC) one Amish woman said this...

"We can tell people about Christ and actually show you in our walk that we forgive, not just say it, but in our walk of life. You know you have to live it, you can't just say it. "

Whew...that sure is a tough one. So here is my challenge. Right now think of three people who have done something to wrong you. It could be something big (abuse or abandonment) or small (cut you off when you were driving or told you your hair looked ugly). Well, my challenge is to pray for these people. Say a prayer for them everyday. If you say a little prayer for the people who have hurt you, it will be easier to forgive them. That doesn't mean you let people treat you poorly or continuously hurt you. It means you don't hold onto the anger. When you hold onto that anger it effects you NOT THEM. Right? Here is the truth. You don't have to even want to forgive them. If you pray for them daily, you are going to start to have a different attitude.

I am not perfect in this area. I know you all knew that...I just wanted you to know that I knew it. And the Amish aren't perfect but in this instance we should all be a little more like the Amish. Other than that...have a great day.

Which one...

I am trying to pick a picture for my profile. Since I am the family photographer there are very few pictures of me. So, I took a few shots myself and I am trying to pick which one to use. What do you think. Let me know. You can vote for the last post pics as well. (#'s 8 & 9)
1234567

Pics of me....artsy (kinda)

Holiday Recipe Exchange

Overwhelmed with Joy is hosting a holiday recipe exchange today. What you do is post your favorite holiday recipe on your blog then go to the Overwhelmed with Joy blog and add your name to Mr. Linky. I've never done anything like this but I did check the Tour of Homes a while back and it was really cool. So...if you have a recipe, share away. In the mean time - try mine. These rolls are soooooo yummy and easy to make. Let me know if you try them.


Spoon Rolls
4 cups self-rising flour, sifted
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/4 cups luke warm water
2/3 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons cornmeal
1 egg beaten
1 Tablespoon dried yeast

Add yeast to lukewarm water and stir. Mix together beaten eggs, sugar and melted margarine. Add yeast mixture. Then add self-rising flour and cornmeal and mix by hand with wire shisk until well-blended. DO NOT BEAT WITH AN ELECTRIC MIXER. Spoon into greased muffin tins. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Dough can be dept covered with foil in the refrigerator - it gets better with age!