Jaded?....Nope not me!

I had a big post planned on anti-Valentines stuff like last year. Complete with links here and here and here and here.




Cynical? Why yes a little.

One of the things I thought about was the fact that one year ago today is when my Divorce Papers where filed with the court. I did not choose this day. I signed them at the lawyers office, they then sent them to the court house and worked there way through until they were stamped today...a year ago.

Valentine's day has a new meaning for me this year. Maybe next year the divorce will be final and I can make new memories with someone new.

I am really a hopeless romantic. I believe in the happily ever after, flowers, candy and candlelight dinners. Despite the horrible ending of my marriage, the adultery, the lies and the other circumstances surrounding my marriage I am not jaded. I still believe in love and marriage.

I am not looking for a man right now because I am still married. In God's eyes that makes any relationship with a man (boyfriend etc.) adultery for me. I simply will not do that. My choice.

Maybe later I will post some of the pictures I took outside today....

Your Candy Heart Says "First Kiss"

You're a true romantic who brings an innocent hope to each new relationship. You see the good in every person you date, and you relish each step of falling in love. Your ideal Valentine's Day date: a romantic dinner your sweetie cooks for you Your flirting style: friendly and sweet What turns you off: cynics who don't believe in romance Why you're hot: you always keep the romance alive

What Does Your Candy Heart Say?

I am not really shocked by this one....

Which Romantic Movie is Your Life?
The Princess Bride Your love is like a fairy tale. He came in on a white horse and swept you off your feet. Now neither distance nor death can tear you apart. These are the romances we dream of in our lives, but fairy tales can be short lived. Don't get too swept up in the moment. Leave some room to get to know one another, so when the fairy tale ends you can still live happily ever after.
Take The Quiz Now!	Quizzes by myYearbook.com

Snow snow everywhere!

So the snow they predicted actually did arrive and is still arriving as I type this. The say it will stop snowing sometime around midnight tonight.

But the wind...oh the wind is nasty.

One of our local little entrepreneur type kids was going door to door asking to snow blow the driveway, sidewalks and walkways for $5.00. He had a local grown up guy out there helping him that I know is a good guy.

Sure I say....go ahead. They did a pretty good job well as far as I can tell from inside my warm house all bundled up sipping my hot coffee. Five dollars is a small price to pay for the warmth I feel right now.

As I sit here I am hearing snow blowers and snowmobiles going crazy in the neighborhood. I can see a snowman from my window but not much else because the wind is whipping around the snow so much. They say over 10 inches before it is over. Yesterday I might have laughed at that but today watching it come down I am no longer a scoffer.

People driving in this weather amuse and frighten me. They either go 5 mph begging to get themselves stuck in a drift (or someone else stuck trying to avoid them) or fly along at 65 mph testing the limits of their car insurance policy. Very few and far between are careful yet safe drivers.

Me?? I am just opting to stay at home tonight. Car safely in the driveway. Myself snug and warm inside watching reruns of Law and Order on the Dish.

Cabin Fever is officially here!

It is official I have a bad case of Cabin Fever. And the local weather report here is predicting 11 inches of snow by Weds. morning. I am going to have to vote against that because I have more important things to do this week than dig my car out of a snowbank. I am ready for Spring for so many reasons...

• I am longing to go flying around town on the scooter.
• I really want the sun to produce warmth instead of fooling my mind into thinking it is warm outside despite the wind gusts that make the windchill around -25 degrees.
• I want ... no..... NEED to take the children at work outside. They need to run some steam off and get the wiggles out so to speak.
• I need to clean the house this week because Mom and Beau are coming back from Texas sometime this week... but I don't want to get out from under the blanket that has been keeping me toasty warm.
• I am ready for spring so that they can get some more of their things out of the house. I am not pushing them out but I feel like a kid living at home seeing all my Mom's things around. I want to bring more than my clothes, my computer and a TV into the house. I would like to decorate a little in something other than clowns for the living room.
  
• I am ready (for the most part) for the divorce to be final. I have a few loose ends to tie up but let's get things moving on....
• I am ready to get the garage put together into the woodworking shop. I just need to pick up the table saw from someone's house who borrowed it. When I have the garage ready Beau will be bringing down the tools that where my Dad's for me to have. Not all of them just the ones I can use for woodworking. I have already designed the entertainment center from Jamaica. I have created the plans for a bench/box with a "pillow top" to serve as seat while still usable for storage. I want to build my own book shelves. I know a little boy who might like a lego table. I have a few people already ask me to make them a step stool or a box with words burned onto the top. Oh I am ready to get started!
  

Not that any of this will happen this week but it is nice to dream.

This is the song I was telling a friend about the other day....

Your House (Hidden Track)
By Alanis Morissette
BestAudioCodes.com

Ok the song starts out a little creepy. But when I think of all the things that she does in his apartment I believe it is her way of saying goodbye...then she finds the letter and it is no longer her choice to say goodbye.

I can relate to this. No I had no intentions of leaving Big Red but when I found out about the affair I tried to grasp onto any little bit of control I thought I had. I wanted it to be my choice to leave. He chose the adultery and I wanted to chose to kick his butt to the curb. But when it was slowly revealed to me that he was/is still "dating" I no longer had the choices. Well I did because I could have stuck around and stayed (yeah right!) but I think more of myself than to live in a relationship like that.

I don't feel like this song anymore but I can see how someone could get stuck in this place....

My search is over!

As I have stated in almost every post about Jamaica I fell in love with these things called Jucci Patties.

I know they are probably horribly fattening or something just because I like them. BUT.....

I finally talked to the owner of the little shop I have been frequenting. Until now I have only come across his employees and well....I think a little was lost in their understanding of my English and I have not been able to track down the owner. It seems that when he goes to pick up his supplies and sundries in Chicago he can get me Jucci patties by the case!?!

By the case I tell ya! I am so flipping excited it isn't even funny! There are either 12 or 24 wonderfully mouthwatering delicious Jucci patties in each case.

He is checking on the price and will be giving me a quote to give to all my other Jucci patty loving mission friends so that the next time he goes he can bring them back for me!!!!!!!!! uhhhh....... I mean us!!

I know in Jamaica they were less than 75 cents each and to bring back a frozen case of 12 from the airport was only around $13.00. Still with taxes and importing them and all they can't be THAT expensive. It is not like I will make these a main part of my diet but it will be nice to splurge and relive a little piece of Jamaica.

I am sooooo excited!

Schoolhouse Rocks Part 1

Whether you admit to it or not if you grew up in the 70's in the United States you know the words to most of these songs.



Another of my favorites....

Ok here we go AGAIN.

Since the site hosting this tourney had a glitch in the program and the whole season crashed I recreated the season AGAIN.

Need a good laugh?

I am not sure why I find this so funny... but here it is



And I found the commercial I found to be the best during the Superbowl.....

Be warned now...

I received this nice little forward not too long ago and I find that it applies today more than ever. Not only is my entire arm swollen from the earlier no water during a fast my butt...like that will ever happen again if you are sticking me with a needle.... "incident" this week but now I have the dreaded cramps!

So here is my hormonal opinionated email someone sent me....of course it was from another female...

Dear Kotex,

I recently noticed that the peel-off strip of my pantyliner had a bunch of "Kotex Tips for Life" on it. Annoying advice such as:

-Staying active during your period can relieve cramps.

-Avoiding caffeine may help reduce cramps and headaches.

-Drink 6-8 glasses of water a day to keep you hydrated and feeling fresh.

-Try Kotex blah blah blah other products

Obviously, the person behind this was someone who has never possessed a functioning set of ovaries. Go ahead and tell a menstruating woman TO HER FACE that drinking 6-8 glasses of water will help keep her feeling fresh. See what happens and report back. I'll wait. While you're at it, dump out the coffee at work and remove the chocolate from the vending machine. I garan-friggin-tee that the first responders will be females who just ovulated. Look, females don't need or want tips for living on feminine hygiene products... Younger girls are already hearing "helpful" crap like that from their elderly relatives. Veteran females have already concocted their own recipes for survival, many containing alcohol. Printing out s**t advice while sneaking in ads for the brand THAT WAS ALREADY PURCHASED is just plain annoying, not to mention rude, and enough to send a girl running to the Always brand.

Mostly we'd like to forget that we even need these products. It's not a fun time, but DO NOT try to cheer us up by adding smiley faces or bunnies or flowery cutesy crap to your products or the packaging. Put the s**t in a plain brown wrapper so we can throw it in our carts discreetly and have it blend in among the wine and beer. There is nothing more annoying than having a blinding pink package announcing your uterine state to everyone In the store. The ultimate goal of your product should be functional invisibility at every stage, including at the point of purchase. So take your tips for living and shove them right up your a**. Try drinking six to eight glasses of water to make you feel fresher while you're doing it!

Ovarily Yours,

Miss PMS

**** OK as one of my kind readers has brought to my attention Always slogan is "Have a Happy Period." Are these people nuts!? so I started checking out some of the other slogans and saying taken off their Web pages for feminine hygiene products:

Tampax Pearl- Once there was plastic but now there's Pearl... I'm not really thinking of jewelry at that moment.

Playtex Tampons- Making your life better everyday. The page speaks of confidence and comfort?

Stayfree- Live life. Stay free.

I did happen to find this on You tube and although a bit tacky I love it nonetheless....

Not for the squeamish...

Not for the squeamish...you were warned.

I detest needles. Have I mentioned that before? Today I found myself in a chair not unlike the one pictured at my doctor's office. Oh the dreaded testing that comes along with APS. Usually they are not as bad as the one today. Somehow a test was thrown in that I needed to fast for 12 hours before. Not have any additional Vitamin K in my system from food or something like that.

I don't do well with fasting blood tests. You see my veins roll causing an uncomfortable situation for myself and the person taking my precious blood. If about an hour before the test I drink a bottle of water my veins don't roll as much therefore they do not have to "dig" for them as they do the blood test.

You were warned.....

For 20 minutes she strapped and unstrapped both of my arms searching for a "usable" vein. This is not a good sign. She gently spoke of the talk radio program she had on as she saw me growing increasingly apprehensive. Next thing I know she has put the "rubber hose" around my forearm. Oh crap! Those hurt I know this from the past...before I was told of the bottle of water thing.

Now take a second to look at your hand...OK now your wrist.....you know that little bone on the outer side of your wrist. Not a lot of cushion there in that spot? Mine either! About a half an inch above that spot I have a bruise that is swollen from the IV tube thing they hooked up to draw the vials of blood. Yes that was plural...I stopped counting.... But my blood must have been extremely thick today as it took 10 minutes to finish. AND I kept hearing her say things like whoa, wow, look at that and oh my.

I did well with the actual draw despite her comments.

Then the after effects hit. I asked for a drink of water. Not yet they said.

When I woke up they had a fan on me. On high less than 2 feet away from me kind of fan. Then I realized I was vomiting into a bio hazard bag...well kind of...since I had been fasting. While recovering from the Big pass out of 2007 I took in all the wonderful stars still floating in the room and all the other wonderful side effects that go along with that.

When I recovered and they FINALLY let me leave I realized the entire process had taken well over an hour. I have no idea how long I was out. I have spent most of the day in a fog.

And man my wrist hurts! I am sure by tomorrow it will be a nicer shade of purple...

The last one!

This is it. The last time I am doing one of these stupid addictive leagues!

For you new folks...This is kind of like Fantasy Football with celebrities. It is now scored hourly and out of selected magazines.

What would you do?

What would you do if you found a $100.00 bill on the ground? OK I'm going to assume that you looked for the owner standing nearby and found none so it is your to do with as you wish.

Not enough? What about a bag with $500.00 inside?

Yes this is interactive...so let me hear your thoughts.

Sleep is GOOD!

So after running many, many errands yesterday after work I resolved myself to curling up with a blanket and watching some long overdue TV programs that had been saved but not watched. I needed the down time.

So after catching up with some reading, feasting on dinner and settling in for the night I turned on the TV.

I promptly fell asleep by 9:00pm and did not rise again. I had not set the ole alarm clock because I was not prepared to be down for the count quite that early.

I awoke just after 10:30 this morning simply because the bladder could not wait a second longer!

I didn't have much planned out of the house today but I feel as though I missed half the day. I don't really have much to say but thought I would check in anyway.

No the divorce is not final. Big Red is dragging his feet and refusing to sign the papers until AFTER the house is refinanced into just his own name....Uhhhh no that won't work for me. I won't sign off on refinancing into just his name until the divorce is final....Wow he may have to break down and get a lawyer after all because I'm not budging on this one.

My King...

Whenever I start to get down I remember this. I own this on DVD and watching it either on the computer or TV always lifts me up. When I listen to the attributes and then I stop and think that He loves me, He calls me His friend, He died for me....

Nothing else matters at that point.

Snow snow everywhere...

Have you noticed yet that snow isn't as much fun as a grown-up? I know I have covered some of my exploits as a child in the snow before with the shovel and here with the forts. But I can look back to when:

• I thought it was fun to be the one to scrape the snow off the car in the morning
• As long as the snow wasn't yellow I didn't care how clean it was to eat
• We used to pluck icicles off the eaves spout and sword fight.
• I didn't care if my feet got wet in my boots or that my gloves could be wrung out for an entire glass of water.
• Bad weather meant playing in the snow not driving along trying to remember if the car insurance bill has been paid this month
• I didn't worry about milk in the fridge or food in the cupboard as long as we had hot chocolate when I came inside

One of the thrills I get working with children is seeing them explore snow. I recently met a child who was afraid to step into the snow as an almost 3 year old. Odd I thought until I remembered that he had lived in Texas until a few months ago. I had seen it flurry but not ever actually accumulate on the ground. Once he figured it out the look on his face was priceless. He was thrilled!

Anybody up for a snowball fight?

Dreaming of warmer days

It is so cold here I am actually missing the warmth of Jamaica. The warmth that I thought would give me a heat stroke but warm nonetheless.

I continue to miss the camaraderie that we formed as a team down there. I still see almost everyone on the team weekly but it is just not the same.

I miss starting my day praying with 9 other women.

I miss not needing to worry about the everyday stuff of life and just serving the children and the people at the Children's home.

I miss the closeness I felt with those people.

I miss the "What happens in Jamaica stays in Jamaica" moments that were SO funny and not at all like the kinds of things that would happen in Vegas.

I still laugh when I think of one of my roommates screaming as she sprayed the bugs on the wall with the pesticide just to have all the little tiny ants come flying back at her hair. She was next in the shower no questions asked.

Maybe someday I will get to go back.

Trying2hide tattoo

Well it is official. The tattoo is done. Trying2hide is among the tattooed community!

I witnessed the event and I must say she took it like a trooper. I am sure she will have better pictures but I snatched the outline that the artist used to make this scan.

The outline is black and the words are "blood red" as the tattoo guy said.

It symbolizes the Trinity and the words are various names of God.

This one can make you think.

If you watch this video and really listen to the words of this song it should touch your heart. As a church body we tend to present ourselves as perfect. We have a hard time looking past the "Scarlett letter" on someones jacket. We have a hard time looking past the sin to see the sinner.

If I truly look at myself I can freely admit that I am a sinner. I continue to sin despite my best efforts to not sin. We are a sinful people. Period. When I (or anyone else) look at a person and judge them for their sins then we are going against the very concept of Grace and Mercy that we welcomed when we became Christians.

As Christians we are called to hold each other accountable. But to hold each other accountable is to do so in love not in judgement. I think that is where a lot of us get caught up in the wrong attitude.

I for one am not perfect. I make mistakes. I do the wrong thing sometimes. But I try...I try to be more like Christ with my thoughts and actions. I hope that I have the right words when I see a friend stumble.

I had dinner with a friend last night. "T" and I have chosen to hold each other accountable as we walk out our faith in everyday life. You see we bonded on the trip to Jamaica. She was one of my roommates and we always ended up sitting next to each other on the airplanes. We got to know each other very well. We seem to have found a balance of being able to lovingly hold each other accountable without being judgemental. I think this is one of those people I will still have in my life 25 years from now. At least I hope so.

Ode to a toy store

I can not imagine working in a toy store anytime but especially at Christmas time. But in a salute to my friend who works in the land of misfit toys I am posting this:

Some of the many reasons I was fired from working at the local toy store...

Every time you're passed over for a promotion, you stick your head in an Easy Bake Oven and threaten to "end it all."

You got caught adding a garage to your house using embezzled Lego bricks.

You went overboard with your GI Joe Militia display by adding the Tonka truck full of fertilizer.

Cross-dressing the Ken and Barbie dolls and telling kids they're the new "Jerry Springer" edition.

The "My Little Taxidermy Kit" (with starter squirrel) is not selling.

Impromptu demonstrations of why Malibu Ken is not anatomically correct.

Got caught doing your Dolly Parton impression with basketballs again.

Jaws of life needed to pull your knees out of your chest after you jackknifed a Big Wheel.

Your sales display, "Barbie's Struggle for Survival in Post-Nuclear Holocaust Malibu" was not exactly an overwhelming success.

Regardless of the question, you answer, "Bite me, kid -- I'm on break."

One4jc is MIA?!

As some of you may have guessed I finally received my Superman Ultimate Collector's Edition DVD tin. I have been busy watching the movies and picking apart the newest feature of Superman Returns.

Also I have been busy attending Church as this is a city wide Week of Prayer. We have been going through Revelation 2 and discovering what it says about how God viewed the churches of the day and what he might say today to us.

Well and of course we have spent time every night in Prayer for the city.

And I had to call for help yesterday when the battery in my car decided to not cooperate any longer with the rest of the engine. So $80 later, a big thank you to the brother in law and frozen fingers have brought me to today. I'll check in again soon.

Wow another year already?

Happy Birthday to me......

I can't believe it has been another year already. I remember thinking 1 year ago that all this would be behind me before another year rolled around.

Big Red is asking for another rewrite on the divorce paperwork. I said no.

It costs me every time he gets a burr in his butt and wants to change the wording on it. If he wants it changed he had better hire his own lawyer to do it because I am not budging anymore! He has been informed that if this gets ugly he will be responsible for ALL my lawyer fees since I have been more than accommodating during this whole process.

Good Grief! Just sign the paperwork for crying out loud!

I know I am healing...

I know God is working on my heart when I can hear songs like this one and look forward to the future. I know God has someone picked out for me and that Big Red was just a bump on the broken road. I know I will not be alone for the rest of my life even though at times it feels like it. I have wonderful friends and family but sometimes I just miss a "man hug". To feel the strong loving arms wrapped around me. Right now God is the only one in my life...Big Red legally still is but in my heart I am no longer married. I will behave as though I am until the divorce is final because God still calls it adultery until the lines are signed. I haven't come this far to throw it all away.

Even with the steps I make every day toward healing it still is hard. It doesn't hurt as much but it gets harder and harder to walk this out in a Christian way.

Terrifying I tell ya...

OK I find the idea of driving in the rain at times terrifying! It goes back to a time in college when my beloved cousin was driving me back to my friend's house while I was on Spring Break. She had been elected by the family to share some disturbing news with me about my Grandma's cancer. It didn't look good for Grandma. The Cuz and I had sat in an underground parking garage at a mall and discussed this over Wendy's Frosties. Being that we are both "emotional" we cried and discussed the fun times at the lake while visiting Grandma in the summer. Before we knew it we had pulled it together enough to laugh at some things.

We leave the parking garage and realize it has begun to rain...hard. Very hard.

As we are traveling down the LBJ expressway we notice that the rain has let up a bit. The traffic starts to zoom around us even though we are doing a tad above speed limit.

Then it happened.

We started spinning and hydroplaned:
hy·dro·planed, hy·dro·plan·ing, hy·dro·planes

1. To drive or ride in a hydroplane.
2. 1. To skim along on the surface of the water.
   2. To be or go out of control by skimming along the surface of a wet road. Used of a motor vehicle.

Soon we stopped... abruptly. The back of this little S-10 pickup truck was planted firmly on top of the median divider. AND we are facing in the wrong direction. The front of the truck is slightly out into the incoming traffic. This can't be good. We are stuck.

After 20 minutes or so a 6 foot 8 inch (no joke) truck driver from Galveston Texas pulls over to help. He literally lifted the back of the truck off the concrete thing and placed it on the ground. He then backed up and slowly pulled out and blocked traffic so we could turned around and get to the next exit. He followed us. The Cuz almost wet her pants. She heads for a well lit hotel parking lot. He moves on.

She calls her husband and informs him of our location and tells him she, "is never driving again and we are going to go get a room in the hotel to live."

Did I mention she is a little emotional?

He comes to check out the truck and "talks her down". We finish the rest of the route (in his truck) and the insurance company calls hers "totaled". The next day they measured the distance and we had spun for almost 3/4 of a mile. We had not hit any of the other traffic on the road. This is a miracle!

So there it is. This is why I do not like driving in the rain. And I wasn't even driving.

And this does not even cover all of the other mishaps that occur when a cousin goes south to visit her. Something always happens. EVERY TIME. Maybe trying2hide will pick up the story from her adventures in Texas.

I loved this and started watching way back when it was on Captain Kangaroo!



I can't believe she asks, "Who farted?" when she's done!

How scary would this be?

If you click here you can go to a page that is a simulated pizza order.

Go ahead.... but make sure the sound is on.

Back? OK...

Now as funny as that may be....Somehow I don't really think we are that far away from the local pizza shop having access to all these things. Now I am hoping that the conspiracy theorists don't come out of the woodwork but I am curious as to any other opinions by my loyal reader(s).

And now for the better late than never:

Christmas carols for the PSYCHOLOGICALLY CHALLENGED.

1) SCHIZOPHRENIA---- DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR?

2) AMNESIA-- I DON'T KNOW IF I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

3) NARCISSISTIC-- HARK THE HERALD ANGELS SING ABOUT ME

4) MANIC-- DECK THE HALLS AND WALLS AND HOUSE AND LAWN AND STREETS AND STORES AND OFFICES AND TOWNS AND CARS AND BUSES AND TRUCKS AND TREES AND FIRE HYDRANTS AND.......

5) MULTIPLE PERSONALITY DISORDER----WE THREE QUEENS DISORIENTED ARE

6) PARANOID---SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO GET ME

7) BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER---THOUGHTS OF ROASTING ON AN OPEN FIRE

8) FULL PERSONALITY DISORDER---YOU BETTER WATCH OUT, I'M GONNA POUT, I'M
GONNA CRY, MAYBE I'LL TELL YOU WHY!

9) OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER---JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS,JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS

10) AGORAPHOBIA---I HEARD THE BELLS ON CHRISTMAS DAY, BUT WOULDN'T LEAVE MY HOUSE

11) SENILE DEMENTIA---WALKING IN A WINTER WONDERLAND, MILES FROM MY HOUSE IN MY SLIPPERS AND ROBE

12) OPPOSITIONAL DEFIANT DISORDER---I SAW MOMMY KISSING SANTA CLAUS SO I BURNED DOWN THE HOUSE

13) SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDER---HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS WHILE I SIT HERE AND HYPERVENTILATE

14) ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER--WE WISH YOU....HEY, LOOK! IT'S SNOWING!!!

I think I may have at least one of each of these people in my family. And sorry about all CAPS but the copy and paste was the easiest way.

The Year in Review 2006

The year in highlights:

1. I started the year off by filing for divorce from Big Red. It is not yet final but should be within the next month. I have come a long way from the teary mess I was at the beginning of this year. I am more confident in myself and my abilities as this year comes to an end.
2. My Mom became engaged and was married in Sepember of this year. It has been interesting to say the least as we try to all get to know each other and combine this huge group of adults into a new family. I have 2 step sisters who are Grandma's and that makes me a Great Aunt. I remember as a child going to funerals of my Great Aunts and I am positive that I am not THAT old.
   

3. I took a huge step in my faith and went on a Missions trip. You faithful readers will know that I went to Jamaica in November. God worked in my heart in so many ways before, during and after that trip. I became more confident in what I CAN do. I discovered I can build things.
4. I am still growing in my faith and I have refused to get angry with God because of choices that Big Red has made.
5. I have discovered the joys of riding around our fair city on my Scooter. I love feeling the wind in my hair (through the helmet of course) and the warm sun on my skin. Oh How I can't wait for summer again!
6. I have become comfortable in sharing the story of how this happened. I no longer burst into tears everytime I think about the day I found out and the impact that one day has had on my life.
7. I am looking forward to 2007. I could not say the same about 2006. I see the future ahead of me and it looks promising. It has to be better than the last 2 years!

Fun and for a good cause...

I think I may have posted this site before about making your own snowflake. This year they are donating money to help out the Salvation Army for every snowflake you make.

A very bad man

I don't care what you political preferences happen to represent.

With that being said check out this link to an article on the execution of Saddam Hussein.

Now I don't want to hear any garbage about the news source I choose to link to, how they are slanted one way or the other or biased.

Saddam Hussein was a very bad man. Period.

He killed people for disagreeing with him. He killed out of intimidation. He killed for power. I believe he killed for the sheer enjoyment he received in his sick little blackened heart.

He wasn't remorseful, sorry or apologetic. He was a representation of true evil.

Yet somehow I am saddened by his death. He carried a copy of the Quran with him to the gallows. Given his mocking last statements, apparent lack of feeling and the overall statement he has made by living his life in this way lead me to believe that he probably did not have a "deathbed conversion" to follow the teachings of Christ.

Some may be happy to see this man "rot in hell". My prayer for those people is that someday they can work through the bitterness and hatred in their heart.

My prayer for the world is that we can start to look past the corruption, evilness and death that this man seemed to represent. We need to look forward and stop blaming each other for the perceived mistakes of others.

Frustration abounds

I can't really discuss the issue I am bothered by today.

Sometimes certain circumstances cause frustration. Sometimes I can say what I need to say. And say it again and again.

The words are written down. The words are heard but not listened to.

Nothing is done. Nothing is settled.

I will continue to say what I need to say until someone listens who can do something about the circumstances.

I apologize that you may not understand this but I am feeling better that I was able to get it off my chest so to speak.

I spent too much time on the template so....

how smart are you
flat out genius

Ok, theres not much I can say here accept congratulations! There is noone smarter than you. Well, except the few others who made it here. I mean Im just gonna leave it at that. Im sure your much too above what I could say.

Take this test

I spent way too much time messing around with the new template so all I really have time for is a few quick quizzes. How do you like this one? Is it better than the pink?

Oh and I am in no way proud of the fact that I know this much about Roseanne...

How well do you know the show Roseanne???
Total Roseanne fanatic!!

You totally love this show! You paid attention to all details! And you probably know more about the show than the stars who played on it do!

Take this test

I am so excited!

Well you know I like Superman....

Beau gave each of us money to buy ourselves a present and wrap it. See the previous post.

I purchased my gift today:o)

I bought the Superman Ultimate Collector's Edition today. I will have it in a few short days from a wonderful person on Ebay for a nice price. She has over 6000 in feedback and has a 100% positive rating. There is no doubt in my mind that I will have it shortly.

That combined with the Belt Sander, the ring and the MP3 player have made for a great Christmas. I was afraid I wouldn't get any gifts when my Mom talked about just doing money at one point. It isn't really about what you get but it actually for me is about someone remembering me. Growing up that meant we were loved and it is hard to break some of those old patterns.

I actually like giving gifts better than receiving them. I love the look on people's faces when they open a gift.

Boy this post doesn't sound at all like what I wanted to say...But I'm too tired to fix it right now.

Christmas has gone into the memoirs

The memoirs. Here are the highlights:

• I am ecstatic that Beau and Mom got me a new Belt sander for Christmas! This will help me when I turn the garage into a woodworking shop. Oh the things I will build....
• The prayer before dinner was interesting. The new Step Sister in a wheelchair offered to pray and then went on to thank God for the day but COMPLAINED about the whether He gave us...."it's too gloomy and rainy today but you designed it". She also complained about some of the people being late..."but keep them safe anyway". In fact I am not at all sure she ever asked God to bless the food at all.
• Beau ended up in a local ER early this morning. The beginning stages of Pneumonia was the diagnosis. But Christmas would not be stopped!
  
• When one of the new relatives opened a present he wasn't too fond of....when asked what he thought, "It's alright I guess." Several of us wanted to jump the table and strangle him but none of those people was a parent of his!
• I really thought they were joking when they said to wrap the gift we bought with Beau's money...they were not. Several of them actually did it.
• I am planning on putting my money toward SUPERMAN-ULTIMATE COLLECTOR'S EDITION. I know I can get it locally instead of ordering it online.
  
• No arguements. And we actually got to watch A Christmas Story as well.
  

Merry Christmas

Luke 2

4So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels

8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Is anyone really surprised by this?

You Are Superman

Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. And pretty cute too. No wonder you're the most popular superhero ever!

What Superhero Are You?

Guess who got bored today?

OK so I have been messing around with the template a little today. I'm not sure it will stay pink like this but I was tired of the old view.

However it does remind a little too much of either Barbie or Pepto Bismol...

And I bring you good tidings .....

Well maybe not good tidings. I do not understand why my Mom has suddenly become certifiably crazy! When in doubt check out these posts of my lovely sister.

We have never been a Ward and June Cleaver kind of family but this is getting ridiculous!

I have however decided what Mom's Christmas gift will be:

1. Adult Children: The Secrets of Dysfunctional Families
2. The Dysfunctional Family Christmas Songbook
3. Dysfunctional is putting it mildly Keychain
4. I Saw Mommy Kicking Santa Claus : The Ultimate Holiday Survival Guide

On the other hand I will be loading us up with:

1. Healing The Child Within: Discovery and Recovery for Adult Children of Dysfunctional Families
2. Straight jackets
3. Lots and lots of Drugs
4. Ear plugs

Why can't Christmas be about the birth of Jesus? Why do I have to jump through hoops for my Mom and the "new family"? This isn't about not liking the new step siblings. It is about not knowing them and being thrown in a room and expected to bond, love each other and all get along immediately. I understand they are in the same boat but don't forget this event.

It has to be better than I expect it to be....

More Quiz things

How well do you know the Bible?
Bible Expert

Well, we know our stuff don't we? Nicely done! We could possibly be a Sunday School teacher, or small group leader.

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Finally some reasons to tell the difference between my family and myself!

Are you a Red neck
Up town girl/boy

You are just an uptown person. But this doesn't mean you don't love the country also. You are not a redneck or a cowboy you are just you. Love who you are and paint the town red!!!

Take this test

Create your own friendquiz here

The new one is just around the corner....

Feel free to check out the site....create an account and join in on the fun! The draft happens on December 26th and runs for 3 weeks.

So some papers where signed the other day

No it is not final yet. This is a so called "amicable" dissolution of marriage. I signed the agreement and he will be signing before the end of the week. It then goes to the courthouse to set on a desk until it is given the official okay dokey by a judge.

Merry Christmas!

Kind of fitting since the papers were inadvertently filed on Valentines day.

Slang?

It amazes me how much slang is in our language. I realized this especially while I was in Jamaica but I have been paying closer attention and these are some that baffle me and other English as a second language folks:

hair of the dog Noun. An alcoholic chaser which will help relieve the symptoms of a hangover, usually needed on the morning after a drinking binge.

Graze: Verb To eat a lot of food without actually having a proper meal, usually in the context of picking at food that is readily available at a buffet.

see a man about a horse: Any general business that needs attending to that you may not care to discuss with the present party.

break a leg: What you tell someone about to perform in a drama or musical performance to wish them well. What you don't say is "good luck".

Bought The Farm: Passed away. Expired. Vacated this worldly plain. Snuffed it. Died.

trolling: the act of seeking out a person to hook up with. In a bar or on the Internet

hook up: 1. received a good or service as a favor 2. to make out with someone 3. to have sex with someone

No holds barred: wrestling term used to describe a no rules match.

Going commando: To wear pants without underwear

Is it no wonder people have a difficult time learning our language? I commend people who make the effort to understand us.

I am amazed at how most slang words deal with sex or illegal activities.

Just a little observation.

Maybe the movie wasn't that far off after all...

The article can be found here:

Police

BB strikes teen’s eye; vision loss unlikely

By Abby Slutsky

The Journal Gazette

Fort Wayne police were called to Parkview Hospital’s emergency room Tuesday after a 16-year-old Fort Wayne boy reported being shot in the eye with a BB gun.

According to the police report, the boy was with a friend when the shooting happened just before 8 p.m.

The boy told police that his friend yelled to him from about 5 feet away and when he turned, his friend fired an air-soft gun, police said.

Both the boy and his mother told police that they thought the shooting was unintentional, police said.

According to the report, doctors told police that the BB did not puncture the boy’s eye, and as long as the swelling subsided, he would not lose vision in it.

Oh no....

I am curious to see where my beloved sis scores on this one.

Hat tip to Laura for the idea...

Pet Peeves Part 3

I am really annoyed by people who do not seem to realize that when you are in a car other people can still see you. Therefore please do not partcipate in any of the following if you happen to be in a car next to me...

1. Do NOT pick your nose.
2. Do not wipe booger from #1 on the seat of your car or your door.
3. Please try to remain fully clothed at all times. I do not want or need to see a shirtless man with back hair at the light smiling at me. By the way it is only 50 degrees outside not 95.
4. I am all for hands free headsets for cell phones in the car. However this does not mean your hands are therefore free to continue to apply your makeup because you are running late.

Whew I feel better now...although it would be nice if people actually read this and took the advice.

I miss Jamaica.

I miss Jamaica.

I miss the warmth that I was complaining about being too hot in.

I miss the views I was blessed enough to see every day.

I miss the closeness of the friendships I developed there.

I maintained the friendships but it's just not quite the same.

I miss the kids that I bonded with in such a short time.

I miss the feelings of accomplishment that I had from the projects we did.

I do not however miss the bugs, roaches or chiggers that bit me or scared me by scurrying across the floor.

I do have to laugh as I remember someone trying to spray the bugs on the wall and the spray being too powerful...the bugs blew off the wall onto all of us standing there. Not funny then but it is now.

Or I laugh when I think of "Lilly" being scared of a cockroach scurrying in our bedroom while she was doing her hair...as she screamed to "JEEEEEEEESSSSSSSUUUUUUSSSSSS" for help she doused the roach with about a half a can of aerosol hairspray. I am sure he is shellacked to a wall somewhere in Jamaica.

I am however happy to be back online....sleeping in my own bed....eating familiar foods...but I do miss the Jucci patties.

I am still alive......

The rumors of my death have been exaggerated. I am however without an internet connection until the services are hooked up in my name "no later than Weds. December 20th" WHAT! How did I ever survive without the internet all those years? I am missing my little online friendships, my daily blog reads, the ability to check my email anytime I want and what about my daily devotions that are emailed to me and my friends I communicate with by email because it is cheaper than the phone calls.

Life has been busy and interesting in this last week. I have however been lucky enough to miss out on the slew of emails from my Mom. My Mom rarely uses the phone anymore. She communicates almost exclusively through email with me. Although I do miss the announcements that she will be stopping by my house to pick up more of her stuff...so I can't avoid her arrival or straighten the place up if needed.

Never fear I will be back soon enough with tales of my adventures...Surely there will be some as I have all this free time....

Not that I would but.....

Not that I believe in these voodoo dolls but the thought has crossed my mind lately. It seems like every time we get to the point that paperwork can be signed and presented to a judge Big Red throws a wrench in the works. He's pushing to have it finalized so that he can refinance and make the house payment go down but he keeps "adjusting" the agreements we made months ago.

He has never retained a lawyer in this process and now he's talking about doing it. I told him go ahead but that will make this drag out longer as the lawyers duke it out and then we lose the right to have much say over what happens. Maybe that would be best to just let them do the arguing.

I am at the point that I want to say fine...I'm in no hurry...take your time...we can drag this out and cost you more money....oh and did I mention that you, Big Red, will now be responsible for my lawyer fees and that point is non negotiable :o)

But somehow I think that could back fire on me somehow.

Just venting.

Now I need to go put away all the stuff my Mom left out Sunday before she comes back tonight and accuses me of "letting the house go".

The clutter of my life...

People wonder at times how I can go from a season of living in clutter and chaos to needing everything to be in it's place and put away. (DISCLAIMER: My bedroom in no way is included in this statement).

My Mom has always been a pack rat. Big Red was a pack rat. I (being the sentimental fool that I am) have pack rat tendencies. None of my tendencies even compare to the legacy that I have come from.

I am easily overwhelmed by change. Heck I am just easily overwhelmed by many things...

Today was a perfect example. Lunch for Mom's birthday. I thought this would be a nice little lunch followed by cake and then since this was a restaurant we could all go on our on merry little ways afterward. Oh but wait my Mom is involved...

You see every time...EVERY TIME.... we have a get together, coffee, stop by to say Hi or anything that causes a conversation to happen my sister and I get blessed. Blessed with sitting down and going though boxes of stuff with Mom. Stuff she bought on sale, bought to many, bought and lost them but look now I found them...just stuff. The same stuff she buys every year but maybe a different color or size. The same stuff she tries to give us every year...every time we see her. The same stuff she got mad at us last week for not wanting to take.

But have mercy if we take something (that she has asked us no less than 100 times to take and we have refused) and she comes over to the house and sees it in a closet, garage sale, goodwill pile or drawer. Then it comes down to....well if you didn't want it you should not have taken it!

You can see the dilemma.

But still every time we see her we are sent home with something...unless we manage to "forget it" on the counter.

I can't remember a single time since I moved out 15 years ago that I have been able to see her without going through a box or taking something home with me.

Today after lunch we were invited (read ordered or not given a choice because I live there) back to the house to sort through a couple of totes...no more than a half hour she promised.

Two and a half hours later we had gone through a couple of totes and 9 more bags she had pulled out of the closet in the hallway. My sister, myself and a new step sister were trying to waste time and repack the boxes without taking much while she quietly pulled these other bags out.

She just waits.....
and waits....
waits.....
until we finally take a few things and she agrees that we can repack the items.

I have found myself in a unique position now that I live here. She can leave it here and I can't say anything about it. It is still her house. She does let me live here rather cheaply.

Sigh...

And that is not even touching the issue of her insisting my sister has a hysterectomy this summer (she hasn't) and a colonoscopy that discovered polyps (she didn't). One would be every other female in our family and the other could be our Dad or brother....but not her.

Sigh.....

I feel a headache coming...

We have a nasty weather front coming though. Earlier this week it was almost 70 degrees and now it is barely 30 degrees and well if you add in those 50 mile per hour wind gust....you get the picture. With the funky little weather front barreling through, clowning tomorrow (for Christmas $$) and the birthday bash for dear ole Mom on Sunday after church I decided to take Monday off work to regroup. I am still playing catch up from the Jamaica trip and well....

I'm just tired.

I have put on the full press to change certain aspects of my life. And it has taken a lot of time, energy, correspondence etc etc etc.

Not sure how much I'll check in this weekend...but have a good one and be safe.