Braden on Highschool Swim Team

COACH: Jim

KEY SWIMMERS: Braden — He set personal bests in the 200 yard freestyle and 100 yard backstroke at last year’s district meet.

My brother in law notified us this morning that when he Googled my son's name a picture and a article in the local paper came up. I had no idea that either were out there. I am the PROUD momma!

Snow Day???

Today the schools were are on 2 hour delay for snow. Here is a picture of the outside at my work. See the shadow from the sun? Usually these delays are not reported till 2 hours before school starts. I was up at that time and the weather was warm with no snow or ice in sight. For a great picture of the sky today go to my sister's blog Laughing Mommy

And while you are over there check out the video on "nails" if you have ever had your nails done you will die laughing.

Works for me Wednesday

Photo coasters are what works for me this week. I found coasters that you can slip a picture into on the underside. Then hubby helped me print out interesting pictures of each of us. Anytime a glass is used the user puts their glass on the coaster. Wa la! No more 50 glasses dirty in 2 hours! You can get them here

For more great idea's head on over to Rocks in my Dryer

Mondays Miracles: Plantar Fasciitis

After years of working in hospitals with concrete floors I finally succumbed to Plantar fasciitis, a fancy term for fallen arches. You are probably thinking so what? So your feet are flat now.....Actually it feels like you have a large stone under each arch, every step is painful, even standing is painful. If you are lucky you will be sent to a prosthesis maker and you will get custom made orthotics that are basically a plastic piece that is made from a mold of your foot. This wonderful thing. along with a good, thick, soft cushion, that they will give you as well, will fit in a shoe that is flat and a size too big for you. Make sure you don't get sent where all my nursing friends were sent. They got these hard flat arch supports also called orthotics and most of them wouldn't wear them as why would you want to wear a hard old thing when it feels like what you really need is a huge cushion? The trick is you have to wear them ALL the time. Want to wear some fip flops....No too painful. High heels...Not for you, barefoot....OW! Maybe after a good nights rest? Nope, resting makes the overworked muscles tighten up and you will have to walk off the stiffness and walking hurts remember. So several years into this I was asked to be the Head Deaconess with responsibilities such as greeting, picking up offering, heading up potlucks and preparing baskets for new members. Basically, too much walking. So I decided I couldn't do the job justice and that I needed to resign. As I was standing in the shower my feet were aching and I prayed "God if you want me to do this job please heal my feet, and if not thats okay, I will resign so someone else can do it". While I was praying, I felt this electric tingling go down my legs and into my feet. And I realized the pain was GONE! I tried high heels, low heels, med heels, flip flops, barefoot, all without pain! I was so grateful I thanked God everyday for months for healing my feet. I have kept my job as Head deaconess, and every time a wear a cute, fitted shoe or walk through the house barefoot, I think about this miracle and I thank him again.

Sundays Festivus Ed 7

A day to air your grievances about your circumstances this past week in a positive, funny manner. (behold the festivus poles in all their plainness) I have read that the festivus poles are not to be decorated, to keep it as simple as possible. If you do not know what a Festivus is, it came from the show Seinfeld. George's father wanted an alternative holiday where everyone aired their grievances about each other! It was hilarious. George's Dad called it a "Festivus for the Rest Of Us".

My grievance this week is about housecleaning. (None of these things happen during the week when the house is not clean)

Why is it that once the kitchen floor has been scrubbed to a sparkling shine, that you are so proud of, that the dogs (or kids) track mud in? Or the bathroom floor that once clean, becomes a "yard" for dogs to poop on?

Why is it when you clean the kitchen and make sure every dish is clean and put away, that your 2 children who are home for 2 1/2 hours (not meal time either) are able to dirty 10 glasses, 3 plates and a bowl?

Why is it that after vacuuming the family room floor the large chocolate lab will bring in a small log and proceed to turn it into sawdust?

Why is it that washing the bathroom rugs is a dangerous venture, as cats and dogs alike think it doesn't smell quite right and will pee and poo on it to help it get that back yard smell? I once bought a white bathroom rug and it never stayed on the floor for more than overnight before one of the cats branded it. I finally got rid of it.

Why is it that when the sink is clean your hubby will pick that precise moment to wash off something very dirty that really should be washed outside?

Why is it that once you get the computer cords all separated and organized with ties that is when the boys have new stuff and have to mess around till they are all tangled again?

Why is it that when you are ready to make lunch you find that someone (the invisible family member) has eaten the ingredients and you end up having leftover pizza?

Why is it that airing my grievances helps me feel so much better and I can go about cleaning up the messes with a happy heart? I imagine that airing them helps me to release the frustration and all I have left is the "happy".

Sunday Festivus is listed on THE DAILY MEME, if you are looking for meme idea's this is the place to go! Check it out!

What are your grievances? Leave a comment and Mr Linky will link to your site.

Saturday's Hope

Because HOPE is my favorite word!




Psalms 147:11

The Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.

Picture is of tulip fields in Gervais, Oregon taken by my mom

Photo Friday

My wedding picture. 22 1/2 years ago!

Thursday Thirteen Ed 15

Thirteen Things about GARDENING

1.It is a stress reliever to work with soil and plants
2.It gives you a sense of accomplishment
3.Weeding burns a lot of calories and the chore is never finished
4.Fresh vegetables and fruits taste 100 percent better than store bought, especially tomatoes
5.It gives you a fright when you see a bug, slug or spider when you are not used to it.
6.You are able to share with friends and family.....and even strangers
7.Its a learning experience
8.Lettuce regrows as fast as you can eat it ...practically
9.There is never enough onions
10.One zucchini plant is enough
11.No matter how hard you try somethings just wont turn out
12.You feel close to God in the garden
13.Once you have a garden you wait with anticipation all winter to get started again. Even when you end the season with relief from less gardening work.

Do you have a gardening tip? Leave me a comment!

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)



Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Resting at a Swim Meet

Braden resting at a swim meet

Museum Moment

Kiara's museum picture

Kiara and Moblogging

Testing blogging from my phone

Oh how cool is this. I just sent this blog entry from my phone! It is a picture of my daughter. She and I love all the faces she makes. Now I just have to figure out how much its gonna cost......(from cell phone provider)

Works for Me Wednesday

What works for me this week is pictures of kitchen items that cannot go in the dishwasher. Lately I have received more help in the kitchen as far as dishes are concerned, and I am constantly pulling out the items that are silverstone, iron, Kitchen Aide parts, Sil pat mat etc. So I took pictures of all of them and hung it up inside the closest cupboard to the sink. Its an easy way for hubby and kids to quickly see if it needs to stay out of the dishwasher. Here is the pic of the rubber top to my Vitamix. I left the plastic top on, that can go in the dishwasher, just so it is more recognizable.

I have had alot of comments about children too young to unload dishwasher so here is my addendum: Rearrange your cupboards so most things like plates and cups, etc are at the perfect height for even 3 and 4 year olds to help empty the dishwasher. Don't worry, its only temporary till they get older and taller and the benefits of developing their helpfulness before they get to the unhelpful stage is PRICELESS! Pictures help hubby's too. Now if I could get a picture directory of where all the tools go in the garage! LOL Martha left a great comment on possibly using it for things that shouldn't go in the Laundry. If you like that idea, go and leave her a message!

That is what works for me. For more WFMW ideas head over to Rocks in my Dryer

Cornstarch and Guar Gum

I really honestly think I have not lost my mind. However I went looking for the info I had read on Cornstarch. I remember it said that the cornstarch coats the insides of your blood vessels. However since I cannot find that information, I will shelf it till a later date. I even surfed the net for any hint of health problems. The only sites I did find had been disabled. So on to Guar Gum. Guar Gum is from the ground seeds of an Indian tree. It has 8 times the thickening power of cornstarch so it you need a teaspoon of cornstarch use 1/8 t Guar Gum. It you need a Tablespoon of cornstarch use 3/8 of a teaspoon. So far I have tried it in homemade salad dressing, gravies and other sauces. It swells when wet so does not need to be heated however you can heat it in a gravy with no problems. The only caution is, it takes a while to thicken and if you think you will help it out and add more, you will end up with a solid mass of uneatable gunk. You can find Guar Gum in health food stores. For more info go to this site. I buy Bob's Red Mill brand and here is that site. There does seems to be health concerns, but that was when they were selling it in capsules as a diet control. Hello people out there, a substance that swells to 8 times its size when it gets wet is gonna cause some problems! They said there were numerous cases of intestinal obstruction DUH. However if it has already swelled in your gravy and sauces then there is no need for concern. No blockage for you! It is also used in ice cream as it thickens without forming ice crystals. So surprise! If you have eaten ice cream you have eaten Guar Gum.

Surprises for me!!!

I got a surprise today!!!! And my teens did it for me! I have had a rough week. Not only has it been extremely busy, my usual Friday cleaning did not get done this week. I also had extra baking to do so the dishes, table and other rooms were piled high with stuff. I could have caught up on Sunday, but I got a light case of the stomach flu. Monday found me working later than usual. By the time I was ready to go home, I didn't want to go, as I knew the work that was waiting for me, and I knew everyone would want dinner too. But home I went. As I walked in the front door I was surprised by a clean house compliments of my teens and Del Taco for dinner by my sweet hubby! It feels like I have never needed it more than I did tonight. What a super family! That is worth at least another 6 months of mommy slave labor! (shhh dont tell them that) LOL (I will post a pic tomorrow when it is light enough to get a good one)

Tune in tomorrow for Tuesday's Tips: Cornstarch: it thickens more than food and what to do with Guar Gum

Mondays Miracles: Diapers and Laundry Soap

I have decided to share a few of the miracles that have happened in my life. And I will start off with my favorite. It wasn't spectacular, or expensive, or news worthy, just God answering the prayer of one of his children. It happened when my teens were little, Braden was 3 and Kiara was 1. Darryl and I had moved away from friends to a new town that had the promise of double his previous salary. We were so thrilled with the extra money, we decided to pay off all our bills. We were going to be debt free by the end of December and starting in January we would be able to put away 1000.00 a month in savings. Right around the middle of December my hubby lost his job. We were pretty much debt free, however we hadn't saved a penny for emergencies because in January we were supposed to have the extra 1000.00. The money we did have, ran out quickly and one day I was in the basement using the last scoop of laundry soap. I also thought about my daughter's diapers that were almost gone as well. I bowed my head and said "God I am really not sure how you are going to do this, but I need laundry soap and diapers for my baby girl. You said in the bible that anything we ask in your name you will provide so I am asking this in your name. Amen" I finished what I was doing then ran upstairs to go with Darryl and the kids to the unemployment office. We were gone about an hour and when we came back home, I noticed two things sitting on my porch. Can you guess what they were? If you guessed diapers and laundry soap then you were right! There wasn't anything else and no note. I was beyond shocked. I thanked God for taking care of us. A few days later the mystery was solved. An old time schoolmate of my husbands, that we had talked to maybe 2 times, found out about our predicament and called the house but we weren't home so she went to the grocery store and in the middle of the store she prayed "God, show me what they need the most" It still gives me goose bumps and brings tears to my eyes.

Do you have a miracle that you would like to share? Leave a message in comments!

Sundays Festivus ed 7

This weeks grievances......


The "U" key on my compter is not working very well and being a borrowed compter I am qite worried abot it. (see what I mean) I have lifted it p to see if any thing is nder it and it looks fine. I dont let my kids se it so that not it. hmmmmmm. My posts will be very interesting if I can't figre it ot. I never realized how many "U"'s are in the English langage. Is there a langage that does not se "U"? If so I may have to switch.

The whole family slept in this morning and woke p to the doorbell ringing. Braden's Driving instrctor was here. Yikes. Good thing Braden is a boy and can be ready in 30 seconds.

Well I hope yo didn't have too mch troble reading this "U" less post LOL

What are your grievances this week? Leave me a comment and I will leave a link to your post.

Stacitee

Saturday's Hope

Psalms 146:5
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God

Photo Friday

Kiara and I as Babies

Kiara gets top score!

Kiara got the top score in her class on her last assignment! I am so proud of you Kiara! And we just had her Parent-Teacher conference. The teacher said Kiara was "her sunshine". That she is always happy, respectful, and has a great attitude. And on top of that she had assignment after assignment with 100 percent. Some even had more than 100 percent because of extra credit! Kiara had a goal of 1 B and the rest A's and she met her goal!!! Way to go!!!!! The picture is of Kiara and her teacher.

Birth Story Number 2 Kiara

Our Seven QTpies is hosting a birth story contest, so once you are done here, post your own birth story on your blog and then head on over to her site to leave a link. Happy reminiscing!


This child is a miracle too as they found later that my Uterus was folded in half and they said it was good I got pregnant when I did case I ,ost likely would not be able to have more children. The cool thing about this pregnancy is that I always thought I would have boys. I never imagined I would have a girl. My hubby and I saw that all our friends were having trouble getting pregnant, so we were surprised to find out I was pregnant. Even more surprising is the fact I thought "what will I do with a girl", I had never thought about having a girl. After that I was drawn to girl clothes, pink things and girl toys. I never had an ultrasound, but I KNEW she was a girl.

I was so traumatized from the birth of my son, I was terrified once I figured out I was pregnant again. A friend told me about herbs the Indians take. I read up on them, and with the permission of my Doctor, I started taking them, as well as Raspberry Tea daily. It is said these herbs strengthen the uterus, so when the time is right the uterus is more effective at labor. I woke up on the exact day she was due and felt like I had a light case of the cramps. An hour later it was just a bit stronger so I went in to take a bath and call my mother. I told her I thought it was false labor as the contractions were jumping around from 8 to 10 min apart, however within 40 minutes they went from 8 to 10 minutes apart, straight to to 2 minutes apart. I was instructed to go to the hospital when they were 4 to 5 min apart and regular, but that never happened. It was 8 minutes apart, then every 2 minutes apart, so I still thought it was false. I could talk through all of them. My mother decided to fly out even though it didn't seem like today was the day. Finally after an hour of light contractions every 2 minutes I decided I better go get checked out. We parked in the parking lot and I remember on the walk in just having to stop and breath through the contraction. I had monthly cramps that hurt as bad as this and the break between contractions was awesome! I got to the labor and delivery floor where they were so full I was put in a holding room to assess whether I was really in labor. Upon exam I was 6 cm and they rushed me to a room and said I could have an epidural. I thought I really wasn't hurting bad enough but I knew it could be a while before the doc got there so I said yes. Well the doc was in the next room so he came right over. The needle hurt worse than the contraction. Thirty minutes later, it didn't seem like I was making progress, so they broke my water. My mom arrived and with in 40 minutes the nurse looked at my face and said DONT PUSH. No problem, I didn't feel a need to push and I had no idea what she was so worried about. She was a smart nurse as I was at 10cm. The Doc arrived and made me promise I would push. I pushed two times and she was half way out. My hubby made the comment "Its a boy, it looks just like Braden" Our first boy. I said "NO ITS A GIRL" pushed one more time and SHE was out. All 8 pounds 9 ounces of her. Then the Doc said made me promise to push the placenta out so I did, but I did such a good job that extra stuff went all over his shoes! Whoops. He looked up at me with this disgusted look, so I said "you are the one who said to push!" It was so easy, we had a pizza party with friends an hour later in the hospital room and they couldn't believe I had just had a baby! And once I had her I realized I wold have been so disappointed had I not had a girl. She is my kindred spirit/daughter as we think a like on a lot of subjects. We did everything together when she was little. She was the best kind of shadow to have. And people think we look a like. I don't know how, as she is so beautiful but I am so happy they see a resemblance because I always thought mother and daughters that looked a like were so cute!

Thursday Thirteen Ed 16

Thirteen Things about My sister

Thank you to Fruity Spirit for the cute header!

1. She is very classy. She usually does not wear sweats in public however being her sister I have seen her in sweats and She can, and does, look classy even in sweats! Our Grandma used to say she was "a perfect specimen of a human being" and then say "oh, you are a nice person too" OUCH! However I understood what she meant, because some people are just more graceful and together than others. I notice that `with my residents at work too. I have been trying to get some of it to wear off on me.....

2. She has a porcelain complexion. (She will disagree that this is a good thing, as she thinks I stole all the pigment in the family) I have gotten numerous compliments on my sisters beautiful porcelain skin.

3. She is a great mom. She does an excellent job dressing, feeding, bathing, caring and making life fun for her little girls.

4. She is good at getting pictures of her girls and everyone else for that matter. She blogs and writes letters to her girls so they will be able to see what they were like as a baby and child. She even encouraged me to get a picture of the dinner I made for my son and his girlfriend on Valentines Day. I thought I was too busy with the food, but I managed to get one and I know I will be so happy I got it.

5. She is friendly. She has lots of really good friends and is really good at keeping in touch with them

6. She is giving. She will help you out whenever she can and always tries to bring more than her share to family gatherings. (we try to get her to bring less)

7. She perseveres. She had one child who spewed large amounts of milk all down her side during breast feeding, but she continued on. She also battled yeast and hives at one point without giving up

8. She loves to laugh. We have laughed till our sides ached

9. She sets a "Martha Stewart" worthy holiday table and even adds in "crackers" and personalized candle holders for each family member. And she is a great cook.

10. She has a talent with buying clothes that are classy and in style.

11. She knows what she likes. Decisions seem to come easy to her

12. She is organized. Even her junk drawer is perfectly organized

13. She is my sister. The best of all the thirteen things. When she was 3 and I was 11 she has the chicken pox virus go into her blood stream and settle in her hip. She was in the hospital and in traction. My parents were so worried that they forgot to tell my brother and I that she was okay. I thought she was going to die. I begged God to save her and he did. And I am soooooo glad. We are the best of friends.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Birth Story number 1 Braden

Our Seven QTpies is hosting a birth story contest, so once you are done here, post your own birth story on your blog and then head on over to her site to leave a link. Happy reminiscing!

Ah the joys of a first birth! At the time my water broke (barely a trickle) it was 2 am and my husband was in another state. We had wanted to move closer to family after I got pregnant so when an opportunity arose, at 5 very difficult months of pregnancy, we took it. However it was dependent upon the company acquiring 4 more nursing homes and 2 months after we moved, hubby lost the job. He then found a job in a neighboring state but my health insurance would not carry over, so I had to stay put with my parents until baby was born. It was all good, because hubby's new company said there would be a ticket waiting for the flight back. I called at 2:05 am so he could make it in time, but upon arriving at the airport no one knew about the supposed ticket. We had no credit cards, so my Dad graciously offered his. In the meantime, I knew I was supposed to go straight to the hospital, but I really did not want to be there without my hubby, so I waited. In between contractions I curled my hair, put on make up and dressed. Funny thing is the picture shows my hair as straight as a stick. All the curl fell out. By the time he got there at 9am I was not in labor, but we headed to the hospital anyway. I WAS IN BIG TROUBLE with the nurses, for not coming in! They started Pitocin to induce labor, a nasty medicine that not only makes the contractions VERY strong, you don't feel like you get a break between contractions. The doctor warned "don't let them make the contractions so close together you cannot breathe and when you get to 3cm you can have an epidural". To make a long story shorter, the contractions were so close and so strong I couldn't breathe. I couldn't speak, catch my breath, or even cry. The pain was so strong and constant. I had to fight with my nurse for the epidural. She walked out in the hall and told my mother that I needed to "buck it up" and that she had had three babies without pain meds. I had to wait an hour once she called the anesthesiologist and in that hour I went from 3 cm to 10 cm. The doc put in the epidural, they turned me over took a look at my face and turned the epidural off. They could tell it was time to push. So I got poked with a six inch needle in the spine for nothing! Now for more fun. I pushed for 2 1/2 hours as hard as I could. There was a couple of student nurses eagerly anticipating the birth, but after an hour they got chairs. After 2 hours the doc tried a suction device which popped off his head three times. Finally they got a grip with forceps and pulled him out. And even with all that trauma, his apgars were 9 and 10. the doc argued with the nurses saying Braden should have gotten a 10/10, but the nurse argued the very tips of his fingers were blue. There he was, all 8 pounds 6 ounces of him. He even pee'd on the doctor! They plopped Braden on my tummy and Darryl and I were admiring our boy when all of the sudden we got this look of concern on our faces as it appeared his mouth was deformed. One of us finally reached up and pulled down on his chin and out popped his lip. He was so hungry he was sucking on his botOur Seven QTpiestom lip. I on the other hand, was so swollen from all the pushing that they brought one after another student nurse to look at me in all my swolleness (a new word I made up) From the moment Braden was born, I knew I was meant to be a mother, it was so fun having someone to go everywhere I with! I also became less shy because I finally had something in common with almost every woman I met. It was a big turning point in my life. Check out my next birth story to see what I did about decreasing the pain of birth!

Works for Me Wednesday

What works for me this week is dryer balls. They are nubby balls that go in your dryer and work like fabric softner without the risks. Did you know that fabric softner sheets clog your vent screen so much that it will hold water? Take your vent screen to the sink and try it. When I tried mine not a drop of water went through. And I have heard that is what wears out dryers the fastest. Good news is all you have to do is scrub it with soap and a soft bristle brush. Rinse and its good as new. I just thought I would take it a step further so I wouldn't have to worry about washing that screen. So Far I love the dryer balls. They are not as hard to keep track of as I thought, and I only had one day of static cling that was easily remedied by putting safety pins on the inside of each pant leg.



For more great ideas head on over to Rocks in my Dryer

Braden Swims at District Meet

Braden Swimming at the District meet. He was just finishing having a light case of the flu, and his times were only affected by 1 sec. Its tough having good self esteem when you are a sophomore and swimming against older kids with more experience, so I checked the seed times and out of the freshmen and sophomores for the 100 freestyle, there was only one boy faster than Braden! And that is out of the entire district! Way to go Braden! (He is in lane 2)

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad L

Happy 50th Anniversary Mom and Dad L. Thank you for staying together all these years and being a good example for all 4 of your children and their spouses as well as your grandchildren. Hope you enjoyed the "this is your life" DVD that we made for you. It was so fun making it, and even better was watching you see it for the first time.

Monday Musings: Airborne VS Generic

Anyone have that flu that is going around? It is a really powerful strain that sucks the lifeblood out of you, makes your joints ache in any position and coughing splits your head open? My hubby who NEVER gets very sick, his colds last about an hour or two (seriously), got sicker than I had ever seen him in the 26 1/2 years I have known him. I on the other hand tend to be anemic and get everything that is going around, most times much worse than everyone else. And because I just got over three sicknesses in a row lasting 5 week, I was ARAID.......VERY AFRAID. So I stopped all sugar consumption, and started talking Airborne, an effervescent tablet that contains 17 herbs and nutrients that boost your immune system, three times a day. A second grade school teacher developed it to help prevent sickness from all the germs kids bring in the classroom. My mother and sister who were also VERY AFRAID, took a generic brand. Upon comparing there are 2 ingredients that are different. Anyway, I seemed to make made it through without getting sick where as my sis and mother both got very ill. Not sure if that was a coincidence or not, but for now I would stick with the brand name Airborne. Costco has it in 2 double sized containers for around 17 dollars. Or you can get it in the mini version for 6 to 8 dollars at your local pharmacy. Try it you just may avoid an illness. I even kept my son well enough to go to the District Swim Meet which was important for him (okay I was excited too). He was a little sick, so his times were about a second slower, but he did very well for his age group. More about that tomorrow.........

My blog was pimped!!!!

Look what Headmeister did for my blog! She found out what my favorite things were and made a blog that feels like me and has the things I love (other than my family) such as flowers (yes I know they are dandelions, my motto is "Give weeds a chance" a lot of them have pretty flowers), grass, old barns, blue sky and restful colors. I am so grateful to her! I am not sure if she has any appointments left but if you need your blog redone go to her site and see. The money she makes goes toward the adoption of her daughter from China. A very worthy cause.

Thank you Headmeister!

Sundays Festivus ed 6

This weeks grievances include Little Dude and rude introductions

Little Dude had been behaving himself quite well. He was relieving himself in the appropriate places (outside, outside, and outside) That is up until this last week when he managed to find a bean burrito and eat half of it before anyone noticed. Now first of all where does a Chihuahua find a bean burrito? The garbage can is way too tall and when we get burritos, they are eaten before you can say John Jacob Jingle Hymer Schmidt. The "where he got it" is still a mystery. Since then I have walked through poo that was on the bathroom rug (easier to clean) and walked it over to the hallway rug (much more difficult to clean), it got on my new light pink slippers (moderately difficult to clean) and smelled up the bedroom before I figured out what had happened. He has poo'd in his kennel each and everytime qwe have left him in there and has to get up several times a night to go potty. If he didn't cuddle up so sweetly on my shoulder and bounce around on his hind legs like a ballerina, I might not have the strength to clean up all the messes. Now for the rude part. My father in law sings coutry gospel and has 3 CD's out. He has a beautiful voice. You can see his web site Parson Larson by clicking on the link in my sidebar. Last night he had a concert in and the gentleman introducing him, am sure meant no harm, but this is the way he was introduced: "Parson Larson is singing for us tonight. He has a little twang to his music and that turns some people off. But I am here because I like his kind of music, and I am happy to be here". Something like that. I was horrified. Later he came up to my mother in law and said "I dont mean anything rude but your husband has a great voice for an old person". I think they need to get a new announcer OR lessons in diplomacy! (doubly horrified)

What are your grievances this week? Leave a comment and I will add a link to your site.

Stacitee

Satursday Hope

Psalms 71:14
But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.

Photo Friday

My sis, Staci, and I on vacation in Stanley, Idaho. The entire family was there and we had so much fun snowmobiling, sledding and playing in the snow.

Thurday Thirteen Ed 15

Thank you to Headmeister for the Header!

Thirteen Things...I get teased about

1. My spelling. I can spell medical terms such as oophorectomy and cholecystectomy but I misspell sattelyte and definately.

2. My pronunciation. I blame it on the fact that I was in that window of children who never got phonics, but who knows. At least my hubby has the same difficulty.

3. I make up words and use them frequently

4. My typing skills. I have gotten pretty fast with messaging and blogging but ask me to type a preprinted form and I am pretty slow. I got distracted in typing class by a really cute boy with blonde hair and green eyes. What can I say? That was 7 to 10th grade, it didn't seem that important back then.

5. My need to take a lot of things with me when I travel. What can I say other than I notice no one made fun of Rose, the girl on Titanic, when she showed up with everything from framed pictures to her own servants.

6. I carry a lot of stuff with me where ever I go. (Sometimes I am called bag lady) But I NEED my purse, my camera, my books and paper and pen, sometimes my computer. I cant stand being bored cause there is so much to do!

7. The amount of e-mails in my in box. I just cant keep up with them. I do searches for the important things, but I do have around 3000 to 4000 at any one time. I am sure that will get better, just give me time.

8. My junk. I have a lot of stuff. Once again what can I say, every object "could" be used at some point. I am working on this.

9. Making fun of something I have not been exposed to yet. I do not believe that most people are stupid, its just that they haven't had the opportunity to learn that particular thing yet. "I know what I know if you know what I mean"

10. Challenge my nursing knowledge (don't argue medical stuff with a nurse. If I don't know something I will tell you)

11. My lack of direction. I do not pay attention to where I am going unless I am driving. Just because you have driven me there 10 times doesn't mean I will know how to get there. There is so much going on in my mind, I just don't register the directions.

12. Things I have said in the past. I reserve the right to change my mind at any given point depending upon new information I may have acquired or just because my circumstances have changed

13. What I haven't been able to accomplish. I have a limited supply of energy and I work as hard as I can to get as much done as possible, but I am one of those people who need 8 to 9 hours of sleep and I wear out in the evening hours.

Okay that is all the "dirt" on me. However without those things I would not be me, so go ahead, poke fun. I am getting used to it. (Smiling)

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. Miranda
2. Delena
3. Stacitee
4. Ancsweetnsassygal
5. The Bluest Butterfly
6. Barbarah
7. Raggedy
8. QTPies7
9. Jill
10. Top Champ



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Works for Me Wednesday

Love Sweet Love Edition

The best thing that my husband and I ever did was reading the book "Please Understand Me" by David Keirsey. My hubby and I read this at a pivotal point in our early marriage. We took the tests and figured out that we were opposites, and PERFECT for each other, despite what we thought at the time. I realized it was okay for him to be so loud and want to talk to everybody, and he learned that it was okay for me to be introverted and to want to be alone at times. Plus we learned many other things about ourselves and each other. I believe this book could save marriages! We have been married for 22 1/2 years now!

To make Valentines special for my son (who doesn't want to wait in line at a restaurant) so asked if he could just bring his girlfriend home and if I could cook them dinner. Pretty good for 15 huh! I will light the candles, set the table, cook the food, show them to their table, give them a menu and serve the things they order. Then I will make myself scarce but only far enough that there is no hanky panky. HAHA

I am going to try to make as much food in heart shapes as I can for hubby daughter and son. And of course the usual small gifts and candy. I will have to have a table set in Valentine colors for my daughter because she loves that kinda thing. My daughter's boyfriend is planning something special and wants to talk to me about it. Not sure yet what it is.

For more great Valentines Day idea's head over to WFMW at Rocks in my Dryer

Sundays Festivus ed 5

A day to air my grievances

I am finding that the bad situations I find myself in are less irritating when I remember the satisfaction that I get when I blog them under my Sunday's Festivus!

First of all I bought a brand new pair of Leggs Pantyhose so I would be already for church this week. However upon opening them, I found 3 cut off legs , obviously used, with runs in them. (Someone at the store is up to NO GOOD) Fortunately I always have a back up pair. I opened them up and was thrilled to see they were new, unused and without runs. Well for about 30 seconds. I was in a hurry and when I was putting them on one leg brushed against a sharp edge of a container. And wa la....a run.

Secondly I was going to have company this week so I cleaned and had everything perfect. I was putting the final touches on my hair when I heard the familiar gurgling of the toilet. This toilet over flows very easy and then the bathroom rugs get soaked and it is a huge mess. Thinking very quickly I managed to pick up the rugs and grab the plunger. It still overflowed (and we were late to church) but at least I didn't have to go all day without bathroom rugs and company here.

What are your grievances? Put a post on your blog and leave a message in comments. I will link to your site!

Check out these great Festivus Posts Stacitee
Qtpies7

Fridays Photo 2

A picture of me and my Rapunzel hair. HA HA

Friday's Photo

My Great Grandmother who lived to be 100, My mother and I as a baby. I believe that my natural love for Jesus and my daughters natural love came from the prayers of my Great Grandmother, Grandparents and Parents. The Bible says that those who love the Lord will be blessed unto the third and fourth generations. It is my hope that I can carry on this tradition so another 3 to 4 generations are blessed.

Tomorrow “the feeling that something desired may happen or that events will turn out for the best”

Name Game

Name Game

I stole this from Qtpies7...

1. YOUR REAL NAME:
Pam

2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (first three letters of your name, plus izzle)
Pamizzle

3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three of your last)
Plar

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (fav color and fav animal)
Magenta Chi (Chihuahua)

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, Street you live on):
Ellen Red Cloud

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name, first 3 letters of mom’s maiden name)
Larpabli

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (favorite color, favorite drink)
Magenta Propel

8. YOUR IRAQI NAME: (2nd letter of your first name, 3rd letter of your last name, any letter of your middle name, 2nd letter of your moms maiden name, 3rd letter of your dad’s middle name, 1st letter of a sibling’s first name, last letter of your moms middle name)
Arellsy

9. YOUR STRIPPER NAME: (the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/body spray)
Cool Water

10. YOUR WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother & father’s middle name)
Kay Leland