In the News!

I have had a difficult time coming up with a blog post today. I am trying to stay positive, but seeing our country go down the tubes is nauseating to say the least.

Here is just a snippet of some of things that I found interesting today.

71 year-old Richard Roden is thought to be the oldest father of twins. His 25 year-old wife gave birth to girls. Now there is a 17 year difference between the hubby and myself, but I cannot imagine this situation. Click on the link for a picture of the babies. You won't be sorry.

Now on to the sicko's.

In the Father of the Year category, a Texas man will not be prosecuted after he forced his 8 and 9 year-old girls to watch hardcore online p0rn. The reason he will not face charges is because of a 1970's law that allows parents to show "harmful material" to their children. The law was "designed" to protect the privacy of parents who wanted to teach children about sex education. There is a huge difference between sex education and p0rn. This guy is scum and guess what, his name cannot be released because "he did nothing wrong".

Another candidate for Father of the Year is Faleh Almaleki who ran over his 20 year-old daughter because he was upset because she was becoming to "westernized". I am sure this "gentlemen" will be pushing for the "Idea" that is being proposed in the US as we speak. Muslims want a separate court system. They don't want to follow our laws only Islamic laws. What this could mean is that here in the US this man could not be arrested, because under Islamic laws women are trash and have no rights. I have a suggestion for all these dads that are intent on honor killing their children... Stay in the Middle East. That is one way to insure that your children will not become to "westernized".

There was a Mafia murder in Italy! Yes you read it here first. Italy has a Mafia and they murder people.

Obama signs the hate crime bill. When he sits down he taps the top of the bill and says something to the effect of "boy this is big". Are you serious. He signed another bill into law that he had NEVER seen before. In this bill it makes it a hate crime to violently attack a person because of sexual orientation........ and many other reasons. That is great but what they are not telling you is that it also states that you cannot harm another person with "words". This means that if you speak out against a person you could be charged with a hate crime. Just another way to chip away at our freedom of speech and religion. This leaves the door wide open to just about any interpretation imaginable.

The legislation has another "serious problem," the pro-family group says, because Congress has failed to define the term "sexual orientation." Consequently, says TVC, 30 sexual orientations (as defined by the American Psychiatric Association) will "arguably be protected" under the legislation. "Those 30 sexual orientations include behaviors that are felonies or misdemeanors in most states or can result in death," notes the group's website.

Great.......... I wonder when liberals are going to wake up and see that we are going down the tubes and the rest of the world is just waiting for the right time to attack. If our current President doesn't get us first......

So Disappointed.

Nothing upsets me more than to find out that an organization that I have given my hard earned money to, has misused the funds, and therefore, lost my trust.

The latest is a biggie. Susan G. Komen for the Cure. You know those little pink ribbons that most women will look for when buying almost anything.

What have they done, you ask?

"Susan G. Komen affiliates donated $711,485 to Planned Parenthood affiliates across the country during April '05 to March 2006," she points out. "And the very fact that Susan G. Komen would give money to Planned Parenthood does not make any sense since Planned Parenthood is not only the largest abortion chain in America, but the connection between breast cancer and abortion is very clear."

I will no longer be supporting this organization!

I have pink recycled grocery bags, they are officially in the trash can.

I will no longer support "charities", I will give direct support to people that I see in need.

This type of nonsense is why we have so much government control. They have created mistrust so that we don't willingly take care of our own people.

Alone time

There is one thing that I have noticed that my son craves from time to time. It is alone time with each parent individually. The hubby is a big family man and insists that everything be done as a family. If you should even suggest different he fights it tooth and nail.

Several years ago I noticed that Cal would request to spend time with me alone. The hubby had a hard time getting used to that (and still does). He still acts hurt if Cal should suggest to do something with just him and I.

I love these alone times. I have started craving them just as much as Cal. Starting next week Cal and I will start having some alone time each day, I feel bad for the hubby but it is just the way that it is working out. Today I suggested that hubby and Cal use the rest of the week (taking Cal to school) for their time. Now I get worried about their time together because the hubby usually takes this time to do something that he knows I am against.

For example the last time, I had told Cal that we didn't have the extra money to purchase a CD. Cal understood and I explained to both of them that we had many other more important things to worry about. The very next day the hubby took Cal and bought a CD. I was so mad I didn't talk to either of them for an entire day. I was upset that hubby would do that (but he has done it numerous times before) and I was upset that he is teaching Cal to behave that way.

Now when we behave like that God usually has something to say about it. The day after they bought the CD it was scratched (really bad) when it was inserted into the Jeep CD player. The player "sucks" the CD's in and when it did it scratched it the entire length. So they wasted $20.00.

Oh and by the way I looked up the CD online and I could have bought it for $12.99 at CBD with a little extra for shipping. I know that I really have to get over this and move on but it is not the first time. The hubby thinks he has to do these things in order to be the "favorite" parent. The thing he refuses to see is that Cal does not respect him because of this type of behavior.

The hubby is BIG on throwing the RESPECT word around.

I know that these alone times are numbered, Cal is getting older and it won't be long before he doesn't want to spend any time with us. I am holding on to these moments for dear life.

Soon enough life will be about cars, friends, acne treatments, and girls. Spending alone time with is parents won't even make the list.

Cal is very sheltered and at times I get a little worried because he is a little immature for his age. I see this more than his father, and I will remind him of his age quite often. The hubby would keep him at this age forever. Me, I am looking forward to the teenage years and a little more independence, but I hope that he still requires the alone time because I know that I will.

Tweens

OK I will not tell you how old I am but honestly when did the word "tweens" come into play?

I am so lame that I had to Google the word to find out that is term used to describe someone between the ages of 20 and 32. Really?

Just going by how I have heard it used, I thought it was to describe someone much younger. Sometimes I feel so lost not having cable, I feel like a senior citizen and just cannot keep up with these youngsters.

Christmas Shopping

Yes I have started my shopping. I don't like to start this early because I find that I spend more than I want to, and usually I end up giving the gift "just because" well before the intended holiday.

I am forced to start a little early this year because a few things that I want to get for Cal have to be ordered. I don't plan on giving any stores POS systems a work out this year, that is for sure, but we will have a great holiday.

I think the Christmases of limitless spending are long gone. Honestly I am thankful for that. We have had the best Christmases during these past few years when money has been difficult to come by. I don't ever want to return to the old way.

We appreciate so much more now!

What do you do when......

Your husband is a bigger child than your child?

We have been watching a lot of TV since we signed up with Netflix. Yesterday we sat down as a family and I stated that during the week we should not watch TV for a couple of reasons.

1. We have been watching too much.

2. CAL tends to misbehave more when we watch too much TV.

3. He will rush his homework or "hide" his homework if he thinks he might watch TV.

4. Really -- TV is garbage and rarely do we enjoy what we watch.

The husband just came down with CAL in toe to ask "Can we please watch TV?"

Now CAL has a history and bible test tomorrow, so I asked if he had studied. His response was he would do that during his reading time before bed.

I am sticking to my guns. No TV. Suddenly Cal remembered that he also had some Art homework.

Grrrr...... The hubby is going to drive me to drink.

Clothes Shopping...... ahhhhhh

I hate shopping for clothes. Really I would rather go to a dentist than shop for clothes.

But, that being said I no longer have a choice. I MUST force myself to purchase something other than jeans.

The last time I went shopping, I tried on almost everything in the store, including a tuxedo vest, and I finally give up and left the store without a thing.

The sizing is frustrating to say the least. I have some clothes at home that don't quite fit so I figured the next size up would be good. I get to the store, start trying on clothes and stop at four sizes bigger and give up.

Five Guys

Burger and Fries.

A Five Guys opened here a few days ago. Now I have heard many of you rave about how good it is, so today when we were running behind thanks to a late DHL delivery, we decided to give it a try.

During the few days that it has been opened the place has been packed, and I thought that it must be better than I had heard for it to be that packed.

Now in all fairness to the joint, my expectations were very high.

It was pretty good. Better than fast food. A little more expensive than what I would have spent at Mickey D's but more food with a much better quality.

I cannot say that it was good as everyone has been telling me, but I will definitely go back again.

The portion of fries was exceptional and I love all the toppings you could be on your burger. I guess I expected a little more from the burger itself. Two thin patties was not what I thought it would be, I thought it would be this huge (thick) burger.

Again it was good. Better than average. Just not as great as all the hype.

Ironing Fool

It seems that Sunday has turned into my ironing day. Cal's uniform (shirt and pants) need to be ironed and it is easier to just do them all at once.

He has enough shirts, thanks to the uniform swap at school, but he only has four pairs of pants, so it doesn't quite last the entire week.

This past Sunday I did enough ironing that I had to fill the iron twice with water from the Grohe faucets in the bathroom.

That my friends, is a lot of ironing.

I think it is only going to get worse. We have made a new "family rule" that we have to start dressing nicer for church.

Sugar Free = Yucky!

I have no idea why but I cannot eat or drink anything that is "sugar free". It leaves the worst taste in my mouth for hours later. It feels like my tongue is growing fur.

I have tried, honestly I have. I have purchased drink mixes, mints, sodas, and many other items hoping that eventually I will find a sugar free that is acceptable.

This Sunday I needed to stop and get mints. Trust me when I say that I really needed a mint. The only thing on the shelf was sugar free. I finally purchased a package thinking that just maybe they had always been sugar free and I didn't remember it.

The particular mint that I purchase claimed that it was the 3 hour mint. They definitely lived up to their claim. It took me three hours to get rid of that horrible furry tongue feeling.

What I want for Christmas

I would love to be able to go to NYC for Christmas this year. I have been looking into taking the train. I cannot believe what an unaffordable form of transportation the rails are.

Several years ago the hubby and I took a train from Syracuse to Canada. It was awesome but honestly it was long before I learned to appreciate the little things in life.

Now the train is just not an option.

It is a tradition for Cal's birthday that he spends it with his grandmother. We have a place in MA that we meet. I am so tired of this particular location. I would love to meet in NYC. It is closer for them, a little further for us but not terribly so.

I know this is a lavish weekend but I cannot help wanting it. I will be sending my prayers to heaven and see what God has to say about it. Of course during my prayers I will be trying to convince God that while it is lavish, it is not as lavish as say loose diamonds. That makes me think of that song "Santa Baby".

Oh no, now I will have that song on my brain for the rest of the day. HELP!

Love

Have I mentioned that I love our new church. Well, it was new back in March. I guess I should just start calling it our church.

They have so many events for the kids and adults alike. This is exactly what Cal needed, heck if I am honest this is what I needed too. I have made a couple new friends, no one really close yet but you don't make close friends overnight.

Cal is busier that he has ever been, and it is always on positive things. He missed out on a few events this week because he was so sick.

He is excited that it is Sunday because today he will find out what is taking place this week.

Crazy

Our company lists it's inventory on eBay for sale. In the past we have done quite well, recently it is hardly worth the effort. Most of the reasons center around eBays silly policies.

Several months ago we found out that in October our listings would end, unless we update them with a "return policy" and "handling time". Both items are ridiculous. First of all, I am not KMart and you cannot just return sometimes because you have buyers remorse. My items are very sensitive and they cannot be returned.

If you purchase an item from me and install it and then find out that is not your problem, I cannot take it back because it has been used.

Handling time is silly when everything that I sell is physically in my stock and I can touch it within seconds of an order.

So a few days ago things started ending. I was not able to update the items before hand because of a silly add-on that we put on the auctions when we listed them. They no longer offered this add-on so everything had to end.

The stress of my 1200 items ending (fifty to a hundred each day) is better than using
diet pills for weight loss. I am trying to get things fixed and relisted but it seems like no matter how many I do, I cannot keep up with the items ending.

The part that is most upsetting is that we were having a fairly decent month. We were well on our way to doubling our sales of last month. That has come to an end.

Trains

My husband loves trains. Over the years he has accumulated quite a collection. Last Saturday he made a very difficult decision and put several of the cars up for auction on eBay.

I am very happy to report that he sold them for more than what he paid three years ago. Yea! That does not happen often in this family. Usually we purchase something and within a few days the value has dropped.

School

I cannot even begin to tell you how much Cal loves school this year. Last year was a disaster that frankly I don't even want to relive in order to give you examples. I will just say that looking back on the situation I have no idea how my son was able to keep his cool and make it through the year.

This year is so much fun. I have a son that loves to do his homework, loves to get ready in the morning, and hates when the day ends.

The most difficult thing about school this year is all the "things" that he needs to take. Each day that he has gym he has to take his gym uniform because they do not have gym lockers. Then he is on the soccer team so he has to take a different uniform for that. Then of course, there are sneakers, dress shoes, his school uniform, honestly sometimes I think he might even have some copper kitchen sinks in his bags.

But it is all good and I would not have it any other way. This was the best move this family has ever made.

Rainy days and Saturdays

always make me sleepy.

Am I the only one that cannot seem to get motivated on rainy days? I can think of a million things that need to be done but I just cannot seem to get moving on rainy days.

I really need to get up to the attic and start sorting though our junk and get it listed on eBay. This is the time of the year that I sell the old junk in order to purchase new junk.

It is a vicious cycle that we live.

It's the cough........

The worst part of this flu is the cough. The hubby just cannot seem to shake it. I have tried every recommended cough syrup and nothing seems to even touch it.

Honestly you would think with all the advances in medicine and medical equipment, that someone would have come up with something that is effective in stopping a cough.

Every time he starts to eat, drink, or talk he just doubles over in a coughing fit. Since the hubby's job is phone sales, it is very difficult. I would not want to be on the other end of phone when he starts one of his fits. Hey maybe that is why the phone is not ringing lately.

Anonymous

When I first started blogging I kept my blog as anonymous as possible. Over the years I have become a lot more relaxed and have posted names and pictures. That will no longer be the case, I am going to be removing the pictures and come up with "fake" names for all people involved.

I am also going to try to take this blog in another direction. I am going to try to stay positive and upbeat and stay away from political subjects.

In other words I am trying to clean up my act and not be so negative about everything.

Back to School

CAL is finally back to school today.

This is the first time in a week. He missed Monday through Thursday.

The week was touch and go. One minute he would be ok, and the next he would be running a fever of 103+. Tuesday seemed to be the worse with throwing up and fever.

I didn't take him to the doctor so we cannot "officially" say that it was Swine, but our friends at church did take their kids and the doctor said that anything flu like was being considered Swine because it was too early for seasonal flu.

If that is the case then the hubby must have had the Swine the week before. I don't know! I just hope that it is gone and that I don't get it next week. I cannot afford to get it. Believe me when I say that I truly cannot afford it get it.

I expected to wake up sick this morning. Yesterday my entire body ached. I decided to take a nice hot bath to see if that helped. My body was so sore I was dreaming about those walk in tubs while I was trying to lower myself into the tub. Not a pretty picture first thing this morning but....... The bath helped tremendously!

Day number three!

Cal is still home from school. Yesterday he was doing so much better and then around 3 p.m. he spiked a fever of 103.6 and felt horrible. He has been able to keep his food down and is basically eating normally.

He has started a bad cough (which usually causes him to throw up) and he says that his throat is very sore. I just sent the hubby to the store to get something for the cough.

I hope he gets better soon. He is suppose to go on a field trip tomorrow with his class and he is starting to panic that he might not be able to go.

I am NOT cleaning that up!

CAL decided, about 20 minutes ago, that he was hungry. He called on the walkie-talkie and said he would like a hotdog.

I immediately tried to talk him into something else, but the hubby (stuck his nose in) said that it was a good sign and give him what he wanted.

I cooked the hotdog and he wanted chips. I gave him what he wanted with explicit instructions to call dad when it came back up.

Not the best way to go about it!

CAL is really sick today..... His temperature has been hovering around 102+- for the past two days. I know that he wants to lose weight but honestly this is not the way to go about it. I do have to confess that sickness is sometimes the best appetite suppressant pills that you can get.

Yesterday it was the temperature and a little throwing up. Today it is major throwing up and the temperature seems to be decreasing. Of course it might just be the medicine. I have to wait until it wears off and then reevaluate.

He has not been this sick in quite some time.. He even slept, which CAL NEVER does when he is sick. He drives me nuts because usually he refuses to relax. Today we have not had that problem. The last time he was this sick he ended up in the hospital for a few days. Say prayers that that doesn't happen.

Trying this again.

We signed up for Netflix this weekend. I hesitate to do this because the husband is very anal when it comes to movies.

We have had memberships to both Blockbuster and Netflix in the past and he has driven me crazy about them. He is NEVER happy with any movie that I may choose. Heaven forbid a movie comes in and it is not "appropriate" I would hear about it for days afterward. It is not always easy to tell, especially with the gay theme which many movies don't even disclose anymore.

Netflix was HIS idea and maybe it will work this time. We decided to go with them because of the ability to watch movies instantly on the computer. We splurged and bought the cables to hook the computer up to the TV. I was not happy with the quality of picture (which is about VHS quality) but I guess it is better than no TV at all. I was getting really sick of of the 30 or so movies that we have on DVD. We have watched them many times during the past two years without cable.

This came in very handy on Sunday when CAL was sick and could not go to church. We stayed home from all three services and watched movies together. It was fun but I am TV'd out at this point.

Tis the season

The Hubby just got over a cold. I am due. I get really sick about every two years and this year is my year.

This is not good news for the Lukie family as we don't have a single health insurance lead. I was hoping to get a job with benefits by now but that doesn't look like that is going to happen any time soon.

I am worried about CAL playing sports without health insurance but I just have to place my faith in God that he will keep him safe. I also have to pray that God keeps the hubby and I healthy for just a while longer.

Just one of a hundred reasons.

I don't know what made me think of this today but.......

Last year one of Cal's teachers told the students in his class that it was George Bush's fault that they have to take the NECAP tests every year. That it was because of his "No Child Left Behind Policy".

OK? This is just one of many reasons why I am so happy that CAL is no longer being brainwashed (opps I mean taught) in a public school.

I don't know all the in's and out's of the NCLB policy but frankly is sounds like it is making teachers accountable for whether children are learning. This sounds a little unfair. It is not just the teachers responsibility to teach our kids. The parents have much more control than they are willing to admit. A stressed, tired, and neglected child will not perform as well as a happy, rested, cared for child.

Back to the NCLB Policy. I am 40 years old and I remember taking these yearly standardized tests in school EVERY YEAR. They are not NEW and are most certainly not because of George Bush. They may have changed the name for the NCLB policy but don't for one second believe that these tests started with GWB.

Teachers should stop lying and brainwashing our kids in school. This statement was made to the kids around the election time last year. CAL was pretty upset because some of the kids actually used that as a reason why we (as a society) should be voting for Obama.

Al Gore promised me......

Global warming and I want it now! It is so cold in this house because it breaks our heart to have to start using the heat the second week in October.

You know when I worked at the school, one of the teachers showed the Al Gore movie in her class. All those kids sat in those classroom chairs and listened to how the Earth was going to burn up during their lifetime if something was not done.

I want to know where this global warming is because it definitely has not hit New England yet. I cannot remember turning on the heat this early in the eleven years that we have lived here.

Pumpkin Cookies Recipe

This is a great pumpkin cookies recipe that my Mom used to make. Now the key is the frosting. The cookies will be very dry without it. It has taken me several tries to get the frosting just right. The mixture must be cooled but if you cool it too much it will become too thick. Also do not store in an air tight container or the cookies will become soggy and wet. Yuck!

Make your frosting first:

1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 tsp milk
3/4 tsp vanilla
3 tbl butter

cook butter, milk and brown sugar until dissolved. COOL add powdered sugar and vanilla and mix with your Kitchen Aid until very creamy. The frosting should be the consistency of peanut butter. Spread on warm cookies

Now for the batter:

1 cup oleo
2 cups sugar
2 cups pumpkin
2 eggs
4 cups flour
2 tsp soda
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp salt

Cream oleo, sugar, pumpkin, and eggs mix well. Add dry ingredients. Drop onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degree for 10 to 12 minutes. I have noticed that in my oven these cookies take about five minutes longer to bake.



Now the last batch of cookies I allowed the frosting mixture to cool too much and it was very thick when I put in on the cookies. I also waited too long to spread it on the cookies and they had cooled and it didn't melt the frosting. They were still extremely tasty and the frosting was soft and didn't harden.

Exhausted

This family has been so active since we started going to our new church. I have not decided if I like it or not but we seem to be very busy.

You can tell by the dark eye circles that the entire family seems to be sporting these days. CAL seems to be the busiest of all - as it should be. He either has soccer, church, or a youth event almost every night. Tonight is church, last night was soccer, and this weekend he has several events.

They are having an 80's mystery night with a live game of Clue. That sounds so interesting and I am sure they will go all out for the activity. My question is this: What does 80's dress mean? I grew up in the 80's and I cannot for the life of me think of what we dressed like that was different.

Fixing the world

Honestly I think that if I got a couple of my lady friends together, we could solve all the problems of the world. We have such good ideas and common sense.

I have a way to solve most of the problems that we have with our teenagers and it is called allowing God to return to our schools. Allow our schools to teach morals and right and wrong based on biblical teachings. If you don't want your kid to participate then those parents should be the ones to seek alternate education. Of course we would have to overhaul the educational system and get rid of the liberals who cannot teach morals when they appear to have none of their own.

The news is just filled with teenagers committing horrendous crimes. Today in the news there is a story about five juveniles who set a fifteen-year-old boy on fire because the victim reported his father's bicycle stolen. There appears to be a history between the kids but honestly to set the boy on fire. Then it is reported that they laughed about it after. What makes a kid commit a crime like this and then have no remorse.

I wrote yesterday about the teenagers who robbed and murdered a mom in her home a week ago. These boys decided before they even robbed the house that they were going to kill everyone/anyone inside. They also attacked her 11-year-old daughter and left her for dead. I just found out yesterday that one of the families that goes to our church lives next door to a house that was robbed by these kids a few months ago.

The majority of this countries problems could be solved by allowing God to rule. God Bless the USA. Our country has been blessed because we have - in the past - honored God. That is no longer the case and we are seeing the effects of this.

We need to take our country back.......... with God in control.

Pumpkin Cookies

CAL had his youth group over for a BBQ this weekend. He asked me to make pumpkin cookies because everyone loved them when I made them for a youth event a couple weeks ago.

The problem is that the kids were playing and having a great time (yes I see the irony here) and only ate a few of the cookies. Now I cannot stand to see these cookies go to waste so every time I pass the kitchen I grab a cookie. Seriously folks I think I have eaten four or five already today. I don't know why I do this to myself because now I feel yucky.

I just cannot control myself when I have these cookies around. I don't think I could pass them up even if I took the best weight loss pills on the market.

Winter is the time that I bake on a regular basis, and cook meals for the family. It might also be a reason why I tend to gain some serious weight.

Prayers

Several days ago there was a horrible murder that rocked the state of NH. Four teenage boys decided to rob a home and kill anyone inside. They just picked a house at random. I don't know many details as I don't have TV and in this section of the country newspapers are worthless.

I do know that many people in our church are directly effected. We have many people that are neighbors of the victim, neighbors of the boys, friends of both, and many other associations. It is a very sad situation.

I ask everyone for your prayers for everyone involved.

Determined

I am determined to find a coupon (and USE it) for 50% of my grocery shopping. I say fifty percent because many of the items I use are store brands and they usually don't have a coupon or another brand might be less even without a coupon.

This morning I spent about 15 to 20 minutes online looking for coupons for a few items. I think that Pedcid AC is worth its weight in gold and I took my last tablet yesterday so that is on my list. I found a $3.00 for that, a $1.00 coupon for Colgate toothpaste and Tylenol.

I didn't have any luck with Cascade. Now if I could just find a coupon for those silly water filters that I need, I would be all set.

I really have to start getting the Sunday paper.

Where do you get your coupons?

CAL's School Pictures

CAL got his school pictures back the other day. It is unclear how long they were in his folder, he is not good at keeping us informed. We usually hear about things the day before. Hopefully that will improve during the year.

These are the best school pictures he has ever had taken. Last years pictures were so embarrassing (he insisted on having long hair) that I didn't show them to anyone.

This is the young man that I see everyday. Sometimes in pictures you will get an expression that doesn't really represent the person. This is CAL.

It's a Jeep Thing

I love my Jeep but honestly I don't love my Jeep as the primary car. It is suppose to be a "fun" car and having to use it everyday is not fun. I am not trying to sound like a spoiled child but.......

The Jeep is pretty high off the ground and sometimes I feel like I need a ladder to get into the silly thing.

We are very limited when it comes to carpooling with neighbors (back and forth to school and church) because we only have room for one other person.

I feel bad for CAL because he has to "crawl" in and out of the car. I just wish we could get a four door car and have the Jeep for fun.

But..... until things get back to normal around here the car insurance alone is out of our budget. Gosh I hate being poor, but I think it is a lesson that our family desperately needed.

Conversation with CAL

I am not sure if I am proud about the following conversation with CAL but I must be or I would not be posting it.

We were listening to one of his CD's while relaxing the other day. The story was about responsibility and one of the characters was an only child. CAL said that it sometimes makes him very sad that he is an only child (living at home).

I told him how sorry I was that it worked out that way and that I had wanted at least four children when Hubby and I were first married but, it just didn't work out that way. God had other plans.

I told him that when he got married that he should remember how he feels now and marry someone that wants the same things that he wants, and that he should try to have more than one child.

His response very straight-faced was: "Yeah Mom I will make sure that we try every night." I just sat there speechless and the Hubby started laughing hysterically. Then CAL joined in and was very proud of his comment.

Pastor

My husband is a funny (strange) man. Before March 2009 he despised motorcycles. He thought that anyone that would ride a motorcycle was out of his mind with a death wish.

It seems that since we started attending our new church the hubby has had a change of heart and we cannot pass a motorcycle on the road without him pointing it out. He has come obsessed. If he sees one in a parking lot he has to look it over. The next thing I know he is going to be asking for a motorcycle jack for Christmas.

See the reason for the change is that our pastor is a motorcycle NUT. He is an older guy with a passion for them. He must have four or five that he rides to church on a regular basis. He races them during his off time. The hubby asked him the other day what the average racing speed was and the pastor answered without even blinking an eye : 150 to 160. My husband was speechless.

If Hubby goes more than 55 or 65 in the car it is a miracle. Suddenly he is fascinated with high speeds. I guess if the hubby wants to be more like pastor that is a good thing.

It's not nice to fool with Lukie....

It's that time of the year when all those nasty little creatures that live outside decide it is too cold and they want to come inside.

I have set a few traps in the stock room of our basement. This is a little room under our bedroom and off the garage. It holds most of the stock for our business, hence the name "stock room". It is an unfinished room that tends to get its fair share of "squatters" because we are only in the room a few hours a day.

Today I checked the traps and had to chuckle. A mouse had sprung one of the three traps, left me several nice little presents aka turds, but also left his calling card, an acorn. I think the little devil is taunting me.



Just a little warning to all........ I won't give up......

PS. A little note for Victor: These traps are the most worthless things I have ever seen. Do you think mice are so stupid that they are going to fall for that huge plastic yellow cheese. I would buy someone else's but....... I have not been able to find another brand. I have NO desire to "relocate" the little creatures...... I just want them to stop leaving their turds all over everything. Oh and honestly I do want them DEAD.

Almost there

I have been cleaning the house for several days because CAL is having a group of kids (about 15) over this weekend for a BBQ and games.

I am almost done. I steam cleaned the living room yesterday and ran out of carpet cleaner. I picked that up this morning and should be doing the dining room (instead of typing about it) right now.

Then that just leaves the bathroom (which I delegated to The Hubby) and the kitchen floor. Not too shabby. I think I am going to need to find some cheap hotels in las vegas after this is all over.

It should be a ton of fun with the kids. We are planning kickball, capture the flag, flashlight tag, and I am sure a game of basketball or soccer will be thrown in for good measure.

It kinda stays with ya!

Wednesday night we decided that we didn't have enough time to cook something before we went to church. If I am totally honest, I am not sure we had anything in the house to cook. Seriously, I have to do some grocery shopping and soon.

We decided to get Mc'Donalds. Now, I usually only eat there when we are traveling but, recently tried their Angus burger and enjoyed it more than anything else that I usually get. Cal had some friends over so I took the three boys and picked up the food and brought it home.

Today is Friday and that smell is still in the car. On Thursday morning it was so strong I thought that a bag was left in the car.

Can you imagine what that stuff does to our bodies if the smell stays in the car two full days?

Bible Study

I have been thinking about starting a live chat bible study with some of my facebook friends. I mean after my last post you all know how much I need to listen and obey God's word.

I have several Christian friends that I think would make an awesome group. I have not really worked out all the details. There are so many things to take into consideration. I would have to find someone to be the leader because I am not the sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to God's word.

How would we determine a time to get together, I don't want to make it a point of stress? I don't know, I will have to toss it around in my head a little longer before I can come up with a proposal. If you are interested........ let me know.

Moody!

To say that I am moody today is an understatement. The Hubby says that he is sick and needs to lie down but honestly I think he is just sick of hearing me rant and rave about everything. When I say everything I do mean everything.

I am just irritated. I am irritated that I do not feel comfortable blogging anymore because I know that my neighbor is reading my blog. Honestly if you hate me that much they why do you have to log on every day to see what I am writing.

I am irritated because I have to start a new "secret" blog so that I can vent about all the things I am no longer comfortable blogging about here.

I am irritated................. Because I just typed this long blog but have to delete it........

Education

I cannot even begin to tell you how much my son has changed (for the better) since starting his new school. His behavior is the biggest part and I won't bore you with that but his academics is a huge part also.

This school is more challenging than the public school. That is very obvious or why in the world would we be spending all this money to send him there. One of his teachers told us before CAL started school that she was very concerned about his testing. She thought he was going to be way behind and would probably struggle to catch up.

Friday CAL's progress report came home and we were ready for it. I cannot tell you how shocked I was. He is getting better grades now than before and he was a high honor student before. Even more than grades however, has been his desire to talk about colleges. He seems to be consumed (in a good way) with researching colleges.

Because of this sudden and intense interest in colleges, whenever I see a college site, I have to research it to see if it might be something that CAL is interested in.

Today I clicked on Gonzagaonline.com and the first thing that caught my eye was that Gonazga is a private not-for-profit University. The University is geared toward the Catholic Religion so that would not be a good fit for CAL or our family, but I would love to find the same type of college within the Christian religion.

They offer several different Online masters degrees including Nursing Education, Organizational Leadership, Communication Leadership, Nursing, RN to MSN, and a Servant Leadership Certificate.

I think that it is very important to have a college that is not only worried about education but is also concerned with a students mind, body and spirit, as long as it is biblical based.

I wish the site had been a little more informative of the costs.

New Look

I was really getting tired of the washed out look on my blog. I needed a little color. I don't know if this is going to work or not but we will give it a try for a few days.

I also went through my sidebar and "tried" to eliminate some old blogs. In the end I only deleted one. Two were really out of date but I don't want to delete them because then I won't know how to reach them if they ever decide to come out of hiding.

Life is like a roller coaster around here lately. There are days of extreme highs and then days (upon days) of lows. I have many things to be thankful for and I am trying to concentrate on those things but those "other" thoughts just keep popping into my head.