Blast from the past

Thanks to Classmates.com, another friend from high school has gotten in contact with me. It was so cool to hear from her. Andi is an Archaeologist in New Mexico, another success story to make me feel like I haven't done anything. I know, I know, I am a MOM. That counts, it does. But when I hear about my friends becoming professionals, having their own businesses, getting masters, it makes me feel like I didn't do something right. I tried the college thing, decided to wait till I knew exactly what I wanted to go to school for. 15 years later, I am still waiting to figure it out. Not exactly my cup of tea. I love learning new things but I only want to know certain things. Like, why a car needs oil. I don't really care how the carburetor works or the blinker fluid levels (wink Karen) I just want to know what difference 10w-30 vs 10w-40 is and why one is different. I love reading for fun but don't want to do it when someone says I have to. I think I probably have ADD or something, sure would explain alot. It is kinda a day to day thing how I feel, I mean some days I am so jealous of someone who gets up, goes to office, dresses professionally, leaves the office and leaves the job there. But on the flip side, I get to see first steps, smiles, hugs, when one of my kids finally figures something they have been working on out. And if I wanna stay in my jammies till noon, I can.

Today is leaning towards a jealousy day because Mr is in destructive mode, Bubba can't get along with anyone,411&411JR are arguing about the color on a piece of paper and Tater refuses her nap. Yeah, I can see the wonderfulness in being a contributing member of society.

A little bit of whine in your cup

Ahhhh the first full day of summer vacation and babysitting. Hating it. It is only 10 am and I have sent two to the park and laid one down. Of course, to be fair, Tater really needed her morning siesta. Mr is driving me insane, I love that he can communicate just like everyone else now but DAMN I wish he would learn to not talk too.

I watched the season finale of LOST on Wednesday. I have been watching it since season one, so I pretty much get what is going on (as much as anyone can that is) but Mikey was working nights those first couple of seasons and there is alot of stuff he asks about. That is fine with me because he finally quit saying 'this show is so stupid...' when he got interested in it. I like having someone to watch it with me. Chick is into it too, as long as it doesn't interfere with Supernatural. Anyway, I went to a couple of message boards outta boredom and I am so surprised at the high levels of passion people are writing about the show. Yeah, I really like it and somethings make me comment out loud (like Sawyer being mean to Hurley, really not cool) but c'mon, it IS just a show. I suppose from a merchandising standpoint, obsessed fans are a boon. I guess I just watch too much tv and movies to get so into it, I do nothing but think about the show and all the possible theories and explanations. It is a fun ride. Period.

The theme for next years party has been decided and now I get to come up with some quilt patterns. I was so flattered when as soon as Chelle brought it up, someone said, oh, you could make some fun quilts with that theme. I am always amazed that people liked something I made. I am always asking, so what do you think/ you think they will like it/ is it all right? I am sure people are tired of my asking, but I am seriously THAT insecure.

Speaking of parties, Mikey is really getting into the whole fish fry for the fourth of July. I just giggle because the POBs get everything planned in like 5 minutes because we have so many get togethers while he is starting to stress 6 weeks in advance. I have to admit, I am really glad Snatch will be here too, he is the only one of Mikey's friends (at the time of our marriage) that willingly accepted me into his circle too. The rest of them resented losing a drinking buddy which is normal I guess. He is a really neat person even if he does say things to set me off on a tangent on purpose.

AND, we are going to be getting the arrangements for the Halloween spooktacular made soon. Halloween? you say.. well, let me tell you, this party was for 80+ kids last year and I am sure even more will come that missed it last year since that was all anyone in the elementary talked about for a week. It was really cool, and since we have most of the stuff left from last year, shouldn't be that terribly hard to pull off this year. I am pounding on my wooden desk as I write that! Chelle is going to be famous for her parties, there is a lot of work and planning put in but at least 10 times that in fun had by the people that come.

Rain rain go away

Mikey and I were talking yesterday that for the last 6 years it has rained every Memorial weekend. I guess I didn't pay attention but he is a camping enthusiast and noticed because it is the first weekend for camping. Totally bums him out. He is really anxious to get a shelter built on our lot so that is frustrating him too.

We got Chick delivered to her grandmother with no problem, first thing Mimi says is 'Grandpa's got a crab boil planned for you. He's waiting to go to the seafood store till you get down there to help him pick out the seafood.' So ok, I knew she was going to get ridiculously spoiled. I called her to make sure they got to grandmas house ok and all I get are one word answers. Fine, do the whole 'My mom is a mega bitch' thing, it is not going to change the fact that you will be coming home in 5 weeks. I just love teens.

Bubba has his 9th birthday coming up next week. I have no idea what to get him, he has all the GI JOES he could possibly want. They aren't like the Bratz or Barbie with new outfits and accessories every other week you know. I do know he wants video games but I have a real problem buying him something to keep him inside during the summer. He has made a couple of friends in the neighborhood so he's getting out and riding his bike and being social. Something new for him. My niece has her boys this weekend and I haven't seen him but maybe 5 minutes here and there. That is they way I remember summers, out playing all day and trying to stretch that last 5 minutes out of the sunset because you have to be in by dark.


Mike has a huge fish fry planned for the fourth of July. Our friend Zach is coming up for the week, Mikey is taking a week of vacation and they have the whole week planned, drinking and fishing. One day they are going to go get my daughter and fireworks but the rest of the time is laid out!!

I need to rant

Let me preface this by saying, I know I should have paid more attention. BUT, I am PISSED OFF!! I have just found out that my loving daughter, who was on the B honor roll last semester and when I checked in March, hasn't turned in an assignment since April 25 in most of her classes. Now keep in mind, she had math,science,social studies,english, vocal and pe. She is down to 2 d's, a C, and one b. But that is before they average in the 6-8 assignments per class that she didn't do. I am really mad at her but I am also frustrated with her teachers because you would think they would notice when a student hasn't turned in an assignment for over a month. And maybe say something, like hey, what is going on with her? Her school does have where you can check on the kids progress and I do periodically but I guess I should have more often. I do not know what to do with her. She is going to see her dad's side of the family tomorrow and will be back in July. I can't think of anything to get through to her. When I asked her what the hell was going on that she wouldn't do her homework and then lie to me about it, she just says I DON"T KNOW. I loath those words. I have a feeling in my tummy that this is a very important battle I am waging with her, more then just her grades at stake, and I have no idea what my strategy is. She tells me that she forgot and when I asked her "six assignments in a row?" she just shrugs. We have always emphasized the importance of education and for her to just thumb her nose at it, AARRGGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Joe Paterno is my hero!

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news?slug=dw-paterno052207&prov=yhoo&type=lgns&expire=1



I hope the link to the article I was reading works, but, just in case, to sum it up, when Penn State coach Joe Paterno found out there was a brawl involving his team members, he is punishing them. He is making the football team clean up the stadium after all their games this season, build a house for Habitat for Humanity and volunteer at the Special Olympics.
I applaud a man, who at 80, is still coaching and teaching college kids about morals and values. It used to be that you had to uphold a certain standard to be an athelete and these days it seems like as long as they are performing they get a free pass.

This ripped my heart...

I was reading my daughter 411's journal from 1st grade. I really wish I had my scanner hooked up, I would just scan it. Instead I will type what she wrote exactly and then provide translation.



My grampapa died. cus ozie & drex cuoln't fiht his blud. and i cried. cuz hedied.and my family cried Cus he died. the end

TRANSLATION: My grandpa died because Ozzie and Drix couldn't fight his (bad) blood. And I cried because he died and my family cried because he died.

EXPLANATION: Ozzie and Drix are cartoon charactors from a semi educational cartoon that based loosely on the film with Bill Murray. Ozzie is the fighter cell naturally in your blood and Drix is from medicine that you take to fight (antibiotic). These guys are a team that take care of all the virus' and germs that try to attack the body various ways. Her Grandfather died almost 4 years ago after a couple of lengthy hospital stays when she was three and that is her explanation of what happened.

Maybe it loses something being typed but it really touched me.

wow

Here it is Monday after the legendary (hee hee) party. It was a LOT of fun, and was nice to have a lot of people having a good time without getting belligerent (with a minor exception). It was a pleasant difference because you all know that usually if there is a lot of people and alcohol involved, it gets UGLY at least once. And except for my husband asking a couple of women to show their boobs, and one lightweight drinking waaaayyyyyy past his limit, it went smoothly. Everyone is asking when the next one will be. I have it from an inside source next March is looking like a good party month.....

The best part of the whole night (for me) was when my quilts were raffled off, I had 2 women come up and ask me if I take orders. I DO!! I DO!! and, as a matter of fact, ,my nephew asked how much I would charge to make him the king size boot one. Since he is relation and lives upstairs, I told him $150. I think that is going to have to be the family rate though because I started looking up pricing at different sites and OMG no wonder everyone was telling me I was under charging. The average price for a TWIN size is 150. A king 250-600, queen is anywhere from 180-400,a throw size (which the size of a throw varies just as much apparently) is 40-130 and crib size is around 50. I need to decide on a scale and stick with it so if someone else asks, I don't just stare at them and say, I have no clue.

My mom came down to watch the kids Saturday night and I got a good visit in with her Sunday morning while Mikey was fighting the hang over monster. To be fair, Mikey doesn't get too drunk too often, maybe once every three monthes or so and he was tore up Saturday night. But I wasn 't too nice and woke him up every 20 minutes or so to make sure he still did what he said he would. Turns out he couldn't fix what he was going to because he didn't have the right parts. Oh well, it was good for him to get up and enjoy the day. Once he started moving he felt better so it was for the best :)

After mom went home the kids and I went to swim at the Study Pool. They made the rule that you can't get in and out alot because they don't want the grass and stuff clogging the filter ( which is totally understandable)wellll, 411 took that to heart. We got there around noon and I had to drag her out to eat at 7 and as soon as she was done she wanted to go back in. I remember being just like her as a kid. The down side is I got to see what a bad mommy I am because all three of the big kids (and me too) got sunburns. poor 411 looks like a striped lobster. I did use sunblock but apparently not enough. Mr was not impressed with the water temperature and didn't want to get wet. But he did want to join in the fun, it was a dilemma for him.

Good Morning

I sit here at the computer when I should be sleeping because I can't sleep. So, I thought I would update on all the mundane and totally inane things going on ..... Like yesterday we took all four kids to the dentist, yeah that was fun. Mikey made me go too, at least I didn't start sweating till Mr went in. All four of my angels have cavities. Chick, I have been told, is an "ortho nightmare" and will require braces so with this in mind, I take her to get it all started. Come to find out that she still has over half of her baby teeth and there is nothing they can do till she loses them. Bubba has a 'unique' situation in that he has teeth that have never come up that should have and the permanent are already there under the baby teeth that are still under the gums. 411 has three cavities, I didn't think that she had any teeth that werent already filled from the last time. And then we have MR, wonderful, co-operative MR. He screamed and threw a wall eyed hizzy fit so loud I could hear it in the waiting room. And that was just when they asked him to open his mouth to look in it. He is going to have to have oral surgery just like 411 did due to his 7 cavities. And that is just what Dr.Joe could see in the couple of seconds that Mr.'s mouth was open enough to look.

Then we motored up to my mothers to help her with her computer and couldn't do what we needed to do. BUT I did find out there is a plum, cherry and apple tree with fruit on them. I am so excited. I am still on the lookout for berry bushes, I had such good luck with the mulberries last year.

Chelles party is tonight. I am really excited about it, I know they have put ALOT of work into this. I am disappointed that I didn't find a costume of some kind but I prolly won't be the only one. It is at the "Flyswat Saloon", I get such a giggle out of that.

Mike is all bummed cuz we won't be camping Memorial weekend. We have to take Chick to her G'mas on Friday and he has to work on Sunday AND Monday so we will probably just come hang out and eat and go home. I've got to get details on where that is....

I have found out a few things

Bubba loves Dulce de Leche ice cream. He ate the whole half gallon in 3 days. I went to get some and it was gone, all he had to say (with that lil half smile) was 'what? I like it!' Lil brat

Mikey is pissed that I "don't let him be a parent" but that doesn't extend to cleaning up poopy butts.

Chick will be getting the Gardasil shots when she comes back. Her insurance does cover it and she is the right age, so lucky her. Yet another reason to not wanna come home :)

My oldest niece is a FASCINATING psychological study. I am gonna leave it at that.

I am still on the state's payroll for Munchkin, apparently 'I shouldn't complain because I am getting paid for nothing'.

My nephews girlfriend is pregnant again. That will give them a 3 year old, a one year old, and a newborn for Christmas this year. So not my idea of a good time.

Our friend Snatch is trying to get leave for the entire first week of July to come up and hang with Mikey. So Mikey took vacation all that week. At least Zach will keep him entertained. Drunk but entertained :)

There is a woman in England that has 13 kids and weighs 103 lbs. I am amazed at some peoples will power.

Another jackass tried to microwave his baby. What I don't understand is in what universe does that make any sense? What in the world are they trying to accomplish?

There was a little boy that went to the doctor for an earache and the doc found two SPIDERS in his canal. One was still alive!! That makes the ickiest thing I have heard in awhile.

And lastly, 411 is a smart, loving, outgoing child that I take for granted. I need to work on that too!

Movie Junkie

I just finished watching two pretty decent movies. "Because I Said SO" with Dianne Keaton was kinda funny and "Catch and Release" was an obvious tearjerker but I was in the mood for it so it was the right time to watch it. You know, there are movies that you just have to be in the mood for, and then there are the ones that make you watch them even if they are on tv and full of commercials. Yeah these weren't one of those, haven't seen on of those in a long while. of course, i mostly prefer the happy ending movies where everyone lives happily ever after. I have a list of like 25 movies I want to watch this summer, starting with Shrek the Third! We are going Friday, I can;t wait

Tuesday, rainy Tuesday

It is a blah kind of day. You know the ones, the kind where sitting by the window reading a good book is the best way to spend it. Yeah, not going to happen but it sounds good. Saturday I had a nasty bug that I thought I was going to have to go to the hospital for. It was really quick onset and just drained everything out of me. So Sunday when I got up I wasn't the perkiest. My 12 year old kept apologizing for not making me breakfast in bed but as she said, she wasn't sure I would've kept it down. Mikey had to work so it was pretty much me and the kids all day, he did buy a card Sunday morning at the gas station on his way to work. Since I was asleep, does that count as forethought? I don't think it does since it was on the day of but technically my day hadn't started...... well that is another debate. He tells me when we get home from his moms ( at 8:45pm), you'll have to go with me to pick out your mothers day gift. At that point, forget it. All I want is a little thought put into it. It isn't like I don't have a list I keep on my puter for the POBS. AArrgghh one of these days, he is going to get it into his brain that mothers day, my birthday and our anniversary are important. And valentines day but not so much. I keep hoping anyway.

Anyway, we went to Mikey's moms house to surprise her with a get together. She hasn't felt up to participating in family get togethers for a couple of years, so she was really, really excited that almost everyone stopped by for mothers day. Chelle and Whimp went and cleaned her house for her before everyone got there, I thought that was awesome cuz I hate cleaning my own home and to have someone come in and do it for you, what a great gift. As usual, everyone brought way too much food. I ended up bringing home three different kinds of cakes, the kids are in hog heaven!! I was a bad mommy and let them have Robert Redford for breakfast. My thinking is that it is going to go to waste and it doesn't happen all the time. It has dairy and nuts, there is two food groups, that counts!!


Yesterday after school, the kids and I went out to Chelle's, she let them swim in the pool for the first time this year, OMG they were so excited. Mr even wanted to get in when he got there but by then a nasty storm was moving in and we had to come home. I am really hoping this year he is a little more interested in the pool. I absolutely love visiting with Chelle cuz she always makes me feel welcome. I never feel like I am an inconvenience or interrupting her life, I think that is a great skill she has. I know that there are times that people stop by or even call and something is going on and I am short with them or just not very inviting. I don't mean to be, I am working on it. I need to work on my social skills with Chick!!

Mr update

I just got back from my meeting at school to discuss his IEP (individual Education plan) and they are moving to more academic goals with him but he still qualifies for special ed. Apparently they only re-eval that every 3 years. So the good news is his preschool is paid for next year. The teacher mentioned that in Iowa they passed a law or grant or something that all 4 year old preschool is free. That is good info for a couple of people I know. I asked about the peanut issues and basically she didn't know anything. I found out last night that the nurse's office didn't' have an Epi-pen for him, they have one in the classroom (where he is 99% of the time) but not one in the office. I was under the assumption they had one, I certainly can get them to have. It kind of disturbs me that they are just noticing a week before school gets out. I also asked about the peanut free table and she couldn't answer that one either, I am going to have to request a meeting with the principal to get some answers. She was supposed to be at this meeting but something came up and she called and asked if that would be a problem. I didn't think it would since I mistakenly thought that whatever couple of questions I had would be answered. I am getting more and more disillusioned with the school. Mike has been offered a couple of different promotions that he has turned down to keep the kids here. Might be the next one he takes because I am not 100% that this is the absolute best.
To update on the whole Chick issue, the girl that wrote the note that got Chick sent to the principals office received 2 days in-school suspension and the other one got 1/2 hour detention. I still haven't heard if anything was done about the girl that smacked her on top of the head. It amazes me that 411 and her are sisters. 411 is so outgoing and gets along with everyone. Her biggest complaint is that so and so called her a kookie cookie. What I wouldn't give for that to be my largest stress. Bubba just hangs with the boys playing army and is so "normal" it is textbook. At least they keep me on my toes.

Pizza anyone?

I am not sure if ya'll have heard this story, but there was a man, Phillip Workman, in Nashville that was executed and his last meal request was to have a pizza delivered to any homeless person in Nashville. The prison authorities refused to honor the request saying they weren't in the charity business. Well, I guess that pissed a couple of people off because the local homeless shelter had 150 pizza's delivered and a youth center had 17 dropped off. I don't' understand why the prison officials took the stance they did, I suppose they have their reasons but I do think it is kind of cool that so many people took up the act of kindness. It does happen once in awhile.
I remember when I was younger and there was a movie quote I never understood. "I have always relied on the kindness of strangers" It never made sense to me because all I can remember is being told strangers=danger. I think it is a sad commentary on what our society has become that our children are being raised to be scared of everyone that isn't a direct relative. I freely agree that it is necessary. And that, my friends, is even sadder. There are a lot of big hearted, generous, wonderful people out there and it is really refreshing to be reminded of that.

Wednesday...

Well, I called to get the whole clothing drama resolved. Guess what? No one knows anything about it and the mom is in a different state. I told the woman I talked to at West Central that not only had I sent all the stuff that the mom had provided, I had sent extras. Then she says well 'mom' had noticed that Munchkin was wearing certain outfits that didn't get sent home with her. So I said if there was any they wouldn't fit her anyway so what is the point? Then the lady says well you did receive a clothing allowance, she wants the clothes from that. Give me a break! So I explained to her that you have to request that and since I didn't, there wasn't anything more to give her. I said" Look, I sent back everything 'mom' sent here, some extra outfits that had been given to me and on top of everything that she kept from my house, I don't see where I owe her anything. If there is something specific, I will try to find it but other then that, I don't know what to tell you." I don't think she liked it but too damn bad. 'mom' is out of state right now anyway so what the hell? I just love dealing with stupid.

The kids' program was last night, 411 so loves the whole performing thing. I am hoping that my wondermus sister in law with the fabu camera will share her pictures that she took last night. I am so impressed with the pictures that thing takes. I have tried year after year to get a couple of decent shots and all I get are dark fuzzy unidentifiable pictures, Whimp zoomed right in on their faces from across the gym. DAMN! that is a neat toy.

I took Chick on a retail therapy trip yesterday and finally got her a summer wardrobe that fits. It would have been more fun without the three extra kids but it was either that or wait till we could go alone and everyone knows that would have taken forever and a day. So we went all over the mall, she found 2 shorts and 1 shirt. Went to Walmart, she found like 8 shorts that she liked and 2 more shirts. I only wish she could have found more tops but with her taste and build, it is hard to find more then tees that she likes. Poor girl is discovering the evilness of 13 year old girls. She doesn't really have any true friends that stand up for her, they all choose to join in. She is feeling very isolated and lonely and I am truly worried that this year she won't want to come back from her Grandmas. I don't think I would want to knowing there isn't one person in that school that will stick up for me. I know I am biased and not the most objective but it really pisses me off, yeah she is snippy, and particular but you could not ask for a more loyal friend. I am so disappointed in these girls choices. And I know, I know, they are teens (or soon to be) and drama is their bread and water BUT when my daughter comes home in tears 4 out of 5 days because of the way her "friends" are treating her, it pisses me off. It isn't even the lil twits who were teasing her earlier this year, it is the girls she thought were her friends.

411 sold all the tickets that were given to her and I called to get more because she still has to sell 39 to make her goal. I called on the 1st, 4th and 6th and just got a return call last night. Her coach told me to just cut up paper and have the people write down their info on those. ARE KIDDING ME? I know I would be suspicious if a kid was selling raffle tickets that were just blank pieces of paper. She is supposed to be sending some home with 411 today but if not, I will have to come up with something because she is now down to 3 days to sell them and has to sell 39 more.

My dryer just died. Actually it was screaming in torture and smoking like a crack head and I had to unplug it. I am thinking that if it is setting off the smoke detector, it is time to get a new one. I really have my heart set on a set Mikey can get through work but I sincerely doubt that is going to happen.

Mr was up all night with I don't know what. Another night of tossing and turning and whimpering. He answers us when we ask him if he is ok, but just is not sleeping or letting us sleep all night. Then this morning he pooped in his pants like Bubba and thought it was funny. I quickly assured him it was not funny or acceptable. I don't understand why these boys think pooping their pants is ok and it frustrates me that they won't stop. I can't get it through their heads it is nasty and gross and could potentially make them sick. Bubba will be 9 in 3 weeks, for goodness sake.

I am beginning to think it is a Monday in disguise.....

Mr's new car

Mr's wonderful Aunt Dianne found this at a yard sale this weekend and with the rain, he had to 'drive' it inside. He has had it to the 'garage' to be 'fixed', to be 'pimped' (we watch too much MTV), to the 'army post' (Bubba's idea) to get 'rockets' attatched, to 'caseys' to get gas in it, etc... He loves this thing. You guys had to see it too :)

Stupid should hurt

I mean seriously, there should be a special kind of shock that your brain emits whenever you do something so beyond ridiculous that all a normal person can do is shake their head. Case in point, Munchkin went home 3 weeks ago, I got a call this morning. Her mother is complaining that I kept the clothes that I bought for the baby with the money that the state paid me. I am just astounded at that considering how many times the woman kept clothes and bottles that I sent with the baby. To be honest, I only bought one or two outfits, the rest were given to me to have on hand in case I am given another baby with nothing. And besides all that, the baby has outgrown anything anyway. I returned every thing the mom ever sent here for the baby and a few extra outfits and she is still complaining. I am just totally dumbstruck at the (I don't even know the word here) of this woman. So tell me, what do you guys think? Is the mom right? Should I send everything I had at the time Munchkin was here? Even though it doesn't fit, just because she was in my care and I received money for her care? Am I being petty in thinking the mom should figure out how to take care of her baby without coming back to me? I seriously can not be objective here and would appreciate feedback.......

The great flood of 2007

As most of you know, we have a camping lot down along the Missouri River. This is normally a pretty cool spot to hang out, what with having Dianne a couple spots down and Deanne just a hop skip and jump. Well, with all the recent storms (and the more to come) we got a call this morning that we might want to move our camper because the mighty Mo was coming up the bank. When we got there, this is what we saw.....


This is Diannes view of the neighborhood
this is the pole that we stuck in the ground when we got there at the waters edge, by the time that we were all done it had passed the pole by this much.....

Scattergories

You're Name: Brandy
1. Famous singer: Bee Gees
2. 4 letter word: Brat
3. Street name: Broadway
4. Color: Burgundy
5. Gifts/presents: Bordeaux
6. Vehicle: Bmw
7. Things in a Souvenir Shop: Braclets
8. Boy Name: Brendon
9. Girl Name: Bonita
10. Movie Title: Bend it Like Beckman
11. Drink: Bud light
12. Occupation: Banker
13. Flower: Baby's Breath
14. Celebrity: Brandy
15. Magazine: Boys Life
17. Teams: Bulls
18. Something Found in a Kitchen: Blender
19. Reason for Being Late for Work: Blown tire
20. Something You Throw Away: Bandaids
21.Things You Shout: Boo-ya
22. Cartoon Character: Bubbles/Blossom/Buttercup
23. Food: Barbeque ribs

Before and after part deux

ok, this is the drawing. Aren't I an artist with crayons?
and here is the final project...







This thing is too big to get it all in, I can't get high enough to take the shot so you got two :)

and this is the back, this is why I said slap me if I decide to do denim on a king size again.

Totally ripping off Deanne

1. What is a question that people ask you that always gets on your nerves?“have you lost weight?” because I never have and it makes me wonder just how fat they thought I was to start with
2. Name something you have in common with all your siblings. Our mother
3. What is the greatest amount of physical pain you have ever endured? Childbirth esp. MR, he was the worst; no drugs at all
4. What number of drinks constitutes your limit? if you ask Mike, 1. I would say 4
5. Do you fold your underwear?nope
6. Who is the last person you wrote a letter to? snail mail-Mike when he was in the field about 6 years ago.
7.Have you fired a gun before?Yes
8. Name someone you consider a genius. UUMMM that is a hard one, cuz most book smart people are people dumb
9. What was your favorite childhood toy? anything that required someone playing with me
10. Name a sound that disturbs you. ripping lettuce, whining ( I have a very low tolerance for whining)
11. Name something random that you would never do. Have sex with an animal.
12. Name a person whose diary you would love to read? My mothers when she was younger, there is a lot of questions I don't think I will ever get the answers to.
13. Have you ever had the same dream more than once? Yep, I used to dream about Dave nightly.
14. Name a song that makes you sentimental? Everything I do by Bryan Adams
15. Name something that made you laugh this week. Kristi telling me about her stresses.
17. If you were in an emergency situation and you had to deliver a baby could you? Prolly but I don't really want to test that theory.
18. What are you doing now?stealing Deanne's post
19. What time did you get up this morning?6:53 am
20. If you were famous, what would you be famous for? sticking my foot in my mouth, being a pushover
21. Name something you dislike about your mother. She has her own special version of history
23. What is on your refrigerator door?Magnets, pictures that kids have drawn for me,lunch schedule, parents pledge
24. Name the closest thing to you that is green?the light on my puter.
25. What would people guess or say your name is if they did not know? Jane
26. Name something you have to do tomorrow. Yard Sales!!
27. Name a movie you are looking forward to watching.Pirates III ,Shrek III, Spiderman III, Cath and Release, Ratatouille.... This is a baaaaadd question for me
28. Have you ever called 911? Yes, a couple of times for MR

Smart.Beautiful.Brandy

My niece sent me a link to this site, www.thesurrealist.co.uk/slogan.cgi and this is my slogan. I kind of like it, catchy no?

Haven't we all agreed that frivolous lawsuits are giving the American judicial system a bad rap? i mean seriously, everyone is so sue happy anymore you are afraid to fart in public in case someone sues you for noxious air pollution or something equally stupid. AND you would think, the judges whose case loads are weighted down with idiots who are surprised that coffee is hot would be really tired of it. Well, my fellow humans, I have found that is not the case. In this story http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070503/ap_on_fe_st/65_million_dollar_pants;_ylt=Ao6VSFY8bwBQUfxIvmPw97ouQE4F


stupidity is alive and well. The gist of it is a judge took his suits to a cleaners, they misplaced a pair of pants to one of his suits for one week. He wanted them to buy him a new $1000 suit, they said no, we have your pants. So he is suing them. They have offered him several different settlements including a $12,000 payment. He refuses to take it and is suing them for $67,000,000. In what world does this seem reasonable? There should be a pain in the ass penalty for people like this. What do you guys think, do you think he should be able to take a law down to the letter and come up with a total that would finance a small country for a decade? C'mon, where does common sense and compassion leave the building? The owners admitted they made a mistake and tried to make it right in every way they could and he is just being a jackass about the whole thing.

Oh and I forgot to mention, I am washing/drying my latest quilt. Pictures coming soon. Next time I get the brainbuster to use denim on a king size blanket, someone slap me. Wendy, you look too happy to do it, someone else slap me. And Deanne was right, denim does fray a lot, which in this case is a great thing but I have to go unload the lint trap every ten minutes :)

Moms

I got this in an email from a friend of mine and it is one of those that just came at the right time. So here it is...


Moms
Before I was a Mom -
I slept as late as I wanted
and never worried about
how late I got into bed
I brushed my hair
and my teeth everyday.
Before I was a Mom -
I cleaned my house each day.
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.
Before I was a Mom -
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Spit on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.
Before I was a Mom -
I never held down a screaming child
So that doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a babysleep.
Before I was a Mom -
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn'twant to put it down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect
my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom
Before I was a Mom -
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart
outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so importantand happy.
Before I was a Mom -
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
The joy,
The love,
The heartache,
The wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.


And remember that behind every successful mother...... Is a basket of dirty laundry

I FOUND IT!!

I have found a site that has good news, positive things for a change. Www.happynews.com has some really neat stories and lots of links to other sites with happy news. One of the stories is about blankets for the kids in Iraq. It always amazes me the wonderful, thoughtful things our troops do for whatever local people they happen to be around that no one ever hears of. Mikey helped build schools and supply them for the children of Kosovo when they were deployed there but unless you were directly related to one of the soldiers involved, you heard nothing about it. So I wanna share this soldiers story....



Blankets for Iraq: Warmth, Comfort, Security
A blanket is a source of warmth and comfort, and as every child knows, security. What if we had no blankets?
A selfless combat medic serving in northern Iraq thought about that. SPC Steve Stephens (pictured with two Iraqi friends) saw many local people who suffered through the winter without heat or electricity - or blankets.
"There are a large number of displaced Iraqis living in Mosul and the surrounding areas that don't have a lot and could use a blanket or two," said Stephens. So he decided to get some blankets for them.
SPC Stephens and six of his fellow soldiers in the 1st Cavalry Division launched "Soldiers Helping Those In Need - Iraq". They are asking for help from home so they can collect as many blankets as possible to give away.
Blankets will be useful next winter for warmth and this summer for shelter from the sun or as pillows. Soldiers Helping Those In Need - Iraq, BRAVO!
SPC Stephens (OR)
SPC McCafferty (TX)
SPC Thorstenson (MT)
SPC Correll (OH)
PFC Riley (NY)
PFC Brown (PA)
SGT Cunningham (TX)
1LT Evers
*************************
This Week's Nice Thing: Help the soldiers help the Iraqi people by donating a blanket. You can order one - or 2 or 10 - at Blankets.com www.blankets.com for $6.50 each, which includes shipping to Iraq. The Nice People at Blankets.com have made this possible.
Post a message for the soldiers and see additional photos on the "Blankets for Iraq Blog" on www.DoOneNiceThing.com.