Project Christmas Tree

When Christmas rolls around I love to give of myself. Homemade gifts really show you took the time to put thought and effort into that one single person. I'm a baker and give out the sweet treats as my gifts. Cakes, cookies, fudge, brittle and rum balls depending on the person. I love decorating them. I have a blast and it seems I get more and more into it every year.

For the kids, they're gifts are more crafts. Last year we made small things out of soup cans and ribbons, I wish I had some pictures of those, they were great! They really enjoy getting to do the crafts, and really look forward to what they're going to do every year.

Anyway, my Mom loves to put out several different trees and snow villages for Christmas time. It's one of the many things she does for Christmas we all look forward to. She builds her own lawn characters and has since we were little. Actually when we were little she painted on our big living room window whatever cartoon was the biggest hit at that time and made it Christmasy. So I thought a perfect present for mom from the kids this year, would be a Christmas tree she could display. What I liked was the kids could do most all of the jobs on their own. I did use the glue gun a couple of times when it was tricky for them. Each one had they're own idea of what the tree should have and look like. We tried to get everyone's in.

Everything we used was already here, reused and recycled. Old Christmas tinsel that really wasn't long enough for our tree, ribbon from presents past, cardboard that was laying around and no longer useful as a fort, glue, glitter and paint. A cardboard christmas tree!! Very easy, just time consuming. But each child could take part, which was very important.


Cardboard was the main component. It was painted and cut into decorations, ornaments and the star....and the tree!


I printed out a picture of the kids and glued it onto cardboard and added glitter.

Hand painted wooden ornaments.

The tree just slipped in together.

The finished product. We decorated some plain ol' plastic balls with glitter, wrapped up some boxes, added lights and tinsel.

Thats some old cob web from Halloween we never got a chance to put up by the way. Came in handy I think!

The hardest thing with these gifts is you want them to come out sooo perfect, because you know they're going to be gifts..... But you have to just let the kids do it and be pleased with their abilites. I was extremely pleased with their work. We had a few meltdowns, one kid wanted to be in charge of this or that and didn't get to. Or someone messed up and the others didn't like it. But it got finished in time, and everyone's hard work was displayed. We laughed, listened to Christmas music and just bonded as a family. And thats all that matters. It's not the destination but the journey there.

A Touching Email Please Read

I had this in my email today, I have to share this, and I hope it gets passed on........

Will you give this to my Daddy?

As a Company, Southwest Airlines is going to support 'Red Fridays.' Last week I was in Atlanta , Georgia attending a conference. While I was in the airport, returning home, I heard several people behind me beginning to clap and cheer. I immediately turned around and witnessed one of the greatest acts of patriotism I have ever seen. Moving through the terminal was a group of soldiers in their camos. As they began heading to their gate, everyone (well almost everyone) was abruptly to their feet with their hands waving and cheering. When I saw the soldiers, probably 30-40 of them, being applauded and cheered for, it hit me. I'm not alone. I'm not the only red-blooded American who still loves this country and supports our troops and their families. Of course I immediately stopped and began clapping for these young unsung heroes who are putting their lives on the line everyday for us so we can go to school, work and home without fear or reprisal. Just when I thought I could not be more proud of my country or of our service men and women, a young girl, not more than 6 or 7 years old, ran up to one of the male soldiers. He kneeled down and said 'hi.' The little girl then asked him if he would give something to her daddy for her. The young soldier, who didn't look any older than maybe 22 himself, said he would try and what did she want to give to her Daddy. Then suddenly the little girl grabbed the neck of this soldier, gave him the biggest hug she could muster and then kissed him on the cheek. The mother of the little girl, who said her daughter's name was Courtney, told the young soldier that her husband was a Marine and had been in Iraq for 11 months now. As the mom was explaining how much her daughter Courtney missed her father, the young soldier began to tear up. When this temporarily single mom was done explaining her situation, all of the soldiers huddled together for a brief second. Then one of the other servicemen pulled out a military-looking walkie-talkie. They started playing with the device and talking back and forth on it. After about 10-15 seconds of this, the young soldier walked back over to Courtney, bent down and said this to her, 'I spoke to your daddy and he told me to give this to you.' He then hugged this little girl that he had just met and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He finished by saying 'your daddy told me to tell you that he loves you more than anything and he is coming home very soon.'The mom at this point was crying almost uncontrollably and as the young soldier stood to his feet, he saluted Courtney and her mom. I was standing no more than 6 feet away from this entire event. As the soldiers began to leave, heading towards their gate, people resumed their applause. As I stood there applauding and looked around, there were very few dry eyes, including my own. That young soldier in one last act of selflessness, turned around and blew a kiss to Courtney with a tear rolling down his cheek.



We need to remember everyday all of our soldiers and their families and thank God for them and their sacrifices. At the end of the day, it's good to be an American.RED FRIDAYS ----- Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing Red every Friday. The reason? Americans who support our troops used to be called the 'silent majority'. We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, country and home in record breaking numbers. We are not organized, boisterous or over-bearing. We get no liberal media coverage on TV, to reflect our message or our opinions. Many American, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of America supports our troops. Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday -and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that.. Every red-blooded American who supports our men and women afar will wear something red. By word of mouth, press, TV -- let's make the United States on every Friday a sea of red much like a homecoming football game in the bleachers.If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, co-workers, friends, and family. It will not be long before the USA is covered in RED and it will let our troops know the once 'silent' majority is on their side more than ever; certainly more than the media lets on. The first thing a soldier says when asked 'What can we do to make things better for you?' is...We need your support and your prayers.Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example; and wear something red every Friday. IF YOU AGREE -- THEN SEND THIS ON.IF YOU COULDN'T CARE LESS THEN HIT THE DELETE BUTTON --- IT IS YOUR CHOICE. I don't know if you've seen this, but I couldn't delete it. WE LIVE IN THE LAND OF THE FREE, ONLY BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE.THEIR BLOOD RUNS RED---- SO WEAR RED! --- MAY GOD HELP AMERICA TO BECOME ONE NATION, UNDER GOD.

Christmas Homeschool Style

Home schooling I've learned a lot of what I would normally do is counted towards school hours. Even before starting home school, I would make it a point to do something artsy fartsy with them for the holidays.

This year we made some really cool stuff I'd like to share and it's all so super cheap and plenty of fun!! I tried to get them all in one shot so it wouldn't take up an entire page. But some wouldn't fit.



We made an angel, snowflakes, and a Christmas tree.


A pine cone ornament.


A Christmas card.


Every tree needs candy canes, but if your kids are like mine then your tree starts out full of candy canes and quickly disappears! This is a great solution to that!


The angel (10 yr old) is a thin cardboard box from a box of pizza rolls (I save a lot of that stuff. Always something I can use it for.) We covered the cardboard with foil and glued it. While it was drying I had the Anthony cut tissue paper just as they would a snowflake. Then we glued that on top of the foil. Added some sparkly glitter and ta da an angel pretty enough to top your tree with!

The Christmas tree (8yr old): I had an old grass skirt from a Hawaiian birthday party we went to and Caitlin had it all messed up but I knew it would come in handy one day so I saved it! We measured out our length and snipped it. Then Cody gathered the top and taped it then stapled it to the paper. Cody made the star from a yellow pipe cleaner. Added glue and sprinkled glitter. To add a little something I had him color on it as well.

Snowflakes (all): Who doesn't love making snowflakes. I don't think theres ever been a year we haven't made these. They're so much fun and they're always different. We like to add glittery glue to it.

Pine cone Ornament(5yr &3 yr old): We picked up a lot of pine cones when we were on the truck with Daddy cruising America. This year we decided to decorate them for the tree. I had Wyatt and Caitlin drip some glue all over it and sprinkle glitter. Then I tied a ribbon on it . Easy for little hands.

Christmas card (all): This starts out as a regular snowflake, then you just glue it to some construction paper. Fold the paper in half and you have a card ready to decorate and personalize.

Candy cane ornaments (all): Two pipe cleaners. Line em up, twist one end together really tight. Then loosely twist the rest, then at the other end twist tightly again. Bend into a cane shape. Super fun!!

Some fun projects for any age I think. The key is to not go crazy if you can't see the floor through all paper clippings and what nots. Prep area if you particular. Me, I tell the kids go crazy and have fun.....they can clean it up afterwards! LOL. Little hands are very curious and excited and sometimes clumsy so plan their project accordingly. This is a great way to get into the holiday spirit!! Tell stories of when you were little and you did stuff with your parents, or make new memories.

Christmas Shopping Online

This is the first year I did most of my shopping online. Between Hubby and I working opposite shifts, taking off to do shopping was going to be tricky. I have ordered online before but never for Christmas. Never have I even paid attention to the deals during Cyber Monday. I started out with Black Friday. Just surfing the web to see what deals were going to happen. Then I saw "Free Shipping", "97 cent Shipping", "B1G1F", "70% off online only!". Well, yes some deals were too good to pass up. Some were last years big whoopla. Some weren't deals at all, just worded fancy. But no lines, no pushing or fighting, tripping each other...so if your into that sort of shopping, you would not like online shopping.

I did manage to find a few things the kids had been whining about. I think I saved quite a bit doing it early and online. Honestly, with the way these kids go thru toys I didn't really want to go all out this year. Never fails...Christmas morning "OMG! I love it! Thank you thank you thank you!!! I'm gonna take care of it I promise!...New Years Days most are broken, missing parts or just plain ol' lost! And I'm not talking just the cheapy fillers. I mean those mini truck ride ons, Hummer RC, Robo Raptor, RoboSapian, Video games, Laser Tag, Transformers, Bikes, Heelies, oh how the list goes on and on! I joke how toys come here to die. But really its so beyond disappointing. I spend all this time and thought on what will make my kids head spin and.....not to mention the money, only to find it shoved under something broken or lost.

But it is Christmas and no matter how many times I threaten to buy them clothes if they don't start treating their toys correctly, I can't have them open socks. Though I should. How funny. I should stock the tree with straight socks and underwear let them open those and see what they do! Once the whine fest is over break out the real presents. Maybe they'll learn! Just a thought.

Back to my online shopping experience. I stuck to ToyRUs and WalMart. Stores I know. Stores that have stores where I live in case something went wrong, I could go there and exchange or return. I did have a small delay with WalMart, but all is here and exactly what I ordered! I may do this every year.

But, be prepared if they're big items they come in the original box! Not a brown cardboard one as I had thought. So the kids got a sneak peek unfortunately. Lucky not the kid getting the toy. I would recommend shipping to a family or friends house to avoid that. I ended up playing interception until all got here safe and unseen.

Last note: They recommend using a credit card not debit card for online shopping. It's easier to dispute charges or misuse.

Happy Shopping!

Home School Pictures Posted!

Hope everyone's Thanksgiving was great and you got to spend time with the family, relax and of course CHOW DOWN!! We had a very simple one here, a lot of us were sick still. Getting over a cold. But we managed to fry up a turkey and put some sides together.

Not too long ago I wrote how we needed to take the school out of the small room it was in and place it into a bedroom. We bunked up a couple of kids to do that.... Well we grew out of that room quickly! We have now moved it to one of our living rooms! Yup, it's like the blob! Homeschool will soon consume our total home!! Well, yes you do tend to acquire a lot of things when you home school but I think its so worth it and you know what I don't miss the old living room at all! We put a TV in our bedroom, I feel like a kid having it in there. The large sofa went to the movie room and the other sofa with tables went to the bedroom. It's like a hotel room now! *LOL* Hubbys thinking of putting a fridge in there now. Like 3 in this house isn't enough!
This is how it turned out...

Every drawer, nook and cranny filled!! I'm telling you, you acquire a lot of "stuff".


Nothing like seeing your walls on camera to make you realize how badly you need to paint!





Posters I made for the kids/with the kids for various subjects.. I printed out some really great NASA photos I'm dying to put up but how and where still stumps me.

The always goofy Cody showing off our kick ass American flag. We pledge allegiance and pray every day before school begins...as it should be♥

Kids just hanging out ☺

I love seeing homeschooling families posts pics of their set up..It always gives me ideas. I see things I gotta have or better ways to situate things.

MUSIC MONDAY!!!!

No one can sit down for this... SO crank it up and ENJOY!!!

In The Raw

So this is where it gets raw. I've been juggling this anxiety problem for the last 5 months. I don't know how it started or what brought it on. Or even how to control it. Working lessens it. But it's also contributed to it. The pills help, but are also addictive. Meditation and breathing helps, but it's hard to meditate in the grocery store. I was told that I should journal, but I can't even find the time to blog, which is my journal.

At first, I was told the uneasiness I feel in big groups, social outings, public places and even family BBQ's was social anxiety. But who doesn't get kinda uneasy around people before you start to "loosen up"? I love being out, shopping, hanging out and just living. Now, I no longer do them.. At least not like it was. Now I need my "super pills" with me or I don't make it out my door. That's agoraphobic right. SO now we have social phobia, agoraphobia.... and...

Apparently also because of that first panic attack where I hyperventilated and rushed to the hospital like a dumb a**..... I have a panic phobia...Afraid of having another panic attack... Which I've had countless times in the beginning, trying to figure out WTF was wrong. Even went to a cardiologist..Yup... Getting the idea..

So it's been a while I've been on track only here and there panics. Not daily anymore thank goodness. I'm getting out the door easier and once I even FORGOT my emergency pills!!! 30 miles from home and I was fine!

Hubby and I went to help move a truck for my Dad. It's a beat up old Ford. Didn't run, had to put tires on it to push. You know the kind, why do men keep this things? They needed someone to steer it while they aligned it up to the trailer. I was the lucky one. I hopped right in to this truck that hadn't moved in years!! Slammed the door and steered. Well, I steered wrong and I was pressed up against some debris by my door. Meanwhile, Wyatt the lil' man he is is playing with the stick shift making vroom vroom noises. We wait... All this junk inside the truck is preventing me from seeing out the other window. I was fine though.. Just helping out. I got kinda hot and tired of waiting to see the guys next move so I thought I'd jump out and see what the hold up was....

The door doesn't open from the inside.. Great, old truck why would it? So I go to roll the window down....Nope... Doesn't work.. Hmmm.. I look around no way out... Except to jump the mountain of junk on the other side that's piled up. .. Could I even fit I'm thinking? Wyatts still oblivious to Mommas panic. I thought I'll break the window.... I'll just pay Dad back, at least I'd be out.. My heart starts racing, my pills are inside on top of the china cabinet! What to do!! I'm seriously in panic at this point... I see my Dad and he asks, "The door won't open?" I shook my head no, I felt like screaming HELP ME DADDY!!! But I couldn't speak. My son's there with me and I don't want to freak him out.... But I just can't take it anymore! I toss him aside, squeeze my ass over the mountain and pray the other handle works!

It did.. and I'm free!!

So now to catch you up that's, social, open spaces, panic and claustrophobia! Seriously this sh** is really pissing me off. Why is my only question? Why can't it be like it was, carefree and fun pill-free? Hubby and I use to love just up and leaving whenever where ever our hearts desire. Now I have to worry about pills and paper bags.

2012 The Movie

STARRING:
John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Thandie Newton, Danny Glover and Woody Harrelson
Rated: PG-13
Opens: November 13, 2009
To see Trailer: LINK

What is 2012? According to Astronomers on the winter solstice in 2012 the sun will be aligned with the center of the Milky Way for the first time in about 26,000 years!! Which would mean that energy will be disrupted on 12/21/12......

Whether you believe the Mayans were on to something with it being the last day...Or a more biblical thinkng of it being the start of 1000 years of Hell on Earth or your just into the whole World blowing up thing, this movie looks to me like it will pay off.

I'm not real sure if I "believe" in an end to our World, it's kinda difficult to see that. But the Earth has "started over" before and thats what gets me. If it were to happen all I can say is get straight with the Lord. ♥

Choosing Your Infant Formula..What You Need To Know

I am a huge advocate of breastfeeding... when your able. But there were circumstances with some of my children that made it impossible to do so...

With Anthony, my oldest, I had to go back to work after only 3 months. I did pump, but being so busy, sometimes it just wasn't enough, sometimes I just didn't have the time. I'd pump on my breaks, rush home during lunch, in the middle of the night, basically if he wasn't eating I was pumping. After a few months of that I just gave in. With Caitlin, my youngest, I had to be put on medication due to the fact that after the epidural I had a leak of spinal fluid.

Apart from those situations, I've also had to supplement my own milk with powder. Wyatt, the youngest boy, was always hungry. I could sit for an hour with him and just when I thought he'd be done...he wanted more. This would be just about every other hour. He still my biggest eater.

When your not able to give your baby the breast, at least for me, it's heart breaking. Then your worried...are they really getting all they need out of this powder? How do I know what to choose. Is name-brand better than your favorite store brand formula?

Did you know that all infant formulas must be regulated by the FDA? That all are nutritionally equivalent?? That means the store brand formula, that is considerable less, and the name brand are exactly alike nutritionally! You could save a considerable amount of money over the duration of twelve months! We need that savings now more than ever! Especially young families starting out.

Also, a new WIC (Women's, Infants, and Children Program) initiative has begun as of October 1, 2009. It's aimed at increasing breastfeeding rates among families. It is reallocating it's funding for all currently provided foods including infant formula. Which is to say mothers on this program may have to start paying for their own infant formula.

There are so many reasons a mother may not be able to nurse. Health, time, situations. It's relieving to know there are safe alternatives.

It's Alive!!!

Yes, I'm still alive! I have so many things happening right now. From the home and family to working and the HOLIDAYS!! Woo hoo!!

One of my favorite Holidays is coming up and I'm just so excited. I love Halloween for so many reasons. I love the scariness and dressing up the kids, but crafts are my thing baby! Even though I'm not home all the time any more, I have to make time for the kids and their school. I found some great websites that I could use as lessons plans about Halloween. My favorite comes from DigitalisEducation.com. It had a great Astronomy Lesson in it that was easy for all the kids to get involved with. (Ages 3-9) It had the history of Halloween in it and the mythology. Also, constellations visible on Halloween. They go over a little of solstices and equinoxes and how they relate to the seasons. All around great idea for a lesson.

We also got into the decoration making as part of Art. We made everything by hand. Banners, pictures, creepy crawlies and ghosts. All you really need are construction paper, markers, paints, crayons, glue, newspapers, cotton balls, cardboard boxes (cut up)and plastic bags... Very cheap but also very memorable. Stick the name and date on the back and you have life long treasures you can pull out every year and add to it.

On my days off we've been having "Halloween decorating parties" Little by little its come together. Our house is almost "Spooktacular". I couldn't help saying that. This coming week were going to begin the baking part of decorating. That'll be Art, Science and Math! I love it when I can bunch up lessons like that! I have some fun stuff I'm just dying to do! I really hope my camera doesn't poop out on me. I've been trying to charge it. I really want to share with everyone.

My favorite baking tricks:

Oreo cookies(without center) crumbled- as dirt

Nutter butter cookies dipped in white chocolate (dyed grey)- tombstones

Plastic bat, spider rings to press into cakes

Gummy worms

I'll be adding more as the days go on..

I'd love to hear your tricks if you got any comment them for all of us to hear♥

Thanks to all who stuck with me as I've begun juggling the work with everything else.♥

Need Advice! Help Please

So I went back to work as you all know. (Sorry for not having the time to post as often as I'd like... I have a lot to tell you all but just not the time to write it. There's not enought time in the day for working homeschooling and taking care of a home. But you know how that is.)

Here's my question.... I haven't changed my look in, well to tell you the truth, since ever! I've ALWAYS had long brown-black hair. Always! I try to change it a little. Up or down....Ponytail, bun, straightened, natural and loose...Thats the extent of my changing it. LOL. Being a busy mom I hardly have time to mess with it anyway.

But now that I'm working I want to try something new and different. So I went to this website that lets you download your picture and have a virtual makeover.. Mary-Kay. I love Mary Kay. You can try on makeup and pack your own compact to buy.

Good Places To Put Your Tattoo....

Forearm

Chest

Shoulder

Ankle

Back

Hip

But never thought of this one......

Conversation: "Sexy"

My conversation with my 4yr old son Wyatt:


"Can I say sexy Mama?"

"Uhmmm I think that's a big word for such a little guy, don't you?"

"Na ah, Daddy said it was a fine word."

"Well, tell me.. What is sexy?"

"Uhmm. Goin' on a date 'wiff' your lovey."

"And what is a sexy date?"

"Gettin' a soda and sharin' it"

"Uhh huh. Thats sounds nice."

"Watchin' a movie and sharin' da popcorn."

"What a fun date you will be. Then what? Do you kiss?"

"If she tries to kiss me I will say no! Jus' eat your popcorn!!"

"Is kissing bad?"

"No, well, she'll have to gimme a ring first."

"A ring for what, baby?"

"For her to marry me, then I'll kiss her when da man makes me."

"The man? You mean the priest?"

"yup!"

"Are you ready for all this... Dating, marriage kissing, popcorn business?"

"Noooo."

"Ok then I think it's too big of word for such a little guy to say, don't you?"

"Yes, mama..... Can I say 'bootalks' (buttocks)"

*sigh*

Bucket Gardening

As you all know, my garden was a flop...again....*sniffle*. But, I just learned of this great technique! Bucket gardening! Living in the middle of nowhere its no wonder I have all these animals trying to get at my goodies. There's nothing else around for them to eat. But still, it must end.

I met a lady out here who has a wonderfully thriving garden... When asked how she does it? She showed me each one originated from a bucket. What she does is plant them in a 5 gallon bucket, place a pvc pipe down in it for water, cut some holes in the bottom of it to drain, makes the lid holes and puts the lid on nice and tight. Once their too big to cover with a lid, she cuts a hole in the lids center and lets them grow out and drape down. This stops the ground animals from thinking there's a buffet. She also has this really fine netting she puts over the top of the whole garden area that stops the birds from feasting! How smart is that!

Now, I know its too late to start planting many of my favorites, but there's always fall veggies! But, I think I'll just wait and prepare myself for spring. As busy as I am now working, homeschooling 4 kids, cleaning, cooking, playing good cop bad cop, blogging.... you know I may not have the time just yet to tend to it as I need to.

She also has a cheap and easy way to greenhouse! I'll share that another time!

New School Year

The kids have been back to school for almost a month now. I'll tell you, last year we were cramped into the smallest room in the house. Which I don't really think its a "room" I think it was just extra space the builder decided to close up slap a window in and call a room. But this year I turned a bedroom into the school room and bunked up a couple kids. So much better now. One of the families I visit does home school too and she has her dinning room converted into a mini classroom. So that gave me the idea. All day I spend with her kids doing home school and its just so much easier. Having the space to move around and have everything not an arms length away really makes a difference.

So Tuesday I started my quest to turn a bedroom into a classroom for all the kids. I figured I'd started both my 3 and 4yr olds out in Kinder together, and make it to where the older ones could enjoy it too. I put in shelves for all the books and supplies. Hung up some home made alphabet signs, which the older boys helped with, complete with picture, capital and lower case letters. We used construction paper for that. Of course we had to do classroom rules on poster board. Tacked up the world map, hung the globe, the corkboard and top it off with a flag. But my favorite has to be the table. I used some index cards as name placecards so they know where their assigned seat is and covered them with clear packaging heavy duty tape. So the little ones could use their dry erase markers to practice writing their name. That got me to thinking about making the whole table writable. So I taped down a clear white paper as their white board, their numbers, alphabet, and practice sheets from an old workbook. Now they have a huge dry erase activity center on the desk! SO neato!

We even have a class pet compliments of Anthony. He caught a cricket and put it in one of his tanks. We named our school mascot the "Hoppers". So cute, the kids really got involved and excited with this change. We held our first class in our new room yesterday. It was a huge success. The little ones learned the letter A and its sound, and got to color an alligator and put it on a Popsicle stick. In history we learned about the Wright Bros and they made their own plane. So all went well.

As for the old room, I'm thinking of turning it into my sewing room. It would be the perfect size for that, and it has such great light. My poor sewing machine has no home, its constantly moving around to the next available spot. With the season almost changing (ALREADY!) I have to get started on their warmer clothes. Maybe this year I'll be able to do their costumes early for Halloween! Maybe, but I'm such a procrastinator.

Music Mondays!!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

I won my first giveaway!!! Woo Hoo!! Thank you to Sandi from Pregnant With Cancer and Nothings Off Limits!
I'm so excited and can't wait to see what I won. Yeehaw!

Thank you Sandi and Eden Fantasys!! What a fun giveaway Sandi had. *LOL*

Things That Make You Go "Hmm?"

Only in America .....do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering.

EVER WONDER ....

Why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens
our skin?

Why women can't put on mascara with their mouth closed?

Why don't you ever see the headline 'Psychic Wins Lottery'

Why is 'abbreviated' such a long word?

Why is it that doctors call what they do 'practice'?

Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dish washing liquid made with real lemons?

Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?

Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?

Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?

Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?

Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?

You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes? Why don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?!

Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?

Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?

If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?

If flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal?

♥I've Missed You All♥

I am so sorry its been so long since I've posted anything. This week has gone by very fast. I know there's working moms out there who blog and I commend you ladies! Being out there again, especially after years of the Mommy biz, I remember how little time there is in a day. I have so much to tell you all!!

The new job is going great, still learning as I go. I'm so ADD. Now I'm thinking Nursing school. I know I just said how excited I was to start Web Design not too long ago, and before that well.... you know. I swear I think its wrong to go into college straight outta high school. If that was the cause I'd be a very unhappy journalist. Though I do love writing, there's just so much else out there. I'm 30 now and still don't know what I wanna do when I grow up. Except be a Momma. Maybe that's why, nothing else can compare. I just can't set my mind to one thing and know that's what I must do for the rest of my life. I do have to figure it out pretty quick, I don't want to be 50 majoring in design or nursing.

Do you know what today was???? Folks the pork has landing!! We finally got our pork, ahh. And my camera's broken!! I wish I could show you all just how much we got out of the two pigs. Do you remember the new freezer we bought?? If not go here. That freezer, that's suppose to hold over 700 lbs of food, is completely filled. Then our 2 fridges freezers are packed and one fridge is holding all the fat. It's crazy!! I have an entire (had to take the shelves out) fridge with just fat. Wow. What to do with that?? I wish my dang camera worked! I'm so sad I can't share that with you guys. You'll have to use you imagination. If your curious again on the pigs I have some pictures of them below. I'm glad I didn't take in the 2 goats. Not sure where I'd of put them.

I'll be dropping like a mad woman and catching up on some blogs I've missed reading all your posts!! I'm going through withdrawals! Hope you all have a fabulous weekend! ♥

♥July Top Droppers♥

July Top Droppers

Dropper # of drops The Matthias Chronicles 30 Whatever Comes To My Mind 29 A Rose By Name 29 Anything Goes W/ Pahn 28 Split Rock Ranch 28 Symphony of Love 27 Momspective Reviews 26 Picture to People 25 All Stace, All the Time 25 I Like It Frantic 25

Back To School Shopping

It's getting nearer.... Back to school time! Now just because I home school doesn't mean we miss all these great deals. We still need supplies the kids all need new clothes and especially now is the perfect time. Sales galore! So take advantage of everything! Here's some great deals offered by Paypal. Most us bloggers use paypal so it just makes sense to post their deals. So many more so click the image to go check out the rest.





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Make it count at schools all over the US

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My New Job Update

So I just started my In Home Care this week and it went very very well! I'm just loving it. I met up with two of the families and met the kids. The biggest part those meetings that stood out was wow how well behaved these kids were. Anytime anyone comes to visit me my children bounce off the walls and fight in front of company, interrupt the adults talking...you get the picture. But these little guys were so respectful and I actually got to carry on a conversation.

Though I didn't get to do any Care yet for the kids this week I did have a couple with CP I cared for. I learned a lot from them. I have a cousin with CP so I was expecting to see that stage of CP.. I had no idea there are different stages. My cousin is completely non-verbal and non- mobile. She's as old as me but has the mentality of a baby. The couple too were at different stages. One is completely independent and wouldn't know she has it, and he is in between. But still very independent.

I did some light cleaning, laundry, and just basically visited. Of course there was "personal care" as well. My main job was to be sure she was comfortable since she just had surgery. I told them they spoiled me because it was just so easy and comfy there. Todays my day off and I enjoyed working so much I kinda wish I was right now.. I've gone crazy I know.

Leaving the kids was hard the first couple times, they were all I thought of. But it's getting easier. My baby lady wanted to go she didn't understand mama and work. Its foreign to all of us. I know I'm not the only SAHM that had to join the workforce after years of staying home. Especially right now. But Hubby, kids and home still come first.

~*♥Welcome To My Animals Page!♥*~

Working with animals has been a huge learning experience for me and my family. Its had its ups and down, pros and cons. Ideally this would be the way for the world again, but we've become a little too accustomed to convience. The meats fresher healthier and happier. Yes we kill our animals, yes it was hard first go rounds, but I'll tell you what I've never had better tasting food! It makes such a difference having a clean animal on your plate vs whatever it was from the store. We've all seen those inside documentaries from slaughter houses. I feel bad for those animals. No chance to run and play, be petted and loved. We dont inject anything into our animals bodies, we treat naturally and lovingly as it should be. Right up to the day we... well you know...... Don't worry we're safe around here, if we're in the pig pen petting some and then go to the chicken coop and hold one, we wash our hands first.... To prevent cross contamination..... Don't want to mix pork and chicken. Thats dangerous.... Ok bad joke. Enjoy our videos and pictures and comment me with any questions. If I don't know, I know tons of people who would ♥
 ********I'm always adding new ones so be sure to check back and watch our progress**********

Angel Food Ministries

Theres no getting around the fact that these are hard times for many Americans. Unemployment is at an all time high, but somehow the cost for food has managed to go up and up. Whats an average family to do? Thankfully there is a helping hand out there for you. Its called Angel Food Ministries.


History:
"In 1994, Pastors Joe and Linda Wingo found their hearts going out to the families of many of the local families in Monroe, GA, affected by the recent industrial plant closings. On their back porch, the first Angel Food distribution fed 34 families. Over the next years, other churches wanted to be get involved, and Angel Food began feeding hundreds of families across the southeast. Now, Angel Food feeds over 500,000 families a month in 35 states. Praise the Lord for his faithfulness!"

"Blessings by the box
Angel Food is available in a quantity that can fit into a medium-sized box at $30 per unit. Each month's menu is different than the previous month and consists of both fresh and frozen items with an average retail value of approximately $60. Comparison shopping has been done across the country in various communities using a wide range of retail grocery stores and has resulted in the same food items costing from between $42 and $78.
Generally, one unit of food assists in feeding a family of four for about one week or a single senior citizen for almost a month. The food is all the same high quality one could purchase at a grocery store. There are no second-hand items, no damaged or out-dated goods, no dented cans without labels, no day-old breads and no produce that is almost too ripe.
Also offered are specialty boxes such as steaks, chicken and pork. Many participants in this bonus program appreciate the expanded choices. Additionally, there is no limit to the number of units or bonus foods an individual can receive, and there are no applications to complete or qualifications to which participants must adhere. Angel Food Ministries also participates in the U.S. Food Stamp program, using the Off-Line Food Stamp Voucher system.

In these tough economic times its awesome to know your family won't go hungry thanks to people like Pastors Joe and Linda Wingo!

IZEA FEST!

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Schools Gonna Have To Wait

I haven't posted posted anything for awhile, sorry. But I've tried to make you giggle a little while I was gone. I've been trying to figure out if I should go ahead with the school or get a job..... Things are getting a little outta our price range now. LOL So I opted for the job.

When Hubby came off the road to drive locally we had no idea what a cut in pay it would be.. Try 40k less!! Yea, and since our bills didn't go down any, I bit the bullet and got a job!

I was really nervous with the anxiety being a problem. But (knock on wood) it's been great! I don't know how to explain it but the first day of meeting everyone it was such a different feeling of "normal" nervousness vs the panicking I've been feeling. That was a great change. When before I could leave my driveway without the necessary pills, paper bag and water. I made it clear across town an hour drive... perfectly fine (again knock on wood).

So this is my new job, I know your just dying to know. Aren't you? Well I'm telling you anyways. I'll be doing Respite Care for children with disabilities. If you don't know what that is, cause I didn't, I'll tell ya. Respite Care is In-Home Care for adults/kids who are being taking care of at home as opposed to a hospital or rehab. I give the main caregivers a break. In my case the parents. They may need to go shopping, pay bills, run errands, or just need a break. So, I go and almost like babysit. I guess, is how I see it.

I'm doing all my certifications this week and next week I get to go meet the families. I already know a little about them and their disabilities so I've been searching the Internet to learn more on it. One little guy is 5 and has autism and then there's a brother and sister that have decreased muscle tone. I wanted to find some things on the Internet to prepare myself and my activities I'll plan to do with them. I'm putting together a "project box". Things we can make together. I'd hate to bore them LOL. But I won't know their capabilities/ restrictions until next week. Until then I'm just planning away in my head.

I'm so excited this is my first 'outta the house' job in years! I better change my "SAHM"♥

Not The Run Of Mill Veggie Garden

I have been trying to grow anything in my poor dirt lot I'm calling a garden. But although my green thumb seems to have been non existent these funny veggie pictures lift my spirits! Anyone else having trouble this season?? Take a gander at these babies and tell me your not glad one of these didn't pop up!!

Could you imagine trying to explain what you grew to your kids?!










What would you say???....

Potato patch baby?







Not sure what this way to be..... I'll call it a gloveion (I know its not an onion)




These two would have me at a loss.....



Not sure I could even eat them!!