Let's Talk Christmas

I know it’s only the last day of July, but if Hobby Lobby & other stores can begin putting their Christmas decorations up, then I can start talking Christmas. Frankly, I think now is a perfect time to start planning for this coming Christmas if you haven’t already done so. (Especially since many toys at Target are 75% off...RIGHT NOW!) This post will wait while you go shopping. Go ahead. It will be here when you get back. It's okay.

Did you enjoy shopping? Now back to this previously-scheduled post:

I usually start planning in January for the next Christmas so I can shop deals throughout the year to fulfill my Christmas list. Due to incredibly extenuating circumstances, that didn’t happen this year. So, for the first time EVER, I am nearing the end of summer and have just now begun to think about this coming Christmas. My husband needs to request time off, we need to figure out when that should actually be, I need to figure out who we have get to give gifts to, & figure out what gifts they’re going to get.

Truthfully, I’m not completely without ideas. I’ve been learning how to knit & crochet as well as getting back into sewing for the past year. As a result, I’ve got some things set aside that we will use as gifts. We’ve also been making homemade soap, homemade deodorant, & homemade laundry detergent. We’ve got a good bit of homemade gifts that we can fairly easily put together. We had a couple of things that we made with Christmas in mind, but we didn’t go much further from there.

Today, I actually began to make my list. What will we make? What will we buy? Who are we giving to? What about our kids? We always give a family gift which is a board or card game to add to our collection for Family Game Night. It’s a given now that my kids love. That’s the easy gift this year. I’ve got several to choose from thanks to Hasbro & BlogHer.

Now on to figure out the rest…

What about you? When do you start planning for Christmas? When do you start shopping? Are you done, or are you a last-minute “Is it really Christmas-Eve already?” shopper? What gifts are you giving this year?

What’s the “hot” gift? (Not that it matters to me personally. My children’s gifts are never the “hot” gift. Because I’m cheap that way.)

If you do homemade gifts, what kind of homemade gifts do you give?

-Me

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Many of you have heard me reference my homemade laundry detergent before. Many of you have asked my recipe. Your wish is (finally) my command.

The ingredients are fairly simple. You only need 3: Borax (1/2 cup to 1 cup), Washing Soda (1/2 cup to 1 cup), & 1 bar of Ivory (or Fels Naptha) soap.
Utilizing these 3 ingredients, you can make a dry or a liquid version. I have not yet tried the liquid version, but intend to in the future. I have been using the dry for almost a year now with excellent results.

Here’s what you do:

1. Grate the bar of soap. (I would recommend buying a separate grater for this as it will be very hard to clean it sufficiently enough to use with food again after using it for grating soap. I got mine for 25¢ at a local thrift store. You didn’t really think I would have paid full price, did you?
   
2. Add grated soap to the Borax & Washing Soda.
   
3. You can make as big a batch as you like & add it to a suitable container.
   
4. You use 1-2 tbs of the mix for each load of laundry.

Here are some things to remember:

1. The soap will not suds a lot. Don’t expect it to.
   
2. You can use either ½ cup or 1 cup of the Borax & Washing Soda. The amount you use will be totally dependent on your needs. I usually use a mixture with ½ cup each, but I keep a mixture with 1 cup each in a mason jar in my big container for heavier loads (like when my son walks in the door covered in mud).
   
3. If you don’t want to bother with 2 separate mixes, you can always just add a little extra Borax to the load. It is a natural laundry booster that many use even with the regular laundry detergent.
   
4. Yes. You really only use 1-2 tbs with each load. I know it seems like an incredibly small amount. But your clothes WILL be clean. I promise.
   When I do the liquid version (sometime in the ever-elusive future), I will get back to you & let you know how it goes. You will save more money if you use the liquid version, but for me, I needed convenience. I’m still saving money by utilizing the dry version, just not as much.

If you try it, please let me know how it goes for you. Good luck!

P.S.-(Okay. Not really “post”, but work with me here. Anyway, back to the previously-scheduled P.S.) The kids really love grating soap so if you don’t feel like grating soap today, call a family project…and let your kids do the “dirty” work!

P.P.S.-(Again, please work with me here.) The extra bar you see in the pic above is a laundry bar I buy at the local health food store. It works wonders at getting tough stains out.

-Me

Therapy at BlogHer?

After a very long weekend, I am finally back home from BlogHer. I’d have checked in here sooner, but I had NO INTERNET. At a conference. For bloggers. Yeah. It was crummy.

I took yesterday to recover and spend time with my family. Today, I’m playing Pizza Palace non-stop researching, writing, and getting back into the swing of things. I expect this will be a busy week as we start back to school again tomorrow after almost a full month off.

The conference was awesome! I met a ton of great people, had fantastic roomies (Heather & Meg…my little piece of Oklahoma). Meg, I would like to now officially apologize for grabbing your legs and begging you to take me with you as you were leaving to go back to Tulsa. It was kind of you to nicely kick me off instead of just dragging me through the terminal. Please understand. It’s just that I miss Oklahoma. And this weekend YOU were Oklahoma…at least to me.

I also picked up more junk that I know what to do with some great swag! Oh the swag. There are truly no words to describe BlogHer swag to someone who loves freebies. It was almost overwhelming. Like had so much it filled an entire queen bed and began sliding down creating a “swagalanche” overwhelming. Not that I’m complaining.

We got to see a little of Chicago on Sunday and I finally met a long-time online friend. Finally. I also had my first-ever real Chicago pizza. We went to Giordano’s. Oh. My. Gosh. It was awesome! I was honestly afraid I wouldn’t like Chicago-style pizza. Maybe it was because we were at one of the best places in Chicago, but I loved the pizza! I want more!

The most surprising parts of the conference, were to be had in the elevator. Who’da thunk? (I think I just created a new word.) I wandered into an elevator wondering what the women coming off were laughing & yelling about. I soon found out…on my shoe. My roommates debated kicking my vomit-covered self (okay…just the bottom of my shoe) out for the night, but they gave in & let me sleep in the room.

I think they only agreed to let me stay because they knew I’d recently seen a psychotherapist. Against my will. In the elevator. She graciously treated me to a free session. Against my will. In the elevator. In said session, she educated me on the evils of blogging. At a blogging conference. In the elevator. Apparently, my blogging will cause harm to come to myself or my loved ones. Was that a threat? A promise? Studies will be out soon to prove her thoughts. I hope they aren’t studies done after SHE’S stalked us, killed us, and buried us all in the sand-pool. Perhaps there’s a reason “psycho” goes before her title? I’m just sayin’. ‘Cause who gives unwanted free sessions…In an ELEVATOR! All I can say is I’ve NEVER been more happy to see my floor. Even if it wasn’t my floor. Just the first one the elevator stopped at. So I could get out of my therapy session. In the elevator.

My absolute favorite part of the entire conference, however, was when my husband called me and I answered the phone with, “Hi, Sexy”…and was met with my oldest daughter’s voice. Lovely. Stellar parent? Yeah. That’d be me. Yet another reason why we are saving to pay for our children’s future counseling.

It’s good to be back! Hope your weekend was as good as mine!

-Me

BlogHer is in ONE MORE DAY!!!

And I'm really excited! I'm packed. The kids are packed (for a day at their friend's house while Daddy works).

I took care of some basics like getting convenience foods my 10yr old can "cook" so my children won't live on cereal for 3 days. (Not that my husband would ever do that.)

And I'll give you one more sneak peak at my wardrobe before I leave. It had been 3 years since I last bought white sandals. I still love my old sandals, but...they're old. So I finally replaced them. I did go to a non-thrift store to do so, but found some fantastic white sandals on clearance. (Did you expect anything less.)

What do you think?

-Me

BlogHer?

I've gotten e-mails and messages from several of you wondering WHAT on earth "BlogHer" is. And when the people demand, who am I to let them down? Your wish, is my command. Okay. Enough with the cheesy cliches.

BlogHer is a group of women bloggers. Once a year we get together in a MAJOR party blog fest. We abandon our families completely leave our family well taken care of for four days.

Before we leave, we engage in shady activities such as shoe porn. No. This isn't really porn. Of any kind. It's just girls posting the shoes they'll be wearing at BlogHer. But that doesn't sound as fun now does it?

Many women stress out about what they'll wear. For some, it's because they don't like the way they look. For others, like me, it's because we have nothing acceptable to wear in public when we don't have children with us to blame for the way we look. And/or we're mildly uncomfortable about having approximately 1500 cameras rolling 24/7 while they're in said clothes that have been blessed by children. Wearing them is one thing. Being caught on camera wearing them so that you can't later deny you did so is another altogether.

At BlogHer, we learn nifty new things about how to make our blogs spiffier (is that a word?). We also go to parties (like one or two...at least) after the conference is done each day. At those parties (and during the conference, and before the conference, and after the conference, and anywhere inbetween) sponsors try to sweet talk us into trying their products. They do so by presenting us with swag! LOTS of swag! And we LIKE IT! We like swag VERY much!

And thus is my summary of BlogHer.

If you're tired of hearing about it, the good news is that you'll only have to put up with it for another week or so. And then I'll have gone and I'll be back. Until then, you might hear about it a couple more times. Please bear with me; and then we'll be back to our regularly scheduled program. (Which includes a line-by-line anaylsis of the healthcare plan. You up for it? I'm almost done!)

-Me

WebKinz Addicts Anonymous

2 words: Pizza Palace. 1 word: Addict.

Hi. My name is Amy. I'm a Webkinz Addict. Pizza Palace is how I prefer to get my fix.

In case you care, I finally passed level 13 & got to level 14. In case you care. Because there are 20 levels. And a lot of people can't get past 6 or 7. But I did. Not that I'm trying to brag or anything, but I did.

Is it really an addiction if you're doing good while you're partaking, though? I'm doing good while I play. Really. I am. I earn my kids KinzCash.

Because every child needs 20,000 Kinzcash.

I can't stop. I don't want to stop. I LIKE Webkinz. I LOVE Webkinz.

I'll be okay. I'm not really addicted. I just like to play. To help my kids. Yeah. That's it! I'm doing it to help my kids.

My husband says I need intervention. How could that be possible? If this were a real addiction, wouldn't there be a WebKinz Addicts Anonymous? And there's not. So it can't be an addiction.

Then again, maybe one of us addicted moms should start one. That'd be good. I'll do that.

Right after I finish this game of Pizza Palace.

-Me

Figure it Out! I Just Want to Drive!

This is an archived blog I wrote on my old site on July 18, 2007; shortly after we moved to Michigan.

Today, I call our "Michigan U-Turns" the 8th wonder of the world! I have also since discovered that there is an apparent logic to the Michigan U-Turn. Despite this "logic", there are still many days when I just shake my head as I waste gas going PAST my destination to make a U-turn and go back around to where I already was in the first place.

And the walk down memory lane begins:

I don't get it! All I want to do here in Michigan is drive in a peaceful manner. Is that too much to ask? Evidently it is. I can't figure out where I can and cannot turn left. Here you can turn left, here you CAN'T turn left, here you will DIE if you even THINK about turning left. Here you MUST make a u-turn, here you can try to make a u-turn, here you will be arrested for even thinking about making a u-turn. HUH? I give up.

I'm just going to sit in my house all day and....I was going to say unpack but I think I'd rather figure out the driving laws of Michigan than I would commit to unpacking every minute of every day. Seriously, though. Who created the driving rules in this state. I truly don't get it. They make no sense.

Obviously, the person in charge of "urban" planning and development for the city of Holland did NOT go to MIT. Had they done so, I feel certain they would have come up with a MUCH better plan than the one currently in place.

I want to know if driving is this way in the entire state of Michigan or if Holland is just a unique place? I have no other compliants. I just can't figure out why I have to turn right to turn left. It just makes no sense. Yahoo maps had enough problems without the city of Holland helping it out. Google maps is telling me to swim across an ocean to get from New York to London. THAT seems more logical than driving in Holland.

Perhaps it's because they're turned around from the start? Maybe they think they should be in the Netherlands and they're trying to get back? I can guarantee this is NOT the way to accomplish that task. I'm not even sure you can get from one end of the city to the other with the way they planned this city. If one does, it is by pure accident...or because you happened upon Lake Michigan and decided to swim the rest of the way there.

I now understand why, when we called AAA upon our first visit to Holland, we were told by them that the street we were on didn't exist. Perhaps on a logical map, it did not. However, on a Hollandish (is that a word?) map-it did.

I've GOT IT!!! I just figured it out! MIT sends their kids here to show them how NOT to design the traffic in a city. They couldn't do it to a huge town or even a town in the middle of somewhere so they chose Holland, a town on the edge of nowhere.

See, now I feel better. It has a purpose. I don't know what I'll do if I find out that the entire state of Michigan is this way...

-Me

No Longer Naked at BlogHer

I know it's probably getting old for some of you, but I'm going to talk about BlogHer...yet AGAIN. Please understand, I'm not trying to bore you. It just is my life right now. Fair warning, though, if you're a guy reading, you probably don't care to read furthur. Unless, of course, you'd like to know the pain and struggle your wife goes through EVERY TIME she tries to find clothes in which she will look presentable. (We're not talking model-hot here. We're talking non-stained, decently fit clothes. Our standards aren't too high after having kids spit up on every piece of clothing we own.)

Trying to get ready for a conference where approximately 1500 people will have still or video cameras rolling literally 24 hours a day is a bit daunting. (That's not a typo. I said and meant 24 hours a day. Past pictures are proof that you're not even safe when you're sleeping. Talk about PRESSURE!)

The pressure mounts when one considers that I weigh 3 kids more than I used to. Add to that my serious lack of non-stained clothing, and you've got a problem.

Thankfully, after many trips to practically ever thrift & consignment store in the area, Target, & some friend's houses to raid their closets, I believe I now have sufficient clothes to wear. I will no longer be naked at BlogHer. This is good news; especially for the other attendees...and anyone else in the general vicinity of BlogHer...and the public in general.

I don't yet have anything to hold the "girls" in while wearing a spaghetti-strap dress, but I've not given up yet. I knew my search would be hard, but didn't expect the lady at Victoria's Secret to tell me they don't make strapless bras for women with boobs my size. Folks, I'm not huge, I just weigh 3 kids more than I used to. And I'd like a bra to wear that isn't so small I can't breath for the 2 hours I wear it; like my current strapless...which was from my pre-kid and (most importantly), my pre-NURSING days.

I just have to decide WHICH of those clothes I will be wearing in my sleep. 'Cause my Tweeties are also stained and have holes. And my other "jammies"? Let's just say I'm not wearing THOSE in public! ("Tweeties" are my jammies which have Tweety bird on them and are called my "tweeties" by my children who gave me said jammies.)

I now firmly believe, however, that regardless of WHAT I find to wear, I will be FULLY clothed at BlogHer. You have NO IDEA how much of a relief this is.

Want a sneak peek? I found this dress at Target.

I love this style of dress. It doesn't look completely hideous on me. I'll give you more sneak peeks in the coming days. (Disclaimer: No. That is so totally NOT me in the pic above. It is, most definitely, a woman who has NEVER had children naturally.)

-Me

Men Receive 23 Quadrillion Dollar Surprise!

This week, Jon Seale of Texas and Josh Muszynski of New Hampshire received the surprise of their lives.

No. They didn't win the lottery. Although they may need to.

These men received credit card statements this week reflecting charges of OVER 23 quadrillion dollars. That's not a typo. 23 quadrillion!

That looks something like this: $23,000,000,000,000,000.00.

Can you imagine? That's more than our national debt!

It was an error that is being corrected, but with they way our country's been spending since the 1930's, I'd have been a little worried if I'd have received that statement!

-Me

Must. Spend. $1.5 Trillion. Today.

How on God's green earth can our Congress be trying to RUSH spending $1.5 TRILLION...AGAIN???!!??

Perhaps it's because it's not THEIR money they're spending?

Here's a thought, boys and girls. Let's stop for a minute. Or even slow down.

Here's another thought. I know, it's probably crazy, but I'll give it a shot anyway. Let's, just for fun, actually R.E.A.D. a multi-TRILLION dollar bill BEFORE we pass it. Crazy. I know. I really should get off whatever it is I'm apparently smoking.

And before someone ELSE cries "CRAZY REPUBLICAN" to me. (The only insult greater would be calling me a "Crazy Democrat".) May I please remind you that the Republicans have also pulled this kind of crap. And I screamed about it JUST as much then too! So save your time and write your representatives with your whining instead of me. 'Cause if you're just going to scream right/left, republican/democrat, conservative/liberal, then I'll exercise my right to hit "delete". Come back and talk to me when you know there's more to it than that. THEN we'll have something to talk about!

The cold, hard truth is that they don't care what party they're from. They just want their agenda pushed through. NOW! And preferably before any of us has had the time to actually read and protest what they are trying to push through. They'd rather we see it after it's too late to do anything about it. And I don't know about you, but that's NOT okay with me!

Transparency, Obama? Transparency? THIS is what you call "transparency"? No thanks. I'll pass.

Rushing yet ANOTHER multi-TRILLION dollar bill through without giving those who will be voting on it time to read it let alone those who will actually be affected by and will pay for said bill is a travesty close to treason. In fact, I cannot think of a greater act of treason in the United States than undermining EVERYTHING this country was founded upon by taxing us without actual representation. And before someone cries, "We HAVE Representatives". Yes. We do. In name. When those same representatives, however, vote for bills AGAINST the will of the people, then they are no longer acting on behalf of the people, but for their own interests and desires. THAT, my friends, is NOT actual representation.

Back to health care. If healthcare is such an important issue, then why try to push it through in a couple weeks time? Why not extend the session? (You know, NOT take vacation?) If it's THAT important, then might it warrant NOT going on break in August? We wouldn't want what's best for the people to suffer JUST because you didn't want to miss your vacation now, would we?

My point, folks, is that their intention is NOT to do what's best for the people. Their intention is to pass through legislation that will furthur THEIR agenda, but also not to miss vacation.

Which is more important? Frankly, I'm not sure. Their agenda DOES rank pretty high, but then again so does their vacation. The priority of their vacation is evidenced by the fact that they're not about to let petty things like reading a multi-TRILLION dollar bill BEFORE they pass it get in the way of their having said vacation.

The will of the people? The same people whom they purport to represent? Ah. Will, smill. Whatever. Get out of the way please so we can pass our agenda...and then get on with our vacations. Don't pester us with what YOU want. Really! You think we have time for THAT? HA!

-Me

Two Words: Health. Care.

And that's all I'm going to say about that. Except what I've already said.

Until later. 'Cause I'm gearing up. Just fair warning. And I have a sneaky feeling it won't be pretty.

Your thoughts?

-Me

My Husband, The Murderer

I'm certain my kids are gonna need counseling for this one. I'm also pretty sure it gets us fairly close to winning the "Parents of the Year" award.

Today, my husband hit a bird on his way to work. When he got out, he noticed the bird was STUCK ON the grill of OUR CAR!!!

Did he take the bird OFF?

No.

He went into work, and forgot about the bird.

Then he came home, and our children ran outside to play for a bit before dinner.

Shortly thereafter, they ran in screaming after seeing this:

Yes, children. Your father murdered the bird and LEFT ITS CARCASS THERE for your eyes to see.

We know we're spectacular parents.

You can send the counseling bill to us.

-Me

The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Seems I've heard that phrase somewhere before. If my memory is correct, someone named Alexander experienced a similar day. (Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day)

My Thursday was horrible by all accounts. If I hadn't experienced it, I'd have thought the person telling me about it was crazy. That's why I prefer not to talk to myself.

My morning started at 3am. And I don't even have a baby in the house right now! After 2 hours of cramping, I finally was able to go back to sleep at 5am. (Just in time for waking up at 6am!) I felt just as bad when I woke up as I had at 3am. NOT a good start to the day!

After taking hubby to work, I headed to a doctor's appointment. I was supposed to be there at 10:10am. After my doctor's appointment, the kids & I were planning on having lunch at the park. I then needed to do some laundry and pack as we were leaving at 7:30 the next morning to head to Flint for a mini-vacation with Discover Michigan for Gary's job.

It was 9:15am. As I was about to enter the highway, I noticed my car was past hot. It was seriously overheating. Lovely.

I turned around thinking I could make it back to Gary's work. I didn't. After the car started smoking at the next intersection, I pulled the car into the nearest parking lot. Gary was in a meeting and I didn't know when he'd be out. Thankfully, a friend was able to help.

Did I mention that my hormones also started going crazy that morning? I literally woke up on the verge of crying. The car breaking down did NOT help that.

My friend gets there and we try to figure out what to do since her car only has enough room for 5 people total. And there were 4 of us...plus she and her 2 children. Somehow the numbers weren't adding up. And she didn't own a clown car.

We solved our problem by her taking my oldest, our son, & her son to her house. I kept my other daughter, and her 4month old baby. (It was horrible, I tell you. Having to hold a sweet baby for 30 minutes!) While she took them home & came back for the rest of us, I walked over to Gary's work. The baby was passed around, hubby & I talked, I cried...because I was horribly emotional, and my friend came to get us.

Shortly after, I learned that I had not actually completely miscarried yet. Hence the cramps at 3am and when I woke up. UUGH! Let's add something else to my day, please. Did I mention my hormones were also going crazy, and pretty much anything would set off my tear ducts right about then? Like if you looked at me. Or if a cat walked by. Or a bird flew overhead. Or I had a thought. Anything. Literally.

After I watched my children plus her baby at her house while she went to a planned appointment with her son, I finally made it to my doctor's appointment...using her car. I got there at 2pm. (Remember, my appointment was a 10:10?) This was an urgent situation, though, so they had no choice BUT to reschedule me. Thankfully, they were understanding.

At 3pm, her husband, a mechanic, took us over to Gary's work then went to work on our car. Gary's work offers a very nice benefit. They have a company car which anyone in the company can check out & use at any time. I hadn't immediately utilized this option because I'd hoped my car would be fixed by now. With all the appointments & running around, though, that hadn't happened. I also knew that this car was a piece of junk. Literally. It is a 1980 something car that they refused to repair despite many things wrong with it; although it usually at least got you from point A to point B. Not in comfort, but it got you there.

It was now 3:30, and I still had laundry and packing to do plus a meeting at 7pm. I didn't have time to reject a working car. We settled into the car and headed off. ("Settling" being defined as: Ensuring that the car has enough coolant as the "low coolant" light likes to come on & kill the car if all reservoirs aren't full, children climbing through the doors that do open to get to the side of the car where the door doesn't open, putting my purse behind my back because the seat wouldn't move and is stuck as far back as it can possibly be, rolling all of the windows down as the air conditioner doesn't work...and ensuring that the bobby pin is properly in place so we can roll said windows back up when we're at our destination...praying there is actually gas in the vehicle since the gas gauge is broken and I have no idea who last drove it, reminding the kids that they can't touch the radio or anything else as touching one thing can spark an electrical issue in another area of the car, etc.)

My first goal was to get to the gas station to ensure that I knew it had gas. As we were almost to the gas station, the car jumped, sputtered, the "low coolant" light came on, and just as I had it in the median of the road, died completely.

I lost it. Completely. With my children right there.

It was now 4pm, 2 cars had died on me, my laundry still wasn't done, I hadn't even started packing, my kids would want dinner in about an hour, and my friend couldn't come pick me up again because she was gone now. (And her hubby was still working on our car.) Did I mention that we needed our car to leave town at 7:30 am the next morning for hubby's work? Yeah. It was THAT kind of day!

I called a neighbor in tears, and she kindly came to pick us up. She also offered her washer knowing that ours had died, we couldn't drive to the laundromat, and we liked having clean clothes. At least I could pack and do laundry. Didn't know how or when I'd pick my husband up from work, but at least I could pack and do laundry. And feed the children. Home is a good place to be even if you're stuck.

At this point, I also called and told the leader of my bible study that I wouldn't be there. There is only so much I can handle in one day. She was understanding, and assured me they'd pray for my husband and children as they attempted to deal with my hormones. (Did I mention my hormones were going crazy?) And for a quick fix to our car.

I also advised my husband that he had better e-mail the people in Flint and let them know that his wife was crazy that we likely would be a little late tomorrow.

Just as I was wondering if my husband would actually have to walk home, my friend called me to let me know that her husband had finished working on our car. She would come pick me up in our car, we would take her back to her car, & then she would go to our bible study and let everyone know that I was uber hormonal and that they should consider saving my family from me give everyone an update on our situation.

Life from there on out was exactly as planned. Wait. No. That's not right. Let's try that again.

We picked my husband up, and grabbed a quick dinner out because there was no way I was going to walk into my kitchen and touch fire after the day I'd had. He then took us home, and went BACK to work where he stayed until midnight!! I'm not quite sure if he actually had that much work to do or if he just was scared of my uber hormonal state. I'm pretty sure it's the latter. I don't blame him.

Still, throughout this entire day, the one thing I noticed (after the hormones calmed down and I was pseudo-normal again), was that God was with us the entire day. Our car could have broken down when we were on the highway and miles away from an exit on Friday. It could have broken down while we were on our way to Flint or in Flint. It could have broken down anywhere or anytime else than when it did. But it didn't. It happened at probably the best time possible. (If there is a best time for a car to break down.)

The doctor's appointment? It was actually probably better that it got postponed. Had I been on time, then I wouldn't have known yet that I wasn't done miscarrying. As it was, I knew that by the time I actually went to the doctor. So we were able to address that then instead of having to schedule yet another appointment. (I had already had 2 in 2 days.)

We were never alone. In every instance, God provided a friend to help us. Two to pick us up and one to fix our car immediately. Our laundry did get done. We got packed. We made it to our mini-vacation. (And had a great time, I might add!)

It was a "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day". (Probably made much worse by my ever-present, bubbling over emotions.) But God was there. Even in the timing of the bad, I see His hand at work.

What more could we ask for; even in a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day?

-Me

Trying Something New

Do ya'll mind if I try something out on you?

Thanks.

I figured it was about time I tried mobile blogging.

I'm not sure how to do anything fancy on my Blackberry, yet. Like I don't even know how to insert a pic. I'll have to see if I can figure that out later.

Are there any other mobile bloggers out there? Do you use a Blackberry? Iphone? Something else? Have you learned how to do anything "fancy" (blogging-wise) on your device yet? Feel free to enlighten me.

Assuming all goes well, this should allow me to stay connected with you this weekend while we're in Flint.

-Me

Mini-Blogging?

Come join me as I "mini-blog" throughout the day.

You can find me on Facebook and Twitter.

Come befriend me if we're not already online friends. You can see me mini-blogging as I go throughout my day.

While I take two days off of here a week, I rarely take a day off of Twitter. It's just so easy to send a quick Tweet through my phone.

You'll also be the first to hear about great deals I find throughout the week. Many of which you won't see here.

Tweet at you later! (Or see you on Facebook.)

-Me

Independence Day

Dictionary.com defines "independence" as freedom from control, influence, support, aid, or the like, of others. It gives "freedom" as a synonym.

What is "freedom"? It is defined as being "exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc". Among its many definitions are also, "a liberty taken" and "civil liberty, as opposed to subjection to an arbitrary or despotic government".

Dictionary.com also lists the synonyms "freedom", "independence", & "liberty" as referring to an absence of undue restrictions and an opportunity to exercise ones rights and powers. It says that "independence" implies not only lack of restrictions, but also the ability to stand alone, unsustained by anything else.

I think understanding the definitions of these words is important. No. I think it's vital.

Far too many have given up their liberties, their freedoms, and their independence for dependence on our government. And they like it that way. Many would like more dependence on our government though government health care &/or insurance, government control of banks and auto companies, and government oversight of anything the government can find to regulate.

This is not the country our founding fathers intended for us to have. This is not the country many fought and died for.

I'm reminded of the words of Benjamin Franklin, "He who would give up essential liberty for temporary security deserves neither and will lose both."

When most of us think of July 4th, we think grilled hot dogs, potato salad, and fireworks.

Is that what the Founding Fathers thought of when they celebrated July 4th? Were they thinking of fireworks as a way to have fun with their family? Or did they have a long, hard fought battle for independence from Britain on their minds?

On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress ratified the Declaration of Independence. It was the start of our nation. The start of our freedom. The start of our independence from an overbearing government who made decisions on behalf of the States without proper representation.

What happened? Do we still have that freedom? That independence? Are we properly represented now? I know we HAVE representatives, but are they truly representing us? Resolutions are put before Congress, the public demands they be voted down, and then they pass? That doesn't sound like true respresentation to me.

In the spirit of commemorating that day 233 years ago, I'd like to deliver a Declaration of my own to the United States government. I can't take credit for this Declaration, though. It was written 233 years ago by Thomas Jefferson on my behalf.

Only now, I'd like to ask the United States government; regardless of party, to take it as a letter THEY need to heed. They need to look at this and remember why our country was created. Why our independence was sought. And what the grievances were against the British government. They need to remember what the States were seeking when they declared independence. They didn't want to break off from Britain, but they found they had no choice after fighting and trying for years to obtain proper representation for the States.

This Declaration was not made lightly. They deliberated and fought among themselves before they finally agreed to declare their independence. They did so only because they truly felt like they had no other choice. They had tried many times to resolve their differences peacefully.

I'd like the current United States government to note that we, as the American people, are trying to peacefully resolve our differences with them. We are desperately screaming out for them to listen! We want them to hear that our government has gone astray and we need to do something NOW. Before it's too late.

Please, take a moment from your fireworks today and think about that first July 4th. Then, think about where we are now. Think about what will happen if we do not restore the proper balance of power to our government...and quickly!

"The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

**He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
**He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
**He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
**He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
**He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
**He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
**He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
**He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
**He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
**He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance. (Added by me: New Offices=Czars)
**He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
**He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
**He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation (Added by me: The United Nations)
*****For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
*****For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
*****For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
*****For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
*****For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
*****For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences (Added by me: For detaining us because we have spoken against the government or belong to a group that the government has decided might commit a crime in the future but for which no crime has actually be committed.)
*****For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province,
establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
*****For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
*****For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever. (Added by me: For creating "Executive Powers" and appointing "Czars" both of which bypass our
Constitutionally-created Legislature and allow laws to be made without any input from those whom we have elected to represent us.)
**He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
**He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
**He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
**He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
**He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."

Signed by 56 brave men. Full list of signatures can be found here.

-Me

Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

If we could play God, I'm sure we'd do things differently. We'd make sure bad things didn't happen to good people.

We can't do that, though.

Because we're not God.

I don't think we'd want the job, anyway.

Bad things do happen.

The good die young.

Sometimes babies are taken from their moms shortly after they breathe life. Some before they even take that first breath.

This week, a friend of mine helped a good friend of hers grieve...after a drunk driver killed her friend's 19yr old son.

This week, I found out that a good, old, dear friend...who was like a brother to me...died young. WAY too young. He was the father of 7 children. His wife (an amazing woman) is now a widow. No one should have to go through that in their 20's, 30's, or 40's. That's too young. But it happens.

This week, I lost a baby. My baby had been growing in my belly. My baby is now in the arms of Jesus. I know I'm not the first woman to have a miscarriage. I know it happens everyday. It happens. Because life happens. And sometimes bad things happen in life.

I want to thank everyone out there who prayed for me. You didn't know what was going on. You just knew I was having a hard time. A bad day. Just that I needed prayer. And I did. Thank you.

I wasn't going to say anything here. I was just going to go on about my life and pretend that this had never happened. Call it trying to figure out a way to cope. I've never been one to hide who I am or how I feel, though. So here I am. I am hurt. Because something bad has happened.

I never want anyone to think that I would ever doubt God because of bad things, though. I wouldn't. I don't. I can't tell you why bad things happen to good people. I just know they do. God doesn't promise us that life will always be perfect. He doesn't promise us that there will never be pain.

He says that He can turn any situation for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. I can't see the good in everything yet. I don't know that I will on earth. I still love Jesus with all my heart. I don't doubt for a minute that He knows better than I what tomorrow will bring, and what is best for that tomorrow.

I don't understand why bad things sometimes happen, but I do know that God will see me through. He always has. Through everything. And He will through this. Even though my heart is hurting.

-Me

I Need My Grandmother!

I'm thinking of flying her up here to Michigan. I do love her, and would love to see her as would the kids. I must admit, though, that I want her here for purely selfish reasons.

I want some Southern cooking. And no one does Southern cooking better than Grandmother. Let's face it. They can try all day long, but even Cracker Barrell doesn't have Southern cooking down right, up here in Michigan.

Right now I'm thinking chicken fried steak or chicken fried chicken. (I prefer the chicken.) (If you don't know what that is, then you should go find out. You will never be the same again. 'Course that may be because you gain 15lbs just by looking at it, but who's counting?)

Are you getting hungry right about now?

Top that chicken fried chicken with loads of thick cream gravy. Add mashed potatoes (again, with LOADS of thick cream gravy) and some crispy fried okra and you've got my dream meal right about now. You top that off with some thick "Texas" toast with which you sop up all the left-over gravy.

Doesn't the okra look scrumptious?

Did I mention that fried okra is my absolute favorite food?

I'm so deprived up here in Michigan.

What's a Southern girl to do?

And that gravy? It's best when you make it out of the chicken grease. You know, the fat & grease left over after you've fried the chicken? True Southern cream gravy is made with the grease, flour, & milk. The thicker, the better.

What? What's that you say about healthy eating? Yeah. Ignore that for this post. This is Southern food. Healthy and Southern don't exactly go hand-in-hand.

And breakfast! NO ONE fries crispy bacon like my Grandmother. Not even me. Add to that eggs (fried in the bacon grease, of course), biscuits, and of course...THICK cream gravy. Made the same for breakfast, lunch, & dinner. Again, made in the bacon grease! YUM!

Again, if you're reading this blog for health today, you'll want to leave right now. There is nothing even remotely healthy about Southern food.

Unhealthy is the POINT of Southern food. Today is not about health for me. It's about comfort. And NOTHING comforts (& fattens) like Southern food.

How about some Southern-fried catfish?

With hush puppies?

How about SOUTHERN cornbread? And folks. When we in the South talk about cornbread, we don't mean a sweet treat. We mean a dry-as-bone, completely bland bread that is only good when dipped in something else Southern such as pinto beans &/or gravy. (Anything is good with Southern cream gravy. Anything.)

To truly top off any Southern meal, one must have TRUE, Southern sweet tea. And by "Southern" sweet tea, I mean tea so sweet you wonder which it has more of: the tea, or the sugar. I'm not personally a fan of true, Southern-sweetened tea. (I know...the HORROR!) However, my mom is and to this day lives off of several glasses of sugar...err...I mean tea...a day.

Anyone else with me? Anyone want to cook me up some Southern food?

Please?

Grandmother?

What are your thoughts on flying? Like. Today?

I'm hungry now. Excuse me as I go cook something. Southern.

-Me

THAT Kind of Week

Did you know that Sprint caps your voice mail messages at 30? I now know that. I won't say how I know, but I know. You'll just have to trust me on this.

(BTW: If you called and left a message for me in the past week, I don't know when I'll be calling you back. Because I may or may not have 29 messages to go through before I get to yours.)

Yeah. It's been THAT kind of week.

It's been the kind of week that has prompted me to write. Because writing is my outlet. It helps me survive when I have THOSE kinds of weeks.

You know?

How's your week been? Please tell me it's been better than mine.

What do you do when you have THOSE kinds of weeks? Do you write (whether for a blog or not)? Do you talk? Do you just shove it deep down inside so that we need to stay far away from you in case you some day blow? (P.S.-I've seen people blow. It's not pretty. Especially when it's you. That's why I write now.)

Have a better day tomorrow than I had today. Have a better week.

K?

-Me