Where has summer gone???

What a summer........... I've spent most of it working my butt off with not much to show for it except a cranky disposition.

My sister & family went to Costa Rica to visit her in-laws & check up on their home there. Just after school got out her step-daughter was given a puppy. I volunteered to watch it for the few weeks they were away from home (along with the ferrett). Sis got REALLY sick with a throat infection & couldn't come home last weekend so now we're babysitting the pooping-machine puppy (now 7 mos old) until mid-August. She really is an adorable pup but we're hiding her from the landlord because we're not supposed to have a dog here. It's been dicey a couple of times but, we've managed so far.

We were also supposed to go visit her in Missouri for a couple of weeks after they returned home. Since they arent' coming home on time (darn sick cooties! how dare they infect my sissy!) we won't be able to visit them before school starts.

Oh, well, at least we have central air so it hasn't been so bad this summer - we get a nice cool sleeping temp every night. And, of course, the puppy takes turns sleeping with everyone for a few hours each night before she wakes up & poops on my carpet.

We have taken some short video of the puppy so I'll have to try to upload it - she's too funny when she gets all excited & charges around the house bouncing all over the place. For all I complain about her, she fits in well with my aliens, she belches, farts, and snores more that both aliens combined! (Wow those farts will peel paint too! NASTY stuff for sure!)

On that note, have a lovely rest of the week............ :)

Still alive & kickin...

Well, we're still alive & kickin here. It's been a busy summer & every time I have something interesting to blog about, I'm just too tired to do it.

Been working lots of hours which sucks for a relaxing summer but the bank account (and landlord) are happy about the size of my checks. We finally got Dad to clean out Grandma's house. She is in a group home setting due to memory problems & age (92 & counting). Of course, Grandma wanted the grandkids to have as much of the furniture, etc. as we needed so that was fantastic for me - I now have a washer & dryer again. No more laundromat!! YES!

Alien #1 turned 14 this month & is pushing 6' tall. It's hard to believe he's that old. I swear it was just a couple of years ago he was a baby. Alien #2 is catching up to big brother in size, he's 11 years old & is over 5'3" now. I'm amazed how they both seem to grow overnight sometimes.

My younger sister & her family are visiting her in-laws in Costa Rica for a month & checking on their property down there. While they're away, we're babysitting their 6 month old pit bull, Manchita & Fang the ferret. This is in addition to our two cats, two hermit crabs, & two fish. It's like a small zoo at my place once you add in my aliens! It's great fun having the puppy around but a bit tiring too. She has to "go" every morning the minute I get up. I'm up at 5am for work & need my shower first. Well, not anymore. Puppy gets to go potty before I do now. Oh, well, she's way too cute to care too much.

Hope everyone is having a fantastic summer & I hope to blog a bit more frequently.

Long time, no read, or post....

Wow! Last post was in April - been a long time. School is out for me for the summer, aliens are done next week. I'm working over the summer, trying to find a second job.

Lost a dear friend of 27 years a week ago, was going to post here & Mom called to read me the obit from the local paper. Tragic end to a wonderful person. I'll miss being called "Shorty".

Hair is still growing - I'm up to 14" to donate to Locks of Love, trying for 16" before I cut it off. Will be interesting to see how long I can stand the heat this summer. Now the aliens are both going to let their hair grow out so they can donate the minimum 10" as well. I'm hoping to hold off so we can all three go in and donate hair together. Would be kinda cool in a way.

Hope everyone is off to a good start this summer.

A WHAT Flower? You keep a straight face!

Picture this: class of 5 & 6 year old kids busy writing everything they know (and can't spell) about seeds & what happens to them when they grow.

Ms. ~C~, in her clinical assignment looking professional and very collected is approached by adorable, quiet, and very smart child, "Billy".

"Ms. ~C~, look at my flowers I drew to go with my story."

"Very nice, Billy. What kind of flower is this?" (points to pink flower)

"We grow those at our house. It's a penises flower." (stops short with eyes bugging out and face frozen realizing what he has just said.)

"Oh, do you mean a peony flower, Billy?"

"Ah, yea." (Runs back to seat & colors furiously)

Like I said, you try to keep a straight face!

I love kids. Happy Friday & have a good weekend everyone.

De-stressing & Anti-Monkey Butt

After the meltdown on my post a few days back I'm probably starting to look like a real mental case to you. It seems like there's some really tough spots this semester & I was beginning to think I'm just insane. After talking with the student advisor, she's assured me there have been more students in her office either in tears, near tears, or so angry & stressed they should be in tears this semester than in the last 5 years combined. I believe we're all affected by the Feb. 14th shootings more than we realize. Combine that with inept instructors and it adds up to a real mess.

So... my decision is to just do what I can & let the rest go. I can't do anything about the garbage going on so I'm just letting it go to focus on my studies. Life will go on and this semester won't be the end of my world.

In honor of the more relaxed me, I'm posting something that I've found really funny even if it is a bit obnoxious. Anti-Monkey Butt Powder. A real product sold at my local store.

Have a great Wednesday!

About the New Picture...

This is what happens when you fall asleep on the sofa at my house, you end up breathing in 12 lbs. of fur.

Will it ever end???

My classmates & I are now in what are a "block" of classes. We all trudge to the same classes together every Monday & Wednesday. Tuesday & Thursday are reserved for going our separate ways for our clinical assignments all over northern Illinois.

This semester we have two professors that are just downright horrible. Descriptive words we often use regarding them and their behavior are unorganized, contradictory, unprofessional, disrespectful, unprepared, as well as others that are not acceptable to list here. We have contacted the proper people about them but not much is being done. We are just now finding out that this is an ongoing problem with these two professors, apparently they can't find anyone else to teach the classes so we're stuck. I'm disappointed that the only reason they find these instructors qualified is because they're a warm body to fill the space.

Our two "favorites" have recently started to add projects that weren't on our syllabus at the beginning of the semester. As if things weren't already difficult enough with missing classes due to the closings for bad weather and then the entire university being shut down for an entire week due to the shootings. We're still recovering from that shock. Now they decide to add more projects as if we don't already have enough to do!

In addition a lesson plan and a 4 page report due Monday, we now have another lesson plan and another 4 page report due on Wednesday. This does not include the previous assignments of a behavioral assessment of a student and a write up of a behavioral plan (another 4 pages), an assessment of the reading levels of our clinical students (6 children for me) and a 4 page report on that, and an assessment of their spelling level with two complete spelling lesson plans due on Tuesday to present to our supervising teacher at our clinical site. Did I mention I would like clean laundry & a couple of hours sleep in there sometime???

This has happened the last two weeks in class. We're all so stressed over these same two professors that we're starting to really get on each others' nerves. The tension is so thick you can almost hear peoples' nerves snap! Classmates that were once good friends are now starting to bicker and fight, in some cases they're barely speaking to one another.

..... and I'm sure everyone's next question is with all this going on, how do I find time to blog?? Well, it's blog about it or cry about it. Blogging doesn't use up tissue, make my eyes red, or upset my children. My stress over this semester is already reflected in the fact the kids are acting like, well, aliens! They're behavior is starting to reflect the fact they're feeling my stress.

God bless my best friend & her hubby, she took them for the night tonight so I could work until my eyes bugged out on my homework & go to bed in peace & quiet..... and no fighting first thing in the morning when I wake up either. I love them.

Thanks for letting me rant on about the garbage...... feeling better able to concentrate on the mountain of homework waiting for me.

Hair, Hair, Everywhere is Hair!

My current big project is to grow my hair long enough to donate 16" to Locks of Love & not be bald when I'm done. The minimum is 10" in length but, that is for a short wig. I would like to donate a much longer ponytail if I can.

My hair is now down to just below my waist and it's getting annoying to take care of. Due to the fact that it's curly, I can't cut if off above my shoulders or I'll end up looking like a big strawberry-blond poodle. Not a pretty picture. So, I keep it braided up and am trying to keep it for just a few more months before the big cut.

I'll have to post before & after pics. Wish me luck that I can keep it growing.

Spring Break

The aliens have spring break this week, mine is over so I'm in classes. Decided to let alien #1 sit for alien #2 for the day to see how it worked out. After my first class & a tough exam, I'm sitting in the computer lab with classmates studying for the second class of the day and another horrible exam when my cell phone rings. It's alien #2 & here's what my classmates hear:

Hi how are you?
Good. Did you eat breakfast?
NO. That is not breakfast. (pause)

Sorry, the chocolate from your Easter basket does NOT constitute breakfast. (pause)

No, jelly beans aren't breakfast either. (pause)

Did you almost lick it or did you lick it?
Did the cat lick it?
Did you drop in on the floor?
You're sure you didn't lick it?
Thank you for saving the pink jelly bean for me...... you're sure nobody licked it? Ok., thank you. I'll call you later. Love you bye.

My classmates were about to burst their seams laughing.

Conversations with my aliens are never dull.

Flatulence (aka farting)

Flatulence: The presence of a mixture of gasses in the digestive tract of mammals. Such a mixture of gases is know as flatus and is expelled from the rectum.
Causes: According to Alien #2, age 11 - caused by wearing underwear that is too tight. Wear boxers, avoid gas.

Title: Lost Christmas Cards or The story of what happened to your Christmas card Burfica

Around the middle of Jauary, I was helping my aliens try to reorganize backpacks for the 2nd semester of school. While cleaning out Alien #1's backpack, I find a stack of Christmas cards that never got mailed!

He was to drop them into the mailbox on his way to the bus six weeks earlier. He stuffed them in his backpack because he was running late & figured he'd mail them the next day, I'd be none the wiser & all would be well. However, when you have a memory 6 seconds long, are easily distracted, and lose everything you touch, waiting until tomorrow is a long time. It never comes. He forgot about the cards & they quickly got lost in the bottomless cavern that is his backpack.

Oh, well, there's always next year to mail out cards. :)

Thank you!!

I wanted to thank you for your prayers over the last month or so, it has meant so much to me.

I'm quickly discovering so many of the things in life that I previously thought were from being over-stressed, aren't. Much of it lies with the difficulties associated with ADHD. I have spent most of my life knowing I'm not stupid but my disorganization and sometimes "flakey" personality have caused many people in my life to think differently. Much time has been spent with me doing my best to prove to others I'm not a flake.

I've finally decided that if people don't like it, I don't care. For years I've just done my best and let others think what they want but have felt the hurt because they don't understand I'm not doing things to irritate them on purpose. Last August, I was diagnosed with ADHD. Did it just appear? No, I've had it my entire life which is the cause for many of the things I still struggle with. However, there is a difference now. I now understand that it is not my lack of knowledge or effort that cause me to become distracted, disorganized, or to hyper-focus, it is simply me being me.

Do I intend to give up trying? NO! I'm just not going to let it get to me quite so much. I think in doing this, I'll be putting less stress on myself and that alone will help me to do better. Hopefully, I can teach my children this lesson much earlier in life so that they don't put the undo stress upon themselves that I have done to myself.

I'm not using my ADHD as an excuse for anything, just an explanation of why I do things a little differently than most. It is also why my "aliens" are so alien to most people. Children with ADHD just do things differently. Our brains work differently, we are usually creative thinkers which sometimes is seen as being just plain weird.

As I look back on some of my previous posts about my aliens, I find even more humor in them than I did when I first posted them. One thing I can say, life in a house with ADHD is NEVER boring, always interesting, and often tiring. However, we love one another more than most families I know. For that I am forever thankful.

Have a great Wednesday.

Here we go again....

I called my mom this morning and asked if I could come home - and stay. Things are getting too crazy around here and I just don't feel safe anymore.

Yesterday late I found out there was a threat made regarding the high school in our school district. I didn't realize how serious the police took it until I dropped my 10-year-old alien off at school today. Every school in the district is on lock-down with police on every campus. The elementary children will not be allowed to go outside to play today. No child is allowed to leave the school without a teacher or other authorized adult (parent, guardian, etc.).

The middle school where alien #2 attends is also on lock-down, same rules. Teenage kids are being escorted to and from the buses not 50 feet from the front door of the school. No students are allowed outdoors unless escorted by school personnel, police or parent.

The high school is body-checking every student with metal detectors and pat-downs before allowing them into the school. No backpacks are being allowed into the school today. Once you are in the school, you stay until end of the day dismissal. Again, no student is allowed outdoors.

Where does this all end? Until February 14, 2008 the no one had heard of DeKalb, Illinois. This sleepy little university town was best know for being the hometown of the inventor of barbed wire. Now it's known as the site of the bloody Valentine's Day massacre that devistated so many around the world.

Now just 10 minutes from there, my town is being threated with violence. This time, it's my children. I'm not sure I'll be able to get Alien #2 to attend school after this. He is so sensitive to this kind of thing and is still having trouble dealing with the shootings at NIU. I can't blame him, I'm still dealing with it myself. It will take a long time for our community to recover from this. However, we are healing.

The love and prayers from people around the world can be felt. I believe it is the only thing that allows us to function. Students from Virginia Tech made a special trip up here at there own expense to offer support to us. Posters hang all over campus from colleges and universities around the country pledging prayers and support for us all. The outpouring of love and support has been, and continues to be amazing.

Please continue to pray for students on campuses everywhere, they need the support.

Hanging in there....

We're into our second week back on campus and things still seem a bit surreal but life is getting somewhat back to normal around campus.

There are still reminders everywhere of the February 14th tragedy that struck the NIU campus in DeKalb, Illinois.

I spent the better part of one of my first classes just jotting down random thoughts about being back at school. Maybe when my nerves calm down & aren't so shaken up over the shootings, I'll post it. I think it would be healing for me to be able to do that.

Otherwise, not much to report around here except our kitties have discovered "kitty T.V." aka the patio window which looks out on the bird feeder. After two months, lots of little Junco's & a pair of cardinals have decided we have some pretty good offerings at the feeder.

It's funny to watch the younger cat, Charlotte, take a running charge at the window & stop short of slamming into it head-on. One of these days she's going to skid-out on the wood floor and find out just how hard that glass is.

My best to everyone, hope you're all doing well. :)

Mourning Our Losses

By now, most of the nation has heard of the lone shooter that took the lives of five Northern Illinios University students on Valentine's Day. Our entire community is in shock that anything like this could ever come to our sleepy little area of the midwest.

Thursday, Feb 14, 2008
Usual morning, kids off to school & then in to work at the library on campus.
10:30am - annoying "Happy V-Day" text from crazy classmate
10: 47 am - another annoying "Happy V-Day" text from former classmate that only calls every 3 months when she's having boyfriend problems.
11:00am - call from the school, Alien #2 trying to get me to come pick him up from school because he's 'gonna puke'. This is his lame attempt to get me to pick him up because he just doesn't want to go back to school after being home sick for 2 weeks, who can blame him?
1:30 pm - clock out & go upstairs to the computer lab to study.
2:45 pm - leave campus to go pick up Alien #2 from school & go get dinner.
3:08 pm - ignore call from crazy classmate who sent text message at 10:30am
3:20 pm - arrive home & listen to voicemail from crazy classmate only to find her screaming hysterically about leaving campus & wanting to know where I was. As I'm listening to the message trying to figure out what caused her to go off her nut this time, best friend & boss calls so I answer it.
"WHERE ARE YOU?"
"Home, just walked in with the kids, why?"
"We're in lock-down, there's a reported shooter on campus! Lock your doors & stay home tonight! I've tried to get through to you on my cell for 15 minutes! I'll call you when we're off campus & headed home."

The line goes dead. I just stare at my phone in disbelief........

A lone gunman took the lives of five NIU students before killing himself last Thursday just after 3:00pm. There is not one person among us that has not been touched by this horrific tragedy. I won't rehash what is already in the news.

All I ask is this: Please pray for the families of the dead and injured, yes, this includes the family of the shooter. They are still on this earth and need prayers to come to grips with what their child has done. Pray for those of us blessed enough to be here to remember that terrible day, especially those students who were wittness to the carnage and aftermath. Pray for our community to heal. Thank you. God Bless you all.

I'm Still Alive!

I haven't died - I'm sure my neighbors wish I would. Garbage has gotten so bad with them that I've had to call the police on them. The police are working with the landlord to hopefully get the nut jobs out of the place.

We finally got grandma into an assisted living facility after much trouble. At almost 92 she didn't want to live with a bunch of "old" people. She has trouble remembering her own name - she has no business living on her own & driving. It's been a big stress for all of our family.

ADHD has been taking it's toll on my nerves. It's been a battle to get a medication adjustment for the kids.

Alien #2 is falling further behind at school & I'm having a battle to my child the education he has a right to get. It's too much for me to try to make up for the teachers' failure by homeschooling him in the evenings & on weekends. His meds have worn off by then & his nerves are shot from trying to keep it together at school all day.

Classes are going well but crazy weather has closed the university twice this semester which has put us behind in all my classes. Now coursework is piling up. Add that to the lack of peace & quiet at home due to the neighbors, getting homework done is near impossible.

We now have hermit crabs living at our home - Mr. Crabs & Hermie - pictures soon to come. Aliens can't figure out why I like these little critters but can't stand spicers.

Almost have the landlord talked into letting us have a dog.

Still waiting for internet access at home - crappy weather is a huge hold up on that one. As soon as I get the cable hooked up I can update my blog more often.

Home everyone is doing well - have a great weekend!

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone has a fantastic 2008!


Thanks for all the good wishes for a Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year.

Belated Merry Christmas to all

Well, as the title says, a belated Merry Christmas to all! We had a wonderful time with my family Christmas day. I was able to see my sister & her family, my grandmother (91 years young!) and my parents. The aliens had a great time with their cousins. The time with Grandma, Sis & her family was way too short, as always. Don't think I'm leaving Mom & Dad out, I am blessed to get to see them much more often.

I hope everyone's Christmas was as blessed as mine.

Finals are done......YEA!!!

Well, finals are done & came off without incident, thankfully. Many courses gave the option of taking you grade as it stood as your final grade for the semester. Other courses didn't give the option, they simply canceled the final exam - you get what you get. Still, most instructors opted to go on with final exams as scheduled for Tuesday - Thursday, it was only the Monday classes that got all messed up.

Now that finals are done, I can finally finish Christmas shopping. The aliens are in school for three more days so I have plenty of time to shop without worrying about what to do with them while I sneak presents into the house, I can boldly walk through the door & wrap like a crazy woman so it's all done before they arrive home.

I'm also babysitting a friend's dog while she's off visiting family & getting married. His new name is "Puddles". Puddles gets so excited every time he sees the aliens that he goes on my carpet! I now, thanks to my shampooer, have the cleanest carpet on the block. He's a little dauschaund/yorkey mix & is the cutest little thing. I'll have to post a picture. We really do love having him, at least the aliens & I do, the cats are still not sure about this "thing" that sits on their sofa with their people and gets attention that should be for them. It's kinda nice having a dog around the house again.

Imagine getting this email....

December 9, 2007

CAMPUS ALERT: POLICE INVESTIGATE ANONYMOUS THREAT IN RESIDENCE HALL
Details: University officials are investigating a threat posted late Saturday evening in a campus residence hall which included a racial slur and references to the Virginia Tech shootings.

Final exams were scheduled to begin on Monday 12/10 but due to - get this "weather conditions" - campus was closed & the dorms were in lockdown. First, the weather was fine, no ice, no snow, no rain, just clouds. Second, if they were only worried about weather, why were all the dorms in lockdown mode & only essential campus personnel here? One of the references to the Virginia Tech shootings was that they only had one shooter, implying there would be more shooters here.

Every dorm entrance had at least two police officers posted inside and there were patrol cars everywhere. I only stepped on campus long enough to check on a friend & give her a Christmas gift. Thought it was best I didn't hang around her dorm to study.

Exam schedule resumed as usual today but all of the Monday finals are rescheduled for Friday so many students won't be going home as early as they had planned.

Security has been increased all over campus for the duration of the week but I'm still a bit jumpy about being here any more than I need to be. However, here I sit in the library studying for final #2 tomorrow afternoon because school was closed for the aliens today (ice storm) and I'll get NOTHING done at home.

Feels like a comfort food night tonight - pour cream of mushroom soup & sliced fresh musrooms over chicken with rice & sprinkle on some onion soup mix. Bake for an hour & feast for a couple of days (don't have time to cook everyday so I cook about 3X a week & we eat leftovers).

Stay warm all!

Ramblings........

I'm supposed to be spending my free time right now studying but have avoided it. I just can't seem to get motivated today.

I'm not really tired but I do have a lot to do... laundry, shopping, clean the house, study, unpacking (haven't done much with all the homework I've had).

My mind just keeps wandering off on random things.... Dad & his recent bout with cancer & heart problems ..... my cousin's son having health & substance abuse issues ........ missing my older sister...... wishing my younger sister lived closer ........... how I manage life with two kids having ADHD ............. how I manage my own ADHD .............. I really want a Boston Terrier (or any dog for that matter) ............ will Grandma still remember the boys & I from Thanksgiving or will she have forgotten who we are by Christmas? ............. wish Mom & Dad would move Grandma closer to us ........... a new kitten would be nice since I can't have a dog ................. what kind of curtains to you put in a teenage boys room?......... how do you decorate a kitchen with burnt red-orange appliances & hunter green cabinets? ................. will I be able to afford a washer & dryer soon, hate using the laundry-mat ........ What am I gonna cook for dinner? ........ still wondering where my older sister is & is she OK? .............

Feeling very melancholy I guess........ maybe chocolate will help (and a new kitten)

Finals Time

It's time for finals again so I'll be studying for the next week or so.... pray for me!

Dolphin Trainer

This is what Alien#2 now wants to do with his life, he wants to be a dolphin trainer.

Last Thursday his 5th grade class of aliens went to Shedd Aquarium in Chicago for a field trip. While visiting the dolphin area, the tour guide asked if anyone wanted to learn how to train a dolphin. My little alien raised his hand and did the required "Oh, me! Please, oh oh, me!" Next thing he knew, he was putting on a set of coveralls & dangling fish in front of dolphins!

He had a great time & couldn't stop talking about all the cool things he did.

The Girlfriend

I've been so busy with school projects & the Thanksgiving weekend that I haven't had much time to post. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, we sure did.

Last Tuesday was Alien #1's choir concert. After the concert, I was introduced to "Sadie". My little alien is growing up! He grinned so huge I thought his face was going to stretch out of shape permanently. I also got to meet her parents, as did Alien #1

I was taking the aliens out for ice cream after the concert and asked if Sadie would like to join us. Her parents said that was fine. Just then, the obnoxious female friend of both the alien & alien's sweetie got wind of the trip to Dairy Queen. Well..... long story short........ the loud-mouthed friend came along. Oh, well, the aliens & girls had a great time. Boosted Alien #1's ego a bit when a couple of kids from school saw him leaving with two pretty girls.

Ain't puberty grand???

Giant Man-eating Bunnies

Nothing kills a good night's sleep like a kid waking you up in the middle of the night talking about giant man-eating bunnies in his bedroom. Then he crawls into bed with me & starts to snore. Oh, well, at least the bunnies didn't follow him.

BUSTED!

This post is in red because I'm seeing red right now! Last summer a friend (with my permission) gave the aliens pay-as-you-go cell phones with a couple of rules to go with the phones. The biggest rule: NO BUYING ANYTHING FROM THE WEB

What do I find when I check the online accounts for the aliens? You guessed it! They've been buying things. Worse yet, the oldest one has been texting someone at 3am!

He is sooooo busted! The phone is now mine.

Dishes & Meds

Yes, I finally found my dishes on Saturday! I finally feel like a semi-normal human now. That's as good as it gets for me, I'll never be completely normal........ if there even is such a thing.

Got a call from Alien #1's teacher a bit ago - seems he LIED to me this morning and didn't take his ADHD meds! This is the second Tuesday out of the last three that he has done this. I hate when he does that because he' gets soooooooo obnoxious and out of control. This poor teacher is the sweetest thing and is always so kind and understanding. She was so upset when she called me I thought she was going to grind her teeth down to nubs trying to keep it together. Poor thing.

His reasoning for not taking his medicine? "I didn't think I needed it today."
Why?
Can you be less obnoxious, sit still, focus, and get your work done on Tuesdays and not other days of the week?
What the heck makes Tuesdays so special?
Is Tuesday the day designated to make everyone in your life miserable because you have absolutely NO control over yourself?
What gives???
Guess it's back to mommy handing out the meds every morning - I really thought we were past this.

I need chocolate! ;)

Elephant Poop

Today's interesting (and gross) fact courtesy of Alien #1:

Ten adult elephants can produce one pound of poop in one minute.

Just couldn't live without that little tidbit of info could you?

Happy Friday everyone!

Boxes Everywhere!

Well, we got moved last Saturday and I still can't find my plates & bowls........ there are boxes everywhere! I finally found my tea kettle & my pans but still no dishes. I think someone hid them as a joke. Not funny people!! Have you ever tried to eat a steak off a paper plate? It's not a pretty sight. Oh, well, I'll find them eventually. Most of my glasses are missing too....... *sigh*

The cats, Holly & Charlotte, have settled in quite well and are loving their new home. Playing tag on the stairs seems to be the new favorite game for them.

It's getting along toward the end of the semester & everything is coming due at once. Huge paper due tomorrow, another one due Tuesday with a presentation on Thursday. Clinical observation report due the following week....... AAAAAAGGGGGGGGGggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!

Whew! I feel better with that out of my system. Better get back to work. Bye for now.

General Update

Just to give a general update on things so you know what's going on in my crazy life, I'm creating this post.

In June of 2006 we moved to a new town to be closer to the university I'm attending. Apartment turned out to kinda stink, "quiet lifestyle" was a joke. I've never had such a loud building to live in. So, knowing our lease would be up in October, I just let it lapse knowing I would find a new place for the aliens, critters, & myself before the 10/15 deadline. HA!

We ended up staying with a friend of mine 45 minutes from where we were living and commuting for the last two weeks. EVERYTHING had to go into storage. Thankfully, a couple from our church allowed us to store things in their third garage port which was currently not in use. We're very blessed my friend opened her home to us while we continued to look for someplace to live.

Yesterday I paid the deposit (ouch!!) and signed the papers for our new townhouse just a few blocks from where we were living but in a much quieter area. I can't wait to move in on Saturday. We're attempting to round up men & trucks from the chruch to help out because Alien #1, my main muscleman, will be out of town at a youth convention in Peoria, IL for the weekend.

I can't wait to get into our house & clean, unpack, organize, & decorate. Not that any of that will happen soon, I'm still in college full time. If I'm not in class or taking care of the aliens, I'm studying. Now I need to find a better part time job to help pay the bills around here. With Christmas coming, I'm sure I can at least find something to do over the holidays to earn some cash.

I just handed a huge project in today for one class & had a major exam in another. Monday I have part one of a big project due in one class, a midterm exam in a different class, and still another group project to compile and edit by Wednesday. Did I mention I will be busy moving all day on Saturday?? I'm not sure there are enough hours in the day but I'll manage to get it all in. Somehow I always do. :)

Huge Aliens @ home!

The aliens have really grown since I last posted anything about them. Alien #1, now 13, is already 5' 9 1/2" and alien #2 is 10 years old standing at 5' 1"!

Alien #1 is now taller than I am. He thinks this is funny. I think it's great! I no longer need to stand on chairs to reach things. :)

We are now hamsterless but have acquired three fish and a snail in addition to the two cats we already had. Check back later for pictures.

We have $8 worth of goldfish in a $50 aquariam setup. That's a story in itself. Charlotte, our cat is a good fisher........ well, some other time. Got to go get the aliens from school & transport to evening activities. bye.

Hello Again!

Well, I've been gone so long, it's like I'm starting over again. I don't even know if any of the others I used to read on a regular basis are even blogging anymore. Oh, well, I know Burfica is & I can stop over and read her blog.

So, I thought I'd give my blog a bit of a new look & change the name. I welcome comments on any posts & look forward to finding new blogger friends to read up on.

Anyway.... check back for alien updates (my two boys) & more.

Outrageous water bills??

Are your water bills too high? THIS could be the reason. (Pet lovers will enjoy this one!)

Hello everyone! Hope you all had a great summer. I haven't posted in forever - between moving & trying to get the aliens registered in a new school district, it's been a little busy at my house.

I'm now 20 minutes from work/campus, not an hour and the aliens have gone from being in one of the worst school districts in the state to one of the best. The aliens started back to school last week, it was my turn this week. University classes started up full swing yesterday and I'm on day two of classes and already I can feel the sleep deprivation kicking in!

I managed to help both aliens get their homework finished off last night but by the time the dinner mess was cleaned up & they were asleep, I was ready to drop. It didn't help that alien #2 is breaking out with hives of a mysterious origin which prompted a run to the ER (no urgent care facilities around here) to get something better than Benedryl to help clear it up. We get to the ER & my choices are steroids (NOT) or Benedryl. So I choose the Benedryl. The Doc also gave my little alien something unexpected - Pepcid! It seems that it has antihistime properties that "work on a different level than Benedryl" as the Doc puts it. So....... the Rx he wrote is for Pepcid & Zyrtec (a heavenly allergy medicine - doesn't make you sleepy). Hopefully this will keep the itchies & scratchies at bay until we can find the cause of the problem.

Alien #1 is growing again - well, at least his feet are. He turned 12 in July and his feet are now a mens size 11! The scary part is the doctor keeps telling me he'll "grow into" his feet. What does this mean? A 7'3" kid????? YIKES!!!

The resident cats, Holly and Charlotte "Twinkles" are enjoying their new, more spacious home. We are having problems with Charlotte refusing to use the litter box. If anyone has any tips or tricks to fix this problem, I'm open to suggestions...... actually, I'm begging for help on this one. I'm using an all-natural plant extract solution in their water to alleviate anxiety (due to the move) and the pet soils cleaner from the pet store to clean where she is doing her messes. I don't know what else to try - help! I don't want to have to get rid of alien #2's new kitten.

I hope everyone out there in blogger-land is doing well & with summer winding down, I hope to catch up on all your blogs soon.

10 Words

I saw this over at Burfica's blog Don't Eat the Tomatoes. She gave me a letter and I'm supposed to come up with ten words that start with that letter & a short explanation of what that word means to me & how it relates to my life. So.... Burfica gave me the letter "D" and I thought about it for a few days and here's what I came up with. Here we go.....

1. Divorce - I think this one is self explanatory.

2. Delusional - I actually believe that one day my children will see the carpet in their room again when they clean it.

3. Dependable - If I'm nothing else, I am dependable. This could explain why everyone always wants to ask me to do things (bake sale, watch kids, etc) because they know if I say 'yes' they can count on me not retracting it.

4. Decadent - Referring to chocolate here - need I say more?

5. Demanding - Sometimes I feel life as a single mom is way too demanding. However, with lots of prayer & a little help from my friends, I muddle through.

6. Deadly - Ask any deer, me & my old Buick are a deadly combination. I'll admit, I haven't hit one in a long time but the three hits in three months still seems to qualify me as deadly when it comes to the deer.

7. Doughnuts - This sounds so silly but every time I smell fresh-made doughnuts I am reminded of when I was working a part time job at a bakery when Alien #1 was just old enough to start talking. I had come home from my 3am - noon shift & picked him up to go run some errands. I didn't bring home any doughnuts that day. The whole time Alien #1 kept saying, "Mama doughnuts" to which I kept replying, "No, sweetie. Mama didn't bring home any today." Finally at a long stoplight I turned around to look him in the eye and tell him one last time that NO I did NOT have any doughnuts (a little frustrated by this time). When I said my piece, he again said, "*sigh* Mama (big sniff like he's smelling something), doughnuts!" Ahhh... Mama finally understood - I SMELLED like doughnuts! Well, the way I remember it was cute, guess you had to be there.

8. Dirt - I love having a garden. Planting the seeds or plants into the ground and smelling the fresh warm dirt & feeling in my hands is one of life's' simple pleasures for me.

9. Dandelions - Call them weeds if you will but their sunny little faces are much welcome after the drab grey melting of the snow. I still pick them when they've gone to seed and make a wish before blowing the seeds into the wind. My boys call them wishing flowers.

10. Desire - There is a tremendous desire for my family and I to draw closer to the Lord daily. The stress going through a terrible divorce, my 3 car accidents, losing one family friend after another (5 in all) and then Grandma B, two near fatal accidents for my father, raising two children alone while working and going to school full time. If I didn't have God in my life, I simply wouldn't have made it through any of this. I'm not saying my life is any harder than anyone else's, as a matter of fact, by comparison my life is a lot easier than some people I know. I just have a tremendous desire for us to draw as close to God as we can, it's the glue that holds us together, mind, body & soul.

Finals are done!

Wow! It's been almost an entire month since I've posted! First off, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!! With this last month full of studying & finals, it's been hard to post, but the semester is done! Finals are over!!! YEAH! Not to brag, but....... (here comes the bragging) I aced every class, ha! not bad for an old lady. ;) In all honesty, after being through such a bad marriage & with things being really rough trying to raise two kids on my own, I really felt I had to prove to myself I could do it. Now that I know I can, life somehow just seems a little brighter. I can raise two kids alone while working two part time jobs and attending college full time and still make the grade. I had to prove to myself I could make it.

Now, I'm packing to move. I found an apartment closer to school & work so the next month is going to be busy with weeding out the garbage, having a rummage sale & packing to move. Our new place is so much closer to the university & my work. I'm going from an hour drive to about 20 minutes each way - big difference. I'll also be so much closer to my friends which is great. The aliens will have a much better school district too so we all are better off.

So, I'll try to keep my blog updated a little better but no promises........ Hope everyone is doing well.

Happy Easter!!

Happy Easter Everyone! We had a lovely day, will post more about our international holiday in a day or so. I pray everyone had a blessed day, I sure did. God Bless

I Wanna Rock 'n Roll All Night............

Charlotte Twinkle-toes

Welcome the newest addition to our family, Charlotte Twinkle-toes. She's a 6 month old kitten from a local animal rescue shelter called "Tails" - they're awesome. She's got a short tail if you look at the pictures really close you can see it. We don't know if she lost it or was born that way. It seems she was born that way. Alien #2 picked her out as a late birthday present. She's a really love-bug but still is quite the active kitty too.

I'm glad we brought her home, she helped soften the blow of Mr. Kibbles passing on. I can't keep a hammie alive to save my soul. Thank the Lord cats are easier to keep alive! Anyway, Welcome to your new home Twinkle-toes!!!

The Pig Sty

This is what the aliens consider "liveable". Somewhere under there I know there used to be carpet.

Aliens

This is proof that my children are aliens. Meet Belly Bill & Belly Bob.

The older alien has his "girlfriend's" name tattooed in ink on his fanny. Guess who did it - Alien #2. The image of one alien bent over writing on the other one's bare bum is more than any mother should have to bear.

This is so wrong.

Taxes are done!

WooHoo! Finally done with taxes for another year. I would've been done much sooner but.....

School had me so busy I didn't get my taxes filed, figured I'd do it over spring break (love TurboTax online). No problem, until you get to the part where you have to enter your AGI from last year to file electronically. I couldn't find last year's return & the info was on my computer. No biggie except that Computer Guy was upgrading my PC & HE had my tax info! ARGGGG!

So... Get the PC back & then school is in full swing again for the last half of the semester and I couldn't get to it until tonight.

The best news of all - I get money back!!!! Yeah! There are advantages to being a single mom & college student rolled into one.

Holly & Soft Paws

My order of soft paws arrived in the mail and without too much trouble, we got them on the kitty last night. It's been 24 hours & she doesn't seem to mind them a bit. I didn't get scratched with "happy feet" last night either... nice.

90 years young

Happy 90th Birthday Grammy!! I love you!

Soft Claws

Soft Paws - Aren't these the coolest things? They're colored caps to put on your kitties' claws to keep them from scratching things. It's a painless and rather inexpensive alternative to declawing.

Spring Break is here!

Thanks to everyone for your support. I'm doing better since my last post. Your kind words meant the world to me.

I missed both of my mid-term exams because alien #2 was sick but was able to make-up both exams before we went on break so that's a good thing.

I'm such a geek - I'm spending my break setting up a web site for one class and reading to write a report for another. I just don't want to be so stressed & overly busy the second half of the semester.

Mr. Kibbles goes AWOL

Well, the hammies are at it again, escaping from the cage & running wild through the apartment. Four days of Alien #2 crying, whining and in general carrying on as if the world was coming to an end. I still couldn't catch that little bugger.

So, Saturday afternoon I run over to the local Ace Hardware & get a package of live mouse traps. We get home, set the traps & I lay down on the sofa to veg out while the aliens are playing outdoors. I no more start to doze off in the middle of my afternoon movie when I hear little scratching noises coming from the kitchen. HA! Success!!

I walk in, look at the traps and they haven't moved. Nothing. Still, I hear the tell-tale noises of small feeties scratching around on discarded something-or-another behind the trash can. Slowly, I move the trash can & there she is, Mr. Kibbles. I swoop down on her with a plastic cup and deposit her safely back into her cage.

Success.

What's your walk??

Your walk is: Crazy Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

New Element Discovered - October 2005

New Element Discovered October 2005

The recent hurricane and gasoline issues helped prove existence of a new element. In early October [2005] a major research institution announced discovery of the heaviest element yet known to science. The new element has been named "Governmentium."

Governmentium (Gv) has one neutron, 25 assistant neutrons, 88 deputy neutrons, and 198 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312.

These 312 particles are held together by forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton like particles called peons. Since Gv has no electrons, it is inert. However, it can be detected, because it impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact.

A minute amount of Gv causes one reaction to take over four days to complete, when it would normally take less than a second!

Gv has a normal half-life of 4 years; it does not decay, but instead undergoes a reorganization in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places.

In fact, Governmentium's mass will actually increase over time, since each reorganization will cause more morons to become neutrons, forming isodopes.

This characteristic of moron promotion leads some scientists to believe that Gv is formed whenever morons reach a certain quantity in concentration.

This hypothetical quantity is referred to as "Critical Morass". When catalyzed with money, Gv becomes "Administratium" (Am) - an element which radiates just as much energy as Gv since it has half as many peons but twice as many morons.

Where's Waldo?

Cool pic isn't it? Would you believe this was found on a microchip? Yep! Click on the picture to read the story. Once there, click on that picture - it will take you to a page where you can view 10 of the over 300 images that have been found on microchips and a little ditty about the image found. There are more sites to view chip art and read a little more about it HERE, HERE, and HERE. Have fun!

Happy New Year from Mr. Kibbles & Suzie Snowflake

I hope you all had a very safe and happy New Year's Eve/New Year's Day celebration.

We awoke to a minor tragedy December 31st, Sparky (the hamster) had passed away in the night. It was her time, so I wasn't surprised when it happened. The aliens mourned for a couple of hours, went and took their grief out on the video games that the neighbor kid got for Christmas and when they arrived home mid-afternoon, we went to make a couple exchanges on Christmas items.

Once we were in the "big city", they decided they wanted to spend part of their Christmas money from Great-Granny on a new hamster each. Hamsters were very popular this season. In a town with a population of 150,000 there were only 2 female Siberian dwarf hamsters to be found - both at different pet stores about 30 minutes apart. Of course, I drove all over to collect the two little beasties and we were off for home. (I had NOTHING to do with the names. )

So, without further ado, I introduce you to Mr. Kibbles and Suzie Snowflake!

Holly

Guess who got a new digital camera for Christmas! After chasing the family around all day with it, I finally got a chance at the cat. She's a little shy and it was hard to get a picture of her. Her mask is so dark, it was impossible to get a picture of her beautiful blue eyes. I was lucky to get her to sit still long enough to get a cute pose.

Anyway, this is Holly, resident cat & bed warmer. Santa brought her to us three years ago for Christmas.

What is your Christmas like?

Your Christmas is Most Like: A Christmas Story

Loving, fun, and totally crazy.Don't shoot your eye out!

What Movie Is Your Christmas Most Like?

Holly Kitty

I love our kitty Holly. She's cute and lovable, sometime too much so. I've been sick as you all know who have read this blog recently. Holly gets extra-snuggly when she senses someone is out of sorts or sick.

Having a bit of a fever at night, I've been tossing a bit in my sleep which makes it nearly impossible for lover-kitty to stay perched on my back, side, stomach (whichever side is up). So she decided to curl up by my head/neck area.

She'll snuggle up as close as she can with her back to me, get her little feet under herself, dig her claws into the bedding and shoves herself up against me until she has succeeded in physically attaching herself to me. Only then does she settle down to purr for the next hour or so.

I love my kitty.

Sick again, dang

Well, it hit me again today, sore throat & raging fever so I guess I'm not over this yet. I'll be calling the doc in the morning, again....... for meds, again. I can't be sick - I have Christmas shopping to do! Ah, well..... maybe after a few more days in bed....

It's been cold here

We've warmed up to a sizzlin' 20 degrees today & a storm front has come thru the area and we're getting major snow, about an inch an hour in the thick of it. We'll have a total of 3 - 5 when it's all done. That's not too bad although you never know how much snow will really pile up until it's all over with....... reminds me of a really bad joke from high school..... hehehe better keep that to myself.

It's 1:15 am....

...and I've just finished my final term paper to hand in this morning at 10:00 am. Then it's all done for 5 glorious weeks!!

That means I get to clean my house which has been in dire need of a revamp for a long time. No time to clean with all the homework (mine & the kids).

Well, I'm off to get a couple of hours of sleep before getting the aliens up for school tomorrow.

Dirty Words in School

Scarlet Fever

Yep! That's right, the campus doctor ran every test he could order on me & that's what he came up with - I have scarlet fever. I freaked out! I didn't know people even got that anymore. I assumed it was one of those illnesses that modern medicine had eradicated from the planet.

It turns out, Scarlet Fever is a strep infection with a secondary infection causing a rash. Either way, I've felt like crap for two weeks and now know why.

Thank you God for a doctor not afraid to be aggressive with the meds. Because he gave me a slamming good Rx (love the Z-Pak), I'll be doing great by Monday for my final exams, not home sick begging my professors to reschedule my exams for me.

Lessons of Motherhood #3 & #4

Here's a couple more lessons of motherhood - I posted two because they kinda go together.

3. Twelve holes poked in a king-sized waterbed with embroidery scissors are not enough to drain the bed. It only allows enough water to leak out of the bed to soak the person that lies down on it.

4. Waterbed patch kits are available at Wal-Mart, one kit is more than enough to repair 12 puncture holes and the kit only costs about $2.50 (current price at the time of the hole poking incident).

What a Great Day!

After over two long years, my sister was able to get visas for her husband and two step-children to travel from Costa Rica to the United States. They landed in the US about 3:oo pm on Wednesday and came up to Northern Illinois late Thanksgiving day. We celebrated our Thanksgiving on Friday with our new family members. It was awesome!

Happy Thanksgiving

Thank you Lord for bringing my family safely together for this holiday, thank you for the countless blessings we take for granted everyday of our lives.

Amen

Lessons of Motherhood #3

When I first started my blog, I put in a couple of the lessons I've learned being a Mom. I recently updated my lesson log and realized I managed to post two items off of it and never did any more with them. So, in honor of my adorable aliens, here's the first item on my list.

It requires more than 100 lbs (combined weight) of small children jumping on a semi-rotten garage roof to make it cave in.

So, now you know, keep those little buggers off the roof!

Merry Christmas!

Well, I know it's early to say "Merry Christmas", most people are still working towards "Happy Thanksgiving". However, we have been hit with snow & record-cold wind chill temps.

It snowed enough overnight to leave a little snow on my windshield and was cold enough that yesterday's rain froze my car doors shut. The temp is about 31 but with the wind chill, it's only about 10 degrees outside right now. The wind just cuts right through you. We've had flurries off and on all day, it's sticking in the grass here and there but it's blowing around so much, it's not landing much of anywhere right now.

It's supposed to get down to 12 degrees tonight, I hope the winds die down or my car isn't going anywhere tomorrow! Looks like I'd better put some Heet in my gas tank when I fill up tonight.

Smart Mouse

A Good Reason to Drink Tea....

AINSWORTH, Iowa - Marjorie Morris just wanted to pour coffee into a canister. What she found in the package of freeze-dried coffee left her shell-shocked.

Morris, 77, of Ainsworth, found a dead baby turtle in the 2-pound package of Folgers coffee last Sunday.

"I thought it was a toy at first," said Morris, 77, of Ainsworth. Morris said she had been making coffee from the same package for a month before she made the discovery.

"It's a responsibility of the company to check their shipments closer," she said. "It could be much more serious."

Morris said she doesn't plan to file a lawsuit against Folgers. She said a customer service representative for the company dismissed the find, explaining that because many Folgers plants are based in New Orleans the turtle might have ended up in the coffee as a result of Hurricane Katrina.

Sussane Dussing, a spokeswoman for Procter & Gamble, the company that owns the Folgers brand, said it's too early to say how the turtle ended up in the coffee. Dussing said she wasn't aware of other similar incidents and that Morris' discovery would be investigated.

Morris, who has kept the turtle, said she would continue to drink coffee, but that she is now a more mindful consumer.

Things could have been worse, she said. "It could've been a snake."

Little Kitty

This is the cutest little kitten! Turn your speakers up, it purrs & meows too. Move your mouse around & see what it does.

In Honor Of Our Veterans

Thank you to our veterans today we honor you.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Cherie Renee,

wherever you are.

I love you & miss you.

Loretta Lynn & Cookies

Here it is Opie, I hope you enjoy this little story. I sure do remember it fondly.

I grew up in a small farming community of about 2500 people. We always had a huge Independence Day celebration for such a small town. There was always a carnival downtown, it covered almost 2 blocks in every direction. We had the 4th of July Queen contest, the local VFW hold a cookout, there was always a big parade & a fantastic fireworks show to top off the day.

The summer before my 8th grade year, our little town got an extra treat - Loretta Lynn was putting on a concert down at the high school football field on July 3rd. The whole town, all 2500 of us, were so excited we couldn't wait. My sister & I, although not huge country fans, were Loretta Lynn fans without a doubt.

The big day arrived & my parents were thrilled because we were driving them nuts with talk of the concert. Sissy & I had ridden our bikes down by the school & had seen all the trailers & such with the equipment. It was fun to watch some of the set-up from the street but then we had a fantastic idea - we were going to meet Loretta Lynn in person.

We thought it would be cool to bake some cookies & take them down to her, Mom insisted that they wouldn't let us anywhere close to Loretta Lynn with those cookies. "There are weirdos out there you know that try to poison celebrities you know!" We ignored Mom & went about baking a big batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies. When we were finished, we packed up our warm, fresh cookies, hopped on our bikes & took off for the football field with Mom shaking her head as we rode off.

The stage was set up and various people were running around doing set-up for the evening concert. Bravely, Sissy & I walked up to the stage. The only person on stage by the time we got up there was a really big man. Meekly we asked if we could please see "Miss Lynn". He eyed us for a minute and grunted "I dunno - be back".

Not two minutes later, the beautiful "Miss Lynn" floated across the stage in a cloud of frilly, pale yellow, country-style lace & ruffles. We stood in awe. Sissy and I spent the next hour sitting on the edge of the stage, eating cookies with Loretta Lynn.

I couldn't even tell you now exactly what we talked about. She was very warm, honest, and friendly. I vividly remember, however, sitting on the edge of stage, all three of us swinging our legs back and forth and eating chocolate chip cookies with Loretta Lynn.

Five Things......

I saw this over at My Wide Blue Seas & borrowed it from Hokule'a.

Five things I plan to do before I die:
1. Visit Ireland.
2. Lose 20 pounds (and this may be what kills me!).
3. Get my Masters degree
4. Learn Arborsculpture.
5. Learn to speak Spanish & Swahili.

Five things I can do:
1. Love & Laugh.
2. See miracles around me everyday.
3. Crochet, Sew & various needlework type things.
4. Teach.
5. Grow beautiful gardens.

Five things I cannot do:
1. Sing.
2. Change the oil in my car.
3. Tame my wild curly hair.
4. Hit a baseball.
5. Keep my house clean.

Five things that attract me to the opposite sex:
1. Honesty
2. Faith In Jesus
3. Love of life
4. Ability to find miracles in everyday life
5. Honest Eyes (they are the window to the soul)

Five things I say most often:
1. I love you.
2. Thank you Jesus for....
3. That's too funny/cute
4. Crap!
5. You need to feed the cat/hamster/fish BEFORE you eat your dinner.

Five Celebrity Crushes:
1. Roger Moore - The original 007 James Bond.
2. Sean Connery - yes, we have a theme going on here.... hehehe
3. Johnny Depp
4. Mel Gibson
5. Antonio Banderes - *sigh* - gotta agree with Hokule'a on this one.

I invite everyone to do this & let me know when it's up on your blog so I can learn something new about you too.

How do you spell "deer"?

As I was getting ready for school this past week, the aliens were eating breakfast. I found the following conversation really funny. To find this even remotely funny, you need to know my history of 'deer hunting' with my car. Follow this link, this link, and/or this link to read up on it.

Alien #2 hollers from the kitchen: Mommy - I know how to spell 'deer'!

Me: Okay, tell me how to spell 'deer'.

Alien#2: D - E - A - D!

(I come into the kitchen, Alien#1 is smiling, says nothing. Alien #2 is smiling proudly.)

Me: Honey, that spells 'dead' not 'deer'.

Alien #2: (dejectedly) Oh.

Alien #1: Well Mom, when a deer meets up with you it does end up D - E - A - D!

Alien #2: See! I was right!

For all the coffee lovers...

Click the cartoon for a larger image.

Deer Hunting Season Is Upon Us

I'm starting to get a little nervous.....Fall us upon us and rutting season is just around the corner. What's that mean for me?

Well last year it meant I got more deer with my Buick than Dad did from his tree stand.

Isn't that picture cute? Well let me tell you something - they are NOT cute when they jump in front of your car.

It wasn't cute the first time.
It wasn't cute the second time.
And it certainly was not cute the third time.

I hope they've all got my license number & a description of my car - maybe they'll be on the look-out and avoid running out in front of me this year.

How Much Is Your Blog Worth?

My blog is worth $5,080.86.
How much is your blog worth?

,

Rosa Parks, Dead at age 92

Parks, 92, died around 7 p.m. Monday at St. John Hospital on Detroit’s east side.

Parks’ refusal to give up her bus seat to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955 landed her in jail and sparked a bus boycott that is considered the start of the modern civil rights movement. The bus is on display at the Henry Ford Museum, Dearborn.

Parks, was born Feb. 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Alabama. She lived in Detroit.

In "Quiet Strength," a book of reflections published in 1994, she wrote: "I want to be remembered as a person who stood up to injustice, who wanted a better world for young people; and most of all, I want to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free and wanted others to be free."

"I had no idea when I refused to give up my seat on that Montgomery bus that my small action would help put an end to the segregation laws of the South," she said in her autobiography. "I only knew that I was tired of being pushed around." - Rosa Parks

What an amazing woman.

What Your Blog Says About You...

I saw this on another blog I read frequently and while I was not tagged, it did think it interesting. The idea is to find your 23rd post on your blog - and then the fifth sentence. This sentence is supposed to 'say something about you.'

What does my post say? The 5th sentence of my 23rd post is a two word sentence.

"Jack squat."

Great - love what that says about me.

Update on Dad

I just realized with all that's been going on, I never updated on Dad!! I'm so so so sorry!!!

Dad is home and is recovering well. He still needs lots of rest but he no longer needs his walker to get around most of the time. Dad even went to the mall with Mom to get a new cell phone yesterday! That's a big deal because his energy level is non-existent. He finally got his pacemaker put in and that went well. He is still recovering from broken ribs and does not have the o.k. to drive yet but that will all take time.

Thank you all again for your prayers - they made such a difference. May God bless you all as you have blessed my family. :)

Holly the Cat

I have always told people my cat is NOT normal. She let a mouse steal so much of her food last winter that she was losing weight (took us awhile to figure out it was a mouse, we thought she was ill). Now I have proof that she's just not right.

Holly is lovable, will purr at the slightest touch, takes turns sleeping with every member of the household, and is always a happy animal. But, somehow I've always thought, something wasn't right. Now I know why.

Last week I caught her up on the table next to the hamster cage. Initially I thought she was trying to get a little snack. I stopped & looked for a minute and just about the time I realized what was happening, Alien #1 says, "Look Mom! She's giving Sparky a bath!!" The Alien was correct. Holly was grooming the hamster. How weird is that?

Like I said - NOT normal.

Revenge Is Sweet

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - A Swedish hunter was knocked unconscious after his son shot a flying Canada goose which then fell onto his head, news agency TT reported Wednesday.

"I guess it wanted revenge," hunter Ulf Ilback told local newspaper Extra Ostergotland, according to TT.

Ilback said he had to stay in bed for two days after being knocked out by the goose, which fell from around 60 feet. The birds can weigh up 13 pounds.

I'd hate to think what would happen if the deer I hit last year wanted to seek revenge on me!! hehehehe

More Penguin Games

What is soooo much fun about abusing penguins?? I have no idea but here's another penguin game to amuse you. My best score was 411.94 - good luck.

For other penguin fun, check out the posts from my blog last December 23rd & 24th.

Disclaimer: I do not avocate the abuse of any animal and, in fact, love penguins.

Update On Dad

Hey everybody! Great news - Dad has been released from NICU and will hopefully be in physical rehab by the weekend!

Happy Birthday to Me!

What did I get for my birthday? Besides the typical cards & well wishes, lunch out with a friend, I got a very special present today - from God.

My dad is greatly improved overnight and is off the vent, abdominal drainage tube is out and he's sitting up, eating & talking like there's no tomorrow. Now friends, THAT is a birthday present I'll NEVER forget. : )

Comment Verification

Ok - really sorry I had to do it everyone, but I've gotten sooooooooo many spam comments that I've had to restrict comments. You must be a registered user & I'm activating the word verification for leaving a comment. I didn't want to do it because it's a hassle but, as usual, the few jerks ruin it for the rest of us.

Where were you?

September 11, 2001

We will never forget.

I'm online again! Whoopie!

I am officially wired again as of yesterday - love my new cable connection. I can now waste countless hours of my life online once again.

Actually, now that I've posted about Dad & made this short post, it's time to go to my college website and take my physics test, (rolling eyes) oh joy (sighs & rolls eyes again).

What will really happen now that I'm back online:

The aliens will be begging to play Neopets every waking moment. (But Moooommmm - they're starrrrvvvvvvving!)

I'll be catching up on everyone's blog (it's been almost two whole months!!). Blog withdrawl is an ugly thing, pray you never go through it.

I've got what seems like 4 million e-mails to answer. Even though EVERY single one of my family & friends KNEW I had limited internet access, they felt it necessary to continue to send me all those normally-cute forwarded e-mails non-stop. Warning: If it says "FW: " on it, folks it's getting deleted. I'm only reading the REAL stuff for the next week.

And of course - Physics 162 has all the tests/quizes online. yea. lol

Well, it's off to take a test on another exciting chaper in my first class of the week!

Dad is improving

Well, Dad came off the ventilator yesterday afternoon and still listed in critical condition but -he is stable. A much improved status from a couple of days ago. We just keep praying for him to heal quickly and completely with no more complications.

Thanks for all your prayers.

PRAYERS NEEDED AGAIN!

Last night Dad had a motorcycle accident on his way home from work.

We're not sure why or how he lost control of his bike but he went down and is now in the neuro-intensive care unit of the hospital again.

Last time he hurt the left side of his body, this time it's the right.

7 broken ribs
punctured lung
broken collar bone
broken shoulderblade
head injury
lacerated liver & ruptured spleen (spleen removed & liver repaired during surgery last night)
serious road rash on arms and hands

Dad is on a vent again to assist in his breathing. He is alert and is wanting to communicate but this is difficult with his hands and arms bandaged. The head injury does not appear to be as bad this time and he's doing well from last night's surgery.

They are trying to determine if he had a dizzy spell due to the prior head injury or a mild heart attack that caused him to lose control of the bike.

More updates will come as I have the information. Thanks for your prayers!


I am currently taking up a collection to pay for a chauffer for my father for the remainder of his days. Just kidding - I'm stressed it's either laugh or cry at this point & I'd rather save the tears for another time.

Alien's 1st Football Game

Well, the first football game of the year they lost 14 - 0..... a little disappointing. The kids played their hearts out and really did an awesome job. I found out after the game that the other team is from a private school & they start their kids in football two years before our school system offers it! No wonder we didn't score, these kids have been playing together for two years already!!

Alien #1 is playing defensive lineman - he's too big to play offense, they don't want him crushing a kid half his size. Any kid over a certain height and/or weight must play defense only - league rules. They don't want anyone hurt.

My all-knowing alien learned a lesson about his protective equipment yesterday too. After insisting that he had EVERYTHING he needed for practice, he rolled his eyes at me & we left for practice. After practice, he was complaining his stomach was sore. When I asked why, he told me he forgot his rib protector. I bet he won't forget it again! hehehe

Well, let's see, 2nd game is this Saturday, the local pool closes for the season on Sunday & school starts for everyone on Monday.

Hope everyone is doing well, thanks for the comments. I will try to catch up with everyone soon - I hope to have a cable link-up for the internet at home in a couple of weeks.

I'm still here!!

Hello everyone! As the title says, I'm still here! I've had tons of pc problems so for now I'm having to use the pc & internet link-up at the library.....when there's one free. I'm amazed at the number of parents that allow their kids to spend the summer indoors playing computer games online. My kids and I spend the summers outdoors as much as possible - that's what summer is for!!!

The college process is going well - got my acceptance letter, financial aid is in process, orientation is done (thankfully! boooooorrrrrrrrrrriiiiingggggg hehehe) and I'm registered for classes. All I have left to do is to buy my books & show up for classes. I'm nervous about returning to college at my age but I'm excited. It will be great to finally have my degree.

As far as the aliens go, Alien #1 is playing jr. tackle football this fall - had to drag him to it but after one grueling practice, he's sooooooo into it and can't wait for practice today! Now comes the fun part - being a single mom, I have to go to the store & buy his "protective equipment" for his "equipment" (if you know what I mean). I've tried to talk every man I know (which aren't very many) into doing it for me but they all laugh & say "nope!". I even tried to bribe the teenage kid downstairs from me with a $20 to do it for me - no dice. So.......it should be an experience.

Alien #2 is too young for football so he's going to do soccer & is looking forward to that and entering 3rd grade this year.

Satan the hamster hasn't been as active, the summer heat is getting to her and she's slowed down a bit. This seems odd to me as it is my understanding that Hell is perpetually hot.......... hmmmmmm.

Well, so long for now...... it may be a few weeks before I post again. Hope all is well with all of you!

PC Problems & other stuff

Sorry I haven't posted lately, I've been having a heck of a time staying online, pc trouble. Not much has changed weather-wise, it rained on the 4th and it rained last Tuesday a little.

The aliens are enjoying their summer vacation - spending lots of time playing with neighborhood friends and swimming at the local pool.

I got my college acceptance letter last Friday so I'm really excited about that.
I have to go get financial aid stuff finished off this coming week and then the first week in August is orientation for classes & I'll be starting back full time when the kids go back to school.

I'll try to catch up on everyone's blogs when the moody little computer elf living inside my pc gets over her PMS.

Happy Birthday Alien #1

Happy 11th birthday to my oldest alien........ I can't believe he's this old already. In honor of his birthday, my post is in red, his favorite color.

This is also the one year mark on my blog - when I started it, I never really thought I'd keep up with it as well as I have. Who knew?

Belated Happy 4th to All!

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July - ours turned out to be great. It didn't start our that way, it rained on our parade - literally. We've had no rain for over a month and what happens? About 3:30 in the morning of July 4th we get massive thunderstorms that last until almost 6am.

It clears off for a couple of hours & we cook out with the folks, then about 12:30 a light steady rain starts up again until almost 1:45 pm. Cool - rain stops and parade goes on as planned at 2pm. At 2:10 it starts to drip a few minutes later it's a steady drizzle that contines the entire 1 1/2 hrs of the parade. Did it dampen the spirits in our small town?? NO WAY! We all sat there in the rain enjoying the nice cool air for once and celebrating our country's birthday! Floats, marching bands, military units & clowns paraded on & we had a GREAT time!

It stayed dry throughout the afternoon & we were able to go to the carnival & blow a few bucks, fireworks went on as scheduled that evening. We put on a pretty impressive display for a small town. The aliens & I had a fantastic time. Hope everyone else had as much fun as we did.