Saturday, December 1, 2012

Ten Things I'm Thankful For in 2012

It's been a little while since my last post. I got tired of seeing the title every time I commented on someone else's blog. So here I am, writing again.

Seems like there are more people in trouble this year. More people are hurting for money, looking for jobs. But we don't have to let those circumstances bring us down. We can be thankful for many things. So here are 10 things that I'm thankful for this year.

1. I'm thankful for my family being together. Even if we are not together physically, we can be together in spirit.

2. I'm thankful for having a place to live, food to eat and clothes to wear. It's not the most beautiful house, or the most perfect one. Our clothes are not the most 'in style' but they keep us modest and warm. We can't always eat the kinds of foods we want to eat (i.e. healthier and better for us) but we do have food and our bellies are full.

3. I'm thankful that after a 6 month wait, my husband was finally able to get a job. And it's a good one, too. I'm thankful that, even when I wasn't looking, a job fell into my lap that works with my schedule.

4. I'm thankful to finally be able to get off food stamps. It's been too long and I'm glad we'll be standing on our own feet again.

5. I'm thankful for books and music. Without those, my imagination might die and that would be a tragic thing, indeed!

6. I'm thankful for my chosen family. You know, 'friends are the family you choose'? They always brighten my day and make our lives interesting.

7. I'm thankful for coffee. Though this is low down on the list, do not mistake its vital importance! Without it, I'd be out of commission for at least two weeks, maybe four. I love my coffee. I'll drink it almost any way you can imagine. I've been drinking coffee for /many/ years now.

8. I'm thankful for prayer warriors and true servants of the Living God. They do not call attention to themselves and I will not embarrass them by calling their names here but I am thankful for them. Without them, we would have had a much harder time getting through this year.

9. I'm thankful there is still breath in me. That means I have another chance to do something right.

10. I'm thankful for our freedoms. They may be slowly withering and wasting away but I'm still thankful for them all the same. And I'll still do what I can to protect them.

So what are you thankful for this year? How have you been blessed or lucky? Rattle off some positive thoughts, if you wish, in the comments below. No negativity, please! If you don't like my post, just pass it by. Also, try being kind to folks during the holiday season. I think you'll see that it makes you feel much better about yourself. You might even want to continue the practice when the holiday season is done! :) I wish all my readers a most wonderful and happy holiday season! Laugh a lot!

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Current Thoughts On The Results of This Farce

So we wake this morning with the same guy in charge for another four years. Well, I'm just going to keep on pressing on towards the goals I have for my life. While this current administration seems bent on making that terribly hard for me and my family, I'm fairly certain I'll be able to do that, though I'll have to work harder. I'd like to share a note posted by a friend of mine that accurately describes how I, and I'm sure many other citizens of our country, feel/felt about this election cycle. You can read it here.

I'd like to address something I'm now seeing on facebook: people requesting their facebook connections to unfriend them if they voted a certain way. It is their right to request this, especially considering that many of the connections we make on facebook are people we have never met in person. One would've had to communicate at least marginally with those "virtual" friends to consider them as such in real life. Personally, I have nothing against anyone when I first meet them but I won't consider them a friend until I have had more time to get to know them. It takes even more time and conversation for me to consider knowing someone well enough to earn them the distinction of "Brother" or "Sister." Having said that, posting things like this quote from Jefferson Quotes and expecting to guilt trip some folks into changing their minds about the decision they have painstakingly made isn't really very "friendly" of /you/. In my opinion, you should consider that the person making such a request has probably done so at a great cost to himself and only after much thought. You should also consider that this request was not made lightly. You might also want to consider their own perception of life events. If you can't consider any of those things because you don't know how they feel about those things, then you might want to consider if you were ever really their friend to begin with. Personally, I find it hard to believe in 'friends' who would re-elect someone into office who has proven that he is a traitor, who is not interested in improving or endorsing anything of true and lasting value in this country. Solutions to problems are made much more complex than they need to be and therefore those solutions never get implemented. If you want to be a part of the solution to the current situation in our country, quit outsourcing and start making do with what you have. That will help with the unemployment rate and the financial situation of our country, two very large and menacing problems.

I'm stopping here. I believe I've said enough. Remember to breathe.

Friday, October 19, 2012

His Homestead Originals Hosts a Giveaway!

I am a bit rushed this morning but I wanted to take some time to do this. His Homestead Originals is hosting a pretty nifty giveaway! You can check it out here. I originally went to the site to get a free resource posted by Homeschool Freebie of the Day and if you've never checked out either site, I recommend you do so. I was pleasantly surprised with His Homestead Original's simple ways of doing things and the way they promote their faith without being pushy or offensive. I think it's wonderful to find people standing firm in what they believe and letting that faith shine in all aspects of their lives. I can't wait to use the free resource I downloaded today and I hope I win the contest. Check it out and if you like what you see, then sign up for their newsletter. Thanks for stopping by! Laugh a lot!

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Check out this awesome giveaway hosted by Fave Crafts! I love browsing through their site to find interesting crafts that I can do alone or with my family. But this giveaway is special to me because I love to create chainmail jewelry. I've wanted a book like this since I started working maille but have never been able to get the money together to purchase it. So I really hope I win the giveaway. :) You can check it out for yourself here. If you decide to do so and enter the contest, I wish you luck, too. Have a great day! Laugh a lot and remember to breathe!

Monday, September 10, 2012

An Interesting History Resource!

Homeschool Giveaways is hosting a chance to win a history resource from Heritage History! You can check it out here and see what you think about it. I think it would make an excellent addition to any homeschool curriculum. I don't think anyone could ever have enough books. :) If you decide to participate in the giveaway, I wish you good luck! Laugh a lot!

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

My Own Game of Devil's Advocate

Ah, where to start? So much has gone so very wrong lately. And I still can't help thinking that there are others who have things much worse. Call me a hypocrite if you wish but as much as I hate the current food stamp program, without it, my family wouldn't be eating very much. It's totally insane that a retired Air Force Tech Sergeant cannot get a decent job no matter how many times he puts in an application, no matter what his job skills amount to, no matter how much previous experience he has. It's even worse that because of his disabilities, he can't put in applications at the most available jobs, such as fast food restaurants and retail stores because he cannot stand on his feet all day. It sucks that he is willing to work, yea even /eager/ to work and yet we still wonder how we will make ends meet from day to day. We had to make a decision this month on which bills to pay and which ones we were going to have to make mad. If nothing happens within the next couple of weeks, I'm sure the nasty grams and hate calls will begin. This is without a doubt preying on my mind. But there are people in this same situation everywhere and probably a good many who are worse off.

On top of this jobless state, wherein we find ourselves with very little money left in the bank and still over half a month left to go before we get our paltry retirement check, our stove will not work correctly. The lights work perfectly. The clock works just fine. However, pretty lights and an accurate clock do not cook food very well. The burners and the oven will not warm. We don't use a microwave so it looks like salad and/or sandwiches for a while until we figure out how to fix it ourselves b/c we surely cannot pay someone to fix it for us. And the warranty is no longer good.

We live in Louisiana. In the summer, you need AC...preferably an AC that works correctly. Our window unit in our family room is not working correctly and until we figure out why, we cannot run it. It is leaking so badly that its becoming a danger. We have cleaned it and adjusted the angle many times and still it leaks into the house.

The floor in our master bathroom must be redone...completely. The toilet is threatening to fall through the floor at the least provocation. We cannot afford to redo it now so we are down to using the hall bath. I'm thankful that we have a hall bath to use.

My list of things to do and complete keeps growing and growing and growing and there is nothing else I can do about any of it. Nothing I say will make any of it better. So I sit here. And I wait. And I'm bad at waiting. I get morose and antsy and frustrated. And I snap a lot. Much like a wounded animal, I suppose. Or maybe like an animal in it's old age that just wants to sleep. But I will not sleep. I cannot sleep on the job. I will do whatever I can. I will do something positive. I will fingerpaint with my kids today. I only have black tempera paint and brown paper bags but it's something. And it can be something positive. I have material and I have patterns and I can sew. Even if my machine breaks, I can hand sew. I can be productive and be positive. And I know that if I keep at it, tomorrow will be better. It has to be better...right?

Remember to breathe...

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

When Inspiration Hits

Mercy! I have been on a song writing kick over the last few months. For about 5 or 6 years I didn't write anything. My well of inspiration was like water in a desert...non-existent or cunningly disguised. It's interesting that during those years, I felt pretty happy and content most of the time and had lots to do and places to go. Now that we're back in my hometown with little to do and fewer places we can go, I have more time for reflection, I suppose. The first song that I wrote after moving back home was written at midnight. Everyone in my house had long since gone to sleep and I was preparing to do the same when...KABLAM! Inspiration hit. I was finished with the song in approximately 30 minutes. It was short but it was a song and the chords flowed well. I was ecstatic! Six years of nothing and then, "Oh! Here ya go." So the next song I wrote was a silly song, dedicated to my morning coffee. The one after that, I wrote last month and it was a slow, mournful sounding song of hope. And I'm working on another one. This one is really difficult. I'm struggling to pull it out of me, probably because my spirit and mind are all jumbled up with the stress we are going through as a family. I refuse to stop working on it, though. This one could be really big for me, big in many ways. It should have a very 'full' sound and be like "Leave It" by Yes...though probably not as epic. *Laughing at myself* I want it to be one of those songs that is capable of reaching many people in many walks of life. I want it to be a song that you can blast out of the speakers while you lay on the floor with your eyes closed, letting the sounds surround you like a loved one's arms. It's slow going, but it's getting there. And I'm pretty sure the journey to create 'epic' takes a bit longer than the stuff I usually come up with. It's ironic that I, myself, am more like that quick stuff that I usually write. Always hopping from one thing to the next, not really slowing down much, never reaching perfection but always striving for it...yeah, that's kinda like me. On another note, it's been really great to sing again. Throughout those 6 years of being away from my hometown, where I could sing all the time in church, I had fewer occasions to sing. It's nice to have a place to sing again. It helps that the people I sing with are pretty cool folks. But my favorite kind of singing is the kind you do in a jam session-no pressure at all, just a bunch of people having fun. I've got to figure out how to get one of these set up so that all my friends will be able to attend. I am going to begin working on a couple of pirate shirts for my husband and myself. Why? Because I can and because everyone should have a pirate shirt. I'm fully convinced of this. :) I hope they come out well! Lastly, I refuse to grow up. I will be like Peter Pan. I know I have to be an adult sometimes, because I'm a mom and we kinda have to do that but... I will retain as much of my innocence as possible and enjoy life like a child would as much as I can. We only have one life to live. I want mine to be full of all things good. I want to enjoy the things I like to the fullest. I want to share awesome things with the people I love and care about. I want to cherish the freedom I have in this country that I love. I want to always keep learning new and interesting things. Gosh! I'm a bit selfish (or maybe self-centered) today, I think! Laugh a lot and remember to breathe!

Monday, May 21, 2012

StretcherStretcher by Klyde Morgan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book gets three stars for a couple of reasons: it's not my favorite genre so it was hard for me to get through it and it has a lot of graphic violence which is hard for me to read. When I open a book, I really get into the story. I often found myself clenching my teeth or wincing (which should be awesome for some folks) and I often times wanted to throw the book at the wall in frustration. LOL The characters are well-fleshed out and fairly easy to identify with. I like that there is variety among the characters, too. The basic plot is interesting, as well. People who enjoy sci-fi, fantasy, myths & legends, and action will really enjoy this book, I think. It looks like there might be a sequel. If there /is/ a sequel, I will read it because I simply must know what happens next! Having said all this, don't take my word for it. Give it a try!

View all my reviews

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Time For Another 10 Things...

It's been many months since my last post. I've been considering what I should blog about for at least 2 months. Since my emotions have been on a roller coaster ride lately, it was much better to wait to post something. :D I also wanted to write more '10 Things' posts and I think I've finally found one that will work well for me...at least for today. This will actually be 20 things in total but you'll see... 10 Things That Make Me Super Happy (in no particular order) 1. I absolutely love to sip my coffee on a quiet morning. This gives me a peaceful start to my day and in turn makes my day run a lot smoother which in turn makes me super happy! 2. I am super happy when the people I choose to spend my time with, those to whom I choose to give my friendship and those whom I love, tell me the truth. If I ask you a question, you can be sure I considered that there might be a negative response to it. You can actually be sure that I've considered at least /several/ responses to that question. Don't be afraid. Tell me the truth. 3. I am super happy when I get to read things I enjoy without interruption. Speaking of this, reading The Oatmeal comics makes me really happy. Reading political cartoons makes me happy. Reading an excellent sci-fi or fantasy book makes me happy. Reading an excellent manga makes me happy. Reading through my kids baby books makes me happy. I think you get the picture... 4. I am super happy when I hear a favorite song(s). I'm also super happy when I can learn to sing those songs or learn to play them on an instrument. 5. I am super happy when I can be the reason that my husband or my kids is smiling. 6. I am super happy when I know I've done the right thing and it resulted in something super awesome. 7. I am super happy when I can be of help to someone who truly needs my help and won't abuse my kindness. 8. I am super happy when I look around me at the beauty in nature. I love to walk outside and just breathe. I'm glad I live in the country because I'm pretty sure this would not make the list if I lived in Los Angeles. 9. I am super happy to make new and interesting friends from all over the place. This is the one thing I miss about Twitter. I met some really awesome people there. 10. I am super happy when I think of all the many wonderful blessings I have and count them one by one. They add up quick and it's easy to see how truly blessed I am. Even if I only counted up to 4, I'd still consider myself extremely blessed. 10 Things That Make Me Angry (in no particular order) 1. Don't lie to me. I hate it. How can I form any kind of a relationship with you if you lie to me. Relationships based on lies will die painful, horrible deaths and result is the loss of so many good possibilities. 2. Don't ostracize people. I hate it. All people have value of some kind. Sometimes you have to look really hard to find that value but it's there. 3. I hate senseless waste and careless disposal of waste. How hard is it to throw a diaper in a plastic bag and find a trash bin when you're at Wal-Mart? We may not know who you are specifically but I'd like to let you know that if you are among the number of people who have done that, you are a lazy bum. I don't wish it on you but if you stepped in a diaper that someone else like you left on the ground, it would serve you right. Karma, baby... 4. Don't push your ideals or beliefs on me. I am an adult with a mind that works relatively well. In the words of a most excellent song, you do your thing, I'll do mine. Do you really think I'll come over to your way of thinking if you push me? Um...no. (And having said that, I don't ever want to push my ideals or beliefs onto anyone else, either, so if any of you find me doing this, please do bring it to my attention. It will probably be a case of saying/wording it incorrectly, but it should still be brought to my attention.) 5. I hate it when I do the right thing but the result is painful. This makes me angry. 6. It makes me angry when I make mistakes. I mean, didn't I calculate all possible outcomes? Didn't I read the directions carefully enough? 7. It makes me angry when people tell me I'm wrong about a decision I have to make that will affect my life. Please. If you want to offer advice, that's great. But don't expect me to take your advice just because I asked or just because it's you who gave me the advice. You are not God. You are not my boss. You are not my king. Get over it. (PS This is something I also had to get over. LOL) 8. It makes me angry when I have to say no when I really want to say yes. This applies to my kids more than any other life situation. 9. It makes me angry when I have to explain myself twenty times. I'm complex and weird. Isn't that enough reason for you? Just go with it. Trust me, you'll be happier and I know I will be. 10. It makes me angry when people who have the greatest potential (at least in my eyes) decide they'd rather throw their lives away on miserable half-existences. Of course, there might be those who feel that I'm doing this but I like my life and I feel that I'm as productive as I can be at this point...or at least pretty close. And having said all this, I'd never be so rude as to go up to someone and just tell them they're wasting all that potential. It's something they have to discover for themselves...but it still makes me angry to see all that waste. OK. So. These are by no means a complete list. That would take a lifetime, I suppose. Feel free to comment but keep the comments positive. Negative or rude comments will be deleted without any kind of worded response. Also, until I figure out a few things, I apologize for the 'compact' nature of this blog post and the lack of traditional paragraph divisions. Hope you all have a nice day! Laugh a lot and remember to breathe!

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Ode To My Coffee

It's been quite some time since my last post but I'm hoping it's been worth the wait. I'm posting silliness this morning. It won't be good for much except a laugh but I hear that's the best medicine, so... Without further ado, I now present my work of morning coffee mayhem: Ode To My Coffee Oh, coffee cup number one You're the one that’s like a gun Going off in the morning and waking me up. Oh how you fill my cup! Oh coffee cup number two Oh what a jewel are you! Add some honey, stir it in Add some milk and watch it spin! Oh coffee cup number 3 You bring such joy to me The sun shining brightly inside me now Oh golly gee and wow! Oh coffee cup number 4 Putting my feet on the floor Fuel for the life that I must lead I love you! Yes, indeed! Oh coffee…………………… Sweet nectar of life Oh coffee……… Perfect for a housewife Oh, coffee…………………… Energy’s mine Oh, coffee………………… You are divine! Now, this is my work of art. If you like it, feel free to share the link with others but please don't steal my ode. It's also set to music, for added silliness, of course. With that in mind, grab a cup of Morning Joy and write your own silly ode! Laugh a lot!