Done (almost) with 2012

I am so glad that 2012 is almost over.  It has sucked in so many ways, and I'm truly hoping that 2013 is going to be better.  I mean, honestly, I'm not sure how it can be worse than 2012.  Right?

I'm still decluttering, and it's going ok.  I mean, no one's buying a lot of stuff on eBay right now, but that should start picking up here shortly- I made a trip to the outlet this morning with Luke, so now I've got some new stuff to post and try to sell.

And of course we were snowed in the day after Christmas.  We got 11 inches of snow in about 6 hours, and everyone was shut down- except the malls and stores.  And even some of those were closed.  This is our view from our front porch, inside of course.  :)  Insane, isn't it?  They're calling it Snowpocalypse 2012.  Or Euclid, according to The Weather Channel!

I think things might finally be settling down with my inlaws.  Charlie spent the entire Christmas day with them, and I was at home.  Which was wonderful.  Apparently, his mom said something about how I was missed, and my sil made a comment that she wished I was there so we could talk urban homesteading.  And yes, that would have been cool, but I am not up to dealing with that right now.  After the whole thing blew up, she wrote an apology that she hopes we can start over.  And I'm all for that, but Jebus Christmas, respond to an email that my husband sends you about possible plans to hang out together!  I am not planning on going up there until *next* Thanksgiving- definitely not Easter.  And I'm not even sure about Luke's birthday party.  I've told Charlie that I won't be there, so don't expect me to help you.  I really don't want to see them at all any time soon.  I *wish* I had great inlaws, but such is life.  I am sometimes jealous that other people have wonderful inlaws that treat them like part of the family.  I get people who act like their sons hung the moon, and I'm expected to bow and scrape.  Oh well.  I will get through.  :)

Total Life Makeover....

I'm reading a book called Almost Amish, by Nancy Sleeth.  She talks a lot about simplifying your life, and living more like the Amish do.  This isn't the first book that I've read about simplifying your life, or even about the Amish in that regard.  But, maybe because of events recently, and family discussions we've had recently, it's hit me a lot harder than normal.  We've fallen away from Dave Ramsey.  Our bills are barely under control.  Murphy has moved into the spare bedroom.  And honestly?  Murphy needs to leave.  And this blog isn't just about money, and it's not about Dave Ramsey.

I want to live my life more like the Amish do.  Less facebook, more face to face.  Less clutter, more peace.  More family time, less TV.

This isn't going to be an easy change- I admit that.  Charlie will be on board with it, he already hates the TV. Luke, not so much, but he's only 7, so what we say goes.  :)  We'll start out easy- 1 evening a week, no tv.  Then 2, then we'll go from there.  I am already decluttering, but need to do more.  I'm trying to sell stuff, and that's working, it just needs to go faster!

If we start with one thing, one simple change, then the next change won't be so hard.  Or so huge.  It's just the first step.




And it begins with turning off the television 1 night a week.  Where it ends up?  Who knows- but that's the beauty of the journey.  I know where we'd LIKE it to end up, but God's really in control of that.

Honestly? I'm scared.

I normally try and stay away from political postings, or at the very least, broadcasting my political leanings.  Whether you agree with my views or not, it's definitely a way to make enemies.  Today, is really no exception, except to say I'm super scared this morning.  There were definitely some good victories yesterday in the elections, yay to Glenda Ritz becoming Indiana's Superintendent of Education, yay to Joe Donnelly defeating Richard Mourdock.  Unfortunately, there were some boo's as well- Rupert Murdock only getting 5% of the vote for Indiana's governorship, Mike Pence winning the governorship, Ryan Guillory losing his race.  Notice I said nothing about the president's race.  I am scared since Obama won, but I would also have been scared had Romney won.  Neither one was a good fit for me and my beliefs.  And now the hard work begins again.
Charlie and I were talking last night while laying in bed before sleep- I remember listening to the radio when Clinton got elected- and I wasn't this nervous.  Gore "won" yet he didn't, and I wasn't this nervous.  And therein lies the rub: where do we go from here?
I am still an American, and I am still proud.
 I begin at home.  I teach Luke to be a good citizen.  I teach him to be a good Catholic.  I teach myself (and our family) to be more self sufficient.  I learn more about government, and get involved somehow in the process.  I work hard, and don't let others take advantage of me, but at the same time, remain compassionate for those less fortunate.  I give to those who need it.  I pray for others.  And somehow, we'll ALL get through the next four years, no matter who we voted for.  And it will all be fine.

I can't even imagine.....

I was going to write a post about food, or Pinterest, or something else, but then decided to write about death. But not in a morbid way.
Two friends of mine lost someone very dear to them recently. A former co- worker lost his daughter last weekend, and another friend of mine lost her son to brain cancer. So I've been thinking a lot about seizing the day.
I admit that death is a very natural part of life, I'm a biologist, I accept that, and it doesn't bother me.  However, when children or young adults are yanked away, it really bothers me.  I think because I don't feel they lived their entire life.  But, they did, because God decided what is best for them.

Must....Clean....House

The yard sale was a huge bust, no one showed up.  So I spent 45 minutes lugging everything out, to sit for 6 hours to lug everything back inside.  Argh!  Such a pain in my ass!  I swear, I'm never doing one again, I'm going to rely on ebay, facebook, and craigslist to rid my house of my crap from here on out!  I posted several books on Paperback Swap, and luckily only 1 isn't on hold for someone.  So that means that 5 books will be mailed out.  So then I can browse for other books that I want to read or actually keep without spending a ton of money on them!  Which, Charlie hates, but oh well!  ;)  

Dinner is simmering in the crock, I'm trying REALLY hard to like my crock- I think it's a texture thing.  It's Santa Fe Chicken, so we shall see.  The boys also have Scouts tonight, so I have to have dinner ready within the next half hour.  :)

Er Mer Gerd!

I know I said I'd update our successes with our pinterest menu.  Fail, however, the two items we tried are fantastic!  Both will be making it into our dinner rotation, and that's no mean feat around here!  Luke even loved the soup, which is an Italian Sausage and Bean soup with Pasta.

Luke hates beans, but he actually ate them, and asked for more!  Whoot!  I am thrilled!  He's also kind of not a soup kid, but whatever, he loved it!  :)

The other thing we tried was this, which is also super good.  Luke didn't like that one as much, but it's still awesome!

I am making biscuits and gravy tomorrow for dinner- Thank you Loveless Cafe, for your sausage gravy recipe, and hopefully your biscuit recipe!  :)  Shush! I know that's a closely guarded secret! And I won't tell if you won't!

I was talking to Luke yesterday night, and we've decided to try and go to Disney every 2 years.  He had a blast there, and he really does want to go back.  Yay!  So now we've got to figure out a way to be able to put aside about $200 a month for the next 18 months or so.  We'll do it, I promise.  Charlie even wants to go back, even though he says it's just for Sweet Tomatoes.  Which, to that I say, phooey.  He loved it, he just won't admit it!

I've already decided I don't want to see my parents this weekend.

I'm supposed to take Luke up north to see my parents for the day, but they want me to take him up there for overnight, and I'm like, oh hell no!  I don't even want to go for the day, but I feel like I have to, since it's been since July since they've seen each other.  I've straight up told my parents I don't care if I never talk to them again, but mom is being all nice and sweet, except when she makes her little digs at me.  Whatever.  I'm only going for the day, since I have crap to do on Sunday.  I'm so not dealing with their drama.
I was reminded yet again this morning why I take what's said on internet boards with a grain of salt.  And actually kind of look at them for my amusement.  This mom posted about how there are these out of control kids at the bus stop.  I was like, well, they're not my kids, so I would do nothing.  Not my responsibility.  That kind of blew up to people saying they're getting bullied, it's the bus driver's responsibility to take care of  something that happened before they got there, and being called a witch.  I'm sitting here laughing, because everyone's getting all up in arms about it.  And I'm completely in the minority, because my child is never left unattended at the bus stop.  LOL!!  It just completely cracks me up, so I probably should go back and stir the pot a little.  :)

We have a Pinterest Menu!!

You know how Luke wanted an entire week of pinterest food?  Yeah, well, he's going to get 3 days!  Whoo!  I started combing through my food pins (all 2,000+), realized 1500+ are desserts, and narrowed it down to 3 basically simple, affordable menus that I don't have to do a ton of extra shopping for.  Because I'm all about not spending extra money on something that I might hate!  It's happened before- buffalo chicken in the crock was NOT a success, no matter what anyone says!!  :)

One day, we're having bacon/apple/cheese quesadillas.  Another day we're having Sausage and Bean Soup with Pasta, and the first day we're having loaded baked potato soup in the crock.  I'm pretty excited!  I will post pictures as we have them- I promise!!

It's a reflective kind of day.

Of course, it's September 11, and that's a day that always makes me reflect on what I was doing 11 years ago today, and how much the world (and I) have changed.
I have a child now- I think that in itself makes you wonder what kind of world we've created for our children.  But, the attacks on the World Trade Center makes it even worse, somehow.  Like, we've created this life, and we're showing him/her the WORST of people.  Seriously.  Luke doesn't know a lot about it, he's seen a few pictures, but he's not really shown an interest in it, and we're going to keep it that way for as long as possible.  I don't think he needs to know in detail what happened.  And, unless he asks about it, we're just not going to mention it.  Say what you will about that decision, it's ours.
We've been married over 10 years now, and really, this pin says it all.

Overall, we're happy though, and that's all that matters!

I love Pinterest.....

Luke is pseudo-addicted to Pinterest- in other words, he likes looking at the pictures, and tells me what to pin.  He's all into the food/recipe pins, as am I.  So we've started looking over all the recipes, and trying to work up a weekly menu using nothing but things we found on Pinterest.  Sounds like fun, yes?
I think I'm going to start that next week-I've only got 1400+ food/menu planning pins to go through.  :)  Nothing major!  ;)  I will definitely post pictures and stories about our pinterest week, and successes and failures.  :)

Hand Me Downs

I was thinking a lot about this yesterday- hand me downs.  When I was a kid, my cousins would give me garbage bags full of clothes every Christmas or Thanksgiving (depending on when they had time to go through their closets) and I was so excited to go through the clothes and see what I got!  It was like shopping, only free!
Growing up, we were super poor- we're talking my grandma would get government cheese for us (which, btw, is still my favorite cheese in the world! That stuff is yummy!)  We didn't get a lot of new clothes, it was the hand me downs from our cousins.  And I was completely cool with that.  I knew we were poor, but we had food on the table, and my mom and dad both had jobs.  So they were doing the best they could.  And that's the only thing you can do.  I'm not upset with them about it.  It made me who I am.
Now, we're 'poor' today.  We don't have a lot of money- but, we're like my parents, food on the table, 2 jobs, roof over our head.  And I'm completely cool with that.  My parents, on the other hand, are not cool with that for some reason.  They feel that Luke shouldn't have to have hand me down clothes.  They feel he should have the newest and the best of everything.  Which, I agree with, to a certain point, but he's 7- he's still growing.  I'm NOT going to spend $100 on a coat for him that he'll use a year.  Sorry.  I'm cheap.  I'd say frugal, but no, I'm cheap.  :)  When he's older, and can wear a coat for longer than a season, I'll do that.  Not right now.  And I sell/donate/pass his stuff along when he's done with it.
The way I look at it right now, I'm being pulled in two directions- the new is better camp vs. the recycle camp.  I fall pretty firmly into the recycle camp.  Not because I'm poor, but because it just makes sense to me.  I would rather spend $95 dollars on a camping trip with our family, and $5 on a winter coat for the year (that's just as good as new!) than $100 on a coat, and $0 on camping with the family.  And, it helps the environment, the recycling of the coat.  In this case, I'm totally just giving the environment lip service, that's not my point at all about the coat.  :)
We shouldn't have a problem with hand me downs.  There's nothing wrong with them.  You have to decide where your priorities lay, and go from there.  For me, and my family, the experiences and other things are more important than having new clothes all the time.

Religious Education

We are Catholic, and I signed up to teach Luke's PRE class.  Of course I've been freaking out, because what my idea of respectful Catholicism is not what most people think of as respectful.  So I've been looking up a lot of ideas for first grade and religious education, and I've found a few really good sites.  I'm pretty excited, and it's awesome to have stuff spelled out for me, in terms of what I need to teach, and how I need to teach it!

Yeah, I've come to a conclusion

I have absolutely no maternal instinct for anyone other than Luke. And I'm fine with that. I've got 2 older nieces and I have no clue what to talk to them about. The two younger girls I don't even care enough about them to talk to them or play/ interact with them. And I'm fine with that. Even with Luke's friends, I don't have a lot to say to them, and don't really know how to interact or talk to them. I always fell like I'm asking them baby questions or something. And again, I'm fine with that.
It's strange though- when I was pregnant with Luke I wanted a ton of kids. Now? And over the course of the last few years, I've come to the conclusion that I'm happiest with just one child. Luke is old enough now where I don't have to entertain him constantly. He's more independent. I can't imagine going back to diapers or bottles or waking up every few hours to feed/ change a baby.

Less than a week!

I love Luke, do not even get me wrong, however, school starts for them again next Tuesday, and I could NOT be more ready!  I think he's excited too, we went Monday to register him, and walked around the school, saw his classroom, and then met his science teacher.  He is ready, and has expressed interest and excitement.  So I think my fear has been for nothing, even though this school isn't as wealthy as the one he came from.  I keep on coming back to the fact that it's still better than half the schools where Charlie and I grew up, so we're doing better than we did growing up.  Which is all that we can want these days.  Secretly, all I want is to be able to sleep all day without worrying about what he's doing, but that's another story!  :)

Randomness that is whirling around my head currently!

And maybe, by typing it out, it'll coalesce into something manageable!  :)  But it's not really huge, or scary or anything, it's just a lot!  And I don't have a huge blog post about any of them!
*I'll be teaching religious education for our church this year.  If you know me, I'm not one of those people that seem like it's their type of thing, but I'm really looking forward to it.  And, since we're broke as a joke, the free RE doesn't exactly hurt! And I know it'll be good, for both Luke and I.
*I really need to find a recipe for yellow cherry tomatoes.  I think we have 3 pounds of them that we either have to eat or preserve.  :)  They're really cool- they're actually pear shaped.  Heirlooms, and are super sweet.  :)

Congratulations J&J!!

I just have to share, because I'm so excited for them!!  My friend Jackie, and her husband are in the process of adopting a gorgeous daughter from China.  And they got their travel approval the other day, and they get to go pick her up in just 2 weeks!!  I'm just so thrilled for them, but that also means that I have to get my butt cracking on a baby blanket for her!

No, I cannot give you directions to the Liberry!

But, I can give them to the library!  I saw that on pinterest the other day, and just thought that was hilarious!
Today, is Library Day.  Time to return books, and get more Junie B. Jones books for a week, and not read them.  :)  Well, technically, we read one or one and a half or so, and then they just sit.  Waiting for next Library Day.
Today is also Farmer's Market Wednesday.  Which, as I was talking to hubs last night, I hate it.  It's not my stuff that we're selling, it's his, and he doesn't get there until almost 5:30.  And it ends at 7.  So I'm there for half the time, at least.  And of course Luke is tired of it by the time Daddy comes.  I told him last night, I was leaving when he arrived, I needed to get away and just relax (it's been a stressful week or so!).  I've neglected to mention that we had a death in the family, and it just threw us for a loop here lately.

Really?

Credit cards the way of the dinosaur?
Click above for an article by Huffpost regarding Walmart and Target actually banding together to fight Visa.  Basically, it says that Visa and retailers have come to a settlement regarding the use of credit cards in stores. And, what I get is the biggest deal, retailers are allowed to charge more to those who use credit cards in their stores.  Now, I haven't done nearly enough research on it to be able to talk about it knowledgeably, but it seems on the surface a good  deal.  Right now, I'm paying approximately 3% extra on every single thing I purchase- whether or not I use credit cards.  If I pay cash, I'm giving Meijer, or Target or wherever, 3% profit.  So it's better for me to use my credit card.  If I'm paying for the service, I might as well use it.  HOWEVER, you can bet your rear end that if I got a discount every time I paid with cash, I'd be putting my plastic away, and paying with the Benjamins!  And, it would definitely cut down on my credit card debt!

:)

And why did it take us 10 years to figure out we would be happier if we stayed at a hotel when we went to visit family? We are visiting Charlie's family this weekend because his grandfather passed away. Mom and dad have rescinded Charlie's welcome at their house, and I refuse to stay at his parents house. So we sucked it up and rented a room. Omg- so much better. I asked Charlie this morning why it took us so long to do this. Never again will we stay at a home when we come back to visit family.
I just don't understand the entire problem. My parents never really liked my husband but he's my choice. And now my mom is openly bashing him to me. Which, really? Yes, we have out issues, but you're just being a bitch. She blames him for everything- never once thinks it could be me. The other day I declined a call from her. She immediately called back and was like: why did he decline my call?
Seriously mom? Wtf.
It was totally me, I'm avoiding her calls. She got pissed at me for not telling her grandpa Ed died before she found out in the newspaper. Um, you don't tell me things, why should I tell you?

It's not supposed to melt!

Well, sweetheart, what else is it supposed to do?  :)  We had Luke's birthday party yesterday, and I bought a huge bag of ice, stuck it in a cooler for the party, and there's still a large chunk of ice sitting in it's bag.  And, of course there are holes in the bag, so it's melting out of the bag into the cooler.  Hence, what he said above.
Overall, the party was awesome.  Simple, barbeque with just his godmother and family, and a good friend of mine and Charlie's attended.  My parents are being immature, and avoiding seeing their only grandson because of Charlie (long story, they don't like him, and they refuse to talk to him anymore. Whatever, you're just hurting yourself.)  We ended up spending lots of time just talking, and hanging out.  It was so relaxing, and fun.  We don't get to see them often enough.  We've even starting talking about camping trips as a group again!  Which we haven't done since before Charlie and I got married.  So over 10 years ago.
So while Charlie is in church, I am at home with Luke, packing.  Because, oh yeah, Charlie's grandfather died last week, and the wake/service is today/tomorrow.  Fun.  It was super unexpected, he fell, and literally a few hours later died. And, now we're worried about his grandmother.  They were married 70+ years, and well, when you've lived that long with someone, you don't know what to do with yourself.

We have tomatoes!!

And, unfortunately, while trying to take pictures of stuff to sell on Ebay and Craigslist, I discovered that *SOMEONE* who shall remain nameless, somehow broke the screen to my digital camera. :)   Oops!  Actually, in all honesty, I'm not sure, there might be something jacked without it actually being broken, because I can see some screen shots if I hit certain buttons.  But I can't see pictures on the screen when I'm actually taking, them, only after they've been taken.  Weird.  And, then of course, Charlie rearranged the dining room, and moved the computer cord.  Yes, I'm well aware someone pissed in my Cheerios this morning!  :)  No, seriously, I'm not in a bad mood, it's just funny!
But seriously, we have two tomatoes.  I *think* they're ripe, they feel it, and look it, but they're definitely a darker variety than what we normally get in store.  They're more purple-y, which is great!  And since I'm making quesadillas tonight for dinner, they will make a perfect accompaniment.

Happy Monday!!

Yes, it is a good Monday.  I had my Weight Watchers weigh in today, and I am down a pound and a half!  Whoo!!  And that's awesome because, well, I'm down, but, we visited friends on Saturday and , I kind of ate 4 meals that day.  Yeah.  So still being down after that 'binge' is a huge accomplishment.  It's funny though, when I look at that binge- I had a piece of pizza at Deb & Joe's house, and then Subway for supper on the way back,  that's actually not a lot of food.  Comparatively speaking at least.  Pre-Weight Watchers, I would have had several pieces of pizza in addition to the Subway.  So really, that's a success.  :)

We picked up our blueberries on Friday as well- 10 lbs of fresh picked from Michigan.  And we picked some wild blackberries this morning with more to come tomorrow morning.  We've also got some frozen strawberries, so I'm going to be making some mixed berry jam tomorrow and tonight.  I meant to pick up pectin today, and some more lids, but totally forgot.  :(  Oh well, my bad.  ;)  It's all in anticipation of our garden starting to give us more food.  We've already got the green beans producing, but, I've got my eye on the 5 tomato plants that are laden with green tomatoes.  They're all heirloom varietals, so I'm dying to try some, but want to wait until the're ripe!

Seriously?

And in other related fall out over the whole internet privacy thing, I've lost another two friends.  Well, partially- I asked her to remove the pics, but didn't tell her why.  She assumed it was because of the ginormous fight I had gotten into with her mother.  Not exactly, but she assumed it was.

I think it's time for me to fly...

The crap hit the fan last night here.  I found some pictures of my son on facebook that were not set to private, and I flipped.  I did not know about these pictures, and I am not okay with them being on there.  I very calmly asked them to be removed, and I was called a 'rhymes with witch'.  I'm like, set your stuff to private, or here's a concept, ask the person who's kid it actually is if you can post pictures online of them.  So yeah, we sat and screamed at each other for about 20 minutes last night- good times.  They're going to take the pictures down, they 'didn't realize' that we weren't ok with them putting pictures of Luke up.  I'm just amazed that it didn't occur to them to ask us if they could do it.  I realize that they assume we're family, but I'm a 'rhymes with witch' when it comes to Luke.  And it's asshat and asshat's wife, so I really shouldn't be surprised that they did this.  I mean, they are dumber than rocks.  Yes, this is the one that married a student.  And, is finally renewed to be able to teach, after teaching 3+ years on an invalid license.  Yeah, my in laws are winners!
So I'm actually pretty calm about it all- I said a lot of things that needed to be said to her about her and her husband.  Of course, I remembered after several things that should have been said.  But whatever, I got the vast majority of things off my chest. She said some pretty hurtful things to me. They both know I dislike them immensely now.  And, I'm cool with that. 
That being said, the way Charlie acted after it was all over makes me realize that he's never going to be what I need him to be for me. And it's time to start getting my ducks in a row.  Because I'm not sure how much longer I am going to be married to him.  And, overall, I'm cool with that as well.  Luke needs someone to show him how to be a husband, who sticks up for his wife.  And defends her to his family.  <--which obviously did not happen last night.  Which, at least I found this out now.  I wish I had found it out sooner, but, c'est la vie! 

So Fresh!

I am so excited for tonight's dinner.  It's habenero pasta with grilled chicken tossed in a corn and bean pico de gallo.   YUM!!   I have been craving something fresh for forever, because we only go grocery shopping every 2 weeks.  AND, I make a weekly meal plan, so you KNOW by the time I get to the end, I'm like, I don't want to actually make anything I've still got on hand. 
The dinner was awesome!!

Peace comes from being quiet, and listening.

I've been thinking about Peace a lot lately.  I went back home last week, and was talking to my mom about being quiet.  And being focused in the moment.  Enjoying the moment, because they grow up too fast.  Relaxing.  Praying.  Being present.  And I realized that I'm not good at that.  I ALWAYS have the television on- I'm not actually watching it, I'm not even LISTENING to it.  It's on so that I don't have to be alone with my thoughts.  Or the silence. 
And my thoughts aren't bad, or anything, I've just always had noise on, whether it be television or music, and I got really used to it.  And it seems that I can't get used to functioning without some sort of noise in the background.  I'm beginning to think I need to step back, and get used to the quiet again. 
I'm reading a book called Rediscover Catholicism by Matthew Kelly and he talks a lot about how we need to pray constantly.  Which boils down to saying, I'm doing (whatever) for (whatever).  Whenever you're doing it.  I already say a simple prayer when I see flashing lights, but he advocates going further.  He feels I should offer everything I do up for an intention.  Mom always said offer it up for the poor souls in purgatory when she told us to do something we didn't want to do. 
I need to listen to the silence.  I offer up things to God, and He will lead me where He needs me to go.  In the silence is where God speaks to us. 

Grateful. So very grateful.

So many people are not grateful for what they are given. I try not to be that way, and so today, I am grateful for my mom's safe surgery that she had on Tuesday.
I've been at my parents house since Tuesday and I'm leaving to go back home on Sunday. But, until then, I've been helping momma with stuff around the house since she can't do anything. Well, she can sit and crochet and sleep. But that's it. And that's what she should be doing. It's kind of tough for me to see her so dependent on everyone- like it's a foreshadow of things to come. But I know that in a few short weeks she'll be back to her normal self. Going to the boat nightly with dad. And crabbing about work. And I'm glad- and will willingly listen to her complaints because it means that she is still here with us.

I hate waiting!!

Last week, I applied for a different job within my place of employment.  I am supposed to find out this week.  And I was hoping today, but I still technically have until tomorrow.  I just want to know either way.
I did see who would be my new boss today, and he was different in a good way to me today.  So that makes me happy, and hopeful.  I feel like I had a good interview, so it's just the waiting.  It would be a promotion of sorts, it would be back more toward my degree, and I would definitely be happier getting back to that.  It's been 7 years since I've used my biology degree, and I miss it!  I miss being nerdy science girl!  :)

Yay Apple!

Update to my post yesterday:  I took my phone to the Apple store in Keystone at the Crossing, and they found out that somehow, my phone was stuck in dock mode.  What that means?  I have no idea, but they replaced my phone for free!  I love Apple for that reason- they are awesome with their customer service!

What is going on??

We went up north this weekend to visit family, and my clock didn't change on my phone.  And then, the sounds stopped working.  Now it's randomly making noise/sound when I'm attached to my charger.  I tried playing music this morning at work, and Pandora wouldn't work.  And only half of IHeartRadio would work.  Weirdness.  So I'm going down to the Apple store tonight to see if they can figure it out.  It's happened before with my old phone, but it randomly fixed itself.  And I'm not waiting this time- because it's less than 3 months old.  The only thing I can think of is that I was on an Ihome device this weekend, and that might have caused it- but not the nonswitching of time.  Oh well-it'll all get fixed tonight. 

That is NOT allowed!!

Seriously, I say this every summer when Luke is out of school- do not go grocery shopping with him, because I end up blowing my grocery budget!  I went to Meijer yesterday, and, granted, had to pick up a bunch of stuff that isn't purchased every week, like toilet paper and saran wrap, but somehow, lunchables got into the cart.  Along with this obese woman's comments.  Really, at what point is it acceptable to comment on what other people are purchasing?  I never in a million years would think it's all right to make a comment about what someone else is buying!
I also didn't save very much- only like $5 on over $120.00, but like I said, I bought a lot of yucky extras that are necessary.  :P  I also stocked up on chicken breasts, which are on an awesome sale- $1.77/lb.  And those last forever, since we use 1 chicken breast per meal! 
And,  I love that I'm not driving all over God's creation during my prime cooking time!  Now that Luke is out of school, we've got a home cooked meal on the table every night!  Love it!  Last night, I made Thai chicken pizza, thanks to a meeting that I attended at MacKenzie River Pizza.  I brought the idea home and made it for the family.  And, it's just as good as it was there!  It was gone last night- no leftovers! I didn't even get to take a picture of it- but just imagine, if you will, homemade pizza crust with chili sauce, marinated chicken, green onions, peanuts, 3 kinds of cheese, and then cilantro on top, after the pizza itself is cooked.  Fantastically yummy!

Rest In Peace, Jedi Noah....

This has been weighing heavily on my mind ever since Sunday morning.  We (I should say I), 'met' this little boy, Noah, in church on Sunday morning.  As I was standing outside in the Narthex, there was a binder with pictures of this adorable boy and his parents meeting The Pope, and a basket of bracelets, and his story.  So I read it.  If you want to read the entire heartbreaking story, find it here.
 And I felt myself being called yet again to children with cancer.  I don't know why, I don't know for what reason, but I've had this call before.  I need to do something about it, definitely pray about it, see where it leads.  I told my husband before when the possibility of us moving to Memphis was on the table- I'd love to work for St. Jude's but it would break my heart, and I'd come home in tears every night.  But, I was happily browsing the open positions there, and figuring out how my background fit into their openings.  So even though it was going to hurt me, I wanted to do it so badly.  I still do.  Even though we are planted in central Indiana. 

We're going to laugh about this later!

Yesterday, I decided to go strawberry picking, because I am making jam on Saturday.  I love my local berry farm, they are affordable, friendly, and the best part of all?  The strawberries taste like candy!!  I ended up purchasing almost 12 lbs over two picking trips, one by myself, one with Luke after school.  So we did awesome.  And I'm so excited about making jam tomorrow.  I haven't done it in several years, so it'll be interesting to see if I can do better than I did last time!
And in the midst of strawberry picking, I get a phone call from my brother saying that dad's in the hospital!  Dad is the type of guy that could be bleeding profusely, and he'll be like, oh, it's ok, I'll just put a bandaid on it!  But he told my brother to stick around, because he was dizzy and lightheaded.  Thankfully they didn't find anything, and they did an entire battery of tests- including heart/lungs/etc.  I'm just so glad for that- it's my daddy, and I'm totally a daddy's girl. 
That knocked me on my butt in terms of news, and THEN, while I was at Spencer Farms, I sat down and didn't check to make sure the lid was up on the toilet, and I had an accident.  Someday, yes, I will laugh about my day.  I just felt like I was spinning around and just getting hit from all angles.  Like, what else could go wrong? 
Thankfully, vacay is almost here, and I'll be relaxing and traveling.  Which will be awesome.  :)
Unfortunately, I've been lacking on my food.  I've been finding a ton of recipes that I want to try, but I've been having problems with picking Luke up from school and getting dinner.  So hopefully, everything will be better now that school's almost over, and he'll be in a new school next year.  At least I'll be able to cook better meals, and not have to stop, drive to pick him up, and then drive home and finish the meal.  Or have him be hungry, and fight for fast food on the way home. 

Customer Service is so lacking these days....

I joke about the fact that I'm going to be the crochety old lady shaking her fist at people as they walk by.  But I'm really secretly quite serious about that.  I have very precise ways that I feel things need to be done, and how people need to behave- especially if I'm paying them money to do something for me.  I do not expect groveling, I expect politeness, and, doing the best you can to help me resolve my issue.  Because chances are really good that by the time I call you, I've tried everything in my power to resolve it, or figure it out on my own.  And *now* I'm angry.  This has happened twice this week already.  And it's only Tuesday.  I can't WAIT to see what next week and the rest of this week will bring.  :(
The first one was Chase Bank.  As most of you all know, we recently moved.  Three weeks ago, I called, and let them know the updated snail mail address.  I was also quite clear, and asked the girl, as there are 4 accounts associated with my name, to make sure that all 4 accounts had been updated.  She stated they had been.  No problem, or so I thought.  Last week, I got a bounce check notice, (oops, my bad!) and noticed that it had gone to my old address.  Um, ok, whatever.  Sunday night, I tried yet again to get paypal to work so that I could purchase a gift card for Disney when we go, and it wasn't going through.  PayPal kept saying that the address didn't match my billing address, etc.  So I call Chase.  Yeah.  Those 4 accounts?  Only 2 of them had been changed, and when I questioned it, I was told that it would take 30 days to update it.  WTF?  Seriously- a multi billion dollar industry can't update addresses instantly?  So I spent an HOUR on the phone with them, because they couldn't get it straightened out.  The woman put me on hold, and when she comes back on, I just told her they won.  I couldn't take their incompetence anymore, and I was going to leave their bank, because I couldn't deal with them anymore.  She kept on trying to get me to talk to HER manager, but I was like, no, you keep trying to get me to talk to them, but I don't care enough anymore to talk to him/her.  I'm done with Chase.  So when we get back, I'm going to start switching everything to Indiana Members.  It's going to suck, having to change all those instant payments, but who the hell cares at this point?  I don't. 
The second one is a local mom, whom I trusted to book our Disney trip.  I've been the one emailing asking questions, etc.  She has not once emailed telling me what's going on, when I should be expecting stuff from Disney, etc.  She posted something about packets, so I'm like Yay, I'll be looking for mine.  I get the response, oh you should get it today, great, right?  No.  She mailed it to the WRONG address.  And then today, I get a message from her, oh, well, they'll forward it to you, right?  Well, yes, the post office will forward, but you've had the packet from Disney for over a week, and the trip is in a week for us.  That's not cool already.  I should have just planned/booked my own trip, and skipped using a travel agent.  And, really, in her defense, they did just move as well, however, we were booked before she moved, and all the business stuff should have been a priority for her.  I don't expect a lot, I expect common courtesy.  And maybe she just doesn't feel I'm a priority for her, but Disney paid her to book this trip.  Maybe because I didn't get the dining package.  Maybe because I'm not doing a bunch of add-ons.  I don't know.  All I know is next time we do Disney, I'm going my own. 

It's been awhile!

*Gasp* I have been neglecting the blog, and for that I apologize!  It's been super busy around here, but thankfully, it's calmed down a bit.  Now we have 2 weeks (from yesterday) until vacation, and all of us are sorely in need of that.  Every morning, Luke wakes up and gives me the countdown.  He's so excited to see the Mouse's House.  I'm ready to just stick my feet in the sand, and relax for a little.  Charlie isn't so sure about it, but I swear he'll have a good time!  :)
I am so excited that it is spring!  And strawberries are in season, finally, and they're almost ready for u-pick.  We go to a local farm, Spencer Farms in Noblesville and we LOVE it there.  Not only are the prices super reasonable, but we get the sweetest, most perfect strawberries ever from there. I've decided, that since I'm off work on Thursday, we are going strawberry picking when I pick Luke up from school.  And then my bestie and I are making strawberry jam this weekend!  Whoo!!
I've been thinking a lot lately, and I'm in a very pensive mood.  I've got a lot on my mind, and I'm really not sure where I'm going with the entire thing.  I don't even know that I could explain it, or put thoughts to paper.  Or even if I WANT to.  I think once I get everything figured out, I'll blog about it, but until then, I think I need to think on it.  Or perhaps drink on it.  (in the immortal words of Blake Shelton.)  I've just been really super quiet lately around here, which is completely out of the ordinary for me.  I don't even want to confide in my bestie.  Which, then you know it's bad!

Back on the road

I finally went to the doctor yesterday after having a sore throat and sinus issues, and what I thought was allergies.  Come to find out that I have a sinus infection, and pressure behind my ear drums.  Wonderful.  So he put me on some antibiotics, and some over the counter meds, and we'll see how that goes.  So far, it's 200% better, which if you knew before, is a HUGE improvement. 
The only thing wrong with the meds is an unstated side effect- it's making me EXHAUSTED.  I didn't work this morning, and I took a nap before picking up Luke from school.  And I've taken my second dose of the day for the antibiotics, and I'm already ready for bed.  It's insane! 
The other unintended side effect is that I'm not getting anything done around the house.  I still feel like a hoarder, but it's getting better.  I did get a box unpacked today, and got the kitchen table cleaned off to put my plastic tablecloth on.  Shut up!  I know I'm an old lady, but it protects my grandma's antique table.  Which whatever, that's more important to me than looking cool! 

Everybody Fears Something

I woke up one morning last week, with a feeling of dread. It's normal, especially around this time of year.  Now, and in November.  You see, I have to have check ups every six months to see if my cancer has come back.  And every 6 months, I have a dream (or two) where I think I'm bleeding profusely, and I have to call my oncologist- who tells me my cancer has come back.  Yeah, nothing like waking up freaking out!
But, according to my oncologist, it's normal.  Which I suppose it is.   But it's still a bitch to have to deal with every six months.  And probably for the rest of my life.  Considering I'm only 32 36.  In my head, I'm 32.  :)

General yuckiness and a redeeming walk

Only a fellow runner would appreciate this, but I am IN LOVE with my new shoes.  I spent a decent sum on some good running shoes yesterday, in preparation for the mini.  I took them out yesterday, did just under 2 miles on them, didn't want to overdo it, since I didn't want to have to rest today.  Today, I went out and did almost 3 miles today, and I'm carrying about an 8 minute mile, which is superfantastic for the mini- I have to carry an 18 minute mile, so allowing for slowing down as I get closer to the finish line.... I *should* be okay.   I can definitely do it, I'm actually really excited about being able to say, I've done the mini!  It's the same way when I got SCUBA certified, I was (and still am!) so thrilled that I conquered my fears and did it.  I was terrified when I did it, I made my brother get certified with me, which was hilarious, they all thought we were dating.  I'm like, do you SEE the resemblance, that's just nasty.  That, and the fact that he was 19ish when we did it, and I was 24.
We  definitely can do what we put our minds to.  I'm determined to get healthier, and I'm determined to succeed. 

Less than a month

I finally looked at my calendar for the next 6 weeks or so, culminating in our 'big' vacation.  I have, in no particular order, 3 Junior League meetings to finish up the year in good standing, to kick off my Tastefully Simple Business with at least 2 parties,  the mini marathon, and a 5K for autism for a friend of ours, and can't forget my cancer checkup.  Add in a get together with the family after the mini, and Cinco De Mayo, and we're looking at a crazy 6 weeks.  I also need to do assorted random crap, such as take the modem/cable stuff back to the the store to ship back, and get kids from school daily, and work.  And unpack. Can't forget that!  ARGH!!!  I think I might go crazy here pretty soon!!
We just got back from a vacation, and I'm already ready for another!  I think that once I'm done with everything, I'll be fine, and it's really just getting through the mini, and then I'll be fine.  And I know I shouldn't be playing bingo blitz or zuma or blogging.  I know this.  Yet, what am I doing?  Blogging, playing Bingo, and Zuma.  Yes, I'm a procrastinator.
I take that back.  I know what needs to get done, and I am going to get some done before I go get Luke from school.  I'm taking the modem and whatever back to the UPS store after I pick Luke up, and we're dropping things off at the library that are due today.  So we're good.  And I want to try and get a box or two unpacked, and my Tastefully Simple kick off set up as an event.  So hopefully, I can actually feel like I've accomplished something today.  And, I bought a pair of new walking/running shoes, which are absolutely fantastic, they feel like I'm walking on clouds!  :)

An hour I can never get back

I hate oil changes.  I realize they are a necessary evil, but if I make an appointment at 9am, I expect to get out of there at a reasonable time.  Like a half hour or so.  Not an HOUR!  Oh well, we need one, and we're going to Nashville, TN next week, so I want to make sure my car is in decent shape for the trip.  My biggest fear is breaking down on the side of the road, and my cell be dead and I am unable to call for help.  Yes, way too many Criminal Minds episodes, but it's the truth.  I'd much rather go under mileage on an oil change, and 'waste' that money, than break down in the middle of Kentucky.  We are actually pretty excited about getting out of town for a few days.  Luke is on Spring Break next week, so we're leaving Monday, and coming back Wednesday.  Just a short little break, long enough to relax for a little bit.  And get to see an area of the country we haven't seen, or spent a lot of time in.  Driving through on the way to North Carolina doesn't count.  And neither does spending the night in a crappy hotel on the way to Florida, like we're planning on doing in May. 
I know!  How crazy is that, that we get to actually take 2 vacations this year??  We haven't taken one since 2004, and we're taking 2 in a year!!  The last one we went on was to New Orleans, and loved that.  We've been talking about going back there, because we love the city, but circumstances have conspired to send us to Disney instead.  *darn*  So upset.  ;) 

Slowly unpacking

We are finally completely moved from our old home.  I feel like I live in a hoarder house now though, until we get everything unpacked, and arranged where we want everything to go.
I've been cooking a lot since we've moved in, I feel like now that I have more space, I can create more food.  Even though, you really should see my kitchen, it's a pit, and the dining room isn't much better right now.  I did get a few bookcases up for my Junior League cookbooks, which is nice, because now I can put them away from the boxes that they're currently in.  And, in all honesty, I'd like to go through the cookbooks, and maybe photocopy those recipes that I do want, and then sell/get rid of them.  I hate being all 'hoardy' for lack of a better word!
I should be able to get some stuff done today, I'm having a Tastefully Simple party Thursday,, and then joining Friday as a new consultant.  I'm super excited, because it's good stuff, and it's a renewable item, so people will always purchase it!

The Saga Is Over!

After 2 weeks of barely having internet (or what I could cobble together on my phone.) I *finally* have the internet back. Oh my Gosh!  I never really realized how dependent on it I truly am.  I am back to playing games, and surfing, and being able to renew my library books on an actual screen.  Not something where my big fat fingers renew a million books at a time!

So much to blog....so little time!

I had an entire blog post written in my head regarding obesity, and childhood obesity, and how Indiana was one of the fattest states, etc, etc, etc.  And then I realized several things:
1.) My computer is currently still at my old house.  And I'm currently sitting at my new house.  (This was at midnight or so last night. I'm back at my old house right now, because I can't access my facebook games on my phone.  Yes, first world problems.)
2.)When I was driving to the old house from the new house, I saw a tractor man.  And OMG, I love tractor men.  He was easily early 20's and just tooling along on his John Deere.  Yum.  Yeah, I don't know if I was drooling over tractor man, or the John Deere.  Probably both equally! 
3.) I haven't really talked about our new house yet.  Although, I left it this morning, absolutely frustrated, due to our bed's box spring not able to actually fit up the stairs.  Yes, Charlie and I can get it up 5 stairs, out of about 20, and then the ceiling of the bottom set of stairs just gets it stuck.  As soon as we can get it up those few stairs at the bottom, it opens up, and THEORETICALLY, it will fit.  We just have to get it up there.  Ugh. 
4.) I just booked a trip to Disney at the end of May!  Whoot!  It will be Luke's and Charlie's first times there, so I'm super pumped.  I haven't been there in FOR-EVER, like 1994 forever.  We are staying on site, and we're also planning a few days off site, so we don't have Disney overload.  And, I want to see the Gulf of Mexico, and hit some shopping.  And of course, it kicks off my 'Operation lose 25 pounds before Disney in May' 
So yes, this is all that's been happening in my life up to this point.  I'll definitely be blogging about each of them as it gets closer, and finished, and whatever.  But, for now, I must get to the post office, and then pick up Luke from school, as he is now officially a car rider.  You know, since he blabbed it to his entire class that he was moving yesterday!  :)

Garnier BB Cream Skin Renew

I was so excited to receive my Bzz Kit in the mail yesterday!  I couldn't wait to blog about it.  I am a BzzAgent, and I get to participate in Bzz campaigns, getting samples, and giving my honest feedback.  I've participated in several campaigns, everything from Otrib to Lowry's Seasoned Salt.
The Bzz Campaign I am currently participating in is the Garnier Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector B.B. Cream.  This product immediately and effectively makes your skin look naturally more even, radiant and smooth.
I've never tried it before, but am going to try it starting tonight to see if it lives up to the hype!  I will post a picture of around my eyes either tonight or tomorrow.  It will be taken tonight before I start using the cream.

Do a little frog giggin', skinny dippin'...

We went to Fort Wayne this weekend to see Brantley Gilbert and Eric Church, in Eric's Blood, Sweat and Beers Tour.  Can I just say they both ROCKED?!  Oh my word, they were totally worth it.  Brantley did 5 songs, and then Eric came out and just killed it.  We completely enjoyed ourselves, and totally didn't want to come back down here to start the workweek again.
I went over to the house today, to begin painting.  I don't know who planned a burgundy dining room, but they are dumb!  I've got one coat done of a light blue, and sometime this week I have to go back and do the second coat.  If not this week (Friday) definitely Monday, since Charlie is off work, and Luke will be in school all day. 
Edit: I went up there today, and finished painting the dining room.  I just had to do a quick second coat- so nothing too awful bad.  I also did our bedroom, and the upstairs bathroom, just a cleaning.  I WANTED to paint at least the bathroom upstairs, but didn't have enough supplies with me to just do it.  That's fine with me, I'll go back up there Friday, replace covers on the dining room, and then paint probably the bathroom upstairs, and ceiling in our bedroom, along with MAYBE the living room, since I still have to purchase paint for the living room.  Dunno.  I have paint for the bathroom upstairs- a couple years ago Glidden was giving away free samples of paint, and I had one sent to me.  It's a quart, and the bathroom upstairs is the size of a closet.  Which will be perfect, since the bottom half of said closet is tiled as well, so it's literally probably 100 feet of paint, total.  And, it won't be nearly as bad to cover, since it's white/very light pink currently. 
And, of course I'm scanning pinterest like a fiend, trying to find ideas for all the rooms.  I want to be able to have a cute house, without spending a ton of money, since I'm cheap, and poor. 

It's Leap Day!

And my in-laws are coming for dinner tonight.  They might be taking us out to dinner, but they might not be.  Really, all I know is they are coming from a state park near here, and eating with us at 6ish.  Yes, and Charlie complains when my mom and dad don't have set in stone plans.  Whatever.  ;) 
Either way, if they eat with us or not, I am roasting a chicken here soon.  I've got it on the menu for 3 meals- and of course, the roast has to come first, before bbq chicken pizza and chicken quesadillas.  I love cooking once and eating 3 times.  It's so much better than cooking something different every night.  And, it saves money, so definitely double score!  And the carcass will make stock probably tomorrow or Friday, to freeze and use later. 
And, I've finally told my parents that we're moving.  Mom took it decently well, considering we've kind of been preparing her for a few months now- you know, if we don't buy a house, we're definitely renting, since I hate living in an apartment.  So I finally told mom Monday night, and she was all excited- her biggest concern was Luke, and how he's going to react to changing schools mid year.  Well, he's not, like I told her, we're not telling the school that we're moving until the end of the year, and we're just driving him to/from school every day.  It'll stink big time, but it's only for 6-7 weeks, and could be so much worse.  And at least it seems like the winter is over (knock wood), and hopefully the traffic/drive won't be too bad.  Basically we're moving to a more rural community in our county.  Less than a mile from our house is farmland.  Which, OMG, LOVE!  The older I've gotten, the more obvious it's become that I am a country girl/farmer at heart. 

Happy Mardi Gras, y'all!!

I love Mardi Gras- I hate crowds, but going to Mardi Gras is definitely on my bucket list, I want to see the parades, I want to see the krewes, everything.  I don't want to have to flash the girls, but really, who wants to see an old lady's twins?  'Cuz really,  that's when I'll be out there!! 
Everything else is going along well- we went out to the house yesterday to start cleaning it up.  Got through two rooms before Luke lost interest, and began spilling water all over the living room.  Oops.  Thank heavens it's wood floor!  We've (I've) started picking paint colors, and now I just have to go purchase them.  Still haven't found curtains yet, but haven't started looking really for them either.  I'm sort of just planning on making them, if I can't find anything, so I'm not looking too hard, if that makes sense.  But, I've pretty much decided the entire house will be shades of blue and green, except for Luke's room.  He's still going with a train/dinosaur theme, and we found coordinating paint for both, so that will be awesome. 

There is a special place in Hell....

A friend of mine came to me today, because he found out some very disturbing news- his 2 daughters were molested by a trusted family member.  He doesn't know what to do, he's pissed, upset, guilt-ridden, etc.  I promised I'd try and locate some low cost/sliding scale/free therapists for him.  There's just a special place in hell for child molesters and killers of old people. 

Burpee's, Where is my catalog??

We are moving to an actual house in just a few short weeks.  When we found out we were moving, we went ahead and requested a catalog from Burpee's, because I love looking at the pictures rather than looking at them over the internet.  There's just something about being able to actually look at the book, turn the pages, and circle what you want.  And look at them at your leisure.  <----- And that is why I can never own a Kindle or other e-reader.  But anyway...  I'm not so patiently waiting for my catalog, and plotting my garden. 
Right now we're looking at about 100 sq. feet, so we're definitely getting heirloom tomatoes, some peppers- green and jalapeno, perhaps some beans, potatoes, horseradish, and I know some other stuff too, but I can't think of specific things right now.  Based on last year, multiple types of peppers, and multiple types of tomatoes.  And carrots.  I found an idea on pinterest that I'd like to try for growing carrots. 

GDI?

I went to a small, Midwestern University with a very strong Greek system.  I wanted to rush a specific house, but was told not to go through Formal Rush, because they weren't going to deal with everything, and just pass bids out during Informal rush.  Nationals didn't like that, and actually yanked their house.  So I didn't get into my first choice house.  I went through formal rush as a sophomore, knowing that they only took a few sophomore women- my year they took 9.  Out of about 250 women or so.  I was decently okay with it, although it still stung from not being able to rush my first choice house the year before.
So now I'm reading a book called Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities, by Alexandra Robbins, and I'm immediately 19 again, going through rush, and being rejected from all of the houses.  Weird, how I'm almost 20 years out of that situation, and I'm immediately plunged right back into the feelings that I had when I went through it the first time. 

A visit to a psychic and the Super Bowl

Yesterday, a group of us women decided to go to a psychic.  One of us had really good things to say about The Pyramid of Enlightenment, so we went there.  OMG, can I just say I had the best reading?  I had my Tarot cards read, and everything was really positive.  There are some huge changes coming up here in a few months, all positive, and I got some guidance to where I possibly should look for my 'next' career.  It was very cool.  I'm going back in a few months with my BFF, because she wants to go for her birthday.  So I will take her there for her birthday, and we'll see how her reading goes.  :)
And, in a super duper uncomfortable segue, are you ready for some FOOTBALL???  The fourth quarter is here, and we have to show the world we can put on a fantastic game.  I LOVE that we've put on such an awesome show, and that there is already talk of Indy hosting again.  Whooo doggy!!  Thrilled to pieces, it's definitely a huge thrill. 

T Minus 3 days....

This is my favorite picture of the Super Bowl.  And really, this is the image I want to remember from this whole weekend.  Hopefully, we've proven to the NFL that we want another Super Bowl, and they will give it to us again soon!!

Today is my birthday.  Charlie and Luke made cupcakes for me last night, and then Charlie went out and bought cookies, and Red Stripe.  I know we're doing something next week for it, but am not sure what.  I wanted to go to Fogo, but that's a BIT expensive.  But from what I've heard, so worth it. 

Please, mind your own business

Usually, I do not like to discuss 3 things- sex, politics, and religion.  They naturally invite discussion, and sometimes, alright, lots of times, it creates discord between the people discussing them.  I don't like that, and usually just ignore topics when they come up amongst friends/family. 
Sex and religion came up the other day, when a picture was posted on facebook, talking about Girl Scout cookies, and what Girl Scouts support- Planned Parenthood, Gays and Lesbians, etc.  This photo came up in discussion at Charlie's family's party this past weekend.  His older brother, Marty, hadn't seen the picture, as he's not on fb, but his younger brother, a$$hat, had seen it.  (I made sure to post it on my husband's page, but whatever.... ;) )  They ended up bashing the Girl Scouts, because of what they gave their money to, and said that they had to rethink all their children joining GS.  That's fine, and I said that, along with the fact that I couldn't support Boy Scouts, knowing how the BS supports homophobic ideals.  His mom about ripped me a new neck, because her sons were in Boy Scouts, and it was wonderful, etc.  **Random aside- Really MIL?  Your family isn't fucked up?  Your youngest son forced his first wife to get married, and after their divorce, drove to Missouri to meet a girl from Am I Hot or Not? and then married a girl who was a student where he was a teacher.  Just saying. **
This whole thing just reminds me why I don't discuss these things with people, including my husband.  They don't understand where I'm coming from, and I can't understand where they're coming from.  My uterus is my business, my beliefs are my business.  I do not feel that harping on your beliefs/values makes any one more likely to believe what you believe.  As a matter of fact, I think it makes it worse.  I'm less likely to value what you say when you're just repeating the same things over and over again.  I've often wondered what they would say if I told them what I *really* feel- Planned Parenthood is okay.  I've been there.  I didn't have insurance, but I needed to get a pregnancy test done.  Gays and Lesbians are awesome people (except for bitter queens, but they're fun too!).  I am pro-choice, but I would never have an abortion.  I can't take that choice away.  I'm not going to stand in judgement over your choices.  I'm also not going to judge if you decide to abort your rapists' or your dad's baby. 
I am a Catholic, but definitely don't believe everything they preach.  I believe that everyone has to find their own way to God, and sometimes it's not through organized religion.  Sometimes, organized religion is a crock o' crap.  And I'm fine with that.  If you know you're going to God, that's good enough for me. 

Really?

I belong to a group on Facebook involving local moms.  Well, one of the moms got her feelings hurt, and decided to leave the group.  Her choice, correct?  So after she left, one of the 'mods' decided to call her out about her choice to leave.   A whole bunch of moms called the mod out on her childish behavior, and the mod took her toys and went home.  I just don't understand.  We are all adults, put your big girl panties on and deal with it.  Not everyone is going to like you, deal and move on.  And please don't act like you're perfect. 

Happy Birthday (yesterday!) Princess Catherine!

I finished reading a book the other day called William and Kate, a Love Story, and it was awesome.  I always just kind of followed them, but read the book, and completely fell in love with them.  They are just so dang cute! 
Yesterday was Princess Catherine's 30th Birthday, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATE!

New Year, New Frugal Girl?

I've always planned out my New Year's Resolutions religiously, planning, knocking ones off that were too difficult, or too easy, trying to get the perfect mix of things that I could succeed with, with others that I had to strive a little bit for. It makes sense, right?  Kind of like Lent- we were always told not to choose something that was super easy, because then it's not good enough. 
So this year, I've decided not to necessarily make 'resolutions', but to list what I want to continue doing, that I started last year, 2011, and felt that they were good things to continue.  So in no particular order, here they are:
1. Continue losing weight.  I am down over 30 lbs, and definitely want to continue dropping the lbs.  I am signed up for the Mini in May, so I need to start getting in shape for that.  My goal is not to get picked up by the van at the Mini, so it's a Win Win for me here.
2. Continue knocking out debt.  I'm finally getting some decent hours at work, and I'm getting a decent paycheck every few weeks.  My goal is to get 2-3 debts knocked out by June, and then we'll go from there in terms of what else needs to be paid off.
3. Become more self sufficient.  I want to learn how to do more things that our grandparents used to do.  I want to have a decent garden this year, so that I can preserve more food. 
I know there are more, but this is good enough for right now.  As these 'complete' I will add more to the list. 
Happy New Year everyone!