Friday Fill-Ins

1. I'm alive, I'm awake, I want to go home from work.

2. Why do I have wrinkles and not nice skin.

3. How does this webcam work, anyway?

4. Every morning, I put clothes on my body.

5. I consider myself lucky because I am alive and can enjoy my healthy, happy children.

6. One day we’ll see retirement.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to relaxing with some wine, tomorrow my plans include watching Jacob play basketball and visiting with my MIL and Sunday, I want to get to Costco!

" I'm All In"

Well, President Obama. I didn't vote for you. But I've said from the day after the election that I would remain hopeful about what you can and will do in office.

And now, after your Presidential Address, I just want to say that our future is in your hands. Literally. I feel like I'm playing poker, so I guess the correct phrase is "I'm all in." Everything I have is at stake. We're dealing with hikes in health care, paycuts that are hitting us HARD, commuting from two states to try to find work and pay our bills, etc. My children have been cheated out of TWO YEARS with their Dad...and there is no end in sight. :( The only thing we envision is doing this all for nothing -- losing one or both of our jobs, our house and the rest of our savings (which isn't much!)

After today's updated news about Ron's paycut, we've determined that our short vacation up North is not going to happen this summer. The kids are going to be CRUSHED, but we can't spend money we don't have. And now that Ron's paycut is definite, is determined and is in effect in one week...we have to cancel our reservations.

I'm trying to keep this all in perspective. I mean I know SO many people that have already lost jobs, homes, cars, etc. I know we're lucky to have our jobs and health care, even with the paycuts and cut in care and rise in cost of benefits. I DO get that. But it's so hard to accept that after sacrificing SO much these last two years, we are probably going to end up right where we were trying to avoid.

It makes me want to give up now and let them take my house. But I can't. Remember...I'm all in.

50 Questions

I've done so many of these in the past, but I find that answers/tastes change over the years, so here I am doing another one. I received this in an e-mail and decided to post my answers here.

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Not my first name, but I have the same middle name as my mom.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Saturday.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Not particularly, but I'm learning to live with it.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Some days it's ham and some days it's turkey.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Yes, I have two kids.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Of course! lol.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Sometimes. It really depends on the situation, the crowd, etc.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Nope.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? I did it when I was in high school, but I won't ever do it again. Not because it wasn't fun -- but because the tumor on my spine probably wouldn't like that jolt.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Cheerios or Raisin Bran

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Yes. I hate it when the backs get pushed down from kicking them off with your other foot.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Two years ago I would have said no. But now, yes. I think I'm emotionally strong. Physically -- no. lol!

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Butter pecan

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Eyes and mouth are usually the first two things I notice.

15. RED OR PINK? Either

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My weight.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My husband!

18. WHAT IS THE PAUL MCKENNA TECHNIQUE THAT YOU NEED TO WORK ON THE MOST? Control my emotions without food.

19. WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Black

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Do I have to answer?! I had a poptart

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Make a Memory by Bon Jovi. (That's what's on now -- my computer is randomly going through my music library.)

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Green

23. FAVORITE SMELLS? Laundry coming out of the dryer, clean babies

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Ron

25. MOUNTAIN HIDEAWAY OR BEACH HOUSE? Mountains

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Hockey, Football, college basketball, baseball

27. HAIR COLOR? Brown

28. EYE COLOR? Green

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Nope - haven't been able to wear them since pregnancy.

30. FAVORITE FOOD? Steak and potatoes

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy ending. I HATE scary movies!

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Bolt -- it was awful!

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? My shirt is black and white and my sweater is grey

34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Winter

35. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs

36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Lemon Meringue Pie

37. STRENGTH TRAINING OR CARDIO? Cardio

38. COMPUTER OR TELEVISION? Computer

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? None.

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? my mouse

42. FAVORITE SOUND? Silence. Does that count as a sound? lol! If not, I'd say a thunderstorm. Ironic, huh? I love complete quiet. But I also LOVE thunderstorms.

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Who? lol! Neither.

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? 4,000 miles or so.

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Nothing I can think of

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? central Ohio

47. WHERE ARE YOU LIVING NOW? Motown, baby!

48. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR HOUSE? Red brick with white trim

49. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR CAR? Light blue

50. DO YOU LIKE ANSWERING 50 QUESTIONS? Sadly...yes.

Hives, hives, GO AWAY....

and DON'T come back another day!

AACK! I've had hives since Friday. Every time I stop taking Benadryl, they come right back. It is seriously starting to irk me! I can't continue to take Benadryl all the time. It makes me tired, and I'm sure it will eventually stop working. But without it, I'm a miserable mess.

The ONLY thing I can think of is that I tried a new wine last week. I tried it Thursday night and had hives on Friday. But I haven't had any since Thursday since I was already taking Benadryl when I got home from work Friday -- and didn't think it would be smart to drink wine with THAT in my system.

Aside from wine, I can't think of a single thing that would have given me hives. No change in detergents, shampoos, soaps, etc. The only other thing i can think of is if I have a problem with my washer rinsing out the detergent, but then I'd think Clare would have the issue since her skin is so sensitive. Other than that, I'm at a loss.

But I certainly hope it wasn't the wine. LOL!!!

Friday Fill-Ins

1. Give me grief and I'll attitude.

2. Whenever I have free time, I want to sleep.

3. I wish I didn't have to worry about money.

4. A hot fudge sundae was the last thing I ate that was utterly delicious.

5. To live in this world it is necessary to read and write.

6. Other than this one, Brynn's is the last blog I commented on.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to Family movie night, tomorrow my plans include playing in the snow and Sunday, I want to have a successful fundraiser at church!

Help is On the Way.

I'm having some issues at home and have a few things that are in desperate need of repair. Ron isn't really that handy when he can walk on both legs, but being on crutches makes it nearly impossible to get these things done. So yesterday I received a call -- my brother is driving up tonight. :)

He can only stay one night because his girls have activities Saturday morning, but he's going to work on my "to do" list Friday morning and into the afternoon to see how much he can get done. I am SO grateful!!! I was going to pay someone to come look at the toilet. That's why he called, actually -- my Dad mentioned to him that I was calling a plumber in. He doesn't want me to waste my money on a service call unless he knows I need a plumber, so he wants to take a look first. The gas money I will hide in his car will be less than what it would cost for a plumber to come in the house, much less do any work.

This brother and I have always gotten along extremely well, and I LOVE how willing he is to help anyone out. And I'm not just saying that because he's coming here. He is always the first one to volunteer to help my parents, my other brothers, his in-laws, his friends. He'd give you the shirt off your own back if you needed it. He has a very willing spirit and an open heart. Thank goodness he's MY brother!! :)

Thank you, God, for my blessings

This weekend, my church is having its second fundraiser for a member of our congregation who is battling breast cancer. She lost her job (and her health insurance) and has been paying for insurance out of her pocket. She's obviously strapped financially, but she's also tired, exhausted and sick from fighting cancer. She's a mom who is struggling to balance her family, her health and her life.

If this has taught me nothing else, it's taught me to be thankful for all my blessings. I am so thankful for my health. I know I whine about my tumor sometimes, and it has definitely changed my quality of life. But I am so grateful that I can wake up every morning and enjoy my family. I can go to work, provide the best I can for my kids and have medical insurance. These are not guarantees in life, and I am so thankful that I have these things.

So if you are the praying kind, please pray for Diane and her family. She could really use the prayers for healing and comfort, and I'm sure her family could use some, too. Please also pray that the fundraiser goes well. We need to raise $2,000 for the Lutheran group that matches funds to donate money. Our congregation is pretty small, so that is a pretty big task. I'm praying that we come through. Diane and her family need as much help as they can get.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Here are the flowers the kids "bought" me yesterday. We were at Costco, and they begged me to buy them. So, of course I gave in. When we got home, they handed them to me and said they were from them for Valentine's Day. Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. We don't really celebrate Valentine's Day, aside from trying to do and say really nice things for each other all day.

I hope you have a wonderful day, however you celebrate!!

Tagged: 6th Photo in 6th Album

Cali thought of me for this fun blog game, but I don't know how to link a blog.

The rules of the game find the sixth picture in the sixth album on my computer.

The 6th album is titled January2009. The picture is of Jacob's basketball game. He's the one in the middle playing defense. He stole the ball when the other team tried to pass right after I took this picture. YAY! :)















The rules say that I need to tag 5 more people. So I have tag Benita, Beth, Tracy, Melissa, Debbie.

Wordless Wednesday

I Need a Money Tree

February is turning out to be a very expensive month for us. Dance sign ups were last week. Jacob has been begging us to attend church camp this summer (for a WEEK - my 7yo wants to leave us for a week!), and that money was due Sunday morning. Soccer sign ups are tonight. Baseball sign ups are next week. And my birthday is next month, so I had to mail my car and license registrations in. Those are all WAY more than my normal budget. Why do all these things have to hit at once???? Especially baseball. Why on earth do I have to register him for baseball NOW since it doesn't start until June?! I desperately need a money tree.

My kids are on winter break from school Thursday, Friday and Monday. Initially, we were going to go to Kentucky to visit Ron. But, Jacob already missed one week of basketball when he had strep throat, so Ron didn't want him to miss anymore. Besides that, we really can't afford the gas to drive down there and certainly can't afford to do anything, so there is no point in trying to go. Now we're staying home. Of course, both kids want to do SO many things. But the money just isn't there. I know they are blessed and will be FINE. But I hate having to say no to so many things because we just can't afford it. I want to give them so much...but I can't. Now I know how my parents felt when we were kids.

It's depressing, and I'm just wallowing in my own self pity. Please ignore me, but I just had to get this off my chest. Ron and I have jobs, we have health care, we have food and shelter -- so we're already doing better than so many others. I am grateful for all those things. I just wish we could go back to the times of 2006 -- before Ron lost his job, before we had two households and lived apart and before we had so much debt from trying to make this bi-state thing work. We were never "well off" but we paid our bills with ease. I mean, we lived check to check then, too...but I never had to worry about paying a single bill. I wish I could say that now.

But I do want to end this big ole fat whine on a positive note. I have healthy, happy children that are growing like weeds. I am proud of them, and I love them very much. I am doing the best I can for them, and I hope they can appreciate that as adults, as I appreciate what my parents did for us.

Friday Fill-Ins

1. Please don't tell me the ending to anything I've not seen.

2. Can you get showered and out the door in twenty minutes in the morning?

3. The color green makes me want to party!

4. I have a craving for Texas Roadhouse -- my word Clarissa has rubbed off on me.

5. If my life had a pause button, I'd pause it while my kids were smiling.

6. Eyes are the entry to the soul.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to watching Greys and Private Practice on DVR, tomorrow my plans include watching Jacob play basketball, cleaning and scrapping and Sunday, I want to go out to eat if I can tweak the budget a little!

Wordless Wednesday

Martin Luther King Said it best...

Everybody can be great... because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.

Lately I've been reflecting on my life, and I've been trying to determine what positive changes I can make in my life to make it better. Don't get me wrong -- I have a great life. Sure, I have some medical issues and a husband living in a different state, but all in all, my life is good. I have clothes, food, shelter and above all, healthy and happy children. I try to keep my problems in perspective, though it's sometimes hard to do. I am very blessed and I thank God for all that I have.

Despite "having it all" I have just felt that something is missing, and I've been soul searching to see what it is. I think it all started when I wasn't able to adopt a family for Christmas this past year. It broke my heart, and I missed that giving opportunity. But I didn't realize how much it affected me until last night. When I got home from work, I could smell natural gas -- and it was strong. I had Ron call the gas company, and they were there in less than fifteen minutes. DTE used their machines and determined that the smell was coming from our neighbors' house. Apparently, their furnace broke over the weekend, and they were using their stove to heat their home. The gas smell was unbelievable outside -- I can't imagine how horrible it was in that house!!!

I called the company I use for furnace repairs, and they sent someone out to check the furnace. The people that live there told him they can't afford the service fee, much less to fix the furnace, so they were going to send him away. He told them that he was instructed to check out the furnace and that the fee was taken care of. My neighbors assumed it was because of DTE, so they let him in. Truth is, I had told them when I called that I would pay for them to come out and take a look. Unfortunately, the furnace is shot. It's 26 years old and needs replaced. That I can't help them with. Despite getting bad news, it felt great to help them out. I sincerely wish it would've had a different outcome, but I did the best I could. And the important thing is now they know not to try to run the furnace at all (which is what they were doing while having the stove on.) The furnace repairman detected a lot of carbon monoxide in the house, and they don't have a detector.

It felt great to be able to help my neighbors out, though I don't have the funds to service this way continually. I need to find ways to serve others that can use my time or talents. That is my personal challenge -- to find more opportunities to serve others. I want to show my gratitude to the Lord for all the wonderful things he's given me. And since money is tight, I need to be creative and find other ways to help people. I've helped at soup kitchens and that in the past, but I need to do more. I WANT to do more.

Down in their hearts, wise men know this truth: the only way to help yourself is to help others. -- Elbert Hubbard

You have not lived a perfect day, unless you have done something for someone who will never be able to repay you. -- Ruth Smeltzer