Bowled Over

Not being one to engage in watching the Super Bowl .. I did subject my eyes to about 60 seconds of the rather X-rated gyration of a so called 'pop star' wiggle and wreath on stage during half time with all the lust of a porn star.  That was enough!  Why does such a national event that is watched around the world have to be about selling sex?  If I had young children, they would not be allowed to watch such a program .. and yet, how many parents had their children with them watching?  This is a day when our nation should be putting out the best for the world to see .. not smut.   I'm glad we do not have cable TV and can only get a few channels on our rabbit ear antenna; which at times is even too much.  

Early To Bed (Not)

Insomnia .. loud crickets .. change of life (two years and counting) .. summer rush in the garden .. have all been contributing to my lack of sleep.  I settle down on the couch for a little TV at night .. usually an old movie .. then doze off.  Usually I'm already for bed so I can just shuffle half asleep down the hallway to bed.  Once there, I toss and turn a few minutes.  Still tired.  Then it hits me.  I need to check the front door, take the pooch out for a potty run, get a glass of water, and heaven forbid if I've forgotten to brush my teeth and decide to use the electric (bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz) toothbrush.  I get back in bed and have a hot flash, which makes me get up to turn on the fan and put on cooler jammies.  Settling back in .. I am WIDE AWAKE and thinking I should go bake the bread dough slowly rising on the counter.  This is the dough I forgot to add yeast to yesterday so hastily added it after I noticed it wasn't rising.  Humm .. I must have been distracted (again).  Adding dry yeast to bread dough is not a good idea.  But now it smells all yeasty and like sourdough .. so I don't want to waste it.  Time to turn on the oven and finish baking bread.  Smelling the yummy goodness makes me hungry so I make a pot of coffee and wait for the bread to finish.  My day today is going to suck.  I'll need a nap just after Nathan gets on the school bus .. oh, I forgot, it's Wednesday and I have my little grandson ALL DAY.  I really need to mature and better order my day!

Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise .. Ben Franklin

Thunder STRUCK

I LOVE a good thunder storm.  Trouble is .. my dawg is a weenie and freaks out.  Tonight one such storm rolled through.  I have resorted to parking my truck on the driveway and tying up the dawg in the empty garage .. away from anything she can topple over.

Several weeks ago a magnificent storm rolled through.  We had company staying in the guest room above our garage .. and didn't want her to wake them up with barking .. so she was kept on a short leash in the dining room.  At 3 AM I awoke to what I thought was a burglar .. only to find out the dog had toppled some plants, books and mail off the bakers rack, tipped over her water and proceeded to tromp around creating a BIG MESS.  

Now the storm is passing.  Nathan has gone back to bed after spending an hour in the 'safe room' (interior bathroom) ....  all is well. 

Thank you Lord for sending the rain and for shaking up the heavens to remind us of your presence.

Life In The S.L.O.W. Lane

Living with a broken pc and a slow internet connection may just suit me fine.  (I can't believe I just printed that) ... since my computer crashed last month .. by a hacker  .. resulting in less than better pc use .. (yes, I have anti-virus .. etc .. firewalls ..but when you have a SLOW connection .. sometimes the updates don't update in a timely fashion .. and don't update .. putting you at risk of the latest threat ..  make sense?).  This might be my signal to ditch the non existent internet service and go use the computer at the library once or twice a week when I am in town .. thus saving me about $700 a year!

Speaking of slow lane .. that is the pace our garden has taken this year as well.  Many of my May/June blooming flowers are just now putting on a show.  The veggie garden is a month behind as well in production.  I hope God is generous and extends the first frost date by at least a month so things have a chance to ripen before we descend into winter. 

Mangy Moose Lodge .. spring flowers in summer

Back to the computer .. now the picture scan/disc port on the pc shuts down when I load the disc into it.  So any pictures I post from home will have to be ones I can find stored on my broken pc prior to July 4 .. until I start using the library computer.  This seems complicated .. and maybe not worth the effort.  But .. I don't want to completely stop blogging (even though it may appear that I have already done so). 

Why do people have to be so evil and think up viruses .. scams .. hijackings?  I'll spare you with my idea about what God should do to them .. it's not a nice picture!

Monday Morning Quarterback

... from someone in the know ;)

Well .. that was some Super Bowl game yesterday.  It makes me feel so proud to see that America's best was on stage during the half-time show (not!).  Instead of hiring so called 'professionals'  ... Hollywood-ites .. why doesn't someone with half a brain try giving the stage over to some true American patriots .. like a military marching band .. or a group of Girl Scouts that can sing America The Beautiful or The Star Spangled Banner (our NATIONAL anthem) and belt out the words with meaning.  This is the problem when exceptionalism is paved over with mediocrity .. there are no winners .. just empty awards for participation (win or lose). 

Jake provided entertainment



 The best part of the day was spent with my beautiful family .. eating great yummy snacks and hijacking Face Book with a play by play account of how bored I was 'watching' the game.  I LOVE MY FAMILY for not turning me out in the snow :)

Having A Fit

... in progress.

Hubby's work hours were changed.  Him being low man on the totem pole .. is now working the night shift.  (uuuggg)  I didn't think about the consequences this would have on my daily routine until this week.  It's been years since he worked at nights.  Here's a list of my 'no can do' during the daytime:  I have to BE QUIET!  That means no vacuuming during the day ... minimal noise in the backyard ... think rototilling the garden right outside the bedroom window ... and trying to keep Nathan quiet this summer when he wants to dance to loud music in his room ... uugggH).  Waiting for permanent retirement.  Help me to find the bright side ... Pollyanna is hiding today!

Sit A Spell

... is something I'd like to do once in a while.  Being a busy homemaker rarely affords such a luxury.  There is a slim window of opportunity some days between two and three PM for a little cat nap, but that old foe ... my alarm clock brings me back to the reality of parenting a special needs child with the afternoon arrival of the school bus.  Some days I wish I could turn back the hands of time and be a carefree youngster on a lazy summer afternoon under the roof of my parents home. 

What's Up?

Well, I'm with limited computer/internet for awhile. I'll be checking blogs and Facebook with my iPhone ... but I can't make new posts on blogger ... just comments. Hopefully, I'll get to know my library again for some good books (and to sneak use of their computers) once in a while. Will be back as soon as possible.

Mrs. Mac Rants About Plain Old New Junk

What is happening to newly manufactured products. Nothing is made to have lasting value any longer ... be it new household appliances, kids toys, printers, etc. This week I've been searching for a whistling tea kettle to give as a gift. It's to replace an inexpensive one my oldest daughter, Elizabeth, bought when she first got married three years ago. Hers is already falling apart. After searching high and low and examining the ones for sale at general merchandise stores, I have not been able to find a decent replacement.

Last month the control panel on my microwave-hood combo short circuited/warped. Purchased new when we built our home in 2007, it just couldn't handle the heat from the way I cook .. i.e. canning .. and the last time I cooked my kids a fried chicken dinner, it went kaput. Both our new refrigerator and stove have needed repairs as well. And while the repairman was out I had him listen to my (supposed to be ultra quiet) noisy dishwasher ... he informed me the pump had between six months to two years left on it. Not to mention my high efficiency washer that needed several costly repairs before I got an old fashioned replacement with push/pull/dials and no brain; it uses more water and power, but at least it runs. There are several manufacturers involved so I'm not outing any one in particular {LG, WHIRLPOOL, JENN-AIR}

Makes me wonder if the manufacturers are partners with the repair folks. Also makes me wonder how efficient and 'green' such junk/appliances/merchandise is if it prematurely ends up in the landfill. What new junk have you had to get repaired or rid of lately?

My little short circuit episode set me back nearly $700 to replace the microwave with a heavy duty exhaust hood, installations fees, and repairing the tile back splash when the microwave oven was removed.

I wonder if this is one of the 'efficient' ways our government is trying to get more people gainfully employed ;(

A Season of Change

Summer is dragging on and on. Thankful for the blessings .. there is just so much of summer that I can stand .. then it's time for a change. This has more to do with summer vacation .. as in Nathan being home all summer than the actual 'summer' itself. Today has been one of those days. Nathan was in desperate need of a 'full body spa treatment' .. and that left me in charge of being his stylist. His hair is cut, nails trimmed, ears cleaned, tummy fed. I so had to psych myself up to do this 'to do' list. Here it is Sunday morning. I should be in church. But I feel like complaining instead. The weather outside is gorgeous. I will find it hard to be still in my spirit today. There is just so much I can take .. then my patience wears thin. Patience is usually one of my strong points .. but on beautiful late summer days, and I'm stuck at home again, I'd just like to scream as loud as Nathan did this morning when he was having a bath. Just pour some cold water on me. Some times I just want to run away. Maybe I'll go buy a one way ticket to some unknown place. I'll be better tomorrow perhaps.

Friday reality hit home regarding Nathan's education. When I registered him for school they had set up his classes for general education .. not the life skills class he needs. Now a great sadness came upon me as I looked at his little slip of paper with a 'normal' class routine. Drafting, math, physical education, ... so on. Six different teachers .. a locker with combination .. and a table to pay for extra curricular stuff ready and waiting. He was with me freaking out a bit as we walked through the building. People were laughing .. unknowingly .. upsetting him from their laughter. I looked once again at 'normal' and realized that's just not for him. So we were directed to the counselor's office and had his class schedule changed. A period of sadness came upon me at what could have been .. normal .. has to be exchanged for special accommodations.

Sorry for complaining ... thanks for listening.

That's It ... They're all outta here.

... any remaining CFL's (compact squiggly .. government approved .. I mean forced upon ... poisonous light bulbs) ... and things that go bump in the night. See the below post before reading this one. All is calm. It's 3 AM and not a mouse is stirring .. not even my dawg or Nathan .. both are sound asleep. So why, oh why do my ears hear a CrAsHing sound ... splat ... breaking glass ... Could it be a burglar? No. Oh ... it's a table lamp that has toppled over landing on my hardwood floor. A lamp that got knocked over by a nice summer breeze .. by leaving my windows open to save energy .. not having to use my air conditioner .. on a warm summer night. Crash .. a CFL shattering all over my wooden floor. Only yesterday I posted about needing a hazmat suit when cleaning up a broken CFL. You also need to find a drop off location to keep these bulbs out of the landfill .. remember, they contain a small amount of mercury. Toxic mercury! One is actually supposed to open all of the windows and VACATE the premises .. remembering to remove small children and pets as well. It's 3 Am and my wild child, Nathan, that gets mom and dad up at all hours of the night needing assistance ... a special needs child .. And the dawg ... Miss Holly ... as pretty as she is now from just having gone to the groomers this week ... she's also a ''special needs dawg" needing drugs to survive a thunder and lightening storm and/or things that go bump in the night from living out in the woods. It's 3 Am and all is not well according to the government. I have decided NOT to vacate the premises. Said special needs creatures are sound asleep .. where I should be .. only I'm now worried about mercury vapors in my home. Send help!

Later today I'm off to dispose/return all of the other crappy cfl bulbs in my home/storage room.
I shall make a run on purchasing every incandescent light bulb I can find at the big box home repair store. Enough bulbs to last my entire lifetime. Enough to outlast the stupid push of the government's plan to force people to use toxic, harmful to the environment, ugly light emitting, did I mention ugly looking light bulbs. I may be gone for a while.

The Duties of The Housewife

I'm not sure if I like the term 'housewife' .. it's gotten a bad rap over the past few decades. And being called a 'domestic engineer' is a rather silly term meant to cover up an often demeaned and frowned upon profession. I suppose 'homemaker' has a softer more gentle connotation. I didn't just sit around when I was in high school dreaming of being a homemaker. I had plans to work. I did work for six years as a secretary. I think that title has been changed too and is now called 'administrative assistant' ... Currently, my job duties are: organizer/short-order cook/dishwasher/chauffeur/laundress/seamstress/nursemaid/house maid/gardener/landscaper/pet sitter/flag raiser/window washer/go to person when something is lost, dirty, broken or missing/toilet scrubber/brave person to open leftover containers in the fridge/bookkeeper/computer repairman/granny daycare/lost and found/mind reader/soap maker/clothes mender/family historian/purchasing agent and wife to husband, mother of four, grandmother of one. With all of these duty skills under my belt, I'd still have a hard time finding a decent paying job in the corporate world ... because I have 'no experience' staying at home the past 26 years.

White Noise

I've raised a whole brood of kids (and a hubby) that are addicted to white noise. It all started with my husband working the night shift ... and I needed a way to keep the noise level down while I home schooled the children many moons ago. Then Patrick decided he couldn't get to sleep without a fan running in his room (just for the noise). This went on even in the winter time with him. Ann has her own exhaust fan in her bedroom closet ... a closet that one day may be my main floor laundry room ... thus it was set up with the fan & a light; some nights I get up just to turn her fan off ... I won't even mention that I also hear her phone beeping every few minutes with a message waiting most nights. Nathan ... that boy has a humidifier (minus the water) running each and every night. When he comes home from school, he turns on the bathroom's exhaust fan (next to his bedroom). My family is co-dependent to white noise; and it drives me crazy. When I go to bed at night, I like to have it perfectly quiet ... unfortunately there is a clock in my bedroom that tick-tocs away the hours. If for some reason I wake up at night, the sound of it is as torturous as water dripping ... drip ... drip ... drip ... on your forehead. My name is Mrs. Mac ... and my family is addicted to white noise.

Stop The World ...

... I want to get off!

Insane; evil is good; good is evil; wrong is right; right is wrong; no moral compass; mistrust; over zealous misguided leaders; spiraling out of control spending; tax break my bottom; inflation; green house gasses; illegal is legal; legal is illegal; common sense died years ago. End times, you bet! Send me to my room, I want to stew.

Children, time is just about up. You heard that Antichrist is coming. Well, they're all over the place, antichrists everywhere you look. That's how we know that we're close to the end.

1 John 2:18
The Message Bible

Time Will Tell

... hopefully before the new President's honeymoon period is over, how much of a chance our nation (under God) will recover economically, morally, and become a strong union. This union has been so fractured between right/left, conservative/liberal ideals that no matter how much waiving a magic wand over the mix, and calling for togetherness and less divisiveness, you can't force opposite magnetic poles together. Left is left and right is right! A democrat can't bring republicans on board just by saying we have to work together with only democratic/liberal ideas. Just not gonna happen. Liberals can't say their ideas are less liberal when they're not.

I think the new V.P. will be an interesting mix with the new Prez. He has caused much rolling of the eyes and bristled up body language from the new Commander In Chief. Time will tell.

... for dominion belongs to the LORD
and he rules over the nations.

Psalm 22:28

Soporific Rest

The turkey doldrums hit me on Black Friday. Who in their right mind would want to fight the mobs to save money on Christmas gifts. Stand in long lines before sunrise, shivering in the cold wondering if you might get mobbed or even lose your very life to save a few bucks. Not I. My Black Friday rest was partially induced from the feast on Thursday and the work involved to cook the meal. Taking an allergy pill put me in a near sleep induced coma on the couch for a few days. I viewed just about every cheesy Lifetime and Hallmark Christmas movie and made a permanent dent in my sofa. I can spot sewing batting used for snow scenes and computer animated snow flakes from my finely tuned eyes. Decorating for Christmas will be a slow process; a breather is needed to put some space between the two holidays. Perhaps I need some anti-depression meds to snap out of it ... na, another cookie will do the trick!

Just Clean Up Your Own Messes

Here's what I found out on the counter this morning ... after going to bed with everything in its place. I wonder who ..........

House Keeping Survey

Update below
Just out of being plain nosy ... how easy or difficult is it for y'all to keep a clean house? I know we live in a lackadaisical society ... you can see signs everywhere from the way we dress, keep up our cars, style our hair, etc. Did you grow up in a clean or messy environment? Were your clothes, sheets, hankies ironed each week? Did your family have a cleaning routine? For example: Monday..washday, Tuesday..shopping, Wednesday..bathrooms/floors, etc. Our lives are more complicated now even though we have more gadgets to make it easier (dishwashers, vacuum cleaners, etc.).

I am a full time, stay at home wife, mommy, grandma and my cleaning chores are endless. I can only imagine how these chores get piled up for those of you that work outside the home AND have families to take care. In our disposable, get all you can get society, do you think that less is more?

Tomorrow I'll share the way it was when I was a child and we can compare notes.
November 13, 2008
Today I made a conscience effort to 'put away what I got out' ... and clean up each and every mess as I made one. You know what ... even with interruptions ... watching grand baby ... running errands ... etc., when I thought about the whole process of being tidy and acted on it, everything fell into place today. I grew up in a home that was organized and cleaned by schedule. Pop was a drill sergeant and kept us on our toes. Grandma was set in stone for routine but made her work seem effortless. Never complaining ... just had a job to to and did it. Sometimes I find myself needing to clean off some of my 'plate' to allow the proper time to make my homemaking skills count and be consistent. Hubby will be pleasantly surprised to not find one cup in the sink when he gets off work late tonight. Let me see come morning what 'junk' he leaves setting around when I get up. I may have to get tough!

Regular Post Resuming Soon

Stay tuned for a new post hopefully by Friday ... I'm 'nursing' my election 'hangover' away ... plus wearing my many hats this past week. See you soon. Hugs

On The Lighter Side Of Life

I'm here for a pick-me-up. I think chocolate may solve my problem ... would you like a piece too? I went and volunteered to be our home owner association's secretary/treasurer. Why, why, why!!! (pulling out my hair). Flash backs to junior high when I took minutes and typed reports, etc. came to mind as I raised my hand. I have time said I in my head. Vultures swooped in and quickly nominated, seconded the motion, wham, bam, thank you mam, you're in lady. Now I'm up to my eyeballs sorting out tax forms, missing documents, running around town, etc. Today I met with an accountant to help get things in order ... she wants articles of incorporation ... blah, blah, waaaaa, ... I want my mommy. Send help.