Tackle It Tuesday

This Tuesday I tackled the mountain of Christmas lights that I stupidly thought I was "stacking" together. When I went to pick the top set up it turned out to be a huge bundle of light sets. ARGH!

I eventually got all 15 sets seperated, as well as the three sets of larger snow flake lights. I couldn't have done it without the help of this here Hershey Bar...540 calories later, I had a tote packed and ready to store. I will never "stack" Christmas lights again!

What did you tackle today?

For more tackles click here! While you are there, why not wish Jackson a Happy 6th Birthday!

Is anybody else fed up???

I don't know everything that Hillary's done or not done or do I really care I guess. I'm not saying I back her or anything but what I am saying is that I am royally pissed with the sexist BS.

I'm sick of the offensive jokes and name calling because she is a woman. "Iron my shirt", "Don't vote for a bitch", "Not another Bush"...

WTF?

Everytime I've been called a bitch, it's because I was right and I won and there was no real argument left for the a$$wipe who called me that. And unless we shave or whatever...don't we all have bushes? Some maybe have a twig and berries in their bush but it is still a bush no less. eh?

Whether you are a man or a woman, republican, democrat, liberal or whatever. The treatment of Hillary because she is a woman is offensive and wrong. If they want to attack her, leave her sex out of it. Attack her for her actions and decisions or choices but not for something as lame as her being a woman.

It concerns me about the maturity of the people who are running and the people who are voting. Self interest is at the forefront and not really what's in the best interest of the whole. Labels are more important than issues.

It's all a really bad joke. Sort of like the word "sovereign" when it comes to Native Americans and their land or I guess I should say "nation".

Menu Plan Monday

Monday- Chicken with Rice Soup
Tuesday- Salt Crusted Rib Roast, Baked Potatoes and Corn
Wednesday- Lil Smokies and a Flour Tortilla
Thursday- Dinner Out
Friday- Teriyaki Chicken and Steamed White Rice
Saturday- Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans
Sunday- Chinese Chicken Salad

That's my menu for the week. I can't wait to see what everyone else has planned. For more menu planning, click here!

They are gone...

Yesterday my sister came in to pick up her son, I, whose been vacationing at my house for the past two weeks. They left about half an hour ago.

We stayed up all night while I tried to finish up a project that I wanted her to take with her and she played with the Wii. But I was about 3 minutes shy from getting it completely done. She offered to stay but I didn't want to cause any conflicts between her and her fiance or whatever he is exactly.

I do have to say that I get pissed though. They were here for Easter because the kids were being baptized and I asked if Easter dinner at 4:30 was fine and I was told it was. I got up at the buttcrack of dawn to make dinner and had it on the table at 4:3o to which he was ready to pack everyone up and take off. They ended up staying but there was a fight between them about it.

Then they came up for Christmas dinner. We had dinner at 1 pm because they had to leave. I wasn't too happy about that because I am tired of racing and not enjoying anything or being able to take part in any of the event because I am laboring in the kitchen.

I don't begrudge them the fact that it's a 10 hour drive. Really, I know driving sucks and I know he does it by himself because my sister doesn't drive. But I get upset because I know if he were at his family's house there wouldn't be the rushing to leave. That there... that's what pisses me off. They prolong the getting here (10 pm this time) and then leave as quickly as they came (6 am). At least my other nephew, E, had slept all the way so he was up almost the whole time we were and I got to give him the big boy underwear I bought him and spend some time with him.

These boys are not just my nephews but they are my Godsons too. I feel I have very little time with them. Although I had "I" for two weeks and I am happy he's on his way home now, it doesn't seem like enough time. I am worried about my sister as well. She's not happy. I have suspicions that's part of the reason for the rush off. I don't care if he's standing in front of me. I will tell my sister how it is and how it should be. As in if you are not happy, you need to re-evaluate if this is what you want. Not tell her what to do.

I had to run out to the store tonight and she came with me. She said something that struck me as odd. She said "now I am making my own money." I can't remember, it was about buying something. It worries me about how my sister is living and what my nephews environment is. I don't think it's anything like what my other nieces and nephew endured. Nothing like that. More like control and repression of the female in the household. If you know what I mean.

I hope my sister gets a backbone and opens her eyes. I don't think her fiance is a bad person but I don't really know him. What I do know is that my sister isn't happy and I just hope she isn't settling.

She can see clearly now

Here's Pouf! I've decided to call her that since her hair is always one big Poufball. She lost her front tooth (toof!) two days ago and we just picked up her new glasses today. She's actually excited about them.

They said by the time she is 12 she will be a candidate for contacts and when she hits 20, lasix will be recommended.

I was surprised at how much she couldn't see. After we picked up her glasses we went to Costco to grab some pizza for dinner. As we drove by places she was exclaiming: "I didn't know there were lights there!", "That's a real Chuck E. Cheese's!, I didn't even know we had one!"

There weren't any indications that we could see (no pun intended) that she couldn't see.

I have two more that will more than likely need glasses. As a matter of fact I know CDQ will need them. It's crazy but I'm glad we are catching this early. I was there when they did the basic eye test during their physical and I thought they were messing around and purposely missing the letters because they were doing so bad on the test.

However, there's actually a machine that can read the kid's eyes at the eye doctor and he basically said kids can't fake it anymore. As I watched Pouf! retake the test at the eye doctor's I was facing her and could see how hard she was trying and see how she was missing letters. It was crazy.

I can't help but think of all the problems these kids have both mentally and physically and think that my sister honestly believes that she has no part in this. That the fact that Pouf's lenses are too long and she can't see doesn't have anything to do with how she didn't take any prenatal and only ate ice while she was pregnant so she wouldn't get fat. How can some people think that, think those things?

It makes no sense to me.

Sisterly Love

Can't you tell how much they love ME? LOL!

I had to try them on right away, hence the tag still attached. Can you believe Smudge (the black cat) is 2 years younger than Purries (calico). She's massive next to her. Poor girl.

Is it over yet?

So guess what I did to welcome in 2008 with a bang??

I slept through it. Hubs said they tried to wake me, but I swear I didn't hear them or the ball drop.

I have to admit, I'm beat. I cooked all day and ran all day and can I just say I am so glad 2007 is over.

2007 kicked my @$$. It's been the hardest year of my life and even then not so hard. But I don't like hard. Especially when it's created by someone else.

In 2007, I realized that my life sucks and yet it doesn't. I'm still so lucky and blessed and spoiled. I realized that even though my mother is alive. She really isn't. In realizing that, I also realized that I have lost my mother this year and in thinking that, realized, I never really had a mother.

2007 also made me realize that I have no true family, just as these kids had no family. Together we are going to be a family. Some how, some way, I've gotta make this happen.

It's the strangest thing, because I think Hubs has come to the realization as well, that he didn't have much of a family either. Yet, somehow, we misfits came together for some reason.

I was watching Joyce Meyer the other night. I know I am strange but I always feel that my friend Karlton is sending me messages through her. Whenever I do catch her it's like she's speaking just to me and what I am going through at the moment. She's always spot on. She had me cracking up because she was talking about how early on she would have fits and tantrums when things didn't go right and she would quit.

I've done that so many times over the last year. So. Many.Times. I've cussed God out for not being there for me and for making *me* go through all this because it was just toooo much. Anyway, Joyce is saying how she was on her knees crying and moaning that she finally really quits when she said she heard the Holy Spirit say "Really, are you finally going to give me a chance to do something?"

Her point was that we often expect things. We know that we have a calling or at least we figure out what our calling is and we have expectations of making it happen on our time. But we can't. God has reasons and he has his own time and we have to let Him be in control. The harder we fight to make things come to fruition, the more frustrated we get about spinning our wheels.

In 2008, I have many expectations and plans but I am going to try to keep in mind, it's not entirely in my hands or on my time but it's in God's hands, on his time.

I don't really have any resolutions but I have two big "plans" that I will try to pursue this year. Graduate School and Babies. Well one baby to be exact, a child of our own if possible. (I've been working on a baby post but finding it hard to find the right words)

So, goodbye 2007, hello 2008 and can't wait to see 2009 around the corner!

Happy New Year Everyone!