State of the State

I admit. I have always been the first one to complain, when most times, I had no idea what was really going on. Did you watch the State of the State address tonight? For the first time in my life, I not only planned on watching it, I DVR'd it too. For years and years, I thought that it would be over my head. That they would be speaking a different language and that I wouldn't understand what they were talking about.

I am SO glad I watched. Because a lot of what Granholm discussed, had to do with MY family, and probably yours too. While you may remember my post a few months back about the new mall and how I thought I would end up in jail for making a comment about Granholm. Well, I have come to find that the state of our state isn't entirely her fault. We can thank good ole GWB for this sticking in the rear that he has given not only Michigan, but the entire country. This "war" that he has us involved in is costing trillions of dollars. Where do you think that money comes from? You and I my friend... and all of our neighbors. Jenny Granholm has done the best she could do in this situation. I feel bad for being so pissed at her, but it was because I was uneducated.

I would be willing to bet that most of my family, if not all of them, did not watch the State of the State. Even though this state is going through extremely difficult times, why wouldn't anyone want to watch to see what "happens next"? How can we sit there and complain, if we are going to sit there and watch everything else take place without knowing what the intentions were in the first place?

I am so happy that at this time in my life, I am taking a genuine interest in my government, and how it affects me, my family, my friends, and neighbors. I no longer feel dumbfounded about why things are happening, but more so that the light may be at the end of the tunnel. I am ready to make changes in my own life to help make a change in my world. And I'm starting with those little coily light bulbs that I despise so much. I admit that I have always hated the light that they give off, but my thought is that if I can use these in areas of the house that are not "hot zones" it is a start in the right direction.

I urge you to check out the State of Michigan Website and read up on Granholm's plans to pull us out of this mess. I am on board with her... FINALLY and am eager to see Michigan rise above this sucking sess pool we are currently in.

Oh Thank You, Thank You!!!!

Omg my prayers have been answered. Ok, so occasionally I have posted a photo of a cake or two that I've attempted to decorate. While my skills scare me, but please others, there is NO cake supply shop around here.........Until now.

As I jump up and down in my seat I am so excited to announce that a new store has opened up. And not only is it near here... I don't even have to sit at a stop light to get to it!!!!!

Welcome Party Cake Supplies!!!!

Well, there is a store that isn't too far away, but I am a very big fan of "nice" when it comes to privately owned stores. The owner of the "other" store makes you feel stupid, and treats her customers as if they are putting her out by asking a question.

Today as I stalked the new store for the 10th time, I found it finally is open. And I went to it. And I LOVED it. And I am getting my list together because I have a Dora cake due this Saturday.

The new store has GREAT prices and get this... she even carries the cake mixes right there in the store! Now you may not realize how monumental this is, but to me, it tells me I can stay out of the local grocery store.

I am very excited about this... if you didn't notice. My awesome artist husband decorates many of my cakes too, so we are going to do fondant classes together. Watch out Ace of Cakes! lol.

I think I may do a wedding cake class too... to learn how to properly tier cakes. I'm so excited. lol. Ok going to go hyperventilate now!

Standoff!

Funny how they don't look like little piggies. They don't have little snouts, or curly tails. They have fur and don't resemble bacon. But yet the sure act like little piggies. And that is why I refuse to put their bowl back down. They followed me around for 2 hours today, trying to guilt me into putting their bowl back down. Yet look at this mess! I just filled their trough yesterday and Chunky tried to get up on his little soap box and knocked it over. There was cat food all over the laundry room floor! So I wasn't giving in. They want to live like little piggies, they can eat it off the floor.

Update... I'm a sucker. I picked up the food, put it BACK in the bowl and put the bowl back down on the floor. Good lord. You would have thought I pulled some sort of abuse on them. They were so worn out from worrying, that they crashed out for the REST of the day! Must be nice!

Undecided...

As you can tell, I can't make a decision on my blog colors. So I am back to this refreshing, soothing and calming template. It fits my soul at this moment.

Inquiring minds want to know....

What Happened To Sunday?

A few years ago, Melanie and I decided to meet on a Sunday for lunch. The arrangement was to meet at the Appetizer restaurant in the little village of Milford. I was the first to arrive.

I drove to the bank to use the ATM. It was then that I noticed that all of the stores seemed to be closed. Shortly after, I noticed that the restaurant was closed as well.

Every store on mainstreet was closed for the day.

I contacted Mel and we agreed to meet at Lu & Rubys Bar and Grill on Milford Road.

We had a great lunch and even shared a deep fried snickers bar for dessert!

So my question is, What happened to Sunday? It was so nice to see a quiet town completely closed up, the way it used to be. Some of you may not know that I lived right outside Milford. That is where I met Melanie and Katrina. Mel was my neighbor, and Katrina was my friend from elementary school.

As a child, I remember that NOTHING was open on Easter nor Christmas, including Sundays. If you needed something, you had to either prepare in advance, or you were out of luck. To me, life was so much simpler then. So much more laid back.

Now we are all so busy, it is amazing we don't run into ourselves coming and going.

I miss this simple way of life. It makes me want to try and hold on to Sundays and to try and keep life the same way for my kids. I want them to grow up appreciating their time, and to remember that they don't always have to be running. They don't always need to have something else to do. Sometimes it's just about being. Being in the moment.

I can do this. And I'm going to try.

Nothing New...

No new news on the homefront this week. Little drama at work regarding a babyshower, chiefs and indians. Oh - I guess I am more "sensitive" than I thought when it comes to laundry detergent. Always made me itch a bit. Suddenly my little scratches turned into major hives, a steriod shot in the booty and a weeks worth of Methylprednisone. It started with a quick trip to Costco. I thought that the "burn" I was feeling was a great workout with a buggy full of crap. Instead it was hives covering my body. That was nice. It has been a very bizarre week, but everything seems to be under control now.

HOWEVER.... I must say that the steroids are making me a bit..... shall we say.... OFF? Have you ever taken this stuff? OMG... sometimes I can't stand myself! I will be fine one moment, then 2/10ths of a second later, I've just snapped someone's head off. NOW I see what my DH went through a few years ago. I begged and begged the doctor to take him off the steroids, because he was snappy (like I am now), he couldn't sleep (kept turning on the TV because apparently if he couldn't sleep, no one else was allowed to either) which I might add is not a problem for me because sleeping is my FAVORITE past time. He was just not himself and now I can sympathize. Just took me a couple years to experience it myself.

It was a good thing I went to Costco that day, because I bought my old favorite laundry soap. Kirkland Brand Free and Clear big ole bottle for $11. Helloooooo Luva! So as of this moment, I am itch free.

Yes. My life is boring at this moment, but at least my bit o' drama may bring someone else joy. lol.

An Email Sent To Me... I'm speechless.

A VISITOR FROM THE PAST by Thelen Paulk

I had a dream the other night, I didn't understand. A figure walking through the mist, with flintlock in his hand. His clothes were torn and dirty, as he stood there by the bed, He took off his three-cornered hat, and speaking low, he said:

"We fought a revolution, to secure our liberty. We wrote the Constitution, as a shield from tyranny, For future generations, this legacy we gave, In this, the land of the free and the home of the brave."

"The freedom we secured for you, we hoped you'd always keep. But tyrants labored endlessly, while your parents were asleep. Your freedom gone, your courage lost, you're no more than a slave, In this, the land of the free and the home of the brave."

"You buy permits to travel, and permits to own a gun, Permits to start a business, or to build a place for one. On land that you believe you own, you pay a yearly rent, Although you have no voice in choosing how the money's spent."

"Your children must attend a school that doesn't educate. Your Christian values can't be taught, according to the state. You read about the current news, in a regulated press. You pay a tax you do not owe, to please the I.R.S."

"Your money is no longer made of silver or of gold. You trade your wealth for paper, so your life can be controlled. You pay for crimes that make our nation turn from God in shame, You've taken Satan's number, as you've traded in your name."

"You've given government control to those who do you harm, So they can padlock churches, and steal the family farm, And keep the country deep in debt, put men of God in jail, Harass your fellow countrymen, while corrupted courts prevail."

"Your public servants don't uphold the solemn oath they've sworn. Your daughters visit doctors so their children won't be born. Your leaders ship artillery and guns to foreign shores, And send your sons to slaughter, fighting other people's wars."

"Can you regain freedom for which we fought and died? Or don't you have the courage or the faith to stand with pride? Are there no more values for which you'll fight to save? Or do you wish your children to live in fear and be a slave?"

"Sons of the Republic, arise and take a stand! Defend the Constitution, the Supreme Law of the Land! Preserve our great republic and each God-given right, And pray to God to keep the torch of freedom burning bright!"

As I awoke he vanished, in the mist from which he came. His words were true, we are not free. We have ourselves to blame. For even now as tyrants trample each God-given right, We only watch and tremble, too afraid to stand and fight. If he stood by your bedside, in a dream while you're asleep, And wondered what remains of our rights he fought to keep, What would be your answer, if he called out from the grave? Is this still the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave?

Must See TV

I hate the TV. It totally sucks you in, then leaves you hanging. Providence was one of my FAVORITE shows. I totally loved watching it. I wanted to move to Providence and live in that show. They cancelled it. I do have the series on DVD, however it is only episodes of here and there that are compiled. It would have been nice to have seen every single episode ever made.

But.... I moved on. I moved on to Desperate Housewifes, Greys Anatomy, Private Practice, Brothers and Sisters and all those awesome shows that grabbed a hold of my brain and ripped me out of my current reality. And now the strike. Baseball players go on strike... sorry, but who cares. Hockey players... who cares. But the writers... I understand why they are doing this and I don't blame them, however, I miss my tv. I miss my shows and I don't think I can wait until next fall for new episodes, if they even come back.

I guess now I have time to read. CRAP.

What do you want?

Lol, I had to title it that, because I have a Tastefully Simple recruiting book (that is what it is titled) in front of me. I am SO relieved that I signed up with this company. It has been such a fantastic ride already and I'm loving every minute of it. I am finding that a lot of people in my area are looking for something fun to do and they are coming my way. I am so excited about that too!

On another note... the neighbor. After not hearing from her at all over the weekend, I called yesterday and informed her that I had hoped to receive a phone call by now, and that because of what happened on Friday, I can no longer help her out. She was very upset, but I'm done being a door mat.... and it feels so good.

What else, what else... So in the land of scrapbooking, I thought I had it all. I have almost turned from cropper to collector, but thanks to Ebay, I unloaded a very large amount of stamp sets and pricey equipment, as I'm saving up for the Mojo of scrapbooking... the Cricut Expressions.

I am almost ready to purchase my new baby, but need to come up with a few more dollars. This past weekend, I found out that there is this unbelievable tool called the Xyron sticker maker. I had never even thought of purchasing one of these... until I turned ribbon into a long sticker. HELLOOOOOOOO LOVER!!! Have you EVER tried to glue ribbon to a page? What was I smokin trying to accomplish that?
Anyway, this year is starting out to be a GREAT one. I'm loving every second of it. I hope you are too!!!

I'm Trying...

I've taken on this new year with a positive attitude. Believe me when I say that it takes a lot of work. I am focusing on sending out good Karma, not because I expect it back, but because it just feels better that way. But there is something very negative going on and I'm trying to be nice, but it is starting to get the best of me. I don't know what I should do.

For school, we carpool with 2 other families on our street. The dude next door drives in the morning, then I pick up. But there is this other family that we only drive home. Their mom gets them to school in the morning. While for the most part it isn't bad, today pretty much hit the nail on the head. On more occasions than I can count, the parent of the pm riders, has forgotten to tell me that they were not coming home with me, thus leaving me standing out in the cold with a Gregsicle, waiting for people who aren't even coming. I have told her about this more than once, asking that she notify me about this.

Today the kids got out at their usual time. One of the two pm riders showed up. "Where is your sister?" I asked. "I don't know". He gets in the car. 15 minutes later, I am still standing outside the car. The crosswalkers have left, all the other parents have left, and no one is coming down the catwalk from the school. "Are you sure she is coming?" I asked again. "yes", he replies. We wait. Finally we leave. Her mother will have to go get her.

We come home and unload all 5 kids from the car. I come in, to find the voicemail light blinking. It is the school. Frantic. Where is the boy from across the street? People are all over the school, the grounds and surrounding areas frantically searching for the boy (whom I might add is a very large, tall 4th grader). I call the school. "I have the boy. He is sitting on his front porch, waiting for the older sister as always". "Can you bring him back to school?"

Of course I'm not going to let him sit out there and freeze. We load up the car again and head off to the school. We arrive in the office to find everyone taking off their coats from the "boy hunt". After he goes to Latch Key, they ask, "What happened?" I proceeded to tell them that his mom never called me to tell me they weren't coming home, and that he "forgot" he had to go to latch key. Apparently the mother forgot to tell Latch Key that they were coming too.

Stick a fork in me.... I'm done. Like I mentioned before, I am trying to be positive. I am trying to help this woman out. But she is inconsistent in way of letting me know when they will be there and when they won't. Our normal 5 minute ride home took over a half hour, and additional trips back to the school.

I don't know whether to brush it off AGAIN or just end it right here. I'm sick of being a doormat, and a positive one at that.

Light as air...

It is truly amazing how much different I feel after that spell of warm weather. Literally. Now my gloom and doom dh will say, "We still have February and March to go through". "Thank you King of Joy" I reply. But really. I aired out the house for 2 days! It smells fresher, it smells like spring, the air feels lighter, and it literally tells me that we are on the down slope of winter. I am so rejuvenated. I am ready! It's amazing how much better we sleep with a window cracked open. Out like a light!

We did it!

Beaudreaux and I took on a new adventure today. I must start this posting by telling you that my son is for some very odd reason, obsessed with Japanese people, their army and sushi. This has been going on for months and months. For Christmas, my dear hubby gave Greg the gift that almost had him wet his pants... a 3' x 5' Imperial Japanese Naval flag. Greg has been parading this thing around more than you can imagine. It is a very strange obsession, however it is a passing trend, just like Teletubbies, Bob the Builder or anything else. It just happens to be a country, the people that live there, and the food they eat.

Now on to my story. Sushi. I vowed that I wanted to try Sushi with either Katrina or Vivi. Well, Katrina may as well live in Japan for as much as I see her, and Vivi is now with child and will not be eating anything with Mercury in it. Last night while at work, the front desk girls started talking Sushi and where it is good to get. They said, "Try the California roll first".

Today Greg and I went to Ninos for some veggies. While there, we passed the sushi kiosk. We stopped and looked at the huge selection. We settled on a tray containing some with cucumber, some with carrots and some with avocado. Oh and there were really huge ones too that had imitation crab. I LOVE crab so this was the winner.

We brought it home and put everything else away. The moment of truth. I opened the tray. Rule #1. Don't smell what you area about to eat. It didn't smell rotten or spoiled, but more... like FISH.
I took a cucumber roll and popped it in. Not bad. A little bizarre, but not bad. Next I took a slice of ginger, and ate it. 2/10ths of a second later, I had my mouth under the faucet because as much as I LOVE ginger, I didn't realize it would burn a hole in my mouth.

Then I took another roll, but the ginger on top of it, and a dab of green goo. It was MUCH better and MUCH more palatable. Next I decided to shoot for the crab roll. I put it in my mouth, and suddenly had the uncontrollable urge to wretch. I actually felt my innards spasm upward a couple times, but I was going to finish eating it - because Greg was watching me the whole time. The only thing I can say is that it is a texture thing. Too much squishy at once.

Finally Greg took a roll. He was so excited to try Sushi. He grabbed a carrot roll. He took one bite.... lets just say the sport setting on my camera was not fast enough to catch his face as he bolted out of the room, leaving the little roll on the counter.

That's the end of that!

What's in a Name

He used to be Charlie. Then he became Chuckie. Now he's Chunkie.

And he isn't even one yet.

Naggy Poster

It has been brought to my attention that when I ask other bloggers to update their blogs, that I am nagging at them to do something like take out the trash. Let me explain... It has been a L...O...N...G holiday for me. I had 2 sick kids for more than a week. As it is, they are still finishing their antibiotics. D and I were basically imprisioned in this house for a long time. I look at your blogs multiple times per day, because I think you all lead such cool lives and your stories are funny, inspiring, sometimes sad, and you post GREAT photos. It's habit. And I'm breaking that habit. I vow that I will no longer ask you to update on your interesting lives. I don't see any of you on a regular basis, so the surprise will be mine when I do see something new. Please accept my apology if I have offended any of you in any way. I didn't mean to do so. Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

Sex and the River

Last night we had a GREAT time at a Tastefully Simple Awards dinner. Although I was not the recipient of any awards, we had an awesome time. Den and I haven't had a night out together in MONTHS!! Maybe even since last summer!

We consumed a lot of "specials" - drinks that the bartender made up called "Sex on the Clinton River". We had to laugh as it didn't appear to be murky, nor were there any body parts, but it was quite delicious. And drinking... I started thinking about it. Those who know me well, know that I'm not a big drinker. Yet on Dec 28th, I managed to consume 5 bottles of wine with Donna, on this past friday 2 bottles of this AWESOME wine with Helen. I did a wine in review on the Muscato she brought. It is a stellar pick. Then last night those sex drinks. OMG... my liver, lol. Let's just say that it was a very delicious Holiday for me.

Cheers!

Spinster

I used to call her Lynnster, but from my other post, you can see why I used to refer to her as Spinster. What a GREAT lunch! I laughed so hard at one point that surely I thought Sterling Heights Fire Department would be coming to remove the remnants of a breadstick from my gullet. She is EXACTLY the same. And I was worried. It has been 8 years since I have seen Lynn Ann. For some odd reason, after having Emily I was a little "mal-adjusted". Instead of introducing my baby to my life, I adjusted my life around my baby. In the process, I lost contact with quite a few people. I was a bit "off". Or maybe I was "off" to begin with.

Anyway, it was amazing to see her today and to see photos of her kids. The eldest of the two, is shown in a photo, casually putting the angel on the top of their very tall tree, while standing on the floor. He and his brother look EXACTLY the same as they did before, just taller, and older versions of themselves. And the stories... omg the stories. I'm so relieved that I'm not the only one with quicky, witty children. The stories she told me confirmed that my kids aren't the only ones that regularly make me feel old and stupid.

I wish I would have taken a photo of she and I together to show all of you, but I was so caught up in the moment and forgot to take my camera along. Rest assured... if I ever get the courage to tell her EXACTLY where I live, there will be photos. But mostly of her with incriminating evidence of course. Buenos Noches!

Time to Get Crackin!

Notice the little thing on the side that tells who's been here? Suddenly I feel pressure. I always wondered who else read the blog besides the people that comment. Well now I know and apparently there are more people than I thought. Which means I better get crackin!

It's the first week of January and I can report that it has not been the best week, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been either. Both Emily and Greg have been sick. Emily started on New Years Eve with a high fever. When I say high fever, I mean over 103. Unfortunately I am not the type of person that starts handing out shots of Acetominophen or Ibuprofen for a 100 degree temp. One thing I have learned in my many years in the medical field... treat the child, not the thermometer. Plus I don't think a 100 degree temp warrants a medication. Back in the day before the meds, your body had to actually do what it was built to do... fight off infection.

Well, unfortunately we have gone through almost an entire bottle of both meds this week... on both kids. After Emily suffered 72 hours of the high fever, I made the doctors appt for both kids. As you probably know, Monkey See, Monkey Doo. (I need to teach my kids to stop licking door knobs, lol) First the doc looked at Emily. "WOW!" he stated, "her right ear is REALLY infected!" "So is her other ear". Yep... start polishing my trophy for Mother of the year... and it's only the second of January. He leaves the room then returns shortly. "She has strep throat too".

Amoxicillin x 2 please. Yep. Both little people are on antibiotics. Another holiday in the trenches. They were to return to school yesterday however they were both still out due to fevers. Luckily Emily has turned the corner, and went to school today. Greg on the other hand, has been up all night still running a fever. But I did tell bedsore boy at 10 am today that he HAS to get out of bed eventually. He needs a bath desperately. Plus I need him better so I can get his haircut. He is beginning to look like one of the Hanson Brothers. Hence the name Beaudreaux for his bouffant hair doo that he sometimes fancies.

On a happier note today I have a lunch date. I am meeting up with Lynn Ann after 8 LONG years. She and I worked (if you would count that as working) together at Crittenton Hospital. We pulled some horrendous tricks on each other. She put my car up for sale once... as it sat in the front parking lot next to University Drive. I put surgilube on her secretary phone. She put over 100 signs in my front yard... I dumped powder into her vents and turned her air on HIGH so that when she stared her car, it would look like a flour bomb exploded into her car. While I left Crittenton on my own, I am shocked that she and I were not asked to leave prior. Did I mention that one year McDonalds had some sort of fish theme on their Happy Meals, so we turned one of the doc's cars into a fish bowl? Yep. We're meeting up for lunch today at Olive Garden. And I am very excited about it.

Have a GREAT January 4th everyone!

Nothing else to do but take pictures...

My blogger friends, aside from Pioneer Woman, must have insanely crazy lives. They haven't updated their blogs in D...A...Y...S. I on the other hand have been taking childrens temperatures q 4 hours and passing out shots of Ibuprofen, and Acetominophen as if I owned a local bar. Don't ask what they have because I have NO idea.

In between those shots however, I have been playing around with my camera. I love my camera and the fact that it is always charged, and always ready to go makes it even better. For your personal enjoyment are some photos I have taken over the holidays... because I had nothing better to do.

I loved Melanie's "tree" photos. For some odd reason, the one of her mom's tree got me really nostalgic. I have known her for so long and had seen almost every tree they had - every Christmas for as long as I lived on Jeni Lane. With that, I vowed to take more photos this year so that my family can remember the highlights...

Emily & Greg with their GREAT Grandma.

Dennis, myself, Emily and Greg with Great Grandma

This stellar house at 25 Mile W/ of Dequindre. Photos don't do it justice, but you get the point. Even the back yard was done. It was the most spectacular thing I had EVER seen in Christmas Lights.

The Christmas Tree at the Nursing Center where Grandma lives. I LOVE the floating presents above.

My neighbors tree after a winter storm. Shot through my kitchen window.

Our Tree... because I wanted you to see it.

The snow on the swing.