Sunday, December 31, 2006

Happy New Year

I would like to take this time to wish everyone a very
Happy and Prosperous New Year!
Of course our life is just moving on. Some days are slow and some go by with lightening speed. I have been researching a few things that I find very interesting and hope that you will enjoy them also. Our adoption seems to be moving by at a snails pace when we are with the boys or talking to them on the phone. When we are with them or talking to them on the phone - of course everything goes by with lightening speed.

I have found some really great ebooks that you may be interested in.

10 FREE EBOOKS!
This guy is giving away 10 free ebooks with resale and give-away rights. That means you can sell them and keep 100% of the profit. Check it out now at:
http://www.10-free-ebooks.com/download/?aff=12580

I will be adding more information like these ebooks as the days go by. I have to do something to help me from missing the boys too much!

Of course I am still working on the newsletter. I know it sure does take time to get everything just right. I try to spend an hour or 2 a day on it, however, it seems to be taking up a little more time than that right now. Once I get it all worked out, I am sure that it won't take as much of my time. There are still every day chores around here that have to be done too.

Don't forget to sign up for our newsletter. There will be information in our newsletter that will not be posted here. I'm sure you don't want to miss some of the free downloads and other wonderful things that we will be offering in the newsletter.

Friday, December 29, 2006

Just in case you didn't know

I thought that I would post a little info about adoption in case you don't know. Adoption can be expensive no matter what type of adoption you decide to do. Let's put the adoption fee to the back burner and talk about a few necessities.

When children come from a foster home, they pretty much have nothing. A few clothes and maybe a tooth brush. That's about it.

There are alot of expenses that come with them. A child that is a ward of the state will sometimes get a stipend until they turn 18. If our government decides that is not a good idea anymore then the stipend will no longer exist. The kids tuition is paid to any accreditated university in the State of Florida. I don't know about any other states. That does not mean that the child must go to college. It only means that if they decide to attend a college then the tuition is paid. That does not include books and whatever other things are needed for college. I don't really know what is needed or required, so I can't speak too much on that subject. Most of the time there is either Medicaid or Medicare. I get the two mixed up and just can't remember. I guess I will have to remember here shortly.

Once you are ready to adopt a child you will need several things to accomadate the child or children. Sure is children with me. A bed will be needed and some bedroom furniture. Just the basics are a bed and a dresser. I know that there are a lot of other things that will need to be bought along the way, however, this will work to begin with.

Clothes - they gotta have them. You will have to buy them more clothes. It is mandatory. It is also something that can be done a little at a time, that way they don't have one size in everything and then outgrow them.

The biggest expense is the vehicle. Gotta get a vehicle that is large enough to haul the whole family around in.

Bedroom furniture and clothes can be a thing that you shop around with. Go to yard sales, but buy good quality stuff. I think that the kids deserve new, however, at this point, anything is better than nothing.

I guess now everyone knows what we are doing. We are looking for furniture and a vehicle. It just takes time. But sometimes you don't have the time. Kinda like us. We have to have bedroom furniture and a vehicle to haul of us really soon.

Thursday, December 28, 2006

Another Adoption Update

I don't know about anyone else, but this adoption issue has got me going. Actually, it has had me going for quiet some time. As if you haven't noticed.

I won't keep you in suspence, so hang onto your underwear.

It happened! We got matched! Finally! Oh my gosh!

When we got the call that we were matched, we were excited, in shock, happy and our heart's just started beating double time. Did I mention we were excited?! And we are still excited!

We got matched with 3 boys, 3 brothers. Beautiful boys and yes they are all boy! We met them on the 27th of this month. Seems like a lifetime ago! We spent 5 wonderful hours with them. They are 12, 11 and 9. They had so many questions for us and we all played and talked and laughed. And more questions. It is not up to us to accept them, it is up to them to accept us. That is the way it is. Of course if we were not interested we would not have went this far. But the boys have the final say.

Can you believe it - we have 3 cats, 3 dogs, 3 horses and we get matched with 3 boys! How unique!

I am certainly hoping that you can read our excitement here. It is not easy to put into words without running naked through the yard with our hair on fire!

We meet them again on Tuesday of next week - 01-02-2007. I will have to continue to post updates and share our elation.

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Mount Manure

Have you ever heard of Mount Manure? Not many people have.
Well Mount or Mt. Manure is just as it sounds. It is a mountain of manure.

Where does it come from? It comes from cleaning the animals stalls.

What does it do? It sits around for a while and heats up. Then it gets turned. And it heats up some more and gets turned some more and so on...Until...It is cured.

How do you know when it is cured? There will be this rich earthen smell (aroma). It is one of the most rich earth smells that I have ever smelled.

What do you do with it? I put it around my plants. I level out spots in the yard. I use it to propagate plants. I use it in flower beds.

If there another name for it? Once it is cured then it is called compost. Some people call it compost before it is cured. And actually that is what it is. I prefer to call it Mt. Manure because I am the one that does most of the stall cleaning and composting. That way I feel like I am literally taming mountains.

I usually build mounds of compost about 6 foot long, 4 foot wide and about 2 or 3 foot tall. I try to turn it at least once a week, that way the curing process can really work. It will heat up on the inside. So I have to turn it to make sure that the outside gets composted also.

I figure it like this. I take care of my horses and they take care of me. In goes the grass, grain and hay. And out comes the compost. My little way to give back to mother nature.

Monday, December 25, 2006

Good News

If you listen to the radio or television or even talk to a friend, all you hear is bad news. I am listing a couple of links that are all about "Good News". I love these sites! It's about time we had some good news in our daily life!

Happy News
Good News Now
Good News Daily

No offense

I just want anyone and everyone that none of the Ramblings here are meant to be offensive. I ramble on from time to time about issues that I come across in my daily life. Not everything that i come across is posted here. If I offend anyone, I apologize.
Please remember you are taking the reading of this blog upon yourself.

Sunday, December 24, 2006

Christmas Eve

Today is one of the most exciting days of the year. I think the most exciting day is Christmas day. More exciting for kids than any other day. Which brings me to our adoption status.

Finally! We are going to meet our first children. Three boys - siblings. We are so excited and nervous all at the same time. We will meet them for the first time on Wednesday - 2 days after Christmas. There is no way that I can share the excitment here - but I will try.

We want to dress up like wild indians, build a fire and dance around the fire shouting and singing with joy. Our head dresses and feathers bouncing and flying, showing our joy and excitement.

WHOA - ok, slow down and don't get too overjoyed right now.
We have to remember that all children and all parents are not perfect matches.
Roller Coaster ride? Oh yes it is.

Since our family will not be together on Christmas day, the only day we have to celebrate while everyone is here is today. Some of us have to work and some of us can't make it from where ever we all live. So today is the day that we will celebrate Christmas and spend time with our loved ones. Today is the day that we will be blessed with each others company and cherish each and every moment that we have together.

The smells drifting from the stove of Apple Pie, Pumpkin Pie and Honey Glazed Ham. Rich aromas that smell like home and make everyone feel welcome as they walk up the path to the door. I remember how my grandmothers home smelled of home made pumpkin pie, all of us children thought that we would explode if we did not get a piece of that pumpkin pie. I think my cousins and us could eat a train load of that wonderful pumpkin pie at one sitting. Oh it brings back wonderful memories of days gone by.

Count your blessings and never forget that Jesus is the reason for the Season.

Saturday, December 16, 2006

Work at Home

If you are not a Work At Home Mom WAHM or a Work At Home Dad WAHD or a Work At Home Individual WAHI or even a Work At Home Family WAHF, you really should check into some of the Work At Home places and ideas.

There are tons of them online. If you do a google search, you can come up with hundreds of thousands of Work At Home jobs and ideas. When you use the search engines such as google you can come up with so many that it can boggle the mind. I have done it, so I know first hand. I even began to think that it all was a s.c.a.m. My favorites folder on my computer is loaded with links that I have saved to research later. Sometimes I go in and clean those links out because they no longer work. S.c.a.m - probably. With those links anyway!

If you are truly interested in working at home and spending more time with your family or just spending more time doing any number of things that you enjoy, then I suggest you check out these links. They are not a s.c.a.m! They are real work at home professions that you can do. I won't even call them a job - because a J.O.B. means Just Over Broke. I say that lightly because my husband has a job. Actually he has a career! You too can have a career! And you can start today.

I will not promise you riches beyond your wildest imagination! I will not promise you any riches! I will promise you that if you are patient and willing to enjoy life that you can have a career and enjoy what you do. You don't have to take my word for it, try it for yourself. It's all free. Really, what do you have to loose.



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You must list my name or Rep ID number in the line for the fax number.
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Independant Rep Alta Brewer #339
You must list my name or Rep ID number in the line for the fax number.


This infomation and these links are not s.c.a.m.s! I am a real person and not a person paid by these companies to get you to click on the links and join. I am an Independant Distributor with each of these companies and I am making money from home. I still have a job. Yep - sure do. But not forever. I intend to work with these companies and have a career with them. My career will be my life. Spending time with my family and doing what I enjoy.

The Fuller Brush Company
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The Fuller Brush Company is looking for motivated individuals with a desire to make money selling high quality products.
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Interested in buying or selling?
Contact: My Manager
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Fuller Brush & Stanley Home Products
PO Box 339 * Dover, OH 44622
Phone: 330-602-9487
Fax: 330-364-3063
Email: FullerBrush@adelphia.net
Shopping website: www.fullerdirect.com/0655126
Opportunity website: www.FullerBrushOpportunity.com
FREE CATALOGS SENT UPON REQUEST

There are so many companies that want money up front. I am so against any company that wants me to pay them to sell their product. Now I think that if I pay them to sell their products, there really is something wrong. With the Direct sales companies that I am an Independant Rep for, there are several levels that you can get involved in. If you decide to sign up for any of these Direct sales companies look at the information very good. Everyone I have become an Independant Rep for, I have done it for free. If you decide to put any money out on any of these Direct sales companies, know that you are getting more in your kit. You are not paying them to sell their products. You are just getting more in your kits. Read the information carefully and know what you are getting.

Gourmet To Go
Join the Team Today!

Independant Rep Alta Brewer #1454
You must list my name or Rep ID number on the form.

You can read all about our wonderful company!

This company is owned and operated by Real Work At Home Mom's. The started small and now they have grown to support all of their Independant Reps. You will not be disappointed in the company or the products. Beverages, Breads, Cookies &
Bars, Desserts, Dips,BBQ & Meats, Meals, Soups,Side Dishes, Sugar Free,and More!!
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Our mixes are very affordable, and we have over 100 products!
Are you diabetic or watching your weight? We have a wide selection of sugar free mixes.
We even have homemade playdough for the kids and gourmet dog bones for your waggy one!
Join the Team Today!
Independant Rep Alta Brewer #1454
You must list my name or Rep ID number on the form.
I apologize for this post being so long. But I am proud of these companies and what they have offered me and what being an Independant Rep for them has done to help me reach my goals in life.
I am not a social butterfly by no means. I prefer to stay home. I sometimes think that I had rather stay home and eat dirt than to go out to eat. Going out anywhere means I have to drive in todays crazy traffic. Oh don't get me wrong - I can communicate with just about everyone. And everywhere I go, I try my very best to be polite. Society today is hectic and I don't like the hecticness of it all. I prefer to spend more time with my family and my critters. All the more reason I love these companies.


Stuff A Friend
Join my Team Today!

Independant Rep Alta Brewer #791
You must list my name or Rep ID number on the form.
We have wonderful products that everyone from Young to Old and everyone in between just love and adore!
We have a support group that will knock your socks off!
Fundraisers, Birthday Parties, Office Parties or whatever you can imagine!
Not just another stuffed animal!
I had a Tupperware party one time, a very long time ago. Way before the internet even came about. Only 1 person showed up and that was my mom. Why did she show up? Because the party was at her house. I felt humilated, disappointed, let down and a few more feelings I had. I think people were just tired of home parties. Well I have discovered that you don't have to have home parties to be successful with Direct sales. There are so many other options. Check into one or all of these companies. And if you have any questions, either myself or the the owners of these companies will be glad to assist you.
I wish you the best in your Work At Home adventure. And if I can be of any assistance to helping you fulfill your dream, just let me know.

Friday, December 15, 2006

Adoption Update

An update on our adoption. What a week! After making several more calls, I find out that our Case Worker - is still our Case Worker. Kinda funny how these things work.
I contacted several Childrens Case Workers and they gave me their fax numbers. I faxed our Home Study to those Case Workers. WOOOOOOHOOOOOO!!!!! One of them called me! Can you believe that?! She said that she has a sibling group of 3 boys that she wants to submit our Home Study to. We talked for about an hour about the boys and YES our Home Study is being submitted! I am so excited at this point. Of course I can't get too excited because we may not be a match for them. All we can do is wait and pray. But that is much better news than we have had up to this point.

We have our Home Study in for several other children, including another sibling group of 2 little girls. I have a feeling that something is happening now, instead of our paperwork just sitting around and the children just waiting and waiting.

If you want to read the original post - You can read it here "Adoption"

This reminds me of a comment that was posting today in reference to my Adoption post. My husband told me of a story today of a Grandmother that dropped her 4 year old grandchild off at school this morning when she dropped off a sibling of the 4 year old. She just dropped the children off and left. She is 60 plus years old and has custody of her grandchildren and she just can't raise them. For health reasons or reasons of age. After a certain age it just becomes to much for some (I suppose). But in ways I can understand. However, she just dropped them and left. I mean 4 years old. The mother is a drug addict and this is how the grandmother got custody of the children. One of the teachers contacted Department of Children and Families and they are going to assist the grandmother. The grandmother has taken them back, however, she just needs some assistance with them. No one knows what will come of this incident, we can all hope that it works out best for the children and they don't get harmed in any way. Physical or mental!

Cherish each and every day that you have with your children or your grandchildren. Don't abuse them mentally or physical. There is a family out there somewhere that would love them unconditionally. A family that is unable to have children of their own and going through similiar circumstances that we have experienced. Not everyone has alot of money to go through a private agency. I have come to call the private agency's "Baby Brokers". However, they are finding homes for children that would otherwise be in foster care until a family was matched with them. It just takes alot of money to go through a private agency.

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

"Our Happy Hormone"

We believe that if you give a woman back her progesterone - her mother hormone, her essence hormone - you give her back an opportunity to reconnect with herself.
Far too many women have become so hormonally imbalanced that they have no clue as to what their true essence feels like. Often stress, a hectic lifestyle, or family can and do distract her.
However, a common thread connecting every women who has ever approached the Natural Progesterone Advisory Network website is that once she gets her hands on this vital hormone, she begins an incredible journey.
We know that as soon as a woman starts rubbing progesterone cream onto her body there's an incredible physiological reaction to that hormone. It's as if it resonates immediately, and she can tell progesterone is central to her renewed health, not necessarily because of what's she's read but how it intrinsically feels in her body. It's as if she's coming home to herself!
Our Network has discovered for ourselves by talking and listening to hundreds upon hundreds of women, that natural progesterone is different from synthetic progestins currently used in conventional HRT. It has less dramatic side effects but has all the actions that nature intended for progesterone. It is the missing link back to optimal hormonal health and well-being.

An intuitive 'knowing' Even for those women who may experience incredible discomfort for the first 10 days to 2 weeks when estrogen actually wakes up and estrogen dominance symptoms are exacerbated, she is determined to keep applying progesterone cream because she wants the end result. There is an intuitive 'knowing' that something good has been introduced into her body and she wants it to stay.
Unfortunately, some women abandon progesterone at the point of discomfort, not knowing how to get through the debilitating stages of estrogen dominance, which can occur at any stage. It is our hope we help you work through these setbacks so that you can stay with progesterone long enough to enjoy the true essence and benefits from both a physical and metaphysical viewpoint.
Within months of starting progesterone supplementation, balancing various aspects of her life, and encouraging her to acknowledge herself and honor her body, we've seen these very same women start to 'plump up' spiritually, become vocal, find their voice, express an opinion, exude confidence, and take back their self-respect. Indeed, we have observed transformations.

Weakened emotionally Women in their 40s and 50s with families, careers, a wealth of experience and knowledge, and tremendous gifts to offer the world, appear to lose all semblance of their true self because of hormonal imbalance left untreated, or HRT incorrectly prescribed.
These fuzzy-headed, tentative women, once they get 12-18 months into progesterone supplementation, often start defining new boundaries, become more assertive and independent and, finally, they learn how to say "no".
Hormonal imbalance seems to weaken the emotional profile of a woman. She may present as distraught, exposed, and fragile, out of tune with her body and her needs, exhausted physically, emotionally and spiritually. She doesn't know why she's crying all the time.
If you have issues - grief, unresolved conflicts, burdens, sadness, a floundering relationship - then allow them to surface and use your menopause or hormonal imbalance as an excuse to have a damn good cry. Tears are for healing. Tears are a way of cleansing the soul. And then get on and deal with it!
Hormone imbalance appears to be a catalyst for visiting painful and hurtful conflicts and memories, thus isolating and alienating us into further despair and depression or, for others, triggering anxiety and panic attacks. There is this overwhelming sense of helplessness and distortion of reality that is compounded by hormone imbalance, but seems to be easily addressed once progesterone is introduced. This remarkable hormone just seems to give most women the ability to tackle her problems with perception and renewed mental acuity.

A time to rebuild. This is a time of shedding. It is a time of re-building your body, and perhaps a time when you can actually rebuild your persona. Shake off the ambivalence of who you are. You are more than a mother, lover, wife, cook, friend, healer, care-giver, organizer, work colleague, confidante, or whatever other label given to you. Put an end to such pronounced feelings of loneliness, confusion, grief, anger, sadness, and frustration and take the time to listen to your own inner child. Teach yourself that it's ok to be self-nurturing without feeling guilty.
You need to take some responsibility for your own health. Become more "selfing" (not selfish), to respect your needs rather than putting yourself behind everyone else. You need to recover and get well, to spiritually nurture your soul, to heal your tired, stressed-out body.
Devise a plan that targets healthy eating, sensible nutrition and lifestyle adjustments that will carry you through to old age. Basically, adopt a 'more beneficial' way of thinking and approach to life.

Getting grounded. Next step is to address hormone imbalance. Get progesterone - your mother hormone - back into your body to help ground yourself. Consider this - the hormone progesterone not only plays the role of progesterone in your body. Progesterone will 'cascade' down to manufacture in the body other vital hormones such as estrogen, testosterone, and the cortico-steroid hormones. 'Top up' your progesterone levels and there's a good chance you won't need to supplement other hormones.
Get your nutrition and exhaustion in order so that you're feeling stronger in yourself and physically more able to cope with stress, infections and other 'traumas' your body is exposed to on a daily basis. Then go ahead a deal with the emotional issues that arise, or won't go away and need re-addressing.
Just keep in mind that if you fail to deal with ALL the issues, your treatment in hormonal balancing and health will NOT be as effective.

The role of stress Hormone imbalance creates emotional instability, but so too can emotional issues often create hormonal imbalance. There's always a connection with the adrenals when stress is involved. For adrenal exhaustion can cause hormone imbalance ... hormone imbalance can cause adrenal exhaustion.
High cortisol production, which occurs with stress of any kind, including trauma, inflammation or inflammatory diseases, emotional and even chemical stress, can induce high levels of cortisol and this leads to significant reduction of progesterone, resulting in estrogen dominance.
The Natural Progesterone Advisory Network website has seen, first hand, how stress can cause a woman's body to lose balance, rhythm and connectivity. It might be brought on by a sudden shock subsequent to a death in the family, a loss of a child, an unexpected divorce, and a husband running off with another woman. We have witnessed this sudden triggering of menopause or cessation of periods post shock where no previous symptoms or signs existed beforehand. This goes to show how powerful are the messages and chemicals in our brain and body, and how they impact so profoundly and so cruelly on our delicate organs, and can throw our whole endocrine system out of balance.
Too often we are exposed to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (xenoestrogens) in our foods and in our environment, and the stress we are subjected to - chemically, internally, and through the demands the world places on us, the speed at which our world encircles us, the fast foods that have become part of our lifestyle now - that we struggle perpetually to get on top of these dreadful symptoms.

The happy hormone Progesterone is sometimes referred to as the "happy hormone" in that it can modulate and enhance your mood. Use it to find YOUR own happiness and inner contentment, and to recapture the joy and bliss in your life as you journey with this hormone and discover its remarkable powers.

Let your beauty shine. The fluctuations of our hormones throughout our life have been responsible for our growth and our physiological being. We encourage you to EMBRACE these imbalances so that you can grow to understand who you are and what you are about. Empower yourself with each milestone. Don't let these symptoms keep you locked in your disease. Realize your magnificence.

by Catherine Rollins

Adoption

This is really a very touchy spot with me. I swear that my biological clock is not only ticking, my biological alarm is about to go off.
We (my husband and I) have been in the adoption status since 2003. Seems like a lifetime. Yes we are trying to adopt.
We originally signed with a private agency. I will try my very best not to defame the private agencies too bad. If I get carried away with that, just remember so I am told that not all agencies are like that.
We had a contract with the private agency. An 18 month contract. We had our do's and dont's and our will's and will not's. Some how this agency ignored those. How can that happen?! I have no idea how our stipulations can be ignored. Well this agency kinda had a 3 stirke your out thing. Notice I said kinda. Within 3 months we had refinanced our home and property, and paid our agency alot of money. We also had donations from friends. Oh how wonderful it is to have friends.
The agency calls and ask us if we are interested in this case Strike One and that case Strike Two. Of course neither one of them fell into our do's list. They actually fell into the will not's.
The following week our agency called and ask us about the first case. After a lengthy explanation on our part - we hit Strike Three. Waiting to hear - Your Oooouuuuttttt!
It was about a month later when we received a bill for the remaining balance that we actually heard Your Oooouuuuttttt!
Another lengthy explanation on our part.
Regardless to say, we ended our contract and the Private Agency kept all the money we had paid. What the heck happened? Did the sky just fall or did the earth just fall out of the solar system? Who knows!

After waiting 3 long years, we decided to try the adoption process again. No private agencies this time. Get me once, shame on you. Get me twice, shame on me. No shame on me/us this time.

Now we have completed our MAPP classes with the State of Florida and we are in the Army. Why the Army? Because it is a hurry up and wait! So we wait and wait and wait! We make calls about children of interest only to hear that they have already been placed or no more home studies are being accepted. Well why aren't they taken off the States website? Oh because the Children Home Society is short handed. So the children suffer. But Children Home Society don't see it as the children suffer. Nope - just that they are short handed.
Over 1900 children in the State of Florida that need to be placed.
If we are approved for adoption, along with lots of other families, why are these children not being placed.

Latest update as of today. Over a week ago I emailed our case worker with several children of interest. As of yesterday - no word from our case worker. Ok - maybe I should call and talk with her. I called and this is when I was informed that our case worker had been transfered to another office. Wow! Just like that we don't have a case worker. Now who is our case worker? I have no clue. What happened to the email, what happened to the children of interest?! The old biological alarm again! I sure don't remember hitting the snooze button. More calls. Hurry up and wait.
I did find out the case worker for a couple of our children of interest. And I had to fax our Home Study to the case workers. What exactly is it that Children Home Society does. I read somewhere that they find adoptive parents for children. Instead of finding children for adoptive parents. Hmmmm! Kinda makes one think.
And besides all that - Children Home Society has a website were we can view the children. However, not all the children are posted on the website. And of course there are more than one website just for the State of Florida. How is one suppossed to know about all of the websites. Research and call and do it some more.

Hopefully, soon I mean real soon, I will have updates. Joyful updates.

Blogs and you

I am amazed at how much time can actually go into a blog to get it set up just the way you want it. But I love it! It is like creating a website. Really I suppose it is a website and just called a blog.
I sit here creating this blog and loving every minute of it. I read and research and read and research some more. Then I edit and type and edit and type some more.
There are certainly alot of great information that can be found on blogs. What really amazes me is the google page rank on some blogs. Some of them have a greater google page rank than alot of websites.
For a little while I had 3 websites. There were not enough hours in the day to keep up with them all. Over time I omitted the websites from my life. Oh I miss them dearly. I suppose that is why I created this blog. Just to have some hands on with developing and doing a little html. Html amazes me. Maybe I am a junkie for it.
If you have considered starting a blog, I highly recommend it. Warning!!! It is adictive. You too could become a blog junkie.

Thursday, December 07, 2006

eZine

We are on a mission to create an eZine. If you are a WAHM or a WAHD, we would love to have you write for our eZine. Your articles will be in our "Our featured articles!" section, and a link to your website.

So you don't think you can write?! Sure you can - just tell our readers about your life as a WAHM or WAHD. Tell our readers about funny things that happened in your everyday life. Share your ideas with our readers!

Get noticed! Get published! Start writing for an eZine today!

I am creating the eZine right now as I am updating this page. I am excited about this creation. I am more excited knowing that our readers will have information available to them that will be invaluable.

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Stay Tuned

It's late. Ok - maybe it's early (almost 2am). Which reminds me - my dad used to say - it's not late til 2 then it's 2 darn late.
I have alot more things that I want to create here, just not tonight.
Adoption and the total frustration that an adoptive family can face. The hoops that they sometimes have to jump through. Maybe I can call them "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly".
"Everything I learned, I learned from my critters."
"An interview with a Cop."
"Teach your children to..."
Delicious recipes are on there way too! You will not believe some of the meals you can create fast, easy and with your entire family.
"How to make meal time a fun time."
It's all on it's way. However, right now it is 2 and it is late. In just another second it will be 2 darn late.

Free Crochet & Knit Patterns

I have come across a gold mine of Free Crochet and Knit patterns. I just love free things, especially craft patterns. That way I get two things for the price of one - and the price is free.
Free Patterns from Bernat.
View some of my crafts.
And I found this Yarn Switcher to be very helpful.
Yarn Switcher
is an easy way to find the perfect Bernat yarn for your project.

I will post more info on Free Patterns when I find them. Stay tuned for more Free Pattern.

Monday, December 04, 2006

What Christmas Means To Me

I have always believed in the Holiday Spirit. Christmas was always dear to me, because it meant time spent with the family. Sitting around together laughing and hugging and telling wonderful stories from our cherished past.
Since the death of my father, just a few days before Christmas. Christmas has not had the same charm. However, I do remember and cherish each and every moment that I had with my father as I was growing up and into my adult years. At some point in my life, I hope to have children around me during the holidays (and throughout the year) to pass on to them what my father passed on to me.

SIMPLE WHITE ENVELOPE

It's just a small white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past 10 years or so.
It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas -- oh, not the truemeaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it -- theoverspending, the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma -- the gifts given indesperation because you couldn't think of anything else.
Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts,sweaters, ties, and so forth. I reached for something special just for Mike.
The inspiration came in an unusual way.
Our son Kevin, who was 12that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended. Shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church. These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoe strings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes.
As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler's ears. It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford. Well, we ended up walloping them. We took every weight class. And, as each of their boys got up from the mat, he swaggered around in his tatters with false bravado, a kind of street pride that couldn't acknowledge defeat.
Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, "I wish just one of them could have won," he said. "They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them.
"Mike loved kids -- all kids -- and he knew them, having coached little league football, baseball, and lacrosse. That's when the idea for his present came. That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church.
On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me. His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and in succeeding years.
For each Christmas, I followed the tradition -- one year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockeygame, another year a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before Christmas, and on and on.
The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning, and our children, ignoring their new toys, would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its contents.
As the children grew, the toys gave way to more practical presents, but the envelope never lost its allure. The story doesn't end there.
You see, we lost Mike last year due to cancer. When Christmas rolled around, I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely got the tree up. But Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree, and in the morning it was joined by three more.
Each of our children, unbeknownst to the others, had placed an envelope on the tree for their dad. The tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our grandchildren standing around the tree with wide-eyed anticipation watching as their fathers take down the envelope.
Mike's spirit, like the Christmas spirit, will always be with us.
May we all remember Christ, who is the reason for the season, and the true Christmas spirit this year and always. God Bless! -- pass this along to those friends and loved ones who you know are the givers who understand the true meaning of Thanksgiving and Christmas.

This story originally appeared in Woman's Day magazine 12/14/1982

Sunday, December 03, 2006

Hillbilly Knitters Unite

I am making my confession - I am a Hillbilly Knitter. I bet you ask exactly what is a Hillbilly Knitter. Well the best way that I can describe it is this way - "Simply because I choose to crochet my creations instead of knit them".
(Quote from ladylinoleum at http://monstercrochet.blogspot.com )
I am a yarn snob! I admit it! There is no greater creation than yarn twirled around ones fingers on one hand and a crochet hook balanced on the other hand.
You can find more information on Hillbilly Knitters by doing a google search.

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Saturday, December 02, 2006

No Sew Blanket

Some of the members of one of my Yahoo groups were talking about a "No Sew" Blanket. This is one thing that kids can help you with. Easy and simple. They will warm you and yours for alot of years.
http://www.mystuffbags.org/blanket.htm

Dirt Roads

What's mainly wrong with society today is that too many Dirt Roads have been paved.
There's not a problem in America today, that wouldn't be remedied, if we just had more Dirt Roads, because Dirt Roads give character.
People that live at the end of Dirt Roads learn early on that life is a bumpy ride. That it can jar you right down to your teeth sometimes, but it's worth it, if at the end is home...a loving spouse, happy kids and a dog.
We wouldn't have near the trouble with our educational system if our kids got their exercise walking a Dirt Road with other kids, from whom they learn how to get along.
There was less crime in our streets before they were paved. Criminals didn't walk two dusty miles to rob or pillage, if they knew they'd be welcomed by 5 barking dogs and a double barrel shotgun.
And there were no drive by shootings. Our values were better when our roads were worse!
People did not worship their cars more than their kids, and motorists were more courteous, they didn't tailgate by riding the bumper or the guy in front would choke you with dust & bust your windshield with rocks.
Dirt Roads taught patience. Dirt Roads were environmentally friendly you didn't hop in your car for a quart of milk you walked to the barn for your milk. For your mail, you walked to the mail box.
What if it rained and the Dirt Road got washed out? That was the best part, then you stayed home and had some family time, roasted marshmallows and popped popcorn and pony rode on Daddy's shoulders and learned how to make prettier quilts than anybody.
At the end of Dirt Roads, you soon learned that bad words tasted like soap.
Paved roads lead to stress and danger. Dirt Roads more likely lead to a fishing creek or a swimming hole.
At the end of a Dirt Road, the only time we even locked our car was in August, because if we didn't some neighbor would fill it with too much zucchini.
At the end of a Dirt Road, there was always extra springtime income, from when city dudes would get stuck, you'd have to hitch up a team and pull them out.
Usually you got a dollar... always you got a new friend... at the end of a Dirt Road.
by Paul Harvey



Friday, December 01, 2006

10 Reasons my Husband thinks I'm Crazy

Yep - he sure does! He thinks I am off my rocker, flipped my wig. Crazy as a sprayed roach! Why? I have my hands in way to many things. I am always saying that I want to do this craft or that craft. Or go fishing or horse back riding. Always something!

Reason #1 - I am a Parelli fan. http://www.parelli.com My wonderful husband bought me the 1st kit and woe and behold I even managed to open the box and drool over everything in the box. I want to get up one morning and just put on my jeans and boots and pick a horse and start working away - ooops - I mean playing away. Florida is too hot - too dry - too wet - too cold - too windy and so on and so on. I am actually waiting on our move. When I have that glorious barn to go along with the glorious pasture. I walk out the house with my carrot stick in hand - ready to play the seven games! Level 1 - here I come. Horses - there they go! Just kiddin! Can you believe they actually enjoy it?! It amazes me.
Oh yeah - why else does he think I'm crazy?

Reason #2 - Well - I paint. Or at least I try to paint. I want to get certified (Bob Ross Certified). http://www.bobross.com . Yes - me! I have taken several classes from Mary McClead http://www.marymcpaint.com and I have brought home wonderful masterpieces that I created.

Reason #3 that he thinks I'm crazy. Crochet - I sure have created alot of afghans. I want to sell them. Hey - you wanna buy one? No - really. They are wonderful. All hand crafted by me, myself and I. The 3 of us really love to sit and watch movies (with the man that thinks I'm crazy) and crochet. I hate to just sit and watch movies, even though I love movies. Gotta be creative instead of just a zombie while the movie is playing. I would probably crochet at the movie theater if there was just a wee little bit more light.

Reason #4 - Junk. I am always thinking of ways I can turn junk into something that someone may want or could use. He thinks I should just throw it away. I think the landfills are way too full now. Just my way of trying to save the earth.

Reason #5 - Dirt. I love the dirt and plants. I am always looking at ways to get free plants for our yard. I have gotten several of them by just getting a cutting here and a bulb there. I have a little wooded area that I put them all in. I have started trying my hand at propagation. It's working too! We bought some hedge about a year ago. We spent alot of money on those hedge. I think they were 3 gallon size for $7.95 each. I thought...hmmm...I wonder if I can root them. So I ran out and got some clippings from them and followed the instructions on a website that I found and I recommend - Mike McGroarty - http://www.freeplants.com/
I am not affilitated in any way with this website. There is just really some great info that can really get you going in the plant world.

Reason #6 - Sewing. I love patterns and sewing. It's just another thing I enjoy doing.

Reason #7 - Pets. I sure have alot of them and want more. For some reason, I want to bring them all home with me and they can all sleep in our bed. Call me crazy!

Reason #8 - Website. Gotta have another one! I am compelled to create another website. At one time we had 3 websites. They just about drove us crazy until we completed them and then we were so tired of the websites, we just got rid of them.

Reason #9 - Adoption - Adopting kids!

Reason #10 - Too many irons in the fire!

My husband just can't keep up with them all! Not to mention all the things he wants to do or does.

Call me Crazy but I love him!

What's going on

Not alot has been happening lately. But if I sit and think about it, I guess more goes on than one realizes.
Today - clipped the dogs (all 3 of them) nails, bathed 1 (110 pound) dog, smashed some cans (I recycle them) and a few other odds and ends along with the general choirs. Oh Yeah! Took my mom to town to get her new glasses adjusted. And I bought me a new book and some yarn for a new crochet pattern.
I already had one beautiful color of blue yarn, so I decided to buy another beautiful color of blue yarn. I have started a new afghan called "Sun Rise Sun Set". It was a free pattern from Walmart. Every once in a while I just have to browse through the craft section to see what is new. I also love to look at their $1 a yard material. You can get some really great material at a really great price. Depending on the funds - I may buy several yards of several colors or just 1 yard of several colors or just 1 yard. Someday, I will be able to sit down and create a beautiful quilt with all of the many material colors.