I'm a grandma, wife, mother, crazy writer, spaz artist and face painter who is a disciple of Christ, loves to cook and read and wishes there were more hours in the day...oh and dark chocolate lover!
I can't believe it's been 30 years. Look at this face, can you believe it???
We were such babies, lol
It definitely doesn't feel like it's been 30 years. I have a hard time believing my oldest are turning 29. sigh.
We've been through a lot over the years...
and 7 kids later...
I wouldn't trade any of them...or anything.
I love this man, and all he does for me...all the support he's given me over the years...from my writing to my painting and all the insanity between...
He's still the best thing that ever happened to me.
The only thing higher in priority is my Savior, Jesus Christ.
And I know my man is a gift from my Lord, so, hey, blessings all around. :)
This is my favorite photo of him. Sigh. He's so handsome.
Well...anyway, thought I'd share why I'm so happy each day, and especially today.
Today isInternational Fairy Day or Faerie Day. My daughter LOVES fairies and dragons and all that...their wedding cake had a topper that was a fairy and dragon.
This was her topper...she loved it.
This is the one we did for her daughter. Isn't it cute??? sigh. So...just had to do shout out for her...she loves those kind of things. :) I did one a long time ago for a book I illustrated...but I can't find it now. I used to love fantasy books, and read all I could get my hands one... anyway - hope you have a fairy filled day. :)
Okay - if you haven't seen this movie yet, I highly recommend it!! It really is awesome! and I love the theme song sooo much, that I'm putting it here for your enjoyment... lol
This also coincides with World Music Day...lol. So, good timing, huh?
It's also World Handshake day...so be a friend and go shakes someone's hand! It's a dying thing, ya know? I don't know why...but I still do it. :)
It's also Peaches and Cream day...for those of you who like them...I'm not a big peaches fan.
Well...I'm going to find something for lunch...and listen to some more Try Anything...
Have a great day!!
I made my first meme today!! I so wanted to shout from the roofs how my Heavenly Father has answered so many of my prayers this week, that I felt this was the perfect way to share it...lol.
I'm almost as excited about finally being able to create the memes as I am how my prayers have been answered this week...but ya know. I'm easily excited, lol.
I also got my nails done....first time in YEARS!! I'm getting used to them...they're a little too long, I think I'm going to have to file them a bit... But hey, it's been all about me this week, lol. :)
And if you're looking for something to eat special for the day, it's National Strawberry Shortcake day! :)
this looks like a great way to eat it....but normally I've seen it as a type of biscuit that's sliced and has loads of strawberries with whipped topping. However you like to eat it...enjoy!! Here's a recipe you can try...
Let's start out on a lighter note... today has only a couple of things that I care to mention from brownielocks... Upsy Daisy Day - which made me think of this scene from Notting Hill... It's not Upsy Daisy, but it's VERY close. ;) My daughter says such things all the time, and gets the strangest looks from people. What can I say? We don't swear, so we have odd phrases. My hubby grew up with "Crying tears in the sink!" It's Jelly Filled Doughnut day... which is about the best doughnut to eat...though I think the cream filled ones can be good, depending on how good the cream is... :) World Oceans Day - I wanted to mention this one because we are going on a cruise!!! I'm so excited. I've been on 2, and we were starting to go through withdrawal. Apparently once you've been on one, you get to itching to go every five to six years. We've managed to put it off till now, but we've also decided we don't want to wait so long for the next one. The kids have all informed us that we need to do a family one, so that should be interesting. Any travel agents out there that want a client? lol
I'm just excited that in a couple of weeks I'm going to be in 70 degree weather...anythings better than 90's!!
so... onto my rant.
I have seen a plethora of posts in Facebook and various other spots on the web that are nothing but angry, nasty statements about men who were awesome.
First let me say that while I have leaned toward the Republican party in the past, I am NOT affiliated with them. I was raised to be an Independent, and if anything I would be a Libertarian, (I think...haven't had time to really look into their whole ideal). I was somewhat active in my young teenage years...my foster family was big for Nixon (I know...don't hate me!!) and I remember encouraging everyone to vote for him.
I remember hating Jimmy Carter...and I didn't even drive. (lest you wonder why I make that statement, we were rationing gas in California during the 70s...and if you had a license plate that ended in odd number, you got gas on certain days. If you ever watched an old TV cop show - there were several times where people got in fights waiting in line for gas. And the lines for gas went AROUND the corner from the station... it was ugly. People complain about the price, but I think that was worse. And it was only .60 a gallon, by the way...)
by the time Reagan was in office, we were ready for someone who had some brains, and resolve. He was AWESOME. Unless you were alive during that time and voted, don't be giving me slack! He was a legend. A man that had been a star in Hollywood, was a body builder like Schwarzenegger and had a wife that he LOVED and was faithful to their entire marriage. Many people criticized her influence on him, but they had a true marriage, and who else do we consult with? Doesn't matter what office you hold, your spouse is your confidant, etc.
He was for equality, didn't support segregation. Here's a quote from the internet about his teenage years..."For the time, Reagan was unusual in his opposition to racial discrimination, and recalled a time in Dixon when the local inn would not allow black people to stay there. Reagan brought them back to his house, where his mother invited them to stay the night and have breakfast the next morning" (okay, wikipedia, but I didn't have a lot of time for research...)
Anyway - I dropped out of the political ring, so to speak, when I started having children. I voted, but I wasn't actively involved in the process. The first 10 years of my marriage was consumed with child rearing and surviving. (What can I say...7 children in 8 years...)
I voted for both Bushes. I think the father was good, and I still like the second, though he is held for much criticism. I would like to have seen how any other president would have reacted to 9/11. I'll never forget the Olympics and how he sat with the athletes and mingled with them, talking on the phone to parents. He wasn't ashamed of America. His father wasn't ashamed of America.
We didn't know world scorn until Clinton.
And it hasn't recovered.
It has known a new low.
People say that President Obama brought jobs, insurance and economic stability to the general public. He only started to topple the things that were set in motion 20 years ago. I lived through the 80s and 90s. We were a lower income family, yes, we benefited from government programs, but we never did qualify for food stamps. We had WIC...it helped us get formula and food for the kids. I was a stay at home mom.
Shall I repeat that??
I was a stay at home mom. I didn't work until our 5th child was a year old and my husband had lost his job and wasn't finding one right away.
I only worked until he found one and there was promise that he would continue into the next year.
Then I quit.
I didn't work full time before or after that until my youngest was in school. I did work a couple of part time jobs...in the evenings and on Saturdays when my hubby could watch the kids. It was a nice break to get out of the house for 2 hours and earn a little income at the same time.
We didn't have cell phones...we didn't really have computers. I did do a data entry job that was done on our computer, but it died when we moved because it was too far away. That job was mainly to keep my keyboarding skills up.
The internet wasn't really an option until we moved and it became a necessity for work. Then it was dial up. (MAN was that slow - but we thought it was cool) We paid for it. There were no government subsidies. My hubbys job now gave us insurance. We would probably be considered lower middle income. We were a family of 9 with one main income.
At a time when most couples were both working.
I did not start working because of necessity. I started working because that had always been the plan...when our children were old enough to be in school, I would start work part time. What else was I going to do with my time? Sit home and eat bon bons? lol
Anyway - I'm saying that we've been on the lower side of things. We've been to the point where we wondered where our next meal might come from, and had neighbors and our religious leaders step in to help. NOT the government. It never did work for us.
We are possibly now (with both of us working) maybe middle class. Still on the lower end... because my husband's employer doesn't value his experience or college degree.
Society in general has shifted. It used to be about 20 years ago, that having a bachelors degree was a big deal. It meant there was higher pay, that you were worth more.
Not any more. Both of us work in education. To get a better pay scale, you have to have a masters. Most teachers end up getting a doctorate so that when they retire they can actually LIVE on their retirement.
But that's another rant...lol
What I'm trying to say, is that I'm not blind. I've been there. I understand people's frustration with the Republicans. I see the same issue with the Democrats. I think both parties need to be revamped, and I think people have forgotten what we really are. We are NOT a Democracy. We are a Republic! Republics have checks and balances so that no ONE person has all the power.
I might have posted this before, but I'm going to post it again...this video is pretty clear about what each part of a government is...
I'm not saying that this is the end all and be all of my view on the government...and I'm not saying that people shouldn't have their right to express themselves. I am just putting my right to express myself out there.
My main point?
If we as a people don't start to work together to build our country back up, then it won't matter who is at the helm.
We will be doomed.
No one seems to care that families are falling apart, the very fabric of society that was standard for almost 200 years...is being ripped at the very seam. Everyone likes to forget that this country was founded by men of faith.
Faith in God. Not an angry God who condemns the innocent or demands perfection. A loving God who wants us to be free.
The United States was founded on freedom OF religion. That means that everyone has the right to believe whatever they want to believe -- but cannot force others to bend to their beliefs.
The current mode of society is tossing that in the garbage. According to what I keep reading, God has no place in education, in the marketplace, or in government. The very discussion of God offends (supposedly) everyone, and heaven forbid we offend anyone.
My right to believe in God is more important than your sensibilities. He still loves you, even if you don't love or believe in Him.
However, if there is no place for God, then there is no place for belief. Faith. Morality. All of these affect our society in general.
Every individual needs to take up the cause of freedom and liberty and get the right person elected. I don't know what that person looks like right now, but I know it's not either of the two that are being touted as the nominees.
We need help.
And I don't think the majority of the populace are going to look for it.
Okay - for the past several years, the first 'official' day of summer vacation has been cloudy, rainy, cold or all of the above. :( I like it, but you know, kids don't generally. This year, we're sitting here on June 6th and it's 90. No kidding. I hear that California is really HOT, and of course New Mexico and Arizona are always hot, lol.
But anyway - we actually got our AC cleaned up and ready to use just in time...but we don't like to run it if we can avoid it because it's so expensive. Last year we didn't need to turn it on until the middle of July. It was awesome. ;)
This year we've already turned it on. Good grief. Oh well...that's what summers for, right? wearing as little as you can and sitting in front of a fan... sigh.
So...a couple of things for the day... D-Day - Hopefully everyone knows the significance of this day. There was this awesome clip I saw on facebook the other day, about an 11 yr old who went to Normandy and stood in salute for 1 1/2. What a tribute... Here is a video documentary about that day...and my father. He was there that day...the stories are amazing. Drive-in Movie Day - everyone remembers how much fun drive-in movies are, right? My kids are telling me that we need to go this summer...sigh. It's not quite as fun when you don't have a real comfy seat... YoYo Day - Yoyos!! I never could get the hang of them... and last... National Applesauce Cake day - Yummy stuff! If it weren't 90 degrees, I would make one. I wonder how well it would go in a crock pot... Anyway - have a great day. Never forget...
And there was much rejoicing, lol By teachers and students...parent's probably not so much, right? I don't know, I usually cheered the end of school so we could ALL sleep in. :)
Well...in celebration of the last day of school, and the beginning of summer...today is Doughnut Day or Donut Day (which ever you like, lol) So, go get a dozen doughnuts and spread the happiness!! personally, I've gotten to where the store doughnuts are too sweet and too greasy, so I'll probably go home and bake some. Yum!!
Shouldn't there be a little rhyme for June? It seems to be the month everyone thinks of school getting out...summer starting...no big holidays, right? Well, there is D Day, but I'm not sure anyone thinks of it as something to remember. Just in case you didn't know...it's June 6th.
but for today...there are just a couple of things I wanted to share from Brownielocks...
National Bubba Day - Bubba
day celebrates your brother...or anyone in your family that you've
called bubba...or I think it could also celebrate Forest's friend that
he shrimped for...lol. I think it's kind of fun...do you have a 'bubba'? National
Rotisserie Chicken Day - I know many that love Sam's Club rotisserie chicken, so todays the day...go get and enjoy. Yell "Fudge" at the Cobras in North America Day - really? What's this all about? Has anyone heard of this before? Apparently yelling "Fudge" at cobras will make them gag and slither away... This is even printed in a copy of Boys Life from 1993, lol. So it has to be true, right?
Well,
have a great day, and remember, you can't ever be too cautious about
snakes, so you might want to run around yelling "Fudge" at all the
bushes and places where a cobra might be...
happy June 1st!! Can you believe May is over? I wondered if it was
ever going to end. For some reason May seemed eternal... sigh.
And now it's June! I'm excited. I'm not really thrilled that the temperature is supposed to get to the 90's already...I'm not ready for that. I like the 70's!!
Everyone
is busy getting ready for summer!
Hopefully you had an awesome Memorial Day weekend...first BBQ, yada
yada... visiting the graves... I never used to think of that till we moved up here and my sisters tend the graves every year. It's become something we do as a family, which is kind of cool. This time we took my little granddaughter that has never seen the graves, nor her great grandparents. It was kind of neat... though I sure it didn't really mean anything to her, lol. I missed my sis...sigh. I took some of our huge purple iris to put on the graves.
I meant to post a big thing about my dad and his service, but never got it past facebook.
Charles Parker - 2nd Ranger
One of the few - the brave - the strong - who fought for our freedoms and those who could not fight for themselves. Thanks for being an example, dad. Wish you were still here...
sigh.
Well...here are some fun things for the day - National Go Barefoot
Day - wow...my own personal holiday!! I always go barefoot when I can. My hubby bemoans my lack of footwear. Unfortunately,
I also pay the price, right now my heals are soooo dry and
cracking...sigh. I know...that's a little TMI...what's your secret to
keeping your heals from drying out?? National Olive Day - for
all those who like the olive, here we go. I used to be quite the olive
lover. Now I can take them or leave them. But only the black
ones....I don't go near the green ones. My hubby loves those...of course, he loves dill pickles and horseradish sauce...so go figure. At least he loves me, lol. National Running
Day- I'm not a runner, but there are loads of them out there. Have fun on your day! Go work those legs!
Here's a fun studio c skit about running... lol
Oscar The Grouch Day- everyone pretend you're blue
and be grouchy! I know, for some of you, that comes naturally (well,
the grouchy part, lol). I hear that they've changed this character now
in Sesame street...I hope not. Kids need to know that not everyone is happy all the time. Reality folks, reality.
Say Something Nice Day - ironically,
this is the same day as the one honoring Oscar, which is pretty much
the opposite. But that's okay...all of you know how to say something
nice, you do it all the time! At least I've heard all of you...and you are all amazing!!
I'm excited. I'm not really thrilled that the temperature is supposed to get to the 90's already...I'm not ready for that. I like the 70's!!
