charish me

Summer at a glance

2010-07-17T07:51:00.001-06:00

We have all been so busy this summer. I have taken lots of picture but have not had the time to just sit and blog about it. I am going to take the time and show some of our summer so far.

Reason I live where I do

2010-04-25T17:10:00.001-06:00

Any question?

What have I made my children into

2010-03-27T08:16:00.001-06:00

I have to admit I have wonderful children. They make me laugh daily. Sometimes I wonder why I got so lucky to have them.

This past Monday my oldest did the most shocking thing. To understand what she did you have to know a small piece of history.

She has been in a Civics class all year. And even though the teachers are to keep their political views out of the classroom she realized that her teacher is a Liberal. And my daughter has become quite outspoken about her own political standing. And she has done her own homework on what has been going on with Healthcare.

On, Monday she walked up to her teacher in the hallway at school and approached her teacher and said, “ You got your “FREE” Healthcare”.

The teacher looked at her and said, “Wow.” Brittany did get a little worried that she may have over stepped. And asked, “ Am I in trouble?”

Her teacher told her no. She had the freedom of free speech. Then her teacher told her to write to the President and tell him her views and that maybe she could change his mind.

Then, just the other day we were at a friend place and he owns a salvage yard. Michael loves to walk around the yard. Brittany like to do this also. It was after hours so the yard was closed so it is ok for them to walk around out there.

We headed up to the house to sit around and BS. I looked out the patio window to see Michael walking up to junk cars and looking in the windows.

I said, “ Oh my, my kids are becoming scavengers.”

Jim looked at me and said, “ Where do you think they learned it?”

Ha ha ha was my reply. After a while they came in and Brittany looks at me and says, “Look mom, I found two pairs of jeans that will fit me!” I instructed her to put them in the car and I would wash them when we got home.

I sat there and thought about it a while. And then I said out loud, “ I am so lucky that I do not have kids that have issues with clothing from out of junked car or thrift stores. There are so many children out there that would turn their nose up at such an idea.”

My daughter is so wonderful when it comes to things like that. She could care less about where I bought it. As long as she thinks it is cool and she will wear it.

Pinewood Derby 2010

2010-03-20T14:54:00.001-06:00

Michael Had his Pinewood Derby today with his Cub Scout Pack.

They first judged on coolness..

Then the fun of the race began.

Michael won the first heat. He had to run his car backwards due to the nose of it being to low.

He had fun and learned good sportsman like behavior. He did not win but that was ok with him.

There is always next year.

Kill the Bill Rally – St. Paul MN

2010-03-14T10:11:00.001-06:00

Yesterday the kids and I went to the “ Kill the Bill Rally”. Now, had you told me a year ago that I would be taking my kids to a rally against Health care reform, I would have laughed in your face.

Nick, Britt, Michael

It was great to hear all the voices being shared together in a common cause. What I thought was even greater is my kids getting involved. And understanding that what Big Government is trying to do is wrong.

I chose to have what they call the “ Cadillac” of health care plans. I could get a different plan. But, there is the thing called choice. Government has no right to tell me what I need to carry or have their nose in my health business.

This was the first time my youngest has been to the capital so of course I had to get his photo of him on the steps.

He was so proud to hold the sign he worked very hard to make.

Help Support My Cub Scout

2010-03-12T07:27:00.001-06:00

This past fall Michael had joined the Cub Scouts. He has been selling popcorn to help support the events he is wanting to do.

If you are interested in helping support Please go to this site:

http://www.trails-end.com/estore/scouts/email_referral.jsp?id=5592837

Just remember that 70 percent goes back to his Pack.

Thank You.

Crazy Puppy

2010-03-07T11:25:00.001-06:00

The other day I had gotten up to go and do something. I left my laptop open and on. Came back to find this:

It is so cute yet upsetting. I must remember to close my laptop when I walk away.

Sleep talking

2010-03-01T19:20:00.001-06:00

The other morning my wonderful husband informed me that I was talking in my sleep.

I laughed at him and said, “Yeah, right.”

He said, “ Really, you said “ But I wanted the McCoy””

I laughed and said “Boy that auction today was really on my mind.”.

I was at least happy I was not saying anything bad in my sleep. Can you imagine what could have been said. Instead I dream about antiques. Boy what an adventurous life I have.

Bitchology

2010-02-27T08:59:00.001-06:00

Bitchology

When I stand up for myself and my beliefs,
they call me a bitch.
When I stand up for those I love,
they call me a bitch.
When I speak my mind, think my own thoughts or do
things my own way, they call me a bitch.
Being a bitch means I won't
compromise what's in my heart.
It means I live my life MY way.
It means I won't allow anyone to step on me.
When I refuse to tolerate injustice and speak
against it, I am defined as a bitch.
The same thing happens when I take time for myself
instead of being everyone's maid, or when I act a little selfish.
It means I have the courage and strength to allow
myself to be who I truly am and won't become anyone else's idea of
what they
think I "should" be. I am outspoken, opinionated and determined.
I want what I want and there is nothing wrong with that!
So try to stomp on me, try to douse my inner flame,
try to squash every ounce of beauty I hold within me.
You won't succeed. And if that makes me a bitch, so be it.
I embrace the title and am proud to bear it.

B - Babe
I - In
T - Total
C - Control of
H - Herself
B = Beautiful
I = Intelligent
T = Talented
C = Charming
H = Hell of a Woman
B = Beautiful
I = Individual
T = That
C = Can
H = Handle anything

And that’s all I have to say!

MY FAMOUS EGGROLLS

2010-02-26T13:00:00.001-06:00

Ok, so they really are not famous. I do have people who ask me to make them a lot.Not, just my husband and kids, but other people.

I decided to share with you how I make them.

What you need to begin:

1lb ground pork
1 pkg of colesaw mix
ginger root
eggroll wraps
bean sprouts
alfalfa or broccoli sprouts
onion chives
soy sauce
oyster sauce
sesame seed oil
Deep fryer

You can shred your own cabbage and carrots if you want but I am all about saving time.

peel and chop up 1TBS of ginner root

brown pork, add 2TBS of Oyster sauce, ginger, chopped chives, 1tsp sesame seed oil. 3 shakes of soy sauce. Mix together and cook for around 5 minutes.

Drain grease, and set meat mixture aside for now.

In a stir fry pan and cabbage, take a chunk of ginner root and put in a garlic press and squeeze. I love to do this to get all the good juices out of the root. Add more oyster sauce I drizzle a cross the top of cabbage, I do that with both sesame oil and soy sauce. I turn the burner on and heat all the way through. As, you are doing this add sprouts.

After all has been mixed and heated through add your meat.

Keep on low heat and mix.

After around 5 minutes turn off heat. Your mixture is ready to roll.

While you are cooking you eggroll mixture heat up your deep fryer to 375. Prepare your work area.

you will need a cup of water and eggroll wraps. And I use a 1/4 measuring cup.

place you mixture on your wrap.

Here is how to wrap

At this point on the last corner get your finger wet and wipe on the edge of the wrap and roll over.

put in deep fryer for 10 minutes

Here is the end result.

Enjoy!!!!

Girl has got to have……

2010-02-15T18:36:00.001-06:00

This weekend I went to a auction. They had a compact mirror From Tiffany and Company. It is beautiful. I could not pass it up. I just had to get it. I got it at a great price. It needs to be polished.

I also picked up a Vintage calendar from 1966 for my hubby. Just something that not everyone has.

My Store is up

2010-02-14T11:12:00.001-06:00

http://playfullyfun.weebly.com/index.html

Come by and checkout my store. I will be listing new things all the time you never know what you may find. Come on by and take a look:

Weekend at the Auctions

2010-02-07T16:50:00.001-06:00

I spent Saturday morning and evening at the local auction house. I really enjoy auctions. It is like gambling except if I loss I did not loss any money.

I won three Shoulder Jugs. I was really excited. Except one had a funky smell to it. After the auction I got home and knew I needed to wash the smelly one out. I filled it with soap and water and let it soak. After about 45 minutes I decided to dump it out and rinse again. As I was dumping out the water I saw stuff come out and the smell was getting worse. Full on gag reflexes kicking in. I run out of the room. I know if I do not get away from the smell I am done for. I get a towel and spray some perfume on it and wrap it around my mouth and nose to mask the smell. I know I can not dump anymore in the sink. I take the jug outside and proceed to finish dumping it out there. What a good thing I did. As I was dumping it 2 dead mice came out of the jug. That was it. I could not take it any longer the gag reflex won.

Later, Saturday night I went to another auction. I was having a discussion with my girlfriend and we were talking about clothes. Two gentlemen were sitting near us and listening in. She had asked me about my shirt and then said to me look my jeans are the same. (the brand logo is located on the inseam of the pants) As I looked the gentleman looked and said “ is there something there that tells the brand name.” With the big mouth I have I said : Nope, we women can look at the crotch of another woman’s pants and tell what brand they are.” Here’s your sign.

Then, today I was thinking I must be some sort of strange parent. The reason I say this is because when ever my children want to go to a friends home and I do not know the parent I talk to them on the phone and also like to meet them. Maybe, it is because of the way I was raised. My parents always wanted to meet my friends parents.

Today, Michael asked if one of his friends could come over to hang out. I was ok with that. So, when this young man was dropped off his mom just left. Did not even walk him to the door. Just drove off. Then, no phone call of when I was going to bring him home or anything. Or just assumed I would bring him home. And all I could think was WOW. So, what do you think am I strange or is this how things are now days?

What I have been up too.

2010-02-01T11:39:00.002-06:00

I have been working on opening a online store. I have been selling on Ebay for sometime now. And like a lot of sellers am very tired of all the fees. Picture fees, insertion fees, final value fees, etc.
But, just like anything it takes awhile to set up. I have my account set up for Paypal. Now I need to figure in how I will add my shipping fees. Then it is getting pictures together of all of my items and set up categories for each. And still hold down a full time job.
So, I am hoping to have everything up by April. If I can get it to look and work the way I want it to.

You might be a Redneck…………..

2010-01-24T09:34:00.001-06:00

Using the line from Jeff Foxworthy was the perfect way to start this today.

It is January, a time of year that is typically very cold. And when it is cold there is really not a lot to do. I could go skiing, but I am really not that in to it. What else you can do is go and watch Lawn Mower Races on the lake. That is when you take your lawn mover soup it up with a better motor, remove the deck, and tires, and a wheelie bar. And you have got a racing mower.

Here we have races on the lake. Yes, on the lake. I do not go out on the frozen lake. Especially when you have this many cars and trucks in such a small area.The weather was really crappy. It was raining. Yes, raining in January. Which made it really hard to get any really good pictures.

We found a nice place to sit and be warm and dry to watch the races. Sometimes it got a little boring as you can see by my little mans face He really wanted to be out on the ice and watch. But with the rain also came sleet. And if you have ever been out when it is sleeting. It hurts really bad when it hits your face.

We still had a good time and there will be another on coming up within the next month. Hoping the weather will be better and just maybe I will go out on the ice.

Tasmanian Devil

2010-01-21T15:13:00.001-06:00

See this peacefully sleeping puppy! One would never think there was a full grown attach dog here.

The other day my hubby told me that this peaceful puppy can not sleep with us any longer. I looked at him puzzled.

He then began to explain to me how when the alarm clock goes off she full bore runs at HIM. Not the alarm clock but him. He says teeth and all. He says she turns in to the Tasmanian Devil. Now, as he is telling me this I am laughing so hard that I have tears coming out of my eyes. He looked at me and said. I am serious she is biting me and all!!!! I could do nothing but laugh!!!!

Family Time

2010-01-17T08:30:00.001-06:00

Friday we stayed a hotel in the city’s. It was my husbands company party.

The kids and I checked in early so we could swim in the pool and hang out in the hot tub.(no pictures due to I was not getting out of the hot tub.)

The kids got to hang out up in the room and swim at the pool while we were at the party.

As you can see Michael was in a weird mood. He was making face the whole time.

The party was fun. Lots of fun was had. Last year I had taken a class with some of my hubby’s co-workers. I had made a comment to my hubby that one of the guys in the class gave me the first impression that he was a “DICK”. So, how does one live this down. Of course what does my wonderful hubby tell this person. “Hey, my wife thinks your a dick.”

So needless to say his girlfriend say to me “ It’s ok, I thought he was a dick when I first meet him!” OMG, to funny. I guess after my hubby told this to him, he went to his girlfriend and asked her if she thought he was a “DICK” and was shocked to hear her say “Yes”.

So, that was entertaining to deal with at the party.

Here is a picture with me and my hubby for the

night. His wife and I exchanged name tags.

The woman in Green was me for the night. The man with

the blue collar the man I called “dick”

This woman won a big heavy Weiner.

Needless to say it was fun. We laughed a lot and

can not wait till the next get together.

Trying a new set-up for my blog

2010-01-10T15:12:00.001-06:00

So I am using a writer tool for my blog now. I wanted to see how it worked out for me. I have been having issues with Blogger and my laptop wanting to work together on setting up my pictures and the layout of my blog.

This is a photo of the newest addition to my family.(don’t worry it is our last). This is Kilo. As you can see she is no bigger than my book.

Here she is with out the book next to her.

Well I have to say I really like the way this is working for me.

So hopefully I will blog more now that I have better control.

Driving

2010-01-10T09:08:00.002-06:00

This weekend I had to drive to Southern MN. It was a beautiful drive. The only problem I had was I was driving. There fore I could not take photos of the churches and the landscape around me. Yeah, I know I could have stopped. But it was a long drive.
So I have this awesome camera and could not take any great photos.
So another day I will be able to.

My new Camera

2009-12-31T06:47:00.004-06:00

This was a great Christmas. My husband got me the best gift of all. He purchased my new camera for me. The one I have been drooling over every time we would go into Best Buy.

So, I have been having a blast checking out all the features and taking some really fun pictures with it.

I told him I should never need a new camera again. (lenses yes, camera nope) lol

Christmas

2009-12-25T20:07:00.002-06:00

We have been running none stop since yesterday. I love the holidays but I am ready for a real break. A day to do nothing. Here are some photo's from my dad's house today My dad with all his grandchildren
The family

Winter wonder land!!!

Little Man's 8th Birthday

2009-12-20T06:49:00.003-06:00

Yesterday Michael celebrated his birthday with a few friends from school. It is so hard every year to get his friends to come due to how close his Birthday is to Christmas that we have decided next year to do it earlier in the month.He had a blast and what can I say. They may have been a little wild and crazy.(to be expected from 2nd grade boys). Thank goodness we had the entire bowling alley to ourselves.

Today my boy is 8. Wow how the years have flown by.

He had a great time and my goodness it was a Bionicle/Transformers birthday. He got all the toys he loves.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T06:49:00.002-06:00

I am thankful that I have such a wondeful family. I am thankful through all the hard times I still have a job and a roof over my head. I am thankful to be able to put food on the table. I am thankful to live in a free country.

I am thankful for all the wonderful friends I have out in the world.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Health Care Rally

2009-11-05T15:26:00.003-06:00

Today I decided that my daughter could skip school and go for a really life Civics class.

Brittany, myself, my dad and my girlfriend Wendy and her daughter Kristi, went to our state capital for our voices to be heard.

Before, the rally I discussed the bill with my daughter and explained my thoughts to her. She felt that it was wrong what they are proposing.

It was a great rally and even though we were not in D.C. today. I think we made our thoughts and feelings clear.

I really enjoyed being able to spend this time with my dad. We may not always see eye to eye but on this we were a team. (you rock dad)

The signs were just amazing

And before the rally started there were some buses with kids coming to tour the capital. Some of the kids came up up to Brittany to ask "What are you protesting?" She explained to them some of the things listed in this bill and told them that in the end it is us the kids who will have to pay for this. They told her they thought that this bill is STUPID. Now , to be a fly on the wall when they talk with there parents.

My girlfriend and myself got to spend a little time with a local talk radio host we both enjoy listening to. Sue Jeffers was the emcee for the event and was great to talk with. Thanks Sue.

HALLOWEEN

2009-11-01T18:44:00.003-06:00

Here are the kids out have fun trick or treating.

At the school there was a party for the kids. Micheal had more fun than Brittany.

At the Auction House earlier in the day. This is Jeff and Ginger the owners of the auction house.

They are so much fun.

Brittany went with me. She was having a blast with the others that were dressed up.

Christmas

2009-10-25T15:00:00.002-06:00

Ok, so I know it is early to tell everyone what I want for Christmas. But I found the best thing. Best Buy is now offering a Pitch in card. Where you can go to the Best Buy Website and under the Gifts tab you can look for someone who has either posted a wish list or signed up for a pitch in card. I posted both. I want a new camera. Now, here I am giving my friends and family the chance to help me purchase my camera.

My new Tattoo

2009-10-25T12:12:00.004-06:00

I am planning on getting a new tattoo. Here are two designed I like and am trying to decided which one to get. I think the first one is beautiful. But am worried that there may be to much detail and Jim's brother may not be able to do it.

This one I just love. It is cute and sassy. Just like me.

Now, I have a few others I am looking at. I do not have the pictures of them yet.

Sex Education

2009-10-22T15:38:00.004-06:00

Here is my experience with sex education at school. When I was in school and they were going to talk about sex a notice went home for the parents to see. That way the parents could discuss it a head of time with their child. Some parent opted to have their children not be in the class during that due to they felt it was a family matter and to be handled at home.
Now, yesterday my child came home with a hand full of literature about birth control. And informed me they were shown things related to ABORTIONS!!!!!!!!!! They gave them literature on the RU486 pill and Day After Pill. As a means of birth control. Excuse me, really.
I am not anti abortion but I feel it is not a form of birth control. I feel that if it is medically necessary or rape or incest then yes I am for it. But, birth control!!!!!!!!! Needless to say I was ready to fly through the roof. A pregnancy center that came in to talk to the kids told them that they recommended they not share this information with their parents. WHAT!? So, of course the first thing Brittany does is share with me.
Today, I did my own poll of how other parents feel about this subject and about how they would feel if there child was taught that abortion is a form a birth control. I will have to say that our country is not as Liberal as we thought. All the parent would be really upset by this.
I went to the school today and had a talk with the principal. Showed him all the information given to the kids. Yes, they had things on adoption also but there was more information about abortion than anything. Explained that the teacher over stepped her boundaries. And really upset me as a parent. I told him that my daughter was to be removed from that class. I also called other parents and informed them about this class and they were just as upset.
They also informed the kids that they could come in to the pregnancy resource center and get birth control and could have the morning after or the RU486 pill and they would not inform the parents. Now, I know all this but to tell a 14 year old child this!!!
I will be going to the center on Monday when they are open and giving them a piece of my mind.
What is this world coming to.

Car Crazy

2009-09-29T16:47:00.002-06:00

Today I have been feeling yucky. I decided I would head home early and try to rest and see if I can kick this bug. I made a quick stop on the way home and low and behold my car won't start.
All I can think is "why me!!!!"
I call Jim at work. Explain to him that the car will not start and I do not feel go and I want to go home. When he gets there he has no jumper cables or tools in his car. We run to the store and purchase what we think he will need.
Nope that did not work. He thinks it is the battery. He pulled it out we run to the part store and find out the battery is good. Next thought is the starter. We purchase a new refurbed starter. And the tools need to put it in.
Nope that is a no go. We then drive toward home. We stop at the local parts store and talk to a friend that owns the store. We decide to go back and in a sense tried to hot wire the car. Nope that did not do it. Come to find out that in the ignition there is a something that reads the chip on the key. Well, they are not working so the car is acting like it is anti theft mode. I have now purchased the part we needed. I am home waiting for my wonderful husband and his friend to return with our car so he can fix it. And to top it all off I still feel like crap. Need to go to work in the AM. And will not have gotten the rest I wanted so badly.
So, that's my day. I hope everyone had a better day.

School Has Started.....

2009-09-08T06:10:00.002-06:00

Both kids super excited for today. They can not wait to see what is in store for them this year.
Micheal is in 2nd grade this year and Brit is a Freshman in high school.
Good luck guys mom loves ya.

Flea Market

2009-08-09T06:46:00.003-06:00

I have been selling at Flea Markets almost every Saturday this summer. It is quite interesting to say. The people you meet is just amazing. And the things you see people buying and selling. Well, that is amazing also. I have a large variety in what I sell. I sell dog and cat toys and treats along with antiques. I have a few miscellaneous items also. One never knows what they will sell or if anything but it is fun.
When you are new to venue the veterans are one of two ways. Either they are very helpful or they are vultures. I have had dealings with both. See they come over to see what you have and they are very smart about values of most items. And if you have something valuable marked really cheap they grab it right away. So, they can sell it at there stand.
I know my pricing is good. Because they look at what I have but do not try to buy it. I only had one buy from me and turn around and put the item in there stand. I still made a profit off of it so I was good with it.
Then you have the helpful vendors. That want to talk with you and get to know you and help you set up with out anything in return. They are also the ones that will reduce prices on things for you if you are looking to buy.(I got a pair of Born Boots for $35.00 ). Some are willing to share coffee in the morning and just all around good people.
Yesterday I had a vendor want to trade with me. I have a Monmouth, Ill Cookie jar(formerly Western Pottery). I am asking $35.00 or best offer on it. He have this beautiful antique corner shelf. He was asking $200.00. He started the day offering me trade plus $150.00 by the end of the day he wanted to strait up trade. I could not fit it in my car and was not going to strap it to the roof.
Last, week I made a great sale I have a Hull vase that was picked up at a garage sale for .25 and I was able to sell it for $80. This week is what I call a mans week. The men were out looking for tools and such but the ladies were not shopping. It did not help that the weather was crappy also.
That is my adventure at the flea markets

What I should be doing.....

2009-08-01T04:26:00.003-06:00

Instead I am up before the chickens and am on my way to sell at a flea market. Someday I will learn. LOL

Sorrow

2009-07-23T05:53:00.003-06:00

Yesterday we learned that my husbands grandfather passed away. It was is mothers father. I sensed a pattern. A few months after my mom passed my grandma also passed. I of course was selfish at that time and feeling that it was all not fair. I could not understand why god would put myself and my family through so much in such a short period of time. I will admit I was angry, hurt, and lost. I now understand that god never puts more than you can handle in front of you.
I still cry and miss my mom. And I know it is OK for me to do that. I am no longer angry.
I know I really do not share my feelings here but today is different.
Today I will cry a lot. Not in sadness but in joy of the lives my loved ones have lived. To know they are at peace. And walking with the lord. I thought I would share a email I got recently:

I had an unexpected visitor this morning. He arrived early; sat down with me and chatted for awhile about how things were currently going for me in my life. After carefully and compassionately listening to all that I had to say, He saw the stress on my face and the tears in my eyes. He walked over to me and gently held me for awhile because I was having a really bad morning. Then, after reassuring me not to worry,and that everything would work out for me and be just fine, He asked me if I knew of anyone else who could use a visit from Him. I immediately thought of you. I gave him your name and told Him where you lived. He gave me another reassuring hug and I thanked Him and walked with Him to my front door. He told me that he was on His way to your place. When He gets there, please escort Him to the next stop. Please don't allow Him to sleep on your PC. The message He is carrying is very important and needs to go around. I asked Him to bless you and yours with peace, happiness and abundance. Say a prayer, and then pass Him on to bless others as I sent him on to bless you. Our assignment is to spread love, respect and kindness throughout the world. Have a blessed day and touch some body's life today as I hope I have touched your life. He's walking around the world via e-mail! Please pass it on so He can get there....

I felt it was a good message for me.

A day in MN

2009-07-19T19:05:00.004-06:00

Dust devil. As I was sitting at a Flea Market and all of a sudden you see a mini twister.

Rush Lake 30in Northern. To big to take home had to throw back.

Elephant,1004ft Ship, Fish ect........

2009-07-05T16:11:00.010-06:00

We headed north for the 4th. We decided to go to sight see around Cloquet and Duluth area.
Just like we did last year. We have decided to make this a tradition. While we were in Cloquet we saw a family that were setting up their small family circus. They had elephant rides. So, the kids wanted to ride it. Who am I to miss taking a picture of that.

Next we stopped at this fort.

Morning of the 4th. I decided to make my little man very patriotic.

The sail ship the Sullivan came in to port in Duluth

My wonderful children aboard the ship

What a beautiful ship. I wish we could have seen it with the sails up.

And what would the 4th be with out visiting Lady Liberty

Catching rays on a bronze airbed

Bronze sturgeon anyone

At the Aquarium. Stingray anyone

I wish that quality was better. This Muskie was at least 4ft. Imagine

catching him on your line. He had a real interest in my girl. Was just watching every

move she made.

I really do not know what this fish was but it was so funny to watch.

Here we are playing in the water way.

This is the Edgar B. Speer. Working its way in to port.

This ship was 1004 feet long

Some of the crew as the ship goes by.

Hanging out on the shore skipping rocks.

(I took pictures of just the rocks but the Oldest girl told me I was a dork) LOL

Lighthouse in Duluth

Fountain in Canal Park

Stuffed monkey in the Store.

And of course we can not miss the stuffed Moose.

And last but not least. The US military out recruiting in Costume as Video game

characters.

Funny and scary at the same time.....

2009-06-29T18:34:00.002-06:00

Our kids stayed down at my girlfriends house last night. Now my girlfriend and her husband own a salvage yard. We headed down for the dinner tonight. My oldest has a car that she is aloud to drive in the yard. So, of course she wants to drive around.
Her and her brother are driving around the yard and my girlfriends husband decided to get the BB gun out and shot at them. We really did not think anything of it. Heck they do not get good range. Next thing you see is he comes in and says. " I think I have a full auto BB gun." So he heads out side with that. We still do not think anything of it.
Now Salvage Man comes in and says with big eyes " The good news is no one is hurt. But I shot out the drivers side window and all I see is Britt drop over to the passenger side. And the car go in the grass."
Needless to say the big kid Salvage man learned a lesson BB guns ARE scary. LOL
All had fun only a couple of scrapes. And Britt says, "next time I will drive faster so he can not shot the windows."
But we have all decided no more shooting at cars with BB Gun.
Lesson learned

Annual Pool Party

2009-06-28T07:45:00.005-06:00

2009 pool party. As the usual all the crazy characters were out. LOL.

Here is Grandpa George our host.

All the kids enjoying themselves

Our hostess Grandma Carol.

My sister inlaw Jen

Our good friend Bernie

Who said" nope you will not get me in the pool."

Boys contemplating on who was going to be thrown in the pool next.

Hanging out in the basement just like when they were kids.

Makes you think of..."That 70's Show"

Other sister inlaw Nicki with her boyfriend

Oh, look another one in the pool. LOL

Me and my love

Memories

2009-06-26T19:51:00.002-06:00

Lately, I have had a lot of memories come to mind. My young man got severely sunburned the other day. It made me remember when I was younger and my dad got really super bad sun burn. He lived on his Lazyboy chair for days. He could hardly move. Now, my little guy is in that pain.
The, today I was making Egg Rolls. I have not made egg rolls since I made then for my mom. I have had no want to make them. Until today. Everyone here was overjoyed. I am glad to make them all happy. And I know it would male my mom happy.

HOT, HOT, HOT

2009-06-23T16:57:00.001-06:00

Can you feel it hot, hot, hot...........that is all I can say about today. 93 degrees and heat index of 103. YUCK

Happy Fathers Day

2009-06-21T08:16:00.004-06:00

HAPPY FATHERS DAY. To husbands,Fathers, Uncles,Brothers, and friends.

Thanks to all that makes a differance in mine and my families life.

My New Phone

2009-06-16T17:49:00.003-06:00

I am really addicted to my new cell phone it does it all. I had to get a new phone after this weekend someone broke in to our car and stole my phone. So I had to move up my plan to get a new phone. I have been waiting and watching everything there is on the Palm Pre. I am so happy with this phone. I think it is so much fun. OK, back I go to playing with my phone. LOL

Our Weekend at the Lake

2009-06-14T19:26:00.000-06:00

Work

2009-06-10T17:43:00.002-06:00

Wow, I am back on 40 plus hours a week. It seems the past two weeks we have been non-stop busy. I am just beginning to catch up with last weeks schedule.
OK, now the funny:
Last night we were in bed for maybe 45minutes. (anyone who knows us knows we go to bed early on week nights) Jim reaches across the bed and shakes me. "We're late for work!"
I said to him "What?!"
"It is 9:15!" He says.
Now all that is going through my head is how am I going to explain being late to my boss when I call in.
Final my eyes begin to focus and I reach for my cell phone to call work and low and behold it is 9:15..............PM.
"Jim it is PM not AM."
He asked me "are you sure?"
"Yes, dear. Let's go back to bed."
That is the funny of our day so far.

New Computer

2009-05-29T18:52:00.005-06:00

OK, It is the same computer. Just new a new look.

We have been having issues with my desktop for a long time. Last weekend I had a friend look at it and help fix the problems. He added more memory and was able to get it to run properly. Then he took us to MICRO CENTER. It is the coolest store. I found a new case. And lots of other goodies. One could go there and spend lots of money if they were not careful. They have everything one could think of plus more. And their pricing is really reasonable. That is if you know what you are looking for. So without wasting anymore time here it is:

Sorry it is so blurry but you get the idea. Is it cool or what?!?!!!

The Hair Cut

2009-05-28T18:07:00.003-06:00

I put the pictures in a video slide for you all to see.

Last weekend we spent the weekend with some great friends. Bernie said he would give my boy a hair cut if he would like. So he opted for a mowhawk. He looks so cute.

And yesterday I colored Brit's hair. She is now a redhead.

Day at the Zoo

2009-05-23T01:16:00.003-06:00

A Renewed Spirit

2009-05-17T15:41:00.002-06:00

Hubby and I are looking at things differently in our relationship lately. We have been working on US. Not that we are having problems. We are just looking at things and how we see each other. We are defined as MOM and DAD. And sometimes we even call each other that. I know that there is nothing wrong with that but we realized that we need US time. We are always running with the kids. Hanging out with others but very little US time. All this began after him mom passed. We were alone. We had time to just be us. So, now we have began to make a point out of when ever the kids are gone we have US time. Whether it is just driving around and talking or taking a night and going to a hotel. We are taking the time. We realized that we do not want to have the only thing we relate to, to be our kids.
With that said I wanted to let you know how he makes me feel. He makes me smile everyday. When ever he tells me I am beautiful my heart skips a beat. He makes me feel so special. I am so lucky to have him in my life. I thank the lord everyday for such a great man.

Family Talk

2009-05-12T17:00:00.002-06:00

I have been thinking about all our strange conversations that we have as a family. We talk about the strangest things.
Here are a few examples:
Dinosaurs: We enjoy asking people first do you believe is god? When they say "yes, we then ask how come according to the Bible the earth was created approximately 6000 years ago, but they say dinosaurs have been on the earth for BILLIONS of years? Go ahead think about it. We have so fun with that.
Recently, we discussed Aliens. Yes, you heard me correctly ALIENS. We began by asking how come humans have been on the earth for approx. 6000 years we have only began to come in to such technology within the past 100 years. Our thoughts are we did not all of a sudden just start to get smart and create such amazing things. I feel it is possible.
Micro Chipping: Everyone knows about animal micro chipping. But I guess there was a show on TV about how the government has been Micro Chipping PEOPLE. OK, now I do not believe that. But, as we all know anything is possible.
I could write for hours. And then your would all really think we were weirder than we are.LOL

Mothers Day

2009-05-10T09:20:00.004-06:00

Happy Mothers Day.

Today we celebrate MOMS. Here are the important moms in our life.

Sister

Stepmom

sister Mom

Mom

Spring Choir Concert

2009-05-08T06:26:00.005-06:00

Brit had a spring concert this week. My little man wanted to join me in watching his sister sing.

Here Brit and one of her classmates are reading a story they wrote. The story went along with the song they sang.

Brit sang wonderful. It always makes a mom proud to have such a talented child.

I was so surprised that she wanted to wear a dress. LOL She did great. It was a little long for Michael. He was growing antsy as were waited for the concert to end. He started to clap while the band was still playing as to say "Hurry up I am ready to go home." I had a hard time not laughing at him. Instead had to be mom and tell him to settle down. I asked him if he wished he stayed home. He said " Who would watch your purse for you when you go to the bathroom?" The way kids think. LOL

Home

2009-05-01T20:50:00.003-06:00

We are final home. It has been a very long and emotional week for all of us.
Our animals were so happy to see us. My cat has not left my side all day the dog is always at my side.
I brought home one of the plants. All that know me know that in door plants and I do not get along very well. But I will give it a try.
Michael has adopted a hamster. It will be moving in. That should be full of entertaining stories. 1 cat plus 1 dog and now a hamster. Oh, the stories that should build.

Thank You

2009-04-30T19:20:00.003-06:00

Sorry the pictures are so small. Been having issue locating my card reader. I wanted to thank every one for their well wishes and the beautiful flowers and plants.

Arrangements

2009-04-26T13:14:00.002-06:00

Jim and His Mom

We love you Bev.
We have a tenitive date for the Memorial service. As long as thing go as planned.

If you wish to send flowers:

BEVERLY ROGSTAD

JOHNSON-MCBRIDE CHAPEL

1222 HENNEPIN AVENUE

GLENCOE , MN 55336

Never Prepared

2009-04-24T06:48:00.002-06:00

One is never prepared for death. I still have a hard time knowing my mom is gone and it was hard on my husband also.
Yesterday, we learned that his mom has been taken in to hospice. He headed down right away after work. I spoke with him last night and he said that her actions were just like my mom during her final days.
I hurt so bad for him and knowing the pain that he is going through. Sometime today I will be heading down to be with him. Please keep his family and mom in your prayers.

A Hard Decision

2009-04-20T17:51:00.002-06:00

We have had to make a hard decision this weekend. Now we love our animals very much but we love our children even more. We have been having some issues with our older dog. He has been very aggressive to our other dog. My daughter was trying to get the older dog to leave the other dog alone and he bite her. That is a no no in my house. I love him beyond belief. But I can not have a dog that bites here. Now that he has bite some one I will just worry that he may try to do it to other people. So tomorrow we will be taking him to the animal shelter. We have explained to the kids that they will hopefully find him a new home and we will all miss him. His aggression has been getting worse and we worry that his behavior will make the other dog aggressive. The kids seem to understand that this is what is the best choice for us to do. It is very hard on me. I love the dog.

2nd Ammendment

2009-04-19T08:58:00.002-06:00

I received this photo in a email I received yesterday and all I could think YES.

I along with my husband are responsible gun owners. Our children know they are weapons not TOYS. We practice gun safety and both our children know how to shot and handle a gun. By no means do I let them run around with them. They know where and when to shot.

This is a RIGHT I am not willing to give up. I am a avid hunter and believe in the conceal and carry. Both my husband and I plan on getting our permits.

I will not apologize if I offended anyone. Because I have such strong feelings about this.

Up and Down Battle

2009-04-18T08:50:00.005-06:00

The past two weeks have been an up and down battle with my youngest not feeling well. It all started last Thursday. I received a call from school telling me he was running a fever. Knowing it was a holiday weekend I took him in to be seen. They told me it was just a bug. He ran his fever through the holiday. He had a good week. Until last night. He fell asleep on the couch. Then woke up a threw up all over his blanket. I have a really hard time with vomit. I was able to work through it by begging my hubby to take care of it. So, far today he seem to be doing better. He is going to help his dad clean the garage. Yeah!!!! Another battle over with. Since I have been planning with my girl friend that we have a garage sale this spring.
We have been going through all our stuff getting rid of what we do not need or have not used. Oh my there is a lot of stuff. I have even been listing somethings on Amazon.

Drum Role Please.........

2009-04-07T17:25:00.002-06:00

Here I am

How things Change

2009-04-05T16:21:00.002-06:00

Oh, how things change. My little man is growing up so fast in front of my eyes. He has always been my little Michael. Not Mike or Mikey. Michael. I have always viewed my dad as Mike and my son as Michael. But, I guess I can not stop the evolution. He has decided to start calling him self MIKE. He has been signing his papers for school that way and everything. To me thou he will always be Michael. Not MIKE. My baby is growing up.
And I have decided to go for the short hair look. No pictures yet but I should have some soon. People ask "WHY?"
I respond "why, does it matter? It will grow back if I do not like it."

Floods

2009-03-27T11:49:00.006-06:00

All over the news you hear about the flooding in East Grand Forks and other areas in both MN and North Dakota. We live east(way east) of the areas being talked about on the news.

What we do not hear about the other rivers and towns that are flooding. Thank goodness that we live high up. The river here in our town has begun to flood yards and some houses over the bridge in one area. Also, fields near the river are flooding.

Here is the river almost up to the road

The garage is almost waist high with water.

Every year the river rises but this year it seems to be higher than normal.

This field is almost half way covered with the river

A large area in the cemetery is under water.

It is hard to see but the water is moving fast. I did not try to cross it. I am crazy but not that crazy

I was around 5 feet away from the edge of the water and road.As, you can see by the pictures that river is rising all over. I hope it does not rise any more. With all the melting and rain it is only getting higher. The ground is still froze so when it rains it has no place to go. My yard is like a muddy swamp. I have boards to walk on so I do not sink in the mud. Now keeping the little boy on the boards is a challenge. He got his shoes full of mud so guess what he decided to use mine. And yep they got covered in mud.

Remembering

2009-03-22T06:29:00.002-06:00

Yesterday we went KFC. As we were eating the all you could eat buffet I started to remember a funny store.
Here is how it came up.
"Mom, why do they have cameras?"
" So, no one will steal the chicken."
As, my son looks at me with a look of why would anyone steal chicken?
I then told my husband and him about the times as a child we would go out to a dinner club as a family and my grandmother was known by all in the family to carry baggies in her purse.
Grandma would grab extra chicken, rolls and butter to bring home with her. I remember as a child thinking this was a good idea. Like grandma said "Its all you can eat. They just did not say when you had to eat it." LOL
Now, as an adult I look back and laugh.
"Mom, will you go to jail if you steal chicken?"
Hum, how do I answer that correctly? "How about we do not try it. Better to be safe than sorry." Because if I said no to him he would have wanted to try it. And that was just a bridge I was not ready to cross.
Now, we will not tell him about how mom used to do dine and dashes with her friends. Or how we would take coffee pots and silverware and other table essentials from one particular restaurant. LOL Yes I feel guilty abot it now. And I know what I did was wrong.

Twilight

2009-03-20T23:45:00.003-06:00

Display before 12:01am Unopened with everyone watching it like a hawk.

Well, we did it. We had such a nice time together. Talked alot about lots of things. Britt was so excited to be able to get the movie and come home and watch it right away.

My beautiful girl. Had no clue we were going tonight.
Very cool she thought.

They had cake and little gifts for people so it was nice to talk with other parents and the kids.

The cake before they cut it. Now the frosting turned everything black.

Lips, teeth, you name it.

WHO'S GOING?

2009-03-20T17:21:00.001-06:00

We are going to the Twilight Release tonight. Only thing is Brit has no clue. I am so excited. So who else is going?

The Wedding Pt. 2

2009-03-16T17:17:00.007-06:00

So, today I can post more pictures of the wedding. Congrats Adrianne and Joe.(you too Dad)

Here is dad get his Son in laws together.

Miss Liv being her cute normal self.
Adrianne trying to get pictures with her niece and nephew

Adrianne and her new in laws.

Here I am with the cutiest baby in the world. My niece. I could just eat her up. She is so cute.

This Krista and Brit hanging out.
And the rest of the kids found the Wii.

The Wedding

2009-03-15T19:23:00.004-06:00

It is official all the Tilkens Girls are off the market.

Here is a brief overview of pictures. More to come on Monday.

Zero Tolerance

2009-03-14T07:04:00.003-06:00

Zero Tolerance.......I thought our school was a Zero Tolerance school. If you were in possession of illegal drugs you were expelled.
Nope that is not the case. Our school gives you multiple chances. If you have drugs on you get 5 days suspension. 5 DAYS....What is that telling our children. Its OK, we just slap your hands and that is it. I know if you were in possession and were pulled over by a cop you would be arrested and have to go to jail.
Recently a child in my daughters class brought drugs to school. This child bragged to someone about it and and was busted. They then bring drug dogs in the school to search for more. And now this child is coming back. My daughter and her friends are upset that this is happening. The feel all this child is going to do is brag about it. If they had their way this child would no longer be able to attend their school. And I agree with that. And I even looked at it as if it was my child. Yep, I would want there to be repercussion for her actions. I always tell my daughter that for every action there is a reaction. Whether it is a good or bad action.
What do you think? Am I wrong for thinking that way?

Things They do for Beauty

2009-03-08T11:02:00.004-06:00

Here we are enjoying a mother daughter moment. Coloring of the hair. And of course what kind of mom would I be if I did not document it. LOL Hair color is so much fun you can mould the hair to do funny things. And she is such a good sport about it all.

Love you kiddo.

Additional Reponsibilities At Work

2009-03-06T07:16:00.003-06:00

Around a week ago I waste asked if I would be willing to become the "Champion" For our 5S team. Lead the meetings, set the calender ,review and chart the audits. And so on. This was brought up through our upper management team that I would be a good person for this job.
I am very excited. I will be juggling both my regular job duties on the shop floor and working on my 5S duties. Currently there is no additional pay for this and I understand that with the way things are it is hard to give raises when the funds are not there. So, I will wait and prove myself and take it from there.
Then this week I was president of my company to go to a meeting with him out side our company. I am really excited for that. I will be the first non management or office employee to attend one of these meeting. What can I say my world is looking a little brighter lately.
Now, I still have the people around me upset that I get to take part in things that they do not so there is a little resentment. All I have to remember is I have worked really hard to get where I am at. I done some schooling and am more than willing to voice my opinions when I feel it maybe helpful. LOL Seriously, I have been working really hard. And feel that I am looked at as a valuable member of my company.

School rules

2009-03-01T09:45:00.003-06:00

Did you know at my daughters school I can not send a note stating I will be picking her up early or saying she will not be in school. If I do not give them a valid in their terms excuse it will be an unexcused absent.
I as a parent have to get a note from the doctor stating that yes I did bring my child in for an appointment.
As a parent I can not take my child out of school for a family trip. It will be considered unexcused.
Do you know how dumb you sound telling the doctor that you need a note from them proving that I brought my child in for an appointment.
And if I do not provide proof and I take her out of school to much in their eyes I will go to court.
Now if she was skipping school and I as a parent did nothing about it, yes I agree I should go to court. But if I say we have to go out of town or she has to see the dentist or doctor I should not have to prove anything. AGH.............
Now for my youngest I do not need to do any of this. Go figure.

Our Kind of Sleepover

2009-02-18T18:23:00.003-06:00

We have an nontraditional type of sleep over that happens quite often in my home.

No, it is not a bunch of kids or strange parties.

We have doggie sleep overs. We have more dogs spending the night than children.

Really.....currently we have 4 dogs in my house as I type this. I have my 2. And then I also have 2 of my girlfriends.

Why you ask? I have no clue it is just fun. All the dogs get along and they make less noise than kids. LOL Really have you ever tried to sleep with girls giggling. Not a easy task. And little boys yep you know if they are to quiet they are up to something. With dogs they all stay near you sleep at your feet and really are not that demanding. And the kids seem to enjoy it also.

pictured is from left to right:

Curlie, Ruger, Voodoo, Charlie.

And of course my beautiful kids.

Yes three of them are related

My Valentine

2009-02-13T18:17:00.003-06:00

My husband is the most amazing man. He accepts me with all my faults. Never judges me for a action that I may make to be a wrong one.
Here is a example:
Yesterday, my girlfriend was having some issues at home and needed a break. I felt she needed someone with her. SO, I decided to go with her where ever she wanted to go. I called Jim and told him that I was going away for the night with her and not wanting to put him in the middle of the situation I told him I would not tell him where we were. He just said "That is fine. She needs you do what you need to do."
Later on I got a text from him. "I am running a fever of 101.9"
I asked him if he needed me to come home.
He told me "No, she needs you more than I do!"
All I could think is how did I end up with such a wonderful man. Here he is sick and he is putting my friend before him. I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The man is my rock. He keeps me level. He loves me for who I am not for how I am. He loves me when I am a crab and judgemental. He loves me when I am selfish. He loves me when I am distant. He loves me when I am hostile. He loves me!!!!!!!!
I thank the lord everyday for bringing this man in to my life and completing me as a person.
Celebrate the ones you love and Cherish them always and forever.

Things going on

2009-02-10T18:33:00.003-06:00

Where does the time go. Things have been so busy and yet so slow.
Let's see what news do I have. I made it through another layoff. We are down to 14 people on my shift. It is a dramatic change. We used to be at least 30-40 strong. Even with the current layoff there is still no work.
OK, some entertainment. Yesterday, I was attempting to move a waste barrel (weighs at least 300-400 lbs)at work. It is kept in a 4 inch high tub. With it being in in the tub it is even harder to move. I was finally able to get the dolly in and hook the barrel hook. I climbed up on it to tip it back. And boom!!! The hook undid it self from the barrel and I went flying back into the sink. The sink broke. It is more like a laundry tub but still it broke under my butt. I am fine. Don't worry. Just a little banged up and embarrassed about the sink. And I have been getting crap about it all week. LOL

500,000.........

2009-02-04T17:38:00.003-06:00

What does someone do to get a salary of $500,000. I am really asking for an honest answer.
I guess the way I look at is really the little people do all the hard work for the little money and somehow the Big Office guys bring in the big pay. Yet, when they have to down size the first to go are the little guys not the big salary guys. Is it not funny how business works. LOL.
Well that is enough on that.

Why Everyone Should Live in MN ...........

2009-02-02T17:26:00.002-06:00

Ok maybe you do not have to live here but with the type of weather we have you never know what to expect sometimes.
This weekend we had almost 45 degree weather. Beautiful. No coats sun shining. And then today the high we 12 at 5am. By the time I got home it was 7 degrees. And to top it off. The kids left the door open when they went to school. First thank god we live in a small town nothing was missing. But the Furnace ran full all day long. When I got home it was still only 60 degrees in the house and furnace blowing full blast. The upstairs was warm as can be but the downstairs is just a little chilly. So how was your day?

My Tale of the Day

2009-01-26T13:25:00.002-06:00

Last night I woke up with the worse sore throat. It hurt my ear when I would swallow. I tryed to avoid swallowing as much as possible. Guess what I learned...I ended up swallowing more. Go figure . That is the kind of pain I was in. I have been feeling under the weather for about two weeks but nothing like I felt last night. I must have been whining in my sleep because my husband asked me if I was OK.
I got up took some meds to help with the pain and swelling and went back to sleep. If that is what you call it.
This morning I ventured to see the doctor. Now, after they stick a Q-tip now my throat, they send me back to the doctor who says nope not strep. It could be MONO. Now, I have to go back to the lab and now they take 2 vials of blood.
Nope, not MONO. It is just a virus. She offers me a nasal spray that could help bring down the inflammation. Hey at this point I am up for anything that will make me feel better.
Now, thanks to the wonderful people at the pharmacy I did not get this medicine. They decided to tell me before sending it through that it would cost me $130.00. Now, me not liking that I have decided to rough it.
So, if you think I am grumpy I am sorry I feel crappy. And will for who know how long.
Well, that's all I have to say today. I think I will go back to bed now and hopefully feel better in the morning.

Food, Food, Food

2009-01-18T18:06:00.002-06:00

I love food. I love to eat it and I love to cook it. My favorite thing to do is to try and make something just like I have had in a restaurant.
We have gone out for Japanese and I have come home going I could make that. I think my hubby likes it because I really get down and dirty when I am trying to figure out the recipe. I will try and try until I feel I have it. Now, I have not gotten the all the recipes identical but I am able to come mighty close.
Just this week I have been working on a Potato Salad I had around a year ago. I am not a big fan of the traditional Potato Salad.
This Potato Salad is almost like a baked potato salad. So I thought I would share the recipe I have come up with and see what everyone thinks. My family likes it so I thought maybe others would.
Sarah's Potato Salad
5-8 potatoes(depending on size the bigger the less you need.
1 bottle of Ranch Peppercorn Dressing
1/2 package of Bacon Bits
1 cup shredded cheese(use your favorite)
2-3 tablespoons of butter
Wash potatoes
Do not peel unless you really do not like the skin
cut in to cubes
boil till they are almost soft yet not fully
Drain water from potatoes
in frying pan melt butter
add potatoes
brown on all sides
now here is where you can do 1 of two things this can be either a hot or cold salad.
For cold put in frig till fully cooled
for hot add all other ingredients together . ENJOY
For cold after they are cooled add other ingredients together and ENJOY.
Refrigerate any left overs if you have any.
Now after you try this please tell me what you think.

A Night Away

2009-01-17T14:20:00.003-06:00

Yesterday, we had hotel reservations for Jim's Christmas party. We decided to bring the kids with so they could have a little fun too. I was able to get an early check in so the kids could swim. The weather may have been -18 outside but it was a comfortable 78 in the pool area if not warmer.
After swimming the kids got to hang out in the room while Jim and I went to his party. They had it made pizza and movies.
Jim and I had a good time, Lots of good conversations, laughing and dancing. Jim did dance with me a little.(he is not big on dancing).To me the best part was when we were slow dancing one of his co-workers had a little to much to drink that he decided he needed to dance with Jim. LOL I had a little to drink. LOL And decided I could still dance like I was 18 again. I danced like I used to dance when I used to go clubbing. The good thing was I was not as sore as I thought I would be today.

Best Winter Email

2009-01-16T06:53:00.002-06:00

With as cold as it has been here I thought sharing this email would be fitting. Yesterday for the first time in at least 8 years the school my kids go to had a late start. I apologize to anyone that this may offend. LOL.
COLD WEATHER BEHAVIOR
Bragging rights....

Cold weather behavior:60 above zero: Floridians turn on the heat. Minnesotans plant gardens.

50 above zero: Californians shiver uncontrollably. People are sunbathing in Duluth.

40 above zero: Import cars won't start. Minnesotans drive with the sunroof open.

32 above zero: Distilled water freezes.. The water in Bemidji gets thicker.

20 above zero: New Mexicans don long johns, parkas and wool hats &mittens. Minnesotans throw on a flannel shirt.

15 above zero: New York landlord s finally turn on the heat. People in Minnesota have one last cookout before it gets cold.

Zero: People in Miami all die. Minnesotans close the windows.

10 below zero: Californians fly away to Mexico. Minnesotans dig their winter coats out of storage.

25 below zero: Hollywood disintegrates. Girl Scouts in Minnesota still selling cookies door to door.

40 below zero: Washington, D..C. finally runs out of hot air. People in Minnesota let their dogs sleep indoors.

100 below zero: Santa Claus abandons the North Pole. Minnesotans get upset because the minivan won't start.

460 below zero: ALL atomic motion stops (absolute zero on the Kelvinscale). People in Minnesota can be heard to say, "Cold 'nuff fer ya?"

500 below zero: Hell freezes over. Minnesota public schools open 2 hours late.

Keep our fingers crossed

2009-01-09T09:09:00.002-06:00

Yesterday the company I supply parts for announced that they have begun another round of layoffs. That makes me nervous. The plant I work in was originally 100 people plus strong. Now we are at around 44 people. We are running at the bare minimum. If our customers continue to layoff it is going to affect me at some point.

A Break from Sanity

2009-01-04T11:49:00.005-06:00

Here you have the enjoyment of seeing what my family finds entertaining. This is just some of the normal things that go on in my house with the dogs. If you throw a ball they look at you like you are nuts. But you put a helicoper in the mix and it is play time:

Another Storm is on its Way

2009-01-03T07:32:00.004-06:00

We have another storm coming our way. Hopefully we will not get as much as we have already got. Hubby and his buddies are driving right in to the area where there is going to be lots of snow. What a guy will do so he can go and look at guns. LOL

Yesterday the stores were selling out of everything. Bread, milk, water. The way people act you think the world is ending. Its is not like we are going to get 12FEET and not be able to get out. Like this picture :

Happy New Year 2009

2009-01-01T07:49:00.002-06:00

Happy New year to everyone. I barely made it to midnight. I guess I am just getting to old.
We went to friends and played cards and Scene It. Began to watch a movie and that was when I began to doze off. As, my dad would say "can't hang with the big dogs huh".
We left the little man asleep on the floor there. He is just to big for me to care now days. And Brit went to hang out with one of her girlfriends. She will be seen sometime today.
My resolution is to take everyday like it is the last. To enjoy the people I am with, be the best that I can. And not to sweat the little stuff.

Update on Enough Snow

2008-12-30T14:50:00.002-06:00

Here are some of the views from the car as we were driving from the Doctor. (no I did not take the pictures)

Almost got stuck. Never got close to the ditch thou.

Of course only one child wanted to be outside. It was a fight to get him to come in.

So I hope you enjoy our snowy weather.

Enough Already

2008-12-30T07:35:00.005-06:00

Today we are getting more of this white stuff. Looks like to we are getting another 6-10 inches here at my house. It has been really warm the past couple of days so most of the previous snow is more like ICE. Now we add fresh snow on top of it. I would have no problem with it normally but, today I need to drive to town. I have to go and see the doctor. No problems just getting prescription refilled before the new year and new insurance kicks in.

Christmas Is Over

2008-12-28T08:04:00.003-06:00

I am happy to say Christmas is over. I love the holiday don't get me wrong. But, my body takes a toll. I now have the Christmas cold. I am all stuffed up could hardly sleep last night because I could not breath.

The kids scored well. For Little man we went the k'nex route. So he has been building all sorts of things. We had gotten him a set for his birthday that came with a container to keep them in. With that though I thought all of his others would fit. Nope I was wrong. Yesterday we picked up a 12gal container to hold them all.

For the oldest Girl it was a fashion Christmas. She never really tells me what she wants so I have to go on instinct and pray she will be happy with her gifts. I think by the reaction on her face that I did well.(thanks to ebay)

That big smile is due the the fact that she has just received a Dooney and Bourke purse.

Now, it is time to take the tree down and put Christmas away.

I also have to remove all breakables out of the family room since we also got a 3-1 game table. All I can imagine is ping pong balls flying across the room and breaking something. LOL

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T07:05:00.002-06:00

Merry Christmas to all. We have an event full 2 days ahead of us. Today I will be pestered by my children to open their presents. While I make Egg rolls for my Aunts house this evening.
I did give my husband one of his gifts early. Actually it is for the whole family. I purchased a Bluray Player.
On Christmas day we will be driving to New Alburn, MN. It is around a 2 1/2 hour drive to spend the day with my husbands mom. After that we head home to spend the evening with some of our closest friends.
I can not wait for this to all be over. LOL

Little man's Birthday

2008-12-22T19:12:00.004-06:00

Due to weather being crappy and me havingmy hands full I forgot my camara. There fore I had to use my cellphone. Sorry about the qualiy of them.

The Little Mans First Concert at School

2008-12-19T12:55:00.003-06:00

This is very funny to watch. My little man is in the back row in the green shirt getting his arms stuck on the risers. I am glad the program was only a 1/2 hour long because the kids were losing interest fast.

Strange But True

2008-12-12T06:27:00.002-06:00

The other morning on our way to work we did the normal thing of stopping for gas. As we pull up to the pump I see a gentleman walking in the station with a strange hat on. I think "hum, that looks like an Amish Hat. But I see no buggie." Now I am walking in an look to my right and low and behold it is a group of Amish people climbing out of a van. Smiling to myself I do what comes natural to me and say "hello". No response back. I have now come up with they really do not want to have nothing to do with my kind. And here I was thinking of asking them if my oldest could stay with them so she could see how easy her life really is. Not now! If they do not have the ability to respond to a friendly gesture how do they treat each other. OK, I know these are my opinions from a one time meeting.
Other things. Now I really do not like to talk politics. The debates they cause can wreck friendships. But this whole thing going on in Chicago really has me talking. When they had the news conference and they investigator said "Illinois is the Most corrupt state" I just could not stop laughing. I guess you have to look at its history and ask yourself were you really surprised.
And the employees taking over the window plant. Yeah, that was awesome. I would do the same thing.
I got somewhat good news. Instead of the company I work for losing 150k this quarter we made 18k. Which does not seem like a lot but that mean the we are doing something right.
So how has your week been going?

My Favorite.....

2008-12-06T21:02:00.003-06:00

This is my favorite time of year I love to be able to pull out my christmas stuff. Here is my favorite.

Shoes

2008-12-06T13:11:00.004-06:00

My shoes. I have roughly 25 pairs of shoes. Most are for summer. In my pictures I did not show my work shoes. I have 2 pair that I wear there. I also have my fuzzy Croc's.

These are my newest shoes. I love them. My wonderful handsome husband picked them out for me.
Look how shiny they are. And so pretty. They feel wonderful to wear

Here is another angle of them.

And look they even came with dust bags to store them in. These are my creme de la creme of shoes. And so far they are my favorite. Now as long as I can keep the dogs away they should be beautiful forever. Also the daughter. She loves these shoes she was hoping they would not fit me so she could have them.

A Day Off

2008-12-05T06:35:00.003-06:00

So I have today off of work. No I did not take a vacation day. With the housing and building market down it reflects down my way in the food chain. There fore we have been reduced to 32 hour weeks. Some employees work Monday - Thursday and others work Tuesday - Friday. We need to ensure we have all 5 days covered. All I can ask is please people start buying Windows!!!!! OK I know we are in a recession. But when the time comes to buy think of me. I only make the components for one of the big name window makers out there. (sorry I do not get discounts I can toss your way)
So here are my plans for today. Laundry.( I missed my Friday laundry days), wrap Christmas presents (no kids home I can do it all out in the open) Organize my shoes(yes I really need to do that). My husband says why do you have so many shoes when you only have 2 feet. I will have to photograph my shoes so you can see what he is talking about. Just like clothing he asks me why I have so much. Hmmm, lets see. We live in a state where I need 2 wardrobes. One for summer and one for winter. And then I have my work clothes I do not work in a office I work manufacturing so I need clothing that can get yucky. Then I need non work clothing. I like to look nice so sue me. Plus, I have already eliminated 4 bags of clothes that I do not wear.
I think this evening I will have the kids trim the Christmas tree. We already have the yard set up with lights it just does not look as good as it would look out there if there was snow. Something about brown grass just does not make you think Christmas.
So what are your plans today?

Meat Processing Day

2008-11-29T16:40:00.005-06:00

Today we began our adventure of processing our deer. Some pictures may be consider to be graphic so I am giving you a heads up. But, this is our life and what we do so we have the foods we like. Now we could take it to our local butcher shops but the cost of it is just not worth it for us since we have all the the tools needed to process. Here we have all the items needed to package our meat.
The first step is to skin the deer. Now these girls have been
hanging a while so they are frozen solid. Which makes
things a little harder to do.

For us this is a family affair. Everyone wants to be involved.

PULL, PULL , PULL.

GOT LEGS

Now the fun of cutting.

And more cutting.

When everything is cut I get to the best part. Cooking the Tenderloins

Items needed. Not pictured meat.

Peppers, butter, liquid smoke, steak seasoning, garlic(not pictured)

and beer and Worcestershire Sauce (not pictured)

Melt 3/4 stick of butter with 3oz of beer 1Tbs of steak seasoning and garlic.

Add peppers. Add meat cook until meat cook all the way through. And liquid is mostly gone.

I had to cook additional meat.

Enjoy. This does not last long and really no reason for silverware or putting it in a pretty bowl

Because by the time you get back with the bowl its gone.

Now while the adults are working hard the kids are having fun playing video games

Black Friday

2008-11-28T17:02:00.002-06:00

OMG. I survived. Menards was a blast waiting outside store for 1 1/2. In store for 7 min. Office Max wait 1hour. In and out in 15 min(had to pee). Off to mall. Again I say OMG. In Victoria Secret. Wait and wait and wait. Got what I went for. Bath and body works. Wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait Check out. Got what I went for. Express. Got all the personal service I love. (this is a whole other topic) Special deals just for being me. Save a fortune. Herbergers in and out. Target in and out off to home I go. Home by noon.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T06:23:00.002-06:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL. Eat lots get your energy up because we all know what comes next. BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPING. And yes I will be one of those crazy nuts out there. Stores open at 4am and I just do not know how I could miss that. LOL.
For today thou we will be deep frying our bird. And have all the fixings to go with it. Yummy.

A hunting Tale

2008-11-22T19:25:00.004-06:00

Sorry the pictures are so blurry. I was using my phone.
Here you see one of the reasons why this year the harvest for deer was down 23k. The corn is still up. And even if you are in a stand 16 feet up that corn is still in the way.
This year we have harvested 3 deer so far with 5+ tags to be filled. This is one of the guys we hunt with. Behind him is CORN. Now some of the next pictures you may find graphic or offensive. Just give you a head up

Here is my handsome sexy hubby. (gutting deer)There is just something about him and hunting that makes me purr.

He is now telling her to spread them so he can finish the job. LOL

She came right up on him on the edge of the CORN. And no deer for me. Well there is always next year.

Great Great News

2008-11-19T18:20:00.002-06:00

OK,so now I can spill my news. It has been killing me to keep my mouth shut. Last week was a weird week at work for my hubby. First his plant manager pulls him a side and asks him if he would be interested in doing a inspection type job. Then just yesterday he had a meeting with the president of his company to talk about how he felt about being a supervisor for his department. (his was demoted last week). So, today he was offered the position. And of course he accepted.
I am so proud of him and the hard work that he does. He has been able to prove himself to others and they see that he has great potential.
GREAT JOB HONEY

New Buzz

2008-11-15T07:30:00.004-06:00

We have done the Harry Potter books and movies. Currently we are just beginning the phase of the Twilight movie. Since we have read all the books. The actors we here in MN yesterday. My oldest darling wants to go to the opening night showing of the movie. She has been informed that is not going to happen. She was very disappointed. I explained to her that it is a school night and that if her report card did not have 2 F's (due to not turning work in and being lazy) she would have maybe been able to go to the midnight showing. Depending on how her week goes she will maybe be going on Saturday instead.
Our news find in the book realm is The 39 Clues. This is a interactive read. You read the books collect cards and play online. The kids and I have just started our journey. We have decided to make this a family thing. Book two comes out in December.

Strange Child

2008-11-10T18:57:00.007-06:00

Such a cute child he is. Yet he really makes me wonder. This child LOVES and I mean LOVES laundry baskets. He is always playing in my laundry basket. He as I type is sitting in one watching TV.(no one is sitting on the love seat and there is room on the couch). He is very content to just sit and play in the basket. Any chance he get he takes them over. So this year for Christmas the child is getting his very own to play with. No toys for this child but a laundry basket.

So now for your viewing pleasure I give you my boy and the laundry basket.

Opener Weekend

2008-11-09T12:40:00.003-06:00

Well it was opener weekend for Deer hunting. And Jim got ONE. I stayed in this weekend. Maybe next weekend will be my lucky weekend.