Jennifer's Graduation Party

Pictures from one awesome party!

1. The proud graduate (headed for Pitt! Woo-hoo!!!!!!)


















2. Andrew rockin' the debke.

3. Andrew on a time-out from dancing, hanging with me.

4. The family - Philip, Laura, Sommer, Jennifer (the graduate), and Christine.

5. Yasar after 2 beers! Ha!!!!

Pretty Toes

The boys bought me a gift certificate for a nail salon for Mother's Day....they did a great job! I've never had pretty toes before!

Judge Mathis, You Maverick, You!

Do I have too much time on my hands? Tell me the truth, I can handle it....

Has it caught anyone else's attention the phenomenon of cross gender, cross ethnic baliffs on court shows these days? Think about it...

Judge Judy - white female. Bert - black male.
Judge David Young - white male. Baliff - black female.
Judge Milian (The People's Court) - white female. Douglas - black male.
Judge Joe Brown - black male. Sonia - white female.

And the list goes on. Does anyone else notice a pattern here? Only Judge Mathis bucks the mold, having a male (albeit white) baliff.

Or maybe I need to start paying attention to soap operas.

Dealing With Government Agencies

At 34 years old, I figure I've paid taxes for the last 18 years. I've invested alot of money into the government from which I've yet to see any return. Not that I've ever grumbled about my tax dollars, I think like most people, I just wrote them off as gone, hopefully to a worthy cause. Just another American citizen, paying into the system.

We have health insurance, but adding that maternity rider to it was prohibitively expensive, and didn't really cover much of the prenatal & delivery. Since we just assumed we were destined to be a single-child family, we decided not to add that extra expense to our family budget. So, now that we're pregnant, we needed to explore Medicaid to be able to afford prenatal care.

Oh, the joys of dealing with government workers. Am I just being hormonal and oversensitive, or are they all just the most sour people on the planet? Is everyone who comes to them for assistance dehumanized? How can they stand their jobs, since they truly seem to believe that they are FAR better than the rest of the unwashed masses?

I was talked to as if I have an IQ far below national average. I was belittled, even though I was following the directions I was given at the Health Department (another place to be treated like crap, IMHO), I was ignored. I was almost reduced to tears. And, essentially, I'm paying their salaries to treat me like this. How frustrating!

It's so hard for me to admit I need public assistance. This is a place I never thought I'd be. But I'm here, and I deserve to be treated like a human being, with respect and courtesy. Ad maybe, just maybe, a little sensitivity.

What do you think? Have you ever had the pleasure of going to the unemployment office, or the social security department? Have you noticed a distince lack of customer service chops? Is there anything we can do about this?

Saving $$$ Eating Out with Andrew

Instead of buying a "kid's meal" for Andrew when we go out to eat, we've been road-testing sharing our meals with him. We just ask for another plate, and divy up the choicest goodies from our plates for him.

The upside to this is threefold - we're saving money, introducing him to different tastes, and providing healthier fare for his (rapidly) growing body. Think about this - you go out to your local diner. Under kid's meals, they have what? Hot dog/hamburger/the ubiquitous chicken nugget/spaghetti or tacos if you're in an ethnic restaurant. And you're likely paying $3 to $4 a pop for something that's overprocessed and probably fried (because they all come with fries, right?).

When we split our meal with Andrew, he's being exposed to different types of food. While visiting PA this past week, my parents, Andrew, and I went to a small diner. My mom, ever the maverick of the group, ordered liver and onions. She asked Andrew if he'd like a bite. He tried it, even swallowed it, before refusing seconds. I held my tongue through this whole minidrama so he wouldn't be swayed by my gagging noises. Gotta say I was pretty proud of him!

The downside? Andrew's five now. The age of independence. He's getting harder to compromise with when it comes to menu selection. While at another restaurant this past week, he was adamant that he wanted a hot dog. We asked the price of *just a hot dog*, and the answer was $3.50. Gulp! He was most unhappy about it, but was required to share my turkey and gravy. He also got the pick of everyone else's plates. I know I looked like the mean mommy to my family and friends, but his healthy eating is very important to me. And our financial future is, too.

Oh, and we're teaching him about drinking water at restaurants. I half-jokingly told my sister I was going to start carrying those individual drink mix packets for just this situation, especially after seeing the bill and realizing that we paid almost $2 for each kid's drink!

What do you do to tame the bill while eating out with kids? And, do you think carrying those drink mixes is ethical?

Our New Kitchen

My friend Brenda came over and helped me recover our ugly, stained cream-colored kitchen chairs. The results are just stunning! She even used her serger to finish off a piece of fabric as our tablecloth. What a difference! It looks so great with our Meditteranean green/gold paint job. Gorgeous!

Death of the Christmas Card

It's mid-December, and a curious phenomenon is happening here in Troy, Ohio...there's a notable lack of gay red envelopes containing festive Christmas greetings gracing our mailbox. So far, we've only received one holiday greeting, and it's been delivered by the old shoeleather express (take that, Mr. Postman!). So what gives?

I've seen other bloggers mentioning different reasons why they weren't participating in this archaic holiday tradition this year - mostly financial, environmental, and frugal, good points all. But for me, this year it's been mostly about time management. There's only so many hours in December. Between cooking, making personalized teacher gifts, planning a trip to the old hometown, working, and all the other minutae of daily life, certain festivities had to go. So sorry, but bye-bye holiday greetings.

My girl Julie, down there in Texas, was debating about that queen of all holiday greetings, the Family Update Letter (yes, it does warrant caps, don't you think?). And that's another reason why it felt acceptable to let the Christmas cards go the way of the dinosaur this year. Most of my family and friends check in to see what's new here fairly frequently. So anything we could send to them would probably be yesterday's news.

What do you think? Have you noticed a lack of red and green cheery envelopes in the mailbox? Have you decided to forego the mass mailing of the cards this year? If so, why?

Slacking, An Update

I need to apologize to all my loyal blog readers...well, both of you, anyway. It seems like the old blog is taking a backseat to life lately. Between the holidays, housework, family, and Facebook, there just doesn't seem to be as much time to generate words. But not to worry, babying the blog is very high on my list of New Year's resolutions. And I'm pretty good about keeping resolutions, at least until the second week of January. :)

But, an update on the homefront. First of all, we've tentatively decided to put the homestead on the market. For those of you who've seen my home, no doubt you're shaking your heads and wondering where I'll find the time to clean it all. Me, too. But when God is with us, who (dustbunnies included) can be against us?

Christmas preparations are all tied up. Christmas presents wrapped, jars of Candy Cane Brownie Mix made and ready for distribution to teachers/sitters/neighbors. The tree is up, and it's beautiful. All that's left is grocery shopping for the marathon cook-a-thon the days before Christmas. Have to make a huge dinner, with lots and lots of planned leftovers. Why, you ask?

Well, Andrew and I plan to depart for Reading, PA the 26th. We're very excited about our mini vacay. It should include Andrew's first trip to that mecca of diet-disturbance, Hershey Park's Chocolate World (if you've been there, I apologize for the little diddy that's going through you head right now - and if you haven't had the pleasure, you can hear it here). My child, though no fan of chocolate (weird, huh?), loves Reese's PB cups. And hopefully the weather cooperates enough for us to hit the park and take in the Christmas lights display. I'm also looking forward to hitting my favorite smokehouse ever, Dietrich's Meats. Their smoked sausage is a (stinkily) wonderful addition to my freezer, and a little goes a long way in some old fashioned sausage stew. We'll also be hanging with my good friend, Joy. Should be lots of fun!

So, back to the planned leftovers. I love my husband dearly. But left to his own culinary devices, he'll be eating cold cereal morning, noon, and night. Hence the mountain of warm-ups that will be awaiting him. And, also, when we travel, we make it a point to take a cooler of food and drinks, rather than hitting the turnpike travel plazas for subpar fast food (yeah, that sounds redundant to those not familiar with turnpike food, but trust me, a Hardee's burger at a regular restaurant is light years from a the same on the old toll road). Not to mention the cost. It's really much more frugal, as well as healthy, to brown bag it.

So, that's what's going on here. What's new in everyone else's lives? How are you doing on your holiday plans? Are you ready for Christmas to be over yet?

Bailing Out the "Big Three"

GM/Ford/Chrysler are standing in line with their hands out for their piece of the bailout package. And, in a distinctive AIG move, last month the CEO's of these companies head off to DC to plead tgheir poverty in their luxurious private jets.

Yeah, it makes you scratch your head. But NPR pointed out that flying private is contractural for top CEO's, that it's too much of a terrorist risk to fly commercial. In a way, I can understand that.

Until the companies just blew that theory out of the water by having the Big Kahunas return to DC by car. That's right, road trip. Huh.

I wonder if they're driving those big gas-hog SUV's?

Black Friday Fun

Yesterday, as tradition dictates, we spent the day in a turkey-stuffed stupor with my family here in South Bend, Indiana, pouring over the ads for the biggest shopping day of the year. I was a bit intimidated, as this would be the first year I wouldn't be slumbering through the madness. My darling SIL would be initiating me in the frugal frolick that is 5am on the day after Thanksgiving.

We made tentative plans for destinations, mapping, and items to purchase. We got up early, piled into the car (my husband couldn't resist the fun, either, much to my astonishment!), and set out for destination: Walmart.

Madness, I tell you! Madness! People piled on top of more people, everyone vying for the shortest checkout line. Loaded down with flat screen TV's, the latest Hanna Montana gobblty-gook, and armloads of clothes. I shopped for about 10 minutes, then took my place in line and waited for Yasar and Chris to gravitate from their positions in the toys and electronics departments. And the entertainment began. If you're the type who enjoys people-watching, Black Friday at Walmart is an absolute bonanza! You can see the best and the worst in human behavior, all in one fell swoop. It seems that the old adage should be updated to say "all's fair in love, war, and Black Friday shopping." Women getting snarky with each other over checkout line position, people guarding their shopping carts as if they're filled with precious gems, fat women stripping down to barely-decent tops due to the intense body heat generated by the hoards. And the smell! Hundreds of unshowered, undeodorized, and probably un-toothbrushed people. Yowza. Hmmmm.

After that, it was off to Office Depot, where Chris was eyeballing a fax machine that, after rebate, would go for a paltry $10. You'd think an office supply store would be pretty low on the shopper's radar...you'd be wrong. The checkout line was easily 45 minutes. But I got to watch some of the best spirit of the season - the girl behind me was too late to get the $350 laptop she wanted, and was standing in line with her $500 next choice. A gentleman came by and gave her a pink piece of paper that entitled her to one of the computers she wanted. With a "merry Christmas", he disappeared into the crowd. After a few minutes talking to others, we found that they were only handing out those papers to those hardy souls standing outside the store at 4am. And, that same girl had been approached by someone else outside trying to scalp one of those papers to her! She was a very happy young lady, and it was such a blessing to watch her glowing with her gratitude to that kind stranger.

Last stop for us was Menards. The store was crowded, the lines long. We chose to go to the checkouts in their outdoor area, and ended up spending what seemed like forever, but was probably closer to an hour, in the 40 degree checkout. And, at the end of that miserable wait, got to watch a gentleman basically lose it on a poor cashier who was no doubt more cold and miserable than the rest of us. Not the kind of end you really want to experience, but I guess it's the reality.

Moral of the story? I now know how I'm going to make my first million. I'm going to pitch a story to the first video game company I can, called "Black Friday". It'll be better than GTA, I promise! Starting with the parking lot derby, the race for the Wii, answering trivia questions to advance your place in the checkout line, earn extra points and trade them for a Taser to get people out of your way (and might also be helpful in zapping the guys breaking into your car and stealing your bags while you're in the mall). Tell me you wouldn't buy that!

Quiet

Somehow the dawn this morning seems very peaceful. Probably because, by the end of today, I'll have a monster headache from 30 sugar-saturated, over-stimulated kids (and the clown egging them on). Am I looking forward to this? Hell, yeah! And you too, stay tuned for pictures!

Last night I got a bit of pause from a friend when I revealed my strict 8pm bedtime. Maybe it sounds preschoolish, but I really value getting up at 5am, enjoying a cup of coffee and my Google Reader, with the morning news going in the background. Our home is situated perfectly to watch the sun come up over I-75. The cat even understands that noise is sacriligeous - he's standing at the back door awaiting his daily hunt (he caught a mouse the other day and I had the unique opportunity to watch him eat it - he hasn't been giving me any lovins for a few days, I just can't shake that scene from my head!).

But this is my favorite time of day. Before Andrew wakes up and shatters the quiet with Curious George and Sid the Science Kid, before Yasar wakes up and starts grumbling about (lack of) business. Before the traffic starts rolling outside, and my to-do list starts rolling through my subconscience.

And, as I finish typing this, I hear the telltale toilet flushing upstairs. Usually the first clue that the quiet is about to be reluctantly tucked away until tomorrow.

Sigh.

And There It Goes....

Word around the campfire is that AmEx and Capital One both got bailout dollars.

Can't we, as taxpayers, demand to know what's happening to our money? My flipping taxes will be going to pay for companies who willingly made risky choices, meanwhile I struggle to deal with a dead business? Why can't we get some of those bailout dollars?

Oh, that's right...when our franchise goes under, it'll only be something like 5 jobs lost.

Nothing like knowing where you are on the food chain.

Busted, AIG! Again! What's Your Friggin' Problem?

I think I just threw up in my mouth.

Heading through my RSS Reader, they were talking about AIG's latest luxury spa visit, to the tune of $350,000. Didn't they JUST go to Congress asking for another $40 billion?

So help me God, if our government is STUPID enough to hand them the money, I'm gonna...I'm gonna......

Bend over?

Argh! God Flippin' Bless America!

You Gotta Love America....

Wall Street is in the toilet, unemployment is reaching record highs, and the national debt is exploding.

But what's the news of the day?

"Which hypoallergenic dog will Obama choose for his White House pet?"

ay, caramba

Ill Presidente

It's no secret that I voted Republican yesterday.

What's not so well known is that I really thought both candidates were good & bad in their own rights.

For me, this election was a win-win (lose-lose?) situation.

The part that breaks my heart is that McCain never truly had a fighting chance. After the legacy that Bush has left for our country, very few wanted to see another War President in the White House.

I actually admire Obama in his demeanor - he always appears cool and completely in control of his emotions.

Keep praying for the leadership of this country. It won't be an easy job, following President Bush. I hope Obama's up for it.

Grab a Cup of Something and Get Cozy...

Because this is going to be a long one.

First off, Fulton Farms. Andrew's preschool had a field trip yesterday to our local pumpkin patch. We got to invite a good friend, Amanda, along, which was probably better for me than for him (as soon as he saw his best friend Izaiah, I began to eminate a chopped liver-esque stench. Good thing Amanda didn't mind. :)

"Let's get on the bus...." (dang Doodlebops, that song's STILL stuck in my head!)

Ready.....aim............

That's a BIG tire!

And last night was Andrew's first Halloween. We never let him trick-or-treat before, so this was quite an experience for him. The first 15 minutes was spend goggling at all the other kids in costumes. Then he got the hang of it, and took off running for each door. What fun!

Isn't he ripped? Yowza!

As a side note, I promised him that, when we got home, he could eat as much candy as he wanted tonight only - I know, my friend Christine was looking at me like I needed a lobotomy or something, but I figure every kid needs that story of how he gorged himself on halloween candy till he puked. And you can probably guess what happened...15 minutes into his binge, he was munching on a piece of leftover pizza and watching a DVD. I don't know whether to be proud or chagrinned. That's my little hero. :)

Okay, and it's the end of the month, which means it's time to report the grocery challenge. I'm sad, we didn't meet the goal of $100 in edible food for the month. We were on track until a few days ago, when Yasar mentioned he needed to buy bread (he eats special bread he gets from the Middle Eastern grocery store in Dayton). So that, and some yogurt cheese and dates blew us over our goal. We're going to try again in November, since now we've got the whole rice & beans thing down to a science.

Here's the numbers:

Edible groceries: $129.08

Nonedible groceries - $0

Health - $44.16

Misc - $416.18

Restaurant - $95.55

Gas - $105.28

A note in the Misc catagory - Andrew's birthday is next month, so we bought him some cars. We also took care of Christmas for our family, and Tiger had a pretty expensive vet visit. I'd say I have more hope for next month, but we've still got some birthday party bills coming.

Restaurant has gone up a little, since eating rice & beans all the time gets us a little bored. Another thing we'll be working on next month.

And gas? Whooo-eee! It's $1.99 a gallon here right now! I'm praying that trend continues!

So that's it, guys. October is over. Hunker down and get ready for more expensive heating bills, seasonal depression, and snow shovelling. Uck.

The Weekend in Review

What a horrible weekend this was! It all started Friday, rainy day, and I had the very worst case of the blues I'd ever had. I mean, I was starting to get scared for myself.

Saturday was another day at work. I spent so much of it in prayer, and in tears. I hate to look at antidepressants as my help - does that mean I don't trust in God to get me through this? I'm struggling with that question. I'm not sure if the issue is the situation we're facing or a chemical imbalance (there is a strong family history of mental issues in my family). I have a bottle of happy pills awaiting me at the pharmacy, but I'm still on the fence as to whether to take them or not.

It's funny, when things get bad, I always return to the same two songs - Held by Natalie Grant and Cry on My Shoulder by Overflow. These songs held the promises I clung to during the miscarriage, when Andrew got scalded, and when we were dealing with his dogbite and the aftermath. It's these songs that consistently bring me to my knees, and make me feel Jesus's arms holding me, caring for me and begging me to rely on Him. I'm so grateful.

And I'm grateful that this past weekend is past.

Me First Meme

Okay, my bud Tricia is thinking my life isn't quite as purechaos as hers, so she's giving me some homework (gee, Thanks!!!)

So I'm tagging Debbie, Julie, my anonymous Indian friend (sorry, you still haven't told me your name!), MacMommy, and Thaleia. Let's see whatcha got, ladies!

* Five Things I Plan To Do Before I Die:

1. Take my son on a hot air balloon ride.
2. Learn to ride a motorcycle.
3. Take a photography class.
4. Visit every state in the continental US on an RV trip with my sister (we'll probably be Golden Agers by the time we can afford it!)
5. Go back for another winter trip to Niagara Falls with Yasar.


* Five Things I Can Do:

1. Change my own flat tire.
2. Drive a stick shift.
3. Sniff out poop from a distance of about 25 feet (a great trick picked up from the nursing home).
4. Crochet
5. Kiss boo-boos away.


* Five Things I Can't Do:
1. Stay out of the bath tub.
2. Sit still for an entire 2-hour DVD in the house (halfway through I'll start doing dishes or something).
3. Be an extrovert.
4. Go for a week without talking to my mom.
5. Run the Boston Marathon

* Five Things That Attract Me To The Opposite Sex:

1. Confidence combined with a little vulnerability.
2. Olive skin and a big nose.
3. Solid moral base.
4. Ability to think outside the box.
5. Good conversationalist.

* Five Things I Say Most Often:

1. "Thank you for calling (redacted) Pizza, will this be for pick-up or delivery?"
2. Andrew...I love you.
3. Habibi, what should I make for dinner?
4. Thank You, God, for ......
5. I hate my life (I never say this out loud, though)

RNC Rally Today

Okay, as a registered Republican, I'm a little disturbed by today's events.

Hobart Arena, here in Troy, hosted a Republican rally today, with guest speaker Sarah Palin.

The business we own is right on the main drag between Interstate 75 and Hobart Arena.

Naturally, the whole street was shut down for the half hour before Palin's arrival. Since there wasn't much going in or out of our store, I left my delivery driver inside and went out to await the caravan of police, Palin, and assorted press-groupies.

Funny, Troy police cars flying up and down the street, lights flashing. Nothing apparently wrong, maybe they just wanted to blow off some steam, too.

Anyway, here comes the line-up. State Police truck in the front, then Palin's gold-colored Suburban. There's probably no more than 20 people out waiting. But Palin flys by, eyes firmly on her lap (or maybe her speech notes, let's give the girl a little cred). Barricades go up, and it's business as usual.

Fast forward 2 hours, the street gets quiet again. Not much notice this time, but I'm back out at the curb, waiting. The State Police go by, then Palin's truck. Of course, I'm waving like a goofball. But Palin's eyes are again firmly planted into her lap. No speech notes excuse this time.

My question is, with the McCain/Palin approval rating being where it is, and being smack in the middle of Bush country, why wasn't she trying just a little harder to connect with the people who so obviously would have been grateful for just a hint of acknowledgement? It would have gone a long way towards making a few people happy, people who cared enough to be standing outside in less-than-balmy weather, just to catch a glimpse of her and be inspired anew.

I'm just left feeling disappointed.

I'm voting Republican this primary. Obama is pro-choice, and as a person I can't side with that. But I'm left to wonder, if both Obama and McCain stood on the same side of that issue, would I still vote Republican?

Middle of the Night - Tiger Rant

I'm so darn tired of seeing that alarm clock say 2:00 and it's still dark outside. This happens about once a week, usually when I have something going on in the morning - I must think about stuff in my sleep and just wait for that 2am potty trip to push me beyond the cusp of sleepiness. Fun.

Tonight, as I reflect, I'm thanking God for a particular blessing in my life. This week I took our cat, Tiger, to the vet to get a flea bath, some Advantix, and a distemper shot. I got a call from the vet around lunchtime that Tiger's gums were pale and they wanted to run some blood tests on him. You know, nothing makes you realize how much you take something for granted until it's gone. That was the longest afternoon I've had in awhile. I was just terrified that this was going to be bad - I suspected they were testing for feline leukemia, and called a friend to confirm that. Thankfully, God came through and Tiger tested negative (whew!).

When I picked him up from the vet, I got a chance to ask the question that's been niggling at me for awhile...what kind of cat is Tiger? He found us about a year ago, he jumped into a driver's car at the store and refused to leave. We took him to the animal shelter because we were sure someone out there missed him - he's an incredibly friendly cat, and he's fixed and front-declawed. The Miami County Animal Shelter listed him on the website as a brown tabby, which is at odds with his spotted pattern. So, while paying my vet bill, I asked, and got a strange answer...he's probably half Bengal. Huh?

Then I started researching the breed, and it all began to make sense. Some of Tiger's best traits are common for the Bengal cat - extremely bright, vocal, large-sized, very friendly. All the things we saw in him and fell in love with that first night.

As I sit here now, he's patiently waiting for the laptop to vacate HIS space. And I know what he'll do, curl up on my lap for some lovin'. And when I stop petting him, he'll reach up that paw, stroke my face, and remind me that HE's not done being loved.

Tiger, you're a blessing in my life. I thank God He brought you to us. Thank you for being part of our family.