Decisions, decisions!

We have a few decisions around here to make and we (actually I) are having a hard time in making them.
There are really only 2 that are up in the air. Benny knows what he wants (rather what he thinks we need) but I am on the fence. Actually, one of them I am totally against and am just trying to figure out how to convince him.

First thing. Benny wants to sell the camper so he can buy a motorcycle. He doesn't want a motorcycle for play (that would just be a plus), he wants it to drive back and forth to work. His office is 70 miles from the house and that takes a lot of gas in his truck and my pathfinder. If he had a bike, we would save TONS on gas money. And, since we live in Texas, he could drive it most of the year.
My problem is, I love having the camper AND I know that next spring he will need it when he has to go back to Louisiana to work that shut down. See my problem. I don't know what we should do. Seems like an easy decision to make, but it's not for me.

Second thing. He thinks I need to go back to work. He has decided with a motorcycle and me working part time, we could do good. The thing is, he usually works 2 shut downs a year and makes a ton of money. The last shut down I didn't save any because we bought a camper, a boat, and horses. Now during the summer, he only works 40 hours and that has always been doable to pay our bills but now we have more bills AND we just got medical insurance that cost $500 a month (that covers med, dental, and vision).
Also, Toot will be going everyday to pre-school which is twice as much as we paid last year and Smiley will be going two times a week which is a payment we didn't have last year. Now, he is not sure if he will even work a shut down this fall because they need him in the office so much. That right there is a major cut in his annual income.
My problem is, I don't think me working part time would even be worth my time. That would mean I have to put Smiley in school everyday and double his tuition. We had a plan that I would go back to work when Smiley started kindergarten and I like that plan. I am not ready to be a working mom. I want to still stay home with my babies. The only thing I got going for me is that NO ONE is hiring around these parts and I would be very picky about my hours. Only 8am - noon and no weekends. I refuse to work more than that. I will be the one picking up my babies from school (they get out at noon).

We have to do something because what we are doing now isn't working out so well. I need to get us on a strict budget, save our asses off during shut downs, and maybe still sell the camper. I don't know. Such hard decisions. What do yall think?

To be the best...

MamaKat has her prompts up and I chose #2 today. What do you aspire to be?

This has been a topic of discussion for awhile around my house hold. What do I want to be when I grow up? The reason we have talked about it is because in just a few short years, all my kiddos will be in school full time. There really wouldn't be a reason for me to be home all day.

I came up with nothing. Oh, a lot of things got thrown around (real estate, physical therapist, accounting...) but nothing made me say "Yes, that is what I want to do for the rest of my life".

But, MamaKat isn't really asking what I want to do but rather what I aspire to be. Big difference I think.

That one is easy for me.

I aspire to be the best mom I can be for my kids. I want them to always feel they can come to me with anything. I want them to be comfortable enough with me that they feel they can tell me everything. I want them to not mind hugging me in public when they are grown. I want them to always be happy in this family no matter what else is going on. I want them to be happy with their life. I want them to always know that I love them no matter what. I want to teach them family values as I learned them. I believe I can be their friend AND still be their parent but I want them to understand why sometimes I can be their friend but other times I have to be the parent even if they don't like it. I want my children to be very well balanced, respectful, well behaved, loving, happy children and then adults. That can only happen if I continue to keep trying everyday to be the best mom I can be.

I also aspire to be the best wife I can be to Benny. I want him to always know that I love him with all my heart and soul. I want him to enjoy coming home after work and not dread it. I want for him to always be my best friend. I want him to feel comfortable enough with me that he can tell me everything. I want him to always be happy that he is my husband. I want to always be able to have fun with him and for him to always have fun with me. I want to have a marriage where it doesn't matter how much money we have, how many material things we have, or even how clean the house is because I want the love we have for each other to be what matters most. When we are done with our life hear on earth, I want the world to know that our life together was like a roller coaster. We had our ups and downs but the ride sure was a blast. In order for that to happen, I have to keep trying to be the best wife I can be.

Those are the two main things I aspire to be. For me, that is the two most important things because those four people are the most important people in my life. If I don't try to be my best then why should they?



On a side note, to read a really great post, go check out Amanda's post today. I really loved it and think you might too.

Thank you

It's Thursday and that means its MamaKat time. I haven't done this in a while. Heck, I can't even remember the last time I did this but I saw the prompt this morning and really wanted to do the first one.

It is to describe something someone has done to make you feel special.

If you haven't noticed, I have had a weird/bad week. The things that happened to me that caused me to write the post yesterday were more weird than anything. But ya, it kinda pissed me off. The yesterday afternoon, I had to have a tooth pulled and that was bad. The root of my tooth was hooked and the dentist had to use great force to get it out. The whole right side of my mouth and face are bruised, swollen and is in a lot of pain. I have had my wisdom teeth pulled and it was nothing compared to this. Last night, the pain meds were not even helping. I'm doing better this morning but it still hurts pretty bad.

Anyway, a few people did little things that made me feel special yesterday. And you know what? They are all bloggers. I am so glad that I started blogging because I have gotten to know some really great people.

The first one was Sage. He defended me when he didn't have to. For someone I don't technically know to stand up for me means a lot. Just like so many of you did last week on this post. I have noticed that people I have become friend with on here will take up for me, no questions asked, a lot more than people I know in real life. I don't know if that says something about yall, the people I know in real life, or both. Either way, made me feel special. Thank you once again Sage and everyone from last week.

Second person was Carrin. She knew I had my dentist appt. yesterday and about 30 minutes after I left the dentist, I got a text from her asking how it went and how I was. That meant a lot because it shows me that she cares. Especially since she has a whole bunch of shit on her plate right now. Not that I had any doubt but once again, it's the little things that sometimes mean the most. Thank you girl, you really are the best.

The third person was Amanda. She didn't know about the dentist appt but she did read my post yesterday. Last night I got online right before I went to bed and I had an e-mail from her saying "I hope the rest of your day went better for you!". Of course it didn't and I told her what happened. She then sent me an e-mail saying "I wish you luck, a prayer and a few beers!" For someone I have never met to think enough about me to send me an e-mail like those is awesome. Thank you Amanda, I am so glad we have gotten to know each other.

Then I got C. Even when she is not blogging, she will send me e-mails just to see how me and the family are doing. Thank you my little Hawaiian Mama. It means the world to me that you actually care.

I think I am pretty damn blessed to have gotten to know you all. I wish more people would realize that you don't have to put out a huge effort to make someone feel special. The little things mean just as much, if not more. Just letting someone know you are thinking of them and care about them can turn a bad day/week into a great one.

Thank you again to each and everyone of you. More of you have done things to make me feel special but these 4 just really stood out in my head (which is a little groggy now because of the pain meds and lack of sleep). I hope everyone has a great day.

I remember when...

walking up some steps would wear me out. When trying on clothes at the store was torture to me. When I always avoided mirrors. When I got heartburn all the time and wasn't pregnant. When I avoided cameras as best as I could. When I weighed 50 pounds more than I do now.That was only a year ago. Now, I feel so much healthier and look so much better. Now, I can cruise up the stairs with no problem. If we had built that fence last year, there is no way in hell I could have helped. I would have just been the fat chick sitting on the side watching. I think that is why I enjoyed the hard work so much, because I COULD do it. Now, I don't mind having my picture taken.Benny was the best husband the whole time. He never complained or put me down. He loved me no matter what I looked like. He does act different now that I am small again though. Can't keep the guy off of me! Talk about some major encouragement to keep me from ever going there again!

It is weird to me that I let myself get that way. I have always been on the smaller side. I got to the point where I just didn't care. Why? I have know idea.

Luckily, my mom was there to knock some sense into me. Again.

If there is ever a next time Mom, don't wait so long!!!

For more writing assignments, head on over to MamaKats.

My Mom

I haven't written a post about my mom and I think it is because there are really no words that can describe how wonderful of a person and mother she is. She really is the best. I could not have asked for a better person to raise me. I know I wont do her justice but I will try.

Well obviously, without her, I wouldn't be here. She had a pretty fast labor and before she knew it, I was here. Her life would NEVER be the same.

She would get down and play with me in the floor and mold the person I am today.

But more importantly, she was and is ALWAYS there for me. No matter what was going on with me, I knew I could go to her and I did/do. She has been there for every big thing I have gone through.

When I was 16 and found out I was pregnant, she was the first person I told. She was so understanding and supported me all the way. She even told my dad for me!

When I was in labor with all three of my kids, she was in the room with me helping me all the way. With the first one, I don't know how I would have got through it without her.When I left my first husband, she let me move back in with her. She really taught me how to be a mom and not just any mom, but a great mom. Also, when I had to go to a wedding and pretend to be the happy wife of the man I just left, she was right there with me helping me through it.

Not only has she been there for me through tough times but also for fun times.

She actually paid for my first tattoo. Of course it was to cover up a stupid homemade one but still, she paid for it. And she gave me that kick ass shirt I am wearing. ;)

She was there when I celebrated my 21st birthday.And she was there when I met Benny and when I married him.

She is the kind of person people wish to be like. She taught me to always stand for something. To not let others get me down. To be the kind of person I would want my kids to be. To always love my family. That your family should always be your #1 priority. That you have to have the bad times to appreciate the good times. To know that it could always be worse and that it will get better. To be a great mom. To be a great wife. That you can't change anyone but yourself. To always try harder. That if you want something done right, it's usually easier to do it yourself and to do it logically the first time. To really enjoy life and not sweat the small stuff. And so much more.

She is my very best friend along with Benny. I talk to her every single day and wouldn't change that for anything. I truly am the luckiest person because I get to have her as my mom.

I love you Mom. Thank you for being the person you are.

I hear the slots calling my name!

It's Thursday. Ya know what that means and if ya don't, where the hell have you been?
The Prompts:
1.) If I sent you four hundred dollars today what is ONE thing you would spend it on and why. ps I want my change.
2.) What are your kids talking about?
3.) Tell us about a local news story that's all the buzz right now in your neck of the woods.
4.) Share some blogging advice.
5.) Tell us about that time at the playground when that thing happened.(thanks to Heather at Chasing Butterfly's who unknowingly inspired this last prompt)

Well, lets see. I just wrote about #3 Tuesday. You can read it here. I wrote about #4 here. My kids talk about any and everything. I'm not sure what "that" is so I'm not even going to go there for #5 so I guess I am stuck with #1. Hmmmm

I am going to look at the $400 as totally FREE money so I would gamble it.

Here's the thing. I don't gamble. EVER. I take that back, I have like twice. And I am 28 years old.

BUT, tomorrow, I am headed to Carrins and we are going to a casino!!! Benny said Carrin has to make me gamble for him since he wont be there. He LOVES to gamble at a casino. I just usually sit, watch, and drink free drinks. I'm always a winner that way!

So, Mama Kat, if you would like to send me $400 and I win, I'll give ya 10% of the winnings. Is that legal? Hope so.

Now go see what everyone else would spend Mama Kats hard earned money on.

I will piss on your desk!

When I read the prompts for this weeks writing assignment, I immediately busted out laughing. I knew exactly what I wanted to write about. Here's the prompts and if ya want to join in just head on over to Mama Kats.

The Prompts:
1.) Describe a moment when you realized you and your spouse were SO different.
2.) What is your role in the household?
3.) Write about how you felt when you discovered you were lied to.(creativewritingprompts.com)
4.) Describe a hard time you gave a teacher...what would you say to them today?
5.) What is an unpleasant experience you had eating? Write a poem, paragraph, or something else about the experience.(writingfix.com)

I choose number 4.

When I was 16 and a junior in high school, I decided to take extra classes and graduate early. The principle was skeptical so she made me do the extra classes as correspondence classes for the first semester. The second semester I got to take them all at school. Her being so skeptical is probably what drove me to do so well (I got all A's).

I could not stand my English III teacher. She was the meanest woman ever. I have never had a teacher that I disliked so much. When the second semester came around and I was taking all my classes at school, I ended up with her as my English IV teacher too. Not only that but, I had her back to back so I had to spend 3 hours a day with her non stop. It was horrible!

In November of that school year, I found out I was pregnant. I didn't hide it from anyone and was really glad I had decided to graduate early.

Anyway, this teacher had a strict rule about going to the restroom while in class. It wasn't allowed. I always made sure I used the restroom before each class because I knew her rule.
One day, it happened. I had to go pee. And I had to go really bad! I was pregnant and that just comes along with it.

So, I raised my hand while crossing my legs as tight as possible. She asked what I wanted and I told her I HAD to go to the restroom now. She looked at me, rolled her eyes, and said "You know the rules, you should have gone before class". I pleaded saying "I did but this class is an hour and a half long and I can't hold it until the end!". She just shook her head no.

I yelled "BITCH" in my head and then got up to go to the restroom. She jumped up, stood in front of me and said "Sit back down!"

First of all, I am not the nicest person when I don't like someone. Second, I am not the nicest person when someone tells me I can't do something. And third, I was pregnant and HAD TO GO PEE!

I looked at her with my evil stare and said "If you don't let me go I am going to piss all over your desk, not mine." Not one person said a word.

She looked at me all shocked and yelled "Go to the office!" I responded with, "After I go pee I will."

So I went to the restroom, then to the office and didn't get into any trouble. I don't know if she did but she never stopped me from going to the restroom again.

If I saw her today I would probably say "So, you still a bitch or have you finally found happiness in your world?" Actually, probably not but I sure as hell wouldn't apologise for threatening to piss on her desk. When ya gotta go, ya gotta go!

Also, I am going out of town today again to go see Benny. I should be back Sunday night. I know it was so hard on yall last week so I went ahead and scheduled some post for ya to read. Just don't get pissy if I don't comment on yours for a few days, OK. ;) Hope everyone has a great weekend. See ya when I see ya!

I use to think...

money grew on trees.

Back when I was a kid, I use to get so mad at my parents. I mean really, who didn't. I would get mad at them for things that I thought were so important. Most of the time I got mad because I wanted something and they wouldn't give it to me.

One of the main things I wanted was my own phone line. This was before everyone and their dog had cell phones. It was an pretty big deal to have your own line and I, like everyone else, wanted my own. With a family of five, chances are someone was on the phone and I didn't like that.

We (my brothers and I) got our own ring but that still wasn't good enough. It was still the same line, just different number. I actually still remember that number to this day.

I never got why it was such a big deal. I mean, they both had jobs, so how could it be such a problem. It's not like I was asking for a car. Yet. But, no matter how hard I pushed, they wouldn't budge. I just never got it while I was a child.

And then I had kids. NOW I get it. No, one phone line isn't that expensive but when you add up all the little things, they add up to a ton. My parents had soccer stuff, softball stuff, swimming stuff, cable TV, food, gas, school lunches, clothes, house pmt, electric pmt, and everything else that comes with living to pay for. I don't know how they did all what they did but now I am so grateful for it.

Ya, I use to think money grew on trees. Now I know that someone has to work their ass off for all that money that pays all the 'little' things that add up to so much. Thankfully, my wonderful husband has taken on that responsibility all himself to allow me to stay home and raise our three beautiful babies.

Now go visit MamaKat for more posts on her writing workshop.

The one that got away......

Mama Kat has her prompts up so in order to stay out of detention, I will do my homework. I had no idea which one I would do or if I even would. Then at 6:30am, I woke up after having the weirdest dream and knew which one to write.

The one that got away

It's funny how people think that way. I never have. With my 2 longest relationships, I was the dumper so the first one wasn't that bad. The ones where I got dumped, so much harder but I got over it. The first one of the longest relationships was my ex-husband. I knew for months that it was coming to an end and so it was more of a 'when' to do it thing, not why. The ones where I got dumped, there were always the 'why' and that tends to hurt the ego. I think that was the hardest part for me.

So now we come to the one that was the hardest thing to go threw, and the hardest thing to end, in my life. It shouldn't have been. It should have been the easiest thing in the world to end. Any sane person could see that. Unfortunately, I couldn't.

When I was in high school, almost all my friends were guys. I never really got along with girls. I didn't like all the cattyness and drama that came with hanging out with a bunch of girls. I had one really good girl friend but all the rest were guys. This group of guys ended up being my best friends and would help me through anything. Granted, some wanted to date me, but I was taken. Some didn't care and would still try. They were all good guys and I loved them all. In fact, one of them was with me the night I met Benny.

Anyway, when I got divorced, all I wanted to do was go have fun. Being a small town in all, I didn't have to go far to find someone I use to hand out with. The first one I ran into, I made plans to hang out with that night. He was one of the guys that I actually considered my very best friend in high school. I will call him J for this so you don't get lost.

So J and me met up that night, had a blast, and started talking. J told me how he had all these plans for when my ex would leave for basic training but then I married him 3 days before he left. I ruined J's plans but now he had a second chance.

I basically blew him off. Then I started dating another guy. That didn't last long and J was back at me trying for that third chance. He was the kind of guy that knew exactly what to say to a girl. I finally gave in and we began the relationship that was the hardest on me to be in and the hardest for me to walk away from.

The first year was great. So great in fact, we got engaged. He was so kind, loved to have fun, and we really got along. He loved me so much that I could do just about anything to piss him off and by the end of the argument, he was apologising to me. I loved that. I became very manipulative and he was putty in my hands. Mostly though, we had a great relationship. He had a really rough childhood and I was always there to let him cry, yell, or drink it out.

That's where all the problems started. Drinking it out. It got to the point where every weekend we were out getting drunk. It didn't take long before he was out drinking without me. And then out cheating on me. I knew it but lived in denial because I would remember just how much he loved me. Then he got crazy. We would get into fights over EVERYTHING. One night, just to hurt him, I told him I cheated on him. That was the first time he hit me. I told him he was just as shitty as his dad and broke up with him. That lasted 2 days. He was back crying and apologising and I took him back. He loved me so much, couldn't live without me, yada yada yada...

This kind of stuff continued for about 6 months though we wouldn't break up. He became so mean and said the most hurtful things to me. In 6 months time, I went from being the one manipulating to the one being manipulated. We only got into actual physical fights 3 times but those were way easier to deal with than the emotional abuse he handed out daily.

Finally, on August 1st 2001, I chunked his ring out the window and it was over. I felt free to do what I wanted and started dating someone else. I didn't see any of my old friends because I didn't want to see J. I was happy again and my family was thrilled. I was doing real good until I broke up with the new guy in December. I saw J one time and we were back together. We were just like we were that first year we were together and it was great.

That lasted one weekend. I had done it before, so I did it again. I broke up with him. Then I started dating one of our best friends and was back to being happy again. As soon as that ended, I didn't get back together with J but would sometimes spend weekends with him. He was with another girl so it became a game of sorts. A really screwed up game.

Then it happened. He hurt me like he had never hurt me before and didn't seem to care. I think that hurt the worst. I couldn't believe that he would hurt the one person he loved the most so bad.* I was done. For good. No going back.

And, I haven't. I have seen him a few times and talked to him a few times since that awful night but there are no more feelings for him at all. He got even crazier and is now in prison. I am glad about this. I truly believe that he did love me at one point just as I did love him. But that love was replaced by obsession on his part. Scary obsession. He is in the only place I want him now and hope he stays for a very long time.

Him hurting me so bad that night was one of the worst things I have ever gone through. With out that night, I truly believe that he would have continued to hurt me. That I would not be sitting here writing this but instead, buried 6 feet under.

Instead, I am the one that got away.


* I realize that was very crazy thinking but what I was actually thinking at that point.

Writing Assignment - New Territory

It's Mama Kat time. I looked at the prompts last night and my body was full of cold medicine so I just went to bed early. Wasn't going to do it this week because it really did hurt to think. Then, I woke up at 4 am and was wide awake. So I figured what the hell, might as well.

Here are the prompts this week:

1.) Write a limerick.
2.) Normal is...
3.) Describe a memorable camping experience.
4.) What's the best thing that has happened this week?
5.) Did you have a childhood hideout? Where? Describe it.
6.) Words that hurt me.

So while I am still not in the mood to think, I decide to do the hardest one. Well, the hardest one for me at least. I don't do poems. I hated doing them in school. I never do them when they are one of the prompts. When I read the prompts I said to myself "Self, write a limerick even though you don't know what it is." So I googled it (trust me, I'm not the only one) to see what it was. Low and behold, it's a damn poem.

BUT, I challenged myself and did it anyway. It's pretty cheesy but I think that's the point so here ya go.

There is an old man I call Dad
Use to I made him so mad
But then I met Ben
Who's better than Ken
Now my Dad is so grateful and glad

So there it is in all it's glory.
If I was a bettin' girl, I'd bet I never do a poem again.

Oh wait, I just came up with another one. I'm on a roll I'm tellin' ya!

There is this cute guy with a truck

It seems to never get stuck

Except that one day

So we rolled in the hay

Man he sure knows how to f***

Now head on over to Mama Kat's and read what everyone else had to say.

Writing assignment and me being a dumbass and a giveaway

Yep, Mama Kat time. I chose prompt number 5.) What made your childhood bearable? Write about it.

Um, I had a wonderful childhood so I guess my parents made it bearable. Without them it would have sucked. My brothers also played a big part in it. They were always really cool to me.

OK, I'm done.

Now I gotta tell you about being a dumbass yesterday. I couldn't wait until tomorrow to tell yall.

I had my first real life contact with a blogger. Yep, sure did. Not just e-mail and texting but real talking! She is someone that if I never posted again, I know we would still be friends. Hope to do face to face one day but there is still snow at her house so we gotta wait until summer. I don't do cold.

Anyway, I have imagined what it would be like to talk to someone from this here bloggyland and what my first words might be. What I said first was NOT what I had imagined me saying. Call it being excited, call it being nervous, but I call it being a dumbass!

I'll tell you all about it tomorrow.


HA! Just kidding!

I saw her name on my phone and took a deep breath. Show time!

Me: Hello
Carrin: Is this April?
Me: Yep
Carrin: It's good to talk to you finally (I'm guessing she said this because I only heard one thing, her accent)
Me: GOD you sound like a Yankee!
Me: (In my head) SHIT!

Then the laughter started from both of us as I'm saying sorry.

I'm still laughing from me saying that. It's just that, I live in Texas. I have a thick Texan accent. I NEVER talk to anyone that lives farther north than the Red River. And her accent (yes Carrin, you do have one) sounded just like an old friend of mine from up north that we use to rag on.

After that we had a good talk. And by that I mean, I jabbered on and on while she listened.

Now she knows why I have a blog.

Loved our conversation girl and I'm sure the next one will be better. Maybe I can keep my foot out of my mouth!

Now for more important matters. Over at Yaya Stuff she is doing a giveaway. I think it is for the best cause. She is raising money to help her and Josh adopt a child that they deserve so much. So, head on over and enter.

Writing Assignment time

Yep, it's definitely Thursday and Mama Kat is ready for our homework. She threw me off last week but all is forgiven. This week I had time to think about it.

The Prompts:

1.) If you were starring on American Idol TONIGHT and HAD to sing, what song would you choose and why.
Don't sing unless I'm drunk and then it's usually Pat Green. End of story.
2.) Take a picture of yourself right this minute without primping and explain to us why it is you have not washed your hair today.
Uhhhh, no. That was simple.
3.) I just asked Pat to help me with a writing prompt so here's his: "What do you think about the NBA All Star game"...blech.
I agree. Blech.
4.) What's your number one pet peeve? Develop a punishment for anyone caught in the act.
Might have something here. Oh wait, I've done this before kinda.
5.) Write about something mean you did to a sibling growing up.
Here we go. Something I can work with.

My brothers and I always got along. To the point, we didn't get into trouble for being mean, we got into trouble for having too much fun.

Perfect example:
One night me and my youngest brother (4 years older than me) were up late goofing off. I don't know how it started but we started spraying each other with any kind of aerosol can we could find.

I remember hair spray, spray glue, and WD 40 were involved. There were more but I don't remember. We were really smart back then, can't ya tell?

Anyway, I had the spray glue and he had the WD 40 at one point and he was behind his door. He was using his door as a shield while sticking the little WD 40 straw through the crack. Pissed me off because I was a lot smaller and couldn't get the door to budge.

So, I get the bright idea to cover his door knob with the glue and to walk away to lure him out. My plan was that he would come out, I would chase him back to his room, and he would then grab the door knob. Well, like most of my plans, this one didn't play out like I thought it would.

Apparently, through all this, we were laughing really loud and woke Mom up. Not a good thing but what happened next was way worse.

See, my brother didn't fall for my trick and stayed in his room. The first place my mom went was his room you can probably guess what happened next. YEP, she grabbed the door knob and man was she pissed. BUT, not at me.

I had WD 40 all over my face so I didn't get into trouble even though I was the reason her hand was COVERED in spray glue. She yelled at my brother for almost blinding me while I giggled behind her. And yes, it took forever for her to get the glue off her hand. I recall getting dirty looks over that one.

I don't remember who started this little game but I sure let him take all the blame. That's what little sisters are for, right?


Now head on over and see what everyone else had to say.

Isn't today Wednesday?

OK, I thought we did the writing assignments on Thursday but Mama Kat has hers up today. I will follow her lead (since she's the one handing out the homework) and do mine today. I was bad last week and didn't do my homework so I am doubling up today.

I choose prompts #3 (5 most recent favorite things) and #4 (favorite recipe). My favorite recipe is one of my favorite things so it all fits together rather nicely.

Here we go!

1. We love movies. We never go to the movies for 2 reasons. One, it's too damn expensive, and two, I'm not taking two kids under the age of 5 to the movies. We also don't rent movies because I ALWAYS take them back late and get charged a billion dollars. So, we buy movies. We buy movies all the time. We check out the cheap ones at Wal-Mart, the ones the local video store is selling, and the Dollar Store. The Dollar Store always has pretty good movies for 6 bucks. I bet we have over 1000 movies. And we do watch them over and over so it's money well spent. Anyway, my favorite movie right now is one I bought Monday. It's called Definitely, Maybe. I love it! You have to check it out. Ryan Reynolds is so cute one of the main characters is named April. Can't go wrong there.

2. My favorite recipe is chicken and dumplings. It's pretty easy too, it just takes a while. These are the only chick-n-dumplings I will eat and I LOVE them.

First, boil a chicken for a hour while you have a beer. You can change this to just breast but I think the whole chicken makes it taste better. Oh ya, don't use a pot with Teflon or it won't thicken up later.

Put chicken in strainer to drain and cool. Leave chicken water in pot.

Get 4 things of the cheapest biscuits from the store, some news paper (the paper is important) and a bunch of flour.

Lay out newspaper, dump a bunch of flour on it and open cans of biscuits.

Cover each biscuit with flour and roll out flat. You can use a rolling pin but I just use a glass. Stack them, then cut the stacks to make 9 sections.

Go get the bones out of the chicken and tear chicken into bite size pieces. Then put back into water. Bring water to a boil and start adding your dumplings. OK, here is the tricky part. Don't stir or they will go flat. I just move the ones I already put in to the side to add more. But make sure to scrape the bottom of pan so they don't stick to the bottom.

Add a splash of milk, salt and pepper to taste and once you get the final dumpling in, they are done. Wrap up newpaper that's covered in flour and through in trash.

See, easy peasy. If I can do it, I know you can. And they are so worth the time it takes to make them. Toot loves helping with the flour so kids are encouraged to help if you don't mind a mess.

3. My pajama pants from Wal-Mart. They are fuzzy like my robe and so soft. I wear them all the time and bought the shorts for when it's warm.

4. My phone. It's a Palm Treo and I love that I can check my e-mail on it and that my texts are in chat form.5. The DVR at my folks house. We don't have sat tv and we are dog sitting this weekend so she is recording a bunch of stuff for me to watch. Yep, she's cool like that.

So there ya go. Now head on over to Mama Kats cause she's already got it up and check out what everyone else had to say.

FYI

I'm skipping school today and not doing my writing assignment for Mama Kat. I got nothing interesting you care to read about if I had done it, so consider yourself lucky that I am not doing it.

Instead, I got some advice. If you are one that doesn't like getting advice you didn't ask for, then head on over to the next blog you read. Don't worry, you wont hurt my feelings.

What I am going to tell you is the little things that kinda bug me when I am reading someones blog. If may not apply to everyone so you are allowed to just dismiss it if you would like. There will be no finger pointing but after reading this, you will know who you are.

OK, here we go.

• When I want to leave a comment, I would really like it if it is in a pop up window. When it is not, I very seldom go back to your page to read other post I have missed (unless I really love your blog). So, I either read them all and post on the one I like most or just read the first one, comment, them move on. (BTW, I just had 5, 2 letter words that start with an I back to back. That will mess with your eyes!)
• When I go to a blog that has the "BlogHer" ad thingy on it, half the time it wont show me the post. Maybe it is just my computer (though I highly doubt it) but it drives me crazy. I gotta x out and try again. Sometimes multiple times. I gotta really know what you said to do that!
• Last thing. I understand that you may not want the world to have your e-mail address but I hate it when I want to reply to your comment and the e-mail address is noreply-comment.... I have gotten to know some really cool chicks by replying to their comments via e-mail and I can't do it if you don't let me. Thank you to the cool chicks that do the "noreply" thing but then later sent me their e-mail address. It helped. I hate replying to a comment you left me on your blog because then everyone is confused. Sometimes even me.
• Oh ya, one more thing. I can't stand typing in that message so you know I am not a computer. I get why you do it but it still bugs me.

So there ya have it. My complaints. Take them or leave them, but that's how I feel. BTW, I'm not the only one that feels that way.

And if you got some advice for me, I'm all ears.

Later Taters!

Fur Babies

First thing, I do know that the proper way to spell Zues is Zeus. I spelled it wrong (for my dogs name) on purpose because that's how I think it should be spelled. I even spelled it like that on his papers. Ok, now on to today's post.

I am a major dog person. Always have been. There is seriously no telling how many stray dogs I have brought home and either kept or found a good home for. Anytime we see a stray, Hubby starts saying "NO! We already have too many". Ya, it's that bad.

So, when MamaKat put the prompts up for this week, I knew immediately which one I was doing.
When your done with mine, go check out all the others.

#1. Tell us about a stray animal you took in.

Not long after we moved into our house, I was sitting there watching some TV. The dogs started barking so I looked outside the window to see what was up. I saw them in the road with a brown furry thing so I ran out to see what they had.

It was a dog. A little bitty dog. My dogs were trying to play and she was freaking out. I scooped her up and took her inside to see if she was hurt and figure out who she belonged to. She was a mini pom and I know those dogs aren't cheap. I called my neighbor, who knows EVERYONE, and she said she had never seen the dog before. She didn't belong to anyone near us.

Then I noticed her shoulder. It was all jacked up and I thought my dogs had dislocated her shoulder. I pulled on it a little and she didn't care. Huh, that's weird. So I called the vet and took her in. When I left the vet, I was no longer looking for the owners of this very sweet dog.

The vet said that it looked like she had BROKE her shoulder some time before and nobody bothered to have it fixed. So, it grew back wrong. The only way to fix it was to rebrake it and then set it. She could walk fine and wasn't in pain so he thought that there was no reason to put her through that. She also chewed on that leg and he decided it was probably a nervous habit and that the leg probably had some nerve damage.

Then he looked at her teeth. They were so rotten. I have never seen teeth on an animal or human look that bad. He said he couldn't decide her age because she was obviously not taken care of so she looked older than she really was. I had to buy her can food because she couldn't eat dry dog food.

Next, he flipped her over and looked at her belly. She had not been spayed.

You add this up and what do you get? Most likely, a puppy mill dog that someone had dumped in my driveway. He said that they had probably used her all up and didn't need her anymore. That's probably why they didn't fix her shoulder because a vet would have noticed all the other problems.

I was so pissed at these people and I knew right where to go. At our local grocery store, there was ALWAYS a sign for Mini Pom's for sale (small town, remember). On the way there, I decided that I really didn't want to go to jail and went home. With no way of proving this was their dog, there wasn't much I could do. I reported them to the sheriffs dept as suspicious that the sign was always there and I haven't seen it since.

We decided to keep her. She was the sweetest little dog and loved her new home. Because of her shoulder, she often walked kinda sideways or just fell over so we named her Tipsy. We loved her like we had picked her out ourselves. She quickly became part of the family.
She lived about a year and a half with us before she passed away. I'm so glad I was home the day she was left and was able to give her a good home, finally.

And for your viewing pleasure, here my other fur babies that have been with me through out life:

Max (boxer) - He was already around when I was born. We had him for 8 years.

Hawk (lab)- I was 4 when we got him and we had him for 16 years.

Sugar (cocker spaniel) - I got her when I was 7 and had her for 15 years.

Zues (boxer) - I got him when I was 16 and had him for 9 years.

And here is our current fur babies:

Outside fur babies (they don't want in, I've tried):

Booger Bear (lab) - We got him almost 6 years ago.

Danny (boxer) -We got her 5 years ago to be a wife to Zues but, umm, he didn't know what to do. Now, she is Booger's wife (that is spayed).

Inside fur babies:

Lady (king charles cavalier), Fern (stray kitten dumped on our road), and Smokey (grey cat we adopted)

We live in the country so animals get dumped a lot. Hubby just prays that I always find them a home that is NOT ours.

22 acres and a pond!

She's at it again and wants to really know more about us this week. Yes, that's MamaKat I am talking about. It's Thursday so it's time to do our homework. When you are done with mine, go check out what everyone else wrote for their writing assignment. I could take the easy road or I could take the hard road but I choose to take the joyous road.

The Prompts:

1.) Tell us about a memorable blind date. Never been on one.

2.) Other than the birth of a child or your wedding, write about a joyous moment. Joyous road.

3.) Write about one of the most difficult decisions you have made in your life. Hard road.

4.) Share the best picture you took last month and explain why it's your favorite. Easy road.

I was 22 years old and really living a dream. I had married the man of my dreams 3 1/2 months earlier and we were buying our first place together. It was such a beautiful place. We had 22 acres, a 2 acre pond, and trees everywhere. You could literally stand in my drive way and everything you could see was all ours. Also, our closest neighbor was a mile away so it was VERY peaceful. We were so excited!

Hubby was excited because of all the land. He had always wanted to live out in the country on a bunch of land. Now his dream had come true.

For me it was so much more.

This was the first place I had ever bought. Now, I had lived in a house with my ex-husband and it was ours but I didn't contribute to the purchase nor pick it out. And it was bought 3 days before we got married. Sound fishy? It should.

After my divorce, I lived in an apartment with a roommate for a very short period of time and then my parents bought me a house and put it on their property. So I was living on my own but not really because I still basically lived off them while I was in college. This new place Hubby and I purchased was the final straw that showed I had finally grown up.

I did have Little Man through it all (first marriage, divorce, life) and should have already grown up but I hadn't. Not really. We were basically growing up together and luckily I have wonderful parents that helped us through this.

This place to me was a symbol that I was now a full fledged adult that had bills, a job, a hubby, and a yard to mow. Just like other adults I have known! It was such an awesome feeling signing those final papers and having the keys in my hands. A place where we could do whatever we wanted to it. We were on cloud 9. We planned on living there forever.

BUT, plans changed. Did you notice how I kept calling it our "place" and not house. That's because it had the ugliest little house on it. It wasn't the house that we loved (or even liked for that matter) but the land. We were going to build a house there and live happily ever after. But then there was that 22 acres. Hubby worked nights (and we didn't have a tractor) and couldn't keep up the land like it should be and we now had two more kids living in this very small ugly house.

We couldn't take it anymore and we decided to sell it. We bought a beautiful huge house and now only have 5 acres. It is a wonderful home and we are very happy about it. Big enough for everyone to have their own room and Hubby can manage the land. I'm sure we wont live here forever (not near as much privacy) but it's great right now.

So my very joyous days were the day I bought my first place and the day I sold my first place.

Writing Assignment (Could get sappy)

Time for MamaKat's assignment. When your done with mine, head on over and check out the others.
I am so not doing all of them this week. Let me explain:

The Prompts:

1.) Describe your significant other's most attractive quality (on the inside).
I'm doing this one. It's the least I could do sense he played along and posted the other day.

2.) Tell about a time you stole something.
Couldn't pick just one instance. KIDDING. It would be boring. Got in trouble, learned my lesson.

3.) Choose a poem you like. Take the last line and use it as the first line of your own poem. (creativewritingprompts.com)
Ya, I don't do poems so no on this one.

4.) Write about a scary encounter with one of your old professors.
None were scary so no story.



So back to number 1.



Hmmm, most attractive quality on the inside. There are so many to choose from. He is really that great of a guy. If I had to pick one on the outside, it would be his smile. He has so many different smiles and I love them all. Or his eyes. They are so dark brown and inviting. I love them too. Or his ass. It's really cute. Or, oh never mind, that not what this is suppose to be about.


Anyway, back to the assignment.
I can't pick just one so I will tell you about my favorites.


He is really nice. To everyone. Even shitty people. I don't think he has it in him to be mean. I have heard stories about how he use to be an ass in his younger days but I just can't see it. Good thing I didn't meet him when he was 21 because I don't like mean people. And I would have only been 11, not a good thing.


He is a great friend (kinda goes with the being nice thing). If he is your friend, he will move mountains to help you out. Now, he is not like this with everyone. He is picky about who he befriends. But once you are, he will always be there when there is a problem or when you just want to party. Of course, we will be there too because he is always with his family which lead me to....


He is VERY family oriented. His family means EVERYTHING to him. If you mess with his family, you will be on his shit list forever but be nice about it when he sees you. Not in a two faced kind of way, just not mean. He would do anything for us and more. He cares about our well being more than his own. He is always with us when he is not at work. He doesn't go out to bars or parties because he would rather be with us. I am the exact same way so it works out really good.


And, I guess the thing I love about him the most is the love he has for me. Ya, it's all about me! He didn't have to love me. I'm not his kid, sister, mom or even life long friend. Just a random girl he met at a bar. He loves me because of who I am. He has always accepted everything about me. He has never tried to change one thing about me. He shows me everyday how much he loves me.

He lets me ramble on and on about stupid shit he doesn't care at all about because he loves me that much. He lets me bitch at him even when he knows I am not really mad at him, just releasing whatever is inside me that needs to be released, because he loves me that much. He will leave work early to let me cry on his shoulder if he feels that is what I need because he loves me that much. He will watch stupid shows on TV (Bachelor) because he wants to be near me. He knows me inside and out and still loves me. And, he will get drunk with me and have a blast doing it!


Really, after all the crap I have put that man through and all the baggage that came with me, I am truly amazed at how much he loves me. He just doesn't care about all the bullshit and does care about me. The crazy, silly, emotional, bitchy, moody, sweet me.


And, I love him that much too.


He is the perfect man for me.

OK, so apparently TMM created a monster because Hubby says he wants to post ONE more time (ya right) so he will probably be doing it tomorrow. All I can think of is what all I will do for post #100 so this gets #98 out of my way. Win Win situation baby! Make sure and check back tomorrow. It better be interesting because he wont even tell me what he wants to tell yall. And it's all about yall you know! THANKS C for the monster! I'm kinda scared!

Writing Assingment

Well, it's Thursday and ya know what that means. Mama Kat's writing assignment. I haven't done it in a while (I think, it's been crazy around here) so I am going to do it this week.

I am choosing this one.

2.) Ask a loved one to use 6 descriptive words to describe you and report your findings. How well do they know you?

I would do them all but I just got a new Palm One Treo so I got some playing to do (I can get on-line with it!!!). I am asking Hubby because he is the only one near me that knows what 'descriptive words' are.

Here we go:

1. Unique


2. Outspoken


3. Family oriented


4. Sexy


5. Flirtatious


6. Heart felt (everything I say comes from the heart)

I don't know about all that but he knows me better than anyone so I will go with it. I asked what he meant about 'flirtatious' but I didn't get an answer. Then later, I asked again and he said I had a flirtatious attitude.

Good thing he wasn't mad at me or you might have gotten a whole other list. I guess I should be real nice before he does his guest post on Tuesday (thanks to TMM!)

Now head on over to Mama Kat's and check out everyone else.

Writing assingment, All 5 baby!

It's Thursday and ya know what that means. Mama Kat's Writers Workshop! I didn't really do it last Thursday so I thought, why not do all of them this week. I'm going to just touch on 4 of them then leave the other one to really talk about. Afterwards, head on over to Mama Kat's and check everyone else out. Now lets begin.

1. Allergies much?
I don't really have allergies. I'm not allergic to any food, animals, plants, bugs, or whatever people are usually allergic to. But I am allergic to Benadryl. It makes me hallucinate really bad stuff like snakes, spiders, teddy bears with fangs that do attack and any other fear. I have been lucky enough to only deal with it twice. First time was when I was 2 and I actually remember some of it. The second time was when I was 17 and didn't realize I was taking it (generic brand that didn't say "compare to Benadryl"). Ended up in the hospital with that one.

2. Worst dental experience ever.
Umm, I haven't ever had a bad one. I haven't had cavities filled or root canals or anything like that. I did have braces twice growing up, but that wasn't bad. I guess my worst one will be this coming Monday when I get my root canal.

3. Describe a 'new road' you have taken in your life.
This is the one I will go into detail about so it's at the bottom. :)

4. What would you say to a mouse who could talk?
I would ask him nicely to go live in my neighbors house instead of mine. I live in an old frame house so they like to come in and get warm during the winter. I would tell him that she cooks better food (I'm betting she does) and that he could probably find tasty treat's over there. And she doesn't own cat's that will eat him. I'm sure after listening to my reason's, he would oblige.

5. Who is the best listener you know? What makes him or her such a good listener?
Hubby. We ride back roads when we need to talk and he always lets me talk away. He doesn't interrupt or tell me what I should to do. He helps me talk through it until I figure out a solution. He is really good about it even when the problem is him.

OK, back to #3. A new road I have taken.

When I was 18 I started dating a guy that was one of my best friends in high school. I thought I could fix him. I did in some ways for a little while. We had a great first year and even got engaged. The second year was horrible. He was very abusive. It took me a long time to get over him after I finally broke up with him and would sometimes get with him for a weekend or so. The last time I got with him, he raped me.

I was more pissed at him (and myself) than I was hurt. He loved the fact that people were scared of him but I never was. I often told him that when we were fighting and I would fight back. After he raped me, I was. I still am actually but he's in prison now so I can breath without looking over my shoulder everyday.

Anyway, fast forward about 6 weeks. I go to a bar and meet a guy. I talked to a friend of mine and found out he had JUST gotten divorced. He also had 2 step kids he practically raised, so still got to have them on some weekends. I didn't care. It actually made me want to meet him even more because I knew he would except me having a son.

We got together that night and broke every dating rule in the book. Hooked up the first night, he called me the very next day, we both had TONS of baggage we were both dealing with, we moved in together after 2 or 3 months and married after 6 months.

No one thought we needed to be in a relationship at that time. Everyone thought we were crazy and would never last. Everyone thought that this was a road we did not even need to go down and that it would end up very messy with one or both of us getting really hurt. They all thought it was a fling. Well, we sure showed them!

I could tell him any and everything and he didn't judge me. He was always very sweet and treated me like I should be treated. This was weird for me but I liked it. I loved it. He accepted all the mistakes I had made in my past with out thinking I was crazy (even though I thought I was sometimes). He loved me for me and all that came with me.

He could also tell me any and everything. We would sit and talk on the phone for hours (he traveled Mon. - Fri every week) and I don't even like talking on the phone. When he was home, we would drive around all day and not go anywhere. We were instantly best friends and loved each other for all the right reasons.

Once I met him, I never looked back. I knew what everyone thought, but I didn't listen or even care. I knew it was right. I obviously haven't made the best choices with relationships but I KNEW this was the best thing for me. Even if we had not worked out, it would have been a road worth going down. One I needed to travel. He made me realize that I was worth it and that I wasn't a door mat. That I did deserve someone that truly loved me.

He still loves me for me and everything about me. I still love him for him and everything about him. We are still best friends and still tell each other everything. When someone tells me "Don't tell anyone!" I always say, "OK, except I will be telling Hubby." We don't keep secrets from each other nor tell anyone our secrets and I don't think we ever will.

We have 2 songs (that he didn't write) that are our songs. "Bless the Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts and "Right Where I Need To Be" by Gary Allan.

We know we are soul mates!

Anyone got a Xanax?

I was going to do Mamakat's thing last night and then post it early this morning, go fill out Mr. Linky and have tons of her followers come read my amazing writing. Apparently, God had a different plan for me.



About 5pm yesterday, one very pitiful Smiley told me he wanted to go to Taco Bell. I looked outside, talked to my Mom, and decided I could get there and back before the rain was going to hit. I HATE driving in the rain. I didn't have a problem with it until I was 17 and my best friend from high school (who I still talk to She's pretty, sweet, and I love her. Does that count for my writing assingment?) was in a horrible car accident. She was on a vent for a month and in the hospital about 3 months. Anyway, it scares the crap out of me now. Like I have panic attacks over it. So we load up and go.



We drive the 20 min. there and my jaw hit the ground when we got there. There was probably 15 people ahead of me in the drive thru and even more inside. I looked at the sky that was covered in lightning and decided we would wait in line. We had already driven there, no point in going back.



So, we finally get to the window to pay and get our food and the flood gates opened. I was soaking wet by the time I got my money out the window and the food in the car. Yes, I was under an awning but yesterday, that didn't matter. We pull off and head home.



I seriously had to drive 30 mph on the way home because I hydroplaned at 40. I pulled over once and sat for a minute because it was raining harder than I have ever seen, hailing, and the lightning was literally blinding. Toot is so sweet. She could tell I was freaking out and kept saying "We are safe because we are in the car."



By the time we got home and I got everything and everyone in, I was soaking wet from head to toe. I was a total wreck mentally and just sat and watched TV. I bawled all the way threw that new reality show (about the rich folks giving away money) and we went to bed at 9pm. I didn't even do laundry, so I had to get up this morning at 5am to do it. Toot can't really go to school naked so it had to be done. I'm still shook up about the whole ordeal (it's really that bad for me) but am better.



Then this morning, Smiley wakes up at 5:30am (which is REALLY weird) and pukes everywhere. He has had really nasty diapers for 2 days so I think he has the stomach virus AGAIN! I keep saying over and over in my head "It could be worse, It could be worse!"



Anyway, my homework did not get done and all you got to read about is the mess I have been going through for about 13 hours. I hope my misery makes you happy to be who you are because "IT COULD BE WORSE"