Earning a set of angels wings...

My religious beliefs are as varied as the day is long.  Wow, that sentence makes me sound old, but it's pretty much the truth.  I try to keep those thoughts and beliefs to myself 99.9% of the time with the exception of letting you know that I may not believe what you do and you should therefore, respect that fact and not try to push your beliefs on me. 

This is not a post about religion.  I swear it's not. 

I am going to let you in on a little known fact about me and religion though.  I believe that when a person dies they go to heaven.  They sit amongst the clouds with their perfect sparkling bodies and converse with each other in endless conversations (only I would think that heaven is talking all. the. time!).  The are no longer in pain nor are they sad.  It's a constant state of contentment, happiness and joy in a place surrounded by loved ones from their earthbound lives as well as new loved ones. 

I believe in this because I have to believe in this. 

Especially now. 

Especially when a 3 -year old boy is taken from a community that loved and cherished every ounce of his little body.  When a small child who spent every day of his life on Earth fighting to live and breathe is called up to that place in the sky to receive his angel wings and his glittery dusting of sparkles. 

I have to believe that this little boy has a magical place to settle into because his parents are grieving.  This town is grieving.  A child is gone, too soon.  Way too soon. 

And we are once again in mourning. 

Please take the time to say a prayer or make a donation to your favorite charity today in the name of children everywhere who are dying long before their time.  And in the name of the parents who must stay on this Earth and mourn the loss of a child. 

My Girl Scout troop will continue their collection of aluminum pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald House Charities in the name of this amazing 3-year old and his family in the hopes that other families in similar situations can benefit from their kindness. 

May you Rest in Peace, little man. 

And please feel free to converse with Geri.  She has great stories to tell. 

Donating by way of trivia...

I came across a site recently on a random path through the links of the internet and found it to be an interesting way to waste time, a wonderful way to work my brain and a possible way to help the hungry through the UN World Food Program. What could be better?

You should check out this site.

http://www.freerice.com/

The premise is that for every question you answer correctly, they will donate 20 grains of rice to the UN World Food Program. That's it. All you have to do is answer mulitple choice questions and they will give rice to starving people. Even the laziest of the lazy and those that the economy are treating rather harshly right now can help others in need. Awesome!

The website defaults to the category of English Vocabulary but you can change that to fit your mood and/or desire. The categories are: Famous Paintings, Chemical Symbols (Basic), Chemical Symbols (Full List), English Grammar, English Vocabulary, Identify Countries on the Map, World Capitals, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Basic Math (Pre-Algebra), and Multiplication Table.

There is a rice bowl on the right hand side of the screen that will keep track of how many grains of rice you are donating, but it resets everytime you leave the site so you have to keep track of it on your own if you want a running total every time you go back.

So far, I have donated 6130 grains of rice by procrastinating work making myself smarter. I fully intend to use this site to learn enough German vocabulary to get me by on my Germany trip! Woo Hoo! Free lessons and helping the hungry...

I repeat...what could be better than that?

Official Holiday Recap...complete with Naughty Nutcrackers...

I bitched and whined and cried a lot about Christmas, didn't I? It's okay. You can say it. The truth. I did. I know it.

I'm not sorry. But at least I admit that I was a big baby this year.
That is not to say that my holiday was a good one. Far from it. It was stressful, hard, tearful and I barely survived through it. But I did and now that it is over, I can focus on the silver linings that brought a smile to my heart (even if not to my face) and appreciate the holiday for what it was...different.

As I was scanning through my photos this morning (admittedly many, many less than were taken in previous years) I came across a few that gave me a moment of joy at the memories that came slamming back into my brain. Memories and moments that I couldn't recall just a few short days ago as I was chest deep in sorrow and doing a wonderful job of wallowing in the pit.

((I should take a pause to apologize for what I am sure has been absolutely rotten behavior on my part to all who know me, talk to me or read my blog. I am back, I am better...I am now PMSing, so please be careful.))

So here they are folks. The top memories of Christmas 2008 (in no particular order) which is just another way of saying "The only things that made me think of smiling "...

Picture of my kids with their Great Grandpa. We weren't having a cheese button dinner at his trailer house surrounded by the Christmas Village and dozens of family members. We were instead in a cold and stark room in a nursing home surrounded by staff ready to take him to the dining room but all the same, he helped bring Christmas cheer for a few moments. And if nothing else, I will always have this picture to share with my kids.

 

Oh look!  The Nutcrackers have been so naughty that the kids put them in the corners to serve their Time-Out punishments.  When I came back through the kitchen I saw that the one on the left must have needed to pee so my son used a nearby Easter bucket so that he wouldn't piss on the carpet!

Oh, yes...who could forget this?  Lady K was in need of some holiday spirit so my mom and I planned a Christmas Goodie baking day.  As we finished each tray of goodies, we placed them on my bed (having no where else to put them).  This is Lady K taking a picture of our finished progress.  I was so busy yelling at her ("Don't you dare fall on all of that hard work!!! Get down at once!") that I didn't get a picture of the actually goodies.  I spent the rest of the evening singing "I smell sex and candy,  yeah..." in my head!

Dear Hubby helping Teensy put the angel on the tree.  It was just too sweet to not smile for a moment. 

That for the first time ever, my Step-Dad may have actually loved a gift he got from us...a book of history about trains and the area in which we live. 

 

 My kids did a wonderful job helping with the blue bag pick up for the food drive.  They enjoyed giving to others in need as much as dear Hubby and I had hoped they would. 

My puppies absolutely got into the Christmas Spirit and enjoyed the toys they got from us.  It was hard to keep them from fighting over them though after Lasey chewed the squeaky out of hers right away.

Bubba's XBOX came in to a nearby town at 10 pm on Christmas Eve and my mom drove the 30 mile to pick it for us.  THANKS MOMMY!  WE OWE YOU BIG TIME AND WILL NEVER FORGET IT!

Teensy's doll house was so tall she stood on the coffee table to open it.  Apparantly this is the best photo I got of her and it. 

Hubby adored his gift...he HAS been asking for it for several years and I finally was able to find exactly what he wanted.

I loved my gifts, too.  Best of all was the "Twilight" book and the mega expensive perfume that I have been out of for several months.  Thanks for listening, honey!

So that's that.  The best memories of Christmas 2008.  I guess I was able to smile a bit and enjoy myself at times.  However, you may not have noticed (although I surely did) that there are no pictures from Christmas with Hubby's family.  That's because for me it sucked.

Are they born that way?

At 9 am the  Boy Scouts in the area were meeting to deliver blue grocery bags to the doors of every house in every neighborhood in town in hopes of getting the community to donate to the local food bank for the holidays.  Bubba was one of those boys.

He had made the choice to stay up past midnight the night before knowing full well that he would have to rise early to complete this Boy Scout task and yet, there it was 8:30 in the morning and he was complaining about needing more sleep. 

His response to the eighty-seventh round of "Get up now!" was "I am quitting Boy Scouts."

I knew this was coming.  Bubba is the only boy in his rank because of a lack of leaders and several boys not returning after last year.  Dear Hubby does his best to include Bubba in everything with other boys so that he can enjoy his Boy Scouting experience but it has just become too much of a hassle.  Too much time strain on the day and not enough activity to keep Bubba's interest. 

My response was, "You don't have to be in Boy Scouts if you don't want to.  You can drop out.  Tomorrow.  Today you are going to go help people in need of your help so get out of bed."

The conversation that followed...I guess it couldn't be termed a conversation as I talked and he barely tried to keep his eyes open...rolled off my tongue easily as I had been explaining the same principle to my Girl Scouts only days before. 

"There are people, kids, in this world that have nothing to eat.  The blue bags you deliver today will be filled with food for those people."

Slight nod from the half asleep child.

"Those people, kids, don't have any money and the adults don't have any jobs to get money."

Eyes closing.

"Since they have no money and money is necessary to buy food, they don't have any food to eat either."

Sliding to the floor.  Okay this isn't working.  Another Tactic.

"Do you see all of these toys here?"

Eyes open wide at the mention of toys.

"They were all bought because mommy and daddy have jobs and make money so that you can have everything you need and some of the things you want.  What if you didn't have any of these toys?  What if you went hungry every day because you had no food and I couldn't buy you any?  How would that make you feel?"

"Sad."  Yay!  Progress!

"You don't want others to be sad either right?  So you go do this project, help those kids who are living on the streets and have no food, and after it's all done and over with you can quit Boy Scouts and focus on your wrestling instead."

"I don't want to go!"  Said, of course, in a whiny voice.

"How about I take all your toys away since you are an ungrateful little cuss?  How about that?  How about I give them to children that will actually appreciate all the money that was spent on them and not mistreat and lose them?  Huh?  How about I do that?"

I stomped out of the room at that point and Bubba proceeded to get dressed for the day.  A few minutes later, he found me in the bathroom and I asked him if he was going.  "Yes," he said. 

"Because you want to help people who have nothing or because I said I would take away all your toys?"

"I want my toys."

I blew a gasket.  I stormed through the house and spent the next 10 minutes crying in my room.  How is it that I raised such an enormously selfish 8 year old?  Really.  I am deeply disturbed by this fact. 

Was he raised this way or was he born with a selfish gene that I cannot change within him? 

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My kids have everything they need in life.  They have warm clothes to wear in the winter and swimsuits for the summer.  They have food on the table at night and in their lunch boxes during the day.  They have a roof over their heads and love in their hearts.  They have all of that and a lot more.  We shower them with love every day.  They have toys to play with and books galore to read.  They have all they need and much more.  Because the children come first.  Their safety, well being and happiness is what matters.  They are spoiled to a point but not as much as they could be. 

I despise those people that purchase video game systems, and other electronics as well as cigarettes and booze when their children don't have snow pants to wear to school or gloves for their hands.  Those parents that put their selves and their needs before those of the children.  Those that buy their way into the hearts of children through gifts trying to make up for lack of or bad parenting skills.  Grow up.  Get it together.  Put them first for a change.  

This is what my son will be getting for Christmas this year.

 

Why is it okay for me to buy this for him?  Because he has everything he needs in life.  Because he is a good kid and deserves to be rewarded.  Because the video game system he plays on now is a Nintendo.  Yes, one of those ancient, original Nintendos and that itself was a hand me down.  Definitely not purchased new.  And the games were gifts from people we know who had upgraded to a bigger and better Video Game Console.  However, the XBOX that Bubba is getting is also most definitely not a new one.  My sister happened to have one that needed some fixing and with the help of my other sister, it is now ready for him to have and will be in the mail next week.  It is complete with controllers and games for about $60.  So when other parents are spending in excess of $200 to buy their children the newer XBOX 360 or a Wii, my little man is getting a hand-me-down old XBOX instead.  And other than one small gift, that is all he gets from his parents for Christmas. 

My daughter?  She'll be getting this from us...

It's a little much but it's perfect for her and will be used a fuckton so it's worth it.  And it comes with several rooms of furniture and the dolls AND she can use it to play with her Littlest Pet Shop Animals, too!  Yay!  Totally worth it.  Plus we got it on sale so that is always good. 

And, of course, that little one deserves a great gift for Christmas.  With all of her hard work at Girl Scouts with the Care Packages and the adopt-a-family, she understands the meaning of "Giving" and is always ready to help others.  It's just in her nature. 

Which brings me back to the original question...are they just born that way?

Operation Girls Care: Update...

My original idea has exploded!  The Girls were going to send three care packages to Soldiers stationed in Iraq but that didn't happen.

Word has spread and our mission has been adopted by others.  The total count now is 9 large care packages and 3 small ones.  That is twelve soldiers that will receive a surprise gift this Christmas.  Some love in a box.  A little extra courage to get through this holiday season in the sweltering desert. 

Wanna know a bit about the soldiers we are sending our thanks to?  Here they are...(in list form since it is List Making Tuesday!)

My boss and her two granddaughters put together Care Packages for the following two soldiers:

• MSG Gerald was born and raised in South Dakota and is a member of the Army Reserves.  He was a high school principal and now uses his talents as a  volunteer with the Iraqi Boy Scouts.
• SGT Shannon is from South Dakota as well and has her family here.  She volunteers her free time in Iraq with the Girl Scout organization there.

My mom and some of her fellow co-workers at the Post Office have offered to fill Care Packages and send them to these individuals:

• Major Sina works midnight to 1100 and rarely takes time for herself.  She is a dedicated Army Soldier.
• Mac is a friend of my little sister's.  He is in the Army and has a fiance waiting for him to come home. 
• Major Jennifer is the amazing Air Force soldier who sent me all these names.  She paid close attention to the soldiers that needed a little something extra and is therefore an integral part in this process and deserves some care herself.

The Girl Scouts put together Care Packages for the following Soldiers:

• AK1 Randal is a born and raised Navy Sailor who is volunteering with the Iraqi Boy Scouts.
• Major William has a broken foot and has received very few letters from home.  He spends most of his time at a desk because crutches limit his movement in the sand, gravel and rocks of the Iraq terrain. 
• LT Laura is often found caring for others and rarely focuses on herself. 
• Major Josie is my best friend and she deserves a care package just because.  But really she is an Adult Girl Scout who has won the Woman of Distinction Award and is a volunteer with the Iraqi Girl Scouts, as well. 
• SGT Joesph, SPC James, and PFC Todd are all getting smaller versions of our Care Packages.  All three of them are young Army Soldiers that sit and verify that all personnel entering a Top Secret area have the correct badge displayed and they rarely get acknowledged.

 

So that is them.  The Soldiers that will be receiving letters, food, fun stuff, snowflakes and pictures picked out by my 15 little girls (aged 6 to 8 years).  What a wonderful task.  :)

For the good of all Fairy Tales...

Last week, Princess gave me an assignment (a topic to write about in my blog). Then she awarded me with a cute graphic to put on my blog. I stole another person's assignment and gifted myself the graphic that went with that one as well. This week, Princess gave me an A+ with a BONUS for completing the assignments and then...told me to do another one!

Well, I being the freaky homework lover that I am, am jumping on the idea of someone else telling me what to write on my blog because (as we all know) it's hard to come up with posts every single day and this NaBloPoMo thing is a lot harder than it seemed to begin with!

So, without further ado, today's assignment.


On Thursday, I told you all about the amazing idea I had for helping my Girl Scouts to send care packages to soldiers in Iraq. How far have we gotten with that idea? Not far but we are taking steps.

Miss Quiet and I picked up 10 of our 13 Girl Scouts on Thursday and met the other 3 at the Post Office. The local PostMaster took us on a tour of the whole facility and answered all of our questions. We all learned a lot, like...

• Did you know that an APO address is for Air Force and Army personnel stationed overseas? How about that FPO addresses are for the Marines and Navy?
• Did you know that the United States Postal Service will get the letters, packages and post cards to the destination but then it is in the hands of the military to get it to its actual recipient and is no longer a USPS matter?
• Did you know that a customs form must accompany any and all overseas mail and it must contain a list of what is in the package or envelope?
• Did you know that you can get Priority Mail boxes at your local post office for free and some of them will ship for a flate rate (depending on which box you choose) no matter how much it weighs?
• Did you know that if you ship to an APO or FPO address that you can get a $2.00 discount if you use a Large Flat Rate Priority Box?

The girls all got a souvenir of four First Day of Issues Disney Stamps on an envelope and we also picked up 5 Priority Boxes to pack full of stuff for our Soldier Friends. We are ready for the next step. On Tuesday, November 25th (our next meeting), the girls will bring all of their homemade and purchased contributions and we will fill the boxes and stuff them with homemade paper snowflakes. I can't wait. :)

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Other items of note on this same topic...

Teensy got to see her Grandma's sorting station at the post office (she is a rural route carrier here in our town) and also got to show her friends her picture that was stuck to the desk. They were impressed.

My friend, Josie (the one in Iraq) called me this morning! But...I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth and didn't know my cell phone rang so I missed the call. Argh! She left me a message and said that she would try to call me back tomorrow, so I will be attached to my phone no matter what is going on!

My boss has decided to get her granddaughters together and send a few care packages to Iraq as well. She thought it would be a good project for them. I whole-heartedly agree. Now I just need to get names and addresses for all these soldiers!

Tears for my insightful ideas...

Today, I feel as if I am making a difference.  I am teaching girls to be independent, strong women who will grow up and be the leaders of America (i.e. the best corporate business women, the best stay-at-home-moms, and the best of the best of working women).  Why will they be the best?  Because I gave them the foundation, the building blocks, to construct their lives from.  And it's a pretty solid base if I do say so myself. 

Yes, I am pretty confident in myself.  Today.

Why, you ask?

Because someone else saw the potential and wonderment in something that I have put in motion.  I brought someone to tears with my idea.  In fact, she wants to do it, too.  To be in on the enjoyment that one gets from bringing joy to someone else.  And the idea was all mine. 

It's not a new idea, you say?  Oh.  Well, it was still all my idea in how to implement and carry-out this, this...um, curriculum. 

You see, I have 13 girls.  Yep.  13.  And they are all 6-8 years old.  Really, I share them with Miss Quiet.  I kinda stole them, actually.  But that's not the point.  The point is that I love each of them and can't wait to see what kind of success they achieve in their lives because Miss Quiet and I took the time to nurture and guide them in their formative years. 

Today, we are picking up 10 of the 13 girls from school (the other three will meet us) and we are taking a tour of the Post Office.  Why?  As an introduction.  Yep.  We are starting a project that is important to me.  That came from deep in my heart.

What is it, you ask?

Care Packages.  For Soldiers stationed in Iraq.  Yep.  Like my best friend, Josie.  In fact, she is going to help us with this project.  She is going to make sure that this is a full circle learning experience and not just another badge to be earned. 

Today, my girls will learn how the postal system works.  Postage, stamps, APO and FPO addresses.  They will see the machinery.  They will ask their questions and get their answers.  Then, after we have gathered enough information, we will move on to phase two of their learning process.  Geography.  We have to know where our packages are being sent, so we will learn.  We will learn about the climate, the people, the reason for their stay there.  We will map it and calculate how far the packages will go.  Then, of course, we will fill the boxes.  The girls will choose their own treasures to send to these amazing men and women in uniform and we will pack it all in tight with homemade paper snowflakes.  If there is any room left over, Miss Quiet and I will pick up some more things to add in that will undoubtedly bring smiles to the faces of our newfound soldier friends.

I simply can't wait for this project to get under way.

But that isn't the best part!  The girls will get return mail!  My friend, Josie, is going to use the disposable camera that I add in the box to take pictures of the things around her and then will send it back for me to develop.  The girls will get to see some of the sights of Iraq from a Soldier's perspective.  Not just any soldier though.  A Girl Scout Woman of Distinction.  A strong, independent woman who is rising to the top of her game more and more everyday.  The kind of woman that these girls will grow up to be. 

With my help and guidance.  And that of Miss Quiet, too. 

We are proud.  And I don't mind speaking for her.  :)

The automotive history of...ME!

What does one write about when they can't think of a topic? I guess we'll find out with this post. :)

On the way home from our trip last weekend, Lady K, Crazy Kat and I got into a discussion about what a car says about a person. The make, model, year and color of a car all signify something if the driver actually spent the time to coose the right car for themselves. I have owned only a few vehicles in my lifetime but I am not sure that they say much about who I am as a person.

My first car was given to me as a graduation present. It was an old blue Plymouth Horizon with wacky seat covers. I named her Daisy May. That car said nothing about me other than "my mom didn't have the money to buy me a real car thought I should work to purchase my own vehicle". I got me where I wanted to go.

My second car was the only vehicle that I have ever picked out all by myself. It was a Red Pontiac Sunbird two-door coupe and was fiery to say the least. Cheap at $2800.00, too. I drove it off of the lot (after having my mechanic boyfriend check under the hood to be sure it was okay) and about a week later I had to borrow money to put in new a head gasket. It took me back and forth to college on many a day, but had to be traded off for something with 4 doors when baby #1 came along. I sold it and haven't set eyes on it since.

The 4-door car that we traded up to was a 1996 Pontiac Bonneville. We got it for dirt cheap from dear hubby's parents because they were ready to trade up to a newer model. That car continued my love of the Pontiac line of vehicles. The Bonne did us proud even with the hail damage, salvaged title, and granny paint color. I traded up, so dear hubby now uses it for his daily driving vehicle.

Recently we traded up to a 1997 Pontiac Montana van with all the fixin's. Again we purchased it off of dear hubby's dad because he no longer needed something so large. It fits me perfectly. DVD player to keep the kids from speaking entertained, 6 disc CD changer for when I get bored while driving and want to sing along to many different songs, and two side doors so the kids don't fight over who gets to open the door. It's pure heaven.

I kinda, sorta, maybe also have a 1967 Chevy Truck, too. My dear hubby bought it for me when we were dating and was going to paint it to match his classic Chevelle...that never happened and he put a gear stick in it that I couldn't possibly begin to maneuver on my own, so driving it is out of the question.

So what do my vehicles say about me? That I have no love affair with cars at all. Cars, trucks, vans, etc. are a means to get me from one place to another. They are not a prized possession. If you can't use a vehicle as an every day driving rig, then it's useless. People who fix up cars just to store them in barns and other out buildings, never to see the light of day, drive me up the wall and have too much money in their pockets. How about you give some of that money to a charity (like this one) that could use it and stop squandering those precious dollars away?

And before you guys out there get your tightie-whities in a bunch...this is only my opinion. Deal with it...and continue to drive your hot looking cars. Just don't let them sit in the garage collecting dust.

Out.

Pediatric Cancer Fundraising Site...

Through my journeys in blogging, I have come across many types of people but this lady always inspires me and makes me want to help. I have purchased an original piece of artwork from her to help raise money, but she has come up with a brand new website so that everyone can follow the cause and help. So click here and check out what's going on at "It's 4 the kids"! There are stories and pictures of the children affected by pediatric cancer as well as a place for you to buy unique items or just donate money to the cause. Check it out. It will change your life. :)