Memories...

A few years ago, when we started telling people that we were expecting our 7th child, somebody at the state patrol office anonymously left a condom in hubby's mailbox. Nice.

A few days later, my brother-in-law came through town. He is a doctor and gets all kinds of random promotional items from drug companies, and he brought a bunch to give out to the family.

So the next day, hubby left a little gift in all his buddies' mailboxes at the patrol office...big bright blue pens that said "VIAGRA".

irresponsible breeders: 1
anonymous dillholes: 0

Quote of the week...

"No misfortune is so bad that whining about it won’t make it worse."
--Jeffrey R. Holland

Quote of the week...

"The sad fact is that some people cannot be pleased. You can give some people a million dollars, and they’ll complain that the bills are wrinkled."

--Kathryn H. Kidd

Quote of the Week...

"I think marriage is the most mysterious covenant in the universe. I'm convinced that no two are alike. More than that, I'm convinced that no marriage is like it was just the day before."

--Anita Shreve, The Weight of Water

Rest in Peace...

I am so grateful to have known you and to have been your granddaughter-in-love. Thank you for your place in my husband and children's lives. You will be greatly missed.

Give Grandpa hugs and kisses for us.

Quote of the Week...

"Life is not so much about beginnings and endings as it is about going on and on and on. It is about muddling through the middle."

--Anna Quindlen

Quote of the Week...

"When I get a little money, I buy books...and then if there is any left over, I buy food and clothes."

--Desiderius Erasmus

Quote of the Week...

"It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer."

--Albert Einstein

I didn't need to know that...

I took my daughter to her first enrichment night (activity night at church for the adult women) last night. We were playing a game called "Love Your Neighbor".

It's where you all sit in a circle on chairs and one person is in the middle of the circle as "it" and she approaches people in their chairs and asks, "Do you love your neighbor?" The person asked the question may then answer "Yes, I love my neighbor" and then the people to her immediate right and left must rush to trade seats, while the person who is "it" tries to take one.

OR...the person asked the question may answer, "No, I don't love my neighbor, but I do love people who _____." (it could be, "have green eyes", or "have been to Hawaii") Then, the people who apply to the statement all have to get up and find a new chair. Whoever can't find a seat is then "it" and has to ask someone else if they love their neighbor.

So, one of the more adventurous ladies offered, "No, I don't love my neighbor, but I do love people who have gone skinnydipping."

Imagine my surprise when my lovely 18 year old daughter jumped up and rushed to find a new seat.

Good times.

To the gentleman I encountered on I-25 today...

I'm just going to pretend that you were rushing to the hospital, where your wife is in labor with your child--a child that you two have tried for years to conceive, and now the joyous moment of this child's birth has arrived.

Yup, that's what I am going to pretend.

Because, otherwise...you're just a gigantic tool.

Quote of the Week...

"It's not our job to raise responsible kids. Our job is to consistently do the things that give kids an opportunity to become responsible."

---Foster W. Cline, M.D.

If you own stock in Lysol or Clorox...

I just made your day.

We have been sick to some degree or another for FOUR WEEKS. Every one of us. Sniffling, coughing, sore throats, head and body aches, and then throw in some random vomiting just for fun and you've pretty much got a picture of what life has been like at my house.

Now normally I don't use anything with lots of chemicals. Simple Green, a mild glass cleaner, and a vinegar solution is usually the extent of what I am comfortable using. But today I was on a mission. I wanted every germ within a 6 mile radius of me either dead, or out of their mind with fear.

So I opened every window in my house, and then went to the local Stuff Mart. I then beelined it to the cleaning supply aisle and proceeded to throw anything that said 'disinfectant' or 'anti' anything on its label into my cart. I don't even want to tell you how much I spent but let's just say that a presidential candidate probably could have campaigned for at least a week or two on it. Luckily, I think all the major candidates are dipwads, so no big loss there.

As of tonight, pretty much every surface in my house has been sprayed, soaked, wiped, scrubbed, and otherwise pummeled into what I hope is a germ-free surrender.

And if you do have stock in Lysol or Clorox...you're welcome.

Finally, a campaign I can really support...

I love feed the pig. Go watch the video spot of the guy trying to buy a tv.

Love, love, love.

Quote of the Week...

"It is well, when judging someone, to remember that he is judging you with the same godlike and superior impartiality."

--Arnold Bennett

Some stuff to help you spend too much time on the computer...

Because, you know, we all need that.

Here are a few sites that I am really liking:
Abi Jones has this fun little blog where she reviews frozen foods. Few things are more annoying to me than when I take some of my precious grocery money to buy some frozen dinners and then find I'd rather just have eaten the box they came in. What's really great is that all the nutritional facts (including weight watchers points, if that's your thing) are included in the review. And most importantly, she is really funny. Anyone who can slide in a reference to sesame seeds falling into their bra during a review is my kind of gal.
Becky Higgins has long been a huge name in the world of scrapbooking. I have loved her for years. Her blog is filled with layouts and videos and recipes and lots of yummy goodness. What I love about Becky is her "anyone can do it" mentality. Despite the fact that she is enormously talented, she is so about everyone just enjoying the process. When you watch her videos, you feel like one of your girlfriends just sat down to chat for a few. If you don't like scrapbooking (or, in fact, feel it's the Devil) you'd at least probably enjoy her recipe section. Pictures for every recipe, and so far everything I have tried from it has been really good.
Google Earth may already be a favorite at your house. My kids came home from school talking about it one day, so I went and downloaded it (the basic version is free) and now we are hooked. The kids love to "fly" to our house and then "fly" to Grandma's house. It is amazing and a little bit creepy that photos from space show our cars parked in the driveway and the dead patches of grass in my lawn. But, it is still really cool. You could also use it to look up people you know to see what kind of neighborhood they live in, to see if they live better than you do. No...that would be wrong, and who would even be twisted enough to think of that?? Geesh.

Quote of the Week...

“Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them and you have their shoes.”
---Jack Handey, Deep Thoughts

Just sit anywhere, for the love of Pete...

How come my kids wanna fight to the death over who gets to sit in certain places?



It's not like their dad and I model this behavior. They've never once seen me burst into tears because their Dad sat down at a particular chair at the dining room table. They haven't ever walked in on Dad and Mom pushing and shoving each other for a place on the couch. And I'm pretty sure their Dad hasn't ever thrown himself to the ground and kicked and screamed because Mom was riding shotgun.



And yet, here's an actual conversation:
"I call pistol!" (pistol is the seat behind shotgun. the fact that they've taken it upon themselves to name it that shows you just what kind of freaks we are dealing with)
"Too late!! I already called it!"
---weeping, wailing, gnashing of teeth---
"No way!!! I was totally here by the door and I called it!!!!"
"Ahhhhhh, but see?? I called it first, IN MY MIND."

Quote of the Week...

"You can only be young once. But you can always be immature."

--Dave Barry

Hope hubby isn't jealous...

I love Lost.

Every week drags by until my lovely little addiction stops in and gives me some attention. I giggle like a school girl when I realize it's Thursday night...and I keep my past seasons' DVDs right by my television should I need a good Jack/Locke/Sayid fix to get through the day.

Lost, I don't understand you. I can't even pretend to. You tease and taunt me and even though you mock me with your mysteries I can't give you up. All I know is that I need you the way Sawyer needs to give people nicknames...

Quote of the Week...

"We must constantly remember it is not our situation or problems that make us unhappy; it is our failure to properly resolve them."

--Marvin J. Ashton