The Rantings of a Mad Woman

Goodness...

2011-09-26T11:09:00.002-06:00

Apparently my last post irritated some people. But I won't apologize for my beliefs. The things that irritates me about the people that disagree is the fact that they won't just pleasantly disagree or even pass my blog on by. They say rude things against the beliefs I hold dear and try to get me to agree with them. They want me to tell them their transgressions are not sinful. I know that I have plenty to repent for and that is the key, owning up to the fact that you do wrong every single day!

Good golly...

2011-06-10T12:52:00.005-06:00

I finally finished the study/homework/test portion of massage therapy school. It feels so fabulous to be done. For the next 6 weeks I will essentially be working for free. People still have to pay for their massage but I give the massage and the school receives the money. I do, however, receive tips! It makes me feel so good to have accomplished that goal. When I started school last September Charles and I both had the idea that my schooling would only be throughout the 2010/2011 school year and that it shouldn't be that bad. I have to say though, it has been one stressful year. My time in school made me realize everything I do as a mom and the amount of obligation placed on my shoulders and also what the members of my family expect of me. Days where leaving important homework assignments at home and mom running them to school for you were over. Days of Josh and Cody looking decent enough to go to school were put on hold this year. Charles could not have cared less what those kids looked like when he dropped them off every morning. My days of caring for that stuff was put on hold as well. I even bought ramen to give the kids for lunch! There isn't one nutritional thing in that $.20 pack of noodles but I'm not really caring this summer. Gone were the days of hot, delicious, nightly, homemade meals. Gone were the days of trying to be frugal and going from one grocery store to the next trying to save my family a dollar or 2. Gone were the days of a daily tidied house with washed and folded laundry. Of course the laundry was regularly folded even when I wasn't in school but it was worse while I was in school. Now I'm just looking forward to my 5 a.m. morning being finished.

Let's face it, though, folks....my MT accomplishments is not what brings to me to post on my blog today. I ain't that kind of gal! What brings me here today is the liberal fool that left a comment on my blog on May 9, 2011. There I was minding my own business...well sort of minding my own business. I logged into my blog to see what my sister's in law blog address was so I could see what she was doing to lose 6 pounds in 2 days. That's where I noticed I had 2 comments waiting to be moderated from the last blog posting I made. There sat the comment. The ironic thing was this person told me to get a life! My goodness, if I had more of a life right now I would explode. Now this person is writing a comment on my, a stranger to this person, blog. Not to mention by the time his/her comment came along the posting was 2 months old and they are telling me to get a life! The nerve. I wasn't even going to moderate the comment but as I sat and pondered my thoughts on it I realized this fool totally validated my rantings in that posting. My rantings of how offensive liberal douche bags get when you don't agree with them. Rantings of how they really aren't accepting of anyone unless others' opinions are inline with theirs. Maybe if some of these people would open a bible and read a verse or 2 they might learn something for their own good. Just because you feel that homosexuality is acceptable doesn't mean you are accepting and non-judgmental. To be accepting means you have to be accepting of everyone even when you disagree. I know gay people, for goodness sake, I'm a massage therapist. There are a lot of good gay people out there that do great things. That doesn't mean that I agree with a homosexual lifestyle. It's just like when my kids make bad decisions, I still love them and would die for them, but they still piss me off when they make a bad choice and I am always sad for their consequence of a bad decision.

This person tried to use a wide vocabulary while being insulting and it made me laugh. They used insular-dwelling or situated on an island, also parochial-limited or narrow outlook. Oh and also homophobic! Like I said, I'm a massage therapist, I have given and received massage from gays, lots and of times. Extremely gay people. I am not homophobic. Charles on the other hand is a different story but they weren't insulting him they were insulting me. Insulting someone they don't know anything about. Well, nothing other than the fact I am God fearing and believe we should follow the rules set forth by The One in charge. So, I don't really care what that person says about me. They can make fun of my beliefs but I'm not going to change them because I know who gets the last word. Good people have died standing for truth. Fools have been around since the beginning of time, I just wish they wouldn't post on my blog. Oh and the person's profile couldn't be accessed by uninvited guests... so that tells ya somethin'! I bet anything they were from California!

It's always the ones that whine the loudest that think their views are correct. Atheists complain about religion being in the schools and people hurry and yank prayer out of the schools. Atheism is a religion. So we're leaving religion in and pulling God out! They want to push their crap down our throats and make us and the rest of the population practice what they believe. People are outraged when lessons on homosexuality are taught in schools or when you see Bert and Ernie acting like a gay couple. The ones that are outraged are considered to be the ones doing the wrong thing and we're "parochial and insular". I just don't understand why we have to tolerate their belief system but when it comes to the people with morals we're ignored and our beliefs don't have to be taken into consideration. What about the ones that WANT prayer in school and the ones that still believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman. Obviously, even the majority of California agrees that marriage should be that way because they voted for prop 8 a few years ago.

I better get outta here before my blood pressure rises too much!

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2011/06/10/tracy-morgans-shocking-alleged-homophobic-rant-ill-kill-my-son-if-acts-gay/?test=faces

Even Tracy Morgan is sick and tired of homosexuals!

Some people....

2011-03-03T17:38:00.003-07:00

....bug the heck right out of me! Why is it that people were down right outraged when a grocery store in Arkansas wanted to cover up a picture of a homosexual couple having proudly just adopted a baby but nobody seems to be that outraged about those Westboro Baptist fools protesting at soldiers' funerals. Why is that ok but upholding Christian values is taboo. What is even more maddening is that grocery store gave into the media hype. They should have told those liberal idiots to kiss it where the sun don't shine. We're gonna keep it covered! I am sick to death of people being scare to do the right thing these days because it might "offend" someone. Liberals want to defend their freedom of speech but what about the right to bear arms amendment? They are all for that constitution when it may benefit their cause but when it stands against their platform they want to change it. I am sorry to inform everyone of this...but...this country was founded upon Christian principles. God inspired those men! I am sorry but homosexuality is NOT a Christian act. It is morally wrong! It is sinful in the eyes of God. Everyone should be thanking that same God for choosing them to be a part of this country and stop trying to undo the goodness that this country started with.

Those Westboro fools are protesting at funerals of the very men and women that gave their dumb a--es the right to do that. The ruling in the Supreme Court claims to defend our first amendment but what those people want to do has nothing to do with free speech. The Supreme Court is condoning hate speech. How many times has the ACLU stepped in to help the dumbest of causes? Where are they now? Let those idiots say what they want when they want but don't allow it at a service member's funeral or anyone's funeral for that matter. Where the hell is our next Ronald Reagan?

I really do believe there are a lot of people out there still that have values and morals and want to uphold the rights and privileges we've started with. I think it's just that the far left douche bags are the squeaky wheels that always get the grease.

While I'm on the topic of the screwed up government, let's talk about the welfare system. You don't see single mothers of small children filling up the projects. Nope. Drive through a set of them. You'll see black people that have no desire to work or become educated but want to sit around and let our tax dollars pay their way. I'm not a racist, I'm a fact teller! It seems that someone along the way should come up with the idea of a time line for welfare. We'll help you out for this amount of time and then it will be up to you to support yourself and your family. Some people consider the welfare system helping out the needy and I'm SURE there are cases where people truly do need it but I do not think that is the rule. I'm sick of it!

It seems that the people that scream the loudest to protect the amendments they find so dear are the ones who have not done a darn thing to protect it! I guess that's why they think they get to pick and choose which rights need to stay and which ones need to go. There will come a time when the people with morals and values will have to defend what was given to us. I hope we win it!

God Bless the USA! And all those that serve to protect it!

So, you can run and tell that homeboy!

Holy Shizzle!

2011-01-05T15:00:00.003-07:00

It's been forever since I posted on this thing. I almost forgot I had a blog! We've been up to our eyeballs with busy-ness. When I say busy I really do mean busy, not just the busy some people use when they want to appear as if they do something important. I started massage therapy school in September and go until the end of June. Charles decided since I wasn't going to be home during his lunch hour anymore he may as well go ahead and finish his degree and get that done once and for all. He's been going to school like a crazy man. We're only in our 30's, we're figuring out what we want to do when we grow up. Slow and steady wins the race, right?!

Charles coached Josh's soccer team this year and they actually turned out to be a pretty good team. When the season started we had some questionable players on the team but they had all learned how to play soccer by the end of the season. Charlie and Ryan's team made it to the championship game and ended up losing 4-2. It was a frustrating game. Not to brag, but all of my kids are magnificent soccer players and it is a little irritating to see big ol' kids out there twiddling the ball and not putting it in the goal. If you haven't played soccer by the time you're 14, now is not the time to "try" it out. It is a very fast paced game with lots of running, so if you're chubby, try something else, like....knitting or golf.

I started a food co-op, back in August, with a good friend of mine. I like doing it except for when the times comes to actually get out there and do it! It really is a pain in the butt, however, I always feel good once it's done. Lots of people use the co-op as their only source for fruits and veggies. Besides it is only every other week and my family helps me a ton with it!

Christmas was sensational! It was nice for all of us to get a 2 week break with no responsibilities. We slept late, played the wii for hours at a time and ate like pigs. Not the most spiritual thing to do, I know, but we did have a great time. I must put a plug in for Charlie, who did not partake in our idolatry. He was putting an irrigation system in for some guy from church.

Massage therapy school is 4 days a week. I drive to Tucson for those 4 days. It is a 75 minute drive there and back. I wake at 5 a.m. every morning and I am not a morning person. I do love school though. I didn't think I would after all those years out of high school but it is very different learning as an adult. Now before you go thinking "it's only massage therapy school" I will have you know it is quite hard. Anatomy and physiology were a killer. I had to study my butt off and I will add that I've had the highest grade in the class for the last 5, maybe 6 classes!

I forgot to consider I would have to work close with people that annoy me. For 15 years I have worked in my home with people that annoy me but I love them dearly and would die for all of them. I can't say the same thing for a percentage of the people in my class. They annoy me but there is not one person I would consider dying for! I guess I should have known there was going to be a certain number of homosexual men having a desire to be massage therapists. Here's my question about them.... if homosexuals are attracted to the same sex, why do they try so hard to look and act like the opposite sex? I don't care what your sexual preference is, but don't shove it down my throat.

Anyway, life is good for now. 2010 didn't start off so hot but it did end up well. Hope all my readers out there are doing fabulous. Heck, maybe you forgot about this blog altogether!

Fat Bottom Girls Make the Rockin' World Go 'Round

2010-08-11T15:26:00.006-06:00

Well, what a fun filled summer it was! Believe it or not I was not ready for my kids to start school last Wednesday. Mostly because we had returned from a 2 week vacation the day before it started. I had to get the new school clothes washed, groceries purchased and school supplies bought. Not to mention pick up the schedules and meet the new teachers. All of this after driving across the country for 26 hours. We've made the trip from Arizona to Alabama many times but it seemed much easier this time since we don't have babies. It was still miserable to be in the car for such a long period. The state of Texas takes days to drive through, Louisiana has some of the worst, bumpy highways of any state I have ever driven through, Mississippi has more gospel radio stations than one state needs. I assume that's because that state is largely populated with black people. You know you're entering southern country when the blacks out number the Mexicans. Where have all the white people gone? My goodness! I'm starting to wonder if I have racist tendencies....nah!

We did have a great summer! We went to the pool, played basketball and had as much fun as you can possibly have in a town as crappy as Sierra Vista! Our vacation back to the south was, of course, the highlight of summer 2010. We saw all of our family, well the ones we wanted to see anyway, went to an amazing science center filled with screaming, stinky kids, spent a week at the beach and even saw my almost 90 year old grandmother. The kids weren't so hip on sitting in her tiny nursing home room and having my dad go nuts at every little move they made! Of course the alarm that kept going off wasn't helping matters either. Not a good thing to hear when you're sitting on the bed of a 90 year old woman!

Since my grandmother moved into a nursing home her things needed to be divvied up among family. My dad's brother got anything that might be of some value and we were able to pick through the rest! We were able to walk away with things that were valuable to us and probably even valuable to the rest of the population! I got lots of old pictures and even a rolling pin that my great grand-father carved with a pocket knife sometime in the 1800's. I also retrieved all of my grand-mother's old wigs! Weird, I know, but my kids have sure had a blast with those things! I couldn't resist when I saw the box sitting there in that hot, Alabama storage unit! I remember those things from when I was a little girl. Well, not those actual wigs. They seem to have lightened up as the years have gone by BUT she still had them on the same styrofoam heads I remembered from years ago! Charles was a little creeped out that we got the wigs. He wouldn't even open the box when we got home. He sure did enjoy seeing me in one of those things and quickly decided we needed to keep them.

I'm so glad we got to see the family that we desired to see. I am glad that my kids were able to be a part of a bigger family for a couple of weeks. It broadened the picture on eternal families for me and made me realize how grateful I am to have such great people in our families!

2010-07-01T13:55:00.004-06:00

I don't really know what to say today but I feel like it should be something. I can't just write up a posting like my last one and go into hiding for another 3 months.

Charles and I have been swimming at night and of course we have 4 kids that like to come along. Cody passed the swim test this year, which allows him to swim in the deep end without an adult within arm's reach of him. Since this feat he likes to see how far down he can swim in 11 feet waters. Charles and I warned him that he shouldn't get near the pool drains as this is very dangerous. Charles felt like he should take it a step further and tell our kids a tragic story of a kid who got to close to the pool drains and had his innards sucked out. Of course Cody and his 7 year old brain takes this story very serious. He comes up to me the other night after I had completed my swim and he says in his most serious voice "Hey, Mom, you know that kid that got his butt hole sucked out? Well... was it like the big squares that they have in this pool?" " Yes, buddy, just like those!" The things that kid thinks up! We were on our way to a BBQ, and I say BBQ because the person was using a gas grill and not charcoal, when Cody asks Charles and me "hey, how do you spell douche bag?" I'm sorry but I cracked right up! How do you not laugh at something like that? No... they do not learn that from the parents but from their older brothers! We're good people!

Charles has gone crazy training for this triathlon. For me, I just wanted to see if I could do it and wanted him to start exercising with me. Now he is all into it and I am wishing I had never started. We have been reading on transitioning between events and there are stories of spandex and speed and everything in between. I have no desire to put this body in a pair of spandex and don't see why anyone else would want to do that either. But I'm glad he has found something he likes to do:)

There I was standing in my kitchen, canning salsa and minding my own business when Cody yells "Mom, there's a scorpion, move away..." There it was in all it's glory straightening and curling his tail right below my feet. Cody ran to his room, grabbed his shoe and ran back to whack it 5 good licks. He was a goner in no time. That is one good thing about having all boys.

Since they are so fabulous, we're going to the circus tomorrow! I'm excited:)

Where has the time gone?

2010-06-17T21:18:00.012-06:00

Here is a list of Cody's summer demands! If you can't read it clearly he states "you haft give us a 2 popcycles every day. give us a pickel. take us swimming and take us to the park when we want to. from: cody LOVE that kid! He had tucked it away by the couch last night. He was angry that he didn't get a popsicle before bed last night! This picture had to go to the top because I was tired of adding pictures to the bottom!

Of course I must write tonight! I can't believe it's been 3 months since my last post :| Indeed, I have lots of good reasons for a hiatus. First off, we celebrated 3 birthdays in 10 days and I was in charge of 2 of them. March 30-April 9th is full of ideas about cakes, gifts and how to celebrate on the child's big day. I am planning for weeks on each one.

Ryan chose a kitty litter cake! The taste wasn't worth the effort!

Cody likes to be very precise on how he desires his big day to pan out.

Here is a sample of the awsomeness of my mothering skills!
Cody's 7th b'day cake!

Thank goodness that's over.....for nearly 3 months now. Hey, I'm just now recovering! Then Charlie and Ryan participated in a HUGE cultural event celebrating the new Gila Valley Temple. They practiced their dance moves for weeks. It involved lots of traveling and preparation! They got to perform for President Monson for the finale. It was one of the most amazing things I have ever witnessed. 1600 kids singing "Come Come Ye Saints" while a live Angel Moroni was being raised was quite sensational! I am very grateful that 2 of my children were able to participate in something like that!

Now school is out and my kids turn into lazy slobs during these summer months. If it were up to my 4 sons my grocery bill would triple. For some reason their stomachs double in size during these months and so does the laundry pile and the mess around this place. Funny thing is I was super excited about school coming to an end 3 weeks ago! Don't get me wrong, I love those kids but they're stinky and messy and make me nuts!Another wonderful thing is Charles and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary on June 14th! We celebrated by each of us getting new road bikes, having dinner in Tucson and eating an ungodly amount of Cold Stone Creamery ice cream! I thought I was going to laugh my head off when my husband walked out of that place with the BIGGEST ice cream servings I have ever seen! If you're gonna do it, do it right! That's Charles' motto:) It sure was tasty!

Another, sort of dumb, thing we have gotten ourselves into is a triathlon. A friend mentioned doing one and maybe dividing up the events and I talked Charles into doing it with me and now we are stuck doing all 3 events. I say stuck because now that we are training Charles has gotten all into it and wants to do all 3 (swim, bike, run) and no dividing it up. Now I'm in a wild panic about getting my not so small ass out there and trying to cross the finish line. Good thing it's only a sprint. I do have sense enough to not sign up for anything bigger than that! I can swim and bike well enough and I jog/bounce my way through the 5K! Even if it takes me 6 hours I will cross that finish line!

I have had my fair share of mean and rude people in the last month. I'm not sure what I was supposed to be learning but I hope I have learned it. We've had a few shockers these last few weeks but we seemed to have come out unscathed and we're better for it. However, I did have quite a shocker today on my little facebook page. We return home from our morning bike ride, Charles decides to make himself a bite to eat and I decide I would take a gander at my FB home page! As I am going through I take note of a few depressing postings and FB asked what was on my mind! Well I told her what was on my mind and it was that "Ashley Tucker Woods is wondering why people get on facebook to discuss their ailments...." The next thing I know all hell has broken loose and I am still confused at the responses that one little posting has received:) But the one little posting that really irritated me the most was the one made by my husband's father. Moral advice coming from a man that has done the things he has done was a little more than I could take. Of course, I can't get on FB and say the MT things I wanted to say. Believe me, it took some SERIOUS restraint not letting my filter fly out the window but I had to think of the kids on my friends list and all the seriously religious people that would see that stuff. I can't even imagine the controversy that could have caused! Goodness gracious....so that's really the biggest reason that caused me to come to my little public diary and vent! Charles' step-sister and step-mom and obviously his dad felt as though the comment was directed at the step-sis and all hell broke loose from there. It actually turned into a hysterically comical episode that has left me stunned! I'm pretty sure it all stems from Charles and some certain emails a couple of years ago. Who knows? And really...who the hell cares? But the bottom line is... I know how to make myself happy and couldn't give a crapola what other people think!

Ok~ We took the kids to movies in the park a few weeks ago and saw this too! Charles had to snap a picture. I mean I'm all for being confident in your own skin but she has taken it to a whole new level! If you look closely you can see crack also! I know, I know...if you can't say anything nice....just sleep with your co-worker....right?

Cody is learning how to play!

We've been busy......

2010-03-18T10:50:00.002-06:00

finishing the RV. I say we meaning mostly Charles and the kids. I did, however, help with a lot of the painting. But after being in such a small space and having mostly cutting in to do I grew tired of that job fast. A lot of the work required skills that I do not possess so I opted to clean the heck out of my house this weekend. Charles had put in for leave for the entire week of spring break so we could work on the RV and take our first voyage! They worked diligently through the weekend and finished what needed to be done to get it out and we were set to leave Tuesday morning! The kids were so excited! We had picked our boondocking spot and everything:) We piled into the RV and we were set until Charles turned the key and got no response! Not even a single noise. It was as if we had stuck a toothpick in the ignition. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Charles looks over at me and and I say "Now what do we do?" Charles looks under the hood and about 20 minutes later he discovers it's some solenoid something or other and teaches Charlie how to hot wire the thing and we're off! Until we stop for gas and the same thing happens. This time the engine becomes flooded and we're stuck at the gas station for another 20 minutes then the hot wiring trick works again and we're off to somewhere between Bisbee and Douglas, Arizona! It was out in the middle of nowhere on this little, old lady's land that she has opened up to boondockers. Boondocking is actually RVing for free but she had a suggested "donation" price board once you entered the property. She was a sweet old lady with a wild life story. Animals were everywhere and we met a guy who is traveling throughout the west and had been at the Silverado ranch for about 3 weeks! Belle Star is the owner of the ranch and she has a donkey that roams the property and there was poop everywhere. Apparently she lives life to think that animals are low maintenance. There were also horses, geese, chickens, roosters, peacocks and dogs! There was a dead horse in a trash pile and the next day a neighbor came out to burn the pile..... so...... that took care of that! We had a pretty good time. For some reason, my husband and kids thoroughly enjoy living primitive. Although is wasn't too bad since we had running water, toilets and a shower. I mean really, how primitive are you when you run through a 40 gallon water tank in less than 24 hours? The thing I enjoyed most was watching my kids have a good time and feeling close as a family out in the middle of nowhere. I also loved the fact that Charlie wasn't at all embarrassed to get out and help his dad hot wire our hoopty of an RV! We laughed the whole time at that experience. I'm just glad to be married to a man that knows what to do with an old, crappy piece of machinery. He's driven enough of them in his lifetime! Those memories are another story for another day! Oh and the next day we walked over to the "tamed" horses pen since we were told we could ride them. Well Bryan, the vagabond, was trying to help us figure out how to rein and saddle them when the 2 horses started going crazy and bucking. Scared the heck out of me and Bryan too since he spouted off a few expletives. I think I would have too because he was the one holding the one that was bucking and that horse was slinging him all over the place. Bryan thought he was going to get the crap kicked out of him and he was saying a silent prayer the whole time. I decided since we didn't know what the hell we were doing and the horses weren't being cooperative there was no way I was going to let any of my kids giddy up! I'd rather forfeit a few minutes of good old fashioned fun than one of my kids' spinal cords. Those horses may have been tamed at one point but I would have felt safer atop a wild mustang! I hope she doesn't tell anyone else those babies are for riding!

This morning Charles took Charlie and Ryan on another camping excursion for scouts. They took out the beast again. Josh, Cody and myself are left at home for the next couple of days but I ain't sad about it. We have big plans! Today was swimming and tomorrow is Diary of a Wimpy Kid! I couldn't be more thrilled:) Pictures of our RV adventure will be available when Charles returns Saturday!

Wild and CrAzY!

2010-02-23T14:53:00.014-07:00

Charles is amazed there hasn't been a blog posting in 8 days since we had quite the week starting last Monday! There we were at 9 p.m. watching our beloved Operation Repo when we started hearing strange noises coming from my most prized household appliance, our washing machine! I went to check it out and found nothing out of the ordinary. The noises stopped so we continued on with the show. Charlie and Ryan had started some of their laundry before going to bed and Charlie decided it was finally time to do his homework (which translates to being a pain in our butts past bedtime). We have a rule in our house that parents have nothing to do with kids if it's after 8:30. Well, the noises in the machine started again and quickly got louder, then there was a loud crack and Charles and I both ran in there to see what in the world was going on. We discovered that our 2 oldest children had both put their soccer shin guards in the washing machine and one had become lodged in the seal of our 2 year old Maytag Epic front loader resulting in the seal becoming shredded and ruined.

YES! I was pissed and said a few choice words before sending them to bed. This incident has resulted in more rules at the Woods' house and we should have no more trouble with anyone tearing up my washing machine. Lucky for me, Charles has a good pair of testicles and can fix these types of things so that we don't have to pay repairmen to do it. He ordered the replacement part immediately and we were without our appliance for an entire week. It finally came when we were headed out of town to Phoenix. It was repaired on Sunday and on Monday I was able to do the 7 loads of laundry that had piled up through the week!

We left for Phoenix Friday night so we could attend the temple on Saturday. We stopped in Tucson for dinner and ate at a place called Frankie's which serves up authentic Philly cheese steak sandwiches. Charles had talked to a guy from work that is a South Philly native and swore this was the best place for Philly Cheesesteaks in Tucson. So we stopped there for dinner, thinking we were going to have the meal of a lifetime, and we were slightly disappointed. For one, we're from the south. We don't really care what they eat in Philly. Maybe what we think is delicious might not be so tasty to others. Don't get me wrong, it was a good sandwich but I won't be rushing back there any time soon:) It was a fun experience though! We arrived in Phoenix just in time to get to bed. We got up early the next morning, went to the temple and came back to our hotel with 3 extra kids (so their parents could go to the temple) and met up with another family with 3 kids. So there we were with about 9 kids in 55 degree rainy weather sitting under a pavilion watching them swim in an outdoor pool! There was also a hot tub so they were able to at least stay warm. It was a grand ole time. We stopped at Ikea on the way out of town and discovered that it was the largest, most overwhelming store I have ever encountered! Apparently it is a Swedish chain that the Swedes think is full of cheaply made crap that Americans would die for! They're not sure what our fascination for this store is all about. It was unlike any shopping experience we have ever had and I loved it. Although we did question the durability of a lot of their merchandise. Oh yeah, we did leave empty handed!

Anyway, I'm training for a 5K. I'm not quite sure that I will actually run one but I will be fully trained for one. I'm in my 4th week of training and it is going rather well. I still haven't developed a love for running but I'm at least doing it. I was at the gym yesterday and there were only 2 treadmills opened so I darted to grab one and the lady I was there with hopped on the other one. I of course was next to this black girl who had a terrible stench. I didn't notice the odor until I was well into my run. I began catching whiffs of what smelled exactly like a butthole. I inconspicuously check my pits to make sure it wasn't me. Once I determined it wasn't me that stunk I started to realize it was the chick next to me. I knew it wasn't my friend because I had been in the car with her and she hadn't smelled foul. The odor got stronger and stronger and was a mix of horrendous B.O., butthole and dirty female crotch. I was running on an empty stomach since I had skipped breakfast so I was extremely weak to the stench. At one point I had to ball my towel up and hold it to my nose. I thought it was either that or I would start gagging. I had to do what was the least embarrassing to me and to the stinky girl and I figured that was it. I thought if my eyes started to water along with my mouth, not the good mouth watering either, and then the gag reflex would kick in. Now, THAT would be super embarrassing! So I chose the towel trick and ran with it held to my nose until she exited the treadmill. I did try to make it look as though I was wiping sweat but then I thought if she had the nerve to go out in public smelling like that then I should be able to have the nerve to prevent having to smell it! So I just balled it up and put it to my nose and had no reservations about not trying to be inconspicuous. Wash your butt ladies, not to mention washing your unmentionables! For cryin' out loud. The thing is, it's not like you wake up and stink like that if you have showered the day before. It takes a few days to get to stinking like that! Now I can't seem to erase the smell out of my mind and I will gag when the thought of it creeps in!

Anyway, that was our week. Oh yeah, we did gut the inside of our RV. Now we are ready to start the fixing up process! It's very exciting to think I won't have to sleep in a sleeping bag on a hard tent floor ever again:) That's what I call camping! Here are some before pictures.

LAUGHTER......

2010-02-15T12:17:00.007-07:00

is when a smile has an orgasm! I hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day. This picture was on the front of the card I received from my husband yesterday. He knows me well! I laughed my butt off:)

Lately I've had issues and it has made me want to reflect on the hand I've been dealt in this life. I recently was poking around on facebook and was deleting all the people that had added me as a "friend" that knew me when I was a teenager in Gadsden. They added me, not because we were friends in high school, but, because they wanted to know where my life has ended up. There is one girl, a grown woman now, that is always adding pictures of days gone by and I seem to get resentful whenever I look at these pictures. I seem to be pissed at all the fun she was allowed to have because my mother did a good job at ruining any fun we could have had. Friends came and went because they, or their parents, became fed up with my mother's crazy ass ways. She was very embarrassing and ALWAYS did things that would make you want to crawl in a place never to be heard from again. She, seriously, made being a teenager MISERABLE for me and my sister. So when I look at these pictures, yes, I am resentful at what I feel like I missed out on. However, I was doing some seriously reflecting yesterday and thought about all this. And what I came to realize was all of my good memories have started since I met Charles at 16 years old. We have nearly 15 great years of marriage (June 14) under our belts and we have 4 great kids that are now old enough for us to leave at home and not worry about having to get a babysitter. So, as I clicked through old high school memories that belong to someone else I was grateful for my shitty high school years because my life has only gotten better since those days. For some people their teenage years were the best days of their life but for me my life just keeps getting better. Now I just need to figure out how to get rid of all that resentment I have for my mom. My first step was to rid my facebook friends list of all the people I knew from Gadsden and that I didn't really even care about to begin with! One thing I realized as I flipped through this chick's picture album was that she is either divorced or is going through one or contemplating one! I feel lucky and blessed that my life turned out better than it began. We lived through our 20's and now through our 30's raising our family and growing in ways I could never have imagined. All of my best memories involve Charles and the boys! It's ok that I don't have fun filled photos of my school days. I have grown up with Charles and I am excited for the day to come when we can live a life after our kids are raised and spend our days finding out what it is like to have it just be the 2 of us. Not that I don't dearly love my kids and being a mother, but any mom out there has to admit motherhood does get to be pain in the a-- at times! Unless of course you are the authors of the "blessed beyond belief" blogs and therefore would never in a million years admit your kids drive you effin crazy! BUT....I have no problem whatsoever admitting mine drive me nuts. Like today, Charlie has asked me about 618 times when am I going to take him to Wal-Mart so he can purchase an sir-soft gun. He ain't gonna leave me alone until I do. I love him to pieces though. He spent 4 hours of his Saturday helping an old lady, with a junk filled house and 3 cats, move. He is always involved in service and takes his deacon responsibilities serious so I should just go ahead and take him to purchase his gun!

Cody comes in the office this morning, where I was sitting at the computer desk, wearing a black, long sleeve, Halloween t-shirt and a pair of black soccer shorts. I ask him "Cody, what is that you're wearing?" His reply "some sexy stuff!" and turns to exit the room. It can't get any better than that!

"Forgiveness is giving up all hope of having had a better past."
— Anne Lamott

I'm getting better every day! I'm good enough, I'm smart enough and doggone it people like me!

Why......

2010-02-09T12:39:00.003-07:00

do so many people have to put a psychological spin on everything? Take bed wetting for instance, some people say that kids wet the bed because there has to be some psychological something that has affected them. Why can't it just be that they have small bladders and are heavy sleepers? Obviously, there are some kids and adults, for that matter, that need to be on meds. I actually have some people in my family that could probably function a lot better if they were medicated! Then you have people that want to have their kids labeled with some "disorder," slap them on some medication and then do nothing to change the behavior. I think these days some kids just need a good ol' fashioned ass-whoopin! But the whole thing that got me thinking about how people try to put a mental spin on everything is the website goodreads.com. Yes, I know, some are probably wondering how all of that came about from a book website. I was going through reviews of books I have thought about reading and people put these mile long reviews on there with all of their deepest darkest thoughts. I mean, hell people, did you like the book or not? I don't need all of your baggage along with your opinion. They just kill me with trying to be so deep and it comes across corny as hell! Just for the record, I hate when a wife is called "wifey." I can't think of a cornier word. Don't ever call me a wifey. Absolute silliness.

And speaking of needing an ass beating, what makes all these bleeding heart liberals think that freedom of speech is only for them? They think that amendment is great UNTIL you disagree with them. Then once you don't agree with them they want to pull all that politically incorrect bull crap. I just can't believe all the grief those idiots were giving over the Tim Tebow anti-abortion commercial. Doesn't that man have a right to stand up for what he believes? We are constantly having to witness all the PETA sluts writhing around naked in the name of saving animals but heaven forbid someone try and stand up for an unborn infant's rights! It's unbelievable! It downright pisses me off.

On Monday afternoon, after weeks of not having a desire to get my house in order, I finally got the oomph. I disinfected Josh and Cody's nasty room and got the game closet in fabulous order. I worked for the majority of the afternoon to get it done and it looked wonderful upon completion! When we finished I told Josh and Cody that if their room got that disorderly again I was going to beat them both. Cody says to me..."ok Mom, I think I know what disorderly means." I love that bald headed kid! He started piano lessons yesterday and loves it. He's been excited for weeks about starting and now we will have a good excuse to be piano owners!

Charles is doing a bike relay this weekend. It's an 18 mile loop that you do over and over until the 24 hour time period is up. The team consists of 4 men and when one guy is finished riding then another takes over and so forth until 24 hours is over. It benefits hunger in Tucson and I'm not sure why that sounds fun to him. But hey, to each his own! Isn't that the adage? I sure love him and maybe for his efforts someone will get some delicious food! Of course it falls over President's Day weekend and all 4 kids will be home for 4 days! But that's ok cuz I'm smiling and I love them all:) SEE!

My sister put me on to this chick named Ann Lamott. She has some funny quotes out there and I saw this one and liked it...."Expectations are resentments under construction."
— Anne Lamott. I have found in my life that this statement is so darn true! And one more that made me laugh and I too, have felt like this.......

"I thought such awful thoughts that I cannot even say them out loud because they would make Jesus want to drink gin straight out of the cat dish."
— Anne Lamott

Politically Incorrect...

2010-02-05T13:32:00.001-07:00

Looks like I'm not the only one! Amen to what this man had to say!

A day in the life

2010-01-25T11:01:00.010-07:00

I like having the little counter on this blog. You can see who reads it and who comes back for more! Rather interesting! Now lately I have had quite the foreign audience. Greece, Angola, Asia, Hungary, Germany, United Kingdom, Spain, Brazil, Denmark and Portugal! I'm not sure if I think that's cool or scary! Maybe they like the feisty American woman:) or maybe I was the next one to pop up when they were blog surfing! I did have a French follower for a while but I haven't seen them around for some time now. Oh speaking of blog surfing, I've been getting a lot of those lately and one of them even left a comment. I actually had it posted but then I deleted it because it irritated me. Here's why it irritated me....first of all the gal was 25 and I didn't even know her. No spouse or kids and probably not near the life experiences we've had. 2nd-Leaving a comment on someone's blog that I am not familiar with or know anything about their life experiences is definitely not something I would do. Now, I'm sure she is a great person. She's in in a bible group and a lover of poetry. (read her profile) But what irritated me the most is the fact that she had no idea about each individual situation I was even speaking of. She tried to give me advice on something she new absolutely nothing about. Completely frustrating. She compared our help to gas and groceries and the help we have rendered goes well beyond petty things. What's wrong with expecting some gratitude when you've done something nice for someone. I don't expect accolades and praises and a million thank you cards or a single thing in return but a simple thank you and the attitude of pay it forward....is that too much to ask? Jesus Christ, the savior of the world, expected gratitude when he cured the lepers. Only one of them came back to him to say thank you and he asks where the others were. So I don't think I'm out of line to expect a thank you when you have gone above and beyond what the Lord expects from you! But I appreciate your looking at my blog Susan from Toledo! But know what you're talking about BEFORE you comment on a stranger's blog next time.

So, I keep reading how marvelous running is for you. I have read it in magazines, I hear it from doctors, weight trainers, the list goes on. I know this information is correct. However, I hate running. I can ride a bike for miles, walk forever, train on the elliptical without difficulty and I love to swim but I just can't seem to be able to acquire a love for running. It hurts every thing on this body. Plus, everything bounces when I run and it's rather embarrassing. But I am determined. So I got out with my dog today, who loves to run, and she inspired me. I figure I will start small and work my way up. Today I ran about a mile and thought my chest was on fire and would explode out of my body. It may have been less than a mile but it sure felt like about 5 miles. I'll keep you posted on my progress but don't get too excited. And I promise you now, I will never desire to run a marathon :)

I tried......

2010-01-19T15:51:00.006-07:00

NOTE TO SELF......if you're wanting to be positive, blog surfing is NOT a good idea! Some people are just way too ridiculous for me. Especially the ones that you know act like fools and they have bible verses all over their blog! Love those!

We've been having some serious tornadic winds around these Arizona parts lately. Tuesday night Charles and I were out in the front yard at 11 p.m. picking up all the recycle trash that had blown all over the yard. We had to get it picked up since the recycle truck only runs once a month and it was picking up the next day.

Have you ever been to the gym and seen one of those guys in there that has a huge beer gut but massive biceps? Ok, here's some Ashley advice, just because you have big biceps does not mean you're healthy. Besides, I'm not looking at your biceps because I can't get past your massive gut! There was a guy at the gym yesterday that was like this and he kept grunting loudly as he lifted his weights. It reminded me of the MadTV spoof where the guy is sitting at a bar talking inappropriately and everyone is staring at him and he gets pissed because they are all staring! He's calling them looky looks and asks what they are staring at. I mean, how do you not stare at someone grunting loudly as you are standing there right next to him on a treadmill? It's a little distracting to say the least.

You know, I continue to be stunned at all the people that are constantly looking for others to do for them. I look back through the years and see people that Charles and I have done big things for, as far as really helping someone. I'm not talking about doing yard work or baking some cookies for someone either. I'm talking about serious help where we have given up our resources to help another. Help that we have rendered and has involved serious sacrifice on our part. In all the circumstances when we have given of ourselves or possessions it seems as though every person has taken advantage of our willingness. Now there haven't been a ton of people but there has been a decent amount of folks that we have sacriciced for. A few circumstances have involved us helping people that claim they "just don't have the money" then the lifestyle they choose to live is contradictory to this. They'll take trips, lunches out, they'll make big purchases, etc. It really is infuriating. People that use up your resources so they can save their own, they're appalling. Then they sleep like a baby at night. I've had people stay at my home for a good length of time that have left without ever offering a thank you. We've had people take advantage of us financially. I guess I have expectations of people and think that they will do the right thing. Let me tell you though, not everyone will choose to do the right thing. Lots of people are only looking out for their best interest. It's the whole give and take mentality though. The takers will continue to be takers and vice versa. I just don't have it in me to take advantage of someone like that. If I have been that way to anyone out there reading this I sure am sorry! Now, we have had people come stay or helped others out and be very appreciative and show their gratitude. It's those people that make me want to continue doing nice things. That and also knowing that what goes around comes around! I truly believe that:) So those advantage takers will get what's theirs:)

So......

2010-01-18T11:21:00.004-07:00

I've been thinking lately......about lots of things! One thing in particular is where life has brought me. Despite my rantings on here, I do have a great life. I remember feeling in my twenties how life just seemed to drift by without too many obstacles. I thought it was weird to just float along like that and nothing seemed to change. But as I got older and wanted more out of life I realized how many obstacles I had to overcome. Historically speaking, I have learned most of my life's lessons through hard and difficult trials. Things I would never have dreamed of happening while floating through my early marriage years. Now that they've happened I'm grateful for the experiences and the lessons that were learned from them. Even though they weren't at all fun to experience, now, I would have to say I would do them all again. I'm not sure why it is so hard for me to grasp that we will surely face disappointment in this life so that we will learn and become what we are intended to be. Often times people think that because bad things happen it's because we have done something bad, but we need to remember this isn't always the case. Sure, when we make bad choices we will usually have to face bad consequences but not every trial is because of a bad choice. Just thinkin'........

Well, I love cheese! Charles was coming home from work one day and was listening to NPR. There was a segment on there about a cheese maker in Wisconsin who had aged some cheddar cheese for 15 years and was selling it for $50 a pound. Well, this piqued our interest. We immediately went to the computer and looked up this company. We were thinking it was going to be some big time operation but it wasn't at all. You had to email them to get a price list and then when you call she doesn't say " hello, thank you for calling Hook's cheese, how can I help you?" She just answers the phone "hello" in her Wisconsin accent! So we ordered a variety of cheeses and have been pleased with every pound! They don't have credit card capabilities so they give you your total on the back of a business card when you receive your order! The cheese is delicious and cheaper than what you would pay for fancy cheese in a grocery store! It was well worth the $75 we spent!

Another thought I've had recently, well, really just last night, was this blog of mine. I'm thinking I need to be more positive. Why do I let people's silliness bother me? I mean if someone wants others to think their life is perfection who am I to stand in the way? If you want to name your child some crazy made up name that they will have to suffer with for the rest of their life go right ahead! If you want to be an ignorant, redneck buffoon I ain't gonna stop ya. From this day forward I am going to be positive--I think! It might take me some time to get in the swing of things, so bear or bare with me! It makes me nervous:)

Mission Accomplished!

2010-01-13T11:57:00.003-07:00

Man, my last blog posting sure did create a lot of buzz! I was able to show my white trash to a bunch of people I know and also those I don't know! Sorry about that, it comes out once in a while:( But I usually try hard to have class. I slip up once in a while though.

So has anyone checked out the show Operation Repo? Oh my gosh, if you haven't you must. It is the best show on TV. Obviously, it's about this repo company in California that goes around repossessing cars for banks. Then the "owners" of these cars get so irate that they are having their cars taken away. I don't get how you can stand there and cuss someone out when you know dang good and well that you haven't been paying your bill! I'm sure they only show a fraction of what they come across and just put the most ridiculous cases on TV. It is quite shocking. And it is addicting. Charles and I will stay up all hours watching it. They're having a marathon of it next Monday and we're pretty excited about it. It's on TruTv for those interested:)

So yesterday, I hit my 40 pound weight loss mark! I'm pretty stoked about it! About 18 months ago I bought a pair of size 10 jeans I found on clearance for $3. I was determined I would one day fit into them. Well I tried them on the other day and was able to at least pull them completely up and get them buttoned standing up. Now zipping them was a different story. I had to lie down to get the zipper up! But hey, I got 'em on and that's what counts! 5 years ago I wouldn't have been able to get my right foot in a pair of 10's. I know some people are reading this thinking a size 10 ain't that small, but when you were once busting out of a 24 it's pretty dang tiny! So I'm pretty proud that I was able to pull them over my trunk! Charles also hit is goal weight. We're both feeling good about not being so chubby anymore:) That's all the bragging I have for now!

This whole facebook thing became amazing to me yesterday. Most of the people on my friends list are people that I have known for the last 5-10 years and some family members. I have a handful of people from high school but there just aren't that many people I knew so long ago that I care to be facebook friends with! However, an old childhood friend found my siblings and me yesterday! It was so exciting! He and his brothers are some of the fondest memories my siblings and I have from our childhood. I just had to share that. I was rambling on and on about it yesterday to Charles and he was ready for me to shut up about it but I was just so dang excited:)

So is it bad when you let your kid watch like 12 hours of cartoons in a day? Cody stayed home from school today and I have felt like crap for 3 days. We played about 3 games of Uno Attack and I finally had to get our living quarters in some form of order and other than that we've done nothing but watch cartoons. I have 5-6 loads of laundry that need to be folded and I am dreading that. It's all stacked at the foot of my bed waiting for me to tackle it. So I guess I should stop blogging, huh?!

Wanna know....

2010-01-11T07:57:00.007-07:00

what I love? Well, I'll tell you! High heels, makeup, banana bread with lots of chocolate chips, blue cheese and I love love love when a mean person tries to get you down and you unexpectedly end up getting the best of him! You know you've gotten the best of him because he continues to try and say things that bother you and you just don't really care about his white trash tactics! It's my brother David again! He's a lot like my mother in the way that he loves to get trouble started. He likes to badger me about my religion and it ALWAYS ends up being quite comical because he's a huge redneck and is very misinformed and the information that he comes up with is always completely inaccurate. His latest info had something to do with mormons and rectums. Now my brother has had a super weird obsession with other people's buttholes for as long as I can remember. I can't quite find the correlation between his obsession and his latest crazy remark! Then he seems to be fascinated with the "mormon panties." He even went as far to say that he would like a pair if he could find them in a thong style! NOW I think I've heard it all! Thong style "mormon panties." I'm sure all my LDS peeps reading this are thinking what the? I told you... I hail from a dysfunctional family! The really funny thing about him expressing an interest in thongs is the fact that there ain't one adult at his house that could slip into thongs and look remotely decent! WOW! That's definitely an image I don't need this morning! Consider me the Taylor Swift of the blog world! When someone irritates her she writes a #1 song about it! When someone irritates me I write about it on my blog! Now if only I was as cute, lovable and rich as her! Now enough about white trash, bumpkin, overweight rednecks that have to pay $200 for someone to install a screen door for him!
Man, I was gonna try hard to be nice this year! Some people make it so hard! There's always tomorrow though.

Check out what my delicious husband made last night! A big, round loaf of cheesy foccacia bread!

You know Rachel Ray says there's nothing sexier than a man in the kitchen and I have to agree with her. My little Charles is really the jack of all trades. From dirt bike mechanic to the little baker boy, he can do it all! Plus he's so nice and makes up for the class that I sometimes lack:)

Well, I had debated taking my blog private but there's way too many email addresses to compile and it makes me want to twirl me head off my shoulders when I think of the hassle it would be. Soooo, I'm just gonna keep it open and let it be the death of my brother and his wife! They are always talking about my life when Davey gets so angry and since I haven't talked to him since I foxed his balls in October of 2008 the only way I assume he gets info about me is through reading my blog! I guess he loves to hate me! I mean, I'm not the most politically correct person, I speak my mind and I am far from a fu fu girl but I do think people enjoy reading what I write about! I say out loud what others think and it's like a car wreck, as bad as it may be you just can't look away! So if it bugs ya, STOP READING it! But I guess some people have a hard time prying their fat ass away from the computer!

Well....

2010-01-10T19:56:00.003-07:00

It seems as though my blog postings seem to strike a nerve with some people. If you are looking for politically correct you will not find it here. I use my blog as a sounding board about things I would not discuss any ole' where! I have found that most people that come across it enjoy reading it and will tell me so. I know that I have a lot of faithful readers and I'm glad I can contribute to some laughs here and there. However, I will acknowledge that I have written some things that may have been offensive to some readers. To the innocent that I have offended I say I am sorry. Things sometimes bug me and I write about it. For those that read my writings often or know me well should know this about me.

I hail from an extremely dysfunctional family and have worked hard my entire adult life to overcome my raising. I am very blessed to have married a man who was taught values and was raised to be a real man who would never do some of the things I have seen men in my family do and say. I am thankful he teaches our 4 sons how to be men and respect women, children and follow in the ways of our Lord. I too, learn from him every day. Coming from where I came it is sometimes hard to break a certain cycle and I have Charles' example to look to. It is so sad when I see people in my extended family(my siblings) say horrible things and enjoy when terrible things happen to others in my family. I have family members who LOVE seeing trouble get started and this is why I have chosen to distance myself and our kids from these toxic people. One thing I do have to be grateful to my family for is what not to repeat and also for the relationship I have with my sister. Next to my spouse she has been my best friend my entire life. I love her and her kids dearly. I've probably said more than I needed to but in my true nature I like to get things all out:) I have certain family members that read my blog recently and rushed to get some poo poo started with other family members. With that being said I am debating on going private next week so if you would like to continue reading my blog send me your email address and I will send you an invite to be able to continue reading! I will warn that I will continue to write about things that irritate me and will not write to make others think my life is perfect. You won't see pictures of me baking cookies with my kids but you will hear me gripe about them from time to time. Just know that I still love them more than words can say! We are a close family and love spending time together, so keep that in mind as you read my RANTS! It ain't titled rantings of a mad woman for nothin'! Now the only thing you will find me bragging about is the weight I have lost and will continue to lose. I've been a big mama my entire adult life so finally getting to a decent size is something to brag about for me! Sorry if it bugs ya!

Sorry to get so personal in this posting. Those it is meant for will know who they are!

Hello again

2010-01-09T16:50:00.002-07:00

Can someone tell me why everyone seems so pissed that Alabama won the championships? I mean come on, the Tide won that game fair and square. It makes me mad when I see fellow Alabamians getting pissed that an SEC team won that dang game! I have heard everything from "oh if Colt hadn't got injured Texas would have taken them." No Bama won. Then there's my brother who was a Tide fan all of his life until he went down to Auburn a few times to get high and now he claims to hate Alabama and says he always has. I can't stand that. I've been married to Charles for nearly 15 years and he has always rooted for Auburn and I have always been for Bama. It's ok to continue to root for who you've always rooted for even when your loved ones go the opposite. I still love Charles and think he's the greatest thing since Reese's cups even though he cheers for Auburn! I'm want to see Auburn win too just not when they are playing against Alabama. Please people don't hate us cause we're the national champs! Not to mention the Heisman Trophy winner is on our team! The damn team has to have some kind of skill to get to where they got.

We had a great Christmas! We got dirt bikes and a go cart for the kids and it seems that every time they get on the damn things they tear something up on them. Charles has spent more time repairing them than they have been ridden! As a matter of fact Charles took them out to the trails today and Ryan ran the go cart into a tree! I haven't gotten the full scoop from Charles yet but I'm sure he isn't happy!

I must clarify some things about my last post. I got a comment that made me feel bad and I realized there may have been some misunderstanding. I realize there are a lot of people out there that don't give compliments because they just don't notice things. As a matter of fact I am married to someone that doesn't dole out compliments easily. He didn't hear a lot of them growing up and he has spent our entire marriage working on this. Thanks to me, he's improved greatly! The people that frustrate me are the ones that do notice things and go as far to point them out and then say something rude instead of saying something nice. I know and have known people like this my entire life and I just get tired of it. There was a girl I knew in Tennessee that every time someone gave me a compliment she would come back with a subtle, negative remark. It would fire me up and then I just realized she had serious insecurities. There are still people that do this to me but now that I'm in my 30's and have gained enough confidence it doesn't bother me at all. Enough about that though!

I must give a little plug to Charles because he has managed to lose nearly 30 pounds in a short period of time. He does bug me a little because he has to put forth a lot less effort than me and still loses a lot more. He does look dang good though:) He also managed to lose through the holidays so I must give a shout out to him!

2009-12-23T16:06:00.003-07:00

If there is one thing I am really good at I would have to say it is being able to give others sincere compliments. You know the 5 love languages? Words of affirmation would be one of the top 2 for me! So I have a hard time understanding why so many have problems giving someone a compliment. I mean I can even compliment someone on a bad haircut. Even though I think it might look hideous, it doesn't take anything out of me to tell them how nice it looks. Now don't get me wrong, I do have a hard time handing out words of affirmation to those who think highly of themselves or to the ones that look for compliments. That attitude is irritating. In my observations of people that have a hard time complimenting I have found that a lot of times it seems to be a little bit of jealousy. Maybe that is too strong of a word but it seems that a few folks out there don't like to see others improve. They like to see people in the same crappy state that they find themselves. Anyway, just a little something I've noticed from being around Debbie downers a lot of my existence! I know quite a few of them.

So, life is pretty much the same around here. We're getting ready for Christmas and enjoying the down time we've had since the kids got out of school. I even sent out Christmas letters to friends and family. You know the mass letters people send out to tell everyone how perfect their lives are? Yeah, I did one like that! It made me feel a little Christmasy to do that. I was having a hard time getting into the spirit since it's so warm here in AZ. So nothing like a chain letter to spread some holiday cheer! I have managed to stay away from all the holiday goodies this year and boy has that been a challenge! It's a goal of Charles and myself to not gain 10 pounds over this Merry Christmas season. I have to say though, it isn't as merry without all the goodies. I sure love to eat. I also need to say how dang proud of Charles I am! He loves eating more than me. He has a "don't mind if I do" mentality and he has done a great job at refraining. It gets old being chubby though, so we are dedicated!

I must go and sniff the peanut butter rice krispy treats I made last night!

Tis the season

2009-12-10T15:21:00.005-07:00

I love this time of the year but it seems to bring out my not so compassionate side. It seems that people that need stuff always try to tug at your heartstrings around the holidays. I have learned that there are 2 kinds of people in this world.....givers and takers. The takers seem to always be able to seek out the givers. I hear about so many people that are always getting something for nothing and I wonder how they can always seem to find a good deal and so much for free. Well...here's how they do it.....they spend A LOT of time trying to get something for nothing. I don't have time to waste trying to find crap like that and seeking out things without having to work for it. It seems as though people have forgotten the value of hard work and that if you want something you HAVE to work for it. Welcome to the real friggin world folks! Please tell me why I have to work hard for what I receive and others think they can sit and beg me for what I've earned. It irritates me! I seem to notice this a little more around the holidays.You have people telling you what they need and why they can't do it for themselves and why you need to be the one to step in and do it. So here's a little advice for all the takers out there that are so used to people stepping in and doing for them.....do something for someone else this year and I promise you'll forget about your worries. Stop wondering who will rescue you and figure it out for yourself once. I know, I mean! I promise you, you can do it. Now grow up! Oh and one more thing, the takers and the dependent upon others are always the ones that never seem to mind putting others out. It's as though they think they are entitled to be a pain in the butt. It is completely frustrating. Merry Christmas!

Guess who?

2009-12-08T08:04:00.004-07:00

Holy crap, it's been a while! I haven't posted in over a month. I haven't had anything huge going on or any deep thoughts about anything lately! Well I have but instead of writing on my blog in the evenings I have been consumed with TruTv or A&E. We've become addicted to the show Intervention and we love watching people get their cars repossessed on Operation Repo. That's why I haven't posted in a while. Oh and we did watch Hoarders for a while until it started pissing me off so bad. That show makes me feel like Howie Mandel!

I had to post today because I needed to write about the soccer championships. First of all, Charlie's team lost 2 games this season. They ended up in the championship tournament and beat one of the teams that had beat them during the season. The last game before the tournaments began they defeated the ONLY team (Wildcats) in the age division that was undefeated. That was an amazing game! We beat them 5-4. So there we were last night in 1500 mph winds and freezing rain playing the Wildcats, again! We made the first goal and I was for sure we would win the game. The wind wasn't in our favor. It was blowing towards their goal. They ended up making a goal right after us and then with 3 minutes left in the game one of our players tried to play the ball while he was on the ground in our goalie box which translates to oh !@#%! Yes, because of this play the opposing team had a direct penalty kick and made it and put the score 2-1 and they won the game. I wanted Charlie's team to win so badly. I had a prayer in my heart and everything but I'm wondering if the cuss words that swirled in my head after the penalty kick didn't cancel that prayer out. Dang it! Completely frustrating! At least we gave them their only loss of the season. I think the only thing you receive for winning the championship is bragging rights. Oh well, we are only living in Sierra Vista where the soccer commissioner is accused of mishandling funds. I guess it's not a huge deal that we got all the way there and lost! Crap! Crap!Crap! I just had to get it off my chest.

In other news, I've been learning how to sew! (thanks to my friend Angie) Yes, I made a cute bag and everything. I'm going to learn how to play the piano and then officially change my name to Molly and start posting about how great and perfect my life is. I'll even have pictures of all the cute things I make and will tell you how easy it is to do it. Seriously, I was excited that I made this bag. Between canning and sewing I feel like I'm about 65! Hopefully I'll still look as good then:)
We had a great Thanksgiving! We were going to stay home and be lazy but ended up going to some friends' house and celebrating with them. We had a delightful time and ate like wild bears. I did the Black Friday thing and got into all that chaos. I did get some frighteningly good deals though. I wasn't in line for anything that anyone else wanted so it wasn't too bad for me. Other people were going crazy to save a few bucks on electronic stuff and the Mexicans were piling $3 pajama sets into their carts as if they would never see another pair of p.j.'s again! It was fun though. Helps me get into the Christmas spirit:) It's hard here in AZ because the weather is so much warmer than other places we've lived. However, the 1500 mph winds and chilly temps made it a little easier last night.

Today is Charles' 34th birthday. He has gray in his hair and is still as sexy as ever! I love him. He's hard to shop for because he's so dang specific on a particular item. I got up with the kids today so he could sleep in. He took 2 days off to celebrate! I really didn't want to get up since the winds kept me awake all night but he was specific in letting me know he wanted to sleep in. So up I get and then he trails into the kitchen about 5 minutes after me! I was slightly irritated about this because I pulled myself from the comforts of my warm sheets to honor his wish for him to change his mind at the last minute! Well, I'm still glad he was born!

I know, I know

2009-11-03T19:30:00.006-07:00

My posts are few and far between these days. However, I have been a busy bee. Last week I learned how to can. Charles' grandmother gave us 2 pressure cookers and a water bath canner years ago. They had never been touched by my hands until last Wednesday. I hadn't used them because I was for sure the pressure canner would blow up in my face and disfigure me for life. But, a lady in our ward called me up one day and asked if I wanted to learn how to can pinto beans. I said "absolutely" and since then I have been a canning fool. It just took a little confidence on how to use the pressure canner to get me going. I bought a crap load of apples the other day since they were on sale and it took me all day to get them canned. My back hurts now. I made applesauce, canned baking apples and some freezer baking apples and some baked beans but not with apples! I'm talented, thank you! Actually if it hadn't been for Sister Hardy my canners would still be unused!

We had a nice Halloween! Our stake did a trunk or treat but it was over pretty early so we took the kids around our neighborhood. I need to know what in the world has happened to Halloween. When I was a kid everyone had porch lights on and the streets were filled to the brim with kids. These days I think all of the churches around town do the trunk or treats and kids only have to walk 1/3 mile to get 12 pounds of candy. Then parents sit and wonder why their kids weigh 200 pounds at 10 years old. We did get a bunch of candy though! Charlie was glad since he didn't get to trick or treat this year. That's another one of my pet peeves. Huge, giant kids that come to my door and say "trick or treat". I'm sorry but when you have pubic hair you should not be going trick or treating. I can't believe parents let their teenagers do that. When I get a big, grown kid come to my door they get the crappiest piece of candy in the bowl, like the tootsie rolls or those black and orange wrapped candy that makes me wonder why in the hell people still gives those out. I'm glad October is over. I was tired of all the festivals, pumpkin patches and parties.

Our Vampire, "Dead Guy", Mummy, and Redneck (looks like Joe Dirt).

Me and Charles before a Halloween party.

Ok, so I'm beginning to think I may be a little racist. Now, I like Mexicans, I really do. When we lived in Alabama there was and still is a section of town where all the Mexicans lived and they worked hard and sent their money home to help support their families that still lived in Mexico. I also have a sister in law that is Mexican and I love her to pieces. However, the Mexicans here in Sierra Vista have really been bugging me lately. The Mexican parents at the elementary school never follow the car rider rules. They act like only the white people must follow these rules. They are constantly holding up traffic and thinking they don't have to wait in the line like everyone else has to. Then there are Mexican kids at the middle school that are always talking trash to other kids and picking on them. My 80 pound Ryan got in a fight at school today with one of them. Ryan called him out on his crap and a fight ensued. They both received in-school suspension since the bitchy vice principal was feeling nice today. The one good thing about this is that I was supposed to go on a field trip to Tucson with Ryan's class tomorrow. Now that he has ISS he doesn't get to go and now I don't have to!

Other exciting news.....we bought a 1970's RV for $100. It is sitting in our back yard and it makes me feel like cousin Eddie from Christmas Vacation. It runs and is in great condition. It just needs a little updation and we'll be good to go! We're going to fix up the inside and not worry so much about the outside. I'm sure our neighbors love us!

Happy Fall Y'all

2009-10-26T19:04:00.007-06:00

This weekend was one big fall fest. October always seems to be busy and full of fun, Halloweeny things. This season has actually been a great fall season. It's the first one in 4 years that hasn't revolved around Charles either leaving or returning from Iraq. He'll get to be here for trick or treating this year and help eat all the candy! Friday night we took all of our kids and a few extras to the haunted hayride on the post. It was only a short 2 1/2 hour wait to get on the hay. Cody was a little nervous about the scary people jumping and grabbing at him and I was able to realize just how old I've become because none of it was scary to me. On Saturday our stake had a family fun fest where I entered a chili and pie contest and whadya know, I won first place in the traditional chili competition! I sure did. I took 3rd place in the peach pie category and we're pretty sure that competition was rigged;) Charles was for sure I was going to get first place there too. The only thing I walked away with was a lousy certificate that Charles put on our computer as the background:) He's cute! Then today I was able to attend a first grade field trip with Cody. We went to Apple Annie's. It's a big farm where you can purchase all sorts of veggies, ride a hayride, pick pumpkins and enjoy all manner of fall fun! The teachers didn't seem to care too much about the students and where they ended up or if they even made it back onto the bus when it was all over. A few students were lost in the corn maze and luckily they happened upon Holly and myself. Otherwise, I don't think anyone would have given a good crap about them :-| After seeing how that went I was glad as hell that I went and made sure my son made it back safely to Sierra Vista.

My prize for making a dang good pot of chili!

So as we've celebrated the season this year it has made me reflect on years past. My sister reminded me a few days ago of my first October without Charles. It was 2005 and she and her kids came into town, when we lived in Tennessee, the weekend Charles left for Iraq. We were determined to not let his departure get me down. We planned a fun day at some apple orchard. The name of the place has slipped my mind. You'll know why after you read this paragraph. We get there with 6 kids in tow and quickly realize what a giant dump the place is. The hayride was just around the dirt parking lot, pony rides were $5 to ride in a circle a few times, the animals in the petting zoo looked to be near death and wouldn't eat any of the food we bought to feed them. Then we went to purchase "apple sundaes" at $4 a pop and they turned out to be an apple with whipped cream piled on top. I handed Josh his sundae and it was in his hands for about 3 seconds before it hit the dirt and he was crying! A good time was had by all! My sister and I still have the yard stakes we bought that day, it helps remind us every year of what a grand time we had! Dadgum, deployments suck. Glad all that's over.

Our day in October 2005 at the crappy "pumpkin patch"

Fall Break......

2009-10-17T11:03:00.003-06:00

is almost over:) We've had a good week though! It's nice to get a break from early mornings and kids that don't want to get started. We went camping on Monday and got up Tuesday and went canoeing and fishing. Our kids seem to be a little like me when it comes to fishing. No patience when it comes to waiting for the fish to bite.

Charlie and Ryan ended up canoeing around the lake while Charles was teaching the younger ones how to fish. Charlie and Ryan both thought they were canoe pros and sat in the canoe yelling at each other and sounding like Lucy and Ethel the entire time.

You could hear them around the entire lake. Neither one of them thought there was anything wrong with acting like a fool. Josh learned how to cast a reel and ended up losing the bass lure but sure had fun doing it. Cody got tired of fishing and started throwing boulders in the water that were sure to keep the fish away!
Cody before he started tossing rocks at the fish.

Josh waiting to fish.

All in all it was good, wholesome, family fun!

The view from the canoe!

With 4 boys there is lots of farting, saying "shut-up!", aggravating each other, name calling, blaming, the list goes on, but there is love all around, I promise!

Wednesday, October 14 my oldest baby turned 13! He is now smarter than his father and me! We invited his friends over for a bonfire and like, oh my gosh, it was a totally awesome time! Let me just say I'm kind of glad I don't have girls! Charlie sure likes them though :) It really turned out to be a fun party that was my idea and nobody thought it would turn out as nice as it did. I'm an awesome mom, I don't care what anyone says!

Charlie after opening his MP3 player.

Today we had 3 8:00 a.m. soccer games. I opted to go to Charlie's and had to be tortured for an hour and 20 minutes. It is so hard to hold back and not act like a fool and embarrass your child when they are playing tiddlywinks on the soccer field. Charlie has been playing soccer since he was 4 and is pretty darn good at it. Today though he was acting more like a ballerina than a soccer player. I get so frustrated. Then the coach coddles them when they get to the sidelines for half time. This is U14 people, we're playing to win now. We're not U6 anymore where it's all about fun and learning the sport and you cheer when the other team scores a goal. Completely frustrating. We lost by the way :-| It's ok, a loss every now and then keeps you humble. I need a piece of chocolate, peanut butter cake:)

Yes, I'm here......

2009-10-11T20:54:00.004-06:00

and 20 pounds lighter! I know, I hate when people brag but I'm just excited about it! It's actually the 20 pounds I found since Charles got home last November. It's mostly his fault! For some reason I haven't been posting nearly as much as I used to. I guess there hasn't been that much that has irritated me lately! Of course this is what brings me to write, I was bugged a little today. First, I was watching Extreme Makeover Home Edition and it was this black family that had taken in 7 kids, I believe, from another family member. Don't get me wrong, this was super sweet. However, as they started to interview all the kids most of them seemed to be in their 20's. So there I sit wondering why in the hell those big, grown "kids" aren't getting out there working and helping with the bills. Why are they asking ABC to build them a new house when there are so many capable people in that house to help out? Most people that read my blog probably think I'm racist. I'm truly am sorry if that's how I come across. It really has nothing to do with the color as much as it has to do with the attitude.

Another thing that bugged me was this chick at church. It started out this way.....I was asked earlier in the week if I would be willing to pick up this little, old lady from our ward, who lives in a rehab center, for church on Sunday. I accepted and went and got her this morning. Now as I drove her to church she told me a lot about herself. She never had children or even married. She was an only child and her parents passed away quite awhile ago. She was a really nice lady that devoted her life to teaching and serving for 30 years in the primary. A childhood disease left her with lots of residual effects. So at the end of church I walked down to the RS room to help her get to the car. She had decided to stay for choir practice so the RS president asked if I would walk to the chapel and see if there was anyone willing to take her home. I walked down there and asked one person who was willing but realized she had driven her Suburban to church and Sister Jones wouldn't have been able to get up in it. So I walk over to this other lady, who has one child that is 16 and just all around bugs the hell out of me. She was shaking her head no before I could even get the entire question out of my mouth. She was going on with all of her excuses as I walked off with a completely disgusted look on my face. I walked away before she could even finish with all of her half-assed excuses. I was pissed. The next lady I asked, who by the way has about 4 callings, was more than happy to take the lady back to her rehab center. I guess what bugs me is that I know service is usually inconvenient but people need us. That's the only way stuff gets done, through the service and willingness of others. The only thing I can say to the hag is one word......KARMA. What goes around comes around sweet cheeks! Plus the lady has a terrible haircut. I was pissed!

We're going camping tomorrow. Charles loves to camp and spends hours getting all the gear ready. He likes to be prepared and we usually eat better during a camping trip than we do when we're at home. Of course, here lately, my family has been eating well with all the new recipes I have been making. I prepared our dinner for the campout so that will be one less thing for him to do. I have barely seen him today due to the fact that I fell asleep and he has been like a kid in a candy store going through all of the camping equipment. It's perfect camping weather for AZ so we're just down right excited about our little adventure. I'm sure you'll hear all about when we get back!

Cody's thoughts.....

2009-10-01T18:39:00.005-06:00

CODY...."Josh, you should never pay your tithing."

JOSH...."Why shouldn't I pay my tithing?"

CODY...."Cuz they won't ever give your money back!"

Love that kid!

Yikes!

2009-10-01T09:17:00.003-06:00

I've been out of the blogging world for a while. The thoughts that have consumed me lately are not ones I want to blab out to the nation. We've had some goings on but nothings too spectacular. I have....wait for it....started another book! I'm so proud. The Lovely Bones, it's pretty good too! Captured my attention in the first paragraph!

Tuesday of this week I was able to attend Cody's field trip to the grocery store to learn about consumer awareness! It was a grand time! He was able to walk through produce, dairy, the pharmacy and was able to get a glimpse of a transvestite or whatever they are called these days. Nevertheless he was a man dressed as a woman! Let me just tell you the story.....we are just getting into the facts about the grocery biz as we walk by all the check out lanes. We come upon the self check lane and I see a person with a hot pink bathing suit skirt, hot pink ballerina flats and a baby pink spaghetti strap tank top. I am totally thinking it's a woman too old to be wearing something like that. I was straight up staring, I'll admit I was acting like a window licker staring at this person! Well, the person walks in the direction we go so I was able to get a good look at the face and hear his voice. I was astonished. I have never seen a for real cross dresser. First of all, his face was so ugly it could have stopped a freight train. For that reason alone I don't know why he was wanting to be dressed like a woman. However, looking at his legs, I would have bet a thousand bucks it was a woman. He was a mess! Cody got his first lesson in consumer awareness alright! The grocery store ain't Cody's thang! He told me several times that "this IS NOT a fun field trip!"

Soccer has consumed my life for the last 3 weeks! I love to watch my kids play sports though! Charlie's team had been doing great until last Saturday they got the living crap beat out of them. It is hard to not holler and scream when you see U14 kids playing like a bunch of nancies. But Charles and I are pretty good about holding our tongues. Josh and Cody are on the same team and they rock the house. Seriously, all bragging aside, they are the best on their team and they will let everyone know it too! Even the parents of the other players! Cody came and plopped down beside us during last Saturday's game and told us how Josh was the only good player on the field at the moment and we were surrounded by all the other players parents! At least he's honest. Tactless, maybe, but that is in the Woods gene so he comes by that honest!

I'm trying to cover all topics I missed while I've been away so long. I've actually started a few postings that never got finished and of course didn't make it to the main page. Oh, I did have some thoughts on the Kanye West/Taylor Swift crap......Wasn't it Kanye that said President Bush didn't like white people? Hmmm....interesting. Why is it that black folks can do or say whatever they want and never get admonished for it but the minute a white person disagrees with a blackie the racist card is immediately pulled? It seems like blacks get mad when you expect them to work for a living. It wasn't that Bush didn't like the blacks, he just expected them to get up and work towards building a new life, after hurricane Katrina, just all the white folks did! I am so sick of the race debate. It's just a way to take the focus off of the real wrong doing. That's all I'll say about that topic, otherwise you'd be here reading all day!

Well, I must depart to get crap done! Good to be back though!

A few thoughts....

2009-09-12T10:46:00.004-06:00

Is there anyone out there that can actually take Pamela Anderson serious? I know I'm judging but please Pammy....you're 42 and you have 2 sons that are old enough to know that you have zero class. It seems that these PETA advocates are just looking for a way for everyone to see them naked. How can anyone take your cause serious when you are showing your parts to the entire nation? All these former porn stars are now trying to get people to take them serious by continuing to do the only thing they know how....taking their clothes off, only now they are doing it for the "sake of animals." Drives me nuts! Their group should be called PITA...Pain in the A--!!

Well, I was talking to my sister last night and we were discussing the medical world. She works in an ER and is privy to all the goings on in her facility. I had some thoughts on the issue of the medical world. First of all, why is it that we, Americans, put so much trust in a doctor that doesn't know us and we don't know them? Basically, they are prescribing medicines to us because they have been paid by pharmaceutical companies in exchange. They aren't necessarily prescribing that medicine to us because they feel it is in our best interest. Another thing, how many medications actually solve the issue? Most prescriptions only help the symptoms, they aren't curing the problem. But people continue to put their trust in the medical industry. I am often humored when I see the statement "these statements have not been evaluated by the FDA." Well let's put our trust in them since they are so trustworthy. How many medications have been put on the market only to be yanked off a year later because they are killing people? We are constantly seeing commercials with attorneys seeking out those wanting to be compensated for damages caused by these medications. FDA evaluated those medications. Not to mention all the back and forth we get on how we are supposed to eat to be healthy. Eggs are good for you, oh never mind, oh yes, they are good for you again. High protein is great, oops, we're wrong again! The "experts" are contradicting themselves all the dang time. Yet we still trust them and take all their advice and the medications right along with it. We don't seek out other natural alternatives and we wonder why there are so many diseases and why our bodies are falling apart. We can't imagine that we can hold the key to our own good health. We don't realize that our bodies were made, by our Father in Heaven, to heal and repair themselves if we use the right tools. Think about when you fall and get a cut. Your body knows just what to do and in a few days it scabs all by itself and, voila, in a few days you're all better. Now I'm not saying that doctors don't have a place in this world. As a matter of fact, I took Josh to see a doctor the other day about his swollen jaws. The doctor that saw him was probably the best I have encountered since we've been in the military. He was extremely thorough and patient. He ruled out the worst through blood test and examinations. So, yes, there are many good doctors out there. I haven't come across too many of them but I'm sure they exist.
I have a good story involving my methods. Charles, who thought I was a bit of a nut for using essential oils for everything, got his head split open while he was putting up a fence for our chickens. He came around the corner of the house with blood all over his head and had his hand on top of the cut. I asked him what the heck happened and he said he needed to go get stitches. I told him to chill and let me have a look. It was split open but after a drop or 2 of yarrow and a drop of frankincense he was all better. The yarrow made the bleeding stop immediately and frankincense is for scarring. Both have antibacterial and antiseptic qualities. There is no scar on his head from this incident. He continued to feel that he needed an MD but by morning the band aid came off and he was good as new. He is still skeptical at times but everything I have ever tried on him has worked! After all of his testimonials he is coming around. Most people think that essential oils are used for aromatherapy and that's it. They are beneficial as used like this but this isn't their only purpose. Another little thing about medications, the mile long list of side effects. The commercial portion of side effects alone seems to last for about 5 minutes. Anyway, just a little something I've been thinking about lately. But don't mind me we all have a choice!

My life as.....

2009-09-08T14:29:00.002-06:00

a blank........you fill it in. I was told recently that I don't update my blog enough. I know I should write more since I use this as an outlet and a journal per se. BUT....I don't. Sometimes I feel like I complain a little too much on here. I especially feel that way when I come across all these other blogs that talk of the goodness that people put out in the world, like avocado mousse and vintage aprons and cute, well dressed kids and of course perky, round boobs. But I guess you don't have to read my blog if you don't want to :)

So what's everyone's thoughts on Obama's speech to all the school aged youngsters? Wanna hear mine? Good....I think he's an idiot. I think he wants to control the American population and he is punishing the hard working Americans. I think he promotes indolence and who does he think he is trying to help our kids set education goals. First of all, he isn't even on the level of middle class America. He sends his kids to a $29K a year private school. Thank you, Mr. President, but leave my kids up to me. I think I can handle it. I think he had ulterior motives. I don't trust that man. It's not because he's black or because he's democrat. As much as I disliked Clinton I wouldn't have been opposed to a speech given by him to school kids. There's just something about Obama that reminds me of the Jihadists :-| That's what I think about that!

So....over 14 years ago Charles gave me an engagement ring. He spent about $300 on the ring and the band. I have worn them ever since. After I graduated high school I flew to St. Louis and took a 2 hour bus ride to visit him at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri. This is when he gave me my engagement ring. I was so proud of that thing! I stayed at this dump of a motel when I arrived in Missouri and Charles came over as soon as he could. He was dressed in his class A's and we walked to a nearby gas station to get some supplies. I left my ring set at the hotel. When we arrived back to the room our door was wide open. I was a little concerned and when we stepped inside there was a chubby, black lady standing there holding my ring box. I asked if I could help her and she put the ring down and said no and acted as if it was completely normal to be gazing at someone's belongings without their permission. I was sure if we had been any later the rings would have been gone. Well, I wake up Saturday morning and look down at my hand and notice that my diamond had fallen out of my ring! I have been sick about it ever since. That ring holds so much sentimental value to me. When I look at that ring memories of my life with Charles flood my mind. I have spent nearly half of my life with him. At least it's just the diamond that was lost and not the ring itself. I don't even know where it would have fallen out so of course I had no idea where to even start looking. It wasn't a big diamond by any means but it holds big memories of where we came from and how far we've come. Dadgummit!

We had Josh's baptism on Saturday and it was great! Events like that are always nice to have behind you! Not that I don't love them but that the stress of it all is over :) Next big event will be my know-it-all son turning 13 next month! He will officially be smarter than me on the 14th of October!

Happenings....

2009-09-02T15:47:00.009-06:00

I've been gone a while! Plus, it's taken me a minute to get my thoughts together. I went away for the weekend and had a great time! It was a super long drive and hotter than blue blazes at our destination. I went with a friend of mine to St. George for some essential oil training and to learn an aroma touch technique! It's amazing all that essential oils can do for you. I mean heck, the Wisemen brought them to Christ! It was great training and a good time was had by all! St. George is one of the most beautiful places I have seen. The red rocks are amazing and I can't even compare it to anything I have ever seen. We stopped on Phoenix so I could get a cute haircut and then again in Vegas to see Stephanie's brother. Finally got home Sunday evening after a 10 hour drive!

Charles was released from the bishopric on Sunday and was extended a new calling. Our old bishop moved out of our ward boundaries so we got a new bishopric! Charles was sad to go but is excited about his new calling and all the training it entails! My word. That's about all the happenings around the Woods' home front. My kids are still driving me nuts, I still think Obama is an idiot and I haven't stopped eating sugar. Some things never change:)

Oh yeah, I read an article today about my beloved Ben & Jerry's ice cream. They have a flavor, which I love, called Chubby Hubby! Well in honor of all the homos out there they are changing the name of it for a month and they will call it Hubby Hubby! Yes, you read that right! I mean, ok great, if you want to have things inserted in certain orifices of your body that is your right. But for heaven's sake don't slap the reminder on an ice cream container that someone is going to be eating from. I don't want to be reminded of homosexual activity when I sit down to eat my pint. Thanks Ben & Jerry! Now I have to switch to Dreyer's fully loaded peanut butter cup!

On a happier, non disgusting note, my little Josh is getting baptized this Saturday! I cannot believe he's old enough! He's definitely my sweetest child. Josh tries hard to stay out of trouble and do the right thing. His older brothers pick on him like mad but he can hold his own. He WILL NOT eat eggs unless they are in a batch of cookies or brownies! He's super messy and HATES homework. I will never forget his baby years when he didn't want anyone else but me and all the conversations I had with my sister when I told her I was for sure all the crying would stop when he could sit up, crawl, walk, or turn 18! Little Joshy was a hard baby but turned into the sweetest kid! I love him!

Just a few things...

2009-08-24T15:36:00.006-06:00

that have bugged the crap out of me today....first of all, the car pick line at the elementary school is enough to make me want to home school, well not really, but it does make me mad! So many idiots don't follow the rules and park in the line and then get out of their cars and block everything up! FRUSTRATING! Another thing, people who get on facebook and blab all their personal stuff. People, I do not need to know who your ex-husband is boinking and that your kids have to go to juvenile court. I mean, please, folks, have an ounce of class. One more thing that bugs me and I don't really know why....when people use made up names for their kids on blogs. This is so silly to me. I get why you wouldn't want to blab your kids names on a public blog but don't make up corny names for them. You could say my oldest child, or use them by their birth order (i.e. child 1, 2, 3 or 4). But the corny nick names are a bit much for my taste.

Did you know that 17% of the population actually exercise for pleasure? I am NOT in that percentage! I also read that when your heart gets used to one cardiovascular exercise you have to either go longer, exercise more frequently or increase your intensity. All this translates to exercise will never be fun.

Let me tell you about my worst nightmare that came to life last week. I walked into my bathroom preparing to shower, I believe it was Friday. I looked up at the little window that is in the shower. It's one of those little ones that sits up high so nobody is able to look in it. Anyway, I notice there is a bug in between the windows. I step up on the edge of the tub to see exactly what type of bug it is. A roach! Hate 'em. The window is slid open so this means the bug is on the inside between the 2 sections of windows.. I was a little nervous because I have a wicked aversion to insects. I know they won't hurt me but I still don't want them on me! I had to shower though so I kept a close eye on the thing while I was showering. Well as I was rinsing my hair I had to take my eyes off of him and as soon as I was done I look up to see that he is nowhere in sight. Of course I say a curse word in my mind and start speeding the shower along. The next thing I know the damn thing has crawled off the ledge and landed in the shower....with me! Screaming, I sling the shower curtain back, hop out of the shower in my shower suit to see my 8 year old standing there and he says "what's wrong mom?" completely nonchalant as if he sees me everyday getting out of the shower screaming! The roach had landed belly up in the water and I stood there until he was down the drain. It was awful, y'all. I have chills as I write about it. We need to think about moving to another house. I can't take all these critters!

Ashley's tip of the week-This is for the ladies-go have yourself fitted for a bra. Statistics show that almost 90% of women are wearing the wrong size bra! Dillard's does this service for free. Victoria's Secret does to, but, to me, these ladies don't seem to know much about a GOOD bra. Dillard's people know what they are talking about. I have been to VS twice to get sized and both times I got an idiot! If you have never been properly sized you must do this. You will thank me!

Smart cars.....

2009-08-21T19:16:00.002-06:00

are ridiculous. Have you ever seen one? They look like little Tonka cars. It is so hard to take anyone serious when they are driving around town in one. I can think of little that is cornier than owning a "Smart" car. Not to mention how silly one looks while crammed into one. All this "green" nonsense is getting a little out of hand, don't ya think? I mean, I'm all for saving the Earth, but it's hard to take it serious when we live in such a world of abundance.

If you had asked me a year ago if I liked to read I would have said hell no. BUT....I have read 5 books this summer and I am so proud of myself! I started The Time Traveler's Wife on Sunday and have pretty much been worthless ever since. I finally finished it today and feel complete. I think I have an addiction to good love stories. They make me want to rape Charles, I love him so much. The book was much better than the movie for anyone that's interested in seeing the movie or reading the book.

So, Charles and I have started going to the gym 3 days a week during his lunch hour to lift weights. Now, I'm not a gym pro or anything but I do know a thing or 2 about weight lifting since I saw a trainer back in 2005. Reggie taught me my way around the gym. What cracks me right up when I go are the guys that don't know very much and they lift these massive amounts of weights and scream out as if they are dying in the process. Charles calls them gym gorillas because that is exactly what they sound like. Then you have the guys that Charles refers to as having I.L.S. (imaginary lat syndrome) The guys that walk around with their arms beefed out to their sides as if there is no room to put them down since their lats are so huge, but they're not huge, they actually have no lats at all! Think Chris Farley in Tommy Boy when he's walking by the pool and runs into the girl and asks her where the gym is. Not that either one of us is all muscular and ripped out, however, we also aren't walking around as if we are either!

By the way, I'm one hell of a baker. I know that's bragging and I hate when people do that but I feel that it's important for people to know :)

Can someone pleeeease.....

2009-08-15T23:28:00.004-06:00

tell me why in the hell women do this? Ok ladies, I am not calling myself a style icon, artist or anything in the style industry, BUT for heaven's sake I have enough sense to know this is the biggest fashion faux pas known to man. So why in the world would someone humiliate themselves like this? Are women seriously thinking they look good when they walk out of the house like this? A bit of free advice from Ashley....don't EVER do this....EVER. Also, if you're in your 30's. stop shopping at Forever 21. If there are 2 things in fashion that leave me baffled beyond belief it is the accentuated muffin top and older ladies that are desperately trying to hang on to their youth. Women in their 30's can still be classy AND sexy all at the same time. Please girls this has to stop....NOW! Could you imagine BEING the chubby girl in the picture? This picture pops up when you google "muffin top." If that ain't a wake up call....cover it up sweetie!

I took my two young sons to the pool today and the pool side was filled with girls trying hard to look good in a bikini. I felt so bad that most of them thought they had the stuff to be out there barely clad. It wouldn't have been any worse if I had been laying out there in a 2 piece. There is no way, after 4 kids and looking as if Freddie Krueger clawed me from head to thigh, I would ever step out in public in a bathing suit that resembles panties and a bra. So where are these other gals getting the assumption that they need to be out there like that? I would love to know where this confidence comes from. I'll stop there......Sweet Mary!

Went on a date with Charles tonight! We saw The Time Traveler's Wife. It was a sad little movie. I need to steer clear of the death thing for a while. It was a good movie though. I'm thinking I should read the book since it left me with a lot of unanswered questions.

This is a real picture from a facebook page. Apparently the chick was at a NASCAR race, go figure, and snapped this picture! Don't ever try this! Please Fred! Low waist jeans, another no-no! Especially on a fat person.

I LOVE.....

2009-08-12T22:49:00.002-06:00

coming home when all the kids are tucked safely away in bed! I had enrichment meeting tonight and left dinner up to the boys! I had to teach a class and I was a little on edge. My day went well until I got a call from the school nurse telling me the other side of Josh's face was swollen and he was in pain. Got him into the doc and they are running some blood work and hopefully we can get it all figured out. Poor kid! Once all the kids got home I felt like my voice couldn't get below 800 decibels. I hate when my kids get into the mood when they don't want to listen to me. I make them pay me if I have to repeat myself and that drives Charlie crazy. The other ones usually don't have any money so they couldn't care less.

So, I get to church tonight and prepare everything for my lesson. I wasn't nervous until I got there and starting sorting through all the handouts. I start teaching and I couldn't stop sweating and then I couldn't catch my breath! Completely embarrassing. I had to teach the class twice, too! The 2nd time around went much better. In the first class, I gave my experience on collecting a food storage, since that was the subject matter I was to teach on. I started with the basic items and blah, blah, blah! I went into my spill and this well-meaning lady comes up to me at the end and tells me that what I had just taught was basically "old school." But I got all my info from the church website.....hmm.....interesting. Apparently she has a food storage website and gives her ideas, which are fabulous ideas, but a little more overwhelming than what has worked for us. Oh well, take it with a grain of salt....right? :-|

I am attending a funeral tomorrow for a man that was in our ward. He died of cancer and leaves behind a wife and son. He was relatively young and had a pretty drawn out illness. It is very sad and I am a little nervous about it all. I know we have a better life when we go beyond the veil and all that but death is still very sad to me. Especially when there are people left behind to mourn. I can't imagine ever losing Charles. I don't know how I would go on. I mean, yes, there are definitely times when he is lucky to make the cut on my facebook friends list but I love that man like mad! He's perfect for me and I could never find someone better than him. Plus... he has a really cute butt! ;) That's my standard!

Long week......

2009-08-08T22:32:00.002-06:00

Yes, it has been a very long week. I have much to report since my last posting. First and foremost, school started on Thursday! I didn't get to enjoy Friday as much since Josh had to miss his first day of school on Friday. His jaws were swollen like chipmunk cheeks. Apparently, the doc thought he had some swollen lymph glands. His jaws were swollen and painful and I didn't want his teacher and the school nurse to freak out and think he had mumps so he got to stay home.

We also we got our first chicken egg on Thursday! That was exciting. I'm a little nervous about eating our own eggs so I will throw that one in a batch of cookies or something. And speaking of baking, I made a delicious, homemade peach pie for our ward chili dinner on Friday! I had it sitting out to cool when Charles and I headed out for our daily bike ride. We were about a quarter of the way through the ride when Charles grew concerned that Charlie and Ryan would pick at the pie when they returned home from school. He called around their return time to inform them that the pie was for the dinner and "DO NOT touch it". Well sure enough we get back home and there's a huge finger poke in the dadgum pie. This happens quite frequently. It's not like my kids are small children or never get desserts. I am constantly baking for my family. They had no regard for the fact that I had worked hard on the dang pie and that they had been told not to touch it. So....they had to go without dessert at the ward chili dinner and that's as good as Chinese torture for my kids. Since nobody fessed up to the hole in the center of the pie all 4 of them had to suffer the punishment :)

And speaking of our bike ride, Charles was hit by some old broad yesterday. We took a new route that was busier than our normal one. We get to the last part of the ride and come to this very busy intersection. We waited at the light for our turn to pass through the crosswalk. We had been waiting a while when the light finally turned. I head out into the crosswalk with Charles close behind me when this lady pulls up and smacks right into his front tire. I look to my left and see the car coming at me and my hiney puckered right up and I had to swerve my bike so she wouldn't hit me and then I hear Charles yell at me and realize she has hit him. Then she just sits there and stares at Charles and didn't say a word. Since I was all nervous about the situation I had to say something to the woman to ease my nerves. I told her she needed to be more careful and watch what she was doing or she was going to kill someone. I was so frustrated. People have died because idiots haven't been watching what they were doing while driving. I was never so glad for a bike ride to be over by the time we got home. Even though he wasn't seriously hurt got a glimpse of just how pissed I would be if someone killed a person that I love because of carelessness. Then when I think of other people who have forgiven idiots that have killed their loved ones, it makes that all the more amazing to me that they can do that. I would have a hard time with that situation.

We took a trip to Phoenix today for a youth temple trip. I would NEVER be able to live in Phoenix. It is so hot and it takes the a/c in the car way too long to cool off. I don't think I stopped sweating the entire time I was there. It was a long day but at least I didn't have to sell anything off to get there and it only took 3 hours of driving time and not a 3 day journey. We're pretty lucky! Glad to be home sweet home though :) Plus, I have the cutest husband in the ward!

2009-08-03T12:06:00.008-06:00

It's been a while since I've posted. Charles has been on leave for over a week and he's been distracting me! It's been a fun break. It will be more fun when the kids get back to school on Thursday! Our friends, the Budge's, came last week so we got to do things we normally don't do. We took them to Kartchner Caverns. Apparently, this cave is one of the most pristine, living caves in Arizona or maybe even in the country. I can't remember. It was huge though and our guide was a hag so she made it hard to want to listen to her. At one point Tyler, the Budge's 4 year old, sat down on a man made ledge. The guide went over to where he sat and marked the place so she could send a clean up crew in to properly clean the lint from the area so the cave would remain living. I felt like a was in a scene out of Monsters, Inc. The part where the monster comes back from the kid's closet and he has a sock attached to his back and the clean up crew comes over and strips him down and shaves all of his hair off! Ridiculous! First of all, there were people in there putting in lights and walkways and working to make the cave accessible to the public. Anyway, the lady had no people skills and she made the humidity in the cave hard to deal with. I'm still having flashbacks so I need to move on.

Charles and I were on our 10 miler today and it was hard for me to get through the ride for some reason. I started to think about the Tour de France competitors and it made me feel that my 10 little miles isn't that big of a deal to some people. But for me it's a doozy. It's quite an accomplishment for Ashley. Of course you can't think about the Tour de France without thinking of Lance Armstrong. Little Lance. Hmm....he once was this excellent cyclist. Well he still is a great cyclist he just doesn't seem as humble as he once was. He starts out with testicular cancer and had a hard time getting a sponsor, postal service sponsors him and he becomes a cycling legend. He marries a great lady that gives birth to his 3 children. Now, I'm not all knowing, believe it or not, BUT, it seems as though his cycling greatness and fame went a little to his head. He beats the odds with his cancer, wins a million Tour de France races and then divorces his wife, starts hanging out with Matthew McConaughey and just acting like a frat boy in general. He retires and I suppose the no attention thing started getting to him so he enters the Tour de France once again and takes 3rd place. Now he could have just stayed married to his wife, enjoyed the fame while it lasted, retired gracefully and gone away a cycling legend and he could be fulfilled to this day with the good life the good Lord gave him. Like I said, I'm not all knowing. It just seems to me that he is trying to find fulfillment in other areas, like cycling. I guess another way satan takes a good thing and turns it into a bad thing. Just a few thoughts I had out on the trail today :-| I just wonder how long it would take Lance to do my 10 miles....I'm sure a lot less time than it takes me.

This post was abandoned yesterday, August 3rd.

We went canoeing yesterday afternoon. It was pretty fun. The last time we went canoeing it was pre-weight loss. I had to sit in the middle of the canoe as to not tip it! We had crammed all 6 of us in one canoe. I was a little concerned about the trip yesterday because of the bad memories I had from the last trip. Charles assured me all would be well. He's bigger than me now and he was confident I would not have to sit in the middle of the canoe. Once we launched my fears were calmed and we had a grand time. Charlie and Cody were in my canoe and Charlie was enjoying making me madder than a wet hen. He kept swirling his paddle and we were going around in circles. Charles was sure I was the incompetent one. We were doing great until Charlie started his crap. The funny thing though, on the way back to the dock Charles was caught in the same type of current we had been in when we couldn't stop going in circles :) This made me happy! He was for sure that I just didn't know how to row. Good Fairy! We had a good time though.

School starts Thursday and I couldn't be more excited!

And then there were 10....

2009-07-26T20:46:00.004-06:00

chickens, that is. Yes, one of our chickens died last night. It was a complete shock to all of us. None of them had been sick or anything, at least not that we had noticed. I'm not much of an animal person but this was very sad. A lifeless chicken being toted around in a garbage bag by my 6 year old. He was very concerned for her. There was no way we were going to be able to dump her in the trash can like we had the baby chick. Charlie wouldn't hear of it. He went to the back of our huge acre yard and dug her grave. I guess that's one less chicken we have to give us eggs:(

Charles and I were out on our bike ride yesterday when we saw a Ferrari. Can you believe that in a tiny, miniscule town like Sierra Vista, someone would be bopping around town in a car like that? Charles couldn't believe his eyes and I couldn't have cared less. Cars don't impress me at all. As a matter of fact, nothing that gives away someone's status impresses me. Now if it had been some beater car that someone had gotten for a deep discount and then rebuilt with their bare hands and made it beautiful, that would have been impressive! But the Ferrari was clearly purchased as is and had not been built by the owner's bare hands. It was his status symbol. He probably had a small penis or something like that! Who knows?

So you know how people do this facebook thing? It is addicting at times but mostly I only check it out if I get something in my email. Charles was looking through his the other day and noticed that one of his sisters had a guy that used to bully him in her friend list. Now, my sweet husband is the easiest person in the world to get along with and his feathers rarely get ruffled. As a matter of fact, it takes so much to get his undies in a wad that it irritates me at times. Well this guy clearly got his feathers ruffled and was appalled at the fact he was sitting right there in his sister's list of facebook friends! Andy Swafford is the guy's name and he made life HELL for Charles during his middle school years. A constant bully he was, but as we all know, a bully is really just a coward. I shouldn't fail to mention that the good fairy got a hold of him because he got ugly as hell the older he got. So naturally, my defensive claws come out as I ponder my sweet husband being bullied as a kid. I hate bullies. I wanted to write something on my sister-in-law's page but Charles woudn't hear of it. Dang it! Anyway, I as we were discussing this a-hole, I recalled a story my brother had told me of this Andy character. Apparently, he got what was coming to him by a guy that I have failed to remember his name. Andy was getting threatened and hid behind his mother. Well, the failed memory prompted me to get out my old yearbooks in an effort to find the guy who had offered sweet revenge on Andy! So of course the kids were interested in going through our past lives. Man, what a trip down memory lane. You couldn't pay me enough money to relive my teenage years. I would only go back if I could be equipped with the knowledge I have now. Even then, I would never want to have to live with my mother again, so all of that is out of the question. I don't care what the $$ amount would be. Anyway, the kids got a huge kick out of seeing the yearbooks and I received realizations that have never occurred to me before. I don't have a lot of good memories of my teenage years until AFTER I met Charles. I'm glad we met as young as we did and he is a part of all of my GOOD memories. Plus, he's aged so darn well! YUMMY!

Other than the 60 mosquito bites I have on the lower part of my calves, there is nothing else to report. I have a few bites on my ankle bones and I would rather stick needles in my eyes than to deal with the itch of those little friggers. It is absolutely torturous. Oh yeah, and we finally got a second car. It's nothing fancy like a Ferrari. It's a little rice burner. We've been holding out for something newer with fewer miles and a good deal. We found a Kia from a guy in our ward that gets cars through the wholesale auction. We're pretty excited to give up our second go 'round of having only one car! We've been born again!

We're not perfect.....we know this

2009-07-20T16:35:00.004-06:00

I will give you a glimpse of just how not perfect we are. I have NEVER tried to look perfect for those of you that may not know me well.

Sundays are long days for Charles, and for me too, for that matter. He leaves at 10:30 for meetings and usually doesn't get home until 5:30 or 6. Well yesterday was no different. I arrive home with the kids around 4:15 and promptly start making dinner. I am good at making sure Charles has something hot to eat after his long Sundays. Well, we notice the dang dog has something hanging out her backend. Ryan gets a gander at what it is and tells me it's a turd. Oh for heaven's sake! Well, get her out of the house, I tell him! Didn't want dog turds smeared somewhere in my house. I figured I would let Charles take care of it when he arrived home. I know this isn't very nice of me, but I am not digging in a dog's butt to loosen up a turd. This has happened to Dixie before, when Charles was in Iraq. I paid $70 to the vet so I wouldn't have to deal with it. I told Charles what the vet had done last time so he could render the same service to Dixie this time. He was quite the sport about it! Hey, I made dinner! We compromise in this house. He shaved her butt and got to work. He fixed her right up and saved us at least 70 bucks. I sure love him. I know Dixie appreciates him too! Oh and the miracle medicine that helped her stop yelping when she had to go to the bathroom....Carmex! So if your dog ever has a raw butt...now you know what to use! Way to go Charles! He's my jack of all trades!

Well....

2009-07-18T21:31:00.010-06:00

I have taken notice, lately, of the people who are rude to bikers. I have noticed that most of the ones that are rude are obese. Now I'm chubby, I admit it. I am still a polite person though. When I'm out riding and come to a crosswalk most people let me through without trying to shoot out in front of me. Whenever someone doesn't want to let me through first they always seem to be a fat person. Just a little something I've noticed. No big deal.

We're less than 3 weeks until school starts! I am beside myself waiting for this. I am looking forward to spending lunch time with Charles again. We've been riding bikes together lately. It's a fun, free thing to do. You would think with all this riding I would be thin by now, but no such luck. It's about the ONLY exercise I enjoy doing.

Not a lot has been going on around here. Our friends, the Budge's, come in a week and we are ecstatic! We have some fun things planned for their visit. Well, as fun as you can get around here. And speaking of fun, today was fun filled. I had to sit at a hot, 8 year old birthday party for 2 hours today. Outside the entire time, no less. The kids had a blast though. Charles fixed the hole in our ceiling in the laundry room. It had leaked from the swamp cooler about 2 months ago. When he cut out the sheet rock, after the leak, rat turds fell out of it so I have been chomping at the bit for him to get it fixed ever since. I mean the laundry room isn't exactly a room I can avoid. Now I don't have to worry about a rat falling from the ceiling while I'm in there. I can finally use my toilet again too. He fixed that today as well. He's such a man. I love him. So now we'll have 2 working toilets when our friends come. :) Trisha, you can't be jealous of my tan when you see me! Well, Charles is gonna post some pictures with this post for me. Everybody can see what we've been up to or at least what some of us have been up to.

Scout Camp on Mt. Lemmon

He seems so grown up now...

Fun at the optometrist's office. I love the reflections of the lights across the lenses.

Boothill Cemetery, Tombstone, AZ

Fishing at Parker Canyon Lake (that's definitely a keeper)

New day....

2009-07-14T10:42:00.004-06:00

Just so you know I have been working on being positive. On that note, you can take this post how you want! Friday night, or Saturday morning, around midnight, Charles and Charlie returned from scout camp. I was grateful for this! It had been a long week of kids making me nuts. I had also started a true crime book the night they left and it had me sleepless all week. But nothing beats the events of Friday night. I put the kids to bed early so I didn't have to deal with them any longer than necessary. I sat on the couch to read the rest of the 3rd Twilight book. I let the dog out one last time and nestled in. I heard some racket going on outside and assumed it was Dixie ready to come back in. I went to the door to let her in and realized she was clear across our acre yard. I was little nervous about this. She came running and I locked the house up. I sat on the couch to read again and heard more noise. I turned all the outside lights on and the inside ones off so nobody would be able to look in. I head to my room when Dixie is barking like a mad dog. I was pretty nervous by this time because I have 3 kids in the house and really, no way to protect me or the kids. Dixie calmed down and I continued to read. If I was gonna die that night I had to know how the 3rd book ended! So then Charles calls my phone and since I was already on edge, his "Pour Some Sugar on Me" ring tone scared the hell out of me! I answer and was super excited to hear from him. We had been talking a bit when Dixie starts barking again and I hear the side door shaking. By this time my panties are in a wad and I scared to death. Charles was sure everything was ok but he wasn't there and didn't hear the commotion. I then heard something dangling outside my bedroom window. It sounded like dog tags shaking because for a minute I thought that Dixie had somehow gotten out and was standing outside my window. I hung up the phone with Charles and dialed 911. Now, I lived alone with the kids for over 2 years. I am not a paranoid person. Someone was clearly outside my house. Police come and scope it all out. Nobody was found, nothing seemed out of place, but I know someone was there. I could feel the presence. Of course by this time there was no way I was going to bed and closing my eyes. The cops left and I called Charles, his signal was dropping in and out and I discovered this was frustrating. I called my sister at the ER. Somehow it felt like I wasn't going to have my throat slashed as long as I was on the phone with her. Plus, she a lot like me and understands me well. They finally arrived home and we were all safe throughout the night. But fate wasn't done with me yet! I went into the kids' bathroom, since ours has a leak right now, and wouldn't you know there was a big scorpion sitting right beside the toilet. I just went on to bed and started over the next day! It's been well since then.

We finally got renters in our Tennessee house. We were in the 11th hour when the good Lord stepped in and helped us out. We've been paying more than our fair share of mortgages and next month will be the first month since April that we don't have to pay 3 full mortgages. Nice, eh! Well for us it is. I'm gonna feel like we hit the lottery. I'm just glad that we've stayed out of debt so that we had the money to pay what needed to be paid.

For all the peanut butter lovers out there I must tell you about my new creation...Peanut Butter Granola. I've been wanting to adapt my original granola recipe somehow to make it taste and clump better. What better way to make it taste better than peanut butter? Let me tell you....it was a masterpiece. I'm quite the baker ya know! That's one area I can toot my own horn, so I'm tootin'!

Well I must go and ride my bike, not to feel amazing but to work off all the PB granola! :

So....

2009-07-10T14:45:00.003-06:00

does anyone else ever feel like they are seriously going to go crazy? Cuz I feel that way right now. I can literally feel the crazy juice flowing through my veins. I hear my kids fighting in the background and I haven't seen my husband for a week. Yes, I know, there are spouses separated around the globe for much longer than that. But I've done that too. Twice. This week is different. When they're gone for a year it seems as though you are given "gifts" to get you through that hard time. When they're just gone for a week to scout camp you just have to suffer through the irritation. There's no gifts for that separation. All I got this week was one less kid, the one that helps the most, and 3 kids left at home to drive me nuts all week. And believe me they have taken every opportunity to do so.

So we were all in the kitchen the other day and the kids were pulled up to the counter eating breakfast. Cody tells me in a concerned voice "MOM! Josh has a bleach spot on his shoulder!" We have been to the pool quite a bit this summer and Josh's shoulders were peeling a little. The lighter skin was coming in underneath the peeling skin and apparently Cody thought he had gotten bleach on his skin! It was pretty cute.

I made it to book 3 in the Twilight series. They're good. I can't really put my finger on why I like them so much. I have read over and over of how wonderful Edward's breath smells and how luscious his scent is. For this very reason I am surprised at how much I am enjoying these books. I just need to know what happens! Does Bella become a vampire or not? Who does she end up with, Jacob or Edward? I must have these answers and therefore I am reading the books.

I left a little later than usual this morning for my bike ride. I couldn't seem to get the mattress off my back this morning. I finally got out the door at about 10:30. It was a late night. So there I was in the middle of my 10 miles panting like a dog going up the hills and thinking of how badly I want to talk to Charles. He's up on some mountain with no reception whatsoever and I have missed him dearly this week. I have even called his phone several times just to see if maybe he'll answer. No luck at all. So I return home from my bike trip to Ryan telling me how he just used his phone to call his dad and got to talk to Charlie and his dad. He was elated since he has actually missed his big brother this week. Of course I was no where around when this occured. A little bit frustrating to say the least. I guess that's what I get for not getting the ride over with sooner. I'm not much of a morning person. He'll be back tomorrow night!

PLEASE.....

2009-07-08T23:31:00.003-06:00

enough with Michael Jackson! Don't we have better people to memorialize? Sweet mother of pearl!

Dang it....

2009-07-06T17:52:00.002-06:00

I really should start being nice, huh? I don't need an answer. I know the answer. I shouldn't let people who want perfect lives bug me. Maybe I'm at the point in my life where I know perfection is unattainable and I'm ok with that. It just bugs me for some reason. I promise to do better. maybe it's all the sugar in my system that makes me so irritable. Who knows? It'll take a while before the blogs don't irritate me, so be patient :)

Charles and Charlie left this morning at 5 a.m. I was so grateful it wasn't me. I am not a morning person and the thought of having to leave that early for a week long scout camp is a bit much. Ryan went to a friend's house most of the day and I have to say I rather enjoyed having only 2 kids around. I had forgotten how easy life is with 2 big kids not around being mean to their little brothers. I remember when Charlie and Ryan were little and they NEVER fought. Looking back my life seemed so easy then. Maybe I did have more fun when there weren't so many of them. Maybe it was more fun to make cookies and do frills with them when I didn't have to worry about 4 kids wanting to lick beaters and make messes. I think I did use to be a good mom. But 4 kids is double the amount of my better half and me. Well there's no looking back now! Besides I want lots of grandkids so they can irritate their parents. I want my kids to know, one day, just how much I love them and just how much crap I put up with because I do love them.

I rode 10 miles on my bike today. I had more energy today than usual. I have been bushed ever since though. I keep waiting for the "amazing" to hit me. I'll keep you posted.

Have you ever wondered....

2009-07-05T21:21:00.002-06:00

why people write blogs? They really do remind of those chain Christmas letters. You know, the ones where each member of the family has their own dedicated paragraph to how wonderful their life is? I've said it once and I'll say it again, there are some blogs out there that seriously make me want to vomit when I read them. I have no problem admitting that raising 4 kids takes up a lot of time. My kids are messy, I feel like I'm constantly cooking and cleaning up after everyone and it makes me nuts some Sundays that Charles doesn't get to come home after church with us, homework with kids makes me insane and if I have to listen to anymore kindergartners read I may slice my wrists. I have absloutely no problem admitting to any of this. So someone please tell me why I must read about some people who want to portray their life as perfection. We read about the wonderful trips and all the baby showers and the cards these people make with their kids and how much fun they have in the process. Ok...now....I have 4 boys and making anything with kids has never been fun for me. Now, we, as mothers, do it because it's our job. But fun? Please girls, don't tell me it's fun to drag out scrapbooking supplies with a 2 year old when you have a certain task at hand. Maybe I'm Debbie Downer. Or maybe, just maybe, I'm brutally honest. These blogs always have and always will drive me frigging NUTS. It's just who I am! Not a fake, what you see is what you get and I have no problem admitting to any of it. So why do I write a blog? Maybe I need it as a sounding board or a journal of sorts. I mean I can't just go around and tell just anyone how I feel about things. So for anyone interested in my take on life they can come to me. Anyone wanting to hear about card making, fluff and perfection need not stop and browse.

Our 4th celebration was fun! We had a crap load of people in our swamp cooled house and a ton of food to gorge on. And gorge I did. I have an obsession with sugar. It ended last night though. I have made a promise to myself that it will be given up. I'm like an alcoholic when it comes to sugar. Once I start I can't stop. My most favorite thing of all time is anything chocolate slathered in peanut butter. Whoever invented the Reeses' PB Cup is an absolute freakin' genious. But...I must give it up. (sniff, sniff) Food has been my companion for a while. It's always there, it doesn't talk back and it so dang good. Anyway, at least I live in a free country!

Charles and Charlie leave for scout camp tomorrow. It's been a while now that I have gone so long without seeing my husband. It almost seems weird he won't be around all week. He's been home for almost 8 months now and there is no fear of him having to leave anywhere in the near future. It's a nice feeling too. I can't think of anything, in my life, that is worse than dropping a loved off at the airport when their R&R is over. There are body parts I would rather remove than to do that again. I can handle a week though!

Monsoons.....

2009-06-30T19:17:00.003-06:00

are nice in Arizona. It has been raining like a cow pissing on a flat rock around here lately. It's nice though. The clouds normally roll in in the evening and we get really good thunderstorms. The only bad part is the dadgum swamp cooler that brings in all the moisture and makes our house feel dirty. But at least there isn't as much dust around.

Charles and I rode 8 miles today on our bikes. We went the uphill route and I thought my lungs were going to explode. I slow him down but he stays with me for the most part. My chubbyness and the less oxygen here makes those climbs a booger bear. I better be skinny in the next month or 2. We took the kids on that ride a few weeks ago and as Josh and I were climbing the hill he tells me he would rather pick up dog poop with his bare hands than to do that hill on his bike!

We got our first tomato from our garden today! Very exciting. Our chickens are doing well too.

I finally got around to all the chores that have been needing to get done. I cleaned out our car yesterday just in time for them to randomly inspect on post today. The security guy even told me how clean it was. For some reason I was thinking that would fall into the man of the house category, now that Charles is home and all. I guess I was wrong since I don't have a penis. And speaking of a penis, I wonder why men don't feel uncomfortable to shower in front of other men. Whenever we go to the pool, the kids will always tell me how there are naked men walking all over the locker room or showering with no curtain to cover anything. Charles tells me the secret to this is to act like you are the only one in the locker room. He says meat gazing is a big no no! I'm sorry, I would have to look. Not because it's some huge turn on but it's like a car wreck. I just wouldn't be able to turn away if I saw something like this. Apparently, Cody has some of me in him. I remember when he was about 3 years old and we were at the gym. I had started going to the gym when he was about 2 1/2 and they were pretty familiar with the gym I used. He went into the bathroom one day with Ryan, while we were there. I was speaking to my trainer when Ryan comes out to tell me that Cody won't come out of the bathroom. He said that he was enthralled with some man in there and was literally standing there watching the guy while he was butt naked! The man, I am hoping, was uncomfortable. I know I would be if some 3 year old was staring at me while I was nude. That would definitely make me never want to walk around another locker room undressed. We finally peeled him away from the peep show and he's been o.k. since.

I should run and get the floors prepped for mopping. All of my kids will be gone tonight and I'm excited :)

Have you ever noticed....

2009-06-28T11:54:00.002-06:00

when someone has good intentions you can just feel it. And vice versa, of course. By the way I finished Twilight on Friday night and watched the movie last night and was completely disappointed. Back to my first thought, though. Two people can do the very same thing, you feel that one has good intentions and the other has not so good intentions. You take the action completely different. Am I making any sense at all? For instance, I was reading a blog yesterday about someone I know who had run a 5K. You could clearly tell from her blog posting she had worked hard for this goal and she was excited she had done it. It was really inspiring to me. I felt her intent was not to brag or make someone else feel like crap but that she was truly happy that she was able to do that. On the other hand, my little facebook "friend" who is constantly making her status about how she just ran a 5 mile hill/interval and she's ready to start her day. Her intent is clearly that she wants to feel sexy, and great and others to compliment her. I mean even through facebook pages you can tell someone's intent. At least that's how I see it. And while we're on the topic of exercising, it is my intent to brag, I'm a biking fool! I did 8 miles in 3rd gear yesterday! Don't worry though, my intent is not to make others think I'm sexy or great, but to let myself know that chubby people can still be fit!

Ok, like I said, we watched Twilight last night and I was completely disappointed. They did not do justice to the book. What have I become? I can't believe myself, I'm a Twilight reader and can't wait to read the next book. AND...the worst part, I thought Rob Pattinson was cute! :- He's is everything I'm against. I bet you anything he doesn't know what to do with a tool belt and has never shot a gun! After reading the book, I was disappointed in who had been chosen to play the part of Edward. After seeing the movie I thought he was great. For those that know me, this entire paragraph has to be a complete shock! Dang it, what has come over me. Charles wasn't at all interested and still has no desire. That's a good thing though.

It is summer time in Arizona and we have a swamp cooler. Do you know what that means? Monsoons and IRRITATION! It is constantly humid in our house. Your clothes feel wet all the time and everything feels dirty. It is driving me nuts. I know all the Alabamians reading this are thinking they have to deal with humidity everyday of the year. BUT....at least when you are indoors the humidity stays outside. I will admit, though, there is nothing like Alabama humidity. Of course, I've been in San Antonio before and thought the same thing.

I had sharing time in Primary today, and let me just say, kids around the 10 year range are so annoying and corny. I hope and pray I wasn't like this when I was that age. I can't imagine that they would ever know what I was thinking because they think they are so cool and funny. They could never imagine that I would like to slap them! Charlie told me, the other day, he didn't think we were like other Mormom families. I asked him why he thought that and he says because we don't act or talk like other Mormon families. I told him it's because I refuse to allow my children to act so dadgum corny like other Mormon families might allow. I have no tolerance for silliness and I'm not talking about the good silliness. I'm talking about the silliness that only my sister knows :) You know what I'm talking about, Ericka, don't you?

A catchy headline would go here.....

2009-06-25T10:49:00.003-06:00

I am not one of these mothers that makes her kids' summers educational. We sleep in, swim, play outside and other fun summery things. We don't read or do librairies or anything boring. Bad, I know, but so good for me. It's a break from homework, getting up early, and making lunches everyday. My kids get to make their own lunches during summer. I get nice from time to time and make something for them but I feel like I'm finally at a time that I get some partial retirement.

Yesterday, the outdoor pool finally opened. I was so excited to be able to sit in the sun and not have to be the lifeguard. All of my kids are old enough to swim on their own without me being in arm's reach! (government pool rules) I have waited for this for quite a few summers now. I have sat envious of the moms who get to cart their kids to the pool and watch lovingly as their kids swim and have fun. Yesterday was going to be MY day, or, so I thought. I sat our things up and doled out goggles and got everything ready to nestle in and read my book. It took each child a minute to have the balls to jump into the chilly water. Each child swam for about 10 minutes before getting out and telling me how cold the water was. At one point every, single, one of them was literally hovered over me, blocking my sun and dripping all over me. I couldn't believe it. All the summers I have waited to have my kids leave me alone while they swam and enjoyed themselves and here I was being annoyed. I gave them a choice, though, because that's what good moms do. It was either swim in the icy waters or go home and do chores. I mean, hell, we are in sunny Arizona. It wasn't a hard choice.

I have fallen victim to the Twilight books. This is 91% of the reason I wanted to be left alone at the pool! I've heard all about them and had absolutely NO desire to read them. I'm not a reader, unless it's a gossip magazine, BUT, a friend of mine loaned me the first book in the series the other day so I thought I would read a page or 2 and see why everyone was acting foolish over this book! I couldn't put the dadgum thing down! I don't know what's wrong with me. I mean, I've read a few John Grisham books in my life and that's it. I made it to chapter 6 yesterday and haven't picked it up YET today. People I talk to either love it or hate. I just knew I would hate it. Now that Edward's character has been described I am a little disappointed of who plays him in the movie. I guess people's definition of beautiful differs somewhat!

I was awakened this morning at 5 a.m. to a woodpecker pecking on the storage shed! Completely frustrating since Charles wanted me to take him into work. I had actually told him I would drive him in today. He is supposed to be riding his bike to work but Charles isn't one to enjoy the heat, so his riding days have been put off a bit lately. It's actually cutting into my sleeping in time! It gives me a reason to get out of bed and go to the gym. Oh and speaking of exercising, we rode the 6 mile loop last night and I did 90% of it in 3rd gear. There were times when I begged Charles to ride home and get the car but he wouldn't hear of it. Today I feel as though someone has kicked me in the buttocks repeatedly with a steel toed boot. My butt hurts so bad from the bike seat but I was pretty excited that was able to reach that goal! Of course I made the goal quite a while ago, but better late than never, right?

Lazy days of summer....

2009-06-19T16:39:00.002-06:00

We've been spending lots of our days at the pool lately. It's nice because I can swim laps while the kids play. Normally when I swim with the kids I have to watch everyone dive, jump and swim for diving sticks. Then they want to swim under me, around me and between my legs. Usually it isn't a very fun experience for me. But when I get to do laps nobody bugs me and I can swim as long as I want. Only lap swimmers are allowed in the swim lanes so kids are off limits! Don't you hate when you have to hear about everyone's exercise experiences? Not to be mean, but there is a girl on my facebook list of friends. I'm not really friends with her other than through facebook. I met her when Charles and I were first married. I'm sure she's a nice gal and all. But every time I log into to facebook it tells me that she has set her status as just having run 5 miles and feeling amazing and ready to start her day. She ALWAYS uses the word amazing too. When I exercise, which I do everyday, the word amazing never comes to mind. I mean that is great that she can run 5 miles without stopping and passing out but I really couldn't care less. Plus she puts it up every day, I mean think of something new. It just bugs me. My issues!

On the way to the pool today, Ryan reminicsed about days gone by. He was recalling a time we went swimming when we were here for our last jaunt and he and Charlie were the only children. It was something about Charlie wanting to go off the slide and the lifeguards wanted him to pass a swim test before he could use the slide. They asked if he could swim and apparently I told them he wasn't an olympic swimmer but that he was a decent enough swimmer to patron the slide. I don't recall that incident but everyone in the car was convinced it happened. I was cracking up because it very much sounds like something I would say and I thought it was hilarious that Ryan remembered that!

For some reason pools on a military base have the craziest rules. For instance, the one we go to now makes you swim the length of a 25 meter pool, with your arms out of the water, and back, to be able to jump off the diving board without a parent waiting in the water below. That makes no sense that they want you to do that because once you jump off the diving board, it's like 6 feet to get to the ladder. Again, my issues. I can't complain, it is free and believe it or not there are no black people there, with it being free and all that's just hard to believe.

So I learned how to make tamales today. I never realized just how unhealthy those suckers are. The recipe called for 2 pounds, yes, 2 lbs of LARD! I don't think the greasy feeling I have in the roof of my mouth will never go away. Won't be making those again. Plus, there are way too many ingredients and time involved and I just DO NOT cook like that. It's one thing if the majority of the ingredients are spices but when you have more than 10 actual ingredients, that's just way too much. Plus.... my attention span is super short.

Just in case you're wondering of the randomness of this posting, it was over a 2 day period. So we actually went to the pool yesterday. Today, Saturday was the tamale making :)

2009-06-17T22:10:00.003-06:00

Why is it that people's failures makes us feel more comfortable? Why is it that some people can't feel genuine happiness for others? There was a guy that spoke briefly about this during church this past Sunday. I was quite intrigued that he spoke about it because that characteristic bugs me in a person and I have noticed it quite a bit throughout my life. I can't say that I haven't fallen into this category :( When you're trying the best you can in life and things seem to never go your way but over in the corner is someone that seems to always have things go right. It can get a little frustrating when you feel picked on. I guess it's just our perception of things. We see things worse about ourselves than what other people see. It sucks, I know. But, for some reason I seem to feel much more comfortable around people who have had a few hard knocks. People that have had to make it on their own in life. I like just plain 'ol blue collar folks, that live pay day to payday and don't need the finer things in life. It's ok to have a white collar job and live a blue collar lifestyle. People that can do that are so much more fascinating to me and more enjoyable to be around. I was listening to a story today about a girl that has had a pretty rough life. To look at her though, things seem to be perfect. Once I heard the story I wanted to get to know her. Not to feel more comfortable about myself but to meet someone that can rise above it despite her obstacles. I love stories like that. The ones where mommy and daddy fixed everything are boring and predictable.

People that can't give compliments are hard to be around. I mean if someone looks cute, tell them . If you notice someone has lost weight, say something. Don't be pissed because you haven't had the motivation to do it. Give someone a dadgum compliment. It's so irritating when people just can't say something nice about someone else.... just some thoughts I've had today :)

Well I've been making Father's Day stuff all this week! I've been pretty crafty. I made a cute photo block on Monday and then last night at church I made a tie! They're both cute. I didn't want to over spend considering what I received for Mother's Day and all. For anyone wondering if I truly won't get Charles anything for Father's Day, the answer is no. I can't go a holiday like that and not recognize him. For the feminist reading this, I'm sure that's enough to piss you right off. BUT....even though he is a big ding dong at times, I do love him, he is the father of my 4 kids and when he retires, from the army in 6 years, I'm getting a new car and a vacation :) That last part is seriously true.

2009-06-16T16:08:00.002-06:00

We really need to move to a state that does year round school! School has been out long enough. I usually start to go crazy around the 3 week mark and here we are! August 6 can't get here soon enough.

The weekend was good. Charles and I went out for our anniversary on Saturday night since we weren't going to be able to do anything on Sunday. The town we live in isn't very exciting so we did the standard dinner date. Charles had heard something about this place called The Hummingbird Grille. It sounded good enough so he gave them a call and asked if we needed reservations and the guy told him it was recommended. He penciled us in for 6:30. We headed out about 30 minutes after the reservations were made. I was wanting to go to the German Cafe but Hummingbird Grille it was! We never eat out so we were excited to get away from kids and cooking. Mostly I was. We pull up in the nearly empty parking lot and walk to the entrance where we were greeted by the hostess. It looked pretty fancy and there was only one other table being occupied. I was spmewhat surprised since they told Charles reservations were recommended. We sit down and the menus were brought to us.......I opened mine and was immediately irritated. There were about 6 things to choose from on the entire menu. That's including appetizers. We looked at each other at the exact same moment and Charles says to me "do you want to get out of here?" I say "hell yes." He wonders if we will have any dignity left if we just walk out. The waitress is making her way over at the exact moment we had decided to blow the joint. Charles, being the most unconfrontational person I know, is worried if the waitress will feel bad. I told him to let's just go and not worry about it. When we informed her we were leaving she was surprised and wasn't quite sure how to react. Here's the deal.....we NEVER eat out, so when we do, I am not going to just settle. I'm going to eat something that's worth eating out for. So we headed to the German Cafe and it was delicious! Just in case you're wondering :)

I'm pretty sure the mice are all gone. We've had no activity in a few days. I'm seriously hoping 7 mice is all that got in. As if that isn't enough. That's all the excitement I have to report for now.

A week of events....

2009-06-12T11:00:00.004-06:00

Charles' last day of leave was Monday so we went out with a bang! Actually we just spent the day in or near the water. We took the kids swimming and later in the evening we went fishing! We have a nice, smaller lake out the west gate. Of course if we were in the south it would be considered a pond but that's neither here nor there! Well, I think we have found something Charles knows nothing about. He was super cute though trying to figure everything out. Josh was wanting to stay home and play video games but his dad would hear nothing of that. We loaded up and drove out there and discovered only 1 of the 5 poles, we brought with us, was in working order. Charles' friend, Keith, the one that invited us, had an extra so all te kids had to take turns. Josh and Cody ended up digging fishing the most since they caught the most fish. Cody was the actual winner, as he ended up catching and throwing back 4 of the smallest fish you can imagine. He didn't care how much it weighed though, HE caught them!

I believe Wednesday would take the cake for the highlight of the week. Our house had not been deep cleaned since just before my sister's visit. After a trip to the pool we came home to get our working gloves on. I was scrubbing the kitchen down when Charlie took it upon himself to clean the dog's food and water bowls out. I thought this was a kind gesture since none of the kids do anything super sweet for Dixie. He gets the bowls sparkling clean and refills the water bowl and walks over to the cabinet where all of Dixie's belongings are and grabs her bag off food to put fresh food in her bowl. Awwww! Charlie digs his hand deep in the bag when he feels something fuzzy brush up against his hand! He squeals like a school girl which gets me screaming asking what the heck it is. I was praying it was going to be a spider or some kind of six-legged thing. Hell no, it wasn't anything with six legs. It was more like 16 legs in there. Four, yes 4, MICE were in the damn dog food bag. HOLY @#%*! I was going crazy. He throws the bag down and is freaking out! I'm screaming for him to get the dadgum bag out of the house. I have chills as I type, thinking about it! He calms down, grabs the bag and takes it out. Now all of the kids are interested and looking in the bag. I'm still screaming at this point, telling them to take the bag to the big, outside trash can and not to stand there and let all the mice out of the bag so they can re-enter the house. Cody looks at me through the sliding glass door with his hands cupped around his eyes and says " No, Mom , we're keeping 'em!" I had to laugh at this point because if he was any cuter it would be dangerous. There was still 20 minutes before Charles was to leave from work. I call him up and told him he must come home early. He sits on the phone and wanted to debate with me when I promptly reminded him of going into work 2 hours late that same day! He agreed to come home and analyze the problem. He checked everything out and went to Wal*Mart and bought everything you can think of to kill mice. He woke up the next morning to find 3 more dead mice. So that's 7 mice in a 24 hour period! Holy crap I think I need a sedative. We loaded more traps and haven't seen any action since. I'm hoping and praying we have fixed the problem and can patch up the holes where they were coming in.

This morning we were awakened to Jehovah's Witnesses wanting to share a message. That was fun! Charlie got stuck opening the door and let them know his mom was asleep. It was 9:30 :- Whoopsie! It is summer though.

Charles and I celebrate 14 years of marriage on Sunday! We were discussing this last night and reminiscing of our life together. I recalled the tiny, roach infested military house we first lived in on the very base we are stationed at today. We then realized how far we've come after 14 years, 4 kids, a few cars and several states later to the big, mice infested house we now live in! We've had a good life! Charles has gotten better looking everyday, huh Babe?

just some thoughts....

2009-06-09T21:24:00.004-06:00

I forgot to mention in yesterday's post about my award winning peanut butter chocolate cake! It fetched $80 at the church fundraiser for the youth! I made the same cake that I had made in April for Ryan's birthday. You know the one that Charlie had crapped up? Yeah it fetched 80 big ones, so that helped out a lot with the $200 scout camp. It pays to be a good baker!

Ok, last night Charles and I rented a redbox movie. We rented He's Just Not That Into You. Now, that movie just down right pissed me off. I know that our views on life and relationships differs somewhat from most people in the world. This movie portrayed, what I assume, the way most single folks, with no morals, feel about relationships. The one character that bugged me the most was Scarlet Johansson's. She meets a married man and feels that because she couldn't stop thinking about him she was entitled to get what she wanted. She thought is must be right since this married man wasn't leaving her mind. Her friend assures her just because he's married doesn't mean he can't be THE ONE. By the way, she does end up sleeping with the married man in the movie. Can you believe that crap? I was irritated most of the day about this movie. Then, today while I was at the pool with all of my sons this woman walks in with the most revealing swimsuit on. First i was trying to figure out why in the world you would be wearing a suit like what she had on to a pool like the one we were at. It's an indoor pool on post that is used mostly for people trying to get exercise by swimming laps and moms with kids. There is usually nobody around to gain attention from. BUT.....today there just so happened to be a group of military guys doing some water training exercises. This woman looked like a dirty tramp. She had tattoos completely covering her right arm. She was deliberately trying to be revealing by pushing her chest out. Everything but the nipple of her boobs were exposed. I was mortified since my 12, almost 13 year old, son was with me. I wondered if she somehow knew these guys were going to be there. She never even got her hair wet and only stayed less than an hour. I just do not understand this behavior. It was the same way in Vegas. Women were dressed like dirty tramps trying to get a man's attention. Do women not realize when they perform these tactics they are attracting the wrong kinds of men? It seems like this may be a reason for so many failed marriages. People are physically attracted to someone but when the rubber meets the road there is no substance to the relationship. Anyway, it was very hard not to judge the tramp, I mean woman, at the pool. Not one good thought went through my mind about her. I just imagined her being someone like Scarlet's character. I can't think of anything more selfish than infidelity. I've known some great women who have been devasted by infidelity and this may be why it pisses me off so badly. What is so baffling to me is that women find married men who would cheat on their wives attractive. I can't think of anything less attractive. Bunch of a-hole people. Anyway, I've just been a little bugged about that today and thought I would write my frustrations to get them off my chest. Oh yeah one more story along these lines....a man comes into the ER where someone close to me works. He is complaining of back pain and doesn't know what's going on. The doctor runs a plethora of tests and determines he is in the final stages of full blown AIDS! The man told the doctor to not let his wife know. They have kids together and chances are have been intimate during the time he has had this disease. Unbelievable.....the degree of selfishness of some people!

Here I go again....

2009-06-08T12:46:00.002-06:00

It's been quite some time that I have been in the blogging world. I've been busy so I have lots to report. First, Charles took leave, starting last Monday, and we drove to Phoenix to pick up my sister and her kids. The next day my sister and I flew to Vegas! We quickly learned Vegas is a town for people who like to party, drink, have sex with strangers, gamble and watch naked people. It just didn't have too much to offer 2 ladies with an ounce of class. We did find fun things to do though. The first day we went shopping and didn't find anything we were interested in except some delicious cookies from the Great American Cookie Company! We took a bus around town to see what there was to look at. Day 2 was much more fun! We slept in, got an $80 pedicure and stayed at the pool until late afternoon! We also went to the Bodies exhibit at the Luxor. Now, these weren't naked bodies dancing around. They were old, dead, Asian bodies that had been pumped with silicone to preserve them. It was an educational exhibit that was very interesting. It showed how the human body works, how a stroke happens, what a smoker's lung looks like and even had a rectum layed out in one of those cases. WOW! A for real deal butthole! It was quite a sight. On the way back to the hotel from that we stopped at some souvenir shops to grab somehting for our kids. We had to suffer through someone's version of karaoke while we shopped and got back to our room rather late this particular night. Oh, we did stop in the casino to use the free money we had been given for staying in the hotel. I didn't win the $3,ooo,ooo I was supposed to though! Dang it! Day 3 was a doosy! We got to check out of the hotel late, which was nice. We spent the morning at the pool and saundered back to our room around noon. Got ready and checked out at 1. We ate lunch at a Chinese place and were just about ready to go when my sister realized she had left her phone and her charger in the hotel room . We scurried to the front desk to inform the clerk we needed to get the phone. She told us that housekeeping must have the phone since our room had already been cleaned and another guest had checked in it. She told us she would call us on my phone, which was near dead, as soon as she was informed of the whereabouts of her phone. About 45 minutes passed and still not a word. Our shuttle to the airport was coming soon so we started to panic. My sister found someone else to tell her troubles to and this lady seemed more interested in helping us. They finally located the phone and sent my sister to the floor we had been staying on when she encountered a fellow with small man's syndrome. He was short and it must have made him feel better to be rude. He wouldn't let my sister get on the elevator since she didn't have a room key. She explained the situation and he didn't care. She had to run back to the desk, get a key and run back to the elevator. These were not short trips either. The funny thing about that....not one time during our stay did anyone ask to see a room key to allow us to get on the elevator. I was waiting outside because I had to pick up our luggage that we had checked in. I watched our shuttle come and go! I was panicked because I didn't think it would take my sister that long to run up to get her phone. After the shuttle had passed away out of sight I see Ericka walking towards me with a security guard. She explained what happened and the guy told us he would comp us a cab ride to the airport. We got the hell out of there! We get to the airport and go through security when we met the most irritating woman of our lives. Keep in mind my sister had been through 3 airports between Birmingham and Vegas. But of course this P.I.T.A noticed she had a tiny pocket knife in her purse. My nephew at some point, before the trip, tossed it there. The lady told us she needed to search the purse, we obliged her and she began her search. At first, we had no idea what she was looking for. She emptied the purse and didn't find a thing. She went through every inch of the purse and came up with nothing. She ran it back through the x-ray machine and could see the knife. She finally found it along with a lighter my sister had just purchased and told us we would have to check it or get rid of it. We were going to check it until we were informed we would have to check another bag and neither one of us had anything else to check. Ericka tossed the knife and was wondering what to do about the lighter when I told her to just throw it back in her purse since they didn't even realize she had the lighter until the irritant started pilferring through her purse. She stowed it in her camera case and through security we went, safely!

Needless to say, we were glad to be back home. Away from people who spend a lot of time trying to look good so they hopefully get a date. I was glad to be back around a man who knows how to hold a drill, doesn't wear pink, doesn't go to a tanning bed or highlight his hair. He burps, farts, and needs my approval on what to wear when he has to dress up. He's never sure which socks match, only has 3 pair of shoes and has never put gel in his hair. I never have to fight with him over the mirror and he knows how to use a tool belt! He's tall, broad shouldered, big footed and man sized! I love every inch of him. I don't know what I would do with anything that is opposite of that. Charles took care of all 6 six and ran the house while we were gone. He cooked a hot meal for them every night and took them swimming every day. He did need my advice on how to cook shepherd's pie but he did everything else on his own. All the laundry was done when I arrived and everyone was alive. I couldn't have asked for more. There's just something about a southern man!!!

Did I mention my kids are out of school for the summer?

2009-05-27T12:17:00.002-06:00

I am already feeling the effects of it too! The first few days seem to always go well then it sinks in and I realize I hate summer. They really should start thinking about year round school. We normally start our day with a few chores. The kids don't have to do huge chores but just enough so that our house doesn't look like animals live inside. Cody got mad at Charlie this morning and stabbed him with a fork and punctured the top of his hand. Blood was squirting everywhere and it made a huge mess. Cody was immediately sent to his room so that CPS was not going to have to come. If he had stuck around I would have beat him good. My gosh, kids piss me off. DAILY! I cleaned up the wound and stopped the bleeding with some tricks I've learned and now Charlie's all better. His hand, however, is swollen and puffed. Here's the deal, Charlie is the oldest and has always been able to irritate his brothers without consequences. NOW, they're all older and they don't put up with his crap like they used to. He was swatting Cody's head while he was trying to eat his breakfast and his tiny, little self got sick of Charlie and hucked a fork at him at him. Charlie left him alone after that! I guess he had to since he was bleeding like a stuck pig. I was just mad it made just a big mess all over the floor.

Another frustrating thing that happened today.....well, we are selling our house in Tennessee. We have it listed on a few websites and gets quite a few hits each day. I log onto my computer this morning to see that we had an offer! I was pretty excited but trying not to be too happy until the email was opened. As soo as I opened the email my elatedness turned to pissed! The idiot had offered us almost $40K less than what the house is even worth. We already have priced less than what it's worth and he comes in and offers even less than what we originally paid for it. MORON! Maybe we should just consider what other moochers in the country are doing with their mortgages....y'all could pay for it!

Does anyone remember the incident with my brother and his wife and me back in October? They were putting their nose in my business with all that stuff that happened with my mom. If anyone is interested just click on the posts from October. Anyway, they had my mother keep their kids while she went to the hospital to have a baby. This was about a week ago. Apparently, my mom was a little bugged that she had to keep their kids longer than anticipated. That is to be expected from my mom. Anyway, turns out she was mean to their kids just as she was to mine. I just remember my sister in law and brother defending my mother's actions when she acted in a terrible manner to my own kids. I recall them blaming my kids for all the things she had done. I wonder if they are defending my mother for the way she treated their kids....hmm.....isn't that interesting? KARMA! It happens, so people should really be careful with how they treat folks! Now don't get me wrong, I'm definitely not happy that those kids had to be subjected to her meanness, but after years of knowing how my mother acts they really should know better. :D Sad! I think that's all I have for now.

Happy Memorial Day.......

2009-05-25T10:46:00.003-06:00

The best thing about Memorial Day is, hands down, the BBQ! We get to go cook out and swim with a family from our church today. They have a pool right in their backyard, along with half of this city. It seems like everyone has a pool. Except for us. But we do have a red-neck hot tub! It's pretty fun too!

I've had writer's block lately. I think because I've been so bugged about some things. Mostly because of my husband and kids. I leave in a week for Vegas, so that should do me some good. Do you ever just feel a little under appreciated? Well....I sure do. The thing is, you can't really stop doing stop doing the things you do that nobody appreciates because by the time you start doing them again your work load has tripled. Believe me, I know, I tried it after Mother's Day. I still have a little animosity over that holiday! Do you know they didn't even sing a Mother's Day song in church?!!

I leave in a week and couldn't be more ecstatic! The break will be so nice. I can't imagine sitting by a pool without having to look at someone jump in 150 times or someone telling me they need to poop or how hungry they are. We haven't decided yet if we are going to Thunder from Down Under or Chippendales! Hmmm....any recommendations? Just kidding...maybe!

Summer's here.....

2009-05-21T13:07:00.002-06:00

and that's good and bad. Good, because the end of the year means I am at the school all the time. They always have so much crap to attend at the end of the year. Everyone knows the BAD part about summer.....24/7 kids. Non-stop eating, fighting, messing and making me more nuts. As a matter of fact the messing started the minute they got home today. When school gets out for the summer it always reminds me of how fast life passes. My oldest will be in the 7th grade and my youngest will be in 1st. It's so hard to believe. It feels like they were just born a minute ago. I graduated and married 14 years ago. I still don't feel that old. It seems so weird to think of where my life has taken me. I'm in a good place though. I couldn't have picked a better life for myself, although, if I had my druthers, I would have made myself a little thinner. Anyway, just thinkin'!

The Arizona weather is cRaZy here today. It's about 60 degrees and rainy and cloudy. As a matter of fact it's been cloudy for about 3 days now.

Well, I have a lot to look forward to in the next couple of weeks. First....Charles and ALL the kids are going on a father/son camp out tomorrow night. Can't wait to get rid of everyone for a night. Second....and this is better than the camp out....my sister and her kids are coming on the 1st of June and she and I are leaving on the 2nd for VEGAS... 8D! We get 3 kid free days. Charles is taking leave and watching all the kids for us. What a guy! Anyway, not too much has been happening around here so I haven't had too much to post about.

Oh and speaking of having a lot of stuff to attend at the end of the year....Ryan's "graduation" ceremony was today and my camera was out of battery juice. Didn't get any pictures of Josh's awards ceremony either. Mother of the year..... I've won it several times in my life. BUT...one thing I am good at....making sure my kids get to school. All 3 of the elementary kids got a certificate for not being absent any this school year. Well....at least since we've moved to Arizona. They will never have a problem with me not making sure my kids get to school. I like when school is in session. Especially now that they all attend. I like public school.

WELL......

2009-05-15T20:26:00.002-06:00

my hiatus ended on Tuesday. I figured I was cutting my nose off to spite my face. In other words, if I didn't give in and take back over my duties, I was going to have 3 times as much to do by the time my "vacation" was over. Nobody said anything about it either. Ryan was glad I took the cooking duties back. Charles was afraid he was going to have to say the vacuuming wouldn't have gotten done unless I jumped in to do it. He was right because never once did any of them pick up the vacuum when there was 3 inches of desert dust at the back door. Through it all I at least know, I'm good enough, I'm smart enough and doggone it people like me :) AND... I do most of the crap, maid work around the house and this probably won't be the last time I am under appreciated. For now though, my house is at least clean. The good fairy got Charles though. Our swamp cooler blew about 2 days ago and he has been spending all of his time replacing it. He's almost done and will get paid for his efforts. Our landlord is going to pay him for labor. If I got paid for all the labor I perform around here I would make twice what he makes in a year.

I had to get a break from my family tonight. They stress me out and I had to get away from them. Well I did have Josh with me so it wasn't that much of a break. I took kids to get haircuts today and Josh left bawling because he thought his hair had been cut way too short. It is shorter that how he normally wears it. However, I like it because the last person to cut his hair gave him a gimp haircut. I haven't been able to take him serious since so I was thrilled to see that go. Anyway, that's why I took him with me, so he could go and pick out some cool styling products to fix his new "do".

Anyway, I have nothing else to report. I do have a busy day tomorrow and am excited for it to be over.

Mother's Day

2009-05-11T13:04:00.007-06:00

Hmmm....can someone please remind me why we have a day set a side to make moms feel special? Why does it take a special day in the calendar year to do this? Why don't we (mamas) get a break on other days of the year? My highlight was getting a monster Cadbury caramello candy bar after sacrament meeting! I ate the entire thing without sharing one single bite! Oh and we did go to BBQ yesterday after church and it was fun. I was able to be around other moms, who also received not a single thing for Mother's Day:) Yep that's right, I've been married for 14 years and have given birth to 4 sons and not one thing for the big day. Oh, wait, my sweet, little 6 year old gave me an oven mitt with his tiny hand print on it and my 7 year old planted me a flower and painted the pot in which he put it! Both very nice gifts but they were so excited to give me their gifts, I received them on Friday when they got home from school. It's ok though, Father's Day is right around the corner. It just seems to me after you hit your 30's and you've been married for going on 2 decades you would have smart juice (as my sister so delicately put it) running through your veins by now. I mean I can't tell you how many times I have had this talk with my sweet, almost 34 year old husband. I mean, hell, I grew up with a haint of a mother and we still wanted to celebrate her EVERY Mother's Day. I KNOW I do more for my family than she ever did for hers and I didn't get crap. It's ok though, Father's Day is right around the corner:) SO....I'm on hiatus this week. Since my duties don't seem important or appreciated enough to be celebrated I ain't doing crap this week. We'll see how they like them apples! It's a man thing, I just know it. I mean, even my kids' teachers took the initiative to have the kids in class make something for their moms. Oh well, I did get the candy bar and a delicious piece of grilled chicken at the BBQ! Besides I shouldn't be too upset, I did receive the MOTHER of the YEAR award. Check out this link!

Ok, I did my first official foot zone the other day and had a great experience. Remember the school I did back in 2008 and went to the graduation and had all the problems with my mom when she came to "help" out? Well, I'm finally getting able to do it. It's going well. I don't blab about it to too many people since you have to be open minded to want to even have a zone done. But the lady I work on is a midwife and you have to be open minded to work in that field. She is actually THE perfect person to send me referrals.

Anyone interested about the baby chicks, they are doing great. They are no longer cute fuzzballs but birdie looking chickens. They're ugly actually. They are also too big for the coop we have them in. Charles is in the process of building a bigger coop with nesting boxes built right in. He may not be the best when it comes to Mother's Day but the man is SMART and can do, fix or make anything he puts his mind to. Plus....he is cute. A ding dong at times, but cute. Plus he's manly. I'm not so much into girlie men and Charles definitely falls into the extremely masculine category. Don't get me wrong, he still pisses me off at times. I'm just wondering how this paragraph went from ugly chickens to my masculine husband. I guess that's the good thing about a blog, you get to talk about whatever the hell you want!

:D

2009-05-07T21:48:00.002-06:00

Today has been a good day! It started out a little disheartening but turned out to be so much better. Does anyone remember my idiot brother? Well he tried to ruin my day but he didn't get too. I think he is still mad about the ball foxing I pulled over on him way back in October. I don't think he likes for anyone to get one up on him. Like I've said before....I'm super nice till you piss me off and then the big guns come out.

Anyway, Charles and I rode the bike loop tonight and I was able to shave about 5 minutes off my regular time. Fat girl can ride!

Have you ever smelled a swamp cooler? This smell brings so many memories to my mind. We have lived in Arizona at different times throughout our marriage. Of course, we've been at a different place in our lives every time we've been here. My first experience with a swamp cooler was when Charles and I first got married and we moved to Arizona and lived in a one bedroom, roach infested military house. That house was a dump and we had crappy, ghetto furniture. It was solid black couches and glass top, gold and black lacquer tables. We were as happy as a puppy with 2 peters though! We thought our house made us look rich! Then we left for about a year and came back with a baby and I got knocked up again shortly after moving back the 2nd time. This time our house was way better and we had gotten some white people furniture. It was much better the 2nd time around but not so good that we wanted to stay long. We left again and came back about 2 1/2 years later. Two kids the 3rd time around and knocked up with number 3! Once again we lived in a 1200 sq ft D-U-M-P! It was such a crap hole they condemned it and tore it down when we moved out of it. We stayed the 3rd time around almost 3 years and had baby number 4 here as well. One thing we are for sure good at is making cute babies. I remember moving back for the 3rd time and I just bawled my eyes out. I did not want to be back here. We grew to like it and left in 2004 for Ft. Campbell. Glad to get to Ft. Campbell until around September 2005. Now, here we are again and I couldn't be happier. And...that swamp cooler smell is the very same as all of the other times. It's a fishy smell that I can't explain. Almost like when you're driving by an ocean. Now we have 4 kids and the youngest is 6. I am out of the baby days and I have almost 14 years of marriage under my belt. I have learned a thing or 2 since the first time I ever smelled a blowing swamp cooler. It's definitely an acquired smell. I am rather fond of it now, because of all the memories that come to mind when I smell it. It's strange to think of my life before it got full and crazy with all these kids and the chaos. I am in a much better place than I ever have been and I like it a lot. Actually....I love it. My marrie dlife started right here in this town. Our first house has been torn down and the 3rd one has too! And Sheila, the bitchy lady at the housing office is still here too! Some things never change :D

I love sugar :-|

2009-05-06T18:52:00.004-06:00

I think chocolate no bake cookies might be the tastiest thing on earth.....next to Ben & Jerry's of course! I can eat so healthy for so long but I am a sucker for those cookies every dang time, dadgumit. I made some for a friend tonight and I just couldn't resist! I had 2 of them and they were delicious. I don't know why people say food doesn't cure all things. I guess they've never had no bake cookies or Ben & Jerry's :) I won a miraclesuit on ebay today so I should be ok!

Ericka and I are down to our last few weeks before Vegas :) I cannot friggin' wait! I've had lots on my mind lately and at times I forget I get a vacation soon. We've got our Tennessee house on the market and I've been a little puckered about it getting sold. Today, though, we got 2 people that emailed and inquired about it. Who knows what will come of it but that at least gives us hope. We also got a tax statement in the mail today and it appraised for 17K more this year than it did last year. That was pretty freakin' exciting!

Today was my last day to help out in the kindergarten class. I was kind of excited about that :-| I mean, I love my kids but I just don't love spending all my free time in their classes. Besides, have you ever sat and listened to kindergartners read for an hour. Hmm, you should try it sometime. MY WORD!

Oh yeah, I almost forgot.....we had an exciting night last night! Our swamp cooler hadn't been turned on and it has been so hot in this house. Charles went on the roof one night to turn it on and realized the pump was broken. I went yesterday to buy a new pump and he got up there, again, last night and fixed it. It had been in the 80's in our house and it was just miserable. It was so nice last night actually needing covers in the bed. I love that man! He can fix and figure anything out. Plus, he's just so dadgum good looking. I like him! Another exciting thing....I won a miraclesuit on ebay today. My sister won hers too! Anyone out there interested in knowing what one is, just google it. You can lose 10 pounds in 10 minutes. We're pretty sanc happy about our wins. It was such a good deal and we got them for so cheap. I'm not so good at the ebay thing because it stresses me out so much. Plus, I hate to think that someone is going to beat me out of a good deal. Anyway, I gotta get so I can put dinner away! G'night :D

Boys are slobs.....

2009-05-04T17:35:00.002-06:00

and my house proves it. My kids are so messy. Josh and Cody ALWAYS have crap shoved under their bed and Ryan's room constantly smells like fart and dirty clothes. Charlie is pretty clean but wants to get paid for cleaning his own mess. Love that kid! I spent the majority of my morning cleaning our pig sty and then......I rode that 5 mile loop! It's been a while since I have ridden it since there is always tornado winds around here. Today I decided to go ahead and give it another whirl. I actually rode more than half of it in 3rd gear! Then the winds kicked in as I was going uphill and there was no way I go do all that in 3rd gear. It still hasn't gotten easy for me but doing it in 3rd gear is pretty darn good if I do say so myself. I'm still chubby though. All things in time!

Ok, so, Mother's day is this weekend. As most of us know, our wards always do something for the moms, right? Right. Well, Charles asked my input and I gave him an idea and they settled on a poem wrapped around a candy bar. I thought this idea was great and they have been trying to organize how to put it together. Well, of course all the men thought it would be a great idea if the young women put all the poems and candy bars together! Here's my question....why didn't anyone think to ask the young men or here's an idea....the elder's quorum!! I think just about every ward we've been in home teaching is around 25%, so since they aren't too busy why can't they wrap the bars around the poem? What else will they be doing? My point is...well can't you see? It's that the women seem to always get stuck doing EVERYTHING! Now we have to wrap our own mother's day gift! Has anyone else ever noticed this? I have....a lot. I have been in the relief society presidency twice and I have seen all the stuff that gets dumped upon us. I wonder if the young women ever think of it that way!! HMMM, I would love to know! Trisha?

Men will never really get it. They do get so much better with age but they can never truly understand. It's ok though, we get to have experiences they will never get. But do we really want those experiences? Yeah, I think so.

We're old....

2009-05-03T19:49:00.002-06:00

but we're still the youngest couple in the high priests group! Charles and I attended a high priests social last night and we were the only people in attendance that were under the age of 50:) I felt a little out of place but everyone was super nice. I think we were the only ones that still had children living with us. Well... maybe there was one other couple that had gotten a late start that still had kids at home. I only say late start because Charles and I started having kids the minute we were legal! I'm glad about that now though since I'll be barely 40 when my kids are almost all grown :)

Speaking of kids....summer is right around the corner. That means I'll have a few weeks with kids all day long. Don't get me wrong...I love my kids...a lot. BUT.... that's a lot of time to be around my kids. It's always nice when school first ends but around the 4th week of summer I'm dying for school to resume. My kids bug me..... as a matter of fact Ryan is bugging me as I type. I need another female in the house to understand where I come from. Charlie has been bugging us to death lately about how he needs a raise. The problem is, he wants money for doing nothing. We don't pay our kids for regular chores. However, Charlie wants to be paid for wiping his butt. In our house there are chores that you are required to do just because we pay their way. It's the price of having clothes to wear, food to eat and a bed to sleep in. Anything extra, that takes the burden off of Charles and me is a way to earn money. The problem with this though, is that Charlie wants to only do the chores that earn him money. If his regular chores aren't done though, he won't earn money for the money earning chores. I love being a parent :) I especially can't wait to be a grandparent and watch my grand kids bug their parents and tear all their stuff up :D

Anyway, I can't think of anything else for tonight!

Been a while....

2009-04-29T16:13:00.003-06:00

and it's hotter than blue blazes in Arizona. We've been crazy busy and there just hasn't been too much for me to write about. I've been doing good on my budget but today I just had to go shopping and get a few things. I like to think that I don't "have" to shop but it just feels good to buy something from time to time. I had just returned home from my shopping trip when I received a call from Ryan, telling me he had left his bike lock key in the truck today when I had taken him and Charlie to the dentist. I drove over to the school to give him a key and the bitchiest teacher alive happened to be standing out there. Ryan ran over to the car to get the key and the teacher promptly told me that he wasn't allowed to walk through the cross walk to get to the car. I said ok and apologized and she told me I was blocking everyone else. Her rudeness continued until I was good and pissed. But here's the deal, I was in the park and wait lane. I was making sure my big kids weren't going to get to far ahead of the smaller ones. Remember, I'm nice until you piss me off. I told her the cars behind me could go around me in the other lane and she spouted something else off and I just said "ok, thank you, have a nice day because it sounds like you need one." See, Charles is in the bishopric now and I guess I have to conduct myself as so. It's a hard thing to do sometimes, believe me. Anyway, I didn't let her ruin my day. Although, I did let the incident irritate me for a bit. I'm all better now though :) I seem to be a magnet for tactless people lately. This is a big pet peeve of mine too. Maybe this is the Lord's way of making me more tolerant. Opposition in all things. You gotta deal with the crap to get over your weaknesses, right?

This week I've been trying really hard to eat healthy and stay away from all the delicious things I enjoy eating. I've done pretty good other than the 4-6 homemade, oatmeal-raisin cookies I enjoyed last night. You gotta indulge every now and again.

Ok, I like to think that we don't indulge our kids with too many material things. We did get them a cell phone to share, about a year ago. This purchase was more for my conveniance. Charlie tells us last night that he wants a new cell phone since all of his friends have cool ones and he gets made fun of for having a "dinosaur" for a phone. So he then proceeds to tell us how crappy it is and how every kid in America has way better stuff than him. So...Charles tells him since his phone sucks so bad we will take it back and he can have nothing! So there! I do not like when people feel entitled. Especially when someone else is paying. If you read my blog on a regular basis then you will know that I do not like moochers and people who can't pay their own way. So sweet, little Charlie has lost his phone for a time.

One more thing, can we please stop with all this swine flu mess?

Oh what a day.....

2009-04-22T22:49:00.004-06:00

Today has been a long day. I had to listen to kindergartners read for an hour and then came home and did my maid duties. The people in my family couldn't care less what our house looks like. Although, Charlie is quick to tell me how messy other people's houses are when he visits someone else. So I'm pretty sure he appreciates my obsessive compulsiveness when it comes to cleanliness. That poor kid has picked up my terrible OCD habit. It's a curse. I love the thought of tile floors but they are very high maintenance.

Anyway, I made spudnuts today...and...they were a masterpiece! A spudnut is a homemade, good, delicious, deep fried, delightful doughnut. I made them with whole wheat so they were healthy!! Plus I deep fried them in canola oil so they are heart healthy! Healthy or not though...they were DE-LIGHTFUL!

Cody came to me last night and asks me if he can shower in my bathroom. I thought this request was innocent enough....until he was finished with his shower. He walks into the living room with his hand over the top of his head. I ask him "why are you covering your head like that?" He says "cuz." "Cuz why?" He then removes his hand and I see 4 bald strips down the center of his head! He had taken my razor and shaved the top of his head. It looks awful and the only solution was to shave his hair completely off. He did have to go to school today with the bald strips. Charles didn't cut his hair until this evening. Cody is always into something. He was embarassed about it today and wanted to wear a hat to school.

Well...that's it for tonight :)

It's a wonder...

2009-04-21T13:03:00.004-06:00

what going to bed early does for you! Normally, I am a night chick and don't get in the bed until 12-ish and I have to be pried out of bed the next morning to get kids up. Last night was different though. I started to doze off around 8:30 and Charles came over to me and said "let's get in the bed early tonight." So off we went and I was sound asleep by 10 and my eyelids popped open at 5:30-ish this morning. SO NICE. I guess that's where the saying "early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." I am pretty healthy and I'm becoming more wise, now if the wealthy part will fall into place I will forever be a morning person!

Our baby chicks spent their first night outside last night. There was dust ALL OVER the office and I was tired of sweeping up their mess, so I moved them out yesterday. The weather has been blazing hot so I figured now was as good of a time as any to give them the boot. They did well. The kids were scared they were going to wake up to 11 dead, baby chicks. It does cool off a lot at night but they stayed safe and healthy.

Well, we got the shock of our week on Sunday. The stake executive secretary called Sunday morning and asked if we would be able to come and meet with the Stake President at 11:30. Now that is an hour and a half before church starts. We knew they were obviously going to issue a calling to Charles, we just didn't know what. We get there and the president was doing the getting to know you session and asked us a few questions. He then tells Charles his name had been submitted for 2nd counselor in the bishopric. WHOA! I immediately started bawling. I have no idea why. Maybe because I have spent quite a bit of time away from my husband for the last couple years. But I figure that time has prepared me for what is to come. Crazy, we NEVER saw that one coming. Charles is a good guy though and I'm glad I'm married to him. Plus, he's super cute and has a nice butt!

I think my kids think I'm an idiot. Ryan is constantly trying to pull one over on me and so far it has NEVER worked. He thinks I won't check up on him and he'll ask me how I find everything out. I can remember thinking that about my mother but the thing is, mothers ALWAYS find crap out one way or another. Charlie will try from time to time to pull one over on me but not too often. Today, Charlie comes to me at 7:07 a.m and asks if he can leave for school. I said heck no since it doesn't start until 7:45. He said some of his friends were at the door and wanted to know if he could go with them. First of all, one of the kids lives all over the place. This particular kid was telling me yesterday that his mom up and left to go to California to finish school. He's adopted and he and his younger brother are living with their 30 year old brother while mom is away. Well as of now they are staying with their grandmother because big brother is in Cali attending a concert with his girlfriend and the dad is living somewhere is Tucson. Did you get all that? It took me a while to figure it all out. So this is the kid Charlie is wanting me to allow him to go out with. Believe me, I'm not sure there is a mother out there that loves getting their kids out the door for school any more than I do. I love to drop my kids off at school and not have to worry about them all day, I ain't gonna lie about that. I firmly believe any mother that says they love having their kids around them all the time is a big, fat liar. Anyway, Charlie was just as pissed as he could be because I would not allow him to gallivant all over the neighborhood. I'd rather him be mad for a time than have a cop come to my door and tell me he's done something stupid.

Speaking of cops, when we first moved here I called the refuse department and requested a recycling can be delivered to my house. The lady told me it would be about 6 weeks before one would be delivered. Ok fine. Well it's been about 2 months now since that phone call. I called up yesterday to see what the deal was and they said their records indicate my can had been delivered on March 3. I said well that isn't possible because I have no can. She then proceeds to tell me that in order to not be charged for the can I need to call the police department and make a stolen items report. Can you believe that? So now, because I was trying to be green and help the environment, I have something else to take care of on my plate. I guess if it's not one thing, it's another. Dadgummit! But I can get another one once I make the police report!

A day in the life.....

2009-04-18T15:04:00.008-06:00

of a crazy mother is CrAzY~ As I went about my day getting stuff done I had not peeked in on our baby chicks. Cody and Josh had been in there looking at them and Josh had even vacuumed up the mess they had created. Nobody noticed one thing out of the ordinary until I looked in there to admire the cute, little fuzzballs. Brownie, the one I was most excited about, was a goner. She was the extra one, of a different breed, the hatchery sent us. But....no more hope for her. Josh and Cody were absolutely certain she died because the other chicks were stomping all over her. Then came the idea that maybe she died because they would sneak in there and play with her without asking. I have no idea how long she had been dead when she was found. I swear these animals couldn't be anymore low maintenance. So....it was sad time and the kids wanted to do a proper burial but I just had Charlie scoop her up in a plastic bag and we softly laid her in the big, outdoor trash can. Josh and Cody were super sad about it. Cody wanted to know if Jesus possibly had a computer so we could get a hold of Him to see if He could come and perform a miracle. I told him probably not but Brownie is in Heaven happier than ever! I'm just a little confused as to how this happened. They were all doing so well and we hadn't noticed one thing out of the ordinary. I hope the garden does better.

Charles and Ryan went on an overnight camp out last night and aren't due back until later this evening. Those of us left home had a Smallville marathon last night since we were left without a car. I got up this morning to make donuts and the results were disappointing. There's another recipe in the Woods' family cookbook I am going to try and I will keep anyone interested, posted on that attempt. The ones today were NOTHING like a donut, dang it, I was excited about those too.

Cody is quite the business man and Josh is the gullible one. Cody had a necklace that he received for free. He conned Josh into purchasing it $1.50. Josh willingly handed over his cash in return for the loot. He was more than thrilled with this deal and so was Cody. I told Cody I felt like he stiffed Josh and he looks at me and says "what's stiffed mean?" The 2 of them were clueless and both were happy with the outcome. Oh well, I just hate to see folks get screwed. I've been on the receiving end of a good stiff. We all have to get screwed once though to learn our lesson!

The garden is somewhat up and going. We at least got it sectioned off and the tomato and strawberry plants are in. Now we just need to plant everything else. Hopefully Monday! I swear, one day, we're gonna live on our own compound and be completely self sufficient. We're gonna try really hard to do it and not look like freakish idiots in the process though!

Here's a conversation Cody had with his dad....

Cody~"here Dad" (handing Charles his wallet)
Charles~ " why is wet?" (as he grabbed it)
Cody~ " I dropped it in the toilet!"

I love that kid! He tries really hard to keep up with all of his brothers. He's small but he's mighty!

Here I go.....

2009-04-14T22:33:00.003-06:00

Well folks....I have been put on a strict budget. Charles has cracked down with our finances and he gave me a certain amount to spend on groceries and other things. It's all for my own good though. When he returned home from Iraq I gladly handed over the finances to him. It was way too stressful for me since Charles always had these ideas about how things needed to be done. Anyway, I found it rather challenging to stick to this budget. In a good way! I meticulously planned our meals for the next 2 1/2 weeks and went shopping today. Now... I did have to go to 2 different stores to get the very best deal on everything. That was a little bit of a pain but at least I didn't have any children in tow :) After all was said and done, I had $20 left and felt great knowing I had conquered! Now I just need to know how these people come home with $500 worth of groceries and only spend like $7. Someone please fill me in on this. Our local newspaper has worthless coupons. Of course I don't purchase packaged products so this type of thing may not work for me. I spent more than $7 but felt like I did great feeding a family with 4 boys for less than $250 for 2 1/2 weeks! That price also included household items that weren't food related. I'm good!

Well our chicks have outgrown the brooder we were using and we had to graduate them to the coop. Think of the money I'll save when they start giving us eggs! Another way to save money....I'm going green. Do you know all the uses for baking soda? Check it out online, just google baking soda uses. I already checked it out and stocked up on that stuff today.

No matter what kind of budget I'm on now, I'm still going to Vegas in June!

Easter Sunday....

2009-04-12T23:21:00.003-06:00

I'm kind of glad Easter is over. Mostly because we had to speak in church today and also because I couldn't stop eating the candy I had purchased for Easter baskets. I had to replace 2 bags cuz I couldn't stay out of it. It was a good day otherwise. Went to church, had a big, delicious meal and then let the kids dye eggs and had an egg hunt. Instead of filling the eggs with candy I had some spare change to put in them. The little kids got a head start since I knew the older kids would be acting crazy out there trying to scoop up all the ones with the money. Cody was pretty irritated when he came back with only 50 cents. Believe me, it wasn't big money. There was no more than 25 cents in each egg. There was one egg, though, that I had put a dollar in and that was the grand prize egg. Josh found that one. We were thinking there was another egg out there that hadn't been claimed and Cody was determined to find it. He searched and searched and came up empty handed. After the whining and moaning we had to hear I won't be doing money again.

Charles woke me up at 7 a.m. He got up to prepare for his talk and rustled in the bed until I was wide awake. So I decided to get on up and put the finishing touches on mine as well. We still had some time to snuggle in for a short nap. I already had the covers up to my neck ready to nestle back in when the phone rang. It was the 2nd counselor in the bishopric asking if he could stop by our house at 10:20. I said sure, knowing he was going to extend a call to one of us. So, needless to say, we didn't get to snuggle back in. I had to get up and get ready. It was actually nice since we weren't running around last minute getting everything ready. The visit resulted in me being asked to be the Primary 2nd counselor....again. I've had this calling before and I actually prefer being in Primary. I just don't like teaching or speaking in front of adults. I guess you do get used to it if you have to do it often. I just prefer kids. They don't judge you and they never know when you screw up.

Oh yeah, I do have more good news....I found someone that knows how to cut my hair decent! I'm thrilled! And it only cost $16.95.

The day's events

2009-04-09T13:54:00.017-06:00

Today started very early for us. We received a call at 5:30 a.m. that awakened us from a stone cold dead sleep. Charles fumbled around until he found my cell phone and the caller had already hung up. We had no idea who it was since the call came in as "withheld". Anyway... they called again around 6:50 a.m. and it was the post office telling us our baby chicks had arrived! We hurried to get things done and Charles left to go and pick them up. They literally arrived in a chirping box. They are so cute, but... like everything else they grow up! So that was the start of the day.

Our newest responsibility!

First look at the new chicks.

Then I had to rush and get ready since I forgot to get something for Ryan's class to celebrate his birthday. Mother of the year! I knew his birthday was today but in all the commotion I had just forgotten to remember it this morning. I felt horrible. So I scurried to get donuts from Safeway once I dropped everyone off where they needed to be. He was surprised when I showed up with them and everyone was happy. I then stopped by Cody's class to check out the sea world party that was going on but didn't stay too long since I had plenty of other things I would have rather been doing. I love to know what goes on in their day but you just can't be at everything. Or really want to be at everything for that matter :) I do love 'em though!

Then the best thing of all took place. I saved the best for last! I made Ryan's birthday cake. He told me about 3 weeks ago that he wanted a chocolate, peanut butter cake!( My older kids are big on flavor. They don't care for the character crap anymore.) When we celebrate birthdays around here, health is not in our vocabulary. A birthday is a time to eat whatever the heck we want and we take advantage of the opportunity. My kids love it too! Anyway...back to the point. I cannot explain to you the deliciousness of this cake. Moist, peanut buttery goodness. You must make this cake the next time you celebrate something. Easter is Sunday! Goodness gracious folks! I can think of only one thing that pleases me more :| DELIGHTFUL! The recipe and pictures are at the bottom. Please make it. You'll be glad you did. Now you must know mine came out a little lopsided but like I said before, we're big on flavor, not looks! I will tell you how to make yours not lopsided. Anyway, this was my life today in a nutshell. I do love it. Happy Birthday Ryan. I'm glad you were given to me, buddy!

Ok, this recipe is not mine. I wish badly that I could take the credit. Now you must know the person that posted this made the recipe unnecessarily long and drawn out. I would have given you the quick and easy Ashley version but I didn't want to type it all out. I am all about quick and easy! I would recommend not lining the cake pans with wax paper. This is how mine came out to be lopsided. I followed the directions to a T. You may want to make just a little more PB frosting because I didn't have enough to cover all the dark pieces of the cake. Does that make sense? There was enough to get the cake covered but you could still see dark pieces once it was completed and I was out of frosting. If seeing the dark spots doesn't bother you then don't worry about making more. Maybe I should have been a little more sparing when I was icing between the layers. Oh and I used 9 inch cake pans, not 8 inch and it worked just fine.

This is what the cake looked like immediately after completion.

This is what it looked like after the kids got home from school and crapped it up! I was PISSED!!

Makes an 8-inch triple-layer cake; serves 12 to 16 (the book says, I say a heck of a lot more)

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch process
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup neutral vegetable oil, such as canola, soybean or vegetable blend
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs

1/2 cup coarsely chopped peanut brittle (I skipped this)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottoms and sides of three 8-inch round cakepans. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper.

2. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk to combine them well. Add the oil and sour cream and whisk to blend. Gradually beat in the water. Blend in the vinegar and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs and beat until well blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and be sure the batter is well mixed. Divide among the 3 prepared cake pans.

3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Let cool in the pans for about 20 minutes. Invert onto wire racks, carefully peel off the paper liners, and let cool completely. (Deb note: These cakes are very, very soft. I found them a lot easier to work with after firming them up in the freezer for 30 minutes. They’ll defrost quickly once assembled. You’ll be glad you did this, trust me.)

4. To frost the cake, place one layer, flat side up, on a cake stand or large serving plate. Spread 2/3 cup cup of the Peanut Butter Frosting evenly over the top. Repeat with the next layer. Place the last layer on top and frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. (Deb note 1: Making a crumb coat of frosting–a thin layer that binds the dark crumbs to the cake so they don’t show up in the final outer frosting layer–is a great idea for this cake, or any with a dark cake and lighter-colored frosting. Once you “mask” your cake, let it chill for 15 to 30 minutes until firm, then use the remainder of the frosting to create a smooth final coating. Deb note 2: Once the cake is fully frosting, it helps to chill it again and let it firm up. The cooler and more set the peanut butter frosting is, the better drip effect you’ll get from the Chocolate-Peanut Butter Glaze.)

5. To decorate with the Chocolate–Peanut Butter Glaze, put the cake plate on a large baking sheet to catch any drips. Simply pour the glaze over the top of the cake, and using an offset spatula, spread it evenly over the top just to the edges so that it runs down the sides of the cake in long drips. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes to allow the glaze and frosting to set completely. Remove about 1 hour before serving. Decorate the top with chopped peanut brittle.

Peanut Butter Frosting
Makes about 5 cups

10 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2/3 cup smooth peanut butter, preferably a commercial brand (because oil doesn’t separate out)

1. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl often. Continue to beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.

2. Add the peanut butter and beat until thoroughly blended.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Glaze
Makes about 1 1/2 cups

8 ounces seimsweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup half-and-half

1. In the top of d double boiler or in a bowl set over simmering water, combine the chocolate, peanut butter, and corn syrup. Cook, whisking often, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

2. Remove from the heat and whisk in the half-and-half, beating until smooth. Use while still warm.

Please make this cake!

You decide....

2009-04-06T16:40:00.003-06:00

If there is one good thing I can say about myself, it's that I have good people skills. I can pretty much get along with anybody, as long as you aren't too big of an a-hole. I have come to learn that this is a God-given gift. Not everyone was given people skills. As a matter of fact my husband has a few in his family that have no tact whatsoever. But....lucky for him, he has married someone that has a decent personality and a wonderful ability to make people feel comfortable. Now this isn't to say that people don't bug. Believe me, there are some out there that I would appreciate better stuffed! There is a point to my story. I recently had an impression to check out the ACS office on post to see what opportunities are available. So today was the day I decided to go in and check it out. Now, mind you, I was looking into VOLUNTEER opportunities. So, I walk in and ask the old fart standing behind the counter what was available. He handed me the paperwork and asked me what I can do. I told him I can do anything and that I was willing to learn new things. He tells me that "anything" was too broad for him. He was turning into one of those that bug me. I walked off to fill out the paperwork and he walks over to me and disturbs me once again. He asks me what I was interested in and what I wanted to do. I told him I wasn't really sure. He didn't like this answer and flew his arms up in the air and was just an all out asshole. I couldn't believe the way he was treating me. I told him he needed to calm down. I also said I was coming in to find out what was available. I mean my dream job would be the taste tester for Ben & Jerry or working for the travel channel but I knew those jobs wouldn't be available there. I told him I for sure didn't want to be shoveling horse crap but I can do most other things. Once I let him know he wasn't going to able to treat me like that he toned his butthole-ness down a notch. He said he was frustrated since I wasn't giving him the answers he needed to find out what I could do. I told him I was the mother of 4 boys and I can pretty much do anything that needed to be done.

Here's what I have a hard time understanding.....most people say that motherhood is the noblest of jobs but when all you have on a resume is "mother" people treat you like crap. The rest of the world doesn't see all that motherhood entails. I mean I have lots of skills. Just because I haven't gotten paid for my skills doesn't mean I don't possess them. After I talked to Sam, the jerk, he went and got the volunteer coordinator and she more than made up for Sam's lack of tact. She was very friendly and asked if I could work in the office and do things right there for the ACS office. I told her I could and she asked if I could start tomorrow. Sometimes moms just need a little validation. To all the Sam's out there, well....they can kiss it where the sun doesn't shine. I have come to a point in my life where my kids don't need me as often as they used to. They're in school all day and I have free time. I still want to be home in the afternoons so they can irritate me to death so a job is pretty much out of the question. Seriously, who's going to hire someone that won't work before 8:30 of after 3 and wants all weekends and holidays off? I just don't have a ton of options that fit my life. I guess I could be a teacher but to tell you the truth, my own kids bug me, why would I want to be around other people's kids all day? So for now I do what fulfills me and I can go from there. I need to figure out what my interests are. I don't want to start something that I'm not sure I'll like. I need to figure some things out. I'll get there.

It's a good thing I don't have a job....

2009-04-01T23:44:00.002-06:00

otherwise Cody may have been slung all over the bus today! The bus driver for the field trip was a maniac. She was all over the road and jerking and slinging us all over the place. My morning didn't start out so great. First, I had to get up too early. Second, it was 66 degrees in my house and I was all excited about stepping into a hot shower. I go to turn the water on to get it all warmed up when I realized it wasn't warming up and there wasn't a drop of hot water, thanks to Charlie. I had 45 minutes to get ready for the field trip so there was no time to wait for the water to heat up. I had to get a jezabel bath in 5 minutes so I wouldn't freeze to death. Completely frustrating. The zoo was pretty nice and we were able to do our own thing. We didn't have to stay with all the other people. I was in charge of Cody and another kid and we breezed through the zoo quickly. They gobbled up their lunch, played on the playground for a bit and it was back home in no time.

For my birthday, I ate half a loaf of pumpkin chocolate chip bread! Thanks, Trisha. Charles and the boys made me a table top water fountain! I love it! Also got some cute sandals and dinner out! It was good. Thanks to all who sent birthday wishes. I had a good day. Another year older and wiser and as Charles always says....I don't mind getting older cuz I get better looking everyday! I love him. It's late so I'll get Charles to post pics of his creation tomorrow. Stay tuned....

Whew!!

2009-03-30T14:07:00.004-06:00

With much prayer, faith and hope I just finished my 7 mile bike ride for the day. It took me about 50 minutes to complete. About half way through, I thought I was going to drop dead on the multi-use path. I put it off and put it off all morning because of the tornado like winds that were brewing around out there. It's hard enough going uphill without the winds beating you up. I dropped kids off at school and was even dressed for the bike ride thinking I was going to go as soon as I got everyone out of my hair. Instead I came home and made Cody's birthday cake and cleaned my kitchen. Then I went to have lunch with Cody and went ahead and stayed to eat with Josh but to my dismay my 7 year old was embarrassed for me to be there. I mean 7, what do you have to be embarrassed about? I'm a cool mom, dang it! The other kids in the class were thrilled that I was there and some of them asked me if they could sit next to me, so there Josh! They thought I was cool. Cody, on the other hand was thrilled. Poor thing, I have never gone to eat lunch with him. I've enjoyed my free time way too much since he's been in school.

I can't believe my baby is 6 years old today. Time flies! He was actually born here in AZ. Actually, my last 3 kids were born here and Charlie was conceived here. So all of my kids have some western in them. Weird to think of it that way since I was born and bred southern. Charles isn't really southern. He was born in Virginia and I know some will argue that Va is southern since they fought with the Confederacy but how many years ago was that? It's too close to D.C. for me to be considered the south. Sorry for those that disagree, but it's my blog!

Anyway, I'm off to the dollar store to find a frisbee for Cody. That boy knows what he wants.

2009-03-29T19:59:00.009-06:00

Cody's birthday is tomorrow and he has been very specific about how he wants the day to go. He wants donuts to share with his class, vanilla cake with chocolate icing and skateboards on top and he desires chicken ranch pizza for dinner. Oh, and he wants 6 candles on top of the cake! As we were discussing plans for my birthday Cody was for sure I would enjoy Chuck E. Cheese for the big day. My kids are all about having fun!

Yesterday was a big day. We went to Home Depot and purchased stuff for our square foot garden. I also found some dwarf fruit trees that I can't wait to get planted. One is a kumquat tree and the other is an orange tree. The good thing about both of them is that you can plant them in pots and they produce just as much as a regular sized tree! They were half the price too. We also got things ready for a chicken coop. We had some gracious friends offer us a coop and now we need to fence off an area in our back yard. I've turned into an old person here in Arizona. I'll post pictures as soon as we get everything up and going. We're pretty excited. I'm just hoping the chicken experience goes well and we don't kill them off.

Well....the main reason for this post was for Charles to post some pictures he's been wanting to make available to friends and family that are interested. Things we've captured on film since being in the great state of AZ that he wanted to share. Here ya go....

THE Hike

This was a sign I saw right where we were hiking......

Spider laden cave.....

Charles took Charlie and Ryan on a mountain biking trip and they ended up in a ghost town.....

On the way to the trail...

This is the gargantuan lizard that jumped out at me when I was unloading boxes on our carport. It was much bigger than the picture portrays. I promise!

Charlie's idea of babysitting!

Charles is a goober. He saw this weed eater in Lowes and thought the picture of the old woman holding it up to show how light it was was the funniest thing. It's what I like to call Woods' humor.

Easter....Be done!

2009-03-27T11:43:00.002-06:00

As I sit here and type, desiring to be thin, I'm trying to muster up the oomph to go and do that 8 mile bike loop. I just returned home from helping out the 2nd graders. Today I didn't have to listen to them read. Instead I had to trace shapes for them to cut out. I like a tasking that has a nice end result. I like to see the result. Take mowing the lawn for instance, you see instant results when you mow the grass. Charles used to feel so bad when I would mow the lawn but I tell him I would rather do that than to put up with fighting kids. When one mows the lawn you don't have to deal with anyone and you instantly see improvement. It was nice to only cut shapes today and not listen to the monotone reading of a bunch of 7 and 8 year olds. Plus I got done 35 minutes ahead of schedule. On my birthday, which is April 1, I get to go with the kindergartners to the zoo! What a day that will be. I get to ride a bus with 3 kindergarten classes 60 miles to and fro. That's gonna be a great way to celebrate turning 32!

Ok, I love my boys a lot. I'm glad there are things they are interested in and I like to watch them excel. But scouts is a doosy. I have 4 boys, it's never going to end. I will get a small break in cub scouts when Ryan turns 11 in just a week or 2. Josh won't start cubs until August. I mean it's just that they are in scouts for so long. They start at 8 and don't finish until they get become an Eagle scout and they can take forever. Some kids are18 years old before they do what needs to be done. We had a pack meeting last night and I thought I was going to die trying to get through that thing. First of all, men try really hard and they do so many good things.....BUT.....I'm sorry.....women are just better at organizing things. The games the poor guy chose took forever. It was blazing hot in the room the meeting was held in and boys that age are just downright corny. To the point I want to slap them for their silliness. I have to say, my kids act like complete heathens at home and drive me nuts constantly, but they have been taught how to act in public and they do a fine job at this. I was thankful that Ryan was behaving himself and saw just how well he does outside of our home.

You know, I never thought I would feel like this, but.....I would love to get a job. I have been a mom for a while now and all of my kids are in school full time. I volunteer 3 days a week at the school and exercise most days. I cook, clean, walk the dog, and do whatever errands need to be done. Right now, I'm figuring out birthday gifts to get for the 2 kids I have getting ready to celebrate birthdays. I do various things throughout the week, things that would probably be harder and more of a pain in the butt if I did work outside the home. There is a job that has been advertised in the paper for the last few weeks and I know I would probably do well at it but there is something inside of me that tells me not to. As mundane as motherhood can be at times, I would feel so guilty to miss out on the smallest things in my kids' lives. Charlie comes home daily and talks to me about his day at school. Cody comes home and likes to read his cut out books he gets from kindergarten. Josh gets excited to tell me about all the hands-on awesome things he gets to do in class and Ryan tells me about kids that bug him. They eat their snacks and drive me nuts with their messes. Charlie has incredible math homework that I thank the good Lord each day Charles is home to help him with it. If he was gone, I would just have to hire a tutor. If I was the one in charge of that crap he would for sure flunk 6th grade math. I am seriously glad I get to be home for all of it. Even as a person that loves to see instant results, I'll wait for these results for years to come. Hopefully, they turn out well. If they don't, well....at least I can say I tried. So no paying job for now. Damn it!

At least my kids are handsome. I don't know if I could stay home with ugly kids!

Can't think......

2009-03-25T15:07:00.002-06:00

My kid free days can get somewhat boring, believe it or not. I'm not a very good morning person. I usually like to get going some time after the noon mark, unless there is something pressing I need to get done. This particular morning I did not want to crawl out of bed to do my motherly responsibilities. Charles and I biked around a portion of the city yesterday and it ended up being about 7-8 miles. He did almost 20 miles on his bike yesterday alone. Every muscle in my body ached this morning after the 7-8 I did. It wouldn't have been so bad if we hadn't had 20 mile an hour winds punching us in the face throughout the ride. It was all I could do to get up the hill. I'm not one of those people that will tell you how invigorating it was. Yes, I felt good knowing that I was able to slowly pedal my way through the ride and, yes I was glad I did it once it was over, but it was downright torture while I was suffering through it. We plan to do it, the bike ride that is, every night until I can ride the whole thing in 3rd gear. I'll keep y'all posted.

It has been quite some time since I have baked anything using white flour. But... I have 2 kid birthdays coming up and both have requested homemade cakes! So yesterday I ran to get some ingredients for Ryan's cake and one of these was white flour. His is a more complex cake and I wanted to make sure it came out just right. So today, as I was in my baking mood that hits every so often, I decided to put that flour to some use. I was for sure I had been missing out on the goodness that white flour provides in homemade goodies. BUT....to my surprise I was very disappointed at the taste. I made some PB&J muffins and they were good enough but not what I was hoping for as far as the white flour taste is concerned. I like the flavor of whole wheat much better. It has a stronger flavor than it's processed counterpart, plus it's much healthier and doesn't wind up as paste in your colon. So for now on the whole wheat will end up in my baked goods. Speaking of whole wheat in baked goods..... we were invited to a BBQ on Saturday by some fellow members of our ward. I was asked to bring the dessert so I made a delicious, made from scratch, chocolate cake with peanut butter icing. It was scrumptious and made with whole wheat, freshly ground flour. So as we are sitting there enjoying this dessert at these folks' house, the wife proceeds to talk about some of the things her son shouldn't eat since he has been diagnosed with some mild form of autism. As she is telling me these things she also throws in there that wheat is really hard on her body and that it screws her insides up when she eats it. OH CRAP! is what I'm sitting there thinking but did not have the nerve to say a word about my delicious cake being made with freshly ground whole wheat! I was just praying she wasn't up for the rest of the night crapping her brains out. OOOPS! I guess not everybody benefits from it. Oh well :|

Has anyone out there seen Smallville? Well I've become addicted. Charles started watching it in Iraq and downloaded every last show from every single season. We love it. We've watched through almost the end of the 2nd season and it just keeps getting better. My favorite thing to do is curl up with Charles and a pint of Ben & Jerry's and watch Smallville or 48 Hours Mystery.

So since I have been given spare time here in Arizona, teachers from the school have asked me to volunteer. That really wasn't what I had in mind to do with my free time. But what the heck.....I mean I am still a mother even when my kids are at school. The thing I don't understand though, is that you can't substitute in AZ unless you have a 4 year degree or a teacher certification. BUT.....you can VOLUNTEER with no credentials whatsoever doing the very same thing you would do as a sub. Confuses me a little. So now 3 days a week I will be in the classroom with my kids. I can't seem to get away from them. Tuesdays and Fridays I listen to 2nd graders read for 2 solid hours. If you can even imagine that. Stinky little kid breath for 2 hours straight. I don't start the kindergarten class until next week. I'll let anyone interested know about that next week:)

So.......

2009-03-23T22:54:00.002-06:00

I had a revelation today. I'm a mom and that is my profession. It might not look good on a resume but that's what I do. At least Charles is thankful for my credentials. One day my kids better be. It is THE single most thankless job I can think of. But...even when your kids are older, they STILL need you at home. I refuse to let my kids be latchkey children even though it is so tempting to go and get a job. Sometimes I forget I'm doing what I am supposed to be doing and have to be reminded I'm right where I need to be. Oh well! At least I have a hot tub now!

Civilization.....there's a lot to be said for it!

2009-03-21T17:22:00.002-06:00

I think I married the greatest man on earth! However, he bugs the crap right out of me sometimes. He is convinced to make all of us lovers of the outdoors. Now, don't get me wrong, I love the outdoors. I love the beach, I love to ride my bike, I love to swim, I like to take walks, I like the outdoors. BUT....I like to go places that aren't so primitive. If I'm going to go hiking then I want to hike on a well established trail. I'm not about hiking over boulders and worrying about twisting my ankle and breaking it. I don't want to have to worry about me or my family members being mauled by a bear. I like things that are civilized and well established. Well the point to all of this was to tell you about our fabulous family outing today. Charles has a goal for the family to hike down to Havasu Falls. I think it's somewhere in the Grand Canyon. Now I have seen pictures and it is beautiful. So in order to achieve this he wanted to start practicing hiking. We need to work up to it since it is a 10 mile hike. Charles planned a Saturday of hiking and I must have way misunderstood what he was dragging me into. First of all the road to where he took us was anything but fun. I had to use my core muscles for 30 minutes straight to keep from bouncing out of the car. It was MISERABLE. Plus, I'm on my period and had some mild cramping but with the jerking and jostling the cramps went past mild. Not to mention the muscles it took to stay in my seat. So after the first stop I was being a real trooper. The kids were having fun and it was all good, old fashioned, family fun. We even walked in a cave about 150 feet and promptly left when I saw about a thousand spiders piled up in a corner. Seriously, it was about 1000+ of those grand-daddy long-leg looking spiders. Creepy. I said this is where I stop. So, off to the next stop. We got back in the car and jostled our way to another "fun" stop. By this time I need a bathroom to take care of lady business and the best thing I have is a stinky hole. I said hell no! I rarely do public restrooms and I ain't about to go climbing into some hut with a hole to do feminine hygiene business. Completely frustrating.

I tried to tell Charles that when you are easing someone into something they don't particularly care for you can't go planning a day to do the not fun thing for 3-4 hours. That's not easing one into something. That's making them never want to do it with you again. Like I said, I like to hike. I just think there needs to be some great reward at the end of a hike. Like....say.... a picnic or a fabulous waterfall of the top of a gorgeous mountain. I don't want to go wandering all over east hell just to say I did. Then needless to say what goes up must come down. We climbed back in the vehicle to shake our way down the unpaved, primitive road. Yeah I was a little aggravated by the time we arrived home. Of course Charles thinks I made it un-fun by being a little miserable. Of course the misery didn't start until I realized just how long he was making this hiking trip. In the end, I didn't finish the last part of the trip and Cody and I made it back to the car. The rest of the bunch finished the hike and saw nothing great and came back down. I did get some great pictures and we finally made it home and I was able to bathe and be back in some civilization. I love boys! They'll never know what it's like to be a lady.

Memory lane......

2009-03-19T22:18:00.002-06:00

So since the internet feels new again I have been a little addicted to it today. As I was checking my email I received a notice from facebook telling me I had a friend request from someone I went to high school with in Gadsden. It seemed very strange. First of all, it's been years since I have been back to that place and second I didn't think anyone would remember me from there. I left before I graduated high school. I think I've only been back a handful of times and haven't kept in touch with one person from that place. Then Charles has been asking me all day about things that have happened in our life in the last 10 years. His top secret clearance is up for renewal and he has to go back 10 years for information. Adresses, people we've known for that long, places of employment and on and on. They look into EVERYTHING. It's ok though, we're the most boring people on earth. Of course some people we know aren't so boring and that's a little scary to think about. Then I have a 32nd birthday coming up and it makes me think about all that has happened in my life. It's so weird to think that I am already 32....well I will be on April 1. I have been with my husband for almost half of my life. I just don't feel that old. Well I can say one thing....it's been an eventful 32 years. I have especially enjoyed the last 14 years of it. It's been quite the adventure. I've thought about lots of memories today and I have a lot of good ones. I was trying to think of the top 10 best memories and I think I can do it. Let's see.....

1. Of course my wedding day and the birth of all my kids. But let's list the not so obvious ones.
2. I will NEVER forget Josh being a baby and his trademark screaming. He would throw his head back and open his mouth wide and scream like mad.
3. All the trips to the ER with Ryan....stitches....twice, a broken arm, a scratched cornia, a skim board to the nuts.....am I missing one? Oh yes, I am missing one. He got stridor when he was 2 and had to spend the night at Children's hospital.
4.Charles bought me diamond earrings for Valentine's Day the year we celebrated our 8th anniversary.
5. I got a bag of cherries for my 12th anniversary. We also went to the Grand Ole Opry but the cherries was a super sweet thought from Charles. I seriously LOVED it.
6.My 23rd birthday. A very bad day. Charles got the family tickets to a Blue Angels air show. It was hot, miserable and 6 total hours in traffic. It was not fun but I still enjoy giving him a hard time about it. He's more than redeemed himself since then.
7. Me and my little brother Michael used to stay up so late during the summer and watch all the shows on Nickelodeon...The Patty Duke Show, Too Close for Comfort, and Father Knows Best. Good times :)
8.The day I found out a good friend of mine was a true con artist! Yep, true story.
9.The first time I ever laid eyes on Charles I thought he had the best looking legs ever. I later realized he has a really cute butt too!
10.The day Charles called me and said "Hey, I got my orders for Arizona so let's go get married." I love him even more today and he still has those sexy gams! and buns!

Oh and one more good memory I will be able to add to my bank is the trip I will be taking with my sister in June. We got our Vegas tickets and I couldn't be more ecstatic!

I do have a pretty darn good life. Now if I could just find a good hairdresser here in Sierra Vista life would be perfect!

Remember me?

2009-03-18T13:03:00.002-06:00

Dark brown hair, chubby, cute girl? Ring a bell? Yeah, I'm back! We FINALLY got an internet connection today and I feel like a new woman. Of course Charles wasn't here when the guy came and I had no idea what to tell the guy with all the questions and I think he tried to sell me a modem that we don't need. Lucky for me my husband is a computer genius and will figure it all out when he gets home. Also lucky for me, he's cute. Not too much has been happening around in these parts. We're finally settled and got all that dang painting done. I didn't think that would ever end but all the colors we picked turned out great. I'll need to post some pictures soon.

For some reason spiders tend to dig the dry Arizona climate. We've seen quite a few of the suckers in the house. They come in all sizes. There was a guy at church telling Charles about a scorpion that got in his bed and bit him. I'm not very much of a fan of things with more than 2 legs. It makes me miss Utah where the only bug you have to worry about there are those annoying box elder bugs. At least they aren't scary though. I'll take annoying over fangs any day.

There are quite a few families here that we knew when we were stationed here last. It's nice to see familiar faces of people you liked. Charles likes his job good enough and he has been biking to work. We're a one car family and it actually isn't too bad for now. Of course I have driven him into work a few times and now that I think about it he's only ridden to work twice. I help out in Josh's class twice a week and I bike to the school since it's so close. Sierra Vista is a very bike friendly town so it makes it nice for those who like to bike around. So with everything we need being fairly close we haven't had any problems only having one car. Hopefully it will continue to work out. Anyway, we're enjoying living here once again. I am extremely glad we didn't have to live on post and I'm very grateful for the ward we ended up in. It's nice being a 2 parent family again. I still don't feel like I have found my niche but hopefully in time. It took a while before Charles got into a real work schedule and by the time he did the kids' spring break rolled around. We're going through that this week. So maybe after this week I can feel like a real person with a real life and a real schedule. I'll let you know how that goes. But for now it's at least great to have an internet connection again.

Here I am...

2009-03-02T09:41:00.002-07:00

rock you like a hurricane. Seriously though....our computers have been out of commission for a while. We were supposed to have internet on Friday but the cable guy informed us that someone had dug up all the underground cable lines that connect to our house! So....we won't have internet for a month! They have to come and lay new ones and figure out where all the other utility companies have their lines and blah, blah, blah. So here we sit at the ACS office using their computers. Life isn't so bad though. We're doing good and loving our new place. The kids are settling in nicely, well, except Charlie is having a hard time making friends that don't cuss. We're not in Utah anymore and people seem a lot different out in the real world. That Utah experience ruined us for anywhere else. We loved it there and miss it like crazy. I am enjoying the non-stop sunshine though. It's been in the 70's since we got here and the kids have gotten to wear shorts to school and love it. They're the only ones that wear shorts so far though. 70's in Arizona is winter time for these people. You'll see folks with their scarves and winter boots on in the blazing sun. People it ain't that cold. But this is winter weather for them.

Anyway, Charles still hasn't started back to work but life is starting to settle down. We've been painting our house and getting things the way we like them. We have really great landlords that have terrible taste but willing to let us do as we please with the house. It is really nice and spacious and we have a huge backyard that will take the boys forever to mow. I love it though and Dixie thinks she's in heaven with so much space to roam.

Charlie has an African American teacher at his new school. And from what he tells us, she is ALL African American. Let me just say......boy are we glad that black history month is over. What really is the purpose of devoting an entire month to black folks? I get having a day or 2 or even a weekend. But an entire month.....what the heck? Look at all the good things white people have done for society and we don't have white history month. Can you imagine all the crap white folks would get if we had all the stuff for just whites that blacks have for just themselves? Anyway this teacher comes to school one day in Kwanzaa garb. Now, Charlie has an attitude a lot like mine when it comes to stuff like this, so you can imagine the look on his face when he sees his teacher walk in with this crap on. Can someone please tell me what Kwanzaa is all about? I mean this is about as made up as Scientology. I can't think of anything more ridiculous than either one of those things. Thank goodness for March!

Well this is about all I have for now. Charles and I are headed to Tucson to see if we can find a couch in our budget. It'll probably be a while before the next post. Excuse all the grammatical errors since this computer doesn't have spell check.

Life is like a box of chocolates.....

2009-02-17T16:36:00.003-07:00

you never know what you're gonna get. Today definitely didn't turn out like I expected. The morning downright sucked. I awakened at 7 a.m., excited to get our "normal" life going again. First, I went to Ryan's school to get him registered and found out he wasn't going to be able to start today. Same thing at Josh and Cody's school and the black lady at Charlie's school wouldn't even give us a registration packet until we showed her how long we were going to be staying in this housing facility. So off to the housing office we go to see which fabulous house we were going to be living in. Well.... we were offered a 1500 square foot dump. I could not believe my eyes. I was for sure they were going to offer us one of the nice, brand new houses they have built in the last 5 years. I had my heart set on this and I could just feel it in my bones that we would be blessed to have one of these. But no.....we weren't. Instead we were offered a dilapidated dump that had the oldest of fixtures and tile that was peeling away from the floor. Now, I'm not a picky person and I can usually fix something up and make it look nice. But....I've been married for almost 14 years and I refuse to downsize at this point in my life. I can't even fit all my crap in 1500 sq ft. Not to mention my family would be all over each other in a house this size. My older boys are practically the size of some grown men.

I start bawling at the idea of having to live here. Charles was just thrilled we were even offered something so soon. Of course, his life has gotten nothing but better since he arrived home from Iraq. Remember, he was living in 250 sq ft room for year. But the kids and I had to leave a great place and a great home that we loved dearly to move here and be offered a dump. I mean, we're officers now, shouldn't we be getting the good crap by now? So I'm crying and everyone is on edge. The lady at the housing office is a complete bitch and has been since we met her 14 years ago at this base. She has worked at the housing office forever.We remember her from 1995. Only difference is she's 60 pounds heavier and looks more like a lesbian. I was pissed.

So off to the newspaper stand we go. I got a classifieds and started dialing. We found only 3 good prospects. One with a pool but didn't have things we needed. It was a decent price but still pretty small. Another one was a rental that has gone into horrendous disrepair. Then off to the boondocks to a trailer that had been advertised as a "house". You might be a redneck if you have to drive off a paved road to get to your house. That was the trailer. The gravel on the road wasn't even small and compact. It was like driving over boulders. My head almost rolled off my shoulders trying to get out of that place. Then....it happened......I had overlooked a listing that was in the classifieds. I look down and saw 4 bedroom 2 bath in my price range. I called up and the guy tells me it was 2400 sq ft. I was for sure it was going to be a dump. We had found nothing that big in our price range that was nice. To our surprise it was great! Huge yard, 4 bedrooms, huge covered patio, freshly painted, fabulous. We get to move in ASAP! I am so glad that weight is lifted. I went from feeling so trapped and unable to do anything to feeling so freakin relieved and glad we can get out of this hotel tomorrow. The taste isn't mine but it is clean and well taken care of. We're gonna get to paint and make it like ours as best as we can. God loves me! Now I'm not so irritated with Charles anymore and I like my kids a little more than I have been. Opposition in all things. It is ALWAYS like this when we move and I seem to forget every time. It always works out though and it has again. Thank you Lord.

Still here....

2009-02-16T19:45:00.002-07:00

in a hotel! It could be worse though.....right? We're all just a little stir crazy. Charles has to sign into his unit tomorrow and the kids will be registered for school. I'll be one step closer to regaining my life:) Of course it is parent/teacher conferences the next 3 days so all of my kids will only go half a day to school! The kids have had fun with no responsibilities but it is getting a little old for me. We can't seem to stay out of the hotel room enough. Charles and Ryan had a great idea to go hiking this evening.....in the pitch darkness. It is dry as a bone here and the ground is dusty and loose. The hill went straight up and there was no way I was gonna go to the top. I was slipping and sliding coming down. I love Charles. It reminded me of the time when he wanted to take me mountain biking. We were living in Clarksville at the time. I had gotten into shape so he was excited to share his passion with me. I didn't like it one bit. My bike gears weren't working well and I just do not enjoy riding on gravel and bumps.....everything shakes and bounces. I like riding my bike... I just like riding on asphalt. Charles is determined to make me a hiker! The weather is great though and I am really diggin' the sun shining all the time. It's super dry though and my hair is staticy if I don't put something in it. It was stuck to my head all day today unless the wind was blowing me over. I just love Arizona! Kidding :) I really am thrilled to be here.

Well folks I think I'm calling it a night.

On the road again......

2009-02-15T19:14:00.004-07:00

Well...we finally made it to Arizona. We left on Wednesday and had a brief stay in Vegas. That place is quite a sight. I have NEVER seen a place like it before and that is a good thing. It truly is sin city. Every sin you can think of takes place within a 5 mile stretch. I can't wait to go again in June!! :) We did get to see a few family friendly things with extra thrown in on the way. We were going to put Dixie, the dog, in a kennel while we were there but instead opted to sneak her in in a rolling suitcase. It was my awesome plan and it worked great! She did pretty good in the hotel and it saved us some money.

There were a few good things in Vegas....

We saw this nun outside the Bellagio.

...and the kids got their picture taken with Red and a Jack Sparrow look-alike.

We rushed out of Las Vegas on Friday morning. We were wanting to get to the Ft. Huachuca so Charles could sign into housing and see what kind of a wait we had until we got a house on post. They had told him on the phone that they didn't close until 4 p.m. We rolled into town about 3:30 and rushed to the housing office, only to find they had closed an hour early for President's Day, which is on Monday. If there had been a moose around I would have punched it (think National Lampoons Vacation @ Wally World). So we won't know a thing until Tuesday. It's ok though, at least we're together. Charles and I got to spend Valentine's Day grocery shopping. I sure do love him.

We are currently in a 700 square foot "hotel" with our entire family, including the dog. The place is an old, historic building that they have tried to update. The accommodations are decent but it definitely doesn't have the conveniences of home. The kids are digging it since they don't have to do real chores. They will finally start back to school on Tuesday and hopefully we'll be getting into a routine very soon.

I had forgotten how drab and depressing Ft. Huachuca and the surrounding town is. Not much has changed in 5 years. I won't complain though, since living here means Charles won't be deploying for at least 4 years and he'll have the opportunity to finish his degree the last year of this stay. There are a lot of outdoor things to do here and it's always exciting to get a fresh start with a new move.

So here we sit watching TLC. Has anyone heard of the fattest man that lives in Mexico? His name is Manuel. Oh good gosh, it is disgusting. Now, I'm fat and I know this. But for heaven's sake, he is ridiculous. I can't even imagine what one must eat to ever get to weigh 1300 pounds. I can't believe he is still alive. He has to have people wash his butt and everything. Can you imagine having that job? Dadgum....and you thought the Little Caesar pizza guy that has to dance around with the sign had a bad job. I feel like Kate Moss watching him on TV.

I'm back for a minute.....

2009-02-11T09:16:00.004-07:00

At least until we leave this afternoon. We've been busier than a one legged man in a butt kicking contest. I guess you can accumulate a lot of junk in 15 months. We de-junked when we left Tennessee and we still had to do more leaving here. It has taken our packers 3 days to get us out of here. I firmly believe it's because we had no women packers this time. We have always had women to come and pack boxes and obviously men just can't move as fast :) We were hoping to be outta here this morning but the loader decided yesterday he wasn't going to load any of the furniture on the truck so they are here as I type loading up all of our crap. At least I don't have to do it though.

Well, since we are leaving Ogden, we had to eat out at the Utah famous Maddox Ranch House last night. We went with the Budge's and after seeing the way Trisha looked after we left I for sure want no more kids!! She had crap all down both of her sleeves and the back of her sweatshirt by the time we were ready to go. I had forgotten how it is to eat out with small kids. WOW!! Trisha's awesome! I will surely miss her and her family. This has been such a bittersweet transition for us. I have never been so sad to leave a place we call home. I was more than ecstatic to leave Clarksville. We've always been ready to move on when we get orders but this move downright sucks. I have loved living here. We live amongst the simplest and humblest of people. I will definitely miss it....except for the snow. It's is snowing RIGHT NOW! I'm sure we'll miss even the snow once we get to sunny Arizona.

It is very exciting to know that Charles won't be deploying any time soon. When I think of how simple our life is when we live in Arizona I am very thankful. Of course the last time we lived there my oldest was only in the 1st grade. It may not be as simple as it was then but I will have a spouse that will come home every night. Our kids are doing surprisingly well considering they don't want to leave either. I guess moving around is all they really know. They're pretty well rounded and have gotten to see quite a bit in their short lives. Cody isn't really bothered by moving other than the fact he is going to miss Adam and Tyler. Josh doesn't really care either. He's pretty sure his life will be fine and dandy as long as Mom and Dad are there to take care of everything. Charlie and Ryan are older and have good friends they will miss. I have a good friend I will miss too and it does suck. For as long as I can remember I have always hated to say goodbye. Luckily my kids don't seem to have inherited this trait. Of course Charles doesn't have that gene. They all have penises and I don't think people with those have that gene! Charles has never had a hard time saying goodbye unless he is leaving his family behind.

Well I have been thinking of what I will miss in Utah and I am going to compile a list.....
Having the school, where all 4 of my kids go, at my back door!
Being within walking distance to church.
LAGOON!
The beautiful mountains
My cute little, simple house
4 seasons
My good friends, the Budge's
All the fun things there is to do around here.
The Quilted Bear
The health food store
Having a distribution center 5 miles away
A temple ever closer
Matt and Jade
Scouting program

Man, Utahns have it nice.

whatever you like.....

2009-02-07T22:13:00.003-07:00

I really wanted to sleep in today but didn't get to. We had a humanitarian project at 9. I was going to go unshowered and in gym clothes but quickly realized I had forgotten to get the tables out and ready to go for the event. I dropped Josh and Cody off at Trisha's and walked in the freezingness to the church. It was good though. We got it done quickly and got home way before we were scheduled to. Charles and the big kids got home from their cold camp out and got the car washed up super nice.Well, Charles did that all by himself. I was impressed with how nice it looked and super glad that it got clean and I didn't have to do it. I wasn't fond of that job while Charles was gone. We got our little Utah house rented and it is a relief to know that someone will take care of it while we're gone. The day was good! I am very ready to be packed up and have all the overwhelm-ness over!

This post has now moved into Sunday. I had to stop writing last night to watch 48 Hours mystery with Charles. He was tired and wanted to go to sleep and since it's our tradition to watch it together I had to abandon blogging! Today was a sad day at church. I have never been sad to leave a ward until now. This has been such a great place to live. It's convenient to everything and my work load was downsized while we were here. I have forgotten what it's like to have to drive kids to school and drive them to scouts or anything having to do with church. Everyone around here is simple and doesn't have a desire to keep up with their neighbors. I am very sad to leave but I did get a super cute apron from Sis. Linda Marsh today, since I'm leaving and all! I also had to surprisingly bear my testimony in RS! I had to do my 2 worst things in one standing....speaking in front of others and saying good bye. I HATE saying good bye.

Our house is a mess and I still need to separate the crap we will be taking with us. Packers come tomorrow and I still can't wrap my brain around the fact that I will be an Arizona resident, once again, by week's end. I am just glad that our family is whole again and I have help and a few other perks with having Charles home :) There is light at the end of the tunnel now and for that I'm grateful. I wouldn't trade any of my experiences for anything.

Here we go.....

2009-02-04T19:07:00.002-07:00

Today was a much better day and things seemed to run a little smoother. Charles has gotten a little motivation bug and it has worn off on me just a teeny bit. He's been clearing out files and sorting through all of his junk. He has way more than me. He's a little clutter bug and it makes me nuts. That is one thing about moving....you get all your junk cleaned out every few years. I have no problems throwing things away. I do not like clutter or mess. I do not understand that hoarding disease people have. It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever to me. I just wish this move could hurry up and be done. I guess it will happen soon enough. I need to remember I would rather be doing this than sending Charles off to Iraq again.

I had to go with the RS president tonight to do a food order. Now I'm not judging....well maybe a little...but if I had to humble myself and ask the bishop for assistance I would not be asking for all the luxuries the storehouse has to offer. I mean give me some beans and rice and call it good. There is no way I would have the balls to ask for hot cocoa and granola. I mean maybe that's just me but that's how I feel about that. I guess I have an opinion for everything, huh? We're all entitled to one!

Still no gym today but I did shower this morning! I have pretty much come to grips with the fact that I will be an exercise-less slob until at least the end of February. I have too much on my mind and since I don't LOVE exercising it wasn't hard to decide to give it a break for a while.

This post was abandoned last night shortly after I started. I had to go with Trisha to our Wednesday night Kirt's ritual. I am not a quitter so I will do that till I leave.

PPPPBBBHHHHHHHH..........

2009-02-03T19:01:00.004-07:00

Have I ever stated how much I hate to move? I really do. It makes me depressed. I always try to get excited about a new adventure but the last week before we move I get into a deep, dark, unmotivated depression. It always turns out fine once we get to where we're going and get settled. It's just the actual process of moving and sorting through junk and thinking of saying goodbye to good friends. We start completely over every 3-5 years. New schools, new house, new ward, new town, new everything. Every time, I start getting a little crazy about a week before a move. It's a lot to take in. Oh yeah, and we still have no idea what is going to happen to our house :) I don't understand why I'm so nuts right now...hmmmm! Since I'm a little on edge lately my kids make me a little more nuts than usual. Today I wanted to squeeze Cody until his eyes popped out, like on the cartoons. I guess they are probably a little on edge too.

Other than bake and cook and eat, I haven't been motivated to do much of anything else. I haven't gone to the gym in 2 days and I think I may gnaw my left arm off. I haven't even showered before 9:30, p.m. that is, in the last 2 days. What the heck is wrong with me? I've got so much that needs to be done by Monday. And if I read one more blog about how someone has mooched off of their parents I will smash my head through the computer screen. That makes me insane. Move out people and pay your own dang bills. Don't ya think, let's say, past 23 is too damn old to be living with mom and dad. I won't go into that since I ranted about that last night. But good, sweet crap people, GO!

This weekend is the big, scout klondike derby. It's where all the scouts and their dads camp in snow caves. Charlie and Matt did it last year and had a blast! This year Charles is taking Ryan and Charlie and Matt is joining them again. Not that I don't love my husband dearly, but I have been around that man 24/7 for 2 months. I am ready for him to go to work! I am so ready to get back into a routine and get into my regular life. This is what makes me nuts about moving. The thing is, the misery isn't even over once you get to the new assignment. You still have to register kids for school, get medical records transferred, find a new dentist, unpack your house, stay in a hotel for who knows how long and various other things that are a giant pain in the butt. I know, I know, it could be sooooo much worse. I shouldn't be complaining so dang much but it is just so completely overwhelming. I wanna bawl my eyes out RIGHT NOW! A good, big sob like Holly Hunter in Broadcast News. Sit on my bed and sob and then I would be okay. I think. Hopefully this time next month my life will be calm and I will be in a routine and all these feelings will be a distant memory. Ya think?

LiFe

2009-02-02T19:43:00.004-07:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about the life I have had for the last 14 years. Charles and I married soon after I graduated high school. We met and started dating my 11th grade year. He was a mighty fine looking senior. He wore those giant, preppy glasses and had that hair with the long bangs and the short sides and back. Remember that? He did have a nice pair of gams though! Anyway, back to the story.....we moved to Arizona in August of '95 and have been on our own ever since. We've never lived off of anyone and have always supported ourselves. It's never been an option for us to live with parents and have them support us. I am so grateful for this because I know that is why we have such a close relationship today. We had to struggle together and we've learned life's lessons together. We've grown up together. Dang, I love him. Anyway, all of my siblings and Charles' siblings have done it on their own as well. He has sisters that are single parents and struggle as well as my own sister. My sister has a fabulous ability to dig herself out of a bad situation every time she falls into one. Not many people have this. Lately I seem to read about how many young married couples live with their parents. It's like they don't want that struggle so they would rather live with their parents and let them foot the bill instead of going out and struggling together. They miss out on wonderful learning opportunities. I think parents that allow a married couple to come and live with them are doing their grown children a huge injustice. I am much more impressed with someone who has had to struggle and live off of spam and grape kool-aid. What is so impressive about Mommy and Daddy paying for school and giving you and your spouse a place to live? I'm all about saving money but definitely not at someone else's expense. I mean, don't get me wrong, I know bad situations arise in life and family may need to step in and help out but don't glom on and let someone support you forever or until you feel like you're in a great financial situation. Struggle together, it builds character. I love resiliency in a person. It's much more impressive that being a boomerrang adult. I feel happier for someone when they have achieved something big on their own and without the help of mom and dad. Maybe I'm envious that I haven't had someone to step in to rescue us but probably not. I wouldn't trade the great relationship I've have with my husband for all the money in the world. Like I said before, I know we have that bond because of what we've endured on our own with the Lord's help only! Just some thoughts I've been thinkin' :)

Lately I have been enjoying cooking and baking, as I have stated in previous posts. I'm not so sure why I am enjoying this. Normally cooking is so dreadful and I have never really thoroughly enjoyed baking. But for some reason, recently this has been very therapeutic for me. I do enjoy making things my family loves. It is enjoyable for me to watch them love what I make for them. Since we're moving we're down to the bare essentials and I have found thrill in using up food storage and seeing what delicious fare I can come up with. It's quite amazing what can be made out of hardly anything. Now one thing I need is meat. I really should try and get interested in canning. If I knew how to can meat we would have it made food storage wise. I even have a canner and all. Now I just need desire! But we'll see how that comes once Cody gets into all day kindergarten and I have lots of extra time on my hands. I'm a hands on learner so Charles will need to figure out the canner and then show me how.

Well folks I'm a little tired of living in limbo. I feel like I've done this now for about 15 months. I am so ready to be settled and live my own real life again. Now many of you may have no idea what that feels like cuz you're not a nomad waiting for the next assignment. Dadgum! But indeed I am grateful for ALL of my experiences. The good and the crappy, it makes me who I am!

April 1, 1977 :)

2009-02-01T20:13:00.002-07:00

Ok, this post is going to be one of the ones where I seem like a happy, perfect person. Today has been a great day for me. I know there are people out there thinking how can I think I have such a great life. We move around like nomads and uproot our lives every few years and move to new places and have no idea how things will work out. Here's the deal, things ALWAYS work out for my family. We move around never knowing what we're going to get or how things will end up but we have never been disappointed. I have met so many good friends and developed great relationships in my army wife life. I have a friend from every place I have ever been that I continue to keep in touch with. I really do have a good life and have a ton to be thankful for. I am so glad we moved here and for the people we've met here. There are tons of older people here that have been great examples of how parents and grandparents should be. I truly am blessed beyond belief X 5! Ok people that last line is an inside joke for my sister! I would never make that statement seriously. I can't be all sappy without some humor, I just can't do it!

Anyway, has anyone noticed how there has been all this news about how fat Jessica Simpson is? This has even been on the Fox news website. I mean seriously, is this really news? I know there are some that will read this and think about how much time is wasted by watching the news and blah , blah , blah. It's something I have been thinking about and it makes me wonder how many women out there are at least that size. I think she looks pretty darn good. Now, I'm not a fan of Jessica but it is nice to see a woman that doesn't look like a 12 year old boy with boobs that look like they've been molded out of clay. I guess it's not important anyway.

I have good kids. I really do. I know I talk a lot about how much they bug me, which they do, but they are great kids. Charlie has my level of tolerance, which isn't very high but he tries so hard to always do the right thing. Ryan is all play and no work. Josh hates to be picked on and cries a lot but is super sweet and nice to everyone, except for Ryan. Cody just slides through life on his good looks. He's about like Ryan with the all play and no work. I love 'em. They do good for kids that have to experience change often. Of course we choose to be who we are. I don't like it when people use their upbringing as an excuse of why they are no accounts. It doesn't matter our circumstances. We have the opportunity to be whatever we want inspite of where we came from. So don't make excuses. You know the saying "excuses are like buttholes....everyone has one and they all stink" or is it opinions.....hmmm....I guess it could work either way. Some excuses are good enough I guess. Anyway, that's all with that tangent.

So April 1, 1977 is my birthday! I'll be 32 this year and I can't believe it. I am completely old and uncool in the eyes of Charlie and Ryan but not to Charles!

11 days and counting.....

2009-01-31T20:47:00.003-07:00

Yep that's right! We only have 11 days until we leave Ogden. Only one more trip to Kirt's :( I'm so bummed. I have loved being here. I can't think of any other time when my life has been so convenient! Everything is right out my back door. People galore ask us what we are going to do with our house and here's the answer folks.....We have no idea! It's ok though cuz we have a complete peace of mind. However.....we have gotten a ton of calls from people that want to rent our house in Tennessee. We NEVER wanted to get into this real estate business but having that house out there is proving to be a worthwhile investment. Don't think it will be something I would want to do for the rest of my life but for now it's working. On the Tennessee house at least! But hey... we still have 11 days to figure out what to do with the Ogden house and who knows what can happen in that time.

So anyway, we went to the Draper Temple open house this afternoon and it is a beautiful temple. They had everyone parking at the church buildings close by and bussed the people to the temple. Well they didn't use just any old bus. It was this huge tour bus complete with bathrooms and all. Ryan thought the bus looked like an airplane since he's never been on a bus so nice! Then we went to the cookie buffet and my kids cleaned house.

Apparently there is something in the Woods' family genes that is rotten and every last one of my kids inherited it! Ryan is the worst and Cody is a close 2nd. I can't believe that Cody's tiny little body has so much stink in there. I have had to put up with their farts all day long and after a while I start getting pissed. We had to drive half the trip to Draper with the windows down. I need to clean up their diet, good heavens!

I can't think of anything else. I'm tired.

HMMMM.....

2009-01-27T23:02:00.004-07:00

I love listening to a kindergartner read!!! Cody is learning to read right now and he sounds every letter out. It cracks me up! Tonight he was reading and he came across the word "use". Apparently, his teacher has not taught him how to blend consonants so it comes out as "us-y." He gets so frustrated and it is torture for me. Good thing he is so freakin' cute. I seriously could not be a teacher.

One of my favorite things is getting my hair done. Charles tells me I'm high maintenance. I get it done every 6-7 weeks. I have been trying to let my hair grow out but today I had had enough. I give my pregnant hair dresser a call and I was told she started her maternity leave yesterday! I'm leaving in 2 weeks and I am going to go nuts. Once we get to Arizona I will have to find someone I like and who knows how long that can take. So, tonight I took matters into my own hands :) I went to Wal*Mart and got some hair dye! Charles took his shirt off and put on rubber gloves and dyed my hair for me. It isn't cut but I figured a new color would make me feel somewhat cuter. He did a pretty good job. He was nervous at first but I stepped him through it. He's a man of many talents and now he can add hair dresser to his list. The color is a little darker than I am used to but I like it! He's a good looking hair dresser.

I can't seem to get enough sugar in my diet lately. I have been baking like a mad woman. Tonight I made some granola and it turned out fabulous. I have been trying to find a recipe that makes chunks of granola and tonight I learned the secrets of making chunky granola. I'm pretty excited about it! I try to get my kids to eat it as cereal but they aren't so much into the healthy eating thing. Today I served wheat cereal for breakfast and it did not go over well at all. I thought it was worth a try though. After the first bite they looked at me like I was nuts so they ended up having eggs in a hole. Josh had cinnamon toast since he can't stand even the look of an egg. He gets that from my sister. She can't stand eggs. I have a story about an egg as a matter of fact. Here goes....Charlie was at soccer practice one day when we lived in Tennessee. He brings over this blue egg to me and says "hey Mom, is this a bird egg?" I asked to him to let me see it and I squeezed it a little and the dadgum thing broke open and splashed all over me! I was pissed! It was so disgusting. Charlie knew I was extremely irritated but he chuckled anyway. I had to go home and change and wash up. I called my sister on the way home to tell her all about it, knowing her feeling of eggs. She couldn't stop gagging. It was bad. So anyway, there's that.

I have a hilarious story about my little niece. Apparently there is a little girl at her preschool that always tells her she's fat. Well, she is far from fat but hearing this is giving her some self esteem issues. My sister told her she needed to stand up for herself and to tell that girl to not be so mean to her. Well about 2 weeks ago this brat tells her once again that she is fat. This time Alyssa wasn't gonna take it. She says to the little girl, who happens to be of African American descent, "well you have butthole hair." Ok-if you knew my sweet, blonde headed, adorable niece this would be even more hilarious! Needless to say, she hasn't been called fat since then. I guess she told her. My sister has no idea where the term "butthole hair" even came from! :|

I haven't been to the gym in 2 days. I'm a little stressed over moving in 2 weeks. Plus, Charles is asking me tons of questions about our taxes and it is making me nuts! I think I need a cookie! I gotta get to the gym. I need some sunshine too. Arizona will be good for that.

I love America :)

2009-01-26T15:10:00.004-07:00

Apparently there has been question of whether or not I voted for Obama. A certain someone thought that one of my previous post insinuated that I may have voted dem in the election. I can assure you that this is not the case. I know politics is something that shouldn't be discussed and normally I don't but I just didn't want anyone to think I voted for an African American democrat. I'm an army wife from Alabama people! Not to mention all the crap he's done in the few days he's been in office. I won't even go into all that.

I had a great weekend. Trisha, her mom and I went to time out for women and it was fabulous. We got a weekend with no obligations, chores, cooking, laundry or any other mundane tasks we normally have to do. Although....Trisha has a great time doing day care, don't let her fool you. She LOVES her job...right trish?!! TOFW was great. They had lots of good speakers and performers and we even walked away with a cute totebag. I was supposed to win the shelf reliance food shelf but they accidentally drew someone else's name instead. Oh well! I learned some valuable things while I listened to the talks. I learned that it's ok that college would bore me to death. Maybe that will be something I want to do when I get older and my kids are raised. But then again...maybe not! We don't have to be everything all at once. We can do things one at a time and that's ok. Right now I have to focus on being a mom and be the best I can be at that. It does take a lot of time to get good at that job! At least for me it does. It's good to laugh. It's ok that our kids aren't good at everything and we shouldn't model competitve behavior....oops! We need to prioritize important things and make sure we have the basics down before we move onto other things. I'm glad I went and maybe I'll get to go to the one in Phoenix in October!

Ok... apparently some of those that are not from the southern part of the country feel like the African American race are so mistreated. I had a conversation today with a sister that I visit teach and she asked me about this. She wasn't trying to be rude but was just unfamiliar with the race. She wanted to know a southerner's take on the black folks. Let me assure you people that the blacks in the south are like no other you have encountered if you've never been further east than Colorado. If the African American community knew how their ancestors had to live in Africa they would be on their knees everyday thanking the good Lord that he sent them to America. Those people need to stop thinking about things to complain about. I could write an entire novel about this but I will stop here. It irritates me.

I think that's about all the racist remarks I have for tonight :)

Update.....

2009-01-21T19:21:00.002-07:00

Just in case there is anyone out there interested in the cowboy cookies.....I made them tonight and they are the BEST cookies I have ever eaten or baked. I thought I needed to share this recipe since I do not want to keep this goodness all to myself. Here goes.....

2 c. flour (I used all whole white wheat flour)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c. butter, softened
1 c white sugar
1 c brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups rolled oats ( I used regular oats, not quick)
1 c chocolate chips ( I used the whole 2 cup bag)
1 c coconut

Preheat oven to 350. Sift together the first 4 ingredients. Set aside. Cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Stir in sifted ingredients. Stir in oats, chocolate chips and coconut. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Eat and repeat!

I wasn't sure how the coconut would be in these. I had some I needed to get rid of so I said what the heck. It was delicious. The texture was fabulous and I enjoyed myself to the max as I partook. This recipe made about 3 1/2 dozen for me. However, if you don't have anyone eating the dough I'm not sure how many it would make! Let me know if any of you try it.

Rantings of a mad woman.....

2009-01-21T16:48:00.002-07:00

If there is anyone out there that is preparing to move in the next 6 months you have to promise yourself and your spouse that you WILL NOT get a divorce. EVERY time we move I want to give Charles a great, big slap and a swift kick to the groin. It is such a stressful time to uproot your life and move on to the next assignment. I do have to say, the army has been a good life for us as long as we get to stay put. I know, I know, I brought this move to Ogden on myself. I had to get out of Tennessee though. I would have gone nuts had I stayed. And boy am I glad we did move. Charles put the house up on KSL today and he did not want my advice on the pictures he should put up. First of all, he was getting all the junk we have lying around our house in the pictures. I mean, people don't want to see all your kids' trophies and Spongebob CD player in the background. They want to envision your home with all THEIR crap, not yours. Anyway, we had some disagreements on that, but we're fine now. We'll be good until he irritates me again. Reintegration is hard folks, it's not all great sex and fun!

Well, the tooth fairy forgot to come and get Josh's front tooth last night! Whoopsie daisy! Dang it, I hate when I do that. As a matter of fact, when Cody came to tell us, this morning, the tooth fairy hadn't come I had to remind Josh that it took 2 nights the last time he lost a tooth. :| Josh thought she didn't get his tooth and leave him some loot because his tooth container had fallen off of the bed and maybe she couldn't find it. I assured him that is probably exactly why she didn't get it but promised him she would for sure get it tonight. Hey...I can't be perfect all the time.

In an effort to clear out the pantry and get rid of some of our food, I've been baking up a storm lately. Baking means eating also! I need to get a handle. Today's recipe was whole wheat waffles. I'm not a great morning person. Therefore if breakfast food isn't made ahead of time then it's something quick and easy in the a.m. So, since I did the waffles today, while most of the kids were at school, they get to have hot, fresh out of the microwave waffles all week long! Cody actually helped me make them. At one point, I had walked out of the kitchen to see if Charles needed my help trying to get our house sold, and he had taken the waffles off of the iron and added more batter to it. He was quite pleased with himself and I was equally excited knowing this could be a job he can take over! It's was a great experience for both of us! Cody likes to bake as well. He likes the finished product most of all!

Well tonight's recipe will be cowboy cookies. I'll let you know how they turn out. The recipe calls for chocolate chips so I'm pretty sure it will be fine!

Democrats have taken over.......

2009-01-20T18:53:00.005-07:00

It's ok th0ugh.....I have to be disgruntled...I'm an army wife from Alabama and a democrat is a whammy! There's no telling how many people that will piss off:) Of course, it is MY blog!

Does anyone remember the salmon tacos I mentioned a while back? Well, tonight was the test run for those babies and WOW! were they good! If they sound delicious to you, here's the recipe. I'm pretty sure if you substituted with chicken or beef it would be equally scrumptious. I've been in a cooking sort of mood lately since we have a lot of food to get rid of before we move. We're close to our moving weight and we have to decide if there's anything we can get rid of.

Charles and I went on a bike ride at the Ogden River Trail. It was fun until about halfway through. I was so tired and ready to be done. I didn't think that trail would ever end. It was a very nice ride though and a great day to be outside. I had gotten all bundled up for our little trek, since it was 22 degrees outside, but by the end I was sweating like a pig. I always think that I am in relatively decent shape until I get on my bike for a ride. The gears are all jacked up and I can't go below 5 on the right gears. It kicks my butt every time I ride that thing. A few days on that thing and I would be in some good shape in no time!

Oh yeah, I have good news! Charles called the housing office in Arizona today and they told him they should have a house on post for us to move into by the time we get there next month. That means we won't have to live in a hotel for a month. This is fabulous news for us! Hope it works out. It should...we're good people.

Tomorrow is shake night!! I can't wait :)

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend!!

2009-01-15T22:33:00.002-07:00

I was talking to my sister tonight and she tells me she's convinced that mothers get a free ticket to heaven for all the crap we have to endure. She had to give the family hermit crab a proper funeral today. If you knew my sister you would be laughing your a-- off right now. She even had to write a goodbye note and say a prayer at the grave site. If her kids hadn't been home little Hermie would have been out with tomorrow's trash. But...since they were home and she loves them more than anything in this world and that's the kind of mother she is....there she was standing over the grave of a hermit crab trying to comfort her crying kids. We did have a damn good laugh at the story while her kids weren't around. Love her!

I, on the other hand, sat through yet another pinewood derby this evening. I think there is only one derby Charles had, I mean, got to attend. He was in Birmingham tonight having ribs with his dad. That sounds hard huh? I won't lie, I get resentful. It seems like moms get the poo poo end of the stick most of the time. I know, I know, kids are great and that one marvelous moment is worth it all! I get it. I've never been able to go out of town and have fun. Wait a minute, I was able to go when he got home from Iraq but he didn't have to stay with kids. Now I'm not going to say I have never left town without kids because I have. It's just that when I have gone out of town it's always for a crisis or to help a friend who has just had a baby or something else that isn't fun. He, on the other hand, has been out of town quite a few times in our marriage. It's ok though. Oh and when I have gone out of town, the laundry is done, house is clean and menus are written out and groceries are bought. There was one time when I went to help a friend drive from Denver to Ogden and crisis struck while I was away. Even though my kids were in pain, I did have a smile in my heart when I heard about all the commotion going on in the Woods' house while the B.N.W. was away. Here's what happened......I was somewhere in Colorado maybe...can't remember. Charles calls and tells me Charlie's testicles are hurting and I asked a few questions and we determined maybe he hurt it while he was riding his bike or doing some boy thing. A little while later he calls and tells me Josh's left cheek is swollen like mad. I asked a few questions and got off the phone. He called later in my trip and told me Charlie could barely walk because of the pain in his nuts and Josh's cheek had gotten even bigger. He was in the emergency room that night until 2 or 3 a.m. Now, I'm in Ogden by this time calling Southwest airlines to see how much a ticket would be to get the heck back home immediately. I had to scream at the lady in the ER but in the end everything turned out ok. Charlie had eppiditimitus in his balls and they were pretty sure Josh had an absessed tooth. Both kids were put on antibiotics and healed nicely. I didn't have to come home early and Charles got to experience my life for a moment! He did tell me that he thought he was going to be able to relax a lot more than he did while I was gone. Ladies, let me break this to you now.....MEN WILL NEVER KNOW! It's ok though, cuz I'm pretty sure too that we get a free ticket on the other side. I am totally convinced there is something we can't even dream about that is waiting for us up there.

Vegas....here come the Tucker sisters! We WILL have our day.....some time in June! Until then we'll clean, cook, help kids with homework, run everyone around, do laundry, solve fights, attend pinewood derbies, bury family pets and feel silly doing it, make sure everyone is dressed warm enough...maybe! And be crazy daily. I love being a woman...seriously... I do.

I know I rant.....

2009-01-14T23:22:00.005-07:00

BUT....I have a great life. I have 4 great kids that I want to beat daily, I have a super, great, fabulous looking husband AND I had a Kirt's chocolate, chocolate chip, cookie dough shake tonight :) Life couldn't be better. When I wake up in the morning I will only have 2 days left until Charles gets his nard-sicle home. (Nard-sicle came from my sis) I love that word, I crack up every time I hear her use it! That is one area where Charles and I are so different. I laugh a lot. He has to have something super hilarious to get him going. It's ok though, he's cute and he's good with his hands :)

Anyway, my son has been coming home from scouts for the last 3 weeks telling me this big, grown man has been being a butthole. Now, I know my kids bug me, but I love 'em like crazy and get firing mad when I think someone is hurting them in any way. I asked Ryan what he wanted to do about this guy. I said he had 3 choices...1.I could say something to him at the pinewood derby on Thursday 2. His dad could go to scouts with him on Tuesday and talk to the guy 3. He could say something to the leader. Well he opted for #2. He said I have a tendency to cuss folks out that mess with my kids. Charles felt like it needed to be handled by one of us since it was an adult. So, I have to keep my mouth shut for now and see how things go.

I have lots on my mind tonight that I'm just not sure how to put into words. If there is one thing I hate in this world( besides fake hooters) it's a liar. I absolutely hate liars. It makes me madder than a wet hen when someone lies to me. I actually had a conversation tonight with someone who's spouse just left for prison and the convict spouse is STILL being dishonest. They have left a huge mess for the family members that have been left behind. It is mind boggling. I couldn't imagine hurting someone I love like that and then have to face the consequences of leaving my kids for 2 1/2 years and STILL not coming clean! Crazy.

I have to go to bed and internalize all this.....

Saturday Night Fever

2009-01-10T23:39:00.004-07:00

Well today started out a bit frustrating but did get better. Last night, or shall I say this morning, Josh and I stayed up til 2 a.m. watching Shark Tale. Needless to say, I was dead tired this morning when I was awakened at 5 a.m. by Staff Duty looking for my husband, who is in Tennessee. Love those army guys! I had to call him to let him know he needed to call whoever it was that was looking for him. Ding dongs.

Well, in an effort to get healthy, I bought the Wal*Mart brand of Special K with berries. It's delicious....so....I ate the entire 12 oz box today :| Not so healthy. All these thoughts of moving have gotten me completely stressed out. Stressed spelled backwards is desserts! I have to say though, that cereal was darn good! And I don't even feel bad about it.

I finally took Charlie to the mall tonight so he could get himself some new jeans. We went to Aeropostale so he could get the cool brands. I'm embarrassed even stepping foot in there because it is so teeny bopper and I'm just so old and uncool. Kids crack me up thinking that certain brands make the clothes cool. They will wear the most ridiculous things and think that it's cool as long as it's name brand. Charlie is more interested in a particular style. He isn't so much into the brand thing. It still drives me nuts. He is very particular about his clothes and has been since he was about 5. When he was in preschool he would not wear shirts that touched the crease of his arm where his elbow bends. He would always tell me it "fothered" (bothered) him for his sleeves to touch there. He has kept that tradition alive all these years.

I finally got that giant mound of laundry, that has been sitting in my room for about 5 days, folded. I was sure glad to get that done. Now all I have to do is wash about 5 more loads and put away about 12 loads and then I'll be done!

I can't wait for Charles to get home this weekend. He made reservations for the family to stay at the Stratosphere when we head out next month. Whenever we move we try to make it a little mini vacation so the kids can get excited about uprooting their lives! It hasn't been so bad before but now that Charlie and Ryan are older it's a little harder. Anyway, we are pretty psyched about getting to stop in Vegas. The Stratosphere has a pool where you can opt not to wear a top. We'll pass that up. The last thing I need is for someone to be staring at my south bound twins, for heaven's sake. But why would anyone feel the need to go topless in public? I mean, is there not anything sacred? Ridiculous!

Well I better get in the bed....we have 9:00 church these days. It's killer.

Pickled beets!

2009-01-08T21:09:00.002-07:00

I love 'em! Has anyone else noticed how extremely junkie Wal*Mart is becoming. I used to get crap in there all the time but lately it is junk city. Plus their prices seem to be as high as anywhere else. It bugs me.

My husband has been going crazy lately trying to find an enclosed trailer for our upcoming move. In the process he's making me a little nuts. He did find one though, thank goodness. Hopefully this will be the end of the quest. Now, I have to drive out to Roy tomorrow and make sure the trailer looks decent. I have no clue as to where anything is in Roy so Trisha is going to load her van full of day care kids and make the trek with me tomorrow. This trailer better be nice. Thank goodness for good friends. I've been here a year and the grid system STILL confuses me a little :)

My sister and I are planning our trip to Vegas and I am so excited! I can picture it now, we'll be just like Thelma and Louise! We really want to see a Chippendale revue but Charles says heck no! I told him if I can't go to the show he has to dance around for me in one of the costumes!! I don't think men get the concept that a woman can go to something like that and not want to have anything to do with a man dancing around in a bow tie and panties. It's more of a comical thing than anything. I told him it would be like him going to a comedy club. I mean I can't even say the word Chippendale without bursting into laughter!! The thought of being in a place like that with my sister and seeing those men dancing around like that cracks me right up. My sister and I have the same personality and we think the same way. I mean that crap would not be a turn on for any woman that I am friends with. He asked me why I want to go and I told him it was for pure entertainment!! Right ladies! Seriously though, it ain't sexy. But men can't grasp that way of thinking since the sight of Bea Arthur naked could get them aroused.

So anyway, my quest to start my healthy life again is back on track. It feels so good to go to the gym but for some reason the DESIRE is where I get stuck. After 3 1/2 years of going faithfully I STILL hate it. But I'm going to stop saying I hate and start saying I love it and see how that goes. I'll let you know but I'm not making any promises. It's been 2 days since I've eaten any pumpkin chocolate chip bread....I'm on a roll.

Well the countdown is on.....packers come in a month!