Shakin'.. whoa oohh ooohh ooohh.. (Eddie Money) =D

The Eddie Money song "Shakin" comes to mind when I see these beautiful flowers.  They are my favorite and special Spider Lilies that my mom gave to me 14 yrs. ago.  I have blogged about them before.  I planted them in our home's entrance 14 yrs ago and patiently waited..and did I say 'patiently'?  Cause I do not have patience.  Nonetheless.. I did wait for my first bloom for many years.  These delicate flowers do not bloom every year.. In fact, they are more likely to bloom every 4 or 5.  And I have learned patience through waiting for these blooms to arrive every year.  In fact, they bloom so rarely, they are a treat and special blessing when they make their surprise entrance.

I leave the home one day and upon my arrival back home I discover that Thing 1 and Thing 2 have mercilessly dug each and every bulb out of the flower bed and left them scattered and lying all over the place.  To say that I was suprised and angry would be an understatement.  I was a stark raving freakin' Mad Mama!!  They didn't realize what they had done.  The most blooms we have ever had were 2.  Two measily blooms out of something like 17 bulbs.  That's just how delicate and evasive this flower is.  I ran into the house and grabbed a trowel and quickly reset them in the ground.  My mind was shaking cause I thought I would never see these blooms again.  Especially after the most severe of weather we have had here in Central Texas.  The worst drought ever, the 2nd coldest Winter ever, followed by the 1st and 2nd wettest years ever.  Just knew I had kissed those babies goodbye for good.

My mind could only conceive of the shakin' my plants had taken.  I couldn't fathom that they would ever bloom again.  However, this year.. in all of their beautiful splendor, we were treated to many many new flowers.  The most I've ever seen.  They are growing in a different spot.  And my little mind can not deny the lesson that God has set before me.  We need to be shakin' up!!

We need to step out of our comfort zone... out of our comfortable fitting, routine and safe places we prefer to remain within.  How will we ever grow, learn and change if we stay stagnant all the time?  Change is one of the most difficult places I can take myself.  And I will be the first to admit I can try really hard to avoid getting out of my comfort zone more times than is good for me.  I have also learned...

It is good and healthy to look at things from a different perspective.  The new angles and configurations can lend to some great discoveries.  And it might even be the best thing we never thought would occur.    So once again God used my precious kids to teach this hardheaded chick a good lesson or two.. or three.. Who am I kidding?  I am humbled more often than I care to acknowledge.  But God has a wonderful way of teaching good and subtle lessons in a kind  and gentle way sometimes.   Shakin'.. whoa ohh ohh.. That girl was shakin'... snappin' her fingers....... 

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My name is Karyn and I'm an Addict

Hello..my name is Karyn and I'm an addict.  It's not something I'm proud of.  And I'm not ready to admit it to hubs just yet. I have way too much pride to allow that from happening.  I have been on FaceBook for a little over a year now and I can honestly say that I look at my world differently.  It has been the catalyst between my past and present.  I attended my hs 25 yr reunion a year ago.  I found out right after I joined.. And I couldn't wait to see my old friends that I had  recently reconnected with.  We had a Blast!! 

So this past year has been spent continuing those friendship explorations.  And along the way I have had the opportunity to learn vasts amounts of insight into myself.  It's as if the puzzle of my life is being fit together once again..or maybe for the first time?  I am so incredibly blessed.  We still have my 96 yr. old MawMaw so there's that history. Chapter 1: I have just this past week reconnected with a friend from my happiest childhood time.  I adored her little brother so we have been remebering him and all the great times we shared when we lived there.  Very deep pain has occurred since that time, but I am able to look past it and cherish every memory as the catayst for which I was being molded into who I am today.  It was the firmest of foundations and I won't ever feel less than incredibly grateful that I had those experiences. 

Chapter 2 in my life is the place in which we moved to after obvious chapter 1.
Duh!! that was a difficult move and I have been able to thank the wonderful friends I have reconnected with.  It's been wonderful to reconnect with those special friends and share where we have been.

Chapter 3:  The most difficult move of all and into some very harsh times.  But after all is said and done, it has become home.  And for every difficult trial.. it was worth it now..today.  And those are the friendships that are the deepest and sometimes most complicated. 

And it has allowed a wonderful experience in that I have been able to share these friendships, finds and times w/my dad.  Both of my parents were extremely gifted and integrity filled educators.  They have touched literally thousands of lives.. in good and often difficult ways.  And it is truly an honor to reconnect with folks from my.and their past who have related the impact my parents sacrifices played in their lives.  FB has allowed a level of honesty and open communication not really found before. 

I see it as a thread that has been weaving all the experiences and chapters in my life thus far together in a remarkably orderly and precise manner in which I can now see them for what they truly were.  And I'm learning things I didn't know along the way about others, myself and us together at times. 

FB can also be a great story buster.  I learned my hs superintendent actually graduated from my first chapter school.  WTH?  And just how did I learn this? Busted!!  Totally busted.. I saw his profile pix w/his grandkids and was curious.  So I proceeded to pull up his profile and saw a strange but yet familiar group..so well.. you know I just had to pull that up and be nosy.. And thankfully I did.. it led me to the motherlode for Chapter 1 in my book..and I was able to reconnect w/my friend's sis...and the purest memories of my life.  Damn.. for once..being nosy can really pay off..  (patting self on back)..which in turn has led to my dad to reconnecting to some of his first students..

My name is Karyn, and I'm a nosy Rosy.... explorer of self...friend to some..nuisance to many...and addict to FB..and I don't presently seek intervention!!  Happy Surfing My Friends!!~~~

Live to Learn

One of the challenges I face as an overprotective mom is balance.  I doubt that anyone would disagree that you can never be too safe.  There are so many incredibly horrific dangers that face our kids these days.  Things that my folks and their peers never had to really consider or think about.  Like wondering off in a store a few aisles ahead to grab a quick forgotten item...Like allowing your kids to explore a park or neighborhood on their own w/out much supervision.  Like not having to fear the motives of those who you encounter, those who live near you and worse yet, recognizing that there may be someone out there who is preying on parents just like you to make that one mistake and go in for the kill.

Nope.. my folks only really had to worry about tainted Halloween candy.  I remember the day as if it were yesterday.  And it sent shock waves down every street in America.  The thought that you needed to possibly get your loot xrayed so you knew it was safe.  We were living in a small city at the time and it changed the way we looked at our neighbors and people we didn't know.  Personally, I think this was a turning point in the beginning of the stranger danger phase that we can't afford to leave behind.  Sad truth is, it's way worse now than ever before.

So my quandry is how do I give my kids the much needed freeedom to explore their world and seek their own adventures while maintaining a safe environment?  Just how much freedom is actually allowed..and what are the parameters.  I will admit that my husband and I disagree on this often.  He is the one that will allow the kids to ride their bikes, scooters and skateboards in our neighborhood on the same road the cars and trucks share.  Those vehicles just zoom past our home way too fast. So John is wonderful to be there to allow them that space and opportunity to be kids.  He rough houses w/them when he can muster enough energy after a brutally gruelling day at work.

On the other hand, I will allow them almost free reign in our backyard.  We are fortunate to have a 1/2 acre where most places where we live can easily get 2-3 homes on that lot size.  It's enclosed with a 4 ft. lattice fence we labored over for a good year to get up.  This provides ample opportunity for 2 very curious and mischevious rugrats room to scale and scout on our neighbors  (who are rarely even home) and the most sought after pet detective capers in the neighborhood.  I try really hard to leave them alone and not hover so they will feel freedom to roam and make up their own fun.  This has and will come w/a price for this Nervous Nellie!  Dad has huge amounts of extremely interesting equipment and left over landscaping supplies to encounter.  And naturally since we have told them repeatedly Not to get into them.. well.. that's like telling UT fans to leave the Aggies alone with their jokes.  Folks it isn't gonna happen.  And a part of me is glad deep down inside.. despite the fact that I can get nail spitting furious when disobeyed w/that stuff. 

Truth be told.. I still live by the mantra "Ignorance is bliss!"..  I just don't really want to know HOW they came up w/some of their capers.  The ladder on top of the wagon that's balancing a chair and leads to a tree is just too nerve wracking for this child.  Do I really want to know what object was used to cut down that plant?  I know that I don't..cause then I get to worrying about all the 'couldas.. and shouldas.. and the Oh Man's!!  But instead I wish I would remember the gratefulness and the praise God's that nothing bad happened. 

Everyone who knows me will wholeheartedly tell you of how uncoordinated this unbalanced, unathletic and pathetically klutzy this child of a coach really is.  Hands down.. zero talent.  However, there is one skill that I got really great at.. and I mean Great when I was younger.  When left to our own devices, I could get myself into the most incredible FUN.. and I mean sheer bliss..  One day my mom locked me out of the house and made me watch my little 2 yr. old brother.  So I decided I had to climb.. yes HAD to Climb the tallest evergreen tree there was next to the alley in our backyard.  So I manage to talk and get little bro up there as well.. SomehowI found something sharp enough to carve our messages into the tree.  And I will proudly admit that my mom literally turned about 4 shades of green when she saw Brett up there..  All she could do was whisper in fear of him falling.  Somehow we got him down unscathed and unhurt.  And then I got a monumental butt chewing!!  But what I learned has stayed with me to this day.  And unfortunately, it has proven that if provoked enough (in my eyes).. I will go to extreme lengths to make my point. But the fact that I scaled that tree ..and we got UP there that day..didn't fall..and didn't hurt myself was a great motivator and encourager.

Another skill I acquired was something I have never come across anyone else as claiming have done on their bucket list.  All the homes in our nieghborhood were massive old two story bohunkers built by previous generation city blue bloods.  We were fortunate to have gotten them when they aged to say 50 yrs. =D
So these homes had awesome places to hide, burrow and explore. And my favorite nieghbor friend lived 2 doors down and his yard was more jungle than landscaped like my own.  So we decided to execute the newest level of excitement.  Today, it would probably be considered extreme sports, but in the 70's it wasn't being done.  It must have been the beginning of my talent for the avante garde!!  We became very proficient at roller skating off the garage roof and onto the cellar door located behind the garage.  It was a perfect location as no one could really see or even think to see what we were doing.  You have to go a certain speed, lift off a certain way angled just so right and carry your body a certain way for the best landing possible.  You only had about 5 ft. of metal cellar door that you could land upon or your face or butt would be kissing some extremely hard surface at a painful speed.  Once you landed on the cellar door, then you proceeded to roll off the door and then shoot airborn for another time period and then roll down the hill and out the gate into the alley. Just prior to exiting the property line it was always best to grab ahold of the massive bamboo plants that framed your prized ending.  

Hah.. this very unathletic uncoordinated girl had finally found something I was actually really great at.  The fun we had soaring through the air and the landing was exhilarating.  There was only two problems: 1. I had finally found something athletic I was pretty darn good at, but I couldn't tell anyone. Cause I knew the minute that little tidbit of info was let out, then my air sailing days were over.  Crap!! Couldn't even brag about it.. proving that in fact.. my skills were completely lacking..  And 2.  the one time I did not land correctly on the cellar door.  Now that's where the learning experience kicked in.  Cause you have never experienced shin pain until you fly through the air with the greatest of ease, only to have your landing gear prematurely hit the ground.. in this case.. shin directly at the most precisely most painful angle of the edge of the said cellar door.  Upon which, your face then slaps the intended target surface area of the door.  Lesson #3:  You gotta hide your battle scars and pain so your most delightful sport won't be spoiled.  Live and Learn People.. Live and Learn

Which leaves me to today:  Read a great quote from one of my favorites, Michael J. Fox "Live to Learn".. how profound.. and proof that the twist of just one little word can make it all different in purpose.  So this is what I want my kids to know..  I hope they find their 'extreme roof skating'..whatever that may be.. But I don't think I can stomach knowing what it might be.  And sometimes, kids can be absolutely courageous, outrageous and completely fearless.. Something we adults need to remember from time to time.  Something else I realized just now.. I have never been able to understand geometry or physics.. But I just realized that I did ace some of it when I was exploring my boundaries.. And I did figure out those skills through tria and error.. Something a text book can not teach!!  And hell.. my shins still hurt just thinking about that ONE miscalculation!! 

Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize


they were the big things.



-- Robert Brault

Ah ha moment~~

This past Friday a friend from hs wrote asking if I had any yearbooks.  It's been wonderful since finding out there is another friend from that time that lives in the same town as me.  And naturally I had the yearbooks in the closet and told Rosalynn to come on over w/ her daughter who I wanted to meet.  I took a few minutes to look at them before she came over.  And I even realized that I ended up with an extra one I could give her.. Musta paid off selling ads and working on the yearbook in class, not to mention babysitting the teacher's sons!!..So I was excited to be able to give her one..  So I'm taking a few minutes down memory lane reading all the notes written by friends during that time.  There was so much I had forgotten about until I re read the  notes that my friends had written to me and about me.  What is it w/time..so much time can pass and it feels like forever has passed, but then again it can also feel like it hasn't really been all that long since you were living those moments.. And then I started asking myself if I was even remotely close today to being the person I was back then? I had some really nice friends back then who wrote some really nice things about me..  Friends I had since the 8th grade, some I had worked with and even one who later became my brother-in-law.  I was reminded of some rally fun, crazy and some even very difficult times that to this day can send me into a horrific funk if I think about them for very long..
So I have this going through my mind right before they get here..

I also was working on a rough migraine right before they got here.. In fact, I popped my medicine that has such painful and uncomfortable side effects..  However, we sat down and chatted, shared and laughed so hard about those times in the past.. We filled each other in on stuff we didn't know, and on who and what we knew of then and now..What a awesome afternoon!!  And Rasalynn's beautiful daughter was so incredibly gracious of my embarrassing pix.  I wouldhave to guess she night not have been as  forgiving of her mom.. as parents are the ultimate source of embarrassment for children ;D

I still can't believe that I graduated 26 yrs ago.  Where did the time go?  I was remembering that my dad was 48 when I graduated and I am almost 44 today w/a 6 1/2 yr old and 4 yr old!!  One of the best decisions that I have made in a long time was the decision to attend my 25th hs reunion..  About a month prior to the reunion, I joined FaceBook.  In fact, that is how I found out about the reunion.. Several of us were trying to decide if we really wanted to attend.  We had so much FUN!!  Enough time passes by that time that no one is really into fake, false pretenses or even really gives a crap about outdoing anyone else..  it's all about the freedom of just wanting to ahve a good time..

And since then, I have reconnected w/many old friends.  We stay connected on FB and I have even gotten pretty close to some friends that I wasn't that close to back then.  It's been liberating, hysterically funny and a great stress reliever to know that you have connections that nothing can take away.  We were all so very blessed to have grown up in a very innocent and loving environment.  WE cared about each other then and probably even more so now since we have grwon up and learned that really meaningful  friendships are hard to find later in life due to obligations, miles, time and other factors that play into keeping connections distance. 

Whoever said that you can never go home was wrong I think.. You can and should..it can be very good for your heart and life.. But you have to realize that time has passed and things do change.. But it is nice to reconnect with friends to remember the good and even the bad times..  As for the question of if I was even remotely close to the person I was back then?  I think the answer is yes.. Naturally it's an edited version.. some deletions, improvements and changes have occurred, but then I would expect that.. But I do think I may be betta in some places... at least I hope so! And my red pen on myself for self editting has been much more forgiving... =D  And reading notes from friends that said something like "I hope we will always be close".." You can always come to me when life gets too hard after we part this place"..I have tested that one and yes.. it held true..  Miles may part us, but our friendships and love are even stronger..
Even those that were tested to the core have remained on some deeper level.. Forgiveness is freeing~~  I am so blessed..  On a side note:  we re trying to get a girl's weekend away started for yearly excursions.. What fun!!  Actually..way betta than all those years ago..  Woo hoo.. Life is good.. and I'm blessed..but then I already said that didn't I?  And yes,, this did occur during my week from hell..
So the glass is half full!!

Out of the mouths of babes~~

Sunday night's conversation @ the McNicoll household following Rachel coming home from her  weekly AWANA kids church program.  (Mom & Rache are at the kitchen table...Marshes has his headphones on while playing a computer game in the adjoining living room)..  ....  .... background sibling history....  .....: kids are 26 months minus 1 day apart which enhances sibling rivalry and a historic amount of arguments and 'issues'..competition etc....

Mommy:  "Rache, I see where next week everyone is supposed to dress up as their favorite Bible character."  "Do you have a favorite character that you want to dress up as ?"

Rachel:  Not  lingering on answer, "Jesus" "My favorite is Jesus"
Marshall: Not missing a beat..( I didn't even think he could hear us or was even not absolutely enthralled w/his gaming): "Cool Wachee... you picked the best one there is"  .....  pregnant pause , followed by " Hey Wachee~~  You Rock!!"  ( I swear he made it sound like he was about 5 yrs. older than her..)

Followed by mom's bottom jaw dropping almost hitting the floor, immediately followed by a huge look of Shock & Awe at the Huge compliment, praise and acceptance from the one who is usually trying to hurt, hinder and manipulate to epic proportions his little rival.  What the Hell????  I had to leave the room I was laughing so hard and in such shock.. 

And the look of pride and acceptance on Rache's face was PRICELESS!!  She garnered a HUGE compliment and had grown immensely in her brudder's eyes..
WE moved a mountain tonight here folks!!
I'm still in shock.. and now I am trying to figure out how to come up with a Jesus costume for my little performer..  And why wouldn't I figure my little performer and comic would choose no less than the star of the show??  You go girl.. I swear I wish I had the confidence and talent my precious girl has.. She just throws herself out there and doesn't care.. she goes for it..

Now.. I am requesting Jesus costume ideas??  How authintic do we do?  Can Tan??  ;D  ..My girl Rocks!!.. And tonight So does Marshes.. More than he has in a very long time!! What a sweetie.. she needed to hear that and so did I 
 ........and I am preparing myself for the other rocks that will too soon be lodged by both siblings at each other..But for tonight.. all is well in McNicoll-land

Butterball~~

What a week~~

What a hell of a week.  It's been a very long time since I've had such a horrific week.  Bad days are to be expected.  But a week when you just want to lay in bed w/the covers over your head in fear of a knock on the door or phone call can be paralyzing.  It started out as (another) 3 day weekend.  School holiday on Monday so we camped out in the living room, watched movies, slept late and later journeyed into a beautiful field of bluebonnets for some fun picture excursions.  I have to admit I feel extremely guilty as this was our first outing in pictureland in bluebonnets.  The fact that my babies come from the motherlode of all bluebonnet fields in Brenham is just mindboggling that it took me 6 yrs. for the photo op!!  Uncalled for in my book!!  So I plan to make this a yearly growth progression to make me cry over the speeding clock and the maximum speed my kids are growing up.

Anyway, so we find the perfect patch for us and head out.. But not before buying new shirts seeing as their others had been outgrown.  The kdis were in the mood to PLAY, however, mom's meticulous photography plans were not.  But I have to give them credit that they did much better than I probably would have.  Maybe it's the almost decade I spent assisting some talented professsionals and have to admit I can stage or get a pretty good composition.  Unfortunately, my skills don't flow into actual picture taking..So it takes me awhile.  So they played, we laughed, I prodded and shot and we got some great laughs in too.  Later I treated them to Happy Meals and me my fix for Cafe Caramel Frappe!  Not 3 minutes later in search of groceries, we were involved in thankfully a minor car collision (and thank you God it wasn't my fault).  So shaken up, we head home and cancel all other planned excursions for the day.. Oh yea.. but not before a HUGE meltdown in disobedience following the disaster.

Tues.. get up.. M to school and getting some great strides accomplished in some business that I had been planning..  Designed some great new business cards, paid some bills and was just beginning to attempt a new website for the business (and squeezing some quality time and activities w/Rache)..Then the knock on the door.  Neighbor comes down to inquire about the location of Doodledog.  Rache had let her out into the backyard about 40 minutes prior to knock.  To cut to the chase, we found Doodles at the doorstep of our neighbors immobie and in an extreme case of shock.  I honestly feared she had been hit by a car and broken her back.  A quick trip to the Vet down the street, waiting to find out What happened, a diagnosis of an viscious animal attack and a very painful heartbreaking decision to lay her down.  She had been ragdolled and received extensive hip injuries as just the beginning.  We later found out it was a dislocated hip which made me feel more comforted in my decision.  By the end of the day, I knew in my heart she was attacked by a coyote that I had seen a couple of weeks before and later confirmed its presence by another neighbor.  I didn't realize what I had seen in the field behind our house ...couldn't even fathom a Coyote in our area??  Anyway, our very funny, friendly and livewire was gone before we even knew it.  It rendered me numb.  I was lost and my high anxiety shot thru the roof..  And the kids kept asking when we were getting another dog.. the same day??  WTH? It drove me nuts..And I knew I would have to have another one very soon..

Weds.  First thing.. realized that the biggest credit card that John paid off came w/a HUGE price.  He forgot that I had paid the IRS, tax prep and he didn't know I made the house note early.  Needless to say, we were $1500 in the hole faster than the govt. spent our grandchildren's trillions!!  And John had bought lots of supplies for the business so Peter wasn't even around to hit up to pay Paul.  Thank God for my folks.. I quick electronic wire to save the day and a good cry made it better.. Thanks folks.. I have always said I was so incredibly blessed w/them.. And I can honestly say I have tried to figure out I hit the lottery when I was blessed w/them in my life.. Isn't it funny how life is such a crap shoot..  I could have just as easily ended up in say Ethiopia w/out a chance at life.. I have been so incredibly blessed..
    So that bullet was dodged only to have Rachel throwing up.. I honestly think it was nerves cause she got very quiet and introspective.  I think seeing Doodles and being there at the Vets (not for the laying down) was starting to impact her.. I HATE that she had to see Doodles that way..


Thurs.. another sleepless night.. mind racing..anxiety accelerating.. Decision made to find another dog and fast.  It just felt right.. That morning I found an ad on Craigslist for a 9 wk Shih Tzu.. only $100.00.. bam.. motherlode..  My sister and niece each have one and the kids and I are crazy over Zoe and Bella..  So I call, I clean (yes.. I did say clean..it wasn't a typo) and waited till we could bust Marshes out of school for a puppy road trip..  Forgot to mention that my pleurisy went into high gear again after the wreck.. And it was only getting worse.. so I knew that my health was going down hill fast..  Decided to not even ask Juanito if I could get one.. I knew that was an argument, fight and headache just brewing.. He didn't ask me what I thought about his yearly squirrel hunting trip when Marshes was only 5 wks old and sickly/collicky!!  Paybacks my friends are hell.. This gander does cash in those chips when needed..  Spiteful? Yep! But oh so worth it.. We all immediately feel in love w/ our newest family member, Butterball.. our cream & brown Shih Tzu.. oh yea.. and she's even full blooded.. for $100!!  What a bargain shopper I am..(back patting)..

Fri.. So the week is finally looking up..  Bout time..  The kids were sick off and on.. What I now realize was a virus.. I haven't slept in a week...but I have this little shadow that is adorable and is the biggest snuggle bunny I have ever seen.. Now..if I can just get her to stay in the crate.. yea right!!  So we are still mourning Doodles, still gotta get estimates to repair my car, and moving forward through the fog that life presents at times..  I was absolutely unprepared for the butt whooping this week.. Never saw it coming.. Just as I think Doodles was.. She loved to roam..she chose to dig out and paid the highest price.. But she was the happiest, craziest, and sweet puppa I have had.  Never hurt a soul and always left you laughing!!  Rainbow Ranch has jsut gotten way more livelier!!

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Happy Easter 2010

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Now This Sounds Real Good~~

*New Political Party.*




*Not Democrat, Not Republican, Not Independent.*



*It's called the "PISSED OFF PARTY" (or POP).*



*This party is dedicated to vote every incumbent out of office in the next elections.*

*If you're Democrat, vote Democrat. Just don't vote for the incumbent.*

*If you're Republican, vote Republican. Just don't vote for the

incumbent.*



*We need to send a message to all politicians, that we're tired of their B.S.*

*If the country votes out all the incumbents, the new incoming politicians will get the message..*



*It's pretty simple. Nobody needs to change parties and lets face it, there's plenty of blame to spread around.*

*A few good politicians will lose their job but they probably have better retirement and insurance then 95% of the American public.*

*You've had to struggle for the last 5 years. Some of you have lost your job and may be working in some other sector just to feed your family.*

*I guarantee you, none of them will suffer like this country has.*



*If you like what's going on and think this is a bad idea, delete this.*

*But if you're fed up and think this is a good idea, then pass this E-mail on.*

*If you really think this has legs, then a website and a blog could help get the word out.*



*To All 535 voting members of the Legislature; it is now official you are ALL corrupt morons:*





*a.. The U.S. Post Service was established in 1775. You have had 234 years to get it right and it is broke.*

*b.. Social Security was established in 1935. You have had 74 years to get it right and it is broke.*

*c.. Fannie Mae was established in 1938. You have had 71 years to get it right and it is broke.*

*d.. War on Poverty started in 1964. You have had 45 years to get it right; $1 trillion of our money is confiscated each year and transferred to "the poor" and they only want more.*

*e.. Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965. You have had 44 years to get it right and they are broke.*

*f.. Freddie Mac was established in 1970. You have had 39 years to get it right and it is broke.*

*g.. The Department of Energy was created in 1977 to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. It has ballooned to 16,000 employees with a budget of $24

billion a year and we import more oil than ever before. You had 32 years to get it right and it is an abysmal failure.*





*You have FAILED in every "government service" you have shoved down our throats while overspending our tax dollars.*



*AND YOU WANT AMERICANS TO BELIEVE YOU CAN BE TRUSTED WITH A GOVERNMENT-RUN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM? *



*IT'S NOT ABOUT THE NEED FOR GOOD HEALTH CARE, IT'S ABOUT TRUSTING THE GOVERNMENT TO RUN IT!*

Oh the Times We Are Livin' In~~

POSITIVE QUOTE OF THE DAY


-----------------------------



I've seen extreme bravery from the least likely of people. Life is

about the moments when it's all gone wrong. That's when we define

ourselves.



-- Bear Grylls, star of Man vs. Wild TV show

Praise Be For School~~

Just what the heck was I thinking when writing the Spring Break thoughts? If only I  had known what I know now....  Spring Break 2010 was a bust..we were sick the ENTIRE 10 days..  I was more miserable than the one I spent as a hs Jr. w/ a severe and very horrific case of checken pox.. At least then, I had my little brother and older sister to hang out with, play games and watch March Madness starring Michael Jordan!!  Now that was some good ball!!

This time around.. it was spent w/my two little rugrats who were tugging at my heartstrings cause they were feeling so miserable and later into two little rivalries that only 26 months separate them and sparks unending painful battles.  Follow that with two little anarchists who have completely lost all patience, forms of civility and tolerance after an intolerable amount of time.. Trying to keep this crud from heading south into my war ravaged pneumonia battled lungs six months earlier was a battle I was fighting myself. 

So I had what I thougtht was a good idea at the time half way thru the break.  Marshes brought home a journal to write in of his spring break expereinces.  Poor guy had wrote.."Ben sick the hole time" and it broke my heart.  He refused to write anything else cause I sure he was thinking bout how his best friend was skiing in Colorado the whole week.  So I fugred since the kids were feeling better we could venture into the new inflatable indoor gym, Wazoo, located in south Austin.  Happy Meals and a nice warm feeling for mom that her little darlin's would finally have some fun later... and she could still rest while reading as they played.

And all was going good..until it wasn't..And boy was it wasn't!!  Rachel was getting restless and kept asking to go home.. I had told Marshall 10 more minutes and before I could get that out of my mouth.. Rachel threw up.. Thankfully, it was all over the linoleum and not the custom carpet..  So after helping the kid workers clean up.. we headed for home and our hibernation again..

And naturally as most horrific holidays happen.. by the time the kids are halfway feeling better again.. a cold front w/rain and high winds takes over..I could not have dreamt of a more painful 10 days..  Except now.. dad has it as well..  WE are all looking forward to school restarting again.. at least we will have a change of scenery and can get away from each other for a breather for awhile in order to begin the process of missing time spent together once again..
One little good thing  did occur.. we lost one hour during this break when we changed our clocks forward..But that one hr. still didn't dent our feelings of desperation and claustrophobia..  and we didn't get to spend much anticipated and quality time w/grandparents..  Oh yea.. and today is the first day of Spring..  Happy Spring 2010 Everyone..  May the sun be warm and not blistering and the rains come but not in floods or drought..

"I think life's sort of like a game of tennis.  You have no choice over how that ball comes to you, but it's how you hit it back that counts."   Margaret Moth

Spring Break..Already??

Spring Break..Where the heck has the year gone?  Wasn't it just yesterday that I was fighting for my breath with a horrific case of pneumonia at the start of the school year?  Then came mentoring my two favorite fellas, Christmas and the new school year.  Wait a minute.. it can't be Spring Break..That means in just a little less than 3 months, my first born will be a second grader!!  No.. why can't I just stop and enjoy these precious times without running the growth calendar in my head?  Why is it that all those painful years dragged on with a death~march pace, while these are flying by with stealth speed? 

So what do we have planned?  Definitely trips to see the grandparents.. and games and indoor campouts in the living room..Then we will also check out the new jumpy gym andmaybe even try our feet at roller skating at the new roller rink.  And then we will need to get our plants planted in our prepared garden.  and of course there's movies, and games and trips to the park... oh my..  We will definitely need more than a week.

And wouldn't you know it.. This morning both kids awoke with horrific sounding coughs, runny noses, congestion and sore throats..  So day one.. get well..  day two.. play it by ear..  But we will have fun Dang it!!  We will!! and I will try really hard to get some pictures taken..

Holy Heck.. I Can't Believe It!!

What a weird winter it has been here in our neck of the woods.. Last year was on record one of the hottest and driest in the last Century. And to be followed by one of the coldest made the shock all the rougher I suppose. Also the fact that we replaced our heater w/an expensive and upgraded heat pump that failed to measure up do to some manufacturer's problems didn't help the comfort level either. That chunk of change spent just made the anger and cold seep deeper into my bones..not to mention all the hormonal crap going on def. didn't help me in the least. I have also realized that during the heatwave, the carpet we pulled up to expose the concrete flooring is great. However, during a cold snap.. not so comfortable.

Anyway.. all around us snow would be forecasted.. Even for us.. But no.. Never us!! We watched as areas all around us got to experience the white fluffy stuff.. I'd get my hopes up, only to have them squashed once again. Poor Marshall told me he had set as a lifetime goal (this coming form a 6 yr old) that he Was going to go to Alaska and/or the Himalayas before he was 10. 10?? 10!!

WTH? Why 10? Then it hit me.. he honestly never thought he would see any snow while he was a young enough kid.. Poor guy.. that's quite a goal.. Is that really too much to ask for a cute little fella? So finally, we get some flakes.. We actually got some Snow!! NOt much granted, but at least he could make a snowball (probably more like a snow hail ball) at school.. By the time he came home, it was pretty much gone and over.. Not that it was much to brag about..But man.. in these neck of the woods.. Anything is better than Nuthin'!! I was very tempted to take a roadtrip to a college friend who now lives where they got 12".. Just like what I got to experience when we lived in the Metroplex and got to miss school.. over something vast more thrilling then 1/8" of black ice!! Anyway, the picture of Marshes eating the white stuff was what he called "the BEST snack" he's ever eaten.!! His best friend Mike left for a ski trip to Colorado for Spring Break.. It broke Marshe's heart that he couldn't go.. I better find that child some snow before he decides to move far far away when he grows up..=D

The Difference a Year Makes

I Love this photo. It is Marshall & Rachel
w/ their PawPaw Jimmie last year
right after he came home from the
hospital after suffering a stroke.
My FIL took a major hit to his brain after
what they were 3 strokes. It's been difficult
to watch such an incredibly talented
and very independent man learn to live
life with new restrictions. We are very lucky
he is still with us. He was fortunate enough
to receive new medical advances just hrs after his stroke.

As much as I love this photo.. I yearn for the photo that I failed to take just a week before his stroke when he took
Marshes for an exereince of a little boy's lifetime..the chance to work and play with the excavator at Jimmie's dirt pit for work. The two of them were so incredibly happy and adorable as PawPaw taught Marshall how to load the scoop, dump it and then turn the cab. Marshes was beside himself with JOY. And Jimmie had joy written all over his face as he trained Marshes. He then allowed Rache a ride but she was too scared once she got way up high in the cab.

The irony of the day? I felt an incredible joy and sadness at the same time that day. For some reason, I just knew that this was a very special day.. Way more special than what it appeared to be. And I remember telling my MIL how I felt horrible that I had forgotten the camera. Later that day when we were saying our goodbyes to head home, I remember kissing and hugging Jimbo even harder that time. For some reason, I sensed that something special had occurred that day. It was an unsettling feeling that came to fruition a couple of weeks later when the stroke hit. Jimbo was telliing the nurses and bragging at the hospital how he had taken his grandson up in the excavator .

Jimbo loved working out at the dirt pit for his company. It was one of the ways he worked out his problems and de stressed.. It makes me sad to know that he no longer is able to do the things he once did. And it was very ironic that on that special day, I recall telling my MIL that I could never see Jimbo being happy at retirement. He just loved his job and company. I guess he never wouldhave given up and retired, so maybe retirement had to be dealt this way. Who really knows. All I know is I am thankful that he survived and we love him very much..
And I will cherish this picture always.

Diva does new do...

So after fusses, fights and absolute hissy fits.. Darlin' Diva Doll finally decided to change her do to short locks to forego all the horrific tangles and pain. It amazes me how one child can walk on every imaginable painful surface (stickers included) without her most revered SHOES. And yet, her little head can not tolerate one comb or brush even with the precious detangler without the most venomous screcching, squealing and fighting. One would think that this child is coming just short of death at the sight of a comb.. She will scream as if she's auditioning for the latest slasher movie. She sees it and she will yell bloody murder. Who knew that some of the most horrific cries of horror could be rendered by the sight of a brush? Not sure if this is performance art or what..but she let the stylist chop and cut away..And I have to admit it looks really cute.. but on the otherhand.. mom and dad almost cried when we saw the result. Our little diva-doll looked great.. Just all grown up.. It's the beginning of looking at her from a more mature angle. And it's so nice not to have the fights and the hissies.. but oh do I miss the 'little' girl she was.. It's gonna take us some time to get used to, but she's happy happy happy.. And oh so ever confident. Her dance teachers said she couldn't stop flipping her head and glancing in the mirror at dance..