Mondays have so few redeeming qualities

Ack!  I am not a fan of Mondays on a good Monday.  Then there are Mondays like this one that make me want to curl up in bed with some good tea and a few good books.  I'm on day 3 of a whooper of a headache.  I probably should take my migraine meds but I really don't feel like not being part of the world for between 12 and 24 hours.  First thing this morning I called the school and asked to talk to Princess Bear's (PB) teacher.  Over the weekend my parents and I were very vigilant about not having the news on so she wouldn't hear anything about the shooting incident in CT.  The child has anxiety issues and I just didn't think it would help.  I wanted to touch base with the teacher though to see if they were planning on mentioning it.  If so I felt like PB should hear it from me first.  All the teachers and the principal had a meeting this morning on how to address the issue.  They observed a moment of silence for those in CT and didn't offer any details.  That worked.  I babysat my nephews this morning and G-d knows I love those little boys but it was rough today.  Tyler was in a mood and I wasn't in a place to make it a fun day for them.  Tyler wanted me to read but Aunt Sarah on 3 hours of sleep, a mega headache and her glasses no where to be found is just not conducive to reading time.  I got home around 1pm and tried to some housework and then just veg until it was time to pick up PB. The child does not know how not to leave a trail in her wake or how to not argue constantly.  She wound up being grounded from both TV & music today.  I think it was more of a punishment for me. 

I'm just hoping to get more than 3 hours of sleep and that this headache decides it doesn't need to stick around anymore.  Until then there is lots and lots of Excedrin in my future.  Have a good one!

There just aren't the right words

I was almost glad when Princess Bear (PB) came home from school and I turned off the coverage of the school shooting in Newtown CT.  What a horrible tragedy.  I think every parents worst nightmare is burying their child.  I can't even begin to imagine the angst of waiting to find out if my child is alive or dead in a situation like todays.  I can't begin to understand how mentally ill someone has to be to do something like this.  It is truly the definition of evil.  Regardless of it being based in mental illness or not it is most definitely evil.   My prayers go out to all the families that lost a love oned today.  My prayers go out to the first responders who will never ever forget the horrors that they saw today.  My prayers go out to the surviving children who will be so impacted by this most likely for the rest of their lives. 

Of course in the aftermath of the tragedy today many people are calling for stricter gun control.  Really?  Last time I checked anyone who had truly evil intentions was going to do exactly what they want.  They might have to change the method or do some illegal moves but they would probably obtain the weapons they want.  I won't even go into the Constitutional aspect of it.  Although that should be the beginning and end of it. I will go into the fact that disarming good people who might possibly have been able to diffuse a situation like todays if they were there would have been the best outcome.  I live in IL and was very glad when the conceal carry laws were overturned this week.  How many times lately have we heard of a homeowner protecting themselves from intruders because they were also weapon owners?  That is a perfect example of why we don't need stricter gun control laws. As cliche as it sounds guns don't kill people, people kill people.  The amount of leftist, liberal Hollywood types that are calling out for more gun control makes me sick.  First of all I believe there is a time and place and this isn't it.  It's time to come together as a country and support those in Newtown.  It's time to come together as a country and find the goodness and love in one another.  I really believe in many ways we've become an isolated society.  Neighbors don't know each other any more.  They don't look out for each other anymore.  People don't want to get involved in case things go south.  This should be a call for communities all over to bond with one another.  So tonight why don't we all say a prayer for those precious little angels that never got a chance to live their lives and for our country as well? 

Life is.....FANTASTIC!!!!

Yes, once again I disappeared.  I have signed up for Jen's Holiday home tour and need to start my 21 days over.  Yesterday was such an incredible day that I absolutely must blog about it!!!  We had our annual appointment at Shriner's hospital for Princess Bear (PB) yesterday.  My parents both decided that they wanted to come along.  It's a pretty rare thing for my dad to join us on these trips.  We had to be in Chicago at 8am.  That meant getting up around 3:45am and hitting the road by 4:30am.  My mom drove the first part of it so PB and I crashed out in the back seat.  She feels like the world is hers since I'm no longer stuffing her in a car seat.  I'm not loving it but she's 5'1 and 92 pounds (at 9.5 months!).  I have no idea where we stopped to grab some breakfast around 5:45am.  After that my mom decided she was done driving and my dad opted for the back seat.  Another one of those "this never happens" things.  I drove the rest of the way into the city.  All it took was 1 day of driving into Chicago during morning rush hour to remind me how much I don't like it.  I really don't like it when I don't have complete control of the radio and my navigator's skills are seriously lacking.  It reminded me that this girl is ready for some country living.  So we got to Shriner's 4 minutes before PB's appointment and she was still in what she slept in (sweats) and crazy hair.  After checking in and the LPN getting PB's vitals we had a few minutes to get PB changed.  Any visit to Shriner's makes for a long day because you're seeing an entire team of professionals.  A speech and language path, a psychologist, getting x-rays, having medical photographs taken, a pediatric dentist, an orthodontist, an audiologist and the surgeon.  It's usually an 8 hour day.  The psychologist and I were talking about PB's attitude in general and towards her physical anomalies.  The psychologist was the first person to mention that PB is a very happy, very bubbly, outgoing little girl who seems to have no issue with her appearance.  Her recommendation was to not have any further surgery unless medically needed.  Ok with me!!!  Then we discussed the possibility of PB having ADHD.  At first she was very much leaning that way and talking about how much Ritalin PB would need.  After spending some more time with PB she realized that while PB is a very fast moving, all over the place kid that she isn't ADHD.  Her issues in school might very well be sensory and the fact that she can't retain the information and use it in different settings.  This would explain why PB needs to hear things over and over and over again before it becomes a skill she can acquire.  She had PB reading from a chapter book and was very impressed with PB's reading skills.  She did say it would be a good idea if I could get a tutor to work with PB twice a week during the school year.  She was pretty disgusted when she heard how bad the school district here is and how much they have cut services to kids. After that the next relevant meeting was with the speech path who once again recommended way more speech than PB is getting at school.  She is contacting the school to see if they will increase PB's speech time.  She said if that isn't possible that I should look into some other sources.  There is a HUGE lack of speech paths around here but I'll see what I can get figured out. 

The entire time we were there the kids were getting showered with toys and things to play with.  I can't even list everything that PB received when she was there.  I know that a new stuffed teddy bear, a Polly Pocket, at least 4 books, 2 coloring books and a new DVD were part of the haul.  I honestly can't say enough about how wonderful the staff at Shriners is with the kids.  It's just amazing. 

Then we met with the surgeon.  He indicated that if we wanted to go ahead with the surgery to bring PB's eyes closing together and build up the bridge of her nose that it would be good to do in sooner rather than later.  I asked a few questions as far as whether it would help with her chronic sinus infections and it wouldn't.  So, since the surgery would not help with anything medically and it is incredibly risky coupled with the fact that PB is very ok with her appearance we decided not to pursue surgery.  If things change and PB starts to get teased and things change drastically then we can reevaluate the decision then.  I was so incredibly excited, grateful and relieved that I walked around randomly saying "no more surgery" for the next 6 hours or so.  That also isn't completely true because now we need to plan the surgery with the opthamologist to straighten PB's eyes.  After that she will hopefully be surgery free forever. 

The orthodontist also agreed that the surgery he previously thought PB would need to break her jaw and realign it would not be necessary.  She's going to need a whole heck of a lot of orthodontic work but again NO SURGERY!!!!

So I'm an incredibly grateful mommy that feels like the weight of the world has been lifted from my shoulders.  I can't think of a better thing to blog about!

Um, what happened to free speech?

OK, today's post is based on THIS article.  Now I'm not about to say that what she wrote isn't incredibly stupid.   The problem is that stupid isn't illegal or really even the issue.  The issue is that she wrote something she felt and has subsequently been fired and is being investigated by the Secret Service.  This is so not ok on so many levels.  First and foremost being that we have this little thing called Freedom of Speech in this country.  I know this company is now on a fast track towards socialism but last time I checked the Constitution and it's Amendments were the law of the land.  Secondly, she did not threaten to kill Obama.  She just said that maybe he'll be assassinated this term.  Frankly she isn't the only person that has thought this.  I know that I looked at one of my closest friends after he won the first election and said that I hoped he'd written a letter for his daughters in case something like that happened.  Didn't mean that I was planning on killing him.  Just meant that we've had Kennedy and Lincoln shot while in office and an attempt on Reagan's life.  Anyone serving as President has to at least acknowledge the fact that their life is in constant peril.  As far as calling him a nigger- not cool and there is no need for it.  He has so many issues that he can be called on that are actually legitimate why bring up race?  Why do it in such a derogatory way?  Completely unnecessary.  I can't believe she lost her job for this.  How did her comment in any way, shape or form have any bearing on her job performance?  Personally I would check on the legalities of the termination.  As far as being investigated by the Secret Service I can't even begin to explain how simply ludicrous it is.  She did not make a direct threat for pete's sake.  What a waste of time and manpower.  I'll stop for now.  It's just disturbing how quickly rights seem to be disappearing. 

Last nice day of the year?

It was absolutely gorgeous here today.  In the upper 60's all day.  November in Illinois!  Who would have thought??!!!??  We'll probably pay at the tail end of winter but I'm not going to go there right now.  It's been a rough couple of days since Princess Bear (PB) has been sick again.  We're doing breathing treatments every 4 hours around the clock.  Consequently PB & I are extremely tired!  At this point I'll just be happy if it doesn't turn into pneumonia and she can return to school sometime this week!  My mom watched her most of today so I could help my dad with yard work.  Definitely not my idea of fun but you've gotta do what you've gotta do.  The back yard has now been rake or swept and everything bagged up.  The gutters have all been cleaned out and we just have a few more winter preps to worry about.  I tried convincing my dad that we should hang the Christmas lights today and just not plug them in yet since it's less than 2 weeks until we start decorating anyway.  He shot that idea down.  Know what that means?  We'll be outside freezing our dupas off when he finally decides it's time to put them up.  I should really attempt sleep since 9am mass is going to roll around way too early.  Have a good one.

Farm Kings Episodes 5 & 6

OK my blogging vacay meant a slight delay in my episode recaps and thoughts for the Farm Kings.  Never fear you're getting a 2 for 1 today.  Episode 5 is mostly dealing with the hail storm, damage and after shocks.  Episode 6 is mostly about the car wash for Special Olympics and some more about issues stemming from the hail and the New Kent market.

Episode 5 was really heartbreaking in that the drought had done its own share of damage.  After praying for rain the King family gets hit again by a major hail storm.  This is pretty much their worse case scenario.  The brothers try to salvage as much product they can but they've still endured a big loss.  The numbers for the projected loss kept on going higher and higher.  First number mentioned (I think) was 20k and then 50k and then the possibility that they are looking at possibly more than 100k in damages.  I loved when mama bear Lisa said that it would make the boys stronger and hopefully closer.  What a wonderful way of putting a positive spin on a really bad situation.  Although Joe's personality rubs me the wrong way at times I felt so bad for him when he was talking about it being worse case scenario.  He laughed and you knew that it was coming from a place of complete panic and hysteria.  It was kind of a God sent favor that Lily was with Joe when he went to check out the damage I think.  He probably didn't want to react in a way that would scare her and that in turn probably helped in the long run.  So in that aspect I give him props in the good Daddy department.  He also pointed out that when things get tough the Kings get working.  As always it just reiterates that that family is never lacking in work ethic or the ability to get their hands dirty to help the greater good.  You realize the magnitude of everything when Tim talks about the fact that the farm supports the entire family.  That's Lisa and her 10 kids and Joe's two kids counting on the farm being successful.  It's then when you realize why Lisa doesn't even like saying the word failure.  The whole family is very aware of the fact that their local community will be more supportive of the hail damaged veggies.  Dan comes up with the idea of having a hail damage table.  The end of the show also delves into the working relationship that Tim is developing with Sam.  It's kind of like Sam is his apprentice.  Tim is basically showing all the tricks of the trade to Sam so if Tim is needed elsewhere Sam knows the ropes and things can continue without a hitch.  Tim appears so quiet and laid back that it would probably be easy to over look him.  I think that would probably be a mistake.  The man obviously knows  a whole heck of a lot about growing veggies.  It's one thing to have the knowledge and another to successfully put it to successful use.  He's evidently also a thinker and planner as shown in his dedication to making sure he shares his knowledge with his brothers.  Ok last note on this episode- Tim is clean shaven at the end of it.  This is so hot so use that bic buddy! :)

Episode 6 is a bit of a hodge podge of things such as coming back from the hail damage, training issues at the New Kent store and the car wash for  Special Olympics.  An issue is the fact that Joe wants to get 10 cattle ASAP and Tim and Pete think they're already stretched too thin.  Joe thinks that his brothers are just making excuses and they just need to commit.  In this instance you actually feel for all the people involved.  You can recognize that Joe wants to get the pastures in use and make money on cattle.  Can't see any fault with that.  You can also see that Tim & Pete are spread pretty thin as it is and cows are living things that need reliable care.  They aren't saying no not now to be jerks or nasty they just want to be squared away before taking on even more responsibility.  At the weekly meeting Joe says something about how they did so much better when they were better organized and then it looks like they disband.  Now that could just be editing.  I hope so.  I hope they did some planning on how to become more organized.  There is a mention about Lisa always having things squared away and it makes one wonder if the boys will ever find anyone as good as mom.  Hopefully they are wise enough not to compare the women in their life to Lisa.  Oh don't get me wrong- I'm not saying she's bad.  Quite the opposite actually.  I want to be more like her.  I want to have just some of her energy and wherewithal.  I did like it when you see her having a death grip on her coffee during the car wash!  One of the ramifications of the storm is that money is now a huge issue for the farm and it's entities.  Joe decides to extend the Farm Market hours.  Dan's niche seems to be running the Farm Market and it looks like he's doing a fabulous job.  When Joe is talking to Dan about extending the hours the only thing Dan says is that it probably means less hours in the field.  You have to feel bad for him.  It's pretty clear that he would rather be in the field.  That with the fact that he is doing such a good job in the Farm Market probably means that there will be less and less time in the fields for Dan.  A complete bummer for him.  Again a King shows that there is always a silver lining when Dan talks about dealing with it and finding happiness within it.  He's a pretty young guy still and that kind of thinking is indicative of what an awesome man he's likely to become.  There is also time spent on the relationship between Tim and Ben.  It's been a pretty consistent theme throughout the show.  I just wonder how it is that Tim became the father figure (Lisa's words) for Ben.  It also makes one wonder just what in the hell happened between the family and the father.  It's pretty clear that this isn't going to be explained though so no time putting much thought into it.  It is what it is and it's none of our (the publics) damn business.  Bitty noticed that the girls working at New Kent really didn't have a lot of knowledge about the veggies.  It's always much easier to sell something when you know about it.  Joe goes up to the market to talk to Amanda (the New Kent manager) about it and he decides that the girls should help at the Farmers Market with Pete.  Lexi is the first up and it was kind of cute watching her work and Pete trying to teacher her.  It was beyond adorable when Pete told Lexi that she had a nice smile and that she should do it more.  Also where did that drawl come from?  The Kings did a car wash at the Farm Market for Special Olympics.  Earlier in the show was a baseball game with Ben's Special Olympics team.  Lisa & Bitty are there to cheer him on.  As always its so clear that the Kings love and cherish Ben just as he is.  They truly could be a great motivation for so many families with special needs kids.  The day of the car wash starts out raining and things aren't looking so good.  Thankfully it clears up and things go well.  Lisa does put in a call to see where the boys are.  They were out in the field and get there as soon as they can.  That leads to Pete standing shirtless on the curb trying to attract more customers.  A very wise use of available marketing!  Tim makes a comment about it being a good thing but I'm pretty much thinking any King could be up there shirtless and they would attract lots of customers.  It's so awesome to see the family working together and having fun.  At the end of the day the car wash brought in just over $500 and the King's matched that.  Again just one more way of showing what a great giving family this is.  They're facing their worse case scenario and they still give back to the community.  Pretty awesome.  It was absolutely a gag when Lisa was talking and Ben started teasing about her talking too much.  I loved when she tried brushing his hair back and he wanted nothing to do with it. 

So there you have it.  I'm caught up until tonight!  I have no idea when I'll recap tonight's episode since Princess Bear is home sick and feeling a bit clingy. 

The Presidential Election

I'm sitting here as I have much of the past few days pondering how anyone can vote to reelect Barak Obama.  It truly boggles my mind.  I'm not talking about the uninformed voter but that is a travesty in and of itself.  I'm talking about the intelligent, informed people that truly support the man.  There are a few people very near and dear to me that I just cannot grasp the logic of their thinking.  The man has increased the national debt more than ever before.  He's behind not 1 but 2 cover ups.  Nixon went down on Watergate and Obama literally has blood on his hands but nothing has happened.  Yes I'm completely disgusted.  There is the matter of Obamacare that I've talked about in previous posts.  I honestly do not see anything positive the man has done for the country in the past 4 years but there are scores of people trying to get him reelected.  I really wish I could understand.  My aunt is is Jewish, a nurse and a lesbian is completely pro Obama. Now if we pull the social justice issues out of it I'm really not seeing how she is pro Obama.  He has been the worst thing that has happened to US-Israeli relations since '47.

Ok, I'll get off my Obama rant for now.  I will say that I've been chatting with friends and family in California asking that everyone votes yes to prop 37.  I know that Monsanto has spent tons of money in an attempt to keep this proposition from going through but I'm really hoping it's voted in.  It would be such a positive move for consumer health.

OK, a short post but it is what it is. 

Sick Sucks

The past week and a half have been very busy and culminated in me getting sick.  I've been one with the couch for the past 4 or 5 days.  This morning as Princess Bear (PB) was getting ready for school she said she was feeling better but wanted to know when I was going to be really good.  From your lips to G-d's ears little one!  The plus side of this is that I've done massive amounts of sleeping and feel almost human!  I've also done some copious TV watching.  Yes I know I'm 2 episodes late on Farm Kings.  I think tomorrow.  Just not feeling it today.  I am totally caught up on Grimm and Haven.  How freaking hot is Eric Balfour?!!!? 

Halloween was fun.  I took PB to Bass Pro Shop for their Halloween activities and she had a blast.  The best was feeding the fish.  Our friend Phillip has been hired as an elf there so she's already asking when we can go.  Ugh!  I'm so not ready for full on Christmas preps yet.  She and my nephews had me listening to Christmas music the other day.  There is no point in trying to explain that you have to be done with Thanksgiving before you can start Christmas.  I'm stressing trying to figure out how to get PB's surprise Christmas gifts this year.  I need to get some product to the salon for them to sell. 

Alright I've been awake for 3 hours now and actually posted which hopefully means coherent thought on my part.  That means my job here is done for the day.  I think its nap time now! 

Gotta know when to hold 'em and know when to fold

 

This is a pretty good description of my parents stances when they were raising us. My dad was determined that my sister & I would always know how to defend ourselves. My dad taught us how to correctly throw a punch and told us what body parts to go for. He had a body bag in the garage that he'd have us throw punches at occasionally. Dad's rule was never ever start something but if someone starts something with you then you damn well better finish it. I got into one fight in high school. Timing wise it was so not good. It was the second semester of my senior year. Fortunately I somehow never got in trouble for the incident. Since it took place in the hallway I'm not quite sure how I got so lucky. It's not like I wasn't a frequent flier in the detention program. A girl that had formerly been one of my closest friends came up and threw a punch at me. It got ugly quickly but suffice it to say I walked away with a couple of scratches and she was a bit of a mess. I remember being on edge the rest of the day waiting to be called into the Dean's office. When I got home that day I figured the best thing to do was immediately tell my mom what happened. It had to be better than her getting a call from the school, right? Whoa was my mom pissed at me. I then called my dad at work and told him what happened and that my mom was pissed 30 different ways. My dad asked me a few questions and he quickly figured out I did exactly what he'd taught me. I hadn't started it but I had finished it. He told me to just lay low until he got home and he'd take care of my mom and the school. I'm still not sure if the school ever contacted my parents by I was never reprimanded. I think because I grew up being taught this I've always been a bit of a fighter. Not a physical fighter. No worries there were only a few other physical fights on my record. I have always been one to fight for whatever I thought was wrong. I've always been one to call people out when I thought there was some sort of injustice. I attended Catholic schools from kindergarten through my senior year of high school. When I was in 8th grade I went to one of my sister's volleyball games. There were several girls that never got the opportunity to play even though that was against the policy. The coaches were more interested in winning than modeling good sportsmanship. It prompted me to write a letter to the coaches, the principal and the Bishop. I had my parent's approval. Good thing too since there was all kinds of ugly fall out from that one.

I've always felt a need to defend people I know. It's very hard for me to walk away from any kind of confrontation. I've got to say it's one of the hardest things for me to learn. I'm not saying that I'm a complete hothead. Quite the contrary, unless it's regarding my daughter. It usually takes a fair amount before I'll say something. Once I do though it's game on. The thing that I have discovered as I've gotten older is that sometimes the best fighting tactic is to walk away and not say a word. I also grew up knowing that if there a need to defend myself that the first step was me.  I might need someone to have my back but no one was ever going to take care of my problems for me. 

All in all I have to thank my parents for the way they raised me.  I've never been afraid to stand up for myself and I always knew how to hold my own if I ever got into a fight.  I never needed to have anyone else come in and help me out or defend me.  Thanks Dad!

Ah, Politics these days!

Here are a few images I've had posted on my Facebook account this week.

I've been pretty outspoken about being anti-Obama for a very long time.  I don't think he's done anything positive for this country.  I'm also not a big Romney supporter.  The candidate that I was hoping would represent the GOP was Santorum.  Anyone feeling the need to comment let's not turn this into a Ron Paul debate.  I think Ron Paul has some really really great qualities and he does stand for somethings that I do agree with.  He also backs some things I don't agree with.  The bottom line is that you can't really vote for him and hope that you're doing anything in terms of changing the way our country is being run right now. 

So what brought about this political rant?  When I posted one the top image  yesterday a sorority sister commented that she was surprised at my political leanings.  I guess I can see that.  In the good old days at Camp Western I was pretty liberal in my thinking.  Here's the rub.  As I've gotten older I realize that whether you're liberal, conservative or somewhere in the middle it really doesn't matter.  What does matter is how much control you're willing to give the government over your life.  One of the driving focuses in my life the last 5 or 6 years has been a push to make myself more self reliant.  I want to be able to take care of myself and my daughter if there is ever the need.  I would love to have a couple of acres that would include some veggie gardens, orchards and some animals such as chickens, pigs, goats and a cow or two.  I'm really not sure when this became something that became important to me.  It used to be that the idea of being out in the country was just disgusting to me.  I joked that Peoria was as small as I could handle.  I want to get in my car and have restaurants, entertainment and all kinds of variety at the ready.  In some ways the idea of being out in the country actually terrified me.  A friend of mine who is a therapist pointed out that might have been my reaction to the stalking incident in North Carolina.  She said that the brain has it's own way of dealing with things and maybe my idea of always being around people was an attempt to never have to live through something like that again.  While that incident will always haunt me perhaps she's right.  It isn't an ever present fear anymore.  I think I could and would actually learn to like the quite of the country.  I hate that there is never any quite here. 

So how does this all connect to my political leanings?  As I've been educating myself in self reliance and other skills that would be helpful to living in the country it's given me a lot to think about.  The big back to nature push that happened in the '70's after Vietnam was in someways the cultures response to the political climate at the time.  I think that more people now are wanting to return to a more basic and pure existence.  Don't get me wrong I don't want to give up everything.  I like the internet.  I like things like electricity and running water.  I just think that there was a time in this country that things were simple and life was better.  That is what has changed my political views the most.  I don't want the government to have a say over every little thing in my life.   Obamacare is also a big issue with me but that could be an entire post on it's own.  I just don't want to be told if I can or can't drink raw milk, can or can't own guns and what kind and can or can't do many other things. 

I also have a couple of pet peeves politically.  I think that there can be social justice without government intervention as well.  I have a HUGE issue with people that are gay and back candidates that are for gay rights and disregard whatever else they stand for.  Who you sleep with really shouldn't matter to anyone other than that person and yourself (within that the people are of legal age and available to be in said relationship).  As long as you can wake up and look in the mirror and smile each morning it really shouldn't matter who you sleep with.  It also shouldn't be a major endorsement politically.  My other pet peeve politically is Obamacare.  Talk to variety of health care professionals, talk to someone who is or has been reliant on Medicade or Medicare, talk to someone who has lived in a country where socialized medicine was practiced.  I'm willing to bet the vast majority of those individuals are not supporters of Obamacare.  It's just throwing a bandaid on the issue.  You can mandate it but it's not taking care of the real issues. 

So, there you have it.  I think in some ways I'm still very liberal and in others I've become more conservative but the one thing that hasn't changed at all is the fact that I really don't want a government that controls every aspect of my life. 

Sarah

How do you shake fear?

Lately I've been doing a lot of worrying about Princess Bear (PB).   She was born with something called bicoronal craniosynostosis.  You can read a very good article about it HERE. 

She has a couple of really big Dr's appointments coming up and they can both be life changers in their own ways.  We go to St. Louis is November to meet with the endocrinology team.  PB hasn't seen an endo since hers moved 3 years ago.  The team in St. Louis has been consulting regularly with her pediatrician since the thyroid problem has appeared between the last visit and now.  We'd been trying to get in to see the Dr and St. Louis kept on telling us that things seemed fine and to repeat the blood tests every 3 months.  Um, ok that addresses the thyroid issue but not the other problems.  Like the fact that my 9 year old is 5', 92 pounds and wears a women's size 7 shoe.  Last month I received a letter from the endo team in St. Louis telling us when we had an appointment.  It was a shock since they hadn't seemed too concerned with seeing her.  At her last bone age scan she was 1.5 years ahead of her chronological age.  I'm sure that she will be poked, prodded and it will be a long day of many tests.  Whether we'll have more answers about her accelerated growth remains to be seen.  Whether we'll have any answers about her crashing thyroid also remains to be seen.  I understand that Dr's are very worried about projecting things because we live in a sue happy world but I would really like some idea of what to expect for my child.  Forewarned is forearmed, right?  She's getting old enough that she is starting to ask questions.  Some answers would be really helpful. 

The next appointment is in December in Chicago with the Craniofacial team.  I have this nagging feeling that is getting worse by the day that the decision will be made for PB to have her next surgery soon.  The Dr. said he'd like to wait until summer whenever he has determined that she has grown enough and that new adjustments need to be made to her skull.  I like that in the weather is nicer in summer for traveling, there is generally less illness and ick running amok in the summertime.  I don't like it in the fact that all new residents start in June.  Really never, ever, ever do elective anything in June or July.  I've known seen we first took PB to the plastic surgeon at 2.5 weeks old that she was going to have at least 3 major surgeries.  Her first surgery was at 7.5 months old and she literally had her skull opened from ear to ear.  At that time they did a CVR, cranial vault reconstruction, and a FOA, frontal orbital advancement.  The surgery was long, over 7 hours and there were complications in that her dural lining was torn and the first graph failed.  I will never forget when they finally let me into recovery to see her.  My childs head was swollen bigger than a pumpkin and she was very bandaged with drain tubes coming out of both sides of her head.  It would have been nice to have some warning that my child would be completely unrecognizable.  The first 3 day after surgery PB could not be picked up.  The pain was too much to handle.  I even had to fight with the nurse the first day and a half to give PB the morphine that was ordered.  She just wanted to give PB Tylenol.  Hello my daughter had her head cracked open from ear to ear and completely reconstructed and you think some Tylenol will do the trick?  I seriously almost decked her.  As a result of the swelling PB's eyes were swollen shut for the first 5 days.  Her surgery was Tuesday morning and she was able to open her eyes a tiny bit on Saturday night.  As I said the first 3 days she couldn't be moved let alone held.  I spent those days laying next to her crib holding her handing and just talking to her.  Assuring her that things would get better.  On the 4th day she wanted to be held and refused to be put down. I actually had to take her along with her monitors and IV to the bathroom with me....how I pulled that off without anything getting disconnected I don't know! 

PB was a baby and has absolutely no recollection of that surgery.  She's aware that she had surgery but hasn't asked too much.  I think this one will be hard because she has seen her friends go through surgeries.  She knows it's painful.  I won't lie to my child and tell her it's going to be fine.  It isn't going to be fine for awhile at the very least.  She's going to be in pain unlike anything she remembers.  She won't be able to see for several days due to swelling again.  The only thing I'm dreading more is any major surgeries after this since she will remember.  I'm just so scared that since she's done so much growing the Dr is going to decide the time is now.  There is very little worse than handing your child off to a surgical team for them to operate on her skull.  Logically I know that the surgery has to happen and she'll be better off in the long run.  Logic has very little to do with anything when your child is having surgery.  So at the moment I have this feeling that Dr. Patel will look at PB and say that this is the time.  You can spend all kinds of time preparing for something and never be ready for it.  This is obviously one of those things.  I'm trying to not let my anxiety show because there's no point in upsetting PB but I feel like I'm at the edge of a cliff and ready to fall off.  There is no amount of meditation and stress relief that is going to make this any better.  SO, this is my state of mind now.  Damn I wish I had a drink. 

Human behavior is an interesting thing, isn't it?

Today's post is going to be short.  It's been a long day here and while it was very successful in accomplishments (PB's room is completely clean, organized and good to go) it has also been incredibly draining.  It's just that I was pondering human behavior a bit and decided that I might as well put my thoughts to paper if you will.  Have you ever wondered why you or others do something?  Is something ever really done without motive?  It can be a innocent motive (wanting to help or make someone happy).  It doesn't have to be sinister.  Just are things done without motive?  Something I've been pondering.  I think we live in a very jaded society.  How often do you see pure altruism?  Don't confuse it with empathy or charity either.  Humans to an extent are capable of all of these behaviors don't get me wrong.  I'm just questioning the expanse of it.  Someone might do something thinking, actually quite sure, that they are doing something just to be nice or helpful.  Is it that?  Or is it the accolades that follow?  Is it a way of establishing boundaries?  Is it a means to an end? 

I've also been pondering the difference between reassurance and propaganda.  When something is reiterated ad naseum is it meant to cooberate or is it a propaganda tool?  Who is it that is to be convinced of said facts?  It's a bit like Shakespeare  "The lady doth protest too much, methinks."  Yes, today's post is a bit random and rambling.  Then again its my blog so it can be whatever it is that I feel like!   Now I'm going to go and enjoy some blessed silence before turning in.  Have a great night!

Tim King girlfriend? Looks like it!

OK sometimes my sleuthing skills just scare me.  Other times they leave a bit to be desired (can I find my friend Shawn from WIU?  Hell no....I soothe myself saying its because he was a PI and a cop).  Anyway back to the matter at hand.  One of the most used phrases bringing people to my blog is an inquiry to whether or not Tim King has a girlfriend.  Um, while I'm usually not one to jump to conclusions the writing is pretty much on the wall with these.  Evidently Timmy boy likes younger women! :)  That said he does look happy so good on him!  So my vote is on the "yes he has a girlfriend" category.  Anybody else want to place their vote? 






I've got to say that the suspenders that Tim's rockin' are just too cute! OK off for now!

Farm Kings Episode 4

As usual last nights episode was great.  The love, tenacity and devotion this family has is outstanding.  Actually I have found myself wondering what it would be like to be a part of a family like that.  Anyway I digress. Last nights episode was mainly dealing with the extreme heat and drought that a lot of the country dealt with this summer.  There was close to a month without rain.  That can do a big number on crops and it sure did at Freedom Farms.  I can't imagine the agony of watching your hard work and dreams just withering in the fields.  It was sad when Tim and the boys went to check on the corn.  Even worse was when Tim went to tell Lisa that she had to seriously cut back on the water she was using.  She knew that it was a very real possibility and you could tell that Tim felt really awful doing it.  She mentioned that her plants were suffering too and she had new plants coming in.  You felt for her too.  Unfortunately if you just look at the dollar and cents of it the vegetable crops are much more important monetarily than the flowers are.  I'm sure Lisa's flowers bring in great money but I just can't see a real comparison.  Luke was home for a visit and it was kind of interesting to see how his interests are so different than his siblings.  The guy is definitely motivated though!  The show wrapped up with a party that was a dual celebration of the 4th of July and Joe's birthday.  29 candles- whew!  Joe has some lung power! 

If you want to play roses and thorns of the show it would go as follows:
Thorns:
-Formentioned cutting off Lisa's water supply
-Forementioned drought
-They finally had a storm coming in and got a good amount of water.  Unfortunately it also brought a ton of wind and knocked the corn down.  Man did I feel sorry for those guys picking the early corn. 
Roses:
-Watching the boys playing cards and goofing around
-The impromptu wrestling match in the field with Pete & Tim joining in
-The farmer's market competition between Dan & Pete.  How many of you were surprised that Dan won? 

On a completely personal note about the episode I was schooled by my 9 year old daughter last night.  I was told I was all wrong thinking that Tim is "the cutest".  It goes Pete, Dan and then Tim.  Well I know better than to fight or reason with my daughter and while she does have good taste there is obviously more to teach her! 

Life in general

Today's post is going to be random musings.  If you're here looking for enlightenment (or Farm Kings) today isn't your day.  Check back tomorrow!  Last night was the second presidential debate.  Sons of Anarchy won out pretty quickly.  As I've mentioned before I don't think either candidate is what this country needs.  This has led me to have some pretty interesting prepping conversations lately.  Today my friend Darnell and I were talking about prepping in general and it went into 2 different areas.  Basic food storage and then the materials you don't necessarily think you'll need.  She was explaining that in her family everyone has a major toilet paper hoarding gene.  Something carried over from her grandfather living through the depression.  I'm thinking that TP could definitely be a useful item in terms of SHTF.  I don't know if I want rooms of it (she doesn't have nearly that amount no fear!) but a backup can't be a bad thing.  The three things I worry about the most as far as prepping are 1) food 2) safe water and 3)meds.  I'm one of those people that thinks prepping is a good idea in that it really can't hurt anything.  I'm not saying to spend your retirement on freeze dried or MRE's.  I'm saying that considering the fact that the food supply in this country can be put to a standstill quickly (one more reason to love your local farmers) that it's a good idea to at least know what you'd do if SHTF.  I'm talking about having a few bags of rice, flour and the basics on hand.  This led to the discussion of LDS food prepping and their food centers.  I honestly don't know how to explain to my parents the ramifications of not having any backup (the 3 shelves that are 2' x 1'  and filled with soup really aren't going to do a lot).  I would rather prepare and have no need for it than have a huge need and nothing ready.  Ok, enough on prepping.

A few interesting conversations lately.  Last week after Princess Bear's (PB) piano lesson her teacher and I were talking.  I think the piano teacher, Nancy, as been a family friend for around 30 years or so.  I used to take her youngest out all the time so she could work on homeschooling with the older 2.  Nancy is engaged to a farmer and we were discussing farm houses and my desire to get out to the country.  She mentioned something that my mom always told my sister & me growing up.  Basically if you only date rich boys you'll marry a rich man.  Not quite sure that that is the advice I needed at 15 but ok I get the idea.  So Nancy was telling me I need to start dating farmers.  Easier said than done.  She put on her thinking cap and hopefully an idea comes up.  I did tell her about the Farmers Only dating site and one more psycho guy in my background.  Then we went from talking about dating farmers to living in farm houses.  I kindly offered to live in one of the 2 farm houses that she and her fiance are taking care of.  At this point I don't think that the living situation could be  much worse and the school situation would have to be better.  PB was hit at school again this week.  I'm a bit less than happy. 

The last discussion that I had worth mentioning (at least in my mind) is one I had with PB yesterday.  The Heifer's International catalog came yesterday.  I was telling her that we needed to start talking about what we were going to buy for Jesus' birthday gift.  That went into the whole doing something for someone else at Christmas is a very nice way to keep the meaning of the season alive.  She liked looking at all the animals.  There is an option for funding some bee hives.  PB is very afraid of bees.  I have no idea why but she has a major hate on for them.  She immediately said that we could do anything for the gift except the bees.  I asked her why and the prompt response was "God would not like that.  He doesn't want to get stung.".  I thought this was incredibly cute but it also shows that we need to work a bit more on the concept of God and Jesus.  She's also getting back into her obsession with Jesus being put to death.  3 different times this week she's pulled out her Sunday school book and goes to the stations of the cross section.  It leads to different questions every time.  I really didn't know that it was possible to have so many questions about it. 

So as I said just random musings.  See you tomorrow!

Farm Kings Episode 3

Ok I'm late.  Sorry.  I was oh so organized this time & jotted things down as I watched the show.  Man if there is a career in this somehow I need to get it lined up!  Anyway the primary focus of this episode is Joe and Pete going to Polyface Farm and visiting with Joel Salatin.  If you don't know who he is shame on you!  A bit harsh?  Alright.  Sorry.  He is an incredibly fascinating man who is basically a living encyclopedia about sustainable farming.  Using the land, animals and crops to complement each other.  Working with Mother Nature instead of hitting her over the head and poisoning her.  OK so I'll get off the soapbox here.  The guys went to go visit Salatin and learned a lot.  The down side of it is that Dan really wanted to go because Salatin is his hero and he's starting the pig operation.  Apparently there wasn't anyone else who could do the donut run so Dan had to stay behind and take care of that.  Seriously?  You couldn't find anyone else?  Dan had never been to the New Kent market so he was worried about being on time.  Um, Dan....why hadn't you been there yet?  Get with the program buddy.  Ok that is the only derogatory thing I'm going to say about Dan on this episode.  Joe once again kind of rubbed me the wrong way.  As I mentioned I'm pretty sure that they could have found someone to cover the donut run.  Also the way Joe talked to the employee that forked the truck.  Ok, I get being upset and all.  I don't understand talking to someone like that.  I love that Pete jumped right in with take a pic and send it.  Joe just wanted to ream the guy.  Joe also does a WHOLE lot of complaining.  I think that could be my biggest problem with him.  I understand that he has taken on way too much but ultimately it was his decision.  I might go crazy if I hear about him complaining about getting a phone call with a problem.  Um dude....your the boss.  Welcome to your life.  You are the guy that is going to get the phone calls.  You're the guy that has to cover hours if there is a need.  Your the guy that is the be all and end all.  That means putting up with a whole lot of  crap.  So suck it up buddy!  Enough on that for now.  The was a segment on the first chicken slaughter of the year.  I had to tell Princess Bear (PB) to look away when the put the chicken in the kill cone.  I wasn't sure how much they'd show.  Thankfully it was all handled very well.  The guys headed up by Pete looked like they did a great job and things went smoothly.  I loved listening to Luke explain how it is different that dissecting in school.  After that there was a family dinner at Lisa's serving the chicken.  Hey Tim, anytime you're looking for a place to hang out barefooted and cooking give me a call, ok?  :) 

So, my thoughts on the episode as a whole:
-Dan really is getting a bum rap that I'm not completely sure he deserves.  He also came around enough to acknowledge how his staying allowed Joe to have a good time and learn what he needed.
-I think overall Pete has the funniest personality.  I love when he's talking to the chicks as he's feeding them or when he was talking to Hold 'em.  He just makes me smile and I'm sure other respond likewise. 
-Joe see above.  Also you need to make sure that when you are leaving that everyone knows what is going on.  IE the list that Dan needed at Boldy's. 
-Tim you're just hot.  Bottom line end of story. 

Ok, I'm outta here for now.  Catch ya tomorrow!

Still Alive

No I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. Life just has a tendency to get in the way.  Hopefully tomorrow's post will be about last week's episode of the Farm Kings.  I was planning on doing it Friday but Friday was one of those days.  I babysat my nephews for a few hours and got home in time to pick up Princess Bear (PB) from school.  I wanted to take her to the nursing home to see Mary but my mom had other plans.  PB & I were on the same wave length though.  She got in the car & asked if we could go see Mary.  Instead I had to help my dad remove bricks from the patio where the new deck is (supposedly) going.  A 17' x 21' area.  We did about a 1/3 of it Friday. We used the bricks to line the walkways in the garden.  Color me happy....it has to be much better than the slippery wood we have!  By later on Friday evening my dad & I were both pretty sore.  My parent's treated PB & myself to dinner at Carlos O'Kelly's.  Saturday morning my dad & I went back to work on the patio. In the rain no less!  Yes I know I'm sounding like a princess. Saturday was my mom's day to have one of her lose her mind moments.  She removed everything from PB's room and wanted to redo it.  All this while my dad & I were working on the patio.  I actually had one of those rare conversations with my dad and I asked him why he didn't try to get my mom to chill.  He said there was no point that she wouldn't listen.  It's a very rare thing when my dad actually admits to my mom's irrational behavior.  Sunday morning I was truly sore from head to toe and knew that 9am mass was not happening.  I got PB to Sunday school almost on time though!  My sister dropped Lukie off while they all went to 9am mass.  The kid is too cute and we had a great time.  He's enthralled with the plastic rats we had out as Halloween decs.  After Sunday school PB and I went to church with my friend Susie and her kids.  Sophia and PB are in the same Sunday school class and PB loves all 3 of the kids.  It was the best behavior she'd had at mass in a very long time!  About 20 minutes into mass my mom called me.  Thank G-d I remembered to put the phone on vibrate.  Then as we were walking out my dad called wanting to know where I was.  Um, I ran away from home.  Hello???  Thought the plans had been pretty clear when I left the house.  PB & I got home and found my dad and brother in law working on the patio and it was almost done!!!!  My mom was out with my sister and nephews.  They called and decided we were celebrating my dad's birthday at lunch instead of dinner.  The boys kept on insisting we all hold hands.  Don't know what that was about but it was adorable.  Truth be told I pretty much let them do whatever their little hearts desire.  After my sister, bil & nephews left we picked up the house and then it was time for a serious nap.  I hate bye week!  My dad & I finished up the patio that afternoon.  Of course since we busted our a$$es to finish it the contractor didn't show today.  So that is the story here.  Now I'm going to go crash because tomorrow is going to be a bit crazy and I just don't do tired well. 

Another day another post and a bit about the Farm Kings

Ok you know the story morning glory, right? Farm Kings tomorrow. After I’ve watched the entire episode. Between Princess Bear’s (PB) bedtime and attempting to watch the VP debate (before having to turn it off in disgust. What was with Biden’s smirk???!!???) Yes I know there is another showing of the episode and actually I’m kind of watching it now but don’t know if I’ll be up that long. I actually really want to pay attention to this weeks episode since it deals with Joel Salatin and Polyface. I’ve read a lot by and about Salatin so I’m pretty stoked about this episode. SO that said I’m still going to do a bit of writing about the Farm Kings.




I was playing around my blog statistics and looking at things. The stats below are from Oct 5, 2012 1:00 AM – Oct 12, 2012 12:00 AM

Search Keywords

Entry Pageviews

farm kings 38
are any of "the farm kings" married? 2
blog tim king farm kings 2
do tim king farm kings have a girlfriend 2
farm kings bear tattoo 2
farm kings cute guys 2
farm kings episode 2 2
sweetyetsassysarah 2
tim king farm kings 2
tim king from farm kings has what kind of tattoo 2

SO I was looking at some of these key words and laughing a bit. I won’t even go into the grammar of it (the later it gets the snarkier I tend to get). SO I will just have some fun here. Please understand that I’m just having fun here folks, ok?

- Are any of the Farm Kings married?

Um ok, after about 2 seconds of research it is pretty apparent that none of the Kings are married. (Is this when I mention that Joe should marry Heather? lol and I wasn’t even asked to say it.) As far as relationships for the other Kings the only thing I’ve read is that Elizabeth lives with her boyfriend. That’s it.

- Does Tim King have a girlfriend? Um refer to the above. Only thing I’ve ever read is what I mentioned above. Now that said c’mon have you looked at any of them? They are all smokin’ hot so let’s mention the reality of them all having girlfriends. Probably very probable! Isn’t that why many people are tuning in? The eye candy factor? The fact that if given the chance we’d all step up to the plate to apply for the role of a King girl. They’re all sponge worthy (check out the old Seinfeld when Elaine is talking about if a guy is sponge worthy or not). Now for the reality of it. It’s not going to happen. (Hey can the idiot who sent me the hate email please re-read what I just wrote?) Ok, I’ll be nice now. Just don’t appreciate hate mail, especially when I’m just having fun.

- Tim’s tattoos. Go to the Tim’s post day and check out the comments. Long and short someone who knows Tim dropped a line that the bear claw tattoos are a symbol of strength.



I went down to talk to Wanda today about the couple of piercings I want and the white tattoo. I walked in and started asking questions to the lady in the front. After the second or third question she said “Ok, we need to go talk to Wanda.” Ok sounds good to me. I’ve known of Wanda since the end of high school. She used to tattoo my fingernails for me. She is working on a guys tattoo. I look and its my friend Ted. I completely adore Ted. He is truly one of the sweetest most incredible people I’ve ever met. I’ve known him since high school. He is also friends with my brother. Back in the day Ted was way into the whole punk alternative scene. I love looking at pics of him from back in the day because it reminds me of how we all were so anti- establishment and into being true to ourselves. I actually found some pics of Ted from back in the day- not hard since they're on his Facebook page!






I can’t find any of me. I need to drop Jen a line because she had one of us from the old Stage 2 days. Me rocking the shaved head with long bangs look. Man did I put my parents through a lot. Anyhoo- this is going into a completely different post. So I’m going to go watch the Farm Kings and then sleep since I have the boys tomorrow.

I think it's time for some new piercings!

Tonight’s post is going to be short & sweet (just like me). I’m beyond tired and somewhat surprised that I’m still awake at the moment! It’s been a crazy day and prior to today insomnia has been kicking my a$$. I have decided it’s time for a couple of new piercings. Nothing too exotic. Just some new stuff on my left ear. The first thing I’m doing is a forward triple helix. I saw a picture of it and completely fell in love with the look.



My problem is that I HATE silver. Finding piercing hardware that isn’t silver isn’t easy. I have the cartilage on my left ear pierced twice (actually 3 times but only 2 go in easily any more and I’m not feeling the need to push it.) When I have those in I always have small gold hoops. SO I figure what I do now should match. I looked for hardware for the triple helix in yellow gold and finally found it. Color me excited!


I’m also going to do my daith.


I’ve had my trag done twice and it’s just a major pain in the butt. I figure the daith is a similar look and I love it with the heart hoop. I mean honestly how stinking cute is it???? I found a couple of different yellow gold heart hoop options for that. So my game plan is to go down and talk to Wanda (piercing & tattoo artist) and get her take on the piercings and if she’ll do a white tattoo. Hopefully there will be time tomorrow or Friday. I want to order the hardware and get this done! So that is the story here. Now hopefully my happy _ _ _ can actually fall asleep. Catch ya on the flip side!




Sarah

Fall

I have to say that fall is my absolute favorite season.  There is something really great about watching the leaves change, the temperatures drop and the planning that comes naturally with fall and winter.  I love falling asleep with the window open enough that I have to really snuggle down in the blankets.  Fat cat since she is no longer fat isn't too happy with this but she makes a great foot warmer!  Last weekend driving to Kristy's Princess Bear (PB) and I had a great time looking at all the trees changing colors.  Since it was pretty rural there were a lot of farmers in the fields finishing up work for the year.  She loved seeing all the tractors.  I love the smells that are associated with fall.  The burning leaves, spices like clove and cinnamon.  PB and I are both totally addicted to Starbucks Carmel Apple Spice drinks.  Those are expensive little buggers!  I've started making them at home especially since I have to pay for 2 now!  Nothing better than curling up with a warm drink and a good book.  This time of year Sundays are my favorite day for just that reason.  We usually go to 9 am mass and then PB has Sunday school right afterwards.  Then we're home just in time to watch the Fox pregame show and then football.  At some point a nap is usually in order and then time to just veg and read.  What a perfect day!  It was like that this past weekend and it was such a joy.  My parents went on an overnighter to Starved Rock for a high school reunion of sorts with my mom's high school buddies.  PB and I had a very low key no one telling us what to do kind of day.  The Bears won so really it was a killer day!  Yesterday was a bit tougher because although PB was looking very forward to her day off of school she really doesn't do well with changes in schedule.  Everything from after breakfast on was a fight.  How long she could stay out was a fight.  What she could have for a snack was a fight.  What she could wear was a fight.  And it just went on from there.  It's days like that I really do hate being a single parent.  I want to let someone else share in the joy of a completely obnoxious child!  Just about the time I was ready to send the child to the moon my parents arrived and PB went into full on crazy hyper kid mode.  Love those too.  She did settle down quickly which was nice so we spent the evening watching TV in the living room with my parents.  It really is seeming like my dad broke a rib.  The pain is getting worse but the Dr says there is really very little they can do.  I think that means I'm going to have to recruit my brother in law and sister to help with somethings around the house to get ready for winter.  I can take care of most of the breaking down the yard and garden.  My dad and I were supposed to take all of the bricks out of the patio this week since the contractor is starting the deck next Monday.  I'm thinking there is no way my dad can do that.  He also can't help put way things like the porch swing.  We use huge zip ties and attach it to the rafters in our garage.  I can move it, take it apart and get the rest in the attic but there is no way I can hang the seat from the rafters by myself.  Hopefully Kate & Larry can help.  I'll also need help putting in the storm windows.  I really hope they can clear the calendar for a weekend and we can "get 'er done!".  My parents can watch PB and the boys and we can slam through winter preps.  On the fun side of all of this I'll get to use the electric trimmers to cut down the various prairie grasses we have.  Talk about stress relief and fun!  OK, so I'm a geek but it really is fun to just whack that stuff to the ground!!!  I also think I'll have my brother in law put up the Halloween outdoor lights tomorrow night when they come over for my dad's birthday.  The advantage of a 6'8" bil is that he doesn't need a ladder for such tasks.  I'm scared to death of ladders.  I need to get into the attic and get down all the Halloween decs today so PB & I can get most of it done today.  Luke was so funny with the sound activated lights last year that I can't wait to see his reaction this year.  Alright I'm off to conquer the attic and then pick up the house before the whole day as disappeared and its time to pick up PB for therapy.  Catch ya later. 

Farm Kings- another slide show

Here's some more Farm King eye candy for you.  (does this count as a post?)  I might actually blog later.  Enjoy the show!

Farm Kings - free slideshow

Farm Kings Episode 2

Ok so I actually got to watch the entire second episode today and some of the things that I kind of thought last night are still sticking with me.

-Joe has some issues.  Good and bad. 
*Biggest one so far on the show is that he needs some extra help.  I hope that subsequent episodes show that he's hired the help they need.  Only catching a few hours of sleep here and there is going to catch up with him in a big way.  It also means he's not getting any real time with his family and his kids need him. 
*Joe is kind of gruff and comes off as knowing it all.  There were times I found myself thinking "man this guy is a jerk".  I'm sure it's because he's overworked and tired but if I thought it I'm sure others have as well.
*Joe needs to have better communication with Pete & Tim.  The whole lettuce thing.  The teasers for next weeks episodes on getting the pigs.  Seems like Joe makes a decision and that's it.  That is potential for a BIG disaster.
*The discussion about closing the store at 4 when Lisa points out that people are coming home from work at 5pm and Joe's reaction of "We're not here for convience.  We're not Walmart" is so the wrong attitude to have.  Hopefully you don't lose customers if they are watching the show.  People do want to be able to grab something on the way home to help prepare dinner.  You don't have to stay open late but 6 is a good idea.

So my recommendation for Joe is to get some rest, hire some people and set up a way that you, Tim and Pete can communicate every day.

Lisa.  She really truly inspires me and scares the hell out of me at the same time.  I also feel bad for anyone that her boys bring home as a spouse.  No one is going to live up to mom.  That said the woman is a force of nature and I want just a bit of her energy and wisdom.  I love that she is sticks to her guns when she is positive she's right.  The whole thing about the  closing time for the store.  The scene with her and Elizabeth was a bit harsh and I loved it when Elizabeth held her ground well over the salsa thing.  It's a bit more about mom's way is always best.  When Lisa was asking John were he was last night I was thinking that this is a lady that really knows her kids and trusts them.  Maybe its a big difference between raising mostly boys and girls.  All hell would have broken out 30 different ways if I didn't come home and my parents weren't 100% sure of where I was and who I was with.  All in all I just love watching Lisa in action and think she is one tough cookie....I think I'll add her into the list of who I'd like to be like when I grow up. 

There was a lot more in the second episode but those were the things that kind of stuck with me.  Of course in my opinion there wasn't enough Tim screen time but I'll probably think that every week!  Pete starting drawing some of his lines in the sand so I think it will be fun to watch that as the show continues. 

The Farm Kings have redone there online store (guess what PB is getting for Christmas? lol)  Check out the webstore HERE for awesome t-shirts!  I love the Farm to Fork and the Born to Farm t's.  Pretty sure PB is getting the Born to Farm.  If you haven't started following the Farm Kings on Facebook and Twitter what are you waiting for?????   OK, so I'm out for now.  Have a good weekend! 

Bet y'all thought this was going to be about the Farm Kings since they were on tonight, huh? Probably tomorrow. The show falls when I'm getting Princess Bear (PB) ready for bed and it's just chaotic. I know I miss some stuff so I'm glad I DVR'd it. Check tomorrow for Farm Kings musings.




Tonight might just be one of those random things. Me going off a bit. My home page is aol news. I catch up on what is going on so it's usually a good thing but not always. Tonight there was a story about a feud between new American Idol judges Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj. I've never been an Idol fan so I can't say I care much other than get over it ladies!



Then there was the blurb about Jason Aldean cheating on his wife. Seriously, dude? You had played it right. Stuck with the high school sweetheart who stuck by you. You have a couple of kids together- just exactly what were you thinking? I guess I'm at a stage in my life in which I have no tolerance for cheating. Get the fuck out if you can't control yourself. OK enough on that.



What about the 14 year old that gave birth at home and then strangled the child while it was still attached to her via cord? I can understand that she was probably frightened as all get out. My mom made it known from a very young age to my sister & me that if we were ever to get pregnant before we were 18 that she would be taking us for an abortion and she'd deal with my father afterwards. Alrighty then. Not quite sure that's how I want to deal with things with PB. It did leave a lasting impression in mind but still didn't really deter anything if you will. Thankfully it never became an issue. My sister and her husband were both waiting for marriage and somehow I was never pregnant until my pregnancy with PB (I was 28 then). So based on how my mom reacted and how other friends mom's reacted I can see how this 14 year old was terrified. I have a friend who did get pregnant in high school and her mom forced her to have an abortion. It is something that is still a very hard thing for her to deal with. I have another friend who became pregnant in high school and hid the pregnancy for a long time. Her parents sent her to a home for unwed Catholic girls when they found out. She had the baby and gave it up for adoption. We're facebook friends now and I've often wondered if Raven (the name she gave the baby) has contacted her. If the experience has played into the fact that she doesn't have any kids now. It's a messed up situation no matter how you look or deal with it. I'm not sure how I would deal with it if PB came to me at 14 and told me she was pregnant. All that said how in the bloody hell did this child kill her child? I think that has to go beyond any amount of fear possible. I hope for her sake that someone is getting this child some really good therapy.



Oh! One last thing I caught on aol news this week. An article that addresses the question of the realities of having sex 300 times in a year. Please feel free to check it out HERE. I have to admit that my immediate reaction was "Um no! Why is this even a question?" Now maybe I'm off base about it but I really hope not. Frankly in my very honest opinion at this point in my life one of the only legitimate reasons to be in a relationship is to be with someone that you like and want to have sex with on a very regular basis. We’re not even talking once a day here. For the most part I’m thinking if I’m with someone I care about and am attracted to that once a day really isn’t that much. Now I’m not talking about each and every time being the swinging from the chandeliers, tearing the sheets off the bed and waking everyone in a 2 mile radius kind of sex. There is something to be said for the occasional quickie. There is something to be said for the wake up in the middle of the night sex that you need to think about the next morning to make sure it really happened. I understand that in all relationships the sexual component goes through variations. And while this might be too much information I also understand that per more than one ex I have an “unusual” sex drive (we’ll leave it at that). I understand that when you are with someone and you’re at that third date or whenever you decide it’s the right time to sleep with them that things are initially very hot and usually more frequent than they are later. What I’m not really liking is the fact that per the survey a fair amount of people were thoroughly convinced that 300 times annual was just not going to happen. Now some of them were older but not all. And I’m really hoping that as I age I still have an interest in sex because it would just royally suck not to. I’d ask for opinions on the matter but I really don’t think anyone would so I won’t. And on that note I’m going to sign off for now. Have a good one!

Life as we know it

   

OK I will admit that most of the above things are true and what isn't I'm working on.  That being becoming a gun owner.  I talked with Kristy's husband John this past weekend and he suggested a few guns I should try.  Now since I'm such a space case I need to ask again.  I remember a glock was one but can't remember the other.  Kristy assured me that there are some really excellent gun safes out there that even my Houdini of a daughter couldn't get into.  That was my big reason for not wanting to have one in the house before.  Princess Bear (PB) has always had a way of getting into whatever it is that she isn't supposed to.   The rest of the above are pretty damn accurate.  I wouldn't say that I'm a Bible banging person and am aware that I need to work on my faith only in that I feel it is a shortcoming for me.  Flag waving?  Absolutely.  Troop Supporting?  Beyond any shadow of a doubt.  Standing with Israel?  110% Anti-Abortion is a mixed one for me.  Do I believe in it?  Absolutely not.  Couldn't do it.  Do I believe that people should have the right?  Honestly I really don't know.  Perhaps in cases of rape and incest.  That pretty much is it in my mind.  I know too many people who use it as a convenient form of birth control.  To say that it isn't a person yet is crazy.  Any woman that has looked at a sonogram machine or  listened to a Doppler of their child's heartbeat can't say it isn't a person.  Constitutional? Completely. I think that is one of the biggest problems we have in the country right now.  The Constitution isn't a recommendation.  It is the law of the land.  If you don't like it please feel free to leave. The fact that Obama has absolutely no regard for the Constitution is my biggest problem with him.  Christian Conservative?  I suppose so.  I don't think if you would have asked me a decade ago if I would ever agree to that statement I would have laughed at you.  I remember one time Wayne (the ex-fiancee) and I were discussing politics.  He was a Republican and I was a pretty die hard Democrat.  It was an interesting conversation. I would not identify as a Republican now.  I am a Libertarian. 

 

What brought about this little rant? I think tonight's Presidential debate.  I am so completely sick and tired of hearing about it.  I'd really rather watch Criminal Minds thank you very much! That said I'm also pretty disgusted with this race as a whole.  Neither candidate is that different from the other when you really think about it.  Frankly the only difference it will be made by whomever is elected is how quickly the shit hits the fan (SHTF) in the country.  Obama is re-elected and SHTF is going to happen before people even realize what has happened.  Romney is elected it might take a few years before people see that the country is still in trouble. 

 

I really wish politics and politicians could be wiped out. Clean the slate and start over.  No more lobbyist.  No more super pacs.  No more cronyism.  People who understand and respect the Constitution and want to see it work.  I could go off some more but frankly I doubt anyone has made it this far.  Another time I'll discuss why Obamacare isn't the answer.  For now I hear Barnes and Nobel calling my name.  I haven't done anything for myself for my birthday and I believe that there is some Joel Salatin and Storey Publishing books in my future!

WooHoo! It's Tim's post day!

Ok, it might be a good idea if I actually get some real sleep sometime soon but then again while loopy I'm having fun figuring out what I'm going to post on.  So here I sit completely exhausted but in a great mood listening to slacker radio and have decided that today is the day.  The day to detail why it is that I think that Tim King is just the hottest, sexiest man living on this G-d's green earth.  So if this doesn't work for you feel free not to read any further and just check back tomorrow but Tim's post is what's going down today.  Today is going to be a figurative show and tell of why I think Tim King is just too hot and a really great person (as far as anyone can tell from reading and watching someone on TV).  Why anytime I see a pic or he shows up on screen I have 2 almost simultaneous thoughts.  The first being: "OMG is he hot!  I want to ______________ him!"  Followed by "Oh and I really want to ______________ him!"  Bet you thought I was actually going to put it all out there.  Now what kind of fun is that?  That and the small fact that my mom told me to always be very careful about what I put in writing (some of her better advice).  SO, if by any off chance that Tim is reading this I'm sure that you're 30 shades of red right now.  Sorry about that (could someone take a pic of that and email it??)  If you really want to know go listen to some really old school Nelly songs and there is one song that is almost exactly what I'm thinking.  So, I've been having way too much fun playing on Smilebox not to do an all Tim slide show so without further ado:

Now since for some people the pics aren't enough to show why I think Tim is just HOT! I'll also explain why from what I've seen on Farm Kings and read as well that at least in my oh so very humble opinion makes Tim just 9.5 (because really even he has his faults I'm sure. Right?) The first thing that really made it so it he stood out from his brothers is the fact that he's described as the farmer.  Anyone who knows me and what I like knows that growing things in my garden is a huge part of what is important to me.  The fact that I would give my eyeteeth to have a couple of acres somewhere that PB and I could really grow most of what we need.  So here is this guy that is basically in charge of all of the planting that goes on at Freedom Farms.  There is nothing cooler than watching seeds you've planted germinate and thrive. He does this on a very large scale and is taking a lot of responsibility for his families welfare on his shoulders. SO there is the fact that he gets to do something I love on a very large scale.  There is also the fact that he is very responsible and goal oriented.  Something that most of the men I have or do know are not.  He has such a huge sense of family.  Not only is he ensuring that Freedom Farms has the seedlings and plants they need to have the best year possible he is all about showing and explaining to his younger brothers the why and how of things.  When he asked Ben to grab a couple of flats of plants they were getting ready to transplant he asked Ben if he noticed that they were smaller.  If he was just trying to get things done he wouldn't have bothered to mention to Ben what the difference was.  He's giving Ben some knowledge that can help him in the future.  Tim has talked about the fact that he wants to teach his brothers things and if they pursue farming when they grow up he'll be very proud of them.  The sense that he's already proud of them but is also putting the time into helping plan a future for them at least in a way that he's capable of helping them with is awesome.  It goes to the general sense of family that all of the Kings have.  The fact that he wants to show and share his knowledge with his brothers.  You never get the sense they he feels that he has to but that he wants to do it.  I loved it when they were going hunting for the groundhogs and Tim was talking about showing his brothers things and detailing which brother is similar to another brother. Then he talks about Sam being a great shot and that he's right behind him.  He said it laughing and in a way that you felt that he was proud of Sam and  not jealous of the fact that Sam is better than he is.  That's sexy.  He's willing to say I'm good but not the best but by the same token he also has his fair share of confidence in his abilities.  When he shoots into the groundhog hole and Pete asks if he got it and can't believed it worked.  Tim was  absolutely laughing saying he knew it'd work.  So he's very sure where his skills do lie. 

 

One of the biggest things I thought made Tim just incredible was how he talked about Ben.  Ben is the youngest King that was born with Down syndrome. Now I have to give a huge amount of kudos to all of the Kings in their attitude towards Ben and their willingness to accept Ben as he is and fight for him.  I can't tell you how many families I've seen that try to make a child with different abilities fit into a mold that works for the family instead of the family working with the child. Kids with special needs have enough to do without having to conform to what their families think they should do or be.  The Kings are such an awesome loving example of how to embrace a special needs individual.  So when Tim is talking about the perspective Ben gives him I complete can relate.  The fact that as a sibling he and all of his siblings are so in touch with Ben is just incredible.  I loved it when Elizabeth talked about how they had fought for Ben's educational opportunities.  SO I'm not saying this is just something that Tim has over his siblings it just added to the sex appeal already there.  I also loved it when Tim was arm wrestling with Ben and Ben won.  Of course Tim let him win but Ben doesn't know that and the smile on Ben's face made it all worth it.  I also read that Tim is the one who often shoulders the responsibility of taking Ben to the hospital when he needs to go.  Another thing I can really relate to.  Whereas I'm doing it as a parent he's doing as a sibling.  So yeah its another case of "damn this is one hell of a guy".  I've spent more time in the ER with PB than I ever thought was imaginable and I'm sure Tim feels like that at times yet he does it. I guess I'm also looking at it from the side of the few men I have been involved with since Pb's birth that couldn't cope with the fact that PB always came first and that meant a lot of medical issues that couldn't hang but then you have a sibling shouldering this just amazes me.   Hey Tim- a bit of advice.  Actually 2 pieces of advice.  Have an ER go bag.  Something that can pass time for you & Ben that only comes out when you go to the ER.  Also a smart phone with a Kindle app is awesome for passing the time.  The fact that he is obviously a guys guy and kind of tough in his own accord his hot.  The whole tattoo on the inner arm thing is just hot.  I can't stand when guys won't do an entire band yet this guy has an entire piece on his inner arm.  So the fact that I have always liked guys that have some ink the way he has done his ink is also a point in his favor.  Renee & I were talking about the fact that we both like bigger guys this past weekend.  Now Renee is tall so in her case it makes total sense but I'm all of 5'3" on a good day.  I just love big guys.  One of the biggest reasons is that I have a tendency to run off my mouth.  I want to be with a guy that could back up my shit or get me the hell out of dodge when my mouth has gotten me into trouble....again.  So the fact that Tim is a big guy that willing to deal with pain for something he wants helps fit him into my pic of a perfect guy (also before I get some hate mail yes I know there is no such thing as a perfect guy). 

So yes Tim is oh my G-d physically good looking.  Not what I'm usually typically into but nonetheless he is hot as all get out.  Then you add the above traits and characteristics to it and he's just damn near what I imagine the perfect man to be.  Tada!  Now that you have an explanation for the Tim King infatuation don't you just feel all kinds of better? 

A few answers

OK, I've received a few questions and thought this would be an easier way to address the topics.

1) Why do you always refer to your daughter as Princess Bear (PB)?
My daughters name is rather unique.  A direct effort resulting from me having a rather common name.  Her name is actually on the slide show in today's earlier post. I just don't want anyone that googles her name to hit upon this blog. Her bio father bailed within weeks of my telling him about my pregnancy and has never shown any interest.  At 9 years of age she has never shown any interest in him either. Since that seems to work I really don't want him to be able to read the blog and be able to peek into our lives. 


2) Why do you blog?
It's a great outlet and gives me something to focus on. I never really expected to have any sort of real following but it is nice to receive comments or questions.  I have noticed when I drop my blogging for awhile that I have lost a great coping mechanism.  So that's why I blog.

3) How do I get in touch with you?
There is a cute little bear graphic and when you click on that it will set up an email form. Easy peasy.  My email is SarahRose_914@yahoo.com btw.  Or you can leave a comment.  Most of the times I do publish comments (most).

4) Where do you live?
It's mentioned in my description that I live in Central IL.  Peoria to be exact.  Home of Catepillar.  Actually we're quite the Catepillar family.  My nephews can tell you the proper name of any Cat machine as soon as they lay eyes on it.  My sister and bil met while working there and my dad works there as well.  Just wondering why this is even a question. 

OK, so there are a few questions answered. Feel free to drop a line or comment if you have more.

Sarah

Busy weekend!

We had pretty busy weekend but fun was had by all.  On Friday evening I took Princess Bear to Portrait Innovations to (finally) get her First Communion pics taken.  The child is a complete ham when it comes to getting her picture taken. I kept on telling the photographer that I only planned on buying the special.  The bummer is that you can't purchase the CD with all the images unless you spend at least $100.  Yeah really didn't have that kind of money. I'll try to scan in the pics later.  They really did turn out incredibly well. I forget how photogenic she is.  The photographer did a great job of getting pics that didn't show her craniofacial anomalies.  I told PB that we could go back for Christmas pics and she could go crazy picking out pics then. 

Saturday morning was kind of a bumming around morning.  Pretty nice actually.  We tried to go to the Fine Arts Fair that morning but the riverfront was crammed so we decided to go back later. PB & I hit the  grocery store and then went home. My mom was having one of her moments because she thought I'd misplaced her credit card.  We went back down to the Fine Arts Fair and it was nice. I didn't get to actually look at anything which was kind of a bummer.  PB had a blast in the kids art section. It was $5 and they had face painting, origami, mask making,decorating your own tote bag, painting on wood and doing a dried been mosaic. The only thing she didn't get to do was the bean mosaic and we can do that at home sometime.  The face painting was the smash success. She was beyond mad when I made her take it off at bath time.  I promised her that she could do it again at Halloween.  We had to get home because my mom & PB both started overheating.  Here are some pics from the Fine Arts Fair Kids Fair:



Create your own free picture collage

After the Fine Arts Fair everyone took a nap or vegged. My parents are sick as all get out and it seems as though I'm not too successfully fighting it off. PB and I baked Peanut butter bars. I was entirely too PMS not to indulge in peanut butter & chocolate. I forget that baking with my daughter extends the task A LOT. I have to keep on reminding myself that she needs the experience so she can start to learn baking and cooking for herself soon. My precocious daughter also decided to use 90% of the brand new body wash in the shower that night. I hate when she does stuff like that just to do! My mom made the mistake of telling PB that Aladdin was on TV so bedtime pretty much went out the window. (Note to self: buy Aladdin for Christmas). I think I finally got her down about 10pm. My insomnia is in full force so my happy a$$ didn't go to bed until after 2am. Needless to say 9am mass was just a bit on the rough side. Thank goodness Susie was there for me to talk to during PB's Sunday school otherwise I would have fallen asleep in the hallway waiting for PB to finish up. PB & I got home around 11am. It was time to watch the Fox pregame show. PB gets very grumpy since most of the TVs are tuned into the pregame show and then football for the rest of the day. After the pregame show I completely fell out for a few hours. At that point I wasn't sure if I was going to make the drive to Kristy's or take a pass. The sleep worked so PB & I were on our way around 3:30pm. Kristy said it should take about an hour. Unfortunately I could get lost inside a cardboard box. My dad called at one point to see where we were and I told him. At that point I also started thinking I could have turned the wrong way in Bradford. I voxered Kristy (LOVE that app!) and found out that indeed I had gone the wrong way. Thankfully it was a completely gorgeous day for a drive out in the country! We finally got back on track and went through Bradford the right direction. That town has some seriously great older houses! Bradford was the last town before getting to Kristy's but there was about 20-25 minutes of driving between the 2 points. PB had a wonderful time seeing the different farms and animals. She loved seeing the tractors in the fields. I'm sure I would have too if I hadn't been sneezing so much! You also know that you're in the country when the directions are based on things like the grain bins on the right and the pine grove on the left. In spite getting lost it really was a great drive and helped solidify that I want to get out to the country as soon as possible. My dad insisted that I drive his car. I'm SO not used to a 4 cylinder but was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO in love with having the XM radio. It was 80's and 90's music the entire time. Kristy and John have a gorgeous log home. I would absolutely give my eyeteeth to have a log home. They have 13 acres and it's just so peaceful. They're having a party in 2 weeks with a Misfits tribute band. As Kristy said if you don't like tattoos and mohawks you probably shouldn't come. Seeing as those things cause no blips on my radar I'd love to go especially since I haven't camped out in G-d only knows how long. The downside is that I don't think I have a snowballs chance in hell of my parents watching PB for that kind of time. If I did I'd work on getting the other Sarah's ass down here and we could really have a Sig Lam reunion. It was so wonderful to see Kristy and meet her husband for the first time. Renee and I were chatting about our children's biological fathers as well as our exes. It seems as though Renee and I have some real similarities in those departments. John was listening to us and at one point interjected that not all men are like what Renee and I have experienced. I'm sure he's right but they are so few and far between its just not even worth looking for anymore. PB was in heaven because they had 5 cats that she got to terrorize. Kristy's daughter Mollie was also there which was great for PB since she needs every opportunity to socialize. I also had nice time meeting the new people there and having an adult conversation. PB wanted to know how soon she could come back and play. I guess Mollie's bed has a slide and it just doesn't get much cooler than that. I did learn that I need to have a small light so PB can read in the car. She brought a ton of books, coloring supplies and animals but the way back was very dark so she had little to do other than talk to me and listen to the radio. My parents kept on calling to see if we'd left yet, where we were and so on. After about the 3 call PB asked why they kept calling. I tried explaining that her grandparents were just worried about her and wanted her home. Her response was "They need to relax. I'm with my mama and we're just fine!" I do love the child! I took today off babysitting the boys since I really am feeling like crude. I miss the boys and would have loved to see them but I think I need some rest and getting them sick would just suck. I do need to go to Gymboree since I have Gymbucks to use but that might even wait until tomorrow. 3 hours of sleep when you're fighting off something is just not a good thing. I'm off to drink some tea and hope to grab some sleep. OH! ONE LAST THING! I read last night that Abercrombie & Fitch have offered Pete and Dan King some print work if they'd like the opportunity. WooHoo! Congrats to Pete & Dan. Now Abercrombie & Fitch I'm SURE it was just a small oversight but WHAT ABOUT TIM????????????????????? You know this hotter than sin guy:

 

Renee and I were talking about the Farm Kings last night and how they sure as heck don't have guys like that in Illinois or Iowa. I was saying that Tim pretty much would have the ability to make the word "no" fall out of my vocabulary. SO, Abercrombie you might want to fix this mistake ASAP, ok?

 Sarah