~~Photo Contest~~

Leslie at Leslie McCleery Photography is having a contest and the winner gets a photo shoot. I don't know her personally, but I did look at her pictures and they are great. So those of you in Utah go take a look here and enter. Make sure you message her and let her know I sent you so I can get another entry too!!

~~Look What I Won!!~~

I was the lucky number chosen for this prize from Hailey at Be Serious.
We gave it a try tonight and it is WONDERFUL!!!!! We used it to dip chicken and wontons in and I can't think of anything I have liked better.
So go here and order some. You wont be sorry!!! Thanks Hailey
I also FINALLY figured out the link thing, thanks to all the people who helped my dumb ass figure it out!!!!

~~Not Me Monday~~

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I did not stay home sick to read the new V.C. Andrews book.

I did not have to switch cell phone service because Qwest was not sold to Verizon. And since I didn't need a new phone I did not buy all of us the new Blackberry, just different colors. I will not need major help trying to figure out how to use the thing.

I did not run outside in the snow in barefeet to grab an address out of my truck, and since the neighbors dog would never poop on my lawn, I did not step in it. EWWWWWWW!!!

I did not get my first non-family follower. Yeah Tammy!!!!! I LOVE her blog!

I did not tell my kids I had an errand to run so I could go to lunch with a friend WITHOUT them. That would be very selfish and rude!

I did not ask several stores in my town to donate things for giveaways. And there will not be some really fun ones coming up!

I did not change Trey's diaper a little too slow and end up with poop all over him, the blanket, the floor..... Seems it wasn't my poop week!

I did not freak the hell out when Libby started screaming Sunday morning because she thought she was dying from a bloody nose and came in my room gushing blood everywhere. I did not get just a little worried when it wouldn't stop for a good 10 minutes.

I did not send Amber to school when she was complaining of a tummy ache because I did not think she was faking. The school did not have to call and have her picked up when she got sick. Am I a rotten mother or what???

I did not laugh at Amber when she bent over and asked her belly what it wanted to eat and then stood up and helped her belly button say "Mac & Cheese". I am not totally amazed at some of the things that come out of her mouth.

Well that is pretty much what I didn't do this week. How about you???

~~2 Months Going On 2 Years~~

Trey is two months old and I can't believe how strong he is. When we put him down for tummy time he "army crawls" across his play mat. He also rolls all the way over and has for a couple weeks now and that was quite a surprise the first time he did it and about fell off the couch. He "talks" and laughs all the time and if someone will talk back with him he can go on for hours~~ to cute!!! He has held his head up since the day he was born and he is just getting so dang cute looking around and taking everything around him in. He is so aware of everything!! He has also learned how to copy someone when they stick their tongue out at him and he does it right back over and over so we know it isn't just a fluke when it happens. And then today, just when we thought he was slowing down, he got his first tooth~~ 2 months old and getting teeth. This kid is growing up way to fast!! Here is his new picture. Daddy is a die hard Yankee's fan so it only makes sense that Trey is too! (Well that and he can't dress himself yet so he wears what mommy & daddy want)

~~School 1960 vs School 2008~~

I remember growing up in a town where everyone knew everyone and everyone knew your business! If you were doing something wrong and the guy down the street saw you, he would take you home and let your dad kick your butt, no need for police. If you acted up in school your mom wanted them to punish you and then she would do it again when you got home. I remember at 16 hitch hiking home after working in the cherry processing plant at midnight and not being afraid of who was going to pick us up. I remember hanging out in the park or the "haunted mill" all night and the only thing (besides ghosts) we had to be afraid of was our parents if they found out we were not where we were suppose to be. Now I don't even dare let my little girls sleep out in the backyard, next to the house, with my bedroom window open. What a crazy damn world it has become. Good Lord, I miss the good old days, but now it goes something like this:
Scenario: Johnny and Mark get into a fistfight after school.

1960 - Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up friends.

2008 - Police are called, SWAT team arrives and arrests Johnny and Mark. Mobiles with video of fight confiscated as evidence. They are charged with assault, Protective Orders are taken out and both are suspended even though Johnny started it. Diversionary conferences and parent meetings conducted. Video shown on 6 Internet sites.

Scenario: Billy breaks a window in his neighbor's car and his Dad gives him a whipping with his belt and makes him pay for it with his allowance.

1960 - Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college, and becomes a successful businessman.

2008 - Billy's dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy is removed to foster care and joins a gang. Psychologist tells Billy's sister that she remembers being abused herself and their dad goes to prison. Billy's mom has an affair with the psychologist. Psychologist gets a promotion.

Scenario: Mark, a college student, brings cigarettes to school.

1960 - Mark shares a smoke with the school principal out on the smoking area.

2008 - Police are called and Mark is expelled from school for drug possession. His car is searched for drugs and weapons.

Scenario: Vinh fails high school English.

1960 - Vinh goes to Remedial English, passes and goes to college.

2008 - Vinh's cause is taken up by local human rights group. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that making English a requirement for graduation is racist. ACLU files class action lawsuit against state school system and his English teacher. English is banned from core curriculum. Vinh is given his diploma anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a living because he cannot speak English.

Scenario: Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers, puts them in a model plane paint bottle and blows up an anthill.

1960 - Ants die.

2008 - Homeland Security and FBI are called and Johnny is charged with domestic terrorism. Teams investigate parents, siblings are removed from the home, computers are confiscated, and Johnny's dad goes on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.

Scenario: Johnny falls during recess and scrapes his knee. His teacher, Mary, finds him crying, and gives him a hug to comfort him.

1960 - Johnny soon feels better and goes back to playing.

2008 - Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces three years in prison. Johnny undergoes five years of therapy. Becomes gay.

I don't know who origninally wrote this as I found it about 100 different places when I was looking, but they hit the nail on the head. Don't you think it is all getting a little bit ridiculous???

~My Parents Drugged Me~

A few weeks ago I got an email with this story someone wrote about being "drugged in their childhood" in it. I have added a couple things to make more of a point in my life, but most of it was already just perfect!! With over 100 overdoses in my community in the last year from heroin and/or oxycontin and a son who is a heroin addict it really hits home. I wish we still had the option of "drugging" our children like my parents did when I was young without DCFS stepping in and calling it abuse.

"The other day, someone at a store in our town was talking about a Methamphetamine lab had been found in an old farmhouse in the county and she asked me a rhetorical question, "Why didn't we have a drug problem when you and I were growing up?"
I replied I had a drug problem when I was young.
I was drug to church on Sunday morning. I was drug to church for weddings and funerals; I was drug to family reunions,community socials no matter the weather, county fairs, deer hunting camp, Easter at Gramma's with the whole family and school carnivals.
I was drug by my ears when I was disrespectful to adults. I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents, told a lie, stole a candy bar, brought home a bad report card, did not speak with respect, spoke ill of an adult or if I didn't put forth my best effort in everything that was asked of me.
I was drug to the kitchen sink to have my mouth washed out with soap if I uttered a profanity. I was drug to pull weeds in mom's garden and flower beds and pick vegetables and fruit with my grandparents. I was drug by the ear to show me what I had done wrong and made to do it right. I was drug to the homes of family, friends and neighbors to help out some poor soul who had no one to mow the yard, repair the clothesline, or stack some firewood, and if my mother had ever know that I took a single dime as a tip for this kindness, she would have drug me back to the woodshed.
Those drugs are still in my veins and they affect my behavior in everything I do, say, or think. They are stronger than cocaine, crack, or heroine; and, if today's children had this kind of drug problem, America would be a better place.
God bless the parents who drugged us.

~~Contest you need to check out!~~

Myspace Comments

Over at iMommy there is a super contest for a sweet Valentines (or any time item). Go check it out here: http://www.imommyblog.com/2009/02/valentine-giveaway.html
Hopefully I will have a fun giveaway like this in the next month if I can get enough interest going for it.
I still can't get the link to work out so if anyone has some simple directions to help me figure outwhat I am doing wrong I would appreciate the help.

~~ 14 kids, she has got to be nuts!!~

Tammy over at "Queen Size Funny Bone" wrote the most amazing thing today. It says everything I have been thinking since this crazy assed story was first reported. Go check it out and let me know what you think.
http://queen-sized.blogspot.com/2009/02/68-14.html

Sorry I still can't figure out the link thing so you'll have to copy and paste.

~~Tattoo's Rock~~

Someone had some extremely rude comments on my Myspace page about women with tattoos (I have pictures of all of them there). At first I was totally offended and ready to go to war with them. Instead I decided that I really didn't care what anyone else had to say about it. Anybody surprised by that? I didn't think so.
My tattoos are an expression of who I am and nobody has the right to dictate what I will be except for me!! So haters of the world, this is my opinion and when it comes to my body, I really don't care if you don't like it.

I got my first tattoo at a drunken biker party. I say first, because they are 100% completely addictive. Everyone always says they will only get one. You may put it off, but someday, sometime, somewhere you will get another one. It is one of the better addictions that I have had and/or heard of.
I now have upwards of 10. All are tasteful and can be covered up if the need arises that I need them hidden.

It drives me nuts when people start talking about how in 40 years we will have hundreds of old women running around with saggy tattoos. Do you really care or are you just trying one more time to make people think tattoos are only for awful, mean, bad people who will kill you if you meet them in a dark alley? Only for drunken sailors or gangs? Why would anyone really care if I cover my body in ink if that is what I choose to do? If I don't care, why should anyone else? My opinion on it is that if my husband and I aren't bothered by them, then it really doesn't matter that when I am 60 I may have a whale on my leg instead of the cute little dolphin that is there now and so what if my frogs turn into dragons?

My daughter, who cries at the sight of a needle, got one of a fire helmet and dolphins to honor her father and myself. I think it was a sweet gesture. Another daughter got the name of her deceased son on her back, again a very sweet gesture.

I get them for a variety of reasons, the love of pain :-) (jk), things with meanings to me, things I really like, and as the next one will be, a tribute or memorial for my sweet grandchildren. I have always thought long and hard about what to permanently put on my body (well except for that biker party thing). Sometimes to the point of driving Jeff crazy because he is ready to be off to the tattoo shop and I just can't decide (we usually go together). I search the internet for weeks and find what I think I want, then make the changes to it to make it what I really want, which is sometimes a pretty ugly task because I am no artist. Thank God I have a couple great tattoo artists to help me out in this task.

So all the people that have all the negative to say about the tattoos of the world, SHUT UP, if you don't want to see them- don't look and finally, don't knock it until you try it, I can bet you won't stop with just one.

~~ Trey is home~~

Still not sure what is causing the fluid in his head to build up. The neurosurgeon told Jacki to bring him in every few days and have his head measured to make sure the fluid is not effecting his brain and to watch him close for signs of discomfort. He seems fine and is starting to "talk" all the time.
Hopefully we will not have to spend anymore time up at Primary Children's. Just knowing that Zariah died there makes it really hard to even go into the building!

~~More Primary Children's~~

Trey was admitted back into Primary Children's today. His fever will not drop below 103 and the swelling in his soft spot is back. At this point they are sure he has Adenovirus and that is causing his fever and spewing from both ends. They don't know, or at least haven't figured out yet, what made the fluid retention and swelling come back. Jacki is about to lose it and I don't really know what to do to help her. Please pray for her to be strong, for the baby to get better and have his fever go down and for the doctors to figure out what is wrong with him.

~~ The Most Beautiful Beach~~

Please go here:

http://namesinthesand.blogspot.com/2009/01/zariah-lynn-etienne.html

and see the most beautiful beach with Zariah's name written on it by the most caring and wonderful people. Carly & Sam Dudley lost their son Christian and as a tribute to him they lovingly write the angels names in the sand on their beautiful Australian beach. This one for Zariah is so precious to us words cannot describe it. Thank you Sam & Carly!!

~~Not Me Monday!~~

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I did not let Jaycee dye my hair bright pink, people would think I was a flamingo with that hair color.

I did not stay at a Hilton Hotel this past weekend even though the rooms do not cost an arm and a leg. They do not have the super best rooms and softest pillows ever.

I did not enjoy every minute of not being at the hotel and not enjoying the peace and quiet of no kids or dogs!!

I did not spend way too much money at a "Passion Party" last weekend on things that I will not ever find a use for. Their lotions and body sprays do not smell wonderful!!

I did not watch the stupid Grammy's last night for 2 hours just to lust over Kid Rock for 3 minutes.

I did not laugh at the fugly clothes people thought they looked good in, I would never be that rude.

I did not argue with an anonymous comment poster. That would be futile and immature and I would never engage in that behavior.

I do not know any secrets that I am not dying to tell. I will not go crazy before I tell someone's secret though.

I did not actually, kinda, sorta meet my first real life bloggy friend and she is not great, HI ABBY!!!

I did not go into the 15 item or less line with 16 items at Smith's on Saturday~~ It is not one of biggest irritations when someone else does it!!

I did not sit on the couch all day Sunday trying to will away my headache from the night before.

I did not buy a Wii after swearing we wouldn't be getting one because nobody plays with the Nintendo, Playstation, XBox, Gameboys, etc... And it does not have a ton of really fun games you can get for it. I will not be found in the basement playing it....EVER, so don't look there for me if I happen to be missing!!

So what DIDN'T you all do last week??

~~Great Baby News~~

The baby was retested for some things today. Another spinal tap and scans and everything has come back negative. They have changed his antibiotic from the pneumonia and that is the only thing that they have found that could be wrong. He is going to stay in the hospital for another night for observation and then he will be released tomorrow with Jacki watching him close for any changes in his soft spot. Thanks for all your prayers, I know I believe in religion different than most of you, but I do believe in prayer and I am sure it helped!!

~~ Baby update~~

A lot of the baby's tests have come back and have all been negative. The viral meningitis was negative, but the test for the bacterial won't be back for a day or so. Max says he looks good and he feels they will be figuring out what is wrong soon and they will be home. It looks like it may be just a random infection and possibly some antibiotics or at the worst a shunt to fix it. I hope he is right and that is what I am focusing on for now.

Update on Zeke~ Trey

He has been admitted to Primary Children's. The CAT Scan came back OK, but obviously something is wrong so they drained some of the fluid off his head and also did a spinal tap to test for meningitis and other diseases and have set up an MRI for tomorrow. They did start him on an antibiotic so if it is meningitis he will already have started the therapies for it. They have told her he may be there a long time so we are going to take up the trailer tonight and hopefully they are wrong and we will be bringing it home on the weekend. I will let everyone know when we know exactly what he has. Thanks for all the well wishes and prayers.

~~Please pray for baby Trey~~

Our sweet baby Trey was just sent to Primary Children's Hospital today. We have been worried about a watery feeling bump in his soft spot and Jacki took him to the doctor today who told her to immediately take him to Salt Lake. This could be from many different things, from a blockage and the brain fluid can't drain and it could be as easy as putting a shunt in to drain it, unfortunately it could also be a brain tumor or brain cancer or something horrible. We are asking everyone to pray for him to get better and be able to come home. He is such a sweet baby and I don't know if Jacki & Max can deal with an illness or even worse again. I will post again when we know more, but in the mean time please keep him in your though.



UPDATE: The doctors at Primary Children's think Trey may have meningitis and are testing his fluids now and doing some other testing.

~~Top Ten Lists~~

I decided I needed a top 10 list of irritations and a top 10 reasons for frustration, just to jump on the bandwagon with everyone else:
Irritations
1. No hunting season on pedophiles, sexual predators or baby rapers and no firing squads in the court rooms for when a child molester pleads guilty. Why must my tax dollars go to keeping these useless wastes of space alive and living better than I can afford? Give that money to their victims~ they are the ones that deserve help not the animals who preyed upon them!
2. Having to have a mammogram and ultrasound twice a year because I am a happy cancer survivor. Obviously I have already lost all my breasties so what on earth could make you think I want to be reminded of it twice a year by a technician with jokes I have heard a thousand times and really don't make me feel any better about it? There is no joke that can take my mind off the pain caused by a mammogram machine that only has tiny bits of tissue to grab onto.
3. Having to listen to my husband's damn dog who feels the need to whine, howl and bark when he feels he is not getting the attention he needs.
4. People who excuse their children's rudeness and bad behavior with a smile and shoulder shrug or some lame assed comment. Grow up and act like adults maybe they will learn from you.
5. Having the same argument with my little girls about cleaning their room and the ridiculous excuses they make for why they can't figure out if they take a couple minutes every day to pick up it wouldn't get like that.
6. Trying to find clothes styles somewhere between my daughters' itty bitty pieces of material clothing and my mother's polyester prison clothing that actually fit my fat ass and look half way decent.
7. On any given day I am the only one (so I think) on the road that has a clue how to drive and knowing I can't teach these complete idiots anything, except not to tailgate me and then pass me doing 110mph or I will turn my wig wags on and make you think you are getting pulled over (only for a second, but boy is it fun to see people hit the brakes and duck their head down.)Go as fast as you want, but stay off my ass and we will both be happy.
8. People who pull out from the side of the road directly in front of me when there are no cars behind me. I believe NASCAR speeds should be observed everywhere that little children are not i.e., THE FREEWAY!!
9. Celebrities that adopt kids from all over the world and then flaunt it in the faces of perfectly good and caring people who wait for years to get a child. Like they are special or better than "real" people and can love a child more because they have money~~ WRONG!!
10. People that think it is OK to hurt a child. Just because you have one doesn't mean you "own" it and can do whatever you want to it. If you want something to abuse buy a punching bag, it'll be cheaper and the labor getting it to your house is much easier.

Frustrations
1. I am a road rager and if you cut me off in traffic I will curse at you, possibly flip you off, wish the fleas of a thousand camels invade your armpits, etc, etc.
2.I always sneeze in 3's - I hate it and when I have to wait for the 3rd one I feel like I am going to throw up. I have had people tell me dozens of things to do to make that last one come and none of them work.
3.I would rather read than watch TV, yet the TV in my house ALWAYS has to be on and if the girls are home they ALL have to be on.
4. Having the metabolism of a blade of grass and not being able to lose even 10 pounds. I used to be able to eat 25000 calories a day and I was so busy it worked right off, now I look at a french fry and my thighs start to groan.
5.People who don't know how to count in the grocery check out line. Now I am not talking about the little old lady who has 14 things in the 10 item or less line. No I am talking about the mullet wearing dork following the HUGE lady in shorty shorts and a belly shirt (see below) with 5 snot nose kids that are grabbing everything in sight and screaming because they can't have it taking their FULL cart to the 15 items or less line and then making excuses like they need to hurry to get their kids out of the store. What they really need is to not take those little demons into public until they learn to behave and if you insist on bringing them let the people who have only 2-3 things get checked out so we can get away from said children.
6. Continually happy and cheerful people who tell me stupid things like, “Smile it could be worse" Keep it up and I will show you how much worse it could be.
7.Belly shirts. They should never worn by the people who are wearing them. Tight, tan bellies~~ maybe, but bursting out of the waistband ones, not so much, it's gross. And as much as I love tattoo's, if your little circle of whatever it used to be around your belly button now looks like super stretched out flock of something unimaginable, please keep it covered! If you have a hairy back or nasty pits, cover the damn things up. I also don't want to see your thong riding up your back or your butt crack when you bend over to get something. This also goes for "boys" (because no man would do this) who wear their pants around the bottom of their butt cheeks. I don't want to see your boxers, or lack thereof. If you have to do your belt up so tight on your legs that you walk like a penguin, it is time to pull the damn things up. You don't look cool, you are not a gangster, you are, however, going to fall if you ever have to run from a real gangster who may be firing a gun at you~~ think about it, you are a slow moving target who can't defend himself because he is holding onto his pants trying to run away without meeting the pavement with his face.
8.People who feel totally sorry for themselves for all of the awful, terrible, horrible things that have happened in their lives. I’m not trying to say that painful things don't happen in all of our lives, but people who want my sympathy and cash donations for things that have happened are more than likely not going to get them. Get a clue: We’ve all had pain, we’ve all been through SOMETHING and most of us are still paying for it since we have the sense not to ask the world for a hand out. That’s life, live with it or get over it.
9. People who plead poverty and insist on begging everyone they know (or don't know) for help, yet they can go out to dinner 3-4 times a month, go to movies, concerts and amusement parks. I work 45+ hours a week and my husband works more and we can't afford to do those things. I guess we could if we had everyone in the neighborhood supporting us and could spend our money as we wished. Support your own damn kids and live life like the rest of us have to.
10. Celebrities that can push out twins and be in a size 2 in 30 minutes. Can't you at least appear to be human for the sake of the rest of us regular people?

And there it is, lists of stupid-assed things that piss me off. I know, like you give a flying rat's ass......but it made me feel better!! :-)

~~Super Yummy Giveaway!!~~

Go check out Mojito Maven and her great giveaway!!

http://makemineamojito.blogspot.com/2009/02/valentines-day-giveaway.html

~~Not Me Monday!!~~

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I did not scream like a little girl when Justin's sugar glider "crabbed" at me.

I did not laugh so hard at a blog post from Redneck Mommy that I wet my pants, EWWWW- wouldn't happen!!

I did not know my mother in law was coming over and didn't even comb my hair, nope that would make her think I am lazier than she thinks already.

I did not spend $300 at the grocery store on Saturday buying pantry stock ups and junk food, knowing full and well that we had a budget to stick to, that would be very immature!

I did not eat a whole bag of potato chips when I got home from said shopping trip.

I did not Let Libby have an ice cream cone AND a popsicle because she asked for it so cute, why can't I say no to that kid???

I did not spend too much time on the computer and watching TV last night and it did not make me so tired I fell asleep at my desk today.

I did not just spend the last 2 hours looking up information on sugar gliders because they are not cuter than hell and I would not be wanting to maybe get one of my own.

What "didn't" you do this past week???

Tickle Me Elmo

There is a factory in Northern Minnesota which makes the Tickle Me Elmo toys. The toy laughs when you tickle it under the arms.

Well, Lena is hired at The Tickle Me Elmo factory and she reports for her first day promptly at 8:00 am.

The next day at 8:45 am there is a knock at the Personnel Manager's door. The Foreman throws open the door and begins to rant about the new employee..

He complains that she is incredibly slow and the whole line is backing up, putting the entire production line behind schedule.

The Personnel Manager decides he should see this for himself, so the 2 men march down to the factory floor. When they get there the line is so backed up that there are Tickle Me Elmo's all over the factory floor and they're really beginning to pile up. At the end of the line stands Lena surrounded by mountains of Tickle Me Elmo's.

She has a roll of plush red fabric and a huge bag of small marbles.

The 2 men watch in amazement as she cuts a little piece of fabric, wraps it around two marbles and begins to carefully sew the little package between Elmo's legs.

The Personnel Manager bursts into laughter. After several minutes of hysterics he pulls himself together and approaches Lena .

'I'm sorry,' he says to her, barely able to keep a straight face, 'but I think you misunderstood the instructions I gave you yesterday...'

'Your job is to give Elmo two test tickles'.

This is the funniest joke I have heard all week!!!!