Checking in...

Hey, all. I've been scarce again the past few days; family comes first, you know?

I have been so weighed down with family matters lately that I haven't had much uplifting to say. While I will gripe about crazy drivers and even my crazy kids sometimes, when it comes to serious matters, I don't feel comfortable sometimes laying it all there.

But today, my internet friends, I'd like to ask for your prayers. My Tinkerbell needs your prayers.

Tinker has an awful teacher who picks on her unmercifully. And I am not one of those crazy, overprotective mothers. THIS teacher is mean. THIS teacher yells at the class on a regular basis. THIS teacher criticizes Tink to the point that my formerly confident, even selfish 6-year-old now feels worthless and ugly. And THIS teacher has created an environment in her classroom that makes my Tink feel like she's back at The Shelter. And that is the most horrible thing in my Tink's short memory.

The Shelter. The Emergency Children's Shelter that my daughters were in three times in one year. The Shelter where they lived for two months, even though the time limit is 30 days, before we were chosen to be their parents. The time limit is 30 days because living in The Shelter is traumatic. There were caring staff members there who took very good care of my girls. But there were no parents. There was no stability. Just fear.

My two big girls still lay in bed at night wondering where they'll go next, even though they've been in our home 3 years, and ADOPTED for over 2 years. They still wonder. And worry.

Tink has dreams almost every night about shelters and parents dying and grandparents dying and if that happens, then who will take care of me? Please pray for her.

Yes, I've spoken with the school administration, and are waiting for some results, but in the meantime, please just pray.

Thanks, y'all. I appreciate you.

Advice Forum Friday - Steam Cleaners?

Hey, y'all, it's Friday again. Time for me to ask you another burning question. This time it's very straight forward.

Do you have a carpet cleaner?
If so, what kind?
Do you like it?
If not, why not?

I have got to get this carpet clean, and for the amount of money I'm spending on products that do a pretty good job, I could buy a machine to do it much faster. So since tax time is a comin', I may just go and buy me a carpet cleaner.

Thanks for your input!

And as usual, if you have a question for my vast readership, just post it on your blog, include a link to me, and don't forget to sign the Mr. Linky down there.

Don't forget, Have a Great Friday!

Oh, no! It's a Meme!

I saw this at Carissa Blog and since I have blogger's block, I shamelessly stole it.

MOUTHOLOGY

Q. What is your favorite fast food restaurant? Hmmm...I guess I have to say Jack in the Box, for their cheap tacos and Jalapeno Poppers. I am currently addicted to Jalapeno Poppers. Seriously. I can't stop.

Q. What is your favorite sit-down restaurant? Cha Cha's. Local Mexican restaurant. As my friend Karen says, It's my Kryptonite.

Q. On average, what size tip do you leave at a restaurant? 15%

Q. What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of? Jalapeno Poppers. Did I mention I was addicted?

Q. What are your pizza toppings of choice? Historically, pepperoni. Lately, though, I can't always eat meat toppings. They yuck me out, so onions, mushrooms, green olives or sweet peppers. Yeah.

Q. What do you like to put on your toast? Butter and preserves or jam. Peach, pineapple, or cherry.

TECHNOLOGY

Q. What is your wallpaper on your computer? A beautiful solid coral color. I got tired of the business of icons on top of a picture.

Q. How many televisions are in your house? Three that work. Oh no, four counting the tiny little B&W that I use in the bathroom sometimes.

BIOLOGY

Q. Are you right-handed or left-handed? Right.

Q. Have you ever had anything removed from your body? Tonsils and gall bladder.

Q. What is the last heavy item you lifted? Pooh.

Q. Have you ever been knocked unconscious? Yes - Auto accident at 15.

BULLSHITOLOGY (If you'll excuse the term.)

Q. If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? Goodness, I don't know...probably not.

Q. If you could change your name, what would you change it to? No clue.

Q. What color do you think looks best on you? I've been told the aqua or turquoise family.

Q. Have you ever swallowed a non-food item by mistake? Again, no clue.

Q. Have you ever saved some one’s life? Not that I'm aware of.

Q. Has someone ever saved yours? God.

DAREOLOGY (You can stop here if you're bored.)

Q. Would you kiss a member of the same sex for $100? No way. Wait...just a peck? I could handle that. I kiss my Aunt Rebecca like that.

Q. Would you allow one of your little fingers to be cut off for $200,000? I think there's a good chance. $200,000 would change our lives forever, but it's not enough to make us crazy.

Q. Would you never blog again for $50,000? No.

Q. Would you pose naked in a magazine for $250,000? Oh heck no.

Q. Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000? Yes.

DUMBOLOGY

Q: What is in your left pocket? Dryer Lint.

Q: Is Napoleon Dynamite actually a good movie? Don't know.

Q: Do you sit or stand in the shower? I stand when showering, sit when bathing. What kind of question is this?

Q: Could you live with roommates? I'm assuming this excludes immediate family. Could I? Yes. Would I ever want to? No.

Q: How many pairs of flip flops do you own? About 6

Q: Last time you had a run-in with the cops? No run-ins. I did get pulled over for running a stop sign, but got off with a warning. Yes, I cried, but it wasn't a ploy. I'm over-emotional like that.

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up? Healthy and wealthy.

LASTOLOGY

Q: Last Friend you talked to? Big Daddy.
Q: Last person who called you? Big Daddy.
Q: Last person you saw? Pooh.

FAVORITOLOGY

Q: Number? 17.
Q. Season? Autumn.

CURRENTOLOGY

Q: Missing someone? James, our friend who passed away 3+ years ago. I miss him every day.

Q: Mood? Anxious.

Q: Listening to? The dishwasher.

Q: Watching? The cursor.

Q: Worrying about? Kids, money, my life.

RANDOMOLOGY

Q: First place you went this morning? School run.

Q: What can you not wait to do? Get a laptop.

Q: What’s the last movie you saw? Pursuit of Happyness. I do not like depressing movies. Although there's a reasonably happy ending, this is one depressing movie.

Q: Do you smile often? I guess...

Q: Are you a friendly person? I try to be, but I get very anxious in new situations, so my shyness or nervousness could seem like unfriendliness.

So there you have it. I'm a big freaking freak. Are you?

The Biggest Loser - Jan 22

Are you watching The Biggest Loser? I'm talking about it over here.

Homeschool Humor

Hey, all. Things have been crazy around here; I just haven't found time to post this week. I did read something funny this morning, and I HAD to share it with you.

It's The Bitter Homeschooler's Wish List. Go check it out.

To the list, I would like to add:

To all customer service employees: Please do not assume that it's okay to ask my daughter, "Why aren't you in school?" Seriously. My children have been taught that it's not okay to talk to strangers. YOU are a stranger. If you have a question, address it to me, and I'll decide whether it's any of your business.

I'm really not as witchy as I sound.


Edited To Add: The Wish List was originally posted here.

Advice Forum Friday - Sock Suggestions

Hey, y'all! I'm actually writing this post early this week, and I couldn't be prouder of myself. Really.

Pooh and I were just cleaning out my sock drawer (because I am incapable of doing anything by myself. I mean, my sock drawer? Do I really need help to clean out my sock drawer? But I've got these kids, may as well use 'em.)

...anyway, where was I?

Oh yes, the sock drawer. So I have humpteen pair of white socks; far too many. And I hate to throw anything away, but neither do I want to pass my dingy socks on to someone else. I mean really, used socks?

So here's where you come in. I bet someone out there (or several someones!) has a wonderful idea for using old socks. And don't say Sock Monkeys, cause those would be some sorry looking Sock Monkeys, for sure. The other SMs would make fun of them and I just don't want to be responsible for bringing that kind of embarrassment into anyone's life, even if it is just a Sock Monkey.

I may be delirious.

Anyway, bring me your ideas. And if you have a burning question for the internets today, write a post at your blog and post the link for us down below.

Bye now.

Meme Time

Y'all, this is hilarious. I saw it at Redneck Diva's, and was just going to check it out, but when I saw the first result, I had to post it.

Go here. The first article title on the page is the name of your band.

Go here. The last four words of the very last quote is the title of your album.

Go here. The third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

Here's what I got:

Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland is my band.

Those That Get Lost is the name of my album.

Overheard

Tink. You've got to sit on top of my shoulders or on the top of the chair. You can't let your butt hang down behind me.

American Idol - Best Friends Forever

This clip is kinda long, but please hang in there until the end. I promise it will be worth your time.

Some points:

This guy has homecoming mums on the back of his silver lame cape.

I'm pretty sure Paula was stone-cold sober and she knocked it out of the park at the end. Knocked. It. Out. Of. The. Park. I admit I'm not a Paula fan, but she rocked this song.

We were screaming over here in the Dirty Laundry Household. Thank goodness for the DVR, becuase we watched this bad boy about 5 times last night and saved it to watch again.

Public Service Announcement

You know what drives me crazy? When people say VIN Number. Especially television reporters.

VIN is an abbreviation for Vehicle Identification Number. So what they're really saying is Vehicle Identification Number...Number.

Please spread the word.

Thanks for your time.

Softball - I'll take the blog fodder where I can find it.

So hey, we went to Big Daddy's softball game last night, and I have the following observations:

My husband and I must really get into shape; he had to run from 1st to home, and I swear in that last stretch he was about to stroke out.

Do you think some people are just missing the Tact Gene? Two women sat a few feet behind me and discussed me, AND I COULD HEAR THEM! People, either include me in the conversation or move away so I can't hear you!

And by the way, I just hate it when people find out my children are adopted and say things like, "Oh, they look just like sisters!" or "They look like they could be yours!" HI, THEY ARE SISTERS AND THEY ARE MINE. People, I try so hard not to be overly sensitive, but COULD YOU PLEASE THINK ABOUT HOW THAT SOUNDS? How about "They look just like you!" That sounds so much nicer, don't you think? And I don't mind if you ask me when the girls can't hear you, "Are they biological siblings?" SO. I think we've covered that sufficiently.

There is a lady who works at the softball fields who brings her age 4-ish little girl to the fields and lets her roam around. Everywhere. This poor child has no protection or supervision. She has a Game Boy and candy all the time, so I don't think money is an issue. It's just attention. So she comes up and tries to drink my kids' drinks or stick her hand in their popcorn, and that's when I get freaky, because y'all, I don't know where this kid's hands or mouth have been. And since she has access to all the concession stand food she wants, I don't see where telling her NO is being unChristian. Last night my girls and their friend were sharing a soft pretzel, and she came up and tried to take part of it. I told her she needed to go tell her Mom she wanted a pretzel. And folks, she came back with a big fat pretzel of her own, which she set down and never picked up again.

Am I ranting? Because I feel like I'm ranting. But am incapable of stopping.

And because I feel compelled to prove that I am, indeed, compassionate, I will tell you that for three years I worked with women and children who were infected with HIV and AIDS. I loved them, hugged them, I kissed their sweet cheeks, I wiped their tears, and I was not afraid of them or their viral loads. But with this little kid, I'm more concerned with flu, viruses, bacteria, and the epizootis. And we're not talking about ME; we're talking about MY KIDS, and that's a whole different ball game.

Anyway.

Oh, and American Idol is on again. I forgot to watch it last night, but not tonight, oh no sir. I'm there.

I'm gonna shut up now. If you haven't commented before, this might be a good time to come out of the shadows and tell me you feel me. Or that you don't, if you do it nicely.

Merry Tuesday!

Morning, all. I hope to be back later today to share something (anything!) of substance, but for now I'll share with you this HILARIOUS video. You may want to go potty before you click play, so you don't tinkle yourself.

Enjoy!

Advice Forum Friday - Better Late Than Never!

Hey, my peeps! I totally forgot to post AFF yesterday; it was Pooh's birthday, so we were pretty busy all day and night. I do have some things to ask you, though. Let's get started, shall we?

Item Number One: Snowflakes. My girls have several items of clothing with snowflakes on them, and I didn't put them away with the Christmas clothing. The girls keep asking to wear them and I have this conflict Every Single Time. It's winter and snowflakes are winter, so it's okay to wear it, right? But are snowflakes considered winter or Christmas?

Item Number Two: Does my site load slowly for you? I've been advised by a valued source that yes, yes it does. I'm so embarrassed because I get frustrated by slow-loading sites, and now I may be one of them. And I don't want to lose any of my 8 readers, so I'm gonna start playing around with things to see what's causing it.

I'm not posting a Mr. Linky this week because I'm in a hurry, and you guys rarely link to a question at your blog. But if you want to this week, let me know and I'll add a Mr. Linky in a hurry.

Thanks!

Holy Smokes!

So I'm surfing around the lovely blogosphere and land upon A Gorgeous Blog, where I hoped to find some inspiration in the department of making my home a sanctuary. Because right now it just looks like a tornado hit it.

Maybe putting a vase of flowers on the table isn't gonna quite cut it over here. But it's a start, huh?

Anyway.

Gorgeous Blog flashes on my screen, then immediately goes away.
Computer loses its ever lovin' mind.
Outlook Express creeps ever so slowly across the screen.
Have I mentioned that nothing I do with the almighty mouse helps?
The stoopit computer has lost its ever lovin' mind.
"Wipeout" starts playing.
Really Loud.
I become convinced that I've been overtaken by a virus.
And it's laughing at me.
And playing "Wipeout" to tell me what's currently happening to my computer.
I wonder if this will be a good enough reason to buy a laptop.
And will I be able to recover all the crap that I have stored on this dadgum possessed, wiped out computer?
I'm reaching for the power button, hoping to get there before something starts smoking, when...

Everything calms down and I see that Gorgeous Blog has a Gorgeous Music Player, currently playing - you guessed it - "WIPEOUT."

Overreact much?

The Biggest Loser - Jan 8

Hey, y'all. I'm talking about The Biggest Loser over here.

Are you watching?

Survivor 16 - Fans vs. Favorites

I'm talking about the next season of Survivor (coming Feb 7!) at the Entertainment Blog.

Advice Forum Friday

Wow, y'all, it's Friday already. YIKES!

Okay, here's what I want you to talk to me about today - Carpal Tunnel.

Please.

This stupid right hand of mine is killing me, y'all! During the day it's totally tolerable; it just goes numb and tingles a lot.

But Bed Time? Is a whole new world. I'm tellin' you, it's driving me crazy! My hand hurts, it goes to sleep, it throbs, it burns, it tingles, it swells...can you feel my pain?

So - first of all, how many of my lovely readers have this problem? And if you do (or if you know someone who does), what's your secret weapon? I'm looking for any and all suggestions right now - exercises, braces, sleeping positions, drugs...ANYTHING.

And yes, I'm gonna go to the doctor, but I keep having to reschedule.

Thanks, guys, I knew I could count on you!

And if you post a question at your blog, be sure to sign the Mr. Linky down below so we can find you!

I can't tell my age!

Because I'm too lazy to think of anything else to post, and because I actually love this little quiz, I present to you...

The Older Than Dirt Quiz

Count all the ones that you actually remember (not that you've only heard about).
Ratings are at the bottom. The ones I REALLY remember are bold.

1. Blackjack chewing gum
2. Wax Coke-shaped bottles with colored sugar water
3. Candy cigarettes (and they had powdered sugar inside the paper so you could really blow "smoke!")
4. Soda pop machines that dispensed glass bottles
5. Coffee shops or diners with table-side jukeboxes
6. Home milk delivery in glass bottles with cardboard stoppers
7. Party lines (at my grandparents' house, but never at mine)
8. Newsreels before the movie
9. P.F. Flyers
10. Butch wax
11. Telephone numbers with a word prefix (OLive-6933) (We had letter prefixes; does that count? CR5-9999)
12. Peashooters
13. Howdy Doody (of course I know who he was, but I think he was gone before I came along)
14. 45 RPM records
15. S&H Green Stamps (My mom saved 'em, and I still remember where the Green Stamp Redemption Store was!)
16. Hi-fi's
17. Metal ice trays with lever
18. Mimeograph paper
19. Blue flashbulb (the square one on the top of my Instamatic that used 126mm film?)
20. Packards
21. Roller skate keys
22. Cork popguns
23. Drive-ins
24. Studebakers
25. Wash tub wringers

If you remembered 0-5 = You're still young
If you remembered 6-10 = You are getting older
If you remembered 11-15 = Don't tell your age
If you remembered 16-25 = You're older than dirt!

I'd love to hear your results, too! If you want to take this over to your place and post it, be sure to let me know so I can check it out. If not, just tell me in the comments how you did.

And have a great Friday, y'all!

Biggest Loser Couples

Hey, y'all! I'm talking about Biggest Loser Couples here.

Check it out and tell me what you think!

Random Observations

I got these shoes. Except they're more tan and pink. I heart them oh, so much.

When researching the shoes for this post, I discovered my shoes are running shoes. Trail Running Shoes, to be exact. All Terrain, actually. That cracks me up. The last time I ran was about 5 years ago, crossing a busy street in Las Vegas.

Please pray that the shoes have magical powers.

It made me very, very frustrated that stores closed early on New Year's Day. I have no problem with New Year's Eve, but New Year's Day? What the heck? They don't close at all for Independence, Memorial or Labor Days. Valentine's Day? Pshaw! Veteran's, Columbus, President's? NO! I don't even think they close for Easter any more! But New Year's Day - when the mode of celebration is watching football and recovering from the night before - oh, we'd better close at 6:00 p.m. I was very fussy, y'all.

I was fussy about the aforementioned store closings because we drove 10 miles out of our way so Big Daddy could use a gift card. What a waste of gas and time!

I am in love with faux knitting. I may cripple myself and no one in my family will ever want another gift from me, but I can't stop!

I have watched The Biggest Loser Australia Marathon for two days straight (while faux knitting). Please pray that I don't become addicted to Fox Reality.

Guy Fieri needs to back off on the spray tan, in my opinion. I tried to find a photo but couldn't. Just take my word for it, the last couple of times I've seen him on Food Network, he's been suspiciously orange.

Have a great 2008, y'all! I've got to go buy some more yarn.