Much to be thankful for this year.....

a warm home
Jesus
a husband who loves me
healthy children
a job I like
parents who are healthy
cars that run
food
clothing
DQ making pies
brothers
working washer and dryer
computers
vacuum cleaner
books to read
a dog
a cat
husbands job
friends

YOU

2 pies made...1 pie in our bellies

DQ decided to make pumpkin pies today....and since neither of us are any good at crusts we bought premade crusts...but then DQ followed the directions for the filling and made the pies all by herself. When they were done and cooled, we took one over to our favorite nieghbors and then ate half the other one for our dessert.....it was supposed to be for Thursday but Ern asked what we had that was sweet and since there wasn't anyting, we just had to try the pie...and it was yummy!!!!
I guess I will be making another pie soon!!!

Real People Real Blogs

Linda over at findingfootprintsinthesandpicked me as a recipient for the Marie Antoinette award shown above - Real People - Real Blogs. This is an award for those that write about real things, not necessarily on every entry, but those who share information about themselves or where they live, what is happening in their area or in the world.This award is for passing on to other people. Now it is my turn to choose.
Here are the rules:-
1. Please put the logo on your journal - Real People - Real Blogs.
2. Place a link from the person, from whom you received the award.
3. Nominate at least 7 or more.
4. Put the links of those on your journal.
5. Leave a message on their journal to let them know.
Here are my choices... I'm hoping I picked some people that everyone may not know, so some new friends can be made....
Enjoy....

1. Shel at itsjustmeandthem read about her adventures with her kids as she awaits moving to be with her military hubby. She has very active kids like mine and I am sure I would have thrown in the towel! Shel, I really admire you! ( I love my military families!!!! )

2. Robin yellowbrickroad is another military mom....she picks up and moves across country and makes a house feel like home , even if it is in a trailor park!! She amazes me!

3. Nicholas's Mom Kindyland is the mom of a special needs mom...she has gone back to school and is another inspration

4.coffeeGodandme go read about love affair with the glue gun that ended with an attack....

5.My sil StitchyMcyarnpants while she might not blog in the "normal" sence of the word...I have to put her here...SHe stitched a garment that won Best in Show for an AIDS benefit...

six. ( my number six seems to be broken....) Kathy flamingofeathers because I love the name and because I found her when she wrote about the Topsfield fair...and that brought back memories

7.Suzzanne McMinn http://suzannemcminn.com/blog/ is not on blogger...but I love her blog and when I need to escape with a quick read, I read her books that are published by Sillhouette..ok, I have only rad 2 of them...they are short romantic suspense...but when I need to escape quickly they are great!

shh....can you hear it??? it is the sound of a dog sleeping, a cat purring, me typing and nothing else!!! Ernie and the kids are visiting his brother in the Albany area. I have a cold and have been blowing my nose and coughing and not much fun, so I stayed home to clean, food shop and get some rest. I cleaned some spots in the house that I never think of cleaning. I cleaned out the freezer, someone spilled a bag of veggies and didn't clean it up, so I did. I cleaned the try the dog food sits on, it was yucky. I pulled the stove away from the wall and cleaned under there....another yuck I am amazed at how much work a person can get done when there is no one around to bother them! I think it is time to go and find something to eat...should be easy to di since ther are no finicky kids to plan for!!!

Ernie had to give SHE some mail that came to our house, so he decided to stop in to the Dr's office yesterday when SHE had her appointment. SHE was there with EW. SHE was excited to see Ernie and asked Ernie to come in to see the Dr too. EW kept asking the DR when they were going to test for Downs symdrome and the DR said SHE is 20, we test for that later in pregnancies and there is no reason for us to think that the baby would have Downs. Ew told the Dr that if the baby has Downs, that the father of the baby would want the baby aborted....( I knew it..I knew it) the Dr said they don't do those things in his office and that it would not be the father's choice but the mother's...andSHE was not following the conversation at all, according to Ernie but when the Dr was trying to explain the how they do the test with a needle in the belly, SHE said no and when EW said you will have it done, SHE agreed...Ernie tried to tell SHE that it is her choice but SHE said whatever BF wants SHE will do.... They just have way too much control over her!!!

I called SHE later in the afternoon and SHE was in tears because her caseworker wants to meet with her on Tuesday and WEdnesday of next week and that ruins her holiday plans for spending iwth with BF and his family. I tried to tell her that when SHE agreed to live in that apartment SHE said SHe would follow the rules and that meant meeting with the social worker when the social worker said and that they need to meet 3 times a week. The worker was willing to drop it to 2 times next week....and that no matter what it would have cut into her plans. So now SHe is upset with me again...what else is new???

I am going to go and revise my wedding vows...that sickness and health stuff needs to change...because I don't remember it saying anything about sharing colds....'nough said...sniff sniff

So, over the weekend, SHE called and the BF's evil mom wants to come to the DR appt this week. I said I would rather it just be SHE and Mommy time since I see so little of SHE. SHE said the EW ( BF's Evil mom) wants answers to some questions. I called EW and told her I really wanted to be able to spend time with my daughter...and Ew started spewing evil at me....and said that she will just have to handle this legally.

According to SHE, EW is going to take me to court to get custody of the baby...umm,,,never said I wanted custody....LOL

Took SHE to a therapy appt today and SHE is just a mess. SHE is upset with me for not liking BF and his family. Oh well, I don't have to like them. SHE says that because I am not blood related, and just adopted SHE that EW says I have no legal reason for having anything to do with the baby....LOL would love to see judges face when they read that !!! I will not be giong to SHE's Dr appt...SHE says that EW is going to be taking her. that will last for an appointment or 2...and then SHE will be calling me and I will be right there supporting her like I always do....can't let my daughter go without medical care before she is 21....

I am sitting here feeling like I should have made a phone call last night...

DQ had been invited to a dinner party and movies with her bestest friend on the whole world.


I really do not want to go into all the nasty details here...but DQ was very disrespectful to me and I grounded her.....no party tonight....

I had thought of calling bestest friend's Mom but I was too upset,....

When I came home from work, DQ told me that Bestest friend's Mom had bought movie tickets, last night, for tonight...and I am rotten for not calling to tell her....

I was planning on calling tomorrow....;but now I wish I had done it yesterday....

some days, it really stinks to be the Mom.....

they just don't see women as Vets

Today, Applebee's was giving free meals to all Vets and active duty service members. I invited a male Veteran friend to come to lunch with my husband and me. When we walked in it was pretty crowded. I told the hostess that there were 3 of us. A man came in behind us and the hostess asked him is he was there for Vet meal . I walked up to her and told her that I was not asked if we were there for the Vet meal. She asked me if either of the 2 men I was with were Vets. I said I am a Vet and yes one of the men is also a Vet. OH. When my name was called, we were brought to a table, we sat, and menus were put down, the Vet menus were put in front of the men, so I moved one in front of me. The girl who seated us just said OH....When the waiter came, he asked the 2 men if they were going to order from the Vet menu or the regular menu. He asked to see my friend's military ID. My husband said he was going to order from the regular menu since he was not a Vet. At this point, the waiter looked very confused. Then he asked me what I was going to order from the regular menu..and I said "I am ordering from the Vet menu" he looked more confused and asked for my ID...I gave him my DD214 ( discharge type papers) and placed my order. He too said OH

My military service is one of the few things that I am extremely proud of. It really hurts my feelings when I am not recognized for the time that other women and I have given to our country. We are just as important to the military as the men are and we deserve just as much recognition as the men do.

So, Happy Veteran's Day to all the women!

To all my Veteran Friends

Thanks to all who served before I did, to those who served with me, to those who served after me and especially to those who are serving now!!!

AAA and country roads...and MeeMaw, Granny, Nanny, Grandma???

Yesterday, I had a bunch of errands and DRs appts to run someone to. On the way to puick that person up, the battery light came on but I ignored it since lights have been popping on and off all the time due to a loose dashboard wire.... at 4:23, the dials on the dash started to go kerfluey...and I decided to pull over...I called AAA and told them what was going on. The woman at AAA said, it sounds like you need a battery charge, we can send someone out for that and if that doesn not work we will then send someone out to tow you. Um....Lady, while this is a country road, it is quite busy right now and it is getting dark and I don't want my hazard lights to give out on me and have me sitting here in the dark and not have anyone see me. She says it will be ok, it will be be an hour at least for the battery charge and if that doesn't work within another hour we will get a tow truck to you. Lady, you do not understand, it is getting dark, my hazard lights are dimming and I don't want to just be sitting here in the dark where I can't be easily seen, in other words I don't want to get hit!!! Then she asks me where I am, I telll her that I just got off Route XX and I am on Route YYa and am 1/2 mile frome the Route XX junction heading towards town YOuknowwhere. Then she asks for a cross street, Honey, I am on a country road, there are no cross streets. She asks if I can see a mile marker. No, but I am 1/2 mile from Route XX junction and I know that because I am right across from the sign that says so. She then asks for a cross street and I again tell her that the closest cross street in in Town Youknowwhere and if I could walk there I would have walked there for help! I told her to please tell whoever she calls that I am heading toward Town Youknowwhere and I am on Route YYa, just got off Route XX and am half a mile from the Route XX junction and they will know where I am. And then I hear the beep your battery on your phone is going dead. I tell her my phone battery is going dead and to please get off the phone and find someone to help me... So, finally a tow company calls. He insists that he is NOT going to jump me because he is supposed to get off work at 5:30 and if the battery dies, then I will have to wait for somone else to come get me and he would rather tow me...THANK YOU!!!! so, he comes to tow me....takes me to a place.... I had calld Ern and he came to get us....and I finally got home safe and sound at 7pm......

So, the person I was running around all day was SHE ( for new readers SHE is my oldest daughter who is 20, lives on her own in a slightly supervised apartment, she is bipolar and has a lowish IQ, she has been my problem child and still is)...she is now 14 weeks and 5 days pregnant. She has, obviously, decided to keep this baby. I am still adjusting to the fact that she is pregnant so quickly after she had the abortion in June. She did get pregnant on purpose. She is again off her meds and is not doing great but managing to semi hold it together. She has started doing odd things: she talks to her chicken as she cooks it and eats it, has conversations with it. It is only with chicken. she cannot understand why her therapist and I are concerned over this. She "sees" people talking to things that other people don't see. As long as she is not hurting herself or others or getting paranoid, she is ok. If she seems to be really really loosing it, we will see about finding another DR who will either prescribe meds ( her Psych DR will not give her any) and if none of the Drs in the practice won't...then that means she will have to find a new therapist...and that isn't good because that means too much change, at least as I see it.
So, I am being supportive to my daughter and her health and mental well being but I cannot bring myself to be excited about this coming baby...and I keep mentioning adoption to her...she says she is not interested in throwing away her baby like her birth parents did...I just cannot see her taking care of the baby. and please...I really do not want to take it.,....I am tired ...so tired!!!

I would rather

I have changed my mind...I would rather not sleep in the middle of the night...than have to be dealing with head lice for the second time since school started this year,.....just saying

men

There is one thing, that if you are not a sick child, you should never ever interrupt...and that my dear friends is my sleep. Last night, I fell asleep with the TV on. I was blissfully slumbering when Ern woke up and took the dog out... I kinda noticed but that did not wake me up....the dog got back on the bed, I noticed that but it did not wake me up....what woke me up was Ern changing the channel of the TV to a sports channel.....please do not expect me to be all smiles and happy when you wake me up in the middle of the night by changing the channel to sports and I hear some loud man screaming SCORE... then within 5 minutes Ern is snoring next to me and I was wide awake but still very tired...and I didn't fall back to sleep until after 5AM....and he wondered why I didn't want to get up at 6 with the kids.....
I am still trying to figure out how he can fall asleep so quickly after being awake like that in the middle of the night.....

A few years ago, I started getting movies from company that featured movies for familes....they are clean movies, non-violent, no sex movies for families. I would buy a bunch and then bring them out slowly during the year, or give them as gifts. The same guy usually calls every year. He has always seemed like a nice guy, asks about the kids and if they have enjoyed the movies, which ones they liked the most,..we had nice talks...
When he calls he usually asks for me. This year when he called, I told the guy that I could not afford to buy any. He asked to to please listen to his sales pitch and I did. I again told him that I couldn't afford any this year but please call again next year. He tried to get me to buy a smaller package. I told him again, that I was sorry but we could not buy this year.then he asked if I would be interested in buying only one movie.. I said no thanks but try again next year..and he hung up on me...

Yesterday, there was a phone call and I thought the number was familiar on caller ID and I amswered it. The man's voice asked for Ernie. I said he was not home, and they said they would call again later. After we hung up, I realized it was the guy from that company.

This morning, he called again and asked for Ernie. I told him again that he was not in but he was talking to Mrs J and if he remembered I had all ready told him that I could not afford to buy from their company this year, and that if he kept calling I would not be interested in buying from them next year because I consider this harrassment. At that moment, another voice comes on the line and says that he is the supervisor and that he is very sorry that this has happened and that we will not be bothered again this year...

I am disappointed that this guy acted this way but am so glad that this company does listen in on the calls their company makes....I hope that they will call again next year by another person.

sugar overdose...and food issues

The kids are overdosed on sugar. I figure they are all old enough that they should know when enough is enough and I am tired of arguing with them about how much they should and should not be eating. ( and I wonder why my Son is overweight?) . Obviously, they don't. Last night, as I was getting ready for bed, I heard Son moaning and groaning in his sleep " too much candy, too much candy". I thought to myself " good, maybe he will learn not to overdo it with candy. I do not think he learned his lesson because he is eating candy again.

Many kids who have been in foster care have issues surrounding food. Food is one thing that they can control. Many of them hoard food because food was either withheld from them or there was never enough. When there is "special" food, like Halloween candy, they will eat it as quickly as they can because they are afraid they will never see it again. I had a child who would hoard sliced American cheese...not sure why she liked cheese but she did and so did the mice...

To combat the mice issues, we got a cat...now the cat has issues and loves to bring me the mice...last night, the cat brought me a disemboweled headless mouse and dropped it on my pillow as I was sleeping...what a fitting Halloween present, don't you think?