Your Girl Scout Cookie Hookup

It's Girl Scout Cookie Time! 

Well, it's almost Girl Scout Cookie Time.  For our area, the big day appears to be January 1st!  There is no better time to find your cookie hookup!  But, wait, it gets better!  There's a Cookie Finder App!  How cool is that?  Just search for Cookie Finder and look for the Girl Scout logo.  Bonus:  it's free!

Having my very own little Girl Scout this year means I won't have to stalk Walmart for the cookie tables!  I am very happy about that!

So, let's get down to business:  what's your favorite cookie?  Hands down, I'm a Tagalong fan.  I tried those Thin Mints just to see what the big deal was and I just didn't like them.  But, I did see this Thanks-A-Lot cookie on the app and have to say that it sounds pretty yummy.  I'll have to pick up a box of those this year, too.  But, the tried and true Tagalong will always top my cookie list!

My cousin Katie, sent me this link and I was super happy to see that you can subscribe by email.  Which I did, because, I mean, I need another email subscription!

I wanted to link up to a "how to freeze Girl Scout Cookies" article from the web, but I didn't really find anything other than simply throw the unopened box in the freezer.  Easy-peasey!

Dalton's Card Count Update

I've been following Dalton's mom on Facebook and I am happy to see that as of about 5 pm, Friday 12/28, the Christmas Card total is 711,597!  That is awesome!  Totally awesome! 

If you would like to send a card, here's the address:

Dalton Dingus
HC 62 Box 1249
Salyersville, KY 41465

Ugliest Chirstmas Sweater Contest

I had never heard of the Ugly Christmas Sweater contest until a few years ago and I've got to say that I am strangely intrigued by this.  I don't really know why, but I am.

If you're interested, here's a Facebook contest where you can vote for your favorite ugly Christmas Sweater!  You have to "like" First Kentucky Bank's Facebook page before you can vote on the individual picture.  There are only eight photos, so you've got time to click over and vote for your favorite!  Enjoy!

Merry Christmas 2012

 

 

May your days be merry and bright!

Happy Holidays!

Prayer, Guns, & Mental Disorders

This post has been moved.
It can now be now be viewed on my blog Take It or Leave It.

Conquering the Rum Cake

Oh, it was so rewarding to finally get the Rum Cake just right!  Whoo Hoo, I was a happy camper last night.  And, as promised on Facebook, I'm here to share the recipe with you!

First, a little back ground story.  See that paper in the picture?  That's the recipe written down by Gail, my mother-in-Law, years and years ago.  I don't know how I came to have that notebook of her recipes, but I am honored to have it.  The Rum Cake recipe is the very first recipe in her little notebook.  She used to make this cake for Casey's birthday every year so I never tried it until after she passed away.  And for the last six or so years I have been unable to attain the glory that was her Rum Cake!

I joked last night that all these years she's been watching from Heaven and having a good laugh as I miss her mark year after year.  Well, I have been following her directions to a T, so I couldn't figure out what the catch was.  I even looked up recipes on the Internet last year for comparison.  All the recipes I looked at were pretty much the same as the original recipe.  See, the problem with this cake is that everyone kept telling me I had too much rum in it.  Well, I followed Gail's directions.  How could my cake be turning out any different than hers?

After much debate, I decided to tweak the recipe a little this year.  Instead of waiting until the end to add rum to the glaze mixture, I added the rum and water at the same time and boiled it all for five minutes.  Let me just tell you that was the trick to getting this cake just right!  So, here's my slightly adapted version of Gail's Rum Cake.  Enjoy!

Bacardi Rum Cake
1 pkg Yellow Cake Mix
1 pkg Vanilla Instant Pudding Mix (I used the small box)
4 eggs (I think I only put in three, whoopsie!  The batter was a little thick, come to think of it!)
1/2 c Chopped Pecans

Mix cake as directed on package (my cake mix only called for three eggs, so maybe I was okay).
Put chopped pecans in the bottom of bunt cake pan.
Pour cake mix over pecans and bake (I baked at 350 for 45 minutes).

Rum Glaze
1 stick Butter
1/4 c Water
1 c Sugar
1/2 c Rum

Melt butter in saucepan, stir in water and sugar.
(Stir in rum here if you want the buzz-free version of the cake.  Trust me, it's now or never!)
Boil 5 minutes.
Remove from heat, stir in rum (only if you want the buzz-inducing version, Designated Drivers recommended!).
Drizzle over cake.

And there you have it!  If you make a rum cake of your very own, please come back and leave a comment letting me know how it turned out!

Written on Friday, December 21, 2012.  Posted on Saturday, December 22, 2012.

Happy Birthday, Mo!

Oh, they grow up way to fast, don't they?

It seems like just a few weeks ago this little lady became a teenager, and today she's turning 14!

Oh bless my soul, I feel old!

 

Happy Birthday, Morgan.

It's gotta be pretty great to have your birthday on the first day of winter break!

Gifts for Teachers

You could probably find a million ideas on google for good or bad Teacher gifts.  I didn't have time for that.  Now, I don't like to think of myself as a cheap skate, but I definitely don't want to sink a large amount of money into a gift giving project. 

Finding the right package is the first step when planning your gift to give to all the wonderful folks at your child's school.  Most little tins or plastic bowls will cost you in the neighborhood of a dollar per person.  You could opt for the plastic treat bag instead.  But, I prefer those styrofoam coffee cups from the good ol' Dollar Tree.  These babies come in a pack of 6 for a buck and they are heavy duty so they hold up well and the lid stays on nicely, even in the hands of a Kindergartener. 

The next step in keeping your cost low but the sentiment high, is to decide what to put inside each cup.  I filled each cup with a packet of hot cocoa and a handful of hard candies I picked up at the Dollar Tree as well.  I chose hard candy because most people enjoy it and it was inexpensive.  I specifically picked the bags with the biggest quanity for my dollar.  Think butterscotch and peppermint and cinnamon discs.  Werthers are very festive, too.

For a little over fifty-cents per cup, Patty was able to hand out 24 little goodies to teachers and faculty this morning.  And let me tell you, she looked like a professional gift giver!  It was so adorable. 

Oh, and I used my Photoshop program to create the little circle on top of each cup.  It has a little Santa and reads, "Oh by golly have a holly jolly Christmas this year".  A line from my favorite Christmas song, I might add!  There is nothing handier than digital scrapbooking.  I placed two circles into a blank 4x6 .jpeg and printed them at Walgreens.  Plus, I got 33% off my order yesterday!

That picture on the bottom right is the classroom gift.  It's full of things like Lysol wipes, baggies, crayons, and pencil top erasers.  I grabbed one of the holiday basket bags and a red charger plate (both at the Dollar Tree) and tried to make a pyramid of goodness.  I gotta say that charger plate really gave the gift stability.  And who knows, maybe the class can use the plate in an activity or re-gift it!

Either way, Patty had a blast handing out those cups today and I know the class will be able to use all of the goodies in their giant goody bag when school begins again in January! 

Update: Ug, I found two terrible typos in this post!  Eeek.  But, it's all fixed now!

Happy Birthday, Casey!

I'm not much on posting those sappy "i love you" sentiments on places like facebook or the blog.  But, today is Casey's birthday so I'm making an exception.

Babe, I love you.

Happy Birthday!

Love, me

 

 

In past years, I've attempted to bake a Rum Cake for his birthday but just haven't quite mastered it.  I've never tasted it, but everyone else tells me the rum is too strong.  I'm following my mother-in-laws recipe so I don't know what I'm missing.  Any suggestions?  Maybe it's just one of those things you have to do over and over until you get it just right?  Either way, I'll be making another attempt this year!

The Tree is Up, Finally!

Finally!  Our Christmas tree is up and decorated!  I know a lot of folks put the tree up right after Thanksgiving, but I think we might make a new tradition for ourselves and put the tree up just a couple weeks before the big day.

These are cell phone pics of Patty putting a few ornaments back on the tree after one of the kitties playfully knocked them off the tree while we slept.

We handed over the non-breakable ornaments to the kids this year and they had so much fun decorating!  When you have little kids, it doesn't pay to be a perfectionist!

Happy Holidays!

Tomorrow is the Last Day to Mail Your Letter to Santa!

Don't forget, if you want to receive a response from Santa, you have to get your letter in the mail by December 21st!  That's tomorrow! 

Santa Claus
PO Box 1
Santa Claus, IN 47579

Hooray! A DIY School Memories Book

I have been eyeing those cute little school memories books for the past three years but I never wanted to spend money on something I thought I could make for free.  Let's just say I haven't gotten around to making them for free myself.  It's on my mental to-do list, I guess.

Well, I opened an email this morning to see these School Memories pages created by Confessions of a Homeschooler!  Seriously, I am very happy right now. 

I've already saved them to my computer and it's the perfect motivation to get all of my scrapbooking caught up (that's going to be one of my 2013 resolutions!).

Do you have a memories book from your childhood?  I did, but I think it got lost sometime over the years.  But, I remember looking at it and just being amazed.  I hope Patty and JT like their books as much as I did!

How Do You Do Your Christmas Cards?

I love Christmas Cards!
I love sending them.
I love receiving them.
I love everything about them.

Except the price.

Thankfully, I am a self-taught Photoshop user and this little hobby of mine saves me big bucks each time I need to send out any type of photo greeting card.

Actually, doing it myself makes it better than a 2 for 1 deal. Yay me!  I'll be sharing our Christmas Card on the 25th, stay tuned!

But, for now, here's my cousin Korrie and her family. 
Did you notice her cute little baby bump?

There Really is a Tooth Necklace!

A couple weeks ago Patty lost a tooth at school. 

I was super excited to learn her school has a tooth necklace just like the one in the Fancy Nancy book we have at home!

I know, I'm easily amused.

But, seriously, how cool is that?

I got a little nervous and worried when we read the book and she asked if her school had a tooth necklace.

Boy am I glad those little necklaces are for real!

Toys R Us Disappointment

I was so happy to get this email notification from Toys R Us that the Doc McStuffins toy was available again! 

My happiness was quickly followed by disappointment as I realized it was not in stock for ordering and there was no way to check store availability.

Really Toys R Us? 

Really?

Update: As I flipped through the pages of the Kmart sale ad on Sunday I spotted the very same doctor kit!  I got online as fast as I could and was able to use the store locator to find and order this for store pick up!  Hooray!  Oh, and it was only $19.99 at Kmart.  Take that Toys R Us!

Send a Christmas Card to Dalton

Want to be part of a Guiness World Record?  And help a little boy's wish come true?

It's pretty easy.  All you need to do is add Dalton Dingus to your Christmas Card list.

Dalton is a nine year old from Salyersville, Kentucky and he has the wish to set the world record for Christmas Cards received. 
That's a pretty awesome wish. 
Read his story reported by ABC News.

I sincerely hope anyone reading this will send a card out to him soon.  This is going to be the very first card I send out this year!

Dalton Dingus
HC 62 Box 1249
Salyersville, KY 41465

Update:  I contacted Dalton's mom on Facebook to get a card total and as of Sunday evening, the total is over 110,000.  Hooray!  If you are planning to get a bunch of cards together, she says counting them in advance is helpful.  My plan is to put cards into gallon sized baggies with a total written on the outside. 

Better Security For Our Children

My heart broke this afternoon as I read about the school shooting in Connecticut.  I can not imagine what that community is going through right now.  And I hope I never have to find out.

Patty is in kindergarten, has twelve years of public school ahead of her, and I really don't want to spend those years fearing for her safety.  And that's not even mentioning that next year JT will begin school, too.  Boy, does homeschooling sound appealing right now.

I just have to ask, how many more school shootings have to occur before schools implement adequate security to protect our kids?  It's painfully obvious that the procedures adopted in the years following Columbine are not effective.  Having a door bell at the front entrance is not enough. 

But, then we have to ask ourselves, how much security is enough? 

Do we need armed security in our school buildings?  Armed faculty?  Frankly, the idea of an armed guard in my child's elementary school terrifies me.  But, I wouldn't cross it off the possibilities list.

Metal detectors?  Yes, please.  At each and every doorway.

As I write this I can't help but wonder where are all of the security companies in all of this?  We have a desperate situation so where's the guy saying, your school security is fallible and needs major improvements.  Where's the plan to make our schools safe? 

Do me a favor, on your next visit to your child's school, count how many doors there are leading to the outside .  For the heck of it, check to see if those outside doors are locked.  Count the security cameras, too.  Locked doors and security cameras will not keep your child safe if an armed gunman makes his way into the school and opens fire. 

Our schools are not safe.  And I think it's way past time for someone to do something about it. 

It's time to lock up our schools tighter than Fort Knox.  Our children are more precious than any amount of money.  Let's see our schools implement security similar to the banking industry.  Have you ever worked in a bank?  Banks are pretty serious about keeping their money safe.  Let's see schools treat our children in the same way.  There have to be better security plans that can be implemented.

Written On: Friday, December 14, 2012

Kids Say...

I try not to say "Santa's watching you" in order to get the kids to behave.  It just sounds creepy, you know?  But, something along those lines that has proven to be a very effective behavior tool is the threat to call Santa on the phone and give him a naughty report.

So, imagine my surprise when Patty actually tried to call Santa to tell him that JT had made a watery mess on the bathroom floor!  Casey told her Santa's number was 1234567 and she promptly grabbed my phone and dialed it!  Thankfully, it just gave her the "call can not be completed" message.  But, it sure did make me giggle!

Misleading Headlines

I have this thing against misleading headlines.  But, in this case, I'm glad the author was able to get my attention. 

I mean, who would have thought that science would be making something like this possible?  I was a little concerned for this cute little girl until I read there is no HIV virus remaining in the treatment and that she won't contract HIV from it.

I hope this proves to be a safe and effective treatment in the battle against childhood cancer.  As a parent, I can't imagine anything more horrible than a cancer diagnosis for your child.

Kids Say...

The other day JT and I had a conversation about his marbles.  It went a little something like this.

"Why don't you just pick up your marbles?" mom asked.

After a deep breath and dramatic pause, JT replied, "Well, it's hard work.  It makes my hands tired."

Here's a picture of the remaining marbles in our house.  We've bought bag after bag.  I have no clue where all the other marbles are hiding.  I'm sure they'll turn up in some really strange location some day!

New, Uber Colorful Front Door

There's a website called Favorite Paint Colors and I am in love with it.  It's perfect for someone like me who can not visualize what a room is going to look like when starring at that tiny little paint swatch.  So, when I saw this front door, I knew I'd found the perfect color for my own front door.  Or, so I thought.  I was a little confused when I got to the store and saw the swatch up close and personal.  That door doesn't look anything like that paint swatch.  I was confused.  And, as per usual, my phone would not connect to the Internet so I could pull up the picture for reference.  Note to self, I learned this from my cousin Amy.  Take a picture of the web page on your phone, like a screen shot.  Comment if you need directions on how to do this.  I learned it from my kids. 
What can I say, they are talented.

Now, here's something you probably don't know about me.  I should never be allowed into a paint store without a chaperon.  And, no, JT doesn't qualify as a chaperon.  See that picture on the left?  That's what happens when I am left alone to my own devices in the paint store.  It's pretty amazing how my mental picture was so way off the actual color of that inspiration door!  The good news is that I don't totally dislike my new Cruising blue front door.  In fact, I am hoping that it looks really good with the new wreath Amy has made for me!  Fingers crossed, really tight!

Go Elf Yourself!

I got intrduced to somethg really neat and funny a couple weeks ago: JibJab and Elf Yourself. 
Here's a little funny to start your day!  Patty and JT as elves!  I had trouble using the website so I downloaded the app to my phone and didn't have any more problems!  Hope this video link works!  The kids both loved watching these cute elves!

Do Your Flu Research

Patty and JT caught the flu a couple years ago.
It was January.
Casey was in Afghanistan.
Fortunately, the flu itself wasn't too bad.

But, Patty ended up with a gnarly ear infection and the Tamiflu caused JT to throw up repeatedly.

After the vomiting began, I sat down at the computer and tried to determine how bad a mother I'd be if I just didn't give my kids the Tamiflu.

And you know what? I realized we'd never fill another prescription for it.

Because Knowledge is a Powerful Thing

After connecting with a couple other families dealing with developmental delay, I realized another thing we have in common is the feeling that we aren't doing enough to help our kids.  It really is comforting to know that there are people you can relate to.   

So, what can we do to help our children with developmental delays?  We can gain knowledge.

A Recall for this, Really?

I wrote about recalls back in August.  My favorite part is why an item is being recalled.

Take this coffee mug for example.  It's recalled because the little silver embellishment there causes a spark in the microwave. 

Now, I am all for recalling things that are hazardous to consumers.  But, recalling things because people are stupid enough to put metal in their microwave; well, I guess I just have to draw a line somewhere. 

So, just in case no one ever told you, DO NOT put metal of any kind in your microwave.  It will spark and possibly cause a fire!  In case you're wondering, this rule applies to fast food wrappers that have foil, like Arby's.  Yes, I speak from personal experience.

I will say that if the mug had a note on the bottom stating "microwave safe" it was a valid recall.  Otherwise, you just can't help folks who put those cups in their microwaves.

Mail Your Letter to Santa

Today is December first, and that means there are only 24 more days until Christmas!  Have you written your letter to Santa yet?

We are X Factor Fans

Ok, so I only started watching the X Factor this season because Britney Spears is a judge.  I just couldn't help myself, I just had to see what she would do week after week. 

This is What It's All About

I recently found my way to a blog called Finding Ninee. I forget just how I found my way there, but after years of dealing with the term "developmental delay" I was happy and relieved to find another family in a situation very similar to ours. Kristi recently created a link-love feature on her blog where families like us can connect and share. That's what this post is about. If you found your way here from her page, welcome!

Data Usage is Killing Me!

After a lot of googling, I see that lots of folks are having trouble with their iPhone and its mysterious data usage.  After some more googling, I am attempting to prevent the data usage by setting my phone to access the www only via wifi.  How do you do that?  Changing my phone settings was actually easier than getting this YouTube video to load on my computer.

Getting Sick Stinks

We are at the beginning of Day 6 in our battle with the stomach bug. 

JT got his very first trip to the ER and Patty missed three days of school and ended up at the doctor's office.

The stomach bug is relentless. 

Why hasn't someone been able to stamp it out or develop a vaccine?

After six days of this, I can definitely say I am thankful for disposable plastic ware and toilet paper!  Oh, and I'm thankful I haven't caught it yet!

Are More Women Doing the Right Thing?

This post has been moved.
It can now be viewed on my blog, Take It or Leave It.

An Unwelcome Holiday Guest

How was your Thanksgiving holiday?  For the most part, our weekend was laid back and low key. Well, with the exception of an unwelcome holiday guest. Can you guess who it was? That's right, we've had the horror of hosting the dreaded stomach bug for the past several days.

Happy Thanksgiving 2012

Well, it's official. 

I am starving!

From our
Family
to Yours
Have a
Happy
Wonderful
Delightful
Thanksgiving!

Trouble with Walmart.com?

I am waking up this Thanksgiving morning to find out my Walmart.com account is missing.  I'm thankful that Walmart sent an email at 4:07 AM to let me know that my account info had been changed.  Was very surprised/confused to pull up the Walmart site and see this weird email address in the sign in box:  sfsdfsdg.sdgsdgsd@ymail.com  Of course, the phone number in the Walmart email isn't open yet.  Because it's Thanksgiving!  Anyone else experiencing this problem?

'Tis the Season for Giving

Here's something I don't think I've talked about here on the little ol' blog....

I almost always say "no thanks" when asked to donate a dollar at the checkout register. 

Cruel much?  I think not. 

Is Channing Tatum Sexiest Man Alive?

I won't disagree that Channing Tatum is easy on the eyes,
but is he really the sexiest man alive?

A New Director of Special Ed

Did you know the new Director of Special Education has been selected?!  You can read about it here.  I'm looking forward to seeing how a change in leadership affects the climate of special education in our district, aren't you?  Personally, I would have liked to see the board of ed select an individual who had previously served as a director of special education in another school district.  But, I have to say 17+ years in special education is promising.  I don't see a job listing for the position vacated by Fogle (district special education teacher consultant).  Any hoo, please join me in offering Ms. Fogle a round of congratulations and a warm welcome to her new position!

Happy Veterans Day....Belated!

I'm late posting a Happy Veterans Day wish to all the Veterans in my life.  Thank you for your bravery: Dad (Vietnam), Casey (Iraq/Afghanistan), Katie & Danilo (Iraq/Afghanistan), Dan and Paul, just to name a few.

Patty's Daisy troop learned about Veterans last week and when asked "what is a Veteran" one Daisy said "the person you take your animals to!" (or something like that).  I thought it was an absolutely adorable answer! 

Kids Say...

JT announced he was going out to the car by himself to get a lego piece that he'd lost misplaced.  I said, "No you can wait for your daddy.". 

With an evil look, he plucked this Santa magnet off the side of the fridge and asked, "Do you want me to hide this?" 

To which I promptly replied, "Do you want any toys for Christmas?" 

I'll let you guess who won.

Side note, that Santa didn't originally have all the red in his beard.  Patty has a thing for coloring things that shouldn't be colored.  And her favorite color is red!

To end a squabble, I fished this pink glasses out of the "stocking stuffer" stockpile I have been amassing. 

Patty said, "Now I can see!"  Which immediately made me think I should get her eyes rechecked!

She just reminded me of Margaret in the Dennis the Menace movie so much!

And she kept bringing them to me to "wash" them.  Don't know what she was getting all over the lenses, but she sure did get them dirty!

Thank you, Target dollar spot, for all the entertaining moments!

One of the things I love about being a mom...

One of my absolute favorite things about being a mom is the moment when my kid falls asleep in my arms.  Tonight, JT conked out snuggled up with me on the couch....watching The Vampire Diaries.  Surprisingly, he doesn't have nightmares! 

My child is NOT autistic!

I have a child in special education. 
I have learned very important things about special education over the past nine months. 

Happy Halloween & Kids say...

Happy Halloween!  Ta-da!  This is the 100th post on this little ol' blog.  100 posts of craziness, right?  Ha ha.

October is great for Birthdays!

If your family is anything like mine, October is packed full of birthdays. 

I can easily think of seven family members with birthdays this month. 

And that's not including the most important birthday of all! 

Mine! 

That's right, I was born just one day shy of being a "boo baby". 

I love the story about my cousins visiting my mom and me in the hospital for trick or treat. 

And now you know why I love the month of October so much! 

Plus, my birthday is National Candy Corn day, how cool is that? 

Guess it'd be just a tad bit cooler if I actually liked to eat candy corn! 

I also share my birthday with Henry Winkler, John Adams, and Ivanka Trump. 

Go here to find out who you share a birthday with.

So, even though I'm not writing this on my birthday, I just want to take a moment to say....

Happy Birthday to ME!

Is anyone else having trouble with Hotmail email?

Ug, I am sick and tired of my Hotmail email!  I usually blame my computer, but I don't know what has happened to MSN email lately.  First, I've had this same email account since, somewhere around 2003.  And almost ten years later it is starting to really get on my nerves!  For whatever reason, the website or email account or whatever you call it is not working propperly.  Half the time I get an error notice telling me it can't connect to Hotmail at this time.  What?  You are Hotmail, and you can't connect with yourself?  I wonder if this is just a sign I need to create a new email and move on? 

Yummy: Mini Meatloaves & Mac and Cheese

You know, it's never good to find a really appetizing recipe on a blog when you're hungry!  But, that's just what happened to me this afternoon.  I opened my email from Life as Mom to find a simply yummy picture of meatloaf and mac and cheese staring back at me!  I don't think I've ever heard anyone put paprika in meatloaf, but I may have to give it a whirl.  Oh, and I have been wanting to try homemade mac and cheese for a while.  Although, I don't think it would save money to make it from scratch. 

You know, I never ate meatloaf before I was pregnant with Patty.  And I was a lot skinnier in my life before kids.  Think it could be the meatloaf? 

Written on Friday, October 26th.

Timing is Everything? Right?

I just read my post about the "all call" and realized it was a little confusing because it did not post on Friday.  I actually wrote the post on Friday, the day after the incident, but I have my posts scheduled to "publish" just after midnight on the next calendar day.  So, I wrote it on Friday, but it didn't "publish" until Saturday which makes all the "yesterday" references a little confusing.  Sorry.  I warned you I was all over the place in that post!

Ok, clear as mud, right?  As I type this it is actually Saturday morning.  But, this won't be viewable on the blog until after midnight tonight, or more accurately after 12:01 AM Sunday morning.  If you subscribe by email, it'll arrive in your inbox on Sunday, too. 

So, in an attempt to make things less confusing, I have started putting a "written on" note at the bottom of each post.  You see, at the beginning of October I set a goal to write at least one blog post every day this month and sometimes I write the post a few days before it "publishes" onto the blog. 

Written on Saturday, October 27th.

Oh Those Typos!

Here's a screen shot from my Twitter feed. 

Just ignore Donald there and focus your attention on the ABC News tweet. 

Don't you think they went "damaging winds" instead of "damaging wings"?

You can read more about Hurricane Sandy on Weather.com.

Written on Saturday, October 27th.

Update:  LOL.  Did you notice my typo in this post?  Guess this is why people like to say things like "don't throw stones"!

I am utterly fascinated by grocery budgets!

I have been following a blog called Don't Waste the Crumbs for a while now and I really enjoy it.  One of the best things is Tiffany's grocery budget and her weekly post about what she bought and how much she spent.  I do not know why it fascinates me, but it just does.  I absolutely love to see what other people buy.  I know, it's weird.  I'm inspired week after week and eventually I will be brave enough to set a grocery budget too!

I also caught an episode of TLC's Extreme Cheapskates recently where the family holds a week long fast on spending money.  I think they called it a "fiscal fast".  The idea of not spending money for an entire week really appealed to me and seemed doable.  But, instead of a week long fast, I'd like to try a spending freeze for one day each week for an entire year.  Now, some of the other money saving tactics of these Extreme Cheapskates just really kind of freaked me out.  This show goes right into the Hoarders category for me.  It's nice to watch when there's nothing else on, but I won't be adding it to my DVR line-up anytime soon!

Written on Friday, October 26th.

All Call: Holiday v. Security Threat

Let me just forewarn you before you begin reading this, I am all over the place in the post.  I feel so strongly about this, I am having a difficult time un-jumbling my thoughts so that they flow cohesively.  I hope you can make sense out of it by the end, if not, send me an email or leave a reply.  Just remember, I do not like "anonymous" commenters!

Since the dust has settled and more details have been released....I figure this is as good a time as any to voice my dislike of the "all call" phone system used by our county school system. 

Now, don't get me wrong, I don't loathe everything about it.  For example, I find it extremely helpful to receive an "all call" when school is cancelled because of something unexpected, like inclement weather.  But, the reminders that school will not be in session for a regularly scheduled holiday, like Christmas and Election Day, are truly irksome to me. 

Don't forget, this is my blog, and it's 100% my opinion.  Stop reading now if you don't like the tone of this post. 

I just find it 100% annoying to get those types of reminder calls.  I am fully capable of reading the nice, glossy calendar the school provided to us.  And, I know I'm just taking this too personally, but it feels like the school system is saying, "hey, parents, we don't think you're responsible and/or capable of raising your kids, so we just want to be sure you don't send your kids to school on Thanksgiving."  Yada yada yada.

And, yes, I do imagine there are some parents that are not responsible.  Want to know what I have to say about that?  Teach sex-ed to the high schoolers and hand out free condoms.  Sorry, that makes it sound like only young parents are not responsible, and that's simply not true, parents of all ages are irresponsible.  But, you know what?  I don't think the school system should interject itself into the matters at home (unless there is an abusive situation involved).  But that's a topic for another day and I'm getting away from the subject at hand.

So, the reason I wanted to address this topic is the "all call" made yesterday to alert parents that a threat had been made against Central High School.  I first learned of this threat as I walked Patty into her elementary school yesterday.  Her school wasn't threatened and I still considered walking her back to the car and driving her home.  You just can not gamble with the safety of even one child when a threat of violence has been made.  Now, because I feel that Patty is safe at her school, I did walk her to class and go on about my day.  But, had I thought for a second that her school wasn't capable of keeping her safe, I would have brought her home.  And that is MY choice to make, not the school system's.  By failing to notify each and every parent, the school system took a life and death risk with our children's safety.

I received the "all call" a little over an hour after I dropped Patty at school, and I now know that the call was made about 14 hours after the threat was reported.  That is simply not acceptable.  I can not believe there is no contingency plan in place to notify parents in a more timely manner for a situation like this.  For God's sake, the Paducah school shooting took place an hour car ride away from here!  In my opinion, an "all call" should have gone out before bedtime Wednesday night altering families of the situation and that there was no need to keep kids home from school.  If it wasn't safe enough for kids to be at school, the "all call" should have notified us that school was cancelled. 
But, either way, there should have been some policy in place to ensure families would be notified - in advance - and not after the fact.

I read the surfKY news coverage of the press conference and am glad to see that the school system acknowledged they dropped the ball, in a manner of speaking.  And that's the only thing I was happy about.  The article actually raised another concern: the school system didn't realize word was spreading like wild fire via social media.  Really?  I'm just envisioning school personnel riding their dinos into work yesterday.  Let me take a moment while you get your rock and chisel out.  Seriously, the folks in charge didn't realize that everyone on social media would be all over this?  Really?  OK, I will apologize for those Flinstones references, because I know they are particularly harsh.  But, I think it may be time to hire some folks who are a little better at keeping up with the latest trends.  I mean, social media has been around for a while, if you're not living under a rock, you've probably heard of it.

I will also say:  THANK HEAVENS FOR SOCIAL MEDIA, AND THE ABILITY TO GET THE WORD OUT IN A TIMELY MANNER.  Because our school system wasn't on top of it. 

I want to leave you with a little food for thought:  this is an election year.  There are three Board of Ed members on the ballot in the upcoming election.  If you're lucky enough to reside in one of the voting districts, think very carefully before you mark your ballot.  If I'm not mistaken, it is these very board of ed members who bear the responsibility of renewing employment contracts for the folks running our school system.

Did You Get the Toy Catalog This Week?

The Toys R Us toy catalog arrived in our mailbox this week.  I left it on the kitchen counter and just waited to see what would happen when the kids spotted it.  They had it spread out on the dining room floor and all I heard was, "I want that one!"  Over and over again.  They even brought it in the car for the ride to school today.  Patty was flipping through it on the ride home this afternoon and about half way home she said, "I love you, Mommy," totally out of the blue.  I'm pretty sure she was buttering me up!

Is Donald Trump Crazy?

I read on my ABC News app this morning that Donald Trump was going to make a big announcement today via Twitter.  Like, a life altering announcement, or something.  So, I finally got around to setting up a Twitter account (@mdbc77) in anticipation of whatever the Donald needed to announce.  Then the appropriate time came and went for the announcement and I am just sitting here after reading it, thinking, is Donald Trump crazy?

What's Your Favorite Time of Year?

Are we experiencing a mild "indian summer" this week with eighties temps?  Usually, I think of much hotter temperatures for "indian summer" but I think mother nature is determined to start winter on time this year!  Now that the leaves have turned and began falling, I find myself admiring all the beautiful fall colors.  Considering gray is my favorite color, even I am amazed that autumn is my favorite season.  Did you realize it was the fall before the infamous ice storm when we last saw mountains of leaves on the ground in time for Halloween?  I'm guessing all the damage done to the trees during the ice storm helped contribute to the lack of leaves in the past few falls, but it had to be affected by the unusual temperatures we've seen in the past couple years, too.  Anyhoo, I am relieved to have these nice cool temps and wonderful mountains of leaves this year!  I'm still not on board with a lot of snow for the upcoming winter, but compared with snowfall in parts of Maine, I think I can handle anything mother natures throws at us this year!

Get Out And Vote

Only a little over two weeks until election day 2012!  I know that sentence has an exclamation mark at the end, but I'm really not overly excited about election day.  I guess that's a "mock" exclamation mark!  ;-}

Ever Hear of Irrigation?

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Do I really want to know if my food is GMO?

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Snow's--a-coming this Winter!

We haven't officially passed from Autumn to Winter yet, but I read an article recently that says we should be ready for a lot of snow this year!  The kids will be ecstatic, me, not so much.  I've been sort of researching freezer cooking, and I think I need to get serious about it in case we get snowed in!

Find a Food Drive and Donate!

I know many of us are already in Christmas mode, but lets not forget that Thanksgiving is right around the corner, too.  If you're like me, you can day dream about all the yummy Thanksgiving dishes in our future.  I look forward to dressing and turkey the most of all.  And the chocolate pie.  And, well, all the other comfort food that make this meal so special.  Oh, and the dumplings!  Love the dumplings!

Hold on, I know I had a purpose for this post and I think my hungry stomach made a detour somewhere in that first paragraph!  My goal is to encourage everyone to find a food drive and make a donation this year.  If you don't know a place accepting food item donations, look no further than your local school.  Specifically the Family Resource Center.  If you have school age kids in your family, ask if their school is sponsoring a class challenge with the winning class receiving a prize for the most donated items.  At Patty's school, the winning class will be awarded with a popcorn party!  How fun does that sound?!

Here are my top three things to remember while shopping for a food drive:

1. Check the expiration dates; the further away, the better
2. Items have to be "shelf stable"; no items that need to be refrigerated or frozen
3. Double check with your child's bus driver in case there is a policy about bringing the donated items on the bus.  Remember, don't over pack your child's back pack!

1-Hour Photo Copyright Release

So, I loathe the copyright release forms at the 1-hour photo labs.  Just can not stand them.  And, I'll tell you why.  See this picture on the right?  It's a picture I took and edited for my cousin's upcoming wedding.  I printed two sets of photos without any mention of a copyright release.  Went to pick up my third set and got presented with the good ol' copyright release.  It's not a big deal.  I did take them and I do give myself permission to print them! 

But, seriously, these days you can't reasonably tell the difference between professional pictures and photos taken by an individual.  For starters, who has the right to hold a copyright?  Can I just snap a picture with my camera and automatically have a copyright?  I kind of doubt it would hold up in court. 

Plus, it kind of weirds me out that anyone is looking at the pictures I'm printing.  Not so much with these pictures, but when I print photos of the kids, I just don't like the idea of a stranger going through them.  I want an expectation of privacy.  I think there is a warning when you order your photos online about having the permission to print.  If I proceed with the online order, the photo lab should assume I have permission and leave it at that.  I have never gotten a copyright release from MPIX or Shutterfly, for crying out loud!

Site to Store

While the rest of the house is asleep, I am up early doing a little Santa shopping and trying desperately to figure out why doll clothes are so darn expensive!  And why are those "american girl" dolls so expensive, too?!  Holy cow! 
Thank goodness you can get comparable dollies at Target for under thirty bucks.  But, the clothes are just too expensive everywhere.  I think I'm going to have to learn to sew, like really learn to sew. 
I was happy to stumble upon these two sets of doll shoes at Walmart.com and ordered them for Site to Store because I love some free shipping.  Well, little did I notice that I only changed the pickup location for one of the two items.  Santa is off her game today.  Note to self: change location for EACH item in the cart!

Happy 5th Birthday, JT!

We got out his album of "first" pictures the other night.  My absolute favorite picture is the very first picture of my kids after they were born.  You know the one where the doctor is holding the ewey-gooey baby up for everyone to see just before the nurses whisk him away for a his first checkup?  If it wouldn't gross out my guests, I'd have that picture framed and hanging on the wall!

Happy Birthday, JT.  You can  have cheese for supper, if you want to!  We love you so very much.

Happy Birthday to my Cousins

Just a quick post to wish a very Happy Birthday to my cousin Amy and my other cousin Katie who share the same birthday!  Gosh, you guys are getting old!  Hope you have a great day!  ;-}

JT's 5th Birthday Party!

JT was tickled with every part of his birthday, but like any kid, he loved opening presents the most!  Bubs, I know you're turing five in a few short days, but you'll always be my baby.

3 Kinda Random Things

Realized that I never added the screen shot of the Hair Salon game that crashed my iPhone.  Well, I'm sure it wasn't the app that crashed the phone.  Heard that a lot of folks are having this happen when they do an upgrade.  I've made my peace with it, so guess it's time to move on!  This game is still a big hit around here.  I've purchased several of the Toca Boca games and Patty just loves all of them.  This hair salon one, though, is kind of scary looking!  Think it might be a good time to do a sissor check around the house.

iPhone Round Two

Well, all of the notes didn't "restore" with the reboot of my iPhone.  I just briefly opened the notes thingy, saw there were entries, and went about inspecting all of the other areas of the renewed version of my phone.  Sadly, only the "backed up" entries survived which means all of the recent notes are gone.  So much for that book list I had been laboring to create over the last year or so!

Updating My iPhone

I've tried purchasing a few apps lately only to receive this error message: iOS 4.3 required.  Not good. 

Special Ed Changes: Will We Get A Vote?

Did you see last Friday's edition of the Messenger?  Hopkins County is about to get a new Director of Special Education.  This change will greatly affect the learning path of many kids in our county. 

The Government Shouldn't Run Sesame Street

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Howdy Pard'ner!

I was plum tickled when Patty announced she was going to dress up like a "pard'ner" for Western Wear Day!  This was a first for her, other than for Halloween.  We couldn't find a cowboy hat in our price range of cheap and luckily she was ok with that.  She told me she wanted to be pink and red...so we grabbed a few bandannas and a vest from Dollar Tree to use as a template.  It took over two hours and a lot of frustration, but I was finally able to piece that cute little vest together!  It looked really cute from a nice distance!  And she wore it proudly, that's what counts!  Yeehaw!

Magnolia 1989 v. Magnolia 2012

Set your DVR for the Lifetime Movie Network premiere of Steel Magnolias!  No, this isn't the movie we all fondly remember from the late eighties.  This is a redo starring a wonderful cast of women.  I've had this movie, literally, scheduled on my iCalender since seeing a preview months ago during Drop Dead Diva.  I gotta say, I am more than a little intrigued by the remake of one of my favorite films.  Historically, remakes of eighties movies have not impressed me - at all.  But, I think this one is going to be different.  I predict this version is going to be as good as the original; it's going to make us laugh and cry, just as the first one did.  I can't hardly wait!

Hey Nick Jr, I Didn't Appreciate your Mother Funny Programming

My kids love Nick Jr.  If you don't have kids, Nick Jr is a channel with preschool age cartoons and kids shows like Umizoomis and Dora.  We often fall asleep to the cartoons on Nick Jr.  But, that's a routine we are no longer allowing in our house.

Riddle Me This...

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I Sure Hope That's Washable!

I knew something wasn't quite right when I heard Patty say the words, "I can do buzz lightyear if you want me to."  Minutes later I was greeted with these two adorable "painted" faces!  I know the marker came out of the cup with all the marker board markers so I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that it washes off.  Easily.

I guess Patty thought the face painting at the fall festival looked like a fun, do-it-yourself project.  Hmm, guess that's her very first DIY project!  Next thing I know she'll be pinning things on Pinterest!

Just Throw Your Trash Away Already!

Wow.  It has been a full day around here and it's barely noon!  Before we headed to school this morning I had already battled ants in the kitchen, hosted a burial at sea (RIP: Ola), printed coupons and updated my shopping list, and emptied and re-loaded the dishwasher. 

Getting on the Grey Bandwagon

Have you read Fifty Shades of Grey?  I haven't succumbed to the temptation just yet.  Why have I resisted thus far?  Well, reading any book requires me to funnel time away from another task.  So, if I'm going to find the time to read a set of three books, I think I'd prefer more story and less porn.  Plus, Chelsea Handler hasn't had anything nice to say about these books.  I know, I shouldn't take advice from a comedian; but I've read a couple of her books and have really enjoyed her ghost writer's work.  Not to mention that I think her show is hilarious!

For Review: September 2012

In a moment of weakness brought on by hunger, I broke my "no playland" rule one morning and took JT to a local fast food joint for breakfast.  Not only was the line forever long and sloooow to boot, we encountered all kinds of nasty in the playland.  I think it's safe to say that it had not been cleaned the day before.  The fries on the floor and old drink cup were a pretty good indication that this establishment is not meeting my expectations.  I was grossed out by the whole experience, especially the band aid in the playland.  Take off your shoes?  Uh, no thanks.  How about issuing a hazmat suit before the kids can play?

Do You Tablescape?

So, I don't think "tablescape" is a real word, but there are a lot of inspiring tablescapes in the blogosphere lately and I couldn't resist putting my thoughts into a blog post.  I love seeing all of the wonderful table settings bloggers are creating (like this one on Design Stash) but I just can't imagine setting a table only to take photos of it!  And it just wouldn't make sense in this house to put all those beautiful things out on the table and leave them.  I mean, if I put dishes and pretties on the table, where would I put all of the junk that's on the table right now?  I like to put things son top of the deep freeze, but Casey gets perturbed when I do that!

Happy Anniversary, Babe!

Just a quick post to wish my husband of 14 years a Happy Anniversary today! 

Remembering 9/11

It seems like a lifetime ago, when I heard the news of terrorist attacks in America.  I knew instantly my life as a military wife would never be the same.  I can remember Fort Campbell being on lock down and Casey not being able to leave post.  I can vividly remember driving down 41 outside of base in the days after; seeing armed soldiers standing guard just inside of the fences surrounding the base.  Since that day, Casey has been deployed three separate times, for a total of nearly 40 months.  

What? The Dollar Tree Accepts Coupons!!!

I was super happy to spot this sign in the window of our local Dollar Tree!  Hooray!  You can now use your manufacturer's coupons at the Dollar Tree! 

For those of you who might want to know, you can find their coupon acceptance policy here.  It's pretty basic, all the same dos and don'ts of all our other favorite stores. 

The one big difference is the limit to the number of print-at-home coupons you can use, only two per transaction.  Not sure what would happen if you wanted to break up your shopping into separate transactions. 

I'd go easy on the Dollar Tree folks since the store only began accepting coupons on August 26th so this is all new to them.  And the policy says they have the right to refuse any coupons, so play nice!  And, have fun finding some awesome deals!

How Much Does It Cost To Elect A President?

It's still more than two months until the presidential election and I can officially say that I am so OVER it already!  I have always felt like voting for president is one of the greatest honors bestowed upon US citizens.  For the past four presidential elections, I can say that I have been proud to exercise my right to vote.  I loved the "rock the vote" campaigns and couldn't understand why anyone would choose not to vote.  My gosh how my views have changed over the past sixteen years.

Happy Birthday, Patty Gail!

I just can not believe that by bedtime tonight, my little girl will be officially six years old!  Where does the time go?  Happy Birthday, Patty; I'm going to make your favorite chocolate cake to celebrate!

CPSC Recalls: Do You Get It?

Do you remember the lead paint scare circa 2007?  I remember it vividly.  That's when all of Patty's toys were teething type toys and I worried they were all laced with lead paint.  I so wish I had come across the Consumer Product Safety Commission's website five years ago!  If you look along the right hand side, just under the heading "get involved" you can sign up to receive product recall information by - you guessed it- email! 

Could you live on $20 a week?

Think you could live on just $20 a week?  It's an intriguing idea for sure.  Kim, blogger behind The Money Pit (do you remember the movie with Tom Hanks and Shelly Long?), gave it a try last January.  You can read her followup post here.  She has a weekly post about what she spent and where she spent it and posts about the foods she prepared.  My house if full of picky eaters so our menu has absolutely no variety!

Special Education Links from the KDE Website

A few links from the Kentucky Deparment of Education worth bookmarking...if you're printing some of these, be sure you check the total number of pages carefully before hitting that print button!  Some of these PDFs are verrrrrrry long!

More Special Needs Resources to Bookmark

Came across a couple other organizations that you may want to make note of.  I like to bookmark them and add them to Pinterest!

Newest Blogs I'm Following

I have spent a little time this week evaluating the many, many blogs I follow trying to pare down the number from, like over a hundred, to something closer to a manageable thirty-ish.  But, every time I unsubscribe from one blog, I seem to find two more that I want to subscribe to!

What's JT up to?

If you've been reading all about Patty's first week back to school, you may be wondering what little JT has been up to this week.  Well, he has spent almost everyday with his Granddaddy.  Granddaddy is now officially retired!  And I gotta tell you, it comes in really handy to have Granddaddy home all day.  I think he's looking forward to the weekend just as much as the rest of us, though!  JT came home a little while ago and told me that he played games on the computer while Granddaddy took a nap.  I thought that was so funny!  JT will miss these days once he begins preschool in a couple weeks.  But, I bet Granddaddy has more naps once preschool starts!

What the Heck is a Hashtag?!

As you can probably tell from the title of this post, I am not a tweeter, or I don't twitter, or however else you want to say it.  But, I keep hearing about these things called "hashtags" and I always think to myself, isn't that the pound symbol?  You know, on your phone you have the pound "#" button or the star "*" button.  Duh, right?  Wrong!  It's so much more complicated than that!

Day Three Update

So, day three just started kind of rough.  Patty was upset, in tears from the moment she woke up this morning.  Geez, there's no worse way to begin your day.  Oh how I hope these first few days pass quickly!  The beginning of last year was a tough transition, too, and it passed, so I know there is light at the end of the tunnel.  Plus, tomorrow is Saturday so I can have at least two peaceful days, right?

Second Day Update

You know, it's gotta be a bad day when you're the parent and you're in the guidance counselor's office crying into her box of tissues!  Whew, what a morning I've had.

Are you a fan of ABC Family?

I sincerely hope I'm not the oldest person watching shows on ABC Family!  But, I gotta say I'm dying to find out who A really is on Pretty Little Liars (don't spoil it, I haven't had a chance to watch this week's episode!) and I am strangely addicted to the Secret Life of the American Teenager.  Not to mention Melissa & Joey is a must see and I really like Baby Daddy, too.

New School = Updates

It's a new school year and you know what that means.  Paperwork.  Lots and lots of paperwork.  I filled out and/or signed twenty pages from Patty's kindergarten packet!  It's good to brush up on your "following directions" skills, right?  I like to see how many I can fill out correctly before my eyes go cross or glaze over!

First Day Update

OMG!  To say Patty had a rough first day would be an understatement.  The poor kid cried so much that her eyes are bright pink underneath!  When I first laid eyes on her at pickup, I actually thought she'd been hit in the face.  Totally wasn't prepared for the sight.

It's the First Day of School...are you ready?

Can you believe it's the first day of school?  I just don't know where those days of summer went!  I don't remember summers going by so quickly when I was a kid.  Were summers longer back then?  They couldn't have been that much longer, guess it's just because I'm older and can read a calendar now.

Oh, that Joan Rivers!

So, Patty and I listened to 98.7 on the way to school this morning and it just happened to be news time.  If you know me at all, you should be proud that I was listening to the news at all!  And, no, the juice on 96 sto doesn't count as real news.

Push Pins are Sharp People!

I am borrowing this picture from a teaching blog called Mrs. Lirette's Learning Detectives because I am writing this post on my net book since my laptop over heated and shut me down.  FYI:  I am planning to take off that borrowed image and replace it later.

I've been seeing this push pin activity for months on teaching blogs and Pinterest.  Can't remember what I was doing the other day, but I had an unsettling question come to mind.  Isn't putting sharp push pins in the hands of children a hazard?  I mean, are the teachers cleaning those pins with alcohol or something in the event that a kid pricks him/herself? 


Just something to think about!

I'm Probably Stepping In It With This Post...

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I "heart" Chick Fila AND Equality

Do you ever feel like we live in a nation that just has to discriminate against somebody?  We had wonderful elected officials and fabulously polarizing community leaders who got our nation past the discrimination of the civil rights era.  Think Elton and Brad will be the face of the new inequality?

Are you watching Life's a Tripp?

So, I don't really consider myself a fan of reality tv.  You should know I don't consider Surviror to be a reality show, it's must watch tv and I eagerly watch every episode.  But, I'm not blogging about Survior today.  I'm blogging about Bristol.