Chex Party Mix

Today I got up and went about my normal daily routine straightening up the house etc. One thing I did differently today is to make home made Chex party mix. We have a group of friends that gets together often to play games. Lately we have been meeting more often and including dinner and snacks. All of us love Chex party mix but the bagged variety at the store includes powdered peanuts. I am allergic to all nuts. The people at Quaker also make a kind of snack mix that is good but all those bags add up. So I finally went out and bought the cereal and made it myself. I only used the cereal as pretzels don't thrill me and of course nuts are out of the question. One batch I did the regular way and one I did using garlic salt instead of seasoned salt. Delish! Did I manage to bring any with me to party night? Nope, forgot all about it. Doesn't that figure. lol Oh well.

Not What I'd Planned

Well, today didn't turn out exactly as planned. I got up at 7 am after not sleeping so well or long enough (got to bed late) showered, and headed out to my class. Got there a few minutes late. No one was there. Checked at the clinic. No dice. Went back to the site and asked a very helpful man to call the Red Cross for me. It turns out that the class was cancelled because the instructer couldn't make it. They said they called me, but I was home all day and received no call. Then they told me that I wasn't home when they called (lol) so they left a message. Well now my answering machine could be a liar and is just hiding it from me and it could be that I left and went somewhere and I just don't remember but I don't think so! Never fear, I'm typing this light heartedly. lol I just get a kick out of it when someone tells me they called but I wasn't home when I was. Anyway. I went on home where Alan asked me to make him a pot of coffee (he was fixin to leave) so I walked over and flipped the switch for him. Rofl. He for some reason thought I had not set it up the night before. I do about 95% of the time, but he'd gotten the wrong notion and it's OK. I love him! I'm laughing as I write this because it was just all so funny this morning. That's what you get from me on little sleep.

So the long and the short of it is that I had the day to myself and took it off. I have done very little today but play on the computer and take a nap where I had a horrible dream about working an intensive care unit alone and Britney Spears was a patient. I ended up having 4 bizarre patients and only me and I wasn't doing anything right. Then the people from Top Chef came in and were dishing up pills to be served etc. It was all very weird. I figure Britney was in there because I had seen a headline about her on AOL. I don't know, but the part about Sam from Top Chef serving up pills in souffle cups disturbed me so bad I woke up with a terrible sense of dread and personal failure. Those of you who watch this show in the States will of course realize that our shows on AFN (armed forces network) are significantly behind those back home. It makes little matter as we don't watch that much anyway.

Don't worry about me playing all day. Hubby's supper will be waiting for him when he gets home. How was your day?

Happenings

Tomorrow and Friday will be busy days indeed. I am going to some training to be eligible to teach the Healthy Pregnancy classes through the Red Cross here on post. I am a certified Red Cross nurse (RN) and all I need is to be familiar with their curriculum. The Red Cross has asked me to head this up for the post and I have agreed as it wont really take all that much time on a monthly basis and it's something more I can put on my resume. The training will be full days for 2 days. I just hope I can find the right building tomorrow.
We had one of our "coffee's" tonight. It's a get together for the spouses of the senior NCO's and the officers. We had it at the bowling alley as one of our male spouses was hosting it. Included we had 2 baby showers. One girl has just had twins and then a different male spouse' wife just had one. It's funny because Alaina is right in the middle of them. They are Twins then Alaina and then the other baby. They are each about a week to ten days apart from the next one. Baby girl sure will have friends to play with! I had my first experience today with European clothing sizes. lol WOW! I had to hold them up and judge for someone else's child by guessing how big it would have been on Alaina 3 weeks ago. Well, I think I did a good job if I do say so. I went down town to the Toys-R-Us. It's the first "American" store that I have been to here that is just like (or very similar to) those in the States. You see we went to Walmart a year or so ago and it was nothing like in the States. It had none of the things you'd find at home so it was just like all the other German department stores price and all. We couldn't see the point in going back.
Anyway, y'all have a good day and I'll cya tomorrow.

Wedding Dresses

OK girls, (any guys out there probably wont care) go to this web site for some gorgeous though non traditional wedding dresses.

A REAL AMERICAN HERO

Please go here to read the story of a real American hero. On my 36th birthday, Lt. Michael Murphy in an astounding act of bravery, gave his life to save his team. It is humbling and makes me cry to know that while I was celebrating, he was dying for my freedom. How much more humbling to know that Jesus went through so much more for my eternal freedom. Thank God for His salvation. I also thank God for brave men like Michael Murphy and for the men and women like my husband who risk it all to serve.

Momma's Little Angel

I miss her. More and more each day I long for the moment when I can take her home forever (or at least the next 18 years or so). It's not normal for a mother to walk away from her child. I try so hard to only think of her with my mind. If I use my heart I can't help but cry. Even now just writing about her the tears are rolling down my face. I knew this is how it would be. I knew the moment I saw her I would lose my heart. "Lord watch over her and protect her. Keep her safe in your loving arms and bring her home quickly." Please continue to pray for her and for this process to move quickly.

Super Savings Saturday

OK, this is my Super Savings Saturday entry for this week. I don't have the option of going to CVS, Walgreen's or Rite-Aid so this is all from the Commissary this week. Dawn Direct dish washing liquid was on sale for $2.29 and I had coupons for $2 off so they were 29 cents each. Jolly Time popcorn was on sale for $0.89 and I had a coupon for $1 off = free. Aquafresh Extreme Clean toothpaste was on sale again for $1.50 and I had 2 coupons for $1.50 off = free. Martha White corn bread mix marked down to $0.19/box. I had 2 coupons for $1 off 4 boxes so I got 8 boxes more than free. Pop Secret pop corn sale + coupon = 30 cents each. GoGurt yogurt marked down to $0.80 each + coupon for $0.75 off of 2 = $0.42 each.

So everything in the picture would have been $27.70 and I got it for $2.02. Not too shabby.

Not pictured is the Rice-a-Roni that I got 2 for 45 cents each. 2 boxes of Honey bunches of oats strawberry cereal that I got for 79 cents each. 2 boxes of Pillsbury brownie mix for 50 cents each. One free can of Libby's French cut green beans after buying 4 for 40 cents each. 24 bottles of Propel sport drink for 33 cents each. 2 slices of Edwards key lime pie for 50 cents each. A 2 bar pack of Olay bar soap for 83 cents and 2 eye of round steaks one for 81 cents and one for 68 cents. These good deals would have been $33.60 but I got them for $16.32.

All in all $61.30 worth of groceries for $18.34. There were other deals but those were the best ones.

Words from California Congressman Pete Stark

See it for yourself.

Think Before You Speak - I Beg You

Congressman Peter Stark of California (that figures) seems to think that this war we are in is a joke. He seems to think that President George Bush sits back and laughs every time a soldier dies. I don't know how you feel about Geroge. Personally I like him. I think he and Laura would be great neighbors and would be fun to have over (without the secret service of course - something about an uzi in my dinning room...) I don't agree with all of the decisions he has made. Of course I have not been in on the decision making process and therefore don't know why they were made. That said, to think that anyone, outside of radical muslim extreemists, would or even could sit back and laugh at the tragic death of a person doing his duty is ridiculous.



Here are Congressman Stark’s comments made Thursday on the floor of the House of Representatives: “You don't have money to fund the war or children. But you're going to spend it to blow up innocent people if we can get enough kids to grow old enough for you to send to Iraq to get their heads blown off for the President's amusement.”



I realize he was excited and upset about wanting this children's medical insurance bill to pass, but that just does not excuse his words.

If you wish to make your opinion known here is his information.


Pete Stark, Congressman Pete Stark
239 Cannon Building
Washington, DC 20515
Primary Phone: 202-225-5065
Fax: 202-226-3805
E-Mail: Pete Stark, Pete Stark

Putting Down The Myths

Some of this content may not be suitable for younger or unmarried readers.

I have something to say. It is not a sin for a woman to work or volunteer out side of her home. I have been reading Christian blogs for over a year now. In that time I have seen a lot of mention of Titus 2 women and modesty and I have decided to speak out about it. That's right. Soap box time.

Let me start with Titus 2 Women. In Titus we find Paul writing to Titus who is a minister it seems in Crete. In chapter 2 he suggests to Titus that he teach older women (these are women who are older and who's children are grown) "To be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women (that's the rest of us) to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands so that no one will malign the Word of God." (NIV Bible) This is not a command that women must stay home and not work at a job outside of the home and not volunteer. Lydia, if you'll remember, was a seller of purple. No where does it say that she did this out of her home. Maybe she had a shop somewhere. Oh the thought! Though it may not have been the norm in Bible times for women to work outside of their home, it was also not uncommon. If it had been uncommon or considered wrong even by Paul, I would think that he would have mentioned it or said how wrong it was for Lydia to leave her home to work. I realize that the King James Version of the Bible says "to be keepers at home" instead of "to be busy at home". The fact of the matter is that if this verse meant that women are to stay at home and not go out to do anything then those women who followed Jesus from town to town when he was teaching were wrong to do so because they were not staying at home. Working outside the home is not a sin unless the Lord has laid it on your heart to be a stay at home wife or mother or unless your husband has told you he does not want you to have an outside job. It's one of those decision, like birth control, to be made inside the triangle of marriage (see the image at the top of the post) We are commanded several times in scripture that we are to respect and obey our husbands because he is the head of the home. This is not easy to swallow for a lot of us, however that command also does not mean we must obey them in everything. It is meant for a true Christian husband and wife. Unfortunately there are many mixed marriages out there where the husband is not truly born again. In these cases for a wife to obey her husband when he wants her to do something morally wrong would be sin. (lying, cheating, sexual immorality etc.) We are to obey in the Lord. God is first. Husband is second. Our priorities in life should be God first, Husband second, Children third and then vocation weather it be working or volunteering.

Another thing about these Titus 2 wives. The older women, those with grown children, are the ones to be doing the teaching. Those of us who still have our husbands and younger children at home are classified as the younger women. This does not mean we cannot encourage each other in the Lord, but it does mean not to set your self up as a life teacher to others. The older women are to teach because they have lived their lives. They have raised their children, and they have a lot of life experience, perspective, and years of serving the Lord. I would put forth Connie from Texas as an older woman who's teaching I take to heart. She is not perfect. She does not have all the answers, but she has a lot of perspective and a real love for the Lord and a lot of Godly wisdom. An admonition from a woman like her I would not take lightly because she knows of what she speaks. When I see young women telling others how to run their marriages and families, I am annoyed. It is one thing to blog about your life and what works for you and your personal convictions. It is yet another to tell people that your convictions must be theirs or they are in sin. I imagine that we all interpret the Bible a little differently. There is no one human on this planet that has it all right. NOT ONE. The way our family chooses to live is not by one denominations view points but by the Bible. We seek to do what the Bible says, not what man says or what any particular church says. I would challenge everyone to go to the Word. What does it say? Ask the Lord to reveal to your heart the things He would have you do. Remember that parts of the Bible are literal, parts are conceptual, and parts had to do with the culture of the time. To literally be a "keeper at home" you could never leave even to go to church or the grocery store. This is not reasonable and it is not in keeping with the spirit of the Word. I believe the NIV puts it better that we are to be busy at home. Meaning not lazy or couch potatoes but keeping busy which helps to keep us from sin.

Now about modesty. I'm all for it. I don't wear skirts/dresses all the time and I don't wear pants all the time. I like to look feminine and pretty. I like to look like a woman. I personally believe the verse in the old testament that refers to men not wearing women's clothing and women not wearing men's clothing means just that. Don't be a cross-dresser. If you're a man look like one. If you're a woman look like one. And for pitty's sake girls, and guys, act like one. I see a lot of blogging related to woman's dress but I have yet to see anything regarding a man's. Men jogging in those spandex biking shorts and topless is not what I would consider modest, but no one wants to say anything about it. So I will. It would seem from the blogs that modesty is only for women. Is that so? I don't think so.

Lets stop with all the legalism. Jesus was against legalism and I am too but now I see it resurfacing. Let's let our lives be led with compassion and love like Christ's was and not have this judgemental attitude.

On a personal note. Since we have married I have only worked on a very part-time basis. We can afford for me to do so, my husband likes being the provider, and I like being a wife and now a mother. We prefer to take care of our children ourselves and not have them raised by day care providers. That is our family. That is what we have decided is right for us. I cannot judge others who don't follow our example. I believe that is between the husband, the wife and the Lord.

Now I realize not everyone will agree with what I've said. That's OK. I'm happy to hear from everyone. I only ask that you keep it clean and kind.

Guatemala Day 4

OK, so day 4 of our trip. I had been up most of the night and the realization that this would be our last 12 hours with her was hitting hard. I cried off and on all day. I woke DH up and insisted we all go to breakfast as a family. We did, then we spent some time in the baby lounge visiting with other parents. Interestingly enough, Alaina slept most of the day. We just spent time in our room and wandering around the hotel looking at the perfection that is our daughter. Loving her, holding her, taking pictures of her and family photos too. I wont go into giving her back. It's just too painful. No mother should ever have to walk away from her child. Suffice it to say that I bawled. Oh my, it's hard even to write this post, so I'll stop there. Please continue to pray that we get her soon and please continue to pray for the children of Guatemala. The government there is trying to shut down adoptions.

I Laughed So Hard

OK, this will take me a while to write as I'm still laughing. I woke up this morning still with a cold but it's getting better. That Zicam really works. Had me feeling better in no time. OK now on to the source of my laughter. I don't wake up easily. Not a morning person doesn't even begin to describe it. I was thinking of the last post Mrs. Wilt made on her blog about being a southerner and wondering what state they lived in, so I thought I'd log in and see if she makes that public. I logged in and checked my email. In doing so I saw a new comment on my blog. For those of you who do not have blogs, the comments are emailed directly to me as well as appearing on the blog. That way I can see when a new comment arrives as I have not chosen to view and approve all comments before they post. I read it. It was about an older post about General Peter Pace. I'll have you know I had received my first hate mail - or hate comment as it were. So, being the good detective that I am I noted the time of the comment and went straight to my web tracking device. I discovered where the person got to my blog from and what I found was a web site of apparently hate filled people who seem to be Democrats. Not that there aren't hate filled people who are Republicans but theses did seem to be Democrats.
Fascinating. I scrolled halfway down the page and lo and behold there was a link to my blog in one of the comments. The commenter was speechless and appeared to think I am some kind of nut. lol I laughed so hard! I can't tell you how pleased I am to be considered a nut by the radical left wing! Glory to God! It is by His grace I am! I'd rather be crazy for Jesus than a politically correct conformer to leftist ideas that claim to be mainstream. I also praise the Lord because everyone who goes there and reads that post will read that they need to be saved and how to be saved. Praise the Lord!

Guatemala Day Three

So, now it's Sunday morning is Guatemala and we have decided to stop tag teaming Alaina and let one of us sleep while the other one tends to her. The morning is somewhat of a blur for me. I do remember going down to breakfast. Then we napped in the afternoon while Alaina slept. We did go to visit the baby lobby where some of the other parents informed us where to find a pacifier. I had noticed Alaina chewing on her bottle nipples. When I'd squeeze a bit of water or formula into her mouth she'd spit it out. She just wanted to suck. At her age this is such a natural desire that we decided Sunday or not we'd try to get her one. They didn't have one at the gift shop in the lobby much to our dismay. We headed out to a pharmacy down the street. Closed. Then we kept walking around the block that our hotel was on. We came to 2 grocery stores and an open pharmacy but no go. It turns out that a pacifier is called a "pepe" in Spanish. The pharmacist told us to head to the mall where he was sure we'd find it. My Spanish finally came in handy on this trip. It was too far to go with the baby only in our arms as we would have to cross several very busy streets. So, I went back to the hotel with her and papa went out in search of a pepe. She loved it. She spit it out a lot but only because she hasn't learned how to keep it in. When I rigged it up to not fall out she fell right asleep. I slept for the evening as best I could while DH took care of her. I was quite amused as she was fussy and he'd tried everything but her diaper. I called out to check it. He did and I heard him say "oh you're wet" I made no motion that I was awake and sure enough he stepped up to the plate and changed it. I was so proud of him. Yesterday when I asked him if he wanted to change her he was afraid he'd hurt her. I told him that while she is little, she doesn't break so easily. What a good papa he is! OH! I forgot to tell you. During the day at some point, she was fussing and didn't want her bottle etc. Alan had her so I said check her diaper. Maybe she's wet. He checked it and when he opened the diaper he jumped back like a snake bit him and said, "Somebody gave her guacamole! She's got it in her diaper!" lol and then he promptly handed her over to me. I laughed. That will be a good one to tell. About 8 pm she had her bath. It took both of us to do it and we bathed her in the sink. Boy is she slippery! But we all got through it and into fresh clean jammies. So about 9pm ish I took over and Alan tried to sleep. He sleeps much better than I do. He was snoring in minutes. I gave her a bottle and changed her diaper and she went down for about 3 hours. That's not to say she didn't fuss some, but she was down for most of it. She is used to sleeping with adults in their bed so she needed a lot of comfort to sleep in her crib. I found that if I just stand there and pat her back for a while she'd nod off again. Well, we both missed supper so I ordered the late night room service that we'd had the night before. I was able to get a little rest off and on through the night.

Guatemala Day Two

I'm sitting here with a cup of hot tea and honey. You guessed it. I've got a nasty cold. I believe I picked it up on the airplane from Guatemala to Dallas. There was a woman on the plane who's child was sick and as they circulate the air, I'm sure that's how I caught it. I just hope that however it happened, Alaina didn't catch anything. OK. On to day 2.

We got up at 0700. Took showers, got dressed and went to breakfast all to be ready for Alaina who was scheduled to arrive at 0900. We went down to the lobby and saw Jorge our interpreter. We spoke with him a few minutes and then I saw a lady with a baby and just knew it was mine. "Is that her?" I asked. It was. The pictures you see here are of our first meeting. You see Jorge, us, Alaina, and the foster mother. We all went up to our room, where the foster mother (through Jorge) began to tell us every detail of how to take care of her as if we'd never seen a baby before. At first this was cute, but then it got annoying as she demanded we turn off the air conditioner and the fan etc. She brought all new clothes and new diapers and bottles. Still in their original packaging. Since we had brought everything we would be needing (except for formula) we put it all away and sent it back exactly as it had been sent to us. I thought it was funny that the foster mother proceeded to show me how to change her diaper and used one of the ones she had brought. She had the wrong size. The size she brought was for 12 - 20 pound babies. Alaina wasn't quite 8 pounds. That diaper went all the way up to her armpits! Needless to say when I changed her diaper next I used the Pampers Swaddlers Newborn that we had brought. lol You should have seen her swimming in that big ole thing. Anyway, soon enough they left and we turned the AC back on and dug her out of all 3 of her blankets. Guatemala is a warm and humid place. I think it is their culture to wrap babies up like that, but she was too warm and had some heat rash, so I kept her cooler. Mostly the first day we just spent time taking pictures and holding her, feeding her, loving her. We did go to a late lunch around 2pm. I held her while DH ate and then he held her while I ate. lol She didn't come with a carrier. We did get to visit with our attorney later in the afternoon. They had been concerned that we would reject her because she has a birth mark on her bottom. I have heard that there are some superstitions surrounding birth marks but we don't have any and assured them that it makes no difference to us. The type she has will fade with age anyway. By the time she gets married it should hardly be noticeable if it is at all. Alaina didn't sleep well the first night. She had new surroundings and new things and new smells and people. Also she is a noisy baby. She grunts and squeals and makes sounds. That may be normal but for us as new parents it was stressful. We'd be trying to sleep and I of course would wake up at every sound. Then she'd be completely quite for a while and I'd be sure she'd died of SIDS. Needless to say there was very little sleeping the first night. We were both up with her the whole time and since we'd had no supper we ended up ordering room service of a hamburger and fries and split it. Alan ordered a pot of coffee as well. He needed it. Somewhere around 0800, she finally went to sleep better and we were able to get a little too.

Guatemala Day One

We arrived around 8pm ish. It took a while to get through customs and immigration and then our luggage and the coach to the hotel. We stayed at the Marriott as most adopting parents do. They have a baby lounge with a few toys, swings, bouncers, an exersaucer, changing room, bottle station, etc. Very nice. So we finally got to our room after traveling about 26 hours. We had gotten up at 3 am Friday (German time). A friend drove us to the train station at 0430. We caught the 5am train and it was about 3.5 hour train trip till we finally made it to the Frankfurt airport. Then a 10+ hour flight to Dallas, a relatively short layover (where we got to eat at TGIF!) and then a 3ish hour flight to Guatemala City. Anyway, we unpacked everything to be completely ready for Alaina. lol I even got out her diaper bag and packed it. Then we ordered room service. OK, Pam and Rita will laugh. Tacos really are different when made in Mexico/South America. they were in corn tortilla's like we use but it was meat rolled up in the tortilla and then possibly fat fried. Ladies correct me if I'm wrong I'm just guessing here. However there were none of the cheese, lettuce and tomato's that we are all used to. So the room service we ordered was an appetiser platter of tacos, empanadas, and some miniature tostada's some with beans and some with guacamole. My Spanish was beginning to get a work out. We went to bed early after placing a call to Jorge (our interpreter and liaison between the lawyer, the foster family and us) to confirm meeting our daughter at 0900 the next morning.

Guatemala

So we are back from Guatemala. We got to have Alaina for the whole weekend about 58ish hours. She is so beautiful. There is so much to tell and so many pictures to post. I'll get at them next week. Right now my mind is full and I'm exhausted.

His Banner Over Me Is Love

I woke up this morning singing this old song. As I became more awake I remembered the verse that says: "There's one way to peace through the power of the Cross His banner over me is love. There's one way to peace through the power of the Cross His banner over me is love. There's one way to peace through the power of the Cross His banner over me is love. His banner over me is love." I have not even thought of that song in who knows how many years. This morning the truth of those words struck me. I never understood them as a child. I always thought the word peace was piece and therefore it made no sense. In the light of today's world I wish I could sing it out for all to hear. There is only one way to peace. But it's an eternal peace that is being sung of not an earthly one unless you count the peace in your heart. There will be no peace on this earth until the Lord returns. But when He does...

Alaina Update And Other News

We have found out more about our new bundle of Joy! She weighed 6 pounds 8 ounces at birth and was 19 inches long. We can't wait to go see her!
In other news, there is none. There is nothing going on here. We are boring people. My plans for the day include a small amount of shopping at the PX, emptying the dishwasher, making the bed, setting up the coffee pot for tomorrow, fixing a supper of left overs and little else. Never fear, I'll find something to do with myself. Well, there is some ironing i should do and there is a package I need to take to the post office. Oh yeah I bought a bunch of cards I need to send (if I can find them). Things have been disappearing around here. Neither one of us can find stuff and our house is pretty clean. Hmmmmm

To Stock Pile Or Not To Stock Pile

Carrie J. posted an interesting piece about the amount of things we accumulate in our homes and in our lives. Read it here. I had read her post from last Friday about not stockpiling. I had been thinking about this "more more" mentality over the weekend and these are my thoughts.

I remember back to when I was a child. I didn't have as many clothes as I do now. My mother tells me that when she was a child growing up in the 30's and 40's she had like 2-3 dresses (girls didn't wear pants in those days) to wear to school. She might have a "best dress" to wear to church and she might have had a "slop dress" to wear for play or messy chores I don't know. I assume she had the requisite underwear to go with these dresses but I doubt she had as many as I do. I also know she had at least one pair of shoes and probably two. Go back another generation from that and they had about the same I'd say. Then I thought about my grandma Eva Fae. Grandma still has her old washer (and it still works) where you add the water with a hose and agitate the clothes by hand and then run them through the wringer to the rinse water and then back through the wringer and then put them on the line to dry. Now I said all that to say this: I think we have more clothes and we have more stuff because we have better technology. I mean before that washer of grandma's one would use a scrub board, wring by hand and hang on the line, and everything would have to be ironed using sad irons. A sad iron was heated by placing it on the stove for those of you who don't know. It took a lot of time and work to wash all the clothes for your family. Now they didn't wash each item every time it was used. It only got washed if it needed it. I assume they washed their underwear more frequently, but I might be wrong. Still, to wash each family members underwear and even one main article of clothing, not to mention the occasional towels, sheets and let's don't forget the baby clothes and diapers. What a mountain of work. One might wish for more clothes to be stylish but I imagine the thought of having to take care of them would stop you. That goes for all the fancy dishes we have. Water had to be toted, heated and soap grated up. No dishwasher's in those days. This is why my grandma can make hot cocoa using one pot and one spoon only. She can do other stuff that way as well. The houses were smaller because you had to build them yourself. Think back to Laura Ingalls Wilder's books. Pa Ingalls built their houses. Most people were doing the same. I've been to Desmet, South Dakota where their home was. There they have recreated the house on the claim according to Pa's measurements that he recorded when he "proved up" and the land was finally his. It's smaller than the 2 bedroom apartment I live in now. There were 6 of them. I mean he could have built on and added more and more rooms I suppose but it cost money to do, and then too cleaning all that much more house would be difficult. You had to heat the water and add soap to clean the floors. This was hands and knees scrubbing with a brush. Not my Swiffer Wet Jet. The more stuff you had the more you had to dust (the very reason I don't buy knick knacks) Basically doing everything back then was a lot harder. You had to walk a mile or more to the store. You could only bring back what you could carry unless your husband hitched up the horses and wagon (if you had them) and went. Supplies for the stores had to be brought in on the train which only ran once a week. Today Walmart Super Center has deliveries every day by truck. Anyway, you all get the point. We didn't have things back then because it wasn't really feasible to have them. I suspect we have them now because it's easier and because we are trying to "keep up with the Joneses." lol My sister-in-law Judy is the queen of decluttering. She always has had a nice place for them to live, but you'll never find any clutter there. She loves to throw things out. Kind of like the anti-pack rat. I on the other hand tend to hang on to things because "we might need it some day and I don't want to have to buy a new one." Being the globe trotting army wife that I am I've learned to get rid of a lot of things. On our 3 year anniversary we were packing for our fourth move. I don't stockpile anything liquid or perishable beyond what I can use in a year. It can't be moved by movers so it would end up donated or thrown out. A waste of money. Carrie J has a good point. Simple is better and to stockpile for the sake of stockpiling is silly especially if it is cluttering up your home. The money could be put to a better use. I do stockpile non liquid things that I can get for free or for pennies. I do however wait for the deeply discounted sales. I laugh when I see TP on "sale" for like 25 cents less than it usually is. Big fat hairy deal! Now if we were out I might buy one pack of it and use a coupon but I would not stockpile it. Today, for instance, I am going by the commissary because I just received some new coupons that will expire soon and TP is marked down so that with the coupons I can get a 4 pack double rolls for $1. I'll get as many as I have coupons for and if that cereal sale is still going on I'll get about 8 boxes of cereal for 50 cents each. Those things don't perish, I have a storage room to put them in, and we will definitely use it before we move. I would be interested in hearing other's thoughts about this subject.

Monday

Have you ever had a day so busy (and enjoyed it) that at the end of the day even though you are tired, you want to stay up and keep doing stuff? This is a first for me. At least since childhood. In fact, I was thinking that about 2 hours ago when hubby went off to bed. I thought that this must be how children feel when they fight going to sleep. Bizarre isn't it? I mean it's not like I got married today or got the baby today or started college or something. I got up, took a shower, got dressed, and in the course of the day cleaned the kitchen, unloaded the dishwasher, reloaded the dishwasher, took the recycles out, set up the coffee maker for tomorrow, made dinner, cleaned up dinner, ran dishwasher again, did 4 loads of laundry completely (I'll get at the ironing tomorrow) stripped and remade the bed with fresh linens, swiffered the whole apt., dusted the whole place,(apparently knocking some pictures crooked which was the first thing hubby noticed when he came in the door from work. "was there a loud bang or something? the pictures are all crooked.") sorted all the coupons I recieved from Crystal and Jenna (thank you) into 3 piles from which further sorting will happen, and brought in all the (non-perishable) groceries that have been sitting in my trunk for the weekend and put them away. Of course I also read and answered email and did some computer stuff. I was sitting in such a wierd position doing the coupons that when I stood up I discovered that my legs from knee to hip had fallen asleep. That has never happened to me before. Usually it's the feet or lower legs that fall asleep not the thighs. It wasn't a good thing either because my knees were asleep and not in the mood to support me. No, I didn't fall, but it was really an odd sensation. So, I said all that to say this. I find it odd that I want to stay up and do stuff. The only other time I've felt this way was for about an hour after the narcotic pain killer kicked in when I had a root canal. So wierd.
Pam you've been on my mind all day. I'm saying a prayer for you. I hope everything is alright.
Ohhhhhhhhhhhh wait. I had a Dr. Pepper today. Maybe this is a caffiene buzz. I've never had one before. It's kind of cool. (I have an arrythmia so I try to stay away from caffiene.) I only drank the Dr. Pepper to get rid of it. I had gotten it free and DH doesn't like it. HMMMM well, if that's the case, I should be crashing soon.
Hasta la vista baby!