Happy New Year's eve everyone !

For the first year in many We were invited to a New Years eve party / Birthday party but unfortunately, we are not able to go. First of all Cindy has to work the midnight shift tonight because she only got one choice out of Christmas eve, Christmas, New Years Eve New Years day off and she chose Christmas eve so that we could all attend Midnight mass as a family. Since she works midnight shift, Christmas day and New Years day are not that big of a deal. Anyway, though we struggled to decide whether or not to go to this party leaving Cindy alone before work, in the end we will be staying home where we can all eat before Cindy goes to work . Sometimes things just happen that way. I pray that all of you have a wonderful and safe New Years eve and day. May God bless you abundantly in the coming year and always!

Possibly some good news !

Yesterday Mike and I went to my doctor's appointment to get the results of my ultrasound and discuss some of the aspects of my coming surgery. The appointment started like any with about half an hour in the waiting room then ushered into a room for another fifteen minutes.When the doctor came in he looked over my reports and told us that he had good news. First of all my ovaries were cyst free so it looks as though I will probably be able to keep them, yea ! Then he read further wow my uterus has went from measuring 13.5 to measuring 7.5. Could it be that my auto immune disorder, has stopped attack on this organ ? The doctor had no explanation for the decrease in size but this sounds logical to him. So what about the hysterectomy ? We all know deep down that we must still do something and the doctor advised that we not wait until I have another flair up. Fair enough, I guess but then Mike had a question. " If the ablation couldn't be done because the uterus was too big ( it seems that this was the reason ) and now it is not too big.... Why can't she have the ablation now?" The doctor sat a minute to think then we discussed whether or not I wanted to cancel the surgery( that I still have no date for, the date will be set in two weeks when the lady comes back from vacation, but will most likely happen in February) and try the ablation again. Of course I did want to try again but I didn't want to cancel the surgery so I negotiated still scheduling the surgery just in case but still trying another ablation. Finally the doctor said that he would schedule one extensive surgical spot. He would attempt an ablation and if it worked, wonderful ..... If not then he would do the hysterectomy. Mike would know the outcome when the doctor is done and I will find out depending on my pain level when I awaken in recovery.
So this is where , my dear readers, you come in. Please pray for me about this. I have pretty much accepted either outcome, though one would obviously be less painful and require much less recovery time, Only God knows what is actually best so I am leaving it in his hands ! Thank you all ! I will post my surgical date as soon as I get it.

Me and my puppy !

Christmas eve

New hair accessory


Mike's Dad poses for a picture



Mike's Mom and I open gifts


Mike never gets into pictures..........until he found a mirror that is

Christmas Day

Is it ticking ?????



Robby opens his pajamas from Cindy


Michael opens a pair of pajamas from Cindy as Robby waits for his turn



Cindy opens a Barbie doll



Mike opens his USB pen


The kids take turns opening gifts

Boxing Day December 26, 2009

Mom receives a big present from her children and grandchildren



My Dad opens a Public Menace( from the movie UP) shirt that one of the kids got him



Uncle Curt with Michael & Rob



A bottle of wine from my little brother



Mom , Dad & I talk around the table

Did everyone have a wonderful Christmas ?????

Ours was pretty nice indeed. On Christmas eve was visited with Mike's family before midnight mass ! After Midnight mass , as is our tradition, we went to Sheetz for doughnuts and a free cappuccino, then we came home and the kids opened their presents from each other followed by Mike and I opening our gifts to each other( well what was left as Mike only had one gift that he didn't pick out & know about) while the home made bread, which had been rising all day, baked.
I then prepped and put the turkey in the roaster and went to bed. A couple hours later, we got up and the kids did some essential chores like letting the dogs out as I put the ham into the oven and started to prepare some of the side dishes. We then gathered for the kids ( and the puppies too)to open their gifts from "Santa" after which I put the rest of the food on to cook and we relaxed and messed with gifts until dinner time. After dinner we put everything into refrigerator containers and I headed to bed for a nap. Since Cindy had to work Christmas night,we all got together ( after our naps) and had desert before she left. The next day we prepared and gathered with my family where Isabella got to meet her cousin Sophia and uncle buzz (other family dogs)
It all went so fast that I can't believe that Christmas eve, day, and boxing day( Dec 26th or the servant's Christmas) are but a memory.
It goes without saying that Mike has hundreds of pictures, but since he is restoring our secondary lap top today and also received a call that a friend has a virus of the computer variety, I probably won't be receiving any this afternoon but as always, when I get them I will post some.
As for now, I must shop for Sauerkraut and pork... New Years is only days away !

Though she's cute.....

She's still a puppy ! Don't be fooled !


She's still a puppy ! Don't be fooled !




Merry Christmass all !!!!!

A new favorite ornament

Through the years, I have bought Christmas ornaments to commemorate different stages of the kids lives. This being told, it is no suprise that I also have bought ornaments in memory of Mike and my daughter, Caitlyn who was stillborn over fourteen years ago.It has been a couple years since I seen an ornament that I knew that I had to have but the following was one that I seen and immediatly felt that Caitlyn was behind my finding it. Since it was found on E bay I placed a bid and thought that if I was ment to have it, I would not be outbid. And guess what... The strangest thing happened. There were many many bids and some were equal to mine but none were over mine and I won so I know it was ment for me.

What does the wife of a Man who has been working 60 to 120 hours per week in order to build up the bank account, get for her Husband for Christmas ?

Why the Nikon D90 camera complete with two lenses and a sling bag that he has been admiring every since a fellow Karate picture taker got one last month, of course !

BTW.......Yes he will probably read this but he already knows as he found the package deal online.

Keeping it equal

Since May third nineteen ninety three, when Mike and I were blessed with Michael, we made a promise to ourselves. This promise being that since we loved our ,then two, children equally that we would always make a conscious effort to make sure that they were always treated equally. This may sound like a no brainier to most of you but I have personally witnessed Mothers and even Grandmothers who have told me point blank that so and so was their favorite child or favorite grandchild. No matter how many times I have heard this sort of thing it has always hurt my heart for the child, grandchild, children, grandchildren that were not the coveted favorite. When Robby was born three years after Michael we again made this simple promise. Because of these promises, I am always aware of not only how I treat all three of my children but how it appears to my three children that they are treated equal. This is not saying that when one has gone through a period of misbehavior that we are not as tough as we can be on them. After all it is out of Love for our children that we punish them and teach them right from wrong.
This being said , Christmas time is one time in particular when we are very aware that our kids are treated equal in many ways. One of which is making sure that everyone receives equal gifts. This is not always easy as they each have their unique likes and dislikes so rather than making sure that everyone gets the same things, we have set a price amount which is spent on each child. The kids can get one gift or twenty, depending on their wish list but in the end the total spent on each child is equal. Well within a dollar, as equality to the penny would be just the thing to set me over the proverbial edge, or at least that is how I have always thought.However this year it just sort of worked out that in addition to keeping the cost within a dollar( actually twenty four cents this year) I have also ended up with the same amount of presents per child. Since this may never happen again I am so proud of myself! The only problem is now that I have to resist the urge to buy any last minute little things . Thankfully I have many things to keep me busy rather than shopping.

My wheel has arived

At 7:50 Wednesday night( after all of the places that will mount tires closed)the UPS guy knocked on my door.Finally my rim had arrived. I had Mike check it before he went to work so that first thing Thursday I could get it mounted and get my Aztek back on the road. Since Cindy's car was due for a tire rotation, she and I both headed off with our cars to Sams club. From there I was sent to Wal Mart as Sam's didn't want to bother with my needs even though I have been a loyal tire customer there for many years. Finally after six days, my rim was changed and I am back in business. Today I will catch up on all of the errands that I am behind on.

A slip but not a good one

Though we have not been given the official word, there has been a slip from a Sensei whom we trust and it looks as though Michael's Nidan test has been scored for a six month retest. The part that stinks about these tests is that you can be told to retest, or even fail without being given specific reason ( the score cards are not shown to the person testing). I guess that the idea of this is to force one to look deep within , examine not only ones karate ability, but ones spirit(attitude) ( any of these things can be cause for retest or failure) and work on everything.
At this point we have no choice but to believe that Michael will have to retest. This is,though not the outcome we had hoped for, not such a bad thing, as everyone needs to take a good hard look at themselves from time to time. It can only benefit. After all there is a reason that the first line in the Dojo Kun ( mission statement for ShotoKan) is "Seek perfection of Character"

Mixed messages

This morning I had my ultrasound to determine if I get an expedited surgery date or not. I was originally told that i would know by Friday what was going on but now I am not so sure. As the tech was doing the ultrasound, she casually said that I seriously needed to make sure to keep my appointment to see the doctor. I took this to mean that something was spotted,however when I went to the desk, I was given an appointment of December 29th ( guess that surgery will be after then huh ? ) I was then asked to sign papers for surgery to be scheduled and was given a form for a hospital that I made it clear( last visit)that I would not go to. I was then told (by the medical scheduler)that the Hospital to which the doctor reluctantly agreed last visit was not an option.( I don't know if he knows this or not ) I was about to ask for the name of another surgeon when I was offered an option of a private hospital which by chance accepts our insurance and which we have had outpatient procedures and surgeries ( such as Michael's feet, & Robby's last ear tubes done at ) Though we have never experienced inpatient procedures here, this seemed like a wonderful choice. So hopefully the plans can be made and it will all work out.Since my appointment is Dec 29th, I assume that I will be on the January or February schedule like I was originally told, if not they will surely let me know !

Oh where oh where is my wheel ?

The online tracking information says that my Aztek rim will be delivered today as it left on the UPS truck early this morning. I have waited around all day except for when I needed to go to a doctor's appointment and then I made sure Cindy was up to sign if necessary,but still no wheel ! I had hoped to get it mounted before karate tonight but that plan looks bleak. I do have Mike's car and he is driving Michael's but it just isn't the same. I stopped at the grocery store to get Chile beans after my appointment and ended up spending about $50 on groceries, which is not very much at all but a Grand Am is not an Aztek and so loading it in was tougher than I am used to. UPS has told me that my package is scheduled anytime before 7:00 PM but that residential is always after business deliveries. So I guess that I am supposed to wait.......

Still no results

Mike and Michael had kind of hoped for early word about Michael's Nidan test yesterday, however, he ended up sick and did not make it to class and since we didn't get a phone call, I assume that the process has not become miraculously short as they had hoped. So to anyone who was told that we might know by now........ Sorry but we still don't :( I will update as soon as possible.

Your kidding right ?

Last Friday while Mike was working a twenty hour day I, as usual delivered his dinner to work.On my way I noticed that something wasn't right with my Aztek and, though I know nothing about cars, deducted that I had a low tire. For the first time in my life, with the help of Mike, on the phone, and the automatic air machine, at Sheetz, I put air into the tire. I felt pretty good about myself until later in the evening my "low tire pressure" light came on. This is when I knew that there was a problem so I headed to Sears, which is where I bought the tires.Upon inspection I was told that I had a cracked rim. They agreed to put my spare on the car as I called Mike to decide where to get a new rim. Since a factory rim cost $800 and would need a week to be delivered, Mike and I decided to see about buying a set of non factory rims. Our only requirement was that they had to be American made . Well the salesman had no knowledge of if they even carried any American made ones or not, so he sort of browsed his computer. In the mean time,I was told that Sears could not figure out how to get my factory spare out from under my car and on my axle so they gave up.Three hours later,I paid for a set of rims that the salesman swore were American made and drove home with low tire pressure to pop a few Tylenol to relieve my huge headache.
My rims were supposed to be in today and since I can't drive the car until they come in, I am awaiting their delivery. This being said, I was awaiting the call to come on in and get them but it didn't come. Mike called from work and was told that they would take longer and get this.... They were made in China ! But he argued, I personally told the sales guy on the phone no Chinese and I was on the phone with my wife when she reminded the guy...... My husband said no Chinese ! Well I guess that Sears has agreed to refund our money , which is good but now I have blown away three days and still have no replacement rim. Mike did order one from E bay and it should be here soon but still I wonder, how can one work for Sears automotive and not have a clue about anything which they sell ? Have we become so desensitized to buying foreign that we don't even care what is or isn't anymore? I am saddened first off that this junk is even for sale here in America let alone that people are oblivious to it. One man at Sears argued that the rims came from West Virginia, so they were American made. Mike made a few calls and they have a warehouse in West Virginia. I don't know about you, but I am tired of the deception.In the future I guess that i will have to research everything I buy, from socks to soap but I will do what I have to because it is that important ! Are you with me?

Waiting........

As I shared, Michael tested for his Nidan( second degree black belt) yesterday. Unfortunately we do not know the results of his test yet. The process can take two weeks as the results must be taken to the ISKF headquarters , then someone from headquarters has to inform (usually via phone call)the executive director of our region. Our regional director will then notify the sensei of Michael's primary Dojo(school) and the Sensei will then contact Michael. Sometimes, results slip out early but nothing is official until this process is complete. Thankfully, we don't have to wait until the scores are recorded in Japan and an official Japanese certificate is made and issued, this can take a year. So as we anxiously await, Michael's score, here are a couple pictures of the sparing portion of his test.

There's nothing like.........

The love between a boy and his dog !

A Day Book

Recently I was challenged to post a "day book" A Day Book is like a Me Me but centers more on "Me today" so here it is..... Hope you enjoy



Outside my window … Snow , Not much but enough !

I am thinking … Wow only 15 days till Christmas.... I have to get some wrapping done and what about cookies?

I am thankful for … Mike, who is working tons of overtime for his family

I am reading … lots of E mail sale ads and buying way too many things online too !

I am hoping … Well actually praying for so many things including the health of everyone in our family

On my mind … Mike is working 20 hours today so I will soon be braving the cold to take him dinner.

Noticing that … Mike always seems to work twenty hour days when the boys have karate

A few plans for the week … Maybe get some wrapping done

From the kitchen … I broke down and made and baked a batch of turtle bar cookies and fudge while waiting for the boy's buses this morning

Around the house … I have so much to do

One of my favorite things …sitting around with friends and family while sharing snacks,a drink or two ( diet coke will do but so will something with a touch of alcohol) and just talking, playing Uno, or just having a good time .

A picture I am sharing …
In honor of Sensei Okazaki coming to Ohio this weekend for a clinic and black belt test, Here is a picture of him last month at Nationals autographing the boy's DVD set

Good news...... I think

Monday I had a doctor's appointment which ended in me being told in no uncertain terms that I will need a surgery that I have been putting off for awhile. When asked when the surgery would be done, the Doctor replied that he is booked until January or February( February if I can get into the hospital which I want as this surgery will require a two or three day stay) but that he feared that I may actually be an Emergency case and looking at the next two weeks . The determining factors would be blood work, which I had done in the office, and an extensive ultrasound scheduled for next week. Because of this I was not surprised to see that the Doctor was calling yesterday afternoon. Expecting the worst, I answered. Thankfully it was a nurse and not the doctor who told me that my blood work had come back and I was "barely stable" ( hey anyone who knows me could have told you that this was the case.... of course this is physical rather than mental ;-). I asked for numbers which she didn't have as my file was not available so I am awaiting another call to find out what "barely stable" is but apparently it is good enough to wait for surgery provided that the ultrasound doesn't show the need for Emergency status. This being said, I think that I will file this under good news. As a child I was confined to the hospital for I believe a week , finally getting out on Christmas eve and trust me it was not fun then and would be worse now .Especially since I have declined dinner invitations and plan on cooking for our family myself. So prayers for a stable ultrasound are appreciated.

Thank you Michael

For doing a marvelous job of putting up and decorating our Christmas tree while Mike worked a sixteen hour day and I ran hours of errands that could not be moved to another day. I truly appreciate it !

BTW please move your brother's and sister's " Mom's favorite" ordainments from the back of the tree to the front next to yours ! You know that your all three my favorites !

The Dogs and their Teenage masters see Santa

Oh Christmas tree !

This weekend Mike is working ( probably sixteen hours)on Saturday. Then Sunday is December's Religious education Sunday. Tonight we have to get the dogs groomed and there are a few other things here and there that we must fit in.
Next Saturday Michael is due in Columbus to test for his Nidan( second degree black belt)and Sunday is my Maternal family reunion. The following weekend is days before Christmas, so when do I expect to get a Christmas tree up and decorated?
Does anyone know of a way to stop time and catch up ? Honest all I need is a week or two and I promise to keep up with the program !!!!!

They're here !

What am I talking about ? Christmas trees ? The perfect Christmas gifts ? Nope. I am of course talking about H1N1 vaccines ! As I posted before, Cindy, Michael, & Rob already got theirs at an in school clinic but beings that Mike and I were neither one pregnant and both over twenty one ( OK I know I don't look it but I am quite a few years over 21 and were not even going to go to whether or not I look pregnant !) we did not qualify for first round immunizations but as of last week, our family doctor got in a small quantity of the injectable vaccine and between Mike's health history and my being on a drug to treat lupus, that I may or may not even have, we made the cut( the vaccines are still being rationed in our area ) So this afternoon, I will meet Mike after work at the doctor's office and we will receive our injections. Merry Christmas to us !

Thanksgiving dinner

As of this morning , when I finished the turkey for breakfast, the left overs are already pretty much gone :-(

Mike has posted ISKF 2009 pictures o flicker

http://www.flickr.com/photos/42625375@N08/sets/72157622876258354/

Black Friday

Did you go shopping ? I didn't. Well actually we decided to get our outdoor decorations put up . I know that i said it was on the to do list last week but we didn't get very far so today, even though it was the coldest day this season, we decorated. At one point I realized that even though I had new bows for our window wreaths, I had forgotten the matching hanging ribbon. I went to Michael's craft store to buy said ribbon and then I stopped at Dollar General to buy a couple extension cords, but this is all of the shopping I did. I did however order from three different online stores yesterday. I know that I shouldn't shop online as I should support my local economy by shopping locally but honestly, I guess I am getting old because standing in the cold waiting for stores to open than running in with hundreds of others to find and fight over a couple sale items, just didn't have the same appeal as it has in the past. I am thinking about maybe going out to maybe Wal Mart tonight but am not quite sure. I wonder if I can order the chocolate chips I need to make cookies, online and have them delivered by tomorrow ? I didn't think so !

Happy Thanksgiving !

The turkey has been on slow roast in the roaster all night. The ham just went into the oven about an hour ago. All of the side dishes are prepped and waiting their turn in the oven(A second stove/oven would be so nice this time of year. If only I had more room in the kitchen !)except for the potatoes which are on the stove waiting to be cooked and mashed once everything else catches up. I even did some online shopping, well tried to anyway. Fashionbug.com was so busy that before I could check out, things were selling out and disappearing from my cart. I finally phoned in my order( feeling bad that because people like me were doing this, some poor operator had to work today ) though out of I think seventeen items, only five were still available :-( Then I checked my E confirmation and I was double charged ( not given the Thanksgiving day special)for two coats that I ordered !Oh well since it is on my Fashion Bug charge, I will let it slide until tomorrow when I will call and have an adjustment made. No sense in ruining some poor operator's Thanksgiving .
As for now I am headed to put a load of clothes in the washer and am happy to do so as my old washer died a couple days ago and even though we bought a new one, delivery would not have been possible until next week. Thankfully I have a wonderful Father who took my wonderful husband ( who turned down an overtime shift to do this) and my wonderful son ,in his wonderful truck( OK OK the truck is an S-10 and really not worthy of wonderful but it's Thanksgiving so lets go with it )to pick it up. They then all three hooked it up and took the old one out for me ! Yes it is indeed a day to be Thankful !
May all of you have a blessed Thanksgiving !!!

Just us !

When Mike and I first got married we were never at home for holidays, as a matter of fact it was exhausting how we had so many invitations .We then had the season where We hosted many holiday meals.I enjoyed this season though have many memories of being overwhelmed and more exhausted than the previous season. Fast forward twenty years and the invitations ( both to us and from us)have dwindled to the point where we are celebrating Thanksgiving alone this year.In all fairness, it was not planned this way but in the past since my older brother and his wife got tired of trying to please everyone( run from place to place and not eat more here than there and so on), they did what I could have never done and decided to decline all invitations .At this point My Mom and I decided that she would cook Thanksgiving dinner and I would cook Christmas. My little brother was unmarried when this started so he was included in both,however he has recently missed dinners here and there in favor of his wife's wishes to attend her families functions out of town. Don't get me wrong, I understand but it is what it is. Either way, Mom and I always stuck with the system and it worked. Fast forward to last month when Mom nervously requested to talk to me. It seems that my Paternal Grandmother, who has recently been moved to Georgia to live with Dad's sister but ended up in a nursing home there, is coming to Ohio with my aunt for Thanksgiving . My Dad hasn't seen her since his trip to Georgia in August and My Mom hasn't seen her in even longer. Because of this and the fact that Grandma will get in late Wednesday be at Dad's other sister's for Thanksgiving, and then leave Friday, Mom respectfully asked if I would excuse them. She insisted that she would cook Christmas dinner. Of course this is understandable and I would do the same if in her place, so I cheerfully said" no problem" which it isn't,it's just weird to be cooking for just my family. I usually cook a complete turkey dinner ( turkey, stuffing( two types as one is a family recipe but not liked by Mike ), mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, home made bread)and a complete ham dinner ( ham, cheesy potato hash brown casserole, corn, more home made bread) as well as usually four or five desert choices (pecan pie, pumpkin pie (I don't eat it but other's do), cheesecake, pumpkin roll ( which I do eat), cookies, and usually another couple kinds of pie. Though I am cutting down on the deserts for just us, I am thinking of keeping everything else the same. It will be an astronomical amount of food but Mike is off so far on Friday and Sunday and the boys are off all weekend so leftovers will be a blessing.In the end,I am kind of looking forward to just us !

A new washer is coming !

Two days ago as we tackled two weeks worth of dirty laundry, my washer started making a thumping sound. At first I thought it was an unbalanced load but soon realized that since it is a front loader, this was probably not the cause.In hopes that things would "fix themselves" ( hey can't a girl dream?) we shut it down and gave it a break. After all I personally growl less when I just come off of a break. Alas, the washer is not human and the break did nothing. Mike came home that night after only working twelve hours ( as opposed to the sixteen to twenty hours that has become his norm) and took a look. As always, Mike had the problem diagnosed within minutes and we needed a new thingy that looks like a steering wheel. Mike went online to price this part( which we thought I would pick up at the parts store the next day and he would fix it when he got home) but the site stated that this part cost about half of the price of a new washer and this didn't include any seals not to mention Mike's precious time or the fact that the machine is six years old and what will go next ? We quickly concluded that a new washer was needed. The boys were at karate so we hurried to Sheeley's ( a hometown family owned furniture/ appliance store) The first machine that I seen was a Bosh which is ranked so much higher than our old Frigidaire, and this was reduced because it was last years design. It was reduced so much that it was cheaper than many inferior brands. (Of course the Frigidaire were the cheapest but not by a whole lot.) Anyway, we bought the washer but due to Thanksgiving, it could not be delivered until next week which would mean three weeks of dirty laundry or a trip to the Laundromat. Thankfully my Dad has offered to let us use his truck to get it tonight( Thanks Dad!) so tomorrow as I cook turkey and ham dinner , I can also work on catching up on laundry.Just another thing I am thankful for !

Random thought while watching the officials process into the 2009 ISKF National tournament

......where else can men and women dress in gray dress pants, pressed white dress shirts, with maroon ties, and navy blue sports coats / blazers with flip flops on their feet and not be out of style ?

2009 ISKF National tournament

Opening ceremonies


Michael ( on right) during kata elimination round


Michael's kata points round


Michael's kata points round




Michael's kumite round


Michael with metal


Robby's kata points round


Robby's kata points round


Robby's kumite round


Robby's kumite round


Robby gets his metals

Welcome Isabella Claire

A new puppy

Before Mike even left work yesterday he has called the local Cocker spaniel breeder (who was advertising puppies)and found out that there were predominantly solid colored females available. AS soon as he got home we were off. Though I was not at all impressed by how the breeder had all of the dogs outside nor the conditions of this breeders land, or anything else for that matter, I did feel so sorry for these little puppies who needed good homes. One in particular caught my eye as she looked a lot like one of the male puppies that we sold a couple years back. We went to another caged area to see the Mother who's personality reminded us so much of Clarissa, so we decided to take this little black bundle, who we have named Isabella Claire, home. Since she was an outside dog( even though she was in a cage off the ground) she got a bath as soon as she got home. After her bath Cindy and I took her to be fitted for a collar as well as buy puppy food,( we feed all of our dogs Nutro brand which is so much better for her than the Puppy chow that she had been being fed)a tiny puppy leash , an all important ID tag, and a few other puppy essentials. We then returned home where the kids took care of her until Michael took her to his room for the night. She slept well except for whining at 1:30 when I got Mike up for work and Michael left the room for a few seconds.After his return she slept until 5:30 and then whined until 5:50 when we got up for school.She did well this morning other than wanting to play with Clancy who had no desire to be bothered and crying as each of the boys left for school. As for now she has settled down and is chewing on a bone while Cindy holds it for her. Soon she will be put down for a nap as Cindy gets some sleep ( she worked midnight last night) So far so good !

Double Stuff Theology How an Oreo Cookie Mirrors the Trinity

Origionally posted by Robyn Lee at Faith & Family.com on Wednesday, November 18, 2009 7:00 PM

With Permission, I had to pass this on !

Opening up the package of double stuffed Oreos I pulled out a cookie. “There are three parts to this Oreo, but it is still one cookie. The two chocolate wafers are identical. Just as when the Father speaks his Word it generates a perfect Image of him, which is the Son and the love between the Father and the Son spirates another: the Holy Spirit. The sweet filling between the two chocolate wafers is just like the love between the Father and the Son.”

confused !

Three months ago my sweet female cocker spaniel died tragically. For many reasons, which I will not go into now, I have had a harder time losing her than I ever had losing any of the many other dogs that I had since I was a child,( two of which I have had since I have been married)
Since the day of her death Mike has pretty much let it be known that he liked the idea of having two dogs( a male and a female, companions to each other and that he very much enjoyed having puppies when they breed) and that he ,in time ,was interested in getting another female. The kids have all come to feel just as he does and now that it has been three months and Christmas puppies are becoming available, I am starting to feel the pressure. Now don't get me wrong, there is nothing more heartwarming than a cocker spaniel puppy all snuggled in ones arms but that little ball of sweetness, would need shots and expensive vet visits.OK honestly the money isn't the problem(sigh) as yes it is a big initial investment but we paid two sets of vet bills before. Perhaps the problem is that the little bundle would need housebroken. Yes taken outside every couple of hours and watched to make sure that it doesn't eat electric cords( Clarissa was famous for this when she first came) and then there is the Clancy issue. Clancy got pretty protective of Clarissa at certain times and that was chaotic, especially when he growled and snapped at our kids. Oh is it all worth it ? I have been pondering this for a few days now. There is only one breeder in the area with pups available right now( I have no idea if there are any females even available, let alone what colors are available) and no one or two year olds, which is really what I would like. Perhaps Mike will call this breeder tonight and see what is available. If there are no females, I definitely don't need another male to fight with Clancy and I also insist on a predominantly solid color as if we do decide to breed, we want to avoid too many colors and markings from the gene pool. This is quite an order I guess ,so perhaps I should find out what is available and if it even matches what I am looking( or not looking) for and go from there.In the end ,I guess if it is meant to be, it will be ,if not it simply will not.

We're back !

Thankfully our trip to Cherry Hill NJ went very well. Getting there took a couple hours more than anticipated and even though we would have been on time( barely ) for the boys to practice with our region in a night before practice, we got a call an hour early asking where we were. Here I guess that someone changed the time without giving any thought or notification to us. Anyway, it was disheartening to have literally ran into rest stop bathrooms, rushing to get done and run back in order stay on time,and eating taco bell( in the car) for dinner to receive a call an hour early telling us not to hurry because the training was starting and we were not there. WE did arrive at about five minutes until eight( right on schedule) which was good . The tournament itself went well. Michael took third place in Kumite(fighting) after having a wrongful disqualification overturned. If the disqualification had not been wrongfully called, he probably would have taken the Gold or silver ( the disqualification took him out of a round of fighting that he should have been in ) but sometimes things happen that way and there are judges who simply make mistakes and that is just how it goes ! As for Robby, though he woke congested and adding that to his anxiety had him pretty high strung, he took a musinex , spent some solo practice time before his event and ended up with third place in kata( form) and second place in Kumite( fighting) which was wonderful ! Since they boys' events were done by noon, we had the rest of Saturday and Sunday to relax and watch the rest of the tournament. Though I seen a couple glitches in sportsmanship ( another post for another day) Overall, the tournament was good. As always, Mike took thousands (literally)of pictures , which I haven't even looked at yet so I will be posting as soon as I get through them.
For now though please join me in saying Congratulations to my boys ! Michael and Robby, you guys did great and I am so proud! Michael is scheduled for his second degree(Nidan)black belt test in a couple weeks when the head of the ISKF himself will be in Ohio. Best of luck Michael !

What ??????

We leave tomorrow for The ISKF Nationals ? Good thing that I made a list of what I still need to do. Bad thing that I only slept two hours last night and have decided to sleep for at least two more before I even look at the list. Oh well, as long as I manage to pack a change of clothes. Anything else is just extra anyway.If all else fails, we can stop on the way to buy Gatorade and Diet coke and have pizza delivered to the hotel.
Setting the bar low enough ... The ultimate key to happiness !

Shurely I heard wrong.... Didn't I ?

For many of my forty years, I have supported the Salvation Army's red kettle campaign. This morning however, I came across some knowledge that has totally shocked me and I think my support will be being pulled.
This morning as I was in Big Lots,in walked two men one carrying the red kettle. As the cashier( whom I know by name as I am there so much)was trying to ring me out, the rude kettle holder demanded that she stop what she was doing and take the kettle immediately, causing quite a scene. After a minute the lady turned to reach past a line of customers to take the kettle as the man blurted out.... "They don't start paying me for fifteen minutes....I aint starting until then " My jaw dropped as I looked at the cashier . She explained that the night before another bell ringer was telling her that last year, the Salvation Army made people who received Christmas presents and food assistance ring for so many hours in return for the assistance but that a group of these people forced to ring, sued the charity .So now the charity, who can not find enough volunteers, has resorted to hiring those who they help . Yep... you read right. Now people who get free food and Christmas presents for their children( from the money that we "Joe Public" donate) are being paid to collect the money that they benefit from ! I thought I heard wrong but the second guy who was with the rude one( I assume a supervisor who was passing the kettle to the first) admitted that due to lack of volunteers and an inability to make their recipients work, that the Salvation army has resorted to paying bell ringers. Now I do not know if this is everywhere( or just in my area)how much these ringers get paid, nor anything more as I was too shocked to ask questions but I know that I am seriously not happy about giving money to pay the wage of someone whom I am giving money to help in the first place. Perhaps I will donate to a cause that I deem truly worthy this year instead. After all I figure if I drop a dollar into 1/2 of the kettles that I pass between now and Christmas the sum could get to a decent amount. As for anyone else, who you do or don't help is your decision and that is none of my business,however,I just think everyone should know what certain Charity's really do with the money raised.

Score !

Last night as Mike and I were on our way home from dinner, We were at a stop light in front of Shoe Carnival when I realized that we are at the beginning of Basketball season so that it would be the best time of the year to find Nike size 15 high tops , which Mike wears all year long but are really tough to find anywhere when we need them most. This prompted me to ask Mike to stop and see if we had any luck. Once there we found out that they were having a buy one get one 1/2 off sale which was great but surely if they had one pair they certainly wouldn't have two. As we made our way to the huge feet section, I spotted a pair. I was thrilled ! I continued to look for a second pair with no luck and headed to the counter , happy to have one pair. The manager happened to be at the counter and reminded me of their sale to which I replied, if you can get me a second pair of these in this size I would love to buy them too. Turned out that the Boardman store did not have any more ( big surprise!) but the Niles store did.Wow two pair within a 1/2 an hour radius cool ! Niles said they would hold them for us and we were on our way. Now , for the first time in our married lives, Mike has two new pair of shoes and his old ones are still in good shape. ( we bought them while on vacation in July but he just took them out of the box in late August) This is definetly one for the plus column !

A must sound off !

Nothing makes me angrier than people who waste food. Last night Mike and I had dinner at our local Golden Corral, we sat across from a young couple with a son of about four or five and a daughter of about two or three in a high chair. As we were seated the little girl greeted us, of course we returned the greeting. This couple had obviously taken their obligation to teach their children manners seriously as the kids were well behaved. What got me was that in front of the little girl was a plate with more food on it than I could have eaten, if I had not eaten all day.As each family member went for another plate of food,they inevitably brought more food for the little girl, a few green beans here, some mac and cheese there.The Mother once commented that with all of the food that they were feeding her, she wouldn't have to eat for a week( I hope she was kidding and didn't actually think that this could work. At one point this little girl , with two full plates in front of her was obviously full and said no more loudly and clearly. The family repeated No More !The server came by and removed the two plates of untouched food. Then three minutes later the Mother goes and gets a plate full( I mean heaping) of fruit, a bowl of ice cream, and a piece of cake and proceeded to put it in front of this little girl. The Mother than went back for her own dessert. The little girl took a bite of ice cream and the Mother forced an orange section into her before the girl refused to eat any more.At this point the family grabbed their coats and left. I was sick to my stomach as there was of course 99% of the desert that the girl left , plus a couple other full plates that the rest of the family wasted left on the table.
What is wrong with people who purposely waste food ? Do they not realize that it drives up costs for these buffet restaurants and the cost is always passed on to you and I ? Obviously they don't care !I am saddened by the amount of food that Americans waste on a daily basis. Last summer I went to a family reunion where a cousin of mine's kids were piling their plates past capacity when I told them to go and eat what they had and then come back if they still wanted more. Though this did not upset my cousin, she commented," They do waste so much food, but what can you do ?" Uhhhhhhh stop them !!!!!!!!!! Come on people..... We are parents, we do not tolerate other bad behaviors do we ? Why would we tolerate total wastefulness ? If these were my kids, they would be forced to finish what they put on their plate ( within reason sometimes things simply don't taste good but that is why we teach to take a small amount and come back ( duh !))if it took them three days of being given nothing else , Once and they would learn. Obviously this is not on most parents lists of disciplinary actions , just go to your local Buffet and it is clear !

Is next weekend really the ISKF national tournament ?

I am sure that it is a vicious lie that the ISKF has come up with to stress this already stressed Karate Mom out !

At least I have already sent in the boys registration, booked our room,ordered and received new gi(s) and new regulation fist protectors. Now all I have to do is pack, shop for hotel room friendly foods, and we will be on our way !

Best of Luck to Michael and Robby !

Three out of five is great !

Today was the day that Michael's school( career & tech center) was having their H1N1 flu clinic. Since Robby's school was not having their own but were supposed to go to the high school's tomorrow evening ( the same high school clinic that expected thousands of children in the district plus any younger children over six months and not in school plus any pregnant woman in the area) we chose to take Robby to this one. Since Cindy was off work, she also went along hoping that since the health department recommends the vaccine for anyone from 6 months to 24 years, that she could get one. Thankfully she did qualify, as did Michael for a nasal vaccine and Robby, due to his history of respiratory illness,qualified for one of the coveted injections( the injection is more potent and reserved for high risk).
We arrived at 8:00 , half an hour before the clinic started. The Principal asked us to leave and come back at 9:30 ( he assumed that the health department would not want anyone but students at first)but as we were doing so we ran into some people that Cindy knew who told us to go ahead to the room that was being used for the clinic. There Robby was immediately accepted and Cindy was also deemed approved. We filled out paperwork and had a five to ten minute wait and Robby was injected and Cindy was inhaling. We were on our way at 9:00. This whole thing has me breathing a sigh of relief as Our Family Doctor told Mike and I ( Monday) that she doubted that her practice would get any H1N1 vaccines and that even she wasn't able to get one as the health department in our area was very picky about who qualified. It would be nice for Mike and I to be protected too and maybe in time we will be but for now our kids are protected and that is good enough for me !

And Robby was..........

The kid on a Milk carton !


Notice Michael on the deck passing out candy too !



And here is Cindy in Robby's carton and Mike's T shirt which she glittered.She better hope that glitter comes out as it isn't really Mike's style.

Does anyone know...........

What a Mother is to do when she is headed out the door to replenish the Halloween treats that her sixteen year old son is handing out only to realize that he is not alone but is being visited by a very pretty girl who happens to be a visiting Granddaughter of a neighbor ?
Well of course I said Hi , but then made my way back into the house....... I'm sure they will yell if they need me !

Happy Halloween all !

Though this morning and early afternoon it looked as though we would never be ready for tonight's trick or treat, we actually were with a few minutes to spare. Since the ISKF nationals are only two weeks away, Michael left to go train in Columbus , so we figured that this would take him out of the position to pass out candy however, he arrived back at his Sensei's house just as I had dinner going on the table so Dinner went back on the stove in the warm position . This was a relief for Cindy who worked last night and again tonight but would have had to get out of bed to pass out candy as Mike took Robby Trick or Treating and I picked Michael up. So as it worked out Mike picked Michael up, I kept dinner warm,Robby sat the table and Cindy went back to dreamland. Once home, everyone ( but Cindy who has a plate in the fridge) ate and we got the table cleared. Mike then took Robby out to Trick or Treat, Michael grabbed a box of freezer pops , a couple boxes of gummies and took his position on the front deck. That has left me here with nothing earth shattering to do except for to keep an eye on Michael's supplies and replenish if necessary. So here I am Checking E mails and updating you, my dear readers on Halloween 2009 here at 5:30 PM in beautiful Boardman Ohio. So far there are quite a few little ghosts and Goblins out as it is a not too cold 51 degrees under overcast skies. Stay tuned for a look at Robby's very simplistic, but cool costume, that we decided on last weekend while at Cedar Point. If I am still up when Cindy leaves for work tonight, I will try to get a photo of her wearing the same for Dress up at work tonight. Now I know your puzzled..... A costume that fits Cindy and Robby too ???? You'll just have to wait and see !
Happy Halloween all !

Oh he of little faith !

Yesterday as we walked through Giant Eagle

Him...... Diane, Honey, did you get any Halloween candy yet ?

Me....... Got it covered, Dear

Him.... I should have known . You always have everything under control !


Now if I was to go into honest detail I would have said" Well I did buy five bags of candy a month ago but then I ate three( now come on.... I shared with the kids) and knowing that replacement bags could be polished off just as easily,I bought freezer pops and gummies, which I know I wouldn't eat."

Either way, I got it covered, right ???????

Sounded good at the time !

A few weeks back was Michael's school picture day. While picking our package I realized that for a mere ten dollars more, I could have Michael's picture airbrushed removing all blemishes to give a perfect picture. Because Michael has days that his face breaks out in addition to a couple scars which includes one big one resulting from when he tried to share a bone with an evidently stingy dog, this option sounded wonderful so I added it without further thought.
Michael received these pictures today and text me to let me know he would bring them home with him,which had me excited , after all I never had an airbrushed picture of me nor my kids. ( well except for Cindy's senior pictures which I guess were airbrushed too but anyway !) As Michael came in and handed me his pictures, my heart was racing with anticipation. I then looked at them and well.... they were good . As I looked for a couple seconds, I teetered on regretting the choice of the airbrush option.Without his scars and even a few zits, yes Michael was very handsome ( after all he is Mike's and my son) but he wasn't Michael ! I struggled with this thought ( that I dare not say) and showed Mike the pictures when he came home. Amazingly Mike had the words that I couldn't find. Wow you take away all of the imperfections and you loose all of the character ! Wow, Mike( who never has the right words) was so right.In an attempt to make our son more beautiful, we detracted from the vary things that makes him the boy who we love ! Will I ever have a picture airbrushed again? Probably at least the boys senior pictures but probably never a school picture again !

Cleaning the car

The other day was such a productive day here. It was one of those days where it just worked out to get the dog bathed and brushed out,get the latest blanket of leaves off the lawn,and so many other things that we always seem to let go for lack of time.Unfortunately, there are not many of these days in my life so there is always much to be done when one shows up.
Thankfully one had shown and we were in the thick of business when Mike pulled out one of his computer bags and started rummaging through it. He seemed a little irritated when he put the bag down so I asked what was going on. Here he was looking for the power( charging) cord for his GPS. He had mentioned that we needed to find it on our last trip to Cedar Point,but I had put it in the back of my mind and forgot. My first thought was that we had it last in my car so that must be where it was. Since I was in the middle of something, I asked Michael to go look. Joining him as soon as I had a chance, I realized that the car was such a mess that we better clean it or we would never find anything.One would not believe the garbage in the car( from pop cans, snack wrappers,products recently purchased but never brought in the house, to some unidentifiable stuff, that we will not describe)but we brought a trash can, recycle bin and a box to bring things into the house and within a half an hour, we had found not only the GPS cord but also a lens that had been taken out of Mike's glasses after his surgery ( he had been looking for it for some reason) a ton of hair ties who's supply I was just about to replenish,and tons of other things.My biggest surprise though was a bank envelope ( from July) containing $100.It is a good thing that I always check these envelopes before discarding them( of course this one was heavy so that would have been a clue)but I was psyched. It was like a little bonus for doing what I should have done a long time ago. I am wondering though, will this find motivate me to keep a cleaner car or will I give up when the next cleaning doesn't produce more than a couple quarters ? The latter is probably true as I can't fathom, not missing a lost $100 even this once, let alone again, but who knows. As for now Mike is happy to have his cord and my budget just got a little looser.
Tonight, maybe we will clean the living room !( I sort of remember having a wii in there someplace)

Seriously ????????

Due to a huge ugly tree in my front yard, we are experiencing a constant leaf covered lawn, which seems to resent our feeble attempts to clear it as within minutes it looks as though we never touched it.This is why I was not too happy the other day when I realized that Michael has lent my new rakes to the neighbor kids who seem to have no respect for anything they own, let alone my belongings. Like the thought of having to replace rakes that I just bought didn't upset me enough it further looked like these kids were planning on using my rakes to make money raking lawns. Did I mention that i found this out when they "offered" to rake my lawn ? Anyway,later in the day while Michael was using our bagger mower to do a quick removal job, these same kids approached him ( after all he had handed them the rakes before) and told him that they had one neighbor who would pay them to do their yard but they needed our rakes again ( did you hear "they needed" and not "please could we" )and this time, they also needed bags to put the leaves in so could they have a few with the rakes ???? Michael being a pretty smart boy( who has seen steam come out of my ears way too many times for comfort) told them that he would be needing the rakes and that he only had enough bags for our lawn so not to count on using our stuff to make money ! Now honestly, are most kids really like this?( they are aged between Robby and Michael 13-16) I would personally be mortified to find out that my kids were involved in such a scam ! Am I an oddball ? Seriously !!!!!!!!!

They're here They're here !

Months ago our family was promised H1N1 vaccines from various places. First Cindy's place of employment ordered them for the families of their employees. These should have been in but supposedly now the risk to old people( at the nursing home) has been deemed slim so our vaccines are being shipped elsewhere. Our Doctor was also supposed to get the vaccine in but nobody seems to know when if they will show at all. The boy's school, however has secured vaccines for all students whose parents wish to have their kids vaccinated and as of this evening, they have arrived ! Unfortunately, Mike, Cindy, and I will probably not be able to secure a vaccine from the school(Unless many parents refuse consent for their children) but at least the boys will get theirs . Honestly, if one of our family members is higher risk than others it is Robby anyway so at least he and Michael will be protected .

60 days left until Christmas......

but instead of planning a shopping trip next weekend, I am planning one last seasonal trip to Cedar Point. We did go on Saturday but the crowd was so large that we had a two hour wait for most rides and attractions which severely limited our experience.
In my defense though, their one gift shop had an awesome sale and even though I didn't get any gifts for our family and friends I did pick up some great gifts ( a couple charlie brown kick balls,a couple marionette puppets, stuffed bears and Snoopy s, and quite a bit more) to donate to our local Toys for Tots.

And I was so happy

Yesterday's mail brought the Photo Christmas Cards that I had ordered. Being busy at the time, I laid them on the table and forgot about them until last night.Once I did open them, my heart sank a bit. The way that the card was designed there was a picture of the kids in the back and then there was a circular "frame" at the bottom of their picture where Mike and my picture was. The problem was that Mike and my picture over extended the frame and one could see it was a square picture. Luckily, it didn't cover any of the kids faces or anything but it just didn't look as nice as it could have. I immediately wrote an E mail to the company who did the pictures , asking for a redo but this morning's E mail brought me a reply that they were taking this design off of their web site due to this little glitch and were refunding my money. They invited me to pick another design.
Now I can't complain too much as they have refunded my money and I still have the cards but my dilemma is..... Do I use these (substandard)cards or reorder? If I reorder, what do I do with these ones? Should I just suck it up or will that action have Our families cards being critiqued by everyone we send it to ? The frugal housewife in me says , "just use them" My pride says, they were free, reorder....Oh what to do........

Small success day

My small successes today include

1) writing out twenty four checks for medical bills that the insurance company just sent me a check to cover. This also included sorting through multiple copies of the same bill( the insurance company isn't as fast as we would like so some offices billed us a couple times.) I then decided to write out the families bills while I was at it and take them all to the post office after ballancing the checkbook.

2) folded the three plus baskets of laundry that I have just not been able to get to.

3) took a garbage bag of clothes to Good will

4)Finally ( with Michael's help) planted crocus bulbs that I bought five or six years ago but never planted

5) washed and filled the squirrel feeder.

Why should your Wedding band be worn on the ring finger ?

http://video.aol.com/video-detail/why-wedding-ring-on-4th-finger/968791153?flv=1

Copy and paste this link to a YouTube site that explains.

Sweetest day Flowers

My Fire and Ice roses get more spectacular looking as they open

Now that's more like it !

As of right now at 1:20 PM here in NE Ohio, it is 70 glorious degrees and sunny ! I could set here thinking of something to post but I think I will procrastinate and soak up some vitamin D

Praying for results !

As most know, I am not into vitamin supplements nor other OTC remedies but believe that a good diet is the best bet for staying healthy. However a good diet will not necessarily help with injuries, which has been a problem for Mike for a few years now. This is why I am so excited about Move Free® Advanced .
We heard about this product a few days ago at a karate advanced training where Michael's knee was really bothering him. It seems that eleven years of intense karate training and some bad kicking habits have taken it's toll on Michael's knee joint and he was feeling the effects when an older student ( my age) approached to ask what was the matter. Michael told him and he strongly recommended Move Free® Advanced, telling Michael that his doctor recommended it and how it changed his life. My first thought was amazingly.... I have heard of these supplements and I wonder if they could help Mike as well as Michael. After the event, I headed to Giant Eagle who had a buy one get one sale going on. I paid the $22 and prayed for a couple miracles. The box said that they would take a week to start working but Mike noticed a slight improvement within a day.( Michael hasn't seemed to notice a difference yet) I am very hopeful and of course prayerful . could these pills really help ? We'll see !

Happy Sweetest Day !

Mike surprised me with this dozen roses. He chose these over plain red( or other colors) due to the color combination catching his eye. The sales lady informed him that they were a hybrid rose named fire and ice.Honestly now, isn't that appropriate for a couple married twenty years ?

Here is the write up I found about these roses:
Passion runs like these roses, sometimes cold and sometimes oh-so-very hot. Hybrid Fire and Ice roses not only have beautiful form, but extraordinary petals that are red on the inside and white on the outside. This bouquet is absolutely dazzling, and makes a wonderful romantic gift