for the horde

Life... staying together with duct tape

Duct Tape is a vinyl, fabric-reinforced, multi-purpose pressure sensitive tape with a soft and tacky pressure sensitive adhesive. (from Wikipedia ) ... Duct tape is strong, but is removable and it will leak on occasion.

And now the reason my life is being held together with duct tape...

If you read my blog, please put my husband on your prayer list. He is in the hospital with what we thought was just pneumonia. I know now you are wondering as pneumonia and going into the hospital IS bad. . . . Well, not when you find out the pneumonia was caused by congestive heart failure and your husband will need a new valve and other repair work done... in a good senario.

So, as I have made what seems like a million phone calls since the doctor told me this morning, started collecting names for regular email updates to friends and family and to get him on prayer lists, trying to write down questions to information I need or want from his work to the doctors to the insurance, not getting mad at the kids because I am on the phone yet again, ... I have slowly wound my self with invisible duct tape to keep it all together. I am not hiding it, I just know I need to keep myself together and strong for my kids and my husband. I'll peel the tape off on occasion and let my self go, but the duct tape will help hold it together when I need to ... I hope.

Good health to all of you.

Penny's Bloggy Giveaways

First time doing this but what the hay!

Penny Raine is running giveaways through this week. Winners to be drawn on the 2nd. Today she is giving away a beautiful apron mother-child set. To sign up check out her blog here http://pennyraine.com/blog/2009/01/bloggy-giveaway-aprons/comment-page-1/#comment-3725

A new year and a new president

I haven't been here much but that is due to holidays, illnesses and just life happening. It is a new year and we are off to a running start down the road to tomorrow. The road still has many turns and forks ahead but we are moving ahead.

We have a new President, as my past postings indicated from November. He was sworn in this week. His celebrity production of the DNC acceptance speech was continued. The only part he didn't have teleprompters for he flubbed (DH said they had to do it later in private... without a bible). He apparently also kicked out the AP photographers so he could release his own 'private' pictures. He has become a celebrity. A quote from Wikipedia:

Washington attended carefully to the pomp and ceremony of office, making sure that the titles and trappings were suitably republican and never emulated European royal courts. To that end, he preferred the title "Mr. President" to the more majestic names suggested.

All the media talked about was how he over came his race and how far we as a country have come to "over come" discrimination and yadda. Well, I hate to tell them this but it is time that race is completely dropped. I understand keeping laws to keep people from discriminating based on skin color but we are discriminating when one person is chosen over another solely based on race because of government requirements(?). The media (majority liberal) made this election about race. The man isn't even a "natural born" citizen... there goes the constitution.

We are now very vulnerable to the world. His not so apparent policies on our current foreign issues. His stance with Israel (why do you think they started the thing with Gaza before this week. His and the liberal views on illeagals. We are at risk and our children are at risk. Those in school are at the mercy of their teachers and the textbooks. The NEA is liberal, very left. They are rewriting out history as we speak.

I know many on the right refer to Reagan as King and such. But that was because he was a down to earth man that wanted what was best for this country. Wanted us to be proud of who we are and do for our selves. Teach people to do for them selves. Not have the govenment hand outs that tell people you don't need to do, we will do it for you that the liberals want. Reagan was a hollywood celebrity long before he was elected to the high office. He did NOT make the Presidency into that status. Neither did the Bush's. So happens they all had rances and actually did work on them even while in office. Maybe it was to remind them of real life? Well, most liberals have nothing but the strive for a higher office. They have no real life and do not know what real life is. We are lucky if they rememer where they came from before college or political careers.

Ok, my ramblings are getting long and the little ones are awake, time for my real life...

My Memes

OK, doing these Memes has made me kinda want to start my own. This would certainly be better than discussing politics with the CRAP that is going on. Anyway, this is just a list of a variety of things I may have done or wanted/ want to do. Feel free to copy and add...

First one: What have you done?
1. milked a cow or goat
2. raised farm animals
3. collected fresh eggs
4. ridden a horse
5. ridden an animal other than a horse
6. ridden a motorcycle
7. gone on a cross country trip with no real destination
8. gone camping in a tent
9. gone camping in a trailer
10. swung into a pond on a rope swing
11. cooked a meal on an open fire
12. roasted marshmallows
13. made s'mores
14. eaten an entire pizza yourself (not personal size)
15. made bread bread from scratch
16. kneaded bread by hand
17. made mayonnaise
18. churned butter
19. baked a cake from scratch
20. made cookies from scratch
21. watched extended versions of all 3 Lord of the rings in a row
22. gotten a speeding ticket
23. made a snow fort
24. made a snow angel
25. been in a snowball fight
26. sled down a hill on a homemade sled
27. shaped a piece of pottery
28. been a brides maid
29. been a maid of honor
30. made all the food for a large party
31. driven a tractor
32. rode in a horse drawn buggy or wagon
33. watched the sun rise at the beach
34. watched the sunset at the beach
35. watched a lunar eclipse
36. watched a solar eclipse
37. wished on a shooting star
38. hiked a mountain
39. broken a bone
40. had a kidney stone
42. won a prize
43. given birth with little or no pain relief
44. gone for a long bike ride
45. flown a kite
46. jumped off a high diving board
47. worn a bikini
48. marched in a parade
49. built a float for a parade
50. been in a play or musical
51. repaired a broken pipe
52. built a fence
53. planted a garden
54. caught snowflakes on your tonge
55. walked barefoot in the sand
56. pet a dolphin
57. pet an elephant
58. written a song
59. taken a class on-line
60. picked wild fruit

Enjoy and I hope to see what others select/add

A new Meme

I've been tagged by Denese for a new meme!
The rules are, I have to post six things that make me really happy ... and pass it on to give six more people a reason to be thankful! Well, I don't have 6 more people to pass it on to in blog, but I will have fun doing it anyway.

Thank you Alexandra and Denese.

My six things are...

1. My husband, my soul mate, I'd be lost without him.

2. My children, four blessings of happiness.

3. My family, we are so far away, it makes it hard around the holidays.

4. My friends, just happiness.

5. Music, songs of the heart.

6. Cows, they have given me a new view in the world.

I really have to stop at 6? There are so many more.

I'll send this on in some e-mails :)

For the frugal Family

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. And for those crazy enough to go out shopping, good luck and be careful.

For the frugal minded out and about family, you can look up restaurants that offer free or discounted meals for kids at My Kids Eat Free. I realize they may not list all the restaurants that do this but they do have a good number in the major city near us. This was from the Old School House Magazine e-newsletter.

Now to start plans for Christmas and the Holiday season.