Wednesday, July 29, 2009

one year apart...


 last year 7-29-08


this year 7-29-09




The American Spectator
July 24, 2009
By Ben Stein

We've Figured Him Out

Why is President Barack Obama in such a hurry to get his socialized medicine bill passed?

Because he and his cunning circle realize some basic truths:

The American people in their unimaginable kindness and trust voted for a pig in a poke in 2008. They wanted so much to believe Barack Obama was somehow better and different from other ultra-leftists that they simply took him on faith.

They ignored his anti-white writings in his books. They ignored his quiet acceptance of hysterical anti-American diatribes by his minister, Jeremiah Wright.

They ignored his refusal to explain years at a time of his life as a student. They ignored his ultra-left record as a "community organizer," Illinois state legislator, and Senator.

The American people ignored his total zero of an academic record as a student and teacher, his complete lack of scholarship when he was being touted as a scholar.

Now, the American people are starting to wake up to the truth. Barack Obama is a super likeable super leftist, not a fan of this country, way, way too cozy with the terrorist leaders in the Middle East, way beyond naïveté, all the way into active destruction of our interests and our allies and our future.

The American people have already awakened to the truth that the stimulus bill -- a great idea in theory -- was really an immense bribe to Democrat interest groups, and in no way an effort to help all Americans.

Now, Americans are waking up to the truth that ObamaCare basically means that every time you are sick or injured, you will have a clerk from the Department of Motor Vehicles telling your doctor what he can and cannot do.

The American people already know that Mr. Obama's plan to lower health costs while expanding coverage and bureaucracy is a myth, a promise of something that never was and never will be -- a bureaucracy lowering costs in a free society. Either the costs go up or the free society goes away.

These are perilous times. Mrs. Hillary Clinton, our Secretary of State, has given Iran the go-ahead to have nuclear weapons, an unqualified betrayal of the nation. Now, we face a devastating loss of freedom at home in health care. It will be joined by controls on our lives to "protect us" from global warming, itself largely a fraud if believed to be caused by man.

Mr. Obama knows Americans are getting wise and will stop him if he delays at all in taking away our freedoms.

There is his urgency and our opportunity. Once freedom is lost, America is lost. Wake up, beloved America.

Ben Stein is a writer, actor, economist, and lawyer living in Beverly Hills and Malibu. He writes "Ben Stein's Diary" for every issue of The American Spectator.



Thursday, July 23, 2009

hey, I'm here, been lurking a bit and trying to post. hadnt gotten the gumption up to post an update
been busy, as usual and just feel like vegging when I sit down here at night.

let's see... dont remember what I last posted and I dont want to flip back a page, so I'll start where I think I left off.
C's team won their regional tourney, so they're going to state. they were supposed to play yesterday, but it got rained out, so they'll be heading up today to play tonight at 6. if they win, they play again... hmmm... it was supposed to be tonight, but maybe it'll be friday now. and if they lose they'll play saturday.

C was at youth camp this past weekend and had a great spirit filled time, he was really fired up when he came back.  K is eager to go next year (she'll be in youth then, she couldnt go this year yet)

monday dh went to Athens, TN for work, but got to come home tuesday night cause he was going to the tourney with C. he's taking vacation days the rest of this week.

tuesday was student registration for all the schools. I had tori come and sit with the kids while I did that. I have everyone done! (had to finish hunter up yesterday) so the oldest 5 are ready for school now. I've got most of the school supplies, have about 1/3 of the lists still to get. dont have C's yet, I'm guessing he'll get his at Freshmen orientation on the 31st or maybe Wmart will have a list.
K likes her homeroom teacher! I met Gav's teachers and they both seem really nice (and I told him they were pretty ;). I talked to a couple of the preschool teachers as well. Garretts eval is on Aug. 28th at 9:30.
I'm really hoping he doesnt get one of the teachers I met. she didnt smile at ANYTHING. EVER. I mean, geez!! the other was super friendly.

that day I also had dropped Lily off at the groomers. oh, the original groomer I called monday to set up an appt and she no longer was in business! oh well I didnt look forward to going in there anyway. found another who is actually closer to me (woot!) and was $35 for teh works. included getting her teeth done, her ears cleaned, haircut of my choice, nails done, bath, perfume, bandana. she looked SOOOOOOOOOO pitiful when I dropped her off! omgosh! I was ready to turn around and go back and get her! its like her little brown eyes were saying "you're leaving me???" geez! can you tell I'm hooked??  but she was so very excited to see me when I got her! she was bouncing around all excited and that little curly tail was just a goin'!  the groomers said she did great for them.  they did notice that when she was in her cage she sat with her back to them, facing the wall. they said that's a trait that a dog whose been in a cage alot (shelter or for breeding) will exhibit.  my poor little furbaby.
the groomer also didnt think she was a pekepoo like the owners had said. her hair is wavy, not curly, but I've seen plenty of pekepoos whos hair is only wavy.  the groomer was guessing a shih tzu/maltese mix maybe.
anyhoo, Lily looks so dang cute now! we had her trimmed up short all over except her tail and head and she had her head hair trimmed up and cleaned. she looks so tiny now! LOL!! I've not been in a big picture taking mood, but got one pic the day she came home from the groomer:


I also had to do Hunter's pysical taht day at the health dept. oy! I was first in line and it still took me 2 hours! :P
my day tuesday went like this:
out the door at 8:30, drop Lily off at groomers, grab breakfast, go to school to register (2 hrs+). go to walmart for a few school supplies while by myself and grab a snickers bar. check on Lily (not done), go home and pick up Hunter and race back in town (physicals started at 1) first in line at health dept. proceed to wait 2 hrs before we're done and can leave. stop and pick up Lily. race back home, have kids get into kung fu gear and go back into town. drop them off, meet Tori at McDs (she had to leave before I could get back) and then sit with her and yak for an hour. back and pick up kids, take C to ball practice-met dh there. back home around 6:30, walk dog again, fix dinner amist the chaos of being gone all day (the house was a WRECK), dh and C get home and we eat, clean up kitchen-C does dishes, then FINALLY get to sit down and feel like a lump! 
yesterday I had a WIC appt at 10 and had to take Garrett with me. dh had a dr appt at 9. he picked up Garrett when the nurse was done with him so I could take Hunter's final paperwork over to teh school to finish his registration.

today after getting up, I went to sit at the couch to find C had left a cup sitting there. well when I picked it up, it was swarming with ants!!!!!!  so dh adn I proceeded to upend the couch, tear it apart and clean EVERYTHING. amazing how much crap gets pushed under a couch and through the couch cushions. :P now how I wanted to spend my morning, but its done and much better now.
dh is back at the dr getting his results. they're supposed to leave around 2 I think.
plus K is going to another friends house. she was gone tuesday night as well. 3 bday parties in one week. LOL! another one tomorrow night!

oh, earlier in the week I did all the corn that had been given to us. our freezer is certainly full now! corn all winter! LOL!

so that's my update! I'm sure there's more but that's fried my brain enough for now.
 

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

meet Lillie!




I admit, I was really nervous last night being her first night home! kinda like bringing a baby home the first night, not knowing what to expect, but expecting the worst LOL!
the good news is she did fabulously! I was planning on leaving the gate up from the kitchen so she'd be enclosed between the utility room and my bathroom, but she didnt want that. (whined so pitifully) so I took the gate down and she trotted in to lay on the couch and such. LOL!
she does SO great with the kids, tells us when she needs to go out, let us sleep all night (whew!) and is just a really good girl!
even the cats outside dont worry her. they were rubbing all over her yesterday/today LMBO! and she's the same size as Angel (one of our outside cats) so thats funny in itself!
she loves her doggie chew sticks and the dog biscuit the lady at the bank gave her. the cats love her dog food LOL
she doesnt chew on stuff, she loves laying on pillows/beds and crawling under blankets. so cute! she does great on her leash. she's still not barked LOL!
she's a bit sneezy, not sure if that's just her or if its from the surgery meds or if its a cold. they gave me antibiotics for her JIC.
the kids are crazy over her and she's just a super friendly dog! when my mom came to see her yesterday, Lillie ran over to her and reached up on her legs to be picked up LOL! my mom came in carrying her and said "she loves me!" hehe! and mom wants us to bring her over whenever we come, of course. LOL!
the kids want her to ride EVERYwhere we may go. I had to decline taking her to kung fu yesterday cause I have a hard enough time keeping up with S and G during that time. :P
so we're happy she's here!!
OH, funny thing! last night when dh was going to bed, he came in here to me and said "me and your pickachu may not get along. she's in my bed."
*giggle/snort*
so I reminded him taht the cats are constantly sleeping at the foot of our bed. to which he happily argued that they didnt LOL!
I went in to check on her and she was laying on his side of the bed, under his blanket LMBO!!!

 


Friday, July 10, 2009

dh is home tonight!!  he's currently at ball practice with canaan.
tomorrow night is the ball game where the kung fu academy is going to do the pregame show and C throws in the first pitch! exciting!!
Katlyn is staying with a friend tonight.
yesterday C and K had their first visit with an orthodontist.
the big news is that before school starts, Canaan will be in braces!!!  he'll be the first one started cause he's the easiest. he goes in on the 27th for his spacers to be put in and on the 2nd or 3rd he'll have the braces and upper expander put in.
on teh 27th, K goes in at the same time for her surgical consult.
her's will be more complicated of course. once we figure out her plan of action, she'll have her braces. about a year after they're put on, she'll have surgery to have her lower jaw set back and then continue with the braces for another 6 months or so. (I think that's right, trying to remember what I was told).
she still has 6 baby teeth in her head!!!  two are ready to fall out if she'd just pluck them out! the ortho told her that if she sneezed hard enough they'd fall out LOL!
I've warned her they need to get out THIS weekend. the 4 she has on top are causing her adult teeth to come in crooked. so she's causing herself unneeded problems. *sigh*
the costs of doing this is going to be substantial.  which I never figured it'd be cheap of course, but still...  its worth it, they really need it! I'll have to get pics of before and then later to show what a difference it makes for them. I'm just thankful we've worked on our debt enough to even DO this. not that we wont have to watch our pennies like crazy, but it'll at least be doable, KWIM?? a year ago it'd have been a pipe dream!

now, dog news! we got to go visit Lillie today (and yesterday found out her real name is Chloe, and she's not a shih tzu, she's a peekapoo!) she is just THE most adorably sweet dog!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG!! she never once barked while we were there, and this is with the whole yard/kennel of dogs making tons of noise. she rolled over so we could rub her belly, she happily tolerated the kids (had all but C with me), walked with K on a leash in the yard/sidewalk, likes to be carried LOL, and didnt give a fig if the cats were by her!! she's perfect!!!
today was the final day the owners had to reclaim her so they should call in the morning to let me know she's ready to adopt! (there were 4 other apps on her and one of the other applicants called while we were visiting with her! the worker told them "I dont see the approved adoptive family wanting to give her up, but if they do we'll let you know" LOL)
she'll have to stay til monday when she gets spayed and then we can pick her up that evening or tuesday morning. we went and bought a doggie brush for her today and a new leash. got to find a collar at walmart (didnt have one at mighty dollar we liked). I also stopped at a local pet groomer and got an appt for wednesday for her to get a bath, clip, etc (the works as she says). she has some matting in her hair on the lower back and she's a bit dirty (as you can tell from her pic), but she'll be spruced up and ready to go after that! though I'm only likely to use this groomer this one time: I walked in (its a private residence) and talk about being blown over from cig smoke!!! OMG! my parents smoke but I dont walk in and feel like I'm standing in LA smog! yuck!!!!! the kids could smell it all over me when I got back in the truck. :(
I'm really excited to get her! (I'll be crushed if they call tomorrow and tell me she got reclaimed! LOL)
OH, and the info I got today was that the owners didnt want her spayed and didnt have the $ to get her out of the pound otherwise. I have a feeling they had gotten her to breed peekapoo pups. I'm not worried about having puppies, so I'm just fine with getting her spayed!

ok, is that a good update? LOL! I'm sure I could think of more, but I'm losing my train of thought LOL!


Tuesday, July 07, 2009

trying to get back into this


crazy busy week!
I filed claims for some house work done with the ins. company. we need a new roof (have leak stains in 4 places and its 12 yrs old w/ lots of hail damage and other natural damage), plus our utility room floor-back when the old water heater busted, it warped the floor. dh just doesnt have time to do it, so I filed a claim on it to get the floor fixed. its like walking on a roller coaster in there!
so anyway, I was supposed to have the adjuster out today, but she never showed. I had one contractor come to take measures, I have 2 others supposed to come (tomorrow? thursday??), roofing estimate tomorrow (?!), plus we're having a new section added to our drive for FIL's big truck so it wont ruin our yard when he's parked here and so the gravel truck will be here tomorrow.
not to mention I have to go in town at 9 am to get the car looked at (dh thinks its missing a plug in the undercarriage cause when its wet outside, my drivers side floor board gets wet), then drop C off for band practice.
thursday morning I'm taking C and K to another dentist for a 2nd opinion on the kind of work they'll need to get their teeth fixed.

saturday is the Hot Rods ball game. the Kung Fu academy is getting a special day there, the students get to show off their dragon dancing, run the bases, special seating, and Canaan gets to throw in the first pitch! (his Sifu wanted him to do this) dh, I, mamaw, papaw, C, Gavin are going, along with about 30 people from the dojo. it'll be fun!! I'll be sure to get pics

so all that is another reason I'm not on here much. I'm feeling kinda overwhelmed currently, especially between G's behavior and dh being out of town (totally related :P ) but I'll make it. always do.

I've got a whole tub+ of stuff to get to goodwill now. been clearing out the boys room this week. trying hard to make it more spacious (ie: less clutter and unneeded stuff, including clothes not needed). its a chore, for sure, but much needed!
now the rest of the house to do! LOL!!

Monday, July 06, 2009

7-4-09



hmmm... new Sarina stuff:
she has 4 molars coming in. 2 on top are already through and the two bottom are about half way in.
she has new words and she's nodding her head.
she told C to "top" when he was picking on her earlier today
she does really well with the new kitten. she calls Misty a baby and loves petting her

we're celebrating Hunter's 7th birthday tonight since dh will be out of town come monday. he's only asked for transformers and leggos, so that's what he's getting
he's asking for present time right now, along with GAvin who is, I think, more eager for H to open his gifts!
(Gavin is telling him to jump around acting all eager and begging to open gifts, and Hunter tells him "I'm a big boy now, I dont do like kids." )



she's playign peek a boo and tag with my brother