Time Machine, Please?

I feel like life has passed me by and I am just sitting on the outskirts.
Where did my parents mess up so badly? I know it had to start with them. My cousins are okay... but look at my sisters and I. We're all shades of messed up. At least Ashley has a college degree, and "can" work. It just kills me to know what I want in life and not be able to achieve it. If Brandon does finally join the military, then it will make it easier. At least then we will have the money to get the major problem fixed. There are certain simple and normal things that people take for granted. I wish I could just blurt it all out sometimes.
Sure, I am probably just jealous but I am the one who is sitting here praying it doesn't rain so that our "ghetto" bathroom ceiling and roof doesn't collapse. Especially when I am giving the kids a bath and I have family members who can travel the world and ride Harley's.
I honestly blame it on my Father. He is the one who messed up my citizenship when I was a child and never offered to help with anything. I didn't know the full extent until after I had kids and got married.
So, as soon as news breaks on a Time Machine let me know. I'm setting it back to 1997.

*sniff* Good Bye TV

I don't think there's any hope.
Last fall, we commandeered my father's 32" flat screen television. When our 52" DLP went kaput. Well, this morning I wake up to find Brye hosing the TV down with his water gun, which he knew he wasn't supposed to use in the house. I clean the water up, everything is good. Give him a talking to... everything is okay. Well, I go to the back of the house to do laundry, and what do I come back to? Brye hosing down the TV again. After promtly cleaning the TV again, he got sent to his room. Suddenly the volume shoots up to 100 and the buttons on the TV will not work. The satellite remote won't work either. I managed to find the TV remote, but as soon as I release the button, it goes back up. Let me tell you, The Backyardigans at 100 will drive you nuts.
I was trying out the buttons on the side of the TV and they're all wonky. The volume button made it change input, and now I can't it to work at all.

Getting away with murder?

So, thanks to the magical world of Twitter I learned that George Tiller was shot in Church today. I am pro-life. But I understand there may be circumstances when an abortion is the only option.
One thing that aggravates me about the guy, is that HIS abortion clinic offered funerary services to his "patients".
"Some of these services include photographs, footprinting and handprinting, baptism, cremation, arrangement for burial in or out of state..."

Let me get this right. It's not a "person" but yet you're going to take the baby's foot/hand prints and baptize the baby? Sure, I'm not holing a college degree, but doesn't that mean it's not a "blob of tissue". Maybe there are people who baptize and cremate their tonsils or gallbladers. I seem to remember some religion where the person needs to be whole when the are burried. But surely a "fetus" doesn't count. Anyways...

So, why is it not murder when it's done pre-delivery. I'm not up to date on my abortion techniques, but don't they induce labour? If a girl has a baby and leaves it in a dumpster, won't she go to jail? Why is it so different. Oh wait... the "doctor".
I am sure that there is a small percentage of cased where it's the only option and that the "parents" need the closure.

Rain Rain... Is going away??

Yay! For the first time in... forever days the sun is shining.
The rain is was so bad here. Our yard is on a slope. The rain was puddling up and we had to take a hoe out and dig "trenches" to keep areas of our yard drained... and I thought water flowed down hill. We also had to do the same thing. Our basement flooded. The little drain hose/pipe thing got clogged with mud, so we had to dig more to drain it.
And I think I have figured out what makes it rain. Planting Sunflowers. Seriously. I planted some a few weeks ago, and we got a monsoon. I thought "Well the rain's been away for a while, I'm going to plant some more since my seeds got washed away" and it monsooned again. All I have is one dwarfed sunflower. The rain had begun to erode that flower bed away.
Brandon came home the other day and said he saw a blue-tailed salamander on the porch. I guess everything is water logged.

We need some sun!

Happy 1st Birthday Freedom!

Freedom Reilly Keener

May 27th, 2008 1:15 pm
8 lbs 1 oz
19.5 inches long

Thought this was pretty!

Attraction - Necklace - Oxidized
by Freeforged Jewelry

I honestly don't know how I came across this while surfing the net, but I need it.

I thought I was "Free"

So, I was proud of myself of the fact that I've become less addicted to the internet. Which means I've cut back on the sites I visit, and the amount of time I spend on them. Of course there is Twitter and Plurk. They're tied in with my cell phone, so I play around with them when I get bored.
So, the reason for this post??
I am jittery because I don't have a High Capacity memory card reader. I have tons of pictures from Freedom's birthday that I can't get off the card. I can't do any photography sessions either. I might break down and buy one from Walmart. I can't stomach paying $12 shipping for one from Amazon, which I did last time, but it was free with the purchase of my memory card, which stopped working... while I was taking pictures at a church picnic. Thank goodness for HC MiniSD cards in our phones. LOL

Life.

It keeps going on, doesn't it?
Tomorrow we're going to be having Freedom's birthday party.
Doesn't seem like it's been a year.
My father _finally_ moved out. We're in the process of changing where my dad was set up to Brye's room. We found some awesome vinyl flooring under the carpet. Thankfully the carpet was just laid down and not glued. We're also considering painting the living room and kitchen.

What a nice end to the day.

*eye roll*

I am a bit disappointed.
Sure for one, we stuck out like a sore thumb. "Mayberry" is full of tourists so it's abnormal to even see regular run of the mill people like us there. We were walking up and down the Tourist Trap Main Street today. We only went into two of the stores and as we were fixing to leave the last one, a cop came running in and to cut to the chase, made us leave. He said that he had received at least 10 calls from concerned people, and that 95% of the stores had signs prohibiting concealed weapons. As we walked all the way back to our vehicle, I paid special attention to the store's entrances. Nothing was posted on any of them. As we drove away, I got Brandon to drive up the other side so I could take look on that side of the road. Once again (Surprise!) there were no warnings. None that I even saw on the Chamber of Commerce's new tourist visitor center. Which brings me to realize the truth. Because we're not "high class tourists" the clerk thought Brandon was going to rob her. So I guess we profile people based on their appearances right? And what, a guy with a 4 year old in tow, with a wife pushing a stroller is going to knock over a store?? I guess the stroller was the get-a-way vehicle.
I mean, he carries everywhere that is legal. No one ever calls the cops on him at Walmart, or any other local store. I know why... because that's where the regular "Middle Class" people frequent.
I seriously doubt that we could have been on Main Street that long and the cops just then magically find him as he's approaching the counter to pay for our drinks.
I can see the headlines now: "Madman on the loose in quaint Mayberry with a GUN!"
I think they should worry more about the jobless people in Mout Airy than how they're going to cram more tourists into this crap-hole lovely town so that the few people who own businesses (who most are NOT Mount Airy natives) can make more money.

Ugh.

Almost That Time

My baby girl is almost a year old!
Where has the time went?!?
Seems like yesterday we were coming home from the hospital with her. I have to admit, it's been a challenging year. With Brye being my first born, I took it for granted that she *might* be the same way. She is her own little self. I now know why they say that you can't compare your own children.
She barely has a tooth. You can see it there, but there is still some skin covering it. But she has hair. Brye didn't have any till he was almost two. She *can* walk, but doesn't.

Saving for Future Reference

Brain Quest Deck: Preschool

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Education Books questions Trivia

Sun... Finally

Originally uploaded by Lucky.Star Photography

I was finally able to take some pictures this weekend. The monsoon lifted. The little purple flowers were supposed to be "Johnny Jump Ups". They don't have the yellow in them, so I wonder if I got the wrong seeds in the pack? I used my awesome planting skills last year... I walked out to the middle of the yard and threw around a bunch of seeds. Now, my whole side yard has beautiful patches of these little non-Johnny Jump Ups. I worked on the compost pile some and cleaned/raked leaves from the fence. I found a snake and quit. I was scared so much that I was shaking, but I couldn't yell. It was probably a garden snake. I've heard that only bad snakes will "strike" at you and this one jumped out at my rake. To me, the only good snake is a DEAD one. I still need to add flowers to my flower beds and plant my garden.

The little moments

This morning, Freedom slept in. Brye and I got to play for a while without interuptions.
Sometimes I feel bad about not being able to devote 100% of myself to each of them at the same time. We talked for a little while and he told me about some of the dreams he had the night before, and how he remembered that Bran said he would take him fishing.
I know it doesn't seem all that important, but things have been hectic lately that it's nice to just spend some one on one time with him.
When Freedom started to stir, Brye jumped up and said he was going to check on "his baby". I am glad that he loves her, wants to help take care of her and is protective over her. Hopefully he won't be to over bearing when they're teenagers. lol.

Gah.

I now need to learn how to crochet.
I just bought a crochet pattern for shorties, which can be adapted into longies.

I am WAY to addicted.

Diapering Detergents

So many choices!!!
I'm going to attempt to pick the best from what I can personally find or think they have at Whole Foods, and doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

Arm & Hammer Essentials Free (but not the mountain rain):
4 stars (Diaper Jungle "D.J.")
3Yellow Stars (Pinstripes and Polka Dots "PPD")
Bio-O-Kleen Liquid Laundry Detergent:
4 stars (D.J.)
3 Black Stars (PPD) Said to cause repellency issues with pockets
Charlie's Soap :
4 Stars (D.J.)
4 Yellow Stars, Green Background (PPD)
Ecos Free and Clear Liquid:
4 Stars (D.J.)
1 RED Star, Red Back Ground (PPD)
Planet Ultra Powder:
4 Stars (D.J.)
5 Yellow Stars, Green Back Ground, Liquid Best for Hard Water (PPD)
Ecover Non Bio Laundry (Fragrenced):
3 Stars (D.J.)
1 RED Star, Red Back Ground (PPD)
Arm & Hammer Sensitive Skin (Brightners):
3 Stars (D.J.)
4 Yellow Stars, Green Background (PPD)
Purex Free and Clear:
3 Stars (D.J.)
4 Yellow Stars, Green Background (PPD)

The colour/star code from Pinstripes and Polka Dots

I want to try :
Maggie's Soap Nuts
The Static Eliminator Re-Usable Dryer Sheets (Safe for Diapers)

To help remind me

I need to see if they still have these cheap in town.
I also need to make sure how this double/tripple coupon thing works.



http://www.seventhgeneration.com/coupons

Coupons?

I've never been much of one for coupons, but I need to give it a try.
The main reason, there are never coupons for what we eat or use.
I guess I might give it a try. Can't hurt, can it?

The Stash

I like to keep up with my diapers. I lost alot of them when Brye was the only in cloth, and since I've invested more into it this time, I hope to not loose as much.
Not pictured (dirty, in wash, on bum, in diaper bag... etc)
-about 15 Prefolds
-1 Bumkins AIO
-6 Bum Genius 3.0 One Size Pockets
-2 Bummis Covers


Due to computer issues on my end, click the pictures to see them bigger :D



Infant Prefolds:





Snappis and a few diaper pins:
(I always seem to rogue pins for everyday things)




Wet Bags:
The pretty one is a WAHMIES, The other two are SwaddleBees.




My new love WOOL!!!!! ( <3>

White is a Disana organic wool soaker, blue is a me-made recycled bum sweater and the shorties were a gift from an awesome friend!!





Fleece soakers:
Pink, Lime and Blue "Star Bums" are customs from The Eli Monster
The Shrooms are from DawnBerries



PUL Covers:
A delightful mix of Bummis, Thirsties, Wonderwrap, Prorap, Blue Penguin, and some random ones.



Contours:
I have one Kissaluvs, and 3 Imse Vimse. (2 terry, 1 flannel)



A few of the regular/premium/todder Prefolds



4 Under the Nile Organic Prefolds
1 terry prefold that I had with Brye. Before he was born, I didn't even know it was a diaper.



Bum Genius One Size 3.0 Pockets



The lonely Huggabuns Pocket



All in Ones (AIO)
Blueberry, Bumkins, Prorap, Mums Bums, Q'leros



Fitteds:
Muttaqin

GoodMama and BuBuBebe



Clover, Crickett's, Lucy Love

Thirsties Fab Fitted, Cotton Kids, Kukae & Mimi

I'm addicted...

To shopping for cloth diapers.
I really don't even "need" anything right now.

Down With the Sickness...

Gah...
So I had a virus, Brandon got a bit of it. Then poor Freedom, she's been sick for the last week. Add an ear infection that her doctor doesn't want her to take meds for until the "fun diapers" go away.


Lots of fun
/sarcasm

WTF?!?

What is with all the spam comments on here?!?

Yikes...

It's been almost a month...
What have we been upto?
Well, we bought a van. EEKS! Yes a van. Have to say I am loving the room.
I have also started to take my photography seriously. I have a site, now just looking for clients.


Visit my photography website

I want a cow.

As odd as that sounds, I want a cow. Or rather, a steer.
We've been talking about planting a garden to help reduce our grocery bill and put some away for the winter. I got the bright idea that we need a steer for meat. Now, if only I could figure out the price. Heck, lets have a little farm. I don't eat eggs, but between Brandon and his family I could justify having some chickens. Not sure if I could handle raising them for meat though.

A Small Step. . .

Today, Freedom took a few steps across the playpen. She has been standing by herself for a while. She will let go of things and stand there. She was in the "jail" as Brye calls it since he was playing with his cars and I am scared to death that Freedom will stick one of them in her mouth and choke.
Brye went to the opposite side of where she was so she tried to walk to him to catch him.
I got Brye to repeat it a few time. So yay for first steps.

No Snow?

Brye really wishes that it would snow.
Me too. I mean, if it's going to be this cold, why not snow?
The exposure is a bit high, but he's still cute.

Amber Teething necklace

Okay I *heart* this shop:

Inspired by Finn Online Shop

On several groups that I am on, they were having a 20% off co-op for these teething necklaces.
After several days of Freedom's constant teething pain, hers got here. I was toying around with buying one, that's what took the longest.  The shipping was really quick.  Since she's been wearing it, she's a much happier baby in the afternoon and evenings, which had been her worse time. Of course Brandon is skeptical of it all, but I am grateful for finding out about this.

Baltic Amber Teething Necklace - 2 Different Chips - Light

Worth a look!

The Perpetual Preschool

I've not spent a lot of time on this site yet, but it looks interesting.

CD safe homemade detergent?

22oz washing soda


7 1/2 oz baking soda


8oz oxi clean

(by weight)

And about 10 drops of  EO

1/4 cup in regular top load washer. 1/8 for HE.
or
a couple of tbsp per load with 1/3 c vinegar in the last rinse cycle.
or
1 scoop from the oxycleaner scoop.

Never Fails!

Why is always that when you have plans, something comes up?
Brandon, knowing that I had plans to go to Page's for a Play date today, decides yesterday that we HAVE to go to the bank today while he was on lunch.  Okay, shouldn't be that long, just need to get him added to the account... yeah, right. We get out at almost 2 o'clock. By that time, I barely have time to get him back to work and pick up Brye. I've already got in trouble with the school for not picking up Brye "on time". Apparently 3 minutes late is bad.
I think this will be Brye's last week at school anyways.
But if Brandon would have gotten off his tush back in December and went with me to open the account, this could have all been avoided.

WOW!

MamaBargains.com | Our deals are so hot, they are almost free!

OMG!
If only I could justify paying almost $5 in shipping, this would be awesome.
HH for only $8!

I'm odd like that.

I am making a "test" birthday cake to see if I can do it, and to get practice.
I remember Brye's first birthday. It was supposed to be a 3D duck. 12 boxes of cake later... no 3D duck. I ended up taking 2 of the halves, and just having a duck shaped cake. Brye had his own cake, but I can't find a pic of it. It had tie-dyed icing. No one noticed, but I felt like a failure. I tried to do the icing all pretty, but after 7+ hours of trying to make a decent cake, I gave up.