The elusive sleep, thank you Nick Cage

I have been pooped this week. I am guessing part of it may be the return to the exercise regime. I do sleep better if I do my yoga. It is still dark around 5:30pm. We have resolved our future with this last opportunity and move, and it feels as though the weight of the world has been lifted off of our shoulders. . I also have this "whatever is making me cough", this annoying cough. Oh and the packing, and the idea of packing, it has made me tired.

The Collective typically sleep now. They should, they really owe it to me, after the years of sleep deprivation that comes with child rearing. Oh, and having a spouse away at war for a year doesn't help with sleep either. Being home alone as often as I am does not make for good sleep. Add those up with my long history of insomnia. And well I normally am lucky to get 5-6 hours. Interrupted mind you

For the past three nights, DH and I have tried to watch that damn National Treasure movie, and found the premise exciting. The movie horrible. Nick Cage dialogue horrid, and quipy. It seriously took us 3 nights to get through it.

I have actually probably slept more in the last 3 days than I did last week combined. So thank you Nick Cage. I only wish I could stop waking up after I have gotten my 5 hours. I wake and am ready to rock and roll. There is no rock and roll at 2am in suburbia. Then I wake again at 3:30, still no rock and roll.

So thank you Nick Cage, for allowing me to actually sleep 24 hours in 3 days, even if interrupted. I may have to start renting all of your movies. Well except for Valley Girl, I liked you in that.

Sleet

I managed to get The Collective up and at em this morning.

We got in the truck, and started the drive to school, and I noted it was sleeting. We did not go to school. We went to the post office, and then the store. I called school, and sure enough they decided to cancel.

I managed to get a about a weeks worth of groceries, and I FROZE and got drenched loading them into the truck.

Brrr....

We are headed to yoga, and then the library to get the rest of The Captain underpants books.

I promised oatmeal cookies and vegetable soup today.

The sleet has stopped, and we will see. It is supposed to snow.

Wake me up

I woke this morning hoping for Thursday at least. The week has gone by at a snails pace. It is only Wednesday.

Yoga went fine, I am not sore. I am having trouble with my balance poses. A terrible time. Otherwise all is well. I also took advantage of the early voting yesterday. Done. PN went with. I tried to explain to her the importance of voting again. She has not missed an election yet!! The most disturbing event were the 3 ladies in front of me that had just been dismissed from another exercise class. "uh, like what are we voting on?" Oh boy.

We tried to watch National Treasure AGAIN last night. We fell asleep, again. Only rent if you need sleep.

Terrible wind here yesterday, terrible. We had a 40 degree temp change in 8 hours. Brrrr.

Music to steal a car to

Yoga

I have yoga this morning.

PN is looking forward to it, as she gets to play with other tots for an hour. I am recuperated from last class, and am ready for more. I did not pace myself last class, I just jumped right in, and it felt great until the next day. ouch.

As with all excercise, and fitness, getting there is half the battle. Once I am there I am good. It is getting there that is battle with me.

I continue to have this awful cough, and dry throat, with a dry cough. I am going to presume it is the pine pollenating round here, or some such nonsense. Whatever it is seems to throw me in bouts of bronchial spasms and coughing. Not good.

DH is gets an added bonus, it seems as though if I am quiet, I do not have the coughing fits. Enjoy the quiet DH, enjoy!

I do not mind a layover

As a SAHM, (which was my decision) I am going to admit, I do not mind being stranded at the airport.

I can have a cup of coffee, read, listen to my IPOD, surf the internet, shop, eat a candy bar. Heck I can go have a gin and tonic at 10am. If I want.

The strange things we keep

when you are from Nebraska, you keep strange things.

like an arrowhead in your jewelry box

Moving update

There are 30 boxes packed. And it looks like I have packed nothing. I hate that.

I hate that.

Going to drive me crazy, if it continues to take such a long time to do wht appears to be nothing.

Also, I am going to wait and put a sign up out front until I get some of this stuff parred down.

I think it is a good idea.

Who wants to walk through my house as I have things all torn up and boxes lying all over the place.

So I am giving myself a week to see where that takes me.

Yesterday I packed shoes that are not in Season, cowboy boots, riding boots, today I am going to pack handbags. I certainly do not need to be worrying about switching handbags so I match, I will keep my neutral chocolate one and use it all of the time...

Stevie Nicks isn't bad for an earworm...but two weeks of this song as an earworm....

I'm so happy with my feet on the ground

I got nothing. A weekend goes by, and I have nothing. Nothing.

I managed to get more boxes packed. Realizing it is true we have outgrown our current house.

It looks like I have packed nothing.

Seriously.

Today, I am going to veture on.

Although I am at the point where I am starting to feel as if packing is moot.

I suppose this is common, A sort of bump in the road.

I watched a horrible movie this weekend. Thumbsucker. It was about an hour too long.

The Collective seem to be healthy again. DH and I each have weird coughs, and throat irritation. Ick. It is annoying whatever it is.

PN and I are going to spend the morning making home made egg noodles for chicken noodle soup.


This is my Mothers recipe and is 4 generations old.

Egg Noodles

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 pinch salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup cream (you can sub milk)
(keep extra flour out, and in reach)


roll it out and cut into thin strips.

UPDATE:

Do not be afraid to use extra four when rolling dough out.

use a pizza cutter, much easier than a knife

cut into thin strips

place on a mesh rack (I do not have, so I put mine on paper sacks like my Mom and Grandma did. )

I like to dry my noodles on top of the stove as my stock and chicken is cooking in the oven.

Let the noodles dry through the day.

once your chicken stock is made, and chicken is slow roasted prepare the rest of your stock, cut up the chicken. I also use the stock from the slow roasted chicken, and any chicken stock I have on hand. If I do not have extra chicken stock I use broth from those swanson boxes.

we like onion, celery, carrots, a bit of garlic. I also love using the celery tops.

transfer it to the stove top and bring to a slow boil, transfer the noodles to the pot in small bunches, stir soup continuously until all noodles are added. Once noodles are in pot, and do not appear to be sticking to one another, turn the heat down from a boil to very hot and place the lid on.

Turn it down after noodles are cooked through...

and simmer!

I need a hot tub

Since I probably will not be getting a convertible since we are moving north. I think I can start begging for a hot tub now. I think I would feel better, be more docile, and easier to get a long with. HINT DH!

The Collective were up at like 5am this morning. That makes for a VERY long day. I took them to the library, where SR got his first Captain Underpants book, and we borrowed ET.

I ran them to McPetrie land of filth, and we played air hockey. I tried to catch up on a special project. there was a group of about 5- 7 year old girls that were screaming, uh screeching, you know the noise that girls make at that age. It was enough to make my ovaries dry up and fall out, I am not kidding you.

I bought gas for $2.85, which is still terribel but milk is $3.98.

I managed to pack almost all of the boxes I had on hand, so i made another trip to the booze house. They even helped carry the empties to the truck and thanked me for being such a fast packer. With all of the boxes I have used, they have not had to break down boxes all week!! I am wondering if my neighbors think I have a problem, or if they have figured it out yet?

We watched ET with the kids tonight, I was worried they might be too young, especially the first 20 minutes. There was some language , and I had forgotten about it. I think they liked it. I am not quite sure how they managed to stay awake for the whole thing, but they did.

Tomorrow is the busiest day of the week!

Welcome to the land of too much information, and no this isn't about my vagina...it is about my bowels....so move along if you can't handle it Chumley

OK OK.

So we have the move, and the house to sell, and have the potentiality of being homeless, and I am having to sort through numerous amounts of crap and decide if it is "movable or crap". We will be changing income brackets, and are scouring the markets for a home, looking at school districts, churches, businesses etc.

And my Irritable Bowel Syndrome has resumed.

I have IBS. But only when I freak out. Which is good. About 6-8 years ago it was a chronic problem, but my Mom was dying, I had a cousin dying, and an Uncle dying, and two Aunts with breast cancer, we were moving, my DH was getting ready for a deployment, and I was packing our apartment, I was workign 40 hours a week caring for 33 people, some of them on Hospice care. I had terrible IBS, and an eye twitch that was constant. All I needed was some sort of hump on my back and I would have been a real looker.

Anywho, the IBS has started back. Nerves I suppose. I have been lucky, I have had very little in the way of stress for years now. I mean real stress. No death, or hospitalization, deployment, illness. I have been lucky and I know it. The yoga should help, and I need to resume a diet with acidophilis in it, or supplement with acidopholis.

ICE Ice Baby

I just had to pick up Sir Rowland from school, seems as though we have a winter warning of sorts.

We moved in during an ice storm. I recall pulling 4 feet square chunks of ice off of the moving truck to get the door opened. The first day we moved in, we lost 2 trees. We lay in bed that night listening to trees snap and fall onto roofs. Strange stuff ice.

I remember thinking how nuts I thought everyone was. All were running around crazy "the sky is falling". And I thought it was odd. Until I realized, if it ices here, there is no moving around in it, unless you are an idiot. There is no fleet of snow removal vehicles, or chemical trucks, gravel trucks. It is too dangerous. Even for a flat stater with snow and ice experience. There are hills here. Hills and ice=death and destruction.

So I picked up SR, picked up some more boxes from the booze store. At least I can get some work done if we get iced in.

Oddly enough DH helps with emergency management. So I am not sure if he will be home tonight or not.

Time to pick out some good movies, find the marshmallows for the cocoa.

House FOR SALE

I have decided to put a sign out front. For Sale By Owner.

It is worth a try I figure.

At least for the next couple of months. It really has been a great home.

So we are going to try our hand at it for a while. We could save the 5-7% the realtors try and charge.

What the heck.

The good new is, the neighbors home is for sale, so we might get some trickle down from them.

It is unfortunate it is winter, because the yard, and trees and flower beds are not in bloom. But who knows.

We cannot buy a home until we sell our home.

My 39 year old fit, non-smoking, training for a marathon hairdresser had a heart attack

No I am for serious.

Today I walked in, and my hairdresser told me the most incredible story...

and I am going to share it.

but frankly it is too big and too much to write.

I will be having her on SpouseBuzz Radio just in time for heart disease awareness month.

I would encourage all of the female readers, each of you to listen on February 10th. Do it for your heart.

Oom Poppa Omm Poppa Mao Mao

Today I spent a greater portion at the hairdresser. It was not relaxing, as my 4 year old daughter thought it would be cute to act farel. Ughhh. I loathe when she decides to do that.

When I walked in my hairdresser said "what are we gonna do?" and I said, make my hair look like the roots, minus the 6 gray hairs I keep pulling out.

HD: "Really?"

AWTM: "Really"

With moving, packing, trying to sell the house myself, plus everything else I have on my plate I do not want to worry about roots. I do not want it. I do not want to look like some crazy person. So I am even darker than the last time, sans highlights, a sort of golden thread running through here or there, but nothing wacky.

So now I feel like Elvira. Yes it is truly that dark.

Ok, it is not quite that dark, but it might as well be. Especially since I was practically a strawberry blonde in April.

When some folks have a mid-life crises they get convertibles. Me? I alter my hair color. It is a lot cheaper, and there is no insurance. Plus what in the hell would I do with a convertible in Nebraska?

Well I would freeze.

So now I look like Elvira. Great.

he can recall the strangest things...

I went and saw the tax man! Done, I will let them do the heavy lifting now.

I picked up SR before heading to the accountant, and I said, we have to go see the accountant. SR said, oh and the "such and such building"...I replied, "I do not know, I think that is the name". He can remember EVERYTHING. We only go 2 times a year, how he can recall that seems odd.

On hope

Last night I watched the Season finale of 6 Feet Under, and I heard a fantastic quote.


It was from a Mother to a child.

I cannot recall the exact quote, but the end result was...

"I pray you have hope for as long as it lasts"



None of us know when or how our time is finished here on Earth.

Time to make the donuts

Today I must drop our tax information off at the accountant's office. I forgot yesterday. I seriously knew my errands had run short, and whammo when I returned home, the large envelope was staring at me.

My boday started aching last night. No, not because I am sick.

From the intensity of yoga yesterday.

Ouch.

For those of you who think yoag loks like it is sitting around twisting into pretzel shapes, ouch. You depend so much on gravity and y6ur body fighting gravity. Ouch. My hamstrings are sore, my upper shoulders, deltoids, triceps and biceps. Ouch.

I have neglected myself, it is a good reminder.

the pain. Ouch.

In other moving news, I will be packing more today. I have not got enough done. I need to remember I have a deadline in my future.

I must also remember it is one piece at a time.

What could easily be overwhelming, is not. It is a good time to go through belongings.

Yesterday I went through a plethera of books. I had sold most of my book collection at a garage sale this summer, but still have a ton. I did note I have a large, oversized Andy Warhol coloring book that I bought in college. I looked it up out of curiosity, and it is a collectible now, selling for $150 dollars. Interesting.

Moving tip this week.

go to your local newspaper, and buy end rolls of news print paper. It is CHEAP. $7 will buy you a big roll such a large roll, that it is doubtful you will use it all. If you do not, it will make a good paper resource for children to draw on. it makes excellent packing material for fragile things! It is an inexpensive fix.

nemaste

I drug my aging ass to yoga this morning.

Boy I have missed yoga.

I can do it at home, but I do not challenge myself at home.

There is something about yoga, if you are doing it right that requires you to think of nothing but what you are doing.

That is a freeing feeling right now, and will probably save me the next few months.

So I am off, sorting, throwing, and packing.

I was thinking today about my blogging, and what this blog will have in store for the next few months. I will be the moving blog, how "not" exciting.

Homeless

Every morning, I drive past a section of road where the homeless are prevalent. It has turned into a camp of sorts. There is a group of about 15, and I have noted they take turns panhandling at the intersection. They are never all out panhandling. NEVER. There is a male and female that go out together, and then the rest are single men. There is one who is in a wheel chair. I have no idea how he gets back down into the trees with his wheel chair. No idea, as the grade is steep, and grassy and full of trees. My Husband worked at the city/county jail long enough to have some face to face time with a population of homeless folks that would come through. He says it is an ideal place for the homeless to hang out. Lots of restaurants, which means there are dumpsters to go to if there is not enough $$ to be made. There are also 3 liquor stores, convenience stores, and a truck stop in case one would need a shower, and lots of interstate travel which means, maybe I am one of the only people that see these people out daily in shifts begging for money.

The couple, leaves the corner every morning, and I note them walking to a residential area twice now. The area is a dilapidated area, in true Billy Bob Thornton, Slingbade fashion, I am not kidding. If you think I am kidding come on down and I will drive you through that area....funny how such a socio-economic difference can take place within 1 mile.

Lots of questions looming every time I pass. I have done enough rotations in psych nursing to know, a lot of these folks are homeless because of psychiatric disorders. I also know that the homeless from the North migrate down here to avoid winter. However, as winter continues, these folks are leaving a mess behind. They are not cleaning up after themselves at all, and the state and city is not doing it either. But now there is garbage flying all over the place. It has really turned the area into an unbelievable mess....

Here are some interesting stats from 2005

Demographics of the homeless and chronically homeless in Arkansas are diverse:

Here is a link to some interesting stats on Arkansas Homeless

The national average of chronic homeless is 30% Arkansas is 40%

The article claims, that one of the biggest factors of homelessness, in housing that is not affordable. I would have to disagree entirely with that statistic.


According to these #'s Arkansas has one of the least expensive housing markets int he United States.

Obama's Family.....

CNN proves they are nutz, again

Yesterday while folding laundry, I was crazy, and watched CNN.



There are so many things wrong with this interview.

CNN asked Omar, where he was when 9-11 happened, and if he thought his Father was responsible for the attack.

Omar Bin Laden: "uhhh, maybe?"

Nothing says peace like a horse race across Northern Africa....

FREAKING YAHHHHHOOOOOO!!

My blogdaughter's DH is home from Iraq...

go over and thank them, and give a shout out!

Maybe we can go on a date before DH leaves?

I want to see THIS!

And so it begins...

Today is a Federal Holiday, DH is home. He made The Collective breakfast, and took SR to school.

I slept in and had weird dreams about meeting Scott Baio in Las Vegas. I also had a job in a wedding dress fabric store while there. Strange stuff dreams. And it wasn't really Vegas, more like Reno, but I have never been to Reno so I have no idea where I was. Some fictional land where gambling and casinos are prevalent.

Odd.

Today, I am trying to catch up on laundry, and housekeeping. My goal for today is to pack 10 boxes.

I came to a strange realization a couple of days ago.

We are REALLY outgrowing our home.

WE are. All of the things, that are laying around without a home. Well they are doing so, because hell I am out of room. 4 people, 1,200 square feet, and no basement. Let me add here, I am not a pack rat, or a keeper. If it does not get used, it is out of here. The children's things are gone through continuously. No joke. Things are given to neighbors, church folks, sold, etc. I am not excessive in nature. I am a minimalist when it comes to belongings and decor.

I sat here last night, and decided the move could not come a better time, we need more space.

We have looked at more homes and property online, than I care to admit to.

I want an all brick ranch, garage on the side, 4-5 bedrooms, a formal dining room. a full finished basement, and I want it on 3-5 acres within 7 minutes of town. I want the laundry on the same level level as the clothing.

So far, this is not as easy as one would think.

Oh, and there is a budget to consider. The budget part keeps putting the snaffu on things, as well as the taxes. I actually forgot how high taxes are in Nebraska. Geesh, but I figure I will not have to pay for private school either, so it will come out in the wash.

Wish me luck packing today!

I also have to compile all of my tax things today, as the tax money is needed for "fixing up a couple of things round here", before the sale of the house.

We have a winner!

Hey, I won a drawing over at Gretchen's .
She continues to remind me that cold weather and snow are in my future. Brrrr.


She makes Martha Stewart look lazy. Serious. Go over and take a look.

Check out her ETSY page.

The sky

When we first moved to Arkansas, I had claustrophobia, and I could not figure out why. Until I noticed one day, it was the amount of trees blocking my vision. And although gorgeous and green and lush....I was missing the sky. My view of my surroundings, and went from 360 degrees, to perhaps 40. And I could not watch the sunset, or watch weather come in, which I had grown accustomed to over a long span of my life.


And I have to laugh when people say "Nebraska?" "I drove through there once, there was nothing there....."

and I think to myself, but you missed the sky. You missed the best part.

In 7 years I have missed many sunsets here, as we live in a valley, and my view is incomplete. I grew up watching the sun sliding down the sky, looking as if it were being tucked under a field of wheat for the night....





The sky was as full of motion and change as the desert beneath it was monotonous and still, — and there was so much sky, more than at sea, more than anywhere else in the world. The plain was there, under one's feet, but what one saw when one looked about was that brilliant blue world of stinging air and moving cloud. Even the mountains were mere ant-hills under it. Elsewhere the sky is the roof of the world; but here the earth was the floor of the sky. The landscape one longed for when one was away, the thing all about one, the world one actually lived in, was the sky, the sky!

~Willa Cather

Death Comes for the Archbishop (1927)

The week ended brilliantly....

Just got word, and the video should say it all.

We get to move "back home".....






I am so overcome with emotion, I seriously am. I am not sure if I should cry or scream...

movie night

Tonight is movie night at the house. Tonight's feature.

3:10 to Yuma the 1957 version.



Supposedly the cinematography is brilliant.

We will see.



HA!

I knew a man dropped dead from lookin' at his wife. My own grandmother fought the Indians for sixty years... then choked to death on lemon pie.

Just another day

I opened SR's backpack yesterday after school, and noted it was report card day...

I used to hate report card day.

SR, didn't know, didn't care.

and he should have.

I mean I know he is only in kindergarten, but his lowest grade this quarter was a 97%

He got solid 100%'s WOW....

amazing if you ask me.

I tried to make a big deal out of it, and he just went on, he was already looking forward to Friday.

Friday means pizza day, and the last day of the week.

He says he does not have nearly enough "free time" to pursue his own interests. "Mom, I got Saturday and that is it."

Poor guy, I guess I will wait and spare him the lecture about how at 6, well that is about the pinnacle of free time.

He is supposed to attend another birthday party Saturday, but really doesn't want to go....it will interfere with his "free time"....

It is hard for me to understand, I LOVED school, and rarely brought home the grades to show my LOVE, and what 6 year old doesn't want to go to a party?

SR, thats who...

huh?

WOW, he is kookier than I thought, and I thought he was pretty kooky.

Happy Birthday Lee Ann

Happy Birthday Lee Ann!

closet?

I have a reader that visits almost daily from Nebraska.

The UNL campus to be exact.

I do not think they comment.

They have been visiting off and on for about as long as I have been blogging.

Do I know you Nebraska mystery person?

Are you a friend, or a former professor?

I am clueless, and curious.

you do not have to comment, but an email might be nice....

Plus I will be needing the name of a good hairdresser, a martini bar, and I need to know if the Watering Hole still has the best hot wings in town.

thanks!

Old Mother Hubbard

My cupboards are bare. I have been trying to use EVERYTHING on hand, so we do not have to move it.

Well it did not take long, as the cupboards are bare. Seriously. My Midwestern food hoarding, prepare for an emergency situation has given way to bare cupboards. I seriously keep enough food on hand, so I could feed a hoard at any given time.

I need to go to the commissary today, I am plain out of a lot. It will be an interesting trip, because I do not want to hoard, or buy bulk. I do not know how to do this.

Seriously. I have to buy a small bag of sugar, and small amounts of things. Just in case. How strange....

sure

Yesterday afternoon, the phone rang.

It was Sir Rowland's principal. OYE.

All was well, although I was certain she was going to lodge a complaint. She did not.

Instead she asked me to take over the 3-4 year old class on choir night.

I said..."sure, no problem"

After I hung up the phone I was like "why did I do that?"

The good news is, I survived. Frankly between the trips to the bathroom, and hand washing, we did not get much else done.

Who knew washing hands in an unfamiliar sink could be deemed as the favorite activity of the night?

Not me.

new trend, looking like an ass at your wedding....

Call me old fashioned, but I think the newest trend, of pretending to "slow dance" and then breaking into some choreographed, goofy dance routine at your wedding is ridiculous. I do not think it is entertaining, or cute. Does everyone think this is "cute?"

A referee, chauffeur, and a Mom walk into a bar...

Pink Ninjas's dance class time has been changed.

I was not exactly on board with the new time change. I made sure they knew.

She used to have dance in the morning. This worked out great because parents are not allowed in the class, so I could take a quick 45 minute walk, or read. Well they called the other evening to change the time to 2:30. This means I drop her off, go pick up Sir Rowland from school, hope for no traffic, and then pick her up. Approximately 45 minutes in the car, unbuckling, re buckling, climbing in and out of the truck. There is also sitting and waiting with other suburbanites, listening to exchanges about handbags, shoes, and television shows I do not watch, "where on Earth can a person find good help", blech. I sort of feel like I am on a game show.

What used to be a 10 minutes of driving, is now a 45 minute ordeal.

I have hit the "chauffeur" stage of parenting, that I hear other Moms talk about. Time to pack an interesting book in the car, and a pen and paper I suppose.

And The Collective, who I assume hate each other because of the amount of time I spend refereeing, and what not for the wrestling, and poking...?

Well, when I went to pick up sir Rowland from school the other day and Pink Ninja was not in the car....

he says

SR: "where is PN?" (the very first thing out of his mouth)

AWTM: "she is at ballet, we have to go pick her up."

SR: "Oh, I get it, you want me to finally be able to see her at class."

AWTM: "uhhhhh..sure."

So we arrive at the dance class, and I lift SR up so he can peak into the window and see Pink Ninja in action.

We sit and wait, and watch the television news in the lobby, which on this day was Mrs. Spears arriving at court or some sensationalized crap CNN likes to waste hours on.

And then the door opens, and Pink Ninja sees Sir Rowland.

PN: "OHHHH SR, you came to see me!" (HUGGING him, like she has not seen him in months)

Just when I think they hate one another....

When we got back home, I had to make a quick change from my chauffeur hat, to my referee shirt, as fight club commenced.

formal

As any good milspouse knows, a good formal is essential.

I am in love with this one on Etsy.

However, I cannot try it on, and have no idea how that style of dress would fit.

OH and she has a blog!

Ahead of her time...

Wanda Jackson, a pioneer.

Inbox

I was just sent this link by a friend...

and it made my head explode, and my heart break.

Please take a look and contact Rite aid

ASAP

here is some extra contact information

30 Hunter Lane
Camp Hill, PA 17011
or
P.O. Box 3165
Harrisburg, PA 17105

Phone: (717) 761-2633

Update on Sir Rowland

I have had a couple of folks ask how Sir Rowland was doing at school....

the answer is fantastic!!

Sir Rowland is currently 2 readers away from his second grade readers.

His favorite subject is arithmetic.

He works very well independently with incentives like computer time, etc.

There are 4 boys in his class and 7 girls. which means the girls are kept busy all day supervising. I noted this on visits etc. Little girls like supervising. HA!

They have spelling words weekly, and he is a better speller than his Mother.

He can count money, identify days of the week, odd and even numbers. He can identify nouns, adverbs, verbs, conjunctions, and prepositions.

I have not had much in the way of phonecalls, or trouble. YEAH!!

He has gymnastics one day a week. He is frustrated by some of his physical skills.

He does not like losing games, and has a terrible time playing organized games with others. I am not going to push this, until he is ready to move forward.

He is still complulsive which is probably common with 6 year olds.

Enjoy the ride

I am a planner by nature...

my plans are of the plan for the worst variety.

A pessimist, maybe.

But I always make a plan for the worst, and then hope for the best.

I have always tried to buckle up and hang on for the ride, but man oh man, enjoying the ride when you have no idea where you are going? I guess none of us know where we are going. Right?

to do list...

in addition to the usual tasks this week, I need to...

make hair appointment (I am embarrassed by the time I have neglected my hair)

pack at least one box per day

re caulk the tub in my bathroom

oil change

commissary visit

*I also need to start my yoga again....SERIOUSLY not good for my chi to be out of whack!!

Pack

The past 4 months or so here, have been sort of surreal. It seems as though we have one foot in and one foot out. That is indeed a strange way to live. We have been here in Arkansas for about 7 years now, and it is much longer than either of us anticipated.

I am trying to prepare for a move now. I have moved about 9-13 times in our almost 17 years of marriage. However those moves were all before children, and owning a home. Most of those moves were from apartment to apartment. This move will be the biggest yet...

I have been downsizing for the last 6 months, giving away, selling, and donating, and throwing things away.

I think the next step for me is packing. I need to start packing, packing away things that are not NEEDED. You know things like recipe books, books, CD's. There is paperwork to go through, and all sorts of projects ahead....

We are anxious, and ready. If any of you have any moving tips this would be fantastic!

The best $1 spent

For Sir Rowland's Birthday, we went to the local $1 party store to buy cups, and streamers and such. While there we noted UNO card games for $1.

I went ahead and bought the deck, unsure if we would all be able to play.

Well, we are an UNO playing house now.

It has become more popular than any computer game, etc.

The good thing about playing cards, EVERYONE has to STOP EVERYTHING, and play together.

4 and 6 year olds are able to play, and enjoy whipping Mom and Dad. Sir Rowland HATES to lose, and Pink Ninja enjoys cheating.

It has been very entertaining.

My Mom grew up in a card playing home, there was no TV, and there were 10 of them. The first person "out" had to make a chocolate and sour cream cake....which I would love to find a recipe for, but cannot. My Mom said EVERYONE knew how to make the cake, even the little folks. She also said they would play shuffleboard on the dining room table with a snuff can filled with stones.....I was telling The Collective about these games that folks used to play.

I can recall growing up around folks playing a lot of cards. My folks would play cards almost nightly. All of the neighbors would get together about once a week and they would take turns meeting at one another homes, we would bring our card table and chairs, and there would be about 3-7 families in one tiny house. My Mom would make delicous caramel corn for the kids, and we would get to watch a movie on television. The first time I saw Rod Stewart singing Tonights the Night, was at a card party, and I think we watched a lot of The Muppet Show. It was when soda came in a glass bottles. Some folks would only have Pepsi, and other homes coke. We were a coke family, and I enjoyed the tall glass bottles, until the time we took a bottle cap off and found a straw inside the bottle while pouring....ick. My mom never bought bottles of pop again.....


funny what a game of cards can make you remember.....

Back

The TV is working...

odd.

I will take it.

Was not in the market for a new television currently.

Actually we WANT a new TV, but not now....

*put some money aside for a new television.

Rest In Peace

Our 16 year old television died this afternoon at 12:30pm CST.

Cause of death?

I am sure the 4 year old clicking the power button on and off for entertainment did not help...

Crappola.

Lakota Nation?

"We are no longer citizens of the United States of America and all those who live in the five-state area that encompasses our country are free to join us,"says Lakota Native Russell Means, former Libertarian Presidential candidate and now angry secessionist. "It is also within the laws on treaties passed at the Vienna Convention and put into effect by the U.S. and the rest of the international community in 1980. We are legally within our rights to be free and independent," he added during a press conference yesterday in Washington."We have 33 treaties with the United States that they have not lived by. They continue to take our land, our water, our children," said Phyllis Young, who helped organize the first international conference on indigenous rights in Geneva in 1977.

This is far too much to cover in my little blog, and there is far to much information to cover. Pine Ridge has a long and sordid history.

It is impossible as far as I can tell. Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, home of a large Lakota population will be unable to organize its population.

Although Pine Ridge is the eighth largest reservation in the United States, it is the poorest reservation. It is probably easily comparable to the least developed countries of the Third World. Unemployment on the Reservation hovers around 35% and 61% live below the Federal poverty level.[1] Adolescent suicide is four times the national average. Many of the families have no electricity, telephone, running water, or sewer. Many families use wood stoves to heat their homes. The population on Pine Ridge has among the shortest life expectancies of any group in the Western Hemisphere: approximately 47 years for males and in the low 50s for females. The infant mortality rate is five times the United States national average.

Similar "activism" occurred in the 1970's, and ended in death and controversy.

On June 26, 1975, the reservation was the site of an armed confrontation between AIM activists and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation in an event which became known as the Pine Ridge Shootout.[14] This resulted in the death of two FBI agents and one AIM activist. The hunt for the killer(s) of the two FBI agents led to the controversial acquittals of AIM members Bob Robideau and Dino Butler as well as the extradition, trial, and conviction of Leonard Peltier.[15]

On February 24, 1976, Anna Mae Aquash, a Mi'kmaq activist and member of AIM was found shot to death by the side of State Road 73 in the far northeast corner of the Pine Ridge Reservation. The alleged motives for the murder was the mistaken belief that Ms. Aquash was a government informant but that she also knew Leonard Peltier killed the FBI agents in 1975. In 2004, one of Anna's captors was found guilty of murder. Another suspect was recently extradited to the U.S. to also stand trial for the murder.

Russell Means, is probably one of the best known contemporary American Indians.

According to Wikipedia...

Means, an Oglala Sioux, was born on the Pine Ridge Reservation; both of his parents had been educated at Indian boarding schools. In 1942, Means's family moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. Means attended San Leandro High School, graduating in 1958.[1]

Since the late 1970s, Means has often supported libertarian political causes, putting him at odds with several of the other leaders of AIM. In 1984, Means campaigned for the Republican nomination for vice president on a ticket with Larry Flynt; they lost to the incumbents, Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush. In 1986 Means traveled to Nicaragua to express his support for Miskito Indians who were allied with the US-funded contra guerillas against the Nicaraguan government. In 1987, Means sought the nomination of the Libertarian Party for president and attracted considerable support within the party,[5] but eventually lost the nomination to Congressman Ron Paul.[6]
Russell Means speaks at a DC Anti-War Network's anti-war protest on November 11, 2001.
Russell Means speaks at a DC Anti-War Network's anti-war protest on November 11, 2001.

In 2001, Means began an independent candidacy for governor of New Mexico, but was kept off the ballot because of procedural problems. Instead, he again ran for president of the Oglala Sioux with the help of Twila Lebeaux, this time narrowly losing to incumbent John Yellow Bird Steele. Means has argued against the use of the term "Native American" and in favor of "American Indian". He argues that this use of the word Indian derives not from a confusion with India but from an Italian expression indios, meaning "in God" or "as God made them". He also states that since treaties and other legal documents say "Indian" on them, and not "Native American", use of the term Indian can help today's Indian people forestall any attempts at loopholes as they engage in legal proceedings to regain their land.

On December 20, 2007, Means announced the withdrawal of a small group of Lakota Sioux from all treaties with the United States government.[7] Means and a delegation of activists declared the Lakota a sovereign nation with property rights over thousands of square miles in South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming and Montana.[8] The Republic of Lakota website asserts that their group met with what they termed "traditional treaty councils" in eight communities. However, they admit their delegation does not act for elected tribal governments, or as they described them "IRA Indians, 'stay by the fort indians', or other Lakota people unwilling to be free." At a D.C. presentation Means also stated that his group does not "represent collaborators, the Vichy Indians and those tribal governments set up by the United States of America," comparing tribal leaders to the French leaders of Nazi Germany-Occupied France headquartered at Vichy, France.[9] However, on January 1, 2008 other members of the delegation started the Lakota Oyate ("Freedom") group which charges that Means hijacked the group's web site. They disagree with Means' use of the non-Lakota concepts "Republic" and "provisional government," arguing that Lakota Oyate's government is continuous with the traditional government of the Lakota people.[10]

I do not see the Lakota Nation being able to organize at all.

by: David Melmer / Indian Country Today
LINCOLN, Neb. - Legislation in Nebraska has taken a page from the history books and has proposed a no alcohol buffer zone around reservations that prohibits alcohol sales.

Two bills, introduced by Sen. Dan Preister may not solve the alcohol problems that have been fought for years on the Pine Ridge Reservation, but may bring about some public awareness of the problem.

Preister said he was not hopeful that either of the bills would get out of the General Affairs committee this session, but he was more pleased that debate and media attention to the bills brought the problem before the legislature.

"We attempt to educate through public hearings and the media. There are 11,000 cans of beer sold daily in White Clay, mostly to people from the Pine Ridge Reservation. We need to educate people to the severity of the problem," Preister said.

The proposed legislation is directed at White Clay, a village of 17 people and four establishments that sell alcohol two miles south of the Pine Ridge Reservation.

He said law enforcement is not shutting the establishments down for illegal behavior, nor stopping the consumption of alcohol in public, which is prohibited by Nebraska law.

Without the introduction of the bills, Preister said, the media would not have paid attention to the problem. Without the public hearings, the voice of American Indians and others who oppose the sale of alcohol would not have been heard.

The gist of the bills is to create a buffer zone of five miles around any reservation that prohibits alcohol sales and consumption within the reservations exterior boundaries. No licenses could be sold, but existing licenses would be grandfathered in. The first bill was introduced in 2003 and the second bill followed in 2004. The second bill adds the element of no license renewal.

The problem of alcohol sales two miles from the Pine Ridge Reservation has existed for many years, but in 2000, the deaths of two American Indians prompted an all-out effort to shut White Clay down.

The murders of Ron Hard Heart and Wilson Black Elk Jr. have never been solved. The two brutally-beaten bodies were found near the South Dakota border between White Clay and Pine Ridge. The deaths were blamed on alcohol purchased and consumed at White Clay.

White Clay is nothing more than four stores that sell alcohol, an estimated four million cans of beer annually. Patrons cannot consume the beer on the premises of any business, or on the street in public view. The consumer cannot take the alcohol on to the reservation either.

Even though consumption of the alcohol is illegal many empty beer cans litter the roadside between White Clay and Pine Ridge.

Boxcar Children

I read nightly to The Collective, ALWAYS have. 3-4 books, has been the rule.

We go to the library weekly, and I normally leave with a gargantuan bag filled to the brim. I am guessing we count for about 1/8 of the library circulation.

Last week while I was there, I noted The Boxcar Children set. Huh? I have never read them, but recall my nieces falling in love with these books. SO I reluctantly picked up the first book. There are few illustrations, so I was unsure if The Collective would be able to sit through the book. But I went ahead, guessing I could read one chapter a night.

The stories are so wonderfully written that The Collective ages 4 and 6 have been able to sit through 3 chapters at a time. We have one chapter left, in the first book left tonight.

PN woke me the other morning with the book, asking me to read another chapter so she could find out what happened next.

Today is library day, and we have to pick up the next book.

What a great way to start A Tuesday!

Tornado Warning

A tornado has been sighted or indicated by radar in your area - seek shelter immediately!

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LITTLE ROCK HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR... EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN FAULKNER COUNTY IN CENTRAL ARKANSAS NORTH CENTRAL GARLAND COUNTY IN CENTRAL ARKANSAS EASTERN PERRY COUNTY IN CENTRAL ARKANSAS NORTHWESTERN PULASKI COUNTY IN CENTRAL ARKANSAS NORTHWESTERN SALINE COUNTY IN CENTRAL ARKANSAS

* UNTIL 915 AM CST

* AT 839 AM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR JESSIEVILLE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR... WYE MOUNTAIN AROUND 905 AM CST... LAKE MAUMELLE AROUND 910 AM CST... ROLAND AROUND 915 AM CST...

We do not have a basement, so we are held up in a bathroom, sirens are blaring!

I just took Sir Rowland to school...

UPDATE:looks like it passed.

I will add here, my 4 year old gave me a mini manicure while in the bathroom taking cover, and she also whipped me in UNO.

*note to self, scrub bathroom floor.

And the Oscar goes to .....

Hillary Clinton, for best cry in a Primary...



Maybe this will turn into the "Dean Scream"

Consumerism vs. what I want?

With a move pending, I have had to evaluate, and reevaluate my plans, OUR plans. What our dream is for our family.

We are not unlike the rest of you, we want healthy and well adjusted children that have opportunities.

When we first moved here, we moved here because my DH was offerred a position, but also because we were, "late career bloomers, non traditional college students". We put one another through school, by working full time, and attending school full time, and frankly it took a while. And when we finally graduated. My Husband was the second in his family to have an University education. I did not complete my University education, but ended up with my LPN, and I know more about the Canterbury Tales than any one person ought to.

We moved to Arkansas partially because of the expense 7 years ago. It was not affordable for us to live in Nebraska, and own a lovely home. We looked and looked, but found that Lincoln was VERY competitive for young professionals. So we noted the housing market here in Arknasas, and we have a small home here, but it is indeed lovely and in a growing community. We wanted a house payment that would allow me to stay at home if I wished. Because after waiting 10 years to become pregnant, frankly I wanted to spend as much time with my children as possible.

For the past 5-6 years, (I have lost track) I have been at home. I have enjoyed every single moment.

But I will be honest with you. There are times, when financially this decision is hard, but it is usually when I am not listening to my heart, or when I am being selfish.

This next move has led my brain on a very interesting journey AGAIN.....

DO I want to go back, and do what my peers are doing? Or do I want to live out in the middle of nowhere, and sit on the deck in my robe in the Spring? Do I want to worry about chickens, and if the fence is ok?

What sort of situation, do we want? Or is it just easier to do what the rest of the people are doing?

Interesting....

The crud...

I am just going to buy some lysol, and start spraying all of us with it...

For the last 2 or so weeks, Sir Rowland had the crud, the DH, and Pink ninja has the worst of it.

She was running fever last night and this morning, and after motrin her temp was 100. she is leaking snot, loose cough, eyes are glazed, and her adorable nose and mouth look as if I have been wiping her nose with steel wool.

After paying our outrageous co-pay, we left empty handed. Somem sort of virus. AGAIN.

I must be waiting for my turn to get this too, and frankly I do not want it.

I am sick of tissue boxes, and sneezing, and snot.....oh and the cough.

The house is naked, the Epiphany over.

My sister turns 45 today. Holy Crap.

The property we were looking at is not our cup of tea. Which has been a HUGE disappointment. It is in some whackjob developement, where one is unable to DO anything with it. Cannot rent it out as farm/pasture, cannot violate sound restrictions. Which we took as no shooting. 20 acres, and it is Nannied. No thanks.

CRAP.

Back to the drawing board.

Who would have thought?

I am having to vacuum "FAKE" pine needles up.

Pfft.

It looks naked in here now!

The Omaha Mall Shooting...

An Omaha police Officer writes about the day...

HERE.

HT: Plains Feeder

Southwest wind

Means I woke to a 60 degree morning! The birds are unfluffed, and singing. Today is Sunday, whihc means the busiest day of the week.

DH at drill.

AWTM, is on duty to get her small posse ready for church and AWANA.

Enjoy your Sunday.

All Expenses?

Go wish some of the guys at the front a Happy New Year!

With the Pentagon rules on blogging, so much has changed in the blogosphere, and it is hard finding those "front line" bloggers. If you know of any, leave in the comments for me please!

Badgers Forward



Another Front line blogger. I am so sorry I did not find him months ago...

Eighty Deuce

Never as funny the second time


Richard's 15 month deployment

oh and Kaboom!

France finally acknowledges terrorism...

By canceling the Dakar Rally.

t was the first time in the 30-year history of the automobile, motorcycle and truck race across the Sahara Desert that it has been called off. In a statement, organizers blamed international tensions, the tourists' Dec. 24 murders and "threats launched directly against the race by terrorist organizations."

See full article here.

Iowa, did not do their homework

Obama? Poster Boy for Project Islamic Hope? I cannot photoshop folks, that is the real deal from THIS SITE.



This article, mentions this interesting bit of information...

note this...

Last Friday, Obama unveiled his foreign policy plan to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the nation's pro-Israel lobby and a powerful force in electoral politics.

Which brings us back to Wright, who took a swipe at the campaign advisers when he talked to the Times: "When his enemies find out that in 1984 I went to Tripoli to visit Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, Wright said, "with Farrakhan, a lot of his Jewish support will dry up quicker than a snowball in hell. "Wright clarified to the Times that his trip had nothing to do with Louis Farrakhan's or Qaddafi's views.

Yes you read that right, Obama's pastor, Jeramiah Wright went to Tripoli with Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan to visit Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.

And although Obama has tried to distance himself from his Muslim background, by claiming that he is a Christian. His conversion will be seen as apostate by Muslims. Which means.

The Arabic word murtadd applies to a Muslim who publicly declares kufr or unbelief -- we seek refuge in Allah -- by so stating or by denying a fundamental tenet of creed -- such as Allah's angels -- or definitely abandoning or denying a fundamental obligation in the Religion such as prayer (salat), or acting in a way unmistakably tantamount to unbelief such as prostrating to an idol.

The Law considers irtidad not an exercise of personal freedom -- as the West construes atheism and "agnosticism" in its own societies -- but a crime and declaration of war against Muslim society, which is duty-bound to protect itself from its consequences. This is a condition of irtidad as established by the Prophet's statement -- Allah bless and greet him:

"The blood of a Muslim is illicit to shed except for one of three reasons: a married adulterer must be stoned; one who wilfully commits murder must be put to death; and a man who comes out of Islam and fights Allah and His Prophet must be put to death or crucified or banished from the earth."

Also note Obama is a member of Trinity United Christian Church.

From Wikipedia

United Church of Christ General Synod XV also passed two resolutions concerning the conflict between Israel and Palestinians in the Middle East. One calls for the use of economic leverage to promote peace in the Middle East, which can include measures such as government lobbying, selective investment, shareholder lobbying, and selective divestment from companies which profit from the continuing Israel-Palestine conflict. The other resolution, named "Tear Down the Wall", calls upon Israel to remove the separation barrier between Israel and the West Bank. Opponents of the "Tear Down the Wall" resolution have noted that the wall's purpose is to prevent terrorist attacks, and that the resolution does not call for a stop to these attacks. The Simon Wiesenthal Center stated that the July 2005 UCC resolutions on divestment from Israel were "functionally anti-Semitic".[35] The Anti-Defamation League stated that those same resolutions are "disappointing and disturbing" and "deeply troubling".[36] In addition to the concerns raised about the merits of the "economic leverage" resolution, additional concerns were raised about the process in which the General Synod approved the resolution. Michael Downs of the United Church of Christ Pension Boards (who would be charged with implementing any divestment of the UCC's Pension Board investments) wrote a letter[37] to UCC President John Thomas expressing concern "with the precedent-setting implications of voted actions, integrity of process and trust."

Want to more about Obama?



Obama's church also hosts meetings of the terrorist organization known as Sabeel.






There is planty of information available HERE

Thank You Iowa!

Goodbye...

Condolences to those family and friends.

A heavy heart indeed...

Hawkeye Cockeye

The Iowa Cauci was not shocking to me.....

I think if Fred Thompson looked like Romney he might have a better chance. seriously.

Huckabee, this choice suprises me. Not nearly as much as Obama.

I was dissapointed in the after the dog and pony show speeches.

Hillary came off pissed off, and I noted her campaign managers noted it was a great idea to put not only Bill Clinton behind her, but Madaline Albright. Eww....her after speech was lackluster indeed.

Obama, used his Martin Luther King "I have a dream" speech. He mentioned Selma at least once.'

Pretty boy Edwards speech should have had mass appeal to the socialists. His wife introduced him, which was a good move by his campaign managers.

But I must remember that as practical as I think Midwesterners are, I need to remember that the agrarian nature of the state means farm subsudies, and colleges....

But Nanny Huckabee, the yellow dog democrat in GOP clothing.

I was also bothered that his campaign managers insisted that the "Norris's" stand at his side. Huckabee also seems increasingly self congratulatory, which is wearing thin with some folks. The "aww shucks I am just a simple Pastor routine" is getting old. I am not sure if i want our President to be of the awww shucks variety. I think we tried that with Jimmy Carter and look where that got us.

I am waiting for Chuck Norris to come to his senses and beat Huckabee's ass....

ICK...

I would like to see Fred Thompson pick McCain as a running mate....

Pondering....Does enjoying Micheal Buble make me perimenapausal?

OK, I have avoided the Micheal Buble bandwagon. not because the cat is not talented. Certainly he is. His voice, like butter.



But who would have thought I would have dumped Lou Rawl's version of You'll never find...





and for Micheal Buble.


Dumped may be a strong word....

I mean Lou Rawls was the shiznet. One cannot like Buble over Rawls?

unsure how she manages it...

Cat Power, has an amazing voice. Really. I swear she can make your heart break listening to her. Amazing to hit 5 notes in a word....I did not know that was possible....

when I was a kid.....

I am a bit concerned about how I will weather the winters up north. Seriously.

Our first winter here, well we moved the eve before an ice storm. The only ice storm I have seen down here. We actually moved. We were out of doors in December moving boxes and furniture in December. I do not remember being cold at all. Our first January I called folks back home proclaiming how balmy 40 degrees felt as I raked leaves from my yard. I would go out in the winter with a sweatshirt on laughing at the folks in parks when it was 50 degrees. I would laugh when it gont down to 60, and i could smell people burning wood int he fireplace. Over time, I have become accustomed to keeping our air conditioner on 80 in the summer and 70 in the winter. When we were in Nebraska we kept the heat on 64 or so, and in the summer 70 at best...

7 years later, I have become one of "those people". If it is 40 or colder I note I am freezing. I have gotten soft. I do not want to go outside, I want to stay in the house, because I cannot stand the elements.

I recall watching Monks on National Geogrraphic at one time, sitting in snow, and meditating to maintain a 98.6 body temp or higher, with little on. some sort of trascendental meditation of sorts.

DH keeps telling me, to think warm.....


I really have.

Besides the talk of keeping chickens, and getting the Collective lambs, and some bottle calves, there has been a discussion about how to keep me alive in the cold temperatures.

Talk of flannel lined jeans, long johns, an electric blanket for the car that plugs into the lighter. Seriously. This has been the discussion. Because I am seriously concerned about dying from being cold.

Ridiculous.

Another Birthday

My Brother is 4 years my junior, and is celebrating his Birthday today.

I woke this morning realizing, THIS is one of the reasons it will be nice to go back home.

I really miss celebrating Holidays, with those I love.

So A Happy Birthday to my Little Brother. He is not so little at all, I am teeny next to him. Which is good.

Here is to a blessed 2008, and give your Wife and Little One a hug from me today.

We will see you soon.....

add on

I am also resolving to put laundry away within 12 hours of folding it, or hanging it...

it is not hard. Just do it. and do it with a darn smile!

Black eyed Peas....

The black eyed peas, cabbage, were consumed. I replaced hog jowl, with some leftover ham. I also made a batch of cornbread.

We heard shots at 10pm....what the heck, someone could not wait until midnight? It scared me to bits. Plus one shot wasn't enough. There were several around 10pm. I wonder if people were tired, so went ahead and just shot at 10 thinking it was close enough?

2008?

I have no idea what lies ahead for the AWTM house in 2008. None.

We are ready.

DH was ready about 2 years ago, I was not. Our wish list at that time was Tampa/DC.

Funny how things change.

We are both ready to go "back home".

So that is the BIG PROJECT for 2008. We will need new Drs., new schools, a new bank, a new hairstylist. And the list continues.

My 2008 resolutions look much like last years, with additions.

drum roll....

I need to write EVERYTHING down. EVERYTHING. I am not sure when this happened. I have had terrible gradual memory loss.

I need to be better about thank you notes, and other forms of written correspondence.

Otherwise, the list will stay about the same.

There will be a lot on the AWTM plate. I am a little concerned about how I will manage it all. The addition of work, and moving.

I am resolving to ask for help when I need it, take one thing at a time, and delegate tasks. End of story. I do not need to do EVERYTHING ALONE. That is silliness. Oh and I resolve to be cheerful about it.

The people back home, have been nothing but excited and anxious for our arrival back. There is a Grandpa that wants to see his Grandchildren, Aunties and Uncles that miss us, as much as we miss them.

2008 will be all about family, patience, and doing all with a good attitude. I do not want to fall into the exasperated mode, which I am quick to do.

Have a healthy and prosperous 2008, may it be a blessed one for you and yours.