You know you're from West Virginia when....

Your state is misspelled on your shirt! LOL That's ALMOST as bad as VP Quail's "potatoe" screw up.

The sweetest thing...

is a smiling dirty face! I have so many pictures of my boys with faces so dirty all you can see are their teeth and their eyes shining through. This little boy happens to be very special to me AND he was born on my birthday! His mom is THE BEST at making scrapbook pages (at least in my eyes). I'm awe struck looking at them.

I have some other friends that will soon have a little one of their own and they will learn just how cute these little faces can get beneath a layer of spaghetti or chocolate pudding :O)

Most of the pictures of my kids when they were young enough to be in a highchair were taken before I had a digital camera but this one must have been scanned. It's the only one on my computer. This is Riley covered in something sticky. He rubbed it all in his hair! I have several pictures of Jared covered in spaghetti sauce or chocolate pudding hehehe I guess I'll save those and the bathtub pictures for the first girlfriend!


Riley AKA Spike

We all need a tree

I received this story in an email. I thought it was a good one to share.

We all need a tree

I hired a plumber to help me restore an old farmhouse, and after he had just finished a rough first day on the job: a flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric drill quit and his ancient one ton truck refused to start.

While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence. On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands.

When opening the door he underwent an amazing transformation.. His face was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss.

Afterward he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier. "Oh,that's my trouble tree," he replied "I know I can't help having troubles on the job, but one thing's for sure, those troubles don't belong in the house
With my wife and the children... So I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home and ask God to take care of them. Then in the morning I pick them up again." "Funny thing is," he smiled," when I come out in the morning to pick 'em up, there aren't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before."

Hmmm I feel the need to add...

I just reread my last post and started laughing. Not because of the dream and the CAT (that's scary!) but because I use ALL more than I should. Sometimes I will tell my husband that ALL of the kids were outside and I only have two... but I guess when they are ALL over the place it sure seems like there are a lot more of them than two. Anyway, I guess ALL to me can be two or three since I only dated 3 guys. The first turned out to be a little crazy...or a lot crazy (depending on whether he took his medication that day, the second made a fast error and didn't last past two weeks and the third ended up being my husband. I have now been married for 15 years! Those blue eyes are the only ones I really need but I still LOVE blue eyes. I have always had this infatuation with the color of blue, especially that clear blue the sky can be. So even though blue eyes make me weak in the knees it doesn't mean I'll go crazy and run off with some stranger. I've heard that eyes are the windows to the soul but God chose the tent of the glass :O) Sometimes the color is so stunning I can't see past the window pane.

Whooh, What a day!

First of all I had this crazy nightmare that melded two of my worst weaknesses/issues together in the oddest way. Your mind is like a little brother sometimes - taunting, evil, and stupid all at the same time. Maybe I should cut out the midnight snack or something.

Well anyway, my first issue is that I'm allergic to cats. Well most cats. I went to a thrift type store the other day to see if they had a coffee table I could redo and I found these cool shirts that my oldest son would like. They looked new and were only $3 each. I bought him 3 of them. I remember feeling a little itchy there and I felt like I had something in my eye just before I left. The next morning I woke up with my eye all red and irritated. I finally got a fine dark hair out of my eye and it started to get better.

Next issue....well weakness...or both. I LOVE blue eyes. If I see someone with those awesome sky-blue eyes my knees buckle and I can't keep my head long enough to form a sentence. I think I should call a therapist. Yes, my husband has blue eyes and so did all the guys that I dated. I even had a dog with blue eyes. After a while I get used to it and act normal until the next set of blue eyes walk my way *sighs like I'm high*

So, this odd dream was about this CAT with blue eyes LOL Talk about mixed up. It kept following me everywhere I went...at the grocery store (where I was buying ice cream and frozen french fries LOL) and then in sears! It followed me home (I was walking) and then I felt bad for it and let it in my house. That's when I started the wild sneezing and turning red and bumpy but I couldn't run it off or even take my eyes off of this cat with the gorgeous blue eyes. Is that the most retarded thing you have ever heard????????????????? I think I've lost my mind.

Funny thing is, about 30 minutes before my alarm went off I rolled over to check the time and couldn't open my left eye and could barely open the other eye. My eyes were swollen shut! I think there had to be cat hair on those shirts and when I was doing laundry last night I handled them. It's a good thing I knew right where the benedryl was because I couldn't see anything. I took one and it knocked me out cold. I vaguely remember thinking about the kids needing to be woken up for school and then deciding that I needed their services for today. I woke up a couple hours later and fumbled into Jared's room to wake him up. He instantly came to my rescue like I knew he would. I barely explained what the problem was and he went and started the laundry. He is washing everything! Riley helped me a lot too by bringing me things or helping me when I couldn't see. Now it's about 3pm and I feel a lot better. The swelling has gone down and I can see. My eye is just a little scratchy feeling. I just wish I could quit feeling freaked out from that crazy dream I had!

I am going to go meet a friend at the literacy council's used book store (Forget me not used books) and see if I can't get my mind off of that!

Where's Waldo?

And everyone else? Look at the left side under "check this out!" and click on my guestmap. Please place a pin on the map for me.

A soldier's memorial

Please go and read this story link I think I will enlist the help of my two boys for this challenge. Even if they no longer need anything from Alaska it would be good to them to feel they could help in some way. We will get out shovels out later this afternoon and send out a package. My youngest son Riley has always loved rocks. In the summertime you'll find them in all his pockets, his dresser, and in little piles around his room. I'm sure he has a few he wouldn't mind sharing and would love to help in this mission. I can't wait to tell the boys. Jared especially is interested in helping out. He wore a yellow band around his arm in support of the troops until it finally broke one day. I'll have to see if I can find him another one.

Quote of the day

Sometimes the appropriate response to reality is to go insane.
- Philip K. Dick

It is -20 F this morning and I have already gotten my exercise! Sir Riley decided to miss the bus this morning and my husbands ugly blue truck is not yet fixed. So my car was not in the garage this morning. I figured, what better way to teach a lesson than to make Ry run his butt up to school right? Too bad I had to learn the lesson too. We bundled up and I lectured him the whole way just like my dad used to do to me LOL He wasn't happy but he knew I had no other option and I wasn't going to let him have the day off when his grades. He's training for his green belt anyway so it's good for him! And it's good for me too I suppose. I'm trying to lose weight and hey, no need to stick my head in a bowl of ice to shrink my poors right? Not that I would LOL

New angel in training

I have had this overwhelming desire to reach out and help others lately. Every time I get something in the mail asking for a donation from the food bank, rescue mission, or other notable organization I of course want to help but now that I'm not working that isn't exactly possible. I need to help in other ways, ie lending a hand or offering an ear. I was so happy to hear about soldiersangels.org and I'm still reading about the different ways I can help. Through SA I am able to make a difference without spending too much. I plan to do all I can to let my soldier feel supported and appreciated.

As a beginning sewing and knitter I went out to the net in search for items I could make to send to soldiers. I found another blogger who has a lot of great info on her site and I hope others will check out this info as well. If anyone else has any info on useful items I could make feel free to email me at darkcoffeeclouds@yahoo.com

**My soldier (J) did come with an email address and I sent off a quick note. I was suprised to already receive a quick reply! Talk about instant gratification! I hope J realizes that my family greatly appreciates everything he and all the other soldiers are doing for us.**

Soldiers' Angels

A good friend of mine sends me a column from her local hometown paper. Rhea is a very interesting person with great insight and I always look forward to seeing what she has to say. This one especially got my attention and I quickly signed up to be a "Soldiers Angel". I can't wait to find out which soldier I will be assigned to. I love to write letters and haven't had anyone who cared to receive them since my grandmother passed away in April. I have a lot of nice stationary that I've been aching to scribble on.

Soldiers’ Angels

By

Rhea Bouchard Powers


I have long been a devotee of the gentle art of written correspondence. I have been writing letters almost all my life. From the time I could take pen or pencil in hand and put words on paper, I wrote. I corresponded with my grandmother and aunts in Cohoes, New York. I wrote to Uncle Edgar and later to Uncle Billy when they were in the Navy. I penned sporadic letters to pen pals in Wales and Germany. I wrote to the Pope when I was 8 or 9 years old, much to the chagrin of my mother who was flummoxed when an envelope addressed to me arrived from the Vatican some weeks later. Silly as it may sound to some, I’ve even corresponded for the past 9 years or so with a lady named Diane who lives about a mile or two from here. We’ve long since met in person and become friends, but we still write to each other about once a week.

Given my history, it came as no surprise when my daughter Kathy thought I might be interested in signing on with a group called Soldiers’ Angels. Their mission is to insure that our military personnel stationed overseas receive regular mail from back home. Being over there is bad enough. Being over there and never getting mail is even worse.

According to my son-in-law Ken, a 6-year Navy veteran, mail call was a very big deal whenever they pulled into port. A handful of letters from Kathy was always waiting for him, and rather than read them all at once, he would ration them out over several days to make them last longer. He said he felt really bad for the guys who walked away empty-handed after the last name had been called.

Kathy is currently writing to two soldiers. My grandson Nick writes to one. I now have two military pen pals, a sergeant named Katie who’s stationed in Iraq, and another soldier named Brett, about whom I know nothing but his address as of yet.

Just in case you might be interested in joining the letter-writing brigade, let me explain how it works.

Soldiers’ Angels’ mission, as I said, is to provide aid and comfort to members of our armed forces. Their adopt-a-soldier program puts you in touch with one soldier. According to their website, “To adopt a soldier you must commit to sending a card or letter a week, and at least 1 or 2 care packages a month. This is important to help bring home a healthy hero. Care packages do not have to be expensive and you can put together your own. Duration of adoption is usually 6 to 8 months.”

I’ve sent packages twice so far, using their suggestions as to what may be appropriate. Things like individually- wrapped hard candies, snacks, toiletry items, and playing cards. Extra socks are apparently a good item, too. My last shipment included tins of homemade cookies, beef jerky, and trail mix (a special request from Katie).

Packing supplies were obtained free of charge by calling the Postal Service at

1-800-610-8734, and requesting a free military pack. Cost of shipping has run me about $6.00 a box.

The letters are easy. Just write as if you’re talking to them. Tell them about yourself, things that are going on, chatty, inconsequential everyday stuff. And remember that the object of the game is to provide them (not you) with mail. The organization warns that you may or may not ever hear back from your soldier, but you must continue sending mail. It took at least 6 weeks for me to hear back from Katie and her letter was cause for great celebration here.

For more information, and to sign on if you’re interested, log on via computer to: “Soldiers’Angels.” I’m not very good with the computer, but even I managed to find my way through. I’m very glad that I did.

P.S. Let me know how you make out if you decide to do it. I’d really like to hear from you.

Garfield

Thinking

Have you ever found yourself deep in thought while standing in the shower and you couldn't remember whether you just rinced shampoo or conditioner out of your hair so you had to start all over? I have been doing that a lot lately. I think I really washed my hair about 5 times but at least it's clean right?

I've got a lot on my mind lately. I'm not at the bank anymore and I'm trying to decide what I was supposed to be when I grew up. I never had an answer when I was asked that as as kid and now that I am an adult I only know what I am not meant to do. It's been a hard process of trial and error. If you asked me a year ago I would have said that I planned to work at the bank for a lot longer but something happened when I started taking classes. I realized how much more there is out there to do and when I looked around at the bank I started to realize that I didn't belong there and "up" was not where I wanted to move. I lost my ambition.....at least there. I needed to get out but it wasn't so clear to me then as it is now. I fought it very hard. I applied for several positions since November and many of those positions where very similar to what I did at the bank. I am glad someone with more experience was available to prevent me from making such a huge mistake. I wasn't meant to sit behind a computer all day. I've always wanted to help people and so far I've not been close enough to anyone to help them. So I'm on a mission! I'm going to volunteer at several places and see where I would be the most help. After I find out what it is that I am best at and get some experience in that then I'll know what I was meant to be and can then apply with confidence. Until then, I'm Momma Donna again, and my family loves having me home more often, rested and happy.

Since I've been gone though I've really missed the other people that work at the bank, well most of them. I have never worked in a place before that felt so much like family. There are a lot of great people there or at least there have been. Many of the people I really admired moved on before me. At least I know that I gained a lot while working there. I've learned a lot and gained so many good friends. I certainly received a lot more hugs in the month of February than I did in a long, long time and it felt good :O)

It's not easy for me to be at home though. I feel like I'm not doing enough to help my family. Not helping my husband to support the family financially is the hardest of all. I'm trying to be a good "housewife" (yuck, I hate that word), but I have to make frequent escape trips or I know I will go insane. I have to keep myself busy. My husband has tried to help me out by bring up his Mom. She's a great lady and I can't wait until she gets here.

So, busy, busy. This week I am simplifying. I have been reading Living the Simple Life: A Guide to Scaling Down and Enjoying More and Simplify Your Life: 100 Ways to Slow Down and Enjoy the Things That Really Matter and I think it's time to get all of the extra garbage out of my home.

Hopefully I'll be done before my mother in law gets here in the wee hours of Wednesday night. I have called FRA so they will be expecting a large load!

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The song currently stuck in my head: Joy to the World (????)