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Welcome to My World

The rantings, philosophies, and memories of a retired military, ex-diplomat, tattooed biker chick, quilting o'lady, pagan college student step-mom.

No guilt trip here - I refuse to to cave into that trap - about anything. Everything happens for a reason (Karma? Fate? Destiny? Dumb Luck? or Free Will...) and it is what it is. I've come to a point in my life where I can accept that.

Eveyone always told me to write a book, because I have so many funny stories, life experiences, unique view points...but, a book? What a pain in the ass. Blogging seemed like the next best thing, so, if you're ready (and there's room enough for everyone!) fire up the bikes and lets ride....

Friday, July 31, 2009

Close to finished...







I've been working on two quilts for the boys. I'm getting closer to finishing the one for the youngest...the pattern is an all over teacup, and it's pretty easy. The other quilt I started machinde quilting, but that's turning out to be a pain, so I might finish it by hand. I need to make a quilt for my girlfriends 50th birthday next year, and, at the rate that I quilt, I probably should have started it last year! And, I'm still working (ha ha ha) on the Africa quilt as well as doing school work and making the dog leashes. Since the weather's been so crappy this month (summer), it's just as well that I have plenty of indoor activities to keep me busy!

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Am I really Welcome?

You know those "Welcome" flags you see as you are driving through a neighborhood? They hang off the porch or are on a wrought iron trellis thingy...they have flowers on them, or they say "Welcome, Friends!" and look so nice...but am I really welcome? If I walked up to the door, rang the bell, would the occupants of the house welcome me in for a cup of coffe and a slice of pie? Would they turn me down if I asked for a cup of coffe and a slice of pie and look at me like I was a serial killer or would they really welcome me in? Somehow, I think it's all a sham and they wouldn't welcome me in and would probably shut the door in my face.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

It just keeps getting worse.....


I hate watching the news or looking at the Internet. Between the Muslim radicals/fanatics and our own Congress, we're screwed. There's the big debate about the health care "reform"...HA! Are you kidding me? I did a search Health Care on the Government Printing Office (GPO) Access page (http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/multidb.cgi) and found at least 6 Senate Bills (totalling over 1,000 pages), and 9 House bills (totaling over 2,360 pages) that our Congress is considering. Has any of our esteemed Congressmen/Women read any or all of these bills? Do they even know what they contain and how they are going to effect us? I grind my teeth every time I read about the infighting, how important it is to ram this legislation down our throats immediately, about how much it's going to cost (Trillions, anyone???). I've written my elected representatives and expressed my outrage...like it'll do any good. Unfortunately, there are too many "sheeple" in this country that just don't get it, and won't do anything and will wonder, "how did this happen" when they or their loved ones get denied a surgery or medical test or their kids get screwed with an insurmountable debt...it'll serve us right for sitting along the side lines and doing nothing.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Watch This


You know how some people like to collect stamps, or figurines, or post cards? Well, the Ol' Man like to collect watches...and not just any watches. They've got to be expensive watches. Big, heavy expensive watches. I have to admit, it's partially my fault. I bought him his first big, expensive watch, and that got him hooked. He always liked nice watches, but he's a big guy (6'3") and since he got the big watch, "normal" watch sizes seem too small for him. I have to laugh, because every time he gets a watch he really wants, he says he happy and doesn't want any more watches...until Rolex or Omega, or some other high end watch company comes out with something new...then it begins again! I suppose there could be worse vices to have than collecting watches....like collecting antique cars, or diamonds, or something equally expensive. Of course, it would have been nice is he had gotten into collecting toys from Cracker Jack boxes....!

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Term Paper and Mother-in-Law visit

OK, I submitted my term paper for my college class today. This class was a pain in the a**, and I can't say I put forth full effort on the paper...to tell the truth, I pretty much bulls**ted my way through the whole thing! I'm pulling a B out of this class so far, and I'm good with that. Keep your fingers crossed my term paper flies. The Ol' Man's mom is visiting this week, which is cool, because we get along well (thank the Gods!). Bless her heart, every time we visit her at her house or she comes here, she brings with her tons of food. That's got to be a 'grandma" thing, because I remember my grandma always trying to feed us every time we came over. It's not like we don't have food here...the cupboards are full because (as anal as I am), we made a menu list for the week ahead and did all the shopping. But, here comes the mother-in-law, bags of groceries in tow even though we told her not to bring anything! And, it's not like you can get mad, because she's so sweet about it. She'll go with the Ol' Man on Friday to pick up the kids...and that makes me so happy! She'll get to interact with them for the week, giving me a break...and I love her for that.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Just a Thought


I was doing some research for my term paper for school, and I found several article that talk about health care...from as far back as 2004. Those article bemoaned the idea of "mandatory" health care, the rush towards socialism, etc. I just get the feeling we, collectively as a nation, are standing on the railroad tracks asking, "What's that bright light?" I'm floored that once that train smacks into us, we'll be suprised that we didn't see it coming....

AARRRGGGHHHH!

When will the madness end? There was an article on Yahoo Finance this morning, "Obama defends August deadline for health care bill" http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Obama-refuses-to-rule-out-apf-1811745621.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=2&asset=&ccode. According to the article, "Obama defended the deadline, saying the American people want the overhaul done quickly"...oh, really? After the previous bailout fiasco's, I don't want Congress "overhauling" anything "quickly"! The article also says, "The House bill would, for the first time, require all individuals to have health insurance and all employers to provide it." OK, so, what about those who are unemployed, retired, or who just don't work (housewives, college students, etc.)? What, the Insurance Police are going to come arrest you because you don't have insurance? Please. I saw a interview with Ron Paul (I - Texas), and he said that insurance wasn't a right. The pursuit to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness...those are rights. California's going Tango Uniform, but they're still giving GRANTS to low income college students? College education's not a right, either. When is this country going to get back to basics? Oh, yeah...the recessions almost over...Yeah!!!

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Yes, I live in the woods




The Ol' Man's sister and her family came down to visit. Luckily, a bear just happened to be meandering through the neighborhood, so they all got to see a "bear in the wild"...which was the first time they had that experience. Today, we were walking the Hound of the Baskervilles (HoB), and we came upon a snake...dead, but a snake nevertheless. A nice 3+ foot Pennsylvania rattle snake! The Ol' Man showed the neighbor and she almost had a coronary. Being a "country boy", the Ol' Man wants to show the boys, so, into the freezer the snake went, awaiting next week when the boys come up. They'll be thrilled, I'm sure! That, and we get to go visit the HoB's trainer = his dog had puppies and the boys can't wait. Neither can I, to tell you the truth. Who can resist puppies!

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Dog Leashes


I'm experimenting with a new line of work - making dog leashes. We go to training with the Hound of the Baskervilles, and the folks are always looking for something new. I came up with this idea from the bracelets I made for the guys I worked with in Iraq. I use black and tan 550 parachute cord (which is REALLY strong), because it "matches" the dog, and I think that's pretty cool. I've gotten a couple of orders already, so I'm keeping my hopes up that this can go somewhere. I'm selling them for $5.50 a foot (get it...made from 550 cord, $5.50 a foot!) I've also set up an e-mail account (leads550@yahoo.com) Let me know what you think...

Are "Muffin Tops" any better?


Girls don't get off scott free either. The "muffin top" look is equally ridiculous. According to Wikipedia, "Muffin-top" is a generally pejorative slang term used to describe the phenomenon of overhanging flesh when it spills over the waistline of pants or skirt in a manner that resembles the top of a muffin spilling over its paper casing. This generally occurs when an obese or overweight person wears low-rise, hip-hugger pants, or midriff-baring tops that are too small." I'm all about women having curves...the super skinny, bones-showing look gives me the creeps, but, squeezing your butt into jeans that are too tight so that you bulge over the top, that's just as unattractive as the low jeans on guys. And, it can't be comfortable! What ever happened to wearing clothes that fit? Where's the harm in that? Personally, I like clothes that fit. I'm not into clothes that pinch, or squeeze, or fall off. I'm into skirts (comfy!). The boys always ask why I wear skirts, and I say, "because your dad likes to kiss me when I wear skirts!".

Friday, July 17, 2009

Fashion?


Maybe I'm totally out of touch. Maybe I'm old, a geek, not "with it". I'm probably using even the wrong words to even describe how old fashioned I am. Be that as it may, I think the "fashion" of ridiculously low pants is way beyond stupid. Every time I see this sorry trend, I get the overwhelming urge to run up to the offender and yank their pants down to their ankles. It would be soooooo easy! What is this fashion statement suppose to be saying? At least the mini skirt showed off legs...I'm not sure what this is suppose to be showing off. "Look at my Underoos!"? or "Hey, I've got clean undies on, just like mom said, in case I get in an accident."? How comfortable is it when you have to continuously pull on your pants to make sure they don't end up around your knees in a step or two? This is a picture of Travis Barker who is the drummer for the band Blink-182 (and I had to look that up on the Internet, because I had no idea who this guy was). Where have all the role models gone? I sure don't want my kids growing up wearing their pants around their butts.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Facebook/MySpace/Twitter


I have to admit, I'm a member of Facebook. Not that I have any idea what I'm doing, you understand. I think MySpace is like Facebook, which means I don't understand that either. And you can forget about Twitter - I'm completely clueless. Yeesh...I'm still trying to figure out how to use my cel phone. I'd hate to think that I'm so old that I need to get the Jitterbug phone. I'm not into video games or "apps" on my celphone or games on my computer. I'd much rather read a good book, see a good movie (something, preferably, with a plot versus over the top effects), or do something constructive (quilting anyone!). I guess the older you get, the less you feel like "wasting" time, because you realize that you are running out of time, and death is closer than birth.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Cold Cereal


We've got the Ol' Man's kids this week...I don't know what their mother feeds them at her house, but all they want to eat is cold cereal, chicken and rice. The boys are on the small side...the 7 year old and the 5 year old both weigh the same...around 45 pounds . The Ol' Man wants to try to pack some weight on them this summer, so we "encourage" them to eat a variety of foods...yams, broccoli, eggs, perigees, chili, venison, beans, etc. The rule in this house is you have to eat everything on your plate, or no dessert/snack. The old "clean plate club" rules here! We don't pile their plates high with food, but a decent 3 bites of whatever. We've also got the "3 bites and move on" rule. They tend to eat first the thing they like best, then "claim" they're full. So, now they're only allowed 3 bites of anything and they have to take 3 bites of something else. It's working so far...with a bit of a reminder once in a while. And, remarkably, they do it with a minimum of complaining. .

Monday, July 13, 2009

Summer Fun


Had the in-laws come visit over the weekend. Had loads of fun... hiking, white water rafting, BBQing, good conversation. Thank the gods, we had good weather. Took a 7 mile hike to Boulder Lake, one of the top sites to visit in Pennsylvania. It's this bizarre "lake" of rocks that was formed eons ago by a glacier pushing it way across the country. The hike was rated difficult because the path was strewn with rocks, and it would have been very easy to twist an ankle. We went white water rafting in the Lehigh Gorge - class 2 and 3 white water (pretty tame), but it was the first time for the kids, so that worked out well. Being the wimp that I am, I wore my full diving wet suit, and was perfectly comfortable...the sister-in-law and niece wore shorts and were freezing. It was kinda overcast, and once that cool water started splashing up....burrrr! Got to top off the visit with a bear sighting. Living in the sticks, we site bears wandering through the neighborhood on occasion. The kids were thrilled.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Happy Birthday, America!


Happy 4th of July, everyone! We're doing the standard 4th of July thing... BBQ, going to see fireworks. I made a 4th of July cake...we'll see how it tastes after dinner...keep your fingers crossed! Unfortunately, I used frozen strawberries (we bought strawberries on sale and froze a bunch of them)...and it probably would have been better to use fresh, because the frozen ones kinda "leaked"as you can see.... I'm a pretty good cook...but I'm one of those who must follow directions. I'm not a pinch of this or a dash of that kinda chef. I like the grill, because then the Ol' Man does the cooking. It's a manly thing...grilling. Something about taming the flames...it's very primitive, I think, and guy dig it. I like the grill because the Ol' Man does the cleanup too! There's just something absolutely "summer" about grilling. And watermelon.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

I am not alone....

http://finance.yahoo.com/expert/article/economist/172169

The above link is an article entitled Mountains of Debt: America's Economic Realities
by Charles Wheelan, Ph.D. I am not Chicken Little. Our world is crumbling around us, and some people are raising the alarm, but there seems to be an overwhelming apathy from the American Citizenry...which just FLOORS me. Now, it's not just the economy, it's not just the banking/credit system, it's not just the housing market, it's not just the car companies (as if all that wasn't enough!?), NOW, the individual STATES are starting to crumble...California, anyone? How about Pennsylvania...let's hear it for an 16% increase in income tax! Yeah! WHERE is the outrage? Mr. Wheelan said that Benjamin Franklin would be disappointed in us...and I think that's a VAST understatement...I think him and the rest of the founding fathers are rolling in their graves at the absolute, horrific mess we've made. Yes, "we"...because "we" elected the Congress, "we" bought houses we couldn't afford, "we" maxed out our credit cards, "we" bought into the whole consumerism that the media waved in front of our faces..."we" have brought this upon ourselves...there's no one else to blame. Myself, me and the Ol' Man are busting our humps to pay off our debt, not buying a new flat screen LCD TV or new Truck/car, eating leftovers, patching clothes, and pretty much making due with what we've got, because, I truly believe it's going to get worse before it gets better...and it's going to take a LONG time to get better...a long time.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Egg Bake

I got this recipe for Egg Bake from my mother-in-law. Bless her heart, she can't make anything other than "feed an army" size. I've cut the recipe in half and it still takes 9 eggs! I had bought some Banquet Brown and Serve sausage (on sale for $1), and when I made it the first time, I found out why it cost only a dollar. So, now I was stuck with about 10 packages of this stuff and had no idea what to do with it...we sure as hell weren't going to eat it. So, I go to make the Egg Bake, and figure...since the sausage is suppose to be cooked before you put it in the Egg Bake, why not give it a whirl with the Banquet sausage? Maybe the rest of the ingredients will mask the flavor...and, by gum! It worked! Sweet! As frugal as I am, I hate wasting food, even if it's bad tasting food, so it was a bonus that it worked in the Egg Bake. Killer good recipe...thanks C!