Okay, so I haven't been the most faithful of bloggers. Get over it.

Seriously, though, there was so much going on in my world. And a lot of it frustrated me or just plain pissed me off. I didn't really want this blog to be a bunch of whining, so I skipped.

There's my excuse. Take it or leave it.

But I haven't been a total slacker, either. I did my first felting project. The pattern came from my local yarn shop (LYS), as did the yarn. I think I'm going to do one for the kid to take with her to college next year. It would be a good way to carry shampoo and toothbrush and all the other jazz girls have to take to the bathroom. Or to the laundry room...it would hold a small bottle of laundry soap, fabric softener, and dryer sheets. Oh, and quarters. College kids need quarters for laundry...

Anyway, there's my latest knit project and I plan to be a better blogger in the future.

Me

This has got to be the longest hat I've ever knit.

Okay, so I don't knit a lot of hats—I'm more of a sock girl, to be honest—but I've done a few in my knitting days.

A week or so ago, the kid asked me if I would knit her a hat. "A really, really long hat, Mom." So I looked around and found a pattern.

I did find one in Pints & Purls. The name of the pattern is "Snakebite hat," and is supposed to have "googly eyes" on the hat part to actually look like a snake. Yeah, we aren't doing that part.

The hat will be long enough to also be a scarf. I've only been working on it about two weeks (and that's only when I'm trying to catch up on my television shows) and you can see how long it is. I should have it done in the next week or so.

And then? I'll have to find another project.

Me

I woke up frustrated this morning. Maybe that's because I went to bed frustrated last night.

So, I'm going to completely vent today. Anyone who doesn't wish read it is more than welcome to continue on your day. Be Blessed and I hope you have a wonderful day!

If you're still reading, thanks. I do appreciate it.

I've been thinking a lot about relationships lately. I don't just mean the husband-wife relationship, but relationships with everyone. Maybe all parents have the same thoughts as they watch their high school Seniors fill out college applications. Maybe I just needed to evaluate relationships at this time in my life. Who knows.

I also really enjoy a good debate. Don't get me wrong: I can get as heated and opinionated as the next gal. But sit me down with a person who sees things a little differently, who is well informed and articulate, who can debate in an educated, informed manner and I really enjoy it. I like learning different things.

But people who swear they are right because they say so... not so much.

And that was my day yesterday. I was enjoying the debate until the other person decided to make a personal attack. I'm sure the person will say "oh, that's not what I meant" but I don't believe that. You see, this person truly enjoys the "low blow" style of debate. I knew this going in, and it's my own damn fault that I allowed myself to get sucked into a conversation with this person. Doesn't make the result any easier to swallow, however.

Then there are the people who don't seem to value the relationship as much as I do. You know the ones. They are too busy to call/e-mail/text you. You can try to contact them and they are too busy to return the favor. They're the ones who claim they would do whatever for you, but their actions tell you that you just don't rate in their little corner of the world.

So what am I going to do? I'm not sure. I know I should cut those toxic individuals out of my life. I should ignore them and refuse to give them "power" in my life.

It's not easy. I do care for these people, but I guess I need to cut them out. Or at least wait and see if they choose to make an effort for a relationship with me. I hesitate to do that, however, because of the backlash experience has taught me will ensue. And not just in my home, but in other ways.

Yet I don't think I should be the only one working. I shouldn't have to be insulted or demeaned in order to make others feel better about themselves.

Yes, I'm hurt. I'm really, really, really hurt. And the people who did it—people who should be more tolerant, believe it or not—are too immature and self-centered to understand where I'm coming from. I know my reaction to yesterday's drama is a little "overrated" for that one incident. But this isn't the first time that I've been the bad guy in this relationship. I shouldn't have to be. All parties involved should be mature enough to have a reasonable debate. And yet....

So, I guess I will need to purge the toxic people from my life. I'm not sure I can actually start with the ones who were the source of yesterday's frustration, but there are other, less toxic ones I can delete from my corner of the world.

I don't wish anyone ill. I hope they have wonderful lives and find happiness in all they do. I just don't want to be the victim of their attacks any longer....

Me

Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion's guest room. Instead the angels were given a small space in the cold basement. As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it.

When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied, "Things aren't always what they seem."

The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food they had the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night's rest.

When the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field.

The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel, "How could you have let this happen? The first man had everything, yet you helped him. The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let the cow die."

"Things aren't always what they seem," the older angel replied. "When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn't find it."

"Then last night as we slept in the farmers bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I gave him the cow instead. Things aren't always what they seem."

Sometimes that is exactly what happens when things don't turn out the way they should. If you have faith, you need to trust that the outcome has a purpose. You just might not know it until some time later...

I'm not a superstitious person. I've never done the whole "lucky T-shirt" thing or understood why a person would want to knock on wood hoping something happens.

I don't take a lot of stupid chances, though, either. I won't walk under a ladder—something could fall on my head. I don't care if a black cat crosses my path, I'm just on the lookout for it's friends or whatever is chasing it.

This week, however, hasn't been a good one. My kid was rear-ended on her way to school. The accident actually involved four cars and she was pushed into the car in front of her. Sandwiched between car one and three. It looks like her small truck will probably be totaled. That was our most reliable vehicle, too. Then my nephew spilled hot cocoa on himself and ended up with second-degree burns. As my mother said "This week has not been good to my grandchildren. I do not approve."

If I were superstitious, I'd be wondering what the next family tragedy will be. These things come in threes, don't they?

Or do they? You can make numbers say whatever you want them to. That's the fun of statistics.

Rather than wait for the third shoe to drop, however, I have a better plan. (Or at least a "better for my own peace of mind" plan.) I'm going to figure out what the lesson is. I know that the Divine Creator of the Universe will not give a person more than he or she can handle. Is that a tough thing to remember? DUH! Even Mother Teresa had trouble with that: "I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much." And trust me, I'm no Mother Teresa.

But there must be a lesson. There must be a blessing within these accidents. I can't believe that there isn't. For my kid, the blessing is that she wasn't badly injured. She was truly in the wrong place at the wrong time and nothing she did or didn't do could have prevented this. Yet if she hadn't been there, a very large pickup (previously referred to as car number 3) could just as easily hit the small hatchback which was stopped (previously referred to as car number 1). And there was a preschool girl in the back of that car. She wasn't injured....but could have been. Maybe my kid was in that place at that time to "bumper" that little girl. Who knows.

Maybe the blessing with my nephew is that he wasn't burned more than he was. Maybe it is that my sister is a bit of a hippy and he was wearing natural fibers that didn't scar his skin. Maybe the angels had to pick between a "small" burn on him or something much more serious. Who knows.

I don't. I just know that there has to be a reason....a lesson. There must be something good to come of these events, even if we lowly mortals can't find it or grasp onto it.

It's what I believe with every fiber of my being.

Me

Ever notice that the Universe has a way of kicking ya in the a$$--even when you don't want it?

I wrote that blog post about how I planned to get healthy, right? Well, now I have to. Turns out my cholesterol is high and I'm borderline diabetic. Sucks.

I think the worst part was that the doc said "oh, and you really need to loose at least 20 pounds." WTF???? Seriously??? You've got to be kidding me!

See, I've already lost 50. Like 2 years ago. And, try as I might, I can't get any more weight off my body. For more than two years I followed the Weight Watchers plan RELIGIOUSLY and I'd loose a pound, gain two, loose two, gain one... See a pattern??? And at $40 a month, in this economy, I couldn't afford it anymore.

Plus, I don't think I'm all that attractive. I mean, my kid thinks I am, and my parents do, and hubby, of course, but I don't see it. So my personal body image self-esteem is low. Like sucky. A negative number on the famous one-to-ten scale.

I think the most crappy thing about the weight is that I was just starting to be okay with how I looked. Now that's been shot out the window because I've been told (however well meaning) that what I've done isn't enough... I have failed.

I'm trying every hard to get over my mental block on this issue. I plan to try and ignore the "if you eat that, you'll be even fatter and uglier" voice that wants to mess with me. I think that means telling the nutritionist the doc had me call that it isn't going to work at this time. I need to like me... I want to like me. I can't seem to do that when I'm reminded of my failures...

Anyway, if you've read this far and have some advice on getting healthy, feel free to share.

Me

I'm not going to be posting everyday, so don't think I will. But today... well, today I will post.

I'm trying to be healthy. I've kinda given up on the idea of being "skinny." But I think I can do healthy.

As part of that mission, I have a few goals:

1. Find 5 geocaches a month. I like to geocache. It serves a few different purposes for me. First, it gets me off my lazy butt. Second, as a mystery author, I've found some great places to put a dead body because of the wanderings I've had geocaching. Don't know what geocaching is? Think of it as using multi-million dollar satellites to find cheap Tupperware in the woods. For a less smart-assed explanation, go to www.geocaching.com
2. Do six volksmarches a year. This is kinda like the geocaching thing, only volksmarches are longer. We're talking 5- or 10-K each.
   
3. Exercise every day. Let me be honest. I seriously hate to exercise. I can think of close to a million other things I'd rather be doing. But I do it. When the weather is nice, I walk to the stop sign and back. Hey, that's a lot further than it sounds... 1.2 miles each way. The joys of living in the country... I am hoping to get a wii soon to help me exercise during the cold, rainy, nasty weather.
   
4. Eat healthy. That means skipping the Whopper with Cheese and going for the Junior Whopper instead. And trying to eat lots of colors. I decided (with the help of Weight Watchers, which I'm no longer doing) that eating colors is good. Red, orange, yellow, green... Just not if the food is also fuzzy.

I've also been reading a great book, "Size Sexy," which is designed to remind women that they can be beautiful and not be a size 2.

So, I've changed my mindset from "get skinny" to "get healthy," which I think it a better plan all the way around.

Me

Damn, it's hot!!!

I'm looking for recipes good for summer. And it they happen to be mildly healthy, even better.

Anyone????

Does anyone else see a problem with all the Lindsay Lohan buzz? Maybe it's because I have a teenage daughter, but I don't care if Lohan has to go to jail. She's been in trouble before and 90 days seems a minor sentence for repeated alcohol violations. I mean, really! This 90 days is because she broke her probation from a 2007 arrest and conviction.

And she's making the news. Give me a break.

Meanwhile, we have oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico and the Idiot in the White House has done nothing about it. Oh, wait. He blamed the last guy in office. Okay, so the actual leak may not be his fault, but the administration's lack of action is. Since this guy didn't receive his early eduction in the U.S. maybe he didn't learn about Harry S Truman and the plaque on that President's desk. It said "The Buck Stops Here." The guy in the Oval Office should learn from history.

But he probably won't.

At the very least, he should force someone to try this:




At least then it would look like he was pretending to care...

If you're tired of hearing about the oil spill, there's always the woman about to be stoned to death for adultery. Sakineh Mohammadie Ashtiani, an Iranian mother of two, has been in prison since 2006 for adultery. Yes, she confessed. And later recanted, saying she only confessed under torture. 99 lashes, to be exact.

Amnesty International is trying to get her released.

Stoned. To. Death.

And we're hearing about how Lindsay Lohan is crying because she broke her parole and has to go back to jail.

You have got to be joking....

Me

This blog has been idle for a very long time. I have decided to revive it. Sort of.

First, let me introduce myself.

I am me. I am a modern woman, who likes to be pampered and spoiled by my husband. I hate women who pull the "feel sorry for me because I'm a woman" or the "I can't possibly do this for myself because I'm just a girl" cards. I believe in equal pay for equal work, and that women can do anything. I also believe that society, as a whole, was better off in the days when women stayed home to raise the family.

I am me. I really like art and crafting things. I sew, I paint, I write, I knit and crochet. I make candles and soaps. I take pictures. I cook. I'm a perfectionist who sees the errors in everything I create.

I am me. I believe that if you can't say something nice, you should keep your mouth shut. But if you're going to ask for someone's honest opinion, you can't get pissy because they gave it to you.

I am me. I believe in the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights. I think this country was founded on Judea-Christian beliefs, but that freedom of religion means freedom of all religions. I don't think all religions are created equal, but I do think all people are. I won't push my religion on you, and I expect you not to push your's on me. I believe most religions have more in common with each other then they have differences. I believe karma will get you and that there are both good and bad consequences to our actions.

I am me. I believe in freedom of speech and spent seven years of my life defending your right to say whatever you want. I believe you don't have to support a war to support the troops fighting it. I believe that talking will get your further than violence every time. But you have to be prepared to stand up for your beliefs and sometimes that means kicking some ass.

I am me. I think people curse too much. I think vocabulary is important and most of the time there is a better choice of words than a string of profanity. But sometimes a curse word is the one that fits better than any other.

I am me. I am lazy. I walk three miles most days. I want a wii so I can exercise during bad weather. I try to remember to do yoga each morning, but often I forget. I like beer and wine and rum. I really like ice cream and chocolate. I'm pretty sure this is why I'm about 30 pounds overweight and not an alcoholic. I think most women have some gene that tells them what clothes look good and how to create a perfect outfit. I don't think I have that one. I think lipstick or lip gloss can go with anything and will make you feel better about yourself. I think my jeans and flip-flops are among the most comfortable things I own and I wear a dress once a week and a formal at least once a month. Almost always with high heels. I think people should be allowed to express themselves, and have no problem with tattoos (I have 2) or piercings (yep, them too), but there is a time and place for everything and people should be able to sit in a five-star restaurant without looking like a freak. Sometimes you have to conform in order to get things done. I don't think you are ever too old for blue nail polish.

I am me. I try to take responsibility for the screw ups I've made in my life. I think we are a product of our nature and our nurture, but we all have a free will. Do what's right. Don't screw up and then blame an event that happened years ago. Get over it and move on. Treat people better than you expect them to treat you. Give them your respect until they prove they don't deserve it. I think everyone should be required to give something back to society. Not just once, but often and forever.

I am me. I believe education is the most important thing in the world. You should learn something every day of your life. Education should be free for everyone. But the public school system in this country is failing our kids.

I am me. I love technology. I am a web designer and just had my first mystery novel published this year. I'm so excited about the novel! I had to use a nom d' plume. I want to raise honeybees and live more "off the grid." I own 5 computers. I want an iPad just because. I love my macs. I have an HP. I love movies but don't watch many of them. I own 100's of DVDs. Some I've never seen. I love candle light and sitting outside during the summer. I am a city girl who loves museums and cute shops. I hate shopping for myself. I love nice things. I hate spending money. I live in the country and spend way too much time on the internet. I read. A lot.

Whew! That was much longer than I expected. But I think you get the idea. I'm "unusually unusual" (to quote a country song). And opinionated. Feel free to disagree with me, but do it with respect.

I won't say I'm going to blog everyday. But I'm going to try to at least a few times a week. I have a schedule of "daily topics," but don't expect me to stick to them. I plan to only use those if I feel like writing and have no idea what to write about. I may spend hours a day plotting murder, but that doesn't mean I can always blog off the cuff.

Leave me a comment if you like. It's nice to know I'm not alone in the world!

Me