I have so many emotions surging through me right now.
We just got back from Omaha where we went to Popeye's grandmother's funeral. Popeye is her first-born grandchild and he wasn't asked to be a casket bearer. It has upset him so much and I don't know how to help him. The men that were asked to do that weren't even men that Grandma liked very much. Well, a couple of them were, but most weren't. It was very offensive.
And not only that - Popeye's uncle didn't even know that Grandma was in the hospital, let alone died, until the next morning! The sister's handled everything but left the brothers out completely. My mother-in-law tried to get them to include Popeye & his brother in the ceremonies but they didn't. I know there's nothing we can do about it now except try to muddle through these hurt feelings.
And now the sisters are in charge of taking care of the estate and Popeye wants only one thing. The flag from his grandfather's funeral. His grandfather served in the Navy, as did Popeye's father. Not one of the other children/grandchildren have served in the armed forces (I have to include that last part because they've served time - just not in the armed forces). I think it's only fair & fitting that the flag be passed down through the servicemen in the family. Don't you? And my father-in-law being the quiet man he is, probably won't get too involved in the estate divisions.
And this makes me sad. I foresee a lot of sentimental things going to the meth-head cousins rather than the ones who cared most, even though they may have lived far away.
The lack of respect from the cousins was astonishing to me. Showing up in jeans, tee-shirts, beanies & half sober. Quite the legacy she left behind. The only respectable ones were the ones that broke away from that small town. I'm not joking. It was sad. And it makes me sad for Popeye that he wants nothing to do with his extended family. If this sounds like a "holier than thou" post - it is. I've never tried touting my own horn about my "righteous" behavior. But man, seeing them makes me think that I'm doing a pretty good job getting through this life.
Another feeling: I'm glad we were able to go. Popeye was able to have a very special moment at the funeral that leaves me knowing his grandmother loved him very much. I'm so glad he had that moment. I'm trying to touch on that to help him through his hurt feelings.  I wonder if Grandma heard Grand Duchess ask me, "How is Great Grandma going to wake up?" Me: "What was that, Sweetie?" Her: "How will she know when to wake up? We should put an alarm clock in there with her." Me: "*chuckling* She doesn't need an alarm clock. Jesus will wake her up when it's time for her to wake up." It was such a sweet moment, I hope Great grandma heard it. And I think she did.
It was a weekend with a lot of mixed emotions. And it took all of the money that I had just made at my craft fair to go there. Which now leaves me feeling so distraught that Christmas will be bleak. I've tried picking up a few things here and there for the kids through the year, but with this job paying less than what we need to live, I haven't been very productive in that department. I wish I had a cleaning gig or two to bring in some money for gifts. I know it's not supposed to be about the presents, but it's hardly fair for the kids to go without on Christmas morning. Praying for a small miracle that I can make it work somehow.
My fingers are sore from all the orders I'm filling. I got 6 done on our trip & was able to pick up some much needed supplies at Hobby Lobby while I was there. Now that all of my yarn that I ordered has gotten here & all the little extra bobbles are purchased, I can bust these out like no one's business! After I do some laundry, clean the kitchen, sweep the living room, etc...
Oh, and my Dyson died AGAIN! This time it won't turn on. :( So off to Sears she went again to be sent to Denver to get fixed. I took her there last week and called them today to see when she got sent off. As my luck would have it, she is still sitting at Sears. Company is coming for Thanksgiving and I'll have dirty carpets. I hate Sears for this reason. I wish I had a back up vacuum - or that one of my friends had 2 that I could use one. :(
Man, this is certainly the gripe post, isn't it? I'm sorry for that. I'm feeling pretty low right now. And didn't feel Facebook would be appropriate to vent.
Okay - I'll finish with a happy thought.
I had a wonderful conversation with Popeye's cousins (normal cousins) who I thought were married but are really brother/sister. I opened my mouth and inserted both feet, but we laughed for a good 10 minutes. And after such a somber day and seeing a lot of tears, it was a wonderful way to finish a funeral. I told Popeye that when I die I want it to be a party. I also told him I wanted a huge tombstone so everyone knows where I'm buried. :) Because of the events of the week, it got me thinking about my life should Popeye not come home. I changed the plan for my life. Instead of going and living with my folks and going back to school, I think I'll just move to Cheyenne, get some land, bury Popeye there (obviously have his body moved) & go back to school there. when voicing this plan to his cousins they thought it strange (and worrisome) that I would have such an elaborate plan. But a plan I have and I feel good about it. :) (I hope I don't have to carry it out, though.)
so, have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. Be sure to eat lots of yummy turkey, give lots of thanks for the blessings you have & enjoy the time with your family.
I'm thankful for all of you. :)

So I'm going to give some of my political views. They'll be jumbled, I'm sure. I'm not here to debate with you. I'm here to voice my opinions on MY blog. If you want to comment you go right on ahead. But keep it nice or I'll delete you. :)

Let's get started.

First. I recently rented "Obama 2016" from the Redbox. I recommend EVERYONE see it. BEFORE NOVEMBER 6TH!!! Whether you love the man or hate him, you really need to see the film about his life. If you love him, I'm sure you will think that the movie is made up, biased, etc. If you dislike the man then you'll dread what our country is in store for if he's re-elected. Seriously, please go watch it. Then tell your friends to see it, too.

Second. I'm amazed that there are members of the church who support President Obama. I don't understand how a person can commit to living the Gospel of Jesus Christ and then think that Obama's policies and character are what they support. I seriously don't get it.

Third. I'm mad at my friends and family members who are voting for write-ins. I do not think they understand that this election is probably THE most important election to date & to come. By voting for Rosanne Barr as your write-in, you are sealing your fate. She is not going to win. Don't write her in. I know it may sound dictatorish of me, but really you need to vote for Mitt or Obama. Those are the 2 it comes down to.

Fourth. I JUST found out how the electoral vote works. As in, 30 minutes ago. Do you need a brief synopsis? Here's how it works. Each state has congressional districts depending on the state's population. CA has 35 million people, they have 53(?) districts whereas KS has 3 million people so they only have 4 districts. Each district is allowed 1 electoral vote. Each state also gets an additional 2 votes because they have 2 senators. So CA get 55 electoral votes while KS gets 6. The people vote, the votes are counted and whoever gets the majority vote gets all the electoral votes.  There are 539 total electoral votes nation-wide. So a candidate needs 270 to win. That's why they focus so much on CA, OH, FL, etc... because they have the most electoral votes.

Fifth. Sometimes I honestly feel that most democrats just vote for Obama because they are democrats. And I feel Republicans vote for Romney because he's republican. I wonder if more people researched if they would change their minds or if they would think they're abandoning "their party". I know of only one extremely liberal person (whom I love so very much) who has changed her mind and is not voting for Obama this time around.

Sixth. I am infuriated, irritated & saddend by the political ads on tv. I get Denver's channels and since CO is a swing state, I get to see all the hate on my tv. It sickens me to watch Obama lie about what he's accomplished (and sometimes they're not flat out lies, but lies of omission) and/or trash talk Romney while Romney's ads are somewhat similar, but less hate-filled. Most of Romney's ads are telling it like it is (Obama's record) or what he will do in office. I'm just tired of watching all of them.

Seventh. I watched a youtube video this morning put out by Romney. It shows Obama  giving a speech on 11-2-12 and he says we should vote for revenge. Romney then says we should vote for love of country. When I heard Obama say that the only thing that came to my mind was that he is being controlled by the adversary. God does not want or condone revenge. It is not God's way. The Spirit spoke to my soul and could not stress that point enough.

Eighth. I'm doing my research. I do not agree with some of Romney's views. I went to a website that had me answer a bunch of questions about my beliefs (not spiritual) and then calculated who I agree most with on different views. The website was isidewith.com or iside.com. Something like that. I side with Mitt 85%. I look at Mitt's track record on his successes. I'm amazed that people can trash him saying he's been rich his whole life and they've never had to work for what they have. Ummm, clearly they don't know.
Mitt was a republican governor in MA that was able to bring both parties together to help that state get on it's feet. He turned what should have been a failed winter olympics into a success and actually MADE money on it. He is a decent human being. He gives of his time and his resources willingly to people he doesn't even know. He is a brilliant business man. BRILLIANT!

Ninth. Each time I see Mitt on the tv or my facebook page, I am reaffirmed that he is the man I need to vote for. And then I read comments or hear Obama ads and am terrified that he won't win. I am TERRIFIED of what will happen should Obama be re-elected. TERRIFIED. (Have I said that enough?) I've been scared of things before, but never to this magnitude. If Obama wins and his agenda is carried out then I am in deep trouble.
We don't have health insurance and we will be forced into Obamacare if I don't get some on my own. We will be living in a socialistic society. We will have no nuclear weapons to defend ourselves. We will have a debt over our heads that far outweighs any we've ever known. Did you know that Obama has 5 men that he deems as his mentors? Oh, no, they're not the founding fathers of this nation. They are men who were on the FBI's most wanted list, known communists, anti-colonialists, etc... Those type of men TAKE FREEDOM AWAY and he esteems them as great men.
TERRIFIED!!!

I think I should be done now. Please, go see "Obama 2016". Please vote for Mitt on Tuesday (which happens to be Popeye's birthday and that would be the best birthday present for him - a new president). Seriously, I'm telling you to vote for Mitt because it really is between those two and I can't fathom another 4 years with Obama.

That's it. I need to clean my kitchen now.

We spent the last few days out in Omaha with Popeye's dad and stepmom. The kids had a great time. We got to actually saddle up the horses (a first!) and ride both Saturday and Sunday. Princess Monkey Eyes was in heaven. "Sugar" doesn't get saddled very often and they're trying to train her. I got to ride her and work with her on her rein training. Funny thing - I've learned that while riding a horse with a bit in its mouth, if you want to turn right then you apply pressure with your left leg and pull your reins to the right. Well, their horses only know about the reins, not the legs. So each time I applied pressure with my leg, she would break out into a trot. I learned quickly not to use my legs with the horses while I had a kid in the saddle with me. :)
This morning Mr. Fantastic had an audiology appointment. We thought that since we were there visiting family, he should get reprogrammed. Advanced Bionics (the maker of his CI) has come out with a new program. It's called Clear Voice. What it does is if Mr. F. is in a room with background noise that's kinda constant/steady (think of a fan, restaurant, etc...) then the program will find the frequency that the whitenoise is on and then minimize it. How cool is that?! Mr. Fantastic went into the soundproof room to try it out. His audiologist turned on the whitenoise and then a man's voice came across the speakers saying different sentences. First Mr. Fantastic said, "Whoa." (Meaning it was really loud in there.) But then 3 seconds later (after the program had identified the whitenoise) he said, "Cool." Yeah, totally.
Then we started the long ride home. It was REALLY long. Optimus Prime had been barfing all morning - and it didn't stop. We pulled over 3 more times to let him barf along I-80. Not to mention all of the bathroom breaks along the way, too. Why can't my kids be more like me and just hold it until they get home?! Sheesh! The last stretch home I had put in a CD that one of my dear friends gave me. Her sister had arranged new melodies and music for 8 different hymns. They're gorgeous and I love listening to them. The kids love it, too. Grand Duchess was singing along to the songs (trying) and when one of the songs ended she said, "You know why she said 'Be Still'? Because she was painting nails." And another comment she made was, "She's asking for help because she was going to fall off a cliff." Oh, okay. She's so funny.
Let's see. What else has been going on here?
Just plugging away with life. Popeye has started hunting again with another deputy out this way. Hopefully he'll bring us home some meat one of these days.
Mr. Fantastic turns 12 in 2 weeks. I can't believe it. And Princess Monkey Eyes turned 8 last week! My dad came up for her baptism. It was an incredibly spiritual day - much needed in the Royal House. Princess Monkey Eyes has been a changed person ever since. Her fit throwing is kept to a minimum and she is now trying to be a peacemaker. It's awesome.
I think that's about it for now.
It was a long drive home, so I'm going to go crawl into bed.
Tomorrow I'm going running with Popeye - the navy ball is this weekend & I have to try my hardest to lose these pounds. They won't seem to go away no matter how hard I try! Desperate measures are to be taken, I fear.
Anyway. I'm tired. Carry on with your lives and thanks for stopping in to read my update!

Popeye's been going through some pretty nasty stuff at work. When I say nasty - I don't mean having to do with the local fires and long shifts, either. I mean, people have been spreading vicious rumors about him to his boss. And the worst part is - his boss believes them.
And not just that his boss believes them, but he viciously, verbally attacked Popeye about said rumors.
That doesn't speak well for the man at all.

But you know what my awesome husband did?
He took it. He defended himself calmly and left it at that. He wrote a letter to the boss but never sent it. (Even I wrote a letter - but I didn't send it either.)

It's been a couple of weeks since this all went down. The boss has been avoiding Popeye like the Plague.
But because of all the fires in our area right now, the boss has had to deal with my husband.

So today Popeye decided something. He was going to email his boss.
But not in the sense that I was anticipating. He was telling his boss thank you for spending all the long hours helping with the fires and making sure there was coverage. He figured that the man deserved a little bit of praise, because he probably wasn't going to get it from anyone else. Heaven knows he doesn't deserve it most of the time, but maybe he's acting out for attention - I don't know.

Maybe Popeye's boss will treat him with a little more respect now. Maybe not. But regardless, Popeye did the right thing and I couldn't be more proud. I'm proud of him for being proactive, for trying to set a Christ-like example, for not just letting the man walk all over him. My husband is in no-way a butt kisser - but this little act of praise just might be the ticket to help smooth things over until we can get out of here.
Now, if only the mother of that teenage boy who Popeye helped last week would call the boss and sing Popeye's praises to him to help restore his image - that would really help.

Yeah, that's about it. I'll post pics and such of the fire and aftermath on another post. It was crazy scary for a few days there.
Carry on.

Breakin it down

Summer is coming to a close. It was a fun summer filled with a lot of days at the swimming pool, traveling, and various activities.
Here are some pics to showcase what we did.

First up we headed back to Kemmerer and visited my wonderful friend. Her family does a lot of camping and hunting and she just had her last baby - her first girl. I found some pink camo yarn at the store and made her baby this hat. Isn't she just a chunk of delicious joy?! I miss them terribly but it was so great to spend some time up there.

 Another reason for the drive out that way was to visit THESE family members. My SIL was state-side (they're stationed in HI) for a couple of weeks and it conveniently fell at the same time as a family reunion in Utah. Popeye was in WA for the Navy, so I made the trek myself with all the kids in tow. It was so great seeing them again. (Hence the desire for a trip to HI to visit with them next summer.)

I didn't want to drive out there in one day - that's just too hard on me now - I seriously can't stay awake long enough. So we stopped in Rawlins and stayed with a long-time friend. Our kids are all the same ages and it's as huge party whenever we come (she has 6; four of them are 5 years old). The next morning, the kids all ran outside to jump on the trampoline and there were 2 very large bucks enjoying the sunshine. Needless to say, they didn't get to jump until my friend went out with a volleyball, climbed onto the tramp and hit the ball (not at them, just held it and smacked it to make a big sound) and they jumped over the fence. Very exciting stuff. (Top left pic, Optimus Prime is the blur on the right - he was jumping.) The cutie pie pulling her hair back is Mr. Fantastic's friend who he now emails regularly.



On the way home we stopped in Cheyenne for some shopping and stuff. After dinner we decided to go to the mall and pierce the girls' ears. No, Popeye didn't know. And no, we didn't tell him until he got home. It was always a rule in our house that the girls would wait until their 12th birthdays to pierce their ears. But after seeing my friend's baby with her cute pierced ears, we just couldn't wait. :) So we did it. Both girls were excited and no tears were shed at all. They've been very diligent about keeping them clean and can't wait to buy and wear new earrings.

And lastly, Princess Monkey Eyes and myself enjoyed a lot of horseback riding together. This morning was the last time I'll be able to join her in her lessons with school starting soon. She'll continue without me after school lets out through October. So I brought my camera today on our ride. I got some video of her loping in the corral and took the two close-ups of her from those videos. I think they are the best with her natural smile and the happiness just beams from her. After saddling them up we rode for about 2 hours out in the country. After about an hour ride, we got off the horses (Mine is Cricket, hers is Blaze, the third is Mesa) and walked them up the mountain to an old Indian burial ground. Then we walked back down the mountain (only about 100 feet), loaded up and headed back. It has been so peaceful seeing the wildlife and just connecting with my daughter. It's something we both need and I really hope that I can get back into the saddle again with her by my side. She has matured so much during this time, showing responsibility for the horses and tack and showing me that she knows what she's doing. I love this girl.

So school starts in 2 days and all 5 of the kids will be going to school. Grand Duchess will be heading to preschool 4 days a week for 3.5 hours a day. I'm not sure I'll be ready for this, but I guess I have to be. We've got our school supplies and clothes all ready. The kids are chomping at the bit for a little bit of new for them. I'm excited but a little nervous. We're still looking for a job elsewhere - but for now we call here home and we'll continue to dig in our heels and volunteer in the community until we're called away.
More to come with the first day of school pics!!!

Good morning friends!
Life here has been so busy. We took a couple of trips out to Utah and Wyoming last month to see family and friends. It was so wonderful! I saw my sister-in-law and her kids while they were visiting from Hawaii - oh how I miss them! When we were saying our good-byes, her son completely fell apart - which caused me & my SIL to fall apart, too. I told my nephew that we would come visit him next summer. I promised him.
So it looks like we're saving for a trip to Hawai'i. And we're all SO excited about it! Grand Duchess is practicing putting her face in the water so she, "can go to Hawai'i". The kids aren't asking for things at the store anymore because I sat down with them and showed them how much we spend on this and that. It really has made grocery shopping much more peaceful.
Popeye and I decided that if we "make weight" we'll go. We have until March to reach our desired weightloss and size goals. And I found just the diet to jumpstart it all off.
This all started when I went to stay with my sister at the beginning of July. She looks amazing! The last time I saw her she was about 20 pounds heavier and pudgy. Come to find out, she has been an exercise/paleo diet junkie and it shows! Her stomach is flatter, her face is thinner, in fact - she's wearing MY skinny clothes! I had her take a couple of bags of clothes to the DI when we lived out that way and she went through them first. I had given up on trying to get back to that size and was donating them. well, they fit her now. And I am so proud of her! But it also made me do a double take on myself. I had seriously let myself go over the past 4 months. No running with the dog in the mornings, letting stress run my life, bad eating habits, etc. well, my sister took me to her pilates class while I was there and the next day I couldn't lift my arms above my head or walk up my stairs. It was a seriously awesome workout - something that my body has been craving.
So it jump started my desires to get on the treadmill again and do more strength training. But the pounds still weren't coming off. Until yesterday.
I found this diet on Pinterest (pinned here) and did some reading on it. Compared to the cabbage soup diet - this one is SO MUCH BETTER! By day two of the cabbage soup diet, you're done. You don't want to do it anymore. Apparently this diet - aka the military diet - is only 3 days long and works using chemical reactions in the various foods. You may exercise or not - obviously you'll get better results if you exercise.
So after reading success story after success story, I decided I was going to do it! Popeye is on board with me and we started it yesterday.
Day one: All you can drink water
Breakfast: 1/2 grapefruit, 1 slice of toast & 2 Tbsp of peanut butter.
Lunch: 1/2 cup of tuna, 1 slice of toast
Dinner: 3 oz of salmon, 1 small apple, 1/2 a banana, 1 cup green beans, 1 cup vanilla ice cream.
This morning I got on the scale. 4 pounds gone.
Seeing that makes me more motivated to get back on the treadmill this morning and push myself further. (That AND the Olympic athletes' bodies - talk about motivation!)

Anyway. I'll post my success each day. and if people are wondering if the weight comes back - most claim that the pounds stay off. So with the jump start to weight loss and my bountiful baskets order coming in saturday, the pounds should stay away.

Oh - For those wondering about my Dyson. (Because I know you all care about the status of my baby) Yep, a month later and still at the doctor. I'm thinking that she's done, though, and I'll be getting a call today to pick it up. (At least I hope so. Thank heavens for loaner vacuums.)
Have a happy Thursday!

Poor, sick baby

We have been blessed in our family greatly with constant good health with small bouts of barf or coughs in between.
But today my baby is sick.
I went to vacuum the carpet and her brush won't spin.
After calling Dyson Tech Support and going through the troubleshooting steps, She needs to be seen by a Dyson doctor.
Luckily we have insurance on her still (known as a warranty).
Please, pray for a quick, full recovery.