Christmas Wishes 2011

Christmas Wishes From Our Home To Yours

Happy Thanksgiving 2011!

Sending wishes for everyone on this Thanksgiving day! We have been watching Game Show Network today. They are having the Deal or No Deal marathon. We have seen one woman win a million dollars. Little Eddie is playing games on the computer while Devin is looking up Lego instructions to different sets. He likes to recreate some of them. Husband is napping while I clean house and cook duck for Thanksgiving. Will have pictures of our meal up sometime later. Hope that you will all join me then. Hope that all your Thanksgiving fun is blessed with safety. Enjoy your day with your family and friends. From our house to yours...

Out For Thanksgiving

College students are finally out for Thanksgiving holidays. I have to admit that I am glad. We had to turn in a comparison/contrast essay in English Composition I. I was up late writing it, because I had changed my mind on what I was going to do it on. Finals are coming up as well, and will be the second week of December. Classes officially end the week before. Most of my tests will be during the regular class period anyways. My Psychology test will be on a different day though. Everyone's schedule is different; however, mine pretty much stays the same. Online classes can take their tests early during the week we are out for Thanksgiving. I have really enjoyed my classes this year which were: Intermediate Algebra, Eng. Comp. I, Macroeconomics, and Psychology I. Next semester I will be taking: College Algebra, Principles of Macro Apps, Eng. Comp. II, and Principles of Anatomy and Physiology. For those who do not know my major, I am going into Medical Health Technologies. This is like coding or medical building. Anyways, I thought that I would give you an update on life like I normally do every once in a while. I am hoping that I will learn to get into this blog more often. I have just been so busy or either without an internet connection. Happy Thanksgiving Week to all of you!!

Update:Getting Sick?

Looks like sick weather is here again. Sometime late yesterday afternoon, I started having a sore throat. I am not running any fever though, and hopefully I will not. If I did have the fever, then I would be feeling really bad. Sometimes when I wake up my throat will feel sore, but it will usually go away after a few hours. Today however, that is not the case. I have a book to read for English Comp. I., but I really do not feel like reading it at the moment. I am also needing to clean the house some. If you have not been reading my autism blog, I started college this fall. I am going for Health Information Technologies. The boys are doing fine. They are 8 and 10 now, and growing as always. They will be taller than me before I know it. Well, I guess that I will be going now and getting some kind of rest, depending on what all I need to get done.

Have a great evening, and thanks for visiting.

End Of School

We are starting our summer break off to a good start. The boys behavior is doing well. I had increased their medicines just a little the last time I went to the doctor. Eddie was on a field trip to Tunica to ride the river boat and visit the museum their, so he was not able to go to the doctor with Devin and me. Luckily, his doctor was able to prescribe his medicines then. I just did not want him to miss the last school field trip that he had for the year. I was willing to reschedule his appointment if needed. Glad that I did not have to do that, because I probably would have had to wait more than a month to get him back in.

I allowed both of them to stay home on the last day of school since it was only a half of a day, and they were not required to go. I knew that they needed a break from school, so I let them stay home. They both had a Splash Bath at their schools in the days before they were to get out. They enjoyed the water slide very much. Devin came home that day with a huge scrape on his elbow. He had said that someone had pushed him down on the concrete. It is healing, and does not seem to bother him to much.

We are enjoying the park here at home quite a bit. We have new swings to swing in and everything has been painted so it looks really great out there now. It is very colorful as well. It was about time that they had did something with the park. The swings were broke due to the older kids tearing everything up, and now they have been replaced with new one. Once we get moved, we will have the park as our backyard, so they will be able to go and play easier since I will not actually have to leave the house for them to play. If I need something from inside, then I will not have to drag them all the way home to get what was needed. It is also a lot shadier, so the house will stay a little cooler this summer. The house is layed out exactly the same as the one that we have now, except for maybe the bathroom, closets, and kitchen. I am hoping for a double sink this time to make dish washing a lot easier. The one that I have now is a single sink which is a lot more difficult to use and causing me to use more soap since I have to let the water out a little at a time just to get them rinsed.

The boys did very well in school this year. Eddie received the A/B honor roll for the year and also the language arts award. Devin did not come home with awards like Eddie did this year, but he was the school's champion a few times, and had reading awards as well. His teacher was not really impressed with his handwriting, so maybe that is why he did not get anything for the end of the year. I do not know. He did very well, and we are proud of them both for working very hard. They will make great second and fourth graders next year.

Well, I guess that I will get going and start something to eat for them. They are urging me to get off of here and get something up for dinner. Hope that you all have had a wonderful day, and I will see you all later.

Family Updates For May 2010

From the looks of it, I have not written over here in the last month. I guess that I just do not have much to say or either I am just trying to keep up with the pace of life. I have been dealing with an earache for a couple of weeks now. It had went away for about a week, but it looks like it is wanting to act up again. I have also had issues with my shoulder. My joints do not work very well and they tend to grind together. It feels like it needs to be popped, but I have not been able to get it to. I woke up this morning from laying on the shoulder all night, and I could barely move it without it hurting. It does not hurt all of the time, just mostly when I have to stretch it to the limit. I just feel like my joints are not as lubricated as they should be, yet again it could be anything from arthritis to food allergies. I can stay away from the peanuts easily, but the corn and soybean oil is difficult, especially when those around you do not have a clue. I do not have deadly reactions to the foods, but I do believe that it is the cause of most of my pain that I do have. I have read that food allergies can mimic arthritis, which may be my problem. Who knows. Allergies can do a number of things to your body so get tested for them and follow the ones that do cause your problems. I never knew that I had food allergies, until I began to feel terrible everyday. I had suggested it to my doctor and luckily I was able to have the tests done. I was shocked to learn my results.

In other news from around here, Devin lost one of his front big teeth yesterday. It was so loose that I basically had to pull it out for him. He wanted apples to help get it out, so we bought him some. They are a bit sour, so he did not like them to well. He was scared for me to pull it as he thought that it would hurt. After I finally got him in my lap, I leaned him back a little grabbed and gave it a little tug. Before he knew it, it was out. He was so proud that it was out and not bothering him anymore. We were all enjoying the missing spot in his mouth, and took a few pictures of it. We had film left over from graduation so we used a few pictures on the camera. We are in the process of re-buying a battery charger for my digital camera, so it is currently out of order.

This is the last week of school for the boys, and they are in dire need of a vacation from school. They will be enjoying the summer this year. We plan to go to moms until we are able to move into out new apartment just two doors down. It could take us up to a month before we are able to move back in due to transfers of bills and actually being able to afford the cost of moving. We are having to store our things somewhere, and it seems that mom's garage will be the place where we let our stuff sit. We do not see mom much, so I guess that we will get plenty of each other next month. I did not tell her how long we were planning to be there, so I guess she is in for a surprise. When I was there about a week ago, I told her that it would probably be a couple of days. Later on my husband decides to tell me that it could be up to three weeks or so. What a difference, and I had no idea it would be that long. Guess that Ryan and mom will get us for each of their birthdays. Ryan has his on the 10th of June, and mom's is on the 29th.

By the way, my dad and his wife is having their wedding anniversary in June as well. So happy anniversary to them too. Love you dad. Hope that you both have a wonderful day on your special day.

Well, I guess that I will get going. Just thought that I would let you know what is going on around here. My ear is not feeling to great right now, so I guess that I will go rest for a little while. I need to clean up the house a little as well. So much to do and I just do not feel like doing anything. I did not sleep well last night due to dreams that really disturbed me. I knew that I was asleep, but I was also trying to wake myself up to make it stop. I had let out a gasp when one part got scary, but I do not think that anyone heard me. Eddie was up at that time, and I did not hear him say anything about it this morning so maybe he did not hear it. I had taken a few deep breaths and layed back down hoping that the dream would not continue. Sometimes they will, but I was able to dream about something different that was not so scary.

Thanks for visiting!!

World's Strangest Homes

Are you looking to find extreme homes to possibly live in? Well folks, I came across eight of the world's strangest houses. I was always enthused with architectural homes, and I really enjoyed these. Hope that you will find them interesting.

The Amory Lovins' House completed in 1984 well exceeds $150,000 and I did not find an actual possible cost. Located in Old Snowmass, Colorado, it costs a miserly $5 per month to power, thanks to passive solar design, 16-inch-thick walls, xenon-filled windows, and a pair of wood-burning stoves. The home is festooned with solar panels, and there's a passively controlled greenhouse that yields tropical fruit. This is according to the link above.

Can you imagine paying just five dollars a month to supply your home with power. Wish we all had one. Just think about how much you could really save over the years with one.

I was also looking around for something a little different. Take a look at these shipping container homes . You can also visit the shipping container housing guide for more information.

The cost for a container home usually runs between $150,000 and $175,000. Guess you would have to really want to live in a box to put that kind of money into it. They would probably have to fall in love with shipping containers to live in one of these, then again they are nice to look at.

Enjoy looking at these pictures at the different links above. Some will amaze you, but may not surprise you. Just kidding they truly great to view, and quite unique. Try searching for homes like this, and see what you can find. If you find something amazing, I would love for you to share it with me. You can add the link to the pages in a comment below. Hope to see you back!

Interactive Tornado Maps And Texas Tornadoes

The clouds are building up here in Mississippi right now, and the local news has issued an early thunderstorm warning for Friday night and Saturday in my area. That would be tonight and tomorrow. As of last night, there have been some reports of tornadoes in the Midwest so I was wondering if I could find an interactive tornado map. I did find one and thought that I would share it with you if you are interested in weather as I am. My dad could tell you that one. I remember being in fourth or fifth grade and staying up until the 10:00 news got finished with their weather report. I would then go to bed for school the next day. I am a big fan of weather and what amazing things it can do.

Here is a video from You Tube!

April 22, 2010 - Multiple tornadoes in the Texas Panhandle!

Steak Sandwiches

Any one hungry today? I thought that I would share something tasty with you today. On the menu is steak sandwiches. My husband came up with this idea a few years ago, and we absolutely love them. Here is what you do to make them:

Grab your favorite buns. I like to use Cobblestone Mill Sub Rolls. We have used plain 'ol hamburger buns to flour tortillas. It is wonderful to give them a toast in the oven.

Now you need to cook the meat and vegetables. We start off with meat. I like to use Steak-Ums that can be found in the freezer at your local grocery store. This is my favorite meat to use. Any meat you like will do. I have used breakfast steaks as well. Just pick up something thin like fajita meat. Cook this until it is done.

Now for the vegetables. Onions and bell pepper is what we use. I enjoy the colorful bell peppers, because it gives the dish color. Also, you want to add mushrooms of your choice. Make sure that you wash them before use as there is usually dirt clinging to them. I normally use one large onion, one large bell pepper, and a box of mushrooms. It will make a ton of food for you to enjoy for the next few days.
Flavor your meat and vegetables or they will taste bland. We use McCormick Grill Mates Montreal Steak seasoning.


Cheeses are great when added as well. I love the pepper jack cheese the most, but American cheese will do great as well. Just experiment with your favorite cheese.

Now for the mayonnaise. We love Kraft's Sandwich Shop Chipotle mayonnaise to give it a little spice. Regular mayonnaise will work as well. I have had problems finding this mayonnaise at some stores, but maybe you can find it somewhere in your area.


Once everything is done, cut the sub roll open about half way and fill with your steak meat. We put the mayonnaise on first and then the cheese on one side, then filling it up with the meat. Place in microwave to warm and melt the cheese.

Enjoy!!

Meteor In The Midwest

On Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at about 10:00 p.m. there was a meteorite that was seen in Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri. Some have reported seeing it in Ohio and Iowa as well. The meteorite lasted about 15 minutes and carried a large sonic boom. People from all over were concerned and were flooding 911 with calls. The meteorite shower caught on tape was from the Deputy Sheriff of Howard Co., near Waterloo, Iowa. The massive meteor fireball article and video from CNN can tell you more about what happened. I will provide the video for you below so you can watch it here. It has no sound though, but is an awesome sight to see happen, so scroll on down and watch the video.

This picture is from WREG in Memphis, Tennessee. It was taken from the University of Wisconsin's Atmospheric Sciences.

Updates and Pollen

Well looks like we have hit a block in the road. Things have not been looking up lately this month. First of all, my husband's grandparents home burned down. When my husband was young, he lived there with his grandparents and two cousins. That was their household. While in their twenties, both cousins were gone. Ricky died while being in between his truck and trailer when another truck struck his and killed him. This happened before I met my husband. Theresa was diagnosed with cancer and only lived about two years after that. I was lucky to meet her before she passed. We miss her very much. Both of his grandparents are gone so if you think about it, he is the only person left from the entire household including the home. Can you imagine how that would feel? He has taken it well as with the rest of the family. However, I would be crying my eyes out if I was him. They are very strong people anyways. I am glad to have them as part of my family. My mother in law has always told me that I was like a daughter to her. She only had three boys after all.

My husband ended up with a staph infection in his nose of all places. Besides staph usually starts in the nose and then the sore pops up. He felt totally miserable with his entire face hurting. It was even difficult for him to eat since it caused pain in his teeth. He has since gotten over that. He had told me that the day after he gotten better, he ended up with what seems to be bronchitis again. We are still working on getting rid of that illness.

I have not felt very good myself. I usually do not have allergies, but this year was totally different. Even Devin is starting to feel bad. We have had sore throats with this as well. I still blame the pollen for most of our illness. They have said that pollen in our area could be the worst in ten years. I believe it too! I was washing off the porch one day a few weeks ago to get all of the pollen off. As it ran down the curve of the street, it would pile up turning the water yellow. As the water has dried up at the end where it puddles, mounds of pollen were left. It dried which would end up getting back into the air again. Cars are totally covered in pollen and washing them will not help. Just within 20 minutes after washing the truck, it was all over the back window again. I would have to say that it is a lot better after we had some rain to wash the worst away. After it rained, it is still high, but everything is not covered as bad. A pollen forecast will give you the heads up on allergies. Just click on your state and enter your zip code to get your pollen forecast. They also have a cities list, but you may not be able to find your city, so just enter your zip code and it will take you there. Right now we are averaging 11.5 on the scale. The highest number that they go to is 12 so go figure. I found this pollen car image to give you an idea of how bad it is. This was in Atlanta, GA, and it is that bad here as well. The image is from pomomusings.com.

We have also had problems with the truck. The battery is dead, and we will probably need a new alternator as well. It is a 2000 Blazer, but it is getting out of shape and fast. The passenger door is messed up and basically husband told me that it was about to come off. The 4-wheel drive never did work, so again it is messed up again. We almost have the thing payed off (still have about 7 payments), but husband is considering trading it if they will. The car company will only trade it in after you have payed so much on it. That means almost all of it. We have been with them for four years now so maybe they can help us out. It was an idea, but if we actually do it I do not know. It is almost paid off and I really do not want a car payment anymore. Maybe he will decide to fix it for now, but you never know. He may do it just to have a chance at something better, and that will not cost a fortune to keep fixed. I am ready for something else as well, but then again I would like to save that extra $250.00 every month.

Thanks for reading, and have a great day!

Suave Professionals: Humectant Shampoo and Conditioner

I have really long hair, and I have always had a problem finding the perfect shampoo for my hair. I was a Wal-Mart a few days ago, and I noticed that Suave had a type of shampoo and conditioner that worked as well as Nexxus Therappe but for a lot less. You would normally pay about $20 for Nexxus, but with Suave, you can spend only about $3. That is right, you can save that much on your shampoo. Imagine what you can do with the extra money that you have saved. Suave Humectant which is from the professionals line is made with panthenol and keratin to leave your hair soft and manageable. Since I have to buy both shampoo and conditioner, I have to be careful on how much I do spend. I am one who does not tend to spend to much on something. I usually go the cheap way out if it is at all possible. That is very hard to do these days, and the prices of things just keep on going up. With Suave, you know that you will be paying the lowest price, and getting every cents worth. For pennies you can have beautiful hair without breaking the bank just to wash your hair. With the dry and stiff hair that I have, I was very pleased just after one use of Suave Humectant I knew that I would never try another brand. I absolutely fell in love with this shampoo. If you are looking for soft, moist, and healthy hair, please try Suave Humectant today. You can receive emails, coupons, offers, and tips from Suave when you register today! Drugstore.com has Suave Humectant as well. Wherever you shop make sure that you stop by the shampoo aisle and pick this up today. You will be glad that you did. I know that I sure am. Follow Suave at Facebook and on Twitter for their latest updates.