-5* at 9am

That was the temperature this morning. The sun was out and it looked to be a beautiful day. Then I checked the thermometer: MINUS 5! That's right. It was a bit cold.

It's been a better day today than the two before. Although I feel emotionally exhausted, like you do after a long hard crying jag (which I haven't done). We went to church this morning: my MIL and I were doing coffee hour. I made a dropped chocolate pie and maple bread pudding, she made an orange roll and a linzer tart.

Once we got home I decided that I wanted, and in some way needed, to go work on the nursery. I finished touching up the paint, then taped off the border and painted that. I think it looks pretty good. I don't know how well it's going to look once the tape is pulled off. I'm thinking that we may get a small wood border just to cover whatever mishaps.

Then I decided that I wanted to go do something that I haven't done in at least 7 years: Ice skating. The rink in town finally opened. It's nothing fancy, just a flooded section of our local park. I begged Matt for almost 2 hours to go with me and he wouldn't (BRAT!). Even the thought that I could fall and crack my head and die, didn't convince him to go. Finally I trudged off alone.

When I got there, there were 3 guys...probably late 20s being goofs and fooling around. I was on the ice no more than a few minutes when they decided to go: Fine by me...I'd rather look a fool by myself. I skated around for a good 10 minutes, then my feet were freezing. I did manage to NOT fall though. I still remember how to stop and turn, skate backwards and on one leg. I'm sure if I went every day, even if only for 15 minutes, I'd probably get back to being as good as I was before (which wasn't great or anything).

Three years of wedded bliss...

Three years ago yesterday Matt and I were married. While I can't say it was the most perfect day of my life I can say that it had the most perfect end result: Marriage. On the day we had married Matt and I had been together 5 years and 8 months.

People tell us that our wedding was one of the best they've ever been too...not only because of the food, bar, and music, but because it was glaringly obvious how in love we were and how happy we were. I honestly can say that I've had more fun at other weddings...probably because I didn't have to leave at 2am the next day to catch a plan to Jamaica :-)

The day before our wedding was Thanksgiving and for our rehearsal dinner we had both of our families together, we also had a blizzard that day. I had driven to Hunter Mtn., where our reception would be, to deliver the centerpieces as well as a TV and some other things. It's normally an hour and a half drive.

The day was beautiful, sunny and 50* I got in the car to head home and within 10 minutes the sky was black and you couldn't see the road. It took me 2 1/2 hours to drive home, through a blizzard, to the rehearsal dinner. The bride was late to the rehearsal dinner, with everyone nervous and wondering if I was safe (no cell reception around here). By bedtime 16" of snow had fallen, and continued to fall.

I woke up on November 25, 2005 the whole world was blanketed under a perfect snow. Not just any snow...but the kind of snow that glints in the sun like diamonds, that's powdery and fluffy. The whole world had become a winter wonderland.


Matt and I had never wanted to marry in November or any other winter month. We had wanted to get married in the early summer and have an outdoor bbq, we wanted to dance under the stars.

It all worked out though, because my biggest thing with November was how dark and dreary it would be. God saw to it that it was the furthest thing from dark and dreary. I tread on diamonds on my way to the church.

Would I do it all over...absolutely! Would I do it differently...you betcha! I did a lot of DIY stuff and waited too long to do them, but we were married!

Here are some links to different albums
Our Professional Photographers Pictures
My Aunt and Uncle the "Semi" Professional Photographers

As I said to Matt the other night, "I would marry you all over again, but I don't want to relive the past three years."

We actually got to spend time together on our anniversary. Because of the holiday Matt's work week was moved up a day. Normally he would be spending a Tuesday evening loading a truck, but the truck came in on Monday.

We decided to go to dinner and a movie (let me just say, we NEVER go out). I did get some beautiful flowers, the same color as those that were in my bouquet. It was a nice evening together, but I definitely can't pull those late nighters anymore. We didn't get home until 11pm!

Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself. There was never a democracy that did not commit suicide. John Adams, 2nd Prsd

The post that follows is written for no one other than myself. I am not the most informed individual, nor do I pretend to be. I do try my darndest to find and verify whatever information I can. If you do comment, I ask that you remain respectful of every one's right to have a difference of opinion: If you can't say something and say it nice, don't say anything.

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I am choosing my words very carefully, as I know the majority of people in the blog world and the people my age voted for Obama, I did not. I am beyond excited that I am living at a time when it is possible for a black man to run for, and become, the President of the United States. That said, my reasons for not voting for Obama have nothing to do with the color of his skin.

Unfortunately in this election you were either for Change or against Change. If you didn't support Obama you were considered a rascist, an idiot and of the "Bush-regime". I am for Change, but not the change that Obama promises. I can't help but feel that the majority of people (younger voters) voted for Obama because of Change, just change, without regards to what the change is. He is the opposite of all they have really known, a Bush presidency.

I voted for the lesser, in my opinion, of two evils. Obama quite frankly scares the livin'-bejeezers out of me. There are several of his political platforms/beliefs that I have issues with.

1) His belief that people who make over $250,000 should pay a higher tax rate. While the current tax policy is ridiculous, I do not believe that people should be penalized for being successful. It is not their responsibility to shoulder the financial burdens of this country because they are successful. As of now, I believe, that people are only taxed up to $250,000, anything beyond that is not taxed, I don't think that's right either. I believe there should be a flat percentage for everyone...that everyone should have to pay X% of their income to the government. If you make more, you'd pay more, if you made less you'd pay less.

2) His policy of "spread the wealth". Part of this I've already said above, I don't believe that the honest-successful should be penalized. My husband and I live within our means, when Matt couldn't work we changed how we lived. We didn't go looking for a hand-out from someone who made more money, because we felt that they had too much and should share. I believe that you should be entitled to work hard and benefit yourself, not your neighbor who may or may not want to work. I'm sorry to say, but there is no other word for this policy than socialism. I believe that the US is a capitalist country and people should be able to bring themselves up by their bootstraps and make something of themselves, be successful, live the American dream, not be penalized for it.

There is an entirely different issue at hand with the current state of our economy. Greed is what caused our economy to fail, not because the little guy couldn't afford to go and buy a plasma TV. It's because he was allowed to go and buy a plasma TV on CREDIT and not be able to pay for it, that the economy failed (yes, this is a very simplistic view of what happened and on a much smaller scale).

3) His policy on abortion. The Washington Post had an article several weeks ago about Obama's opinions on abortion. I am pro-choice. I believe that a woman who has been raped,(or any other circumstance) etc should not have to have a child that she does not want and is unwilling to carry to term. However, I believe that a woman should make that choice within the first trimester. I believe that partial birth abortion is murder. I believe that termination of life, after a failed partial-birth abortion is murder. If Scott Peterson could be tried and convicted of Double Homicide for the murder of his wife and unborn child, then I think anyone who performs partial-birth abortion or termination of life after a failed partial-birth abortion, should also be tried for murder.

If a woman was able to carry a baby nearly to term before deciding to terminate it's life, then she certainly can go a few weeks or months more and deliver a healthy baby and place it for adoption. If the life of a woman is at risk due to her pregnancy it is the responsibility of her, her partner, and medical professionals to do everything possible before the decision to abort the baby is made. I believe that a woman's life should not be risked for the sake of a baby, but that everything should be done to prevent this from happening.

I believe that it's also the right of "parents" to determine what happens to their embryos. This falls into my acceptance of abortion in the first trimester.

5) His policy on guns. I believe that citizens have the right to keep and bear arms. No amount of legislated gun control is going to stop criminals from possessing guns and murdering people. No amount of legislated gun control is going to make people handle guns safely at all times. People kill people, intentionally and accidentally, with cars, kitchen knives, nail guns etc, that doesn't mean we say they're unsafe and people shouldn't have them. It is the responsibility of every individual to practice safety (with any thing).

I grew up in a house with guns, my father, and now my husband, hunt. I honestly don't remember if the guns and ammunition were locked up. We knew that we were, by no means, permitted anywhere near a gun or ammunition without my father present. There were never any issues with friends going near my dad's guns, they weren't out in the general area.

When I was growing up my parents were poor, I mean really poor. They raised 3 kids on less than $10,000 a year and never once asked for public (or family) assistance. My dad kept food in our freezer by hunting. Every fall he would go out and get several deer and that's what we would eat. If it were not for hunting I'm sure my parents would have been forced to accept some sort of assistance.

If Obama's policy on gun control and ammunition go into affect it would mean that people like my dad won't be able to afford the ammunition (500% tax) to hunt and most likely won't have a gun to use. Which means that a lot of the families where we live would go hungry and be forced to ask for public assistance.

6)His policy on women being drafted. I believe that women are equal to men in almost all ways. There are certain, inarguable, differences between them. I give both men and women who decide to join the armed forces a lot of credit and my thoughts and prayers are always with them.

I understand that during war-time (Civil War, WW1, WW2, Korea, Vietnam etc) there comes a point in which it is necessary to conscript people into the military. However, the idea that women would be drafted into the military is beyond my comprehension. It is a terrible thing for any one to have to go to war, even moreso when it is not of their own choosing, but the idea that a woman would be forced to shoot someone or go through that experience is beyond me.

While I was in high school I seriously considered joining the Air Force, to the point that I had talked to recruiters and everything. My family is a military family (none of them were drafted, all had volunteered to fight). I am not a weakling. Matt knows that I am every bit as tough, strong, and anything else as him. I am a fighter. I'm not afraid of blood or violence, but to me, the idea of being forced to enter a war zone is frightening. I can't imagine what it would be like for a gentler woman. The choice to enter the military should remain, in the event a draft is necessary, it should still remain the choice of women to join.


Yes, I am a Christian and there are certain principles that I will not compromise on. We are desperately in need of change, I'm not quite sure that he is the change we need. Since the election is over all I can do is hope and pray that great things are in the future for America, that Obama brings about good changes and does benefit this country.

On to lighter things and hopefully a brighter future....

"Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering."

~Pooh's Little Instruction book, inspired by AA Milne

It's already over...How the heck did that happen?! Last thing I knew it was Friday evening! I honestly think that weekends should be extended, or Mondays, at the very least, should be optional.

Saturday I did absolutely NOTHING! That's right, me, nothing. Oh, I cooked dinner, don't know if that counts. I putzed around the house all morning, walking from room to room, never settling to one thing. I've been a bit scattered the past week or so. In the afternoon Matt came home and I ended up on the couch reading a book and fell asleep (only for 30 minutes). It was just that kind of day: It rained the whole day and it was just blah!

Sunday morning I got up and had to go to work (inventory), but I was home by 10am which was nice. We have some big-shots coming from our corporate office today, so I spent most of Sunday morning baking desserts (peanut butter and jelly bars and cran-apple crisp). In the afternoon we went outside and stacked another row of wood, as well as cleaned up all of the outside stuff and put it away for the winter. Just have to empty out a couple more flower baskets and plant some bulbs and it's done! YAY! Of course the woodpile is nowhere NEAR being done yet: Argh!

I started working on some Christmas projects: I didn't get very far before I was called away to dinner. This is a super-easy pattern that I had gotten for a table runner, but I'm changing it a bit and making it a wall hanging. If you click on the picture you can see that the blue has silver swirls in it, kind of like a snow storm. More to come...

After we got home from dinner at my parents' I forced Matt to play a game of Scrabble with me. Of course, 15 minutes into the game I remembered why I hate playing Scrabble with him: It's because he can make a 3 letter word worth 40-something points!

I actually managed to clear my tray of letters and came out with a few good words of my own. He still beat me though. I have the whole winter to practice. Especially since the TV is bye-bye.

That's right: We got rid of dish.network. I was asked several times why I was canceling: "There's nothing on TV worth paying for" and "I'd rather heat my house this winter" were my reasons. They tried offering me $10 a month credit for 1 year's service: $120, you're kidding me right?! We'll save over $600 a year without paying for programming. We did bump our netf.lix from 2 to 3, but even that is only an additional $3.00/month.

In all honesty, we don't watch much TV...if we watch anything it's movies. The people at work don't understand how I can not watch TV, I don't understand how they have time to watch TV.

While cleaning outside I found these little gems: I'm afraid that the poor things are sorely confused as to the time of the year. I don't blame them though, as we've had some days in the high 30s and 1 day in which the mountain tops had snow, but it once again went back up to 55+ during the day.

"How long will it last, Woody? Do you really think Andy is going to take you to college, or on his honeymoon? Andy's growing up, and there's...

nothing you can do about it. It's your choice, Woody. You can go back, or you can stay with us and last forever. You'll be adored by children for generations." ~ Stinky Pete "Toy Story 2"

Yesterday I found out some rather upsetting news. Well upsetting to me, the average person will probably just think I'm ca-razzzy. Samantha Parkington is being retired. Who is Samantha? you may ask.

For Christmas in 1989 (yea, that long ago) I received a burgundy box with a cream ribbon tied around it. Inside that box was a doll with long brown hair and big brown eyes that opened and close, clothed in the most beautiful burgundy plaid dress with a perfectly tied bow in her hair. It was love at first sight!

As a child Samantha was my most prized possession. I took her everywhere with me, I poured over the books which told the stories of her life and times in Victorian America. I borrowed every book on every American Girl (at the time: Kirsten, Molly, and later Felicity). I obsessed over the catalog every month, creating a new wish list of things I wanted from, what was then called, "Pleasant Company".

We couldn't afford the clothes or her accessories. I still don't know how my parents afforded to even buy me Samantha. My grandmother bought the patterns for Samantha's clothes and she made me several of the outfits for her, and matching ones for me. I would save up as much of my birthday and Christmas money as my mom would let me and I would buy a dress here, a dress there. In the almost 20 years of my having Samantha I've acquired only a small pitttance of her things.

I think this is why I am so upset about the retirement of a doll: To me, she was always more than a doll. My friends and I (my best friend had Kirsten) would spend whole weekends dressing our dolls and acting out the books. We actually acquired the scripts to a play about Kirsten. A full stage production complete with sets and costumes, we even charged "admission" for our families to see it. I was Kirsten's "Papa" (I always got stuck playing the guys).

(l to r: Samantha and her books, Clothes I've bought, Clothes that were made by my Oma).

Of course, as I got older Samantha became less and less a part of my every day life. She spent more time in a chest that was my great-grandfather's than she did being played with. But, in spite of what Stinky Pete say's, she's never been forgotten. She's been waiting...for my little girl to play with.

There are two things which I think are making this whole thing so sad to me.
1) Samantha reminds me a lot of my Oma. She spent so much time making me and my doll these beautiful dresses. I wore most of them until I split the seams. At the time I remember being so upset that they weren't EXACTLY like the dresses from the catalog...what made up for that was Samantha and I dressed exactly alike. Now, I just think of her and how much time and love she put into making those dresses and it makes me miss her terribly.
2) My little girl. I don't have one. I don't know IF I'll have one. I've always wanted a little girl...someone to share all the memories of my Oma with, someone to share my doll with, someone who would (hopefully) get as excited about a doll of her own as I did.

While two separate things, it is my past and my future which I have associated Samantha with: My Oma and my daughter. Neither of them are with me now, and now Samantha will no longer be here either.

I've already informed my mother and Matt that the majority of my Christmas list will consist of things for Samantha that I have never got around to buying. Yes, I'm 26 and I'm asking for doll clothes and accessories for Christmas.

Tell me: Did you have a toy that was, and is, special to you?

"My sorrow, when she's here with me, thinks these dark days of autumn rain are beautiful as days can be." Robert Frost

Saturday Matt and I drove to a local farm stand (local...45 minutes away lol) to stock up on the things that our garden didn't provide: Acorn squash, butternut squash, garlic, pie pumpkins, and some Cortland apples (for sauce). This place is fantastic! The person who does the check-out is awesome: You put your items on the counter and he has every price for every item memorized, and faster than you could tally everything on a calculator he's tallied them (out loud). "Apples $15, 6 acorn at $1.25 is $22.25, 5 butternut at $1.25 is $28.50...."

Since I've been feeling out of sorts lately (I took a 3 hour nap this afternoon, on top of having slept 10 hours last night....I don't nap, ever), I've decided to do a mostly pictoral post.

Afterwards we continued on our way to the closest shopping area (ie. they have a Target, Ko.hls, Gap etc), an additional 15 minutes down the road (an hour away from our house). I needed to get some new long pj bottoms and Kohl.s had them on sale, mine have suddenly disappeared. I think my sister might have hijacked them, but neither of us can find them or remember.

I then proceeded to lose my cell phone. We're calling it and went back to where we had lunch, no one had see or heard it. We continued on our shopping trip figuring that it's gone: Oh well. It's not like it's an expensive phone. Matt kept calling the phone, not wanting to give up. Finally someone answered....it had fallen out of my pocket at lunch. Yay!

Went to Gap and found a halfway decent pair of jeans ($60). I hate spending that much on a pair of pants, but the last time I bought jeans was 3 years ago, and the thighs/crotch are threadbare. It amazes me how there are no wide-leg jeans ANYWHERE! Everything is bootcut or slimcut...with my hips that does NOT work. I ended up with "Essential" wide leg. I still can't believe that someone thinks $60 for a pair of pants is acceptable!

The other thing I can't believe is acceptable is how these teenagers are dressed! I saw on girl walking around with a skirt so short on that if she bent over or squatted even her entire derriere would be on display.

Then we saw a girl and boy (obviously boyfriend/girlfriend) and her proudly walking around with a Vi.ctoria's Se.cret bag: They couldn't have been more than 13 years old. WHAT THE HECK DOES SHE NEED ANYTHING FROM VICT.ORIA'S SECRETS FOR (besides the obvious boyfriend). They're too young to even know what the heck sex is! Matt and I don't get out much, but we just kept thinking where are these kids parents!

We got home from our excursion around 5:00pm or so...we would have a couple of hours of daylight left so we went out to split some wood: IT'S DONE! The entire load of logs is split! Now all we have to do is stack it: Yay! Now to give you an idea of this pile. It's over 6' high in the center and it's about 20' wide and 15' deep. Lots of wood. We were out there until it was too dark to see, but boy are we glad it's done.

This morning I had to go to work, but when I got home at 10:00am it was straight to work on all the stuff we got yesterday. I managed to cut up all of the squash, blanch them, bag them, and get it into the freezer. We now have about 4 gallon bags of cubed squash, 3 bags of squash halved, and 2 bags of squash bowls (just the part where the seeds were). I didn't do the apples because I was just too tired.

This pumpkin is the only one that is growing in our garden: The dangburn plant took up almost half of the garden and all we got was this one (small) pumpkin!

These are just some pictures of the colors around here. Unfortunately we've been getting a lot of rain the past few days and a lot of the leaves have already blown off the trees before they ever changed. I don't know if we're going to get a great show of color this year.

These are my clematis. I've never had any luck with clematis, I've always killed it. Well I had bought a little plant, put it in the front flower bed at the corner of the yard and forgot about it. Then I noticed that it was climbing the wires for the satellite dish: It has taken over and looks beautiful! I'm so happy that I've finally gotten one to live.

This is just a picture of our backyard from the upstairs hall window: It's not the greatest picture. The window is dirty and it isn't one that can be opened. The only way for me to clean the outside is to put a ladder up and go on the roof, not my cup of tea.

Well that is all that we've been up to.

A Mish-Mash of Everything

I feel like I haven't posted in forever, or at least not something of substance. Today you're going to get posts, whether you like them or not! Bare with me as these are going to be some really random topics.

We got two more eggs today. So that makes 4 eggs in 3 days: Not too shabby. On average that would mean about 8-10 eggs a week, and this is going into the fall. The shorter the days are the less eggs a chicken lays: During the winter chickens need to conserve energy (if they were in the wild) and the shorter days and cooler nights signal their bodies to stop producing a large number of eggs. Also, the chances of a chick surviving in the middle of winter is pretty slim.

Being that our chickens are "domesticated" and don't have to worry about survival we can trick their bodies by install a light on a timer so they have more hours of "daylight". I don't know if we're going to do this yet, because quite honestly we don't need a dozen eggs a week for ourselves. If I was to use them for baking as well as eating, then we would.

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Our apples arrived the other day: YAY! They're so yummy and none of them were bruised! I was really impressed with how they arrived. I'm definitely going to be doing some baking this weekend. Matt and I have dying for some Dutch apple pie....yum!!!

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Thank you to JJ at Reproductive Jeans for her kind note and the Glücks-Schwein. Being German myself I loved getting a good luck pig in the mail. Thank you!

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I don't get into political discussions very often, because I'm not someone who keeps abreast of all that is going on and I am not armed with a battery of facts to match someone else in political debate. I try my darnedest to keep on top of the news, but there are so many conflicting reports and numerous sources of information. It's hard to know what to believe and what to read.

All I know is what I believe and how I feel about things. I know that I'm definitely the anti-thesis to most people my age in my political opinions and views. So, now that you've all been warned...I'm getting political on ya'.

On a side note, since it's not clear in my preface or my letter (as Cappyprincess mentioned)...I am aware that the "bail-out" is not "free" money, but a loan, that is intended to be paid back. However, I can't help but feel that this loan will adversely affect the American tax payers.

I started writing a letter to my elected officials to express my feelings about the government rescuing those involved in the mortgage crisis. This is what happened:
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I want to express my outrage at the government's $700 billion dollar bail-out of those who lived outside of their means through outrageous mortgages and loans, and those who invested money that had no collateral.

It is not the responsibility of the average American person, who is a hardworking individual, living within their means and already just scrapping by, to bail out people who have had no financial responsibility for themselves. It is not our responsibility to shoulder the increase in taxes, which is inevitable, to fund this $700 billion.

Yes, I understand the concern of a depression, but this bail-out is only delaying the inevitable. Whether in two years or twenty a depression is the only way our economy will right itself. This once great country is now under the dominion of the greedy who are bleeding her dry without a thought to anyone but their own financial gain.

I say let a depression occur: The American people need a wake up call. The people who have lived within their means and haven't relied on credit cards, loans, and mortgages will survive; the people who haven't done so should be left to their own devices, and perhaps along the way will learn something about financial responsibility.

Increases in taxes will hurt the working American, which is the majority of people in this country. The economy will slow even more because people won't see an increase in their paycheck, because their employers have to pay even more in taxes. As taxes go up so does the cost of living, of buying food, clothes, and other necessities, things which people will be forced to limit and/or go without.

Our Country has become something that our forefathers detested, something that they gave their lives for to break away from…a tyrant. Our government no longer represents the people: It represents money, whether it's big business, banks, or mortgage companies.

Our government no longer follows the will of the people; it follows the will of those who line their pockets. The few government officials who truly seek to better our once great country are silenced by those who have funding. It is sad that in this country, where once a lawyer in a small town in Illinois could become president, that now only those who live their life in comfort and luxury, can AFFORD to run for president.

We are no long a country that is "For the people, by the people, and of the people"; we are a country that is "For the greedy, by the politicians, and of the money".

"Nothing happens unless first we dream." Carl Sandburg

Imagine this:

You turn off a quiet country road on to a driveway lined with trees and a split rail fence. Along one side are a few horses and a couple of cows, the other is a large pond, on which ducks flap about. The driveway continues up a gently sloping hill.

Ahead you catch a glimps of an old victorian farmhouse to your left, to your right a red barn

This is our dream...to own a small working farm, complete with a couple of milk cows, a few horses, a flock of laying hens, a pig or two, and a couple of dogs. The cellar of the barn would be a fully functioning brewhaus, with it's own cold cellar to store Matt's secret brews. The farmhouse is big enough for our family and for whatever visitors we have, but is still designed with our dream of owning a B&B and reservation-only restaurant.

Home Sweet Home!

I'm not much of a going-away person; I'm definitely one of those who would rather stay put than go away overnight. This weekend was no different. Surprise! Surprise! At 7:00pm last night I was ready to drive home from C.orning, NY. Alas, we had already booked our $60 room at the lovely Budget Inn (it wasn't that great of a place...definitely don't think I'll be going back).

It was my fault. I thought there was more to do in C.orning, but I was sorely mistaken. All the shops were closed by 6:00pm and there was nothing else going on and no other towns nearby.

Saturday morning we got up at 7am and drove the 2 hours to the C.orning Museum of Glass. We had a 10:00am appt to make our own glass ornaments; we had decided to each make one for our mom's for Christmas, and then made one for ourselves (we collect them whenever we travel someplace).

The class was cool and our ornaments came out really neat (will post pictures later). We walked around the museum for a while and had lunch in their cafe, which was surprisingly good. There was some beautiful artistic glass pieces and some really elaborate pieces that made you wonder "Who the heck would pay money for that?!"


After lunch we drove up to Ke.uka Lake, which is one of the Finger Lakes. Of course, this region is extremely well known for it's wines, so we decided to stop at Dr. Franks. Oh My Goodness! Let me just preface this by saying that I am not a drinker: Beer, Wine, Hard Liquor; I really don't like any of it. Dr. Franks was DELICIOUS! I could gladly sit down with a glass of their Gewurztraminer (2006) and some cheese and be in heaven! And the views were just as wonderful!

In the early evening we drove back to C.orning and went to the Gaffer's for dinner: Chicken Taco Dip as an appetizer, I had grilled chicken with Caesar salad, and Matt had pork medallions with a rosemary demi. It was all very good, and I would definitely go back there again.

We walked around downtown C.orning hoping to see some action, but there was nothing. The whole town, outside of the bars, was dead at 6:00pm. There was a square with a fountain and a stage we waited thinking that may be they would have some kind of music, but nothing happened. Finally we just went back to our room and watched TV, and lights out at 9:30 (we're very exciting people).

In the morning we were up and out of our motel room at 8:15 and headed to We.gman's to do some grocery shopping. From there we headed back to C.orning to do our Christmas shopping: We got all of the girls done! WOOHOO! And a few birthday gifts for those with fall birthdays.

All in all it was a good weekend. Matt and I got to spend some quality time together and we saw and did some fun things. Boy, we were glad to get home though. We've decided that once we have kids the extent of our travels away from home will be day trips: We just don't like to go away.

Here's the link to all the pictures. I brought my old Kodak and didn't bother taking much in the way of pictures.

Dinosaurs may be extinct from the face of the planet, but they are alive and well in our imaginations. ~Steve Miller

Since I was a kid dinosaurs have fascinated me: My favorite movies are still "Jurassic Park" and "The Lost World: Jurassic Park " (JP3...not so much). I've always been amazed at their size, how they move, their way of life, and as I got older, their similarities to creatures we see today. Growing up I had wanted to be a paleontologist, but I didn't want to dedicate numerous years to schooling.

This morning I got up and was out with the chickens...shooting a couple of pictures and just watching them. Chickens fascinate me: They move so closely to how I imagine Velociraptors and T-Rexs moved. The beady eyes that watch everything you do, the way they move their heads and bodies. Most paleontologists more closely relate dinosaurs to chickens and ostriches than they do with reptiles.

The Compsognathus (AKA "Compy") is the smallest known dinosaur (at 3' in length) and is typically described as being the same size as a turkey: Unlike a chicken this dinosaur ate small animals and reptiles. I don't think I would like chickens so much if they were much bigger than they are. Could you imagine a 6' chicken running after you, intent on tearing you limb from limb and gorging itself on your bowels while you're still alive?!

Ah Lord God! It is you who made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you. Jerem. 32:17

Here we are: It's MONDAY again! I'm trying to get excited, but it's just not working. I feel like the weekend was a whirl-wind, and yet I feel like nothing was accomplished.

Friday night my mom and her friend came over to help me get things labelled for the yardsale. Saturday morning I got up at 6:30 and started setting the tables up in the yard and carrying everything outside. By 6:50 I had sold Matt's car: YAY! That was the end of the excitement for the day.

At 2:00 it started pouring: I had only sold a handful of stuff: $50 (and one item was $10). There was a lot of cars going by, but not many people stopping. I had 5 boxes of stuff (glasses, mugs, knick-knacks) that all went to the church attic for the rummage sale, and I have 6 garbage bags full of clothes. If all the clothes had sold I would have had about $150+. Everything was priced around $.50-$3 depending on what it was and what shape it was in. I had some clothes that still had the original price tags on them, never worn. If anyone is looking for Women's clothes (size 14) or Men's clothes (32-34): Let me know. (pic: my mom and Matt's grandma).

After the disappointment that was my yard sale, I proceeded to go out and work in the garden and putz around the house. Matt had spent the day with my dad making sausage (my parents used to own a deli/butcher shop and my dad used to make everything for it). Unfortunately, Matt was stung by a bee: He is, of course, allergic to them. Fortunately he isn't someone who is severely allergic, but his arm did swell up and is still a little swollen and red...this after 2 days of benadryl. He may be going to the doctor this afternoon. In the evening we watched "Definitely, Maybe": It was cute.

Sunday we went to church and then up to Matt's parents' house. We had a lot of stuff that we need to pull out and get ready for the car show. While there we had lunch and then headed over to my parents for dinner (we are not a food oriented family at all ;-) In the evening we did some more things around the house: Matt went out and mowed the backyard (first time in 2 weeks) and I started cleaning the dining room. Afterward, we put on the TV and caught the tail-end of "Cheaper by the Dozen 2": Which I love!

Of course, the movie made me cry, but not in a bad way, more of in a happy way. At the end when they were all rushing Nora off to the hospital I did turn to Matt and say: "I want a big family". We've always pretty much wanted 4 kids, if we could have them for free, we'd probably have more. We both just love kids and love family. Now, we'll just have to wait and see.

Yes, these movies "glamorize" big families and make it look like a lot of fun and it's all wonderful and the parents have all this free time: Life isn't like a movie. The one thing the movie does well, is show the amount of love they have. Matt and I have a lot of love to share.

"You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" Job 2:10

Here's the full text of the Book of Job.

Driving home from work last night, I was thinking more about hardship, fear, faith, and God; how they all work together and whether fear is from God or from Satan. I was thinking about what I had said, that hardships and fear draw some to God, while others push God away and refuse to acknowledge him.

I honestly think that "bad" things don't come from God, and I honestly think that "bad" things are a test. They are Satan's way of getting us to turn from God. We may pass or fail the test, either way God still loves us and welcomes us.

The long and short of Job's story is that God allows Satan to test Job; to remove all the good in his life and leave him wanting death. Satan believes that Job will eventually curse God, which is what Satan wants. Throughout all of his trials, Job stands strong in his faith and never once curses God. He questions God and doesn't understand why these things are happening to him, he turns away from God (for a time), he curses himself but he never curses God as Satan was sure he would. At the end God restores his health and wealth, beyond what Job originally had. Because of his faith he is duly rewarded.

There are a couple of things in Job's story that stick-out to me. 1) The destruction of his future, his children; 2) Feeling as God has forgotten him; 3) Others believing you must have done something to deserve this fate, cursing yourself for some unknown transgression; 4) The end result being better than you could have imagined.

I don't think that Job felt that all the riches (land, family etc) he had lost, were replaced when God blessed him again. He must have still mourned for them, especially his family. Infertility is like that: We may yet be blessed, but it may not be in the way we think. If we are not blessed with families it is not because God desires to punish us, but because He believes in us and wants us to rely on Him, because He has something better in mind.

Prov 3:5-10
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.

“A friend is one with whom you are comfortable, to whom you are loyal, through whom you are blessed, and for whom you are grateful.” Wm. Ward

In spite of all the fears I have regarding our infertility, there is very little that I would change. Our infertility has brought me into a new world: A world in which women love and support each other, are there for each other in times of hardship and during their joys. Without our infertility I would not be aware of all of these wonderful, strong women.

In our lives we more often see the cruelty of women: The Queen-Bees and Wanna-Bees. We are subject to cliques and catty comments, cruelty and insensitivity. We have all, at some time or another, been subjected to this. We have all, at some time or another, subjected others to this at our own hands.

In the infertility world, we are all the same, denied the one thing that should be a guarantee for all who desire it: It is our common denominator. We are all treated the same, especially in society: sometimes as lepers, as desperate, as inferiors, or any number of other ways.

I am glad to know this amazing group of women. Women who are the things all women should aspire to. It is for this reason that I want to shout-out that I am an infertile. To let the world now about this unfortunate silent-sorority that provides some of the greatest blessings to its members.

Thank you to all of you, for all the support and love you give to each of us. It is because of each other that we are able to get through our struggles with infertility.

Another weekend has come and gone...

Blah! I wish we didn't have to leave home to work. This weekend has been miserable; continually 90+ with extreme humidity. Put it this way...even doing nothing you feel like you've been in a steam room. Yea. First thing I did on Friday, when I got home from, was put the AC in our bedroom window. I cannot deal with heat/humidity when trying to sleep.

I feel like we didn't accomplish much this weekend, but I guess we did. We brought home the girls on Friday night. They seem to be content. They're walking in and out of the house and pecking at the ground. Thyme doesn't think very much of them, but Sage is in near-hysterics about them. The chickie-poos are VERY upsetting to Sage. She stands there and whines and barks and wimpers. It's ridiculous. The chickies just look at her like she's crazy: Which she is.

Saturday morning I got up, mowed the lawn, took the dogs for a walk, and did somethings around the house. All Saturday Matt was at my parents' helping them to build their hen house for their 8 chicks.

When I was a teenager I goofed around with watercolor painting: Nothing that phenomenal. Last year I used some of my birthday money (that's right, last July) to restock my paint supplies. Over the years a lot of it had gone to my sister, and I didn't have much of anything left.

I've really been wanting a set of notecards that have quilts on them. Not just quilts or blocks, but still life paintings, of which quilts are a part of. I cannot for the life of me find any. So I decided yesterday to try my hand at it myself. Now mind you, this is the first thing I've painted in about 10 years and it took me the better part of 2 days, so be kind. If anyone out there in bloggerland finds me some awesome notecards, I'd love it!

There is one unfortunate even that accord this past weekend: Remember in these posts (1 2 and 3) I was commenting on the problems we'll face because of the rising fuel costs and such, and about the truckers. Well sometime around midnight on Saturday, someone syphoned my dad's full tank of diesel out of his truck: $165 in fuel.

My dad had bought the locking gas caps, but the more he thought about and looked into it, he realized that it would cost more to replace a gas tank (if they drilled it) than it would if they syphoned it out. I guess it was a "good" thing he didn't put the caps on. The state police came and filed a report.

My dad's truck is one of 15, that someone has stolen the gas out of. He asked the officer if he caught the guy, could he hold him at gunpoint until the police arrived. The cop told him that, no he can't do that, if he did they would arrest him for armed assault. Does that make sense?! They guy is stealing from you, but if you hold him at gunpoint, you'll get thrown in jail!? Something wrong with that.

"Upset by lack of flags"

The local newspaper printed my editorial: YAY! 1) For that fact that they deemed it important enough to print, and 2) Because I'm in the newspaper! Matt walked around for a good 10 minutes after reading it, chanting: "My baby's published, oh yeah, my baby's published" (goof-ball).

Here's the article:
Driving across town on Sunday, something struck me as rather dull about downtown OUR TOWN . Then I realized what was missing: There were no American flags lining the streets. I couldn’t believe it. I figured that surely they would be up for the Memorial Day Parade on Monday, but as of Monday they still were not out.

I would like to thank the residents and business owners of OUR TOWN who saw fit to fly our national flag this past Memorial Day weekend: You are truly an asset to the community. Shame on those of the village/town who were responsible for hanging flags along the main streets of OUR TOWN and did not.

It is disgraceful that the American flag was not flown from any lamppost along Delaware Street or on the bridge. Through out the village there were only a handful of homes that were flying the American flag: The surrounding towns were flying the American colors all through the holiday weekend.

Memorial Day is a time at which we are to remember those who have died for our country so that others may live free. We are at war, however unpopular it may be, and American troops are risking their lives on a daily basis. Right now it is even more important to remember those brave men and women, today and throughout history, who have given their lives and those who are still risking their lives. The least that we can do is proudly fly our flags for them.

If we need new flags, I am sure that the people of Walton would be willing to make donations towards them. I can only hope that whatever the cause was for the oversight of hanging the American flags throughout our town, that it can be remedied before the Fourth of July.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Happy Memorial Day

Whenever I hear this song, or any of the other beautiful songs about our great nation, my heart swells with pride at the fact that I am blessed to be an AMERICAN!



Thank you to all those who have fought for our country, whether on the battlefield or the homefront, lived or died. Thank you! You are the reason why we are able to voice our opinions in this great country of ours.

And so it begins....(Part 3)

Part 3
3) Do you realize how much of what we pay for a gallon of gas is taxes?

Our forefathers revolted over taxes of a few pennies, on only a few items, and the taxes only affected a small portion of the population. And thus begun the rumblings of the American Revolution (yes, I’m over simplifying). People write whole books on this subject.

Today we pay taxes on EVERYTHING! Sometimes we pay taxes several times over: for example, we pay income tax, and then every time we buy something (with the money we've already paid taxes on) we pay tax again.

We are represented in our government (big point of the Revolution); we are represented by people who have the large corporations lining their pockets: People who have no idea what “reality” is because they have expense accounts: People who don’t know what it’s like to look at their kids and wonder if they’ll have to fore-go new sneakers because they have to heat the house. Essentially…the elite.

This is where it gets sad: There will NEVER be another revolution in our country, and we are desperately in need of one. We have too many social programs, too many people who are living off the system, too many taxes. The American people have grown FAT with GREED, LAZY, and COMPLACENT! The majority think that everything should be handed to them, that they shouldn’t have to work for what they want. The majority are so obsessed with the celebrity culture (I do read US and People) that they are oblivious to the things happening in this country. And what’s sad is they don’t care.

Next February there is a federal “coupon” going out to help people afford to upgrade their televisions to digital, so that they can continue receiving television. Why is our government FUNDING a television upgrade?! Where does it say Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Prime-time?!

Our media is biased, bought off by different groups of people. The news we receive is filtered or we don’t receive it at all. Britney’s frolic on the beach at Mel Gibson’s is considered headline, breaking news!

None of these problems are a recent development; we can look back to FDR, the “Roaring Twenties” and the Depression for the beginning of these problems. FDR created federal programs to help the struggling Americans get back on their feet. Seventy years later we have even more of those programs and there is not one that is not abused by someone.

Why should someone get a job if the government is going to pay for their food and shelter? Heck, why should someone be an American citizen even when the government is willing to cut them a check. The abuses in this country of the welfare system are disgusting. Thirty years ago people thought it was a disgrace to go on welfare. Now people try to think of ways they can take advantage of the system.

I’m all for helping someone when they’re down, that’s part of what makes America great, helping one another. But when someone refuses to better themselves because they’re getting it for nothing, it’s time to cut them off: “You gotta get off your ass, to get back on your feet” (bumper sticker I saw). Seventy years ago people started getting things handed to them for nothing; many appreciated it and paid it back. I digress (the welfare system could be a whole ‘nother topic).

Since its inception welfare has gone down hill. We’re now a society that thinks that everything should be handed to us. We’re all about ME! No one cares about anyone else, it’s all “what can you do for me?”. These masses don’t care what happens to this once great country. They don’t care that our jobs are being outsourced and that immigration is out of control and bleeding our coiffers. The people who are taking advantage of our country, of the hard-working, average American, are not going to bite the hand that feeds them.

Very few people are thinking about how our economy, our dollar, and social security are going downhill. Those who are thinking about these things and calling the US Government out on them are considered extremists and fanatics, and are being ignored by the general populous.

We've allowed our government to become so powerful, that the power doesn't rest with the people anymore. The power rests with a few. The ones who control the strings. It's all just one big puppet show. Vote? Why? They've already decided on the next president. The electoral college is politicians: Do we honestly believe that they'll rule with the popular vote? They'll rule with who is lining the pockets.

Even if a vast majority of the population wanted to revolt we couldn’t. The government would quickly squash any attempts of rebellion: The military isn’t what it was 232 years ago.
Before the first assembly could happen we'd be buried under bureaucracy. We would be told we had to file for permits and pay a fee, name the intentions of our business etc etc. Or, no one would show, because they figure someone else will go, and reruns of "Grey's Anatomy" are on.

The first people to rebel will be the truckers and the small business owners. The first step toward a successful revolution is a trucker strike. It would be amazing to see how quickly things change when the trucks stop moving and the grocery store shelves are bare. For the sake of all of us, and our wallets, it is what needs to happen.

We need to bring the government to its knees and fix all of these problems and programs. Our government has done an excellent job of keeping us oblivious, while they go about doing whatever it is they want to do. It has become exactly that which Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Patrick Henry, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams all fought against. And WE THE PEOPLE allowed it.

We just keep following blindly along, “just don’t take away my TV and I’m happy”. It’s sick! It's sad, because this country is on the way down the crapper and we desperately need a change.

And so it begins....(Part 2)

Part 2
2) I know the majority of people where we live are wondering how they’re going to be heating their homes next winter. My mom estimates that it will cost them approximately $5000 to heat their 1500sqf home for the months of October through mid-May (this is with the thermostat set at 64* during the day, and 55* at night). They’re not the only ones. My grandfather will most likely be moving in with them, because he can’t afford to heat his house.

When the price of basic living expenses (food, heating, etc) start going up, people start getting scared. Some people will struggle along with what they have, doing what they can, skimping where they have to. Other people resort to thievery. I know this sounds extreme, but it’s the truth and it’s sad.

We heat our home with both natural gas and a wood furnace. Like my parents we keep our house at 64* while we’re home and 55* at night and when we’re out. You can bet the wood furnace will be getting used more this winter than the gas (which is still a little cheaper than heating oil).

Our load of logs, that’s right a tractor trailer with 15’ trees on it, should be coming in the next week or so ($575, plus our time). Once we get that cut, split, and stacked we’ll hopefully get another load before the end of the summer, because you can guarantee that will be going up soon.

A fence has been something we’ve been deliberating, mainly because of our dogs and future children. We want them to be safe in our yard. The deliberation has ended: We’re building the fence next month. There is one other main reason for this, beyond the dogs/kids, security.

This is back to my previous comment on thievery. You can guarantee if things get bad enough (which they will) the dishonest people will start stealing whatever they can: Wood for heat, siphoning gas from home tanks and vehicles, other things that can be sold for money.

We’ll also be putting a lock on our hen house. Yes, we may be paranoid, but I’d rather be safe than sorry. You probably won’t see these things happening in more urban settings, but you will in rural settings. Those places were people believe that their possessions are secure.

The people who are already being victimized by these crimes are the people that I mentioned briefly before: The truckers and the small business owners. If you notice, a lot of tractor-trailers have locking gas caps on their tank, because people are siphoning fuel out of their 100-gallon tanks. My father went out and bought 2 on Monday, for his truck.

And so it begins....(part 1)

$4.15. FOUR DOLLARS AND FIFTEEN CENTS! That’s right! That was the price of gas when I drove into work this morning. A bit scary, isn’t it?

I'm not one for political commentary because I don't have all the facts, I just know my thoughts (that's what this post is MY thoughts).

For the past few days I’ve been thinking…a lot…about the rising costs of everything. It doesn’t matter what it is, I can guarantee that the price of it has or will go up. There are several very unfortunate realities that come with this: 1) Fuel prices will continue to drive everything up, 2) People are going to become more desperate for things due to lack of money, and 3) There will never be another American revolution: despite how badly one is needed. I will discuss each of these in individually posts.

Part 1
1) It’s inevitable that the continual increases in fuel that things go up. The sad part, and the part most people don’t realize, is that they won’t come back down. The powers that be know that we will continue to pay, because in all honesty…we have to. Most of us don’t have the option to use public transport or carpool, and there are those of us who will continue to pay for convenience. If the market will bear the increase, then why drop the prices? Smart business.

The unfortunate reality is the effect that the continual fuel increases will have on the lower-middle and middle class people, the truckers, and the people who are self-employed: In essence, the people who have the least amount of flexible income.

My parents own their own business; that business is food; food gets delivered via trucks; which run on diesel. Right now my parents are paying $4.69 a gallon, in a truck that gets about 8 miles to the gallon, on a route that drives almost 1500 miles a week: $879.38!

You may be saying: “add a fuel surcharge”, “increase your prices”, or any other good ideas. You know what the vendors that they sell to say “take your stuff out of my cooler; I’ll get someone else in here.” You know who is sitting in the wings just waiting to jump at that customer: US Foodservice, Sysco, Maines, any of the humongous corporate food distributors: The ones who sell you an inferior product at the same price. That’s how they’re able to not “charge” a fuel surcharge. The vendor thinks they’re getting a deal.

The reality is they're not, and you're out of a stop, and ultimately out the 20% profit (which after your fuel, your labor [employees, not you], your truck, your business expenses, your cost of the product amounts to maybe 2% in your pocket, maybe: When the average gas-station deli is only $400, that’s not much money, but it’s money.

This is happening to anyone who relies on a vehicle to do their job. Currently the truckers in this country are being really hurt. Many independent truck companies have already gone under. There are many drivers who are working out of 2 log books (one their’s and the other a spouse’s) and driving 100+ hours a week, just so that they can barely make ends meet. They’ve gone on strike before; they may just do it again.

For the past few years, my parents have been swallowing the rising costs of fuel, increasing prices where they can. You know what their take home is a week? $250 each, for a 50-60 hour week (that works out to $4.50 an hour). It’s easy to say, “Maybe it’s time to close the business”, “maybe they should get regular jobs” or any other legitimate suggestion.

You ask the average small business owner if they want to close something that they’ve put a lot of work, time and money into. You ask them whether they want to go work for someone else. You ask them if they want to give up on something that was most likely a dream to them

Thank YOU! All of you!

This afternoon at work I was playing around and figured out how to tell how many people are "subscribed" to my blog through google reader: 4, 1 of which is me. I felt likely Lilly in "Princess Diaries" when she's telling Mia what she thinks about her being a princess:

Mia: It's a nightmare!
Lilly: No, think about it. I just found out my cable show reaches only 12 people. Wanting to rock the world, but having zip power, like me, that's a nightmare.

That's how I was feeling this afternoon: Completely alone. That I blog, and while I do it for myself, I also do it because I want to reach out to other people. Because I want to have a positive affect on someone or something. Because I want other people who are in similar situations to mine (whether it be IF, daily life, home renovations, cooking, farming, gardening, photography, missing "real" friends who can understand and support, etc), to know they're not alone. And while you and I may never meet IRL...it doesn't make any of us less real to each other.

Then I came home to your comments: All of you supporting, encouraging, praying for and hoping with me. For that I thank you, all of you. Ultimately, it isn't the quantity, but the quality...and that, you guys give to me.

All you lurkers out there...if you read my blog, "SHOW YOURSELVES!" so I can read your's too :-)

I don't know if there really are only a few of you (you know who you are) who regularly read and comment on my blog, but thank you. Thank you for being here for me during the good and the bad, and helping me see the silver lining and giving me hope and a shoulder to lean on. And for coming back.