Oh boy....

So I have tried very hard not to speak of my birth mother or my dad's sister since all the drama this summer but something has happened and I just need to talk about it.

I'll start with my dad's sister. No, I do not call her my aunt because she isn't. There was a time that her and I were very close, almost like friends rather than niece and aunt. We hung out together and talked all the time but then something happened, she started dating a man I was once engaged to. I had a very hard time with this one but she saw no problem with this what so ever and so I made the decision not to continue to have her in my life as a friend. To me the worst part of all is that she dated him for months and it wasn't until I accidentally found out that she confessed everything.

When my Nanny recently got very sick, our family was called to the hospital. The entire time I was there I made it a point not to speak to her and you know what, I felt worse about that then ever. Thank you Jesus for conviction. So the next time I saw her I acted different. No, I didn't trust her with every detail of my life but I did have a decent visit and it made my Nanny happy. Well, this was short lived because last week, the drama started again.

A picture was posted of my Nanny on Facebook. This picture was her in terrible pain and if you know my Nanny, not something she would want everyone to see. Thinking I was being polite, I said that I didn't think that my nanny would like this picture posted. Looking for a reason to start something with me, she started the drama, lied to her friends on a Facebook post about what I said and started a bunch of mess. I had people cussing me on her Facebook page, people who don't know me and did not have both sides of the story but that's alright. I guess it may have to do with the fact that she is good friends with my birth mother.

Moving on to birth mother, after attacking me in front of my children, telling me she hated me, I ruined her life and wish that I was never born, I removed her, her husband and their daughter and granddaughter from my life and honestly, my life has been pretty nice without the constant source of drama. I told my children that until they turned 18 they were not allowed to have anything to do with any of them until that time.

Fast forward 7 months down the road. I log on to Facebook and notice that my oldest child is not only friends with my birth mother but her husband as well. Husband got deleted, not going into details but there is no way any of my kids can be his friend. First I checked out her page and no mention of missing her grandchildren anywhere on her page or any pictures of them either but she has pictures of her other granddaughter and posts about her other granddaughter. Next I called my exhusband who said he would back any decision I made regarding this situation. Then I talked to my son.

At first he tried to have an attitude but then I told him that we were going to handle this situation as adults would: he would give his side and I would give mine and together we would come up with a compromise.

His take:

No matter what she is still my grandmother.

My take:

She has always treated you guys different than her other grandchildren, mainly grandchild. She attacked me in front of you guys and then lied to the police. She is a constant source of drama, told me what she did and I don't want her in my life and I don't want her to have the chance to hurt my children the way she hurt me.

Our compromise:

I am going to allow him to be friends with her via Facebook with us closely monitoring things. If she asks him about my other children, myself, my husband, etc, Joel is to politely tell her those are not issues he is going to discuss with her. There will be no going to her house, staying the night and he is not to give her the cell phone number of any of my other children, myself or my husband nor can he give her his cell number. If they are to have a conversation she will have to call Joel on his dad's phone.

Also, if she comes to any of his activities, if he knows she is coming, I am to know so that I can make sure that I am going to stay away from her. I am doing this for the simple fact that I love my children very much and maybe he will learn a lesson from all of this.

The bad part is that I have to allow him to get hurt in order for him to learn a lesson it took me 32 years to learn and then not react when it does. The good part is my son is seeing how to have healthy grown up relationships, how to communicate, compromise and that I really love him more than anything in the world.

I pray that I am making the right decision and asking God to protect my son from hurt. The part that sucks for me is that no matter how I feel about her I long to have my mother, something I will never have because she is encapable of being what I need her to be. Also, without having to deal with her I can be strong and it doesn't feel like it hurts but now the pain came welling back up and I am going to have to find a way to deal with it.

Thanks for listening. If you have any input it's appreciated.

Tiny Prints Valentine's Day Cards Giveaway

I feel like I was just posting about Christmas cards and New Year's Eve festivities and now it's almost Valentine's Day which of course means Valentine's Cards. You guys know I love Tiny Prints so of course I started taking a look at their Valentine's Day classroom cards for my kids. 

I love Tiny Prints because they have something for everyone.

 They have cards for boys

 

They have cards for everyone

 They have cards for girls

And of course personalized cards.

Want some for yourself?

Giveaway ends on February 3, 2012 at Midnight.

Winner has 48 hours to reply or alternate winner will be chosen.

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Fashion Friday

Fashion Fridays is all about just that, Fashion. I think I am going to start adding linkys to my posts to get some participation going on and also to check out some new blogs.

Fashion means different things to different people. In honor of going back to college I am going to post some great outfits (in my opinion) for heading back to school.

Tastey Thursday

I decided to go against the grain, imagine that, and dub Thursdays Tastey Thursdays. This gives me a reason to have to try something new each week and gives my family a break from the same old boring things.

Oreo Truffles

Super easy! Tastes amazing! Awful for your diet and started a debate in my house as to who got the last one.

Ingredients:

1 pack of oreo cookies
2 8 oz packs of cream cheese softened
1 pack of almond bark


crush your oreos up in a bag or food processor. Mix together with your cream cheese. Form into balls and freeze for 15 minutes. Melt your almond bark, dip your truffles in, place back in freezer until firm and presto...

Sorry not my pic because mine were gone before I could grab a camera but this is what they will look like

Wordless Wednesday

 Ok a few words...all but the very top picture I took myself and the top picture was taken by someone I know. These are all calls that I went on
1. Tornado Rice, TX (youtube videos if you want to see)
2. What's it's like to be inside a grass fire while in the truck (most of the time I'm in the back of the truck with a hose fighting the fires
3. A barn fire in which we had to use foam to put it out. (Discovered later there were propane bottles full in the barn but none of them blew up...thank you Jesus)
4. Mutual Aid call to neighboring city where they had an entire business burn to the ground (the business makes flavored wood chips for BBQ and smokers so you can only imagine)
5. Structure fire when it was over 100 degrees outside. Thankfully no one was injured but the house was a total loss


I love doing this and can't imagine life without it now.....part of the reason I am going back to school

College After 30

So my class tonight doesn't start until 6:30 but I had to go get my college ID before hand. Let me tell you if you think your driver's license pic is bad, take a college ID pic. I am currently at Starbucks because they are still doing late registration and some people think it is a good idea to bring your 2 or 3 year old child to school with you and handle business.

Enough about when you should leave your children with a sitter rant. I am so praying that when I get back to school and get to class that the people in my classes are older, like me, and care about their education. I know I am in college as a 33 year old woman when most people in community college are less than 20 but I am so scared that the transition is going to be a challenge.

I am trying very hard to go into this with an open mind and remind myself that it is only 3 semesters total., just 3.

P.S. I can't not wait for the rest of my student loan money to get here so I don't have to carry around JT's ugly blue backpack. lol.

TTYL

Pin It Tuesday

Bryan's 12th birthday is right around the corner which means it's time for this mama to start planning his birthday party. Growing up my birthdays weren't a big deal and I was lucky if I got a card much less cake or a party so I make a point to try and make the kids birthdays super special.

This year Bryan is really into football, thanks in part to the football coach at school and his 2 older brothers playing (nothing to do with going to the games with his mama and hearing this Texan roar in stands lol) so we decided we will go with football for the party theme.

This year I am grateful for Pinterest. Here are some of the awesome ideas I've come up with via Pinterest.

I remember when I was in the 4th grade there were a bunch of parents of my classmates who got together and petitioned the school board for us to have Martin Luther King Day off like other school districts and like all Federal entities. At first, the school board said no but then the parent rallied the troops and I have had it off ever since. Do I personally think Martin Luther King deserves an entire day to celebrate his life, legacy and accomplishments? YES!


I am not one to get into a big political debate. Regardless of what side you pick or if you even pick a side, most will agree that our government is in a state of disarray, however, stop and think for just a minute about how the world would be IF this brave soul, brother in Christ, did not take a Biblical stand for many of us: women, minorities, those with disabilities, illegal immigrants, civil rights of everyone. This world would not be a very good place.

At times I sit and wonder what this world would be like today if Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had not been killed and if JFK was not killed. In my mind the world we be a much better place, however, the reality is we get what we have. Please take the time today to listen to the ideals of a great man...Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

This speech gives me chills every time I hear it.

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Eggies Review

We found them at Walmart near the eggs. They are these cool egg things you make hard boiled eggs in without having to worry about the shell.

I'm posting from my phone again so pics are at the bottom.

Overall I would say they are more work than they are good. All the assembling and spraying with non stick spray and the. The mess it left in the pan almost
Makes it worth it to just peel shells

1. Do you quote any movies on a regular basis? If so, which quotes/movies?
Not on a regular basis other than "You're killing me smalls" from Sandlot. My husband on the other hand is a movie buff and he does quote all the time.

2. What was the worst thing that happened to you in 2011?

2011 was not a great year. We stupidly moved from our current home to where my biological family is from and all hell broke lose. Let's just say that we no longer communicate with the person who gave birth to me, her spouse or their daughter. Trust me it's for the good of everyone and God has moved mountains on my behalf since that time.

3. You are creating the ultimate ice cream sundae…what would you put on it?

vanilla ice cream
hot chocolate
caramel
butterscotch
whip cream
sprinkles
NO CHERRIES

Medical Program Student = Pin Cushion

If you are in the medical field you understand shots and I'm not talking about you being the blonde lady in the photo above, I am talking about you being the brunette. I start college on Tuesday. After over a year with the fire department, I decided that I want to be a Paramedic but this requires so pre-reqs.

Pre-reqs aren't awful, yet. This semester I have Anatomy & Phys. I, Microbiology, Intro to college and Pre-Algebra. Next semester I am going to EMT school and then to Paramedic school. Not sure if I am going to have to go to fire academy, not something I really want to do, work on a paid department. I am not knocking paid departments I just don't really want to live in a fire house but we will see where the road takes me.


Another pre-req for any medical program are immunizations.

The first round of immunizations:

TB test
Hep B 1st round
Chicken Pox 1st round
MMR 1st round


After having these shots I was sick as a dog for a week but I got through that.

My 2nd round of shots:

Hep B 2nd round
Chicken Pox 2nd round
MMR 2nd round
Bacterial Meningitis

This time I am only slightly icky but I am ready to go.

College Chaos

So many of you know I am going back to college to become a Paramedic.....BUT there are a bunch of pre-reqs you have to complete first.

I had my FAFSA complete back in August for Spring 2012 semester. I started getting my immunizations, got registered for classes and then the chaos started.

First was a verification form saying that my income was correct and that we really had 5 dependents and 2 adults in our household. Next came me wondering about my student loan money, since they put it on this awesome little card that charges you $2 every time you take your money off the card. So last week I called to make sure everything was in order....sure was I was told and student loan money should be on your card on Friday.

So yesterday guess what? No money AND no one answering the phone in financial aid. So I drive 35 minutes to school after going to the doctor to get my 2nd dose of immunizations and a bacterial meningitis vaccine. The lady in financial aid tells me I didn't get my money because I've never been through loan counseling...excuse me but no one has ever said anything about loan counseling and class starts Tuesday.

They tell me go home, log on and do my loan counseling and then be back at 9am in the morning. They are going to give me a short term loan, and charge interest on it, until my money comes in which will be 1-4 weeks from now. Get home, kick JT off the laptop and get everything done. 3 o'clock rolls around and a phone call telling me my math class has been canceled and I will need to meet with an advisor from 9-12 tomorrow.

Awesome because the math class I have is because I failed the entrance exam math part and I have to have it for financial aid but I also have to have the other classes for my major and if I don't take them all this semester, I am going to be screwed because it means an entire semester extra for 1 funky class.


Well it's almost time for me to go now and get all of this straightened out and as frustrated as I am with all of it, I am thankful because if there were no opposition than I can honestly say that it isn't my calling from God. See I firmly believe that when you are doing what is in God's will for your life, the devil will do all in his power to mess it up. If you had any idea the week I've had (sorry can't share because I could lose my job) you would understand why I am so frustrated.

Thanks for reading...update y'all soon.

Walgreens And Express Scripts: How Are You Affected?

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Many of us have insurance for just in case something happens or if you are like my husband, you take a medication daily. Just today I picked up JT's medication at Walgreens, the only pharmacy I will use and even with insurance, the cost of his medication goes up each year. Thank you increased cost and changes in healthcare.

 

Walgreens and Express Script have also been effected by these changes. Walgreens and Express Script have been under negotiations for a new contract, however, they have been unsuccessful. Now, Walgreens is no longer paret of the Express Script pharmacy provider network starting Jan. 1, 2012, affecting all Walgreens nationwide.

 

What does this all mean to you?

If you are an Express Script member who has been using Walgreens to fill your prescriptions, you will now be forced to go elsewhere to fill your prescriptions in network. This means you will have to change your pharmacy, possibly drive further and not not have access to a drive through pharmacy. In addition, many Walgreens are 24 hours, for those ER prescriptions you need filled in the middle of the night, but if you have Express Scripts, you may have to wait until the next day to get your medication filled.

 

Walgreens To The Rescue

 

Walgreens is offering customers of theirs a discount on their annual membership to Walgreens Prescription Savings Club . The cost is amazing at only $10 a year for your family membership. Yes, family membership which includes dependents up to the age of 22 and even your pets. If you just individual coverage the cost is a mere $5.

Benefits:

Savings on more than 8,000 brand name and generic medicines

Discounts on flu shots, pet medicines, nebulizers and diabetic supplies

Bonuses when you purchase Walgreen brand products and phot services

You can follow Walgreens on Twitter

and on Walgreens on Facebook

SatelliteTVFamily.com

For me it is essential to find the best deals around. I love online shopping and I love even more that the Internet allows me to price shop for the things we need most or that we use the most. For us, satellite television has become a must and the people at SatelliteTVFamily.com have made things easy and affordable.Shopping online has never been easier.


With free instillation and great deals on receivers for every room in your house, you can be sure that you are getting a great deal. Don't need a receiver in every room, simply compare rates right on their site and determine which plan fits your household.

Book Review: Where Has Oprah Taken Us

Book Description:

An evocative exploration of Oprah Winfrey’s religious beliefs, from her rejection of her Baptist upbringing to her controversial rise as “an icon of church-free spirituality.”

Born into poverty in Mississippi in 1954 and rising through talent, hard work and despite tragedy—she was raped at the age of nine and lost an infant son at 14—Oprah Winfrey has become one of the wealthiest, most powerful, and most popular women of her age. These facts alone would make Winfrey worthy of study, yet what makes her of even more profound impact on American society is her decision to champion the cause of “New Age Christianity.” She is, as Christianity Today has proclaimed, “a postmodern priestess—an icon of church-free spirituality.” Rejecting her Baptist roots, Winfrey has become a champion of the Course in Miracles, a seminar in which Christianity is reinterpreted in terms of self-actualization, personal divinity, and self-empowerment. She has also become a disciple of Eckhart Tolle, the increasingly popular teacher of a form of spirituality that blends Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, and Christianity.

Author Stephen Mansfield explores the Winfrey spiritual phenomenon—much as Mansfield has with figures like George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Pope Benedict XVI, and Winston Churchill.

My Review

This is a good read. I really liked Stephen Mansfield and his thoughts regarding Oprah's influence on religion and our society. I will admit that the book is a slow start and I had a hard time getting into it but it became very interesting. It's nice to see his own notes and thoughts on Christianity.

This book was provided to me free of charge and in accordance to the FTC rules and regs.  The opinions expressed here are my own.

Wordless Wednesday - My Brother In Law

 My brother in law, World's 2nd Greatest Dad besides my husband of course!

Pin It Tuesday!

So let me start by saying that I am in love with Pinterest. I have made several things that I've found on the website and I have many ideas for things I would like to make of fashion items I would love to own. Funny how lately dressing nice, doing my hair and putting on make up have taken priority. This post is mostly about beauty/fashion items but some them are for the house. Hope you enjoy and feel free to follow me.

Monday Mingle

Hey guys! I have decided to participate in Mingle Monday with 80 MPH Mom ! The way it works it you head on over to 80 MPH mom, go to Mingle Monday and get the questions for the week, link up your blog so others can see your awesome answers and of course, post it on your blog!


1. How did you ring in the new year?

This year is all about family, in fac most of the 2nd part of 2011 was about my family. So instead of finding a sitter and hitting the streets, we had my niece and nephew over, my brother in law and sister in law and since we live at my inlaws for a few more weeks, of course they were here. We played games, ate some snack foods, ate ice cream and rang in the new year with sparkling grape juice.

2. What song title would best describe your life right now?







Frankie Beverly and Maze "Happy Feelings"


Happy feelin's in the air touching people everywhere
Plenty love and everything listen to the people sing

I got myself to remind me of love
My mind and my heart I believe in above
These happy feelin's I'll spread them all over the world
From deep in my soul I wish you

Happy Feelin's Happy Feelin's
Happy Feelin's Happy Feelin's

I I've seen the light watch them shine down on me
I'm gonna spread my wings I'm gonna tell all I see
These happy feelin's I spread them all over the world
From deep in my soul

Happy Happy
Happy Happy feelin's
[repeat]



3. What is the bravest (most courageous) thing that you have done?

If you ask the people in my community they will tell you every time I answer a fire call. I am a member of the local volunteer fire department but for me, this is not something I do to be brave, I do it because I'm called to do it but for me, this is not the bravest or most courageous thing I have ever done. To me, the bravest thing I have ever done is take on a full-time job, raise a family and go to school full-time to be a Paramedic.

Turning 76 is a big deal. Today is Granny's (JT's Grandma) birthday. She can remember things like when gas was $.10 per gallon and when people listened to their parents, helped their neighbors and loved one another.  My inlaws gave her a choice of where she wanted to go and since JT and his brother, Bobby were going, she chose to go to a long time family spot, Mongolian Grill, but when we got there, it was closed down.

So we ended up going to Cracker Barrel.

 

I love all the cool things they have inside of Cracker Barrel and being that we were there right after church on a Sunday, we had plenty of time to look around their country store.

When we finally got seated it was a question of breakfast or linner (lunch/dinner) type foods. JT, Bobby, Wayne and I ate breakfast. Pam, Granny, Junior and Rachael ate lunch foods. It was so good and we left super full.

We got Granny a gift card to Whataburger since she loves that place. They even put it in a really cute gift card holder that looks like a pie holder.

Here are some pics from the day. Hope you enjoy.

They hate having their picture made and if you look really close you can see my nephew in his black cowboy hat noticing his Uncle J has snuck off and is aiming a camera their direction.

 Being silly with my hubby!

 JT and his Granny.

My husband and his OCD self made all the pegs match at the table. If you have never been to Cracker Barrel they have games sitting at all the tables for you to play.

One of my favorite pics of all time, my brother in law Bobby and my niece Rachael loving on one another.

It was a beautiful day and Granny had a great day celebrating another year of life with her awesome family. Makes me miss my Nanny who is in the nursing home and about time to make the 2 hour drive to go see her.