I need a HUGE toothpick

Imagine if you will eating a nice big juicy saucy rib, meat falls off the bone, fingers covered in sauce, best rib you have ever eaten ribs. They taste so good, you even have sauce on your nose and cheeks and then you smile. Meat stuck in your teeth. You know how annoying that is? Ok maybe you are a vegetarian, you know when you bite into a really hard juicy apple and that skin gets stuck in your teeth? Well I think nothing sticks worse than meat, so bare with me. Little pieces of meat in between each crack of your teeth. You have no toothpicks to get rid of them. That just stinks.

That's the way I feel about life right now. I have been enjoying my life. I feel submerged in life, sauces on fingers, nose and cheeks. But there is so much meat in my teeth, right now I can't stand it.

In my top front teeth, the elections! And the fact that I am scared about the end results on a personal level and a national level. Personal the fact that husbands work revolves around it. What happens will affect me, my family and people around me. National level....let me just say I hope people are looking further than skin deep (not talking racial) and know more about their candidates than what has come out of their mouths in the last few weeks. (enough said)

Stuck back in my molars, teacher conference comments. Let me just say, if something is "not right" with my child, talking about it in a conference after 3 months of school is ridiculous and should have been brought up before, especially when I brought up the concern the second week of school. Again enough said.

Hanging out down in the bottom front teeth, life choices. Where are we going to live? Why can't I convince myself that waking up at 5 am is just as fun and enjoyable as a really good hamburger and fries?

I have much to say about those things, but suffice it to say I just need a toothpick!

(think my iron is low or something all this talk of red meat.)

For just $1.60 a day

Or there about you can save a starving child in Hawaii, well not really starving, just really in need of some help. This poor child has worked the last several years with a home based business, bringing in little checks here and there to help feed her own family. Life has hit hard for them, as for many and with out your support her little at home business will go under and be taken over by other people.

You ask yourself, how can I help? It is simple really go to http://www.storybooker.com/ and sign up for an account. Don't stop there, upload your pictures and begin to make a treasured book, or card, or poster for your loved ones. That's right by helping her you will be helping yourself. These items make great gifts for the holidays as well as any time of the year you want to preserve your memories and stories.

For as much as a large diet coke at your favorite drive through you can save your memories!

Don't let this poor child down.

Act now, and if you call (number on website http://www.storybooker.com/) you can save her business and you some money on purchasing credits for those projects you can't finish in a few days. Make one book, make several copies for different relatives and friends, and save money and save her business.

What are you waiting for? Act now before time runs out. Orders must be placed by October 31st 5:00 PM MST.

**and as a halloween bonus, anyone who purchases a credit or book by October 31, 5 PM Mountain standard time will be entered into a drawing for a fre 8x8 storybook credit! Email me for more information.

Monday's Mumblings: Visitors

Have you been wondering if I was swept out to sea in a heavy undercurrent, left for fish food? Well luckily I wasn't, though Two and Eric came pretty darn close to becoming shark bait the other day. Two was just lazily floating in an inner tube inside the tide pools, Eric beside her, when the tide just flushed them out. I don't think my dad had run that fast since his college days, though the lava rock wasn't as easy to run on as a track. All are safe and well.

My parents were here all last week and we had a blast with them. We barely had a moment to sit and relax, and when we did we all fell asleep.

Some of the highlights: (pictures to come later, as I stole my dad's camera and shot pictures all week on it, and forgot to download them to my computer)

• After arriving on Sunday afternoon, we took them for a walk through our neighborhood, had dinner, and maybe did something else, but I don't remember...only a week and my memory is already gone.
• Monday morning sent the kids off to school, while my parents, T-Rex, Two and I hiked up to the Makapu'u Lighthouse. Then we had some yummy lunch at Teddy's Bigger Burgers and made a quick trip to Price Busters to find my dad a sun hat...I know you are jealous of the excitement. Then I believe we went swimming in our pool, had dinner and just hung out.
• Tuesday gosh my memory is so bad....oh yeah the little kids and I took my parents to the zoo, after which we headed home, and when the older kids got home from school we went out to Lanikai beach for a little swim and sand digging.
• Wednesday my mom and I went to Walmart and did some clothes shopping for Bee and then when the kids came home from school, they got out early, we finished homework. Then took Bee to Hula and watched G-Man play and win his basketball game. We then headed to the Kahala hotel and watched the dolphins and sea turtles. Everyone was starving on the way home so we grabbed Burger King, and my mom and I rushed to my ceramics class.
• Thursday we took the kids out of school and Eric took the day off. We packed a picnic lunch and headed to Makapu'u beach and played in the tide pools. We had the above mention scare, which made G-Man head to the shore to dig a hole to bury his dad. After the beach we headed to the Pali look out which was covered in tourists with huge cameras, none of which spoke English, the people not the cameras. I only mention this because every time my dad tried to take a picture one of them would jump in front of him and get in his way. After that we headed towards down town and got the Best, I mean the best shave ice!! So yummy! Just a little hole in the wall market but it was totally the best shave ice we have had....if only I could remember the name of it. My dad got a picture of the shop so later I can let you know. We headed back home and did some swimming...no wait we didn't we got a babysitter and the adults went out to eat at Roy's. We watched the sunset and enjoyed an outdoor patio dinner. It was tasty. Loved the chocolate souffle.
• Friday we woke up and I think my mom and I went to the store, and kids went swimming and then we went to the PCC. We had a great time there, especially on the haunted lagoon ride. It was pretty scary. Bee got off the boat, and started to cry and when she saw her friend from school she pleaded with her not to get on "because it was scary and they took a lady off and ate her." They didn't really eat her but it was a little frightening. Two kept her head in Eric's lap the whole time, and fell asleep. G-man moved from the side of the boat where guys kept jumping out of the water and grabbing his legs, to the center so his dad could be on the outside. The night show was amazing as usual, all the children slept through it though.
• Saturday we thought the kids might sleep in but they didn't. We all woke up tired. But ready to do something, yet so ready to just lay around. At one point, my eye really hurt, I thought something flew into it, but come to find out a blood vessel popped and my eye looks really yucky to say the least. We went to the doctor and he said everything looked just fine on the inside, so that's good. We (my mom, bee and i) headed to Costco for a few things. Then when we got home, we headed to the bishop's museum. Great museum. After that Eric showed us the capital and then palace. Then we went to a scary but yummy local bbq place.
• Sunday was the kids program at church. They did awesome, and some of our neighbor friends came to watch. Sunday was a lazy day, though the kids got in a little swim, I got in a little nap and the older two even learned to fish for a little bit from their Papa. Then we said good bye.

We had a blast, and it was a lot of fun having visitors in town to show them around. Though we never made it to the north shore, or the dole plantation to get some dole whip....oh well Thanks Mom and Dad for coming out and letting us show you around. We had a great time. Looking forward to my sister visiting us. Wish more family could come out and visit us. Wish we weren't leaving in a few weeks!

Fortune Telling Hairdresser

Saturday Bee was at a birthday party, G-Man was playing with a friend, Eric was watching a UT football game (go Longhorns) and watching the other two in that order, and I decided to go and treat myself to a haircut and do a little pre parents coming grocery shopping.

As I was getting my haircut, my hairdresser and I talked about kids. I have four, in case you missed that, and she has three. She was born in China and still has family there. It sadens her to see her two brothers only have one child. She expressed the awesomeness in being able to have many children and if she could she would have more because when they all grow up it never seems like enough.

She then said to me "Are you going to have more? I can tell you are going to have one more, I know it."

Well Okay...not sure when but if she says so... I hope she just wasn't looking at my belly and predicting that cuz nope thats just a little extra poundage.

Six things You Never Knew about me And Always wanted to know!

My sister Alyson, tagged me like several million years ago, and then someone else tagged me right around that time, and I believe some one else, and here I sit today and decided to finally do the tag because I'd rather write than make deviled egg salad for my kids. Kind of fun listening to them in the kitchen...think I am going to regret this decision in a bit....ok be right back you won't even notice I am gone, I promise.

See you didn't miss me did you :)

So on to the Six Things You Never Knew About Me, Six Random Facts, Six things that will help you sleep better at night knowing, well maybe not quite:

1. My favorite color is yellow and blue which makes green. And I know it should say my favorite colors are...but I prefer sometimes to write in improper grammar for the heck of it. Yeah so which is the random fact here?
2. My Mom is the third child, I am the third child, Eric is the third child, Two is our third child and I wanted to name her Tracy (tres three in spanish) but Eric said we couldn't because Tracy is sometimes a boy name....I was like whatever but we decided on naming her after the Labor and Delivery nurse. (so is that more of a random fact about Two than me?)
3. I have never read Harry Potter books, not because I really didn't want to but more because I love the "OH my Gosh!" factor when people hear I haven't read them. I also have had no desire to read them, and even less when people tell me I should. Probably a little of my rebellious side shining through. Maybe one day I will read them.
4. I like to look at people, watch them and make up stories in my head about them. For instance I see a guy driving- kind of in a hurry and imagine he just got a call from his wife saying she just has had it and needs him to come home so she can go out and get her nails and hair done. So he is quickly trying to come to her rescue....maybe that's just a little fantasy of mine.
5. As a small child, I collected snails and slugs in buckets and pulled them around in the wagon. I'd leave them in the buckets over night and be so sad in the morning because the only ones left were the ones that got smooshed in the bottom by their friends trying to escape (or by me, pushing them down and in the bucket to fill it with more....we had a lot of snails). Then I'd make graves for the ones that didn't make it out.
6. I am an imperfect impatient perfectionist. I often don't do things because I know I can't do them perfectly in the amount of time I have to do it, so I don't. And if I try to do something, and am in a hurry I rush and then try not to care. It really is a crazy personality trait, and doesn't make much sense.

**Side note: T-Rex is in trouble!!! He just threw my camera in the phone! not the phone the Toilet! I am tired and I have been up since 4 AM and my parents are coming to town tomorrow, and we have no groceries...though The house is mostly clean but we still have a day to destroy it again. So we are headed to the beach this morning while Eric works.

Rewards don't need to be Eaten

G-man and Bee filled out their reading logs, and received a reading certificate for a free personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut. Believe me we love pizza and the idea of saving some money on a dinner for the kids is always welcome. But I have issues with this, in more ways than one. I just don't like the whole idea of read, or do something good and here you go eat something to reward yourself. It just seems to breed an unhealthy relationship.

Is it possible for book reading rewards to be related to reading books??? Where are Barnes and Noble, and Borders and Scholastic Books? Can't they set up a reward system of getting a free book? Or even a book mark? How about a pencil and pad of paper to write your own stories? I think I have found a new cause?

I just have my own personal unhealthy relationship with food. It is a reward, a friend, a bandaid, a party, a whole mess of other things instead of something to just sustain my living, you know what I mean?

Anyway....just a little food for thought! Come on people please lets make rewards other than food. Too bad, just finishing reading a book isn't reward enough!

School Pics

The kids brought home their school pictures yesterday.

G-man pulled his out. As soon as I saw the envelope I knew what it was. Excited to seem them, I asked him to show them to me. As cute as he looked in the picture, I almost didn't recognize him.

Was it that he didn't have his glasses on? No.

Was it because we recently just cut off all his long hair? No, not totally

....what was it?.....

His smile, yeah that is not his smile. So I asked him: G-Man why didn't you smile?

"I guess I just wasn't happy that day!"

Then I picked up Bee from Hula and dug through her back pack to find her picture envelope. I commented to her as I was pulling them out "You got your pictures today. I can't wait to see how cute you look."

A panic stricken five year old, obviously repeating the sacred words of her teacher, screams out to me "Don't open them, you must keep them in the envelope and never take them out."

"It is really ok, I want to look at them."

"Ms. D said we must never take them out of the envelope."

Oh the trust of the five year old in the words of her beloved teacher. At least I know she listens in class.

Wordless Wednesday: Sea Princess

My friend took Two and her daughter to the beach for a little photo shoot. Here are Two's cute pics:

Power of Words: Letter to My Creditors

Several of you have asked to have a copy of my letter to the creditor. Though I am sure if you were to write a letter you would also receive results.

Just a little background. I had consolidated all my debt to this one card with a 3.9% interest for the life of the loan as far as I made my payments on time and all the other fine print. Anyway, after missing one payment and one arrived online after 5pm and was late, they raised my interest to a whopping 25% the first time was 14 and then the next payment went to the 25%...anyway they also transferred all my transferred balances to the purchases section and charged me a transferring fee. After sending this letter, my interest is at 4.9% and they refunded me the transferring fees and moved my balance back to the balance transfer place.

Eric said I needed to write more letters. But anyway just glad I sent it in before all the craziness but anyway it is so worth a shot to write your credit card companies.

Here is my letter:

In July I sent a payment via my Quicken and online banking. My computer was set to send it out to arrive on the 18th to be there in time for my 20th payment. Some where in the electronic world it got “lost” and arrived on the 21st incurring me a late payment, which incurred me an interest rate hike. I understood, I missed my payment by one day and had to undergo the penalties.

Then this month for some reason after fixing my Quicken date so that I wouldn’t incur anymore late payments, it didn’t even send. I just got the statement saying I didn’t pay, which alerted me to the non payment. Now all my balance transfers have been transferred to purchases and once again have incurred another interest rate hike as well as a balance transfer fee (which I didn’t expect to happen). I have sent the August payment in totally $xxx which y’all should be receiving electronically.

As I take responsibilities for my finances and have been a loyal on time customer, I am sickened at the increasing amount of debt I am incurring because of errors and events out of my control. (I probably should not have used my Citi card to consolidate all my debts, or entrusted an electronic set up but I did and had every intention of paying on time to keep my low rate.) I am struggling to get out of debt and it saddens me to know that y’all are making money off of small mistakes, simple errors. Mistakes and errors you expect and wait for, so you can make huge profits. With the interest increases, “balance transfer” fees, and all other penalties and fees, I see no way in ever being able to pay my debts back to you.

I am asking for a little forgiveness for human and computer errors. I know somewhere in that small fine print there are several paragraphs and sentences that a trained eye can read protecting you and your money. But what about us little guys, just really trying to make it in this world? I am not asking you to erase my debts, nor am I asking you to refund my “balance transfer” fee, which would be appreciated, especially since you have probably made all your money back that I have ever borrowed in interest alone. But, I am asking for a break in my interest rate.

Sincerely,

Flashback Friday: Halloween Not so Long ago...ago really long ago!

Thanks to my sister Aly and her blog posting I was able to "steal" this family picture. It's the kids before Adam our number five child. It really is one of my favorite pictures.

In the way back of my mind I remember taking this picture and wanting to sit on the ladder, I think I was even contemplating giving smiling happy Aly a little push off the ladder. No not really. But look how cute and smiling she is! We were pretty darn cute.

Do you see my kids in any of us at all?






AND:





Those were some really groovy overalls!

Happy Birthday Helga

Today is my mother in law's birthday! October is actually filled with family birthdays from my nieces to my grandmother to my mother in law and my other grandma. Anyway I love my mother in law she has been a big help, having lived close to her for almost all our married life, even sometimes too close when we camped out at their house for awhile. She was so generous to share her living quarters with us.

Some of the things I love about her:

• She always remembers the things you like and makes sure to get them, like mint chocolate chip ice cream for me...my favorite.


• She raised wonderful boys that are very self sufficient in the kitchen!


• She loves to share and tell stories.


• I love watching her sit with my kids and just talk with them. Once while I was sick with maybe after T-Rex was born she came over and bathed the kids and just talked to them for hours, literally. G-Man was just asking questions and anyway it just stands out to me.


• She is always willing to help out, and especially make sure you get a yummy well balanced meal to eat.


• She loves doing puzzles and the kids enjoy doing them with her.

We love you! Happy Birthday! I can't access my old files and only have pictures from Hawaii...not sure how I had pics of my Grandmother on here now that I think about it....anyway!These were taken a few days before we left Texas and the kids are doing a puzzle.

Thursday Thought Train: Wasting Money my past time.

Wasting Money seems to be an easy thing for me to do. Not just waste it but basically throw it away. Some days I think it would just be easier to go to the ATM and get out forty bugs not bugs, bucks, and just let my kids rip them up and use it as confetti as Eric walks through the door from work and throw it up in the air and yell "Thanks for making us money."

Grant it I don't give the kids money to tear apart (I think it is illegal to destroy money but don't quote me) because that just seems so wrong. But in so many ways its like I say here take this and tear away!! I guess I have other options of using money check this site out.

I take the kids to get a treat, you know heading over to the golden arches and grabbing them a happy meal. They eat two fries, and a bite of burger and just throw it in the trash. Some days I eat their left overs but my goodness, what is better food rotting in the trash or in my stomache? Either way that is a waste right?? I think each time, ok next time we will just get a large fry to share and one burger and I will cut it in fourths so they all have a slice. But do I? No I get them all their own and end up throwing them away, unless they are super hungry which is rarely the case. And this applies to food at home too not just when we eat out.

Then yesterday, (I haven't mentioned the kids are on fall break, yep a week and a half of no school!), we drove around looking for an inflatable world to go play on. Well we ended up in the mall at KB Toy store, I know not where we were headed but seemed like a good option. Spend money on something they can play with over and over, rather than an hour of fun. After humming and hahing over toys they all picked something.

And in the car instead of "thanks Mom." I got:

"Stupid cheap plastic gun. It already broke." It did, wasted $7

"I no wanted a phone. Me want a baby doll." And with that the Cinderella phone she had picked out flew to the floor. There goes $5.

"I like my puppy. Thank you Mommy." Ok so not totally wasted.

But you get the idea, just seems like I waste money.

Then there is T-Rex!!

• I buy baby wipes, he pulls them all out and throws them in the toilet.



• I give him a drink of something he grabs the cup and dumps it all over the floor.



• He pulls things off the shelf at the store and starts chewing on it and I have to pay for it.

You would have thought that after his first week of crawling I would be prepared for him...but for some reason I just keep forgetting....while trying to post this, he unfolded the laundry on the bed, he dumped his smoothie on the carpet, he pooped all over the floor after taking off his just put on diaper, he dumped a box of crayons and then a box of pens on the floor, though to give him credit he took his clothes and threw them on his bedroom floor!

Then there is sun tan lotion or rather sun screen that we go through like it is water, not that water really is free anymore...but anyway the kids, well Two thinks that it must taste good or something because she chews on the bottle, then squirts half the bottle on her legs and the rest on the carpet. At least we can find sun screen every where we go here, but man at $7 a bottle we may just have to stay inside.

I guess I could make them sun dresses out of money instead?!

I think this whole focus on the nation's economy has me seeing everything in number signs? What about you??

One note on that whole bailout issue, come on people just take responsibility for your own actions! It is not any one's fault but your own. No one ever forced me to use a credit card, or buy above my means. I just am stupid with my money, cuz like I said wasting money is one of my past times. Did you hear this story? CLICK HERE..... Come on no one forces you to use credit!

Though they mentioned on the news yesterday about contacting your credit card companies and ask them to lower your interest. I recently wrote a letter to mine, anyway long story short, they refunded some fees, and lowered my interest a TON! It doesn't hurt to ask.

Well the kids are begging to go to the beach. And with a whole bottle of sunscreen on their faces, they are ready though right now complaining of it stinging, I think a whole bottle can do that kids!!

Grandmother's Birthday-Oct 7 (blog is still central time)

**Side note, I wrote this late at night, and just re-read it and lots of spelling and grammatical errors...sorry.
This spring my grandmother passed away. Today she would have been oh dear 92..no 93? I am a good granddaughter aren't I? Regardless I have been thinking about her today, and how she really wanted to celebrate her birthday here in the great state of Hawaii. As she was laying sick in bed, I spoke with her and she mentioned getting better to be here with us. I'd love to be showing her around right now.

Anyway in thinking about her today I was just pondering some of my favorite memories of her and just felt like sharing them:

• I can still hear her voice with her welcoming greeting of "hello, hello, hello"
• Going to her house in San Jose and then having her send us out to her back porch where she had an extra freezer where she stored orange creamsicles...YUMMY whenever I see those Popsicles they remind me of her.
• Sitting on her lap during church. She would pull her skirt up so it wouldn't get wrinkled and I sit on her silky slippery slip.
• she was always dressed to the nines. I can count the number of times she actually wore pants.
• I drove from Utah to Austin, she mentioned later to my mom about how quiet I was. I just enjoyed her company and remember her taking a straw and ripping the end off of it and spit the wrapper out on to the dash board and her just laughing.
• Her laugh! She loved to laugh and going to movies with her she just would laugh so hard to wear we'd almost all wet our pants.
• Speaking of laughing, I saw some movie with her with Julia Roberts in it. Julia was laughing so hard and my grandmother leaned over to me and said "She sure has a horse mouth." Or something like that. Just made me laugh.
• I loved hearing stories of her, like once when my arm hairs appeared dark and long she mentioned to me how she would just take her arm over the stove and singe the hairs off, and she walked over to our wolf gas stove and demonstrated...on her arm not mine.
• she loved my grandfather and took excellent care of him.
• in college she'd always have us shop in her pantry and was always happy to host me and my friends for dinner.
• I was suppose to only have one escort to help me get ready for my wedding, and in the tight bride's room, the temple patron's were strictly enforcing that rule, but for some reason they let her and my mom come and help me get ready.
• When our family's took long road trips from her house back to California she'd make us sandwiches, usually roast beef and tuna fish, not together. But she would lather up the bread with butter, so the bread wouldn't get too soggy. I loved those sandwiches. But have never made any that way.
• Every time I passed gas in her presence she'd shoe me off to the bathroom because if I was making such noises I need to go...I never needed to go, but I went because she asked me to.
• When I was being a brat, I know hard to believe I could have ever be a brat, she'd ever so gently thump me on the forehead and call me a "little sh*t"....I know sweet memory huh, but when my sisters and brother were speaking together at her funeral my brother said she had never done that to him, and we figured it was cuz she loved me and my sister the best :)
• She took me and my older brother and a cousin or too on a trip from California to Utah and back, and we stopped in some place in the middle of Nevada early. I don't remember where they were, but my cousins and I pulled the mattresses off the beds and jumped on them...ok random memory. I remember hurry to clean it up as we watched through the window for them.
• I loved how she tenderly held my children and just loved them.

I miss her.

We bought her car and shipped it out to us here in Hawaii. Eric came home from work the other night and really smelled like her. My mom mentioned she wore Chanel Number 5 and wondered who Eric had been around. But it wasn't a perfume smell it was like a sweet sweat smell if that makes sense, like the littler smell of someone, like when you go to their homes. Maybe she came for a visit.

--Happy Birthday Grandmother!

Miss you and can't wait to see you again! (hopefully not too soon.)

Wordless Wednesday: Well Almost

It is almost Wednesday and almost time for a little wordless Wednesday. But since it is just Tuesday, I will not make this so wordless. And since I think my blog isn't working, (so few comments people, where are you??) I thought I'd test my little comment button. Go ahead press it....did it work??

This is my daughter and her bestest little friend here in Hawaii. Her mom has practically adopted Bee. She is the gal that I "carpool" with but happens to just take Bee with her every day. She mentioned how sad she will be the day she doesn't have the two of them together chatting in the mornings. We have really appreciated all the help and friendship!!

Anyway she sent me this picture today in an email, and I just had to post it!

Aren't they just so gosh darn cute? Pretty little gals.

Guess Who we Saw today??

We were walking along the famous beach in Kahala, where you can see dolphins and lots of weddings. One of the bridal parties included someone famous. I said hi. Bethany shook the brides hand. And I am kicking myself for not just asking for a pictures. But I didn't want to be one of those crazed fans that says "oh I loved your show in the 80s." But then again maybe he would have loved to have had some adoring fans.

Maybe not!

I will never know.

But today I saw Emmanuel Lewis, better known as Webster. And I wish we had taken a picture with him.

The kids also had the chance to hang with the dolphins and order them to do some tricks. What a fun day. Here are some little videos:

Wordless Wednesday: Redneck Fire Alarm