"You don't have to blog about EVERYTHING."

That title is courtesty of my youngest cousin ... who just started sixth grade, oh. em. GOSH.
(If you saw me right this instant, you'd see me feeling very OLD.)

That quote was brought about when I asked him if I could share our new inside joke. Which I'm going to share ANYWAYS, now.

He had turned his head away as he said, "No offense." ... And, since life with me is like living a game of Mad Gab, I had to ask him, "Did you just say WALNUTS??"
(And so, for the rest of the weekend, he'd walk past me and stage whisper "WALNUTS," that silly boy.)

Of course, when he was playing Hide-and-Seek with the munchkins (which they've gotten MUCH better at!), he'd ask them, "Where's [his name]?" ... and they'd run off shrieking for "That little boy." (Yes, my three-year-olds call their twelve-year-old cousin a little boy. I don't quite get it. But I appreciate that they refer to 70-year-old women as "girls.") ... They did this because my cousin told them that he was Mark, his own (non-existent) twin brother.

*shifty eyes* I have no idea where they inhereited this gullibility .... So says the girl who believed her dad when he told her that if she went near a beaver, it'd bite her leg off. Or her Jr. High Science teacher who told her that her thumbs' shape was due to "Stubby Thumb Syndrome." ... Yeah ... nooooooo clue. *shifty eyes*

But, yeah. We had a very nice weekend. Friday, as you know, we drove down to Bandon. We stopped and toook the kids to the Newport Aquarium. Got to see the Octopus there ... Shelia ... and her brood of eggs. Poor gal probably won't be there for long (Female octopuses/octopi die after all the care they give their eggs).

Then we drove down to Bandon and got to the beach house. Just a short little walk (maybe two blocks?) to the jetty with a little bit of beach (Seriously, if you are looking for a beach house reantal, this was a REALLY nice place). Bucket and Bruise were so sad that Mutti didn't go to the beach with them on Friday. Also, Bruise appears to be REALLY scared of the waves ... whereas Bucket would have leaped headlong into them if I hadn't held her hand.

(Saturday: Mom/Mutti, Cousin Ashley, Michael, the kidlets and I went to the beach. Bucket, Ashley and I played in the waves. Ashley lost one of her flip-flops when we were chasing waves. "I only brought one pair of shoes!" she cried. ... I couldn't go after it, since we had Bucket with us and I couldn't see where in the waves it had even gone. Luckily (blessedly), her shoe washed up not ten feet from us within five seconds. We had made jokes about an octopus wearing Ashley's shoe. And, really, if her shoe HAD been lost, I was more than willing to give up my pair of flip-flops until she could get a new pair (since I knew she wouldn't want to rely on my dollar pair ... which like to come apart a lot.))

Saturday, we took Mom and my Stepdad with us and went down to the Prehistoric Gardens, south of Port Orford. We stopped and toured the Cape Blanco Lighthouse (which was a little nerve-wracking with two three-year-olds climbing 63 stairs and a ladder up to the top of the tower ... especially with 50 mph winds blowing. We were on the last tour, since they had to shut down due to the winds. ^_^), and then we stopped by a little lavender garden (I now have a jar of Lavender jelly and a bottle of essential oil. Yum!) and a candy shop (if you go, they have free samples. I especially like the honey bites and the pie candies. My Stepdad adores the Cranberries in Ivory -white chocolate-) where Mom and I picked up some treats. ^_^

Sunday morning we went to the Bandon LDS Branch for Sacrament Meeting. It was the smallest church building I've ever been to. Pretty little building (I know I'm shallow. But I liked that the chapel was white and sea green. It was kind of funny that my jacket and undershirt were coordinated with the room ^_^). Then we went back to the beach house, made sure we were mostly packed up (I did one last load of our laundry) and Mom went with us to walk on the beach and to walk around the marina (a special treat for Bruise).

Oh ... did I mention that my mom's GREAT at eBay? She had two GINORMOUS boxes of stuff for Bruise and Bucket. Bucket especially loves her Snow White ballerina outfit (appears to be a homemade costume and is very pretty). Bruise adores his Transformers Underoos (he used them and his Spiderman Underoos as pajamas while we were with my family).

We had quite a bit of family there: Mom and my Stepdad, Aunt Julie with her dog, Sonny Boy;

Uncle K and his wife, C, along with my cousin's baby girl, Haven; Uncle B and Aunt T and their kids: Tiff, Ashley, and AJ (aka, Mark's twin) (and you know that Mark doesn't exist).

It'd been a while since I'd seen everyone. (Except for my folks and Jule, I hadn't seen everyone else since Thanksgiving.)

Oh, while we were at Cranberry Sweets, Bucket ran into the corner of a glass shelf. She burst into tears and, as Michael picked her up to assess the damage, she peed all over his fleece vest (which repels water well) and the floor. *sigh* (Yes, my daughter is part camel and loves to drink when she's in the car. ... And when she gets mad [Like, say, when I send her for a time-out], she often loses bladder control. I'm working on that.)

But the gals working there were VERY nice about it. (They told me, "Oh, these things happen. It's fine."Even though my mom and I were quite embarassed.)

But it was a really nice trip. Like I said, the beach house was VERY nice. We slept upstairs (if you click on the link when I first mention the beach house and scroll through the pictures, you can see a little picture of our bedroom -- the one with the view of the beach and Table Rock). Since it's so close to the jetty, you hear the foghorn as it sounds ... about every twenty-thirty seconds. (I slept with earplugs in Friday night, but not Saturday.)

The kids all slept downstairs, which was nice. Except that my munchkins wanted to get dressed in our room ... next time we'll just keep their luggage in our room. ^_^

We didn't go to West Coast Game Park this time (I had forgotten to bring the charger for our GOOD camera. Oops! ... and it is rather spendy: $15/adult (13+) and, for us, $11 for Bruise and Bucket together ... that's approacing $50 for about 1-2.5 hours of walking, not including the money for cones of feed for the goats and donkeys walking around.

However, if we'd had the camera all charged up, we'd have gone. But it was good to take the kids to see the dinosaurs this time (which, for the SIX of us -- Mom, Cecil, Michael, the kidlets, and me was almost exactly the same price), since none of us had ever been to that before (and we've all been to the game park). Really, it's a cool place ... and we will go again sometime soon. But it is rather spendy, in my opinion. I'm probably spoiled, since we go to the Zoo about every month (but for being so much larger, the zoo is cheaper. Even more so with our membership. Just sayin'). However, I can understand that West Coast has less people coming as often and does have to pay (somehow) for all those animals and the cost of their care.

I can't believe that it's already about to be September. That's crazy!

Well, I need to close this up and finish a couple books during the kids' nap today. Then do the dishes and clean up the house a bit (although, thankfully, most of it is pretty clean due to all my hard work last week. Yay!!).

(It's been a month, today, that Gingi-cat died. I still miss her.)

Out of the mouth of babes

Sorry for my radio silence ... I've just been busy and/or lazy. ^_^

Last week, I was reading to the munchkin brigade. We were reading I Have a Sister. My Sister is Deaf.
As I read the title, Bucket exclaims, "Oh, what a PRETTY name!"
And then, I had to fight off near-hysterical giggles as I explained that the girls name wasn't "Deaf."

I mean, it's not like she's had no experience with deaf people ... some of Michael's relatives have a type of nerve deafness (most have had cochlear implants and can hear now). My dad and his eldest brother both have Ushers Syndrome (and, thus, are legally blind and hard-of-hearing).

Still, it made me laugh. And worry that she might try to name her next stuffed animal "Deaf."

Besides that, I've gotten caught up on dishes and the laundry (but not getting it put away ... at least, not the kids' laundry. It's all folded, though) ... and I've made some good dinners this week (I had NO idea that Stroganoff was TOTALLY easy to make! Now I can make it ALL THE TIME!) ...

But

Right now, I'm in Bandon at a beach house with family. It's great. Very pretty place. We're going to walk to the beach later.

(NOTE: If you're a would-be robber, I'm totally lying. We're at home, cleaning our guns. A rifle and two shotguns. ... I'm not lying about the types of guns. And Michael says that I'm a decent shot with the rifle. Fo' sho'.)

Oh ... I should mention this -- Bruise is CRAZY about Michael's iPhone. (Which makes me so glad that we don't have it acting as a phone. He'd probably end up calling up someone in Beijing or Helsinki ... and then we'd have the phone bill to deal with. And I don't even want to THINK about that.
BUT, he's crazy about it. He loves the Star Wars lightsaber app and some basketball application ... and we have to watch him as he looks up YouTube videos. When he's watching Transformers made of cigarette boxes trying to .... um .... gain carnal knowledge of each other (WITHER THE FRIES?!?!?!?), that's when we have to wrestle the iPhone away and change it so something safe, like CuteOverload or something.

Bruise and Bucket got some AWESOME clothes. My Mom's great at eBay. And so they now each have a huge shipment of clothes to grow into. And Bruise's has CHURCH CLOTHES!! Bucket's thrilled with her dresses and hair pretties and a Snow White Ballerina-style costume and a little tutu ... Bruise is very happy with his Transformers Underoos (No, REALLY. UNDEROOS. I'm a little jealous. I didn't have Underoos. But I've dealt with it. ... You know, that's probably why I was so thrilled with the Hello Kitty panties that I bought at a Sanrio store in Santa Rosa when I was in high school. Well, that and the fact that Sanrio products are inherently AWESOME ... and JAPANESE.)

(And, hey, if I lose, like, 50 lbs, I could maybe fit in the biggest size of Underoos. I think. Maybe.)
(Maybe I could even buy some of those REALLY ADORABLE Sanrio shirts on sale at Le Target. ... Maybe.)

We had a good time at the Aquarium. I learned that the fish that I like to watch swimming in their tank -- the ones that gasp SO big as they swim in their school that you can TOTALLY see their little red rows of gills as they swim by -- are anchovies. I know that I should have realized this before, but I never realized that they'd be that big! I always figured that they'd be all small, like sardines, since you eat them on pizzas and all ... I somehow never thought about the fact that they're cut up for that. Probably because I never have (and never really plan to) eaten anchovies.

Okay. I should close this up and be all social and be ready for the rest of the family to show up. ^_^

(Unless you're a robber. And then I'm cleaning the rifle at my house. And, dude, our neighbor is SO watching our house. Fo' realz.)

Crazy Dream Chronicles, Part ... Fifty-seven!

So what I recall of my dream was that I was visiting teaching a lady who'd never answer her phone. BUT I wasn't trying to get hold of her. I was visiting an old teacher or someone ... and he lived in an old cotton farm. But someone has spread sand over the ground and nothing'd grow (Yes, I know that SALT would have that effect ... Sand? Not so much). And he had a large mobile home that was heated by steam and he had his daughter and her family staying with him. And he was a friend of my stepdad ... and the daughter turned out to be that gal I was supposed to VT and could never get hold of.

And I and a bunch of other people ended up having to spend the night and we watched TV with them. And one of my sisters-in-law (Who, by the by, in RL are all already married) received a large, wonderfully-done, deep-red-colored wedding cake. The frosting cunningly looked like velvet, with smooth fondant decoration on the top of the two large layers. Very gorgeous.
And I got a pretty and antique rolling chef's table. And I KNEW that I owed a very thoughtful "thank you" note to the lady, like a grandmother-type-age-lady ... so it must have been the daughter's mom or aunt.

And my sister-in-law and her husband and I were all making plans of where to go to eat the cake. And, during the morning, as I slept toastily near a heat vent, we watched some show about mountain climbling or something.

Any takers?

Because I have NO FLIPPIN' CLUE what it means, if anything at all.

---------------------------------------------

In other news, Michael has the van today, so I'm stuck around home. I think I'll make the kids take a walk to the closest library so we can turn in books and go to the special storytime there today. ... Small consolation for missing storytime in the next town. ^_^ But it looks like it'll be a lovely, sunny day. And a little heat won't kill us.

And, if I change my mind, we'll just stay home until the nice, lovely, air-conditioned van get here. Then I can turn in books and maybe go to the OTHER library to turn in books and pick up my books on hold there. *sigh*

And tomorrow, Michael will be working on the truck.

If anyone has copious amounts of money burning a hole in their pockets, you're more than welcome to give us some. ^_^ I'm just sayin'. ^_^

Other plans today: wash laundry, fold laundry, put away laundry. Wash dishes, put away dishes (DO NOT fold dishes). Clean the bathrooms. Vacuum, if I get to that. Perhaps work on some Personal Progress, be a good example to my sweet Young Women. ^_^ Maybe watch a movie and/or read a book. We'll see.

Yes, yes. My life is SO super-exciting. ^_^

Catching Up ... Again

Please accept my humble and myriad apologies for my abject neglect of you!

Things have just been ... things. ^_^

We went down to visit my family this last weekend, since my mom's birthday is TODAY (a weekday). She asked for me to download and install some good anti-bad-stuff software, so I did.
(If you really want to know what she got? OpenOffice, since she needed a word-processing program. And Michael likes OpenOffice fine. The things that I installed were Avira's Anti-Vir [antivirus], Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware, and Clean-Up! They're all free and if my friend, Damien, who does IT for a hospital recommends them, then I totally trust his judgement. ^_^)

I finished reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak aloud to Michael. Only broke into tears about, what, three or four times. It's a really, really, REALLY good book. If you haven't read it, I totally recommend it. It's not the HAPPIEST book ... but it's really, really, REALLY, REALLY good. (I've read it before, which is why I knew I HAD to read it with Michael.)

(Now we're more than halfway through John O'Hurley's It's Okay to Miss the Bed on the First Jump: And Other Life Lessons I Learned from Dogs, which is quite fun. Even though I'm not the biggest dog-person, it's a really good book. I'm enjoying it.)

For the rest of the time, I've been working on various little things. Michael and I folded the laundry. I've taken the kids to storytimes at our libraries. I cleaned out the kids' dresser drawers and put away all their clothes (until I finish folding what's in the washer and dryer :S). I had caught up on the dishes. I went visiting teaching (Yay! We did it! And it's not the last day of the month!!!). I've worked on rosters and lists and etc for Young Women's.

I need to work on my Personal Progress. I never completed mine when I was in Young Women's ... and that was with the OLD manual. The big white one ... where you could earn a total of four necklaces. I only ever earned my Beehive medallion, which I still have. I still need to finish the requirements for the Mia Maid and Laurel requirements. Then I can do the last bits for the last one. The Young Women Recognition, or whatever it was called. I'd have to go dig out my old manual to look it up.

For the new manual, if you didn't know, you earn only the one necklace for your Young Women recognition. And it doesn't look like any of the past necklaces ... except the fact that it's in an oval shape. ^_^ But the program has been streamlined quite a bit. Six value experiences in the seven older values (Faith, Divine Nature, Individual Worth, Knowledge, Choice and Accountability, Good Works, and Integrity) and four for the newest value (Virtue). Plus a Value Project (to help oneself put in practice what one has learned about that value ... and takes at least 10 hours) for each Value.

It's pretty cool. And we've gotten quite a few of our girls who've already earned theirs. I've been in my callings in YW for over a year now. I need to really get on things. *sigh* I need to stop being lazy. ^_^

Bruise didn't want to take a nap yesterday. He came out proclaiming that "The clock is on the twelve!"(meaning that it's SOMETHING-o'clock. They were supposed to nap until 4:00 ... it was 2:00 or 3:00. When I sent him back to bed, he was sobbing so much that I was worried he'd wake up Bucket [No fears there. She wasn't going to wake up until after 4. And that was with my working to wake her up! TIRED girl!!]. So I brought him into my bed where he snuggled himself to sleep as I finished a book.
He's so silly sometimes. And, oh, but as he demanded a Kleenex to wipe his nose, I realized how much of a big boy he's getting to be. Even though he still likes to give me kisses and snuggle and be tickled ... that's going to change. All too soon. Dang boy's growing up before my eyes. I don't know if I like it.

I'm not all that great with change. As you can probably tell. Since I've accepted Gingi-cat's death OH-SO gracefully. *sigh*

I'm mostly all better. I can look at pictures and a little seven-second video I took of her once without it hurting too badly. But I do miss her something fierce. If I didn't have Crazy-head Diana-cat, I might go out and get a kitten. Except that'd be expensive with the immunizations a kitten needs and all. *sigh* And the spaying. Oy. That's more expensive. Ugh.

Besides that ... well, there's not a whole ton of a ton of stuff going on. Mostly just the same-ol', same-ol'. ... Yes, I could be much more exciting.

But to close up, I'll share this music video. It was done with some help from Jed Whedon (Joss Whedon's brother) and I enjoy it quite a lot. ^_^

Book Review - His Name is Jesus by Max Lucado

(Disclaimer: I was compensated for my honest opinon of this book by receiving the free copy of His Name is Jesus from Thomas Nelson Books. If you want to get free books or DVDs to review, go check them out. They do strongly want honest reviews.)

His Name is Jesus is a beautiful volume chronicling the life of Christ. Lucado’s goal is that anyone who reads this book will gain a deeper understanding and a greater desire to follow our Savior. Lucado discusses Christ’s role in the creation, in His mortal ministry, and in His sacrifice for all mankind.

On first receiving this book from Thomas Nelson, I could only think about how PRETTY it is. There is beautiful photography on every page, from endsheet on. It comes packaged in its own hard book jacket. The thought behind the presentation is really amazing.

I do believe that Lucado does an excellent job of reaching his goal to help people understand Christ and His life’s mission. He does a wonderful job of helping to explain some of the customs of the time (since, face it, life in Biblical-era Israel is far different than most of our lives now). I especially loved the thought that went into his retelling of the woman caught in adultery … or how Pontius Pilate must have felt when faced with this man from Gallilee, whom the crowd so hated. He refers to many Biblical verses from multiple modern translations of the text to support and to enrich his text.

I would recommend this book. It presented in a beautiful and simply-worded way. Many books about Jesus can come off as, well, schmaltzy. Lucado has managed to craft a volume that can speak to people without being off-putting at all. It rather reminds me a bit of C.S. Lewis’ writings or of Madeline L’Engle’s Bright Evening Star. As I mentioned, it’s very aesthetically appealing and would be gorgeous on a coffee table, if you’re that type. (I know it sounds trite, but it is a really GORGEOUS book … which is only fitting, considering its contents). It would also be a lovely gift for a friend or family member. Or for yourself, even.

Oh MY CRAP!!! I LOVE THIS!!!

This clip is my new favorite (for at least the next five minutes):

And, if you're on Facebook, you should try changing the language to English (Pirate) -- scroll to the bottom of the page. Whatever language that you're currently reading will be a little blue link on the left-hand side of the page (e.g., mine says "English (US)"). Click that ... then click "English (Pirate). Hilariaty ensues. (And it's totally easy to change back.)

That is all.

Back to better ...

So, now it's time for a happier post. (I know, I know. I've taken my sweet time about it. Sorry!)

Now, I don't have tons and tons to share, since I haven't been going through all my usual blogs.

Truly, I've mostly just been hanging on Facebook, playing games and more games (Good news: in Calvin Coconut Island, I've finally managed to build an iron mine, a rock quarry, and the Blue Water Bungalows ... which, unless you play the game, means NOTHING. ^_^ ... But, if you want a low-key game where you own an ISLAND, you should totally start playing it. I like it. ^_^)

This just proves how strange I am ... but I really enjoy videos of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo ... there are lots of videos on YouTube. Men dancing as ballerinas (not as ballerinos). They make me laugh. When I was in college, they came and performed at WOU ... but I didn't go, since it sounded really strange. Totally regret that. :(

And here are some decently-silly links --

• There's a website called "Emails from Crazy People"
  This one (No Pets Clause) is probably my favorite thus far.
  This is one (Gary- Landlord of the Flies) that was around before the site started. And ... wow. Makes me SO glad that we're not renting anymore. (Start from the last page, it's in reverse chronological order. And there's LANGUAGE and general insanity. Just warning you.)
• This is a site that's not the easiest to browse through its archives ... but Funny Exams is full of ... funny exams.
• Here are some Funny Wedding Photos ... none of them are from my wedding. (We had some funny pictures ... most of them are other people being funny. I was mostly trying not to pass out. Silly me! I'm making sure that when Bucket gets married, she at least has a smoothie or something more than a packet of fruit snacks. I'm just saying.)
• And here's a company with a good sense of humor about messing up: Company Apologizes, Hilairously, For Mail Merge Screw-up (Consumerist). It made me smile. And want to do business with them, since it seems like they're genuinely cool people.

Interesting news stuffs:

• The BMI Scale is pretty bogus ... and why we still use it. (NPR)
  (I mean, we kinda know it's bogus because, face it, we want to have mostly muscle ... but we're penalized on the BMI scale if we have too much. [Okay, YOU might be, because I don't have a whole, whole lot of muscle. Wish I did, though.])
• Purdue has a set of "Compliment Guys" ... crusading to help make people happy.
  Awww! Go them! We need more people like these dudes. And that Free Hugs dude. When I read/hear news like this ... if helps me have more faith in mankind. Yay. ^_^

Cute things:

• Doodlebread.com - You can buy (or just see how they do it) a kit to make a loaf of bread with a picture that shows up on each slice! (They have a cute blog, too.)
• Or, if you don't want to buy that, you can go HERE and learn how to make a loaf of PANDA BREAD (Note: No pandas were injured during the making or consumption of this bread. And GOSH, it's CUTE!)

And ... does it make me a terrible geek that I want to know more and more about this (Squee!! Firefly RPG?? DOUBLE SQUEE!!)?

... I've actually never played any RPG games that weren't video games. Crazy, huh? (Although I LOVE reading Darths and Droids - a SW RPG parody webcomic. If you have the time, start at the beginning. And make sure to read the notes underneath ... for people like me who wouldn't get all the humor of the comic. It's a good one. ^_^)

Michael's played D&D before. And I have a guide to Sailor Moon RPG (I bought it really to get all sorts of information about the characters and the series ... never used it to play, though.) that I bought about a decade ago.

But, yeah ... if you want to play Calvin Coconut Island, add me as a friend there and I'll send you a gift! ^_^

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Other news: Am dealing better. Still miss my cat. Found her OLD collar that she barely every wore. But I have it. And I put together a little necklace that helps me feel a bit better.
I've managed to sleep through the night without waking up to cry since Sunday.

I think that I'm going to try and make a little tag for her ... It'll have her name and lifespan on it. And I might buy this pendant off of etsy to wear with it. I would really like to.
And I really want to make a tile like this to put on her grave.

-------

Okay. Well, that's really all the big news. Besides the fact that it was Taco Tuesday at Jack-in-the-Box yesterday. ... They'll be doing it again next week. So, if you want two free tacos, go to the website and print off your coupons (one per customer/visit ... and here they have you go inside to order. ... but you can feed the family a couple tacos each. Free! You don't have to buy anything to go with it! ... which is pretty cool).

So ... yeah. That's really about it. Hope that you're all having fun (and that's why no one's commenting. It's not that I've driven you all away by not being happy 24/7 ... right? Right? :P)

Kids these days ...

So, as I had broken down, being sad again about Gingi, I told Michael, "She didn't even smell like herself. She smelled like the soap from her bath. *sniff* I don't have anything that smells like her! *sniff*"

Bucket came over to me and helpfully suggested, "You could smell her bones."

I couldn't help myself. I laughed.

And Bruise ran to me to declare "Box of bones!" and started laughing.

Yes, my kids know that Gingi-cat's body is buried in the yard. And that SHE'S not there ... her body is. And bodies decompose until they're bones.

Geez, their poor teachers ... I might have the strangest, most morbid children in their class ever.

Yeah, I don't think that Gingi's bones are going to have the scent that her fur or her breath did.
(I miss her cat breath with the hint of chlorine from drinking water from the tap or toilet <-- Hey, it was flushed! It's not like I was french-kissing her or anything! ... And I miss the scent of her fur, once the soap from her last bath scent wore off and she smelled only of herself. I miss burying my nose in her fur. ... But not enough to dig up her little, emanciated body. It just wouldn't be the same. Or very respectful, for that matter.)

Yeah, this wasn't the happy-happy post that I promised. But I'll work on getting some not-about-me-dealing posts. Probably as soon as I've come more to terms ... I hope that it's soon. I don't want to be a bother to anyone. ... ...

Two days in a row that I haven't woken up in the middle of the night crying. That's god, right?

I still cry a bit when I am waking up. Or when I think too much. Or when I'm trying to fall asleep.

But not in the middle of the night.

That's progress, right?

Of course, reading through the archives of Overhead In the Ward helps. Very LDS humor ... but, oh-so-so-so funny. It's helped.

Michael and his brother, C, were able to fix the truck today. It only took MAYBE an hour, total. There was just a screw loose where the gasoline was leaking out. *phew* I love that prayer works. Now maybe I'll take Michael up on a blessing to help me deal with life without my Gingi-babe. I mean, I didn't want to ask for too much of Heavenly Father all at once. I mean, not that I had ANY doubts that He could handle everything that I could ever think of to ask for (and more), but my main priority was getting the truck working again. And it is.

(C also fixed a couple of our doors. Pretty awesome. See? This is what I didn't have, being an only child. Having siblings means that you can get people who help you. Nice! ^_^)

So now I can just try and get to that acceptance-and-trying-to-move-on part of my life. Although I can't really get my brain around not having Ginger around. ... And, I know that it's really only temporary ... but it's not fun.
And, yes, I know ... it's not supposed to be.

But, like I've said, I'm not all that great at adapting joyfully to change. As much as I adore President Monson, I STILL miss President Hinckley.

But, for now, I just keep in mind that quote from Sleepless in Seattle: Well, I'm gonna get out of bed every morning... breathe in and out all day long. Then, after a while I won't have to remind myself to get out of bed every morning and breathe in and out... and, then after a while, I won't have to think about how I had it great and perfect for a while.

And, after a while, I know that I'll stop crying so often, that I'll be able to only remember the happy times, that the hurting will dull away ... and that will be a good day.

It's not today ... but I haven't taken an extra shower just to give me the privacy to cry alone and without worrying about how it's affecting my family. (Seriously, the shower? A great place to cry. You don'thave to worry about everyone overhearing your snifflings, you don't have to go through a box of Kleenex, you get to be alone ... Since I don't have a little cave to crawl to in which I can lick my wounds in private, the shower's the next best thing.)

Today is a little easier than yesterday. And I'm glad for that. I hope that tomorrow will be a little easier still ... and so on and so on and so on.

I may have come across a new way to deal with the whining ... collapse on the floor and say that the whining exhausts you ... and you can even declare that you're dead.
I'll have to see if it continues to work after today.

And, when Bucket repeats and repeats and repeats a request (without waiting for a response in between), I've made a blanket statement that I have to say "No" if she doesn't wait for a response. Because, frankly, I find it ANNOYING AS HELL.

(Yes, I know. Patience is not one of the virtues that I have perfected. ... I've got a long, long way to go. I'm aware.)

But, yeah ... doing better.
I'll try and post soon something FUN and not about how EMO I am and stuff.

Soon. Pinkie-swears!

Last night ...

... I was able to sleep the night through without waking up to cry.

It helps that I put a flower on Gingi-cat's grave. It comforts me a little to look out and see that bare, dry earth with a hydrangea on it.

On the other hand, I have to say that (when they're not whining) my kids are pretty awesome.

Bruise was snuggling with me, and as I started to cry, he jumped up, "I get you a K'eenex!"
And he did.

After I wiped my eyes and nose, he was about to throw it away ... but I stopped him, "I can still use it."
Then he wouldn't LET me throw it away. "Put it under your pillow," he instructed me, "and it will turn into a wowwipop."
"My Kleenex will turn into a lollipop??"
"Yeah."
"Really. Is that how lollipops are made?"
"Yes."

Adorable. I totally blame my mom for bringing those lollipops all gussied up for Halloween ... you know the kind -- decorated as ghosts with a Kleenex with eyes and a mouth drawn on, held in place with a bit of yarn?

(The kids LOVE, LOVE, LOVE those. As they do anything involving a lollipop. ^_^)

And, hey, if you can say a prayer or two that Michael will be able to fix the truck, I'd REALLY appreciate it.

One of the examples of how sick in the head I am (Mental Health Number Alert!!)

I turn to Michael and HAVE to ask, "Gingi was really dead, wasn't she? I mean, what if I was wrong? What if I didn't look closely enough?"

Michael: "I SAW her. She was really dead."

Me: "Okay. I mean, I was just worried ... like what if we'd buried her and she wasn't really totally dead ..."

Michael: *shakes his head and gives me a hug* "You're cute."

Me: "No, I mean ... she was REALLY, really dead. Right?"

Michael: "Yes."

And people wonder why I'm so wracked with nostalgia.
It could be that I just overOVERover-analyze nearly everything when I get stressed.

...

But I'm glad that I didn't accidentally bury a still-living kitty.

Because then I'd REALLY be going to Hell, I think.

But, no. I really made sure. I mean, she was dead. She had no color in her lips (can you call it lips? ... It's MY kitty and I AM calling it lips, so no matter.) and tongue. There was no breathing or pulse. She was cold ... She went though all the things that the websites warned of - emptying the bladder, little convulsions ...

I really am sure. But I sure don't want to be.

When it rains ...

Let's start with the good news: Bruise and Bucket each earned a new book from one of the Summer reading programs. Bucket was asleep in the car when Bruise and I went in (Hey, relax! Michael was napping in the car, too. I don't leave my kids unattended in the car for minutes at a time!), so Bruise got to pick out his book and Bucket's (I had it narrowed down to three choices for her: Disney Princesses, Hello Kitty, and My Little Ponies. He said she'd like the Princess book the best. He chose a board book of Mo Willems. Nice choice, if Dana [one my my librarian ladies] and I say so ourselves!).

We spent the morning at the zoo after I got up, cleaned up Gingi's abscess (and had to giver her a shower to clean up the abscess after she lay down in the litter box), and got dressed. Michael had packed up a lunch while I did all that. The new African Safari exhibits are getting closer and closer to being completed. I'm getting eager to see the lions and Cerval cats.

We got Michael's truck towed (we think there's a problem with the fuel line. Ugh. He's going to be working on fixing it this weekend. Wish us luck!!). (Also, if you need insurance, I totally love our AmFam. They're not paying me to say so. Not that I'd argue if they really WANTED to give me some money. ^_^)

We got home ... and I checked on Ginger. She wasn't doing very well at all. Not responding to visual or aural stimulus. She was breathing and her heart was beating. She'd moan a little, like a wana-be meow-thing. She would stretch out and do a lying-down-trying-to-run-thing. And he breathing would be either really quiet or little gasps.

The vet's office had closed ... or we would have taken her in.

I just cuddled her as best I could in my lap, brushed her, pet her ... gave her some water (she wasn't drinking, so I got a bottle and used the nipple to shoot some water into her mouth. She'd swallow it).

It really seemed like most of her was gone ... that there was just brain stem kinds of activities. Which just breaks your heart to watch, really. I gave her permission to go. A few times, even. I noticed that she had peed on the towel I had her wrapped in. So I changed that towel, since she was still breathing. I pet her some more and finally cuddled her on my lap as I tried to do some online research for the process of a cat's death. As I read, I looked down at her ... and she was sticking her tongue out a little. Just little lickings of the air. About another minute later, I stopped reading and scratching her head and noticed that her mouth and tongue had no color.

She was gone.

It sucks. Not going to deny that.

But, at the same time, she was in pain. She was just a little shell. It was really time for her to go.

I don't know how Diana-cat is handling it. She seems okay.

Bucket and Bruise asked me, at one point, what I was doing.

"Are you laffin', Mom?"
"No, I'm crying."
"Why you cryin'?"
"I'm sad. Gingi died. And I'm going to miss her."

And Bucket gave me a good pep-talk about how when Jesus comes again and the resurrection happens, Gingi will be alive again "And she'll be able to run and meow!"
(Obviously I'm a slightly better mom that I give myself credit for.)

Of course, after I talked to my mom on the cell phone as we buried Gingi-cat (Michael, doing all the hard labor. I prepared Gingi in a box, and Bucket chatted to and poked at the box Ginger was in), Bucket and I came back into the house where Bruise was watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory ... and Bucket goes, "Hi [Bruise]! Gingi diiiiiiiiiiied."

And Bruise said, "Oh."

Yeah. That's my boy. A man of many words. *grin*

Oh! While we were driving in town today, outside of one of the florist shops (a member of our [church] ward owns it), there was a sign. ... They have a sign that says "If your name is _____, Come in and get your free rose!"

It was Bruise's name! (Obviously not "Bruise," but [Bruise] ... if you see what I mean.)

So he got a lovely yellow rose. And a yellow balloon to go with it. Which, I think, is pretty cool.

So yeah, that's really been our day.

Started with a trip to the zoo, ended (well, PROMINENTLY FEATURING) with my baby-cat's passing ... but with quite a bit involved.

Oh, also -- Happy anniversary to my mom and stepdad!

Now I'm going to get some tylenol. Crying so much gives me a headache.
(And my stupid hormones don't help. *sigh*)

The Good, The Excellent, and the Gross

Yesterday was a good day.

The Gross part and the Good part are rather intertwined ... so if you don't want to read it, just skip down.

Gross/Good: Ginger-cat's abcess poppped. I'll be blunt. There was a LOT of pus (I mean, her chin was about TWICE as big on one side!) and the wound is deep. But she's moving around a lot more and drinking more water. This is a VERY good thing.

And I was told (by Bri) that I'm a good "fur mom" ... since I had taken Gingi to use the kitty box ... and I clapped when she went potty. ... Also, Ginger wanted to be held, and I did hold her ... and she got the yucky stuff from her chin (blood and some pus and some drool) on my arm. And I didn't freak out. I wiped it off with a wet wipe and put a clean wet wipe on my arm for Gingi-cat to rest against. ... And Gingi licked my arm. Silly girl.

Also (really gross): The pus makes my arm smell like butt. I'm not joking. It's nasty. And I'm SO GLAD that it's not in her chin/jaw anymore, making her hurt.

Good: I love prayer. It rocks.

EXCELLENT: Bri-bri came over!!!!! I haven't seen my Bri in, like, a YEAR!! But we chatted and shared links on the computer and played with the kidlets and petted Ginger.
Yes, my friends are my Balm of Gilead. Seeing Bri changed my day from "Pretty good since my cat's doing better" to "HELLS YEAH! MY LIFE IS GREAT!!"

Good: I finally finished the books that I borrowed from Jenny a year ago. Now I just need to return them to her. :P

And when I (finally) got dinner made, it was really good. I certainly enjoyed it. Too bad the kids didn't eat so much.

Okay ... I need to get ready to take the kids to storytime.

Good thing it's going to be much cooler. Only in the low 90s today!! (As opposed to the last few days where it was in the triple digits. ... Yes, there is a reason why I DEMANDED a heat pump when we were looking for a house. Totally worth it. ^_^)

Stuff and more stuff

Well, this has been an interesting week so far.

1- I've proved to myself again that I'm not graceful. Yesterday, when the kids were playing in their pool, I tweaked my ankle a little walking. JUST WALKING. It's mostly fine. Just is a little ... tender.

2- Our water heater is silly. It wants to think that since it's THAT HOT outside, that the water INSIDE of it is getting TOO HOT and it needs to shut off. Ugh.

3- I've called up all the vet offices I could find in the yellow pages for our town. I have quotes for how much it costs to put Ginger to sleep (i.e., a LOT) ... just in case. Ugh. But be proud of me. I didn't cry on the phone. I must be doing better at faking being all stoic and stuff.

4- I've had "Llama Llama Red Pajama" stuck in my head. Good thing they had it at the library. Dang catchy ear-worm of a children's book. Dang cute, though.

5- My kids are silly. Bruise asks, ... no... BEGS me to put my glass of ice water on his head or against his back. Weirdo. And he does the BESTEST EVER fake snore. It's great to cuddle with him and Bucket ... and then he'll be all "GRHONK-chuuuuuu" ... It's really great. Makes me happy.

6- I actually slept last night. Which was nice. I could have slept in another few hours. If I hadn't had to wrestle away a lolipop which some CERTAIN CHILDREN got it in their heads would be a healthy breakfast. (Now, if they'd gotten out ice cream? I could maybe have let them get away with that. It's DAIRY and CALCIUM. A Dum-dum?? That's sugar and water and chemicals. Not gonna happen. I'm just sayin'.)

7- I like having air conditioning. A heat pump is one of the BEST inventions ever. It's true.

8- I really don't have anything for eight. ... I guess that I could mention that on Facebook, there's a quiz about which Death Eater are you (Harry Potter) ... I'm SO Severus Snape. Squee! I get to be the one with the luscious accent and that can get away with slapping around Harry and his gang. :P

9- Bruise is right, I AM a WEIRDO. (Srsly, while I was talking to my mom today, he YELLS across the room, "Mommy, you a WEIRDO!!" ... Couldn't really argue with him, you know. He's got a point.

....

....

....

Okay, I'm done. I need to finish a book and do something productive. I don't know what, though.

To your right is a perfectly nice ... SOMETHING. But, here? Um ..yeah.

So, I have a cat. Two cats, really. But I'm only really going to talk about Ginger-cat right now.

She's 17. That's as old as some of the girls that I get to hang with in Young Womens (and older than most of them!).

Lately she's gotten really, REALLY skinny. We've started giving her canned cat food. And she's started ... using other areas instead of her litterbox. Like, say, bath mats, towels or piles of clothes on the floor, our coverlet.

Sunday morning, I washed all our sheets and our coverlet. Sunday night (last night), I roll over and put my foot on the covers, right into a cold and wet spot. *sigh* I kick the cats off the bed, trying not to wake Michael (which doesn't work, since he's a light sleeper). And, as Gingi's in the hall, I start to worry that she's going to die during the night, expiring as she feels that I'm mad at her and don't love her. ... Issues much? Nooooooooooo. (Yes.)

So we get up, get a cat bed set up for her next to my side of the bed (she ends up sleeping on a towel at my feet. Spoiled? Yeah.) ... she's still alive, though. Right now she's chillin' on my lap as I type.

I finally asked the Google about how she's doing. Yup, renal failure ... which I rather suspected (got the inkling about). And she might have an absessed tooth, poor gal.

... Talked to Roxy. She had to take her 7-year-old ferret in to be put to sleep. He was in a LOT of pain. And their regular vet? Wouldn't take him in until after normal business hours (because he didn't want to bum out his other patients by having that go on before 5:30 .... Um, WITHER THE FRIES? Dude, an animal is HURTING. You want it to suffer for HOURS so that some person doesn't feel SAD? Dude, life is HARD. And most people in there are adults. I think they can handle it. How about you just have the "bummer-visitors" leave out the back??). Finally, she called another place who not only took them in IMMEDIATELY, but they even provided a box with Spry's name on it, covered with stickers. ... That's really treating your customers well. It's good to know that SOME vets (and their staff) realize how hard it is for a person/family to have to grieve for a loved pet.

I don't know when Ging is going to go. I kinda worry that I'm going to have to take her in at some point. At the same time, I worry that she'll die before that happens. For the time being, though, we're just trying to keep her comfortable and as happy as a geratric, losing-her-teeth kitty can be.
(Though, it'd make US happier if (1) she were still totally healthy or (2) she, at least, would make it to the catbox. Just sayin'.)

I was talking to Bucket the other day ... about how Gingi-cat probably won't be with us so long, that her heart or something will break down and stop working ... or that she'll need to get a shot so she won't hurt anymore.

As we talked, Bucket looked at me with tear-filled eyes and condraticted, "Gingi can't die. Heavenly Father and Jesus love her!"
"Oh baby, Heavenly Father and Jesus love EVERYBODY and people die all the time."
(Yes, I do sugar-coat it, don't I? Gosh, I'll have SUCH well-adjusted children, no?)

When I was telling her what'd happen when Gingi dies, I told her that Ginger's heart would stop, she'd stop breathing, and she'd get cold.
"Then I'll cover her with a blanket so she won't be cold anymore!"
My sweet Bucket-girl. It doesn't quite work that way.

(Though if it did, would we have a zombie-Ging on our hands? What would we feed her? If she eats cat brains, it would seem that Diana-cat is safe. :P)

... And I still need to do the rest of the dishes. And get the blanket dry.

Ging's trying to purr. She used to have a decently-loud purr. It's quiet now. Strange that her purr is one of the first things to go. Just sayin'.

And now Bruise had to come over to give her hugs. Cuuuute. And makes me get all misty-eyed. Ugh. I'm nothing if not productive right now, getting my grieving started early.

In a way, I almost wish that this was all over. And that makes me feel like a jerk. Ging is able to move around well enough. She is able to eat and drink. She can use the catbox (mostly) ...

I don't know how much it would cost. I don't even know if they'd let us take her home afterwards to bury her. ... I don't know much at all, really. This is what comes of having mostly indoor-outdoor or outdoor cats when I was growing up. Miss Priss wandered off (and came back YEARS later. And wandered off again -- arthritic, spunky gal).

Yeah. I'm just a bundle of joy here, huh?

Well, I should clean the kitchen and get dinner started.
Or go soak my head or something.

Two fun things ...

After such a HEAVY post, here's a short, little pick-me-up:

Test your sense of pitch: http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/tunetest/
(I got 26/26 ... I think that might be worth it for all the cringings and the wincings and the flinchings I had to do for the off-key things. Not that I have perfect pitch, mind you. But some of these were rather painful.)

And something sweet:

Don't you love it??
(Even though he's a little slack-jawed for MY taste, it's so darling!)

Guess what I did yesterday?

I hugged a Holocaust survivor.

And he was wonderful and amazing ... beyond words.

We had Alter Wiener come to speak to us in our town. A few months ago, he had come to speak at the library. And tons of people got turned away. So a couple of gals in my ward (at church) took it upon themselves to arrange for him to come back. And I'm so that that they did.

(And I'm also SO GLAD that T2, Michael's sister, was able to watch the kids for us.)

Mr. Wiener was born in southern Poland. His father was murdered by Nazis when he was 13 (They knew his father was missing. He had to be identified out of the bodies left in a mass grave months after the German soldiers had come through the town). At 15, he was taken from his home, unable to say goodbye to his stepmother, and sent to a work camp ... where he was reunited with his brother, who Mr. Weiner was unable to recognize -- due to the harshness of life in the camps.

After his time spent in the camps, when he was liberated by the Russian army, he weighed only 80 lbs. When he was able to return to his hometown, he found only four cousins still surviving. Over 120 other members of his family died were murdered in the camps.

... And Mr. Wiener? He ... is AMAZING. He doesn't hate the Germans for doing/allowing these atrocities. He is a voice preaching tolerance and understanding. He strongly believes that each and every person needs to be judged solely on his or her own merits -- not on stereotypes or generalities.

He was subject to daily beatings, he was reduced from being a PERSON to being a number (it was not tattooed on him ... but he was labeled with it on his cap, shirt, and jacket. Referred to as only that number) ... and he has truly risen above it.

He can compare the German soldier who punched him, knocking his teeth out, with the wonderful example of a German worker who risked her life daily by hiding a cheese sandwich for him for the thirty days that their paths crossed (before he was transferred to another of the five camps in which he was imprisoned).

Before I went to the lecture, my mom had called. One thing she said to me in the conversation was, "I just want to be sure that you know that the Holocaust happened."

I've been learning about the Holocaust since I was in Jr. High. In 1992, there was a traveling exhibit about Anne Frank and the Holocaust. I remember our class walking down the street to the tiny museum in my tiny hometown to view it when it came for a few days. I went back again with my mother later before it left our town's museum. Somewhere, I know that I still have some of the papers from that exhibit -- a reproduction of a page from a German newspaper, articles about intolerance and the effects thereof ... When I'm at Mom's house, I often drink my cocoa out of the mug we bought with quotes from Anne Frank.

It didn't hurt that I also had been an avid reader of the American Girl books (and longed for the accompanying dolls) ... I loved Molly, the girl from the 1940s. And had done some supplementary reading about the time period.

We also learned about the Holocaust in my Freshman year Block class (Language Arts and Social Studies). Mr Hoque, the Social Studies teacher, who speaks German, played the part of the Nazi soldier, shoving our class of around 30-40 students into a space about the size of a handicapped bathroom stall and yelling orders in German. (Since I was taking German, I understood most of what he said, which put me at quite an advantage.) Neither he nor our English teacher gave us any warning about this -- we were sitting at our desks as the morning bell rang and -BAM- suddenly it was nothing like any other day at school.

Due to my past reading (since I'm not much besides precocious), I had more than an inkling of what this object lesson was about. Which also put me at an advantage.

Of course, nothing that was allowable in school would come anywhere near what the victims of the Holocaust ever went through.

My mom made me watch Schindler's List. It's not my favorite movie (I think the scene that's supposed to be illustrating what a womanizer Oskar Schindler was -- the sex scene-- could be taken out easily) ... but it does help give a glimpse of what terrible, terrible things people can allow to happen ... what some people can DO to each other.

It's ... I don't know if there's a word that fully encompasses the concept of what I'm trying to convey -- heartbreaking, unexplainable, madness ...

BUT, my mom's done a damn good job of raising me to understand that racism, anti-Semitism, any form of intolerance such as this? It is, to be absolutely blunt, WRONG. STUPID. MAD.

I know that I'm preaching to the choir here (or, at least, I hope that I am). But I feel that it is important that I write this.

As I said to my mom, "I have NO DOUBT that the Holocaust happened. Anyone who denies its existence is either terribly naive or has an agenda."

There is no reason to deny the Holocaust. It's, to me, as senseless as denying ... the Civil War or the eruption of Mt. Saint Helens or the internment camps that our nation had during WWII. It's a terrible thing. BUT IT HAPPENED. And we should never forget it.

Pre-WWII Germany was not a happy place. Then this charismatic man came, proclaiming that Germany would rise and that the people would have nice things and food in their bellies. Truly, putting it that way, it sounds really nice. (Kind of like how proclaiming that we will all have health care or lower taxes or something like that sounds wonderful.)
And when people are starving and poor, they are ready to follow someone with a vision.

And because they were so willing to follow this man's vision, unspeakable things happened.

And some people today try to deny the existence of all this.

Which scares me.

Because if we can conveniently forget or overlook all this, we have learned NOTHING from it.

And it will end up happening AGAIN.

If I had one wish, however unrighteous this may be, I wouldn't wish for world peace or millions of dollars. I'd wish that EVERY SINGLE PERSON would be COMPLETELY AWARE of the SOUL INSIDE EVERY OTHER PERSON.
This way people would be horribly aware of the effects of our actions on other people.

This way each person who abuses any other person FEELS THE RESULTS OF THEIR ACTIONS TO EVERY CORE OF THE FIBER OF THEIR BEINGS.

(See? I told you it was somewhat unrighteous. It's not kind to WANT people to suffer IMMEDIATELY and TO A GREAT DEGREE when they're ... not nice.)

And this is why Alter Wiener is a better person than I am. When someone asked him if he ever felt the desire to take a rifle to Hilter's head, he responded that he wasn't a violent person. He doesn't even know, after being in the Israeli army, how to fire a gun. He would prefer, rather than REVENGE, that JUSTICE be done.

He also said that Hilter's main problem, in his opinion, is that he didn't know how to love. No one who knew love or how to love would have ever done these things. ... "I don't think he knew how to make love. *audience laughs* He should have talked to me. I'd have given him advice. *more laughter*" <-- See why I adore this sweet man? He survived conditions that are less than what we give to stray animals. For YEARS. He survives. AND he keeps a sense of humor and humanity. He. Is. AMAZING.

And it kills me that these Holocaust survivors are all dying off. Soon there will only by their accounts. And ... it worries me that not enough people will read/hear/be aware of them and their stories, their histories, their experiences.

Within the last couple of weeks, I read "The Butterfly" by Patricia Polacco to my kidlets. There are very few books for young children that deal with the Holocaust.
In a way, I understand ... we want to keep our children SAFE. We want them to know that they're loved. ... This is IMPORTANT. I also want to have my children be aware that, as much as they are loved, there are dangers. I want them to be able to protect themselves ... to know, if (God Himself forbid) something should happen, where they can go for help. (Hey, one family that I'm descended from? Let's just say that they weren't putting the FUN in dysfunctional. And, hey, if ANYONE tries anything with MAH BAYBEES, I want to be aware of it to keep him/her the HELL away from my kids and any other people that he/she might hurt on his/her little self-destructive path. I'm just sayin'.)

Still, reading "The Butterfly" with my daughter (since my son, Lord love him, wasn't exercising his attention span, so to say) was ... difficult. I wanted to be SURE that she understood it, that she GOT it ... why this story of a member of the French Resistance and her daughter was SO important -- that she understood the morals involved. The she will know that just because a group of people choose to follow one rhetoric, it's not neccessarily CORRECT. That sometimes doing the right thing is DANGEROUS. That, even if it's dangerous, it's IMPORTANT to do it because it is the RIGHT thing to do. That NO ONE is more important or more worthy than any other person. That we are ALL worthwhile and valuable and loveable and precious.

I keep questioning myself about how old do they need to be before I can talk to them with more depth about this -- How old do they NEED to be before we read The Devil's Arithmatic (Jane Yolen) or Number the Stars (Lois Lowry) or The Book Thief (Markus Zusak) ... though, they have overhead a good portion of The Book Thief as I've read it aloud to Michael...

I know that I'm being more verbose than usual about this ... but ...

It just scares me that, someday, people won't remember what's happened. And they will forget the incredible power of a mass of people with a single goal, when the means are so ... inhumane/evil/heart-wrenching as they work toward an end.

Michael likens it to the pride cycle in The Book of Mormon. There were people who WITNESSED miracles ... and the next generation? Didn't care a whit!

I like to think that it's in our best interest to learn from others' experiences ... and I also believe that, like a bumper sticker that a wonderful friend of mine bought YEARS ago, not to estimate the power of stupid people in large numbers.

We need to be wise. Our children (and our children's children and so forth and so forth, worlds without end) NEED to be wise. We all should do our darndest to ensure that nothing like this EVER happens again.

As Wiener was talking about a student who corrosponded with him (She was legally blind from birth. In Hitler's regime, she'd have been murdered at birth. To achieve his ends of a perfect ... gene pool, he allowed no one with any handicaps to survive. Babies were killed at birth. Those older were sent to death camps, to the gas chambers and cremotoriums.), I thought to myself, "Perhaps the best way to judge a society is how they treat the disabled/"otherly-abled" among themselves."

(Confession: I could do better at that. I am not the most patient. I do okay with people who are hard-of-hearing or visually impaired ... because that's what I'm most used to. Like I've said before, you can often tell if I've been visiting with my dad or his eldest brother. I don't make great eye contact for a bit. True. And also, it appears that my voice is taller than I am. No wonder my dad thinks I'm almost his height. When I'm about six inches shorter. :P)

But, yes. Hug your loved ones. Show your love and appreciation for those you love. Try to love the unlovable. And remember the past. Learn from it.

I believe that it's vitally important.

And I'd love to be completely wrong about it.

Though I'm frightfully sure that I'm not.

LinkylinkylinkylinkylinkyHEAVY Blog!

Okay, I have linksandlinksandlinksandvideosandvideosandvideos to share!!

Hope you're ready to kill a few hours! ^_^

Here we go!

Filed under funny, but slightly blasphemous: Noah's Blog and Facebook of Genesis (not doctrinally correct. But very funny. I know, I know, I'm going to Hell.)

Along the same lines (but not blasphemous) Austenbook and Hamlet (Facebook News Feed Edition)

-----------------------

Here are some that are ... special. Read where you aren't near childre, coworkers, or anyone who will look over your shoulder. Or be disturbed by hysterical giggling:

Jezebel.com covers a Danish sex-ed book for children. (You HAVE to read Jezebel's comments! I CRIED!! And burned off a brownie, I think.)

Hitler's real downfall was bad subtitles (stolen from mental_floss) -- There is language. Subtitled. And lots of angry shouting in German. Which always sounds angrier than other shouting.

Fallen Princesses - a photographer's take on a "Where are they now?" for the Disney Princesses.

______________________________

Back to the safe for EVERYONE! (Or mostly):

Another fun clip from Britain's Got Talent - Greek Dancing!!

Because Neil Gaiman is AWESOME ... the Coraline Trailer he did!!

Cute stop-motion music video - "Her Morning Elegance" - Oren Lavie

Music video - "Yo Comments Are Whack!"

Mortal Kobmat a capella

Somethings that makes me laugh/smile EVERY TIME: Star Wars as told by a toddler and a Non-viewer (via mental_floss) -- Seriously, the one told by the adult? HILARIOUS!!!!

Something sweet: Family (via Fried Green Craziness)

Flight Attendant Rap (Why don't I get on the planes with the rappers??)

Funny XKCD comic (if you didn't watch PBS over a decade ago, you may not understand this.)

Fan-made Wolverine Trailer (realize that this came out before the movie did ^_^)

My Milk Toof - Pure KAWAII-ness-essence

Here are some Hollywood icons that are WORTH talking about (too bad they're from, like, our GRANDPARENTS' generation):
10 celebrities that served our country (mental_floss)

Honoring the Serrvice of TV Vets (mental_floss)

Seriously, these are TRUE heroes. Especially Jimmy Stewart. He's just so darling and dear. I LUFF him! I want to put him in my pocket (not that he'd fit) and sit at his feet and adore him, the sweet, modest man. We need more people like him. ESPECIALLY in Hollywood. It'd be nice for some integrity and morals in that area.

Sardine Run:

Tiger Woods has NUTTIN' on Fred Astaire!!

Gender-Targeted Advertising ... Do you agree?

Is this summing the messages that seem to be doled out by advertising? I think so.

How living in the movies DOES make life harder ... Answering the Phone.

This was cute: How to Meet and Woo a Nerdy Girl. I don't quite get ALL the references.

But I enjoyed it.

And five videos to wrap it up. Hope that you didn't want to do anything IMPORTANT today! (And what could be more important than letting me share these with you??)

Just a few reasons ...

... why my husband TOTALLY ROCKS:

1. Since I was at Camp, he's been working at getting the house clean. So I don't go batcrap crazy and start doing what I did last year for the Pampered Chef party (I mentioned the reorganizing of my bookshelf, which is REALLY, in all actuality, a CHINA CABINET.) ... I could blame of friend of mine for my total OCD tendencies when I know I'll have company over. Once, when we were in the apartment, she had come over and, during the visit, remarked about how we had one bathroom cabinet shelf COMPLETELY FILLED with toilet paper (Hey, we shop at Costco! Hey, I like NEVER being without tp!) ... and I've been worried about people looking in bathroom cupboards/shelves/etc since.
   (Yes, I do have issues. Not news to anyone, right? :P)
2. Yesterday, I had a meeting about the time Michael was getting home. So we switched vehicles in the church parking lot. He dropped his coworker off and took the kids to Costco. I asked him to buy two things - OxiClean (hey, I love it! Gets my clothes clean! And if they sit in the washer for a day, they're still smelling clean!) and popsicles.
   HE REMEMBERED BOTH ITEMS AND ALSO BOUGHT CHICKEN, SINCE WE WERE OUT OF THAT! I hadn't given him a list or anything.
3. This one requires a conversation:
   I've gotten home from my meeting. I've said 'hello,' gone in to kiss the kidlets goodnight, and he's putting last year's charm onto the bracelet I have from Camp (AND HE MANAGED TO DO IT -- Seriously, my hero!)
   Him: (after NCSI has ended) Hey, can you hand me the remote?
   Me: *gets up. Tries to figure out which remote he needs*
   Internal monologue: Okay, so the show just ended. Does he want the DVD remote, like to change the volume? Or maybe the DTV box remote? Probably, to change the channel. Hey, why am I thinking of the movie Coraline? I mean, yeah, Mom mentioned it a couple days ago ... and I really loved the book ... WHAT??? HUH???
   Me: *happy gasp!!*
   Michael: I wondered if the 'get-me-the-remote-trick' was going to work.
   Me: Hee!!
   Michael: It's nice to surprise you.
   Me: *as I pet the pretty, pretty cover of the DVD* ... because I act like a little girl?
4. He gently snickered at me as I tried on, and consequently WORE the 3-D glasses around the house for the next 15 minutes. (Btw, what is it called when both your eyes try to be the dominant eye? Because, wearing the glasses, I could tell they were duking it out. Magenta, teal, magenta, teal ... it's a good thing I can handle strobe lights. ^_^)
5. He gave me time to start a new book ... which enables him to re-read HP & the Deathly Hallows. ^_^ I love being married to a man who's rediscovered the love of books.
   (Did I mention that we're halfway through reading The Book Thief (Markus Zusak) aloud? If you haven't read it, you should. It's not all that happy, being about the Holocaust and all ... but it's REALLY good. It lost out to Looking for Alaska (John Green) for the Printz award a couple years ago. Zusak's I am the Messenger = ALSO GREAT, by the by.)

But yeah ... it's good to have Michael. He gets me. Which is really nice.
And even when he doesn't get me, he still loves me. Yay!

Random Silly Things ...

#1 - I don't know why this is, exactly ... since I do get called "ma'am" at the grocery store more often than not (in fact, I'll call up Michael in glee to report when a cashier calls me "miss.") ... BUT, at Camp, when some of the leaders were counting girls, they'd try to count me, too.

These girls are, you know, twelve to eighteen. I'm considerably older than that. :P

AND, a couple of Sundays ago, Bishop had given our YW president CDs of Scripture Mastery scriptures out so the girls could listen to them ... to help them memorize them. K (our Prez) is passing them out to the girls, hands me one ... I hand mine to another girl ... and, for a sec, K's all confused. And then she realizes that, you know, I'M ONE OF HER COUNSELORS, not a sweet, little teenaged thing!

The girls all laughed when I chalked it up to my moisturizer.
(Seriously though? I love my moisturizer. Garnier smells nice AND works AND has suncreen. ... And it's fun to say, since it's got that French name and all. ^_^)

(I mean, really. I may still have slightly-dewey skin ... but usually my body tips people off. I've got some WOMANLY curves, iykwim. Aityd.)

Also in things that make me laugh/highly amuse me (since this is MY blog, yes, I CAN be all 'everything's about MEEEEEE'):

My kids tell hilarious stories.

Today, as we're driving to storytime ... well, here:

Bucket: Bruise! TALK to me!! Words!!

Bruise: One upon a time. There were cars. On da si-walk.
Me: There were cars on the sidewalk?
Bruise: Yes.

Me: If there were cars on the sidewalk, where did the people walk?
Bruise: On da si-walk.

Me: Was there room? I mean, with the cars there?
Bruise: Yes.

Or, last week, Bucket proves that she's taking after her mom in "Crazy Dream Chronicles":

Bucket: Mom? (I'm driving, so you know)

Me: Yes?
Bucket: I had a dream last night. In my dream you, me, [Bruise], Grandma, [girl cousins] were swimming in a big pool. And a SHARK CAME TO EAT US!
Me: Wow. That seems scary. What happened then?
Bucket: You cut him into pieces WITH A KNIFE!!
Me: *thinking, "Wow. I'm violent."* ... How about I cut the big shark into dolphins. How does that sound?
Bucket: Okay. You cut da BIG SHARK into lots of dolphins.

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Also, WOW. There's a LOT of Crystal Light hatin'. I'm just sayin'. (Mostly through email, since most of you know me IRL well enough to have my email. ^_^)

So ... if I give up Crystal Light, do I get to be addicted to Ruby Red Squirt instead? *ducks and runs*

KIDDING!! It's too expensive.

But OH, so GOOD.

Hey, while I have you ... can I pick your (collective) brain?

How should I get myself motivated to exercise? Seriously ... I know that I NEED to. I KNOW it's important.

• but it's sweaty.
• but it's kinda nuts trying to get my kiddos to leave me be to do a workout video
  (Unless they just, idk, HAPPEN to be in the mood to watch their mom work out. Or to do the cute little kiddo-yoga DVD. Which isn't all that often, unfortunately.)
• even though I KNOW that I'm out of shape, I don't like workouts that shove my flab and lack of stamina/muscle strength IN MAH FACE!! BOOYAH!! ... In fact I find those irritating. Almost more irritating than the idea of eschewing my Crystal Light. Just sayin'.

Yes, I know. I'm a whining whiner. Call the Waaaaaaaaah-mbulance. /self-pity party.

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In other news, my mom had to buy a new computer. Hers got a virus enough so that once she's connected to the internet, she loses control of the computer and then it shuts down.

So, Michael and I looked for a new one for her while she's on the phone with us. With the sale and an online coupon, she saved $170 off what she would have spent. Also got a new printer (printer/scanner/copier) ... which is good because her old scanner was dying.

And, really, the old computer is nearly 10 years old. Crazy, huh?

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Yeah, I don't really have a lot of fun, cool interesting things to share. I'll try and do that later. Maybe next week when I don't have a meeting and a party and a family reunion and a floor to mop (going to do that next).
BUT, hey! Watching some Jane Austen ... I got a good deal of laundry folded! Now to put it away. And to get the rest of the laundry washed. But I really am not freaking out about the state of my house.

With this Pampered Chef party, it's like "Hey! Come over and eat these cool brownies and ice cream! Maybe I'll be energetic and make some cookies or something to go with them! Maybe not! But my house is decently cleaned ... the kiddos may be here this time ... we're going to have fun and eat chocolate and if you order something, great! If you don't, great!"

(Unlike last time when I was all, "My house should be SPOTLESS! I must REORGANIZE the BOOKSHELVES!!!" .. C'mon, really?? I mean, sure, they STILL look good. But who is really going to judge me because I had messy bookshelves? Messy bookshelves just tell you that [1] they get used and [2] I need MORE SHELVES. ^_^)

Seriously, last time, I was washing the seats of the dining room chairs ... and bleached (or Oxi-Clean-ed?) spots in the kitchen floor. Oops!
The spots are still there!

Am I freaking out?

Not at all.

I figure that, hey, as long as the house is tolerably clean, it smells nice, and there's no pile of bodies that I had to kill to get it that way, I'm golden!

So, yeah. I'll do the dishes, fold the laundry, mop the kitchen, and vacuum.

Then I'll burn a scented candle or something.

And do my nails.

But not too close to the candle.

That'd be dangerous. :P

Or, to destress, I could just read some online comics and snarky greeting cards. ^_^

Without the intertubes, who would I whine to?

I mean, besides Michael and my mom, right?

But, yeah.

I have a Question. A Question with a (obviously) capital 'Q.' A Question that I am posing to the Universe at large:

Why the bloody H am I so frackin' HORMONAL right now?

• I am not on my period.
• I am not pregnant.

So, WHY, Universe at large, WHY do I have these angry bees in my head that drive me to be all snappy and sappy ... and, at times, (to be totally blunt) a heinous b****???

I'm just curious.

Can I blame it on Water Week?
(For those of you who are wondering what I'm talking about, a friend of mine challenged a bunch of us to drink nothing but water for a whole week. I accidentally started last Sunday, instead of Monday. And I gave it up yesterday. I had grape Kool-aid. And I totally tossed my cookies. Twice. Blech. ... Especially since I didn't have a whole lot of water in my stomach, since I was BORED UNTO DEATH of drinking just water. I still maintain that the Kool-Aid was totally worth it. ... In fact, I had fruit punch for breakfast. Since I'm such a rebel. If it hadn't been the Sabbath, I'd have hied me down to Safeway and bought me a two-liter bottle of Ruby Red Squirt. And I'd have probably had to lay in bed sick all day. Oh well.)

I'm tempted to blame my crazy-head-week on water. Because, as I mentioned, I was SICK UNTO DEATH OF THE BOREDOM OF waterwaterwaterwaterwaterwaterwatericewaterwaterwaterwaterwaterwatericewater.

Hopefully, since I'm back to my cheap version of Crystal Light (5 calories per serving, y'all!) the HFCS and various nefarious chemicals will get me back to my snarky, yet chipper self.

Instead of the self that yells at my husband while talking to my mom and glowering evil glowers at my children.
I don't like her.

She's scary.

And unbalanced.

And she doesn't look good in pleather.

But, on the other hand, (there are other fingers. *rimshot* Thank you! I'll be here all week! Try the chicken!) ... Okay, for real now, Bruise and Bucket were a LOT less distracting during church today! Yay! It was really nice.

Even though it was a big factor in me almost CRYING/SOBBING during helping teach the lesson in Sunday School (about the roles of mothers. Gah! Motherhood is important, okay? Just accept it! And it's HUGE. And really, really making me cry ... well, not right NOW. But when I'm teaching in a class of around 10 or so ADULTS. Ugh! Not that I don't like them. I do! BUT I'm teaching them!! Eeps! But it was pretty cool. Except for the getting all choked up because MOTHERING IS IMPORTANT AND NO ONE CAN TAKE YOUR PLACE AND ALL!!)

And also, Bruise can operate Michael's iPhone by himself.

Michael has a progam on it that has light sabers ... you can pick the color and stuff ... and then, when you move the phone, it plays SW music and makes light saber sounds.

Bruise asked, "Can I play with the sword in your phone?" And proceeded to get the iPhone, turn it on and get to the program. All by himself. And he's only 3 and a half!

(And he was SO dang cute! Standing there, beaming at the screen, still in his church clothes (featuring a BOW TIE!!) and bare feet. Gah ... if he were any cuter, I'd have to go vomit!

OH! Michael and I got to watch Harry Potter and the HBP. Very good. I did notice the "emo faces" (as Bri called them) made by Malfoy. But I did enjoy it. I VERY MUCH liked Jim Broadbent's portrayal of Slughorn. I remember that when I read the book, I really did NOT like Slughorn (I didn't detest him as much as I did Rita Skeeter or Umbridge). I thought of him as quite sleazy and slimy ... but Broadbent's portrayl made him so much more sympathetic.

And Alan Rickman's velvet tones make any movie completely worthwhile.
(Yes, I do believe that I've made mention that I'm an accent-whore. But have you LISTENED to him???? *fangirl hand flutter* His voice is AMAZING!! I MUST find out if he has read for any audiobooks. And if so, I know that I shall be investing in at least ONE audiobook!)

(Seriously, in Sense and Sensibility ... that version with Emma Thompson? EXCELLENT. Hugh Laurie's in it!! Yay for Mr. Palmer and his sarcasm! And, oh, my dears?? When Cnl. Brandon says to Miss Margaret, "The air is full of spices"? I just adore that moment ... He's got a lovely voice, more-than-pleasant visage, and he's kind to a young girl?? ...*le sigh* Is nice.)

My one complaint about Snape? He just doesn't seem as greasy as he does in the books. If they had gotten ANYONE else to play him, there would be, like, HALF the fandom for Snape.

I'm just saying.

(Not complaining, mind you. I very much love to watch me some Snape in the films. ^_^)

Okay ... time for bed. So my husband decrees. And I live to not annoy him terribly.

Just the regular ... kinda ...

What IS it with me, especially yesterday?

Really, I just have no patience with my children ... which is REALLY RICH since I get to help teach about the nurturing role of mothers at church tomorrow.

(Why is it whenever I am asked to help teach or to give a talk, I am suddenly bombarded with the exact OPPOSITE of what I'm talking/teaching about ... making me feel like a complete and total hypocrite???)

Add that to a hearty serving of complete self-loathing ... yup, that was a good deal of yesterday.

(Really, is it too much to ask that I suddenly wake up the same size I was in high school? Or, at least, the same size I was when I got married?? ... Or that I just not have my muffin top and DO suddenly have slimmer thighs? Or that I just have SOME MUSCLE definition under all the flab I'm sporting?)

I think I'm skipping my 10-year reunion. I don't want to spend $15 on a BBQ where we're ALSO required to bring a side dish to share. And our own drinks.
... And ditch my mom, stepdad, and aunt at the coast for around 4+ hours when THEY were the smart ones who scheduled the date first.

(Seriously, the people in charge of the HS reunion? They've planned a $50/person dinner and dancing. And/or a BBQ, which if you haven't paid the $50/person costs you $15/family ... AND they only get the invites out in late June. ... Seriously, I was expecting the invitations to arrive around January. Not everyone lives close by anymore. Not everyone can AFFORD $50/person for a date ... PLUS a good deal of us would have to get a babysitter. ... Yes, I'm not thrilled at ALL how this was done. Oh well. I wasn't put in charge of this. Which is probably a good thing.)

Maybe one reason (besides the cost and general inconvenience, of course) is that I'm not as skinny as I was ... I mean, I always kind of hoped that I'd have the awesome "Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion"-type experience (yes, it is an R-rated movie. And I haven't watched it in years ... but I do love it so!) ... even though I'm really not like either of the title characters -- I'm married, have kids, don't sew or design clothes ... but ... I mean, wouldn't it be cool to dance with Alan Cumming or something?

(Or, frankly, look as good as Lisa Kudrow or Mira Sorvino in those cute dresses??)

And I'm still having crazy dreams. Crazy dreams that involve a movie that I haven't seen (because I can't find an edited version *SAD!!*)

Okay, so here's the trailer for a movie that sounds like it was totally MADE for me!

So, Repo is a musical horror film. AND it has Anthony Stewart Head (GILES!!! From Buffy the Vampire Slayer! GILES!! RUPERT GILES!!! Who was only my HUGE crush in that show!! ... Yes, most girls liked Angel [David Boreanz], or Spike, or Xander, or Oz [Seth Green, who I also adore] ... but I'm the odd duck whose little teenager heart beat for GILES, the stuffy librarian with arcane knowledge, a mysterious backstory, and that accent!!!!), and Giles alone. And Sarah Brightman sings in it ... I mean, really. It's like they wrote this dedicated soly to me! And it HAD to be rated-R. :(

Yes, I am aware that I have issues.

Like being a total accent-whore. And being totally tempted to watch movies with profanity and gore. And Paris Hilton.

BUT!! In my dream, I was supposed to be the female lead of Repo. And the reason that I do (in real life) know so much about this movie is that I read the synopsis on the wiki. (Have I mentioned that I love Wikipedia? I totally do.)

But, since I haven't seen the movie, I know that my dream was way off.

BUT, I'm in a motel room ... and I'm walking around. And I hear some strange noises coming from the bathroom. So, of course, I go investigate, since I'm not supposed to leave the motel room. What else is there for me to do?

Behind the clear shower curtain, I can make out two people in black clothes. I pull the curtain and it's Paris Hilton (who may be topless. And, of course, in my dream state, I say to myself, "Well, that could explain the rating. You can't just have topless people everywhere.") and Anthony Steward Head.

But then she calls him "Daddy." And I know from the wiki that he's not her dad. Her dad is the big corporate head. And then I figure that maybe it's because she's on a drug high (since her character IS strung out on drugs).

And I obviously am slightly delusional in my dream, since I got them confused with some other movie, obviously, as I ask them, "Why are you in the shower? I thought that zombies were afraid of water." ... And they correct me that no, it's people with RABIES that are scared of water. And, that makes sense, since it's it called, like, hydrophobia? (No, I just checked the wiki. People/animals with rabies lose the ability to SWALLOW water. But, hey, I knew that it had SOMETHING to do with water! That counts for ... something... right?)

But, at the end of my dream, the three of us are sitting in the bathtub, all fully clothed, with arms around each other, Giles in the middle.

If there's some hidden message, here's what I think it may be:

1) I really want to watch Repo! The Genetic Opera.

2) I really want a hug from Anthony Stewart Head.

3) I have innate knowledge that Paris Hilton without a shirt has absolutely no sexuality.

4) I should write a novel about zombies that are scared of water. ... Have people already written about zombie-ism as a form of rabies? If not, don't steal my idea, okay?

Now, I need to finish working on that Sunday School lesson. And not yelling at my children.
Not even when I ask them something nicely and they DON'T LISTEN AT ALL. *sigh*

Who knows? Maybe Anthony Stewart Head will come to class and give me a hug. Since, you know, he is my dream dad and all. *quirked eyebrow*

Due to popular request ...

Now you can't say that I don't listen to my dear and devoted readers. ^_^

THIS is the dress.


You'll realize that, of course, since this is posted for the world to see that I tried to get the most flattering pictures of myself in the dress.

And, to me, it's not a very flattering dress. Unless I suddenly wake up having lost (at least) ten pounds, all the untoned/stretched out belly skin, and about three cup sizes.

I'm just sayin'.

BUT it IS a very lovely color.

Even if, when I slouch, the jacket makes me look like I'm trying to (and succeeding in) a blatant attempt to mimic Quasimodo in all his hunch-backed glory.
(But, I'll quickly remind you, I'm a hunchback with GREAT hair and make-up.)

Also ... Michael and I both noticed that this is the first wedding in a couple years where I DIDN'T do the flowers. Mer's mom did them. And they were SO pretty.

And, thankfully, I did bring a back-up dress (as did Roxy and the other bridesmaid) to change into.
I must say that BREATHING is totally underrated. I REALLY like being able to breathe. And take normal-sized steps. And BEND OVER to, say, adjust a bridal train ... or PICK UP my children or something.

But it was a very lovely ceremony.

And I'm never buying from David's Bridal again. I'll be hitting up one of my wonderfully talented and crafty friends (of which I have MANY) to do it. And even after I PAY them, I'll have spent less than half what I spent up there.

(Of course, I should have, you know, actually worked out while I was sick with the plague [now, if I had had the flu and was tossing my cookies, that would have covered it all!] or something. Like have gotten breast reduction surgery and lipo or something. Oh well.)

The important thing is that Mer is MARRIED! Yay!
(And I FIT [BARELY] into my dress. ... And there were no wardrobe malfunctions. That would have SUCKED.)