The Good in Security Cameras

I saw this video today and it is something that will make you smile the entire way through.

Blood Suckers

…..and I’m not speaking of vampires. UNFORTUNATELY but oh my :(

 

 I’m talking about plumbers.

 

I might be able to stand this one can’t stand plumbers.

 

I’m sure, actually I know, they are really great people but their business sucks. They charge an arm, a leg, and a vital organ for the smallest of repairs.

 

Instead of plumbers they need to change their name to robbers.  

It is RIDICULOUS!

GOOD-NESS (a little Duck Dynasty humor in my rant) 

The reason for this rant is because in the past year I have had to call the plumber only 1 time but I’m about to have to call them again and I hate it. The first time I had to use a plumber outside of the family was for a silly stopped up toilet. We could have fixed it ourselves only the clog was one of those deep settled ones and it wasn’t coming out.

Anywho… I called a plumber and they were literally at my house for less than 15 minutes and it cost almost $200.

 YES that is right.

RIDICULOUS!

Now my hot water heater won’t stay lit and it’s a gas heater so I’m having to call a plumber again and I am just disgusted by the whole process. Again this operation is probably not going to be time consuming at all but I won’t get out less than $100…pretty certain. I have a call in to a different plumber so hopefully it won’t be as bad this go around.

 

If it is I’m just going to send them out with a black ski mask on!

Blasted plumbers

Fireplace Explosion

After returning to the States from Iraq, almost 2 years ago

YIKES ( I can’t believe it’s been that long)

I had gotten out of the habit and pretty much lost the knowledge of how to live like a regular person.

LOL

It took a bit of doing the “regular” things to get my common sense about them back.

 

I remember having to call my Mom to ask about making macaroni noodles…I couldn’t remember if I was supposed to put the noodles in the water all at once or boil it first…DUH!

 

Well another thing that I, not necessarily forgot but did know better was when I decided to make a fire during a cold night using an alternative source. I had bought some cheapo fire starters and they sucked big time so I decided to use a bit of mixed gas to get a good blaze going. I didn’t have any lighter fluid and I was bound and determined to have a fire. I also knew better to use just straight gas so I got a red plastic cup and filled it probably a quarter of the way full of mixed weed eater gas.

I figured the oil mixture would cut the gas part and it would be the perfect fire starter….uuhh yeah it was the perfect fire starter for the first and last time ever.

Don’t ask me why I did this because after the fact I absolutely knew better.

I poured it across my logs and as Hercules sat patiently beside me I struck the match and put it in the fire….

before I could jerk my hand back the fireplace pretty much EXPLODED and made a really loud whooshing noise.

 Hercules jumped up and behind me and I immediately checked my eyebrows as I knew they were bound to be little burnt frizzies after that.

The fire not only lit but exploded out of the fire place…

I was lucky to not get burned or burn my house down.

 

Lesson learned and I got a bit of my common sense back that night.

Looks like Fall

After Thanksgiving dinner in MV and before I took a long nap I took some, what I think are, good pictures of the Fall season around my house. 

 

Although it is late November it is FINALLY starting to look like Fall but the 75 degree weather doesn't help the feeling of Fall.

 

Leaves and goldenrod.....all the signs of Fall. 

 

Now if we could just get the temperature right!

Hercules Takes Over

 

Hi ya I'm Hercules and since my Mom is all the time blogging I decided that I was going to take over today and tell about me and my broder but mainly me because I had a traumatic experience this week!

See I used to run the show at my house then Ty Ty came and he shows me how to act like a real dog. We eat chicken poop, sun ourselves, and sleep late while Mom and Dad work to get us good treats.

 

This is Tyson I calls him Ty Ty.  He doesn't have any teeth and he has to growl at me a lot because he's older and I really like to play but sometime I'm ADD and I get on his nerves.

Mom took these pictures of us because we are just the same me and my broder.... we like to lay crazy and play with each other all day long and sometimes all night too...

when we play at night instead of sleeping in our house we gets in big trouble...Mom comes out in her sleepy hair and yells at us and pinches our faces.

We really don't ever cause any trouble but the other day Mom got home and I was all bloody.  She really freaked out but I liked it because I got to go in the house and get looked at and take a bath.  Ty Ty cussed me out later because he had to get a bath too and he don't understand the bathtub he likes the water hose outside.

After Mom checked me out I told her my story....during the day while Mom and Dad were at work the neighbor dog came over into our yard and he was talking mad shit.... Ty Ty was asleep in our house and before me or hims knew it the neighbor dog had jumped on me and we got in a fight.

I got beat up bad because I's a Boxer and my under bite doesn't let me bite very good and I's really just all bark and no bite... that goat dog got me good on my neck, he scared up my head, ears, and even bit me leg...that ashhole

Ty Ty tried licking my blood up and cleaning me before Mom got home but she still knew something was wrong.  She called Dad and told him and he checked me out real good when he got home. 

The next day Dad took me and Ty Ty to the vet.  I love getting my leash on because I know I get to go and I love traveling just like my Momma.  I really like riding inside but that day Dad made us ride in the back.  The vet told Dad Tyson had lost 20 pounds since his last vet visit.  I think I need the credit for that because I play with him all the time and he used to be real fat but not now we's almost the same.

After Ty Ty got the rabies rabies shot that makes him puffy and real sleepy for two days it was my turn.

The vet poked cotton sticks down in my bite marks and it hurt bad but I never cried.  He gave me antibodies and now Mom is shoving them down my throat. After we got home Dad went to talk to the goat dog's Dad but I doesn't know what's going to happen if he beats me up again I think Dad is going to bring out those loud sticks that me and Ty Ty don't like (guns)

...they hurt our ears

....for now I'm enjoying the fall weather and taking all my antibodies so I don't get infectious. 

Thanks

Today most of us will sit at a beautifully landscaped table laughing with our families and enjoying the time we have with them and take for granted the rest of the year...

 

we will stuff ourselves like little pigs and then regret it the rest of the day....

 

and we will think about all the things we are thankful for.

 

I'm thankful for.....

my family....all sides

my mom and the rock that she always is

my ever evolving and getting greater by the minute relationship with Lincoln

my network of friends that have been with me forever

my new friends that have come into my life this year and make it so much more full

my job and that I have one

a beautiful and clean home that I love waking up in every morning

my animals...herc, ty ty, and all the chicks

 

also I'm thankful for these not so sentimental things but great all the same.....

good books

reality tv

grocery stores

airplanes and passports

pasta and salad

guns

my keurig

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

A Weekend for My Weekend

Whew... where to start? 

This weekend was packed full of baking, stirring, movie watching, and homework but unfortunately not a lot of rest. 

I hosted the 1st, of hopefully many Thanksgiving dinners at our house for not only my family (per usual) but also Lincoln's family.  Several family members are going out of town on Thanksgiving and I usually host a meal for my Dad anyways so this year I decided that we just needed to invite everyone and so the preparation began. 

I listed, shopped, and emailed a week in advance. 

 

Saturday: Started bright and early at 6 AM with homework for 5 hours until my Mom came over to help get some of the cooking out of the way.  We got a lot done before we headed out to see Breaking Dawn Part 2!  OMG!  This movie was seriously amazing and I'm so glad it ended with a bang.  I don't want to spoil it for anyone but you must go see it and there is a huge, shocking surprise in the movie.  I came home to a sickly Lincoln and two teenage boys hanging out by the fire.

 

Sunday: Started even earlier with me getting up the first time at 3 AM to put on my turkey.  I went back to bed and got back up for good at 7:30 to begin the rest of the cooking, cleaning, and homework.  Everyone started showing up around 11 and we had a great time eating, visiting, and playing a Chinese ornament exchange game.  I thought my Mom's idea of playing that game on Thanksgiving was great.  Since we all put up our trees around this time we can take home an ornament and use it this year rather than doing the same game at Christmas once the season is about over.  After everyone cleared out around 4 I was wiped out.

so our family

 

I told Lincoln that I was so tired and needed a weekend to rest from my weekend. 

Even though I was tired and my week has already started out hard it was totally worth it. 

 Everyone had a good time and the food was very liked.

Processing the Weekend

Lincoln and I had a great weekend and lucky for me my weekend is extended a day due to our Veterans. 

THANK YOU! 

 

It has been probably a month or at least 3 weeks since Lincoln and I have had a weekend together and for the past two weeks he has been working mostly nights.

Lately, even though I see him for a few minutes it's so short it's like we don't see each other at all. 

We are two ships passing each other in the wee hours of the morning and that's all we get. 

So if you haven't gotten it....

it was a really nice weekend to ourselves and we actually got quite a bit accomplished.

 

Friday Night

• I treated Lincoln to a dinner at the Double C Steakhouse in downtown Winnsboro and then we headed to the grocery store to restock.  You know your old when you enjoy going to the grocery store and it is actually the most exciting thing on a Friday night....not ashamed I love the small things in life.
• After unloading all our goods and cleaning out the refrigerator we plopped down for a little Duck Dynasty that had been recorded and then headed to bed at a whopping 10 o'clock....granted we were in bed early because we were going to get up at 4:30 AM ON A SATURDAY...so gives us a break

Saturday:

• Started not so bright but very early at 4:30!  We dressed and I made a double large coffee for the road and we headed out in camo to the deer lease for HOPEFULLY some action. Lincoln's Dad had camped out the night before so we visited with him about 45 minutes before heading to the stand at 5:45
• We were set up and waiting and I was starting to get antsy and a little chilled from the wind...we had only seen a coyote at around 6:30.  We were chatting quietly and observing our surroundings when Lincoln looked up and out of my side of the blind said BABE BABE right there shoot it! Not 40 yards in front of us was nice 8 point and I took my shot.  He ran about a 100 yards and then dropped.  I was pumped and ready to go check him out.  After waiting a few minutes to give him a bit of time we walked over and found him.  I was excited and Lincoln was too.  I had got my first deer!   I shot him around 7:45 with Lincoln's 308.  I didn't use my 243 because it's really hard for me to adjust to my scope until I get a new scope this is what I'll be hunting with.  By 9 AM we had him strung up, quartered out, and on ice in the cooler.  Definitely a successful morning!

• After leaving the lease around lunch we headed into MP to find a deep freeze because after killing now our 3rd deer our freezer in the kitchen was packed with deer plus regular groceries.  We found a good deal and one that Lincoln liked at Sears.  We bought it and headed home to unload all our goodies.
• We rested a couple of hours Saturday afternoon before heading out to a wedding reception for two of our friends.  They had a band and BBQ and it was a nice few hours visiting with friends.
• We headed home early again around 9 and decided to order pizza and watch TV in bed.  It was a perfect cap to a very tiring day.

Sunday

• We were lazy Sunday...I did homework in the morning and then the afternoon was filled with cleaning the oven, processing deer and getting going on my DIY Christmas gifts.  I finished one full set of gifts and Caleb's gift.  I'm coming along nicely.  The others I have left shouldn't take too long but we shall see.  After Christmas I'll be sure to post all the before and afters and all the how to's.

• We also got a shocking but super exciting phone call from my mom but more to come on that later! :)

Full Circle on the deer

Clockwise: Me and my kill, strung up getting quartered, Lincoln cutting steaks, making ground meat, and a half full freezer!

 

Today I'm working on a to do list of things that just needed to be done, working on my research paper that I haven't even started yet it's due on Thursday...like THIS THURSDAY! and I'm going to lunch with my Mom.

 

Happy Veterans Day and YAY to a short week!

Booked Winter Vacation

Last night I booked our hotel for me and Lincoln's first vacation together! 

 

I have a week off from work in December and it just so happens that Lincoln is on his 7 days off during that time so I took that as more than just a coincidence, it was a sign...for a trip.  As far as we know Lincoln is definitely off but there is a small chance he might have to work overtime but I wanted to go ahead and book it since we had decided we wanted to do it and also before the holiday prices kicked in. 

 

I love traveling and Lincoln....well doesn't. 

He hasn't ever really traveled so his opinions aren't justified and isn't enthusiastic about it so I found a great trip to get him started.

 

Skiing in Ruidoso, NM! 

 

We plan on driving to NM (10 hours) and staying a total of 4 nights at The Inn of the Mountain Gods, leaving to come home on Thursday. 

 

It's a perfect trip for us to start our worldly travels together...not too far out, no crazy cultural differences, good cuisine, and no airplanes.  I told Lincoln that traveling is something I'm not giving up so he's going to have to attend some of these journeys with me...it's fun! Compromis right? I told him this would be the perfect starter trip since it's something we've never done together and also somewhere neither of us have ever been.  I've been skiing once before in Colorado and loved it.

I know Lincoln is going to have a blast. 

 

I can't wait for our road trip and skication! 

Election '12

Today, as everyone knows, is election day and I couldn’t wait to put my vote to good use so hopefully it will result in a change of administration. J

 

 I’m not a patriotic person by any means and I’m also not nearly educated enough to have a political conversation but all I know is if we don’t get some sort of change I foresee myself and my Mr. packing up and moving out of the US. Maybe Australia.....

 

 

 If any of you know me you know that this wouldn’t bother me in the least bit even if things did change because I love traveling and learning new ways of life.

 

Any who….this year was my first year to vote!

 In the 2004 election I missed the age bracket by about a month and a half and then in 2008 I didn’t get an absentee vote while in Iraq sssoooo I was REALLY excited to cast my vote this year.

 It’s not that I’m just super gung ho on my candidate but I understand and feel more of the political burn of the past few years and I am more sensitive to what does go on so that’s why this year is different for me.

 

I woke up around 6 o’clock this morning to rummage through my filing cabinet to find my voter’s registration card because I wasn’t even sure where I needed to go. I got all that squared away on my way to work this morning and was super pumped all day long.

 

 I plan on staying up tonight as late as my little peepers will let me to find out the results.

 

MAY THE ODDS BE EVER IN YOUR FAVOR!

Packed Weekend

Sorry for the blog silence the past week, other than a scheduled post on Halloween I have barley had the energy to check some of my favorites much less come up with something witty and fun to talk about. 

 

The past couple weeks have been really crazy, trying, and let's not forget TIRING at work. 

 

I couldn't wait for the weekend and even though I have a million things to accomplish I'm just glad for a little reprieve. 

 

This weekend consisted of:

• Attending a dinner/auction for the fine arts in Winnsboro Friday night after work.  I was asked to attend by a fellow coworker because her date couldn't make it and even though I was really tired after my week I rushed home to change and freshen up then raced back to town and ended up having a nice time with wine, a yummy free meal, and some art.
• After my art experience I came home to Lincoln and a friend talking by the fire pit so we visited a bit longer and after the friend left Lincoln and I stayed up til 11 talking, making smore's, and having fun taking pics of ourselves and the dogs.  11 is pushing it for us these days between both of our work schedules we are usually in bed by 9:30 LOL we are definitely OLD!

• Saturday I got up and cleaned house so I could feel ready to tackle the mountain of homework that awaited me
• Went to Longview with Mom and Caleb to do a little Hobby Lobby shopping where I got most of my Christmas present craft supplies, ate at the Jalapeno Tree, fell in love with the NEW and so improved JC Penny (JCP), and helped mom find some cute riding boots
• Crammed on Saturday night for several test and lots of reading I had to catch up on by midnight Sunday
• Sunday started with the best part of waking up....(Folgers in my cup) LOL oh I crack myself up and yet more homework until about 10 am. 
• I got ready and headed into town to help volunteer at the Winnsboro Fine Art Market for a couple of hours
• I did homework for the next 8 hours finishing up in time to relax with a little Amazing Race and Ice Loves Coco.

 

Even though this weekend was packed and I really had no time to relax I enjoyed it and felt like I got a lot of things accomplished. 

 

Now I have to concentrate on planning my Thanksgiving feast in a couple weeks with all of our family, some Christmas DIYs, and yet more homework.