Going Back To School

I am going back to college! for now its just online classes, not that those are easier. For now, that's what i have to do. I am very nervous about it. 3 classes and i can contact the teachers but its pretty much self motivated.... EEEK!

17 years since graduation, 16 since i was last in school...

Oh well, must dive in sometime! here i go!!



***Splash****

In Memorandum

Sitting down to write this tribute to Anna, i know it will be lacking. i know there are things about her that i will never know, things that i have never seen, such as her face when she laughs, the eyes lighting up when she speaks of her kids, the sound of her laughter. I just know that i have to say good bye to a good friend, one I've never met in person, only online, yet she's closer than some of the people that i do know in real life.

She was a wonderful mother, devoted, loving wife and a great friend. She was a part of our RCC gals. She was a part of the Jan 06 BBC ladies. She was our goofy. She will be missed.

Such a simple procedure went so wrong, and now she's gone, leaving a gaping hole in peoples hearts and lives. She was someone that people enjoyed talking to, someone who exuded joy.

She had 3 handsome boys and one beautiful girl. All very young, she was very young. This is a tragedy that can't be undone, one that will leave marks on all involved. I know she passed her strength on to her children and that they will not forget her but they will know she's watching them from heaven and she will always love them and be proud of them.

I pray that in time that the ache in their hearts will ease and they will be comforted that she is watching over them from heaven.

I know its hard to understand why things happen, but I know God has a plan and its hard to understand his plans when we can't see what he can see. What we see is that its unfair that she had to go through everything she's been through in the last year +, only to leave too soon.

I am not adequate to write this for her, i just want to say that she is loved and will be missed very much.

RIP dear Anna, you are loved and will be missed!!

Pumpkin Brownies MMMMMMm

Pumpkin White Chip Brownies

By Anne Coleman

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What do you do with pureed pumpkin besides the standard pumpkin pie? I make all manner of dishes, from sweet to savory. These brownies (almost blondies) are moist and delicious, and perfect for cool fall days.

Ingredients

2 cups pumpkin puree
1 cup oil
4 eggs
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter chips
1 cup walnuts, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl combine pumpkin, oil, sugars and eggs. Mix well. Add remaining dry ingredients and stir until well combined. Add chips and stir until well distributed.
3. Pour into a greased 9-by-13 inch baking pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

(i just poured roughly 1/3 a bag of each chips and a few handfuls of crushed nuts)

Public Womens Restrooms

When you visit a public bathroom, you usually find a line of women, so you smile politely and take your place. Once it's your turn, you check for feet under the stall doors. Every stall is occupied.

Finally, a door opens and you dash in, nearly knocking down the woman leaving the stall.

You get in to find the door won't latch. It doesn't matter, the wait has been so long you are about to wet your pants! The dispenser for the modern 'seat covers' (invented by someone's Mom, no doubt) is handy, but empty. You would hang your purse on the door hook, if there was one, but there isn't - so you carefully, but quickly drape it around your neck, (Mom would turn over in her grave if you put it on the FLOOR! ), ya nk down your pants, and assume ' The Stance.'

In this position your aging, toneless thigh muscles begin to shake. You'd love to sit down, but you certainly hadn't taken time to wipe the seat or lay toilet paper on it, so you hold 'The Stance.'

To take your mind off your trembling thighs, you reach for what you discover to be the empty toilet paper dispenser. In your mind, you can hear your mother's voice saying, 'Honey, if you had tried to clean the seat, you would have KNOWN there was no toilet paper!'

Your thighs shake more.

You remember the tiny tissue that you blew your nose on yesterday - the one that's still in your purse. (Oh yeah, the purse around your neck, that now, you have to hold up trying not to strangle yourself at the same time). That would have to do. You crumple it in the puffiest way possible. It's still smaller than your thumbnail.

Someone pushes your door open because the latch doesn't work. The door hits your purse, which is hanging around your neck in front of your chest, and you and your purse topple backward against the tank of the toilet. 'Occupied!' you scream, as you reach for the door, dropping your precious, tiny,20 crumpled tissue in a puddle on the floor, lose your footing altogether, and slide down directly onto the TOILET SEAT. It is wet of course. You bolt up, knowing all too well that it's too late. Your bare bottom has made contact with every imaginable germ and life form on the uncovered seat because YOU never laid down toilet paper - not that there was any, even if you had taken time to try.. You know that your mother would be utterly appalled if she knew, because, you're certain her bare bottom never touched a public toilet seat because, frankly, dear, 'You just don't KNOW what kind of diseases you could get..'

By this time, the automatic sensor on the back of the toilet is so confused that it flushes, propelling a stream of water like a fire hose against the inside of the bowl that sprays a fine mist of water that covers your butt and runs down your legs and into your shoes. The flush somehow sucks everything down with such force that you grab onto the empty toilet paper dispenser for fear of being dragged in too.

At this point, you give up. You're soaked by the spewing water and the wet toilet seat. You're exhausted. You try to wipe with a gum wrapper you found in your pocket and then slink out inconspicuously to the sinks.

You can't figure out how to operate the faucets with the automatic sensors, so you wipe your hands with spit and a dry paper towel and walk past the line of women still waiting.

You are no longer able to smile politely to them. A kind soul at the very end of the line points out a piece of toilet paper trailing from your shoe. (Where was that when you NEEDED it??) You yank the paper from your shoe, plunk it in the woman's hand and tell her warmly, 'Here, you just might need this.'

As you exit, you spot your hubby, who has long since entered, used, and left the men's restroom. Annoyed, he asks, 'What took you so long and why is your purse hanging around your neck?'

This is dedicated to women everywhere who deal with public restrooms (rest??? you've GOT to be kidding!!). It finally explains to the men what really does take us so long. It also answers their other commonly asked questions about why women go to the restroom in pairs. It's so the other gal can hold the door, hang onto your purse and hand you Kleenex under the door!

This HAD to be written by a woman! No one else could describe it so accurately!

A Friend Is Like A Good Bra...
Hard to Find, Supportive, Comfortable, Always Lifts You Up, Never Lets You Down or Leaves You Hanging

Little Miracles

So, continuing my fiasco with the fish, lol.

Less than two weeks ago the Betta's tanks started to get grimy after a few days. so i changed their dishes and tried everything i could to "clean them up." Well, that wasn't working that well. So i had one Betta in a regular Betta container, and the other one in a smaller one. Thought nothing of it, just went on about my life, making sure they didn't' die.

One night, i was up on the couch on the computer, thinking i should go to bed... and i heard this CRASH... it was insane... i knew it was one of the dishes, cause taz ran out and fast and i heard the water... i was like OH NO!

So i ran in and yep, it was the smaller Betta dish (who KNEW it could hold so much water!) cracked, water everywhere. But where was the Betta?? I didn't' find it, chased the cat down, no signs of the fish... hmmm.. So i was bummed, dang it! the cat ate him! So i went back to the couch and kind of moped a little bit.

I got ready to go to bed, an hour, probably closer to an hour and a half later... went in the kitchen, there was my beautiful blue Betta on the ground. :( So i grabbed a paper towel to throw it away and when i picked it up, it started moving!! I was like OMG its still alive! So i quickly cleaned out a dish for him to be in, tossed the water conditioner/cleaner stuff in it and hoped that it would be OK and put him in it ASAP.

I was Stunned. there was NO place that there was any water, especially not enough water for him to live in... but there he was swimming around ALIVE... I was like, well, if he makes it over night, then he's golden. and here it is a week later (feels like much longer) and he's still alive!

Its amazing to me how God gives little miracles now and then. :)

Fishes, Fishes and More Fishes!

Ended up getting more fishes from walmart, 2 goldfish, 2 Rosy Reds and 2 algae eaters, talked to another customer who said that she kept them in with her Betta no problem. so i got one per tank. That afternoon, one died. took him back got a new one plus 2 to spare. So now we're up to 10 fishes. well, next morning 2 more algae eaters ended up dead.

Well, the 2nd original first Betta decided to finally give up the ghost on Monday morning. :( i called the pet store and they said they wouldn't' have another shipment in till Thursday, so they took down my info so i didn't have to hold on to the body for 4 days. (ick) (especially when i had two algae eaters dead as well!)

Bummed me out, but he'd been acting on his deathbed for a while, surprised he lasted as long as he did truthfully. Lizzie was sad. Wanted to "do somefin" to bring him back to life. i told her it wouldn't work. her face got really sad. but she bounced back in 3 minutes. she didn't' react to the other ones.

I had one more die today, it was fine earlier, but this evening, just kaput. ugh. quite annoying. so i won't replace them at all. Hoping this Betta stays happy and healthy and the next one does too.

Little Fishes

Well, i had one Betta die on Tuesday :( So i took him back (yes they wanted the dead body) back to the store and "traded him" for a living one.

After all was said and done in the mall, we went to the zoo, didn't' have time to run home and drop off Mr Betta, so we brought him through the zoo with us. Yes... the fish went to the zoo. He was a trooper and held up, we were there about an hour and a half, lots of bumps and bouncing, i was really worried.... i mean.... i just had a fish die on me, i had been told they were good fish, lasted a while, but 4 days isn't a while to me. lol.

Well, i got him home and put in a new tank, and he's doing pretty well, I'm doing my first water change today... hopefully i am not doing everything wrong!

I did go today and buy some more fish, bought 2 algae feeders and 2 gold fish and 2 other small goldfish thingies... rosie's i think? NO, i didnt' put them in with the Betta's. :)

Well... tragedy struck me once again and already one of the algae feeders is dead! just laying on the bottom of the tank, he was the smaller one of the two and was in with the new Betta.... :( so now i get to take another dead carcass in and trade it for another fish. i hope i don't' spend the next month doing this!

The cats have been stalking the fish. i hope they can't figure out how to get on top of the entertainment center... or uh oh. maybe i need to figure out some kind of top with holes for the top of the goldfish.....

Its Above 45!

Yesterday was the first day it was that warm in a while. felt like a heatwave. So, after church we decided to go to the zoo. Aric of course, fell asleep in the car on the way. Stayed asleep while i put him in the stroller and buckled him in, asleep through the parking lot, through Lizzie talking loud while i waited to give them our info to get in (we have a membership). Dude stayed asleep through half the zoo, which admittedly isn't alot being that its a small park zoo.

The zoo had gotten ravaged by the snowstorms this year, about a 3rd of the exhibits were torn up. it was sad. But the wolves were in good spirits and even wagged their tales as you got close, posed for pics and followed you as you walked. lol.

The bears were hiding, dunno if they were hibernating or not, just heard them talking to each other in a diff enclosure. The Caribou were even out and CLOSE to the fence which never happens. The wolverines were out as well, which was a nice change, being that they didn't have any out for some of last summer. Aric woke up just before we saw the caribous and just after the wolverines. so he only saw the caribou and the last spot which of course, i cant' remember what its called, but its got frogs and bats and flying squirrels in it.

It was a little chilly when the wind blew, but it was so nice that it didn't feel that nippy and just a beautiful day. was going to go back today but it was a lazy day, so we just walked to the mailbox instead.

New Additions to the Family!

So, we were at the mall the other day and Lizzie requested to see the puppies, as usual. So we went to sears first, as it was a way to hopefully ensure she would behave, plus the stores are next to each other, so she knew that it was our first stop on the way out.

Outside the pet store, they had a beautiful Maine coon kitten. i wanted it, as i want a full blooded one (taz is half and massive) but it was a grand, which technically isnt' bad considering most places want 1200+ for them. We got inside and they had all sorts of cutsie little pups, including a St. Bernard, which i WANT when we buy a house. he was even on sale. (insert awwwww here )

Lizzie requested to see the fishes, so we went and saw the mice (on the way, {ick}) and the Betta's. well, i always feel sorry for them in those tiny little cups they keep them in the pet store. after walking around and seeing all of the fishes, we went back to the Betta's and i decided we'd get one. after asking Lizzie to pick one (and i got the other one, just seemed more lively), then i got to thinking... hmmm maybe i should get two... Then i looked at the next obvious step, how much were tanks. they had a semi small one, that was built for two (had a divider) but it was still bigger than what they were in. so i said, hey that works. i bought 2 things of food, got the directions and left the store.

After getting them set up, i got to thinking.. man they seem sad. i wonder if its cause they want to fight and there is that shield between them. THEN i thought, well, I'll just get another aquarium so they don't' have to share.

The next day (yesterday) after going to church and taking the kids to the zoo, we went to walmart to see what they had. well, they had the same tank that the pet store did with a BLACKOUT divider in it for half the price. i grabbed it and was gonna get some plants but was like man these things are wickedly small... Looked around at the other tanks and they had one that had a air pump and light with it for less than what i paid for the regular tank. so i grabbed some gravel and more plants and distilled water, which i later read about and found out was a bad choice. blah.

Got home, got kids in bed and decided to set up the tank. rinsed everything off and filled it up, fought to get the light where it belonged (that was a feat) and pulled the saddest looking Betta out and placed it in the water. (oh and i bought a bridge too) He seems happy now, but now my other one seems sad. i should have just bought two tanks to begin with or two tanks yesterday, now i feel the need to make them even. lol.

I haven't taken any pics of them yet, but they are BEAUTIFUL! I'm excited. I figure if we can keep them healthy and happy maybe in a few months we'll add some goldfish, you know the 3 for a dollar ones. lol. if they can be in the same tank as a Betta.

Facebook

Interesting site, i recently joined and have found friends i haven't seen or heard from in 16 years. its quite an amazing thing.

After graduation people seem to scatter to the wind and its nearly impossible to hunt anyone down. (not that I'm "hunting" people, just like to see how everyone is doing and see how much they've changed over the years)

its nice that you have to be "friends" with the person to see their info, but a pain too cause when you're trying to find someone from years and years ago, its nearly impossible to know what they will look like now!

But i think its gonna end up being fun. I feel silly for having avoided it all this time, lol.