My sister in law told me a funny story this weekend and I thought I would share. This sister-in-law is married to my older brother. She has a wicked sense of humor and makes me laugh all the time.
Last year for Christmas she got a Cricut and started cutting vinyl decor for her home. She also cut some vinyl "People" for her minivan to show how many people where in her family. She started with her husband, my brother, then herself and their four children. It looked pretty good, but here is were her wicked sense of humor comes into play. She decided to cut out several more wives (one of them pregnant) and lots of kids for each of the wives so it looked like my brother was a polygamous. It was really funny. They get honks all the time and even have people taking picture of their van.
Now that you know this background here comes the funny story. Their older daughter invited a friend to spend the night, but before the friend's parents would let her they wanted to meet my brother and his wife. (I can totally understand being cautious.) My brother didn't realize they wanted to meet with him so he stayed in the family room while this couple and my sister-in-law sat down in the front room to talk. The father of this friends starts to ask his questions. Here is the list if some of those questions below...
1. How many children do you have if you don't mind me asking? (She didn't mind and answered four.)
2. You don't seem old enough to have four children. (Giving a strange look she responded with, "I'm thirty two. I think I'm old enough.) His wife was thirty three and has three so this seemed acceptable.
3. Who is going to be here tonight? (Well I will be home all night, but my husband won't be. He has somewhere he has to be.) (My brother works graveyards.)
4. So only your four children and yourself will be here? (Yeah just me and the kids.)
After this the father of the friend seemed satisfied, but my sister-in-law was a bit perplex at the questions until she realized he was asking all these questions because he thought they were polygamous. He must have thought she was fourteen when she married my brother or something like that and my brother was off that night with "one of his other wives".This was all thanks to her passion for her Cricut and her polygamous minivan.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Here's The Skinny
I have a question that I hope someone out there can answer for me. Why do people find fashion models and even some actresses attractive? Seriously they are skin and bones. You can see their ribs, they have no muscle, and they have to use a ton of makeup to keep their skin and hair from looking dull. (I've seen the pictures without their makeup on and believe me it's not pretty.)
I have been seeing a lot of articles on the most attractive models and actresses and I just don't understand. Most people aren't that thin even if they are eating healthy. Most people can only get that thin if they stop eating all together. I know some of you out there are thinking that I'm just jealous, but believe me your wrong. I think attractive is when you eat right, exercise in moderation (not everyday for hours on end), and make sure you are getting enough sleep.
I do realize I'm not doing any of those things right now and you can tell, but seriously do men really want a woman that they can crush with one hand? I know that being obese is not healthy either, but when are we going to stop thinking that being that skinny is attractive because it's not. I know that some people are naturally thin, natural being the key word here, but the average woman is between a size ten and fourteen depending on their frame and height. I do realize if you're a smaller frame it's going to be a smaller size and so forth.
So what is the reason for this rant? Mostly because I am sick to death with all the hype we as a country give these anorexic models, and two I feel sorry for the real woman out there busting her butt trying to obtain the impossible. (It's called airbrushing people. That's not the real person on that magazine.)
Why can't we all just eat healthy, exercise and after that just love who you are?
I have been seeing a lot of articles on the most attractive models and actresses and I just don't understand. Most people aren't that thin even if they are eating healthy. Most people can only get that thin if they stop eating all together. I know some of you out there are thinking that I'm just jealous, but believe me your wrong. I think attractive is when you eat right, exercise in moderation (not everyday for hours on end), and make sure you are getting enough sleep.
I do realize I'm not doing any of those things right now and you can tell, but seriously do men really want a woman that they can crush with one hand? I know that being obese is not healthy either, but when are we going to stop thinking that being that skinny is attractive because it's not. I know that some people are naturally thin, natural being the key word here, but the average woman is between a size ten and fourteen depending on their frame and height. I do realize if you're a smaller frame it's going to be a smaller size and so forth.
So what is the reason for this rant? Mostly because I am sick to death with all the hype we as a country give these anorexic models, and two I feel sorry for the real woman out there busting her butt trying to obtain the impossible. (It's called airbrushing people. That's not the real person on that magazine.)
Why can't we all just eat healthy, exercise and after that just love who you are?
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Thanksgiving
For those of you who don't know my sister has been in the process of getting a divorce for well over a year now. I started this blog to help me vent some of my feelings because for some reason I have been in the middle of her divorce trying to help her through it. I am sure people wonder if I have put myself there because I didn't have anything better to do or maybe I just like the drama.
Let me tell you now that isn't the case. The only drama I enjoy is either in a book or movie and there is always something better to do then get in the middle of someones divorce. They are heartbreaking and ugly.
So you might wonder why I'm in the middle of it and I have had to wonder that too. So I really thought about it. I even prayed about it. (Yes I'm a prayin' kind of girl and I do believe I get answers.) The answer didn't come right away. Actually it came about three months after I first asked myself this question. My answer came through my sister (the one getting the divorce). We were speaking on the phone and she said something that hit me and I knew it was my answer.
She said, "I knew when you were little you were special. That there was something about you that was special just to me.I think it was the fact that in heaven you knew I was going to choose this hard road and you promised me that you would be there to help get me through it."
My sister believes that without me she wouldn't have been able to do this alone. That traveling this road without help was not going to be an option for her if she wanted to get out without losing her mind and her faith and when she told me this I knew that was the answer to my prayer. I did promise to help her.
I am not telling you this so you think what an awesome person I am, but because I want you to look around and see that you never do anything alone if you have faith, friends and family to support you. God puts people in you life to help you through the rough spots. You really can make it through really hard things if you have surrounded yourself with the right people and belief system.
Some of you if not most know the poem, Footprints in the Sand. We all feel alone sometimes and sometimes that sand fells more like a quicksand, but you never have walk alone. Surround yourself with people you love and who love you. Also remember this Thanksgiving when your "Aunt Linda" is driving you crazy or if you think you just have too much to do to spend time with your family that you never know if you promised in heaven to help one of those people through the sand.
Let me tell you now that isn't the case. The only drama I enjoy is either in a book or movie and there is always something better to do then get in the middle of someones divorce. They are heartbreaking and ugly.
So you might wonder why I'm in the middle of it and I have had to wonder that too. So I really thought about it. I even prayed about it. (Yes I'm a prayin' kind of girl and I do believe I get answers.) The answer didn't come right away. Actually it came about three months after I first asked myself this question. My answer came through my sister (the one getting the divorce). We were speaking on the phone and she said something that hit me and I knew it was my answer.
She said, "I knew when you were little you were special. That there was something about you that was special just to me.I think it was the fact that in heaven you knew I was going to choose this hard road and you promised me that you would be there to help get me through it."
My sister believes that without me she wouldn't have been able to do this alone. That traveling this road without help was not going to be an option for her if she wanted to get out without losing her mind and her faith and when she told me this I knew that was the answer to my prayer. I did promise to help her.
I am not telling you this so you think what an awesome person I am, but because I want you to look around and see that you never do anything alone if you have faith, friends and family to support you. God puts people in you life to help you through the rough spots. You really can make it through really hard things if you have surrounded yourself with the right people and belief system.
Some of you if not most know the poem, Footprints in the Sand. We all feel alone sometimes and sometimes that sand fells more like a quicksand, but you never have walk alone. Surround yourself with people you love and who love you. Also remember this Thanksgiving when your "Aunt Linda" is driving you crazy or if you think you just have too much to do to spend time with your family that you never know if you promised in heaven to help one of those people through the sand.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
How Much Rope
I am female. Shocking revelation I know, but because of this I realize that I often come from a females point of view. This is not normally a problem because I think I'm right most of the time and this is my blog so I'll say what I want to, but I am curious about something. In a divorce what kind of rights should a father get?
I have watched several people go through divorces now and I have to wonder. One of the divorces the dad was so drugged out he went to jail and then was so far behind in child support he finally gave up his rights. In this situation I've watched the kids and they seem better off.
In another the father really loved his kids and did all he could for them. He ended up with minimum and although he says he wishes he could have more he feels that dragging them back and forth was not in their best interest. He truly is the best parent in the situation, but feels that fighting over them would just cause the children heartache so he deals with not seeing them as often.
I realize that ever situation is different and so the out come is different. When ever my husband and I have talked about divorce (not for us, but others) the one things that can get us madder than hornets is talking about who should get the kids. He said that would be the only thing he would want and that I could have everything else. I feel the same way and thus the reason for the anxiety. I guess we should just love each other and never get divorced :)
Now on to Richard. I have watched and seen the children with him. They love him, but they are afraid of him. They want to please him, but at the same time they are angry at him for hurting them and lying to them so often.
One of my nephews has tried so hard to please him and to get him to love him that it has gotten to the point that he was telling his dad awful things about his mom so they would have common ground to talk about. My sister finally had to tell him that if that is the relationship he has to have with his dad in order for his dad to love him then he better consider living with his dad because she wasn't going to put up with it
My nephew is a good kid, but sometimes I would love to smack him. My sister has never ask her kids not to love their dad. She has never not allowed them to talk or be with him. She tried very hard never to say anything negative about their father in front of her kids because she knows that part of who they are is tied up in him and by saying something bad it is also hurting them.
On the other hand Richard blames everything on my sister. Everything is her fault and he tells their children how stupid and horrible their mother is. It's really hard on these kids and their mother. I've watch how they have struggled trying to love and please their father so much that they do hurtful things to their mother to do so.
So what can be done? How do you combat this behavior without saying bad things about their father? How much rope do you give the guy before hanging him with it?
I have watched several people go through divorces now and I have to wonder. One of the divorces the dad was so drugged out he went to jail and then was so far behind in child support he finally gave up his rights. In this situation I've watched the kids and they seem better off.
In another the father really loved his kids and did all he could for them. He ended up with minimum and although he says he wishes he could have more he feels that dragging them back and forth was not in their best interest. He truly is the best parent in the situation, but feels that fighting over them would just cause the children heartache so he deals with not seeing them as often.
I realize that ever situation is different and so the out come is different. When ever my husband and I have talked about divorce (not for us, but others) the one things that can get us madder than hornets is talking about who should get the kids. He said that would be the only thing he would want and that I could have everything else. I feel the same way and thus the reason for the anxiety. I guess we should just love each other and never get divorced :)
Now on to Richard. I have watched and seen the children with him. They love him, but they are afraid of him. They want to please him, but at the same time they are angry at him for hurting them and lying to them so often.
One of my nephews has tried so hard to please him and to get him to love him that it has gotten to the point that he was telling his dad awful things about his mom so they would have common ground to talk about. My sister finally had to tell him that if that is the relationship he has to have with his dad in order for his dad to love him then he better consider living with his dad because she wasn't going to put up with it
My nephew is a good kid, but sometimes I would love to smack him. My sister has never ask her kids not to love their dad. She has never not allowed them to talk or be with him. She tried very hard never to say anything negative about their father in front of her kids because she knows that part of who they are is tied up in him and by saying something bad it is also hurting them.
On the other hand Richard blames everything on my sister. Everything is her fault and he tells their children how stupid and horrible their mother is. It's really hard on these kids and their mother. I've watch how they have struggled trying to love and please their father so much that they do hurtful things to their mother to do so.
So what can be done? How do you combat this behavior without saying bad things about their father? How much rope do you give the guy before hanging him with it?
Monday, October 25, 2010
Something To Think About
For those of you who care this is absolutely my way of getting out of writing a long blog. I know I am behind so I am going to leave you with something to think about while I work on a proper blog to post.
Is it wrong to lie when one is at war? To make things a little clearer I will rephrase. When you are fighting war or a battle against the enemy is it wrong to lie to gain the advantage?
Please leave your responses and I will explain why I am asking this question next time. Anyone can leave a response. There is no wrong answer. I am curious what people think about this.
Is it wrong to lie when one is at war? To make things a little clearer I will rephrase. When you are fighting war or a battle against the enemy is it wrong to lie to gain the advantage?
Please leave your responses and I will explain why I am asking this question next time. Anyone can leave a response. There is no wrong answer. I am curious what people think about this.
Friday, October 15, 2010
You Be The Judge
I've been hearing a lot about not judging and accepting people for who and what they are. I find this advice interesting. Do you really thing this advice is wise if taken to the extreme people are asking you too? I think you should be judging. You have to in order to get through life.
Here is an example: If I am walking down a dark street and two large men are walking in my direction I am going to judge. I am going to think, "Gee those two guys look scary. They might hurt me. I think I'm going to turn and walk in a different direction."
Do I actually know that the two guys are going to hurt me? No I don't, but I would rather judge the situation for what it is and be cautious. They might be jolly good folk and I might have just missed out on meeting two really interesting people, but I judged the situation and made the best decision on the judgement that I could.
What this all comes down to is everyone should judge. You need to judge situations, people's intentions, peoples character, and people's history. I believe that people can change, but if I am living next door to a sex offender I probably won't ask them to babysit my children. I would talk to them and give them a chance to be a better person, but I would have to judge the situation and realize that I need to protect my children at all costs. I have to do this even if it might hurt someones feelings.
So bottom line is people need to use their brains. I can love or like someone and still not trust them to make good decisions. Be smart, be kind, be honest, but most of all be realistic. The world can be a scary place so use your best judgement when navigating life's seas.
Here is an example: If I am walking down a dark street and two large men are walking in my direction I am going to judge. I am going to think, "Gee those two guys look scary. They might hurt me. I think I'm going to turn and walk in a different direction."
Do I actually know that the two guys are going to hurt me? No I don't, but I would rather judge the situation for what it is and be cautious. They might be jolly good folk and I might have just missed out on meeting two really interesting people, but I judged the situation and made the best decision on the judgement that I could.
What this all comes down to is everyone should judge. You need to judge situations, people's intentions, peoples character, and people's history. I believe that people can change, but if I am living next door to a sex offender I probably won't ask them to babysit my children. I would talk to them and give them a chance to be a better person, but I would have to judge the situation and realize that I need to protect my children at all costs. I have to do this even if it might hurt someones feelings.
So bottom line is people need to use their brains. I can love or like someone and still not trust them to make good decisions. Be smart, be kind, be honest, but most of all be realistic. The world can be a scary place so use your best judgement when navigating life's seas.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Miracles
About year ago my brother commented that 2010 would be a year of miracles for the people in my family. I looked at all my brothers and sisters needs and thought of the miracles they needed in their lives. I come from a large family so this took a while. I decided to start from oldest to youngest and list the miracles I believed they needed in their life.
My oldest sister needed a divorce, but not only that she needed to be safe. (I'll get to that reason in another blog.) The next sister in my family has her husband overseas in a war zone and she needed him home safely. My oldest brother is going to school and working full time and I felt he needed the miracle of getting finished as soon as possible. I wanted my own miracle of publication. I have been working on a novel for the last three years and hope to get it published. A feat I have found to be very challenging.
After myself I have another brother who has been hoping to get married and start a family. I find this interesting because I was married at a very young age and never thought that finding someone to marry would take a miracle, but for my younger brother this feat has proved difficult.
So now that I have listed five people I need to finish with the last three. This leads up to my sister who is waiting for a baby to adopt. She has been married for several years and has known since she was sixteen that getting pregnant would most likely not be possible. She and her husband have worked so hard to get thing in order so they can adopt.
My youngest sister just had a baby this year and that was a miracles because anytime a woman brings a child into the world it's a miracle. She and my nephew are happy and healthy. This takes me to my youngest brother who is also out of the country. He has been ill and needed a miracle of health in a country not known for it's medical expertise.
So there's my list. I handful of people I love all hoping for a miracle. I'm happy to say that my brother in law in the war zone just returned home safely so there is one miracle down. My brother found a wonderful woman to marry and are at this very moment enjoying marital bliss. My brother will hopefully be done with school this spring. My youngest brother did get the medical help he needed and is doing well.
So that just leaves my two sisters and myself. My oldest sister is still waiting on her divorce, but things are looking promising. My youngest sister is on a list for expectant mothers who want to place their baby's for adoption to look through and pick from. So if anyone out their reading this knows someone placing a baby for adoption and needs a super wonderful mother for their child let me know because you won't find better parents then my sister and her husband.
That leaves myself. I still haven't found a publisher for my book even though I came close this summer with disappointing results. (Once again I will leave that for another blog).This was a year of miracles for my family and we still have three more months left. I am hopeful that these last few months will provide the rest of the miracles I've listed, but if not I still am grateful for the once that have come to past.
My oldest sister needed a divorce, but not only that she needed to be safe. (I'll get to that reason in another blog.) The next sister in my family has her husband overseas in a war zone and she needed him home safely. My oldest brother is going to school and working full time and I felt he needed the miracle of getting finished as soon as possible. I wanted my own miracle of publication. I have been working on a novel for the last three years and hope to get it published. A feat I have found to be very challenging.
After myself I have another brother who has been hoping to get married and start a family. I find this interesting because I was married at a very young age and never thought that finding someone to marry would take a miracle, but for my younger brother this feat has proved difficult.
So now that I have listed five people I need to finish with the last three. This leads up to my sister who is waiting for a baby to adopt. She has been married for several years and has known since she was sixteen that getting pregnant would most likely not be possible. She and her husband have worked so hard to get thing in order so they can adopt.
My youngest sister just had a baby this year and that was a miracles because anytime a woman brings a child into the world it's a miracle. She and my nephew are happy and healthy. This takes me to my youngest brother who is also out of the country. He has been ill and needed a miracle of health in a country not known for it's medical expertise.
So there's my list. I handful of people I love all hoping for a miracle. I'm happy to say that my brother in law in the war zone just returned home safely so there is one miracle down. My brother found a wonderful woman to marry and are at this very moment enjoying marital bliss. My brother will hopefully be done with school this spring. My youngest brother did get the medical help he needed and is doing well.
So that just leaves my two sisters and myself. My oldest sister is still waiting on her divorce, but things are looking promising. My youngest sister is on a list for expectant mothers who want to place their baby's for adoption to look through and pick from. So if anyone out their reading this knows someone placing a baby for adoption and needs a super wonderful mother for their child let me know because you won't find better parents then my sister and her husband.
That leaves myself. I still haven't found a publisher for my book even though I came close this summer with disappointing results. (Once again I will leave that for another blog).This was a year of miracles for my family and we still have three more months left. I am hopeful that these last few months will provide the rest of the miracles I've listed, but if not I still am grateful for the once that have come to past.
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