Livestock

First mad cows....now sick pigs. What next?

(Cow photo taken by The Pioneer Woman)

Brain cramps come with age

I think I’m suffering from some writers block. Can’t seem to come up with anything to write about. No earth-shattering events, no terrible tales to tell, no pet peeves to percolate. I guess that the monotony that is ruling my life at the moment is a good thing. If the biggest controversy I’ve chatted about this morning is how one of our friends is staked out at KFC waiting for his free piece of their new chicken, life’s got to be going blissfully smooth, right?

We did have some milestones in our little clan in the past week however. Both our son and our oldest daughter celebrated birthdays. If anything will make a gal feel old, it’s looking at your youngest kid, your “baby”, and realizing that next year he’ll be in high school and driving; then looking at your oldest child and realizing that she will be graduating from college next year. College! Holy. Cow. WHERE did all the time go?! It never went that fast when I was a kid. Jeez Louise. If I sit very still in a quiet room, listen very intensely I think I can hear new grey hairs sprouting out of my noggin. Sigh. That must be why I’ve been having the brain cramps…all those grey hairs clogging up the works.

Oh my gosh – Rat Pack week on AI! Love it :0) I like Frank and Dino tunes, not to mention Bobby Darin. So this will be a good week for me. LOTS better than Disco week last week…ugh. Not a big disco fan, folks. Not at all. I about fell over when KC of KC and the Sunshine Band fame strolled out on the stage…was waiting for the Bay City Rollers for the grand finale there (lol).

Have a great day everyone!

(somewhat) Wordless Wednesday

Happy birthday Chris!!!

Daybook

FOR TODAY April 20, 2009
Outside my window I think it may finally be….spring!
I am thinking about why I make some of the decisions I do…even knowing the consequences will be bad.
I am thankful for books!
I am wearing my “fat pants”, brown plaid Airwalks with the skulls on them (my "rock n roll chick" shoes - ha ha), and a sweatshirt
I am creating a dinner menu for my son’s birthday with all his favs on it
I am going to be a better mom and wife
I am reading Book of the Dead by Patricia Cornwell
I am hoping to get home from work early today (pleasepleaseplease)
I am hearing Dr Laura on the radio
Around the house it’s actually still pretty clean from Friday –woo hoo.
One of my favorite things is enjoying the sunrise on my deck with a cuppa Joe
A few plans for the rest of the week: birthday celebrations!
Here is a picture thought I am sharing: don’t you just love sunflowers? :0)

25 Things

My DF, Darla, posted one of these about her the other day...thought it was nifty so I decided to do one as well...here goes:

25 Random Things About Me

1. I was taught Japanese in kindergarden (remember very little of it now, darn it)
2. I have a yellow-belt in Tae Kwon Do
3. Math was the bane of my existence in school (do you REALLY use that algebra?)
4. Purple is my favorite color ever…I love purple everything….except Barney the dinosaur
5. I am exceedingly shy around most people
6. I like fresh coconut but not coconut flavored stuff; ditto with bananas
7. I want to go skydiving and learn to surf
8. I have buried the needle on my speedometer before (one of those dumb HS things)
9. I have drag-raced an on-duty cop (I repeat: one of those dumb HS things…but it sure was fun!)
10. Centipedes, millipedes and earwigs completely freak me out
11. Wish I would have learned to play the violin growing up
12. Love to cook, hate doing the dishes afterward
13. I can not make fudge to save my life (just can’t do it!)
14. Hammocks kick my butt (apparently I am not coordinated enough to work one of these contraptions without falling off)
15. I drowned as a kid (an uncle pulled me off the bottom of the pool)
16. I have worn a Super Bowl ring
17. I still watch cartoons
18. I wish I would have done better in school and gone to college
19. I am a big ol’ bookworm (books are everywhere in my house!)
20. I have toured an active volcano site (the majority of the trails I was on are now under a ton of lava)
21. My biggest fear is losing my husband or kids
22. Someday I hope I can be the person really want to be…I think I’m going in the right direction
23. I still eat raw cookie dough and eat the cake batter leftover in the bowl (unless my son beats me to it)
24. I love to eat with chopsticks
25. I think good soak in a hot bubble bath with a book is one of the best things in the world.

Daybook

For April 13, 2009...
Outside my window the much-enjoyed sunshine is slowly giving way to clouds :0(
I am thinking about what to make for dinner
I am thankful for being married to my best friend
I am wearing sweatshirt, jeans, Doc Marten boots (yes, I’m at work)
I am creating a list of possible birthday gifts for my son and oldest daughter
I am going home to have lunch with my son today!
I am reading “A Fistful of Charms” by Kim Harrison
I am hoping to pick up the latest Sookie Stackhouse paperback this week
I am hearing the guys making racket out in the shop
One of my favorite things is my cat Fred
A few plans for the rest of the week: birthday shopping…that’s about it so far

Quilts

This came to me a couple times today in my email. Loved it. Think its appropriate to share with ya'll, especially heading into Easter. Enjoy.

Quilt of Holes


As I faced my Maker at the last judgment, I knelt before the Lord along with all the other souls.

Before each of us laid our lives like the squares of a quilt in many piles; an angel sat before each of us sewing our quilt squares together into a tapestry that is our life.

But as my angel took each piece of cloth off the pile, I noticed how ragged and empty each of my squares was. They were filled with giant holes. Each square was labeled with a part of my life that had been difficult, the challenges and temptations I was faced with in every day life. I saw hardships that I endured, which were the largest holes of all.

I glanced around me. Nobody else had such squares. Other than a tiny hole here and there, the other tapestries were filled with rich color and the bright hues of worldly fortune. I gazed upon my own life and was disheartened. My angel was sewing the ragged pieces of cloth together, threadbare and empty, like binding air.

Finally the time came when each life was to be displayed, held up to the light, the scrutiny of truth. The others rose; each in turn, holding up their tapestries. So filled their lives had been. My angel looked upon me, and nodded for me to rise.

My gaze dropped to the ground in shame. I hadn't had all the earthly fortunes. I had love in my life, and laughter. But there had also been trials of illness and wealth, and false accusations that took from me my world, as I knew it. I had to start over many times. I often struggled with the temptation to quit, only to somehow muster the strength to pick up and begin again. I spent many nights on my knees in prayer, asking for help and guidance in my life. I had often been held up to ridicule, which I endured painfully, each time offering it up to the Father in hopes that I would not melt within my skin beneath the judgmental gaze of those who unfairly judged me.

And now, I had to face the truth. My life was what it was, and I had to accept it. I rose and slowly lifted the combined squares of my life to the light.

An awe-filled gasp filled the air. I gazed around at the others who stared at me with wide eyes. Then, I looked upon the tapestry before me. Light flooded the many holes, creating an image, the face of Christ. Then our Lord stood before me, with warmth and love in His eyes. He said, 'Every time you gave over your life to Me, it became My life, My hardships, and My struggles. Each point of light in your life is when you stepped aside and let Me shine through, until there was more of Me than there was of you.'


May all our quilts be threadbare and worn, allowing Christ to shine through!

Wordless Wednesday

(I didn't take this pic, by the way)

Life on the Beach

My name is Wildflower, and I’m a carb-aholic. Somewhere on a previous post, or possibly a few posts, I think I’ve mentioned that I am a total carb fiend. Bread is my food obsession. I love bread. Any bread - whole wheat…multigrain…sourdough…cinnamon bread…banana bread…french bread…garlic bread…English muffins….cornbread. I can pass up anything else but bread. Chocolate? I can live without it (not that I’d want to). Cake? No problem saying “no”. Ice cream? No thank you. But wave a slice of bread in front of me and I get almost rabid. It’s not a pretty sight, y’all. This being said, I am now on day 9 of Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet. Not because I want to lose weight, though I will admit that I have gained a little while still doing my walk/jog/running each day. Mostly due to said carb addiction. And my home gym has been put away for the last 5 months while we were finishing the basement - my “tone” (ha ha) has gone to hell in a handcart…ick. But mostly because I needed to reset my system, get a grip on my insulin levels. I don’t eat a lot of junk food (pizza, burgers, chips, fried foods, ice cream, ect); I do eat lots of salads, nuts and fruits; the desserts I eat are normally sugar-free and I drink diet soda…very little sugar or bad fats; but I have a history of diabetes on both sides of my family, have noticed that when my blood sugar crashes I get down-right nasty, and am fearing pre-diabetes because the fat storage I’ve accumulated seems to coincide with what doctors describe when talking about insulin-resistant folks. I may be having a total hypochondriac moment about the insulin-resistance thing. Better to be safe than sorry, though, yes? Anyway. So here I am in the middle of Phase 1. It lasts 14 days. There are no carbs during this stage. None. Zip. Zero. Nada. No bread, oatmeal, potatoes, rice, nothing. Anything even remotely resembling a carb is forbidden. By crikey I have not had a crumb of bread in 9 freaking days!!!! I miss my bread!!! (sniffle sniffle) Oh and fruit is not permitted either. Yep, you read that right – no fruit. All my home made dried cherry/raisen/banana chip and peanut trail mix I love to munch on? Done. No apples and cheese for lunch or snacking. If anything could have made giving up bread worse, that was it. I am forever nibbling on either a carb (bread or popcorn) or fruit for my snacks. But. All things aside, the diet is easy to follow, the meals are surprisingly GOOD (the grilled rosemary salmon is delish!), snacks are portable, as are some breakfasts (great news for when I’ve overslept), meals are filling and they even give you a recepie for a dessert using ricotta cheese that comes in vanilla, chocolate mocha, almond, a lemon and a lime. Ohhh baby they’re tastey! I’ve been feeling good, energetic and healthy. No crashing in the middle of the afternoon – woo hoo!!! If I can just make it to Saturday, I can slowly add fruits and bread back into my diet. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I’ll be able to keep a good grip on the leash of my carb demon. I think if I get to have bread again and blow it, then have to start over again with NO bread, I’ll become seriously deranged! (Just hand over the bread and back away slooooowly)

A strange thing seems to occurred in the past 48 hours…spring has arrived! Just when it looked like we’d NEVER see it too. Thank goodness!! I was feeling pretty darn put out about having snow every other day. Playing “now you see it, now you don’t” with my lawn has lost its appeal (lol).

I’ve been so bad about posting stuff about my Kanab trip. All the cool stuff I saw and did while there. I’m working on it….really. Been busy at work so I don’t want to look at my PC when I get home. Ugh. I’ll get some more posted, though…eventually ;0)

A quick opinion

I have no tolerance for, nor any use for guys who beat their women. I am outraged at the women who stay with these scumbags. Do yourselves a huge favor and throw the bum OUT....for good.