Friday Night Lights

Make Love, Not War??

One of my client's son is a marine, and she is so proud of him. I see her every Tuesday and often ask how he is. This week she said, "Oh, he's in Hawaii." I responded, "Wow, lucky guy!" She glanced sideways and said, "He's on a warship with missiles, and they are heading to the Philippines or South Korea..." I said, "Oooohhhh..."
It's a few days later, and it seems to be common knowledge now, since it's on lots of foreign websites as the American media refuse to report any real news. I'm also one of the first to say, where is the anti-war crowd?? And the liberals who kept screaming at Bush when he was president, where are they?  Obama is circumventing congress AND the United Nations, which Bush was NEVER allowed to do. And Obama evidently doesn't need any weapons inspectors; we're just supposed to take his word (and that of John Kerry) that they know for sure (after 3 days) that chemical weapons (aka weapons of mass destruction - there's a word you don't hear anymore) were perpetrated by Assad and not the rebels. Almost all conservatives are totally against the USA attacking Syria, especially because Russia is promising "dire consequences" for the USA and Iran is promising to rain missiles over Israel (although I'm not sure what they have to do with it except all middle eastern countries hate them and will use any excuse to bomb them.) Glenn Beck is saying that an attack by the US will start World War III and that this is really not a punishment to Assad, but rather a way for the current administration to force a 'regime change' in Syria.
As an evangelical Christian conservative, I am against getting into yet another war, and think the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have gone on long enough. And the hypocritical liberals seem to be against war only if a Republican is president.
Where is Cindy Sheehan when you need her??

The Best of Both Worlds?

I want to weigh in (late) on Miley Cyrus. I did not watch the VMA's on Sunday night but knew my 16 year old was taping it. On Monday, the photos starting showing up on Facebook and Yahoo, and frankly I wasn't surprised. Miley chose the "dark side" a while back, and continues to "push the envelope" as they say, and try to out-Madonna and out-Gaga with her shock and awe. I thought it was vile and disgusting, and well, demonic, if you want to know the truth. She has gone over the edge of what is considered acceptable - even in pop culture - and seems to relish in the rebellion. I reposted what another mom somewhere in the country said, that Miley has never been told no or was disciplined, and that this should be a lesson to all parents raising their children, as it is too late for Miley at the age of 20.
I have asked myself why the backlash?? Why now?? Why Miley?? MTV has done this kind of show with this level of decadence for a long time. I think it's because Generation X is finally having babies, and they seem to be horrified now that they have children of their own. This is a good thing because usually they have been calloused to the deterioration of American society, and I think the fact that THEY are finally saying enough is enough is the difference. Rush Limbaugh asked the question, if it had been two girls or if it had been Beyonce, would there have been this kind of backlash. I think the answer is no, because gays/lesbians and blacks can get away with almost anything these days because of their label. But the fact that Miley is white and a previous Disney star, evidently that is where even Americans draw the line. So many mothers I am friends with on Facebook were saying how "sad" they were for Miley and that they felt so sorry for her. Aaaahhhh!! She knows EXACTLY what she's doing and it makes me angry because she influences thousands (or more?) females all around the world from her Disney Hannah Montana days, which wasn't that long ago. She traveled all over the planet with adoring little girls worshipping her, and the message this sends them is hideous. Unfortunately Miley is going to have to learn the hard way what is acceptable and what isn't.
And that we all reap what we sow..

First day.... Back to School

Whisper those 3 words to me...

Summer 2013 is officially over... all public schools in Texas start tomorrow morning and we've been getting ready. We shopped at the end of Texas' tax-free holiday weekend, and we were able to buy 'needs.'
 It's been a good summer, at least for my school-age daughter, since she started driving and loves that independence. However, money has become tighter than ever, and makes me pissy. It's not that I'm worried because I do believe God when He promises in His word to take care of our needs. But  I would like to also provide the 'wants' for DD and be able to help my older children monetarily, but I'm unable to do so. I'm on straight commission in newspaper advertising sales, and as in musical chairs, every year people keep cutting back more and more. I'm looking for another job, but marketing jobs are fewer and far between. Especially in small towns...
Anyway.
While others took fun vacations, whatever money I had, went to DD's 'camps,' most of which were mandatory for cheer, dance, dance officers, and a very inexpensive church camp that was subsidized by her youth group's church.
Me? I've had two days off this summer, and those were for moving into a much cheaper rent house. I continue to be stressed over money, fatigued from work, tired of trying to compete with others who make tons more than I do, and relieved that school starts tomorrow. Relief because I will know where DD is and know that she's safe, rather than worrying about her while I'm at my full-time job.
Sigh. Life as a single mother is something I would never wish on anyone.
Can you tell I'm ready for Back to School???

County Fair

Don't rain on my parade

"If I had a son, he would look like...."

Life continues to be extremely difficult. It's all I can do to get through the day. At some point I will go back to posting on one subject but until then, here are my tweets and comments:

-- Tweets from accused teenage killer (of Chris Lane) detail hatred of whites. Yeah.... How long did we  have to endure all of the crap about Trayvon and racism?? And have to listen to our president say things like, "If I had a son, he would look like Trayvon." Yeah, well I DO have a son, and he looks like Chris Lane, you JERK. And three scumbags, who happen to have black skin, shot him because they were BORED. In the Zimmerman case, he claimed self-defense, and many other factors were at play. In this? The killers targeted a white person, and killed him for the fun of it. The scariest kind of murders...
-- Obama's brother linked to Muslim Brotherhood. Why does nothing surprise me any more??
-- Coptic Christians ask Obama why he doesn't care about them. Yeah, we ask this here in America too. He only seems to care about himself and his end game. God talks about looking at a man's heart and judging him on his actions. Words are nothing.
-- Even FRANCE is calling for actions against Syria regarding chemical weapons & the USA remains silent??? This was my comment to something I retweeted, noting the irony that even "make love, not war" France seems to have more conscience than our own country...
-- White House spokesperson not familiar with Austrailian shot for the fun of it? UNACCEPTABLE
-- White House spokesperson 'not familiar' with Chris Lane murder. Yeah right.... If you are familiar and lying, we get it. If you're truly not familiar, you're embarressing...
-- Parents banned from walking children to class. The article says it's due to the Sandy Hook incident. Hmmmm. If a school didn't let me walk my young child to class, then my child would not be attending that school. Period.
-- Is Distracting Protest a 'Public Hazard'? Video of State Troopers Arresting 'Impeach Obama' Protesters raising... (self explanatory)
-- Five Pillars of Islam Display Removed from Elementary School after Viral Photo Resulted in Nationwide backlash. Wrong on so many levels...
-- Obama to Bypass Congress Again to Impose Cell Phone Tax - Why doesn't someone stop this guy?! He's not King. Yet...
-- Government Wants to Ban Certain Tattoos and Piercings, Bill Passes in Senate. Ok. So I don't really like tattoos and piercings but I'm not going to make it illegal either. What happened to being free to do whatever we want to do unless it infringes on someone else's rights.??

Freedom is dwindling every day...

3-2-1.....

Yes, that's right. I'm counting the days until DD's previous boyfriend leaves for college. She has had to endure way more than the norm for a first serious boyfriend. He cheated, rubbed it in her face in person & on social media, then says he's debating getting back together with DD but five days later decides to date one of her best friends. And in this small town? You see, or hear about everyone non-stop. I think he leaves Sunday. 

It can't come soon enough...

The Perils of Pauline...

If you're a regular reader, you know I live in the heart of Texas... and I've avoided hitting a deer (or a deer hitting me) all these years and getting stung by a scorpion... until this week. DD was coming home at 11:30 p.m., and as I usually do, I stand at the back door waiting for her. I had just taken my shoes off, and put on flip flops, and as I stood there, it felt like a thousand bees stung me at once, or laying your hand on an open burner (which I have also done.) I looked down, and couldn't see anything, and about that time, DD walked through the door as I'm screaming in pain and hobbling around. I yelled,  "It had to have been a scorpion!!" and as DD looked under the back bookshelf, there it was. The demon insect. Actually, scorpions should be in their own category - of demon species, like those scary centipedes that also live around here. And of course, snakes.
After us girls decimated it with a baseball bat, I quickly got on the internet, where you can find anything from, "don't worry about it" to "go to the hospital." There were some things to watch for, and sure enough, after about 30 minutes, my tongue went numb and then my lips did. Hmmmm.... Then we lost our internet, and didn't have a phone book, and by this time, it's midnight. I had to call a friend to get our hospital's number, and then call the ER, and the nurse asks if I am having trouble breathing or swallowing. No. Just the numb tongue. I asked what they would do if I came in, and she said they would give me Benedryl for an allergic reaction.
The best remedies came from local friends on Facebook, but since the internet went dead shortly after the sting, I couldn't see the answers until the next day. Evidently, like rattlesnakes,  baby scorpions have more venom. And this one was about 1.5" long with a tail about 1" long. It must have had the maximum amount of venom.
Sigh.
So... since it costs me THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS every time I go to the ER, I decided I would just see what happened. That's pretty sad, when you're having an allergic reaction and still decide not to go to the hospital in hopes that it will get better. I stayed up til 3:00 a.m. monitoring myself, and finally fell fast asleep. My tongue stayed numb until 2:00 p.m. yesterday and my toe kept stinging until about 4:00 p.m. Most people I asked said that it usually only hurts a little while, but if you get a bad sting, can get an allergic reaction like I did, which can be dangerous.
As you might guess, I have on closed toe shoes....

(It looked almost exactly like this)

The eagle has landed...

Soon I will be back to full strength, mentally and physically.... It's been a rough few weeks. But I've already registered DD for her junior year in high school, and school starts on August 26th here in Texas, and then maybe we can get back to some semblance of normalcy. 

What's odd to me, is that whenever George W. was president, if there were any homeless, or anti-war demonstrators, or just people upset with rising gas prices, we saw photos and videos and stories ad nauseum in the media. Now? They are strangely silent. People I know are suffering worse than they have in my Baby Boomer lifetime, and the media is guilty by association. They have become like the old Soviet Union propaganda machine rags in the 60's and 70's. Gas prices are killing people. My ex-husband, who is unemployed, can't go anywhere because gas is too expensive. And yes, there are jobs out there, but they are all minimum wage type jobs with no insurance that the high schoolers can do.
I am frustrated because a lot of Americans just listen to the media tell them what to think. Right now things are BAD, but you'd never know it from our 'lying by omission' mainstream media.
Here's another thing - I know I'm being listened to on my cell phone. At first my family did not believe me, but they cut off my phone calls often, and we can hear them breathing, and a few weeks ago, I heard them talking in a hushed tone. Yes, I follow the Tea Party on Facebook and that's none of their business. This group in the White House has deemed conservatives like me the enemy, and not the terrorists who committed 9-11, among many others. And all of the president's executive orders are blatantly sidestepping our due course of law under the constitution that he has no regard for, and has said such. Remember when the presidents are sworn in and vow to uphold the constitution? But then presidents are supposed to have been born in this country, and even that is questionable...
Also I read (for the second year in a row) that the first family's dog Bo was flown separately to Martha's Vineyard this week. I commented on this last year too... I mean, the cost alone is a reason not to do this but I also read that there is some sort of Muslim rule about this, which again raises questions of what this president's true faith in his heart is. Anyone can call themselves anything - but actions are the proof.  This president SAYS he's a Christian, but where's the proof? He attended a black liberation church, which was just a guise for a political organization in order to get tax-free status. It's all depressing.
And I'm not the only one noticing. People are wanting to leave the United States for the first time that I can remember. Even this week was the homeschool family that decided this country was not for them anymore, and set sail for an island. I've even read that it is Africa that is sending missionaries to the United States, rather than vice-versa, as it has been for the last hundred years, to save the lost.
Are our best days behind us?

What goes down, must come up

There are just a few times in my life when it all seems too much. The last few weeks fall into this category... Ordinarily I can keep up with the news and make comments and do it all, but not recently. I guess with the death of my childhood friend, and my favorite coworker quitting on the spot in late June, well I've been in a terrible funk, (and also have been super sick the past week.) Add to that, heat over 100 degrees every day and some strange Africam dust cloud over central Texas, and it's a grand funk. 

I also know that blogs about funks aren't fun and interesting, so here are a few summer pix of DD and Baby B, because they are having a great summer:

Summertime. And the livin' is easy...

Murphy's Law

It's been over 100 degrees for days...

Day is done, gone the sun...

Reap what you sow...

Was just reading the story about Simon Cowell getting his friend's wife pregnant - the story said that Cowell thought they were "friends with benefits" and that the pregnancy was not planned. Uh, duh. What a typical player... just wants sex and no commitment and no responsibility. Well, all that's about to change for the 53 year old...
Which brings me to the continuing saga of my 16 year old and her prior boyfriend. If you're not a regular reader of my blog, the quick overview is that DD was asked out by her crush to prom last year. Dating ensued, and they were crazy about each other, or so she thought. After six months, DD learned he had been talking to another girl for months by text and phone, and one of DD's cheerleader friends showed her the texts of boyfriend and the hussy, which were sexual. And learned he had used the same player lines on hussy as he did on DD. He broke up with DD and immediately started up with the hussy. A few months later he lied to his parents and had a big wreck going to see hussy, and his parents made them break up. DD and boyfriend started talking and texting again, and he considered getting back together most of the month of May, but decided that since he was going to college in August, that he would "stay friends." Within 10 days, he was already "dating" one of the two sisters that are DD's best friends. AND this girl dated HIS best friend for the last year.
Hmmmm....
She waited to post photos on social media, mainly since the last hussy was chastised on social media when he dumped DD. But alas, today she posted a picture of them from July 4th on both Instagram and Facebook. It, of course, ruined DD's day. Both girls have dance camp together this week, and she already announced to DD that she's bringing him to the "show off" tomorrow. It has not gone unnoticed that he never came to watch DD when they were dating, nor did he ever take her to dinner, as he is with the new girl... It's certainly doing a number on DD's self confidence, not to mention that DD tries to do everything the right way, yet is watching other girls be successful by being immoral and other wrong ways... On top of that, this girl's sister is now cooling her friendship with DD, since it's all awkward, and it makes them feel bad about themselves? I don't know... they don't seem to have much conscience really. And the three of them were at church camp last week, and the new girlfriend was flirting (and now texting) one of the camp counselors ( which, of course, is against the counselor's rules.)
All of this to say that it is taking ALL of my strength to not seek a little payback. You see, I am the one who has to hear all of my daughter's crying over all of this, and it certainly shows her how much life isn't fair. I want to post a photo of the four of them double dating last summer. I want to mention that DD confided in her all year, but this girl thinks nothing of breaking "Girl Code." I want everyone to know that this girl was the first person DD called sobbing so hard she could not talk. I want to say that this girl isn't the goody-two shoes that she purports to be; au contrare, much the opposite. I want karma to come around like everyone says it will. I want justice!
But I'm not... I know it would feel good for two point five seconds, and then I'd have to deal with the consequences forever. I'd be known as the crazy mom who gets too involved, although most parents in my town are too.
No, I have to sit back and pray. I have to pray that God, being the just God that He is will do as He says, "vengeance is mine, saith the Lord."
I'm going to have to trust Him that He will be true to His word, and that she will reap what she sows, as we all do. And I have to wait for His timing.
Sigh.