For your Summer Reading Pleasure, Might I suggest. . .?

I just finished three books in less than a week, I know that's just, well, CRAZY?!

I picked up the "Twilight" series by Stephenie Meyers on a suggestion from a website. You know, one of those "if you like this author, you might enjoy this, blah, blah, blah".

Nice, quick easy read and it's a great story. Love, suspense, the supernatural, what's not to love? I'm only sad that there are only four books in this series, the fourth is due out Saturday, and then it's done (HUGE SIGH). I don't think I've enjoyed a series as much since Harry Potter, and it was terrible to see that story end too.

Of course, there is something to be said for "ending it". I know some authors who have written their characters within an inch of their "lives", and after awhile you think, "shouldn't this guy/girl give it a rest?" At some point the plots ALL sound the same, and it seems like you (the reader) are being cheated.

So it's true what they say. . . all good things must come to an end, however, I hope Ms. Meyers leaves the ending somewhat open, so that maybe at some point, if something fantastic occurs to her, we can revisit these fabulous characters.

My Blue Heaven

I keep forgetting I have this picture that I wanted to share with all of you. My Hydrangea was exceptionally beautiful this year. Last year it didn't do so well, but this year I got 11 blossoms, and they were all gorgeous.

More of the Big Birthday Bash

Poor Jacob. He didn't get much of a birthday this year. We're planning a trip to see family soon, and there wasn't time to bake a cake, or get a party together, so I had to wing it. Not exactly the way I wanted him to have to celebrate, but he was happy enough. So far he's done pretty well. John and I got him Spiderman p.j.'s and a Thomas the Train playset. Aunt Tracy, Uncle Jim, Becca and Cassidy got him some much needed clothes, a Power Ranger coloring book and two Power Ranger action figures (good for sharing with Johnathan)

As you can see, Jacob was just fine with tiny cupcakes. . . no cake needed. . . he only eats frosting :-)

Happy Birthday, Jacob!!!

I cannot believe my baby is four years old! Where did the last four years go? I swear it feels like only yesterday we were running back and forth, and back and forth, to the hospital. We thought for sure he'd be born on the 4th of July. I remember sitting on the couch watching fireworks for shut in's and timing the contractions with the clock on the wall. For an hour straight they were five minutes apart, so we went to the hospital and . . . everything stopped. This happened quite a few times over the next few days until the finally on the 6th I said I'm not going home without a baby. Little did I know that soon I would have my baby, 6 pounds, 9 ounces, and one month early. After one week in the hospital on antibiotics for strep B infection, I was able to take our sweet baby home. And oh, those first three months were, well, tough. And then, he smiled, and all was right with the world. He's been such a blessing in my life, and I can't imagine what life was ever like without him, and I can't imagine what my life would be if I didn't have him in it. My precious, sweet big boy.

Yellow Jackets - Satan's handmaiden

Childbirth was nothing compared to the pain I just experienced. So, I'm outside trying to trim back some shrubs so I can paint the house and guess what I disturbed? A yellow jacket's nest. Got one sting on my left thumb and on my um, backside. Little sucker flew up my pants and bit me right in the um, well you can guess. I'm just thankful it was only two stings.

Many years ago my sister, as a child, stepped on a nest and our neighbor at that time rescued her. And trust me, rescue is a the perfect word. These little bastards could kill you and the sting is a dull, throbbing pain. Ouch, ouch, ouch!!!

Do these evil bugs have a purpose? I'm going to Wikipedia them and see what the story is, and how to get rid of them. I'm just thankful the boys weren't with me.

Oh and did I mention I freaked out my poor neighbors? They came running as I went screaming into my house. Great. Before I was just the angry white lady, now I'm the crazy, angry white lady. This is not good for my image. (sigh)

Company, Dunham, Tattoos and Computers

That in a nutshell is what has been going on since last Wednesday. John's co-worker, Brian and his wife, came to stay with us this past week, so I've been crazy trying to get the house ready for company . . . if you know me you know how I work myself into a frenzy over having the house just right for company.

Then, we got a nice break. A night out to see the comedian Jeff Dunham. I got the tickets as a birthday present for John back in March. It seemed like this day would never get here. It was a blast. This guy is hysterical. If you've never seen him, do yourself a favor and check him out on You Tube or Comedy Central. His most recent show is called "Spark of Insanity" and he uses puppets, like Walter (an angry old guy), Peanut (some alien creature), Achmed (the dead terrorist), and Jose Jalepano (on a stick), just to name a few. I highly recommend this show.

And the boys (John and Brian) decided to go get tattoos. They both got dragons (different dragons on different legs), at Carolina Tattoo. Another place I would recommend. I need to get a picture of John's Tattoo and post it here. It is really beautiful work.

Finally, we have a new addition in our house, that I never expected. This bundle of joy arrived last week and is all I could have hoped for, a laptop computer. John got it for me as a surprise, and boy was I!

Remembered

I hadn't really thought to blog about Tim Russert until today when I was checking out my friend, Sarah's, page.

While I did not frequently watch the show, my mother did, somewhat religiously. It was a Sunday tradition for her. Church, breakfast and Tim Russert. I knew not to call after 10:00 a.m. on Sundays because this was "Tim Time" and I couldn't really compete with that. LOL!

What has surprised me most in the passing days is the outpouring of public affection for this man we hardly knew. I am inspired by the genuine love and affection he had not only for his family but for his colleagues and his career. Particularly, as I watched a memorial tribute to Tim Russert there was an audio clip from an interview that he had given where he said he thought if he was lucky he'd be able to go to college, maybe even law school and then return to Buffalo to be a good lawyer, or teacher. He did so much more than I'm sure he ever imagined possible, which has inspired me with my own aspirations.

Tim Russert we salute you and all the fine contributions you made to this world, both at your home and ours. Thank you.

3 States and a glass of wine later. . .

This is by far one of the most messed up situations I have ever dealt with. ( I know, don't end a sentence with a preposition, however, given the fact that I'd rather use harsh words here, a preposition is the least of my worries)

This all started out innocently enough. A small, white envelope in the mail from my insurance company. A non-threatening little white envelope, which I assumed said "hi, you need more life insurance, blah, blah, blah" or some other such non-sense. Nope. No such freaking luck.

John has been hit with the identity whammy AGAIN. After calling the DMV in North Carolina, Maryland AND Virginia, all three confirmed what we both knew. . . which is that John did not have a ticket of any shape or size since 2004. So, after doing everyone's job for them, I had to tell said insurance company that their underwriter was full of bologna and to run John's driving record again. This quest for truth took up more than an hour and a half of my life, which I will never get back. . . how fair is that?!?!?!

Don't misunderstand me. I do not blame John as he is completely blameless for this. Some yahoo in underwriting hell saw fit to transpose numbers or some other such nonsense that I can't even fathom at this time, and there you have it, BOOM, increased insurance rates. And here I am, having a mild panic attack trying to sort it all out. Again, karma, where are you and why, why, why, must you smite me so mercilessly?????

With any luck at all my hard work and dedication will pay off, but again, 90 minutes of my life wasted on, well, nothing at all.

John Q. Public

Sometimes, I long for the days of having an unusual name, like when I get calls from the dentist for crown work. . . umm, no not me, the "other" Beth Campbell. Or like today, when I find in the mail a notice that our insurance is going up because John Campbell had a traffic violation in March 2007. No, not this John Campbell, but probably "another" John Campbell. So, because there's a glich in the system somewhere, or someone was off by one number on a ticket, "I" have to fix it. Grrrr!

Wisdom from Mr. Greene . . .

My high school English teacher, Mr. Greene, has a blog and also writes for my hometown newspaper. (please note the link to his blog on the left side of the screen called "Venangoland"). More often than not I can find some truth in his words that identifies with my own life, and I really wanted to share some of his insight with all of you who may not ever take the opportunity to look at his blog, but do in fact view mine.

"What I Learned This Decade" - by Peter Greene


(News-Herald, May 22) Today’s column marks ten years of filling up this weekly space. I have voiced many opinions (about 416,000 words—almost double the number of words in Moby Dick) but I decided to mark my anniversary by stating as clearly and briefly as I can what I actually believe. So…

There is a God. However, a human trying to understand God is like my dog trying to understand my Hawaiian shirt collection. Any human who claims to know exactly what God is about is full of bologna.

Most of human existence is wasted on silly junk that we just make up. We spend 95% of our time and care on things of no importance; only the other 5% has value or reality. Many people do not disagree with those numbers, but most disagree vehemently about what, exactly, constitutes that 5%.

Whatever you’re doing, try to spot the main point. This requires thinking and paying attention—the main point is almost never “to just go through the motions.” It is not necessary to be particularly smart. If you can just shut up and pay attention, you can fill in the holes in your smarts.

Comfort and convenience are the enemies of everything great and good. People go to great lengths to avoid anything difficult, uncomfortable or inconvenient. Everybody succumbs to this temptation now and then; that’s just human. Some people are ruled by it; they become truly bad people.

In every aspect of your life, you are always either getting better or getting worse. There is no standing still. If you think you have something mastered and no longer need to work on it, you are getting worse.

Life normally generates plenty of conflict, heartache and hurt. It is a foolish waste to make a special effort to add, on purpose, more hurt and heartache to the world. Our minimum responsibilities as human beings include looking out for each other and being kind.

Being kind is not the same as being nice. It is not kind to offer warm fuzzy affirmations to someone who is driving himself over a cliff. It is almost never kind to lie to someone, even though the truth can be hard.

Very few situations are improved by withholding the truth.

It is important to make judgment calls and to make the very best decisions that we can on any given day without waffling or flinching. At the same time, it would be a mistake to believe that you are so wise that you need never listen to another viewpoint. No good judgment was ever harmed by being re-examined. You can never learn too much.

Be a pessimist about the present and an optimist about the future. Be ruthless about confronting any ugly truth now, and always be certain that no matter how bad the situation is, the next moment could still bring something better. One of the great tricks of evil is the belief that if you have made ten bad choices in a row, the eleventh is sure to be bad and you might as well not bother to try. That’s a lie. No matter how many bad choices you have made, the next choice could be a right choice. Not only can you try to get it right, but you must try. Redemption is not just a possibility, but a responsibility.

There’s a long list of problems that government cannot solve. It’s a bad idea to use government as a tool to implement the horribly common human impulse to make other people behave the way we think they’re supposed to.

Life is like a card game. Fortune deals the cards, and those cards decide what choices you have. Within those limits, the outcome will be determined by your skill, wisdom, and nerve. Fortune (God, fate—pick your favorite) and human effort determine each outcome; to imagine it’s all fortune is lazy, and to imagine that it’s all human effort is egotistically foolish.

Every choice happens where the circumstances of your life intersect with who you are at that moment. Nobody can know what that intersection looks like but you.

Figure out what you believe the point is. Never stop figuring. At the same time, act as if you really mean what you say you believe.

Every moment in life is one of a kind. Filling it with spirit, meaning, beauty, purpose, use and sense is important. Growing and getting better, and helping others do the same, is most of what we are made for.


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Posted by Peter A. Greene at 5/23/2008 06:19:00 PM

I hope you found some truth, humor and honesty in this article as I did, and I sincerely hope that some of you who read my blog take some of the above thoughts and ideas to heart.

"Beautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful boys"

So I stole some lyrics from John Lennon, but my boys are "beautiful". . . I'm a biased mom, what can I say?

Tubby Time for two

Here are some embarrassing shots of the boys that they'll kill me for later. Notice all the lovely artwork and the gray water from the tubby crayons. Eegads!

Hams

My boys are total hams. . . but aren't they sweet? Jacob has been asking me to take his picture all the time. . . who am I to say no???





and sometimes when they least expect me I get a shot like this. . .



So very, very sweet when they sleep.

Happy Memorial Day!

We had a picnic yesterday to thank our neighbors who had to graciously helped out with the roofing project. It was nice to get outside and enjoy the day with the boys, who had a wonderful time. The "gray" bath water last night would tell you just how much fun they had (ha! ha!) They were into EVERYTHING. Johnathan was BLACK from his fingertips to his elbows with dirt. Popsicles were the big hit of the picnic.



("Look at all these slackers! I better cut this grass because it sure won't cut itself, jeez!")

HOLES

Here are some pictures of the holes in our roof, which are now thankfully patched, tar papered, and shingled. What a relief.


(this one actually over the back porch)

(Notice the hole around the vent pipe)

(A word to the wise, you cannot use latex caulking. . . it does not adhere to shingles, thus the leaks, thus the holes in my roof!!! Idiots!)

(Hole just to the right and down from vent pipe)

There's a hole in my roof, dear liza, dear liza

Oh, well at least we know now where the leaks are, I just didn't realize how many holes we had. Three pretty decent sizes holes in our bedroom and laundry room area and one over the back porch. Fortunately I think we have the wood we need to patch these holes and proceed. It's just bizarre to see blue sky through the ceiling in my laundry room. Weird.

A Roofing We Will Go

Well, the project has begun. . . actually it began yesterday, but the dumpster made it here today so now it's official. We (John) are putting a new roof on the house. So far he's only come across one issue, which was that there were three roofs on our house and not one like we originally thought. Just makes for more waste and a higher tonage when we send in the dumpster (crap!), but if this is the only problem we have it'll be a blessing.

Here are some pictures of our (John's) progress


(What a mess!)


(Man at work. . . not to be confused with the 80's group Men at Work)


(The dumpster coming up the driveway)

Are you missing something?

Today I found a raisin, yes a raisin, in my washing machine. So my first thought was to ask the boys "are you missing something? Perhaps a squeaky clean raisin?"

Wacky words and phrases

I was recently schooled in the finer art of "pell-mell" by my friend Debbie, and it got me thinking. . . how many other unusual sayings are out there that I don't know about? Things like "red up your room", which is a favored saying in Pennsylvania, which means to "clean up your room". Anyway, if you have an unusual saying please share it with me and I'll do a follow up post on what I've learned.

A Quiz to take up some space

1. How many people do you know with your name? Three with my full complete name however, I do not know them personally, and at least five people with the same first name.

2. What was your first car? Da' Hoopty. 1987 Plymouth Horizon. . . light blue. . . Oh baby, she was a bomb! I drove her until she just about fell apart.

3. What do you want in your life right now? Healthy happy family and a job that is satisfying, unlike my last job. (Oy vey!)

4. What do you smell like? Country Apple soap . . . just washed my hands.

5. What's your favorite Gatorade flavor? ICK! None, I am not a fan.

6. What's your favorite thing to have on your bed? My big down comforter in the winter.

7. Are you wearing anything you borrowed from someone? No, and I don't think anyone would try to claim it if they could LOL! Wearing scrungy work-in-the-yard clothes.

8. Do you sleep in jeans? Good grief no! How uncomfortable is that?!?!?

9. When are you normally on the phone? Lately, all the time, whenever it rings, which seems to be a lot.

10. Are you a cuddler? Yes, until I get too hot or until I need to sprawl out. . . sorry, honey.

11. Something you just don't understand? Why people with Passive Aggressive disorder are not all rounded up and taken away and forcibly medicated.

12. What is the last thing you bought someone? Popsicles for my hubby. Surprise honey if you are reading this.

13. It's 4 in the morning and the phone rings. Who do you expect it to be? Either the hospital or the police. . . either way nothing good comes at 4 a.m.

14. How is life going for you right now? Much better than it was one week ago. Much, MUCH better :-)

15. Can you play Guitar Hero? Never even held the controller.

16. Do you prefer warm or cold weather? WARM. It's one of the reasons we left PA

17. What do you currently hear right now? The dishwasher running.

18. What do you think your best friend is doing right now? Drinking? Sleeping? Fell asleep drinking LOL!

19. Would you rather watch football or baseball? FOOTBALL

20. Do you feel like dancing? No, not even a little bit.

21. Do you speak another language other than English? Si, yo me gusta Espanol. (o.k. so my spelling might be a bit off and I don't speak Spanish terribly well, but I can speak a little bit.)

22. Where were you Friday night? Home with the boys, where else?

23. What is something you want right now...be honest? A particular job I saw in the paper. I want it so bad my eye teeth hurt.

24. Do you like the color orange? Um, yes, within reason, and not as clothing for me. However, my boys look great in orange.

25. Sometimes do you wish you were someone else? Maybe Bill Gates, but more attractive, and as a chick LOL!

26. Three feelings at the moment? Tired, anxious, annoyed.

27. Ever been kissed under fireworks? I don't think so? Not that I recall.

28. Where's the weirdest place you have slept? The Neville Island Motel. . . we shall never speak of this.

29. Where can I find you at 7 pm tonight? Gosh, on my couch with the kids watching Power Rangers for the millionth time.

IF you want to do it then TAG! If not that's cool too.