If It Cannot Be Debunked It Is Paranormal!

Paranormal meaning, not so normal. This weekend appears to have been an interesting one for more than just me.  It seems that Kimberly over at She Scribes and I, had some weirdness in our house that we cannot debunk.

Kimberly had some strange electrical and technology issues that freaked her husband out. 

Mine were about the closet in my hallway.....

A few weeks ago little pieces of paper appeared from under a closet in my hallway. Just little brown pieces that have perforated edges like they came off a box. Last night before bed I heard some crinkle sounds as if someone was rattling paper. My husband didn't hear it but this morning, the closet door was ajar and there was another piece of that paper there. When I opened the door a roll of wrapping paper was there. Same sound. I took everything out and ran my hand along to corners. I found another piece of paper under the wood of the door jam. Ummmm...

This is not the first time I have had paranormal activity but in the past I could always debunk by saying I must have been overtired or waking from a dream.


Not sure that I want to go into those because I choose to believe they were just my mind and by saying them you have to face them.  They were very odd!


So did anyone else have any paranormal activity this weekend?

CKR (a novel) by Dawn Scovill - Is A Wild Ride!

Chasing Kid Rock

In My Honest Opinion:
Wow! I read this in one night and had to keep reminding myself that it was in fact, written by a woman.

When we first meet Ted, he is being interviewed by a newspaper reporter. Only one problem, he is preoccupied with life. His wife left him and his friends are excited about their yearly 500 trip. Ted was excited too after all, he and his two friends Jimmy and Alex have been doing this since High School where they get a little laid, get a little high and get a little drunk. Things are still the same except, they are all grown up with responsibilities. After Kate leaves him, Alex believes this may have something to do with the 500 since he can't think of anything he has done wrong. He says this will be his last and heads out reluctantly with his friends all the while, looking forward to the Kid Rock concert that he is hoping his wife will be at.

The guys spend a lot of time drinking and partying eventually meeting some woman. The guys hook up, including Ted! Micah is a powerful, beautiful, enticing woman. Ted tries to be the faithful husband, but what's a guy to do when she continually throws herself at him. What' a guy to do? How can he resist?

I spent a better part of the book wondering if he would get Kate back after his affair? Sounds like a chicks book which is the best part of it. This book can totally be read by couples. I loved reading from the guys perspective; the relationship of Ted and his guy friends, what they think, and how they act when their woman aren't around.

While I didn't consider this book too sexy, I feel the need to let my readers know that there is sex in it. In fact, there is lots of guy talk, mostly of of sex and threesomes. There is also use of the shhh..."f" word!

Dawn claims this to be a Redneck fiction book and I can see that, but also, it is a good, entertaining, quick read with a splash of Kid Rock references (he does make an appearance in the story). I found myself completely hoping that bad luck Ted comes out on top!

If you like to read, or if you don't this is a great book and...well...reading is fundamental so pick up CKR, you may just find out you actually like reading.

Ugh Back Talk Is Going To Be The Death Of Me!

Lately Handsome's back talk has been beyond control. I know kids like to test but he has gone too far. Today by 2:00 PM I was DONE! Done, listening, Done being patient, Done explaining, Done telling him that this is not how we talk!  I was so DONE, I literally had to call for back-up (thanks Clary) to talk me down.

Beside all the colorful, nasty words that come out of his mouth, which are all on our DO NOT SAY list.
Words like:
Stupid
Shig (that is not a typo, he doesn't know how to say it)
Damn

Hell
Hate
Die

There are also the lovely terms like: 
Damn It!
Shut Up
I don't have to tell you
Alright, I know!
You are giving me a headache
OK, OK, OK!
Then a big huff after he tells us any of these.

All of these lovely terms and nasty disposition shock me. Where the heck? Who the heck? What the heck?

Today after his sister made him a picture telling him she loved him with two people hugging, he tossed it and said, "I don't want it."

I called him over and told him that being polite and a good person means that you don't go around hurting people's feelings. "You say thank you when someone gives you something, no matter who it is from. You have no right to hurt people who are trying to do something nice for you. It is not how you would want to be treated. Would you like if someone did that to you? She was trying to be nice. Think before you talk."

With this he does the usual, puts his hands over his ears and tells me, "OK, OK, OK...sheesh. I know. You are giving me a headache.

When I told him to be careful with his mouth, that this is not how he is supposed to talk to his Mommy and Daddy he did it again. Ugh...I don't want to chase him around the house. I want to pummel him to a pulp.  While he gives me his back talk all I can think is, this has got to be my fault. The problem is, I never hit him. I need to hit him. His disrespect for everything and everyone makes me crazy. The only one he shows any respect to and it is minimal, is his soccer coach and Cub Scout den leader (the same guy). He cries when yelled at and there is no talking to him. He refuses to answer questions when we try to talk to him and is always rude.

He is oblivious to almost everything except what he wants and is very literal.

I am posting this because, I want to remember it,  want him to read it and because, hopefully, maybe someone has a suggestion as to how to handle him.

So, in your honest opinion, how would you handle a kid who refuses to do or say what you are asking of him? 

Ever Heard of Lonesome George & Company?

Neither did I until I received an awesome shirt from Lonesome George & Company.

I handed it to Handsome to put on who now uses his I've-lost-too-many-teeth-to-smile-normal face.

He loved it! He wore it three times since Saturday. When I asked him why he keep wearing the same shirt he says, "because it is so soft"!

He is completely right. When I handed it to anyone for the touch test, everyone comments on how soft it is.

This is only one of the reasons Lonesome George is being featured on Maria's Space. I am all about the design and comfort but more importantly, each item tells a story or makes a statement about a cause.  Their garments messages communicate the value your choice has in conserving treasured species, peoples, language, culture, art, and more from around the world

We are new fans of Lonesome George and can tell you that some of the folks on my Christmas list can expect one of these. We especially love the drawstring bag the shirt came in! 

ABC Wednesday - K = Kooky

I don't know. There was a guy juggling turnips. A fairy swooped in...

They started touching him

They checked out his turnip

Then one of them tried to take a bite of it!

Then they surrounded him

And....took him away...it was so strange, bizarre and Kooky

Cutting Down Our Wii Time & How You Can Do It Too

Over the summer Handsome played a lot of Wii. It was my first summer working and I didn't have time to referee all day. Getting him to play is easy since he usually spent most of his mornings, afternoons or evenings waiting for the moment he could play. He is a gamer and the Teach and I totally get it. We are too. It's in the blood. I was addicted to Sims before the kids came and he was a big XBox guy.

As we got closer to school starting I would give him time frames but had to argue and eventually yell to get him off the game. Right before the first day of school, I told him the "new rules for Wii."

Every Monday, he would get Wii Money. He is allowed to spend it however he wants but he has to make it last for the week or he will be out of money and not be able to play on the weekend.

I sat down and created this...

and this...

We have been doing this for 3.5 weeks now and it is working wonderfully. The system worked instantly.

Every Monday we give him 10 Wii dollars. Every Sunday, there are still 2 or 3 left over. He watches the time and more importantly, I haven't had to yell or force him to turn off the Wii! He does it all himself.

How It Works:
Print out the Wii Dollars (feel free to use these) or whatever you need them for, TV time, family time, etc.
Decide how many you are going to give for the week
When there are done, they are done.
The 15 minutes extra can be given only by a parent or adult because you had done something so spectacular they are gifted with more time. We haven't given one out yet.

Why It Works:
Very simple; they are in charge of their time. It is up to them to decide how to use it. You put the ball in their court and make them the driver of their own car which is really all kids want. You must remember how much you hated being told what to do when you were a kid. So do they.

If you decide to use this system or have one of your own, I would love to hear about it.  If you want me to email you the ones I made, please contact me at ree 026 @optonline.net.

Ruby Tuesday - The Fairies

I have no idea what is going on here. I was taking pictures of this juggler dude when three odd fairies swooped in, felt him up, played with his turnips and eventually dragged him away.

Linda Evans - Recipes for Life

=

What I Can Tell You: I was so excited to see read this book. I was a big fan of Linda's during her Dynasty days. I loved everything about her. Her hair, her poise, your history with John Derek. Reading this book was like stepping back into my own past while reading about hers. Complete with a candid, lovely story, beautiful personal photos and recipes handed down through generations, this book is a wonderful read.

There are so many stories that I remember from my own childhood and the Star magazines my grandparents had on the dining room table that I got to read the complete back story on. Very interesting book and well done. If you like autobiographies, this is the book for you. Linda is real reality she will always be Krystal Carrington to me.

Quotography - Time!

The Boys Bake A Cake

Last night Handsome's cub scout troop held their first annual bake off. Boys and their dads, or other significant male had to bake a cake from shopping to clean up. Sounded good and was excited to see Handsome and Teach work together on this project.

Teach picked up the cake mix and frosting on Tuesday and then the oven broke. The heating element in our electric oven broke in three places.

Would they be able to do it? I had no idea how this was going to go down but prayed for the best. All turned out well and the heating element came in Friday at 3:30. I headed to the bus stop to pick up the kids as Teach was fixing the oven.

As soon as Handsome got changed, the cake was started. Teach acted like he couldn't do it but it all turned out great. I recorded them cracking eggs, measuring and mixing. They put it in the oven and Handsome asked for some Wii time before we left.

Well, they made the cake, I cleaned up!

The cake was frosted and decorated and Handsome and I headed out to the Cub Scout Meeting.

We got there and added our CAKE to the array of beautiful supposedly made by father and son cakes. We were asked got write the theme or name of the cake on a card with number 23 on it. We called it "A Cake" basically, that was all it was although a nice looking cake.

The Cubs had a great time playing some organized activities and working together. What I love about the Cub Scouts is how they believe in community and most of the activities involve the boys helping each other. My favorite was the one where one boy is blindfolded while the other cub leads him through an obstacle course. It is amazing how trusting they are with each other.

Here are some of the cakes:

That one in the bottom right had a jello lake! Pretty genius

It was a good time and I am glad Handsome and I were there but the best part was watching my guys work on a cake together.

So, without further ado...I present Handsome and Teach's cake.

 

My personal favorite if I was voting!

I Don't Want To Miss A Thing

Lately life has been so busy and I feel like I am missing the important details that really matter. Like, writing about the kids first day of school and my son starting soccer again.

Every day we go through these motions of doing the things that have to be done. Cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping, putting clothes away, getting the kids to school, doing home work, bath time, bed time, work, chores, appointments, etc. All of these things mean, less time to really notice the subtle changes in our children, in the weather, in ourselves.

The past few weeks have been a blur. Get everything done so that the computer is off by the time the kids come home so I can spend time with them or rush them to their extra curricular activities.

Handsome started school and is already telling me he doesn't want to go. He is also in Cub Scouts and Soccer which means three days a week he is busy after school.

Goddess doesn't want to do soccer and the thing she would want to do, gymnastics or an art program, I can't afford at the moment (thankfully, since it is already too much for me.)

What do you do to balance out life, and take time to notice the little things? How do you fit work, kids, friends, family, husband, house work, errands, and life, into it all?

ABC Wednesday - J = Joust

Click to enlarge

Flower Maiden

If you haven't experienced the NY Reinassance Faire in Sterling, NY, you are missing out. It is one of the best things about living in Orange County NY.

All through the faire you will find maidens selling their flowers. This woman was being called over by a gentleman looking to purchase one for his blushing lady!