HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Here's my preemptive New Year wish to all of my loyal blog readers! It will officially be 2009 in T minus 3 hours and 57 minutes!!! What a year this has been, and what a year next year will be!!! I'm very much looking forward to what 2009 will bring. Hopefully Cletus will get called back to work, the wedding will go off without anything really bad happening, and I'll be able to find an affordable, reliable, nice 4 wheel drive vehicle to tote around the kiddies we're going to have!!! lol

Anyways, be safe tonight!!!

~Peanut


"Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right."
-Oprah Winfrey

Weird dreams...

Do you ever wonder exactly what our dreams mean? Do they really have a meaning, or are they just there? When a dream really strikes me, I wonder. I've heard that it's your sub-conscious acting out things that you would never do, or things that would never really happen...still...I wonder sometimes!!! I've also heard that if you remember the dream(s) you had the night before, it's because you woke up briefly.

For example, I had a very strange dream last night. If dreams have meanings, I have a pretty good idea now what this one means to me, but who knows for sure, right??? In this dream, I was shopping at a mall somewhere...no idea where though. I got kidnapped by my ex-boyfriends younger brother, some girl, and one other guy. I couldn't tell who they were though. I somehow managed to get away from them when they got in an elevator. I made my way through the store I was in and into the parking lot where my mom was standing. I tried to call my fiance, but he didn't pick up, and I told my mom I needed to find my car and leave right away. She tried to ask me a bunch of questions like 'why', 'what's going on', 'are you ok?'. So I told her again in a not so nice way that I needed to find my car and leave NOW. Then, my ex of 4 1/2 years comes out of nowhere and gives me the keys to his car pointing out where he had parked. Next thing I know, my car, being driven by (I'm guessing) someone that had some idea what was going on comes around the corner towards me, my mom, and my ex, but I still had my keys in my hand. My mom was standing between me and the car, so I was hoping they wouldn't notice/recognize/realize that it was me standing there. After they drove by, I started walking across the parking lot towards my ex's car, again trying to call my fiance. I got in, and as soon as I closed the door and locked it, someone (the 2nd guy from the kidnapping) was standing outside of the driver side door with a crowbar, and my car was now sitting behind me with someone else driving. He broke the window, pushed me into the passenger seat, and got in. My car sped away, and I woke up.

How weird is that??? It gives me the heebie jeebies just thinking about it...Oh, blogger shrinks...what do you think???

On a much happier note, we now have a location for the wedding shower!!! Yay!!!

~Peanut


"Pay attention to your dreams - God's angels often speak directly to our hearts when we are asleep."
-Quoted in The Angels' Little Instruction Book by Eileen Elias Freeman, 1994

Merry Christmas!!!

Last night, Cletus and I went to the Midnight Mass at church. It was amazing. The choir and band were incredible, the mass was nothing shy of wonderful... We opened our presents when we got home at 1:45 this morning!!! Good times :-)

When I got on my computer this morning and checked myspace, I saw this blog post from my cousin. He is stationed overseas right now, fighting for this wonderful country's freedom...

"Merry CHRIST-mas
hey yall... i just want to take this opportunity here to remind everyone of why this holiday, IS, in the first place... Jesus Christ our Lord and savior was born on this day... the only presents given Him were gold, frankinsence, and murr (spelling?) kingly gifts if u ask me... sure its fun to get presents... more stuff to have, more goodies to eat, thats all great, but my friends, everyone seems to forget this day for what it is... everyone gets caught up in the holiday hussle and bussle of "gotta get this for her and gotta get that for him" but really... on your birthday, who is the party for? who does everyone come to see? who gets all the attention and love and gifts?... you do because that is your day... your birthday... i feel sorrow for Jesus on this day each year, because everyone is so hyped up on themselves and their families that they forget Him all together... im not saying every single person forgets this every year... the word holiday actually means "Holy Day" the most Holiest day of the year if you ask me... or at least it should be anyways... i woke up this morning and i said "happy birthday jesus"... i didnt have snow, or trees, or anything like that to wake up to... no partys or get togethers to be at... but as a soldier away from home on christmas for the 3rd year in a row i have come to level with Jesus on this day, i feel for him... i throw my own little "happy birthday jesus party" and try to spend as much time as i can with him all day... dont get me wrong, i would love nothing less than to be home with my family and my girlfriend of 7 months on this family oriented day... i guess after all that i just ask that everyone just take a moment today and tell Jesus you love him and that you remember him on HIS DAY...

To all my family and friends back home on this wonderful Christmas day, I love you all very much, I wish you all to have fun and be happy and rejoice, "for this is the day that the lord has made, i will rejoice and be glad in it." Once again i wish i was home but yall know why im not... im out workin hard... love you all each and every one of you and make sure you pass the love on to others... Merry Christmas, see you in march :D"

I think he hit it right on with that one :-)

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

~Peanut


"He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree."
-Roy L. Smith

Winter Weather Fun!!!

So, we got a heck of a snow storm last Friday. Apparently, the total where Cletus and I live was 11.5", and now they're calling for another 4-6" today! Yay! Here are some pics from Fridays big dump...enjoy!!!









~Peanut


"Brew me a cup for a winter's night.
For the wind howls loud and the furies fight;
Spice it with love and stir it with care,
And I'll toast our bright eyes,
my sweetheart fair."
-Minna Thomas Antrim

Wednesday was a sad day...

Wednesday at work, I, along with the rest of my department, found out that my boss will be leaving the company at the end of December. This man was there when I started with this company in 2004. He interviewed and hired me. When I started, our department had only been about 4 people, and was built over the last 4 years into a very well oiled (9 person, now 6 person) machine. This man has been there for me through some very trying times personally and professionally. He was a HUGE mentor to me...something I will never forget. He listened to my problems and gave me fantastic advice. I hope he will make it to the wedding in May!!!

A few years ago, I was dealing with a somewhat difficult decision in regards to a relationship I was in. I had started dating a guy too soon after I broke up with someone else, and was extremely unhappy. I had shared many stories with my boss about the whole situation, and he gave me ideas on how to talk to my boyfriend, and how to try to work things out if that was what I really wanted. What it made me realize though, was that I wasn't really in that relationship after 6 months. I had already moved in with him because I thought I could make it work, and I needed a place to stay. My boss helped me realize that I could make it on my own so my decision to move out of my boyfriends house was solidified. I was scared to death, and was in tears a few times when I talked to my boss about it. When my first paycheck got deposited into my bank account after I got my own place, and I realized I still had money to spare, I knew I would be ok. I have shared a lot of my wedding plans with him, and he tells me about how his wife was when they got married. My boss has seen me in so many different emotional states...I don't like crying in front of co-workers, let alone my boss...but he has helped me so many times, and in so many ways. He is a very easy person to talk to, and I will never forget what he has done for me. He has helped mold me into the person I am today, and I love the person that I am now. I don't settle. I know what I want now, and I'm not as afraid to stand up for myself and what I believe in. If it wasn't for this man, our department wouldn't be able to function the way it does. We have great people, great skills, and a great overall team. He will be greatly missed...

Thank you, for all that you have done for me. You may never really know how much you have impacted my life. I will miss you.

~Peanut


"Someone to tell it to is one of the fundamental needs of human beings."
-Miles Franklin

Butts are funny.

I don't really make it a habit of looking at the butts of people that are in front of me, but sometimes, you just can't help but notice! They look so different, and move so different! I was walking at work the other day, and just glanced at the person in front of me and started to chuckle, thinking "butts are funny". Then I decided it would be a good title for a blog. :-)

Short, and sweet.

~Peanut


"The body never lies."
-Martha Graham

I love my car!

Ok, honestly, I can't wait to get a 4 wheel drive vehicle, but I love my little green machine! Today, we got about 8" of snow in a matter of about 6 hours. There was about 4" when I left for work, and that was fun to begin with, but it was nothing compared to the drive home! People were getting stuck in the parking lot trying to leave...the snow was up to the bumpers of the majority of the 'little' cars there. I helped push one of the guys out while wearing my 4" chunky heeled boots (wasn't really that bad). Then, when it was my turn, I called to one of the other ladies that helped and said 'watch this!' I backed up about 3", and hit the gas...rolled right out of my parking space. Spun the tires a bit, but I made it! Then, pulling into the subdivision, there was all that fun 'main road has been plowed but the side streets haven't been' snow. Powered right through it. I'm so glad I have front wheel drive... I love snow!!!

Anyhoo...it's been a while since I blogged, and I have a few things in the works...there will be more soon. I hope.

~Peanut


"Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather."
-John Ruskin

This sucks

Ok, let's see how much I can type in the next 6 minutes...

It's happening again. The stress is starting to come back. I'm not going to give details, but I will say this. Part of what's contributing to the stress SUCKS big time and I feel like I'm stuck with it. Other parts (wedding planning and Cletus) are peachy. I can't wait for this all to be over, however, I'm enjoying the planning immensely.

I just need to remind myself of the good things I have in my life:
I have my faith.
I have a man who loves me with all his heart, and will be my husband in just over 5 months.
I have my family...and his!!!
I have a roof over my head (which I LOVE-I don't want to move out of that house for a really long time).
I have a job...
I have a car that gets me from A to B when needed even if it does have 113,000 miles on it now (and it's only 7 years old).
I have a paycheck coming in every 2 weeks.
I have a full belly when needed, food on the table, a bed to sleep in, and clothes to keep me warm.

What's stressing me out now seems pretty petty against all of that...

~Peanut


"Stress is nothing more than a socially acceptable form of mental illness."
-Richard Carlson

Well, you don't say!!!

So, they finally announced that we're in a recession. A deep recession that's going to last a long time. IT TOOK THEM LONG ENOUGH to admit what everyone already knew. Time to grab on to something and hang on tight. It's gonna be a not so fun financial ride... I'll keep my Faith and believe that everything will work out for us though. My thoughts and prayers go out to all of the families that are already struggling to make ends meet.

~Peanut


"Once you choose hope, anything's possible."
-Christopher Reeve

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!!!

So, now Thanksgiving day has passed...and what fun it was!!! I love getting together with my family every year for our Thanksmas party. It's always fun. There is never a dull moment with us.

Thanksgiving morning, when Cletus and I stopped at his uncles house, I noticed a screw in his tire. We went to a few gas stations and a RiteAid trying to find some Fix-A-Flat. Finally found some, and were on our way. Stopped at my dads house to grab something for my step-mom that they had forgotten and headed back to the expressway. A little while later, I got a call from my brother. He was about 3 minutes behind us and asked us to slow up a little so he could have a 'travel partner' since he was having issues with his vehicle. We wound up riding about half the way with him following us. Once we got to g-ma and g-pas, the fun got started!!! We hung out for a while, had a fantastic dinner, and then did our grab bag gift exchange. It seems there's always one or two things that get stolen and passed between hands multiple times. This year it was a calendar with all of the birthdays and anniversaries of the family. After that, about 10 of us sat down to play Fill or Bust. This game is AWESOME!!! I highly recommend it to anyone. Around 8 we headed to Cletus' parents house for the night. It's soooooooooo relaxing up there!!!

Saturday afternoon, we headed back down to get ready for the costume party we were supposed to go to. He went as Moses, and I went as Peg Bundy. It was alright, but I wasn't feeling that great so we didn't stay long. I couldn't get my hands on a wig, so I had to make do with my own hair (which NEVER cooperates....)



Today, we got the Christmas tree and all the decorations down from above the garage. Luckily, it's not an all day adventure when it comes to Christmas decorations. The tree takes the longest. It's a 7' "realistic" tree, so there are a lot of branches to fluff and place. Let alone the way I put the lights on it. I like lots of lights, which means each layer gets a few 'rounds' of lights before the next layer gets put on. All in all it takes about 1.5 to 2 hours to set up. I love this time of year!!!



Merry Christmas everyone!!!

~Peanut


"He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree."
-Roy L. Smith

Yet Another Update

This post is going to be pretty much a mish-mosh of stuff. I don't want to do 3, 4 or 5 separate posts, so it might be a little long!

So on Saturday I let you all know that we have a florist. I'm very excited to see what the flowers all look like together!!! I'm so, so, so glad that we didn't have to make too many changes to them to reach a tolerable price. However...after finalizing everything, I remembered that we're going to have a cantor (singer), and two people doing readings that should have boutonnieres or corsages. Well, we will have to come up with something for them.

On Monday night, Cletus and I went downtown (not too far from the florist actually), to find out about tuxedos for the guys. Cletus tried on a few different jackets and decided on a very nice jacket and vests. The guys will officially be wearing silver herringbone patterned vests and ties. He tried everything on (pants and all), and it looked fantastic! Honestly...he looked yummy when he put on his vest and tie. So here's the rundown...Cletus will be wearing a white herringbone vest and tie, the guys will be wearing the silver herringbone vest and tie, and the dads will have black herringbone vest and tie. He made an appointment for all of them to go in within the next few months to get sized and order everything! I'm getting so stinking excited!!! I did take pictures, but I don't want to spoil it. :-)

Tomorrow morning, we leave for my family Thanksmas (Thanksgiving and Christmas) party!!! It's so much fun when we all get together. I'm just bummed that my oldest sister won't be able to be there because she has to work. Either way, its going to be a riot. We will get to see my youngest cousin...he's only about 6 months old now...and SUCH a cutie pie!!! My aunts, uncles, other cousins, brother, sister, dad, step-mom, and grandparents (of course!) will all be there. I can't wait! The wedding in May is going to be the biggest party of the year because of how crazy we all get when we're together. Add in Cletus' family...and it's all over... After the Thanksmas party, Cletus and I will be heading to his parents for Thanksgiving. It's always good times when we go there. It's so relaxing too...which is very much needed at this point!!!

Saturday....now that's when the REAL party gets going!!! We're going to our second costume party together. Last year the theme of the party was heroes and villains. I went as super girl (see pictures on myspace), and Cletus went as Jason. This year, the theme is 'favorite tv or movie character. He is going as Moses (who'da thunk it?), and I will be attempting to pull off Peggy Bundy...yeah, we'll see how well that goes...hahaa

Anyways...I hope you all have a fantastic Thanksgiving tomorrow!!!

~Peanut


" If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice."
-Meister Eckhart

We Have a Florist!

Yay! One more check mark on the to-do list! We went for a second appointment this morning with the florist down town. Really, it was my third time there, but our second time meeting with the designer. We managed to knock the price down enough to make it tolerable. The only thing we changed were the bouquets for the girls. Eliminating the second white flower dropped almost $50 off!!! I'm excited to see how everything turns out. I'm sure it will be beautiful!

I took a couple of days off this week from work, and it's been fantastic. I slept in until 8 on Thursday, didn't really do diddly squat all day...I screwed around on my computer until about 1:30, did the dishes, and worked on my grab bag gift for Thanksgiving weekend...which can be done from the comfort of my own couch. I think that's all I really did...can't remember!!! lol Yesterday, I woke up to a phone call from my niece at about 7 am. She had a splinter in her foot and couldn't get it out. I talked her through it, and went back to sleep for about 30 minutes. When I got up, I hopped on my computer for a couple of hours, then got going. Took my shower and started cleaning the house. I stripped Cletus' bed and threw the sheets in the washer, tackled the bathrooms, swept the floors, and sat down for a quick break. This is is when it gets interesting. I'm sitting on the couch in the living room with the picture window in front of me when I see a guy walk through the front yard (about six feet from the window) with a big ass 10' extension ladder. Now...I'm home alone...and there's a guy (a big guy) walking across my front yard with a ladder. It kinda freaked me out! No big deal though. He was a utility guy and was gone within 10 minutes. I cranked the music back up for a bit, finished some more cleaning, and made Cletus' bed.

Anyhoo...I'm gonna get back to my addiction...
Hi, my name is Peanut, and I'm addicted to Mobsters on myspace....

~Peanut


"Housework is something you do that nobody notices until you don't do it."
-Author Unknown

Today has been strange...

I woke up this morning (not very easily), got up and started getting ready for work. I kept thinking to myself "woohoo! only a half day today!" No...I don't have a half day today, and why I thought I did is beyond me...all I know is that I have tomorrow and Friday off. Yay! Those two extra days are very much needed, and I'm hoping to get a lot done.

Now back to why today has been strange...I woke up in a decent mood, but felt weird for some reason. I felt really good after Catechism on Monday, and RCIA last night so maybe it has something to do with church. Or, maybe it has something to do with the fact that I'm about to have a four day weekend!!! Either way, I woke up in a pretty good mood and just took my time getting ready. I left about 10 minutes later than I really wanted to, but that's no biggie. I got to work, and my mood started to change. Something just felt off when I got in today. Maybe it's everything that's been going on here, but it just felt weird. Now, I just want to go to sleep. It's been a mentally and emotionally draining day. I think I'm going to take a nap tonight when I get home! lol

Gotta get back to it now...lunch is over...

~Peanut


"Happiness is not a state to arrive at, but a manner of traveling."
-Margaret Lee Runbeck

Aren't Kids Great??!

Last night, I was a substitute teacher for the first time! I was teaching 5th grade Catechism at my church. Yes, I was teaching Catechism even though I was JUST baptized in April. It was a lot of fun! I absolutely love kids. They're so innocent, and so incredibly honest. They really are a joy...even when they won't stop talking so loud that people 1/4 mile down the road can hear.

The class I subbed for was only 6 students (thank goodness!!), 4 boys and 2 girls. I'll give you 3 guesses as to who the loud ones were! It was alright though. I didn't mind. I covered probably 98% of what we were supposed to. Considering I'm such a quiet/shy/hate getting in front of 'crowds' kind of person, I was pretty proud of myself! We learned about the sinful tendencies of Americans as a whole, and what good a single random act of kindness can achieve. It's amazing how good you can make someone feel just by saying 'Hi' to them!!! I'll be subbing again in January (at least), it will be for the same class, and I'm already excited! There are five of the six names stuck in my head with faces to match!!! lol That in itself is a huge accomplishment for me...especially after only an hour with them!

I can't wait for tomorrow...it's my Friday!!! Hooray for four day weekends!!!!!! I have no idea what I'm going to do during the day, but I know one thing is for sure. I'M SLEEPING IN!!!!! Hopefully I'll get some more stuff unpacked and put away so the spare room and my closet aren't so full...pray for me!

Anyhoo...RCIA is tonight, so I'm going to church again! :-)

~Peanut


"You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance."
-Franklin P. Jones

Not the Gumdrop Buttons!!!

I love Shrek. It's such a great movie!!! Cletus and I were watching it last night.

Anyways...the last few days have been, well, interesting to say the least. Tuesday I took a half day at work, Wednesday dragged on like no other. I didn't get to bed until 1:15 am, and Thursday went relatively quick, then yesterday...well...gentlemen, if you don't want to know what it's like to be a woman with really bad menstrual problems, you may not want to read on...

Yesterday sucked. I went to bed around 1 am again Thursday night. Just haven't really been that tired. I was starting to feel a twinge of pain but thought I could just sleep it off. I didn't take my meds cause I figured I would be fine. Boy was I wrong!!! I woke up Friday morning doubled in pain. Got out of bed cause I had to get ready for work. That was a fiasco in itself. I went ahead and took one of my pills even though it had already been 6 hours. I could barely walk because I was so weak, crawled up the stairs to get in the shower, and almost passed out while in the shower, but all I could think about was getting to work on time. That plan changed really fast. I sent a text to a co-worker, made a phone call and went back to bed for 20 minutes. As the morning and the day went on, I started to feel a little better, but was still extremely week and lacking energy. Around 2:30 pm, I started to get a migraine!!! UGH!!! At least I can tell when one is coming on...I wound up leaving work 2 hours early because of that. It totally sucked!!!

Anyhoo. I have a bridal shower to get ready for, so gotta run!

~Peanut


"A woman wears her tears like jewelry."
-Author Unknown

Oh boy...

Am I going to be one sleepy girl tomorrow!!! Er, actually later today. I wasn't really tired until now...and of course my laptop has decided to intermittently FREAK OUT on me. Apparently, it doesn't like being on for 20 hours a day! lol

I'm going to go get 5 hours of sleep now...

~Peanut


"Leisure time is that five or six hours when you sleep at night."
-George Allen

Adventures with Baking (and Insulation)

Ok...I love to bake! Cheesecake is my favorite, but I also love to bake cookies, cakes, cupcakes, breads (mmmmmm, lemon loaf!!!). I just don't seem to have the time to bake...However, tonight I decided to use the Betty Crocker Butter Pecan cake mix that I bought at Kroger about two weeks ago. I made some cupcakes with it, just because it's easier for people to take individual portions at work...where the majority of them are going! A couple of years back, I bought some of those little paper cupcake cups because I was almost out and had every intention on making more cupcakes very soon. I accidentally bought these Reynolds Baking Cups. These things are a great invention!!! You don't have to use a cupcake pan, just the aluminum cups on a cookie sheet. They're fantastic...as long as you don't over fill them. I made that mistake. It wasn't too bad, they just aren't "pretty" after they've spilled over a little bit! :-)

All the while, Cletus was upstairs putting more insulation in the attic. There was 6" blown in, but he bought the pink fiberglass rolled stuff to put on top of the blown in stuff. I helped, a little. I handed him the rolls! lol Hopefully that will help keep the upstairs just as warm as the downstairs! Yes, our house is bass-ackwards. The first floor is warmer than the second...oh well though, that's about to change!

On a much more Patriotic note, Happy Veteran's Day!!! I send my utmost respect, love, honor and thanks to the men and women that currently serve, or have served in the past. Without their selfless commitment, and their love of this country, we wouldn't have the freedoms that we do now. God Bless Our Troops...past, present, and future!!!

~Peanut


"When our perils are past, shall our gratitude sleep?"
-George Canning

What a fricken day...

So today, Cletus and I went to help my sister move her and her 3 kids out of house 1 and into house 2. When we got there, my dad, other sister, my aunt and uncle were all there. My brother showed up a little later on and my mom was at house 2 working on cleaning it up a bit. We got to house 1 at 10ish this morning, and didn't get home until about 7:00. It was a loooooong day, but she's probably about 98% moved into her new place! I'm so excited and happy for her!!!

Tomorrow, my mom, my other sister and I are going to David's so that I can get my undergoodies for my wedding dress. That should be fun...I will get to try my dress on again, so I won't complain!!! I also made another appointment with the florist to go in and 'fine tune' some things. That won't happen for a couple of weeks though. We really need to buckle down and get registered, get maps and directions figured out for the invitations, finalize the guest list, and some other random stuff...like figuring out what kind of cake we want! lol

Anyways...I'm pooped...and I think I'm going to go to bed...and it's before 9!

~Peanut


"Between a man and his wife nothing ought to rule but love."
-William Penn

It's all good...

So, I'm alright. For now anyways. I might go to the doc if it ever happens again, but for now, I'm not going to worry about it. Here's what was going on...let the blogger-md's come out!!!

1) I was feeling depressed/useless/unwanted/un-needed for about 2 weeks. No big deal right? Just a frump.
2) I didn't want to go to work for at least a week.
3) I felt like I couldn't do anything right. Letting things slip at work that should never slip etc.
4) I was falling WAY behind at work due to a severe lack of motivation every single day...for 2 weeks straight...
5) My body felt like it just didn't want to work anymore for a couple of days
6) My appetite was no where near where it should have been...
7) It was taking me a lot longer to figure out simple things than it should have. For example, when I was filing yesterday, it took me twice as long as it should have because I couldn't remember the order of the alphabet.
8) I haven't been able to type for squat for the last couple of weeks. Yesterdays post took me almost 15 minutes to type.
9) I was forgetting the regular things like bringing something to work with me, or a discussion I was supposed to have until after the fact. Yeah, the whole lack-of-memory thing runs in the family so I didn't really think anything of it until......
10) I was sitting at home Wednesday night because I just didn't feel right. I started crocheting. I've been crocheting for at least 5 years, probably 6 so I've got the basics pretty down pat. I sat there crocheting for about 45 minutes straight, took a quick break to say something to Hoopah on yahoo messenger, and couldn't figure out the stitch I had been working on when I tried to start again. It freaked me right out. It took about 5 tries before I figured it out again.
11) Oh yeah...I was on the verge of tears at least 5 times a day for the last 2 weeks too...not to mention practically crying myself to sleep on Wednesday night.

Maybe I am doing too much. I don't think I am, but I think that night crocheting on the couch was my body's way of telling me to slow down. I honestly don't think I had a single thought running through my head the whole time. Until I couldn't remember the stitch. Then my brain started swimming...

I'm working full time, planning a wedding (which, hasn't really seemed too bad!), going to RCIA on Tuesday nights, I have volunteered to help stuff bulletins on Saturdays and teach children's Catechism at church on Mondays but I haven't done that yet, and there has been a lot going on within the family that I guess could be contributing, but I just don't see how...I'm doing my darndest to make sure I'm not "involved" if you know what I mean. I also still have a lot of stuff to go through at the house to get organized and put away or ready to sell...

I had a nice chat with my honey last night, and a pretty quiet night over-all after we went to Kohl's and grocery shopping. I think a few low key days is what I needed...what I still need.

Anyhoo...leave your diagnosis!

~Peanut


"For fast-acting relief, try slowing down."
-Lily Tomlin

Ok, I'm getting a little freaked out...

No, it's not about wedding stuff. Just things that have been happening over the last few weeks that have got me thinking. I'm sure it will all be ok and I'll be fine, but it's kind of starting to scare me. I'm probably overreacting and overanalyzing everything...we'll see. I'm going to keep an open mind, and remain positive until I find out otherwise. I'll fill you all in later.

~Peanut


"It doesn't hurt to be optimistic. You can always cry later."
-Lucimar Santos de Lima

Lost for words...

I don't even know where to begin. I'm sad, and somewhat afraid from how the Presidential election turned out. Obama is a smooth talker and a very intelligent man...but he has no experience, and in my opinion, no right to be in office. Pulling all the troops out of Iraq is not the answer that country needs. I guess we as Americans will have to just wait and see how it all pans out. Putting a (probably monetary) penalty on people that don't have health coverage on their children is just plain ridiculous. There are people that can't afford health care for themselves let alone their kids...and now, he's going to penalize the fact that they don't have money. Higher taxes for small businesses and married couples that make more than $250,000 a year? That's not the answer we need. I heard many people saying they would vote for him for the simple fact that he's black...I also heard that people wouldn't vote for him because he's black. Well, I hope those people that based their vote on the color of his skin know what they were voting for in regards to policies. I hope they can sleep at night knowing that they've just given every woman in America the right to kill their baby before it's born. I hope they can sleep at night knowing they just voted for higher taxes. I hope they can sleep at night knowing that they just voted to get all of the troops out of Iraq before they're ready, and I hope that all those people are prepared to deal with the ramifications of pulling those troops out. It's not going to be pretty, and it honestly scares me. Don't get me wrong, I will be happy to have my family that is over there come home...but our job there is not done. The first thing I'm going to ask people when they start complaining about the direction this country is going is "Who did you vote for?" As long as they have an answer, I'll continue listening to their conversation. If they didn't vote, I won't listen anymore. Plain and simple.

Well, I could go on for a long time on what I feel about Obama being elected, and I CAN bitch about it because I voted...but I won't keep wasting your time.

**EDIT** Don't get me wrong, I am not a racist, and I am proud of our country for being able to elect a man of a mixed racial background. It just goes to prove that we are starting to get past all the racial boundaries that we've been dealing with all these years. It just scares me that we have just elected the first black Muslim to run America...

~Peanut


"Character is higher than intellect."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Election Day!!!

Hello world, I am an American and I have exercised my right to vote! I hope you do as well.

This morning, I left an hour earlier than I normally would for work. When I got to my polling place, the line was wrapped around the side of the building...I thought for sure it was going to take at least 2 hours to complete the process. Well, after standing in line for less than 5 minutes, and reading half a chapter in the book I brought with me, a volunteer came out and said "If anyone is positive that you're voting in precinct 'x', please go inside and go through the doors on the right.' SWEET!!! Once I got inside, I was still in line, but only behind about 15 people instead of 200. I was done within a matter of 10 minutes once I got inside the building. It was fantastic! I was still early to work even though I went off my normal route by about 4 miles to vote! It was great. Now, I'll be watching the results like a hawk for the hour that I have at home between work and RCIA.

Now, when I say I've exercised my right, I'm talking about my hard earned right to vote as a woman. Since women have only been "allowed" to vote since 1920, I feel very privileged, and will do my best to make it to any and all Presidential elections as possible. I know my vote counts and always will. Sometimes though, it's hard to see how one measly little person can make such a difference in the world. Back when Kerry was running, I voted for him. Every person that I talked to voted for Kerry...and I mean EVERY PERSON, yet Bush still won the election. That year I told myself I would never vote again because 'apparently my vote didn't count.' Wrong. It counts, sometimes it just doesn't turn out the way YOU may have voted for it. Either way, I hope everyone realizes how important it is to get out and vote.

This year, America will have an historical Presidential election, no matter which way it goes. If John McCain gets elected, we will have a female Vice President that will have to take over if something detrimental happens to McCain. If Barack Obama gets elected, we will have the first President of African American descent. However, if Barack Obama gets elected, we will also have the first President that technically might not have been 'able' to run due to the fact that he may be an illegal...hmm.

I personally voted for McCain. I think he's more what this country needs right now. Obama is a smooth talker. That's it. He's an extremely intelligent man, but he dances around the issues rarely giving a straight answer. I want to know your stance. Period. Not how you might tweak things to make it more appropriate, but how you feel about it, and exactly what you're going to do to change it. Don't get me wrong, I don't think either of them really gave to-the-point answers on some of the issues, but I feel that McCain did a better job of saying "this is what needs to happen and this is what I will do". Not to mention the fact that McCain has actual military experience along with leadership experience that should be necessary to running in a Presidential race. Now, don't even get me started on the abortion issue...it's wrong. Which is where at least 80% of my decision came from. Cletus posted It's Election Time on his blog. He actually wrote to the Obama Campaign to ask a question about the abortion topic. You'll notice that they didn't really even answer the question that he asked...

Anyhoo...I hope EVERYONE will make it out to vote today. There really are no excuses. If you don't vote, don't complain about what's going on in this country. Today is your ONE CHANCE to let your voice be heard, and to make your choice on which direction YOU want this wonderful country to move.

~Peanut

"Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote."

-George Jean Nathan

Yesterday was FUN!!!

So, Cletus and I had an appointment with a florist in downtown to talk wedding flowers yesterday. My mom, my sis and my niece were there also. We pretty much got all the flowers hashed out so that's all taken care of now! Yippee!!!

My bouquet will consist of these:

with and

My girls will be carrying these:

with or

The guys will have boutonnieres of these:

with

Cletus' boutonniere will be:

with blue fillers and a blue ribbon. He wanted our colors to be maize and blue...I told him no way! lol So I said he could have maize and blue for his boutonniere.

We figured out the corsages for the moms and grandmas as well, but I forgot to write them down! WAH! I'm pretty sure they are calla lilies and white roses.

I also went and had my hair played with yesterday. I officially have my hairstyle figured out, and I LOVE it!!!!!! I can't wait to see the finished product, veil and all!!! I would love to post pictures of that, but a certain someone would see... :-)

~Peanut

"Those who flee temptation generally leave a forwarding address."

-Lane Olinghouse

Taxes

Ok...I got this email from the owner of the company that I work for. I kinda chuckled when I started reading the poem, but once I got through about 10 lines, I started to get a little mad! Read the whole thing...it's unbelievable!!!

Tax his land, tax his bed,
Tax the table at which he's fed.
Tax his tractor, tax his mule,
Teach him taxes are the rule.
Tax his work, tax his pay,
He works for peanuts anyway!
Tax his cow, tax his goat,
Tax his pants, tax his coat.
Tax his ties, tax his shirt,
Tax his work, tax his dirt.
Tax his tobacco, tax his drink,
Tax him if he tries to think.
Tax his cigars, tax his beers,
If he cries, tax his tears.
Tax his car, tax his gas,
Find other ways to tax his ass.
Tax all he has then let him know
That you won't be done till he has no dough.
When he screams and hollers, then tax him some more,
Tax him till he's good and sore.
Then tax his coffin, tax his grave,
Tax the sod in which he's laid.
Put these words upon his tomb,
'Taxes drove me to my doom...'
When he's gone, do not relax,
Its time to apply the inheritance tax.

Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Ta x (44.75 cents per gallon)
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Road Usage Tax
Sales Tax
School Tax
Service Charge Tax
Social Security Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax

STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?

Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, and our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids. What in the hell happened? Can you spell 'politicians?' And I still have to 'press 1' for English!?!?!?!? I hope this goes around THE USA at least 100 times!!!!! YOU can help it get there!!!! GO AHEAD - - - BE AN AMERICAN!!!!!!

~Peanut

"The taxpayer - that's someone who works for the federal government but doesn't have to take the civil service examination."
-Ronald Reagan

My, how expectations change...

I got to thinking the other day about what I used to think married life was like. When I was little (and I mean 6 or 7) I looked at all the married couples I knew and here's what I thought married couples always did:

1) go to "Broadway" shows on a regular basis
2) always happy
3) never fighting
4) always had a dog or cat
5) never struggled with money
6) did things together all the time outside of the house
7) went out to dinners and movies a lot
8) mom stayed home, dad worked
9) drove nice cars
10) everything was "perfect"

Well! As we all know...that is NOT married life. I'm not married yet, but will be in May. People fight, people struggle, they may not always drive nice cars, and things were DEFINITELY not perfect... I'm so glad that I'm with my soul mate! I wouldn't trade him for the world. :-)

~Peanut


"Chains do not hold a marriage together. It is threads, hundreds of tiny threads which sew people together through the years."
-Simone Signoret

The seemingly never-ending project...

So, my mom taught me how to crochet years ago...I mean about 6 years ago probably. Now, I started this project probably 4 years ago and I love working on it, I just....well...don't! lol

This is taken on my couch...not a love seat, a full size couch.

This one just shows a little bit of the detail.


Maybe one of these days I will actually finish it!!! I think this might turn into a throw instead of an actual blanket though...

~Peanut


"The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in.”
-Morrie Schwartz

MMmmm, Tea!!!

Black Cherry Berry tea to be exact...and it's yummy!!! I opted for some caffeine free tea when I went grocery shopping the other day because of some info I got from my doctor...which I will share later. This particular tea came from a Celestial Seasonings sampler box that has the Black Cherry Berry, Raspberry Zinger (which is also yummy, had it before), and some other neat flavors too. All caffeine free!!! Now on to why I skipped the teas with caffeine...

Gentlemen, you may not want to read on as this refers to lady business...I had to go to my doctor recently for my regular appointment, and I explained to him while I was there that I had been having horrendous cramps. I mean, the kind of cramps that you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. I would take 800mg of Motrin and would still be feeling them rather strongly. The kind of cramps that have sent me home from work quite a few times. Well, the doc wrote me a prescription (which I've only taken a couple of times), and explained to me that the more caffeine you have in your system, the worse your cramps (may) will be. Hm. So I've been trying to cut the caffeine out completely to see if it helps. Sure I'll still have regular tea every now and then, and if I'm feeling saucy, I'll even have a cup of coffee! But not NEARLY as much as I used to. We'll see if it has any effect on the pain...at the rate I'm going, I'll be GOLDEN for having kids... lol

~Peanut


"Our body is a machine for living. It is organized for that, it is its nature. Let life go on in it unhindered and let it defend itself, it will do more than if you paralyze it by encumbering it with remedies."
-Leo Tolstoy

Random Quote Day

Well, today I think I'm just going to post random quotes that strike me one way or another. These might range from politics, to love, to friendship, to family, to religion.

He that is not jealous is not in love. ~St. Augustine

The world is divided into two kinds of people: those who have tattoos, and those who are afraid of people with tattoos. ~Author Unknown

The bonds of matrimony are like any other bonds - they mature slowly. ~Peter De Vries

Laundry is the only thing that should be separated by color. ~Author Unknown

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear. ~Ambrose Redmoon

Love your country. Your country is the land where your parents sleep, where is spoken that language in which the chosen of your heart, blushing, whispered the first word of love; it is the home that God has given you that by striving to perfect yourselves therein you may prepare to ascend to him. ~Giuseppe Mazzini

Ok, I think that's enough for today...tootles!

~Peanut


"If you are ashamed to stand by your colors, you had better seek another flag."
-Author Unknown

Side Effects

I was sitting here flipping back and forth between the U of M/MSU game (go BLUE!!! even though we lost) and Mitch Albom's 'The Five People You Meet In Heaven' when an ad came on for "Enbrel". Has anyone seen what the possible side effects are on this stuff??? Or any medications for that matter! First, it says this: "In rare cases, Etanercept has caused serious blood problems. Notify your doctor immediately if you develop persistent fever; extreme or unusual fatigue; unexplained or prolonged bruising or bleeding; black, bloody or tarry stools; fever or chills; or signs of infection such as sore throat or pale skin. These symptoms may be signs of blood problems." Some of the side effects listed: serious blood problems, black, bloody or tarry stools, visual disturbances, seizures, depression, TUBERCULOSIS.

Now, let me ask you all this...and feel free to actually answer...would you take something that might cause Tuberculosis??? Seriously??? I know I wouldn't. I try not to take MOTRIN unless absolutely necessary...don't like putting chemicals like that in my body.

Anyways...have a good night all.

~Peanut


"You have a cough? Go home tonight, eat a whole box of Ex-Lax - tomorrow you'll be afraid to cough."
-Pearl Williams

Now this......is good....

So, my brother sent me this story about Presidential candidate Barack Obama today...read it here.

A little excerpt: "Nothing is more important than enforcing the Constitution," he said. "The Constitution's provisions are very small for qualifying for president. One, be over 35, and he is. Two, be in the country 14 years, and he has been. Three, be a natural-born citizen. He is not."

Now...what would happen if this is proven??? Especially since we are so close to the election? Would Hillary Clinton be the new Democratic candidate? Or would they pull someone from a different political party?

This will be an historical election for sure!!! Everyone needs to get out and vote...

~Peanut


"The right to do something does not mean that doing it is right."
-William Safire, The New York Times

Ya don't say...

Read story here... http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081024/ap_on_bi_st_ma_re/wall_street

""I think it would be natural to make an assumption that there are some funds in trouble and that we may see some funds shut down," Fullman said."

Thank you...Captain Obvious...

~Peanut


"Both optimists and pessimists contribute to our society. The optimist invents the airplane and the pessimist the parachute."
-Gil Stern

My car is on crack

Ok, so maybe it's not really on crack, but it sure is strange sometimes!!!

The other day, I was on my way to work and hadn't even made it out of my neighborhood yet. I slowed down because there was a little boy running on the other side of the street heading towards the bus stop. When I hit the gas...the rpms went through the roof, but I didn't go any faster. Hmm. I hit the gas again...same thing happened. Now I'm starting to think "this is not a good way to start the day...". Well, I slowed down to about 5 mph and then tried the gas again. This time it actually engaged and I was able to drive again. My car has had it's issues in the past. It's shifted hard from the day I bought it, so I don't really look at that as a problem anymore. This...however...is a problem. Maybe I'll check the trans fluid tonight when I get home... The funniest part of this story...yesterday, it was running like a champ!!! Smooth shifting, good acceleration, the works...who knows...

Oh yeah...1000 hits!!! woohoo!!! And that's after the new counter was put up...the last one took a dump, and then I didn't have one for a while...ok, so I'm a little bit of a nerd when it comes to finding out that so many people are reading my tidbits :-) But why aren't any of you following? heheheee

Now, I think the country needs this right now with the upcoming election. I got this Sunday after church when Michael and I went to a pancake breakfast given at our church...(credit to the Men of the Sacred Hearts and the Knights of Columbus for this one....)

AN ELECTION PRAYER TO MARY

O Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy, at this most critical time, we entrust the United States of America to your loving care.

Most Holy Mother, we beg you to reclaim this land for the glory of your Son. Overwhelmed with the burden of the sins of our nation, we cry to you from the depths of our hearts and seek refuge in your motherly protection.

Look down with mercy upon us and touch the hearts of our people. Open our minds to the great worth of human life and to the responsibilities that accompany human freedom.

Free us from the falsehoods that lead to the evil of abortion and threaten the sanctity of family life. Grant our country the wisdom to proclaim that God's law is the foundation on which this nation was founded, and that He alone is the True Source of our cherished rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
O Merciful Mother, give us the courage to reject the culture of death and the strength to build a new Culture of Life.

Amen.

~Peanut


"As your faith is strengthened you will find that there is no longer the need to have a sense of control, that things will flow as they will, and that you will flow with them, to your great delight and benefit."
-Emmanuel

What I would like to see...

Ok, with the election coming up, I'm going to dip into a little bit of politics for a second... I had every intention of actually photo shopping a mock ballot, but I don't feel like waiting that long. This rant stems from a video on youtube about voters being questioned about who they are voting for. The ideas given were those of McCains, but the voters were told that they were Obama's. Here's the video (well, audio)... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5p3OB6roAg. I find it absolutely amazing that people are so dumb!!! Anyhoo...on to what I would like to see...

These days, ballots include choices to vote straight republican, straight democrat, or you can vote individually. So, instead of having 'John McCain' and 'Barack Obama' as your options, what if people were given a list of political stances? For instance: Vote for this guy because he's pro-life, supports the war, and has a vice president that is pro-guns. Vote for the other guy because he's pro-choice, anti-war, and has minimal experience. I know who I'm voting for...it's such an easy choice!!!

I bet we would get a completely different turn out if elections were run that way!!! Gotta run though...

~Peanut


"Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber."
-Plato

Fun with dirt!

Ok everyone...here's what you've all been waiting for!!! Well, not really...but oh well.

The Dirt, part one:

This was after the second "5 yard" load was dropped off, and we had already made probably 6 or 8 trips with the wheelbarrows...

Notice how it dominates nearly the entire width of the driveway...man, are we in for it...

The Dirt:
Here, you see the flower beds in front of the house. This is where the aforementioned 6 or 8 wheelbarrows of dirt went. I think it looks much better than those poky red-orange landscaping stones, and this won't hurt my feet!

Yeah, it's a bit messy, but hey...plants will be cozy and happy in the spring!

More of The Dirt in progress...you may remember the post about having a big hole from the pool in the back yard. Well, this is where all the red-orange landscaping stones went, and where the majority of the dirt had to go.

As you can see...this will take a while...

The Dirt pile - updated. This is after about 2 hours of working...

Another view of the "pool" after 2 hours...


Surveying The Dirt/the damage...also, trying to figure out if what they dropped off was really 10 yards of dirt...

The pool was pretty much my project. The boys brought back the dirt, and I got to rake it and level it...yeah, my back was NOT happy with me...it still isn't...here it is after oh, 3 1/2 hours...

And last but not least...the finished product(s). We had no intention of using dirt in all these areas, but we had so much left over, and so many un-level areas in the yard...

The big flower bed:

The pool:

The "hill" in the back yard. We did intend to use dirt here...

The North side of the house (this was not intended to happen, but it was very uneven):

The South side of the house (again, not intended...):

And, the driveway...NO MORE PILE!!! YAY!!!

I hope you all enjoyed the journey of The Dirt today...

~Peanut

"The shortest answer is doing."

-Lord Herbert

It only hurts...

When I move...today is definitely going to be a day for Motrin. Cletus and I (and Bergie), moved what had to be 14 yards of dirt from the driveway to random areas throughout the yard. I should be able to post pics either this afternoon, or maybe when I get home from work...I wouldn't count on it though! lol

Anyhoo...it was a pretty good weekend. I ordered shoes and I absolutely LOVE how they look. However, when I actually had a chance to walk around in them...I didn't like how they fit. Looks like I'll be going for pair #3 soon. There's a huge shoe store downtown that I'm going to check out. I hear it's HUGE (2 floors of shoes), and they carry TONS of wedding shoes. Best of all, they carry the brand of the #3 shoes that I want to check out. I never thought buying shoes would be so difficult...I guess that's where my picky-ness comes to a head.

Gotta finish getting ready for work now...Watch for dirt pics today and tomorrow.

~Peanut


"I have to exercise in the morning before my brain figures out what I'm doing." -Marsha Doble

Why?

Why is it that I feel like I can't do anything right lately? Why do I feel like I'm ruining one of the best things that has happened to me? Why do I get so irritated by something I can't control? Why am I so hard on myself and others? Why do I feel the need for everything to be so perfect? Why can't I just sit back and let life happen to me the way God intended it to. I know it will anyways, but why do I have to be so resistant to it? What do I need to change about myself, and where do I start? Why can't I have the motivation to do something that will make me feel so much better when it's completed? Why can't I just be content with things the way they are? Why do I feel so sad lately? I just don't understand...

~Peanut


"Lord...help me...please...I don't know what I'm doing wrong, I don't know where I'm going or what I'm doing anymore. I'm giving my life to you."
-Anonymous

Murphy's Law...or WHAT???

This morning at work, I and 3 other coworkers were given a project that needed to be completed sometime yesterday. It only took a total of about an hour or so, but felt like forever. Now, I hardly EVER get any phone calls while I'm at work. Cletus text's me when he goes on break, but outside of that I might talk to my sisters once a day, maybe once every couple of days. No big deal, right? Here's the funny part...we all get this project, and about 3/4 of the way through it, Cletus texts me. I tell him I just got a project and can't chat long. He says no biggie, love you, talk to you later. About 2 minutes after I text him back, my sister calls to make sure her new cell number is actually working. Then, about 2 minutes after that, my brother calls my cell. I'm in the middle of this huge project so I say to myself 'I'll call ya back in 10' and let the phone ring. Then, he called me on my work phone, so I answered. Got the phone number for him that he needed and told him to call back if for whatever reason he couldn't get through on that one. About 30 seconds after I hung up with him, another co-worker called me to let me know the IT guy was bringing the overnights up to me. About a minute after that one, my brother called me back to get a different phone number cause he didn't get an answer on the first one. By this time I'm about ready to rip my hair out cause my report isn't balancing.

Here's a little more of a funny...while I was on the phone with my brother the first time, he says "I just talked to her (my sister) literally an hour ago". So I had to tell him that she had just called me 2 minutes before to make sure her new cell number was working and that's why he didn't get her on her old cell number. OYE!!! My head is hurting just thinking about it! lol

Long story short...I hardly get phone calls, then the one day I have a huge project to get done ASAP I get 2 texts, and 5 phone calls in a 10 minute time frame!!!

On another note, exactly one year ago today, my mom and I were on our way to Ireland!!! What was a once in a lifetime trip was ruined thanks to travelocity .com. If you want more on that story, you can read the Travelocity Story here. I will never, ever, ever, ever, EVER use Travelocity again. They didn't do a darn thing for us. It's hard to believe it's been a whole year...I sooooo want to go back!

~Peanut


"The telephone is a good way to talk to people without having to offer them a drink."
-Fran Lebowitz

**SIGH** Fall...

I love fall. The smell of the air, the leaves changing colors, the pumpkins...Halloween!!! I'm very excited about Halloween this year. Cletus and I will be handing out candy in our new neighborhood. We get to see all the neighborhood munchkins all dressed up! Another thing that I love about fall...the cider mills. I absolutely LOVE fresh donuts and fresh HOT cider. Quite possibly the best taste ever. Especially the cinnamon donuts...yummy!!! Cletus and I are going to a cider mill today and I can't wait!!!

Earlier today, we got some pumpkins too. Maybe later I'll take some pics of me with mine and Cletus with his so I can post them. Obviously, they aren't carved yet...that won't happen for a couple more weeks but that will definately be documented as well! So stay tuned for updates!

~Peanut


"The foliage has been losing its freshness through the month of August, and here and there a yellow leaf shows itself like the first gray hair amidst the locks of a beauty who has seen one season too many."
-Oliver Wendell Holmes

Kitty update

Unfortunately, one of the kittens (Alvin) was able to escape the fortress that was set up for them. That being said, they went to the Rochester Hills Michigan Humane Society this afternoon. :-( The really, really, really bad part of the story, is that the Humane Societies in Michigan aren't "no kill" shelters...so please...please, please, please...give these kitties a good home!!!

~Peanut


"Animals are such agreeable friends - they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms."
-George Eliot

Hooray for Friday!!!

I am so, so, so glad that today is Friday!!! I'm ready for the weekend. Work got crazy because I was sick 2 days and took half days, but I'm almost caught back up.

Cletus and I are making some "cosmetic" changes around the house. Mostly yard stuff, but I can't wait to plant all of my own flowers next spring! My raspberry bushes haven't died yet, then again I haven't tried to do anything to them since I planted them. lol Cletus said "Oh my gosh, I'm marrying Martha fricking Stuart" last weekend because I had planted the raspberries earlier in the week, and was working on making lasagna on Saturday. It was pretty funny!!!

Now...WHO LIKES KITTIES!!??!!?? My sister has 3 kittens that she's trying to find a home for. They were brought into the veterinary hospital she was working at when they were about a week old. She bottle fed them, has kept them housed, warm and fed for the last 7 weeks. They are now 8 weeks old and need a home so that she doesn't have to take them to a shelter. They haven't been fixed yet (won't be ready for that til December or January), still have their claws (but softpaws are WONDERFUL!), and will be in need of vaccines very, very soon. If you are in the Metro Detroit area (preferably around Waterford) and are interested, email me your information (name and phone number) at peanutpublications@yahoo.com, and I will have her call you. See the pics below...

Alvin (Male)

Simone (Female)

Theodore (Male)

These kitties need a home as soon as possible. We wanted to find homes for them by the end of this week but we haven't had any luck...PLEASE HELP FIND HOMES FOR THESE KITTIES!!!

~Peanut

"The family is a haven in a heartless world."

-Attributed to Christopher Lasch

Hair N Stuff

This past Saturday I went to get my hair trimmed in an attempt to keep it healthy and to grow it out a little bit before the wedding. The place that I went is right around the corner from the house, and only 20 minutes from the church, so that's fantastic! Here's the fun part of the story...I walk in, tell them I want a trim and start chatting with 2 of the hairdressers while my hair is being cut. I started asking about up-do's, half up-do's, and wedding-do's. They're all right around the same price so I think I'm going to use them. The trial run costs the same amount too, and it's not $100 like some places! At one point they asked who was getting married. Well, me...duh! lol So we keep chatting, and when my hair is all trimmed up, I go to the counter to pay and the lady that was cutting my hair asked me "How old are you?" Surprised, I replied with "Well, I'm 27." Kind of curious as to why she asked, but she said "What???!!! You're 27??? I didn't think you were any older than 18!!!" I laughed and said "Thank you!!! But I'll be 28 in February!" It made me feel pretty good!

Ok, so I'm getting a little excited about going to the florist on 11/1. My mom is coming with us, and I've decided that I'm going to schedule a 'trial run' for my hair the same day just to see how long it's going to take, and how well my hair will do. It doesn't like being forced to do much of anything, so we'll see! I guess I should buckle down and figure out exactly what I want her to do...I have a few ideas swimming around in my head, and lots of pictures that I can print, but it's going to be a matter of how it actually looks on me, with my veil and all that good stuff. Should be fun!!! Oh yeah, I'm open to suggestions too.

~Peanut


"The hair is the richest ornament of women."
-Martin Luther

Yay! It's done!!!

I didn't finish it the other night like I was hoping to...but I finished it tonight!!!

Check it out Jaibee!!!


On another note...I think I'm finally back to normal. I was still kinda stuffy today, but that's pretty much gone now! Yippee!!!

Now onto the wedding stuff...it's getting to be crunch time. We have to decide on a cake flavor, flowers (we have an appointment on the first with a florist), gotta register, finalize the wedding shower, have the girls order their dresses, get the tuxes taken care of , get the invitation "extras" taken care of (maps, etc), and getting the hotel booked for our wedding night. :-D Still lots to do, and only 7 months to do it!

~Peanut


"Man was created a little lower than the angels, and has been getting lower ever since."
-Josh Billings

No fun...No fun at all!!!

Being sick sucks. That's all there is to it! I started feeling icky last Monday. It came and went a little bit each day, but today...I was just weak all over, worn out, stuffy, sore throat, and crabby-crabby-crabby!!! I took a half day from work, stopped at the store for some orange juice and chicken noodle soup, and came home. When I got home, I took some medicine, poured a glass of oj (even after my near orange juice over-dose on Friday), and took a nap. I'm feeling a little better, but will be taking more medicine before bed tonight!

On the puzzle front, I've got part of the kangaroo put together, and will hopefully be able to finish it tonight!!!

This weekend was pretty good to. Cletus and Hoopah went to the MSU-Iowa game on Saturday which left me with an empty house. I actually got the stuff done that I needed to, except for actually baking the lasagna for the party on Sunday. That stuff takes friggin forever...but MAN is it good!!!

The party was a lot of fun too. Both of my sisters (plus one sister's hubby) were here with their little ones, my aunt, uncle, cousin and his girlfriend were here, another of my cousins was here, then there were me and Cletus. It was a full house, but it was a really good time! I was pretty proud of myself for having my first attempt at lasagna turn out as well as it did. My mom had some adjustments that she usually uses on the same recipe, so I took her advice with all but one part. I got many complements! :-) Yes, I'm tooting my own horn!!!

~Peanut


"If at first you don't succeed, do it like your mother told you."
-Author Unknown

Sweet...just as I suspected

Well, not really...I've been told I do well with the English language, but dang! lol

Your result for The Commonly Confused Words Test...

English Genius

You scored 93% Beginner, 100% Intermediate, 93% Advanced, and 87% Expert!

You did so extremely well, even I can't find a word to describe your excellence! You have the uncommon intelligence necessary to understand things that most people don't. You have an extensive vocabulary, and you're not afraid to use it properly! Way to go!

Take The Commonly Confused Words Test at HelloQuizzy

~Peanut


"It's a strange world of language in which skating on thin ice can get you into hot water."
-Franklin P. Jones

Talk about timing...

Ok, I've made zero progress on the puzzle since last post. Which reminds me...I need to ask Cletus to put it out of harms way since Hoopah is coming by for the weekend. I'd be pretty bummed if something happened to it.

So, yesterday I started feeling kinda icky. I took some Nyquil before bed because I wanted to "nip it in the bud" before it got too bad. Here's my take on Nyquil: If you get to sleep, do your best to stay that way. If I don't get woke up in the middle of the night, I'm golden in the morning. If I do get woke up...even an hour before I have to get up, it's nearly impossible for me to wake up completely when I need to. Hence, what happened last night and this morning. I took the meds at about 9:00 (mistake #1 I know), went to bed at 10ish...I think...I don't even remember. Woke up at oh, 5 am for whatever reason and was wide-friggin-awake!!! It took me 15 minutes to go back to sleep, and then I couldn't wake up when my alarm went off. GRR! When I finally got up, I was greeted with a mild sore throat (much better than the other day), but with a severely plugged nose! And I was dizzy...crazy dizzy. Not to the point of vertigo, but to the point that I couldn't really focus. So, me in my infinite wisdom, I decide to stop at Kroger on my way to work to get some cough drops and orange juice. OJ doesn't agree with me in the morning at all, but alas...I drank away. About 50 oz later (in an hour), I was almost doubled over in pain. The rest of the oj went down the drain and now I'm just sticking to water. I will never drink that much oj that fast again...especially in the morning when I know my tummy can't handle it. It sucked!!! Luckily, my day is starting to look up. Only a few hours left of work, then I can go home and take a nap...

Now on to the rest of the weekend..............Cletus and Hoopah are going to the MSU football game tomorrow, which leaves me with an empty house! An empty house that needs to be cleaned by Sunday. So, I'm going to dope myself up at about 7 tonight, go to bed around 9 if I can keep myself up that long, sleep as long as my body lets me, and get up to bust my little booty getting the house straightened up. Maybe I'll even get to go through some of my stuff that I haven't been doing since I moved in. Sunday, we're having a bunch of family over cause my sis and bro-in-law are both in town for a couple weeks. My sis lives here, but he doesn't. I have an added project on Sunday of making a double batch of lasagna. Should be good times! Hopefully I can kick this cold in the butt before then. Pray for me!!!

~Peanut


"A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book."
-Irish Proverb

I...am a nerd...

I looked at the calendar this morning and started thinking "we only have 6 1/2 months left!" Well, Cletus pointed out that I'm a nerd and said "we have 7 1/2 months". Oh well, so I'm a little excited!!! This month, I have to get my 'undergarments' for my gown, and have the girls start ordering their dresses. Next month (hopefully) I will go in for my first fitting. I'm pretty sure I will only need one fitting, but I would rather start early and have it done than to wait until the last minute. I also have an appointment set up with a florist in town to actually talk to a floral designer. I found some super cool boutonniere's for the guys...I'm anxious to see if Cletus likes them.

Getting up this morning wasn't as bad as I expected. It took me a little while to peel my behind out of bed, but once I fully woke up, I was ok. Unfortunately, waking up this morning, I was greeted with a pretty sore throat, and now my nose is just randomly running. Oh well, it's all good...

Happy Humpday!!!

~Peanut


"A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person."
-Mignon McLaughlin

Umm...

Yeah, no more pumpkin spice whatchamajiggy's from Starbucks after 7:00 for me. This is the first time any sort of coffee type drink has really effected me. Now it's 11:30, and I'm gonna have to go lay in bed wide awake for a while hoping that I'll fall asleep! Tomorrow should be fun!

~Peanut

"A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book."
-Irish Proverb

What I've been missing...

I've found it. In more ways than one!

I am marrying my soul mate in just over 7 months. He is the other half of my heart, and even though we don't see eye to eye on everything, we can talk through just about anything that we disagree on. And the things we don't/can't talk through, we agree to disagree. It's by far the best relationship I have ever been in, and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with him, and start our family.

A while back, I felt like there was something more than my significant other missing. Something major. Something more powerful. Something spiritual. Well, when I started going to church with Cletus, I found that part that was missing. It was very uncomfortable at first, but once I got into it, I didn't want to give it up. I started craving the Eucharist. That night, at the Easter Vigil, as I was baptised and received into the Catholic faith, receiving the Eucharist was so amazing. I had found the one thing I've been missing for so long...I was finally complete. Tonight, my priest, the one that will be marrying Cletus and I, said "Get lost in this Amazing Gift." Partaking in the Eucharist calls you to have 'full conscious active participation'. It truly is an amazing gift, and I am so glad that I have received this gift... I will be fully, consciously, actively participating in mass, and in our wedding celebration next May. I cannot wait to devote myself completely, through Christ, to my future husband.

That is all for tonight.

~Peanut


"Get on your knees and fight like a man."
-Steve D.

Stupid...addicting...games!!!

Ok, first the good stuff...here's the story about me "acquiring" a Godson.

If you read posts from around Easter time, you will see that I was baptized and confirmed in the Catholic faith. It was an amazing night. Full immersion baptism, the chrism smelled amazing, and I will never forget that night. Now...I've been working with a girl for about 2 years I think. A little over a year ago, we discovered that we were related! She's my 2nd cousin on my dad's side. Well, she just had a baby a while back, and asked me to be his Godmother! Yay!!! :-) Anyhoo, he got baptized yesterday. It was both exciting and kind of strange at the same time, but I'm very honored that she asked me. There were 10 babies ranging from probably one month to about 2 years at the church. It was a nice ceremony though!

Cletus and I went to my other cousin's house for my aunt & uncles 25th wedding anniversary where they found out that everyone was pitching in to send them on a cruise to the Bahamas. Good times had by all there, especially when I got to check out an orange 1975 Camaro :-D rock on!!!

Oh yeah...Saturday night I dug into the puzzle that Jaibee got for me when she went to Australia for World Youth Day. It's all dots...I got about 2 hours and 50 minutes into it, but I think I'm just under half done.



Now onto the addicting game...If you have myspace, and you're playing mobsters...then you know what I'm talking about. I get up in the morning, I check it out, deposit my money, get in a few fights, bank more money, see if I can buy anything while I'm in the hospital, then sign out. The problem is...I want to check it CONSTANTLY!!! It's all good though...I like the game :-)

Anyhoo...

~Peanut


"It is not flesh and blood but the heart which makes us fathers and sons."
-Johann Schiller