what does this image say to you? interactive blogging

What I see in this image... She is a woman of stone, strong, unbending, life has probably turned her cold, and it takes a great deal to wear down her emotions, but something has hit home and brought tears to her eyes. What could make such a sturdy woman cry? Obviously something to do with her family. Maybe the loss of a child. Yes I think even the hardest heart of stone would cry at that.. What do you see in this image? I cant wait to hear your take on it.. Leave your thoughts in comments below.

Tis a beautiful statue wouldn't you say? 

4-Year-Old's Drawing Leads to Dad's Arrest for a gun he didnt have

http://thestir.cafemom.com/toddler/133600/4yearolds_drawing_leads_to_dads

This is unreal, so sad for this family, and to think releasing him doesn't untarnish his reputation in the community. People are crazy. It got me thinking about some of the things my kids have drawn, and if my son would get us in trouble if the school saw his picture of the dog, he drew genitals on the dog, not because he was thinking of something dirty, just because thats the way out dog looks, he has short hair and that is noticeable and so my son drew what he saw. My son got a bad grade on a picture he colored once in kindergarten because he colored a fish all different colors, one fin was green, each scale was a different color, another fin was yellow, it was a rainbow fish, and he had colored all inside the lines but because she didn't like that he colored it multi colored instead of sticking with one color through out he got a bad grade. He has never colored how he felt like coloring again, and I hate that. how can you fail art? its self expression its the one thing you cant mess up.. reason 945 that people are stupid..

It's whatever

If ever there was a day when 'd like to climb out of my life and into the pocket of another, better life. This would be that day, To nestle in the pocket of calm, kind, compassionate bliss, and to blanket myself in the pocket lint of friendly, unselfish love, it must be a splendid thing. A thing I will never know. For I have drama, strife, worry and regret, and more problems to come that I haven't met yet. But I will endure, and I will survive, and thank my lord just to be alive.

rating content on facebook

  This is my second post tonight, and while it will probably just as dull as the previous post, and just as typo filled, I decided to break my posting up into smaller morsels because the person interested in my recipes, might not be the same person interested in my homeschooling ventures, or my rants about facebook, or my dream home ideas. So... This post will talk about... Let's read on and find out which direction I take.. (I don;t even know yet)

  Let me start with facebook. It is great, and fun, and I love the games, and the communication with people I don't get to see as often as Id like. But I hate that children aren't supervised at all. My children all have a facebook page, which I monitor to the best of my ability. Im not saying Im great at monitoring then, some things escape my prying eyes, but I see these kids, running around facebook all willy nilly and I wonder if there parents even have a clue whats on facebook. I wish there was some way to monitor facebook. I thought rating a post "adult only" "for everyone" might be an answer but I mentioned this and someone said , that kids would just change their date of birth to a different year and still read what they shouldn't, and this is unfortunately too true.

But there has to be some answer to it. Adults can't be trusted to just post good clean stuff, so what can we do to clean up the WW web for our kids? Id loe to hear your ideas....

slow cooker cooking

 I have had a slow cooker for years, and used it on rare occasions, but only recently since I started working and left the luxury of being a stay home mom with all the time in the world, did I really embrace the handiness of this little kitchen gadget. It started with my daughter at cosmetology school, and she came home telling us about her instructor cooking beer and brats. She said it was simple and she (who rarely eats meat that isnt hamburgers) loved it. So I thought Id give it a whirl. I dusted off the old slow cooker, followed her instructors recipe, and threw in some smoked bratswurst sausage, a can of beer and some sliced onions, and let it do its thing. I have to admit its thing was don't very well. Not only did we eat the original 18 sausages Id cooked, but went back to town and bought 2 more packages and finished them off too. It cooked all day, so it stayed warm and served as our lunch and dinner. Now I doubt I can get by with that at every meal but for this meal, it was one pot, 3 ingredients, and i believe if there had been more sausages they would have eat them today as leftovers. Here is the recipe simple as it is if you want to try it..

2 packages smoked bratwurst sausages
1 miller highlife tall boy beer
1 sweet onion

throw it all in your slow cooker and when the onion is done the dogs are done..


But hotdogs are a staple around my house anyway.. I have a picky eater who only likes it if it came out of a package. So let me share that recipe with you.. I shared it before but since Im not even sure anyone reads me Ill share it again, because it is a good one.


I make my favorite chili recipe, and throw in a package of sausage dogs, or hot dogs, or even both..

simmer it in the slow cooker and the chili lovers have chili for supper, and those who don't want chili have chili dogs.. The flavors of the chili are absorbed into the hotdog and it gives them an amazing flavor. Not to mention if I use sausage dogs they tend to add a special something to the chili as well, and everyone is happy..  This is another of those meals that can simmer all day and be eat for lunch and dinner. It's 2 meals in 1 and all in one pot.. Except the pot you cook the burger meat in..

Here is my chili recipe for the interested

1 pound ground beef (browned)
1-2 small single serving V8
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans tomato paste
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoons chili powder ( i dont actually measure ingredients so this is not set in stone but it is what makes it chili so add to taste but dont be scared of it it really isnt as spicy as you'd think)
2 tablespoons minced garlic (this is found in the produce isle in jars, the powdered stuff will work, but doesnt have as great a flavor)
a dash of salt
a dash of celery salt
a white onion (more or less to taste)
2 cans beans (I use light red kidneys but on occassion that I have been out of kidney beans I have used pork and beans (not as good but will work) pinto beans (decent/ in my opinion the best alternative) black beans ( I have even added refried beans along with the kidneys and thats ok too)
a dash or 3 of cayanne pepper  to taste
and then throw in your dogs and let it cook.. the longer the simmer time the better the dogs taste

**if you like a spicier chili add some hot peppers, i prefer a milder chili which is what this recipe is.

Id love to hear some of your favotire recipes for the slow cooker.. Im anxious to try everything in it. I read a small thing about how you can even cook bread in the slow cooker so Im off now to see about that recipe, if I find it i will post it. If you have it already share with me please.. What do you use your slow cooker for?

500 years from now and a bunch of greats later

   I blabber on about so many things that probably mean nothing to anyone but me. I know I do it yet I do it anyway. How long do you think internet will be around? Will these meaningless posts be littering the world wide web, 5 years from now, or 500 years from now? It's anyones guess I suppose. Perhaps in 500 years my great great great great great great grandkids can create a hologram of me, and actually see a fake me actually reading these meaningless words I write. What would you say to you great X 10 grandkids if they stumbled onto your blog 500 years from now? Im gonna have to give that one some thought and post it in a future post. But feel free to post yours here, Id love to read it.

misplaced innocence

  Today I want to shed this layer of funk I've cloaked myself in. Ive become cold, and bitter, and I hate this person I don't even know. There is a girl inside of me somewhere who trusts without doubt, who loves without fear, who dreams without locking those dreams in a box away from critical eyes. I can't say where my inner girl went, or what hurt was the final straw that led me to this place in life where I've become numb and uncaring, and even more so I dont know how to come back from that place.

  I want to love, to laugh, the feel alive. I want to curse the world and the hurtful souls in it that have made me this unfeeling, callous thing Ive become, and then I want to forgive them, and move on to a better place, and become a better me. 

   I think that is the key to living long.. Love, kindness, compassion, the very things that life strips from us is what we need to survive. Kids come into this world fresh and new, and trusting, and full of hope and dreams, and they think they will live forever. Then the truths in life are thrust upon them and they lose a little more innocence, a little more hope, a little more compassion, until one day there is a darkness in them, that slowly consumes them and turns them into numb adults who can no longer see the beauty in the world. When everything becomes ugly, and your emotional scars start to have their own emotional scars, what is there for a soul to live for?

 (epiphany :  Perhaps that is why the bible tells us to forgive, and turn the other cheek, maybe it isn't for our trespassers at all, maybe it is for our own healing so the scars won't be so deep.)

 

I want to trust, I want to feel something good, and not hold my breath waiting for the bad that follows. I want to get excited about Christmas, and not worry about the bills that Im skipping this month to pay for it. I want my birthday to be a happy occasion, not another day closer to a pine box. . I want to love and be loved without fear. I guess what I want is my innocence back. 

If you find it please return it to me ASAP