Kentucky Here We Come! (Trip Pics Part 1)

So, finally it's time for me to post all of the zillion pics I took on the trip. Well... I guess I probably shouldn't post ALL of them, considering I had a total of 400 pics on my camera! LOL

We finally left the house about 2PM on Monday, and made one quick stop at the library to get a couple of books about wierd places to see in Kentucky. We were amazed to notice that we had pulled into a parking space right in front of a car EXACTLY like ours. Kiva had a twin!


We drove and drove and drove and drove... and eventually saw this sign!

Finally, we were almost there! After eating my first burger from Sonics, we continued on our way. I saw this cute little falling-apart building and couldn't resist taking a pic. I love buildings like that. (Perhaps they remind me of my house? Hahaha)
Farther along, we discovered that there are wigwams you can rent for a night, to live just like the Native American's once did... with cable TV!!! (Note: There is deep sarcasm in my voice at this point.) James thought we could stop there and get a room, but when we found out it was $55 per night, we were like HECK NO, and drove on.

Wigwams with cable TV... what a tourist trap. *annoyed*
As we entered the park's land, it was amazing to see how tame the animals were! Check out this deer, happily lounging along the road. A lady I met said she had rolled down her window, and told a doe "Good Morning!" The doe just looked up at her, and then went back to eating grass.

Finally, we made it to the campgrounds! But of course, there was no ranger on duty at the little ranger station, so we had to figure out what sites were open, and how to pay for it (we left them a little note saying we'd pay with the debit card in the morning), and so on...

Finally, we had our new little home for the next 2 days. We unpacked our tent...

On our little lot...
And Kiva was BEYOND happy to rest after all that driving. We tried to rest too, but that is a bit more complicated when two people are crammed into a two-man tent, which was NOT made to fit a man who is 6'4" or so. (He had to sleep diagonally, which meant our feet were constantly touching.) It was also about a zillion degrees.

We woke up in the morning tooooooo.... yep. Another deer.
And as we drove, what did we see? More deer!!!

After all the planning and hoping, we were finally at the park and about to start our big adventure... the first cave tour.

The Day After Vacation

Back to the real world...

I have millions of pics, but unfortunately didn't get any uploaded last night. We got in about 10:15PM last night, after finding out on the drive that my friend Kim's dad passed away... my heart is breaking for her... her relationship with her dad was even more complicated than the relationship I had with mine, and I just want to hold her and make the pain go away... but I know there is nothing I can do to make that pain go away. Only time can do that... (I know some of you might say that God can, but to me God just held me throughout the healing process... he didn't wave a magic wand and make the pain disappear.)

Regardless, I don't know if it's the fact that this is bringing back all of my grief-related issues, or if it's the lack of sleep, but I am WAY emotional today. After a solid week of having James by my side non-stop, and then having Alison with me too from Wed - Thurs, the idea of spending 48 hours alone (when James is at work or sleeping, and his car's plates are expired so I can't drive anywhere.) is flipping me out completely. Did I mention that I don't deal with change well?

All in all, I'm happy to be back in my own world again. Yes, my house may be falling apart around me, but my bed is nice and comfy, my fridge is filled with food, and my beloved is there.... so I'm happy.

Wooo hoooo!!!!

Alison is an official Blogger blogger now! She started a blog about her faith here... you should all check it out and give her some blogger love. :o)

Greetings from Tennessee!!!

Hello my beloved bloggers!! I have missed you!

I'm here in Tennessee, hanging out at Alison's house! I would post pics of the trip so far (OMW, Mammoth Caves are SOOOOOOOOOO amazing! I filled up my memory card with pics and had to start deleting to make room for pics for more adventures.) but I forgot to bring my USB cord.

We're having a blast at Alison's house, threatening to consumate her bed tonight (haha just kidding! *all laughing hysterically*) We ate at the WORST "international" restaurant EVER, but thank God they at least had the chinese sugar donut thingys and ice cream or we would have starved! Alison tried squid (ew.) and frog legs (eh. Wierd.) , James tried some seafood things that i could not even LOOK AT... SO GROSS (He ate squid tentacles, and some other gross things.) I should have taken pics... or maybe I'm glad I didn't.

Tomorrow we plan to... umm... do something. We aren't sure what, but we have
Star Crunches and Oatmeal Creme Pies, so life is good no matter what we do!!!

Alison is the hostess with the mostest... letting us crash at her house without any warning. She even intuitively knew to invite us to crash! I love having sister-esque friends who are awesome like that. I'm having a blast seeing Alison's life from the inside out... looking at her braille cookbook, checking out her blind-people-equipment, and having all kind of fun bondings. James is searching Alison's closet for no apparent reason, and I think Alison is a bit afraid... but in a good way. He and Alison are discussing the dead bodies hidden in Alison's closet behind the vacuum cleaner. Fun times!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We're Off!!!

The Jana Mobile is officially departing for Kentucky, with a full tank of gas. Our first vacation together...

I'll take lots of pics to show you all when I get back!!!!

Renovation World - Day 2

Well, yesterday was an adventure and a half. What we thought would take a day, is already going on day two. We ran into SO many problems yesterday... this house is very solidly built, but the three rooms we are having problems with (bathroom and both bedrooms) are both later add-ons to the original house. They were done okay, but the renovations done to them later were HORRIBLE. Nothing is the right size. NOTHING. The toilets drainage pipe is far too long, so we have to build a platform for the crapper.

11:00 AM The plumbing leak still hasn't been found, even after I went down into the crawlspace... Now even I'm thinking the back bedroom is where the leak is, which means we get to rip a section of it's floor out. Fun fun fun!!! Soooo... while the men are building a platform to set the toilet on, I will be cleaning up this room:

This was my room when I was living here with SuperRoomie... isn't that room CUTE?! If we can get the roof fixed and the water damage all taken out, this would make a super-cute baby room. If we don't have a baby by then, it'll be our bedroom and the front bedroom will become our game room.
My office room is looking a little better...


1:00 PM - I snaked the pipes in the bathroom (fun!) and got a little crud out... hopefully that will be enough to fix the plug. Water DID go down, to a point, and then SLOWLY drain... maybe this will be enough for us to have a usable drain? *praying hard*

2:00 PM - Two exciting things have happened:
#1.) I used a jigsaw. It FREAKING ROCKS!!!!! And we bought it, so it is OURS, FOREVER.
#2.) The toilet is attached!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would hug it, but..... ew. That's just nasty.

6:42 PM - We're "done."

Yeah, this doesn't really look done to me either. We have to put another layer of stuff down on the floor before the tile/linoleum.

We also have to put up a large section of drywall. So why haven't we done the drywall yet?

This is water. It's in my sink. It's been in my sink for ohhhhh... 2 hours? I specifically told Uncle Norman that before we laid the joists, we should find the blockage in the drain, while we could get right to it. Oh, no, we could snake it he said. I told him that I'd snaked it before. Oh no, just use some foaming pipe cleaner. I told him I'd done that before too. Three times, I believe? Oh, just use this wierd air pump thingy... that might work. MIGHT?? No, I told him, it is a SERIOUS blockage.

As you can see, he did not listen. Sooooooooooooooooo... 48 hours of construction later, we have no running water in the shower. We have no drainage in the tub or sink. And the leaning toilet of death? It still leans. *blink* (James wants me to tell you that it only leans a little. I would like to remind you all, that when I moved into this house, it only leaned... a little.)

I cried like a freakin baby the minute Uncle Norman left... and then sucked it up, and we began to plan. We will get a stethoscope to listen to the floor and find where we can best hear the water spouting from the pipe, and remove that floor portion so I can fix the leak. We will rip out the closet floor in the bedroom, so I can get down under the tub and fix the blockage. And like Uncle Norman advised us, we will build a platform for the crapper, since the anal-cranially-inverted people who built this house put too long of a drain pipe below the freaking crapper.

If I ever meet the person who remodeled this bathroom before SuperRoomie bought the house? They. Will. Die.

Now I'm off to my auntie's house with my beloved, so that we can shower and be all clean and shiny! Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tomorrow, we'll mow the yard (James) and paint the living room (me), and then the vacation WILL BEGIN. Adios Terre Haute! *party sound effects*

Renovation World - Day 1

The Pre-lims:

This was our bathroom before the renovations. ONLY because we are going to have it fixed soon am I willing to show you this. For the year I have owned the house, this bathroom has gotten worse and worse. I have not been able to have people over to the house, except for my VERY closest friends and relatives... and most of them make sure to stop and pee at a restaurant on the way to visit me.

Notice, first, the lovely "floor" we made around the crapper. Originally, it was the top of SuperRoomie's desk. But when James started to fear he would fall through the regular bathroom floor, we decided the desk's top might work better as a floor. And it did!

Second, notice the rotted plywood underneath the toilet. The toilet was uneven and refused to seal... rotting the plywood which was there above the rotting floor... You have NO idea how disgusting that was. I think we could probably earn some money by selling the mold we grew though!
Finally, we moved the desk/flooring and got to the floor beneath... made a little hole...

And made a NEW FRIEND!!!!! It's called "lime". You put it in wet places to soak up liquids... (or in barns, to soak up animal pee I believe). And yes, my hubby was BAREFOOT on that floor.

We put down some, into the ground below the house... and look. Water was standing beneath the house.
Three 50-pound bags later... the lime was still soaking up water.


9AM: We've ripped up as much of the floor as we possibly can without a saw. Waiting for Uncle Norman to arrive and the fun to truly begin! (I accidentally deleted the pics I took at this point.)

NOON: The floor has been completely ripped out, and thank you God we did not have to take out the bathtub. Here is the underneath of my house:
OH! Are you wondering what happened to the sink, toilet, cabinets? They are in my dining room/office. Doesn't the crapper look cute in the middle of my floor? Maybe I'll keep it there as a conversation piece! HA!Pics of the area beneath the house... notice that after the three (or is it four, now?) bags of lime, there is STILL water sloshing down there. Also notice the boards, which are broken. Lovely, eh? 3:20 PM - Leak #1 is discovered. This pipe was rusted through! Leak #2 (the big one) is not in the bathoom area... I think it's in the back porch, or maybe the kitchen. James and Uncle Norman think it's in the back bedroom. We'll see who's right :o)

7:30 - We've hit several minor snags, but look! We're replacing the boards holding up the floor...And I say WE, because I am pulling my weight. I learned today how to "toenail" nails cross-wise to keep a board in place from the sides.

Next challenge? Getting support boards underneath this section: Which we did, surprisingly, without major issues.

11:17PM - The toilet freaking hates us. Seriously... I think it just wants me to die. We got all the joists and such in the floor, and even laid some of the flooring on top... life was going mostly good! We went to put the toilet back... tried put it on right, failed... tried again... sucess! We went to tighten up the toilet... and realized that the drain pipe for the toilet comes up higher than the floor, so the toilet was STILL the Leaning Toilet of Doom. Perhaps the toilet was angry because of this picture, where James is pretending to "pray to the porcelain god" (aka, throw up). Notice the tongue sticking out of his mouth, to add realism to the scene.

Now it is our bedtime, so I will close this post for tonight. In the morning we'll buy a 1/4" board to put under the toilet and see if that helps... if not, we'll put another one. Tomorrow is a new day, and a new chapter in this oh-so-fun adventure.

Vacation time!!!!!

As of the writing of this post, I am less than 12 hours away from my first ever vacation as a married gal!!!! I am SO ready. Tomorrow we'll be getting the bathroom cleaned out as much as possible, and the shed in the back yard cleaned out. Saturday we'll redo the bathroom flooring and the plumbing (that's me! Cute little plumber... in a skirt!). Sunday we'll do church and tie up loose ends with the renovations... and then our bags will be PACKED! (Which reminds me, I should probably pack those bags tomorrow. *adding that to list* lol)

We don't know yet where we are going for sure... if the supplies for the renovations are low enough, we would like to head to Kentucky and maybe go to Mammoth Caves. We're only 4 hours from there (I mapquested it lol) and I've always wanted to go. James went once before as a boy scout and loved it. Tours of the cave range from $5 - $24 per person (depending on which tour you want) and it costs $12-22 to camp there. (You get to choose from three different sets of sites to camp at.) We'll probably choose the $17 one, because it has SHOWERS! And really, who wants to smell me if we choose another campsite? If we are broke, we'll find some local park to camp at... or maybe somewhere in between if our finances are somewhere in the middle. Who knows... we might end up in Iowa or something lol The only thing for sure, is that we want to CAMP.

Now, my question is... we have never been camping before! We obviously need to buy a tent... (anyone have any recommendations?) but we also need to buy/borrow/beg for/steal the other stuff we'll need for our camping fun. Umm... but what DO I need? I'll make a little list, and maybe you all can help me add to it?

Tent
Sleeping bags
Food
Flashlights
Yarn (I take yarn everywhere... even camping.)
Charcoal (for cooking stuff), & aluminum foil
Cooler & Ice (lots of ice. LOTS.)
Bottled water (Mmm... made cold by the ice... )
Bug spray

What else can you think of? Any camping advice you want to share? (Please?)

WHAT THE HECK?!

UPDATE: It looks like I over-reacted to the situation. Evidently I WILL still be doing the plumbing... it's a bit confusing, but that seems to be the gist of the situation. I think. Uncle Norman has just suggested different parts and such that we might need, evidently? (While also stating that HE wasn't going to put me down under the house. Which is fine... I can get there all by myself. I mean, the entire bathroom floor will be gone! I'm sure I can find somewhere to crawl under lol) I apologized to my hubby, and life is good...

And I get to do my plumbing, hehehehe!!!!

This is what I wrote before I calmed down, and although I did over-react to James, the anti-girl plumber I sensed in Uncle Norman is still there and I am still offended. However... my husband doesn't agree with him, and that's really all that matters to me:

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Why is it that men assume a penis is required for any type of construction work? Does the penis lift the hammer? Do you use the penis to hold the pipe as you attach it? What the friggin heck?!!!!!!

*sigh* Yeah, I just realized that I have been excluded from all the work being done ON MY OWN HOUSE this weekend, because I lack the necessary penis for construction. *angry eye roll* I'm putting most of the blame on Uncle Norman, but James is on my crap list too. It's not right to expect me to sit around and knit a friggin sweater when I am perfectly capable of helping with the construction work. Cook them a little lunch cuz that's what women are for... *angry eye roll*

Unfortunately, this battle is pretty much too late to be fought... since Uncle Norman is volunteering to work (and James and I can neither one do it on our own or learn how to in the next 2 days) it would be very bad to spend my time spitting and swearing at him because he's being a chauvenist pig. I have already yelled at the hubby for putting me in this situation... there's really not much more I can do at this point. Which makes me even madder, may I just add?

It's not that I have a burning desire to work on plumbing, to get all nasty under the house and encounter all sorts of strange bugs and such... I mean, it would be one thing if the house construction was being planned and I had said "Oh, great, while you guys work I'll get this other room painted and so on and so forth..." but it's a WHOLE different thing when I'm deliberately excluded from the work, involuntarily, simply because of gender. When it's assumed that I am incapable of doing certain things, just because the typical role of a woman is to do something different.

The feeling of being powerless over my own home, the feeling of being deliberately excluded from an activity just because of my gender, and the assumption that my gender prevents me from accomplishing a task I am physically able to do... THESE are why I consider myself a feminist.

Updates

Since I've been so anti-social lately, I thought you all deserved an update or two on my life.

Medical crap:

The poison ivy is 90% healed!!!!!! Yippee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No baby so far, although we had another small hope... I had some SEVERE vertigo a couple of weeks ago, which my Sis-in-law is having with her pregnancy... but I just had an inner ear infection that I didn't know about. Soooooooo... not only am I not prego, I am also sick with the ear infection and now it's cousin the sinus infection. Yes, I know that sounds whiney. Whine whine whine... I hate being sick!

Artsy crap:

I have been crocheting like crazy, and hope to have enough stuff done to buy a booth at a nearby shop by the end of August if not before. Here is my most recent design:


That one is tiny, I will probably donate it to a NICU somewhere. He also has some "brothers" here:

And soon will come the fun bibs... the goth and the gender-neutral!!!!! WOOO HOOOOOOO!!! Serious funage.

Renovation crap:

This weekend is our scheduled time for ripping out the bathroom floor and replacing it, and while the guys have the floor out I am going down under the house to re-do three sections of plumbing. We have to insulate the plumbing in the back areas, replace a leak, unplug the piping under the tub, and so on and so forth.

Life crap:

Now that I have this post started, I really don't have much to say. We've been watching movies like crazy, I'm getting re-acquainted with my inner feminist, James cooked dinner today, sex is awesome, and life is just pleasantly coasting along. In less than a week we will be on some kind of vacation... not sure where we're going yet, we'll have to figure it up once the repairs to the bathroom are done and we see how many pennies we can scrounge lol We'd LOVE to go to Mammoth Caves in KY to hike, but most likely we'll be broke and have to pack up a little tent to camp at one of the nearby state parks. Either way... life rocks.

Spiritual crap:

I've been told that good Christians don't talk about sex. I'm contemplating talking about sex in every post for a while, just out of spite and annoyance. SEX SEX SEX SEX SEX!!!!!!!! *sticking tongue out* In happier spiritual news, we've been going to a prophecy class at our church and wierdly enough I'm thinking it kinda rocks. We've also been reading a Bible chapter every night (freaky, eh? I'm becoming all kinds of fanatical...) and I plan to post random fun scriptural learning on my faith blog soon. For the moment, feel free to read and be inspired by this verse: Leviticus 19:14 Well! There go my evening plans. *deep sigh of sadness* (Yes, all spiritual writings of mine will probably contain this amount of sarcasm and dry humor.)

So anyway... since I've not only been not blogging, I've been not blog-hopping... my question for the day is:

What's new in YOUR life? Have I missed anything?

Reading?

Finally, after many months of having no desire to read anything of substance, I finally have my reading mojo back!!! What am I reading?

Traveling Mercies : Some Thoughts on Faith - Anne Lamott (recommended by Tammy V!)
From Pocahontas to Power Suits: Everything You Need to Know about Women's History in America - Kay Mills

I'm also reading another book about the history of feminism, and books on plumbing.

What about you all? Reading anything good? I'd love to hear about it!!!

My Day Today:

So, now that the itching from my poison ivy is beginning to abate, and I'm feeling productive again... what am I doing today?? Why, I'm getting ready to PAINT, of course!!!!! The living room so far has gone from looking like this:

To looking instead like this:

The back of the textured wallpaper has all been taken off of the walls, the glue from the wallpaper has been scrubbed off.... next step?

All of the holes and gouges in the wall need to be filled in. I have NO idea what happened to the wall in the corner, but it is filled with wierd holes and such...

3:54 PM - The holes have been filled in with mudding, sanded, and are ready to paint. Tape has been placed around the edges of the walls, and the trim has been taken down and scrubbed like crazy. It was BEYOND disgusting, and is now resting on the front porch to dry and air out. Now... it's time to paint.
6:00 PM - Primer has been painted on the walls, and the doors have gotten their first coat of primer too. Two pieces of the trim were painted before I used up all the paint I had out.

1:00 AM - DONE!!!!!!!!! I AM DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The plastic covers have been rolled up, all the rollers and supplies put aside, the furniture put back, even the outlet covers are in place!
And look! The door isn't pink anymore!!!!!!!!!! (It still needs a second coat of white paint, and then I think I'm going to paint the inside part with the blue... after taping to protect the glass, of course.) Over half of the room has been painted now. The other half will be painted later on, after I move all the furniture and stuff away from the wall. It's the easier half of the room... very little mudding and such.

Now the only question is....
HOW THE HECK DO I GET THIS PAINT OFF OF ME?!!!!!!!!!

The Face of Poison Ivy

Ahhhhh... finally the doctor decided yesterday to give me a steroid shot and some other pills to get this ivy cleared up!!! I thought I'd send you some pics...
Luckily, most of it is healed on my face... I had it all around my lips, on my chin, my forehead, and on my cheek below my left eye. It was starting to make my eye swell shut!

My right arm, however, is not quite so healed. It IS better than it was, but dang!!!! Will it please go away?!

I also have it on my neck, left arm, both lower legs, and both upper legs.

Thank God for shots.... *happy sigh*

Jana Vs The Ivy - Round 2823

Yes, the ivy and I are into it, AGAIN. I went to pull weeds in a non-ivyfull part of my yard, and at the very end of my time I found.... an ivy and its root.

I now have poison ivy on my lips, chin, neck, both arms, and both legs. *sigh*

In happier news... not only did I have an awesome day with my mommy Saturday... I also transformed a small part of my house! It started out looking like this...

Gracias to Phoenix (age 2 at the time) for the beautisimus artwork on the wall... and to Luke-the-possessed-kitty for the now-plaster-covered gouges in the wall...

More gouges here, thanks to luka... she tore the HECK out of the wall, lemme tell ya. But this isn't the worst of the damage... I'll have pics of that in a day or too.

Now, we have this:

And this!

This room was originally painted a nice sage green (which it still is, tho you can't tell it by the color in the pics) by the former roomate, and I absolutely LOVED it. I'm currently repairing the damage from her kitty, and adding some accents of my own to the doors, woodwork, etc.

More pics to come as renovations continue!!!!!!!!!!

TGIF!!!!!!!

I'm so glad it's the weekend!!!!!!!

(Yeah, that's all I have to say at the moment.)

Oh wait. I have more to say now. *editing post*

I do apologize for being such a sucky blogger, and not visiting blogs... I think I just need a break. I can't seem to make myself want to have even the slightest human interactions at the moment (online or off), and I figure that its just a passing thing and I'll snap out of it soon. I want to regroup some this weekend... I feel un-centered, if that makes any sense. During the weekdays when James is off work, I wake up as James's wife (he wakes up with me most days), then I go to work as Bill's employee, and come home to being James's wife... even go to bed as James's wife. I feel like I've just lost touch with Jana. I need to learn how to be Jana no matter what.... but that's another thing for another day. Today, I plan to take some time and go to a yard sale or something before going home... just enough that I'm Jana again, and then I can go home to my hubby. :) And then the weekend begins!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What are you all doing this weekend???

Self-Examination

I seem to be taking some time off of blogging, to self-analyze a bit. Today though, I was pointed to Leah's blog, where she bravely posted about her struggles with depression.

It's been two full months now since my last "happy pill" was taken. At the time, I just needed to know if I could live without them long enough to not damage a baby... so far, two months has gone by, and I'm still alive. What that means, I don't know. After a while, I started to realize that some very unhealthy things had happened while I was medicated... things that have made getting off the anti-depressants that much harder. Take, for example, the unhealthy friendships I formed. I took a lot of crap that I should have. A LOT of crap. Why did I do it? Because I was medicated to the point that I didn't care... and that is bad. I let a LOT of things go that I was unhappy about, also because I just didn't care.

I'm sure the dosage I was on was too high, and I wasn't monitored in any way. There were no follow-up visits to see how this was effecting me, no questions asked to help me know if this was how I SHOULD be feeling or not... and as someone just starting to take an antidepressant, I had no idea what to expect!

Now I'm asking questions of myself... Am I looking for the root causes of depression, treating it's symptoms, or both? I think that a lot of my depression has roots in my past, but I think a lot of my choices influence it too. I need to take care of my body... I need to get rest when I need to, and I need to eat better. I have IBS and I live like I don't... whenever I have a flare-up of it, I feel a TON more depressed.

I feel like it's time for me to take some time off of the meds, and re-evaluate my life. Am I really dealing with the issues in my life that are the root of much of my depression? Are my feelings of inadequacy being addressed? Depression sometimes has a purpose in our lives... it tells us when there are things that need to be dealt with inside us. It lets us know when things are "off" in our relationships to ourselves and others. Even if I do go back on medication (a different one, and monitored more closely.) I want to be able to feel... I don't want to be numb to the life around me.

So, for now, my "plan for the day" is to go back to the library and get some books about anxiety and depression. I want to read about what foods they say to include in your diet and what ones to avoid, and try to change my diet a little. I want to make myself sleep earlier at night. Most of all, I want to really LISTEN to the depression I feel. What is it telling me?

And when the time comes (hopefully after a baby???) I will make the decision to get back on medication if I need to. I don't have to decide everything today... just one day at a time.

Where Have I Been Lately?

OH CRAP!!!! I haven't posted in forever!!!!! Where have I been?

OH YEAH! I've been hanging out with my little niece, K-girl!
And her baby brother, K-boy!!!!! (Is he not just SO insanely little and cute???

And watching them be adorable TOGETHER!!! (He's like "DUDE! I'm trying to SLEEP here!! Ya mind?!)

We've been playing with the Kareoke (Yeah, I spelled it wrong. Deal with it.) machine we bought for $5 at a yard sale! (Ignore the door, we are SO repainting it soon and replacing those curtains... BLECK!)
And playing Texas Hold 'Em Poker, with a set we bought for 8 dollars at a different yard sale! Everything was new except the case, which had a broken latch. BIG DEAL! LOL What a bargain.

And making baby bibs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The crocheted ones in the top left are done and ready to sell... all the rest are in various states of production lol I'm feeling the bib vibes wearing off, so I'll probably finish these and then move onto something else for a while until my "bibbing mojo" comes back LOL

Depression... I can't say it's gone, but it has lessened some. I plan to listen to all of your advice, believe it or not. Tomorrow night I plan to get a notebook and set it aside to journal my depression and anxiety. I also plan to grab some St Johns Wort (Note to Brian: I'm going to look for it at Nancy's herb shop on 41), and ask if it is safe for me since I may become pregnant. Jen, if I get to the point where it is consistently taking over my life, I plan to take the journal to my doctor, and ask for a different medication... perhaps one that I can take AS NEEDED instead of all of the time. I more or less plan to take one day at a time, and see what feels right.

Obama in Action - Part 3

Part 3 - The Lowest Common Denominator

"Politics depends on our ability to persuade each other of common aims based on a common reality. It involves the compromise, the art of what's possible. At some fundamental level, religion does not allow for compromise. It's the art of the impossible. If God has spoken, then followers are expected to live up to God's edicts, regardless of the consequences. To base one's life on such uncompromising commitments may be sublime, but to base our policy making on such commitments would be a dangerous thing. "

He then gives the story of Abraham as an example. Background info on this: God told a dude named Abraham to sacrifice his son. Abraham got his son tied up (no idea how he managed THAT lol), raised the knife up.... And God was like "whoa! Just kidding! Here's a ram, sacrifice it instead."

"But it's fair to say that if any of us leaving this church saw Abraham on a roof of a building raising his knife, we would, at the very least, call the police and expect the Department of Children and Family Services to take Isaac away from Abraham. We would do so because we do not hear what Abraham hears, do not see what Abraham sees, true as those experiences may be. So the best we can do is act in accordance with those things that we all see, and that we all hear, be it common laws or basic reason."

In other words... Obama is suggesting that we as a country work together on the things we CAN agree on.

Let's use abortion as an example. If we are all working together, as Obama suggests, can pro-life people no longer fight abortion? No... but while you are fighting to eliminate abortion completely (a fight that has been waged for... 30 years? With no results?) the nation as a whole can take steps to lower the amount of abortions that ARE performed. We can educate sexually active young people about options they have to avoid pregnancy and STDs. Church's can teach young people to avoid casual sex in the first place, and nurture young women at risk so they see that they are someone of worth, and don't engage in reckless sex just to feel loved. We would become a more responsible society with a much higher percent of our children being loved and wanted. The amount of abortions would decrease. EVERYONE would be happier!

My question to you today:

If this country were to stop our infighting and actually begin working together for the good of our nation, what other positive changes would occur?

Depression

I have really been depressed lately. I noticed it dramatically since James's shift has changed... but really, I was fighting it even before that. The week before we got the news, I did pretty much nothing. I came home every night, ate comfort foods, did minimal housework/cooking, and went to bed.

I don't know if it's a result of me being unmedicated, or what the deal is... but it's really grating on my nerves. I don't want to do anything, or go anywhere. I randomly cry for no reason. I am making horrible food choices. I couldn't even find the motivation to crochet or quilt!

So if you're wondering why I haven't blogged... it's cause I'm bummin'

Dramatic Shifts

This weekend was crazy... after a day spent with James's family running errands (helping aunts with this and that), we had the family 4th of July doins, complete with fireworks. We stayed the night at Aunt Anita's house, and she and I stayed up til 3 AM chatting (girl talk! YEAH!). I was happily napping on her pull-out couch...

When the phone rang.

James's job calling, telling him that as of right then he was switched to the shift-of-all-suckiness. They wanted him to leave that instant to come to work (another guy didn't show up) but we were 35 minutes from home, and it's another hour from home to work. James explained that he was away for the day but could start today. James is now working the following shift: (Keep in mind he has about an hour drive each way.)

Saturday: 5AM to 5:30PM
Sunday: 5AM to 5:30PM
Monday: 5AM to 5:30 PM
Tuesday - Friday off

Why is this such a big deal? I work Monday thru Friday. This means....

I will have to take a day off of work to do anything major with my hubby.
We won't be able to go to church together at all, except for Wed. night prophesy class. (Have I ranted about how much I HATE prophesy?)
No more lazy Saturdays watching movies with my hubby.
I will go to all his family gatherings alone. (I *heart* his family, so I'll still go.)

I have cried on and off since we got the news at 8: 27AM yesterday. It shouldn't be such a big deal, but it is. I'm ANGRY because James has seniority over so many people, and was put on the shift-of-all-suckiness simply because he IS such a good worker. I'm disappointed that the first Sunday we were going to be members of my church, I'm home alone instead. I'm disappointed because we won't be able to go hiking on cool Saturdays... or visit friends or family together... I'll be spending my weekends alone.

It's not without advantages... I should probably concentrate on those:

~This will make it WAY easier for us to work on the house... When James takes his vacation days, he'll end up with a totall of 11 days off in a row.
~This will make it easier for me to get the housecleaning caught up, since James is going to do more on his days off.
~This will give me alone time, which I generally need for my sanity. It's a bit over-abundant... but still okay I guess.
~We can make plans of the evenings, instead of just a rushed supper and then James going to bed. We'll be able to cook supper together, which will be really fun... and then be able to watch a movie together if we want! *happy at that thought*
~I get off early on Fridays, so if James takes a nap earlier in the day, we might be able to hike on Friday afternoons.

So, there are advantages and disadvantages of this... but for whatever reason, I just feel the need to sit and cry about it. It's been a long while since I've felt this seriously depressed... but I'm allowing myself to feel it, examine it, accept it... and hopefully soon I'll be ready and able to move to a different emotion.

Guess What?????

I have a BEAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't suck as a gardener!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wooo hoooo!!!!!!!!

And in honor of my new label as a "small-minded" woman, I have a new poll up on my sidebar! (And no, it's not for me. A friend is over at my house at the moment, asking for your advice.)

Obama in Action - Part 2

Part 2 - Whose Christianity?

Obama has been getting a LOT of flack for the statement below. Today I'd like to chat about it.

And even if we did have only Christians in our midst, if we expelled every non-Christian from the United States of America, whose Christianity would we teach in the schools? Would we go with James Dobson's, or Al Sharpton's? Which passages of Scripture should guide our public policy? Should we go with Leviticus, which suggests slavery is ok and that eating shellfish is abomination? How about Deuteronomy, which suggests stoning your child if he strays from the faith? Or should we just stick to the Sermon on the Mount - a passage that is so radical that it's doubtful that our own Defense Department would survive its application? So before we get carried away, let's read our bibles. Folks haven't been reading their bibles.

To me, Obama is raising a valid point here. Christians all across this country have a variety of beliefs. The Bible has of course stayed the same, but our practice, the way we apply it to our lives, has not. There is a VAST spectrum of beliefs held by Christians across the USA. Baptists, Amish, Pentecostal, Methodist... Often these groups are found arguing about if the others are even "saved"! We practice a variety of types of Christianity in every area... some drink alcohol, others consider even a sip to be sin. Some rarely even attend a church service, others consider missing even one service to be a sin!

My question for today is:

If we DID base the laws of our society completely on the Bible, what do you think would happen? Would you stay here?

Obama in Action - Part 1

Today I stumbled upon a transcript of Obama's speech at the Call to Renewal conference. I decided to make a little mini-series here on my blog focusing on his speech, because it was SO amazing.

Part 1 ~ Bridging the Great Divide

"In other words, if we don't reach out to evangelical Christians and other religious Americans and tell them what we stand for, then the Jerry Falwells and Pat Robertsons and Alan Keyeses will continue to hold sway."

I'm so glad that the Democratic party is reaching out, and discussing faith. I'm glad that they are offering an alternative to the rut of divisiveness our country has fallen into.

So how is Obama proposing that we bridge the divide? By talking about issues in a way that everyone can agree on. Take, for instance, his opinion on abortion:

"I think that we should put more of our tax dollars into educating poor girls and boys. I think that the work that Marian Wright Edelman has done all her life is absolutely how we should prioritize our resources in the wealthiest nation on earth. I also think that we should give them the information about contraception that can prevent unwanted pregnancies, lower abortion rates, and help assure that that every child is loved and cherished.

But, you know, my Bible tells me that if we train a child in the way he should go, when he is old he will not turn from it. So I think faith and guidance can help fortify a young woman's sense of self, a young man's sense of responsibility, and a sense of reverence that all young people should have for the act of sexual intimacy."

I love how Obama is planning to do EXACTLY what the Christian leaders want to accomplish (save babies from being aborted), in a way that EVERYONE can agree on!!! I love how he has found a new approach to an age-old issue. I love how he is bringing the government (preventing under age pregnancies through education) and faith (preventing underage pregnancies by lowering risk factors that lead to underage sex) together to work towards a similar goal.

What do YOU think about all this?