Story Time

This story starts like every other fairy tale that I have ever read,

Once Upon A Time,

There was a lady, a man and a boy. They lived happily enough but the lady wanted a little girl she wanted to give the child everything she had always wanted praise, joy and love. The lady had a hole in her life and felt that having a daughter would fill the darkness in her heart.

One day the lady's dreams were realized. The man and lady were able to bring home a beautiful baby girl. She was a fairy child full of whimsy and mischief. There was a light that danced in the little fairies eyes that made the man and lady float away. They delighted in the fairy child showering her with love and praise they always tried to keep her safe and content. They gave her treasure including all the things a little girl could want. The lady felt her life was complete.

However the lady and man didn't realize that there was an evil temptress present on the day of the little girls birth. The child had been born dead but a Wizard named Dr Lee was able to breath life back into the baby girl. The parents being grateful for the gift of life did not realize the Wizard had known about the Temptress and in fear of retribution did not warn the parents of a dark magic that may live in this child from that day on.

Later when the fairy child was about four years old a monster attacked the child and life changed for the little family. The light no longer played in the fairies eyes and fear lingered in the halls and corners of the home which now felt like a dungeon that they all were thrown into. The man and lady went to other Wizards hoping to get help in chasing the fear and darkness away. They hoped to restore the light back into the life of this child, yet they were not able to. So instead of healing her they showered her with love
and forgiveness. They picked the fairy up and tried to repair her life every time she fell. They did not realize that the love and attention they were showering on her was not the right kind and it was not fixing anything. The darkness grew in the child and the parents trembled in fear of where this darkness would lead the girl.

The family moved to a large and lonely island hoping to give their family a place of hope and comfort. The man and lady had more family but the grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins all stayed away. The darkness over the family was strong and powerful and no one wanted to be a part of their lives. The lady decided not to tell the girl and boy about the family because it made it easier to live without knowing they were there. But the fairy knew, she heard whispers between the lady and her husband, she heard about others out there somewhere. She blamed the lady for keeping her isolated and alone.

One day the child declared herself grown up, she moved far away, but she refused to take care of herself. She demanded that the family take care of her the way they had when she was young. The man and lady tried, until one day they could not any longer. They told her that she needed to find the light in her life and heal her own heart because they could not try any more. The young woman declared the lady a thief and blackmailer. She cast her out and said she no longer loved her and wanted her to die. The young woman
now expecting her own little fairy said they would never see the baby, but blamed the lady and said it was the lady who made this choice. The lady and man were very sad and told her they loved her anyway and forgave her for everything she was doing. They said they hoped that one day she would come back and they would welcome her if she did.

This is not a fairy tale with an ending, there is no good one, no bad one, no happily ever after one. It is one that goes on and on into the dark....

When Mom Says "Honey?" You Should Run!

I am constantly scanning the Facebook sale posts. You have to be fast when something great goes up for sale or you won't be the proud new owner of it. This is because if it's a great deal then it is gone instantly. So when I saw these cupboards for $50.00 I was thrilled to be the first to respond. My daughter and I went to Lincoln to pick them up and asked my son to please come and help. All I told Brandon was I had found some cute cabinets, would he help load them. I hadn't seen them in person and didn't think to ask how big or heavy they were so when we walked in and saw them, well they were MASSIVE! My son looked at these units that towered over us at 7 feet tall and said: when it comes to my mom saying I found something cute will you help? I should have known better. My daughter and I were of no help, my poor son ended up muscling them up an incline and sliding them into his truck. I realized my husband and I would not be able to move them into our house so now they are tucked away in Brandon's garage waiting for me to decide what to do with them. Also in his garage is a chicken coop, a bath tub, a cooker and stand, plus a mix of a few miscellaneous things. I have the best son ever but I do need to go clean it all out so he can put his car in there.

When Someone Knocks

                                                                                        Photo credit Google Images

When someone knocks at your door do you automatically open it up or do you look to see who is there first?

This morning at 8:30 A.M. (at my son's apartment) Vicky and Brandon were getting ready to come to our home. My son's girlfriend was skyping with her sister who lives in Germany. Suddenly she heard someone knock on the door. She peeked out through the peep hole and saw no one. So she adjustd herself and looked again, a black man was standing next to the wall. She decided to not answer the door and just quieted everything down. But in this apartment building you can hear everything being done in the apartment from the hall and from hallway in the apartments. So he knew she was there, because of the noise she had been making. Next thing she knows the door knob is turning and he is knocking louder. She went and got Brandon. He looked out but didn't know the guy either. He asked the man what he wanted. The guy only mumbled something no one could understand. Brandon (after getting his gun) decided to open the door slightly so he could find out what this man wanted. He kept his foot on the bottom of the door and just slightly opened it. But the man then tried to force his way in the apartment. Brandon is a solid guy, big, so this man could not get more than his arm in. Brandon asked the man repeatedly what he was doing and told him to go away. Finally he cocked his gun and showed it to the man, who said "go ahead, do it". This time when Brandon pushed on the door the man removed his arm and Brandon locked the door. As Brandon watched the man wander away he called 911, the police were able to find the man. We are hoping there are wants and warrants on this guy.

After telling me about this event I was wondering how this happened, how did he pick Brandon's apartment? We figure that the man knew most apartments would be empty (it was 8:30 in the morning and the morning go to work traffic was done). This was a big complex so the man just wandered in and out of buildings listening for activity. When he heard Vicky talking to her sister. He chose that apartment not expecting Brandon to be home. If Vicky had opened the door I would be telling you a different story right now. I thank God for a son who was trained in self defense and the lightning speed of the police.

My Gripe On Gripevine

                                                                                         

I had an issue with a vendor. I thought I had purchased from a USA based company but it ended up being in China. I had ordered and prepaid for a very special gift for my USMC son. But they did not do it right and I asked for a refund. Instead this company blocked my IP and shipped the item.

When it arrived on December 22 I told the UPS driver I did NOT want to accept it. He told me to go ahead and take it but if I decided to not keep it to just give it back to him later. I called my husband and then tracked the driver down and told him I wanted to refuse it. He noted that it was delivered instead.

So when I filed a complaint the status was delivered even though UPS had it. It was in fact at the local shipping office. I got the royal run around from UPS (800) customer service number because this was an international shipment. I went into the local office and yelled (yes I yelled) at the manager. I discovered this was the wrong thing to do because they then sent the item to Billings, MT to a fake address. I spoke to someone in that office she had the package in her hands. I asked her to send it back to me and I would try to resolve it myself. She said it was on it's way to my address but in Lincoln, NE and there was nothing she could do. I called the Lincoln, NE shipping office and spoke to a woman there. I begged her to not let it disappear that once it was there I would have someone pick it up. It never left Billings, MT and suddenly disappeared. I was told by clerks That this was special treatment and UPS's way of resolving difficult customer disputes. I paid the shipper for the item and I suppose UPS did also so they got paid twice, I never got a refund or my item.

Since then my UPS driver refuses to knock on my door or ring my door bell. He refuses to get signatures on signature required packages. I can't get beyond the 800 customer service number and I fear that if I file a complaint there I will never see a package again. I no longer trust UPS and try at all costs to never get a package shipped via UPS. I don't trust any company where I can not call the corporate office and talk to a human. Bad business. I may have to stop shopping on line.

Have a similar story or want updates on my story?: Click Here To go to Gripevine and tell them about it!

Science Vs The Word

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I have been watching the secrets of the Bible on Netflix. After watching the episode where two non believing scientists tried to explain away the 10 plagues in scientific sequence I kept thinking okay but how did Moses predict each one? Moses wasn't a scientist and had no idea what God had in store until God told him what to say. Explain that.

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There were a few plagues the scientist had trouble with and then it seemed an epiphany hit them and they said OF COURSE! Like when the first born died (Passover) neither scientist explained why the Jews with the blood stained doors didn't lose their first born. One said that because of the other plagues they could not dry their grain so they stored it wet and a deadly fungus grew. The eldest always ate first so he/she got a lethal does of the germs thus killing only them. WHAT? The other said the Egyptians were psychologically messed up so they sacrificed their eldest to stop the plagues , again WHAT? Both of these scholars took the plagues as written in the Bible but neither included the Jewish experience nor anything Biblical in their explanations. They are subjective in their theories and not objective.

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In another episode they investigate Moses and the burning bush. The bush was of course over a volcanic vent, which caused the bush to go up in flames. Thus Mt. Sinai is a volcano which also explained the fire and cloud that protected the Jews as they escaped Egypt. But other scientists say that Mt. Sinai is not a volcano. So of course the location is wrong, they must have been in Saudi Arabia which is 300 miles from Egypt.

I can not tell you what to believe nor will I try. For me the history that is written and the proof in the word and through scholars that try to disprove it only strengthens my belief that the Bible is truth.

*Photo credits: All photos used were found on Google Images. I never use photos that have a clear copy right. I also give credit to the person that supplied them if there is clear ownership.

Tripping Down Memory Lane

While surfing posts on my Facebook wall I ran across an article about how baby wipes cause sores. Featured was this photograph.
                                               

Photo Credit  Ben Turner

To me this looks like a pacifier was left in the child's mouth  much too long.

I can't keep my opinions to myself, I should have learned years ago how to do this but that common sense gene must have missed it's mark in my DNA. Being unable to control myself I said: 

This looks like a pacifier mark. It seems that this child's parents need to do a bye-bye binky ceremony. I did it with bottles and binkys. There were a few sad farewell tears as my child tossed them in the trash and then it was done. Letting a child suck on the thing until it causes sores and then blaming it on baby wipes is just bad parenting. That's my opinion and I am sticking to it.

But then my mind wandered back to my baby years with both my son and daughter. Those happy sad days when there was never enough money for diapers, formula and all the other essentials a parent needs plus all the things a new mother wants for her children. I wax nostalgic a lot so my mind usually ends up with some precious memory like our bye-bye bottle/binky ceremony. When I decided it was time I would have my child come with me to the kitchen, I gave them a plastic grocery bag and had them gather up all the offending items.

Photo Credit Google Images

We would then go out to the trash can I would open the lid and have the child put the bag in. They would say good bye, usually with a few tears and then it was done. Because I am a romantic and very sentimental I tried to sneak back  and get my son's bottles out of the garbage, but he found them and we had to do the ceremony again, this time leaving them in the trash. 

Brandon was never a pacifier baby but boy did he love that bottle. He had been bottle broken for several months when at the mall he snatched a bottle away from a baby, popped it in his mouth and took a good suck. I was devastated and the other child's parents looked at me like I was the ring leader of some sort of international baby bottle theft ring. I mean get the kid a drink already! But it implanted this very dear and tender memory in my heart.

Photo Credit Google Images

My daughter Lauree was a pacifier baby, she liked to suck and would fall asleep with the thing in her mouth. If you tried to pry it loose she would wake up with a start and look at you as if you were trying to take her very breath away. If not plugged up quickly, screams of anger would ensue. At 24 she is still a little like that, especially if someone tries to take something she is not ready to part with. I always had to have a large supply of pacies on hand because she would spit them out at odd times and places. My mother in law passed when my girl was 14,  as we cleaned out Carol's home I found  pacifiers tucked in tight little corners, making me wonder how in the world they managed to make it there. But then I remembered how my daughter would crawl off into weird places and fall asleep. If she got quiet we had to go look to see where she ended up. Lauree was either sleeping or she had a supply of lotions and powders and was cooking up a pretty gooey mess.

To any of you with young children, slow down and enjoy all the treasures they drop in your lap. The years pass much too quickly, one day you will want to go back like I do and savor the moments they give you all over again.

Dear Jesus Redo Please!

Shaken Not Stirred

                                                         photo credit, found on Google Images

I always wanted to try a Martini. It has that James Bond feel of a very sexy man with an outrageously gorgeous woman sipping on a cool clear drink with an olive...shaken not stirred.

So since the kids are gone and I want to get my Yule on Rick and I went and got the Vermouth. I already had the Gin. Excitedly I measured, poured, shook then dispensed this wonderful and exciting libation. Our first sip together. PHHHHHFFFFTTTTTT man that isn't palatable, so I look in my bartender book to see what I did wrong. Behind me I hear glug, glug as my other half "fixed it" with more vermouth. OOH that was worse... I mixed and fixed and now we have nothing like any tini I have ever seen but it is now a fruity punch with too much vermouth. Take my word when it says a drop or splash, don't drown it in the stuff.

As for me the room is spinning slightly. I think this is going to be a ho, ho, ho early night and an ooh where is my aspirin morning.

I hope you had a Merry Christmas and Wonderful New Year celebration.

What Other Blogs Do!

I found this craft on Rockin' Momma's blog I liked it so much I wanted to share it with you and save it for me. Craft: Handprint Snowman Ornaments Original post: Dec 9th, 2011 |  Author: Rockin' Momma  I saw these ornaments last year and made sure I saved the idea. They are going to make great grandparent gifts!  They are so easy and turn out cute! Here’s what you need: white paint glitter paint, optional ornament- make sure it's a shatterproof one! paint pens, Sharpies or other paints for decorations foam brush Clear Coat Spray Paint Directions: Pour white paint onto paper plate Paint your child’s hand white with a foam brush Have your child hold the ornament, being careful not to move fingers After the paint has dried, decorate your snowmen Spray with Clear Coat To put his hand print on the ornament I found it easiest to have him open his hand after I painted it and I would place the bulb in the palm and then have him slowly close his fingers and then I pushed each on done.  Then I’d tell him to open his hand real fast. This is make shift holder, to hold the ornaments as they dried.  This card board came out of a package that I had received that I pulled out of my recycling bin.  I used a pen to poke the holes and then stuck markers in to slid the bulbs on to dry.  Any kind of box should work.Don’t forget to put the name and the year on the ornament too!  I’ve seen them decorated with scarfs and other fun snow items. Then add this hang tag to it with this poem: (Child’s Name) Snowmen These aren’t just 5 snowmen as anyone can see… I made them with my hand which is a part of me. Now every year at Christmastime when you deck your halls you can look back and remember Christmas (this year) when my hand was just this small! Merry Christmas Love, (Child’s name) Have fun making them!

In Progress

I am bringing my blog back to blogspot however the move has not been easy and all my pictures did not move with the blog so I am going to have to put them back. This blog is 3 years old so have paitience as I fix all the issues. Thanks

Kim's Recipe Box: Baked, Hard Boiled Eggs

                 

 This is not my original recipe and I don't know who came up with it. I was given this tip by one of my sons best friends who is a body fitness fanatic  Mark keeps these baked eggs on hand for a quick meal. All you need is an oven, muffin pan and eggs. Pre heat your oven to 325 degrees . Place an egg in each well of the muffin pan, pop them in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes and your done! Eggs cooked in the shell this way peel easier for some reason. Thanks Mark for sharing!

What Daddy Bear Loves ~ Giveaway Open to the U.S. Only!

What Daddy Bear Loves

 Not everyone is fortunate to have a daddy who can do things with them. But if you do, then this would be a great gift set for your little cub. Daddy Bear Scrubs has come up with a cute and innovative story book/ stuffed toy combo to pay homage to all our hard working Daddy Bears.What Daddy Bear Loves most is spending time with the family as he hikes, rafts and plays because what Daddy Bear loves most is to explore with the kids. This is a wonderful set for any soon to be, new or experienced new daddy. It would also be great for someone in the military that is returning home. This set makes a great gift idea for Fathers day so Daddy Bear can read it to their baby bears. The soft and cuddly stuffed bear is not jointed. From it's sitting position it's about 6 1/2 inches tall.  He is wearing a dark blue long sleeved shirt that says Daddy on the front and I'm The Daddy on the back. The book is geared towards younger children, one year old and up. It's one  of those solid cardboard toddler books made to last, easy to read with bright, colorful pages sure to keep any child's attention.  When our daddy bear read the book to the little ones in our life they all snuggled up to him as close as they could get. The only problem was that there wasn't enough daddy bear to go around!


If you are looking for expectant father gifts you can purchase your own What Daddy Loves book by clicking on this link here You can enter to win on the Rafflecopter form below:

Magic Whiteboard Products Review!

I'm super excited about this review!

Magic White Board

My husband is a note nut, if he doesn't write it down he forgets, because of this we have a ton of whiteboards and cork boards all over my house. When I discovered Magic Whiteboards I couldn't wait to get them not only because I knew the Mr. would love it, I knew it would be a tool for everyone and I was right. When it arrived I fell in love with it instantly. Magic Whiteboard Products really came up with a winner for anyone of any age or profession. This is a thin sheet of plastic that applies anywhere you want it to. I could see a marketing executive use this as easily as a mom, college student or even a forgetful dad like I have. I really like the compact clean feeling I get with the Magic Whiteboard and I would not mind having more of them!

In my opinion Magic Whiteboard Products are truly innovative they come in a variety of sizes from post noteto blackboard sizes. You can also purchase them in clear, white and black! For more information on how you  can purchase yours please visit: www.magicwhiteboardproducts.com

 

You can also follow Magic Whiteboard on Facebook and Twitter!      I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

How Safe Is Your Child? Did You Know We Are Deep Into RSV Season?

   

(photo credit https://www.rsvprotection.com/) 

  Because of my families experiences, I wanted to tell  you our story and share a really serious virus RSV with you. We thought we were safe, do you really know how safe your children are? When my daughter was tiny I had to work, this meant that I had to rely on day care and baby sitters. Living in a small town I did not have a wide variety of caregivers I could choose from. I chose a day care center that seemed pretty secure  No one could gain access to the children without someone on staff handing the child over to the adult who was picking them up. They always checked the adults photo identification when a child was picked up, and they always checked to see that the person picking up was allowed to take the child  There were a lot of children, so I felt safe leaving my daughter there. I felt that she would be protected,  and also get the much needed social exposure to other kids. As a young mother I had no idea there were other things I needed to worry about.  Which is why I am writing to you today. About a week into starting at this care center, I arrived to see my daughter sitting quietly in a corner. There was a lot of activity going on.  The other children were running and playing. However, my daughter was sitting, dejected and forgotten. I was immediately alarmed, which quickly turned to frustration, because it took almost a half hour to get one of the attendants attention. Then they would not let me see my daughter until they checked me out. The security process was slow and painful when I needed contact now.  I could not gain access to my daughter until they arrived at the front desk to greet me, check my id, her records and then collect her. No one was at the front desk, there was no bell, and I could not gain the eye of any of the adults I saw. I felt helpless. Then, when my daughter was finally brought to me, she told me she was not feeling well and the adult in control told her to go sit down. She had been there for hours, and no one checked on her. When I touched my daughters forehead she was burning up, and when I say burning up I don't mean the slightly warm feeling you expect when your child isn't feeling well. She was so hot it was shocking, no one had bothered to even touch her head or call me. I was angry, upset, and beyond niceties. I left the day care center and went directly to our pediatrician. What followed was one of the scariest 48 hours of our lives. When a doctor looks troubled and says they have no clue what's wrong, it's pretty scary. Our daughter had a fever of over 103, the doctor instructed us to take my daughter to the local emergency room where she would have orders waiting for us. They ran a gamut of tests that our daughter had to endure. She was on an I.V.,  which helped to bring her fever down enough for us to take her home. Even though the thermometer said she was within normal boundaries, her skin felt like it was scorching, and no one knew why. Even so, they let us take her home with instructions to take her back to our doctor the next day.  When we arrived at the doctors office, they told us not to enter through the lobby. Instead, they had us go through a back door, where we were escorted to a room to wait. It worried me that we did not go through the normal waiting room process. The doctor still wasn't  sure what was wrong, but she had an idea and would know for sure after she ran the next test. The doctor did say she was quite concerned and once again had us bring her back the next day. That was a sleepless night for my husband and I. We didn't know what was wrong, but we were afraid it was serious and our daughter may die. The next day our pediatrician looked a lot more relaxed when she told us she had been up researching all day and night for the last 48 hours. She had been afraid our daughter had a rare and fatal virus. So rare that it was hard to diagnose. She was relieved to tell us that what our daughter had was scarlet fever. It had fooled her because of the high temperature that dropped to hot skin and no temperature. The final test is what told her what was really wrong. Our daughter did not show any of the classic signs of scarlet fever which can be called strep throat . I am not a doctor so I can not tell you what the exact differences are, they are both caused by a group A streptococcal infection. I found out later that pink eye can be one of the symptoms of scarlet fever.  I discovered that this day care center had an outbreak of pink eye, strep throat, and scarlet fever. They did not inform the parents and did not keep the sick children home.  All of these conditions are highly contagious.

  About 80% of all American children between 6 weeks and 6 years old spend time in day care settings. This being the case, we can't always be there to keep sick children away from our own children. Children like to interact with each other, and lets face it, kids don't use the most sanitary standards and practices. Sadly, because the adults, who we pay to take care of our children, do not always give the individual attention to our children that we would. Our children are often times exposed to all sorts of contagious illnesses. This is why it's so important to understand RSV (respiratory syncytial [sin-sish-uhl] virus) and how dangerous it can be. Most children contract this disease by the time they are two years old. However infants, (especially preemies) that have not developed immunities to help them fight infection, can come in contact with the RSV virus and develop serious infections. RSV infections are the leading cause of infant hospitalization. It is responsible for more than 125,000 hospitalizations and up to 500 infant deaths each year. What is most shocking, is that RSV can be found just about anywhere (doorknobs, counter tops, toys, bedding) and it will stay alive for hours. It can be spread by touching, kissing and hugging. So when you have children in a really lax atmosphere, like a day care facility, they can pick up the RSV virus anywhere. Even through their foods. So What does RSV do? It causes cold-like symptoms. With some babies it can result in really bad respiratory infections.  Because preemies lungs are not fully developed and they don't have the anti bodies necessary to fight infections, respiratory infections can be fatal. There are no treatments for RSV once contracted, so it's really important to control the spread of germs during RSV season. To do this all you need to do is make sure you wash your hands and your children's hands regularly. Make sure you regularly clean their toys, use clean clothing and maintain clean clean sheets and blankets on the beds. Avoid crowded areas and do not subject your child to cigarette smoke. We are deep into the RSV season which runs during the winter months of November through March. Be aware of what to look for and avoid anyone that has these symptoms: 

• Constant coughing, wheezing or gasping for breath
• Fast or troubled breathing
• Spread-out nostrils and/or a caved-in chest when trying to breathe
• Bluish color around the lips, mouth or fingernails
• High fever (especially if it is over 100.4°F in infants under 3 months of age)
• Extreme fatigue
• Difficulty feeding

 *These are the more serious symptoms of RSV so if you notice them seek medical care immediately! Please note that a mild case will run it's course with out cause for alarm. Still, you need to keep your children from spreading to others. So keep them home when possible. Prevention is most important so if you can afford it, have your child with a nanny or private care, such as a relative who will care only for your children. If you have a tiny infant or preemie, you may want to have face masks and hand sanitizer on hand for visitors.  And always consult your doctor for more information on what you can do to prevent your child from contracting RSV. Please visit www.RSVProtection.com for more information on RSV.  

"I wrote this review while participating in a campaign for Mom Central Consulting on behalf of MedImmune and I received a promotional item to thank me for my participation."