What is your Guilty Viewing Pleasure?

I think most of us have a guilty viewing pleasure on TV or in movies.  No, I am not talking anything X-rated here. ;)  I think I am typical of most women in that I like the funny love stories, the cooking shows, home improvement shows, certain sitcoms, etc..  However, I also have a secret guilty viewing pleasure that only my family knows about. ;)

 

Yes folks, natural disaster movies are my guilty viewing pleasure!  I have always been fascinated by weather and natural events.  I blame growing up in Hawaii with an active volcano and the movies Wizard of Oz and Shangra La for the start of my deep rooted addiction.  Lately I have been staying up late into the night watching these disaster movies before I go to bed.  I get all comfy cozy on the couch, cuddled under a blanket, cat in my lap and I escape into the natural disaster Hollywood style world.  The cats love this but I think the dog is a bit disturbed by my viewing habits and frequently goes into the bedroom to go to sleep without me.  She will come out to check on me periodically and gives me that "seriously mom?" look.  I also think my husband is secretly relieved that I choose to watch most of these movies while he is at work. ;)

So folks, what is your "not have to be censored";) Guilty Viewing Pleasure?

The Importance of a Good Support Network

This morning I was pondering how blessed my family is to have such a great support network of friends and family.  I know that the "experts" stress that this is so important in times of crisis, but I also find it important in the every day life also.  Let's face it, we all feel better knowing that there are people out there that love us and are willing to help us when needed and that we also can do the same for them.


Over the years, our family has built a wonderful network of friends in addition to our family that share their time, talents, love and resources with one another.  In Hawaii, we would call this group a "hui".  Many of these people have become "hanai" (adopted by love) "ohana" (family) to us.  Not only does this help emotionally but it also helps financially.  With the economy being what it is and with so many of our "hui" trying to get out of debt, starting new families, reaching retirement years with little income and some also facing job losses or cuts in pay, it is important that we all stick together and help each other out.


Some of the ways we have done this over the years (and continue to) is by sharing our talents.  My husband used to be a carpenter and although he is no longer in that profession, he has the skills needed to be able to do home repair, remodeling, roofing, etc..  He can also build furniture.  He has been able to help friends fix their roofs, replace windows, add a new bedroom within an existing home, build furniture lifts to make getting in and out of chairs easier for people that need that help, patch drywall, build stairs, etc.  He also did extensive remodeling in our home.  My talents run along the line of saving money by couponing, being able to budget well, making the most of what you have, cooking from scratch, tutoring children and hooking people up with resources that they may need.  I'm also really good at seeking out great deals at thrift stores and yard sales so friends will give me a list of what they need and I regularly find it for them for pennies on the dollar.  We have friends (some of them have passed away now) who are/were master gardeners.  They taught us how to prune trees, the secrets of a good garden and shared their knowledge, plants and produce with us.  We now regularly share the produce from our garden with our "hui" and they share theirs (if they have a garden) with us also.  It's a win/win for everyone.  We have done other things like apple cider pressing where everyone contributes apples and container and we work the day away to press cider for all the families.  We also pass down clothing that our children have outgrown and also share tools with each other.  We help at the weddings of each of our children and grandchildren.  We help one another with appliance and computer repair.  We watch each others children, homes and pets when needed.  If we have an item we are not using, we see if someone else needs it in our "hui" before donating it to a thrift store or selling it at our yard sale (we also do some of those together).  Our group is also there to pray for one another and support each other through the daily things of life. :)


Honestly, I feel so blessed to have this wonderful group of talented and loving people in my life.  Together, we have all been able to help each other not only save money and time, but the support and friendships mean the world to me.  I know that I have learned so much from these amazing people and my life is all the more "richer" for it.

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow!

Yesterday Josh and Jessica celebrated their 1 week of marriage anniversary.  They are happily settling into Josh's apartment in Germany and Jessica is getting stuff put in order and making it a nice and cozy home for the two of them.

Today Grammie spent the morning with her cute little Bradley and his sweet mommy Heather.

Oh Grammie, I feel so much better after my bath.

Uh oh....um Grammie, I think I need a diaper change.

Ahhhh....thank you...I feel so much better now!

Grammie...here comes that cat again!

Yay, Grammie saved me from the cat!  Does the cat look fat to you?  What?  She is going to have babies?  I don't have to share my crib do I?

Tomorrow Bradley is 3 weeks old! :)

Pleading Poverty While Living High on the Hog

I know that this post could be highly controversial but these are my own thoughts and views on the subject and I hope that even if people don't agree with me that they can be kind and respectful. ;)

I have been a volunteer for years and years now with a food distribution program to help people in need.  I also work in the school system, am a former librarian, and also hear and read things in the news as well as interact with people daily.  One of the things that irks me to no end is when people plead poverty and get others to help them financially while they themselves are unwilling to make sacrifices to cut back on their expenses and continue to go on vacations, have their kids in private lessons, go out to eat on a regular basis and continue to live the life of someone who is financially able to do those things.

I do understand that almost everyone is going to hit hard times at some point in their lives (present company included) and need help.  The people that find themselves in this situation and do everything that they can to cut back on their expenses and still can't make the ends meet are the people that we should all be helping.  It is the other people who go and file bankruptcy and then go right back to their former spending habits again and again and then file bankruptcy a second time or more that anger me. It is the parents who are in pool or bowling leagues but can't afford to buy new shoes for their children due to lack of finances that make my blood boil. It is people who claim they can't afford Christmas presents for their children but just bought a new purebred puppy that I just want to shake.  It is people who go out to eat all the time but claim they can't afford groceries that just make me ill.  It is the people who expect everyone to bail them out without giving any thought to how much those sacrifices of others who are bailing them out may be hurting those doing the bailing out that just disgust me.

Want some real life examples?
~the woman in the news recently who won the lottery, bought 2 house and a new car and was still collecting food stamps and felt she was entitled to those food stamps because "she still had expenses"
~a family that gets food stamps, free medical, heating assistant, etc. and just bought a snowmobile to go play with
~a single mom who felt it was "God's will" that she stay home with her children and that the state, church, her family and friends should financially support and take care of her
~families on welfare that buy expensive new electronics like computers, ipads, top of the line new cell phones, 3D television sets for themselves and their children for Christmas
~people on food stamps buying expensive cuts of meat, frozen pancakes, soda, chips, expensive coffee, imported cheeses, etc. and then still show up at the food distributions complaining about how they can't make their $500 in food stamps cover their grocery bill for the month for a family of 4 ( I did it for $350 for a family of 5 plus extra teens eating at our home almost every day and that included all cleaning products, toiletries, etc.)
~people who sign their kids up for the Marines Toys for Tots program along with other programs to provide gifts for their kids and then the parents take a trip to Vegas or somewhere else

Meanwhile, we have families and the elderly struggling to make ends meet and doing everything they can to cut back.  They are having to make the choice between food or medications or taking their child to the doctor.  We have the working poor who work long hours, sometimes at multiple jobs, and still don't make enough money to cover just the basic necessities in life.  We have people who became ill or disabled and can't work through no fault of their own.  We also have people who have lost their jobs and are trying to find new ones but there are too many applicants for just the one job so many walk away again with nothing, even the fast food places get more applicants than they have jobs available in some areas.  These are the people that we should be helping.

I believe that if you apply for government assistance that you should also be required to take classes in budgeting, how to buy and prepare healthy food, basic home and car repair.  These are skills that would greatly help people save more money and be able to stretch that assistance further and get off it sooner. I also believe that some sort of volunteer work should be required for those that are physically able to do it in order to get some of these services. Helping others has been shown to increase a person's self esteem and helps them make connections they may need to get a good job. Things I personally have done... I have helped get a booklet of healthy recipes together for commonly used low cost and healthy food products that were distributed though the food programs that I volunteer with.  I have taught classes on how to save money though the county extension service.  I have taught students at a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center how to make a budget and find the best deals.  I want to help people acquire the skills they need to help themselves.  I believe in trying to help those who really want the help and are willing to do the work needed.  I believe in giving people a helping hand to raise them up, not to keep them dependant on a failing system.  I want a better future for everyone that is currently struggling or will find themselves in that situation at some point.  Is that so wrong?

Life with an Elderly Dog

Our Sasha is an old girl who came to us via our son Chris who got her from a lady who could not keep her who got her from someone else and the list goes on.  As far as we know, we are either her 5th or 6th owner.  From what we understand and can see by her behavior, she was abused pretty badly at some point in her life and has the emotional and physical scars to prove it.  Sasha has been with us for about 4 years now and according to her previous owner, this would make her about 10 or 11 years old.  That is old for a purebred White German Shepard. 

Sasha is showing her age and has come to a point in her life where she is having major digestive issues.  We have taken her to the vet and were told that she most likely has a digestive disorder that even to test for runs in the hundreds of dollars and then she would have to be on a special diet and possibly meds.  Most people just put their dogs down when they hear this because it is so expensive to do all of this.  Our vet told us to just treat her as if she does have the disease and we changed her diet to one of those expensive grain free high quality dog foods.  That worked for a bit but then she got bad again and her body would not tolerate it.  We thought we were going to lose her and I switched her to a diet of cooked chicken, homemade chicken broth, brown and white rice and pumpkin along with multivitamins for senior dogs, digestive enzymes and glucoensure to help balance out her blood sugar levels.  She has 3 meals a day, just like we do, to keep food in her system so that she gets her nutritional needs met.  She has started to gain some weight back.  A few days ago she ate a pencil, a pen and some crayons...this is a new bad behavior for her.  It really threw her system into a tizzy and we are now dealing with that.  Poor girl is not feeling well.  Any little thing that she eats can throw her system off, let alone the above.  Her eyesight is also not the best anymore and I find her bumping into me more often.

We know her time with us is limited and each day is a blessing.  She has been the most loving dog and companion to us and brings us such great joy.  She has more personality than most of our previous dogs and is smart too.  Most days she is still energetic for at least part of the day and loves to play, go for walks and cuddle with us, but she is slowing down.  My husband and I have discussed it and as long as she is happy, not in pain and has many more good days than bad, we will keep her with us but we know the day is approaching where we will have to make the decision to say goodbye to our beloved old girl...I dread that day.  I have had to say goodbye to other fur babies and it breaks my heart but I know she will be the hardest one to let go.  I love this old girl and when she is gone it will leave a huge whole in our lives and hearts.

Bradley and G-pa!

 When Bradley first met G-pa, G-pa had a cold and was wearing a mask when he held him. "Hey everybody, G-pa has a nose!" "Mommy, what is that thing under his nose that keeps tickling me when he gives me a kiss?".

 G-pa is thrilled to have some time with his grandson since everyone else was "hogging" him, especially Tutu who could not get enough of her great grandson. ;)

 G-pa is toast...this kid could have asked for anything at that moment and G-pa would have made sure he got it. :D  Good thing he can't talk yet or we would all be in trouble. ;)

I'm convinced that G-pa is telling Bradley all about the cool things they are going to build together including a tree house!  I'm sure G-pa is already on the look out for little child sized tools for him.

Storms in our Lives

Sometimes our lives feel like those violent storms that hit at night.  We are enjoying the soothing and quiet darkness and slowly drifting off and relaxing when lightening rips through the sky quickly followed by deafening thunder and howling winds.

Things finally start to settle down a bit and you think the storm is moving off and away....

And then suddenly, the next round hits and you are momentarily blinded the lightening and feel the roar of the thunder rattle you to your core. You wonder why the storms keep coming, one on top of another.

It can throw you  into a panic and tire you out as you try to get some rest while the flashing of the lightening and the booming of the thunder keep interrupting your sleep and you fear the damage is being done.

The constant storms can wear you down and make everything appear hazy, so much so that you question your own judgement at times.

It is then you remember to Praise HIM in the Storm, bringing some peace into your life and into your soul once more.

And although the storm may rage on, you can feel secure in knowing that He is with you, every step of the way.

No matter how bad the storm gets, He is there, surrounding you with His peace and His comfort.

And we can safely rest in knowing that everything seems the darkest right before the dawn.  Thank you Lord for always being there for us and being our shelter and strong tower in the storms of life.