Hey Mama

I feel like a mom most of time partly because I am a second mother to Heather's children and partly because it is in my nature to mother everyone. So there is a topic that is sort of taboo I want to post about: How long do you breast feed your children? Do you bf until the baby weens himself/herself off? What if the baby still wants to bf when he/she is a toddler on up? Is it okay to bf a toddler? What is best for the child? What about tandem nursing? Is there actually harm in bf-ing a toddler? Public breast feeding? etc etc... And because we have breasts, we have opinions so please don't be shy. (if your opinions are private then please share some insight in the subject or links to info)

Tagged!
Rules:
Bold the ones you've done.
Then tag others.

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Split your pants in public

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Read the entire Bible

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life ( "I save a life today, my own" - Michael Scott)

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

100. Read an entire book in one day

101. Learned to play an instrument

My results: I didn't want to count them. Heather will you count them for me?
What are your results?

I tag everyone who takes the time to read all of these

new BIL

- My sister Shelley....I mean Mrs. Brunson, surprised the family and eloped Dec. 21 to Dana Beach. She and Shawn got married barefoot at sunset. Romantic!

Stars

My mom was telling me about a DVD about the star of Bethlehem. It is about a Christian man who wanted to know whether or not the star was a real phenomena that could be scientifically proven. Upon researching, he discovered that yes indeed that really occurred. There is a mathematical equation or some sort of mathematical pattern that the stars follow. Which means you can chart any day in history and figure out what the stars looked like.

Ready. Set. GO.

This is my vent session today. All work related:
-I work in an office with no heat...except two space heaters
-Our internet isn't working consistently so every time I attempt to DL or UL files my computer freaks out- not to mention that switching from one page to another takes eons.
-Each time my internet goes down (upwards of 12 times a day) I have to ask a crotchety old man with long eyebrows who smells like crotch to go and fix it.
-The repair men who come to fix our computer are idiots who call me Sarah and Stacie because they don't dare ask me my name.

Christmas Jar

I read this book yesterday. It is a quick read and a good message. If you are interested in a heart-warming, predictable, Christmas book read it soon before the movie comes out- it'll only take you a couple of hours.

ELFED!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

It is hard not to like this rendition.

Christmas Tag

1. Egg nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate. Sometimes I like it with peppermint. I always like it with cream on top.

2. Do you wrap presents or bag them? Depends on the gift. I bag things that are hard to wrap or obvious when wrapped i.e. jewelry, compact discs

3. Colored Lights or White? Both, but not blue lights

4. Do you hang mistletoe? My parents do from the light in the living room.

5. When do you decorate? I helped to decorate my house with my roommate on Monday.

6. Favorite holiday dish? can peppermint ice cream count as a dish?

7. When & how did you learn about Santa? I am sure my older siblings told me when I was quite young. It wasn't a re memorable moment in my life.

8. How do you decorate your tree? hmmm... with my hands. what do I decorate my tree with? ornaments. what is this question asking?

9. Snow...love it or dread it? Love for about two or three weeks then I am ready for spring and flowers again.

10. Can you ice skate? yes. can I skate well? NO.

11. Do you remember your favorite gift? I did get a doll that was life size. This doll was awesome, but it is also a contributing reason I have a hard time with remember my rights and lefts. Here's why: she had on a black outfit with hot pink and hot green squares. One hot pink was on the left side on the top and the other square was on the right side on the bottom- vice versa with the greens. Anyway, I was learning my rights and lefts at the time.....needless to say I thought that the right and left sides were different depending on the top and bottom of your body. Does that make any sense?... It does to me.

12. What is the most important part of the holidays? Most important remembering Christ and being more charitable. Close seconds: spending time with family & friends and giving gifts.

13. Favorite holiday dessert? plum pudding. worst holiday dessert: fruit cake Jim Gaffigan knows.

14. Favorite memory? My sister and I used to sing Christmas songs in our most beautiful and grown up voices. What was our microphone? the vacuum.

15. Do you have a special ornament? Special, IDK, but my favorites are the ones that look like icicles. I used to put them in my ears when I was little and wear them as earrings. not sanitary, but I survived.

16. What do you do on Christmas Eve? eat and watch Christmas movies with my family

17. If you could have anything for Christmas this year what would it be? a trunk full of benjamins

18. What do you do for neighbors and friends for Christmas? cards...nothing

I tag Becky, Heather, Marianne, Andrea, and Leatha

Be honest

Which one

or

?

Marriage

My sister is engaged- they made the announcement this weekend. Hooray!! My dad had "the talk" with my soon to be brother in law. My sisters and I were laughing out of sheer embarrassment on behalf of all parties: us and them.

Quick story: I slept at my parent's house last night. Before going to bed my dad called me into my parent's room and said "Stace, turn on the light" I did. My parent's were snuggling closely in the middle of their bed. Then my dad said, "This is what married life is all about." I pretended to throw up and went downstairs to bed. They make me laugh :D

Two shout outs: Happy B-day Lynnie and Congrats on the baby blessing Shine-FinALLY- sorry I couldn't make it :(

Breaking News

Take a looksy: Kevin Costner= Rockstar, okay maybe not Rockstar, but some of his shows are sold out. Click to listen. hahahahaha

p.s. I know, two posts in one day... don't judge me.

Praises and Thanksgiving

I wonder what really happened?......


I was researching online: http://www.powwows.com/gathering/general/469-true-origin-thanksgiving.html

The first settlers were dying from disease and enslaved Squanto. He taught them how to work the land (grow corn and catch fish). He also helped them create a peace treaty with a nearby tribe Wampanoag. In celebration of having their crops produce they had a feast mostly a brew of ale, but that was never called Thanksgiving.

Here is how Thanksgiving got its "official" title: (all documented by government records)

Basically the Puritans thought they were the chosen people and mass murdered hundreds of Natives. They gave thanks to God and celebrated. Here is an account from an article:

In the midst of the Holocaust/Genocide of the Red Man and woman, Governor Dudley declared in 1704 a "General Thanksgiving" not to celebrate the brotherhood of man, but for:

[God's] infinite Goodness to extend His Favors... In defeating and disappointing.... the expeditions of the Enemy [Indians] against us, And the good Success given us against them, by delivering so many of them into our hands...

And as you are eating turkey and giving your praises to God, keep this image in your head

"To see them frying in the fire, and the streams of their blood quenching the same, and the stench was horrible, but the victory seemed a sweet sacrifice to the great delight of the Pilgrims, and they gave praise thereof to God."

Twilight Movie

Less of this

More of this

Holding hands

So my boss just got back from the Phillipines. While he was there he attended church and made some friends at church. What he didn't realize, is that men hold hands in the Phils. So imagine if you will a middle aged man walking hand in hand with various men, feeling slightly strange, and talking to them about who knows what. It gives me a good chuckle.