Do you ever suffer from.... Blogstipation ???

Do you ever suffer from blogstipation ... where you have an idea for a post and not matter how hard you try, it just doesn't come out.

Maybe you are a sufferer of irregular BLOG syndrome. Where the urge to blog takes you by sudden surprise! Hopefully you are in a place where you have some paper handy!

Maybe you are a sufferer of blogarrhea .. where the posts just keep coming and coming. You just cant help your self!

I think I need some blog-lax.

Wonder if it tastes like chocolate?

Seriously.. I will be suffering from irregular blogsyndrome for the next several weeks. I have a TON to do ....

Hope to be regular soon.....

Da BoYz

While all three of my sons were home I thought I would take some pictures.

What was I thinking, three boys.... and pictures.

Before viewing said pictures, I want you to know I DID hire a photographer for the occasion

However Mother Nature thought it would snow a few FEET in the mountains...

Wimpy Photographer cancelled on me....

SO.....

Pictures by Pancake.....

Hey guys.... come here for a picture

Don't they look THRILLED??

Day 1...... Its all about WHO is taller....Lets try this again.....

Day 2

Dont they look like something you would find in the post office? Yo, come here

Nothing like ELF ears to make a picture...

Guess if we cant do Elf ears... how about Bunny Ears??? Yeah that will make the little brother happy!

A little WWF fake fighing.....

Houston... we have a picture! At least one that will suffice until SUMMER, when it does NOT snow.

Whimpy photographer better not cancel cause of heat....

Noblesse Oblige

The little award that packs a big punch.Pseudonymous High School Teacher, from http://phhhst.blogspot.com/, has passed on the Noblesse Oblige Award to me. It is quite an award! If you haven't been over to Pseudo's blog, you should. She is an amazingly talented women. A Breast cancer survivor, who recently had quite a scare. I am grateful that nasty disease hadn't returned. She has a lot of great posts and pictures of Hawaii. She has the ability to write and keep you on the edge of your seat wondering what is going to happen next! One of her funniest post (I think) Is here. The best part is, even though she is a high school teacher, she doesn't correct my grammar. Although, I bet on many occasions she wishes she had that red pen!

The recipient of this award is recognized for the following:1) The Blogger manifests exemplary attitude, respecting the nuances that pervades amongst different cultures and beliefs.2) The Blog contents inspire; strives to encourage, and offers solutions.3) There is a clear purpose at the Blog; one that fosters a better understanding on Social, Political, Economic, the Arts, Culture, Sciences, and Beliefs.4) The Blog is refreshing and creative.5) The Blogger promotes friendship and positive thinking.

The Blogger who receives this award will need to perform the following steps:1) Create a Post with a mention and link to the person who presented the Noblesse Oblige Award.2) The Award Conditions must be displayed at the Post.3) Write a short article about what the Blog has thus far achieved – preferably citing one or more older posts to support.4) The Blogger must present the Noblesse Oblige Award in concurrence with the Award conditions.5) Blogger must display the Award at any location at the Blog.

I would love to pass this award on to a few bloggers. There are so many to choose from...

Shaila over at Dabergs. Shaila always has some food for thought. I think if I could choose a sister she would be my first pick! Quite an amazingly talented woman.

Jan, the crazy lady. She is always up on the latest politics. Also one of the most amazing women in blog land!

Wendy, over at No BOTOX ALLOWED! She is a hoot, as you can tell by her blog name. you NEVER EVER know what you are going to get when you click on her blog, but you are always in for a laugh!

Robin, over at the Robins Nest. I think she has the greatest amount of faith of anyone. She is a lifter in this life. Her faith never wavers. Even when the doctors say one thing, she knows miracles are possible!

Lori, over at the Four Seasons Farm. Lori, other than being the biggest twilight addict there is, has the most amazing ability to scrapbook. She has one a ton of awards for her abilities. She lives on a farm and has a little school house on the farm.

Lastly, Tammy over at Time Flies! She makes me laugh on a continual basis. She is, like all the ladies above, an amazing woman!

Thank you again, Pseudonymous High School Teacher, I think you are ONE AMAZING BLOGGER! Thanks for passing this award on to me!

WHY oh why wont blogger let me make paragraphs today!

My sons secret Karate- Lacrosse Move....

I was going through some Lacrosse pictures of my son. ...

and came across this picture....

Doesn't this move look just a little

familiar?

I thought I have seen it before!

How many people will prevent him from scoring?

One?

Three? Four?


Bye guys, I would love to stand here and chat while you hit me with your sticks, but I have a goal to score!

"I am goin knife you!"

Sunday, we took the kids out of church early and headed to the Jewish Soup Kitchen to help serve food to the homeless. It was a beautiful day in downtown Denver! Good thing, cause this soup kitchen is set up outside. In an alley, next to a church. A portable kitchen.

We got there early and the line was already down the block with people who were waiting for food. Patiently waiting.... (This is not my picture, I didn't want to take pictures of people at one of the low points in their life)

We quickly got to our assigned areas. I was serving the salad, my husband desserts, middle son was working the drinks and my youngest son was working "pocket food" (Food the homeless were to put in their pockets to eat later.)

After most were served, my son took this box of food to those that were sitting on the ground eating, asking them if they would like some more.There is nothing that warmed my heart more than seeing my son walking among the homeless offering food and a warm smile.

Most carried all their belongings as they went through the line as they tried to balance their plates. Most said thank you, and it wasn't just an off handed thank you... it was heart felt.

This shelter allowed seconds on food. But as they went through the line the second time -they didn't have plates, most carried containers. Many asked if we had bags or foil.

All was going well.... but then.. two men got into it in line. RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. The conversation quickly turned into phrases like.. You going to Knife me? You say a threat, you better be ready to bring it.... then........ it began.

I froze.

My husband and sons froze. I don't think we could process what we were seeing

Well, quite honestly, we didn't wanna get knifed!!! As they were wrestling one of my first thoughts was They are going to knock all this food over and everyone is going to be MAD! So, I grabbed the salad bowl and thought at least those in line will have salad!

We heard a loud thud, then saw blood.....

It was then, I saw an unusual HERO emerge.

See if you can picture this in your mind. Two men wrestling throwing punches, big guys.... men in their 40's, well seasoned on the streets, men who seconds earlier were talking about knifing each other.

Those standing in line just wanted food.

No one moved

At this point the person I LEAST expected walked over to the fight

An elderly gentleman (not him pictured, but you get the idea)He had to be in his 70s, he was serving the rice. He put the spoon down and went over. He said, "you are at a church, we are feeding you.. please show some respect". Those words said, in a kind and gentle manner.. stopped the fight. He reached down and pulled the men off each other.

The line began to move and the food was again served.

I thought alot about the courage of that older man. Those men could have easily harmed him. He could have stayed frozen at the scene like most of us...Yet, he acted. I guess hero's don't have to be strong and have super powers, they just need to have great inner strength and confidence. Then, act upon that courage.

Who is your Hero?

Contrary to popular reports, I have not fallen off the face of the earth!

I haven't been on much, I have been enjoying spending time with my son who has been living in Mexico for the past 2 years! I probably wont be on much next week either. My oldest is coming home for Spring break, and it will be the first time in four years all my kids will be home at the same time!

My oldest was also just accepted for a Internship as a Fireman!

My son that has been living in Mexico, was showing me his pictures and this was one of my many favorites. Do you see the sign? Mexican TARGET! He said right across the street was a Mexican Kmart! Funny, I have never seen those blankets at MY Target! I post this next one because it is hilarious. Some people let them borrow bikes to ride along the beach.. to bad the bikes were women's bikes! Isn't that just a cute little basket!!

He didn't even get a chance to smile in this one, I was just so happy to see him after two years!






He left ALL his clothes, except the ones on his back, with the people of Mexico.

The airline thought his bags needed to stay and extra day!

When we finally got his bags, here are a couple things he brought home.




This is a Mayan Dress.... one size fits all




This is a T Shirt he thought best fit my personality!!


This is a Nativity Set from Mexico. Mary and Joseph and one of the Wise Men. Loved that Wise Man, because he reminded me of Africa!


One day after he was home he said he was tired. Silly me, I thought I would find him upstairs resting IN A BED... instead he was in the basement taking a siesta!




It has been great having him home. His English is improving. I have to keep reminding him to eat. For the past two years he has only eaten once a day, some days- they didn't eat at all.

We have had a great time! We have a full day planned for today!
Hope you are enjoying your week

Helping those with Alzheimers and those that are blind

I have mentioned before about the Service group I am a part of. The leader of these projects is an amazingly talented woman named Christina. She is one of these people that has a great ability to draw all those around her in. She is a great blessing to all that know her!

This week we she organized two different projects. The first one we worked with Hospice group that was helping those with Alzheimer's. We went in on a Saturday and met with other women from the community. In front of us was many magazines, glue, and lots of construction paper. We were given folders with various themes, such as sports, farms, 1950's, 1920's and so forth. We would make simple pages with pictures of the theme. When hospice would get a new patient, they would find out about the patients past. They then go into the files and customize a book just for them.

Looking at the pictures would help the patient retrieve long term memory. I loved this project! It is something any one can do.

When I was flipping through magazines I came across a picture of Howdy Doody. When I mentioned I found Howdy the the older women, almost in perfect unison said, "Howdy Doody" and you could see them flash back to a memory.

It was fun to get to know the other women in the community. One lady was a investigator for insurance fraud. She told us about a case she worked on years ago. In order to get funds they would need various finger prints to confirm someones identity. Well, some people got creative and after the person getting the funds passed away. They kept the persons fingers in the freezer and would take them out when the finger print was needed! GROSS!

Last night we made sensory boards for the blind.

(The above board was made by my friend Julie). What I want to draw your attention to is that pink paper behind her board. It was a survey we were supposed to fill out. We were supposed to list out talents and things we wanted to work on. Well, being the good friend that I am, I "borrowed" Julies paper and proceeded to fill hers out for her. Wasn't that nice of me? Well, not to be out done, Julie filled mine out! Remember the wedding incident? Well, under things I need help with.... Julie wrote .. Eating just ONE chocolate! BRAT!

My board is the one below. (We made several) OK yeah, so not as pretty as Julies board, but... this is one project color doesn't matter! It did have various textures to it!

I hope everyone is doing great! Spring break is coming and my middle son who has been in Mexico for the last two years is headed home! I am going to clean out my reader and then will be on blog break for a couple weeks, it will be nice to spend some time with my son again!

RaNdOm PoSt-We randomly cut holes in the wall, dont you? And NO, I didnt beat him!

We decided to add another bedroom and bathroom in our basement. At the end of the stairs we thought we would make the stairs go left and right! Sounds like a good idea right? One way to storage the other to the bedroom.

This is my husband seeing if the hole is big enough yet! Here is the funny thing, or not so funny thing depending on how you look at it. We had an electrician, plumber and a contractor all come in for various bids. Told them all the plans. Even gave them the drawings. Everyone thought the dual stair case idea sounded great. Then the HVAC (Heating and air) guy came in. We spoke of the dual stair case.. he showed us WHY that wasn't going to work! Have fun patching that hole (By the way, it was MUCH bigger than this when we learned of the mistake)

A tiny picture of the basement.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Our youngest son has played hockey forever. I never thought hockey was all that violent. We go to many games and there are no fights, no injuries just a lot of skating. Last week my son got a hat trick (3 goals in one game). Way to go!!

Last year we talked our son into playing lacrosse. We thought he needed to play a sport that was sponsored by the school. Let me tell you hockey is a walk in the park compared to lacrosse! I don't know if you can see how bad the bruiseS are, but both his arms look like this. It is the one place that is not covered by padding in a game. The other kids take their sticks and whack your arms when you have the ball! When I say whack, they are swinging there sticks like baseball bats trying to hit you! BUT, get this, if you stick out your arm to defend yourself, YOU get a penalty. I guess lacrosse preps you to be a victim of mugging and come away with your wallet!Pre-season game. He is in the green shorts
Warming up

His ankles.... The last game there was only one concussion, and two broken bones... so .. a good MILD game! Crazy sport! He is playing hockey AND Lacrosse right now. So, glad he can drive himself to practice!


(Yes my floors are bamboo.. and NO I would NOT recommend that for a wood floor)



My middle son, who has been in Mexico for almost two years comes home in a little over a week!!!!! I hope he remembers how to speak English! The good thing is he is now bilingual and that should help him get a job before he heads back to college. He plans on becoming an actuary.


My oldest is applying for a firefighting internship. If he gets that, they pay for college. WAZOO!

That's life in a nutshell.... How are things for you? How is YOUR day going?

Really, I DO have SOME self control!

At times, I forget not everyone "gets me."

I helped at a wedding this weekend. I was working in the kitchen with some other ladies, helping serve and prepare the food for a reception. When the reception was over, the mom of the bride had a ton of chocolate candy left over. She offered me some chocolate to take home for my family...

I looked at the box and I said, "Oh, no, I would have them ALLLLLLL eaten before I got home"

Did I mention the box of chocolate was rather big?

At this point the mom of the bride went stone cold silent..... I am not sure I have ever seen her quiet.

Then she said..."Really?"

Seizing the opportunity said "Oh yes!"

She then took the chocolates and said, "Well, in that case" and proceeded to move them away from me!

Made me chuckle. It gets EVEN better!

Bright and early Tuesday morning there is a knock on the door. It was the mother of the bride, she was returning some vases and things I had lent her for the wedding.

In one of the vases was a BEAUTIFUL bouquet of flowers.

How sweet. Then I reached for the note in another vase

This line CRACKED ME UP!!

She wrote " I decided against filling the vases with chocolate... please enjoy the flowers instead"

I busted up laughing! Really, I can control myself. Really......

(Just so you know, the mom is a real sweetheart.... I just don't think she honestly knew I was kidding!!! ! She must not have noticed that oh so familiar look of mischief in my eyes. Hello.. My name is Pam, and I am a chocoholic...)

How to get a job in these bad economic times!

Go ahead and click the triangle....

More than happy to go along with you to an interview!

How to deny the economic downturn

Tips on how to deny the current economic downturn

Tell your friends the reason you aren't going on a vacation this year.... you want to spend time with your spouse acting like newly weds.... You know, poor and searching the couch for coins!

Pretend that all your 401 K is investing in private jets.... I mean it is..... just not your private jet.

Tell everyone the reason you are biking to the store, is you are going GREEN!

Experts say,you need a month of looking for every 10 grand you make. So, convince yourself that each month of looking is one month closer to retirement!

If someone says something about wearing last years clothes, just explain they haven't read the lastest fashion magazine, vintage is in!

Tell everyone the BEST part of looking for a job, is all the people you get to meet!

How are YOU denying the economic downturn....

PS NEVER EVER open your 401 statement, without sitting down.... EVER......

Homeless Shelter..... Serving there!

Friday night some friends from church and I went to a homeless women's shelter and cooked and served dinner. The experience was amazing!

Wanda, who was in charge of this particular service outing, did an amazing job organizing it.

What the tables looked like...

As you can tell, each table had a pair of gloves, a water bottle (that was a hot commodity)chap stick (apparently the best chap stick when you live on the streets comes in the blue container) and chocolate!

One lady after she put the gloves on, would look at her hands, then turn her hands over, and said "OH, I LOVE these! "

I loved the idea of REAL plates!

When the women walked in they said, "This is better than Christmas!" Once they were all served they clapped and cheered for us! Can I just tell you the great pleasure it is to cook for someone that is truly hungry?

After everyone had something to eat we sat down and ate with the women who were spending the night in the shelter. The stories of how they ended up on the streets were just heartbreaking! One of the more heartbreaking stories was a women who had college all set up, but, because she didn't have a place to live and each day the thought of where to sleep so consumed her, she decided to forgo college for now..

As the economy continues to spiral downward, I wonder how many more will end up in shelters.

While there, I was able to help one lady with her resume. Mostly correcting her spelling.

I took all these pictures with my camera phone. The first picture is the group that went- without me... Hello I am taking the picture!

Then I handed my phone off so I could be IN the picture.....

I know what you are thinking........ and no you don't need glasses..... that's me in the middle of it all.....

This is a recipe for the potatoes I made.... OH BOY were they yummy!!!!

Harris Mashed Potatoes in a Crock Pot


Mix the following with a mixer and place in a crock pot. Heat on low for 2-4 hours directly before serving.


6 cups mashed potatoes
3 oz. cream cheese
½ c. sour cream
¼ c. melted butter
1 envelope dry Ranch Salad Dressing
1 t. parsley flakes

This year our congregation and the local Jewish synagogue have paired up to feed the homeless each week. I love that!

Have you ever had the opportunity to serve at a shelter? Was it a positive experience for you?

Photo Shoot Give Away!

My friend, Mechelle, is an amazing and talented photographer, and she is having an incredible giveaway. What is the prize? Oh just a little photoshoot!! All you have to do is go to her blog , leave her a comment and become a follower. It's that simple. And you don't even have to have a blog to enter, and it doesn't matter where you live. Well, you probably have to live on this planet. Now go! What are you waiting for??

Some People!

Like a lot of teenagers, my son works at a fast food restaurant. (They have been so wonderful working around his hockey and Lacrosse schedules!)

This happened to him a couple weeks ago.

I will let my son tell it in his words, this is his facebook post!

Craig is laughing cause today at work, McDonald's, I got a drink thrown at me by like a 50 year old woman. This old woman came in the drive through and I gave her her McDouble and bottled water and told her to have a good day. I wasn't sure if she heard me so I said have a good day to her again. She had a straight face the whole time. I closed the door and started talking to my co-workers again and turned around and she was still there. I thought she wanted something else so I opened up the door and the next thing I knew there was a taco bell cup flying at my shirt. It had the lid on and when it hit me the contents spilled all over my shirt! It took me a little bit to realize what she had done. My manager saw this and he was quite mad. He said next time I saw her to get the manager or the licence plate number and call the cops on her. This was so funny. My friend who has been working there for almost a year has never seen this happen. This was some crazy old woman with red curly hair. I WANT HER ARRESTED!!!!

I don't get why this lady felt the urge to throw who knows what on my son. He is working, not out causing trouble!

My question to you..... where was your first job? How did you handle rude people?

WAY too funny not to share!

A couple of good reasons why we shouldnt judge! Each video is just seconds long.. come on- you KNOW you are hoping they make you laugh.....

tHe pArTy

We had such a GREAT time at the surprise 50th birthday party we threw this weekend! Thank you for all the wonderful ideas and recipes!!! Here are a few pictures from the night. This first one is just a little dark.

We had all the lights turned off in HER house and we were hiding in the kitchen. She was SURE surprised!!

The Theme was Hawaiian..

We had a little hula contest... Here is Lenore (Birthday Girl) showing us she has some serious hula SKILLS!

This has to be the MOST creative way to HULA, stand there and have someone move the hula for you!! Great idea Dan! Of course we had to do the Limbo! Maybe a limbo for people in their 40s isn't such a great idea. Anyone know a good chiropractor? Melissa won..... Yes I realize I said it was a Hawaiian themed party... but somehow a pinata snuck in there. There was also a SPAM carving contest. (Deb and Shaila look, see Dean withOUT his mustache!)
The idea was to carve SOMETHING HAWAIIAN....

Some people are just a little TOO literalWhat is a party without silly string? Can I just say, silly string doesn't taste very good!This is Lenore on the war path.... after a lot of the guests had left, she thought the green goo salad would be a good conditioner for MY hair! Needless to say, I thought it was more fitting to be a facial conditioner... I won!
Happy 50th Birthday Lenore!

My next post will be ... why you shouldnt look for spears at Good Will!

HAVE you EVER had a surprise birthday party?????

On Break/Blanket Comments

(Hijacked this from Frumpy) While I am stealing from Frump, I stole this too.... I wont be commenting on my break, so feel free to grab a blanket comment
Whatever you are posting , please mentally take a comment from the following list and know that I would genuinely mean it if I was able to read and post on your blog

a) Oh no!!! That is terrible!!! I can't believe she/he would say that!!! Well you just tell her to come talk to me and I'll get her/him sorted out.

b) Your kids are so cute!!!! How adorable!! And they are getting so big. *sigh* such is life.

c) You are so freaking hilarious that I just can help but wet my pants over here. So. F.U.N.N.Y!!!

d) I am so sorry to hear this. Please know I am thinking about you.

e) This is unbelievable!! I can't believe it!!

f) Wow - hope your kids had a great first day of school!! How cute are those outfits - love them!!! Here's hoping you have a great year.

g) Your injured!!! That totally stinks.

h) Happy Anniversary!!!! What a cute couple!!! So happy you are still in love after all these years

.i) He did what????? Husbands - what do they think???? Glad you got flowers out of it, though

.j) Yeah - pooping in the potty!!! That is always so exciting!!!

k) Kids say the funniest things. This made my day.

l) What a great post - I needed to hear this today.

The Reasons You Dont Want Your Kids Dressing Like a Cowboy

We all have heard that country song; Mamma's don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys.... however, I am afraid, way too often we don't heed that songs advise. We encourage our young sons to be cowbots by buying them cowboy boots and cowboy hats.

This may SEEM innocent enough at first. Yet danger lurks.....

I want to warn all the young mothers out there about what this behavior can lead too.

Over the years these young men begin to think they are indeed Cowboys. That thought leads to shoes that look like this:

Wearing clothes like THIS (By the way it was NOT Halloween)

This was last weekend

As scary as those pictures were..... that is nothing compared to a weekend of doing THIS




He got second! I think he would have had a better shot if he didn't come out off center. He got kicked while he was "dismounting". But, nothing but a bruise!

Now you know. Don't ever say I didn't warn you..... Think carefully before you buy that cowboy hat!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

OH AND I thought this was PRETTY funny-It was a poll on AOL for you to vote on what you thought about the speech..... so, either you liked it, or you must not have watched it!

Change for Change

Jan over at CrazyLady is doing a WONDERFUL project..... Using our CHANGE to create a change read about it HERE

Need a laugh?

This is SOOOOOOOO funny, watch to the end!!! WORTH IT if you want a good chuckle! Not too long, I think one minute? A lot like Ladder 49~