Some interesting news....I just took a (very) part-time bookkeeping job at Kentuck Knob, a Frank Lloyd Wright home nearby that was opened to the public by Lord Palumbo. They were in desperate need of a bookkeeper and got my name thru their accountant. I have a lot on my plate already, but decided to interview anyway. Oddest interview ever....

Evidently, they were without a bookkeeper for a time, and there were bills to be paid and the manager was really stressing out. She was trying to pay some of them and even though Quickbooks is easy to use, if you don't have all the little spots on your page clicked correctly, you can really mess yourself up. (How's that for professional sounding lingo?)

My interview went like this: Mrs. C: "Oh no, what have I done??" Me: "Well now wait, we can fix this, don't worry." Followed by various sounds of computer keys clicking, basically asking Quickbooks to let us have it back and do it again, and then the zinging sound of the printer spitting out a check. Mrs. C: "Ok, now can you figure this out...." Instead of on-the-job-training, it was like I had an on-the-job-interview. And now I have a new job. Well, an extra job.

The thing is, I already have a lot of work with the pharmacy's bookkeeping, Deer Lake's bookkeeping and I won't even mention my kids' schedules. My guess is I'll need about one day a week (or less) for this new venture, but if it's more, I'll be a little nuts. Maybe it's lofty, but my goal there will be to get their bookkeeping to a place where anyone could step into that job and do it. I know Mrs. C could do it, because I know her from other neighborhood activities (church, sports, etc) and I know she's smart and a quick study and she loves rows of numbers as much as I do. She was just overwhelmed and worried and couldn't concentrate yesterday. So maybe this will only be temporary.

Regardless, it should be an interesting place to work. If you didn't click on the link above, be sure to go back and do that. My impression is that the people who work there feel really blessed. To work in that wonderful natural setting, and around such beautiful artwork - and to meet Frank Lloyd Wright students and fans from all over the world - well, it seems to make them joyful in their work. And even though I'm just a bean counter, that's important to me. Makes the day brighter. And ever so much better than listening to grumbling. But I have to be careful and really buckle down and do my work and not spend my precious time talking. I'm not used to an office environment anymore, after so many years of working at the computer at home....And I've learned that conversation can make a task take twice as long.

So, if I'm away and don't blog for a bit, it's because I'm digging in over there for the short term. But once I get things my way, this should be smooth sailing. And I'll have time again to stitch. And blog. C-ya then....

Here's today's "In Other Words" meme....

The true secret of giving advice is, after you have honestly given it, to be perfectly indifferent whether it is taken or not, and never persist in trying to set people right.
-- Hannah Whitall Smith

Oh Jeez, if this is the case, I am such a failure at giving advice!! It's an awful habit, but I am, without a doubt, the Queen of I-Told-You-So. I know it's not a good trait, but can I help it if I'm right most of the time?? (she said with her tongue in her cheek)

No - seriously, sometimes I almost bite my tongue off to avoid an I-told-you-so, and even then it still slips out. Especially with my kids. Not exactly endearing.

It must be a family trait. When I get together with my brothers and sisters, it's almost laughable that we all have to be "right". Always. All the time. We waste so much time trying to prove we're right about something that we often don't converse about much else. Being that I don't live near my sibs anymore, I really notice it a lot. They argue and fuss, and since I'm not usually involved in what the fuss is about, I get to sit back and watch. It's kind of funny. Except I do the same stuff. Not so funny anymore.

If anything, being a parent has helped me temper this annoying trait. Nag, nag, nagging will make my kids shut down quicker than Windows with a fatal error. I've been working on saying it once, and letting it go. Sometimes I'm successful. Sometimes I'm not. Sometimes I repeat myself way too many times. It's annoying, I know.

But listen to what my mom does....My mom repeats herself with almost every sentence. Ever since I've noticed it, it drives me crazy. Drives me crazy. She talks just like that. Just like that. She almost never says anything once. Never says anything once. And I mentioned it one day to DH, and now when we're together with her, together with her, we're always looking at each other and smiling. Looking at each other and smiling. Poor mom. Poor mom.

Aughhhhh! Make it stop! I love her to pieces, but conversation is so difficult!

Well, how did I get here from there? Back to the quote. Yep, I agree with those wise words. If only I could practice them...

Here's my stitchers five!

1. Where do you stitch? - describe your stitching area.
I've been kind of roaming the house lately, because of all the remodeling and general changeability of our living rooms. And I have to say that I've been "making" a place in most of my rooms. Kind of like sectioning off a little space everywhere that says, "this is mine"! But each place has these things in common: A decent chair, a place to put my feet up, and great (not just good) lighting.

2. What time of the day do you usually stitch?
I'd love the mornings, but there isn't time...Maybe a little between 3 and 4 PM, (depends on what else is going on) then again around 7:30 till about 9 PM.

3. Do you stitch by yourself or with someone else?
I'm alone with my stitching...I miss my weekly sewing group.

4. How long do you usually stitch for?
About an hour.

5. Do you listen to music or watch TV/DVDs when stitching or do you prefer quiet?
My favorite thing to do is listen to a radio show. Or I watch/listen to TV. But not movies. I get too engrossed. I almost never have on just music.

This was fun!

Thanks to Stitchy Jen (author to the Stitchers' Five Meme


you are camomile tea......you are very calm, and
you like to be warm, relaxed, and cozy. You
tend to have a calming effect on people, and
your friends often come to you with problems.


(with pics) what tea are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Stitchers Five


1. What is your favourite fabric to use? (e.g. aida, evenweave, linen etc)
Belfast Linen or any other similar linen

2. What is your favourite count (e.g. 14, 28, 32 etc)
I like the look of 32 ct, but I can see 28 ct. better


3. Do you collect fabric "just to have" or do you buy it with a design in mind?
I used to collect fabric just to have it, but after way too much stash collection, now I just buy for a certain project.


4. What is your favourite colour for fabric?
Usually Ivory



5. If you were heading for a desert island, and you only had one choice of fabric to take with you, what would you take?
Can I take along my magnifying glasses, too? If so, then Ivory 32ct. Belfast. If not, then ivory 16 ct. aida.

I'm going to try a new writing prompt. This sounded like a unique idea. It's a site called In Other words... Basically, a quote is posted twice a week and then bloggers are invited to comment, agree, disagree, etc.

Here's this Tuesday's prompt:
Read, every day, something no one else is reading. Think, every day, something no one else is thinking. Do, every day, something no one else would be silly enough to do. It is bad for the mind to be always part of unanimity.
-- Christopher Morley

Hmm, what do I think of this??
Maybe I'll start at the end of the quote, and say that I agree. Unanimity of opinion rubs me the wrong way in most things. For instance, last night my family and I were watching basketball, and the sportswriters were sympathizing with Notre Dame because they had just lost in their regional playoff game. Sarcastically, I said "Awww...poor Notre Dame." So DD asks why we don't like their team. And DH replies, "Because everyone else does." (I gotta love that guy) Of course, liking or not liking Notre Dame isn't a particularly important issue. This is just an illustration.

In important matters, I think unanimity just a mask. The more unanimous a decision or mind set seems to be, the less likely a differing opinion will be offered. So I believe that differing views about things are out there, but just not being expressed. And we would be lessor for not hearing those views. You may still agree with the majority, but without careful weighing of other views, how strongly can you feel about your position?

If you seek unanimity in all matters, you're going to lead a frustrating life....
If you are always a part of unanimity, you're going to be very dull.

As to the rest of the quote, other than just setting up the last sentence, I don't see that these things are entirely possible. Like, I don't know that I could be silly every day. I guess that's middle age setting in. And Jeez Louise, if I put that out for my teenagers to read, I'd be in the principals office every week. So maybe silly isn't the right adjective. How about "different". Instead of thinking something different from everyone else everyday, how about thinking about something in your own head in a different way?

That being said, I'll still always dislike Notre Dame sports.....Some things will never change. Nope, I'm not even gonna try to rethink it.

And by the way, if you agree or disagree with any of my views, well, that's why I have a "comments" link! I will absolutely not get offended.

Stitching....Ha! I'm stitching vicariously thru other bloggers this week. Thank goodness you all are out there, or I'd have no lovely stitching (finished or partially finished) to look at.

BTW, I love Jen's Stitchers Five Meme, and I hope to catch up this week and next week!

Boy, I've been pretty lapse at blogging lately. Things have been busy - and I have to say I've been spinning my wheels over this Passion of the Christ over the week. But I won't bore you with that - I went on long enough in my last entry.

My sampler stitching has been put by the wayside, also. For the most part, I only have a tree to stitch and then the outer borders to finish. This sampler's border work is so relaxing and mindless. There are days it suits me perfectly! Then there are other days it makes my butt numb, and I have to get up and move around - - - a lot! It won't hold my attention.

I went to see The Passion of the Christ yesterday.

(Pause)

I just didn't get it. I was disgusted. I was nauseous. I was definitely not moved. And I left the movie feeling like a dope. All around me, people were crying - no, weeping - and saying how powerful and emotional it was. I was only sickened.

Here's my two cents, and it's my blog, so maybe it'll be 4 cents. I didn't need this movie to bring home to me how awful and painful and sadistic Christ's crucifixion was. I knew that already. I didn't need to see Jesus reduced to hamburger to understand it.

I didn't see anti-semitism either. This was God's plan. The biblical characters really were helpless in the face of God's plan. The only evil I saw was the character of Satan, and his quiet, patient evil was very chilling. Maybe that's the message I can take from this movie. Evil waits patiently for you. God gives us a choice about how to think, feel, and behave in our lives, and evil will patiently wait.

I feel like I've been talking a good bit about religion lately. Maybe because it's Lent and a time for examination? I don't know. Sometimes you just need to sort things out.

I'm back after a few days of jury duty. Grindingly boring, mind numbing jury duty. I've been called and served before but it was for civil court and it was very simple. This week it was criminal court and let me tell you, nothing was simple.

First of all, our county courthouse is.... one of the most depressing places in the county. If you're just walking through it, you may enjoy the architecture and some of the older pieces of stained glass work and wood carving. But if you have to spend time in it as a juror, those things fade fast. Jurors must stay in the courtroom hallways, which are dimly lit caverns that echo sound so loudly that if two or three other people are talking in the hall, you can barely hear the person next to you. And dark?? I could have grown mold it was so dark. On Monday I tried to sit by a window with my stitching, but it only gave thin, dim light. So then I saw the Law Library and walked in. Comparitively, it was heaven. Reasonably well lit, quiet - as in no sound bouncing off walls. So I asked the jury clerk if I could wait in there. "Sure", she said, "as long as I know you're in here." It was great. I mean, as great as twiddling your thumbs can be. But I could stitch without going blind, and there were plenty of magazines to look through. I was plugging along on the sampler, thinking, hey, this isn't too bad...

However, I should have known that finding a hideaway was a mixed blessing, because they dismissed all of us unpicked jurors at 11:00 and forgot I was in the library. So at 1:30 I ventured out into the hallways, and thought, hmmmm. It's very quiet here....

So on Tuesday, I didn't visit the library, and spent the whole day in the dark halls.

It's not that I wasn't picked for cases. But being that we own a retail business, I was always dismissed. I think it's sad, but when you own a retail store, particularly a pharmacy, you're very likely to have been robbed, burglarized, deceived by fraud, shoplifted from, and issued bogus checks. Even assaulted. So needless to say, I was dismissed. The first case was laughable. It was a check fraud case, and I had just that morning filed a complaint at the District Attorney's office on a hefty check. I was excused...Next case was a retail theft case. I was excused. You can see a pattern here...and I came to realize that this was a giant waste of my time.

Well, the heavens must have had pity on me, because my friend who works in the Courthouse was floating around the halls that day. One thing led to another, and I was excused for good. So today I'm back to work, back to blogging, and back to my normal, well-lit, reasonably quiet life.

Stitching? I've kept at my current sampler. It helps that I know exactly where I want to hang it. But it's tough. My focus is wandering to a couple of short projects, but doggone it, I'm going to stick with ONLY this sampler until it's finished! New pics soon...

I'm having the most excellent evening! Dave and John are working, Colleen is volunteering at the church fish fry, and I am home alone!! Happy, happy dance!

I made a quick tuna fish sandwich, and I've been stitching for two hours in a comfy chair, listening to the radio. It's heaven, sheer heaven. Only took time out to tell you all of my great fortune! Oh....and to come upstairs to my secret stash of chocolate. What??? Did I say that....

I know I promised to write about stitching, but it would really help if I had actually stitched something this weekend. Unfortunately, most of my weekend was spent lifting and carrying furniture, cleaning, and generally working around the house. But there is a small stitching aspect to be found here!

Saturday morning Dave and I started moving furniture into the new addition. The biggest job was moving the china closet, because all the crystal and china had to be removed first, and then all of the drawers, etc, to make it as light as possible. Well, my china closet and two buffets were so full of STUFF, you wouldn't believe it. I never thought I was a pack rat, but now I'm not so sure....So my Saturday involved lots of moving, but lots of sorting through drawers full of odds and ends, also And among those odds and ends were some pieces of needlework that I had completely forgotten about. I found stitched bread cloths, crocheted and tatted doilies, and quilted place mats. I store my Christmas stitching in the bottom drawer of the buffet, and I found a few pieces that I had forgotten about, like a neat Victorian-style stitched pouch given to me as a gift. And there was a bell-pull of of berries (an old MLI design) that was part of a round robin I did a million years ago. I guess when we moved here in 2001, I packed away lots of things that I was using at the old house, and they never quite found their niche in this house. But now that we have more space, I think I can find a place for them! Kinda felt like Christmas all over again!

Anyway, Dave and I worked really hard all weekend, and I'm so, so pleased with the results. The coats are in the coat closet, not on a cluttered hall tree in my kitchen. The dining room furniture is all moved to the new dining room and it looks excellent. The eating area in the kitchen looks warm and inviting, and our entryway is neat and functional.

Forgive me while I bask in this feeling of organization! I don't get to do this much in my life, and I know it's short-lived (it will all pass at about 4PM when the kids get home from school), so I'm enjoying the feeling while I can!

In other news, last night I dropped 5 pounds of mashed potatoes on the floor. I had this wonderful dinner planned - a comfort food fest after working so hard all weekend, including a turkey breast, stuffing, green beans, and mashed potatoes. I was just moving the mashed potato bowl onto the table and the whole thing slipped out of my hands and smashed onto the floor. I just stared....I was dumbstruck! Until the dog and cat came in with that look in their eyes...and I knew I had to get cleaning quick. Not only to stave off having them blow up on mashed potatoes, but also because I knew it was full of glass shards. So I moved in quickly, and wasn't being too careful and then I cut my hand, so the mess now included mashed potatoes, glass and blood. Oh, it was lovely. Not to mention being without a critical side dish.

The side dish part wasn't too hard. My family actually likes canned potatoes fried in butter with parsley. Not the comfort of a pile of mashed potatoes and gravy, but passable. And there's still mashed potato cemented into the cracks between the floor tile. DH took the Swiffer to it. I almost laughed. What is it with men loving these Swiffer Sweepers?? They love the idea of spray-wipe-smear? (My apologies to those who love their swiffers. I think they're ok for a quick wipe-down, but for real cleaning....not a chance. And certainly not for mashed potato cement)

Here's hoping to a better meal, if not a neater meal, tonight!

Well, that wasn't too long away, was it? I think I was having one of those days that feels like it will never end, yet you still don't get anything accomplished.

And I have to say that sometimes older members of DH's family really stress me out. Not usually, though. Usually I can just roll with their weirdness. And over the past 20+ years I've learned that it's better to take it in small doses than big ones. (Meaning that it's better to do a short visit or two every week, rather than long visits less frequently.) But when you add another stressor to their mix, they become not just weird, but bouncing-off-walls-certifiable. And that's the position we were in on Tuesday and Wednesday.

I should add that we've been worried about two particular relatives for years. Both people, in my opinion, are seriously impaired mentally. I'm not saying they're crazy...I'm saying that their judgement is so poor at this time, that I wouldn't trust them alone. They need almost constant care, which up until now has been a series of housekeepers and non-live-in companions. (They don't have any children.) But everyone can see that they need more. In a perfect world, they'd move into an assisted living program. They certainly have the money for that sort of thing. But let me tell you, that's going to be a BIG argument when it gets brought up!

The thing that's almost funny is that each one thinks the other is crazy and should be in a home or hospital.

Oh my. I'll tell you one thing, blogging sure helps to sort all this stuff out in my mind. I don't just type, either. I type, I erase, I reorganize my thoughts into paragraphs and decide what's important and what's not. Blog therapy....there you go.

Stitching hasn't happened lately. Actually, in the few quiet moments I've had, I was reading The DaVinci Code, and it was a nice escape. Friends had told me that it could make you seriously question your faith, particularly if you're Catholic, but I wasn't that shaken. Maybe it's because over the years I've always had questions about Catholicism, and I've been interested enough to explore these questions. I know that the church's history is riddled with corruption and political maneuvering that hasn't exactly been Christ-like. I believe there's no escaping human influence on faith, whether you are Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, or what have you. But that doesn't mean that I'd leave my faith or my church.

Here's how I see it: I am the Church. God's church on earth lives through me, not vice-versa. And if I leave the church, it becomes that much weaker and susceptible to corruption.

Well, you all are probably thinking, Doesn't she have delusions of grandeur?? But I read this wonderful book a few years ago, given to me by a teaching nun, called A New Look at Grace, by Bill Huebsch. Powerful stuff. It put to words a feeling that I've had for years, that God lives in our everyday lives, not in the Church. Certainly the church has an important place and an important function, but our experience of God in our day to day moments is what keeps us with God. And those experiences are meant to be reflected on and shared, thus we have the church. So you see, we are the church. Without our experiences and sharing, our church would die.

Ok, I'll let you all up for air. To be fair, I can't even say, "Well, you asked..." because you didn't!
Till next time....when I promise to write about stitching!

Why is it that just when you have the most to do, that's when you feel like doing the least?

There's nothing I'd like better than a quiet afternoon of stitching, but it's just not in the cards lately. As you can see, my progress on the Pat Harper sampler is pitiful.

I'm a little overwhelmed right now, but I'll live and will write another day.

Thought I'd put a few pics of our remodeling on the web, so I made up one of those Tripod sites. If you want to take a look at our house, click here.

Sorry to make you put up the the #$%^& popups. Anyways, most of the left side of the house is the addition. The porch roofs are new, also. And I know the outside pics are a bit dark, but the sun was setting.

Can't wait till Spring so I can get out there and work in the garden!

You may not be able to see me, but I am dancing happily around the room! The contractors are done! Well, for now. There are a couple of things that need to wait for warmer weather, and they should be short, (maybe two days) jobs. Two windows need to be replaced and a giant mound of topsoil needs to be spread and seeded. But my-oh-my this is heaven! No 7AM car shuffles! No hammering, sawing, or drilling! I realize now how much I value my privacy. It's so wonderful to have my house back again.

Well, I didn't chicken out after all. On Saturday morning I was still waffling about going to this referee certification. On the one hand, I know our local leagues face a serious soccer referee shortage, and there are too many kids shouldering the responsibility of officiating games when adults should be up off their butts doing it. Not to say that kids aren't good refs. Indeed, almost all of the kids I know could beat the pants off me. But sometimes these kids are asked to ref games beyond their maturity. Also on the "just do it" side, was knowing that I'd learn so much more than I already know about soccer. My experience is in the spectator and administrative areas of soccer leagues. This would be a totally new experience. But my "don't do it" thoughts ran like this:

1. I don't really have an extra 15 hours this weekend for something that's not completely necessary. And I'd love an afternoon of stitching.

2. I don't know any other adults that are taking this course, and I don't want to be the only adult in a room full of kids (who actually know more about soccer than I do because they all play) for two days.

3. If I fail this test at the end, it will be god-awful embarrassing.

So...I got there, fully prepared to drop DS off and drive away, but then I saw a few other adults arrive, and I was told that they were holding a separate session for adults. Because of our age and our longer attention spans (HA!), we would finish the course in 12 hours instead of 15 because we'd move faster and take fewer and shorter breaks.

"But I've never done this before!", I cried. "Don't worry," she said, we'll start at the beginning and teach you everything. So I paid my money, took a deep breath, and walked into the room.

We had a class of 13 adults, 7 of whom were college soccer players. These boys had been playing since they were four years old. Then there were six of us oldsters. Most of the men had coached for their leagues. Two of us were women. Well, three if you count the instructor who, by the way, was excellent. Of the women, Marcie had coached one year of soccer for 6 year olds. I had observed soccer at several age levels for about 9 years, but had never coached nor officiated.

What can I say? It was very, very interesting. It was humbling. To think that we did our classroom refereeing in slow motion and even then it was like: "Blink, blink, is that ball REALLY over the goal line?" Or on paper, "Player A runs this way, player B runs that way, and Player C kicks the ball, and XYZ happens, what's the proper restart of play?" Wait, wait, let me read that again!! I can't decide! Yet my 15 y.o. son can do this in a heartbeat. So like I said, it was humbling.

Well, I was pretty good at the coin flip....

But from 9AM till 9PM, we worked hard, asked questions, and took tests and by the time I left Saturday night, I was a card-carrying, patch-wearing, official coin-toting Grade 8 Certified Soccer Referee.


Lord help us. I only hope they only assign me as an Assistant Ref for the entire spring season, because I feel like I need 3 months of observation before I don that whistle.

I know that now I'll look differently at games, and probably enjoy them more. And mind you - I'll never verbalize that I thought a ref blew a call again. I will sit quietly at soccer games and say only positive things. I'll use my new powers for good, not evil. Uh-oh, maybe my head is getting a bit swelled. Time to go deflate. I'll just remind myself that a 10 year old probably scored better on the test than I did....

You are now reading the blog of an official, certified, Grade 8 soccer referee. More on this interesting experience later.

Ok, this is it....I'm officially suffering from cabin fever. It's hit today especially hard. I went to the bank around lunchtime, making through the foot of slush at the end of my driveway. Came directly home, thinking I could put the car in the garage, so I pulled around to the back of the house, only to get stuck even deeper in slushy snow. So now not only did I not get in the garage, I can't get the car out of the slush.

All through January and this part of February, I've been able to get where I needed to go. It hasn't been easy most of the time, and there's been some dicey driving, but I've gotten where I needed to be if necessary. But has it been any fun? No.... It's not like I've risked life and limb to trek off to fun places this month. It's been to the grocery store, to the bank, to work, to pick up this one or that one. No trips to the LNS, yarn shop, library, or anything fun like that. (Although if I can dig out of the slush, a trip to the liquor store may be "necessary", and that can be fun, too)

And it's so aggravating. When I know I can't go anywhere, that's when my desire to go is at its greatest!

Not only that, these kids have been home from school way, way too much. Life with teens can be great, but some days it can be sheer torture. Today is torture. The fighting, the whining, the teasing, the laying around. I'd say that they haven't had a single full week of school since before the Christmas holidays. They're probably averaging about three days a week. Stop me before I kill someone! But I think no jury on earth would convict me after a winter like this.

Speaking of juries, I was called to jury duty again. Oh joy. Silly me, last time I took my knitting. However, my knitting needles were too threatening, so my scarf was confiscated and I spent a lot of wasted time. This time I'll try it with my bamboo circular needles and hopefully they won't seem as scary. But that's not till March.

This weekend is a class at a nearby university to certify soccer referees. DS is going, and I'm thinking about going, too. Come fall there's quite a shortage of soccer refs. Most of the officials in PA West are teens, and sometimes they have really hectic schedules. One local club actually cancelled a few weekends of games because they couldn't find refs. Anyway, I've watched enough years of soccer and enough games that I think I could pass. However, suppose I fail the test?? That would be way too embarrassing. This needs more thought.

No new stitching updates. I'm stuck for inspiration at the moment.

Well, the world is abuzz with the whole JJ/JT Super Bowl incident, and I'd put my two cents in, except that I didn't see it.

Here's the thing: Maybe it's my age or my demographic or whatever, but I haven't been interested in Super Bowl half time entertainment for years. Half time is when I clean up a bit from all the food and fun, and even though we had stayed home and didn't have anyone in this year, 2004 was no different. There were just the four of us, but there were still dishes to do and dessert to serve, and no part of the show was going to hold my interest enough to let those dishes sit! I don't know, maybe it's different if you're actually there and watching it live. Maybe you enjoy the spectacle, or feel like you're at a concert if you are there. But the TV entertainment part of it leaves me cold.

Now, give us a good old marching band - there are GREAT college bands out there, and professional drum corps - and maybe we'd watch. (ok, you all can stop laughing at me right now)

The other piece that I want to address though is the pornography issue. Little by little we've eroded what we consider to be decent TV entertainment. Hey, I'm no prude, but there are some issues here.

Let's start with language: TV language is way out of control, and I think that as a culture changes its language, the culture transforms as well. And the TV world is definitely a culture. It's part of our culture, yes, but I think it's a culture of its own too, (if that makes any sense)

Just try and teach your kids not to curse in today's world. Hey, I admit that as a youngster I tried my hand at having a dirty mouth. All kids do, and they can cuss a blue streak at certain stages of their lives. My parents swore occasionally, but it was light and certainly not conversationally. So to me big-time cursing never felt natural and it passed. But our kids today are bombarded with profanity, and I'm afraid that even though mom and dad don't cuss (regularly) at home, it feels natural everywhere else in the world so they'll be comfortable using seriously bad language all the time.

Well, they had better not in front of me. If they can't monitor their language around their dear parents, these kids will have some big time trouble in the real world. No kids are perfect, but if they at least know how they are supposed to behave, that's the first step.

Now, there's also the boob issue. Is it a coincidence that there are boobs, intimate kisses, and serious grinding on TV, while at the same time in our day to day work and school lives we are bombarded with sexual harrassment issues?? Cripes, all day long we're surrounded with "Don't do this", "Don't talk this way", "Don't touch", and then all evening and weekend we get the message that "Sure, it's ok and what's more, it's great fun!" Heck, I'm 45 and I think I have real life vs. TV life figured out, but what about my 15 y.o. son? And my 12 y.o. daughter? Argghhhh! Makes you want to kick something, doesn't it?

Ok, rant over. What's the solution? I guess it's financial, as always. Don't buy the product. Write letters to CBS. Work on bigger, more significant FCC fines. FORCE cable TV and satellite TV to accurately rate shows. Don't let them get away with this "unrated" crap. (oops, mild cussing)

New pic posted to the left with my PH sampler! Moving right along...what fun!

Another day of shoveling snow. Back with more later...