Changing Gears

So...It has been really hard for me to come up with different topics for the Blog. Therefore I have been kind of neglecting it. I have decided to switch gears a bit and make it a little more like a journal/diary type blog. Of course from time to time, especially when something gets me riled up you will likely see a Blog dealing with politics, stupid people, or whatever...LOL.

Our household has recently been attacked by a couple stomach viruses that seemed to linger forever. It has sort of put us behind on our Christmas doings. We have the house decorated, but no gifts wrapped under the tree and we are way behind on our baking and homemade gifts for our friends and neighbors. We like to make things, for 2 reasons....I think it means more, and I would rather get something made by a loved one...any thoughts? Matt has been working long, hard hours since it is Christmas time and the added expense of it. That combined with the fact that I haven't worked since the beginning of October. That brings me to something...has anyone ever been on Workers Compensation? I have heard of people like making out like a bandit...I have not had that experience. I am broke! Maybe I am too honest and don't know how to work the system....Anyways....a HUGE Thank You to my man, my best friend and the main provider for our family!!! We definitely appreciate all you do!!

The kids are great. Very excited for the upcoming holidays. Not just the presents - We try to teach them the real reason for the holiday - but they can't wait to see family, have the big dinner, the house full of people, the picture taking....and of course the gifts!! The girls are doing great in school, making good grades. Marisa has become totally absorbed with band and music in general - haha chip off the old block I'd say!! Kelsey, of course, is still deeply in love with cooking and loves getting to go to cooking class every day. They have started preparing for their "Chopped-like" competition that takes place in February. We are very excited for her! Trevor is starting to read and is able to now pick out words when we are reading books or just out and about. This is very bittersweet for me...he's the baby!
Jarrod is still living with my mother. I thank God for her, and the help she has been to make the lives of all my children special. She has given Jarrod the time and attention I have not been able to, just due to having four children. He is an only child there and is thriving because of it. She has given the other children safety and a little more "normalcy". So to her I say THANK YOU!!

I am getting excited to start classes again. A little nervous, but excited! I can't wait to get my degree. It has been a goal of mine for a long time. It will make me feel fulfilled to FINALLY complete it!

Thanks for listening!!!

Friendship

Hi there! It's been a while since I blogged. Sorry about that. The Thanksgiving holiday treated my family and me well. We did the traditional Turkey, dressing and such. It was just the husband and I and the kids. Nice and quiet. And boy did that new stove I just got get its workout! I was hotter than heck in here! My oldest daughter and I did the early morning Black Friday shopping and got a few deals and an early start on the Christmas shopping. We spent the rest of the weekend relaxing and watched a lot of Christmas movies. It was pretty perfect.

Today I want to talk about friendship. I was very badly burned by a couple of "friends" these last few days. It has really made me analyze what friendship means to me. I think on the top of list are a few fundamental things: Honesty, Trust, Consideration and Courtesy. I think of most of my friends as extended family. I always put them first. Their needs before mine. I guess I figure they do the same. I am learning that it is not always that way. I suppose in some ways I am still very naive about the world and more specifically, the people in it. I have always been a little more "book smart" and not so great with "street smarts" or "people smarts". I try not to judge others, friends, acquaintences, or otherwise. But I still think it comes down to those original basic fundamentals. You must be honest - you should know what to expect out of the relationship, and what you are going to need to put into it yourself. Can you tell this person the brutal honest truth when needed and know when to hold back? Can you in turn take the brutal truth from this person if they feel you need it? Trust: Can you tell this person anything? Can you vent without judgement? Can you trust this person to come into your life? They will be integral in your family life, leisure life, or possibly work life. Are they considerate? Do they feel your feelings? Do they care if yours get hurt? And will they be there patting your back if they do get hurt? Courtesy - just basic common courtesy - will they use it?

So many variables in what should be an easy thing. I have learned that it's not so easy.

I am kind of at a loss here. I would value any comments you readers might have to make me believe in friendship again. For now I stay home. I hold my family that much closer and am SO grateful that God gave me the best friends ever when I was blessed with my husband and my oldest daughter.

The Lengths People are Going to Make a Buck....Selling Their Bodies??

Yes our economy is bad. Many are without jobs, or have been laid off from jobs they had for many years and are now working jobs at a lower wage. Many of these individuals, prior to being laid off, had house payments, car payments, etc. set based on a wage they considered safe. They had worked for companies that, before the plummet of the economy, had been successful. These workers weren't unreasonable to accrue some debt based on a stable job and the ability to pay it back. My family fell into this trap, my husband had been working for his family company since graduating high school, which at the time was 16 years. We were living a good life. I didn't have to work. Our bills were paid ahead of time. We could take vacations, go out on dates, take the family to dinner and spoil the kids. When the economy crashed so did the telecommunications business that had put us in such a sweet position. The business was based in Detroit and serviced the greater metro area. We had a home up north, where we lived, and he stayed with family from Tuesday through Friday, and was home on the weekends. Detroit and the surrounding areas stopped building. They stopped upgrading their systems. They aired on the side of caution. This is what good businesses do, but unfortunately for us it left our business bankrupt. We had to close the doors. We were both able to find work up north, but at half of what we were making before. We called our creditors, who did not want to work with us at all. Our mortgage was through GMAC, who had just received monies from the government through the bailout project. So we found ourselves stuck with payments that were set for a bigger income. We had to walk away. We let the bank take back one vehicle and we bought a used truck. We were foreclosed on and found a house on land contract with a much lower payment. This is happening more and more. So many couples and families are finding themselves in exactly the same boat. Struggling for so long to keep their heads from going underwater, until they can't anymore. This leads me to todays topic....what length would you go to make a buck?


I read an article earlier today about some Mexico residents can cross the border into Texas and sell their plasma. One woman goes twice a week, the maximum allowed in the U.S. She makes $60 per visit. That's an extra $240 per month for her family. This article made me curious if there are other ways to make money from our bodies. A man can sell his sperm, making $50 - $200, per  specimen. Platelets go for about $50 per specimen. Hair at least 10 inches, that is in good condition goes for about $5 - $10 per ounce, but some can see up to $400 for their hair. Some desperate souls sign up for clinical trials in which they use experimental drugs for payment. Amounts are determined by which pharmaceutical company is conducting the trial and the type of drug in the trial. Some extreme individuals travel to countries where selling their organs is legal. A good kidney can fetch up to $25,000. A woman can sell her eggs to fertility clinics or to couples who are facing infertility. Women must answer extensive questions concerning family genetics and health. Clinics generally offer from $5,000 - $12,000 per "donation". Some couples may pay up to $50,000 for eggs.


I'm sure there are other ways the body can pay out, but to be honest...I was shocked enough at the ones listed. I did skim over an article about prostitition, touted to be the world's oldest profession. I suppose the question becomes...how desperate are you? What would you do??

Economy?? College Vs. No College

Back in the old days people learned on the job. Doctors, when they got up in years, got an apprentice, taught them the job. What was learned was specific to whatever region or area that doctor practiced in. For example what venomous bugs or what allergies were in the area. This persons payroll was also specific to the area...payment may be cash, or livestock. When a neighbor was down on their luck a neighbor helped them out. When a woman with children was widowed the community helped her to raise her kids so she could make a living. Where is this these days? The problem comes from societies need to further educate. I myself have fallen victim to this trap. Companies want to hire individuals that have degrees. They look past those who may have more experience in the same field or skill set for those with the almight college degree. But what does that degree real show an employer? A dedication to complete school. It doesn't show work ethic. It doesn't show interpersonal skills. It doesn't show experience. We have moved into an era that the almighty buck proves more important than an individuals self worth. Meaning, a persons hard work, dedication, experience, a degree in the real world, the school of hard knocks....means nothing? I disagree! But here I find myself gearing up for Winter semester at Baker College, so that I can get a job that pays better so that I can send my children to college, so they can get a good job.

The second side of this "college dilemma"?? All of these graduates have accrued an enormous amount of debt. Our government will give us basically an unending amount of loan monies to finish our education. Most of us, because we don't have degrees, work low paying jobs and are scraping by as it is, let alone paying for our further education. So...we finally graduate....we start looking for a job and in this days economy is hard to find. So many college graduates are working dead end jobs outside of their field because they can't find work within their field. So now, we have an individual buried in debt working a job that barely pays the bills, without trying to make loan payments.

So...the moral of the story? I think that society needs to step back and realize what is going on...how would we fix it anyways? I feel a persons integrity, worth ethic, experience, dedication and all those qualities that make any employee a great employee should be considered before a piece of paper...

Thanksgiving Shopping

Today was the annual trek to shop for Thanksgiving dinner groceries....ugh! Long lines, impatient early Christmas shoppers, and where and when did the holidays become so commercial. Yesterday I talked about being thankful for what we have, and what we are given in life. Today I feel like so many people have totally forgotten what the reason for the holidays truly are. Is it about how much your serving platter cost? Or if it is made from lead chrystal? Is it about how big your dinner spread is? Or how many side dishes you serve? NO! The real reason for the season is family and/or friends. This year, due to my shoulder surgery/injury I will not be out in the woods hunting like I normally do, so I am preparing dinner for my family. We usually go to some great, close friends that are more like family. After a trying year dealing with financial burdens, mental illness and this aggravating shoulder injury, causing tremendous stress, it will be nice to just spend this day of thanks with the ones I hold dearest to my heart, my husband and our children. I did find it slightly amusing all the commercialism involved with marketing Thanksgiving products. We have cartoon characters and such selling us our dinner items....these are items that we are going to buy anyways, but because these products are now "endorsed" by some famous character, we can expect to see the price increase by at least 10-15%. Why? Because we buy it!


The lesson....if you want to buy into the commercialism, and in all honesty, it's kind of hard not to, just make sure to take a moment and remember the real reason. Take an inventory of what is most important in your life...whether that be a family, close group of friends, a pet, or whatever else makes your heart go pitter patter. I think all is good in balance...balance = the key to a successful life!

New Blog....

So....what to write about....

As the name implies...I am blond and I have a big mouth! LOL This blog is just another way for me to run that big mouth.


Today, since it is a quiet day sitting home with my amazing family. I will write about what I am thankful for.

Many years ago, I lost my first husband in a car accident. We were high school sweethearts. We were married after high school and had 2 children. He joined the Marines and we were stationed in Hawaii. While home on leave he lost control and struck a tree. It was devastating. The thankful part comes in 2 weeks later, when I met the most wonderful, selfless man God could give me. It was truly love at first sight, and a whirlwind romance. We were married 9 months later. He became a father to my older children and we eventually had 2 more children. We live on the dead end of a dirt, country road on a river. We are partners in this life and I couldn't want for more.

Are there things I could complain about? Sure there is...but why? When one sits down and starts to feel sorry for themselves, or complain about what they don't have...they start to forget about all the things they do have. They may not always be grand...but it's all the little things in life that add up and make life great!

I learned something that night when that car struck that tree. Our tomorrows are never guaranteed. You can look at the glass half empty...and wonder how to fill it up, or you can see it as half full and be thankful that it isn't completely empty!