Who's Leonard?

Sunday night we were watching "The Amazing Race" when they ended up in Vinci Italy, place of birth to Leonardo Da Vinci. My 16 year old son who has a 3.7 GPA, yet still seems to have trouble with certain phrases and words, asked me about this when they explained Da Vinci was born here. He said "isn't that the guy who was in the modern day Shakespeare?" I said "what?" He said "Oh that's Leonardo Dicaprio." How the Hell do you confuse DaVinci with Dicaprio. He said, " same name." This may sound like a one time thing, but later on he goes on to explain to us about the movie Legend where they carry around some manicure. He must of said manicure 10 times until I said "Oh you mean mannequin." To which he responded "same difference." Okay I guess so. Maybe it's his Tourettes. A few weeks ago he had a definition thing going on. My daughter was talking about cliques and she said that there are some cliques in high school to which my son piped up and said "Unt-uh!" "those are small groups of people who stand together who like the same thing." My daughter looked at him like he had 2 heads and then went to look up cliques.

A clique is an exclusive group of people who share common interests, views, purposes, or patterns of behavior. A clique is a subset of individuals from a larger group, who are more closely identified with one another than the remaining members of the group, and who exchange something among themselves, such as friendship, affection, or information

Isn't a sublet of individuals from a larger group a small group? And isn't a group of people a small group? How about common interests, isn't this the same as liking the same thing.

Who can explain the workings of the mind of a 16 year old boy? Not me. but I am glad to know I don't belong to any cliques, just have small groups of friends who stand together with me and like the same stuff I do.

Mele Kalikimaka

Merry Christmas from the Tamayo family Hawaiian style.

Dominic's Birthday

Jr.'s 10th birthday celebration at a Mexican place called Compadres.

the kids Christmas once a year singing

Damian back row between his two friends one is black on the right and the other is white on the left. Behind his other best friend who is Asian wearing a striped shirt.

Christmas singing Pearl Harbor Kai

Jr. middle row, third kid in wearing a gold lei.

Hot cocoa cones

Hot Chocolate cones

Hot Chocolate Cones


This is what I am making for Christmas for the teachers. Of course it may seem odd to be making hot cocoa when it is 80 degrees outside every day, but hey it's Christmas and these cones are cute. If we waited until it was less than 50 degrees outside, we'd be better off waiting for Hell to freeze over. So here is what I am making, even though Hell hasn't frozen over yet, or at least as far as I know.

This is Maya

http://forksandchopsticks.wordpress.com/ My sister adopted a baby from China this past year. If you click the link she is the newest and smallest member of the family. I would like to dedicate this song to my sister and her family. I think all mom's and dad's who have adopted children can appreciate this one. It is by Mark Schultz and he is an awesome Christian singer so go ahead and check it out and then check Maya out, they are both awesome.

See song below:

Mark Schultz - Everything to Me

For Maya

C-R-A-P-O-L-A

A term I use when something is, well, CRAPOLA. My husband is from Chicago and didn't know crapola was a word. In fact as I am typing this my spell checker is letting me know that the spelling must be wrong. These people must not come from New York. In New York, crapola, is a word. Yes indeedy. I am not sure about indeedy, but I am sure about crapola. In fact I was reading an article in a magazine the other day and sure enough this article said "The revised Oxford English Dictionary" includes 2,500 new words and phrases, and one of them happens to be crapola. CRAPLOA (noun) Material of poor quality, rubbish, nonsense. I am not sure whether I should share this info. with my hubby or keep it to myself for the next time we are playing Scrabble. When we are playing Scrabble would be infinitely more fun for me. Of course he will run to the dictionary, (which I will replace immediately with The revised Oxford English Dictionary), and lo and behold, CRAPOLA will be in there and I will add up my points and then wait for the next opportune moment when I can spring another word from New York on him that my husband also thinks is not a word, This word has been added to the new revised dictionary too: FRICKING (adj. and adv.) Expressing amazement , anger, exasperation, etc. Oh what fun Scabble can be!!!!!

Moral of the story One should in fact read the dictionary if for nothing else but to drive other people crazy while playing Scrabble.

Now how to keep him off this blog until the next round of Scrabble comes up.

Brandon Radford football

This is Brandon's picture from football this year. He is in the 10th grade. Maybe he will be the next Colt Brennan. Go Colt!

why - nicole nordeman

My favorite video especially this time of year.

May Day

May Day at the kid's school. These are the Radford High School Fijian Dancers.

May Day

Damian at his May Day celebration. He is in a green shirt and blue long pants in the back. The long pants are another story.

May Day

Jr. at his May day celebration. He is wearing the red shirt with white flowers in the back.

May Day at Pearl Harbor Kai

May day is Lei day here in Hawaii. It is a huge celebration. At the kids school on Friday they had theirs. It is always a great day. One of our state senators showed up and a bunch of other important people. This day is always a lot of fun and the kids work real hard on it.

Damian at May Day celebraton in green shirt blue striped long pants

Jr. at his May Day Celebration in red shirt white flowers

Radford High Fijian dancers

Radford High Fijian dancers

Shame on you Alec

I just had to comment on the Alec Baldwin incident. I was so mad when I heard he called his daughter a "rude, little pig" that I would of liked to give Mr. Baldwin a piece of my mind. I was pondering why this incensed me so. It's not like I have never said anything offensive to my children, just not that. I figured out that it was the word pig that really threw me over the edge. Pig is a word that used as slang has a highly offensive connotation. Websters defines pig as a dirty, glutenous, or repulsive person. Usually when someone wants to insult an overweight person they don't resort to using fat, because fat just means, large, or big, or obese. Pig on the other hand takes it to a new level. When someone calls an overweight person fat is just doesn't hold the weight of Pig. If he had called her a rude, little brat, then it would not have bothered me so much. But when a person uses a slur, and don't get me wrong, pig used in this context is most definitely a slur, then I have to wonder how he could not of censored himself. There are certain words, that no matter how mad I get, I just would not say. They are so repulsive to me and this is one of them. He did not use the word pig as in slob, he used it at it's lowest form of insult. Basically meaning repulsive. To me this is strong language indeed. It is the kind of language that people almost never forget. From now on when Mr. Baldwin says something even a little bit insulting people will think almost without a doubt, that he used this word as a weapon.

Virginia Tech

My friend Sandra wrote such a touching post that I wanted you all to get a chance to see it. I could not of said these things any better. Please check it out.

CLICK HERE

This was supposed to be easy

Everyone knows that the Crockpot can save you a lot of time in the kitchen. The other day I decided to make a quick recipe because I had a lot of errands. The recipe was called sweet and sour beef and it called for 2 Cups of pearl onions. I have never used pearl onions before. When I opened the package I realized there were about 100 little onions that I have to peel. So much for easy. I started to peal them and soon realized pearl onions don't peel easily. It takes some effort to get the thin skin off the little buggers. This took me about 1/2 an hour. Next time I want to save time in the kitchen, I will make sure the recipe does not call for pearl onions.

Promotion

Brandon was promoted from Seaman apprentice to Seaman. The picture is a little blurry because I had it set wrong. This is what happens when you let a 3 year old help you hold your camera.

Me not so crafty

This is what I have learned to knit after 3 months. I only knit about 1 row every other day. I can't seem to knit and watch tv at the same time, and I wouldn't want to miss Sanjaya. My sister, check her out at me so crafty, on the other hand has learned to knit and can knit some really cool stuff. Stuff like a bag that turns into felt, either after you wash it or dry it, I can't remember which one. By the time I can make the felt bag I should be about 70 years old, or someone who knows how to make one (hint, hint) can make one for me. One look at this pathetic piece of knitting and it will tell you just how long it will probably take for me to learn. At least I finally have the rhyme right...In through the front door/once around the back/peek through the window/and off jumps Jack. Now If I only could remember to go clockwise around the back, and who the hell is Jack anyway!

Happy Easter.....Late

It was a very busy day. We went to morning service which was awesome then when we got home we had to drive my daughter to the next service. After that I had to drive my son somewhere else and then go outside with the kids to play for awhile. At night I just crashed on the couch and watched tv. Today was more running around. I did have to drop some books off at the library and while I was there I picked up Barbara Delinsky's book Family Tree. I have finally gotten around to wishing you all a late Happy Easter.

Youth group big island "Go Nuts" retreat

thief

This is Brandon's old quilt
This is the new quilt my mom made Brandon for his birthday

The kid on the left is the quilt thief

Every time my mom makes someone in the house a new quilt Damian says "can I have it?" I asked him why he always wants the quilts and he said they feel cool and soft. Good reason. I guess he better take lessons, then he can make his own quilt.

Part 1-Such is life

Darrian in his rash guard. He can't wait until surfs up

I almost feel bad just posting these. Most people are waiting for summer to take a vacation, maybe even to a tropical island, and I live on one. I feel like a spoiled lady. For Spring Break I spent my time at the beach reading. I have read 2 complete books, part of a third, and at least 10 magazines. Oh poor me. Next week it will be back to business. I can't wait for summer break.

Part 2

Happy Birthday Brandon

My son Brandon turned 15 on March 21. We didn't have a big party, but his friend spent the night and they had a great time. Here he is having his cake and also going over the hurtle at his first track meet. This is late because the kids are keeping me very busy for Spring Break. Today I have to bring my van into the shop because the front end is making a weird vibration noise upon turning. Hopefully it will be fixed by Monday. Luckily church is in walking distance because I don't want to miss the Easter trilogy they put on every year starting this week. Next week is the last week of Spring Break so my life will return to normal sometime in April.

Spring Break

The schools are out once again for spring break and that means 2 weeks off for the kids. We will frequent the water park and that should keep them pretty busy. Today we have a good friend coming for a visit. We met Mr. Jack when they were stationed in Hawaii and we lived across the field from them. His sub will be coming in to Pearl Harb0r sometime today and then he will give us a call. It should be a fun visit.

My daughter leaves for a youth group convention on the Big Island on Monday. This should keep the teens busy. They are all very excited.

The bad news is my Jacuzzi pump broke and it will be about $400. to fix it so I have emptied it and winterized it until I can buy the new pump. We are concentrating all our money on sending my daughter to Bali for a mission. She belongs to a youth group called Surfing the Nations and every year this group takes the teen missionaries to Bali and they do an awesome work. The also have other mission trips, but this is the one she would like to go on. So for now I am putting our efforts into this. It's kind of funny though that these are missionaries who surf, and my daughter does not, although they are wanting to teach her. This group has evolved and become so big that you don't have to be a surfer to belong to it. Saturday night the Surfing the Nations van pulled up to drop my daughter off and there were 6 surf boards on a surf rack strapped on the top. I didn't even know they had surf racks for cars and vans. Anyway this group has many chapters and she belongs to the Honolulu one.

Tonight I am making a chili recipe that I got off allrecipes.com a few years ago and have loved it ever since. I will let you all know how it comes out.

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/Apr/20/il/il01a.html
Cool article on Surfing the Nations

going green and all that

I am basically trying to do what I can for the environment thanks to Julie and her suggestions it has been pretty easy. One thing I changed is I have basically given up meat. I am not a vegetarian because I would still eat meat, but mostly what I am now cooking for dinner is meatless. Since I love to cook this has been kind of fun. I have been finding all types of new recipes. For instance this week we will be having crab and swiss quiche, mushroom, green pepper and onion pizza, chili potato burritos and Barb's talapia recipe found here. I do still make meals with meat about once a week because who can give up Rocco's mama's meatballs (recipe as follows)? Last night I even made Barbs recipe for Italian style nachos, and I will tell you, these were so good they could make a vegetarian turn into a meat eater, but for the most part I am cooking meatless. I will keep you all posted on how it goes. Of course hubby has been great about this since he goes to the chow hall every day and piles on the meat for lunch and breakfast, so I am sure he will survive it, but in the event they all declare mutiny I will let you know. Unless, of course, I am tied up and locked in a closet.

Rocco's mama's meatballs
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup coarsely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, halved
8 oz ground beef8 oz ground pork
8 oz ground veal, or another 8 oz ground beef
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/8 cup soft bread crumbs
1/4 cup fresh italian flat leaf parsley finely chopped
1/4 cup grated parmigiana reggiano cheese
1/2 to 1 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 cups marinara sauce
12 oz desired shaped pasta
grated parmigiana reggiano cheese

1. In food processor combine chicken broth, onion and garlic. Process until pureed. In a large bowl combine onion mixture, ground beef, ground pork, ground veal, eggs, bread crumbs, parsley, 1/4 cup parmigiana reggiano cheese crushed pepper, and 1 tsp salt. I skipped the veal and did the extra 8 oz of ground beef. Using about 1/4 cup mixture per meatball, form 12 meatballs. I made mine orange sized, but you can do any size you like.

2. In large skillet cook meatballs in oil over medium heat about 10 minutes or until browned turning occasionally. I baked mine on a cookie sheet in the over and 400 for about 25 minutes. I am too lazy to stand there and turn the meatballs.

3. In a 4 to 6 quart dutch oven bring marinara sauce to a boil. Drop meatballs in sauce one at a time. Stir gently. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Cook pasta according to package directions. Serve meatballs and sauce over hot pasta and serve with cheese. Enjoy. And don't forget to think about Rocco when cooking mama's meatballs.

Who says it doesn't snow in Hawaii?

Yum, Yum Yumm-o or shall I say Rocco!

Does anyone remember the reality show The Restaurant featuring Rocco DiSpirito? I do. I especially remember Rocco and how yumm-o he is. While looking through the magazine section of my PX, military lingo for Post Exchange, I saw a magazine called Simply Perfect Italian and in it was an article about Rocco. Of course I had to have it and upon reading it I discovered the recipe for Rocco's Mama's Marinara and Meatballs. If you ever saw Rocco's mama's meatballs she made on the show, you'd know why I had to have this recipe. Apparently these meatballs are a restaurant favorite, so thanks to Rocco and Mama we are going to have this for supper tonight. I will let you know how it turns out. I can say that from just mixing the ingredients for the meatballs I can already tell they will be a hit. Bon Appetit!

Winter in Honolulu

Jr. on the cliffhanger
Damian on the cliffhanger
Me and Jr. coming out of the Lava tube
Damian pushing me and Darrian
in the wave pool.

How many states have you visited?

create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks.

My sister had this on her blog and I thought it was cool.

Are you smarter than a 5th grader?

I watched this game show last night and I have come to the conclusion that I am indeed not smarter than a 5th grader. Did anyone else watch this? I did answer the question "What was the boat the pilgrims sailed over on from England named," and after shouting out "It's either the Pinto, the Nina, or the Santa Maria," I realized that was Columbus, duh? So I yelled "Mayflower." My 16 year old daughter is still hysterical over the fact that I even thought of the Columbus boats. Need I remind her that while playing Mad Gab I guessed "William Jefferson Clinton," and she replied "Who's that?" When I told her it was our former President, she said "Oh you mean Bill?"

The braces appointment went well yesterday. It will only be about $17oo. on my part and believe me this is pretty good. When I had braces there were one kind. Now you can pick from gold, silver or plastic, plastic being $400. more, or you can get any color brackets you want or even invisible one's know as invisalign. I am not sure a mouth full of lime green brackets would appeal to me though. He is getting them put on next Tuesday and so far he says he will get gold, but I think silver would be nicer. Of course it's not my mouth so who really cares anyway.

My daughter leaves at 4:00 tomorrow morning to go to the big island for a paddling competition. In March she goes to the Big island for a week for a church youth group retreat. My son went with my friends family on the USS Russell to Maui last year, and then he went again to Maui with JROTC for a competition. Where have I gone after 6 years of living on Oahu? You guessed it, Honolulu!!! Lucky me. I am waiting for the Super Ferry which should start running in about a year, but I am not holding my breath. The thought of bringing a bunch of kids on a 3 hour ferry ride doesn't sound like a whole lot of fun, but you never know. Maybe next year I will actually get to visit another island. See above comment, I wouldn't hold my breath.

First day on the little bus

Yesterday Darrian got on the little bus and I know he really liked it because when he got home he got off the little bus singing the wheels on the bus, then he said "it's Tuesday," and went off to play. This is a lot more information you get than you might get from a teenager, who when asked what they did today, will most likely reply "nothing." At least we now know that in preschool you can learn two things in a given day unlike high school, where you apparently learn nothing.

I would like to buy one of THESE, instead my kid is getting THESE. And so as the saying goes, "c'est La vie."

This is Darrian my 3 year old on his first day of school. He wouldn't turn around because he wanted me to take a picture of his backpack. I am going to take a picture of his first day on the little bus as soon as his bus service kicks in. He goes to school from 7:30 to 1:30. He gets breakfast and lunch. So far he loves it. He didn't seem to have much of an adjustment problem. I figure it's because he has been in Head Start for the last 7 months. It is a little unusual having no kids in the house all day, but I will get used to it. Today I am making a trip to Walmart alone. That should be interesting. I am used to having at least one kid with me.
we'll see how it goes.

How stupid am I?

Today we are going to watch the Pro Bowl. The Pro Bowl is huge in Hawaii. The players come in, the players spend money, and the players go out. Everyone and their brother watches or goes to the Pro Bowl. I have never gone even though I can see the stadium from my house. I am too cheap to buy tickets that are not in the nose bleed section, so I'd rather be able to see the game than not. Yesterday my son came in from the Teen Center and said "are you going to watch the Pro Bowl tomorrow?" I said I am not going to watch it tomorrow because it is not on until Sunday. He then informed me that the Pro Bowl is going to be played on Saturday instead of Sunday. So I ran to my computer insisting this was not true and lo and behold the Pro Bowl was listed for Saturday. Now how you can live in Hawaii, down the block from the stadium, and not know what day the Pro Bowl is being played on is beyond me. Well I'm not the only dummy. Last night my friend Tracey knocked at my door and when I opened it she stormed in and said "I am so mad.....Did you know the Pro Bowl is on tomorrow." I told her I just found this out myself. She said that Saturday she had planned on going to the movies and that her husband had to work until she heard the Pro Bowl is being played. From what she found out people complained about it because they didn't like the idea they had to go to work the next day, so the day was changed from Sunday to Saturday. So today I am watching the Pro Bowl. If not for my son telling me I would of tuned in tomorrow after church, so thanks Brandon.

Hillsong - Mighty To Save

I am lucky that my church has a youth group that forms the main part of our band and that the kids are not only on fire for the Lord, but they have modeled their group after Hillsong and not only do they do it just as awesome, but the main singer has an identical voice to Hillsong's main singer.

A prayer for Christopher

One of my very best friends Monica, more like part of the family then friend, has a son Christopher who will be having surgery on his ear next Wednesday so that he can hear better. He will be out of it for quite a few days and then it will be quite a while before he is totally healed. I met Monica here in Hawaii years ago and her son Christopher is my son Dominic Jr.'s best friend. Please keep him in your prayers so that he has a succesful surgery and that he heals quickly with little pain.

Souvenir's....I think?

We collect shot glasses. My idea of a souvenir is you go somewhere on vacation and you buy a shot glass to add to your collection so you can remember the place you visited and had such a good time at. My husband's idea of souvenir is you go anywhere you can and buy a shot glass just because. So now we are the proud owner's of 2 shiny new shot glasses from, drum roll please, Iraq!!!!!!Tada!!!!!Oh how exciting, don't you think? Well hubby thinks they are cool so I guess their keepers.

Another pretty picture

Just another picture of paddling. Paddling is a very popular sport here on Oahu. My daughter just joined this year and really loves it. It is very relaxing watching the paddlers. I don't think it is very relaxing being one of the paddlers. This is a very tiring sport. It requires a lot of physical effort, but the payoff is winning. Her boat does pretty well usually coming in 3rd out of 10, so she is happy with this. Hopefully my hubby will not have to work his first weekend home and he can enjoy Saturday's meet. This is something he would of missed had his tour not been cut short, but by the Grace of God he will get to see the last few meets. What a nice surprise.

Monday

The hubby should be arriving from Kuwait late Monday night if all goes well and they get the flight they are supposed to. The kids are excited and hubby is excited to get to eat real food instead of chow hall food. He is very lucky this tour was cut short. This same thing happened to him years ago when he went to Albania. He was supposed to be gone for 6 months and he was only gone 1 month. I guess he just gets lucky when it comes to these tours. I hope it stays that way, but what are the odds. You all know I hate the number 3 and the next tour would be the dreaded 3. Apparently whomever he ends up with will be deploying sometime in the next year. I just hope it isn't too soon. It will suck to have to start the year over again within the next few months. So that's the news for today. Thanks for all of your well wishes.

The good and the bad

The good news is hubby may be coming home soon. As early as next week. The bad news is he will be back in another unit that will possibly be deploying as soon as this summer. It seems the Army is up to some more restructuring and that messes up a lot of things. If and when he gets back these 2 months will not count toward another tour which will be another 12 months started all over again. With luck things will change for the best, but who can predict the future, especially the future of a soldier. The kids are excited though. I kind of downplayed the leaving part and told them their dad just might be home very soon. I didn't want to get them too excited, but they are anyway. I will keep you all posted.

Everything else in Hawaii is going great. We still have nice weather. A little rain here and there and of course I saw another rainbow this morning. A huge one. I feel sorry for all of you out there who are affected by the snow and ice storms and hope that the winter comes to an end very soon. We don't get many changes here so that is something you can kind of count on, except for the 40 days of rain last March and April, everything usually stays sunny and bright.

I should be able to do a little blog surfing tonight after American Idol so I don't miss anything going on out there.

God's promise to Noah

Here in Hawaii not a day goes by that we don't see at least one rainbow, even when it's sunny. Somehow the mist causes the reflection of the rainbow off the mountains. Whenever we see a rainbow I say to the kids "oh look a rainbow, God's promise to Noah." The kids love the fact that there is an actual meaning behind the rainbow. Matthew refers to the story of Noah and the flood. God made his promise to Noah, his sons, and all the birds and animals that came out of the ark. God promised that the earth and everything living on it would never again be destroyed by a flood. The sign that God gives to remind us of his solemn promise is the rainbow. I hope all of your days are filled with rainbows and that you all get to witness the promise God gave to all of us.

Happy Birthday Julian

Julian is 2 years old today. Here he is at Chuckie Cheese. Looks like his cake was yummy. Happy Birthday from Grandma, Grandpa and all your aunts and uncles here in Hawaii. We love you.

Please pray for Kelli

Kelli is one of the bloggers out there who is in serious need of prayer. She needs a kidney transplant but her insurance is running out, and in order to even get approval for the transplant she needs to prove she has insurance and that she will be able to have the $1200. a month to pay for the medication she will need.

Please go over to Barb's blog and read her post because she has explained it in all in the best way possible.

Oh fiddlesticks

Last night I went to turn on my tv, I have the DISH, and nothing. No signal, no menu, nada. I called the company and they couldn't get it going so I will have to call today for a technician. The kids here do not get to watch a lot of tv, but there are 5 of them and it is the weekend. I said "Oh well," to the kids, "I guess we are celebrating National turn off the tv week a little early this year." In the back of my mind I was thinking various four letter words that I probably couldn't even legally put on this blog. Not that I'm an addict, but I do have my shows I can't miss. You know, The Apprentice, Extreme Home Makeover, Desperate Housewives, and I'm sure I could think of more if put to the wall. I am going to resort to putting out my little back up tv with the antenna. Seems like I'm moving back in time. Let's hope the tech can get out here ASAP, before I go totally nuts.

Sit and spin

Remember this toy? Now it actually plays Simon Says. Simon Says spin, Simon says spin the other way, Simon says stop, stop. This is fun for about 5 minutes, then its kind of annoying. Not so annoying for a 3 year old though.

Today i am finally going to the grocery store. Not that I want to, but one must eat. I am going to get the ingredients for All Day Meatballs from Sandras food blog. They look so good I've got to try them. All of the recipes I have tried from her are yumm-o. If you get the chance go on over and have a look.

Lazy day

What do you do when you are almost out of everything but too lazy to actually get your butt up and go to the store? You make homemade pizza and the kids eat this day and night, and think they are in Heaven. Oh, and you add shredded carrots and onions to the sauce so you can make sure they meet their veggie quota.

progress

Everyone who has been reading this blog knows that since I broke my wrist I really hadn't done anything to my new military quarters. Now that I'm almost 100%, I have started to do a bit here and there. The first picture just shows the curtain I finally hung. I was getting sick of staring at this bare window while I blogged. I like when a window is pretty enough not to need a curtain, but this one certainly is not.

The second picture is of my window with the same curtain as the other window and of my sliding glass doors with my accidental curtains. By accidental I mean I bought 2 panels of burgundy curtains to hang there and when I got home I realized I was short by about 6 inches. That's what I get for not measuring. Anyway I went out and bought 2 white shears and put them up just to make sure I had the entire window covered. I ended up with an effect I really like.

The third is my bathroom, thanks to K Mart. I had originally planned on doing it in ducks, but when I saw this pink set, I knew I wanted it for my downstairs bathroom. I also got a toilet seat, toothbrush holder, soap holder, cup, cotton ball container, and rug in the same pattern.

Well this is the extent of my work so far. I am glad I am finally able to get something accomplished.

Success

There is a little boy in our neighborhood who is neglected. His mom is a single mom in the Army with 6 kids. When she is home she let's her kids run around outside all day without ever checking up on them. When she is at work her 12 year old daughter watches the others. Apparently the military doesn't find this too neglectful. The other day after playing outside all day the boy went into his house around 2 in the afternoon and came out with a jar of peanut butter and a spoon. My son Brandon said "why didn't you make him a sandwich?" Of course I already fed him, but I realized once again SUCCESS. This is how I judge success. By the statement Brandon made I realized he cared for what happened to the kid that drives him and the rest of the neighborhood crazy. I have always prayed only 1 prayer for my children and that is that they become Christians. I could care less whether they are lawyers or work at Burger King, I could care less whether they have a lot of money or a little, I could care less whether they go to college or not. I only care that they are happy and that they are Christians. To me this is the only success that matters. All I have ever wanted to be is a wife and a mother. I really don't care about
having a career or a great job or any other thing like that. This has
made me happy. I think if being happy means you love the Lord with all
of your heart, than this is all I want. I used to think that I would
get a job as I got older, but now I am thinking more on the lines of
volunteer work. Me and my son Jr. belong to Kid's Care and we get to do
a lot of volunteer work with the orphaned kids here in Hawaii and other
charity groups. This has been the most fun I have ever had. I even like
certain famous people based on how much charity work they do and how
much money they give. Two of my favorites being Angelina Jolie and
Madonna. Not because I like Angelina's acting or Madonna's singing,
which I do, but because both stars seem to understand success
may actually lie in the giving part, not the living part. Maybe I'm
odd, but to me success has nothing to do with money and everything to
do with being a Christian who loves the Lord. That's my story and I
wouldn't change a thing.

Footnote: I was talking with my dad who was asking isn't this neglect? In the eyes of the law, not really because Nate is fed, clothed, and has a place to sleep, but I was also thinking something even more profound. Isn't it better that we the neighbors have taken Nate under our wing and make sure that him and his siblings are played with, cared for, and fed? Isn't this what helping each other is all about? Maybe Nate's mom can't afford a sitter. There are 6 kids and no father. Maybe she is just too tired when she get's home to pay much attention to him. She does look quite young, so maybe she just didn't get a chance to be a kid herself. Or maybe she just doesn't know how to be a mom. I really think Nate and the others have a better chance of us as a neighborhood pulling together for them then him just being dumped in the system. Maybe someday Nate will do the same for someone else, just because it was done for him. Reading "It takes a Village," by Hillary Clinton is one of the best books on this subject you can read. Even if her politics are not to your liking the message of this book show's how working together can change the face of a nation.

working with your tube

The clip below is my first uploaded clip to your tube. I finally got it onto my blog. Jr. is in between the two angels. Please excuse the shakiness due to the fact that my
hyperactive 7 year old was dancing in his seat and repeatedly hitting
my arm while filming. Accidentally of course.

Jr's Christmas clip

Rocky Balboa

I Have been a fan of all the Rocky movies, so when I saw that this one was out I knew I had to see it. I haven't went to the movie theater in over a year, but boy am I glad I went to see this one. When my 16 year old turned to me at the end and said, "that was really good," I knew exactly what she meant. This truly was one of the best movies I have ever seen, and I absolutely hate boxing. There is only about 25 minutes of boxing at the end of the movie. The first hour and a half I don't think there was a dry eye in the theater. The movie is about Rocky trying to deal with loosing the love of his life, finding meaning as he is getting older, and trying to become close with his adult son oncer again. I know why the critics are giving this movie great reviews. The ending is not at all what I expected, nor is it unrealistic. I will tell you this movie really has almost nothing to do with boxing and everything to do with living. The movie is extremely emotional, and Sylvester Stallone (Rocky Balboa) is an amazing man. It's obvious that Stallone has taken the emotions of growing old in his own life and used them to create a character with a lot of depth. Go see Rocky if you can, and don't forget the tissues.

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