BACK TO SCHOOL

It's been quite a week - getting back into the school groove after all that time off! Poor concentration, short temper, lack of enthusiasm....and I won't even mention how bad my students were! hahaha I don't think I'll do that again! Doesn't work for us very well.

It's been a week of sleep issues around here too. You know it's becoming a problem when you lie awake trying to remember all the names of the Dugger children. You know you have "other" issues to deal with when you get super excited that you can remember them all. ~Sigh~

And speaking of the Duggers....doesn't anyone else think it's the least bit strange that out of 19 kids, NOT ONE has something "different" about them? Hmmmm? They're all smart, they can all play an instrument or 4. I mean really, do the math....wouldn't the odds go against them - so many should be autistic, so many diabetic, heart problems, hearing....

I mean not even a pair of glasses on any of them.....just things that come to mind at 3 a.m.

I guess after all the fun and frolic up north, Ry's having a hard time settling at night too. Every little thing wakes her up and sets her off! Gimme a break, it was just a little snoring...not truck-driverish! She's tough enough to handle, but without sleep - that's usually when I start googling Swiss Boarding Schools.

And then THIS arrives at the door:

Ohhhhhh Big Daddy, we're having problems with long and short vowels.....you know....in the English language....and you want me to learn and teach Chinese?!?!

Oh brother....what would Michelle Duggar do?

WHO'S WATCHING?

He looks like just an ordinary guy.
But he does something unthinkable.
He contacts young girls over the internet to meet up with him....you know, just to talk.
How many did he meet?
This time the young girl is really an undercover cop.
Got him!
A handful of years later, he resurfaces.
Should we be worried?
Is someone watching him?
Probably not.
Afterall, he has paid his debt to society, right?
Some jail time = rehabilitation, right?
Isn't that how it works in our society?
And he's married now....with a child.
So he must be harmless, right?
Just moved into a new house too....on the busiest corner for kids walking to school, which he can also see from his house.
How can this happen?
Isn't anyone monitoring his movements?
No one.
Sad isn't it?
That's what we say, when we read about him and those like him.
They're everywhere you know.
In every city, every town, every neighbourhood.
This time it's different.....
He's 5 doors down.

Do you know your neighbours?

PRESENTS, PAST, AND FUTURE

PRESENTS

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a safe but fun New Year. We did things a little differently around here this year. Like OUT with the turkey and IN with the fondue. We had soooo much fun! We headed north and spent a few days with Grandma....eating, playing in the snow, prepping for the next round of foundue....it was great! We came home for Christmas Eve so Santa could find the girls. Yeah, he found them...and us! lol Big Daddy got theme gifts this year, from all of his girls.

You thought I was weird, I mean wired before....well after sitting through 27 episodes of Jericho, my pantry room and preps just aren't going to cut it....I'm ready to build safe rooms, get armed to the teeth...maybe go into hiding! LOL I got the book idea from Selous Scout and I'm glad I ordered it...I just started to read it and can't put it down.

Santa brought me another Barefoot Contessa cookbook, a garden journal and......

I've nicknamed her the Beast! She's a beaut! Big Daddy had to have running boards installed because I couldn't reach the kids' car seats! LOL

PAST

Certain events that took place in December, shaped the look of our Christmas this year. One in particular was a snowstorm that ripped through, shutting down the highway and leaving everyone stranded. Yeah, we were in the middle of that mess with the kids and the dog, driving the van and towing the snowmobiles. There were lots of lessons learned that day!

#1 Being somewhat prepped wasn't good enough

#2 People are going to panic

#3 Tractor trailer drivers aren't who/what they used to be

It just happened that the OPP detoured us into the town where I grew up, and although it had changed, I was familiar enough with the area to make a plan B. Drivers in big 4x4's who knew the area and had driven in wild weather definitely had the advantage. We watched people panic - not knowing where they were or where they might head to wait out the storm. I'm sure most of them didn't have $10 cash on them. I don't know what happened to all the cars stranded on the highway...did everyone have enough gas? Apparently they closed it down for 24 hrs. Unbelievable! We happened to find an unguarded entrance onto the highway and kept moving along. We did just fine! The kids travelled like champs...singing and chatting away. Mama kept a good face on, but I'm telling yah, I prayed like crazy!!

Sooooo now all of our trips look way different....big truck, full gas can in the back, extra preps. No fooling around!

FUTURE

We made a decent driveway and dug the hole for the basement to our new house up at our land 2 months ago. My Dad says it looks like a Walmart is going in. lol It's not THAT big! haha Big Daddy has BIG plans but even now that looks like it could change. We were sledding with the kids in the pitch black on Grandma's hill, snow falling...just a gorgeous night and it hit me....it doesn't matter how much money you make, we'll never get this TIME back! Kids don't care how big their house is....they sure will remember spending time with us having fun though!

Those house plans might just get changed a little and that retirement date might be coming way sooner than originally planned.

All that northern fresh air makes a person think clearly....you know what I mean??