tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62642405313580075472024-03-21T19:03:46.502-06:00Family Life in ColoradoPeek inside one family's life in Colorado: family, puppies and dogs, politics, rants, economy/money... whatever.ThrtnWmsFamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16093255450536042527noreply@blogger.comBlogger233125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264240531358007547.post-80331420835154445672012-12-13T09:41:00.002-07:002012-12-13T09:41:57.533-07:00CATCHUP: DEC 13 2012I realize it's been a while since I've written here, but so much has happened. <br /><br />My Tween has turned into a 16 year old with autism and epilepsy. He has some neurons that didn't form correctly in his brain (in utero) and some lesions and a small tumor. <br /><br />We live out in the boonies, on a tiny 2 acres. Goats: 2 girls, 1 baby girl, 1 buck and 1 wether. Chickens: about 50 ranging from 3 days old to 2 years old, bantams and standards. Chicken varieties: silkies, cuckoo marans, black australorps, red stars, eggers (standard size and bantam), and all kinds of crosses that we hatched ourselves. <br /><br />We grow as much of our food as possible but it'll be years before nut trees and some of our fruit trees bear. Loved the red raspberries and blueberries we ate this summer; we're adding even more plus yellow raspberries, purple raspberries, blackberries and currants in 2013. <br /><br />Started a goat milk cheese share program in 2012 to help pay for my kid's expenses. Going well and have gotten egg and produce customers from it too.<br /><br />We still have a LOT more to do but yes, we consider ourselves homesteaders.<br /><br /><br /><br />= = = = = = =<br /><br />Check out our farm's website we just started: <a href="http://rosemary-ridge.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #9d1961;">Rosemary Ridge</span></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264240531358007547.post-5750011987971348552009-12-19T14:10:00.002-07:002009-12-19T14:10:00.596-07:00Book Review: Patriots by James RawlesI have to say that I was excited to finally have the opportunity to read the book. I read <a href="http://www.survivalblog.com/">www.survivalblog.com</a> regularly and had heard much. Boy, was I disappointed.<br /><br />Did it bother anyone else that Dan Fong was usually referred to as Dan Fong, and not just Dan? What did the new moms use for diaper rash? Or women use for monthlies? Or men use to shave? When they bugged out to the woods, what did they eat without cooking (the fires during daylight only would have had smoke give away their position, right?) and how did they clean their clothes? The toilet paper issue would have been a good idea to bring up in the book IF it had actually been mentioned again after 3, 4, 5 years after the crash, uh, Crunch. Almost everyone had the same voice (talked the same way), and most people don't have the financial means to do that much prepping, so how many people, really, can this book help? Introduction of new characters would give a huge backstory and very rarely speak again. As for the religion being crammed down readers' throats... 'nuf said.<br /><br />I found this book to be good with basic info, but a huge pain to read. No one seemed real, and the first rule of fiction writing is to help the reader "suspend disbelief" - or make it feel real.<br /><br />This book should have been just a non-fiction manual, and never been attempted as a novel. Where was the editor during the publishing process (first or last times?). No character development or plot. Very little actual setting. Internal conflict? Points of view? Geez, from a literary standpoint, this book was NOT a novel.<br /><br />I realize Mr. Rawles has a huge following and is supposed to be one of the most knowledgeable and followed survivalists. That's fine. This is not an attack on him, but just a humble opinion about this book. I read it in a bookstore, over the course of several days. I'm very glad I didn't buy it. I am sorry that I wasted my time.<br /><br />I have a lot of non-fiction books on many topics, from gardening to fishing to defense to survival to history to science experience to ... well, just about everything. I also have access to the web. Get the info from this book online (now, while there still is an internet), visit thrift stores and yard sales for inexpensive reference books.<br /><br />Don't waste your money on this book.<br /><br />Just my 2 cents worth...ThrtnWmsFamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16093255450536042527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264240531358007547.post-9088624929456116932009-11-24T14:31:00.002-07:002009-11-24T14:35:19.050-07:00Neighbor Problems CO Lic Plate 644-HCFHave you ever had a neighbor who did things on purpose to make the lives of the people around them miserable? Noise. Destruction of property. Harrassment. And those same people, no matter what law enforcement arrives at their door step, lie about everything and get out of it?<br /><br />The people who go with this license plate (I think I wrote it down right) are just such people. Sure would be nice if these people got a taste of their own medicine.<br /><br />Maybe karma will bite them in the ass.ThrtnWmsFamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16093255450536042527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264240531358007547.post-63055393078641349282009-11-13T15:11:00.004-07:002009-11-13T15:23:19.982-07:00Anxiety About Our FuturePart of this is the swine flu. Part is noisy neighbors. The biggest part is that we're so ready to get our next (and last) homestead, and still have to wait another few days before we're "well-enough" to be with other people. Meanwhile, properties I had my eye on are being snatched up, and our savings is dwindling (medical costs, new brakes on the Bronco, etc.).<br /><br />And I have too many blogs. So... do I combine them? Redirect to one? If so, which one? We're preparing to follow our hearts to be as self-sufficient as possible, which means a lot of gardening (ok, LOTS of trees, and some veggie gardening), taking care of animals, preserving what we get from them and living more off of what we create on that land or bartering as opposed to spending money and using depleting resources.<br /><br />So... advice?ThrtnWmsFamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16093255450536042527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264240531358007547.post-1394261474120470832009-11-09T23:17:00.000-07:002009-11-09T23:17:00.617-07:00Labor Ready ChargesI've used local Labor Ready offices for "muscle" when I have things to move, and am usually pretty satisfied with them. Sometimes, when more than one person is hired, they sometimes have personality differences that makes me intervene, but for the most part, they do the job pretty well.<br /><br />As to the offices, they send paperwork with the workers for me to sign, giving a range of funds they can charge, in case it goes over. One particular office never seems to get the charges correct, and often 2, 3, and even 4 weeks later, they charge extra. Even tho I last used this office, Thornton, at the end of September, an additional charge just hit me, that put my account in the negative. Gee! Thanks for giving me the heads up and saying "Look, we didn't charge enough for service date whatever, and we need to charge an additional whatever on this date." Did we get this call? No! So, gee, thanks Labor Ready for putting my account in the negative, and charging whatever you feel like, whenever you feel like. <br /><br />Per my phone call today, even tho I'm hoarse and very sick with the swine flu, I expect an accounting of the entire process in the mail as soon as possible. I think your office had already charged everything correctly, and you messed it up like you did about a year ago.<br /><br />Note to people reading this: do NOT sign that "blanket" form that you don't get to keep a copy of, and if you choose to use Labor Ready, I suggest you request an invoice no later than a week after service date. Examine it. Make sure they don't overcharge.ThrtnWmsFamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16093255450536042527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264240531358007547.post-26172607798623087112009-11-08T16:07:00.002-07:002009-11-08T16:11:45.880-07:00Hit by Swine Flu again.I woke up Saturday, coughing and wheezing. By early afternoon, Hubby convinced me to take my temp (elevated almost 2 degrees) then to the doctor's. He said I have the flu, most possibly the swine flu, and started me on Tamiflu.<br /><br />My whole bod aches, my head is pounding, my chest throbs from the coughing, my temp is still on the rise, and I just wanna sleep.<br /><br />It's obvious that even tho I was taking preventative measures, my compromised immune system got me anyway. Thanksfully, Hubby and Kid are still pretty healthy and haven't come down with this.<br /><br />Yuck.ThrtnWmsFamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16093255450536042527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264240531358007547.post-24765854803646661462009-11-05T03:41:00.001-07:002009-11-05T03:41:00.308-07:00Happy Birthday, my boyToday my child turns 13. A teenager. I've been a mess for at least a week... the little bitty thing I held in my arms 13 years ago with strawberry blond hair and dimple in a tiny chin is now taller than I am, with deep bronze hair. As strong a personality as 13 years ago.<br /><br />Happy Birthday, Squeezy.ThrtnWmsFamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16093255450536042527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264240531358007547.post-50525399286997270152009-10-30T16:50:00.004-06:002009-11-05T19:32:17.988-07:00Val Vigil Blows Leafs, Doesn't SweepPolitician, Real-Estate Broker, Accountant, and just an all-around busy person, is running for City Council. I already did a post on that (at: <a href="http://thorntonwilliamsfamily.blogspot.com/2009/09/dont-vote-for-val-vigil-for-thornton.html"><span style="font-size:78%;">http://thorntonwilliamsfamily.blogspot.com/2009/09/dont-vote-for-val-vigil-for-thornton.html</span></a> ), and why he should NOT be elected.<br /><br />I'm finally getting around to posting a video I took on September 17 2009 ... of Val leaf-blowing the sidewalk in front of his house. I thought it was funny and really sad because of several reasons: (1) he claims to be environmentally minded, (2) in the 1 1/2 years I lived across the street from him, he NEVER used a broom to do this, and (3) well, it's obvious that he's banking on people not finding out that he isn't what he claims.<br /><br />I'm not a bitter person. He did make our lives hell while we lived there, but we're now gone (thank goodness!) and it's time people found out that the sweet concerned man people THINK they are electing.... well, really isn't.<br /><br />Here's the link to his contributions: <a href="http://www.cityofthornton.net/cclk/Election/Reports/Val_Vigil.pdf">http://www.cityofthornton.net/cclk/Election/Reports/Val_Vigil.pdf</a> ... wow, $250 then another $300 from Jared Polis. Well, I guess since Val helped to get Jared elected... one hand washes the other. But ... where are the contributions from his neighbors? And how come the balance remaining in his election fund for reporting on Friday, October 30 2009 (10/9 thru 10/25) is $4,585.62? Was it all spent these last few days? What did it go for?<br /><br />Anyway... here's the video! <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8D_rgTva3IU">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8D_rgTva3IU</a><br /><br /><object width="340" height="285"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8D_rgTva3IU&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8D_rgTva3IU&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="340" height="285"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Vote for Ralph Moore. I met him, and chatted with him for a while. Twice! He's a good man who is very concerned about the Thornton community. Elect Ralph this November 3 2009 election day.</p><p><span style="font-size:78%;">Keywords: election, City Council, Val Vigil, Ralph Moore, Thornton, politics, state representative, revitalization, RTD, property rights, environmentalism, carbon footprint, rules, regulations, neighbors helping neighbors, lies, community, meticulous, leaf blower, laziness, broom, recycling, respect, candidate, contributions, vote, November 3 2009</span></p><p><span style="font-size:78%;">= = = = = =</span></p><p>Update: Unfortunately Val won. Sorry Thornton. You made a baaaddd choice! Nov 5 2009</p>ThrtnWmsFamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16093255450536042527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264240531358007547.post-44449929559734953042009-10-06T11:26:00.002-06:002009-10-06T11:31:46.813-06:00DTV still doesn't work for us. You?No matter what room of the house we're in, or what converter box or antenna we hook up, we still have to constantly adjust the antenna. It depends on the time of day, the station, the weather, location of people in the room, etc.<br /><br />We're too cheap to get cable or direct TV or satellite, so that is out of the question. We priced a better antenna last weekend, and practically walked away while gagging. Big rip-off.<br /><br />This digital TV was a really bad idea to do. The bandwidth problem could have been solved another way. This just shows yet again legislation that was made without the People's ok.<br /><br />Anyone else having troubles?ThrtnWmsFamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16093255450536042527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264240531358007547.post-5128212115299872832009-09-07T18:21:00.007-06:002009-09-09T05:40:21.434-06:00Don't vote for Val Vigil for Thornton City Council 2009<p>Mr. Val Vigil is running for Thornton City Council, Ward 2, in Thornton, Colorado.<br /><br />I currently live across the street from Mr. Vigil, and have since January 2008. Thank goodness we're moving. If we were to continue living here, I'd campaign hard for his opponent.<br /></p><p>Mr. Vigil was a State Representative at the State Capitol from 1999-2006 (8 years) but lost his bid for re-election. According to: <a href="http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1686944/posts">http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1686944/posts</a> , he "blames racism for his loss", oh, and "fears about illegal immigration". Hmmm.</p><p></p><p>As a Thornton Representative in 2005, according to: <a href="http://www.nataliementen.com/index.php?dex=15">http://www.nataliementen.com/index.php?dex=15</a> , he sponsored Senate Bill 05-182, allowing RTD (bus service) to take away property rights (from what I understand).<br /><br />He is a member of the Thornton Revitalization Task Force (<a href="http://www.cityofthornton.net/Neighbor/RevitalizationTaskForce/Documents/TaskForceMinutesApril2.pdf">http://www.cityofthornton.net/Neighbor/RevitalizationTaskForce/Documents/TaskForceMinutesApril2.pdf</a> ) - now, this explains a lot. If you read this blog, you know how Thornton has so many stupid rules and regulations (yes, my opinion). Well, I won't get into any details other than to say that maybe parts of Thornton need help, but suburbs don't.<br /><br />Now, in 2009, his elect-me page (at <a href="http://www.voteforval.com/">http://www.voteforval.com/</a> ) says he believes in "neighbors helping neighbors" but I've never seen this. He criticized us (my little family) for not watering our lawn often enough. He didn't pick up the apples and plums that fell from his trees to the sidewalk and street outside his fence and rotted (yes, he gave us a few apples but we gave him a big bag of fresh home-grown tomatoes). He says he believes in "giving back to your community" but doesn't do anything in this little area of our suburb except keep his lawn meticulously.<br /><br />According to: <a href="http://www.campaignmoney.com/political/527/colorado_chiropractic_pac.asp">http://www.campaignmoney.com/political/527/colorado_chiropractic_pac.asp</a> - he received $500 for his "Committee to Elect Val Vigil" from Colorado Chiropractic PAC "527"<br /><br />His facebook page is: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/people/Val-Vigil/1270587535">http://www.facebook.com/people/Val-Vigil/1270587535</a> - check him out there and here: <a href="http://www.zoominfo.com/people/Vigil_Valerie_1043443611.aspx">http://www.zoominfo.com/people/Vigil_Valerie_1043443611.aspx</a> .<br /><br />More on a personal note, living across the street from him, I've noticed that: </p><ul><li>In 2008 and 2009 he did NOT turn off his lights of during the Lights Out, which indicates to ME that he isn't environmentally minded. Lights Out is when people (and businesses) turn out their lights and as many electrical items as possible for an entire hour to help reduce our carbon footprint.</li><li>He has two trash cans but no green recycling cans. The City of Thornton provides these as part of the sewer/water/trash service, and yet I've never seen one of these green cans on his property, or put out for trash/recycling day. Again, environmentally minded?</li><li>I've never seen him use a broom to sweep his driveway. Instead, he uses what looks to be a leaf blower. Huh? Yep, you read right. (Oh, and when I went over at 7:15 a.m. to ask him to wait another 45 minutes or so before running it, he basically told me he didn't have to do any such thing, then turned it back on and ignored me. I have insomnia and other sleep issues, and unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident.</li></ul><p>I'm sure he is well loved by his friends and family, but I haven't talked to a neighbor who really respects him. Perhaps I just haven't connected with the right people. </p><p>I'm not doing this to hurt him. All of this is either my observation and opinion, or what I've read online (and thus, noted the source). I just feel he is NOT the best candidate to work in government - not even local. I ask you to please NOT vote for Val, and instead, give your vote to Ralph W. Moore.</p><p>Sorry, Val.</p><p>= = = = = = = =</p><p><em>Disclaimer: This is only what I've read online, and from my personal experience. To verify any of this, please do your own research, and come to your own conclusions.</em></p>ThrtnWmsFamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16093255450536042527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264240531358007547.post-66711612790750518052009-09-02T15:32:00.004-06:002009-09-02T15:44:45.764-06:00Rant About Dr. Phil and houseworkI was watching Dr. Phil today, while I'm anxiously awaiting results from mammogram (found lump in underarm), when I got ticked off at the almighty guru.<br /><br />The topic is supposedly women who have become breadwinners in this economy, and their spouses who resent it. Now, while I haven't watched the entire program (on phone with real estate agent, hubby, and there's a roofer making repairs above my head), I'm fuming about the little I've seen.<br /><br />A couple was on, where the woman works full time and the hubby doesn't work, and he doesn't do much housework at all. He appears to have "health issues" and resents being "required" to do housework. She doesn't like coming home to find even more stuff to do. And from the part I saw, Dr. Phil took his side! She could give in a little. Not be so picky. Don't care what your neighbors say. Don't worry about dust bunnies. Or do it herself and give him some slack.<br /><br />What?<br /><br />Excuse me... but any adult who doesn't pick up around the house needs to get a reality check. Why should she have to work a full-time job then come home and spent another couple of hours doing housework?<br /><br />Now I will say that her expectation of him to do 2 hours of housework a day is ridiculous. We have a 4 bedroom tri-level house (1400 square feet) and the three of us can clean this houses top to bottom in about 3 hours. Less if we pick up as we go along. <br /><br />If the house is too big to do 30 minutes of housework a day to get it done, then the house needs to go. Do vacuuming 3 times a week. Do the bathrooms 2 times a week. Dishes after dinner. Dust and dust mop 1 time a week. I mean, come on! If someone is sitting at home all day, getting up to go to the fridge or bathroom or check the mail once or twice a day, while he's up he can put a load of laundry in the wash, or swipe with a dust cloth, or load the dishwasher.<br /><br />Shame on you, Dr. Phil. I saw the episode where you tried to do Robin's job, and you failed. You and Robin sugarcoated it, but you failed at doing daily chores. Man up yourself!ThrtnWmsFamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16093255450536042527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264240531358007547.post-38018439939706854122009-08-06T09:50:00.001-06:002009-08-06T09:51:31.068-06:00House Still OursThe contract on our house fell through. We're showing again, and our lives are in total upheaval.<br /><br />I'll be glad when this is done.ThrtnWmsFamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16093255450536042527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264240531358007547.post-34570964405668543702009-07-17T06:13:00.002-06:002009-07-17T06:16:26.443-06:00We have an offer?!The house was only on the market for 6 days, and we got an offer. It's a tad lower than what we need so we're sending a counteroffer today.<br /><br />Still... just goes to show you... we did a great job (1) getting this house ready for the market, and (2) promoting this house, with a new craigslist ad every other day (delete old, add new), and our blog.<br /><br />Yippee!!ThrtnWmsFamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16093255450536042527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264240531358007547.post-28411232046491783702009-07-15T18:12:00.002-06:002009-07-15T18:16:05.223-06:00Showing Our HouseI hate this part of selling a house. Not that I've ever done it before. But when I get a call that someone wants to look at our house from [time] to [time], we have to vacate for that time period. And leave the house looking spotless, staged and everything in its place.<br /><br />And then we have to find something to do.<br /><br />Today we had 2 scheduled for 3-5 p.m. and one for 6-7:30 p.m.<br /><br />So, here I am, typing this entry, while sitting in a nearby Village Inn Restaurant. We've been here for almost 2 hours, eating an early dinner while catching up on e-mails and reading blogs. I intended to type entries into some of our other blogs, but this restaurant is very cold and my kid wants to leave.<br /><br />Off to Barnes and Nobles. Where I couldn't find a place to plug in the computer.<br /><br />Oh well. Guess I'll read until 7:30, then we'll go home and end our day.<br /><br />Argh.ThrtnWmsFamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16093255450536042527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264240531358007547.post-11361863558408413022009-07-15T07:58:00.004-06:002009-07-15T08:24:34.607-06:00How to Sell Your Home<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAdc8IM9erH2ut-reTim42r5DufvqihxkwVxRVJ6iA4evrPU1J0nFYyXzzYgMg_awNgtXZRGCzH9oLnztLdKOhQal1guOS-2NPikRg9W4lWEnkGMGQwx2rBFW_hm8MR4O3i7r3ID-5Oo6N/s1600-h/outside-071009.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358692233652405410" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 276px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 164px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAdc8IM9erH2ut-reTim42r5DufvqihxkwVxRVJ6iA4evrPU1J0nFYyXzzYgMg_awNgtXZRGCzH9oLnztLdKOhQal1guOS-2NPikRg9W4lWEnkGMGQwx2rBFW_hm8MR4O3i7r3ID-5Oo6N/s320/outside-071009.jpg" border="0" /></a>Getting our house here in Thornton, Colorado ready to sell has been horrible, time-consuming, money-intensive, and just plain hard work. I threw my back out many times, sweated buckets, lost feeling in my left leg, and much more.</div><div> </div><div>It's not that we had major repairs or anything, but we needed to pack up stuff, change our some decorations, store some thing tht we didn't want to have "disappear", and a big intensive cleaning.<br /><br />So... how to sell your home:<br /><br />Um... Don't sell!<br /><br />No, really, we're buying only ONE more house. This time, we won't settle. We have made our list of what we want in a home that will be the final home we'll ever live in (well, at least for Hubby and I). No more compromises. And if we don't find our perfect home for what we can afford, we'll move into an apartment for 6 months while we find the perfect home.<br /><br />Alright, here's a short list of what I've learned: </div><ol><li>Do all repairs necessary, except those that aren't cost effective. For instance, we need to replace most of our fence but can't afford to. We priced our home a little more than what we want so we can "give" in to that for fence repair.</li><br /><li>Is your house cluttered? Have lots of stuff? Lots of furniture? Personal pictures on the walls? Sorry, but you need to store most of it (we use <a href="http://www.smartboxusa.com/">http://www.smartboxusa.com/</a> instead of PODs because smartbox is cheaper!). Keep out only the bare minimum furniture/furnishings.</li><br /><li>Take almost all decorations off the walls. Fill in nail holes. Paint so that the filler doesn't show.</li><br /><li>Make the entire house "vanilla". Don't let anything stand out. You want people to see the house, not the decorations. So paint "eggshell-white" or beige over that bright red wall!</li><br /><li>Keep watering, trimming and mowing the lawn/landscape. Brown grass is a big turn-off; your potential buyers might just keep driving, not even stopping in for a scheduled appointment.</li><br /><li>Keep your kitchen clean. That may mean no cooking. Good idea anyway, because you don't want a vegetarian walking into your house smelling pot roast, or, god forbid, fish.</li><br /><li>Empty ALL of your trash cans daily.</li><br /><li>Vacuum regularly.</li><br /><li>Collect the business cards left by Agents during showings. </li><br /><li>Deoderize sinks by sprinkling a little baking soda down the sink and rinsing. Daily.</li><br /><li>Shower at night. Hang the towels to dry. In the morning, when re-staging the house, fold the towels and put them away. Don't use the towels you've staged in your bathroom for "decoration".</li><br /><li>Lend your pets to someone for the duration of your house being shown to sell. You DON't want the pet hair and smell and food and excrement to turn off a potential buyer. Plus, you might get an allergic person looking at your house.</li><br /><li>If you have kids, like we do, you'll have to bite the bullet, and pack away most of their stuff. My son's room has only his bed and his desk. He has 4 tubs of toys in his closet, which can be put away at a moment's notice. His schoolwork is on a shelf in the family room. His clothes are immediately put away after laundry-time. Depending on the age of your kids, you have to talk about this, and why it's important to keep EVERYTHING picked up.</li><br /><li>Have a house with no a/c? Get fans and portable air conditioners, and make sure they are turned on at least 1 hour before a scheduled showing. We keep the fans on all day.</li></ol><div>Our house has been on the market for 4.5 days and already we've had 5 showings. No offers yet but our real estate agent is optimistic.</div><div><br /></div><p>I'm sure I missed something. Comments?</p>ThrtnWmsFamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16093255450536042527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264240531358007547.post-6888962368507634262009-06-18T06:45:00.004-06:002009-06-18T07:01:10.828-06:00PETA and the Fly VERSUS Prez Obama<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhecnTwIFXKwqLZrP5xMaTLjxRqn-NBeIgvpYsqwSbg-Pev6-n5-mzlqeFEUuqT2DaNBmRFXaUSx_uj6g01vsibZjKoKc51ljx2N5i9HwNx6OR6WySECRIFdz57HDt0XBac006kTVBJAY1k/s1600-h/obama-fly.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348651485663067554" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 100px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 75px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhecnTwIFXKwqLZrP5xMaTLjxRqn-NBeIgvpYsqwSbg-Pev6-n5-mzlqeFEUuqT2DaNBmRFXaUSx_uj6g01vsibZjKoKc51ljx2N5i9HwNx6OR6WySECRIFdz57HDt0XBac006kTVBJAY1k/s320/obama-fly.jpg" border="0" /></a>Have you heard the latest criticism of President Obama? He was being pestered by an ordinary housefly while being interviewed. He tried to shoo it away, and it just wouldn't go. So he swatted and killed it.</div><div></div><br /><div>Now PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is getting involved. Boy, are they ticked. They say he should have kept shooing it away, or had someone else try to catch it and move it.</div><div></div><br /><div>HE WAS DOING AN INTERVIEW!!! </div><br /><div></div><div>Maybe he should have paused the televised interview with CNBC correspondent John Harwood? </div><br /><div></div><div><em>"Excuse me, could someone get over here and remove this fly? I don't CARE if there's a deadline for this interview's completion! This is a living creature that must be taken care of. Much more important than the American Citizens I'm working to help."</em></div><br /><div></div><div>Come on! If a fly is ok, then is a mosquito? They are about the same size. Both are irritating and carry diseases, but yes, mosquitos could possibly give Prez Obama the West Nile Virus. </div><br /><div>What about slugs in the garden? Does PETA allow the chickens to eat flies and gnats and slugs and tomato hornworms? If hornworms are allowed to live, they WILL find and eat their fill of corn and tomatoes until humans have nothing to eat. So... how is letting the chicken do IT's thing any different that a human taking care of them?</div><br /><div></div><div>IT'S A BUG!</div><div><br />Has PETA set a limit for their "beliefs"? Unbelievable controversy when there are so many more things to think about.</div><br /><div></div><div>I checked out PETA's website (<a href="http://blog.peta.org/archives/2009/06/obama_and_the_f.php">http://blog.peta.org/archives/2009/06/obama_and_the_f.php</a>). It sounds like they are using this to further their cause and sell some bug catcher thing.</div><br /><div></div><div>Ridiculous.</div>ThrtnWmsFamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16093255450536042527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264240531358007547.post-81346812923470561012009-06-09T17:35:00.004-06:002009-06-09T17:44:21.444-06:00Prep and Funnel Clouds<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiUXO-wZVlDuGCEaHBTxBaVGe_KJH2iSPfgmuPZBQ7cDkVQWB4T1vAXvihAd3sO9-cXHgcaytX_EOBw7BY7_UucjnahPeuuaoZf9tGtOI15fWYOJ86jGdPpQmRtARdnXqhtaxuMQDrh5Wo/s1600-h/tornado.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345477740453160450" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 170px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 114px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiUXO-wZVlDuGCEaHBTxBaVGe_KJH2iSPfgmuPZBQ7cDkVQWB4T1vAXvihAd3sO9-cXHgcaytX_EOBw7BY7_UucjnahPeuuaoZf9tGtOI15fWYOJ86jGdPpQmRtARdnXqhtaxuMQDrh5Wo/s320/tornado.jpg" border="0" /></a>Tween and I had a busy day today. We worked on the "pink" bedroom, getting stuff out, rearranging the furniture, changing out the curtains, etc. I took Tween out to eat as a thanks for his hard work, and he got sick. Damn restaurants! We need more restaurants that serve organic gluten-free foods.</div><br /><div></div><div>But that's neither here nor there.</div><br /><div></div><div>By the time I got him up, in the bathroom to hug the toilet, his bed ready and fan on, and him into bed, I got a call that we had a tornado warning near us. I threw some clothes back on him, we grabbed some stuff and headed to the basement office. He curled up on the floor with a pillow and a blanket that I had just washed last weekend. We were only there for 20 minutes or so, but it was a LONG 20 minutes. He's terrified of tornadoes. That's a big factor in the next house we buy ... needs a bigger basement.</div><br /><div></div><div>I think we made enough headway to stop today. He's resting in bed, with the fan on, holding his little tummy (can you tell I'm a mom?) and reading a book about dumb criminals. I'm gonna prep for tomorrow: handyman expected to make some minor repairs, and so is the guy to replace our garage door. Fun.</div>ThrtnWmsFamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16093255450536042527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264240531358007547.post-52945604524901468712009-06-01T07:16:00.006-06:002009-06-01T07:43:25.797-06:00Short Man Equals Big Jerk?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjlMueILzgF3CilOKEvgwXR_CZPk37pygtrAHutVGCoVoK0ywLObeqglQIDBjHW3WtA8IPBebJJ8VZqCaeny7X0sLXL_4Okv5DTlVtMPYtHZAZ5NvD4263JD8IZcMTY-LF1oirLIoNsHuN/s1600-h/short+man.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342351704939811250" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 113px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 170px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjlMueILzgF3CilOKEvgwXR_CZPk37pygtrAHutVGCoVoK0ywLObeqglQIDBjHW3WtA8IPBebJJ8VZqCaeny7X0sLXL_4Okv5DTlVtMPYtHZAZ5NvD4263JD8IZcMTY-LF1oirLIoNsHuN/s320/short+man.jpg" border="0" /></a>Can't help it. Our neighbor irks me. <em><span style="font-size:85%;">(Disclaimer ... pic to the right just depicts his stature but is not actually him.)</span></em><br /><br />I'm 5'7" and have to look down at, well, we'll call him Sal Sigil. He must be about 5'5", and has the attitude and personality of a short man who feels he needs to compensate for his height.<br /><br />He has a huge white king cab long bed pickup truck that he never uses to haul anything. It's diesel, and I can hear him start it at 6:30 in the morning, behind closed windows, idling for a minimum of 10 minutes no matter what time of year.<br /><br />From what I understand back when we first moved here and he talked a whole 5 minutes to us (before he discovered that we're not "keep-up-with-the-Joneses" type people: he was a city representative in congress (or senate?) for several years, and believes he wasn't reelected because he's hispanic. He's never made us feel welcome to the neighborhood, and has been obvious in his distaste for our old vehicles and casual attitude towards life and money and family and fun. He even (allegedly) thought we wer<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnBKGJ_P7mWhIYPktn_HC3m8Y985b2MgvLZbPblhv-iCvnnm1WtDfddVDmtsX8aYWGqjfjpUhq7CjjjTzJ3Z3w3PPjdef5zC6VfdBVfzfHeERty0SuxShJ6D2mWJlXqBiG1gz6S1WpRUXL/s1600-h/bigtruck.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342351706405643394" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 170px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 92px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnBKGJ_P7mWhIYPktn_HC3m8Y985b2MgvLZbPblhv-iCvnnm1WtDfddVDmtsX8aYWGqjfjpUhq7CjjjTzJ3Z3w3PPjdef5zC6VfdBVfzfHeERty0SuxShJ6D2mWJlXqBiG1gz6S1WpRUXL/s320/bigtruck.jpg" border="0" /></a>e too poor for our house because we ELECT to use a human-powered push mower instead of a gas-eating lawn mower.<br /><br /><ul><li>This is the man who "allegedly" turned us in to the city authorities because we didn't water our grass often enough for him.</li><br /><li>This is the man who let all of the plums and apples from his tree drop onto the sidewalk and just stay there to rot and stain and let kids pick them up and get sick.</li><br /><li>This is the man who came over and grabbed a person from my yard to take something from his during the big annual spring bulk giveaway.</li><br /><li>This is the man who made his wife shovel snow this year while he was inside possibly dealing with clients or eating a Big Mac.</li><br /><li>This is the man who woke me up a week or so ago at 7:20 (after a night of insomnia and I'd just gotten to sleep) using his leaf blower because he's too lazy to sweep, and when i asked him to wait at least until 8 a.m., he basically blew me off... no pun intended.</li><br /><li>This is the man who NEVER puts out a recycling can because he doesn't even have one ... never mind that the trash pickup company gives them out for free ... he just doesn't believe in conservation.</li><br /><li>This is the man who NEVER participates in the Lights Out ... you know, that night once a year when we all turn out our lights for an hour to help save the Earth.</li><br /><li>This is the man who "allegedly" reported me to the city for not moving my car often enough to suit him. </li></ul><p>He's at it again this morning. I'll be glad to move away for him. He's made us absolutely miserable here, including our 12 year old. Anybody want to buy our house?!?!</p><em><span style="font-size:85%;">p.s. I intend for this to be my last rant about this neighbor. Afterall, we need to sell this house!</span></em>ThrtnWmsFamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16093255450536042527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264240531358007547.post-48602737898463695362009-05-26T08:34:00.003-06:002009-05-26T08:45:42.568-06:00It Rained ... Finally!<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix2JKrO0RKRS2GMIopDDidDE2Gv5n1vhVlaTa09pyMrqPUvnhsarj6fmpDV0Bn1tebg5CjfFeZIYvdL27uKnUOnAsvPszhtkd9eUbzYw3Bvznl8msCjV8GBoiUYacC8L3hXU8zKVL8k-QS/s1600-h/downpour-raindrops.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340143695711466450" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 170px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 113px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix2JKrO0RKRS2GMIopDDidDE2Gv5n1vhVlaTa09pyMrqPUvnhsarj6fmpDV0Bn1tebg5CjfFeZIYvdL27uKnUOnAsvPszhtkd9eUbzYw3Bvznl8msCjV8GBoiUYacC8L3hXU8zKVL8k-QS/s320/downpour-raindrops.jpg" border="0" /></a>The Denver, Colorado area finally not only got a good bit of rain, but hail and flash-flooding. We had just finished doing about 3 hours worth of work in our container garden, planting all but 3 blueberry bushes, 2 raspberry bushes, and 2 blackberry bushes. The tomatoes, etc. were finished. We put away our tools, covered the left-over potting soil, and came inside to take our showers (hot hot hot = sweat sweat sweat). By within minutes of the last of us showering, the rain started. Barely a drizzle for less than 5 minutes, followed by 45 minutes of pounding hail, followed by another day and a half of light to medium rain.</div><br /><div></div><div>Luckily, the spot we chose for our container garden was the south side of the house, well protected from the hail but not from the rain. Everything got drenched, and it looks like everything survived. Yippee!</div><br /><div></div><div>Kinda a good thing that the dogs don't live here anymore. The massive amounts of mud, the intense work to our house, both inside and out... we're better off.</div>ThrtnWmsFamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16093255450536042527noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264240531358007547.post-8916972129062121222009-05-19T15:34:00.002-06:002009-05-20T09:23:19.882-06:00Dogs LeavingWe just can't take care of the animals any more. Besides the cost and having to get ready to sell the house and try to get a business off the ground and home-schoolwork and Hubby not being here during the week, they have to go. Hubby is taking them to a no-kill shelter in a few moments.<br /><br /><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Updated May 20 at 9:20 a.m.: The chihuahua had a heat stroke yesterday before Hubby even got here to take the dogs. We rushed her to the vet where he filled her will subcutaneous fluid (via I.V.), and she was up and walking again this morning. Hubby has now taken them. This is very difficult for us.</span></em>ThrtnWmsFamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16093255450536042527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264240531358007547.post-73350864167694472092009-05-19T10:44:00.005-06:002009-05-19T12:54:27.314-06:00It's hot hot hot hot hot!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaNDwcgP0VXrGBpOpsuHJsTE2CTZsc4UT4YBF6C-TyL4lwK40csGLcu3JXhQ6zA3MXxnzkeTiWN7ABsUDqgCkGGiLQDPFKL4XEQHPOb1272xC2VytjqdvtQHpxHHao4ysyf8Hd3EnhU70U/s1600-h/doug-wes-swimming2007.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337578469697475170" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 222px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 195px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaNDwcgP0VXrGBpOpsuHJsTE2CTZsc4UT4YBF6C-TyL4lwK40csGLcu3JXhQ6zA3MXxnzkeTiWN7ABsUDqgCkGGiLQDPFKL4XEQHPOb1272xC2VytjqdvtQHpxHHao4ysyf8Hd3EnhU70U/s320/doug-wes-swimming2007.jpg" border="0" /></a><em>Pic to right: Hubby and Tween in 2007 at a pool.</em><br /><br />I hate being hot. Always have. Sisters would lay out in the sun, one would turn blonder and red, and the other would turn into a "little brown bear" which is what we called her. Me? I would lay out but hated it. Got little reddish spots all over me, then burn and peel.<br /><br />Even when I lived in Tampa, Florida and then Houston, Texas, I hated being hot. So when I had the change to move to Colorado where it at least gets a little cold for 6 months of the year, I jumped at the chance.<br /><br />Now that I'm here, the weather isn't cooperating. This past Winter (2008/09) we barely had any cold days, barely any snow, and I'm frustrated as hell. Now it's supposedly Spring, and yesterday our high was in the 90's. Today it's supposed to break records by being in the 90's again.<br /><br />Hello? Mother Earth? Excuse me but ... it's NOT SUMMER YET!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpMUzO-_n-zzUmde9O67JZLghkLqI3sTyycPh1Pebl7X56eYDZsDtyDZxGGgQPuI2OJ7uvTpchgu8Al4yb2waG-A1EjC9lT6rb9glJhg2M_YOAo9Lm304EJIhOOEqdaz3_t6OQAS6vNhJJ/s1600-h/051909-sparky-fan.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337609158087883266" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 238px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 226px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpMUzO-_n-zzUmde9O67JZLghkLqI3sTyycPh1Pebl7X56eYDZsDtyDZxGGgQPuI2OJ7uvTpchgu8Al4yb2waG-A1EjC9lT6rb9glJhg2M_YOAo9Lm304EJIhOOEqdaz3_t6OQAS6vNhJJ/s320/051909-sparky-fan.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I got out the swamp cooler, filled it up, turned it on and yes, while it's providing a bit of coolness, it's leaking. Oh great.<br /><br /><em>Pic to right: Sparky the horse-puppy getting cool in front of the leaking swamp cooler.</em><br /><br />Up in the bedrooms, the temp last night at 10 p.m. was 87. That's WITH a swamp cooler going on up there for an hour.<br /><br />Can't wait until we get the house cleared out to stage to sell so that we can move the office down the basement. It's a little bit cooler than the rest of house. Heck, I might sleep down there during the week (while Hubby is gone).<br /><br />Someone pass me a pool, please?ThrtnWmsFamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16093255450536042527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264240531358007547.post-14627421639271063482009-05-14T07:24:00.003-06:002009-05-14T07:25:58.979-06:00Puppy Catches Ball!Couldn't resist ... we catch our puppy's FIRST attempt at catching a ball on video .. how lucky was that!?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZ6mU8mMNOs">Video - Click Here</a>ThrtnWmsFamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16093255450536042527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264240531358007547.post-72226045123623988312009-05-10T19:23:00.002-06:002009-05-10T19:50:49.248-06:00A Neighbor Strikes AgainWe spent a lot of time planting our garden this weekend: asparagus, strawberries, okra, lettuce, carrots, etc. Luckily we had a little bit of a sprinkle last night which helped set the plants and seeds.<br /><br />After going out to lunch for mother's day, and then seeing Hubby off for another week, I got the dogs ready for the night ... one at a time outside. It was then that I noticed the asparagus bed. Someone had dug up the asparagus roots, refilled the hole, replaced the marker, and placed the asparagus root on top of where they'd been buried. All of them. It had to have been a human, because animals can't and wouldn't do that. Then I look to the other raised bed where the seeds had been planted - it's all been dug up and moved around too.<br /><br />Had to have been a neighbor, waiting for us to leave the house for mother's day, because we didn't hear the puppy, and he usually whines and growls when people come too close to our house.<br /><br />So... neighbors beware. I'm rigging something up tomorrow and trespassers will be sorry.ThrtnWmsFamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16093255450536042527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264240531358007547.post-22636680881749390142009-05-08T08:34:00.003-06:002009-05-08T08:45:33.573-06:00Back to the Thief NeighborWe have such wonderful neighbors, here in Thornton. Uh, NOT. Thankfully, our fence saga has been resolved with THAT neighbor, Ben, to our somewhat satisfaction.<br /><br />Now back to the neighbor across the street. The very short man who drives a huge diesel white truck even though he never uses the truck part for anything. The one who pulled people away from our yard <a href="http://thorntonwilliamsfamily.blogspot.com/2009/04/neighbors-who-are-thieves.html">(click here for that posting)</a>. The one who reported my car not being driven enough <a href="http://thorntonwilliamsfamily.blogspot.com/2009/01/our-town-is-police-state.html">(click here)</a>. The one who reported our lawn not being green enough. The one who thinks we are stupid for using a human-run push mower (while he uses diesel gas for his truck, a huge mower for his little yard, and never participates in the "lights out" to save energy).<br /><br />Tween only slept a little, and I didn't sleep at all last night. I'm sick, and our dogs wouldn't shut up, so I'm up most of the night. Finally get to sleep around 7:00, and our not-so-wonderful neighbor, VAL, decides to run his leaf blower at 7:40. I get up, throw my clothes on, and go over to talk to him. He refuses to stop, saying basically that he has people coming at 8, and he doesn't need to listen to me. Started it back up again, turned his back to me and ignored me. Big bully. Inconsiderate jerk.<br /><br />According to city code, he can make noise from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Not a damn thing we can do. Except. according to Officer Sherie, next time he comes over, we can tell him to get the hell off our property and don't come back.<br /><br />Val used to be a Rep for this area in the House of Representatives, voted out in 2006. He's a bully, and he's more than convinced us that we absolutely do NOT want to live near him. I hope the next owners of this house fare better.ThrtnWmsFamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16093255450536042527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6264240531358007547.post-68474407194683183382009-05-06T09:36:00.004-06:002009-05-06T10:02:47.846-06:00Who MultiTasks in YOUR Household?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhglSr0iktd4CcWO9B6OkFQgpxitUV5wECmap5sdN1gC-y2B5gwX9Koa7KYgKB6mFZsXrzO7jZzaZKgry9ZE3ahyKsCy0K7K2kjQY0nI_jCyXIJS1uRobfJ6ykWT21S9MmnfAho_FuxrJld/s1600-h/multitask2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332741226356853266" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 149px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 198px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhglSr0iktd4CcWO9B6OkFQgpxitUV5wECmap5sdN1gC-y2B5gwX9Koa7KYgKB6mFZsXrzO7jZzaZKgry9ZE3ahyKsCy0K7K2kjQY0nI_jCyXIJS1uRobfJ6ykWT21S9MmnfAho_FuxrJld/s320/multitask2.jpg" border="0" /></a>Here's a question: why is it that the woman of the household is usually the only person (adult or child) that HAS to notice what needs to be done in the house, and then is the only person to do something about those things?<br /><br />Like...<br /><ul><li>who is the person to notice the trash needs to be taken out?</li><li>who has to not only cook but also do all of the cleaning? I mean, couldn't someone else at least clean the counters?</li><li>who either puts the groceries away, or has to tell someone to do it?</li><li>who walks by a piece of paper lying on the floor in hopes that someone other than her will notice it, and after a day of constant family traffic, just gives in and picks it up?</li><li>who goes into the bathroom to find that the last person used the last of the toilet paper and didn't bother to think about getting another roll for the next person?</li><li>who notices all of the dog hair on the living room floor and has to either pull out the vacuum cleaner or tell someone to do it?</li><li>who has to bug the kid every 15 minutes to do schoolwork, even tho he's already been warned he's about to lose TV time or all other priviledges? Why can't the kid just do it?!?!</li><li>who notices that the grass trimming needs to be done, and although it's not her job to do yard work, after weeks of bringing it up, just finally takes out clippers and does it herself?</li><li>who gets up at 7 or so on weekends to get the chores and stuff started, even tho she'd like to sleep in like the rest of the family? And no one but her feels guilty about sleeping in?</li><li>who stays up late to write and to work on getting extra money so the family can buy a house more suited to their needs?</li><li>who practically holds the family together... paying bills, refilling soap dispensers, cooking, cleaning, etc. ... and NEVER gets a thank you and very rarely gets any help?</li></ul><p>Sometimes, I just want to give up. (Sorry, I had to vent.)</p>ThrtnWmsFamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16093255450536042527noreply@blogger.com2