It's kinda depressing but a good friend of the family passed away last week. He was older but a good friend. Him and his wife found my wedding dress for me YEARS ago. They came across this vintage gown and I loved it. I knew it was for me and it fit perfectly. What are the chances of that?? haha They also gave us their washer and dryer set TWICE over the years. I have loved them and now he has passed on, in his 80's but he will be missed.

I am not able to attend the funeral since we have no babysitter today. Seems this kind of thing happens all too often. I need a regular babysiter I am thinking instead of just my mother. It's hard when you have so many rugrats.

Now onto happier thoughts. My brother in law has a gig tonight and I want to go. I am in desperate need of going out and letting off some steam. It's been a downright awful week. I want to go out and forget everything. I just need it. My mother is at a wedding 2 hours away. I am praying and hoping that she'll get back by 9 or even 10. haha I am not picky. I just want to go out. Cross your fingers for me!!!

I don't have a TON of traffic here yet but I am working on it. With the style of layout I chose I can pretty much put links at the top where you see it advertised. I decided to offer up a link to someone else's site up there. Just reply to this post with your website address. Since today is Friday, I'll wait until next Friday and then randomly select one of those websites and post their link for a month on my blog. :) I drop 300 entrecard a day so it drives traffic here. I have my other blog too that also brings traffic this way. So, I'm going to give this a try. I can't promise a ton of traffic to your site but hey, it's worth a shot!

So finally Thanksgiving has come and gone. I did not go to ONE sale today. I was tempted with all the wonderful ads on TV for things on sale. Honestly cash flow is nonexistent for me though. Our money is gone as soon as it gets here. Gone on bills and groceries and gas. I want some extra but it's just not happening. If I hadn't gone and gotten so sick for a year I'd be working already or at least close to done with clinicals. Instead I put my application in for my college of nursing and get to BEGIN in fall of 2010. I have decided I still want to pursue that career but I need to get a job in the mean time. The trouble is, who takes the kids to school? Who picks them up? Who watches the baby? How does THAT get paid for and will it be worth it? I won't earn a paycheck only to have it entirely forked over to a babysitter and for gas in my car to GET to the job in the first place. It seems pretty pointless.

Before kids I worked for a local newspaper. Ahhhh those were the days. haha I typed up the stories. I put them together. Back in those days we had these large boards we would tape the little sections down on, rearrange, etc. Then my boss would take it over to the printers to be printed. I edited the paper and even had my own history story I did weekly. Seeing my name in print under a story was such a wonderful feeling. I gave it all up to be a mom and frankly I miss it. I want to work. Luckily I'm good with computers. I just finished taking a college course too that involved all of Microsoft Office. Excel and spreadsheets, blah blah. It may not be super exciting but I can do it. That is what counts. I am anxious to get back out there but so many other factors do have to be considered.

I'll leave you with a really funny typo from my newspaper days. It *almost* made it into the paper but was caught in time thank god. We were doing a story that involved the phrase "busy women". Unfortunately it was typed out "busty women". Yes....we were all laughing pretty hard because that came VERY close to going to print.

Well I need to go out and get some groceries tonight for Thanksgiving. Nope I haven't gotten a thing. I just haven't had any cash. It sucks pretty much living paycheck to paycheck but at least the bills are paid. Well, the ones that count. haha I have more medical bills than I'll ever realistically be able to pay. I try though.

Anyway I want to cook a turkey and I realized it takes like 2 to 3 days to thaw out a turkey and I haven't even bought one yet. Perhaps the microwave can help? Any chefs have some tips for me buying a last minute turkey?

I am not sure what I'm doing today but I'm considering taking a break from both blogs. I have been working really hard and since tomorrow is a holiday. Why not? Who is going out and braving Black Friday? *insert creepy horror movie music*

Good luck to those who are doing it!!!

Now, I am born and raised American. I haven't so much as flown in an airplane...stepped on foreign soil, nothing. I am your typical Midwest person. I don't even know how old I was until it dawned on me that just because WE are having Thanksgiving, it doesn't mean everyone does. I love how kids grow up and these things start to dawn on them.

Yes, it's Thanksgiving on Thursday. I'll be having family over. I am going to make a turkey. I'll make stuffing and this yummy looking double layer pumpkin pie. I am no chef but I can cook. I can follow a recipe pretty well. I tend to read ahead though. I have to stop myself. I am looking forward to left overs as well. There is nothing quite like some left over turkey.

Speaking of turkeys...I saw that video of Sara Palin pardoning a turkey while one was being slaughtered right behind her. Come on. Even if SHE didn't see this didn't the reporter? Didn't the camera man for crying out loud? Didn't THEY think about how stupid that would look? Ugh. I wanted to puke. How stupid. Stupid on the part of all of those involved. I mean, no one wants to see that. That guy in the back looked so dumb stuffing that turkey's head into some machine while he smiled into the camera. I'd like to think they all knew better. I mean, come on. Anyway if you have not seen this video and do not want to witness the suffering of a poor turkey, well don't watch it. I eat meat. I am not a vegetarian but even I felt sorry for that poor turkey!!!

I sing pretty much anything I like as long as my voice can do it. I like country. I like rock. I like it all really. I love Pink, Miranda Lambert, Faith Hill, Alanis Morisette, Michelle Branch, Jewel...oh there are so many. Here is me singing a song called Kerosene by Miranda Lambert. I may have posted this one on my other blog at some point, not sure. I have several other songs on youtube though. A little browsing goes a long way. ;)