Alright. Two characters ("Leader" and "Antivillain") have a complex, fascinating relationship. Archenemies, friends, hints that they might have been more than friends, etc. As such, Leader could have a variety of fascinating, complex reactions to Antivillain killing a man directly in front of him in cold blood.

Forgive me, however, if I highly doubt that said reaction is going to be "unrestrained lust."

"I shall hate those Miss Alans!" Mrs. Honeychurch cried. "Just because they're old and silly one's expected to say 'How sweet!' I hate their 'if'-ing and 'but'-ing and 'and'-ing. And poor Lucy - serve her right - worn to a shadow." Mr. Beebe watched the shadow springing and shouting over the tennis court. Cecil was absent - one did not play bumble-puppy when he was there.

A Room with a View - E. M. Forster

Love is not stalking. Love is not badgering someone until they "give in". Love isn't pressuring a reluctant partner into sex, or pinning them so you can feel them up without them realizing, or guilt tripping them into falling in line. A character doesn't prove how much s/he is true and noble in their love simply by refraining from having sex with the object of their affections when s/he is drunk, particularly if they're taking advantage of them in a hundred smaller ways at other given times. Love is a bit more than that.

Likewise, it's actually kind of creepy when someone starts thinking about how they could easily force another to do what they want, even if it's followed with a thought that of course they would never, ever do so. It's more so when all throughout a story, they've been obviously using their superior physical strength to do things that their partner really isn't comfortable with, such as sweeping them off their feet despite earnestly meant protests and non-playful threats. Lying to them, playing off platonic affection, using a strong friendship as collateral, or presenting false pretenses so s/he can pretend that they care about him/her in the same way also falls under the "creepy" heading. Endlessly referring to his/her partner's hang ups and hesitations as "cute" or "sweet" isn't actually all that cute, especially when they've got valid concerns and are shown as having an extreme reluctance to have sex or to even escalate into a sexual situation.

And you know what? It doesn't matter if every single other suitor that has ever pursued a character has been a pervert or a rapist or someone who murders puppies and rainbows; no matter how bad all the others have been, just because the protagonist of the story is "nice" by comparison to all the rest does not mean that he is, in fact, a good man. He might be a Nice Guy (tm), but that's not exactly a fantastic thing to be.

Please keep in mind the emotions of the one pursued, for that matter. Why should they trust a possessive and manipulative individual who is obsessed with them? Why wouldn't that unnerve them or put them off, especially when subtle and not so subtle requests to get them to back off don't work? What causes them to fall in love in return? Just because someone loves you does not at all mean that you're going to eventually return their feelings.

Sure, an infatuated character might wind up doing some of these things because unrequited love is one of the most painful things out there, but when that is the main characterization that comes across, when they're constantly pushing for more than their partner is comfortable with, when it's never enough unless the object of their affections is just as obsessed and enthralled as they themselves are, then it gets to be a bit much unless you're actually going for the "this is unhealthy and messed up" vibe. And in which case, great! Or if it's a character trait that they grow out of, lovely! I just keep coming across this concept in cases where it's meant to be signs of One True Love and destiny and red strings and all the rest and a perfectly normal way to act, no evolution or development required. Except on the part of the wary "love damaged" character, at any rate, who eventually comes to appreciate and be thrilled with their partner's "devotion". A little realism, please?

TLDR; love is complex. Love can hurt. Love can cause you to do stupid, stupid things. Love can be amazing. If a writer really wants to make someone seem like they're in love though - really, seriously, deeply in love - a little less possessive child and a little more mature adult with respect for boundaries would be particularly appreciated.

Okay, so I'm back at work and I started opening up for new orders. If you haven't signed up, you can do so here.

I will keep working until about a week before Christmas, and then I'm taking a week off. I think I'll be able to move through the list at about 2-3 mamas per week as long as nothing comes up. As always I'll keep you posted.

Wetbags from the congo are almost gone, but there are 2 small wetbags up. I don't have to stock there again until a week from this Friday.

AND remember you can purchase anything in the clearance section of the store, the large quilt that's finished (it's grey/brown- really cute) or the pirate toy mat which I have marked down 25%. That's in the toy section.

I think that's it- any questions, fire away! :-)

ETA: Orders shipped: All congo, 1699, 1700

I have another CIO question... for in-betweenie babies/toddlers...

My twins are 15 months old now, and they usually go to sleep with no trouble at all. Minimal fussing sometimes for a few minutes.

Last night they were NOT HAVING IT. (They're a bit sick, which I think was the cause.)

Now, I did let them cry for about 5 minutes (DH and I do not agree on letting them cry. I want to go in, he doesn't want me to). But then I got them, and I let them play for 20 minutes or so (in case they weren't tired yet) then tried to put them back down. Then I let them cry again for, like, 5 minutes, maybe even a little longer. This time when I went and got them, DH left the room to give us quiet. He shut off the living room light as he went and the TV and I quietly sat in a rocker with 2 25 pound toddlers cuddling me / ripping my face off.

THEN we brought them into the bedroom because they were still clearly awake after an hour of this. DH came to the rescue! We put them on our bed and calmed and cuddled them and rocked them, etc. Finally, he'd had enough and we put them back to bed in their cribs. They cried horrifically for less than 2 minutes and then conked out.


Now for the question. He's worried that because they are almost a year and a half they will quickly learn that throwing a fit at bedtime means fun tiemz for another two hours. And then we'll have gone from two very well behaved sleeping babies, to two manipulative toddler troubles.

Now, I hate hearing my babies cry and I always go in to them, but I do feel he has a point. Babies can't communicate, and even at 15 months, they cant speak to me... but at 15 months they're more cognizant of meaning and cause/effect...

Assuming I'm in for another few nights of this... how should I handle it to let them know that I love them and I'll always be there for them, without showing them that crying = fun and rewards?

i need advice on how to get a very attached, almost 2 year old little girl in her own bed, from cosleeping with me. daddy was kicked out of bed b/c she got very comfy there and it's been that way the past 7 months of this pregnancy... im 7.5 months right now with another girl. eek! i need to get her in her room before Jan!

halp!

the cry-it-out method will not work either as she has proven to stay up all night to get attention by screaming or better yet, escaping. im so exhausted i need my sleep now. and i want my husband in bed with me. :(

Did you know there are only two processing centers in Canada for Operation Christmas Child? I didn't either until this year! All OCC boxes that are collected in Canada are shipped to one of these centers to be checked. Luckily for me, I'm currently living in a city that has one of them! :) The husband and I volunteered a few hours of our time there last night and it was quite fun! Time just flew by! (If you don't know what OCC is, you can go here http://www.samaritanspurse.ca/occ/OurPurpose.aspx)

I found it really interesting to get a glimpse into what happens to those boxes after people drop them off. Here are some things I learned:

• The Operation Christmas Child Processing Center in K-W is VERY well organized! I don’t know about the one in Calgary but I’m guessing it’s the same. :)
• There was an "ideas" table near the volunteer entrance with samples of items crafty people can make that can go in the boxes. I liked the finger puppets the best. :)
• Volunteers at the sorting tables get to stand on some nice thick gel mats. My feet were very appreciative! :) I think the cashiers at Costco use something similar.
• Operation Christmas Child believes in "maintaining the integrity of the boxes." There is absolutely no mixing and matching between boxes. Except for disallowed items and money donations, nothing is removed. If a box is overstuffed and cannot be closed very well, its contents are merely moved to a larger box. Things are not taken out of it and added to another box.
• Disallowed items that are removed from the boxes are donated to local charities so they're not wasted even if they're not going to be given to a needy child in a foreign country.
• There are filler items available to include in some of the emptier boxes. I was both sad and glad about this. I was sad that there was a need for filler items but I was glad they were available so that a child wasn't disappointed that s/he only got half a box of gifts when everyone else got full ones. For those who might think the availability of filler items means they don't have to fill their boxes as much, think again. There isn't a lot of quantity or variety available so it's much better if people just fill those boxes to begin with and fill them with good stuff that don't have to be removed.
• The processing center also had a few Garage Sale tables with items available for purchase. The extra money raised goes towards purchasing filler items.
• Volunteers get a free snack afterwards. :)

Our assigned tasks involved checking the boxes to make sure they were properly labelled and filled, which meant we had to learn a few things about what's allowed and what's not allowed in those boxes. Here are some restrictions that caught my attention:

• No liquids. (Gee, I wonder if Customs had anything to do with this! :P) Anything that you'd have to put into a Ziploc baggie for airport security is also something you can't include in an OCC box. That includes toothpaste, unfortunately. Many a toothbrush was separated from its toothpaste partner last night. :(
• No food other than individually wrapped hard sugar candies (e.g. Lifesavers, candy canes, hard Werther's candies) or those with a thick hard sugar coating (e.g. Tootsie Pops). Pressed powdered sugar candies (such as Rockets, Sweet Tarts, etc.) are not allowed because they might get crushed back to powder form by the time the child opens the box. Chewy and gummy candies aren’t allowed either thanks to Customs - this includes gum and toffees.
• No vitamins. A child can accidentally overdose on them. (Yikes!)
• No decks of playing cards. This one's a new restriction that was introduced this year. Apparently, they encouraged gambling to occur.
• No makeup. No explanation was given and I forgot to ask. I'm guessing it's because makeup can actually go bad and turn rancid? Also, a lot of makeup would fail the no liquids restriction.

I had to remove a surprising number of disallowed items from the boxes and felt bad every time I had to do so. :( Some people had obviously put thought and care into what they were giving even if they hadn't exercised a lot of forethought in terms of checking to make sure those items were allowed. For example, one box had some small tubes of oil paints and a few sheets of blank paper to go with a really nice set of paintbrushes. Bye bye oil paints. :(

The boxes that were only half full or had very few items also made me sad. I even got one box that ONLY had one stuffed animal in it. That’s it. Sure that stuffed animal was a good size and it was very cute and soft, but still! Would it kill you to throw in something else?!?!

Thankfully, the majority of boxes were at least 2/3 full and had good items in them. Some boxes were really impressive and were absolutely JAM PACKED with really good stuff. :) I felt happy every time I saw one of those and I also got some great ideas for stuffing my own OCC boxes!

All in all, this was a great volunteering experience. It felt good to know I was helping to make a few children’s lives better in some small way. I would definitely do this again! :)

My babe is a bit over 7 months, for the record.

He always goes to sleep on his back, but lately has been rolling to his side and tummy in the middle of the night. On his side doesn't worry me at all. But when he is on his tummy, he face plants with his nose, mouth, etc. smooched into the mattress. I know this is why mattresses for them are so firm, and I took away his swaddling when he started this. But it seems horribly uncomfy, and rather unsafe. If I try to roll him over, or even turn his head, he wakes screaming, taking a half hour to get back to sleep, where he just rolls back over... He sleeps super well like this, pushing 9 hours straight (as opposed to up every 2 hours on his back). My husband is of the opinion that I should let a sleeping baby lay.

I assume there is nothing I can do but hope he decides to turn his head and not suffocate, right? How worried would you be?

"I think I'll be a clown when I get grown," said Dill. "Yes, sir, a clown.... There ain't one thing in this world I can do about folks except laugh, so I'm gonna join the circus and laugh my head off." "You got it backwards, Dill," said Jem. "Clowns are sad, it's folks that laugh at them." "Well, I'm gonna be a new kind of clown. I'm gonna stand in the middle of the ring and laugh at the folks." ~Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 22

Does anyone know of any brands of footed sleeper with proportionately short legs? My one year old (today!) fits 18 month shirts pretty well for torso and arm length, but 18 month pants need to be rolled up about 2 inches. Nine month pants are just about the right length right now. If I put him in 9-12 month (circo) sleepers the legs and feet fit, the torso is taunt and the sleeves leave 1-2 inches of wrist exposed. If I put him in (gerber) 1T or 18m sleepers the arms fit fine, the torso looks fine, but his feet slip out of the booties and he's walking around on the leg material with the feet flopping around which makes him more likely to trip. So right now we deal with it, change him out of the better covering sleepers when he gets up and needs to walk, put him in 2 piece pjs, etc, but if someone knows of a perfect solution out there that would fit both his arms and legs I would love to hear it :).

I just pulled out a tape measurer and it looks like armpit to wrist = ankle to diaper = 8.5 inches. Apparently my baby is a square :-p

I have a ton of misc. baby clothes for sale. Various sizes from newborn to size four. Most Baby Gap, Old Navy, Gymboree, Children's Place, etc... Item descriptions are below the pictures, and everything is described from left to right. Make an offer! No reasonable offer will be refused!. Shipping is NOT included. I charge actual shipping. If you leave your shipping info. I can get you a quote. Pictures under the cut.

I am shipping from Canada, so things might take a little longer to get to you if you are anywhere but Canada.

Mod's, if this is inappropriate feel free to delete.

( Pictures )

I thought "Chlean" was bad enough, but "Chlam" may be even worse.... (Seems a bit shellfish to me :-))

Also, I rather thought the point of smushed pairing names was to save typing out the full names? So I'm rather puzzled by the author who has helpfully put in both the smush and the full pairing - and they've done so for all the three fics they've posted today, so it's clearly deliberate. People are weird.

So I love convenience and Campbell's as much as the next person. But admit it, we all could use some healthier (and cheaper) options. And if you're not that big into your health, at least you have another option in case you forgot something at the grocery store!

A lot of the crockpot recipes I've seen here utilize Cream of _______ Soup. That stuff is amazing, but it's pretty high in sodium. I found a link here that has a slightly healthier and lower preservative option for making it yourself. I haven't tried it yet, but I plan to soon! Please comment if you've done this.

I make my own chicken broth at home and freeze it, so its virtually sodium free. But I would imagine that low sodium chicken broth probably has a lot less sodium than traditional Campbell's Cream of ______ Soups.

http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2009/04/24/five-frugal-food-tactics-from-trents-kitchen/


( Article pasted )

This goes out to everyone who works in retail:

'Hey?' said the crone.

'Twenty-five dollars and fifty cents, please.'

She looked amazed, like the last thing she had been expecting was to have to pay for the groceries. I knew what would come next. She'd burrow into her bag for her purse, which would be right at the bottom. She'd pull out bus passes, framed photographs of her grandchildren, a prosthetic leg and a packet of surgical bandages and each item would be placed carefully on the counter. Finally, when she had accumulated enough material to fill a wheelie bin, she'd find the purse, count out the sum in five cent pieces and painfully repack.

Trust me, I've been there. I've known glaciers that move quicker than some of these people.

Barry Jonsberg, It's Not All About You, Calma.

boogieshoes needs cheering, oh community members. (And hey, everyone loves macros, right?)

Post your best in here, come on! Failing that, post pictures of pretty horses or fluffy kittens or something.

I have, er, mostly hockey macros.

Hi! I'm also new, and I actually stumbled on the Bartimaeus Trilogy when looking for a writing style similar to pTerry's.

I'm just posting on here to say that something really weird but cool happened;
I was reading Ptolemy's Gate with my iPod on shuffle, and Gift of a Friend by Demi Lovato came on just when I was reading the end pages, when Nat dismisses him, and I nearly cried then, and for once I actually listened to the words of a song instead of just the tune.

I've spent the last week being either insanely busy, or suffering from headaches. I can't write when I have a skull-shattering headache going on. >.<

So I have finished a grand total of... nothing.

*bangs head on desk*

And springkink is now over, so the thing I've spent the most time on is not just late, but has completely missed the boat. ;_;

At least the puppies love me.

I have yet to say hello, but been following for a while. My name is Kim, I am a student, but taking time off because I am expecting my first child. I have always played games, but recently really gotten into my xbox 360. I have been a fan of the PC versions of The Sims games, but like games like Bioshock and Fable as well.

For my question, I just got a wii for my birthday and all I have is the sports and sport resort games. They are fun, but being 6 months pregnant and starting to have some sever back pain playing those games put too much strain on my aching body. I would play my xbox, but my bf is using it since his broke the day he got Assassins Creed 2 so he's using mine for the time being (we don't live in the same house). Is there any games for the wii that are more sit down and using less body motions. I know some of the games are minimal in activity level, but even some of those give me some issues with pain. I am new to the wii after having xbox and xbox 360 and not sure of the games out there. I generally like first person shooter games, but most of those for the wii I already have for the xbox and don't want to buy two of the same game for two different consoles. Any ideas on games I would really appreciate it.

It's so nice to be finished the GCDH! All 170 icons plus all extreme icons found! :D I even won a prize! (One bamboo fitted diaper from Nature's Fabrics.) But it was crazily time consuming. Poor Akari. I was such a neglectful mum. But she's become slightly easier to amuse now that she can sit on her own- place toys in reach and she's happy for minutes at a time! This allows me to do things like laundry with greater ease, but she still demands to be held a lot. The scary thing is that crawling is obviously coming soon- she'll scoot from sitting to her hands and knees trying to grab at stuff and can pivot 360 degrees on her tummy. :( All of our shelves of DVDs and games will definitely need a new home once she can start moving.

We also started solids (banana, avocado and pumpkin so far) but she's way more interested in the spoon as a plaything. It's impossible to get more than half a teaspoon of puree in her before she clamps her mouth shut and turns away, so she's obviously not depending on them for nutrition! LOL But "under one, just for fun," right? It's not like she needs those super sharp teeth she's sprouted yet. *sigh* You can see them when she smiles now, so I'll try to take a picture of them. (I have one where she's howling a protest that

One last thing: participated in my first Black Friday sale this past week, since so many diaper vendors are American. Got some goodmamas for 40% off! :D One was a print I'm totally in love with, so I can't wait for my fluffy mail to arrive! And on that note, here's the obligatory banner ad for goodmama so I can enter the giveaway. :)

I like Jim Ellison. I've got a big ol' soft spot in my heart for him (Ranger or no). I like Jack O'Neill. And Jethro Gibbs. And John Sheppard. And Pappy Boyington (though he was pre-1952 so he doesn't really count). And everyone on MASH (bring back Radar!) And, well, I could go on. Anyway, none of these people were/are Special Forces. No, no, they weren't/aren't. Jim Ellison was a Ranger. He wore a black beret before the Army decided it was the hip new thang and put one on everybody. Special Forces wear green berets. Special Forces are very specific units working under Special Operations Command. They have their own patches. They have their own units. They have their own protocols. They have their own really painfully tough Q course. So, no, Jim Ellison was not Special Forces. Neither was Jack O'Neill (who is Air Force and therefore not qualified to even try out for SF), nor Jethro Gibbs (who was a marine and also not qualified for the green beret), nor John Sheppard, nor blah blah blah. Now, outside of the US military, special operations personnel are usually generically referred to as special forces. However, Jim Ellison was still in the US Army as a US Army Ranger and that means he was never in Special Forces even if you do live outside of the US.

And while we're on the topic:

Army people call their people soldiers. Air Force people call their people airmen, not soldiers. Marines call their people marines, not soldiers. Navy people call their people sailors, not soldiers. And yeah, they get really pissy when you call them the wrong thing.

Rant the Third:

The singular of Corps is Corps. The plural of Corps is Corps. It's a French and they do that. It's also a proper noun because it's part of the name of the Marine Corps. It's also not the Marine Core. It's never the Marine Corp. It's always the Marine Corps, or Corps. Danged jarheads.

I just received a slow cooker cookbook for my birthday, and gave a recipe from the book a go this evening. The book is Pillsbury's Fast Slow Cooker Cookbook. Fast prep, normal cooking times. This chili sounded good, and it turned out amaaaaaazing. My husband said it was like eating chicken nachos in a bowl.

1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into strips. (may substitute breasts)
1 c dried great northern beans, rinsed and sorted.
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 c)
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
5 c water

1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp red pepper sauce (I used La Victoria hot)
1 can (4.5 oz) diced green chiles

Sour cream, diced avocado and corn chips for garnish.

Mix chicken, beans, onion, garlic, oregano, salt, soup and water in 3 1/2 to 4 quart slow cooker.

Cover, and cook on low for 9-10 hours. (I got a late start on mine, and was home, so did low for the first 5 hours, then high for the last 2, and it worked great)

Just before serving, stir in cumin, pepper sauce and chiles. Serve with garnishes.

According to the book, the nutritional information is as follows: 1 serving (1 1/2 cup) 290 calories, 10 g total fat (Saturated 3g, Trans 0g) 50mg cholesterol, 700mg sodium, 27g total carbohydrates (6g dietary fiber).

Can probably cut that even more with using chicken breast instead of thighs, and omitting the salt, since the condensed soup has it already. I've been trying to think of a substitute for the soup, so if anyone can help with that, that'd be great!

I cannot believe that at 2:50 this morning, I will have an 8 month old on my hands! Sometimes I miss it when she couldn't move around as much as she can now! About five minutes ago she pushed herself to the floor while I had her buckled in her swing. She's not hurt at all.. she just wanted out of it.

Also, she's saying quite a few words for an 8 month old. The first time I heard her say anything, she was six and a half months old... that was kitty. Then she went a long time without talking. In the past 3 or 4 days she has said.. kitty, Rascal (one of my cat's name's), no, da-da (and I don't know how she knew to say that.. she doesn't have a father in her life and we don't say the "D" word... and she only says that to my oldest brother.. kinda sad), cat, kitty cat, and mama (but I wasn't there when she said it..) Does anyone else have an early talker? Is 8 months early or about average? (and no, I'm not asking this just because of certain comments.)

I finally finished buying her Christmas gifts. (By December 25th, she'll 6 days she of 9 months..)

( Christmas gifts! )

Am I forgetting anything important?

♥ "The strength of the vampire is that no one will believe in him."

Thank you, Dr. Van Helsing, he thought, putting down his copy of "Dracula". He sat staring moodily at the bookcase, listening to Brahms' second piano concerto, a whisky sour in his right hand, a cigarette between his lips.

It was true. The book was a hodgepodge of superstitions and soap-opera clichés, but that line was true; no one had believed in them, and how could they fight something they didn't even believe in?

That was what the situation had been. Something black and of the night had come crawling out of the Middle Ages. Something with no framework or credulity, something that had been consigned, fact and figure, to the pages of imaginative literature. Vampires were passé, Summers' idylls or Stoker's melodramatics or a brief inclusion in the Britannica or gist of the pulp writer's mill or raw material for the B-film factories. A tenuous legend passed from century to century.

Well, it was true.

♥ At ones time, the Dark and Middle Ages, to be succinct, the vampire's power was great, the fear of him tremendous. He was anathema and still remains anathema. Society hates him without ration.

But are his needs any more shocking than the needs of other animals and men? Are his deeds more outrageous than the deeds of the parent who drained the spirit from his child? The vampire may foster quickened heartbeats and levitated hair. But is he worse than the parent who gave to society a neurotic child who became a politician? Is he worse than the manufacturer who set up belated foundations with the money he made by handing bombs and guns to suicidal nationalists? Is he worse than the distiller who gave bastardized grain juice to stultify further the brains of those who, sober, were incapable of a progressive thought? (Nay, I apologize for this calumny; I nip the brew that feeds me.) Is he worse, then, than the publisher who filled ubiquitous racks with lust and death wishes? Really, now, search your soul, lovie - is the vampire so bad?

All he does is drink blood.

Why, then, this unkind prejudice, this thoughtless bias? Why cannot the vampire live where he chooses? Why must he seek out hiding places where none can find him out? Why do you wish him destroyed? Ah, see, you have turned the poor guileless innocent into a haunted animal. He has no means of support, no measures for proper education, he has not the voting franchise. No wonder he is compelled to seek out a predatory nocturnal existence.

Robert Neville grunted out a surly grunt. Sure, sure, he thought, but would you let your sister marry one?

He shrugged. You got me there, buddy, you got me there.

~~I Am Legend by Richard Matheson.

Name: Margaret

Status: Married for 3 years (this October!!!) together for almost 7

Location: Chicago Suburbs. I wish we lived closer to the city, but we found the most GORGEOUS house in 'burbs with a HUGE yard.

Children: #1 is on his way! his name will be Roland!!! Eagerly waiting his arrival are two "children" of the canine variety. Macduff and Bess. I do not fear motherhood due to Macduff. He can open the fridge on his own, open up a jar of peanut butter on his own and trouble finds him VERY WELL THANK YOU. He's like a furry big eared toddler crossed with a velociraptor. Bess, she's just well, SWEET and wants to be petted ALL OF THE TIME or she will DIE of WOE!

We had a handful of trouble getting started with Roland-about a year and 1/2. Due to insurance snafus that we couldn't start earlier I was literally 1 week away from starting fertility treatments when I found out I was pregnant. Cue HUGE sigh of relief. He is due mid April and I seriously CANNOT WAIT TO MEET HIM.


WOHM: I want to be a SAHM mom so bad it hurts. Unfortunately with the economy the way it is, my husband got let go from his REALLY cushy job that would have allowed that. :( I work in a hospital for my full time job and deal with people who throw things, or yell, or threaten legal action because I refuse to violate hippa laws for them. Nice huH? oh well, it pays the bills.

I have a 2nd part time job- I sew. Oh boy do I sew. My brother has a business that reproduces historical dresses and clothing and I am frequently called to pitch in, which I do because I LOVE IT. Someday I hope to pull of the WAHM thing with sewing and taking care of Roland and his (many I hope!) siblings.

Hobbies: American Civil war Reenacting, Reading- I am a HUGE Stephen King and David Sedaris fan, I love to cook. My husband and I are quasi vegetarian- we eat meat MAYBE once a week and its gotta be organic or Kosher, or Portillos Hot dogs which are neither, but are so delicious I personally make an exception. (those of you from the Chicago area and some parts of California will understand the Portillos lust!!! LOL!). I was a vegetarian for about 5-6 years, but I had to give it up because I just couldn't do it anymore. I kept getting sick and my diet was nowhere NEAR healthy.

Sewing is my BIG BIG BIG hobby. I have a HUGE sewing room that is painted the most eye searing shade of magenta because it makes me happy. I do modern, and historical. Historical is easier for me.


More about me:

I am the ADHD poster child. Disorganized, yep, distractible, oh HELLS yes. I also am about 99.999% sure i've got a secondary learning disability- Dyscalculia, its basically dyslexia but with numbers. I've got pretty much every symptom which stinks- my insurance won't cover the testing to make ABSOLUTELY SURE I have it, but my shrink says its EXTREMELY likely, due to me getting VERY high grades in all language arts, and then failing math classes.

My husband and I are Jewish. I was raised Catholic but converted. I do post a bunch of stuff about it in my blog, but thats just because its SO dang important to me. I was raised in a very liberally Catholic household, BUT my mother pitched a fit when I left the church. It upsets me still sometimes, and I gotta vent. I vent a LOT about my family. They are with the exception of my folks, brother and sister: a bunch of loud, crazy Irish extremely conservative Republicans who think that I am a: going to hell, or b: woefully ignorant. Whatever. I love them anyways, not in spite of but BECAUSE of how they are. They make me laugh when they're not preaching to me and I love them for it. Next to my husband, my brother is my most favorite person in the entire universe. We joke that we should have been twins- we pretty much have a time share on the same brain.


I am VERY much into the natural birth, breast feeding and cloth diapering. I try to be "green" as much as I can. (I have been known to open my mother's trash can and start rinsing cans she just threw in there to put in the recycle bin, makes her CRAZY it does!)

( YAY PICTURES!  )

my 18 month old girl has been a very picky eater .. to say the least. & i'm starting to become a little concerned.

she refuses to eat any food that has no color to it. at first, i was thinking that she only did that with her snack foods, like the rainbow-colored, cheddar goldfish?? she would eat the reds first, then greens, then the purples, & would not even touch the orange ones. & when i would bring her real food, like turkey, peas, noodle salad, cranberries.. she ate the black olives from the noodle salad, some peas, & the cranberries, & pushed everything else to the side. she normally really loves noodles, but lately she's been rejecting them no matter what i prepare them with.

in the mornings it seems like she'll only eat fruit or cereal.. i give her egg, & she'll spit it out. pancakes, she'll take a few bites & then i guess she gets annoyed with the texture?? because she'll spit it out after it's mashed up, like potatoes .. (she doesn't eat those, either.)

she'll have days where she eats one big meal & nibbles throughout the day, or a day where she just nibbles at food periodically .. & then a day where all she wants to do is eat. she seems to be in good health- she isn't pale, out of shape, sad, or lethargic. but she's starting to go more days nibbling at food than days of wanting to eat.

should i see a doctor about this?? or is it just a phase? i don't know.. opinions?? help??

"Because," explained Mary Rommely simply, "the child must have a valuable thing which is called imagination. The child must have a secret world in which live things that never were. It is necessary that she believe. She must start out by believing in things not of this world. Then when the world becomes too ugly for living in, the child can reach back and live in her imagination. I, myself, in this day and at my age, have great need of recalling the miraculous lives of the Saints and the great miracles that have come to pass on earth. Only by having these things in my mind can I live beyond what I have to live for."

-Betty Smith


also, a request: i'm looking for poems or quotes on books, or the love of reading, if you've any to share that would be wonderful!