Winter Break

I find that I still love to read all my favorite blogs and comment there but that I dread having to write my own. It was fun before the shock of the creep that had "thoughts" about my posts that had photos of my daughters. It just hasn't been the same since then.

So, I think that I will just keep my user name & just enjoy the rest of you fine writers thru short comments on your posts.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

The Phone Call

It is a very quiet post Thanksgiving Day and we are all watching a movie. The phone rings...

My husband: "Hello"
Caller: In funny fake French Accent. "May I speak to the fair Sydney?"
My husband: "And who is this?"
Caller: Tell her she is my Amore! click
My husband turns to my daughter and says, you're grounded until you turn 18.
My daughter: WHAT.....Who was it.....What did they say???

He recounts the phone call and we all die laughing. And of corse my daughter has NO IDEA who the caller might have been.

The boy was smart enough to block the caller id to "private".

First Kiss

The topic today at work (while we were trying EXTRA hard NOT to work)I mean what was the point it was the day before Thanksgiving Break started and everyone was watching for the bell to ring. Anyway the topic was First Kiss/First Love.

I hadn't thought of that moment for a really long time. It was fun to hear everyones, if we had been talking over happy hour the stories would have been better!

Let's see. His name was Allen. He was a senior in a really small town about 30 miles from mine and I had known him for a few years. He was quite cute, a rancher's son (boots, horses & 4H). I studied up all the areas that he competed in and of course watched them all. He was very nice and although I was sure he was just humoring the silly little Freshman that was following him around he really seemed to like my company. He ask me to ride the Ferris Wheel with him and causally slipped the arm around and gave me a kiss at the top. It was just getting dark & the fair lights were on, I almost passed out. Lucky for me he was the type that would walk you to your door and call your dad "Sir". He dated me that whole year. He'd write me a letter once a week and the greeting was always "Hey, Sweets!" isn't that cute? We went to the movies alot (I went to his Prom at the end of that year and I remember asking "Why in the world did you EVER ask me out?" He said, "All the other girls just flirted & teased me and you were always so sweet & polite, offering to help me or asking me serious questions." I guess you just grew on me :)

Such a good year, one of the best of my life!

Take Me Home Please!

Petfinders.com anywhere in the U.S. The best place to find a new addition to the family. If you or someone you know needs a special gift, maybe for Christmas? Please check it out.

My kids and I go once a month to play with the dogs up for adoption and help them get set up to show them. We used pet finder to find our Andy the kids like to talk about how they "saved" him, but he has given us more laughs, kisses & love then we ever thought possible.


Here are a few of the KC area Johnston family pics! Check them out or look for ones near you.

Bullseye is a spanielmix


Jesse a Scottish Terrier



Labrador Retriever,Golden Retriever Target

Weeken Fun

Sydney finally let me take her picture.


Sydney the "dark fairy"




We had soccer games, 2 slumber party invites and a Halloween party ALL happening on Saturday.

Sunday we took time out to have some fun raking a big leaf pile & hanging out. It was gorgeous outside today!

What a busy weekend.

Now, if I could just get my middle child to take her hair out of the ponytail once in awhile!

It's COMING!

OMG! How can this be possible? Link here

Now, divide that by number of paydays.

Good Day for a Picture

This Just In Inspired me to get my camera out and take Kate out for some pictures.

We had a good time!

Don't Forget to Vote!

Novermber 7th is coming! Make sure you vote for what direction you want your city, county and country to take. From voting for parks & recreation to voting in a new senator for your state. The stakes have never been higher!

I love that I can mail my vote in from my house and not worry about all the traffic and lines on election day!

I voted this morning :)

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen things I watched on t.v. this week.

1. Lost (it is so confusing this season!)
2. Grey's Anatomy (very steamy)
3. The Daily Show (I love Jon Stewart)
4. Studio 30 on the Sunset Strip
5. NBC Evening News
6. Men in Trees (very cute)
7. Gilmore Girls (have watched every season)
8. CSI (I have to tape due to MUST SEE GREY's ANATOMY)
9. Heroes (REALLY good)
10. Desperate Housewives
11. Brothers & Sisters
12. 15 min of Today before I leave for work each morning.
13. KC Chiefs Football (even though it was an ASS-Kicking by the Steelers)

300 million Americans!

The nation's population officially hit 300 million at 7:46 a.m. EDT Tuesday, when the Census Bureau's population clock rolled over to the big number.

The Bush Administration held no party or took time for a photo-op like President Johnson did in 1967 when we hit the 200 million mark.

According to the census bureau there is a death every 13 seconds, a birth every 7 seconds and every 13 seconds there is a new immigrant.

I think it would have been nice to have something positive celebrated about this, instead I hear a lot of complaining about illegal immigration again.

Happy 300 millionth American, to somebody …..somewhere, Welcome!
Whoever you are, I hope that you make the most of all this country has to offer.

Man is Dogs bestfriend or Vice Versa?

My husband looks so serious here! But, I was between the TV & him at the time and what else FOOTBALL was on! Dangerous place to be.

Andy (the dog) loves the weekends when his people are home to love him!

To Read, Is a Wonderful Thing

This picture is of my daughter, she is in 3rd grade. She loves to read, all my kids do. Books can open up whole new worlds of imagination to a child and it just makes me so sad to know that some kids don't get that nurturing time with their parents that reading together came bring.

A boy saw this picture on my screen saver in my office (I work in a school). He ask who it was, and I said it was my daughter and then I said how much she loves to read.
He just looked from me to the picture and then he said, "Too bad she doesn't have an Xbox." I told him we had a Playstation but that we still like books just as much. He just laughed and said that was "crazy-talk". I ask if he read books with his mom and he said "No" but I play X-box with my mamma's boyfriend". I ask what his favorite game was and he said, "Grand Theft Auto".

I couldn't believe it.....he is 6 years old.....and he thinks books are stupid.
I wanted to run right out and buy him some Disney & Dr. Seuss.....he is 6 years old

But how can can a book about Peter Pan or the great rhyme of Sam I Am compare to shooting at the police, buying drugs and picking up a hooker?

As I watched the evening news and it was filled with drive by shooting reports, I had a sudden fear that in 10 more years this could very well be that 6 year olds fate.

That night I started a new book with my daughter. We are reading the Spiderwick Chronicles and she reads a page and then I read a page. We are going to finish the book and then donate it to my daughter's classroom.

Maybe someone will check it out from the classroom library and decide that books can be as good an adventure as video games. I hope so.

Demon Nuts from Hell

Picture this: Lovely fall day and a group of parents sit in lawn chairs watching their kids practice soccer. Suddenly, a woman (me, I'm sad to say) jumps out of her chair! She is bent over gasping & making horrendous chocking sounds.

Another parent jumps in to try the Heimlich on her because she is sure that she is choking to death! As the good Samaritan is feeling me up, I frantically slap at her to stop. When I finally can speak I hold up a bag of Dan-D-Pak wasabi cashews & then gulps down my entire water bottle & with tears running down my face I say "Holy Shit!, those are hot". Okay, all the men & most of the woman break in to hysterical laughing and the coach has run to the side to make sure we are alright. One very straight laced parent looks at me with disdain because I have just shouted "Holy Shit" during youth league soccer. I think she needs to have more sex & less church but that could be a whole other post :)

I love Wasabi dipping sauce so I foolishly thought I could open the bag and throw an entire handful of the nuts in my mouth. I felt like the hair in my nose melted along with my esophagus & then my stomach lining. One parent says, "you know the other main ingredient in the sauce is honey!"(she was still laughing so hard she now had tears in her eyes too)

When I can focus my vision enough to read the label I see that is basically straight Wasabi powder & cashews.

After the others stop laughing they begin to offer suggestions like: water won't work to cool down your mouth (I figured that out right away) but yogurt, milk, or ice cream will work. Okay, where the hell am I going to find some of that on the soccer field???? Thanks for the tip!

Then my daughter runs over and says "Hey, where is my extra water bottle?" Everyone starts laughing again! One kind soul gave my daughter an extra bottle that they had brought. My daughter walks back on the field, glancing back over her shoulder periodically to see why everyone is still laughing.

I can hardly wait to attend soccer this week. I will bring a magazine and NO snacks & do my very best NOT to shout out any profanities.

Kansas State 31, Oklahoma St. 27

I am not a huge sports fanatic but I live with one!

But, I must admit even I was jumping up and down this weekend when Freshman quarterback Josh Freeman ran for a 21-yard touchdown with 1:11 left to help Kansas State rally for a 31-27 victory over Oklahoma State on Saturday. I was even more impressed the coach had the balls to bench some seniors with bad attitude and poor performances in the past weeks. Of course, if they had lost.....he'd be in deep shit.

And the KC Chiefs won on Sunday.

And we had one tie & one loss in the family for soccer games Saturday.

And now, I realize that Monday is tomorrow and it is totally going to kick my ass!!!

Saturday Nights...Not the same

"Jane, you ignorant slut!" Find a sound bite for it here.

I have loved to watch SNL since I had to sneak out of bed to watch it as a 13 year old. I was really spying on my older sisters, isn't that the best place to discover cool new things. Anyway,

My favorite skits were the satirical news updates from SNL and the humorous banter between Weekend Update anchors Jane Curtin & Dan Aykroyd were the best. I loved the old news teams.

Sadly, SNL is not as good these days. What is your favorite quote from SNL? I have bolded mine below :)



Catch phrases/memorable quotes
"I'm Gumby Damn it" Eddie Murphy
"Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead. But his condition is stable."
Chevy Chase on Weekend Update
"But nooooooo!"
John Belushi
"My name is Nooney. Look at my lips. Nooooooney!"
Fred Armison
"Jane, you ignorant slut"
Dan Aykroyd on Weekend Update in response to Jane Curtain's editorial.
"We are two wild and crazy guys!"
Steve Martin and Dan Aykroyd as the Festrunk Brothers
"I'm Chevy Chase, and you're not"
Chevy Chase on Weekend Update
"My father always used to say, it's always something. If it's not one thing, it's another"
Gilda Radner
"Never mind."
Gilda Radner as Emily Litella, SNL News correspondant
"You Look Mahvelous!"
Billy Crystal as Fernando
"Yeah, that's the ticket!"
Jon Lovitz as Tommy Flanagan, Pathological Liar
"Isn't That Special?"
Dana Carvey as Church Lady
"Ve are goink to pump (clap) you up!"
Kevin Nealon and Dana Carvey as Hans and Franz
"I'm all verklempt ... (sniff) ... talk amongst yourselves .. I'll give you a topic ...."
Mike Myers as Linda Richman
"I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!"
Al Franken as Stuart Smalley
"Excellent!"
Dana Carvey and Mike Myers, Waynes World
"...Not!"
Dana Carvey and Mike Myers, Waynes World
"We're not worthy!"
Dana Carvey and Mike Myers, Waynes World
"Da Bears!"
Chris Farley, Mike Myers, George Wendt, and Robert Smigel; Bill Swerski's Superfans
"And I live...in a van...down by the river!"
Chris Farley as Matt Foley, Motivational Speaker
"Buh-bye"
David Spade
"You guessed it – Frank Stallone"
Norm MacDonald on Weekend Update
"...which just goes to prove my theory – Germans love David Hasselhoff!"
Norm MacDonald on Weekend Update
"Simmah Down Nah!!!"
Cheri Oteri as Nadine
"Well, guess what?! I got a fever! And the only prescription...is more cowbell!"
Christopher Walken, Blue Oyster Cult sketch
"I Love it-Love it-Love it"
Molly Shannon, Helen Madden, Joyologist
"Super Star!"
Molly Shannon, Mary Katherine Gallagher
"Strategery"
Will Ferrell as George W. Bush
“That show was delightful. No, no, it was brilliant. No no no, no, there is no word to describe its perfection, so I’m forced to make one up, and I’m going to do so right now: scrumtrilescent.”
Will Ferrell as James Lipton
"Lockbox"
Darrell Hammond as Al Gore
"Baseball been berry, berry good to me."
Garret Morris as Chico Escuela
"It's the number one killer of domestic cats!"
Rachel Dratch as Debbie Downer (talking about feline AIDS)
"You can't have-a de Mango!"
Chris Kattan as Mango
"That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!"
Colin Quinn on Weekend Update

Howling with the Wolves

My seventh grade daughter left yesterday for the
International Wolf Center in Superior National Forest in Ely, Minnesota, gateway to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. They will stay in cabins inside the park and they have signed up for various workshops like "Howling with the Wolves" and "Wolves and the Wetlands".

The older my kids get the more independent they become and when she was ask to go on this trip our first instinct was to say no. But, we reconsidered thinking we have known the family taking her since Kindergarten and Abbey is really interested in ecology and environmental sciences; hard to deny her the opportunity.

She didn’t want any help from me to pack. “Mom, I can do it.” Even the night before when I said, can I help? “MOM, I’m DONE!” I offered to take the day off to be there when she was picked up, “MOM, I’m fine!”

The day she left she called me twice; sounding very nervous. I ask her if she wanted me to run home and see her off and she quietly said, “No, they will be here any minute (pause) “so bye, I love you Mom”. Okay, my heart did a little flip because those are words you don’t hear as much when they get older. As I hung up the phone I pictured her at age 3 going off to her first day of preschool. I barely even got a good-bye from her as she flew into the classroom in the cutest little flower dress & matching hat. But, when I picked her up that day she came flying out of that same classroom and into my arms, “I love you Mommy” she said.

I can’t wait for her to get back and tell me all about her adventure!

Can You Do It?

This drove me crazy all day! I can't do it no matter how hard I concentrate.

Draw a clockwise circle on the floor with your right foot (while sitting).
Draw a number 6 in the air with your right hand at the same time as you are circling your foot.

Your foot will stop or reverse directions. SO WEIRD!
Needless to say I didn't get much paperwork done today

Strange Happy Place

I'm sure we all have more than one "Happy Place". While driving in the car the other day we were switching the radio station around and ACDC Back In Black came on. When the song ended my 13 year old daughter said, "Geesh Mom you kind of zoned out" I guess I completely stopped talking and was drumming on the stick shift of the car and even bobbing my head around a little. TOTALLY unconsciously! My son called out from the back sit, "Mom's happy place is old acid rock!" Who knew?

However, when we got home I saw my son looking for the song on-line and I asked if he was trying to embarrass me and he said, "No, it's a cool song and I think I'd like it on my mp3. Maybe I'm not the dowdy suburban mom I thought I was after all.

Rock on....

Where Do You Hail From?

I am lucky that both sides of my family have great genealogy records. If your family hasn't done it yet there has never been a better time. The technology to help you today is just amazing compared to way we did ours years ago.

I thought telling you about mine might be fun.

My mothers maiden name was Clouston. It has been traced back to 1024. Our family were descendants of King Malcolm II of Scotland and King Magnus the Good of Norway. They had grandchildren that married. The name Clouston comes from the tradition back then to take your surname from your HOME. Cloustath was the original spelling. The family lived in the Orkney Islands. There is still a tunship in Stromness Scotland called Clouston.

This side of my family came to America in 1818 to West Virginia, near Cameron. They founded a township. We have pictures of the Clouston Methodist Church and General Store.

It is so cool to have copies of gravestone rubbings and sketches of family crests from stain glass windows in Scotland.

My family moved to Ness County, Kansas in 1879 on covered wagons. This was 18 years after Kansas had been admitted to the Union. They were ranchers, horse breeders and my favorite ancestor is Wiley Clouston who was the sheriff from 1887 to 1892. Kind of cool that my ancestor was a cowboy sheriff. Hey, Wyatt Earp & Bat Masterson were in Dodge City which was 60 miles from Ness.

I also have traced my grandmothers side (Last name Doty) to the original Mayflower Voyage!

My dads family (DeShazo) back to the 1200's in Luzanne, Switzerland and the Doubs River Valley in France. They came to settle in Virginia, Alabama and then to homestead in Oklahoma during the Great Land Rush.

I'd love to hear some of "Where you all hail from!"

This picture is the "Skyscrapper of the Plains" it has been beautifully restored and last year my nephew had prom in the ballroom!

Autumn is Coming

Autumn is my favorite season and next week it will officially be here. I love the smell of fireplaces burning and I can't wait for the beautiful fall folige that we have here in the Mid West. Our town is just beautiful this time of year. I'm looking forward to hayrack rides, fall festivals and leaf pile jumping.

Weird that yesterday it was 90 degrees and my daughter and I both got sunburns at her soccer game. This morning it is 65 and the windows are all open.

I'm going to spend the day unpacking the fall clothes, I am still afraid to put away all the summer stuff since I have been applying sunburn cream to the top of my ears all day.

Instead of grilling hamburgers outside I will whip up a big batch of chili (dusting of the crock pot from it's summer vacation in the cupboard).

I would know that it is Autumn even if the weather hadn't suddenly jumped 20 degrees in 48 hours. The males in the house are in full football mode! Sigh

You've Come Along Way Baby!

I love this post from the sneeze. Check out the old Battleship Game box. www.thesneeze.com/ The man and his heir get to play the game; while the little woman and her wife in training get to do the dishes.

That would so NOT fly today!

Five Years Ago Today

Really, it's hard to believe it's been 5 years since this awful day changed the world. In some ways, it seems like yesterday. In other ways, it seems like a long time ago.

I remember that morning five years ago. I worked as an office manager for a large church and I heard the news report on the radio as I dropped my older children off at school. When I walked in the office I ask the custodian to please bring the television cart in and we hooked up the cable and watched the entire thing unfold, pretty much in silence. Not long after the second tower fell. I turned to the minister and said, "People are going to start coming in". By noon that day we had many people praying in the sanctuary and we were planning a service for that evening. I think ever church had a service that night.

I remember being afraid for my children's future. Would this become a regular occurrence in America? We have been very lucky that nothing of this magnitude has taken place since.

I'm hoping our luck holds and I am making sure I raise my children to be tolerant of others religions and beliefs because I have to believe that if everyone could learn not to judge and not to hate that the world will be a much better place.

Fall TV

I hate it when my favorite shows change nights! I mean damn, why wasn't I consulted? When you have 6 people in your house (even if you have 4 televisions) it is always a fight for what gets watched.

We have set down every Thursday night for the past 5 years and watched CSI. If we were out, we set our VCR to watch it later. But, this year they have moved my Sunday night favorite Grey's Anatomy to the same time! I am the only one in the family that watched it but I loved it; McDreamy is incredibly steamy!!! I'll have to tape it.

I discovered over the summer that Netflix had pilots of new upcoming shows for rent, this was great! We rented several and now we already know what we liked. Timothy Hutton's Kidnapped was really good. I also kind of liked Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. The older kids are wanting to watch NBC's new show Heroes.

What is everyone else planning to fight over the remote for???
I'm probably going to have to break down and get TiVo.

Tolerance Anyone?

I received an email forward from someone recently that said "Boycott Muslim Holiday Stamp". A Muslim-themed stamp was chosen to reflect the religious diversity in America. The Postal Service issues 35 to 40 new stamps a year chosen from among 50,000 recommendations and drawings submitted annually.

The email I received was just full of intolerance. It basically said that the stamp was promoting terrorists and dishonoring our soldiers in Iraq. Then it had the most stupid sentence. "Let's remember that these people don't even believe in Jesus or Christmas!!!" Okay, DUH! First, it is a Muslim holiday so yes they don't believe in Jesus or Christmas and second, aren't we suppose to be a nation of immigrants of all faiths & nations. So, I think as long as the U.S. postage department makes Holiday Christmas stamps we should also have Hanukkah, EID, Kwanza etc.... because EVERYONE that is a U.S. citizen should be able to buy a stamp that reflects their heritage.

I am so tired of hearing that we should all hate and that everyone in one ethnic group should be persecuted for the acts of others that share that heritage.

Okay, I'm off my soap box! I'll post something more fun tomorrow!

If you don't know what Eid is:
Eid ul-Adha (Arabic: عيد الأضحى) occurs on the tenth day of the Islamic month of Dhul Hijja. It is one of two Eid festivals that Muslims celebrate. Eid ul-Adha is celebrated by Muslims worldwide as a commemoration of Prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son(Ishmael) for (Allah)God. Others celebrate Eid-ul Adha as it marks the end of the Pilgrimage or Hajj for the millions of Muslims who make the trip to Mecca each year. Like Eid ul-Fitr, Eid ul-Adha also begins with a short prayer followed by a khutba. In Mecca, the Khutba is delivered from Mount Arafat.

Back To School

The ending of summer is always tough, but this year it seemed like an entire era for our family had past. It seems like just yesterday I was buying crayons, glue and Disney lunch boxes for everyone. Where does the time go?

I now have a high school student. One of almost 2,000 at his high school. This is a shock for someone that came from a class of 35! I had to buy a better scientific calculator and geometry supplies. He didn't even seem nervous that first morning.

I also sent two girls off to middle school. The population at that school is around 900. They spend there free time talking on the phone and seem only to need me as a driver to various meeting places: the mall, the theatre or some friends home.

I've spent the last few weeks helping everyone find backpacks that will hold the huge pile of books & binders required and with the girls many trips to the mall were required to get them fashionable. It was just so different for me than it was last year.

At least I still have one grade schooler to keep me feeling young. We had a great time shopping for the cutest tinkerbell backpack and the usual crayons :)

Dumped

I have done something stupid! Due to what I can only blame on a genetic defect (I have some very high strung relatives)

I have deleted my ENTIRE BLOG! Yep, six months of my ramblings and thoughts in the dumpster.

I must admit that I do regret the action but at the time it was 2 a.m. and I was having some sort of mental breakdown. I usually am very easy going but I at times can have fits of anger (I will stomp, curse & if I am in rare form...throw things). I am having a very stressful summer. During some sort of psychotic episode at 2 a.m. I deleted my blog and ripped some handwritten journal pages to shreds. I then cried for an hour and went to bed.

One blog related reason was that some jerk posted something very NOT acceptable about my daughter (psycho perv that needs a good castration).

It apparently was the last straw.