Single~Parents; Anna's Family...

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Good Morning... (Yes, it is still snowing)...

As promised, here is that proverbial can of worms...

I am hoping that you have an opinion for (and OF) me when you finish reading this all.

In advance I need to apologize for being in such a foul mood. (But to counter that, I only need to think of my children and grandchildren; and the "family" that I have)...

Yes, this is wordy, but where my children have the propensity of being hurt, there are never enough words...

This is my family...

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(Right from my living room wall)!

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Some of you have asked plenty of questions of myself; others have not. (Sadly a few who didn't bother to 'ask' have been terribly wrong within their assumptions)...

Please know that I would rather answer a question honestly, than to have anyone 'think' they might 'know' me; forego their questions, and be wrong enough to cause pain.

Now, (you know who you are)... Forgive me ma'am, for knowing that you have only lashed out because of the ignorance of your own assumptions. I shall try to correct that for you. Strangely it occurs to me that I am also "assuming"... But where you could not have been further from the truth, I am thinking what I have to say might be a bit more accurate.

Oddly enough, I have my own questions too.

I have been fighting the inane and assinine attitudes toward single parenting since my eldest was 3 years old, and my then husband decided to leave for Germany with his betrothed to escape his child support responsibilities. I only state this to give you a bit of background; surely now it would fail to be important for any other reason.

Me now... more backgound...

I am, PROUDLY, a single mother. My children have given me that pride; for I would not have it if not for their constant and abiding love.

Both of my parents are deceased. Having been adopted young, both of my birthparents ARE still alive and kicking; though not together. (Hey, they were 'together' for the most important day of my life; and that is all that matters).

I am thinking that there are plenty of single mothers out there who will care to share with me... their own experiences, their own thoughts and perhaps their own questions and answers.

Or perhaps you know a single parent family...

Or maybe you have a bit of both compassion and comprehension to offer.

I believe it was G.K. Chesterton that said the worst thing you can do is misunderstand what someone has written. (along those lines anyway)... Therefore, I hope you do not misread this; or not understand it as I mean it to be written.

And now the 'inspiration' for my post here...

I tried to stick up for a friend of mine who needs her sleep. That backfired when another person had responded, not knowing the 1st thing about me, and completely misunderstanding what I had said. I had simply explained that when people are sick, to send everyone to bed with a ziploc bag to put under their pillows so nobody has to be cleaning up vomit in the middle of the night. (Yes, I have done this nasty task more times than I care to remember, and have even tossed bedsheets because I had no more energy to deal with it all)... I did not have to be there to watch my children barf... Really I didn't; not after they had reached a certain age anyway. This does NOT make me a bad mother. (Crap, did I forget to mention that my bedroom was attached directly to the bathroom)???

And yes, I have "been there," repeatedly, for my grown children as they have been taken seriously ill.

This blog began because my friends daughter (17 years old), had woken up in the middle of the night with a 24 hr. flu~bug of sorts. She had used her cell phone to call her mother, (asleep with her husband in the other bedroom), to tell her she was going to be sick. I ('assumed' the family was well~off enough to have indoor plumbing. That established, I further) stated I would lay good money betting on the fact that if this girl had time to make the phone call, and then wait for the connection, then wait even longer for her mother to answer, and then through a conversation, (no matter how short), that she had MORE than enough time to get her backside to the toilet. (It was just a guess). Instead she woke her mother, asking her bring a wastebasket to her room. (It just seemed a little selfish, silly and disrespectful to me). I was told that the hubby would probably agree with me 100%, but that my friend did not.

But like I said though I have a few 'Q & A' of my own...

How hard is it to be a single mother? (This is usually the greatest question of all)..

It is neither hard nor easy. You do what you have to do; your family lives through it with plenty of prayer, humor, hormones and life. Because I have known no other way to raise children, I would have nothing to compare it to. With the exception of how I was raised by two parents. I tried to incorporate what both of my parents taught me then. ie: how I was raised. My parents while they lived helped me all they could; and so did my wonderful babysitter "Little Lisa" who practically lived with me to help me out at times.

My parents were born in 1912 and 1916... To say I was raised "old school" would be very accurate.

Was I ever beaten/abused by my parents? Absolutely not. Hindsight (and maturity) bringing a bit of wisdom, I did deserve every punishment I ever got from them. Whether I was backhanded, spanked, cussed out, grounded, slapped or kicked in the butt, I received only what was coming to me. (And to this day, I have YET to hear better sermons).

And so I was, and remain, motivated to keep trying to be a decent human being.

We were completely cherished and loved, but we were NOT ever molly~coddled.

When we fell down, we were told simply to "get up". Picking ourselves up, no matter how bloody our knees or elbows were taught us to stand on our own two feet.

When were were sick, we either saw a doctor for an RX, or we got better on our own. Honestly, I cannot recall even once expecting my mother or father to watch me throw up. (Nor did they ever offer to)!

My children got spanked when they were little. (Some a few times more than others).

Yet they have ALL grown into wonderful, self~sufficient, capable adults.

Does that mean that they do not "need" me now? Absolutely not. (I would like to think that sharing my own experiences with them on an adult level would account for much).

I believe that my parents taught me a deep and abiding respect for them. And yes, maybe I didn't always respect them as I should have; but you can bet your bottom dollar that I knew the consequences of my actions. (I believe this is where the elements of "respect" and "responsibility" are learned).

Much like science, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. This applies to parenting as well. Good parenting anyway. (And no, I did not "beat" my children). Truth be told, 99.99% of the time, a simple "LOOK" from me worked just fine. hehehe

I have been known to make a mountain out of a molehill. That is just the way I am... (Perhaps this is one of those times, but my heart tells me otherwise).

Having had my daughters each go on their 1st dates/proms/dinners, I could imagine every possible scenario of any bad/good situation. I raised them to KNOW how to deal with those same scenarios too.

Was I tough? I was. I had to be; simply because I was the Mom and the Dad too. They never heard 'just wait til your father gets home' because after the divorce, he chose not to be involved in their lives. I never had the luxury of passing the buck on to someone else. (I would not have done so anyway).

I was their confidante, and I was their "heavy" too. I never backed down from a challenge, whether that challenge came from my children or their friends, or the neighbors kids, or the neighbors themselves. (But that's a whole 'nother blog)! hehehe

We had one telephone line, and one toilet. They learned patience, practicality and perseverance early on.

We are a team.

We are 'family.'

They all 'worked' too.

They knew how to vacuum, and to sort and DO laundry. They knew how to start the weedwacker and the lawnmowers. They knew how to shovel snow (and sometimes even had fun doing it). They were responsible enough to care for the dog and the cat. They knew what were weeds and what was a keeper in our gardens.

When they were younger, they were each given an alarm clock for the Christmas or birthday before they went to kindergarten.

They all knew how to read by the time they got to kindergarten, and yes, they all knew how to use their alarm clocks to make the very best use of their time in the bathroom, and each eating a hot breakfast before they got on the bus.

They all knew how to cook that same breakfast by the time they were 7 or 8. (My oldest knew how to cook that breakfast before she was old enough to even go to school).

Did they know how to take care of themselves? You bet they did; (and they still DO)!

As they grew, I always had my old medical reference books nearby, and any questions were then discussed, if/when they had any. From a very young age, they ALL read these books many times over. A little knowledge goes a long way.

As a single parent, I was always aware of how short life can be cut for some; and it was with that fear, if you will, that I raised my kids. (Losing my step~daughter last September has only reinforced what I already knew about life being short, and leaving small children behind).

What would have happened to my children had I died? Would they have been intelligent enough, kind enough, capable enough, and smart enough to carry on? I wanted to make sure that they were. (Know please, I am not "dissing" those of you with a spouse; I am only relating MY life). As a single parent with no other parent around, these are the questions that I needed to know the answers to should that have ever happened...

So was I hard on them? Probably more~so than most other parents; single or otherwise.

There is such a negative connotation that "parent~alone" cannot possibly raise decent, God~Loving, respectful, and responsible children... (Falling back on the love I received from my own parents, I would still move heaven and earth to dispel that notion).

With respect to my childrens hard work, successes, kindnesses and intelligence, we have since raised each other "right" ...(Thank you kids)!

Having been both mother and father; yes, I still cherish every single one of those Fathers Day cards that I have received over the years too! hehehe

Have I made mistakes? Of course I have. I am only human. But as we grow, we realize that the mistakes we make are our own learning experiences as well.

Have my children screwed up? Of course they have!

Do I love them any less for that? Of course not! (And yes, a note to the faithful, I know my own progeny hold no animosity toward my own screw~ups either).

In closing... (as you are wondering WHERE this is all going)... I would like to say that I received these words from an uninvolved 3rd party in response to how I handled my own barfy children... And I quote:

"I’m a Mom and I believe Mom’s are there to care for (your) kids.

That is the problem with the world today…

I think some just shove off the kids letting them be little adults.

Care for themselves… nope. So then we have a bunch of detached non-caring, no emotions types walking around."

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I cannot begin to tell you what an UGLY statement that is to me, and how very deeply it has affected me these past couple of days. Should my four children read these words, they will be hurt; and highly offended as well...

I just don't think that "detached" or "non~caring" and "no emotion" are adjectives that could possibly be used to describe MY children...

I am just wondering what everyone else thinks; and would welcome your input on this all.

Could this woman/mother possibly be right in her thinking about how to care for children?

I know I am not the very best mother around. I know that there are many that are much better (and sadly we all know of worse ones too). But I didn't think I was all that bad.

There is a time for pampering, and a time for allowing the child to care for themselves. What a rude awakening we would leave our children with as they go off to college, to live elsewhere etc etc etc ... What will they fall back on if their parents die?

Yes. I am their mother/father. I love each of my children "something awful" (But no, I am still not gonna watch them puke). Methinks there are much greater, and more important, ways to be needed anyway.

But that's just me.

Please let me know what YOU think just so I can put this one away.

Have a great weekend. (I am going to try to go back to bed for a while)...

XOXO
Anne

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PS

* If there are young men around, please know that your mother is not doing you any favors by coddling you if you have already reached puberty. And I know for a fact that there are at least 4 young ladies in this world that will have nothing to do with a Little Mama's Boy who cannot even make his own bed, clean his own laundry, or cook his own sensible dinner. At best, that is an archaic way of thinking. At worst? Hmmmm... (nope, NOT going there)...

Prayers and Stories...

Good Morning to ALL

I hope everyone is safe.

I will post a "me" blog shortly (even though I have already been told it is a "can of worms"), but first I believe that many people need a few prayers for their own safety, their spirits and their children.

Please take a moment to care "enough" for others... There are many within our own little circles of friends that also need a little extra friendship and love too...

XOXO
Anne

PS ...

I have never been afraid of worms... (I don't like 'em much, but I am not afraid of 'em)!

hehehe

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Time for others:

Tornadoes Rip Through Alabama, Killing 7

5 Killed By Tornado At A High School

CBS News Interactive: Winter Watch

(CBS News) With no time to send students home as storms raced their way, officials herded Erin Garcia and her high school classmates into the halls.

Outside, the skies grew so dark that lights at the airport came on in the middle of the day.

Then the tornado sirens started up.

And inside Enterprise High School, the lights went out.

"I was just sitting there praying the whole time," said Garcia, a 17-year-old senior.

As students and staff took shelter, a twister blew out the school's walls and collapsed its roof, killing at least five people Thursday. The death toll varied wildly, with officials reporting 15 dead at the school at one point, then backing off that figure.

The hallway Garcia was in was spared, but a roof and wall collapsed on students nearby.

"It was scary. It sounded like a bunch of people trying to beat the wall down. It was complete chaos out in the hallway," she said.

"People didn't know where to go. They were trying to lead us out of the building. I kept seeing people with blood on their faces," Garcia said.

At least one other person was killed elsewhere in Enterprise, a city of about 23,000 some 75 miles south of Montgomery. Another died across the state in rural Millers Ferry, where trailer homes were flipped and trees toppled, officials said.

The burst of tornadoes was part of a larger line of thunderstorms and snowstorms that stretched from Minnesota to the Gulf Coast. Authorities blamed a tornado for the death of a 7-year-old girl in Missouri, and twisters also were reported in Kansas.

As night fell, crews dug through piles of rubble beneath portable lights at the 1,300-student school, looking for other victims.

"The number could very well increase as the search effort continues through the night," state emergency management spokeswoman Yasamie Richardson said.

More than 50 people were hospitalized as the violent storm front crossed the state.

Several school systems across Alabama closed or dismissed students early Thursday as the storm front approached from the west, extending the length of the state.

Garcia said students had gathered in hallways around 11 a.m. as a precaution. Some were allowed to have parents pick them up, and school buses lined up to take the others around 1 p.m., she said, but the warning sirens came on.

The storm struck about 1:15 p.m., and Richardson said some students were still trapped three hours later.

Martha Rodriguez, a 15-year-old sophomore, said she had left the school about five minutes before the storm hit. When she returned, a hall at the school had collapsed, she said.

"The stadium was destroyed, and there were cars tipped over in the parking lot and trees were ripped out. There were trees and wood everywhere. It was just horrible," she said.

The school "appears to have been right in the path," said Paul Duval, a meteorologist with National Weather Service in Tallahassee, Fla., which monitors southeast Alabama.

Shelters opened in Enterprise for those whose homes were damaged. The state sent in about 100 National Guard troops, plus emergency personnel, lights and generators.

Forecasters blamed the tornadoes on a severe thunderstorm condition known as a sustained supercell — violent weather that can track for hundreds of miles, reports CBS News correspondent Mark Strassmann. It was part of a giant storm that stretched from Minnesota to the Florida Panhandle.

"It's affecting a large amount of real estate," says National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration meteorologist Dennis Feltgen. "And all the ingredients necessary to produce a widespread severe weather outbreak are in place."

The same system was blamed for a tornado that killed a 7-year-old girl in Missouri.

Howell County Sheriff Robbie Crites identified the young victim as Elizabeth Croney. Her mother, father and two brothers were injured when a tornado hit their mobile home in a rural wooded area near West Plains, Crites said.

"We were looking outside and stuff, and pretty soon we seen a real dark cloud. I looked out and ... we had some debris just kind of floating in the air," Marleen Tackett, who owns the Hitching Post Cafe not far from the Croney home, told CBS Radio News. "We were just on the tail end of it here. It just came and went that fast."

President Bush, who visited New Orleans on Thursday, was briefed on the tornadoes by senior staff and called Alabama Gov. Bob Riley and Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt, White House spokeswoman Dana Perrino said aboard Air Force One.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency was working with officials in both states, she said.

In Caulfield, Mo., resident Rick Jarvis heard the storm ripping through his gas station around dawn. His home next door suffered just minor damage, but the twister, described by witnesses as a fat black column, shredded the business, ripping down its roof and back wall.

"It sounded like a herd of horses tearing up stuff. When I came out, it was done," said Jarvis, 48.

As the system pushed eastward Thursday night, tornado watches remained in effect in eastern Alabama and were posted in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.

Meanwhile, in the Plains and Midwest, a winter storm brought heavy, wet snow and blizzard conditions Thursday, with some areas anticipating as much as two feet of snow by Friday.

Hundreds of schools closed in several states, miles of highway were shut down and some airline delayed or canceled flights. At least two people were killed when their car overturned on a slick road in North Dakota.

(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved).

credit to: http://wfrv.com/topstories/topstories_story_060100713.html

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Mar 1, 2007 10:33 pm US/Central

Another Winter Storm Blasts Through Wisconsin

Closings & Cancellations List

Winter Fun Photos

(WFRV) GREEN BAY The third winter storm in a week whipped through Wisconsin, snarling travel Thursday and possibly causing part of a supermarket roof to collapse.

Hundreds of schools in western, central and northern Wisconsin were shut down Thursday as snow accumulated 4 to 6 inches in the northwest by mid-afternoon, and some officials also contemplated calling off classes Friday as the snowfall continued.

"There is nothing vertical. It is totally sideways," Kent Bergum, the high school principal in Superior, said of the snowfall there Thursday afternoon. "We are in a good, ol' fashioned blizzard. It is nasty outside."

Meteorologists forecast wind gusts of 50 mph before the storm blew through, he said. "I don't know how we are going to have school tomorrow (Friday). We called it off today. It is supposed to be worse."

The National Weather Service forecast 12 to 22 inches of snow in the far northwest, 12 to 16 inches in the rest of the north, 6 to 12 inches in some central areas and 4 to 7 inches in the Fox Valley.

"This storm is the 'little brother' to Sunday's whopper," Storm Team 5's Tom Mahoney said. "It will end in time to enjoy the first March weekend."

The precipitation turned primarily into rain in the south Thursday after an inch or two of snow, but some light snow was expected to return late Thursday night and continue into Friday.

Part of the flat roof collapsed at a Pick 'n Save store in the Milwaukee suburb of Brookfield about 8 a.m. Thursday. Police Capt. Jim Adlam said the cause of the collapse had not yet been determined, but "I would assume it was the weight of the snow."

There were few customers in the store at the time, and no one was injured, he said.

"We were just lucky," he said.

A 30-by-50 foot section of the roof between two support columns fell, primarily in one piece, said Colin Curtis, Brookfield's deputy fire chief.

Grocery store worker Joe Foltz said there was a crackling shortly before the portion collapsed.

"We thought maybe milk crates crashed on the floor," he said. "About 10 minutes later, it started going down. The roof started crackling, and there was almost like a domino effect going to the right of the building toward the produce department on the corner of the building. So I rushed everybody out of the emergency exit door and, thank God, we got everybody out."

Jeff Dunn said he was in the checkout line buying cream for his coffee when part of the roof fell.

"As I turned to run to the exit, the glass actually fell where the entry of the door was," he said. "If there was anyone standing over there, they probably would have been killed."

The Thursday storm followed others that dumped up to a foot and a half of snow on parts of the state last weekend.

Mitchell International Airport at Milwaukee was closed for a little more than an hour Thursday so snow and slush could be cleared from the runways but it reopened about 9 a.m., airport spokeswoman Pat Rowe said. Morning flights were delayed by as much as four hours, but there were only minor delays by mid-afternoon, she said.

Angela Jones, 31, of Superior kept her two children home after their daycare closed and a blizzard warning was posted for that area.

"I am glad I didn't have to go out in this," she said. "The lady I talked to in the daycare said that when she drove to work there would be some clear spaces, and then all of a sudden there would be a snow drift across the road and you couldn't see anything."

(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

Credit to: http://wfrv.com/topstories/local_story_060070929.html

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Until Later...

XOXO
Anna-Anna!

credit for above prayer picture CLICK HERE

The Lion Must Die too!

Good Morning Everyone!

I have been up for quite a while; (and with my head I am guessing it might be a real riot clearing snow today, tonight, tomorrow)... But never a dull moment here in Flintville. The winds have kicked up already, and it is supposed to get worse before it gets better. (If you haven't figured it out, it generally gets better by May)! hehehe

"Hooray Hooray" and all that...

But for now we are starting over...

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From this.................................. back to this...

and today that little box will probably get covered once more...

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And here we go again...

"A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM CST FRIDAY. THE SNOW WILL BE FOLLOWED BY A PERIOD OF LIGHTER SNOW AND FREEZING DRIZZLE LATE TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING. SNOW...HEAVY AT TIMES...WILL REDEVELOP ON THURSDAY AND CONTINUE INTO THURSDAY NIGHT. THE SNOW MAY BE MIXED WITH SLEET AT TIMES...(WHICH COULD REDUCE THE SNOWFALL TOTALS A BIT). MOST PLACES SHOULD SEE TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS IN THE 8 TO 12 INCH RANGE... unfunny! WITH THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS WEST AND NORTH OF THE FOX VALLEY. (unfunnier; I live apx 40 miles NW of the Fox Cities)... STRONG EAST WINDS ARE ALSO ANTICIPATED...SO SOME BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW IS POSSIBLE. THE STORM WILL MAKE TRAVEL DIFFICULT IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE. THE SNOW IS ALSO EXPECTED TO BE OF THE WET HEAVY VARIETY...AND WILL BE VERY DIFFICULT TO SHOVEL. Gee, ya think??? (Like I might have mentioned yesterday I am not impressed, nor has my sense of humor returned)!

CaseyAnne came out for lunch yesterday; Roberta and Gabriel as well... A nice meal of "Tater~Tot Casserole." Mmmmm.... And HOT from the oven, (just in case anyone was cold)! hehehe Master Gabriel was brought up, (and put down for a nap), and just has been feeling a bit poorly the last few days. I told Berta to take him in and just get him checked out... (Like BEFORE the Snowstorm)... She did, and he has a bit of fluid surrouding the middle ear. He now has a script for antibiotics. They are at home in Pulaski... Warm there too, so I won't worry.

At least I won't worry like the dogs did last night.... I had put The Punkster outside to piddle, having brought Milly inside as I told them it was going to snow AGAIN.

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Miss Punk would NOT believe what I had told them; and had to go look for herself just as it had begun to snow....

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Miss Milly says, "I am tired of snow too."

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"I just don't like it anymore!"

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"and I will NOT listen to what you are saying anymore!" ~la~la~la~la~la~la~la~

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Slowly but surely, it began to snow...

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and to begin to "white~wash" ...and decorate the already melting snowbanks...

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HUGE snowflakes at first...

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some like meteorites falling from the Heavens...

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And enough so I would go out and shovel the doorway a little after 10PM last night...

A few of you have asked what would happen if we didn't shovel and plow? Suffice it to say that the rescue squad could not get in the yard when I have heart failure from all that shoveling! ...hehehe ~Now, all kidding aside, as it melts it would then turn to ice, and the driveway and footpaths that were impassible and impossible snow~covered, would then be downright dangerous... So no, we always shovel and plow to at least be accessible.

But, if I were a bear, I would NOT have to shovel at all!

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But I have heard that it is NOT such a bad thing to be a bear either...

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hehehe.....

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And just so you know, when I read that bear thing out loud to Miss Milly and The Punkster, I had their complete and undivided attention...

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they thought it sounded like a good idea too! hehehe

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But for now, I must be getting my backside outside once again, and try to get ahead of how much we are still going to be getting, (in addition to the 3~4 inches we received last night)...

So I hope everybody around these parts has recovered sufficiently to be wielding a shovel once more; and that nobody down south forgets to take their umbrellas with them! (Haha, Unless you have a very weighty umbrella I think it is safe to assume that I get more exercise than YOU do)!

I am now seeing many school closings; and hearing that there already are trucks pulling off the roads to weather this storm out around town... Smart guys; (most of them anyway). Winds are already gusting~ and with the news on in the background, they say they will gust to 45 mph today/tonight/tomorrow... (yup, you KNOW it is going to be bad when Pulaski and Howard~Suamico Schools close down).

I don't like it!

Have a safe and wonderful day!

XOXO
Anne

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I see that some of you post recipes on here, and so I thought that maybe you would like my won tater~tot recipe... At one point, Zelda had asked for my recipe for the casserole... I shall copy it for you now!

Zizzo; here ya go

Go to store !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Buy Some Tater Tots !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Buy a pound of burger meat !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Buy a can of cream of mushroom soup !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Buy a can of cream of chicken soup !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Buy an onion !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Buy some celery !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Buy all the different flavors of Mrs. Dash that you find palatable !!!!!!!!!

Buy some cheese !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stand in checkout line for 10 minutes !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Go home !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Turn oven on to hot !!!!!!!!!!!!

No more hammer, so remove frying pan from under pillow !!!!!!!!!

Place pan on medium-high burner !!!!!!!!

Slice up celery !!!!!!!!!!!!

Chop up onion !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Throw celery, onions and burger meat (unwrapped) into top of the frying pan !!!!!!!!!!!

Add some minced garlic !!!!!!!!!!!

Sprinkle liberally with pepper, and with any/all of your Mrs. Dash stuff !!!!!!!!

Fry the shit out of this stuff !!!!!!!!!!!

While shit is being fried out of that, please grate cheese, and open cans !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Locate casserole dish !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Grease casserole dish !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Put some tater tots into bottom of casserole dish !!!!!!!!!!!

Mix burger meat mixture with both cans of soup in frying pan !!!!!!!!!

Place meat mixture over tater tots !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Put some more tater tots on top, to cover this whole mess !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cover with grated cheese !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cover this with foil !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Place in oven until hot !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Remove from oven when hot !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Remove foil !!!!!!!!

Get spoon from drawer !!!!!!!!!!!

Taste !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cuss, because you have just burned your tongue !!!!!!!!!!!!

So... Oops, blow on it first !!!!!! (like all good meat, it really appreciates this step)!!!!!

Cuss, because it doesn't taste the same as your mothers did !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Don't forget to shut off the oven, or some window spying, b&e jerk might get himself burned)!!!!!!

After cleaning, return frying pan to under pillow.

At one point, she had a problem with a Peeping Tom and since she has no guns, kept her fry pan under her pillow. (Works for me)!

Hmmmm.... What's under YOUR pillow????

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snowflake image jacked from here www.snowlionbooks.com/

Lost: Sense of Humor...

Good Morning...

I am finding it hard to actually 'like' my meteorologist anymore...

To him, (and ALL the others), I say....

No.

NO!

NO NO NO NO NO NO !

------WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT TONIGHT- FRIDAY FOR ENTIRE AREA. Things stay tranquil this morning and afternoon with possibly a few stray snow showers. Heavy snow develops tonight and will likely mix with rain / frz. rain Thursday for the South. 8-18" may fall by Friday morning in the North, 5-10" in Green Bay and Appleton, with 3-6" in the South.------

Guess it wouldn't be so bad if Old Man Winter would give us even a short break between these storms... or maybe even a bit smaller of a load to move???

...Please... get me the heck out of Dodge!!!!

...pretty please?

xoxo Anna (Thinking. Breathing. Praying for SPRING)!

Silent Night SnowFalls...

SILENT NIGHT SNOWFALLS...

~~~~~BY ANNA-ANNA~~~~~

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So many ideas begin to unfold,

to warm a cold evening, to brighten the soul.

Where do you begin to write about love?

Which words do you use? (There aren't enough)...

Tonight the first blizzard left trees fat with white;

Decorated by Nature~~~ A grandiose sight!

Silent Night rang its warm truths in my head;

My thoughts are of you now, and things that we've shared...

The snow began falling, early tonight,

to coat all our world with its virginal white~

We watched it come down, we played in it too;

The laughter we shared? Innocent. True.

Now combine this deep snowfall with lives warming touch,

and you'll know how I feel; why you mean so much.

Such a wonderful feeling to have you with me;

To delight in your nearness??? Magic to me!!!

Even now that you've left your presence I feel;

A force so alive... So vivid. So real!

Your touch is the magic that sets me on fire;

revealing a flame that has never burned brighter...

It's not new, it began long ago; far away...

by a friendship that truly got carried away!

And before sleep will come I want you to know;

My love for you always continues to grow...

XOXO
Anne

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Photos of Our Flintville Flurries!!! *02-26-07*

To look out the west window of the living room; right at daybreak...

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Looking out the east window of the LR a little later... (Where's the SUN)???

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Opening the garage door... Looking westward....

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Looking toward the then~unplowed road...

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And to chance to peek in the corner!

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The Yews are heavy with white!

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...as is the little wren house outside my kitchen window...

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even more decorated were the old wagon wheel drums...

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Milly outside, to have to bunny hop over the drifts, (and to return to the door in record time)!

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Punk says "It is very deep out here!"

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"ARF"... "Dang! It's not here" ..."I'll NEVER find my stick now!"

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"It's not over here EITHER!"

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Milly says, "It's not here either!"

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(And so it was time for them to ask for help)!

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Time to call out the BIG GUNS!!!

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"OK, I will help, but where's the darned shovel anyway?"

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"um... Yeah, RIGHT... THAT ain't gonna happen! "

"VEWY FUNNY!"

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"I think I need a break now.... D'Ya mind if I sit here?"

Get bigger guns Grandma...

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"Berta! What happened to your knees???"

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"If I hide behind the dog, Mom won't ever find me, and I won't have to shovel..."

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"Oh for Petes sake, Mom! You need BIGGER guns yet!

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Yay Mom...

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"dig a tunnel; dig, DIG a tunnel"...

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Yup... .....(What a little wimp )!

Need something stronger still...

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"Oh~n~Yeah, Baby!"

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"Go Mom GO!"

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(And it even worked... 'til I lost a chain... SOMEWHERE anyway)...

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So yeah, anybody got any BIGGER GUNS ???

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A little Choco~Coffee, and a Karaoke break too... (sing along with me now)...

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"HANG ON, HELP IS ON THE WAY!!! ...I'LL BE THERE AS FAST AS I CAN!"

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Ooooooh Baby!!!!!

(Now, THAT'S more like it)!!!

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"I'll just *SUPERVISE* from this safe place here, OK?"

"Looks like everything is under control!... (Well, except for that darned DOG)!"

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"STAY!" .... (Both of you)! ~hehehe

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Berta digs her car out!!!

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And THREE hours later, it is time to go back inside!

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Did we miss anything????

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More coffee anyone? (How about a hot shower)???

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Roberta took many pictures inbetween all her own shoveling and continuous clearing of the concrete... You will have to check her blog, (if you haven't already)...

Master Gabriel came indoors yesterday, took his snowsuit off, and headed straight up the steps for his nap... He was toasty warm... (and dry too, even with sitting in all that snow)!

I decided that life was real boring, and can you say "@ss over teakettles"?

...Almost funny. No, actually it was... (for everyone but me)! hehehe

I hope everyone is dug out, safe and warm... for now anyway...

Looking outside, there is about 4+ MORE inches on the ground and it is still coming down. Schools around here have all opened on time; although nearer the lakeshore they have had a 2 hour delay. Only a handful have chosen to close completely.

My weather radio has told me that we are to have about 4 MORE inches yet today yet...

Do you remember the before picture of the side of the house???

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Now below is how it looked yesterday...

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And yes, I will go out and snap another picture yet this morning!

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Well, just as soon as I feel like it!!! hehehe...

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*sigh*

Oh my aching ____________ !

(Please feel free to fill in the blank for me)!

XOXO
Anne

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