Shooting a gun

I had SO MUCH FUN last night... Melissa, you're a rock star!! Thanks for putting things together.

I shot my first gun ever AND it was a potato gun. I had never heard of a potato gun before... it's way cool. It shoots potatoes and when the potato launches green flames shoot out of the barrel! I also was introduced to my first "dry ice bomb" experience... Providence canyon won't forget us soon!

I laughed and laughed the entire time we were bowling. Jake (Melissa's husband) rolled up his pants, hiked up his socks and did the Fred Flintstone... everyone was so much fun. And amazingly I wasn't the lowest score!

And I had another cookie request so here it is....

Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 C butter
3C sugar
Mix together until fluffy
3 eggs
2 C pumpkin
2 tsp vanilla
Mix well
5 C flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon
Mix well
2 C oatmeal
1 1/2 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
Mix well and bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

These cookies are cake like... don't cook them doughy or they'll be gross. I like them best cold.

My Library

Ok, so I've been telling my girls for MONTHS that if they don't start keeping their rooms clean that I'm going to go through them and clean them out myself (meaning I will throw away all their junk). They of course are opposed to this but they keep everything that crosses their path, and they hate cleaning their rooms, so nothing has changed...

Also I warned them a couple months ago that I was probably going to change things around and that they would be sharing a room again (Alyssa was delighted, she bawled when I moved Corynn into her own room a couple of years ago... Corynn, not so delighted.) so I decided this week I'm moving them together and I'm turning my extra room into a library! I'm super excited about this.

I've had the girls cleaning out their rooms for THREE DAYS! Finally today after they went to school I took over and got rid of all their junk. I sent 2 big garbage bags to the dumpster... that's right, I didn't throw stuff away in my garbage because I wouldn't put it past my girls to dig through it and take stuff back out. And yes, I went and used the church building dumpster. I feel no guilt about this whatsoever. I pay my tithing and it wasn't even half full.

I also brought a car full of stuff to DI. When my girls came home from school today they both had a come apart... I proceeded to explain to them that barbies that A) have all their hair cut off B) have missing extremities or C) have no head, are not given residence in my home. (Seriously? I need to explain this?) Additionally old stickers that have no stick on them and the papers they've been keeping for three years but have no actual purpose or use... yeah, those were thrown out too.

I'm painting their room tonight and I have new furniture coming tomorrow... I can't wait.

I know I'm going to get grief from some of you about how frequently I paint and change stuff at my house (Candi) but I can't help it. I feel some frustration at feeling like I need to stay here (not that I don't LOVE my friends) it's hard for me to stay in this house, if I keep feeling like I need to stay here I'm going to end up ripping out the flooring and doing everything over, just for myself. I know it's dumb, but if I'm going to stay here I need for this house to look and feel like a different house...

A part of me feels lost right now. None of the decisions or things that I've prayed about sit right with me. I've been planning on starting back in school this January, but then I found out my work would pay for all of it if I wait until next fall. I've started toying around with starting over with my bachelors and doing pre-med. If I was an ED doctor I wouldn't be on call all the time, my schedule would be the same as it is now. But then I found some old pictures of Laurel and I with the neighbors foster children (We used to go over and get them and play with them frequently.) and I've thought about taking care of foster children once Clayton turns 16 (Anyone who knows me knows that I adore children and that I always pictured myself having more than 3 kids).

I feel unsettled and ready to make a decision but nothing feels right... I feel like I need to be patient and just wait. What it is exactly that I'm waiting for... I would like to know. However, since I'm not privy to that information I'm ripping my house apart, changing things and to the utter dismay of my children; I'm throwing stuff away.

Alcohol Use...

Okay, after an experience I had at work I have to say this...

To my kids, nieces and nephews...

Drinking alcohol may seem like a harmless fun thing to do. However, if a person drinks too much it can incapacitate them. A person can become so intoxicated that they won't wake up or respond to stimuli at all. If this happens generally their ability to breath becomes compromised and they need immediate medical treatment. If they aren't brought to the hospital they can die!

When they are brought to the hospital they will probably have a catheter put in their bladder because alcohol is a diuretic and they pee all over themselves. They also will likely get a tube placed down their throat so they can be hooked up to a ventilator, which will breath for them.

If you ever find yourself in a situation where you think you need to bring someone to the hospital, but you're worried you'll get in trouble JUST BRING THEM TO THE HOSPITAL! If you don't you could be held liable. If you are too scared of your parents you can call me and I will fly or drive to wherever I need to and I'll help you, we'll work it out.

Family home evening is definitely on this tonight...