Well, I haven't been on much this weekend but every Columbus Day Weekend is busy for me. My son's birthday always falls right around this weekend so we always have his get togethers over the weekend regardless of his actual birthday. At least I'm not in RI anymore because I would have to work at the local festival as well.

So now I'm sitting here with my house overrun with 12 and 13 year old boys. 5 of them are sleeping over. They decided to have a LAN party and one of them showed up with a TV, an X box and other assorted game stuff..his parents said I could keep him if I wanted. The Xboxes and TV's are all hooked up and all six boys are playing together at once.

My son's first ever friend from preschool is here too. He made sure to corner me and get filled in on all the animals, which ones I still have, which ones are dead and why...how you can tell if eggs are fertilized, what if the male comes by fertilizes then leaves...how do you know? LOL

Two of them are from his previous school. One of those boys has a beautiful voice and I can hear him singing every once in a while.

I've gone through a huge bag of chips, 2 six packs of orange soda, 5 pizzas, half a bag of tortilla chips and just finished sending hubby to the store for reinforcements. We were down to one can of soda and a large container of ghetto juice (Hawaiian Punch). I also requested healthier snacks, so apples and oranges probably.

Ah well, he's having a good time. There's really nothing like hearing your child laugh with friends. God only knows when they'll try to go to bed but its only one day and none of them has school tomorrow so I say have a blast.

In the meantime, perv some for me

A while back I said our Guinea Fowl had hatched some chicks. Funny little buggers seem to actually be doing a pretty good job parenting them and they're still running around en masse. They're really funny to watch...they remind me of Pikman (the video game)in the way they move.


They're tough little buggers to catch on film because they never stop moving but I did manage to get a couple of decent shots.


On another note the pigs finally had to be moved into an electrified pen. Just about every morning one week we would find them outside somewhere. One morning was under my window in my flower garden, then on the side of the house, etc.., Last Friday I had to go looking for them. They were down the street eating chestnuts that had fallen from a neighbor's tree. Big Pig's a good girl and just goes back when you tell her to go home but the three little ones are devils. They wanted no part of it. I had to chase them back whacking a stick on the ground around them the whole way.

Baby, aka Escape Artist, now has her own little pen. She refused to stay with the other goats and kept getting out to roam the neighbor's yard. After she ate all her ornamental plants and half her vegetable garden, we had to keep her locked in the barn. That wasn't really good for her either so we finally put up a pen under one of the apple trees. She even has a little "house" in there.

Something's been getting my chickens. My best guess would be one of the foxes or maybe even a coyote. They just disappear. So, we've got another hatch going to help boost the troops again. Such are the hazards of free range chickens....that and trying to find where they laid their damn eggs.

My goats need some hoof work done but I've lost my stanchions so it's damn hard for me to work on them now. They need hoof trimmings but the loss of the stanchions and the dry weather means that I'll have to have my husband trim. I won't be able to cut through their hooves with my trimmers because I just don't have that hand strength. So they'll be limping for a while. Maybe I'll put my visitor to work when he gets here. What a vacation..go to New England to see the sites and get to work on a farm instead. Don't worry Lunna, I won't do that to you when you get here!

A couple of people have asked about soaps that I make. I figured I would just put the info I have here and then if people are further interested they can pm me.

First off I make glycerin soaps using a melt and pour base. I add natural ingredients and fragrance or essential oils. So I term it a home crafted soap as opposed to a home made soap. I don't make it from scratch because I don't want the lye around my animals or any children that might be around. Curious animals and active lye are not a good combination.

I'm constantly trying out new combinations and recipes but currently have some I'm very happy with and have no problem passing on. I've tried them on myself with no adverse effects and I have sensitive skin. I've also had some other people try them out and they like them as well.

I don't have the space for a large inventory so I generally make small batches and will make to order.

I make no claim as to the effect of the soaps but I can tell you what some of the ingredients are known for. The reasoning behind this has to do with FDA regulations which I would be happy to explain to you if you want to know but I won't get into it here. The ones I'm currently making to send out are as follows (don't mind the names, I'm winging it..):

Skin:
A goat milk glycerin base, calendula petals, tea tree oil, colored with tumeric, CK1 fragrance oil. The calendula flower is known for its kindness to the skin. Tea tree oil is also highly recommended for dry skin and othe skin problems such as eczema.

Sage Soap:
glycerin base, sage, Blackberry Sage Tea Fragrance Oil - this soap is a pretty green color from the sage and is slightly exfoliating. Sage is known for antiseptic and anti-bacterial qualities as well. It's also an aphrodisiac (like we need that).


Almond Soap:
Ground Almonds and French Vanilla Fragrance Oil in a clear glycerin base.

Strawberries and Cream:
Strawberries, benzoin powder preservative, Strawberries and Cream Fragrance Oil in a glycerine base. Cayenne used as colorant.

Carnation:
Carnation fragrance oil, paprika for coloring in a clear glycerine base. ... I just like the smell of this one and it has a soft peach/rose color.

Romanza:
Ground Rose Petals, Victorian Christmas fragrance oil, Paprika for colorant in a glycerin base. - The smell of this one is awesome. Rose has a number of healing qualities.

Dew:
glycerin base, ground chamomile, jojoba and geranium fragrance oil. Jojoba is known for being good for the skin. Geranium is an antidepressant when enhaled. Chamomile is antiseptic, antibacterial and is known for being good for the skin.

Dry Me:
coconut oil base, chamomile, dry mustard, green tea extract. Fragrance can be added if wanted. Dry mustard gives it a pale yellow color and it's known for its skin drying properties. Green tea extract is known for healing properties. Chamomile is antiseptic, antibacterial and good for the skin. Coconut oil is drying. I made this one for my son who is just hitting puberty...it seems to be good for breakouts.

Blends being worked on:
Lavendar and patchouli
Spearmint and jojoba (great when you have a cold)

I also make bath teas that compliment the soaps. I package them in a small container with a muslin bag to be used for the "steeping" process. The bath teas have an oatmeal or epsom salt base

if I think of anything else I'll let ya know.

BTW..Lunna and Beachy have gotten some of my soaps if you're curious about them. They're such sweet guinea pigs They got prototypes as well as some of the ones listed.

I'm so glad I fell asleep during that patriot's game. What a painful score. Congrats to all the Charger fans. /me goes to have some ice cream or back to sleep...maybe it's a bad dream.

On another note...the blog pics. The site I used finally responded.

"Hello,

I am sorry but we will not be unblocking this website due to the nature of it. IMGSpot will NOT tolerate such images being uploaded to our service."

OK, apparently pictures of scenery, flowers, birds, goats and the like are unacceptable to them. I wrote a carefully worded response suggesting they actually look at what was uploaded as opposed to the site itself or that they reword their response so that is more accurate. So, anyway, I will now move on to another photo hosting site. I should have the blog fixed soon. Thanks to a few members who've given me some suggestions for alternative sites.

Well, I'm off to play with photo hosting sites. Maybe you'll all get another more exciting blog later on. kisses!

Usually I wait until after I get off work to blog but I've had a rather unusual day so why not top it off with an unusual time for this activity.

First off I have to say that the friends I've met on NN are irreplaceable. I love all of you who have taken the time to get to know me as a person and I thoroughly enjoy your company. But, I have to single someone out today.

We all get those days where we're just tired. Not physically tired, just spiritually/mentally tired. You get tired of the daily grind, the constant struggles, the seemingly endless list of things to do or deal with. I get tired at times too even though most of time I'm just a happy, go lucky person. There are those days when it just "gets" to me.

I had one of those days Wednesday. I was just bitchy and miserable (well, bitchy and miserable for me). As usual though I had my friends around to poke me out of it. Because that's what you do when you're friends. You let the person bitch and then you slap them around and tell them to get off their pity pot. My fall guy this time was old_wolf5 and I honestly couldn't ask for a better friend. (Well, maybe Lunna because I can perv cocks with her and that's always a good thing Just kidding guys. You know I love ya both.)

He listens to me, sees right through me and then helps me get off my pity pot or wherever else I happen to be moping. I can't get away with a thing with him, not that I want to. I prefer an honest, straightforward relationship where you can say anything and not worry about how the other person is going to "take" it. Anyway, I just wanted to take a minute to thank him for being him, for being my friend and for touching my life.

Now, for the rest of the day...first off I got some mail! I was expecting a couple of pieces of mail but ended up getting something I didn't expect so soon! I got some awesome Led Zeppelin cd's! Damn these NN folks are the greatest! Thank you (you know who you are)!!! Also in the mail, and totally unexpected, was a card from 2k. How neat is that? There's nothing like a written letter or card to know that someone is thinking of you, taking the time out of their day to write specifically to you. I like e-mails but there's no cut and paste in a handwritten note. And now I have the full address instead of the gibberish I wrote down at 5am.

It was really windy and rainy here today too, so I had to spend some time running around in that crap picking things up and moving others. A ladder blew down against the house, luckily not breaking a window it landed about a quarter of an inch from. Other objects were being tossed about. So I had to do that, getting soaked in the process. Well, what better excuse to burn some old papers and boxes! So I had my first wood stove fire for the season and it warmed me right up. Just trash but I love the flames and the crackling. It's so soothing.

Then the power went out. LOL. Came back on, went out again. The third time it stayed out for several hours. So, why waste it? I started cleaning. I was looking for something specific which I still haven't found but I'm having a blast. I'm going through all the old pictures. Wow, what memories. Pictures of me from high school, from my old jobs, from the race tracks and my biker buddies, my son's baby pictures....my life in a cardboard box basically.

So, despite all my best laid plans (I'm a plan-o-maniac - usually don't follow them but I have to plan)I didn't get some of the things I had imagined done, but it's been a good day nonetheless.

Good days and good friends to everyone. *kisses*

Intimacy

You sit,
and place me down across your lap
Gently you stroke my skin
slow, languorous caresses
your hands...
holding me,
touching me
I offer myself to them.
Your eyes...
never leave my face,
you gaze lovingly at me,
undertones of hunger,
A slight smile playing on your lips.
I watch you
through heavy lidded eyes
that speak my love and lust
only to you
only for you
and I lie wrapped in your love
nothing between us
intimacy.

What a fun day! I went off to Mom's for her birthday party and just had a wonderful time. It was just me and my son because the piglets had decided to break out and when caught freaked. They knew they weren't supposed to be in the yard and so they started storming a section of fencing that was wood. They took it down so hubby had to stay and fix it. This was probably ok with him as he's not really into the whole family function thing. He's not the social person that I am. He almost looked happy about it.

Anyway, we got there a little early and my RI sister was already there. My sister, niece, her husband, and great niece and great nephew from Maine showed up shortly afterwards. During the day cousins and some friends filtered in. We're a scattered lot but when you get us all together boy do we make noise! We're all loud, talking at the same time, laughing, bawdy, and full of life.

The first thing my sister from Maine said to me was "Hey! Did you get implants on your vacation?" Nice. I didn't just for the record. I had a new shirt I had bought the week before and it was cut much lower than I thought (teach me to try things on first). It required a bra that I could pin it to so I wasn't flashing the world everytime I bent over. The bra gave me cleavage. Of course, this got us going about my boobs and everytime someone came in Flo had to point them out. She even offered my brother in law a feel if he paid her $5.00. I told you my family was crazy.

Flo and I are the wild ones. She's the oldest at 58 and I'm the youngest at 38. The two in the middle are 53 and 52 respectively. We had a blast. We picked on my cousins the whole day, teased my other sister that was there and just had fun. Flo knows I post on NN and when she was bemoaning her latest suitor I offered to find her a guy on NN...she smacked me, blushed and said "NOOOOOO, shut up!". I'm not sure why she was so flustered, this is a woman whose had plenty of exploits of her own. Of course it was all in good fun anyway and she knew it.

Even my son, who will be 13 in two weeks, had fun. Miracles abound. Of course his second cousins, who are close to his age, were there so they kept themselves busy.

On another note I found out my close friend in Texas was virtually unscathed by Rita ... what a relief there.

Hope you all had a great day and that the rest of our Texas NNer's have had as much luck with Rita.

Good morning, good afternoon and everything in between for wherever you are!

I feel great this morning. I worked hard to reach my quota of calls for the other company the previous night/day so last night/morning I logged into the second company. The rules for this company are just a little more relaxed and I dont necessarily HAVE to answer the phone on the first ring so I have a bit more latitude in movement and activity.

Around 1:30/2:00 am I started finding myself nodding at the pc. You know how it goes...the old head bob or finding yourself in this very uncomfortable position with your head tilted at an awkward angle. So, I decided to pull the phone to side of the bed and lie down. What a wonderful idea!! The phone was close enough so that I could actually fall asleep yet be awake and take the call by the second ring. Fantastic! Sleeping on the job. And now, I feel refreshed and ready to go! Which is great considering I have to go to RI today and there's nothing worse than driving while you're tired.

On antoher note, I've decided to start walking the dog in the afternoon. Poor thing. Yesterday was the second day I took him for a walk and you'd swear I took him 10miles. Guess he's just not used to it anymore. He is getting older, I'd say he's about 7 or 8 years old. (he's a pound puppy so age is always questionable for them) The walking will do him good and I like it too. I used to walk every night at one point in time. I would cover miles just wandering around the city. Well, no city here, no sidewalks either, but I can still go walking. It's good for the body and its a nice quiet time to just reflect on things.

You all have a great day!! I'm going to enjoy the company of my family and appreciate the gift that is my mother.

It seems history is surrounding me lately. The juxtaposition of history and the future ...

I've had several conversations with a friend regarding his love of history and his thoughts about going back to school to get his teaching degree. I personally think it's wonderful that he's considering this and I hope that I can encourage him to pursue his future dreams.

Last night I showed another friend part of my past. I pulled out some old artwork and shared it. She was surprised and during our conversation I realized I had shut that creative part of me off for quite a while. She encouraged me to try to wake it back up and pursue it. I remembered how much I loved creating this art and started thinking of future projects I could complete.

On another front I had to go to a baby shower today. It was in my home town at my old neighbor's house. I parked in front of my old house (oh man ... that yellow they picked to paint it..ewww). I talked to my old friends and made some new ones. I sat outside at one point and watched people drive by and thought about having lived there and my past experiences. All the while, I was there celebrating a future life.

Our future is always entwined with the past. All our decisions are based on past experiences or knowledge regardless of whether we conceptualize that or not. Embrace the past, learn from it, use it to shape your future.

kisses my friends..

Well you'll all be pleased to know that I had a nice long 4 hour sleep this morning so I was full of energy today.

Now, for something completely different...I'm not a shopper. Yes, believe it or not, I do not like to shop. I hate going to the store, I dislike looking for things, I don't like standing in line and I hate spending my money. I know, every man's wet dream...likes beer, football, sex and hates shopping.

Anyway, I HAD to go today. I have to go to a baby shower tomorrow so I couldn't put it off any longer. I grabbed the keys to the car as soon as my husband came home and flew out the door. In addition to disliking this prospect I have to drive to the next town because there's no where to shop here. Well, the Salvation Army but I wasn't buying someone baby gifts from there.

So, off I go...to WalMart. I'm fully expecting to be in a real pissy mood and hate this. I hate the store. I hate shopping. Grrrr. So I go in, grab my carraige and head over to infants. I start looking at all this cute stuff and next thing you know I'm actually enjoying myself. No one was bothering me, I had no obligations back home...I figured what the hell, go with it.

I'm really bad with baby gifts too. I always spend way more than necessary. But, I remember how it was and what you REALLY needed and that's what I get. Diapers, wipes, pacifiers, onesies, blankets...photo album...but I can't find a damn diaper bag. Oh well I decide to go off to the other store down the road which is now a Sears Essentials.

Bingo, we have diaper bags. Oooh and we have this damn cute blanket set in a special type of decorative box. Oh and look over there...lingerie. Yeah I need a new gown, and its on sale...Oh, and look at that cute shirt and it's on sale too. You know, its been so long since I bought myself a nice item of clothing...Oh and my son needs new sneakers...I should grab them while I'm here. Ka ching...

Of course now I need wrapping paper and my son needed book covers so off I go to the Dollar Store. At least here everything is only a dollar. I find some paper, got 3 packages just in case...get mom a birthday card...no book covers so we'll improvise...a roll of Kraft paper and some tape. And Sunflower candles...have to have that. And I need tealights for the tart burner..got it.

I'm done...that's it. I'm flabbergasted at myself but I felt good too. I got some good bargains and ended up only spending slightly over $100.00. That's not bad for all I got..especially when you consider my son's shoes cost 39.99. I felt so good that when I got home I got creative and made a frame for some pictures in Lunna's room. (yes Lunna...it's your room, I know you're only letting me use it)

All in all a good day! /me passes on the good feelings to all who need it...