Stellan

Poor Stellan is back in the hospital on the eve of his first birthday. A baby that was not supposed to live and here he is still fighting a year later!! I think he has shown more strength in 363 days than I have in 34 years. Please pray for Stellan to recover and for his little heart to heal. And go to McKmama's Blog for details.

9/11 Where were you when?

I remember that day like it was yesterday. I probably always will. 9/11 is one of those events in history like the assassination of JFK that will always be with us. Those of us who are old enough to remember will always be able to tell our kids, and our grand kids what we were doing when our world changed forever.

I was at work. Same place I work today but a different building. I was 25 years old, not married, not a mother yet. I was still dating Joe and we would get engaged about 3 weeks later. I was sitting at my desk and I received an email from a friend of mine that worked in another office that just said "a plane hit one of the world trade center towers" I remember thinking and emailing him back, "whoa, that sucks" having NO idea the depth of what was going on. I remember thinking it was a small plane in the wrong place because jets just did not fly that close to the city. I did not even bother to look it up on CNN.com. Why would I? Nothing really bad ever happens in the US right?

It was not until he emailed me again telling me about the 2nd plane that it really registered that something big was happening. By now the news was filtering through my office and people were turning radio's on to listen to the news. By now we knew that our nation was under attack.

I called Joe right away. He is in the Air National Guard and works full time at a base here in town. I remember asking him what was happening and him telling me that he did not know. Eventually he was locked down at the base, no one was allowed to leave until further notice which ended up being about 9 or 10 that night.

The day went on, 2 more planes crashed and the entire world was scared. That night I was glued to the TV watching with tears the towers fall again and again on the news. I tried to sleep that night and kept waking up and turning the TV on all through the night.

I did not personally know anyone who was hurt or lost their life that day. My roommate's best friend was SUPPOSED to be working downtown that day but she had called in sick. It's little details like that that I wont ever be able to forget.

I was able to visit Ground 0 this year and even though the memorials have been taken down and the area replaced by construction fences to rebuild I still felt the sadness to be standing there where so many people died. When Joe and I were in DC this year we got to see the 9/11 Memorial at the Pentagon and see where the building was rebuilt.

We all have different political views in this country. That fact that we can HAVE those opinions is one more reason why we are proud to be Americans. Regardless of your political beliefs 9/11 brought us all together and I hope that no one ever forgets that day and what it did to our country.

Where were you?

Bittersweet

Tonight I am heading to Cleveland with my good friend Kelly to pick up 2 more of my friends so that tomorrow morning we can head to Buffalo. I am so very happy to be seeing some of my bestest friends this weekend but so very sad for the reason that we are getting together.

Last fall my sweet friend Andrea lost her husband in an accident that sadly could have been prevented by his company. Now Andrea is raising her young kids without the love of her life. Believe it or not I have yet to meet Andrea even though I have known her for at least 5 years through my mommy board. Even though I have never met her, I love her dearly, and I have cried many tears for her, Matt and their babies.

This weekend about 20 girls from our mommy board are coming together to support Andrea in the first annual Run For Row 5k. In which I will be walking, not running thankyouverymuch. I have no doubt that we will laugh ourselves stupid and have fun being together again but on the flip side I also know there will probably be some tears as we support our friend who in the past 9 months has had more on her plate then anyone should. While we love being together....especially since it only happens a few times a year, I wish it was not because Matt died.

Andrea, I know you probably wont read this for awhile (although reading my blog should take priority over, ohhh, MOVING right?) but I am so happy to be able to come and support you this weekend. I just wish we were meeting under different circumstances. Hopefully the train wreck that is this group of girls will make you laugh as much as we can this weekend!

In case you missed my last weekend trip with my mommy board besties....you can read about it HERE. I think it is a good thing that God did not allow us all to live in the same place.

Hello from DC!!! Just wanted to throw some pics up and tell you about our trip so far. We got in around 1 on Saturday. It was a 2 xanax flight not a bad flight at all. We got to our SUPER awesome hotel that is right on the Potomac and has all sorts of cool restaurants and shops around. We had nothing scheduled until Sunday so we just walked around and checked the place out, had some awesome dinner and went to bed.

Sunday I was tortured by being sent to a baseball game. Here is a picture showing JUST how exciting this game was

Add that to the fact that I wanted to dig my eyes out with a fork don't care much for baseball and it was 200 degrees out I was not sad when it was over. Sunday night we got to meet up with one of my sorority sisters who lives in this area so I could smooch all over her 4 month old baby. I think I ovulated once or twice while loving on her. Thank God for vasectomies.

Yesterday started the whirl wind madness....we were on a bus to the Pentagon by 8AM. We met some guy who I know was important but unless you are in the military and hear these names all of the time you don't so much know him. After the Pentagon we went to the Air National Guard Museum, toured that and then headed over to the State House to tour THAT. While we are there we walked 5 feet in front of Supreme Court nominee Justice Sotomoyer and her broken ankle.

We got back to the hotel around 5 so that I could cut my feet off at the anklesto chill for a bit. One quick banquet here in the hotel and then we were done around 8.

This morning, woke up to storms, got all gussied up for ANOTHER award banquet only to get downstairs and realize that the other spouses decided to skip the morning practice and meeting with another random important guy and just show up at the banquet here in a few hours. So here I sit!! After the award banquet we get to tour Air Force 2 ( I think that is the one for the VP) and tonight have dinner at a REALLY important guy's house...I paid attention this time....he is in charge of the entire Air National Guard for the country. And I forget his name. The rest of the week is more tours, meetings with random important people.

Apparently my kids are NOT rocking in a corner somewhere crying for me...they are actually having a GOOD time and Mallory has only cried when I call. Oops. I on the other hand am having a harder time than I expected being away from them and probably wont want to do this again for awhile. Enjoy some pics!

Me looking like a cow at the baseball game....

Joe pretending to argue some important legislature at the Pentagon

Joe and the other award winners at the Pentagon

The rotunda at the State House

no description needed I'm sure

In case you are new around here or came aboard AFTER Joe won this award....My husband was selected as the Air National Guard program manager of the year for the Nation. Pretty cool! This trip is where he gets his award!!

134

Wow, I have 134 followers. I feel like I need to declare today National Leave Cammie A Comment Day because I know that out of all 134 of you only about 20 of you fail to kill a fairy. Not sure what I am talking about? Go read my comment box.

I heart ALL 134 of you and I want to PLAY with you all! I can no longer see my followers here at work (darn filter software gives me a big old HEY WE ARE WATCHING YOU every time I pull up my blog)so come on out of lurk mode so I can see who you are. I know I tend to be a bit scary at times but I promise that (for the most part) I am nice. I don't bite. much.

Don't kill the fairies guys. They are people too.

I have been incognito for a few days now and I have realized that it is because I am a bit stressed about my upcoming trip to DC this weekend. I'm pretty excited about 6 days away with my husband but I'm starting to stress leaving the kiddos. Add that to the fact that I hate to fly and I'm a bit frazzled. I'm hoping that once we actually GET there and I find out that my 3 year old is not rocking in a corner crying for her mommy (I know Pierce will be fine, he is actually excited to spend 6 days with his cousins)I will calm down a bit. If I DO find out that 3 year old is not rocking in a corner crying for her mommy I will probably just stay hammered all week and try not to throw up on anyone important to my husband's job. YES I'm kidding, but it is kind of fun to watch Joe get all twitchy when I tell him that.

Now.....YOU.....go forth and comment. Yep, I am looking at YOU

Let's Talk Books

Okay, so you know I have a book blog....oh wait, you dont? Well I have a book blog as well that I post on as well as a bunch of other awesome people (some of you!!). So it is probably fairly obvious that I heart books a whole lot. In fact I have read most of the classics like Flowers in The Attic and Twilight. (yes that WAS William Shakesepere that rolled over in his grave).

Actually I have NOT read many classics and I'm not sure why that is. Yes, I have read The Odyssee (oh, now I drive one....HA) and almost all of Shakesperes works but when I came across this list of "Books you really should read" I realized that I have not read many of them. So, here it is.....I will put the ones that I HAVE read in BOLD. Which ones have you read? Which should I not live another moment withOUT reading??? (oh and for one, ones I have never even HEARD of in italics)

1.Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4. Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6. The Bible – Im sure I am missing a few books but I have read most of it
7. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8. Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11. Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12. Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare (maybe minus a few)
15. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18. Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19. The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20. Middlemarch - George Eliot
21. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25. The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33. Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34. Emma - Jane Austen
35. Persuasion - Jane Austen
36. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38. Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40. Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41. Animal Farm - George Orwell
42. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving
45. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47. Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50. Atonement - Ian McEwan
51. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52. Dune - Frank Herbert
53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57. A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58. A Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66. On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68. Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
69. Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70. Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72. Dracula - Bram Stoker
73. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74. Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75. Ulysses - James Joyce
76. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78. Germinal - Emile Zola
79. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80. Possession - AS Byatt
81. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83. The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87. Charlotte's Web - EB White
88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90. The Faraway Tree Collection
91. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92. The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94. Watership Down - Richard Adams
95. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98. Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

The Story of Us

I'm feeling kind of crabby today so I figured I would grace you all with a feel good kind of blog in hopes of perking myself up. Nothing in particular is wrong....just feeling a little bitchy. Might be the kink in my neck compliments of sleeping with my daughter sleeping wrong, or maybe just the never ending rain. At any rate.....this guy suggesting I blog about something my husband did to piss me off yesterday in hopes to cheer myself up and give him something to laugh at....but then I remembered that I keep seeing everyone blog about the "how they met, engagement, wedding stories" days in their life and that I wanted to do that as well....

Quite a few dress sizes years ago I had just gotten dumped by an asshole my boyfriend and I was realllllllly jaded. My Aunt had been telling me for like a month that she knew this guy out at the Air Force base that was really nice, cute, blah blah blah and that she wanted me to meet him. I had told her over and over that I did NOT need my AUNT to hook me up with a boy thankyouverymuch and that boys were dumb and I did not need one. Finally in an effort to shut her up I agreed to meet him in a group scenario, no pressure, no strings, no thanks.

I met my this group including my aunt and this random guy that I probably would not like anyways out at a bar that night. How cliche right? Much to my surprise he WAS cute, and he WAS nice but I still did not think I would like him. I never did go for the nice one's....which was probably why I was still single.

He asked if he could call me sometime and I said yes. Meanwhile I was ALSO working on this guy who was WAY to young for me, lived with his brother and took me on a date to BW3 (wing joint) for our first (and only) date. Clearly he was the better choice.

Joe called and asked me out within a few days. I would not let him pick me up (no strings, no stress) and said I would meet him out. We went to the Shadowbox Cabaret for our first date which is kind of like a comedy club but more of a Sat Night Live skit type feel. I really enjoyed myself. Our date ended with him promising to call me again and me starting to think I just MIGHT like him. I went home since I don't put out until the 2nd date. And I'm kidding. About putting out, not that I went home.

It did not take long for me to realize that I was in trouble and that little by little the bricks that made up the wall that kept my emotions in check were coming down around me.

We met in February of 2001. We got engaged 7 months later. He proposed to me in the middle of a fountain area at an outdoor shopping mall......we were walking across to the other side and I was like "what in the hell are you doing down there.....OHMYGOD"

6.5 years, 2 kids and a mini van later takes us to today. Those of you who know me know that I tend to be a little on the pain in the ass side (I know, you are shocked) I don't cook, I'm kind of spoiled and I do things like wreck his car in the garage. He snores (although I have heard that I might as well), stalks my shopping on our bank website, and FORGETS TO TIVO Matt and Maddy Logelin on Oprah 32 seconds after I call and remind him to do so. He is my best friend, the love of my life, and my soul mate.

I still stand by my statement that I did not need my Aunt to hook me up with a boy. Although I DID need her to find me a husband.

Paging Dr. Mommy.....

**Warning--the following post is sarcasm free**

As much as I like to grumble and complain about my lack of sleep, sharing a bed with a 23lb terror and ultimately getting up at dark o clock, every now and then my kids throw in a moment that reminds me how worth it it all is.

Last night was one of those nights.

Last night after we put the kids to bed I was all wrapped up in my Snuggie waiting on the MOST DEPRESSING HOUSE EPISODE EVER to start (okay, most depressing since cutthroat bitch died). I heard the sound of small feet that were not in bed and then Joe saying "ohh, buddy, what is wrong??"

Pierce has a few different cries. There is the "I am mad that I can't have my way" cry the "I know I am in trouble" cry, and then there is the "my heart is broken" cry. This is the one that gets me--that one comes with HUGE brown eyes that are full of tears, a mouth that is turned into the saddest frown....THIS cry breaks MY heart.

This is the cry that came downstairs last night with his stuffed EVE (from Wall-E) doll in one hand and one of her arms in the other. His EVE doll has had movable arms and somehow he managed to pull one off. Pierce has a habit of spinning his stuffed toys around by their arms/legs/ears and I keep telling him that one day this would happen (MAN mommies are smart)

I promised him that I would fix it. I told him that Dr Mommy would do surgery on EVE to re-attach her arm. I told him that it may take awhile but that I would bring her up and tuck her back in with him when I was finished.

I am not sew much a seamstress (did you like that humor?) I can do buttons, I can sew a hole, but I have never reattached an arm to a toy....an arm that has to somehow get the part that makes it move back INTO the hold and then sewn around it. Awesome.

I got out my little sewing kit surgical tools and sat down to make my baby's night all better. It did not take me long to realize that EVE's arm was not going to be able to move once I got it back on (hey, don't judge...I'm lucky I did not sew her to the couch) but I knew I would be able to at least get it back on so that no stuffing came out. I sewed the patients arm back in place and while it would not move I did a pretty darn good job on it thankyouverymuch.

Once the patient was out of recovery I took her upstairs to Pierce. I thought he would be asleep but once I opened the door he rolled over and sat up. Once he saw that EVE's arm was back in place he smiled at me. He was okay with the fact that her arm could not move. (Thank you God).

I was rewarded with the BEST hug, a beautiful smile, bright shiny brown eyes and a "thank you mommy"

Most of all I was rewarded with the fact that Mommy can *almost* always make everything better.

These moments are what makes Life in the House of No Sleep.....totally worth it.

Being Mommy is the best super power there is.

Not at all Wordless Wednesday

I have some very exciting news to share!! Some of you know that my husband Joe is in the Air force....he is what is called Active Guard Reserve which means he is full time active duty but we are lucky in that he is stationed where we live on a permanent basis. He is about 2 years away from retirement (which means he is 2 years away from getting a new career but more on that later)

What I want to shout from the rooftops is that he was just selected as the Honor Guard Manager of the YEAR for the NATION!!!!!!

This is an incredible award that he won out of all of the people who were selected from each state and I am SO proud of him!! He works so hard and is really deserving of this honor! In June we are off for a week to Washington D.C. compliments of the Air force (our first time away together without kids!) as part of being the award winner. We will be toured around the city and meet some (I am told) important people (I would LOVE to meet President Obama) and attend a lot of dinners.

I guess now he goes on to win for the entire Airforce or something like that which in my mind translates to "He is already Ms USA now he competes for Ms Universe"

So yeah to my husband who even though he never reads this still needed a big old shout out on my blog!

Stay tuned in a few months from now when I stress about leaving my kids for that long for the first time EVER and THEIR first time away from both parents at the same time.

Oh, and as far as him getting a new career.....some things he has tossed around.
-lunch lady at the kids school
-school bus driver....for the kids route
-greeter at Lowes
-golf course attendant

Awesome.

Guest Blogger Today!

Hello all! I was contacted by a new author a few weeks back asking if she could guest blog on GirlsWithBooks and of course I said YES and that I would love to have her HERE too! She also gave me the opportunity to read her book The Truth Lies In the Dark which I loved! You can read my review of it over on the book site but here is a guest blog from Kristin Callender!

Hi readers and fans of Girls With Books. I am happy to be here and want to thank Cammie and Kelly for having me as a guest. I love that you make reading sexy. In fact, it inspired me to make writing sexy, so I am wearing my bikini to write this ;) Brrr...and it is not quite a beach day here (24 degrees). I am Kristin Callender, author of The Truth Lies in the Dark. Please, sit down, grab a cup of coffee (or whatever your drink of choice is) and enjoy some girl talk.

I am asked all the time how I find time to write. Anyone that knows me knows that I am a full time mom of four kids, wife of one big kid :) and a part time substitute teacher (and not really wearing a bikini). My answer is usually, I don't find time; I make it. But I will let out a little secret here, just between us girls ;)...

It is not that hard to find or make time for something you enjoy. It is my escape from real life, which is why I love reading books also. Not to say that real life is all that bad, but it's real and if your lucky most days go by without much drama. You drive the kids here and pick them up there, figure out what's for dinner, throw in some laundry so you don't have to wear those same jeans again tomorrow, and so your kids don't steal your socks again, look at that pile of dishes in the sink and wonder where that dish fairy has been. You know what I'm saying; that kind of real life.

When I am writing I get to create the characters and place them in a story and see what happens. I can put them in dangerous situations or romantic embraces, basically I can control how much or how little drama they encounter. And unlike my real life creations, when my characters are not behaving the way I want them to I can turn off the computer and walk away. Try that with a temper throwing child who is starving for a cookie before dinner.

As much as I enjoy writing, I am amazed how much I didn't know about the whole publishing process. I thought that writing a book was the hard part. Then I had to find out how to get a publisher. It took a lot of research and a lot of rejections before I finally got my contract with BlueWater Press (Thanks Joe and Ardis!). Then it took another eighteen months to see my book in print. Now I am in the marketing and promotion part, and looking back I have to say that each step was equally challenging.

Thankfully there are also rewards along the way. I wrote a book and got it published, and to make it even better, my son, Michael designed the cover. Friends of ours said that his painting of New York City at night would make a great cover. So I took some pictures of it and submitted them to my editor and he agreed. Most moms get to show off their kids artwork on the refrigerator, I get to hold up my book. He is a talented artist and I am so proud to share this accomplishment with him.

Thanks again for stopping by Girls With Books. I hope that I have inspired other busy moms and non moms to make the time to do something you enjoy. If you want more information about me, the book, or my Book Blog Tour you can go my website. http://sites.google.com/site/kristincallenderbooks

The Truth Lies in the Dark by Kristin Callender is available on www.amazon.com/Truth-Lies-Dark-Kristin-Callender/dp/1604520140 and is the 'Featured Book of the Month' on www.bluewaterpress.com .

Two Big Old Shout Outs!!!

I need to shout out a few of my favorite bloggers that I just so happened to WIN give-a-ways from. Now if I can just win the lottery.....

anyways.....Jenny from Jenny and the Princess Peonies awarded me a Target gift card for playing a little trivia on her blog a few weeks back. Thank you much girlfriend....I see a new book or some scrapping stuff in my future.

A few months back I entered a contest that Heather from "This is the Day" held. It was for one of 3 handmade items....I remember one was a set of cards, I forget the 2nd....and then a scrapbook made by her. I won the scrapbook! Now, as a scrapper myself I had to think for a few about what kind of book I wanted her to make for me. I then remembered that I had an awesome Girlfriends Weekend coming up and that is just the sort of thing that I would not take the time to scrap myself since I am always so darn busy doing the kids stuff. So when Heather asked me what theme I would like my book to be I decided on a "girlfriend" theme.

Guys, this book was well worth the wait! Heather put SO much time and thought into this and I absolutely LOVE it (Heather I know you told me to lie if I did not like it but come on, you HAVE to know me better than that by now...I am nothing if not honest) I flipped through the pages and while reading some of the friendship quotes I actually teared up a little thinking about how perfect it was for my weekend away and how much I miss those darn girls. My favorite quote....."A friend is one who will bail you out of jail, a BEST friend will be sitting there next to you saying MAN that was fun" I might of butchered the quote but you get the idea. Thank you SO much Heather! I can't wait to put it all together and when I do I will get some pics posted here so you can see what I did with it! You are awesome!!

Once again....putting off Q&A until tomorrow.....I want to be sure these ladies get all the attention today!

um. wow..

Holy crap!!! I don't do speechless all that often (and fear not, I'm not doing it now) but my mouth hit the floor when I opened my blog up today! 114 COMMENTS!! A bunch of new followers (welcome to my nuthouse) and now I need to up my meds because I'm stressed I wont be able to "bring my A game" every day.

Thank you guys SO much for making my day....when I started this blog last fall I was not even sure how often I would update.....I have a site for the kids after all, what did I need another one for (drunken weekends with my girls that I don't want my grandparents reading maybe?) Doing this has reminded me how much I LOVED to write when in high school and college ....how much fun it is to put my personality into words, and I don't even have to sleep with the professor to get a good grade!! (okay, kidding.....or am I???)

A BIG thank you to Jim.....you pimped me out for 2 days straight.....ohhhh, scandalous. Hope Netter does not mind.....

Stay tuned for tomorrow when the topic of the day will be poop. yep. poop.

I don't do serious often but I need to get this out

I know that bad stuff happens all around us in the world and I know that it sadly always will. Most of the time news stories to not really "get to me" other then a passing moment where I think that something is just awful.

For some reason the case of "Baby Grace" has torn my heart up today. Today is the day that her evil piece of shit mother was convicted of murdering her beautiful little girl who is the same age as my daughter. She will rot in prison for the rest of her life. I don't know if it is because this family is from Ohio (although this happened in Texas) or if it is because when I see pictures of that beautiful baby I see my own beautiful girl and just ask myself what kind of mother hurts her own child? What kind of monster allows someone to convince them that their sweet baby needs to "learn manners" and that beating her and torturing her to the point of death is the only way to do it? A 2 year old beautiful little girl has lost her life to the hand's of the one person who was supposed to love and protect her above all others.

When I read that Rylie told her mother as she was being beaten that she loved her I sat here in my cubicle and cried tears for a little girl who probably never knew love.

I hope she is sitting in the lap of Jesus right now and does not remember the pain of her short life.

I hope her mother gets her ass kicked in prison every day.

I want to go get my babies and just hold them.

Pierce's take on yesterdays events and get yourself a Kozy Pal

How was THAT for a blog title?

Before I get into that though, I hope that even if you DID have a different political view that you wont be offended by this post. If you are...tough. Kidding. Sort of. That is the best part of living in this great country is that we can take part in CHOOSING who we want to lead us.

Anyways

Pierce comes home from school yesterday (and by school I mean day care, but he is in a Pre-K class) and starts to tell me what he learned about why yesterday was important. I could not have said it better myself.

"Ms Beth told me today that after we take a nap and wake up then we will have a new president. His name is Barack Obama"

Funny, that is how I think a lot of us feel.....we took a 8 year really long nap and then woke up to a new president! I wish our new president all the best!!

Pierce also mentioned to me that he also learned about "A Dr that just wanted everyone to be happy and live in peace.....but then some bad guys shot at him and he died" Sometimes I wish we could all live in the minds of innocent children. I love that my children have such a diverse environment in their daycare. They have friends of all different backgrounds and races and never once have they asked me why someone has a different skin color, or why one of Pierce's little friends has 2 mommies. They just see their friends the way that I wish everyone in the world did.

Okay, that got entirely to deep for someone who strives for greatness in sarcasm. On to WHORING FOR A GIVEAWAY

The following is a Kozy Pal Cart Cover. It is the bomb. I'm not just saying that because my friend is the mastermind behind these bits of fabulousness. I have one and I love it....they are WAY better then the one's you can find at your local baby stuff store. They cover the ENTIRE cart, have a pocket for your xanax keys, a place for the kids sippy cup....the wonders never end. Melissa is giving away 2 $50 gift certificates and I have a pregnant cousin so I need to win one. Please check the KozyPal blog and enter to win.