Blocked *Adults Only* (No, there's no pics or graphic details ya perv)

   Let me start by saying I love my in-laws, the whole lot, so when I say what I'm about to say don't think of it as a lack of love. I am sure most, if not all, married people or people in a serious relationship have experienced this same issue one time or another. When thinking of it it's actually quite funny... later on, after a few days or so. Some of what I'm going to say might be a little TMI but I'll say it anyway. 

   Don't you just love getting c*ckblocked by your in-laws? 

   Now as I said I love them all and they don't mean to, but I can only think of a couple times where we saw them, any of them, and I still got to have intimate time with my husband. Unlike when I was in my previous marriage, I actually have a sex drive now, a fairly high one at that; it helps that I found someone who can actually make me orgasm, I love him more than I have ever loved any man, plus (not to be rude BUT) a better tool😉. 

   I'm going to stop on this for a moment; I seriously never once orgasmed in my previous marriage. I was 28 the first time I got to have the full experience of intimacy. I always wondered why people talked about sex being "SOO GREAT!" and now I know. It wasn't something that just happened easily, but for once I had a partner willing to focus on me and take the time to figure me out, which is the way it should be. There's the saying that goes something like, "Nice guys finish last because they make sure their woman comes first." It's so much easier for a guy; a woman takes work, we have to be in the right mindset, we need the foreplay, the time to be made to feel special, loved and, sexy. Don't bother to be intimate with someone if you aren't willing to put in the work to make it enjoyable for them as well.

   Anyway, as much as I appreciate the time spent with my in-laws, it is very frustrating wanting time with your spouse and not being able to have that. I know you could say "Just go to sleep a bit later", but we're adults, we have jobs, a kid, it's not like we can just push aside our responsibilities, and most of the time we've already pushed our bedtime back because they stay up WAY later than we do, that's what happens when you work opposite shifts. 

I just had to give this somewhat comical rant. I lost it when I looked at Jordan and said, "Your family is a c*ckblock!" 🤣     

   

I'm going to be bluntly honest about something...

I. AM. NOT. OKAY. 

Some days I am, but not today. Today if I stop moving for too long I just want to cry. If I stop moving I start thinking and today if I start thinking I think about him; him being my step-dad that passed away just over 7 months ago. I think about how I would give anything, well just about anything, to have the little moments with him back. 

Let me hold the flashlight while he tries to fix something and gets frustrated at me when I accidentally move it from the right angle. 

Have him teach me one more thing, just like he always did. 

Give me one more awkward conversation because even though I love him I have a really hard time talking to him.

Just one more hug

Just one more I love you

...

But I don't get one more, my moments with him are over and sometimes that's just too hard to deal with, too much to feel. 

One day I'll be okay

But today isn't that day 

Michael Cooper - He Chose to Love Me As His Own

   I was attempting to share the obituary on Facebook and I kept trying to think of something I could say, but it all seemed lame or far too long for a Facebook post. So where better to go than my blog?
   

   I met Mike when I was 4 years old, he and my mom got married when I was 5. I didn't much like him. He was rude, pushy, bossy, always go-go-go. I often screamed, "I hate you!" at him. He took that for a while but then I was told to never say I hated a living thing, I could say I disliked them, but not hate. It was explained to me that hating someone meant I wished they'd never been born. I still didn't like him, but I did stop telling him I hated him. I didn't like having him around, I didn't like that my mom was constantly being pulled around to do stuff for the business, take him to the doctor, or to watch grandkid(s). Yes, I was young and I needed my mother, but I was horrible to him; I didn't understand him, I didn't appreciate him, and I never could look past everything to see what all he was doing for me. 

   I learned a lot from him; tying my shoes, riding my bike, how to mow, drive, check my oil, air up my bike tires, ride a 4wheeler, change a doorknob, drive a Kubota, bobcat, forklift, backhoe, etc. He taught me things that I know I've forgotten or possibly just forgot that he was the one to teach me.  

    He had every right to want nothing to do with me; but no matter how many times I'd screamed that I hated him, no matter how many times I hurt his feelings, no matter how many times I was a complete brat he chose to love me and he chose to treat me like I was his own daughter. He was there for all my school plays, award banquets, church plays, etc. 

   When I was 16, I believe almost 17, my mom was getting a new vehicle and they were taking her old one to trade-in. I loved her old vehicle and I sat in it and cried at the car dealership because we were about to give it away so instead of trading it in he made me a deal and let me buy it off of them. 

    As I grew up I started to look past how he acted and I saw what he did for me. I learned to love and respect him. So when I got married at 19 for the first time I couldn't imagine him not being there to walk me down the aisle so together he and my dad gave me away. 

   When I was 20 I was buying my first house with my then-husband and Mike was there to help every step of the way; meetings at the bank, going to look at houses, etc. 

   At 21 I had a cat pass away. We hadn't had her really all that long, but she was a great cat and I just loved her so much. I called my mom crying and they both showed up. He could have easily stayed home, but he came over and gave me a hug because it's what I needed. 

   I had my son when I was 22 and he was there waiting in the waiting room for HOURS, nearly the entire day. He came in to hold him after he was born and came back the next day and I'm pretty sure he was there the day after too. 

Over the years Mike and my son created quite a bond and it was obvious to everyone around how much they loved hanging out together; Kubota rides, 4 wheelers, trips to the bank, sitting together in church, working at the motel, going to Wal-Mart,... they were often seen together. Grandpa was top of his list of people.

   When I was 26 I got separated and divorced at 27, Mike was there to help every step of the way. Giving me rides to work, helping me find a cheap vehicle, helping me find a place to live. I would come home from work and there would sometimes be toilet paper, ramen noodles, a single burner hot plate, and other simple things that he would drop off for me; he didn't need to, but he did because he wanted to make sure I was going to be alright. On those days I would come home and cry because I was so thankful. 

   Last year my then-boyfriend and I bought a house and he was there to tell me how proud he was of me. This year we got married out in the cold, on a snowy day he was there for that too.  

                       The running theme is if he could be there he would be, every time.  

Doctors thought he wouldn't live past 40 years old, but we were blessed with 25 extra years and I'm so glad I was given the extra time to attempt to make up for how horrible I was to him as a child. I'm happy I realized his importance before he passed because now I know he left this world knowing I loved him. 

                              

   I have no clue what the rest of my life has in store, but I know I'll be missing him. I'll miss him at every holiday, birthday, big life event; but I'm so grateful that he isn't in any more pain, he isn't stuck in a chair, he's free. 

  Tomorrow will be hard. Next week will be hard. The whole rest of this year will probably be hard. I know some people don't like it when people pray for them, but this family isn't that way, we appreciate the prayers and know that we need them so send them this way.   

   

     Mike was an amazing man despite his flaws. I will forever have great respect and love for him. As I once wrote to him "there is no better man than a man who will raise another's child as their own" and he did that every day. 

   

Spider Repellent

 Hello, All! I have a recipe that I hope you'll love! I hope you like the scent of peppermint because your house is about to smell like it. This recipe I have used for a year and had success with.

I needed to find something that would be safe to use in the house with my kid and cats. I wasn't 100% successful when it comes to cats, but according to all my research cats will be fine around peppermint oil if they don't ingest it.

As for babies and toddlers, don't use this where they could get to it; use it around windows that are higher up, in places like the garage or maybe the basement where they wouldn't be playing at such a young age, and then around the outside of your home. 

It's an easy recipe and I absolutely love it. 

So what will you need?

- A spray bottle (16oz) 

(Depending on the size of your home you may have to fill the bottle a few times, you may consider buying a bigger sprayer and multiplying the recipe.)

- Peppermint Oil

- A dash of dish soap

- 16oz of water

Open up the spray bottle, add 5 drops of peppermint oil, a dash of dish soap (I use Dawn) and fill the rest of the bottle with warm water, insert and secure the top of the spray bottle, and shake.

My suggestion is to start in the house, spray around the entirety of the windows and exterior door(s) in each room. 

Next, go to the garage and spray around the border of the garage, around the door that goes from the garage to the house, and the same as before around any windows or exterior doors. 

Now head on outside, spray around the exterior border of your house, completely around every window or door, and in any area that you don't want a spider hanging out.

Repeat monthly. I hope this works well for you all.

Homemade Glass Cleaner

Hello all! As promised I'll be posting some recipes for cleaners, repellants, and hopefully, other goodies that I come across. Today’s recipe is for a Homemade Glass Cleaner. 

Ingredients: 

¼ cup Rubbing Alcohol 

¼ cup White Vinegar 

1 tbsp cornstarch 

2 cups warm water 

The only instructions posted were, “Shake a little each use if you see cornstarch at the bottom.” With the lack of directions, I’ll use an empty bottle, put it all together, shake, and pray it dissolves correctly. 

As I mentioned in my previous post I haven’t tried these yet, but I will review them in a second post with a link to this post once I’ve had a chance to try them. 

If you’re reading and happen to get to try this before I do please comment with a review. I’d love to know how others feel about the product. 

Let’s be clean and save money together! Yes, I'm cheesy, I know. 

Home Cost Savings

As a homeowner, you hope to find ways to save money each month. I decided to start looking for ways to save money. The first site I came across was www.houselogic.com by Realtors. Houselogic had a post on “35 Money-Saving Household Habits” on it they list some helpful tips. Examples; keep your fridge full, switch your lightbulbs to LEDs, use a toaster oven when possible, and wash clothes in cold water. I had known some of it, not that I practiced all of them. Issues that they mentioned, like insulation, can be costly and I wanted to focus on things I could fix more easily. Years ago I had begun this journey, but my life being what it was I never got to try any of the tips I had researched. Today I have an album with some recipes for homemade cleaners; I found some today, and others are from years ago. I have most of the ingredients in my online grocery list, but they were out of a few items I needed. I’ll be posting the instructions in the next couple of days for at least a couple of the cleaners. I’ll later make a second post giving reviews on each when I’ve had a chance to make them and see how I like them. Hopefully, this link can help out other homeowners and renters alike.

Lemon Peel Stitch - Crochet

It's been a hot minute since I've posted, but this should explain why.

  I recently found out that a friend will be having a baby next year; it had me thinking about baby shower gifts. I love the idea of crocheting blankets to give at baby showers, but a single or double stitch is just too plain. 

What did I do? I looked to the world wide web; it didn't fail me. I looked for a simple pattern for beginners and the first one I came across was the Lemon Peel Stitch. Being me I had to try it right away so I have spent 8 hours and 3 minutes on it, not all in one sitting, of course.

I decided I wanted to know how long it takes to do the projects that I'm doing. I wanted to have a general idea of how long it would take to finish a piece. I'm also keeping track of how much yarn I'm using and how much that yarn costs, just in case I ever decide to sell my work I'll already have an idea for the price range. 

I love how easy this pattern is. You know how I said single or double is just to plain? Well, how about single AND double? That's exactly what this is. You chain an even amount to the length you need for the project you're making, you then you start the second row and single stitch, double stitch, single stitch double stitch until you get to the end of that row start your new row as usual (chain one, flip) The goal is to put the singles above the doubles and the doubles above the singles and it gives it a cute little pattern. It's nothing major, but it looks like more effort than the only single or only double. Once you get the rhythm of it its easy and I love it way more than doing just one or the other. 

Here's how mine is looking so far: 

 

Here I'll show a single next to the Lemon Peel. They are different sized yarns and hooks but it gives a general idea. 

I have way too many projects going 🤦‍♀️ Help! 😂 I know I will feel so accomplished when I finish each one. 

I hope that something you do brings the same feeling of accomplishment.