Oil Spills and other unfortunate accidents -

So I've been thinking that Brett was perhaps a little accident prone and I was starting to worry. However, due to events as of late, I am thinking that in fact it might be both of us who are accident prone. Last week we had two rather significant "accidents" take place. Both of them, if we had to place blame (which we shouldn't!!), would be technically my fault.

Water, water, EVERYWHERE-

Last Tuesday I decided to do laundry so I started a load and left the laundry room. About an hour later I went back to check on the load...it was still running. I left again thinking it was almost done. Brett and I went to run some errands and when we returned (almost 2 hours later) the water sounded like it was STILL running in the washer. Finally, being the Sherlock Holmes that I am, I decided to see why the water was still going. Well, lo and behold, the hose that was supposed to be attached to the back of the washer had come loose. Water was just shooting out of the back of the washer and into the back yard. Can't wait to see how our water bill looks next month! Opps!

Oil Spill-

The next day, Wednesday of last week, we were attempting to make Chile Rellanos for dinner. Brett had already prepped the peppers and stuffed them with cheese, corn and chicken. They were ready for frying and since I'm the "Fry Queen" it was time for me to do my thing. As I was getting out the fryer, the saddest thing happened. I slipped on a banana peel and spilled the entire vat of oil all over the kitchen floor. Ok, ok so the banana peel part is a lie but the rest is true. It was a major oil spill. 2 or 3 paper towel rolls later (thanks Bounty - the quicker, thicker, picker-upper) we had the mess under control and were ready to tackle the Chile Rellanos....now that was a whole other issue.

A new found respect for the Chile Rellano -

Tensions were already running high by the time we were actually ready to fry the chile rellanos. Brett had to go to the store to get more oil, I was mopping the floor with Dawn, and it was getting late. Well, the batter I had bought slid right off the chiles when we dropped them into the oil...so that was a failed attempt. Next, we tried to dip them into milk and then flour...that also didn't work. We obviously didn't do enough research and we clearly didn't have enough respect for the chile rellano makers out there. In the end we gave up and just baked the chiles in the oven. They were good but we are determined to try again and successfully fry them!

Tips for Marriage -

 These tips were passed along to me by a friend and I think they are great tips! I thought I would share them with others. They are helpful whether you are married already or just wanting to prepare yourself for a fulfilling marriage. Each one is so important!

1. God has you here to serve one another. Love acted out is serving.

2. Women need respect and nurturing. Love your wife so she knows you'd
    lay your life down for her. Continue to date her and admire her. Share
    a hobby, find something you can do to have fun together.
3. Laugh often.
4. Be patient. Love crumbles quickly under the weight of unmet expectations.
5. Spend more time trying to fix yourself than your spouse.
6. Keep short accounts. The Bible syas, "Do not let the sun go down
    while you are angry." Make a habit to fogrive.
7. Determine up front that divorce is not an option.
8. Learn about love languages. Not all people show love or receive it
    in the same way. You want a back rub and your spouse wants a clean
    kitchen. The love languages are fairly simple: acts of service, time,
    physical touch, gifts, and words of affirmation. Learn them. Love is
    better received when it's in the language that person speaks.

9.  Words of affirmation are a love language for all men.

10.Men are born leaders. He cannot lead unless she gives him
    confidence to do so. If you love your husband, build him up. Confident
    men do not seek love outside the home.

Hair today, Gone Tomorrow -

Times are tough...so in an effort to cut back, Brett and I have decided to cut our hair. In theory, the less hair we have to wash, the more money we can save on shampoo. That's not actually why we did it but you'll see that after our last hair cuts, we have much less hair! Our necks will be cold for winter...but oh well, sometimes you need a new look!

Nobel Peace Prize? How bout a noble piece of my mind...

I'm sure it comes by no surprise that I am less than pleased with Obama's recent Nobel Peace Prize award. There are many people out there that do so much good in the world. They are the ones that deserve special recognition....not the President of  The United States! Hasn't he gotten enough praise? Everyone knows his name, his causes, his purpose. Have you heard of any of the people listed below? Maybe if they had been awarded the "prize" you would get to hear more about them and their hard work to create a better world. Politics aside, I feel like this year the nomination committee got a little lazy and I am disappointed with their decision. Below is a quick list of people who were passed over so that Obama could win.

(from http://www.weeklystandard.com/)

Sima Samar, women's rights activist in Afghanistan: "With dogged persistence and at great personal risk, she kept her schools and clinics open in Afghanistan even during the most repressive days of the Taliban regime, whose laws prohibited the education of girls past the age of eight. When the Taliban fell, Samar returned to Kabul and accepted the post of Minister for Women's Affairs."

Ingrid Betancourt: French-Colombian ex-hostage held for six years.

"Dr. Denis Mukwege: Doctor, founder and head of Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo. He has dedicated his life to helping Congolese women and girls who are victims of gang rape and brutal sexual violence."

Handicap International and Cluster Munition Coalition: "These organizations are recognized for their consistently serious efforts to clean up cluster bombs, also known as land mines. Innocent civilians are regularly killed worldwide because the unseen bombs explode when stepped upon."

"Hu Jia, a human rights activist and an outspoken critic of the Chinese government, who was sentenced last year to a three-and-a-half-year prison term for 'inciting subversion of state power.'"

"Wei Jingsheng, who spent 17 years in Chinese prisons for urging reforms of China's communist system. He now lives in the United States."

Maybe they'll do better next time...

 

On a lighter note:

Brett really is quite the handy man. I am lucky to have him. However every handy man has their "off" day. Sadly, last Saturday was Brett's. After successfully installing this lovely new porch light, he had a bit of an "accident."

Take a look at the new skylight Brett installed in our living room....with his foot. You see he was up in the attic, installing the porch light and on his way back through the ceiling to the stairs down from the attic, he slipped and his foot came crashing through the ceiling. Luckily, I was sitting almost directly below him when it all happened. I'm truly lucky he didn't fall in my lap and hurt himself or me.

And here is the aftermath from the hole...Brett is so thoughtful that he wanted Christmas to come early for me so he made it snow in our living room! : )

As bad as things seemed last weekend, I am happy to report that we (meaning Brett and Uncle Paul) have successfully patched the hole in the ceiling. We simply weren't ready for a skylight and all that extra sunshine in our living room.

At times like these, all you can do is laugh. And now, we can look back on this as a funny little memory!


Sunday, a time for reflections and conspiracy theories

Brett and I were sucked in by the History channel today. We woke up and there was a JFK Special on. Well, little did we know that it was an all day event. I could barely get away from the TV. I mean, maybe the mob did kill JFK, maybe it was another group who did it. Why do all the Kennedy's die? Doesn't it seem a little weird??? I dunno the answers but sometimes its fun to listen to the theories...they can get a little far fetched. And yes, I did spend quite a lot of time watching but hey, it's educational...right??

Then, as the JFK programming was ending and I thought I might actually be able to get away from the TV, the history channel jumped right into a special on 9/11 conspiracy theories. I guess I've been under a rock for the last 8 years but I had no idea that people really thought 9/11 was this huge conspiracy. And although I found it quite interesting and entertaining to listen to, I can't help but think there is something wrong with people that think the government is wicked enough to fabricate such an elaborate and devastating event. Don't get me wrong, I think the government is corrupt in many ways, but to kill thousands, or to allow thousands to be killed sounds too far fetched. Anyway, if you are curious, you can google "9/11 Conspiracy" or "Loose Coins" to hear more of these theories.

Outflow - outward-focused living in a self-centered world:

My mom gave me a new book to read today. It's actually more of a 5-week study on how to better yourself and others by living a life focused on others. I'll admit it: I'm self-centered and self-absorbed. I often worry about myself and only myself, my problems, my life....but that's not how it should be and that's not how I want to be remembered. On the very first page of the introduction, I read something cool. It's a pretty simple, but profound concept:

The glass is not half empty, and it's not half full, it's overflowing. 

Despite all the problems we face daily, don't we all have gifts, that are overflowing that we could and should share with others? Instead of focusing on ourselves and our situations, we should look to others to see how we can help them. If we all did that, then there would be others looking to help us, while we were helping others. We'd all reap the benefits. Make sense? Have you ever taken note of something nice someone has said to you, or something thoughtful they've done for you? Think about what an impact it would make if we all did more....even just little things for other people. Sometimes I get bogged down with thinking I need to make these grand gestures or come up with elaborate ways to give back....I think to myself, when will I ever find the time, the money, the resources? Before I even do anything, I get overwhelmed and then as a result, do nothing. Well, not anymore....or at least hopefully not anymore!!

You've Got Mail - 

Some of my readers (hum, hum) ok, all of my readers have gotten a little lazy and rely soley on my emails, to plop in their inbox, so they can read all of my profound thoughts. That is NOT the way a blog is supposed to work....at least I don't think it is. A blog is an actual website that people are supposed to visit regularly. I've been babying all of you and for this reason, nobody reads what I write unless it is emailed to them. So, in the near future, I am going to stop sending my posts via email. Hopefully this will encourage everyone to visit the website and if you want to...make it a "Favorite" or "Bookmark" it so you can visit again and again. And trust me, I have some GOOD stuff coming up in the near future.....so you won't want to miss a post! : )

So that there's no confusion the website is:

http://bplusmcox.blogspot.com

No TV Tuesdays -

In an effort to be more productive, Brett and I have started a "No TV Tuesday" rule at our house. More accurately, it is a "media-free" night. We stay off the internet and refrain from watching TV on Tuesday nights. We are on week 2 but I am already convinced that it is a great concept. We all waste so much of our free-time surfing the internet or sitting in front of the TV. Think of all you can accomplish without those little distractions. This week, instead of watching TV, I:

                                                -cleaned up around the house

                                                -updated our weekly activity board

                                                 -updated our weekly dinner menu board

                                                -finished my book, White Oleander

                                                -took my first bubble bath in our new home

                                                -decorated for Fall

                                                -cooked dinner

Not too bad! And Brett was also productive! Brian and Cassie introduced us to the concept and I really hope we can keep it up! Of course, having DVR helps us make sure we don't miss anything important. HA! : )

Fun at Fort Woof -

This past weekend was a full weekend for us. There was a lot going on in Fort Worth. I attended Christmas in Cowtown with Brett's mom. Then immediately after, Brett and I took the dogs to "Barktober Fest" at the dog park, Fort Woof. There was a great turnout of canines and their owners. They had an entertaining dog costume contest. It was funny! We had a good time and I think the dogs did too. Here are a few pictures…

Dance Buster Dance!!

 

Sweet little Buster with his mommy!

Brett and Maddie...how cute are they??

World Site Day -

Take a Moment to Reflect…Today is World Sight Day!

Today, October. 8, 2009, is World Sight Day. This international day of awareness is held each year on the second Thursday of October, to focus attention on the global issue of avoidable blindness and visual impairment.

Sponsored by Vision 2020, a partnership between the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), there is a theme each year surrounding one of the societal causes of world blindness. This year World Sight Day is focused on the relationship between gender and access to eye care. Two-thirds of blind people worldwide are women and girls and in many places men have twice the access to eye care.

Oh the life of a housewife...

This picture made me laugh! She looks so pathetically "distraught." I'm into vintage pictures of housewives….and I'm wanting to do a Vintage theme in the kitchen and use pictures of women and housewives cooking….kinda like these pictures below: