Where should we draw the line??

Now, some of you may or may not know what is going on here in the US concerning gun control, and I would take the time to explain it all, but well, that can be for another blog. (lol) Personally, I don't have a problem with the government asking that there be complete background checks and mental health checks done on people wanting to buy a gun...I think that all makes total sense, personally that is. I know, I know, it won't stop criminals from getting guns, but please, let us all be realistic here...NOTHING is going to stop a criminal from getting a gun if he/she wants to get one. I think that if you think any different on that one, then you are just delusional. (MY opinion.)

Some people say that we should let our teachers carry weapons, some say that we should have a police officer or two...or three in every school, some think that our bus drivers should be armed....my question is: Where should we draw the line? I know everyone who thinks the above has good intentions and are afraid for the children and well, for everyone! I am just not sure where I truly stand on those points. Yesterday, in Illinois, a school principal popped off two shots from a starter pistol so the students and staff would know what the sound of a gun sounded like and could possibly get to safety faster should there be an issue....some students heard it, some did not ....so, did he really accomplish the goal he set to?

I remember when I was a kid, my parents didn't walk me to the bus stop, they didn't have the worry that I wouldn't make it down the street. They didn't worry about if there was going to be a crazed man out there taking kids hostage from their school bus. I know, I know, the world is a very different place now, but still....Every morning when my daughter heads out down the street to her bus stop, I stand and watch her and I have constant open communication with her to make sure she has arrived safely; and every morning while I am watching her walk to her bus stop I cannot help but think how sad it is that I feel compelled to watch her walk all the way of not even 2 blocks. Will I stop watching? No, probbly not. I cannot even help but think that there may come a day when I stop letting her walk to the bus stop alone, that I either start driving her down there to drop her off or that I just start taking her to school myself, bypassing all the worry. But, does the worry really stop once I know she is at school safe and sound? No, it does not. I try not to dwell on the negative, as I believe we get back what we put out there and well, that is just not something I want coming back on me, but I cannot help every now and again to wonder just how safe she really is inside her school.

A couple of months ago her school was put on lock down for more than half the day due to an altercation, with a gun, taking place outside of her school. Was I notified? No, not at all. If my daughter had not mentioned it to us, we never would have known. BUT, the school can send me a recorded message to my phone reminding me about a school dance or family fun night....now, that I believe is just plain ignorant.

So, again, I ask...where do we draw the line? Is it when I decide to home school her? Is it when it is a norm to have school teachers qualify with a weapon to be able to do their job? Is it when we let our bus drivers carry a side arm and then we sit and worry about one of the students getting a hair up their arses and taking that weapon away from the old man driving the bus? I wish I could answer this question, I really do, but I will not lie to you....we have been talking more and more about home schooling. Is it something that our daughter really wants to do? No, and I hate the thought of pushing her to do something that will not make her happy...but then again, would it just be the one thing that saves her life? So many questions and so many variables...too many in fact. My mind starts spinning just writing this blog.

I know this has been a rather long blog, but I just had to get it off my mind before it exploded. Thank you for being my sounding board.

The Steel Workers Wife

Top Ten Tuesday

Good Morning Bloggers! It is once again time for my Top Ten Tuesday list...I know, I know, you have been awaiting it all week, haven't you? LOL

1) Somedays I think it doesn't pay to be a woman.....all the time. lol

2) I think my hubby has been holding out on me for the last 10 yrs...HE CAN COOK!

3) Facebook is losing more and more of its luster for me....seriously, I only keep it because well,  I have sooo many Bingo credits and (sigh), I am addicted to Bingo. lol

4) I hate having an illness that no one can see...it hinders some peoples "understanding" and empathy.

5) I applied to Purdue to get my Bachelors Degree....it's part of our "Plan"..me and the hubby. lol

6) I think my family and I need another family photo taken, it has been several years since the last.

7) Debating on if I will add photos to this weeks TTT or not.....

8) Even though my phone took a dive into the toilet (see previous blog), it is working...with "glitches", but it is working. :)

9) I have an urge to watch old black and white movies...anything with Cary Grant in them.

10) I cannot wait for real spring to get here...cuz today is just a taste of it...a fake spring day is what it is. lol

May you all have a wonderful week....Peace, Love and Old Movies!

Manic Muddy, Dog, Cell phone killing, MONDAY!

Yup...its a MONDAY folks and I would have known it anywhere. (sigh..deep breath...release...and COFFEE)

Here in NW Indiana the weather has been, well....a bit "off" some would say. I just keep telling people that Mother Nature is having bipolar issues and needs to go back on her meds...and they laugh; take a look at the recent weather here in my area and tell me you don't agree with me. lol

So, yesterday we had snow, ice and rain...this morning no more snow, just mud...lovely mud, all over my front and back yard., YAY ME! NOT! ;)  Have you ever had a day that you wish you could just go back to bed, close your eyes and when you open them the day has started over? Yeah? Well, me too...RIGHT NOW...and it's not even 9am here. LOL

It all started the usual way, with Mother Nature and a German short-hair pointer who loves to be outside. Doesn't every ones stories start that way? No? Oh, Sorry....guess its just my lil piece of heaven then. LOL

So, I let the dogs out...the Mexican (Paco) is much more against getting his paws dirty than Vita (said German up there.)....she actually hates being dirty, but does not seem to mind getting dirty...odd girl she is. lol Anyway, I digress....I brought both dogs in, had them sit on the rug by the back door (which, oddly enough, they will sit there for hours if you don't tell them to come upstairs.lol) until I could get stuff for Vita's bath ready...cuz yeah, she was THAT muddy. She knew it, as soon as she hit the rug, she knew she was dirty...how do I know this for sure? She started wiping her feet on the rug and immediately sat down with her head down and cried...yeah, like I said, she hates being dirty. lol

OK, I digress AGAIN....I left dogs on the rug, came upstairs and proceeded to fetch everything I would need for Vita's bath....towels, shampoo...you know the drill Im sure. So, anyway, here I was pulling human stuff out of the bath tub and subbing it with dog stuff when I thought, "I better shut the lid to the toilet so I don't drop anything in......I turned to shut the lid and my cell phone beat the lid and made direct contact with the toilet water, clean toilet water thank goodness, but none the less, toilet WATER. UGH....I can do nothing at this point but drink my coffee and LAUGH! (I thankfully have my old cell phone to use at the moment..so things could be worse, but we don't wanna go there..do we? LOL)

Where is Vita, you may be asking yourself...well, her and Paco are where they usually are at this time of the morning...in MY bed...yup, I'm not fighting them...nope, wet dog and all..go on....enjoy the warmth of the blankets....for now that is. :) I had to wash my bedding anyway....so, why the hell not....right? LOL
Because, well, admit it, you now feel better about YOUR Monday...don't you??? LOL

Glad to be of service! :)

The Steel Workers Wife
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Ten Thoughts Tuesday/Top Ten Tuesday

Years ago...when I was blogging on Multiply, a friend started a Ten Thought Tuesday blog...and I got hooked. :) I have not done a TTT blog in well over a year or two, but today I thought it sounded like a good idea to start back up on...and well, if I cannot blog every day at least I can release ten thoughts on tuesday. LOL So...here we go!

1) COFFEE...that was for you, Chris and Gee.... ;)

2) I went on my 2nd interview for this job...hope I get called back and get the job!

3) Im a bit rusty, and finding it not so easy to think of ten things lol

4) Doing this makes me think of when AB used to do her Feck Off Fridays Blog....back in the day lol

5) There are days...like today, when having a teenage daughter is like watching a comedy routine...while drunk. LOL

6) Hmmmmm that last one made me think about wine...lol

7) It's cold here...not just cold..but COOOOOLLLLLDDDD! -8 with windchill COLD....UGH

8) I wish I lived somewhere either west or south, still got the seasons, just not so much cold or snow.

9) I am just one away from 10!!!!

10) I feel as if I accomplished nothing and yet accomplished something today. :)

There you have it folks! My Ten Thought Tuesday....which I think I will rename Top 10 Tuesday....(Only because I could not find any photos of the saying "Ten Thoughts Tuesday". lol

Bucket List...None Needed

OK, so I started making out my Bucket List in a previous Blog...and my good bloggin buddy, AB, left me a comment...she said that she was just going to live life how SHE wanted to, so there was no need for a Buck List. Well, that comment got me thinking and has had me thinking since she posted it. lol Hence the reason of this Blog.

So, instead of making lists and lists of things I want to do before I die, I am going to just start doing them and keeping a journal and this blog to keep track of them. :) I did accomplish one thing that I wanted to do and that was start my own business. It's not a huge business, but I have made money by making and selling my cupcakes already. I know it may sound silly to some, but the first time I made, decorated and sold cupcakes to a customer it made me feel like I had accomplished something....something that I dreamed of doing and that was a wonderful feeling.

As I sat in bed one night and started to think of all the things I have already accomplished in life I thought, WOW....I have already accomplished so many things I wanted to do before I died. lol I have 2 wonderful children of my own, I married a wonderful man and my best friend, I inherited 5 loving grown children who have made me a grama of 21 beautiful grandchildren and some of those have made me a Great-Grama to 3 1/2 (one is on the way)  pretty gorgeous great grand babies. I had a great relationship with my mother-in-law, (not many people can say that without laughing.lol) and I gained a brother in law and a wonderful sister in law. And I have a better relationship with my own parents, we may not have gotten to the perfect relationship, but we are getting somewhere. lol

I finished college with my Associates Degree in Medical Assisting before my son got his degree. lol I have a great circle of friends, who I know that without a doubt, if ever called upon they would be at my side with no questions asked. And, I know that because they have already done it. :)

I finally decided what I want to be when I grow up, I have decided to go on for my Bachelors and then my Masters in Social Work; I have always enjoyed working with the elderly and I have seen first hand how desperately there is a need for them to have a voice and well, I want to be that voice for them. My dream of having a bakery one day is still alive, for when I retire and need something to do. lol I won't stop baking and selling cupcakes on the side...but I now know where my true passion lies.....at this time in my life.

So, I thank you AB for your comment and all the thoughts it brought into my head. You helped me realize that just by living my life for ME I am already accomplishing so very much.

My wish for you all: To be able to live your lives for YOU and to throw away the bucket lists. lol

A Steel Workers Wife
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My "Rant" on Gun Control and the 2nd Amendment

OK, I have been sitting on this Blog for a while now; since before the latest shootings and I have tried to wait...just to see if ANYONE was going to correctly quote the 2nd Amendment, but I can wait no longer.

**I want it to be known that I acknowledge that whomever reads this Blog may or may not agree with me and THAT IS JUST FINE BY ME. :)  I don't expect us all to agree with one another, that would be very dull and I am not a fan of dull...but I am a fan of intelligence. So, all I am going to ask from anyone who comments on this (in a pos or neg way) is to please do so in a respectful way, doing so will mean your comment will stay (even if you disagree with me)....be disrespectful and your comment will be deleted. Simple as all that. Thank you in advance. **

I have my own beliefs when it comes to politics and I have made the choice not to voice them all over Facebook or any other online mediums, but I have seen and read quite a few that have. It amazes me just how many people are twisting the debate of gun control to fit their own ideas or their own political views; and so many are using the 2nd Amendment as grounds for their arguments...and in doing so, I believe that they truly have no clue as to what the Amendment says or why it was even written and well, that just plain pisses me off. No, I'm not a historian nor am I a fact checker, but I do know why the 2nd Amendment was written as it was explained to me in grade school, middle school, high school and again in College, by people who are in fact Historians and fact checkers.

OK, so that last part may come off sounding a bit pompass and like I'm being a smart-ass, but that was not my intent at all. My intent is to set the record straight for those who cannot seem to look any further than their own egos and own beliefs.

Amendment II

A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.


As you can read, this Amendment was not put into effect for us to be able to walk around and carry our guns, or to even be able to have them in our home WITHOUT the threat of having to be called up to help with the security of our State/Nation. That is why the Amendment was written my friends, because back then there was a NEED for men to have their weapons handy; they were to be ready at any time day or night to defend their country. It was not written because they had the forethought to see that our Country would be in such a mess and have the violent issues it has today; nor are any of us at risk of being called up by our Government to protect it, as it was back in those days.

What is my stand on gun control? I believe that we should be able to arm and protect ourselves and our property, but I really don't see a need for Assault weapons and clips above 10. I have relatives who own guns, but they are not Assault Weapons nor are they kept unlocked and where just anyone can get to them. Do I think that a full background check and mental check should be a requirement...yup, sure do. Do I think this all will end needless and senseless violence? NO I do not. But, shouldn't we at least try? There is so much more to making our world a safer one, but it all has to start with just one step, like any other journey....in my own opinion.

Bucket list.....Part 1

I have been in a "funk" lately and trying not to take it out on the family, I have been doing a lot of reading and meditating and praying lately. While meditating one day I started to think of all the things I have done in my life...good and bad. None of us want to dwell on the bad stuff, so I will leave it unwritten. (lol)

But, thinking of the things that I have done and places I have seen lead me to think of the things and places I have not yet done or seen. So, once I was done and had a clear mind again I sat down and started on my Bucket List..you know, the list of things you want to accomplish before you "kick the bucket" so to speak. :) Here are just a few of the things I have come up with so far:

* I want to take my kids and hubby to see the great National Parks and Monuments

* Visit Washington DC....see the monuments and visit the Library of Congress

* Go to Scotland

* Renew my wedding vows

* Get my Bachelors Degree

* Have a family reunion with my hubby's side...his siblings and their kids and of course, his kids, grand kids, great grand kids too.

* I want to open my own business, a Bakery actually

* I want to get healthy

These are just the tip of the iceberg....I have so many things zipping around inside my mind that it will take more than one or two blogs to get it all out. lol So, look forward to more of my Buck List blogs. :)

What do YOU have on your Bucket List?

The Steel Workers Wife
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Mind Bogged.....

I have had such great blog topics come to mind the last couple of days, sad thing is they left before I could write them down. lol My short term memory is on overload lately, and well, blog topics seem to have been pushed, not just to the back of my mind, but totally out of my mind. lol

It has even started to effect my dreams. Last night I had a dream of someone cleaning carpets with this great stuff that actually worked...and in my dream I kept thinking "remember the name so we can buy it when we wake up"...lol...BUT, do you think I can recall the name of said stuff? NOPE! LOL Does that mean the stuff was real stuff? No, but it still bothers me that I cannot recall it at all.

I do have a lot on my mind right now, so maybe that is what is putting a damper on my blog ideas...hmmmmmm possible. :)

I got a phone call yesterday about a job application I did a couple of months ago and I go for an interview tomorrow morning! :) It is for the position of Lab Assistant, which is either PRN (as needed), Part time or Full time...not sure as some more positions are opening up in this dept. Whats really nice is that not only do I enjoy running labs and drawing peoples blood...lol...the clinic I will be working at is where one of my best friends, K, works at. YAY! :) I know more people who work there, but none of them are K. lol

I woke up with a stuffy nose, cough, scratchy throat and watery eyes, soooooo I am taking some cold medicine to ward it off so I do not go into my interview hacking all over the nice lady. lol Lucky for me, I have had my flu shot; they gave it to me when I was in the hospital in Nov. I have to call today to get Katie and Rick in for their shots, I just don't want to take any chances with those two and this flu strain is NASTY...we have had 18 deaths total between here and Illinois. NOT GOOD!

OK, my rambling is done....I still feel "mind blogged", but hopefully I will start retaining my blog ideas or at least start writing them down. lol

Peace, Love and Blogging!
The Steel Workers Wife
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Circle of Friends

As a kid we seemed to be over loaded with friends, but as we grow older (and wiser hopefully) we learn that we do not need everyone around us to be our friend. I have been thinking about my circle of friends lately, I mean, sure, there are people that I am friendly with but would I count them in my "circle"? No, I would not.

I have learned over the last several years that the number of friends a person has does not make them a better or more likable person, it just means that they aren't as choosey as others are when it comes to who they will or will not have around them. I, myself, choose to have a small circle of true friends...I guess I should stop now and explain that "true friend" statement.

Think of it like this: We all have friends that we go out with, maybe have over for dinner once in a blue moon or we may even invite them to an important event; BUT, we also have those few "true" friends that we would want by our side in crisis, ones we KNOW, without a doubt, would be there by our side to cheer us on when the chips were down. Those are the "true" friends. The ones you trust your children's lives with.

I have a very close circle of these true friends, I like it that way. When I was a child I loved having a lot of friends, but as I have grown up and moved away from childish things I have come to realise that it's not the number of friends you have that counts, its the friends whose number you can call at 3am because your sad or just because...or maybe even because you are drunk and need a ride home. LOL

My circle of friends may not always get along with one another, hell, they may not all even like one another, but I know if push came to shove they would rally together to help me in any way they could. And, I believe they know that I would do the same for them...in a heart beat.

I try my best, and sometimes it is hard, not to pass judgement on anyone, especially a friend. God made us all different for a reason, I personally think that sometimes he did this for pure entertainment. ;) I have friends who have money and I have friends who don't....money cannot buy you true friendship, it can just loan you a friend. lol I heard that somewhere, not sure where, but it has stuck with me.

My truest friends are wonderful and I wish we all lived closer to one another, but we don't, and that is why we have FaceBook. lol It's true ya know, what they say about true friends: You can go a long time without speaking and one phone call, one minute, it's like you never stopped talking at all. I love that about my bestest friends, they love unconditional and they get that back in return.

So, maybe it's time for some of us to stop and take stock of those around us....or maybe we are happy with the choices we have made....whatever your situation is, I hope that your truest friends stay true; and if you haven't found your circle yet, may you find it soon and may it bring you just as many blessings as mine has.

The Steel Workers Wife
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Dinner for 5....

Rick (hubby) and I were lounging in bed last night, watching some show on the food network, when I asked him:
     "If you could have dinner with 5 other people, living or dead, who would you choose?" I thought he would need some time before answering me, but I was wrong. He looked at me with a serious look and said: "My Dad, My Mom, My Son, JFK, and Obama." I told him that I was impressed he answered so quickly and that I liked his choices; he then asked me the same question to which my reply was:
     "Einstein, Lincoln, My great-grama B, My Grampa B, and Mark Twain." (actually it was  Twain or Obama...but I went with Twain. lol) When I looked back at Rick he was looking at me with an odd expression and I asked him why the odd look...he said that my people surprised him a little bit. He said he expected more family, since I am the one who is more family oriented. I laughed and explained why I chose who I chose....

I have always had a "thing" for Einstein and Lincoln, not a crush type of thing but an interesting type of thing. I had my interest peaked at a young age, it was in the 5th grade and each of us had to memorize a speech given by Lincoln and I was given The Gettysburg Address to memorize. I had so much fun with that and I can still remember how the words jumped out of the school book at me that I just knew I was destined to have this speech assigned to me. (I laugh at that now, but I can still recall the joy I felt when my teacher assigned it to me. lol)  And, as I sit here typing this, I can still hear those words being said in my mind. Anyway, I digress, Loved that speech and thus started my "thing" for Lincoln. lol Einstein, well, again I think I was in the 5th grade when my teacher showed us a movie about Einsteins life and I was just so engrossed in it that I wanted to learn more about this man who others thought of either a lunatic or a genius. I would love to sit and talk with him and pick his brain about what is going on in our world today, and the same goes for Lincoln...what would he think of how our Country has been run since his time? Just how angry would he be? I would love to add Twain into that conversation and I can just picture him trying to play referee with those other two. lol Twain has been an interested of mine ever since I read Tom Sawyer, or well, my Grama started to read it to me and then she handed it to me to finish on my own one day when I was visiting and went to work at the Library with her. lol

The other two people are, of course, very personal choices for me. I was a very small child when my Grampa B died and I would love to be able to catch him up on whats been happening in our family's life since then....and same goes for Great Grama B, who died when I was a young teen. (She is his mother) I would love to break out the photo albums and share them with these two, to see the looks of wonderment on their faces as they see their children grown, their great and great-great grand children's smiling faces.

I know, I have rambled on and I hope you forgive me and I would love to hear who you would invite for your Dinner for 5.

Steel Workers Wife
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The simple pleasures of life...My Life....

 

Today is Sunday, except for whatever one day off my hubby has off work, Sunday is my favorite day of the week. I get to sleep in, if I want to, but that never really happens. I actually set my alarm to wake me by 7:45am so I can get my coffee brewed, wash the sleep from my eyes and get ready for my guilty pleasure, a television show called Sunday Morning; this show is a type of news show, but they break things, interesting things, down into segments that actually keep a viewer interested and looking forward to the next interesting segment. They are not so depressing as watching the regular news, but I have found myself spilling a couple of tears now and again as a segment touches my heart or pulled at my heart strings.


I remember watching this show when I was a kid, my parents used to watch it and back then, of course, I never saw the draw of this show; until I was 19 and living on my own and then it became a part of my Sunday routine. I have tried to sit and watch Sunday Morning with friends, it doesn't work, I have tried to lounge in bed and watch it with a lover, but that never worked either. When I met my hubby for the first time, via match.com, we were talking about our favorite television shows and when he mentioned he enjoyed to watch Sunday Morning I knew there was a connection. :) And, back in the day (lol) when he had Sundays off, we would both get up early, make our coffees and maybe some toast and then settle in to enjoy one of our simple pleasures of life. It was a great bonding experience for us, we were never at a loss for something to discuss as the show kept our minds working and giving us the topic(s) of the day, I sooo miss those times.

Another one of my life's simple pleasures is being able to be home to help my daughter with her school work. Not many parents have the opportunity to be home when their kids get home from school, so I truly feel blessed to be able to be here for her. I really like that special quality time with her, as I know one day soon she isn't going to want me around as much. lol

Lastly, for today, another simple pleasure is baking/cooking. I truly love baking and cooking good food for my family. It fills my heart with love to see them enjoying something that I have made for them. I love baking especially, but cooking comfort foods is a close 2nd. My mind is wandering to what I can bake up today...yup, got too many things flying through my head to even give you a clue as to what it will be. lol

I wish you all a wonderful day...filled with your simple pleasures. :)

The Steel Workers Wife
~

Blogging....Just Blogging

Well, it's morning here in NW Indiana and to say it is cold outside is an understatement....it's freaking cold outside! :)

A friend of mine on Facebook posted how she missed blogging because let's face it folks, FB does not give us that intimate connection like blogging does and well, after a while we tend to crace that interaction. At least that is how I feel about it. Don't get me wrong, FB has it's good points and I will not be giving up my FB 100%, but I do plan on putting more into my blogging than I have been. :)

A lot has been going on here in this Steel Workin' house since I last posted. I never really got my whole Christmas spirit back, but I got enough of it to get through the holidays. lol Kbug had a nice Christmas and loved all her gifts, especially the MP3 player we got her and the giftcards her yaya and papa got her. :) (I took her out yesterday to finish her shopping and she had a BLAST!) Drew, well, I did a stocking for him and will be taking him shopping for some clothes here soon. He is 20 now and does not live at home, and it really sucked not having him here Christmas Morning....but I got through it without calling him in tears. LOL We spent Christmast afternoon at my parents home and had a very nice time...its become kinda a tradition to do it that way over the years. My mom had so many YUMMY snacky foods out before dinner that by the time dinner (prime rib) was done...we were all too stuffed from the snacky foods to eat it. lol

New Years, hubby and I were in bed by 10pm because he had to work in the morning and well, I was just plain tired. lol Kbug made it all the way to midnight and then crashed out. It has been a few years since I stayed up to watch the New Year come in, maybe next New Years I will try and make it til Midnight.

Today is the day that I figure out which college I will be attending to get my Bachelors Degree. I'm really excited! :) Im not sure if I will continue on for my Masters or not yet, I am taking it one degree at a time. lol

Well, the real world is calling and my mom is IMing me..sooooo, I wish you all a wonderful day!

~Steel Workers Wife
Lu