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
*

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
~

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
~