Please tell me what part I wrote about you is a lie. You still have no job, no money, no car and no driver's license. You left your husband for another man while he was in Iraq. You spent all his money and still expect more. All of that is 100% TRUE!

Sorry but when you leave your husband to live with another man that is called adultery. Your husband doesn't owe you anything!!

There is nothing wrong with my son. I'm proud of him serving our country. Exactly what have you accomplished? I advised you both to get marriage counseling but that never happened.

He was not abused as a child either. That is complete bull. You aren't even a parent so you have no right to pass judgement on any discipline we used. When you have children of your own someday maybe you will understand that a little better.

I really only wrote a few sentences about you anyway. I can write whatever I want in my journals. I don't really care what think. You turned your back on us, not the other way around.

I really need to write more often just to keep you up to date on all the drama! Our Navy son Steve is back from the Middle East. He's still down in VA Beach but at least he's out of the war zone. He's planning to visit us in PA at the end of this month. Hopefully that will all work out smoothly.

Autumn moved her stuff out of their apartment before he came back. She's living with her new bf and another couple in an apartment in Pittsburgh. They have no money and no furniture. It makes little sense but that's the life she's chosen. She still has no car, driver's license or job. Of course she spent all of Steve's money and expects more. Personally I think she should start working to pay her own bills for a change! She's not one of my favorite people.

Maria is passing 8th grade so far. She's having some trouble in English but her other grades are OK. She's had social peer problems and got 3 of her fingers cut by an ice skating incident. It ended up that she had to have surgery to repair her right ring finger tendon that was cut. She has a pin in her finger now but should be all healed by the end of April. We've talked to the police and a lawyer about taking further action on this.

Maria is back with her on again, off again bf Jimmy. Things between them have improved a lot. I'm not completely sure that's all good but she's really happy they're together. We're involved with a new agency for treatment and I'm encouraged. Maria will be getting more counseling and supervision with problem areas related to her conduct disorder.

Kayleen is 12 now and growing like a weed. She's still involved with cheering, twirling, basketball, band and dance lessons. She's getting fussy about her hair and clothes so she's turning into a typical pre-teen girl. Help!

Lester is still working at nearby PC. It's hard to believe he's lasted out there for 2+ years but he has. Petwise we have 3 rabbits, 4 cats & 1 stray that visits, 5 fish and 3 hermit crabs. I've been busy with family activities, household chores and too many computer groups. I don't have time to be bored but a break now and then to relax sure would be great! lol

Anyway I've got things to do and the girls should be home from school soon. Dinner needs to be started and all that good stuff. Take care and I'll try to write again soon. Hugs!

It's very frustrating to realize how unorganized I've truly become. I'm learning that while being spontaneous is fun, it leads to not getting much accomplished.

One of my highest goals for this year is to add more structure back into my life. I need to push myself to get things done & on time. I've goofed off long enough since I've stopped working.

I won't bore you with all the details of my plans but let's just say things will be different in 2006. I'm going to get organized and get more done. It's about time!

We just have been so busy this past month with the holiday season and related things. Sorry I haven't been updating as often as I should be. I know I've been very bad!

Anyway I just wanted to say hello and ask you all to please add yourself to the friends map on my blog page. It's pretty cool to see where you all live.

Our weather today is cold at 27 degrees but sunny. We have snow left on the ground but the roads are bare. We have a winter storm watch from tonight until tomorrow afternoon. I'm so glad I don't have to go anywhere. I had enough fun sliding around on the slippery roads last night!

Maria was picked to be a wrestling cheerleader so she's very happy about that. She did well on her report card with a C or better in all her classes! She even got a 95 in math which was a complete shock. We're still trying to get the paperwork done for her wraparound. There's a meeting set up for Dec. 1st. Maria has improved a lot but I still don't trust her.

Kayleen also did well on her report card with a C or better in all her classes. She's going to be a cheerleader for basketball once the boys start playing games in Jan.

Steve is still over in the Middle East on his Navy ship assignment. We email and he seems to be doing OK. He's been married to Autumn for a whole year now but they had to spend their first anniversary apart. That's kind of sad. We hope he comes home in April but it may be longer. I try not to worry about him being in the war zone but I hate it. I want him home here with us, especially for the holidays!

I'm doing fine myself since I finally got over the bronchitis and coughing. We still haven't gotten our flu shots. They're next to impossible to find around here. It's rather annoying!

Well I should end it here and get some work done around the house. I wish everyone Happy Thanksgiving and hope you don't eat too much! lol Bye for now!

I'm finally well again after a horrible 3 weeks of bronchitis. I went to the doctor after coughing so much my right side hurt. She put me on a strong antibiotic and I got better. Mentally though I got moody and was unable to sleep which turned out to be a temporary side effect from the Biaxin. Thank goodness I only had to use it for a week!

Maria went to a new counseling center today for a psychiatric evaluation. He seemed to think she has a conduct disorder. That makes a whole lot of sense. Now we have to wait for approvals to get started with her treatment. The family therapists felt she needed a more intense intervention. Maria was being plain rude and hostile to them. It was time for a change.

Stephen is still over in the Middle East on a Navy ship somewhere in the Red Sea area. We email and I've been sending him packages but I want him back home safely and soon. I try not to think about the war zone and what might happen over there but it's very, very hard. He won't be back until the spring. I hate that so much!

Kayleen and Maria are both doing OK in school. I have to get the girls report cards on Friday after meeting with their teachers. They don't have school that day because of the parent-teacher conferences.

Lester is still working but having problems with a supervisor now. At home he's been bringing in firewood for the winter. The trees are mostly bare now. Fall is in the air. It's cloudy and windy today but warm at 61 degrees.

Otherwise we're all doing fine. Life keeps us very busy and time flies by too quickly. I hope everyone is having a good day and doing OK. That's it for now as I've about run out of chatter. Bye for now!

My hubby called in sick today and fixed our plumbing problem. We finally have water at home to do things again. It's so wonderful!

Lester is relaxing and watching TV now. He's as relieved as I am that we have water again. We have a strong spring but he was getting ready to have a well drilled. I doubt we will do that anymore since we have water at the moment.

Kayleen is hanging out with friends and Maria is at school. She has to cheer at a football in the rain. I hope she doesn't end up sick like me.

This has been a bad week of illness for me. I cough so hard that my eyes hurt. I'm doing a bit better when I take a decongestant. That's the extra med for now. Whatever helps!

My husband tried to get an emergency day off work but they told him they were too short of help. How nice! They wanted him to provide some sort of verification of the problem. Well aren't going to call and pay a plumber when he could probably fix it himself.

Now he's mad and we're home without water all night. I have to run the girls around to activities and I feel grungy! The things you take for granted and never appreciate until they're gone. If I could wish for my good health and running water to return, I would. Well I mean I honestly am wishing for that but so far not seeing any positive results!! lol

I've been sick and it's such a drag. I've had a cough and felt run down for days. My temp is only 100. I hate to go to the doctor for that! I have no appetite but I've been forcing myself to eat, drink and.....take vitamins! Sometimes I feel better and sometimes I feel like crap. It's getting annoying!

I had a severe local reaction to my previous week's allergy shots so they lowered 2 of my 4 doses. It was kind of strange but I did feel a bit better after that. The only count high right now is the molds. The weeds are pretty much over due to the cooler weather. Good riddance!

It's impossible to get flu shots up here unless you're at least age 65 OR have a serious health condition like diabetes, heart disease, etc. Of course that leaves me out! Maybe in a few weeks, more will be available. Who cares? I'm sick right now so what's the difference.

At least the trees are pretty to look at. Everything outdoors is a pretty golden, orange, yellow mix. It was windy today and rained a bit but nothing major. Our western part of PA hasn't had any floods. Our weather is cool & dreary like you'd expect a normal PA Oct. to be. I don't like the shorter days and darkness.

Well it's getting rather late and I should go to bed although I'm not tired. I've decided I need to develop a more structured schedule for my life. I seem to get more done & be more productive with that. I do far better with goals and deadlines. Much as I hate them, I have to admit it's true!

I've gotten nowhere close to what I'd hoped to get done around the house since I've stopped going to work. It's awful! My time at home just seems to disappear. Of course my hubby and 2 dear daughters do little to improve the situation. (That's another long story for another day.) This is getting too wordy so I'll just end it here & say good night, sweet dreams to everyone out there!

It's early and I'm awake. Strangely though I'm not tired even though I was up until 3 AM playing on the computer. (Of course I've also been drinking coffee. I'm sure that has helped! lol) I have to get allergy shots later this morning and do some errands while out & about.

Our local AppleFest celebration is this weekend. The schools will be closed on Thurs. & Fri. Mid-term bad grade notices come out this week. My girls both think they are passing everything. Woo hoo! Maria is still trying to go out and stay out late without permission. At least she's getting better grades this year so far. Her cell phone is shut off for a month for disobeying. She's learning the hard way.

Our son Steve is over in the Red Sea area with his Navy crew. We've been keeping in touch with email as he has a lap top. We're hoping he comes home safely in March or April. His wife and puppy are home in PA now but we haven't seen them yet. I'm sure we will soon.

Maria is still enjoying her cheering, band for flute, chorus and dance lessons for tap, jazz/lyrical and hip hop. Kayleen is busy playing girls basketball, clarinet and taking dance lessons for tap, jazz and hip hop. I do a lot of driving. lol

Lester is working, fixing our cars and building the shed. We closed our swimming pool for the season. We had frost warnings this week but the days warm up nicely.

An illegal operation just popped up (rats!) so I will end this here quickly so I don't lose the whole entry. Bye for now and have a wonderful day!

My girls are keeping me busy with their activities. Maria loves her dance lessons and is captain of her cheerleading squad. Kayleen also loves her dance lessons and is on the girls basketball team. They lost their first game yesterday with a close score of 13 to 16.

I'm going to a ladies Bible study at church on the Old Testament called Patriarchs of the Faith. It's another great weekly Beth Moore study.

Lester and I will be celebrating our wedding anniversary next Thurs. I can't believe we've been together for more than half of my life! We've had our share of ups and downs like most married couples but it's been working and I'm truly grateful for that.

My daughter-in-law will be coming home with her puppy next week. She's planning to stay here in PA for 4 months while her hubby is away. She said he's been to Spain and Rome so far but is on his way to the Middle East now. Please pray for his safety & his shipmates in the war zone.

Otherwise not much else is new with us. I still love my computer groups, pen pals and swapping. I need to get some chores done this afternoon. Take care & God bless each one of you! Bye for now.

Today started out bad because Maria missed the bus. Actually she didn't even wake up on time! When I went to wake up Kayleen, Maria was still sleeping. Then she had the nerve to say I never woke her up! I know I wasn't walking in my sleep or dreaming. lol I love how she always puts the blame on someone else. Of course I reminded her she could use her own alarm clock but she didn't want to hear it. I guess it's a lot easier to blame someone else!

So I had to drive her to school and waste more gas. Our current price is $2.89 a gallon. I think she was probably late. She wouldn't leave the house until she found a pair of socks. I honestly don't know how I find the self control not to strangle her sometimes!

Lester has work this afternoon. He's still sleeping. How nice for him. After school Maria has cheerleading practice and Kayleen has her dance lessons. I have to pick up Maria at 5 and get Kayleen to dance by 6. I have to find or make something for Lester's dinner break since we won't be home at 6 to feed him. I still haven't figured out how to be in 2 places at the same time yet. If anyone has the secret for that, please let me know.

Well I need to get ready for church and tear myself away from the computer. Maybe someday I'll get a real photo of me posted. I need to find or take a nice one first. Be patient with me on that. Anyway it's time for more coffee. I need to face reality on this foggy PA morning. It's cool at 55 degrees but nice. Bye for now!

With school, comes the next round of activities. Maria is going out for cheerleading and Kayleen for girls basketball. They both will be starting their dance lessons next week. Good grief! It's back to being a taxi for them. Lester works so I get the honor most evenings.

Everyone here is complaining about the high price of gas. The last I'd heard yesterday it went up to $3.20 a gallon. I have to visit the pumps this afternoon so I hope it isn't even more expensive. I don't know what they expect families to do. It's going to have a negative impact on the whole economy.

Well I've about run out of good things to say at the moment. I want to move on to something else before I get too weird. Be very grateful you're not down there struggling in the New Orleans floods. How tragic and devastating for everyone! Do whatever you can to help them, even if it's just to say a prayer. Bye for now & have a wonderful day wherever you are.

Our summer was so nice this year. It's a shame it has to end. I really got used to the beautiful warm weather. We had a lot of fun going to parades and fairs in our area. Maria and Kayleen are both good baton twirlers. Their group Starlite Xpress won quite a few awards.

The annual Great Stoneboro Fair started yesterday. We'll probably go at least once this weekend. Lester is off Mon. Tues. and Wed. from work.

Stephen is supposed to leave on his long Navy cruise assignment today. He'll be gone for at least 6 months (and possibly up to 10 months). He's going into the Middle East region so of course I'm worried. His wife Autumn will be returning to PA from VA Beach for part of the time he's gone. She's finally going to get her driver's license and a job! That will be a big help to their marriage situation. It should also help to keep her busy so she doesn't miss Steve too much. At least she has the cat and puppy to keep her company. She's going to move back home with her parents temporarily. I sure hope that works out OK for all.

Anyway there's more news to update everyone but I'll save that for another day. I have to get some chores done now, drink more coffee and eat lunch. So bye! Take care and God bless. Have a great day everyone!

It's still raining here in NW PA but we don't have any flooding. Today is the first day of school for my daughters. Maria is repeating 8th grade. She goes on the early bus. Kayleen is in 6th grade and goes on the later bus. This is her last year in elementary school. Well we have to leave now since I'm giving her a ride because of the rain. Bye for now!

We've been working on cleaning up our swimming pool. He's putting a new roof on one of our out buildings. I've been running errands, throwing out paper clutter and trying to clean up the house. Doesn't that sound like great fun? Oh yeah! lol

Our dear daughters are in a another parade tomorrow afternoon so at least we can go downtown for awhile. They're having a big carnival with rides. I'm not sure yet if we'll go to that or not. Only my youngest Kayleen is real interested.

Hopefully by the end of the week we'll be able to go fishing, camping or at least out for dinner. Maybe once Lester gets these projects done he'll feel more like relaxing. I sure hope so!

Our Navy son Steve was supposed to leave for a 1 month trip today. He said they're going to Germany this time. He's been to so many exciting places I've never seen. Sometimes I wish I had gone into the service after college.

So that's what is going on with us. My teen Maria has been chatting on the computer a lot so I haven't gotten much time online either. She's been bored poor baby!

Take care and have a great summer. My dear hubby goes back to work on Monday. I'll be stopping by again sometime soon. I've missed all of you. Bye for now!