Melissa

I think in our family, the family of my immediate two brothers, one sister and myself, we are done having babies. I think. I don't know for sure because one never knows right? But if we are all done, then the baby is a big deal, and you can't top the baby this post is about. Her name is Melissa and I'm ashamed that I don't know how old she is, I'm pretty sure she's two going on three. And she has had such a strong personality right from the get go!

I love her to pieces because she's such an ornery baby! Look up ornery in the dictionary and you get the following definition:

1. ugly and unpleasant in disposition or temper.
2. stubborn: I can't do a thing with that ornery mule.
3. low or vile.
4. inferior or common; ordinary.

When it comes to Melissa, definition #2 is the one that reminds me of her. And even though she's ornery, she's as cute as all get out ornery and I just love her little attitude. When I watch her I imagine that may be that was what I was like as a child. I know I grew up to be an ornery adult!

Here's a video of the little darling being ornery!

How's that for ornery? I just love when she runs away from me at the end just as fast as her little legs will carry her. What she had in her pocket was her brothers plastic soldiers and Hot Wheels cars and she didn't want me to take them away from her and give them back to her brother!

Here's a set of really cute pictures. Melissa is still being breastfed but they are trying to wean her and it's not easy because she's so demanding. In this next set of pictures, you will see her trying to get her grandfather, my dad who we all call Tata, trying to get Tata to breastfeed her. These just crack me up and if my dad knew they were on here he would kill me!

Picture #1 she's searching for something under Tata's shirt...

Picture #2, she's made Tata unbutton his shirt and she's still searching.

Picture #3 she obviously didn't like what she saw as she closed his shirt up all by herself!

As you can see...Tata was just delighted by her and loves her to bits, just like I do!

But in looking at this last picture, you see she's spied something on Tata's arm. A bandage and here's a little video since of course she could help ripping the bandage off Tata's arm and throwing it to the ground.

One thing about having a baby around, there's never any sadness when a baby is around. She keeps us laughing and I'm sure she will for many, many years. I love her!

July 4th Pictures

I know it's already July 13th and I know that I already posted a 4th of July post, but I've downloaded all the pictures on my camera and there were only about 8 pics of the fireworks that came out well, hmmm, well "well" might not be the best word, ok so they turned out. They turned out more like abstract art or those little drawings we used to do with Spirograph, remember Spirograph? I loved Spirograph!

I wonder if this little game would still hold the attention of today's younger generation. With all the things they can do on a computer now, with games like Sim City and programs like Paint Shop and Corel, would this even entertain them? Hmmmm, something to think about and maybe do a survey and post as a separate blog. But for now, back to my images of July 4th, I think they're pretty cool!

I call this one the C-firework because I see a bunch of little C's in it. It's very pretty and frail looking.

This one I call my Ribbons-firework, because I think the little symbols are shaped like all the different symbols for different causes, like the pink ribbons for Breast Cancer Awareness and the A.I.D.S. ribbons.

This one is the one that looks the most like an actual firework. I know that in order to take pictures of fireworks properly you need a camera that will allow you to adjust shutter speeds and such...and maybe mine does, but I've never read the book, I just wing it :-)

I love this one, I wish more of the little questions marks had shown up, but they look like little questions marks don't they?

This is the one that most resembles the little drawings we used to do with Spirograph, just a bunch of little circular squiggles.

I like the colors on this one, almost blue and gold for Shafter Generals!

Ooooo, I love this one, I think it looks like an angel in flight, in flight so fast that she leaves a double image trail behind her. See the wings?

This one is amazing...I love the symmetry of it. I'm a darn good photographer if I do say so myself. Actually, I just have a really easy, good camera.

And last but not least, the one that is my favorite color...Green. It's also odd in that it looks like a bunch of 2's doesn't it?

Happy 4th of July Shafter!

I went fishing and caught a fried fish!!!

Why? Cause it's that HOT! It's hot, it's really hot.

• It's so hot you have to eat spicy hot jalapenos just to cool your mouth off!


• It's so hot the birds have to use pot holders to pull worms out of the ground!


• It's so hot farmers are feeding their chickens ice cubes to keep them from laying hard boiled eggs!


• It's so hot you can get sunburned through your car window!


• It's so hot that I determine the best parking space by shade...forget distance!


• It's so hot it makes me want to take off my skin and sit around in my bones!


• It's so hot the squirrels are handling their nuts with pot holders!


• It's so hot I can roast marshmallows on my belly!


• It's so hot that hot water comes out of both taps!


• It's so hot it's like living in the french fry bin at McDonald's!


• It's so hot the Walker Senior Center is having a wet t-shirt contest!

and last, but not least...

• It's so hot that Satan went home til it cools off in Shafter!

As Paris Hilton says.....THAT'S HOT

Happy4th of July

I spent the first 4th in my new home last night. Wait, but last night was the 3rd wasn't it? Well, in Shafter we celebrate the 3rd of July. Why you ask? Well, as I understand it, pyrotechnicians are hard to come by and apparently Shafter can only afford one the day before the big day. But that's ok, we have gotten used to it and actually it's easier and extends the holiday. On the 3rd we go to the football field at the high school and watch the display there, then go home and go to sleep. Then on the 4th, we can just stay home and display the fireworks we've purchased.

This year I didn't go to the football field, just wasn't up to it. So when they started I ran out to my front yard and oh my gosh!, it was just like being at the football field! They were that close. I was standing out front leaning on my car feeling sooooo lonely because I was alone when a car parked in front of my house and two women with 4 little girls got out and started getting their lawn chairs in order to walk over to the high school which is about 3 blocks away. The little girls were complaining about having to walk so the ladies asked me if it was ok with me for them to sit on the sidewalk, I offered to let them put their chairs in my driveway so they could get a better view, they were so grateful!

Then I called my sister, Lisa, and told her how close the fireworks were to my house and she said, I'll be right there. So she came over with her son Sean and his childhood friend Alvin. So without even planning it I had a whole party of people there!

What a country! This was a favorite saying of the father of a great man who died last month, Tim Russert, and I agree totally. What a country! I know we have lots of problems right now with gas prices being so high, unemployment being so high, food prices being so high...ok, everything but our salaries being so high, but all members of my immediate family this year are living the American Dream. We are all homeowners, we are all gainfully employed, our children are all safe and healthy. We don't have all we want, but we have all we need and we can thank two people for that, our parents, Tome and Federico.

Tome and Federico both worked hard their whole lives so that their children and their children's children could have more and be more than they ever had or dreamed they could be. I appreciate so much the hard work and sacrifices they made for us, for making sure that we were all born Americans!

Addiction

Who knew? Who knew that there was an amazing place in the Internet world where other people will actually help you learn things, they will physically show you, step by step, in full glorious color detail!!!

Uh oh, I just heard a firework, probably an illegal one!

But anyway, what I was talking about...what is this place? YouTube tutorials! I'm hooked, I'm addicted, I can't get enough of them. I've watched tutorials from makeup application to how to sponge paint and everyday there are more of them. I used to think, "So many books, so little time", but now it's "So many tutorials, so little time". I spend so much time watching them I don't have time to actually do the things I'm shown!

For example, tonight I ran across a tutorial on how to clean your makeup brushes. I've never cleaned my makeup brushes...ever...have you? Well I cleaned them tonight right after watching this tutorial. Let me see if I can figure out how to post it here.



Oh my gosh, I think I did it. We'll see if it shows up when I publish this post. Now this tutorial isn't super exciting. The young lady is easy to listen too, it's just the idea that she washes her makeup brushes and now so do I.

I should have taken my own video, but I forgot and it's almost nine pm and too late for me to take a picture of my clean brushes and download it and then upload it, so just take my word for it, they were super dirty and now they are super clean and I hope they dry by morning so I can use them. Enjoy the video and remember to wash your makeup brushes!

Hands Free in Cali

Today was the day the Hand's free cell phone law went into effect, and it made me laugh and laugh and laugh at 5pm on the drive home.

I saw people NOT talking on their phone! Usually when I'm waiting at the stop lights I see every single person in their cars talking on the phone and today....nothing! Hahaha!

Now I myself am a car cell phone talker, but usually if I have someone in the car with me, I pay attention to that person as I feel its rude to talk to others and ignore the person who actually took time out of their life to physically hang out with you. So it was nice today to see so many people not on their cell phone but instead talking to the people with them, or just noticing the people around them.

I think it's going to be a good thing to have this law.

Carb Update

I did pretty good today. I really haven't had any cravings for sugar or sweets, but then I really haven't been tempted. I did weigh myself and I weighed less than I thought I did, but I can really stand to lose about 45 to 50 lbs.

Had a great dinner. George Foreman'd a pork chop for today and one for my lunch tomorrow.