Thursday Thirteen - Week #2

This was in an email that my mom sent to me, Thanks Mom!!

13 THINGS YOUR BURGLAR WON'T TELL YOU:
1. Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.
2. Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week. While I was in there, I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier.
3. Love those flowers. That tells me you have taste ... and taste means there are nice things inside. Those yard toys your kids leave out always make me wonder what type of gaming system they have.
4. Yes, I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway. And I might leave a pizza flyer in your front door to see how long it takes you to remove it.
5. If it snows while you're out of town, get a neighbor to create car and foot tracks into the house. Virgin drifts in the driveway are a dead giveaway.
6. If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don't let your alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it's set. That makes it too easy.
7. A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom-and your jewelry. It's not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there too.
8. It's raining, you're fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to lock your door-understandable. But understand this: I don't take a day off because of bad weather.
9. I always knock first. If you answer, I'll ask for directions somewhere or offer to clean your gutters. (Don't take me up on it.)
10. Do you really think I won't look in your sock drawer? I always check dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet.
11. Helpful hint: I almost never go into kids' rooms.
12. You're right: I won't have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables. But if it's not bolted down, I'll take it with me.
13. A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm system. If you're reluctant to leave your TV on while you're out of town, you can buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering glow of a real television. (Find it at faketv.com.)

8 MORE THINGS A BURGLAR WON'T TELL YOU:
1. Sometimes, I carry a clipboard. Sometimes, I dress like a lawn guy and carry a rake... I do my best to never, ever look like a crook.
2. The two things I hate most: loud dogs and nosy neighbors.
3. I'll break a window to get in, even if it makes a little noise. If your neighbor hears one loud sound, he'll stop what he's doing and wait to hear it again. If he doesn't hear it again, he'll just go back to what he was doing. It's human nature.
4. I'm not complaining, but why would you pay all that money for a fancy alarm system and leave your house without setting it?
5. I love looking in your windows. I'm looking for signs that you're home, and for flat screen TVs or gaming systems I'd like. I'll drive or walk through your neighborhood at night, before you close the blinds,just to pick my targets.
6. Avoid announcing your vacation on your Facebook page. It's easier than you think to look up your address.
7. To you, leaving that window open just a crack during the day is a way to let in a little fresh air. To me, it's an invitation.
8. If you don't answer when I knock, I try the door. Occasionally, I hit the jackpot and walk right in.

Sources: Convicted burglars in North Carolina , Oregon , California , and Kentucky ; security consultant Chris McGoey, who runs crimedoctor.com;and Richard T. Wright, a criminology professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, who interviewed 105 burglars for his book Burglars on the Job.

Weight Loss Challenge

Darn it!! I didn't get my post in on time! My goal was to have one post per day for the month of April and now, because of the time, I will have none for Monday and two for Tuesday. Oh well!

My sisters, sister-in-law, cousins and I started a weight loss contest today. We each put in $50.00 and whoever loses the highest percentage of body weight, wins the pot. So far, I haven't stopped thinking about food at all today!!!

Happy Easter

Well, Easter is finally here. Jesus rose from the dead after dying for my sins. For this I am thankful. Happy Easter to all.

Tomorrow my sisters and I will begin a weight loss challenge. It will last for 5 weeks until May 10th and the person that loses the highest percentage of body weight will be the winner. All of us will pay $50.00 to join and the winner will get all of the money. Can't wait! Don't know for sure how many people will enter, but hopefully a lot. If not it will be just my sisters and I, and that will be fine too!

Getting ready to drive to Huntington to see Grandma Wrethia for Easter. Then home for Amazing Race and Undercover Boss. I also started reading Twilight, so I may get to read a little later on.

Have a great night all!

Happy 30th Birthday Bob!!

Sorry, not much to report today. The kids and I colored eggs for the bunny to hide, I had to shop for something for myself to wear for Easter and I've got a splitting headache! I'm now going to color my hair, wax my eyebrows and get ready to head out to celebrate my brother Bob's 30th birthday, after which I'll come home and play Easter Bunny!! Happy Birthday Bob, see you in a bit!

Thank You Jesus

When I was little, my mother pounded into me that I should thank Jesus for everything that was good (and sometimes bad!) in my life. If I got something that I asked for she would say "Thank you Jesus" fully expecting me to follow suit and say it too, which I did. If my prayers were answered, "Thank you Jesus". If I was having trouble starting my car and then it started, "Thank you Jesus". Get in a fight with my siblings, "Thank you Jesus, for giving me a sister that I can play with". Stubbed toes, scraped knees, flowers in the window, clothes for my birthday, what ever it was, mom always made sure that I said "Thank you" to Jesus.

So, it is with my mothers voice resonating in my head that I say "Thank you" to Jesus today. For today, He laid down is life, not just for the good people of the world, but for the lowly sinners such as myself. He did it specifically and individually for each and every one of us, whether we wanted him to or not. Although He asked His Father to spare Him, He did as His Father willed and died the most painful death.

Thank you Jesus.

Thursday Thirteen - Week #1

Thirteen Things I Love About My Kids

1. Madison's little patches of freckles on the tops of her cheekbones and nose.
2. The way Ryan whispers to his "mom dog" while fluffing the pillow and getting the blankets just right, right before falling asleep.
3. Morgan's favorite sayings "Peas can we...?" Peas can you lay with me, peas can we go swimming, peas can you help me? And "Peat after me..." when she wants to play repeating games.
4. When Connor was a baby, singing him to sleep when he was so incredibly tired and watching him shake his foot when he heard the black bird coming to "snip off her nose"!
5. Their ability to turn anything in the house into something completely different. ie: Legos stacked high become rockets and castles, but turned upside down they become drinking glasses and bowls for cereal. Books become serving trays at the restaurant, weebles become ice cream cones, kitchen chairs lined up become school buses or cars. The kitchen bench becomes bunkbeds. They make believe for hours!!!
6. The way Madison helps so much with Connor, making bottles and getting diapers.
7. The nightly ritual = Moochies, huggies, fives, fist bumps, finger bumps, "love you you're my best friend ever".
8. The fact that the nightly ritual has been shortened to moochies.
9. "Mommy, I wanna 'nuggle' you".
10. Their beautiful smiles.
11. Connor turning from a baby to a "little boy". Walking, talking, getting teeth, getting his own personality. I love it, but it makes me sad too.
12. Scratching Ryan's back when he can't (or won't) get to sleep.
13. "Mommy, I love you."