DIY tiles

How cute! I might actually be able to do this little project. :) I say "might" because no amount of wishing can make me crafty.....but I try.

http://www.hometalk.com/9824034/tile-samples-to-pretty-trivets?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=syndication&utm_campaign=ppm&utm_syndication_post=2019#lb-signup

Gilmore Girls!!

I am so, so, so, so happy that Netflix has revived this show!!!!! I am not ashamed to admit that I have binged watched GG on Netflix not once.....but twice....from start to finish. I cannot wait until November!!!

Fall TV.....Wooooohoooo!

September is an awesome month, bc most of my favorite shows come back. I am so READY. I am running out of shows that interest me on Netflix and Hulu. I am about to start watching Wayward Pines. Wish me luck!

Some of my returning faves.

The Blacklist
Modern Family
The Middle
Blindspot
Brooklyn 99
New Girl
Fresh off the Boat
Superstore
The Goldbergs
Blackish
The Mindy Project....
and some more that I cant recall at the moment......

A new show that I am looking forward to is American Housewife. Katy Mixon is a great actress. Loved her in Eastbound and Down and Mike and Molly.

Kevin Can Wait looks like it could be okay. The preview didnt sell me on it 100%, but Ill give it a shot bc I like Kevin James.

I am bummed to see that three of my shows have been cancelled.

Grandfathered was a cute show! I wanted to see what was going to happen between Jimmy and Sarah, dang it. I honestly dont know why this show wasnt more popular. Mysteries of Laura was pretty good. It was somewhat predictable but I enjoyed seeing Debra Messing again. The Grinder was cheesy but good for some laughs.

The show I will miss the most.......

Rizzoli & Isles
😫😫😫😫😫

I love these two ladies! (I dont get why people talk so much about these two "hooking up". They are just really good friends!)

I love how the show dealt with some pretty messed up stuff but stayed lighthearted and was never too "dark". It was well balanced, IMO.

Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookie Bars

It's almost pumpkin everything time....which is fine by me. ;)

http://delightfulemade.com/2015/09/13/pumpkin-spice-sugar-cookie-bars/

Life with kids

......made the mistake of leaning against the bathroom counter. How in the hell did one of these kids get that much toothpaste there?! Hoooooooooooow?!?!?!?!?!

Thanks for nothing, kid.

31 wasps.....

That's the name of the horror movie I have been living today. It just so happens to be the number of wasps that were in my kitchen this morning. Not even kidding. They apparently came in through the microwave vent. *shudders* I managed to kill about half. I was swatting and they were flying everywhere. One landed on my head and another on my hand. It was super traumatizing. The rest have retreated behind the microwave where I cant get to them. There is just one lookout peeking under the microwave.......

 Look at this little a-hole.

Not only do I have the trauma, I am forced to clean under there now. I tend to be an an "out of sight, out of mind" person when it comes to housework. If I dont see it, it aint bothering me. Well, now that Ive seen it, I have to clean it.

Thanks a lot a-holewasps!!

Crazy is as crazy does.....

I hesitate to make a post like this, but I really need to vent a little. It's therapeutic for me to get the words out of my head and see them. We've had a big change in our family. My step-son has moved in with his mother. My husband's crazy ex has been at it again. I'll never understand people who need constant chaos in their lives. I don't have the time of energy to go over the past 12 years of drama, but it's been SUPER fun. Let me tell ya. My husband and I have absolutely, 100%, never talked negatively about his ex in front of their two kids. It’s sad that she has never given us the same respect in return. She talks badly about us constantly, and she has nearly ruined any chance of me having a good relationship with my step-kids. If the kids attempt to defend us to her in any way, she will start in with the manipulation. "Oh, you love them more than me?!" They never hear the end of it. They were too young to remember, but SHE is the one who left them back in 2004. She was running around, chasing guys. She was rarely seeing her kids. My husband was working full time and taking care of two small kids the best he could. When she heard that I was in the picture, she has done nothing but stir up drama. I am ALWAYS the scapegoat. I walk on eggshells. I choose my words carefully, because I know she grills them about everything that I say or do when they are here. It doesn't matter if my husband and I do everything right. She is a master manipulator. She can spin any situation and make herself look like the "victim". Isn’t it nice that she doesn’t have to deal with that same level of BS when it comes to her husband? I guess my husband is just more mature than that. He doesn’t feel the need to cause chaos constantly like her. It’s really sad that a 17-year-old girl has to be told that it’s ok to love BOTH sides of her family. She was literally crying and said, “Really? I can?”

Her crazy mother has made the kids choose between their parents, and it’s really pathetic. She involves the kids in everything. She tells them details of conversations that aren’t their concern to try and make my husband look bad. She will tell the kids, "O..M..G....your dad is yelling at me." or "Your dad is being so mean to me." ((Insert dramatic "victim" face here.)) There is really no winning with that woman, because we won't stoop to her level. My step-son has wanted nothing to do with his mother for quite some time. He is 14 now, and he is starting to see the crazy for himself. If he didn't want to go see her, she would threaten to take away his phone. She even threatened to cancel his health insurance......um.....do what now? What parent makes that kind of threat? We have insurance on his anyway, so whatevs. When his phone was bugging out, she refused to authorize us to take it in to have it fixed, so I spent literally hours researching the problem. Figured out it was a bad battery and ordered a new one. But apparently, I "hate" him. Someone who hates you isn't going to spend that much time helping you out.

The word "crazy" really doesn't accurately describe this woman. I am pretty sure she has Munchhausen syndrome, mixed with Hypochondria, and then you add in a severe personality disorder. I've never seen anything like it. She LOVES going to the doctor, and she loves dragging the kids there too. She makes my step-daughter stay home from school to "take care of her" when she is sick. That's not a kid's job!! Awhile back, the crazy ex got an infection after oral surgery. She literally told the kids "she could die” like 17 times. Parents should be honest, but they should also protect their children. Do you think my husband let the kids know how he almost died? No. Why worry them like that? He was in the hospital with his blood sugar close to 700. He could have died. The doctors were surprised that he wasn’t having a stoke. When he went to the hospital with what was believed to be a heart attack, did he freak the kids out by telling them he might be having a heart attack? No, because parents should protect their children. She needs constant attention and sympathy, and it's really disturbing.

We get the kids' insurance statements, and my step-daughter was at the doctor more in one month than I have been in 20 years. The same week that my step-daughter had her first period, she had her at the doctor getting her on birth control pills. She wasn't having a issues, had no boyfriend or anything like that.....it was odd.

She took my step-son to the eye doctor when he went to stay with her for a couple weeks over the summer because he is "almost legally blind". That's funny since he has never once mentioned not being able to see clearly.
She said his tennis shoes were a "size and a half too small' so she had to buy him shoes. You aren't going to be able to get your feet in shoes if they are that small for you. Again, he never said anything to us. She took him to the chiropractor and they found something wrong with his back. Of course, bc chiros always do. I have my own personal beef with chiros that Ill save for another day. He has never complained of back pain. Not once. She took him to the dentist for a checkup and he needed one tooth pulled. Its been like 7 months since his last checkup and he hasn't complained at all about tooth pain.....but its our fault. She took him to the orthodontist and had braces put on even though he was VERY adamant that he did not want braces. She threatened to call the cops for "medical neglect".......mkay. Then, she immediately demanded half of the money from us. She doesn't bat an eye dropping hundreds for herself and my step-daughter to get their hair and nails done and getting mani/pedis and massages regularly, but got pissed and expected reimbursement when she spent money on my step-son Funny how that works.

Anyway, I rambled a little. Back to my point. She wanted to spend some time with my step-son before school started. He really didn't want to go, but he knew he would never hear the end of the it. She spent the week "whining and dining" (sorry-can't think of a better expression) him. Spending lots of money. Doting on him. She has been treating him like the king of the world. He just broke up with his girlfriend, so he didn't want to face her at school. She used that to her advantage by telling him he could have a "fresh start" if he moved in with her. Literally, the DAY before school started the crazy ex sent a text to my husband from my step-sons phone basically blaming it all on my husband and calling him a crappy father. I have never seen my husband so hurt. It was pretty messed up.

The sad fact is that my step-son is very much aware that his mom has been bribing him (those were his words), so my best guess is that he is taking advantage of the situation. He is a teenager, so I can’t really blame him too much. If he can do what he wants and get a bunch of stuff, what teen wouldn’t like that? He barely wanted anything to do with his mom for a long time. My husband had to literally force him to visit her. Now, he thinks his life will be so “magical” with her? Right. We've been there, done that. He tried was living his mom a couple years ago. Same scenario. Lots of money, manipulation, doting. He wasn’t happy. The money runs out. The doting stops. He was always the third wheel. He doesn’t want anything to do with manis, pedis, spray tans, hair extensions, massages, etc. He didn’t have anyone to hang out with or talk to. Keeping him happy there is going to be a full-time job.....and expensive. She can only keep up this charade of  buying his love for so long.

Coffee and coffee cake

Good morning!! I am starting my morning off with two old pals.....coffee and coffee cake.

This coffee cake turned out amazing, and it was so easy! I will put the link up for you.

http://www.adashofsanity.com/2016/05/shelias-coffee-cake/

I hope everyone is having a good Monday so far. I know Mondays are terrible in general, but it's actually not a bad day for me. Our school district has the four day school week, so my kids are off on Monday. And now that the hubs is on midnights, I don't have to wake up at 4:30 am anymore.

I'll be right back, Coffee's kicking in. Yikes.

I absolutely can't believe it has been seven months since my last post. What? That doesn't sound right. I know it's cliche, but this year has really flown by.

It's had some tough spots. My sweet in-laws are dealing with some serious health issues. My mother-in-law just had her second heart surgery this month. Last week, my father-in-law just found out he has cancer,,,,,again. He has a lot of people praying for him, so I am confident he will beat cancer again and keep on keepin' on. The man is in his 70's and has way more energy and is more active than I've ever been. Their house burned to the ground a couple years ago. They are such kind people. I hate seeing them go through all this.

The kids started back to school a couple weeks ago, and we have all transitioned smoothly into the new routine.

Well, I have lots on my "to-do" list, and between sleeping in, eating coffee cake and blogging, I don't have much morning left. :)

The Christmas tree is still standing!

I was totally joking when I ribbed my husband, for taking forever to haul the Christmas tree back to storage, by saying, "At this rate, this thing will still be standing here on my birthday."

Well, my b-day is next Wednesday, sooooooo it's looking like a real possibility. (It's very heavy, and my back cannot handle it. Otherwise, it would have disappeared 3 weeks ago!!!)

I've gotten so used to a naked tree standing in the front room that I hardly notice it anymore! Maybe, we will just leave it up all year and decorate it for the various holidays. We can have a Mardi Gras tree, a Valentine's day tree, an Easter tree, a St. Patty's tree. Hmmm....this is actually sounding pretty awesome. lol Those trees would be amazing! :)

Twinkie Heart Cakes

http://www.smartschoolhouse.com/diy-crafts/twinkie-heart-cakes/2

Declare a decree over your life every single day.

If you have some time, you should watch this video. Even if you aren't "religious", I think you will be able to appreciate the power that our spoken words have over our lives. If we speak negatively, we will live a negative life. If we speak positive words, words of victory, we will reap those positive rewards. I wrote out my "decree" today, and I plan on speaking it every single day!

Mine includes statements like (and this is just a little snippet. Mine is a full page long!):
I am a child of the most high God, and no weapon formed against me & my family shall prosper.

I am strong and healthy. My mind is sharp, and I am full of energy. I am free from my past. I am confident. I am forgiving, etc........

I am successful. I will live in abundance. I free from debt, and I will lend & not borrow, etc.....

I am a better mother, wife, daughter, sister and friend than I was yesterday.

Better is coming for me and my family. My family is blessed, and we have the favor of the Lord.

It's tax time again...and time to fight with my ex

It's tax time again, which means it's time for the annual fight with my ex-husband. He keeps claiming the kids, even though he SHOULD NOT. Sometimes, I get my return in before him, but usually not. How he gets his return in so early is beyond me. I was able to claim the last year, but I have been fighting and appealing for 2012 and 2013. They approved 2012 and denied 2013, even though they were exactly the same. M'Kay. Someone just didn't feel like doing their job and denied it. Had to file an appeal in Tax Court. Waiting to hear back from the Appeals Officer has been nerve-wracking. 

A little background: We have three children together. He went into the Navy when our oldest daughter was about a year old. He cheated on me....a lot. I had A LOT of suspicions, but I never had the "smoking gun", so to speak. We moved to Guam with the Navy. Our youngest daughter was born there. He would spend thousands of dollars (not even joking) at strip clubs. I had to control all of the money or he would blow every penny. I found out later that he has a sex addiction. One day, he decided he would rather hang out with his single "boat buddies" and said he wanted the kids and I to leave. So, myself and our three small children headed back to the states, and he got to whore around to his heart's content. He re-married, had another daughter and tried to play the role of father and husband again. He lasted for a couple years, but she caught him sleeping with women in Craigslist sex ads. They divorced, and his 2nd ex-wife and I are actually friends. He is on his third wife, and she is quite a doozie. She is one of the Craigslist sex ad women. They do the whole "swinging" lifestyle. Lots of gross stuff is on-line about them. Ugh. I could write for days about these two dillholes, but I aint got that kinda time. 


He has the kids' emails, cell phone numbers, etc. I have done nothing but encourage him to have a relationship with his children. He just chooses not to. He has seen them maybe 3 or 4 times in ELEVEN YEARS. He has missed almost every single birthday and holiday. Yet, for some crazy reason, he feels like he deserves to claim the kids on his income taxes. Seriously, dude? Yes, our divorce papers DO say that he can claim them. The only problem for him is for any divorces before 2009, per the IRS rules, the divorce papers have to be very specific. All the divorce papers say is:

Plaintiff (Brian) will be allowed to carry the minor children as tax exemptions or any other tax benefit for as long as they are eligible. Defendant agrees to execute IRS form 8332 or any other documents requested by plaintiff or any taxing authority to execute this provision. 

Our divorce decree does not specifically mention any of the three requirements listed in IRS Publication 504.

I was unaware of this at the time, but I have recently learned that when he initiated the divorce proceedings, Guam did not have jurisdiction. The Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA) gives "exclusive [and] continuing jurisdiction" to the courts of the child's "home state," which is defined as the state where the child has lived with a parent for six consecutive months prior to the commencement of the proceeding. The children had already lived back in Missouri, our home state, with me for over six months. Soooooo, are we even really divorced? lol

He doesn't provide over 50% of their care (He is behind almost $14,000 in child support at the moment and has been unemployed for many months.) The children don't live with him, and he has zero supporting documents. 

There is a chance that the IRS could side with him because, well, it's the IRS, and they can do whatever they want. 

I am just so ready for this to be over!!

Cherry Sweet Rolls

http://lemon-sugar.com/2013/09/cherry-sweet-rolls.html/

If I had yeast and cherry pie filling, I would totally be making this right now....at almost 10 pm. Lord have mercy. I love cherry sweet rolls!

Preach it, Ron.

Mini Cherry/Cheese Danishes

http://hugsandcookiesxoxo.com/2015/11/mini-cherry-cheese-danishes.html

These look SO DELICIOUS!!!

The Truth Is Out There......

Did you know that all 9 seasons of The X-Files, (OVER 200 EPISODES!!!) are available on Netflix and Hulu? I have been binge-watching in anticipation of the return of the show on January 24th, even if it is just a mini-series. I am really excited! I *might* have a little celebrity crush on Fox.

Do you have a favorite X-Files episode?

This made me laugh a little too hard this morning.

Crockpot Pineapple Upside Down Cake

This looks REALLY good........and easy!

Crockpot Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Poor pitiful Mable.

Mable is going through a really hard molt and looks terrible!

Just look at her! :( She will be back to her gorgeous self soon, though.

Let me tell you a story:

Once upon a time, we had a rooster named Early and about 10 hens. Early was cool. He had a neat crow. We had him for a number of years.
He was a pretty bird!!

Last year, he started getting pretty mean. He decided he had a vendetta against one of the hens, and he tried to kill her regularly. He chased her into a fence and this hen basically scalped the back of her head. It was pretty nasty. I almost put her down, and was actually told by a popular "chicken chick" (ahem) that it was cruel of me to keep her alive. Anyway......

I nursed her back to health and she healed up just fine. I hoped that a couple weeks apart would make Early forget that he hated her. Itried to keep them apart as much as possible, but it wasnt easy. They free ranged and went in the coop at night. She would spend all day hiding, and I would have to hunt her down at night bc she was too scared to go in the coop. I had to nurse her back to health numerous times. He would flog her whenever he got the chance and I would treat her wounds. He got her on her face the last time and her face was punctured and swollen. He ripped her comb and waddles. I'd had enough. I liked Early, but he had to go. I sold Early and the rest of the hens. I had planned to keep the beat up hen until she was healed up and sell her, but I had grown attached. I named her Mable and she is my "pet chicken" now. :)

No more paper towels!

One of my goals for 2016 is to reduce waste. My first "project" is to eliminate paper towels. We go through almost an entire roll of paper towels every single day. Even buying the cheaper DG Home brand, we spend close to $40 per month on p. towels. So, to reduce our waste and save some money, I am going to start using cloth/terry towels. I can get 100 (17 x 14 inch) terry cloth towels for $36, which will last for a long time! Where our paper towels sit, there will be a basket of clean towels and a special basket in the laundry room for the dirty towels. Any towels used for greasy spills,  etc will be presoaked before washing, of course. Less waste, less trash, and money saved. I will have to go cold turkey at first, Wish me luck. Reaching for the paper towels may prove to be a hard habit to break!

Crochet flower headbands!

My latest project:

Crochet headbands are now available for $6!! Many colors available!

This is the Year of Sue! I mean, Tonya!

I am not sure if anyone will understand the title of this post. You would have to be a fan of "The Middle" on NBC. Anyway....

I know, I know.

It's so cliche to make a New Year's Resolutions post, so I won't. Instead, I will make a "2016 Goals post", which is pretty much the exact same thing but whatever!

I will have to divide these up, because there are quite a few!

One of my goals is to take care of myself! I have multiple health issues that I have been neglecting. I have had "lady problems" for a couple years now. Like, almost have to go to the hospital kind of problems. I always tell myself that I will make an appointment, but I am full of excuses. I don't have an excuse anymore, because I was approved for financial assistance. I am one of the lucky people who seems to fall through the cracks. It would cost $250 extra every month (on top of what we already pay for the husband and kids) to insure just me. The insurance plans for state employees are terrible. Obamacare did nothing for me. The cheapest plan available on "the market" was something like $700 per month! Not so "affordable". I qualify for Medicaid, but Missouri opted not to expand the Medicaid program. So, I have been uninsured for many years. I did got to an ortho for my back and hip pain a couple months ago and all he did was want to send me to pain management. Nope. Not interested in having huge needles shoved in my body regularly. But thanks anyway. I have multiple bone spurs, degeneration of my spine, blah blah blah. As for my bilateral hip pain, he thinks it trochanteric bursitis and iliotibial band syndrome. The exercises he gave me didn't help much, if at all. So, I continue to live with daily pain.

I think I am going to try Yoga and see if my low back and hips can handle it.

I, also, need dental work done. Ugh. Dentists. *shudder*

This year I am really going to focus on me a little more, because I am no good to anyone if I am a mess.

Shark Hat!

Isn't this the cutest?! I will be testing this pattern out very soon! I will post an update when they will be available for purchase!

Like my page, "Tonya Day Crochet" on Facebook for more updates

smile emoticon

http://www.repeatcrafterme.com/…/crochet-shark-hat-pattern.…

Tedious Tonya

te·di·ous

ˈtēdēəs/

adjective

1.                              too long, slow, or dull: tiresome or monotonous.

"a tedious journey"

synonyms:

boring, dull, monotonous, repetitive, unrelieved, unvaried, uneventful

1.                               

I titled this post “Tedious Tonya”, because I sometimes feel like my life is very monotonous, very dull. Most of the time, I am totally fine with it, and I even like it. I’d much rather have a boring like than a life filled with drama. BUT, there are times where I wonder if I am really “living” life or I am just existing and going through the motions. I think the answer is….sometimes both are true. I sit and think about what I might feel like I am “missing out on”. I don’t really have much desire to travel, as I am a homebody. Are there any places I would love to go? If I had to pick a dream vacation, it would be to Ireland or Italy, but I don’t have a burning desire to make it happen or anything. I don’t want to go skydiving or go on any crazy adventures. I am totally happy curled up in bed, watching Netflix, and crocheting a scarf. I really think a lot of my issue is my chronic pain. I am in pain almost 24/7, and it really starts to wear you down mentally. It’s hard to find joy in life, when you have a cloud of pain, so to speak, hanging over your head. Most days I feel very “meh”. I can recall a time when I was funny, witty, and enjoyed life (even when it was tedious).

I’d like to find that Tonya again. 

Crochet neck warmers

This is what I do in my free time. Aren't they the cutest? :)

Hello, 2016!!

I’m really killing it at this blogging thing! I haven’t posted in for-ev-er (A few days shy of an entire year....yikes!)

I have the asbolute worst scatterbrain. I am pretty sure if I were to start losing my marbles in old age, no one would really notice much. (Disclaimer: I know, on a personal level, that Alzheimers is a terrible disease, and I am not making light of it.) Not to mention, my life really isn’t all that interesting.

Tomorrow is back-to-school day! I have mixed feeling about it. The kids were fairly well behaved, and I don’t recall thinking to myself at any point, “I CANNOT WAIT UNTIL VACATION IS OVER!!!” So, that’s a good thing. They are a lot older now, and they can pretty much entertain themselves. They did eat a butt load of food and run me ragged attempting to keep up with the housework, though. I like not having a set routine, even though I need one because of my scatterbrain.

The kids had a great Christmas and made out like bandits. I decided a couple years ago that I was no longer buying gifts for the kids. They all knew Santa wasn’t real and, quite frankly, I dreaded Christmas every year. Do you know how almost impossible it is to shop for 6 kids and try to keep everything equal and fair? I am pretty sure that’s where my grey wispies on my temples came from. So, now, the kids get cash, and they can buy whatever their hearts desire. Less stress. They are happy. I am happy, and we all live happily every after. (And I give them grief about all the useless crap they buy lol)

Let’s see, what has happened since my last post. Lots of laundry happened. My oldest daughter got her license then promptly wrecked her car (smh). She is fine! The car is banged up, but still gets her from point A to B. It is, apparently, totally embarassing to drive now. Sorry, kid. Live and learn.

Hmmmm…..

The husband got a promotion. He is now a Lieutenant and working at a women’s prison. After spending 13 years at a men’s prison, he said the biggest difference is that if there is a fight, the women love to tell everything they know. He said there could be 50 men who witness a fight, and “no one saw anything”. The women are totally the opposite.

We went to Six Flags. We went to the movies. We went ziplining. We went skating. We went swimming. A lot of regular stuff happened in between, but that’s pretty much all I can think of. 2015 wasn’t a bad year.

Well, I am outta here. I gotta wake up at 4 am. :(