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! :)
Monday, January 25, 2016
Saturday, January 23, 2016
Sunday, January 17, 2016
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:
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!
Friday, January 15, 2016
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?
Do you have a favorite X-Files episode?
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Friday, January 8, 2016
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......
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!
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
Crochet flower headbands!
My latest project:
Crochet headbands are now available for $6!! Many colors available!
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.
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
smile emoticon
Tedious Tonya
te·di·ous
ˈtēdēəs/
adjective
1.
too long,
slow, or dull: tiresome or monotonous.
"a tedious journey"
|
synonyms:
|
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.
Monday, January 4, 2016
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.
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