What a guy!

Just a big kuddo's to my husband. After months of dealing with a painter in the house, every room a mess, every room where it isn't supposed to be... we finally have the Master bedroom back like it should be! He also (he's where the kuddo's really come in).. got me a new flat screen & it's on the wall! It tilts any direction... it's much bigger than my old TV... AND he put a wall outlet at my makeup counter. It used to have one in the old light fixture... but the new one (which ROCKS) didn't have one, so he put one in the wall. I still don't know WHY anyone would put in a makeup area and not put in at least ONE plug in! But, I have it now and am still working on getting a second one. LOL.

One room down, just 10 or so to go! :)

Some people just don't understand

I know i haven't been on in awhile, but I feel I need to explain something.

I am, have been, and always will be... a father's rights advocate. Well, what happened in my life to make me this way? Hmmm, well, I'd have to take you back to the beginning, sort of. I'll number them to make it simple.

1) Kind of strange I feel this way since my own sperm-donor and I have nothing to do with each othe (and never will), but I am lucky enough to have the best REAL dad in the world... obviously NOT my sperm donor. However, through his actions and teachings, I saw that dad's can be good, honest, hard-working, fun, loving & always there for you, no matter what kind of dad. So, obviously someone was looking out for us Turk sisters... we get a real dad, and honestly it doesn't matter that it wasn't at infancy.

2) Next, I divorced my son's dad.. he was only 2. Yeah, he could be a jerk, but I knew he loved our son as much as I did. I knew he didn't and wouldn't do everything like I would, but neither would he have had we stayed married (eek)... so at a pretty young age, I realized that although he and I didn't work out, our son didn't ask to have divorced parents. He DID have 2 parents who loved him like nothing else on earth, so from our divorce forward (he's 20, almost 21 now) we have both (and believe me, it takes two to do it for it to work), we BOTH did whatever was truly in his best interest.

Did that mean I actually gave up TIME the courts gave me? ABSOLUTELY. Seriously folks, if it's your year for spring break and you have NO plans, honestly, what is the harm? If the kids have a 3 day weekend during school, geez, let the dad have that weekend. I did. Summer, well, we did have a few issues there just because of sports, but we worked it out without any ill effects. I did have to put my foot down there, because as we all know, kids in sports do better in life, better in school. The ex, wasn't a big sports person so it was really hard for him to understand, but he did it for our son. Because sports was important to the CHILD, he was good at it, loved it and I did what I could to give him any extra time that came up. I didn't HAVE to do that.... but I did. Ever heard the saying "Do unto others...." ????

Oh, and since we are on the subject... did I get along with Ex's girlfriends & wife? Absolutely. Of course, I liked them all... my ex has great taste in women. LOL

3) And lastly, but certainly not least... I met my husband. Who was the father of a 4 year old from a one night stand. Had I knew then what I know now... I think I would have run.. as fast as I could. But hindsight is always 20-20. What I did know was that this man was really good to me, my son and his own son. He wanted a good relationship with his son... although the son's mother made his life miserable... and this I won't get into too much, just know that if you can think of the most awful, hideous, psycho things to do and say, she did them. All of them. False allegations, interference with visitation orders, lies (lies, lies and more lies), and just plain hateful and spiteful.

It took quite awhile, but I finally realized why she was like she was. 1) she has some mental issues: personality disorders, narcissistic personality and those were diagnosed. I think she was also sociopathic. Why? Because no one who loves their kids will put them thru that. Ever. For any reason. My husband considered signing over all of his rights at one time just from the hope that by doing that, it would alleviate the abuse his son got at his mom's house. Thankfully he didn't... probably because I asked him how that could possibly help? Although issues with dad wouldn't be there, her other issues would be there forever.. and he'd pay the price.

So, we became a team and worked like crazy keeping track of all of the issues, phone calls, cops coming to our house, threats, allegations, etc... and almost TEN years after it started, my stepson moved in with us. Something I never thought would happen.

So... MOST people are like #2 above... 2 good people who weren't good together, but both love their kids. Well, those 2 people need to put their child(ren) before their own needs and wants. If they are total control freaks, it probably won't work out well. But if you are a control freak, learn to give up a little on this one... your child will thank you later.

Perhaps your child will actually have a relationship with you later in life... a GOOD one. Not the kind like some have.. where they only see them at SOME holidays because it's expected... because that's their mother/father.

So, when someone questions why I'm such a proponent for father's rights... perhaps they just need to read this. I'm not perfect and haven't done everything right... but with #2, I didn't do much I'd ever change. With #3, I'd change a lot. With #3, I'd never have talked to her, because you can't have a reasonable conversation with a psycho. Seriously, I know.

And... one last comment. If you think I don't know what it feels like to have a child move in with the other parent... you are wrong. MY son moved in with his dad when he was 16... although he wanted to do it earlier, his dad turned him down because their school district wasn't good... but when he moved to a town with a great school district, better than ours, he moved.

Did it break my heart? Of course. I missed him every day and still do, but we talk often and see each other when we can. He's turning 21 soon and is a GREAT person. And that took his dad and I to do that... because we didn't make his life hell fighting over him. He never had to choose. He always had us both.

So, my point is... remember you aren't the ONLY person who loves the child(ren)... how would you feel with visitation? How would YOU want to be treated if you were on the other side? Do you REALLY want to put your kids in the middle? Think about it...

~~Kelly Rasmussen

DD6 and Pirates

See... the above is what "I" think of when I think Pirate... like "drool" and "omg... he's SOOOO gorgeous!!!!"

Then there's....


My DD6... who thinks of Captain Hook when she hears "Pirate".... so perhaps that will help you when you hear her story. :)

So, DH & I were watching an update the other day on the kidnapped Captain vs. the Pirates.

DD6 was in the room.

DD6 is also my "infomercial queen"... and requests all the time to get "everything" she sees on TV. Of course, I always tell her why we aren't going to order.

So... as we are watching.. DD6 says...

"Hey... what are they talking about?"

we respond with:

"Well, Pirates got an American ship and took the Captain Hostage!"

*picture eye rolling 6 year old* MOOOOMMMMM... you know you can't believe everything you hear on TV! You tell me that all the time! There IS NO Captain Hook and Pirates are NOT real. Geesh!

Hubby and I are almost rolling on the floor laughing!

Then... she says...

"Mom.. do you still believe in the tooth fairy too?"

*Snort* BWAHAAA!

The Middle Wife

This is hilarious... I just had to share: Kudo's to the author, although I don't know who the author is!

The Middle Wife (Midwife) posted 4/4 9:48am

I just got this cute email and thought I'd pass it along here!


The Middle Wife

I've been teaching now for about fifteen years. I have two kids myself, but the best birth story I know is the one I saw in my own second grade classroom a few years back.

When I was a kid, I loved show-and-tell. So I always have a few sessions with my students. It helps them get over shyness and usually, show-and-tell is pretty tame. Kids bring in pet turtles, model airplanes, pictures of fish they catch, stuff like that. And I never, ever place any boundaries or limitations on them. If they want to lug it in to school and talk about it, they're welcome.

Well, one day this little girl, Erica, a very bright, very outgoing kid, takes her turn and waddles up to the front of the class with a pillow stuffed under her sweater.

She holds up a snapshot of an infant. 'This is Luke, my baby brother, and I'm going to tell you about his birthday.'

'First, Mom and Dad made him as a symbol of their love, and then Dad put a seed in my Mom's stomach, and Luke grew in there. He ate for nine months through an umbrella cord.'

She's standing there with her hands on the pillow, and I'm trying not to laugh and wishing I had my camcorder with me. The kids are watching her in amazement.

'Then, about two Saturdays ago, my Mom starts saying and going, 'Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh!' Erica puts a hand behind her back and groans. 'She walked around the house for, like an hour, 'Oh, oh, oh!' (Now this kid is doing a hysterical duck walk and groaning.)

'My Dad called the middle wife. She delivers babies, but she doesn't have a sign on the car like the Domino's man. They got my Mom to lie down in bed like this.' (Then Erica lies down with her back against the wall.)

'And then, pop! My Mom had this bag of water she kept in there in case he got thirsty, and it just blew up and spilled all over the bed, like psshh heew!' (This kid has her le! gs sprea d with her little hands miming water flowing away. It was too much!)

'Then the middle wife starts saying 'push, push,' and 'breathe, breathe’. They started counting, but never even got past ten. Then, all of a sudden, out comes my brother. He was covered in yucky stuff that they all said it was from Mom's play-center, (placenta) so there must be a lot of toys inside there. When he got out, the middle wife spanked him for crawling up in there.'

Then Erica stood up, took a big theatrical bow and returned to her seat. I'm sure I applauded the loudest.. Ever since then, when it's show-and-tell day, I bring my camcorder, just in case another 'Middle Wife' comes along.

More Blizzard Pictures

This is a view right out side the garage door. It's my front yard!


Another garage view. My Van. It's not going anywhere anytime soon!

My darling husband shoveling behind his truck. It's 4WD so he thinks he can get us somewhere if he can get it out. He did eventually get the driveway mostly clear (behind his truck), but the road is only 1 lane right now and you still have to drive in a foot of snow.

Are you thinking this may be more than 28 inches? Me too! Even in the field across the street it measures more! YIKES.

Kansas Blizzard

The above is the girls sledding in the back yard. You have to realize, our back yard is normally FLAT... but there is a huge 5-6 foot drift they are playing on. And that's one of the small drifts.

This was taken Friday morning, right before the storm hit. Notice the green grass, just a trace of snow up agains the edges of the driveway.

This is out our garage door and a picture of our neighbors drift on their house. I can't get to an area where I can take outside pics of our house! LOL!


This is also a drift of our neighbors house, it's up to their roof.

And this is a picture 24 hours later out our front door. You have to compare this to the one I took yesterday morning, posted above.

They say we got 28 inches. But if we measure in areas that aren't drifted, it's 36-44" all over.

We have 4-5 foot drifts all across our front yard. 4 feet of snow all down the alley.

Duane's been trying to shovel snow out of the driveway so we can get his truck out... to no avail. The drifts behind the truck are up to 5 feet high and is at least 10 feet out to the street.

Our street did get somewhat cleared today as an ambulance followed the grater.

The girls are loving it... although they are frozen when they come in. We have tons of wet clothes and towels... Duane had to go out and dig out the vent from the dryer. The last thing we need is a fire or overheated dryer!

I know my mom & sister are in the same boat as I am...

We did stock up on beer, spicy hot V-8, milk, bread and other necessities!

I am supposed to work tomorrow at our Hospice House, but I don't think I can get there. Even if we can get out of the driveway, I don't think we can get to where it is.

Strawberry Jalapeno Jelly

Okay... some of you might be thinking YUCK... but Oh My... it's delicious!!! I gave out several jars at Christmas and haven't heard any feedback... so I'm waiting. Please tell me you've at least TRIED it!! :)

My Little Models:

Playing dress up. Wearing costumes they wore YEARS AGO.... (obvious due to camel toes).. But they like to dress up....

And Ms. R has chosen a red gown with faux albino leopard trim. Choosing to make her mark in the fashion industry, she has chosen to go without hose OR shoes. Perhaps starting a new trend.


Ms. K on the other hand, has chosen a spring-time polka dot frock with non-matching accessorizing winter tights, perhaps she too is hoping to set new standards for the 8 year old wardrobe.

The evidence....

Yup. It's for sure now. She's just like her mama. LOL! Brownie's.. cooked or raw. :)

Oh, did I mention Shy Guy moved out Sunday?

Yep. It's been in the works for months & months.

He's still coming over every day for something or other. BUT... he took his puppy with him. :)

He's already got roommates. His girlfriend & a girl "friend" of hers. And here I was looking forward to hearing how much he liked to do dishes. *sigh*

Wall Color!

Well, since things are finally happening, I had to pick out wall colors YEAH!

DH wants white. White everywhere.. well, that wasn't happening. LOL!

I have picked out ACE paint colors.

Classic Oat... this will go on the walls in the formal living room, family room, hallway, dining room & kitchen .. oh, and down the stairs to the basement.

Accent walls.. I am doing a Dried Tomato in the formal living room and Tahoe green in the family room upstairs.

I am UNDECIDED on the hall bathroom.

I still haven't figured out the bedrooms yet either. Hmph.

The girls are moving downstairs... one of the bedrooms down there will be theirs, the other will be their playroom/tv room.

That leaves the master upstairs & 2 guest rooms upstairs to be done. Also, my master bath. But I think that to match the tile in there, it will ge a light brown as well.

So, any suggestions would be great!!!

Shy guys new dog.

So, somehow he got this dog. Per the story... a friend of Shy guys girlfriend got kicked out of her apartment and she couldn't keep the dog. I now know why she got kicked out.

Although she is REALLY sweet... she is a puppy. She isn't potty trained. She is teething. She hasn't f igured out the cat's actually rule the house. (she's learning though!).

I am a bit concerned that he's moving out soon... and this poor girl is going to sit outside, alone, for 10-12 hours per day. Shy guy will be lucky to be able to afford his own food, much less Bella's. Not to mention vet bills. She hasn't had her shots yet either.

And, already Rasssbo and I are 24/7 babysitters. I'd say Shy Guy spends about 15-30 minutes per day with Bella. That's it. He gets up... doesn't check on her first, he gets in the shower. It's almost 8am before he comes to check on her. He works 10-11 hours, comes home, takes another shower and goes out with friends. Where is Bella? Hmmmm... where do you think? With us. As we pick up her "piles" and soak up her "wee".

Oh... and lets not forget she is a PUPPY... who CHEWS. See picture for evidence....

I just KNOW she is going to end up a permanent member of the family. But darnit! I wanted a SMALL dog next time. BOOHOO. :(

Names for the family.

For privacy, I need to use names for the family.

Husband will be.... Rasssbo (of course)
Bio-son will be...... Lifter (he lifts weights ALL the time!)
Step-Son will be.... Shy guy. (sweet & quiet)
Daughter (8) will be... Princess (social and more of a follower)
Daughter (6) will be... Queen (Definitely leader material)

Daughter (6) is Queen because when she was 4 her sister was bragging she was a "Princess" and Daughter 6 didn't seem to care. I asked her... "Don't you want to be a princess?" She said.. "Why? I'm already the QUEEN!". LOL.

That's my Queen... she is just like her mama.

Husband Info...

1. Husband's name: Rasssbo... what else? LOL!

2. How long have you been married? Which time? Lets see... First time since Nov. 1995; Second time, Nov. 1999. So... Starting from the first, it's been 13 years or 10 years. Long story. :)

3. How long did you date? 1 1/2 years (June 94-Nov 95)

4. How old is he? He's soon to qualify for AARP. In July. LOL!

5. Who eats more sweets? That's a tough one. I go for more chocolate... he goes for more ice cream & other junkish type sweets. However, give me some choc chip cookie dough and I'm a goner!

6. Who is the better singer? Both of us are terrible. Well, I guess he is. I've never heard him sing. LOL!

7. Who is smarter? Depends on the topic. He's very knowledgeable about yard work, construction, politics and most financial stuff. I'm better at medical, sick kids, decorating, and legal issues.

8. Who does the laundry? He does 99% of it. Hey, I work 6 days a week most weeks and he works 1-2.

9. Who pays the bills? He does. We have our own checkbooks, he keeps track of both, pays bills out of both and all I require is that he make sure I have plenty of $$ in mine. LOL!

10. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Like, when you are looking at it or in it? If it's looking at it, He does. In it, I am on the right side. Why? Because the nightstand is on my side. I need my lamp & alarm clock. :)

11. Who mows the lawn? He does. He's the King of yardwork. We have a landscaper who lives next to us, and we have had her clients show up at our house thinking we must be her house! LOL. That really makes him feel good.

12. Who cooks dinner? Pizza Hut. No, just kidding. I would say he cooks more than me, but then again... I work more.

13. Who drives? We have our own vehicles. I have a new Nissan Murano & he has his F-150. We also have the extra car, a minivan. If we go out of town, he drives. Mostly.

14. Who is the first to say they are wrong? I wouldn't say either of us actually say we are "wrong". We both admit when we are.... but generally we agree to disagree on things.

15. Who kissed who first? Geesh... that was a long time ago! Most likely, I did.

16. Who asked who out first? He asked me out. I was actually out with a girlfriend waiting for my date to show up. I was trying to set my friend up with Rasssbo. He wasn't interested in her though... and he got my phone number. He called me the next day, we did lunch and that was that.

17. Who wears the pants? He pretends to. But he's pretty passive most of the time. I'm much more the assertive one. I am definitely the disciplinarian with the kids. He's such a sucker for a cute little girl batting her eyes at daddy.

I promised... it's really true!

See.. it is FINALLY getting done!!!! Whee... Yahoo!!!! (dance with me!!!)

Men... going shopping.

So, Saturday my hubby & I had plans to go shopping. With all the remodeling, we need to pick out some new light fixtures, bathroom stuff (showers, cabinets, toilets.. the works!) and also get me a new laptop and a few other items.

Friday night my back started hurting. By Sat morning, I couldn't walk upright. Obviously, I was NOT in any position to go shopping, right? So, after Katie had her basketball game, hubby went by himself.

Guess what he comes home with? Do you think it was ANYTHING on the list? Uhhhh, that would be a big negative!

He comes home with a surround sound system and a Nintendo DS for the girls to share. OMG... I almost fell over!

Remind me not to send him shopping if I can't go too.

My baby is sick!

My darling daughter, 6 years old is sick. Vomiting & fever. We are on day 2. Thank goodness for grandma... she saved the day today getting some Children's Motrin for her. THANK YOU MOM! Now, the trick is getting her to take it. She doesn't like the smell of it. She's usually a trooper about that stuff, but she feels so nauseated she's afraid it will make her sick if she drinks it. She will eat popsicles and drink water. That's it. Won't even try to eat a saltine or piece of toast.

Yeah, she just drank her Motrin!!! Cross your fingers her temp goes down!!

A small hissy.

Do you know someone, someone who thinks they walk on friggin water... and if you don't bow down to their every word they think when you do say something you are "passive-aggressive"?? People like this really piss me off. And I am anything BUT passive-aggressive. I'd say I'm more.. just.. aggressive. LOL! I don't mince words and I say what I mean. I also say what I think. Sometimes that isn't always good, but at least you know where you stand with me.

Okay, vent over!

Sorry I haven't been on lately!!

But.. I've been very busy and haven't had much computer access. We are finally getting our house painted, and EVERY ROOM upstairs (Family room, living room, dining room, kitchen, hall, hall bath, 3 bedrooms, utility room & all closets are getting the dingle ball ceilings taken down, sheetrock fixed in places, wallpaper stripped & will get new textured ceilings and new paint on EVERY wall upstairs!!! YAHOOOO!!!!

Will post pics when I get my new laptop... currently using my hubbies!