So, here's the scenario... my brother and I are over our parents house Christmas day. We just finished eating our dinner, opened presents, and now it was time to clean the kitchen. Per the usual "Labby" way... nothing is ever easy. My mom pulls the sink plug out, and to our complete surprise... water comes GUSHING out under the sink. (totally gross). Thankfully, that was a fairly simple fix for dad! However, a few days later, there is more water under the sink. Come to find out, there is a pipe with small pin holes.
Over the years, my dad has begun a process of documenting EVERYTHING by taking pictures, and, if need be, Power Pointing for better illustration. But, this picture documentation is not only done at his house, he does this for me and my brother. It can be anything from a new landscaping project (before and after pics), to a full out bathroom remodel. The cool part (and funny part) is that he then emails both me and my brother the pictures... to keep the family in the loop. I'll bet you could never guess that my dad was an Automotive Engineer ALL HIS LIFE!! =)
Here is just one more illustration of my dad's handy work... a small fence behind my shed needed to be completely taken down, and a new one put up. He did a super job on the fence... SEE!! =) Front AND back views... I LOVE MY DAD!!!!!!!!!!!
First I blogged about reading this GREAT book. ThenI blogged about the book becoming a movie (which I haven't seen yet). NOW, I want to blog about John Grogan and his blog. On his blog you will find pictures of his family with Jennifer Aniston, Owen Wilson, and others from the big premier in Los Angeles. BUT, there is one story that once AGAIN touched my heart. It's a brief article he wrote for USA WEEKEND telling of his new "celebrity" puppy Woodson, and his little secret. Click here to check it out....
I just have to post a couple "amazing" gifts I received this year. My brother Mark gave me a beautiful NEW Sony Cyber-Shot in RED (exactly what I asked for - and used to take all these pictures), and my parents all the needed accessories. I'm so excited because I have been needing to get a smaller, more advanced digital camera than the Olympus hand-me-down that my dad bought when digital cameras first came out (it was top of the line way back then...). I've been wanting to try my hand at little movies to post on my blog, and also have a camera handy at work or play. So... YEA for this gift. Thanks Mark, mom and dad... I LOVE it!!Another gift that I received that was so creative and thoughtful was a gift that my boss gave all the girls in her department. If you follow my blog at all, you may have noticed that she LOVES to shop, and is all about "Themes" when giving gifts! This year, along with a beautiful gift bag full of kitchen goodies such as spices, spatula, Sonoma hot pad, gingerbread shaped pasta, a bottle of olive oil, flour sack kitchen towels, socks, an ornament bottle of Coke, and a gift card to The Olive Garden... she made - by hand - for all four of us girls a personalized scrapbook, and filled each page with gift cards to various places around town (each girls book was designed different). I HAD to take some pictures and post them here.... she is one AMAZING boss!!!! The time, money and talent she has for gift giving is beyond words... check it out.This first picture was of the "Scrapbook Purse" that the scrapbook was placed in... (how cute)
For many, many years my family attended a "Sportsmans Club Christmas Dinner" at our church. I remember always being super excited because Santa was going to be there... but you see, I had a secret that I HAD to keep from all the other kids... including my little brother Mark... My DAD was SANTA!!! I felt so "adult" knowing this secret, but I still needed to play along with all the other kids! I remember one time being able to help my dad get dressed into the Santa suit, and then hurry back with my mom to the dinner. Then, we would usually get to be the first up to see "Santa". Here is a photo of that... I think it's such a cute "Family Photo"!!!
Here is a YouTube video that you will need a tissue for (I cry every time I see it). My friend Sonya sent this to me last night... and I just needed to post it here! Listen to her voice when she realizes that here daddy was really there!! Check it out!
We celebrated JoAnnas birthday today at work. Her theme this year was "Laundry". She got a laundry bag FULL of various items. There was laundry soap, dryer sheets, a T-shirt, towels, note cards, magnet, soap... EVERYTHING had to do with "Laundry". It's always fun to see what our boss (Sue) comes up with!!! I hope you had a fun, relaxing day today!!!
I never heard of Munchausen by Proxyuntil I found this memior - SICKENED by Julie Gregory.
Munchausen by Proxy is when a caretaker (often a mother) will keep his/her child sick or try to prove to others that the child is sick to gain attention for themselves. I couldn't believe that something like this actually existed. How could someone do this to their child? Unfortunately many cases simply go unnoticed because of how easy it is to hide.
Julie Gregory was abused as a child. She was abused in one of the most undiscussed ways a child can be violated. Julie was the victim of her mother's mental illness. Her mother suffered from Munchausen By Proxy Syndrome.
Julie's mother, Sandy, would feed 3-year-old Julie books of matches and tell her they were lollipops. She would give Julie pills that caused blinding migraines, all the while, taking Julie from doctor to doctor insisting Julie was seriously ill. At the height of her illness, her mother (Sandy) was trying to have open-heart surgery performed on 12-year-old Julie. And when Julie tried to tell a nurse and her school friends what was happening, no one believed her. (the stories of abuse go on and on, but I don't want to give everything away in this post... )
Julie and her brother also endured physical abuse. They were beaten and Julie was constantly starved to make her appear ill. "Sickened" is Julie's heartbreaking, but uplifting story.
So, here's the scenario... my brother and I are over our parents house Christmas day. We just finished eating our dinner, opened presents, and now it was time to clean the kitchen. Per the usual "Labby" way... nothing is ever easy. My mom pulls the sink plug out, and to our complete surprise... water comes GUSHING out under the sink. (totally gross). Thankfully, that was a fairly simple fix for dad! However, a few days later, there is more water under the sink. Come to find out, there is a pipe with small pin holes. 
