Black Widows and Alligator Lizards.. oh my

Last night I had my youngest throw out the trash - it was around 9:00 pm. The temperature outside was still hot - at least 80 degrees or higher... anyway - after Kara threw out the trash - she told me that she saw four (4) Black Widow spiders on the way from our back door and to the trashcan and back.... Mind you our lot is only 6000 square feet and the distance to the trash is about 30 steps each way... So of course - I assumed she was exaggerating as I often do... So I asked her to tell me where they were...
The first one is right outside the backdoor - right there.. I looked and the spider was there - but it was not the midnight black - so I looked closer and closer and sure enough hello red hour glass - so I zapped it....

The second one and the third one and the fourth one were all over the pool equipment - 2 huge black shiny ones and another light one but they all had the hour glasses...

My husband Dusty decided to go on a Black Widow expedition and he found eight (8) more spiders - all with the hourglass right on the bellies..



So today - I am working in my office and I hear my dog playing - the kids were at tennis.. the husband was at work.. so I went to go investigate.... Charlie my dog was playing with a baby alligator lizard that decided to come into my house today - thankfully the lizard is fine.. Several years ago - at least 15 years - Dusty found an alligator lizard down the street - caught it and put into our backyard... about six (6) months later he found another alligator lizard at the golf course and put in our backyard.... a few years later - I ran across a huge nest of alligator lizards in our yard and the rest is history.... We have not seen one in a year or so... so Dusty was very happy that one decided to come for a visit....



This summer heat is bring out the ants, the spiders, the lizards, and the very noisy crickets.... I am ready for Winter.......

Kidnap Victim Found After 18 Years..

In 1991 - Eleven year old Jaycee Dugard was on her way to school in South Lake Tahoe... While she was waiting at the bus stop convicted rapist Phillip Garrido kidnapped her. Eighteen years later, Jaycee Dugard walked into a Northern California police station after police spotted Garrido with two (2)young children - He was ordered to report to a parole officer - Garrido, his wife,Nancy, Jaycee, and the two young children came to the police station - where Jaycee's identity was discovered.. Jaycee later spoke with her mother, who had to be convinced it was not a hoax call...

For the past eighteen years, Jaycee Dugard has been living in Antioch, California - confined to a series of sheds and tents in the backyard of her captors home.... She has been held captive by Phillip Garrido and his wife Nancy Garrido as their personal sex slave and various other awful things. Jaycee has given birth to two (2) children - fathered by Phillip Garrido..

In 2006, a neighbor reported a backyard encampment at the home of Garrido but the investigating officer dismissed it as a routine code violation. The officer did not bother to look up who the property belong too - if he had bothered he would have discovered that Garrido was a registered sex offender and might have found Jaycee in the secret encampment where she has been held for the past 18 years!!! If only he had bothered to look! The sheriff - Warren E Rupf, acknowledges they messed up....




The yard Jaycee lived in for 18 years

Phillip and Nancy Garrido have been arrested -



Jaycee has been reunited with her family after 18 years..... She is 29 years old today..

Elizabeth Smart's father was recently interviewed about this kidnapping and was greatly offended by the media... the media is trying to turn it into a case of Stockholm Syndrome that the victim gains feeling of love for their captor..... "The victim knows what these monsters are capable of - they were kidnapped.... they are just trying to survive."

This story breaks my heart - this is every parents' nightmare..... I pray that Jaycee will be able to find some normalcy.. to find happiness once again...

Because I Wanted It....

There has been a continuous theme to my blogs lately - it has been the challenges I am facing with my thirteen year old... I just don't get it.... Have I been too lenient? Not consistent enough? Have I spoiled her too much? Do I not spend enough time and attention on her? Is it her age? Her hormones? My hormones? Do I need to be more hard nosed?

This morning - I was going through my DVD library - getting rid of things we no longer want or need. There was a movie 3 pack with: Something about Mary, Shallow Hal, and The Girl Next Door all three (3) movies are "R" rated movies - it was a white elephant gift I received last year at a Christmas party we attended - The movies were never watched... I noticed that when I opened the case - the movies were missing.... My daughter saw the movies on the shelf last week and asked if she could watch them... I said no because they were "R" rated.... Unknown to me at the time - when my back was turned she took the movies and left the case in the shelf...

This summer's theme has been - "Can I eat my lunch and dinner upstairs in the game room so I can watch TV? Hurry up - I have a show on and I don't want to miss it... Please don't make me go to bed at midnight - there's a movie I want to watch... I just want to watch my show.... No, I don't want to have family game night - I have a TV show I really really want to watch.. No, I don't want to go swim, play outside, or anything else because I have a TV show I want to watch.. I'm bored there's nothing on TV to watch.." Many times, I have caught my kid watching her TV very late at night.... "But I can't sleep...." she whines.. I still require the TV off - last night after I caught her at 1:00 am with the TV on and told her to turn it off, I went to go kiss the youngest before I went to bed - as I was walking in my youngest daughter's room - I see the TV pop on via the mirror in the girls' bathroom that was pointing into my eldest daughter's room (they share a Jack and Jill bathroom)... I walk into my eldest daughter's room and she jumps about 10 feet off the bed and her earplug falls out of her ear... obviously this is NOT the first time she has done this... she has the sneakiness mastered.... I took the earplugs away.. and went to bed..

So back to me going through my DVD library and noticing the movies missing... my kid is still asleep and I walk into her room - push her DVD player button and out pops the movie... She wakes up in the middle of this - I looked at her and said, "Did I not tell you that you could not watch this movie? Her, "Yes" Me, "So why do you have it? Her, "Because I wanted to watch it"

"Because I wanted.... has become the excuse for her of late for all the rules she has broken... I have lost count on the times I have heard this excuse this summer... My patience is at a All Time Low.... Drastic measures must be taken because my "No" has become her "Because I want it and I will do it behind mom and dad's back" This behavior has to stop.... before the "I want it and I will do it behind mom and dad's back" becomes more serious....

So today this is what I have done..... I took out her TV - and advised her she no longer has the privilege of watching TV in her room or in the game room. The only time she can watch TV is when I am watching it and I allow her.... (I am not a TV fan)

To keep her idle hands busy - she is cleaning the entire house -downstairs kitchen, family room, living room - vacuum stairs, the game room, all the bathrooms, and her bedroom. She must write/type a five (5) page essay on Obeying and honoring Her Parents, Making good choices, and what is right and wrong - she must pull Bible verses to support her essay... In addition to the essay - I want her to spend time outside in the backyard swimming or just sitting I don't care - I just want her out of the HOUSE....

So, my friends... my question is this.... "What would you do? Constructive Advise would be happily accepted....

Do Not Ask Me To Buy Anything!

The other day - I was at Target with my girls.. Before we left home I advised both girls that if they want to come with me they cannot ask for anything... My kids have enough junk - both good and bad and I was on my way to grocery shop not kid shop. Both girls agreed and we took off. Before we got out of the car in the parking lot - I once again advise the girls ' DO NOT ASK FOR ANYTHING....... Once again the girls agreed...

We were not in the store two (2) minutes before my eldest asked for something - another purse to add to her collection of five (5) perfectly fine purses she already has... I gave her the "be quiet" look.... She chose to ignore that look.. then I hear the P L E A S EEEEEEEEEE and I said "no" - she says she'll pay for it.... I ask her with what money - she already spent her allowance and the next two weeks allowance on other things she "really needed" Then the whining starts and the pleasseee keeps going... I head for the door - the kids quickly follow. They know I am beyond mad - my thirteen year old practically threw a three (3) year old fit for a purse... I tell both of them that we are going home.... then I proceed to lecture my eldest as we are walking to the the car.... how I told her not to ask.... How she tries to spend money she does not have.... How embarrassed she must feel for causing a scene... blah blah blah....

Then I hear a voice behind me..... "I think she understands...." I turn around and there was an elderly woman... This lady says "I think she understands.. that you are mad... How many ways do you think you have to tell her?" I had no idea what to say this this woman - who I had never seen before..... Bud out? Who do you think you are? Thank you? Nosy much? I just looked at her - and turned around.... but she made me think....

How many times does it take for a thirteen year old to hear me? When will my daughter understand the concept of money? When will she learn that she cannot take or have something just because she wants it? How often do I lecture her? How loud am I when I Lecture her? Does she tune out the lecturing? Am I doing it right? Am I doing it wrong?

So I took the kids home - I got back into the car and went to Target by myself - finished the grocery shopping by myself... and I missed my kids.....

This is Way Too Funny Not To Share

This is an actual infomercial that was pulled because it was so offensive - Watching this - I about fell off my seat laughing. The infomercial is trying to sell a a deodorant spray that goes where no other spray goes....

"Aspray (yes that's the name pronounced A-Spray but that is not how I read it....) goes where other deodorants can't. Aspray your butt.. Aspray your feet, and you can even Aspray your privates..

You got to watch this.......