Pipe cleaners…

So I attended a Sexual Assault Advocacy Course this week at KCSDV in Topeka.  It was very informative, and makes me realize how much I enjoy working with sexual assault survivors.  However, they give people things to do while listening to speakers to entertain themselves, because regardless of how interesting people are, it’s hard to sit for 4 days straight and listen to presenters.  Some of the things to do were: plastic slinkies, play dough, and pipe cleaners.  I got a little carried away with the pipe cleaners, and this is what I created:

Yeah, it’s a playground.  It all started with the tricycle, I was inspired by the red and white pipe cleaners, and it all went down hill from there.

So here’s by tricycle close up, with my sandbox turtle beside it:

Here’s my tricycle and wagon, the monkey bars are in the back.

My sandbox close up:

B-ball court:

This is my least favorite, was supposed to be like a tornado slide, or tunnel slide, but kinda turned out poorly:

Teatherball, actually functional.

Swing set with slide.

Monkey bars (I actually think this one is my favorite.  Simple, but effective.)

Teeter-totter.  Actually teeters.  And totters for that matter.

Merry-go-round.  Does spin, but not well.

And that’s what I did for 4 days while listening.  Little carried away, but it was fun.  I gave them to the immigration attorney that works for KCSDV to give to her daughter to play with.  I didn’t want them to go to waste.

I’m back…

It’s been awhile, but I wanted to show off the downstairs bathroom project. 

Here’s it on Thursday with the nasty carpet that was in there when we moved in 2 years ago…

 

Then Cody ripped up the carpet and there was nasty green tile underneath it…notice there is no tile near the toilet…

And a close up of the tile…

Then Cody and Andy installed nice ceramic tile Friday evening, and grouted it this morning, and voila!  Pretty bathroom floor…

This was the neatest cut Andy made, I was very impressed with this cut.  It had 6 cuts to fit perfectly around the door frame.

The grout is still drying, so that’s why it’s uneven in color, it’ll be the lighter color when it dries completely,but it looks 110% better.   

Me and My Boys

…and some other random girls.

My friend LaTanya is on the far left, and then Nikki and I are by Donnie.  I’m hopeful you all know who the rest of the boys are, but it not, from left to right is: Jon Knight, Jordan Knight, Donnie Walhberg, Joe McIntyre, Danny Wood.  

Hoping to make you smile…

So I will hopefully be posting some New Kids photos soon, but until that project, here is what my today looked like, and I’m hoping to make you smile…

So we get day old Panera bread donated at the shelter, and the women like to feed the squirrels in the backyard.  Today as I was leaving to take a client to one of her appointments, a squirrel grabbed a WHOLE bagel and took off.  It was very cute.  I grabbed my camera as quickly as I could and this is what I came up with:

They get fatter as the summer goes on. 

Story two…

So Cody and I bought a weight system, and I started putting it together last night.  I got most of the main metal pieces together and I was going to do all the cables today.

 

So I started with the first cable, and then came along this stupid bolt…

I just wanted it a LITTLE bit tighter!  Well the ratchet slipped, and the damn thing hit me in the face.  And this is what resulted…

A nice black eye.  I’m super excited to go to work tomorrow and tell everyone I did this to myself.

So Cody saw these pictures, and started making fun of my somber face (I was actually just not making an expression on purpose), so I decided to take a really happy one. 

It just doesn’t seem right to smile in a picture with a black eye, so I decided to make a sad face…and then I was laughing so hard from before I couldn’t handle it and I cracked a smile right before the photo snapped, and this happened:

And when I saw it I started laughing so hard (because I am making such horrendous face) that I started to cry.

So I thought, “Here’s my shot to make a REALLY sad face with REAL tears!”

And that’s what I came up with.

Hopefully that made you smile at some point.  I feel like a moron.  But I thought all of you might want to laugh at my expense. 

**UPDATE: 7/7/09**

Guess what  Brody did to himself today?  He slipped in the tub…

So, since most things in my life come in threes, who’s next?

New Sister-in-law, Nicole

So, Cody’s brother, Shay, and his fiance Nicole went to St. Thomas and got married over Memorial Day weekend, and then last weekend they had an insanely informal reception at Shay’s house (where he was renting with 3 other boys, and their lease was up at the end of May).  The week before they left, Shay and Nicole moved up to Topeka. 

So now Cody has two sister-in-laws named Nicole, only Nikki spells it Nichole.  I think I’m the only one that finds it really funny that they both have the same name, but that’s cool, I really find humor in that.

But here are Shay and Nicole in front of the cake.  Jan made it, and Nicole decorated it. 

Here’s up close on the cake, it was cute.  And really tasty.

Pretty flowers…

Front table…

My attempt at being creative…I’m just too anal to paint.  I should have chosen a smaller brush for the date, and the color of the “and” should be lighter, but there was no going back once I did it…

Wedding stuff…

All and all it was nice.  They’re evidently having another small something in Kansas City, that’s where Nicole’s from. 

But that’s my new sister-in-law.  She is a very normal person, and I’m very happy for that.  I am glad I don’t have to worry about people joining the family that suck.  That would be horrible.

New purchases, and gifts!

So Cody and I decided that since we refinanced the house, we didn’t have to pay the mortgage this month, so that $ went toward a new patio furniture set.  Our old one was small, the glass was falling out, and it was rusting.  And I just wanted something prettier. 

So I checked out Target, Home Depot, Pier One, K-Mart, Waters True Value, Lowe’s online, and finally Sears.  And Sears had what we wanted, for a price that was more reasonable.  So after a little under two hours of assembly, here’s our new patio table! 

Sorry, this one is crooked, but I don’t feel like reloading it, so just tilt your head please!

Now I just need a chaise lounge, and I’ll be set.  They didn’t have a 7 piece cover, so we were able to get a 10 piece cover for the 7 piece price, and that’s good because when I get a chaise, it’ll cover it too! 

And the gift part…

I was kind of joking with my Dad, and he wanted to get me a web cam so I could talk over the Internet with him and my mom.  He got one for Nikki so he can see Royce and Brody, so he wanted me to as well.  I told him that I didn’t want to deal with all that with a laptop, the web cam and all, but if he bought me a laptop with one built in, then I would.   He was watching Home Shopping Network and saw this little thing, and bought it for me.  It has a built in camera and microphone, and it’s TINY!  And it’s brown!  And my favorite part is that it runs on XP so I don’t even have to mess with Vista.  I’m excited about that. 

It’s SO tiny!  It doesn’t have any kind of DVD or CD drive, but it has built in SD card slots and 3 USB ports, and it just so happens Cody got a DVD burnable drive that connects via USB port, so I can use that.  And I can just stick my SD card straight from my camera to the computer.  Pretty Cool.  I’ve been playing with it all night. 

Maybe this will help me blog more…

I love Spring!

I love Spring for many reasons, but  peonies are one if those reasons.  And I’m happy they grow in my side yard too!

I just wish that I was the only one who loved them so that I could bring them inside…

I don’t understand why ants are ALWAYS all over them.  But they are very pretty, so I just admire them from the yard.

My new and retouched tattoos!

I don’t think everyone has gotten to see these yet, so I’m going to post them. 

 

The big paw was already there, but the coloring was uneven, so I got it touched up by Matt at Stray Cat Tattoo in Aggieville.  He was very nice, and did a good job.

It didn’t hurt nearly as much as my first one did.  With the big paw in Key West, I couldn’t walk for like 2 days without being in pain.  This time it never got to that extent.

The big paw is my Annie paw.  It’s twice the size of her real paw, but I originally got it for her.  The little paw is for Henry, and Ricki, well that’s pretty obvious.  I wanted to have her name instead of a paw.  I tried to get the newt to walk on paper to get a newt print, but I didn’t get a good one.  So eventually, I want to get a newt print on my foot too.  It’s going to be my animal foot.

And that makes me happy…

I’m not really good at updating this blog!

I just can’t seem to update this as often as I mean to.  But anywho, here are a few picks of the last 2 months…

St. Patty’s Day:

Fun Nephews:

Royce road all around the mall like this waving at everyone…

Now, he’s just chillin’ eating a cookie.

Chubby babies…

My birthday and snow :(, but at least cool pictures get taken in the snow…

I still just can’t believe that it snowed the night before and the day of my birthday, and I was left with about 5 inches of snow to deal with.  And then 2 days later it  was 60 degrees and sunny, and warm enough to take the dogs for a walk.  Silly…

The one group picture we took in Lincoln before the cameras died…

Notice the scarves…what’s up with the cold weather!?

This one sort of worked at the Q… and then the camera was dead for real.

More fun nephews:

Royce likes to wears other peoples shoes now.  Although he hasn’t quite figured out how to wear flip-flops…

I love the way he smiles!  Just like my sister and I do.  It’s the Ott side of the family.

He’s just so grown up!

It amazes me how much kids can change in 2 months.  Look how big Brody is!  He can sit up by himself now!

You have to ignore the drenched, stretched out onesie.  It’d been a long slobbery day.

Just look how sweet this little chunk is!

I love those little guys!

Anywho, that’s about what I’ve been up to! 

I have a few more posts to add this evening, so I hope everyone enjoys looking at something different!  I really do need to get more consistent in updating this.  I apologize, I’m just too busy sometimes!  (and lazy…but that’s cool!)

Good Article

This was sent to me through a work email.  The executive director of our state coalition, sent this around through a list-serve to the directors and administrators of all the Kansas DV/SA programs, and then my supervisor forwarded it on to us.  I think this article does a really good job of summing up what the media in America tends to do with what could be a really good moment to enlighten people about the realities of domestic violence. -Nan

Domestic Abuse Myths

Five mistakes we make when we talk about Rihanna and Chris Brown‘s relationship.

Raina Kelley

Newsweek Web Exclusive

Last week, R&B singer Chris Brown was formally charged with two felonies, assault and making criminal threats, in connection with the alleged beating of his pop-star girlfriend Rihanna on Feb. 8. Though we will never know exactly what happened that night, many of us have seen Rihanna’s bruised and bloodied face on the front pages and read horrific details of the alleged attack from the affidavit of a LAPD detective in which he describes contusions on the singer’s body. At same time, rumors are that the 21-year-old singer is back in a relationship with Brown, whom she has accused, according to the affidavit, of biting, choking and punching her until her mouth filled with blood.

While we can argue about how much of all that is true, it really doesn’t matter. This sad story doesn’t have to be verifiable for it to potentially warp how Rihanna’s hundreds of thousands of tween fans think about intimate relationships. We’ve all heard that this should be a “teachable moment”—a chance to talk about domestic violence with our kids. But children and teens aren’t just listening to your lectures, they’re listening to the way you speculate about the case with other adults; they’re absorbing how the media describes it; they’re reading gossip Web sites. When you tune into to all the talk about Rihanna and Chris Brown, it’s scary how the same persistent domestic-violence myths continue to be perpetuated. Celebrity scandals may have a short shelf life, but what we teach kids about domestic violence will last forever. So rather than “raise awareness,” here are five myths that anyone with a child should take time to debunk: 

Myth No. 1: It was a domestic argument, and she provoked him
We need to remember that any discussion of domestic violence should not revolve around what the couple may have been arguing about, or as one CNN anchor put it: “the incident that sparked the fight.” Nor should we be using the word “provoked” when describing this case, as in the Associated Press account that said the “argument” was “provoked” by Rihanna’s “discovery of a text message from another woman.” Domestic violence has to do with, well, physical violence, not arguments. There isn’t a verbal argument that should “spark” or “provoke” an attack of the kind that leaves one person with wounds that require medical attention.

Cable news has to stop referring to this incident as a “violent fight.” A “fight” involves two people hitting each other, not—as is alleged in this case—a woman cowering in a car while a man punches and bites her. If Rihanna had called the police beaten and bloodied and alleging an attack of this nature by a stranger, no one would be calling it a “fight.” They’d say that a man was being accused of severely beating and choking a young woman half his size.

Myth No. 2: Evolution makes us do it
Steven Stosny, a counselor and founder of an organization that treats anger-management issues believes that the tragic tendency of women to return to the men who hurt them (battered-woman syndrome) is a product of evolution. Stosny was quoted on CNN.com as saying “To leave an attachment relationship—a relationship where there’s an emotional bond—meant certain death by starvation or saber-tooth tiger.”

Apologies to Mr. Stosny, but that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. This is the kind of argument that really boils my blood because it seems to naturalize the torture of women. Very little is known about the emotional attachments of early humans. And trust me, after 50,000 years, our fear of saber-tooth tigers has abated. In most domestic-abuse cases, we’re talking about a situation where one person is wielding power over an individual through pain, fear and domination. It’s not about being scared to leave because of the dangers that await you in the world, it’s about being too scared of what’s at home to leave. 

Myth No. 3: People make mistakes. Give the guy a break
When singer Kanye West talked about the Rihanna-Brown case with his VH1 audience recently, he asked: “Can’t we give Chris a break? … I know I make mistakes in life.”  Kanye’s not the only one saying this kind of thing, so let’s get something straight: People leave the oven on or fry turkeys in the garage and burn their house down. One may even accidentally step on the gas instead of the brake and run over the family cat. Mistakes resulting in tragic consequences happen all the time. But one cannot mistakenly beat someone up. You do not accidentally give someone black eyes, a broken nose and a split lip.  

Myth No. 4: Brown said he was sorry and they’re working it out
Experts will tell you that domestic violence is an escalating series of attacks (not fights) designed to increase a victim’s dependence on her abuser. According to the police documents released last week, Rihanna told police that Brown had hit her before and it was getting worse. Sorry means you don’t do it again. In discussions about abuse, we need to make it clear that sorry is not enough.

 Myth No. 5: She’s young, rich and beautiful. If it was really as bad as the media says, she’d leave
The secret to the abuser’s power is not only making his victim dependent on him, but convincing her that she is to blame for the attack. No amount of money or fame can protect someone from the terrible cycle of emotional dependence, shame and fear that keeps them with abusive partners. Women who are abused look for ways they may have “provoked” an attack, finding fault with their own behavior to explain the unexplainable—why would someone they love hurt them? And it doesn’t help when people outside the relationship blame the victim. In this case, Phylicia Thompson, a cousin of Brown’s, told “Extra TV” that, “Chris was not brought up to beat on a woman. So it had to be something to provoke him for Chris to do it.”  As the rumors swirlabout whether Rihanna is back with Brown, understand that those who are abused do not stay with their abusers because they want to be beaten again, or because they are really at fault; it’s usually because they feel trapped and guilty.

 You may have noticed that the words power, control and domination running through my rant. That was purposeful. What we need to remember, and what we need to teach our children, is that yes, you should never hit anybody and you should never let anybody hit you. But, we also need to tell them that love does not guarantee respect and that any relationship they find themselves involved in should be based on both equally. 

URL: http://www.newsweek.com/id/188353