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texascamps

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  1. My DH and I are both native Texans but now living outside Texas. We do enjoy our quarterly or so visits back to Texas. We always know we are in Texas when we cross the state line and its 109 degrees in the summer. Comforting to know, things don't change that much. This summer we spent 3 weeks in Fort Worth, Dallas and Austin. Hot! Hot! Hot! BUt since everyone we visit has a pool, its okey dokey! Spent a day at the Capitol of Texas, My husband used to work there but we had never taken the "touristas" tour. Amazing! Lots of things to do there, in Texas, best children's museum I've ever been to was in Lubbock. Houston has a Health and Medical Museum that my kids LOVED. Dallas has the American Girl store.... ....and there is nothing like driving 14 hours to get across that state!
  2. Just a few points that concern me and should concern everyone. 1. Why is it so important that a bill be rammed down our throats immediately. Shouldn't we have some trials or research models in place to see how they work? I heard Mitt Romney talk about the Massachusetts, Oregon, etc. plans and how there was good and bad in each one and that we could learn from them and build slowly. We could add one state at a time. 2. We've seen the videos of Obama talk about the ideal "single payer" system, yet he says now he's not for a single payer system. There is some dishonesty there. We've seen the video!!! Come on. 3. Those that represent us haven't read the bill, yet they still want to ram it down our throats quickly! Read it first! Common sense! 4. There are multiple bills, and when officials talk about what's in the bill, they aren't even sure what bill they are talking about. 5.Old people and people who are planning on getting old should be scared. There are limits! 6. Yes, it is true that some procedures only have a 20 or 30% success rate. But even in failure, our medical community learns how to improve. They will decide not to allow some procedure because the success rate is so low. How horrible not to know if you would have been one of the successes. 7. The scariest thing is this. So far, the officials are not rebutting the fact that members of the house and senate are exempt from provisions in the new bill as well as Unions, and other negotiated entities. I can't find this in the bill itself but I've seen the footage of the gov't officials trying to justify why THEY should be exempt. Read the bill yourself......Scary.... go to the Ways and Means office, it is posted in PDF format. Also, someone else who has read the bill up to date.....can you show me where it says that someone who decides to pay for a procedure themselves, when the procedure is rejected by the Gov't plan, will be fined or in some way slapped? I haven't heard anyone rebut this yet but can't find it in the bill. In the past few weeks, ever since reading this boondoggle, I've been ever so much more pleased with our insurance plan. I'm a much more humble customer of United Healthcare.:001_smile: By the way in the last year I have had 4 different insurance plans and a few months of no insurance........Some were better than others.......however.....having only one plan run by the same people that run the post office, FAA, DOT, HUD, and the EPA, is very disturbing... at least in its current bill. However, I am all for them reforming healthcare...but do it thoughtfully, and carefully.
  3. We have painted every room in our house. To make your paint job look professional: Caulk trim cracks if the trim is coming away from the walls. Also, wipe your baseboards clean. Painting over dust just makes your paint look crunchy and amateurish. Also, use the green painters tape (Frog something or other) instead of the blue. I swear by this now. With the blue painters tape one often has to put a small smear of caulk along the edge. With the green tape, you don't need to do that and it creates a very clean smooth edge. Keep the paint well mixed. Keep your brushes clean. Instead of a roller, we sometimes use the wide pads. Flat paint does really well the pads and it seems less strenuous. If you have dings in the trim, you can apply wallboard compound, which (not spackle or painter's caulk) Over apply, then, when it dries, use a wet rag or sandpaper to rub smooth. Paint. You can make old banged up trim look new again. Good Luck! Oh, if you suspect that there were smokers in the home before, use the tsp or paint with Kilz. The oil from the nicotine will bleed through.
  4. We rotate monthly among kids 12, 10 and 8 the loading, unloading of dishwasher and setting and clearing the tables, wiping off counters,etc. the 4 year old is an incredible table setter and is exceptional at breaking eggs, mixing, finding ingredients, etc. so we ask her to do these things whenever we can. The 12 yo mows, blows and edges the lawn weekly. They take turns twice a week vacuuming, swiffering, and cleaning the bathrooms. I try to make the boys clean around the toilets as much as possible so they see how much "stuff" never makes it into the toilet. They will all help sort laundry and will put away their clothes. They all need to make their own beds, pick up their own rooms, and pick up after themselves. They take turns tidying the basement. I don't know how I would keep house all by myself, I depend on the kids to do so much
  5. These statistics are misleading. They come out every year from WHO, the UN etc. and they don't really mean anything. They are highly politicized and by the WHO, UN etc, to show how the capitalistic West is a farce, then the medical journals come out with what they suspect are the real figures. Why? Because the US reports \and all infant deaths that they can. If the baby is born in a hospital or medical facility, then it is counted. Even the WHO in small print admits that the majority of countries under report mortality rates because they don't have the tracking system we have. Most countries don't count infant deaths until the baby is a few months old. The US reports deaths that occur as soon as the baby is born. In some countries, a newborn that lives only a few weeks is a "stillborn". And some countries don't have anyway to track deaths that happen to folks in slums, rural areas and areas that have not formal government. You can't count a death that occurs to someone who you don't even know exists. Plus, they under report for political reasons period. I refuse to be suckered into stats by orgs that don't readily disclose collection methods and criteria. If our medical system is so bad then why are we giving money to all those countries that are above us on the "list"? They should be giving us money. If you are poor in this country then you have freen healthcare already. You can walk into a county ER and get free care for whatever ails you. At my husbands Company, (construction) they offer everyone health insurance for a total out of pocket cost of $18 every two weeks the company picks up 90% of the cost. Less than 10% signed up because they know they can walk in any county hospital or clinic and get free care. However, when AFLAC showed up. ( they provide cash directly to you if you get injured to cover "costs" and lost wages) they jumped all over it because..... you guessed it, they can go to the county hospital for care, have taxpayers pay for it and then collect the AFLAC money which goes in their pocket. It really is a great idea! Why wouldn't anyone do that? Why would anyone pay for health insurance? If you are poor you qualify for Medicare, and when you are old Medicaid. The healthcare available in this country is awesome no matter what the predominate media and political party wants to tell everyone. There are problems, but they should look at eliminating fraud and hypochondria. If there is nationalized healthcare in this country, then they ought to have a nationalized diet plan, too since obesity is the biggest health care problem we have. They tax the heck out of cable to pay for the Nationalized Healtcare Plan.
  6. Walmart has a 14' one with the side nets for aroun $150. Plenty of room. I was told by a Dr. down the street that most injuries com from falling off the trampoline (wrist and arm brakes from kids trying to brace their falls when they go flying off the trampoline,) so the safety nets on the sides are important. Just my $.02.
  7. The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is stellar! It has some older cages and stuff so you can get quite close to some of the animals. We especially enjoyed the monkeys and primates.....if they wanted to throw poo, we'd have been easy targets. (newer zoos have the animals in such huge pens and have us the visitors stay 12 feet away.....) The Will Rogers Castle thing was well worth it also....... if you go to the zoo...you will see what I'm talking about. The zoo provides a nice workout, as well. Go in the morning and plan a big dinner at the Texas Roadhouse which was close by. OTher than the Academy which was a favorite of all the kids... the Ghost Town Museum was on their list.....We've been 4 years in a row. Its cheesy and all but if you ask my kids what we need to do in CO Springs, the Ghost Town Museum is number 1 on the list. Garden of the Gods is nice, pick an interesting hike. The adults liked this more than did the kids. Biking it would be better. There is a house close to the Broadmoor, in that neighborhood that we accidentally happened upon. It has huge metal structures (arty) that move with the wind. We stumbled upon it and now every time we go back we try to find it....... Your aged kids would probably really appreciate them. The art is huge. You may get pressured into doing something like that in your yard. The cliff dwellings just west of town were kind of a waste, however, it houses the largest gift shop I have ever seen in any kind of tourista trap. We were in the dwellings for 20 minutes and the gift shop for over an hour.
  8. Killz primer it first. If there are smokers in the house or if the wood has been oiled then its especially important to prime it first as the oil in wood oil and nicotine will come through the paint as spots. Caulk the seams in between the panels. They show up as black lines, so caulk them. Also caulk between the trim and the paneling around the bottom perimeter. It will look great.
  9. We just got finished watching Empire of the Sun. It deals with part of WWII that doesn't get much attention, the invasion of China by Japan. Although WWII is recent history, its been good to point out how people and cultures can change and can do so in a short amount of time. Japan's government/ideology was so very different then than it is today, (as was China's) that it brings up all sorts of opportunities to show the growth, revolution, progression of parts of the world and the positive response by the US. Its too bad that there are so few vets from that era around anymore so we cannot learn directly from them. I have found that WWII involved so many countries for different reasons that it can get confusing to younger minds, I don't know the solution to that.
  10. I think I paid closer to $239 for mine using a 30% off coupon at Kohls. BUT, I agree....I'd probably buy it from somewhere where I can buy an extended warranty. THey aren't supposed to last for more than a year for what I can gather..... I love those warranties.....I bought a lawn/leaf vacuum from Sears and paid $14 for an extended warranty....I've had it 6 months and I've had it replaced twice... and need to take it back again. Sears shouldn't have heavy duty equipment made out of plastic.... I bought a portable DVD player from Target, Same thing....$20 for a 3 year warranty. I've used it once.....for a replacement. Awesom.
  11. Love mine! a 500 series. It is schedule to run daily while we sleep, downstairs. I bring it upstairs and shut it in a room when I don't want to get the big vac out. I saw one of the 400 series on clearance at Kohls for $85. I meant to get this one for my upstairs and I missed out. As long as you clean the brushes when it tells you, and empty the dirt out it works like a charm.... It does especially well on my hardwoods and the edges of my counters. And like others have said, he is fun to watch. I'd someday like to get the Scooba.....(mopper) and my inlaws have the "Dirt Dog" for the garage.
  12. Other than Gone With the Wind, Cold Mountain is my favorite Civil War book. I've never seen the movie and do not wish to see it. I also really enjoyed "Confederate in the Attic" a modern travelogue of Civil War relics. Very funny and enlightening. The language is rather vulgar in it.
  13. Someone else mentioned this but Hogs are destructive and can create dangerous holes for grazing cattle or horses, and someone else mentioned tractor traps they create. They can also bully other animals. Mama Hogs are especially dangerous. They are actually very tasty. The wild hogs my husband has processed have been fantastic, even when we are field dressing them, you can smell the aroma of maple sausage from their meat. I wouldn't want to run into one though.....one of these days I think I might get a taser for when we are out hiking.
  14. My boys played "Pirate" but it was really just sailors. They loved pretending they were one ships and boats and chasing whales and running from whales and even better......Sea Monsters!!!!!!! The "pirate" aspects we don't want for our kids didn't really come up... they wanted to sail, avoid being eaten and then dig up buried treasure.... My DS recently said he wouldn't really want to be a pirate 'cause they drink alcohol and smell bad and they are mean and God doesn't want me to be mean. .... (some book he read) I think its fun and educational.
  15. We chose to microchip for $50 when we got our dog out of the pound for the third time (total jail time over the years has cost us more than the price of the dog) We chipped and within a month, he got out, was picked up by the pound and since it was close to our house, they just came and dropped him off....no fee, just a friendly drop off. We should have gotten a chip when we got the puppy, it would have saved a bunch of hassle, money and time. We were just trying to save $50. We do not pay a yearly fee.
  16. Thanks to those that suggested some options on Youtube.com. In my naivete I expect the front page/home of most business sites like youtube to be innocent. Even the porn sites I've come across have a warning page asking me to click on the button to say I'm 18. The responsibility to where we take ourselves after page one is obviously up to us since we have to type in our searches. We haven't had any issues come up before. We use youtube daily for music lessons, sewing lessons, etc. My kids already know we have a zero tolerance policy on them looking for innappropriate material and for over a year of unbridled access, they have not even deviated from the music and "how to" video restrictions. So they have proven themselves to be trustworthy on that part. (they know I'll just get rid of the computer if trust is betrayed) If we want to find entertainment, then we go looking together. For the smaller kids, thumbnails for the same old videos they always watch (Schoolhouse Rock,etc.) come up so they don't actually ever go anywhere, only the same old videos, they can't type. If I were to log on to MSN.com, or MadMoney or Olay.com and seen the same ad, I would have still been outraged! We enter into these sites with some consumer trust... Even in the movie theaters they edit trailers to adhere to a PG type trailer..... that ad was not PG. I did find out that there were many more complaints to Youtube and someone notified their local news station because an ad like that violates YouTube's own innappropriate content policy. So, I appreciate those that have suggested filters and the channels. I will try that. I was also thinking of a way to block the actual "home page" from my firewall and allowing only my kids search pages to come through. I wish someone would come up with NerdTube, where some of us nerdy type folks who just want to utilize this technology in a quiet, unsexy manner, can go.
  17. Youtube.com is our startup page on my kids browser. We are on it daily for music lessons and all sorts of stuff. Today, it forces you to watch a very graphic commercial for "Haunting in Connecticut". There is an option to "hide advertisement" which then minimizes it to a box on the right hand of the monitor, still the biggest item on the screen. There is no way to delete this. I went looking for instructions on how to either remove the ad. There is no way to do it! There is no way I can see to send a quick email to YouTube to ask for a how to. So, I told the kids that YouTube is off limits today and I've changed the startup page. All I can do is WRITE and I mean Snail Mail a letter to YouTube telling them that not all of their customers are degenerates. Does someone out there know how to control YouTube?:confused::confused::confused::confused::confused::confused:
  18. :iagree: :iagree: 16, on double dates....... why accellerate the inevitable?
  19. If you do go for the Kitchen Aid (I'm in the same boat... I have one that is too small now for double batches ) Kohls.com has it on sale for $399 but if you use the coupon code GRAND30OFF it takes off 30% plus they have free shipping over 75$. According to my math, that would be $280 or so plus tax. Plus, you can always take it back to Kohls, instead of shipping it back to Amazon. Just FYI. Post if you buy it and if the coupon code works. It was supposed to expire today.
  20. http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/his/CoreArt/art/neocl_dav_marat.html This painting comes to mind
  21. Step by step Bathroom. ( my kids do this now when they are on bathroom zone) We use only two items to clean: Scrubbing bubbles and Windex for mirrors. Sweep or vacuum tile Straighten or scoot items on counter. (put toothbrushes where they belong, hair combs, etc. )Spray down shower, counter sink and toilet (sides too.) with scrubbing bubbles. While its soaking. Spray mirrors with windex and clean with rag 1. When finished with mirrors, use rag 2 to wipe down in this order:Counters, cabinets, shower walls, tub, sink. Finally. wipe down top of toilet lid and tank. End by wiping down rim and bowl. In our small bathrooms. We then spray the floors and wipe with Rag 1 while on our hands and knees. Throw both rags in laundry basket. I use clean rags for each bathroom. Same procedure with larger bathrooms, except they get Swiffered. I have friends that swear by the automatic shower cleaners. But, even in our hard water, scaly area, if we follow this process once a week, we don't get soap or scale scum. Bathrooms take less than 5 minutes to clean....we used to do them daily.:tongue_smilie: Now my boys take better aim. I'm ADD when it comes to kitchen cleaning so I'll be interested in what others say to that.
  22. I just bookmarked your site, to show my husband. I had seen a large portable coop that was just made from hurricane fencing, but here where it snows we need something to protect from falling snow....Yours looks like it fills the bill. I would love to have one of those fancy Victorian jobs on backyardchickens.com but I want to be able to move my coop around my yard for bug eating, more...
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