DipYourCar

omgggggg These guys work magic! I just saw them paint with the musou black paint (one of the darkest black paints ever) and the hypershift... I don't know if it's serotonin, dopamine, or oxytocin that I'm feeling, but damn! I couldn't look away! If you can see this video, give it a look! I usually don't share other people's videos here, but this is glorious!

Vlogs in 2021?

It's been a while... I know I only uploaded one video last year, but that doesn't mean I wasn't filming the things that have been going on in our lives. I'm also a day late in saying this due to technical difficulties in getting the software I needed, but... vlogs will be returning soon!!!

What's the Point of Two Sinks?

Am I missing something??? I just never understood it... What's the purpose of having two sinks in the bathroom, especially right next to each other??? Obviously they say "his and hers", but why?  Why can't they use the same sink? Seven of us live here, and we can all share the same sink. Hell, there's seven of us and well all share one bathroom! But even if I was rich, I can't see the point in having two sinks in one bathroom... Are they just looking for something to fill all the space they have? I guess this is one of the great mysteries of a genuinely poor person X-D lol

Guys Really Be Thinking They Slick

Some girl's post showed up on my Twitter feed today. Someone I don't even know, but she is a gamer or something, idk. But because she's popular, she has fans, and with fans also come the trolls and obsessive simp boys.

When someone is obsessed, they will often try to get their target's attention by gaslighting, or giving a backhanded compliment. This is where they offer a compliment and follow it up by an insult. I forgot what he said, and the post has been deleted since then, but it was something along the lines of "You're so pretty, but too bad you suck at gaming" What they are expecting is for the target to take the bait and give them attention. Really guys? You think we don't know what you're up to? Do you really think she's that dumb? You're not that slick, boy.

I can't STAND when people do that! It's one of my pet peeves. It's like if someone were to tell me, "You're a good Mom but too bad you aren't more organized". Or how about "You're so creative but you can't really draw that well." (not me though lol) "You're a good cook, but I always have to add salt to your food." (not me either! lol I think I actually use too much salt!) There's always a "but" with these. If you're going to compliment someone and feel the need to add a "but" to the end of that compliment, then you just need to "butt" out and not say anything at all. Just leave it as a compliment. You really think that girl's going to be interested in you for insulting her? Maybe a girl who is desperate for attention, and who wants someone like that?

And it isn't just always guys doing this to girls. Girls just tend to be more vulnerable to it because a lonely girl looking for attention will usually take the bait, even if it's bad attention... So I'm addressing you all when I say - Kids: Learn to recognize this kind of toxic behavior and don't take it from anybody when they try to use it as a weapon against you. Don't get caught in their trap. You deserve to be treated better than that. And it's not just obsessive fans who will try to reach out and snare you. It can be your parents, people you think are your friends, anybody. If someone tries to get your interest by complimenting and then insulting you, what's going to stop them from insulting you when times get rough? When they REALLY mean it... If that jealous friend plays down something you are good at by following their compliment up with an insult, what makes you think they're going to be happy for you when you become even more successful and not them? If your parents can't give you a compliment without constantly nagging, then can they really expect you to want them around when you're older?

Anyway, that's my rant. Her user profile is now deleted since I had seen the post she shared, so I hope she's okay. Hopefully she just blocked and ignored the person, but as trolls will do, I'm sure he became bitter that she didn't give in, and he probably started harassing her. If so, it's sad that she had to close out her account just to avoid him. He obviously would have bullied her into doing that, but you should never allow someone to pressure you into feeling like you have to do something on their behalf... RedCanary16, if you're reading this, I hope you're okay <3

Sky, Surf, and Turf

In 2020, I cooked a LOT more, and cooked good! Especially when Adam had to have a salt-free diet for his recovery. (He's still supposed to eat salt-free, but it's not as severe now.) Something new I learned how to make was "Sky, surf, and turf", a dish I thought was tasty when Tric and I had gone out to eat at my diabetes education class. It's made with chicken, shrimp, steak, queso, and spices. It's sooooo good! It was originally a dip, but I had eaten it as a soup and so I modified the recipe when I got home to add potatoes to it as well. We have it at least once a month, and that's our first dinner that we've had for this New Year's day!

It's really easy to make, if you're interested. This recipe feeds 7 lol:

1 pack of steak, cubed

1 pack of boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed

1 pack of cooked shrimp, tails off

1 jar of queso dip

1 stick of queso

1 bag of shredded parmesan cheese

The herbs are added to taste, depending on how salty or hot you like your spices. I usually add just a dash of each:

salt

pepper

onion powder

ground red pepper

smoked paprika

cumin

chili powder

Cook the steak, chicken, and potatoes with the herbs. Add the shrimp and all the cheeses, including the queso dip. Once the cheese is melted and everything is hot, it's time to serve! ^_^

Happy New Year 2021! We Got Some Exciting News!

Happy New Year!

Other than being New Year's Eve and Jazmin losing a tooth yesterday, we got some exciting news! Adam got a phone call from the SSM Health Transplant Services center in St. Louis today, and they told him that it's looking good for him to be put onto a kidney transplant list! The process has begun! So in order to get it, he will have to have all of his dental work done, he will need to take a few classes, and have a lot of testing done, like the treadmill/heart test. It's going to take some time and they are small steps, but at least they are steps in the right direction!

An Extra-Special New Year's!

It looks like Jazmin is getting an extra special New Year's after she gets visited by the tooth fairy tonight! One of her front teeth were veeeeery wiggly, so she went to Grandma's house (the pro) to have it pulled. I'm not very good at pulling teeth because I freak out myself, and end up doing a terrible job... Adam's fingers are too big to get in there and get a hold of it, so he couldn't do it either. But I remember how my Mom was always so good at it when I was growing up, and how she has done the other kids' teeth before as well.  Mom said she felt really bad doing it because it wasn't really ready to come out yet, but I still think she did a great job. Of course it's going to hurt, it's a tooth being pulled out! But I think if anything, it's always the mental pain that hurts the worst. Then it happens, and you're like - wow, I got all worked up for nothing! It's not like she's going to remember it anyway. Here are the before and after pics. You can see how loose it is in the first picture by how crooked it had become:

And then here's the picture my Mom took of her while she was still over at her house:

It Doesn't Change Anything!

I have to admit, it's giving my eyes a good workout at how much I'm rolling them by the way people keep talking about 2020 being over, as if a new number is going to change anything. Just because the number is changing - it's not going to change the way our world is! It's still a dangerous place. Politics are still shitty. People are still assholes. Problems still exist. Just because the calendar rolls over, that doesn't mean it's a clean slate. But what we CAN do about this new year is try to make it better than the last. Be better as humankind. Try to do better to the world. Our lives are what we make of them, so make 2021 the best year that you can, because let's face it - you never know when it's going to be your last. It hasn't changed, but you can change it.

The Death Train (Dream)

I woke up from a nap today where I dreamed I had died and when I did, I found myself on a train. I knew I had died, and I remember stepping through the door onto the train, but I don't remember boarding or waiting to get on. And I remember there was a woman there that reminded me of my Grandma, as I could see the family resemblance. It was once of her sisters, and she had been there to greet me. For some reason, she had designated herself as the family guardian in the afterlife to direct us all where we needed to be, so we wouldn't get lost or mixed up. She was there to answer our questions and knew things we did not yet know. When she spoke, she had a real thick southern drawl like my Grandma did. Her eyes were dark, just like Grandma's, and she wore glasses. She also wore polyester shorts and a sleeveless blouse like Grandma did. Her hair was short and curly, the color of salt and pepper. I felt very much at ease around her.

At first, I felt a panic rush over me. I was dead? I knew I was dead, but it was a shock. I still had so much I needed to do. So much unfinished business, as well as me needing to finish raising these kids! What was Adam going to do without me? I felt so sad and guilty leaving them behind like this. I could only imagine how they felt without me. I didn't know if there was a way to go back, or if I had to go forward, or if I could stick around and be with them as they grew up, or what. But she just told me to have a seat and relax because my little girl would be joining me soon.

What did that mean? I was confused. Did this mean Tricity would be dying soon? Or had she died and in the middle of crossing over? She was so calm about everything, as if she had been through it all and didn't really have any emotions except for patience. Knowing what I was feeling, she assured me that Tricity indeed had died and that I was to wait here for her so we could be together again. I was heartbroken. My poor baby girl hadn't lived her whole life yet! What happened to her? Was it from depression after I died? Was she THAT lost without me? Or was she in an accident? Was it her health? I had so many questions, but I didn't want to ask my Great-Aunt because I didn't want to be a nuisance.

Although I was torn knowing Tricity's life was cut short, part of me was also happy that we would be together again soon. She truly is the light of my life. I hope when this life really is over, I can wait for her and we can be together again. I'd like to be able to finish watching her grow up and someday have kids of her own. Even if I'm not there physically. I hope to still be there in spiritually.

Hellfire

I'll call this one Hellfire, since it's blue like the flames in "The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" series, or like in the anime "Blue Exorcist".

I LOVE this photo that Tricity took with a Snapchat filter ♥