ZOMBIES!

Disclaimer: Hornady® Zombie Max™ ammunition is NOT a toy (IT IS LIVE AMMUNITION), but is intended only to be used on…ZOMBIES, also known as the living dead, undead, etc. No human being, plant, animal, vegetable or mineral should ever be shot with Hornady® Zombie Max™ ammunition. Again, we repeat, Hornady® Zombie Max™ ammunition is for use on ZOMBIES ONLY, and that's not a nickname, phrase or cute way of referring to anybody, place or thing. When we say Zombies, we mean…ZOMBIES!

Happy Birthday Gracie!

Today our Gracie celebrates her birthday. She has a passion for helping the furbabies find forever homes and rescuing them from horrible situations. She raises 3 boys who often seem to multiply in their daring escapades. She supports a man who put his life on the line in the bowels of the earth and smiles through it. Her courage and strength are something I will never come close to having. Her patience is inspiring. She is more sister than friend for Maggy and I. Love you girl. Happy birthday!!!!

Luxor guests diagnosed with Legionnaires' Disease - www.ktnv.com

Luxor guests diagnosed with Legionnaires' Disease - www.ktnv.com

So i just saw this story. I know SHOT peeps were around so thought I would pass this one on in case anyone stayed at the Luxor. They had positive tests in January sooooooo..........

Blog roll and hello!!

I finally updated our blogroll. I added a ton of people so check it out. I also am alive just been very sick and am still recovering. I finally pulled it together and have an appointment with a new Rheumatologist so hopefully we get to fixing things. Phew!! I should be back to posting regularly unless I have a health setback.

My new baby

So, I went shopping today. Nothing unusual about that, right? Well, kind of. I went shopping for my first handgun. I walked into the store and zeroed right in on this little guy. Cute, right? Yeah, I thought so too. I liked it before I saw the name, then I loved it! Hubby tried to talk me into something much bigger but there would be no way for me to conceal carry with it unless I just stuck it in my purse. I am not real fond of that idea, I rummage around in my purse and if I ever needed to use it, I would never be able to draw it in time. The guy behind the counter pulled out both the Zombie Slayer and the bigger gun for me to try. I was right, the big gun was too big for me to handle comfortably. Then I tried the cute little Zombie gun (I still LOVE the name!) Dang it! The grip was too small to hold comfortably. Good bye Zombie Slayer, I wish it would have worked out for us, we are just not compatable. :(

Hubby asks the guy behind the counter if he has any Smith and Wesson Bodyguards in stock. They didn't. They are ALWAYS back ordered he said. He did have one that was already bought for someone else though and brought it out for me to see. It fit my hand like a glove. This is the one. The name is not nearly so cool, but obviously that is not what's important. The Bodyguard is small and compact and would be easy to conceal. It fits my hand well and I think I will really like this gun. I will post pics as soon as it comes in.

SOPA / PIPA - The protest

As most know there is legislation out there that threatens the very point of this blog and others. It threatens free speech. We will be going dark to protest along with many others. For info look in our side bar now. A few of our linked friends have posts up. Our black screen will also have a link. See you on the flip side.

Do you suffer from this disease?

Negativity.

Yup. I think it is a disease. I think that negative thoughts are poison. They fill you up to the point that they poison everything in your life and before you know it all you have around you are negative things and people.

I have to admit that I let this take root with me to a certain point. I love my brother-in-law. I love his children. They have been hit with some rough hits and honestly they are allowed to hurt over it. The thing it they have so much negative thoughts and feelings that it has swallowed them up. I honestly don't blame them. I have seen their devastation first hand. My issue is that Hubby and I have absorbed that negative energy to a point and let it drag us down as well.

For those who know me well I am the positive one. Sunshine and rainbows. If I get depressed it never lasts for long because I am to positive to let it. Stress brings out even more positivity. I see the problem and I battle it. I look for the solution and kick it back until I win and my family is okay. I forgive much, I love with everything I am, I try to have a smile or a kind word for people.

Or at least I did. We have had my BIL and his teens here for over a year now. Recently I went out of town with the girls to see my mom and sister and two of my husband's sisters. While I was their a couple things came to my attention though no one said anything to me really. 1- I had picked up a few bad habits from the live ins that i wasn't thrilled about and hadn't noticed and 2- I was not nearly as positive as I knew I usually was.

Picking up habits is normal but honestly isn't something that thrilled me. So hubby and I made a commitment to get back on track. We vowed to stop cussing. This was a huge one for me to pick up. I was the anti-cuss chick. For me it was only in majorly angry situations that a cuss words would pass my lips, especially after Bug was old enough to talk. Gracie and Mags can attest to my creative anti-cussing, hehe. We have also made sure to really step in if the girls are being parented by the teens or BIL that is in a way contrary to what we want. We had been going with a "No harm, No foul." type rule. They were trying to be helpful, especially with Monkey, and if it wasn't completely against our values we weren't going to make a fuss. We have realized though that the teens really seems to not only encourage but teach pretty inappropriate things. I think Hubby thought it was funny at first, when she was too little to really get it. Now though she is getting it and it can be harmful, so we are putting our feet down.

We also made the commitment to be more positive and encourage that in the girls. To compliment them when they do good and encourage them. We say "I love you "  a lot in our house. I think because Hubby and I didn't hear it a lot so we say it often, to each other and to the girls. It is so important to have that feeling flow in a house. I also have been trying to  ignore the negativity of the others. I have pulled back from the teens. They do not want me to parent them or give input so I am not going to. All it does is add to the negativity in that they treat me pretty horribly unless they want something. I doubt they even realize it most of the time so to just erase that negative influence I am doing my own thing more again. Hubby had a shift change so is not around as much which means I do my thing with the girls and go off on my own in my room or office and just let them be.

I guess the moral of all of this rambling is that negativity can do a lot of damage but when you make an effort to combat it and let in the positivity that honestly surrounds you your life improves so much. I feel better even though I have been sick and sleeping horribly. My emotional health is peaceful and so much more calm. I feel that returned by my guy and the girls and take great joy in that. I think that keeping that spirit in our house is a huge thing because if TSHTF having a positive mindset could very much save us.

Parvo

I have been fostering a litter of bottle fed pups. Their mother was hit by a car and killed when they were only a few days old. This weekend I had to go to a family function in Utah. The pups all seemed healthy and full of energy...until Saturday morning, the morning I left. I called my friend who was going to be taking care of them for me and let her know that one of the boys seemed just a little off and would she please keep an eye on him. She stopped in later that morning and all was well. But when she came over that evening, Paris the only female was not doing well at all. She was refusing to eat or drink. She force fed her a little bit of rice and chicken and got her to drink a little bit of water and went home. Yesterday she came over in the morning and found Paris dead in the crate. Bernie and Royal were lethargic and weak. She bundled all three boys up and rushed them to the vet. Today I picked up the third puppy, Mario who smells of Parvo but has no symptoms at all. He is happily romping through my house while his brothers fight for their lives at the vet office. We will know tomorrow if they will make it or not.

I was not so attached that I couldn't have given them to new families, but to have them die in my care is devastating. All I can do now is hope and pray and snuggle the one who seems to be ok.

I feel sorry for the anti-gun crowd.

After our candlelight vigil on the 8th there has been a lot of back and forth on the web. Joan Peterson (yes the link goes to her post) and others of the anti-gun community were not thrilled by our effort to hold a vigil for the victims of violence. There has been lashing out at many of the bloggers we all love and read.

Do you know what gets me? The sheer sadness of it all. Truly. When it comes to wanting to see less victims we are on the same side. The difference is that some have let their hatred of an object obscure any other thing.

I think we can all agree that horrible things happen to people who don't deserve it. Scary terrible things. Every day lives are lost senselessly. Our goal has never ever been to take away from any victim the trauma they went through. It has been to empower them. If you have read our blog for long then you know that my posts have only really entered the realm of  gun blogging over the last year. I am fairly new too this. Even having a very close call with an armed gunman didn't immediately change my views. I came to this pretty gradually but once I did I embraced it and I read everything I could. I asked questions. The more I discovered the more empowered I felt and the more I wanted to share that with others. I learned that this community is all about protecting people. It is about helping someone defend themselves.

So I am sad. I am sad that hatred for an object that is just metal and sometimes plastic can create so much discord. Demeaning those who do something to protect themselves in a way different than you does nothing but make you out to be a jerk. Making those who faced the demon and came out alive and then decided they were going to up their personal odds out to be some sort of villain is as shameful as the accusations being hurled around. I know that pain and loss and violence have touched lives on both sides of that fence. The difference is that we want EVERY person to have the choice and the right to protect themselves irregardless of the violence they meet and you are so blinded by the object that the victims that are trying to talk to you get nothing back but hurtful words. If you care about victims then LISTEN. Truly listen.

People like Jennifer and A Girl and yes even Weer'd are trying to tell you that there is more to the story than the object. 

So......yeah.

So I pissed off an assistant principle today. I also let him know in no uncertain terms that I will not put up with his crap.

He called to tell me that he was giving Crash a full day of detention over yesterdays issue. I asked him to call the teacher and get his schoolwork for the day because I was taking him home. He thought that was a bad idea, (shocker, right?) and asked if we could sit down and talk about this situation. I told him that would be a good idea but I couldn't do it today because Hubby would want to be there and he had just gotten home from a night shift.

I went to the school to pick up Crash. The assistant principle never even came out of his office. I was standing three feet away from his open door when I asked if I needed to sign my son out. I even said Crash's name (which is almost as distinctive as his nickname) so he would know I was there.

When I got out to the car my son told me that he had said to him "Wow, your mom is cranky!"

I called the school and asked to speak to Mr so and so. He wanted cranky, he got cranky. I asked him if he seriously just said that in front of my son. He backpedaled saying "No, ma'am, I did not!" Now I don't know what was said, I wasn't there. All I know is that the word cranky is not one my son usually uses. He could have made it up to get back at the guy, or he could have actually heard it. No matter, I wanted the guy to know I wasn't going to roll over on this.

We have a meeting tomorrow afternoon to make sure we are "all on the same page".

Now, I don't have any problem with my kids getting punished for something they did wrong. But in this case, he did nothing wrong other than forget that his teacher had asked him not to do something. I am not going to let ANYONE walk on my kids like that. Not going to happen.

He got in trouble for WHAT!?

So after a long crazy day involving a (mock) disaster complete with helicopters, ambulances and fire trucks, and a rogue mountain lion (for real), I went to pick my sons up from school. I was also picking up a neighbor kid because his mother didn't want him walking home with a mountain lion on the loose. I went into the office at school to inform them about the cat so they could inform the bus drivers when I saw a pair of feet that looked.....familiar. I leaned around the parent in front of me and was met with the sheepish grin of my middle son.

Me: "What the heck are you doing in here?"

Crash: "I got into trouble."

Me: "AGAIN?"

Crash: nods

I had to go find the neighbor kid before he got on the bus so I told Crash he was in big trouble and went down the hall to find Spike and the neighbor boy. (He needs a nickname too as he is over all the time).

When I got back to the principles office, Crash and I went in and sat down. Here's where the story gets ridiculous.

The principle proceeds to tell me how my son had formed a gun with his thumb and finger and (gasp!) used it like a gun! His teacher asked him to stop and he did. A few hours later, he did it again this time using the desk for cover. He informed me that Crash had insisted that over the course of a few hours he had forgotten. (So.....?) The principle didn't believe that he could have forgotten in just a few short hours.

I just stared. I didn't know what to say. For one, IT WAS HIS FINGERS! That is almost the first toy a little boy ever comes up with. Seriously!? Two, my son can't remember what he was told to do five minutes ago and he was surprised that he didn't remember after three hours?

I asked if he was disrupting the class and was given the run around and told the same story. How he shot, stopped, forgot and shot again. The principle will call me tomorrow to let me know his punishment. If he gives Crash detention, I swear I am going to go get him. I don't think he should be punished for something all kids do, especially boys, as long as it wasn't disrupting the class. I just think this is stupid. Am I over reacting? I honestly don't think I am but then again, I tend to go Mother Bear when someone is picking on my kids.

Since when does killing someone mean people should feel sorry for YOU?

Okay I love my CNN Justice News. I have thought Van der Sloot was a murdering coward since his involvement in Natalee Holloway's case. The guy changed hs story more than a tabloid. He confessed and took it back. He tried to blackmail the family.

Then Peru. A girl is murdered on the anniversary of Natalee's disappearance. She in in his hotel room and they had been seen entering together. He is found days later on the run crossing a border. Then he goes to jail and it takes ages to get him brought on charges. He refuses to acknowledge what he did. Now today he enters a guilty plea and his lawyer begs the court to consider HIM and all he has been through in their sentence because he doesn't deserve a harsh sentence.

WTF? Forget that there is no life in prison for this. There is no death penalty. Already Peru's system is lenient to killers. Now he wants more leniency. He brutally killed Stephany Flores. He admits it but claims some sort of weird PTSD because of the scrutiny on him over Natalee.

Well you POS you BLACKMAILED the Holloway family, you admitted to killing her on tape, you kept yourself in that spotlight by bringing things up concerning her constantly. BS to any sort of trauma or stress. You are a killer of women and I really hope that civilian justice is more lethal that the legal system there and someone at least teaches you what it feels like to be a victim.

Ahhhhhh....... I know I am probably a bit harsh in the thought but it really gets to me when someone who is a predator tries to play the victim. He may have admitted guilt but asking for lenience based on his own stress and horrible life belittles Staphany was put through. She deserves justice. Her family deserves to see the man who killed their loved one suffer for what he did.

No more negativity.... "Guns saving lives - Nevada Style"

So I had my little "Gun Death" posts inspired by Weer'd but limited to local stories. I posted only a couple. Not for lack of stories but honestly because it was so dang depressing. This area is full of violence. Vegas was ranked as one of the worst for crime in the country recently. Ick!!!

I decided I wanted to highlight stories that show where a gun saved lives locally. We have those too!! So no more negativity!!! I give you my new positive series. "Guns saving lives - Nevada Style"

Robbery attempt and shooting at pawn shop surprises neighbors.

That one left the robber dead and the shop worker unharmed!!! Score a point for us!!!

Homeowner packing heat: burglar "lucky" to be alive

This one left the burglar one lucky duck. The gun wasn't fully loaded. Still saved the homeowner though! Those are the two most recent. I plan to post them as they happen from now on. Sometimes we only have a moment to defend ourselves and I would rather have the force to truly put the odds in my favor than just the hope we get out of it okay.

 Guns Save Lives!!!

Finding my place!! A great post up about this community!

Over on A Girl And Her Gun is a great post titled "An Open Letter To The Anti-Gun Folks". She gets it!! She took what I feel and she put it all out there. I swear she and I are sister's of the soul sometimes because she so beautifully can write out thoughts and feelings I have had. I never really have fit into a group. I am too "wild" for a lot of LDS women, too young for a lot of Mommy groups (though that is finally changing now with Monkey's stuff but among the mom's of Bug's friends I am always the youngest), too conservative for most of the women my age. Not sure why I haven't found a place among writer's but that probably is due to my shyness.  Even here sometimes I think "Do I belong here?" then I post about a worry or fear or struggle and where my words would be met with silence in the past they now are met with help, comfort, guidance, and understanding. Never have I known so many willing to lend an ear or a kind though to someone they have never met or offer to meet and help if they can until I entered this community. I can be a depressed basket case some days and when it feels like I am so very alone someone will post a comment that brightens my day. You guys are all amazing. The blog post by AGAHG is beyond description in its beauty. Read it.

Light a candle for the protection of yourself and those you love!!

Today The Brady group decided that the best way for them to fight violence was to light a bunch of candles and once again decry all guns. After all guns make the violence right??

Not so much. Weer'd had this brilliant idea that we stand up as well today and fight the cause not the tool. I simply love this idea. For years I was afraid all of the time. When we had the apartment shooting I was so shaken and disturbed by it and for months I was frozen in fear. I knew things needed to change. I needed to change. It was a very slow change. Like years. I accepted that we needed a gun in the house for protection but I was to afraid to handle it myself. My husband gave gentle pushes but wasn't forceful and he listened and talked. Then we had a conversation that changed everything once we moved to southern Nevada. I said I wasn't sure I could take a life if faced with that choice. I probably could to defend the kids but not myself and he looked at me and he said, "Babe, If you were dead who would protect our girls when I work? If you were battered and broken because you chose to give in rather than fight what would that teach the girls? Wouldn't you want them to fight?"

I had never thought about it like that. I never realized that the fight wasn't just against evil but for something. So now I have my beautiful HK P2000. To protect myself. To protect my family. To inspire them to be strong and courageous in the face of evil. A candle is beautiful and thoughtful and great and holding of just a tiny bit of the dark but add a gun to the mix and you can not only light the way but fight the darkness back and win. So win. Win for yourself. Win for your loved ones. You are worth it!

Now look in our side bar and go see some of the other wonderful blogs for today and our fight for the protection of the ones we love against violence!! Brigid has a particularly beautiful blog up!

Friday Funny

It is Friday, right? I saw this on facebook and I had to share. Enjoy!

Bees, game and dog drama

This time of year we are usually in the negative temps. Since Christmas we have had temps in the 50's. I have a litter of bottle fed pups here that have been able to be outside during the day (hallelujah!) and my bees have been out and about. I have been feeding them because there is nothing for them to eat and I worry that they haven't stored enough honey to last the whole winter. The few times I have cracked the lid and taken a peak, it appears they have filled both supers with honeycomb. Hopefully they had time to fill it with honey as well. THIS fall I am looking forward to a nice honey harvest. I am also going to need to step it up and build another hive because I plan on splitting my hive this spring. I can either order a queen for around $20 or I can put in a frame of day old eggs and hope the workers can raise their own queen. I think I would like to try letting them raise their own and if that doesn't work, I can still order a new queen. I am having some hangups with the bees because they have become so aggressive. I am more than just a little scared when I crack that hive open. I make sure the kids are in the house and there is no one in the area who is not protected. My heart thumps and my hands shake (not good when handling thousands of bees). As much as I enjoy my new hobby, is it worth being that scared of them as well? Something to think about I guess.

We have been eating deer and elk meat almost every day. We got a crazy amount of meat from that elk. I was really surprised as how many roasts and how many pounds of burger we were able to process. That is one chore I am glad to be done with though. My house smelled like blood for weeks. I couldn't seem to get it out of my hands and clothes and sink. I guess it is because as soon as we got one animal butchered, we would harvest another one. Hubby grew up hunting but has not been able to go since we had kids. It had been over ten years since he had been able to hunt big game. He is hooked again and is really hoping he will be able to draw out again. I am enjoying being able to walk past the meat counter at the grocery store!

I am up to my eyeballs in dogs. I have the four that are our family pets, four orphaned pups that need homes and one eight month old lab that is going to her new home soon (thank goodness). The lab, Magpie, is not allowing my hound to eat so he looks really bad. I had to bring him inside and feed him special food which also means I have to feed him pumpkin and special medication because he gets the runs every time he has to live as a house dog. He is also the same dog who is allergic to all grains and can't have dog food that contains ANY grain at all. I am so tired of cleaning up poo, it isn't even funny. The puppies make a horrible mess in their crate every night and because they are in the crate, the hound has to be locked in a bathroom. This morning I had to clean diarrhea off the floors, walls and door. I WANT MY LIFE BACK!! Once the lab and the pups are all in their new homes, I think I am done with the fostering. I will still work with the rescue, but I just can't handle the stress of other dogs right now.

That is what is going on in the life of Gracie. The short version anyway. There is actually tons more, but this is a blog not a novel, lol.

Awesome Give-A-Way by an awesome gal!

That also means I have to admit some things. *sniff sniff*

First to the awesome. A Girl and Her Gun is doing something amazing!!! Indeed I am in awe of her and those who are now joining her to add ammo to the pot.

Details are (taken directly from her blog):

The prize:

I will pay $300 towards any reputable beginning self defense shooting course in the United States.

Who Can Enter:

Any female who is interested in taking the next step in learning how to defend herself in the event that she may need to. I would really prefer it be a new shooter that hasn't had any formal training to this point.

How To Enter:

Leave a comment specifically saying you would like to enter or email me at agirlandhergun@gmail.com subject Give-A-Way.

This will run from January 3, 2012- February 3, 2012 at midnight and must be redeemed by September 2012.

On February 4, 2012, I will put the names into a "hat" and pick one.  That person will have until September 2012 to register for a class and when she does, I will send the $300 to the school/course/instructor.

It can not be redeemed for cash and can not be used for any other purpose.  If the winner does not register for a course by September 2012, the prize will be forfeited and the drawing will be redone with the remaining names.

I would appreciate you're help in spreading the word. I think there in only one official entry right now, so the odds of winning are pretty darn good.

I am very excited about this and you all will be doing me a huge FAVOR, if you let me be a part of doing something positive for you!

Now to my admission. I have not taken any in depth classes. I could blame a lack of funds but if it was something I pushed for my guy would find a way. To bare it all I am just a coward. I hate meeting strange people. Hubby says I am borderline agoraphobic sometimes. I have made some great online connections through this blog but I am a hard person to connect with I guess. I am not easy to fit in any pretty little box. I am LDS but I can cuss like a sailor when upset. I have developed a love for guns and planning and survival but I couldn't show you how to start a fire with nothing and I have the health of a woman triple my age. I am the oddball and I am used to that. Maybe too used to it. Maybe I have let myself become so used to being solitary and a homebody that I don't know what else to be. Maggy and Gracie are my closest friends and both live hours upon hours away. I am lucky to see Gracie every couple years and it is approaching that with Mags now. So my social buddy is my husband. He is my best friend but he is also my only friend. He tells me to go out but I really just hate it and the stress ends up making me sick so I just gave up trying. It would be nice to have a girlfriend in the area who likes to shoot, lol. That would be neat. Maybe even if I don't win this give a way it is time I see what is out there. I may be trying to take my safety more in hand but that doesn't mean all people are bad right?

My Monkey is 3!!

Today my baby is 3. She was a miracle I had given up hope of ever having. After losses and years of trying it looked bleak. Then my grandmother died and that night she let me know in a dream that my little angel was on her way. True to my granmother's spirit she stood on a cloud, kissed a little girl, and shoved her off the cloud. My gram was tough and strong and very no-nonsense. The next day on a whim I bought a test. I shouldn't have been able to tell. I wasn't late at all. But there was that positive test. So with prayers and a doc who stepped in right away to help I carried to term. I love her so much. Her gentle hug. Her big heart. Her love. Her stubborn streak. Her curiosity. Her crazy antics. So happy birthday baby girl.

Farewell 2011 Hello 2012

Happy New Year!! It has been a pretty good year for us at TSLBF. We welcomed a new addition, we followed dreams, we bought some awesome guns, built up plans, we made big changes. We had our share of illness. My diagnosis came this year. Gracie has had some boy caused antics to make anyone cringe and an ER doc know them by name. We faced grief and triumph. The blog has grown beyond just us and our brother blog. I think our positives outweigh any negatives. Personally I know a lot of the community I have discovered because of this blog has helped with that positive. We are very thankful people read us and seem to like us most days hehe.

We wish all of you joy and happiness , health and success as you enter this New Year. I know we will all face challenges but I think with the support of friends and great family anything can be conquered.

2012 is a year to expand our preps some more, work on our personal goals (I WILL publish dang it), and enjoy each other. I look forward to it!!