Todnem.com (beta)

If you want to read an excellent story, laugh till you cry, and take a peek into the life that this amazing woman has created, check out thepioneerwoman.com.

Her name is Ree Drummond, and she will also be on the The View this upcoming Friday.

Consider that a person cannot see the color red. They don't even know they cannot see the color red, as it does not and cannot exist for them. How do you explain the color red so that they understand?

I have had it with rude, whining, reluctant, unhelpful, fighting kids. I have had it with being tired of constantly reminding and policing. So. Boot Camp has commenced.

No toys. No TV. No play dates. No treats. No privileges. All they have is books and a chair...and chores, and homework. They must do what they are asked and reply with an immediate YES MOM and do it. If they don't, they will be very busy. I am no longer feeling patient, kind or forgiving...that was not doing any of us any favors, and was only making me tired and crabby.

So, I am hitting the reset button. The kids are getting a reality check, and will start being better self managers, being kind to each other and attending to tasks that need to be done. Mamma has had it.

How do you stay organized? hahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaahaaahahahahahahaaaaaaa!

What piece of advice do you wish you could take? I don't wish to take any advice...telling thought...

This is my last day of daycare...my last trip over that hill...my last check written. I am soooooo doing the happy dance!

What's your morning beverage of choice? Is this a serious question??? ! quart of warm water, at least...and one good cup of coffee...maybe two.

"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That is why it is called The Present." Eleanor Roosevelt

What's the biggest leap of faith you've ever had to take? Letting go...

"When Everything Changes, Change Everything." Neale Donald Walsch

Get it, read it...you will not be sorry. Want the answers to Life? It is in the book...it is a fairly easy read, and he gives you lots of room for breaks and contemplation.

What is the most dangerous job in the world? Being a rabbit in the McClellan household.

What have you tried in life that you just weren't very good at? Uh so far? Just about everything...but, I am getting better every single moment! :)

There is a natural disaster headed your way. You get four standard sized canvas grocery totes to fill with valuables and provisions to bring with you to a safe place. What would you put into your four bags and why? Sheesh, who messes with valuables? If I don't have to put the kids and animals in the bags, then I guess i would grab the following: extra warm, sturdy clothes, soap, a pot, batteries, matches in a plastic bag, water pills(the kind that make it potable), flashlights, guns n bullets, seeds, the Bible, Survival guide, blankets, tarp, two really good knives, carmex, some canned food...tuna, beans, rice...are my bags full yet? Do I get to bring a horse to carry it all? :) Salt and pepper would be nice, if there is room.

How are your Saturday nights different now than they were five years ago? Well, a little more than five years...but now I go to bed about the time I was heading out, and I get up Sunday morning at the time I used to go to bed!

What word or phrase drives you absolutely nuts? I am fairly certain that I have pointed this out before, but there is no such word as "UNTHAW." If you UNTHAW the hamburger, isn't it actually frozen?

I just want to encourage each of you to seriously consider obtaining Life Insurance. Do not wait until your age dictates a ridiculous premium, or until your are sick. Life insurance has so many living benefits, and is not just limited to receiving a check when someone dies.

Having life insurance at work is not enough. Generally the amount is limited...and if the job disappears, so do your benefits.

You can get a critical illness rider on your policy. This means if you are diagnosed with one of multiple stated diseases, that your policy will write you a check for whatever amount you have chosen. This gives you the freedom to heal without worrying about medical bills or paying the mortgage.

If you are diagnosed with a terminal illness, a check can be written to you for half of the face amount of the policy. This means you can go live out your days in Jamaica or doing whatever you want to do.

Life insurance counts as an asset on your balance sheet. If you are trying to get a loan, banks LOVE to see life insurance.

If you get a whole life policy, it gains in cash value...you can borrow against it at a low rate of interest if you want...or if you decide that you don't or can't pay the premiums, the cash value can be used to do so.

PLEASE look into getting life insurance, and the younger you are the better. The kids each have a small whole life policy, and by the time they are of a retirement age, it will be a really good investment for them to cash in on.

If you have questions, please know that you can ask me, and I will help steer you in the right direction. Also remember, I am not putting this out there to sell you anything, because unless you are standing on the ground in my State, I cannot write the policy. This is such an urgent financial decision that can make or break a family.

What would your family do if you were no longer present? Are they taken care of so that they do not have to worry about losing the house, and the life that you have taken such care to build?

If you could leave notes for the future, what message would you have left in the past for today? Oh I have a good note that I would have left myself...hahahahaha! Single is sooooo much easier!

If any of you get a chance to see the Walking with Dinosaurs show, DO IT! You might check online to see what their schedule is (probably Tickets West) but it is an amazing show. The dinos are amazingly realistic, the narration is fun and we had a really good time. Tickets prices are a bit dear, but definitely put this on your to do list!

If you could have a vacation home anywhere in the world, where would you have it? On the beach...anywhere in the world.

Good Morning and HAPPY FRIDAY! You know what is not funny? Doing a bad job of setting the bedroom alarm clock. I accidentally set the clock to one hour later than reality...which does not translate to getting up one hour later in the morning! Aaargh! By the time I realized my error, I was good and awake...which is fine..I am sure that awake will last until about eleven am! LOL!

Just wanted you to know that I love you bunches, and think that you are the most amazing and wonderful grandpa a girl could have. All our LOVE. Lisa, Zachary, Brianna and Michael

What do you bring most to a friendship? Lack of judgement...acceptance....trust...

What does blogging do for you? Makes me look crazy, all talkin' to myself...

Yep, it is true...Slackers...where is everyone?

What's your morning beverage of choice? Seriously? You had to ask? I did not know that there was a choice. COFFEE, coffee or coffee...and then sometimes if I am in the right frame of mind, coffee. Special occasions would definitely call for coffee though. If the sky is blue, coffee...I think a nice cup of coffee every other Tuesday...

How do you stay organized? *Snort* Where the fun in that??? It is a LOT more fun to get that letter from the IRS saying you owe $7200.00 'cause you had unclaimed income....or get home to find that there is not a shred of toilet paper in the house! Good times...good times...

What word or phrase drives you absolutely nuts? Well nuts might be a strong word, but the word that makes NO sense to me is "UNTHAWED." If you unthaw something, isn't it actually frozen??????

How many pair of shoes do you have? Out of those pairs, how many do you wear more than a few times a year? This is probably not a good question for a girl who is a Steve Madden fan...I am guessing I must have about 25-30 pair of shoes and in all reality, depending on the season I wear them all!

as you know, my retreat is coming up in about two weeks...I need some recipe help! Does anyone have EASY ideas for food that can feed 10-20 people easily, with not much in the way of preparation?

I am ordering in Pizza for Friday night, and have a LARGE salmon to BBQ for Saturday night. I need meal and munchie ideas for in between, and side dishes for the salmon. Help!

What was the best book you read in the last year? Why?

What CD, or ipod tune is YOUR favorite right now?

What have you lost that you wish you could get back? Currently? My patience...

If you knew you were about to lose your voice permanently, what is the last thing you would want to say? I Love You

What was your biggest cooking disaster? Never try baking peanut butter cookies without eggs...or pumpkin pies without the sugar!

What are five things that make you unique? I am extremely fortunate in my family, I am blessed with terrific friends, I have been gifted with an easy sense of humor, I don't sweat the small stuff and I am open to all possibility.

What is the one word that perfectly describes your day today? Sunny...sunny blue sky, sunny attitudes, sunny smiles...

Brianna wanted to say THANK YOU for her birthday card. She LOVES the pink kitty and had been carrying it around for about half an hour. Love you!

What were you afraid of when you were younger that seems silly to you now? The monster Alligators under the bed....I was REALLY good at a nine foot standing jump from the doorway to the bed....the alligators almost never actually ate my toes.

What is something that can always make you feel better? Laughter, kid hugs, meditation, hiking....gratitude.

Although the weather is more fit for traveling with a sleigh, and in spite of my friend Amber's offer of using her Clydesdales and sleigh for traveling, I think that the Jeep will be making way over White Pass sometime tomorrow morning. 84 looks nasty, but I5 looks pretty good as far as I can see. HOHOHO up the hill we go!

Did you know that you can call 511 (at least in WA & OR) to get road and travel information? The call is free, although it does count against your cell minutes. This will be helpful for us in our upcoming travels...I will tell you how it works.

Brrrr...y'all on the East Coast bundled up today????

Do the spooky cows MOOOOO or BOOOOO on Halloween?

What is the scariest experience you've had with Mother Nature?

Ummm...big widow maker falling out of the tree when I was sunbathing. Probably 12ish years old, heard a noise. Instinct must have taken over, because before I even thought about it, I was sprinting for the end of the dock ready to make like a duck. Big dead branch landed right where my towel was. Three cheers for instincts!

Here is a new book that is another along the path of enlightenment...it is a bit hard to read, and must be absorbed in small doses, but very thought provoking. I was wandering around the airport in Seattle and found the bookstore. I was not certain what I wanted so I put out open energy and let myself be guided...and I was, right to this book. The author is Eckhart Tolle...and is recommended by Deepak Chopra as being "One of the best books to come along in years. Every sentence rings with truth and power."

Good Morning! It is another beeeautiful sunny day here in the East of the West, and we are feelin' froggy. Actually, I have to head to work again today, since I am having a booth at the Naches Sportsman Days. Somehow I had the impression that the Sportsman Days had something to do with fishing, hunting and other high testosterone sports...and the equipment and yarns that went with it. Little did I know that Sportmans days were actually a gaggle and flood of teen fun in the sun. The event is really well attended, but the average age was about 15 years. Sigh. Not much in the way of business interest for me. Hopefully today will be better.

Michael took the kids down to watch the parade that kicks off the weekend, and he and the kids had a really good time. They rode rides, ate food and won toys. I think that they all had a really good time together.

So my funny story of the week. I do not have the mind of the techno geek. I am finally figuring out my phone, and for the most part we have made peace. I inherited an ipod last friday...a 30gb ipod. I turned it on, and ran into my first problem. How do I turn it off? I did not get an instruction manual, so I am fumbling my way through. I thought my friend Lynne was going to fall of her chair she was laughing so hard, when I finally gave up and texted her asking how to turn it off. I got that one figured out...now I have to figure out how to download music to it. The ipod has a bunch of music on it, but it is not my music...Lynne mentioned that when I hook up the ipod to my computer to charge, that all of the music on it would disappear...not certain if she was pulling my leg or not. I did plug it in to charge, and music seemed to remain??? I do not know how to load music onto it though...anyone have any ideas?

I am off to teenybopper land...wish me business luck!

HUGSKISSESHUGSKISSES!

From Brianna:

Thank you for coming to play. Thank you for coming to visit. Thank you Violet for helping me pick up the bally things and the handles. Thank you for the pretty dresses and my new shirts. I miss you. I love you. Hugs and Kisses, Brianna

Have you Wooted yet? Check out Woot.com. One product each day. One T-shirt each day and one wine each week. It is really fun! Sometimes you can even buy a Bag of Crap for a $1.00, and $5.00 shipping. The Bags of Crap are hard to get, and show up randomly until gone. My friend Rauna's boyfriend Eric recently won a Bag of Crap and amongst other neat stuff, they got a brand new Rhoomba. If you want entertainment, read the comments posted each day about the product listed. The item changes each day at 10:00 p.m. PST. Check it out if you are in need of a few minutes of entertainment. The stories posted each day, with each new product are hilarious. Come on, lets go be Wooters!

Is it Monday already? Huh! The weekend seemed to fly by with lots of fun and sun. The wind never stopped blowing, but yesterday was quite a bit warmer, and pleasant if you remembered a light jacket. Violet was able to spend a couple of nights with us, so the kids were over the moon happy! We were not able to have them camp outside as the weather was cool (it was 33 degrees when I got up at 7:30 a.m. yesterday) but they have had a good time. We went on lots of bucket rides, everyone got in a good kite flying lesson and the fort was well occupied. Bailey is a tired dog. Dad and Peggy had a night out with Karen and company, so it was quiet around here last night.

I am so grateful to have had the family time, and the kids are filled all up with Grandma and Grandpa hugs and kisses. Grandma and Grandpa will come get Violet this morning, and I will take Zachary to school (rather than riding the bus) so that he can (1) sleep in a little, and (2) get one more Grandma(pa) hug before they head for home.

Now it is time for coffee, and to get back into work mode...oh yeah, where is that wonderful book I was reading????

How was your weekend??

I got my official Lisa Todnem Farmers Agent sign out in front of the office building yesterday...and I got my official website too! Cool! It is another wonderful day!!!

Does anyone else hear the hollow, rather loud banging sound??? It is the sound of Jeff's head bouncing off of the desk...the wall...wherever the frustration takes him. Oh, wait...that smiley simply won't work...it has hair...ummm... We will try this one instead.